Review Answers:-
FieldTested, Shadowgear1004, FateBurn, JaimonDosFendu, Iplay37, vegaulloa17, Zet4, ShotaBoi22:- Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words and reviews, I really appreciate it and love reading your thoughts! I am glad to also see that Mashu's POV and Saber Lily's depute seem to have gone along well with you all!
BloodRaven46, QuartzScale, Xero the Reaper:- As for the complains about it being impossible for it to be the fifth holy grail war... well, let's just say I have reason to tweak canon a little and do things in this manner. The events of Fate/Zero is kinda integral for the character development of our favorite dark holy knight after-all!
GrandmasterRed:- Its funny that you mention Castoria, cause it was actually a toss-up on whether I should introduce Lily or her to act as a foil for Salter, but I ultimately settled on her for reasons I am sure you readers will see soon enough! Let's just say that this novice-Saber has a few tricks up her sleeves that might end up surprising quite a few people, especially a certain Counter Guardian...
TheMist33:- Glad to see that you like my iteration of Ritsuka! Also, W take on your part, Sakura is pretty underrated as a whole. She's not my favorite, but she certainly deserves more love than she gets. Also its interesting that you mention Caren... You'll probably not be seeing her in this fic, but I have a Danmachi-crossover-fic idea that I might explore in the future with her as one of the major heroines (yes its another harem story, don't judge me) and Kotomine as the main antagonist; So you might find your wish of her gettng more screen time might come true (maybe)soon!
GodOfDeathAndUndeath:- Interesting idea you've given me, Artoria's dad being the original owner of Rhongominiad—Lancer/Berserker Uther sounds interesting to anyone? Bro even has the cool-ass moniker of "Half-Dead King" which can give him [Battle Continuation, and our OG Lancer boy Cu has shown us just how busted that Skill is; Thoughts to ponder on truly... Also for the yaoi/gay thing, I don't really plan on having that added and mainly focus on the ladies. At most I think Astolfo, Enkidu and the like are people I might add to the harem, and even that is not set in stone, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the story progresses!
Supadaniel:- I have no wish to leave them out, but I am really not that familiar with their character, so probably not for a while. I am going to be focusing more on the girls that I am more confident righting.
Anthima Nix:- Thank you alot for sharing your thoughts, it brought me immense happiness reading all that you wrote! And who knows, who might end up seeing this moment and cause some drama, after all its not just the Master that gets the dreams of Servants but vice-versa as well—And as for you saying "One day he will kill himself with that mouth of his," Let's be real, even then he will probably not learn his lesson! But getting someone else killed because of his careless use of words on the other hand... hehehehehehe~!
And now, without further ado—Padoru padoru mothafackers, for December is here! Please read on and enjoy!
Ya know, there were two main things that I was expecting to happen after my grand speech to Mashu.
Either Mashu would accept my words or reject them in their entirety. The best-case scenario, of course, was for her to react positively to my words and gain confidence, which was indeed what ended up taking place. Nice! The other scenario was of course Mashu calling me cringe, while disowning me and revoking my title of "Senpai". To which I would react as any normal, healthy, and mentally stable person would—by borrowing Caliburn from Saber Lily and committing seppuku, obviously.
Luckily, the bad-end has been avoided for now! Hell, I managed to score a lot of AP with my Kouhai, and even managed to snag a nifty Gallery Entry of my whole heart-to-heart with Mashu, titled [Learning to Believe]. And you best believe I will be replaying that scene a lot when we finally manage to escape this living hellscape, cause the feeling I got from squeezing her hands gently was unlike anything I ever felt before!
My much bigger palm completely enveloped her hand in my own—my fingers wrapped delicately around her thin wrist, allowing me to feel the quickened pulse of her heart against the sensitive flesh of my thumb... As I peer down at her face and find her staring intensely back at me. Her full lips were slightly parted, and a full flush complimented her fine features on her fair skin. Such a lovely image which is a sight for sore eyes, capable of even curing blindness from its sheer beauty! And all because of some simple words from my part:-
"After all, who's to say that a fake cannot surpass the real deal?"
Sorry, Shirou, for borrowing one of your lines for my benefit here. Don't sue me please; copyright is a bitch! But even if you do, I have no regrets! For seeing Mashu smile will have been worth every bit of suffering I will have to face for my transgression!
But I am getting sidetracked here. As I was saying, I had two main scenarios that I had prepared for.
Fou appearing out of nowhere to drop-kick me in the face was certainly not one I had accounted for, and hence I had no idea how to react to that. Other than stumble slightly from the hit, of course—for such a small animal, he carries quite a hefty punch, or in this case, quite a solid kick!
"Fou-san!" Mashu exclaimed in a surprise and joy, but she was just as shocked as me at the little critter's arrival. "I-I am glad to see you unharmed, but why the sudden hostility against Senpai, Fou-san!?"
The only answer that came from the little guy was in the form of a haughty "hmmph!" that would have made Olga jealous, followed by him jumping back onto my shoulder, although his attitude made it seem like he was doing me a favor more than anything.
"Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-eye Fou?!"
"Fou-ş̴͎̋́̀m̷͉͇̂̏ĕ̵͎l̴̩͉̈́̏̋l̸͓͒͋͘ͅ ̷̧͈̹̀́̏M̸̳͛e̸̠͓̋̇̈́r̸̍̊͛ͅl̴͉̞̾i̷͍͓͗n̸͔̞̑ͅ ̴͔̲̟̚di̶̥͋͝è̸̯̳͛̀ ̵͇̪̟͖͑̍M̶͕̰̳̃̉͊͋ͅȩ̸̧̯̔̅r̴̟̫̻̈l̷̺̩̋̾̕͝ḭ̷͇̠͝ń̴͓̗̩͎̒-fou...!"
... I am sure that's just my overactive imagination playing tricks on me! I totally did not feel actual killing intent from this adorable critter; that would be absurd! H-hahaha... I am totally not feeling threatened or fearing for my life right now as I look into Fou's beady little eyes, which all of a sudden look like vast endless pools of barely restrained dark and deadly power—I am sure if I ignore this for long enough this problem will pass on its own! ...R-right?
"Senpai! Fou! Please continue your staring contest at a later time, we should go and assist the Director and Lily-san against the Berserker right now!"
The prospect of facing a raging giant hellbent on killing me never looked so appealing, as I break my staring contest, as Mashu dubbed it, and follow behind Mashu as we approach the exit in the form of the giant hole in the wall. I give a quick and cautious pet to Fou as we walk, and seeing as he begrudgingly accepts and doesn't bite my hand of probably means I can rest easy... for now.
And I spend the last thoughts before walking out of the shed not strategizing for the coming fight, but rather cursing the damn prankster-mage for causing me problems even while awake, as the flowers seem to sway around me in laughter.
.
.
.
It is the return of legends.
In the instant when I exit the confined shed, the air in the clearing freezes. Or rather, the more accurate wording would be that I myself can't help but freeze as I finally catch a proper view of the fight going on in the courtyard. It is not a conscious decision on my part, but rather it is completely reflexive—like my body subconsciously can't help but stop and stare in awe, similar to how seeing a sudden bright light in the darkness will make you flinch. Or in this case, cause me to stand rooted at the entrance, as I take in the battle.
The clash between the two fabled heroes shake the earth, and their blows create winds strong enough to cause not only my own hair and clothes, but also the trees at the very edge of the property to sway wildly.
"̸̩͕̘̩̻̈́̔̔͘̚͝R̴̛͈͙̆̿̓͊́A̸̬̝͔̬̮͊̈́̓̈͐A̶̞̳̬͍̫̐̑A̶͉̳̲̞͆̂̀̕͘A̸̺͎̗̾̈́ͅĄ̵̮̭͇̎̑͂R̵͚͚̓̅R̸͚͍̯̞̉̎͑͊G̵̫̘͓̼͓͛̑̏͝G̷̘͈̘̺̰͊̓́͋̾̄ͅG̷̛̠̜̺̮̯H̵̢̿͑̅H̷̻͕̭͔̻̀́͝R̶̨̢͔̺̐̌̅ͅG̵̡̼̯̖̙̤͗͆̆̀̏͝Ḩ̸̳͎͚̑̑̾H̵̪̠͚̓̿̾̔́̀Ḣ̸̡͈̬͖͔̩̑̊̑̚̕!̷̢̱͙̼͋̾̾̉̾̑"̴̝̯̏̽
It's an explosive roar—not even a howl now, as Berserker lets out the loudest scream I have heard him release so far, causing me to flinch and cover my ears. And it looks even less pretty than it sounds, as his body seems to contort and swell from within, and I don't know how I know, but I just seem to know that his abilities somehow have increased in relation to his body's deformation.
And with hate and bloodlust renewed and shining bright in his glowing crimson and golden eyes, the black giant jumps in. The ground trembles at his immense strength, and his swinging axe-sword blows up dust and is swung with the strength to grind into powder anything it comes in contact with.
And in return, as if stopping a meteor or a natural disaster, Saber Lily charges in and meets Berserker's attack head-on.
Heracles defies description. His body is tougher than steel and his superhuman strength defies explanation, and his regenerative powers on top of that can bring him back from dead and allows him to adapt to whatever may threaten his life. He is the strongest Berserker—not someone you can ever even dream of matching, he is someone you can never hope of defending against once he sets his eyes on you and wants you dead.
But the blonde girl does not retreat from such an opponent, and instead somehow repels the giant's overwhelming strength with sheer skill and swordsmanship. Even though I know she cannot win, just the fact that she can even match up to him for while is impressive beyond belief.
In this forest filled with swirling dark mist and sparkling golden light, the two shadows clash without ceasing.
Olga's face is pale when Mashu and I reach her and she doesn't even turn to look at us as we approach, but it is only natural. In front of us is a battle between Servants, for humans like the two of us it will be certain death if we step within even ten meters of their fight. So the only thing we can do now is observe and wait for the right time to enact my plan... but it looks like Olga is not someone who is satisfied to just wait around.
The flower shaped Magic Crest on her forehead glows bright as she chants under her breath in a language too old for me to even guess what it might be. Following her line of sight, I realize that her gaze is fixed upon Lily, and I have to consciously Reinforce my own eyes to keep up with their movements, (hey, it doesn't hurt like a bitch for once!) but strangely enough, even though I can see Berserker clearly enough, Lily's movements still appears hazy and the outline of her body seems to constantly shift and blur...
"Illusion magecraft!" Mashu exclaims by my side, almost as if she read the question within my mind and answers out loud. "The Animusphere specialize in Astronomy-based magecraft known as [Astromancy], and the Director specializes in drawing power from the zodiac and stars! She must be applying the concept of starlight to bend and distort the light around Lily-san's form to distort her image, and hence making her a harder target for Berserker to hit!"
"Thank you, Mashu-pedia!"
"Mooou, S-senpai! T-this is hardly the time for embarrassing nicknames...!"
"Then stop blushing so cutely every time I tease you, and I will consider your offer."
Unsurprisingly, my remark does not stop my cute Kouhai's blush, and instead it spreads until her whole face up to the tip of her ears are as pink as her hair. I don't know if its a trick of the light, but I swear that even her exposed shoulders seem to have a light flush on them, as Mashu stutters and fidgets cutely. Hehehe...keikaku dori...!
"Hawaawahwaa...! C-c-cute?! Se-Senpai, I-I am unworthy of such compliments—"
"AT THIS RATE, BOTH OF YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF BEING MY SUBORDINATES! CONTINUE YOUR ROMANTIC SHENANIGANS LATER, WE HAVE A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEAL WITH HERE!"
"Boss of Ritsuka! Please don't cut off your magical assistance so abruptly, I need every little bit of help I can get to stand up against this most worthy opponent!" In between dodging and deflecting Heracles's blows, Lily also joins the conversation. And with Olga's illusion being temporarily disables gives me a clear line of sight to see how widely she smiles as she catches sight of Mashu.
"Noble Shielder, I am glad to see you looking better now! And our Master speaks the truth—you look absolutely lovely right now, almost as if you were glowing from the load of whatever was weighing your mind down being lifted~! I am glad to have such a reliable Master watching my back, who can so readily provide mental support for my fellow Servants so readily!"
"Awwah...! Senpai really is reliable... But p-please don't say such embarrassing things so easily—/—AND FOR THE LOVE OF THE ROOT, DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ENEMY THAT IS ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL YOU, YOU AIRHEADED SERVANT—AND STOP GRINNING, YOU INCOMPETENT MASTER, AND PRAY THAT YOU HALF-ASSED PLAN WORKS, OR I SWEAR ON THE SEAS OF SEVENTH HEAVEN THAT I WILL BE THE ONE ENDING YOUR LIFE BEFORE BESERKER EVEN GETS A CHANCE!"
... Huh, I didn't even realize that I was smiling. Despite the chaos reigning around me, I can't help but let out a chuckle as I crack my knuckles and send a wink at Olga as I ready myself—I should be scared shitless right now, but thing I feel is confidence with such reliable comrades by my side to face this unbeatable threat.
Yeah, there's no question about it—We fucking got this!
I recommend for you, the reader to play (Unmei no Yoru - Fate Stay Night OST) while reading through the following section.
.
.
.
Berserker is just completely overwhelming in all regards. His assault is an advance devoid of tactics, he focuses single-mindedly on the offensive and gives up on his defence completely; It is a savage fight where he advances on his enemy as long as he still lives. In contrast to Lily's skillful movements that almost look more like a dance than a combat style, Heracles's movements are crude, and his tactics rudimentary.
Yet his completely overpowered Noble Phantasm more than makes up for this shortcoming—The black giant is not thinking about countering or defending against his enemy's attacks for he knows that such action is unnecessary, for even if Saber Lily manages to hit him, [God Hand] will ensure that he suffers no lasting damage, and hence it is Saber who is being pushed back in this battle.
And it is not just his defence that is out-of-this-world, his attacking power is equally as busted! If his horizontal swing is a fierce whirlwind, his descending blow is a heavy waterfall. Even Mashu, a Shielder Servant specializing in defence, could not survive against more than a handful of his attacks without me using up a Command Seal to bring her back from the brink of death. If Lily is hit by such an attack, it would prove fatal even for her.
And yet, Artoria Saber Lily parries each and every attack without faltering, with elegance and grace.
Against storm-like blows, she deflects them with all her might. She knows that she cannot hurt Berserker, so she does not aim for Berserker. She chooses to time her strikes to match with Heralces's blows, and aims her attacks at his incoming sword swings instead. For if she doesn't, she will surely be slashed in half despite her shining armor. The powerful slashes that are sent her way and which continue without pause, are in fact are all matched with Saber's own intense swings, and are diverted way from her vitals with all her might.
An infinite number of blows are thrown, and an infinite number of blows are countered. Saber is keeping up with Berserker at the moment...
...But it is not enough.
Their ranges are different. Their speeds are different. Their strengths remaining are much too different.
In matters of purely physical parameters, there in no doubt about it—Berserker is undoubtedly superior. The only thing possible for Saber to do against him, is to smash her sword into the unavoidable attacks coming her way to stop them from slashing her, by offsetting the slashes with her own blow. But it merely her stalling out the fight; For in this battle of attrition there is no hope of winning for Lily.
If this was a battle between equal opponents, then victory could have gone either way. The first one who slips up will be cut down by the other's blade—but Berserker is more powerful than Saber, and her blade cannot cut him because of the immortality granted by his Noble Phantasm. It is all Lily can do to match up to the unstoppable force of nature that is Heracles, but with all the odds stacked against her, it is only a matter of time before she falls.
... Unless I do something about it first, of course.
The continuous sound of clashing is the only sound in the clearing, so loud that I cannot even hear my own breathing. Each of Lily's swings, each of her blows is like an explosion, a force of magical energy so strong that it's visible to the naked eye—Each time the girl swings, the yard is filled with shining light. A storm of swings without pause; Sparks fly as the two Servant's weapons come in contact, lighting up the surroundings like fireworks.
To speak metaphorically, Berserker is a broken rock-drill.
A blade spinning in all directions erratically, more than capable of mercilessly destroying all that approach him or get in his way. If one reaches out even a little, that's it. One would get entangled in the blade and be shred into pieces, unable even to try to escape.
... A normal human can't go up against such a thing, for the black giant is a great violence surpassing human comprehension. So if approaching it or standing up against it is fatal, you can only run away.
But Lily places herself within the blades and does not retreat. So the result is obvious;
She gets cut down bit by bit.
The swords make sparks, and it's only natural for her armor to splinter bit by bit, as her movements and parries get slower and slower as she slowly but surely reaches her limit. She is managing to avoid mortal wounds, but constantly putting herself in fatal situations means she is racking up minor injuries instead. And even a glancing hit from Berserker carries enough force to kill a human twice-over, so Lily is gradually getting worn down—And a single mistake would result in certain demise for not just her, but all of us as well.
"Olga... I need you to create an opening for Lily and Mashu to switch."
She does not even verbally answer this time, too focused on her continuous incantation, but the barely perceivable nod from her is all the confirmation I need. Indeed, there is no way for both my Servants to smoothly switch places with Berserker's rampage in full swing, without one of them getting hit. It is nerve-racking, to put my complete trust on someone else to create that opening that ensures that we survive in the foreseeable future—but honestly if there is anyone I believe in right now, it is in my Director to come through and provide us that slim chance of victory wretched away from the jaws of defeat.
I choose to place my trust in her, just as Lily and Mashu have placed their trust in me; A bet on the chance of a lifetime to survive against impossible odds and live to see a bright future.
.
.
.
The dazzling battle that takes my eyes away comes to an abrupt end, with a roar that shakes the ground and a lightning like blow that squarely hits the golden-haired knight's chest.
Berserker's whirlwind attacks finally cuts through Saber's guard and hits her hard, flinging back the defending maiden, causing Mashu to gasp in shock even as she readies a battle stance, ready to jump into the fray is the black giant shift his focus on us looking on from a distance.
But she didn't need to worry, for Artoria Pendragon is made of sterner stuff.
A large portion of her armor chips away with the blow, and as she hits the ground she barely even stumbles as she lands on her feet with the grace and nimbleness of a cat, as she once again charges bravely at Berserker without falling to her knees.
... But she's already at her limits.
Saber's breathing wildly, and her movements are slowing down even to my eyes, making it unnecessary to hold onto the [Reinforcement] spell I placed in my eyes, but I do not drop it because I do not want to miss even the minutest of details of the fight.
She is fast, but not as fast as before. Not as fast as she needs to be, to keep up with Heracles's hard and fast attacks, and only after deflecting a few of his slashes... Lily stumbles.
It is a brief moment of unsteadiness, a weakness shown for less than a second that would be impossible for even the most capable of fighters to take advantage of. But Berserker is beyond capable, for he is beyond human limits itself. The giant will not miss the opening Saber has finally shown. She has already taken one blow—another one will not be one that she will survive.
There is no time to second guess; The plan has to be set into motion right this instant!
"Switch positions... NOW!"
Mashu jumps into the fray immediately at my signal, and Olga raises both her hands and her eyes flash as she loudly casts some spell, but all I can do is watch the battle between Servants with bated breath. In my eyes Saber and Berserker's movements seem to be in slow motion; And just as I predicted, Heracles does not miss—Lily's body bends in pain for an instant as she vomits out a wad of blood, as Berserker smashes his axe-sword into her torso with all his might.
"LILY-SAN!" Mashu's desperate cry rings out as she gets in Berserker's range, but the only concern she shows is not for her own safety, but for the safety of the Saber that Berserker's blow just smashed away. But even with the supernatural speed of a Servant, Mashu does not have the ability to close the gap fast enough to make a difference in the outcome:-
It's fatal.
Lily's body is split through the waist into two parts, and her bloody pieces are thrown unceremoniously into the air from the sheer force of Berserker's blow.
.
.
.
"No that's not right…!" Mashu once again cries out, but this time it is not despair that causes her outburst. It is surprise and relief, as I myself let go of the breath I had been holding as I share a triumphant smile with the panting magus by my side—The only reason I don't rush in for a hug is because even in her tired state I'm pretty sure she still has enough firepower to blow me away at such an affectionate gesture,
The only thing flung into the air is Lily's armor and the Illusion of her fatally wounded body that Olga had skillfully crafted. She intentionally created an opening to make Berserker take a large swing and then sacrificed her magical armour by letting it get smashed, giving Olga the chance to trick Heracles into thinking he managed to kill her as Lily takes that chance to retreat.
The armour and illusion both fade away into motes of stardust, having fulfilled their purpose—but the question remains, if she did not get hit then where did Lily go? I can still sense that she is near, my connection to her as her Master tells me that much, but it's almost like she completely vanished from view...!
"Brilliantly executed, Boss of Ritsuka~!" Just as quickly as she had vanished, Lily appears right next to me and Olga just as suddenly, jump-scaring the both of us with her cheeriness. "Bravo, that illusion was practically Merlin-tier! That was most impressive magic on your part—I am most glad to once again have a talented mage watching my back~!
"H-hmph! But of course! *Huff* Y-you should be proud to consider me your ally, I am the head of the esteemed Animusphere Family after all! That level of Magecraft was j-just child's play for me! *Huff*huff*"
Then why are you sweating so profusely, and are completely out of breath? The words were at the tip of my tongue, but I reconsider at the last second. Olga honestly was great help, no need to ruin her mood right now. I choose to let her bask in well-deserved praise for the moment, as my focus goes to Lily instead.
She is obviously missing her armour and parts of her once pristine gown is frayed, dirtied and torn, but apart from that and some lightly disheveled hair, I am glad to see Lily looking relatively fine after her tussle with the black giant. The other thing that catches my eyes is the briefest flash of white, as she lets go of something she was holding in her off-hand, letting it slide into the folds of her gown out of view—but before I can question her about what that was, we are interrupted as a great howl surges out.
Looks like Berserker has noticed that his prey has escaped.
He turns his head, and locks eyes with me. Crimson and gold, versus turquoise and brown. I do not know what he sees in my eyes, but I notice something shift in his. The briefest spark of intelligence... no, more like pure instinct on his part. His stance shifts and he turns his whole body towards my direction as he glares at me and only me, with intense focus as my whole body tenses at the killing intent being sent my way.
I was the one who gave the command that let Lily escape his grasp, so he knows who he must kill first to ensure something like that doesn't happen again.
Despite her tiredness Olga tenses by my side, ready for action. Lily walks a few steps in front of me and takes a stance, as she readies her blade. Even with these two by my side, I know logically that if Heracles truly focused on killing me, there is very little that can stop him. And that knowledge should scare me out of my wits... but it doesn't.
After all, between me and him stands by most treasured Kouhai.
And feeling scared right now would be the same as doubting in her conviction... So is it really a surprise that my body rejects the response of fear in its entirety, with Mashu having promised to bring me victory?!
.
.
.
Berserker roars once again and leaps forward with immense speed derived from his innate monstrous strength. He pursues me like wind and swings his giant sword at with all his might, eyes wide with rage...
...Which turns into shock, for the first time showing an emotion other than anger, as in a flash of white his blade made of boulders comes into contact with Mashu's [Shield of Rousing Resolution]—and completely shatters.
If Heracles's attack against me is like a gust, Mashu rushed to intercept his blow like a gale. He charged at me like a bull, but Mashu stood between us like the fearless matador. And as both their armaments connect, it is Heracles's sword of rock that breaks. Unlike last time, when Mashu's shield was the one that gave away under Berserker's swing, this time the opposite comes true.
But this is not yet time for celebrating. For the loss of his makeshift weapon does not make him any less deadly—hell, it barely slows down Berserker for a second or two, for after that he immediately tosses away the broken handle and aggressively started striking at Mashu with his fists instead. Yes, Mashu's part in this plan is to simply hold him off. Whether we defeat Berserker depends entirely on—
Lily turns to look back at and give me a soft smile, and for a few moments I forget everything as I simply get lost in her mesmerizing green eyes. "With a splendid resolve like yours, I am most proud to wield my blade for your sake, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Now, Master~! Give me your command, so that I can unleash my pull potential, and defeat this noble foe, in your noble name!"
... No, I can't just selfishly place all the burden of this moment onto Artoria Lily's back. I have talked the talk, so now it is time for me to walk the walk! What kind of an unreliable Master will I be, if I leave everything to my cute Servants?! Are you watching me Merlin? You'd better be, you self-depreciating arsehole, cause I am about to show you what this one selfish human is capable of!
A mental trigger. That is what Olga Marie said I needed to activate my magical circuits to their maximum potential and use them to their greatest efficiency. I have a particularly infuriating troublemaker to thank for having this insane amount of magical energy right now, so I should heed the advice of the second white-haired magus I know and try and use it all in this one moment the best I can.
So I close my eyes and reach inside—my body, my mind, my very soul. And it hurts immensely, as my whole body burns from within, but I persist... until I finally catching a glimpse.
Golden.
Shining.
Radiant.
Basking me with the gentle warmth that comes with the arrival of a new day. And as my mind's eye finally comprehends exactly what I am seeing, I can't help but grin.
I truly am a hypocrite.
And with that final thoughts—I extend my connection in my mind, as I grasp hold of the gilded royal blue handle, and in a swift motion pull the Sword of Selection out.
I feel my magic circuits burn. Opening my eyes I see glowing golden lines crisscrossing over my hands and legs, five on each limb. They glowed brightly enough to be visible even beneath my clothes, the little sparks of electricity they erratically release inform me that they are currently fully active and were coursing with more Od than I knew what to do with.
...No, that's wrong. I know exactly what to do with this power. And so I yell out, not with just my vocal cords but with my very soul, to visualize the image I saw with my mind's eye and will it into existence:-
"Caliburn... I choose you."
" UN—SHEATHE! "
.
.
.
An eruption of gleaming light!
If the illumination-setting of Lily's sword was currently fixed at a 4 or 5, after my words it was like the dial was turned all the way to a 10, as I summon every bit of magical energy I can and transfer it to the Sword of Selection, even applying [Reinforcement] to it as well. No idea if that will help even a little, but I refuse to not do everything in my power to help out those who have chosen to put their trust in me!
In a split-second like a fireworks going off, Caliburn no longer resembled a sword—but looked more akin to a literal beam of dazzling light, held in the hands of the equally dazzling blonde knight. A sharp pain emanated from the back of my right hand, like a hot-iron was wearing me skin as my Command Seals glowed golden—as a continuous flux of motes of light and energy flies out of my body and reaches the pillar of light, before circling around to converge at the tip.
So potent is the mana being transferred that it is physically visible to the outside world now. By my side Olga gasps, and Lily turns her head once again and nods her lovely head. A nod that I understand, and one I return in kind.
I briefly consider adding in a Command Seal to the mix for maximum damage possible... but I still vividly remember what happened last time I used one, and Olga's words still ring in my head.
My body was too weak to handle the immense mana being sent to Mashu, resulting in me collapsing and being unable to even try to stop her from her attempted self-sacrifice with anything other than words. I don't want to feel that kind of helplessness ever again—if using the Command Seal knocks me out and Berserker is somehow still alive, it would be a disaster. It's best to save it as a back-up plan to empower either Lily or Mashu to help us escape in case Hercules survives.
Which will not happen, for Lily has promised me victory, and it is the duty of a Master to believe in his Servant! It's time for the final volley. We need to defeat Berserker in a single fell swoop. A singular decisive, and devastating blow.
"Prepare yourself, Berserker, for now it's time to dudu-du-du—DUEL~!"
"Take this a little more seriously, you half-baked Master—and what are you stuttering for at this moment?!"
"Trust me, its of utmost importance!"
"The fact that I have to rely on a weirdo like you for protection... urrgh! Listen up you confusingly competent weirdo Master! I, Olga Marie Animusphere, Director of the Chaldea Security Organization and Commander of all Chaldean Masters order you! Fujimaru Ritsuka, I charge you with the protection and wellbeing of every single sentient lifeform in this clearing and to ensure their survival—and I forbid you to even consider failure as an option!"
"...Heh. Roger that, boss!" How cute! You are fooling nobody here; Olga's pride stops her from showing open concern for her me, a commoner and someone lesser than her in terms of status. Yet she makes sure to add a clause to make it known that I too am to survive this fight. Careful there Olga, your dere side is showing!
"I don't know that 'dere' means, but that creepy smile on your face tells me all I need to know—that it's clearly something I have to punish you for once we return to Chaldea! A-and stop referring to me so casually by my first name, i-it is hardly appropriate behaviour for one of your station!"
...Huh, this mana transfer really is taking quite a toll on me, for me to not even realise when I am speaking my thoughts out loud. Still, worth it to see the Olga's blushing face!
As if sensing the danger he is in, the black giant momentarily stops his barrage on Mashu, and turns his gaze upon the spotlight-like new source of light that has appeared in the battlefield; but immediately his attention is immediately diverted as the pink-haired Shielder kicks him in the chin—as Lily raises her sword and starts chanting in a voice that is simultaneously soft, yet rings around the clearing like the very world was amplifying her words to make sure it gets heard.
"BEHOLD! My right to Kingship!"
"BEHOLD! The symbol of my rule!"
"BEHOLD! The shining proof of my worth!"
"AND BEHOLD! The impossible burden I shall forever bear, for the sake of my country and its populace!"
With every sentence completed, the column of light brightens even more; as the ball of light gets bigger and bigger, as the energies converging at the point seem to crackle as if impatient to be unleashed.
"R̵̥̥͈͌͋̋͆R̷̨̜̞͚̽̈́̆̈́͑Ŗ̷̼̙̦̖̔͆́̒Á̶̢͓̤̣̔͜A̶͙͔͐̀̚A̸̩̝̓̓̿͂͐͘Å̷̝͖͜Ř̷͉̪͚̜̪̉͒̇͊͠G̷̩̰̈́̀̈́̅̇G̸̨͋̚Ḡ̵̨͖̯͈͉̀̾͝Ḣ̵̩͓͊̈̽͐̋!̸̥̝̤̙͍̀"
"KYAAHH...!"
With a great yell, the unstoppable force finally won out, as finally Mashu's defence gave out. A two handed overhead swing cracked the ground and released a great explosion of gust—as Heracles's great strength finally that sent both her, and her shield flying, bloodied and bruised but alive.
Then he runs... luckily ignoring the injured and and unconscious Shielder, and straight at me—subsequently, coming straight at Saber Lily, who is standing directly in front of me. Seemingly unperturbed however, her voice doesn't falter once as she continues.
"SO WITNESS NOW! With this esteemed Sword of Selection, I will cleave the wicked and usher a new dawn for my Master's sake!"
Once again by [Danger Sense] screams out inside my head, as Death approaches me with the velocity of a speeding train. Olga curses bu my side, as the crest on her forehead glows and she raised her hand... but no matter how good of a magus she is, at the end of the day she is still human.
Berserker is much too fast and before I know it, he is towering in front of Lily—his hammer-like fists about to pulverize the Knight Princess like a boulder about to crush a flower...
...As I let out a smile that would have made Merlin excited for whatever tomfoolery I was about to enact.
"Please watch me—as I emerge triumphant!"
"You just activated my trap card."
And a millisecond before Lily comes into the range of Berserker's fists—there is a flash of silk, and Berserker trips as his forward momentum world against him
The first lesson I ever learned after arriving at this Singularity:- No matter how weak they seem, never underestimate an Assassin.
Asako finally releases her [Presence Concealment] to reveal her terribly battered and bloody, yet very much alive self; to pull with all her strength the string that is looped around the black giants right foot and send him tumbling—
—Right into the path of Lily's blade.
"So lend me your strength and shine bright—O' Golden Sword of the Victorious..."
The very top of the blade was now almost blinding to look at—a miniature sun ready to be unleashed, releasing waves of heat as real and heavy as waves of water. A sword forged from light itself, one that should have been too painful to look at but was anything but that, a warm and welcoming sight that one couldn't help but feel their gaze drawn to it. One could look at it for an eternity, captivated by its radiance.
Artoria Saber Lily held in her hand a shining shard of hope itself.
And with a single delicate movement, less like a swordsman and more like a dancer, she effortlessly thrusts the literal ray of sunlight directly up into the falling giant's chest, with a yell that shakes the very ground and air around us as she proudly proclaims the name of her esteemed Sword of Selection—
[CALI ~ BUUUUUURN!]
All was silent for just a momentary, before a colossal beam of light erupted out of Berserker's back. Shredding through his impenetrable body as it it was not even there, the pillar of light made its way up with nothing in its way to obstruct its path, to the sky itself, parting the smoke and black clouds to show a circular patch of clear blue sky—
—And the world was bathed in the colour of the morning dawn that once before chased the age of darkness away.
In Lily's hands, Caliburn burst into a thousand pieces of sunlight, before vanishing like fireflies drifting away on a gentle breeze.
But the damage has already been done. The false sun released all its energy as it bathe the surroundings in golden light. It burned for an instant, before extinguishing. The pillar of light broke off into seven segments before they too broke off motes of light and faded away.
And both Servants, Berserker and Saber, faced off against each other. Both unarmed, and both standing tall and proud and with mutual respect for the other—and even though the giant now had a hole in his torse large enough for me to jump through, he spoke in a clear tone of voice.
"In a single instant, with a single blow—nary have I seen such impressive and pure power before. Zeus's thunderbolt pales in front of your blade's holy light! Most virtuous and noblest knight, you have managed to shave off seven of my lives with a single thrust of your holy sword, and at the same time have freed me of my madness. And for that I offer you both my congratulations and my sincerest gratitude, Artoria Pendragon."
His voice is like honey poured over rumbling thunder, and his eyes no longer looked beast-like and savage. His skin finally resembled that of a human and not a statue carved crudely from obsidian. The black smoke no longer swirled around him—no doubt about it, Berserker had been purified of the shadow that had corrupted him, and the one who stood in front of us was none other than the true Heracles himself.
"You honour me, my most noble foe! But I am not deserving of your praise, for I am simply my Master's will personified. It would be ignoble of me to accept such compliments, for it is he who is the one truly deserving of your praise~! Right, Mas—MASTER?! A-are you well!?"
"You really need some training, you lackluster magus—it is unbecoming for someone like me to have a subordinate who I have to physically support after his every act of magecraft! As your Director, I command you to fix this unsightly behaviour as soon as possible!"
Ah, looks like Lily finally decided to turn around, all joy and smiles suddenly vanishing from her face as she catches sight of me half-sprawled onto the ground, with Olga's arms around me being the only thing stopping my unresponsive body from face-planting into the dirt.
I gotta agree with Olga here, ("I-I told you to stop calling me that—!) this trend of falling half-dead after casting magic is really getting annoying at this point!
"I extend my gratitude to you then, Master of Chaldea. I applaud you, for you truly must be no ordinary man to have such a Servant to serve your will—I advice you to take care of her, for you will need all the help you can for the next trial you will be facing soon after."
"Now listen here... I am no expert in biology, but I'm positive that you should not be able to stand, much less talk, with 90% of your internal organs vaporized."
Heracles lets out a chuckle, and I can't help but feel that it is a great improvement to all the snarling and roaring. A nice ol' stab can really go a long way to affect ones vocabulary.
"Defying logic and fate is one of the reasons I managed to complete my twelve trials in the first place, I am quite used to achieving the impossible by now. What I am not used to, and subsequently not very good at, is apologizing. But I must still try, for it is the least that you deserve and unfortunately the most I can offer, before I fade away."
Indeed, despite the strength in this words, his body was already turning translucent and see-through, as the edges of his profile glow and slowly breaks off into small pieces that evaporate into a separate plane of existence—as the greatest hero of Greece bows his head to me, and in a tone filled with regret speaks:-
"I sincerely apologise for attacking you, and your companions, with the intent to kill for no fault of your own. I was not in my proper state of mind—but that is hardly any excuse for my actions, so I express my regret for them, and my thanks, for defeating me and breaking me from the shadow's hold."
"... Apology accepted I guess, there's not much else I can say when you show me such sincerity! But, no offence, I kinda am pissed that I am the one writhing on the ground after winning, and you is standing there tall and proud and handsome, even after being defeated."
Am I being petty? Yeah. But I feel like I deserve this much with four unbelievably cute girls relying on me, and I can't even look cool at the end of it!?
"Isn't it most fitting, then? After all, you represent hope for the Restoration of the Human Order. And hope is not something that is delicate and fragile," And at both mine and Olga's inquisitive gaze, Heracles continues with the soft smile of a teacher imparting wisdom to his students. Compared to his battle-hungry snarl, I find myself somehow finding this stark change in expression to look much more natural on his face.
And with a final, almost fatherly smile, a gentle breeze blows in to carry off his remnants of light as his final words echo in the flowery wind...
"...Hope is a shield. Hope is a weapon. A means to weaponize love to use in a fight. People speak of hope as if it's this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider webs. It's not. Hope has dirt on his face, blood on his knuckles, the grit of cobblestones in his hair, and just spat out a tooth as he rises for another go."
.
.
.
"... Well, that was inspiring as all hell! Now take over and do your boss things, boss—wake me up when things have finally settled down."
"WHAT?! YOU CAN'T JUST PASS OUT AGAIN AFTER—/—Understood, Ritsuka~! May sweet dreams grace your slumber, Master, I promise you can rely on me to protect you as you sleep!"
"...With great power, comes a great need to take a nap."
And with those final words of affirmation from Lily, I finally let my body relax. And as the effects of adrenaline finally fade, tiredness hits me like a truck and seeps deep into my bones... and the last thing I hear, before passing into the land of dreams is—
.
.
.
"Hey... That's hell you're walking into."
Hehehe~! Cliffhanger are fun ;-) Also I just recently finished the OG Tsukiuime VN and am in the middle of Kagetsu Tohya, and I have to say I am still reeling from that emotional rollercoaster of the story, and so here are some memes cause I can barely keep that story out of my mind right now:-
Shirou: "I am the embodiment of hypocrite, and each route dissects my broken mind and desperate struggle between being a hero and being a lifeless life saving machine."
Shiki: "Hot red hair mommy gave me cool glasses and now I have a harem (and a case of depression from the True Ends)"
Shirou Emiya: "Time to literally break my brain to save the day again!"
Shiki Ryougi: "My goals are beyond your understanding."
Shiki Tohno: "SEARCH AND DESTROY."
.
.
.
And Shiki is now up there along with Shirou, and Yuuji from Fruits of Grisaia, as one of my favourite VN/anime protagonists EVER. He honestly has the very best one liners—Just says all that needs to be said in like one phrase and gets down to business. No bullshit just pure killing machine when the switch flips. Even in the remaster, "Showtime da, kyuuketsuki" is just straight up epic!
Shiki "Murder is based" Tohno, Shiki "White woman spotted" Tohno, Shiki "This chair is an eyesore" Tohno.
You better keep your eyes open, cause I will be writing a Fanfic with him as the main character—probably a crossover, though I haven't yet confirmed in which verse I will be putting him (and most possibly his harem) in. Give me any suggestions if you have any on what kind of story you might like with him as the MC!
And just cause this chapter's fight made me wonder how our other favourite Nasu-verse protagonist would deal with the obstacle that is Berserker, heres a little omake cause why not!
The hulking beast stood mere meters from the boy. A simple swing of his sword would be enough to cut him in half... No, a swing from such a massive weapon would simply crush him instantly. The monster looked down at him with nothing but killing intent in it's eyes. The first hit would be to kill, and no second hit would be needed—for that very hit would be the complete and utter end of him.
But the boy, through his glasses, just gave a dismissive look and let out an annoyed huff through his nose.
"How tiresome... move, or die."
He casually approached the deadly black giant, thinking of it only as a tedious chore and nothing more, and even through his madness, the monster seemed briefly surprised at such blatant disregard of his power.
Most people would be terrified at the prospect of losing their lives. But the boy in glasses danced with death at all times. He saw death everywhere he went, at any moment of the day. Death was just a part of his life. If he were to die here, he would only have to accept that fact...
...No, that wasn't it.
The boy just wasn't afraid. Because he knew he wasn't gonna die here.
He wasn't just being stubborn. It was simple confidence and nothing more.
His breathing was calm. His stance was firm. His look was defiant. He only had a knife in hand, only ten centimetres of ordinary steel against an axe of stone larger than a grown man... but it was all that he needed.
He tossed aside his glasses. A sharp pain immediately permeated his head. Too much information to process. A few seconds more of this, and his brain will stop working. That is, if his head doesn't suddenly explode from the effort of simply looking at his opponent.
But such thoughts were unnecessary for the job at hand, so the boy simply disregarded them as he focused on his prey, his soon to be victim.
Time stopped.
The beast lifted it's weapon, ready to swing at the boy, who stood calmly in his spot.
In less than a second, that weapon would touch the ground, and everything in between would be gone from this world, destroyed beyond recognition.
The boy spoke;
"...Don't get carried away, monster."
Almost mechanically, like his moves had been programmed into him from birth, his hand began to move with absolute precision through each of the "lines".
Nanaya Assassination Art:- Flashing Scabbard.
It was faster than any living being could possibly comprehend.
Only those who fell to that knife would understand that sensation.
And they'd remember it vividly on the other world.
It was faster than the blink of an eye...
... The knife that cut through Berserker like butter.
There was no effort.
There was no power.
There was no grace.
It was only death.
Shiki just killed a Servant.
.
.
.
Please leave a review sharing your thoughts—it is what motivates us authors to write more! Thank you all for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed it! Hope to see you in the next chapter as well, for now—hope you have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Adios!