Back to the battle raging on the streets of Fuyuki.
It was utter chaos.
The streets were flooded with combatants from both sides as they desperately tried to gain the upper hand. Howling beasts trampled over friend and foe alike, soldiers called forth by their King stood side by side as the waves of Yharnam's hunters descended upon them, brutally contested in a dance of death.
Martyr Logarius was in his own dance with Iskandar as they traded blows with their swords, a clear berth surrounded them as any foolish to disturb this dance would be torn apart.
On the rooftops Waver had been delegated a role that he had not been fully prepared for.
The role of a tactician.
"Reroute the troops from this section to strengthen the troops over here." On one of the rooftops that Iskandar's army had commandeered was where the command base had been built. A giant map of the city with numerous pieces representing both their forces and that of Caster's. While their forces had most of the area surrounding the Clocktower but the Hunter army still had the tower under their control.
"Won't this weaken out control over this sector though?" An officer asked. Seeing how they didn't have any phones to relay commands, they had switched over to having an officer present to relay any messages to and from the command base to the forces on the battlefield.
"This section will be fine over here for they are relatively far from the action," Waver then trailed a circle relatively close to the Clocktower. "However, the Knights of Cainhurst are decimating anything that they see, we need to reinforce this defense lest they breakthrough and destroy our battle lines." Already their numbers were being stretched thin as it is and if one of the battalions broke then the rest would follow.
"At once," The officer saluted across their chest before leaving to relay their message. Not a second later a new officer took their place.
Waver resisted the urge to bit his lip, this was stressful. How in god's name did Rider achieve this without breaking down he had no idea.
"What of our King?" He inquisitively asked. "How is he faring?"
"He is doing well; he stands on equal footing with his opponent." One of the officers replied.
"Good, good," At least he was doing well. If not for him this entire plan could have never been achieved in the first place. "Now what of Archer?" He thought before looking up at the skies. He could see the golden shine of Vimana gracefully flying in the air. Explosions of purple and yellow filled the night sky as the golden king resumed his aerial fight with the fake Enkidu.
"What of the other team?" It had been awhile since the team had gone under the city and there had been no word since.
"We have yet to receive any messages from them, the sewers are now filled with electrifying beasts making our approach near impossible."
Now the other team of masters and servants had gone silent!? Things were already bad as it was already and now this! "Calm down, Waver. You can't hope to make any rational choices like this." Waver tried to calm himself before doing something rash. The fate of the entire army rested on his shoulders. To think that he would go from a lonely magus to the tactician of one of the world's biggest armies.
"Alright updates people, what has happened in the last few minutes." The magus steeled himself as the officers begun relaying the newest updates on the battlefield. He hoped that a miracle would show itself soon or they were screwed.
"Rider, you better be in a better position that I am in right now."
A loud clash of steel resounded through the air as Iskandar locked swords with Logarius. Ever since their first blows, neither side looked like they were close to kicking the bucket.
"You know Rider, you truly are a formidable foe. It has been a long time since someone has stirred my heart with such an intense fire." Even behind his Gold Ardeo, Logarius was grinning.
"I must say the same to you my pointy friend," He joked to which the Executioner laughed at. With a might kick, Iskandar created some distance between them. With this tiny window of reprieve, he decided to ask some questions that he had been dying to ask.
"As one warrior to another, I have some questions that I want to be answered."
"Oh, we are still in the middle of fighting my friend. Why should I accept? Logarius curiously asked.
"You said it yourself, I am an opponent that you have wished to fight for so long. Why not lengthen our battle a little bit longer?" Iskandar reasoned.
"And what makes you think that I have the answers you seek?" The Executioner pushed back.
"Caster is a smart one, there is no logical reasoning to crafting a plan this well just so that it all be for nothing."
"Well, well, well you are a smart one," Praised Logarius.
"I did not conquer Macedonia on brute force alone," He coolly responded.
"Hahaha," His opponent laughed as he could find no way to deter this servant from demanding his answers. "Very well, I shall try to answer your questions as vague as possible." He looked up at Amygdala trying to shoot Gilgamesh out of the sky. "My god will not be pleased if I ruined his plans so early."
"Why do all of you refer to Caster as your god?" Iskandar got right to the point.
"If you knew what he was capable of, a god is the only thing that you would refer to him as."
"He has clearly made the Fuyuki Sea to be the main focus of his entire plan. Do not take me to be a fool in believing that the hints the other hunters dropped were out of pity."
"You know it makes me wonder if you were summoned as a Caster," Now that was a funny idea, seeing this buff man dressed in a pure white toga. Iskandar the Wise they would call him. "You impress me Rider with your cunning." He praised before explaining.
"The sea holds a sin that taints human history. The memories that lay beneath its waves are revolting but necessary for my god's plan."
"The-," The Macedonian Conqueror tried to ask more questions but to only be interrupted as he dodged an energy slice from Logarius's scythe.
"I would refrain from asking so many questions Rider, you are wasting time that you do not know is very valuable right now." The scythe glowed a deathly red as the Executioner readied himself for battle once more. "Even now your other team has encountered our sewer defenses and while they have the element of surprise, they will not last long against servants. Simon can only keep them so preoccupied before they leave the sewers so I must step up my assault."
He whisked out his sword but to only stab the sword deep down into the earth A red puff of smoke emanated from it as a dark grey cloud hovered above them. "Now my friend, let us continue our dance once more." With a snap of his fingers a rain of swords descended from the murky cloud onto the street below.
"Well it seems the time of negotiations are over," Rider immediately ran through the storm of blades, batting any that came close with his sword. Unlike Archer in which he would've launched an endless barrage of weaponry, Logarius's had a delay between each barrage. However, to compensate it he began shooting skull shaped spells at him.
"You must have been a bloody brigade of hunters to have the wrathful spirits of your enemies be your weapons," Rider observed as he dodged a wailing skull before it exploded. Maybe it was because that he too had used the spirits of his fallen comrades for his strength so the skulls were more than spells. Each spell that passed him provided a glimpse into each wrathful spirit.
A knight crushed by three Executioners.
A noble that had been kicked off the castle's walls
And many more horrific deaths.
"We were naive back then, believing in lofty aspirations of greatness," Logarius had a somber tone as Rider experienced just one of the countless travesties that Yharnam committed. He was once a blind loyal follower of the teachings of the Church, just like the other citizens of Yharnam. Drawn in by the false pretenses of their miracles he had committed countless tragedies without question. In his martyrdom he had reflected and wept at what his bloody hands had done. He thought that the only redemption he could find was his death by the hands of the Good Hunter.
Fortunately, he had a chance to atone when Caster had asked for his allegiance.
And he took that hand with no regrets.
"Do you see now Rider? Yharnam's follies?" Rider's sword clashed steel with Logarius's scythe as sparks flew as each tried forcing the other to submit. "Show us that humanity has moved on from infancy," With a shove, the Executioner manifested an exploding skull to create distance.
However, Rider had enough of skirting around and decided that he needed to end this now. Ripping the door off a nearby car, he used it as a makeshift shield to absorb the blast. With a yell Iskandar emerged from the blast as he sunk his sword into Logarius's chest.
"Hahaha, now that's something I haven't seen," Muttered Logarius as he clutched his chest in an attempt to keep his blood in. However, that did nothing as he collapsed onto his back.
"It's over Logarius, humanity will always rise over their challenges. No matter what," Rider resolutely said. Unfortunately, the downed hunter begun laughing hysterically. "If you think that this proves anything then you are sorely mistaken." He wheezed as his body begun glowing red. "Humanity is only worthy once my god says so."
Iskandar stepped back wondering what he was talking about until a shout re-directed his attention elsewhere. Not far from him he was treated to a rather monstrous sight. Moments earlier a lone Executioner had been forced into a corner by three soldiers. All was well until the hunter doubled over in pain.
Then their Logarius Wheel shattered as the vengeful spirits trapped within were freed. With a screech the spirits dove right into the downed Executioner. What had emerged was this fearsome monstrous beast as the Executioner had seemingly transformed before their eyes. Their Gold Ardeo having been mutated into a fearsome maw. Red wisps rolled off the beast as it begun rampaging across the streets, other Executioners falling prey to beasthood.
"Heh," Coughed Logarius. "I may not have a fancy Noble Phantasm like Lady Maria but I do possess one that is special only to me. After all, I am known as a Martyr more than a general." With one last laugh, the Executioner faded into mist.
"So, in your death, you fellow Executioners are emboldened with your strength. How fitting for a Matyr." Rider said before whistling out loud. From a thunderstrike, his Gordius Wheel manifested into reality. With a yell Rider begun powering his chariot through the streets.
Now he needed to lead his army.
Back with Brador and Lancelot, the two were settling their rematch as the Berserker servant was no longer limited by his master's condition.
With a swipe of his transformed Beast Cutter, he knocked the beast-hide Assassin into a wall. However he did not push his assault as he would have but calmly prepared himself for the counterattack.
"Damm its like fighting a new servant," Brador wheezed out as he picked himself up out of the rubble. Still even with all the damage he had taken, his satisfaction was immeasurable. Finally did he have a wholesome fight that he could let loose in.
"Still it's strange that you are even talking to me now, kinda got used to the whole howling thing you did."
"Apologies that my inner demon impressed you," Lancelot lied. He really didn't like to be under the Madness Enhancement skill as he basically let go of the reins.
"I really like that side of you my friend but seeing how the current me is not enough to coax you into returning back to your demonic style I have no choice but to 'spice' things up," He chuckled before he readied himself for what he was about to do next.
With a beastly roar, the assassin plunged his Bloodletter into his chest. Berserker tensed up but nothing caused him to be on high-alert. That all changed as Brador slumped forward before his back began pulsating erratically.
"Be honored," He wheezed out before he roared in pain as numerous skeletal arms erupted out of his back. Each skeletal arm contained a different bony weapon. One was a hammer, another a scythe, one was a blade, a sickle and chain. With the Bloodletter still embedded into his chest, the transformed assassin stood upright. Brador's face was now covered by a bony canine mask that as the bloodlust that the bony armory exuded suffocated the road, the two horns of his beast garb hide only increased that feeling.
"My Noble Phantasm, The Bloodletting Sacrament, " Originally the Bloodletter had never possessed its terrifying transformation, it was once an old unproven method of treatment that Brador had used in hopes of drawing out the blood of the beastly plague. Unfortunately, it had also been used a mace to kill fellow hunters and as such the echoes of blood that the Bloodletter had originally killed were imprinted into the poor assassin. Before long, his body had transformed into an armory of past hunters.
"COME AT ME!" He roared as he settled onto all fours and screeched like a banshee before pouncing upward. With maddening look he leapt down to Berserker. Now he was a storm of death as each arm begun attacking the knight with their respective unique weapons.
Lancelot tried retaliating with his Beast Cutter but severely underestimated the new-found strength of Brador. The brute sized whip had tried to catch the hunter off guard as it came soaring from the left, only to be chained up by the sickle and chain arm. With a screech the sword arm came and split the transformed whip in half as it dissolved into mist. Unable to do anything against the counterattack as the hammer arm came and launched the knight into a car with a thud.
"WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?" The assassin taunted as he stalked closer to the downed knight with all of his arms alert to what would happen next.
"No, it cannot end here, I must reach her no matter what," If there was one true regret that he had as a knight, it was never being judged for his sins against his king. Even when word of his affair with Guinevere was revealed, his king had done nothing but banish them. He was willing to be executed for his heinous crimes but all King Arthur had done was look down upon them with his righteousness. That was why he accepted the grail's request, so that his king could rightfully judge him and he could be at peace finally.
So, with a deep breath, he reached inside his soul to retrieve the one weapon that might stand a chance against Brador's new form.
Lancelot, The Black Knight could not win.
So Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, was needed.
With a bright flash, the holy sword Arondight manifested itself onto his right hand. It had lost all of its holy attribute the moment that it had been used to slaughter his fellow knights but he needed it in its full glory. "Please, just this once," Just like Excalibur, Arondight was a divine constructed sword that was like no other. It was intelligent in its own right. Hearing the desperate plea of its owner, the sword decided to grant him this one wish.
With a bright blue flash, Arondight was back to its full pristine glory.
"Here I come Brador," With a twist of his sword hand, Lancelot re-engaged his opponent. Failure was not an option here. He would get his punishment from his king no matter what.
No matter what.
Chapter 17 done! So Logarius has a NP that only activates on death and Brador's turns himself into a walking armory. Not going to lie that the reason why this is so late is because of the major headache I got trying to think of Noble Phantasms. I spent so much time thinking of what I could do as I didn't want them to be all just one attack.
Expect their updates to be slow this week as I am graduating from highschool. Yippee
Hope you guys are staying safe in these trying times, hope you are all doing well.
Welp that's all for now and as always...
May The Cosmos Shine in Your Favor This Day!