Type-Moon: Card Servants

"Let's begin the experiment."

There were no other Servants or Masters nearby besides Irisviel and herself. If Mikaela wanted to run an experiment, now was the time.

"Crack—!"

Mikaela crushed the card bearing Abigail's image. This time, however, it was not the innocent and naïve Abigail, but the "Abigail" wearing a witch's hat, holding two long keys, and dressed in an extremely revealing outfit.

"Eek!!!" Seeing Mikaela so boldly dressed, Irisviel immediately covered her eyes. Though it would have been better if she had covered them a little more thoroughly...

The instant Mikaela transformed into Abigail, the sea demons summoned from another world froze for a moment. Their attacks halted in midair.

It was as though time had been paused.

Mikaela quietly watched the sea demons. She was already prepared to summon tentacles even thicker than theirs and crush every last one of them to death.

Yet they had actually stopped attacking on their own, which surprised Mikaela. Still, she watched the sea demons warily. If they made a move, she would crush them.

"%＆＆*＃"

The sea demons made incomprehensible sounds, and then...

"Boom—!!"

They exploded. That was right—they exploded! The sea demons blocking Mikaela's path seemed to have encountered something dangerous. Without a word, they self-destructed, turning into a cloud of blood mist that drifted through the sewers.

"..." Mikaela looked at the long keys in her hands in surprise. She had not expected the Abigail card to be so useful.

"What... happened?" Irisviel wore an equally stunned expression. If the sea demons had not jumped out earlier and attacked them, she might have thought this was Caster's "welcome ceremony."

PS: "18 chapters owed, three updates today."

Chapter 63: Meeting Again

"This really is an unexpected surprise." Mikaela canceled her Abigail transformation and revealed a meaningful smile. Judging by how the sea demons had self-destructed, they clearly recognized Abigail.

Or rather... Abigail's aura. Or perhaps... Yog-Sothoth's aura.

Even if they possessed very low intelligence—or perhaps had no intelligence at all—their souls likely still retained a fear of higher beings.

Self-destruction was no big deal. At worst, they would simply return to their original world. But if they attacked that "great one," the consequences would probably be more terrifying than death itself.

That was Mikaela's guess, but it was probably close to the truth.

After all... what employee in their right mind would attack the daughter of their company's shareholder???

"S-So amazing." Irisviel's small mouth hung slightly open, her expression full of astonishment. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would probably have believed the scene before her was an illusion.

The enemy Servant's familiars had seen their side's "Servant" and immediately self-destructed without hesitation. Anyone who witnessed such a sight would have been shocked.

"This proves that my guess was correct." Mikaela took Irisviel's hand again and said calmly, "Caster mistook me for an 'Outer God,' so after I transformed, I must have still carried Abigail's aura. We only need to keep moving forward to test it."

When Caster had seen her last time, he had been so excited. Mikaela guessed it was because she had only just transformed out of Abigail and still retained some of her aura.

Gilles de Rais, who had once peered into the abyss, naturally remembered the sight known as the "abyss." To him, Abigail's aura was probably like a beam of light in the darkness—so dazzling.

"Are we still going to experiment? I didn't consume that much mana just now." Thinking Mikaela intended to continue the experiment, Irisviel immediately told her not to worry about her.

Her mana consumption just now had not been particularly high. Irisviel possessed twice the mana of an ordinary Magus. As an Einzbern homunculus, she could provide the best possible "support" to a Servant.

Emiya Kiritsugu had once said that when Mikaela transformed into Abigail, a large amount of his mana had been drained away in an instant. But Irisviel had only felt a small portion of her mana flow away, with no other noticeable sensation.

In terms of mana capacity alone, Irisviel was stronger than Emiya Kiritsugu.

"No, there's no need. I can't use Abigail's power from here on out. I don't know how many Servants are here, and if I use her power carelessly and fail to end the battle quickly, the others may become wary of me."

Using the Abigail card just now had only been a test—to see whether the sea demons would attack her, and to verify the thoughts in her heart. Mikaela had no intention of using the Abigail card to make every "sea demon" she encountered self-destruct.

In her memories, Waver found Gilles de Rais's Magic Workshop that very night, then brought the King of Conquerors over to wreak havoc, sweeping through a large number of the sea demons left behind with ease.

Though she did not know whether they would encounter them later, it was better to be cautious for now.

With that thought, Mikaela crushed a card and slung Oath of Judas over her back. For now, Judas was more than enough to protect both herself and Irisviel.

"Alright." Irisviel nodded obediently. She knew Mikaela, like her husband, was very good at thinking things through, so listening to them could not possibly be wrong.

The two continued forward slowly. Perhaps Abigail's "aura" still lingered around Mikaela; whenever the sea demons appeared along the way, they seemed to sense something and immediately "self-destructed" without a word.

The sight was simply beautiful. Countless clouds of blood mist filled the sewers before slowly fading into the air.

But after around four minutes, the sea demons stopped "self-destructing." Instead, like rabid dogs, they launched attacks at Mikaela and Irisviel.

Five minutes?

Mikaela roughly understood now. After transforming into Abigail, her body retained that "aura" for about five minutes. Though she did not know the principle behind it, she now understood why Gilles de Rais had worn that expression when he saw her.

"Judas."

Mikaela called out softly. Thirteen spears of light shot out from behind her, blasting the sea demons ahead into pieces.

Without the mana support of the Book of the Sea God in Gilles de Rais's hands, the destroyed sea demons apparently could not "revive." Once blasted to pieces, they were dead beyond death.

"The explosions should draw the real owner here soon enough." Mikaela still held Irisviel's soft hand as she said calmly, "Irisviel, stay by my side when the time comes. Judas's chains will protect you."

"Mm, I understand." Irisviel nodded and stayed close at Mikaela's side, walking step by step deeper into the sewers.

"Wait!"

Halfway through, Mikaela suddenly frowned. She seemed to have heard something. She moved Irisviel behind her, planted Oath of Judas into the ground, and stared coldly ahead.

BOOM—!!

A symphony like thunder and lightning erupted through the sewers. Accompanied by the Sea Demon's shriek, the King of Conquerors appeared before Mikaela with his Master, Waver Velvet.

Strictly speaking, Mikaela had stopped him. The King of Conquerors had driven the Chariot of Godly Might straight at them without holding back.

Fortunately, the Chains of Judas were sturdy enough to forcefully halt the bulls. Though more than twenty golden chains had been damaged in the process, the King of Conquerors seemed only then to realize that the people standing before him were Saber and her Master.

"Well, well, why are you standing in the middle of the road?" Standing atop his chariot, the King of Conquerors looked at Mikaela and Irisviel in surprise. He and his Little Master had just entered through that pitch-black opening, intending to make a round through the sewers and destroy the familiars Caster had raised here.

He had never expected to crash headfirst into Saber's Noble Phantasm midway through. Still... weren't these chains a little too tough? Hadn't Diarmuid cut through them quite easily before?

PS: "17 chapters owed, Chapter 4. The author's hand hurts terribly today, like it's cramping up. This will be all for today's updates =A=!"

Meaningless Fear

In the sewers, Mikaela's group and the King of Conquerors' group ran into each other.

"You came to subjugate Caster too?" Mikaela asked evenly, without the slightest "anger" over nearly being hit.

They could have avoided the King of Conquerors rather than standing in the middle of the path. However, since Mikaela wanted to team up with them, he had deliberately blocked the way, making it seem as though they had not had time to dodge.

"Yes." The King of Conquerors nodded slightly, then grabbed Waver beside him and held him up for Mikaela to see. Smiling, he said, "My Master has revealed the enemy's location, so as his Servant, naturally I must take the enemy's head and present it to my Master."

"Are you an idiot?!!"

Being held up by the King of Conquerors, Waver shouted, "The important thing now is finding Caster!!! Not standing around chatting here!"

It was not that Waver disliked being picked up by the King of Conquerors. Rather, he felt that this Saber had been staring at him the whole time. In another situation, Waver might even have proudly believed that his unique charm had attracted this rather pretty maid.

But now, seeing the golden cross behind her and the Sea Demon corpses scattered around her, Waver understood that she was no sweet-looking maid at all. She was a Heroic Spirit who had returned from ancient times, and she had countless ways to kill someone!!!

If she truly intended to kill him, he would have no way of escaping.

"Right, we need to find Caster." The King of Conquerors seemed to come to his senses only then. He patted his forehead and gave Mikaela an apologetic smile. "It seems my Little Master has an objection, so we'll be taking our leave for now."

"No problem."

Mikaela said nothing more. It seemed the other side did not want much contact with him either.

Though the King of Conquerors appeared straightforward and guileless, he was actually wary of Mikaela. That much could be inferred from his words.

On the surface, he was obeying his Master's wishes, but in his heart, he likely felt that they should not become too entangled with Mikaela.

"Then..." The King of Conquerors had been about to say goodbye when he suddenly drew a sword from his waist and slashed behind him. At the same time, one hand seized the reins as he watched Mikaela warily.

CLANG—!!

Perhaps it was the instinct he had honed through years of warfare, but when the King of Conquerors drew his sword and slashed backward, he actually blocked a crimson spear.

"..."

Mikaela's heart sank slightly beneath the King of Conquerors' gaze. Sure enough, the plan had gone wrong again. The King of Conquerors had begun taking him seriously.

Otherwise, when the "enemy" attacked him, his first reaction would not have been to focus all his attention on Mikaela instead of looking at the enemy.

"Saber!" Since Mikaela's Class was now known to everyone, Irisviel no longer called him "Aila-chan."

"Irisviel, stay behind me." Mikaela shielded Irisviel. To keep the King of Conquerors from focusing too much attention on him, he silently took several steps back, making his position clear as he planted the Oath of Judas into the ground.

Golden light radiated from the Oath of Judas. As if the gates of Heaven had opened, a holy halo enveloped Mikaela and Irisviel.

Thirteen Spears of Light were already prepared.

Golden chains surrounded them, protecting Mikaela and Irisviel at every moment, lest the King of Conquerors suddenly launch a charge with the Chariot of Godly Might.

"Waver Velvet." An arrogant voice rang out through the surroundings. Diarmuid and Kayneth slowly approached from the direction the King of Conquerors had come from. The crimson spear from earlier had been thrown by Diarmuid.

Its target had naturally not been to kill either the King of Conquerors or Waver. According to Kayneth, it had merely been a warning. Tonight's primary target, no matter what, was Caster. That filthy Magus had to die in his Magic Workshop tonight.

However, since he had run into his "student," he naturally had to give him a proper lesson!

"I was wondering what madness had possessed you to steal the Holy Relic I had prepared. I never expected that you intended to participate in the Holy Grail War yourself, Waver Velvet." Kayneth stood before Diarmuid, with a silver object resembling "jelly" beside him.

"AAAAAAAH!!!!!" At the sight of Kayneth, Waver, who had been rather proud just moments ago, cried out in panic. He clutched the King of Conquerors' cape tightly.

He had considered this possibility long ago. He had already guessed that this would happen. Yet Waver had never expected to encounter his teacher so soon.

The prodigy of the Clock Tower, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, the Lord of the Department of Mineralogy, and... a first-class lecturer in the Department of Evocation—he was the most brilliant genius in the Clock Tower.

At the very least... within the Clock Tower, no one of his generation could compare to him. Whether it was his achievements in magecraft, his genius ideas, or his powerful background capable of crushing countless others, his birth itself represented the glory of an era.

At the Clock Tower, Waver often heard praise for his "teacher." Everyone extolled him, and no one even doubted that he would one day reach Grand rank.

The only ones capable of opposing him were a few powerful families within the Clock Tower. No one else was even qualified to "fight" him.

Now, Waver had earned that qualification, but his heart was already filled with "fear." To put it simply—

It was like being caught by your homeroom teacher while playing on your phone. Even if the teacher merely watched you silently, you could still feel fear descending upon you.

"Hey, kid."

Seeing his Master's "pathetic display," the King of Conquerors merely frowned. Then he smacked Waver onto the bull chariot and reprimanded him, "Fear must be overcome. Meaningless fear need not be overcome at all. As long as you face 'fear' itself head-on, so-called fear will never be able to stop you in your tracks."

"Didn't you say that participating in the Holy Grail War was about gaining recognition? Isn't this your best opportunity?"

The King of Conquerors' reprimand was like a bomb. With a boom, it blasted Waver awake from the abyss of fear.

PS: "One update."

Sea Demons Like a Tide

Not just anyone could take a slap from the King of Conquerors. Waver had been slapped every day these past few days, yet he had never understood why the King of Conquerors before him could still face the various heroes with such a brilliant smile even while wary of them.

But now, after that slap, Waver seemed to understand a little. Even if one feared an opponent, one could not show cowardice when facing an enemy head-on.

Despise the enemy strategically; take the enemy seriously tactically.

For some reason, Waver thought of those words. The fear in his heart remained, but he slowly climbed to his feet. Though his legs were trembling, his gaze had become far more resolute.

He looked at Kayneth's indifferent eyes, and for some reason, an inexplicable anger suddenly rose within him.

Even now?! You still refuse to take me seriously?! I'm a Master in the Holy Grail War too, just like you!

"Waver Velvet, in such a short time, you seem to have grown quite a bit." Kayneth narrowed his eyes. Looking at Waver's trembling legs, a faint anger emanated from him, as though he still resented his student for stealing his Holy Relic.

However, Kayneth quickly calmed down. He looked ahead, where Mikaela and Irisviel stood before the ox cart. Judging by their movements, they seemed to be guarding against something. This made him frown slightly; he had not expected there to be two Servants here.

"My Lord."

Diarmuid had also noticed Mikaela, who was ready to attack at any moment. He signaled for his Lord not to act rashly. In a one-on-one fight, he had no fear of battling the two Servants before him.

But if a real fight broke out, he was not confident he could instantly kill Rider. If that Rider had a way to hold him off even briefly, he did not dare gamble on whether Saber would seize the chance to attack and kill his Lord.

"It's nothing."

Kayneth raised a hand, telling Diarmuid to calm down. He had seen this sort of situation far too many times.

"It seems we've escaped disaster," the King of Conquerors said with a light laugh. The situation was extremely unfavorable for them. If Saber and Lancer joined forces, he might be forced into the final battle tonight.

Saber blocked his path ahead, while behind him stood his Little Master's teacher. From the tone of their conversation, the relationship between the two did not seem very good.

The enemy of one's enemy was one's friend. The King of Conquerors understood this principle perfectly well. Surrounded by the two of them, even if he intended to force his way out on the Chariot of Godly Might, Saber's Noble Phantasm would very likely intercept him.