Author's note: right, I think you're all going to need Rider's stats for the battle to make sense, as well as a comparison to Saber's. Please note, Saber's stats are reduced by one for this battle, but not his skills or abilities. (if you want to refresh yourself, look back in chapter 4 and reduce his stats by one) Again, if you think she should have any other skills or abilities, let my know the name, description, and Rank.
Servant Rider
Real Name: Medusa
Master: Zabuza
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: C
Agility: B
Endurance E
Magical Energy: B
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm A+
Skills:
Magical Resistance B: Nullifies all magic that requires less than three verses. It is difficult to hurt her even using great magic or ritual magic. Nullifies B rank and below jutsus.
Riding A+: Ability to ride things. At this rank, Rider is able to ride even demonic and holy creatures, if they are beasts. This however, does not include dragons and Bijuu.
Personal Skills:
Mystic Eyes A+: Inherent ability in the eyes. At this rank, mystic eyes have become a noble phantasm known as Cybele. Capable of petrifying others, is stronger than gold ranked eyes of Dead Apostles. It affects all targets within the owner's field of vision, regardless of whether said targets are looking at the Eyes or not. Those who possess Rank C or lower in Magical Resistance will be immediately petrified, while those with Rank B may or may not be affected depending of the conditions. Those with Rank A or higher won't be petrified, but will sustain "pressure" from the Eyes and receive a one rank-down to all parameters.
Independent Action C: The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master. At the higher ranks it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without a established contract. At this Rank, Capable of remaining in this world for one day without a established contract
Divinity E-: Measures whatever one has Divine Spirit aptitude. Due to Medusa being a fallen goddess, now a demonic beast, as well as her intense dislike of the gods has all but removed this skill. Has a very low chance of reducing special defensive measures using the ability called 'purge defense'.
Monstrous Strength B: An ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill. In Rider's case, the longer this is activated, the more she turns into the legendary monster Gorgon. When she is fully transformed, her strength stat becomes A+ for a short duration. Warning, using this skill too long will distort Rider's mind and cause her to go on a rampage.
Battle Continuation C: Able to fight even when receiving grievous wounds. At this rank, Rider can continue to fight after losing a great deal of blood or a limb, but will be unable to fight after receiving a fatal wound.
Noble Phantasms:
Blood fort Andromeda
Temple of Blood that surrounded the Shapeless Isle.
Rider is able to implement it as a bounded field that she uses in order to collect magical energy by converting live humans into blood and organic ooze.
The barrier acts like a separate plane that completely cuts the affected area from the rest of the world, which makes it impossible to see the barrier from the outside, cuts off escape routes for fleeing enemies.
Depending on the strength of the Master, and how much time used to set up the field, Rider can may need time to reduce humans to dissolve victims
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 10-40
Maximum targets: 500 people
Breaker Gorgon
Mystic Eye Killer
Seal placed over Rider's Mystic eyes to suppress them into a self-contained world.
A great bounded field that couples with the Temple of Blood that once covered the shapeless island where Medusa's lair was, but whereas the Temple of Blood "covers the world", this one "seals the world".
Within the limits of the bounded field, all abilities that affect the external environment will be suppressed and all individuals will have their consciousness entrapped into the Gorgon's mind. Furthermore, those entrapped will see nightmares of mixed delight and taboo.
Medusa can also disguise her deeds of sucking the blood (absorbing the soul or Prana) of humans that were seized by it in the form of wet dreams.
Note: Does not actually seal vision. Only suppresses her Mystic Eyes.
Rank: C-
Type: Support
Range: Self
Maximum targets: N/A
Bellerophon
Shining golden harness, bridle, and saddle set capable of fully controlling a divine beast.
It has no effect by itself, but once fastened to the mount, it increases all attributes by one rank and allows for the beast to use its most powerful charge to physically destroy the target.
. It is an attack supreme in attack and defense, capable of killing any servant directly.
The "Armor Class" rank is raised by one hundred, and the maximum speed that the charge of the beast can reach is between four hundred and five hundred kilometers per hour.
Rider uses Bellerophon on her personal mount, the mythical winged horse Pegasus.
While summoning a legendary beast is an ability rivaling that of a Noble Phantasm, it is done independently of Bellerophon as one of Rider's innate abilities possessed due to her deeds as a heroic Spirit.
Both Bellerophon and Pegasus are summoned by slashing her neck with her dagger, allowing the blood to spray out and stop in the air to form a magic circle
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 2-50
Maximum Targets: 300
Heroic accomplishments:
None.
Rider is classified as an Anti-Hero Spirit.
Story Start
To say she was shocked at her identity discovered would be an understatement. Rider was horrified. All Servants had to closely guard their true identity or risk being countered and eliminated. Yet, one look at her, and Saber knew who Rider was.
'How? How could he know me?' Rider thought. She hadn't used any noble phantasms since she entered the world. Only her Masters knew her true identity. It was possible that her first Master had told someone, but the odds were unlikely. No, this Saber knew her. As she gazed at him, she felt a wave of nostalgia looking at the red warrior. She was certain she had seen him before, but as she searched her memories, she was drawing a blank.
There could only be one conclusion...she had fought him after she had died.
Servants are not the actual people of legends, at least 99% of them are not. There are a few exceptions, but the odds of summoning one such person is almost unheard of. (Saber[Ria] was sleeping, and Archer was a possibility from the future.)
No, Servants are usually copies, copies of the original Hero/Anti-hero in legends. These copies answer the call for the various wars and summonings.
When they die, all the memories of the copies is sent back to the original to be reviewed. Sort of like a letter or a book to be read. However, the original will not have as complete a memory as the copy.
While all copies will remember their past lives perfectly (Unless someone screws up the summoning [Archer]), they will not remember the other copies' memories as easily.
Think of it like this, a soldier will remember a battle he participated in far better than he will remember a battle he read about once. Sure, some things will always stand out from reading the story, but much of what was in the story will be forgotten. On the other hand, the soldier will remember the battle he got shot in the arm in with clarity.
As it was, Medusa was sure that this Servant had fought her before. A flash of red and a girl in red crossed her memory for a second, but was promptly lost.
It didn't matter really, right now, Saber knew her, and she did not know Saber.
'I have to end this quickly,' Rider thought. Once the true identity was known, Servants usually fought to the death. The longer the fight went on, the worse it would be for the Servant whose identity was known.
"Of all the Servants I run into," Saber said, "You were among the last I expected to meet."
Understandable really, the odds of Servants meeting each other again were astronomical.
Rider inclined her head slightly, she would be damned before she let Saber know that she had no clue who he was. Yet, it looked like Saber was already aware of this. His very stance showed ease, he knew who she was, and he knew how to beat her.
Shirou was secretly worried, granted, knowing who Rider really was would help him immensely, but right now, Shirou was still too injured. This was going to be a hard battle. What was worse, was that Shirou figured that he could only trace about a hundred swords before he ran out of energy. This could not turn into a battle of attrition, it had to be done as quickly as possible using the fewest number of swords. Judging by his reserves, Shirou figured that Reality Marble would not be a viable option unless used early on, or as a last resort.
Shirou did have one trump card, however. Harpe, the sword that killed Medusa was in his armory. It along with hundreds of others had been added when Gilgamesh used Gate of Babylon on him during his date with Saber and the death of Caster.
Using the sword that killed Medusa would grant him an advantage. Noble Phantasms receive a bonus fighting against those who they were famous for killing. Without even creating a Broken Phantasm, Harpe would grow one Rank against Rider. Making it into a Broken Phantasm, Harpe would be raised another Rank.
The thing is, trump cards are only trump cards until they are used. After that, the enemy would know about them and find a way to counter them.
No, it would be best to hold off on using Harpe until a decisive moment came.
Instead, Shirou traced his Kansho and Bakuya.
"Well, guess there's no helping it," Shirou sighed, "Come Rider."
Shirou dashed at Rider. While he hated the idea that he would have to leave Naruto, Kakashi looked reliable enough to protect him. Besides, there are only a few things that can match a Servant, and one of them is another Servant. From his memories of the Holy Grail War, Shirou remembered that the book had said that Rider had the magical resistance attribute. While it hadn't been stronger than his Saber's, it was still a powerful one.
Rider had no choice but to fall back from Saber's onslaught. The two fell back to the forest to fight.
Team Seven and Zabuza
Everyone but Naruto had been surprised how Saber reacted to Rider. Naruto had recognized the woman in his dreams, but hadn't known her true name. Zabuza was informed enough to know that When a Servant's identity is known, the Servant was at a disadvantage. Frankly, he didn't care if Rider won, as long as she survived. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes to kill the old man anyway. If Rider wanted to be a distraction, more power to her.
"To think you would bring out your Sharingan eye so early," Zabuza said to Kakashi, "I feel honored."
"Sharingan, Sharingan," Naruto welled, "Whats up with you and Sharingan?"
"Sharingan," Sasuke said distantly remembering his now dead clan. "It's said that it can analyze and defeat any jutsu, whether it be ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. But that is not the only power the Sharingan has..."
Zabuza chuckled, "Indeed boy, the Sharingan allows one to copy any jutsu it sees."
Sasuke thought back to Saber's strange ability. 'Once I get my eyes, I'm going to copy that ninjutsu.'
Zabuza continued, "When I was a member of Mist's assassination team, I kept a bingo book on people like you, Master of a thousand jutsus Copy Eye Kakashi."
Sasuke was glaring at Kakashi. Only his clan was supposed to have the Sharingan. Yet, here was his teacher wielding one. It was clearly a transferred eye, so Kakashi had to have stolen it from someone.
Zabuza pulled his sword out of the tree with ease, "Let's cut to the chase, I'm here to kill the old man. Would you be willing to walk away?" Zabuza placed a hand on his heart. "I swear on my honor, if you leave now, I will not harm you."
Regardless of what rumors and lies were told about him, Zabuza kept his word...unless the mission dictated otherwise.
"Sorry," Kakashi answered, "But our mission is to protect him until the bridge is complete."
Rather than retort, Zabuza sprang to the side. Team Kakashi prepared for battle, but Zabuza dived into the water.
Zabuza burst from the water and stood on top of it. Using a hand seal, Zabuza said quietly, "Ninpou, Hidden Mist no Jutsu." With that, Zabuza resolved into mist.
"Get in Formation," Kakashi ordered his team. "He'll go for me first. Momochi Zabuza, as a member of the Hidden Mist assassination squad, he was known as a master of the silent killing technique. You won't even notice him until you're dead."
Around the team, the mist thickened until it became difficult to see a foot in front of themselves.
"There are eight choice locations," Zabuza whispered in the fog. "Liver, lungs, cervical vein, femoral artery, carotid artery, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I aim for first?"
The air became saturated with killing intent. Sasuke and Sakura began trembling from fear. Only Naruto of the three kept from shaking. Saber had been worse in the first sparring match. He could still remember the sword against his neck.
"Well well," Zabuza said impressed, "One of the brats isn't pissing his pants, unlike the other two."
Sasuke and Sakura were terrified, they had never felt this much killing intent in their lives. They both could tell instinctive that one move would be the end of them.
'This is insane,' Sakura thought. 'We shouldn't be here. This was supposed to be an easy mission. Guard the old man from bandits, not missing nins.'
'It's almost too much, Sasuke thought, 'It feels like I'm being squeezed. I'd almost rather he'd kill me now and get it over with.'
"Relax you two." Kakashi reassured. "I'll protect you, even if I have to die"
Suddenly, something powerful flew over their heads. The mist vanished instantly.
In the distance, a major explosion rocked the earth.
Rider versus Saber
Saber had pushed Rider back for two reasons. The first was to protect Naruto from her, the second was to protect Naruto from himself. This was going to be big.
Rider had been content to let herself fall back to the forest. She had familiarized herself with the area and was comfortable in tight quarters. If Saber wanted to fight away from her Master, all the better.
The opening exchange would have fascinated observers. Saber unleashed a fury of attacks on Rider, who had deftly dodged the blows and almost landed a kick on Saber. Saber had to block the blow, only to dodge a stab with her nail weapon. Saber slashed at her head and her torso, while she flipped back out of the way. Landing on her hands, she kicked at Saber's face, only for him to twist aside and attempt to cut her leg off.
Rider was now confident in her abilities. This Saber was far weaker to several of her old opponents. One Saber, a short blond girl had been the worst. This one was slower, weaker, and relied too much on experience. He never engaged her in strength, all his moves relied on skill. She was faster, more agile, stronger than him. She doubted that she would have to use her Noble Phantasms on this one, regardless that he knew her identity. In fact, she probably didn't remember him because he was so weak.
Shirou was eager. For the first time upon arriving in this world, he knew his purpose. It had to have been an improper summoning, that was the only reason Shirou could figure why he had no clue what his purpose was. With Medusa here, he now knew why he was here. Sure, Rider was faster, stronger, and more agile than him, but so had most of his opponents. His entire style had resolved around fighting opponents superior to him.
Shirou slashed at Rider who rammed her nail into Bakuya, shattering it. Shirou traced a new one instantly, and continued the assault.
'One down, 97 available.' Shirou tallied. He had that many swords he could trace left. Certain swords would take several times more energy to create, but his two most common weapons were the standard he set. As long as he was careful, he could create an opportunity to kill Rider.
Several times, he swung at her, only for her to break his weapons, yet, Rider was becoming suspicious. Every time she disarmed him, Saber had a new weapon in hand. Was it the property of the weapon? No, Saber had never spoken their names. Noble Phantasms could only be used when their name was called. Instead, Saber was somehow creating a new blade each time.
'90 left' Shirou counted.
Rider leaped back onto a tree and glared at him. "What are you?" Rider demanded, "Eight times, eight times I've broken your blades."
Shirou smiled, "Have you now? Are you sure Medusa?"
Rider was getting furious. She hated how he kept saying her name. If another Servant was watching, she was sure that it would be the end of her. Rider was no optimist. There were plenty of Servants who were stronger than her. She remembered a Berserker from a war she participated in. Herakles would have killed her in seconds.
"What makes you so sure I'm Medusa?' She asked pointedly
Rather than answer her, Saber threw both his swords in the air. Rider was curious, why would he throw his weapons away. Not that he was disarmed for long. A second set of weapons were in his hands, and again he threw them.
"I am the bone of my sword" Saber chanted
Rider dove at Saber, only to see the trap. All four weapons flew towards her. She threw he nail weapon to a tree and yanked herself away. The area she would have been in exploded as the four weapons collided.
"Broken Phantasm." Rider said in horror. By overcharging a Noble Phantasm, A servant could sacrifice his weapon to make one attack far stronger than normal. It occurred to her suddenly, Saber was constantly creating/summoning new weapons. He could literally afford to break every weapon he had.
Yet, he still did not call out his Noble Phantasm. 'Who the hell is he?' Rider thought. Saber was now a much larger threat than she had thought. As she watched, he brought forth two more of the twin swords, only for them to grow. The swords were now longer, and sprouting what looked like metal feathers. What was worse, Saber was smiling.
"Steel is my body, and Fire is my blood"
'84 left' Shirou tallied. Creating the Broken Phantasms had drained twice as much Prana from him.
Rider wasn't sure what Saber was saying. It sounded like an Aria, but this was Saber, not Caster. More and more, Rider was puzzled by Saber's Identity.
In any case, Rider needed to beat Saber and get back to her Master.
Saber dashed forward, slicing Rider. Rider had to jump over Saber to avoid the attack. Before she landed, Saber was on her, Rider had to use her superior reflexes to dodge the large swords. She did not dare risk getting hit by the weapons now. Weaker Servant or not, Broken Phantasms were nothing to underestimate. She lashed out with her chain nail only for Saber to sidestep by the smallest margin and continue forward. Rider jumped behind a tree, only to see one sword cut through it. As the large sword broke, the second grazed her body. Rider was certain now, these Broken Phantasms were superior to her resistance.
It was time to get serious.
Tracing a new Kansho and Bakuya, Shirou tallied '82 left' it was getting tempting to use stronger Noble Phantasms.
Rider had had enough, it was time to end it. She leaped clear of Saber and prepared to cut her Neck. Saber suddenly changed weapons, where once he wielded two swords, he now had a bow and a white twisted sword. Every fiber in her being said dodge.
Shirou raised Calabolg II and aimed. He knew that it would be better to stop Rider before she
summoned Pegasus. Shirou took aim inside his mind and fired. The shot missed, if only because his body was still messed up. As Cadabolg passed Rider, she felt a shiver of fear. That shot would have killed her if he had aimed right. It had only been luck that a shiver passed through Saber as he fired. It suddenly became clear to her.
Saber was injured. It was the only explanation, it also made her afraid. If Saber was this dangerous wounded, how strong was he really?
'79 left' Shirou counted down.
Team Seven
The whole team had no idea how close they all came to dying right there. If Saber had aimed a little lower, he might have killed them all. Instead, Cadabolg passed them by and blew up about half a mile away.
With the mist thinned, the team suddenly noticed Zabuza standing between the genin and Tazuna. Kakashi had to bolt to smash a kunai into Zabuza. Kakashi noticed instantly that 'Zabuza' was bleeding water. As the water clone dissolved, a new Zabuza popped up behind Kakashi and cleaved him in two. Kakashi, rather than spraying blood, instead turned into water.
'Water Clone?' Zabuza thought, 'No way, even in the mist?'
Zabuza suddenly felt a knife at his throat. "Don't move," Kakashi ordered. "It's over."
All three genin relaxed at the sight. Kakashi-sensei had saved them.
Zabuza chuckled, "Hehehe, over? You don't get it. You monkeys can't hope to beat me."
Zabuza glared at Kakashi, "But still, that was impressive. You had your clone say those words to distract me. Nice plan..."
Kakashi's good eye widened suddenly. Behind him, a third Zabuza appeared.
"But I'm not that easy" Zabuza swung his sword, forcing Kakashi to duck. As the sword smashed into the ground, Zabuza Used the hilt as a springboard and kicked Kakshi into the lake. Zabuza tried to give chase, but had to stop to avoid freshly laid makibishi.
Kakashi burst out of the water to breath. 'Why is the water so heavy?'
"Water Prison no Jutsu" came a voice behind him.
Kaksahi was instantly encircled by the water and immobilized. Zabuza had trapped him.
"Don't bother trying," Zabuza told Kakashi. "My prison is inescapable."
Looking at Tazuna, "Now, I'll deal with you later Kakashi. But first, I have a mission to complete."
With one hand making a symbol, "Water Clone Jutsu"
From the lake, a Copy Zabuza emerged.
'He's strong' Kakashi thought horrified.
Zabuza scanned the three genin and began laughing. "HAHAHA, look at you, all dressed up playing ninja. A real ninja is one who has survived numerous brushes with death." Zabuza looked over at Naruto. "You have nice eyes boy." Unlike Sakura and Sasuke who were trembling, Naruto had donned his gauntlets and drawn his knife from Saber.
Naruto was willing to admit he was scared, but this was normal to his body. The sparring matches had beaten a sense of death into his body.
Zabuza continued, "Good stance, looks like you've had some real training." Looking at Naruto's arm, he suddenly noticed the command seals. 'So...he's the Master.' Zabuza considered it then offered, "How bout it boy, join me. I'll train you personally." It was a good deal for Zabuza. The boy wasn't professional yet, but he had good eyes.
The boy had clearly seen his share of danger. Not to mention, he was a Master. Rider had told the village long ago that she was only loyal to her Master. It made sense that Saber would be the same.
With Saber at his side, Zabuza was sure he could fulfill his duty and kill the Mizukage.
Naruto didn't bother answering. Saber had told him time and again, talking during a fight was a sin. Every breath was required for the fight. Wasting it on words was asking for death. Instead, Naruto made a hand sign "Kage Bushin no Jutsu" Twelve Narutos appeared around him. The clones charged Zabuza, trying to find a weak point.
"So be it," Zabuza said grudgingly. With one swing of his sword, the water clone cut down all the fake Narutos. With a second swing, the fake Zabuza hit Naruto with the flat of his blade. Naruto was sent flying into Tazuna knocking both of them back.
"Everybody run," Kakashi yelled, "As long as I'm trapped, he can't move. The clone can't go far from the real body. Just go, now!"
Naruto stood up shakily. Looking at the fake Zabuza's feet, he saw his Head plate beneath the clone's foot. Naruto gritted his teeth. That plate was special. He earned it the day he met Saber, the day Iruka was honest with him, the day he became a ninja. It was his, and no-one was going to take it from him.
Again, Naruto summoned a Kage Bushin.
Both of them charged
'Don't do it Naruto," Sakura called uselessly
Zabuza watched in disappointment. The boy was reckless, sloppy. The clone cut down the copy easily and delivered a mighty kick to Naruto. Yet, Naruto had done it, in his hands was his head plate.
"What the hell were you thinking Naruto?" Sakura berated. "We're gennin, we have no chance against him."
Slowly, Naruto put the plate back on his head. "Hey browless freak." Naruto said to Zabuza,
"Remember me, the future Hokage of Konoha."
Drawing his knife once more, he readied himself, "Leaf ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, get ready to fall freak."
Everyone, including Zabuza were impressed by Naruto's will. This brat was taking a beating, yet looked ready as ever to kill Zabuza.
The whole scene was ruined when a massive wave of fire roared behind Zabuza. The energy wave ripped away the scenery about 500 meters behind Zabuza. Much of the lake turned to steam, and many trees vanished beneath the attack.
'What the hell?' everyone thought.
Saber vs Rider
Rider had seen enough. Saber had to die now. Leaping away from the trees, she began raining kicks and stabs at Saber. Another sword breaks, only to be replaced.
'78 left'
Rider knows that she's going to have to rely on close range attacks. Saber's long-range attack had been too much for her. She wasn't sure if Pegasus could have survived a blow from that last attack. No, she needed to stay close range and kill Saber. Reluctantly, she engaged he ability Monstrous Strength. She could feel her skin growing scales. Saber seemed unconcerned with the changes going on in her. Again and again she smashed his swords, but was unable to break his defense. For some reason, Saber seemed to be stronger when on the defensive. Most swordsmen would focus on offense, trying to control the rhythm, Saber seemed perfectly at home being on the defensive.
'70 left'
Shirou decided it was time to switch tactics. Rider was now too used to the twin swords, not to mention she was growing stronger. The changes were obvious, where she was once as swift as the wind, her speed was dropping as her body grew stronger. Saber had no doubt she was reverting to the monster of legends.
"I have fought countless battles undefeated..." Shirou chanted
Rather than trace a new set of Kansho and Bakuya, he traced a special spear. Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the spear of Guan yu. This spear held the spirit of the legendary warrior from the three kingdoms inside it. Whoever wielded it was given the strength and skill of Guan Yu.
Saber began swinging and stabbing in a style that was now completely different from his own. Shirou was fond of this spear. It allowed him to suddenly fight so differently, it always threw off his enemies.
Everyone has their own rhythm and combos when they fight, but this spear suddenly allowed him to change the tempo completely. His enemies would always have to change to the new style, and would end up forgetting his old one when he switched back.
He began swinging and stabbing at Rider in a reckless manner, heedless of any openings he may have displayed. Guan Yu had always been a master of the Spear, many had claimed that he had the Strength of a Thousand men. While this was an inferior copy, Saber still possessed much of Guan Yu's ability in the spear.
Rider was taken off balance. Saber was now wielding a spear as well as any Lancer. 'Saber, Lancer, Archer, and maybe Caster, who the hell is he?' Rider questioned. Next thing she knew, he's pull out an epic mount and match her Pegasus. Rider suppressed a shudder, wounded or not, he was too dangerous to fight with restrictions.
Rider jumped back and called out "Breaker-"
Before she could finish, the spear was thrown, piercing her side. It was no fatal wound, but it had done what was needed. Rider had to call off using her Noble Phantasm as the spear had canceled her command. Before she could recover, Saber dashed in with the white and black swords. Rider was unable to fully dodge the attack, and suffered cuts on her arms. Nothing major, but she was wounded. Adding the spear wound in, Rider knew that she could not keep the pace up. Saber was too strong up close, and his long range attacks were to be feared.
'75 left' Shirou thought. The Green Dragon had used up several swords in it's creation. He was now down a quarter of his original stockpile. Yet, it was worth it. Rider was bleeding, her Noble Phantasm was blocked for the moment, and it looked like Rider had unconsciously turned off Monstrous Strength.
Rider had to take a chance, if she continued her assault, she would die. Once more, Rider jumped away, dashing from tree to tree, trying to build some distance. Behind her, Saber was following, tracing the large bow again, but this time, he brought forth a halberd.
Shirou was certain that Rider would be able to hide from his eyesight, so Hrunting was out. Instead, Shirou traced Houtengeki. This halbred once belonged to another general of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu. What was special about this weapon was that it had a reverse causality attribute. While not on the same level as Gae Bolg, it was guaranteed to always hit it's target.
Shirou refused to use Gae Bolg, the spear was too demonic, not to mention, it had a lot of bad memories. Houtengeki had no such issues with it.
Shirou took aim and fired. Rider could feel the spear as it hit her. Only her agility allowed her to place her leg in the way of the attack. Reverse Causality or not, the spear was only guaranteed to hit it's target, not kill it. Rider went down. Her leg was shot, her side was bleeding, and her arms were damaged. Yet, she had the opening she needed. With one stab, she rammed her nail weapon into her neck.
Shirou felt his blood turn cold. After everything he did to stop it, Rider was summoning her strongest Noble Phantasm. There was only one thing to do, Shirou bolted.
'69 left, and she's bringing out the big guns.' Shirou thought. 'No choice.'
Shirou knew the only thing that would take Rider down was an A+ Noble Phantasm. Any one of them in his armory took at least 30 swords to make. Most would take somewhere between 40 and 50.
Shirou knew time was against him. The stronger weapons took time to make. Shirou quickly thought up a plan and began his preparations.
Rider watched as Saber fell back. She knew he was planning something.
Before her, a circle of blood formed, a large eye opened before her that would have frozen any targets in her path. But, because Saber had fled, it did nothing. Before her, Pegasus appeared.
"Bellerophon" Rider yelled summoning the golden bridle, harness and saddle that allowed her to control Pegasus.
The two burst into the air, laying waste to a huge stretch of land in their path. Gazing into the trees, she saw him, unarmed, and in the middle of concentration. Yet, she wore she heard something.
"Unknown to Defeat, Nor known to Victory."
Rider was sure of it, it was and Aria, a powerful one. Pegasus was strong, but even her pet would not survive against Sorcery.
"Have searched constantly" Saber chanted
She dove Pegasus at him. She became a blinding light against the horizon.
"To find the my lost Saber" the chant continued
In Saber's hands a sword appeared. Rider knew that blade. It had been the blond Saber's sword from the Holy Grail War.
'No,' She thought.
Rider tried to turn Pegasus away. They were too fast, Pegasus could not turn quick enough.
She watched, as time seemed to slow down.
Saber raised the sword up.
Pegasus tried to turn even harder, even it knew when death was coming.
The sword slashes.
"EX-"
A wave of death approached.
"CALIBUR!"
Pain, Rider's world is filled with Pain.
Yet, she's not dead.
'I-I made it.' Rider thinks aloud.
She doesn't see it.
A sword comes flying at her.
Pegasus, seeing what's coming, blocks it's path.
"NEEEIGGH" it screams.
Rider looks at the sword. Fear fills her world. 'Harpe' she realizes.
Pegasus is hurt, badly. Between the golden sword and Harpe, it barley hangs on for it's life.
The two are going down.
They are at the mercy of Saber. One attack, and they will die.
Yet, he doesn't take the shot.
'Why?' Rider questions. 'It's a perfect shot.'
On the ground, Shirou shakes his head.
"Dammit, eight swords left." Shirou mutters.
He can kill Rider, there's no problem with that, but...if he kills her, Shirou could kill himself. No, that is
unacceptable. Naruto still needs him, especially since there are probably other Servants out there.
Right now, Rider is out of the fight. Her mount will be unusable for some time. Shirou shakes his head, it had been a good plan. Use Excalibur to force her to dodge, the light would distract her for a second, allowing him to kill her with the already traced Harpe and bow. Instead, that damn animal had seen the attack and took it for her.
In all honesty, he hadn't expected the mighty Pegasus to intervene like that. From the last time he saw her, the mount had looked maddened from Bellerophon. Shirou would have remember that for next time. The creature actually seemed to like Rider. This changed their relationship a bit...
Shirou sighed, he needed to get back to Naruto. Another reason why he had not finished off Rider, Naruto could still be in danger. Every sword would be needed.
Shirou dashed off to Naruto to end the battle.
Team Seven.
The blast had blinded everyone for a second. No-one here had ever seen a battle between Servants, and had never comprehended the scale of damage the two could create. A mile long trench had been made in the area, causing much of the lake water to vaporize. Zabuza and Kakashi could feel the water beneath them heat up. While they had both been safe from the blast, the entire lake had raised several tens of degrees. All the fish in the water died from the temperature difference, a great forest fire was ravaging the countryside. Where Calaborg had landed, a crater hundreds of feet wide scarred the earth.
Returning to the problem at hand, Naruto whispered to Sasuke and Sakura "Help me out here, I have a plan." The three huddled up for a second then split.
"Hmm, you brats think you have a chance?" Zabuza said, quite amused by the kids antics. The three were no threat to him.
"What are you three doing?" Kakashi yelled, "The fight was over the minute I was caught. Take Tazuna and run. Do your duty and protect him."
"Hmpf" Tazuma said, "I planted the seed myself"
The three looked over at him.
"I'm not going to say that I'd want to live so much to stop you" Tazuna continued. Waving his hand in a dismissive manner, "Go on, fight to your heart's content."
"Hmpf, you hear that," Sasuke said.
"Yep," Sakura answered pulling out her kunai.
"I'm ready," Naruto replied.
Zabuza began to laugh, "Ha, haha, HAHAHAHA. You guys will never grow up."
He shifted his sword into an attack stance "You're still playing ninja."
His hands clench into fists "You know... when I was your age, these hands were already stained with blood."
"Devil Zabuza," Kakashi said
"Hmm, heard about that did you?" Zabuza muttered.
"Sensei?" Sakura asked.
"About two decades ago, the Hidden Mist village was called 'The Bloody Mist Village.' The final test was brutal..."
"It was fun," Zabuza said smiling beneath his bandages.
"What was it?" Naruto asked nervously.
"He, hehe, hehehe, why kill your fellow student" Zabuza answered.
Kakashi looked mournful. "Friends who had trained together and eaten at the same tables were pitted together to the fight to the death."
Sakura shuddered 'Terrible.'
"Ten years ago," Kakashi continued, "The graduation test had to be changed. The previous year, a devil appeared."
Zabuza mentally shook his head. He had done the deed for a reason, not like anyone would understand.
"Change? What did the the devil do?" Sakura asked, dreading to hear the answer.
"Without pause, a young boy, who wasn't even a ninja, killed over a hundred students." Kakashi answered.
"Ah, good times." Zabuza said. No-one would understand. He hadn't been trained as a ninja, his father was a blacksmith as had his grandfather.
He had spent hours honing his skills with the blade in the forge since he could hold one. Everyone around him, all the ninjas, they were so blood thirsty.
One of the students, he killed his dad. The next day, Zabuza went to kill him. Everyone of the high and mighty ninja brats didn't stand a chance against him. And the bastard the one who killed his dad, he kept throwing others in front of him. He had to kill over a hundred assholes to kill the bastard. After that, the Mizukage had him trained as a Ninja and eventually one of the Seven Swordsman.
His own blade, Kubikiribocho, was one of his grandpa's masterpieces.
Saber
In the forest, Shirou saw the situation. 'Dammit Kakashi, what the hell you doing?'
Shirou picked up his bow and traced two arrows. 'Six left.'
Shirou was about to unleash his attacks, when he saw a familiar gleam in the genins' eyes. Shirou decided to wait for a second. If their plan failed, he would finish the job.
Team Seven
Zabuza shook his head, now was not the time to reminisce, the clone was ordered to attack. It dashed forward, punching the orange boy and smashing the blue boy into the ground. The boy was then pinned by the water clone's foot.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu" Naruto yelled.
A hundred clones appeared, all of them pissed off at Zabuza. They charged, heedless of the casualties Zabuza was inflicting. In the chaos, Sasuke was freed.
Sakura threw a collapsed large shuriken at Sasuke and began pelting the clone with projectiles.
Sasuke unfurled the shuriken and threw it at the real Zabuza. At the same time, Sakura threw a Kunai in the same direction.
Zabuza was amused by the kids antics. With a short hop, he jumped over the thrown shuriken, not even bothering to notice the kunai. The aim was completely off.
"Nice thinking, aiming for the real body. But not enough" Zabuza said.
Behind him, the Shuriken changed into Naruto. He caught the thrown kunai and threw it at Zabuza.
Zabuza had no choice, he jumped to the side. The kunai cut a shallow trench down his cheek.
Zabuza suddenly exuded a massive killing intent. He had been playing with the kids before, partially hoping he could recruit the boy, but now...someone was going to die. Zabuza began to swing his sword, when the momentum suddenly stooped. Snapping his head to the side, Zabuza saw Kakashi had grabbed it. A shiver of fear/anticipation crawled up Zabuza's spine.
"Nice plan you three," Kakashi complimented.
"Heh, I just got distracted." Zabuza denied.
"You didn't release it. You were forced to release it" Kakashi countered.
Zabuza jumped away. He began a complex jutsu, only for Kakashi to perform the same moves.
Several kunai and shuriken flew at Zabuza forcing him to dodge while he prepared. 'Damned brats'
Zabuza thought. The three genin were trying with all their might to at least distract Zabuza.
Kakashi and Zabuza released the same jutsu. "Water Dragon no Jutsu" both cried out. The water around them formed into two dragons who then collided with each other. The genins and Tazuna had to take cover from the burst of water.
'Strange...what's going on?' Zabuza wondered as his attempt to cut Kakashi was countered.
Ever step he took, every gesture he made, Kakashi mirrored.
'It's that damn eye.' Zabuza figured out. 'My movements...'
"He's completely reading them." Kakashi finished the thought.
Zabuza's eyes widened. 'Is he...'
"Reading my mind?" Kakashi finished again.
Zabuza was extremely worried now. "Heh, you can't beat me..."
"You damn monkey bastard" Kakashi finished for a third time.
Damn him, how dare he mock the mighty Zabuza. He began a new jutsu, only then did he notice...it was him. He could see himself in place of Kakashi. 'Dammit, is this some kind of genjutsu.'
In that moment he paused. Kakashi took the opening and finished the jutsu. Kakashi's attack blew Zabuza away.
'I-I can't keep up.' Zabuza thought.
"Can...can you see the future?" Zabuza asked.
"I can see... your death" Kakashi predicted
Before Kakashi could move, an arrow pinned Zabuza to a tree.
Everyone snapped to the direction of the attack.
"Ah, sorry I'm late." Saber answered as he came out of the trees. "Turns out the road of life is complicated."
'What? But how...Rider. Is Rider dead?' Zabuza thought.
Before anyone could comment, two senbon needles pierced Zabuza in the neck.
"Hehe," came a new voice. A young man hopped into view. Zabuza's head fell and his body slumped as much as it could with an arrow pinning it to a tree.
"He's dead. Thanks for the help." the boy with a mask said.
Kakashi jumped down and felt Zabuza's pulse. 'Yep, he's dead. Which means he is...' Kakashi looked over at the stranger.
The boy Bowed slightly, "Thank you very much. I've been searching for an opportunity to kill him for some time."
"That mask, you're a hunter nin." Kakashi observed backing away from the body. One never gets in the way of a hunter nin without risking one's own life.
"Indeed, that's correct." the boy answered. "My duty is to hunt down any missing nin of the village, in this case, former member of the Mist Demon Zabuza,"
Saber couldn't care less if the boy was the King of England, he kept his second arrow trained on the boy. The kid was clearly a threat.
"What the hell? Who the hell are you?" Naruto yelled out.
"Peace Naruto." Kakashi said. "He's not an enemy."
"Not unless you get in my way," the hunter added.
Naruto was shaken, masked freak was about his age, but far stronger than him.
Shirou saw Naruto's train of thought and called out. "You will find in life many people younger than you yet infinity stronger than you." 'Like Illya' He still had a hard time believing that Illya was able to fuel Berserker. Of course, not being human had something to do with that.
The hunter jumped over to Zabuza, keeping his back away from the team. "The battle is over, and I must dispose of the body. Farewell." With that, a gust of leaves covered the area, and the body, with Zabuza's body were gone.
Kakashi sighed, this mission had been hell. It was now a definite A rank mission. He could only hope that Zabuza was the last Ninja Gato could hire. Kakashi shook his head, when Tazuna had told the team about Gato shipping being involved, he had freaked. Gato was extremely wealthy, he could only hope that Gato would know when to cut his losses.
Kakashi pulled his face plate over his Sharingan and stood up.
"Good teamwork everyone. Now... lets get out of here."
Tazuna laughed, aware of how close they had come to dying. "Hahaha, come on over to my place. This deserves a celebration."
Kakashi and Shirou made about two steps, then collapsed.
"Eh?" the three genin cried out.
"Kakashi-sensei, what happened," Sakura asked.
"Hey, Saber, what are you doing." Naruto cried as he moved to Saber's side.
"Can't move..." Kakashi squeezed out.
"I'm all tapped out," Shirou replied. True, he had a bit of Prana left, and Naruto was providing more, but right now, he needed rest. Actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't feel any of the pain from Hanabi's attack. 'Great, so it finally settles down. Must have stabilized after I drained myself for the second time.' Looks like Murphy's law strikes again.
It took a while, but with several Kage bushin, Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke, the two adults were manhandled into Tazuna's house.
"Are you two okay?" Tsunami asked
"Well, it looks like I'll be like this for a month. The Sharingan really takes it out on me." Kakashi answered.
"I'll be fine," Shirou said. It looked like he'd be unable to fight for a while
True, he could use blood transfers or eat souls, but the very thought of that sickened him.
The only other option was a Prana transfer, and that required a male...besides, Shirou didn't swing that way. Shirou shuddered, no way in hell was he going to let that happen. It would take a command seal to force him to do any of those three options. No, he would have to make due with waiting. Shirou estimated that he would be ambulatory in a few hours, but he would need days before he could think about combat.
The good news was that Rider would be forced to either wait or feed to heal herself. Shirou was confident he could sense if Rider entered this small community. No, she would have to feed off of Gato's men, and truth be told, that suited him just fine.
Sakura began asking about the hunter nin. Kakashi told about how they were responsible for protecting the village secrets.
Suddenly Shirou yelled, "Wait, what was that last part?"
Kakashi thought back, "They then cut off the heads and burn the body...oh shit"
Sakura looked confused. "What?"
"The 'hunter' should have burned the body right there. The fact that he didn't days something is off." Kakashi answered as he went through a revelation. "Odds are, Zabuza is very much alive."
"Great," Shirou added, "That's just great. That means Rider is definitely alive as well." Shirou had secretly hoped the death of the Master would kill off Rider.
The three genin looked in horror. Zabuza had been terrifying once before, now they would have to face him again.
Shirou shook his head, "Well...no use crying over it. We'll just have to come up with a plan...tomorrow." Shirou was tired, but once again, cursed the fact that Servant's do not actually sleep. He would close his eyes and work on conserving his energy and using as little as possible.
Kakashi agreed with the sentiment, and fell asleep. The genin ate a simple meal and went to be themselves. Tomorrow, they would begin preparing themselves.
Unknown location
Haku placed Zabuza down on the ground. Quickly removing the needles, he began treating the bleeding. Rider suddenly jumped down next to him. Haku was surprised at Rider's condition. Half her body was covered in burns, her side was bleeding, though not as bad as earlier. He arms had healed themselves, but her leg moved with a noticeable limp.
"Saber?" Haku inquired.
Rider shook her head, "Alive."
Haku grimaced. Rider never took damage, yet now, she was hurt, and her target was still alive. This was a first for Haku.
Zabuza grunted then asked, "How was he?"
Rider considered her words, "He was weaker then me."
Zabuza looked her over. Clearly Saber had been more than that.
Rider continued, "But...he was strange. I broke his weapon dozens of times, yet he always had another."
Haku considered storage scrolls but knew there had to be something more. "Describe it"
Rider thought back. "He used astralization, I'm sure of it."
Haku and Zabuza drew a blank.
Rider explained, "It's one of the basics of magic, it allows one to recreate an item. It's considered useless as it takes too much energy."
Haku and Zabuza had never understood the whole magic thing, but went along with it.
"Yet, He was able to astralize weapons. Not just ordinary weapons, but Phantasms, even Broken Phantasms."
Zabuza remembered that Rider had called her Blood Fort a Phantasm years ago. That had been one sweet technique.
"Enough with the weapons," Zabuza scolded. "How would you describe him."
Rider shuddered at the memory of Harpe piercing Pegasus. "Don't underestimate him. He'll kill us all if we're not careful." Rider made no mention of the golden sword. She still had no clue who he was after seeing that weapon. 'How could he use the sword of the King of Knights?'
Everything about Saber was a contradiction. He was supposed to be a Saber, yet, he shots like an Archer, fought as easily with a spear as a lancer, chanted like a Caster, and yet his swords were not his Noble Phantasm. What was worse, he seemed to have no issue using countless Broken Phantasms.
Who ever he was, she needed to prepare. She was not strong enough to face him yet.
That night, many people had dreams. Dozens of Gato's men dreamed of gorgeous women offering themselves to them. As each dreamed, Rider fed on their souls. Not enough to kill them, but each one of them would be unable to move for days. Rider could not afford to kill them.
She needed to take what she could and wait till the souls recovered before feeding again. The only other source of souls were where Saber was probably staying.
She had no idea how weakened Saber was, but she dared not risk it. She would make due with the lowlifes until it was time for the rematch. The first night, her wounds healed, but her stores were severely depleted. It would be several days before wither she or her Master were ready.
In addition, Rider began the preparations for the Blood Fort Andromeda. True, it wouldn't be ready for about a week, but as soon as she was ready, she would turn every one of the thugs into food.
Naruto dreamed of Rider as well, though not of the wet variety.
Instead, he dreamed of Saber's hunt for her. The resting in the park with Ria, and Saber's reflection of the past. Naruto noticed how Ria looked guilty when Saber told about how the park was formed in the last Holy Grail war. Ria looked surprised when Saber told how he had somehow survived the inferno and been adopted by Emiya.
The two continued to hunt, only to find Rider and Shinji on the tallest building. On the walls and the roof, Rider and Ria dueled. Saber had to dash up the building to catch them. Naruto saw something that turned his blood to ice. Following Saber, was the white girl. Beside her, Berseker trailed behind. Naruto had a bad feeling, no a horrible feeling of what would happen.
'No, please no. Not again.' Naruto begged. He didn't want to see Saber cleaved by that giant blade.
Yet, the two followers stayed back while Saber dashed up the building.
On the roof, Ria and Saber were fighting. Naruto watched in fascination as Rider summoned a winged horse. On the side, Shinji was ordering Rider to kill Ria. Saber dashed towards Shinji to fight him. It was then that something changed. Ria's invisible sword began to take shape, the air began blowing. Rider wheeled Pegasus at Saber, intending to finish her.
But, Ria strikes first.
Her sword revealed, a pure gold sword that seems to demand respect.
With a mighty yell "EX-" Ria swings the sword down "CALIBUR"
Naruto watches as a familiar wave of destruction obliterates Rider. Naruto knows he's seen this before. On the lake, the same golden wave of death scorched the earth.
Shinji begins squealing "NO! No No No. Useless bitch. No no." The book Shinji is holding begins to burn.
"Shinji," Saber says through gritted teeth. "Go, go to the church. Kotomine will take care of you."
Shinji runs, he's useless. His Servant is gone. He flees down the stairs, Naruto feels himself pulled along with the slime.
Shinji goes down two floors.
Only to die.
"Hmm" Illya says as Berserker butchers Shinji "So, onii-shan won."
Illya contemplates, "Well, I won't steal his victory today. Lets go Berserker."
Illya walks a bit, then turns back to the stairs, "Don't leave me anymore messes to clean up onii-chan."
She skips down the stairs, her monster in tow.
Behind them, that which was Shinji whimpers one last time.
His body is ruined, it is only through the whims of a little girl that he is alive for so long. He can feel it, his legs were chopped off, his arms were mangles and ripped off. His chest was crushed. Yet she wouldn't let him die.
Now, all he has is his head, and that begins to fail. The last thing he sees is the girl walking away as innocent as you please. Finding no remorse in what she has done. To her, Shinji was nothing more than a pile of trash she had to clean up for Saber.
Naruto wakes up and promptly throws up. Sleep is a long time coming for him now. Naruto knows, Saber will face that kid again, and she will have no qualms of doing worse to Saber.
Author's note: Yay, Shini's dead. Go Illya, kill all the sister rapists.
Right, how was this chapter? Enjoyed it? Good. Because there's still round two of Saber versus Rider. I have to say, writing the fight scenes was the best part of this fan fiction. And I get to do it again in two or three chapters. Yay!
Again, I don't own any franchise, else I'd get paid to do this. I'd like to thank L33t Horo for his candid advise and editing.