"Too damp! Too smelly! So uncomfortable!!" Amodeus hugged himself, trembling violently as he walked down the foul-smelling basement path.
Well... Amodeus is a noble, after all, so it's not surprising that he prefers cleanliness.
"Are you sure it's here? Or did your dog's nose get it wrong?" Nura asked Caster.
"Hey, it's a dog, and dogs have good noses."
"As good as yours?"
"Not quite—wait, what do you mean by that?!"
But after wandering for a while, they still didn't know where they were.
"Do you hear anything?" Nura asked Amodeus.
"A heartbeat."
"From where?"
"From you."
"I didn't ask you to listen to my heartbeat! Go listen for anyone else besides me and Caster!"
"Hmm, oh! I hear something!"
"From where?!"
Amodeus then pressed both hands to his ears, trying to listen more closely.
"A faint heartbeat... This way!"
Hearing this, the two followed Amodeus's lead.
Finally, they found a prison cell holding someone.
"Wow, he looks pretty cool," Caster said, resting his hand on his chin, appraising the figure.
"Saber?"
"He's got a sword, so probably a Saber."
"Who are you people?"
The man's voice was cautious as he questioned them, and they answered honestly without hesitation.
"Lancer, Mozart, and Youkai. We're here to rescue you."
He then looked at them carefully.
"Do you have any proof that you don't mean me harm?"
The three exchanged glances.
"Got anything?"
"Nope."
"I don't either."
"Hmm... How about this!"
Nura suddenly pulled out a shogi board, stunning everyone.
"?" The Servant looked at Nura, confused.
"I win, you join our team. You win, I'll help you without dragging you into anything. Deal?"
"Fair?"
"If you don't cheat, neither will I."
The Servant eyed the shogi board.
This guy... just invited me to play something I've never played before? Sounds completely unfair.
"So? You in?"
"...Fine."
But he wasn't going to back down.
For the first ten minutes, both of them played very, very slowly.
Surprisingly, Nura, the experienced one, went easy on him.
He genuinely wanted a fair match.
Caster watched the shogi game, itching to take the Servant's place because he was playing so poorly!
Meanwhile, Amodeus's eye kept twitching.
The situation is dire, there's no time, and staying in this filthy place is driving me crazy... And yet these people are playing shogi?? Are their brain cells wired differently??
"Hey, there's an undead behind you. Aren't you afraid they'll ambush you?"
"Let them be."
The undead charged forward, gripping their swords tightly, raising them toward Nura—
Only to stop beside him, watching the shogi match.
"???" Amodeus stared in confusion as the undead joined his allies in spectating the shogi game.
"Oh, come on! Move this piece! You're playing worse than a chicken!" Caster shouted in frustration.
"Gah gah gahhh!!" The undead pointed at the Servant, jeering, probably feeling insulted by his terrible gameplay.
This is so unrealistic!!!
"Checkmate."
The Servant grimaced and sighed.
"I lose. You really lowered your skill to play fairly with me. I respect that."
"No big deal. My Master needs more allies to fight against emo Jeanne."
"...You could've just explained that from the start."
"Nah, I was bored. I wanted to play shogi."
You jerk! That was your goal all along?!
Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed.
All the undead vanished instantly, leaving the four Servants staring in the direction of the clapper.
"Had enough fun yet?"
It was a French girl with a crazed Servant standing behind her.
"Emo Jeanne and Bewsewkew," Nura said, enunciating each word.
Both Casters looked at her in surprise—she looked exactly like Jeanne, but edgier, more emo, and far more ruthless!
Jalter glared fiercely at Nura.
"Berserker, deal with the others. I'll handle that Assassin myself," she said, drawing her sword with one hand while holding a battle flag in the other.
Berserker, now recovered and stronger than before, let out a terrifying roar.
The group prepared for battle, but the Servant they had just rescued stepped forward.
"I'll handle this."
Jalter looked at him with annoyance. Without wasting words, she summoned flames that erupted from the ground, aiming to burn the Servant in front of her.
But he effortlessly swung his sword, cutting through the flames with ease.
"Young lady, have you forgotten our last encounter? Or did you not notice who I am?"
In their previous battle, with so many Servants fighting at once, he hadn't had a chance to stand out.
As a result, Jalter didn't know much about him, despite being a Ruler.
This was strange... or perhaps she was never suited to the Ruler class to begin with.
"You can cut through my flames?" Jalter was surprised for a moment before smirking.
"That shouldn't be possible... unless the one standing before me isn't the Dragon Witch."
It wasn't even sarcasm—he was just being honest.
Unfortunately, Jalter didn't take kindly to being called the Dragon Witch.
"Our new ally is a bit... savage?" Caster remarked.
"Berserker!" Jalter commanded, and it immediately pulled out a six-barreled gun, firing relentlessly at them.
"Again?!"
Caster summoned roots to block the bullets, while Saber grabbed his weapon and fired a beam.
Of course—because what kind of Saber doesn't shoot beams?
"Run!"
The four Servants bolted outside, with Berserker hot on their heels.
Right outside, they were greeted by a horde of Wyverns and a massive dragon standing before them.
"We're surrounded," Amodeus said, sweating as he looked around.
"ASSASSIN!!!"
Nura's eyes widened, looking toward the voice, only to be yanked away by Jalter.
"Oh hell no! Nura just got blasted away!" Caster said, watching the two.
"Fafnir..." Saber muttered, eyeing the overwhelming number of dragons, especially the massive one.
"I'll activate my Noble Phantasm. Everyone, get back," Saber said, his sword beginning to glow brightly.
Meanwhile, Nura blocked Jalter's sword with his katana, both weapons clashing heavily against the ground.
"You hold grudges like nobody's business! Why not just switch to the Avenger class already?"
"I want a rematch, and this time, it's just the two of us!" Jalter's strength overpowered Nura, putting him at a disadvantage.
"Sounds pretty romantic. Just because I said a few things after saving you, you're already obsessed with me."
"Silent!"
Jalter swung her flag, and flames engulfed Nura.
Nura quickly pulled out his sake gourd, blowing into it, unleashing a burst of flames that collided with Jalter's fire.
The two flames—orange and blue—clashed fiercely.
Nura couldn't quite figure out her current goal. He sensed killing intent, but it wasn't overwhelming.
It was as if she was calculating something.
'If she's got feelings for me just because of a few words, it's definitely because I'm too handsome,' Nura thought narcissistically, continuing to parry her attacks.