Simulation

( 3rd POV )

Clang! Clang!

Across the expansive green plains, where the horizon seemed to stretch into eternity, the clash of metal reverberated through the air. Amidst this vast expanse, a figure with jet-black hair moved with the grace of a predator, his every step guided by the eerie glow of his blue eyes, which scanned the battlefield for the slightest hint of danger.

Dodging swiftly, he avoided the onslaught of blows from the knights. In the midst of the fray, as a knight raised his sword to deliver a side attack, the concerned voice of a young woman cut through the turmoil.

"Senpai! On your left!"

The young man, spurred by his companion's urgent cry, swiftly drew forth his twin daggers, their glinting blades poised for battle. With a steely gaze, he aimed a swift strike at the knight directly before him, his target clear: the knight's chest. Simultaneously, his attention shifted to the adversary on his left flank, who bore down upon him with a menacing swing of his sword.

"Chikan," he murmured, a whispered invocation preceding an extraordinary display of power. In an instant, the air beside him shimmered and split apart, revealing a rift several hundred meters away. The knight, poised to deliver a lethal blow, was unexpectedly swallowed by the rippling void, whisked away to an unknown destination before the tear sealed shut once more.

"Two down, three more to go..." The young man's voice carried a determined edge as he tightened his grip on his twin daggers, anticipation coursing through his veins. "Let's dance..." With a confident grin, he propelled himself towards the remaining trio of knights, his movements swift and fluid, akin to a deadly ballet.

The trio of adversaries, clad in shimmering silver armor, surged forward with swords gleaming in the sunlight, poised for combat. Yet, before they could close the gap, the young man surged ahead, outpacing them with effortless speed.

Taking the enemy by surprise, he dodged to the right side of the knight and struck with his dagger at the knight's rib cage while moving past. The knight's advance was stopped by the sudden wound.

Quickly circling to his rear, the young man faced the wounded knight and delivered a swift slash to his neck, severing it.

But the other two knights had swiftly approached, one on each side, bringing their swords down with force. The young man quickly adopted a defensive stance, trying to parry both swords with his daggers.

Clang!

The clash of weapons echoed once more, the reverberations coursing through the air as the young man, his muscles tense with anticipation, braced himself against the onslaught. With daggers poised in defense, he met the dual onslaught of swords, their metallic clash resonating in the depths of his bones. Tremors coursed through his hands as they absorbed the impact, the strain evident upon his face.

Observing their futile efforts, the young man gritted his teeth against the strain, acknowledging the formidable strength of the knights before him. "What power, as expected from the knight order of Camelot," he muttered through clenched teeth, a testament to their relentless assault. Despite his valiant efforts, the relentless force of their blades gradually forced him to yield, his form pressed inexorably toward the unforgiving ground.

"Fine, let's get serious, Kyōka!" With a determined resolve, he invoked the arcane incantation, his voice resonating with newfound power as the words danced upon his lips. In an instant, his Magic Circuits ignited, casting a faint luminescence upon his form, a testament to the latent potential within.

With a surge of energy coursing through his veins, his body underwent a dramatic transformation, his every sinew alight with newfound strength. As the earth trembled beneath him, he pushed against the weight of his adversaries, his daggers clashed against their relentless assault. With a fierce determination burning in his eyes, he surged forward, unleashing a powerful counterattack that sent the knights reeling.

Caught off guard by the sudden reversal, both knights faltered momentarily, their cumbersome armor proving to be their undoing. Seizing the opportunity afforded by their momentary vulnerability, the young man focused his gaze upon his chosen adversary, his mystic eyes ablaze with ethereal light. With a keen perception afforded by his newfound sight, he discerned a network of crimson lines tracing the knight's form, revealing weaknesses yet to be exploited.

The young man surged forward, his determination propelling him towards the knight with unwavering resolve. To the knight's astonishment, the young man seemed to blur, vanishing from his sight before reappearing in a flash, his dagger slicing through the air in a deadly arc from head to toe.

With a swift and decisive strike, the young man severed the knight's lifeline, halting his movements in an instant before he dissipated into the ether, like scattered light fading into darkness. Undeterred by the fate of his fallen comrade, the last remaining knight charged forward with mechanical determination, his focus fixed solely on his remaining adversary.

With a quick glance backward, the young man assessed his opponent before launching himself forward with unparalleled velocity. As they hurtled towards each other, the young man uttered a whispered incantation, "Chikan," his lips barely moving as the words danced upon them.

In an instant, the fabric of reality tore asunder once more, revealing another scenery beyond. Without hesitation, the young man surged into the rift, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye. Bewildered by the sudden disappearance of his adversary, the last knight skidded to a halt, his instincts prickling with foreboding.

But it was too late. From the depths of the torn space, the young man emerged, suspended in mid-air just above his unsuspecting foe. With a rapid descent, he hurtled towards the knight, his twin daggers poised for the final strike.

As he closed in on the final knight, the young warrior performed a devastating finishing move. He plunged his twin daggers into the knight's skull as he descended upon him, then delivered a forceful kick to the shoulder, sending the knight's body tumbling to the earth.

"Fuuh... It's finally over..." Ken sighed with relief as he watched the last knight's body dissolve into light, scattering into the air like a million fireflies dancing in the wind.

"Good work, Ken-senpai. It was a wonderful fight! Here is your towel," Mash suddenly appeared at his side, offering a towel to wipe away the sweat that glistened on his brow.

"Thank you, Mash. I'm also quite surprised that the Chaldea Simulator room managed to generate perfect duplicates of the enemy and scenes from every singularity we have encountered," Ken replied, accepting the towel and glancing around as the once lush green plains transformed into a vast, pristine white chamber.

Ken recalled snippets from his past memories about the existence of such rooms in Chaldea, though he had never witnessed them firsthand in the game or anime. The realization that multiple such rooms existed within the facility was a revelation in itself, adding a new layer of intrigue to his understanding of Chaldea's capabilities.

"Oh, by the way, where is the other knight who got displaced by my magecraft?"

"I already finished him off, senpai. But seeing your displacement magecraft again is truly a sight to behold."

"Hahaha, it's nothing special, Mash. In the past, I could only use it to support you and the other servants in battle, but now after my body experienced some changes, I finally could incorporate it into my fighting style. How about it, Mash, do you want me to teach you some spells?"

"Hmm, I would want to, but I don't have much talent in that area. Even though my body is also experiencing some changes, I doubt I could catch up with your level of mastery. So, I'm just going to focus on being your shield and protecting you, just like what I did in the past, Ken-senpai."

"You silly girl, it is a man's job to protect his woman, not the other way around. I've also gotten stronger recently, but I appreciate your thoughts, Mash, thank you," Ken chuckled, gently patting her head with his right arm.

Mash blushed furiously at the unexpected praise, feeling a warmth spread through her cheeks at Ken's words. "H-h-his w-w-women..." she stammered softly, her voice barely above a whisper, hoping Ken hadn't heard her slip.

As the two shared a warm moment between them, the door to the simulation room creaked open, revealing a mature woman holding a staff in her hands. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she observed the scene before her, already planning a playful tease for the young pair.

"Ara~Ara~ what did I see in here? A young man and girl flirting with each other in some secluded room. What an ecchi scenario, fufufu," she remarked, her voice laced with amusement as she approached them.

Upon hearing the arrival and playful words of the mature woman, both youngsters halted their activities. Mash's demeanor shifted to that of someone caught red-handed, while Ken merely rolled his eyes, unfazed by the newcomer's teasing.

"Ah, i-it's not like that, Da Vinci-san. Me and senpai just finished our training schedule," Mash stammered, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Stop teasing her, Da Vinci. By the way, why did you come here?" Ken interjected, attempting to divert the conversation.

"Fufufu, I can't resist. Mash is too cute, after all. And I heard from Sion that you have been asking about me since morning. Now that I've finished my business, I dropped by to see both of you," Da Vinci replied with a playful grin, addressing Ken's inquiry.

"Oh right, I forgot about that... Let's talk in our way then," Ken suggested to both women as he led the way out of the simulation room.

Earlier that morning, Ken, roused from slumber, had set out to find Mash and Da Vinci to inquire about something regarding servants.

In the hallway, he encountered Mash and Sion, but the specific mature woman he sought wasn't among them. Turning to Sion, whom he regarded as a fellow companion, Ken inquired about Da Vinci's whereabouts. Sion informed him that Da Vinci was engrossed in her workshop.

Preferring not to interrupt her work, Ken opted to bide his time, honing his newfound abilities with Mash in one of the simulation rooms. Hence, they found themselves engaging in combat against perfect replicas of Camelot knights just moments earlier.

"Hmm, where are we off to now, Ken-kun?" Da Vinci inquired, her curiosity piqued as they strolled along the hallway.

"We're heading to the coffins room. I want to see who is still unawakened. But I also have a very serious question for you, Da Vinci," Ken replied, maintaining their stride.

"Go on, what is it?" Da Vinci prompted, her head slightly tilted in curiosity, while Mash trailed behind, silently listening.

"Da Vinci, are you still a servant or a completely new human being right now?" Ken posed the question that had been weighing on his mind since yesterday, when he had noticed her status in the system.

Taken aback by his query, Da Vinci fell momentarily silent before meeting his gaze with an amused smile. "What, do you think I'm not a servant anymore?"

"What do you mean, senpai?" Even Mash, who followed behind, found herself puzzled by Ken's question.

"If Dr. Romani, who was supposed to be deceased and previously a servant, was resurrected in this new world with a new body, then theoretically, Da Vinci, who was also deceased and in a state of a heroic spirit when Chaldea was transported from our original world, should also be alive right now. Am I correct, Da Vinci-chan?"

Upon hearing the young man's speculation regarding her current state, Da Vinci's smile brightened as she chuckled. "Fufufu, ding dong! You're nearly right. The universal genius, Da Vinci-chan, is indeed resurrected, just like everyone else."

"Huh? So, you're a pure human being now, Da Vinci-san?" Mash expressed surprise at the confirmation of her being alive, her happiness evident. She was relieved that Da Vinci, too, had been granted a second chance at life.

"And that's where you're mistaken, Mash. I'm very much alive as a human being, but my power as a heroic spirit remains intact. I can even feel my parameters increasing, and I don't feel restricted by my saint graph anymore," Da Vinci explained, her voice tinged with confidence.

"So, you're now akin to a demi-servant with full capabilities?" Ken inquired, intrigued by Da Vinci's revelation.

"Yep, without constraints from the saint graph, I'm qualified to have two classes as Caster and Rider. Heck, I even got new skills and Noble Phantasms. My second NP is a cool mobile fortress capable of driving anywhere through the imaginary number space; it is parked in the warehouse inside a container now."

Da Vinci revealed more information about her current condition to Ken and Mash. She explained with some pride and a smug face, crossing her arms just below her twin mountains, causing them to jiggle.

"Wow, I'd love to see it," Mash exclaimed, her curiosity piqued by Da Vinci's description of her second Noble Phantasm.

"I'll show it to you later, Mash. Perhaps we could use it to explore this prehistoric area or venture out into the outside world," Da Vinci suggested, her eagerness apparent, though whether it stemmed from genuine excitement or a desire to flaunt her NP remained ambiguous.

"Um, I think it'll be fun. Just like when we were riding in the desert back in the Camelot singularity," Mash nodded at her suggestion, remembering their past adventure.

"So, I guess your connection with the Fate system is also cut off then?" Ken inquired, his brow furrowing in curiosity. "And now you are using your own mana without any external support?"

"Yes," she confirmed with a nod, her expression solemn. "I don't receive any more mana from it, and I also don't have a master to help me with it."

"Then, do you want to be my servant?" Ken's voice held a hint of eagerness as he proposed the idea. "With my endless magical energy, I could provide for you without even getting any strain now."

A playful smirk tugged at her lips. "Wow, are you trying to hit on me right now when Mash is with us, Ken-kun?" She teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "What bold moves, fufufu."

Meanwhile, Ken continued walking with a deadpan expression, seemingly unaffected by her jest. However, a certain eggplant behind them chimed in agreement. "I don't mind sharing senpai with you, Da Vinci-san."

Upon hearing the girl's words, they both paused, taken aback. They turned to look at the purple-haired girl who was tilting her head in confusion. "D-did I say s-something wrong?"

Both Ken and Da Vinci felt that she didn't seem to understand their joke. Both of them apparently noticed and deemed that Mash was still clueless about that kind of emotion, thinking that it was a good thing for Da Vinci to build a master-servant link with her senpai.

Just as Ken was about to tell her that she misunderstood the context, Da Vinci quickly interrupted him by holding his right hand with the red tattoo on top of his palm with both of her hands. "I, Leonardo Da Vinci, am willing to establish a servant contract with Ryougi Ken and acknowledge him as my master."

With those words spoken, a brief glow emanated from the red tattoo on Ken's left hand, signaling the formation of a connection between them. Ken sensed a faint connection with Da Vinci. The narcissistic woman also felt the same before she flashed him a smile.

"Now, I'm officially one of your servants. I hope you take care of me from now on, master~ fufufu~" Da Vinci teased before striding towards the coffin room.

Feeling perplexed by what just happened, Ken stared blankly at the red tattoo on his right hand. "Congratulations, senpai. Now you have a second servant contracted with you, and Da Vinci-san also doesn't need to worry about her mana supplies anymore," his kouhai, who was now standing before him, said with a smile. She seemed proud about it somehow. Ken, on the other hand, felt the corner of his left eye twitching.

"Mash, come on, quickly!" Da Vinci called out, turning back and gesturing for Mash to hasten her pace. "Let's go, Senpai," Mash urged, and with that, she briskly walked ahead alongside the older woman.

Ultimately, Ken could only sigh, a weary look crossing his face as he shook his head. "Women..." he muttered under his breath, before continuing his walk towards his intended destination.

.....