Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate series or other related works. They are the property of TYPE-Moon. Please support the official release.
On reviews:
-RoseWarden: Nice guesses about Lancer of Red so far. Remember though, based on Ruler's analysis back in chapter 4, Lancer has some kind of divinity. As another hint, they could at least qualify as Lancer, Caster, or Rider. By the way, you might be interested in this next bit for your Fire Emblem story. You know how in Heroes when a unit reaches lv 40 as an SSR there's a little conversation they have with you? Grima's gives them some pretty nice character development.
-KnightOfZaku: Relationship pacing's fine then? Good, good. That means I can focus on improving other aspects of the story more. I might throw 30 quartz when Jealter's released, if only because the second buff on her Dragon Witch skill affects Mordred.
-HuntersShadow: Good advice on the fight scenes. It'll help here of course, but let's just say I have something special planned for chapter 13. There's a few team-ups I have in mind you all might find interesting.
-Guest: Yeah, Secret of Pedigree's information blocking effect is so potent even a Ruler or Mordred's own Master can't get through it, so Archer won't be learning anything from Clarent while it's active. Without it? Maybe. I vaguely recall Clarent being mentioned as also being a fairy made sword like Excalibur, and Mordred's hatred just 'corrupted' it into being demonic instead. Not sure from where though, and to my knowledge it isn't considered a holy armament in the Nasuverse. Though the sword being holy apparently isn't good enough, because in Extella Nameless can Trace Galatine despite it being Excalibur's twin. Then again, the Moon Cell has its own rules to begin with and the two versions of Archer are considered different people if I recall.
On PMs:
-Fleece Johnson: I was wondering when someone would catch on to that! Pocket Sand might not come up as much anymore, but there's still going to be a few moments where Batreaux channels everyone's favorite conspiracy theorist. I'm planning for 26 chapters, so a few of them will definitely be used to cool things off and expand on the character's likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. I currently do not have a beta reader. I understand the worry, but these questions are mostly just so I can see what everyone thinks so far. I'll probably take some of the responses into account, but I've already got a set framework of how the story's going to go, so I won't let them influence me too much.
Before beginning this next chapter, a bit of a 'warning': Given how the story is structured and the nature of a Holy Grail War in the first place, some of the characters will end up getting more focus than the others from here on out, discounting the main pair. Unfortunately, I won't be covering every character as well as I would like to.
.-.
The clash of metal, grinding steel echoed across the night sky. Beneath the pure light of the moon, at three separate locations, three pairs of great warriors of old waged war.
On Fuyuki city's central bridge, Saber of Red does battle for the second time in one night, against Archer of Blue. Within the Einzbern Forest on the city's outskirts, Saber of Blue clashes with Rider of Red. And on the steps of Ryuudou Temple, Ruler fights a twofold battle against Assassin of Blue, to claim answers to her questions, and to prevent Assassin from claiming her head.
Walled on either side by a sea of trees and autumn leaves, Ruler swings her staff in two quick motions a second apart. Left, right, the saintess' holy staff parries the equally quick swings of Assassin's blade. A sword as long as his would normally be too unwieldy to be practical in combat, but Assassin is a master of the sword who spent his entire life with it. For the indigo haired Servant, the blade is just an extension of his own body.
As their weapons clash again, Ruler grits her teeth. Light nicks and cuts are scattered across her body, and her outfit was damaged in many of the same places, from her ribbons to her dress and to her leggings.
"Guh… I must admit, I didn't expect you to put up this much of a fight, Assassin!" Ruler forced back her opponent's blade and jumped back down a few steps before pointing her staff towards the samurai. A vibrant ball of white energy burst forth towards Assassin at incredible speed. The Servant opted to swing his sword towards the attack instead of avoiding it, and as the energy made contact with the tip of the sword, Assassin curved his arms over his head and down even with the right side of his waist.
Assassin swung his blade upwards diagonally and the energy rocketed back towards Ruler. Ruler simply held out her free hand and the energy dissipated harmlessly upon contact. She scoffed mentally. Of course holy power such as this would not harm those who use it themselves.
Assassin smirked and readied his blade once more, the moonlight glinting off. "You're too kind, Ruler." He said. "I must say, you are more skilled than I gave you credit for as well. And those wounds only enhance your beauty."
Ruler growled lightly. "Are you mocking me, Assassin?" The Saint of the Waterside launched herself forwards again and thrust out her staff as far as she could. The other Servant parried her attack with his own once again, catching his blade under the corner formed by the three prongs of the staff. A white light began to glow at the center tip of Ruler's staff once again. Assassin pushed with his blade and forced his opponent's weapon up just in time to avoid a second burst of holy power.
Assassin attempted to take advantage of how the Overseer was knocked off balance and rushed in with an overhead slash aimed at her neck. Unfortunately for him, Ruler had anticipated such a move and had dispelled her staff. The saintess had realized Assassin, or Sasaki Kojirou as her True Name Revelation skill had identified him, was much more experienced than she when it came to the blade. While swords and staves were obviously different weapons, in combat one could perform the same basic motions with either, as well as with a lance if one so desired. Assassin's blade was more similar to her own weapon than a traditional sword as well due to its length. To gain an advantage, Saint Martha would have to use a fighting style he hadn't seen any hint of before.
"Oh? Laying down your arms, are you? Have you given up then, Ruler? In that case, your head is mine!"
Ruler shot her arms up just in time to catch Assassin's blade between her hands, a move that would have been quite idiotic if not for her protective gauntlets. A brief look of shock flashed over his face and a smirk flashed over hers. Ruler tightened her grip on the blade and pulled, throwing Assassin off balance and into her now open and waiting arms.
Waves of panic rolled through Assassin as Ruler gripped him in a bear hug with fierce, tiger-like strength. With his arms pinned to his side, the overlong blade he carried would be incapable of freeing him. The night air rushed past his head as Ruler lifted him up and bent over backwards.
"Wait, wait! What are you-"
"ORA!"
Ruler yelled out and a massive bolt of pain cracked through Assassin's body as his head made contact with the hard ground beneath them, force of the collision cracking the ground as well. Stars danced in his vision as Ruler released her grip. The Servant stood back up to her full height and slammed her fists together a few times before resuming a new stance.
"Get up, Assassin. If you still can, that is." The phantom Servant could indeed still stand back up, and did so. He cracked his neck and settled back into his own combat stance. Ruler's surprise attack had hurt quite a bit, but there would be little lasting damage. A gentle breeze blew past the two combatants, their long hair and clothing billowing in the wind.
"I admit, I have underestimated you, Ruler. It seems you are more than just a pretty face after all."
Ruler cracked her knuckles and glared down her opponent. "You're tougher than I thought too, Assassin. In fact, you seem better suited for the Saber class." Assassin smirked lightly at the violet haired Servant.
"Yes, well, the reason for that is something you'll only learn if you defeat me, Ruler. But let's just say for now that despite my distaste for her, my Master is a very powerful mage." Without taking his eyes off of Ruler, the samurai slowly climbed back up the steps she'd thrown him down earlier. He'd intended to retake the advantage of the high ground, but Ruler was too observant to allow that.
No matter, he thought to himself, My ultimate technique requires equal elevation to be performed. But will Ruler last that long?
"Now then, Ruler, let us see whose mana supply holds out longer- mine, from my Master, or yours, from the Grail itself?" After those words were spoken, Ruler and Assassin lunged towards each other to continue their battle.
.-.
From within the walls surrounding Ryuudou Temple, Caster of Red watched the ongoing battle between Ruler and Assassin of Blue intently, paying special attention to the moves used by the Overseer. He frowned upon hearing the words Assassin had spoken.
"You're quite confident in Caster of Blue's mana capacity, aren't you, Assassin? To believe she could possibly outlast the supply of the Holy Grail? Oh, my… These beings called Servants… Really are…." Caster of Red turned away from the fight and headed towards the treeline where he'd first made his entrance. Though he needed to be careful not to consume more mana than he received from the leylines of the area, since beginning his 'partnership' with his intended counterpart, Caster utilized some of the tools he designed in life to carve out and conceal a small tunnel leading underground.
To his amazement, upon the tunnel's completion, Caster had discovered a massive cavern that was positively saturated with mana. At first he'd considered informing Caster of Blue, but decided it would be better put to use as his own workshop. And so it was.
After all, he'd already repaired and reinforced the witch's barrier and thought out a few improvements to those skeletal familiars she seemed to love so much. At the moment however, his thoughts were elsewhere. At the entrance to the tunnel, Caster of Red had placed a form of alarm that would inform him if anyone was attempting to enter his workshop without permission, which at the moment would be everyone. At first he'd believed it a simple precaution against Caster of Blue's interference.
After Ruler appeared at the temple, he realized just how fortunate it was he'd set it up. There was a ninety nine percent chance the Overseer already knew where he was, and Caster wasn't so delusional as to believe Assassin could defeat her in a protracted engagement. No, eventually he would fall, and Ruler would discover his grand deceptions.
As he sat at the stone desk he had carved with his inventions, Caster of Red pondered his options, fiddling with a small set of scales. Scattered about were various blueprints, graphs and formulas.
"Option A: Wait here and hope Assassin manages to either kill or repel Ruler. Option B: Inform Caster of Blue and have her engage Ruler as well, allowing the Overseer to believe their Masters have set up a separate alliance from their comrades." It would be true, but not in the way Ruler would suspect. Of course, Option B ran the same risks Option A did, namely Ruler's eventual victory and discovery of his workshop.
Caster of Red intently stared down a diagram of a cylinder, twirling a pen in his right hand. Cylinder… C… Option C.
"Option C: Make a temporary retreat." All variables considered, this was the course of action that stood the greatest chance of success for Caster. If he were to temporarily leave the area, then despite the risk of being without the leyline's mana supply for a while, no matter who won the battle outside, he would come out on top.
Caster's footsteps echoed throughout the massive underground cavern as he climbed the steps of the tunnel he made, back out to the surface, a smug grin on his face.
Hahahaha! If Assassin defeats Ruler, I can slip back in as if nothing happened! And if Ruler wins, she'll certainly want to question Caster of Blue about all of this as well! Then, once the witch is dead, I can claim all of this territory for myself! This plan is perfect!
Caster of Red was careful to shift into spirit form before he actually emerged back into the winter night's air. Ruler may have been too preoccupied with battling Assassin to try and track him with her abilities, but her eyes worked perfectly fine regardless. Caster stepped back to the part of the barrier where he'd first entered.
Hmmph. I'd thought about warning the other Caster before leaving, he thought to himself as he began to focus on reopening the seam he'd closed up, but leaving the foolish witch as-is would be a better choice. Right now she's either sleeping next to her Master, or she's 'sleeping' with her Master. Ridiculous. Caster of Red frowned as his magic attacked Caster of Blue's own, his expression turning angry. Servants had no need to sleep, and using intercourse as a means of obtaining mana was inefficient at its best, especially when she was already receiving mana though the Fuyuki leylines.
What possible reason could she have for wasting time that could be better spent honing her technique or strengthening defenses? Mage or engineer, anyone who doesn't devote all the time and effort they can to their work is a fool! The power Caster of Red had been emitting to undo his work on Caster of Blue's barrier faded, and he slipped through it and back out into the forest once again. This time, it would stay damaged. The witch that created it either couldn't detect damage of such a small scale or didn't care to check the barrier in the first place. Assuming the fool survived the night, Caster of Red would need it if Ruler came knocking again.
.-.
Shirou and Arturia raced through the depths of the Einzbern Forest in pursuit of Illya and Berserker. Contrary to what may have been expected from a forest so dense most of the sun's light doesn't reach the ground, there were no times when the two needed to dodge out of the way of a tree or cut down or duck under a branch that would have otherwise smacked one of the two in the head. This was of course due to Berserker's inhuman strength, the demigod being so strong the trees would snap, crack, and topple over from mere contact with him. Of course, any vegetation or other matter commonly found in a forest that would have otherwise flown up to injure Illya was near instantaneously cut down by Berserker.
While coming to the aid of an ally was an important, practically mandatory action for any knight, let alone King Arthur to take, Arturia realized that in her current state, Berserker's power eclipsed her own by a fair degree. That reason was perhaps why she did not feel anxious about her and her Master's pursuit of the Greek. Shirou was only human, after all, so even if it had been in her nature to do so, the King of Knights could not hold his relatively slow speed against him, even if it was technically slowing them down considerably. That said…
"Shirou," the blonde king called to her Master, "Are you certain you do not wish for me to carry you? I do not mind, and we would be able to move much quicker."
"N-no thanks, Saber." The redhead responded. "No offense, but it'd just feel weird to me."
Arturia smiled lightly. "None taken, Shirou. I understand what you mean. Though I must say, at our current speed, catching up with Illya and Berserker, or even reaching the bridge at all before sunrise simply isn't realistic."
As much as Shirou didn't want to admit it, his Servant had a point. At the rate they were moving, any battles going on would already be over. Reluctantly, Shirou slowed to a walking pace with Arturia following his lead. Shortly after, the pair stopped at a ruined house within a clearing in the forest. The house and a small wall nearby were built near entirely out of gray bricks, the house's door of wood. Though the bricks were not exactly crumbling, they were clearly quite aged. Nearly all of them bore signs of medium to heavy erosion, and several had fallen out of place.
Shirou sighed. "You're right, Saber. I don't like it, but there isn't really anything we can actually do to help Illya right now. Let's go home and have something to eat, okay?"
Immediately Saber straightened up, a glint in her eyes. If one were to pay attention, they may have noticed the ahoge on top of her head straighten slightly as well. If there was one thing she enjoyed in the modern era, it was Shirou's cooking. The overall lack of variety in what she would eat in life helped in that regard. The top chefs in Camelot were skilled to be sure, but there was only so many times one could eat the same two or three dishes before they grew tired of them, even if Arturia couldn't show her displeasure due to her position as king.
"That is an excellent idea, Shirou," Saber responded, the glint in her eyes growing stronger. "But it is already quite late, are you certain you won't be too tired in the morning? You do have school tomorrow, yes?" Shirou smiled. Saber's worrying was unnecessary, but welcome. It was nice to know she cared about his well-being.
"Don't worry Saber. I'll be-" Shirou was suddenly cut off by Saber, the Servant holding out her right arm in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, trusting Saber's intuition.
"Whoever is here watching us, I demand you reveal yourself!"
After a few moments of tense silence, a blue mist faded into view and took the shape of a man with long, brown hair and draconic looking peach colored armor, fixed with long white ribbons. His right hand bore a black, silver lined sword, but his posture did not indicate a threat. Yet Saber's years of experience kept her on guard.
"Very well then," the man spoke. "I am Rider of Red. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Saber of Blue. Though I would like to give you my True Name so we may conduct our duel with honor, my Master forbids it for the time being." Saber relaxed slightly. She did not drop her guard, but did lower her sword down to her side.
"It is refreshing to meet one who shares the same ideals as my own in regards to combat, Rider," Saber responded. "In better circumstances, I would be willing to give you my True Name, as well, but for my own reasons, I cannot. Not even my Master has learned it yet."
"And your Master is fine with this, Saber?" Shirou stepped forward and nodded.
"I am."
Rider of Red nodded as well. "I see. In any case, you surely know why I am here. Currently, our own Saber is in a vulnerable position, and one of your allies is approaching them. However, I am not powerful enough to face your Berserker in combat, so my Master and I decided to leave that one to our Lancer."
"I see. May I ask how exactly you knew where I and my ally were, Rider? How was it you happened upon this empty house in the forest?"
"That is simple. My Master and I decided to take some time to scout out the battlefield. My Master is not here, however, I must commend yours on his bravery. Now then. Shall we begin?"
Saber of Blue took up her combat stance and nodded, with Rider of Red following suit. Shirou wisely stepped back a few feet. While he wanted to assist his Servant in combat, there was little in the way of potential weapons around, and he knew Saber wouldn't appreciate her honorable duel being interrupted.
Saber made the first move, testing Rider's guard with a short series of pokes and light slashes, of which the Servant of Red proceeded to block each one. However, Saber did notice that after each attack of hers, Rider's blocks became slightly more disjointed and delayed. The Invisible Air that cloaked Excalibur's holy light seemed to be doing its job well, as it had in the past.
Rider began to counterattack, slicing at stabbing at the areas on Saber with the least amount of armor. But where the king fell short comparatively in defense, she held the advantage in speed. Try as he might, Rider was unable to pierce Arturia's guard. Saber of Blue is much calmer and focused in battle than our Saber, he noted mentally, sharing the information with his Master. In addition, her fighting style is as one would expect. She wastes no movements, and even now I find it difficult to so much as dent her armor.
Is she affected by your Noble Phantasm? His Master's voice responded. She's clearly related to Batreaux's Servant somehow, but I'd like to be sure if they both have dragon blood or not.
She is. I also believe she is not at full power.
I see. In the Centerville area of Fuyuki, Elise Rose lies back on a bed in her and Rider's room in a certain hotel that was damaged by a bomb attack ten years ago. She holds a notepad in her hand, writing down the information she received from her Servant about his enemy. The woman rests her head on her left hand.
Could you win if she were fighting at full power?
I am unsure, milady. Rider responds, deftly avoiding a blow from Saber aimed at his neck, We do not know Saber of Blue's True Name yet, so we cannot be sure of what her full power is to begin with.
Right, right. We've got the same problem with Batreaux's Saber. If you can, try and finish Saber of Blue off here, there's no telling when their Berserker will come back. Elise closed the link with her Servant and Rider returned his full attention to the fight with Saber. The king had come close to injuring him several times while he was out of focus, but now once more found herself unable to make any progress. Arturia reasoned if she could not slip past Rider's guard, then she would break it down instead, a strategy she'd had to use on several occasions during her wars to unite Britain.
In better circumstances she would have utilized her Mana Burst ability to accomplish this feat, but with Shirou as her Master she would have to be careful of how much mana she consumed. For now, all Arturia had to fall back on was her own strength. The King of Knights made a slash with her invisible sword upwards diagonally, then brought down overhead with all the force she could muster. In response Rider deflected the first blow with his own sword, then brought the black blade up to block Saber's attack, gripping the weapon with both hands as well.
A great ringing echoed throughout the forest as the two holy swords clashed together, releasing a burst of wind that very briefly interfered with Arturia's own shroud of air around Excalibur. To the king's surprise, Rider did not buckle under her assault, and despite the circumstances, she found herself smiling as the two separated their blades.
As he watched on, Shirou clenched his hands into fists. Saber didn't seem to have noticed, but he had. As she fought with Rider, her stats had begun to weaken. Though he had agreed not to interfere in her duel, he was prepared to the instant it seemed she would lose her life. He didn't care what happened to him, but he would do whatever he could to help his Servant. Fortunately, for the moment he was unneeded. Though neither of the combatants had relaxed their guards, both of them seemed to be enjoying the duel.
"You are quite a skilled opponent, Saber." Rider spoke first. If not for my Noble Phantasm's ability to weaken those of draconic origin, I believe that strike of yours would have cleaved me in two." Both Saber and Shirou's eyes widened slightly at Rider's words.
So that's why Saber's stats got lower… wait, Saber's a dragon?
Ah. That explains the sluggishness I felt.
"You flatter me, Rider, but do not sell yourself short. I can see you are an accomplished swordsman yourself. Though I do hope you do not mind my using an invisible blade. I do not mean to boast, but if you were to see this sword in full, you would know my True Name instantly."
"I do not mind at all, Saber. If merely seeing it would reveal your identity, then you must be quite the hero indeed. That small glimpse of your blade's resplendent light tells me it is a mighty one."
"Would you like to resume our duel then? You may have weakened me, but I assure you I am no less ready to fight."
"As much as I would, I believe I must take my leave. The degeneration caused by my Noble Phantasm is one that cannot be helped, but it seems even disregarding that, you are not at your full strength."
Saber sighed and lowered her blade. "It is as you say, Rider. Unfortunately, in my current state I cannot freely wield my full might in combat. I see your point. Continuing combat with me as I am now would not be an honorable action for you to take." Arturia dispelled Excalibur and her armor, trusting in her opponent's honor as a knight. Her trust was not misplaced, as soon after Rider of Red dispelled his own blade and offered a hand to her.
"Very well, Saber. I look forward to continuing this duel with you another time." Saber clasped the brown haired man's hand in her own smaller one and shook.
"Perhaps we will meet again as allies. I wish you luck in your endeavors, fellow knight." Rider of Red faded into blue mist with a smile, and the mist dispersed, a sign the Servant had shifted into spirit form and was now returning to his Master. When Saber was certain he was no longer in the area, she removed her blue gown, returning to the civilian clothes she'd been wearing earlier.
Arturia turned to Shirou, a sharpness in her eyes. "I think that went well." She said, ahoge seeming to twitch in contentment. "We shouldn't need to worry about Rider of Red for the time being. I can tell he will be true to his word." Shirou nodded in agreement. The future Hero of Justice was thankful Rider's temperament was similar to Saber's own. The Servant of Red would be unlikely to harm any innocents, and so Shirou would have no issues if the man wished to work team up in the future. That said, he was still curious about something.
"So… You're a dragon, Saber? How does that work?" Shirou asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion. Arturia's expression sombered. She took a deep breath.
"It is… complicated, Shirou. But I promise you that one day soon, I will reveal my past to you, anything and everything you wish to know. It is only fair, given that you have done the same for me."
"Hey, don't worry about it Saber. I don't mean to pry, if you aren't comfortable talking about it yet, that's fine." Arturia's smile, though small, seemed bright enough to light the entire forest.
"Thank you, Shirou. You are a most kind and understanding Master." The red haired teen blushed lightly at the compliment.
"W-well, we should be getting home now. Do you still want me to cook something Saber?" Instantly the hungry glint returned to Saber's eyes.
"Yes please."
.-.
As Caster of Red slipped off into the forest somewhere and tried to mask his presence as thoroughly as possible, Ruler and Assassin of Blue continued to trade blows with each other. Ruler's strikes rained down hard and bestial, with all the wild strength of a fierce tiger. Assassin's sword danced swiftly and sharply through the air with practiced grace, giving the impression of a majestic dragon.
The two's blows collided with each other ceaselessly, each clash showering the two with sparks from the grinding metals. Although Assassin had begun this fight with an advantage, he now found himself on the defensive, despite his earlier boasts. The swordsman was unused to battling opponents that focused on pure martial skill instead of relying on a blade to begin with, and the style used by Ruler was completely unique.
Despite his disadvantage, Assassin found himself enjoying the duel, perhaps even more than the one he had participated in against Saber of Blue. The girl had been an odd sort, one who spoke of honor whilst wielding an invisible blade against him. But, there was a purity in her swordplay nonetheless. And if Assassin had decided to use his ultimate technique in a simple test of western and eastern swords against each other, to avoid using it in a situation such as this would be tantamount to suicide.
Assassin launched a series of four vicious stabbing attacks aimed at vital areas on Ruler's body, such as her neck and heart. The saintess easily blocked the first two by allowing them to glance off of her gauntlets and attempted to dodge the two aimed at her stomach, though due to Assassin's speed his blade still managed to make cuts on either side of her torso. The two combatants separated and stared each other down after this clash. Ruler's body was marked with dozens of nicks and cuts from Assassin's blade, crimson blood soaking into her originally pure white outfit and blue leggings. Assassin's body hid its wounds better, but underneath his hakama and kimono the samurai still bore numerous bruises from Ruler's powerful fists.
Despite the damages the two Servants had sustained, neither of them were even breathing heavily, a testament to how vast the reserves of mana they connected with truly were. Against all odds, it appeared the combined mana of Caster of Blue, the city's leylines, and the hundreds if not thousands of civilians Caster had drawn mana from did provide enough energy to rival the Greater Grail. Although, if a certain temperamental magus were aware of this information, she might deduce Assassin was somehow taking mana from the Grail as well due to his connections to Ryuudou Temple, and the temple's role as a potential invocation spot for the Grail.
Would such a theory be true? Perhaps, just as it is possible a man named Sasaki Kojirou, or a man whose sword was named Monohoshi Zao had existed at some point in history. No one but Assassin himself would know for certain, and as the indigo haired man lowered his meter long blade, clouds began to shift against the night sky.
The gathering clouds darkened the area as they blocked out the moon, as if divine Tsukuyomi were ashamed to show his face in the presence of the technique Assassin was about to unleash.
"You are a truly skilled opponent, Ruler, and I have enjoyed our duel immensely. However, this is where it must end." In response, Ruler smirked and cracked her knuckles. All the tears in her clothing and blood running down one side of her face did nothing to diminish her beauty.
"Are you giving up, Assassin? Ready to answer my questions now?" The samurai smirked back.
"No. On the contrary, I will defeat you with only three more strikes." Ruler's eyes widened in realization of what Assassin was about to do. A cold fear spread throughout her body. One look at Assassin with True Name Revelation had confirmed this earlier, but in her belief she could end the battle quickly, Ruler foolishly ignored it.
A single sword technique, and nothing more. To label this skill a Noble Phantasm would be denigrating its existence. A single swing of the sword that through nothing more than the pure skill of its user, surpasses the existence of Servants, space, and time. This one blow, an impossible feat is wrought not through any sort of determination to accomplish it, but the fact Assassin simply had nothing else to do with his time. A blow that encroaches on the realms of True Magic with nothing more than human ability, and challenges the gods themselves.
Assassin brought Monohoshi Zao above his right shoulder and gripped it with both hands.
"Hiken-"
The nameless samurai stepped forwards. Ruler was left with a mere fraction of an instant to survive the attack.
Yes, survive, for evading the strike was impossible.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!" [Secret Sword- Swallow Reversal]
The first cut rushed towards Ruler in a circular horizontal arc, with speed that seemed to rival lightning. The second cut, first of the impossible, landed slightly later from overhead, aimed at Ruler's neck. The final cut came from the opposite side as the first, severing any means of escape.
Great sprays of blood leapt forth from Ruler's body as the lavender haired saint stumbled backwards. She tumbled down the stairs leading up to Ryuudou Temple as the clouds above cleared and the moon's silver radiance shone through once again. Ruler had survived Assassin's ultimate technique through a combination of her own tenacity, a skill she possessed, and sheer dumb luck.
Though he failed to take her head, Assassin of Blue had won the duel, and repelled the Overseer.
.-.
Archer of Blue was proving to be quite an irritating opponent. The battle between him and Saber of Red had since moved onto the center of the Giant Bridge where cars would drive past, the pavement scarred with dozens of sword marks from the two fighters waging war.
Geh. Slippery bastard ain't he, Batreaux? Saber of Red asked her Master over their mental link. The armored Servant's position was rather disadvantageous, and she was beginning to think Batreaux may have had a point when he brought up that the Archer class would have an advantage over her in combat. If she could close the distance, that'd be one thing, but she couldn't. Archer's reflexes were just too quick.
Every time Saber attempted to strike with Clarent, one of two things would happen. Either Archer would block with one or both of the black and white swords he carried, or another sword would appear out of nowhere and force her to dodge. It was maddening, and almost seemed as if Archer could predict her every move. Not to mention the flying swords! Was Archer using swords of all things for his arrows?
"What's wrong, Archer?!" Saber yelled out. "You bear swords in your hands like a Saber, yet you stay out of reach of my blade like the cowardly bowman you are! Pick one and fight!" An arrow burst forth from Archer's location aimed straight at Saber's heart, who barely managed to catch it out of the air. She scoffed and easily snapped the arrow in half before throwing it aside and lunging towards her foe. In response the red cloaked bowman drew forth his twin swords once again and threw them out towards his opponent. Saber smirked and raised Clarent high above her head, the look of a crazed predator on her face, though obscured by her helmet.
"Ha! You missed, dumbass! Now you- Ghhk!" Saber's murderous look changed to one of shock that held no less killing intent. Embedded in her back were the two swords Archer had thrown. The bastard child of Arthur fell to one knee, barely managing to keep herself from falling to the ground completely. She would not tolerate a third defeat. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be up to her, as Archer materialized two more swords identical to the ones that had just faded away. That meant now blood was flowing freely from her wounds.
Shit, this is bad. And he's got more of those damned swords too…
"You may think me a coward, Saber," he said as he looked down at her, "But only a fool masters the use of a single weapon." Though it had seemed to Saber that he could predict her movements, in truth that was false. If he had managed to finish Tracing her weapon and learned its history, then it might've been possible. But after Saber had materialized her helmet that became impossible. For some reason, whenever he attempted to so much as look at her sword, his vision filled with static and pixelated. The real reason he'd managed to claim the advantage that he had was simply because of the massive difference in their mana reserves at the moment.
The silver haired Archer stepped back a few feet and drew forth a bow, but not his usual black one. The bow was largely formed of black obsidian, with a wing-shaped protrusion acting as the arrow rest. The limbs of the bow instead appeared to be formed of a deep purple amethyst, almost certainly forced together through magecraft. This was confirmed after Archer assumed his firing stance and pointed the bow directly at Saber's head. A dark purple energy shrouded the weapon, forming both bowstring and arrow as a sickly purple glow illuminated the area.
Saber grit her teeth and cursed mentally. Dammit. So this is where my second life ends, huh? …Fine. To have my chance for my wish torn away from me by some lowdown trash like this… I guess it's what lowdown trash like me deserves. I didn't even get to finish that anime Batreaux showed me. Saber closed her eyes and prepared for death, but it never came. Instead she heard someone step in front of her and the humming of Archer's fell bow fade. Saber looked up and found herself in shock again as she saw the long hair of her Master.
"B-b-Batreaux?!" she sputtered out, "Wh-What the hell are you doing, you god damn idiot?! Get out of here!"
"Yes, what are you doing?" Archer agreed. "This doesn't concern you. Move aside and I'll let you live. Believe it or not, I only fought Saber here because she's an obstacle in my mission."
"Doesn't concern me? What the hell are you talking about?" There was an unmistakable note of fear in Batreaux's voice as he countered Archer. "Saber's not just my Servant, she's my friend. And if you want to kill her, then you'll just have to kill me too." Saber had managed to stand back up, bewildered by, yet thankful for her Master's sudden display of courage. Sure, now they were both going to die, but it was the thought that counted.
Saber, Batreaux called out to her, Get the bag out of my back pocket, carefully, and get ready to throw it. The whole thing. I've got a plan for us to escape.
"Your friend? Ridiculous. Friendship means nothing. It will only get you hurt."
"'Friendship will only get you hurt'? Wow, man. I don't know what you've been through, but I kinda feel bad for you after hearing that, Archer." Batreaux pushed up his glasses as a wind began to blow from in front of him. The blond smirked and pointed at his opponent. "I'll show you my trust in Saber isn't misplaced."
"And how do you plan to do that? As it stands, all you've done is foolishly come between me and your Servant, ensuring you both perish here." Archer had a point. Under normal circumstances, a human like Batreaux had no hope of defeating a Servant in combat. Fortunately, Batreaux wasn't planning to fight Archer at all. Rather, he was going to use a legendary technique called 'running away'. Batreaux began to focus his mana into his right arm. It was a huge gamble, especially with how little mana Saber had at the moment, but it was the only shot they had. Cyan lines traced across his hand, glowing like computer circuitry- his Magic Circuits.
Now, Saber! He called out in his mind. On cue, Mordred tossed the bag of sand into the air between them and Archer, imitating her Master from before.
"Pocket Sand, Shshshaa!"
The tanned Servant cast a single upwards glance towards the bag. "Really, that's your plan? Not only did I see you try this against Lancer already, Saber didn't even take any sand out of the bag first."
"That's just step one, Archer!" Batreaux yelled in triumph. Pulling his left hand in next to his body, he thrust out his right hand towards the bag, pointed two fingers, and called out a spell.
"Der… Knall!"
With those words, the bag of sand violently exploded, throwing sand out towards Archer in a massive cloud. The nameless Servant made a quick move to cover his mouth, nose, and closed his eyes. "Come on, Saber! Let's get out of here!" Mordred nodded in agreement with her Master and quickly dispelled both her armor and sword, settling back into her civilian clothes. The two began to run away from Archer and back towards the Center Building. Hopefully it would serve as a good landmark to help them find some food and a bus back to the hotel. They'd had quite enough fighting for one night.
Batreaux and Mordred came to a screeching halt as a mighty roar echoed out, the sound threatening to burst their eardrums. At the end of the bridge awaited a giant of a man, impossibly well-muscled with stone-like skin. Aside from metal rings on his wrists and ankles, the man wears only an armored skirt-like garment. From his arms protrude two large stone spikes, and in his right he wields an even more massive slab of rock much too large to be called a sword. These attributes combined with his wild black hair gave off the impression of a wild monster. Both Batreaux and Mordred were frozen in place with fear. Instantly, the pair knew this was Berserker of Blue.
Next to Berserker was what appeared to be a young girl with silver hair, burning red eyes, and fair white skin. The girl wore a collared purple shirt, long white skirt, and purple boots. Her face wore a menacing smile, and her gaze was burning a hole into Mordred, who shortly after locked eyes with the mystery girl and felt a shock of recognition pulse through her.
This girl… is… is a.. Batreaux caught on to his Servant's distress and glanced at her worryingly for a moment.
She's what, Saber? A Master, right? If she's Berserker of Blue's Master, she must be insanely powerful… This is bad. Saber was glad that Batreaux apparently didn't know what Hommunculi were. That wasn't really a conversation she felt ready to have just yet. Behind them, the cloud of sand surrounding Archer of Blue was beginning to disperse, and Batreaux was out of escape routes.
Shit. They both thought at the same time.
At that moment, said Archer felt the presence that had been watching his battle with Saber burst forward with incredible speed. That sealed it- the presence had been a Servant of Red. The girl next to Berserker opened her mouth to laugh at her prey's misfortune when suddenly a burst of wind rushed past her. Silver hair whipped around her head and the breath was nearly stolen from her lungs. Berserker let out a short bark, and all four present-Batreaux, Archer, Saber, and the girl watched in shock as the hulking Servant flew off the bridge and fell into the Mion River below.
"Berserker!" the girl yelled out, confirming her status as the Servant's Master. She rushed over to the edge of the bridge and grasped onto the railing as she stared down at the water below. For a moment Mordred felt tempted to push her in and be done with it, but the invisible presence that had saved her and Batreaux blew past the pair again, this time grabbing a hold of them. The two were dropped off in front of the Center Building, and the presence raced back to the bridge.
A few tense moments of silence passed between Batreaux and Saber as the two processed what had just happened. Batreaux was the one to break the silence.
"I don't know what the hell that thing was just now, but thank God it got us away from Berserker."
"I think that was one of our team's Servants." Mordred said. The blonde was starting to feel very tired, and not in the way one does when they need sleep. She was dangerously low on mana. She fell to one knee again and Batreaux started to panic.
"Saber? Saber!" he called out to her. The man knelt down next to her himself and put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! This is really bad!"
"N-nah, I'm f-fine. J-just need some food is all…"
"No way, Saber, you won't last that long! You need to take spirit form, now."
"I-I r-refuse, Batreaux… I'm okay, really…"
Panic and concern showed plainly on Batreaux's face, and it was turning red from worry in contrast to Mordred's increasingly pale face. If Mordred didn't take on her spirit form, there was a very real possibility of her fading away.
"Mordred, please!" Batreaux was desperately begging her now. "You were barely running on fumes before you fought Archer. Now? Please, just take spirit form until I get you some food! I don't want to see you die!"
Mordred felt a twinge of guilt in her heart. Does he really care that much?
"Alright, f-fine…" she said. "I d-don't care what it is, but y-you better get me some food f-fast. Y-you got that, k-knave?" Mordred faded into blue mist and instantly felt her being stabilize a bit. Spirit form felt weird to her, but she had to admit, she did get more mana from Batreaux like this. Hurry up. This feels weird.
Okay. Batreaux stood up and exhaled deeply, waiting for his heart rate to slow down from what felt like lightspeed. After about ten seconds of waiting, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small map of the city he received at the airport.
"Alright. Let's see if we can't find a good old-fashioned Mc Dolan's in this city."
.-.
Fate/Stay night: Dai Taisen
Episode 7: Red vs Blue: Part 2
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So this was supposed to go up about a week ago, sorry about that. Friend had a birthday, was pretty fun. Kara no Kyoukai event was fun too, Shiki's a pretty sweet Servant. Don't feel like replacing Kojirou with her on my Support setup though. Hopefully Dantes' event is as difficult as advertised.
I decided to make this one a bit longer than before. Just a heads up now, next chapter won't be focusing on action or story progression too much, it's mostly going to be character development. Maybe Shinji'll finally make an appearance or something, not sure yet.
As always, questions/comments/concerns in the review box should you decide to leave one. See you next time.