[3rd POV]
Jeanne looked at the two Servants in front of her. Her Master had given the order to assist them, but her eyes kept drifting toward the battlefield where he was fighting.
Taking a deep breath, Jeanne decided to focus solely on her duty—and trust her Master.
The red-haired mage stepped forward, standing beside Jeanne. "I'll help you," she said, clenching her fists tightly. Mash nodded and stood by her Master's side while Artoria remained silent, resting Excalibur on her shoulder.
"Thank you. I'll need it..."
Before Jeanne could finish, Artoria stepped forward.
"What the hell are you saying? Shouldn't you be helping your Master?!" Artoria exclaimed, raising her sword and pointing toward where the bipolar and the sociopath were fighting. "Are you really his Servant?" she asked indignantly.
Jeanne, unfazed by the comment, turned to Artoria and shook her head. "I trust my Master."
Artoria frowned. From her perspective, it didn't feel like trust—it felt like the Holy Maiden was dumping her problems on Altair.
"You don't need to worry. Altair-kun is strong—he defeated you," said the red-haired mage, placing her hands on her hips. She couldn't imagine a future where he would lose.
"Tch!" Artoria clicked her tongue. "Yes, he's strong, but not as strong as you think. He beat me—I'm not denying that. But I wasn't at my peak—and that's not an excuse. What I'm trying to say is: he's fighting a Servant alone, and she's in perfect condition."
"But can't Senpai use his Noble Phantasm?" Mash asked.
"It's not that simple. His Noble Phantasm is powerful, but it consumes a massive amount of magical energy. Besides, he's maintaining three Servants and we're surrounded by enemies..."
"Are you done with that pointless chatter?" interrupted the Berserker Assassin, her seductive voice cutting through the dialogue. "You're all such lovely maidens... I want to bathe my skin in your blood."
She had long white hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her face was hidden by a mask, but her golden eyes gleamed with malice as she held a staff in her hand.
"Blood? Wouldn't the soul be better?" asked the Berserker Lancer, frowning in skepticism.
He had blond hair that contrasted with his pale skin.
"I don't care about souls—only the blood of maidens. The blood of those more beautiful than me can only enhance my beauty!" replied the Berserker Assassin, panting, her voice tinged with something almost orgasmic.
"Done with your little chat?" Artoria retorted mockingly. "My sword's going to love your blood." Using their own words against them, the blonde couldn't help but smile.
"Insolent!" The Berserker Assassin slammed her staff into the ground. "Your blood will be the first I use to fill my bathtub." She swung her staff, and a dark light gleamed at its tip before a crimson, crescent-shaped wave of blood surged toward Artoria.
But before the attack hit her, Mash stepped forward and blocked the wave entirely with her shield.
At that moment, Artoria rushed past Mash and struck at the blond man, who blocked with his spear. With a quick smile, she twisted her sword, redirecting the spear to the side, then stepped in with force, swinging Excalibur—which exploded in a blast of purple light. But before the blow could land, the man was swallowed by shadows and reappeared beside the Berserker Assassin.
"Just gonna stand there?" the blond man asked casually. Of course, he wasn't expecting camaraderie—from the moment Jeanne Alter summoned them, their minds had been filled only with madness and destruction. Even if she hadn't, he doubted that the woman had any sense of teamwork.
"Where's the chivalry? Do you expect a high-society lady like me to fight?" she replied, smiling.
"No more games!" Artoria shouted, leaping at the Berserker Lancer. His eyes widened a moment before her foot slammed into his gut, sending him flying.
"Bitch!" the Berserker Lancer growled, rising to face Artoria, who smiled with her foot still raised.
Meanwhile, the Berserker Assassin had backed away, but the moment her feet touched the ground, a massive shield slammed into her. She felt her body crushed by the impact and was thrown back. Wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth with disdain, she glared at the Demi-Servant.
Furious, the Berserker Assassin raised her staff, summoning a dark portal above Mash. Before she could react, a golden effigy shaped like a woman fell from the portal.
At the last second, Jeanne grabbed Mash and pulled her away, leaping to avoid the impact.
In the same moment, the Berserker Lancer emerged from the shadows beside Jeanne, giving her barely enough time to raise her flag. The lance and the flag clashed, and the impact echoed across the battlefield.
The Berserker Lancer attacked from multiple angles, forcing Jeanne to retreat while defending herself. With a grin, he delivered a powerful blow, sending Jeanne flying—until a hand caught her from behind. It was Artoria, supporting her with the palm of her hand.
As she wiped the blood from her mouth, the Berserker Assassin approached the Berserker Lancer. "Hmm... You can do better than that, can't you, Dracula?" said the white-haired Servant, revealing his true identity.
"Dracula?!" Ritsuka exclaimed. "Isn't that the name of that prince from Wallachia?"
As the red-haired mage asked the question, a female voice echoed from the communicator.
"She's right. That Servant is likely Vlad III Dracula, also known as the Impaler Lord," Olga said with concern.
The Berserker Lancer, none other than Vlad III Dracula, raised a hand and rubbed his neck. "You second-rate woman... My distaste for you revealing my name like that is immeasurable," Vlad muttered, glaring at the Servant beside him.
"Stop whining about that name thing!" snapped the Berserker Assassin, exasperated. "I'd rather be remembered for something terrible than not be remembered at all. Besides..." her tone turned sweet, "I prefer to be called by my true name. Fear and despair, lightly seasoned with hope. I am Elisabeth Báthory, but I prefer Carmilla." She introduced herself like a noble lady.
"Hahaha! Acting like a noble," Vlad laughed. "A noble who ruined the lives of young maidens in her castle," he added sarcastically.
"How boring. Even branded as a vampire, you're still insufferable," Carmilla rolled her eyes.
Artoria, seeing both distracted, bent her knees, ready to charge. But before she could act, they all felt a surge of magical energy. All the Servants stopped and looked toward Jeanne Alter, who was conjuring her Noble Phantasm.
They saw the flames surging toward Altair, who tried to dodge—only to be impaled by black stakes erupting from the ground, earning a grunt of approval from Vlad.
His body then collapsed, forming a pool of blood.
"Master?!" Jeanne cried out, concerned, as Jeanne Alter approached Altair, saying something to him.
Even with a cold expression, Artoria gripped Excalibur tightly—and without realizing, bit her lip in worry.
Ritsuka covered her mouth with her hands, unable to believe the person she admired had fallen.
Mash clenched her fists, ready to rush toward her senpai.
In the distance, Okita's eyes widened. Without thinking, she bent her knees to dash forward, but the androgynous Servant blocked her path with a swing of their blade, smiling.
Despair twisted her stoic face—seeing her Master in that condition was worse than losing an arm... or even her life.
But before she could do anything reckless, something struck her head.
"Foolish swordswoman, our Master wouldn't die from something like that," said Nobunaga, her expression serious.
"But—"
"Shut up..." Nobunaga didn't finish before she felt her Master's magical energy surge. A moment later, she saw him rise—his body in terrible shape, hair falling over his face.
"Ha… Haha… Hahaaha!" A hysterical laugh echoed across the ruined city.
Okita—and even Nobunaga—sighed in relief. Their bipolar Master was back.
"That was perfect... I think I might just fall in love with you."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
With their Master's declaration, silence fell over the battlefield. Not even the enemy Servants had expected a love confession in the middle of a blood-soaked war.
"Well, that's the Master I know," Nobunaga said, flashing her beautiful, abnormal smile.
••• ••• •••
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(Carmilla - Character image)
(Vlad III - Character image)