"All right. Since you won't talk, I will: why did you have to go somewhere so dangerous?"
In Tony's Villa, Tony sighed, equal parts helpless and exasperated, as he confronted the unruffled Artoria. He'd told her countless times—stay away from danger—yet his beloved little sister never listened.
"Big brother, my power is beyond anything you can imagine. But haven't you still got problems of your own? If Iron Man hadn't been swatted aside by Hulk, would I even have stepped in?"
She didn't spare her brother's feelings, referencing the footage of Iron Man being punched halfway across the city. The rebuke silenced 'Angry Older Brother Mode'; he couldn't muster a retort. He knew he'd been outclassed—though even if he'd been strong enough, Artoria would still have rushed in for the loot box Abomination had dropped. She hadn't even opened it yet; with her holy grail stones reserves growing, card-pulling time was near.
"A 'Sister-Protection' armor line has to start—now. Can't let her look down on me."
That was Tony's inner vow. Out loud he could only concede defeat; Artoria had left him no room. As she left they struck a deal: once Iron Man could control the whole battlefield, the 'knight' would stay benched. Artoria agreed cheerfully—it wasn't hard. Even without her Lancer Spiritron Dress she still had Kiyohime, Transformation Jutsu, plenty of ways to fish for goodies.
"Why do I feel like something bad's about to happen… imagination?"
Tony watched her go, unease flickering across his face.
"Can't spam the holy lance… but my current Noble Phantasms aren't enough. If I pull Gilgamesh, things'll get fun."
She'd saved plenty of holy grail stones, and the gacha pool inside her mind no longer ate random gems—only holy grail stones and special items. Lately she'd agonized over how to spend them. A Grand Caster would be ideal; King Hassan was a wonderfully 'kind old Grandpa' whose power could turn the tide—say, by lopping off a certain purple titan's head.
"Let's keep pulling. Even if I only get my destined Noble Phantasm, like Excalibur, it'd be worth it."
"Just don't let that brat Mordred show up—that would be a disaster."
Her gut told her if the brat appeared right now, the fallout would be catastrophic. That traitor blade existed solely to skewer every Takeuchi-face in sight; they were mortal enemies.
"Who should I sacrifice…?"
"Sacrifice ten centimeters off Loki; he won't miss it."
In the familiar ritual space Artoria offered up the sacrifice. Far away, Loki—smiling at Thanos as he plotted to become King of Earth—suddenly felt a chill below the belt. He paused, sensed nothing, and resumed his grand design.
"Let's see what showed up this time…"
The usual pitch-black glow greeted her; she was past complaining. No matter how trash the result, she couldn't indulge her temper—her power depended on it.
"The standard shameless triple: panties, stockings, and a bra."
She tossed the garments aside and kept drawing. More explosive tags, two Fire Release scrolls, one Earth Release, an empty summoning scroll, and a Substitution Jutsu—only Body Flicker left to complete the trio. A Chakra-nature transformation manual appeared. The entire ten-pull was Naruto-verse junk; the pool had skewed hard.
"Wait… A Knight Does Not Die with Bare Hands?"
The moment she saw the Noble Phantasm card, Artoria's eyes lit up. Anything she judged a weapon—even a plane—could be wielded at will; it was a godsend for an unarmed fighter and the perfect patch for her current weakness while her own Noble Phantasm was sealed.
"Sir Lancelot, even if I'm not any King Arthur on the timeline, you'd still cross worlds to protect me? Thank you."
The golden skill card pulsed with fierce protectiveness. In a flash it split into two spheres of light that wrapped her hands. With A+-rank Instinct, Artoria sensed the faint remorse carried by the Noble Phantasm—guilt over Guinevere that still denied the knight rest in death.
"I hear you. If I ever meet Artoria, I'll get you an answer."
Taking the upright knight's protective will to heart, Artoria opened her eyes. Everything felt different now—the origin of force in every limb, the slightest stir of air around her. It was as if a new world had opened. She projected a wooden sword carved with "Tōyako." A Knight Does Not Die with Bare Hands activated; the brown blade blackened, red veins throbbing along its length.
A casual swing and Artoria sliced the alloy steel plate clean, no wasted motion.
"More than stealing weapons, it's the grasp of martial skill. Your Noble Phantasm is mine now, Sir Lancelot."
The mirror-smooth cut in the alloy plate testified to the wooden sword's edge—something achievable only by metals surpassed only by Adamantium and Vibranium. With Projection Magecraft and A Knight Does Not Die with Bare Hands, Artoria had done it easily; give her an Adamantium blade and she'd be soaring.
"Perfect timing to sign the summoning contract with Little guy—but it feels pointless. I seem to have a mount space; this thing's a tasteless chicken rib—hard to swallow, wasteful to drop."
"Come on, couldn't it give me something non-empty? Even a slug would do. Snakes would be acceptable, but toads? One glance and I picture sizzling bullfrog hotpot—cravings galore!"
Recalling pot after pot of spicy dry-pot bullfrog, Artoria nearly drooled. Tonight's dinner was settled: Chinese, dry-pot bullfrog—she'd eat her fill.
"Haven't seen Hope in ages. What does that girl even do all day?"
Three women came to mind. Maya had been out daily holding press conferences and presenting her serum at academic meetings—busy as could be. Ever since she and Artoria got intimate, Helen Cho had been hiding, refusing meetings. And then there was Hope, heir to her father's genius, locking herself in the lab; Artoria feared she might collapse inside and never come out.
"Better go check."
Dispelling the wooden blade's mana and releasing the Noble Phantasm, Artoria dusted herself off, straightened her clothes, and headed to the test area to find her "bestie."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.