Hi everyone and welcome back to the beginning of chapter 18! So sit tight, get on your most preferred reading position because it's time, for the Jeanne duel!
Let's start the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: All the Nasuverse characters belong to Nasu and are property of Type-Moon, with the exception of the OC's that belong to me, the author.
Fate Apocrypha OST- Hope
"Hey, Jeanne." An older woman called out for her.
"What is it mother?" A much more matured Jeanne D'arc asked her mother as she helped her bring the water from the well to their house at the end of the afternoon, the sun slowly hiding into the horizon.
"Did you really had to forgive that boy?" The mother asked to the young woman. "He called you such awful things. Someone who calls my daughter those names don't deserve such forgiveness."
"Oh please mother, don't be like that. He's still young and a bit immature. Everyone around my age is a bit like that." Jeanne tried to explain to her mother.
"But you arent. You were always so well behaved and benevolent." The mother smirked. "Guess it was truly the Lord's blessing to have you as my child."
"Well, I try not to let anger go up my head. Those feelings will only hurt us in the end." Jeanne said as the two reached to the small area of their house. "After all, that's what I learned by going to church all sundays. We should forgive one another and not embrace the devil's emotions. Altough I'd say there was one time were I may had felt anger."
Jeanne's mother looked at her daughter with some curiosity. "When?"
"It was some years ago. When I heard a kid with my age insulting you when we where playing with other children." Jeanne looked at the ground, trying to hide her sad expression from her mother. "At that time...I felt something within me, burning in my head and chest. I tried to not pay attention to with but, the more I tought about it the more I felt that sensation grow. I know we where kids and all but, I just...couldn't forgive him at the time. Sometimes I asked to myself, if the devil himself was trying to tempt me with that? If this anger was his-"
"Jeanne..." Her mother stopped Jeanne's talk and looked at her with a small smile. "There was no devil's work in there. You just felt like any other kid would." She went to hug her daughter.
"M-mother?" Jeanne stood there, not knowing how to react at her mother's sudden hug.
"The fact that you are my daughter is already motive enough for me to love you. You don't need to forgive anyone or exclude any anger within you." She looked at her daughter with a warm motherly smile. "In the end, I'll always see you as my dear child."
"Dragon Witch! I'll kill you not because of personal hate! But because of justice for all the suffering you have commited!" Jeanne shouted to her evil counterpart, her sword in hand and ready to fight it's opponent.
Jeanne Alter lowered her head, her eyes covered by the hair. "So, you do really hate me uh?" She asked to her original self.
"With all sincerity, yes I do." Jeanne replied with her alter, with no single hint of lie in the words she speaked.
"Yet, you will kill me because of justice rather than hate?" Jeanne Alter rised a bit her face, a glare of dissapointment on her eyes.
"Yes. Bringing justice to those who died and suffered because of you over these last days is more important than the hate I have torwards you." Jeanne replied again.
Hearing that, Jeanne Alter sighed. "Oh well then..." She smiled at the same time she brushed her hair with her hand. "Guess that's your opinion in the end." She said in almost a defeated tone.
But looking with attention, Jeanne spotted some flames growing into her alter's left hand. She was just pretending.
"Hehehe. Right." Jeanne Alter laughed a bit, bringing an hand to her face. "How righteous of you, a saint after all..." she murmured to herself, before deciding to finally drop the act. "What a load of fucking BULLSHIT!!!"
Jeanne Alter launched her flames that grew wildly torwards Jeanne.
Jeanne quickly avoided the flames, that went to surround the two in a now small arena for them to fight.
"Hahahaha! This is fucking hilarious and infuriating!" Jeanne Alter shouted as she sprinted in Jeanne's direction, her sword burning in flames. Already next to her, she and Jeanne clashed once again, with the maiden's sword resisting to the witch's flaming one. "And I don't know wich one of the two I should feel more right now!!!" Jeanne Alter screamed in utter insanity, pushing Jeanne away from the clash.
"So now, you finally admit the hate inside you! That you always had it! And you still want to play as the saint and morally superior one here?! Pfahaha ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" Jeanne Alter laughed maniacally as the flames around the two were getting more intense. "Seriously Jeanne D'arc...fuck you!" Jeanne Alter smiled wickedly at Jeanne. "The fact you and I are the same must be an error. No way I could be such a pretensious bitch like you!" She growled in anger.
"Are you done Alter?" Jeanne asked the Dragon Witch with all her seriousness. "Or will you rant some more instead of fighting?"
"Oooh, developing a sharp tongue now saint?" Jeanne Alter smiled, approaching her sword to her own face. "I'll make sure to cut it alongside the rest of your body."
"Self-Modification!"
Jeanne Alter runned torwards Jeanne after using her skill. Seeing that her alter self wouldn't save efforts to kill her, Jeanne decided to do the same.
"Revelation!"
The two runned torwards each other, both sword and flag poles in their hands. Jeanne was fighting to save France while Jeanne Alter was seeking to destroy it. Two persons identical in appearence, but different in the mind.
As the two were in one meter of distance from each other, Jeanne swinged her sword first.
"Heh!"
Jeanne Alter was expecting for it and instead of swinging her sword too for the clash, she bowed her back, dodging the blow.
"My turn!" With a small opening available, Jeanne Alter cut Jeanne in the chest. Altough the hit wasn't that fatal, it was enough for Jeanne to retreat a bit.
"Tsk!" The maiden of Orleans touched her wound but still had her eyes locked on Jeanne Alter who happily stared at her now blood drenched sword.
"What's the matter saint?" She licked the blood from her sword. "Scared?" She mocked Jeanne, who didn't respond.
"Despite being in rage, she's still with her head in battle. Her hate is a fuel to her. I'll have to be careful." Jeanne analyzed.
"After I'm done with you I'll proceed to kill those clowns you are with." Jeanne Alter burned her sword, cleaning the blood. "And then all of this shitty country called France." She took some steps upfront. "Only then will I have my revenge complete!" She threw more flames.
Jeanne ,with her flagpole, was able to cut the attacks. "I'll make sure you won't!" She rushed torwards her alter.
"Then dodge this!" Jeanne Alter casted more flames to throw at Jeanne.
Jeanne, never letting her focus slip, dodged the first attack, jumped over the second and finally cut the third. "Dragon Witch!!" She screamed with determination, pointing her sword to the alter's chest.
"No you won't bitch!" Jeanne Alter put her flagpole in front of her body, ready for the impact.
However, Jeanne quickly took a step to the right and change her sword's trajectory slightly to the right.
"Wha-"
Jeanne's sword manged to pierce Jeanne Alter in the right side of the abdomen. The saint quickly took it out of her alter counterpart body.
"cough cough" Jeanne Alter's mouth spited some blood out. "F-fuuuuuck!!!" She screamed in rage. "This was only a lucky strike!"
"Then I'm more than willing to show how wrong you are!" Jeanne proceeded to attack her, leaving small time for Jeanne Alter to recover from the wound.
The two Jeannes went on clashing with their swords.
"You hahaha, I bet you were waiting patiently for this moment right?" Jeanne Alter smirked as she continued to clash her sword with Jeanne. "To see your weapon nailed in my body ever since you've first saw me. You can be with all that serious and stoic face from the outside, but I know damn well you're smilling from satisfaction on the inside. That justice crap is only an excuse to not show your full hatred." Jeanne Alter smiled devilishly. "Admit it saint, you're as monstrous as me. After all my rage is also yours."
"Shut up!" Jeanne used her strenght and pushed Jeanne Alter away.
"Ahahaha! What is it saint? You don't like hearing the truth?" Jeanne Alter smirked.
"I've already said I dislike you Dragon Witch. I was clear when telling you that." Jeanne replied.
"Then why aren't you using that hate now? Why are you holding back what could be your greatest ally in this battle?" Jeanne Alter asked a bit annoyed.
"You only want to see me at my lowest. More low than my first days here in this Singularity. Killing me in such state would be satisfying to you right?" Jeanne revealed her alter intention.
"Hmphm! Not wrong at all. "Either way, with or without hate..." Jeanne Alter's sword made sparks with Jeanne's sword. "You'll end up dying anyways!"
The maiden and the witch clashed fiercely until Jeanne Alter used her left leg to kick Jeanne in the stomach and stabbed the saint's shoulder with her sword.
"Gyaah!" Jeanne let out a scream in pain.
"Hahaha! Say goodbye to your arm!" Jeanne Alter moved her sword within Jeanne's shoulder, trying to cut the maiden's arm.
Jeanne cleenched her teeth, trying to ignore the burning pain. "Gggrrrrr!!!"
"Scream saint! Or try to pray to your god now! If he truly existed he would help you right now would he? Then where is he now?! Like where he was when we were being burned at the stake?!"
Jeanne grunted, already biting her tongue in order to not scream from the constant pain coming from her shoulder. "Gggghhh!!"
"Come on! Scream!" Jeanne Alter shouted, smilling like a psycopath.
"Ggrraaaaaaaaaaaah!!" Jeanne muster all her strenght in her body and slowly started to stand on her feet.
"Ghg! H-How?!" Jeanne Alter wasn't believing on what she was seeing.
Jeanne scream wasn't one crying for help or begging for mercy or even reacting to the pain. It was a scream of a soldier and warrior that had once led an entire army to the battlefield during the Hundred Years War. With the sword on the other arm, Jeanne powerfully stabbed Jeanne Alter in the stomach.
"Blourhhg!" Jeanne Alter vomited blood and immediatly took the sword out of Jeanne's shoulder. The saint decided to do the same and took the sword out of Jeanne Alter's stomach, dripping blood.
The two took some seconds to recompose themselves from the wound they had inflicted on each other. Jeanne was thankful that her shoulder was still intact and able to move. As she was inspecting it, she could only hear Jeanne Alter's rageful scream. A scream of a being that had nothing else but hate in the soul.
"WHY!?!?" Jeanne Alter yelled in frustration. "Why won't you die?!" The Dragon Witch had already lost all her patience and composure. Her head and blood was boiling in full rage in seeing her saint counterpart still on her feet. "Maiden of Orleans!!!" Jeanne Alter launched herself at Jeanne.
Jeanne blocked the Dragon Witch's attack. The first of Jeanne Alter's assault.
"You had nothing! NOTHING!" Jeanne Alter continued her attacks relentlessly. "Everyone hated you and despised you like me! This country is your own enemy! They never saved us! So why save them again?!"
Jeanne soon find an opening on Jeanne Alter and saw the grip of the Dragon Witch's sword getting a bit loosened. That was her chance. Jeanne quickly hit Jeanne's Alter sword and flew away from her hand "Because..." She remembered of her mother, Marie, Gilles and everyone that helped her on this Singularity. "I'll never hate control me!"
About to have her face pierced by Jeanne, Jeanne Alter made a desperate move and put her hand in front of her face, being perforated by Jeanne's sword. Having no time to think about the pain, Jeanne Alter let go of the flagpole in her other hand and quickly grabbed Jeanne's face with it.
"Hm?!" Jeanne saw how Jeanne Alter quickly turned the tables to her favour.
"BURN BITCH!!!!" Jeanne Alter shouted and concentrated all the flames into the hand holding Jeanne's face. Immediatly, the flames erupted like a flamethrower on Jeanne's face, burning with huge intensity. It continued like that for some four seconds. Powerful flames that could desintegrate any normal human and possibly defeat a servant. Jeanne Alter had used all of her mana power on those flames. Eventually they died down with Jeanne Alter still holding Jeanne's face. The saint arms went limp, showing no sign of resistence.
"Hehehe..." Jeanne Alter panted and sweated. She was completely exhausted and drained from all her stamina. "Finally..." She said with a tired smile. Altough she didn't want to admit, Jeanne fought well. Well she was her after all, but even then the Dragon Witch didn't expect to have such a narrow and hard fought win against the Maiden of Orleans. "Keh..! Stupid saint..! See what happens when you dont let the hate flow inside you." She looked at the ground, seeing her own sweat drop to the ground. "Now...those mices are next!"
A tight grip on her arm made Jeanne Alter look back at Jeanne. The dragon witch was shocked with what she was seeing. "No fucking way..." She hissed, her face showing both anger and utter shock.
Jeanne's hands were pressing Jeanne Alter's arm, the one that was grabbing the saint's face. The Dragon Witch could only ask to herself how much strenght Jeanne had to keep going on.
Fate Apocrypha OST- Confronting
"This...isn't over..yet!" Jeanne said as her tight on Jeanne Alter's arm would get stronger. Through the tiny gaps of her fingers, Jeanne Alter could see Jeanne's charred face, her skin almost totally blackened. Despite that, Jeanne's eyes were still with a will to fight, that she still had some fighting in her.
Jeanne Alter didn't say nothing, only watching as Jeanne was releasing her face from her hand by sheer strenght. "What drives her...to keep fighting this hard?"
"Dragon Witch..!" Jeanne got her face free from Jeanne Alter's hand. "Your revenge ends here!"
Summoning back her sword, Jeanne sliced Jeanne Alter's arm, forcing the Dragon Witch to let Jeanne go from her grasp.
"Gah!" Jeanne Alter screamed in pain.
"God's Resolution!"
All of Jeanne Alter's body immediatly freezed on the spot, not being able to move a single muscle. "What the hell is this?!"
"Punishment. For all the tears and blood you caused." Jeanne's flag unfolded to the hot winds of the flames. With the sword on the other hand, Jeanne was ready to end this. "Dragon Witch! Upon my blade you shall know divine chastiment! Your actions are about to meet their consequences!" A shinning yellow aura surrounded Jeanne's body.
Jeanne Alter gasped. Another fatal blow from Jeanne would certainly end her. "No! Wait!" Jeanne Alter tried to move desperatly but her body was stuck, not being able to move even a muscle.
"Time to pay for your crimes!" Jeanne flagpole started to shine intensly, as if God himself had blessed the weapon.
"No! It can't end like this! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Jeanne Alter screamed as she tried with all her strenght to move her arms.
"La Grondement-"
Before Jeanne Alter could use her Noble Phantasm, Jeanne dashed torwards her enemy, ready to strike her with her shinning flagpole. Jeanne Alter couldn't do nothing but to watch slowly, her eyes contemplating the light coming out of the flagpole.
"Did I...lost..?"
"Jeanne, Jeanne."
Jeanne Alter heard a familiar voice in the blank space she was in.
"This voice..." Jeanne Alter walked a bit more until she saw a figure appear in front of her. There was no doubt it was her. A voice that could pacify her raging nature.
In front of Jeanne Alter, the mother stretched her arm to her daughter, offering the Dragon Witch her hand. "It has been difficult, hasn't it? You must feel devastated. How about you close your eyes and rest for a bit, Jeanette?" She asked to Jeanne Alter, smilling.
The dragon witch could only feel one thing at the moment. Grief. Her chest filling up with pain, as if something was stuck in it. Her throat also felt the sorrow and her eyes were starting to tear up. All of her hate and rage were gone, replacing a vengeful and bloodthirsty corrupted warrior with a sad and broken young woman who was being offered rest by the face of someone who was once dear to her.
"Mother..." Jeanne Alter went next to her mother and hugged her, tears falling down. "I'm tired...of all of this...I just want to spend time...with you, father and everyone at the village again...just like...those simpler times."
As the light of Jeanne's flagpole went out, Jeanne Alter looked down at her own body. Her entire stomach had been impaled by Jeanne's flagpole, creating a hole in her body.
"Your revenge has failed. You've lost the battle." Saying it with a stoic expression, Jeanne took out the flagpole from Jeanne Alter's body as the flames around the two had extinguished.
The battlefield was calm. No sound of fighting or weapons clashing. And the sky was no more full of wyverns or grey clouds, instead being totally free of the creatures and with a clear blue alongside some white clouds. The giant ring was also there, present during the whole battle and fights that took place in the area outside the castle. The field was no more filled with evil creatures and servants who would eat peoples's body and drink their blood. Now, it was the stage for a grand battle. A battle wich the allies from Jeanne's side were all still standing, walking torwards Jeanne who was near the castle gates. It was a very clear sign of who had won this battle.
Jeanne Alter fell to her knees and hugged herself, trying to stop the bleeding from her belly. She saw all the fellow servants and allies of Jeanne behind the saint. It was real. She had lost. No servants left to help her. Jeanne Alter couldn't do nothing more.
"You..." Jeanne Alter took a look at Nala who was so with the group behind Jeanne. After the saint she was probably the second person she hated in this Singularity. "I should have killed you...when I had the chance back then.." She angrily lamented, reminding how she chosed to spare the girl instead of killing her back when they met for the first time.
"But you didn't. That was your mistake." Nala replied to Jeanne Alter, stepping a bit forward and standing next to Jeanne. "However, if it wasn't for that mistake, I wouldn't be able to see how much I still have to learn and also..." Nala turned her head around to look at Peko, Ritsuka and Mash. "...I wouldn't be able to see them again." She smiled to the trio, who all smiled back. "So despite of all the awful things you did, I have to thank you for that."
"Are you...trying to rub your victory on my face...you damn brat...?!" Jeanne Alter tried to stand on her feet, only to cough more blood and fall on her knees again. Even in defeat, she was a sore loser.
"Do you have any memories of our family?" Jeanne asked to Jeanne Alter, the question catching the Dragon Witch by surprise. "If you are me, then you surely must remember it."
"Yes...I do..." Jeanne Alter weakly tried to stand up again. "Moments that you took away from us...by indulging into your savior of France fantasies..." Jeanne Alter took deep and long breathes. Just to talk was getting very hard for her at this moment. "You replaced a happy life that we had...to have a miserable ending...left alone to die by those you and I served...I'll never forgive you...for that-cough cough" Jeanne Alter coughed. "I'll make sure...to haunt you forever Jeanne D'arc...for as long as you exist...I will coexist within you...cursing your soul and mind..."
"But what if you can be more than that?" Jeanne asked to her alter who raised an eyebrow as response. "I acknowledge you as my own dark feelings who were ignored by me until my death. I too have a part to be blamed in all of this. To keep you silent even in my most dire situation was a mistake. One that led to your creation." Jeanne tought about the conversation she had with that mysterious figure. "But, if there's a next life for all of us, then perhaps there is for you as well." Jeanne looked at the blue sky. "A life that is more than hate and revenge. One where you can perhaps live happily again, and be your own person instead." Jeanne looked at Jeanne Alter. "No mere copy or feelings of Jeanne D'arc, just being yourself with your own likes. So my alter, even if I dislike you, I hope you find peace and redemption in your next life."
Jeanne Alter didn't know if she once again should laugh or be angry at the words of her original counterpart. "I..don't give a fuck...about your words..." Jeanne Alter said harshly to Jeanne. "Because of you...I'll never find peace...I won't rest..until I see you in the mud just like me..!" Jeanne Alter painfully picked her sword from the ground. "And this...isn't the end...I'll-huh?" Jeanne Alter suddenly stopped talking as she heard something on her head. "G-gilles..? Do you want...me to go back..? W-why..?" Jeanne Alter's eyes were more calm and serene. "O-okay Gilles..I'm coming back..." And shortly after, Jeanne Alter dissapeard in front of Jeanne and her allies.
"She's gone?" Ritsuka asked, not knowing if Jeanne Alter was gone for good.
"Then it means we've defeated all of them! The Dragon Witch has been defeated!" Mash almost exclaimed happily.
"No. Not yet." Jeanne said seriously, not even looking at the shielder. "I knew I didn't heard that name wrong..."
"There's still more?" Peko asked to Jeanne.
"Yes. Still one left to be exact."
Fate Apocrypha OST- Affection
In the throne room, Jeanne Alter now in a moribund state, walked to the throne."That damn saint...talking about me having a redemption...How dare she..?" Jeanne Alter slowly sat on it, her vision already getting blurry as the sunlight penetrated through the holes on the roof of the room.
"Jeanne..." To her right, Jeanne Alter looked at the man standing next to her. Gilles de Rais. Her one and only friend throughout this whole Singularity. The only person she could always trust and rely on. In the end, she wasn't alone. "I'll deal with those intruders. You just worry about taking a rest now."
"Gil..les.." Jeanne Alter's body was starting to dissapear. This was really the end for the Dragon Witch. But Jeanne Alter instead just smiled in seeing her friend besides her in her last moments. A smile with no vile intentions. "That's...right...You will crush them..." Jeanne Alter's breath were getting slow. "I'll wake up...with you already having the job done...just like you've always done so..in the battlefield.." Jeanne Alter closed her eyes, her smile still standing on her face as Gilles sadly watched his friend vanish. "I trust you...Gilles..."
And the Dragon Witch was gone, leaving no trace behind. The main menace of the Singularity no longer present. Now, only her right hand man was left, waiting for his friend killers to arrive.
"Rest well, Jeanne..."
To be continued...
Moderate chapter that was dedicated for the whole Jeanne vs Jalter fight.
But before we talk about that let's see another review:
Brakamononga- ah i see, so i must perceive this story in a similar light to the animated adventure movies, rather than animes. And i definetly agree on both of them being samey to ritsuka and mash if they're teenagers. btw are their powers based on a certain myth/religion?
Well, I'd preferably see this fanfic as more of a jrpg or shounen anime with a demographic of 12-18yr olds. (I mean that's why I classified it as T) But I admit it's also a bit of a violent shounen haha. (Well, shounens this days are also getting violent. Even DBZ back in the day used to have some level of violence that some shounens in the present used to lack). But hey, if you see it as an animated adventure movie, there's no problem in that as long as you're enjoying it. You can even see this as some weird soap opera. What matters is if someone is liking or not.
And about Peko and Nala's powers. Well, you probably already figured it out at this point that their power involves light and stuff. Light magic? Certainly. Now how did they got that? Are they from some specific tale/religion OR based in either of the two? Hmmm, unfortunately for story specific reasons, I can't answer that lol. You'll have to try and figure out as the story goes along and more clues are dropped.
Now back to Jeanne vs Jalter fight. It was the most important of the fights at the end so of course I would give that it's own chapter. Next one will be the final fight against Gilles de Rais and the end of Orleans. Ah...I'll miss it a bit. But it's also good seeing the story going forward. We had our time with Orleans, and next chapter will be time to say goodbye.
Just like I'm about to say goodbye now!
Anyway folks that's all I wanted to say and see you next time on chapter 19! Peace!
P.S: Also behave this Christmas or a wild Karna will appear on your step door to deliever you an upper hook.
