"Hey, hey, can someone splash a bucket of cold water on me? I feel like I must have taken the wrong medicine to choose to say so much to a village girl with such a stupid face. To the point where I let you ask me such a meaningless question?"
"Then I'd like to ask, why do you want to save this country? Why do you want to save these stupid people?"
Jeanne Alter said with a face full of mockery.
Jeanne didn't hesitate. She opened her mouth to speak her mind:
"That is because—"
Jeanne Alter interrupted immediately.
"Oh? Are you going to spout your useless grand principles again?"
"The current me is different from before. No matter what you say, I won't be deceived again, nor will I allow betrayal! For this country that is no longer favored by the Lord, my method is only one—Destruction!"
"Pull up all the seeds of sin by the roots, and burn the human race that caused all this to ash!"
"And you, who always puts on that saintly, pure face... you are nothing but the dregs I discarded!"
Jeanne Alter pointed at Jeanne, her face full of contempt.
Faced with such wretched humans, such a wretched country, and having been betrayed, yet you hold no resentment, no thought of revenge? You even turn around and want to save them...
This girl really isn't normal, is she?
Not getting angry, not resenting, not seeking revenge—without a doubt, this defect in front of me, wearing the same face, is just a ghost wanting to repeat history. Just residue I threw away.
Jeanne Alter firmly believed this.
This way of conversation, giving her absolutely no chance to speak, made Jeanne's face flush red, and her grip on the flagstaff tightened.
While Jeanne Alter was talking endlessly with Jeanne, Takumi was already analyzing the situation on the field.
The enemy had five Servants. Although the possibility of Martha and d'Eon holding back was high, they were ultimately under the enemy's control.
The remaining Vlad III and Carmilla were typical Anti-Heroes. After being granted Madness Enhancement, their strength might not increase much, but they would definitely fight hard.
Plus Jeanne Alter, an existence who occupied most of Jeanne's Spirit Origin and was specialized for offense...
Comparing the lineups of both sides, Takumi reached a conclusion.
Can't win. Absolutely can't win.
With this quality, even if they didn't bring a dragon, they weren't something the current Takumi and Jeanne could touch.
So, taking advantage of the time Jeanne Alter was speaking, Takumi secretly drew Runes that could be used to conceal their figures.
[Grab my hand. Get ready to run.]
Using the connection between Master and Servant, Takumi transmitted his thought to Jeanne.
After saying that, Takumi grabbed Jeanne's free hand.
Can we really escape in this situation?
Although Jeanne doubted the possibility of the two escaping, she didn't voice it. She believed that if Takumi dared to say so, he definitely had a reason.
She squeezed Takumi's hand back.
"Hey, hey, what exactly are you doing, you village girl? Are you actually flirting with a man at a time like this? Or have you finally decided to discard that pointless mask of a saint?"
Jeanne Alter saw this scene and sneered immediately.
And such an ugly man, too.
Jeanne Alter felt pathetic for Jeanne's taste.
"To say such vulgar things..."
Jeanne's face turned red instantly, looking at Jeanne Alter in disbelief.
Takumi stood there expressionless.
He had heard enough trash talk online, and he didn't deny that he was a bit ugly right now.
As long as Jeanne didn't dislike him, that was enough.
A flash of inspiration cleared Jeanne's chaotic thoughts. Her hand gripping the flagstaff relaxed.
She already had a guess about Jeanne Alter's existence.
"You... are you really 'me'?"
Jeanne asked calmly.
"Hah? I think I've performed simply and clearly enough for you to see, haven't I? And you still ask..."
Jeanne Alter's voice stopped abruptly, and her face suddenly darkened.
Because she saw pity in Jeanne's eyes.
"I acknowledge your confidence, and I acknowledge your vengeance. But is this really what you want? Or perhaps, you who claim you won't be deceived again... aren't you actually deceiving yourself?"
Although she instinctively scoffed at these words, Jeanne's words still pierced Jeanne Alter's chest like needles.
If Jeanne Alter knew the term "emotional damage," she would know she had just taken a critical hit.
"Enough! Lancer, Assassin..."
Jeanne Alter was enraged. She summoned her Servants, ready to launch an attack.
Suddenly.
Thick smoke erupted from behind Takumi, completely blocking the vision of Jeanne Alter and the others.
"Now! Run!"
Takumi didn't hesitate. Pulling Jeanne, he ran with all his might.
"Heh! You think you can escape from us with just this?"
Jeanne Alter mocked Takumi's naivety.
The smoke Takumi created was dispersed by Jeanne Alter and her Servants with just a few swings of their weapons. It had almost no effect.
But when they looked toward where Takumi and Jeanne had been, they fell silent.
In just the blink of an eye, the two had run an unknown distance, appearing only as two small black dots on the horizon.
Among them, perhaps only Martha, who had manifested as a Rider, had the speed to catch up.
"Strange. Judging by their appearance, they shouldn't be the type with great footspeed. How could they run so fast...?"
Vlad III looked puzzled.
"If you have time to be puzzled, why didn't you stop them just now?"
Jeanne Alter looked at Vlad III coldly.
"Even if you say that, we didn't know they could run that fast..."
"Shut up! Do you think 'I didn't know' is an excuse? What use are you!"
"This..."
The remaining three Servants watched this scene with great interest, with absolutely no intention of interrupting.
"Rider! It's impossible for them to maintain that speed forever. You're the fastest; go follow them and report their location to us."
After scolding Vlad III thoroughly, Jeanne Alter turned her gaze to Martha.
"...Understood."
Martha was silent for a moment, then rode the Evil Dragon Tarasque she had subdued, chasing in the direction Takumi and Jeanne had fled.
"With Rider watching over there, it should be enough. As for us... go back! Go back and bring Gilles and Fafnir. Next time we meet, I will make sure they die without a grave!"
Jeanne Alter's gaze was so cold it seemed about to freeze.
Fast! Really fast!
With this speed, even a Rider known for speed and Noble Phantasms would have a hard time catching up, right?
Watching the scenery rapidly retreating around her, Jeanne marveled secretly.
Jeanne could sense that she and Takumi seemed to have entered a special state. Time was stretched in this state, and perception of the outside world became blurred. They only took one step, but the result was as if they had sprinted over a dozen steps.
It felt like shrinking the earth to an inch?
After realizing this, Jeanne gave up on excessive independent movement and ran along with Takumi's power and pace.
Unsurprisingly, their speed increased a notch further.
This was the special ability Takumi possessed.
When the thought of wanting to escape or wanting to run faster appeared in his mind, Takumi's movements would accelerate. The speed seemed proportional to the intensity of the thought. At its peak, even Takumi found it hard to describe.
Normally, Takumi would use self-suggestion like "run faster" to use this ability. Although the speed wouldn't be rule-breakingly fast, it had the advantage of being controllable.
After running for an unknown amount of time, Takumi finally stopped, panting heavily.
"Running this far should be enough. They shouldn't be able to catch up for a while..."
Looking back, Takumi said wearily.
"Are you okay?"
Sensing Takumi's declining condition, Jeanne asked with concern.
"It's my first time bringing someone along with this move. Apart from being a bit more tiring than running alone, everything else is fine."
Takumi adjusted his breathing.
"Let's go. There's no time to rest now. The next time Jeanne Alter finds us, we won't be able to escape so easily. We have to find Siegfried quickly."
After speaking, Takumi's breathing had more or less stabilized.
"Now is not the time to be brave. You are Humanity's Last Hope. You must adjust your condition properly."
Jeanne shook her head.
"Let's walk for a few minutes and rest. As you said, they won't catch up for a while."
"...Alright."
Jeanne held Takumi's hand as they walked along the road of a ruined village.
But after walking for only a dozen seconds, they noticed something wrong.
It was quiet. Or rather, unnaturally quiet.
"Ah..."
A low, seemingly unconscious murmur came from an unknown direction, accompanied by abnormal footsteps.
Releasing her hand, Takumi pulled out a Black Key, and Jeanne summoned her flag again, looking around vigilantly.
Clearly, the resting place Takumi randomly found was also a place of trouble.
Looking in the direction of the sound, the two saw the identity of the newcomer.
"This is... a Zombie?!"
Rotting bodies, abnormal walking postures, cloudy eyes—everything proved their identity.
"This number... I'm afraid everyone in this village has been turned into Zombies."
Saying this, Takumi fell silent.
He had actually seen many corpses during this time. Takumi also understood the concept of Zombies from games and anime. But when he actually saw corpses rushing toward him like beasts smelling meat...
He couldn't help but feel a creeping horror.
His fingers drew Rune characters in the air again, and Jeanne also walked forward silently with her flag.
Zombies were, at best, something an ordinary magus could create. They were on the same level as Skeleton Soldiers, or perhaps even inferior. In no time, the two cleared them out completely.
Jeanne prayed for the villagers.
Takumi crossed his arms over his chest, watching Jeanne's actions while involuntarily falling into thought.
Although turning people into Zombies was indeed infuriating, it didn't look like Jeanne Alter's handiwork. After all, how could this efficiency compare to just burning everything with fire?
So it must be some Anti-Hero or Caster causing trouble... Most likely a Caster or Assass—
"Watch your back!"
While Takumi was letting his imagination run wild, Jeanne's exclamation suddenly reached his ears.
A sudden chill hit his back. Takumi had no time to hesitate and immediately used his second special ability.
Dodge!
Sharp claws pierced through Takumi's chest, but the expected scene of flesh and blood flying didn't occur.
Instead, as if passing through a projection, the claws and the arm passed right through, touching nothing.
The attacker clearly hadn't expected this situation. A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes beneath half a skull mask.
Takumi's reaction was incredibly fast. After confirming someone was attacking him, he immediately activated the Rune inscribed on his Black Key.
Unknowingly, the Black Key, which had already left Takumi's hand, lit up with a blue-white light. The runes on it were shining brightly.
Explode!
With a loud bang, a violent explosion engulfed both Takumi and the attacker.
Under Jeanne's despairing gaze, a black shadow shot out from the dust generated by the explosion.
The Phantom Spirit known as the Phantom of the Opera looked gloomily at his clothes, which were tattered from the explosion, and his most severely injured arm, which was bleeding.
Even as a Heroic Spirit, he couldn't have imagined that Takumi, a mere Master, would use such a tactic.
The light of Runes flickered with a hazy color in the dust. Several fireballs suddenly shot out from it, aiming straight for the Phantom.
The Phantom's Agility rank wasn't low. Sensing the attack, he dodged Takumi's fireballs with two leaps.
"Cough, cough... I'm fine."
In the dust, Takumi was half-squatting on the ground, with two glowing, strange symbols in front of him.
Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran in front of Takumi, looking at the Phantom vigilantly.
This guy's Presence Concealment rank was a bit high. Without the Ruler class skills, if her Revelation hadn't reacted just now, she probably wouldn't have been able to detect this treacherous sneak.
Fortunately, both reacted quickly, and Takumi had an ace up his sleeve. Otherwise, they would have reached the "Bad End" early.
"I finally understand why everyone hates Assassins..."
Takumi, having escaped death, felt his heart pounding and looked coldly at the Phantom ahead.
"After all, Presence Concealment is the Assassin class skill. If I didn't use it properly, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"
The Phantom shook the blood beads off his arm and smiled faintly.
Takumi didn't speak.
This was the worst part. There were ridiculously many Servants in FGO, not including those with historical prototypes that hadn't been made into the game yet. Plus, most Servants didn't have high practical value in the game, so Takumi didn't know who this niche Servant was, or what abilities and Noble Phantasm he possessed.
But Jeanne and Takumi shared a consensus—they couldn't let him unleash his Noble Phantasm.
Battle between Servants was basically a clash of Noble Phantasms. Since Jeanne's Spirit Origin was in a semi-crippled state, her Noble Phantasm was also half-crippled. She likely wouldn't have the advantage in a clash.
Moreover, some Noble Phantasms were weird as hell. Even powerful Heroic Spirits could suffer defeat against them.
Without wasting words, Takumi slid his fingers to continue drawing Runes in the air.
Jeanne took the lead, engaging the Phantom while covering Takumi.
The Phantom of the Opera was just a Phantom Spirit, and his background was modern. Even with decent stats, he didn't have many powerful skills. His debuff skills just happened to be ineffective against Jeanne.
Besides that, he didn't even have a decent weapon, relying only on claws comparable to steel to attack.
With the aid of Revelation, even though Jeanne wasn't a Servant known for combat techniques, she didn't lose ground against the Phantom.
Takumi concentrated on carving a combination Rune that could significantly strengthen Jeanne, sparing only a little attention for their battle.
Takumi made no attempt to hide it, and both combatants noticed.
The Phantom had mental issues, but he wasn't stupid. Seeing Takumi's actions, he found an opportunity to throw two darts at Takumi.
He wanted to interrupt the casting.
Dodge!
Takumi gave himself a psychological suggestion. His body didn't move, yet the two darts passed right through him and stuck into the ground diagonally.
"Tsk!"
The Phantom looked at this scene with displeasure. The next second, he was once again entangled with the fiercely charging Jeanne.
This was Takumi's second special ability. After giving himself the suggestion to "dodge," his body would become intangible, like slipping into another dimension. Any attack would pass through his body without causing damage.
After using the psychological suggestion, he could maintain this intangibility for a maximum of 5 seconds. Like the first ability, the stronger the thought, the longer it lasted.
This was also the ability he used during the suicide tactic with Artoria Alter in Singularity F.
As Takumi finished the last stroke, the Rune in front of him turned into white light and disappeared, replaced by a white glow emerging on Jeanne's body.
The stalemate was finally broken. Under the full-force strike of the strengthened Jeanne, the Phantom was knocked back several steps. The fabric of the flag cut through the air, making a whoosh sound, and simultaneously obscured the Phantom's vision.
Once the flag swept away, several fireballs shot out from behind it, attacking the Phantom's position.
BOOM!
Flames splashed everywhere. The Phantom scrambled out of the fire in a sorry state.
I have to use my Noble Phantasm...
The Phantom thought with a grim expression.
"Don't even think about it!"
Jeanne sensed his intent and chased after him without a word.
But the Phantom was an Assassin after all. Aside from class skills, his speed was not to be underestimated. Fighting while retreating, even Jeanne found it hard to catch up.
"Sing... sing..."
A triumphant smile appeared on the Phantom's lips. While fighting and retreating, he gathered Mana to unleash his Noble Phantasm.
—I won't let you use your Noble Phantasm that easily!
Takumi's gaze sharpened.
'Faster! My movements must be faster!'
The suggestion was planted. His first special ability was activated again. But this time, it wasn't for running—it was to accelerate his hand movements.
Time seemed to slow down in his eyes. Rune after Rune appeared beneath his hands during this dilated moment.
To an observer, it looked like he was using High-Speed Divine Words. His hand movements became a blur of inhuman speed. In less than a second, a complex combination Rune was ready.
Stay right where you are!
He pressed his hands firmly against the ground. The Runes before him turned into white light and vanished, and a glowing magic circle appeared beneath him.
The Phantom, who had just leaped into the air, suddenly felt a crushing weight descend upon him. The faint smile on his face vanished instantly.
The next second, he was slammed heavily onto the ground.
Thud!
Jeanne gave the Phantom no chance. Her flag-lance pierced through his flesh and shattered his Spirit Core.
Phantom of the Opera—Retired.
Seeing this, Takumi finally let out a sigh of relief. He tried to stand up but felt a wave of dizziness. A fatigue far deeper than before washed over him.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
Jeanne ran over in time to support Takumi, her eyes filled with worry.
Takumi's condition was now much worse than it had been a moment ago.
"Just a little tired... Let's hurry and move. The longer we delay, the worse it is for us."
Takumi shook his head.
His first special ability didn't consume much stamina when running, but using it to accelerate his physical actions was terrifyingly draining. Just preparing one combination Rune had exhausted him to this extent.
Although Jeanne was worried about Takumi's condition, she knew there was no room for them to rest now.
After a brief adjustment, the two continued their journey.