"Rider, what was that just now?"
Recalling the scene he'd just witnessed, Waver felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
'As you command, my King!'
Risei's utterly subservient demeanor had been a complete reversal from moments before.
That was unmistakably "mind control" magecraft.
A sight Waver had never imagined.
"Commanding subjects is also an Emperor's domain."
"Your understanding of class designations remains rather shallow."
Glancing back at the stunned Waver, Lelouch answered.
The Rider class inherently denoted a "cavalry" designation. Anyone who could command and ride qualified for the position.
For Lelouch, whether it was piloting a Knightmare or dominating minds through Geass, both constituted forms of "riding."
After all, both machines and people were types of "mounts."
This was precisely why he manifested under the Rider class. Under normal circumstances, his only viable designations were Rider and Caster. But as a Caster, he'd lose the ability to summon Knightmares.
"Hah!"
An inexplicable chill ran through Waver. A lingering unease he couldn't shake.
Now he finally understood how Rider had so effortlessly acquired that expensive villa.
As the man said, he truly did think everything too simply.
"So... would you ever use it on me?"
As though resigned to his fate, Waver stopped walking and sighed.
The sheer irrationality of that domination, its overwhelming potency, was something he'd seen firsthand.
Risei, who had been utterly vigilant against them, now worshipped Lelouch as a true "sovereign."
'You alone are the one true "God" of this world!'
That fanatical devotion. A true believer, beliefs, thoughts, and perception twisted beyond recognition.
"What are you thinking? Hurry up and get on. We still need to get over there."
But hearing Lelouch's casual response from the Knightmare's palm, Waver froze.
"Huh?"
"Let me put this bluntly, Waver."
"Do you honestly believe you're worth dominating?"
Already dejected, Waver heard those follow-up words and bristled with indignation.
'What's that supposed to mean?!'
'Is he saying I'm not even worth mind-controlling?!'
'I'm still a Master with Command Spells, you know!!!'
His fists clenched reflexively. But then, just as quickly, clarity settled over him.
'He's right. I haven't achieved anything.'
'I don't even know what my wish is.'
'Aside from being a Master, what could Rider possibly see in me?'
Lowering his hands and unclenching his fists, Waver deflated, reflecting on everything he'd shared with Rider.
The man had a point. Whether or not he was being controlled barely mattered.
"If you truly want to become someone worth dominating, then show the value and potential to justify it."
"Right now, you have no reputation and no power. Just an obscure magus. From that perspective..."
"You're a little lacking."
Leaving it at that, Lelouch smirked.
He knew exactly how to handle someone like Waver.
A light provocation was all it took to drag this boy out of his spiral of doubt and deflation.
"Ugh!"
"You've got some nerve!!"
"Then one day I'll make you take those words back!"
All trace of despondency evaporated. Waver stormed aboard the Knightmare, fuming.
"Hah!"
"Hyah!!"
CLANG!!
CRASH!!
Slammed into a wall, Saber regarded the swarm of figures before her with a furrowed brow.
Lancer's shape-shifting spear was one thing, but the clones she'd spawned each rivaled the original in power.
Over a dozen Lancers attacking simultaneously. Handling them all with her holy sword alone was beyond her.
She didn't have Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, built for fighting outnumbered.
Unless she released Excalibur, she could end Lancer in one strike. But the cost would be steep.
"Heh. Finally someone I can handle."
Twirling her spear with a flourish, Kyoko grinned.
Every opponent she'd faced in this war had been absurdly overpowered.
The card-trick Caster. The divine-blade-wielding, lightning-fast Assassin. The obviously monstrous Archer and Berserker.
Saber and Rider were the only ones she hadn't directly clashed with.
Now it turned out that in close-quarters combat, her clones could suppress Saber.
A beautifully ironic counter-matchup.
Saber could suppress Assassin. Assassin could run Lancer down. And Lancer could overwhelm Saber.
"?"
"!"
But at that moment, a brilliant light flared in the distance, drawing every head.
"Is that... Archer and Berserker?"
What was supposed to be a coordinated extermination of Lancer had devolved into total chaos.
Tokiomi and Risei's flawless plan had been doomed from the start.
The self-proclaimed chess masters hadn't anticipated that some of their "pieces" would refuse to obey.
The newcomers hadn't come for Command Spells.
They'd come to kill.
CRASH!
"What's happening?!"
"Why did it turn out like this?!"
In a rare loss of composure, Tohsaka Tokiomi sat in his home workshop, jaw clenched.
He truly couldn't comprehend it.
A perfect plan. How had it derailed?
Weren't all the Master-Servant pairs supposed to be focused on Lancer?
Why was Rider missing, Lancer and Caster on the same side, and Berserker trading blows with Archer?
"Steady, Tokiomi. As a scion of the noble Tohsaka house, you must always maintain elegance."
Deep breath. Calm the heart. He coached himself.
"The situation hasn't exceeded expectations."
"If necessary..."
Glancing at the two Command Spells remaining on his hand, Tokiomi entertained a bold thought.
As a last resort, he could force the King of Heroes to deploy his ultimate Noble Phantasm and annihilate every enemy present.
It would further inflame his conflict with the King, but if it achieved the objective, it was worth the cost.
Afterward, Risei could replenish the spent Command Spells. No problem.
"Hmph."
"No matter how the situation evolves."
"The advantage remains mine."
"Got you! This card activates now!"
"Have a taste!"
"[Attack Seal]!"
Mid-swing, Kenshin's divine sword froze. His hand simply would not advance, and the enemy's counterattack was already bearing down on him.
Squelch!
He dodged in time, but the Flame Swordsman's blazing edge still caught his shoulder.
Blackened flesh, sizzling heat, raw muscle visible beneath. Even his arm's mobility was compromised.
"Magecraft?"
Recognizing the nature of the interference, Kenshin studied the figure peeking out from behind the Flame Swordsman.
He didn't know what specific spell had been cast, but it had clearly sealed his "attack" capability.
His frozen hand moments ago was all the proof he needed.
Without that intervention, the Flame Swordsman would already be in pieces.
This magus was not as fragile or easy to dispatch as he'd assumed.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]