Hello there! the next chapter will be released on February 3! Thank you ZenoZen for the review as always!
Battle in Daiganji II.
'I have also come to this place looking for the cause of those deaths.'
Sayaka arrived at the building where the enemy Master was supposed to be. She put her arms on her legs and inclined her body breathing hard. She rejoined almost immediately; there was the risk of a possible attack at any moment.
From the distance, a metallic screech was heard. She watched as Ryder deflected Archer's sword, but she couldn't stop to look at the details. She didn't know the skills of Ryder's Master and any sorcerer with a practice superior to hers would be a dangerous opponent.
Sayaka had trained magic with Takahiro thanks to her mentor, Frank Brown. After leaving Shinto's fortress, she couldn't improve much since she didn't have an instructor to guide her and she could only perfect what she knew.
She walked around the building, attentive to any anomalous situation.
'You are the Master of that Servant?' said a female voice. It seemed to be Ryder's Master.
Ryder's Master approached slowly until Sayaka could see her.
'You're right, I am the master of that Servant' Sayaka said; she remembered what happened in the small town and closed his fist tightly. 'And you provoked all those deaths in Tsukimigaoka? You are the one who created that mana farm?!'
The woman was young, with blond hair and blue eyes. The girl was thoughtful and at the same time confused by the question; suddenly, she smiled.
'I have also come to this place looking for the cause of those deaths. From what I see, in the end it was not a bad decision. And answering your question, I was not the one who provoked that massacre. Only a weak and unworthy being would dare to use humans to achieve their goals. Anyway. Eliminating a Master is not so bad. I came for the main course, but I'll have to settle for a dessert.'
'I agree. It's not a bad dessert after all.' Sayaka replied, the two looked at each other for a few seconds, challenging each other, and both smiled at the same time. 'Come!' Sayaka shouted.
The enemy Master extended a staff decorated with a ribbon of lead almost one meter long, and began to shake it with elegance, forming circles and other figures in the air.
Sayaka extended her arm and pointed to Ryder's Master.
'Spektrallicht!' Sayaka said; from her hand, she ejected some black energy like projectiles, fired at high speed.
The enemy Master dodged nimbly a few attacks, but one went straight to her. She raised the staff and hit the black energy with the ribbon, the attack went off deflecting on one of the walls, causing a small rumble and leaving a cracked hole with small black rays that twisted weakly. Almost instantly, she kept running towards Sayaka. It seemed to anticipate her movements.
She continued firing the black energies but the enemy Master easily evaded them. Sayaka opened her eyes, surprised by the control, speed and stability of the Ryder Master. She was facing an experienced sorceress.
The enemy Master extended the ribbon of the staff and sank it in Sayaka's abdomen, with the inertia of the ribbon managed to impact it once again, near the left leg. Sayaka reinforced her stomach to avoid further damage but couldn't use it with her left leg. Due to the impulse, it shot out of the place.
'Verstärkung!' Sayaka said, despite the pain. She reinforced the vital areas of her own body.
Her body rolled violently against the ground until it hit the wall of a building. She was badly hurt while the enemy Master approached slowly.
Sayaka put her hands on the ground and tried to stand up. She spat blood. She struggled to her feet, though her legs were shaking with pain.
She was facing a possible graduate of the clock tower. The odds of beating a sorcerer at that level were low, but she could turn the battle around if she took up all her arsenal.
Sayaka had three gems in her possession, the gem that she found in the box and that always carried with her, she was loaded with mana that she kept for years, but she no longer had it, she had given it to her disciple. Still she had two remaining gems, one reusable and the other disposable, both were loaded with mana, although they were less powerful than his favorite gem.
She made an effort and was able to stand up, although it was difficult for her to keep her balance due to the serious injury. The leg had a deep cut, blood emanated from the wound and it was difficult to support her on the floor without feeling that pain.
Sayaka watched as the enemy Master approached her, with an arrogant smile on her face.
Archer watched his enemy, analyzing the situation and looking for a strategy to end the battle. Apparently, Ryder did the same.
He knew that at any moment, Ryder would attempt an assault with Zegseb, and will attack with the short sword using his less skillful hand. Ryder was unable to use his bow until wound was regenerated and Archer was aware that he had to take advantage of that weakness.
He raised his left arm, since he couldn't move his right arm due to the bad condition of his shoulder, this action alerted Ryder.
—Trace on!
Hundreds of swords materialized, pointing to Ryder who looked in astonishment. It was the advantage of Archer, few Heroic Spirits could understand the operation of his Noble Phantasm.
Ryder was still watching, as if he was waiting for Archer to attack first.
He lowered his outstretched arm, pointing at Ryder. The swords went at full speed towards the enemy Servant and his horse.
'Damn it!' Ryder exclaimed.
The horse moved quickly, diverting its trajectory to one side. The swords were swift but Zegseb was even more so. Archer tried to anticipate the movement of the horse, but the swords couldn't reach him.
Ryder began to surround him with the intention of approaching Archer as soon as possible, but the swords anticipated his trajectory, causing Zegseb to change the route again and again.
'Khet ikh khurdtai!' Ryder exclaimed.
The horse increased its speed, avoiding the swords that ended up crashing on the ground. Zegseb continued with the attempt to surround to Archer until catching it badly positioned.
'I am the bone of my sword' Archer conjured.
The horse was fast approaching, surround him in constant circles. Some swords hurt Ryder and Zegseb, but they were superficial damages; the speed of the horse managed to elude with ease the great amount of swords projected by Archer.
'Rho Aias!'
The horse was about to ram Archer, but the Rho Aias avoided the direct smash. Zegseb hit the shield, which caused it to be destabilized. They fell to the ground.
Archer managed to assert himself, keeping his legs on the ground while being dragged due to the impact he suffered, leaving a groove in the ground several meters away. The shield of Ajax endured the impact of Zegseb.
From the ground and stunned, Ryder crawled, approaching his horse. There was concern in the face of the enemy Servant, as if the defense of the shield had endangered Zegseb.
Archer looked at his shoulder, the wound would be an impediment, but he would try anyway.
—Trace on!
In his good arm, he materialized a large bow and on his wounded arm, the legendary Caladbolg transformed into a sort of projectile similar to an arrow. His right arm didn't stop shaking due to the wound and the weight of the modified sword.
He raised the bow and aimed at Ryder. The enemy Servant was standing, but Zegseb was still on the ground. Ryder raised his head and looked at Archer.
'Damnit Bastard!'
Archer grunted in pain as he raised his sword and set it in the place of the arrow. He pointed to Ryder. Although the stability of the great arch failed him, he relied on the massive damage of his attack.
Suddenly, Ryder seemed to realize Archer's intentions and slapped Zegseb, grabbing the horse's rein.
'Let's go!' Servant shouted, in a desperate attempt to escape the attack.
'Caladbolg!'
The modified sword caused a whistle in the air and shot out towards Ryder and Zegseb.
In milliseconds, the horse dragged its feet hitting the ground, propelling itself to one side very quickly.
The Caladbolg hit close to its target. The shockwave drove Ryder and Zegseb even more, destabilizing the equine.
The horse hit the ground and almost instantly he gave a squeal of pain; his fall plunged the earth. The Servant fell near Zegseb although his fall hadn't been as dramatic as that of his horse.
Ryder put his hand on the ground and gave himself an impulse, standing up. Archer was surprised that the Servant continued as if nothing after that attack, was going to be a hard enemy to defeat.
'What kind of Noble Phantasm was that!? Who the hell are you?! You are not a normal Heroic Spirit. If it were not for Zegseb and his battle experience, I would have been eliminated.
Ryder approached his horse and caressed it, still looking at Archer, as if he was waiting for another surprise attack.
'As I said before, I'm nobody in particular.'
Ryder frowned and clenched his fist.
Archer smiled with the intention of frustrating the enemy Servant. Although his attack had damaged Ryder and Zegseb, the wound on his shoulder worsened when he had to tighten the arch. If he continued the battle for longer, Ryder would become a real danger.
Ryder's Master approached Sayaka, waving the staff and giving the ribbon almost hypnotic movements. Sayaka was standing with difficulty, couldn't heal her foot because it took time and was seriously damaged.
She quickly thought of the disposable gem, loaded with enough mana to defeat her. They were at a distance of two meters.
She took her right hand to the pocket of her jacket and then withdrew it holding the object. She still had options, call Archer and lose another invocation command, or use the gems. Be that as it may, she would lose something valuable in this battle.
'You're weak' the blond girl said, in an almost burlesque tone. 'You are unable to defeat me. Even so, I can give you a chance to get out alive. You just have to do one thing'
An opportunity to get out alive, Sayaka wondered if it would be that way. What were the true intentions of the blonde girl? Sayaka just looked at her, thought about analyzing that offer, although she was aware that it could be a lie.
'Keep talking' Sayaka said, only with the intention of knowing what the Master enemy was planning.
'If you control your Servant, it's because you still have your summoning commands' the blonde girl smiled. 'Use it and make your Servant commit suicide.'
Sayaka didn't know what to say, to force Archer to commit suicide to survive was a rational idea. If did, she would be left out of the war for the Holy Grail, therefore, she wouldn't have to die. But if I did such a thing, I would not be a sorceress and I would not be here in the first place. She extended her hand, showing the invocation command to the girl.
There was a moment of silence, but Ryder's Master seemed willing to wait even longer to see how Sayaka forced her Servant to commit suicide.
'You're pretty arrogant. Did you know?' Sayaka said, keeping her arm extended towards the girl.
The Master of Ryder frowned, Sayaka could see how her face was decompensated due to anger.
She took advantage of that moment and from her outstretched arm, threw the disposable gem. Ryder's Master saw the gem approaching her, and she could do almost nothing to stop it. She stretched the staff and pulled the ribbon towards the gem. Sayaka threw herself to the ground to minimize the damage.
'Brennt Jetzt!' Sayaka conjured.
'Sciath draíochta!' Ryder's Master exclaimed, almost in unison.
The gem exploded, causing a great rumble and damaging the structure of a nearby building, the streets of the village of Daiganji were also affected. The blast sent Sayaka flying, it rolled violently across the floor; the world revolved around her until she lost impulse and her body stopped.
A cloud of dust and sand raised from the explosion site, blocking visibility and making breathing difficult. Sayaka coughed, tried to sit up but when she put her right hand on the floor, she realized the damage she had received.
On her forearm she had a wound of great width and length. But that wasn't the worst, it seemed that the skin on her arm had been removed, she could see the living flesh stained with blood and dirt.
Still on the floor, she couldn't stand up and the cloud of dust caused her a lot of pain in the burns and especially in the wound of her arm.
From the ground, she analyzed the rest of her body; the wound on her leg was severe due to the previous attack of the Master of Ryder, her other limbs had minor burns and several cuts on the skin, but nothing serious. She tried to stand up, but her legs trembled as she leaned on the floor.
She prayed that wouldn't suffer any kind of hemorrhage, since she had almost no strength left to heal a cut artery.
The sand dust began to dissipate slowly, she could see the Master of Ryder in front of her. She couldn't observe it in detail, but she knew it was over if that girl was still standing despite having received an attack of such magnitude.
'Miserable sorcerer' Ryder's Master said, with a trickle of voice.
Sayaka did not answer. She was stunned, Ryder's Master was still alive. The sand dust dissipated slowly, but enough to fully see the blonde girl; with her left hand, she held her right arm that had apparently suffered a severe fracture. The staff was no longer in her possession, perhaps she had sacrificed the weapon to reduce the damage.
Ryder's Master had received a lot of burns on her body, minor cuts and looked almost bad as Sayaka. But there was a difference, Sayaka no longer had the strength to get up from the ground, instead, Ryder's Master was still standing, staggering, but still there, with enough strength to continue the battle.
The blonde girl extended her arm and pointing out to Sayaka, was going to kill her; there was hatred in her eyes. Suddenly, she heard screams from people in the distance, some asked if there was someone in the place where the explosion had occurred, others were shouting names, probably people who lived in some houses near the place of the explosion.
The Ryder Master clicked his tongue. It was obvious that the people of Daiganji would have found out one way or another. It had been a risky move and now everything depended on the blonde girl, if the battle continued in spite of the witnesses or if she retired before that happened.
'You are lucky, detestable woman. Or you had this been planned to escape like a coward?' The blonde girl was still watching Sayaka, frowning.
Sayaka inclined her head. She had attacked Ryder's Master with the intention of assassinating her, but she also had contemplated a second exit in case she failed.
In just a few moments, Ryder arrived with his horse. The sudden appearance of Zegseb made the dust rise a little more. The Servant stretched his arm grasping the enemy Master from the waist. Sayaka seem how the blonde girl lost consciousness, closing her eyes and letting the Servant accommodate her in Zegseb's saddle.
The horse hit the ground and disappeared almost instantly. Suddenly, a sword was embedded in that place, it was one of the swords projected by Archer. Sayaka couldn't take it anymore and let out a moan of pain, closed her eyes tightly, coughing compulsively and trying to resist the burns and punctures she felt all over her body. The voices of the people were heard closer and closer.
Archer appeared in the cloud of dust, held Sayaka in his arms and pulled her out of there. She felt the Servant's arms and could perceiving that little difficulty he had in holding her.
'Thank you' Sayaka said, almost like a whisper.
'Close your eyes and rest' Archer replied.
The Servant reached a great speed despite having to carry it, Sayaka realized that she admired Archer, it must be incredible to have that strength, that ability to stand up after a battle.
Sayaka closed her eyes, hoping to find a glimmer of relief in the darkness.
To be continued