As the Red Rider and Red Archer swiftly darted through the forest, the six Black Servants did the same, albeit slower than the Red Faction's agility.
It wasn't because they couldn't run fast or were unaccustomed to moving through the forest; it was simply that their current speed was sufficient.
Divided into three groups, the Black Rider Astolfo and Black Archer Chiron formed the first group, Black Berserker Vlad III and Black Caster Avicebron the second, and Black Saber Siegfried and Black Assassin Matou Shinji the third.
The first group was to intercept and take down the advancing Red Berserker Spartacus; the second group was to coordinate and monitor the battlefield; and the third group was responsible for sniping any potential reinforcements. After all, the Red Faction wouldn't be foolish enough to let Spartacus charge alone, even if they considered him expendable.
To execute Darnic's plan, all six Black Servants stationed at Millennia Castle had been mobilized with the sole objective of bringing Spartacus under control.
"Will it be that smooth?"
Even on their way to the battlefield, Astolfo remained carefree, as if he were heading to a picnic rather than a battle.
"The outcome of a battle is only determined at its conclusion. The Red Berserker is a formidable foe."
Walking through the forest, Chiron's presence melded seamlessly with the environment. Unlike human-made fortresses, he preferred coexisting with nature.
"It's fine, it's fine. We have four people to capture him, even the Caster left his workshop. Plus, I always feel our Berserker is more dangerous than theirs."
Astolfo rested his hands behind his head, glancing sideways at Chiron, whose expression remained calm.
"Because this was once his territory, I can feel the ley lines responding to him."
"Ah, that's nice. I wish I could be summoned to my homeland too. I'd probably be stronger—although I'm already pretty strong—ouch!!!"
Before he could finish, Astolfo suddenly yelped in pain.
It wasn't because his carefree attitude had annoyed Chiron and earned him a reprimand; it was purely his own doing. He was so engrossed in talking that he failed to watch where he was going and collided headfirst with a large tree. While unenchanted objects couldn't cause substantial harm to a Servant, it didn't mean it didn't hurt. After all, they weren't incorporeal spirits immune to physical impact.
"You should watch where you're going. I worry you might make such mistakes in battle," Chiron said with a resigned sigh, stopping in his tracks.
"Ow, ow, ow—got it."
Astolfo held the spot where he had hit himself and performed a quick recovery, jumping up from the ground.
After several more minutes, the two arrived at the battlefield and witnessed a gruesome scene.
The Red Berserker was utterly disregarding the homunculi and golems deployed to intercept him. It was a scene of utter devastation, but the Black Servants displayed no anxiety. Such combat behavior was expected of heroic spirits and not worth being overly alarmed about.
"Still, this level of destruction is a bit much."
"It's truly brutal. That Berserker is a monster who slaughters enemies with sheer brute force, without employing any technique. He requires no arcane reasoning, existing solely for battle. Perhaps he didn't become like this due to the Berserker class frenzy; it's more likely that no other class suits him."
Chiron agreed with Astolfo's observation.
Surrounding them were numerous golems, far more than they had encountered earlier. Yggdmillennia had mobilized over half of their war assets for this operation.
"Do you think Archer and I will be killed like that?"
"Given that absurd strength, it's a possibility. We must at least avoid a direct hit."
"Understood. I'll do my best," Astolfo's voice revealed not a hint of battle spirit.
In response to this blatant attitude, Archer whispered:
"You seem a bit uneasy. If you sacrifice yourself here, you won't be able to save him, you know?"
"I-I know!"
Standing up and patting his cheeks, Rider re-energized himself. As if to say, "Bring it on anytime," he picked up his weapon—a beautifully decorated golden lance.
"Rider, in a sense, you are about to undertake the most dangerous task. Do not let your guard down."
With that, Archer shifted into spirit form and gradually moved away. He was likely returning to his original position on the castle walls. Left alone, Rider sighed and muttered to himself:
"Oh dear. I'm not good at this sort of thing. I hate it, I hate how dangerous it is. But I have no choice but to give it my all!"
In a very bright voice—almost as if in response—the sounds and vibrations gradually approached from the other side of the thicket. However, the figure remained hidden in the depths of the night, making it impossible to capture accurately.
—Is it coming?
◇◇◇
In contrast to the harmony between Chiron and Astolfo, the atmosphere between the other two groups was not as pleasant.
Vlad III carried himself as a lord and generally did not initiate conversation with his "subordinates."
Avicebron was not adept at interpersonal communication to begin with, and if it weren't for the necessity of combat, he wouldn't even leave his workshop. Since forming their team, their conversations could be counted on one hand:
"Let's go."
"Mm."
"..."
"..."
"We're here."
"I'll go prepare."
"..."
"..."
...
The other group wasn't much better off.
"Siegfried, who do you think we'll encounter this time?"
"..."
"Siegfried, let's discuss our coordination formation."
"..."
"Sieg—"
"..."
Shinji found Siegfried agreeable and was eager to engage with him. Yet, Siegfried had been given the order to remain silent, and no matter what Shinji said, Siegfried did not speak.
Eventually, Shinji, pushed to his limit, directly said, "Siegfried, pass on this message— 'Fatty, make Siegfried talk.'"
Not long after, Shinji received a response—not from Siegfried, but from the other end of the Master-Servant contract, relayed by Fiore.
"Assassin, say less. Uncle Gordes is quite displeased."
"If he's displeased, I'm even more displeased. Is this any way to treat a Servant? I feel bad for Siegfried." Shinji fumed, contemplating if he should take this opportunity to mess with Gordes.
"Perhaps Uncle's attitude towards Servants is problematic, but keeping Saber silent isn't wrong. Saber's weakness is as well-known as Saber himself, and we must prevent any possibility of it being exposed. I believe Saber understands this, which is why he agreed."
That's not the point, you silly girl—Shinji lamented inwardly, unable to explain things to Fiore, and thus stewed in his frustration alone.
Fiore continued from the other end of the contract, "Assassin, you are to protect Saber's back. That's the primary reason you were paired with Saber."
"I understand. Don't worry. And please, protect our backs as well. If Gordes acts recklessly, you must stop him!"
"Uncle Gordes won't."
"I hope so."
Shinji let out a derisive snort. So far, he hadn't seen any change in Gordes.
P.S.: Black Rider Astolfo is invincible, like a tornado destroying a parking lot!!!