002 - Fate/Half Astral

The scene within the village was a cacophony of chaos and despair. People screamed and scattered in all directions, frantically trying to find any way to escape the mysterious barrier encasing them. The once-bustling marketplace was in shambles, carts overturned, and goods spilled across the cobblestone streets. The cries of children blended with the shouts of adults, creating an oppressive atmosphere of terror.

Suddenly, black flames erupted from the ground, spiraling upward as if alive, consuming everything in their path. The air became heavy with the acrid stench of burning wood and ash. Buildings began to collapse one by one, the fire hungrily devouring their foundations.

From the scorched earth, jet-black spears began to rise, sharp and menacing, stabbing through the ground at random intervals. They pulsed with dark energy, a manifestation of the wrath summoned by Jalter's La Grondement Du Haine. The spears pierced the earth with a deafening crack, spreading fear like wildfire among the villagers.

Amidst the destruction, a stark contrast emerged. A lot of people and children began to glow faintly, their bodies surrounded by protective barriers of shimmering light. The glowing individuals stood frozen, their expressions a mixture of relief and confusion as the flames and spears avoided them entirely.

For the others, however, there was no such salvation. The fire and spears singled out the sinners, those whose guilt was undeniable in the judgment of the Scales of Dominion. The guilty writhed and screamed as the black flames danced closer, consuming their surroundings with terrifying precision.

At the edge of the village, Ritsu and Jalter stood side by side, watching the chaos unfold. Ritsu's small figure was almost ethereal. Her glowing blue eyes shone with an otherworldly light, and her majestic black wings stretched wide behind her, casting a shadow over the burning village. The Scales of Dominion hovered protectively above her shoulders, their eerie, dark glow pulsing in time with the magic binding the village.

Jalter, in stark contrast, was a figure of pure menace. Her silver hair flowed wildly in the infernal wind, her black dress fluttering like the embers of a dying flame. Her flag, sharp and imposing, was held high in one hand, while her sword crackled with untamed energy in the other. The aura around her was suffocating, heavy with malice and unrelenting anger.

"Do you see, Nee-san?" Ritsu said, her calm voice cutting through the din of the villagers' screams. "The Scales have judged fairly. Only those responsible for your suffering are marked."

Jalter's amber eyes scanned the chaos. The fire reflected in her gaze, making her appear as though she were part of the inferno itself. She smirked coldly.

"Good. Then let them burn," she said, her voice low and filled with satisfaction.

The scene was one of absolute carnage, but to Ritsu and Jalter, it was nothing less than justice. The Scales and the flames worked in perfect harmony, ensuring no innocent would be harmed.

As the fire grew hotter, the villagers' cries grew weaker, until only the glowing protected individuals remained standing amidst the ashes.

Hearing the sound of burning people begin to fade, Ritsu started walking forward, venturing deeper into the village.

The entire village was still engulfed in Jeanne's flames, with many houses and buildings already reduced to rubble. The acrid stench of burnt flesh assaulted her senses. Visually, the devastation was horrifying, and the smell was nauseating.

But Ritsu remained unaffected by the carnage. Even as the gruesome scene unfolded before her, she could even feel Draco inside her, clearly enjoying the chaos and destruction.

When it was all over, the barrier surrounding the village slowly dissolved, followed by the flames, which vanished as if they had never existed.

The Hermanubis Axe and Scales of Dominion stopped glowing, their purpose fulfilled, and disappeared into nothingness.

For those who had died, there would be no passage to the next life, no return to the Root. Their souls were condemned to eternal torment under the judgment of the Scales.

Ritsu began hopping around the scorched remains of the village, indifferent to the ashes and debris scattered everywhere. The few remaining survivors, confused and terrified, stared at her, their wide eyes drawn to the dark wings on her back.

The children, in particular, were paralyzed with fear, clutching their parents or huddling behind any adult they could find in a desperate attempt to hide.

"It's the Witch!!" someone screamed, their voice trembling with terror. The cry spread quickly, and the villagers began running away at the sight of Jalter, their faces pale with horror.

"Tch, those damn people," Jalter muttered, glaring at the retreating figures. "They should be thankful I didn't kill them."

"It's fine, it's fine," Ritsu replied casually, unfazed by the humans' reaction. "That's just how normal people act when faced with something like this."

Jalter looked around at the destruction that surrounded them—the ashes, the crumbled buildings, and the aftermath of the carnage.

A strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside her as she took it all in, especially when she remembered her own death, burned alive at the stake. Back then, the people had gazed at her with contempt, treating her like a heretic. Now, it was their turn to feel the flames.

And because Ritsu had assured her that only those directly involved in her death had been judged and killed, Jalter felt no remorse. No innocents had suffered because of this.

"Well, this one's done. Let's find the next village~," Ritsu said cheerfully to Jalter.

"There's more than this?" Jalter asked, surprised. She hadn't expected there to be more.

"Of course! Hermanubis told me earlier there are a few villages to visit. After this, there's still more. Let's call your Wyvern!" Ritsu replied, her voice filled with excitement, especially at the thought of riding the Wyvern again.

Jalter could only stare at her with a deadpan expression. She hadn't expected Ritsu to be this ruthless.

Now that she thought about it, Ritsu was no older than nine, yet she seemed entirely unbothered by the destruction they had caused. Even the screams of people burning alive didn't faze her—she carried on like it was just another task to check off a list.

"Maybe this is just how kids from another world are," Jalter murmured to herself, shaking her head slightly before summoning her Wyvern.

With that, the two of them set off toward the next village to burn.

-----

While Jalter accompanied Ritsu, Gilles decided it was time for him to take control and lead the remaining servants to continue the destruction of Orléans. He needed to restore Jalter to her former self and deal with the child who was influencing her. But for now, his focus remained on obliterating Orléans.

Meanwhile, after being teleported by Ritsu. Fujimaru, Mash, and Jeanne found themselves in the middle of a forest.

Jeanne seemed intent on returning to stop Ritsu and Jalter from destroying the village, but Fujimaru and Mash stopped her. At this moment, they didn't even know how to get back, and even if they did, they were likely far from their previous location.

"For now, Fujimaru, Mash, Jeanne—!" Before Olga could give an order, her monitor suddenly displayed something alarming.

"Servants!? We've detected Servants in La Charité, north of your location!"

BOOM! A deafening explosion interrupted her.

"What the—?" The three immediately ran toward the sound to investigate.

Before long, they emerged from the forest and saw thick black smoke rising from the direction of the city.

"Let's hurry!" Jeanne urged, and the three of them picked up their pace.

As they entered the city, they were met with a horrifying sight. The entire town lay in ruins—there wasn't a single building still standing. Everything was destroyed.

"Director, are there any survivors?" Fujimaru asked urgently.

"Sorry, but we're not detecting any survivors in this town… I mean, aside from four really high Mana signatures heading toward your position. Wait a minute!"

"Wait, what?"

Before they could process her words, two wyverns descended from the sky. Riding atop the wyverns were Berserker Lancer and Berserker Assassin, returning after laying waste to the town.

"This is bad. Both of those Servants have incredibly high mana and power," Da Vinci's voice crackled through the communicator. "With Jeanne weakened, there's no way you can take them on directly."

"Yeah… We can tell," Mash said grimly, her eyes fixed on the dark fog emanating from the two Berserker-class Servants. The ominous aura radiating from them was suffocating and filled the air with dread.

"That woman… She looks like our Master," Berserker Lancer said, his gaze locking onto Jeanne.

"Are you here to talk or to fight? Doesn't matter if she looks like her or not—we already have our orders. And oh, how wonderful it'll be to bathe in your blood once I'm done with you," Berserker Assassin snarled, her menacing smile widening as her aura grew wilder and more chaotic.

"Mash, Jeanne, be careful. We probably can't defeat them, so focus on holding out for now," Fujimaru instructed, his hand instinctively touching his Command Seal.

"Yes, Master!" Mash replied, raising her shield defensively.

Jeanne gripped her flag tightly, standing ready. Her gaze was steady as she prepared herself to face Berserker Assassin.