Chapter 20
Dragon Slayer Rescue
"*Huff* *Huff*"
A tall white-haired tan man panted in exhaustion.
Grunting, Siegfried ducked under the slash and swung his blade into the opposing servant.
*Clang*
A sword parried the blow deflecting it off course. A person with an androgynous appearance rushed forward and attempted to stab him.
At the same moment, a man wearing half of a mask leaped up and attempted to stab him. Grunting, Siegfried ducked and rolled, narrowly dodging both blows.
Leaping back to his feet, he lifted his greatsword in front of him. The jewel in the pommel gleamed with an azure light.
"O Sword, Let Thee Be Filled."
A pillar of light erupted from his sword.
Balmung: Phantasmal Great Sword!
Swinging his sword down, the beam of light erased the entire area in front of him, kicking up a cloud of dust. Seeing the direct hit on his enemy, he stepped back in exhaustion, letting his guard down for a brief moment.
*gleam*
Suddenly, the ground began to glow with violet light.
"Guh!" he grunted, as black chains penetrated the cloud of dust and wrapped around him.
"What an incredibly tough foe." Muttered the saber, dusting themselves off and pointing their sword at Siegfried's neck.
Gilles chuckled as he warped next to the saber.
"Ah, my dear saber…you have been a very large pain in my master's side. But…no longer." he chuckled. He held out his book.
"For the sake of my master's dream, I have restudied this book and engrained it in my spirit origin! My magecraft has advanced to a realm beyond what humans could achieve!"
The book in his hand opened, revealing a sinister glow. He began to rapidly chant in a strange language. Strands of darkness slithered around Siegfried. They seemed to dig into his skin.
However, in the middle of his chant, Gilles suddenly stopped and leaped back. A ray of golden light evaporated the area where he had stood.
Gilles's bulging eyes grew red with fury. "YOU!"
Then, upon seeing the assailant he froze.
Artoria galloped in front of Siegfried.
"...Caster."
"Oh…Oh…OHHHHHH!" He screamed. His formerly frowning face suddenly contorted into an insane smile.
"It is YOU! Oh I have been waiting so long for this grand reunion!" He roared. "TO YOU WHO SHOWED ME THAT LIGHT ONCE MORE! Oh, oh OHHHHHH! I must thank you, I must I must, I MUST!"
A gleeful cackle escaped his lips. "BUT! My desires are just about to be FUFILLED! I apologize oh holy one but-"
*CLANG!*
A mighty swing cleaved the area where the caster stood. Salter grunted in annoyance.
"My god, how did you stay sane in a grail war with that man?! His voice would have made me want to kill him and everyone around me out of sheer frustration!" she shouted at Artoria.
"He was…killed early on." Artoria replied.
"OHOHOHOHO! Unfortunately, I do not intend on dying so easily! You and your…satanic twin…Actually, you seem larger than we last met." Shouted Gilles from above.
"Satanic is a bit insulting. I would prefer pragmatic and not overly idealistic unlike my other self here. Also come down here so I can kill you."
"To me, that is the highest compliment I can give to man! A human who would defy even God himself! But alas, our meeting must be cut short, as my curse has been completed."
He took a deep bow.
"But do not feel lonely! I have a friend here to keep you company!"
"RAAAAWWWWWRRRRRR!"
"Aunt Artoria! We've arrived!"
Patchouli jerked her head up.
"Incoming, 2 miles up in the air!" She shouted. "It's Fafnir!"
Everyone looked up into the sky only to see a truly spectacular phenomenon. Strands of light began to converge onto a central point.
"Everyone, all defenses up!" shouted Ritsuka.
Mash and Jeanne quickly activated their noble phantasms, while the mage trio constructed a barrier.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
"Luminosité Éternelle!"
"This is kinda a rush job, but this is the best we got!" Shouted Marisa.
Not a moment later, a cascade of light descended from the sky. The shockwave of power nearly instantly smashed through all their defenses.
"GAAAAAHHHHHHH!" shouted Mash and Jeanne. The gleaming banner burned, and shield was pushed back.
Ritsuka gasped as her mana circuits burned from the strain. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her hand and prepared to use a command seal, when Patchouli grabbed it and shook her head.
"Marisa! Give it your all!" Shouted Patchouli. A dozen books appeared around her. Bright orange spell circles reminiscent of the sun formed around her.
"Way ahead of you! I was saving this for later, but here goes nothing!" Her Mini Hakkero suddenly separated into several sections, and reformed into a device with two openings. A rainbow of energy suddenly exploded out, forming a dozen magic circles with her at the center. They began to rapidly spin, forming a sort of rainbow astrolabe.
"The stars align, and moonlight fills the night. Their glow illuminates the land, a light that nothing on earth can replicate. Yet all those are no match for the flame in the day that could only be called royal. Come oh mighty star, allow me to imitate even a fraction of your might."
"Sun Sign: Royal Flare!"
"Love Sign: Double Spark!"
A massive ball of pure solar energy blasted into the sky, followed closely by two massive beams of light. Clashing with the breath, the two attacks locked it into a stalemate.
But it was becoming apparent that it wouldn't be for long.
"Oh Dear, 50% of the atmosphere's mana is much too powerful for us." Chuckled Patchouli, who, despite the situation, did seem to have any worry on her face. "Now is as good a time as any to pull that out, King of Knights. Both of us can only hold on for so long."
"Ritsuka, get over here!" Shouted Artoria, yanking Ritsuka closer. She pressed her hand onto Ritsuka's chest, causing a golden light to glow from it. The light solidified into a golden and blue scabbard.
Salter, realizing what they were doing, quickly thrust her sword into the scabbard, causing it to explode into a boundary made of ribbons of light. The boundary expanded, encompassing everyone.
Suddenly, the breath seemed to completely disappear in terms of force, though it was still visible
Several moments passed, and the breath gradually dissipated. A roar reverberated through the sky and gradually grew fainter, signifying the dragon's departure.
Waiting for several minutes, everyone let out a deep breath. The barrier condensed back into the shape of a scabbard, which after a brief glow, returned to Ritsuka's chest.
"What the…he-"
"It's my scabbard. It was originally in the possession of your father, who passed it to you when we sent you elsewhere. It's the reason why we were not too worried about physical injuries."
"Unfortunately this is something that can only work when I or my other self are near you, so you do not need to worry about your shield becoming obsolete," she said while glancing at Mash.
"Wha-what?! I-uh-"
"In any case…I didn't expect its power to be this…great."
As the dust cleared, only the ground around and behind them was unscathed. The rest was utterly devastated for miles on end.
"And…well, here's our other problem."
"Fuck, I thought you wouldn't survive that. I swear, trying to exterminate every single cockroach off the face of the planet is easier than killing you all. Well, I suppose I don't need Fafnir to finish you off."
Atop a black wyvern, Jeanne Alter descended.
"As far as I can see, you're all tuckered out. You deserve a break! Allow me to lay you to rest."
"Ah…*vomits* a pleasure to meet you too. Also, that felt more than insulting for some reason, '' mumbled Patchouli, who despite seeming fine earlier, was now pale and sweating.
*Bam*
The fists of both Martha's collided, creating a shockwave. A series of blows, almost too quick for the eye cascaded.
A straight punch
A Block
An Uppercut
A Dodge
A Feint
A Knee
Both were equally matched in terms of skill, but it was starting to become clear who had the upper hand.
"I thought you were holding back!" Yelled Chaldea's Martha. She jumped over a leg sweep and countered with a reverse roundhouse.
"I am! But Madness Enhancement really amplified all my abilities! At this point, we're nearly evenly matched, but I'm gaining the upper hand!" the other Martha responded. She lifted her arms and blacked the blow. Pushing backward, she attempted to do a body slam, which was easily dodged. They both launched a punch, but Chaldea's Martha was pushed back slightly.
They both backed away and began to slowly circle each other.
(Alright, she doesn't suspect anything.) Thought Martha. (This will only work once, and as much as I hate to use it, I really don't have a chance to win against a skilled opponent with even higher physical ability than my own.)
She rushed forward. The other Martha flinched at the reckless move and launched a front thrust kick. Instead of dodgin however, Martha clenched her teeth and took the blow. She felt her ribs crack, but pushed through and grasped the other's leg.
"Now!" she shouted. The other Martha widened her eyes and spun around, but it was too late.
"Gae Bolg."
A crimson flash destroyed her heart. Cu stood behind her, in his hand a red spear, which faded into particles of light.
"Huh, guess asking the kid's dad for a copy of this thing worked. Especially since I'm a caster now…well, not even your luck could dodge it with all the runes I boosted this with."
"Ha…haha. Well, I never would have expected you to play dirty. It's Something that 'we' would never do normally. But well…mm…no matter."
She slowly raised her hand. "I have an obligation to obey my master as a servant, no matter how much I hate it. In any case, I do feel for her. It is impossible to save her, so do me a favor other me, and ask your master to put her out of her misery."
"No need to ask. That was the plan from the start."
"Well then, I'm glad. But allow me to deal one last blow because I'm actually super pissed that this fight got interrupted!" She shouted.
"Tarasque!"
A roar resounded from the side. A bloodied Tarasque lumbered out. Roaring, it began to shine with a violent light.
"Shit! A mana reactor overload?! Marth, get behind me!" shouted Cu.
"Congratulations, you've overcome me. But I must admit that one of many sins is that I am very much a sore loser."
Slamming his staff into the floor, he activated his noble phantasm.
"Wicker Man!" A massive wooden giant shielded them from the blast. A torrent of energy incinerated the surroundings.
As the dust cleared, the two servants sighed in relief. Martha shook her head. "Hurry up Tarasque, stop playing dead."
A low mewl sounded out as Tarasque, now in a baby turtle form, hopped over.
"Alright alright, I know that hurts. C'mon, don't be a big baby, you've taken harder blows."
"Grrr, Rawr!" (Who's fault do you think that is Gorilla Woman!)
"Ah?"
"*Whimper*" (Nuthin, nuthin.)
Suddenly a bright pillar of light lit the city.
Cu widened his eyes, then sighed in relief as it dissipated.
"No connection cut. They're safe…hopefully"
"...it seems you live another day. Your queen is in the city, and therefore I must go."
Sanson turned his back to a bloodied Mozart. He coughed.
"Ah…guess that's that. Don't worry you damn executioner, I'll…get…you…ba…ck"muttered Mozart as he fell onto his butt.
His vision began to blur as the assassin left. He coughed again and took a deep breath. And cracking his fingers, he took a deep breath and got up, leaving to pursue the assassin no matter how injured he was.
*Clang*
Salter slashed at Jeanne Alter, who casually blocked it. "Oh my, a fellow alter?"
She remained silent as she back off.
"What, no words for someone of the same kind? I'm hurt."
"..."
Salter sighed. "The more I look at you, the more obvious it becomes. You're not alter."
Jeanne Alter cocked her head. "That's a rather…strange claim. I couldn't be a truer alter-"
"An Alter is a being who represents a different aspect of a person. A different truth and possibility, yet the core is still the same. You're a direct reversal of Jeanne D'arc. A person who is opposite in every way. A cruel, merciless, hate-filled, arrogant and utterly naive brat." she replied in a prompt manner.
"Someone like you who has no resemblance to Jeanne D'Arc aside from appearance could never be an alter."
"..."
"I always thought for some reason you pissed me off."
"You're just jealous I pull off your dark version style much better."
"THAT'S IT ASSHOLE YOU'RE DEAD!" roared Jeanne Alter. Several dozen wyverns arrived at her side.
"Bring it on, faker" replied Salter.
*Achoo!*
Emiya sneezed, and winced in pain. Using reinforcement magecraft, he had managed to forcefully close all of his smaller wounds, but his body was still in tatters. He struggled to stand, but flopped back.
(Yeah, I guess spirit form is better than lying here doing nothing) he thought.
(I know I was trying to rile her up, but honestly I can feel that Master is barely able to stand…we need to retreat.) thought Salter. She glanced at her counterpart, who nodded in agreement.
Not even counting the mages who aside from Alice were nearly drained of all mana, having their master out of commission would not be good.
"Master, I have arrived."
Salter clicked her tongue. The assassin that Mozart had wanted to hold back had arrived..
As she was preparing to sacrifice herself, Salter felt a hand pat her shoulder.
"...Dear Saber," said Marie. "Let me handle this. Retreat and find a way to heal our dragon slayer."
"Wa-wait, Mari-"muttered Ritsuka. She attempted to walk over, but fell on her knees from exhaustion.
"Think about it, Salter will stay with you across all your journeys. I will disappear after this one. and well, given that I've been summoned by the grail, I have a bit of mana stocked up anyways. Not to mention, I doubt any of you are in the condition to fight after that…"
She glanced back at Ritsuka, who had collapsed due to mana exhaustion.
"So run, even if it may be cowardly. After all, all of humanity rests on your survival."
"So your friends ditched you?" Shouted Jeanne Alter. The wyverns roared as they prepared to attack. "Well, it should be entertaining enough to tear you apart first."
Marie glanced forward, waving her hand in a farewell.
"Apologies, other Jeanne, but I won't let you pass."
She waved her hands through the air, and in their path, gleaming, crystal-like particles appeared.
As they sunk into the ground, a loud rumble shook the earth.
Ting*
The chime of a bell rang and the rumbling ceased.
"What?" muttered Jeanne Alter. Suddenly, her body began to shiver.
(This amount of magical energy! Don't tell me-)
The ground split open in a thundering roar. Crystals poured out from the ground, surrounding the group. As they swarmed into place, they seemed to fuse together. Moments later, it became clear what it resembled.
A castle.
"Noble Phantasm: Crystal Palace. Just as my death signified the change my country would go through, this noble phantasm replicates the appearance of a structure representing Humanities development toward the future."
She gave a beautiful smile. "Indeed, as long as I stand, this bounded field will not fall."
The witch's expression contorted in fury. "I'll tear you apart you damn whore."
We ran.
We ran away.
Even as I watched a crystal palace rise from the earth we ran.
I glanced at the saber that we saved. His skin had turned black, like rotting flesh, and cracks ran along his entire body.
"A second generation copy of the Necronomicon…it's even more powerful than the copy we have back in Gensokyo. Not only that, it's compounded with a dragon's curse…I'm afraid that it would take me weeks on end to unravel this curse." said Patchouli.
"How about me? I'm a saint, curses are practically my specialty." suggested Jeanne
Patchouli shook her head. "Unfortunately, a dragon's curse is extraordinarily powerful. You would need a dragon slayer saint in order to resolve that, and even then a R'lyehian curse would take a day or two for me to unravel. Not to mention we have the problem of the Dragons output being much higher than expected…"
"...Are we just going to leave her behind?" I asked
"Ritsuka, she sacrificed herself for a reason. Frankly, I don't want to leave her either, but you're in no condition to fight." said Aunt Artoria
"...Ok." I answered.
She was right. That much I knew. I could barely stand, and my body felt like it was being burned.
…yeah, this was the best choice we could make.
No No, no! Someone help me! Help! l...l don't want to die here! Because I've never been praised…I've never been praised by anyone!
Again. I have to watch as someone dies without me being able to do anything.
I…
I don't want that to happen again.
I don't want that to happen again.
I don't, I won't, I can't let that happen again.
To just…leave when I could have helped, done something to save them.
I don't want to regret this anymore!
Is it selfish?!
Of course it is!
I should be caring about my own darn life more than anything!
But…humans, they're contradictory animals. They're the only ones on the entire planet who will choose their own selfish desires over their instincts, their own life.
*Clink*
The saint quartz fell into my hand. If I didn't have enough mana…then I'll just have to force some through my system
I bit into the quartz. Despite its solid structure, my teeth easily sunk into its structure.
"Ritsuka! What are you-"
"Sorry Aunt Artoria…But, I won't, no, I can't just abandon her like that."
Yeah. Humans are illogical, selfish creatures. And…well, I can't say I know many people who're more selfish than me.
"...Hm, I seem to be in quite the sticky situation."
Kojiro sat cross legged at the side of Marie.
"Assassin?! I thought you had gone with the others!"
He chuckled.
"Oh no, why would i waste effort running away when they're just going to come back?" He said. He glanced at the witch at the front.
"Hey! False saint. Jeanne ...Alter? That's a bit long. I will from now on call you Jalter."
"Your funeral." Growled Jalter
"Yes yes, I'm already dead." Said Kojiro. "But i should warn you miss. The Emiya family are not ones to underestimate. They'll slay gods and marry demons if that's what it takes to fight for their ideals. And my master is no exception."
His mouth curved upward into a cocky grin. "And well, this shouldn't be too hard to stall. After all, wyverns are just bigger swallows."
Ya know, I was going to have Gilles talk in R'Lyehian, because his book is supposedly connected to a great old one, but I have no idea what to make him say. Also edited the summary, just in case ya'll haven't completed the story or watched any videos online about fgo's future stories.