"Phew..."
"Sister, you don't need to worry. Caster has already been restrained."
Caules offered a few comforting words to his sister, who sat in her wheelchair with a look of visible distress.
"No, that's not what I'm worried about. How is Archer's condition?"
Fiore acknowledged her brother's concern but shook her head, her gaze shifting toward the infirmary.
Caster was currently being held in the basement, having fallen into a temporary stupor after his massive eruption of magical energy.
Fiore hoped that once he woke up and regained his reason, she would be able to have a proper conversation with him.
But her brother's Servant...
Archer had sustained severe damage during the struggle to contain Caster's rampage.
"The lower half of his body was almost completely incinerated by the flames..."
"But fortunately, Archer is a cyborg."
"And Roche's Caster is confident she can repair him."
Even with the assistance of Siegfried, the Saber-class Servant, restraining the explosive power of Caster had proven to be incredibly difficult.
Goredolf hadn't been willing to allow Siegfried to release his [Noble Phantasm] within the castle, so even with a two-on-one advantage, the battle hadn't gone nearly as smoothly as they had hoped.
As a result, their Archer had come dangerously close to being forced out of the war before it had even truly begun.
This was the source of Fiore's lingering anxiety and guilt.
"Is that so?"
"Come to think of it, Roche's Servant doesn't seem to possess any combat capabilities at all, does she? But her [Item Construction] and [Territory Creation]... they seem to be on an entirely different level of efficiency."
Hearing Caules's words, Fiore felt a small measure of relief.
She was grateful they had a "Doctor" of sorts within their ranks; otherwise, Archer likely would have been beyond saving.
"She's certainly capable, but she seems to have some rather strong opinions regarding the homunculi we've prepared."
Recalling the brief encounter he'd had with the Caster, Caules could clearly sense her discomfort whenever she was in the presence of the artificial humans.
"Perhaps she has an aversion to them..."
Fiore offered a faint, bitter smile.
"Sister... that's not an emotion a magus should be displaying."
"Uh, sorry. I suppose I said something unnecessary."
Reminded by her brother, Fiore forced a tight, somewhat strained expression.
"Sigh..."
Caules didn't push the matter further.
He knew that his sister wasn't a "Qualified" magus in the traditional sense.
She still clung to human logic and emotions.
She wasn't a true "Magus Freak."
She was simply forcing herself to walk the path of a magus, burdening herself with responsibilities she didn't necessarily have to carry.
If he could, Caules would have reached out and taken those burdens for himself, allowing his sister to live her life as she pleased.
***
"Aside from your brain being an original biological component, the rest of your body is entirely made of mechanical parts..."
"Your internal structure is remarkably sophisticated. The scientist who handled your conversion must have been an exceptional mind."
Bulma looked down at the upper torso of Genos resting on her examination table. Her aged face showed a look of professional interest and dawning realization.
"Yes. Dr. Kuseno is my lifesaver."
"When I was fifteen, my home was destroyed by a rampaging cyborg. He was the one who saved me by performing the conversion."
Although he didn't know who this woman claiming to be a scientist was, Genos had no choice but to trust her.
The fact that she could decipher his complex internal architecture in such a short amount of time, even without an instruction manual, suggested a staggering level of scientific expertise.
"Is that so?"
"Then you've had a difficult life as well, haven't you?"
For a brief second, a look of profound emotion crossed Bulma's face.
Androids. Cyborgs.
To her, those terms represented things she would likely loathe for the rest of her life.
After all, those creations had practically stolen most of her existence.
But looking at Genos, she didn't allow herself to wallow in the past.
Her priority was to win this war and secure the Dragon Balls!
If she succeeded, her world would still have a future.
Gohan wouldn't have to face such overwhelming risks to save people.
And Trunks would have the chance to grow up in a peaceful environment.
"Prepare the materials for me."
"Yes! Doctor!!"
Hearing her stern, authoritative voice, Roche responded instantly, his demeanor that of a focused and obedient student.
Genos watched from the table as the young boy first handed Bulma a piece of unidentified metal.
She began to channel her magical energy, and within moments, the metal underwent a radical transformation, becoming an entirely new material.
[Item Construction (EX)]!
As a Servant, Bulma possessed no direct combat ability, but her manufacturing capacity was something that few, if any, other Servants could hope to match.
In fact, she could potentially even upgrade a physical [Noble Phantasm] with relative ease.
"Based on the data I collected from that skirmish earlier..."
"Restoring you and making you even stronger is going to be a simple task."
Her hands moved with the precision of a surgeon as Roche continued to supply her with the necessary materials.
***
"So... he's the Servant you summoned?"
"Yes."
Artoria looked at the scene of the tiny Illya struggling to support the weight of the unconscious Shirou, feeling a faint sense of absurdity.
After reuniting with Illya, her first impression had been that the girl had been attacked.
"Hmm..."
She scrutinized the man's appearance, noticing that a patch of the hair at his temple was stark white.
It was obvious that this Shirou wasn't the one they knew.
Under the rules of a standard Holy Grail War, such a manifestation would theoretically be impossible.
But a Dragon Ball War was different; it allowed those with a profound desire for a wish to manifest as Servants in their own right.
Therefore, even those who didn't reside within the Throne of Heroes could be summoned.
"A Shirou from another world, huh?"
Artoria stepped forward, taking the unconscious man from Illya and draping his arm over her own shoulder to support him.
"Our other three companions seem to be nearby. Should we go and meet them now, Sensei?"
Illya was dressed in her usual purple outfit, and she paused to pat the dust off her skirts before asking the question in a soft, polite voice.
Having grown up in Fuyuki City, Illya didn't carry much of the traditional magus's heavy, somber demeanor.
In fact, both Kiritsugu and Irisviel had made a point of keeping her away from the deeper aspects of Magecraft.
The modifications that were intended to turn her into a vessel for a Holy Grail War had been halted ten years ago.
Since bringing her to Fuyuki, Kiritsugu had been searching for a way to allow her to live a normal, healthy life as an ordinary human.
Her knowledge of "Magecraft" was something she'd picked up primarily through her interactions with Shirou, Rin, and Sakura.
Whenever she was curious, she would sit in on the lessons being taught to the others.
As a result, she had fallen into the habit of calling Artoria "Sensei."
"Yes. I have a feeling it's Rin, Shirou, and the others."
Artoria nodded, carrying the mysterious Shirou as she led Illya forward.
"I'm not sure what their situation is, but it appears they've all successfully completed their summonings."
"There shouldn't be any major issues."
"Is that so?"
***
"So... WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!!!"
Rin Tohsaka watched the escalating tension before her, her hands flying to her head as she let out a frustrated cry.
In her field of vision...
As if driven by some primal, instinctive hostility, the black Archer kept his dangerous, predatory gaze fixed firmly on the red Archer.
Even though Sakura had told him not to cause trouble, the killing intent leaking from him was unmistakable.
His posture radiated a single, clear message: 'You'd better not lower your guard for even a second, because the moment my Master isn't looking, I'm going to put a bullet in the back of your head.'
Red A maintained a calm, aloof exterior, but internally, he was starting to sweat.
He had expected that being summoned by Rin would lead to a standard "Fifth War" scenario.
He had even been looking forward to the chance to "Correct" or ideally "Sever" the path of his younger self.
And while he had indeed encountered his past self, what was the deal with this black Archer who was clearly determined to kill HIM?
"Have we met somewhere before?"
"No. We haven't."
"Then why...?"
Red A tried to use a more "Circuitous" approach to gather information, hoping to figure out exactly how he had managed to offend the other man.
But the other Archer's response was so blunt and direct that it left him momentarily speechless.
"I don't need a reason. I just want to kill you. That's all there is to it!"
"..."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]