𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖆'𝖘 𝖀𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗

Eleven: One-Liners

(Aleksei is an absolute savage in this chapter, so be warned. It may get a tad bit offensive.)

"Fuck, I knew it was going to be an avenger," Aleksei grumbled when the five grail summoned servants finally arrived to the wreckage.

"What on earth?" The avenger squinted. "Who knew... Who knew such a thing could happen?" She suddenly grinned at her Ruler self's face. "Could someone please pour some water on me. This is bad. It's awful. I think I'm really going to lose it."

"I don't approve of selfcest."

"What?" The two looked at Aleksei in disgust.

"What about this made you think selfcest?"

"Oh I don't know, all of it?"

"Yeah Aleksei, that was a bit uncalled for," Chulainn snickered. "But still funny--" He wheezed.

"How annoying," The avenger glowered. "Isn't this ridiculous, Gilles? Oh," She glanced around. "I see, we didn't bring Gilles along."

"So that's the mastermind," The Russian murmured in his native language.

"You... Who are you?" The ruler demanded of the avenger, who looked unimpressed.

"I could ask the same of you... Right, as a leader, let me answer that," The dragon witch smirked widely. "I am Jeanne d'Arc. The saint devoted to France... the other me."

"What?" The ruler snapped. "That's nonsense. You're no saint, just as I am no saint. But," She pursed her lips. "That is already a thing of the past. More importantly, why did you attack this town?" Jeanne demanded of her alter.

"Why, you ask?" The avenger scoffed. "As the same Jeanne d'Arc, I thought you would understand. Are you stupid now that your alignment has changed?"

"Pretty much."

"Aleksei!"

"I don't know whether to like you or to hate you," Jeanne's alter narrowed her eyes at the master before they shifted back to her other self. "The reason I attacked this city... what a foolish question, it's obvious!" She smirked deviously. "It is for the sole purpose of destroying France. I am, after all, a servant. Politically, economically, these methods take too long. Is it not better to simply physically crush everything?"

"Such foolishness!" The ruler exclaimed.

"Such foolishness?" The avenger parroted. "The foolish ones are us, Jeanne d'Arc. Why did you want to save this country? Why did you want to bring salvation to these people?" Her face contorted with anger. "All while knowing that they are the ones who spit on and betrayed us!"

"That is--"

"I will be fooled no longer," Jeanne alter did not let her righteous self continue. "I will be betrayed no longer. I no longer hear the voice of the lord."

"So your scitzophrenia is cured? Good for you."

"...That settles it," The alter grinned. "I like you, Aleksei was it?"

"That's right," He confirmed. "Would you like to contract with me?"

"As much of a.." She trailed off, her eyes moving over his companions. "Temptation as that is, I will have to refuse. You're travelling with my other self, so our goals would not align."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," The Russian shrugged. "Oh well, I tried."

"You said seven words and you call that trying?" Fujimaru deadpanned at him before huffing. "You're unbelievable."

"What are your goals?" Jeanne picked up right where Aleksei finished off, causing her alter to raise an eyebrow before going somber.

"I will remake France into a land of the dead, for as long as the human race exists, so will my hatred."

"Why..."

"I suppose you could never understand," She smiled as she went on. "Always playing the saint. Impossible for a pretty little holy virgin who pretends not to see hatred and joy and is incapable of human growth!"

"No," Romani suddenly spoke up out of nowhere. Aleksei blinked. Why is he butting in? "What is human growth to servants? If you're going to call it something, you would rank up as a heroic spirit."

"...There appears to be a noisy fly here," The avenger sneered. "Should I kill it if it gets too annoying?"

"Wait wha--" Romani's voice grew panicked. "The console's on fire! That servant can burn her enemies with just a glare?!"

"Nice, shutting Romani up is always a feat."

"You're getting meaner by the second."

"I am influenced by those around me."

"Are you.." The ruler looked the avenger dead in the eye. "Really me?"

"I have played my part for you so clearly," She scoffed. "Yet you still have doubts? This rage," The alter smirked darkly. "Is an ugly justice. It's not that you cannot understand it, you do not even have the will to try. But I understand," Her smirk turned to a grin. "Seeing you, I have realized all there is to the heroic spirit that is myself.  You are neither Ruler nor Jeanne d'Arc. You are nothing but some leftover residue that I threw away."

"You definitely downsized in the boob department."

"ALEKSEI!" All of the females around him shrieked.

"...I take it back," The dark Jeanne growled. "Perverts like you deserve to die in the most painful way imaginable. Berserk Lancer, Berserk Assassin, finish off that country girl. I'll kill that bastard myself."

"Very well," The lancer agreed. "Now I will have your blood."

"Not so fast my king," The assassin, it seemed, spoke up. "I would like to partake of her flesh and blood as well as her insides."

"So greedy," The king laughed. "And her soul? Who gets to take her soul?"

"Vlad is that you?" Aleksei squinted. "Yeah, it is. And the goth bitch, uh, Carmilla? Or Elizabeth? Wait, they're the same person."

"You know us?" The two narrowed their eyes in slight surprise and intrigue.

"Such a rude boy," The assassin rolled her eyes. "Tossing around true names like potatoes."

"Touch him and I'll send you crawling back to the Throne," Medusa growled, her chains out and ready to go.

"Mash, you can take the goth bitch. Cu, prove you're the superior lancer," Aleksei challenged, so immediately the lancer was on it with a grin. Mash took a second to glance at her own master, who nodded his approval.

They started fighting, both sides on almost equal footing. Chulainn was more than holding his own against Vlad, and Mash was somehow able to endure Carmilla's attacks. "You," The blood countess sneered. "You smell horrible. A girl of such tender years, yet so battle-hardened. How contradictory. Who is she?" She glanced back at Jeanne, who blinked.

"A demiservant," She told her. "An anomoly, a cross between a human and a servant. That was my mistake," The avenger grimaced. "You two are crueler than the others, but that's why you're so playful," Her expression returned to normal. "Let the remaining three join you. Kill that girl."

"Master..." Enkidu whispered as they stood next to Aleksei. It was clear that they wanted to end the fight, and the Russian would not be opposed to that. However, they were in a group setting, so he had to glance at the other master to see if he wanted to end this as well.

With the way he was looking, Mash must be taking up quite a lot of energy from him. Thus, the Russian nodded his consent to his servant. "Finish all of them except the avenger," He murmured to them.

Immediately, gold chains rocketed from the ground, taking out all of the other servants. Chulainn whistled. "Damn, now that's how you end a fight."