"Go this way."
A childish voice spoke, and a small hand grabbed Shinji's, pulling him forward.
Of course, they didn't actually start running, because before they could take a step, Rin stopped them.
"Who are you, and why are you helping us?"
"We're not here to help you."
"We're here to help Daddy."
Though the figure was right there, the voice seemed to come from all directions, layered and complex.
"Could it be—"
Although he couldn't see her face, upon hearing the soft, familiar voice from within the mist, and that recognizable way of addressing him, Shinji finally remembered—the daughter he had taken in out of pity and a momentary whim.
"—Jack? Is it Jack?"
"Yup, it's us."
The girl's voice was filled with joy.
"Daddy, we've come to find you."
"How did you end up here?"
Shinji was both delighted and puzzled—could it be that, like Gilgamesh and Iskandar, she had been summoned again, perhaps with some Noble Phantasm or other ability restoring her memories?
"It was Mommy—"
Jack began to answer, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, she continued pulling Shinji forward.
"Mommy said now isn't the time to talk. We have to get Daddy out of here. Daddy, run quickly."
"Ah, oh."
Shinji instinctively started running alongside her, not forgetting to grab Rin's hand as well.
"You should come along too."
"W-What on earth is going on?"
The surreal turn of events made Rin feel like she was dreaming.
"Y-You have a daughter? And who is her mother—?"
"That's a long story, and there's still a lot I don't fully understand myself. I'll explain once I figure it out."
"Ah, oh—whatever the case, her showing up here is a huge help. Maybe, just maybe, we can—"
"Can what?"
A loathsome, irritating, and heavy male voice interrupted, carrying a tone of amusement.
"Don't tell me you think you can escape like this? Such a boring little trick—"
With a loud "clap," which sounded like either a handclap or a snap of fingers, the thick fog that had made it hard to see even a few feet ahead suddenly dispersed, revealing them. At the front of the group was a small girl with silver hair and a cloak—none other than the Jack that Shinji knew.
Then, from the sky, a figure in a black coat descended. But before the coat even touched the ground, two beasts burst forth from it, rushing to confront the unexpected visitors. Nero Chaos had arrived to deal with them.
"Ugh, how annoying!"
Jack pouted as she pulled out two boning knives from under her cloak. With swift movements, she reduced one of the beasts to pieces, while Rin quickly dispatched the other with a flurry of punches.
The man in the black coat paid no mind to the loss of his beasts. Blocking the path, he sent a signal, commanding the surrounding beasts to gather. However, Jack's Noble Phantasm, The Mist, which was based on the smog of industrial-era London, not only obstructed vision and disoriented the enemy, but its strong acidic properties also severely interfered with the beasts' sense of smell, rendering their encirclement useless.
From beyond the beast horde, Roa's voice echoed.
"Oh? Another Assassin? I thought it was another Noble Phantasm hidden by the Azure Knight. But to think a Servant's own Noble Phantasm could be negated so easily... It seems this Servant isn't particularly strong, huh? Is she one of those weaklings who ascended to the Throne of Heroes purely through human folklore? Either way, your luck has run out."
Roa's analysis was spot on. Jack had no heroic deeds to her name. Even in life, she had been extremely weak, and all her power came from the fear and rumors people had attached to her. Once stripped of that faith, she would revert to being a mere aggregation of wraiths, easily defeated by even a moderately skilled magus.
Despite this, Jack showed no fear. She bravely gripped her knives, facing the overwhelming number of enemies with far greater strength.
"We won't let you hurt Daddy. We'll protect Daddy!"
"Protection isn't something you can achieve just by saying it. You need real power to back it up—today, we adults will teach you that lesson. Fabro, kill them!"
At Araya's command, the man known as Fabro Chaos nodded and began walking toward them with heavy steps.
"Not a chance!"
At the same moment, Rin swung her Jewel Sword, creating a beautiful and deadly arc of light.
However, Fabro, having witnessed the Jewel Sword's attacks multiple times, was well-prepared. Instead of retreating, the surrounding beasts surged forward, using their bodies as shields to absorb the magical impact.
By then, the man had already made his way past the beasts and stood before Jack, easily knocking the knives out of the girl's hands.
Though he typically relied on his beasts for combat, Fabro—or rather, the part of him that was in control—was an exceptional magus from the Wandering Sea, who had turned himself into a Dead Apostle through research into Age of Gods magecraft. Even without his beasts, he possessed formidable combat prowess, and Jack's childlike attacks were no match for him.
The vampire, who had long since lost his humanity, showed no mercy despite his opponent being a child. With one hand, he disarmed her, and with the other, he aimed a brutal strike at her head. With the physical strength of a Dead Apostle Ancestor, a direct hit to a vital spot would mean certain death for any Servant.
In this moment of crisis, a hand grabbed the back of Jack's cloak, pulling her back several steps. Immediately after, a foot shot forward, sending the towering man flying, crashing through three trees before coming to a stop.
Shinji standing behind Jack didn't even glance at the man he had kicked away. Instead, he gently rubbed the girl's hand and carefully picked her up, asking in a soft voice, "Are you hurt?"
"Nope," Jack shook her head.
"But Daddy, are you okay? Is your body alright?"
"I'm fine. Daddy's body is all healed now."
Shinji shook his head as well, and a small vial slipped from his sleeve, dissolving into spirit particles as it fell.
By now, Fabro had picked himself up from the ground and, together with his horde of beasts, launched a ferocious new assault.
Suddenly, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, tearing through the demonic creatures with a ferocity even greater than Rin's Jewel Sword.
Seeing this, Roa's voice finally betrayed a hint of panic.
"You—could it be you—"
"I've been waiting for you all. Waiting for you to come and kill me."
Shinji, holding Jack, stood tall, his eyes shining with determination. His face was radiant, and there was no trace of the injuries or near-death state he had been in earlier.
He gently poked Jack's cheek.
"My sweet daughter, shall we fight monsters together?"
"Yay! Let's fight monsters with Daddy!"
Jack reached for the knives under her cloak.
In the desolate wilderness, a father wielding a vajra and his young daughter brandishing kitchen knives both wore smiles on their faces.
What a father-daughter duo they were.