Section 3: No-Killing Field

It was a hell of a lot of Demonic Beasts to get through. At least we managed to fend them off.

The key word being "managed." I've got a bad feeling about this.

What do you mean?

...I may be alone in this, but I feel like they've been getting stronger.

As in...they're learning?

Nah, it didn't feel like that.

If anything, it seemed more like they were somehow developing very rapidly.

Maybe someone not in our group killed a Demonic Beast.

They did seem to be using some kind of Mystic Eyes-based ability...

You think there's another group here trying to fix the situation?

Makes sense. I'd bet there was a hothead with them who messed things up.

Perhaps other Servants were drawn here.

We can't assume they'll be on our side, though, so we should be careful.

Well, for now, let's go check out the lab and look for clues.

Is this it?

It's got plenty of space, but nothing else. Guess this ain't the place.

...Hold on. Look, over there.

Oh? I knew there was someone else here.

That explains the signs of battle we've been seeing around the building.

I only hope they're open to negotiating...

I'm sure they are. They've obviously realized what we're dealing with, too.

Here they come.

I dunno who you guys are, but if you're wearing glasses, then you're involved in this, aren't you?

You're wearing glasses, too. You first. Who are you?

Whoa, let's calm down. Fighting would be a bad idea, especially in this Singularity.

We're Servants who were summoned to this land, ostensibly to resolve this situation.

Things were going all right once we put on these glasses and started kicking monster ass...

But then, I'm afraid my power was stolen, much as I hate to admit it...

I see. So that's why those last beasts we fought had degraded Mystic Eyes.

That's right.

They shouldn't be strong enough to actually petrify anything...

...but even so, if a large number of Demonic Beasts were to use my Mystic Eyes all at once, we wouldn't be able to so much as breathe.

Strength in numbers and all that. Doesn't take a genius to figure that crap out, but still.

Does that mean you're not going to fight us?

Of course not. You're all here to resolve this situation too, right?

？！

...That's all well and good, but let's not take each other's word for it.

How about we exchange information then?

The more information we have about those invisible enemies, the better.

Master?

？！

'Kay, I'll start. Here's what we found out...

I see. Human experimentation... Though I hate to describe what's happened here as human deeds.

Now, here's what we've learned.

We can tell you why the mage who made this Singularity did all this.

You see...

Damn.

I'll say. What a moron.

Kind of impressive how smart and stupid he managed to be at the same time.

They do say the simpler the ideal, the stronger we hold onto it, but even the Marines aren't this simpleminded.

It's not at all uncommon for one's means to be at odds with one's ends.

Unfortunately, as the man in the business suit said...

...it seems this mage truly was every bit as stupid as he was brilliant.

Allow me to explain.

？！

This mage was nearly on the verge of completing his life's work when

Boom! Explosions! Death! Massacre! Mages really are screwed up pieces of shit, aren't they!?

Normally I would object to that statement as being entirely groundless libel, but in this Singularity, I have to agree.

You'd think people would know by now that having power but not being able to control it never ends well.

Is that all the information you have?

Yes.

For the time being, since we now know there's a laboratory here...

...we were thinking of going to investigate it.

Same as us, huh?

...It looks like there are seven of you. Is that right?

Is there a problem, fair maiden?

(Fair maiden...)

Is there something you're still not clear on?

？！

No, I was just thinking that even our combined numbers don't explain all the missing glasses.

Missing? You mean the glasses that were being kept down below?

That's right.

... ...Uh, can I say something?

By all means.

What is it, Mordred?

My Intuition's kicking in. Something's headed our way. And if my Intuition's working, then it isn't those Demonic Beasts.

Uh, Master of Chaldea, yea? You'd better get ready.

There's no guarantee these guys are gonna be allies of humanity!

Then what would they be?

Mmm, I dunno. Opportunists out for power or something?

I mean, you lose your power if you fight here, right?

Then, you think they're stealing power, like the Demonic Beasts?

There's definitely people out there who'd try it if they knew how.

Don't you think?

No, I don't.

The very idea of taking power others have cultivated is an affront to heroes themselves.

Especially in this Singularity.

Those voices...!

？！

Is that you, Arjuna? I see you're wearing eyeglasses, too.

Karna... I'm surprised to see you here.

(More importantly...)

(...do sunglasses really count as eyeglasses?)

I take it you're all here looking for a way to defeat those invisible Demonic Beasts, too?

(I really want to say something about the sunglasses...but this just isn't the time!)

Yup, that's right.

We were just exchanging information with these guys when you showed up.

？！

Since it looks like we share the same goal, yes, I don't see a problem with that.

All right, here's what we've learned...

I get the gist now. What a troublesome Singularity.

So we're forbidden from fighting, even though we were summoned expressly to fight.

That sounds just like the mage who made this Singularity.

Okay, here's what we know. The Holy Grail that made this Singularity is acquired by

Wh-what the!?

I don't think we're trapped in here...but you should get behind us just in case, Master.

It looks like some kind of projection.

...Is that the mage behind all this?

It would seem so. I think he's about to address us.

"Your attention, please.

I regret to inform you that Peace & Keeper Inc. has effectively gone bankrupt.

Our revolutionary peacekeeping solutionraising Demonic Beastswent horribly awry after our product line went berserk and devoured our entire staff.

I apologize to all our clients and creditors for leaving you in the lurch.

Paltry though it is, as a token of apology to our loyal supporters...

...we are sending you a complimentary pair of Wonder Glasses that will let you see through the peacekeeping Demonic Beasts' invisibility.

My clan has long raised these Demonic Beasts with the intention of bringing peace to the world.

Our goal was to use their abilities to detect malice and steal would-be aggressors' power...

...and thus preserve peace across the globe.

I never thought we would meet our own end at their hands.

Fortunately, I was able to remove their reproductive capabilities...

...so they should die out in time, without being able to increase in number.

However, until they are gone, I ask you all to refrain from fighting of any sort, with or without magecraft, and including amongst yourselves.

As long as you are in this building, they will steal your combat abilities and grow even stronger.

And while I'm sure this is entirely unlikely to occur, if you happen to be seeing this video while the Demonic Beasts are still alive...

...then I urge you to prepare your magical crest to be passed on to your successors and get your affairs in order as soon as possible.

These Demonic Beasts are the fruits of what my clan has been pursuing since our founding. I'm pretty sure they're waaay too strong to beat.

Well, goodbye, everyone.

Thank you for your continued patronage for so many years."

... ...

Goddamn moron!!!

I can't believe it. A fail-safe should have been the very first thing he designed...

"I'm pretty sure they're waaay too strong to beat"!? What are we supposed to do with that?

I can't blame him. I doubt he had anything but the Demonic Beasts on his mind when he was designing them.

I'm more concerned with his remark about removing their reproductive capabilities. What do you think, Paracelsus?

Even if he did manage to do that...

...it's still eminently possible that they found a way to reproduce.

I would bet they gained human reproductive capabilities when they ate the primary mages.

After all, the ability to reproduce is fairly crucial in a battle for survival.

Then it sounds like we can't wait around for them to die out peacefully on their own.

This is giving me a headache. So there's no way at all to fight these things?

...The thing about monsters is, once you know what they are, they're a lot easier to handle than you'd think.

Huh?

It'd be one thing if a Servant was involved. That'd explain how strong they are.

But if they're just beasts created by regular mages, we shouldn't have too much trouble defeating them.

So they've gotta have a Holy Grail juicing them up.

Don't know if they used it on purpose or accidentally, though.

I'd guess deliberately. Look how intelligently these things are behaving.

We should be thinking of them as intelligent life-forms rather than ordinary Demonic Beasts.

Think we've got any chance at negotiating with them?

...No, I don't.

They made contact with us not by warning us or attempting to negotiate. They began by attacking.

And above all, we know the thing they want most is

Our power?

Exactly. I'd bet they see our power as the ultimate treat.

They outnumber us significantly, so just charging straight into them would be suicide.

Though it appears that killing just one of them does not result in the complete loss of our powers...

Yeah, Medusa just had her Mystic Eyes stolen. Maybe I could take 'em all out at once with my Clarent Blood Arthur?

Don't even think about it, Sir Mordred. Consider carefully when and where to use your sacred sword.

All-or-nothing gambles should be used strictly as a last resort.

Yeah, yeah. Friggin' teacher's pet.

...I see. In that case, I think our information should be especially useful.

？！

That's right.

We looked into how to obtain a Holy Grail in this Singularity.

Can't we just beat the stuffing out of whoever's got the Grail?

Of course not. To obtain a Holy Grail here...

...we need to hold a Subspecies Holy Grail War.

...A Holy Grail War, huh. I can see the sense in that.

Indeed.

If the Holy Grail is hidden away, a competitive, mock magecraft ritual is sure to draw it out.

What do you say?

There would generally be no need to hold a Holy Grail War in a Singularity because the Holy Grail has already manifested...

But I've used magecraft to scan this entire building several times now with no luck.

If you weren't able to find it even after all that, I doubt any other Caster would fare better.

I don't know about that...

At any rate, a competition may be just what we need. But if we fight in this Singularity

Right. If we fight, we'll lose before the first blow even lands.

We can't draw out the Holy Grail unless we fight...

...but if we fight, we'll practically be giving our magical energy away to those Demonic Beasts.

...I can't tell if this place is a bad match for us or a good one, though its inherently contradictory structure certainly explains how it became a Singularity.

Huh? Hang on.

I can understand that fighting the Demonic Beasts is an issue, but what'd be the problem with Servants fighting each other?

C'mon, Nobukatsu. Did you already forget what that mage said?

...Oh, right. He said not to fight among ourselves.

Guess that includes Servants, too.

Since this entire building has been turned into a magical energy collection apparatus...

...we should assume that our every action is under observation.

Yeah. Now that you mention it, I do feel like the eye of a deep-sea giant squid is constantly watching me.

So, basically, we've all gotta compete in some way that means only one of us can win, right?

So if we can't fight...what CAN we do?

What about playing Knights of the Round Table trivia?

Hahaha. Do you wish to shame the Round Table where all can see, Sir Mordred?

Aw c'mon.

What's there to be embarrassed about at this point? The skeletons have been out of the closet for ages by now.

No thanks. Either way, it's obvious who would win that.

How about a game of chance then?

Hey, I like the sound of that!

Absolutely not.

Booo.

Hmm.

We're all too invested to be able to come up with a fair and impartial idea.

After all, even if we aren't laying our lives on the line, we all still want the Holy Grail for ourselves.

All right, let's call in a judge.

A judge? So, like, a Ruler? Actually, I think I know a Ruler with glasses.

Or were they an Archer? Mmm, I get the feeling I'm better off not remembering...

They don't have to be a Ruler. They just have to be neutral.

You there. You're a Master, right?

I can draw a summoning circle if you're willing to try summoning someone.

This wouldn't typically work, but it should be possible in this Singularity.

？！

Don't worry. The leyline connected to this building may be out of control, but using it to perform a summon won't pose any risk.

My guess is, you'll attract a Heroic Spirit with whom you have a strong bond.

It'll probably be someone registered in Chaldea's Spirit Origin graph.

Probably. No idea who, though.

？！

Very well.

？！

So, who did we get...?

Well hello there, good heroes. How are you all this fine day?

This just looked like so much fun I couldn't help but worm my way into the summoning.

？！

That voice...

Oh, come ON! Seriously? What's this prick planning now!?

Goood evening, everybody. Is everyone having sweet dreams? It's me, Mister Anonymous Sheep, now with glasses☆

？！

What do you think you're doing, Mage of Flowers?

Hahahaha. Unfortunately, I'm not really here right now.

I suppose you could say I'm an illusion made up of infinite flower petals? Something like that, anyway.

Basically, I'm taking my summer vacation in the spring.

Naturally, I already know that you need an impartial judge and why that is. I have a lot of time on my hands, you see.

Riiight. Well, for better or for worse, he's definitely the real Merlin, everyone.

Bear in mind that he is not known for being charitable.

Blunt as ever, Gawain! You know, a little tact would go a long way.

...Well, so long as you stay impartial, I don't care who you are.

Of course I will. Now then, let's start by dividing you all into three groups: A, B, and C.

From there, we're going to hold the most peaceful Holy Grail War the world's ever seen.

However, to keep things fair, I'm going to need one Servant from the Chaldea party to move to another.

Hmm... Arjuna Alter, I choose you!

Me?

Oh, no need to overthink it.

In fact, I could make it so that Chaldea receives the Holy Grail if your team manages to win.

Assuming the rest of your team is okay with that, of course. What do you all say?

...I have no objections. Our mission was always to resolve this situation.

Fine with me.

Certainly better than allowing this Singularity to continue to exist.

I don't mind, either. But that doesn't mean I'll be holding back.

If Chaldea and their Master are worthy of obtaining the Holy Grail, then I'm willing to let them have it.

That just leaves you, Arjuna. Are you okay with this?

... ...That should be fine.

Whaaa...? Come on, how is that fair?

It isn't. At all.

If we win, we'll be taking the Holy Grail for ourselves, and we'll be making no apologies.

Of course, of course. You're fine with that too, right?

Very well then, I'm afraid I'll be going over to their group...

...But please remember this, Master. I'm still the same loyal Servant I've always

Thank you, Master. As long as you do, then I don't mind.

I see. How like you, Master.

Thank you. I feel much better. Now I can focus on giving this contest my all.

？！

All right, everyone, thank you for having me.

Not at all. I look forward to seeing what you can do. Now, what sort of contest is this going to be...?