Fate/ConQUEST

[Ayr]

2] I don't care about the lack of doors. I want to dream about Assassin's.
3] Call out Dream Shroud, she might be here.

[zikari8]

3] Call out Dream Shroud, she might be here.
2] I don't care about the lack of doors. I want to dream about Assassin's.

[SleepMode]

​2 & 3

[SaberBlue]

2, 3

[Sunny]

Will shyly echo 2 and 3, though I'm worried how much Lestari should use that space now...

[Bird of Hermes]

1, 3 - Just to be different

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: ???
Daytime: Day ---> Night

Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Great
Magical Energy: Poor


Pondering the risk when I’m already here is a waste of time. Thinking hard without any leads will not let me arrive at a satisfying conclusion either. I don’t know what will happen but may as well ask the person responsible for it. And if she is capable of manifesting herself in the King’s mind, and presumably the same as the Servants’ Ruler encountered, shouldn’t she be capable of doing so with me too?

“...”

Ah… I’m going to talk to a demon goddess, holy shit.

“D-Dream Shroud…” I took a deep breath, my lips flutter in fear, and sweat drops on my skin. “You are here right? I have a couple of questions...”

No answer.

“-Dream Shroud!!”

I called her the second time, yet still no answer...

Fuck, do I need to call her with that name? Aren't these tentacle gods tend to get very angry if we talk about their names freely? Well, I suppose Ruler freely calls her by name, but she is a damn Ruler Servant.

Shit.

“Yidhra!!! Hoi, YIDHRA!!!”

Even after I mustered my courage, the only answer I received is dead silence.

“For fuck sake...”

My legs fall to the ground, and I feel relieved as much as I feel disappointed.

“Give me some kind of a lead, don’t leave me hanging like this…”

Wavering around without any clear goal in such a sea of uncertainty…

I’m tired of it.

“Sigh…” I let out all my breath, “there is a much more important thing to think of, Assassin.”

Whatever, time to exit this stupid place.

* * *

Hattori Hanzo.

The perfect shinobi and samurai.
Someone brilliant, strong, honorable, and loyal to his Lord.
A master of espionage, skilled with the spear and the sword, and an extremely capable tactician.
It is well earned that nobles and commoners across the country praise and fear the name “Oni no Hanzo.”

And she always witnessed it.
The attack of Oda, counterattack against Takeda, and the escort of Ieyasu.
Whichever the battle, she was always there to see her father’s path to greatness.

Needless to say, she too is in awe of his brilliance.
She understands more than anyone the endeavor her father had to reach such height.
She understands more than anyone how much he fought for the survival of their shinobi group.

So she worked hard to be a shinobi and samurai that can make her father proud.
Any kind of ninjutsu, both their natural style of Iga and borrowed style from the Koga, she mastered them all.

And the old warrior recognizes her talent at a young age, raises her like a son, and teaches her every secret technique he has.
He was confident that she can be a great shinobi that surpasses even him, her sex no longer matters when she had sheer talent.

Knowing that his body will soon no longer be worthy of the demon he was known for, he passed down the legendary name to his prized daughter.

“Masanari, do you know why I give you a name that is pronounced the same as mine?
“It’s a prayer. I wanted you to be the same as me, no, achieve what I am capable of doing easily and exceed me.”

Of course, the girl has worked as hard as she could to meet her father’s hope, she has braced herself for this day to come.
She doesn't want to fail him, she wants him to be proud, she wants the Hattori family to survive.

So she accepted it, the name Hanzo, becoming the third incarnation of the living legend.
Being adopted to the Tokugawa clan, receiving a prized sword as a sign of honor and trust.
Inheriting her father’s force that consisted of 200 Iga and Koga shinobi, defending strategic areas entrusted by their Lord.

The expectation of this talent was high.

However, as much as a great warrior she is, a leader she is not.

She was young, naturally many of the veterans inside her force doubted her competence.
Her ascension doubted, they didn’t accept her leadership, they believed their allegiance wasn’t to Hanzo but the Tokugawa clan.

She doesn’t understand how to deal with such a thing.
All this time she followed her father’s footsteps, she only knew to resolve problems by a display of strength.
And she wanted to preserve the Hattori, she knows they need to be as strong as possible to survive the war.

Her training was harsh, every time someone voiced their reason, she shut them down to submission.
On the battlefield, she displays competence equal to her father and the generals, so no one can contest her either.
A draconian leader.

And those rules with strength naturally will lose everything once they no longer have them.

A fire.
It was not an enemy’s doing, most likely a natural occurrence or someone’s failing.
Either way, the castle she was trusted burned down, and they must rebuild it by themselves.

It was a stressful event for all parties involved.
When she asked them to help rebuild it, many objected, great unhealthy arguments broke out.
Both of them brought to the court, which ultimately she was deemed to be warranted, and the rest is punished.

She might have won legally, but she lost the little trust she had from her subordinates.
The people that objected and punished believed they were correct, and they had been served wrongly by the clan.

Some planned to revolt to cause chaos from the inside.
She must act fast, and she should stop them before it’s too late.
Yet, because of a cruel twist of fate, she killed an innocent.
The worst part is, the riot didn’t happen, her killing wasn’t justified.

She was severely punished and demoted, she brought shame to her Lord’s trust.
The Hattori lost many of the luxuries and honor her father worked hard to secure.

And that battle finally arrived, the famous battle that will determine the fate of Japan between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi - Siege of Osaka 1615.
It is the perfect opportunity for her to gain the Hattori’s honor back, and she detailed her plan to her subordinates to take down one of the enemy’s most vital generals.
They nodded, and she received the blessing of her Lord and fellow generals.

That general rushes forward to their camp, she issued to commence their plan.
Alongside her men, she moved forward, focused on the man in front of her.
Eager to take him down, she knows after this they would gain at least their former status, even greater.

Spoiler:

A spear skewered her body, the man is merciless, he is like a demon that baths in his victims’ crimson blood.
But rather than that, she looked back, she saw many of her subordinates-
unmoving from their initial positions.

“Ah… not like this…”

The crimson demon took a great swing of his spear.
Her body scattered in all directions, incapable to be identified with that era’s medical knowledge.
She was abandoned by the people she fought for.

Successful father, failure son.
Such a story is nothing new.

But it is disheartening to see she falls from a great height and is betrayed so spitefully.
She only screwed once, and yet it is too severe for her to repair.

She is no hero like any of the great men I have encountered and dreamed of.
The only thing she passed down to history is hubris.
The reason she is here is because the name attached to her is too great to defile.
Her existence as a Servant is a cruel reminder of her irrelevance.

That who Masanari was...








In the end, I am finally able to dream Assassin. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to say to her, and I doubt my sympathy will easily heal her wounds. I don’t know why there is no door for her either, but at least I now understand it is not because she doesn’t think we are not connected enough.

Time to end this and get ready for our counterattack-

Yidhra

“-?!”

A flash appears in my mind. No, rather than a flash, it's more like all molecules inside my head took form and shaped themselves into her appearance, sending it straight to my brain.
And it shows a figure that looks both young and old, a figure that feels both far away and nearby, someone whose existence rejects the common sense humanity has built for centuries simply by being there.

Everything becomes dark except her.

“Lestari Elliwyn,” the demon speaks, she speaks. It would be much, much better if she is so monstrous she is incapable to, yet she speaks in a voice too pleasant for the ears to be real.

“I’ll tell you one thing. Human affairs, whoever comes victorious, I do not care.” And every time her mouth sway-

I felt pressure.

Cold shivers, chill on my spine, goosebump, I can feel any kind of physical alarms throughout my body.
My muscles forcefully strain itself as wide and far as they can. It’s like my entire body decided to rebel against my will.
My heart beats, my eyes gouge, my teeth grit, my organs shake.
Everything doesn’t seem right in front of her presence.

“You can't escape the dreams, I looking forward to what will become of you.” I can hear a sadistic glee, and her upper lip dropped to the lower one, alongside her image dissolve into darkness, leaving me all alone unable to see.

I felt something explode, but I don’t know which one exploded, which are exploded.

It hurts.

wise-up

Health: Great ---> Poor

I see my own eye, my left eye to be exact, detached from my head. Oh wow, so visions can split like this?

It hurts.

wise-up

Health: Poor ---> Critical

I see a tree, no, is that… my body? My body is connected with a tree, but why?

It hurts.

There is a bluish light coming from the tree-me. An electric jolt? Spell…?

It hurts.

No, no, no! Don’t use magecraft right now--

snap.

It hur-----?!

-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Night




“I’m still alive…”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the fuck was that...? What the fuck was that?! Is that only to attack my mind, no-

“Blood…”

I cough blood, I fucking cough blood, fuck, that felt too real for a simple cough of blood, yet-

“My body is at their best…?”

wise-up!

Health: Great ---> Excellent
Magical Energy: Poor ---> Excellent

I drown my face in the hospital blanket as I try to process what just happened, which I notice my blanket stuck to something heavy. And I see her, resting her upper body on the top of my bed, despite all of us having our own hospital bed.

“Assassin…?”

“Mm?”

It is my first friend, my first Servant. Assassin has been waiting next to me and overslept as she waits. She has these crusty eyes and some limp hair, and exhale air quietly. She looked around left and right cluelessly, looked so silly, it makes me feel stupid that I worry about having a nightmare. Until she realized I had been awake and observed her for a while.

I can't help but smile.



“Huh, ah?! How long have you been awake?!”

“Good morning, I suppose good night is much more appropriate?” I mean, we probably around 9 PM by now.

She quickly jumps backward to the nearest wall and puts her guard up, literally, as in, she does a ninja backflip to distance herself.

“Oh come on, we have been together for half a week, it’s a bit late to act shy with each other by now.”

“No, it’s not about that… I just…” She looked at me, put her hand on her mouth, and once again her gaze ran away from my eyes, looking down in thoughts. She then dropped from the wall, seemingly lost all her energy to be embarrassed. Her eyes shaking, it shows empathy, it shows her pity. “I was being self-centered not knowing you have...”

“I’m sorry…” for some reason, she gave me an apology. Not a mocking and sarcastic one I would expect from her, but genuine sympathy.

She is being awfully considerate I don't even have a clue why she apologizes. And here I am only thinking about myself because someone messes with my mind a little bit, despite I just earned my very first Servant's trust. This is the Assassin that mostly acts like a dick and too shy about everything, yet she showed me the past she doesn't want people to see.

Haaah. Lestari Elliwyn, show some tact and decency a little, right now you are a failure of a Master.

choice!

What should we say to Assassin?

[1] Tell Assassin about your dream.
[2] Tell Assassin about Yidhra.
[3] Tell Assassin about your dream and Yidhra.
[4] Ask Assassin what she is apologizing for.
[5] Says nothing.

[SleepMode]

​4

[SaberBlue]

4

[zikari8]

4

[Bird of Hermes]

4!

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Night

Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent



It bugs me that she apologizes for no reason, but if there is really something she felt she should apologize, I want to know why. Besides, if I told her about what Yid- Dream Shroud did just now, it would create unnecessary worry like with Ruler, and we don’t want something like that hinders Operation ZD. It’s fucking creepy and frightening, but I should keep it to myself for now.

“Why do you apologize? For what?”

There is a slight lag in Assassin’s answer, but she decided to brace through it regardless.

“...I saw it, what happened to you and your loved ones back then. I dreamed of your past.”

Ah.

That’s huh. It all makes sense that she apologizes now.

“Compared to mine, no, what you have gone through is beyond even many famous Heroic Spirits. That’s why-”

“-Don’t say that!” I answered boldly, “don’t compare which one of us has suffered more. That’s not the point.”

“I also saw your struggle to meet your father’s expectation, and how you ultimately failed to do so. It’s not about who suffered more, it’s about suffering sucked regardless. You going through a lot, there is no denying that fact, I will fucking kill someone so heartless if they deny that fact.”

“They… they are all dead by now, genius.”

Oh my God is she serious right now?

“Shhh, shut up. Focus on my point, not on my words doesn’t make any damn sense.”

“How do I get what you are trying to say when you can’t even put words properly?”

“Well, fuck you too.” I smiled irritatedly.



“Yeah, yeah I get it. Then I will not pity you.” She smirked and put her right fist forward, “instead, I will be glad. There is someone like me, that you and I face something similar.”

“That’s more like it.” I bumped her fist with mine as an answer, that’s what I want to see from my Servant.

I got up from the hospital bed and quickly ready myself for our counterattack. I have packed what I need before going to rest, so all I need is to wash my face and get dressed, which Assassin has prepared beforehand. Any other things we need such as the soldiers’ weapons have been in Magellan’s Victoria by now.

And just like we have agreed, we are going to borrow the King’s chain. He currently defends the frontline with Chaldea against other Machine Lords without it, their firepower is greatly reduced right now. Even if they have ZD as a countermeasure, they might need the chain soon.

“But we shared dreams unlike with the others for some reason.”

“That should be normal between Servant and Master, supposedly, anyway. so far you are anything but a normal Master.”

“Oh, not a ‘normal’ Master, huh. Do you forget this?!” I wave my right arm around so she can notice the flipped A symbol I get from Ruler earlier. The proper Command Spells that can be used like it is intended by Zouken.

“Ah, shit.” she paused for a second and followed with a defeated low pitched voice. Did I... just win against her…?

“Well, that’s a good thing, I guess.” Ah, she shrugged it off.

“But yeah, I didn’t see any doors with your name in Dream Shroud’s dream world thing. There is something unique about you that is different from the others.”

She is unique in a way that she follows conventional Servant rules. Contradictory, but that’s what it is when this war is far from conventional.

“Wait, back when we infiltrate El-Dorado, you say something along the lines ‘different than you had been told’, what do you mean by that?” I remember she had a confused reaction when she learned Miss Fujimaru existed.

“Ah, I almost forgot about that.” I agree, it feels like an entire year since we reached Cusco.

“I’m supposed to participate in a Holy Grail War. Not this massive war, but the proper one. The Grail gives me information that there is a Servant war going on that has nothing to do with mine, and the Grail War has not started yet because there is only one Master signed for it so far, which is why it surprises me there is another Master other than you.”

So she only got the necessary info about the modern world to fight as a participant in a Grail War. With Servants running around all over the world including Fuyuki, it makes sense that she has info about the ongoing war. But Chaldea is different, they haven’t participated in this war until now, so the Grail deemed them unimportant. And she does tell me about having no interest with this war when summoned, wait, does that mean-

“You are a proper Servant from the Fuyuki Holy Grail.”

“I mean, yeah, you are the one who summoned me with it. That should be obvious since day 1. My wish is too abstract though, even simply winning it will fulfill my wish.”

A Servant of Fuyuki Grail and the Servants of this war. I suppose this is an interesting distinction by itself, but what does this signify? Other than there is no door representing her, which doesn’t really matter now that I can dream of her anyway.

And as we got ready, Kenshin and Tsuru entered our room, fully dressed in their battle wear.

“Everyone, I know you two just woke up, but Ruler and the rest have been waiting. Let’s go.”

* * *

Location: London, England, Avalon Britain


Avalon Britain

This small Faction consisting of the British Isle still standing proudly despite being overwhelmed by the all-powerful European Confederation.

Its eternal storm does not allow any kind of enemy to enter their domain, alongside the tireless Wild Hunt raging through the land, the sky, and the sea - it’s really a Faction that lives up to its name, an unreachable paradise just like the mythical Avalon. This is also the reason why they have no spy lurking below their feet, as even Graham Bell’s almost all-hearing ears are unable to penetrate their overwhelming defense.

But unlike New Japan, which neglects information warfare in exchange for their secrecy, Avalon Britain is very competent in gaining the newest info of the war.

“Seems like Madagascar will fall. I was hoping for that African Lancer to understand, but at this rate, the only thing we will get from it is our magi’s severed heads.”

The Servant that is known as ‘Princess’ is currently skimming the newest report on her desk. She let out a disappointed sigh as her attempts to negotiate with the Liberation Army have not reached the conclusion she hoped for. Despite her lovely silhouette and dyed blue hair complimenting nicely to forge the royal princess persona, it didn’t stop her to let temperament run through her veins.



“Bollocks. What the hell with today’s Mission Report?”

Of course, it’s not just a matter of Africa that invited the bad mood. What contributes the most to anger her is the lack of worthwhile reports from her supposedly trusted informant. She has one reliable person that reports the movement of the world fastly and accurately, which for some reason that person uncharacteristically sent her a brief message.

Because the only content in Mission Report No. 40004 is-

“‘Nothing happens, don’t worry teehee’ my... who do you think I am?!”

Normally, her most trusted informant will use their secret and confidential channel as some sort of social media to post foods and any useless trivia. But it has been half a day since then and the informant has been quiet.

And that’s worried her to death.

“Haaaaa… I hope you are alright. You always have trouble trusting others.”

* * *

Location: Russian Far East, European Confederation


Tsarina and her force are currently en route to Moscow, the capital where the Tsar resides. It has been more than 12 hours since the successful attack against New Japan, she decided that it will be wise to get away from the island of Japan as soon as possible, as they don’t have the right to occupy Japan which falls under the East War in the treaty.

She stole the Fuyuki Holy Grail under Phoenix Empire’s nose. This is the second time it leaves the city of Fuyuki since the failed attempt during the World War.

“Is it alright to take it away without notice like this?”

Of course, they can’t simply run away full speed from the Empire, but what she does to fool them is relatively simple. Tsarina abandoned all of their aircraft carriers but one on the shore of Fuyuki as if they are still there, unaware that all the soldiers had been transferred to one ship they currently use to flee. It is motivated by greed, but it is true that they can’t stay there to negotiate when they are near the Empire’s territory.



“Smirnoff, we have the right to seize the Grail, it’s the only thing we can gain in that attack. As much as it is a waste that we can’t take New Japan as ours, there is nothing we can do when the treaty says so, we are not above the law after all.” Says the harmless-looking young woman as she sips a cup of warm coffee her hypercompetent aide has masterfully prepared for her.

“I see...” but even Smirnoff can understand she is being sarcastic. He might not know how the magical world works, but he does know that it is obvious that an artifact compared to the Biblical Holy Grail is far more valuable than an island.

“To answer your question, no, there is a limit on how much a piece of paper can protect us. But just like nuclear warheads that once we and SFA possess, it is dangerous for our enemy to hold such a powerful weapon, not when their Emperor can’t be killed no matter what we try. That’s why our Saber is currently on our way to escort us just in case, especially with the news on the West War right now.”

While their networking isn’t as reliable as SFA and Avalon Britain, European Confederation still has spies across the world. The news of the failed attack of SFA against El-Dorado in Cusco has reached their ears, including Lestari Elliwyn and Chaldea’s involvement. It is such a hot topic that all the world leaders are currently discussing what they must do in response to that battle.

“Whoever won, it will change the world once again just like the raid on Greece.”

Of course, Tsarina is no clairvoyant. She was unaware that if SFA won, everything would instantly end even for her. But in her perspective, if an Upper Belt like SFA won, SFA will be stronger than the rest and soon invade other Factions outside of the West War. While if El-Dorado won, they aren’t an Upper Belt to begin with, so the treaty means nothing for them.

“Soon, the name Upper Belt will no longer matter but as an umbrella term for powerful Factions like us. And with it, it’s inevitable there will be a clash between our men with the Empire and their monster birds.”

Smirnoff gulped upon hearing the Greece Raid. He didn’t participate in it, but he has listened to his seniors about what kind of hell it was, what kind of nonsense that battle was. Hundreds of people as strong as Serpentines Rider clash, yet they still need normal people in the frontline, and how these supermen fell one by one like insignificant flies.

And more, how this woman that looked younger than he is and delicate enough for him to choke her to death, is one of the centerpieces of that attack and survived it unharmed.

“Why are you just standing there? Take a seat. Miss Serpentines is taking a rest and Armada has betrayed us, so there are plenty of unused chairs for you to sit on. We still have plenty of work to do, and I don’t want you to fall ill when I needed you the most.”

“I-if you allow me!”

However, that doubt quickly wiped clean from her radiating smile and honest laugh.

* * *

Location: Pentagon, Washington DC, US, SFA


Everyone on SFA understands that the allied enemies will attack them within these 12 hours. They have worked hard without stopping so they can have all the Machine Lords they have capable of fighting by the time they come. Every weapon and war machine they have are right now stationed in combat-ready positions, whatever they will attack from the land or the sky. But even then they can’t relax, because as far as they know, the enemy is capable of teleporting here whenever they want.

2 hours and 40 minutes left until Leader’s Noble Phantasm to completion.

And loud mechanical sounds can be heard from a certain Workshop inside the Pentagon. That room is filled with the smell of paint and sweating heat, which one can see a stationary machine with multiple arms to handle various painting tasks such as to ink, to shade, to model, to archive the papers, and countless other uses currently pushed to its limit.

“Magarac, you should prepare too.”

clunk!

The man’s request is answered with an echo of clunking steel.



The man that called himself Leader is currently drawing his greatest masterpiece at high speed. For more than 9 hours he has been drawing more than millions of pages, each is a detailed piece of art that no doubt will be legendary in a hundred years.

“I can’t stop now!”

Servants like him may not grow physically tired from overworks, but the mental constraint is another issue entirely. Many times he has dropped and broke his own pencils, many times he has made an irreparable mistake, many times he has dropped his own cigar to an almost finished page.

Yet, he is smiling.

He could greenlight such an ambitious project and destroy his enemies with it at the same time. He is filled with indescribable joy as he imagined a similar image of the infamous ‘sailor kissing the nurse’ inside his voluntarily messed-up head.

This will be the last.

(air raid siren)

“They are here.”

He peaked at the window, but he didn’t see anything looking like a medieval ship in his sight. He wondered if Bell was paranoid, mistaking an attack with something else, and activated the siren. But he trusted his friend’s judgment as he could control his own temperament unlike him.

Then he looked above, and dread ran through his spine.

He saw a silhouette of a ship shrouded in shining golden chain kilometers above the land. And below the hull, one can see a humanoid shape strapped clumsily with the aforementioned chain. He knows very well that it is the shape of Machine Lord Zeta he designed by himself.

And the golden chain disappears, and Zeta starts to free fall.

“Ah, God Almighty.”

This is fantastical warfare that even those who control the space like SFA and time like El-Dorado don't think of. It’s truly one of the most unorthodox, merciless, unfair, and vile tactics in the history of this worldwide war, yet idealistic at the same time.

Operation ZD, or known with its pragmatically embarrassing full name - “Operation machine-whatever Zeta Dropped from up high.”

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: Pentagon, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Night
Objective: 2 Hours and 40 minutes remaining until Leader finished his Noble Phantasm.

Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Party status

[B]Assassin
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Saber - Uesugi Kenshin
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Rider - Ferdinand Magellan
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent ---> Good

We are at altitude thousands of meters above the Pentagon.

Zeta is too big and weightful for ordinary heavy equipment to lift it, but thankfully, the King happens to have a Noble Phantasm chain. Even then, we can feel that the chain is barely able to pull it as Victoria occasionally shakes like it’s going to sink.

The chain has started to slowly fade away into golden dust. Normally, distance from the owner is an issue for the chain to even materialize, but Magellan’s warping is just bullshit fast for it to remain for a few minutes.

“Ugh, we are looking like the bad guys,” says Ruler with a conflicted smile.

“It’s alright, just as we planned, we will drop Zeta’s body parts on these specific places. El-Dorado Assassin, Mr. Franklin, you guys sure these areas will not have any people inside?”

“Yes! There is no doubt that the production room is unmanned. Most of the soldiers are either engineers in the hangar and support personnel in the controls.”

“Knowing Walt, he will not risk the civilians' lives, he will definitely forbid people to go near the Pentagon for the time being. After all, we built unmanned drones so our citizens didn’t die in vain.”

“Then, let’s do this.”

All this time, SFA’s policy to replace human soldiers with robots and drones has been a pain in the butt to us, but it now works in our favor. We can just trash the place without worrying we may take the lives of innocent people. There is some personnel inside just like El-Dorado Assassin has said, we are going to avoid those places altogether.

There are the impact and shockwave we need to consider if we don’t want people to get hurt. Thankfully, both Benjamin and Ruler are capable of calculating at what height such a thing will not be an issue. And using El-Dorado Assassin’s insider info, it seems the Pentagon building has been reinforced with adamantine too.

I suppose it will be much easier to just drop Zeta and flatten their base in its entirety. “There is no choice”, “the better future”, I will not use those easy to say pretty words to justify my crap.

That kind of justice, I will destroy it to pieces.

* * *

“The Machine Lords and weird robots are stationed outside. 1,2,3… 8 Machine Lords, reducing almost half of their rank is more than I could ask for.”

Kenshin always thought that her Master was smart, but never expected she would learn this fast.

She only participated in a battle against SFA twice, and now she is applying their tactics against them. She realized how effective SFA Archer attacking from the above was, and how she could exploit Magellan’s warping to achieve a similar result. She also observed how Kenshin was capable of damaging the adamantine steel by ramming them with the same materials. All these accumulated into Operation ZD, and the crazy thing is, it is very cost-effective.

“They like to attack us from above, so how about a taste of their own medicine?”

The chain that holds Zeta’s main body disappears and free fall at high speed, the turrets immediately start to attack it, but it is even incapable to alter its course. It hits right in the middle and hits some of the Machine Lords stationed nearby, flattening multiple fearsome machines that even many Servants are incapable of defeating a single of them. And it didn't stop there, the shockwave was powerful enough to damage other Machine Lords nearby.

A merciless tactic that didn’t allow the enemy to retaliate.

“Alright, Magellan! Move us above the Pentagon, but decrease the distance, we don’t want it to be too powerful.”

But as much as amazed Kenshin was, she was happy that her Master is an idealistic fool. She doesn't know her background, and she has learned that Lestari Elliwyn is not the bad person that wanted to destroy the world, but now she no longer doubts that Lestari has a strong sense of morality. She could grab an easy victory if she dropped Zeta entirely to the Pentagon, but she chose not to do that despite SFA’s willingness to brainwash the populace can be seen as a valid excuse to do such a thing.

What makes magi dangerous is their unknown way to attack their targets, as their way to harm others is far beyond conventional means for people to react accordingly, Lestari Elliwyn simply notices that it also applies to war.

“As you wish!”

Other smaller parts were dropped in specific locations. The weapon production area is an obvious target, but they also drop them to two other strategic locations: Bell and Leader’s Workshop, or at least their rooftops.

Despite its appearance staying the same, the Pentagon was only damaged a little from the falling debris, even if it was deep enough to leave a hole on them. Normally, something that hard and massive will cause something much more permanent, but the adamantine walls have protected it from complete destruction.

“This is Operation ZD, how do you like that! Ruler wants to name it Operation Meteor though, so stupidly cool.”

“It’s a perfectly fine name! Leave me alone!” The latter pouted, it seems like her naming sense has been teased for hours.

Now that they caused considerable damage to its roof, they can get inside easily from above.

Their main objective is to go straight to Leader and stop his Readvent from completion. And with Benjamin Franklin and El-Dorado Assassin’s knowledge, the party can reach his room in no time. What they need to be careful of is the two unknown Casters, Joe Magarac and John Henry, and European Confederation Lancer.

“Everyone, there is a squad of drones approaching us at high speed!” informs Assassin who has been in charge to spot the enemies.

Magellan and the soldiers quickly fired their cannons and guns and destroyed them, but there was a black shadow that leaped off from one of the drones and headed toward them.

A black knight, wielding an equally unconventional weapon as them, a giant pillar that belongs in a classic historical site as a glorified ‘lance.’

“Barrier!” Ruler leaped, and she created a barrier around her body to block the pillar from sinking their ship. It is powerful enough to leave herself unharmed and bounce something that massive.

Wise-up!

Ruler's Parameter:
END: E ---> D ---> C ---> B ---> A

The black knight doesn’t try to attack Ruler, he ignores her altogether and successfully lands on their deck.

“That black armor-!” El-Dorado Caster suddenly yells and fires his black bolts blindly all over the direction, “everyone gets off from the ship-!”

“Listen to him!!!” even Magellan screams.

Many of the soldiers immediately jumped to the ground upon seeing El-Dorado Caster’s friendly fire, while Assassin quickly grabbed her Master and escaped from the scene.

“Armada de Molucca: I command you,” the black knight put his hand on the floor gently as if caressing the vessel with care, “Estrecho de Todos los Santos.”

The sky cracks like broken glass, and immediately Victoria vanishes from naked eyes.



“Victoria… this is a mutiny, you know?” says Magellan, directing her annoyance to her own ship.

The black knight has overridden her own Noble Phantasm, and now they are surrounded with nothing but the vast blue sea and its calming breeze.



“Don’t be hard on her. Unlike a certain someone, she is simply carrying her original duty.” The black knight removed his helmet, revealing a black-haired young man inside, as he had no reason to hide his identity with these two.

“It truly is you...” frowns El-Dorado Caster as he points out his finger to him.

“When Bell said there is a Caster that happens to be the King’s ace and asked me to take care of him, I was wary what kind of powerful shaman they had, but I never knew you are part of the Eight Sacrement, priest.”

“I learned it after gaining the info about it as a Servant, and someone also guided me to make it more proper,” despite his usual temperament, Caster chose his tone carefully to the young knight. It is obvious he respected the enemy in front of him greatly.

“Heh, how studious of you,” the knight let out a smile.

“I was not expecting we would have a little reunion like this, but you should know more than anyone how diplomacy works,” the young man materialized a warhorse as dark as his armor, and arm himself with a much more conventional lance. “This is nothing personal, and I doubt you two are the kind of person that can be convinced with words anyway!”

He yanked the bridle and gallops straight to El-Dorado Caster, ready to skewer the frail Servant.

“Lady Fernan! You have fought with him as a Servant, give me your direction!”

“Well, that’s uh- kind of a problem!”

“What??? This is not the time for your dumb jokes!”

El-Dorado Caster didn’t know that Magellan’s mouth had been sealed to speak about Lancer and his associates with a geas earlier. It is a very strong one as it doesn’t allow her to even think about them.

But it’s not like her memory about him has been wiped out from her brain.

“Well, uhh, let’s just kick his ass!”

Servant Battle!

Magellan and El-Dorado Caster currently engaged with EC Lancer. Magellan has fought with him before, she knows the extend of his abilities, but she can't convey the information to El-Dorado Caster.

What should Magellan do?
1] Fights aggressively.
2] FIghts defensively.
3] Prioritize defending Caster from Lancer.
4] Warp back to SFA (Magical Energy will drop to Critical.)
5] Write-in!

What should El-Dorado Caster do?
1] Fights aggressively.
2] FIghts defensively.
3] Prioritize defending Magellan from Lancer.
4] Write-in!

* * *

“They disappear… that Lancer really has the same Noble Phantasm as her!”

Our original plan was for Magellan to bombard them continuously from above, but we are going to drop that idea fast. Not only that, that black Lancer was too fast, I don’t have the time to tell Magellan and Caster his Parameters and magical energy.

“The battlefield is fluid, you can’t predict everything. Considering what we achieved, you did great,” assures Kenshin.

Right now, we are above the roof of the building that we leave a hole for us to get inside, and I can practically feel and hear the wind breezes through it. Our number is probably around fifty, as a good number of the soldiers left in Victoria. But thankfully, the stronger and battle-suited Servants are still here.

“Everyone ready?” Kenshin assumes command.

“Yes sir!” answered the soldiers.

The soldiers that successfully jumped off are with us and armed with shields, makeshift but special shields, we also give these to Miss Fujimaru and the King earlier. These will be pivotal if we want to fight back against the Machine Lords stationed inside their underground hangar.

But other than the siren, the place is quiet, no panic or screams at all unlike with El-Dorado Base. They are really-really almost unmanned, it is a blessing.

Now then...

Objective: 2 Hours and 35 minutes remaining until Leader finished his Noble Phantasm.

Strategy Choice!

(Yeah, it's back after more than 1 year!)
The current objective is to reach Leader's Workshop and stop his Noble Phantasm from completion. All the locations are known, and the party has information about the Pentagon's interior. All the choices here will decrease the timer, so choose wisely!

1] Go to Leader's Workshop (10 minutes spend)
2] Go to Bell's Workshop (10 minutes spend)
3] Go to Machine Lords Factory (10 minutes spend)
4] Write-in! (the QM will judge the time spend based on how complicated the Write-in is)

[Bird of Hermes]

Battle Choice:
1 & 3
Maggie can cover offence while Caster covers her, this was we got the offensive and defensive covered.

Strat choice:
1
"Hi leader, we've come to steal your lunch money and push you in a locker" Besides I think we're owed payback.

[SleepMode]

vs. EC Lancer:
3 & 2

Having a Caster play aggressive against a Knight-Class seem unwise. With the knowledge in mind, better for Maggie to use it to keep our ally alive.

Strategem:
2

Storming in immediately, while good, seems a bit too, hmm, off - - in any case, better settle things with Bell once and for all.

[SaberBlue]

3&2

1

[King Prussia]

+1 to Sleepy, I am convinced enough !

And I want to see Uncle Bell. ;-;

[Ayr]

2] Go to Bell's Workshop

[Spartacus]

Year: 2022
Location: Pentagon, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Night
Objective: 2 Hours and 35 minutes remaining until Leader finished his Noble Phantasm.

Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Party status

[B]Assassin
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

Saber - Uesugi Kenshin
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent

We entered the Pentagon from the hole we created from above.

I feel bad leaving Magellan and Caster, but at least Magellan can warp back here if she wants to, so I hope they are okay. Right now we need to focus and go straight to Bell’s Workshop.

“The wall repairs itself…,” the first thing we immediately notice is how the hole patches itself and quickly closes our way in. And all the wall is made by SFA’s adamantine, a material durable enough to reflect the Machine Lord’s powerful beam, meaning, now we are trapped inside. Is this the fabled nanomachine technology from sci-fi movies that almost reaches the level of the First Magic? Regardless of the origin, the Pentagon is a powerful boundary field of its own, makes sense with how much Casters they had.

“Lancer - Benjamin Franklin, I need to ask you again. I know from your info that the Servants responsible for the robots and expansion of SFA are most likely John Henry and Joe Magarac. What kind of Noble Phantasms do they possess before you leave?” I ask him.

“John has a Noble Phantasm that allows him to smith in high speed, while Joe is capable of melting and bending steel easily with his arm, none of them are frontline fighters. But we don’t have any info of what modification Walt has done to them, for all I know he might turn the two of them into Machine Lords or what they did to William already.” Benjamin frowns and grits his teeth.

“The thing about the two of them is, both Leader and Bell often give them commands, but never they appear in person, nor does any of the soldiers seemingly know about them. All info I have about them from my subordinates is from the time when Benjamin still leads SFA. But-” El-Dorado Assassin pauses, “I always sense two additional Saint Graphs here, so they are still around in some form.”

“Then, the Pentagon's ability to repair itself might come from the two,” they nodded from my statement.

Despite how impressive that repairing ability is, the interior is a bit mundane. It is pretty similar to how the Pentagon looked in movies and pictures from the internet, just a normal and modern military office.

If there is something different, that would be the robot soldiers and turrets that reach around a hundred to intercept us-

“Out of the way!”

Which was quickly obliterated by the Servants as we have prior info about their numbers and locations from El-Dorado Assassin. The soldiers and I don’t even need to do anything.

[central]“I see you are on the way to me, Lestari. I must comment on you for that devious opening attack.”[/central]

“Bell!,” a familiar, metallic voice echoes alongside a gigantic shockwave travels through the hall. It is the same powerful soundwave he uses back in Cusco, “Laetitia+Populus, flicker!” but this time he can’t invade our minds as I use my Laetitia in conjunction with Populus to increase its radius to share it with the rest, blocking his power to attack our head or forcibly listen to our heart entirely.

Wise up! Laetitia+Populus, flicker

Exploiting the divination nature of both Laetitia and Populus, and the nature of her element Water as a conductor, she is capable of expanding the range of her bioelectricity controlling spell. However, the expanded range means her Laetitia is no longer cost less, nor does it is as potent as when she only uses it for herself.

Magical Energy costs: 2 circuits per hour.

“You learned to resist my soundwaves well. But can you resist slicing beams?”

The wall in front of us dwindles and reveals what appears to be gun turrets, they quickly fire concentrated thin beams similar to Zeta’s back in Cusco to us. It is something so powerful that even an imitation of a Lord’s Mystic Code Chaldea has is barely able to defend against it.

Ruler leaps forward, “you seem to forget something, Prof. Bell.” Magical Energy flows through Ruler’s small frame, she then takes the extremely sharp beams with her body heads on, shielding everyone from it unscratched. This is the same thing she did to defend against EC Lancer’s giant pillar from before.

“Miss Lestari is not the only one that wanted to stop you, I also do.”

“Ruler. There is no way I forget about you. You are my number one threat, and most intriguing subject of study.”

Another wave of humanoid and trash can robots fired a volley of bullets at her. This time, she decided to evade it instead of blocking them with her barrier, which she does so agilely using her booster-like wings.

“Then, wait for me patiently in your chamber as I am going to beat a sense to your head!”

“...you are wasting your breath.”

He closes his broadcast and repeatedly alternates between the robots, the hot beams, and powerful shock waves; which again and again we keep defeating them without an issue. However, I know this is not his full capabilities as a Servant, as I have seen his profile when contracted with him.

“Everyone be careful, Prof. Bell has so many backup bodies to ambush us.” warn Ruler.

Ruler is speaking about the power of his strongest Noble Phantasm, Bell Unity. Bell has demonstrated its power when he killed himself in front of me and Ruler, but then he returns to SFA by surfing back to a backup body. As his former Master, I know he is capable of using the original body’s powers. And from the info I got from Benjamin Franklin, some of these bodies he has are powerful magi.

His Signal Recovery makes any attempt for us to sneak moot, it also makes Assassin and El-Dorado Assassin’s Presence Concealment useless. Assassin’s Noble Phantasm is most likely capable of fooling him, but his shockwave is an area attack, he could still be able to fight back by just rapidly sending them to us.

For Bell to perform a human error such as being careless and forgetting some details is close to zero thanks to the combination between his Single Mindedness and Librarian of Stored Knowledge. The only way to fool him is for Bell to be completely unaware of our involvement like Ruler and El-Dorado Assassin infiltrating the Pentagon, but now they are known to Bell, those options are gone.

And to consider, his highly vibrating arm, which he claims could kill anyone with one strike. Kenshin’s Magic Resistance is capable of clashing with it, but I’m afraid the Rank is not high enough to completely no-sell it. There is also the fact that his body can’t be detected until he activates them just like back in Cusco's cavern…

None of us could escape his ears. This is obvious, but fIghting Bell in his territory is almost like fighting a skilled and well-prepared Grand Magus.

“That’s his room!” Before I know it, El-Dorado Assassin informs us that we have arrived at Bell's Workshop and are ready to confront him once and for all.

Unlike the rest of the mundane Pentagon, we are greeted with a long chamber inside with some neon lighting running on the ceiling. I saw some vents and gaps on the wall, I can sense that every single thing here serves a functional purpose befitting a practical inventor and futuristic-looking Servant like him.



Then we saw him sitting in the middle, surrounded by monitors, speakers, and many types of machinery that are hard to describe, but I know that these are his equipment to spy on the whole world. None of his back up bodies can be seen, but I can’t let my guard down.



“I would like to hear you say ‘welcome to my chamber’, but that doesn’t suit your character, don’t you think, Bell?”

“You still haven't lost your sass, Benjamin. Leader and I have been tracking you all this time, I do not anticipate that you will be the one that voluntarily returns here.”

“Enough with playing like an old acquaintance. Unlike Ruler and Miss Elliwyn, I have given up to convince you back. After all, Walt- no, Leader turned William into a mass murderer, there is no guarantee he hasn’t done the same to you.”

“A logical conclusion.”



“Heya, former boss. I always wanted to file a complaint that working here is a complete pain in the ass. I always want to trash this place from time-to-time, watching my friends getting massacred while I am unable to do anything but watch.”

“And El-Dorado Assassin. Your bold move to infiltrate us right below our nose is simply splendid.”

“Your neutral and unfazed attitude toward everything always irks me. I personally find you more annoying than that bastard Leader.”

“Even Leader himself said that to me.”

The two gentlemen bring out their signature weapons. Benjamin grandly manifested a thunder blade seemingly out of nothing, while El-Dorado Assassin simply revealed a stone spear from his long poncho. The two contrasting Servants already decided to take down SFA since 2,5 years ago, Bell is simply an obstacle to them.



“Do you really agree with Leader’s way? I thought you approached me because you don’t agree with him.” I asked.

“I already told you, I will not betray him. And if we can stop mankind from killing each other, a greater good, then brainwashing is simply a necessary evil. Abandon something unnecessary for better improvement, that’s a tested and effective way of growth. Give up.”

“Sorry, I’m a magus. Being told to give up never works on me. You better give up on that.”

“...”

The helmet glint the surrounding light as if letting out a sigh. As Bell gets up from his chair, the machinery around the room activates their complex mechanism, revealing numerous weapons such as the beam turrets from earlier and what I can only describe as “sound systems of death”. And fifty-something humanoid robots joined him, alongside five identical helmeted men armed with his vibrating gauntlets, these most likely his backup bodies.

There are six Bell in front of us. All of them possess the same base ability.

“What about you two, former teammates?”



“I barely know you, nor does knowing you will stop me from cutting your head if it means fulfilling my mission,” answers Assassin.

“Betrayal is always part of a war, I’m not going to condemn you out of it. Besides, who am I to judge?” answers Kenshin.

“All of you surely are strong. I’m glad that Lestari is blessed with dependable Servants like you two.”

Bell gives one last glance to Ruler, whose face can be described as a mixed feeling between infuriated and disappointed, reflected on his otherwise incapable to emote helmet.

“Have all of you said what you need to be said?” asked Bell one last time.

And our silence is enough of an answer.

“Well then, let’s begin our battle to the death. And I sincerely wish that whoever won this fight, the outcome will achieve an impossibility.”

Objective: 2 Hours and 25 minutes remaining until Leader finished his Noble Phantasm.

VS Bell!

The battle against SFA Caster - Alexander Graham Bell and his five bodies has begun. Currently Lestari have Assassin and Kenshin, alongside Ruler, Benjamin Franklin, and El-Dorado Assassin as guest party members. Everyone in this fight has full Health and Magical Energy. Please bear in mind that some of these Servants are not Lestari’s Servants.

What should the party do?

1] Prioritize to take down Bell.
2] Prioritize to take down Bell’s five bodies.
3] Prioritize to take down the robots.
4] Fight defensively.
5] Stay on guard of the surroundings.
6] Write-in!

What should Lestari herself do?

1] Prioritize to defend herself.
2] Join the battle.
3] Distance herself from the battle.
4] Position herself near one of the Servants for protection. (if so, specifies who!)
5] Try to convince Bell again.
6] Write-in!

[Alax1991]

Maggie and Caster Fight:

4. Caster Focuses on Defense, Maggie fights Lancer but she clues Caster in on what Lancer can do. Now she can’t do that by naming him specifically because she can’t really think of the guy, but she can give Caster clues by describing someone similar to Lancer in history, as long as the other person isn’t Spanish in origin, the Geas shouldn’t trigger.

Bell Fight:

Everyone else:

Focus on the robots

Les:

6. Find a way to disrupt Bell’s network in the most mana efficient way possible