Original Archive of Our Own Publishing Date: September 8th, 2020
I grunted as I pushed my boot firmly against the undead's torso as I yank out my sword, pushing the body away from me at the same time. Hitting the ground, it doesn't get back up again. Next to me, Jeanne was dueling with a spear-wielding corpse, while two more zombies tried to circle around her, perhaps with the intent of attacking all at once in an attempt to overwhelm her guard.
The Ruler refused to cooperate with them, however. In a blur of motion that I barely managed to make out, I saw Jeanne crouch down before swinging her weapon in a circle, knocking all three foes onto their backs. Leaping back up, she rapidly lashed out thrice, impaling each zombie with grace and efficiency.
On the other side, Mordred was slashing and hacking her way through a crowd of zombies, lashing out with not only Clarent but with her armored hands and feet, fighting more like a brawler than a true knight, as some might comment. In the end, if it works it works, and who am I to disagree with a Servant?
I cursed under my breath as I see more figures approaching us. "Second wave incoming," I hollered at the two Servants fighting beside me. Gripping my sword in one hand, I point the other towards the leading bodies, making a finger gun gesture before I started firing several rounds of Gandr.
Unlike the last time I used them, in Singularity F, the bolts of energy were stronger this time, once again thanks to the strict teachings Medea had provided over the past few days. Each Gandr curse strikes true, and several bodies fall. Unable to feel terror or mourn the loss of their comrades, the undead continued charging. I counted at least two dozen.
At this rate, we're running the risk of being overrun by sheer numbers. It had been at least several minutes since I fired my signal, but no one had arrived yet. I glance for the briefest of moments upwards, and curse again at seeing nothing. What I do see, however, to the side and just ahead of the next wave of enemies, was a scorched water barrel. I closed my eyes and extend my free arm towards the wooden object.
I grinned grimly, eyes still closed, as I sensed, for a lack of better words, the presence of water in the damaged barrel. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was still enough. I began my chant as I imagined several dozen spikes of ice, around three inches long. I arch the fingers of my free hand, as if I was preparing to lash out at someone with my fingernails.
I waited a few more seconds before sweeping my hand before me, opening my eyes in time to see the dozen or so ice bullets to slam into the side of the second wave. I pant slightly, drained a little. I could probably do something like that again once or twice more before I risked exhaustion. Thankfully, it appears to have done the trick, for only slightly less than a dozen undead bodies remained charging. The others had been struck down, shards of ice sticking out of their unprotected necks.
I look skyward once again, and frown at what I see. A small ball of magical energy was starting to disperse over the center of the city. Damn it. It looks like Ritsuka and his Servants had run into their own trouble. "Looks like we'll have to hold out a while longer. Ritsuka and Mash have company of their own, it seems," I said to Mordred and Jeanne. The two female Servants said nothing as the remnants of the second wave of undead crashed into them.
Most of the reanimated corpses focused on the two Servants protecting me, but two break off to engage me. These two must have been part of the local garrison who fell protecting the city, for they were wearing chainmail and bore helmets, both of which were, much like everything else in this blasted place, scorched from fire. One was armed with a spear, the other a broken sword.
I sidestep the spear thrust that had been aimed at my torso, and swing my sword down, aiming for just below the socket that connected the metal tip to the wooden shaft. The wood, already damaged from the fight that had killed its owner, splintered in two, leaving the zombie with an oversized staff. Incapable of emotions such as shock or anger, the zombie swung its weapon like a club, forcing me to duck underneath the strike.
At that moment, its comrade tried to thrust the jagged metal blade into my back, forcing me to roll to the side again, and I end up just behind the sword-wielder. I spin around on the ground, and my sword sliced through the unprotected legs of the zombie, sending it sprawling onto the ground, out of the fight for a few moments.
I push myself up and adopt a fencing stance, one hand gripping the hilt as I angled the tip upwards ever so slightly while the other pressed against my back as I bent my knees slightly, intent on letting my opponent make the first move. Mindlessly, it does so, charging forward as if to slam the splintered end of wood into my chest. I again sidestep the thrust, and lash out with my sword, cleaving the head off of the zombie with a grunt. The body collapsed to the ground as whatever was powering it dissipated into the air, my focus on the disabled undead trying to crawl towards me, using its broken sword to pull itself forward.
I closed the distance between us and reversed my grip on my sword, aiming the tip just above the center of its neck. "Be at peace," I said apologetically as I thrusted downwards, severing the spinal column and defeating the zombie. Next to me, two halves of a zombie were sent skidding down the street as Mordred called out towards me.
"You doing ok over there, Master?"
"Other than wishing we had to deal with skeletons again for once, just peachy," I retorted before I groaned, looking ahead of us.
A third group, larger than either of the two previous clusters of bodies, was advancing towards us. It looked like it had to have been at least forty to fifty, possibly more. To make matters worse, despite my words, I was starting to feel a bit exhausted. I wasn't the only one fed up with this situation, either, s it turned out.
"Enough! I'm going to freakin kill you!" Mordred snarled, emerald eyes narrowed as she dismisses her helmet. I step behind the Knight of Rebellion as she gripped her sword, the section just above the handguard shifting tis form slightly as wild red energy engulfed Clarent's blade.
"CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!" Mordred roared swinging her sword towards the large mass of zombies. I raise one of my hands, the one holding my sword, using my forearm to protect my eyesight against the blinding light. The other was gripping the bill of my cap, keeping it firmly on my head as a gust of wind buffeted us.
Looking up once both the wind and light died down, I began to sheath my sword while letting out a low whistle of amazement. The raw energy from Mordred's Noble Phantasm had incinerated the fifty or so undead. The ground before the blonde knight looked like a drunken man had driven a bulldozer over it, the cobblestones broken and scattered.
"Good job, Mordred," I said earnestly, smiling softly at the pleased expression on her face at the compliment. I looked around, seeing if I could spy any movement in the ruins of the city, relaxing only slightly upon detecting none.
"Looks like all enemies have been eliminated," Jeanne said softly, the unpleasurable task accomplished. "May their souls rest in peace- "
"Peace?" The three of us froze as a masculine voice echoed around us. "Do they desire peace? That is such a foolish thing to say. They have no peace in their souls," the voice said mockingly.
"Show yourself!" I demanded. As expected, the newcomer didn't do so, but instead a low, dark chuckle filled the street, tinged with hints of cruelty and madness.
"There is certainly none residing in us Servants." My body froze as I feel someone malevolent stand before me. Whoever it was, they were behind me.
"Master!" Mordred snarled, lashing out with her right foot and sweeping me off of my feet and causing me to fall flat on my ass. It was just in time too, as five long, skeletal fingers coated in blood pulled back. More disturbing than the exposed muscles and bone, however, was "You know, I am really sick and tired of Assassin Servants doing that crap when I am around," Mordred hissed, and I could imagine her green eyes burning as my attacker leapt backwards, out of range of the weapons of either Servant.
"Who are you?" Jeanne demanded, leveling the tip of her flagpole at the apparent Assassin. It was a man dressed in a greyish-black outfit that reminded me of drawings of nobility from the 18th century. It was the only thing elegant about the Servant.
His face was half covered in bandages, a gaping hole where his right eye should be. His skin was a sullen yellow, and greasy black hair hung lank over his forehead. He was hunched slightly, hinting at further possible deformities with his body. His one good eye shown with hints of madness and cruelty, though whether he was another enhanced Servant or not, I couldn't tell.
"Who am I?" The man released a laugh that lacked warmth or humor. "People call me…the Phantom of the Opera, an Assassin. By order of my Master, the Dragon Witch, this town is under my absolute control. Now, this is the middle of Hell, where the dead live," Phantom said, before crouching slightly, ready to launch another attack, no doubt. "So, what are you going to do?" He asked tauntingly.
"We'll crush you," I said behind Jeanne and Mordred. Needing no further hints as to wait for instructions, Mordred charged forward, swinging Clarent. Her action apparently caught the creepy Assassin off-guard, for he raised his left hand to block it. I flinch at the sound of metal scraping against metal as the fused knife blades pushed against Clarent. The force of the blow sent small fragments of rock tumbling to either side of the two dueling Servants.
"Ruler!" Mordred barked over her shoulder, not looking away from Phantom as she tried to push Clarent further. Jeanne stiffened at Mordred's nickname for her. "Protect Jacob! This one is mine!" The knight of Rebellion snarled savagely. Jeanne nodded and positioned herself before me, adopting a guard stance with her weapon.
Seeing that her current effort wasn't gaining her any advantage, Mordred suddenly stopped trying to force her sword, causing the Assassin to stumble slightly forward, off-balance from pushing against something no longer resisting him. Mordred then slammed her knee into his gut, bending the Servant other slightly while also sending him skidding backwards.
Up close, Phantom would have the advantage with his finger-blades, while Clarent's longer blade would hamper any attacks or blocks in such limited space. Give Mordred some distance from Phantom, however, and she can use the longer reach of her weapon to keep the Assassin at bay. At least, in theory. Given that this is a fight between Servants and not regular humans, I've come to the realization that anything can happen.
Mordred unleashes a flurry of blows, Clarent becoming a blur in my vision as sparks leapt up into the air. In front of me, Jeanne watched the fight, her posture screaming of her tension at being forced to watch her fellow Servant fight and being unable to assist the smaller blonde. I hold my hand that bore my Command Seals that binds Mordred and I together, ready to assist her in the best way I could, should she need it.
Thankfully, this fight appeared to be far more balanced compared to fighting Berserker Rider. I suppose that Jeanne didn't give Phantom the Madness Enhancement trait like she did with her other Assassin. Could she only do it a limited number of times, or did she just choose to only have a select few? I shook my head slightly, refocusing on the fight. Those questions can be asked when the others arrive and Phantom either driven off or dead. The two Servants were moving so rapidly that I could barely track unless I strained my eyes to focus.
At that moment, I watched as Mordred lunged forward, trying to bury as much of Clarent as she could into her opponent's gut. The Servant merely grinned manically and twisted to the side while lashing out at the same time with those accursed finger blades. I curse under my breath as I realize just a half-second before impact that Mordred wouldn't be able to dodge the attack.
I bit my lip so hard I almost drew blood as I heard Mordred cry out as three claws raked against her right cheek, sending thin strings of crimson blood flying as Mordred leapt backwards. Her cry was filled with far less pain compared to the one I had heard whilst dreaming last night, filled more with fury.
She swung Clarent, trying to cleave the Assassin at the waist. However, the agile Servant twirled away, though not without sacrifice. There is a rather satisfying tearing sound as Mordred's blade catches the lower half of his cloak and shears it off. Phantom leapt back even further, looking over his shoulder and grimacing for a brief moment before his gaze snapped back towards my Servant, anger blazing in his eye.
"That's enough of a first act. Now, let's start the finale," he said sinisterly as I felt a wave of ominous energy surge off of them. I realize that he must be preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm at Mordred. Considering he said that he was of the Assassin class, that meant there was a good chance of it either killing or severally injuring my first Servant. Knowing not what it could do, I kick my brain into overdrive before I suddenly bend down a pick up a rock slightly smaller than my palm, tossing it up slightly to test its weight. Finding it to be satisfactory for what I had in mind, I shook Jeanne by the shoulder, forcing the now-concerned Ruler to look at me.
"I have an idea, but no time to explain. When I give the signal, I want you to charge and impale that fiend," I said hurriedly, not even waiting for a sign of confirmation from my temporary Servant as I wind up my arm, doing my best to aim the rock my hand held at the enemy Servant's head.
I hurled the rock with a loud grunt, hoping that my gambit would work. My aim was true, thankfully, and the small rock slammed into his right temple. As a Servant, the rock didn't harm him, but it did do two things that were still useful. The first, and most important, one was that it broke his concentration, therefore disrupting his preparations to unleash whatever his Noble Phantasm was. The second was that it appeared to have dazed the Assassin. I turn to Jeanne, nodding my head for her to attack. The Ruler nodded back, her turquoise eyes resolute and shining with determination, before she began to charge forward.
"For Lyon!" Jeanne cried out as she leapt through the air, her spear tip aimed towards the breast of the Assassin. Phantom shook his head, regaining his full awareness just seconds too late. With a sickening squelching sound, the steel blade tore through the unprotective coat and shirt he wore, thrusted through his left side of his chest, and presumably, his heart. Jeanne doesn't stop pushing the weapon until the now-bloodied blade bursts out of his back, scraping loudly against the battered cobblestones behind him.
To my shock, and grudging respect, the blood-thirsty Servant lashed out at, refusing to scream as he tried to claw apart Jeanne's face. The Ruler leaned back ever so slightly, allowing the blades to miss her by mere inches. He neglected his previous attention towards my Saber, however, and she didn't waste a moment to press her advantage.
Phantom stiffened as Mordred thrusted Clarent through his right side, the blade popping out of his other side. With a savage grunt, she pulled Clarent upwards, tearing asunder his insides and providing a second fatal blow. This time, the Assassin didn't lash out, possibly realizing the pointlessness of it, or maybe some unfathomable reason we would never know had crossed his crazed mind. Instead, he clutched feebly at Jeanne's weapon as blood started to pool around his feet.
"Ugh," Phantom groaned, slumping down to the ground. Jeanne and Mordred withdrew their weapons, the latter giving a light kick that sent the dying Assassin sprawling onto his back. The gesture only caused the Servant to scoff before he continued speaking. "Still, my mission is accomplished. Though I shall never be rewarded, never."
"Mission? What mission?" I demanded. He spoke of how Jeanne Alter had tasked him with 'ruling' over Lyon, but was that what he was talking about? Or had there been something else that he had sought (and apparently, succeeded) to accomplish.
"This is where my song ends, but the real Hell starts now," he said mockingly, refusing to reply, either out of spite, or still gripped by madness unlike Saint Martha in her final moments. He raised his head, grimacing as he gazed directly at a stern Jeanne. "Rejoice, oh Holy Maiden! Your evil has grown even more than you!" Jeanne scowled at him.
"Be silent. It must be hard to even talk now." Sure enough, Phantom's extremities were starting to fade slowly. Phantom cackled, however, shaking his head. I hear footsteps behind me and look over my shoulder, sighing in relief as the rest of our group arrives. It appears that only my Servants and I had encountered an opposing Servant, then. I wave for them to come closer, but also gesture to be quiet before looking back at Phantom.
"These are not words. This is a song. To lament your future, and to mourn it," he said, couching up a wad of blood, some of it dribbling down his chin. "I know who you came to seek. Forget about the Dragon Slayer, and run to the ends of the earth. If lady luck is on your side, you might just have a chance to escape what is to come," he said, before hacking even more blood from his injuries.
What is to come…? Was he referring to the creature Martha had warned us Jeanne Alter had summoned? "What do you mean?" I demanded. The Servant opened his mouth to reply, his single eye glinting in cruel delight.
His words were drowned out, however, as an earth-shaking roar reverberated across the desolate city. Though I can't see it, at least not yet, I feel my courage slip away ever so slightly, something that seems to be affecting everyone else in some way. Even Mordred looked briefly skyward with a concerned expression present. The only one to be unaffected by this was Phantom, who laughed, his arms and legs gone and only his head and torso left.
"Here it comes! The Dragon is here. The Devil is here. An Evil Dragon unlike any of you have seen before!" Amadeus scowls at the Assassin, fed up with his rantings.
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you? The coda has ended, now back to hell with you," he said before flicking his hand, sending a wave of energy that dissolved the last remnants of the enemy Servant, silencing him for good.
"Thanks for that," I said softly, opting to sheath my sword. If Phantom hadn't been lying, then normal swords would do no good here. Mash was still looking skywards, biting her lower lip, clearly worried.
"An evil dragon?" She asked, repeating the words of the departed Assassin. At that moment, my commlink started to go off as Chaldea tried hailing us. I activated it.
"Finally, I got through to you!" Doctor Roman said, rather frantically. His voice was filled with alarm. "Everyone, I recommend that you evacuate immediately! This reading is way beyond a Servant…it's indicating an 'ultra-size lifeform'. It's approaching with incredible speed!" As if to emphasis Roman's report, I could hear the sound of wings beating in the air. Unlike the sounds a wyvern would make, it was slower, deeper, more like distant thunder that was drawing closer.
"Beyond a Servant?" Mash said in awe and horror. "Can such a lifeform even exist in this world?"
"Well, I highly doubt it's the ice cream man that's visiting us, so I would have to say yes!" I said, eyes narrowed as I addressed the doctor. "Roman, anything else?"
"Yes. I am also detecting three Servants heading this way!" Crap.
"It must be the Dragon Witch leading them," Marie said nervously. "This is quite the problem." Mordred snorted at that.
"That's an understatement if ever I heard one," the Knight of Rebellion retorted. Amadeus shot her an irritated look before looking back at Ritsuka and I.
"The orchestra is done. Let's get out of here," he urged. "I know we just wasted our effort, but that's life." Ritsuka and I glanced at each other, conflicted on what to do.
"If Doctor Roman's readings really are beyond a Servant, then we must find our 'Dragon Slayer…" I began to say to my fellow Master.
"What if they are dead though? I mean, the three of you just defeated an enemy Servant. What's to say that Assassin finished them off before attacking?" Ritsuka added, just as conflicted as I am.
"Master, orders?" Mordred barked, still bleeding slightly from the three shallow cuts she received from Phantom. I prayed that they hadn't been poisoned somehow, though considering how Mordred didn't appear to be acting any differently than she normally does, it seems unlikely. I blinked and looked at our Servants.
"We can't run, not if we want to fix things. If we run here, things will get worse. Let's find our knight and get out of here!" I decided, and after a brief moment, Ritsuka bowed his head slightly in agreement. Marie turned to her friend, chewing on her lower lip softly in anxiety before finally speaking to the famous musical composer.
"Amadeus, let's prepare for battle. Will you fight with me?" She asked softly. Amadeus shot her a flat yet amused look.
"Didn't you just order me to fight?" He said, though not appearing bothered by that at all. "You just need to stand proudly, and smile as always. Don't worry yourself over me," Amadeus added, waving his hand dismissively at her look of concern. "IF this gets bad, I'll run away on my own!" He said jokingly. If we fail, we won't have to worry about running ever again. Go big or go broke.
"Yes, that's the Amadeus I know," Marie responded with a soft smile. "It's okay, we just have to try sometime. I won't die. Not here, at least," the Rider declared, and I could feel her royal heritage with those words.
"That's the spirit," I said softly as the sound of beating wings grew louder and louder.
"Doctor!" Mash asked sharply. "Are you detecting any other Servants?'
"Searching now," Roman said resignedly, accepting our choice even though he greatly disagreed with it, and a few precious seconds slipped by. "Right, there's a faint reading from the castle up ahead of where you are. Good luck and stay alive."
"Understood. You heard the doc, let's move it!" Without a second to waste, we began sprinting towards the fortified citadel at the center of the city, while overhead the sounds of wings and roaring grew louder and louder. It was a race against time, and there would be no runner-up position if we failed.
Orginal A/N: And done! Man, this was a rather intense scene of sorts for me to write. Would be a great time to have Ruby Rose's Semblance lol. The game made no obvious suggestions, at least to my perspective, as to whether some of the other Servants Alter summoned had the Madness Enhancement trait, so for Phantom, I presumed that it wasn't the case. What did you think of the fight scene? Was it as enjoyable as the others? So, for announcements. The first is that I am going to start accepting a limited number of requests for short story ideas related to the story in someway from you, the viewers. I do reserve the right to have a final say on whether I make it or not, but I encourage the sharing of ideas. After all, I have heard of some great ones already either directly or inspired by previous comments that have been left behind. Secondly, the College AU story is going to be delayed by at least a few weeks to a month as I finish up my world-building process and a tentative plot structure to help guide me while still allowing for my preference of flexibility. However, I am writing up another story, based on the wonderful SummerFest Event. It'll be a short story and more focused on a few characters, hence why it will be added to a collection featuring this story but not written in as chapters for this story due to the potential disruption of theme flows and whatnot. It is mainly going to be Jacob and Alter, though as a friendship pairing and not romantic as that is reserved for Jacob and Mordred going out and all that happy heartwarming, doki-doki goodness. Now, for the fun part, the question(s) of the chapter! First one: What is your favorite abridged Anime series? Second question: Which of the Fate movies and anime series that have been made and released so far are your favorites? As always, I eagerly await your responses, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!