"How can we possibly do that?" Tristan said, putting his hands on his hips and speaking with righteousness. "We Round Table Knights have a strong sense of personal dignity. We cannot admit to being idiots."
"I seem to recall Mordred calling you an idiot quite a bit..."
"That's different! I have never admitted to being a fool!"
"Hiss..."
Ei scratched his head and looked at the two Sakura Keys. "For argument's sake, why do we have to listen to BB in the first place?"
He paused, then analyzed seriously, "The biggest taboo in horror movies is splitting up. BB clearly wants to weaken us and defeat us one by one. Why should we let her succeed? Besides, we already have the key. Can she actually stop us from going upstairs?"
"What if it's a trap?" Gawain asked.
"We have four people: two Round Table Knights and one Fairy Round Table Knight. I ask you, who can we not beat with this lineup? Let her bring on a Grand or a Beast if she dares."
Gawain and Tristan nodded thoughtfully, finding his argument very sound.
"Baobhan Sith, what do you think?"
"I think whatever works," she said, having no strong preference. "Just end this boring farce quickly. I want to go home."
"Alright, then I'll consider it a unanimous vote. Let's ignore BB and go up as a group."
With that, he inserted the key into the roller door locking the second floor.
Immediately, a sharp alarm blared.
The school hallway lights suddenly came on, but they flashed a dangerous, pulsing dark red!
"How disappointing~ Senpai didn't follow BB-chan's orders and let all the idiots come upstairs. BB-chan is so upset her chest is practically tearing... So, I must arrange a Punishment Time for everyone."
"???"
Click.
She seemed to have pressed a button.
At the end of the dark-red hallway, a tall, thin ghostly figure suddenly appeared.
The figure wore heavy, gray armor and a ferocious mask with fanged teeth that looked like a mocking, wide smile. The dark-red light hitting the mask gave off a, ugh, suffocating sense of menace in every possible way.
"That is..."
Baobhan Sith, with her dark vision, was the first to clearly make out the figure and gasped sharply.
"Next to greet Senpai is our Horror House's strongest ghost NPC, Teacher Tezcatlipoca, who will be in charge of catching everyone. Senpai, be sure not to let him catch you~"
Holy sh—, TEZCATLIPOCA!!!!
A mere haunted house actually contains a Grand Class Servant?!
Ei shuddered violently and frantically jammed the key into the keyhole, trying to unlock the door. But the dark-red light flickered on and off, making it impossible to see the lock!
"WOOOH-OH-OH-OH-OH!"
At that moment, Tezcatlipoca, shrieking a strange cry, rushed toward them with astonishing momentum.
Ei's scalp instantly tingled with terror. He jammed the key and violently twisted it, then frantically pulled open the roller door.
"Run, everyone, run!"
Just then, Tezcatlipoca reached their position.
The four of them involuntarily screamed, then immediately turned and fled toward the stairs to the second floor.
However, Gawain, who was closest to Tezcatlipoca, didn't manage to escape. In the blink of an eye, his cry was heard as the shrieking Tezcatlipoca tackled him.
Swoosh!
The lights suddenly went out. Gawain and Tezcatlipoca vanished into the darkness at the stairwell.
Damn it! Gawain got caught!
"WOOOH-AOW-AOW-AOW! SHOO!"
But before the three of them could mourn Gawain, Tezcatlipoca rushed back up with horrifying pressure, forcing them to run even faster.
The three terrified survivors ran and argued.
"Tristan, it's up to you to take down Teacher Tezcatlipoca!" Ei yelled.
"Why me?! Are you serious about having a student fight a Grand-class teacher?"
"I don't have a Noble Phantasm, and Baobhan Sith is a girl! You're the most reliable one here right now," he argued. "Don't you Round Table Knights have a creed to help children and women? I'm a child, and Baobhan Sith is a woman! We desperately need your help! Please, I'll give you 5 QP!"
"Since when are you a child?"
"I'm still a youth at heart!" he shouted.
"Fine. Although it sounds absurd, it has a point. Fleeing here is not the act of a Knight."
With that, Tristan abruptly stopped running and opened his golden eyes. He drew his Noble Phantasm and stood his ground directly in front of the relentlessly charging Tezcatlipoca.
"Alright, I, Tristan, shall become a firm shield, standing in the—"
The terrifyingly masked Tezcatlipoca lunged at him.
"...standing in front of the enemy, protecting my allies and the lady..."
Tezcatlipoca, apparently running too fast, accidentally lost his mask.
Beneath the horrifying mask was an even more horrifying face.
Tristan broke.
"I'm sorry, but this is still too scary!"
Before Tezcatlipoca could reach him, he made an instantaneous decision and fled forcefully.
"Why are you back, Tristan?! Can't you just sacrifice yourself cleanly for the team and massively elevate your value?!" Ei cried out.
"I won't! Teacher Tezcatlipoca is truly too outrageous... I don't want to go alone! I would be inconsolably grief-stricken!"
"It's okay! At least Sir Gawain will accompany you on the way down. If we all escape, how lonely would Gawain be all by himself? Who will he make mashed potatoes with down there later?"
"At least let me have a married woman accompany me on the way down! I don't want mashed potatoes!"
"Hah... Hah..."
Baobhan Sith, who had been running fast initially, suddenly slowed down and gradually lagged behind the group. Her breathing became increasingly rapid and disordered, and her pretty face was flushed. She was clearly running out of stamina.
Oh no, Ei thought with alarm. While Baobhan Sith's Agility stat was high enough, her Endurance was severely lacking. She would probably be caught by Tezcatlipoca soon.
If Baobhan Sith got caught, this entire test of courage would be meaningless! He had finally created an opportunity to deepen his bond with her and learn her skill set. How could he give up now?
He had to find a way to break this situation!
He looked at the exhausted Baobhan Sith, then at Tristan running beside him.
Ei took a deep breath.
"...Tristan, I'm truly sorry, but your brother has no choice. Someone has to be sacrificed..."
"Huh?"
"After this is over, I'll properly introduce you to a married woman. Any kind you want!"
"HUH?!"
Ei suddenly raised his hand and grabbed his shoulder.
[You activated the skill "Knight's Loyalty to Death (Empty-Handed) EX"]
[You gained the temporary weapon "Tristan's Sorrow"]
Holy Lance, anchor away!
He single-handedly grabbed the tall, slender Tristan and hefted him like a red spear.
Then, like throwing a javelin, he violently hurled Tristan backward toward the enemy!
"Hit Tezcatlipoca, 'Tristan's Dirge!'"