Prologue/Dec 31st, 2019

(Huff... Huff... Huff...!)

？！

(Pant, pant, pant...!) I never thought I'd be...forced to run a marathon...on top of a mountain...!

If anything, you should be...(pant)...praising me for...(pant)...fighting valiantly all on my own! (Gasp!)

Not a fan of long-distance running? It's okay, if you want to sit down and take another break, we don't mind.

But you should know that we're not going to wait for you another second!

You think I don't know that!? Come on, pick up the pace!

Before more of those Oprichniki catch up to

Okaaay, that's far enough♡ Looks like you're not going to be crossing this particular finish line, are you?

？！

Th-this is terrible! Those things have captured Koyanskaya!

...I see. After my quick thinking let me escape from the Command Room before anyone else...

...she must have found herself all alone, and was forced to give herself up. The poor thing...

No, Mr. Goredolf, the Oprichniki didn't capture her. She's the one leading them!

I don't know why she did it, but I think she's the one who orchestrated this attack on Chaldea!

Y-you're joking! Then, you mean she's been deceiving me all this time!?

That she only traveled far and wide and worked herself to the bone so I could land Chaldea for HER sake instead of mine!?

Dammit! You little minx! How dare you toy with an innocent man's heart like that!?

Oh my, I think we have a misunderstanding, Your Excellency.

We recommended Chaldea to you as a purchase with tremendous value. We were completely honest about that.

You saw its value, accepted the offered price, and invested your personal fortune. We assassinated your rival bidders to guarantee your purchase.

As a result, you gained sole rights over Chaldea and its property, and we were able to complete our objective without the Association interfering.

That sounds like a win-win to me. But then you go and call me a minx...?

I'm normally very gentle, but that really ruffles my feathers.

So now we're going to kill you all. It's time for all of you to pay up for everything you're worth♡

...! Master, Mr. Musik, get back!

Her smile is utterly false! I've...I've never sensed such fierce bloodlust before...!

Ooh, I'm impressed, shield girl. I guess you really do know a Servant when you see one.

But don't worry your pretty little head, mmkay? I couldn't care less about other Servants, so I'll make sure to kill you quickly.

The only prey I really like to take my time with is of the human variety. The ones I'm really fond of, I like to stuff and mount on my walls.

In fact, I've got quite a nice collection now, if I do say so myself. You know how some people like to hunt foxes? It's just like that, only with humans.

Goredolf isn't worth my time, but you just barely make the grade, Fujimaru.

I think you'd look wonderful on my mantle. Oh, but I will have to remove those unsightly limbs first.

Aaah! C-c-come on, Fujimaru, do something! You're a Master, right!?

Don't worry, I've got these soldiers' figured now. Mash, you just hang behind and back me up.

If that's all we're up against, I should be able to

Handle them yourself? I don't think so. Not when we have the invincible Grand Duchess on our side.

...

Death to those who would disobey the glorious tsar. Eradication to those who would betray us.

Viy, I will wish this myself. I will curse them myself.

We will reduce all good people to stone, to ice, to nothingness.

Open your Wicked Eye, Viy!

That's the witch who surrounded Chaldea...! She's a Servant! She froze the entire east hall solid!

This is it. I'm really done for this time!

You're no match for her, Da Vinci! She's got you beat in abilities and looks aliOof!

Whoops! Sooorry! I really should be more careful with my staff! But if you don't have anything helpful to say, how about you be a dear and shut the hell up!?

That said, Fujimaru, I'm afraid Goredolf isn't totally wrong.

She IS a Servant. And not the kind we know, either.

...Make sure you're ready to back me up with those Command Spells. We need to settle this quickly, before she gets serious!

...

It's useless. A Servant from Proper Human History has no chance against one from the Lostbelt.

She's survived hardships and environments you can't even imagine. You never stood a chance.

Though I will say you did pretty well, at least for Servants from this cushy world.

Yes, I can see she has quite the formidable Spirit Origin! And you know what they say: the bigger they are, the more common their weakness!

Here, I'll show you what I mean! Thanks for being so incorrigibly smug!

A bomb!? Ack! Better cover my ears!

An anti-spiritual body flashbang...

She's a clever inventor, that Servant. But I'm betting she's just about run out of tricks.

Let's go after them, Your Imperial Highness. There's nowhere left for them to run. They're trapped like rats.

Rats, rats, rats... There were a lot of rats in that house, too.

All they know how to do is gnaw at their surroundings and multiply...and multiply...

Still, I recognize that that is one of Proper Human History's greatest strengths.

If their strength lies in multiplying, we will show our strength in eradicating them all the more fiercely.

Our world, the Lostbelt we come from, is a cruel and frigid place.

How laughable to think they consider this mild environment cold. Soon, we will show them what true hell is.