Chapter 26: Holy Sword Part 6

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness

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-Kuoh Academy-

(Flashback)

To say his Master was an expressive individual would be an understatement. She wasn't one to openly showcase every bit of her emotions on her face and be incapable of a lie, but she wasn't the best at hiding them either, not in the least. 

Ironic to make such a judgment upon a Devil of all beings, and one related to the current holder of the name Lucifer, no less. Observing her as both her Servant and teacher in the morning, it was easier to notice the many changes on her face. He'd say the same for everyone in her peerage, they all were not the best at maintaining a poker face like the silver-haired maid before him. 

And as he observed her currently, there was a clear presence of befuddlement and pure shock. 

"You believe that Diodora Astaroth is dead!?" Rias' voice broke the silence as a handful of candles flickered in the dimly lit room of the Occult Research Club. 

Diodora of House Astaroth, another name from the Ars Goetia. A Duke of Hell just like the Gremory. He maintained his knowledge up to date with the remaining clans in the Underworld, and this particular name came up frequently, along with the Gremory clan and their former heirs: Sirzechs and Ajuka were often mentioned together, alongside Serafall with the Sitri clan. The atmosphere was heavy with tension, and his thoughts raced as Grayfia made her sudden appearance before them. Though her arrival was unexpected, it was the news she delivered that truly caused him to raise an eyebrow. 

"W-Was he assassinated?" 

As his Master barraged her with more questions, he stood in the background with his arms folded across his chest. He glanced at Grayfia a few times, but they did not exchange any words.

"There is no concrete evidence to confirm his death," Grayfia began, her voice calm without a hint of emotion betraying what she was currently feeling. "However, based on what we have uncovered, there is but a slim chance he is still alive. The only saving grace is that we have yet to find his body among the rubble and the dead. Lord Sirzechs and Lord Ajuka believe that whoever orchestrated the attack may have taken him away alive, despite slaughtering his entire peerage."

Archer narrowed his eyes, trying to piece together the puzzle. He had heard of Diodora's name in passing during conversations with Akeno about the Satans, but he didn't know much about the person other than his role as the heir. One who shared a similar situation to Rias and Sona, one who also has a sibling who had been elevated to the office of a Satan. 

'Master, I suggest asking her for more specific details. There is clearly more to this story, and there must be a reason why she specifically came to see us.'

"Can you tell us anything more about the situation? We need a clearer picture," she asked as instructed, agreeing that Grayfia was withholding key details.

"We've conducted a thorough search throughout the Underworld," Grayfia explained. "The Astaroth family owns hundreds, almost a thousand various manors, castles, and estates — many of which have been abandoned for centuries. We've kept the news of his disappearance under wraps to avoid stirring any unforeseen reaction from the other clans, and we've approached this matter with utmost caution. However, we managed to trace his last known location to a remote castle at the edge of Astaroth territory near the Underworld's southern regions. It was long thought to be in disrepair, but Lord Diodora had secretly renovated it."

"What do you mean by secretly?" 

"By that, I mean that even Lord Ajuka was unaware of it, as was everyone else in their family. For someone as smart as lord Ajuka to be unaware of his own family's doings is not normal, let alone when talking about his younger brother."

'Don't press about such details in particular, what's more important right now is the identity of whoever this individual is and how it is related to her coming here rather. Ask if there was any trace left behind.' He continued to guide Rias, the latter agreeing with him mentally and narrowing her eyes. 

'Do you think it's Kokabiel? The timing is too suspicious to be a coincidence.'

'I… I can't answer that with certainty, I honestly don't see why a person like him would go to such lengths to aim for the Astaroth heir in particular. There is far too much missing information for us to reach a solid conclusion.'

"Did you find any kind of clue over there that could help identify who or what caused all of this?" 

"It was more than a trace," Grayfia replied grimly. "The scene was one of pure slaughter. Lord Diodora's peerage was brutally torn apart — there was plenty of evidence of a struggle, but it was clearly a one-sided one at best. Blood soaked the walls and floor, yet it all originated from the bodies at the site, meaning they did not manage to injure their attackers. Yet that wasn't the most disturbing part. We also found this." She handed a file to Rias, who opened it with trembling hands, her face turning a sickly green as she averted her eyes at the end and placed the contents back on the table. 

Curious, he went over to take a look himself. 'No wonder you reacted like that, this can be unsettling to see for most people.' 

'I am not shy at the sight of blood or gore, Archer, nor am I disgusted by death, but this is just too much.'

Being plenty familiar with gory sights of carnage and torn-apart bodies, Archer had an easier time examining the picture of multiple women who had been either torn apart or burned to a crisp. If their bodies hadn't been turned into charcoal, it would have been easy to imagine maggots and other vermin would have had a field day with the remains. Sadly, he could already imagine the stench. 

'Hmm, all of his peerage members were young women,' commented the white-haired Heroic Spirit, noting the structure of the bodies lying charred and or torn around the site. 'Are we dealing with a Riser Phenex clone?' 

A weird expression appeared on the redhead's face, 'I was never that close to Diodora, despite my brother and Lord Ajuka's close friendship. We barely said a word to each other during banquets and only exchanged a few greetings before going our separate ways in most cases. As far as I know, he's never been known as a playboy or a flirt. However, in all of our interactions, he has always been respectful and polite. I'm sure he had his own quirks, but he was not one to display them openly.' 

'A hidden harem then? Probably the norm for your culture, I suppose. Strange how little of his peerage's clothes remain… they look very different from the collection of fetishes that Riser's peerage seems to wear. Have you seen them fight in Rating Games before, Master?'

'No, he would either forfeit or just send a few to handle weaker opponents. Now that you mention it, I never actually saw any of their faces.' 

'Clear signs that he isn't trying to hide something…,' Archer's sarcasm bled through their connection. Honestly, if he had a nickel every time someone pulled this kind of stunt on his missions for Ayala, he would probably be as rich as the Gremory's. 'Does none of their faces seem familiar to you?' 

'No, I'm afraid not.'

But despite everything, to openly go after the sibling of a Satan was no small act, and the implications were deeply worrisome when matched with recent events. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was connected to the encounter he recently had with Kokabiel, but with no real proof of it beyond his guts, the theory held no weight. 'The best case scenario is that the one behind this could be none other than Kokabiel himself,' Archer suggested, 'who somehow managed to infiltrate deep within the Devil territory undetected, possibly intending to aim for the Satan's siblings — which would put you and Sona in danger as well.'

'Best case scenario? Shouldn't that be the worst…?'

Faced with her question about his answer, Archer particularly focused on the last few pictures that showcased parts of the ground that were not covered in dried blood or ash. 

'No, unfortunately, it can in fact be much worse.'

Rias frowned in worry, hoping to get more clarification. 

Archer passed a certain picture to her, "Don't focus on the corpses, look at the surroundings." 

Following his advice, she focused on the background and instantly felt goosebumps crawl all over her skin. "A-Archer… t-this…" 

"The circle…," The background depicted the remnants of a summoning ritual, but it was different — it was a slightly altered and twisted version of the one she remembered using for her own ritual.

He didn't need to study it long enough to recognize the differences. The similarities to the ritual that brought him to this world were uncanny, yet the deviations were enough to raise alarms that someone else meddled with the original in order to fill in the gaps. 

"What is the meaning of this!?" Rias exploded with genuine anger, not glaring back at the aloof Grayfia without apprehension. "Sona and I gave the notes to my brother and Ajuka for safekeeping and studying, so how did Diodora get his hands on them!?" 

The implications were clear, a third party got their hands on something they shouldn't have, and the fact that it was Ajuka's brother made both Rias and Archer suspicious that they were handed over instead without any care. 

Grayfia's expression remained unreadable, keeping her calm in front of the angered heir. "It is indeed a mistake on our part. The notes were only known to Lord Sirzechs and Lord Ajuka. The latter kept them in his private work quarters, never suspecting that his own younger brother would betray him by accessing them without permission."

"When exactly did this happen?" Archer leaned against the wall, his patience thinning by the second, regretting how he didn't urge his Master to just burn their research. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to reprimand them for such recklessness, he knew containing this situation was the priority.

"Based on our investigations, it seems that the incident occurred in the past week," Grayfia stated. "Although the blood has dried, there are still some areas of the castle that show signs of recent damage, with a few sections still smoldering. We estimate that it happened within the last ten days, but more than three days ago at the earliest."

Archer's frown deepened. 

The more he heard, the worse the situation seemed. This world didn't operate on a Grail to choose a Master. It has been shown that the Command Seals can be obtained through a separate ritual, and so far there doesn't seem to be any restrictions on the number of people who can acquire them. 

Rias had it before she attempted to summon him, which is the more normal method… But without knowing for sure that the Grail was the source, then he isn't certain that the same rules apply, and would need outside help to figure this out. Medusa herself wasn't one he could rely on unfortunately and Ajuka proved himself to be untrustworthy with sensitive information.

"If his peerage was slaughtered, then the summoning either failed or brought forth something beyond his control. Going by how many of them were ripped apart rather than burned, I'll go with the latter."

"We're still searching for any remains, but as of now, we're operating under the assumption that he is alive and bound to a Servant," Grayfia confirmed.

"So, you want us to track him down? And then what?" Archer's gaze locked onto Grayfia, both of them silently sizing each other up. He wasn't naive enough to think the Devils weren't hoping to gain control over a new Heroic Spirit, should the opportunity arise.

"I trust your judgment on that." 

"Is this why you've kept it a secret?"

Grayfia gave a nod of agreement. "I was the one who suggested it. If news of this gets out among our people, there will likely be an effort to capture the Servant and its master alive. In my opinion, it would be more prudent to leave this task to you and Rider. If Lord Diodora truly has summoned a Servant that he cannot control, it would be better to eliminate it rather than take the risk of trying to subdue it."

"Well, well, and here I expected you to propose the opposite — to have me change the Servant's allegiance," he remarked with a dry smile. "Are you sure the idea of another powerhouse added to your side does not tempt you?" 

"The thought did cross our minds," Grayfia admitted without reservation. "But we already have you and Lady Rider, do we not? Also, we cannot afford to be reckless. If the Servant is powerful enough to overwhelm Lord Diodora and the entirety of his peerage so effortlessly, we risk a similar fate if we attempt to control it." She bowed slightly. "I trust your judgment, Lord Archer. Handle this as you see fit, but Lord Ajuka has a personal request — if at all possible, save his brother."

"Master?" Archer turned to Rias, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. Lost in thought, she had missed much of the conversation. His voice snapped her back to reality, her eyes refocusing on the present.

"Archer," Rias said slowly, her voice laced with uncertainty, "who do you suspect was summoned?"

Rias's question gave Archer pause, and he let out a deep breath. "It's nearly impossible to determine which Heroic Spirit was summoned, considering the endless possibilities. However, I can offer a theory about the Servant's class. Based on Grayfia's account of the slaughter that was found... it is most likely a Berserker."

Rias went wide-eyed at hearing that.

The Servant continued. "As I've mentioned before, Berserkers are notoriously difficult to control because of the Mad Enhancement skill that drives them into a state of uncontrollable rage. The aftermath described by Grayfia — the intense brutality and sheer force — all point towards the work of this particular class. However, we can only speculate at this point. Throughout history, there have been many twisted Heroic Spirits who took pleasure in sadistic acts such as mutilation, kidnapping, or committing atrocities for their own dark purposes or madness. But my bet would be on this being a Berserker for now."

Grayfia nodded, her gaze lowered as she processed his analysis. "That does make sense. Some parts of the castle appeared to have been destroyed by immense force — walls shattered, and whole sections reduced to rubble. Yet it was seemingly done without any kind of focus or direction, like that of a wild animal."

"Hold on!" Rias suddenly interjected, stepping between Archer and Grayfia with a fierce expression. "I get that my brother wants to find this Servant and save Diodora, but why are you involving Archer specifically? From what I understand, Berserkers are among the most dangerous classes, and you're risking his life over your mistake! Why not go to Sona for help instead, or just deal with it yourself?"

Her mind flashed back to the brief, but intense, confrontation between Archer and Rider. Though it had ended quickly, Rias couldn't help but imagine what might have happened if they had fought seriously. Archer had even admitted that Rider was one of the few opponents he'd rather not face head-on without careful preparation. She remembered the sight of him, bloodied and wounded, after that battle.

The thought of him facing a Berserker —the class known for overwhelming strength and unpredictability — filled her with dread. She couldn't bear the thought of him emerging from such a fight severely injured… or worse.

Grayfia remained composed in the face of Rias's outburst. "The heir to the House of Sitri will indeed be informed. If you wish, you can bring the news to her yourself. Should she decide to assist, it would certainly be most beneficial. But given the circumstances, and with Lady Rider still newly summoned, Sirzechs trusts Archer more to handle this situation."

"He's under scrutiny," Archer added, getting a confused glance from his Master. "He can't afford to take any personal actions with so many eyes on him. There is a lot at risk, including more people getting interested in summoning Servants. After all, how could one not be attracted by the idea of summoning a familiar from another world who can even force a Super Devil to make a move? Especially after you yourself demonstrated how powerful they can be, Master?" 

"…I still hate this idea."

"I am not a fan of this entire situation myself, Master, but you must still keep a cool mind and try to handle it as carefully as possible." 

The conversation continued for a few more moments before Grayfia excused herself, teleporting back to the Underworld, leaving Rias and Archer alone in the dimly lit room, each lost in their own thoughts. While he silently pondered the identity and class of the summoned Servant, as well as the best approach to resolving the situation, Rias struggled with a different concern gnawing at her mind.

After a long silence, Archer finally spoke, his voice gentle but firm. "I didn't bring this up while Grayfia was here, but it's clear that my battle with Rider left you shaken, Master."

"…"

"I can't help but feel that I am getting special treatment in comparison to your peerage, you don't fret this much over your newest members." 

"…"

Rias opened her mouth but closed it again, unable to give him an answer. 

He had a feeling he knew what was going on in the girl's mind, especially when he saw her absentmindedly tracing the outline of her Command Seal. It was moments like these that made him realize she wasn't a centuries-old Devil filled with wisdom and cunning, nor a prodigy Magus like Rin or even an average Magus.

She had the tendency to let her emotions take control of her despite the confident outlook she kept. 

"Not every encounter with a Servant will lead you to using your Command Seals, if you're smart enough then careful planning is all that you'll need." 

"But if we are unlucky even once, then I will be forced to use it and you'll be one step closer to being gone forever. I can't replenish them and they are the only anchor keeping you here." She raised her head, frustration peeking through. "Sona barely had Rider for a few minutes before she had to use hers and is down to two. I don't want to be in her shoes." 

Somehow, he was not surprised by the reasoning. "Honestly, you are probably the only Master I have encountered so far that is this worried about the Command Seals and myself."

His chuckle lowered the tension in the room, the stiffness present in her limbs declining while she continued to rub her fingers over the back of her hand. 

"Like it or not, Master, but there will be a time that you will be forced to use them. I like to believe that I am a capable Servant able to handle most of our obstacles with relative ease — but that would be a lie wouldn't it?" 

The girl neither denied nor confirmed that statement. 

"It would be a lie to say that I am stronger than every summoned Servant. I have my limitations, just like anyone else, and can be defeated in battle. So please, while I am still able and you are in danger, do not hesitate to use them. If I were to fall early, I wouldn't be able to protect you from the other Servants."

He noticed her walking towards him, getting so close that her head was touching his chest. She avoided making eye contact and stood in that position for a few more moments, refusing to look up at him., "I… I just want you to stay by my side forever. I don't like this whole Grail War with other Servants being summoned just so they can fight you to the death. After I graduated from my studies, I wanted us to go and become the strongest peerage."

Being the strongest peerage was quite an ambition, and she still had a long journey ahead of her. Grayfia, being a Queen herself, surpassed even the combined strength of both heiresses' groups. However, he had faith in her dreams, especially with Issei's Sacred Gear and Yuuto's potential with his Gear on her side.

"You expect me to remain here for a hundred years?" Joked Archer, feeling Rias shake her head as she wrapped her hands around him for a gentle embrace. 

"Nope, Devils can live for… well even we aren't certain of the limits of our lifespan. But say we live a normal life without any danger, then I'd want you to stay here with me… forever." 

"…" 

For a moment, he found himself speechless. Staying here forever? The girl certainly had a wild imagination inside that head of hers. He doubted whatever was maintaining the presence of Servants in this world would even last that long. 

"Too bad that your life is anything but normal, as the few weeks since my summoning has demonstrated. Nothing is eternal, Master." His hands gently rubbed her back, having learned how this particular action had the effect of calming the young Devil even when she would get a bit too handsy in her sleep. 

"Mmmm…" 

Rias jolted out of her trance a few minutes later, cutely pouting when she heard him huff in amusement. "I just can't believe my brother would lose control over something so critical when I trusted him to keep it safe. Now, because of that mistake, everyone may be in danger." 

Frustration and anger simmered beneath her words. For most of her life, despite his embarrassing antics when it came to her, Rias had held deep respect and trust in her big brother, Sirzechs. The current Lucifer and the strongest Devil in history. 

She had always believed in his competence in handling crucial matters. But this situation had shattered that confidence, leaving her with nothing but the burning desire to confront him directly in the Underworld and demand an explanation. "I need to retrieve those notes. It was a mistake trusting him with them."

Under different circumstances, Archer might have found satisfaction in hearing her speak so resolutely. But this time, he simply shrugged. "Even if you retrieve them, it may be too late. If someone like Diodora managed to get his hands on those notes, there's a high likelihood that this information has already spread elsewhere."

Rias's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Archer pointed at the pictures Grayfia had left behind, particularly at the summoning circle's remnants etched into the bloodstained floor. Despite the ground being drenched in dried blood, gaps revealed the distinct markings of a ritual. "I'm no expert in Magecraft or the intricate theories behind it, but I can tell that this summoning ritual differs slightly from the one you performed. You mentioned how long it took you and Sona to complete the missing pieces, right? It's hard to imagine Diodora replicating something that complex on his own in such a short time. He likely had help — and whoever helped him probably took a copy of the notes."

Archer's words hung in the air as he turned and left the room, leaving Rias staring at the remnants of the ritual. Slowly, she began to grasp the gravity of the situation. This wasn't just a local problem—it could be a ticking time bomb that threatened the entire Underworld and beyond.

"Hm?" 

The ground lit up once more, and both individuals were stunned to find none other than Grayfia returning once more.

"I forgot to share a piece of information, though neither of you will like it. It would appear that Rias-sama was probably not the first one who summoned a Servant. One of our allies attended our banquet with a regal-looking Servant, one who called himself Lancer." 

Rias's headache quickly turned into a full-blown migraine at these turns of events that seemed to be orchestrated to get between her and Archer.

Wasn't that supposed to be the Archer class' weakness!?

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(Present)

"See you tomorrow, sensei!" The unanimous farewells of his students were met with a short smile and a reminder to keep up their studies for the upcoming exams. 

The Servant had complete confidence in his class; they were a dedicated group and even their rambunctious behavior couldn't distract them from paying attention during lessons. Well... except for Issei, who seemed to be falling behind and performing poorly lately. The Servant pondered the cause of this change, knowing that Issei was not the type to purposely neglect his studies just because he didn't like his teacher.

"I'll speak to Rias about giving him a break from those contracts. They're consuming too much of his time, and he hasn't successfully formed a single pact yet." 

The previous person who summoned him ended up keeping him up all night playing online games.

"…"

"I wonder why Akeno lied to me." Earlier she came over to mention that Rias called him, he expected his Master to share the conversation they had with Grayfia with everyone. Yet the moment he opened the door, all he found was an empty room. Even asking her about the meeting through his connection he came to know that even she didn't know what he was talking about. 

Which meant Akeno brought him here for another reason. 

Even more strange was when he returned to his class, both the ravenette and Rider were nowhere to be seen. 

That did not bode well for Archer's liking.

As he continued to pack his papers and laptop, two shadows were cast upon his table with the appearance of two students — both brunette and pink-haired kendo club members looking at him pointedly. "Is there something I can help you two with, Murayama, Katase?" 

Did they have confusion on the topic he covered today? Unlikely, it wasn't like his classes were that hard and these two were very familiar with the subject. 

"Are you and Teras-sensei dating?" Murayama was first to ask the question, catching him by surprise since he never thought he'd be confronted about it so openly.

Their eyes shined with curiosity and dread at his answer, Archer deliberately taking a few seconds to speak. "Is there any reason why you would be led to believe Med and I are in a relationship?"

He asked, opening the door with the two girls keeping pace with him. 

"It's so obvious!" Said Katase, "You only talk with each other during every break! As soon as class ends, you go straight to each other! Last time, Kabuto-sensei tried to talk to her a couple of times…" 

Kabuto… the science teacher? He remembered encountering the middle-aged man a couple of times in the teacher's lounge but they never conversed with one another much. He had a feeling the guy didn't like him much, either.

"I am not certain how that is weird in any way. He could have just needed some help to find a few books in the library or just establish some acquaintanceship between them." 

Both pink and brown-haired girls shook their heads in unison, sighing at his words. "You're too pure, Tojou-sensei! This may seem like an innocent action but to us, it's clearly an attempt at getting romantically closer to her! If you're not careful then he'll get to her before you!"

"I'm not particularly worried about that." Archer suppressed a sigh. These two were clearly caught up in some imaginary soap opera of their own making. He briefly considered explaining the reality of his and Medusa's professional relationship but decided against it. Let them have their harmless fantasies. It wasn't worth bursting their bubble over something so trivial.

"Well, look at you, Mr. Confident!" Katase beamed, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up that made Archer's eye twitch. "A woman appreciates a man who trusts her."

"Oh, but get this," Katase chimed in, leaning closer as if sharing a juicy secret. "Kabuto-sensei's been making his moves. First, he offered to help her with something. Then, he invited her for coffee. And just yesterday, he tried to chat her up about her hobbies!"

Murayama nodded vigorously. "Just like Katase said, that man is relentless. Guess he got too lonely after his divorce and got smitten by Teras-sensei."

Archer listened, increasingly baffled. He wasn't sure what was more concerning: these girls' intense interest in their teachers' personal lives, their apparent talent for covert surveillance, or their casual cruelty in gossip. If anything, he felt a twinge of sympathy for Kabuto. The man seemed to be making genuine attempts at friendly workplace interaction, only to have his actions scrutinized and misinterpreted by overzealous students.

"She ignored him both times. Like seriously, you should have seen how she responded. Looking at him for a full minute, to the point the guy started to sweat bullets on the spot, hehehe! And then she gave a simple 'No.' before going back to reading her book. The third time she didn't even look at him. Don't worry, Tojou-sensei, she's definitely faithful to you, and we'll keep your secret relationship safe and cheer both of you on!"

"Hah, seriously girls, we're not dating." In the end, all Archer could do was to try and make his stance as clear-cut as possible in an effort to take these girls' soap opera school drama out of the air and hopefully rein in their clearly overactive imaginations.

"Of course, you aren't~!" They sing-songed as one, one with a sly grin and the other with a knowing wink, "Just simple colleagues who talk to each other, and only each other, every day before work, between classes, during lunch break, and after school! Long, polite conversations where both of you smile and gaze into each other's eyes... "And just yesterday you were alone together for so long in the library…!"

Because he was bringing her up to date on all the peculiarities he'd learned about this new world! Including Rias's situation with Riser. And recently the discovery that more Servants were summoned without their knowledge by unknown parties. Also, smiling and gazing into each other's eyes? Where were they getting this cheesy nonsense?

"Something tells me that no matter what I say, neither of you will believe m—hm?" As he walked next to the door to the principal's office, Archer stopped in his tracks, garnering some confused reaction from his two students. 

"Is there something wrong, Tojou-sensei?" 

"Nothing, you two go on, there's something I must check." 

{Break}

"Damn it, disgusting humans, all of them." 

It was rare for Kalawarner to feel this angered over anything, really. She wasn't like Raynare who constantly operated on a short fuse, especially when dealing with human-related affairs. 

Dealing with that sleazeball principal was testing her patience. The way he kept "accidentally" bumping into her, his hands wandering where they had no business being... It took every ounce of self-control not to impale him with a light spear on the spot. Any other day, she'd have swatted him like the insect he was at the first wrong look. But she'd promised Azazel to keep a low profile, so her options were limited.

Kalawarner gritted her teeth, putting away another file none too gently. "Next time that creep tries copping a feel, I'm lopping off his hands. He's damn lucky he's under Devil protection, even if the idiot doesn't know it."

"Have you considered wearing something that won't make you look like you're advertising for a hostess club?" A calm but steel voice sounded behind her, a familiar one that sent shivers down her spine. The Fallen Angel froze, goosebumps spreading across her skin. How did someone get so close without her noticing? The door hadn't creaked, and she hadn't heard a single footstep. Busy organizing the file cabinets, she'd been completely lost in her own thoughts.

"Who!?" she hissed as she spun around, her glare sharp and wary. She wasn't in the mood for surprises, especially not when she was already feeling down and vulnerable. But as her eyes met those of the figure in the room, recognition dawned, making her take a step back. White, tousled hair, messy enough to partially cover his forehead, black-rimmed glasses framing cold steel-gray eyes set within tanned skin, wide shoulders, and a tall, lean frame that easily dominates the space around him. A look of dread instantly replaced her initial anger.

"Y-You…" she whispered in horror, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. She stumbled back, clutching the edge of the table for support as the memories of their last encounter came rushing back. Every instinct screamed at her to flee, but there was nowhere to go. 

"What are you doing h-here!?" she demanded, trying to mask her fear with anger. But the tremble in her voice betrayed her.

His expression didn't change, remaining eerily composed, which only deepened her dread. 

"I'm a teacher now. Why wouldn't I be here?" 

His tone was calm, but to her, it sounded like a demon's whisper, taunting her with every word. He took a casual step forward, narrowing the distance between them even further.

She frantically glanced around, searching for any escape route. The door was behind him, and the windows were too small to squeeze through. Her mind raced, contemplating the absurd idea of jumping out anyway, despite the injuries she still hadn't fully recovered from. 

"Calm down, I'm not here to kill you." So he said, but she didn't lower her guard around him at all. "Tell me, you're that Fallen Angel who was with Raynare who was aiming to kill Issei and capture Asia, right?" 

"N-No?" 

He looked at her with an expression that suggested he was very close to rolling his eyes. "See, I might have believed you had your reaction to my question not been one of utter terror. Of course, there's also the simple fact that I recognize you."

Damn it.

"As I recall, you and Raynare were both turned over to the Grigori after we captured her. I wouldn't have expected you to ever return to this town after how things went for you the last time, let alone that you'd be so brazen as to become a secretary at the school which serves as the gathering place for the local Devils during the day hours. Tell me, why are you here?" 

She gathered enough courage to utter a barely audible answer. "I… I've been assigned to assist with keeping records and helping the principal manage things," she stammered, her words coming out in a rush as if trying to justify her presence.

Archer's gaze bore into Kalawarner, his steel-gray eyes unflinching. Each passing moment felt interminable to the Fallen Angel as she squirmed under his scrutiny. The silence stretched, thick with tension, until Archer finally broke it.

"Who authorized you to take this job?" His eyes bore into hers, cold and unblinking. There was no warmth or amusement in his expression — just a cynical, predatory focus that made her shiver uncontrollably. One with very limited patience.

The last time they met had been brief, but unforgettable. Even now, the image of Mittelt and Dohnaseek being brutally murdered in a split second played in her mind. Then she caught a glimpse of this man's performance during a Rating Game Azazel was watching. 

She didn't know just how she and Raynare managed to get out of that situation alive!

"A-Azazel-sama… h-he and the Devils have allowed us to make up for our mistakes by working for the school!" 

"Azazel, huh…" He mused, "Tell me, have you worked for Kokabiel in the past?" 

"Not re-really, we were mostly guided by Raynare. She was the one getting the orders, and we were just following her directive." 

"Quite eager to throw your comrade under the bus, aren't you?" He actually chuckled, she couldn't believe her eyes and wasn't sure what he planned on doing anymore. "I'll talk about this matter with my Master later. A Fallen Angel as the principal's secretary… well given my own situation, I guess I shouldn't point fingers, so I guess that makes us colleagues for now."

She preferred they remain strangers, thank you very much!

"…I guess so." Her voice was under control but still very soft, having a hard time believing the man who previously held a bow bigger than herself and deadly blades that he wielded with devastating skill was now standing before her in casual clothing and glasses that gave him a more nerdy look than anything else.

"I told you that I'm not going to harm you unless you start going after the students or my Master. Does Sona Sitri know that you're here?" 

"Azazel-sama mentioned that he sent a letter ov—!?" 

It happened in an instant, a strange sensation sweeping across the room and muddling with her head. The air shifted, seemingly becoming thicker and devoid of any noise. The man before her also noticed the change and looked outside the hallway with widened eyes. 

His form flickered and the next second he reappeared with two unconscious girls in his grasp. 

"We have company, take these two to the Occult Research Club… no, not there. It's too far and you'll be exposed. Go to the student council room and help any other students along the way, understood?" 

She barely had the time to nod her head before his clothes changed right before her eyes. Now vested with the familiar black armor with the red cloth around his upper body like a bolero jacket.

Just like previously, he disappeared from his spot, moving faster than her mind could keep up — leaving the Fallen with the two students. Looking at them, she recognized these girls who were the first ones to shower her with compliments about her looks and warned her about the perverted trio.

"I barely started working here today… the pay for this can't be worth it." 

Even supernatural beings like her needed funds to operate in both the human world and the Underworld. Also, Raynare was a big spender.

.

.

.

"A bounded field,"

'Archer! Where are you!?' He heard his Master shout from their connection, obviously worried. 

"Outside. Are you with Sona and her peerage?'

'Yes, we are all gathered in the student council room.'

"Then stay there, Rider will be able to protect you all. I don't know if you are aware but as of today there is a Fallen amongst the staff members, she will soon arrive there with two students. Keep them safe as well."

'A Fallen!?' 

"We'll talk about this later, just stay vigilant."

The rich colors of the sunset turning dark in an instant was an unsettling premonition. He wondered if this had anything to do with the Diodora situation, or perhaps it was completely unrelated and was just another trick from Kokabiel. 

"Small mercies that most students have cleared out… Why does it always have to be the local high schools?" 

From Riser's antics to Rider's arrival, and now this - the place seemed to attract trouble like moths to a flame. He almost wondered if some cosmic force had it out for Kuoh Academy. 

Leaping to the roof for a better vantage point, Archer assessed the shimmering barrier encasing the school. "Looks like a standard bounded field. Blocks outside interference, keeps people trapped inside. Nothing too fancy."

To test his theory, he nocked an arrow and let it fly. It struck the barrier and shattered, leaving no mark. "Hmm. A decent Broken Phantasm should crack it open, but something's off here. This feels... too easy."

'Archer, did you find out what's going on?' 

"Not yet, Master… Oh?"

'What? What happened?' 

"Our guest has made their opening move," the entirety of the school grounds glowed bright purple, and a hazy dark fog started to cover everything. His ears picked up the familiar sounds of bones rattling. From one to a dozen, growing in numbers till there were too many to count, a graveyard's worth of reanimated bones taking a humanoid form, all holding a bone weapon of some kind. Though the bones forming them could not ever be mistaken as those of any human. 

'What… are those?' asked Rias, looking through his eyes with an audibly disturbed tone. 'This doesn't look safe. Oh no, there are some inside the school as well!'

"Those, Master, are called Dragon Tooth Warriors. They're simple familiars created and bound with the use of dragon fangs. You don't need to worry, they are… cheaply made, so to speak, lacking in strength, speed, and many other aspects. An ordinary human can defeat one with just a reinforced metal pipe. Their main strength mostly lies in their sheer quantity more than anything else." 

With his trusted bow still in hand, Archer let loose a large number of arrows all raining down on the horde, each one of them easily shattering their skulls, splitting spines, and generally tearing them down by the dozen. "Going by your reaction, I take it this is not something you are familiar with." 

His fears came true, though these were weak foes and categorized as easy-to-mass-produce golems, the fact that there were so many of them in the first place was no small feat that any Servant could achieve with or without a capable Master. 

He turned his head, the rooftop following a similar fate with clumps of clay this time starting to gather together and form a golem around his size. The lumbering mass rushing with each step causes the floor beneath to shake, swinging its large limbs overhead. 

"Hn," Archer jumped away, his body twisting mid-jump and firing another arrow, this one brimming with magical energy. The released projectile pierced the golem right in the chest and blew up in a rather big plume of fire. "This at the very least narrows down the identity of our attacker considerably. Creating Dragon Tooth Warriors is something only a Caster with a high enough Item Construction skill can do."

'A… A Caster? But… didn't you say that Diodora must have summoned a Berserker?'

"I never said there weren't other Servants summoned without our knowledge, or that Diodora was the only one who might have the means to summon one." Plus there was no reason for Diodora — who was most likely suffering the consequences of summoning something he shouldn't have — to suddenly arrive in Kuoh and surprise attack them.

As his body made its way downwards, the school grounds were getting closer and the horde of skeletons gathered around, some looking at him with no eye sockets, skulls primarily composed of a jaw with sharp teeth and nothing more. Some didn't even have jaws to begin with. 'It is foolish to underestimate them, if I'm not careful then I'm bound to be overwhelmed or susceptible to a sneak attack.' 

"Ha!"

He landed amidst the tide of bones. Though he was solitary against the horde, it made little difference with how swiftly his blades cut through them like butter. Kanshou and Bakuya thrummed in his hands, each move made with efficiency in mind, with the objective of killing as many hostiles with as little effort as possible. 

The Dragon Tooth Warriors were not exactly what one might consider a formidable force, especially against a Servant. But their sheer numbers still made them a noticeable obstacle if not taken care of as soon as possible. 

With each fluid motion, he cleaved through them, but there were always more. 

"I'll only waste energy if I keep up like this, or leave myself open if I continue to deal with them." His eyes kept watch of his surroundings for Caster's presence, making sure to constantly check his blind spot and keep his senses peeled. 

Their numbers just kept increasing to the point he considered firing off Broken Phantasms from a vantage point. 

"Behind you," He heard a voice from above warn him as another variant emerged from the horde, their presence accompanied by the fluttering of bat-like wings allowing them the ability to fly. Some holding the same weapons as the regular Dragon Tooth Warriors, but most pulling the strings of bows all aimed at him. 

Crack! 

Two of these skeletal golems were instantly destroyed by a pair of sharp nails piercing their skulls, followed by a figure plummeting from the sky at incredible speed with her boots crushing another two who were in her way. She came crashing down not far away from him, and the shockwave cleared a small area. 

Chains wriggling in her grasp, he watched as Rider made quick work of the variants. 

"Shouldn't you be with Sona?" 

The same chains once again shot up into the air, wrapping around one of the Dragon Tooth Warriors mid-flight. With a forceful yank, the skeletal creature was ripped from the skies and slammed into the ground with such ferocity that it shattered into countless fragments. 

From the smoke walked out Rider in her Servant attire but strangely enough still wearing the glasses he gave her. "Master sent me here to assist you." 

"Did she now…"

He squinted his eyes and raised his leg to shatter the ribcage of one of the creatures that got a bit too close. 

"Glasses in the middle of battle?" 

She tilted her head, "Does it look good?" 

He raised Kanshou to block a greatsword swung towards him, the impact not even enough to make his grip falter while he continued to look at Rider with a weird stare. "Why are you asking now of all times? Doesn't exactly seem appropriate." 

Bakuya quickly followed and cleaved the entity into two right in the middle.

"Just curious."

Curious she said, somehow able to keep them on despite moving at great speed and leaving a shower of bone fragments in her path. 

It was a strange experience, fighting alongside Rider in such a situation. There was an odd sense of déjà vu gnawing at the back of his mind, a fleeting but persistent feeling that he couldn't quite shake — most likely Rin at one point teamed up with Sakura. Or they fought the same opponent by pure chance, he couldn't remember the exact details. 

He was more than capable of handling this horde but wasn't going to decline her aid. 

"I was busy entering the list of borrowed books into the computer," Rider explained calmly, her voice steady even in the midst of the chaos. As if they were just having a casual conversation."I didn't expect them to attack us so boldly."

She then turned to give the Dragon Tooth Warriors a considering look. "Caster." 

"Seems like it."

She landed right beside him, her eyes boring down on him more so than usual. Or perhaps he overthinking it given she wasn't wearing a blindfold anymore. "This feels familiar." She whispered, her eyes trailing down to both Kanshou and Bakuya within his grasp which he dismissed and replaced with a spear. 

"…"

He hurtled the weapon in front of him with great strength, skewering multiple does in an instant. 

"Is that so…" This was the worst possible time for her to indulge in such thoughts. "I'm glad to see that our first meeting left an impression on the great Gorgon." 

Her eyes narrowed, as a large shadow loomed over them. A giant lizard-like variant charging straight for her, another Dragon Tooth Warriors variant the size of a bus but Rider didn't pay it any attention, disregarding its existence while he sighed. 

With a mental command, four large spears appeared over it and pinned the construct mercilessly to the ground. Its limbs flailed around with more swords and spears raining down on it to completely destroy it. 

"A thank you is very much appreciated in such scenarios." 

Rider's frown disappeared, "I know you're trying to intentionally make me angry. You tend to do that a lot as if you're trying to distract me." 

"I could have just the thing chomp you down, Servant or not you wouldn't have gotten heavily wounded." 

"You wouldn't have let that happen." 

More swords appeared around them, pointed outwards at the horde and firing in succession. 

"Trusting a possible future enemy, that's not wise." 

"So you say." 

Why did he feel she knew something he didn't? Or was she doing this deliberately to mess with him? He wouldn't put it past her to do such a thing. Archer looked at the horde, "We can do this all night. Otherwise, the school grounds will become a mountain of bones." 

"And?" 

"…"

This woman…

"I would rather not waste my energy dealing with these cheap familiars." 

"I don't think even Caster can last that long." 

"…"

"…"

"I didn't expect you to be one who likes cooking, but then again, a part of me thinks it suits you, strangely enough."

He became more guarded. "Knowing how to cook is a basic skill for anyone to have." 

"Then you wouldn't mind that I come over to see it for myself?" 

His eyes narrowed, and she was behaving strangely given they spoke normally a few hours ago. 

He was starting to have his suspicions about Medusa's motives.

"Just what did you talk about with Aken—"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING—!?" 

"Eh?" Both Heroic Spirits turned their heads to see Sona and Rias looking out of the windows from the student council room. 

"This is not the time to be playing catch-up! We are in the middle of an enemy attack! Take this seriously!" Sona shouted while Rias glared at them from her spot, especially at Rider. 

A small smirk appeared on the purple-haired Servant's face at the 'sight'. 

"Your Master is jealous, Shirou-sensei." 

"…" 

"You're not the only one who can annoy others."

Redirecting their attention back to the horde, Rider stopped asking him more questions and dove into the middle with her chains crushing dozens of the enemies with each swing. Archer created more distance and Traced his bow to cover Rider and kill off any approaching flying variants. It went on for a few more minutes and the horde no longer showed signs of growing anymore. Soon enough, their numbers diminished bit by bit till they were nearly done. 

"…This doesn't seem right," Archer frowned.

It was easy… far too easy. Even without Rider's help, he could've dealt with them on his own had it just been him. 

Woosh! 

"—!"

His mind sharpened, body tensing and bending at the last second to avoid a giant claw nearly cutting off his upper half. A creature with a green and black mane whose fangs managed to sink an inch into his shoulders. They were barely stopped by his armor, preventing further damage. 

"Ghh!" Getting the feeling that touching this creature was a bad idea, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands in a flash and sliced through the monster's jugular. The Anti-Monster effect of the Married Blades allowed them to make quick work of the creature as it collapsed. 

Rider appeared by his side, looking at the wounds on his shoulders and back at the downed monster which had already started to dissipate into a thick green fog. 

"A manticore construct," she said, while he saw that she'd managed to make quick work of the remaining Dragon Tooth Warriors. "Don't breathe it in." 

"I know." 

Her chains wrapped around what remained of the creature and quickly threw it on the school grounds below. Another arrow flew and ignited its body till it completely evaporated. 

"It managed to sneak up on us."

"Unlikely that such a thing could do so on its own. Caster must have somehow been able to manifest the thing right next to us." Examining his wound, it wasn't anything worrisome. But the dark marks ebbing on his skin trying to spread was what caught his attention. His Magical Energy pushed against it and slowly expunged it out of his body. "Poison…." 

He initially had a familiar suspect in mind initially after watching all of those Dragon Tooth Warriors appear, and seeing that this Servant had made use of such a big bounded field. But last he remembered she never used anything like that constructed beast. This made him discard that particular suspect.

"The bounded field has disappeared," Rider stated

Indeed, looking upwards he could see the stars and the moon shining brightly. The previous atmosphere was completely gone and everything turned back to normal. 

"This doesn't make sense… was Caster just gauging our abilities?" It was such a wasteful attack that Archer figured that had to be the case. He heard hurried footsteps rushing towards them, he equipped the shroud once more but this time without the hole. Making sure his Master did not make a fuss over the smallest things. 

Rider didn't say anything about his action. 

"Is everything okay? Where is the enemy?" Sona said as soon as she noticed both of them, letting out a sigh of relief seeing their unharmed state. 

"Our enemy has retreated from the looks of it," Archer said, moving his shoulders around to check for any further discomfort. Kalawarner was with the group, having most likely left Murayama and Katase in the student council room. 

"I find it strange that this Servant attacked us out of nowhere like this, only to back off so suddenly." Even Sona shared the same sentiment as him. "What purpose did this serve? Neither of you was forced to show anything special about either of your abilities or identity. And neither Rias nor I were targeted; any stray creatures that made it past you two were easily taken care of by our group." 

Archer mentally recounted everything that happened so far, to be honest, this surprise attack looked more like a distraction than anything else. Other than Kanshou and Bakuya, all of the weapons he used were regular steel blades, not even nameless Noble Phantasms for most of it.

Even a weak Servant would have easily dealt with such a horde so long as they were careful. 

Hm…

It wasn't until he looked at Rias' group, especially Yuuto, that he recalled something. 

"Rias… where are the two exorcists?" 

"Eh? Well, I left them in the Occult Research Clubroom, though I didn't sense any kind of break-in." 

"And the swords?" 

Under his scrutinizing gaze, the redhead shrank a bit. "Um… in the… clubroom as well…" 

Realization soon dawned on everyone, both Rider and Archer were the first to move. 

The entire landscape of the school flashed before his eyes and in the next second they found themselves outside the building with no signs of break-ins, but they were dealing with a Caster, so he couldn't rely on such things to hold any meaning.

Hurriedly making his way to the guest rooms, he forced the door open.

Only having worries proved to be true. 

What greeted him was an empty room, both Xenovia and Irina gone along with their swords — their other belongings left behind.

"Caster was after them from the beginning!" 

{Break}

In a dimly lit enclosed room with no way to gaze at the outside world, two young exorcists found themselves chained against a wall with their movement restricted. Irina was still unconscious while Xenovia managed to open her eyes, and tried with all her might to break free.

"U—urgh—!" 

They weren't normal chains, her strength felt as if it was drained at a constant rate, leaving her helpless to muster enough strength to do anything. 

"You are awake at last. More than I can say for your friend."

"W-who…!?" At first, Xenovia couldn't see much with her drowsiness still causing her vision to be blurry, yet after a few passing seconds she managed to make out the feminine silhouette on the other side of the room.

…Holding what she could easily recognize as her Excalibur Destruction, with one hand on the grip and the other touching the blade itself. 

"H-How…"

"A curious weapon, though more than somewhat impractical if I had to judge it. Vaguely resembles a one-handed sword that would better fit the hands of someone… bigger." She allowed the blade to slip from her hold, letting it fall to the ground until it pierced the earth below, the way this woman treated her holy blade made Xenovia's blood boil.

"You will pay for this!"

Initially, she believed they had been kidnapped by the Devils, but that idea was soon thrown out of the window when she set eyes on the individual who stood before her. "Hn!" A delicate hand lifted her chin, grabbing her face and examining her closely. 

"Such righteous anger… You have a fierce spirit, that much I must admit." Her soft voice tickled the exorcist's ears, the sound amplified by the room's enclosure. "I am curious about this Holy Factor my Master keeps mumbling about all day every day. Strange to see that it is these criteria that allow you to wield a Holy Weapon. So very different from what I'm familiar with. I wonder if I can extract it? Not that I'm all that interested in such a thing, truth be told."

"Go to hell, you heathen!" 

"Fierce indeed." Finally, she let go of her face and walked away, "Hm, I'm not sure. You're a possible candidate, but I'll have to make sure. Your affiliation honestly isn't to my liking, and you could learn a thing or two about reigning in your temper." 

Without sparing them a second glance, the woman turned and walked away, the heavy stone door within the wall sliding open as if responding to her very presence. It sealed shut behind her with a deep, echoing thud before Xenovia could even think of reacting, leaving both girls chained up, leaving one of them frustrated and bewildered. 

Those Devils… would they even bother to save them?

------------------

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.