[Mockingbird] Chapter 6- The Son of the Sun vs The Fire's Shadow (Part 1) (Patreon)

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Chapter 6- The Son of the Sun vs The Fire's Shadow i

Instantly, they were all left to witness Naruto's form begin to change, his former chef's clothes began to change, disappearing and morphing into a more conventional outfit. He now wore a bright orange sweatshirt with black stripes and a pair of black pants and sandals. However, that was not the most striking thing about this change. He now wore a white cape over his back with red flames licking the bottom.

They read the words, '7th Hokage' at the sight.

What also changed was the man's aura, from the moment he unsealed his clothing, a torrent was let loose. The air convulsed, thickening as hard as concrete, and splintered cracks formed along the pavement. As energies that they could not comprehend were released.

Naruto knew that he couldn't allow this man to do whatever he wanted. If he took this man on now, if he gave him such a hard beating, he and every one of his superiors or underlings would realize that he was not someone to mess with.

He brought his bandaged hand over his other at his chest, cracking his knuckles. As thunder rumbled out over the streets of Fuyuki.

"So… you're the punks I've heard so much about," he said with a grin, letting loose his untold amounts of chakra.

That's when all of them began to realize that this man, Naruto Uzumaki, was totally different from the rest. He was like a servant, so far incomprehensible above normal humans in power. But no, Saber also realized something about the blonde, something she would have never expected from someone she once saw as a weakling. This aura, this feeling…

This… this was the presence of a King.

Chapter 6-

The presence of a warrior flowed through the streets like a fire, burning and incinerating everyone nearby. Instinctively, everyone felt it, from the birds in the trees running away miles from there to the people of fuyuki, who instantly felt a chill run down each of their spines..…

But then it stopped, Naruto relinquished his chakra surge in an instant.

"But…" Naruto started, as if he were a simple ramen shop owner, one that owned a small store, with little to go by, it would be very hard to assume this man was the same person who was capable of destroying entire nations with his energy. Nor would one be able to discern that he was the one who led an entire village and era towards peace on the brink of wars. "Who's to say we can't work this out, talk this out a little? Eh, Karna was it?"

The demigod looked perplexed, not understanding what the blonde man was getting at, "I'm afraid your capture is non-negotiable, that is a fact I will not be dissuaded from," Karna stated as if it were obvious. He didn't have any malice in his voice; it was as if he was saying nothing but fact.

Rin scoffed, "As if we won't let you take him!"

"It is clear that talking this out is worthless; the time for action is now," the saber class servant stated.

Before Naruto raised an arm, stopping her from doing anything rash, "That's not what I'm asking either."

"And what are you suggesting?" Karna questioned.

"Look, you clearly aren't willing to leave without a fight—a fight we are clearly willing to give— all I ask is that we don't do it here," the blonde Hokage suggested. "I mean, I'm fine with a battle, but I don't want innocent people to get involved. And while I don't know a lot about this 'Holy Grail War' you are a part of, I'm pretty sure you guys don't want it to be known to the public. So why don't we take this to a place more discreet?" Naruto offered, pleading that the white haired man would take him up.

Karna thought about it for a moment, cokcing his head, before he answered it. "That is… acceptable," he stated. His orders were to execute Naruto and to retrieve the lost children. He was also given enough leeway to use his better judgment and whatever means he thought were needed to complete his assignment.

As the white and red lancer turned and left, "Meet us on the edge of the east forest in approximately 60 minutes." Before he turned towards his subordinates. "Lancer, Assassin, let's go, for now..."

As they retreated, Naruto watched them go.

Before he turned on his feet as well, heading back into his ramen shop.

.

.

.

"Whew! I'm glad that's over," Shirou sighed, as they all followed him inside. Happy that things hadn't turned into a fight

"Yeah, so what's the plan? Do you have some sort of workshop or something already set up for when they return?" Rin inquired; she was surprised that Naruto had been able to diffuse the situation, at least for a little bit. But she was hoping they could use the opportunity to set a trap for them and gain the advantage.

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow, as he shuffled through his things, finding a few sets of scrolls that held his kunai as he retrieved them."What do you mean 'what's the plan?' I'm going to meet them where they asked me to," he said as if it were obvious.

But Rin was shocked. "What? You can't possibly be serious, Naruto, those were servants, beings that could kill us in an instant, and you want to fight three of them?!" she said, stunned. Sure, Naruto had two servants of his own, but from what she could tell, they were on the weaker side. They probably required a lot less mana to maintain, which was why he was able to sustain them, at least that's what she thought.

"I do," Naruto nodded, it wasn't like he hadn't been in this type of situation before. Hell, when he was younger, it felt like he was fighting above his weight class nearly every week. Only now he could fight back, so why wouldn't he take those people on? "Anyways, I'm gonna go fight those people. Rin, Shirou, you mind watching those two while I'm out?" he requested, referring to Jack and Kiyo.

"W-what?! You can't possibly want to go there alone!" Rin all but shrieked. It was suicide, taking on three servants at once, that was insane. Did Naruto have a death wish or something?. For a human, fighting a servant alone was certain death; fighting three at once… she was sure Naruto wouldn't be returning to her with something to put in his casket.

"Of course I am, those three came specifically looking for me, and if they don't find me, they'll just come right back here again." That wasn't the outcome he wanted, and it would put him in the situation he had been in just moments prior. Facing them alone was the best option and posed the least risk. Of course, he wasn't an idiot; he knew that something could be out there waiting for him. And he might have been heading into a trap– although he doubted that notion because he sensed Karna wasn't that type of person. Plus, he was confident he could handle anything that they threw his way.

"Then I shall go as well," Saber alter volunteered herself, not letting herself get out of the action.

But Naruto opposed this, "No, they came specifically here to challenge me. And besides, I can't let a nice woman like you get mixed up in my problems," he told her, shaking her head.

As he leaned in front of the two children, Jack and Kiyo, who weren't really knowing what was going on at the moment. "Alright, I'm gonna go fight those guys, I'll be back soon, so you two be good, okay?" he asked of them, patting both of their heads with each of his palms, ruffling their hair.

"Okay, Papa!" "Okay, Daddy!" was the response he was given.

"Ack!" Naruto recoiled, right, he still wasn't used to that, he would have to work on their nicknames for him. That would be later, of course.

"Alright then, I'll be off," Naruto said as he exited the building, and before any of them could stop him, he leaped up onto the rooftops, speeding off to the outer edge of the city near the forest.

Each of them was left baffled by Naruto's impressive speed, and were left bewildered that he could achieve such a feat.

"Huh?" Shirou said, surprised that mages could move so fast.

"Damn it!" Rin shouted to herself as she stormed around the building, lost in thought. "Why did he have to go and do that?!" They could have at least setup a trap or something for when they tried to come back.

Naruto was going to face not just one, but three servants. She knew he wouldn't return; he wouldn't be a match for them. But with all their combined resources… she gave a look at the two childlike servants, who retreated back into the ramen stand and were now fighting over something pointless. Right, she didn't expect much help from them.

But with Shirou and his saber servant, not to mention archer, they might stand a better chance. And although they had the advantage in the numbers department, that didn't help one bit when they were down a servant; it was a two-on-three situation as far as she was concerned. She only hoped that Shirou, Naruto, and she could make up the difference.

"Rahhh!" Rin yelled, scratching her scalp, clearly stressed.

How had the Holy Grail War ended up like this? There was only supposed to be seven servants. If her count was correct, there were at least eight, three of which were of the lancer class. This didn't make sense at all.

"Emiya, we're going!" Rin decided. She swore, dealing with Naruto always gave her a headache.

As Shirou tightened his resolve as well, always the one to play the hero. "Alright."

XXX

Some time later.

Naruto was… undoubtedly bored.

You know, you would think the build-up to a battle for life and death would have at least a little better build-up, but no.

He had left his ramen stand long ago. Given how fast he was, he ended up in the meeting spot—at least what he assumed would be the meeting spot— in a matter of minutes. There he found nothing. The clearing was plainly quiet, without a noise even from the birds. It was peaceful, serene. As a sage, he was used to the feeling of nature, the wind against his skin, the sky in the air, the leaves and the branches on the trees moving in their place. The forest was actually quite nice, untouched by humanity, even as the city was just a few miles away.

A shame they would end up destroying it.

But in that time, he supposed he had a moment to think about how things had been. Recently, he had gotten into quite a few fights as of late, more than he'd been used to for a while. Although that wasn't a bad thing, Kami knew he fought loads when he was younger. But living a comfortable life had gotten quite boring for him; this might be just the type of action he was looking forward to having in his life every once in a while.

Of course, he didn't know all the details, but from what he could gauge, these servants were quite powerful. How many of them were there? Ten? Twenty? Maybe even a few hundred. Some of them might even be strong, stronger than him.

That thought filled him with a sense of unease as well as anticipation. Anticipation, because it would be good for him to stretch his legs a bit, he might have been letting himself be too comfortable in this glass world. And although he tried to keep himself training his strength, he felt his muscles start to atrophy. He felt like his body was becoming rusted, like a cog in a machine without use; he felt that all the effort he put into himself for other people was being put to waste. Fighting someone, pushing himself to his very limit, that would help him shake off the rust, freeing him from oxidation and giving him back his purpose. But on the other hand…

He knew the ramifications of him going all out, and knew that if he had to face a stronger opponent, he wasn't sure he could keep this world safe in return. It was a notion that was truly frightening, and he hoped he wouldn't have to go all out with his full power.

He was so lost in thought while thinking, he almost didn't notice his three adversaries' approach… almost.

"So, didn't think you guys would make it. How was the commute?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow as he lifted himself from the tree he was leaning against.

Seeing the three servants, he was familiar with. There was the dark-haired spear user, the white haired noble, and of course, the pale son of the sun god, looking just the same as when he had seen them not long ago.

"It seems we are done with our momentary ceasefire, and you are here just as promised. How admirable, many in your position would have ceaselessly tried to flee by now, although it would have proven to be ineffective," Karna said, pointing his large lance at the blonde.

Naruto shrugged, "Eh, I've never been the 'fleeing' type, it's not my style. I've always been more of a punch first and think of a plan later kind of guy, especially in my youth," he remarked.

"So it would seem. Although I must say, it is quite commendable for you to face us so readily," Karna stated.

"He does have quite the spirit, it's a shame he is only a lowly commoner, and a man, I would love to see what his blood would feel like," the white haired woman pouted, sand that this male was not part of her usual MO that she went by with her targets. This was Carmilla, formerly Elizabeth Bathory, the rogue noblewoman who inspired the legend of a vampire. She had been developed in the noble system of Hungary, and as such held no consideration for those whom she viewed as beneath her. Eventually, she grew the habit of bathing in the blood of youthful women to preserve her beauty and was responsible for the murder of over 600 people during her reign.

"I don't care if he is fighting with honor, let's just get this over with already," the dark-haired lancer said. He was Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, the first spear of Fiann, a former knight and a man who had a bone to pick. This man was not the person he was after, and as such, he didn't care if they would face him three on one, even if it was dishonorable. He knew this war was not filled with honor, and had decided to forgo his own as it had proven to be only a hindrance to him.

"Well then, why don't we get this show started? There is no point waiting any longer," Naruto said, itching for a fight. "Which one will it be first? The dark-haired man? The white haired woman? The demi-whatever? Hell, I'll be willing to take all of you on!" the blonde declared.

He sensed Karna and his fellow servants, and he could tell their capabilities. Karna was unequivocally the strongest of the three, and he could sense a roar of power that soared in every direction. Then it went to the other male with dark hair, who seemed to be more of a skilled duelist, more capable of fighting at a close range. He could tell the man was skilled, even by his pure walk and the movements of his muscles; he could tell that it was through countless hours and many years of fighting that he achieved the skills he did. Whereas the white haired woman he could tell was the weakest of the three, although he could tell she had an immense amount of bloodlust leaking from her figure so she could prove dangerous.

At his current level, he wasn't quite sure he could take all three–-not knowing what each were capable of—but he would be damned if he didn't try!

As Karna's aura flared. "Alright then, let us—"

"Wait!" A voice shouted into the clearing, interrupting the lancer mid-conversation.

"Another interruption?" Karna couldn't help but question.

A new group of people showed themselves, right behind where Naruto was standing. The blonde turned, although he was sure to still keep his attention on the group that was in front of him, preparing for a sneak attack. As Naruto was left to witness Rin and Shirou, as well as their two servants, following them move next to him.

"You honestly didn't think about starting this without us, did you?" Rin said confidently, happy they had shown up just in time.

"Yeah," Shirou agreed, as he held his metal pipe— a metal pipe, seriously?

"I thought I told you guys to stay put, I'll handle this," Naruto said, seeing them here.

"Well, actually, you didn't, you just said it was your business. Well, we've elected to make it our business as well," Rin argued.

"Yeah!" Shirou agreed.

"As if I would let such a battle be left solely in the hands of your own, I'm not even sure you can handle yourself properly," Saber Alter spoke, as she readied her blade.

"Honestly, I don't want to be here, and I'd much rather let you people sort this out, but it seems I have quite the troublesome master, and she isn't willing to back down, so I have to be here to make sure she doesn't get herself killed," Archer stated, as he manifested his twin swords.

"Guys…" Naruto said.

He could see the determination that the two young teens held and could tell that they weren't backing down easily. Honestly, they kind of reminded him of when he was younger. Always willing to step into a fight, always willing to push when the odds were against him. He could see that they weren't going to accept no as an answer— he never did, and he wasn't sure he had the effort to push them aside.

"Truthfully, I don't quite care how many of you there are, just as long as my orders from my master get fullfilled," Karna stated, trying to get the fight underway. He had been stalled long enough and was ready for a battle. And with a single motion, as he pointed his lance straight at Naruto, he told them all…

"Prepare yourself."

As fast as many of them could react, Karna launched himself straight at Naruto, taking him with him.

XXX

To any onlookers, it would seem as if this sequence of events happened: Karna sped away from his group as he targeted Naruto in a red blur. Directly striking Naruto as he was within the group of masters in servants, and he… disappeared. Both Karna and Naruto and Karna were just gone, the sound of a series of explosions following them.

But that's not what had happened.

As soon as Karna sped towards Naruto, the blonde reacted, using his carefully honed instinct to block the explosion that occurred as Karna hit the ground Naruto was once standing on. That's when Karna sped towards him again, ever to go on the aggressive side, as Naruto backed off. This happened several more times, as Karna sped towards Naruto in an explosion, and Naruto backed off just in time.

Long enough for Naruto to have backed away far enough for him to go on the offensive, as Karna sped towards Naruto one more time. Naruto pulled out a kunai to block Karna's golden spear, channeling chakra into it so that the small blade didn't burst upon contact. He was able to stop them both, shouldering the force as he channeled chakra into his feet to anchor himself, a powerful shockwave happening as he blocked the attack, the ground cracking upon his contact.

"So, that's your plan, you've been playing on the defensive to get away from your companions. You've only started to fight back now since we are an adequate distance away from them," Karna realized, as he pushed on his spear's hilt against Naruto's blade.

"You caught me," Naruto smiled. "Wouldn't want the four of them to get caught up in our battle, I hope you understand."

"It makes no difference. My mission is to subdue you and capture the two servants in your custody. I have no care one way or another if you want to lead me to a more favorable location, it makes no difference," the demigod spoke, as he once again went on the offensive. Breaking their guard, as he aimed for a high slash.

"Wow, arrogant much," he said, as Naruto redirected the attack out of his way, dodging the blade as he pulled a second kunai to try and counterattack at the man's chest.

"I have no use for arrogance. I was merely stating a fact." The man was weaving himself out of the way as Karna used the back end of his spear to try and aim towards him. As the blonde pivoted, he pushed himself around Karna's back, his opponent did the same, the servant bringing his guard up as his slash was blocked by the lance's shaft.

Karna tried to aim low, as Naruto tried to block it once again. Only for this to prove to be a feint, as he instead jumped into the air right over his body, as Karna tried slashing at his unprotected backside. Naruto recognised this, as he was able to turn just in time to guard.

Ready for a counterattack, Karna knew he was most vulnerable when he was right about to hit the ground, having no leverage to anchor himself, he moved right out of the way of Naruto's attack. Weaving his head back out of the way of Naruto's follow-up, he tried to aim low, as Naruto too jumped out of the way and over his opponent.

Using his advantage of a smaller and faster weapon, he channeled his wind chakra, extending its blade. Just as he had learned all those years ago, training with Asuma, he aimed towards the servant's shoulder. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to hit his target, as Karna used his unrestricted arm to block his attack with his arm guards, his golden armour protecting him from any blow his attack might inflict, so that not even a scratch was upon him.

Karna then used the fact that he was without ground to strike at him as he started to descend, and had Naruto not thought to use his opponent as a springboard to push himself back, he would have been skewered then and there. As he pushed himself off of him, the blonde somersaulted back onto his feet using his arms.

Landing just in time to react to Karna's follow-up, as a spear ready to impale him whizzed past his back, not even a second away from skewering him. Naruto gripped the shaft of the lance behind him, as he anchored himself to the ground and spun his body, and used that momentum to launch Karna out of the way.

As the demigod landed on his feet not too far from him, stopping his assault.

Of course, neither of them was that injured, as only a few cuts on his clothing were on Naruto's body, and it seemed the servant's golden armor had protected him. They were just testing the waters, seeing what each was capable of.

"You know, you're not half bad," Naruto mentioned, complimenting the man. It was clear that these servants were incredibly skilled, even more so than the rider-class servant he had faced earlier. No wonder he was a servant; with that kind of technique, it was no wonder someone would want to bring him into the present.

"And it seems you may well be a worthy adversary, I can sense it in your gaze… You are undoubtedly a great hero," Karna realized, no other person would be able to stand up to him. He had seen this man's actions and his willingness to reduce any casualties in their attack. He could sense if there were any lies in the man; it was one of his skills, and he could feel no deception, not even when he confronted him in the streets. It seemed this man truly wanted to fight him in a one-on-one battle.

Perhaps it was an act of bravery, or perhaps the man was more foolish than most.

There was no way of knowing. But the one thing he did know was that it was the essence of a hero to be the one who was foolish, and he was sure this man would make— No! He was a great hero, there was no denying that fact, as it was all too plain to see.

"Well, I've been known to save a princess or two back in my hay day," Naruto joked, before he got right back into a fighting stance.

Karna pointed his golden spear at Naruto. "Then let us proceed, considering the level of skill that you displayed… I have no need to hold back!"

Suddenly, Karna's aura flared his body was enveloped in a glowing flame, instantly raising the temperature of the nearby atmosphere. Flames shot off of his body in an aura of his Mana Burst, matching the heat of the black flames of Amaterasu. Yet not a single piece of his body was burned, no, he reveled in the flames like a phoenix; he was truly the son of the sun god.

Naruto closed his eyes, standing absolutely still, as he then opened them, a familiar orange pigmentation forming around his eyes. Karna, seeing that the color of his irises changed to a gold color, as his pupils formed that of a bar, resembling the eyes of a small toad.

Yet even he could sense the power.

The former Hokage flared his chakra, instantly the earth began to crumble under his feet, showing just what level of power he had gained by becoming one with nature.

As Naruto ceased his onslaught, the calm of nature returned. He said: "Alright then, let's give this all we got!" the blonde shouted, as they locked eyes.

It seemed the battle was truly beginning.

XXX

Earlier.

(With Rin and her group.)

"He's gone!" The tohsaka realized that in one second, Naruto was there and now he was gone, a rhythm of explosions following off in the distance.

"I can't care about him, who I really care about is you!" the brown haired lancer shouted, as he rushed at Saber, who was standing next to Shirou, the blonde reacting just in time to block his long red spear, Gae Dearg, with her darkened blade.

Immediately, Saber was forced to dodge out of the way of the yellow spear in his left, as she also weaved out of the way of the red spear in his right. Over and over, Saber dodged his pointed blades as the expert spearman made an effort to pierce her body. Salter was forced to duck out of the way as he slashed his longer blade right over her body, nearly striking her pale hair and cutting it had she not acted any sooner. The blow was meant to decapitate her, cleaving her body in two and leaving no room for her survival.

As Saber Alter recovered, she was once again put back on the defensive, using her sword to parry Diarmund's attacks. She was at a disadvantage at this range, as the spearman was holding her close enough to be at a range to pierce her with his attacks, but also far enough that where she couldn't strike back at him. Her sword had a much shorter reach than his spears, and that's what he used to go on the offensive, not allowing her to close the distance to fight back moderately.

With a single mana burst, she used her enhanced speed to redirect Lancer's Gae Dearg off to the side, as with a quick movement, she was able to strike at the side of his much shorter Gae Buidhe as she tried closing the distance. Ready to aim a slash at the man's chest, it seemed her blade hadn't quite hit his mark, as Diarmuid had just barely dodged her attack.

When she tried to follow up, Diarmuid used his golden spear, which was smaller and more maneuverable, to block her strikes, each of her blows leaving a mighty clang that echoed as they struck.

Saber was, for once, on the offensive during this battle, as she did not let up. Diarmuid could not use his red long spear to attack, for she was too close to him to get an adequate strike, as he was forced to switch to it to block her strikes. Freeing his Gae Buidhe—his golden spear—within his left hand, as he was ready to strike…

"Saber!" Shirou yelled as he tried rushing for Diarmuid with his reinforced blunt weapon, not one to let a battle go on in front of him take place without doing something about it.

As the Altered Saber's eyes widened as her master approached. She could see the glint in the former knight of Fiann's eye as he approached, as he aimed his demonic spear at the boy at his back instead. As he used the lull in her attacks to slash…

Blood managed to fly everywhere.

Everyone's eyes within the clearing widened at what had just happened.

As Saber recoiled in shock at the fact that her palm was bleeding, the dark woman intended to block the strike with her armour. In the moment Diarmuid prepared to strike, Saber had intercepted Shirou, pushing him onto the ground as she stood in front of him, trying to catch the blade with her armour.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted, yelling towards his servant, trying to get up again, but a single glance from Saber Alter froze his movements in place.

"Shirou!" Rin called out as she got towards the redhead boy, trying to help him up.

"Tohsaka, I suggest you keep hold of my foolish master, lest I kill him myself if he intervenes again," The dark Artoria Pendragon stated in a cold tone, being ever so careful to keep her eye on her opponent, lest he try to use the lull in their fighting to gain a sneak attack. She was beginning to lose her patience. Finding the notion that keeping Shirou alive simply as a mana battery was a bad idea, seeing all the trouble he put her through.

Diarmuid merely stared at her, smirking as he did so. She found it to be an insufferable smirk, one that was both irritating; she would have joy in whipping it off of him. "An interesting master you have there, it would be a shame if someone were to take him out…" The knight spoke.

As Salter narrowed her eyes. "I won't let you do that, if anyone is to kill that fool, it will be me and me alone!" she told him, as she charged at the knight. Diarmuid smirked, backing off into the nearby forest, as the three were left to witness the two going off.

Saber and Diarmuid getting ready to fight their own battle.

XXX

Inwardly, Rin sighed in relief at the fact that those two fighters had left, seeing the two as absolute monsters that she would not be able to deal with. Before she gave another look to Shirou, seeing his body was fine, all things considered. He was lucky; a servant had almost directly targeted him, which usually meant certain death. It seemed Shirou had defied those odds once again.

Although, unfortunately, his servant took the hit for him, a blow she seemed to be surprised by. He seemed strong, reading his parameters, she only hoped that Shriou's servant could stand as a match for him.

Not to mention, there was Naruto. He had completely gone off to fight Karna… THE KARNA. One of the most famous Hindu figures, probably ever, he might as well be facing Rama at that point. She knew Karna would be undoubtedly strong, perhaps even stronger than the Greek Berserker that Saber had battled before.

By all rights, Naruto should not stand a chance. Then again, he had shown himself capable before, to the point even the golden lancer respected his word. And there was just something about him…

For some reason, when he said he would handle everything, it made her feel at ease in the back of her mind. She wanted to believe him, but her intuition as a mage told her otherwise. There was no way an ordinary mage would be able to take on a servant; they would need magic on par with the level of the age of gods for that to happen. Naruto had always been known to do the unexpected, and yet she didn't think anything he could do would be at all within the realm of possibility.

Speaking of unexpected. Naruto was a master, and judging by the feats he pulled off, a mage as well. She didn't know how to feel about that.

Was he hiding his true identity this whole time? She didn't know how she wasn't able to detect him being at all like her. Had he known this to be the case, had he silently been laughing at her for the fact that she seemed inadequate at figuring out this knowledge?

She knew this couldn't be the case, of course. But a small part of her in her mind thought that there had to be a damn good reason to be lying to her all this time. Although she had been lying, too, she supposed, not telling him she was a mage outright.

There was a lot to think about.

And it was something they would have to discuss when she met with Naruto again… if they survived that is.

The thought filled her with dread, as there was the distinct possibility that they all might not make it out of this in one piece. This was the Holy Grail War after all, a battle to the death, of course, there might be casualties, which was something she prepared for. But the thought of something happening like how she had found Shirou…

Rin didn't like that thought.

She was so focused on trying to unravel the situation, she almost forgot about the fact that there was another servant among Karna's group.

Looking over the clearing, she saw nothing.

Where did she go?

"Rin, look out!" Archer spoke, as the Tohsaka's eyes widened.

Slash.

Archer got there just in time, as a metal cage-like object shaped like a woman in chains flew towards Rin, his swords striking the object and sending it away, right towards its wielder.

"My, My~.Impressive, to think you would be able to foresee my iron maiden so easily, you truly are worthy of the class of archer with those eyes," the white haired assassin spoke.

"And you truly are a pathetic assassin if you think that level of presence concealment will be of any use to you," Archer goaded, narrowing his eyes at the woman. "It begs the question of who you would have to have been to have such a low skill. I mean, seriously, I didn't know presence concealment went so low," he smirked.

As the woman's eye twitched, "Well, aren't you just an unpleasant individual, you aren't even worthy of me cutting you up. However, if you must know me by a name, you may call me… Carmilla," she named herself.

Archer's eyes lit up in recognition, and Rin's did as well. 'Rin, are you sure about this? Is my master—willing or not—it is my duty to inform you that it would be a wiser decision to avoid this situation entirely. This fight is not our own, and for us to willingly take up this battle…' he left what could happen to them unsaid. As he communicated to his master via their mental link. 'As your servant, I need to know you've thought this course of action through.'

Rin knew what he was talking about all too well, as she had thought about this decision as well. Deciding their current situation to be the right one.

'I have. And I want you to take her down,' she ordered. 'We have no idea where these people came from, or why there are more than the usual seven servants in this war. It would be best to gather any information we can and plan accordingly. Alright?'

'Hmmp. Just as my master decides I'm forced to oblige,' he said confidently. Before Archer gave her a warning as well. 'But I must inform you to be careful, you are familiar with the vampire's work in life, and you know you might as well be in her usual MO. Be careful while I try to deal with her, and… and take Shirou with you and make sure he doesn't decide to do anything stupid,' he told her.

Archer had realized Rin was right. Something was up with the Grail War, something his duty as a counter guardian required him to look into. His personal feelings and vendettas were to be carried out second until he found out what was truly going on.

'Alright,' as Rin nodded, taking Shirou to the edge of the clearing.

As the Archer class servant looked at his opponent once again, "So, you're Elizabeth Bathory, one of the original vampires, doesn't that make things interesting?" he spoke.

Only for Carmilla to send out her iron maiden at the man, to which he was forced to quickly dodge. Throwing one of his blades at the object, only for it to harmlessly bounce off of it, his blade flying right back into his hand due to its nature.

"I would ask you to refrain from calling me 'that,' you wouldn't like what'll happen if you do," The assassin servant spoke menacingly.

Though Archer was unpreterbed, seeing worse in his time. "Oh? Did I touch a nerve?"

"Indeed, you low-born pig," as the orb along Carmilla's staff began to glow a violent purple, Archer realized she was preparing something. As she cast out her staff, a wave of blood was sent out to where Archer was standing.

The nameless servant jumped over the attack, as he simultaneously dematerialized his twin blades, protecting a bow as he was in the air, and he sent a flurry of three shots at the woman. Carmilla's iron maiden to fly over and block the attacks.

He tried to use the opportunity to get close to the woman, closing the distance as he sent a few slashes at his opponent. But she merely smirked at him as she used her torture device to block the attacks.

"Having trouble?" Carmilla goaded, as she used her agility to get close to Archer as he was preoccupied with hitting her makeshift shield. Her nails grew large and sharp, like those of a wolf's claws, as she got close enough to strike at him.

It was Archer's vast experience of fighting that had allowed him to see this coming as he dodged out of the way, before he had the chance to counterattack, her iron maiden was upon him once again.

He used the opportunity to back off, finding fighting within close range to be far too difficult.

"Damn," He cursed silently, not because of lack of options, but because of the fact he was finding it increasingly difficult to handle her with her strange fighting weapon. It would seem as though the woman's legend, being known as a person whose list of victims was as vast as 650, gave her supernatural control over her torture device. Not to mention the strange spell she used; it was almost like she was a caster, not an assassin class servant with all that she had. Although she would be sub-par at both classes.

Though he knew he could handle her easily, he wanted to stall this out a bit, trying to find out what she knew.

"Having trouble? Most do when facing me," Carmilla smirked, thinking she had the upper hand.

"I am," Archer nodded. "I find it quite hard to look at you given how much a ugly bitch you are, it really throws off my aim," he mentioned.

"Why you!— Iron maiden, kill him!" She ordered her torture device. As the broze colored object flew at him at great speeds, Archer dodged to the side of it. Using the opportunity to once again form a bow as he shot a multitude of arrows at her.

Carmilla's staff glowed an eerie purple as the vampire held out her hand, forming a wall of blood from the ground that blocked the explosions from him.

To the point, Archer was surprised. Carmilla was a D-rank or C-rank servant on her best day; she shouldn't be able to block his attacks so easily, meaning she had a large pool of mana to draw from, boosting her initial stats to higher proportions. Which brought on the question, where were they getting such levels of mana from? Did they have a stash of enslaved human beings? Humunculus? Surely there was no single master who could supply all three servants, a group perhaps?

"Archer!" Rin yelled, as the two servants realized her location, the Tohsaka having made her way around the clearing and onto the opposite side, right behind Carmilla's back in all of the commotion.. She held a gemstone in her hand, using her other hand to point at Archer's opponent. "Gandr Shot!" she shouted. Red and blue energy coalesced as she shot several shots towards the servant.

"Damn!" Carmilla shouted as she realized what Rin was doing. Forcing herself to turn and use her hand to project the same barrier to block the Tohsaka's attack.

Archer realized this too, as in a second he closed the distance on the woman's unprotected side, his twin swords in hand, as he slashed in an X formation.

Blood flew into the air.

It belonged to that of the white haired vampire, as when Archer had the opportunity, he had dealt significant damage to the woman. Several cuts and gaping wounds showered her body as she collapsed to the ground to her knees, her spiritual body not able to keep up. Even her mask was not safe from his destruction, as the black clay object had cracked, falling onto the floor in pieces. Revealing her face, let it never be said, on the outside at least, that the former Elizabeth Bathory was not attractive. It was the inside that was vile.

"This fight is over, you're finished," Archer stated, pointing one of his twin blades at the woman.

Carmilla sneered at the man. "Oh? You think it's all over, I assure you, it has merely just begun," she stated with a smirk.

Archer realized this was his opportunity to gain some much-needed info, as he pressed on. "And what do you mean by that? What else is there coming?"

"You have no idea, peasant," Carmilla said, smirking as she realized what he wanted. "Truthfully, I'm surprised. Although I suppose the information we had on you was accurate."

As Archer narrowed his eyes, "And what do you know about me?" he questioned, not liking where this was going,

"I know all of it, after all, that bitch, leader-sama was quite telling," she remarked, not liking the leader of their group. Although she knew she wasn't a match for her in battle, not many were. "To think you're a counter guardian, of that I was surprised. How is the counter force treating you these days? Is it treating you well?" she asked.

"It's treating me better than you're about to be," Archer said, as he closed the distance of his blade and her neck.

"Yes, quite. You brutish dogs are always the first for violence, of course." Carmilla said, eyeing the sword at her throat. "You know, I was quite surprised by the information about your identity, although leader-sama was adamant it was true," the vampire mentioned, as she reveled in the actual look of surprise that she was given in return. As he saw her gaze turn to the red-haired boy in the clearing, who was trying to stop what was happening. "To think, your true identity is—"

Shirou tried to stop him. "Archer, wait! I think she's had enough, we can talk to her, maybe we can—"

But before each of them could finish their statements, Archer reacted to her words in an instant. He manifested his bow as he sent a multitude of arrows straight into her stomach.

Carmillia used the opportunity to free herself, jumping to the side. But even with her injuries, she wouldn't last long. Archer's arrows still embedded in her torso, she stood on shaking legs, unable to move quite right.

But even so, her confident, noble aura was still upon her face. Why was she smirking? Archer questioned.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked, activating her noble phantasm.

As Archer realized something, where had the woman's iron maiden gone? It seemed in his victory, he had previously assumed the object dematerialized, guessing that the woman wouldn't be able to still control the object, given his injuries.

But the eerie feeling in the back of his neck told him otherwise, as his instincts screamed out at him. Remember just who this woman had targeted in her lifetime: "Rin! Get back!" He shouted. Carmilla targeted young, beautiful women.

Unfortunately, as he turned, he realized it was already too late.

Carmilla's iron maiden—an artifact made in the shape of a woman wrapped in chains—was unlocked, opening up, revealing the thousands of spikes that lay within.

Spikes' intent on piercing Rin in an instant.

As the Tohsaka's eyes widened, everyone in the clearing was surprised by what happened next…

Carmilla gave her Noble Phantasm's name out:

"Phantom Maiden—!"

.

.

.

"Maria the Ripper!"

End chapter.