T12UR: Dun, D-D-Dun! Chapter 10 is here everyone…or whatever little of viewers there is. I mean come on. The maximum number of visitors I accumulated is only 227 visitors. I'm not sure if that's a good number or not.
Sega: Ah, come on! At least you GOT visitors.
T12UR: …*glares*
Sega: Uh, I mean I'm sure that it's a sufficient number! What actually sucks is the number of reviews! 10 and 9 of them is just the same author saying the same thing over and over for each chapter!
T12UR: …shut up.
Saishu: …
T12UR: You still mad about the content of this chapter?
Saishu: No, it's just that it seems quite sad. At least it is slightly different then how events actually play out in the canon.
T12UR: Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyways, be sure to enjoy yourselves. I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANYTHING ELSE! Now, the disclaimer. I do not own Fate/Zero. It is a work associated with Type-Moon, and the light novel was written by Gen Urobuchi. Go on and read! Oh…I forgot to say that Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix…that was pretty stupid…
Chapter 10: The Battles of Honor, Saishu vs. ?
Saber and Irisviel were driving towards the location of the Lancer and his Master's hideout based on the information Kiritsugu was giving them through the cellphone.
After the intense battle with Caster, Lancer had likely returned to his Master's side. Upon hearing the Kiritsugu managed to discover Lancer's whereabouts, Saber proposed to act immediately.
"Thinking about it…are you all right, Saber?" asked Irisviel, "Wouldn't consecutive battles be a great burden to you?"
"No problem, Irisviel. On the other hand, I hope to have the chance of battling Lancer tonight."
As their conversation continued, another person was rapidly approaching the hideout kilometers behind them. Saishu had been running as fast as he could through the Shinto district to reach the factory that was not far from the harbor.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, WHY?" Saishu screamed as he literally breezed past people without anyone even seeing him. They only felt a large gust blow through the seat.
Saishu knew he was really acting out of character, but this is an emergency. If that particular Heartless got ahold of any being, including a Servant, it would turn it into a pseudo-Heartless with super-enhanced abilities.
"That would be more than a match for most of the Servants. Even Saber," Saishu thought as he turned sharply at a corner and continued to run.
"Sure, it's likely that they're able to handle it, but I don't want anyone in this world to even begin transforming into a Heartless!"
Deciding that he needed to accelerate, Saishu quickly took a massive leap onto the top of building before leaping across the rooftops.
=O=
Lancer and Saber stared each other down, knowing that the end of this initial conversation will lead to a battle.
"Saber, I was not expecting you here," admitted Lancer as he held both of his lances in his hand. If Saishu did not break the curse on Saber's hand, he would have been wielding only Gae Dearg. He was at his best.
And the two would be able to fight each other at the peak of their performance.
"My…partner found this place and informed me," Saber told Lancer, not wishing to accept that Kiritsugu was her Master, the fact of not revealing her Master's true identity being secondary.
Lancer, his expression rather grave, seemed to ponder his next words before deciding to speak of it. "Where is my Master's fiancée? …Saber, will you not say that you do not know?"
Saber and Irisviel's expressions became troubled upon hearing that inquiry. However, they have no knowledge of such information.
"I do not know…what happened?"
"Nothing," Lancer replied as he shot down the thoughts of further interrogation, "Pretend I never asked."
Lancer let out a sigh, indicating far more relief than disappointment. He had not intended to ask Saber this question. Lancer found the thought that his rival would use such underhanded means like holding someone hostage utterly ridiculous. Thinking about it was just detestable.
"Come to think of it Saber, were you not drained from expending so much energy?" questioned Lancer, "I do not believe that you have come here to converse, but still…"
"I assume the other Servants are the same. Thus I predicted that tonight all would take defensive stance," explained Saber, "It is nearly dawn. There is still some time to the night left. If we do not take this great opportunity to finally have our duel, we will not when another opportunity shall arise, whether it be days or months. What do you think of this, Lancer?"
Lancer's majestic expression, which had been drowned by the worries in his heart, appeared to be slightly restored by the small smile that appeared on his face.
The Servant felt that Saber appeared to be the only one that could give him any hope from his current despair.
"Saber…the only thing that could bring a cool and refreshing wind into my heart, is this pure will of yours to fight," claimed Lancer with pride to be fighting the King of Knights.
=O=
"#####, to your left!"
CLANG!
"Thanks!"
"No problem-huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"It's ####! ##'s attacking us!"
"What? Why?"
"Snap out of it, ####!"
"I NEVER WANTED TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS STUPID WAR! It's your fault that I'm here! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"What do you mean?"
"##'s being controlled by a Heartless! Quick, get that thing out of him somehow!"
Saishu still recalled the vivid memory of his comrade being possessed by the Heart Corrupter.
The Heart Corrupter is a unique, yet powerful Pureblood Heartless. It is not able to fight in any direct combat, nor have any fighting capabilities, despite being incredibly fast. He would estimate it to be faster than even Lancer or Berserker.
This Heartless's ability is what makes it dangerous. It is a parasite that can turn its host into superpowered pseudo-Heartless that will eventually become the real deal if nothing is done. It also possesses some slight intelligence, as it will wait for a target to spike the darkness within him to a high point before invading. The Heart Corrupter will then take that darkness and augment it to enormous levels, along with the host's emotions that sprouted forth the darkness.
These pseudo-Heartless have their stats enhanced to a point much greater than the original, and they only are worse of a threat due to possessing more battle intelligence than normal Heartless.
The primary driving force behind their actions is an exaggerated form of their host's negative feelings, like hunger for revenge or hatred of others. The possessed will not hold back at all and will go full force to satisfy their negativity, resulting in the transformation into a Heartless upon fulfilling.
"I must not let that thing get ahold of anyone," Saishu thought as he saw the location of the hideout about a kilometer away. But he suddenly had to arch back to avoid a Neoshadow that tried to decapitate him.
Saishu landed on top of a building and reared back his Keyblade as he looked at this surroundings. On top of various building, Neoshadows and smaller Shadows began to pop up on the buildings nearby as well as the one he was on.
"I don't have time for this!" growled Saishu as he looked at the surrounding Heartless with irritation.
He quickly dispatched the ones surrounding him with swift slices before they could react. Some of the others began to sink into the floor as shadows while many of the Shadows lunged at him.
Saishu dispelled Beyond the Truth and summoned Brightcrest; he fired out a wave of Fire magic to incinerate the crowd that leapt toward him before using well-aimed Firagun shots on any strays.
The Keyblade wielder then summoned No Name before assaulting all Heartless around him with both Keyblades. He zipped around every edge of the building and attacked any Shadows. He then whirled around and cut apart a Neoshadow with Brightcrest.
Saishu leapt off the building he was on and plummeted towards the ground. Some Neoshadows tried to leap out and attack him from the face of the building.
He quickly adjusted himself before attaching to a building and hurling No Name at a Neoshadow and split it. Then he leapt towards the other building and clung to it before cutting apart another pair of Neoshadows that leapt at him.
Catching his thrown Keyblade, he threw both up above him to slice two Neoshadows in half. Saishu dispelled them and summoned forth Diamond Dust.
He landed in an alley way to find a group of Shadows surrounding him. He glared before unleashing a spin attack as they all leapt at him. A trail Blizzaga-enchanted dust flew out of the Keyblade and encapsulated every Heartless in ice.
Saishu then swapped Diamond Dust for a new Keyblade called Bond of Flame before spinning around in the other direction. It unleashed a wave of intense flame that evaporated the ice, along with the Shadows.
Saishu quickly directed the flames back to his Keyblade before they could char the walls of the alley. He dispelled the Keyblade before running out of the alley and running across the empty street and leaping onto a building.
He continued to leap towards the site, hoping that the little incursion did not make him too late.
=O=
Saber and Lancer exchanged blows over and over. They had been repeating this for quite a while.
The knight from Britain blocked the red spear with Excalibur before pivoting around to block Gae Buidhe. Lancer then swung Gae Dearg across the front prompting Saber to jump back to avoid the blow. The knight of Fianna wasted no time in readjusting his grip on the red spear before jabbing at Saber with yellow spear.
Saber promptly sidestepped the blow before bringing the golden sword over her head and slashed from above. Her blade was blocked by Gae Dearg. Lancer then gripped Gae Buidhe and swiftly tried to stab Saber. However, she manages to barely dodge it before bringing her blade around and slashing at Lancer, prompting the knight to step back.
Diarmuid then stabbed Gae Buidhe into the ground before increasing his speed and assaulting Saber with swift and precise blows with just his red spear, forcing Saber to go the defensive.
However, soon Saber returned to the offensive as she began to force Lancer back with her equally fast and accurate attacks, backed by greater power.
But Lancer, as soon as he got near Gae Buidhe, picked up the Noble Phantasm and swung it at Saber's neck, but he stopped. Saber's golden blade was right next to his.
The two knights backed away from each other before readying to go at each other again.
Irisviel watched the battle as she shuddered with anticipation, waiting for the landing of a lethal blow. The circulation of her blood felt as if stagnated, slowing down under the aura of this battle.
Both of the combatants gazed at each with anxiety and seriousness, but at the the corners of their lips hung a hint of a smile.
The two then let out a shout as they charged at each other and clashed once again, blade to lance. The battle ensued once again as they fought on, matching blow for blow. Neither would hold back, as they would fight to the death.
Unbeknownst to all, eyes glow within the darkness, its presence completely hidden in the shadow. It appeared to take on a gaseous form as it had claws, legs, and a tail. It looked really small in figure, seemingly not a threat, but the malicious smile on its face indicated otherwise.
It intently watched the two fighters, mainly focusing on Lancer. There had been quite an amount of darkness within that Servant's heart, and it awaits the time in which it would peak.
The King of Knights and the first knight of Fianna backed away once again as they reached another stalemate. They circled each other once more.
And they charged agai-!
…!
Irisviel covered her mouth in horror at what just happened. This wasn't how she thought things would turn out.
Saber couldn't hide her surprise as well as a little bit of blood splashed onto her face and armor. She could only look upon Lancer in horror. This was also not how she pictured the end of their battle.
The one who was the most shocked was Diarmuid. He had not been prepared for the agony and despaired that befell him when the bright vermillion color of blood scattered the earth…and his being.
Lancer dazedly gazed upon the red spear that had pierced through his heart, his yellow spear fallen on the ground. Blood was spilling out of the horrific wound and onto the earth. It was his own blood. His own spear had pierced his heart…and with his own two hands.
The pain had finally caught up to him after his shock as blood began to bleed out of his eyes. He coughed up blood as it splattered onto the ground.
This was not his intention at all. The intended target for his twin spears would be Saber's heart. And Saber's blade would target his own.
…The Command Seal. It is only thing that could rob away everything of his at whim, regardless of his belief or fighting spirit.
And the one who possesses the Command Seals…was his Master.
Saber looked in shock as her…partner emerged from the shadows of the factory with Kayneth. Kiritsugu carried Sola, the fiancée of Kayneth. She couldn't believe that Kiritsugu was here…did he force Lancer's Master to…!
To Lancer, he continued to replay what has happened in his mind, much to his despair. He had been murdered by his lord. Lancer had wished to be brought back to life by the Grail to overcome that unhappy ending. But…he had to again experience that sorrow and despair in a replay of that tragedy in his previous life. Why? He did not wish for any of this. Yet…this had to happen again! WHY?
He turned his head towards the factory and saw his Master in his wheelchair. Kayneth had a dazed and empty expression on his face. Next to him was the anonymous Master of Saber he saw at the castle. That man was carrying Sola's comatose body in his arms…
At the time all this was happening, Saishu had just arrived at the factory area to eliminate the Heartless threat, only to find a horrific scene before him. Saishu, his eyes widened with surprise, muttered as sweat ran down his face, "What…in the world…is going on here?"
Lancer was bleeding to death with Gae Dearg stabbed through his heart. Saber, Irisviel, and Saber's Master were all present. Lancer's Master was sitting there dazed. And, having just noticed her, Maiya was at a distance aiming a rifle at the Lancer's Master…
Saishu ran the possibilities through his head and lamenting at the possibility he ended with. But he was shocked at the event that shortly followed.
Lancer, sorrowed and despaired, could feel intense rage and hatred boiling over within him.
"Ah…" Lancer groaned out in great pain. He wheezed and fell down to his knees.
"…Do you…so…," Lancer started to speak with a low and hoarse voice, "Do you want victory so much? Do you…want the Holy Grail…so badly? Even…willing to trample on my one true wish…don't you feel ashamed?"
Lancer then lifted his head as it revealed his face was twisted into a demonic expression filled with anger. There was not a trace of Lancer's previous majesty and beauty. His eyes were completely red as his pupils were slitted. Saishu was completely shocked to see this face on Lancer. Saber could only lower head as she stepped back.
"I will never forgive you. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!" Lancer growled out. He couldn't distinguish friend or foe anymore. Lancer could only feel hatred. To Kiritsugu, Saber, and everything in the world. "You dead men slaved by fame, who desecrate a knight's honor. Let my blood stain your dreams! I curse the Holy Grail! I curse that your wishes become disasters!"
The creature that lay in the darkness was giddy with delight on feeling the tremendous darkness in Lancer at the current moment. Such hatred and rage was delicious! It was the perfect host!
Saishu gazed in sorrow at Lancer, who was slowly disintegrating into black particles. The Servant was soon to leave this world in such a state. A replay of a tragedy he wanted to avoid. He would never have thought to see such a frightening expression on the honorable knight's face. He could believe that it would ever appear. Such hatred and despair…
The man suddenly remembered about the Heart Corrupter. "Shit!"
But it was too late as a lightning fast shadow leapt out and shot itself at Lancer.
"WHEN YOU FALL INTO THE DEPTHS OF HELL-GAH!" Lancer was about to curse his last words before he died…until he felt something enter him from behind and enter his heart. His mind was suddenly clouded with overwhelming hatred or rage. He froze there for a brief moment.
Saber had managed to catch an incredibly fast creature out of the corner of her eye. She saw it enter Lancer. The King of Knights did not know what happen, but then felt a far more malevolent aura surround Lancer as the dying Servant trembled with rage.
Diarmuid's body slowly began to regenerate itself as darkness formed itself into new body parts. Lancer's body soon took on a darker shade.
"You…"
Kiritsugu was briefly caught off guard at what had happened. Lancer was supposed to be dead. He had forced Kayneth to use his remaining Command Seals to make Lancer commit suicide. Yet Lancer was starting to regenerate into what appears to be a more monstrous version of itself.
"What's going on here?"
"You…shall…"
Lancer's deteriorating Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe started to regenerate as well, also taking darker shading. The Noble Phantasms' bladed tips soon twisted into more menacing edges as the patterns on them became more defined and thorny. Lancer's hair turned rather unruly as well. And his irises and pupils turned into a yellow color. A visible, black aura emanated off of Lancer.
He had been roaring with agony as the process had occurred. And when it finished he began to breathe haggard. Everyone had been shocked by what happened, even if they held it behind their stoic faces.
"YOU SHALL REMEMBER," roared out Lancer with utter rage, "THE RAGE OF DIARMUID!"
He was no longer the Heroic Spirit he once was. He was now the monster known as Dark Lancer. A pseudo-Heartless.
The possessed turned his fearsome glare towards Saber. The King of Knights looked wearily at Lancer as she held her blade in front of herself while standing in front of Irisviel.
"Saber, you shall die first! You dared to cooperate with bringing about my shameful death, and now you shall pay!" roared Dark Lancer as it reappeared in front of Saber and brought down both his spears…
CLANG!
Saishu stood in the way, blocking Dark Lancer's attack with Beyond the Truth.
"Saber…please, leave this to me," Saishu quietly said as he held back Dark Lancer.
"Heiwa, what are you do-"
"LANCER IS NO LONGER A SERVANT!" roared Saishu.
Saber was slightly taken aback by all of this. She had never seen Saishu act in this sort of manner before. She had wished to ask what in the world was going on. Lancer was dying, yet he came back to life in this monstrous form. She wanted answers, but that look in Saishu's eyes meant that he did not want to answer any questions until later.
"Lancer is not a Servant anymore!" Saishu said while looking at Kiritsugu and Kayneth, "I will be the one to finish this monster now. You have nothing more to do!"
Saishu then lifted his Keyblade and shouted, "TELEPORT!"
The two vanished in a flash of light. All had been left silent at what had just happened now. Kayneth was at a loss of the situation that happened and was frantic that Lancer was not dead, thus the Geis not being fulfilled. However, that man stated Lancer was no longer a Servant.
Kiritsugu then placed Sola, still comatose, on his knees. Kayneth softly caressed his wife's face before asking Kiritsugu, "…Then the Geis binds you?"
"It's established. It's already impossible to kill you…," stated Kiritsugu. He had become hesitant whether it did, but when he looked at the Servant Lancer's stats, he could no longer read any trace of that monster being a Servant. Thus, the Geis had been made. Things were still going as planned.
He took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag before exhaling the smoke.
"For me, that is."
At that moment, Maiya fired the rain of bullets from her rifle that pierced through Kayneth and his wife. The former Master of Lancer gasped out in pain and blood as he dropped his wife from being knocked over from the force of the bullets. The two then fell to the ground. Sola lied a few feet away, dead from her wounds. Yet she probably died painlessly. As for Kayneth…
"Uuu…Ahhh!"
Kayneth gasped out in pain as he was surprised he was still breathing. However, he was going to die eventually with the fatal wounds that he had on him. But even if he had such short time to live, it would only feel extended by the pain that he was feeling.
"…Please…kill…me…"
"Sorry, that is something I cannot do thanks to the contract," Kiritsugu nonchalantly replied to dying man near his feet.
Saber, unable to continue watching these tragic events any more, walked over the dying man and cut off his head with her blade, ending Kayneth's pain.
At the end, the King of Knight's blade did not fulfill its promise to Lancer. It was used to end the pain of a man who was hopelessly going to die from his wounds. A path far away from any faith or glory.
The following events that ensued, however, is not the focus of the path of this story right now.
=O=
[I do not own.] "The Lancer" – (Youtube) /watch?v=ZiXr1AgiTFU
At the warehouses near the mouth of the Miongawa near the sea, a bright flash appeared at the location. Saishu stared across the empty area at the pseudo-Heartless in front of him. He couldn't believe that such a beast would sprout forth from the proud figure of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.
…Then again, why should he be surprised? After what Diarmuid had went through, it would be only natural for the knight to feel angry. To have a tragic end, be given a chance to redeem it, and fail again in the same manner as the last. Who wouldn't be angry with that?
"…You…," growled Dark Lancer as he pointed at Saishu, "You dare get in my way to eliminate those who ruin a knight's honor? Heiwa?"
Saishu does not say anything as he held up his Keyblade, ready to battle.
"You are, aren't you? In that case, I WILL ELIMINATE YOU TOO!" roared D. Lancer as he ran at Saishu with fury.
-o-
Dark Lancer, Fallen Knight of Fianna
Class: -
Alignment: Lawful Evil (Originally Lawful Neutral)
Strength: A
Endurance: A
Agility: A++
Mana: B
Luck: E
Magic Resistance: B+
Eye of Mind (True): D
Mystic Face: -
-o-
Saishu swiftly sidestepped the lunge before aiming a slash at Dark Lancer from the left. The pseudo-Heartless blocked it and quickly struck at a speed greater than before.
Dark Lancer did not give Saishu the smallest break as he relentlessly attacked without pause, assaulting with lances at a greater speed than what he could ever do normally.
Saishu, however, carefully parried Dark Lancer's blows with his blade before knocking away Lancer with a powerful slash.
Dark Lancer was undeterred as he rushed forward again and brought up the red spear. It was coated with darkness as it was swung upward at Saishu. The Keyblade wielder sidestepped the attack and avoided the wave a darkness that shot forth from the spear.
Dark Lancer brought forth Gae Buidhe and stabbed it at Saishu's stomach. Forunately, he dodged and evaded the piercing shot of darkness that broke a hole through of the large containers nearby.
"So Lancer is able to use darkness with his attacks now?" observed Saishu as he dodged two more fast slashes from Lancer, "That's…saddening."
He then went on the attack by with a fierce combo of slashes that would even keep Servants with A-rank Agility on the ropes. However, Dark Lancer was easily dodging or blocking every single attack thanks to his very high rank in that stat.
They leapt back before taking a great leap at each other and clashing their weapons. The power from the clash sent a shockwave that ruined the area of ground below them.
The two attacked each other a few more times as they descended to the ground. Saishu then leapt back, while Dark Lancer used this moment to lunge forward with Gae Dearg. But Saishu knocked the spear aside with a palm strike before stabbing forward with Beyond the Truth.
Dark Lancer parried the blade with Gae Buidhe before attacking with the same spear. Saishu managed to duck below the slash, and he attempted to land a blow in Lancer's gut. However, the corrupted Servant spiraled out of the way before attacking with both his lances with tremendous force. Saishu was sent flying away when he blocked the blow.
The Keyblade wielder landed on top of a lamppost, but he had to teleport out of the way to avoid a red spear that was thrown at him. Lancer reappeared near his flying lance and caught it before hurling Gae Buidhe at Saishu, who was on top of a warehouse.
The man watched the spear sail by him in an almost slow motion. To be honest, there was more force and speed to the thrown spear than he had expected. Saishu snatched the yellow spear out of mid-flight and threw it back at Lancer with the same amount of force. But Lancer was already leaping towards Saishu when he caught it, and he performed a cross slash with both of his spears.
Saishu gets pushed into air after blocking the attack with his Keyblade. He aimed at Dark Lancer and charged up Firaga, Aeroga, and Thundaga simultaneously to fire out a large, flame-like laser beam at the corrupted Servant.
However, Dark Lancer only had to twirl Gae Dearg in his hand and hold it out to completely negate the spell as it dispersed in a flash. He then lunged at Saishu and thrust Gae Buidhe at Saishu, who barely managed to barrel out away, but not without scratching his wrist.
Saishu, after landing on the ground, quickly casted Kiyomaru, Obliterate followed by Cure to heal the wound, and he lifted Beyond the Truth in time to block Lancer's attack. The pseudo-Heartless then jumped back before simultaneously swinging both his legendary spears and unleashing a large, crossing wave of darkness towards Saishu.
"Damnit!" Saishu casted Reflaga and protected himself from the wave as bright blasts of light went off upon contact with the darkness. He then swung his Keyblade forward to block Lancer's rush attack. Another shockwave went off as a result of the clash.
The two then began to engage in very high-speed combat only the fastest Servants can participate in. Each clash rang out a cry of steel that rendered the earth below them asunder or damaged the surrounding structures severely.
Saishu dodges and slashes upwards. Dark Lancer dodges it and counters. Saishu evades it again and attacks. Dark Lancer avoids it and attacks again. The two clash blades and ring out a cry of steel. They circle and repeat. This is the process that went on for the moments during this fierce engagement.
But Dark Lancer broke Saishu's guard with Gae Buidhe.
"Die, Heiwa!" roared Lancer as he swung around Gae Dearg and cut deep into Saishu's torso. The force behind the swing flung him into a warehouse as there was a large crash.
Dark Lancer glares at the area where Saishu slammed into. That wound was fatal. It would definitely give way to his victory.
When the smoke cleared up, Saishu emerged from the rubble. He was bleeding from his wound that received. It was very deep, for that slash could have cut him in half from the waist down. The man simply stood there calmly as he stared at Lancer.
He then broke the silence. "Hey, Lancer. Do you remember this place?"
Lancer continued to glare at the enemy who got in the way of exacting revenge on those who have ruined him.
"This is where we first fought our duel," Saishu said, rather calm for the critical condition he was in, "I thought it would be the perfect place to resume our duel."
"What do you dare imply?"
"…Lancer, I know that you were despaired by the betrayal of your Master and your lost chance of ever redeeming your pride as a knight-"
"WHAT DO YOU IMPLY? Are you saying that you…pity me? I do not wish any of it from you!" Lancer roared. He then continued to rage on, "I only wished for one thing. ONE THING! To restore my lost glory! My pride that I lost at the tragic end of my life! I was revived and given another chance with a lord to serve him and regain all that I've lost, AND FOR WHAT? I just experience the same end again! IS THAT WHY THE GRAIL BROUGHT ME BACK? TO SUFFER? I will never forgive you. I will never forgive any of you! All of you who destroyed the honor of a knight. I WILL KILL ALL OF Y-"
"THEN DON'T SHAME YOURSELF ANY FURTHER!" Saishu argued back with ferocity that caused Lancer to freeze, "The way you are acting right now, are you not simply throwing away what's left of your pride and honor? Please, keep what you still have and seek another chance to restore it. Do not let it fall any further than it is now."
Dark Lancer stood there frozen in surprise. "I…I…"
"Lancer, I only wish to have one last honorable battle with you. I wish to maintain what honor you still have as a knight in this life," Saishu said, "I wish to continue this last battle in which there is no worry that plagues us. No distractions. Our lives on the line. A battle of true worth. But what we fight now if far from such a thing. So please, Lancer, I wish to fight you one last time, no regrets or other sentiments clouding us."
"I…G…GRRAAAAGGGHHH!" Lancer's Heartless instincts suddenly skyrocketed as the parasite within his body is trying to magnify his diminishing negative feelings.
Dark Lancer then made an extremely fast dash towards Saishu in an attempt to deal the finishing blow, but…
Saishu quickly cast Curaga and healed his severe wound and dodged the charge.
"First I'll get rid of you, damn Heartless!" stated Saishu. He was going to go overdrive to quickly get rid of the creature inhabiting Lancer.
A thin aura of energy appeared around Saishu before he vanished. Dark Lancer frantically looked around before getting the air knocked out of him when Saishu buried his fist into his stomach.
Saishu vanished again…Lancer was suddenly pummeled with a countless number of invisible blows. Saishu had been moving around the Servant at such a high speed, that it could not keep up.
Saishu finally reappeared right below, holding the Keyblade. He let out a shout as he ran the blade through Lancer's heart.
"HYAAAH!"
The Keyblade did not seem to do any visible harm to Lancer, but a great amount of darkness then came out of the area he was pierced in. The shadowy figure let out a dying cry before it faded into nothingness.
[End Theme]
Saishu retracted the Keyblade before backing away. Lancer stumbled back and forth a bit as he tried to regain his bearings.
"The Heartless has been removed, but…it appears that it was still too late. Lancer, I believe that you will only have an hour left to main stable in this world," Saishu said.
"…What now? I have no where left to go…," lamented Lancer, "It appears that I will die when the sun rises completely above the horizon."
"Then let us fight one last time," Saishu repeated again as he held up Beyond the Truth, "In the name of Diarmuid, we shall have one more fight before you shall die. What say you, Lancer-san?"
Lancer then looked up at Saishu before chuckling. "You were always a complex individual, Heiwa."
He then lifted both of his Noble Phantasms. Lancer let his majestic aura rise for one last time. "Such an honorable man…I am glad to have met you, Hiraishin Heiwa!"
Saishu also let out a grin as he readied his Keyblade in front of him.
"Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, head knight of the knights of Fianna, attacks now!" declared Lancer.
"Then I, Hiraishin Heiwa, Grand Master of the Keyblades, accept your challenge!" Saishu then replied with equal pride.
Saishu decided that, for this one battle, he shall no longer let identities be a secret anymore. To Lancer, a man whom he greatly respected ever since the first battle, he shall introduce himself properly as a warrior should. He may not be a knight, nor follow the code of chivalry. But he is still a warrior who shall fight to the death honorably. He wished to finish up their final battle. The last battle Lancer will ever have in this life.
The two let out a shout as they charged at each other. In this moment, Diarmuid is at perfection!
"A Fight To The Death" from Kingdom Hearts II – (Youtube) /watch?v=tpzW17oB5MU&feature=related
Saishu swung down his Keyblade. The blow was parried by Lancer's yellow spear and countered with the red. The Master of Keyblades gracefully countered that blow and struck. But the knight of Fianna dodged and jabbed at Saishu with Gae Buidhe.
Saishu blocked the blade and leapt over Gae Dearg, which had been swung right under his feet to open his defenses. Lancer then attacked with Gae Buidhe again, but Saishu pushed it away with a palm strike before going in with a vertical kick.
Lancer leaned back before attacking from the left with Gae Dearg. And when Saishu ducked under the attack, Lancer brought his foot up and kicked Saishu in the stomach.
Saishu flinched from the attack, but paid no heed as he rammed his fist into Lancer's jaw. The Servant recoiled from the blow before the two combatants leaped back and tried to regain their composure.
Then they clashed once more. Their weapons grinded against each other as they struggle for dominance in strength. Saishu then pulls back from the struggle, circles around Lancer, and strikes. However, Lancer anticipated that and blocked with Gae Buidhe.
Lancer then thrust forward Gae Dearg, but Saishu carefully let the spear slide by before grinding Beyond the Truth along the length of the spear. He swung the Keyblade at Lancer's neck, but the Servant leaned back under the attack before doing a headstand and slashing at Saishu's legs with Gae Buidhe. Saishu tucked in his legs and sideflipped over the attack.
Flipping back on to his feet, Lancer swung both of his Noble Phantasms at Saishu, but the man simply held his blade upside-down vertically to block the attack.
Saishu then leapt over Lancer as he spun in a front flip while holding the Keyblade, trying to strike the back of his head. However, Lancer managed to block it with Gae Buidhe and thrust Gae Dearg at the airborne Saishu.
The Keyblade wielder somehow moved out of the way and lightly stood on the outstretched lance. Surprisingly, Lancer didn't feel any weight from Saishu. Saishu then leapt up high and came down in a powerful jump slash. Lancer swiftly cartwheeled out of the way as Saishu crashed into the spot he was at before, making a large shockwave and causing dust to fly up.
Lancer narrowed his eyes as he watched the dust cloud before whirling around and blocking Saishu's Keyblade with Gae Dearg.
"Hoh, pretty impressive, Lancer," commented Saishu, "How did you see through it?"
"I knew you wouldn't be the type to make predictable moves, Heiwa," replied Lancer. He pushed away Saishu, who skidded back a few feet before readying his blade again. "And I have seen quite a bit of your ability with magic, so I simply made a prediction that you would attack me from behind."
Eye of Mind (True): B
They continued to fight, with Saishu moving first by rushing at Lancer again. He swung his blade across, but Lancer blocked with Gae Dearg. Then Lancer thrust with same spear, but Saishu managed to bring up Beyond the Truth again to block the attack.
Saishu then flipped backwards before muttering, "Pulling more tricks out of the bag."
The Keyblade wielder lunged at Lancer and brought down his Keyblade. Lancer raised Gae Buidhe to block, but at that moment, the Keyblade phased right through spear. Lancer's eyes widened a bit before he leapt back quickly before it could cut his flesh.
"Right, I almost forgot that his blade could turn intangible and make the spells shot out of it have the same effect…!" Lancer just realized something very important.
"Heiwa, couldn't you have used your blade's special ability in the battle with Caster?" asked Lancer.
Saishu suddenly widened his eyes as his mouth hung open for a little bit. "I…didn't think about it!" Saishu admitted embarrassed. Lancer could only look at the warrior with a deadpan.
"And there had been many times in battle that you could have used the blade," Lancer pointed out, "And it could have led you to a great amount of victories for the entire course of this war."
"I…uh…" Saishu had been slightly rendered speechless. He could not believe that he did not think of that before. To be honest, that had somehow avoided running through his thought processes. To think that he could have used that ability in so many situations that required it was…embarrassing.
"Er…could we continue our duel?"
Lancer then decided to drop the matter, seeing that discussing it was really bringing shame upon Saishu. He readied his lances as he stated, "Very well. Let's continue."
The two then rushed at each other again. This time, Lancer was being careful to avoid getting in the path of the blade when blocking attacks.
"You know, Lancer," Saishu commented as they continued trading blows, "Do you not find it strange that we have such casualness in this life-or-death battle?"
Lancer replied, "Yes, but I do not see why it should deter us. Even if there is some dialogue here and there, it does not change what the identity of this battle."
"I suppose that's correct."
Lancer then thrusts Gae Dearg with tremendous force at the ground, temporarily blinding Saishu with a dust cloud generated from the impact. Lancer then leapt on top of the pole of the red spear and began to rapidly slash at Saishu with ferocious speed and tenacity.
Saishu barely managed to avert this attack, but when it was finished, Saishu tried another slash on Lancer.
When the Servant raised Gae Dearg to block, Saishu activated his blade's ability as it phased through the red spear.
"I claim victory, Lancer!"
However, this thought was cut off as he saw Gae Dearg approach his face. He had to pull his head back to avoid the slash, but it didn't stop it from leaving a cut on his cheek.
But the same could be said for Lancer as Saishu's blade cut him in the same place.
Both fighters leapt back as they reevaluated what happened.
"…So Lancer pretended to block my attack in order to make me activate my blade's ability. Then he used that opening to launch an attack while bypassing my blade. Astounding."
Saishu decided on healing the wound, but he avoided that thought. He wouldn't let such a thing concern him for now. Besides, removing a wound caused by the honorable knight in front of him would simply bring shame on this battle.
And he wished to uphold his word of an honorable battle with Lancer with no worries or concerns causing problems. So he will not let this wound deter him.
Lancer and Saishu gazed intensely at each other before rushing again. And from that point, intense combat untraceable to the trained eye ensued.
The two combatants decided to pick up the pace as they would not let the other take an opportunity to exploit on each other's weaknesses.
Lancer thrust forth both lances at Saishu from low, high, and mid. Despite Saishu avoiding each blow, Lancer immediately followed up by swinging Gae Dearg upwards followed by Gae Buidhe. Saishu barely managed to block the blow before countering Lancer's next swing.
Saishu then began to attack again, as he stabbed at Lancer in quick succession before doing an upward slash followed by a downward immediately. However, Lancer managed to carefully dodge each attack.
The process continued with various new methods of attacking each other. But time was running out as the sun was almost above the horizon.
As they leapt back to gain a breather, both combatants noticed this as well.
"…Heiwa, how about we wrap this up in one final attack?" Lancer suggested.
"Funny, I was going to suggest the same," said Saishu.
Both fighters grinned as they readied for their final clash. They will put forth every last amount of effort and energy they have into this one last charge.
…!
The two rushed at each other for the last time. Time itself seemed to slow down as the combatants approached each other with the greatest speed they can muster up.
Saishu was faster as he held Beyond the Truth with both hands, held it above his head, and brought it down. Lancer, who knew that he was slightly slower, went with a method to bring him victory in this final clash.
Lancer quickly skidded in mid-run as he tossed Gae Dearg into the air. He gripped Gae Buidhe with both his hands and countered Saishu's downward blow with all his strength. Lancer struggled slightly before he let out a mighty roar. And he knocked Saishu's blade out of his hands.
Saishu's eyes widened as his blade went flying out his hands. Lancer tossed Gae Buidhe into the air as he caught Gae Dearg, twirled it with great speed, and thrusted it into Saishu's torso.
The Keyblade wielder coughed up blood as he felt the lance pierce through his body. Lancer had landed an incredibly great wound on him. Saishu went tumbling back in pain.
Lancer caught Gae Buidhe and wielded it with both hands as he charged at Saishu.
"Heiwa, it looks like…"
The Servant thrusted it forward towards Saishu's heart.
"It is my win!"
…!
Lancer froze in his movement. He had suddenly felt something enter his own heart. The Servant slowly looked down to see Saishu holding Beyond the Truth, which had stabbed him through his heart.
[Theme End]
The lance-wielding Servant looked down on the wound with shock before blood started to fall out of the wound as he coughed up the vermillion substance.
"…How?" Lancer asked silently as he felt his life fading.
"My blade and I have a bond that allows me to summon it to my hands whenever I need to," Saishu explained as he withdrew the blade from Lancer's heart.
The Servant fell down to his knees before falling to the ground. Saishu also fell back as well.
"…My only wish had been to fight alongside my lord," Lancer spoke up weakly as he started to fade away, "I regret that I have not been able to fulfill it."
Saishu lied there in silence…before speaking up.
"…Diarmuid…you reminded me of a friend from long ago," Saishu stated, "He was like you, incredibly loyal to his comrades and master. His wish…was to fight alongside us. He had died with content…having fulfilled that wish. Lancer…I couldn't help but feel sorrow for how your life had ended much differently from my friend's."
Saishu stood and walked over to Lancer. He stooped down and spoke a few a last words. "So…Lancer, I wish to ask you of something."
"…What…is it?"
"...I have been given the title of 'lord' at some point in my life. I had not much use for it, but now…Lancer, when we meet again someday…would you like to be my knight?"
Lancer had been rendered speechless by what Saishu was asking of him…another chance…another chance to restore what he had lost twice…he…
"I…I…"
Saishu held out a hand.
"Well?"
Lancer, at that last moment in his life, had regained the majesty that he had lost in this war. He once again felt like a Heroic Spirit again. He slowly reached out to the hand and grasped it.
"It…would be my honor…Lord Heiwa…"
And with those final words, Lancer lets go of the hand as he closed his eyes, finally content with dying.
And he faded away in to prana. Lancer's life has finally ended.
Saishu kneeled there in silence as a teardrop fell out of his eye.
However, he noticed something on the ground, where Lancer had disappeared. It was a Keyblade. It was beautiful, with a blade that shone in the sunlight. At its tip, the blade had three spiraling teeth reminiscent to that of roses. The handle that of a forest green, and the keychain attached had the design of two swords and two spears crossing each other.
Saishu picked up the blade. He looked at it for a few moments before stabbing it into the ground, placing his hands on hilt and kneeling. The sun seemed to shine brighter than ever.
"…Farewell, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. May our paths cross again one day…"
[Chapter End]
T12UR: …Whoa, that's got to be my longest chapter yet. Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter, people! Oh, and if you didn't like it…well, just go. See you later folks, and look forward to the next chapter.