Upon walking outside, Hakuno is greeted with scenery that was vastly different from the bland walls of the Arena. She looks around, scanning the area. There they were, standing within the Coliseum itself. While Hakuno had first expected the venue to resemble something similar to a Roman Coliseum, she was gravely mistaken.
It almost seemed like they were plunged into the depths of the dark ocean itself. The smell of sea salt permeated the air, and the servant and master found themselves standing on top of what appeared to be the remains of a sunken ship, with rocks, pieces of concrete, wooden planks, destroyed buildings and other debris littering the vicinity. Hakuno was almost surprised that they were able to breathe just fine with no problems while being submerged in water. It almost seemed that they were in an abandoned underwater civilisation or something.
"...So this is what we've been seeing from a distance back in the Arena. Jeez, the decor is an underwater train wreck. Could certainly use some reworking, that's for sure." Hakuno cocked her head at him in confusion. Really? Of all things to bring up about before the battle, he chooses to nitpick on the Coliseum's design?
Since when did something as trivial as this bothered him? It wasn't as if Archer was a designer or anything...in fact, he didn't didn't seem overly bothered by their private room despite how lacking he initially made it out to be. It seemed that Archer certainly possessed some...standards even for fighting grounds. Or maybe it was just because he was expecting something else?
While Hakuno was actually quite impressed with the layout of the Coliseum, Archer had a different opinion, shaking his head with a deep frown. Now that she took a closer look at her surroundings, Archer indeed had a point; the Coliseum did resemble the landscape that Hakuno and Archer were seeing from afar back in the Arena. Then again, fighting in some underwater-themed shipwreck surrounded by the remains of demolished buildings must be a little disorienting even for him. There weren't even any other lifeforms apart from the two masters and their servants either.
"Anyway, let's focus Master. I'd do anything to see that idiot gloat over his victory." Archer grabs his master's attention, her eyes directing back to the enemy master and servant standing a few feet away from them, still separated by a thin barrier. It was only a matter of time before the two servants would fight each other until one was left standing.
"All bark and no bite, right? That's what they say, isn't it? Well that's you! I'm gonna humiliate you so bad in this game that you'll never crawl out of your mom's basement!" Shinji laughs out loud as if he had just cracked a funny joke rather than a threat, seeming oddly relaxed despite the growing tension between the two opponents.
Honestly, the first insult seemed more fitting for him if anything. And really? 'I'm gonna humiliate you so bad in this game that you'll never crawl out of your mom's basement'? Hakuno was starting to think that Shinji was running out of insults to hail at her.
Rider's eyes twinkled at her master's words, a wide smirk adorning her lips. "Oh? So your goal isn't just victory, but humiliation? What a greedy little boy you are, Shinji." She takes out her pistols, laughing. "Very well, I'll bring the rope for you to truss them up. Tie them to the mast or whatever your little heart desires." Hakuno sweatdrops; Rider doesn't seem to be joking.
Shinji looks back at Rider dangerously in warning, suddenly going serious. "Don't even think about going easy on them this time El Draque. They should've backed down when they still could." He must definitely still be pissed from yesterday's fight, not that his sour mood was Hakuno's fault to begin with.
Shinji did always get mad at the smallest things after all.
Rider takes a few steps forward, her eyes trained onto Archer like a bloodthirsty hound about to pounce on its prey. "Hmph, mercy isn't in my vocabulary. I have a thirst for the finer things in life, and that is all I care for." She raises a pistol in the air, clearly ready and eager to fight, this time to her heart's content. Hakuno gulps, sensing the air thickening around them with dense, concentrated prana.
Archer materialises his swords, looking over towards his master. "Stand back Master. I'd advise you to take cover and provide support from somewhere safe. There's no telling what Rider and Shinji are planning to do after all, and I'd like to be able to fight without worrying for your end too much." Yeesh, talk about being too blunt...though he definitely had a point, and Hakuno wasn't gonna start arguing with him now.
Instead, she merely nods, taking out her terminal. "Okay, stay safe Archer...and don't be too reckless. I'll try to support you in any way I can, but do be careful with fighting Rider. She certainly seems..." She pauses, looking at Rider's crazed expression before she continues. "...Unhinged," she finishes, her voice soft.
Archer scoffs, the grip on his blades tightening. "Who do you think you're talking to? Between us two, I think you should be looking out for yourself, Master." As sarcastic as that sounded, he isn't wrong about that either. With that, he goes silent, his focus now diverted towards the enemy master and servant. Hakuno gives her servant one last look, before she runs back towards a wooden pillar.
Remember the plan.
"Ready to fight, pretty boy? Don't think you can get out of the fight easily this time!" Rider cackles, her eyes glinting dangerously at him. Archer's eyebrows scrunch together in concentration, his eyes narrowing at her. "Wasn't planning to." With that, the two servants take a stance, staring each other down just as the announcement from the SE.RA.PH comes in, ringing loudly throughout the Coliseum."The first Elimination Battle will now take place. Masters...servants...whenever you are ready, begin."
The thin barrier separating the two servants vanishes as Rider twirls her pistols. "I may not always have good fortunes, but with humans or bombs, there's a certain fatal inevitability to life. Now, are you ready to go for broke? It's time to splurge!" With that, the two servants charged, the sheer force of them locking weapons causing the ground beneath them to tear.
Archer begins attacking relentlessly, trying to knock the pistols off Rider's hands while deflecting her bullets. "Hah, you think that trick's gonna work on me a second time? Think again!" She kicks him back, aiming for his head when he ducks, closing in to lessen the distance between them as he slashes at her arm with the intent to sever it or at the very least get her to drop her gun.
Rider smirks, narrowly avoiding his attacks. "Yes, yes...that's more like it! Come at me with that killing intent of yours!" She jumps into the air, catching Archer off by surprise as she aims for his back.
However, just as she's about to shoot at him, she feels a stinging sensation rippling throughout her body. Falling back, she narrowly dodges a hard blow delivered by Archer's sword, his sword driving a large crack into the wooden surface beneath her feet instead, clicking her tongue as her pupils shift towards the brown-haired master. "Tch...that girl...!"
"I don't think it's wise to keep your eyes off your opponent, El Draque...!" Rider's eyes widened as she backs away just as Archer was about to stab her in the abdomen. Whistling, she begins furiously shooting at him, aiming for his vital parts. " Quite eager to fight yourself eh, pretty boy? Though, I can clearly see you trying to keep me away from your Master in the process."
Meanwhile, Hakuno eyes the intense fight going on between the two servants, analyzing Rider's moves. From the looks of it, the two of them were clearly battling way more intensely than ever before compared to their previous encounters in the Arena. The speed the two of them were going at was incredibly fast that made their fights in the Arena almost seem more like child's play compared to how they were battling now.
Perhaps it was because this was the actual Elimination Battle, and also probably because there was no interruptions to stop them from going all out in killing each other. With how fast they were both moving, Hakuno herself almost had a hard time figuring out what was going on if it weren't for the fact that she had at least witnessed Rider fighting her servant and memorised some of her movements and attack patterns.
That being said, the sheer power emanating from Rider was extremely intimidating and not to be messed with. Indeed, the lack of restraints from the SE.RA.PH seemed to have unlocked her full potential and fueled her thirst for battle even more. It seemed to be almost tenfold of the power Hakuno witnessed from her in the Arena.
If she went all out back then...there was a good chance that Archer would end up severely injured after their fights. Even now in her bloodthirsty state, all her moves and attacks seemed rather precise, and it was probably taking all of Archer's concentration to avoid them while fighting against her at the same time.
Then again, Archer himself seemed to be faring pretty well so far, not letting the enemy servant get the upper hand either by maintaining a short distance between him and Rider. His own movements seemed to be more agile too compared to the fights in the Arena. Well, he probably needed to be in order to fully avoid or block Rider's attacks anyway too.
He wasn't kidding when he said that he could hold his ground against her even while being at a disadvantage due to his master's capabilities. Words couldn't even begin to express how impressed and shocked she was witnessing her servant in action. Or could it be...that Archer was also holding himself back during their previous encounters with Rider? Now that she thought about it, Hakuno still hasn't fully grasped her servant's fullest capabilities and strength, even as he was battling before her very eyes right now.
So this is an actual fight...between servants...
Hakuno taps on her terminal, buffing Archer's attacks while readying a heal just in case. So far everything was going smoothly...though she couldn't rejoice just yet. Glancing over towards Shinji, Hakuno notices that he was relatively relaxed, a little too relaxed. In fact, he didn't appear to seem fazed or irritated compared to yesterday. Just what was Shinji up to?
A loud bang brought her back to her senses. Hakuno shifts her focus back to the two servants, only to see that Rider had managed to land a few shots onto Archer's arm, blood seeping into her servant's sleeve from the injury. Hakuno gasps, reaching for her terminal. Wait...what happened?! She could've sworn that they were pretty much on equal grounds earlier! She had just looked away for a few seconds only to see Archer wounded?! But how?!
She pauses, her eyes diverting towards Shinji who was now smirking. Wait a second...it couldn't be...had Shinji casted a code cast earlier without her even realising it?! When...and how?! She was observing him and Rider pretty well as soon as the fight started...unless...the damn bastard casted something in advance before the fight had even begun!
Oh no, they didn't anticipate for this at all! She grits her teeth as she began to heal Archer, praying that the wound would close up quickly as she glared at the opposing master. That cheating little...! To think that he would really stoop this low!
Archer clicks his tongue in irritation, looking over at the wound as blood dripped onto the ground. Rider lets out another cackle, aiming her pistols at him. "Finally got you. Can't have you dancing around with those little swords of yours." A wide grin spreads across her face as she takes Archer's condition in with glee. "Now then...shall we continue?"
Archer dashes towards the servant, swords gripped firmly in hand as he dives in towards her torso, with Rider narrowly escaping his attacks. "Don't make me laugh Rider. This petty wound is nothing...!" He manages to land a blow on one of Rider's legs, causing her to wince as the two servants backed away. Rider looks down at her wounded leg, yet doesn't seem to be overly bothered by it. "Your nimble movements and speed are impressive, I'll give you that, pretty boy. However..."
She glances over towards Hakuno, her eyes narrowing deviously at her. "...Taking your eyes off your master ain't the smartest move to make, don't ya think?" Hakuno's eyes widened as she spins around to see familiar canons right behind her. Rider's culverin canons?! Wait...since when did-
It was too late. She was literally at point blank range, about to get brutally shot to death. There was no time to cast any barriers to counter the blow. Her mind drifts back to the countless dreams she had, utterly terrified. Hakuno could only back away as much as she could, closing her eyes and bracing for the impact as she hears a loud blast. This couldn't be happening. Damn it, was she...really going to die here...?!
A few seconds passed, and yet she doesn't feel any pain. Confused, Hakuno slowly opens her eyes, unprepared for what she was about to witness.
The girl saw red before her very eyes.
Blinking, Hakuno takes a short moment to process the scene before her before a scream erupted from her mouth in horror. "Archer!" There, standing right before her, was none other than her servant who acted as a shield but was now bleeding profusely in various areas. Although he had done a good job in utilising his swords to block some of the blows and protecting her in the process, he obviously couldn't counter everything. Hakuno could hear the hammering of her heart against her chest. Oh no...blood...there was so much blood...!
Archer gasps, obviously in immense pain as he slowly turns towards his master, his eyebrows creased together. "Master...are you alright?" Despite the fact that he was practically straining to form the words from his mouth, he was still concerned over her wellbeing. Hakuno's fingers were trembling as she tried to cast a heal on him. Healing...yes...he...he needed healing right away-
Hakuno hears Shinji laughing behind her, taking joy in seeing her servant suffering. "Seems that you have a pretty high pain tolerance. However, I'd be careful with where I stood if I were you." Suddenly, Hakuno sees Archer's eyes widening before he roughly shoves her away without any warning. Hakuno gasps as her back hits the floor painfully, emitting a low groan. She takes a brief moment to recover before she stands and looks over at the tanned man, confused. "Archer...what-"
Hakuno eyes expanded to the size of saucers as she saw what appeared to be female NPCs grabbing a firm hold onto her servant, her servant now struggling under their grasp. It seems that Archer pushed her away earlier just in time to avoid getting ambushed and caught by the NPCs herself. Wait a second...Shinji could summon NPCs into the Coliseum too?! He never did that in any of their previous fights in the Arena!
Shinji shakes his head at Archer, sighing. "Man, so you're gonna be loyal and protect your master till the very end, huh? What an idiot. It would've been less painful for both of you if she got caught too. Oh well, no matter." Hakuno grits her teeth, opening her mouth to refute against Shinji, but finds that no words were coming out. No, she had to be careful. Archer was trapped and injured right now. If she carelessly said anything, who knows what else could happen to him.
Archer continues to struggle against them, the NPCs having a surprising amount of strength and grip in holding him down. "These annoying dolls...I can just cut them down! Master!" Hakuno could only stare at her servant, unable to say a word, hesitance gracing her features. Right...she could just tell Archer to kill the NPCs and the two of them could escape and rethink their strategy! She should...only...
The memory of seeing all the dead bodies of the Tsukumihara students back during the preliminaries flashes back in her mind. As much as she hated it, the dreaded scene was forever etched into her mind, reminding her of all the countless people who had died just from the preliminaries alone. While she had survived by pure coincidence, the rest of them had all perished in that final room. Some of these students were now NPCs. If she told Archer to kill them...would they even come back to life?
She should tell him to do it. That was the right course of action for both of them to take right now, especially since Archer was in dire need of healing himself. She should do it...yet why the heck was she hesitating now of all times?! Her mind went blank as she could only look at her servant before her in fear.
Shinji seemed to have picked up on Hakuno's mute shock, as his laughter increases in volume. "Surprised, aren't you? Don't think that the only way I can trap your servant is by binding him with some chains. I guess these NPCs do come in handy and have some use to them after all." Hakuno turns to properly face him, her expression morphing into that of pure rage. No wonder he seemed so relaxed earlier! "Shinji...you...!"
Hakuno doesn't get to curse at him however, as she feels a burning pain ripple through her side. The female master lets out a strangled cry of pain as she falls onto her knees while grasping at her side, realising that Rider had shot her. Blood begins seeping through her brown blazer, dripping through the floor beneath her as Hakuno struggles to stand.
It hurt. It hurt so much. It hurt so badly that Hakuno couldn't even scream without the pain growing by the second. She had experienced something similar in her nightmares but...the pain still wasn't anything as bad as this...! With every tiny movement she made in an effort to get back on her feet, the pain in her side only intensified. This was way worse than anything she had dreamt of previously!
Looking up at Shinji through teary eyes, she could only glare at him as he continues to laugh, as if watching the two of them in pain was so utterly amusing and funny. "It's really laughable Hakuno. Look at you now, grovelling beneath my feet like the weak master that you are!" He takes a few steps forward, not close enough for Hakuno to clobber him from where she laid but close enough for him to look down at her.
"I told you didn't I? That I would make you regret messing with me during the preparation period." His leg connects painfully against her side as Shinji kicks her hard, sending her crashing back painfully against the floor once again. She lies there in anguish, trying to muster the energy to retaliate and still struggling to get back up.
Her mind was now shouting at her to stand, and yet her body refused due to the sheer pain that her vision was starting to blur. Dang it, had she lost that much blood already? If she was feeling this much pain just from a gunshot to the side, she could only imagine how crappy Archer was feeling right now.
She had to get back up and fight, or she would...she would die! She didn't wanna die here! Beads of sweat had already begun to form on Hakuno's forehead as she continued to struggle, panic overtaking her senses. Nonono, this couldn't be happening! Get up...please get up...get up dammit!
"Hmm...but maybe I should get you to beg for mercy before delivering the final blow? What do you say Hakuno?" He looks at her small form hopelessly struggling on the ground, chuckling. "Try begging, and if you do it nicely enough, I might just consider finishing you off quickly with the least amount of pain. It's the least I can do as your friend after all."
Shinji begins walking away from her, giving Rider a look that told her to back off and not barge in or interrupt his 'entertainment' no matter what. As usual, his hands were casually placed in his pant pockets as he continues to eye her with that smirk of his. After all he's done, he still had the audacity to call her a friend? What a twisted mindset he had.
So this was what it was gonna be after all? Despite training so hard and gaining information on his servant, Hakuno was still destined to lose to him in the end after all? There was nothing she could do but just accept her fate and eventually die? Hakuno manages to lift her head up, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him through her bangs.
Why...just why was she so...powerless? She hated this, she hated feeling so weak and vulnerable all the time. She hated how Shinji kept tormenting her like this, and she could do nothing but endure it, she hated being such a burden towards her servant. She hated all of this.
In that very moment, something in her snapped. How many times had she gone through this scenario? Be it in her dreams, or even when encountering Shinji in the Arena, a part of her always felt scared or intimidated. She could never bring herself to refute his words and insults, and decided she'd rather take them head on than go against him in fear that he would bite back harder. That was what she always thought...and felt that it was right...only...
...Despite the pain that she was feeling, despite the fact that she could barely stand, despite the fact that her lungs were practically burning with each breath she took, Hakuno could still remember the words that had been uttered to her during the course of her preparation period.
Her mind flashes back to Nagisa first. Nagisa...one of the few masters to approach her constantly and talk to her almost every single day. Even though they were technically still enemies, Hakuno could never forget the words she spoke that time. "You better struggle with all your might, struggle until you can't even feel your limbs, struggle until your very last breathe to fight...because you have to come out alive as well. You have to survive...and live." She told her that during their previous meeting in the library.
Rin too. Despite how weak of a master she was, Rin was still willing to lend her some of her aid, even as a fellow enemy master. She even came to her during the last day of the preparation period, lecturing her to stop being all negative, and that it was okay for her to fight just because she wanted to live. "...Then all you need to do is fight with that in mind. The will to live is probably the best flame of desire to fight. No one can blame you for being selfish by having that wish." She still hasn't gotten the chance to properly thank her for her help...and she probably should if she gets past this round.
And her servant...Archer. The man who heard her plea during the preliminaries and answered her call when she was on the brink of death. While he was always being all cynical and sarcastic with her, he still stood by her side and protected her. He understood her fears and still chose to fight willingly with her despite how unreasonable and cowardly she could be. She couldn't possibly let him down now after all the times he was being patient and even encouraged her.
What on earth was she doing, acting so pathetic? That's right. She was a master in his holy grail war. She must get back up...she must stand. She had to fight...she had to fight and survive.
She had to live.
And so the brown-haired master smirks at her enemy. Even in the face of danger, she didn't know why, but she now remembers why she was here fighting for her life in the first place. That's right...she wasn't gonna die, not yet...not in place like this...and certainly not by his hand...!
She didn't go through this tedious, hellish routine for the last week just to fall back down and die here! She wasn't given a chance to survive back during the preliminaries only to die here! Nagisa was right...Rin was right...Archer was right too! She had to get back up and fight, for she had every right to do so!
Ignoring the burning pain that she felt, Hakuno forces herself back up on her feet. While it takes her a lot more energy than she realised, she eventually regains her balance. Frowning at Shinji who looks all too pleased at himself, she wills herself to stay conscious while steadying her body. She takes in a few shuddering breaths, placing a hand to her side.
She could still feel the bleed escaping from her open wound. It hurt...it still hurt a lot...but even with the intense pain she was feeling, she was now determined to fight back against him. To prove that she too, could stand her ground against him even with her weaknesses. To prove that she wasn't as helpless of a master as he thinks...!
Ah that's right. It was much simpler than that. Maybe it was because she was fed up with tolerating his bullshit, but Hakuno was feeling more courageous than ever. No, she wasn't gonna back down and take this nonsense no longer. That's right...she could do this...there was no need to be afraid.
They haven't lost just yet. Even with both her and Archer being wounded, she knew that Archer was still more than capable to fight, and she wasn't going to give up just yet either...not now...not to him...! Yes, there was still a chance, and she'll continue to struggle so long as she still breathes, so long as her heart still beats, so long as her servant was still by her side...!
The female master begins walking. Her steps are incredibly slow at first, but gradually quickens slightly in pace. She closes the distance between him, and although it does take a while with her staggering due to the blood still leaking from her side, she eventually stops a good metre or so away from her opponent, her head bowed low and eyes downcast, looking as if she was about to apologize-
When she does the complete opposite that it surprises everyone, even Archer himself.
In one swift motion, she brings her fist up, reeling it back and digging her feet into the ground before punching Shinji square in the face. While Hakuno would gladly give Shinji a beatdown, it takes a considerable amount of effort just to land a good blow on him and also not miss it...so she would have to settle for this instead.
The punch itself is pretty hard, and sends Shinji flying by at least a good few feet away from her as it is now his turn to collide painfully onto the floor. Silence fills the air as she stares at his pained form on the ground, feeling a hint of satisfaction despite the fact that her fist was now hurting from the amount of force she projected into that blow, but hey, it was still a feeling of satisfaction nonetheless.
Dang, had she been waiting forever to do that. In fact, she should've probably done that sooner if she knew how amazing it would feel.
The opposing master gets up, clutching his cheek that was already beginning to bruise, his nose bleeding. He looks so surprised with his poor face being messed up that Hakuno would've almost snickered if not for the excruciating pain in her side that was still spreading. Well, to be fair, he did insult her plenty of times over the week and even kicked her earlier, not to mention that he even attempted to kill her on school grounds too, so she was just returning the favour. "You...! What the hell do you think you...?!"
The brown-haired master lets out a sigh, feeling the mana course through her veins. It took some time, but it seems that she finally regained some of her momentum and snapped out of her daze. She was starting to wonder why she was hesitating so much earlier. Right...she just had to focus on her goal for now.
"Screw you Shinji. If you think I'm gonna take your crap again like always, you're gravely mistaken." She says this without an ounce of fear before whirling back towards her servant who seems mildly astonished at her change in behavior. Channeling mana into her fingertips, Hakuno hollers at him. "Set yourself free, Archer!"
Sending a boost of mana towards her servant, her servant immediately cuts through the NPCs with ease. He quickly runs over to Hakuno's side just as she casts a heal on him, his wounds slowly but surely fading. Thinking quick, Archer deflects a few shots coming from Rider before the two fall back to regain some distance. Shinji falters, obviously looking shocked that her servant had managed to break free from his restraints. "What?! My code cast...it was overwritten?! Impossible!"
He whips his head towards his servant who also looked quite shocked at the sudden turn in events. "Don't just stand there you stupid servant! Use your Noble Phantasm or whatever, I don't care! Just use it already and take them both out!" At his command, Rider smirks as she jumps into the air. "So it's finally time to use it huh? Well...I was planning to at some point anyway." Hakuno and Archer look at each other as they brace themselves. So the two of them had finally forced Rider to use it. There it was...her Noble Phantasm!
"Shall we go out with a bang? Let me show you my ship, Archer!" Just like in her dream, Hakuno watches as a massive pirate ship materialized before them, with Rider landing onto the deck. It didn't take long before she could also see numerous smaller ships appearing next to the large one through a dense fog, giving a mystical yet eerie atmosphere. Those ships must be part of the Invincible Armada!
"So this is her Noble Phantasm...," Archer mutters under his breath. Indeed, the sight of it seemed very intimidating even if Hakuno had technically seen it once. The female master quickly begins rummaging through her pockets. The two of them had been waiting for El Draque to pull out her Noble Phantasm. Everything was going back on track, but they couldn't fail now. She was betting on this to work, all or nothing! She had to pull this off successfully!
Looking down at the duo, Rider grins at them in glee. "Not going to try and run away? How brave yet foolish of you." One by one, Hakuno could see and hear the canons lining up and adjusting into place, the loud, high-pitched creaking that could be heard even from a distance. Shinji once again cackles while pointing a finger towards his enemy, thinking that his victory is assured. "This is your end Hakuno! Let's see you try and withstand this! Prepare to get blown to smithereens!"
Hakuno clenches her hand into a fist just as Rider points her pistols at them, the canons ready and waiting as El Draque's loud voice resounded confidently throughout the Coliseum, booming like thunder on a stormy night. There she stood on her ship, the captain that united the world."It's time, you scallywags! King of the storms, the flock of the ghosts, let the Wild Hunt begin!"
Rider's grin grows by the second that it almost looks inhuman as the canons point themselves towards the enemy master and servant, ready to strike them down. The servant had never looked as menacing as she did in that very moment, firing a shot into the air with her pistol as if she were about to commence a grand performance of her own."Remember my name and carve it into your memory! Temeroso el Drago! The woman who shot down and felled the sun!"
As soon as she finished chanting her Noble Phantasm, the entire area lit up as if there were a myriad of stars covering the sky. The cannonballs that were shot up into the air like fireworks were now zooming towards them at incredibly speeds. There it was...El Draque's finishing move! "Careful, it's coming Master!" Hakuno nods and begins running forward, a familiar object clutched in hand as she throws the emerald gemstone as she hard as she could into the air just as the cannonballs closed in on them, praying that it would work.
The gemstone hovers in the air before combusting into tiny specks of dust, the dust spreading throughout the area before forming a makeshift barrier between the two and the Noble Phantasm, reinforced with Hakuno's code casts. "What?!" Rider watches in disbelief as the cannonballs collided with the barrier just as Archer grabbed onto Hakuno, the barrier exploding to form a blinding light upon cracking. The impact between the barrier and the Noble Phantasm's attack was so strong that it created a massive shockwave that tore through the air, causing the Coliseum to tremble and the ships to rock for a few seconds.
Shielding his eyes, Shinji lets out a string of curses. What the heck is happening?! Some time had passed before he opens them after hearing the explosion die down. The weird light that had appeared had already vanished by then, and Shinji could only see nothing but large dents and broken debris caused by the cannonballs. What on earth did that little crafty bitch do earlier?
Scanning the area, he doesn't see any trace of either Hakuno or her servant anywhere. Wow, it seems that El Draque's Noble Phantasm did a fantastic job in wiping them both out completely, not that he would admit that out loud. Giggling to himself, Shinji sweeps back a few locks of hair from his face, a look of triumph on his features.
He did it! He won against Hakuno! Well, that was to be expected. He's obviously the more powerful one between the two, and there was no way that Hakuno could've survived against all those cannonballs. He still didn't know what she did, but it was probably her last desperate resort to survive or something. Too bad it failed miserably-
"I missed." Shinji pauses, jerking his head towards his servant a moment later. Had he heard right, or did the loud blast deteriorate his hearing? Yeah, he...he surely had to have misheard that, right?? "Excuse me, but what did you say?" Rider clicks her tongue, sighing a moment later. "I screwed up. We didn't get them." There was a moment of awkward silence as Shinji processed his servant's words. ...Ok, WHAT DID HIS SERVANT JUST SAY?!
"YOU WHAT?!" His shriek rang loud and clear throughout the Coliseum. Shinji wanted to yank his hair out. His servant must be kidding, right?! How could she have missed?! Her Noble Phantasm was not only highly destructive but covered a wide area too! So how the hell could she have possibly missed?!
No, Shinji refused to believe that she had missed, unless...! "Are you telling me that you missed on purpose this time?!" he yells, fuming with raw anger. If his assumption was true, then Shinji was surely going to lose it right there and then. Hell, he was going to throw her off her own ship if she said yes, consequences be damned!
Rider lets out a frustrated groan, running a hand through her hair. "Of course not. I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. Didn't you see what the girl did earlier?" She puts a hand on her hip, trying to recall the earlier incident. "I don't know how she did it, but she managed to form a makeshift barrier just in time before my Noble Phantasm hit them. It was a super flimsy barrier, but it was probably enough for them to retreat and escape somewhere else. They're probably lurking somewhere right now as we speak." Although much calmer than Shinji, Rider herself was relatively pissed at the outcome, especially given that she had literally just revealed her trump card.
Shinji's eyes were practically about to bulge out of his sockets. This couldn't be happening! "Are you kidding me?! Can't you do anything right?! You had one job!" He begins pacing back and forth, chewing on his thumb. Damn it, to think that Hakuno was prepared to tackle El Draque's Noble Phantasm! Heck, now that he thought about it, she seemed rather confident and even looked like she knew and was waiting for what El Draque was about to do! But how?! That shouldn't be possible!
Glaring at his servant, he watches as she takes a seat and magically pulls out a bottle of beer to chug down on (where did she even get that?!). She dared to relax after failing to finish them off?! "What the hell are you doing?! Don't start relaxing! Go find them right now and complete the deed, you dim-witted servant! It's your fault that they got away!" Rider glances over at him with a bored expression before taking a large sip of her beer.
"Quit yelling. You don't need to get all angry. We don't even know where they're hiding right now. Rather than looking around for them aimlessly, it would be more ideal for them to come to us. They can't hide forever after all." This response doesn't seem to calm down Shinji at all, and soon he begins stomping his feet and pulling at his hair. "You're telling me that we should just...sit around and wait here?! You're useless! You should've just killed off Archer at the start when you had the chance!"
Rider lets out a hiccup, offering her master a challenging look. "Oh? But I had every intention of doing that actually, and could very easily do so earlier." She tilts her head to the side, frowning at him. "Unfortunately, a certain someone didn't want me to intervene and kept toying with our enemy master until she decided to retaliate...so I guess that's part of the reason why we're in this position right now too." In other words, 'you reap what you sow' was basically what she was telling him.
Shinji for once shrinks slightly at his servant's words, before he let's out a frustrated cry. "So you're saying that it's my fault now?! I trusted that you were confident enough to land the finishing blow with your Noble Phantasm! Instead, you just made me look like a fool!" Yeesh, even now, he still cared about appearances?
Rider lets out another sigh as she raised her eyebrows. "I was confident. However, that girl took me by surprise. Out of all the things I assumed she could have up her sleeve, I never thought that she had a trick to counter my Noble Phantasm. She's an interesting one, I'll give you that." Indeed, that master had a ton of grit, resilience and determination that it surprised even her, especially when she decided to sucker-punch her master despite being heavily wounded herself; she's got some guts, that's for sure.
She had to admit it, but the first time she saw Hakuno Kishinami, she didn't have high hopes for the master at all. Even with how boastful her own master was, it was still clear as day that he was way stronger than her in terms of their abilities. That, and she always seemed so scared and hesitant whenever they'd meet in the Arena.
Now though, even with how weak she was, the female master still rose to the challenge head on and was more confident. And her servant too...she wasn't expecting him to exude that much raw power even when possessing a weak magus as his master...and to think that he would charge in and block her canons like that too.
Oh yes, they were certainly an interesting duo.
Taking another sip of her beverage, Rider crosses her arms over her chest. "I told you didn't I? To watch out for that girl...though at the time you seemed less than interested in heeding what I had to say." It seemed that she struck the nail on the head as she watched Shinji visibly flinch. "E-Even so, if I were you I would've used my Noble Phantasm as soon as the fight began! You instead chose to waste time playing around with the enemy servant! You're incompetent!" Ah, so he was planning to defend himself till the very end? How typical.
Finishing her beverage, Rider sets the bottle down, her cheeks dusted in a rosy hue. "Well...as they say, you save your best for last right? And besides, I wanted to see that servant's abilities in depth for myself." She waves a hand dismissively at Shinji, eyes twinkling in amusement. "No worries, when that servant decides to show up again...I'll be sure to fight him seriously. He's probably still somewhat wounded from earlier, and I doubt that the girl has a ton of mana left to spare to continuously heal him and herself. They won't get away a second time."
Yes, she can already feel it. The battle was about to draw itself to an end. Though...which one of them would win is the question? Rider quietly chuckles to herself, staring up into the sky. Just what other surprises were the two going to show them? Ooh yes, she couldn't wait.
Now then, time for the second act.