Listening to "She Holds the Black Holy Sword" and "The Four Rings" from Spring Song inspired me for this fight at the Greater Grail. And the fourth trailer for the movie.
There used to be a person Lancer looked up to as an older brother. His name was Ferdiad. This warrior of Connacht, the enemy nation of the one Lancer serves, Ulster, was training under Scáthach just like the one with the blue hair. The two became the best of friends and ended up passing a vow of brotherhood. They slept together a few times. They loved each other a lot. Ferdiad was the only person before Emer that could bring the wolf a sense of peace. These were truly happy days for the Ulster warrior.
I loved him so much. But, I...
Later, war broke out between Ulster and Connacht. It began when Cú Chulainn was 17 and went on for seven years, him fighting most of it alone. The Táin Bó Cúailnge was perhaps the greatest living hell of the warrior's life. A land of constant death and was witness to enough grief to last several lifetimes. After all, that's what war is. It didn't matter whether he's a Celt or even the son of a powerful god, a High King of the pantheon. He's still half human in the end.
I...
Blood was running down Gáe Bolg and dripping off the bladed end of the cursed weapon. Laying lifeless and bloody on the ground was Ferdiad. Lancer was standing over the corpse of his best friend, looking horrified at what he'd just done and clearly trying not to cry.
What have I done?
He may claim he has no regrets. So why does he hurt so much deep down, even now?
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts a lot.
He tells himself it'll stop hurting in time. But years pass and it still hurts. Then he killed his son. And the hurt got to be too much to handle. He cried and screamed. That was the first time he shed tears of sadness. His cheerful attitude is how he always acted. Now, the reason he acts cheerful is to hide how much he's hurting, to prevent himself from suddenly breaking down and letting out the anger and sadness he feels boiling deep down.
Someone please make it stop.
It feels like something's burning me alive.
Mikoto sighed as he went down the stairs to the main area of the bar, swinging the door open. "Lancer, enough with showin' me your past." Izumo had said they probably have high compatibility or something, which is why they have so many dreams about each other.
Lancer stopped talking to a Clansman. He went down here shortly after the events of last night. "Hey, don't blame me! Blame our Path!"
"Whatever." The King pulled out a cigarette and walked to a barstool. "So we're goin' to the Greater Grail?"
"Yeah. After you're done eatin'."
"I already know, Mom."
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Today's the day JUNGLE will take possession of the Dresden Slate. If this operation's a success, humans will gain the ability to fight back against an unnecessary death. It's what Tenkei wants more than anything.
"With the Gold King dead, it's the perfect chance to bring the Dresden Slate under our control," Nagare told the others gathered in the base a little over an hour ago. "However, I suspect the Silver King is there now. And he still has his Servant. Also, in order to determine a winner of the War, Mr. Iwa and I will need to fight. But if we take the Greater Grail, we may be able to unlock its power."
"The beer seems to be gone from this can..." Rider grumbled, peering into the can, then opening the fridge to get another.
"Either way, a Servant will most likely be fought. Lancer should show up at the Greater Grail while Caster will be at the Tower. Saber will secure the Greater Grail while the rest of us steal the Slate."
"I thought more beer was bought only a little bit ago," Rider said, holding the door open and continuing to scan the contents to see if his gaze merely passed it. "I suppose I could just get a glass of water..."
"Rider, you aren't even listening, are you?" Nagare broke off from what he was saying to state.
"I heard every word you said," the redhead replied without looking up from the fridge.
"Yeah right!" Sukuna exclaimed. "You're taking after Mr. Iwa too much!"
Tenkei didn't look to give two shits. "It's fine, though I wish he'd stop drinking my beer..."
Saber placed her foot on Tenkei's chest while narrowing her eyes at him, like a displeased cat. "And who's fault is that, huh?! We might end up with a potbellied Servant with constantly bad breath!"
"She has a point," Nagare added. "Though I doubt the potbelly will happen."
"You might not have a potbelly, but there are times when I wish you took breath mints," Yukari put in not looking up from applying a face cream to himself.
"I really hate it when you breathe on me!" Sukuna snarled.
"He has dad breath!" Kotosaka cawed.
"You guys too?! Ugh...Rider, listen. You and Nagare will clear a path to the top of the Tower. Up there, it's likely Nagare will run out of power and be rendered defenseless. You'll need to protect him until the rest of us catch up."
"Alright," Rider said while getting a glass out.
That's the plan. Currently blazing a way through the Tower is Rider's chariot, Nagare at his side and displaying his power as Green King. Going up the cleared path are the other three, except for Kotosaka who's surveying the school island. They had already expected to encounter resistance in the Tower. But this is more than they expected.
"The defenses seem much stronger than predicted," Nagare mused as he was bound in chains. It took a combination of his electricity and Rider's to break them. "I suppose it's a good thing we're going up together."
"The Silver King's Servant is Caster," Rider said before being trapped by a bounded field with extreme gravity. Nagare weakened it enough for the two divine bulls to push past it. "It must have made the Tower its territory and is being strengthened with the Territory Creation skill. It's attempting to wear us out."
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Sukuna and Yukari were currently trapped in a bounded field, Tenkei on the outside.
"What is this?!" Sukuna exclaimed, his scythe held at the ready.
Yukari was trying and failing to shatter the wall of mana with his sword. "It won't break! What kind of defense is this?!"
Tenkei pointed his revolver at the barrier. "Stand back!" He fired a bullet charged with grey aura. The wall reminded standing. "The hell?!" He fired another. It broke this time. "There. You two all right?"
Sukuna scratched the back of his head. "Yeah...What the hell even was that? We were never told that Tower defenses would be that sturdy."
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Lightning broke down the hasty replacement door to the Chamber of the Slate, Rider and Nagare slowly entering at walking speed.
They were met by the two members of the Silver Clan and the Servant. "Caster said her traps were being tripped," Adolf said, allowing his Sword to materialize. "I wondered when you'd come here." Neko hissed at the two and the fox had her mirror out. "I know what you're after. You made it clear to the Lieutenant eight years ago. But I won't let you have the Slate!"
Nagare wasn't displaying any hostility. Rider wasn't budging, only watched the opposing three like a hawk. "I wish only to have the Slate to better all of mankind. Isn't that what you wanted, Silver King?"
"I..." How should he respond? It's true that he originally intended to have the Slate unite the world. However...
"Addie!" Neko's cry brought Adolf back to reality. He seemed to regain his resolve.
"I refuse to let you have what you want!"
Nagare sighed. "Don't you have any faith in humans?"
"It's not that I don't have faith in them, but all that power affecting everyone, they won't be able to handle it! It'd be utter chaos!"
"Yes, the weak will get weeded out. But what will emerge is a new world filled with new humans! Isn't that worth it?"
"I can't support a new world built on sacrifices. I now know that the Dresden Slate isn't what I've been looking for."
"So we can't come to an agreement. That's too bad."
The divine bulls of Gordius Wheel mooed. "I assume all that's left is to fight?"
"Remember to not harm Miyabi Ameno," Nagare reminded Rider.
"I already know to leave the Strain out."
Neko blinked in confusion. "Huh? You mean me? But my name's Neko!"
Nagare gave her a gentle smile. "You don't remember, do you? Like me, you also lost something in the Kagutsu Incident. I lost my life while you suddenly had powers thrust upon you and thus were no longer an ordinary human. But we both survived that disaster as evolved humans. So I invite you to come with me. You would be treated as an honored guest."
The silver-pink haired girl hid behind Adolf. "No! I refuse to leave Addie!"
Nagare's smile went away, the Strain's answer disappointing him. "Very well. If you won't come willingly, I'll just have to take you by force. Time to fight, Rider!"
"That won't happen!" Adolf stated firmly. He raised his right hand and the four wings glowed. "My Servant Caster, fight beyond your limits!"
A blue outline surrounded the fox. "Right!" The way she held herself, she clearly believed she would win.
Caster came at Rider, swinging her mirror. Rider grinned and pulled out his own weapon. The clashing of sword and mirror's edge rang out. Bubbles began appearing out of nowhere around the chariot.
Nagare looked around. "Sensory interference..." He didn't sound surprised at all, having read up on Neko's ability as a Strain. Rider, on the other hand, was still clashing with Caster, as if unable to see what the Green King was seeing. A wave of green aura shot out of Nagare, pushing away the illusion in an instant. At the same time, Rider and Caster broke apart, getting ready for the next attack.
"Why didn't my illusion work on him?!" Neko demanded with a whine.
Rider groaned and scratched the back of his head. "Nagare said your power only works on the living. You...are aware that we Servants aren't classified as living beings, right?"
Neko looked briefly startled before correcting her posture. "I-I knew that!"
Four spells tags surrounded Rider. "Curse: Fiery Heaven!" Fire was suddenly launched from all of them at the redhead. His lightning tore every last one up and a bubble of Nagare's green aura was put up to protect from the spells, the power behind them making Nagare struggle to keep the defense up. It was quickly giving in. That's when Rider snapped the reins of his chariot down, hooves stomping the ground to Caster, shattering the green shield as he did so. He was abruptly having to block the edge of Caster's Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu. Every time he knocked the mirror away, it just came back at him from a different angle. In the midst of this, the fox jumped into Rider's chariot, engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
"What?!" Rider never expected this from a Caster, much less one to actually be good at it! But he now had this and the mirror to worry about.
"I'll handle the weapon," Nagare said simply, turning to where it was coming this time. He held his hand out to it, launching a stream of green electricity at it. The mirror began spinning and cut through the aura like water. Thinking fast, Nagare put his shield up around himself. It was blocking the attack, frustration slipping through his stoic façade, but that's when he hit his limit.
'Of all the horrible times!'
Rider managed to knock Caster back then turned, using his sword to knock away the mirror. but it just came around for another attack. He grabbed the reins and allowed Nagare to slump against his body. "I'm not fond of using my Noble Phantasm like this, but we need to wrap this up. Via Expugnatio! [Distant Trampling Domination]" The two bulls reared back with a loud moo, thick bolts of blue-white lightning raining down all around them even without the sky exposed. Gordius Wheel is merely a stepping stone to use this Noble Phantasm. He shot forward, reaching Caster in an instant with the bulls prepared to run her down. Chains wrapping around Rider and his chariot as well as several layers of bounded fields separated the two Servants. The chains snapped and all the bounded field layers were shattered in a couple seconds, but that was all the time Caster needed to leap to safety.
She smirked and activated a spell tag under one of the chariot's wheels. "Curse: Frigid Heaven!" In that moment, ice totally encased the wheel, the Command Seal back it strengthening the ice so much that the vehicle's unable to move. The Noble Phantasm was stopped. Rider raised his sword to launch his Reality Marble. "Curse: Chaotic Heaven!" But a slicing whirlwind stopped him.
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Alone, Saber stepped through the cave in the mountain the temple on the school island's built on, eventually emerging into a gigantic cavern. Her armor made a clanking sound with each step she took. The cavern was about two km wide and tall and covered in thick, tall stalagmites. Water kept dripping from the stalactites and hit the ground with a "plip". The cavern itself glowed as if with a red light and felt like a realm of the underworld. On the opposite end of the cavern was a mound of purplish rock. The earthy mound looked like a massive stone orb wedged halfway into the ground. The Greater Grail. In the center of the top of the orb was a stone pillar. Saber whistled as she approached it. "This thing is huge! Will you really be able to take it outta here, Master?"
'Yes. We'll just need to secure Mihashira Tower's ropes and helicopters. The shell is physical. It's only the contents of the Grail that require a spiritual being to access. You and Rider will be needed to create a hole over it large enough for it to pass through.'
The knight climbed to the top of the mound. The pillar at the center was surrounded by a long fall with what looked like black mud with a red glow at the bottom. The stench of rotting corpses hit Saber's nose. Her face twisted in disgust when she gazed down at the sludge. "Ugh, what is this shit?!"
'I would have thought you'd know.'
"Hey, just 'cause I'm a Servant doesn't mean I know everything about this."
'Any sign of Lancer yet?'
Saber sighed and sat down. "Nothing yet. Wonder when that bastard'll show up. I know I'll be in for a fun time."
'Try not to have too much fun and damage the Grail.'
"I wouldn't worry about that. I can kinda sense it won't be easy to rip this thing up." For emphasis, she punched down as hard as she can. A loud boom resounded but the Grail didn't receive a single scratch. "Our Noble Phantasms could be a different story, though."
'Then if you use it, try to aim carefully.'
"You think I don't know that?! By the way, remember how attacks accompanied with a magical enchantment can damage a Servant?"
'I do. And?'
"This is the site of the Greater Grail. That means anything in here is contaminated with mana, meaning they could be used to harm my Saint Graph."
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Upon stepping off the bridge to Ashinaka, Mikoto and Lancer came to a turnstile gate, only unlocked with a valid PDA ID. As soon as Lancer jumped the gate, blasts of Mikoto's fire destroyed it. The Celt looked back and sweatdropped. "Well, that's another way of getting in..." The King didn't look to care one bit about the smoldering wreckage he caused.
"It doesn't matter how I enter as long as I do," was all he said.
Once the two came to the start of the stairs to the temple, Lancer spoke up. "I can sense a massive ley line at this temple. It's bigger than the one at Mihashira Tower." He looked around. "It's...this way." Mikoto followed Lancer along the side of the mountain without saying a word. Finally, they came to a stop. "Found the entrance." It was concealed by a bounded field to look like a wall of stone. But it would fail to fool a Servant, who would be able to sense a sudden wall of mana. He walked up to the wall and, amazingly, through it. Did he simply phase through it? He didn't look to go into spirit form though. Mikoto just stood there, trying to wrap his head around it. The wolf's head stuck out of the stone like the wall is made of water. "Comin', Mikoto?"
"What in the world..?"
"Bounded field. It's hidin' the entrance. You can pass through it." Lancer pulled his head back in. A few seconds later, Mikoto joined him in the dark and damp tunnel of a cave.
"This is weird..."
A laugh escaped the Servant's lips. "Really? After 11 days you're just now sayin' it?"
"How far are we goin'?" Mikoto eventually spoke up. It felt like the two had been walking for a while. It was only a few minutes, but something about the cave, maybe the darkness, made it feel longer.
Lancer was following the mana he could sense. "Almost there." They emerged into a large cavern. Immediately, red flooded Mikoto's eyes, making him briefly shield them. The spirit narrowed his eyes at the gigantic stone orb wedged into the ground in the back, like what he had in his vision is an enemy. "This is what Anna was meant to activate." He and Mikoto walked down the sloping path to a wide swath of ground. "I was wonderin' if you would show up."
Who was he talking to? "Huh?" Mikoto was confused.
Lancer turned his gaze to the top of the mound. "I take it you won't just let us go, huh Saber?"
"I'm glad to see you're here, Lancer," Saber said, jumping down from the top of the Greater Grail. She walked forward, stopping at 50 meters in front of Lancer. "The fact you're still alive means you aren't a pushover."
Lancer gave a cynical smirk in return. "Aw, did I make ya miss me? Well, sorry to keep ya waitin'." Even with those casually-spoken words and standing in his standard "I don't give a shit" manner, he began letting out killing intent. In response, Saber grinned and began letting out her own. The ever-increasing eerie aura grew so thick that it made the air heavier than it already is. Mikoto's own "roar" his aura gives off is merely a yawn in comparison. "I've gotta admit I've also looked forward to fightin' ya again." Gáe Bolg materialized in his right hand in a flash of red, him feeling the familiar bumps along the shaft as his gloved fingers closed around it.
The blond knight snorted a laugh. She materialized Clarent in a haze of vermilion, its familiar weight settling in her gauntlet-covered hand. "I'm gonna go wild. I expect the same of you, Lancer!"
'Mikoto, don't look at what I set down. Otherwise you'll be bound as well.' The Irish Servant took a fighting stance and laughed. "Bring it on! If ya don't make this even more fun than that night, you'll pay dearly." He then inscribed four runes on the ground in an instant with his spear: Algiz, Nauthiz, Ansuz, and Ingwaz. Saber was perplexed. Magecraft? No, she didn't sense any magical energy.
Ath nGabla. A curse passed down through the Knights of the Red Branch, one that allows for one-on-one fights and forbids retreat for the one who set the seal or anyone who sees it. Saber, in this case. No retreat until one of them dies. Not like either were planning to let the other walk out alive.
"No retreat for either of us. After all, this is a battle to the death. Too bad this'll be our final battle."
"Then ya should come at me full-force!" Saber got herself ready to attack with those words.
"Just about to say the same thing!" With that, they seemed to vanish from where they just were as they leapt at each other, like a starting gun for this fight was fired. Red waves of magical energy spewed forth from the clash between both demonic weapons. Both wild animals had fearless grins etched onto their features and a lust for spilling blood shone in their eyes; this was going to be fun.
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The three humans were still making their way up the Tower. Because of the first two, most of the traps were now gone. They rounded a corner and Tenkei just about had a heart attack. "Wha -?! I thought you were killed!"
"No way..." Sukuna murmured. Standing before them is the Gold King, the one they all thought got killed when his Servant did.
Daikaku chuckled and took a fighting stance. "You really thought that, huh? Just because the Servant dies doesn't necessarily mean the Master will as well."
The Grey King tsked and took out his pistol, releasing his Sanctum at the same time. "Stubborn old fart..."
Yukari sighed and pointed his katana at the Gold King. "It's just one unexpected thing after another."
Tenkei grinned. "Well, I'm sure you've seen better days." He saw that the left side of the old man's face is covered in bandages. Four Swords were now hanging above the Tower. "Yukari, Sukuna! Focus only on providing me with support!"
Sukuna's hands were trembling around his weapon. This is the same person who almost killed Nagare eight years ago. Yukari noticed this and placed a hand on Sukuna's shoulder.
"Just focus on what Mr. Iwa told us. Don't worry. He isn't called the King of Protection for nothing. If things go bad, count on him to keep us safe."
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Rider and Caster were breathing heavily, both bearing yet unhealed wounds. Suddenly, Rider glanced at Nagare. "Mr. Iwa found himself some trouble. He's requesting assistance."
Nagare actually looked shocked. What did he overlook?! "...We'll abort this mission for right now."
"So the Lieutenant managed to stop your second attack?" Adolf asked with a smirk.
"The Gold King?!"
Rider grabbed Nagare, dematerialized his immobile chariot, then dashed out of the room before Caster could attack him. He ran much slower than the agility he displayed on his chariot, perhaps only going at the speed of sound?
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"So, how many times will you have died now?" Saber asked the other Servant with a sneer as the two knights clashed for the umpteenth time, sparks of crimson crackling from their bodies and weapons, more coming from the female. Honestly, a non-sarcastic answer couldn't be given. The two had been fighting and dying for millennia, due to the fact the Counter Force can be deployed to any time period, from the far future to Age of the Gods and even into other timelines. It had happened so much that it could be difficult to find a member of the Force who hasn't lost track of the number of times they've died.
As far as other memories go, the original gets the memories of all their copies and the copies obtain all the memories up to that point of the original, like the names of the others with them on the surface of that endless crystal-clear sea, all of them having nothing better to do than to stare up at that clear sky. But with the Tokyo Grail system, the original obtains the knowledge of their summoned copy's experience a once death for the copy occurs. But the only things the copy remembers is before becoming a Heroic Spirit and that they've already been summoned and died while fighting for humans numerous times. They know about that, but it feels extremely surreal. That's why it doesn't bother them that much. Anything else was added by the Grail. It might be the Throne's way of having the agents care about the species by having the Force remember their interactions with humans, them potentially being in the world for years, all the struggles at their side, and the happiness and sadness they shared. The details regarding their constant deaths and any resentment they may feel about being in the Throne, in eternal service to Alaya, have been minimized as much as possible, even for outside of the War. But the memories shared with the humans outside of the War are also hazy and any battle experience after ascending to the Throne can't he used. It may be expected from having several lifetime's worth of memories, though. But...is that really all it is?
Lancer's feral grin matched Saber's. He only wanted to continue fighting this Servant to the end, not take time to talk. This is the most fun he's had in 2,000 years and he had a feeling the excitement will only continue to rise. "Why the hell should I even answer?! I intend to make it to the end!"
Saber threw a mechanical ball at Lancer, green electricity sparking from it. A better and portable version of the trap used on Assassin. The Celt instantly formed four runes in the air before the ball, just in front of his face, burst in a frenzy of the green energy. A translucent blue dome covered the spearman, keeping any negative effects at bay.
When I saw he and his Master fight the Blue pair, I swear I saw that his Magic Resistance wasn't able to stop a certain level of a King's magecraft. Did he boost it somehow?
His runes, the power limited to mere magecraft instead of magic because of his Class, can be used to grant himself a new skill or to boost one of his existing skills or parameters, both temporarily. Since it can only be one at a time, adding a new enhancement on himself will cancel the existing one.
The Knight of the Round Table clicked her tongue then went at her enemy. While Lancer was blocking every now and then, some of Saber's sword swings hit a red dome around the other knight, shattering them but failing to do any damage to her opponent.
"Stay out of this, dammit!" Saber screamed at the top of her lungs to the Red King, looking absolutely furious. She was clashing with Lancer, grumbling curses the whole time.
Lancer jumped back and thrust his spear at the Arthurian Servant, fiery red mana being launched at the enemy. Saber held the handle of her sword with one hand and braced the other on the flat of the blade, trying to withstand the red mana from the massive and powerful attack. Her body and weapon took on red lightning for added resistance. Several fiery blasts went off, engulfing the cavern in a bright light. Multiple giant pieces of rubble were thrown up, the feet of the two Servants planted on two, both glaring yet grinning like a couple wild beasts at each other. There was now a gigantic crater, just under a couple hundred meters in radius, where both Servants had been. The cratered ground was boiling with the leftover magical energy from Lancer's attack, taking the form of fresh lava. Saber was completely uninjured from that attack, having jumped up right before the series of blasts.
"No way..." Mikoto breathed, completely unconsciously. The two spirits were still clashing like normal even among the airborne rubble, it failing to make the fight any less intense. In fact, the pace of battle only looked to accelerate.
The two combatants leaped at each other from the rocks they were on, smashing their weapons into each other yet again. "I'll make ya take your last breath!" Saber said to her opponent while maintaining her grin.
"And you can go fuck yourself!" Lancer retorted, practically spitting the words in the other knight's face. But despite what he said, tear away what makes him a respectable hero and any titles he holds and you're basically left with what his current expression is giving the impression of: a monster that lives only to kill and spill blood.
Crimson lightning exploded from the female knight. Saber's Mana Burst was boosting her speed explosively. But she was still battling the fastest Servant in the War, aside from Rider when he's going full speed in his chariot, his high agility still exceeding hers, though just slightly. Since Mana Burst can be a mana guzzler, she has to impose stop-gaps in its use.
She grasped the wolf head on the Red Branch Knight's necklace and used it to throw him down towards the lava. The string snapped and the item vanished into a dust of blue mana. He quickly righted himself and created a platform of crimson mana under his feet that he could use to leap off of, even in midair, back to the other Servant. The red rippling disc vanished once Lancer's feet left it.
Saber propelled herself over each piece of rubble like a jet, the crimson lightning that enveloped her creating a red trail where she went. Lancer simply created another mana platform to land on, avoiding landing on the lightning. Saber suddenly appeared in front of him and clamped down hard on Lancer's right forearm, her fangs piercing the fair skin just above his glove.
"The hell ya doin', you barbarian?!" the demigod demanded while trying to shake her off. All he did was fling around some of his blood with the Green Servant remaining latched onto him. She was probably trying to drink the Red Servant's mana. As Servants are beings composed of magic itself, they're far better mana sources than humans. "You asked for it!"
Red mana wildly sparked from the young man as his body temperature skyrocketed beyond what most other Servants can tolerate without any complaints, one of his abilities as a sun god child, causing Saber to suddenly detach herself and jump back. "Fuck! The hell's goin' on with you?!" The blood she had been taking from him abruptly got as hot as the surface of the sun itself. Did he just use his own body as a Reality Marble?! That must be it. As doing so places a large strain on the body, it would explain why he hasn't used it before. "Fuckin' magus..." Despite the unpleasant surprise, however, Saber was grinning widely, green eyes blazing with joy. She could help but want to see more of his power. The two continued using the rubble, almost frozen in time to them, at strike at one another.
In actuality, however, the clash occurred within only a few seconds with what looked like a pair of dancing red lights. Any debris they created was sent flying at several times the speed of sound. Mikoto was honestly amazed. While he's fully aware Servants can be high-speed battlers, that was just ridiculous! Just how many times faster than the speed of sound were they moving?! It transcended all reason. This battle will more than likely end with both of them on the verge of vanishing, even with their larger-than-average mana pools. Lancer due to having a B-rank in Divinity and Saber from being a homunculus and having dragon blood.
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Lightning suddenly struck down, separating Tenkei and Daikaku as they tried to overpower each other. The two other human bore some injuries, but were able to continue standing.
"About damn time..." the Grey King grumbled. Rider appeared, slashing with his sword to drive Daikaku back further. "Imagine my surprise to see this relic still alive."
Nagare looked back. "Retreat back to base for now."
Sukuna looked surprised. "We're really just going to bail on this boss battle?!"
Tenkei's fog thickened around all of them, obscuring Daikaku's sight. "Yeah, looks like this oversight is gonna make us wanna replan the burglary."
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"I'm the strongest, so the Grail should naturally be mine," Saber said with a fanged grin as the two exchanged blows.
"The Grail belongs to me and Mikoto! I won't let ya claim it!" Lancer snarled at the other Servant.
The two began dashing across a cave wall, continuing to clash in much the same way two bloodthirsty beasts would, not only with weapons but with hand-to-hand blows. They refused to let up, not until the other is burning in the Grail and they didn't seem to care how brutal their attempts to end each other looked to a third party.
The demonic spear abruptly entered Saber through the abdomen, easily piercing through her armor. Lancer was straddling her, stabbing down with his weapon with both hands. She felt Clarent leave her hand momentarily, the weight missing from her gauntlet-covered hand noticeable even over the agony assaulting her from her midsection. But she managed to summon it back, as if she held an invisible string attached to the handle of the weapon. At that moment, Lancer increased his gravitational pull, forcing the other knight into the ground much like a dropped wrecking ball, staying atop her and having Gáe Bolg still going through her the entire time. A cloud of dust that reached up to the ceiling of the cavern obscured the two, but it was almost certain they would soon resume going for the other's throat. Sure enough, Saber seemed to somehow pull away from Lancer and the clanging recommenced.
After several clashes with their weapons, Gáe Bolg went flying out of Lancer's hand. He made the motion to have it return, but the other Servant's sword went for his spirit core without missing a beat. Ropes of magenta entangled themselves around Saber. Just as they burst into flames, red lightning exploded from the body of the captured knight, breaking the ropes and allowing her to flash away. She then went at the Red King, ready to impale him through the heart. Lancer shouldered Mikoto away. The instant he did, Clarent ran him through the chest.
Saber tsked. "Missed his spirit core."
The Celtic warrior's bloody lips formed a grin and a chuckle was heard. "Damn straight ya did. I'll tell ya something...I'm known as a guard dog for a reason. I defended Ulster as a Red Branch Knight. Now as a Servant of the Red Clan...I'll fight until my last breath if needed to defend my family!"
In a Holy Grail War happening in another timeline, this fifth one taking place in the city of Fuyuki, blood flew on the priest's face as he severed Bazett's left arm, the double-bladed Command Seal hitting the ground. Her loyal Servant had been sent away at the time. As a result, Lancer was unable to rush back to defend her in time and he always considered that incident to be one of his greatest failures.
The female Servant saw the blade of the crimson demonic spear go for her neck as soon as he said those words. Thinking fast, she moved back in time, ripping Clarent free from the spearman's chest. She spat in annoyance. This guy just refused to give up!
'Finish this, Saber.'
'Heh! I was thinkin' the same thing!'
Saber held her upright sword firmly with both hands and the sword instantly turned demonic. Pure, red hatred toward her father and mana sprung from the blade in a tower. One could even opt to think that the red color comes from blood.
"Noble Phantasm?! Fine." Lancer held his spear like he was going to throw it. Thick, red mana mixed with his killing intent, so thick the air froze with only these supernatural beings allowed to move, burst from his body and his spear. The true nature of the destructive spear possessed by the hero who hadn't lost in his lifetime was about to be unleashed. A demonic weapon stronger than even Odin's Gungnir, the original for Gáe Bolg. Unfortunately, since he's throwing it on the ground, its maximum range for impact is cut down to 20 km instead of 40 km, which could be achieved by throwing it while in the air.
"Clarent Blood Arthur! [Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father]" The sword was swung down and a demonic torrential column of crimson mana was fired at Lancer.
"Gáe Bolg! [Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death]" The spear was hurled at Mach 2 in Saber's direction, a thick whirlpool of red mana enveloping the weapon.
The two Noble Phantasms clashed like two shots of pure fiery magical energy, both demonic attacks competing to snuff the other out forever. The true face of both ruthless demons were on full display with these terrifying attacks. The ground trembled as violently as if hit by a really powerful earthquake and blinding crimson light filled the cavern. They ended up detonating, creating a massive explosion like an expanding dome of blood. But due to Clarent Blood Arthur being in there, the blast didn't contain the curse of death. Mikoto had a thick dome of his red aura around him in case the blast hit the King, but would it withstand being so close to two Anti-Army Noble Phantasms? After all, the red aura is more suited for offense than defense. The attacks quickly dissipated to avoid damaging the cavern enough to cause it to collapse. The blast sent Saber flying back a long way, so far that she smashed into the wall behind her. Lancer was blown away, blood flying from who knows how many wounds, and ended up falling into the dark mud of the Grail.
Saber's armor had been blown off completely and the red clothes on her body were damaged, only strips of ruby fabric clinging to a Saint Graph. The Servant bled profusely from numerous wounds scattered all over her. Every breath she took brought a fresh wave of pain. She was panting hard and using her sword to stand. Since that happened to a Servant from being caught in that, then someone with a human body would most likely be vaporized. Utilizing her Noble Phantasm puts her in an extreme amount of pain, so it's amazing that she's still able to stand. 'I...I killed him.'
'We failed on our end, so wait at the base for us.'
"Gah!" Mikoto looked at the back of his right hand, where he felt the sharp sting, and his eyes went wide. The Command Seal faded away. He immediately tried to sense the connection he had to his Servant. The Path is gone! No way...There's no way he's dead! "Lancer!" the King shouted. But the warrior didn't reply.
Saber chuckled darkly, already starting to go out. "Don't bother. He's already been eliminated from the game. Now scram if ya know what's good for ya." She paused and looked back at the Greater Grail, where Lancer had disappeared into. Then she limped out of the cavern.
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Anna yawned, about to go to sleep, when something happened with one of the red marbles on her nightstand. The marble turned jet-black as if filled with a cloud of ink. It was then followed by red lines creeping and spreading out among the black like a cluster of vines. The marble then seemed to explode like it contained an explosive, causing Anna to squeal and hide under her covers so she wouldn't get cut up by the flying shards. Tiny wisps of dark violet flames also sprung forth, but went out almost as fast as they had emerged.
She peeked out at the ruined remains of the marble. Red eyes went wide and tears built in them for a reason unknown to her right now. "Lan...cer..?"
Right then, Kiba sat up and let out a mournful howl. A bit later, her door burst open and Izumo stood in the entrance.
"I just heard Kiba! Why is he howling?"
Her tears spilled from her eyes. "I don't know...but I think something happened to Lancer!"
Almost as if on cue, Kiba dissolved into flecks of blue mana, the motes gently floating away as if carried by a breeze. Izumo was just staring jaw-dropped.
"The hell..?"
"What'll we do now?" Tenkei asked. They were in JUNGLE's base, all tending to their injuries.
"We now know what to expect," Nagare replied. He had been helped into his wheelchair and wore a new straightjacket. "Once Saber and I recover, we'll attack the Tower again and get what we need to claim the Greater Grail. We'll need to hurry before we get killed."
"Yeah, but there's two Servants here and only one there," Sukuna pointed out. "We can take our time to prepare."
"Sukuna has a point," Yukari said. "They'll be ready for us the second time. We need to be sure we're fully ready."
Tenkei shook his head. "All Servants have an urge to kill each other. It grows stronger each day during the War. I don't know when it'll happen, but Saber and Rider will be compelled to kill any competition, even if it's their ally. We need to get the Greater Grail and win this War before that happens."
Nagare glanced at Saber. "How long until your wounds heal?"
"Fucker cut me with his spear. The curse slows Servant healing way down. I doubt even Father's Avalon [The Everdistant Utopia] would help much." Even if the blow was non-fatal, the spear's curse kills the cells it divides. While healing magecraft and a Servant's self-healing works, the curse makes it so even minor cuts that were delivered will take a few days to close. "I also won't get a good amount of mana from you until you're better. It'll take me a few days to have recovered enough to fight a King."
Nagare took a deep inhale. That isn't good. Rider shouldn't be in as bad of a state, but it isn't good to have such a powerful fighter be benched. He could use his Command Seal to give her mana, but he'll save using a stroke to give her mana unless it becomes necessary. Luckily there are other options.
"Mr. Iwa. Could you allow Saber to suck your blood? She's most likely trying not to fade and I doubt either of you wish to do a mana transfer."
Tenkei sputtered. "What?!"
"Yeah, he might break a hip," Saber said with a sneer.
"I'm only 41!" the Grey King exclaimed.
"Wait, he still needs a lot of his own mana," Rider pointed out.
"I'll only drink enough to stabilize myself. No need to get your panties in a bunch, Rider," Saber smirked when she said that last sentence.
Tenkei pinched the bridge of his nose. "Saber, zip it before infighting breaks out."
Saber looked at him with an expression similar to a child about to throw a tantrum. "Don't tell me what to do!"
He completely blew her off, instead pulling one of his sleeves back. "Are you going to drink my blood or not?"
Saber tsked, as if the though of being reduced to doing something like this disgusted her. She eventually gave into her need for mana and stomped over to the King. "Fine, fine." She bit his wrist and started sucking the blood that flowed forth. After a couple minutes, she pulled her head back with her face twisted in disgust. "Ugh, your blood has a weird taste. Probably from all that beer you drink."
Tenkei couldn't help but roll his eyes as he fished out a roll of bandages from the first-aid kit near him. "Of course, you'll even use my blood to try insulting me."
"I was merely telling the truth that your blood's shit."
"I don't care. Deal with it." He got a beer out of the fridge after wrapping his wrist. "Like I care what you vampires think of it."
"I'm not a vampire! We Servants are different from Dead Apostles!"
"Doesn't change the fact you guys are still blood-suckers."
"Not all the time!"
Sukuna had his ears covered. "Argh! You two are giving me a headache!"
Nagare chose to ignore the bickering. "Saber, can you drink the blood of anyone else for the same effect?"
"I can suck the blood of normal mages as well for mana."
"Then I'll gather some JUNGLE players for you to feed on."
Saber shook her head. "Won't work. They actually need to have magic circuits, not borrowed power. The amount of energy I can get even if I suck a non-mage dry is really small. And I also refuse to eat hearts for mana." She and Rider recently learned that E through U-rank players lack even pseudo magic circuits. They obtain them after reaching J-rank.
Mikoto walked into the bar, alone. The other Clansmen were already gathered. They had already been told by Izumo and Anna what happened with Kiba.
"Mikoto...Where's Lancer?" Kousuke asked tentatively.
"...Gone." Mikoto's reply was blunt.
"He isn't actually dead, right?" Shouhei asked nervously. "He just had to dematerialize to preserve his mana."
"...My psychic connection to him has been severed," Mikoto replied monotonously. "My Command Seal's gone."
There was dead silence in the bar, aside from a multitude of sniffling. Like with Mikoto, the Clansmen truly believed Lancer couldn't be defeated. That he couldn't be...gone just like that. Then Anna burst out crying. Mikoto went over to her, went down on one knee, and pulled the girl into a tight embrace. She was shocked for a moment since this is the first time he's hugged her. But she proceeded to sob into his chest.
Tatara bit down on his lower lip hard enough to break the skin. Even if Lancer promised to keep Mikoto safe, did it have to come at the cost of his own life?
Izumo lit a cigarette. They hadn't even known the Servant for two weeks. Hell, he wasn't even a true Clansman. So how'd they all get so attached to the guy?
In a dark void, there was someone who was chained up severely. What was being restrained is a demon. A black ooze appeared on the seal tags covering the three dozen or so long chains, burning the slips of paper to nothing. A fanged grin formed on the person's corpse-white face, red veins on his cheeks flashing, and lifeless yellow eyes opened. He strained forward, black aura blazing, and easily broke the confines. The metal links that were looped all over his body clattered onto the ground while the remnants attached to his arms, legs, on his back, and neck remained. "So it's my turn now, huh?"
Izumo:...There's not much point now that you've lost the game.
Mikoto: What happened to ya..?
Nagare: There's apparently trouble in the War now.
Mordred: Seems I made things worse.
Rikio: But he's dead!
Jeanne: A Servant is able to harbor much hatred due to the events that transpired in their first life.
Tatara: It doesn't matter what circumstances befall you, as long as you're still you I'll love you.
Eric: How's he gonna recover from this?
Saruhiko: Why'd he do that..?
Next chapter: And He Returns
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I was originally going to make a quick thing for the fight between Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad. But I skipped it since I already did it twice. It's in Fate/stay night: Angra Mainyu (Day 10 I) and Fate/stay night: Future Sight (Day 8 IV)
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With Quantum Time-Locks, what dictates whether you're in the past, present or future? So there is a culling every 100 years so the Solar System doesn't die, but no bands.