There wasn't a single person out walking around when Holly snuck out of her apartment. Everyone was in their homes, probably asleep. The air was still and all was quiet, except for the sound of Holly's footsteps on the stone walkways. Following the feel of the mana, Holly wound up near the Trigleph exit to the Alest Highroad.
Holly jumped back just as an ax went past her, smashing the earth where she had been standing mere seconds ago.
"Berserker," the woman growled as she saw the form of the giant Servant. Berserker broke into a full sprint at the mage. Holy jumped back and her demon hand appeared. It ate a replenished ice gem and the hand was coated in that element. The giant went in front of her, heaving the giant ax over his head. He brought it down, smashing the earth. Though she stepped back, Holly still had to shield her face with both hands from the assault of the dirt. Before she could react, the Servant punched her in the gut. The woman flew back, but was able to plant both feet on the wall she hit. She sprang forward right at Hercules. She scratched his right shoulder as she flew past with her demon hand, but the claws couldn't break the skin.
The air left her as Berserker grabbed her right leg, smashing her into the ground several times before throwing her. The woman was on her hands and knees on the ground, coughing up blood. Berserker threw a boulder at her, but Holly stood up, punching forward with her demon hand curled up into a fist, shattering it. She was surprised as the giant appeared in front of her as she smashed the boulder. He brought the ax down, but Holly raised her left hand, catching the edge of the blade. Her feet dug into the ground as she was pushed to her knees from the pressure. Blood was pouring from the large gash in her demonic hand's palm from the blade as she struggled to keep it from being a fatal blow.
Her eyes widened as the ax was lifted. Right after, though, a kick to her chest was received. She skid back, rolling over the ground. So far, her clothes had numerous holes and tears in them. Pain throbbed in her chest, but she pushed it aside as she got to her feet.
Hercules ran at the mage, thrusting his ax forward. Holly jumped up, flipping down as the ax passed under her. Her left hand went on the blunt side of the massive weapon and she pushed off it to go higher. She flipped so she was upwards, right in front of the beast's face. She began slashing rapidly at it, but each time the claws hit skin, they bounced off without leaving a scratch. Hercules lifted his left and and swatted the woman to the side with the back of it, making her crash through a rock pillar.
"Damn, this is hard!" Holly spat, blood dripping from her mouth. "Nothing I do puts a scratch in this guy!"
The ice wore off on her hand and she replaced it with a blackish-purple gem as she stood up. Her hand seemed to be covered in black, fingers and claws long and tipped with red. Dark spikes appeared along the outside of the arm. She reared it back and charged at the giant, swiping his abdomen. Berserker just stood still and stared down at Holly as the woman unleashed attack after attack.
He swung his ax and Holly used the outside of her left arm to block it. The many spikes trapped the ax before it even hit skin. The mage smirked as she used it as leverage to throw herself slightly up, throwing a kick at the giant's chest. It didn't even faze the beast. Immediately after, he punched he in the gut, breaking the spikes' hold on the ax as she flew back.
She hit the ground hard and looked up, seeing Berserker in front of her through the haze of pain. The beast lifted his ax up and brought it down in a sweeping motion right at Holly.
The blade dug into her left side and she flew to the side, hitting the wall and making a series of cracks before falling to the ground flat on her belly, blood gushing from the large wound over her hip. Berserker charged at her, ax over his shoulder.
"I don't think so!"
A blue blur appeared in front of Holly as a red cursed spear was brought up horizontally over the person's head, edge of the ax grinding against the shaft. The person grunted, both feet digging into the ground.
"Lancer!" Holly exclaimed. "But how?!"
The two Servants broke apart from the pressure, both skidding back. Lancer slid behind his Master.
"Even injured, I'm a light sleeper. I opened my eyes when I felt ya leave the bed an' saw ya go out the door. An' then I felt Berserker's mana. So I put two an' two together." He glared at her. "How much of a dumbass can ya be?! Ya know ya shouldn't fight other Servants without me!"
"You were injured! I didn't want to drag you into a fight!" Holly snapped back. She had a sudden coughing fit, blood hitting the ground each time.
Lancer calmed down a little, though he was still mad. "An' what made ya think ya could take him on yer own?!" Berserker roared and Lancer bared his fangs. "Holly, give me as much mana as ya can."
"Huh?"
"I'm gonna use Gae Bolg! Better safe than sorry with more power with his skin as hard as it is!" Lancer growled. Holly closed her eyes and blue mana covered her body. She couldn't give him nearly as much as with a mana transfer, but just enough to raise the attack's grade. The mana surrounded Lancer and he jumped up when it faded. Holly staggered to her feet, the dark element wearing off and clutching her hip with her right hand, watching as red mana surrounded the demonic spear. "Gae...Bolg!"
The spear was thrown at the beast. It bored through his chest and suck into the ground on the other side. Lancer was panting, hands on his knees, as he held out his right hand, Gae Bolg moving on its own back in it. Berserker slumped to his knees then his body hit the ground face first, blood pouring out of the hole in his chest.
"You...you did it!" Holly breathed. Lancer's right arm ached from the enormous strain put on the muscles from the throw. He didn't have the stamina to put up with using his Noble Phantasm multiple times.
As Holly walked over to inspect Berserker's body, the first red flag Lancer noticed was the beast wasn't fading away. The next is when the red glow to the giant's eyes returned.
"Holly! Get back!"
At the sound of the demigod's voice, Holly turned her head. Behind her, Berserker got up and was swinging his ax. Holly turned her head sharply, but it was too late.
Blood flew through the air as metal bit into flesh. Holly hit the ground to the left side of the Servant, covered in the thick, crimson liquid. Berserker roared as the flesh knit itself back together over the hole in his chest.
"Holy shit! What the hell is going on with Berser- -Lancer!" Holly shouted. She was on her back on the ground. She was covered in blood, but it wasn't her's. The knight had taken the hit for her as he pushed her away. Blood poured from a massive wound on his right, at the middle of his abdomen. He had flown from the hit so he was flat on his chest to the right of Holly.
He tried getting to his feet and winced. The wound from his fight with his Fracture had opened after pushing his Master away from the beast's attack, staining the blue fabric of his top over his chest red, some of it joining the stains from the blood when it splattered from the new wound. Holly got up and rushed to Lancer's side as he wobbled, supporting his body with both hands.
"Man, what is up with this guy?" Lancer asked. "Only my Noble Phantasm put a scratch in him, killed him surprisingly, but he's able to come back to life?!"
"Is that really a Noble Phantasm?!" Holly agreed, staring at Berserker.
"I've never heard of a legend of Hercules of him returnin' from death," Lancer added.
"Wait...I don't know if this is it, but Hera gave him 12 labors," Holly said after thinking. "Maybe he has the same number of lives as labors!"
Lancer pulled Holly back from a swing from Berserker's ax. "So yer sayin' we hafta kill him 11 more times?! I dunno if I can take usin' Gae Bolg that many times!"
Hercules roared, swinging the arm with the ax at the two. Holly grabbed the outside of it with both hands, teeth gritting and feet digging into the ground as the slid back with the mage. She succeeded in forcing it to a halt. "Lancer! Now!"
Lancer jumped up as Holly gave him enough mana to raise its rank to A. "Gae...Bolg!" The spear, wrapped in red mana, shot at the giant. Holly was holding his arm down, so he could do nothing as the weapon bored through his chest, taking another life.
Holly jumped back as Hercules fell to the ground and started resurrecting. She looked back. The Irishman was on one knee and panting. "How are you holding up?"
"Jeez...Each time I throw it, it does a number on my arm. I can't keep doin' this fer long."
Hercules stood up, making Holly snap her head in his direction. Red covered the enemy's body and he raised the ax over his head with both arms. "Watch out, Lancer!"
She jumped to the side to avoid the shattered earth from the shockwave. Lancer jumped high up, but the Servant vanished and appeared behind the man. He flipped and kicked the spearman down, the man hitting the ground hard enough to create a crater. He struggled to get back on his feet, arms shaky, but a giant weight from the giant coming down on his back made his abdomen hit it again, blood flying from his mouth.
"Get off of him!" Holly shouted as her demon hand was covered in flames from it eating a new red gem. She sprang at the beast, swinging the arm. Hercules glanced at her before countering with his ax. Fire and sparks were flying from the clash. An explosion occured, blasting the two back.
Lancer jumped up while the beast was distracted from recovering from the blast. "Gae...Bolg!"
"Only nine lives left," Holly said as Hercules' body fell to the ground. Blood dripped from the woman's mouth. When Lancer landed, he had both hands on his knees, breathing hard.
"I'll try to hold out...nine more times..." the demigod panted. He looked up and the enemy was in front of him, swinging a punch. Lancer held his spear sideways in front of his body to block, But the fist slid past the shaft and hit the man's belly. Blood flew from his mouth and the cracking of ribs were heard as he flew back. Holly tried to catch him, but the force of his flying body made her fall down, going back a few meters.
"Ugh...How are you doing?" Holly asked as she got her Servant's body off of her.
"Seen better days," Lancer grunted. He jumped up as Holly ran at the enemy, using both hands to keep him from blocking Lancer's attack. "Gae...Bolg!"
As Hercules died for the fourth time, the woman looked back. "Are you okay?"
Lancer was having to use his spear to support his body. "Yeah...Fer the most part..." His arm was killing him from the strain he was putting on it. Hercules was getting up. Lancer jumped up just as Berserker was about to attack his Master. "Gae...Bolg!" The muscles in his arm cried out as he launched the spear, killing the beast for the fifth time. Holly jumped back away from the beast as the hole in its chest healed.
She glanced at Lancer as his spear returned to him. He couldn't hold out much longer. "Should I call the others so you can get a break?"
Lancer shook his head. "We shouldn't bother 'em with this. Besides, looks like only Noble Phantasms work on this guy. I'll keep goin' fer as long as I need to." He jumped up as the giant got up. "Gae...Bolg!"
"Halfway done at last!" Holly exclaimed as Hercules died for the sixth time. Lancer leaned on her after landing. He was panting hard, sweat covering his face. "You don't look so good!"
"Nah...This...is...nothin'." To show this, he jumped up again. "Gae...Bolg!"
He landed, his ribs and right arm screaming in pain. More blood than before was streaming from his mouth. He was too exhausted to notice Hercules had charged at him and his Master. Holly didn't notice until it was too late. The giant ax smashed into their abdomens, slicing them deeply and made them fly back. They hit the ground hard, making a cloud of dust.
Lancer appeared from it, jumping up. "Gae...Bolg!" Hercules tried to block with his ax, but the spear bent at an unnatural angle, still hitting the beast's heart. The dust cleared and Holly saw Berserker fall to the ground. Next to her, she heard a meaty thud. She turned her head and saw Lancer was on his hands and knees, head down and making sweat hit the ground.
"You can't keep pushing yourself like this!" Holly insisted. "This has to stop now!" Her red Command Seals started glowing, but Lancer hit her right hand down as she held it up.
"Don't..!" he panted. "This...is...my...own...choice..." He looked at Berserker. "Jus'...four...more...times..." Getting back to his feet, the man jumped up. "Gae...Bolg!" He landed. "Jus'...three...more..!" He forced his tired legs to jump. "Gae...Bolg!"
Holly was starting to cry. "Stop trying to kill yourself!"
"Ugh...I'm...fine..." Despite Holly's protests, he jumped up. "Gae...Bolg!"
When he landed, he was flat on his stomach. "Lancer?!" Holly rolled him over. His entire battle attire was soaked in sweat. Blood spilled from his numerous wounds. His eyes were closed tightly and he was panting hard. He was clutching his right arm tightly with his left hand.
"Only...one...life...left..." he grunted, trying to push himself up. Unbelievable pain shot through his right arm and he fell back with a moan. "Damn...my...right...arm...won't...work...right..."
Hercules got up and was charging at the two. "We need to get out of the way!" Holly exclaimed. She helped him up and jumped to the left with the man. Once they landed, Lancer's legs gave out under him and he fell, pulling his Master down with him.
"Sorry...Holly..." the Irishman panted.
Holly snapped her head around to look behind her. Berserker was charging again. "We need to move, Lancer!" Lancer took a deep breath and pushed Holly away with his left hand. "What are you- -?!"
The man stood up. Hercules' body plowed into his, pushing his into the wall. Lancer smirked.
"Too...bad...fer...ya..." He held up his spear. Hercules moved his hand up to try pushing it away, but to no avail. "Gae...Bolg!"
Hercules fell as the twelfth and final life left him. Lancer fell on top of him, hitting the ground as Berserker's body vanished into blue mana.
"What's all the commotion out here?"
Holly turned and saw a yawning Alvin. With him were the rest of the group.
Gaius crossed his arms. "Did you two fight a Servant on your own again?"
"If so, which one was it. It looks to be taken care of," Rowen said.
"It was Berserker. But nevermind that! Lancer needs help!" Holly exclaimed. Jude ran over to Lancer while Elize went to Holly.
"What happened to you?!" she demanded.
"Berserker happened," Holly told her. "He was incredibly strong and wounded both me and Lancer." She glanced over at her Servant. Jude was tending to his many wounds. "Using Gae Bolg 12 times really wore him out."
"Why 12 times?!" Milla asked, overhearing Holly.
"He had 12 lives," Holly answered.
Leia put her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you get us?!"
"Only Noble Phantasms could hurt him."
Jude was working on healing Lancer's right arm, brow furrowed. "Holly? You may wanna come over here."
"Hmm?" Holly murmured as she got up, walking over to the teen. Elize followed her, still healing the woman. "What's up?"
"What happened to Lancer to make his arm like this?!" he demanded.
"Using Gae Bolg's special ability over and over. Is something wrong?"
Jude facepalmed. "I can't believe you let him do that! He has multiple muscles tears and bone fractures throughout his right arm!"
"Can it be fixed?" Holly asked.
"Yes, but he can cause permanent damage by straining his arm like that again."
"What are you saying?"
"He can't use his Noble Phantasm again."
Geez, talk about the longest battle scene I've ever written! It lasted most of the chapter!