"Ba... Bazett? Why are you here?!"
Tohsaka Rin clearly knew Bazett as well, but she could hardly believe that this powerful figure who usually existed only in rumors would one day appear before her—and in such a tense confrontation, no less.
Bazett turned to look at Tohsaka Rin, frowning as she spoke.
"Another one. This is getting troublesome."
Bazett immediately classified Tohsaka Rin as being on Luvia's side. If her opponents kept increasing, even Bazett would find it quite a headache.
So, before Tohsaka Rin could react—
"Bang!"
Bazett shot forward like a cannonball! Her left fist clenched as she drove it straight at Tohsaka Rin's face! But just as she closed in—
"Smack!"
Bazett's powerful punch was caught by a single hand. It belonged to Red Archer, a man who was clearly an Archer yet was ridiculously skilled in close combat.
"What do you think you're doing to my Master, little girl?!"
Emiya materialized from nothingness, a vein bulging on his forehead as he barked the words. Having to live under the same roof as Emiya Shirou last night had already been unbearable enough, and now someone had actually come looking for trouble! Wasn't that just perfect?!
"If you want to spar, then let's spar! Watch yourself—I won't hold back!"
Red Archer, suppressing a bellyful of rage, stretched out both hands and conjured a pair of black-and-white twin blades. With twin blades in hand, he feared no one.
Red Archer flicked his blades, lowered his body, and charged Bazett!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The black-and-white daggers continuously clashed against Bazett's gauntlets. As expected of a frontline combatant from the Mage's Association, Bazett did not fall behind even against the Heroic Spirit Emiya's attacks.
Cú Chulainn glanced at Red Archer and smiled.
"You'd better be careful, little girl. The man you're facing is far stronger than this."
At the sight of Red Archer, Cú Chulainn felt a trace of excitement, as though he had fought him before.
"I know!"
How could Bazett fail to sense Red Archer's strength? In mere seconds, she had gone from evenly matched to being suppressed. Red Archer's attacks were far too swift, and coupled with his advantage in height and reach, Bazett was gradually being forced back.
Cú Chulainn's gaze turned cold at that sight. He raised a hand and swept it through the air, leaving Mana Runes behind!
"Flames!"
"Boom!"
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the void, aimed directly at Red Archer! It forced him to leap backward and put some distance between them.
But Cú Chulainn had no intention of stopping. Once he began attacking, his fingers moved without pause! Rune after rune was drawn, and in an instant—storms! Lightning! Flames! All manner of Rune Magic poured forth without end.
"Hahahaha! Stop running, white-haired boy! Face me head-on!"
Cú Chulainn shouted. As an ancient Rune Mage, calling him a humanoid artillery battery would hardly be an exaggeration.
Yet Red Archer dodged and maneuvered beautifully, not a single attack able to touch him. This left Cú Chulainn, who had launched attack after attack, somewhat irritated.
"What a hopping little rabbit! Let's see how you like becoming roast rabbit!"
Cú Chulainn bent down and pressed one hand against the ground, rapidly pouring runes and magical energy into it! He gave a savage grin and looked at Red Archer.
"Don't blame me if you get burned to a crisp!"
"Whoosh!"
Countless flames suddenly erupted from beneath Red Archer's feet! Their power was so immense that even the surrounding air warped.
Cú Chulainn thought that even if this strike could not kill Red Archer, it would at least severely wound him. But he was wrong!
"Fake Spiral Sword!"
"What?!"
A spiraling arrow suddenly shot toward him! The Holy Shroud around Red Archer danced, and a petal-like magical shield blocked the attack as he fired an arrow through the flames!
Red Archer had also believed that this arrow was certain to hit! The Spiral Sword excelled most in speed and destructive power. Under normal circumstances, no one could evade it once it had been fired.
But—
"Hmph!"
Cú Chulainn suddenly bent backward in an uncanny bridge-like motion! The Spiral Sword flew past him by a hair's breadth!
"Boom!"
The Spiral Sword shot directly into Luvia's castle. Looking at the massive hole exposed in the outer wall, as well as the interior it had pierced through who knew how many layers of, Luvia was unable to calm down for a long while.
"He dodged it... Why?"
Red Archer was rather surprised. That had been one of his most confident shots.
Luvia took a deep breath!
"M-My wall! Rin, you...! No, Bazett, look what you've done!"
Bazett: "???"
Luvia had originally intended to blame Tohsaka Rin, but after recalling that they were on the same side, she shifted the spearhead toward Bazett instead.
"Hmph, I'm carrying out official business. You people are obstructing me now, so even if I leveled this castle, it wouldn't be counted against me."
Bazett was inexplicably confident. Sometimes, this girl truly did not understand what it meant to be rich enough to distort the truth. She knew nothing of the power of the wealthy!
At that moment, Cú Chulainn spoke with a smile at the corner of his lips.
"That was a very fast arrow. Seeing you fight in close combat all this time, I thought you were no good at shooting. You nearly caught me off guard. Fortunately, my Noble Phantasm can block things like that."
Cú Chulainn possessed a Noble Phantasm called [Protection from Arrows B]. Its effect allowed him to evade all kinds of flying projectiles. Anything he could see could basically be avoided entirely, and even things he could not see had a high chance of being evaded. It came with a built-in miss effect.
"A Noble Phantasm that can evade arrows? That really isn't friendly to us Archers."
Red Archer spoke flatly. The longbow in his hand dispersed, only for two red-and-white daggers to appear in its place.
Tohsaka Rin smiled at that moment.
"It's fine. I've already called for backup. Someone capable of dealing with him is on the way."
The moment she finished speaking—
"Boom!"
A black fist smashed through the barrier! Heracles immediately roared as he charged inside, followed by Illya, Emiya Shirou, and Saber.
"This..."
Bazett frowned at the sight. She was strong, certainly, but facing so many powerful opponents, she knew her chances of victory were slim.
So—
"Caster!"
"Yes!"
Bazett and Cú Chulainn exchanged a look and raised their hands at the same time. Identical rune patterns were drawn in the air. These oldest traces of magic possessed immense power. When their fingernails collided, a sphere of light enveloped them both, and their forms gradually became translucent.
Before leaving, Bazett looked at everyone around her and said,
"Prepare yourselves. I will not give up so easily."
The two vanished as soon as the words fell. The barrier covering this area could not stop such high-level teleportation magic.
Luvia did not stop them either. In truth, they did not hold any deep grudge against each other, and they belonged to the same organization, so there was some restraint. But—
"August."
"Yes, my lady."
"Calculate the losses, then report them to the Association. Say Bazett caused them through reckless behavior. Oh, and exaggerate them a little. It's not often that I find a sucker willing to help repair my castle. There's no reason to be polite with her."
"Yes, my lady. I understand."
August bent at the waist—then bent again—as he acknowledged the order. At that moment, a red gleam seemed to flash in his eyes.
Although Fuyuki City was still cut off from all outside contact by the massive barrier, once it opened, it would not take long for Bazett to receive notice that her account balance had dropped to zero—or even into the negatives!