[h2][center]Jason Liu[/center][/h2]

Once the other Master had let go of the garrote, Jason finally allowed himself to take a breath, falling from his half-seated position onto his hands as he took the chance to recuperate. He was well aware, of course, that something was [i]terribly[/i] wrong; Command Seals failing like that against a Berserker wasn't necessarily unheard of, but the subsequent activation of Madness Enhancement that was being displayed against the Saber opposing him was far more fearsome than he had expected out of the matter. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was about as useless as any other, and the only fear in his mind was that the girl who had so casually threatened his life before wouldn't be afraid to take it to stop the rampaging Hijikata instead... Well, assuming that the Saber didn't simply overpower him outright.

For what it was worth, though, the wanton destruction of the cityscape did not end without result. While the Berserker was able to maintain his position for a minute or so, the barrage of attacks was very quickly wearing away at his body. Not that he seemed to pay that any mind, though; despite the various injuries on his body, Hijikata continued to press forth, even going so far as to deliberately take strikes to aim for his opponent's apparent openings.

"[b]CUT THEM DOWN! ADVANCE! THIS! IS! THE SHIN! SEN! GUMI![/b]"

[@Raineh Daze]

[h2][center]Alter Ego — Meltryllis[/center][/h2]

Once the arrows had been blocked, Meltryllis calmly strode up to the still regenerating half-corpse lying on the floor, despite her own Master desperately scrambling away from it. It was almost pitiful, watching her be so afraid of something about to be neutralized... But given how weak she seemed to be, there didn't seem to be any helping that part of her. Cowardice would work best with her, anyhow; despite not being able to flaunt her own abilities as much, the inability to lose simply off of her Master's death was a blessing in disguise.

With a swift motion, the purple-haired Alter Ego raised her right foot over the shadow's head and, without a shred of hesitation, crushed it beneath her heel. Then she did so again.

And again.

And again.

The more she stomped on the remains of her enemy, helpless as it was to resist, the Alter Ego couldn't help but feel a smile creep its way onto her face. It soon turned into a devilish smirk, and once she had finished turning whatever [i]this[/i] was into barely more than a pile of ground meat (if it could even be called that any more) and injecting it with copious amounts of her poison, Meltyllis turned around and laughed.

"Ah, that was refreshing. All of my pent-up stress, relieved like that. But I'm still not done. Archer, wherever you are, I'll make sure you suffer for every last waking moment. But be pleased with yourself; in that endless pain, you'll become a part of my power, and I'll be [i]sure[/i] to make full use of you. Be grateful that you won't end up like your companion over there, because you've managed to make me ever so slightly [i]irritated[/i]."

It was a declaration to the empty building, the space around her deathly quiet as she strode forward, past the young lady scared out of her mind off to the side.

What issue was there in scaring her Master further, anyhow? it was easy to protect a stationary target from a single opponent and chase them down in turn, especially with her speed.

[@VitaVitaAR]

[h2][center]Ruler — Sherlock Holmes[/center][/h2]

The complicated expression that the detective wore as his companion questioned him about the identity of the old man waiting outside of their destination spoke volumes more than anything else that could be said. It took a brief moment for Holmes to compose himself after his Master's 'aquaintance' remark, and the Ruler wasted no time in elaborating.

"Well, to say he is an... 'Old acquaintance' would not be entirely off the mark, but... It would also be a lie to say that he is anyone other than that old fool. I needn't say the name, Miss Obberhausen; surely, having a title such as 'the Napoleon of crime' would be more than enough for you to deduce his abilities, would it not?"

The question, of course, was rhetorical, and was immediately followed by a simple warning.

"If you so wish to follow in Watson's footsteps, then I would highly recommend trying to not fall into his schemes. Though I may understand the plots he concocts without a shadow of a doubt, it is only after they have been executed am I able to make use of my own abilities; if his ideas are still in motion, then it would be impossible to protect you from any ill fortune he may have in store. But as things are now, it seems that direct conflict is all but impossible to avoid."

[@KoL][@DocRock]

[h3]Fusang Hospital[/h3]

The line of questioning was one that Mary could only give a sheepish smile towards Hakuno about. Her eyes glanced off to the side for a moment, as if out of embarrassment, but it wasn't as if the questions that were being asked were impossible to answer.

"Well, um... I think I used one of those bokuto that you usually get at shrines, and the Servant was wearing a kimono and wielding a katana with the rifle I was shot with, so... I think that it wouldn't be too far a stretch to assume that it was someone from post-Sengoku Japan , right? If I recall correctly, it was Hiji... Something? I'm sorry, it's still a bit of a blur to me..." she said, her dialogue meandering to and fro as she continued. "I don't know where my friend—er, he goes by Jason—where he went, though I hope he didn't just up and abandon me like that..."

There was an almost palpable weight to her final words, as if she was implicitly accusing him of betrayal, but given the circumstances such ideas couldn't exactly be ignored outright.

"...Is there anything else? I think those painkillers that they gave me are finally kicking in again..."

[@RolePlayerRoxas]

[h3]At the Arena[/h3]
At the Knight of Betrayal's provocation, Chiron simply smiled and took a firm battle stance, steadying himself on the ground in front of Mordred as the two stood on opposite ends of the arena's bounds. There was enough room for two matches, after all, and the Archer found himself already taking mental notes on how to help the knight in front of him do better in battle. The stance that she held, for example, was far more indicative of a self-taught style than he had anticipated.

That being said, it would take the two of them trading blows before he could come up with any valid criticisms for the moment.

"Let us begin, then," the Archer called out to his opponent, a calm smile on his face as he watched his opponent ready herself.

It was a given, though, that the two would immediately clash as soon as the referee present gave them the okay to do so. Chiron simply stood by, however, waiting for his opponent to come to him. It would do him no favors to attack first, after all.