Chapter 40: No Mercy
The air in the temporary wooden cabin was still thick with tension from the encounter with Rani.
Riya and Rin sat across from her, the candlelight flickering over their serious expressions.
Rani stepped forward and laid out the intel she'd managed to gather.
"The Floor Master is a sniper," she said calmly.
"He operates near the clock tower, but my analysis suggests the shots aren't coming from the tower itself."
"It's a misdirection."
Rin leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.
"He's probably using the tower's bells to ricochet the sound."
"That would throw off anyone trying to pinpoint his location."
"Exactly," Rani nodded. "Most fall for it."
"But not us."
Riya folded his arms. "And the precision of the shots... it means the whole battlefield is a trap."
Every tree, every shadow, part of a layered strategy."
They laid out the pattern: initial sniper shot, fleeing enemy enters forest, Archer finishes them off. No one gets close.
"Then we won't play his game," Riya said.
"We split up."
"Rin, Fergus, and Leonidas will draw his fire."
"Me, Richard, and Cú Chulainn will deal with the Archer."
"Rani, you and Lu Bu take the tower."
And so they put the plan into motion.
All of them met at the edge of the Floor Master's range, then separated.
Riya moved into the dense forest with Richard and Cú Chulainn.
As expected, Arrows tore through the air around him, but Cú deflected them with his spear, his skill Protection from Arrows proving invaluable.
Richard and Cú slipped into the deeper woods to confront the Archer.
Meanwhile, Riya reached for the connection within him—and invoked the power of Frankenstein.
Energy surged through him as his body crackled with electric force.
He raised her Noble Phantasm—Bridal Chest—and unleashed a devastating burst that leveled a wide swath of trees.
The forest had split apart, leaving no cover for their hidden enemy.
Riya scanned the smoldering remains—only to realize there was no sign of Robin.
A long pause.
"...Great," he muttered dryly, hands on his hips.
"Cleared half a damn forest, and the guy's already gone."
"Maybe next time I'll just blow up the whole floor—see if that works better."
Elsewhere.
Richard and Cú Chulainn moved in tandem through the thick underbrush, their steps light but purposeful.
The air was thick with tension—somewhere up ahead, Robin Hood was waiting, hidden in the shadows with an arrow ready to fly.
Cú suddenly held out a hand. "We're close."
Richard nodded, drawing his blade. "Let's flush him out."
A soft rustle to the right—then the sudden twang of a bowstring.
Cú reacted first, his spear spinning up with impossible speed as he deflected the arrow mid-air.
The impact kicked up a blast of wind and dirt.
"There you are!" Richard shouted, lunging toward the source.
Robin Hood melted from the shadows, his cloak blending into the forest like a ghost.
He was already nocking a second arrow, but Cú was faster—leaping in an arc overhead, his spear whistling down toward the archer.
Robin twisted, letting the spear slice through his coat instead of his chest.
He backflipped away, loosing a volley of arrows as he did.
Cú darted between the shots, while Richard advanced through the flanking side, each step burning with divine energy.
"I don't want to kill you," Robin muttered, loosing another bolt toward Cú's side. "But I won't lose again."
Richard parried the arrow and answered, "You already did, the moment you missed."
Robin ducked and rolled, attempting to create distance, but Cú was relentless.
He used Protection from Arrows to close the gap unharmed, then aimed a powerful thrust directly at Robin's bow.
CRACK— The weapon splintered.
Robin staggered back, drawing a hidden dagger, but Richard was already there.
His sword gleamed in a horizontal arc that knocked the dagger clean out of Robin's hand.
The Archer stumbled to a knee, winded and disarmed.
Cú pointed his spear at Robin's neck. "It's over."
Robin looked up at them, chest heaving.
"So… you're the vanguard. I should've known."
Richard stepped forward, offering a curt nod. "You're not dead. That's more than most get."
A rustle behind them.
Riya emerged from the foliage, his coat singed from using Frankenstein's Noble Phantasm. "Is he subdued?"
"Yeah," Cú confirmed. "He's tough, but not tough enough."
But Riya didn't answer.
His gaze was locked toward the distant clock tower… no. Not the clock tower.
Something felt off.
The sound of gunfire was still echoing—too clearly.
He closed his eyes and reached within, switching his connection.
Atalanta's power surged through him like a bowstring pulled taut.
His pupils narrowed. Colors sharpened. Distances collapsed.
With her Archer's Eye, Riya scanned the horizon—and saw it.
A different tower.
Shorter, plainer, but positioned behind a ridge where no one would think to look.
And from that tower's window—a muzzle flash.
His eyes widened.
"Rani," he whispered. "She's heading straight for a trap."
Without another word, he turned and sprinted into the trees.
Farther away, Rin, Fergus, and Leonidas charged straight for the clock tower.
As they neared, a storm of bullets greeted them.
But Leonidas raised his shield high, deflecting the shots, while Fergus swung his sword with bursts of wind to scatter the barrage.
Rani, positioned at the ready, revved her motorcycle.
She and Lu Bu rocketed forward through the chaos, heading for the tower.
Dan Blackmore—the Floor Master—watched calmly.
He allowed Rani to enter.
Rani and Lu Bu ascended the tower.
Rin and her team continued to draw fire.
Finally, Rani reached the top floor.
A dummy of Dan awaited her.
"A trap," she muttered.
She turned, sensing the danger.
In the other tower, Dan reached for the trigger to detonate the explosives hidden within the tower—
But he never got the chance.
His left hand was severed in a flash of red lightning.
He turned, stunned, and found himself face-to-face with Riya.
Riya's eyes glowed with crimson intensity, and in his hand, Mordred's red blade sparked with lightning.
Channeling her power, he pointed the sword to Dan's throat, but instead of finishing him, he knocked him unconscious.
Lifting Dan over his shoulder, Riya made his way back to where the Archer had been subdued.
When Dan awoke, he found himself bound to a tree. Around him stood Riya, Rin, and their Servants—no way out.
Rani stepped forward. "Name. And your Servant."
He hesitated, then muttered, "Dan Blackmore. Archer... Robin Hood."
Riya approached, pressing Mordred's blade gently to his neck.
"Your Command Spells. Your Servant. Give them to me, and you might live."
Robin Hood looked at him silently, and shook his head subtly.
But Dan, beaten and cornered, said, "Yes."
Robin was now Riya's Servant.
Riya stepped back, and Rin stepped forward. Her expression darkened.
She pressed her foot onto Dan's face, her voice full of restrained fury. "You're the reason we lost two Servants."
"All of this, this is all your fault."
Riya moved quickly.
He gently lifted Rin away and hugged her, whispering into her ear, calming her.
She stiffened, then blushed, nestling into him.
Dan was silent, bound.
Robin was quiet—until a sharp cry rang out.
Rani stepped forward.
And killed Dan.
"We lied," she said without emotion.
Blood dripped quietly from her blade, staining the floor beneath the lifeless body.
Silence followed—tense, suffocating.
Riya turned slowly toward Robin.
The Archer's shoulders were tense, his jaw clenched.
His eyes, usually unreadable, now burned with restrained fury.
Robin stepped forward, gaze locked on Rani's retreating form.
"If I see her again…" he said, voice trembling not with fear but with rage, "please, Master—let me kill her."
Riya stared at him for a moment, his expression unreadable.
"If you agree to submit to me fully—as my Servant—then I will allow it," he said calmly.
Robin looked at him, eyes narrowing.
Then he dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
"I accept."
A faint glow shimmered around him, the bond sealing.
Robin Hood was now Riya's Servant.
Rani didn't react, as if she hadn't heard.
But Riya caught a flicker in her eyes before she turned away—pain, or maybe something deeper.
The capsule on the floor lit up—acknowledging the death of a Master.
Rani stepped inside with Lu Bu.
"There are two tied-up Masters in your wooden house," she said without emotion.
"Deal with them if you want to proceed."
And with that, she vanished.
Riya and Rin walked back to the village, hand in hand.
Rin mumbled, face flushed, "Thanks for calming me down... baka."
Riya smiled. "Whenever you're in danger, I'll be there so... Stop thanking me."
She looked away, cheeks burning, then leaned closer and whispered, "Thanks."
At the cabin, just as Rani said, two Masters sat tied to chairs.
No words.
They killed them quickly, slicing their throats.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
The larger capsule lit up again.
It was theirs capsule.
They entered, walking side by side.
As they stepped inside, Rin reached out and gently intertwined her fingers with his.
And the capsule closed behind them.