Day 7
Back in Chaldea, Dr Roman fought the urge to groan, having just remembered that because he had Command Spells on himself, Mitsuru Alter could use them on a Servant, namely himself. It wasn't completely unheard of, Rulers like Jeanne d'Arc and Amakusa Shiro had both mentioned in a previous summoning, they were able to bestow their effects to Servants in the Holy Grail Wars they were summoned in as their adjudicators if they chose to directly intervene. But as far as his Saint Graph designation was concerned, Mitsuru Alter wasn't a Ruler as far as they were aware of, in fact switching between classes fluidly.
At this point, he really wanted Mitsuru to get back. From the screen, he could tell how winded the young Master was. Even if he could more freely call his contracted Servants to his side, it was already taking its toll. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if he collapsed right after returning to Chaldea.
Looking over to Da Vinci, he could tell the inventor was doing everything she could to try the recall rayshifting without resorting to skipping the safety measures. "No good. The systems are not stabilizing enough to let us pull him out of there."
"Is there anything he could do?" he pressed.
"Maybe set up a bounded field to isolate himself from his Alter," suggested the Mona Lisa lookalike. "I suspect he's emitting some kind of magical or technological interference signal, but…"
"But Mitsuru isn't remotely competent enough in magecraft to make his own," the acting director finished, to which Da Vinci nodded in confirmation. "Great. Just fantastic…" groaned the acting director.
"Have some faith in him," the independent Servant said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know he'll always find some way out."
"Yeah, he does that often." The little bit of assurance helped lift his spirits up just a little before the console in front of him beeped. "What the?"
Grand Battle 2/3
"The beginning and the end are meaningless. The journey that defines our existence decides the truth, the purpose. From memories of the silent hunt, I call upon this power! Noble Phantasm! Alter Mystic Code: Assassin!"
Dressed like Semiramis, Mitsuru Alter's eyes glowed red. "Alter Charge: Termination." A surge of magical power rushed through his veins, far above most Noble Phantasms. Merlin had an uncharacteristic look of alarm before he ordered his Master.
"Mitsuru! Protect Mash now!" He didn't have time to argue with the wizard, instead using his Mystic Code's Emergency Evade on Mash.
A great fortress emerged out of nowhere, rising from the forest and floating high above everyone. There had been no warning before a blue-purple beam was fired by the Imitation Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The energy consumed every Servant aside from Mash who managed to escape the devastation. But the shockwave knocked her and Mitsuru to the ground, coating them in dirt.
His ears rang. Somehow, his eardrums hadn't ruptured from being in such close proximity of the blast. However, every single part of his body ached from being blown off his feet, protesting every action he took. Despite his own wish to just lie down and pass out, the battle was far from over. Sucking in a breath, he sat up. "W-w-wha…" the Master stammered when he found a new crater where his Servants had been. In an instant, almost everyone on his side was vaporized, and if he hadn't protected Mash at Merlin's order, she would have been a goner too.
Mitsuru's stomach churned in discomfort and his heart raced several miles an hour. He couldn't stop his feet from shaking, and definitely not the beads of cold sweat running down his face and mixing in with the soil that caked his face. The situation was just as hopeless as the time they faced off against the Mother of All Life, except that their current opponent was literally capable of using almost every Servant he knew and everything they could do.
Fear suffocated him in its cold claws; was the "other twin" archetype supposed to be this terrifying? He wanted to run, just get out of there right now but his body wouldn't move. And with his team pretty much wiped out, his chances of victory dropped from decent to close to nil. His brain desperately tried to come up with something, anything, to pull Mash and himself out of the hopeless situation, but there was absolutely nothing he could-
"Hah… hah…"
"Huh?" Mitsuru couldn't believe his eyes. His Alter was kneeling down, seemingly trying to catch his breath from unleashing his full-party wipe attack. "Is that a drawback from overclocking himself? If that's the case, then we might actually have a shot!"
"Master, are you okay?!" Mash called out.
"Uh… yeah! How about you?"
"Still ready to fight, Master!"
He nodded, focusing once more to call upon his next set of Servants. His brain scrambled for a half-decent strategy, ideally someone who could deal a significant amount of damage in a single Noble Phantasm. His immediate selection against a powerful Assassin would normally be Medea or Sanzang, if not for the fact that class advantages weren't a safe bet against his Alter thanks to the NP-reflecting skill he possessed.
It was far too dangerous to test out what was its downtime and whether switching his class affinity immediately reset that ability. In that case, he should save type advantage for a finishing blow. And he had a feeling that Medea's Rule Breaker was far too important to lose.
"Master, we're here!" called out Bedivere, along with David, Carmilla and Hassan of the Cursed Arm. With his Knight's Tactics skill activated, the power of their Noble Phantasms rose. The older form of the Blood Countess smirked evilly as her Phantom Maiden emerged behind the helpless Mitsuru Alter and crushed him within it. Following up was the most senior Knight of the Round Table's own Noble Phantasm, cleaving the still-trapped Alter with the energy blade of Switch On - Airgetlam.
But he wasn't down for the count yet. Recovering from his skill's drawback, he kicked open the wrecked door of the iron maiden and stepped out, bleeding slightly. Switching to an image of the Hundred Personas, dark copies of himself emerged from the shadows. Each clone drew out their weapons, ranging from spears to daggers, all ready to take down their opposition.
"Focus on the countess, now!" Mitsuru Alter ordered and tens of shadow clones proceeded to rush their fellow Assassin in his imitation of the Hundred Personas' Zabaniya. Bedivere readied his sword, as Carmilla's claw-like hand prepared to cut down as many as possible before she inadvertently was swarmed.
Mitsuru couldn't help but flinch, despite having used the last Old Man of the Mountain before, it was still terrifying to witness a mob of shadows armed to the teeth. But precisely because he had used the Hundred Personas before, he knew which was the "true" one or leader, namely, the one that stood out from the rest.
A sentiment shared by Cursed Arm, who had unraveled the bandages that kept his eponymous arm hidden from view. Shaytan's demonic arm stretched out and the Hassan aimed for the spiritual copy of Mitsuru Alter's heart. It was his Zabaniya, powered by the curse of the demon he sealed away in life.
Of course, such a Noble Phantasm didn't go unnoticed. Several of the shadows broke rank as ordered by their commander, charging straight for the Assassin. However, they were intercepted by Mash and David, driving them back before they could interrupt Cursed Arm.
"Oh, that's going to hurt," mumbled Mitsuru Alter with a grimace, watching helplessly as his spiritual heart was crushed by the demon arm, his own heart exploding in his chest. Many of his shadow clones collapsed, clutching their chests as they faded away. But his Spirit Origin was far from destroyed.
"The beginning and the end are meaningless. The journey that defines our existence decides the truth, the purpose. From memories of the great mount, I call upon this power! Noble Phantasm! Alter Mystic Code: Rider!"
Upon invocation, his Spirit Origin stabilized and his body regenerated, including his crushed heart. After glowing he switched to the armour of the Greek hero Achilles and once more, his eyes glowed menacingly. "Alter Charge: Termination." Leaping high into the air just as the replica of a chariot and spectral horses emerged from a portal. Imitation Troias Tragoidia rapidly descended upon them, intending to crush them under its enhanced power.
This time, Mitsuru wasn't caught off-guard, he had David around for a good reason. In the shepherd's hand now was a harp, his Harp of Healing. A mystical song blessed his allies with great speed, all of them easily leaping out of the way of the chariot's warpath. As soon as the vehicle disappeared, Mitsuru Alter suffered from his skill's drawback.
"Clever…" he wheezed out a compliment.
There was no time to take that praise. Switching Bedivere, Carmilla and Cursed Arm out for Euryale, Tamamo-no-Mae and Robin Hood, he had Tamamo use her Fox Wedding skill to boost Euryale's power while Robin shot a yew tree arrow at Mitsuru Alter's arm, poisoning and temporarily weakening him with his Sabotage.
"You have the right to reform… Then, it can't be helped. Hamesh Avanim!"
"Tree of burial, hone your fangs. Yew Bow!"
"Are you ready for this? Eye of the Euryale!"
Mitsuru Alter's eyes widened. "Shit."
Three Noble Phantasms shot forward, with Eye of the Euryale and Yew Bow following behind Hamesh Avanim. The sling-thrown rock smashed against his chest, disorienting him while the two arrows made contact. His body exploded in pain; the middle Gorgon sister's anti-male effect and the Sherwood Forest's faceless hero's poison-triggered explosion did a number on him.
But he wasn't out for the count as a Rider yet. Getting back up onto his feet, Mitsuru Alter focused and switched to an outfit that brought to mind Mary Read's. And thanks to the amount of damage he took earlier, he could exploit her power immediately. He rushed towards Tamamo, cutlass manifesting in his hand.
The fox girl's eyes widened in alarm, bringing up her mirror to guard while her Morph skill kicked in, temporarily modifying her being to take on the full brunt of the Imitation Caribbean Free Bird. The first of the flurry from the cutlass nearly smashed aside her mirror, a sign that the dual-Servants' Noble Phantasm had reached a much higher potential than it would have been normally. The second strike sent it flying. The next few sliced Tamamo, and as she reeled back heavily bleeding, he leaped away with Anne Bonny's musket in hand and donning her pirate's outfit, taking aim at the Caster.
"Tamamo, watch out!" Mitsuru screamed, but she couldn't react even if she wanted to. The slashes had ripped open her muscles, rendering them incapable of movement. She simply shut her eyes and prayed it wouldn't be too painful.
Mitsuru Alter squeezed the trigger, the recoil kicking up a great amount of dirt and cracking the earth underneath him. The bullet flew for her head. And bounced off harmlessly.
"Eh?" Both the Caster and enemy Rider looked bewildered, that was supposed to kill her. The latter's brain went blank, unsure of what Tamamo could have done to survive the kill shot. But his brief mental freeze was enough for the shrine maiden to throw a few fire and ice curse charms in his face.
He yelped in surprise, flailing in front of his face to avoid getting blinded by the surprise attack. And just when the fire and ice dissipated from his field of vision, Mash rammed into him, sending Mitsuru Alter flying a few feet. "Sorry about that everyone!" the Shielder yelled. It clicked in Mitsuru's head, how on earth did he forget about her Obscurant Wall of Chalk?
A similar sentiment must have gone through his Alter's head, given he face-palmed when he recovered. "You too, huh?"
"I'm such a terrible senpai."
"We are. But back to business."
"R-right."
"The beginning and the end are meaningless. The journey that defines our existence decides the truth, the purpose. From memories of the magical arts, I call upon this power! Noble Phantasm! Alter Mystic Code: Caster!"
Mitsuru Alter's first Caster form was a yukata that was vaguely reminiscent of Tamamo-no-Mae's witch dress, and a Fox Wedding spell was cast on himself. As soon as the enchantment was bound to him, he switched to the robes worn by Merlin, adding on his Dreamlike Charisma. After that, the lab coat that Paracelsus von Hohenheim was most commonly seen in. Elemental further ramped up the considerable amount of magical energy.
Lastly, he took on the appearance of Caster Gilgamesh and supercharged himself with both the king's Charisma and Sovereign of Magical Staff along with his own Alter Charge: Termination, as Mitsuru had expected. As the numerous magical cannons of Imitation Melammu Dingir took aim, he nodded towards David. With his Harp of Healing again, the shepherd's skill granted them evasion right before the salvo flattened the area, saving them from the imitation Noble Phantasm. And as he had expected from the previous phase-change supercharged Noble Phantasm, Mitsuru Alter seems too exhausted to do anything.
"Seems like he always uses that Alter Charge skill every time he switches forms… Now I wish I had saved that for when he uses Berserker."
Looking over at his Servants, he grimaced. David was clearly exhausted, Tamamo was just about to collapse and Mash was barely standing at this point. On the other hand, Euryale and Robin Hood were still alright for the time being.
"David, Tamamo, you two head back. Thanks for your help." They nodded, disappearing. Their replacements were Sanzang, Berserker Lancelot and Medea. If he could, he'd have Mash return back to Chaldea with the other two but that wasn't happening in his current reality.
"Mash, please hang back for a few." The Demi-Servant nodded, albeit reluctantly, as she went into the backline. Turning his attention to Medea, the Caster understood after a quick mental transmission of information. The Princess of Colchis was among the best magi in the world, thanks to her hailing from the Age of Gods. Chanting in ancient Greek, the few words she spoke charged her mana to her maximum capacity.
Magic circles formed below Mitsuru Alter, dark lightning striking and paralyzing him. It was merely an insurance, for her Noble Phantasm required her to get up close and personal. Normally, any Caster who had something like that would have to be suicidal. But her magecraft was second-to-none, the paralysis spell keeping him in place as she rushed in front of him, raising the magical dagger.
"Rule Breaker!"
Sinking the blade into his chest, the many magical enchantments that he had given himself were severed from his being. Pulling back as the enchantments were purged, the sorceress raised a couple of Dragon Tooth Warriors to harry him while Lancelot charged in screaming, a darkened Arondight in hand.
Mitsuru Alter, now having shaken off the effects of Medea's first spell, switched to the mechanized visage of Charles Babbage in response. The skeletal warriors' dragon bone-based blades barely scratched the armour, though internally he grit his teeth. Babbage's body was, after all, the robot-like form, and not a man piloting it. He would take note of it later, using the club the Father of Computers wielded to smash the skeletons aside before engaging with the mad knight.
Lancelot howled, short bursts of mana erupting from Arondight with each slash that his Master's Alter parried. The former was quick but frenzied, the latter slow but far more controlled and precise. He was not able to block every attack, so he made do with countering anything that would leave a grievous wound. One of which staggered Lancelot, which he took advantage of to bat him away into the sky like a baseball.
But the fallen knight of the Round Table was far from knocked out. With another scream, he whipped out a pair of machine guns, seemingly out of nowhere and rained fire down onto his opponent. Where and why he got automatic firearms was a mystery to everyone, though from little information Mitsuru got from the knight, he might have taken a small liking to them from a Holy Grail War from some other timeline and were "summoned" with him. It sounded as absurd as the image of a medieval knight going all Rambo, but the Master had seen enough crazy things to judge.
Like how the mecha-like Servant form of his Alter was flying towards Lancelot right now. He did a double take; indeed Mitsuru Alter was using the power of steam to rocket himself towards the knight. He had taken a few shots by the Knight of Owner-controlled guns, but he wasn't slowed down in the slightest. Yelling, the Alter crashed into Lancelot before switching to robes that resembled Sanzang's. And in his hand, a rake that proceeded to smash the Berserker into the ground.
Still in mid-air, he summoned a rod, Sun Wukong's, and prepared to nail the knight down with it, only to be intercepted by the real Sanzang, knocking it out of his hand. "Forgot about me, huh?" she asked playfully.
"Almost," he admitted with a smirk. In the next moment, his hand shot out in a palm strike, one that was easily blocked by the monk. She grinned, delivering her own as they continued falling, each retaliating with all they got. The display of martial arts didn't stop even after they crashed down back to the earth, and in fact intensified.
Robin Hood bit his lip, as he waited along with Euryale for an opportunity for potshots as per their Master's command. As one of his earliest Servants, he had seen Mitsuru grow from a meek teenager who had little in the way of leadership to something of a tactician, planning and adapting on the fly. Lord El-Melloi II's lessons definitely helped, but seeing him put theory into practice made the pseudo-Servant proud and the other Servants amazed at how quickly he was getting a hang of it.
His brain was working overtime, passing information and giving orders without missing a beat even in the heat of battle. Even if there were hiccups along the way, he never seemed to be too distracted by the missteps, pushing forward with them in mind.
But he was sensing something was off. It was more of a gut feeling than anything else, but he felt a slight haze in the Master's mind. Then there was how he was now breathing unevenly, and to his trained eyes, his admittedly very discrete attempts at suppressing his coughing. Was he…?
Euryale turned to him. "You noticed it too?" she asked telepathically, without their Master in the loop. They would have to bring it up to the next Servants later on. Before that though, they found their opening.
"You're pretty good! But you can't beat the original!" Sanzang remarked with a smirk.
"There's no rule that says a fake can't beat the original!" retorted Mitsuru Alter, one of his palm strikes staggering the monk as she guarded herself, readying another to crush her head. But that smirk never left her face. The hairs at the back of his neck raised. She left herself open on purpose!
His body jerked forward, having been shot in the back by the two Archers. His aim was thrown off, just barely grazing her cheek but that chance to finish off Sanzang was gone. She dealt a series of powerful palm strikes to his chest, quickly yet controlled. Every impact was one closer to lifting him off his feet, and the final blow of her Noble Phantasm sent him flying and crashing hard against the dirt.
With his Caster form down, all he had left was the last of the cavalry classes. He wheezed, switching designations once more.
"The beginning and the end are meaningless. The journey that defines our existence decides the truth, the purpose. From memories of boundless insanity, I call upon this power! Noble Phantasm! Alter Mystic Code: Berserker!"
His stamina was restored, and now he took on the form of Eric Bloodaxe, horns and all. Dark mist surrounded all of Mitsuru's Servants, each of them feeling weakened by the miasma. It was the Berserker's Support Magic skill, Mitsuru realized, or rather, it was more of the magecraft of his wife Gunnhild. And again, his Alter Charge: Termination kicked in. "Say goodbye."
He raised the blood-red axe that gave the Viking king his moniker, ready to unleash Imitation Bloodbath Crown. Mitsuru turned pale. Even with Mash's help, at least half of his team would be wiped out. He tried to come up with something, only to hear a familiar voice in his head. "Have you forgotten about my Noble Phantasm?"
He really needed to get his head checked the moment he returned back to Chaldea. Preferably not by the Angel of Crimea who made her appearance before him. "Treatment, start. I will abstain from everything that is harmful and everything that is poisonous. It will stop them with all my strength and guide everybody to happiness!" A pale green aura emerged from Florence Nightingale, slowly turning blue and shaping itself into a spectral nurse wielding a sword. "Nightingale Pledge!" she yelled, with the conceptual manifestation of her opposition of death in the battlefield slamming its weapon into Mitsuru Alter.
While the Noble Phantasm did no damage on its own, it heavily suppressed the hostility of her enemy and restored the strength of her allies, even removing the curse they were afflicted with. A much needed aid, as a whirlwind of bloodlust-powered swings from the Alter followed after a battle-cry. Even dampened by Nightingale Pledge, the power output was still high enough to nearly take out almost everyone he had summoned before Nightingale, even after Mash set up her Honorable Wall of Snowflakes to further bulwark against the onslaught.
Deciding it was best to switch out, he had Euryale, Robin Hood, Lancelot and Medea return while he quickly considered the next best team. He didn't notice the second-oldest of the Gorgon sisters mouth something to the battle-ready nurse as she was tagged out. Nightingale nodded, understanding the situation. She had already noticed it when she took to the battlefield, and while her natural compulsion would have been to treat it immediately, the presence of immediate danger meant it would go against her duties as a nurse to not protect her allies from direct harm.
And so she suppressed it as best as she could, at least for the time being.
Mitsuru understood the inherent strength of a Berserker. Focusing entirely on offense, they gave any poor sap who was in the middle of their warpath no chance to defend themselves. On the other hand, that also meant they forgo protecting themselves from harm. In short, he needed to hit Berserker Mitsuru Alter hard and fast to survive this encounter.
Tristan, Cu Chulainn, Amakusa and Artemis joined Nightingale and Mash for arguably the most difficult battle yet. "Yo, Master. First time facing off another version of yourself, huh?" the Hound of Chulainn asked, a hint of cheekiness in the Lancer's voice.
"Now I see why… you and Artoria get uncomfortable… when you first see your Alters," the Master wheezed out, now hunched over, hands on his knees.
"Are you alright?" the Japanese Catholic saint inquired, supporting him by the shoulder. Everyone expressed their own concerns as well.
"I'll be fine," he forced himself to say, even though none of the Servants would believe him anyway. "Just win quickly so we can go home."
"Will do!" Artemis cheerfully told him, aiming her bow and firing an energy arrow at Mitsuru Alter without missing a beat. In his exhausted state thanks to Alter Charge: Termination, he had no choice but to take it head on, skewering him in the shoulder. Tristan followed up, running his fingers and pulling the strings of his Failnaught. The invisible soundwaves bombarded him, cutting deep rifts into the flesh. Cu zipped forward, bringing the shaft of Gae Bolg down against his head. If he was anything but a Servant, Mitsuru Alter's head would've exploded into skull fragments and brain tissue from the impact. While his head remained intact, the force was more than enough to send him face first into the earth.
Growling, his Madness Enhancement rank grew. Rising to his feet, the stone axe-sword of Heracles appeared in his hand. A roar escaped his mouth, letting loose a series of heavy swings that was barely blocked by Cu. The Imitation Nine Lives crashed against Gae Bolg far more strongly than the Lancer thought, with him skidding backwards while his arms grew numb.
"Damn, this guy isn't kidding around!" And his gut feeling told him that Mitsuru Alter had been going easy with that first attack.
Turning his attention to Amakusa, Mitsuru Alter rushed towards the Ruler, the heavy axe-sword dragged along the ground. Keeping a calm demeanour, Amakusa threw several Black Keys at the berserking enemy, only slightly frowning as the throwing knives did little to slow him down. Leaping over him, the priest threw his red cape around his head before landing.
The rage-filled Alter ripped it off after struggling with it for a second, ready to smash the young man into paste when the Black Keys that had managed to embed in him glowed in holy power. The white-haired man who threw them was deep in focus, finishing chanting a short prayer. The glow grew intense, the oppressive rays of light of Divine Judgement that held him in place.
"Nightingale, now!" The nurse of steel closed the distance, pulling the pin of a grenade she pulled out of her bag with her teeth. Slamming the explosive into Mitsuru Alter, the resulting detonation left shrapnel in the now-exposed flesh but somehow leaving Nightingale unharmed. Pulling out a pair of pistols, she fired repeatedly while creating some distance.
The light that immobilized Mitsuru Alter faded, allowing him to shift into a different Berserker. Black fur coated parts of his body, his nails sharpening. A boar head that dripped purple fluid from its mouth formed on his shoulder like a grotesque pauldron. Atalanta Alter's form, albeit modified for his own body.
He snarled, a bow manifesting from his mana in his right hand. Dark purple energies coalesced in his free hand, shaping itself into an arrow. Taking aim, the arrow was let loose from his hand. It flew by Cu's head, far faster than it should, and struck Tristan in the chest. The Knight of the Round Table's normally shut eyes shot wide open when he was lifted off his feet, the arrow almost nailing him to a tree.
"How… sad…" Tristan coughed. It hurt way too much to be a normal Berserker's attack, but somehow he remained conscious even if his body protested any movements from him.
But Mitsuru Alter wasn't done yet, mana surging through his muscles. Closing the distance between himself and Amakusa, the Ruler was nearly caught by surprise at the now-feral expression. His katana met against the Alter's claws, blocking them just in time, but it felt like his own bones were straining not to break under the impacts. "Is he getting stronger every time he attacks?" he thought, gritting his teeth while the final dropping axe kick finally broke through his guard. Bracing himself for the worst, he brought out more Black Keys and threw them to buy his side more time.
Instead of taking them head-on like the first time, Mitsuru Alter leapt high into the sky to evade the throwing knives, the darkened Tauropolos replica now aimed at Artemis and Mash. A trio of dark mana arrows were launched towards the Archer and Shielder respectively, at faster speeds than the one Tristan had the displeasure of acquaintance. Mash immediately raised her shield, holding her ground even as each arrow threatened to destabilize her footing. The first one shattered the ground she stood on and the second had nearly taken her off her feet.
Artemis was not as lucky. As the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, she never missed her mark barring exceptional circumstances (that often had her throw a fit in frustration). That, and with her beloved Orion's Saint Graph, made her aim beyond anything humans could ever hope to come remotely close to. Even if she was in a simple Servant container, her divinity ensured her shots had more power than the average Archer. Firing three arrows towards the one aimed for her, she stared in horror when none of them actually destroyed the approaching projectile.
Fortunately, the consecutive hits managed to slow down the opposing arrow to barely survivable limits and throw off its trajectory from hitting her dead-on to just missing her feet. Unfortunately, Mitsuru Alter's arrow still packed a lot of punch. Once the arrow tip made contact with the earth, it detonated in a dark explosion, sending Artemis and Orion flying, the latter screaming far louder than the former.
Gritting his teeth, Tristan played another tune, letting the soundwaves carry him into the air. It was an unusual application of Failnaught, but one only he could perform with minimal problems. It took a few strums, but he managed to fly fast enough to catch the goddess before they landed in a heap. As for Orion, Amakusa threw a throwing knife that struck the teddy bear-like body in the arm, nailing him to a tree somewhere. The priest even offered a wince as Orion yelped at the unwanted projectile meeting its mark. But apologies could wait later.
An aura that resembled a demonic boar in shape surrounded Mitsuru Alter, preparing to charge and gore anyone who dared to stand in his way. But Cu fell in front of him, his spear glowing red. "Your heart is mine! Gae Bolg!" the warrior screamed, letting the cursed spear's reverse causality ability take effect. Even if Mitsuru Alter tried to dodge, the spear would still strike true. And struck true it did, spearing through his heart. Lifting the now helpless Servant, the demigod warrior threw him far away from his team.
The body crashed hard, but despite his severe and normally fatal wounds, he got back to his feet, albeit with some difficulty. "I knew I shouldn't have bet on my Noble Phantasm being a sure kill," Cu groaned.
With his Berserker form defeated and having reverted to his base form, Mitsuru Alter focused on the second of his command seals. "With this command seal, I order myself! Fight against my fate! Show no quarter!" The glow restored him back to a healthy state and replenished his mana reserves fully for further Noble Phantasm activations.
"I knew this was far from over," groaned Mitsuru before he started coughing. He brought a hand to his head, feeling mildly dizzy and a tad nauseous too. And it felt like his forehead's a little too warm.
The resident nurse of Chaldea took note of the symptoms almost immediately.. "Master, you're falling sick again."
"Really?" The unamused stare from Nightingale had him retract his question. "Right, never question the mother of modern nursing in anything medicine-related. How bad is it?"
"You are getting paler and coughing, on top of having signs of a fever."
"Well… dammit." He could already imagine the very strained expression on Dr Roman's face when he gets back.
She could no longer keep her instincts, her code at bay. "We need immediate treatment! Starting with amputation!" she announced, pulling out a syringe, a bottle of anesthetics and most alarmingly, a bone saw out of her medical bag.
"NO THANK YOU!" he shrieked.
Day 7 Part 2: Cavalry Repelled
And here's part 2. Stay tuned for the final part of the battle. I'm sure you can guess what our not-intrepid hero is going to face.
Feel free to critic and review this chapter as always!