A/N: So many fights to deal with, so little time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fate-Stay anything.
CH.12: Titans
Ayako wiped her forehead free of sweat. The angels stationed outside the temple were finishing the final few Anubis Warriors, and the archer was getting pretty bored. Deciding to take the time to think some things over, Ayako looked at the entrance of the temple lazily, 'Emiya Shirou… your eyes are different.' Ayako thought about the confidence that flowed through Shirou's eyes when she had met him just an hour ago.
In the past, Emiya's personality was a mystery to her. They had become pretty fast friends when he signed up for the archery-club, his features attracting her to him. Back then, Ayako admitted that she might have liked him, but as time went on, she realized he wasn't the casual dating type. However, that wasn't what puzzled the secret angel so much. It was his thought pattern. Many a times had the hazel-eyed girl spent her night dwelling on just what went through the strange human's head.
'I think I finally cracked the code on the day Rider attacked me.' Ayako jumped down from her sniper-nest to peer inside the sacred structure. When she had been attacked, Ayako thought nobody would help her, but Shirou proved her wrong. Not only did the boy help her, he also went after the powerful Servant by himself. Yes, she had been fully aware though her body was unable to move, "You're one strange nut Shirou Emiya, strange indeed."
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The underground waterway was a very dark place to have a fight. Gallium rolled to the side, dodging the claws of the steroid pumped Anubis Warrior. The towering hound howled as it chased the dodging angel, ignoring the other occupant in the chamber. Frustrated with being left out, Kat traced a lance and drove it into the hound's foot, pinning it to the floor.
"That probably wasn't too good of an idea." Kat stepped back as the beast removed the lance and glared at her. A beam of energy was her source of relief, the stream of mana blowing off a chunk of the beast's shoulder. As the hound gripped its limp arm, it howled in pain, giving Kat the chance she wanted. She traced another lance and jumped up, driving the weapon through the Anubis Warrior's throat.
Gallium watched the attack and grunted, impressed by the quick thought. However, he knew it wasn't over when Kat was thrown back against the wall of the waterway, her body falling into the shallow water. The calm angel knew their victory was near, but he decided to let Kat finish what she started.
"Stupid dog," Kat growled and forced herself to stand. When she saw the hound standing over her, she smirked. Her eyes focused on the lance, its head still driven into the beast's neck. Kat waited for the right moment, the beast reeling back for a strike. When the claw did shoot for her head, she ducked under it and used her arms to push herself off the ground. With one kick, the lance shot through the beast's head and into the ceiling, a thud echoing through the waterway. The beast's head was ripped clean off its shoulders.
Gallium walked over to Kat and helped her up, "Nice, a bit sloppy but nice." He smirked when the wet girl glared at him through her soaked bangs. Both angels walked over to the hole they had fallen down and jumped, easily jumping out of the waterway and back into the fray. By the time they were out, they just saw Berserker snap an Anubis Warrior in two, "Dang, glad he's on our side." Gallium whistled and stepped into the streets of the city. He squinted when the bright illusion of the sun hit him, the figure of Ares looming just ahead.
"So you made it. Are you alright?" Arturia and Shirou approached the two angels, their eyes focused on the god of savage battle.
"Arturia, Shirou," Gallium got their attention, "I want you two to go on ahead. Ares won't attack you if he knows who he's fighting." Upon hearing this, all present warriors looked at him.
"Who might that be, you?" Lancer clicked his tongue when he saw Gallium nod, "Figures, you want the tough looking one." He smirked and started walking towards Bazett. By now, the violet-haired woman had recovered from Ares' massive killer intent, "You ready to go Bazett?"
"Yeah, sorry about that." Bazett shook her head and followed Lancer. Arturia and Shirou joined the pair as Berserker walked over to Ares, eyeing him carefully. It only took one jump from Ares for Gallium to take his sword and force him against the side of a building.
"Kat, lead them further in, I'll take care of him and catch up." Gallium kept his cold gaze focused on the calm Ares, sickened by the blood-lust in his eyes.
"Be careful Gallium." Kat wished him well and followed the other five deeper into the city. After a few steps, the group of six decided to make a run for it, hoping to avoid more interruptions. However, a flash of gold said otherwise.
"Lancer!" Bazett called after the Irish warrior as the Spartan crashed through a pillar and rammed Lancer. The shield driven tackle got a growl from the ex-Servant as he was forced through a wall and into a lower level of the city. Bazett quickly jumped after them, peering through the dust and debris.
"Bazett, Lancer," Shirou started to follow, but Berserker's hand stopped him completely. Shirou looked up at the towering Heracles to see him shake his head, "but…"
"Shirou," Arturia called to him, "this is Lancer's fight, we have to destroy the Grail now or this will never end." Her green eyes seemed to flash, daring him to contradict her.
"You're right, let's keep going." Shirou smiled at her, glad to see the old 'Saber Flame' return to her eyes. With a silent wish for Lancer's safety, the now four member team continued on. After a few seconds, they noticed the stairway leading to a massive pyramid.
"The Grail is inside there, as well as the Castor controlling everything." Berserker took one step up the stairs and growled. Arturia and Shirou looked around when they felt the earth shake and the sound of hooves approach, "Go on ahead, this fight is mine." Raising his weapon, Berserker roared, his muscles flexing savagely. Arturia, Shirou and Kat didn't wait to see who it was, obeying Heracles' words.
"HERACLES!" Odin burst out from behind a patch of ruins, his eight-legged horse stomping the ground. The Norse god left his steed and unsheathed a claymore, the sword glowing with power. Heracles answered his name with a roar, charging Odin like a bull. Both swords met with a mighty boom, the sheer power of both fighters nearly blowing the vicinity apart.
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Lancer coughed and shook the soot from his hair, his blood colored eyes glaring at his newest nemesis, "Long time no see Spartan." He stood and brushed himself off, one hand spinning his legendary spear. Lancer looked around him quickly, noting how they had ended up in a back-alley. The space was pretty vast, the structure forming a circle type space. To Lancer, it was more like a pit than an alley.
The Spartan drew his Xephos and answered, "Yeah, it's been a bit too long." No more words were needed as the warriors began their fight. Lancer began his assault with the basics, attempting to pierce through the Spartan's heart. The skilled warrior deflected Gae Bolg with his sword. When he had had enough of the constant attempts at his heart, the Spartan jammed his shield into Lancer's throat, forcing him back. Lancer coughed and staggered, watching as the Spartan changed weapons.
"cough… You'll need more than… cough … those two swords to… cough … kill me." Lancer snickered through the coughs, enjoying the look the Spartan gave him. However, his humor was short-lived as the gold warrior charged him at impressive speeds. Acting accordingly, Lancer weaved through the swipes for his head and spun around. The action caused the pole-end of Gae Bolg to smack the Spartan, destabilizing him.
The Spartan rolled away from Lancer when he tried to cut him with Bolg's head. The Spartan drove both small swords into the ground and took out a weapon Lancer hoped never to see again.
"Wait, that's…" Lancer stared at the spear in the Spartan's hand, "that's Achilles' spear." Lancer watched the Spartan spin the weapon skillfully. Once again, the Spartan remained silent, but one thrust to the air spoke for him. With a war-cry, the Spartan's body was incased in purple flames, the spear of his fallen ally empowering him.
It was to the scene of a flame encased man charging Lancer that met Bazett's eyes when she rounded the corner, "Lancer!" Bazett watched in worry as the Spartan stabbed at said warrior, only to have Lancer block. However, the block was proven in vain as the Spartan spun the spear and cut Lancer's exposed gut. Bazett took in a sharp breath and released. It wasn't a deep cut, but flames lingered on the broken flesh.
"What the hell!" Lancer put out his skin and glared at the Spartan.
"Each of my weapons hold a Noble Phantasm, this one's is Flame of War." The Spartan charged in again, fully focused on scorching Lancer to ash. The three-pieced combo he sent Lancer's way was barely blocked. However, when the Spartan spun his spear, Lancer noticed that Gae Bolg was starting to heat up. It was too late. Lancer quickly let go of Gae Bolg when it burned his hands.
Lancer bit back curses when he heard Gae Bolg fall to the ground. By now, the sheer heat immitted from the Spartan was almost suffocating, "Che, Bag of Hot-air is more like it." Lancer smirked at his own humor and waited. When the Spartan went to stab him, he quickly rolled to Gae Bolg, gripping the spear once again. He pivoted on his heel and went to drive his weapon through the Spartan's back and through his heart.
Bazett gasped when she heard a clang and the sound of something shattering. Her eyes were wide with horror, seeing the spear of Achilles push out of Lancer's back. However, upon further inspection, she also saw the shattered remains of Gae Bolg thrown across the pit, "L-Lancer," a sickening sound rang out when Lancer twisted the shattered piece of Gae Bolg further into the Spartan's head. When Gae Bolg shattered, he had used the last fragment to the best of its ability.
"W-Well fought warrior, this will be a death worthy of Spartan Glory." With his final words spoken, the Spartan fell to his knees and fell to his side, killed by the broken spear. Bazett ran over to Lancer and caught him as he fell, his eyes still focused on the motionless body of the Spartan.
"Lancer, Cu answer me. Are you alright?" Bazett looked at the burn marks on his body, "Come on Cu, say something."
"Bazett, pull the spear out for Christ's sake, it freakin' hurts like hell." Lancer coughed as he gripped the Spear of Achilles that was embedded into him. However, a golden light engulfed Bazett and Lancer, the Spartan appearing before them.
"Calm down," The Spartan pushed Lancer back down when he got up to protect Bazett, "like I said, that fight was worthy of Spartan Glory."
"What's that, is it a Noble Phantasm?" Bazett took in a sharp breath when the cut on her cheek was healed completely. She looked up at the Spartan in confusion.
He simply nodded as he removed Achilles' spear from Lancer, the hole it formed closing as if it hadn't even been there, "Spartan Glory heals the person who defeated me in an honorable fight, it's a very unusual Phantasm, but I'm not complaining about it." The Spartan glanced up when he saw the light begin to fade, "You'll be teleported outside for your own safety, your part in this fight is done." With that, the Spartan walked away, fading into the white void that surrounded them.
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Gallium released Ares from his hold and walked a few yards away from him. Both warriors removed all unnecessary coverings, including capes and the sort. Only in their armor, both of them sized each other up, "I've heard whispers of the angelic generals, I can't wait to see what you've got angel."
Gallium simply spun his katana and nodded. He was in a ready stance, the point of his sword directed at Ares' throat. Ares, on the other hand, simply stood there for a moment, seeming to contemplate how he'll fight. With a flip of his wrist, the blood that surrounded Gallium rose of the ground and surrounded Ares, "That's sick man,"
"Don't knock it 'til you try it!" Ares roared and flung his hand forward, a wave of blood shooting towards Gallium. The angel wasn't quite sure how to react, settling for trying to block. However, the blood simply covered his katana and his torso. Ares threw his hand to the right, throwing Gallium across the side of a tall building. The Arabic structure soon crumbled, the still bound angel growling at the blood that held him.
Gallium let go of his katana and focused on his back, two white wings shooting from a halo just above his skin. The wings broke the blood's hold, freeing him. Taking up his weapon again, Gallium faced Ares. He assumed the same stance and glared at the god, watching him make the same move again. This time, Gallium flew away from the stream of gore, weaving through it as Ares attacked with a second stream. Both streams of blood were like whips, each crack barely missing his extended wings.
"Having fun General!?" Ares put both his hands together, the two arms of blood becoming one large stream. Gallium sighed as it came barreling for him, knowing he couldn't dodge it in time. With grunt of pain, Gallium was driven into and through a pillar, kicking up dust and rubble.
"Stupid Council with their stupid power limits." Gallium grumbled grumpily and peeled himself off the ground.
"I'm disappointed; I thought angels were better fighters than this." Ares taunted the recovering angel. A quiet ringing noise interrupted his second barrage of taunts, the General pulling out a cell-phone.
"This better be good, I'm busy." Gallium held up one finger, asking for Ares to give him a minute, "Uhuh… alright… I suppose so… Uhuh… get to the point Ayako… WELL IT'S ABOUT FREAKIN TIME!" Gallium hung up and put his phone away, "Sorry about that."
"No problem, does that thing get reception in this place?" Ares pointed to his own phone, "Mine doesn't get a thing around here."
"Yup, it's a new model." Gallium scratched his head and cracked his neck.
"Well," Ares rubbed his chin, "I'll need to invest in one then. So what was the call about?"
Gallium sighed, "The council lifted my power restraints. When an angel as powerful as me comes to the Living World, they limit my power so I don't mess anything up." He shrugged when Ares shook his head.
Silence came over the enemies, Ares glancing around uncomfortably, "So uh, do we just continue where we left off?" He scratched his helmet, the situation seeming very awkward.
"Sure, I don't see why not."
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Another boom sounded through the ears of Heracles and Odin, their blades meeting once again. The Greek hero roared again, kicking Odin away from him. The Norse god easily recovered and raised his hand, energy collecting at his palm, "I may not be a Castor, but I do know a few spells of my own." Odin fired off a barrage of weak energy blasts, the spheres of energy bouncing off Heracles' body.
"Grr," Berserker growled as Odin took his readied stance again. No words needed to be thrown between the two, having already settled their verbal reasoning days ago. However, unlike last time, both planned on finishing their battle. The tower of bulks was the first to attack, his eyes glowing red. Berserker welcomed the strength his class granted him, bringing his jagged weapon down on Odin.
The Norse god blocked the jagged blade, but the edges dug into his shoulder, giving him a shallow wound, "Gah," Odin shook his injured shoulder and stared evenly at Heracles. His one eye sharpened as he readied his own charge, dashing forward with his blade to the ground. Dust and chunks of earth were ripped up by the blade's dragging, crimson energy pulsating through Odin. About a yard away from Berserker, Odin slashed, a crimson crescent of energy launching for him.
Heracles knew perfectly well what was coming, and decided to cut his losses. He took the blow of the crescent and blocked afterwards, defending himself from Odin's double-edged claymore. Heracles counted how many times the crescent killed him, 'I'd say twice, it was fairly powerful.' Berserker snorted and pushed Odin back, throwing him a few yards away from him. Heracles spun his weapon and flung it into the air. Odin glanced up to see the sword spin off into the abyss that was the ceiling and watched the strong demi-god drive his hands into the earth.
"Dear God," Odin bore down when he saw Heracles rip up a huge chunk of cement and granite, his muscles bulging to an inhuman size. With one toss, the chunk of earth was rocketing towards Odin, his one eye huge with disbelief. Using all his power, Odin slashed, cutting the giant-sized projectile in two. However, the dust kicked up by such a move gave Heracles the cover he desired. A crack indicated Heracles' blade driving into the ground, and a mighty growl signaled his charge.
Berserker burst through the shroud of dust particles and brought the sword down near Odin. There was no need to hit him, as the impact was enough to throw Odin clear across the level platform they were battling on. Odin got to his feet and spat the blood that was collecting in his mouth. He wiped his white beard and drove his claymore into the ground, "Come to me," Odin launched into the air, a crimson glow forming in the sky, "RAGNAROK!" A mighty blade formed in the sky just as Odin reached for its hilt, "RAAAAH!" He let out a war cry as he dove for Heracles, the mighty embodiment of the apocalypse held in his grasp.
Heracles stared into the eye of Odin and let out another snort. The Norse warrior/god had just declared an 'all or nothing' scenario without muttering more than necessary. The mighty Hercules bent his knees and growled, his body glowing as he focused all his godly might into his blade. He stepped back, as if ready to make a horizontal slash, as his growl intensified. By the time they were ready to clash, the mix of purple and crimson light was almost blinding to all outside on-lookers.
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Assassin almost lost his footing when the entire subterranean space rocked violently. He glanced behind him to see the bright lights of Odin and Heracles' battle fade, 'The mighty Hercules, it was only recently that I learned of just how powerful you were and are.' Assassin chuckled and continued on his path. He was not angered by the fact that nobody seemed to care that he had disappeared
"No, he noticed," Assassin remembered Gallium and Arturia nodding to him in understanding before he left, "they know why I left." He may have been talking softly, but he was talking to everyone but himself. No, there was another… no… two others following him. Assassin ran his thumb along the edge of his katana's guard, ready to unsheathe it at a moments notice. This was now a battle of speed between him, and the other, "Are you angered that I took your place," Assassin blocked a black colored claw from touching him, "True Assassin?"
"…" A sickly skinny man finally made himself visible; running along side Assassin's leaping form. Currently, they were in, what looked to be, a residential district. This fit both of their preferences perfectly. The tightly built residences offered great running space, as well as another location to fight other than the street below. True Assassin peered at his opponent through the eyes of his skull mask and raised his bandage-covered arm. Kojiro Sasaki, Assassin, watched the overly long arms of True Assassin carefully.
"I see, you are unable to speak." Kojiro looked forward as he lowered himself and went into a full sprint. The surroundings blurred around him as he circled around, wanting to avoid the tall tower that was just in front of him. However, at the top of said tower, there stood a third participant in the confrontation. Both Kojiro and True Assassin stopped to look at the new warrior, watching his white form jump from the tower's summit.
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Shirou came to a halt beside Arturia when they caught up to Kat. Said angel was standing in front of a golden door, her eyes focused on some writing that was carved into the frame, "What does it say?" Shirou ran his hand across the picture based language.
"I'm not sure, but I can feel the Grail just beyond this door, I think we're in the center of the pyramid." Kat looked over at Arturia and nodded, signaling for her to get ready. When she saw the female warrior grip Caliburn, Kat lifted her foot and reared back. With the help of some mana, she kicked the door down, leaving a huge dent in the golden work of art.
"I see, so you found the inner-chamber." All three warriors looked through the dimness that filled the chamber, looking for any sign of a Servant or the Holy Grail. However, none of them expected for the two Anubis statues beside the door to come to life, their eyes glowing for blood. Shirou grunted when Arturia tackled him further inside the chamber, the large spear of the statue missing him by a hair. Kat jumped over the blade of the second statue and ended up beside Emiya and Pendragon.
"It's the Caster, he's controlling those statues. We find him, we stop the giant guardians." Arturia nodded towards Shirou, that task was given to him. As Shirou rolled away, Kat and Arturia faced the two guardians, confident that they could hold on for a minute or two.
"Foolish," Arturia felt the hairs on the back of her neck spring upright, "I will rip the boy apart, then I will come after you King Arthur." The voice in the darkness was like a deep, inhuman growl by the time the threat was finished. As if commanded to do so, the entire room lit up, revealing the vastness of its measure. In comparison, the chamber was about as big as a football field all around, a tomb resting at the farthest wall.
"Who are you!?" Shirou demanded to know his opponent's identity, his image bathed in an amber hue. The entire room, and its occupants, looked as if they had bathed in liquid gold, the light reflecting from the tiles of the chamber discoloring their environment. Shirou gasped when he felt the heat of something snort on the back of his neck. He whipped around in surprise, his gaze meeting a wall of white, snarling teeth.
"Animas Anubis, boy, I will be your guide to the River Styx!" The beastly god roared and threw off the cloak he had been wearing for so long. Anubis had to stand as tall as Berserker, his dog-like head and legs looking powerful. His arms were covered in gauze, looking ad if he had broken free from a mummified state. Around the god's neck was golden jewelry fit for any pharaoh, various jewels filled with magic sparkling shamelessly in the light.
Arturia bit back a series of curses as the two stone guardians closed in on her and Kat. Though she hated to admit, she knew that they were in one of the tightest spots she'd ever been in.
A/N: Cliffhangers suck don't they? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; it was hard to write the fight between Odin and Heracles, as well as, the Spartan and Lancer. For those who don't know, many of the characters in this fanfic are from Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia, just thought I'd let you guys know. Please read and review!