3RD POV (Mash Focus)
For a second, Mash thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
The man standing in the doorway was the same one who had crashed into the grey giant and vanished into the city. The same man who had somehow–she still wasn't sure if the word fit–defeated the enemy Servant.
Up until now, she had only seen flashes of him through smoke and debris. But up close, he looked much worse.
His clothes–a kimono, if she remembered right–were torn in several places, patches of dried blood covering parts of it, and soaked from the rain he helped create earlier.
Yet at the same time, she could not see a single wound on him.
He shook the rain off with casual annoyance, like someone drying a coat in a hallway instead of a man standing in a ruined city. His eyes–four crimson eyes–swept across the room in a slow, lazy arc.
They passed the flickering bulb… then her Master and Senpai–Mash's grip on her shield tightened–then the Director's still body…
She saw his eyes narrow at the Director for a moment, but when he looked at her, something strange happened.
His eyes widened–just a fraction, barely noticeable–before he snorted softly and looked away, turning his attention toward Caster.
Mash froze.
What was that? Did I imagine it? Did he recognize something? Did he see something behind me? Or inside me?
She had no time to figure it out.
"Yo." The man raised a hand in a lazy half-wave. "Hope I'm not crashing a private party."
Mash swallowed hard.
Why was he here? How did he even find them?
She saw him get launched across the city after clashing with Berserker. There was no way he should know where they were hiding. Unless… unless this was planned. Unless this was a trap.
Her eyes darted–just for a second–to Caster.
The blue-haired Servant didn't look even a little surprised.
He didn't reach for his staff.
He didn't shift his stance.
He didn't act like someone caught off-guard.
He simply popped open a can of beer, took a sip, and snorted.
"Took you long enough, Bathrobe," Caster said, grabbing another can and tossing it toward the man. "I was starting to think Berserker found you for round two."
Mash's heartbeat stumbled.
Took you long enough.
Se he'd been expecting this? Expecting him?
But back on the bridge, Caster had sounded just as shocked as they were. She remembered the look on his face–the low whistle, the disbelief, the way he threw up a barrier in panic when the clash turned the world black and red.
So which was it?
Did he know this man or not?
Her brain tried to fit the two pieces together. Maybe that surprise on the bridge had been an act. A way for them to trust him more. Lure them into following him, into entering his territory. Into leading them right here, under his bounded fields, where he could invite… Whoever this was.
Her stomach tightened.
Magi used people. That much she knew, even without remembering all the specifics of her life before the death of the previous director. There had been years of being an experiment, a subject, something between a tool and a failure.
Her shield in her hands rose another hair's breadth.
But the image of the bridge hit her all over again.
That axe descending.
Her Master's terrified face.
A hand crushing Ritsuka-senpai's.
And then–The man in white crashing into Berserker and sending the giant flying. If he hadn't interfered, none of them would still be alive. Her shield wouldn't have done anything. She had been too slow… too weak.
If he hadn't acted, her Master would be dead.
He chose to save us, she thought, watching him crack open the can Caster threw at him. Rainwater was still dripping off his clothes.
He didn't have to save us. He could have just ignored us, waited for Berserker to finish us, then fought him.
That would've been easier… cleaner.
She wanted to believe that meant something.
Mash had seen the worst parts of magi, but she had also seen the good. And even if she wasn't the best at understanding people–especially after the life she'd had–she wanted to believe there was good in everyone.
And if he wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have bothered knocking.
Mash forced herself to speak, she stood firmly between him and the Fujimaru twins.
"Y-Youre…" Her voice came out hoarse. She swallowed and tried again. "You're the one who fought Berserler."
It wasn't a question. It was the only solid fact she had in a world that kept flipping every three seconds.
The man's eyes landed on her. She felt a heavy, yet muted presence fall on her. It felt dangerous yet she felt no hostility in it.
"Guilty," he said. His voice was deep, and sounded amused. "He hit quite hard. Broke a few bones and shit. Fun guy."
Fun.
Mash–for the first time in forever–felt the Heroic Spirit inside her react; pulling back in discomfort at how casually he described the monster that almost killed them. But that same instinct almost seemed to whisper something else:
He's stronger than Berserker. Be careful.
Mash let out a shaky breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
Dangerous. Do not antagonize.
Trust carefully. Hope for the best.
And above all–
Protect your Master, no matter what.
Mash's eyes flicked toward the twins.
Whatever this man was, however he'd found them, whatever Caster had planned–none of it changed the truth:
If he took even one step toward her Master with killing intent–
She would move.
Even if it cost her life.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Sukuna POV (A Few Minutes Ago)
The rain hit the ruined streets in uneven sheets, turning ash into mud under my feet as I walked. My body felt light again–bones fixed, muscles good as new. Reverse Cursed Technique was working like a charm, even if my kimono looked like I crawled out of a blender.
The fight was fun.
And while that was true–once the adrenaline in my body settled, the high faded–the questions started piling up.
The biggest one: Where the fuck is Angra Mainyu?
By the feeling of this city and the mud on Berserker, it was clear as day that Angra Mainyu escaped the grail. Yet I couldn't feel him.
A being born from "All the World's Evil" shouldn't be quiet.
His presence shouldn't be small.
It shouldn't be… missing.
The city was covered in curses so thick I could taste them, but there was no conscious center of it all. That was wrong.
Either he got killed… or Something is going on here.
I am really leaning towards the fact that something is fucking going on here.
Another major question:
Where the fuck is Gilgamesh?
The King of Fucking Heroes should be walking around like he owns the place. If I know one thing, it's that Gilgamesh is someone who could realistically beat an incarnated god of evil. Especially considering he's immune to corruption… through sheer EGO.
The chad of a man refused to get corrupted just because he didn't feel like it.
So where the hell is he?
Am I in a different timeline? Maybe the branch where Shirou beats Gilgamesh and then something goes wrong? Or maybe Gil got cocky and paid the price?
Possible. Annoying, but possible.
Too many questions. Not enough answers.
And I shouldn't rely on assumptions, not in a death world.
The image of the humans on the bridge–the twins and the pink-haired vessel–passed through my mind.
Hmm, They might know something.
"Hah,"
Guess I know where I'm going.
-X-X-X-X-X-
The bridge looked way worse then what I remember it.
Chunks missing. Cracks everywhere. My fight with the big guy really wrecked this place, huh? And surprise, surprise–no humans in sight.
"Can't really blame them for running," I muttered.
Normal humans are soft. Squishy. If I didn't have this body and saw two monsters blow up the sky, I'd run too.
As I walked across the broken section, something caught my eye–a slab of concrete half-buried in debris. On it, faintly glowing through the rain, was a summoning circle.
The slab was cracked, chipped, half-destroyed… but the circle itself was somehow still intact enough that I felt it could still work.
"Huh."
Why was this the one thing the collapse didn't break?
Maybe Fate was helping me?
…Snort.
Yeah, right. Fate helping me? I'd have to be high to believe that.
No, maybe fate was helping them. Maybe one of the kids was the protagonist and that was the hero party.
I shook my head. Even if that's true, I shouldn't think like that.
After all, even I could count as a protagonist.
"Meh."
I grabbed the slab with one hand and shoved it into my expanding shadow. The darkness swallowed it with barely a ripple.
Now I just gotta find them.
I let my cursed energy sharpen my senses–and something pinged back. A scent.
I focused. The smell of smoke shifted, the stench of the mud separated, and under all of it, three human-related scents lingered.
One of them was that of humans, the other was most probably the vessel. But there was this one scent, so muted that I barely picked it up. Heck, the only reason I picked it up was due to this void I could smell.
While I could use this to track them, I had something better,
I formed the hand sign.
"Divine Dog."
The shadow at my feet rippled, then rose into shape.
A massive white dog–no, wolf–materialized. Much bigger than Megumi's old version. About the size of his Totality. Muscles like coiled ropes, white fur shimmering with cursed energy, eyes sharp and eager.
Before I could speak–
"Oi–!"
It body-checked me.
I hit the ground flat on my back as the giant furball started licking my face like I'd been gone for years.
"Alright–alright–stop–damn it–stop!"
It didn't stop.
Its tail thumped against the ground like a drum.
I pushed its snout away until it finally backed up a few steps, trying and failing to keep its tail from wagging.
A snort escaped me.
A small part of me–probably Megumi, and maybe a bit of me too–felt… happy.
It sat up straight, posture suddenly serious. The tail kept swishing anyway.
I laughed under my breath.
Kneeling, I ran my hands through his fur.
Floofy.
His joy poured through our link.
"Alright, big guy. I've got a mission for you."
His eyes narrowed a little, but the joy stayed bright through our link.
"I need you to follow some scents." I pointed down the bridge. "You can smell them, right?"
The dog barked–a sharp, confident sound. Through our link, I felt the answer.
Yes.
I ran my hand through his fur. "Good boy. Lead the way."
The Divine Dog bounded ahead, nose low, tracking through the ruined streets. I followed, hopping over fallen beams and overturned cars as the rain eased into a soft drizzle.
A few minutes in, the dog slowed.
Then stopped.
Its ears perked up toward an empty alleyway that didn't look any different from the others–except the air around it… was wrong.
Heavy. Controlled.
A barrier.
A bounded field.
I crouched beside the dog and scratched its head.
"You did good."
The body dissolved back into shadow, returning to me.
I stood in front of the invisible wall of magecraft and let cursed energy spread outward in a slow wave.
"Let's see what we're dealing with…"
The field reacted instantly.
Layers brushed against my cursed energy–checking, probing, testing.
One layer judged hostility. One analyzed..something. One felt like it was scanning my 'magical signature'. Others… I couldn't even guess.
Were magi always this good?
As far as I remember, magi were not that big of a deal. The real problems were servants.
Then a thought clicked.
"…right. If they summoned someone after my fight, things would change."
That made sense. They were already trying to summon one before Berserker ruined their day.
I shrugged. Not like it mattered.
Just then, I felt the field's tone change–From hostile, to neutral, to curious to what seemed like inviting.
I snorted.
Stretching my arms, I stepped through the layers one by one, each shifting around me like ripples in a river.
A stairway led downward.
A metal door stood at the bottom.
I raised my hand, knocking twice.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then–footsteps. Light ones first. Then a heavier set behind them. A click. The steel door cracked open.
I stepped inside.
The basement was dim, lit by a single flickering bulb overhead. Supplies stacked in random piles. A beat-up table. Old chairs. A fridge humming in the corner.
My eyes slid over the twins first–they stiffened the second our gazes met. Then my gaze fell on the girl lying on the mattress.
Huh.
Wasn't her hair white before?
Now it was a washed-out grey. Her skin looked wrong. Cold. Damp. Dead, almost. But the thing that hit me hardest wasn't her appearance–It was the stench.
Corruption.
Cursed.
Not as concentrated as Berserker… but the same flavor. Like she dipped halfway into the same mud.
Interesting.
My eyes drifted next to the vessel–the pink-haired shield girl.
And that's when it happened.
The moment my gaze locked onto her, I felt something push against me. Something that tried to step into my mind–no, into my Innate Domain.
My eyes widened just a bit–then everything flipped.
The basement vanished.
-X-X-X-X-X-
I was sitting on my throne.
Except… not exactly the same throne I remembered from Sukuna's memories.
The domain looked similar, but the details were different.
The massive rib cage still curled overhead, but the bones were darker–stained with liquid shadows instead of blood. The floor rippled like ink. The air hummed with the energy of my shikigami–faint silhouettes moving at the edges.
And resting atop my head…
Mahoraga's wheel.
Slow. Turning. Waiting.
I leaned forward on the throne as the space in front of me shifted into shape–a long stone table with twelve empty seats.
Except one.
At the far end, a figure stood. Blurry, like fog wrapped around a man. I couldn't make out a face, but I saw the shield.
The same massive shield the girl carried.
The figure's presence slammed into the domain like a spike.
A message.
An emotion.
A warning:
If you even touch a hair on that girl–
I snorted.
The domain shook from the echo.
Threatening me inside my own domain? Cute.
For a heartbeat, our domains locked together like two hands gripping each other, both pushing and pulling–
Then something yanked.
Hard.
And I was back.
-X-X-X-X-X-
The dingy basement snapped into view. Shield chick stared at me with wide eyes, shaking but standing firm. I snorted lightly at her before looking toward the strongest signature in the room.
Ah.
Cu Chulainn.
I recognized him instantly–even if his clothes weren't the same as the anime. Reality always adds details the screen cuts out.
He wasn't tense. Just leaning against his mini-fridge, staring back at me with the easy confidence of someone used to danger.
"Yo." I raised a hand in a lazy half-wave. "Hope I'm not crashing a private party."
Cu popped open a can of beer, took a sip, and snorted.
"Took you long enough, Bathrobe." He grabbed another can and tossed it toward me. "I was starting to think Berserker found you for round two."
I caught it, cracked it open, and took a sip.
Not bad considering the situation.
I felt the shielder take a shaky breath, then–
"Y-You're…" She swallowed hard. "You're the one who fought Berserker."
"Guilty," I said, amused. "He hit pretty hard. Broke a few bones and shit. Fun guy."
Her stance tightened.
Resolve hardened.
Protect the twins–Even if it killed her.
I didn't need the domain to feel it. It rolled off her like heat.
My smile widened.
Good.
I liked people with a backbone. Even if I can tell that she is green.
I turned back toward Cu.
"So," I said, voice dropping to something a bit more serious. "What the hell happened to this city?"
I didn't look just at him–the question was for all of them.
"Because from what I've seen so far? This place looks like shit. Like someone took a cocktail of Heroic Spirits, two cursed nukes, shoved them in a blender, and poured the whole mess over Fuyuki."
I tilted my head, eyes drifting back to the blue-haired man leaning on the fridge. Lancer. Or is he? Considering the bounded fields, I'd call him Caster, but acting like that's all he is would just be underestimating the man.
Cu finished draining his can, crushed it in one hand, and tossed it into a corner like this was just another Tuesday.
Instead of answering me, he raised an eyebrow.
"How about a round of introductions?" he said, tone casual as hell. "Berserker's probably gonna need an hour or two before he gets bored and wanders off, and if we're fixing this fucked-up Grail War together, I'd rather not call you guys 'girlie' or 'that guy.'"
He looked around the room, finger pointing loosely from one person to another.
"Hell, I'll even go first."
He straightened–just a little.
"Servant–as you've probably figured out. Class: Caster," He jerked a thumb at himself. "True Name: Cu Chulainn. And I'm the last surviving uncorrupted Servant in this Holy Grail War."
My eyes widened a fraction.
Caster?
So I was right–they did have a caster class servant. But that wasn't the part that hooked me. The important bit was the other one:
Last uncorrupted Servant.
So the trio on the bridge didn't summon him like I'd assumed.
He's been here since everything went to hell.
Across the room, the shield girl and the boy both stiffened, recognition sharp in their eyes.
Cu smirked. "Heard of me, have you?"
The shield girl nodded fast–almost too fast. "Ireland's Child of Light… the Hound of Chulainn. Chaldea is familiar with your titles and legend, Caster."
Chaldea? The fuck is that?
Cu's grin widened. "I see the brat and the shield maiden know their history. Even you"–he pointed at me–"seem to know of me. Guess my name's traveled to wherever you hail from, huh?"
Picked that much up, huh.
"Yeah," I said. "I've heard of your legend. Student of the God-Killer Scáthach. Fought an army alone. Died a glorious death. All that."
His grin split wider, almost feral.
"My finest moment, mostly because I got to spite that absolute bitch Medb," he cackled.
He pushed off the fridge.
"Alright. That's me. Ladies–and gent–your turn."
The twins swallowed. The shield girl hesitated, looking at them. The orange-haired girl nudged her gently, and Shielder stepped forward, shield still held tight to her chest like an anchor.
"I'm… Mash Kyrielight," she said, voice soft but steady. "A Demi-Servant. Class: Shielder. From Chaldea."
Demi-servant, huh?
My eyes narrowed a bit.
Basically a Jinchūriki but Fate version.
She pointed to the twins. "These two are Ritsuka Fujimaru and Gudako Fujimaru… the last Masters available to Chaldea."
Last Masters.
That line struck out like a chord.
So they had more–maybe dozens–but all of them are either dead, missing, or fried by whatever disaster broke this War apart.
Chaldea must be some big organization if "multiple Masters" is their norm.
Meanwhile I'm over here running blind with anime knowledge that seems to be getting more useless as time goes on.
Mash stepped back, and the room turned toward me.
My turn, huh?
I rolled my shoulders once.
"Ryomen Sukuna," I said. "I'm known by a lot of things, but the most common one's the King of Curses. Strongest sorcerer of the Heian Era."
The reaction was instant.
Mash stiffened. Gudako's eyes widened. Ritsuka's mouth fell open as he whispered, "I… think I've heard that name before…"
What? How?
Then it clicked. Right. There was a legend of an actual Ryomen Sukuna back in my original world too.
I snorted.
"Not the one you're thinking of, kid."
Ritsuka flushed and looked away.
Cu crossed his arms, smirking. "Thought so. You're not from around here, huh?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You picked that up how exactly?"
Cu shrugged with the ease of someone who's seen way too much bullshit to be impressed anymore.
"Buddy, I've been knee-deep in corrupted Servants for weeks. You? You just fell out of the sky in a bathrobe and punched Berserker so hard the weather changed. Anyone with half a brain can tell you're not from this timeline."
Fair enough.
He wasn't wrong.
If I were in his position, I'd be suspicious of me too.
But what mattered was this:
Cu wasn't panicking. He wasn't hostile. If anything, he seemed… relieved.
Like he finally had someone strong enough to take a few hits for him.
I clicked my tongue. Noted.
Cu pushed off the wall and cracked another can open. "Alright then. Now that we all know each other… let's get to the real shit."
Finally.
I pointed toward the ceiling–toward the burning city above us.
"What the hell happened here?" I asked.
Cu didn't answer right away.
He tipped his head back, finished the drink in a few quick gulps, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and tossed the can into the metal pile in the corner.
Then he sighed.
Long. Heavy. Tired.
"Alright," he muttered. "Buckle up, bathrobe. This one's a doozy."
"All this–" he gestured vaguely upward, toward the ruined city, "–the flames, the mud, the corruption, the Servants going nuts? Saber's fault."
I blinked.
Wait. Saber? As in The Ahoge King of Knights?
Cu continued before I could say anything.
"I wasn't around when it started. But something–someone–got to her early in the War. Corrupted her. Hard. And I don't mean like that Berserker you fought." He jabbed a thumb upward. "That thing? That's just leftovers. What's left after she kills Servants and drags them back up again."
Mash's breath hitched.
Gudako covered her mouth.
Ritsuka looked like someone had ripped the floor out from under him.
Cu's expression barely changed, but his voice dropped lower.
"Whatever happened to her… when it happened… things went bad real damn quick." He pointed toward the city depths. "There's a crater the size of a stadium on the west end. She wiped out at least three Masters and their Servants in one shot. Carved a trench all the way to the sea."
I raised an eyebrow.
Three Masters and three Servants in a single blast.
Yeah. That tracked.
Excalibur is no joke.
But reviving Servants…? Dragging them back twisted…? That wasn't normal. Not in any version I'd seen.
"She wasn't alone after that," Cu went on. "Once she broke, the whole Grail system followed. Mud everywhere. Spirits turning rabid. Half the city dead in blood or fire. And every Servant that got caught in her wake either bent the knee… or got turned into something like that Berserker you fought."
I folded my arms.
"And how are you still here then? You're Caster, sure, but I don't see any mana tether connecting you to a Master."
Mash nodded, voice small. "Y-You… should have vanished already, right…?"
Cu snorted–a harsh, humorless sound.
"My former Master…" he spat the word like it tasted foul, "was the Moderator of the War. He had all the unused Command Seals from the previous Wars. Every last one."
Moderator, huh. So, priest.
Yeah. Figures.
Cu kept going.
"And since he was the last Master to die in this one, he inherited all the leftover Seals too. Don't ask me why, but right before Saber tore him apart, he dumped every Seal he had on one command."
He lifted his hand and traced the faint, scorched mark on his skin.
"Live."
I tilted my head.
Interesting.
"Yeah," Cu continued with a dry laugh. "Live. He spat in Saber's face, laughed at her, and she killed him anyway. Bastard wasn't good for much, but that one last act? I can respect that."
Very on-brand, priest. Very on-brand.
Cu stretched his shoulders, joints popping.
"Been running off that command ever since. Sleeping, eating, hiding–making bolt-holes like this all over the city. Couldn't fight Saber head-on. Couldn't fight her whole army of rabid Servants either. So I've been playing hit-and-run, waiting for someone–anyone–who could actually help."
He exhaled sharply through his nose.
"But here's the problem: I'm running out of gas. That command's power is almost dry. If I don't get a new Master in the next few hours…"
He clicked his fingers. "Poof."
Mash swallowed.
The twins glanced at each other, then at him, then at me. Worry written all over their faces.
Cu turned to the boy first.
"I was gonna ask the kid here to partner up with me," he said, nodding toward Ritsuka, "but…"
His eyes slid to me.
"…I'm thinking I should shoot for the big guy instead."
I blinked.
That… I hadn't seen that coming.
With Sukuna's aura of "evil walking natural disaster," he could clearly tell what sort of man he was dealing with. And yet–he was still pointing at me.
"What do you say, bathrobe? Wanna team up?" He said, pointing loosely at me.
Mash stiffened, shield shifting up just a bit.
Gudako made a confused little noise.
Ritsuka's jaw actually dropped..
"You're asking me to be your Master?" I asked.
Cu shrugged. "Why the hell not? You've clearly got battery life for days. And with your help, the kid can summon someone else–someone better suited for him. Then we'd have two powerhouses instead of one."
I snorted.
"So you want me to have Command Seal-level control over you. Are you sure about that?"
Cu grinned.
"Buddy, I've seen the kind of monster you just fought. If Berserker can match you, then beating that Saber is gonna take everything we've got. If trusting you gets us even a sliver of a chance? I'll take it."
I clicked my tongue.
Still, he wasn't wrong about the math.
With my cursed energy reserves, he'd have more fuel than whatever scraps he was pulling from that last command. That's a huge buff for a Caster. And if the kid summoned a Servant on his own later, he'd probably get someone more attuned to him, and Cu would not have to worry about babysitting the kid while being on the frontlines.
Shielder looked between us, nervous.
Gudako and Ritsuka whispered to each other, unsure.
Cu rolled his neck.
"Well," he said. "Not just my call. These Chaldeans are the ones trying to save the world. Don't wanna step on their toes for free."
Three pairs of eyes turned to Mash.
She froze.
"M–Me?" she squeaked. "Why are you asking me?"
Gudako grabbed her hand. Ritsuka nodded.
Mash looked at them… then at me… then at Cu… completely overwhelmed.
"I–I don't…" She trailed off, eyes dropping to something on Ritsuka's wrist.
A watch.
Her expression shifted.
"S–Shouldn't we contact Dr. Roman first?" she asked, voice shaking. "He… he'll know what to do…"
Dr. Who?
Another name I didn't know.
My attention turned towards the hound, scraping the ground with what seemed a familiar circle.
I raised an eyebrow. "You're making a summoning circle?"
Cu nodded. "Yeah. We'll need it either way."
"No need," I muttered.
His hand paused.
My shadow stretched… warped… and the slab with the summoning circle I'd taken from the bridge rose out of it and thudded onto the ground.
Cu stared at it.
"You picked that up from the bridge?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Seemed useful."
He barked a laugh. "You're one weird son of a bitch."
He and I turned at the same time to face the Chaldeans.
"So," he said. "What's your answer?"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Authors Note:
How have you guys been? Great? Neat.
Anyway–how's the chapter?
Personally, I feel the end part is a little hollow, so do tell me if it feels off. If enough of you say it needs fixing, I'll tweak it. And yeah, I know most of this chapter was just yap, yap, buildup, but trust me–this is the last setup chapter for a while.
We got 5 servants to deal with (Berserker, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, and Saber). So let me know what ya think.
More content available on my PA-TREON . COM / ST_SCARFACE : INTER 5, FCO Chapter's 4 to 7, 4 chapters of A Pragmatist's Guide to a Prophecy (HP SI AS HARRY) for now.
As always, thank you for your support, and see you in the next one.
Ciao