Fate/Infinity Shuffle
Chapter 250 – Deadman's Hand:
The Solo Player entered the arena for his battle by saying 'Transport' in front of the Territory Card Hakuno had requested for the match.
Unlike the previous matches against EX Rank Teams, Sieg did not possess an EX Mission. Rather, his victory condition was that he would win the match if he successfully defeated 4 Players. It was over 50% of the Team, which for one person alone is more than enough to prove one's ability to be an EX Ranker.
As usually, Hakuno, Jinako and the three Rulers oversaw the match closer than everyone else.
Sieg, utilizing his Alter Ego Card, looked over the 'castle' where the match would take place. The one used in the match of the Red Oaths was like a castle that had come from the medieval era in the middle of a vast field, and the Singularities battled in a castle that seemed to belong to some sort of cartoon villain. But Sieg wouldn't have guessed that his castle was, well, not a castle at all, but rather a labyrinth.
He approached the entrance of the structure. The paths were wide, enough to have a confrontation without fearing for lack of space.
With a deep breath, Sieg drew his paladin's sword and stepped forward.
"Four opponents. That's all I need to do." He looked rather stoic. He had always been serious during matches, but he looked vaguely different. A dead-set determination in his eyes.
He looked at the top of the tall walls of the labyrinth. Nothing suggested he couldn't climb them, and the same applied for his opponents. But perhaps that wouldn't be a good idea. The enemy Archer alone was enough to discourage him. If he stayed within the walls, there was a chance he could escape a direct shot. But if he were to be above the labyrinth, either standing on the walls or hovering above it, he might as well paint a bullseye on his chest and start yelling for attention.
Breaking the walls seemed to be an option as well, but too loud a sound could probably alert every single opponent at once.
The idea was simple: defeat four opponents and take them out as fast as possible.
He spoke the name of his Noble Phantasm, Heart of a Hero, to turn his sword into a legendary one: Ascalon, the sword of Saint George. An invincible weapon that defends the holder from harm or malice.
He followed the path, standing close to the wall before turning, checking beforehand. No people in sight. Turn and step.
"…Huh?" He indeed did not spot a person, but the path wasn't completely empty.
"Meee."
"A… sheep?" Sieg blinked twice at the sight. In fact, it wasn't even an ordinary sheep by any means. It was small, like a cotton ball that would fit in one's two hands. It was so close to a perfect sphere, as its legs were barely visible. The curled horns were golden, and its odd, cartoonish empty eyes were the same orange the sunset would give off.
It let out a sound, but it looked… harmless. Sieg looked around. No one in sight. And he approached it. With an open hand, he gripped the cotton ball and raised it up to his face to look at it more carefully. It even let out another 'Meeee' in the process.
It was definitely some sort of living being. It emitted warmth, and it simple felt alive. It was like picking up a puppy.
"Heh. You're kinda cute."
"Meeee!" The sheep let out another sound.
"…" Sieg's eyes narrowed. The sound of air being pierced through could be heard. His arm swung through instinct alone, the invincible blade shattering an arrow. The sudden movement made Sieg drop the sheep onto the floor, who bounced off the ground. He glanced over and saw the sheep stumbling away to the next turn. "I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting." He admitted to himself in a sigh.
"Tch." The Archer above the clouds clicked her tongue with a wide grin. "Don't tell me I'll have to get down from here."
A strong-looking girl in the last year of high school, graduation just a few months away. Chestnut coloured hair with matching eyes, parted evenly and falling on either side, cut short to her neck. Because of installing her card, two additional hair buns were added to the sides of her head, the way they were caught actually resemble sheep's horns.
Not that she minded all that much, but she found the dress that came with the Card to be a bit too extravagant. A very feminine outfit, a blue and white dress and suit, with sleeves and added pieces of cloth, somewhat resembling butterfly wings to an extent. The leggings and boots were oddly comfortable.
She sat atop a floating platform made of fluffy sheep, and using them to even properly align her weapon to shoot her enemy: a large and long crossbow, almost too big to be wielded alone.
"It's much easier with a bow." A remark that didn't feel out of place at all to the Captain of the Archery Club.
Mitsuzuri Ayako 'The Trojan Trueshot'
Back to Sieg.
The boy raised his guard. If it hadn't been for Ascalon's effects, he probably would've been struck on the spot. He kept moving, sticking to the walls so an arrow couldn't strike him in the meantime. A problem would come up in the next turn, but he could think of a plan in the meantime.
Perhaps utilizing Mash's shield?
But the train of thought came to a sudden halt as something broke the faraway wall. Or rather, someone.
"Out of the way!"
"W-What the-?!" Sieg saw a girl with an oversized lance barging through, making a hole in the wall, charging through. She dashed past him, missing his body by only a hair.
He blinked and turned around. The heels of the girl skidded over the floor as she did her best to brake. She resorted to stabbing the floor with her weapon. And with that, the teenage knight turned around.
"Ah! Found him!" A teenager through and through. An energetic girl with tanned skin, rather short black hair, and dark grey eyes. Her upper body was fully suited in a knight's armour, helmet included, while the lower body, besides the grieved boots, wore basic clothes: a set of brown leggings and a skirt. In the left hand, a metal-platted shied with a golden insignia drawn upon it. In the right, a jousting lance, which looked slightly out of place compared to the rest of the armour. The armour was a relic of the past, while the spear in her hand couldn't be found anywhere but the future. Aesthetically though, the two matched.
The girl flashed a toothy grin and the eyebrows furrowed. "Prey in sight!" She claimed, excited. The hunt was close to finishing.
Makidera Kaede 'The Rampaging Panther of the Round'
Sieg was slightly taken aback. The appearance of the EX Rankers kept surprising him and many more people.
The spear was aimed at him, making Sieg snap out of the trance. "E-Eh?!"
"Time to lose on the first brawl!" She claimed, dashing forward and fast again. Her spear was aimed to pierce his chest, but it was blocked by a shield tall enough to hide behind.
A loud clang of striking metal could be heard throughout the area. Both Sieg and Kaede were pushed away from each other.
Still behind the shield, Sieg peeked and narrower his eyes. "How did you know where I was?"
"The sheep are allies to panthers."
"Eh? To panthers...?" He was rather confused. But the answer was there. Regardless if it were hers or not, the sheep gave away his location. "That's convenient..." he clicked his tongue. He was already cornered. An Archer in the distance taking aim at him and a Lancer in front of him.
But there was something he could do. A simple but effective technique.
"And I'm guessing that one over there is your friend too?"
"Eh?" Kaede turned around, only to find no one behind her. Not a even a single sheep. "What are talking abou- AHHH!" The Lancer almost panicked. "H-He's gone! It's like a ghost!"
The Lancer looked around, worried that her teammates and leader would scold her for falling in such a simple trick.
And indeed it was. Because Sieg didn't even walk far. He simply moved and walked past the hole on the wall Kaede made just a moment ago, hiding behind the wall and hidden in a blind spot.
He couldn't make a sound. But he had knowledge on his side. By turning his shield made for protection into a dagger for killing, his Adaptability Skill granted him Presence Concealment, as it was the best and most appropriate skill to utilize the Noble Phantasm for full use.
He peeked through the crevice. The Lancer kept looking around like a confused child. Relieved, Sieg let out a sigh and turned back to the labyrinth ahead. "I guess I have nothing to worry about."
Just as his eyes opened up again, he almost screamed. As a person was in front of him. "?!" He managed to stay silent. After all, the Lancer was not far from them, and maybe he could make a diversion to flee fast.
This person… what class was she? While evidence suggested Caster, something about her eyes said Berserker.
The person itself was a teenager approaching adulthood. A beauty with long blonde hair in thin twin-tails, a few bangs over her forehead. Her eyes were a clear bright blue. A foreigner? Her form was well-formed, holding rather large assets.
But that could only be noticed because of her garments. The Heroic Spirit goes to blame for such a lascivious outfit. Scantily clad, the young woman was clad in little: leg sleeves up to the thigs, what could almost be described as a lingerie set, an additional waist clot, and one over her head. The cloth was red, with trimmings in green and gold.
Her stoic and serious look made Sieg get the same feeling a little kid gets once the teacher yells their name: a constant danger that someone angry is in the vicinity. But the most defining and horrifying trait was, without a doubt, the 'vehicle' she sat on: a large, shining blue skull, floating just above the ground.
The Berserker stood right in front of the Alter Ego.
Angelica Ainsworth 'Overly Obsessive Decapitator'
Sieg's eyes blinked twice. A near-naked beauty was in front of him, sat on top of a floating, magical, giant skull.
"…Wait, no. If I stare more, Joana will be mad at me." Sieg snapped out of it just in time. The skull moved forward, its large mouth wide open.
Sieg stretched his arm into the open crevice, holding the dagger straight up. Just as he let go the handle, the dagger turned back into the sword of a paladin, it's length being too long to allow the skull to snap its jaw down.
"…?" The Berserker was confused. But that didn't matter to Sieg. His arm withdrew back out and he dashed past the silent Angelica.
His face spelt panic, and he dashed away, making a turn before recalling his sword back into his hand. And since he was being careless, he knew what to expect: another arrow. This time, predicting ahead of time, Sieg defended himself from the incoming arrow without the use of a Noble Phantasm.
"There you are!"
The Lancer's yell gave signal. Without even so much as looking to the side, he cast his Noble Phantasm to summon the Hippogriff of Astolfo, the 12th Paladin of Charlemagne. The beast flew him away before the Lancer could barge right through the stone wall to attack him.
Another sigh of relief. Perhaps he had done too many of these so far.
Another incoming arrow. But this time, the evasion was simple: the Hippogriff vanished from reality and reappeared just as quickly, just a few metres off to the side. Naturally, the attack was averted.
However, as the magical beast flew over the large labyrinth, it caught the eye of a Caster. Behind Sieg's blind spot, the man with tanned skin and golden hair, along with bright blue eyes, saw an opportunity. His clothes were a fully decorated white robe over a green Chinese garment. And with the snap of his fingers, a catapult was summoned and flung a large boulder that struck the underside of the Phantasmal Beast.
Atrum Galliasta 'The Cunning and Traitorous Strategist'
"Wha-?!" Sieg fell off the steed due to the shock, the animal even turning back into his sword. "Gh!" The Alter Ego performed a somersault and landed on the stone floor with both feet, tripping over to his knees due to the shock. Any normal human would have his ankles and possibly legs shatter upon impact, but with an installed Card, it simply shook their body harshly.
He barely had time to catch his breath as two shadows approached to attack him. Quickly, he raised the sword and placed it sideways above his head, stopping the knife and the cutlass in place before swinging it hard, pushing both opposing Rider and Assassin away.
The two shadows landed and revealed themselves.
The Rider was a teenage boy with short and messy black hair, and golden tinted eyes. His clothes belonged to a fanciful pirate of the 17th century, with a stereotypical hat and everything. A cutlass in hand, a flintlock piston in his vest, fully loaded and ready to be used.
The Assassin was a girl of the same age, with long black hair and crimson eyes. A white and grey dress with a full skirt and a set of black boots. A maiden of the 18th Century, France. In one hand, a sharp and unusually long knife for someone like her to be carrying. And floating around her, and unknown being, small with golden wings and a halo above it.
Akagi Kanata 'Black Bart across the Red Line'
Fujimiya Tsukumo 'Angelic Assassin of the Eight Flowers'
Sieg stood up, recovering his composure and nodded at the two. "Pleasure."
Kanata waved a hand. "Oh, there's no need to be so polite."
Tsukumo took a quick twirl, ending with her pointing the knife at the boy. "We're opponents after all."
Sieg raised his sword again. "I guess politeness can be postponed." And suddenly, his eyes widened. His body would've frozen if not installed, because he felt the ultimate killing intent ever so near him. It was neither from the Rider, Kanata, nor the Assassin, Tsukumo. His head turned and the corner of his eyes caught the image.
Despite the shape being humanoid, it could best be described as the ultimate monster. A mountain of muscle stained in complete darkness, one arm raised high, holding a rather familiar sword-axe.
Almost instinctively, probably out of sheer fear, Sieg rolled aside, evading the descending blade, but just barely. Its impact with the floor sent him flying against the wall.
"Gah!" He grunted on the hit. But he was quick to stand up. The beast vanished, but now, a shadowy Archer aimed her bow and arrow at him. His sword swiped on the perfect moment to destroy the arrow. On the split second that his sword blocked the view ahead, the shadow vanished. "Huh?" He quickly looked all around, including above and ahead. The shadow had shifted into a delicate girl holding a sceptre, which once waved, multiple magical circles appeared around her, firing pink beams of Mana, which Sieg did his best to evade.
As the Alter Ego was occupied, the multiple members of the Team began to gather. The first to join the Rider and Assassn was the Archer, who fell from above. Then, the Lancer and Berserker from one corner, and the Caster from the other.
The shadow finally vanished. Sieg looked behind him, finding the six Memebers of the Team.
"Ohhh-hohoho!" And now back forward.
Out of the turn of the labyrinth came the last member of the EX Rank Team, the Saber.
A teenage girl with long, curly, blonde hair, multiple bangs twisting into drills, held together by beautiful golden bows decorated with wings. Her eyes were a precious brown. Clothing wise, both her arms and legs wore golden gauntlets and grieves. A green and golden waist cloth around her, with a piece of black cloth over her crotch. The black extended upwards, all the way up to her neck. Her midriff was exposed, and the piece of cloth was sleeveless, revealing her shoulders. Multiple pieces of golden plating could be spotted throughout her body, in addition to white wings, for decoration only, attached to her shoulders.
Around her, an impossible aura seemed to be present. It was like multiple spirits swirled all around her body. The chaste huntress, the princess of colchis, the greatest hero of Greece, and many more seemed to be at her beck and call.
The woman gave a prideful grin that only a rich lady could.
Luviagelita Edelfelt 'The Innocent and Just Leader of the Argonauts'
"One enemy just for us? Are you sure this is supposed to be a challenge?"
Sieg's eyes furrowed. Without meaning to, his left hand moved up and grasped the left side of his vest. IT wasn't in pain, nor did it feel odd. It was simply something his body did.
With a serious glare, Sieg responded without words. His sword aimed at the Saber.
"I see, I see! A determined soul!" Luvia drew a sword of her own. "I, Luvia, Leader of 'The Worldly Argonauts', hereby accept your challenge!"
And Luvia made her debut. Insert Rin rivalry memes here.
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Until next time!