AN- another update – the battle against the Einzbern faction continues.
(Plug TV Tropes page... that is all).
Chapter 28
The battle between the fighters of the Grey Team versus the legendary King Arthur could only be described as a 'stalemate'. No significant gains were being made on either side – even with every advantage the Grey duo could claim, the King could simply match everything and more, but also didn't have the breathing room to make her own winning move.
Boudica's presence definitely made the difference, but perhaps not quite as much as one might like, conceded Chevalier d'Eon as they narrowly avoided another crushing blow to the torso. The fact of the matter was that King Arthur was always going to be a mythological powerhouse just by virtue of their vast presence in humanities legends. Naturally, the Heroic Spirit Arturia matched such accolades.
"Unfortunately, our last fight was definitely a very different situation." back then, Saber of Grey's craftier swordplay had allowed them to get the edge due to their superior Master ensuring that they had better parameters. But now Saber of Blue was able to efficiently handle their style and also had a better mana situation. Not much better, but it was enough to matter.
"Sword of Boudica!" Once again, Boudica unleashed a barrage of projectiles for the King of Knights to contend with while Cheavlier d'Eon flanked. And yet each and every time Arturia either narrowly avoided fatal blows, or all but tanked them with her heavy armour and natural bulk.
"I could use my Noble Phantasm." the spy considered. However, repeated uses of their Noble Phantasm gradually became weaker as the target built up a certain level of resistance, and they feared that Arturia possessed just too much mental fortitude to be able to spam that ability.
But if nothing changed, then they would simply be worn down. Something had to give...
["Mata Hari. The two of us will need to work together for this one."] they sent out across the mental link Medea had set up for them.
["Oh my, is it time for me to act already?"] Chevalier could hear the spy's telltale cheery voice loud and clear. ["I can act whenever you need me to."]
["I assume I am to deal the final blow while the two of you tie her down?"] Boudica chipped in, her voice tense but determined.
["Precisely. Luckily, there will be no Master influence in this battle. No Command Seals from either side, in other words. So if we win, then we win. Wait for her to overextend. I'll provide the opening."] With that Saber of Grey prepared themselves. They were going to have to act out their role perfectly, if there was any hope of swinging this battle in their favour.
"You can't keep this up forever!" They yelled, aggressively pushing onwards, making Arturia manoeuvrer backwards through the corridor while still dealing with Boudica's own sword swings. "Just die already, so we can move onto more important matters!"
"You think I will allow you to leave so easily?" Arturia raised an eyebrow. "There should be nothing more on your mind right now than escaping my killing blows. I will not permit you to interfere either with the Masters or Berserker."
"Oh really?" Saber of Grey pulled out all the stops, drawing from every lesson they had ever learnt, tapping into every beautifully practised move they could recall. One after another they chained them together in an almost reckless barrage against Arutria... one that they were able to keep up with, if not without trouble but at least competently.
It was the appearance of a final desperate push to swing the fight in a direction favourable for the Grey Team. It was an opening Arturia would be very happy to exploit, when a single imperfect opening appeared.
Then one did – not a major flaw, but rather a weakness that only a skilled eye could trace.
And it was also a flaw that was purposefully left there, specifically to be broken through.
"Hyaaa!" Arturia's counter was as quick as it was merciless, slicing through Lily's thigh and forcing them to leap back. Now, Arturia only had to contend with facing the weakened foe before her. A foe far enough away to finally be targeted.
"Strike Air – Hammer of the Wind King!" A veritable hurricane emerged from Artutira's swing, blowing through the corridor and leaving no room for escape as it tore apart brickwork and carpentry and ploughed straight into Cheavaier d'Eon. Frankly, it was a blow strong enough to turn the tide of the battle for good, had it been one that hadn't specifically been accounted for.
Instead, "Now!"
The wind cleared, and Arutria saw clearly that while Saber of Grey was harmed, it wasn't significantly so. She observed a clear vial tossed aside, remnants of a green liquid within. Based on the steaming wound on their leg and the steam rising from their chest, it was a healing potion.
"Oh Saaaber~" a sweet voice called out, and despite knowing better, she looked up. Above her, sat at the opening they'd forcefully blown through the ceiling, was an absolutely gorgeous woman. She leapt down, mana pouring from her body, and a dazzling glow coming forth. As she landed, Saber of Grey was already charging forwards, emitting a great deal of mana too.
Saber of Blue tensed up, preparing their body for the inevitable release of their Noble Phantasm's.
"To bind, to open, please be drowned by a woman like me!"
"May the Royal Family's lily be eternal!"
Arturia's Instincts twitched and she followed them, dashing forwards recklessly. Something told her that defence was a poor move, that she needed to end this now!
"Sword of Boudica!" Boudica, naturally, pursued, barraging her back with attacks that at the very least slowed her down. This gave the other two Servants just enough time.
"The Girl Who Has Sunny Eyes – Mata Hari!"/"Fleur de Lys: Gorgeous Splendour of Blooming Lilies!"
The two Noble Phantasms were released simultaneously, while Arturia was closely observing them. One was a dazzling dance with the ability to brainwash and weaken the foe; the other was a bewitching feat of swordplay so great it would slow the limbs, quell the heart and stun the soul. They both assault an enemies mind and will, not their physical defences. Against this attack, mental fortitude was far more important than physical protections.
Alone, they were tricky to deal with. Together, these contradictory dances seemed to come together so damned perfectly. Even with all her training, even with every Instinct in her body telling her to press on, she just... couldn't help but pause. To watch, to hesitate – to observe.
She was too iron-willed to succumb to the stun, and lucky enough to escape the mental manipulation – but together they were still a significant force for her mind to overcome.
And she had forgotten the real threat. These were chains tying her down, slowing her, weakening her, narrowing her focus to a single mesmerising point - in the process, opening her up for the real threat. Boudica, whose Noble Phantasm was too weak to truly harm her. But a sword is still a sword at the end of the day, and a sword through the neck will do the same thing regardless of who wields it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Arturia could only watch as the sword swung for her neck like a guillotine, and consider how this battle would have ended far differently had she had her own ally working alongside her.
XXXXXXXXXX
All things considered, the fight was going well. Rather, it was going according to plan, which was even better. She had been asked to stall Heracles while the other Grey Team Servants dealt with Arturia and Ereshkigal prepared her own trump card.
It hadn't been easy, but she'd done it. And she had excelled at her role. Scathach had faced the full might of Zeus' son, survived everything he could throw at her and remained undaunted - standing tall and proud. The Greek hero was fascinating in just how deadly he was even in a maddened state; facing him in his prime would have been a glorious challenge.
Instead, she faced a mad Demigod. But Scathach was still glad to have had the chance to experience this, and if she ever had the good fortune to meet Chiron then she would be sure to sing his students praises (as a good teacher should!).
"I'm ready." The Goddess of the Underworld finally announced in a satisfied tone. Yes – it was subtle, but Scathach could vaguely sense Ereshkigal's Divine power saturating the land around them, but concentrated primarily amidst the tree line. It was a low, thrumming power – a buzz in the background, and protective in nature. "I am ready to fulfil my portion of the plan."
"About time." The God Slayer smiled. "It would be a shame if I was the only one able to stretch their Noble Phantasm this evening."
The Goddess having said her piece, faded into the background, almost literally. While the shadows couldn't truly remove her presence, she had enough power to weaken it. She retreated into the forest – ready to launch her ambush.
Scathach prepared herself too – for she was the bait.
"You're getting sloppy. Whoever trained you should be ashamed of you." she lied. Cue a loud roar. Then, she rushed away, throwing runic attack behind her to slow Heracles as he utterly tore through everything she had.
She cleared it, passing across the clear boundary line the trees represented. She felt it – the air was different, heavier. It judged her, and Scathach found that it reminded her of her own Gate of Skye, and the land beyond it. Dark and foreboding, but also fair in the way that death can only be. The air wasn't quite like the Land of Shadows (it tasted differently, its origin was just too far away from her own roots)... but Ereshkigal had certainly created a territory that felt akin to it, and closer than almost anywhere else in the world could.
And then the judgement passed, and she felt strength replace it. Her body felt lighter, the tax on her stamina from the drawn out fight was lessened, while the effects of the elements upon her was greatly reduced. She had been accepted by the Territories creator, and so received her Blessings of the Underworld. She stood aside, lowering her weapon, and waited. She had done her part – she would intervene once more when it was time to finally finish things.
Berserker of Blue followed shortly behind her, and roared in anger as he too felt the harsh presence of the Territory. And based on the red shift in colours around the field, he had been found lacking. His application to enter Ereshkigal's domain had been denied.
"You have one opportunity to leave, before you face the full wrath of Kur." The Goddess warned as she emerged from parting shadows and parting trees. She stood alone, bow held out confidently, a red gleam across her as power gathered.
The Demigod stopped for a moment, much like a beast sizing another larger creature out. Then, he made his choice between flight or fight, and charged for his new target – axe blade ready to finally claim a kill.
"I see you have chosen poorly," she announced solemnly, though not disappointed. Instead, there was the smallest of grins upon her face as the pressure around herself tripled. "and so have incurred the full wrath of the Underworld!"
In her hands, she gripped the stone bow tighter as it began to emit an eerie light. As it burned, if one scrutinised it, they might observe how the bow was actually emitting seven different shades of red, from each of the seven different stone components it was comprised of. Ereshkigal reached for her bow with her free hand and pulled back sharply as a crackling vermilion bowstring was pulled taut and a blackened, twistingprojectile formed.
"Know this – the toll for passage is far higher than you can afford!" she leapt backwards with all the impressive agility that she possessed, which was greater than normal within her defined territory. "Ina Kur's Pusma (Through Kur's Mouth) – Seven Curses upon Seven Gates!"
And then, as Zeus's unstoppable son rampaged towards her... she released her finger, and her Noble Phantasm was fired.
Immediately, what was one black projectile broken apart into seven thinner shafts, and then one by one they fired in rapid succession at their target. Let it never be said that Heracles was a fool though – the moment he saw the Noble Phantasm, his body knew how important it was to avoid that attack.
Quite miraculously, he dodged the first arrow, which blew past his angled torso. The second one, he was less lucky with. It hit his shoulder like a missile and exploded into shadows, and rippled as the entire arrow was negated by the Demigod's thick God Hand... leaving behind no damage, and only a small, black star.
Then the third shot was batted aside by the axe, while the fourth one simultaneously plunged into his thigh, and again exploded. It dealt no damage, and left only a small, dark star.
A fifth shot struck the chest – and as it exploded, something shattered. As if the black star was a target mark, blood dripped out of its centre, and the flesh around the wound burned.
Finally, the sixth and seventh shot struck his dominant arm and throat, and the entirety of his skin was set ablaze. Even so, Heracles continued his charge, intent on murdering his foe.
"And now you have lost." The trees and shadows swallowed Ereshkigal once more, and a rain of crimson bolts was sent straight at him. And interestingly, whereas before such weak attacks would be completely brushed off by the Demigod... these bolts pierced right through him like a hot knife through butter.
Heracles died, coughing up blood and screaming. He revived, skin steaming. But still he burned, with five dark, bleeding stars upon his body. The Demigod had fallen from grace.
"And now, we end this." Scathach dived back into the fight – as it was now clean up time.
Everything had gone according to plan. Ereshkigal's Noble Phantasm was the re-enactment of her most famous legend – when Ishtar invaded the underworld, passed through seven gates and lost pieces of her Divinity at each gate, along with her clothing. Alone, her Noble Phantasm was rather pitiful when compared to some of those that her peers might have possessed – a consequence of her summoning conditions and the weaker affinity she had for the Archer Class. It was a stone bow capable of firing seven C Rank shots one after another, each one hitting harder and faster than the last. Not exactly the most impressive Noble Phantasm.
Until context was taken into account. Ina Kur's Pusma was an Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm, and so could only show its true power against those with Divinity – as each shot of the bow ignored inherent resistances provided merely by possessing Divinity or other similar abilities. More than that, its strongest ability could only be used in a defensive fight, at the point when an enemy was to invade Ereshkigal's 'territory' and fail to leave when prompted.
Heracles possessed Divinity – quite a lot of it. The Demigod entered her Territory that she set up over that area of the forest without permission, and failed to leave when asked, subsequently being deemed an invader. And Heracles' most important Noble Phantasm was God Hand – a blessing of the gods.
All these factors combined led to Ereshkigal being the worst possible enemy the Berserker of Blue could possibly face – and thus was the one deciding factor that truly made James commit to the assault on the Einzbern faction.
The true power of Ina Kur's Pusma was to strip the Divinity of the target with each successive shot.
Heracles took five shots in total. The first hit reduced his Divinity from A rank to A-. The second to B rank. And by the time the fifth one pierced into his neck, Heracles was left with only a Divinity of C Rank.
God Hand was a symbol of godly blessings. Anything weaker than him could not possibly kill the strongest Greek Demigod – and so with a Divinity of A Rank, his godly blessing would only let an A Rank attack or higher slay him.
But now he had C Rank Divinity. God Hand couldn't stop anything of C Rank or above. Even Boudica could slay him now.
"And now you fall." Ereshkigal announced. "Because death comes for all – even you, Heracles."
Berserker of Blue roared out in alarm, flanked by a Goddess and a God Killer. He was vulnerable – even if he was outwardly as strong as ever. But he was oh so much more fragile than before, now that his God Hand had been burned away. But he had faced worst odds. He had beaten worse odds. He had slaughtered his way through worse odds.
Heracles charged into a hopeless fight – determined to murder all threats to his little Master.
AN- and that was the Grey Team's hard counter for Heracles. The moment I considered what kind of Noble Phantasm Ereshkigal's main story could theoretically provide and settled on Ina Kurs Pusma was the moment I had to use Ereshkigal as a Servant, and so assigned her to the Archer role.
Full Stat Sheet to follow soon.
And we still have a lot left of this battle. After all, no plan survives contact with the enemy. And things have been going oh so well...