A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
By the way, we reached 200 Followers so that's neat.
Battling Zouken Matou was tedious.
Zouken Matou was a very good Magus of the current age, and considering the manner and ease with which he swatted away some of her spells, he possessed knowledge and information of certain fields that would make even the average Magus of her era green with envy. While his Magecraft was not suited to battle as, say, the Fragas whose use of runes and the famed Noble Phantasm Fragarach was well known even in her age, he had used his bugs well in combat against her so far.
Zouken himself had had no time to prepare, and Caster's attack on him came as a surprise. Normally one would target the Master or the Servant fighting in the Grail War, but overall he was not sure why anyone would target him specifically. This left him woeful unprepared compared to what he should have been. He could easily match and defeat your average Servant, but he needed to make preparations in order to do so, and currently, he had none.
Perhaps that was why she was finding combating the abomination so tedious.
Caster may have had the element of surprise on her side, but that was fading away faster than she would have liked. It was generally considered suicide to face a Magus in a place he considered his own territory, but Caster had the advantage of being superior to Zouken in terms of skill in magecraft, and being a Servant which naturally boosted her physical attributes. However with every moment, Zouken as able to recover his home field advantage at a dangerous pace. These two factors seemed to cancel each other out, apart from the fact that Caster had made preparations to face specifically this kind of enemy.
Every attempt he had made to attack her was swatted away. Her spells were both more powerful and of a more destructive nature than any of Zouken's attacks. Every swarm of bugs he had sent to assault her was swatted away by a blast of energy, or an elemental spell. There was no way he could land an attack her without sacrificing absurd numbers of his worm familiars. She knew that, and he knew that too.
Perhaps that is why the abomination is fighting this way. He knows that he stands no chance against a Servant, and that is why he is prolonging his inevitable defeat. He was fighting her by assaulting her in all directions, ensuring that she wastes prana and time in dealing with his widespread swarms of familiars. She was able to quickly realize this, and that is why she had to keep constantly moving, readjusting her position such that she can take out the most possible number of worms in a single shot.
This was a battle between Magi. It was not the duel of knights, where honour and chivalry comes first and underhanded tactics like throwing sand in an opponent's eyes are frowned upon. Neither was it a battle in a war, an endless sea of enemies, a constant dash of adrenaline and the desperate rush for one to survive. Here, every move was calculated, and both combatants ruthlessly used every advantage at their disposal in order to achieve their goals.
Caster's goal was to destroy Zouken thoroughly, and save Sakura Matou, so that her Contractor can seek an alliance with the Master of Berserker. While she had initial doubts about the validity of her Contractor's knowledge, after conducting a private surveillance on her own, she had determined that what her Contractor spoken was true, and then the elimination of Zouken became a priority.
She had wanted to know the actual source of this knowledge. It was unlikely that someone with no prior relation to the Moonlit World would have deep and intimate knowledge of the people involved in the Holy Grail War. When she had inquired to him about this, he kept on dodging the question, and was reluctant to answer.
Zouken's immediate objective was to survive. He had not expected to be attacked, and the defences of his home were not up to the standard to defeat a Servant. They would be sufficient to stall for time, and maybe call Kariya and Berserker for help, but apart from that, they were mere nuisances to the Servant.
The ancient Magus was being pushed back, but by no means was he losing this battle. Prana was a valuable resource and Caster was spending massive quantities of it, trying to intercept Zouken's attacks before they can reach her. They may be directly on a Ley line, but Zouken was far more familiar with the Ley line that Caster was, allowing him to draw prana at a faster rate than Caster could. This was a small advantage Zouken possessed over his Servant opponent.
A flash of fire scorched the air; a result of a Bounded Field type spell, she used to incinerate a swarm of worms. Neither of the combatants had exchanged any words to each other, and the only sounds which filled the Manor were that of their battle and the occasional Aria to prepare their spells.
Zouken knew that he could not face Caster directly. In terms of both firepower and skill in Magecraft, Caster was his superior. Moreover, he had no preparation to face a Servant. So he did the one thing he knew how to do very well; stalling. Even if a single of his worms escapes, then he would survive and he would be able to recover. Caster had to go out of her way to destroy the worms trying to escape, blasting them with long-range spells and the like, trying to ensure that all of the worms that make up the body of Zouken stay in one place. SO far, she has been successful.
She frowned. This cannot keep going this way. After informing her that all six Servants were present at the docks, her Contractor had not attempted to contact her. It had been two, maybe three minutes since the signal, and Zouken had still not fallen. Perhaps, it was time to bring out some of her more aggressive spells to the play.
A massive blue circle appeared in front of her, as prana concentrated around it. The Manor was located over a Ley line, and while the quantity of Mana was poorer compared to that of the Ryuudou Temple, it was sufficient for this spell. Lightning and sparks crackled around the Magic circle and her body, as excess prana is emitted by the spell. She had to sacrifice efficiency for the sake of speed, instead pumping in more Prana to ensure the completion of the spells.
Zouken slowly retreated, eyeing the spell with caution. The power of that spell exceeded that of anything he could achieve, even with proper preparation. He must choose his options with care, if he has to survive this attack then...
Strange words, not of any human language escaped Caster's lips. The Fae tongue, a language known only by the Fae and other residents of Avalon was being muttered by Caster at a fast pace. Despite her heritage as a Fae, this was only one of few spells which she had made which outright used that aspect of her being. This specific spell was the weakest of those.
A glowing light, blinding in that darkness appeared at the centre of the Magical Circle manifested. It was a concentrated ball of pure prana, whose destructive potential can be used in the form of an attack, which will tear and destroy anything in its path.
It was time.
A massive beam, white in its centre with a pale pink tinge to it is fired across the room. It was nearly as large as the hallway itself. It travelled close to the speed of light, and was therefore impossible to dodge or evade in any manner.
Zouken knew this. He did not feel fear at his current situation, since he had shedded such emotions a long time ago. He reached out to his other familiars, scattered all over the Manor. If his entire body was destroyed then, it would take some time for him to wake up in his other Familiars. Enough time for Caster or her Master to find and destroy them. Perhaps...
This spell was unique. It was one which was designed to destroy a specific, single target, one Caster's choosing and nothing else. When the target was selected, the powerful ray of Magic will destroy it, leaving no trace of it ever having been there...
That is why Caster was not aiming to destroy Zouken completely. If she did so then he would wake up in one of his other worm familiars, and while she was confident in her ability to track them down, it would be a waste of time and energy to do so. Instead, the plan was to destroy only half of Zouken, and then let some more Familiars be called on by him and then proceed that way. There were plenty of ways this could go wrong, and she wasn't even sure that he would take the bait, but she was confident in her abilities to confront Zouken in case that happens.
The bright beam crossed the dark hallway in an instant, lighting it up. As it hit the abomination, the upper half of his body seared with pain, as worms died of the influx of prana in them. Some melted due to massive heat emitted by Caster's spell. Zouken did not scream as the ray of light consumed his upper half. He couldn't, considering the light consumed his face and upper body. He had lost all sensations of pain a long time ago. He was slightly surprised that Caster had not finished him immediately, since that spell was powerful enough that it could make a hole through stone. But he quickly realized what she was up to, but it was a pity that her gamble would be fruitless...
The light dies down, and shadows reemerge, cloaking the hallway in darkness. The only light in the hallway comes from the stars and the crescent moon hanging in the skies beyond a window to the side. Even the wall behind Zouken was intact, since that spell will not destroy anything but its designated target.
The night proceeds. And the moonlight turns, falling over Zouken's half-destroyed body. His head, shoulders and the entirety of his left arm, along with most of his torso were completely gone, vaporized by Caster's spell. Worms dropped out of the gaping hole in his body, but there was no blood. How could there be? Zouken did not require blood to survive.
The body twitched for a second, before collapsing onto itself, becoming less human and more a shapeless mass of Worms. Suddenly, there was a loud snapping noise which reverberated throughout the manor. It was the sound of wood snapping when a large amount of force was placed on it.
Caster could feel something rushing towards her with great speed. Whatever it was, it wasn't very careful in hiding its approach, as it loudly crashed with various obstacles in its way. There were two objects actually, now that she heard carefully, one approaching from each of two doors in the hallway.
However, the velocity by which it travelled was impressive. Quickly casting a speed-enhancement Magic on herself, she rushed to make space from Zouken, pushing herself against the wall of the opposite end of the hallway. Two massive lumps of worms, towering such that they were reaching the ceiling burst out of the doors. They quickly sped across the hallway, joining up with the remnants of Zouken's body. His battered original body fused and mixed with the masses of worms, and Zouken laughed ominously.
Caster was slightly surprised at the massive number of Crest Worms but what was truly shocking were the two figures, seemingly stuck in the mountain of insects. There was one adult and one child, both were unconscious. The other was a small child, a girl who looked no older than eight. Both were bound tightly by worms.
'Sakura', Caster realized, as she looked at the girl. She matched the description her Contractor had given her. She did not know the other man, but it was clear that he was also some kind of victim of Zouken. The abomination had snatched these two, and was using them as hostages. If Caster made a move to attack, Zouken will likely use them as Human shields to block Caster.
If she had been summoned in a younger form, this wouldn't have concerned her. She would have blasted through anyway, unconcerned for whether or not the hostages would have been harmed.
But she was not that person. She had changed in a manner even she herself found surprising. She will not harm an innocent.
Zouken's raspy laughter fills the air. His body dissolves and his clothes disappear, only for a humanoid figure to remerge from the mountain of Worms, right between the unconscious bodies of his hostages.
Caster's eyes narrowed. This was not a favourable situation, but it was manageable. She still had a lot of prana which she had collected from the Ryuudou Temple earlier. And she still had enough spells to turn this around. If everything fails, then her Noble Phantasm will surely bring her victory.
She raised her hand, and glowing spirals of Magic Formula reappeared around her. The only sounds which reverberated in the Matou Manor throughout the night were the constant barrage of spellfire.
The black knight which had emerged shortly after the appearance of Archer was cloaked with shadows.
I adjusted the position of my Familiar slightly, allowing me to get a better view of the battleground. I was a bit scared that Kiritsugu or Assassin would find me out, but I wasn't too concerned. Even if my Familiar is destroyed, most of my objectives here were completed. Berserker had just entered the fray and that would leave Kariya incapable of interfering. I had confirmed Berserker's identity as Lancelot, the famous Knight of the Lake. No, scratch that, I now knew the full identities of all Servants present in the War. And, I've had my first taste of spectating real Servant to Servant combat.
The only reason I haven ditched the place already was so that I can keep an eye on things. If Kariya or Berserker decide to leave, then that could be a problem. Caster was not ready to face Berserker, and even if she did, she would be heavily weakened. In case, this happens, then I will be able to inform Caster to get the hell out of there.
Berserker was a tall figure, wearing dark, nearly pitch black armour. The armour was not like Saber's shiny silver or Archer's golden lustre, but rough and jagged. The only sign of colour on him was a slit on his helmet, emitting a blood-red glow. His voice was guttural and horse, and he growled now and then. Overall, he painted a rather intimidating picture, with a sinister demeanour.
"Hey, Rider. Did you invite that one too?" Lancer called out.
Rider scrutinized this new figure in front of them. Judging from the sheer bloodlust and oppressive aura he possessed, there is only one Servant he could be. The Servant of Madness, Berserker.
"Invited, eh? Looks like this one won't be open to negotiations of any sort, Ugh."
Then turning to Waver, he asked, "Hey kid, what kind of Servant is that guy."
Waver stared at Berserker for an instant, then replied, "...I don't know, I can't tell."
"Eh? Can't you Masters check a Servant's abilities?"
"Yes, but...", Waver stumbled on his words for an instant, "This guy is definitely a Servant, but I simply can't see his attributes. It's as if they are hidden."
While, it was possible to judge and assess what Berserker looked like, his own image felt... blurry. It was as if you were looking at it through a Camera with water on its lens. Sometimes, he did not feel solid, instead of appearing like a hallucination. His figure seemed to glitch and shift, and while he was physical enough to determine that he was some kind of knightly figure, he felt more like a malevolent spirit more than anything. Even though my Familiar I could sense this.
A strange silence had fallen over, the battlefield, a result of the arrival of this strange new character. All parties were using this time to examine their opponents. Lancer didn't care for Archer, but was a bit angry with Rider for interfering with his duel with Saber. What he mainly wanted was to finish his duel with Saber. Saber was about the same. Rider had no interest in the battle, instead wanting to analyze his enemies, while Archer considered both Saber and Rider his enemies. He was indifferent to Lancer, considering him a pest more than anything. Berserker was obviously hostile to everything.
Lancelot turned and looked at Archer, clearly with some form of hostility. Archer looked disgusted at this. "Hm? This mad dog expects some pity from me?"
Golden portals sprout up behind him, and weapons of all kinds- axes, swords, spears and tridents- emerge from them, ready to be fired at an instant. Everyone here was clearly surprised at the high-calibre weapons emerging from Gate of Babylon. Everyone there, must have realized that they could only be Noble Phantasms.
"You should be proud, Mongrel," Archer spat. "You will entertain me today when you scatter away like dust, scum."
Suddenly, a storm of weapons, all of them travelling at high speeds blasted towards the black Knight. This action was met with shock from the others. A Noble Phantasm was a tool, an ace-in-the-hole, the crystallization of one's legend, and meant to be preserved and wait until it can be used at the right time. And, here Archer was, throwing them around like they were mere pebbles.
Lancelot moved, faster than I could have perceived. The only sign that he had moved was that he was no longer where he was, having gone forward to meet Archer's attack head-on. As he clashed with Archer's barrage of assorted weaponry, dust rose and covered his surroundings. The only signs of battle were golden flashes in this dust cloud.
Whoa, that was fast.
The dust settled quickly, only to reveal Lancelot standing there, completely unscathed. His initial position had a wide and deep crater, and his swords, axes and spears were lodged in the ground around him. To his left and right, craters surrounded him and there were cracks on the ground, representing the destructive power the Gate of Babylon held. In one hand he held one of Archer's swords and in the other he held a spear, both of them blackened with red veins, signifying the effect of Knight of Owner on them.
Lancelot stared and looked up at the golden King, whose expression was one of murderous fury.
"You... How dare you lay a hand on my treasures, scum. Do you want to die that badly!"
As Archer roared this, the ten portals behind him doubled to twenty. The weapons sticking out of them were replenished. Apart from swords, spears and axes, hammers, halberds, polearms and staves were sticking out of the portals, ready to be fired. All of them were weapons of the highest quality. All of them were Noble Phantasms.
Someone was speaking in the background, but my attention was given fully to this fight. If everything went well then Lancelot will be my ally and Archer was the biggest problem in this War. Assessing their abilities will be for the best.
Lancelot's movements were far too nimble and precise for a Berserker. If I remember correctly, then his level of Madness Enhancement was C, which was really low, but this madness appeared to have no influence in his fighting style. In conclusion, Eternal Arms Mastery was bullshit.
A crack resounded in the air, as Archer's weaponry was hurled at Berserker like lightning. A normal person would have been crushed or pulverized by Archer's assault. But berserker was a Servant, and with as Berserker, his attributes were considerably improved, thus giving him incredible physical capabilities, even for a Servant.
A clang noise, that of two weapons meeting resounded through the air. It was the harsh sound of metal meeting metal, and this repeated in rapid succession for a minute, maybe more. The only noises in the clearing were this, and the violent roaring sounds made when a weapon was deflected, or slammed into the ground.
The roaring ceased as the last of Archer's weapons were fired, and the only thing visible in the cloud of dust formed during the combat was Lancelot, standing there wielding two of Archer's Noble Phantasms in his hands. Suddenly, he threw them towards the golden king, who had been caught of guard by this attack. Perhaps it Berserker had missed, or perhaps he had done this intentionally, but the polearm and axe he had thrown had sliced the street lamp, Archer was standing on, into three sections, making it collapse on the ground. Archer jumped off in the last second, landing on the roof behind him. His rage had reached his limit.
"You damn fool! Trying to lower me to stand on the same ground as you!", Gilgamesh roared with fury. He was unscathed, but only physically. Berserker had bruised his ego. "You will pay the price for this insult!"
Twenty, no, thirty golden portals sprouted behind him, each of them displaying a Noble Phantasm. While Lancelot did well to handle a barrage of twenty Noble Phantasms, there was no way he could handle an assault from an increase of that number. Everybody were afraid of the King of Heroes and what he could do by now.
Archer glared at Berserker with absolute hatred. Then he slowly turned his head towards the south, irritated by what I presume to be Tokiomi's order.
"Calling me back now? Do you think that a sermon from someone like you will cool my anger? Damn you, Tokiomi," Archer glared at Berserker. "you should be glad, mad dog. You've escaped death by a hair's width from me."
He turned around and looked at the rest of the Servants present there. "...you mongrels better cut down the rabble. Only a true hero is deserving of being my opponent."
With this final remark, Archer disappeared in a wave of golden dust. All the weapons he had thrown around were gone too, vanished along with him.
As if it was a quirk of fate, I felt a nudge in my brain. Pulling it, and temporarily shutting down visuals from the familiar at the docks, the connection between myself and Caster opened. I had done this so that my brain doesn't suffer under the strain of two individual mental links. Caster spoke through our bond.
'Contractor,' Caster's smooth voice quickly greeted me. There was no sign of fatigue or tiredness in her voice and that was to be expected. This is a mental link. Thoughts projected through them are not influenced by stuff like panting or fatigue.
'Caster. How is the fight with Zouken going?', I spoke, clearly hoping that she had finished the fight by now.
'It is not going well', Caster spoke, dashing all my hopes in an instant. 'We had underestimated Zouken. He is more tenacious than I had expected. We are currently locked in a stalemate.' That's not good. 'Moreover, he has taken Sakura and another person as hostages.' That's REALLY not good.
We were running out of time, and we can't have Berserker getting involved, because that would definitely mean a loss. He would have already engaged Saber by now. Caster needed to end things right now...
'Will your Noble Phantasm be sufficient to handle Zouken?' If it wasn't then we're in for some big trouble.
Caster hesitated for an instant. 'It should but it is rather draining on my Prana reserves. Even with the mana gathered at Ryuudou temple, I will not be able to completely destroy Zouken.'
'Don't worry about that', I absentmindedly commented, as I flared up my Circuits. My circuits should be sufficient to provide whatever prana Caster needs. 'I think I can provide the prana you require.'
I should be able to, but my body was not strong enough to handle large amounts of my own magical energy. With practice, it will be, but it's not ready right now. So, I might feel a bit sick at the end of the process. Still, to get rid of Zouken? That was a small price to pay.
Caster remained quiet for a second. 'Very well. This may feel a bit uncomfortable.'
'Hmm..? No wait!,' an idea struck me at that moment, as I guided the Prana to my right hand the way Caster had taught me. I almost facepalmed at the simple solution which was standing before me. The blood-red sigils there glowed slightly in the dark, and the back of my hand felt warm. "By my Command Seal, Caster surpass your limits and destroy Zouken Matou with your Noble Phantasm!"
A/N: Hey. Yeah, so this Chapter was supposed to be longer, but then I couldn't decide how I wanted the Caster destroys Zouken part to be like and I had already passed my deadline, so I postponed it to the next Chapter.
Also, please review, and I will accept all criticism. About one-third of the reason why I started this was to improve my own writing skills. Also, this is the first time I had written a battle scene, so tell me your thoughts.
One more thing, I've decided to post this to AO3 after I hit Chapter 10, since I am currently writing a couple of different projects, and can't give the time or energy to upload it there right now.