Twenty-Fifth Tensei: Shadows of Servants
"This is getting ridiculous." X scowled as she desperately tapped through her tablet, "Would even finding their identities even help against them?!"
"Doubtful." Zeus said, "They fight like beasts. No semblance of their former self remains other than their form."
"How's your Noble Phantasms?" Seiren asked.
"Fully charged." Amelia grinned, "But...I don't think this is the prime opportunity to use it."
"Indeed." Zeus said as he drew his axe, "Our final target is that giant but the present threat are these Shadow Servants. Let us deal with them first."
"And how do we do that?" Sayaka asked.
"Beat them all up." Amelia grinned.
"Master, please give us something better." X sighed.
"Unfortunately, in the end a war is about destroying the opposition." Zeus laughed, "There isn't much else we can do."
"If it makes you feel any better…" Masazane added, "It seems like these Servant Shadows are limited in quantity."
"He's right." Sayaka confirmed, "There aren't any more Shadows coming out. The giant still seems to be regenerating though."
"These Shadow Servant might be of higher quality but they probably can't be controlled as well as the formless Shadows." Masazane explained, "In other words, they're stronger but they're also not under Ouja's control. He probably won't make more of them if he can't control them."
"Nice." Amelia grinned again, "My body's been itching for some exercise."
"Don't let loose too much." X warned, "We have an even bigger enemy after this."
"My engine is rumbling. My body is aching. My heart is singing!" Amelia cried, "Here I go!"
Amelia charged and punched one of the Shadows in the gut, lifting it up and unleashing a barrage of punches until the Shadow broke apart.
"She has no restraint does she?" Tetsuya blinked.
"That's Amelia for you!" Sayaka laughed, "Alright. I'm coming too!"
"Wait what?" Tetsuya cried as Sayaka ran forward and sliced away at the Shadows with her scythe.
"Like Servant, like Master." X held her head in her hand, "I'll see what I can figure out about that giant. Good luck."
As I slice down another Shadow servant, I began to feel my sword grow heavier.
"You've been fighting non-stop, senpail." Sayaka said as she held me up, "Maybe you should take a break?"
→That would be nice.
I have to fight for Alice's sake as well.
"Healing Magecraft can only do so much." Amelia added, "Ground Control is an important duty. Step down from the front lines for a bit."
Taking their advice, I retreated back to X.
"Hey." X said, "It's been about two hours since all this began. Hope you're not feeling sleepy."
→A little.
In another few hours the sun will rise.
"Right." X said as she looked up, "Looks like the fight's slowing down. The giant isn't completely healed either. Looks like those formless Shadows are quite slow."
→Ouja's not concerned at all.
He isn't perturbed at all.
"Yeah." X nodded, "What else could he have in store?"
"Ha!" Tetsuya slashed down the last Shadow Servant, "There! All gone!"
"Looks like it's just you." Amelia pointed at Ouja, "Feel like fighting face to face?"
"I have been." Ouja sneered, "After all, what Master participates in a fight between Servants?"
"We all do." Sayaka said, "We all fight with our Servants!"
"How touching." Ouja yawned, "But mere humans can never match up to Servants. All we can do is draw the best out of our Servants. Like so."
Ouja raised his Command Seal, "I, Ouja of the Michinori Family command you. Wild and formless Shadows. Gather here!"
"Ah!" X stood up suddenly, "Dozens of Shadows are gathering at this location again!"
"He's called on reinforcements?" Zeus scowled.
Ouja laughed as the Shadow giant scooped him up and put him back on its shoulder, its arm and head spontaneously regenerating fully.
"Here we go again." Amelia scowled.
"Now then. Shall we end this?" Ouja cried.
"Wait...it's getting bigger?!" Sayaka cried as the giant continued to become bigger.
"Just how many Shadows is he calling upon?!" Seiren scowled.
"Hahahaha. You said you had some Noble Phantasms up your sleeve? Well let's see it!"
"I-Is it even going to work?" Tetsuya said.
"Have some faith in us." Amelia smiled.
"Indeed." Zeus grinned, "Remember that at any moment I can reduce this school to ashes."
"We don't really need that right now!" Ameila snapped, "Regardless, we Servants are more powerful than any conglomerate of Shadows."
"Is that so?" Ouja scowled.
"We'll show you." Amelia said.
"Here and now I stand. My heart is shivering. My soul is ratting. My engine...is roaring! Take flight! Maidens of the free skies!"
The skies began to fill up with planes as Amelia joined them up in the air.
"Five by five, Zero in! Ninety-Nines!"
The giant Shadow turned around as the planes surrounded him and unleashed their bullets on it.
"Whoa!" Ouja cried as a dome of Shadows formed over him to protect him.
"Unforgivable." Zeus growled, "First she flies in my skies and now she invites a swarm of flies into my domain?"
"Let it go Zeus." Tetsuya sighed.
"You expect me to give up my domain?!"
"We have more important issues."
"Fine." Zeus scoffed, "But don't blame me if she gets shot out of the sky."
"You?" Ouja sneered, "I've seen your Noble Phantasm. It's not nearly enough."
"That was a precarious circumstance." Zeus sighed, "This time, I have all the energy I need to fry you."
"Lightning crowds the skies as the thunder heralds the coming of a God. Strike the earth and let all of creation know the will of the gods that shepherd their lives. And the anger that comes from their weakness! Labrandeus Bolt!"
Zeus's scepter turned into light and shot into the sky once more.
"Whoa, what's with these readings?" Amelia frowned, "Clear out!"
Amelia's planes quickly moved away as a giant bolt of lightning crashed down into the giant.
"T-That's a bit too much power isn't it?!" Sayaka winced, "It's going to kill Ouja too isn't it?!"
"No..." Zeus scowled, "This is as much power as my full Noble Phantasm condensed down. That Master would be dead a thousand times over normally. I anticipated that it would have developed a form of electrical resistance but this..."
The lightning continued to attack the Shadow but it began to change, growing even bigger and forming what seemed to be armor. With w roar, the lightning was suddenly dispersed and the Shadow stood in a completely new form.
"Has it gained the ability to nullify my lightning?" Zeus scowled, "How troublesome."
"He can nullify a bolt from a god?!" X cried, "That's insane!"
"No..." Seiren stared at Ouja who was safe in a pod that the Shadows had formed around him, "We, as masters, have a way to make the impossible possible."
"A Command Seal?" Tetsuya frowned, "Is it really that powerful even with Shadows as your Servant?"
"If worded properly..." Masazane mused, "Perhaps the command was for Shadows whose former identity has some relation to lightning to regain their form and then be assimilated into the giant's form. In that way it gained an unbelievable resistance."
→It's not just a resistance.
Watch out!
Zeus raised his axe and directed an enormous lightning attack to him. The ground around him blackening from the impact but he stood there unfazed.
"Not bad." Zeus smirked, "I'd say that amounted to a level three Lightning Magecraft."
"Level three?!" Tetsuya cried, "That's um...Zio...zio...ummm..."
→Ziodyne
"Yeah that!"
Whatever it is, it's strong.
"It may have gained the power of electricity but I am a god." Zeus scoffed, "Lightning has no effect on me."
"So it's a stalemate?" Amelia asked.
"Ah yes. Heretic."
"Amelia."
"You might want to get out of the sky now."
"What? Wh-"
The giant roared as it released a large amount of electricity that began to destroy the planes around him.
"W-Whoa!" Tetsuya cried as he got down on the ground.
"Amelia?!" Sayaka cried as the planes were suddenly wiped out one by one.
"AAAAAHHHH-"
Amelia's plane wove through the air, dodging lightning by a hair until she was close to the giant once more and began to unload her bullets. Her attack bounced off of the giant's new form, barely catching the giant's attention as a giant bolt lanced out of it's body and finally hit Amelia's plane.
"Mayday!"
"Hmph."
Zeus suddenly ran forth, becoming lightning itself as he quickly landed on the plane and returned with Amelia under his arm.
"See now, your folly?" Zeus smirked as he tossed Amelia onto the ground.
"Grr..." Amelia coughed as she picked herself up again, "It wouldn't have gotten this power if you didn't force it to!"
"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have gotten this far!"
"Enough!" Sayaka and Tetsuya cried, "We still need a way to defeat that thing!"
"...Flying is a no go." Amelia hugged her legs, "My bullets don't do a thing anymore."
"Lightning is pointless." Zeus admitted, "Even lightning of my caliber will be soaked up. Like throwing water into a river."
"Oh? What's wrong?" Ouja sneered, "What happened to your talk of Noble Phantasms?"
→We'll think of something.
"You're stubborn. I'll give you that."
You only have two Command Seals left!
"And?! Do you really think you can beat me with two Command Seals remaining?!"
"You're not the only one with Command Seals!" Tetsuya called.
"Wait, are you really planning to use a Command Seal?" Masazane jolted.
"Hmmm..." Zeus rubbed his chin, "A distasteful plan but it would perhaps be enough to overpower the Shadow's lightning immunity."
"Alright! Then I'll-"
"Command Seals are a precious resource you know!" Sayaka cried, "This isn't something that you just do, it impacts your relationship with your Servant!"
"Yeah." Seiren nodded, "I can't ask you to use a Command Seal on my behalf. If anything I'll be the one to use a Command Seal."
"Oh come on." Tetsuya smiled, "This is our fight now too, you know."
"Hahaha." Masazane laughed.
"What?" Seiren frowned.
"Nothing."
→We don't need Command Seals.
We can beat him without Command Seals.
"What?"
"Are you done talking over there?" Ouja sighed as the giant raised an arm, "I have a goal to achieve here."
"Over here!" X called, gesturing over Sayaka and Tetsuya as the Servants rushed to intercept the attack.
"This thing's gotten heavier hasn't it?" Amelia grunted as she struggled to hold the giant's hand from smashing the roof.
"Surely a brute of a woman like you can handle this." Zeus growled as he helped to hold the arm up.
"Can we not now?!" Masazane yelped as he struggled under the arm with them.
"Guys!" X called.
"Hm?" Zeus turned his head as X called to them.
"Repel that attack and scatter!"
"Sounds like a plan." Zeus smiled, "Galvanism!"
Zeus's body became like lightning once more and blasted upward, sending the arm flying upward and the giant stumbling back.
"You...could have done that at anytime!" Masazane gasped.
"And you totally just let us do the brunt of the lifting!" Amelia cried.
"Now now. Let's scatter." Zeus said as he ran off.
"I swear to god once this is over." Amelia grumbled as she and Masazane got up and ran off in different directions.