2nd Battle

Archer VS Lancer

Home: Shining Lancer of Germany

Attacker: Mad Archer of Finland


The bustling city of Berlin at evening, a site for evil and good of humanity to triumph. The people here strive and fight against change, a mixing of feelings regarding the past and future. Now, it hosts a contest for writing. Faust, a young magus with dark hair and plain clothes is guarded by a purple haired man in a stylish outfit, though it borders on fashion-sin.

"Master", the servant asks for the boy's attention. "Is it truly wise for us to be up and about like this?" He kneels down to look at the boy writing on his phone, he whispers "... there's that recent 'terrorist' attack in Athens. I strongly advise us to avoid these kinds of places..."

The master dismisses the worries of his servant. "Lance, please don't...", he saves a long text. "... damn, only five-hundred... Anyway, I just... I didn't even want to be here."

"Here-?"

"This... war. My family has been dragged around in the name of 'greater things' for years. I just got out of another spring of bullshit with my grandfather, I won't make my family's magecraft be used to take part in wars."

'Lance' frowned, "but that is not what is going to happen. Whether you want it or not, you are a master and I am your servant. We are going to end up mixed in this."

"Tell that to 'Einstein'...", the boy walks to the registry for the competition with a usb-stick in hand. "Faust J. Marlowe."

"He is different, that fool, do not mimic him. His head seems to have been in the clouds for his whole life."

"Yeah? He says it's because you should strive to achieve what you want- Oh, thank you", Faust took a ticket for his identification as did 'Lance', who then flirtatiously thanked the woman guarding the entrance for- "Please stop", Faust asked. "Anyway... argh... anyway, right now I don't want to take part in the war."

'Lance* groaned in frustration. "That is not the point... My goodness, this is like talking to a moody teenager."

"Well you probably have some of those, going by the stories", Faust remarked with a smirk.

"Lies, I tell you, all lies."

"Sure..."

As the two walked through the convention, 'Lance' felt an odd presence, like one belonging to a wailing ghost. "Stay on your toes master."

"No worries, I don't even want the wish..."

'Lance' simply focused on the possible attacker over his master's nonchalant attitude to his status. He noted one presence among the masses, a hooded man with grin on his face. Looking at it made 'Lance' nearly have a headache. "What in the..."

A voice rung in his head, he took a hold of his master in concern. "Don't worry", the voice whispered. "I'm not as crude as those fools at Athens. I already had my troubles with the church while alive, I don't have need for such crude methods. My duty is to slay you, Lancer, your master is only a secondary condition in my opinion."

"How... are you in my head."

"I don't know, everything is hazy. I don't even remember everything about myself, really. Might be something I ran into while alive, but who knows. Now", the man walked over. "Take this", he handed Lancer and Faust a contract.

The boy's eyes adjusted like he was shot with adrenaline. "A geas."

"No no... this is just a perfectly normal petition for the disabled writers to receive better benefits." The man held a finger to his mouth, though it seemed like a trick of the mind.

Lancer's eyes were flashed with a glimmer of his noble phantasm, for a moment, he saw just a normal pamphlet. "Ah, I see. Thank you, my good fellow."

The three parted ways, with Lancer and his master going to a bench nearby. "This...", Faust trembled. "This is already signed, but there's a second part."

"That must be what they want you to sign. The first is to guarantee that they won't attack until you select an option or if you don't do anything after reading this."

"And the second...", Faust went through the contract once more. "It says they want you to fight their other Archer, not the one we met."

"Odd that they would want to give that away."

"Maybe their Heroic Spirit ended-up being an actual heroic spirit."

"That would be good news", Lancer replied. He sighs as he looks at his watch, "we still have time."

"Yeah, about an hour and thirty minutes."

"Let's think this through...", Lancer mumbled. "The spot is at Church land in the middle of nowwhere... and you wouldn't be in danger and the enemy master won't come or send other servant after us."

"And the rest... is a mess of basically just 'it's a one v one..."

"That's fine by me. You go to the competition, I'll take out an enemy servant."

"That sounds good, just be careful."

"Have faith, Master." Faust gave the man a serious look. "Fine, alright. I swear on my honor, I shall return to you in good health."

"Thank you... Lance."

...

Hours later, in a deep forest owned by the Holy Church a knight in a shining set of armor dashes faster than any living being on Earth. He wields a massive spear meant for jousting, he set it to the ground as he sits to wait on a fallen tree. A single glimmer of light appears in the distance, so he raises his lance. "Archer of Finland! I have come to take on your challenge, let us commence."

"Knight of the German Master, let us commence our duel, in a moment. First I must give my grievance for your location of summoning, that hellish home of demons should be burned down for its crimes."

"Cut your tongue."

The distant voice sighs. "I had wished you would be more admirable, sadly the age of your chivalry has ended." A click sounds around Lancer, sending chains to catch the servant, tying him to the ground. "What? That's all it took, show some backbone."

"Hardly", he simply stood up and walked forward, breaking apart all of the chains. "Now, let us end this foolish battle."

"You sound dissapointed, Lancer", the voice sounded frustrated.

"A coward and a simple fool, I didn't come here to fight someone like you. I expected for the battle to go by the contract, have you no care for your master?"

"She need not know, I simply asked the other one for a favor."

Lancer huffed before dashing as if into air through the leaves, appearing at the top branches of trees. A number of arrows were fired at point-blank range. "Are you mad?" He asked the man standing in-front of him with a wide smile. "This is a war...!"

"A war?" The smile faded. "I fought a war, you fought a fairyland battle with dragons and giants. I fought actual villains, monsters that actually existed." A bomb was triggered between them that sent the madman away, leaving the Lancer in place. The sound of rain dripping is followed by the Lancer swinging his spear at the Archer, who takes the slash while firing another bolt into the enemy.

Lancer almost lost his eye, the shots are precise. This person is mad, he thought. This person will brake all reason, just to fight with his chosen weapon in his chosen way. Though he was clearly afflicted with something beyond his control, Lancer's noble phantasm, his helmet showed him this. Despite that, the shots were incredibly precise, lacking power but were empowered by something beyond mortal ability.

"In the beginning...", the man began to speak. Suddenly, Lancer saw his body. It was like he wasn't even thinking about it or rather couldn't when he first saw this Archer. "The world was wiped clear", his bow and arrows glowed. "And a new Kalpa was begun."

...

Lancer opened his eyes, he saw himself once more standing where the battle started, his spear raised. Suddenly he was chained by the magic chains again, but this time he was hit with several arrows at once, his armor nearly broke apart as he was forced to release his guts. The arrows were infused with magic this time, "... eastern?"

"And a new Kalpa was begun..."

...

Lancer opened his eyes, he saw himself once more standing where the battle started, his spear raised. Suddenly he felt his body crushed between chains infused with magic and being struck by hundreds of arrows all ripping at his core. His helmet blackened, his mind faded. "For Someone's Glory", he cried out. His body was twisted into a shambling skeleton held within blackened armor. "Switch." He rampaged out, his body ripped apart by the attacks. Now, even as madness left his mind sundered, he could think. The attacks were infused with eastern magecraft and his opponent, despite his origins in Europe judging by his military gear, had a noble phantasm that sent him to a state in time when he had locked eyes with him.

"Trying to figure me out?"

Lancer felt the Noble Phantasm again, but nothing changed for him in his mind. He was not struck by confusion but his body was continuously being hit with harder and harder attacks with each use of the 'Kalpa' noble phantasm. Lancer's noble phantasm was not only just giving him a glimpse at truth, but also at what was going on. Time was continuing normally, it was clear that no servant could control time to this extent. It was a trick, like storing a stone in his sleeves.

"You can't keep trying this forever", the Archer continued to fire more arrows at Lancer. Each time it added more power in the next 'reset' and each chain use made the next tougher, eventually wearing down Lancer, his spear beginning to show signs of breaking. While the chains were nothing to Lancer thanks to his ability, Freedom of Movement D, it was always forcing him down with force regardless of any blessings or skills.

Lancer thought for a moment, he had to somehow break the cycle. He was continuing to be bruised, being beaten more and more to a feeble state. That's when he took a moment, "For Someone's Glory", the helmet faded. "Switch."

"Are you going to fight now?!"

At the moment of the reset, as his noble phantasm's effect switched, he took a shining blade into his hands faster than any eye could see and plunged it into his eyes. His vision was gone.

The Archer laughed. "What an absolute fool! AND A NEW KALPA WAS BEGUN!"

Lancer saw nothing as he was brought down by the chains and struck with arrows. He took them all head on, "Switch". The armor turned hellish black, erupting in madness and a dark shadow. Before the Archer could realise what had happened, a flurry of trees were swung and thrown at him with the power of a noble phantasm. A roaring beast was now hunting him as he frantically fired at the target.

"Shit", he spoke softly as his body was torn apart by the beast-like servant. He grabbed a pair of bagpipes, before blowing into them with all the air he had, only for them to be ripped away and stolen by Lancer. He watched as his body was devoured for mana and turned into fuel for a monstrous beast. He took a breath, "You think that's enough!? I won't let you even get the satisfaction of returning back home! That's war! That's MAD JACK FOR YOU!" The Archer's eyes glowed with a bright light as he detonated into a puff of smoke, leaving where there once stood a forest and Lancer now was only a single black cube.

In the following seconds Lancer and Archer were trapped inside of a space created by Archer's noble phantasm. Darkness was all there was to be seen all around them, they were the only ones there. "What is this", Lancer asked as his noble phantasm couldn't see through the magic.

"Damn it...", Archer replied with a pained expression. "I thought we'd be in different places..." He fired arrows again, missing Lancer who charged forward. His movements were slowed down, as if he was on just a normal person. He had no blessings, only his skills as a warrior.

Lancer took a breath before moving forward as fast as he could to close the distance that had been put between them. He could feel his armor being dented as he failed to move out the way of the arrows. After a few seconds he was in range to hit Archer, who had been trying to move backwards while firing. "I commend you..."

Archer took his bow and slammed the knight to the side of the head. "Thank you."

'Lance' quickly recovered from the attack, taking his lance towards the soldier and slashing at his chest. Minimal damage was dealt, but enough for the both of them to be staggered. "I only...", he caught his breath. "... must commend you for having such a versatile noble phantasm as this." He lunged, piercing the servant's stomach. Light returned as he found himself back in the forest, thought the results of their fighting had dissipated, Lancer could see again with healed eyes. Archer had also lost all injuries besides the ones received within the noble phantasm.

Archer almost readied his bow, before taking a step back. Lancer saw a dark figure looking down at the two of them. "Master wishes for us to return to base." The Archer from the competition, Lancer was sure of his identity. He carried a rifle and covered his figure in an army winter uniform. "I hope you had your fun."

'Lance' took a moment. "But the geas-"

"It was a mere fabrication", the Mad Archer replied. "I apologise, oh foolish Knight of the Lake."

Lancer glared. "This is an embarrassment."

"Well, make sure to take care", the rifle holding Archer spoke. "Let us meet again in better circumstances..."


Results: Loss of Lancer's pride and Mad Archer being punished.