Chapter 75: He comes back again and again…
Heracles swung the axe-sword through the air, slamming it into Mash's shield and sending her skating away from him. The Berserker swept the sword back across his body in the opposite direction and struck Sanura's spear as she tried to strike his arm. The weapon caught the spear under the cross-guard and wrenched the Lancer into the air in a rag-doll fashion.
Growling, Heracles swayed to one side as another barrage of projectiles slammed into his body. Arrows and cannon balls alike shattered against his skin as he swerved to face the group, leaning forwards and opening his mouth to release another roar. Charging forwards, he shattered the ground beneath his feet as he rushed into the middle of the Servants in a heartbeat.
He slowed directly next to Drake, virtually appearing beside her with his sword raised high. The Pirate Captain widened her eyes and leaned back as the sword swung towards her body. Heracles' glowing eyes suddenly intensified before he paused mid-strike and redirected his body behind him. The sword swung upwards and collided with another projectile from Archer, sending the weapon skywards and into a colossal explosion.
The tanned Servant clicked his tongue before he started to back-peddle as Heracles full attention fell onto him. The Demi-God growled and threw himself towards the Archer, swinging wildly and ripping through his surroundings as he approached. Archer's hands flashed before Kanshou and Bakuya formed in each other them. The Servant raised them in a cross-guard as Heracles swung upwards into the block.
Archer was sent skywards from the force of the impact, the Servant instantly dissipated the dao swords and manifested his sleek black bow. The Servant loosened several arrows at Heracles as he flew through the air, the attacks slammed into Heracles body in an explosion of blue light and obscured him.
The flames dissipated as Heracles charged out of them, already attempting to find his next target. Dozens of golden rays of light sprinkled across the right side of his face, Heracles growled at the attack and snapped his head towards Boudica as she ran adjacent to him with her sword held pointed towards him. The golden beams of light continued to impact across his face, doing nothing but proving an annoyance to the Berserker.
Heracles raised his sword into the air and clasped it with both hands. He aimed his body towards where Boudica was moving before swinging downwards, the slab-sword smashed into the ground with a tremendous explosion of dirt, instantly ripping through the ground as the splitting earth raced towards the Rider. Boudica widened her eyes and slid to a halt too late as her feet lost their balance as the ground beneath her split open.
She released a grunt as she was thrown forwards into a roll and roughly onto her side. The red-haired Rider groaned as she pushed herself back to her feet. Her eyes widened as Heracles virtually appeared in front of her, axe already mid-swing towards her head. Her eyes traced behind the Berserker's shoulder as time seemed to slow. Mash was virtually flying at him with her mouth agape in a roar.
Heracles' eye moved towards the direction of the sound as the Shielder's leg continued to race towards the side of his head. The aura covering her body rushed towards the limb until it was positively glowing, Heracles barely managed to turn his face so that he got a good look at the Shielder before her kick struck him on the nose. The aura of light exploded outwards and released a blast which knocked both Boudica and Mash away from Heracles while sending him hurtling backwards in a clumsy roll, the axe sword flying violently off-course from its original destination along with its wielder.
Mash collided with the ground in a rough heap, the girl panted heavily as she scrambled to get up, sending a fleeting glance to the Rider to make sure she was alright and allowing a relieved smile to cross her face at seeing Boudica still alive before her expression steeled itself and locked back onto Heracles.
The Berserker flipped mid-air and landed back onto the ground in a crouch, head snapping up and towards Mash with narrowed eyes. The kick – despite its power – hadn't so much as left a scratch on his skin. Mash gnawed at her lip in frustration, even with the power Oscar had sacrificed himself to give her, she couldn't hurt the Berserker. However, she could at least keep the other Servants safe until Ash arrived and they had a chance. Her eyes briefly flickered over to Archer as he re-positioned himself.
She hadn't been expecting him to be able to take one of Heracles' lives – considering he hadn't mentioned the ability to do so prior – but it was a pleasant surprise all the same.
Heracles threw himself towards her as a blur, she raised her shield in preparation as he slammed into it shoulder first, pushing both of them backwards along the ground before she dug her heels and the bottom of the shield in to try and halt their momentum. Heracles continued to push before he slid to a halt and kicked upwards into the right most strut of the shield. Mash released a gasp as he jarred it to one side before he swung down across the other and jerked it again. The Shielder's expression became slightly strained as Heracles continued to strike at differing parts of the shield in an attempt to find an opening.
Mash's eyes flickered down to the Berserker's legs and he raised his sword up high and swung down again. The Shielder dropped and spun on her heel in a crouch – causing the sword to whiff over her head – while swinging the shield along with her. The base of the armament struck Heracles in the knee and jerked his body slightly. The Berserker growled at the attack as he already made to re-position himself before a pair of arms locked around his shoulder and threw him away from her and into the air.
Havel basked in the rays of the Sun as he stared skyward at the Berserker, Heracles flipped through the air before crashing back into the ground in a controlled landing. Havel exhaled heavily as he turned his whole body towards Heracles, rolling his shoulders and walking towards the Berserker. Heracles rose to his standing height and glared back before tensing his body.
Reaching around his back, Havel manifested his stone shield and held it out in front of him in preparation for any attack. Heracles stared at him before rushing forwards at the same time Havel moved, his hands clasped around the handle of the shield before he swung it forwards like a battering ram. Heracles slashed downwards with the two attacks slamming into eachother with an earth-splitting crash. Havel and Heracles struggled against each other for a few moments before Heracles rested his other hand on his axe-sword and pushed downwards with it, Havel's legs buckled under the renewed assault before a fresh barrage of attacks collided with the Berserker's back.
Heracles grunted at the force behind the attacks as Havel pushed the shield to the ship, parrying Heracles slab-sword before swinging the shield back across and striking the Berserker across the side of his face. Stumbling with the blow, Heracles was left dazed as another dozen arrows of white light fell from the sky and slammed into the back of his body before Havel uppercut him with the edge of his shield again. The Servants looked skywards as Artemis descended downwards, her bow already glowing as she prepared another arrow.
"This is getting very silly now brother!" Artemis called out to him with a slightly irritated tone "What is Zeus going to think if he sees you acting like this!"
Heracles' response was to thrust his hand into the ground and rip out a mound of hardened rock before throwing it skywards towards the Goddess. Artemis let out a startled gasp as she ducked lower just underneath the boulder as it disappeared into the distance before flashing Heracles with an aggrieved expression "Hey! That could have hit me!"
"That's why he threw it dear!" Orion shouted out with a slightly impatient tone "He's not exactly in the best place right now."
"That's no reason to be rude!" Artemis frowned at the Berserker "We're going to have words if you're ever summoned again!"
"Worry about it later." Orion commented "For now, just keep shooting him."
Heracles spun around like a whirlwind as he ducked and weaved between the fresh barrage of attacks. Even Atalanta was beginning to have some difficulty in hitting him as he either blocked or avoided her arrows entirely. The huntress grit her teeth as she tracked his movements before pulling back her bow and loosening another two arrows towards the Berserker. Heracles spun around and slammed his weapon into the ground, kicking up a wall of dirt before he pulled his slab-sword back like a bat and swung it forwards and into the debris, sending buckshots of shrapnel into the thick of the Servants and barrelling them over.
Sanura ducked under a large piece of flying rock only for another one to strike her in the helmet with a metallic thud. David was similarly sent flying with the wave of debris which struck him.
Heracles let out a roar before a flash of light entered his field of vision, his entire body swung towards the direction of the light as Ash came charging out of the thick forest with a cross spear in hand. The design of the weapon was an exact match to that held by Sanura, and yet the quality between the two weapons was akin to night and day as the Saber charged in with the spear sparking with golden lightning.
Heracles roared as he swung towards Ash, the Saber slid underneath the strike and narrowly avoided losing his head before thrusting it forwards and catching the Berserker just under his kneecap. Heracles grunted as the tip of the spear cut through his reddened skin as Ash sped by, then halted his momentum with the butt of the weapon and spinning around to face Heracles as he turned to face Ash. The Saber thrust the spear upwards just underneath Heracles ribs and buried the spear to the cross-guard in his torso.
Heracles showed no reaction to being stabbed as he prepared himself to swing towards the Saber. Ash twisted the spear and channelled magical energy through it, the wound glowed a brilliant golden light before he shouted out as loud as he could "Fulgur Percutiens!" Heracles' body was shunted upwards as a beam of pure golden light shot through his body and erupted out the back of it, burning a hole through him and causing his arm to fall limply at his side.
Ash wasted no time in scanning his surroundings before he locked onto the slight shift in the leaves and recognised one of the pitfall traps. The Saber ripped the spear clean and roughly shoved Heracles towards the trap with as much force as he could muster, the corpse already began to steam as the fatal wound healed over as his body fell through the leaf cover and into the pit. Ash levelled the spear towards the edge of the fall and released another beam of lighting towards the edges, breaking apart the dirt and causing it to fall on top of the Berserker.
The Undead exhaled as he leaned over, planting the spear into the ground to balance himself before he straightened himself out as best he could and turned to stare at the surrounding Servants. All of whom looked back at the Saber with no small amount of shock at his current condition.
Except Archer and Boudica. Who both looked at him as though he was an idiot.
"You didn't think to have the Master treat your wounds before you rushed over here?" Archer scowled at him as his eyes fell back on the pitfall trap "You're a liability more than a boon at the moment."
"I was under the impression you were in need of help." Ash grunted, his right eye still welded closed as he placed the cross-spear into his Bottomless Box and withdrew Galvatyne "And rushed over as fast as I could-"
"Looking like that?" Boudica gestured to him with a frown "Is that a hole in your gut?"
Ash winced "It really is-" he suddenly paused and hunched over, Boudica levelled him with an unimpressed glare before her eyes widened in shock as his skin started to crack like a porcelain doll, golden ichor leaked out of the wound and splashed onto the ground as the Saber groaned.
"What the-" Boudica recoiled and stared at him again "What is that!?"
Ash frowned "...Unimportant." he answered back, rising back to his feet and ignoring the pain in his body "Right now, we need to worry about dealing with Her-"
The ground exploded behind him, Ash shifted his body to face the Berserker as he erupted from the grave in a shower of debris with a deep howl of rage as his glowing eyes locked onto Ash. The Saber turned his body towards the Berserker and was already mid-swing before Heracles slammed his heel into Ash's chest, booting the Servant away from him and skipping across the ground before he slid to a halt. Heracles roared again before charging forwards, Ash only just managing to raise his head as the Berserker blurred across the field and ignored every other Servant except for him.
Heracles smashed into the ground like a meteor in front of Ash, kicking up another cloud of dirt and obscuring his form from everyone. Ash's eyes narrowed at the cloud before Heracles' palm suddenly filled his vision as the hand shot out and wrapped itself around his head and lifted him clean off his feet and into the air, Heracles roared as his legs kicked off the ground and sent them both skywards. The entire attack lasted barely a few seconds as the Servants realised what had occurred, the forms of Ash and Heracles having already become distant as the pair soared through the sky before they were sent crashing downwards.
Heracles slammed Ash into the ground with a titanic crash, releasing an explosion of soil before flinging his body away from himself. Ash righted himself mid-air as he stabbed his sword into the ground to halt his momentum, Heracles crashed into the ground behind him and swung his leg upwards, catching Ash in the back and launching him directly into the sky.
Ash span through the air as Heracles again shot upwards and above the unkindled, already preparing to axe kick the Saber downwards. Ash's eyes locked onto Heracles and glowed a brilliant gold as he allowed the magical energy to flood through him. Galvatyne exploded with light as he swung it across from himself and into the Berserker, the Holy light washed over Heracles in an explosion which obscured them both.
The Servants rushed through the forest towards the explosion in the air as two humanoid shaped objects fell back down to the earth.
Ash roughly crashed into the ground face first while Heracles' smoldering carcass landed a few metres away from him. The Unkindled released a deep groan of pain as he slowly picked himself out of his crater, his right hand seeking the familiarity of his greatsword, his fingers searching along the ground before they touched upon the metal grip of the weapon. The hand tightly clasped it before raising it up and stabbing it into the ground. Ash's head slowly turned upwards as he stared at the burnt remains of Heracles.
The eyes flashed to life as the body released a wave of power, the wounds on his torso instantly began to heal over as he grew himself back to his original shape. Ash grunted as he climbed to his feet as Heracles reached out and snatched his slab-sword out of the ground. Ash once again hunched over as the power flooded through him, more cracks appearing on his skin and underneath his armour as flickers of light danced across him.
The Saber released a pained shout as a wave of Divine Power exploded forth out of him, sparks of lighting scorched along the ground and burnt away the surrounding tree's as the Saber stumbled back to his feet to face Heracles, breathing heavily.
Heracles roared as he charged onwards – completely uncaring as to the sudden display of power – swinging his club along either side of his body and tearing up the ground around him. Ash raised Galvatyne high and swung it towards the Berserker as he closed in. Heracles slashed at him from the opposite side and locked blades with the undead. Ash flooded power through Galvatyne and released a jet of pure magical energy through the blade, propelling the weapon forwards and up, Heracles growled as the momentum behind the beam soon forced him off his feet into the air.
Ash swept the blade across, blasting through Heracles' guard and unleashing the attack directly onto him. The white beam of light slammed into the Berserker and sent him shooting away from the Saber, the beam carried on even as the Berserker flew above it and washed over the forest – completely vaporising the nearby trees – and sent shattered fragments of wood and dirt away in an avalanche.
Ash hunched over and grunted as more sparks danced across his body, the Saber moved Galvatyne back towards his bottomless box before slowly pulling out another sword. This one was a pure black greatsword of intricate design, taken from the Abyss Watchers – and identical to the sword Sif used – and clasped it with both hands before taking off after Heracles. Instead opting to channel as much magical energy as he could through the sword, which caused the weapon to explode with power as its entire form became obscured in a vortex of golden light, flickers of brilliant lightning danced across his body as he struggled forwards.
Ash ignored the pain and continued to rush forwards as he traced where Heracles had been thrown.
The Servants continued to barrel through the forest – not that it was difficult to track them with all the devastation they left in their wake – as they followed after Ash and Heracles. The sounds of explosions and crashing left little to the imagination as to what was happening.
"What on earth was that stuff leaking out of him?" Boudica questioned aloud with an expression torn between concern and anger "He looked like he was breaking apart."
"I can't comment on that part." David replied from behind her "But that power that was leaking out of him, it felt Divine to me. Although it was in conflict with the rest of his body, if I were to hazard a guess." the Archer's expression was unusually serious as he rushed onwards "Whatever he's done, it isn't good."
"Likely something foolish." Archer grunted as he moved alongside them, the Servants burst through the treeline and into the clearing directly under where Ash and Heracles had exploded. The entire area looked as though a natural disaster had struck it. Tree's had been shattered or burnt away with the ground itself ripped to shreds. Archer's eyes swept across the field before his ears picked up on the distant roar of Heracles. His head snapped in the direction of the sound before he turned his body towards it and took off.
"I'll ask Senpai!" Mash helpful supplied as she lagged behind them, her expression shifted into a concentrated one before her eyes widened after a few moments "He shoved Oscar-san's Grail into himself!" She alerted the group.
"So what?" Drake called back from the rear of the group "I did the same thing!"
"Your Grail altered your body to house it!" Archer informed her as he continued to rush on ahead "He's had no such luxury and he likely knows it!"
"...Well, shit!"
Ash leapt through the tree's and into the clearing as Heracles came to a stop at the other side, the Berserker released a deep roar before charging to the side, swinging his sword through the nearby tree's and splitting them in half at the root. The Berserker then tossed them skywards as Ash continued to close the distance before sliding to a halt.
Heracles kicked off the ground into the air as he followed after the trunks, the Unkindled clicked his tongue and darted towards the side as Heracles gripped the nearest tree in his left hand and coiled it back like a spear before throwing it towards the Saber, Ash swung the Wolf Greatsword upwards and released another blast of pure light – consuming the tree entirely – as he slid to a halt. Heracles showed no reaction as he already moved to the other two tree's spinning through the air. Swinging his leg back, he kicked the next one towards the Saber and then punched the one after that.
Ash back-peddled away from the projectiles, slashing his sword upwards and reducing the next tree to splinters. The next one came at him spinning from the punch, its form blurred as it moved through the air and slammed into the Saber's gut, Ash's eyes bulged as the impact knocked the air from his body and carried him onwards through the forest. Heracles form smashed into the ground and took off in a charge after the Saber, his hand dug into the soil and ripped up a large chunk of dirt.
Ash's body exploded with golden light, ripping the trunk to shreds and allowing him to slid to halt – while also tearing apart the surrounding plant life – before stumbling and rolling onto his back. Breathing heavily, Ash coughed out more of the golden liquid as pain assailed his body once again. He was under no illusions about what was occurring, considering he had seen something like this occur first hand with someone else.
That being Gael at the end of the world as the Dark Soul mutated his body.
He raised his head towards the thumping sprint of Heracles as his footsteps shook the earth, Ash scrambled to his feet and coiled his sword back as he awaited Heracles arrival. The greatsword surged with power until it looked as though Ash was holding a roaring jet of golden light in the shape of a sword as his form slowly glowed once again.
Heracles emerged from the treeline in a blur, holding a boulder in one hand as if it weighed little more than an apple, the Berserker pivoted his body and then hurled it towards Ash in a pitchers throw, Ash swung his glowing weapon into the boulder, the impact released a blinding light followed by a thunderous crash. The Demi-God strained his eyes as the light dissipated, a shadow moved amongst the light as his eyes locked onto them.
Ash charged out and swung his sword towards Heracles, the Berserker slashed downwards and slammed his weapon into the Saber. Ash buckled against Heracles strength before light sparked around his body, Heracles eyes briefly darted towards his opponent before Ash released a roar of pain and his body exploded with light. Heracles was blasted back by the impact, stray bolts of lightning ripped their way from Ash's body stuck against Heracles skin, burning away at parts of it.
Heracles growled at the wounds and snapped his head up just in time to watch Ash swing his sword towards him – the blade once again flashing with brilliant light – Heracles raised his slab-sword as Ash struck against his body. The weapon detonated upon impact, the explosion ripping through Heracles body and sending it cartwheeling through the air and into the distance.
Ash hobbled over as he watched Heracles vanish into the distance, more cracks danced across his face as he stared at his hands. The air around his body began to steam as more golden wisps floated from his body. Ash hunched his body over as the energy coalesced over his body, taking a single step forwards he focused the light over his body before he threw himself forwards.
The light expelled from his body, propelling himself forwards like a rocket. The Saber's feet occasionally touched against the ground to kick himself forwards, his body releasing jets of power as he charged forwards.
Heracles' feet slammed into the ground, the momentum of the attack forced him to slide backwards for a dozen more metres before his head snapped towards the sound of oncoming thunder. His lip curled into a snarl as Ash's glowing figure burst out of the woods, the Saber flipped through the air before swinging downwards towards Heracles. The Berserker raised his slab-sword as a shield as Ash slammed into him full force, the impact blasted the Servant off his feet and sent them both flying backwards through the air.
Growling, Heracles glared up at Ash before heaving upwards and flipped the Saber over his head, Ash's momentum carried him through the air before he crashed face first into the ground. Heracles roared as he spun around to track the Saber, his hand lashed out and gripped the Unkindled by the ankle before swinging him through the air, pivoting his body before hurling the Saber through the trees. Ash sailed like a ragdoll before Heracles charged in again, his hand wrapped itself around the Saber's torso before slamming him into the ground and dragging him through the dirt.
Ash stared up at Heracles as the Berserker continued to shove him further into the dirt, his left hand clasped around the arm pressing down into his chest. Ash's body flared as he coursed power through his sword. The blade exploded with golden light as he swung it upwards towards Heracles.
"How hard can it be to find Heracles of all people!?" Boudica exclaimed with a hint of irritation as she stomped her foot on the ground, the Servants now all stood in the latest clearing. "He's Heracles!"
"He could be very sneaky." David offered as way of an excuse before he similarly frowned as he looked around "But still, I didn't think he could be that-"
The Archer was cut off when a pillar of golden light erupted from the forest, shooting upwards into the air.
The Servants turned their heads to stare at the light as it started to dissipate for a few moments before Atalanta wordlessly took in a full sprint towards the beam of light. Soon followed by Mash. The other Servants – and Drake – watched the two sprint away before they soon followed after them.
Rolling across the ground, Ash grunted before he eventually came to a halt. Stabbing the Wolf Greatsword into the ground to halt his momentum. His head snapped upwards as Heracles' body rolled to a halt a few feet away from him. The Berserker's body steamed heavily as the skin had been charred black.
Breathing heavily, Ash pushed himself to his feet and coiled his sword back as the corpse glowed brightly. Heracles pushed himself upwards until he was on all fours, the Berserker threw his head back and released a roar which shook the air around him, blasting upwards a cloud of dust into the sky.
The ground crunched under the Berserker's limbs as he rocketed forwards into the air, spinning on his heel and swinging his leg towards the Saber, Ash raised the greatsword upwards as the kick connected. Ash grunted as the force knocked him off his feet and sent him spiralling through the air, spinning until he roughly crashed into the ground. Heracles rushed towards the Saber and swung his fist downwards into the top of the Saber's head. Ash's face bounced off the ground and into the air before Heracles swung his other fist upwards into the Saber's gut and sent him hurtling up into the sky.
Ash's eyes glowed before he launched his body back down towards the Berserker, Heracles raised his arms as the Saber slammed into him in a two-footed tackle and sent the pair sliding backwards. Heracles roared as he threw his arms wide and knocked the Saber away from him and back to the ground. Ash dug himself into the ground before coiling his sword arm backwards as the blade exploded with power before thrusting it forwards in a tsunami of golden light.
Heracles leapt into the air to avoid the detonation, Ash's eyes snapped up as Heracles descended towards him at incredible speeds. Slamming the Saber into the shoulder with a heel-kick and blasting the greatsword out of his hands before his right hand latched itself around his head and smashed it into the ground. Ash let out another pained cry as lightning erupted from his body once again, the lightning intensifying to a point where it incinerated the Berserker's arm to a stump and caused him to loosen his grip and stumble backwards.
Ash scrambled along the ground until he gripped the sword tightly in the ground and spun towards Heracles. His skin was already steaming as the wound began to heal over before his eyes snapped to the Saber.
Ash raised the greatsword until it was held aloft of him as Heracles glared back, tensing his body backwards in preparation to throw himself forwards.
"Tomhaltóir-" The weapon exploded with golden light, casting a shadow over everything and clearing the leaves off the trees as Heracles charged towards the Saber, clearing the distance just as Ash swung the sword downwards. "-Dorcha!"
The weapon slashed down until it was directly in Heracles face as the words left his mouth, Heracles already in mid-swing towards the Saber's gut before the beam struck him. Light consumed the two as Heracles' form was shrouded in the attack, the beam of light continued on in its destructive path as it tore its way through the ground, glassing the surface of the earth and ripping the tree's up by their roots.
As the beam slowly dissipated, Ash dropped to his knees as the cracks spread across his body, trickles of light threatening to break free of his form before he fell down onto his hands. Wheezing heavily as his body felt as though it was going to fall apart. Raising his left hand up as best he could, the Saber charged the pyromancy before slamming it into his chest. Iron Flesh already attempting to reinforce him so as to avoid instantly falling apart.
His eyes flickered upwards, the attack having blasted a clear hole through the entire forest all the way towards the beach. Ash now granted a perfect view of the ocean as his vision blurred slightly.
Movement in the ashen path from the burnt remains of the forest caught his eye, soon followed by a low growl as steam erupted from the clearing. A soot-covered Heracles burst from the ground, his eyes burning a brilliant glowing red as his skeletal body regrew at the seams, his arms elongating back to their original pristine shape and his hair growing itself out again. The Berserker's eyes locked onto Ash as he flexed his re-grown muscles, the thin layer of ash which covered him instantly being thrown clear of his body.
Ash stared through blurry eyes at the Berserker before he exhaled.
Heaving to himself, he slowly forced his body to obey him as he used his greatsword to climb back to his feet, hobbling slightly from the injuries he had sustained. His left hand lowered itself to his gut where he had no doubt that his organs had been crushed and his ribs had been shattered. The Saber coughed out another mouthful of golden liquid onto the ground before raising his head back towards Heracles.
The Berserker stared at him in silence before releasing a low growl, staring at him for a few moments before he slowly began to advance on the Saber, his body coiled back in preparation to charge at any moment.
Ash flipped his bottomless box open, numbly moving the greatsword back into his collection before his fingers loosely gripped his next weapon, slowly unveiling it and almost falling over as a result, before he stabbed it into the ground to steady himself. The Saber breathed heavily as they stared at the weapon in their grasp before his eyes drifted back to Heracles, the Berserker having paused mid-step as they eyes darted towards the sword in a weary fashion.
The Saber's expression tightened as they coursed as much power through their body as they could allow, strengthening it to the point where beams of light burst through his cracked skin as he forced himself to stand up straight, tensing his body back as he pulled the sword in his grasp to be parallel to his body and pointed directly towards Heracles.
The Berserker growled as their eyes snapped away from the weapon and towards the Saber. The golden light dripped from Ash's body before it shifted its direction, floating away from him and towards the blackened sword in his grasp, twisting around its coiled shape and slowly darkening in colour until it bathed the weapon in a deep black, the wisps of power coiled themselves around the shape of the sword in an increasing level of speed until the weapon formed a vortex of nothing around it.
Even in his maddened state, Heracles could tell there was something inherently wrong with that sword. Something that seemed to scream to him in his very bones. He exhaled before he shifted his body. Tensing himself as the Saber stared at him with a cool expression – even as his hands slowly chipped away and another fragment of skin dripped from his face onto the ground – his body looked as though it was burning up.
David, Artemis and Havel suddenly ground to a halt, prompting concerned looks from the surrounding Servants at the expressions on the visible faces. The Greek Goddess had her eyes wide.
"Hey? What's wrong? Why did you stop?" Orion tapped the Goddess on the top of the head.
"T-there's something wrong…" Artemis whispered out, her expression stretched between concerned and terrified "Up ahead its...it's wrong...It-"
"What do you-?" Orion cut himself off as he felt it as well, a cold shiver as if something were closing in around him. "The fuck…" the bear whispered under his breath, feeling the sudden urge to check his surroundings.
David reached up and scratched the side of his neck with an uncomfortable expression "Does anyone else feel that?"
"Feel what?" Boudica stared at him in concern, the Archer gnawing at his bottom lip "What is it?"
"It's...it's like there's something crawling around on me…" He then frowned, looking around "Did it get darker or is it just me?"
The other Servants looked around for a few moments before they similarly noticed it, the light was gradually fading from their surroundings, without even a cloud in the sky and with the sun still shining above them there was a sense of cold dread as it slowly began to darken.
"...Another Noble Phantasm from the Saber?" Archer frowned in thought, then looked towards the direction "...We should turn back." he announced.
"And leave him alone?" Atalanta stared at him aghast "Against Hera-"
"Whatever he's doing is having an adverse effect of Divine Spirits or those with Divinity." Archer quickly explained as he slowly began to back away "Not to mention what effect it could have on us considering what is happening to the environment, we should leave. Quickly before we get caught in it to.
"...Run…" Havel whispered out, the Servants stared at him in naked surprise before the Berserker turned on his heel "Run!" he shouted out at the top of his lungs, sounding genuinely terrified as he rushed off in the opposite direction to the Saber.
"What about Ash-san!?" Mash exclaimed in shock.
"Kid…" Drake placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly began to push her away "Something tells me he can take care of himself, now move kid!" she pushed the Shielder forwards as she rushed away herself.
Ritsuka slowed to a halt as he felt a chill in the air, then slowly looked upwards "...When did it get so dark?" he questioned out loud, Euryale in his arms froze at the alien sense of dread she felt encircling around her, as if the encroaching Darkness was somehow targetting her. Ritsuka winced as she suddenly tightened her grip around him unconsciously.
"Fuj...ma...-kun-" The communicator crackled as the Master looked down as far as he could towards his wrist "Rea…..off…...scal…..eed…..evacu….."
Ritsuka stared at the wrist for a few moments before he picked up the pace, it didn't take a genius for him to infer what Romani meant with the message. Right now, all he could think about was running away as fast as he could from whatever was happening behind him.
Because if it was enough to make Euryale go silent, then it was certainly bad news for him and anyone else. He hoped that everyone else was at least alright.
"Guys?" He sent a message through the link "What is happening?"
"Ash-san might be using a Noble Phantasm." Mash replied, her voice sounding strained "We can't tell because we're retreating though...it has David-san, Artemis-san and Havel-san scared and we don't know how it will affect them."
"...Alright." Ritsuka replied back with a grim voice "It has Euryale freaked out as well...I've been trying to contact Ash, but I'm getting nothing from him."
"...We've been seeing signs of his battle with Heracles...it might still be going on."
"...I hope so, I don't know if he can do it all himself."
The 'nothing' span around the blade, the emptiness of the energy was akin to the removal of something from the area. The black energy had long since reached its climax as it continued to spin around the sword in Ash's grip.
The Saber breathed in and out heavily before he opened his eyes. The words passed easily through his lips before the sword exploded with power. The surrounding light disappeared instantly. Heracles' eyes darted around as it seemed everything aside from himself and the Saber vanished.
The two remained alone in a black void which had Heracles concerned. The entire field around them felt nothing but hostile to him, or his blood. His Divine essence was screaming out at him and flashing nothing but warnings against him. He knew he was in his final life now, that sword from before had taken all but one.
But it didn't matter. As long as he could still move, then he could still fight. In which case, he could still win. No matter the odds against him, he would struggle against them as if this were another labour for him to complete.
Heracles threw his head back and released his loudest roar possible – the sound echoing throughout the voice for a seeming eternity – before he kicked off the ground and charged towards the Saber at top speed. Ash remained stone-faced as Heracles rushed towards him before he opened his mouth again, releasing the true name of his Noble Phantasm and thrusting it towards the Berserker.
Space ripped itself around them as the point of the sword made contact with Heracles chest, the void of blackness rushed across the surface of the blade into a deep beam of power which instantly covered Heracles in its rays.
The Servants halted as the Darkness began to recede away from them. The creeping feeling that Artemis had felt closing in around her faded just as quickly as it had arrived, the Goddess let out a sigh of relief as the alien feeling vanished without a trace. David and Havel seemed similarly relieved that the hostile weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
Archer turned his head back towards the direction of Heracles and narrowed his eyes. The power of that attack was nothing shy of a top class Noble Phantasm. Which meant it would have more than likely been able to take at least two of Heracles lives or perhaps more – depending on how many times the Saber had killed him with the earlier display – however, it still didn't answer as to whether or not the Saber was alive.
"..ash!" Archer's head turned towards the Shielder as she jolted in surprise, her hand instantly went to the communicator on her wrist and raised it up. The screen flashed as the worried expressions of Romani and Olga appeared, the Doctor visible deflated – tension leaving his body – as he saw Mash in front of him "Thank goodness!" he exclaimed "When the readings maxed out we lost contact with you and-"
"Doctor!" Mash cut him off quickly "What happened?"
Romani's expression tightened once again "Well...Ash's readings were consistent with that of repeated uses of high magical energy – no surprise given he thrust a Holy Grail into himself – but then in that last attack the readings flatlined."
Mash's expression turned horrified "H-he's-"
"No! No!" Romani quickly assured her "He didn't die! I mean...they maxed out. Whatever he did...he maxed out the gauge which registers his Spirit origin. Then there were the readings…" the Doctor trailed off, looking over his shoulder towards the Director.
The woman was biting her thumb before she stared down at Mash "...We can't read his Spirit Origin anymore, however there's no sign that he's dead either. The mana drain is still active, so he's still linked with Chaldea and Fujimaru but…" she shrugged, biting her lower lip "He's just-!" she growled under her breath "A complete imbecile!"
"T-then…" Mash's expression turned crestfallen "He's…"
"...We can't tell." Romani shrugged, "You'll have to investigate."
"…Let's go then." Boudica announced, spinning on her heel and marching back the way they came without so much as a second thought. Archer watched her march past him before he turned his head to stare at the other Servants. The Rider then paused and looked over her shoulder "Well?" she snapped at them impatiently before turning away and continuing on her path.
"...You heard her." David chuckled, although it lacked his usual brevity, before he soon started to walk after the Queen "Let's get going then."
Drake watched David leave before she grumbled to herself under her breath "I'm not drunk enough for this." the woman groaned, her hand moving up to cradle her forehead as she soon began to trudge after the duo.
"I'm going to...wait...er….here." Artemis announced, still looking slightly nervous, her eyes flickering around her "J-just to be safe."
"I'll wait with you." Sanura commented, moving to stand just opposite the Goddess, Artemis sent her a slightly grateful look before her features schooled themselves.
Havel remained silent for a few moments before he wordlessly began to walk in the same direction as the others, the group flocking together in a huddle following after the Rider as they slowly moved through the forest, their bodies tensed as they prepared for any further signs of conflict.
Archer's expression remained cool as he noticed something "It's too quiet." he pointed out, eyes shifting left and right as he manifested his twin swords in either hand. "Much too quiet."
"Maybe...Heracles was defeated?" Mash suggested with a hopeful tinge in her voice. Archer grunted in response but didn't reply, David remained silent before he looked over his shoulder at the Shielder.
"It is certainly possible." He admitted with a reassuring smile "I imagine we would have heard from our opposing Berserker if that weren't the case by now. It seems our intrepid Saber was able to defeat Heracles."
"My concern is his stupidity." Boudica commented with a deep scowl on her face as she stomped through the forest "What manner of fool thrusts a Grail in his chest without considering the consequences?"
Drake blinked and stared at the back of the Rider "Errr-"
"We already know what you're like, Drake." Boudica snapped, "Clearly the same manner of fool as you."
"Guess, I'm rubbing off on him then." The Pirate announced with a smug expression, placing her hands on her hips and strutting forwards "Get him out of that stuck up attitude of his piece by piece."
"Unless it has gotten him killed." Atalanta remarked with a similar tone of irritation, the feline Archer looked over her shoulder and glared at the pirate "In which case, your act of 'rubbing off on him' has backfired horribly and cut his second life short."
Drake's smug expression vanished into a blank one as she looked down.
David slowed himself until he was walking side by side with Archer and Havel before he whispered to the pair of them "You know...I have a feeling it might have been better if our Saber actually died in the fight with Heracles." he pointedly looked at the two angered women at the head of their huddle "Considering…"
Despite himself, Archer couldn't help a snort at the insinuation. "Most likely." he replied with a wry smile before staring down at the Archer out of the corner of his eye "Still, if he is going to act the fool then he should expect some measure of repercussions for his actions."
Havel remained silent as he continued to walk forwards alongside the other two, David eventually turned towards him with a serious expression "Speaking off...you were quite quick to recommend a retreat. Was there something about that ill-feeling that had you on edge?"
The Bishop's helmet turned towards the King before it shifted away from him for a few moments before he answered "Wrong...Artorias...described...New...Londo." the Berserker shifted "Before...I...was...exiled." he paused and looked down at David "Said...it...felt...cold. Like...bugs...crawling...over...you...does...bad...things...to...Lords…"
David's expression tightened "Then it is Anti-Divine. I suppose that explains the reactions of myself, you and Artemis then." he reasoned, cupping his chin "Considering we all have Divinity in some form or another."
"Don't...know...if...same." Havel shrugged "Wasn't...going...to...stick...around."
"Wise move." Archer nodded his head "But if it is Anti-Divine, then it would appear that Heracles would have been on the receiving end of it."
David cringed "That sounds unfortunate then. Although, perhaps it means he has killed Heracles with it."
"Hmm." He hummed in response as he looked ahead of himself, Boudica passed through the treeline and abruptly came to a halt. He frowned at the sudden reaction before he sped up to join her. The others moved in behind him before they all emerged from the tree's and into the open before slowing to a halt.
Archer's eyes swept across the area.
The entire location was nothing but dirt, not a single sign that there had ever been vegetation in any capacity at all. The area had been stripped of any sign of life and left only a patch of dirt around fifteen metres in diameter. Archer frowned at the damage – or lack thereof, considering there was no trace of any other signs of destruction save the missing plants – before his eyes eventually landed on the figure standing in the centre of the area.
Ash's form stood upright, the Saber was entirely unarmed as he wavered on his feet while occasionally sparking out another burst of lighting which jolted his body. Ash's right hand moved towards his chest before it wrapped itself around something and gradually pulled itself away from his body, the golden basin which Oscar had wielded was pried from his torso and into the open.
Ash visibly slumped as the Grail was removed from his body, the Saber moved the golden bowl back towards his Bottmless Box before he used his left hand to flick the lid open and place the Grail back where it had come from. The task complete, the Saber wobbled on his feet before he dropped to his knee and slumped face first into the dirt.
"Ash-san!" Mash rushed in first, moving towards the Saber as he lay in the soil, sliding to a halt she flipped the Saber over and gaped at the cracks in his skin.
Archer clicked his tongue and moved in after the Shielder towards the Saber servants and stared down at his body before grimacing. It looked as though the Saber had been set fire to, his skin was cracked and shredded to say nothing of his previous wounds which had only looked as though they had been made worse.
The left eye slowly cracked itself open before it flickered around, eventually locking onto Mash and Archer.
"Is...he…"
"Dead?" Archer guessed, then looked around for a few moments. When he saw no further sign of Heracles – or even sensed him – he looked back down at the Saber and nodded "Yes. Heracles appears to have been dealt with."
"...Good." Ash nodded, then groaned as he attempted to force himself back to his feet only to slump back down onto his back. "...I...cannot feel anything right now." he mutely said from his spot on the ground.
"And whose fault is that!?" Boudica snapped at him as she stomped towards the Saber and glared down at his prone body "If you weren't so injured…" she threatened before she leaned down and scooped the Saber up "We're getting you back to Master, then we can see about dealing with the rest of the Argonauts."
"I...am not that...injured." Ash argued back, rather weakly.
"Frankly, it is a minor miracle you're still alive." Romani announced the moment they set up communications with Chaldea, the Doctor stared at Ash as they had him slumped against a tree "With the repeated use of...whatever you did – I'd say something akin to a mana burst – you almost ripped your body apart." he turned in his chair and pointed to the Monitors "Your Spirit Origin signal is still scrambled as is...for the moment we can't actually confirm a lock on you."
Ritsuka looked away from Ash and towards Romani, then frowned "What does that mean?"
"It means...we can't Rayshift him out of there." The Doctor replied, then pursed his lips, looking at Ash for a few moments as if scanning him "And I wouldn't recommend Spirit Form either...with how damaged his body is, it could be difficult for him to reform."
Ash stared at Roman through his left eye before he looked down at his Bottomless Box "Get...a...Divine Blessing…" he breathed out "It will...heal the worst...of my injuries."
"Alright…" Boudica unclipped the Bottomless Box from the Unkindled's belt and flipped the lid open before she stared into the empty void "...How does this work?"
"Think...of what you want…" Ash explained slowly "And...it...will...emerge."
Boudica nodded at the instructions before she lifted her hand over the box and closed her eyes in concentration. After a few moments, a decorated glass bottle with golden ornaments manifested itself in her hands. The Rider stared at the bottle before turning to Ash and crouching down at his side. She uncorked the lid of the bottle and gently rested it against the Saber's lips before inclining his head back and allowing him to drink from the bottle.
Ash swallowed the clear liquid before his body glowed for a few moments, the cracks around his skin slowly restored themselves until his body was in pristine condition – or looked the part – and his right eye snapped open. Ash grimaced as he pushed himself to his feet, staggering for a few moments until David reached out and steadied him.
"How are you feeling?" The King asked, Ash frowned for a few moments before he rolled his shoulder.
"...Sore." He admitted, taking the empty bottle from Boudica's hand and placing it back in the Bottomless Box "...Pain still assails me."
"It doesn't surprise me." Romani commented "From the looks of things, the Grail was doing some serious damage to your Spirit Core, from these readings I'd say you still aren't one-hundred percent yet."
Ash nodded his head in agreement "Yes...I can similarly feel as though I am still injured in some capacity." he admitted, resting his hand over his chest. "It still...burns, somewhat."
"...You should take it easy for the rest of the Singularity." Romani replied "You burnt through a good deal of your magical energy, even with the Grail supplying you that last attack almost drained your reserves faster than the Grail could resupply them...what was that anyway?"
"Another weapon of mine." Ash explained with a grimace "Although I would not have used it had the situation not called for it." he paused. "In truth...I had never wielded it before today."
"Well...Heracles has been defeated, so good job everyone."
"Yes." Olga remarked from behind him "Good job. Ash? Are you recovered enough to be able to move?"
Ash nodded his head.
"Good. Boudica?"
"Yes?" The Rider looked at the Director with a raised eyebrow.
"Punch him."
"Alright."
"Wait, wha-" Ash turned to the Rider just in time for the woman to slam her fist directly into his face, snapping his head backwards and bouncing off the tree. Ash stumbled forwards and clasped his nose "...Why?" he asked in a quiet and very confused voice. Atalanta's expression looked torn between berating the Rider or following suit and punching the Saber.
"You were an idiot." Boudica replied with a shrug "You act like an idiot. You get punched."
"It worked though." Ash tried to argue back, Boudica stared at him with a raised eyebrow before slowly raising her arm again.
"Alright, alright." Ritsuka stepped in before she had the chance to hit him again, waving his hands to try and talk the Rider down "Ash is alright and Heracles is defeated...right now, that's all that matters." he looked around "Agreed?"
Boudica slowly nodded his head before Ritsuka turned around "But we are going to talk about that Grail incident because that was stupid and reckless and I am tempted to let her punch you again." he replied to the Saber.
Ash frowned at him "I don't see the issue."
Ritsuka stared. "Aside from the fact you could have died?"
"…" Ash remained silent before he opened his mouth.
"If you say you still don't see the issue, I will let Boudica punch you again." Ritsuka raised his finger in warning and pointed it towards Ash, the Saber slowly closed his mouth. The Master stared at him for a few more moments before he exhaled and looked around.
"Alright...so all we have left to deal with is Jason, Medea and Rendal, right?"
"Yep." Romani nodded his head, moving back to the screen "They're currently off the east coast of the island about a few hundred metres out. If you go to the Golden Hind, you should be able to sail around the island and meet up with them."
"Good." David nodded his head "Perhaps we might also get some answers as to who in their right mind would think that sacrificing a Goddess to the Ark was a good idea to begin with." the man gave a confused shake of the head "Because quite frankly, that is quite an insane scheme that was concocted."
"Alright...so we just take out remaining Argonauts and grab the Grail." Ritsuka affirmed to himself, then looked at Ash "Also, you're on time-out for the last part. Considering you're currently injured." he then paused and looked down at the command Seals on his hand "Actually...could I just command him to heal himself?"
Romani blinked "Well...you could." the Doctor replied "But healing spells and reinforcements from a command seal are tricky things. The issue right now is Ash's magical reserves. If you used a command seal to empower him, it would be like a sugar rush but when the effect wore off…" he trailed off "With his current reserves so low, it would make him virtually useless in combat."
Ash remained silent as they talked around him before he spoke up "I could use a bow?" he suggested.
"Or he could use a bow." Romani shrugged "But I'd encourage him to play it safe."
"I am not that grievously wounded." Ash argued, flexing his hands and rolling his arms "I can still move."
"We're not debating this." Ritsuka pointed at him. "If you're going to help, you're going to use a bow."
The Saber remained silent, then nodded his head in agreement.
"Right…" Ritsuka exhaled "Let's wrap this Singularity up and head home."
AN: Big Mana Burst time and his body is currently damaged even with the Divine Blessing drink.
So it's bad.
Also, he used a mystery weapon which set the Divine Servants on edge.
What is it?
Who knows!
Well...I do. But none of you will until it gets revealed again later. This was more for dramatic effect. But I can reveal the Wolf Knight Greatsword stats.
Wolf Knight Greatsword: A
Passive ability to deal extra damage to creatures of the Abyss
"Tomhaltóir dorcha": A++ (Anti-Unit/Anti-Army) Max Target: 800, Max range: 1-50
In its single target attack, the blade is overcoated with Light said to banish away the Dark and slashed into the target.
Releasing an explosion of Anti-Army calibre into a single area. In its Anti-Army Capacity, it can unleash a wave of destruction upon a target.