Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 9: Realism vs. Idealism

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 9: Realism vs. Idealism

Ryuudou Temple became the site of a raging storm. It wasn't a storm created by nature, but that of Magecraft being flung about with reckless abandon by a scorned woman. Her targets were two Servants who opposed her for different reasons, but were nonetheless threats to her ultimate plans. Medea remained floating above Archer and Connla as she continued using her violet lasers against Archer. For Connla, she cast a series of shearing wind funnels that forced the girl to run around the temple grounds. Not only did she have to protect herself, she also had to carry Shirou around in a bubble similar to what she did with Caren earlier.

While Medea's spells were impressive in their own right, she herself was not an offensive-type Caster in principle. Fending off Archer alone would have been a task in its own right, but now having to kill both him and Connla was putting quite the strain on her. Luckily, it seemed that Connla wasn't interested in fighting her. Her prerogative was to get Shirou out of the temple, leaving Archer to dispose of Medea on his own.

Connla made a mighty leap forward, tucking her legs in to avoid having them shorn off by a fierce tornado that exploded behind her. Shirou flew next to her and exclaimed, "What are you doing!? Why aren't you fighting together with Archer!?"

"I can't exert my full capabilities when there is a Master in the vicinity," she replied. "Besides, I already told you – Saber is relying on me to get you out of here. Once I've confirmed your safe extraction, then I'll come back here and deal with Caster."

"Saber's here...?"

"Yes. She is fighting Assassin as we speak. Just wait a bit longer."

Connla's feet rapidly pattered along the pavement as she eyed the temple's entrance, then she made a beeline straight for it. Medea saw this and forced Archer back with a concentrated beam of energy before sending another shot to cleave in front of Connla, while shouting, "You're not getting away!"

The girl hastily skidded to a stop, then hopped in a different direction to escape from another lethal hurricane. While Medea had her attention away from Archer, he summoned his bow and fired a flurry of arrows at her. She sent them scattering with a spontaneous gust, then resumed firing more energy rays at him.

Connla brought Shirou to a relatively unscathed corner of the temple and set him down. He kneeled and exhaled a huge breath – the fast-paced action he just experienced was such an adrenaline rush that he nearly forgot to breathe. Connla poked her head around the corner, then said, "I could fight Caster, but I won't be able to do so while trying to rescue you. The best option is for me to work with Archer and disable her as soon as possible. This means you're going to have to stay put and wait for the fight to conclude."

"Can you really do it without my help? Are you saying I'm just going to be in the way?" Shirou wondered.

"Yes," was the blunt reply. "Your priority is to stay alive for Saber's sake."

"But what about you? I mean, you're a child, aren't you?"

"Was my battle against Rider not a sufficient enough demonstration for you?"

"Ugh..." he grunted. "If only there was something I could do..."

"It's impossible. Why do you think Caster brought you here in the first place? It's because she determined you to be the weakest Mage who would be the easiest to manipulate. The fact that you possess one of the strongest Servants doesn't help your case much. My guess is that she probably would have brainwashed you so that she could have indirect control of Saber, and then pit her against Berserker."