Assassin charged in, ready to stab Caster in the neck with a dagger.
But Caster easily blocked it with his staff, which immediately burst into flames.
"You think I'm easy to kill just because I'm a Caster? DREAM ON!"
Caster struck hard, forcing Assassin to retreat, his eyes glaring with anger.
"Take this!"
Caster slammed his staff into the ground, summoning roots that erupted beneath Assassin's feet, binding him tightly.
Then he raised his staff and unleashed a barrage of fire spells at Assassin.
Assassin took blow after blow, only to be attacked by two wolves summoned by Caster.
"This is the end!" Caster drew a magic circle on the ground, which exploded right under Assassin's feet.
As the smoke cleared, Assassin's hand began to glow, radiating immense power.
"YOU DOG WHO'S WEAK FOR GIRLS!!!"
Uh oh, Assassin just used his Noble Phantasm.
"Damn it, young lady! Do you know how to use that shield?!"
"Huh?! Me??" Mash pointed at herself in confusion.
"Try boosting my defense! Better than nothing!"
Hearing that, Mash quickly tried to activate her skill.
Immediately, both she and Caster felt their defenses had strengthened.
"Huh? Why do they have shields on their HP bars?" Gudako asked, pointing at something.
"...Are you still drunk?" Olga and Fou gave her a blank stare.
Assassin's hand shot toward Caster, gripping his heart tightly.
"Ugh!"
"Hehehe... how's that?" Assassin sneered, watching Caster writhe in pain.
"Ugh... not enough to kill me!!"
"Wha—?!"
Mash rushed in, jumping high into the air with her heavy shield.
"Gahh!!"
Her shield slammed down onto Assassin's head, dealing significant damage.
"You damn Caster's dog..."
Glowing particles floated off Assassin's body as he vanished into thin air.
"Mr. Caster!" Mash, having defeated Assassin, ran to the wounded Caster.
Seeing the danger was over, Olga let out a sigh of relief and came out from hiding.
"Young lady, don't worry, I can heal myself. Still, didn't expect that bastard to use his Noble Phantasm... what a pain," Caster said, wiping the blood from his mouth.
Everyone felt reassured after hearing that—except for one person.
"So, where's my Nura?" Gudako asked with a silly smile.
"...Why are you asking me?" Olga muttered, facepalming.
"Right here." A cloud of black smoke appeared right behind Gudako, making her immediately turn around.
"Nura—WHY ARE YOU BLEEDING?! NO!!" Gudako's eyes widened as she saw blood flowing from his shoulder, and she rushed to hug him tightly.
'Thirsty girl,' everyone silently thought to themselves.
"You look pretty badly injured," Nura approached Caster.
"Yeah, that guy's lucky I'm not a Lancer—otherwise he would've been the one losing a heart."
The two exchanged glances, then burst out laughing, leaving everyone else confused.
"Um… did he just use a Noble Phantasm?" Mash asked curiously.
"Just say NP, Mash, no one's stopping you," Gudako replied loudly while still hugging Nura.
"Uhh, I saw how easily everyone else used their NP… it kinda makes me feel embarrassed."
Everyone turned to look at Mash.
"Why embarrassed?"
"Because… I don't feel very useful. I mean, what kind of Servant can't even activate her NP?"
"That's because you're a Demi-Servant," Gudako pointed out.
"Read the room, Gudako."
"Don't worry about it," Caster said, his face full of hidden meaning. "Maybe you can't use your Noble Phantasm because your internal energy flow isn't smooth—or maybe… you're just too shy?"
"Lancers should just die," Gudako said flatly.
"Language!"
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's because you don't yell during training."
"Oh! Like in Dragon Ball, right?"
"What's Dragon Ball?"
Then Caster went on a bit of a rant before carving some ominous runes onto Olga's coat.
"Huh?" Olga looked down at the glowing runes.
"Good luck, young lady. Let's hope you don't die and lose your body entirely," Caster gave a thumbs-up with a smile.
Grrrrr…
"...I hate you, Caster!!!"
"Nice trolling, Caster," Nura said, stepping beside him.
"Of course. She talks a bit too much, so I gave her this method—hope she survives."
"D-Director! Run behind—"
"TOO LATE!! YOU BLUE-HAIRED JERK, I HATE YOU!!!" Olga screamed while running for her life, chased by a horde of undead.
"Young lady! A Noble Phantasm is part of a Heroic Spirit's instinct. If you overthink it, you'll never be able to use it!" Caster shouted toward Mash.
"You think that'll work?" Nura asked, taking a puff from his pipe.
"Sure it will. First she needs to burn through all her energy—then it'll come naturally. Damn, I am a genius," Caster said with a smirk.
"Genius or menace…" Gudako muttered as she watched Mash struggle against the undead, while Olga curled up and sobbed in fear.
After a while, both Mash and Olga were completely exhausted.
"I… I don't feel anything… Fighting nonstop like this just makes me tired..." Mash dropped to her knees, leaning against her shield.
"Not feeling anything? Did I miscalculate something…?" Caster stroked his chin, eyeing her.
"How about the two of us become her opponents?" Nura suggested, surprising Mash.
"You know what? I had the same idea. We're more in sync than I thought," Caster smiled again, looking toward Mash and Gudako.
"Don't go easy on us just because we're allies… because I won't hesitate when it comes to killing your Master."
…What?
Everyone flinched and instinctively stepped back, eyeing Caster warily.
"Have you gone mad?! What does Gudako have to do with this?!" Olga asked, clearly alarmed.
"Oh, so you do care about me?"
"Shut it."
Suddenly, a katana pressed against Caster's neck. He calmly turned to face the youkai holding it.
"Oi oi oi, what are you saying?" Nura's tone was still soft, but razor-sharp.
"Relax. I know what I'm doing—trust me," Caster looked Nura straight in the eyes and whispered, making sure Mash couldn't hear.
"...And if she still can't activate her NP?"
"Then she's got you, doesn't she? Even if your NP is sealed."
Hearing that, Nura sheathed his sword, seemingly accepting Caster's reasoning.
"A Servant's problem is also the Master's. They share the same fate." Caster placed his staff on the ground, standing beside Nura with his pipe in hand.
"So if she can't hold out, death comes for you." He turned to Gudako—
—who was… uh… what was she pointing at?
"YAYY!! 10 SAINT QUARTZ TODAY! I WONDER HOW MANY I'LL GET TOMORROW!! JUST 3 MORE AND I CAN GACHA!!!"
Gudako screamed with uncontainable glee, drooling, her eyes wild like a madwoman, shaking with excitement.
"...Your Master is, uh… quite energetic, huh?"
"Just ignore her," Nura sighed.
Mash took a deep breath, steadied herself, and looked at Caster with determination.
"I won't be a burden to Senpai… Never!"
She slammed her shield into the ground, catching Caster's interest.
"That's what I wanted to hear! Now fight like a true Servant!"
With that, Mash charged straight toward Caster and Nura.
Meanwhile, Olga and Fou just stared at Gudako, who was hugging herself and squirming on the ground like someone who had just overdosed on happiness.