Fate/Infinity Shuffle: Reshuffled
Chapter 13 – Deep Stack:
A/N: I just want to point out that there is an important message at the end of this chapter. I hope you read it before signing out. Without further ado, to the chapter!
Isemi turned to the four teenagers with the same smile. "Do you want to make the first move?"
Mongami smirked and summoned a riffle. "Don't mind if I do." She took hold of it and aimed it at the Rider.
"Hm." His smile turned into a smirk. His cloak moved slightly, and he vanished completely. Disappeared right out of their sights.
"What the-?!" Mongami flinched.
"He's gone?!" Sayuri was confused. All four quickly raised their weapons and started looking around, in search for him. "It's probably a Noble Phantasm…"
"B-But don't you need to say their name to activate them?"
"Some can be used without calling them or have passive abilities." Mongami explained, summoning an additional riffle to her free hand. "They are weaker for the most part, but that's not a guarantee, so stay alert."
"Alert I am!" Lizzie added, with bravado. Which earned a bit of a chuckle out of Mizuki. "W-What?"
"I'm sorry, but that outfit doesn't match a serious face…"
Lizzie was clad in a cyber-goth-lolita dress, with white detached sleeves, a circular skirt and several belts on the top, connected to her collar, covering her chest area. On top of that, she wore knee-high shoes with two sharp spikes.
"H-Hey, this isn't all that different to my normal clothes."
"The skirt is a bit too much though." Sayuri pointed out, agreeing with her friend.
"You guys…" Lizzie blushed bright red, embarrassed.
Unknown to her, Iseki was standing not all that far away from her. Invisible, and without making a sound, he took the opportunity at hands.
A secret of his weapon was how the blade could change between two shapes. The first was the one the girls saw: a common scythe blade. But the second followed more in line with its legend.
Therefore, at a relatively short distance, he held his weapon by its very base. The length of the pole made it so it would be right next to Lizzie's body.
With a smirk, he spoke. "Cardiocentesis."
"Eh?" Everybody froze up for a second. And a second was all it took, for in the next, Lizzie felt a sharp pain attempting to pierce the left side of her chest.
"Mongami, behind me!"
The Archer didn't even question it. She quickly rolled over the floor to have a clear shot at the area behind the Lancer and fired two rounds of bullets.
Isemi was ready though. While he tried to have his blade dig into Lizzie's heart, he raised a round shield deflecting the bullets. While invisible, the sound to the bullets striking something metallic gave away that they didn't work.
"Hgh!" Lizzie spun over her foot in the opposite direction of the blade, freeing herself and turning to the invisible enemy. The tugging of the blade gave away that it was coming from behind her, thus why her command to Mongami. She dashed spear-first, going for a stab in return for his sneak attack.
"Whoa there!" Isemi, still unable to be seen, changed stances. He blocked Lizzie's assault with his shield while winding up a one-armed swing with his weapon, whose blade turned back into the proper shape of a scythe.
"!" Lizzie could tell Isemi was going to retaliate. It was the best way to react in a situation like this. So, she leapt backwards, evading the blade just in time, escaping unharmed.
"Huh?" Isemi felt a little surprised. From right behind Lizzie, a red-eyed Assassin and a blonde Saber dashed in his direction, sharp weapons in hand. "They're in better sync than I expected." He couldn't help but admit as he withdrew his weapon and focused on his defence.
First, he blocked Sayuri's slash, the one with greater reach. After the Saber bounced off his shield and slid past him, her feet raising a small cloud of dust in the process, he spun around Mizuki, making her miss the target entirely. Just as the Assassin wondered if she missed, she felt a strong slam by a metal object against her back, pushing her far. She fell over from the surprise, but recovered with a roll, standing back on her feet with a hand on the floor for stability while fully recovering.
Isemi couldn't help but smirk a little more than usual, but it quickly broke away when one of Mongami's bullets struck his left shoulder. "Gh-?!"
Mongami blew on the smoking gun. "It's easy to tell where you are if you hit first."
"Hm. I see. So you've found a way to counter my invisibility. I'll admit: I'm impressed." The spell broke and Isemi became visible again, holding a scythe and a shield.
Lizzie immediately frowned. "A scythe?" The weapon didn't make much sense taking into account Isemi's attack on her.
"So? Who's first?" Isemi wondered, taking a stance.
"It'll be me." Lizzie stepped forward, holding her spear tightly. "After all, it's my great debut on this team!" She struck a pose, though one more associated with idols than battling.
Isemi's eyes glittered for a second. The Luck check against Lizzie had succeed and the information of her Stats was displayed for him.
STATS:
- Strength: C
- Endurance: D
- Agility: E
- Mana: A
- Luck: B
- Noble Phantasm: D
"Hm. Your stats aren't particularly impressive."
"H-Hey! That's rude!"
"Why? It's dependant on the Heroic Spirit, isn't it?"
"S-Still, you don't need to say it like that."
"I suppose. Then how would you like me to phrase it?"
"W-Well… T-That's beside the point!" Lizzie stomped thrice on the ground before striking a more battle-ready pose, both hands holding her spear tightly. She stood still for a second and her eyes glimpsed at Isemi. The look on her face surprised him. He could tell that the feeling of bloodlust wasn't from Lizzie herself, but rather the Heroic Spirit's. "Love"
"?!" Isemi reacted as fast as he could.
"Spider!" Lizzie thrust her spear back and forth in a quick motion, her weapon looking like a blur to her teammates. It was aimed at Isemi's chest, puncturing to draw a heart shape, but the Rider was fast enough to use his shield and protect himself. The loud banging of the spear clashing into the shield could be heard all across the area. Lizzie stopped, having successfully pushed Isemi away. However… "Eh?" She noticed some scratches on her body. "How…?"
"Lizzie!" Mizuki's hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. The confused Lancer was about to be sliced by Isemi's scythe, but the Assassin protected her, pulling her back while blocking the heavy weapon with the flat side of her knife. Her arm shook as she held Rider off, struggling to do.
Mongami placed a riffle over Mizuki's shoulder, standing right behind her. Isemi quickly pulled up his shield. Mongami pulled the trigger and Isemi blocked it, but Mizuki was more stable holding him off since he wasn't holding the weapon with both hands anymore, so she used the opportunity to kick him back, creating distance between him and the Team.
As his skidding finished, Mongami and Sayuri leapt into opposite directions, opening a path for Sayuri.
The Saber held the hilt of her sheathed sword.
"…Midori Iai." She vanished from Isemi's sight and reappeared behind him, sheathing her sword. Had it not been for his shield, there would've been a large gash running down from his shoulder down his body. "Tch." Sayuri understood that while that shield was up and ready to be used, landing a proper hit on Isemi wouldn't happen. "Hm?"
Sayuri noticed Lizzie was setting up for an attack. She struck her spear onto the floor and dragon wings grew out of her back. She gently rose above the ground and stood atop the pole. She took a deep breath.
"Kilenc Sárkány!" Placing her hands besides her mouth, Lizzie released a thundering dragon's cry. "UWAAAHHHHHHHH!" Heart-shaped soundwaves were shot out of her mouth, heading straight to Rider.
Sayuri got out of the way as Isemi took the full impact, sending him straight into the small slide's ladder, the one in the children's park where they first met up.
"Ow." He let out. It didn't sound serious, but it was something, to say the least.
"Way to go, Lizzie!" Mizuki congratulated the idol.
"Heheheh! Had to pay you back for helping me out."
Sayuri joined the group as Isemi rotated an arm. He probably had some sort of uncomfortable feeling and was trying to get rid of it.
"Mongami, what do you think about his Card's identity?"
"Me? I'm not smart enough to make deductions like that. I can't even tell if he has Divinity for sure."
"For sure?"
"His abilities and weapons don't really match up with Heroic Spirits from the Age of Man. I'd guess he's an old one. My bullets probably have an effect on him, but that damn shield keeps getting in the way!"
"Hm. I think I know who he is then."
"R-Really? How?"
"An invisibility device, a scythe, and a shield. There's someone from Greek Mythology that matches that description. But I wanted a second opinion."
"Then who is he?"
Mizuki and Lizzie overheard the conversation. "Wait, then all of those objects he has been using are Noble Phantasms?"
"Yes. And if I had to guess… he has at least two more. A sack and winged sandals."
"Ah, I guess the cat is out of the bag." Isemi's voice made the girls turn to him. He was composed and didn't seem bothered at all by them figuring out his identity. "It's bound to happen when you fight with a rather famous hero."
He held his scythe sideways and the shape changed. A long pole with a relatively small, curled blade, almost a semi-circle. The blade was on the inner part, but the outer edge could cut too, though not as well.
"I bear Perseus, the Slayer of Medusa. The Heroic who gathered many treasures in his lifetime."
CLASS: Rider
IDENTITY: Perseus
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good
STATS:
- Strength: D+
- Endurance: E+
- Agility: B+
- Mana: B+
- Luck: A+
- Noble Phantasm: C+
CLASS SKILLS:
- Magic Resistance: B- - Protection from Magecraft. As a warrior from the Age of Gods who went on a great adventure, this Skill was naturally developed. However, without his Shield, it has a weakness to a certain spell…
- Riding: A+ - The ability to ride vehicles. At this level, he can ride Phantasmal Beasts with little issue.
PERSONAL SKILLS:
- Divinity: B – A demigod, son of Zeus and a human. However, unlike his half-brother Heracles, he did not rise to Olympus as a Divine Spirit, therefore, it is below A Rank.
- Collector: D – While not nearly to the same extent as the King of Heroes, Perseus collected weapons that would later become Noble Phantasms during his life. A "luck" that draws the right tool for the job.
- Charisma: C – His feat of slaying Medusa and becoming a king later in life earned him the respect of the masses. While it is not something he used in life to lead assaults, he has in him the ability to persuade the masses.
- Golden Rule (Destiny): A- - The ability to gather wealth naturally. Unlike other Heroic Spirits though, it was his destiny to become king and inherit the fortune by accidentally killing his grandfather. As a personal skill, it offers the possibility to see the near future in moments of danger and act upon so. However, due to the fact that this 'destiny' was what led Perseus to kill his grandfather, he dislikes the skill, offering a minus modifier.
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Harpe 'Immortal Slaying Scythe': Anti-Unit C - A divine sword from Greek Mythology used by Perseus to kill the Gorgon Medusa. Its shape can change according to the user between two forms: the first is seen as a scythe with a large blade and the second is a long pole with a circular blade with a blade on the inside. A monster-killing holy sword, though not a particularly outstanding weapon. Its true strength is its trait of Refraction of Longevity, which is a divine ability that nullifies the "undying attribute" of immortals and inflicts wounds that cannot be restored by any methods other than healing in accordance to the natural laws. Speaking its name allows Mana to be flooded into the blade for an especially stronger attack.
- Hades' Cap of Invisibility 'Cloth of Concealment': Anti-Unit E - The cap of invisibility originally owned by Hades. A sash Perseus wears as a Mantle, but it can be folded into the shape of a wizard's hat for convenience. Anything covered or enclosed by the cloth cannot be observed through magecraft and optical means. Using optical magic to block all forms of magical detection and any presence of magical emanations from the wearer, it is incredibly effective against those relying solely on magecraft to detect enemies. It does not obscure sound, smell, body temperature, or the wearer's tracks, so its usage is mostly situational. Without such indicators being readily apparent, it is possible to easily walk by enemies while keeping quiet, and it allows for the easy kidnapping of others through Bounded Fields without detection. While in its sash form, it can be held by multiple people at once. Its name doesn't need to be spoken to activate its ability.
- Aegis 'Bronze Mirror-Shield': Barrier A – The shield lent to Perseus by Athena. That name… the spelling might be slightly different, but it is definitely that shield, but its legend is different. The name simply means 'protection', and has the shape of a simple, ornate shield made of bronze, whose surface reflects images almost like a mirror. It can't be used in the same way another certain Rider does, but it does hold an ability obtained through the legend of Perseus. While in his possession, the shield can reflect a small portion of damage back at the opponent who inflicted it. While the shield itself can be lent, the ability is exclusive to Perseus.
- Kibisis 'Bag of Barrier Inversion': Barrier B - The sack used by Perseus to defeat the Gorgon Medusa and hold the demon's head after it was severed with Harpe. It is an anti-sealing Noble Phantasm that distorts the concept of the world through a mirror world-type Bounded Field that places the inside of the pouch on the outside and the outside of the pouch in the inside. It inflated and swallowed Perseus, creating a fold in space that placed the outside world into the inside of the bag, and Breaker Gorgon, which affects only what is inside, was reflected back, making Medusa look upon herself as if reflected in a mirror, allowing him to slay her with Harpe while she was immobilized. It is also used to store his Noble Phantasms and can summon them with a single touch in the sack, without needing to reach inside it.
Sayuri's eyes narrowed. "At least one of them is missing…"
"Even if it is," Mongami summoned two riffles and aimed them both at Isemi. "it's my time to shine."
Isemi couldn't help but chuckle. "You sound pretty sure."
"I'm a God Killer. You can underestimate me if you'd like. That would speed things I can respect that." Mongami tossed the two guns aside, making them vanish, and drew her Katana. "You guys mind if I take the first move?"
"Go ahead." Sayuri allowed. Mizuki and Lizzie didn't object either.
"Nice." Mongami dashed towards Isemi, sword held low. Isemi met her by blocking the initial, upwards slash with his shield and then used Harpe's pole to block the follow up, downwards attack.
Mongami applied some pressure. Her strength beat Isemi's, so she could most likely overpower him. The Rider spun his body, sliding the blade of the Archer's katana all the way up to Harpe's semi-circular blade, making it harder for Mongami to pull away if necessary.
The shield in his arm vanished and while completing the spin, shifting the Harpe-holding hand accordingly to keep it as such, he delivered a punch into Mongami's stomach.
"?!" The Archer was taken aback. Isemi's fist sank into her stomach a little before she pulled back her head, appearing to withdraw for a second. Isemi had trapped her with Harpe, so unless she let go of her weapon, he could perform a follow-up attack.
But her head whipped back forward. And slammed right into his.
"Agh!" Isemi stepped way, dazed by the headbutt. Mongami snickered as she drew her sword away.
"Fifth Heaven." Isemi's eyes widened. He finally noticed the rifles aimed right at him. Fifteen of them total, surrounding him in a large circle. "Femto." She flipped backwards in a tall jump, at the same time as the riffles fired, getting out of the way.
Even with his shield, he would not be able to block every single bullet. So, he took the battle into the skies.
With a sound of quickly flapping wings, Isemi soared.
"Huh?" Mongami couldn't tell what happened, but as her jump completed, she could tell Isemi no longer was where she last saw him. The bullets collided into each other and Mongami's feet connected with the floor. She looked upwards, just like her teammates.
"Phew. That was a close one." Isemi admitted, chuckling a little to himself. He was hovering in the air above, now wearing the Noble Phantasm Sayuri knew was missing before.
- Talaria of Hermes 'The Winged Sandals of the Messenger of Gods': Anti-Unit D – The winged sandals the God Hermes offered to Perseus for his journey. It grants Rider the ability to soar in the sky. However, they don't grant the great speed of the Messenger of the Gods, meaning it is proportional to the wearer's speed. In addition, this Noble Phantasm can be lent to an ally to grant them the ability, but Perseus has had the 'necessary practice' with them, meaning one might stumble and fall the first few times.
"And that makes five." Sayuri knew the winged sandals would appear sooner or later.
Lizzie moved without saying anything. Her wings spread and she flapped them strongly, soaring and chasing after Isemi. The moment she moved her spear forward, the Rider summoned his Bronze Shield, blocking the strike. He raised his weapon, changing its shape back to a full-fledged scythe. "Harpe!" Mana engulfed the blade and created a blade of energy.
"Lizzie, get out!"
"Gh-!" The Lancer looked like she was about to be bisected. That's when she drew a Berserker Card. "Overlap Install!" After a quick flash of light, Isemi swung down the spear, but the blade, despite being engulfed in Mana, was caught by Lizzie's hand.
Surprised, the Rider glanced at the Lancer and noticed something was different right away. Something about Lizzie's eyes was just off, and her canine teeth had grown slightly, resembling more like vampire teeth, just a step away from looking like those of a dragon. His Luck Check succeeded, allowing him to see her new Parameters.
CLASS: Berserker
ALIGNMENT: Insane Reckless
- Strength: A
- Endurance: A
- Agility: B
- Mana: D
- Luck: C
- Noble Phantasm: E-
CLASS SKILLS:
- Mad Enhancement: E-
- Magic Resistance A
(A/N: So, it really isn't a mystery what Lizzie's Card is. That being said, I want to point out that I'm following the wiki as the source for these Stats and Ranks. They say the Mad Enhancement is weak to the point of barely doing anything, but the stats are so radically different. Does anyone know what's up with that?)
Lizzie didn't show any pain whatsoever despite holding the blade of the scythe in her bare hand. She moved it aside and let go. Isemi attempted to escape, but her hand reached for his neck in time. She squeezed it tightly and then flew towards the ground below, stretching her arm so Isemi would hit the floor first.
The impact shook the floor a little, raising a cloud of dust. The Rider coughed out a splatter of blood, making it even harder to breathe.
The three teammates were surprised, to say the least. Mongami placed a hand on the side of her head. "She turned into a Berserker?"
"Wait, she did?!" Mizuki was taken aback. "It's possible to change Class like that?!"
"It's called 'Overlapping'. If you have to Cards, as long as a Heroic Spirit has aptitude for both Classes, you can Overlap one to change the Class of the other while you're Installed."
"Oh!" Sayuri wasn't familiar with the concept either, but upon learning it, she figured a few things out. "Since Berserker is an odd Class, you can make most Heroic Spirits 'Mad' by Overlapping a Berserker Card, right?"
"You're quick at grasping this stuff, huh?"
"Wait, so that's why she asked for my Card?" Mizuki glanced at the Berserk-Lancer and Rider again. "That's a lot of forward thinking."
Isemi tried to think, but it was hard. The lack of breathing didn't help in any way. So, he reacted as fast as he could, executing a simple but effective plan. While he was pinned down, his arms could still move. He raised his right, holding the scythe up as a result. It changed shape into the long pole with the semi-circular blade. The pole was right by Lizzie's head. Then, he curled both of his legs in and kicked Lizzie's stomach. "Iaimosotomy!" He pulled Harpe down while pushing Lizzie upwards.
"Lizzie!"
The blade cut cleanly through the back of her neck.
Once the slash finished all the way through and Lizzie was pushed away, a flash of light preceded her Card Ejection. While the image of Lizzie getting decapitated was gruesome, it was quickly corrected by the failsafe system. Lizzie hit the floor, completely fine and without wounds. Though she had to admit that her neck felt a little stiff.
"Ow… Mad Enhancement is weird…" She wasn't as affected by the effect of the Mad Enhancement as Mizuki had been after her first time due to such a low Rank, but some dizziness was still present. She stood back up and turned to her teammates. "Hey, Mizuki!"
"Eh?"
"Here!" Lizzie hurled the Berserker Card back at the team's leader and flashed a thumbs up. "In case you need it."
"In case I…" Mizuki caught the Card and stared at it for a few seconds. Her red eyes took a glance at Isemi again. He was standing back up and rubbing his neck for slight comfort as Lizzie fled to the side lines, getting out of the way of the battle.
Mizuki couldn't really dislike or hate Isemi like she could with someone like Shinji. But she wasn't going to put her team at stake. "Sayuri, Mongami, stand back."
"Hm? Stand back, leader?"
"Why?" Sayuri scratched the side of her head. "What are you thinking, Mizuki?"
Mizuki put on a more serious face and darted her eyes at Isemi, who had recovered from the encounter with Lizzie, and whose Harpe turned back into its Scythe form. "I'm not letting this Team get broken up. No matter what."
Isemi was impressed. "That's a lot of determination I see there. But is it enough?"
Mizuki's lips curled into a smirk. "Let's see." Her eyes went from red to bright blue. "Overlap Install."
Taking a page from Lizzie's book, Mizuki swapped Classes within a flash. On the surface, she didn't like all that different. In fact, Sayuri and Mongami, who were standing behind her, wondered if it had even done anything at all. But Isemi could tell that it did. Just like with Lizzie before, Mizuki's face showed everything that needed to be said. Her eyes showed uncontrollable rage, and her gritting teeth showed an attempt at restrain. But it was useless. With red and blue sparks running through her body, she let out a white-hot breath of steam, startling both Mongami and Sayuri.
"Grrr…. GRAAAAHHHH!" She roared like a Monster.
CLASS: Berserker
IDENTITY: Ryougi Shiki 'MONSTER'
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Insane
STATS:
- Strength: C
- Endurance: C
- Agility: A++
- Mana: C
- Luck: A+
- Noble Phantasm: EX
CLASS SKILLS:
- Independent Action: E
- Mad Enhancement: C
PERSONAL SKILLS:
- Mystic Eyes of Death Perception: A (unable to be controlled due to the Madness, this skill is always active)
- Taijitu: B
- Eye of the Mind (False): A (despite this Skill giving an innate sixth sense, it is mostly ignored due to the Madness Enhancement. While one would see this as a loss or defect, it actually works in favour of the Taijitu Skill)
NOBLE PHANTASM: Vijñaptimātratā (Yuishiki) 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception': Anti-Unit EX
Isemi felt a little intimidated by it, but he didn't step away. In fact, he stepped forward.
Mizuki, the Monster, lowered her body, placing her free hand on the floor while the knife-wielding hand was raised up high. She roared again before dashing.
The distance between the two was reduced to zero in the blink of an eye, crossing knife and scythe with each other.
Isemi's weapon was difficult to wield, but he could use it as if it were like an ordinary sword. On the other hand, to counteract his skill, Mizuki slashed nonstop, stepping back and forth in searched for an opening, any opening. On top of that, her strength slowly built up.
"RAHHHH!"
"W-Whoa!" As her speed and strength rose, Isemi began to lose the higher ground. Even when he began to use his shield to block strikes as well, the pressure just kept increasing. Regardless of the 'reflected damage' Mizuki suffered, she simply ignored it. "I can't risk anything with you, huh?!" Isemi hid behind the shield and suddenly dashed, bashing the Berserker's body and pushing her away from him.
Some distance was created, but Mizuki could easily close it.
But Isemi wasn't letting that happen so easily. The Rider saved his Shield and held his scythe with both hands. "Zoiectomy!" Harpe's blade became engulfed in Mana once again, and Isemi began to spin it over his arms over and over again, changing from side to side. A rather brutal technique if it landed, as the blade is driven into the opponent multiple times over.
Mizuki moved instinctively, pacing from side to evade the path of the blade and aiming her knife at Isemi's chest. The Rider evaded by stepping back, and he had a clear shot in front of him. With both hands, he swung down the weapon. Instead of dodging, Mizuki raised her knife. The moment the blades collided, a shockwave ran down her body, and the ground beneath her feet cracked a little bit.
She looked like she couldn't move for a second, surprising Isemi. That's when he felt someone approaching.
"I can't reach for my shield!"
Sayuri and Mongami dashed past the two and slashed Isemi's sides each with their katanas. The Rider stumbled back, allowing Mizuki to spin over a foot and drive her knife into him.
CLANG!
The knife bounced off the shield of bronze, that appeared the moment he reached for Kibisis. And the moment he hit the floor, he reached for it again. The boy with white hair rolled off to the side and pulled a new weapon out of his arsenal.
Sayuri clicked her tongue. She feared for that to be included inside his bag of tricks.
Isemi held a decapitated head of a woman by the long, beautiful, pink hair. The cut neck still dripped some blood.
"Mizuki, Mongami, run! That's-!"
Isemi aimed the severed head and yelled. "Cybele!" The eyes of the Gorgon opened, revealing the pale orange irises and the square-shaped pupils. They charged with mana.
Cybele 'Mystic Eyes of Petrification': Anti-Unit C~A++ - The eyes of Medusa, the monster Perseus was made famous for slaying. The effectiveness of this attack varies depending on the Mana Rank of the Target. Due to its rightful user being dead, Mana input is necessary to activate them, and instead of simply gazing, the eyes fire a beam that must touch the target before applying their effect.
The crystal-like eyes shined and fired a beam of purplish-golden light at Mizuki and the others.
The Saber and Archer tried to flee, but there was no need to. "Mizuki get ou-!"
"GRAHHH!" MONSTER ran to the beam, her bright blue eyes active and knife held high.
The moment it came into proximity, MONSTER swung her arm as fast as she could, nullifying the Noble Phantasm by slicing the correct way in the right spots. It would usually be impossible to do this, but with a plus modifier in her agility and the Berserker mindset, she managed to cancel the petrifying attack by 'killing it'.
Mizuki breathed heavily between growls, not moving properly. Parts of the beam probably hit her body, hindering her movement.
"You even managed to overcome Cybele…" Isemi couldn't help but smile a little. "Alright. I'm close to running out of Mana, so I might as well."
"Huh?" Mongami and Sayuri were confused at first. That's when a bright light blinded them for a few seconds.
"Gyah!" the three of them let out pained yelps from the strong light. Once it ceased, they noticed Isemi was gone.
Instinctively, they all looked up. It had happened before. But they did not expect to see that.
"Oh, come on! Just how many Noble Phantasms do you even have?!"
"That one didn't even belong to him!"
"GRAHHH!"
Isemi chuckled a little. "What's a Rider without a steed?"
Sayuri felt genuine annoyance. "Perseus never even rode the Pegasus!"
"The Noble Phantasm isn't the Pegasus itself." Isemi corrected. "IT's the right to ride the Pegasus at all. A Noble Phantasm shared with Medusa herself. The Pegasus was born of Medusa. But it was only born out of her thanks to Perseus' intervention. In a sense, Perseus and Medusa are like parents to the Pegasus. So of course they have the right to ride it." A golden bridle appeared in his hands, attaching itself to the Pegasus. "And of course, what else would be a more fitting for a Noble Phantasm like this than the one who actually rode the Pegasus?" The winged horse neighed and suddenly shot up towards the night sky. "BELLEROPHON!" The Phantasmal Beast suddenlyflew towards the opponents below like a white meteorite. A shooting star.
Bellerophon 'Bridle of Chivalry' – Anti-Army A+
"What are we even supposed to do?!" Sayuri panicked, as most would if a Phantasmal Beast was heading their way.
The insane MONSTER, however, roared at it.
Mizuki leapt up high towards the Rider. They would most likely meet while still in midair, due to Isemi's speed.
"It's useless!" He yelled. "This is like being hit by a rocket missile!"
"Yuishiki!" The Berserker spun in midair, ready to slash every single line that came across her eyes.
The two met. Just like Isemi had commented, it was like a missile had hit the Berserker. A powerful light spread through the area, and the two Players fell. The difference was that one of them was still Installed.
"Mizuki!" Lizzie rushed to the team leader, who had hit the floor and Uninstalled, as Isemi landed safely, even if his Pegasus had vanished. "Mizuki, are you okay?" Lizzie wondered, placing her hands on Mizuki's shoulders to lift them up and then supporting her upper body by placing one of her arms over her back.
"Ehhhhh…" The confused girl had her eyes replaced by spirals. "Eh? Why am I seeing seven Lizzies? … Lizzie is cute and funny, so seven isn't a bad thing at all, but I thought there was only one."
"What?!" A blushing Lizzie suddenly placed both hands on her cheeks, surprised by the comment, but subsequently dropping Mizuki back down, hitting her head as a result. "Ah! I shouldn't hurt my Number 1 fan…"
As Lizzie carried Mizuki away, Isemi shook the dust off his armour. Much to his surprise, however, his armour fell into pieces. "What the…? This is surprisin-"
Mongami snuck up behind him and trapped him in a Nelson hold, her arms wrapping around his from underneath and applying pressure. "Gotcha!"
"W-What the-?!"
"I might as well go out with a bang and drag you down with me. Sayuri, you mind if I take this one?"
"Go ahead."
"Good! Second Heaven!" Multiple rifles appeared around the two of them.
"Uh oh."
"Conrad!" The rifles fired all at once, multiple bullets striking Isemi, and some of them even reaching and hurting Mongami. But it hurt the Rider much more than her.
Sayuri smirked a little. "I'll have some fun too." She raised her sword to eye level. "Lightless, Three-Stage Thrust!" Vanishing and reappering in an instant, Sayuri leapt and struck Isemi's heart from the back, stabbing her sword across his body and even cutting into Mongami a little.
"Ow! Oi!"
"Oops. Sorry. Well, Mister Rider? Defeat?"
"Y-Yes." He replied with his usual, cheerful demeanour, even if ready to Uninstall. The moment the sword was pulled out, Isemi's Card was Ejected.
Mizuki was resting, having passed out a minute after hitting the ground. Lizzie placed the team leader's head on her lap for added comfort, since they had laid her down on a park bench.
"Is she gonna wake up?" Mongami asked, arms crossed.
"Mad Enhancement is a real pain to deal with." Lizzie retorted. "Not to mention taking a shooting star to the face."
"I believe I'm to blame for that…" Isemi chuckled awkwardly.
"Hmm…" Sayuri looked with careful eyes and then narrowed them. She pinched Mizuki's nose. … About five seconds after, Mizuki's eyes opened wide and she jolted up, sitting up in a flash.
"AHH! Sayuri, are you trying to kill me?!"
"There we go."
The other three clapped at Sayuri, apparently worker of miracles.
"What happened?"
"Sayuri and I defeated Isemi after your suicide attack." Mongami laughed. "Guess we have a Rider with a literal bag of tricks."
Isemi chuckled once again. "Thank you. I'm as surprised as you are on the number of Noble Phantasms, but Perseus really was known for a lot of things."
"W-Welcome to the team." Mizuki stood up and quickly bowed. Her shyness towards new people showed.
"Why thank you. And you don't have to be so formal. We're in the same school, after all."
"Eh?" Mizuki and Sayuri looked at one another, blinking twice before reacting.
"YOU ARE?!"
"Yes. I'm from Class 2-1."
"How come we never saw you?!"
"People say I blend in easily." …But white hair.
Before Mizuki could continue, her head became dizzy once again. "A-Ah… I think I should head home…"
"We'll see each other on Monday then." Isemi assured. The five of them raised their cards and said 'Transport' at the same time, returning them to their home dimension.
One by one, they headed on different paths to go to their respective homes. First Isemi, then Mongami. It then split for Sayuri, Mizuki and Lizzie.
"Are you sure you can take her home?" Sayuri asked Lizzie, who was carrying the semi-dizzy, semi-conscious Mizuki.
"Leave it to me! I'm used to staying up late, and you must be tired, right?"
"A bit, yeah." Sayuri giggled. "Good luck."
"I know where her house is, no need."
"It wasn't to find her place." Sayuri murmured to herself, as she recalled a particular event that had happened to her last time she delivered Mizuki home.
The light of the monitor was the only one of two light sources in Hakuno's room, the other one being the desk lamp by its side.
"I'm telling you, they should've just made a movie adapting the last volume. Why suddenly end the series in that cliff-hanger?"
'This is the bad thing about studios. No money, no continuation.'
"Yeah… Anyway, anything acting up on your side of the country?"
'Not really, no. Things have been calm around here. No need to leave my bedroom.'
"Pride of a hikikomori, huh?"
'To the very end!'
Hakuno laughed at the statement, but he stopped upon suddenly received an email notification.
'Hm? What's wrong?'
"I just got a strange email…" He opened its contents and then the images attached to it. His eyes widened. "T-This is…?!"
'Hakuno? What's wrong?'
"…See it for yourself…" Hakuno forwarded the email.
The person on the other side of the video call had the same reaction as he did.
'Is this…?'
"Probably."
'…Hakuno, are you-?'
"It's my job as a Ranker to take care of this. And nobody else's."
The South Ranker looked over at his set of Cards. Saber, Archer, and Caster.
The images were taken the other night. As for what the images showed...
"S-Stay away from me!" A panicking Archer shot a couple of arrows, but his target didn't even flinch at being pierced. "W-What are you?!"
"Nee, nee... Onii-chan, let's play together!" A little girl's giggle, as innocent as it could be. But the eyes were as haunting as the devil itself. And their holder didn't realise that the combination didn't match.
The Archer shot more and more arrows but couldn't do anything.
Amidst the dark night, the young one made the teenager scream in horror and pain, with the simple wish of playing a game of malice that had been taught to her from an evil man.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Hey, I just want to say as a post chapter note that at the same time that I have uploaded this Chapter I have started publishing another Fate fanfiction, also utilizing the Class Card concept, but in a different fashion and twist. I would very much appreciate, if any of you are interested, to check it out and maybe leave a review so I can know your thoughts. I hope you enjoy the brand new story: Fate Imaginary Vectors.
I'm looking forward to hear from you!