(3rd POV)
Curled up and clutching the Monkey King's Robe, Olga barely blinked as claws and a scythe clashed before her.
They moved like blurs, so fast Olga could only catch the aftermath of each clash.
She gripped her cloak tightly, her gaze fixed on the back of the boy who, in less than a day, had made her feel special, unlike the insignificant failure she had always believed herself to be.
Altair had no idea how much he had eased the weight on Olga's shoulders simply by treating her with kindness and patience.
Her Chaldea had been attacked, and she didn't know by whom or why. Liv, the person she emotionally depended on, was likely dead. Even the 47 Master candidates were in critical condition. To make things worse, she—a non-Master—was somehow trapped in Singularity F, with danger lurking at every step.
Honestly, Olga was in pieces, both physically and emotionally. At that moment, the jacket wrapped around her body was her only emotional anchor.
The Monkey King's Robe was warm and radiated a sense of protection as if nothing could harm her. It carried Altair's scent, which, oddly enough, was comforting.
Deep down, though, Olga knew Altair needed this robe. The right thing would be to return it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew she was holding him back, but also that he had left it with her on purpose, so she would feel safe.
Feeling useless, tears welled up in her eyes, making her blink.
When she opened her eyes again, the two had already vanished among the countless chains.
"I... can't keep up," murmured Ritsuka beside her. "What about you, Mash?" the red-haired girl asked the Servant.
"Yes, I can follow them, but…" Mash said, clenching her fist, "I'm not sure I could even react."
The fact that Mash could even follow those two blurs was already impressive. Olga could only see quick flashes, like lightning strikes.
Altair's claws clashed with the scythe, generating sparks as the blurs moved at extreme speed.
"Altair-kun's going to win, right?" Ritsuka asked, a worried expression on her face.
Though she had only known him for a few hours, she already saw him as an important companion, just like the pink-haired girl beside her.
"I'm not sure… It looks like Senpai is being pushed back bit by bit," Mash replied.
She could see Medusa moving quickly among the chains, using them to her advantage. Though she hadn't inflicted any damage, she had put Altair on the defensive.
"There's a chance that Senpai might…"
Before Mash could finish her sentence, a disdainful voice interrupted.
"Foolishness."
The girls looked up and saw Nobunaga seated atop her rifle.
"To someone inexperienced, it may seem like my Master is at a disadvantage, but he's the one holding all the cards." The Demon King's red eyes were locked onto the battle.
"What do you mean?" Ritsuka blinked, confused, placing a finger near her rosy lips.
"Foolish child. In a battle between Servants, the fewer cards you show, the more advantage you hold. Medusa has already shown three: her Mystic Eyes, the chains, and the scythe." Nobunaga smirked, resting her chin on her knee. "Meanwhile, the Master hadn't revealed a single relevant card.. Even so, he still has the physical advantage—not to mention the enemy Servant is missing an arm. No matter what the 'little snake' does, she can't break through his defense, even without his armor." Her red eyes landed on Olga, who lowered her head in embarrassment while clutching the robe tightly.
"In short, this is just high-level training for my summoner."
As if to confirm her words, a precise punch struck Medusa's torso. Her slender body was hurled into the chains, which trembled under the impact. She raised a hand, gripping the chain attached to the scythe blade.
She balanced herself on the chains as her hair turned into giant serpents that lunged toward Altair. He smiled, pushed off his feet, and leaped among the chains, dodging the snakes chasing him, splitting and attacking from multiple directions.
The snakes opened their mouths, revealing venom-coated fangs. With one foot on a chain, Altair spun midair, swinging his hand. His claws shredded the serpents, which reverted to hair and fell to the ground.
As he completed the spin, he saw Medusa above him. Their eyes met, and at that instant, she activated her Mystic Eyes. A golden glow surged, and Altair felt his body begin to petrify. However, with B+ ranked mana, the petrification only lasted a millisecond.
Just enough time for Medusa to raise her Harpe and slash toward Altair's neck. Inches from hitting him, Altair gently kicked the Harpe, deflecting it. The blade passed close to his body.
Letting out a soft sigh, he tried to spin, but Medusa already landed a knee strike. The blow hit his stomach, launching him into the chains. His body struck and got entangled in them, while Medusa, standing on one of the links, transformed her hair into snakes again, which surged toward Altair.
Smiling, excited, he reached up to his hair. "Looks like I'll need a hand." With those words, he pulled out three strands of hair and tossed them upward. In a puff of smoke, each strand transformed into a clone identical to him.
The clones grabbed the chains, smiling maniacally. Each had the same techniques and combat skills as the original, though with lower parameters.
The [hair clones] leaped wildly toward the serpents. Their claws shredded, their teeth tore, and some even devoured the venomous snakes. It was a true spectacle of savagery.
Medusa licked her lips, then activated her Mystic Eyes once again. Instantly, the three clones were petrified — after all, their mana was C rank. Holding her Harpe, she rushed forward and, with difficulty, decapitated the clones, who vanished in a cloud of smoke.
At the exact moment the clones vanished, Altair appeared, landing a kick on Medusa's stomach. The impact sent her crashing into the chains, which shattered under the blow's force. The Harpe flew from her hand.
"That was a nice home run," he said, crouched on one of the chains with a grin on his lips. But before he could boast, his hair stood on end. A snake, unnoticed as it slithered along the chain, bit his arm, injecting venom.
Feeling a light sting, Altair crushed the snake with his hand. The venom wasn't enough to kill him, only cause discomfort. But it bought Medusa enough time to appear in front of him and land a kick to his stomach, hurling him to the ground.
A thud echoed as his body hit the ground. Meanwhile, a serpent slithered up to Medusa and handed her the Harpe.
"That was fun, boy, but it's over," she said, launching herself toward Altair, who was still on the ground.
Altair, completely fine, blinked as he saw Medusa descending toward him.
"It won't stop itching," he muttered, annoyed, not caring about the Medusa charging at him.
The itch in his ear wouldn't go away—it only grew worse, distracting him from the fight. He'd lost concentration several times because of that damned itch.
Ignoring Medusa's high-speed approach, he raised a hand and slapped his ear.
Suddenly, something dropped into his palm.
Relieved, he looked at the object. "A stick?" he murmured, confused.
In his hand was a small weapon that looked like a stone staff. As he stared at it, a name came to mind.
"Ruyi Jingu Bang."
As he spoke the name, the air around him trembled, and a hum echoed across the battlefield.
Olga clutched the robe to her chest. Mash stared at her Senpai, while a playful smile formed on Nobunaga's lips.
Even Medusa hesitated for a moment, her instincts screaming at her to retreat.
Meanwhile, the small staff grew, surpassing his own height.
Naturally, as if it were an ancient memory, he knew that this staff was the Ruyi Jingu, Sun Wukong's main weapon.
Ruyi Jingu wasn't a common weapon. Swords, spears, and halberds weighing thousands of pounds didn't suit Sun Wukong's peculiar tastes—but a pillar used to measure the ocean's depths, capable of growing and shrinking, was exactly to his liking.
Altair smiled as he swung the staff—the legendary weapon of the Monkey King—then, with a subtle motion, thrust it toward Medusa.
"Grow."
The stone staff began extending toward Medusa, who, sensing danger, pushed off the chain and leaped to the side. At the speed it was growing, she was sure it couldn't change direction, but—
"Expand."
With a simple word, the staff exploded sideways and grew to the width of a building, if not more. In the blink of an eye, the chains across the battlefield were pulverized, and a moment later, half of Medusa's body had been obliterated by the impact.
"..."
"Wow!" Fujimaru gaped at Altair's brute strength.
Mash curiously didn't say a word from start to finish. She was so focused on the fight that Olga found her behavior strange. She rarely interacted with Mash, but had known her for years, and that intense gaze was unusual.
"He's incredible," Olga whispered, hugging the Monkey King's Robe tighter. "That strength and speed… I can barely imagine how powerful he really is."
"As if someone who summoned me could ever be useless," Nobunaga said, resting her ivory cheek on her knee.
Olga never thought Altair was useless, not even the first time they met. But even so, with all that power, it was more than she had ever imagined.
Looking at the boy's back as he approached the fallen Servant's body—shameful as it was—she couldn't suppress the butterflies in her stomach. With him by her side… yes, maybe things could finally go right for her. Maybe, just maybe, she could truly be happy in her life.
Without realizing it, a possessive desire began to grow inside her.
••• ••• •••
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.
A/N: Some chapters will be narrated in third person, but the vast majority will remain in first person.