NOTE: IF YOU HAVE READ THE LAST CHAPTER, YOU MIGHT EXPECT SOME DIFFERENT SERVANT BUT I HAD TO CHANGE MY CHOICE BECAUSE OF THE POWER-SCALING AND STUFF...BACK TO BACK UPLOAD TODAY SO IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET, WAIT A MINUTE AND THEN RELOAD THE SITE...
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
3rd POV (Cu Focus)
Thud!
And just like that, Sukuna was gone.
Cu turned toward the ragtag group of Chaldeans, already feeling the weight of it settle on his shoulders. Babysitting wasn't a job he enjoyed.
Still… it beat being a lapdog to that priest.
And the benefits? Yeah. Those weren't half bad.
He felt it through the contract first.
His mana flow surged–clean and steady–like a river that had just been widened overnight. Where once it had been tight, careful… rationed… it now felt comfortable.
No–more than that.
It felt deep.
Deep enough that he could fire off a Noble Phantasm without worrying about the tank running dry.
And then there was that.
Cu's gaze flicked inward for half a second, instincts brushing against something unfamiliar yet unmistakably his.
A new shape.
A new answer.
"…Huh," he muttered under his breath, a slow grin tugging at his lips. "Well now. That's somethin', alright."
He didn't say anything more. Didn't need to. This wasn't the time.
The bunker shuddered again–faint this time, but unmistakable. Dust trickled from the ceiling. Somewhere above them, concrete screamed.
Heracles.
Cu rolled his shoulders once and turned back to the room.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
3rd POV (Omniscient/Cu focus)
Olga Marie Animusphere was sitting upright now, wrapped in a blanket, her breathing steadier than it had been minutes ago. She still looked pale–still shaken–but the wild panic in her eyes had dulled into something more controlled.
Fear, yes.
But focused.
Mash knelt beside her, one hand lightly on her back. Gudako hovered close, whispering something low and reassuring, while Ritsuka stood a step back–watching everything, jaw clenched, eyes sharp.
Roman's hologram buzzed softly at the edge of the room, thankfully quiet for once.
Cu walked in just as the bunker trembled again.
That got everyone's attention.
Before anything else could happen, Cu took the centre of attention.
Cu raised a hand casually. "Relax. That wasn't him hittin' us."
A pause.
"…Yet."
That didn't help nearly as much as he'd hoped.
Right. Kids. Gotta stop forgettin' they're greener than spring grass.
He leaned against a crate, arms folding easily as his eyes swept over them.
"Alright," he said, tone shifting–less joking now, more serious. "Here's the short version, 'cause we don't have time for the long one."
Another tremor rippled through the floor, closer this time.
"Berserker's locked onto that guy. That's good news and bad news."
He tilted his head.
"Good news is, it means we're not his priority anymore. Bad news is, if Sukuna goes down–or even slows–this place becomes ground zero."
Olga swallowed hard but didn't look away.
Cu nodded at her. Approval, plain and simple.
"Now, Saber ain't our problem for the moment," he continued. "But the others are. And I'd bet good money they'll take advantage of this mess–especially after seein' him go blow-for-blow with Berserker."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the ceiling, as if he could see straight through it.
"Lancer. Assassin. And that shitty Archer." A snort. "Hate to admit it, but the bastard ain't a bad shot."
He pushed off the crate and stepped forward.
"Which brings us to you lot."
The group straightened up a bit.
Ritsuka looked at Cu, whose gaze met his own.
"Partnering with me?" He shook his head once. "That option's off the table."
Gudako blinked. "W-What? But you said–"
"I did," Cu cut in gently. "And I meant it. But things've changed."
He glanced, just briefly, in the direction Sukuna had gone.
"I'm not leavin' you without help," he continued. "But I am not stayin' here forever. Someone needs to keep this group alive, explain things, and make sure you don't get steamrolled the second a Servant looks at you funny."
Mash nodded slowly, already understanding.
Cu's eyes shifted back to Ritsuka.
"And that means you," he said, jerking his chin toward the slab leaning against the wall.
The summoning circle.
Ritsuka's eyes widened as it clicked.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then he stepped forward.
Slow. Steady.
He placed a hand on the edge of the stone and looked up, eyes set with something solid.
Determination.
Cu chuckled.
"Heh," he said, grinning. "Yeah. You've got the attitude, alright."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Ritsuka stood in front of the summoning circle.
The stone slab was cold under his palm, faintly warm where the etched lines pulsed with dormant light. The symbols meant nothing to him. They might as well have been scribbles. He swallowed, heart beating a little faster than it had during the fight above.
This was it.
A Servant.
Something that could actually help.
There was a pause.
An awkward one.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"…So," he said, scratching the back of his neck, voice a little too casual for the situation. "Uh. Small problem."
Everyone looked at him.
"I don't actually… know how to summon a Servant."
Silence.
Cu stared at him.
Really stared.
"…You're jokin'," the Caster said slowly.
Ritsuka gave a weak smile. "I wish."
Cu dragged a hand down his face. "Sweet hell. You lot really were thrown in blind, weren't you?"
Mash opened her mouth, probably to help–
"Enough."
Olga Marie Animusphere's voice cut through the room.
Her voice wasn't loud. It wasn't commanding in the dramatic way Ritsuka expected.
But it was firm.
Certain.
He turned toward her.
She was standing now, still wrapped in the blanket, shoulders straight despite how pale she looked. Her hands trembled just a little–but her eyes were clear.
Focused.
"This isn't the time to hesitate," Olga said. "If you're going to summon a Servant, then do it properly."
She stepped closer to the circle, stopping just short of its edge.
Ritsuka felt something shift in the room.
Authority.
Not the brittle kind she'd worn back in Chaldea.
This was quieter. Harder.
"Listen carefully," Olga continued. "I'll lead the chant. You repeat it exactly."
He nodded instantly. "Got it."
She closed her eyes for half a second–steadying herself–then spoke.
"Let silver and steel be the essence."
"Let silver and steel be the essence."
The air stirred.
"Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation."
"Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation."
The circle pulsed faintly.
"Let my great Master be the ancestor."
"Let my great Master be the ancestor."
Light traced the engraved lines.
"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall."
"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall."
The glow brightened, spilling across the bunker walls.
"Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
Ritsuka swallowed.
"Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
A pressure settled in his chest–not pain, just weight.
"I hereby declare–"
"I hereby declare–"
The light flared.
"Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword."
"Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword."
The air tightened.
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason–"
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason–"
"Then answer."
"Then answer."
The circle blazed.
"An oath shall be sworn here!"
"An oath shall be sworn here!"
"I shall attain all virtues of Heaven–"
"I shall attain all virtues of Heaven–"
"–I shall have dominion over all evils of all Hell!"
"–I shall have dominion over all evils of all Hell!"
The light surged violently.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power–"
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power–"
"Come forth from the ring of restraints,"
"Come forth from the ring of restraints,"
"Protector of the Holy Balance!"
"Protector of the Holy Balance!"
A sharp wind burst outward, forcing Ritsuka to stagger back a step.
Light swallowed the room.
For a moment–he couldn't see anything.
Then–
The glow faded.
Someone knelt in the center of the circle.
Ritsuka's brain shut down.
Black hair tied in a high ponytail. Sharp, alert eyes. Light armor that… left far more skin exposed than he was prepared to deal with.
His face went hot instantly.
Oh.
Oh no.
"I answer your summons," the girl said, voice clear and proud. "I, Rider Ushiwakamaru, have come at your call, my Lord."
She remained kneeling.
Cu let out a low whistle. "Well I'll be damned."
Gudako stared. Openly. Shamelessly.
Olga turned her head away, clearly making a heroic effort not to look.
Mash was already looking anywhere but at the Servant, ears bright red.
Ritsuka was staring at the wall.
Anywhere but her.
"…Y-You can get up," he said quickly.
Ushiwakamaru rose smoothly, eyes sweeping the room–then settling on him.
Specifically–
On how he was very deliberately not looking at her.
She tilted her head, confused.
"My Lord?"
Ritsuka coughed. Hard.
Cu burst out laughing, the sound loud enough to echo off the bunker walls. He had to brace a hand against a crate to keep himself upright. "Oh, that's priceless."
Before Ritsuka could die of embarrassment, the bunker shook.
Not lightly.
A deep, rolling tremor surged through the concrete, strong enough to rattle loose debris from the ceiling. The lights flickered once–twice–before stabilizing.
That wiped the humor from the room instantly.
Cu straightened, laughter gone like it had never existed. His posture shifted–loose confidence tightening into readiness.
"…That's my cue," he muttered.
Another tremor followed, closer this time.
Ushiwakamaru's stance sharpened on instinct, feet planting, hand hovering near her blade. She didn't ask questions. Not yet.
Cu exhaled through his nose and glanced toward the stairs Sukuna had taken earlier.
"I can feel it," he said. "The other Servants are movin'. Doesn't matter which ones–once one Servant cuts loose like that, the rest don't sit still for long."
Mash swallowed. Gudako's shoulders tensed. Olga's fingers clenched around the blanket draped over her shoulders.
Cu turned back to them.
"I've done my part here," he continued, voice firm now. "You're alive, you're groups stable, and you've got a Servant of your own." His eyes flicked briefly to Ushiwakamaru, then back to Ritsuka. "That was the priority."
Another distant impact echoed through the ground–heavy enough to make the floor groan.
"I need to go down there and fight with my Master," Cu said. "I've missed the action too long, about time I get to throw down."
He took a step forward, gaze locking onto the group.
"So I'll ask you straight," he said. "Are you lot comin' with me… or are you stayin' behind?"
The question hung in the air.
Ritsuka hesitated.
Not from fear.
From weight.
His mind flashed back to the bridge–the giant hand coming down, the certainty of death. To Sukuna standing between him and that fate. To Olga lying broken and cursed, and the same man fixing her without hesitation.
Sukuna was strange. Dangerous. Uncomfortable.
But he was also–
An ally.
Before Ritsuka could answer, a voice cut in.
"Yes."
His sister stepped forward, fists clenched at her sides.
"We're going," she said, eyes sharp. "He saved us. All of us. The least we can do is not sit around while he fights alone."
Ritsuka looked at her.
Then nodded.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. Then louder, steadier: "Yeah. We're coming."
Mash straightened beside them, resolve settling into her expression. Olga hesitated only a second before giving a short, decisive nod.
"We can't afford to wait," Olga said. "Not anymore."
Cu studied them for a moment–really studied them.
Then he grinned.
"Good," he said.
A long staff shimmered into existence in his hand, runes briefly flaring along its length before settling. He spun it once, resting it against his shoulder as he turned toward the exit.
"Then stick close," he added. "And try not to die. I've already done my babysittin' for the day."
Without another word, Cu started toward the stairs.
Ushiwakamaru moved instantly–falling into step near her Lord's side, eyes alert, questions held back for later.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Sukuna POV
A FEW MINUTES AGO
I pushed myself upright inside the wrecked storefront, shards of glass crunching underfoot as Reverse Cursed Technique pulsed through my body. Muscle knit, skin sealed. The last of the burns faded, leaving only heat and that familiar pressure humming under my flesh. I exhaled. A real smile crept onto my face.
…Yeah. This was bad.
Heracles was still standing out there–not just standing, but ready. And as far as I knew, that bastard still had eleven lives left to burn through. Medusa was moving somewhere nearby, chains rattling just out of sight. Assassin's presence flickered in and out like a bad itch. And that faker–Archer–was still watching, bowstring drawn from so far away most people wouldn't even notice him.
Four Servants. One of them Berserker.
I spat blood onto the cracked tiles and started toward the blown-out front of the store. My boot nudged something glassy–a bottle, half shattered, but the bottom still intact. Lucky.
I picked it up. I could take any one of them alone. Two would still be fun. But four–
I took a short drink, then tipped the rest over my head. Water ran down my face, steaming faintly as it hit skin still warm from regeneration. With my left hand, I tore open what remained of the kimono's upper half, letting it fall loose. My right hand dragged back through my hair, slicking it away from my face.
"Annoying," I muttered.
Still. My smirk widened.
"You think I'm losing?" I said softly as I stepped out into the street. "Nah. Bitch… it's you lot who're losing."
My hands started to come together. Shadows stirred at my feet. The Dharma Wheel overhead trembled in anticipation.
"This is how we're gonna do thi–"
I froze.
No.I felt it.
A familiar presence slammed into the battlefield like a sledgehammer.
I let out a short laugh. "Finally."
The hand sign dropped as something blue and violent smashed into a rooftop to my left. A Servant–My Servant–went flying through concrete and steel, hurled clean off his perch.
About damn time.
At the same moment, movement on the other side of the street–fast, sharp. A blur of motion, then a girl. Small. Lean. Fast as hell. She drop-kicked Medusa straight out of her approach, boots cracking against armor as the corrupted Rider hissed and reeled back. Chains lashed wildly as the two immediately crashed into a fight of their own.
My eyebrow rose.
"…Took you long enough," I muttered. "Hound."
Good. That changed things.
I rolled my shoulders once, letting my focus snap back to the real problem. Heracles.
He stood where the street had collapsed inward, his massive frame outlined by dust and broken light. His muscles tightened–every fiber drawing taut like a loaded siege engine.
I grinned at him. "Ready for round three?"
For just a second–just a fraction–I could've sworn his eyes twitched.
Laughter escaped my lips.
Then we moved.
He launched forward.
So did I.
And the world shattered between us.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Authors Note in next chapter... Yes, it is a back to back upload.
Also, I know the writing feels shit but I wrote this like months ago when I was sick so eh... My writing has improved btw (Noticable in INTER 2, Available on my pat - reon . com / st_scarface)