The operation began. As I expected, the enemy Archer was indeed Emiya.
Using Rune Magecraft, Guardian had written a massive message claiming that King Arthur found him much more satisfying than Emiya, and that Artoria, impressed by his skills, had gifted him Excalibur. Archer responded by firing at Guardian like a madman.
"Aing, yamete~"
Seeing Archer lose his cool, Guardian continued to draw aggro, throwing out provocative remarks as if he were enjoying himself.
Judging by Emiya's reaction, that Excalibur seemed to be the real deal. I wondered if Okita or Ushiwaka would actually show up for me. Honestly, Ushiwaka seemed like a long shot...
While I was running and worrying about such things, Director Olga Marie shouted.
"What are you thinking about? Run faster!"
"If your patterns are that simple, you're not gonna hit me, you moron!"
"Hahahaha!"
Cu Chulainn laughed loudly, seemingly delighted to see Emiya so pissed off, and provided support for Guardian. He occasionally fired Ansuz at Archer, but Archer would simply dodge and continue pouring attacks onto Guardian.
Ignoring his long-time rival Cu Chulainn, Archer focused entirely on Guardian, who began to mock him even more relentlessly.
"Hey! Old man! Didn't you say you were going to be an Ally of Justice? What's all this, huh?! The world is on the brink of destruction! Shirou! Hey! Shirou! You hear me?! An Ally of Justice attacking the people who came to stop the extinction of humanity? Does that make any sense? Huh?! Shirou! Say something!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the attacks stopped for three seconds.
"Huh? What the hell is wrong with him all of a sudden?"
As soon as Guardian finished speaking, an indiscriminate barrage rained down. Swords and arrows poured from the sky like a torrential storm. Cu Chulainn was shocked, Guardian was shocked, and I was shocked.
"No, seriously! How is that even possible?!"
Guardian cursed as he dodged the onslaught. He funneled magical energy into his revolver-shaped Mystic Code, making it glow red. He used explosions to deflect multiple attacks at once, but the sheer volume of incoming arrows was too much. Plus, having to reload after every eight shots created unavoidable delays.
"Looks like Archer is genuinely furious, doesn't it?"
Even Cu Chulainn was flustered by the overwhelming volume of fire. Guardian spoke to me through a mental link.
'Hey, Master. Can you hear me?'
'Yeah... yeah, I hear you.'
'I can't hold him off for long. He's lost his mind for now, but if we don't end this quickly, he might target you. Be careful. I can hold out like this, so don't worry about me. I can use my Noble Phantasm if things get desperate, so just keep running! Focus on yourself! Setting up the base camp is the priority right now.'
Guardian seemed to be holding up better than expected. However, no matter how I looked at it, Emiya was a level above him in terms of marksmanship. That was an undeniable fact. As a Guardian, he couldn't beat Emiya at long range.
I ran for my life toward the Tohsaka residence. If we failed this, we had no future. I killed the occasional trash mobs along the way using the Director's Gandr or the tactical baton I was carrying.
"Guardian's offensive magecraft is more effective than I thought."
Director Olga Marie marveled as she used the magic stick Guardian had given her. It fired at an incredibly rapid pace, turning enemies into dust. It felt like it was firing sixty rounds per minute. Moreover, its mana consumption was significantly low, making it much more efficient than Gandr.
But I wasn't doing so well. Because Guardian was provoking Emiya so aggressively, I could feel my mana being drained rapidly. My physical reactions were slowing down. My body wouldn't move exactly as I intended. I didn't have the luxury to focus on anything other than running mechanically. On top of that, Cu Chulainn began using his mana unreservedly. He had no choice if he wanted to protect Guardian from Archer.
We had to set up the base camp quickly, connect with Chaldea, and receive a mana supply from them.
"I can see the Tohsaka residence! Damascus, keep running!"
My vision was starting to blur, so finally reaching the Tohsaka residence was a relief. When I got near the main gate, I flicked open the tactical baton Guardian had given me. I smashed the gate open with a single strike and rushed inside.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hey, Cu Chulainn. It feels like the Master is almost out of mana. Stop the support. Back off. Only use it if things look truly dangerous. Don't worry about me; the Master is the priority. I can't get near him right now because I'm acting as a decoy, but if he runs out of mana, we're finished. Like you said earlier, the biggest flaw of this plan is that we can't protect the Master. Actually... even if I die, don't help me. If I fall, run to the Master. I'll handle things somehow.'
'Are you insane? If you die here, I have to protect the Master alone. Do you think there's a way to survive if that rain of arrows targets him?'
'Shut up. I'll make the calls. Is now the time to worry about me? The Master comes first. Listen, both you and I are already dead. We have to save the one who's still living, right?'
'...Fine. Understood.'
Cu Chulainn and Guardian spoke via telepathy. Following Guardian's words, Cu Chulainn stopped his defensive support and simply watched. With the interference gone, Archer began pouring everything he had onto Guardian. Guardian's left arm was shredded by a flying sword. It was the hand that had been holding Excalibur.
'Looks like the Master made it into the Tohsaka residence.'
Even as his arm was torn away, he thought only of his Master. He kept blocking attacks with the Mystic Code in his right hand, but eventually, he had to resort to dodging the arrows with high-speed movement. Without one hand, his reloading speed slowed down significantly.
'Guardian!'
Cu Chulainn's telepathic shout rang loudly in Guardian's head. The mental shock was so strong that Guardian momentarily stumbled. If he stopped here, he would die. Knowing this, and unable to block arrows with his Mystic Code anymore, Guardian tucked it into his jacket pocket. He drew the tactical baton from his belt and continued to flee, parrying arrows and swords. He leaped between buildings, threw his baton as a distraction, and performed backflips to evade—dodging the enemy's attacks with flashy maneuvers. But that was it. He couldn't counterattack at all.
"Gah, shit!"
A sword nearly impaled him. Guardian twisted his body at the last second, barely avoiding it. If he had been a moment slower, the sword would have pierced him and pinned him to the ground, and his high-speed momentum would have likely ripped his body in half. Only his jacket was torn.
"Whoa, fuck, I almost died there."
Guardian continued to evade. However, he never stepped outside of Archer's range. Judging by the trajectory, the shots were coming from a mountaintop. Fearing that Archer might discover the Master if he pursued Guardian, Guardian intentionally stayed within range while dodging. He ducked while running, jumped to the third floor of a building, ran along the outer wall, and rolled after leaping off. He parried twice with the tactical baton, but once it snapped, he had no tools left to block with. He had no choice but to summon Excalibur again.
"This fucking shitty sword is heavier than it looks."
Excalibur was roughly 120cm long, while the tactical baton was 60cm. Despite the size difference, the baton actually suited Guardian's hands better for the rapid parrying required in this moment.
"Look at this guy, throwing a fit because he can't forget his ex-girlfriend. What a total loser. You bastard, I bet you've had your fun with plenty of other girls, so why can't your ex have some fun too? Your patriarchal bullshit is insane, you know that?! That's why you're alone right now, you moron!"
Frustrated by losing an arm and having to do nothing but dodge, Guardian began spewing insults. The provocation against Emiya was incredibly effective. Even though Archer was already firing with maximum power, the arrows now felt even more aggressive.
Reaching his limit in playing cat and mouse, Guardian spoke to his Master via telepathy.
'Master, I need an emergency heal. Now.'
He was healed instantly through the Master's Mystic Code ability. His severed arm didn't grow back, but at least the wound closed with new flesh and stopped bleeding. Color returned to Guardian's face, which had gone pale from blood loss.
"Phew, I almost bit it."
Suddenly, Guardian kicked a car into the air, using it as cover. From behind the car, he hurled his sword toward Archer.
"Hey! You can have this!"
The sword landed right next to Archer. While Archer was momentarily distracted by the sword, Guardian charged his Mystic Code with mana. As it glowed with a green light, he rapidly fired six shots at Archer. Archer heard the gunshots and tried to dodge, but he took one hit in the side and another in the left shoulder, making it difficult for him to continue firing his bow.
'Cu Chulainn, get close to Archer quickly. We're starting the operation.'
Hearing Guardian's telepathic command, Cu Chulainn moved toward Archer while staying hidden.
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Director Olga Marie and I finally reached the leyline of the Tohsaka residence. Even a layman like me could feel the sheer intensity of the magical energy here.
"This leyline is even stronger than I imagined. Damascus, just hold on a little longer."
Director Olga Marie spoke as she looked at me; my eyes were half-unfocused. I knew I wasn't in a normal state.
"Director, I feel like I'm gonna die. You know I'm only seventeen, right?"
I was seventeen by Korean age, but only fifteen by international standards. Is this really a dream? It hurts and sucks way too much.
"I get it, so pull yourself together. Once the base camp is set up, I'll make sure your mana recovers quickly. Stop complaining; that's an order from the Director."
Director Olga Marie's mental state seemed to be crumbling. No matter how I looked at it, it must be hard for someone as faint-hearted as her to endure this. Lev is gone, the 47 other Master candidates are as good as dead, and even if we solve this and go back, she'll have a mountain of headaches waiting for her. But if things go according to the original story, the Director is slated to die, isn't she?
"Director... the circle first..."
"Yes, I know. Shut up and save your strength."
Following my words, the Director used the rune stones she received from Cu Chulainn to draw a circle, established the base camp, and activated it. Then, we connected with Chaldea.
"W-Whoa, Director?! You're finally connected! Thank goodness. We couldn't even get a proper vital check from over here."
Interrupting the Doctor, Director Olga Marie shouted.
"Shut up, Doctor, and listen to me. Supply mana to Candidate No. 48, Damascus, immediately! He's on the verge of death!"
"W-Whoa! Understood. Supplying mana to Candidate No. 48 right away—wait, what is this?! You weren't kidding, he really was about to die!"
It was only natural for the Doctor to be panicked. I felt mana slowly flowing into my body. Little by little, the incoming mana began to exceed what was being drained.
"Whew... shit, I can finally breathe."
I muttered to myself and then spoke to the Doctor.
"Doctor, listen to me. I know there's a Chaldea uniform with Order Change and Gandr functions. Send that first. It's urgent. Also, the Director is going to summon a Servant using my path. We're going to throw a catalyst into the circle during the summoning, so it might not be a perfect summon, but we have to do it. The enemy Archer is too strong for the Servants I've contracted with. Supply the clothes quickly... oh, and there's a book in my room. Send that too."
"What? In this desperate situation?"
Director Olga Marie looked at me, her face practically screaming, 'Is this guy so low on mana that he's lost his grip on reality?'
But I was serious. The book I had was a light novel, and I was going to use it to pull Okita. Ushiwaka would be good too, but the problem was I didn't know her specific summoning catalyst. At first, I thought about using the 'Yamete-calibur' (Guardian's makeshift Excalibur), but I figured the light novel would have a higher success rate.
"Damascus is right, Director. The situation is urgent, so I'll send the clothes first."
"No, send the book as well. Or send the book first. We're going to win this fight anyway, so just listen to me. Director, you said it yourself, right? Once we're out, you have command, but that means I'm in charge right now, doesn't it? Doctor, I'll say it again. Send my book first."
"Ugh... fine. I don't know what's going on, but... someone go to Master No. 48's room and bring that book!"
"Phew..."
I slumped onto the floor. The Director came over and asked me.
"Damascus, exactly what kind of book is it that you're demanding it first?"
I told her the truth.
"A novel."
"What?"
"We've already won anyway. But honestly, I'm so exhausted that once the fight with Archer is over, I want to take a break and read a bit."
"Are you out of your mind?"
I looked the Director in the eye.
"Do I look like I'm in my right mind? But don't worry. We will definitely win this fight. Because I've decided so."
The Director gave me a skeptical look. I stared back at her and said,
"We will win. I will definitely get you out of here, Director. And I'll restore Chaldea to its original state, too. You and I will make it happen. You're a capable person, Director—much more than someone like me. So don't worry. If you put your mind to it, you can come up with a much better plan than I ever could. I promise you, you won't be in danger anymore. We will win."
"........"
Then, I kept my eyes fixed on the summoning circle. I needed that light novel... I was definitely going to summon Okita Souji. Just wait, you flash-step spammer. I'm going to summon you and take Archer's head for sure.
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