Land of Shadows Battleground Blitz - Prologue

So, there you have it.

Now stand up! Bow!

Very good.

？！

I-I'm just as lost as you, Senpai. One moment, we run into Scáthach in the hall, and the next, we're Rayshifting.

Can you tell us what's going on, Scáthach? And why are you wearing that costume?

Fujimaru. Mash.

Right now, under these circumstances, I am not your Servant.

I am your teacher, here to guide you on this new journey.

？！

Indeed. Listen well, both of you.

R-right.

... ...

...If possible, I would like you to address me as "Ms. Scáthach."

Yes, Ms. Scáthach!

？！

Much better.

The road to humanity's restoration is long and arduous.

Humanity has been bleached away, and those of us who remain are once again fighting for our right to exist.

And while your Servants may have plenty of experience on the field of battle, you, Master, do not. At least, not when it comes to fighting as a Master.

？！

Indeed, you cannot.

This is no fault of your own, of course. As the last Master of all humanity, you do not exactly have a wealth of contemporaries to look to for direction.

I suppose we could find a few Servants who have also served as Masters if we were to look hard enough, but

Wait a moment, Scáthach.

Isn't this why we have the simulator? So that SenpaiMaster, can gain the experience he needs for battle?

The simulator does indeed work well for practicing individual battles, but that is as far as it goes.

In a war with all of humanity at stake, we will also need to keep a firm eye on the larger picture.

Let me ask you this, Master. What is the worst thing that could happen in this situation?

Wrong. That would only be the ultimate result of this catastrophe.

The correct answer is your death.

Correct.

？！

Servants cannot exist without a Master, which makes your continued survival of the utmost importance.

And since there are no other Masters left in the entire world right now, our fate is entirely in your hands.

And since all other potential Masters in this world are on the enemy's side, our fate is entirely in your hands.

As such, it is your duty to continue winning at all costs.

However, that does not mean you must always win every battle no matter what.

What good could it do to win the battle but lose the war?

If you must, at times, flee the field of battle, we can make up those losses later, so long as you yet live.

Today, you will learn from both defeat and victory. That is the purpose of this Grail Front!

？！

That's right.

That is why I have modeled this environment after my own Land of Shadows.

Needless to say, a loss in this war will not prove fatal.

But, should you emerge triumphant...

I will grant you a Holy Grail!

Fooou!?

？！

H-hold up! A Holy Grail!? Where in the world were you hiding that!?

Those are the kinds of things you need to disclose right awa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on! Did you say a Holy Grail!? You've just HAD one all this time!?

We can't just have those things floating around willy-nilly. Can you just skip the pageantry and give it to us now!?

I'm just guessing here, but I don't see her just handing it over.

I know that look well. It's the same one Toole always had during her "This is for your own good" lessons.

Aw man...

Indeed, Chaldea is currently starved for resources, so I can only imagine how desperately you must want this grail.

But, I am the one who found it, so it is mine to do with as I will.

Ugh. Why is every hero from the Age of Gods always like this?

(Sigh)...

I'd heard heroes from the Age of Gods were...a lot, but this is ridiculous.

And of course, there is a Master on the enemy's side as well.

While there may not be Masters to be found in every Singularity...

...there is most assuredly one orchestrating the battle somewhere.

Remember, there are other Masters calling themselves Crypters on the enemy's side.

So gaining experience in determining what an enemy commander is thinking will only work to your benefit in the future.

G-good point. There ARE other Masters on the enemy's side, after all!

As for the Master you will be facing here...

Well, while I do get the impression he is somewhat...unbalanced, he should still suffice as a worthy opponent.

？！

W-well, you will find that out soon enough.

Heh.

？！

My name is of little consequence, but if you must address me, you may call me...

Mister M.

Yes, that will do nicely!

(Well, the "M" clearly doesn't stand for "Mystery"...)

So Senpai's goal is to defeat Mister M's Servants then?

Indeed. But unlike the battles you have faced thus far, this will be an intense and brutal series of skirmishes.

Of course, while I have no desire to tell you to fight ceaselessly, even if it should result in your death...

N-no, I certainly do not wish to say that...

(She wants to say it really badly, doesn't she, Senpai?)

No! I am not going to say it (Biting her lip) Grr, when did I get so stodgy?

At any rate, since this is meant to provide a special combat experience, I have prepared both real battles and training battles.

The live battles will constitute the Holy Grail War, and for the training battles...take a look!

All the fighters who came here for the training battles... A ton of materials... A gift shop... Wait! Does this mean...!?

？！

(Obviously proud)

That's right. No longer will anyone be able to mock me by saying my disciples only "graduate" when they die.

In addition to my stick, I have also arranged for, um... What is it that goes with sticks again?

Cannons, woof!

Yes, that's it. For this event, I have arranged for festivities to accompany my harsh trainingthe cannon and the stick, so to speak.

All right, Scáthach, I understand what's going on here now. However

Yes?

Well...

You still haven't answered the question we asked you earlier. Namely

？！

... ...

Oh! Does it have something to do with this Grail Front!?

No, it does not.

Did you modify your Spirit Origin using Primordial Runes?

No, I did not.

Fou fou?

When I awoke this morning, well... I found myself dressed like this...

？！

W-well, never mind how I got this outfit. It does look good on me, does it not?

？！

While I agree that it does look very good on you...

...I can't help but think Maser, everyone might find it more than a little distracting!

That's the point!!!

Sure, it may not be the best thing for Master's moral upbringing, but sometimes, you've just gotta give the people what they want!

A cat can't survive on bargain bin canned food alone. Every now and then, you've gotta crack open the top-shelf stuff.

All of which is to say that Scáthach's brand-new bunny britches are a gift from yours truly!

I was going for something both sexy and deadly, and the bunny has long been known as the strongest of the solitary animals, though admittedly at the cost of dying alone.

Would you like me to whip you one up too, Mash? Who knows? It might help bring back some...dangerous memories.

M-me!?

Oh, wait. Cat scratch that. I only had enough material on me for Scáthach's.

I-I see...

Well, it's not as though I wanted to wear one, but...

I still don't understand. Why did you make me a bunny outfit?

You have to ask!? Don't try to hide it from me, Scáthach!

I know how you've been keeping your nose to the grindstone lately. I've got a nose for that kind of thing myself.

I also know that yarn about the elves and the shoemaker, and this cat's never been big on leather.

Which is why I worked my toe beans off to make you that outfit! I always had a feeling it'd look good on you, and besides, you can't take the lead on a big production like this in your usual outfit!

So go on, enjoy it! Consider it your reward for all your hard work, woof!

I-I see. So this is what they mean nowadays when they talk about practicing self-care!

？！

If you got a problem with my fashion sense, any and all complaints must go through our Servantverse office.

All right then, farewell, my fellow CAGs (short for "Chaldea Animal Girls")! See you in the finals!

Oh, and if you ever want to make that new outfit permanent, just give me a holler!

... ...

Ahem!

At any rate, you will have a great deal you must consider over the course of this war.

For example, there is no guarantee that the Servants you are able to summon will be suited to every environment in which you will do battle.

You will need to consider their affinities, their skills, their Noble Phantasms, their personalities, and more.

Will your victories be flawless, or will you only succeed by the skin of your teeth?

Will your losses be painful injuries, or opportunities for further growth?

You must be prepared for everything to change in the blink of an eye. That is what it means to wage war.

Fujimaru!

From here on out, you and your Servants must think together, fight together, and win together!

Make sure you have a full grasp of your party's capabilities before you head into battle.

Now, are you ready to get started?

？！

Good. That is just what I like to hear.

Then with that, let this Grail Front...

Begin!!!