Ici il y a des dragons Chapter 12
The Countess, The Count, And the Knight
Lancelot charged at the group with a loud roar. Artoria barely had time to block the incoming attack directed towards her. The Saber was pushed back a few inches from the impact, forcing Jeanne to attack Lancelot from behind. The Berserker effortlessly dodged the attack and swung Arondight at the Ruler. Jeanne blocked the strike, but was pushed back just like Artoria. Lancelot leapt into the air and brought his blade down in order to kill Jeanne, but the Ruler jumped out of the way in time, causing Lancelot to charge after her. Artoria took the opportunity to attack the Berserker from the side, but Lancelot dodged the attack, and returned his attention towards her.
Artoria blocked his incoming strikes with extreme difficulty. She knew that his Madness Enhancement didn't dull his skill and technique, but his ferocity was greater than what it was during the Fourth Holy Grail War. The Saber had to bury those thoughts when Lancelot leapt back as Jeanne swung her flag at him once more. The Berserker howled as he stared at the two women.
The Berserker then charged back at the Ruler, forcing her on the defense. Jeanne twirled her flag, blocking every strike she could but she was struggling with keeping up with the Berserker's speed. Artoria swung her blade at Lancelot, but he blocked the attack and grabbed Artoria by the arm, and threw her at Jeanne. The two Servants collided onto the ground, and had to quickly roll out of the way as Lancelot swung his sword downward.
Mashu took a step forward and readied her shield to attack the Berserker. Artoria brought a hand up to stop her.
"Stay right there and protect Ritsuka and Tatsuko, Mashu." The Saber said.
"But I-"
"Artoria's right." Jeanne said. "You are their last line of defense, so focus your attention on defending them."
Mashu turned back to look at the two Masters, and saw Tatsuko trying to get Ritsuka's attention.
"Hey partner, you alive in there?" The orange haired Master asked.
Ritsuka said nothing. His eyes darted back and forth, replaying the brutal scene he just witnessed in front of him. He was brought out of his stupor by the snapping of Tatsuko's fingers. He looked at the female Master with a blank, flat expression.
"I'm fine." He said. The two girls looked at him with slight suspicion. They knew he was lying, but they decided not to press the issue further, and watched the fight between the two female Servants and the Berserker.
Artoria swung her blade at Lancelot, and managed to strike his side, eliciting a howl from the Berserker. Lancelot then pushed the blonde Saber onto the defensive, striking with incredible ferocity. Jeanne attempted to attack from behind, but the Berserker dodged and kicked the Ruler away.
Jeanne hit the ground for a moment, before rolling away as Lancelot began to attack her in earnest. The Ruler got up and blocked a strike with her flag, and managed to hit the Berserker on the top of the head, disorienting the enemy Servant.
This was short lived, however, as Lancelot regained his bearings and blocked an incoming strike from Artoria, and renewed his assault on the Saber.
Artoria swung Excalibur and blocked Lancelot's overhead strike, but nearly buckled under the weight. The Berserker noted the opening, and swung Arondight at the Saber's side. Artoria blocked that strike as well, but was once again pushed back by the sheer impact of his blow.
"I can't believe that the Dragon Witch brought you over to her side." She muttered. Lancelot simply howled and attacked her again. The Berserker swung Arondight at her left, only to change course and swing it at her right side. Artoria managed to block it in time, but the impact caused her to shake.
Artoria then slid Excalibur off of Arondight, and thrusted it at Lancelot. The Berserker deftly parried her strike with ease, and swung Arondight close to her head. The Saber ducked and tried to cut into the Berserker's side, but the enemy Servant hopped out of the way, aimed at her chest, and thrusted his sword. Artoria managed to deflect the strike, and allowed Jeanne to get an opening to attack. The attack landed, but the Berserker did not even react. Instead, he grabbed them by the necks, and threw them on opposite sides. The two Servants hit the ground with loud thuds.
"ARRRRRTHUUUUUUURRRRRRR!"
Artoria got up slowly and hissed in pain. Her landing managed to cut her arms slightly, leaving a stinging sensation. The blonde Saber quickly tried to think of a plan to defeat her old friend, but she was unable to come up with any good strategy. While having her and Jeanne fight him together would wear him down faster, it also ran the risk of tiring them both out before they can face the Dragon Witch. The other option was for someone to stay back and distract him, but that ran the risk of getting overwhelmed by the Berserker.
A loud roar broke her thoughts. Artoria's eyes widened as she saw Lancelot charge at Jeanne. The Saber closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do.
"LANCELOT!"
The Berserker stopped in his tracks, and turned towards Artoria. The Saber gripped Excalibur, and pointed it at the enemy Servant.
"I'M THE ONE YOU WANT!" She shouted. "Your rage should be directed towards me!"
The result was immediate, Lancelot turned towards her, and howled.
"ARRRRRTHUUUUUUURRRRRRR!"
The Berserker charged towards her, allowing Artoria to have enough time to plan a counter attack. Lancelot swung Arondight at Artoria's head, but the Saber quickly blocked it with Excalibur. She turned her head to look at Jeanne and the Chaldean Trio.
"Get going, I'll be right behind you!" She shouted. "I'll keep him busy while you all deal with the Dragon Witch!"
Ritsuka was about to protest, but Jeanne quickly ran up to the Chaldean Trio, and grabbed the two Masters. The Ruler kept her grip on them as she and Mashu ran inside the castle while Artoria distracted Lancelot. Mashu looked back in concern as she watched the Saber fall to the ground and roll away as the Berserker tried to stab her. The Shielder then returned her attention back in front of her as she ran inside the castle.
A few minutes passed, and the four remaining members of the group made it deep into the castle. At a certain point, Ritsuka got a little light headed and Tatsuko needed to catch her breath, causing them to stop and rest.
"Okay, so Lancelot is here and on Dark Jeanne's payroll." Tatsuko muttered. "And if I remember correctly about what Artoria told us a couple of weeks ago, he's obviously not happy to see her."
"Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement." Ritsuka replied. "I guess Cú isn't the only one now to see the resemblance between her and Jeanne now considering he was attacking her just as much."
"Fair point." Tatsuko replied. "But that doesn't explain how he was summoned here. Like I know some of the Servants here have no ties to this land, but how does Lancelot get mixed up in this too?"
"Well he does have a relation to this country." Ritsuka answered. "Lancelot is actually FROM France."
Tatsuko stared at him in shock. "You can't be serious."
Ritsuka nodded. "While he was always a part of the Round Table, his stories originated in France. Then we take his name into account."
"His name?"
"Lancelot du Lac." Ritsuka said. "Du Lac is French for 'of the lake'."
Tatsuko raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't understand French."
"I don't." Ritsuka answered. "Doc just told me he was originally from France, and the surname was pretty self explanatory."
"What else did this woman teach you?" Jeanne asked.
"Just what she knew of history and each mythology." Ritsuka answered. The three girls said nothing at the answer, but they all agreed on one thing. Whoever Hannah Williams was, she was certainly a knowledgeable person.
"Does he have any weaknesses?" Jeanne asked.
"Queen Guinivere." Mashu answered.
Ritsuka nodded. "Well, she's not here, so that won't be an option. Besides, Artoria should know a few areas she can exploit."
"You're right." Jeanne said. "Okay, are you two good to go?"
Ritsuka and Tatsuko nodded, earning a smile from Jeanne. "Okay then, let's get going."
The two Masters got up from the floor and started to continue their trek alongside Mashu and Jeanne. Mashu continued to think about what was discussed, and she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Lancelot was supposed to be the strongest knight of the Round Table, and the earlier battle showed that in spades. He was able to handle both Jeanne and Artoria easily, but he had some gaps in his armor. Gaps that could be exploited to help Artoria win, and defeat the Knight of the Lake.
That thought gnawed at her for a few moments, and it made Mashu on edge. She knew that they needed to stop the Dragon Witch, but something within her felt like leaving Artoria to fend Lancelot by herself wasn't right. The lilac haired girl stopped in her tracks, and looked back at where the group came.
A few minutes passed after the Chaldean Trio and Jeanne had to leave Artoria to fend off Lancelot by herself, and the other battles raged on.
Liz and Carmilla panted heavily as they surveyed each other's injuries. While they were all minor, the two Servants glared at each other in irritation.
"This is...quite irritating. This "me."" Carmilla said in between breaths.
"Right back at you!" Liz shouted. "How did you get to be a Servant?"
Liz thrust her spear at Carmilla, but the Berserk Assassin blocked it with her torture device, and used the object to push Liz back. The Lancer fell to the ground with a loud thud, causing Assassin to laugh as she slowly got up.
"How you ask? Well the answer is simple."
Carmilla waved her hand, and a wave of blood shot forth, hitting Liz. The Lancer was swept off her feet again and rolled on the ground. The pink haired girl, now bathed in blood, gasped for air as Carmilla summoned her torture device over Liz's head.
"I'm a revered countess, feared by all. The finished product." Carmilla said. "I'm not like an unfinished product like you. I devoured fear and became an Anti-Hero."
Carmilla then brought her device down in order to crush Liz. The Lancer brought her lance in front of her, and prevented the device from crushing her, but the weight of it alone made her struggle. Eventually, Liz managed to push it away and got up and panted as Carmilla stared and pointed her staff at her. "But what about you?"
Liz raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"
"You devoured the existence that is me." Carmilla answered. "You simply refused to age, and feared being sealed away."
Liz widened her eyes in horror as Carmilla shot another wave of blood at her. The Lancer managed to spin her spear around, completely negating the Assassin's attack.
"From your perspective, I'm just a sign of your sin." Carmilla continued. "The guilt you brought upon yourself, the unassailable record of your murders!"
Carmilla snapped her fingers. Liz raised an eyebrow for a moment as she noticed the torture device behind Carmilla was gone. The Lancer then felt a chill up her spine. She looked behind her, and her eyes widened as she saw the device opened up, and surrounded her. Carmilla smirked as she balled her hand into a fist.
"Phantom Maiden!"
CRUNCH
The doors of the Phantom Maiden closed around Liz. The Berserk Assassin laughed as she saw drops of blood fall beneath the torture device. The door opened, revealing Liz's heavily injured body. The pink haired Lancer fell to the ground with a loud thud. Carmilla smirked once more as she took one last look at Liz, before turning her attention towards Mata Hari and Mozart.
"Now to deal with those pests." She said. The Berserk Assassin walked towards them with a sinister grin.
"That's right."
Carmilla's eyes widened. She looked back, and saw Liz getting up with a little struggle. Though she was badly hurt, she was still alive, and glared at Carmilla.
"You are who I really am, my final destination. The symbol of my sin, that no tears will ever change." Liz continued. "Denying you means looking away from the crimes I've committed. But that doesn't mean I can't take responsibility! It may be ugly self-deception, but I'll say it anyway!"
Liz panted for a bit before catching her breath. "I... I don't want to be like you!"
Carmilla laughed. "How foolish, we're spirits of the past! The future's already been decided."
"I know that!" Liz shouted. "But I'm saying it anyway! But that's not all."
The pink haired Lancer twirled her spear and smiled. "You're not going to harm Mata Hari and Mozart! Not while I'm still breathing!"
"Oh, and how do you plan on stopping me in THAT condition?" Carmilla asked mockingly.
Liz continued to smile. "WITH THIS!"
Liz slammed her spear to the ground, and summoned forth a spectral city, drawing everyone's attention. However, the most distinguishing thing everyone noticed was a large pair of speakers.
"Báthory Erzsébet!"
Liz reared her head back, and screamed at the top of her lungs. The French soldiers and every Servant covered their ears at the deafening shriek, forcing those that were able to cover their ears, while felling some wyverns and skeletons in the process.
Carmilla managed to cover her ears, but it was too late. By the time she did so, Liz stopped her screaming, and lunged at her with her spear. The Berserk Assassin coughed up blood as the spear ran her through, destroying her Spirit Core. The moment that was done, the city disappeared, and everyone resumed their fighting, barring a few participants. Liz pulled her spear away from Carmilla, who disappeared into golden dust.
Liz panted heavily, her vision was becoming blurry. The Lancer nearly fell to the ground, only to feel a pair of hands catch her, and place her on a scaly surface.
"Wh-who-"
"It's okay Liz."
Liz stared at the source of the voice. "Medusa?"
Medusa smiled and nodded. "Yes. It's me, and Kiyohime is here too."
"Kiyohime is here too?"
"I'm right here, Liz." Kiyohime answered. "You did great out there."
"Weren't you supposed to go with Puppy and the others?" Liz asked.
"Anchin said that I was needed out here." Kiyohime answered. "And to be honest, I am glad he made that call."
Liz smiled weakly. "I see."
"However, I am going to have to take a break from doing so." Kiyohime continued. "I'm taking you away from here so you can get some rest."
Liz raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"
"Liz, you're in no condition to fight right now." Medusa answered. "So please, let us handle the rest."
"But who will protect Mata Hari and Mozart?" Liz asked. "Someone needs to-"
"That's why I am here." Medusa said. "I will protect them in your place."
Liz breathed for a few moments before giving a slow, silent nod. Kiyohime then started to slither before Liz stopped her by placing a hand on her side. "Wait, before we go, I have to say something to you, Medusa."
Medusa walked back towards Liz, who reached her hand out to the Rider. Medusa gently took it into her own and nodded, causing Liz to smile.
"I did what you asked. I kicked Carmilla's ass."
Medusa gave a warm smile. "Yes, yes you did, Liz."
The Rider let go of Liz's hand, and allowed Kiyohime to slither away with the Lancer on her back. Medusa watched as they disappeared into the forest. The Rider took a deep breath before looking at Mozart and Mata Hari, giving them a soft nod. She then raised her weapons, and attacked a group of skeletons rushing towards them.
Not so far away…
The shining red spear clashed with Vlad's double bladed spear, none of the two warriors giving up. Their struggle was broken by a pair of flying swords which Berserk Lancer barely managed to dodge.
"You two are worthy opponents." Vlad said as he made some distance from both Cú and Emiya.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, you know that right?" Chaldea's Lancer spoke as Gáe Bolg started to shine deep red "I'm sure you know what's going to happen next, don't you?"
"I do. Someone will die here and now, but I can assure you, it won't be me!"
Swinging his weapon brutally, he managed to slice Cú and Emiya's arm, attacking in a way that the pair wasn't able to react to the hit. Emiya counterattacked, jumping towards Vlad and trying to damage him using his swords, but Berserk Lancer dodged the blow rather easily.
"Nice try." Vlad said with a chuckle.
Emiya smirked. "Good thing I wasn't even trying."
When Vlad caught onto what was going on, there wasn't time to escape. Cú appeared behind him and attacked with his spear. Vlad managed to avoid his body getting hit, but he had to sacrifice his left arm to the brutal attack of the celtic warrior.
Stunned, Berserk Lancer stumbled back, which gave Emiya the chance to attack, summoning his bow and Hrunting, using the sword as a projectile to try and finish his enemy off.
Vlad reacted as fast as he could, just enough to deflect the incoming strike, not fast enough to stop Emiya from quickly closing the distance and stabbing his chest using his dual swords. Cú followed up by launching his Gáe Bolg from a distance, with Emiya making sure that Vlad wouldn't be able to see the attack coming. Just before the strike connected, the Archer moved out of the way as the crimson red spear pierced right through Vlad's chest and through his Spirit Core.
The two Servants watched together as Berserk Lancer fell to his knees.
"Looks like this is the end of you. You put up a pretty good fight." Cú said calmly.
Vlad's right hand started to tremble and his hold on his weapon started to get weaker, his thoughts slowly faded out as his Spirit Core was mere seconds away from shattering . "If this is how… I fall… Then…I'll take you both to hell with me!"
The ground around Emiya and Cu started to tremble, with red spikes coming out of the ground and trapping the pair in place.
"Kazikli Bey!"
Using the last of his mana, Vlad unleashed a devastating Noble Phantasm against the two, the red tendrils flying at high speeds towards them.
"Get out of here."
"What?"
"Just do it!"
The tendrils pierced through the Servant, the sound of blood splashing everywhere, smoke covering the corpse that had been pierced by the attack.
"It is… Over." Vlad said, with the last of his magical energy about to fade away, the tendrils and spikes fading away, and then…
Schlick!
His eyes looked towards Gae Bolg, piercing his body from side to side.
From the smoke, Cu walked out, his entire body filled with stab wounds and bleeding heavily, but still standing.
"You're right, it is over. Small word of advice, always make sure your opponent-" he grabbed his weapon and pulled it out of Vlad's body, as it disappeared in golden dust. "Is down."
Cú slumped to the ground for a moment to catch his breath, Emiya slowly walked from behind the Lancer and knelt down next to him.
"You got me out of the way of his Noble Phantasm. I didn't know you cared so much for me" Emiya said. "Are you alright?"
"Not my first time getting stabbed like this Red." He said with a laugh "Come on, we have to-"
A loud growl was heard from behind them. The two Servants turned around and saw a pair of skeletons rushing towards them. Emiya got up and summoned Kanshou and Byakuya to his hands and readied himself.
However, the skeletons didn't even get close to him. Instead, they were completely destroyed by Louis's spear. The soldier looked back at Emiya and smiled.
"You guys okay?" He asked.
Emiya chuckled and nodded. "Thanks for the assist."
"Glad I could help." Louis said. "Though you have to admit the hilarity of this situation."
"I will admit the irony isn't lost on me." Emiya said. "Who would've thought that the man I tried to kill when I first stepped foot in this land would end up helping me?"
Louis laughed. "Exactly!"
Cú chuckled. "If Medea were here, she'd be laughing at this too."
"Not to mention she'd see Ritsuka really WAS right in stopping me afterall." Emiya replied. He then turned to Louis with a smile. "In all seriousness, I'm glad I didn't kill you that day."
Louis chuckled. "I'm glad too. Now, I have to get back to the battle. Good luck out there you two!"
And with that, Louis charged back into the fray. The two Servants smirked as the newly promoted Commander saved two of his fellow soldiers from a group of skeletons, and rallied them to help protect Mata Hari and Mozart.
Emiya watched as Cú got up slowly and readied his spear. "Well, what are we standing here for? Are we really gonna let a regular human show us up?"
Emiya chuckled as he allowed Kanshou and Byakuya to dematerialize, and summoned his bow. The Archer then summoned forth a blade, and shot it at a group of skeletons that broke through the French soldiers' ranks.
"Does that answer your question?" Emiya asked.
Cú chuckled. "Just try to keep up, Red!"
"That's my line." Emiya joked.
The Lancer did not reply as he charged towards the French soldiers to give them a hand. Emiya continued to fire his projectiles at the incoming wyverns and skeletons, but his smile faded. He thought back to what Artoria promised him, and it made him feel like something was wrong.
Artoria panted heavily before ducking from another of Lancelot's attacks. The blonde Saber slammed the hilt of Excalibur into the Berserker's gut, and used her free hand to backhand him away. The Berserker stumbled a bit before trying to renew his assault, but was quickly pushed on the defensive as Artoria began her onslaught.
The Berserker masterfully blocked all of the Saber's attacks as if he were fighting a child, causing Artoria to try and think of a new strategy. But her thoughts were soon broken as Lancelot grabbed her arm, and threw Artoria towards the castle. The Blonde Saber hit the ground multiple times from the strength of the throw, but did not hit the castle walls. The moment she stopped, she hissed in pain as she slowly got up and stared at Lancelot.
While she gained a few injuries from this battle, the same could also be said for Lancelot. The Berserker had many cuts on his armor, along with good sized dents. They were more or less on even ground, but the battle was leaning more and more towards the Berserker's favor. If only she could get-
Lancelot charged again, forcing Artoria on the defensive. The Saber blocked most of his strikes to the best of her abilities, but the Berserker managed to slip in through her defenses, and land a few more cuts. Artoria hissed in pain, allowing Lancelot to slam his fist into her gut.
The blonde Saber nearly doubled over from having the wind knocked out of her, but she continued to stand. The King of Knights saw Lancelot swing his sword overhead, and swung her blade to meet it.
CLANG!
Their swords clashed for a moment before Artoria used the momentum to deflect the strike. The Saber saw the opportunity to pierce Lancelot's Spirit Core, but the Berserker countered, copying what Artoria did and deflecting the strike.
Their clash went on for about a few minutes before Lancelot leapt out of the way from an incoming swing from Artoria, and landed a few feet away from her.
"What is he-"
Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the Berserker summon forth a large minigun. The gun revved up, causing Artoria to stare in disbelief.
"Oh bloody hell, you still have those?"
"ARRRRRRRTHUUUUURRRR!"
The Berserker fired his rounds, causing Artoria to raise her sword to try and block as many bullets as she could. The Saber knew it would be a futile effort, but she had to try.
But the bullets never hit her. Instead, they bounced off of her.
The Saber's eyes widened in shock. How did they-
"Artoria, are you okay?!"
Artoria turned to her left and saw Mashu, her shield glowing a faint blue hue. It would seem that the Shielder discovered a new skill.
"Mashu? What are you doing here?!"
"I came back to help." The Shielder answered.
"But what about-"
"I asked Senpai and Tatsuko for temporary leave to help." Mashu replied. "I just had this feeling like I should be here."
Artoria was about to protest, but decided not to. The Saber smiled at the Shielder and nodded. "Okay, then let us work together."
Mashu nodded and turned her attention back to Lancelot. The lilac haired girl brought her shield forward and took a deep breath. Magical energy surrounded her and Artoria, filling them with determination. The two Chaldeans rushed at Lancelot, who readied himself on instinct.
Mashu slammed her shield into Lancelot's helm, staggering the Berserker. This gave Artoria to cut into the Berserker's shoulder. Lancelot roared in pain before backhanding Artoria and lunging at her. Mashu threw her shield at Lancelot, sending the Berserker flying for a moment before he corrected himself, and lunged at Artoria again.
The blonde Saber didn't have enough time to dodge, but it didn't matter. The strike barely grazed her skin thanks to Mashu buffing their defense. Artoria took the opportunity to back hand Lancelot once more. The staggered Berserker then fell to the ground as Mashu kicked him in the chest. The lilac haired girl summoned her shield back into her hand and was ready to strike, but Lancelot rolled out of the way, and made another mad dash for Artoria.
The Shielder raised an eyebrow at this action. Why wasn't he attacking both of them? He didn't have any problems attacking Jeanne, so why was he ignoring her?
Her thoughts were soon broken as she remembered she was on the battlefield. She saw Lancelot close the distance on Artoria, and grabbed the Saber's arm. The Berserker howled in rage as he threw Artoria towards Mashu. The Saber hit the ground a few times before stopping in her tracks right behind Mashu. The Berserker roared and charged straight at them. Mashu immediately got in between the two Servants and slammed her shield to the ground in order to block the next strike.
Only it never came.
Mashu's eyes widened in surprise as Lancelot stopped his attack mid-swing. The Berserker lowered his sword as he stared at the Shielder.
"Ga-"
SCHLICK!
Mashu looked on in surprise as Artoria ran Lancelot through his Spirit Core with Excalibur. The Berserker coughed up blood as the sword was taken out of him. He fell to the ground with an audible thud. The Berserker looked to Artoria, and reached for her with his hand.
"My...king...I...please…"
Artoria knelt down, and took Lancelot's hand, clasping it into her own. "It's alright Lancelot, I forgive you. I'm sorry for all the trouble I put you through when we still lived."
The Berserker started to dissolve into golden dust. Artoria took a deep breath and smiled at Lancelot one last time.
"Rest well my knight."
Lancelot gave one last sigh before disappearing into golden dust. Artoria got back up, and looked at Mashu.
"Thank you for your help."
"I am happy to have been of use." Mashu said. "But…"
Artoria raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
Mashu thought for a bit, then shook her head. "It is nothing. I am sorry for concerning you."
Artoria nodded. "It is fine. Now please, go back inside the castle and help our Masters and Jeanne end this nightmare once and for all?"
"What about you?" Mashu asked.
Artoria surveyed the battle field, and noted two combatants missing. "I'll help out here. I get the feeling that Liz was too injured to fight anymore and Kiyohime decided to help her off the field."
Mashu's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no….."
"Do not worry, Medea is still out there." Artoria replied. "With any luck, they might run into each other and heal Liz."
"I see."
Artoria looked at Mashu and smiled. "Please don't worry about me, go protect our Masters."
Mashu gave a short nod before running back towards the castle. Artoria took a deep breath to get some air, and charged back into the field.
OC: Wow, that's three of the Dragon Witch's pawns down in rapid succession, and only her and two more remain.
CV: Death is coming for her, and she has no way of escaping.
OC: Yikes, a little dark man.
CV: I'm being edgy, she would probably like it.
OC: Fair enough. Oh shit! Vlad, I think there's something we need to say!
CV: Oh my god don't tell me I left the stove on.
OC: No not that! It's a special occasion for Fate Grand Order!
CV: Oh right, the Seventh Anniversary!
OC: Yep! So let's say it together! 1…2…..3!
BOTH: HAPPY SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY FGO!
OC: Okay now that that's out of our system, I will admit this chapter was difficult to write because we wanted to give satisfying conclusions to all these fights here.
CV: Right. The fights of this chapter were harder to make than others no doubt. Writing the Cu and Emiya vs Vlad one was honestly harder than the Medea and Heracles vs Atalante and for the life of me I just can't explain why.
OC: Well you started out strong with Cu taking Vlad's fucking arm off, but I think it was because out of all the fights this one didn't have as much personal meaning considering every other fight had the combatants have a connection.
CV: You're right, either way I tried giving it my all, especially with the arm part. I always liked fight scenes when a character loses an arm and just shrugs it off and keeps fighting.
OC: And I always liked fights where the villains aren't all invincible and god-like. I always like it when it's usually about even on both sides because you don't know HOW it will go. Just like the fight with Liz and Carmilla. And yes, we both did one of those fights each. I decided to write the Liz and Carmilla fight while Vlad focused on the three way fight between Emiya and Cú vs. Berserker Vlad. And out of the two, I feel like the fight between Liz and Carmilla might be the highlight because of how visceral and personal it was. Seriously, having Liz getting wrecked like she was, only for her to get back up, say that she doesn't want to be Carmilla, and then defeating her at the cost of being taken out of the fight really shows how much Liz wanted to help out her new friends, especially Mata Hari and Medusa. '
CV: You're right, that fight is definitely the best of this chapter. And honestly probably a good thing I didn't write it because I would've had Liz's NP blow Carmilla's skin away like in a Mortal Kombat fatality.
OC: I don't think she'd have the power to do that.
CV: It's sound based, so maybe.
OC: Probably, but either way I'm starting to like the interactions between Medusa and Liz for some reason. Having Liz reaffirm, and basically tell Medusa what she did was SO adorable. It's like a little sister or a daughter trying to tell their older sibling or parent "Did I do well?" And it really puts a smile on my face.
CV: True, it's very cute and it shows a different face to both of them. Now don't tell Stheno or Euryale or they might get jealous.
OC: Or maybe they'd just take the opportunity to welcome Liz into the family and tease her to know end as well. You can never tell with those two.
CV: Yeah that's true.
OC: Though speaking of Sneks, I must say I'm actually glad seeing Kiyohime assessing a situation, and deciding to help out someone who she was about ready to kill not a few chapters ago, and taking her away to safety. Who would've thought that those two would actually start burying the hatchet so soon.
CV: Look at you, you're becoming a Kiyohime lover.
OC: LMAO! OH THAT'S CUTE! You actually think I'm starting to like her! Sorry to burst your bubble, but I still can't stand her. I might like how we are WRITING her, but I still hate everything she stands for.
CV: Sure buddy. First step is denial.
OC: Well in any case, for the first scene, I couldn't help but listen to Lancelot's theme from Fate Zero when he was fighting Jeanne and Artoria. It really sets the mood that he's this Dark Souls boss, and that he is truly the strongest Knight of the Round Table even as a Berserker.
CV: Even as a mad dog, he still puts up a pretty good fight. I mean, if he was already tough in Zero when limited by a, let's be real, shit Master, imagine what he can do when he's being supported by a no limits Holy Grail.
OC: Oh dear God…that is a terrifying image. Though I will say it makes me glad Mashu stepped in when she did.
CV: Came in just in the nick of time.
OC: Yeah, honestly I think it was necessary for her to do that in order to let her have a moment to shine in this Singularity. All she really did was fight some wyverns, defend an army, block Tarasque and talk to other Servants, so I thought that she should at least fight one of the enemy Servants alongside another Chaldean Servant so as to show the danger of the Berserk Servants under Jalter's control, and to also set up the upcoming fight with Jalter vs Jeanne.
CV: The end to the game's first official Singularity is close, which would make Septem the next in line. Oh, how excited I am to write Septem.
OC: Well that won't be for a little while at the very least. We still have a couple of surprises in store for you, our loyal viewers. Please stay tuned next week for Chaldean Chronicles, and for the crazy battles we have in store!