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Clarent Blood Arthur: Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction
Chapter 16: Curse of a Million Sins
"What...on earth...?"
Berserker couldn't believe what she was seeing. To be fair, neither Servant nor Master present could. As she could only stare at the monstrosity's approach, she felt as if she was peering into the cold, endless abyss that threatened to consume her.
What sent a chill down her spine was that she felt as if it was looking back at her.
She looked to her fellow Servants. The expression of terror on each of their faces told her what she already knew; This was a fight they cannot win.
Berserker then turned to her Master, who stared stupefied at what she was witnessing.
"No..." She murmured, her voice laced with sheer horror. "This is not possible..."
"Illya!" Berserker grabbed her by the arm, snapping her out of it. "We have to go. NOW!"
"R-Right..." Illya nodded. They were about to do so when they heard a blood curdling shriek. The Shadow had found itself a target; the Caster who had been gravely wounded by Berserker.
"N-No! STAY AWAY!" The Witch of Betrayal, her mana reserves all but spent due to her weakened state, could not teleport or fly to safety. All she could was fire bolts of light at it. The attacks could barely even scratch it due to the lack of mana powering it. It was either that, or that it just shrugged it off like it was nothing. It didn't matter in the end.
"NO!" Caster shrieked as the Shadow drew close. This prompted Lancelot to act.
"Get away from her, foul creature!" The Knight of the Lake roared as he swung Arondight and cut at the creatures side to leave a noticeable gash. He smiled in triumph, believing that his keen edge would give the creature pause.
He quickly learned that it was not the case, as the cut quickly closed as if it was no bother.
"My God..." Lancelot was understandably shocked at this sight. So shocked that he didn't register the Shadow's retaliatory strike instantly.
"Sir Lancelot!"
Thankfully, Ruler's warning was enough to rouse him from his daze. It gave him enough time to take a step back to narrowly avoid the lashing appendage from hitting his face.
"It's no use..." Lancer grit his teeth, his every instinct telling him to run. "We're not gonna be able to beat that thing as it is now..."
"But we need to help her!" Ruler gritted her teeth as she readied her banner, though Lancer shook his head.
"Lass, there ain't no helping her now."
It didn't take long for the Shadow to move forward once more. It was seeking Caster, who was attempting to crawl away out of desperation.
"No...It wasn't...It wasn't supposed to go like this..." She grit her teeth as she tried to pull her wounded body, but it was no use. Berserker's attack damaged her Spirit Core gravely. Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw that her Master was still petrified and bound by Illya's enchanted cables. Unlike her, he was perfectly healthy despite his current state. When she saw the Shadow turn it's attention towards him, she knew what she had to do.
"At the very least..." Forgetting her own terror, she exerted tremendous effort to focus all her energies on to her palm in a last ditch spell. "Souchiro-sama...will be safe...!"
She fired a beam of light that struck the Shadow's back. While it did middling damage against it, it's attention was drawn to her. Before any of the Servants could react, the Shadow was upon Caster. It's many tendrils lashed out and wrapped themselves around the Witch of Betrayal's limb, constricting her movement.
"Caster!" Ruler called out and was about to act, but the witch shook her head with a sad smile.
"It's too late for me..." Caster sighed softly as the black mass began drawing her in. "I have...one last...request...protect...my Master...Can you do that...for me?"
Ruler nodded, her expression one of determination. She took advantage of the distraction to retrieve Kuzuki personally, which caused Caster to smile.
"Thank...you..."
She closed her eyes and, within moments, darkness was all she knew.
Both Assassin and Gawain stopped in the midst of their duel went they felt an overwhelming dark presence coming from the Temple.
"What the devil?!" The Knight of the Sun trembled as the overbearing weight of the dark aura hit him.
"This isn't good." Assassin narrowed his eyes, looking up to the Temple Gate. "I can no longer feel the wench's presence. No doubt that whatever is up there is a danger to all in the Temple. Including your Master."
"Then Lady Jeanne-!"
"Is in grave danger." Assassin finished for him. "Seeing as we can no longer afford to tarry, we must make haste."
"Right." Gawain nodded, bowing his slightly out of gratitude. "Thank you, Kojiro Sasaki. Your kindness will not be forgotten."
"Do not be so quick to assume." The eastern swordsman chuckled. "After this is over, you and I will resume our duel post-haste."
"Aye. I was beginning to enjoy myself. However, we must hurry."
With a mutual nod between them, the pair began to hastily ascend the stair, not knowing the horror that awaited them at the top.
"Mon Dieu..."
All the Servants and Masters could only watch as the Shadow made short work of consuming Caster. They stared in horror as the mass of darkness leaped at her and smothered her into the abyss. It took only a minute, but by the time it was done, she was gone with nary a trace.
"What a monster..." Lancer would be the first to speak, even he himself stupefied by what he just saw. It was around that same time that Kuzuki finally came to.
"Where's...Caster?" He asked while he was perched on Ruler's shoulders, though her morose frown gave him a fleeting suspicion of his Servant's final fate.
"She's gone." Ruler nodded somberly. "However, I gave her my word to protect you, no matter what." She then turned to Lancer. "I will need you to take Kuzuki Souichiro to the Church. Distaste for your Master aside, it's the safest place he can be right now."
"...Well, you have a point. Give him here." Lancer effortlessly hoisted the teacher over his shoulder. "What about you guys?"
"We will try to escape here ourselves." Lancelot answered, eyes narrowing as the Shadow slowly turned whatever constituted as a head as if to scan it's surroundings. "Though I doubt that this thing will make it easy for us."
"Alright. Try not to die then." With that curt farewell, Lancer made a swift exit just as Beserker was still checking on Illya.
"Are you alright, Illya?" Berserker asked her Master, who nodded slowly.
"Yes, I am. However, we have more pressing matters." The Master answered, slowly regaining her bearings as she turned to the Shadow. "Right now, we need to focus on escaping. There's no way we can win here."
Just as she said this, Gawain and Assassin had arrived. Their eyes were widened at the sight of the monstrosity before them.
"What on earth is that?!" The Knight of the Sun would answer, he himself as shocked as the rest at the sight of the Shadow.
"A great evil that I fear not even we can overcome." Lancelot grit his teeth.
"And the wench?" Assassin asked, causing Ruler to shake her head.
"She's gone."
No sooner had she said this that the Shadow suddenly jerked it's head at their direction. The moment they felt the sudden chill go down their spine, our heroes knew that this monster had their attention on them.
"We need to go. NOW." Just as Ruler warned them, The Shadow struck. A tendril lashed out at the group of Heroes, specifically at Ruler. Before it reached her, however, Assassin dove in front of her and swung his no-dachi to disperse that attack.
"I agree, Ruler. However, someone will have to stay and hold this abomination at bay while the rest of you escape." The eastern swordsman smiled as he assumed a stance.
"And that will be you?" Gawain inquired. "Even if we had not locked blades with it, even we can tell that we stand little chance against it."
"Mayhaps...Either way, I am living on borrowed time." Assassin responded with a smile. "With Caster having passed on, I no longer have a source of mana to draw from. One way or another, I will be passing on. However," He turned his gaze towards the monstrosity that was after them. "At least this way, I will do so in my own terms."
"...Very well." Ruler nodded solemnly, as did the other knights; While it was practically suicide at this point, they couldn't help but respect the Assassin's wishes. "We will make sure your sacrifice isn't in vain."
"Thank you." Assassin chuckled before turning to Gawain. "It seems that we won't see the conclusion to our duel. A shame, really."
"Aye. Perhaps in another Grail War." The Knight of the Sun nodded sadly. "Farewell, Sasaki Kojiro. May our blades meet again in the future."
"Let's go, Illya!" Berserker took her hand, the homunculus only nodding in response as everyone made a break for it. The Shadow attempted to give chase, but Assassin stood in it's way.
"You shall go no further, monster." The Shadow responded to Assassin's challenge by launching several more tendrils at him to consume him. He did what he could to dodge and/or parry them, but he could only do so much. Despite his best efforts, one found it's mark on his left side, cutting into him deep enough to cause him to grunt in agony.
"Nggh..." He clutched his bleeding wound, breathing heavily as the Shadow seemed to pick on the fact that he was wounded. "It seems I indeed have no way out. Very well." He let go of his wound and placed both hands on the hilt of his blade before crouching into a stance in which the tip of his blade was facing his foe. "I was saving this for that knight, but it seems I must waste it on you."
Assassin watched the beast's every move as he prepared to strike. As if sensing his intentions, the Shadow lashed out to try and kill the Servant. He waited for the opportune moment. And then...
"Hiken! Tsubame Gaeshi!"
While it wasn't considered a true Noble Phantasm, mostly due to his nature as a composite wraith, Sasaki Kojiro unleashed the technique his legend was known for. For but a split second, the single blade which was swung suddenly turned to three. They all descended upon the Shadow, all of them with every intent to kill.
The slashes made contact with every intention to cut the foe into shreds. It cut deep into the Shadow to the point that it seemingly got cut down with those lethal strikes.
Of course, even Assassin knew better than to hope. He could only smile ruefully was his foe, hacked apart by his signature technique forcefully mold itself back into one like some misshapen clay doll.
"As expected, not even I could hope to slay the beast." Assassin sighed. Resigning himself to his fate, he held his no-dachi in front of him in a ready stance, determined to fight to the very end-
"GAH!"
His eyes widened as he began coughing up blood at the sound of flesh being torn apart. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He looked down and saw that it wasn't that far from the truth; A black, spider-like arm was protruding out of his torso. The blood spattered on his haori formed into the shape of a crimson flower, appropriate for one who appreciated beauty.
"I-I see..." He could only smile ruefully as his skin began to pale from the loss of blood. "It seems that...even an honorable death...is not possible...for a wraith like me..."
Assassin felt as if his insides were being devoured from within. To be precise, his organs were being assimilated into the creature that was being born from his flesh. He had anticipated that his death was imminent, but he didn't picture it going the way it did.
Still, he resolved to face his death with a smile, no matter the manner in which he dies.
"Very well..." He spoke as his strength had already failed him. "Do as you wish, foul creature...A being born from one such I...can be nothing so noble..."
With those words, a white mask that covered the face of the creature emerged. With an insect-like cry, it devoured the body that served as it's nursery.
With the false Servant's body to nourish him, the True Assassin has finally been summoned.
"Excellent. It is all according to plan." The Servant and the Shadow turned to see a decrepit old man emerge from the darkness, smiling jovially at this gruesome sight. "It is a pity; I had hoped to use Caster's shell as a puppet, but I suppose the fact that she has entered MY Grail is enough." He surveyed his surroundings; the True Assassin was busy feasting on Sasaki Kojiro's remains whilst the Shadow had already departed, seeking nourishment elsewhere.
Matou Zouken, one of the three founders of the Holy Grail War and an unspeakable evil, laughed heartily as the Command Seals that symbolized his ownership over True Assassin appeared on his right hand. All was going according to his design.
"The game has begun." Zouken grinned as he looked into the Fuyuki skyline. "Your move, Ruler."
"I think we've lost it."
Ruler's party, in addition to Illya and Berserker, had just reached the very bottom of Mt. Ryuudou. Lancelot and Gawain remained at the rear guard, alert for any sign of the Shadow's pursuit. Berserker, for her part, held Illya's hand as her Master remained close to her.
"You must be Servant Ruler." The Einzbern Master spoke up.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Illyasviel von Einzbern." Ruler nodded with a smile before turning Berserker. "And you must be her Servant. I apologize for Lancelot's behavior back in the school grounds."
"It is no problem." Berserker shook her head. "Especially since we currently have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Ruler!"
They all turned to see that they weren't the only Master and Servant pairs afoot. Emiya Shirou and Saber, as well as Tohsaka Rin and Archer, had arrived on the scene.
"Father?!" Berserker asked incredulously, her cheeks reddening a tinge when she saw that accursed, innocently naive red-head.
"We were on patrol when Saber and Archer felt a massive mana spike coming from the Temple." Rin chose to explain. "Considering that Ruler's here, we should assume that a battle for the Grail happened?"
"You have the general idea." Ruler affirmed. "But I was able to confirm what I had feared in our earlier conversation; dark powers are at work behind the Grail War, with the Grail itself compromised." She then turned to Illya. "You know what that abomination is, don't you Master of Einzbern?"
"...I may have an idea." Illya sighed.
"Illya?" Berserker asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I am hoping that my suspicion is wrong." The Master added. "However, it doesn't seem to be the case."
"You know the source of this, don't you?" Saber stepped towards Illya, only for Berserker to stand in her way.
"And just what are you implying, dear Father?" the Mad Servant growled at the Servant of the Sword. "Illya has nothing to do with this!"
"Enough!" Both Shirou and Illya grabbed their Servants by the arm to stop them from clashing. Archer just let out an amused chuckle.
"The fact you have time to squabble in the face of a big threat is hilarious." The Counter Guardian remarked.
"You're not helping, Archer." Rin retorted. Thankfully, Ruler interjected before this gathering descended into chaos.
"I understand that it was a tiring evening for Berserker and her Master." She offered with a smile. "I suggest we reconvene tomorrow. Considering how hospitable he was to me last time, I suggest Emiya-kun's home as our gathering place!"
"Uh...sure..." Shirou could blink in surprise, unable to say no to the Saint of Orleans.
"Then it is decided. I will send an invitation to the Overseer as well. He may want to hear what will be discussed." With that final note, Ruler bowed as she magically changed back into her Homurahara Academy Uniform. "I will see you all tomorrow. Until then, a pleasant evening to all of you."
Ruler beckoned Lancelot and Gawain to follow her, both of them giving respectful nods towards their king before leaving as well.
"We'll go as well." Illya nodded towards Berserker, who nodded back before reverting to her civilian attire. "I'll see you tomorrow, Oniichan...and you better have tea! The good stuff too!"
With that, the Einzbern pair made their exit as well. As he turned to his allies, all of them giving him quizzical looks, he could only sigh at his current predicament.
"I'm going to have SOOO much fun explaining this to Fuji-nee..."
End Chapter 16
A/N: Welcome to the latest chapter of Clarent Blood Arthur! Sorry that this took so long! Took a bit to get myself inspired (Though the new Fate/Apocrypha anime helped a bit) and I kinda forced myself to finish this. Sorry if it feels a bit rushed.
Well, I don't really have much to say this time. The Shadow showed up and caused havoc. Both Caster and Fake Assassin were taken off the board, and Zouken has finally begun to move! With both the Shadow and True Assassin by his side, how will our heroes fare? Will Saber and Berserker get their act together and get along? What will be discussed in Shirou's house? How will he explain this to Taiga?! We'll see in the coming chapters!
As always, please read and review! Looking forward to hearing all your feedback! That's all from me today! I'm the King of Beasts, and I'll see you all next chapter!
Next time on Clarent Blood Arthur: The Second Holy Grail Dialogue!