A/N: What's this? I updated this story in the month that I promised you guys? What blasphemy! XD
Self-deprecating snide aside, I've become even more motivated to update this fic as quickly as I can, to the best of my ability, thanks to the ongoing "Fate/Apocrypha" anime. To be perfectly honest, I've stopped watching after the first two episodes out of complete laziness and procrastination (you know, the usual stuff from me). However, I'm still following what's going on online and I'm still hooked! Anyway, this chapter is going to focus on another epic battle between Servants, and I'm pretty sure you guys already know who those Servants are. Now, writing this duel is going to be a bit more of a challenge to me compared to the last chapter, but rest assured, I will try my best with it. ;)
I credit the Archer vs. Lancer and Saber vs. Lancer duels in the first two episodes of the UBW anime, and the Arthur vs. Mordred duel in the fifth chapter of 00Altair's "Fate Magnus Bellum" fic, as sources of inspiration for this duel. Kudos to them for making such awesome scenes that I can follow behind!
Alright, last thing! I know it's been a long time since I pointed this out to all of you, so I'm going to point it out again. And I expect everyone to remember this from now on, so please, do pay attention and take notes.
I want more specific, in-depth reviews from you guys. Mostly everyone posted satisfactory reviews for the last chapter, but only a couple of you went into specifics of what they liked and what should be improved. I know that might be hard to do, especially since there are others who might've said everything you plan on saying, but just try. You don't have to write really long, essay-like reviews, but I expect more than just a couple of sentences per review. Surely those are reasonable enough expectations from me, for all of you, right?
Oh, and none of that "Nice chapter" and "Thank you for the update! Looking forward to next one." nonsense. Seeing those kinds of reviews makes me want to crucify myself. There's definitely something or somethings in the chapter that made you say so, and I want to know them, so I can deliver more if need be. So please, as I said earlier, do point them out, because I KNOW there's something you particularly enjoyed if you were compelled to write that blind praise. If I keep seeing those kinds of reviews, make no mistake, I WILL have to block you from reviewing any further.
Okay, this concludes this long Author's Note. On with the chapter now! ENJOY!
Miyama Park
"I require no more talking!" Mordred snarled savagely, just as her helmet started to activate. "The time has come for me to confront my father and show him my worth as a king! I've been waiting for this!" She was grinning madly as her helmet finally snapped itself around her head. "Ohhhhh, I've been waiting for this for a long time!"
"Wait a minute, Saber!" Irisviel cried in concern as the fully-armored Knight of Treachery sheathed Clarent and started to walk away. "What're you going to do?!"
Mordred glared at the silver-haired woman, and though her face was fully obscured by her helmet, everyone could sense the hungry yet satisfied grin plastered on the face of the Knight of Treachery.
"What do you think, milady?! I'm going to confront my father and settle a personal matter once and for all!"
"But it could be dangerous! Rider of White is still with King Arthur!"
"HA! Rider of White is child's play for me! I'll slay him first, with one strike of Clarent! HA HA!"
"Yeah, good luck with that..." Caules whispered to himself.
Irisviel was still concerned. "Please, Saber, don't go and do something reckless-"
"Reckless? Reckless?!" Mordred slammed a clenched fist onto her breastplate, provoking a loud, hollow, metallic clang. "Irisviel, I am Mordred Pendragon, son of Arthur Pendragon! As the son of the king, it was my right to inherit the throne of Britain, but I was denied of it by the king, my father himself! But now that we are together again, in the throes of the battlefield, it is my opportunity to prove to him how worthy I am! My perfect opportunity! And you are NOT going to stop me!"
Irisviel looked at Kairi pleadingly. "Please, Sisigou-san, tell Saber that this is a bad idea!"
Upon hearing those words, Mordred suddenly unsheathed Clarent and aimed its blade directly between Kairi's eyes. There was a ferocious, bestial look in her emerald eyes.
"You do that, you die, impostor," the Knight of Treachery snarled. "I do not care what my Master ordered you to do. He is not around to see your failure."
To everyone's surprise, Kairi wasn't daunted by the threat in the slightest. Instead, the necromancer calmly moved Clarent's blade away from his face, using his hand, and smiled confidently at Mordred.
"I have no intention of stopping you," he replied. "Don't hold back, knight. Give it your all."
Mordred's posture stiffened for a moment, for she obviously did not expect Kairi to respond like that. But after a few seconds, she sheathed Clarent, and everyone could sense her hungry grin again.
"Will do," she said.
Before Irisviel could stop her, Mordred launched herself out of the park with an explosive burst of air, which nearly knocked everyone else over. Once she recovered, Irisviel marched towards Kairi with an outraged look on her face.
"Why didn't you stop her?!" she snapped. "I would've stopped her from killing you!"
"I wasn't afraid of dying, if that's what you're implying. Besides, I really doubt Saber wouldn't care in the slightest if you were in the way. She may like you, but she's also quite destructive."
Irisviel pursed her lips, realizing Kairi was right about that. Then, she replied, "But still, this is a very risky gamble for her! She could get herself killed!"
Kairi merely smirked back at her. "No, she won't. I have the utmost faith in her."
"How could you have faith in her?! She's coming up against two Servants, and she's blinded by her emotions! Worse yet, you're not even with her on the battlefield! Why in the world did Kiritsugu hire you to take his place?!"
"Relax, lady, relax." Kairi suddenly looked across the park. "I think I know where the battlefield is..."
"You do?" Irisviel blinked in confusion. "Where?"
Kairi didn't respond. Irisviel then realized that the necromancer was now looking over her shoulder, wearing a look of suspicion. Turning around, she saw someone standing several yards away, between the trees, having apparently been there for some time.
"Ruler...?"
The Maid of Orléans calmly turned around and started walking out of the park.
Homurahara Academy
The two Divine Bulls bellowed as Iskandar's mighty chariot touched down on the street outside the school perimeter, shooting out bolts of electricity in the process. It gradually slowed down to a stop, and once it did, Olesya and Arturia dismounted. Arturia had now switched back to her civilian clothing, which was now a white coat, a dark skirt, thigh-high leggings, and a long royal-blue scarf.
"I must say, Animusphere," Kayneth said, looking down upon the two women, "that was a very clever strategy of yours. Diverting the Black Servants' attention away from our Servants, by endangering their Masters using our Assassin, so they could inevitably rush to their aid and guarantee our escape? I can see your sharp and quick thinking hasn't dulled one bit."
"Do I hear Kayneth El-Melloi, ninth head of the Archibald family, showering praise upon me?" Olesya asked playfully.
Kayneth frowned. "Neither have your teasing ways, clearly..."
Olesya giggled teasingly for a quick moment. Then, she looked at Arturia, who, to her surprise, was looking concerned.
"Olesya?" she asked. "What's the matter?"
Arturia didn't respond immediately, but after a minute or so, the Lancer Servant looked back at her Master.
"Lancer of Black..." she said. "It was my first fight with him, and already did he prove to be a formidable opponent against me... His cursed spear incapacitated Llamrei with a permanent wound that can't be healed..."
"But you were able to fight well without it. I don't see how that could be such a problem."
"Yes, it is true that I can fight efficiently on foot. However..." Arturia solemnly looked down at Rhongomyniad, which was still being held in her hands. "Rhongomyniad is a lance, not a spear. Despite the similar designs, the two weapons are not alike. Without Llamrei, I cannot use Rhongomyniad to its fullest potential. And that means-"
"You will be unable to activate your Noble Phantasm..."
Olesya cursed herself for not realizing the problem sooner. In fact, she cursed herself for not understanding her Servant at all. For her entire life, she was raised believing she would summon King Arthur as a Saber Servant, nothing more, nothing less. As a result, she studied certain aspects of the Arthurian tale that matched her expectations, while ignoring all those that seemed unimportant and trivial to her. But thanks to Tokiomi Tohsaka's unintended machinations, she was stuck with a different, unexpected type of Servant, one whose true powers and abilities were beyond her...
Perhaps this is why Lancer was left with such a terrible disability...
"What a terrible development," Iskandar suddenly remarked. "Master, what do you think we should do about it?"
"What're you talking about, Rider?" spat Kayneth. "We're sticking to Tohsaka's plan. Not once did he ever mention returning to the park in case we have to heal Lancer's magical horse!"
"But you heard Lancer! Without her steed, she cannot use her trump card when we might need it the most."
"True, true. But we mustn't worry about it now. Our plan was a success, and our objective now is to return to base and share our knowledge about Lancer and Rider of Black to our allies. Besides, we have a number of other trump cards at our disposal, including yours! Do not concern yourself over trivial matters such as this."
"But Master-!"
"Your Master's right, Rider," Olesya suddenly interrupted. "Besides, you and Lancer used up a good amount of mana during the fight. We must save our strength, and worry about restoring Lancer's steed later." An almost despondent look came upon her eyes. "For now, we must focus on the current objective."
Arturia nodded stiffly in agreement.
"I'm glad you're seeing things my way, Animusphere," Kayneth said, his tone one of sickening gratitude. Then, he looked up at the nighttime sky. "Now then, it is time for us to make our leave."
Iskandar arched an eyebrow. "We're not going to take the ladies with us?" he asked.
The ninth-generation mage furrowed his brow. "The plan was to split up during the retreat, before we returned to the Tohsaka manor! That's why we left Assassin and that doll behind! For heaven's sake, did you not listen to our instructions, Rider?!"
The King of Conquerors shrugged dismissively. "I was listening all right, Master. But I thought you had actually seen the error of such directions when we took Lancer and her Master along in my chariot."
"I never approved of such a thing! You just waited for them to get on!"
"Oh, yeah." Iskandar started scratching his mighty red beard. "That's right, I did..."
"Well, this is enough indulgence for you, Rider! I will not allow it any further! Lancer and Animusphere are going to return to our base of operations their own way from here on out. There's no way the Black Faction is finished with us for the night. Not when the Magus Killer is still their leader."
The Rider Servant narrowed his eyes in disgust. "So you're saying we should save ourselves and leave our comrades-in-arms as easy pickings?! That is profoundly, horrendously absurd! No, not absurd, disrespectful!"
"We can handle our own just fine, Rider," Olesya said, her eyes narrowing coldly. "Please do as your Master tells you."
Iskandar's fiery red eyes widened at Olesya's willingness to follow such a strategy. He prepared to counterargue, but then he saw Kayneth's hand, the one bearing the Command Seals, twitch instinctively. At that moment, the King of Conquerors realized he had spoken long enough, and instead nodded in begrudging agreement.
"Thank you," Kayneth heaved out with annoyed gratefulness. "Now then, fare thee well."
Iskandar grumbled in ambivalence, but he cracked his whip, prompting the electricity to crackle again and the Divine Bulls to bellow loudly. Arturia and Olesya watched as Iskandar's chariot lifted off into the air and flew out of sight, down the direction of Tohsaka Manor. Once it was out of sight, Arturia turned to Olesya.
"Shall we begin our trek home, Master?" she asked.
"Yes, Lancer," Olesya replied solemnly. "Let's."
But the King of Knights didn't budge. Instead, she raised her eyebrows in concern for her Master.
"Olesya, is there something wrong?" Then, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and the memory of Llamrei's incapacity at the hands of Lancer of Black returned to the forefront of her mind. "Have you, perhaps...become disappointed in me...?"
Olesya's eyes instantly widened, and she frantically waved her hands in denial.
"No, no, no, not at all!" she exclaimed. "After bearing witness to your powers and fighting skills, I am even more proud to have become your Master! I really am, Lancer!"
"Then why do you look so crestfallen?"
"It's nothing, Lancer. Really, it isn't. Please, you do not have to be concerned for me." Olesya looked back at the hero she admired so much...and yet, the hero she now couldn't understand...and forced herself to smile at her. "Come on, Lancer. Let's go."
Arturia was unsure whether Olesya was being truthful or not, but nevertheless, she couldn't dare question her Master, not when she had been so kind and honest to her. So, she chose to smile back at her and nod affirmatively. Then, they started walking together, side by side.
But before they could even walk one foot down the sidewalk, Lancer stopped.
"Wait."
Olesya froze in her tracks, recognizing the tone of Lancer's voice.
"Another Black Servant?" the Animusphere Master asked.
"Yes. There is just one, though. And...it is close by..."
"How close?"
"Closer than you think," a rough, hungry voice said.
Arturia and Olesya both twirled around and saw someone standing in the middle of the street. It was a person clad from head to toe in silver-and-red armor. His or her face was completely obscured by a horned helmet that evoked an aura of both grandeur and ruthlessness. This armor-clad person was wielding a silver sword with a blood-red helm...
"Clarent?" the King of Knights thought in shock. "Why is it...?"
Then, she scanned the rest of the knight's form, but by the time she got to the breastplate, it seemed all but certain to her...
"I never thought I would actually get this chance to meet you here, in this Grail War," the knight said. He or she paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating whether it really was too good to be true. "But alas...alas, it seems that fate has decided to grant me this second chance...at fulfilling my destiny!"
Arturia's eyes widened to the point where they were bulging. This was her last piece of evidence to the Heroic Spirit's true identity. There was no need for anymore clarification. Horrified by the dawning realization, she began slowly shaking her head, as if that very act would help invalidate the very truth that was before her. Her hands started to shake.
"No..." she said. Horrible memories of a landscape of bloodied bodies and swords flashed across her mind. "No. It can't be... It-It can't be you..."
"But it is I!" The knight's helmet retracted itself, revealing a boyish face of blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes...Arturia's own face... "Your son, and your rightful heir!"
A blast of air, expelled by Rhongomyniad almost instantaneously, knocked Mordred several feet down the asphalt.
"You are not my heir," Arturia said, "Mordred."
Olesya gasped at the shocking revelation, and covered her mouth. "That's Mordred?!" she thought. "The Knight of Treachery who led about the downfall of Camelot?!"
Mordred grinned toothily, and she stood back up. "So, you still regard me just like how you regard dirt, I see!" she replied.
Then, she felt a sharp stinging sensation on her lower lip. Mordred ran her tongue over the section that was prickling, and could taste blood. She used her thumb to wipe that section, and examined the smudge of red coating her metal-covered digit. Her grin widened, and Mordred showed the thumb to Arturia.
"Look at this, Father! This is your blood! Your blood! It runs through my veins! Yet despite knowing this, you deny me my right to the throne?!"
"Your right to the throne?" Arturia repeated in disgust. Her grip on Rhongomyniad tightened as she continued to remember all of the painful memories...memories of Camelot's suffering and ultimate end...
...And Mordred's role in them.
"You have no right at all to anything in Camelot."
"No right?!" Enraged, Mordred pointed at the King of Knights accusingly. "For my entire life, I worked HARD to become the ideal knight that you advocated! I protected the way of the knights, the way that YOU set forth! Out of all the Knights of the Round Table, I was the most loyal to Camelot! Camelot, which I am also bound to by my blood! I am all of these things to Camelot, and you say I have no right to ANY OF IT?!"
Arturia's eyes narrowed, and a certain memory returned to the forefront of her mind.
"Father..."
"None of that proves your worth as a king."
"Really?! Well then, why did I have an understanding with the people of Camelot?! An understanding that you could never achieve?!"
The King of Knights's eyes widened, outraged at Mordred's bold proclamation. "What?!"
"Of course! Why do you think many of your subjects rallied behind me during the rebellion?! They called for your fall, Father, and I was the one who took the initiative! I led them because they wanted something I wanted, and I was the one best capable of responding to their needs! If I, the son of the king, could understand the king's subjects better than the king himself, then that could only mean that I am fit for the throne! AGH!"
That had been the last straw. Changing back into her armor, Arturia had launched herself, with a mighty expulsion of air, towards Mordred and stabbed at her with Rhongomyniad, but the Knight of Treachery parried the attack just in the nick of time. Then, Mordred let out a bestial roar and kicked Arturia away from her with powerful force; the King of Knights smashed through the brick wall lining the perimeter of the nearby Homurahara Academy.
"But I can see that you still despise me," Mordred snarled. "You must've yearned for a pure heir, one whose blood was untouched by sinful dirt... I could almost sympathize with that mindset..." She aimed Clarent at Arturia, its blade gleaming in the pale light coming from the streetlight. "But it doesn't matter, Father. Regardless of the circumstances of my birth, I am your child! I am the only child you have now! And I will prove to you my worth as a king, and as your rightful heir! And then, perhaps you would-"
"To think that I would face you here, on this battlefield..." Arturia suddenly interrupted, as she stood back up. "After first seeing you, a small, small part of me hoped that it would not come to that moment... But now, after bearing witness to your continued failure to understand the ways of a king..." Arturia twirled Rhongomyniad around, eventually stopping once the lance's blade was aimed straight for the Knight of Treachery's chest. "My path is clear. I will defend the throne of Britain from you, Mordred, Knight of Treachery! FOR IT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!"
What happened next was something that Olesya or any other normal human could not see. A fiery-eyed Mordred charged towards Arturia, Clarent poised to strike, and Arturia readied Rhongomyniad to make parrying blows. Once the two weapons met, it became a blur of silver, blue, and red; and the air was filled with the sounds of metallic clangs, each happening milliseconds apart. It almost sounded like a lighter version of a jackhammer piercing its drill through the ground.
In addition, the slashing of weapons happened with such rapid and immense force, bordering on superhuman, that the blasts of air, required for such force, were literally shredding apart the ground beneath the Servants' feet. For every second that passed, Arturia and Mordred were making a crater for themselves, and it was just getting deeper and deeper.
After a half-minute of this, Arturia dodged Mordred's latest strike instead of parrying it. While the Knight of Treachery raised Clarent again, the King of Knights ran as quickly as she could. Once she got beside her opponent, she launched herself with a blast of air towards Mordred, intending to skewer her in her vulnerable, exposed side. But Mordred was quicker, swinging Clarent upward and parrying Rhongomyniad's blow. She used so much force in that parry that Arturia was knocked upward, giving Mordred the opportunity to kick her father further into the air.
As she fell back towards Mordred, Arturia tried to use that opportunity to aim Rhongomyniad's blade for her opponent's breastplate again, hoping to skewer the Knight of Treachery from the air. But once again, Mordred saw through her father's intentions and swung Clarent to the side, knocking Rhongomyniad away from her chest.
Then, while Arturia was momentarily stunned by her counterattack, Mordred aimed Clarent at her father's own breastplate. But she didn't have time to properly thrust the blade forward; instead, the breastplate deflected Clarent's blade, and it glided underneath Arturia's armpit, cutting her left arm in the process.
Arturia winced and grunted in pain while rolling away from Mordred, who unsuccessfully tried to strike her again. Once she got back up, the King of Knights was greeted once again by Mordred's aggressive, frenzied attacks. She was forced to parry Clarent's blow again and again in a matter of seconds. The crater was only getting deeper and deeper every time their weapons met.
Realizing that she needed to change the terms of the battlefield, Arturia jumped out of the crater, followed closely by Mordred. Back on proper ground level, they continued striking at each other and blocking each other's strikes. But this time, they were both mobile; Arturia was walking backward every couple of strikes, towards Homurahara Academy, with Mordred aggressively pushing her forward. In two minutes, they had gone past the brick wall, using the hole created earlier by Arturia.
All the while, Arturia still felt Olesya's presence, but could no longer see her. She must've gone to a proper, safer vantage point when the duel commenced.
Five minutes of this passed, and the two Servants were now fighting in the middle of the school's front courtyard, having left behind a trail of destroyed rubble and earth. By that point, Arturia already felt herself getting exhausted; her battle with Lancer and Rider of Black had already drained her of half of her strength, and now the remaining half was being expended with this duel. Not to mention she was no longer riding Llamrei, which meant her fighting capabilities with Rhongomyniad were reduced. She needed to find a way to gain an advantage over Mordred.
When Mordred swung Clarent yet again with a ferocious cry, the King of Knights parried it with an upwards stroke powered with an expulsion of magical energy, which was powerful enough to explode the ground beneath the two Servants.
While Mordred was blinded by the shower of earth, Arturia took this time to safely distance herself from the Knight of Treachery.
"AH! Do my eyes deceive me?!" Mordred called tauntingly, as Arturia positioned herself several yards away from her. "Is Arthur Pendragon, the venerable King of Knights, trying to get away from his opponent during the heat of the duel?!"
"Your arrogance blinds you yet again, Knight of Treachery," spat Arturia.
"Oh, I see! So you think I'm not worth your time!"
Arturia tried to respond, but Mordred would not give her time. Letting out a vicious roar, the Knight of Treachery leaped into the air and fell towards her father, Clarent poised to strike yet again. Arturia reacted quickly, blocking Clarent's blow with the body of Rhongomyniad itself. The force of the collision triggered a shock-wave that blew out several of Homurahara Academy's windows, and the collision was freakishly powerful enough to force the ground beneath Arturia several feet deep into the earth, like a sheet of tough metal being dented.
"THEN I'LL SHOW YOU I'M WORTH YOUR TIME!" Mordred screeched.
"We just passed a Bounded Field. This is it."
Kairi, Irisviel, and Waver rounded the corner of the sidewalk and were immediately greeted with the sight of Homurahara Academy. Irisviel and Waver were quick to notice the several shattered windows, and like Kairi, they heard the sounds of weapons meeting.
"How'd you know there was gonna be a battle here?" Waver asked.
"Simple," Kairi replied. "After battling with our Lancer and Rider, the White Faction clearly hightailed it back to their base, which would obviously be Tohsaka Manor. There are two areas near that place where Servants could do battle without being seen by the rabble. One is the park and the other is-"
"The local high school..." completed Irisviel. Then, the woman looked at Kairi inquisitively. "I don't see why we couldn't bring Lancer and Rider with us. They could help Assassin provide backup-"
"Unnecessary for three reasons. One: Lancer and Rider are already tired out from the last battle, and we need them to recover. Two: the White Faction still thinks our Assassin is dead, and your husband prefers to keep it that way. Speaking of which..." Kairi gave Waver an intimidating glare that made the student's skin crawl. "You, get some of your Assassins positioned around the battlefield. We need eyes on the duel from all angles."
"S-Su-Sure..." Waver replied.
Then, while Waver was closing his eyes and giving his Assassins orders via telepathic communication, Irisviel asked angrily, "And what's the third reason, Sisigou-san?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I think Saber needs all the assistance she can get from her teammates, yet you're just sitting there doing nothing and letting her run wild!" Irisviel crossed her arms. "Something tells me this wasn't part of Kiritsugu's plan!"
"Indeed, he didn't plan this part out. I am making these decisions out of my own volition, I can assure you that."
"Then why do this?! Why are you taking the risk of letting Saber run into a duel unsupervised, when neither of you know what's in store for her?!"
"Because..." Kairi's looks suddenly became more sharpened. "This is a deeply personal matter between her and her father. Neither of them are going to let anyone else get involved, and all of us must respect that." He then gave Irisviel a wide, confident grin. "We just need to have a little faith in our Saber. For all we know, this duel could be all she needs to bury a hatchet that desperately needs to be buried."
Kotomine Church
Kirei Kotomine opened his eyes.
"Father," he said, "it appears another battle has already started. Ruler has just arrived at the scene for observation."
Risei's position on the altar shifted a little. "Another battle already? After the one Ruler just witnessed in the park in Miyama Town?"
"Yes. Ruler tells me that this latest battle is occurring on the grounds of the local high school. A Bounded Field had already been set up there."
"The local high school?" Risei sighed heavily. "This one is going to be a bit tougher to cover up compared to the park in Miyama Town." Then, the priest's expression changed slightly. "Who are the Servants? Are the same match-ups from the last battle being used?"
"I will ask Ruler." Kirei closed his eyes again and thought, "Ruler."
"Yes, Kirei?" Ruler's voice replied.
"Can you identify the Servants battling at the high school?"
"Yes. There are just two: Lancer of White and Saber of Black. Respectively, they are Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights, and his son Mordred, the Knight of Treachery."
"A father and son engaged in a duel. Interesting..." Kirei opened his eyes, breaking his telepathic communication with Ruler, and informed Risei, "It's just Lancer of White and Saber of Black. They are fighting to the death over what I presume is a highly personal matter. Neither Servant has backup from their respective Factions."
"A simple duel to the death. That does put some ease into the more complicating matters of covering it up. Less Servants present, less concern about external manageability." Risei approached a table holding a single cup and a bottle of wine. "Can Ruler see other Masters?"
"We'll see." Kirei reestablished his communication with Ruler. "Ruler, can you see any Masters in the vicinity of the battlefield?"
"Yes. I recognize Lancer of White's Master. She's distanced herself from the battlefield but is keeping a close eye. I assume she is the one who set up the Bounded Field. And I can also see two other people approaching the school... It's the substitute appointed by Saber of Black's Master...and an Einzbern homunculus."
"The substitute..." Kirei repeated. "So it appears...Saber's true Master is not keen on directing her from the sidelines."
"This doesn't appear to be in close violation of the Grail War rules yet. The true Master is still intent on participating if he didn't transfer his Command Seals to the substitute. In addition, the substitute seems mentally well and focused on following his benefactor's orders. Still, I will keep a close eye on him."
"An agreeable course of action, Ruler. Keep me updated on any significant developments." Kirei opened his eyes again and said aloud, "Ruler sees Lancer of White's Master, along with the substitute she observed being appointed by Saber of Black's Master. That is all for now, Father."
"Well then," Risei replied, as he poured himself a cup of wine in satisfaction, "this seems more straightforward than the last battle. For now, let's just allow this duel to unfold. A Bounded Field is already put in place over the scene, so there's no risk of any civilians stumbling upon the battle under normal circumstances." The older priest took a brief sip of his wine. "Everything is going just as planned, Kirei."
"Agreed."
But Kirei looked away, gazing absentmindedly at the rows of pews. It would appear that the so-called Magus Killer himself chose not to show up for the duel between his Servant and one of the White Faction's own. Just as Ruler predicted, he was relegating the responsibility of coordinating Saber of Black's actions on the battlefield to a mere proxy.
"But...why...?" Kirei thought to himself. "It's just as Ruler said: he has to be intent on participating in the future if he's retained his Command Seals. Then why does he wish to stay off the battlefield for now? It can't be out of cowardice. No, he's demonstrated a willingness to directly and recklessly participate in the fiercest war-zones. This War is well within his forte. So this...this has to be something else... Something else is forcing him to stay away from the battlefield...
"But...what could it be...?"
He gazed back at Risei, who was calmly taking another sip of his wine.
24-Hour Hotel in Fuyuki, Shinto
Kiritsugu opened his eyes and found himself back in his sitting position on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. He had just observed the start of the duel between Saber of Black and Lancer of White, using the eyes of the familiar he dispatched to monitor Irisviel and Kairi Sisigou's movements.
At first, the Magus Killer was in Irisviel's position, questioning Kairi Sisigou's reasoning for allowing Saber to go after Lancer when no one knew what was in store for the Servant. But after realizing who Lancer of White really was, it made perfect sense to him: Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, had a score to settle with her "father", Arthur Pendragon, and any rational attempt to stop her would result in a savage death.
As he mulled over Lancer of White's true identity, Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed somewhat. It appeared that Lancer's Master was behind the strange disappearance of Avalon, the catalyst that would've guaranteed the Einzberns' successful summoning of the King of Knights. This was something he had to report to Grandfather Acht.
Moreover, Kiritsugu noted that Arthur Pendragon was summoned in the nontraditional Lancer class and not as a Saber. This meant that something went wrong with the White Master's plan; most likely, another White Master had already summoned a Saber Servant beforehand and the Holy Grail selected the next best Servant class for the King of Knights. Not to mention he...or rather she was summoned as a woman, much like his own Saber.
Kiritsugu grinned slightly, realizing that it meant a possible disconnect between Master and Servant. After all, magi make their plans with extreme pride and precision, sometimes taking years to put said plans into fruition, with the expectation that everything will go perfectly in their favor. No matter how minor the monkey wrench may be, any of the sort triggers a domino effect that would ultimately expose the mage's vulnerabilities.
In this case, Lancer's Master would have little to no understanding of what their Servant could do in her current class container. This left Lancer herself at a major disadvantage in a battle. Hopefully Kairi Sisigou realized this as well...
At the thought of Kairi, Kiritsugu's grin faded.
It had definitely been a good idea to leave Saber under the necromancer's supervision. After all, she definitely seemed more compatible with him than with Kiritsugu. But still...Kairi's sudden appearance and insistence on joining the Black Faction deeply worried Kiritsugu. There was definitely a third party involved, and Kairi was their proxy...but who else had a stake in this Grail War...?
This was another reason why Kiritsugu chose to let Kairi into the fold and pair him up with Saber. By allowing this indulgence and keeping a watchful eye on the necromancer from afar, the Magus Killer hoped he could find some clue about Kairi's client.
"Now then," he said to himself, "let's see what you can do, Kairi Sisigou."
Kiritsugu heard something stirring behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Maiya, still naked and under the sheets, turning over on her side. At the sight of her, a certain light faded in the Magus Killer's dark eyes. He pushed his morals away and crawled over towards her...
Homurahara Academy
Olesya watched in horror as the duel between Arturia and Mordred continued. Arturia tried her best to stand her ground, but an unimaginably beastly rage was fueling the Knight of Treachery's attacks, which threatened to overwhelm the already-weary King of Knights. Within just one minute, the two Servants already laid waste to the front courtyard, created a few craters in the school wall, blew out all of the school's front windows, and uprooted a couple of trees. If an ordinary citizen were to see the wreckage, they'd think that a hurricane struck the school.
"What should I do?" the Animusphere Master thought in desperation. "Saber just keeps coming at Lancer from left and right and doesn't give her any breathing room! She's freakishly strong, and Lancer doesn't have the energy to fight this duel! If I try and provide her mana, Mordred's rapid attacks will just render it useless, and I can't waste my reserves! And worse, I can't tell Lancer to use her Noble Phantasm to put a quick end to the fight. Her steed is still injured, making Rhongomyniad's ultimate strike useless." Her eyes widened in apprehension and self-doubt, and she lightly bit the fingernail of her thumb. "What should I do...?"
Meanwhile, Arturia strained as she continued blocking Mordred's relentless blows. It was just as Olesya thought; the Knight of Treachery's strikes were rapid, endless, strong, and coming from left to right. It was almost like she was fighting a Berserker rather than a Saber. Every time Arturia had to go on the defensive, it seemed to provide fuel for Mordred's already-bursting ferocity. Even worse, Mordred shared her own Mana Burst Skill, which made her attacks just as powerful as her own.
Mordred swung Clarent down upon Arturia yet again, and Arturia instinctively blocked it with the body of Rhongomyniad. But unlike all the other times, Mordred didn't raise her sword again; instead, she growled savagely and put more of her strength into forcing her blade downward, seemingly hoping that she could literally break through Rhongomyniad and strike her target.
Arturia grunted as she tried hard to keep herself from being forced to her knees. But Mordred's strength was too much for her to handle. Had she not participated in the first battle at the park, she might've had the strength needed to defeat Mordred. This was not good.
She soon felt her knees buckling from the increasing strain. As much as she didn't want to do it, the King of Knights quickly relocated one of her hands from the lance's hilt to its other end, near the bladed tip. But it wasn't enough to keep her on her feet. Indeed, Arturia collapsed to her knees, but she still held on to Rhongomyniad, the only thing protecting her from Clarent's finishing blow.
Arturia's pupils darted from Clarent's blade to the slits in Mordred's helmet...and through them, she could see her opponent's eyes, much like her own, but wide, bloodshot, and quivering madly.
"Had enough, King Arthur?!" Mordred roared. Even her voice, in that moment, was not a far cry from the unintelligible roars of Berserker of White.
Arturia groaned, feeling Mordred's strength literally forcing itself down upon her. At this rate, she was not going to last long in this position. She had to get out of it...and there was only one way to do it. She was running a great risk, though, by wasting a great portion of her remaining strength through this method.
But after remembering Mordred's childish, selfish rants about her entitlement to Camelot and the throne of Britain...there was no way she was going to admit defeat to the Knight of Treachery. No, she was going to show her what it really meant to be a king, and why she didn't deserve such a title of nobility.
With a loud, defiant yell, Arturia expelled a powerful burst of magical energy from her entire body, which violently blew Mordred into the nearest wall of the school.
"Think all you want, Knight of Treachery," she replied, "but while I am exhausted, by no means am I conceding defeat in the face of adversity, for that is the most dishonorable thing a knight could do for his kingdom." She glared up at the spot of the wall where Mordred was landed. "And I am Arturia Pendragon, the king of Camelot and all of Britain! No matter what my current state is, I shall defend my kingdom from the likes of you!"
Mordred let out an inhuman roar and launched herself out of the wall, towards her father. Before Arturia could react, the Knight of Treachery collided with her, and the two Servants tumbled across the earth for several yards. Then, they crashed through a chain-link fence, tumbled across concrete for a split-second, and then fell into a body of water. At first, Arturia relished in the sounds of water and nothing else, for the quickest moment, before realizing where she was: the Homurahara Academy swimming pool.
She allowed herself to reach the bottom of the pool; once her feet touched the bottom, she used a lighter Mana Burst to gently propel herself out of the water. Once she leaped through the surface and inhaled a fresh breath of air, Arturia allowed herself to fall back towards the swimming pool. But instead of diving back into the water, she literally, harmlessly landed on its surface like it was hard ground.
Arturia let out a calm, deep breath, just as she heard footsteps approaching her position.
"Lancer!" a voice called.
Arturia looked over her shoulder and saw Olesya running to the side of the pool.
"Olesya," the King of Knights replied, relieved at seeing her Master safe and sound. She felt her Master use healing magic to repair her wounds inflicted during the course of the duel. "Are you alright?"
"I should be asking you the same thing!" Olesya exclaimed. "I...I'm sorry! I-I didn't give you any commands at all, and I just watched by the sidelines while you nearly died!" She bowed her head in shame. "I-I'm so ashamed of myself!"
"Please, do not blame yourself, Olesya. You were caught off-guard by Mordred's ferocity, as was I. She is most certainly a powerful foe...especially when it comes to me..."
Olesya's eyes widened. "S-Speaking of which, where is Mordred? I don't see her anywhere."
Arturia gasped in shock, realizing that Mordred was still somewhere in the pool. But before she could look down and see where her opponent was, her Master's question was already answered: the water beneath Arturia exploded, and the King of Knights was violently knocked up into the air by an armored fist. Arturia caught a glimpse of Clarent as it gleamed in the pale moonlight.
"NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, KING OF KNIGHTS!" Mordred screamed.
Arturia and Mordred traded a couple of blows as they both fell back towards the pool. A second later, Arturia landed smoothly on the water's surface, while Mordred disappeared into the body of water with a loud splash.
"Lancer!" Olesya cried. "She's using the water and darkness as concealment!"
But Arturia already knew that. Looking down at the swimming pool, she initially couldn't see Mordred at all because of the dark nighttime sky and the bright moonlight being reflected by its surface, obscuring everything underneath. Quickly using her Instinct skill, she made out the Knight of Treachery's form swimming down towards the bottom of the pool. At first, she wondered why, but then, she remembered the method she used to get to the surface.
Moments later, Mordred, using Mana Burst, propelled herself of the water again, with the intent of punching Arturia back into the air. But this time, Arturia was quick to block the attack using the body of Rhongomyniad. She then slammed the lance's blade on top of Mordred's helmet, essentially slapping her back underwater.
At first, there was a couple of seconds of silence. Then, the water exploded again, revealing Mordred, who roared furiously as she attempted to punch Arturia with a Mana Burst-fueled fist. But Arturia quickly used her own Mana Burst to propel Mordred across the pool and into the wall, shattering one of the diving boards in the process. She watched as Mordred sank back into the water.
"Coward," Arturia thought, her mind prickling with rage at Mordred's tactics. "Using such dirty and underhanded tricks to gain an advantage over me... That is by no means dishonor to the code of chivalry!"
Immediately, she sensed another attack coming. This time, Mordred leaped out of the pool and into the air using a particularly large Mana Burst, powerful enough to shower both Arturia and Olesya with the water. As the King of Knights was still reeling from that, Mordred fell back towards Arturia's position, aiming Clarent's blade at her opponent. Arturia quickly blocked it with Rhongomyniad, but the force of the collision was so powerful that she couldn't hold her footing on the pool's surface for any longer. The laws of physics kicked back in, and both Servants collapsed into the water.
Just like last time, Arturia used a lighter Mana Burst to gently propel herself out of the water as soon as her feet touched the bottom. She leaped through the surface and landed on its surface. As for Mordred, she seemed to think that her new strategy was no longer going to work, for she had begun swimming to the other side of the pool, away from Arturia. She jumped out of the pool using her Mana Burst and landed the concrete edge, after which she twirled around and faced her father.
Arturia wasted no time. She dashed across the pool's surface like a common basilisk, Rhongomyniad aimed for Mordred's breastplate. The King of Knights knew she had to finish this soon. Her precious remaining strength was dwindling away.
Indeed, Arturia had already become so exhausted that Mordred easily swatted her lance away using Clarent, and then kicked Arturia away from her while she was still stunned. The King of Knights skipped across the pool's surface like a thrown rock, before she forced herself to recover and land harmlessly on the other side of the concrete edge. She then stared down Mordred; even though her opponent was still wearing her armored helmet over her face, Arturia could imagine the look of unbridled hatred that she was wearing.
"Well, well, well," the Knight of Treachery snarled. "Look at you!" She held out her arms in some sort of glorious pose. "Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights, so perfect that he can walk on water like some god!"
"Oh. Do you mean to tell me that you're jealous of me?" Arturia asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. As she spoke, she felt Olesya magically heal her wounds again, and she mentally thanked her Master for the assistance.
"Jealous? Jealous?! HA! How could I be jealous of you, Father?! You...the one I admired so much for so long!"
"First you challenge my kingship, and now you profess your admiration of me?" The King of Knights lowered her lance so that its tip was touching the pool's surface, creating ripples. "You are very contradictory, Knight of Treachery."
"Contradictory?! No, King Arthur, no." Arturia could now imagine Mordred's savage smile, and the new spark of fire that was blazing furiously in her eyes. "It is because of my unrivaled admiration of you...that I must prove why I am worthy to be your heir!"
"This isn't good... Assassin's reporting a sudden surge of magical energy flowing into the pool area!"
Waver opened his eyes and looked at Irisviel and Kairi. The former immediately became concerned by this update, but the latter was totally relaxed, with his eyes closed. Right now, the trio hadn't left their position outside Homurahara Academy, instead relying on the reports given to Waver by his Assassins.
"A surge of magical energy?" repeated Irisviel.
However, before anyone else could speak, Kairi replied, "It's Saber." He opened his eyes and gazed towards the school. "She's about to use her Noble Phantasm."
"Her Noble Phantasm?!" Irisviel and Waver both exclaimed at the same time.
"Yes. Her Noble Phantasm." Then, all of a sudden, a single bead of sweat broke out on Kairi's forehead. "We probably should move out of the way."
Arturia's eyes widened as she felt the high amounts of magical energy flowing into the pool area. Immediately, Mordred took a stance, and her sword began to manifest crackling bolts of blood-red electricity. At the same time, her helmet automatically disassembled and removed itself from its owner's head, revealing Mordred's expression of monstrous fury.
"BEHOLD, FATHER!" she roared mightily yet savagely. "THIS IS THE WICKED BLADE THAT WILL DESTROY YOU!"
The space around Mordred and Clarent became stained with the color and radiance of crimson blood, and Clarent's blade started making strange, violent, and furious sounds. Then, both Arturia and Olesya watched as Clarent's normally pure and beautiful form was transformed into a grotesque and unsightly one.
"Oh, no!" Olesya thought in terror. "Saber of Black is about to use her Noble Phantasm! Saber- I mean, Lancer, she won't be able to take anymore! I can't lose the War like this! I have to do something, or else!"
To her dismay, the Animusphere Master saw Arturia taking a stance of her own. Was she really going to try and overcome the opponent's Noble Phantasm?!
Mordred raised Clarent as it continued to crackle. "Clarent..."
Thinking quickly, Olesya screamed, over the strange and furious cacophony, "By the power of my Command Seal!" She raised the fist that bore her white Command Seals. "Lancer, immediately withdraw from the battlefield and find safety in distance!"
"Blood..."
"Master?!" Arturia cried, shocked that her Master would make such an order. But the Command Seal already took effect: her body fled the area as fast as it could, not from her own accord, but from that of an unseen, godlike force.
"ARTHUR!"
With that mighty invocation, Clarent released a straight line of crimson lightning from its tip; it barreled out of the pool area, across the front courtyard of the school, and into the street outside. The energy traveled for several yards across the streets and neighborhoods of Miyama before finally reaching the end of its life and dissipating, revealing the horrible trail of destruction it left behind, as well as an afterglow reminiscent of blood.
After witnessing the destruction wreaked by Clarent Blood Arthur, Ruler let out a heavy sigh. While no civilians were fortunately hit, all of that destruction seemed highly unnecessary, not to mention it still endangered lives. And it was all because Saber was allowed to roam free by someone who wasn't even her Master...
Perhaps this was something that needed her undivided attention. Perhaps she should pay the Master of Saber of Black a visit...
"Well, it seems that this battle is officially over..." she said to herself as she abandoned her position inside Homurahara Academy.
Once the sounds died down, and the air was still again, Mordred collapsed to her hands and knees, overwhelmed by the sudden and intense pain that was her Noble Phantasm's most unfortunate byproduct. But still...still...she felt...
"Ha."
...Happy...
"Ha."
She had seen her father flee, right before she fired Clarent Blood Arthur. But she didn't blame him for doing that. After all, it hadn't been out of choice; she heard her Master using her Command Seal.
"Ha ha."
But still, it didn't matter to her if Arthur Pendragon managed to save himself from Clarent Blood Arthur's wrath. Killing him then and there wasn't actually her priority, just an appealing bonus. No, there was no doubt that her true mission was accomplished.
"Heh heh heh..."
After all, there was no way the venerable King of Knights could now coldly shun the power she just demonstrated.
"Heh heh heh heh heh... Father... Do you see me now? Heh heh heh..." A teary-eyed Mordred jerked her head up at the starry night sky; she could still see the bloody afterglow of her rebellion. "FAAAAATHEEEEER! DO YOU SEE ME FOR WHO I AM NOW?! DO YOU?!"
Meanwhile, as Mordred used Clarent Blood Arthur, Olesya had fled from the pool area to the track field. All the while, she struggled to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. A small part of her was grateful that Kayneth El-Melloi wasn't around to see her in such a shameful state.
Once she reached the bleachers, she stopped and wiped her eyes.
She couldn't believe she used a Command Seal for something as cowardly as a retreat. She knew Lancer wouldn't take such a shameful tactic kindly, and it seemed like she was right, judging by her Servant's reaction. Moreover, she knew how much that duel meant for Arturia; after all, Mordred challenged her capability to rule as king and Arturia took it upon herself to prove the contrary. By having Arturia retreat like that, Olesya helped give Mordred the impression that she was right.
But what else could she have done?! She provided too much mana to her Servant for both the park battle and this duel. In her current state, Arturia had a slim chance of surviving Mordred's Noble Phantasm, Clarent Blood Arthur...which was clearly very powerful. And Olesya had no intention of losing the Servant she relied on so much during the second battle (third, counting Assassin of Black's ineffective assault on Tohsaka Manor). No, she couldn't let that happen. She had to get to the end of the Grail War with her Servant; that was what her family expected from her.
But how could she do that if Lancer was unable to use her Noble Phantasm, her greatest trump card?
Olesya prepared to continue walking when she heard a sickening, wet thump near her. Her eyes went wide, and she quickly pulled out a pearl and threw into the air. A split-second later, there was an explosion of blood, flesh, teeth, and nails. However, the pearl exploded seemingly in response, protecting Olesya with a magical barrier. A couple of seconds later, the magical barrier flickered and died; Olesya ran out from the cloud of smoke, her eyes and nose shielded.
Once she was out, she saw one who attacked her: a fiendish-looking, middle-aged, muscular man with a scarred face and razor-sharp eyes covered by a pair of dark sunglasses. There was an unpleasant, thick stench of blood and gunpowder hanging in the air around him.
She then noticed the tool her assailant was carrying: a side-by-side, sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun. Though that kind of weapon was an ordinary one, used by the rabble and not preferred by conventional magi, Olesya had a feeling of foreboding that this man took extraordinary measures to ensure it would be effective against magi.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Olesya Animusphere," the man greeted, giving her a toothy sneer. "I do hope Saber gave you and Lancer a hard time."
Olesya narrowed her eyes at him, and a realization dawned upon her.
"Your tactics... Your weaponry..." she replied. "You...You must be the Magus Killer..."
The so-called Magus Killer chuckled nastily. "Correct. I must say, my sources definitely weren't lying when they said you were the smartest in your class." Then, his smile became crafty. "They said nothing about your looks, though..."
Olesya blinked in surprise. "Are you...flirting with me?"
"Maybe, maybe not." The Magus Killer chuckled for a moment and lowered his shotgun slightly. "Just so you know, lady, I could've killed you right then and there-" Olesya tensed up at that revelation. "-but I chose to keep you alive so you can deliver the Black Faction's message to Tohsaka."
"And that message is...?"
"Do not take us for fools. You saw how my Saber dominated your Lancer."
"That was because my Lancer was already weakened by the last battle," spat Olesya.
"Maybe so, but I don't think it would've made much of a difference with my Saber if she fought a fully-powered Lancer of White. In fact, I think it'd please her even more, and she'd give more of her all. And you know how powerful she can get when her precious 'father' is concerned."
Olesya narrowed her eyes, realizing the Magus Killer was right.
The man continued, "And you have yet to see our Archer, Caster, and Berserker. I'm not going to tell you who they are, or what kind of abilities they possess. I'm going to leave that to your imaginations. But just know this: it's not wise to underestimate us. After all, you all view me as inferior because of what I do, yet you seem to forget that I'm called the Magus Killer for a reason."
The Animusphere Master's skin paled. She didn't like why the Magus Killer was implying...
Suddenly, the Magus Killer's eyebrows furrowed, and his head twitched upward for a centimeter. Then, he grinned and gave Olesya a nonchalant wave.
"Have a good day, Olesya Animusphere," he said.
Then, the mercenary pulled out, much to Olesya's disgust, a human heart and threw it down on the ground in front of him. It exploded, enveloping him in a thick cloud of smoke. Seconds later, Olesya saw Arturia running onto the track field, Rhongomyniad poised to strike.
"Olesya!" Arturia exclaimed, quickly joining Olesya's side. "Are you alright?!"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine," replied the white-haired woman. "Th-Thank you for your concern, Lancer..."
"You're...You're welcome. I'm just...glad you're safe..."
Olesya looked away, knowing that Arturia was not at all happy with her decision to use her Command Seal. But that was something she will discuss with her later on.
For now, she focused on the cloud of smoke that the Magus Killer left behind. It dissipated, revealing an empty space where the man had been standing earlier. She narrowed her eyes in concern about his warning...and even more upon realizing that something wasn't at all right about the entire thing...
Kairi nonchalantly hummed a merry tune to himself as he strolled back towards Homurahara Academy. Entering the pool area, he found Irisviel and Waver attending to Mordred, who was sitting on the bleachers, laughing loudly and boisterously despite all of her cuts and bruises. Irisviel noticed his arrival and crossed her arms in suspicion.
"Might I ask what you were doing, walking off like that without giving Saber a second thought?!" she demanded.
"Oh, I confronted the Master of Lancer of White," Kairi replied nonchalantly.
"You-You what?!" Waver exclaimed. "Did you kill the Master already?!"
The necromancer tutted. "No, you idiot. I just had a friendly little chat with her, told her to take the Black Faction seriously, gave her a little of my magus heart grenade to the face, serious stuff like that."
"And you managed to get away without Lancer getting to you?" asked Irisviel.
"Yeah, I got away before she could even arrive."
"She...?" Mordred asked menacingly, giving Kairi a nightmarish glare that would make anyone's blood run cold.
But not Kairi. He just chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sorry, I meant 'he'. My bad, Saber."
The Knight of Treachery narrowed her eyes at her false Master. "You may be more lenient on me than my Master, but you've got a really undesirable attitude, Kairi Sisigou."
The necromancer shrugged, once again with nonchalance. "Well, it's what I'm known for. You might need to get used to it if we're going to be partners. Now, come on, let's not mingle any longer." He started walking past the bleachers, away from the trio he had to call his comrades-in-arms. "We should get to our base of operations before that Master decides to get ahead of herself and dispatch familiars after us or something."
Irisviel, Waver, and Mordred all watched him go, then looked at each other for a moment, as if expecting one of them to have an answer about Kairi's behavior. Then, the three stood up and followed after him, with Mordred being the last one out of the pool area.
Before she exited, however, Mordred looked over her shoulder and made one last, triumphant smirk.
The sewers, Central Fuyuki
"AWESOME! This is so awesome! WHOO-HOO!"
Ryuunosuke Uryuu happily danced around the chamber, relishing in his new surroundings like a schoolboy who was gifted with a supply of candy. Everywhere he looked, he saw all the new ways to maim and kill people, ways that he thought were impossible just a few days ago. And with every new sight, he saw a myriad of new possibilities, new enjoyments, and new amusements! Tomorrow was definitely something to look forward to now! And Reika was enjoying herself as well, giving herself a well-deserved shower with the piece of art their new friend painstakingly but happily made, just for them.
Speaking of their new friend...
"Hey, Bluebeard!" Ryuunosuke ran up to the towering, fish-eyed man, who was illuminated by a bright, pearly light. "Look, I know I've said this a gazillion times before, but I really just wanna thank you for showing me and Reika all this new and crazy stuff! It's just so...so COOL! How else can I describe it but COOL?! I mean, at first I was wondering if it was all just some crazy new special effect you were using, but, I mean, you can't fake all of that blood and guts! It's-It's all just so COOL! And I really wanna thank you for giving me and Reika this, big guy!"
To Ryuunosuke's lack of surprise, the moment he quieted down, the only sound in the air was Reika's joyful humming of a song (which seemed to be from one of those ancient American movies in the 1950s).
Ever since the trio arrived in the sewers at his request, Bluebeard (as he liked to call himself) spent his time gazing into his magic crystal ball whenever he was not helping Ryuunosuke and Reika out with their fun. That crystal ball annoyed the hell out of Ryuunosuke, because he was pretty eager to learn from him about the next best way of cold-blooded torture, and that thing always had Bluebeard in a hypnotic trance. But there was no way he was going to scare off his and Reika's new demon friend, not when they just started their fun. So, he just decided to stay silent.
But now that he was checking on Bluebeard, Ryuunosuke realized that something was...different. Bluebeard was transfixed to his crystal ball as usual, but his posture was no longer slumped and gloomy. Now, it was...strangely attentive. Like something had caught his undivided attention.
"Uhhhhh...Bluebeard...?" Ryuunosuke called out. "Big guy? What's, uh...What's up...?"
At first, Bluebeard remained silent. Then, a voice said faintly, through some sort of fog, "My wish has come true..."
"Wish come true?" Reika suddenly asked, having just nonchalantly strolled onto the scene while making sure to wipe tufts of her hair. She finished her shower earlier and was now wrapped in a towel, though smudges of red were still visible on her skin and hair, and said towel was completely stained with blood. "What do ya mean by wish come true, Blue-san?"
Once again, Bluebeard remained silent at first. Then, he slowly turned his trembling head around so he can face his self-proclaimed Masters. To the surprise of both Ryuunosuke and Reika, tears were dripping down his cheeks, and his lower lip was quivering pitifully.
"Whoa, whoa, what's wrong, big guy?!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed in concern.
"L-Lo-Look at her..." the fish-eyed man whispered.
"Come again?"
"Look at her!" Bluebeard frantically pointed at his magic crystal ball. "The answer to my prayer!"
"Your prayer?" repeated Reika, the woman tilting her head in confusion.
"Yes, my prayer! Behold, her extraordinary face, her strong and noble bearing! Behold, and revel in all her heavenly glory!"
With that, Bluebeard began to sob. Ryuunosuke and Reika approached the crystal ball and looked into it. After a couple of seconds, Ryuunosuke looked back at Bluebeard, his expression unchanging.
"You know this chick?" he asked.
"YES, INDEED!" Bluebeard screamed madly, breaking out of his weeping. "She is none other than the maiden of my dreams, the one perfect woman to have walked on this world!"
"Perfect?" Reika repeated. She was still staring into the crystal ball with complete boredom. "She doesn't look that perfect-"
Without warning, Bluebeard, with a defiant yell, slammed his clenched fist down upon the crystal ball, reducing it into millions of shards that then dissipated, but not before one cut Reika's right cheek. Surprised by this, she fell over with a squeak, her towel unraveling and falling off her bloodstained body in the process.
"You DARE insult my holy maiden?! After all she had done to try and secure your salvation?!"
"Secure her salvation?" Ryuunosuke repeated, while Reika clutched her bleeding cheek. "Um...look, big guy, we love you and all, and no offense intended, but sometimes you just don't make sense-"
"She abandoned a life of normalcy in response to God's command that she fight in a terrible war that was beyond her, all for the intent of upholding peace in the lands! And then, after enduring so many hardships, all in His name, she was still forsaken by God and died in abject shame and terrible loneliness! But alas, no longer! At last, she has come back to life! This...This is truly a miracle worthy of God's doing!"
Ryuunosuke could barely keep up with his demon friend's mad ramblings. "You're talking about that chick in the crystal ball, right...?"
"INDEED! It is...such a miracle! What else could it be, but the fulfillment of all my hopes and dreams?!" Bluebeard started to swoon sensually, all the while still weeping in happiness. "Oh, ohhhhh, maiden... My holy virgin..."
As she was wiping the blood from the cut on her cheek, Reika's eyes suddenly lit up in understanding.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh, now I get it!" She shot up on her feet, forcing Ryuunosuke to look away since she was still naked. "This holy maiden you speak of, she's your other half, isn't she?!"
Bluebeard's weeping ceased, and he, all the while ignorant of Reika's exposed form, replied passionately, "Yes, yes, of course! We fought together on the battlefield countless times! We reclaimed lands together and were decorated with honors together! I was bound to her by heart, soul, and faith! She is indeed the one you would call my other half!"
"Awww, that's so sweet, Blue-san! And so you're saying she's here too?"
"Yes! Yes, yes! After all this time, I thought I had been cursed, forever doomed to a horrible existence by Our Father in Heaven, but her return has now restored my faith in all the pureness and glory that is Him!"
"Well then, what're we waiting for?!" Reika took Bluebeard's hands and shook them in excitement. "Let's go find her!"
Bluebeard's bulging eyes widened even more. "You...Y-You would let me approach her, after all that I have done to tarnish my faith and bring horror to those who still clung to that divine shred of hope?"
"Of course!"
"But...what would I say to her...?"
"Just pour your heart out, Blue-san! Show her how much you love her, and how much of a perfect man you've now become! Whatever the hell you did in the past, it doesn't matter! You just need to do everything you can to demonstrate your passion for her! Tear her heart out if you must! But as long as you do that, she'll fall head over heels for you!"
In response to Reika's passionate advice, Bluebeard broke away from her and clutched at his heart.
"Ohhh, such sagely words from a young and beautiful soul such as yourself! You do remind me of my holy maiden!"
The woman giggled and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh please, you flatter me, Blue-san!"
"Then it's settled!" With a swish of his robe, Bluebeard pointed off toward the distance. "Off we go, Masters! We must find my beloved virgin and unite her with us in all of our glorious escapades!"
Reika jumped up and down with enthusiasm. "Yes, let's go, Blue-san, let's go!"
"Wow, Rei-chan," Ryuunosuke remarked, still diverting his gaze from his partner-in-crime. "You're really into this whole get-our-demon-friend-a-hot-girlfriend thing right now..."
"Well, even demons need girlfriends, am I right, Ryuu-kun?"
"I...I guess so..."
"Then come on! Let's go!"
"Okay, sure..."
Upon noticing Ryuunosuke's refusal to look at her, Reika looked down and realized, for the first time, that she was not wearing any clothes. But instead of being embarrassed, she grinned devilishly and hugged Ryuunosuke, making sure that her breasts were pressing against his back, and that the blood on her body would stain his shirt.
"What's wrong?" she asked seductively. "You've already seen the hot naked bodies of all the women we killed, yet you just can't look at mine." She puffed her cheeks out adorably. "Am I not hot enough for you?"
"That's not it," he replied. "It's just...just..."
"Just what, Ryuu-kun?"
The aspiring artist blushed in embarrassment. "You're just way too damn hot for me to even look at!"
"You're so sweet, Ryuu-kun..."
Reika used some of her fingers to wipe off the blood that was now trickling down her cheek, and smudged it on Ryuunosuke's own like it was paint. As soon as she was done, the orange-haired man turned his head towards his romantic partner and kissed her straight on the lips. All the while, Bluebeard watched as tears of happiness cascaded down his cheeks again.
"Such a heavenly and divine love that I see right before my very eyes!" he exclaimed dramatically. "Ryuunosuke Uryuu and Reika Rikudou, you two evoke the ideal relationship between two lovers, my ideal of a romance! It is...It is almost as if you two are me and my beloved reincarnated! Oh, what a lovely and fulfilling new life that I will have!"
Ryuunosuke broke the kiss and replied, "Uhhhhh...I don't think that's how reincarnation works, big guy..."
Miyama Town
Ruler was strolling down the sidewalk, back to the church, when something prompted her to stop. She didn't know what it was, but...it didn't feel right... A shiver went up her spine, and her blood ran cold.
She whipped her head over her shoulder, as if expecting someone to be right behind her. Instead, all she saw was an otherwise empty sidewalk, illuminated by the pearly light of the streetlights.
Chapter 6:
Duel of Knights
Caster of Black: I have come for you, my sweet and holy virgin!
Irisviel: This is not good...
Klaus: I guess we have one thing in common.
Caster of White: You want to know what I think? ...We deserve better...
Shirou: Thank you for responding to my summons.
Archer of White: I find myself interested in you...
Next Time:
Schemes and Daggers
A/N: And here we have the long-awaited Arturia vs. Mordred duel! Meanwhile, it seems Caster of Black has set his sights on Ruler! ...Or did he mistake Arturia for Jeanne again? Find out in the next chapter!
I'm still impressed that I managed to get this chapter out less than a month after posting the last one, especially given the more complicated-looking subject matter of this one. I mean, holy freaking crap; "Fate/Apocrypha" has definitely inspired me to get a move on! I hope this doesn't reflect badly on the chapter's quality. Anyway, let's see if I get another chapter up by the end of the month! (I probably won't, since the fall semester starts for me, but still, I'll try to the best of my ability!)
I hope that Arturia vs. Mordred duel was alright for you guys. I did my best to fill in every hole in the Nasuverse logic, as much as possible, yet I feel like I still left some undesirable holes. But I still had fun writing it! Having Mordred go all-out and vent her rage to her "father" was a blast for me. :D :D :D Also, if any of you felt that the duel was a bit anticlimactically short (scanning through my chapter, it certainly feels that way to me, but I don't know about you), don't worry; do note that this is just the first time our troubled father-and-son pair crossed paths in this Holy Grail War; it certainly isn't the last.
And once again, tell me if the scenes with Bluebeard, Ryuunosuke, and Reika are enough to change the story's rating to M. I think I was pretty tame with their scene in this chapter, but things are definitely going to get darker as the story progresses with them and I don't know if and when I'm going to cross that line. Thus, this reminder.
Now, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:
-Gabriel790: If you want to continue reviewing this story, be a lot more specific in your review. I do not want to tell you this twice.
-00Altair:
1) Thank you for being supportive of my new Berserker of Black. To be perfectly honest, I really have no idea why I thought having Heracles in the Black Faction was a good idea. Besides the ever-famous Arturia and Gilgamesh, I already have one Servant from "Fate/stay night" in the story and that should be enough.
2) Yes, there WILL be the bonus of a rematch between Iskandar and Darius III. :D
3) Not sure if you're talking about the fight I depicted in my story, or in the "Fate/Zero" anime, or both for that matter. If you were talking about MY fight specifically, I did take that part directly from the Arturia vs. Diarmuid duel in "Fate/Zero" (I just swapped spears, how original of me). Although I and/or the anime probably missed out on something crucial. But with that in mind, yeah, Arturia's Instinct really did seem to fail when it came to Diarmuid's "abandoned" spear. XP
4) Sorry about that. Looking at the Arturia vs. Diarmuid duel in "Fate/Zero", everyone just seemed to be talking when not trading blows, so I just went with that as well but it looks like I took it up to eleven (like I always tend to do). I'm not sure if I was able to fix that problem for this chapter, since I imagine an Arturia vs. Mordred duel to have a bunch of angry dialogue. But I still did all I could to minimize dialogue and conversations. And I can assure you that I will continue trying to do so with future fights.
-YuukiAsuna-chan:
1) Please be more specific in your review next time. I need more details on what you liked and (if possible) what you did not like.
2) I do hope you enjoyed Arturia and Mordred's little reunion! And rest assured, things aren't over between them just yet, and you'll see another interaction between them in the future.
-Come to Darkside:
1) Don't worry, I have no intent on giving up on this story just yet. Not when there's potential for awesomeness and glory waiting to be unlocked! :D
2) Please be more specific in your review next time. I need more details on what you liked and (if possible) what you did not like.
-CelunaLia17: Please be more specific in your review next time. I need more details on what you liked and (if possible) what you did not like.
-Darebear the bear:
1) I asked you via PM where the error was at, but I found it and fixed it. So it shouldn't be a problem now. Thanks for pointing it out to me! :D
2) Thanks! As you can see, the Arturia vs. Diarmuid duel wasn't all that different (despite Arturia's altered weapons and some other minor detail changes) until their other comrades came in to help. This universe is not that far off from that of "Fate/Zero" wherever it's appropriate, it seems.
3) Oh yes, Mordred and Darius III are going to bring a lot of very interesting things for Arturia and Iskandar in the future. :D
-superpierce: Please be more specific in your review next time. I need more details on what you liked and (if possible) what you did not like.
-angelvan105: Please be more specific in your review next time. I need more details on what you liked and (if possible) what you did not like.
-Ramax Viscurio (guest reviewer):
1) I know, I too get so agitated when fics that are so awesome and promising are left unfinished. It's a real pain. But do not worry! I have no intent on giving up on this story just yet!
2) I'm SO glad you see this irony with the Black and White Factions.
3) Uhhhhh...I'm not sure if it's even possible for a Ruler-class Servant to "re-roll" another Servant... And when you say Dragon Witch, are you talking about Medea?
4) Well, I'll try. Like I said in the beginning of the story, I'm just a newbie trying to show an accurate understanding of all this knowledge. Let's see how many landmines I step on during this journey.
5) There's going to be a scene of Atalanta in the next chapter, so I guess this will address your concern about her.
-Blitz12: Oh yes, Mordred is DEFINITELY going to butt heads with Arturia. And don't get me started with Jeanne and Gilles...
Well, I hope you enjoyed this early chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!