Chapter 9: Alter

I finally got around to writing this.

Disclaimer: Unlimited-Budget-Works

-Kousuke-

-Day 15, 14th December, Dawn-

As an 18 year old, I already have my driver's license and am quite proficient in driving. However, driving at nearly 130km per hour with a screaming woman sitting in the passenger seat is hell.

"GO MASTER GO! HURRY!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP YELLING TAMAMO!"

"LEFT, LEFT, LEFT!"

"I HEARD YOU!"

I was currently speeding down the freeway in a 'borrowed' car with Caster next to me, all because of one call I received this morning…

XXX

-Ryuudouji, 3am-

Roused from my sleep thanks to my ringing mobile phone, I picked it up and groggily answered.

"Hello…WHAT?!"

I got up in such an extreme motion that Caster got thrown off the futon.

"Geh, Kousuke?!"

I held up a hand to silence Caster as I listened to Shirou speak frantically to me over the phone. When he finished, I answered-

"Got it. We'll get over there as soon as possible. But we need to prepare first, and might arrive an hour after you, at least. Find our way? Don't worry, we have that handled. Good luck."

I hung up.

"Goshujin-sama, was that Shirou?"

"Yes. Get ready. We're leaving," I said as I changed.

"What happened?"

"To summarize it, Sakura got completely taken over by the Shadow, attacked Rin, Ilya and Shirou who were temporarily saved by Rider. Then when Sakura was about to devour them all, Ilya sacrificed herself and let Sakura take her. Shirou is now headed to the Einzbern Manor to save both of them with the Kotomine priest. Also, Saber which had been altered by the Shadow is now Sakura's Servant."

As Caster hopped around gathering her things, I finished changing. This time into a sleeveless dark-grey shirt, black pants and fingerless combat gloves, all with Reinforcement kanji on them.

"But how did Saber get past my barrier?"

"She's part of the Shadow now. As far as I'm concerned, nothing can stop that prana-devouring Shadow from getting where it wants to."

Yes, despite all the Bounded Fields and cleansing rituals we performed at the temple, the darkness only cleared up by about 50%. The lake was now completely cordoned off and the safest place was only inside the guest house.

"Alright, I found Ilya! My trackers are still working!"

While we were still staying at Shirou's place, Caster gave everyone a magical tracking bead so that we could find them if they ever got into trouble. Walking over to the table, I grabbed the gourd, uncorked it, and took a whiff.

"…shit, it's not ready yet. If only we were doing this by tonight…"

"Kousuke…"

I turned to see Caster with a worried face and pleading eyes.

"Please don't…even with that, I don't want to see you taken over by your oni blood again."

I shook my head.

"We have no choice Caster. If I'm right, altered versions of Saber, Assassin and Berserker will all be there. I don't think we can fend them off with just you, since Shirou never said whether Rider was going."

Ignoring Caster, I took a long swig from the gourd. The fiery liquid ran down my throat, spreading an indescribable feeling throughout by body as my oni blood accepted the offering. Recorking the gourd, I walked over to the door and slammed it open.

"Come on Tamamo. We have a ride to catch."

XXX

-Ilya-

-Einzbern Forest, Trench-

I had no idea how far Shirou and I had been chased by Berserker, but even in this trench, I knew we did not have long. The ground trembled as the embodiment of the storm approached. Suddenly, Shirou spoke up.

"…I'm going. I'm going to defeat him, Ilya."

"Eh?"

I looked up in surprise and noticed that his right hand was on his left arm.

"No! You can't do that! You can't come back once you've used Archer's arm! You'll die; no, you'll be killed first! You haven't done anything wrong, so you don't have to go that far!"

"I'll bear it. I'll somehow bear it even if I almost die, so you don't have to worry about me. Oh, and let me correct you. I've done bad things before."

"Eh—, Shirou…?"

"Then I'm going. Wait here, Ilya."

After Shirou patted my head, he climbed out of the trench.

"Wait, Shirou!"

I got out of the trench to see no sign of Shirou except a trail of disturbed leaves where he ran to meet Berserker.

"No Shirou! Come back! I need to tell you something! About Berserker, his lives! HIS LIVES!"

XXX

-Shirou-

"It's time—"

I placed my hand on the knot by my shoulder. The knot on my wrist is tight so if I have to take the cloth off, it'll have to be from here. I just need to pull it all off after that, then I'll be assailed by pain that's ten times worse than all I've suffered till now.

"—"

Kotomine said it's the switch on a time bomb. The fuse will be lit once I take it off. I don't know if it'll explode in the next minute or the next day. All I know is that I can't put out the fire once it's lit.

—My mouth goes dry.

Fear doesn't go away with determination. I just want to scream out of sheer dread

—If I'll be sane or not.

I'm scared of myself. My death is only natural. I'll be killed even if I stay here. If I'm going to die either way, I'll choose the method that will keep me alive longer.

So there's only one thing I'm scared of. And that is the possibility of losing my mind before my body dies.

Will I be able to bear the pain? I might lose my sanity and forget about Ilya and Sakura. I might even forget my promise to protect them.

That's what I'm scared of. That's the only thing I'm scared of. That's why I sealed it. I know I can't use this arm even if my life's at stake.

Berserker's appearance isn't someone else's business. I'll be like him if I give in to the pain and lose my mind. No, the fear will always be with me so long as this arm exists. This arm's the embodiment of a nightmare that seeks to kill me.

But, why did I keep this arm in spite of that?

—Then cut it off.

There's only one reason. This arm exists to be used, and he entrusted me with it because it will be needed.

He said I'll be judged by myself. Ilya said I haven't done anything bad.

"Yeah…that's good enough."

The atonement lies here. I betrayed myself and sacrificed many lives. There's something I can't give up, and that's why I continue to live.

I put my hand on the red penalty. Live or die. I take a deep breath and rip the clot—

At that instant. The world crumbled apart.

"Ah."

Blowing despair. A strong wind that's going faster than a hundred meters per second. A fierce wind that doesn't allow the existence of living things, let alone allow one to stand up.

Therefore, it's not a wind. It's steel, and my body's crushed by the pressure.

"Gah-"

My eyeballs are squashed. My back sinks into the wall. I can't life my hand or fingers. My blood flows backward. My mind is bleached white. There's no pain. Feeling pain and enduring it are too human-like to happen here.

"Ah, ah-"

I'm melting. I can't even groan in protest. There's nothing. I have no way to fight it off. I have to move forward, but I can't move a finger.

"Urg-"

—I'm disappearing. My body lost already, but I clenched my teeth, not letting my mind lose…but it was already disappearing.

I won't make it. I can't move, no matter how hard I try. I can't stay, no matter how determined I am. I try to clench my right fist with my whole existence on the line. If I can, I'll be able to hang in here. If I can move any part of my body, I can use that to move forward.

I can't move a finger, let alone make a fist. My left eyeball is crushed. The rush of wind ruptures my eardrums. My vision faded away…but within it…

I see an unbelievable image.

"Ah."

He's standing. He's standing in this wind. He's standing, walking to the other side. As if it's a matter of course. The wind of steel has no effect on him. He walked forward, his red coat billowing behind him.

"Ah…ah-"

Strength is back in my jaws. I grit my teeth. My right hand is already in a fist. The red knight took no notice of me. Set in a stern expression, his face is slightly turned away, showing no interest in me as the wind rushed to engulf me.

For him, this result was expected. Emiya Shirou cannot stand against this wind. He knew there was no future for a man who betrayed himself and wished for something out of his reach.

He's right. The crimes I've accumulated will judge me. But he…

"—Can you keep up with me?"

As if to scorn me, as if to believe in me. He's waiting for me to get there.

"—It's not 'can you keep up with me'."

My vision fires up. I forced as much heat as I could into my body. My limbs cut through the wind like giant swords.

"YOU KEEP UP WITH ME—!"

I pass the red figure with all my might.

"█▄▅▅█▃▄███▄▅▅█!"

I stepped onto the ground. The wind died down. There's about thirty meters to the black giant. It'll take him less than three seconds to close this distance. —Therefore. The outcome of this battle will be decided in the next three seconds.

My mind's clear. I know the scope of my power. Projection using creation concept, basic structure, composition, production technique, growth experience, and accumulated years. A Reality Marble that inverts the world engraved on your soul, the embodiment of the mental world using theory of magic, the world egg. Inheritance of battle technique and experience from Archer. Failed to read physical strength. I'll still be killed in one blow.

Reality Marble, 'Unlimited Blade Works' isn't usable. Archer's world and mine are different. I can't reproduce it. I can only reproduce what Emiya Shirou has learned, or the Noble Phantasms he has recorded. If I'm to use a Noble Phantasm from my left arm, I have to search within 'Unlimited Blade Works' for the Noble Phantasm best suited for the situation and reproduce it.

But be warned. Projection is a double-edged sword. If I use it—

"—"

I only need to understand the weapons I can use. I already know the precautions. I have to move forward. I have to go beyond that wind and defeat myself—

"Release, Seal of Amaterasu."

A burst of shining light emanated from my left arm as the marks from Caster's seal shone a brilliant gold. As the seal broke, I could feel all of Caster's prana put into that seal rush into my arm and mix with my own magical energy, granting me even more power that I could have ever imagined.

"Trace, on."

I stared at it. I saw through his giant sword. I opened my left hand and grasped the imaginary handle of the weapon that has yet to exist. An extraordinary weight. Emiya Shirou cannot handle this giant sword. But…my left arm will definitely reproduce the strength of my enemy.

"Ah—"

It breaks. A part of my brain explodes. My bones break, not being able to withstand the overflowing magical energy. It's unsightly like apple skin.

But it held. I could feel Caster's prana pulsing through my body, protecting me from some of the backlash from using Archer's arm.

"Here I come—"

But there's no need to worry. Will reinforce the broken parts. I will give my undivided attention to killing him for certain.

"██▃▃▃▄▅▅█"

He notices me. His hostility now has a focus. Recognizing my use of magic as a threat, his eyes moved.

They're like ominous stars. The giant gives a death cry and runs to kill his enemy.

—Mad warrior.

The giant is insane, but still the same. He's still fighting his battle against Saber. He is blind and insane, his life has ended multiple times over, and his body is rotting, but he's still fighting to protect Ilya.

"—"

One second.

The running giant won't stop with one blow, and normal projection is useless against him. Tracing won't do the trick. I can't beat that giant unless I use projection past my limits. Therefore—

"Trigger, off."

Nine in my head. I use all twenty-seven Magic Circuits in my head and smash it in one blow.

Two seconds.

He's right before me. His massive sword is upraised. Torrent and swirling vigor. He steps forward, and I confront him by also stepping forward. Upper arm, collarbone, windpipe, temple, diaphragm, rib, testicles, thigh, and lastly, chest. I take aim at the nine targets.

"Set—Nine Lives Blade Works."

I surpass the crashing speed of sound using godspeed!

"██▄▅▅██▄▅▅█▃▄█"

Hit by both the legendary weapon that killed the Hydra and the power of the Japanese sun god, Berserker gave a roar as his torn body was flung a great distance backwards into the forest.

XXX

"—Haa."

I resumed breathing. My left arm burns, and I ache all over. Snakes with electricity are in my body, wriggling around like mad.

"Ah—guh—"

All of sudden, just as quickly as it had came, all the strength suddenly left my body as my left arm burnt hotter than before.

"SHIROU!"

I turned around to see Ilya running at me…crying?

"Shirou!"

"Don't worry Ilya…it's over…I defea-"

Ilya started shaking her head.

"How many times did you hit him?!"

Confused as to why Ilya was asking me such a strange question despite my searing pain, I replied her.

"…Nine?"

And as she heard that, she gave a short gasp and began sobbing and apologizing at the same time.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I wasn't able to tell you…"

Sensing the dread in her voice, I listened as my left arm burnt.

"After Kousuke and Caster killed my Berserker so many times…I was really, really mad…when I got home…I…I…I used a Command Seal!"

A sense of dread began bubbling within me as well as I heard her speak.

"I made him…I made him regenerate…some of his lives…it hurt so much…my body felt like it was on fire since I lost one of the Command Seals I was using to control Berserker…but…he did it…I'm sorry…"

My dread grew as I heard a faint rustling sound behind me.

"…How many lives did Berserker have left before he got taken by the Shadow."

In a voice less than a whisper, Ilya confirmed our dread.

"…Eleven."

An unholy roar rang through the forest as the black giant reappeared, crashing through the trees.

"ILYA!"

Grabbing Ilya to shield her with my body, I braced for the impact that was to come.

"TAIGYOKU ONMYOUDAMA!"

XXX

At the sound of her voice, my head whipped around to see a massive, swirling black and white orb of pure energy slam into Berserker, staggering him. As I watched, our godsend arrived in the form of a pink-haired, twintailed sorceress with fox ears and tail.

"Caster!"

She turned her head briefly to survey us.

"Looks like we arrived just in time. You don't look so good," she said as she eyed my arm.

"Sorry, Caster."

At that moment, Berserker who had just recovered from the spell, leapt right at Caster, who did not make a single move.

"CASTER!"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just the distraction. In fact, despite my admonitions, he said he would take on Berserker himself."

"Eh?"

And in that split second where Berserker was about to hit Caster, what I could describe as nothing other than blazing red comet, burning as bright as a star burst out from the direction Caster appeared from, slammed right into Berserker and the two went flying far into the forest.

"My job is to get you out of here safely first…which will seem to prove to be harder than it looks."

As I was wondering what she meant, out from the direction in which Berserker originally emerged from…she appeared. Caster's lips twisted upwards in a wry smile.

"Hello again…Saber. You look different, did you get a palette swap?"

"Save the banter, Caster," replied Saber as she drew her sword.

"Tch, so impatient," replied Caster with a shrug while shaking her head.

"Shirou, hurry! I did up your arm, let's get moving!"

I turned to Ilya who muttered that to me in less than a whisper. The pain in my arm had lessened as well, since she just tied the Shroud back on.

"But Caster-"

"Let's GO!" she hissed.

"…Alright."

Getting up to run, I could see Saber immediately try to chase after us to find her way blocked by Caster.

"Nope, sorry, but can't let you pass. Time to dance, I guess?" said Caster as she undid her twintails, instead tying her hair into a ponytail. Saber gave her a slight questioning look, as though questioning the necessity or her action. Upon seeing that, Caster replied.

"What, don't you know? Girls always tie their hair into a ponytail when things get really serious!"

XXX

-Caster-

Saber was fast. Fast with a capital F. Thank god that my Agility was high enough with Reinforcement all over and inside me, otherwise I would have been hit long ago.

"Bushoguma!"

With a whirl of my hands, a pair or swirling tornadoes emerged and homed in onto Saber, who dodged one and slashed through the other. Another blessing was that her Magic Resistance had been decreased to B, otherwise the powers of my mid-tier spells would have no effect at all. As the number of tails I had out grew to three, I could feel all my stats rising, especially Magic.

"Ondeko: -"

While Saber was still preoccupied with the remaining tornado, I created a wheel of lightning studded with half a dozen orbs above me in the image of Raijin and finished the casting.

"-Midareuchi!"

At that word, the orbs began rapidly firing a storm of never-ending lightning arrows automatically at Saber, who was working hard to dodge and deflect them all, leaving my hands free to cast again.

"Koyousetsu!"

Materializing dozens of crystallized prana shards around me, I began firing them at Saber unrelentlessly like a hail of diamonds.

"!"

Swinging her sword faster than the eye can see, the non-stop sound of crystals and lighting hitting her blade rang through the clearing like rain on a roof as she continued to evade the relentless tornado and the lightning assaulting her sides. But even so, her defense was not perfect. I could see my spells beginning to get through, making small chinks and cuts in her armor. Therefore, I decided to continue pushing.

"Onibidama!"

The tips of my tails flared to life, releasing pulsing balls of searing blue flames which automatically homed in on their target from all directions as they spread out. Sensing the impending danger, Saber acted.

"…Burst."

Suddenly, she released a wave of dark prana from her sword which pulsed outwards, eradicating the tornado, fireballs and crystals, just as my Ondeko: Midareuchi ended.

"Oh shit-"

With her Prana Burst skill, Saber dashed right up into my face and unleashed a barrage of sword strikes, which I blocked repeatedly with my mirror. Although my mirror was almost unbreakable despite the relentless battering of Saber's dark sword, I might slip up sooner or later, so I did a fast backflip as I casted again.

"Jaenryū!"

Releasing a trio of crimson fire dragons from my tails, they distracted Saber sufficiently enough for me to gain a bit of distance. Sprouting a fourth tail, I whipped my hands into formation and formed a spell.

"Kyūsōu Rinsatsu!"

A large, lime-green ring formed in front of me before splitting into nine and surrounding Saber, buffeting her with a high-frequency sound with such a strong crushing power that cracks began to appear in her armor as she faltered slightly.

"Ghrk-"

Seizing my chance, I placed my hands together and chanted as they ignited with a bright orange flame.

"Guren-"

Throwing my right arm back as if readying for a punch, I kicked off the ground, dashing straight at Saber.

"-Hōōken!"

Like a flaming phoenix sword, my fist collided with Saber's sword, releasing a shockwave that reverberated through the clearing as I followed through with my spell, pushing Saber backwards from the force of my spell as she was hit further by the massive gout of flame.

"Vortigern!"

"Shi-"

I immediately raised my mirror to block as the Hammer of the Vile King swung upwards to bisect me. Although my mirror did its job, it didn't stop me from being blown backwards into the air and landing on my back almost 10 metres away.

"Geh…now that hurt…and here she comes again."

Without even stopping, Saber dashed forward once more in the unrelenting pursuit of my death. In return, I quickly bounced up onto my feet, grew a fifth tail and summoned…it.

"Heian-kyō no Tobira:…"

The strongest physical defense in my arsenal without using my Noble Phantasm, usable only with at least five of my tails out, based off the ancient gate of old Kyōto, then known as Heian-kyō—

": Rashōmon!"

There was a dull, reverberating 'BONG' as Saber slammed right into the doors of the massive gate that had burst right out of the ground in a split second. Nearly 50 metres wide, 5 metres thick and almost 60 metres high, the gate easily towered over the rest of the forest. On both sides of its solid metal gates were a demonic, leering face, due to the legends which stated that Ibaraki-dōji once made the Rashōmon his home.

"Alright, here we go-"

Although the gate was completely opaque to Saber, I could see everything from my side due a mirror hanging on my side of the gate, in which I could see everything on the other side. As it was, I could see Saber carefully contemplating the gate, which I would not give her time for. Finishing my spell, the doors swung open in an instant, much faster than what physics would have denoted, also taking Saber by surprise.

Or maybe it was the twelve swords of fire, each the size of my Master, floating behind me in a ring as I too was levitating slightly off the ground.

"Hyakki: Retsujitsu no Haja!"

On my command, the swords broke formation and flew forward, all ready to impale Saber like a kebab.

But she was just as fast as they were. Knowing that blocking them with her own sword was a no-go, she simply weaved in and out as the swords stuck themselves into the ground where Saber was mere moments ago. Just as the last sword struck, Saber seemed ready for a counterattack-

Right before every single sword exploded together in a maelstrom of scorching flames.

"If you told me that that didn't just damage her, even a little bit, I'll eat my own tail," I said to myself.

However, I was still on alert. And it was a good thing I was. After a few seconds, Saber burst out of the flames, heading right towards the open gate at an incredible speed due to her Prana Burst, despite her being completely scorched. But I was ready for this.

"Rashōmon: Kengeki Muryō."

At my command, hundreds of massive blades appeared near the base of the gate, high enough to prevent Saber from jumping over it. Saber who was definitely not expecting that the gate could be used offensively as well as defensively, narrowly avoided being completely skewered by the blades. She was knocked some distance backwards by the giant cluster of retractable blades and after the gates closed, I could see through the mirror than I had finally done some proper damage to her, aside from barbequing her alive.

"Payback for that earlier swing of your sword…that hurt like a bitch you know!"

In reply, Saber simply lifted her sword and I could see her dark prana swirling around it as it grew more massive. As it reached the maximum point, she released it as a blast right towards gate…

…leaving a small dent in the doors. I smiled as I saw Saber's slight state of shock.

"Impossible…a fully-powered Burst Air!?"

"I'm impressed Saber. You actually managed to leave a dent in it. That in itself is already an incredibly commendable act."

I wasn't lying. To be able to dent my Rashōmon was no small feat. In fact, I was confident that the only thing that could take it down was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. However, Saber seemed to take my compliment as an insult, which of course was definitely not my true intention~~

"Ah, there she goes. I was waiting for her to do that."

If you couldn't get through the gate, and you couldn't break through it, wouldn't you try to go around it? However, even Saber can't cover that large a distance in a split second, even with Prana Burst.

"I won't let you do that, Saber!"

Activating the launchers installed in the roof tiles, I launched a great swarm of blades (normal-sized this time) at Saber, stopping her in her tracks completely and forcing her to dodge back and defend. The hail of blades was so dense that I could see Saber working as hard as possible to survive.

"And now-"

"▅▅▅██▃▃▄██▄▄▅█▅▅▅▂▄██!"

We both froze as a massive roar reverberated through the whole area and our heads turned in shock to see a part of the forest being incinerated by a massive scarlet dome of sheer power.

"No…Kousuke…GOSHUJIN-SAMA!"

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Some time ago, just as Caster and Saber began their fight-

We were brawling.

It wasn't even a contest of skill or anything else anymore.

It was just seeing who could hit their enemy harder.

"ORA!"

"█▅▅!"

Once again, my fist met his sword, and the resulting shockwave cleared the immediate area around us of trees. The part of the forest where we were fighting was practically destroyed. When we ran, we did not even bother to avoid the trees. We ran right through them. Every time we collided, we sent shockwaves and rushes of air through the area.

This wasn't even a fight between a Master and a Berserker anymore.

This was just a fight between two Berserkers.

"Shi-"

A sudden swing caught me off guard and despite my defense, I was sent straight through half a dozen trees.

"What the hell…the Shadow made him even stronger than before?!"

Even at my 50% released Crimson Red Vermillion, I was just only keeping up with him.

"!"

Getting back on my feet and with a kick of my right foot, I sent a beam of pure heat lancing straight towards Berserker's head, which he still managed to dodge.

"And even in that state he knows how to dodge my heat…"

Dashing forward, I ducked to avoid a swing and circled around him a few times before taking a short leap and giving him a right hook straight to the chest. But just like with me earlier, he was only pushed back several metres and seemed relatively unharmed, replying with his usual roar.

"█▃▃▄█!"

To be honest, there really was no way to put our battle into words. We were just a pair of black and red tornadoes whirling through the forest, leaving a massive path of destruction in our wake.

"Gh-"

But even then, I could feel myself faltering slightly. The stuff I took back at the house was still incomplete and I could feel my oni slowly eating away at my mind.

But…if I do not use more power…I might not be able to defeat Berserker here!

"Wait, what?!"

All of a sudden I realized, aside from Berserker there was another enemy. I could see the black mud of the Shadow slowly, but silently creeping up on me. With Berserker in front and the mud behind, there was only one thing left for me to do.

"…Release the self-imposed restriction, 75%, Level 3."

And my surroundings were engulfed by a burst of red.

XXX

-When Caster called up her Rashōmon-

Punch.

Dodge.

Evade.

Burn.

Block.

Kick.

Punch.

Those were only things of importance going through my mind as I fought Berserker after further releasing my Crimson Red Vermillion. Finally, I was able to somewhat overpower him but at a cost. My mind was being eroded even faster than before. But I was strong. The ground where I placed my foot cracked as I stepped on it. Every strike landed on Berserker seemed to affect him more. Every strike I took from him seemed to feel lighter, despite the horrible crunching noise of steel on steel with each collision. As for the mud, I didn't even have to worry any more. The oni aura given off by my Crimson Red Vermillion seemed to burn the mud away.

But I was tiring. I had to finish this soon. My consciousness was slowly but surely slipping away…and I had to finish this before 'he', showed up.

"COME ON YOU BLACK BASTARD I'LL BEAT YOU INTO A BLOODY PULP!"

Letting off an even bigger blast at Berserker, I ran at Berserker as he avoided it, then with a leap, I just tackled Berserker with my whole body, sending him crashing metres away into the trees. But at the same time, another sharp bolt of pain coursed through my mind.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!"

Gripping my head with my hands with enough force to tear apart plate metal, I struggled to keep my mind together just as Berserker returned to the battlefield.

"ORAAAAA!"

This time, both our attacks collided with each other and once more, we were both sent flying in opposite directions. After crashing through about 8 trees, I landed at the base of the ninth one but quickly got up. However, that attack and short lapse in concentration was enough for 'him' to emerge.

"Come on…just give in…it won't be long now anyway…"

"How about you shut the bloody fuck up and let me handle this on my own."

"Oh? But you aren't handling it alone. You're already using 'my' power, aren't you?"

"Shut up…"

As the crashing sound drew closer, I readied myself as well.

"Sigh…when will you ever learn…you can't beat me, 'Kousuke'."

"▄█▅██▃▃▄!"

"I BLOODY HELL CAN, 'KOUSUKE'!"

Once more, I charge tackled Berserker like when I rescued Shirou, crashing through almost two dozen trees before coming to a stop while Berserker landed a short distance away.
"One…life…down…"

My name is Kousuke, written as '耕助' in kanji.

But there is another me. My Inversion Impulse…my inner oni, with the same name as myself. KOUSUKE, written as '紅助'.

He does not lie. When I use my Crimson Red Vermillion, I am drawing on his power. And the rare times I do, he always tried to take control of my body. Normally he is dormant, unable to speak (to me in my mind), only giving off signs of aggression which manifests as slight mental and physical pains in my body when I stop taking my offerings of blood to him.

"Ghk…"

But right now, at this stage he is already on the verge of breaking loose. Normally by now, he would have already broken free. But with Caster's special but incomplete offering, he is still slightly restrained. As Berserker began to get up, he spoke again.

"Even if you managed to finish him here, do you think that you can defeat the black swordsman your beloved fox is currently fighting right now? Even if you go to their aid, can you beat her with this headache of yours? Come on, use me. Let me use your body, and I will crush every single one of them to dust."

"Does 'every single one of them' include Tamamo."

"Well…you know me, I might 'accidentally' do something~ But I'm not a liar, you know that."

"Then the deal is off-"

My body and mind were wracked with pain again as Berserker finally got to his feet, having regenerated with his last life.

"-but…I have no choice…do I?"

"That's the ticket."

As I felt my body and mind being taken over, I gave him my last retaliation as I prepared to release everything.

"But…TO HELL WITH YOU IF YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU HAVE MY BODY!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH-"

"▅▅▅██▃▃▄██▄▄▅█▅▅▅▂▄██!"

And the world exploded.

XXX

-Caster-

"Kyōsō Enbu!"

Materialising a long, cross-shaped sword of violent violet prana, I threw it at Saber like a shuriken, who managed to dodge around it while the sword continued, exploding behind her and decimating the whole area. As she dashed forward, I cast my counter.

"Ondekobachi: Butsugirihasami!"

And Saber was forced to block with her sword in an impossible position as I wielded a giant pair of razor-sharp lightning scissors with the sole aim of decapitating her. Releasing the scissors suddenly, I leapt backwards into the air and cast a wide range spell.

"Hokuto Kotsu Saizan!"

Seven shining orbs appeared at Saber's feet in the formation of the Northern Dipper and immediately, seven blinding beams of prana shot upward from the orbs, engulfing Saber.

"Haa…haa…"

It had only been a short while since that massive scarlet explosion occurred some distance away. Just mere seconds after that, Saber put a hole through my Rashōmon with what seemed to be her Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. After seeing that move, I knew who she was.
"Oi, oi. As if King Arthur wasn't overpowered enough, we have to fight a corrupted powered-up version? Now that's just cheating."

I may have been tired and beaten up, but Saber was probably just as worn down as I was, maybe even more after taking so many of my spells. I was right. As the light died down, I could see that Saber was visibly damaged and her breathing was heavier than before.

"Had enough?"

"You wish."

And she ran at me again. Looks like it was time to show her another reason not to mess with me. As she grew closer in that split second, I readied myself.

"—!"

The look on Saber's face was priceless as my fist met her armored abdomen. I smiled as I heard a crack and with that one punch, I sent her flying a few metres.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

"How…aren't you a Caster?!"

"Yes, I am. But I am Tamamo-no-Mae, one of Japan's Three Great Monsters. How could I deserve that title if I do not have Monstrous Strength as one of my skills?"

"Damn you—!"

In that time she said that, I used my Monstrous Strength and pushed off the ground, leaving a small crater where I stood as I propelled myself at Saber, My hands and feet were alive with searing blue flames as I called out the name of my spell.

"Jouenkobu!"

As I said those words, I battered Saber in a ten-hit combo, my Fox Dance of Purifying Flames. With the last strike, Saber was sent into a tree, causing the tree to collapse.

"Kuh…"

"So…continue?"

To be honest, I was running low on power as well. I must have used almost a dozen A~EX level spells, and I didn't want to grow a seventh tail or use my Noble Phantasm, because doing so might suddenly start to put a drain on my Master's prana.

"I've had enough," said Saber as she got to her feet. "I'll end you with thi-"

Saber never got to finish her sentence, because suddenly, a massive scarlet beam, almost twice as tall as her, just blasted past behind her. Both our faces were set in an expression of utmost shock as we saw what was left of Berserker disintegrate into dust. Then, from the direction of the beam, 'he' appeared.

"…goshujin…sama?"

I was aghast as I looked at my Master. His hair and eyes were a fiery scarlet while his sclera had turned coal black. He was surrounded by a blazing aura and things just got burnt away as he walked past them.

"…hey! Where do you think you're going!?"

As I was too preoccupied with my Master, I just only realized that Saber was sinking into a patch of Shadow, and she was already halfway through.

"…My Master is calling me. Prepare yourself Caster, for I shall finish this fight another day."

And she disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, which then turned to worry as I looked up to see my Master walking towards me with an unfathomable expression. Finally, he stood in front of me.

"…Kousuke?"

After staring impassively at me for a few seconds, he grabbed my neck with his right hand and lifted me into the air.

"Guark- Master, stop! Come to *cough* your senses!"

He was still staring at me with those blank eyes of his. As I stared back, I didn't even need to enter his mind to see what was happening inside him. Right now, my Kousuke was fighting for dominance against his inner oni as he was desperately trying to snatch control of his body.

"Kousuke, fight it! You can *ubh* beat him!"

I had a strong urge to pry myself free using Monstrous Strength, but I was worried. Firstly, I didn't want to hurt my Master ('s body). And secondly, I was in an incredibly precarious position. If I make any movements, his oni might notice and crush my neck before I could do anything, and that would be game over.

"Ah…"

And I could see a different problem approaching. The black mud of the shadow was slowly creeping up on us. But with a stomp of Kousuke's foot a wave of heat rushed along the ground which just incinerated the mud. That lapse in concentration towards me was my only chance.

"I'm sorry Master. Taizoukai Mandara!"

As I said those words, a small, pale blue barrier expanded outwards from me in a spherical form. Instantly I felt my Master's grip loosen as he instantly crumpled to the forest ground, dropping me too.

"Haah…I'm sorry…Master…"

Taizoukai Mandara, one of the two Mandara barriers I am able to use, but only together with my Noble Phantasm. Without it, the range is greatly reduced. The Taizoukai Mandara is a barrier which will purge all mental interference from those within it. It has no effect whatsoever on physical beings and can only remove all foreign nonphysical prana from within the barrier.

The other, Kongoukai Mandara, is the opposite. It forcibly removes all foreign physical beings and existences from within the barrier. It damages and forces out all enemies and at the same time exorcises all evil entities within in. Anyone whom I deem as my allies will be perfectly fine.

As for what I just did to my Master, my Taizoukai Mandara had effectively removed the interference of Kousuke's inner oni from his mind. It's impossible to remove the inner oni completely, because it is a part of my Master, they are not separate entities. One cannot live without the other. All I've done is simply put, 'knocked both of them unconscious'. But when goshujin-sama comes to, he will be in control because his Crimson Red Vermillion had already ended.

Suddenly, I felt the fur of my tail and ears rise as I sensed the evil presence of the Shadow returning.

"I have to get us out of here, fast."

As I lifted my Master onto my back with some effort, some help came in an incredibly unexpected form.

"You're-!"

"Need a hand?"

After an eternity, I have finally finished Chapter 9! [Throws confetti] The fic is definitely coming to a close soon, and I will try my best to churn out the next chapters as soon as possible! As always, thank you for reading, please review and stay fluffy.

OMAKE: Tamamo's Super Fluffy Japanese Test! 2

Hi, it's me again! Once more, I feel that it will definitely be a while before the next chapter comes out, so while you wait you can match all the spells from Chapters 8 and 9 to their respective kanji here! Good luck~!

白断結壁

八爻双崖

鬼火玉

狐葉楔

太極陰陽玉

不精独楽

羅生門・剣劇 無量

鬼太鼓桴・仏斬鋏

浄炎狐舞

百鬼・烈日の破邪

九相輪殺

鬼太鼓・乱れ打ち

金剛界曼荼羅

平安京の扉・羅生門

凶騒円舞

邪炎龍

北斗骨砕斬

紅蓮鳳凰剣

胎蔵界曼荼羅