Ada was having a good night. She and Emily had gone out on their first date in an entire year. Said date went extremely well and now the two of them were walking back to Ada's apartment.
Unfortunately, fate was fit to take a dump on their night and Mordred came flying out of a nearby alley, landing on the street near them.
"What the hell?" Emily yelled, surprised by the sudden appearance of a knight, of all things.
Mordred then stood to her feet and found herself now standing in front of Ada and Emily.
"…Hello, Ada. I suggest that you-"
Ada was thankful that she had convinced the False Heroic Spirit to simply call her Ada rather than 'Master'.
"Ada, what the hell is going on?" Emily interrupted.
Ada then sighed. "Long story. I'll explain once we-"
"▂▂▃▃▅▅ーーー!"
"Are away from that…"
"At least the lunatic is stalling it." Mordred said.
"Good, the two maniacs duking it out should let us scram." Ada said. "You know what to do."
Mordred assumed her astral form before Ada and Emily took off towards the apartment.
Fate/new dawn
Chapter 25: Crime and Punishment
Heracles roared. Spartacus laughed. The two swung their weapons wildly at each other. It was a standard Berserker-on-Berserker battle. But unlike last time, the battle was more in Heracles' favor because Spartacus had expended the power built up by Crying Warmonger then and hadn't seen many battles since. But, he was excited to now be fighting an opponent for real after so long. And he was as talkative as ever too.
"No oppressor is stronger than my love!"
Wesley was once again thankful for his Servant's absurd durability and resilience. That crazy fool had a habit of rushing into battle without care or knowledge of how dangerous or stupid it may be. But his excellent ability to take hits made up for it. Even if his opponent was using his superior speed to wipe the floor with him.
Heracles' axe-sword was swung down but his opponent managed to deflect it by swinging his fist at the flat end of it. The gladius sword was then thrust into the demigod's stomach, electing a small growl followed by a swing of his weapon. He then swung the axe-sword several more times, still failing to do any major damage to the gladiator. However, this was still working out in Spartacus' favor, for Crying Warmonger was gradually Ranking Up his parameters.
Meanwhile, Saber leapt down from a higher rooftop and brought her swords down to strike Archer of Omega while she was preoccupied with Archer of Alpha.
"Get Ruler out of here and guide her to me. I wish to speak with her."
Archer then dematerialized and left his counterpart to Saber. Archer of Omega kicked Saber away before quickly leaping back and firing an arrow from her bow. The arrow hit Saber in her left shoulder before Archer landed and prepared to fire another bow. At that moment, Assassin of Alpha appeared, dropping her Presence Concealment, and stabbed Archer in the back. Archer screamed in pain before quickly trying to get away.
Walking towards the apartment complex Wesley lived in, Jeffrey scowled. Archer was outmatched. She had almost no capability when it came to physical combat and the two Servants she was fighting happened to excel at it.
Then, he realized something.
'…That's right. Her second Noble Phantasm.' Jeffrey smirked. 'Kylie, I'm going to need you to help me with something.'
"By the power of my Command Seal, use Agrius Metamorphosis and kill as many of them as possible!"
There was a flash of light and the final Command Seal was gone.
Archer of Omega clutched her head in pain and screamed.
Jealousy
Pain
Hate
Betrayal
Pain
Hate
Hate
HATE
HATE THEM ALL
KILL THEM ALL
KILL THEM ALL
KILL THEM ALL
"By the power of my Command Seal, use Agrius Metamorphosis and kill as many of them as possible!"
An object was summoned into her hand, a piece of a boar's black pelt that was radiating with dark energy. She pressed it against her chest and screamed as the dark energy began to consume and change her.
The green parts of Archer's hair became pale purple and the blonde part turned white. Her eyes turned golden with a feral, inhuman fury in them. Her clothing had become a skimpy black outfit with openings revealing her cleavage, abdomen, biceps, and upper thighs. Her breasts were covered with white cloth and a black boar head was mounted on her right shoulder. The black parts of the outfit had various purple markings all throughout it. Additionally, her bow turned black and was covered in a dark purple aura and her gloves had sharp claws to compensate for this.
Archer then turned around to face Saber and Assassin, letting out an animalistic growl upon seeing them.
"Burn everything and devour all…!" Archer screamed before charging at them.
Archer swiped at Saber, who quickly jumped back. However, Archer then lunged and tackled Saber to the ground. Saber then grabbed Archer's face and threw her off, causing her to land on the other side of the roof.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you!" Archer screamed.
Archer then fired an arrow of dark purple energy from her bow. The arrow flew through the sky before being deflected by Saber's swords, but she was pushed back in the process. Another arrow was fired and struck Saber in the chest. Assassin then ran at Archer, quickly sidestepping the arrows being fired at her. When Assassin was a few feet in front of Archer, the maddened Servant screamed again before being surrounded by an aura of dark energy and charging forwards, ramming into the smaller Servant. Assassin was sent flying off the rooftop and into the wall of a nearby building before falling to the ground below.
Archer then ran towards Saber and brought her claw down on her, Saber grunted in pain from the slash but then thrust one of her swords forwards to pierce Archer's abdomen. The sword was drawn back and Saber prepared to strike again with her other sword, only to be kicked off the rooftop. Archer then aimed her arrow at the sky and pulled a dark arrow back.
"Tauropolis!"
The arrow soared into the air before bursting into a heavy downpour of dark arrows. Saber and Assassin then started running to avoid the falling arrows, while both Berserker of Alpha and Berserker of Omega were oblivious to the danger because they were too busy battling it out. The downpour of arrows then rudely interrupted them and turned both Servants into porcupines. Heracles lost one of his lives to this while Spartacus, although laughing, was now a foot or two in the grave himself. Meanwhile, Saber's leg was struck by one of the arrows. She fell down and was pierced by multiple arrows. As the wounded swordswoman staggered to her feet, Archer leapt down and pulled three arrows back before letting them fly. The arrows pierced Saber's back with one striking her heart, killing her. Saber then dissipated into several golden particles.
As Archer landed, Spartacus laughed louder. "My love will crush all authority!"
Crying Warmonger was fired just seconds after Heracles had regenerated, at point-blank even. It didn't kill him this time, but Jeffrey was a little annoyed that the gladiator did that.
Jeffrey had enough of Berserker of Alpha. It was the only Servant capable of putting up a good fight against his Berserker. But, Wesley had exposed himself when he sent his Servant to attack the Pythons and Jeffrey figured out where he lived. The thuggish man had come home just recent and was unaware that one of his opponents was planting bombs across the complex. For Jeffrey, this was good either way it went. If Wesley was in fact a Master, that meant less competition. If he wasn't, then it just meant more carnage.
Jeffrey walked out of the apartment complex and went to the roof of a nearby building so that he could get a good view of the results. Pulling the detonator out of his pocket, he then activated it and various explosions went off in the apartment building and destroyed majority of it, laughing all the while.
Berserker of Alpha felt pain shoot through his connection to Wesley and began to dissipate into golden particles.
"Kill Archer now! Use your other Noble Phantasm on her and get away! NOW!" Ian yelled through his connection to Assassin.
Assassin then deployed the Mist and before turning her Presence Concealment on. She then began running around until she was a few feet behind Archer of Omega, who was trying to find the small Servant. Assassin then prepared to attack.
"Hell is starting. We are the flames, rain, power…" Assassin said as she became cloaked it dark energy. "Let there be a slaughter."
Assassin then darted forwards. Archer detected Assassin when the Presence Concealment dropped and turned around in an attempt to counter, but it was too late.
"Maria the Ripper!"
Assassin slashed at Archer before the knives somehow disappeared from her hands. The knives then manifested themselves inside Archer and vivisected her from inside. A horrible way to die…
Now that Archer was finished, Assassin deactivated the Mist and went back into Presence Concealment before fleeing, knowing full well that she wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty Heracles.
Not sensing any opponents nearby, the sole remaining Berserker in the War roared in victory.
"▂▂▃▃▅▅▅▅ーーー!"
"That is one of the most f***ing unbelievable things I have ever heard!" Emily shouted.
"Emily, keep it down." Ada cautioned.
"Sorry." Emily sighed. "Ada, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd believe me." Ada said sheepishly.
"Godd***it, Ada. You can be such an idiot sometimes…" Emily shook her head. "But I still love you."
Ada opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately interrupted.
"Just promise me one thing; you will make it out of this alive."
"Emily, I-"
"Promise me, Ada."
"…I will."
Emily then smiled. "And after that, you can move in with me. We'll live together like we said we would in high school."
"Greetings, Ruler." Marcus said. "I apologize for you having been accosted by members of the Omega faction. Even if I am one of their enemies."
"It's fine."
"Now, I have a very good reason for speaking with you." Marcus stated. "Jeffrey Stanford, one of the surviving Masters of the previous Holy Grail War. He's the one who sent those Servants after you. At least, I know for certain that Berserker is his. Archer, I don't know whose she is."
"Late into the last War, Jeffrey was possessed by the malevolent spirit of one of the other Masters. That spirit caused him to bring about the disaster that concluded that War."
Ruler furrowed her brow in response to this news.
"I am worried about what could happen if he's allowed to continue, but I do know that you can exorcize spirits, right?"
"Yes." Ruler nodded.
"I apologize if this might be a violation of a Ruler's duties, but could you please exorcize the spirit from Jeffrey?" Marcus requested.
"I will look into this. If Stanford is indeed possessed by an evil spirit, I will exorcize it." Ruler then turned to leave.
"Uncle Marcus!" Ian's alarmed voice came from over the radio.
"What is it, Ian?"
"Archer of Omega is dead, but so are our Saber and Berserker."
"Oh God…" Marcus mutter in horror, color draining from his face.
Saber of Alpha
True Name: Miyamoto Musashi
Master: Abraham Irving
Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Height/Weight: 176 cm/56 kg
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Mana: E
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: B
Class Skills
Magic Resistance B
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
Personal Skills
Fifth Form A
A Skill derived from the Niten ichi-ryu fighting style developed by Miyamoto Musashi, which is based around fighting while wielding two swords.
Empyrean Eye A
Musashi's application of the Empyrean Eye generally defines that "such and such location should be cut"; for example, seeking that "the opponent's right arm should be sliced off" effects, of the set of all possible methods and means available to her, the most efficient path toward this particular outcome - "without waste, a single slice that inevitably falls". To rephrase, this is an ability that focuses "the means to an end" to "a single solution"; an ability that effects the restriction of all possible futures to a "single outcome."
Nothingness A
The highest order a swordsman can attain. The ultimate mental state. It corresponds to the concept of Suigetsu of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. One is nothing, thus invincible. Only a swordsman who has reached the infinite mental state can perceive this.
Noble Phantasms
Rikudou Gorin - Kurikara Tenshou "Six Realms Five Planes – The Divine Figure of Kurikara" B
A sword-roaring battou. Still wielding two swords, she takes a firm stance and: Lesser Celestial Thrust… then after overpowering the opponent with her swords' energy to damage their spirit; Greater Celestial Phenomenon… Musashi lets out her final blow with all her might. The Niou appearing behind her is just a side-effect of her swords' pressure. It can be considered an embodiment of the sword of "Zero", the concept of "Void" Musashi has yet to master. It's called an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm, but it is actually an Anti-Fate Noble Phantasm. A Buddha sword that wards off all forms of untimely deaths, karmic damage, curses and tragedies in a single sweep. "After you scraped off something's existence to the extreme, to the point you could say it no longer has any, "something" still remains." The extreme "One" they say "no two of" can be found. The "Zero" that is beyond it… the concept of「 」.
The Flower of Tengen keeps striving to reach this throne.
When she draws her sword for the Greater Celestial Phenomenon, she mentions Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin's name. The historical Musashi Miyamoto was a devout of Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, and he can be considered his guardian deity. Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin is the name given to the heavenly god of the Dazai Prefecture's Tenmanguu Shrine; in other words, the amalgamation of the thunder god and Japan's most prominent vengeful spirit Sugawara-no-Michizane and Dai-Jizai Ten Mahesvara (also known as Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction). Additionally, Dai-Jizai Ten is also considered an avatar of Guanyin. In reality, before Sugawara-no-Michizane started to be worshipped as the heavenly god of scholarship at the end of the Heian Era, he had already been conferred the divine name of Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, so, putting it bluntly, Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin is Sugawara-no-Michizane's aspect as a wrathful god traced over to Shiva. It is speculated that the reason Musashi chose the thunder god as the object of his devotion is because most kenjutsu practitioners before him and their schools were devout to the Kashima Shrine, and the god Takemizuchi worshipped there was said to be the thunder god's ancestor. Takemizuchi, the god of thunder-turned-god of kenjutsu. In response to that, since Musashi chose to perfect himself on "the art of the sword" instead of "the technique of the sword", he did not devote himself to the same god of thunder or kenjutsu, but to Tenman Dai-Jizai Tenjin, who also has an aspect as the god of scholarship. Or so it is speculated. Additionally, at the time (and even now), Dai-Jizai Ten was often confused with Ishana Ten, the king of a place named Take-Jizai Ten, due to their similar names. Ishana Ten is considered to be on the same god as Izanagi, the ancestor god of Japan. And, due to how its name is pronounced, he is associated with Shana-ou (Minamoto no Yoshitsune). Since Yoshitsune was, even at the time, considered the originator of the samurais' militarization, Ishana is implied to be connected to both Japan and the origin of samurais.
Class: Archer
True Name: Atalanta
Master: Nicholas Young
Gender: Female
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Height/Weight: 166cm/57kg
Strength: D
Endurance: E
Agility: A
Magic: B
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: C
Class Skills
Magic Resistance D
One step (Single Action) spells are nullified. Equivalent Magic Resistance as a magical energy repelling amulet.
Independent Action A
Can act in the absence of a Master. However, Master's backup is necessary if trying to use a Noble Phantasm that takes up a lot of magical energy.
Personal Skills
Crossing Arcadia B
While moving can jump over all obstacles, including opponents, on the field.
Aesthetics of the Last Spurt C
Allows enemy to take the initiative and after confirming the action she can anticipate him.
Noble Phantasm
Phoebus Catastrophe "The Complaint Message on the Arrow" B
A complaint letter on an arrow seeking the divine protection of Artemis and Apollo with the Tauropolos received from the Guardian Deity Artemis. In the next turn arrows will rain on all enemies as if a downpour. Range can be set.
Agrius Metamorphosis "Boar of Divine Punishment" B+
The Monstrous Beast of Calydonia that Atalanta killed. A cursed Noble Phantasm where one owns the power of the Monstrous Beast when she wears the pelt. Even though Tauropolos is sealed, other than luck, all other stats rise, and an A Rank Mad Enhancement equivalent status is taken on. The skill Shapeshift A is added. In battle, the wearer's form, therefore nature, changes.
Now, we're getting into the meat of the story. Saber of Alpha, Archer of Omega, Wesley, and Berserker of Alpha are now dead. Only Mordred, Archer of Alpha, Lancer of Omega, Caster of Alpha, Assassin of Alpha, Assassin of Omega, Berserker of Omega, and their Masters remain (excluding Ruler). With this, we are mere steps away from the endgame.
Now for reviews.
KnightOfZaku: Well, here you have it. Unfortunately, Jeffrey resorted to dirty tricks. But even without that, it would be a steep, uphill battle for Spartacus because of Heracles' God Hand ability. Honestly, I couldn't think of any feasible way for Mr. Love-and-Rebellion to win a fight like that and had intended on killing him at some point anyway. As for that last one, no comment because spoilers.
Devin sands: Firstly, Nicholas was killed for both shock value and so that I could have a way to incorporate Agrius Metamorphosis. Secondly, I initially wanted to have this fic take place in the real world, but then realized that I would have to explain the existence of a Grail in this world. So, I made this universe into an alternate Nasuverse where all the magi are dead. However, Zelretch was off-world when that happened, so he'll make an appearance in the sequel.
Leave a review. Constructive criticism will be accepted. Flames will be used to make s'mores. Jyaa-nee!
