Return to Null Chapter 16:
The Hunt begins
Silence hung over the Chaldean Caster and the Tohsaka patriarch as they stared Zouken down as he continued to grin at them. The decrepit old man sighed in mock disappointment as he tapped his cane on the ground three times, making the two men even more unnerved. He then turned to the older Waver with a curious glint, which still did nothing to hide his sinister aura. "I know of you all being from other timelines. May I take it as a sign that my 'other' self didn't interfere with the Fourth Heaven's Feel in your time?"
"Hard to say." The black haired Caster answered, trying to stall for time. "I wasn't even aware of your existence until a few years after my version of the Fourth Holy Grail War."
"My my, you're not as smart as you look." Zouken replied. The older man then turned his attention to Tokiomi, his grin opening wide. "And as for you, Tohsaka, how foolish must one be to be so easily manipulated?"
The older Waver wasted no time, drawing his fan out and fired multiple magical bolts at Zouken, trying to give them a distraction. He didn't like the idea of wasting energy right now to fight, but he had to buy some time before help could come to him. He turned to Tokiomi with a fierce look in his eyes. "Run back to where everyone else is!"
"Hah! As if I would run from a challenge such as this!" The Tohsaka patriarch yelled out. The black haired Caster clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had no time to argue with the man, but he had to get him to safety somehow. The older Waver muttered a few incantations in Chinese to try and teleport the Tohsaka patriarch away from the area, but a swarm of bugs forced him to blast them away to prevent them from getting close.
"Ritsuka, he's here already."
"Okay, just hold him off until I arrive." Ritsuka replied telepathically. "Just keep Tohsaka safe!"
Tokiomi and Waver heard the cackling of Zouken ring in their ears as he formed around them with his insects. "Haven't you heard of the old saying to beware an old man in a profession where men usually die young? Neither of you will be much of a challenge for me!"
Waver muttered more incantations in Chinese, and with a wave of his hands, the three men were instantly teleported to the ground level. Zouken simply formed into a swarm of insects, charging at the Caster in the blink of an eye. The elder Waver swung his fan, creating a huge gust of wind to scatter the insects, and Tokiomi fired two bolts of magical energy to support him. "Consider us temporary allies for now. As long as Berserker is ruining my moment of triumph, it would be low of me not to respond."
"Of all the….Just get to safety already!" The Caster shouted.
"You are a Servant, and I am a magus." Tokiomi countered. "We should be more than enough to handle him."
"Good job on getting to the ground floor." Ritsuka said to Waver telepathically. "Unfortunately that bug-loving creature left a few surprises for me, and now I'm going to be all tied up for a bit!"
"Try to get one of your Lancers to disengage from fighting Assassin to help you then." Tokiomi said, joining the telepathic conversation.
"Mr. Tohsaka?! Why are ya on the line?!"
"How about instead of arguing, you both try to figure something out!" Waver shouted telepathically.
"Not arguing, but fine. As for Mr. Tohsaka's suggestion, calling either of them won't work right now. So why not pop a Command Spell to get Assassin over to both of ya?"
"I'll try!" Tokiomi responded. The Tohsaka patriarch tried to raise his hand to activate his Command Spell, but a swarm of insects latched onto his arm, burrowing into his skin immediately. White hot pain seared into Tokiomi's body as he felt the bugs wriggling within his arm, as if they were finding something. That was the exact moment he felt the first bite within his arm. The bugs started gnawing at his flesh, but for all the pain coursing through his body, Tokiomi did not scream. He merely groaned and hissed as his arm was being eaten from the inside out. Ritsuka and Assassin saw this happening from their respective corners, and could only watch in shock and horror from what they were witnessing. Gilgamesh, on the other hand raised an eyebrow in amusement and curiosity. This was a certainly surprising moment for his former Master, he was actually getting to be a little interesting, if only mildly so.
"Lord El-Melloi II!" Tokiomi shouted. "Slice off this arm of mine and burn the stump!"
"Understood!" Without missing a beat, Waver used a sharp gust of wind to slice off Tokiomi's arm, and immediately rushed to his aid to apply some fire magic to burn the wound shut, making sure to sterilize the area first to make sure no eggs could possibly survive.
Zouken could only cackle maniacally as he reformed from the swarm. "You'll have to do much better than that to get the drop on me!"
Tokiomi used his remaining hand to grab his staff, shooting a stream of flames at the elderly magus. Zouken simply dissolved into a swarm once more until the flames disappeared, before reforming into a corporeal form. "You really shouldn't be playing with fire in your condition, Tohsaka."
The elder Waver did not waste any time, firing bolt after bolt of magecraft at Zouken. The elderly magus decided to show off a bit, and simply dispelled all of his opponent's attacks with simple barriers. "You really ought to know to not attack your superiors, boy."
Ritsuka looked at the traps surrounding him and gritted his teeth. He had no time to get rid of all of them carefully, so he had to risk a possible chain reaction. With a clap of his hands, he shot out several ice shards from his pack and pierced the seals around him. Much to his surprise, the traps deactivated without so much as blowing up in his face, but he could not stand there for long, he had to stop Zouken from getting to Tokiomi. The young man ran at full speed once more, hoping he could reach them in time. However, Zouken would not make it easy for his two opponents. The elder magus dissolved into a swarm of bugs, flying around Tokiomi's and the elder Waver's blasts. He soon materialized behind the Tohsaka patriarch, but the Chaldean Caster immediately set up a barrier to protect Tokiomi before he could even strike. Unfortunately, Zouken grinned at the elder Waver, sending a chill up his spine. "You left yourself open, fool."
Waver widened his eyes in shock as he heard the buzzing of insects behind him. He only had enough time to look back and see several flying insects, the same kind that burrowed into Tokiomi's arm, coming right at him. The Caster shot down several of them before they could reach, but the remaining two managed to latch on to him, and burrowed into his body. The elder Waver hissed in pain for a moment before using some of his mana to kill them before they dug further, and pushed them out of his body. "That trick won't work on me like it did Mr. Tohsaka."
"You're still too green to be acting all smart around me."
The Caster widened his eyes in shock. He turned around to see Zouken was already behind him. He turned back to Tokiomi and saw that Zouken wasn't behind the Tohsaka patriarch. When did he get behind him like that?! He couldn't waste time thinking about it, and conjured a stream of fire to try and burn Zouken a bit. The elderly magus simply chuckled as he turned into a swarm of bugs again, and in doing so, expanded the swarm to greater numbers. The insects formed a vortex around the elder Waver and Tokiomi, cutting them off from any possible assistance. The elderly magus cackled as he sent several insects to cut into his targets, making them hiss from the stinging blades. He could simply kill them now, but there wouldn't be any fun with that, so why not take his time….?
"Take this, asshole!"
Zouken could only listen with surprise as a small wall of ice erupted on the left side of the vortex, trapping and killing some of the insects. Zouken immediately took physical form, seeing Ritsuka had finally joined the fray, and smiled at the young man. Ritsuka, on the other hand, looked at Zouken with a cold glare, the elderly magus noted just how the glare was outright threatening, like he was trying to scare off a lesser man. The black haired boy suddenly turned his head, as if outright dismissing Zouken's presence and faced the older Waver and Tokiomi, both of them bleeding from the shallow cuts they received from the insect vortex.
"Get Mr. Tohsaka outta here." Ritsuka said, his voice chilly yet controlled. "That thing is mine."
Zouken chuckled lightly. "A thing? Well well, I must admit, it's the first time I've ever been called that."
Ritsuka did not respond, making Zouken feel insulted, the elderly mage scowling at the disrespect. Ritsuka did not care, and in fact, was hoping to get some kind of reaction like that from the contemptible creature. "What're ya two still doin? Get goin!"
"And let you have all the glory? I think not!" Tokiomi shouted.
"Don't argue! Ya gotta listen to us just this once!"
"Why should it matter?" Zouken asked mockingly. "All of you will be dying anyway."
Tokiomi scoffed at the old man's retort and looked at Ritsuka for a moment. He did understand they were in an uneasy alliance right now, but that didn't mean that he would just let the boy do something to ruin their chances of victory. Much to Tokiomi's irritation, the boy did well in surviving this long, but there was no way he'd be any real help in fighting against Zouken. Perhaps he could show some…..mercy to the boy, and let him watch as he defeated Zouken himself. With his one remaining hand, Tokiomi pointed his staff at the ground beneath Ritsuka's feet, and summoned a ring of fire to surround the young Master.
"Have you lost your bloody mind?!" The older Waver shouted.
"Do not fret, the boy is perfectly fine." Tokiomi replied. "I merely imprisoned him there. Now, the two of us can-"
"Ya dumbass! Ya need to get outta here!" Ritsuka shouted.
Before Tokiomi could retort, he heard Zouken's laughter as the elderly magus quickly formed into a swarm of insects again, attacking both him and the older Waver before they could prepare. Gilgamesh rolled his eyes in disappointment, having felt let down by Tokiomi once more for ruining his entertainment. He turned his gaze to the younger Waver, the young man seemed to have calmed down, but it was easy to see that he was still confused about everything. "You there, keep watching alongside me in case things get interesting again!"
The young man snapped out of his trance and looked at the King of Heroes for a moment and nodded. As he watched, he couldn't help but realize the two Lancers and Assassin were continuing their battle….but their Masters were fighting this old man, who must be Berserker's new Master. The other's fighting Berserker, he could understand, but this other battle between the three…something didn't seem right. "Why are those three still fighting?"
Gilgamesh looked at the young man curiously for a moment, before seeing the other fight before him. "Ah, you are correct. You have good eyes, boy."
"They should be rushing to help their Masters…" The young man muttered. "Why aren't they?"
"Your older self is fighting alongside Tokiomi and my new Master." Gilgamesh countered. "Why should anyone else intervene?"
"It still doesn't sit right with me….."
"Well talking won't solve the problem." Gilgamesh said. "Just keep watching, instead of overthinking it."
The young Waver looked at Gilgamesh with slight disapproval for a few moments, but decided to not voice his objections. It wouldn't solve anything now, and he knew it. He was no longer a Master, so there wasn't anything he COULD do…
Meanwhile, the group facing Berserker could do nothing but try to keep out of his range, lest he knocks them aside. Kiritsugu was still by Irisviel's side, the white haired woman was now starting to show how bad her condition really was. Her skin was even more pale, her body looked thinner, and she was sweating.
"Is there anything I can do to make you comfortable?" He asked.
"My my, first you tried to kill me twice, and now you are concerned for my health." Irisviel said weakly. "Did my charming personality finally get through to you? Or were you just waiting for the right moment to finish little old me?"
Kiritsugu kneeled their for a few moments, wanting to comfort her. But he couldn't figure out the best way to do so, but he knew he had to try. Without skipping a beat, the Counter Guardian gently placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, thinking that's what she'd have wanted. Unfortunately, he didn't even notice that the woman was slightly disappointed, for she was hoping that he'd hold her hand…..
"I will not lie, when I was first sent here, I had every intention of killing you." Kiritsugu said calmly. "But after getting to know you, I think doing so now might not actually be the best answer."
Irisviel stared at him weakly, but it was clear she was surprised at his answer. "Are….are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Yes. I want you to live."
Irisviel said nothing, her face relaxed yet stony and devoid of any hint of emotion. Kiritsugu simply stared at her for a few more moments, wondering if he said the right thing to her. However, he soon saw the woman slowly trying to get up, albeit with a lot of difficulty. "Can you please help me up?"
The Counter Guardian did as asked, the moment she was on her feet, Irisviel took long deep breaths, trying to keep her body from failing at this point in time. She knew her body wasn't in the best condition to fight, but Kiritsugu's words somehow managed to reinvigorate her to an extent.
"Ritsuka once said that I should be the one to decide my own fate right?" She muttered. "After being told how I should live, what my purpose would lead to, I simply accepted it, thinking that was to be my fate. But now…I realize it was the fate others decided for me, not my own."
Irisviel clenched her fists, then relaxed them trying to keep herself from giving into her body's failing systems. She couldn't falter now, not when so many people are fighting for her….no, it wasn't just because they were fighting for her, but for themselves, and their desire to go home.
"I want to live." Irisviel said. "And I will not let anyone else decide that for me."
"With how things are going, that wish will be fulfilled, no doubts about that." Kiritsugu said. The two of them proceeded to rush towards the others to finally aid them once more in fighting Berserker. The armored Servant swung at Saber, but the woman dodged at the last second, allowing Emiya to try and take him out with his twin blades. Berserker roared and blocked the Archer's strikes before viciously slamming his fist into the Counter Guardians face, before attempting to cut off his head. Mashu was upon him before he could even swing, but the maddened Servant simply pushed her away, not even swinging his blade in her direction. The Shielder recovered from the force of his push, realizing they might need more help to take Berserker down.
"Senpai, can you please ask Cú and Mr. Diarmuid to break off their battle against Assassin and aid us?" She asked telepathically. "I do not think our forces over here will be enough!"
"I wish I could help with that. But Tohsaka decided to trap me in a wall of fire so he could beat Zouken on his own!" Ritsuka responded. "I have to focus on breaking through, and then I can get them to come over to you."
"I see…..then in that case, I shall have to keep Berserker busy. He has been avoiding attacking me for the most part. I shall try to find a way to exploit that."
As if to make it easy for her, Mashu saw Berserker savagely punch and kick Saber to the ground. The maddened Servant smacked Emiya and Kiritsugu as they attempted to stop him, and resumed his assault on Saber. Mashu immediately rushed in and threw her shield at Berserker, the attack landing with a loud THUNK.
Berserker was immediately thrown off Saber, hitting the ground a few feet away. He dodged and rolled as Emiya and Kiritsugu fired their blades and bullets at him, and was forced to deflect a few with Arondight. As soon as he got back on his feet, he saw Mashu, having retrieved her shield, standing in between him and Saber like a protective wall. The lilac haired girl stood there resolutely, sternly staring at Berserker, and waiting to see what his next move would be. However, he did not move, and instead stared back at her. Mashu studied him curiously, she could have sworn that she saw not just his posture, but his entire presence, softening…..
Unfortunately it did not last. Emiya and Kiritsugu tried to attack him from behind, but Berserker sensed their presence, turning around and blocking their strikes with his sword. With his free hand, he brought out an Uzi, and began to shoot at the two men. Emiya and Kiritsugu easily evaded all of his bullets, and retreated to a safe distance to use the opportunity to shoot back at him. Mashu rushed in to bash Berserker in the head with her shield, knocking him down briefly before he tried to knock her off her feet.
"Is it me, or does he seem to be vulnerable to her?" Emiya asked.
"As long as it gives us time to breathe and rest for a few moments, I don't care." Kiritsugu replied. The two of them watched as Mashu got back up and surprised Berserker by punching him in the helmet. Unfortunately, Mashu regretted that decision as she felt a sharp pain course through her hand. Looking at her hand she saw some blood spilling from her torn glove, and some tiny cuts on her knuckles. But she did not let this stop her, and proceeded to use her uninjured hand to punch Berserker in the gut. The Shielder did not relent in her assault, and kicked him in the chest before he grabbed her leg and gently threw her to the ground. Berserker tried to reach Saber, but Mashu used her legs to sweep under him, tripping him to the ground. This gave Irisviel time to reach Saber first, and started to apply the best healing spells she could muster.
"Berserker is much stronger than I thought…." Irisviel muttered.
"It means that his new Master has much more mana than the old Master…" Saber said slowly. "We just…have to wear him down until he slips up."
"How do we do that? He's not even slowing down…" Irisviel replied.
"Lady Mashu is the key…" Saber answered. "He's not going all out on her, so she can keep fighting longer than the rest of us…."
"Then we have to figure out a way to keep the pressure off of her too." Irisviel said. The white haired woman gasped, eyes widened and darting back and forth in a frantic manner. Saber felt her heart sink in despair as she saw her Master clutching her chest, gasping for air before falling to her knees. Kiritsugu saw this and immediately rushed to her side, still shooting at Berserker to help Mashu get some relief in the melee. However, the Shielder saw this, and her heart stopped, her blood starting to go cold in fear. Berserker sensed her hesitation, but could not respond as he felt a spear knock him back. Berserker tried to get up, but Cú and Diarmuid were faster, the two Lancers stood over him and kept him pinned with their spears.
"Go to her." Cú said to Mashu. "We can keep him here for now, just make sure she's okay!"
"Understood!" The Shielder rushed to the white haired woman's side, with Emiya not far behind her. The group saw her breathing heavily, continuing to gasp for air, but they did not know what was causing it.
"I'm okay…..I think I just overexerted myself a bit…." Irisviel said weakly.
"Then please rest for now," Mashu replied. The Shielder turned to the two Lancers wanting answers. "Where is Assassin?"
"Helping her Master and Lord El-Melloi II in dealing with Berserker's Master." Diarmuid replied. Berserker took the opportunity to grab the Lancers' spears, and threw them off him, and onto the ground. The armored Servant howled in frustration as he knocked the two Lancers down again just as they got back on their feet, and ran straight for Saber. Emiya was the closest to her, and immediately blocked Berserker's attack with his own blades. Saber leapt to her feet, having regained some of her strength, and slashed into his visor. Unfortunately, she didn't get far as Berserker caught her blade as it hit his helm. The maddened Servant used Excalibur as leverage and threw Saber into Emiya, knocking both of them down. Mashu leapt in and smacked Berserker over the head with her shield, but Berserker merely bonked her upside the head, and knocked her down. The two Lancers and Kiritsugu attacked next in unison, but Berserker slashed deeply into Cú's chest, and smacked Diarmuid across the face, knocking him out. However, Cú did not even let his injury bother him, and kept on pressing the attack.
"You're gonna have to do much better than that to kill me!"
Meanwhile Assassin leapt behind Zouken in a hopeful attempt to take him down from behind. The elderly Magus continued to grin as he turned into a swarm of insects and got behind the elderly Waver. The Caster tried to fire off a few spells, but Zouken used some of his bugs to cut into the Servant's skin in multiple areas. As that was happening, Ritsuka finally managed to break free of Tokiomi's trap, and rushed to the Tohsaka patriarch's side. Tokiomi was shaking in his suit, the fear and realization finally coming to him that he bit off more than he could chew…..
"I told ya to run, ya arrogant idiot!" Ritsuka shouted at him. "But noooooo, ya just had to let your damn ego get in the way, and now look where that got ya!"
"There's no way…." Tokiomi muttered. "Just how powerful is he…."
"Run." Ritsuka said. "And if ya don't, I'll have Lord El-Melloi II grab ya and run instead."
"Run….." Tokiomi muttered in anger. "I am a Magus! Each and everyone of you has tried trampling over my pride, and I am sick of it!"
The Tohsaka patriarch attacked Zouken with a huge stream of fire from his staff. For just a brief moment, Ritsuka saw Zouken's face twist slightly, before erecting a barrier, causing the flames to bounce off. Ritsuka stood there, narrowing his eyes as he tried processing what just happened. That was the first time Zouken didn't turn into a swarm of insects to get away from an attack. Zouken then cackled a bit, making the Tohsaka patriarch feel more despair. "Awwww, don't look at me like that, Tohsaka. I just felt some slight pity for you, so I decided to throw you a bone and not turn into a swarm when you attacked."
Ritsuka raised an eyebrow at that statement. Something didn't add up with his words. Doubt filled his mind for a moment, but he quickly shook it out of him. The young Master decided to try to start his plan in earnest, despite the alteration, and clapped his hands together. With a wave of his hands, he brought out some of the water from his pack, and shot it at the barrier like a missile. Unfortunately, the water missile splashed harmlessly off the barrier, causing Zouken to cackle. "So much effort for a puddle of water?"
The elderly magus lowered his barrier to make his attack on the two Masters, but Ritsuka grinned, and clapped his hands together. "Ya got that right!"
Before Zouken could blink, Ritsuka turned the water that splashed off the barrier into ice spikes, piercing Zouken's feet in seconds, and killed some of his bugs without even a sound. Ritsuka then proceeded to try and freeze Zouken completely, but the elderly magus chuckled as he melted the ice back into water. "You don't seem to understand who you are facing, boy."
"Oh I do know our differences." Ritsuka said. "I also knew that fighting ya was a foregone conclusion."
As if on cue, Assassin and the elderly Waver attacked Zouken in unison. Zouken used the water Ritsuka attacked with against the Servants, forming a shield of ice to deflect their attacks before using his insects to attack all four of them at once. Ritsuka was grabbed by the insects closest to him, and hoisted in the air. The young man tried to get free, but he could not reach them from where they were. Zouken grinned at the boy, knowing he could only watch now. Assassin and the elder Waver saw the insects coming to them form into giant hands, with the Caster shooting fire at them, but it wasn't enough to stop them outright. They were eventually grabbed, and thrown far away, with them landing close to where Gilgamesh and the younger Waver were watching. The two of them watched as the Caster tried to get up, but the wounds and fatigue finally set in, and he fell to the ground again, conscious, but no longer able to fight. Assassin, on the other hand, got up slowly, her head ringing from the impact of hitting the ground, but as soon as she regained her bearings, her eyes shot open in fear. Her Master was in danger! Assassin rushed as fast as she could, but it was already too late. Tokiomi did not have time to defend himself, with his right arm gone, he could not muster his attack in time to save himself. The bugs targeting him formed into one giant blade, flying towards him at great speed…..
SCHLICK!
Silence rang throughout the battlefield aside from the beating of hearts. Everyone looked in horror at the scene before them as Assassin fell to her knees. She felt her body failing, her vision getting blurry. She could only watch as they saw Tokiomi groan in pain as his body was hoisted into the air, and started to shrivel as his blood was being sucked from his body, until he was nothing more than a dead husk. With a lazy flick of their blades, the bugs threw Tokiomi's dead body to the ground, barely recognizable. The purple haired woman soon fell to the ground, unable to move anymore. Zouken released Ritsuka and cackled. "For a moment, I thought Tohsaka would win by boring me to death! Guess I was worried over nothing."
Ritsuka didn't say a word to him. Instead, he walked over to Tokiomi's corpse, and knelt down. He took in the image of his face twisted in pain and fear into his mind, and took a deep breath. He may not have liked him much, but he didn't deserve to die like this. The Chaldean Master glanced at the younger Waver, and the young man glanced back. Without uttering a word, the young Waver started to move away from Gilgamesh.
"And where do you think you are going, boy?" Gilgamesh asked sternly. The young man turned to face the Archer, his face stoney and full of resolve. No hint of fear or hesitation was shown in either his eyes, or posture. It was clear to Gilgamesh that the boy now realized the truth of Rider's intent. He intended to help Chaldea in any way he could the moment he saw the Grail, even if it meant his death.
"My king told me to live." The young man said calmly. "I intend to honor his final order. And anything less will simply not do!"
Gilgamesh looked at him sternly for a long pause. But the young man did not flinch or care. Soon, a small grin formed on Gilgamesh's face as he let out a chuckle. "Well said, boy. Rider would be proud of that answer!"
The younger Waver did not respond, but gave a curt nod before walking away towards his goal. The young man made his way to his older self, still struggling to move, but failing. The former Master knelt down and applied the best healing spell he could. "I'm going to need your help…"
Meanwhile, Ritsuka returned his gaze back to Tokiomi's body, and closed the dead man's eyes gently.
"Oh come now, Tohsaka is more interesting as a corpse than when he was alive." Zouken said mockingly. "Though, I suppose you and him are-"
FWOOSH!
Zouken's eyes widened in shock as a small wave of flames shot towards him. The elderly magus had just enough time to barely get out of the way, but in the process, several of his insects died from the fires. His eyes still widened in surprise as he saw the bugs burning, twisting and rolling from the pain of their incineration until they were naught but ash. That flame came out so quickly, but the boy shouldn't be strong enough to use two elements, so how did he do that?!
Ritsuka slowly got up and stared at Zouken, his eyes cold and harsh as he clenched his fists. "Ya talk too much."
Zouken wasted no time and summoned another swarm of bugs to deal with the boy while he would head over to Irisviel to finish his plans. Ritsuka saw his enemy trying to make a break for it, and shot pillars of flames from both his hands, burning the bugs sent to attack him, and at Zouken personally. The flames hit both their targets without fail, with the attacking bugs being immolated on impact, and Zouken being burned on the side. The elderly magus grunted in pain from the attack, the burned bugs forming his body slaked off, but were replaced by new ones to heal himself.
"Keep your eyes on me, ya damned cicada skin." Ritsuka said softly.
"On you?" Zouken asked. The elderly magus laughed at the thought. "You're barely worthy of my notice, with how weak you are!"
"Ya don't have to remind me how much weaker I am compared to ya. I know that already." Ritsuka countered. "But I also know you're past your prime as well."
Zouken grinned in amusement. "Oho, aren't you the cheeky little larva. You know, I had been spying on you occasionally ever since you defeated Archer. And you were always so kind and gentle to everyone, and yet here…..you seem different. What could possibly be the reason?"
"Ya know what ya did, creepin on Mashu like that, and I ain't lettin that slide." Ritsuka snarled. "Besides, there's an entire laundry list worth of stuff against ya too."
"Is that so?" Zouken asked in amusement. "Well, it's a shame you won't be able to defend that…..lovely beauty's honor."
Ritsuka's scowl grew bigger, his irises shrunk in anger. Zouken took note and chuckled. "I get it now! You're sweet on the girl! Oh how precious! That'll make my plans all the sweeter…."
The elderly magus sensed an attack from behind, and saw another water missile coming straight for him. Zouken turned into a swarm to get out of the way, and reformed again in annoyance as Ritsuka stared at him calmly, yet spitefully once more. "Ya really do have a hard time payin attention, ya piece of filth."
Zouken regained his composure and chuckled sinisterly. "You certainly have spirit, little larva. I think I'll enjoy taking my time in shattering it."
"Oh is that what ya think?" Ritsuka asked. A small chuckle left the young man's lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh that ain't gonna be happenin, ya damned old fossil."
The elderly magus raised an eyebrow in slight amusement at the boy's mirth. It would seem he was easier to get a rise out of than he thought. Or perhaps he was just as cocky and arrogant for someone so youthful. Or it-
"It could be both, right?" Ritsuka asked. "I know ya were thinkin it, so don't even try denyin it. It was written all over your face. Let me make this perfectly clear, I never took pleasure in hurtin people."
The Chaldean Master covered half of his face, staring Zouken down without a hint of fear or terror. In fact, in Zouken's eyes, the boy was as calm as could be. A part of him was annoyed by his lack of respect, but he couldn't help but feel a little impressed at the boy's bravery here. It would make his defeat and despair all the sweeter.
"But not this time." Ritsuka hissed. The young man tilted his head to the side, his icy stare hardened as he clenched his fist. "This time, I'm gonna show ya what happens when ya mess with the people I care about. I'm gonna break ya, and make ya wish ya were never born."
"Come now, idle threats will not help you here."
"Oh, that ain't a threat, it's a damn promise!"
Zouken tapped his cane twice on the ground, and a swarm of beetles carrying the remains of the water missile Ritsuka shot at him earlier flew straight at the Chaldean Master. Ritsuka clapped his hands together, and brought forth more water from his pack before turning it into ice shards. With a fluid motion he flung them at the majority of the insects coming towards him, killing them instantly, but two of the beetles survived, diving in and cutting into the boy's skin. Ritsuka did not flinch or even show any hint of discomfort. The elderly magus scanned the boy's movements, his posture, everything he could in order to find any blindspots to exploit. Unsurprisingly, it would seem the boy simply allowed those two beetles to cut him, as if he were taunting him. Ritsuka quickly raised his hands, and two streams of fire erupted towards Zouken. The elderly magus was ready this time, and fired a blast of water to douse the flames. As the two elements collided, Ritsuka ducked to his left and created two more streams of fire from his palms. Zouken tapped his cane, and a swarm of beetles flew right towards the black haired Master. Ritsuka clicked his tongue in annoyance as some of the bugs survived the flames and caught him in their mandibles before roughly throwing him a few feet away from Zouken. The elderly magus grinned in delight as he saw the boy on the ground. This ought to make the boy realize the gap between them, and make him sweat a bit. However, the elderly magus soon felt a wave of disappointment and annoyance within him as he saw the boy get up without a hint of fear or uncertainty. Ritsuka simply dusted himself off, and stared at his opponent calmly, his jacket now showing some damage. Without uttering a word, the Chaldean Master cracked his neck to loosen the muscles, only to quickly go on the offensive by clapping his hands, before shooting fire from one hand, and using the water around the area to create more ice spears to shoot at Zouken. The elderly magus tapped his cane and conjured another magic barrier to protect him from both attacks. He couldn't exactly see clearly through the smoke and frost, but he could swear he saw the young boy grin.
The Chaldean Master felt a sense of excitement in all this, something he didn't expect to feel in such circumstances. When Tokiomi fired at him earlier, Zouken made the same barrier to defend himself, but played it off as him feeling pity for the man. However, that wasn't true. Tokiomi caught him by surprise, and would have hurt him if he was faster. This could only mean one thing. Zouken's reaction time had a limit, and he could exploit that by making sure to time his attacks so Zouken wouldn't be able to keep up.
"You shouldn't be daydreaming in the middle of a fight, boy." Zouken said, having gotten behind him when Ritsuka wasn't paying attention. "It's bad for one's health."
Ritsuka swung his arm behind him, sending forth a whip of fire to get some distance between him and the elderly magus. Zouken simply deformed into a swarm of bugs away from the attack and reformed a good distance away. The decrepit old magus summoned an even bigger swarm of insects to surround the boy. Ritsuka tried attacking with more water and ice, but there were too many of them, and they eventually slammed into him, and bashed him into the ground several times. After a few more moments, Zouken recalled his insects away from the boy, and saw him lying face down on the ground, some fresh blood streaming down. The elderly magus walked towards Ritsuka, grinning in sadistic glee. He wished he could play with him more, but perhaps it would be more interesting to end his life here. But he wouldn't let the insects do the work this time, no no, he would kill him personally. As soon as he was standing right above the Chaldean Master, Zouken raised his cane, intending to pierce the boy's head. He would end this all in one swift-
FWOOSH.
Zouken's eyes widened briefly as Ritsuka quickly shot up and two streams of fire shot out of his palms, engulfing Zouken's entire body in flames. The elderly magus quickly used the surviving bugs to fly away to safety, and slowly reform using some spare insects he had on hand to recover from the surprise attack. Ritsuka slowly got back up, blood dripping from his forehead. With one fluid motion, he took off his tattered jacket, revealing what he had underneath, making Zouken widen his eyes in surprise.
The boy had some sort of large tank on his back, and it led to some tubes that connected to some strange devices on his wrists…. The elderly magus then realized exactly what this was.
The boy had made two makeshift wrist mounted flamethrowers!
"I bet you're wonderin how I made this." Ritsuka said with a grin. "Ya see, we both have a….mutual acquaintance. Someone who is very unhappy with ya, so they helped me make this to teach ya a lesson."
"Mutual acquaintance….?" Zouken muttered.
Ritsuka's grin faded as he nodded. The Chaldean Master soon raised his right hand and aimed it at Zouken, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Now let me make one thing clear here. I ain't trapped in here with ya. You're the one who's trapped in here with me."
OC (Eating popcorn): Ohhhh this is gonna get good. You want some popcorn?
Y (Making kettlecorn): I've got my sweet kettlecorn ready. For good moments like this.
OC: Ohhhh you can't go wrong there either. Hi everyone, we're still alive! We've just been hibernating because of the Summer event on my end, and Yatsu having some personal matters to take care of, but it's all good. And what a day to end the chapter after seeing the new Summer Servant line up AND the three awesome PV's! Seriously, I was pretty excited this morning with what I saw.
Y: Yep yep. Mama REDACTED was both gorgeous, adorable, and THICC. Would give her the good tuna fish and headpats. Xu Fu is also very cute, and I was wondering if her kit is connected to Paisen? And the other one…well, I'm excited for Anni 9 as well. Already on a better run compared to Anni 8.
OC: Shhhhhh, we don't talk about that one! In any case for this chapter we have done something that hadn't been done since last year, and that was not having any scene changes, and stuck to one big scene instead. Mainly because as this arc is nearing the end, it feels wiser to stick to this kind of format.
Y: Yeah, if it works it works. The tools must be adjusted for the material, not the other way around, to quote a certain someone. It was also fun to have some Magus v Magus fight scenes, as they can have more intimate fight scenes which can feel a bit lost in the big spectacle of Servant fights.
OC: Personally I'm not exactly fond of Zouken's exact way of fighting not because he can turn into a swarm of bugs, but because of the fact that he has to be so OP that "only a nuke can take him out" sort of BS. It kinda takes away from any physical torture that the heroes could actually inflict on him just so they can make him feel the pain and anguish he put others through.
Y: Technically it was described as a satellite orbital bombardment, but yeah. I think Nasu was trying to invoke a similar but lesser feeling from Nrvsqr Chaos, who needed Anti-Continent firepower to take out through brute force, but Shiki's form of killing was able to bypass it. But if it makes you feel any better, it is a VERY unpleasant form of existence. Enough so that Illya channeling Justeaze was able to make him give up his grip on life.
OC: Eh, that still feels merciful in my opinion. But getting on track, his battle against Waver and Tokiomi became much harder for us mainly because of how to properly implement Tokiomi's eventual death, and how it would cause a bit of a dilemma for the heroes. We had one idea in mind, but after Yatsu mentioned a little tidbit, I realized I made a mistake, and we had to switch gears to what we had now. And at the very least it gave us a very….disturbing end for Tokiomi.
Y: Yeah…funny how the serendipity gave a good setup for that. I was reminded of the brain bug scene from Starship Troopers. The little succing noise and seeing the brain matter get slurped out the guy's head was magnificent! It scared me of bugs for years cuz I watched it when I was 8. ?. Well, that was definitely what I was imagining, but with blood instead of brains.
OC: I was not aware of that, but hey it definitely worked. And it gave us a nice scene between Gil and the younger Waver where Gil reassures Rider would be proud of Waver for what he's decided to do. And yeah, Rider basically knew when Gilgamesh showed up, he was a dead man walking. But he also knew that maybe his death would be needed for everyone else, Waver included, to survive. That's just how off the rails this War got.
Y: Yep, a bit of a sadness since Big Waver wanted to do a no (undeserved) death run, but still lost Tokiomi. And yeah, Iskander is just the sort of person to walk to his death without a single hesitation or doubts as to his fate.
OC: And now it led to the beginning of Ritsuka versus Zouken! This was actually something that Vlad and I discussed briefly before his death, but the details and methods that would be used was mainly from Yatsu's mind. And oddly enough, after discussing this moment with him for the past few months, I am actually really hyped about it.
Y: Writing fight scenes can be a tough one. One's first instinct is to be as descriptive as possible so as to provide the maximum experience to the reader, but go too far and you can also drop some out of the fight as well. It's a fun challenge though, and having an open system with potential for creativity adds a lot to the fight scene as well.
OC: But more importantly is how we have Ritsuka act here. And for once, he's getting rid of any shred of restraint in order to give Zouken the verbal and physical torment he rightfully deserved. Actually having Ritsuka being so verbally nasty to Zouken was oddly satisfying, and it actually is a good hint of foreshadowing of some later points hehehehe.
Y: Kinda surprised the Zero Event has blown up this much, but there was a lot to expand upon from the original. It helps that the original Zero Event was very well-regarded, so feel pretty good to be working on this one. I'm curious as to whether there might've been more planned, though that might be slight paranoia. There's talk that Urobuchi, who was invited to write for the Zero event and LB3, might not have had enough time to wrap anything up. Dunno if there's any solid evidence one way or the other, but would explain the rather shorter runtime
OC: Personally I was surprised with how long this took too. But oddly enough it had become more satisfying that way. Especially for this final showdown between Ritsuka and Zouken, because it's a proper fight against one of FSN's original main villains, which I feel was sorely needed.
Y: Tell the story with what it needs to be told, Confucius (maybe). Though yeah, one of the Singularities has a younger Zouken show up, but he's mostly there to be used as a vessel for another Demon Pillar. This gives a more visceral fight than just another Demon Pillar boss battle.
OC: More visceral, and also just downright brutal. But Zouken isn't going to make this easy. He is one of the more powerful Mages for a reason, and it isn't just for show. Ritsuka's gonna have his hands full.
Y: Zouken is a stubborn bastard, that's for certain. That's a classic amongst Nasuverse villains; they always find some way to stay alive even when they shouldn't.
OC: Or having them be extreme in their ideals instead of thinking with actual logic. That's another one.
Y: Can always count on them to have very long and passionate rants devoid of logic except for what flies through their coked up brains.
OC: Then there's the funny vamps. They're crazy, but fun!
Y: Arcuied is indeed a Temptress Funny Vamp. Just girl things.
OC: Indeed. So glad I managed to get her AND max her skills out! Anyway that's it for this chapter for Chaldean Chronicles. Thank you for stopping by, and be prepared for the next chapter! Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off!
Y: See ya everybody! And remember…roll for love.
