A/n: Hello lovely readers! PsychoJack is back with another chapter for Holy Nail War! Last time, our hero Honda had executed a prana exchange with Silva the Poisonmancer as part of his attempt to spare her. As gratitude, Silva has informed our Warlock of the necromancer responsible for the vast army that attacked Deacon's Tower, a renowned magus known by the. moniker Ananta the Undying. While this occured the servants at the tower have broken formation, with Mordred and several incarnations of Assassin now confronted with both Ananta himself and his servant, the Caster class servant known as Medea. Idores now seeks Honda in order to get his golem to aid in the confrontation. What happens next? Only one way to find out readers! Let's get to it!
Honda stared at Silva with a curious expression.
"Ananta the Undying? That's quite the title. What is he, a high level player or something?"
Silva nodded in agreement, ignoring the 'player' comment while brushing aside her hair so that her messy curly auburn locks would not block her eyesight. She was still a bit sore from her 'exchange' with Honda after all and this made slow and careful movements.
"In all honesty I would say that besides another magus, Ananta is the greatest threat in terms of raw power. His power stems from whatever experiments or contracts he may have exposed himself to in order to amass such strength. The fact that he's been capable of what I've seen with that large army is only a testament to his strength, especially with the servant he has following his orders. A caster."
Honda raised an eyebrow. "A caster?"
Silva responded as she reached for a nearby large rock, with the intent sitting on to avoid the muddy ground. She bends down in order to properly gain her bearings as her legs were still sore and shaking from the intensive exchange. Honda made sure to look at the curvature of her spine and buttocks as she did so, admiring the sight of pale flesh as she flexed and arched her body. She was self conscious enough to feel his eyes upon her, making Silva narrow her eyes at the fact that Honda still had enough stamina to keep going if his eyes were indication.
In the mind of the Busujima magus, the redhead thought to herself. 'Even now he still looks at me with that gaze, like a hunter. As if he could take me any moment. Was one time not enough?!'
Silva ignored Honda's penetrating stare that made her body ache from being reminded of earlier transgressions and continued.
"Yes…a Caster. They require the most prana to wield since they are practitioners of the arcane much like a master. In most cases they possess ancient magical capabilities that could easily level masters and servants alike. Casters are dangerous enough, however, Ananta is quite fortunate to wield that particular caster by his side. Now that my part in the war is all but spent with the loss of my command seals, my part in this is over. I don't envy the fight that awaits you, Warlock…"
Honda widened his eyes as more information of the Holy Nail War was given to him.
'So let me get this straight, the Holy Nail War from what I know is supposed to have seven masters and sex servants with them. I've already met a lancer, two sabers. Then an assassin, an archer, a rider, and now I'm off to fight this caster. Which reminds me…could there be more perhaps?'
Honda had to ask to be sure. "Does he have any other servants? You'd think a guy like this Undying fella would have more servants at his side right? I mean Anana the Undying doesn't sound like a name for a guy who finishes quickly."
Silva scoffed, having no idea that Honda assumed that Ananta's name was because he never finishes in regards to sex. "Don't play novice with me, Warlock. Every master has only one, summoning two would be a breach of the war itself, any extras have to be dealt with. Other groups such as the Church wouldn't take kindly to such heresy."
Honda raised an eyebrow. "A church? There's a church to all this?!"
Silva sighed. "Your faux ignorance is cute but pointless with me Honda, the Church is a neutral group meant to stop heresy. Any acts against God, mankind, or nature itself are purged swiftly."
Silva squeezed some residue water from her drenched locks, saddened that her locks were dirtied with specks of dried mud.
She sighed pitifully before continuing. She had yet to regain enough prana for aesthetic purposes such as cleaning herself.
"Then again, as a third party magus you probably don't understand that altering or tampering with the Grail is a heresy that would be met with great prejudice from the Templars, especially for an unknown like yourself. To toy with the rules of the Grail is synonymous with your impending doom. Then again…you yourself are a third party in this whole affair and you seem to be doing a lot more better than myself and even Deacon, whom you've killed already. Perhaps you know a secret I don't…"
Silva looked at Honda with a questioning look, as if wanting to ask the secret to Honda's success thus far. Considering his battle tactics as well as his experience with blade combat, the poisonmancer wanted to see if she could somehow gain information for future reference. It wasn't everyday that a magus would be spared in the midst of a Holy Grail War. Usually they would be killed by the victor to ensure their long term safety.
'I failed my family name to secure the Grail to a third party magus who I have never heard of. Despite his lust, I am curious, just what is the great secret behind the Warlock who single handedly rose and countered a coordinated attack from myself and one of the likes of Ananta.'
Honda simply shrugged his shoulders, sending her a mild grin. "I don't know, luck I guess hehe! I mostly wing it!"
Silva's left eye twitched in response. She would try another method.
-With Mordred-
Mordred was shocked to have her blade halted in place within the grip of this walking skeleton. Unlike the many other skeletons she had slain at the tower, the blood red texture of this carcass was more akin to a steel plate. Each micro movement made by this magus must be heavy with how dense the frail appearance of his body would suggest.
On the other hand, Mordred couldn't deny noticing the flow of prana that emanated from the fingertips of Ananta.
'It has to be some form of reinforcement magecraft. But this one feels different…it's not coming from him…more like from…'
Mordred's eyes widened. She noticed something.
"You've noticed too don't you servant. This prana is not my own reserves. You haven't earned that privilege yet." Ananta whispered to Mordred, making the artificial child of Artoria narrow her eyes.
BAMPH
A wide spreading circular wave shotgunned through the free hand of the undead magus, which spiraled Mordred across from Ananta, whose red eyes analyzed the end result.
CRACKLE
Mordred gasped as her back collided with the stone mountainside. It was an unexpected blow after all and she had not prepared herself from the damage. She didn't expect the magus to be capable of such ability.
The main Assassin, Asako, came to her aid by picking her up. "You said you would be able to handle it…"
Mordred blushed embarrassedly, as the display made her look like a fool in front of her allies. "Beginners luck is all…"
Assassin continued. "I'm sure you've noticed it too…that prana didn't come from him."
Mordred's face took a serious look. "Yeah…I figured that the moment he sent me flying. He used my own prana against me, like a mirror."
Assassin nodded. "It would be best if we handled him. As Assassins we specialize in hand to hand, prana or no. You, on the other hand, must take care of his servant."
Mordred's eyes narrowed in irritation. "But…then that means you'll be taking all the credit…"
Assassin nodded. "Yes…"
A prominent vein appeared on the top of the left side of Mordred's temple. The fact that Assassin has no such guilt about stealing all the glory of killing this magus made the blonde feel angry.
"Bitch…" The traitor knight whined.
As the other six incarnations of Assassin who came with her lined up with blades drawn Assassin worded out.
"It would be for the best, otherwise we will lose our lives. Is your pride worth your life, how would Honda feel if you were gone?" Assassin asked Mordred who looked up in thought.
-Mordred Vision Start-
In the prideful, competitive mind of Mordred, she gazed on as her mind put together a messily drawn world that would result from her demise in this fight. A messily kindergarten level drawing version of herself ran onto scene.
"Ha, your ass is grass! Say hello to my little fri-
ZAP
The messily drawn version of Mordred was zapped into ash, leaving only her eyes blinking pitifully as a sharp toothed cartoon red skull laughed at her like a game over screen.
An oddly comic book variant of Honda suddenly appeared in front of her. With a booming, tyrannical voice he spoke.
"No! Mordred! My one true king! I forgave you and granted you clemency and this is how you repay my trust!"
Honda weeped before he whimpered.
"And to think I actually gave you back your sword! You leave me no other choice!"
The graphic comic book version of Honda grabbed next to him a graphic novelized version of Saber, who for some reason had mismatched eyes. Her left eye pointed upwards, whilst her right eye pointed to the left. She appeared dimwitted, as if she was a lifeless, brainless husk.
"Duhhh Honda…I shall be y'all bottom bitch!" Dimwit Saber said without any form of proper grammar. The way she spoke suggested she lacked any intelligence whatsoever.
"We shall proceed forward to victory together…let us perform a prana exchange right in front of Mordred's ashes, as you take my blessing like the winner I know you are!"
Mordred's eyes clenched tightly as the noises of slobbering and suckling echoed against her ears.
In that same second, for some reason she heard a loud obnoxious voice echo in the background, loud enough for Mordred to hear.
"HEY...YOU SUCK!"
-Mordred Vision End-
BURST
Mordred's energy surged forth like a tsunami, setting her energy ablaze as fury fueled her reserves. Her muscles tightened as her internal fantasy triggered her anger.
"Dammit Honda, don't cry! Hell no! I'm not gonna be forced to watch that!"
Assassin and her incarnations raised their eyebrows in confusion underneath their skull masks as they saw Mordred talk to herself. At the same time she was pumping out a lot of prana, taking her earlier question a lot more serious than she could predict.
"The servant…she seems to have lost her mind…perhaps she is using Madness Enhancement that is renowned among Berserker class servants." Ananta analyzed before he red glowing eyes glinted, summoning a few more bonemen. At the same time Medea used her own magical talents to summon a few dragon tooth warriors.
Unlike the large spiked human skeleton designs that Ananta summoned as foot soldiers, these skeletal summons made by Medea were more serpentine in their creation. They were leaner and taller, possessing larger fangs and skulls that were either lizard-like or completely missing a cranium and eye sockets. They possessed slightly larger weapons that Ananta's own summons possessed.
Mordred's eyes, which were closed during her fantasy, snapped open with a glow in her emerald orbs. They were the eyes of a beast seeking its hunt.
"I'll make sure you won't regret your trust in me Honda! I won't lose you to my father!"
-With Honda-
"So no secrets at all! Not even a hint?" Silva asked Honda.
"I'm telling you for the last time. It was all just luck of the draw and good improvisation. Nothing more to it!"
Silva sighed with no small amount of disappointment. "Fine, keep your secrets. I knew I was pushing my luck…"
Honda stared at Silva like a moron. Ebony hummed towards her assigned master, as if asking Honda something. Honda whispered back without a second thought as to what Ebony was saying. "Didn't take her for a sore loser either Ebony."
Silva, on the other hand, was thinking to herself.
'He is quite sharp, playing dumb as he is. It was hopeless to expect him to reveal his secrets. He is on to me, best to not press him further, lest his mercy runs out. That, or force me into another mud fight…'
Silva mildly cringed at the thought of enduring a second bout with Honda. She never knew that normal wrestling could be so painful. Her body was still reeling in from the pain of the Warlock's wrestling moves.
WHOOO
The chilly wind blew against Silva's person, making the young woman shiver in place. She was so busy in her talk with Honda that she almost forgot that she could die of hypothermia with her wet and naked state. Without her usual reserves of prana, her body was fragile to the environment like any other human, taking the shivering cold without the protective warmth of her prana.
Silva's face flushed as spoke with mild irritation, turning towards Honda with a demanding gaze.
"Can I at least get my clothes back! I'm freezing here!" She squealed, covering her nubile top with her hands to grant herself any form of warmth. Unfortunately, they didn't serve any suitable amount of warmth.
Honda looked towards Ebony before waving her over.
"Ebony, if you'd be kind enough to give the nice lady her clothes." Honda requested his golem.
Ebony, who had long left her tree trunk seat, held Silva's clothes on her left hand via a clothing hanger made of her ebony shards. The indigo eyes of the golem squinted in a giddy fashion, as if she were a child that did a good deed, seeking praise. Silva's clothing, which was originally matted and dirtied with mud, was cleansed by Ebony's energy. They were now practically spotless. Not a strand out of place.
Silva, weirded out by the over-friendly weapon of magical destruction, cautiously grabbed her clothing, setting it on the rock she rested on as she attempted to redress, starting with her pants.
As she fitted her skin tight black pants, the poison magus spoke to Honda again.
"I believe with this, our business is settled between us Honda. I won't interfere any longer with your fight for the Grail. You did spare my life and I know any further attempt to sway you will result in my death, either at your hands or Ananta's. Our business is hereby concluded." Silva said with a serious expression, hoping to put this all behind her.
Silva would have no part with the Grail War. Without a command seal to command her Rider, there would be no real means of winning this war. That and dare she said it, she'd rather avoid the eventual clash between all the remaining victors. Her earlier near death experiences with both Ananta and Honda have solidified the fact that her continued involvement would result nowhere in her favor.
Her ego aside, Silva Busujima would not be able to withstand the might of these high ranking magi.
Honda tilted his head in apparent confusion. He was unaware that he was still in the war, and had thought that this would have been one of many showdowns between them, like in most multiplayer games. "What? You're quitting already? No more fun between the sheets?"
Silva turned towards the magician in curiosity. She was currently strapping on her black ankle boots that clung to her ankles like a second skin.
"What are you saying? Wasn't that part of the agreement? My life in exchange for your…needs. I fulfilled that end of our deal, repeatedly! There's no need for me to remain in this death trap any longer, Warlock."
Honda appeared disappointed. "Yeah, but why not squeeze it for what it's worth. This whole thing did cost a lot, why not enjoy it while your time in the game lasts? You did seem to like what we did earlier?"
Silva sputtered with an embarrassed flush on her face.
"You mean you want more?! How much more than you want?! We already agreed! I kept my part of our agreement!"
Honda stepped forward, entering close to her person. Silva, due to her fear of the overwhelming power of the performer in front of her, who single handedly defeated her, backed away into a tree.
Honda however was trying to appear more welcoming and inviting, simply trying to initiate some skin contact with his recent sexual partner, not noticing the fear in her eyes. In fact he merely took it as her playing the part as a defeated witch at his mercy.
"I mean yeah, you're really sexy and I kind of liked it. You seem to have a good time, I figured why not?"
Silva widened her eyes. "You act as if I even had a choice in this whole ordeal! You threw a damn goblet and knocked me unconscious, severed my entire alliance with that stupid love letter and used your manipulative mind to goad me into a fight, betting my own body as some form of prize!"
Silva was feeling her forehead moisten with perspiration. The more she spoke, the more her mind spiraled, practically reliving the past few hours with shaking irises. She simply couldn't fathom the amount of mind games that Honda the Warlock had been capable of executing thus far. To the poisonmancer, Honda was a master manipulator who took pleasure in her torture. Her own pride couldn't accept the fact that this one individual had practically destroyed all her hard work to secure the Grail.
Silva took deep breaths as she pointed her right pointer towards Honda in an accusatory manner. Strands of her red mane was messily dangling on the left side of her face, moving with the intense breaths she took.
Honda stared at her for a few seconds before commenting. "I'm just following the rules of the Holy Nail War. Anything goes in order to win, right? That includes how the masters get 'acquainted' too."
Silva's finger dropped simply as she stared at Honda as if he had lost his mind.
"Acquainted?! Are you trying to say that even though you spared my life, that technically you would have me for more transgressions!"
'I knew this would happen, the sick man wishes to hold my life in his hands like some kind of discardable utility. Is he that depraved that he would demand my body in exchange for my life like some common hooker?'
Silva thought back to the prana exchange that occurred mere minutes ago. Specifically all the times when he suckled her breasts and her lips.
'No…that's just what he wanted me to think. All this time, every action he's taken has always been for some greater plan. My body was merely the means to strike me mentally. There's got to be more!'
Due to her magus upbringing, all details, no matter how insignificant, held a riddle to Silva. She couldn't fathom the simplicity of a man's desire for sex and intimacy. The more she thought about the exchange itself, the more that the ordeal was seen more as a trap as opposed to the carnal exchange that it was.
In the multi-shaded eyes of the Busujima magus, Honda had most likely cursed her, as a means to ensure that she would remain under his servitude.
'Perhaps it is all part of his magecraft. Some type of sadistic spell where he provides prana that is contaminated much like a poison. I wondered how a magus of his caliber could let an enemy go free like this. Now it all makes sense. He cursed me during all the… thrusting. He branded me with a curse, one that he can activate at any time. If I refuse, then I lose my life on the spot from his cursed magecraft…If I agree, I will live only to satiate his needs…or at least until he grows bored of me…'
Silva tightened her hand in frustration.
'I don't have a choice in the slightest against the likes of him! I have to play along if I am to survive. But…am I supposed to simply survive by being no better than a utility?'
"So that's your plan…" Silva whispered, as if she was completely on to Honda's schemes.
Honda leaned downward with a small smile, looking at the red headed woman against the tree. Through her eyes, the harsh moon lighting contrasted against the side of his face, making him seem far more intimidating as opposed to friendly.
"What plan? It's only pleasure! Why not have fun with it! At least it technically keeps you in the game right?" Honda said with a gleeful expression. To Silva however, his smile was registered as a smirk of a devilishly cunning man.
Silva stared at him with confusion. Her pupils shook as fear gripped her eyes. "The game…you mean the war? Are you insisting that were I to serve you and aid you, you would allow me to participate, and even potentially gain something in the war?"
Honda scratched his chin in thought. "In a manner of speaking I guess so, there's no rules against that right?"
Silva blinked twice, unsure of what to say. 'Was I wrong in my earlier deduction? Surely he can't be serious. He's willing to share the Grail? How would that even work? Then again, if he did put a contract magecraft through our exchange, then if he were to die, I'd be dead anyway. I suppose it would be better to live and gain something out of this. And considering he has kept his word thus far, and granted me enough prana to survive, perhaps he'll continue to keep his word.'
The redhead's mind ran a mile a minute, thinking on all that she knew this far in order to make sense of this deal, as well as the underlying reason why Honda would request an alliance with her. It had to be more than just simply lust, he's just playing dumb.
'So that's his game…he sees a profit in both of us winning, because alone, neither of us can gain the Grail. Maybe he cannot defeat Ananta alone and needs me, despite seeming confident for the moment. Sounds a lot like my earlier alliance to Ananta…but…Honda has actually kept his word thus far…and he does already wield quite a force.'
Silva's hands shook in place.
'I cannot let fear contain me. Leaving is an impossibility! I must see where this path might lead me. Perhaps I can still gain a win from all this, and bring glory befitting the Busujima family name in the process. If not through complete victory, then with my own survival! And you deduced that about me don't you Warlock? You are just about the most cunning magus I've ever met…something I can't help admire…and fear.'
Silva controlled her breathing. She needed to preserve some level of dignity befitting somewhat of her status. Regardless of how cautious she was of the Warlock, she couldn't show any signs that may be interpreted as an act of mutiny.
"So what do you wish me to do? Clearly you have a plan in mind to see to it that Ananta meets his defeat." Silva asked with a suspicious stare, still not sure what to make of the Warlock's long term deal. She would listen to his plan for the moment, at least for now. If an alliance is what it will take to see a gain from the Grail then that is much better than leaving empty handed. Her whole family name relied on this, and her life considering Silva believed she was cursed.
'What scheme are you concocting Warlock? Just what kind of strategic madness do you have in store? The fact that you even made an alliance with me means you need me to contend with Ananta, and yet at the same time, I know that you are the magus that has the most chance of securing a win, next to Ananta himself.'
"Join me and help me win. I'd say that's the best way to put it." Honda said point blank.
Silva stood there in place, as a quiet few seconds stretched on between the two masters. All was quiet. It was only after ten seconds that Silva figured that Honda had no intent of sharing any further.
"That's it?" Silva asked, somewhat stumped that Honda wouldn't explain his grand plan for the war.
"Yup!" Honda said without a care, nodding with a smirk.
"Nothing else?" Silva inquired, confusion increasingly apparent in her collected facial expression.
"I don't see why not!" Honda closed his eyes while sending her an open tooth smile.
"You sure! Because this sounds too good to be true!" Silva asked with a notable tone of bewilderment, not believing the simple offer for an alliance.
"Don't believe me?" Honda asked the poisonmancer.
"Of course not! Is that really it? No secret maneuvers, no cutthroat tactics? I refuse to believe you don't have a plan, you're clearly messing with me! What do you think I am, a moron?" Silva argued, narrowing her eyes. She was irritated that Honda would believe her to be foolish enough to follow through with an alliance that just seemed too perfect. She was also irritated that a man of such capability treated this whole ordeal like it was a game, with his prevalent grin and innocent gaze, as if he didn't just curse her.
"No, just really sexy! And funny!" Honda chuckled at her apparent irritated demeanor, finding her haughty attitude to be humorous since this must be her character for the roleplay. As a performer himself he also admired her acting chops. No matter what he said or how he said it, she appeared to know how to maintain character. Her confused demeanor was so realistic. A real class act. Maybe she was an actress at some point, because as far as he was concerned, the girl is a natural.
"Funny! You think driving me to the point of insanity is fun to you?! Your idea of fun is sickening! A mud fight, a sex curse ritual, now an out of place, last minute alliance! With the amount of mind games you play, I'd rather you get it over with and finish me!" Silva barked whilst Honda remained completely unmoving to her anger.
"I don't know about mind games, as for the 'sex curse' I do recall someone begging me towards the end." Honda scratched the underside of his chin, grinning to himself whilst looking in thought.
"I…I wasn't begging…" Silva stammered, losing her rebellious tone.
"I'm pretty sure you did!" Honda teased, his eyebrows raised conspiratorially.
"Did not!" Silva argued.
"Did too!" Honda responded.
"Did not!" The Busujima magus clapped back.
"Did too!" The Warlock repeated.
"Did not!" The increasingly irate poisonmancer said.
-With Mordred and Assassin-
Medea went on the offensive as an explosion of bones filled the area that came from Mordred's horizontal sweep of her blade. With the amount of prana stemming off her person, she was able to tear through any summoned skeletons with ease as she neared the Caster in front of her.
As for Assassin, her and her incarnations attempted a flanking maneuver. Since there were seven of them, three took to his sides and from behind. They rushed towards Ananta, granting him no time to react with their incredible sprints.
"Interesting…no traces of prana in every step. Definitely not a combat oriented servant."
The three Assassin's made large arcs with their daggers in a manner that would avoid cutting one another. Their movements were coordinated, as they were the same person and thus knew how to make multiple strikes simultaneously without the need to orchestrate one another. They shared the same mind, though they interpreted things differently.
Another three Assassin incarnations, all made airborne strikes to decapitate Ananta where he stood.
CRACKLE
CRINKLE
Though the blades made their target, the blood skulled magus remained alive.
"Your an assassin…which means I cannot handle like the other one…"
The cursed magus took his right and left hand and simply clenched his fists.
PHEW
BOOM
With the sound of a faint whistle, the ground uprooted beneath the cursed magus. Multiple sharp pillars appeared from the ground with the intent to skewer the Assassins. Due to their inborn reflexes, the six Assassins were able to dodge and back away from the unexpected magecraft.
Ananta's summoned pillars appeared to be made of marble, with prominent bright red runes that pulsed on and off as they remained idle.
As the Assassins recuperated, Asako analyzed the magus.
'If we attempt to store him with prana, then he sends it back to its source. If we strike normally, he'll switch to using his own spells. But he doesn't need any form of incantation…this makes reading his movements difficult…'
"Flee as you must, but your battle is only beginning. Caster!"
ZOOM
With Ananta's command, Medea immediately whispered with her High Speed Divine Words for her incantations. Divine Words are a language from the Age of Gods that modern humans can no longer pronounce. To an outsider it was incomprehensible gibberish. To Medea however, this was power to access the authority of God's.
Multiple large magenta colored runes appeared in midair, surrounding the current battlefield. Upon using the full incantation, the runes lit as they fired upon the servants with a volley of prana fueled beams.
Medea, in her divine tongue, spoke to unveil the following spell.
"Rain of Light."
PEW
PEW
PEW
PEW
The volley sizzled the air with the amount of heat that they generated as they honed in on the knight and the squad of Assassins. With Mordred's armor, she was able to tank some of the damage, however the more she put herself in danger the more her flesh burned. She used her blade to block the incoming strikes, letting her prana keep the beams at bay before she literally flung it off her.
"That endurance of yours is impressive, but one cannot delay the fact that as you are now, it will only be a matter of time before you collapse." Medea taunted before another volley fired towards Mordred who was pushed back towards a few rocks that led to the edge of the mountainside.
As she almost fell off the mountain, Mordred felt one of the Assassins sprint towards her position, tackling her away from the beam of light to avoid falling as well as being killed by the high powered attack.
The Assassin who saved Mordred found himself to be deeply wounded by the beams residue energy after utilizing that save, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.
Mordred looked at the Assassin before she grit her teeth.
Asako threw a prana infused rock to throw a powerful bullet throw towards Medea, who was carved on the side of her face, causing her to wince. Assassin utilized a well executed counter move to her offensive attack, leaving her vulnerable for only a split second, one that only an Assassin could pick up.
Medea snarled as her peer output grew. Her wound healed upon the use of her magical power before she flicked her wrist.
"Aero!" Medea chanted, causing a turbulent air to propel itself and carve into Mordred, knocking her and the Assassins down onto a lower part of the mountainside. Many rocks and sand spread outward in a large plume of smoke and debris as Medea looked downward to see their position.
"I doubt that was all that would be required to defeat them."
Down below, they noticed that Mordred rose up with dirt covering her frame. Assassin and three of her incarnations remained on her side. They actually used their agility to make the fall sooner than Mordred before catching her, ensuring she maintained balance during this crucial fight.
"They are not as impressive as I've hoped. You were correct…the Grail has made them weaker just as it had done to you…"
CRUMBLE
CRASH
Medea had to float herself in order to avoid the mountain literally collapsing beneath her feet. Ananta simply stood in place, as if gravity didn't apply to him.
Ananta then flicked his wrist, where a small flicker of prana stabbed into the ground near Mordred and Assassin.
Assassin screamed. "Mordred dodge it!"
Mordred only had a split second to avoid the incoming after effect of this spell. The glowing needle of prana immediately expanded and exploded in a wide reaching explosion of red flames. It literally took apart the ground in a perfect manner, leaving a skull faced impact onto the very ground where they originally stood. Had they not dodge the unknown magecraft they would have been immediately atomized.
Mordred gritted her teeth. "Assassins! Now!"
Ananta tilted his head in mild confusion as two Assassins climbed out from the ground and attacked Ananta and Medea from behind. Medea had formed a glass textured shield around her in response.
"Argos!" Medea exclaimed as the Assassin who attempted to kill her stabbed his blade through the glass, only succeeding in nicking her torso before the glass shattered from the powered impact.
SHATTER
Medea clenched her jaw as pain registered into her body. The knife thrust was powerful enough to penetrate her shield. Usually, it would have been able to survive an attack from servants as powerful as a Berserker class. Unfortunately, this war left her defensive spells lacking, and with her prana reserves lower than usual, she was helpless to the likes of an Assassin.
Medea covered her chest s she floated away. Her master however was tackled into the ground by the other male Assassin, both slamming into the ground near Mordred and Assassin's position with an impactful explosion. The Assassin somersaulted away as a beam of prana was fired from the point of impact.
After a few seconds within the smoke, Ananta walked out from the smoke without a care.
"Well executed tactics…but hardly a scratch even with all your combined efforts. You don't seem to understand…you don't face a man…you are in the presence of an immortal." Ananta stated before his cloak began releasing shadowy wisps immediately bolted towards Mordred and the Assassins. Medea had to hide to avoid the tendrils that approached and nearly engulfed her as well.
-With Honda-
"Did not!" The ever clueless street performer switched.
"Did too! Wait! I didn't mean that…" Silva protested, her eyes blinking from the realization that she fell for Honda's trick.
"Can I get a kiss again?" Honda requested while leaning forward towards the redhead.
Silva narrowed her eyes with apparent rivalry. She mildly blushed that the Warlock would insist on using her body for his pleasure still. Part of her pride as a magus demanded to refuse this blatant command. Another more obscure part of her was the sole driver behind her next response.
"Fine…do as you wish…not like I have a cho-"
Honda pressed his lips against hers, catching her luscious red lips with his own.
"Mmmph!" Silva let out, breathing out her nostrils as Honda trapped her lips with his own.
Silva's eyes dropped as she felt her instincts crave more than just a simple kiss.
SMOOCH
A prevalent smooch echoed against the air, one that made Silva's breath increase. Her heartbeat sped up in response to the urges that were fanned from Honda's attempt at intimacy.
"This…this doesn't change anything, Warlock. I will only aid you for my part of the Grail and only for the Grail! Understand? N-nothing more." Silva tried to reassert herself, only making Honda chuckle. Her face flushed in embarrassment for her prominent stutter.
"Oh my god, you are good at this! Have you ever taken acting class? I gotta know because you are way too good at this." Honda asked before Silva lost her serious expression.
"What…what are you talking about? I'm not acting in the slightest!" Silva asked as if he lost his mind. Her avoidance to his eyesight practically made it all clear that she was not truly confident in her words. She may be prideful but Honda held all the cards no matter how tough she may act. The more she spoke to the Warlock, the more confused she found herself becoming. It's as if he took pleasure in messing with her? There was nothing logical in his current actions, making her subconsciously prepare herself for whatever madness he had in store.
'Sadistic bastard…' Silva thought to herself, sweat dropping as a result of Honda finding joy in this, unaware that he thought she was acting.
RUSTLE
RUSTLE
At this point both Masters heard aloud a disruption from the bushes nearby. Honda stared with vivid interest in his eyes, wondering as to who would be interrupting this moment. Silva on the other hand, was worried about any incoming threats. For all that she knew, it could have been one of Ananta's undead henchmen, returning for her. She figured that Honda and the spectral golem he had under his command would be able to handle this.
Ebony, floating away from her spot by some stray tree trunks she used as a chair, lit her hands with Indigo light stemming from her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist a spot of purple tinted energy rippled through the air towards the bushes.
ZOOM
BOOM
The vault of magical energy exploded in embers that lit the area of impact. Honda pulled Silva behind him in a mildly protective manner. She was naked after all, and perhaps there was another player who had accidentally stumbled into this isolated event.
"Ah! Shit!" An irritated voice stemmed from the bushes, making Honda leave Silva to check on the source of the noise, taking cautious steps towards the uninvited guest.
Upon peeking over, Honda noticed voluminous strands of pure white locks. With vibrant pale skin and red eyes, wearing an elegant snow white dress, now dirtied by the dried muddy ground.
It was Idores! It would appear had ventured into this forest alone.
Honda beamed at his employer and crush. His frost shaded eyes practically sparkled upon seeing her.
"Idores! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be fighting with the others?" Honda asked, as Idores rubbed some stray twigs out of her hair. The albino had been sprinting for the better part of a few minutes using her own prana in order to push her speed to her maximum. In her sprint, unknown to Honda, she had been nearly killed by Ebony by accident and was now covered in small specks of mud.
Idores sighed as she looked at the condition of her clothing. She felt repulsed but at the moment there were more important things to worry about. She sweatdropped at Honda's prevalent joy, as if he wasn't in the middle of a battlefield.
'If only he knew as to what hell we're actually in…' Idores thought with mild annoyance, knowing that all hope of this victory relied on his gullible shoulders.
"What am I doing here?! I came here for you! What were you thinking running outside the walls and going away from the front lines?" Idores criticized Honda before looking around at the distended trees and uprooted grounds. Her eyes widened a centimeter upon noticing the destruction that Honda had done to this area.
Honda defended himself. "Well I was trying to aim for Silva. After all, the whole name of the game was to 'kill' the master right?"
Honda used quotation marks to emphasize the word 'kill' as he spoke.
Idores gulped as she looked around, seeing all the ruptured tree bark and destroyed boulders signified the battle that took place here. She could only imagine the torture Silva endured before her apparent demise.
'The more he gets into battles with magi, the more destruction he seems to leave behind…first the park…and now this…'
-Flashback: Chapter 16-
"My servant also spotted the moment when this Katashi Honda engaged Elias and Ursus in combat, decimating an entire park within Fuyuki City limits. Right now at this moment, there are human authorities excavating every nook and cranny, desperate to have their answers. Katashi Honda nearly caused exposure to not only himself but to the identity of magus kind from his rash actions. No amount of geomancy could undo the damage caused there." Deacon spoke with authority, making it clear how dire the situation was in terms of concealment from mankind.
-Flashback End-
Idores gulped before looking at Honda with a shaky gaze. Considering that he believes he is in a roleplay, he might wind up accidentally killing her if he thought it was necessary to 'win' the game he believes to be a part of.
Behind him the ever watchful automaton, Ebony, floated behind Honda. She spun in a gravity defying, weightless somersault as she floated towards her position. Idores had to take a cautious step backwards, still wary of the untameable automaton.
Idores could not deny the growing fact that as Honda grew more confident in his capabilities as a master in the Holy Grail War, the magician took full advantage of his environment and arsenal to solidify a win. Roleplaying or not, Honda's command had practically leveled this place along with any nearby undead.
'He's been a magician for years and is already used to working with what little he could afford. Now that he is able to 'perform' without any of said limits…he is adapting quickly to warfare and outwitting opponents that no mere human would be capable of handling. The mere fact he enjoys this like an amusement is just the icing on the cake. He has a talent for what would be an impossible feat for most. For the sake of this war…I'm going to have to keep up the lie…'
Idores masked herself, knowing that she'll need to appeal to Honda the same way when they first met. Her face immediately shifted to her warm and inviting persona for this occasion, leaning towards Honda with apparent closeness.
Her face softened, with her eyes appearing more rounder and beaming at Honda as if he were a champion. She bore a small but enrapturing smile that made her eyes sparkle with an inviting aura.
The exposure to such a hypnotically feminine facial expression made Honda swoon. His usual stalwart stance jiggled in place, considering that he still held feelings for his employer turned partner for the Holy Nail War.
"We need you back at the walls! The other magus is still there and two of your servants, Mordred and Assassin, have gone on to face him." The albino explained, trying to remain calm. Time was of the essence, but Honda couldn't know that he was in a real war.
In Honda's eyes he was mainly focused on the apparent pouting expression Idores played in an admittedly cute manner.
Idores, in her own mind, was feeling irritated that she had to once again rely on her faux mind persona that Honda was accustomed to this far, but she was out of alternatives. She would need to continue this act to get the performer to come with her.
"Without Mordred I'm going to need a partner to help me for…this event!" Idores came up with in the heat of the moment, something that Honda could work with. Her left hand tenderly touched Honda's right hand with a squeeze, beckoning him with the caress of her smooth soft slender manicured fingers.
Honda blushed from Idores' touch, relishing in the sensation of her touch before he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Hey, what about Saber and Atalanta? They are not gonna help those two?"
Idores replied in the negative, shaking her head as she spoke. "They are all out of prana, neither of them can hold a fight for the moment. I need you and Ebony for this event of the…Holy Rail War! " Idores stammered.
"Holy Nail War!" Honda corrected, making Idores sweatdrop with anxiety.
"Y-yes! That's what I meant!" Idores reaffirmed herself, attempting to cover her mess up by playing dumb. Honda didn't seem to think much of her slip up. He then scratched his chin as he thought out loud.
"Oh, really? Damn, I should have made that last boss fight quicker. I guess without me at the walls, everyone's breaking formation. Now that I beat Silva, it's time to face off with this Ananta guy."
Idores widened her eyes. She didn't recall Honda ever hearing Ananta's name. Which means he had to hear it somewhere. "How…did you get that name?"
Honda continued without skipping a beat. "Oh that? Silva told me all about that Ananta guy. How he's like this 'big bad' max level 'master' of the war. How he's 'undying' in the sac. Pretty much everything!"
Idores sweatdropped before letting out a faint sigh.
'Of course he would think that the name 'Ananta the Undying' would translate to the bedroom…'
Idores felt confused though. Why would Silva tell Honda about her partner for the war? It sounded odd that an enemy magus, especially someone as dangerously prideful as Silva the Poisonmancer, would make such small talk in the midst of open war.
"Wait…if you were fighting Silva, then how could she have enough time to tell you about Ananta in the first place? Honda, you did defeat her right?"
Honda smiled as he spoke. He flexed his right arm in triumph, showing off a prominent bicep that stretched his sleeves. "Oh yeah, I defeated her and everything. I'm finally getting the hand of this whole masters and servants thing."
Idores let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, that's good then…wonderful!" Idores praised whilst leaning against Honda's shoulder in an overly friendly manner. She was genuinely happy to hear some good news after all the hell she and the others have endured this far. This made Honda blush shyly as his feelings for Idores came to the surface with her amorous demeanor.
'With Silva gone, then that's one less magus to worry about. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to survive a fight with someone at her level. At least she's gone now…' Idores analyzed before closing her eyes in relaxation, her anxieties oddly waning in the presence of Honda.
'I didn't think I ever noticed before…but even Honda's arms are similar to Ford's…' Idores recollected, nearly losing herself in the warmth that was exuded from the magician.
Honda, who had not expected such an overtly intimate gesture, followed through with his right hand caressing the back of Idores' head. Considering that she deliberately entered his personal space to rest on him, he was sure that a simple caress of her silly locks was not too much to ask. He made sure to engrave it into his mind. Considering he was an employee, he didn't know when he'd be able to do this again.
Idores' cheeks reddened upon feeling the tender fingers of Honda's hand shift to and fro across her locks, sending bits of stimulation into her body from the gentle manner he petted her.
'Even this…is the same. God…it's like I'm with a clone at times…' Idores stated as her eyes slightly watered with her thoughts lingering to a past that was long gone. The smallest of smiles appeared on her face as she steadily drifted down memory lane.
"Yup! I won and now Silva's indebted to me." Honda said without a care, wrapping his arm around Idores' waist in reciprocation for her physical touch. That and he wanted to display this affection to her, letting action speak in ways that words could not. He was too caught up with the moment to care about anything else.
Idores' red eyes widened to the size of dinner plates upon Honda's reveal.
"What?!" Idores' voice changed back to her true tone, one lacking the exaggerated kind manner that she used with Honda when they first met. In a split of a second, her more brash and direct personality took center stage, completely breaking her carefully crafted character.
Honda turned around before she could interrogate him further. Releasing her for a moment, Honda continued.
"Now that I think about it, since you're here I'm guessing you're also here for your turn with Silva, right?" Honda assumed, remembering that Idores was a 'mindflayer', which meant she was used to blowing her partner's minds in the Holy Nail War. Considering that she appeared to have sprinted here, perhaps she wanted to have a go at Silva the same way he did.
'Despite her innocent demeanor, Idores seems to be a real kinky woman. Then again, so is everyone who signs up for this whole Holy Nail War. It is a sex gig no matter how impressive the quality is for this masterclass production.'
Honda pointed away from him towards Silva's last location, making Idores stare past his shoulders in a comedic fashion, with a stupefied expression.
"If you're wondering where she is, she's right over there. I got her all warmed up for ya." Honda said with a grin, not noticing Idores' darkening expression.
Honda turned around and raised an eyebrow. Silva was no longer behind him, in fact she was completely gone. "Huh, I could have sworn she was right behind me just a second ago. I guess she's not into girls or something."
The Velune homunculus stared at Honda's back with fuming rage. Her kinder mask had shattered. "What the hell are you saying?! You're telling me you let her go free! You were supposed to finish her!"
Honda waved off her concerns. "I did finish her, I finished inside her too! She really begged for it at the end of our exchange."
Idores' eyes twitched in bewilderment. Her red irises pierced into Honda. Even her fingers clawed against Honda's shoulders as her anger rose.
"You went and slept with her?! You idiot! You were supposed to end her! Terminate her! Behead her fat ass!" Silva barked with steam stemming out of her face as she spoke.
"I wouldn't call her fat, she's pure hourglass. I think you'll grow to like her…wherever she went."
Honda raised his hands towards his mouth, to project his voice farther than usual as he called out to Silva.
"Hey Silva, it's been fun, but I gotta go to the next event. Good luck with Idores, she's a real all nighter. I heard she handled Deacon and Eckbert at the same time!"
Silva, who was hiding behind a tree trunk the entire time that Honda and Idores were talking, appeared visibly confused.
'Deacon…Eckbert…At the same time…what is that supposed to mean? Unless…was she the one who killed Deacon? And even Eckbert? The tracker magus? Is he using Idores to do his dirty work? And…did that subhuman bitch just call me fat?!' The poisonmancer thought to herself as a wind blew her hair in her face causing her to stumble a mere centimeters out from her cover. This caused her to let out a frustrated grumble as her cover was blown by both Honda and by her own luck.
Her reveal made Idores stare daggers at her from behind Honda. Her teeth gritted in seething animosity. The albinos' eyes glowed like rubies, with her sclera becoming pitch black in response to her emotions.
Silva felt her instincts demanded that she run for her life. She was not sure what Honda's connection with Idores Velune was, but considering their close manner of talking to one another made the poisonmancer believe that they were close. She had heard legends of the renowned homunculus who had taken on the mantle as head of the Velune family since the original head's demise. To see the mindflayer herself being so nauseatingly intimate with the Warlock was contradictory to the reports about the ice witch of the Velune family.
"Oh look there she is! She's just hiding to make your 'exchange' an immersive one. You're gonna like her Idores, she's a really good actress! She'll do anything, if you win that is. I know you're probably aching for some action." Honda informed Idores, advertising Silva whilst Idores' face darkened upon Silva's reveal.
Silva barked at Honda with aggravation.
"What?! Honda, you said you wanted an alliance! What about you needing my help?"
"Yeah, we got that settled already, but now Idores wants a turn with you."
Silva's eyes widened with small pupils. Her stomach practically dropped upon Honda's statement.
'I see…he must have made an alliance with Idores as well…which means he most likely cursed her too. I thought that Idores had killed Deacon willingly, but it's more likely that just as Honda cursed me, he did the same to the homunculus girl. He forced her to kill Deacon. It makes sense…after all the Deacon and Velune families have a history of being allies for years.'
Idores snarled. "You made an alliance with Silva Busujima?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Honda tilted his head in confusion. "Oh so you're not here for an 'exchange'?"
Idores' fangs were prominent as she spoke. "No! That's not why I'm here!"
"Oh, then you're here to 'fight' her then, right? Roger that! Silva is already 'refueled' and has her clothes on already. Don't let me stop you from having fun."
Silva's face dropped into a vehement snarl.
'He expects us to fight over our survival. For his entertainment!'
Idores protested. "Wait! What about Ananta?"
Honda began walking away. He spoke without a care.
"Don't worry, I'll hold off that Ananta guy until you guys are done!"
Idores stared with a befuddled expression, sputtering as she couldn't believe how Honda would just leave an enemy alive.
Silva on the other hand screeched in rage. "You…damn you Warlock! You're just gonna leave us here and wait till the victor comes to your aid?! Is there no limit to your games?"
"That's rich! Games! Haha! I gotta go see this Ananta guy for myself anyway, sounds like a real MVP in this game since he needs two players to beat him. Have fun ladies. Let's go Ebony!"
'Is he.. testing me or something?!' Silva thought to herself as Idores and her stared at Honda's back, with Ebony floating not too far behind.
Silva and Idores then looked at each other with blank stares.
"Did…did Honda curse you too! If we band together we can end him before he gains an advantage-"
WHAM
Idores was on the attack, socking Silva across the face with a powerful right hook.
"Your silver tongue won't work for you here, Busujima!" Idores fumed as it would seem that she would need to do this herself since Honda already assumed he 'defeated' this master.
However, due to the muddy and rocky ground, Idores wound up tripping on her own heels, causing her to splash against the mud along with Silva. Idores spat out mud in vivid frustration that her body was dirtied by Honda's unexpected destruction of the environment.
The redheaded Silva, after staving off the headache suffered by the hard punch, retaliated by desperately tackling Idores into the ground, with both curvaceous forms being further muddled by the wet floor, pulling each other's hair in their cat fight.
Silva's eyes glowed as she angrily spewed out. "You dumb bitch! Only one of us may survive to live according to that psychotic Warlock! If you want to play by his rules then fine! You can die for all I care!"
Idores responded by pulling Silva's hair causing her to let out a high pitch squeal before Idores rolled atop Silva and attempted to strangle her.
"What the hell are you talking about? I won't let you kill him because he foolishly decided to spare a cutthroat like you! Just like your family has done before!" Idores barked as her ivory locks were stained in mud.
"What are you talking about?! Spare me your delusions!"
Silva and Idores kept rolling around with their clothed manicured bodies further drenched in the dirtied piles of mud, as their fight furthered their attack patterns became more hair pulling and slaps as opposed to precise technique. This was due to both Silva's fatigue as well as Idores' own lowered reserves after fighting at the tower walls, rendering the two to fight as equals, imperfect and clumsy.
"Admit it Busujima! You know what I'm talking about! I know what your family did to him! What your cursed name has done to the Velunes!"
"Get off me you defective homunculus! What the hell are you even talking about! I know nothing"
Reasoning was useless here as the two hot headed women were more caught up in trying to beat one another. For Idores, it was to remove any threats to Honda and herself. For Silva, it was to ensure that she would survive enough to see the war through. If it meant to compete with this other woman to do so, then she would gladly follow through.
For Honda, who had unintentionally instigated this whole confused brawl between them, he had more important things to do.
-With Mordred-
CRASH
A knight, dressed in red careened through the air onto a pile of large rocks crackling through them as her body collided to the ground.
A shadowy tendril smacked Mordred afterwards, knocking her against a nearby bark of a dead tree.
"Gah!" Mordred let out as her body stung and aches from the unexpected bludgeoning she endured. The left corner of her mouth bled as she rose herself upwards, staggering as she attempted to regain balance.
"You may find killing a normal man or magus easy enough, but I have no such limitations, servant. Though I will be honest, had you come with your companions, maybe then you would have a chance. Why did you decide to run into the front lines in a defensive battle where you had the advantage?"
Mordred gritted her teeth before spitting out some blood as she raised her sword towards the blood skulled necromancer.
"So what if I did, that still won't stop me from defeating you! You're a freak of nature alright, that makes you worth all the more points!"
"Points? This isn't a game, girl. As a knight I'd have figured you to possess some form of battle awareness but it seems that you are blinded by the idea of glory. Many die with such an arrogant mindset."
CRASH
RUFFLE
Mordred looked to her right to see one of the Assassin incarnations that arrived with her had been repelled backwards by a powerful wind that was conjured by the Caster servant that served Ananta.
Medea smirked as she flung two other Assassin incarnations away from her who attempted to flank her. Her magical prowess served her well enough to handle the squad of cutthroats with her vast power, shooting them like ragdolls across the mountainside.
Summoning another Rain of Light, Medea attempted to destroy the main Assassin who bended and arched her body flexibly to swerve out of the way of the incoming blasts. She did catch a nasty wound on her left arm that carved into her bicep, causing her other Assassins incarnations to shove her away from the beams. One of the male Assassins lost a hand as a result of the save.
"Ack!" The Assassin let out as blood sprayed across his face. Medea then used another Aero that sent the random incarnation out of sight, towards the trees.
Asako attempted to throw his dagger with a powerful throw, right before a defensive bone formation that uprooted the ground and blocked the incoming improvised projectile.
"Caster, we must make this quick."
"Fufufu. How disappointing. You Assassins for all of your athletic capabilities cannot ever hope to match this fight. Your existence as servants is wasted on the likes of you." She taunted, before the bone formation that blocked the knife, flexed and tossed it back towards the Assassin who threw it.
PIERCE
The knife had stabbed the Assassin deep into the shoulder, causing him to collapse onto the ground with a deep bloodied wound.
"Mordred I don't think this is gonna go the way we hoped. It would be best if we retreated." Asako wanted Mordred as she held her arm, trying to make the bleeding stop.
Mordred shook her head in the negative. "No way! If you wanna run, go on ahead. I'm staying right here!"
Her energy crackled with chaotic red sparks that lit the environment.
"There's one way I could handle this freak. And it's with a gold ol' fashioned bludgeoning!" Mordred said with a grin as she held her blade with both hands.
Another Assassin, a bulkier one who was next to her, whispered. "What do you intend to do?"
Mordred's grin grew wider. She did have one idea of what to do. She would utilize all her strength. The thing about magus and Casters both is that they relied solely on magical skills in order to navigate the battlefield. The thing is they don't have a knack for reflecting back high amounts of prana, especially when said prana can serve as an explosive.
This means that in order to make a dent here, Mordred saw fit to utilize her noble phantasm.
"You better retreat now! This entire mountain is getting carved in two!" Nordred warned the Assassin who noticed stray bits of reddish prana gathering on the blade.
The Assassins in her vicinity sped away as Mordred placed her blade above her. A tower of red electric prana lit the storming sky.
"Ah…" Ananta whispered.
"Clarent Blood Arthur!" Mordred announced as she brought down the skyscraper sized noble phantasm towards the two foes in front of her. Medea attempted to utilize a teleport spell, however her reserves had run out. She could only float as far from the incoming blast.
"Dammit!" Medea seethed as she made her way from the battlefield.
Ananta on the other hand stood with arms raised, as if welcoming the glowing strike of the cursed sword of succession.
SHING
BOOM
With a blitz of electric prana, the entire mountain was sliced in half before detonating in a sea of crimson before fading away.
-With Honda-
Honda, as he was running, noticed the large amount of red lightning the nearby distance. He was close.
"Shit! I'm late! Ebony fly me over there please!" Honda requested of his golem before she held his left hand with her right and flew with him hand in hand.
"Woah! Don't drop me, okay! Roleplay or no I don't know if my legs would handle the fall!"
-With Idores-
"Why are you doing this to me?! What have I ever done to you?!" Silva argued as Idores elbowed her in the nose. Silva had the albino in a headlock before the albino retaliated with a striking blow.
"Don't act clueless! You know what your family did. You betrayed your oath to Ford Velune!" Idores said with a heat in her voice before she punched Silva with a right.
BASH
Silva gasped before she punched Idores back. "Ford! I had nothing to do with that! He died before I was even a teenager. We had nothing to do with it!"
Idores gritted her teeth before shoving Silva into the muddy ground before she unloaded on Silva with ice punches, one after the other! Her haunting black sclera eyes displayed with her vehemence towards the poisonmancer.
"You! Are! Lying! It was your damn family that tried to kill all of us! First you murdered his little sister with your magecraft. They died of poison! Your poison! Then you took him from me!"
BASH
BASH
BASH
"The last of the Velunes, all gone because of you!" Idores roared with each punch, making Silva bleed from her mouth as Idores' punishment escalated with her rage.
Silva gasped as blood began pooling in her mouth. She sputtered.
"I…I don't know…who did it…my family…none of us…knew…" Silva heaved through the blood that made breathing difficult.
Idores' tears of her past dripped as her anger made her snarl with hatred towards the Busujima.
"We were told…to break the alliance…by Ford himself…then he died shortly after…as did my mother…I always thought that… your family killed her…" Silva said through bloodied eyes as she closed her eyes.
"It wasn't you…" Silva whimpered as she looked to the skies.
Idores bore her canines as she leaned downward towards the redhead.
"You know who it was…don't you?" Idores stated as her hands began freezing Silva's topwear. Icy spikes threatened to stab her.
"Yes…I think I do…"
-With Mordred--
Mordred gazed upon the sight of the impact of her blade, the air was filled with red embers as hot as her rage contained within the blast spewed outward like a flame.
Mordred was gasping for breath. She had put everything she had into that one move.
"*Gasp*…Finally…no more boogeyman…" she said before chuckling. She collapsed onto her knees as sweat dropped down her face. Her armor weighed her down, making movement difficult.
The nearby Assassin's crawled out of their hiding spots, fatigued from the battle.
Asako leaned downward to help Mordred up on her feet. "Easy…you did really good…"
Mordred's eyes were drifting in and out of consciousness as she smirked.
"You think…I have enough points now?" Mordred asked with exhaustion.
Assassin deadpanned. "Hardly…he's only one enemy."
"One that remains ever alive…"
Mordred and Assassin's eyes widened upon hearing the dreaded voice of Ananta the Undying.
Mordred hissed. "Shit…"
Ananta glided out of the smoke, his robes tattered, revealing bits of his ribcage. From what they could see, all parts of his skeletal body was dyed the color of blood. Underneath, one could see that under the ribcage, fleshy organic tendrils pulsed inside the ribcage, serving as his core. Oddly enough they slithered and slathered within the ribcage as he moved.
"You are cunning and brave when need be. Unfortunately it was a wasted effort. You swing at phantoms, girl. There is no physical threat here, only an echo of what was once a prisoner of the flesh. Your attempt at resistance was commendable but unnecessary. It's been years since I've known fear…and death is the least of all things to fear."
Ananta's clothes restitched themselves as shadow tendrils emanated from the robes once more.
"Medea…I have a change of plans. I will take the knight for myself. Your knife will be wasted on that one. She's far too rebellious."
WHOOSH
The tendrils flowed rapidly towards the two servants. They could only gaze as their end drew near.
"DRAGON DECK!" A booming voice echoed in the air as the shadowy tendrils that slithered towards Mordred and the Assassins were shredded into specks of ash that piled onto the ground, lacking the prana to remain upright as they were severed by silver cards.
Ananta saw the figure that stood in front of him as the shadowy tendrils dissipated as well as the smoke and embers of Mordred's noble phantasm.
It appeared to be a man grabbed in a black and red raiment. A posh and suave attire that made him appear regal and noble. A shoulder cape that appeared to cover him like a sliver of shadow that clung tightly to him and yet defied gravity.
Behind the figure was a woman shaped golem with indigo glowing eyes and runic cracks that spread across its body. With a mane of purple flames and a prana practically oozing across it's frame there was no denying this was the spectral golem from Deacons' tower.
What made Ananta most confused was the face of the magus in front of him. It was covered by a mask where two frost blue eyes could be seen piercing deeply into his own, challenging and defying him.
"You claim to be an immortal…I'd like to test just how immortal you really are…" Honda said with a challenging tone.
Ananta stood stiff for a few seconds.
"You…" Ananta said with an accusatory tone.
The Warlock responded nodding steadily.
"Me…" It was all that needed to be said. It appeared that Ananta knew of him already.
"You should be dead…"
Honda, underneath his mask, blinked in rampant confusion.at Ananta's proclamation. The skeleton man is acting like he knows him.
"Ford…Velune…"
CHAPTER END