Why? Why hath thou changed so much?
Arthur rose from the ground, the dirt rolling off his armor as he stood.
The boy I knew...
"The boy I knew was not this!" Arthur yelled as the undead swarmed him in droves. "Thou has enslaved the innocent! Kept them away from the peace of the after life!"
"You know nothing!" Voban roared while lightning striked down from the sky and cratered the ground. "That man, he was the only man I ever cared for; the only one I grew to see as my friend! And you, you would impersonate him!"
"I am him!" Arthur yelled as he struck down the undead around him.
Voban's eyes narrowed in hate and self loathing.
"I saw him die! Saw him bleeding as he was dragged away from me!" Voban tackled Arthur to the ground, his teal eyes meeting Voban's. "You are not him!"
A blow to Arthur's face cratered the ground under him; creating hairline fractures that crawled outwards. Pain sprouted throughout his body like a snake's venom. Arthur kicked out even as his head endured severe whiplash and forced Voban off of him. Blood dripped out of his mouth as he wiped his face clean.
"Mother Teresa, do you remember her?" Arthur said persistently.
Voban froze mid-step.
"The woman who often gave us food. Helped me teach you arithmetic in her spare time." Arthur paused momentarily before recommencing. "The w-"
"Enough with your lies!" Voban cratered the ground under him with the aura he exuded. "Enough with your reading of my mind!" Lightning shot behind Voban as the winds picked up.
Shasha...Is this all my fault. Arthur thought as he watched Voban drowning himself within the power of the Authorities he had obtained. Watched as the boy he knew ran away from the pain of loss and grief.
Arthur gripped hard on the hilt of his sword before letting it dip down towards the earth.
Is it all my fault... Arthur closed his eyes as a bolt of lightning struck and dyed the scenery white with the flash of electricity.
"No!" Mariya Yuri yelled along with the other Hime-Miko and Witches. "No..." Their voices began to fade out as their faces paled and their eyes remained glued to the battle.
Arthur's arms slack, his grip now loose, he tossed his sword into the air just as Voban's strike had been close enough to hit him; drawing the electricity from the blast of lightning. Arthur exhaled and resolved himself to the inevitable.
Vivid teal eyes, like the green of morning grass, flickered open.
Armored hands clenched, creating the sound of grating steel.
Arthur charged, willing his sword back into his hands after it discharged the electricity into the ground. There was no longer any turning back. He could no longer falter in the face of a dear acquaintance. I'm sorry Sasha, but I can't lose here.
Steel met flesh. Blood showered the air in an arc of vermilion that stained the gravel.
Voban cried out in pain as an edge of a blade cut through his thick fur. With a pained grimace, Voban retaliated with a slash of his claws.
Not missing a beat, Arthur ducked under Voban's claws and pushed his advantage. Slash after bloody slash, Arthur pushed Voban back; the sound of heavy strained breathing filling the air.
Huff after huff, Voban wheezed out.
Blow after blow Arthur felt more and more of Voban's bones grating, cracking, fragmenting under the force of his blade.
With a kick of his foot, Arthur pushed off the ground and pierced through Voban's shoulder.
A loud howl soared throughout the battle-field.
"Stop this! I do not wish to end thee!" Arthur yelled as Voban continued to fight back.
A claw clipped the side of Arthur's face and forced his blade out of Voban's shoulder.
Wordlessly, Voban jumped back as a wall of undead and wolves surrounded him.
Steadying himself from the blow to his head, Arthur began to mow down the enemies around him. A slash cleaved an undead mage in two; a pierce sent wolves and undead alike, back from whence they came. It was a cycle that did not seem to have an end.
"Let me help." Shirou said. "Trace on!"
In a flurry of silver, the air was once again dyed by the steel of weaponry of all kinds. Some were legendary looking in make, as others seemed less so.
"My thanks. I have not yet mastered thy particular technique."
"No problem."
The weaponry around Arthur shook before they shot down and held off the crowd of undead and wolves.
Arthur walked solemnly towards Voban who was clutching at his injured shoulder. Words began piling up behind his mouth as he tried to find a way to make Voban see reason, realize his wrongs, and change for the better. None he soon realized, would be useful.
Arthur drew his blade, blood dripped down its shaft and trickled on the remains of the grass below. Reluctantly, he struck down as Voban's eyes met his.
A seven year old Sasha peered at him and extended out a hand while smiling happily at his direction.
He patted Sasha's head and continued on after grasping Sasha's hand.
The edge of Arthur's blade stopped as it drew blood from Voban's neck.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, Voban placed a hand on Arthur's armor and released a bolt of lightning that sent him flying.
The world spun around Arthur as he lost his sense of balance.
"Mercy will get you nowhere, God of Steel." The wound on Voban's shoulder healed; new pink healthy skin growing to replace the broken old. "You will only regret it."
A tree broke Arthur's fall; the branches acting like stoppers to slow him down. Smoke sizzled from his chest-plate as he grunted.
A flash of light, another bolt of lightning. Arthur rolled away just as the spot he was in exploded in a shower of electrical sparks.
Looking up from his position still on the ground, Arthur realized that a vast distance had been made between him and Voban who was pelting him with lightning. Something he knew that he would have to rectify.
In a burst of god speed, the distance was rendered null and void.
Voban choked on his breath as an armored fist struck him square in the diaphragm.
"Mercy is what separates warriors from tyrants." Arthur's eyes narrowed in disappointment. "Mercy is something I believed I taught you!"
Arthur pulled his fist back and swung down with the blade in his right hand. Only for Voban to grab Arthur's blade arm and toss him to the side.
"Mercy is why that man died!" Voban yelled in fury. "Mercy is something I will not do again!"
Arthur laughed hollowly.
"Then that man must surely be disappointed in you." Arthur said as he gave up trying to persuade Voban of his identity. "Disappointed that you would desecrate his teachings."
"You have no right to speak of that man!" Voban grabbed Arthur in a burst of speed and hoisted him up by the collar of his blue inner attire.
Arthur smiled down at Voban. "I don't care."
A kick to Voban's face released Arthur from Voban's hold.
"Lesson five," Arthur said. "Never let thy guard down, remember."
Voban's eyes widened momentarily in shock.
Had Arthur gotten through to Sasha? Arthur did not know.
"Enough of your nonsense." Voban said as he swiped an arm to the side. "We fight till the death."
Arthur nodded solemnly, there would be no turning back.
"A man must put his all into what he has decided to do." He said as he took his stance. "I shall respond in full to thy wish."
One second Arthur was there, the next he was gone.
Voban's eyes widened as he defended a blow to his mid body.
Hack, thrust, side step, and parry, the battle raged on. Blows that would certainly kill lesser men were exchanged in a flurry of rapid movement. The earth became a barren field wherever they went. Trees were uprooted, the lake in which they fell on was obliterated due to their combined aura; all that remained was a lake bed filled with the corpses of fish, and lake life.
"Die!"
Arthur dodged a blow to his liver, and using his circular momentum struck back with the force of over a hundred metric tons.
Voban was blown away, and like a meteorite created a dragged out tear into the earth. Subsequently, a shower of massive rocks spewed out towards Camelots walls.
The air around Camelot shimmered as a sheen of transparent flimsy material seemed to erect itself around the kingdom. Like a barrier, it deflected the massive rocks away.
Arthur breathed in deeply as he began recovering from his sudden use of his divinity.
A hand entered Arthur's peripheral vision and before he knew it, his face was being dragged across the ground. He felts cuts and bruises forming as he grabbed at something and used it as a hand-hold.
Arthur was sure that he heard the definite snap of whatever it was that he was holding before he found himself flying across the air and up into the raging sky. Rain pelted across his face, the turbulent winds tossing him around and doing little to help him re-orientate himself. Before he knew it, he had blown straight passed the clouds.
Up above Arthur was the familiar blue sky and sun, and yet there was something that drew his attention; he saw the beginnings of a moon rising from the distant horizon. His eyes narrowed in apprehension.
A blast of lightning jolted Arthur back into action.
Arthur pivoted on his center of mass, and used his instinct to maneuver to the left. Far from simply dodging the strike of lightning, he had propelled himself towards the direction in which it came.
In a streak of silver, blue, and gold, Arthur brandished his blade and shot a burst of aura down to his feet; further increasing his descending speed.
Voban's eyes widened in alarm.
A bang like none other, rippled across the land; the very impact triggering large scale seismic activity.
As the dust from the subsequent explosion cleared, Arthur stood tall, his blade poised ready to strike at the downed Voban.
"Do what you will, you have won." Voban said as he coughed blood out of his mouth. Voban's form was back to that of a man, and he lay sprawled on the ground.
Arthur remained standing, observing. Numerous thoughts crossed his mind as he stared at Voban. Thoughts of better times when he had traveled across the world, and of the boy he had met.
Arthur lowered his sword.
"This is not how it will end." Arthur said. "Stand up, I know of thy will. I know of thy determination."
Wordlessly, Voban lifted his head as he met Arthur's gaze.
"I can tell from thy eyes that thou art not a coward who would run away from life, no; thy eyes tell me a different story." Arthur said.
Voban's face froze, his mouth quivering.
A quite calm descended across the ravaged battle-field as a gentle breeze blew past. The skies were once again clear, the radiant rays of sunlight illuminating the world.
Voban released a strained grunt as he forced himself back onto his feet.
Voban didn't speak, just stared boldly at Arthur. No words could describe the way in which Voban's gaze seemed to convey all of his pent up emotions, frustrations, and doubts.
"Come and let me witness thy will and fortitude!" Arthur urged Voban on.
Standing there bruised and battered, Voban lifted up his arms once more for one final bout.
"Then I fear that there will be nothing left for you to witness." Voban replied as a wound on his chest burst out in a spray of blood which caused his already pale skin to become even paler. "After all, you will no longer exist."
"Big words for one so injured." Arthur lowered his center of gravity as he fell into a forward crouch.
"That coming from a such a self righteous bastard as you." Voban replied back as he too fell into a forward crouch.
"I prefer chivalrous." Arthur sheathed his sword in its scabbard.
Voban smirked. "That's not a remark that I have heard in a very long time..."
"It's to be expected. Human's have digressed from the ways of the knight."
"Hmph, yes," Voban wiped away the blood that had drizzled past his eye. "The ways of the knight."
They looked across from each other, and in the next instant they surged towards the other. Their clothes whipped behind their backs, their strides dented the dirt under them.
With a battle cry, Voban punched Arthur in the face, bruising his bottom lip.
Not to be out done, Arthur struck back with a punch of his own to Voban's diaphragm.
Punch after punch, they struck each other. Each now sported visible bruises that grew darker the more times they were repetitively hit.
Gone was the need for skill and tactics. For the fight had simply just degenerated into a drunkards brawl.
Arthur dodged a punch to his face. "Where art thou aiming?" Arthur said as the bruises on his body began healing over.
Voban scoffed.
A blow to his chest sent Arthur back a few paces.
The two stared at one another again.
Voban could barely stand, let alone continue to fight. Arthur on the other hand, was healed due to the effects of Avalon.
Arthur smirked as he opened his hand to reveal two halves of a blue scarf.
In a burst of gold, the scarf was repaired.
"Y-You."
Arthur wrapped the scarf around his neck, the two ends drifting along with the wind. He felt a part of himself seem to complete. A part of himself that he knew brought about memories of regret. And yet he also knew that he must face them.
Arthur stood tall, and peered at Voban.
"Problem?"
Voban sighed in exhaustion. "Your really Thurra aren't you?"
"And thou art still the boy I met centuries ago."
"I'm afraid not." Voban's knees buckled and he began to fall.
Wordlessly, Arthur appeared to support Voban.
Voban looked at Arthur. "I have done to much wrong." Voban brought a hand to his mouth as he began coughing out blood.
"Wrongs can be forgiven." Arthur said.
"Not when they involve the destruction of countries, of the innocent who dwelt in them." Voban grimaced as he realized that he was losing more and more blood.
Voban pushed Arthur away with a great heave of an arm. "The fight," Voban began as he one again produced the use of his Authorities. Lightning spewed forth from his arms, but the sky did not darken with clouds. "It was to the death."
"It does not have to be that way." Arthur argued. "Thou can atone for thy sin."
"Atone for the lives of millions. Make peace for all the families I've destroyed." Voban laughed bitterly.
"Yes." Arthur simply said.
Voban paused as Arthur regarded him. The silence was like that of a Western showdown.
"You're being a hypocrite." Voban said at last. "You said that you would respond in full to my wish."
"But I also said that a man must put his all into what he has decided to do." Arthur took a stance. "And for me, that is to save thee."
"Then you know what must be done old friend." Voban brought both of his hands into the air and began producing a massive ball of electricity. Electrical sparks shot off at random directions and created crackling noises.
For a moment Arthur stood motionless, his mind deciphering what Voban was insinuating. A hundredth of a second passed. His breath hitched, his body tensed, but he could not find it within himself to refuse Voban's final wish. He drew his sword once more. Power gushing through it as an aura of gentle white emitted into the air around him.
Arthur took a step forward followed by another, before charging at Voban.
With a heave, Voban tossed the construct of electricity at Arthur; glass formed from the dirt below as it neared.
Arthur did not swerve. Nor did he defend himself.
The ball of electricity struck Arthur as he swung out his sword.
An explosion rocked the battle-field as the electricity discharged and met the edge of his blade.
Liliana covered her eyes as turbulent winds whipped over head. A large shroom cloud of dust and debris shot up into the air.
She took cover behind a nearby construct of oaken material as a shock wave kicked in. Others around her took cover behind other constructs.
"That's quite a blast." Andrea said as he took cover behind her.
"Yeah." She said.
Her hair whipped back and forth as she tried uselessly to hold it down.
Suddenly, the area around her begins distorting as the familiar room in which she had been locked in began to appear.
Arthur looked around solemnly at the waste land around him. There was no trace of life what so ever.
Arthur gripped at the blue scarf hanging around his neck and pulled such that it unwrapped itself from him. He stared at it; looking at the way the rough wool ends wrapped around his fingers.
"Arthur..." Shirou said.
"It's over." Arthur re-wrapped the scarf around his neck and released his hold on the world.
Like the paint of a peeling wall, the scenery around him began distorting back into what it had been before.
Arthur closed his eyes and felt himself drift.
Opening them again, Arthur found himself back in a familiar world of blades. Sitting down next to the sword he found to be the most familiar, he brought a hand over his head and clenched his other hand into a tight fist that struck the ground again and again. He had failed to save what was most important; for in saving Voban, he had taken away Voban's life.
...What have I done?...
The sounds of repeated thudding could be heard echoing within the world of blades for miles on end.
Shirou found himself back in control of his body. He peered down at the remains of the breaking world around him and payed his respects to the man that Arthur had called friend.
The earth under Shirou returned to polished tile as he stared at the group of Witches and Hime-Miko he had saved. On further inspection, he found the addition of a bespectacled man.
Shirou walked forward towards a girl who lay unresponsive on the ground. The girls eyes were glazed over as if life had already left her. Carefully, he placed a hand under her head and positioned her over his knee. Without a moment to waste he projected a copy of Avalon and placed it within the girl.
Hushed gasps spread throughout the room as the girl's complexion visibly returned along with the life in her eyes.
Seeing that his work was done, Shirou gently helped the girl up to her feet and gestured for her to join the group of other women.
"You're safe." Mariya heard the knight say.
As if a flood gate had been broken, tears welled up in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. Nothing could describe the amount of gratitude residing within her.
Similarly, the others around her burst into relieved tears. Some even falling to their knees as they were finally clear from danger.
"We're saved." A Witch a year or two younger then her whispered, before she burst out laughing in joy. "We're saved!"
Mariya didn't so much as join in on all the cheering, she was never really an outspoken kind of person. She did however wanted to show her gratitude, but did not know how.
"Yay! Yay! Were saved!" Yelled a blond haired man who appeared celebrating within the group of Hime-Miko and Witches. He wore an open blue polo and had a pair of black sunglasses over his head.
"You!" Mariya heard Andrea yell as he marched over to the blond haired man.
"Yo!" The blond haired man said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand.
"Yo? That's all you have to say to me?" Andrea said as a tick mark formed on his head.
"Yeah." The blond haired man shrugged before a look of realization crossed his face. The man took out what looked like a bottle of sunscreen and tossed it to Andrea. "I forgot to give this to you when you left for the beaches on that truck a while back."
A dark look spread across Andrea's face as he held on to the sunscreen the man had given him.
The man walked past Andrea and towards the knight watching the proceeding occurring.
"So you defeated the old man?" The blond said.
The knight nodded his head and seemed to stare warily at the blond.
"Such a shame, he was a fun opponent." The blond raised a hand in greeting. "Salvator Doni."
Salvator Doni, Mariya thought before her eyes widened in understanding. The sixth Campione!
"Shirou." The knight said simply as he took Doni's hand in greeting.
Doni smiled as he released his hand from Shirou's.
Unexpectedly, Doni slung an arm over Shirou's shoulder.
"Hey," Doni said as his eyes narrowed in challenge. "I want a duel."
"No." Shirou said as he removed Doni's arm off of his shoulder and proceeded to leave.
Mariya and the others watched apprehensively at the scene unfolding.
Shirou had only taken but a mere four steps before Doni appeared in front of him.
"Hey," Doni said with a smile on his face. "I want a duel."
"No thanks." Shirou refused again and walked past Doni.
Doni's demeanor changed as he watched Shirou leaving.
Andrea placed a hand on Doni's shoulder and shook his head.
"We owe him a debt." Andrea whispered into Doni's ear. "Besides, you would fight with one who may have already exhausted their power before hand?"
Doni sighed, but a mischievous look soon adorned his face. "Then I won't face him in a duel of Authority." Doni separated himself from Andrea who stood taken aback at Doni's logic.
Brandishing his sword, Doni yet again stood in the way of Shirou.
"I won't let you leave till you face me." Doni declared his sword now positioned over his shoulder.
Shirou's face became blank as Doni was forcing his hand. Be that as it may, a memory of knightly conduct Arthur had imparted to him flowed through his mind just at that moment.
"What are your terms?" Shirou asked.
Doni's excitement seemed to rocket upon hearing Shirou's words.
Doni raised his sword for all to be seen. "First blood. No Authorities."
Shirou raised an eyebrow.
"It will be a duel of sword skill." Doni finished.
"Why would you think I would use a sword?" Shirou asked as he motioned to his person. There was no form of weaponry on him. Just the armor in which he wore.
Doni pointed towards the slash marks on the ground by the destroyed ritual seal.
Shirou turned his attention to said marks and sighed before facing back to Doni.
"Very well." Shirou said as he took a stance. "First blood."
In a burst of light particles, a hundred-and-fifty-centimeter long blade appeared in Shirou's hand.
I'd like to ask if readers prefer this kind of writing for battle scenes, or the way in which I wrote it in the previous chapter. Also, feel free to give some tips if you want to. I am after all still in the process of learning to improve my writing.
But dang. This is finally over. I can continue with my plot!
There will be a short time skip next chapter.
I don't own the fate or Campione series.
Special thanks to souvikkundu0017
Am I forgetting anything...Whatever.
Thanks for reading.