Comparing them by their regular forces alone—excluding the Heroic Spirits—it could only be described as an overwhelming disadvantage for the Alcatraz side.
Furthermore, if one were to factor in the Servants, the presence of the Mad King and the Holy Grail on the opposing side reduced our military strength to a level where comparison became meaningless.
By standard military doctrine, it is correct to remain on the defensive when outnumbered. Or, perhaps, to concentrate the remaining forces to pick off the enemy’s scattered units one by one.
However, such ‘strategies’ were irrelevant in the face of the overwhelming ‘tactics’ known as Servants, and thus were discarded from consideration.
“The mechanized infantry will pin down the Celtic warriors. While we engage Medb, Fionn mac Cumhaill, and Arjuna, you will keep the Mad King occupied. We proceed according to the basic operational outline.”
The mechanized infantry produced by Edison was inferior in terms of raw combat power, maintaining an exchange ratio of about one to five against the Celtic warriors. However, in one specific aspect, they possessed a formidable advantage that brook no comparison.
That was their vastly superior metabolic efficiency. Of course, since those lunatics had monopolized the American spiritual leylines, mass-producing such units was the only natural recourse.
“Phew, I’m still a bit uneasy about this. Master, wouldn’t it be better to attach at least one or two Servants to that side?”
“The die is cast. Changing the formation now would only breed chaos.”
“Haaaa…”
Washington was right before our eyes.
Whether they were tracking us via Command Spells or had attained a Ruler’s aptitude through the Holy Grail, Medb and the Mad King clearly had a way to trace our movements. Intending to accept the challenge, they had opted not to intercept us; instead, they had left the lush, overgrown lands of Washington wide open, without a single defensive unit in sight.
“…Madmen.”
“They are confident they can parry an attack of this caliber with ease… That is likely what this signifies.”
To put it another way, Cu Chulainn was currently facing us as a ‘King.’ The most wicked, most violent ‘Absolute Evil’ of a King, created by Medb—one who could afford to be arrogant.
I smiled as I felt the sensation of prana flooding my body.
“In that case, Robin.”
“Gah, fine, I get it! Don’t you dare resent me later, Master!”
And in that moment—
—Vrummmmm!
—Bwoooooooo!!!
“…What is that sound?”
“They are coming. The clarion of war.”
Scáthach spoke, leveling her spear.
True to her words, within the vision of my Rinnegan—which had not seen so much as a fleck of magical energy for days—something akin to magic circles, ranging from simple to moderately complex, began to manifest. Before the warriors could charge, the Druids, those primordial shamans of Ireland, had begun their bombardment.
From the massive Wicker Man that served as Cu Chulainn’s Noble Phantasm, to fire giants that looked like they belonged in the second volume of an epic, to elementals that Paracelsus might have summoned—a barrage of diverse magecraft meant to scream ‘This is the Power of Sorcery!’ began to pour down upon us.
“Karna!”
“Acknowledged.”
Before the magical bombardment could land, Karna, who was running at our head, swung his massive spear and deflected the spells in a single motion.
While their power was lesser than a proper Noble Phantasm, the sight of him intercepting dozens of simultaneous magical attacks was nothing short of a spectacle. Simultaneous with Karna’s interception, the air was filled with a roar—the shouts of warriors armed with spears and swords as they began their charge.
“Master!”
“Right! We’ll have to leave this part to the mechanized infantry!”
I looked back at the mechanized soldiers running and panting behind us.
When told they could either join the fight or leave, three thousand soldiers had remained. Those who fled or deserted midway… they likely faced one of two fates: either they survived because we won, or they died because we lost and the Singularity collapsed.
And these soldiers joining us now… how many of them would survive?
In conventional military logic, a unit is considered annihilated if it suffers 30% casualties; even the desperate Soviet army considered 70% to be the point of total destruction. But I could guarantee that the mortality rate for this operation would be beyond imagination. Scáthach’s estimate was that one out of every hundred would survive; it would be a miracle if there were any survivors at all.
‘But this is different from the Mage’s Association. Unlike those who are directly bound by the Human Order and Designated Seals, these people—no matter if they are soldiers—are civilians unconnected to human history!’
Leading the Servants, I leaped past the encircling net of warriors and shouted at Medb, who was wearing a mockingly surprised sneer.
“Medb!!!!!”
“Haha! You actually came? I was getting a bit jealous since Cu-chan seemed so expectant… but haaa, yeah. This is definitely worth his anticipation!”
“Fuck off, you harlot!”
—Whir, Clank!
My arm transformed.
Unlike before, when I had barely managed to manifest a sniper rifle due to a lack of prana, it now transformed into a massive missile battery that could literally be described as ‘Large and Beautiful.’
“Eat this, you bastard!”
“Haha! This might be a little dangerous? Then…”
She flashed the Command Spell on her wrist and gave the order.
[Block it, Altera.]
And then… a massive, rainbow-colored flash was unleashed toward us.
*
It certainly wasn’t Photon Ray.
However, that ‘Prana Burst,’ which rivaled the Noble Phantasm of any average Heroic Spirit, made the identity of the opposing Servant clear even without Medb’s words.
“…So she’s fallen to that side after all.”
“Ahaha! I’m just grateful to the Master on the other side… That handsome Lancer wasn’t quite as good as I hoped~! But… leaving behind such a fine puppet and just walking away, it wasn’t a bad trade for us. Right, Cu-chan?”
“Be quiet, Medb.”
From behind Medb, a massive entity revealed itself.
Darkened skin and tattoos—likely representing something akin to Command Spells—etched across his entire body, including his face. Mad King Cu Chulainn was staring at us.
“I see, Master of Chaldea. You’ve returned to this place after all. Though your numbers have changed.”
“Indeed.”
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“Are you asking for a duel? To have the fight we couldn’t finish last time?”
The Mad King slammed his thorned spear into the ground and spoke.
“Yes. Neither the Queen of the Land of Shadows, nor the Queen of a foreign land, nor that feeble King with a lion’s head are my opponents. The only King worth truly contesting with, fighting against, and seizing victory from—is you. Don’t you agree?”
“For my part, I had no reason to fight those people in the first place. By the way, placing your fellow kings beneath you… you have quite the twisted hobbies, Mad King.”
“Take that up with Medb. I don’t care about those beneath me.”
“Hmph…”
“Dialogue is meaningless, then.”
He extended his spear, pointing it toward me.
“Deal with the small fry. Medb, leave none of them alive. If you interfere, I’ll kill even you.”
“Ahnn~! Cu-chan, you’re so primal! But if that’s your command… well, I suppose I must?”
Medb shouted with a sadistic smile.
“Now then—Archer of India, and Fionn? And finally… our darling puppet! Cut down the heads of anyone who dares to interfere with our Cu-chan!”
The moment Medb issued the command, a beam like a blue laser erupted from Arjuna’s bow, splitting into dozens of trajectories that converged on the Heroic Spirits. The branches, curving like random orbits, bent sharply in an instant, grazing Diarmuid’s right eye. Taking advantage of the opening, Fionn’s spear lunged in, clashing with Scáthach’s Gae Bolg as she moved to cover Diarmuid’s head.
“Oh…! A duel with the teacher of all heroes. This is truly an honor!”
“What a boisterous youth.”
“Karna!!!!”
“Come, Arjuna!”
The Heroic Spirits scattered at once, engaging each other in combat.
Arjuna charged ferociously at Karna, disregarding the other Servants entirely. Even for Karna, facing a Servant receiving both territorial fame bonuses and backup from the Holy Grail was too much to handle alone, so Diarmuid leaped into the fray to support him.
“Step aside, Lancer! Karna! Do you intend to drag an outsider into our honorable duel!”
“A duel with you is something I desire. But this is a battle that cannot be conceded. The situation is too urgent to discuss the ethics of dueling.”
“Karnaaaaaa!!!!”
Scáthach was occupied with Fionn, while Li Shuwen and Nightingale turned their gaze toward Medb.
And Altera…
“What are you doing! Go and kill them! Kill them all!”
She did not move.
Standing still like a puppet whose strings had been severed, Altera’s body soon began to crumble away like dust.
“W-What? Why is this happening? Dammit! I gave her plenty of prana! So why?!”
“There is a single risk to that technique.”
I spoke to Medb while turning my back to the Mad King, who looked ready to hurl his spear at any second.
“There is something he failed at, even after reaching the Root and seizing the Holy Grail. He failed to make the King of Demon Gods a complete ‘human’ again. Why? Because the Reanimation Jutsu is, at its core, necromancy that summons the dead in their state of death. No matter if one possesses the Holy Grail, bringing the dead back to life is impossible—even for the likes of him."
“…And so what!”
“It means that if the summoned one, or a third party with a connected path, knows the seals, they can terminate the Reanimation Jutsu’s summoning contract and return the soul. And if that happens, what do you think becomes of all the buffs placed upon that individual?”
“…!”
“An undying body. Infinite chakra. And all the resources poured into customizing that ‘marionette.’ Yes, knowing you from Scáthach’s stories, I knew you would do exactly that, Medb! Now remember this well: a forbidden technique must always be used only as a last resort!”
Reanimation Jutsu: Release!
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