First Casino "Battle DE Royale"

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(Oh man, that team's with Ma-chan!)

(They must've gotten a letter of challenge and are coming for my Swimsuit Swordmaster title!)

(But, unfortunately for you, Ma-chan, I'm now as strong as Li Shuwen was during his prime!)

(Hehehe... Well, technically, I might not really be a Swordmaster, but I've still got a legend or two that have to do with swords!)

(Besides, the important thing is how that really, reeeally strong king chose me to be a Swimsuit Swordmaster herself.)

(Compared to that, nothing else matters... I've just got to do whatever it takes to win!)

(So queue up, Ma-chan! I'm ready for you!)

(Oogh... I hate these airplane things. I mean, I know I won't die even if it goes down, but...)

Huh!? U-uh, y-yeah, I'm fine!

I'm Katsushika Hokusai, dammit! I can handle a flyin' machine or two!

H-huh!?

I-I'm fine, Master!

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......

(Hey, Master?)

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W-would you, um, mind if I use this?

Aww, Oei's hanging onto Master's sleeve.

She's so cute when she gets nervous like that!

(Ooh, that's nice. I'll have to use that in the book.)

Are you okay, Batty? You're spacing out.

Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm topped off.

Keep your head in the game, Osakabehime. Focus on the upcoming battle instead of whatever it is you're always fantasizing about.

(She's right. I need to concentrate on the battle right now, not my draft!)

Okay, everyone, we're there! Get ready to jump out!

All right! Where we droppin', boys?

Oh, hey, Master! Are you competing in this battle too? Don't expect me to go easy on you!

Huh? An attachment? Cosmetic?

An attachment, huh? Hmm, interesting...

(Licking her lips)

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Okay, everyone, just follow my lead!

With Mahatma guiding us, we don't have anything to be scared of!

Wh-who's scared!? I sure ain't!

R-right, Master!?

Huh? Really?

Senpai is right.

We've often ended up high up in the air after Rayshifting.

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O-oh, okay. In that case, would ya mind if I stick with

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Huh? H-hang on! I'm still not ready to jum

Aaaaaaah!

I'm falliiing!

Everyone here?

All good! Miyamoto MuUh, Iori, reporting in!

Mash Kyrielight and Master, reporting in safe and sound.

Fou fooou!

Fou!? When did you sneak into my backpack!?

Come to think of it, you always liked sneaking into the Coffins too... What is it with you and small spaces?

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Huh? Is that it? We're all done fallin'?

...A-ahem. Katsushika Oui, reporting in!

What? I ain't cryin'! You're cryin'!

I knew it! Just as Mahatma planned!

Heads up. Looks like we've already got a team headed our way.

Let's take them down quick and find somewhere a little more secluded!

Nooo, you got meee...

How dare you!?

Well fought! A real man knows when he's beat, and is happy to admit defeat!

Agreed. I gave that battle everything I had, so I have no regrets whatsoever!

Phew. Well, I'm glad we managed ta beat 'em and all...

...but I can't shake the feelin' I wasn't all that helpful there.

Don't worry, they were probably just a bad matchup for you. You'll do great next time!

Besides, the important thing's that we won!

Now come on! I'm sure we've still got several battles ahead of us before we fight Team Himeji!

You can do this, right, Oei?

H-hell yeah I can! I can handle anyone, no problem!

Great! Now, since the battlefield keeps shrinking, we've got no choice but to pass through an open desert area.

We should probably try to find an area with as much cover as possible, since most of us are close-range fighters.

Just what I was thinking.

Okay then, let's skirt around the next zone and head for the bamboo forest then.

R-right! Okay then, ya big galoots, follow me!

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Hmm, guess she's still getting her bearings. But hey, at least she's got plenty of spirit!

Let's catch up to her before she gets to the desert!

All right, that's three teams down already! GGEZ!

The only thing I don't like about being on the dominant team is all these other teams never leaving us alone.

Get used to it. It's only natural that people try to get us down as we rise to the top.

By the way, Osakabehime, you're doing great today, but it also seems like you're rushing.

She's right, or my name isn't Blackbeard, but my Blackbeard is my naaame!!!

The way you charged in guns blazing just now was very unlike your usual steadfast style.

Was it? Oh man, I guess I got more hyped up than I realized...

Well hey, goin' a little nuts now and then never hurt anyone! Besides, we still have not one, but two secret weapons up our sleeves, sushi bros.

Hehe, that's true.

Unless they figure out this loophole in the rules, we have dinner in the bag!

That aside, I wonder what it is that makes you so easy to talk to even though we're, like, from different servers...

You're not secretly from the Far East like I am, are you?

Hahaha, of course not. Heheh, you're killing me!

Oh hey, it looks like there's only a few more teams left. I'll go check things out with you-know-who.

Huh? So where are you going?

Umm... Uh, say, Mk. II, I don't suppose you happen to know where our Master might be right now, would you?

...Let me think.

The last I saw of him, he and his team were falling towards the jungle.

And since most of his teammates are close-range fighters...

...I think they'll probably head for the bamboo forest instead of the desert.

The bamboo forest, huh... Okay then, I'm just gonna go check up on him.

Huh? Why would you need to do that?

We've got circle, so we're sure to win if we just camp this fortress and snipe anyone who comes close from above, like usual.

Oh, just a little...personal matter I want to follow up on. Don't worry, I'll call for backup if I need it.

Okay, be back sooon♪

She's already gone!? So hayafast! What in the sekai was that all about!?

...Master... Attachment... Bamboo forest...

No one around to get in her way... And she'd blast them all to smithereens even if there were...

Don't tell me she... No, no, what am I thinking? If nothing else, Missy Anne is still a Servant.

Even she wouldn't stoop to something so underhanded and bestial as...

No, she totally would!

She and her partner in piracy were famous for plundering everything in their path!

Wait. Huh? Nani? What are you talking about?

Lady Mk. II, we need your help!

Osakabehime and I gotta stay on alert here, so I want you to get Missy Anne back here fast! Forcefully if you hafta!

...All right. Whatever's going on here, I can see that it's urgent.

Activating vernier thrusters... Preparing for flight... Take off!

C-come on, Blackbeard, tell me what's going on! A-are we gonna be bait?

I mean, don't you think we're in trouble since it's just the two of us against all the remaining teams now!?

If anyone's in trouble here, it's them! Argh, why did Missy Anne have to be in her Archer form!?

I was so caught up in her bikini-clad Bonnys I didn't realize the danger until it was too late!

Batty, listen to me very closely. About those two...

Missy Anne and her partner in piracy just went off to plunder Master in broad daylight!

And what's worse, my pirate sense is telling me they're probably being lured into a trap!

Majiwhaaa!?

Fou...

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To cut to the chase...

...Team Himeji is cheating their way to victory.

You knew, Senpai?

Given their lineup, it would have been stranger if they weren't.

Yes. Cheating.

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The hell!? Who do those big galoots think they are!?

Well, strictly speaking, I suppose it may technically not be cheating.

But they're certainly bending the rules as far as they can go.

What do you mean?

Here, it'll be faster if I show you. Would you mind doing the commentary for this video, Lord Siegfried?

Very well. It seems now is the time to put my overwhelming intelligence to good use.

Just my attempt at imitating Sir Sigurd.

Heh... It seems my mimicry still has a way to go if I failed to recognizably evoke him.

Ohhh, that guy with the glasses! He is just... Mmm mm!

He's strong, and hot, and handsome, and hot, and tough, and HOT...! I'd love to face him one-on-one sometime!

Indeed. All the other glasses-wearing Servants I've spoken to say their glasses sparkle at least once or twice.

Really!? Can mine sparkle, too!?

Of course they can... Just like I do...

Yes, they too can sparkle just as brightly as I...!

The hell was that?

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Aww man.

Now then, let's watch the video.

(Gasp, gasp, gasp) W-we've finally got you.

You really gave us the runaround, but, hehehe, it'll aaall be worth it.

(Phoning it in) Ah. No. Help. Whatever will you do to me.

What do you mean, what're we Heehee, as if you didn't know!

Hehe, indeed.

We're going to have you read this ultra-rare copy of "A Collection of Eiten-Style Teachings" to us!

You...what? Read? ...Aloud?

Of course, and you're going to do it in the voice of a childhood friend who acts cold but is secretly madly in love with me!

(Where does "madly in love" even come from? You never hear of anyone doing anything else madly.)

Oh, actually, I'd prefer it if you read it in the voice of a girl next door.

To elaborate, she just started working her first job out of college, and every day's a chore to get through...

So now she lives next door to me, a high schooler living in an apartment all on my own because reasons, and she likes to crack open a six-pack and complain about her job and tell me I don't know how hard adulting is 'cause I'm still just a kid and when I tell her "Don't treat me like a kid!" she gets this gorgeous smile on her face that no high schooler could possibly imitate and teases me by whispering "Want me to treat you like a grown-up then?" right in my ear... So, yeah, read it in a whispery voice like that, please!

Man, you never could shut up whenever you get started on one of your dream scenarios.

Sorry about that. Don't pay any attention to him.

I wish you'd said so sooner! I'll never get back the seconds of my life I wasted listening to him!

Huh!?

Uh, let's see... "I know. Let's go to the temple."

Don't bother. It's not even worth reading anymore.

H-hang on! I thought each team could only have up to four members!

Oh, I'm Anne Bonny's attachment. The two of us together make up a single Servant.

Yaaay.

N-no fair...

Excuse me, but...would you mind pretending you're a girl I've known all my life but who I've always thought of as a younger sister plea

You're still fantasizing!?

And what do you mean, younger sister? Why can't I just be the girl next door, too!?

(Grin)

Die in a fire!

...And that is the first way they cheat.

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This is an unbelievable nightmare.

Me neither.

I know that Anne and Mary are technically one Servant...

...and they do have a disadvantage in that, if either one of them were to vanish, the other would follow suit...

But to take advantage of that to treat Mary as an attachment just seems wrong even aside from the cheating.

Um, Senpai, I don't think that's the most important thing we should be concerned with right now...

I wondered about that too, but I believe that mystery can wait until another time.

Though believe me, I really am curious about who he could be!

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This is just plain horrible!

Me neither.

I know that Anne and Mary are technically one Servant...

...and they do have a disadvantage in that, if either one of them were to vanish, the other would follow suit...

But to take advantage of that to treat Mary as an attachment just seems wrong even aside from the cheating.

Um, Senpai, I don't think that's the most important thing we should be concerned with right now...

I wondered about that too, but I believe that mystery can wait until another time.

Though believe me, I really am curious about who he could be!

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At any rate, you can see now that the first thing you need to watch out for when facing Team Himeji is Mary Read.

The good news is, since the two of them together are acting as a single unit...

...defeating either one of them should knock the other out of the running shortly thereafter.

Right. So while Mary is Anne Bonny's trump card...

...if we can manage to defeat them somehow, that will clear our way to defeating Osakabehime.

Ideally, I would like to lure Anne and Mary out by themselves, where we can pick them off safely...

I gotcha. So it's like fishin' then.

Basically, yes. If only we had some bait they would be sure to take, we'd be in business.

What about treasure?

Anne and Mary both made a name for themselves as famous pirates.

Hmm... I don't know if that would work here.

I mean, would you trust a pile of gems just sitting around a battlefield?

Good point...

Man, this is such a pain in the behind.

Hmm. Is there anything else those two desire besides treasure, alcohol, and causing commotion?

Good question...

Hmm...

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...That's it!

That...!

...is most certainly NOT it!

?

So, didja guys figure out what to use for bait then?

Well? Didja?

...Okay, just like we planned.

Are you sure you'll be all right, Master?

Great! We're all counting on you, Master!

Don't worry! I'm sure there'll be enough left of you for an open casket!

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...Huh? Master! What are you doing here?

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(Sigh) You really are hopeless, aren't you?

Hm? Hang on. If you're here now, does that mean you're fighting in this battle royale?

...An attachment?

I see. Same as me then...

I guess that makes sense.

If I can be here, there's no reason you can't.

Still... An attachment, here, all by himself...

Nnn...

Nnnnnn...

Theeere you are!

Gah! Anne!

Don't you think you can steal a march on my booty.

I wasn't stealing a march on anything. Anyway, weren't you supposed to be holding down the fort with the others?

Oh, well, you know.

I heard I could find Master out here, so I decided to come and...pay him a visit.

(Sigh) I should have known. Well, guess it's just the three of us then!

Guess so♪

Now then...♡

Master, you're an attachment now, right?

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Then it doesn't make much sense for you to complain if you're treated like one, does it?

Oh, but we'd never treat you roughly, of course. All we want to do is...

Cuddle you.

Rub our cheeks against yours.

And do aaall sorts of other things...

...we usually never get the chance to do♡

Okay, Master, close your eyes♡

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!!!

Damn, looks like we were just a moment too late for a nice ambush!

I know this isn't the most honorable plan, but hey, it's not like you guys are ones to talk!

Eee! You tricked meee!

I knew there was something fishy about this!

Oh please! You totally forgot about the big picture as soon as you saw him, didn't you!?

If my thing was helping others and not myself, I wouldn't have become a pirate in the first place! Ugh, never mind! Come on, we'll just have to face them two-on-two!

Hehehe, unfortunately for you, we've actually got four on our side.

Wha!? No fair!

Like they say, all's fair in love and war, and this battle royale definitely counts as the latter!

That's weird. How come I'm being made the bad guy here?

Hm? Say, where are Mash and Oei?

S-sorry! We're here!

I was so caught up in watching that I forgot to make my entrance!

But I'm here now, and ready to fight alongside Master!

I-I, um...

I k-kinda feel like...

...you oughta save that sorta thing for closed doors...

Aww, you're adorable.

You're free to think so, but don't be surprised if you can't hang onto your Master for very long like that.

I d-don't, um...

Okay, enough of that!

Let's take them down and be done with this painfully awkward moment once and for all!

Tyranny!

Nooo... My booty...

As in you lost your chance at claiming Master, or as in you got yours kicked? Well, either way, I can't go on any more either... (Flump)

Oh, yes, we're both fit as a fiddle♡

But unfortunately, we've still been eliminated from this game. Guess we'd better be on our way.

Man, I had no idea ladies in the West grew up to be so, uh, top-heavy.

If you wanna see how heavy they are for yourself, it's gonna cost you... (Flump)

Just gimme a sec. This rough sketch won't take a minute...

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So, the announcer was right. You did defeat Anne and Mary.

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Of course. After all, I was manufacuh, born with this skill.

Much more reasonable compared to, say, a Noble Phantasm that summons an entire ocean.

Woohoo! It's a dolphin eat dolphin world!

Squeak, squeak squeak! (Translation: Unspeakable atrocities)

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I mean, I guess that's true, but still...

Anyway, I'll be on my way for now, but I'll be waiting for you at the final battleground.

How are you going to fight back now that your trump card is gone?

Did you really think we only had a single trump card? Hmph, I guess those glasses didn't do much for your intelligence.

They didn't!?

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Hmm. So they still have another trump card up their sleeves...

Any idea what it could be?

......

I think it has to be...that. (Said with the most forlorn expression ever)

That what?

Yes... I think you're probably right.

It must be the legendary boss from the final act of Chaldea's Halloween trilogy!

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Keh heh heh.

That's right. As long as I have Giant Mecha Eli-chan, my final secret weapon, I'm unstoppable!

......Wait. Hang on.

How'm I supposed to bring her!?

...Fair question.

Yes, it's impossible to bring her here by normal means. But, there are ways.

Ways? What kind of ways?

Let me explain...

I think it would be extremely difficult to bring her here, even though this Las Vegas is a Singularity.

However...what if they only brought part of her, like her arm?

Right... The part that shoots missiles...

Missiles? From an arm?

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Gotcha...

Man, I didn't know you were such a worrywart, Master!

Who cares about a missile or two! The great OuiI mean, Katsushika Hokusai'll cut 'em down before they know what hit 'em!

Right on!

You can't call yourself a real swordfighter until you've cut at least one missile or bullet right outta the air!

Though in my case, I always cut down my opponent before they even get a chance to shoot, or spit in their eye to throw off their aim!

You should be fine as long as these missiles aren't A-rank or higher.

Though that does make me wonder just what an A-ranked missile would look like...

Y-ya don't say... I guess there's a lot more ta bein' a swordfighter than I realized.

Hey, Master? Do you think I got a real shot at bein' the best swordfighter in Japan?

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Hehe, yeah? Well great! I feel pretty good knowin' I got your seal of approval!

It looks like all the other teams have been eliminated as well. All that remains now is the final battle with Osakabehime.

I wish I could say for certain that they don't have any more surprises...

But since we don't know for sure, we should play it smart and keep our guard up.

For if there's one thing I know these glasses are good at, it's playing it smart!

Fou...