[Altair Brando]
I stopped in front of the structure, a dry smile slowly forming on my lips.
A church... of course it would be a church. Why wouldn't it be?
As if it weren't obvious enough, the building before us was a church that reminded me of the place where a certain homicidal priest used to reside. Ironically, the area seemed to have suffered less damage than the rest of the city.
I tilted my head slightly to the side, observing a cemetery with broken tombstones beside the edifice.
"A church!? This doesn't seem very safe as a base." Ritsuka carefully descended from her Servant's shoulder.
"For now, this is our best place to rest." Olga's cheeks still held a faint flush.
Before gently setting her on the ground, I let my fingers linger on the silky texture of her stockings for a moment longer.
"Thank you, Brando." She avoided my gaze as her feet touched the ground delicately.
Ritsuka, having already dismounted, walked toward us and stretched, the motion accentuating her chest beneath the white uniform. "I feel like I've been run over by a stampede of horses."
Even though they had been carried for most of the journey, both displayed evident signs of exhaustion. Still, neither had complained during the entire arduous journey.
"Let's rest." Olga fixed her hair and headed toward the church, followed by Mash and Ritsuka.
"My back is killing me..." Ritsuka groaned, massaging the sore area. "Next time, I'm going on your shoulder." She looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
I only smiled discreetly at the tomboy, who reminded me of my sister more than I'd like to admit.
Mash approached her with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, Master." The pink-haired girl lowered her head in a gesture of regret.
"Hahaha! It's not your fault at all, Mash," Ritsuka laughed, raising her hand to caress her hair tenderly. "It's my body that's pathetic."
As the two entered the church, my eyes turned to my servant, who remained standing in the cemetery, staring at the tombstones.
A bit curious, I approached her, only to find Minamoto with her arms crossed, contemplating a statue while frowning.
"Berserker?" I called, approaching.
"Hmm... Master." She turned to me, showing a smile. "You don't need to call me by my class name. Call me Raikou... or Mama." She murmured the last word, a little embarrassed.
The idea of calling a grown woman "Mama" sounded oddly pleasant.
That doesn't seem like a bad idea.
[Al!?]
I'm joking... where did you leave your sense of humor, Nahida?
[*Stares intensely*]
*Cough! Cough!* Mentally clearing my throat, I turned my eyes back to Mama... I mean, to my adorable servant.
"Sure, Raikou." A smile rose to my lips.
"Fufufu~! My son is the most adorable thing in the world." She visibly restrained herself from hugging me.
Before she could grab me and bury me in eternal paradise, I took a step back.
But...
With this simple movement, my right foot landed on something solid.
Huh!?
Lowering my gaze, I saw a hand carved in stone. It wasn't just a hand emerging from the ground—there was also a life-sized leg, equally made of stone.
This is a bit eerie...
As I moved my foot away, uncomfortable with the hand sculpted in stone, Raikou stopped beside me.
"Master, what do you think is wrong with these statues?" Raikou tilted her head, resting her cheek on her palm.
With her words, I stared at the statue before me for a few seconds, but quickly realized it possessed very human features.
Could it be...
[The facial features of this statue possess a 99.9% similarity to those of a human being, replicating the proportions, symmetry, and even the small imperfections of a unique human face.]
I widened my eyes, unable to believe I was in some kind of horror scenario.
If instead of statues they were mannequins of women dressed as sexy nurses, this would be a bit more frightening.
"They're not statues, are they?" I turned to Raikou.
"Probably not... they're too realistic to be just statues," Raikou responded, looking to the right.
[Al, I'm detecting a magical energy signal in the vicinity.]
I narrowed my eyes, slowly turning my head to the right. In the distance, emerging among the smaller tombstones and twisted trees, rose a large funerary monument.
The structure was imposing, built in gray marble that time had stained with dark veins of mold and moss.
The most disturbing thing was the statue on top—eyes wide open, the eyelids so open they seemed about to tear. The pupils, though carved from stone, seemed dilated in absolute panic.
It was as if the sculptor had captured the exact moment when someone contemplates their own death.
Feeling those marble pupils staring at me in terror, without the slightest hesitation, I shifted into a more alert stance.
How could a person be turned to stone?
The moment that question passed through my mind, the image of a servant with long purple hair instantly came to my mind.
Could it be her?
As if confirming my suspicions, I felt eyes with clear murderous intent upon me.
"Everyone!" I shouted, making the girls who hadn't yet entered the church look in our direction. Almost at the same instant, the sound of chains clinking echoed through the cemetery.
"Wait, are those chains?" Ritsuka exclaimed, running in my direction as the chains enveloped the cemetery.
Like tentacles endowed with their own will, the chains whizzed through the air in a sharp, cutting sound. They undulated vertically—three, five, ten meters high—before curving and beginning to intertwine with each other, forming a complex web, a living barrier of iron that surrounded us.
"Master!" Mash raised her shield, protecting Ritsuka and Olga.
Raikou, still observing the tombstones, maintained a calm expression. She calmly raised her eyes to the top of the mausoleum.
"Fufufu... finally the little mouse decided to show itself..." Raikou let a laugh escape through her lips, staring at the structure.
I narrowed my eyes toward the mausoleum. At the top of the structure, a figure appeared.
She was standing at the apex of the mausoleum, perfectly balanced on the narrow marble edge.
"From my point of view, you're the little mice."
The figure staring at us ran her tongue over the contours of her rosy lips, which curved in amused cruelty.
She was a tall and voluptuous woman. Her curves possessed a hypnotic quality in the way her body molded under the dark mantle, which boasted a deep neckline revealing her ample breasts in a V that defied any pretense of modesty. Her vivid purple hair fell in soft waves over her bare shoulders, descending down her back to her waist. Under the hood, her eyes displayed a beautiful golden tone, like newly minted gold coins, with all the brightness of the setting sun concentrated in her irises.
Medusa?
Instantly, the image of the curvaceous servant came to my mind. Although her body was similar to the Medusa I knew, she seemed different, mainly because of the golden eyes staring at us.
"Your voice is irritating..." Raikou murmured with disdain, materializing a bow between her hands. Without hesitating, she summoned an arrow and placed it on the string, pulling forcefully before releasing it.
The projectile cut through the air with a sharp whistle, splitting the wind like a sharp blade toward the voluptuous woman.
Medusa arched her back in a serpentine movement, her spine curving unnaturally as the arrow whistled dangerously close to her face.
With an agile leap, her feet touched the stone ground softly. The projectile continued its deadly trajectory, shattering the church's stained glass windows and embedding itself deeply in the marble altar with a crash that echoed through the cemetery.
Landing gracefully, Medusa rose slowly, her purple hair falling from beneath her hood.
"Two servants... actually, three unknown servants. Although one of you seems quite different... this is interesting." A cruel smile curved her lips as she nibbled the lower one, like a beast savoring the hunt.
Before she could finish, I advanced in an explosion of speed in her direction, delivering a punch. Surprised, she jumped to the side with extreme agility as I destroyed the mausoleum.
"Ah~~~! You're brave, little one."
Medusa's feet touched the ground softly. On her body there wasn't a single bruise on her… she really was fast.
I emerged from the rubble only to see Raikou advancing in her direction, pulling her long katana from its sheath.
"Take your eyes off my son."
Holding the hilt, she swung it, making the air whistle with the blade's movement.
Medusa tilted her body. Even so, the blade passed close to her cheek, opening a wound while cutting the hood, revealing her long purple hair.
My eyes trembled a little seeing the blood slide down her cheek, but since it wasn't on my skin, I could manage the situation.
Smiling, Medusa licked the blood, swinging her arm and materializing a huge, sinister-looking scythe in her palm. She spun the scythe skillfully, striking against the katana's blade while retreating a few steps, gaining distance.
"An old cow. I'll love draining you." Medusa pointed the scythe at Raikou with sadism.
"Not interested." Raikou raised her katana above her head, with purple lightning exploding around the blade.
What is that?
I exclaimed, looking at the blade covered in lightning.
[Mana Burst... seems to be a lightning-type variation... interesting.]
I guess it's not the time to be impressed by this. I gave a faint, wry smile seeing her lower her sword, sending a bolt of lightning toward the target, destroying the ground. Widening her eyes, Medusa quickly shot to the side, dodging the lightning jet that left devastation on the terrain.
"..."
Isn't she very strong?
Even I could tell this fight already had a clear winner. There's a clear power gap between the two.
Medusa's only advantage was her speed.
"Insect that won't stay still." Raikou pouted, seeming upset, staring at Medusa with a bit of hatred.
I couldn't help but smile seeing her cute manner. But I can't depend solely on my servant. Looking like an extra on a stage wasn't my style.
Showing a smile, I bent my legs, advancing in her direction and delivering a punch.
Noticing my approach, she turned, blocking my blow with her scythe's blade. The sound of impact echoed through the cemetery, making her arms tremble.
Holding the scythe against my arm, she looked directly at me.
"Ufufu! I really love men like you, who advance toward danger... ah, you're my favorites." The sadism in her eyes shone with intensity, and her tongue passed over her lips with a lascivious and animalistic provocation.
"I appreciate the compliment, Mademoiselle Serpent." I swung my arm, pushing her scythe to the side and delivering a vertical kick. With an agile spin, Medusa avoided my attack, retreating a few quick steps, maintaining the distance between us.
Without a shadow of doubt, this wasn't the Medusa I knew. She seemed different... Could she be an Alter version, like Artoria?
With curiosity, I opened my lips:
"A question: you wouldn't happen to be Medusa Alter, would you?" I asked, staring at her sadistic eyes.
For a moment, an expression of surprise crossed her face, but was quickly replaced by an amused smile.
"Hehehe... You're interesting." She moistened her lips with a slow and malicious gesture. "Exactly! I am Medusa Alter." Her voice overflowed with perverse pleasure.
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A/N: The potential Medusa has for a horror scene is impressive. I've always really liked her presentation in Fate/GO. My biggest goal in this chapter was to make her introduction feel more horror-oriented. I don't know if I succeeded, but I feel satisfied, ladies and gentlemen.
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review or drop a comment to motivate me.
(Medusa Alter - Character Image)