Chapter 71: The Fateless
Ritsuka could do nothing but stare as the sharpened slab in Heracles' hand descended towards him as nothing more than a blur. He'd barely even been able to get his legs to start moving by the time the Servant was virtually on top of him.
Movement caught him in the corner of his eye, Mash's shield gradually made its way into his field of view as she raised to block the attack – although her own expression looked as horrified as his probably did – moving herself in front of him. She halted with the shield raised high and tensed her body in preparation for the attack.
Heracles slammed into her with the force of a freight train, the blow instantly sent her reeling backwards and slamming into Ritsuka, the two of them were launched from the bow of the ship and further up the deck in a sprawling mess of tangled limbs, even dis-orientated as she was, Mash still had enough sense to use her body to absorb the impact of slamming into the deck. It was likely the only thing that saved Ritsuka's life.
The Servant wasted no time in seizing advantage of the sudden shock of his attack, instantly bringing his slab back upwards and spinning on his heel as a blur while slashing outwards.
Ash had barely enough time to raise Storm Ruler in a blocking motion before Heracles struck. He blinked as the next thing he knew, he was rag dolling through the air and staring as the scenery blurred past him before he crashed face first into the railings of the ship and nearly went overboard.
Heracles roared, sweeping out and slamming a kick into Oscar, the poor Astoran hadn't even been fast enough to register the attack before Heracles heel smashed into him and he was sent flying off the ship a pain wheeze was the only sound to escape his throat – along with the shattering of metal as the chainmail he wore broke under the force of the impact and sent links clattering to the ground and into the ocean following after him, the Astoran splashed heavily against the water and bounced twice like a thrown stone before he stopped and sank downwards.
The Berserker leapt down from the bow of the ship and onto the deck, instantly searching for his next target and locking onto Euryale. The Goddess froze up as Heracles full attention fell onto her and his mouth slowly curled into a snarl before he rocketed forwards, shattering the planks he stood upon and releasing a blast of air which staggered Sanura.
Asterios threw Euryale away from him as he rushed to meet Heracles' charge, the larger Berserker swung his Halberd out at Heracles head. The Demi-God halted abruptly and raised his sword to block the attack before swinging upwards and parrying Asterios halberd into the sky and wrenching it free of his grasp. Asterios reeled backwards before Heracles released a triumphant roar as his whole body swung forwards, lashing out with his left hand in a haymaker which slammed into Asterios ribs with a crunch.
The punch briefly caused Asterios' feet to leave the deck of the ship as Heracles' punch carried him upwards. The Minotaur gasped out a lungful of air as he landed back down, coughing heavily as Heracles rushed him again. Asterios' eyes burned with rage as he threw himself at the Berserker as well, the two giants slammed into eachother with enough force to rock the entire ship, the Servants staggered around as they attempted to right themselves.
Asterios blocked Heracles slash with his remaining halberd, the two weapons ground against each other as Heracles pushed forwards – growling the entire time – and forcing Asterios on the back step. Releasing a roar of his own, Asterios stamped down into the deck of the ship with enough force to split the planks beneath his feet, implanting himself in the deck of the ship and halting his retreat.
Heracles growled in response, stepping backwards and hoisting his slab in preparation to attack.
A dull sound of metal striking against something equally solid filled the silence.
Heracles paused, slowly craning his neck down to his side and seeing the tip of Sanura's spear pressed against his body just under his ribs, the spear failing to even draw a mark from the Berserker's skin.
"...Eh?" Sanura made a small noise of confusion before Heracles exploded into action, spinning himself; he backhanded the lancer into the air before he swung his entire body around in an axe kick. His heel cracked into Sanura's gut and shattered parts of her armour instantly before she was driven through the deck of the ship and into the bowls of the vessel a second later.
Following through, Heracles continued to pivot his body until he was in a tackling position and facing Asterios. The Minotaur widened his eyes in realisation and made to block before Heracles threw himself forwards. His left shoulder slammed into Asterios' gut and ripped his footing free of the ship as his arm grasped around his waist before he hoisted the Minotaur into the air.
Crying out, Heracles slammed Asterios back into the deck of the ship and sent him through the flooring. Rising up, steam bellowed from his mouth as he craned his neck towards the Goddess again. Euryale was frozen between concern for Asterios and terror for her own life, her eyes darting between the Berserker and the hole Asterios had been hammered through.
Heracles barely waited for her to decide which was more important before he flung himself towards her.
The scream was barely out of her throat before Havel virtually appeared from the corner of her eye. The Berserker was swinging his own club with both hands wrapped around it towards Heracles. The Demi-God paused mid-swing, slamming his foot into the ground and spinning his body around towards Havel as the Bishop swung the bone at him.
Raising the flat of his slab like a shield, Heracles braced himself for impact. Havel struck him with enough force to release a shockwave, the attack caused Heracles to skate backwards across the deck and tear up parts of the ship as he did so. Lowering his makeshift shield, his heterochromatic eyes focused themselves on Havel as he lumbered towards him.
The size difference between the two was obvious, despite Havel himself being a giant Heracles still had around thirty centimetres height advantage. Not that Havel appeared too daunted as he continued to pace towards the Berserker without showing a single sign of hesitance.
Heracles looked Havel up and down, a slight glimmer of intellect was obvious within his eyes before it just as quickly vanished. Heracles hunched himself forwards, moving his left hand to grasp the handle of his slab sword and coil it back in preparation for an obvious attack.
Something Havel mirrored, the two Berserkers stood opposite eachother in preparation for the other to make the first move.
Heracles exhaled.
Havel lunged.
The two shot across to eachother, Heracles brought the sword down over his shoulder while Havel swung Dragon's tooth upwards to meet the weapon. The two Berserkers clashed – the explosion of air instantly rocked the ship and sent the debris on the deck shooting off into the water.
Ritsuka groaned as he awoke, moving his left hand up to cradle his forehead "Wha...what happen…" he slurred as he felt sore all over.
"Senpai!" Mash's relieved voice instantly reached his ears, blinking several times he looked up to see her smiling down at him in clear alleviation before she opened her mouth to speak again.
Unfortunately, whatever she had to say was interrupted by what sounded like a landslide. Ritsuka jolted from where he was sitting at the sudden crashing sounds, snapping up and looking about the ship. Mash was still protectively standing in front of him with her shield up as a defence, Ritsuka peered around her and promptly paled.
The deck of the ship was a mess, shattered flooring and splinters were in abundance. In the centre of the chaos, Havel and Heracles were swinging their weapons at eachother like mad-men. Heracles' slab crashed into Havel's shoulder and chipped off portions of his armour before Havel retaliated by slamming his club into Heracles' forearm.
The Demi-God released a grunt from the impact before he batted the club aside, coiling his arm back and then throwing it forwards towards Havel's head. The fist slammed into Havel and caused the armoured Berserker to stagger to the side with his head jerking with the impact. Losing his grip on the club, Havel stumbled backwards before he stamped down and halted his movements. His head snapped back to Heracles before he swung his own fist upwards.
Striking Heracles with an uppercut to the chin, the Demi-God's head jerked upwards and caused him to stumble backwards with the punch. The Berserker eventually composed himself, pausing and staring down at Havel.
"Heracles is fighting Havel-san!" Mash informed Ritsuka "Sanura-san and Asterios-san were knocked below deck and Oscar-san was knocked over the ship."
"W-where's everyone else?" Ritsuka looked around, noticing the other Servants already preparing themselves for combat as they stared at the Berserker's fighting.
"Help Havel." Ritsuka pointed towards the two "Archer, provide some support to keep Heracles on his toes." He was currently debating how insane that sentence sounded before shaking his head.
"As you wish, but I suspect it will prove challenging." Archer replied back, looseing an arrow directly onto Heracles head and consuming it with an explosion, Ritsuka watched as the smoke faded and revealed Heracles head left completely unharmed. "He seems to be protected by some manner of defensive ability which nullifies anything thrown at him so far."
As if to immediately discredit Archer, Havel rushed forwards and jumped up, slamming his head into Heracles face and causing a spurt of blood to rush out from where the Berserker broke Heracles nose. Heracles roared in anger, lashing out and kicking Havel in the gut and instantly rocketing him across the ship.
The moment Havel had been blasted clear, it was as if a switch had been triggered.
Boudica, David and Archer all instantly attack the Servant, arrows instantly rained down on top of the Berserker and consumed his form in an explosion of smoke while Boudica and David rushed in from either side. The smoke instantly parted the second the two got close enough, Heracles arms lashed out and revealed his form in full. David recoiled backwards into a roll to avoid being decapitated by Heracles weapon while Boudica raised her shield to block the punch launched by the Berserker. The fist slammed into her shield and launched her away from him.
Rushing out of the smoke, Heracles charged down David, continuously swinging the entire time he did, the Israeli King scampered backwards and dodged to the best of his ability as the mad flailings of Heracles tore apart the deck of the ship, cleaving through the wooden planks and sending shattered parts of wood firing off in all directions – several of which slammed into Mash's shield with enough force to be reduced to sawdust.
Oscar gasped as he surfaced, coughing heavily as he spat out the water he had swallowed. It was fortunate that he was a fisherman, otherwise he would never have been able to swim.
His head wildly swung around before it locked onto the Argo and the Golden Hind – squinting his eyes – Oscar locked onto the latter of the two ships and was barely able to make out the sounds of fighting onboard the ship as the Servant – Heracles – managed to somehow single-handedly fight off an entire ship full of Servants.
Oscar would admit, he was more than a little horrified at the notion.
Terrified as he was, Oscar immediately began to swim back to the Golden Hind as fast as he could.
"Call it a family spat if you want, just shoot him in the back!" Orion virtually demanded as he pointed at Heracles, the Berserker stopped and swung his entire body around to stare up at the bear. Orion let out a whimper at being stared down by his larger cousin.
Heracles growled and tensed himself to jump upwards.
"O-oi!" Orion backed further into Artemis grip as he realised the intentions of the Berserker "Hang on a-"
"Hey!" Heracles paused when a beam of light slammed into his chest, the force caused him to take a single step backwards but otherwise leave him unhurt. The Berserker's head snapped towards his attacker.
Drake stood with a cannon over her shoulder, glaring at the Greek Hero before she shouted again "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" she shouted, just before she unleashed another volley of arms fire upon the Berserker. Heracles growled as he weathered the artillery barrage, remaining undamaged for the most of it and still staring at the Captain before he took a single step towards her.
"Artemis!" Orion exclaimed "Shoot him already!"
"Fine!" Artemis pouted "You're being very unreasonable right now brother!" she called out, levelling her bow towards his head.
"You got bigger problems than him you fuckers!"
"Duck!" Orion shouted out as warning, Artemis followed through and dropped low, hanging just underneath the support strut of the sail she had been perched on before Caeneus slammed into it spear first, her weapon buried itself in the sail before she let out a click of her tongue and ripped it free.
"Ain't every day I kill an Olympian bitch and her man-whore toy." The tanned woman sneered down at the pair as she levelled the spear towards them "Especially one of that piece of shit's kids."
Orion cringed "You're still mad about Pos-" he was cut off as Caeneus hurled the spear towards the pair, Artemis grabbed Orion and shot away as the weapon soared past them and pierced through the deck of the ship. Caeneus followed soon after, rushing towards Artemis in a two footed drop kick.
The Goddess threw her bow up in front of her as a shield, Caeneus' heels collided with the guard and forced the two towards the deck of the ship at rapid speed. Artemis' back collided with the deck with a heavy thump, the Goddess released a pained gasp as she rolled backwards with the blow while Orion was thrown from her grasp and sent flying across the deck of the ship.
Releasing a grunt as he rolled, Orion eventually came to a halt. Groaning loudly, he made to stand up only for a hand to roughly grasp the back of his neck and hoist him into the air. Orion flailed in the grasp until he found himself at eye-level with Caeneus, the deep blue eyes stared at him dismissively as they scanned his form. A scoff emerged from her throat.
"Really?" She grunted, staring at Orion in disgust "I'd rather you were in your actual body, killing you like this feels like I've been cheated."
"So then you shouldn't bother killing me?" Orion nervously chuckled, Caeneus shark-like grin only served to inform him that – no, she was still going to kill him.
"Wonder if you're stuffed with cotton." She spoke aloud as she shook him roughly "I know some people are the toys of the Gods, but I never thought it would be literal." shrugging, she threw him to the ground and stamped down on his body to hold him in place as she raised her spear above in preparation to thrust down into the bear.
Several beams of light slammed into her side, Caeneus grunted as she stumbled off Orion. Releasing a snarl, she turned towards Artemis who was glaring at her – eyes glowing – with her bow raised and already preparing another arrow of light.
"At least I'll get a fight out of one of you!" She sneered, kicking Orion away from her and rushing towards Artemis while tanking the attacks while showing very little in the way of response to the attacks as she closed the distance. Artemis hurled herself into the air, flipping over Caeneus and continually firing arrows at her as the Lancer slammed into the spot where she had been. Jerking at the attacks struck against her while doing little.
Roaring, Caeneus stabbed her spear into the deck of the ship and tensed. Hefting the spear out, she tore away a section of the ship and swung her body around and hurled the debris towards the Goddess. Artemis ducked low to avoid the sub-sonic planks of wood shooting through the air as she landed down. Caeneus used the distraction to rush forwards, closing the distance with a vicious snarl present on her features.
She abruptly halted when an armoured hand burst through the deck of the ship beneath her feet, the gauntlet tightly gripping itself around her ankle and halted her movement.
"What the shi-!" Caeneus began to shout in disbelief before the arm pulled downwards, Caeneus grunted as she was pulled through the deck of the ship into the bowels of the vessel, she kicked out and slammed her foot into her grappler, resulting in a feminine shout of pain as the grip loosened and Sanura was knocked backwards.
Caeneus righted herself, scowling towards the Lion armoured lancer, she twirled her own spear and slammed the butt of the weapon into the ground "Pretty gutsy move. Gonna make sure I at least take my time repaying you for that."
"Bold of you to assume you shall live beyond this moment." Sanura darkly remarked as she twirled her own spear, resting both hands upon the shaft and adjusting her body back for a thrust "I shall not allow any harm to come to Lady Artemis."
"You sound like that other boot licker." Caeneus scowled, then frowned as she squinted closer at Sanura "What is it with that Goddess and animals? Must be a weird fetish." she shrugged.
Sanura shot forwards, thrusting the spear directly towards Caeneus' head. Cracking a grin of her own, Caeneus raised her left forearm at an angle and diverted the spear off-course, the weapon leaving only a tiny mark upon her skin as it was deflected. Cocking her spear-arm back, the woman then thrust her own spear in retaliation. Sanura lashed out with a kick, striking the spear just underneath the tip and diverting it away from her gut.
Coiling her arm around Sanura's spear, Caeneus latched onto the metallic shaft and jerked the weapon forwards while lashing out, Sanura was violently pulled into a kick which forced her off her feet and back through the deck into the open.
"Weakling." Caeneus scoffed, taking a single step forwards to jump up before a low growl sounded off behind her. The tanned woman blinked and turned around towards the sound.
Only for Asterios to catch her in the chin with an uppercut.
"That-" Jason fumed, glaring at the Golden Hind with a growing anger to him "That idiot! As if Heracles needs help from the likes of her!"
"I don't believe she is attempting to assist Heracles, Lord Jason." Medea Lily calmed him, giving a reassuring smile and gesturing to the carnage "Given her History, it is understandable that she would not wish to lose the opportunity to slay a scion of Poseidon."
Jason turned towards her with an irritated expression, although it had since simmered down.
"Let her have her prize, we need only a single God and it is better to sacrifice the Gorgon to the Ark rather than the Lady Artemis, especially if she is still present in this Singularity."
"Heh." Jason scoffed dismissively "She'll have long since vanished…" he sighed "Fine, I suppose it's only natural to allow a starving dog a few scraps of meat to keep it tranquil." he waved his hand "I suppose I can be magnanimous and allow her to settle her vendetta. As long as she doesn't get in Heracles way-" he paused and looked off "What do you think you're doing?"
Rendal paused, a single foot on the railing of the ship in preparation to jump over. The King blinked in confusion, turning his head to stare at Jason "I was planning on retrieving the Goddess in the chaos-"
"You think Heracles needs the aid of a has-been?" He frowned, crossing his arms "You've already played your part."
"Has-been?" Rendal's face soured "You-"
"Lord Rendal." Medea Lily quickly interrupted him with a diplomatic aura "Heracles is rather more aggressive in his current summoning and he may find it difficult to distinguish friend from foe in the fighting." she raised a hand to halt the Saber "It would be much safer for you to remain so as to avoid potential injury. I am certain Heracles will be able to retrieve the Goddess without much trouble."
The man looked between Jason and Medea before his lips thinned "Very well." he remarked, stepping off the railings and back onto the Argo. "I will adhere to your advice."
"Good." Jason huffed to himself, looking back to the Golden Hind "Glad you've learned your les-" he was cut off when Caeneus form went smashing through the deck of the Golden Hind, the woman spiralled through the air without much in the way of control and towards the Argo.
Rendal stared up as she approached the spot where he was stood.
The King took two steps backwards.
Caeneus slammed face first into the deck of the ship, the woman growled and picked her face up to glare at Rendal, who stared back at her without a trace of emotion.
"Had I attempted to catch you, you would have tried to kill me."
Caeneus opened her mouth to reply, then paused. Mulling over what he said, she offered a begrudging nod of affirmation as she picked herself up. "Don't know about 'try'." she sneered at him "You would be dead." turning around, she marched towards the edge of the ship again to jump over.
"So soon?"
"I'm not leaving till I have that son of a bitch's stuffed head mounted on my spear." She paused, then continued on "There's also that big beast but I'm prioritising who I'm killing first." She launched herself off the ship without waiting for a rebuttal.
Rendal exhaled gently, shaking his head.
Ash groaned as he picked himself up, rolling his shoulders, he made to move back towards Heracles and Havel still duelling before a thud sounded off behind him. Turning around, he found himself staring at Caeneus as she landed, the spearwoman stared at the Saber in front of her for barely half a second before she lashed out in a thrust towards his head.
Swinging his greatsword upwards, Ash parried the strike into the air while throwing the palm of his left hand forwards. A black explosion erupted from his hand and directly in the face of the Caeneus, the Lancer growled and stumbled backwards from the attack, slight singe marks present on the left side of her face.
"Tricky fucker aren't you." She ground out, snarling at the Saber. Ash remained stone faced at her, moving his other hand to grip the handle of Storm Ruler in preparation for a fight.
"Tch." Scowling, Caeneus moved her left hand to touch the burn marks on her cheek "...Huh. Guess you ain't that big a weakling if you can hurt me." she paused, the scoffed "Or that fucker's blessings ain't worth shit. Doesn't matter, still gonna ki-" she ducked low when Ash swung at her neck, the Lancer back-pedalled as he followed through with a stab towards her leg.
She kicked the sword and knocked it off-course before swinging her spear towards his head, raising his sword arm, Ash blocked the lance while pulling his dagger from his belt and thrusting it towards the woman's head. Caeneus grasped his wrist, stopping the dagger just shy of her face.
"Re-" She jerked her head to the side to avoid losing an eye as the dagger expanded outwards into a glowing crystalline blade, Ash kicked down against her knee causing her to stumble backwards. The woman let out an aggressive roar as she charged forwards, headbutting Ash in the chest and causing him to stagger away from her.
Stamping her feet down, Caeneus flung her body backwards into a flip and caught Ash in the chin with her feet as she did so. His head jerked backwards with the impact, with Caeneus still in the air, he raised Storm Ruler and fired off a jet of wind into her body, the gale force knocked her off-balance.
Her body let out a heavy thud as she roughly landed on her side, her eyes burned with rage as she quickly shot to her feet and levelled Ash with a hefty glare and a murderous smile, she slowly stood up again as Ash adjusted his position, resting his dagger across his sword arm while he pointed Storm Ruler towards her. The Watchers of Farron had been useful in teaching him to fight with a sword and dagger.
"Alright then." She growled through a snarling smile "Before I kill that piece of shit bear, I'm going to rip you to pulp."
Ash raised a lone eyebrow.
"What? Nothing to say?"
"What need have I to speak to you?" Ash tilted his head "I doubt you have anything worth saying to begin with."
"…" Caeneus blinked once "I'm going to kill you."
"You say that as if it is supposed to frighten me." Ash remarked as he prepared himself to charge forwards "I've died more than enough times to acquaint myself with the process."
"You ain't never been killed by me before." Caeneus sneered as she hunched herself forwards. "I like to make mine a bit memorable."
Gripping Havel rightly in his grasp, Heracles flipped the Berserker over his shoulder and onto the deck of the ship, lurching the entire vessel to one side as he did so. Raising his arms above his head, the Berserker clasped his fists together and swung them down like a hammer.
Havel raised his arms in a guard as the attack struck, the chain links around his gauntlets shattered from the force of the impact and sent their dented and chipped remains shooting off across the ship. Raising his arms again, Heracles cocked his fist back and threw it downwards. Havel rolled to the side to avoid it, the limb punching a hole straight through the wood where his head had been.
Continuing the roll, Havel shot to his feet and swung his right leg forwards. Heracles' head snapped up with the force of the kick slamming into chin, Havel followed through with a series of jabs aimed towards his organs. Heracles released a wheeze as Havel performed a haymaker into his kidneys, the Berserker folded with the blow before Havel pulled his left arm across his body and braced it with his right before throwing himself forwards, his elbow smashing into Heracles cheek and causing him to stumble.
Havel made to throw his right fist in a jab when Heracles lashed out and stopped the fist with his palm, clamping down around the appendage before throwing his own jab towards Havel. The stone armoured bishop mirrored Heracles' earlier move and caught the punch with his opposing hand. The two Berserkers soon engaging in a shoving match between each other as they threw their entire weight in their respective offensives.
Heracles left eye darted behind him as he faintly saw shadows passing out of the corner of his vision. Snarling, he pulled with all his might and lifted Havel off the ground and swung him like a club. Archer widened his eyes in alarm as he saw Havel's form hurtle towards him, raising a hand in front of himself, a simple metal kite shield formed in his hand before Havel smashed into him, shattering the shield into motes of light and sending him flying backwards.
The moment Havel's feet touched the deck of the ship, the Bishop performed a similar feat, pulling Heracles with all his might over his head and throwing him off the edge of the ship.
Havel paused when he didn't hear a splash, swiftly moving to the edge of the ship and looking over the railings at the surface of the water. Heracles stood upon the waves, or rather a thin layer of glowing purple glass just above the water. Havel's head snapped towards the Argo and glared at Medea, her staff glowing a subtle purple.
Growling in anger, Havel turned his attention back towards Heracles just in time to catch a two-footed kick to the chest, the impact blowing him off his feet and sending him skidding across the ship like a stone on a lake.
Heracles stood upon the ship, staring at Havel's prone form as they tried to stand up again. Growling Heracles made to advance before several beams of light struck the side of his head. The Berserker paused, slowly turning his head towards Boudica whose sword was still pointing towards him.
The moment he made to charge her down, something slammed into his back and caused a scream to erupt from his mouth. Stumbling forwards, there was a stiffness which gave way to a squelch as Asterios ripped his Halberd free of his shoulder, Heracles swung around and threw his right hand in a fist towards the Minotaur's head.
Asterios raised his forearm, blocking the punch although the impact still caused him to stagger back with the attack. Heracles followed through with a vicious barrage of punches against the Berserker, knocking the single Halberd from his hand. Asterios raised his other arm to join the guard, stumbling backwards as Heracles rush of punches. His arms soon began blurring as the punches continually rained down on the Berserker.
Hefting his arm back, Heracles launched an uppercut which shattered Asterios' guard and flung his arms upwards. Cocking his left arm back, Heracles swung his entire body forwards in a jab, the punch slammed in his gut with a thundering impact, Asterios buckled towards the strike. Heracles swung his other arm down and struck Asterios temple, forcing the Berserker downwards and face first into the deck of the ship.
Raising his foot above Asterios head, Heracles made to stamp downwards before Havel tackled him from the side and wrapped his arms around Heracles waist. Heaving, Havel lifted Heracles into the air before body slamming him into the deck of the ship, splintering the already ruined wood further. Raising his body up, Havel supported his right arm and dropped his elbow onto Heracles face while he was down. Heracles' already broken nose shattered from the impact as Havel raised himself up – already cocking his left arm back for a downwards punch – as Heracles followed suit.
Headbutting Havel, Heracles broke portions of the stone armour and revealed Havel's right eye and forced him away from him and onto his back as he rolled away from the downed Berserker. The Demi-God scrambled to his feet to pursue the advantage before a cry caught his attention. His head snapped around just in time for him to catch sight of Sanura rushing towards him.
The lancer stabbed her weapon into the deck of the ship and pushed against it, pole vaulting through the air and landing a two footed kick against Heracles chin. The Berserker's head jerked back with the impact before he lashed out with his left hand, clasping Sanura's ankle and pulling her out of the air.
The woman released a panicked gasp as Heracles hefted her above his head before he slammed her down into the deck of the ship, the strength behind the swing caused the wood to shatter and force half her body through the wood. Heracles showed no mercy as he roughly pulled her free of the hole, only to swing her in the opposite direction and puncture another hole through the ship.
Heracles repeated the procedure several more times before he eventually stopped.
Sanura dangled limply from his grasp, her armour battered and dented with multiple parts missing. Her face was already beginning to bruise with blood dripping from slashes along her forehead and cheeks. Heracles growled, turning to Havel and raising Sanura a final time like a hammer.
"Tri-Star Amore Mio!"
A lance of blue light flashed from behind the Berserker, by the time he turned around the projectile had already impacted his head.
And vaporised it entirely.
The headless corpse stumbled backwards before falling down, still holding onto Sanura in his lifeless grasp, the woman thoroughly unconscious.
Boudica wasted no time in closing the gap, grabbing onto the Lancer and pulling her away from the corpse of the Berserker as Havel and Asterios shambled to their feet.
Ritsuka stared at the corpse of Heracles, breathing shakily before he turned towards Jason.
The blonde haired man stared at them with a blank face before he raised his hands.
And clapped.
Dead silence purveyed across the ship as Jason clapped, his lip twitching into a knowing smile which already made Ritsuka grim at the prospects they were facing.
"Nice." Jason complimented with an overly sincere tone "Very impressive. It took you that long to kill Heracles but I suppose you still managed it. That's no small feat." he smiled, leaning forwards against the deck of the ship, his smile shifting into a smirk "So...What are you going to do about the other eleven lives?"
The silence became filled with dread.
"...E-eleven?" Ritsuka shakily called out, he couldn't help but allow terror to seep into his voice "W-what?"
"Come now." Jason chuckled amusedly "Surely you know of Heracles' twelve labours?"
"...Yeah…"
"Good." Grinning, the man continued on "Completing twelve labours he was able to atone for that nasty business Hera put him through." his expression darkened briefly before it returned to an amused smile "So naturally to commemorate his achievement, he is granted twelve lives." he smiled "You've taken one, yes, well done." he haphazardly added on "But well...What are you going to do for the other eleven?"
Ritsuka's eyes mechanically drifted over to the headless corpse of Heracles.
Now not so headless as steam billowed from the wound, already growing into a new head for the Servant.
"Oh…" Ritsuka's eyes were wide.
"...Shit." Havel finished for him as he grabbed his own club in preparation.
Caeneus back slammed into the railings of the ship, the woman bent over them as she held her spear out in front of her with her left hand, blocking Ash's greatsword while using her right hand to grip his wrist with the dagger poised for her throat.
The two struggled for a few moments before Caeneus released a growl and shoved Ash away from her, spinning around as he staggered and performing a roundhouse kick into his gut to further shunt him away.
A fresh roar had Ash blink and snap his head towards the howl seeing Heracles head spontaneously regrow itself.
"Huh." Caeneus grunted "Guess you losers were able to kill him once. Big whoop." her voice was dry before she cackled "Guess I'll have to be quick in killing you."
Ash swung back towards her head, the woman ducked low and allowed the blade to sweep just above her hair before she launched herself forwards and tackled Ash to the ground. Mounting the Saber, she thrust her spear downwards and through his right shoulder, nailing him to the deck before raising her arms and throwing her fists forwards.
Her first punch slammed into Ash's jaw and bounced his head off the deck before she launched another punch from the opposite side. The woman maintained a savage grin on her face as she wailed on Ash repeatedly, his face becoming more and more bloodied.
When she went for another punch, Ash lashed out with his left hand and clasped it around the wrist, the woman widened her eyes as his grip suddenly began to heat up. Throwing his grip free, she grabbed his collar and swung her head downwards like a battering ram into his nose.
Peeling her head back, she sneered down at him "What was all that tough shit you were saying earlier?"
Ash's eyes locked onto hers.
He swung his right arm forwards, his shoulder passing up the length of the spear shaft without any consideration for the pain as he grabbed her and flipped her off him. Ash grunted as he pulled himself free of the deck and swung his right arm into her chin, throwing her head to the side and forcing her onto her back.
Ash followed through, finding their positions reversed, he thrust his left palm towards her face. Caeneus gripped his wrist while raising her legs to force some distance between the two of them. Ash threw his right hand forwards and locked itself around her throat in a strangle hold while he forced his palm towards her face, the gauntlet dripping with black flames.
Caeneus struggled against his grip, one hand trying to pry him free of her neck while the other hand was focused on keeping the burning palm away from her face. Straining against the grip, Caeneus gradually was able to pry Ash's hand from around her neck free before she kicked him off her, the Saber rolled away as Caeneus coughed repeatedly, growling as she got back to her feet.
"You-" She was cut off when something slammed into the back of her head, the woman stumbled forwards and then swung her body around to face the attacker.
Oscar swung his shield again in a backhanded motion and struck her across the side of her face, sending her reeling away from him. Raising his sword up, he rushed towards the Lancer and swung down towards her.
Caeneus caught the straightsword with her hand, abruptly stopping the movement.
The two stared at eachother as a small drop of blood ran down from the Lancer's nostril, the woman's tongue darted out from her lip and wiped it away as she glared at the Saber ``...Must be something wrong here if I'm being hurt by weaklings like you.'' She punctuated the sentence by kicking Oscar in the gut, sending him flying away from her and crashing into the deck.
The woman scowled and turned around, ducking low as Ash swiped for her neck and throwing her fist into his gut. Ash stumbled with the punch before the woman rose up and clamped both her hands on either side of his head and dragged it into another headbutt, Ash staggered away from her, bleeding heavily from being repeatedly struck in the face.
Caeneus made to step forwards before her features flattened, the woman took a single step to the side and easily avoided a lunge from Oscar, the knight sailed past her and directly into a waiting kick. Her knee slammed into his gut and folded his body over it before he dropped to his hands and knees.
Caeneus scoffed, cocking her fist back and swinging it forwards. Her knuckles collided with the back of Oscar's head and slammed him face first into the deck of the ship. She swung around to face Ash just in time to catch a burning haymaker to the face, the woman snarled in pain as the burning palm singed the side of her face before Ash attacked again, throwing a punch from the other side.
Raising her forearm, Caeneus blocked the fist before throwing a quick jab into Ash's collarbone, jerking the unkindled back and moving onto the offensive, swinging her fist towards his face and crunching the bridge of his nose inwards.
Caeneus would admit that it was mildly disconcerting the complete lack of reaction that the Saber was giving in response to the punishment he was receiving. Although she just blame that on him having a high pain tolerance, it wasn't unheard of.
Although what was more irritating was that she could still be hurt. It wasn't as bad as it could have been and she knew she had that water ass to thank for that. Although his presence felt muted here, as if it were a distant memory.
She supposed someone must have already killed him or something and that was weakening his blessing. No great loss, she could kill these clowns without anyone's help.
"Mash, try and defend!" Ritsuka ordered "Archer, David, Boudica and Artemis try and harrow from the sides. Asterios and Havel, try and deal with him as best you can."
"What am I supposed to-"
"You really want to fight Heracles!?" Ritsuka gaped at Drake, cutting her off sharply. The woman's jaw snapped shut before slowly shaking their head "Alright, we're going to try and protect Euryale and Sanura. She's hurt badly and Euryale is...well…"
"I'm useless in combat." The Goddess bluntly admitted "I'm not made for it in the least."
"I was trying to spare your feelings but alright." Ritsuka hurriedly nodded his head as he rushed to where Sanura had been dragged, taking one shoulder while Drake grabbed the other, the pair of them began to drag the Lancer further up the ship and away from the conflict as Euryale moved behind them.
"Kid…" Drake warned as the moved away "My ship-"
"Won't last, I know!" Ritsuka snapped, cringing "Sorry, we need to try and get him off the ship and get away."
"Easier said than done!" Drake grunted back as they rested Sanura down near the edge "We can't fight like this, there's too little room!"
"Roman!" Ritsuka shouted at the communicator "Any ideas?"
"M-me!?" Romani squawked back in shock "I don't know! I know Heracles completed twelve labours but I didn't know anything about lives!"
"I don't know!" Ritsuka desperately snapped back "Do something!"
Mash released a gasp as Heracles slammed his sword into her shield, skating her away from him before he spun on his heel. His eyes locked onto Euryale before he charged forwards, bursting through the defence and sending Boudica flying in the wake of the charge.
"What are you doing, Heracles!?" Jason shouted out "For crying out loud, if you act so careless you might end up killing the sacrifice!"
Havel swung in front of the charging Berserker, hunching his body forwards and holding his shield out with both hands around it. Heracles slammed into his defence at full speed, Havel's feet crunched as they sank into the wood but ultimately halted Heracles' charge. The Berserker swung wildly as the other Servants closed in. His hand clasped at the top of Havel's shield and tried to wrench it to the side before Asterios rushed in from his left side.
Charging towards Heracles with his Halberd thrust towards his head, Artemis soon releasing a fresh barrage of arrows into his back the entire time and doing little in the way of damage.
Archer grit his teeth, he'd rather not have been forced to expose his full capabilities so soon, but the situation called for it. "Trace. On." he held his left hand in front of him, a peerless European longsword formed in his grasp, the stunt didn't go unnoticed, however. Medea Lily onboard the Argo stared at Archer with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Tch!" Jason growled loudly "Fine!" he threw his hands up "Medea, Rendal, go get the Goddess!"
"As you wish." Rendal grunted, throwing himself over to the Golden Hind as Medea forged up a dozen skeletal familiars.
The boarding party only grew, rushing towards the Servants and breaking up their formation immediately. Rendal charged down Archer and forced the Servant onto the back foot as their two swords clashed. Rendal noticed the new weapon and stared at Archer suspiciously "A new sword...better than the others. Hmm...an Item box of sorts, I assume." he parried Archer and thrust towards his head.
Archer ducked low and swiped with Durandal towards Rendal's knee's the Knight raised his leg and stepped backwards to avoid the sweeping attack.
"I wonder how many more you might have...and how many might hurt him." He nodded towards Heracles, Archer's expression betrayed nothing save the slight twitching of his brow.
"I suppose I should not expect you to reveal it." Rendal admitted with a shrug "Keep your own strengths to yourself."
"Hmph." Archer grunted, adjusting himself and allowing the history of the weapon to influence his movements.
"Well...No sense in standing in ceremony!" Rendal lunged forwards, Archer blocked and the two quickly fell into step. Rendal soon proved the superior swordsman in terms of pure skill and strength, it was only Archer's experience and ability to read his opponents weapon which allowed him to even the playing field. Rendal narrowed his eyes as the Servant was able to parry, block or avoid his strikes before he even launched them.
Boudica effortlessly slashed through the skeletal familiars as David fought by her side. The issue, however, was not their strength but their sheer numbers. The Dragon bone familiars encircled the duo while also rushing past them to harass the other Servants as well.
Boudica grimaced as she struck down another familiar and gazed about the ship.
"This is most unfortunate." David wryly pointed out as he smashed the skull of another familiar "They're keeping us distracted."
"I know that." Boudica grunted, cleaving through another skeleton and raising her shield to block a slash, she retaliated with a kick which shattered the ribcage and sent the debris flying off into purple smoke "What do you want done about it?"
"I can't think of anything." David admitted, swinging his staff around to block and counter "But we can't last like this, we need to retreat."
"I know that!" Boudica snapped "But how-"
"Asterios!" Euryale's panicked scream echoed out across the ship.
Asterios cried out in pain as he fell backwards, the deep slash across his chest from Heracles' blow oozed blood even as he clasped at it. Euryale's voice only served to turn the Demi-God's attention onto her.
Havel struck him in the side of the head with his club, jerking his head with the blow before spinning around and striking him in the ribs from the opposite side. Heracles stepped backwards, growling and charging forwards before Drake's cannon fire slammed into his face, obscuring his vision and allowing Havel to land another hit on him.
Dragon Tooth crunched against his knee, popping the joint and causing Heracles to drop down. Havel stepped back and raised the club over his head before swinging downwards, crashing it against the top of Heracles skull and forcing his head down onto the ground.
Making to get up again, Havel raised Dragon Tooth up and swung down once again, braining the Berserker before he repeated the attack until he had completely pulverized Heracles head. Stepping back, he prepared himself for the Berserker to revive again.
The steam hissed out from the wound as Heracles pulled himself up, glaring at Havel as he swung down once again but making no move to stop him.
It soon became clear why as Havel's club slammed into Heracles' shoulder.
And did nothing. Havel seemingly stilled in shock, long enough for Heracles to sweep his legs out from underneath him and send him crashing to the ground, he Berserker shot to his feet and slammed a kick into Havel's gut and pelted him across the deck and into the captain's cabin, shattering the wooden door and causing a heavy crash to signal out.
Heracles' attention snapped towards the cowering Goddess, the Master and Drake.
All of whom rapidly paled.
Growling, Heracles launched himself forwards, slab raised high above his head with the intention being obvious.
"Senpai!" Mash cried out in alarm, throwing herself inbetween the Berserker and his targets with her shield raised high. Heracles slammed into her guard and instantly forced her to her knee's before raising his club again.
"That idiot!" Jason cursed "I knew his madness would get the better of him!" still cursing, he turned his attention away from the Berserker and towards the others "Honestly! He's losing himself and if he keeps at it, I'm going to lose my chance!"
"Lord Jason-"
"Not now Medea!" he snapped at the Caster and turned his attention back to the fight "Fine. I suppose he'll just have to cool down then." he scowled, turning to the only available person "Why did it have to be her though...Caeneus!" he shouted out across the deck "Use your Noble Phantasm and kill Heracles!"
Caeneus' head snapped up in surprise as she heard the order "You serious?" she raised an eyebrow, then shrugged "Alright then." grinning, she turned back to Ash and Oscar as the two faced her.
The three of them were a mess, all bleeding from multiple wounds with Ash and Caeneus being the worst of the duo, the pair with a litany of bruises on their face from their clash.
Caeneus' whole body soon began to glow bright orange as flames danced around her form.
"I can go anywhere, right!?" Caeneus rushed forwards, her body exploding into a ball of fire as she rushed towards Ash and Oscar, the pair widened their eyes in alarm as Ash raised his hand, manifesting a large tower shield and pulling Oscar behind him as Caeneus rushed past "Fly...fly...fly!"
Her appearance shifted to resemble a burning comet, the wake of her explosion blasted both Ash and Oscar off to the side as she charged through, burning away the Familiars and causing the servants to take cover.
"I'm spreading my wings!" The comet exploded into the flaming image of a bird as it shot across the deck, headed directly for Heracles. Ritsuka widened his eyes and pointed towards the attack.
"Mash-!"
"Lord-!" Mash needed no further comments, already seeing what was going to happen and slamming her shield into the ground "Chaldeas!"
"Lapithae Caeneus!" The burning phoenix slammed into Heracles back and washed over Mash's shield, the flames instantly scorching Heracles into a burning pulp as they flew overhead, the burning bird soared into the sky and turned about, heading back for the Argo before it shimmered away and Caeneus dropped free of its dissipating form, landing back onto the deck of the opposing ship.
"Like that?" She cackled, then turned back around "Alright then…"
Mash's shield dissipated, revealing the burning form of Heracles lying face down on the ground, steam already beginning to leak from him as he healed.
Asterios Halberd punctured through his torso.
Ritsuka, Mash, Euryale and Drake all gaped at Asterios form. Having been in the path of the phoenix, he had also been in the wake of the explosion. His body was scorched along the right side beyond recognition, his skin was patchy and peeling with his horn shattered.
"A-Asterios!" Euryale made to scamper towards him before Drake grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back "H-hey! Let me go!"
Asterios panted heavily, leaning down and grasping Heracles body with his wounded arm and hoisting it up, his eyes locked onto Ritsuka.
"G-go…" He growled out, Ritsuka stared at him in shock as he already began to make his way towards the Argo, dragging Heracles' regenerating corpse behind him. "I'll...let...you escape…"
"W-wait!" Ritsuka called out after him "You don't need to do this! We can still-"
"Already...dying…" Asterios gasped out, Ritsuka noticed the flakes of gold light already shimmering off his body "Will...help...you…" he sniffled, turning to look at Ritsuka and giving a smile "You...got...Euryale...back...kept your...promise...thank you!" he exclaimed.
"Asterios!" Euryale struggled "Wait you idiot! Who's going to protect me if not you!" she begged "Don't do this!"
"Was happy!" Asterios shouted to the sky "Made...friends! Wasn't treated...like a monster!" tears ran down his single working eye "For that...I love you Euryale!" growling, Asterios hefted Heracles onto his shoulder as he reached the bow of the ship.
Jason stared at him with wide eyes as he realised the intention "Oh shi-" he scampered backwards as Asterios threw himself and Heracles over to the Argo "Help!"Jason cried out.
Rendal released an annoyed sigh as he picked himself up and rushed over, jumping across the ships and landing behind Asterios.
"That takes guts, monster." Caeneus boasted as she closed in, idly twirling her spear "Looking forward to ripping them out of yo-"
Oscar drop kicked her, sending her stumbling to the side.
The Knight panted heavily as he pulled his sword free of its scabbard and faced down the Lancer and Saber. Rendal turned to face him as Asterios panted out, staring at Oscar in disbelief.
"Go!" Oscar shouted across the ships towards Ritsuka "Quickly! Myself and Asterios shall hold them here!"
"Oscar-san, don't-!" Mash made to shout back, only for Oscar to cut her off.
"This is how I repay my debt to you!" Oscar laughed "Go, quickly and remember that I have Hope in my Heart for you Sir Kyrielight!"
"But-"
"Mother fucker!" Caeneus rushed forwards at the same time Rendal did, the two closed in on the Saber as he tensed his body in preparation.
Raising his head high, Asterios shouted out as loud as he could "Chaos Labyrinthos!"
The water around the Argo imploded inwards as space distorted, instantly causing the ship to disappear.
Ritsuka stared in silence at the spot, remaining stationary even as Drake rushed past him towards the wheel of the ship.
"Shit!" She cursed out loudly "Ash! Get those winds in my sail, we're getting the hell out of here!"
His shield felt heavy.
It was an odd thing, he'd never truly realised how heavy it was until right this moment.
Their attacks batter away at his body, there's no mercy from either of them.
He knows he is going to die.
He knows that this is where he shall meet his final fate. This miracle summoning that was perhaps his once chance of redeeming his failure, and he's going to sacrifice his life for a few minutes.
…
It's perfect.
Her spear smashes against his sword arm, his bones protest the attack before her kick strikes against his chest.
Something broke with that impact, he could hear the bones break.
He raises his shield, the King's sword strikes against it. The impact reverberates through his arm and nearly knocks him over.
He never stood a chance to begin with. He was a fisherman at best.
But at this moment...
In this one moment…
He's a Knight.
He can feel it in his bones.
In his undead blood.
He knows from the bottom of his heart this is the right thing to do.
It's how his Noble Phantasm works and he knows Mash will make good use of it.
He knows because she's better than him.
Her spear swings around, slamming into the side of his head and rattling his brain. His vision blurs as she swings the spear back around from the opposite angle.
The King's sword punctures through his lungs at the same time her spear cleaves through the top of his helmet.
…
The King should know what fighting undead is like.
The ridge of his shield slams into the King's nose, he staggers away.
He slashes at the woman's arm, scratching her skin and causing her to recoil more in surprise than pain.
He doesn't blame her.
There's a sword in his gut and spear in his head.
But he doesn't care, he stands tall despite the pain because even if he'll die, he'll make them work for it.
He needs to buy as much time as possible.
The stone walls begin to shimmer.
...Asterios is dying or dead.
It's just him against these legends.
He stands tall in the face of his death.
"Hahaha-"
It's a small thing at first, but he soon can't help himself.
"Hahahahaha!"
It's a genuine laugh, he can't help but laugh.
They stare at him oddly, he doesn't care in the least.
He's going to die and he doesn't care this time. It was a life well spent and a death well used.
"I'll be a great Knight father! I'll become one you can be proud of!"
"Fool boy. You're my son...I'll always be proud of you."
That's a strange thing to remember at this point. He wonders to himself but…
He'd forgotten that completely.
He breathes deeply as they rush in again.
He'll stand strong. The Knight who could only die and pave the way for others. That is his fate.
But this time…
This time he'll do it willingly.
He pants heavily, the spear protrudes from his heart as the woman looms over him.
They're back on the surface. The blonde man is raging in the background.
Her boot rests on his chest, pressing down against his body as she rests her hand on the spear.
"Where is it?" She hisses at him "Only reason I'm here is for that stupid fucking bowl. Give it to me and I'll kill you quick."
"Ha."
The laugh this time is bitter, it makes sense now, why she kept him alive
He looks up, his eyes stare into hers and he gives an empty smile "...Not with me anymore."
She snarls at him "Fucking useless."
Then twists the spear and rips it free.
Ash stared at his Bottomless Box, the air was sombre as the Golden Hind sailed away at full speed.
Storm Ruler clenched tightly in his hand as he unleashed a gale directly into the sails of the ship. He looked back across the deck of the Golden Hind.
Or what remained of it. The battle had destroyed much of the ship with parts along the bow still missing and multiple holes punched through the upper hull ranging in size from fist sized to large enough to fall through.
Ritsuka and Euryale were silent, both of whom were staring in the direction they had fled the Argo from.
Oddly enough, David had been silent as well. The man had lost his usual smile and appeared stone-faced instead.
"I cannot hold it anymore." He thrust the large golden bowl into Ash's hands, the Unkindled stared at it in surprise then looked at Oscar "It is precious. Do not lose it…"
Sighing, the Knight stood up "Asterios is too wounded and if they kill him before he can do what I think he will do, our chance is lost...I will delay them for as long as I can."
"You'll-"
"Die? Yes. I will." Oscar nodded his head "But...I will die believing I have guided better heroes along the path of salvation." an empty laugh erupted from his throat "If I do not get the chance...I would like you to apologise on my behalf. Tell David that he was right about faith. I never would have thought of this before...too cowardly." he looked towards the deck as Asterios leapt across the ships "...Goodbye."
"...Farewell." Ash nodded back, placing the Golden dish in his bottomless box "I will keep it safe."
"That is all I ask...Thank you, truly." He chuckled "...It feels strange to knowingly charge to your death." he mused aloud "But it shall benefit you more than my life...I wonder if Lord Bed-...Nevermind." He dismissed the thought and prepared himself.
Mash suddenly jerked as she felt something invade her body, panting heavily as she fell to her knee's. Instantly earning the attention of everyone else on deck.
"Mash!" Ritsuka called out in alarm as he rushed over to her, sliding down beside her and grabbing her right shoulder "Are you alright?"
Panting, the shielder struggled to nod her head before the communicator flashed on.
"What the heck!?" Romani's voice came through "W-what are these readings?"
"Are these instruments broken?" Olga's voice soon followed in equal measure of disbelief "How can-"
"How can what?" Ritsuka worriedly asked "What's wrong?"
"It's Mash!" Romani struggled to explain "These readings...It's like she's been powered up by a Command Seal!"
"What?" Ritsuka and Mash blinked in surprise "But I haven't-"
"N-no…" Mash's eyes widened "It's not a Command Seal…"
"Then wh-"
"O-Oscar-san's Noble Phantasm...he…" Mash's eyes began to tear up "He…"
"He...he reinforced you?" Ritsuka guessed, Mash offered a shaky nod as she wiped her eyes. Ritsuka leaned back and stared out across the horizon. "...Hope in my heart, huh." he pursed his lips "...Yeah."
"Senapi?" Mash asked, looking at him in surprise.
Ritsuka shook his head "Nothing...just...wondering how I'm going to live up to someone's expectations is all."
AN:…
Well...Oscar is gone, but his presence lingers on in post death buffing.
Heracles and Havel fought, not a lot of room for them to really cut loose though but I imagined I handled it well.
Anyway...Rip Oscar.