The situation had clearly become tense. Sure, we had lost a "friend," but revealing his biggest secret... that was a delicate subject at the moment.
"Let's do it this way: if you don't want to say exactly what your abilities are, could you at least give a general idea of what they do? Without explaining their direct benefit... What we need now isn't secrecy. We need clarity!"
"The more we know about each other, the better we can support one another," I said, trying to match the tone of the situation. Of course, without any ulterior motives. None. Absolutely not. Maybe.
"I'll go first if you'd prefer," I offered. The others quickly nodded, and I sighed. "Fine... I can absorb mana—quantities that could approach infinity if I'm given enough time." I looked at them and nodded, as if to say, Your turn now.
Vladimir described his ability as "corruption," with the potential to transform anything into something "stronger"—for a price.
Arjun said his ability was "fire control" at an advanced level—basically like a Clash of Clans wizard, more or less.
Pierre offered only a few words to describe his ability, seeming too embarrassed to elaborate. His description was: "Protection at a cost." Typical Frenchman... even in a survival game, they can only wave the white flag.
Rin's ability could more or less grant wishes—not all wishes, of course, but she didn't mention the limitations, naturally.
And lastly, there was John. John was utterly devastated. He didn't even try to explain, so to Paracelsus' great displeasure, I ended up explaining it for him. John's ability was to foresee the future, as long as he sacrificed something of equal value to what he wanted to know. That was the exact explanation of his power.
After losing his brother, he seemed to have already given up. What an idiot.
Sure, Tom's death hurt deeply. But we couldn't forget that it forced us to confront the real problems head-on.
This is reality. And while it annoyed me that the others weren't completely truthful about their abilities, I couldn't entirely blame them either.
First, we don't know how far we can trust each other. Even though we're a team, nowhere does it say we can't betray our teammates.
Likewise, there's nothing saying we can't go off on our own. That's why everyone is being so cautious.
Tom's death only adds salt to the wound, which doesn't help matters.
As for what I said earlier about John being an idiot…
Why "give up" when, in these missions, there's even the possibility of reviving the dead?
Giving up so early is a sign of weakness, and weakness is the last thing we need right now. I've already told Paracelsus to look after him so he doesn't drag the rest of us down.
There's another point—or rather, two. For one, I've also lied, at least partially. Why should I reveal all my abilities when even one is enough to force submission? Who would willingly fight against infinite reserves of Mana/Prana/Pax?
The fact that I haven't yet reached that level… well, they don't need to know.
And even if I had, as long as I have Abigail, there's little anyone can do to me anyway.
Of course, I'm not the only one in my team hiding abilities, but I know nothing about that.
Even if I did, I doubt I'd care much.
Anyway, shortly after our discussion about abilities, I brought up another crucial topic: the team leader.
Naturally, I claimed that privilege through force.
No one dared challenge Abby, and even the proud Dantes became utterly docile under her gaze. I love having a walking apocalypse on my side.
That said, the attack from the other team raised some questions and brought certain details to light.
The most critical point is this: how could Team Green attack us almost immediately after being summoned when they themselves had only just arrived?
Since we weren't sure, we asked—well, forced—Tom to tell us how this was possible.
He lost his eyesight in the process, but his answer confirmed what we had already suspected: Time displacement
Team Green had arrived here about a week before us and spent all that time preparing.
And before anyone complains, Abby restored his eyesight soon after.
He can see again, of course. Though a bit shaken, it doesn't matter
—it's all for the greater good. Just like a certain white-bearded wizard would say.
.
.
.
Another Dimension Fairy Root Forest
Perched on a thick, sturdy root stood a multi-story workshop.
Here and there, a few corpses were scattered about, but Ophias and his allies paid them little mind. At least here, they were safe and could take a much-needed rest.
Abigail had graciously offered her workshop when we desperately needed shelter. And since we were technically still in the mission area, there was no issue spending time here.
Before we settled in, Abigail created twelve small, abyssal butterflies to search for Team Green's location.
Now, why Abigail even has a workshop like this? That's just a side hobby for her.
Abigail Williams possesses the quasi-qualification of a Grand Caster.
To Understand This, we need to understand Abigail Williams:
I summoned Abigail Williams.
Not just any alternative version—mine is the embodiment of them all. She possesses every ability, every skill, every Noble Phantasm.
When I asked her about this directly, she referred to herself as "the Original."
She is the Abigail who emerged from the Salem Lostbelt, created by the demon-god pillar Raum. Raum's sole purpose was to prove the existence of Outer Gods.
And, well, he succeeded—almost wiping out humanity in the process for his "little experiment."
When Raum's host body was "killed," something formed within Randolph C.'s body: an entity best described as a "Counterforce against Outer things"
This Thing cared for Abigail for years, treating her as his daughter or servant—a bizarre turn of events, but Abigail herself confirms it and even wanted it.
In time, through both Randolph and Yog-Sothoth(the Outer God she serves as a vessel for) Abigail learned countless spells. These ranged from ordinary magecraft to eldritch sorceries capable of disrupting the very balance of existence.
Her mastery of such power has made her strong enough to qualify as a Grand Caster candidate.
However, since Abigail is a Foreigner and incapable of assuming another class, she will likely never truly claim the Grand Caster seat.
Her past hobbies included experimenting on corpses, humans, and monsters—purely as a way to pass the time.
Now that she has a "better job," she's put that pastime on hold for now.
In this dimension, Pax energy is highly concentrated—so much that I set up an absorber far from our hideout. It instantly started supplying me with vast quantities of Pax.
Abigail noticed and tossed me an old grimoire she no longer needed. She told me to study it, implying I should at least learn to defend myself a little.
Under her guidance, I managed to grasp the basics of some magecrafts. Admittedly, these beginner spells were weak, common knowledge, and lacked any mystique. Still, it was a start.
Just as I was about to advance to mid-tier spells, something unexpected happened. Abigail seemed genuinely annoyed.
At first, I assumed it was my mediocre performance. But she quickly dismissed that idea.
When I asked her for an explanation, she got straight to the point:
"Something is trying to enter this space. But because I'm too strong for it, it can't break through."
Who or what wants to come through?
Abigail's eyes instantly turned a fiery red-pink as she shifted into her Fourth Ascension form or how I call it the Gatekeeper Queen Form.
Without delay, we set off, traveling via portal to confront the threat.
And yes, I desperately need her to teach me this portal trick. Seriously, I'm lazy, and having instant travel would be the ultimate luxury. But never mind that—there are more important matters.
There are multiple pathways to and from the mission world. However, they cannot be freely used as entrances or exits because Abigail, as the Gatekeeper of the Outer Doors, has full control over them and her creations.
When we arrived at the nearest passageway, three individuals were standing there, seemingly waiting for us.
A teenager around 15 years old. A short, chubby dude who gave off the vibe of a classic bullying victim—but in a way that made you want to befriend him.
He wore glasses, a tracksuit, and a stylish rocket-shaped ring.
Next to him stood a young adult, around 24 years old, dressed in an entirely black suit accented with white details. Around his neck hung a sand-hourglass pendant. Oddly, he looked incredibly sleepy, though I wasn't sure if it was genuine or just an act. The air around him shimmered with a faintly dusty aura—more like fine grains of sand than ordinary dirt.
And finally, there was an ugly, very old man, around 84 years old, wearing a grotesque, ambiguous smile. His yellow, and sometimes missing teeth made it all worse. He wears a simple blue T-shirt and jeans.
What really caught my attention, though, was what he was holding—a small fairy tale book.
Great. Just great. An offering, a lazy one, and Matou 2.0 have shown up at my "front door." How could this get any worse?
"Greetings, Master of Foreigner. So, you've been hiding here, have you?"
The old man grinned even more repulsively than I thought possible.
"You must be the master of this brats, right?"
I locked deep into his eyes, amused I said "I could ask Abby about arranging an arm prosthetic for your little servant."
I chuckled, glancing briefly at Abigail to gauge her reaction.
She didn't flinch—not even when Hansel momentarily materialized, furious at the insult.
He is pissed like always...
Just as the old man prepared to speak again, Abigail struck. She sent both the old man and the young adult flying a full 10 meters with a single blow. Thankfully for them, their Servants moved in to shield them mid-air.
Abigail was angry—so much so that keys began manifesting in the air around her. Her fury was immense, and then tentacles emerged.
Hansel and Gretel, along with a second, unknown Servant, rushed protectively to shield their Masters.
Meanwhile, the short, chubby teenager stood alone, utterly exposed.
Thousands of keys now swirled in the air, their sharp edges glinting ominously. The three men trembled with fear, fully realizing they had made a grave mistake.
Their plan had been simple: intimidate Team Blue into surrendering. They assumed that, together, they might have stood a chance.
But no.
They hadn't anticipated her.
Abigail Willaims, Keeper of the Gate, the Queen of the Key(s)...
Abigail's voice rang with unrelenting authority as she issued her command:
"Leave now, Master of Ruler, Master of Assassin. Go as far as you can and pray you do not cross my path again. But that will be a challenge, I assure you, with my omnipresence."
But Ruler grabbed a handful of his sand and blew it towards Abigail, saying softly, "Child, your reality needs hope. Sleep and dream of something beautiful."
But the sand, instead of reaching Abigail, halted mid-air, colliding with the chubby teenager nearby. He crumpled instantly, struck unconscious by the mystical sand.
Abigail's eyes glinted with disdain as she responded:
"Dreams hold no power in my presence. I alone dictate reality.
Thousands of keys surged forward, aimed squarely at the Ruler and Assassin Masters. Ruler managed to barely hold off the barrage by conjuring a protective wall of dreamsand walls.
"My child... why...?" Ruler's voice faltered.
A moment later, a single key pierced the Servant's chest, halting their words. Before Abigail could reply, the Ruler crumbled into sand, dissipating into the air.
Abigail, still enraged, summoned an enormous key. Abyssal energy began to course through it, building into a weapon capable of total annihilation.
Just as she prepared to hurl it at the fleeing pair, the teenage boy panicked and intervened.
"Stop! Don't kill them! Take me instead!" he shouted.
Abigail barely acknowledged him, her focus locked on charging the key with devastating energy. In the split second she diverted her attention to power the weapon, the remaining Masters and their Servants vanished into thin air.
All except the teenager.
Standing there, unmoving, he declared, "I will not leave. If I must die, then so be it."
Tears began to well up in his eyes as he faced Abigail. His voice trembled, but his resolve was clear.
"Do it. Attack me. I'm ready!"
I, standing off to the side and utterly confused, finally spoke up:
"Uh... what are you doing?"
He didn't look at me. Instead, he continued addressing Abigail:
"I will sacrifice myself. That is my role, my purpose... Come on, attack me! Do it!"
Still fuming from the others' escape, Abigail hurled the massive, energy-infused key at the boy. The sheer size and power of the weapon cast a dark shadow over him as it closed in.
Then, just before impact, something extraordinary happened.
A crude, amateur-looking construct materialized before the boy. Shaped like a three-piece rocket, its metallic sections were bolted together, seemingly by an inexperienced hand. Inside its compartments lay two animals—both encased in protective mechanisms.
The creatures gazed at us with expressions that were both ridiculous and oddly resolute. Their eyes conveyed intelligence and, more importantly, a profound willingness to sacrifice themselves for the boy.
The rocket started to hover half a meter above the ground, its tip starting to spin. Angled toward Abigail's massive key, its reflective surface caught the confusion mirrored on both my face and Abigail's, a bewildered expression glinting faintly in the cockpit glass.
From within the cockpit, a robotic voice emerged, seemingly originating from the rocket itself rather than the two animals inside:
"Forgotten, yet always here."
"Alone, yet so much achieved."
"Died for nothing, in the name of progress."
"Loved, yet betrayed."
"For no one should suffer as we have."
"And we will bear the suffering instead."
"Once, again, always."
The rocket suddenly erupted in a brilliant, blinding yellow light. Its metallic structure disintegrated into a radiant glow, leaving behind only the two animals. Floating mid-air in their restrictive metallic enclosures, they hovered protectively in front of their master.
The animals became visible:
A white cat with black patches scattered across its face and body. It radiated a calm, almost resigned demeanor, as though accepting its fate.A white dog, adorned with brown spots, its expression soft but deeply sorrowful, carrying an air of quiet bravery.
The metallic constructs restraining them hinted at the pain and hardships they had endured:
The cat was confined in a device resembling an anti-scratch enclosure, often used for injured cats, yet it was needlessly bound with straps.The dog was held in something resembling a crude crib-like structure, as if meant to both restrain and mockingly comfort it.
As the animals closed their eyes, they prepared for death, their only goal to protect their master. The final words rang out like a requiem:
"Sacrifices for the Starry Sky."
Night fell ( it was daytime before), and the world stood still. The stars shimmered with an unusual vibrancy, as if they were celebrating, eagerly anticipating something yet to come.
The Noble Phantasm was invoked.
Despite the animals' ultimate defiance, Abigail's key continued its relentless path. The massive, abyssal weapon held firm, cutting through their defenses with an unwavering resolve.
And then it struck.
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Greetings Mortals, Its me again, your GilgameshAlter.
I hope you like my new chap :)
So who do you think is the Ruler servant we meet today?
And who is the Servant in the end?
Questions over Questions hehe
I wish you a good Night/Morning/Day
Dont forget to Review too, maybe you dont need it, but I would really be happy about good or bad reviews, I want to write a story for ME and for YOU...
So I would need your help with that hehe