"Must we do this?"
.
"It's not about whether we do this or not. We must."
.
"…We are alone."
.
"No, we have comrades, friends."
.
"And even then, we can still die. Only you or I can put an end to this, but the risk is…There must be another way."
.
"Not one that can resolve things before it's too late. Remember what we're doing this for. Who we're doing this for. That's what matters."
.
"Fake identities, white lies, and we can't even tell them the truth of what lies beneath the Dungeon, or how we ended up here."
.
"That's why its our responsibility. This life, this place- Us. It was already the Lord's miracle. We mustn't let the danger spiral any further. We must reclaim what was lost before it spells the end for us, our family, and our friends."
"And for that, we've tried to grow stronger in our own ways despite lacking a source of magic energy. Your swordsmanship resembles 'his' more and more day after day. He would be proud."
.
"This body, this life…right. You're right. It must be done."
"For our daughter. For us. And for those who've sacrificed for our behalf."
.
"We will make things right."
The air grew acrid, buffeting gales of heated wind superheating the area as a deluge of blue flames poured down from the distance. What started small, a mere dot in the sky, unleashed an azure inferno that rapidly stretched out across the horizon.
The skyline vanished, the limelight of the sun obscured by clouds and smoke, as a roar echoed throughout.
Its wings were a hurricane, its gleaming eye marred with unerring madness and ferocity. Injuries from the last raid party had long since healed aside from the single scar placed on its head by the former Mercenary King- The man who gathered allies for a mission deemed impossible, yet strode onward with a conviction that bordered on obsessive.
Hurriedly jumping out of her hiding space in a supply carriage, Ais gripped her sword and stared out at the beast that felled her parents and left her orphaned.
This. This monster.
Ais felt her throat constrict with mixed emotions bleeding into her expression.
It was this dragon's fault.
The happy days, the life she could only recall in memory were all taken away by this very being.
A pulse of magic energy ebbed through the air, reaching the raid party, the sound was like a roaring drum that reverberated within everyone's chests and hammered at the hearts.
Alfia stood on her own, eyes set forward towards the enemy that had once drowned her in pessimistic despair.
Zeus stared before the face of the lizard that had once robbed him of his precious Familia, and then balled his hands into fists when he glanced at Heracles. There were few things that could convince him to give up his life in the lower world, but this was one of them.
A father to his son, there could be no greater reason.
Accursed Black Dragon, this time, there would be no next time. He would show the wrath of a high God that sat on the seat of the strongest of Olympus.
The approaching flames were fast, approaching at a speed that covered hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.
The pressure and heat were beyond description for many.
Only Shirou and the others who had an expectation of what a Dragon, the pinnacle of a Phantasmal Species, was capable of, retained their rational.
And by then, Rider was already moving while Archer readied his bow. Assassin hovered high into the clouds, enhancing the signal between Valkyrielike units to draw their allies to their exact location.
Many should have taken notice of Rider and the others actions, but against the volume and spread of the incoming blue flames, there was no hint of relief.
Regardless of Archer, Rider, Assassin, or even Caster's presence, the sheer magical power emitted by the One-Eyed Black Dragon was too overwhelming for many.
Quick as Rider was, and as strong as Archer seemed, they could only block a portion of the flames in front of them.
To live, they knew as the elites of their Familias that they must act and coordinate as an entire group.
"Mages!"
A scream was ordered as numerous party members felt their lives flash across their eyes.
Hurriedly raising their hands, chants were made in haste including Riveria who had sweat beading down her brow.
"On my lead!"
Peleus ran to the forefront of the party, raising his shield up and using it as a medium to channel the Divinity of his patron God through it.
None questioned Peleus, more than a few able to recognize him as a member of the Raid Party that dealt with the Legendary Leviathan atop the mast of the Argo.
"The waters will be released."
Peleus grunted as various Divinities converged over him. Magic energy swelled with him at the center as a conduit. A hero and warrior of the Argo who felled the mighty beast of the seas, Peleus did not buckle or break.
Instead, he persevered.
"Ebbing tides, foaming waves."
The words of a chant echoed in haste, one that did not require specialization to be understood or invoked. A universal chant that spread upon the completion of the Second Grand Quest.
"Its name is Okeanós!"
Gouts of water spilled forth from individual hands, mixing at the spot over Peleus and shifting into a raging torrent that converged on his shield. Impacting his sturdy flame, the waters splashed up into a wave that soared up towards the flames.
The longer the chant, the stronger the power, but time wasn't something they had the luxury of. A quick three-to-two-line chant was the most that they could muster in defence.
Under the eyes of Shirou and the others, blue hellfire and divine water met at the boundary between land and sky. The impact created a hissing reverberation that turned into a squalling cry as steam quickly formed and vaporized.
"Thetis!" Peleus called out while channeling the Falna of the Star and Dolphin.
Rider glanced down to where Thetis ran up to the forefront with Peleus with hesitation on his face. He was torn between worry and staying behind to make sure they remained safe if something went wrong.
However, Gods weren't helpless in the lower world.
Weakened and mortal, it didn't mean the Authorities they wielded in the Upper World weren't usable.
"Waters rise!" Thetis raised her arms out and used her Authority over water to direct the existing steam into a wall around the entire party.
Shirou raised an arm to shield his face as the Raid party members and Thetis continued to conjure water to offset the blue flames. It was just enough.
By the time the flames stopped, many mages fell to their knees in exhaustion while Peleus moved to support Thetis who'd been trying too hard.
However, their defense wasn't without injury. The heat and steam burned those nearest to the impact, creating horrendous boils and red marks across the entire body. Fire was one thing, but steam as a hot gas could equally burn through the opening in one's armour and strike the skin directly.
Agonized screams echoed out, but before anything else, screams signified life.
And life was an important distinction.
Caster moved to the front of the set medical tents and stopped just before the area where the battle was to take place. He stared at the injured and listened to the screams before shifting his attention to the approaching Black Dragon.
"Does a mere lizard take me lightly?" Caster said flatly.
"Yeah, you heard him!" Apollo sneered.
"Quiet!" Caster hissed, shaking his head before grunting. "I'm focusing."
Around Caster, the members of the Apollo Familia formed a tight wall while Caster's mechanical serpent coiled around all of them.
Reaching deep within himself, the core at the heart of his being, his Spirit Origin Core, began to pulse with magic energy.
He invoked the true nature of his legend, a matter of acceptance beyond all else. Who he was, who he was meant to be, but more importantly, acceptance of the past.
"My name is Asclepius."
Caster placed his arms on either side of him as he declared his True Name. In tandem, the Divinity within him began to surge rapidly.
"…" Apollo spoke not a word, his eyes closing as the warmth of the Sun surrounded him.
'Apollo Familia.'
Transmitted through thought, Apollo conveyed his sentiment to his kin.
'Defend our light. He must never die.'
Clio, captain of the Apollo Familia gripped tight to his weapon, acknowledging the order as the rest of his Familia hardened their expressions with resolve.
Caster clapped his hands, the echo spreading outward and creating a band of circular light that expanded across the entire Raid Party.
Spirits lifted, the overbearing sense of death fading away in the glow as the sound of a lyre played throughout.
"Let the sun shine down upon the boundary."
Territory Creation.
The area within the domain exerted its influence on those caught within. Wounds began to rapidly heal and fade, fatigue and exhaustion vanishing in the radiance.
On his name as Asclepius, he invoked a skill unable to be measured by the nature of his very person and what he had achieved.
A man who stepped beyond the line of mortality and conquered a domain thought impossible by anyone of the living.
God of Medicine: EX
Alfia stared in muted silence at Caster's current form, the sheer Divinity of Apollo coursing through Caster's veins turning his silver hair into a brilliant gold and his eyes into gleaming stars.
"Death may not be my domain, but so long as a spec of life exists, death will not claim you."
Many stared at their healed wounds with unconcealed wonderment. Their exhaustion taken away, they found themselves back in ideal condition.
Even Peleus perked up in bafflement while Thetis had mixed feelings as Apollo's authority coursed through Caster's skill and healed her of all fatigue and injury.
It was a fact, so long as Caster was alive, death and injury would not be a concern.
Apollo, freely pouring his divinity into Caster meant that Caster also had an unlimited supply of energy from his father.
Caster's presence alone rallied the Raid Party.
Penthesilea and the Amazons, the Ares Familia members, and even the Crozzos were left speechless. Yet, in their heads, one thought was starting to grow more and more prevalent despite the One-Eyed Black Dragon's pressure.
This war, this battle…could be won.
A subsequent roar of rage revealed the One-Eyed Black Dragon increasing its speed towards the party after its initial opening strike failed.
Yet-
"Bastard," Rider's armoured heel struck the Dragon in the jaw, snapping its maw shut and whipping its neck up. "Who do you think you're aiming at?"
Growling, the Black Dragon shrugged off the blow and swiped with a bladed wing.
Vanishing in place and reappearing in the same spot, Rider took his spear and thrust it towards the base of the Dragon's body. The blade of the spear grated against the hardened scales, but it didn't pierce.
"Tch," Rider clicked his tongue before leaping backwards and back onto his chariot.
"Archer!" Rider called.
From above the Black Dragon, a rain of arrows gleamed before rapidly descending on the Black Dragon at God Speed. It ignored the first few arrows, but each strike created an impact that lowered its elevation with each blow.
"Tough bastard," Rider grunted while flying around on his chariot.
The magic energy the Black Dragon was emitting was already enough to stand on guard. It wasn't that Rider or Archer's attacks were weak, but rather the excess magic energy the Dragon was releasing was hardening its scales and dampening the strength of Rider and Archer's attacks.
Still, it was now low enough.
Enlarged chains began to manifest around the body of the One-Eyed Black Dragon as Shirou held out an arm towards it and manifested his unique magecraft under the eyes of the blacksmiths.
On the other end of the chains stood Archer who held them in a tight grip.
Lightning crackling around him as he channeled his divine strength, Heracles pulled with the arms that choked out the mighty Nemean Lion.
Air born, and with little leverage to use against Heracles, Heracles dropped the One-Eyed Black Dragon to the ground with another swift heave, the impact creating an explosion of dust and debris.
U-Unbelievable.
Zeus clenched his hands into fists from a swell of pride that he couldn't possibly describe.
As silence stretched, the ground soon began to shake.
Narrowing his eyes, Shirou noted the energy around the One-Eyed Black Dragon was blackening the ground with draconic taint. Teeth and spurs that were damaged and clipped off of the One-Eyed Black Dragon's impact morphed into hundreds of dragon-bone warriors.
"Stand ready!" Rider yelled while Archer wrestled with the chains that tangled the One-Eyed Black Dragon. "At Arms! The enemy draws near! Mages and Rangers to the back, swordsman, knights, and soldiers to the front!"
This wasn't Rider's first battlefield, and it wasn't the first time he'd commanded an army.
"Amazons!" Penthesilea readied her spiked balls and chains while her warrior woman allies formed a formation around her. "Show them the might and honour of a warrior!"
Finn moved to the front along with Ottar and many other melee-oriented Familia while Riveria moved to the back of the party formation.
Loki and Freya narrowed their eyes as the Dragon Bone Warrior's drew near.
"Elites act as the vanguard!" Rider yelled, keeping an eye on the One-Eyed Black Dragon should it broke free. As the fastest on the battlefield, it was his duty to react first to anything. "Measure the opponent's strengths and act appropriately."
"Ottar," Freya called out. "Fight with the Zeus Familia. Do not die."
"By your order," Ottar ran ahead with the members of the Zeus Familia and Finn who were included in the Elite Vanguard.
From the moment the vanguard met with the Dragon Bone Warriors, it became readily apparent that their weapons could not deal any damage.
"Dammit, I thought it would be different," A Zeus Familia member cursed, staring at his sword that had snapped in two. Hastily backing away using lighting steps, he yelled to his fellow comrades "The bones are as thick and durable as the Dragon's hide!"
The news was met with a grim air. One could not defeat an enemy that did not bleed.
"Then crush them!" Penthesilea leapt into the air and threw a spiked ball with sheer physical strength.
Smashing into a Dragon Bone Warrior, a portion of the bone was reduced to powder, but the Amazon Queen scowled as she pulled her weapons back.
Dented, one of her spiked balls was ruined and cracked at the center.
"I am the Bone of my Sword."
A single chant echoed through the air. The type of magic or its purpose had never before been heard or seen, but the effect was immediate as a rippling ring of fire gave way to hundreds of weapons imbued with Ant-Dragon properties that floated in front of the Raid Party.
Glancing back to where the blacksmiths and Gods stood at the rear of the Party Formation, Shirou's eyes were glowing with magic energy as circuit-like patterns flared throughout his entire body.
A walking armory.
That was the rumoured description of the Son of Hephaestus.
Moreover, Penthesilea stared in dumbfoundment as an identical copy of her ball and chain was in front of her. But she knew her weapons best. Something was different about them. The feel and the energy within that reeked of anti-Dragon property caused no small amount of interest within her.
An elite army was only as good as its weapons, and a man who brought an entire arsenal would forever change warfare as everyone knew it.
Hephaestus glared as many eyes glanced at Shirou, noting all of those bastards that stared with a covetous gaze. The worst came from the Crozzos. The rest of her Familia packed closer to Shirou on instinct.
With the groundwork set up, the Raid Party should be able to survive for a while even without Rider or Archer to help defend them.
Shirou nodded at Rider and Archer, giving them the go ahead to take on the Black Dragon as the others watched on.
"My strength moves the mountains," Archer murmured before narrowing his eyes. Muscles bulging, numerous veins popped over Archer's chiseled arms and chest as he pulled and threw the One-Eyed Black Dragon further away from the Raid Party.
Putting aside his bow, Archer armed himself with his axe-sword, and dashed towards the Dragon under the eyes of Zeus.
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon inevitably freed itself from the chains and tried to take flight, but a green missile consistently pelted it back down.
"Not a chance," Rider scoffed while barring the Black Dragon from the air.
And if it was stuck to the ground, then-
Archer arrived quickly and directly tackled the Black Dragon with his bare body, the two tumbling in a tangle of hissing, flames, and flailing limbs.
Much the same way Rider had handled the Juggernaut in Orario, Archer whose pure strength surpassed Rider was able to go toe-to-toe with the Black Dragon. In the process, Greece's greatest Hero confirmed a suspicion shared between Shirou and the others.
This Dragon…
Heracles focused on the center of the Dragon where blue tribal-like markings spiraled out from a Dragon Core that was outside the principle of the current world's rules.
It's not of this world.
This was a fair assessment as the Black Dragon had come from the depths of the Dungeon, but its origin was similar to those in Shirou's original world. That was to say, this was a Dragon similar to those found and revered in the Moonlit World.
Archer's expression hardened. It was no easy feat to slay Ladon, a Dragon of equal renown to a certain Black Dragon, and even then, he could have died.
More importantly, Heracles glanced at the edge of his sword grating against the One-Eyed Black Dragon's scales.
It wasn't cutting.
The Dragon's Magic energy was beyond Heracles's output.
Until Heracles could chip away at the Black Dragon's magic energy that enhanced its durability, he would be unable to kill it.
A long battle would be inevitable, and that did not bode well.
It was not a question about whether Archer or Rider could outlast the Black Dragon's endurance, but if the rest of the Raid Party brought as witness to the completion of the Grand Quest could survive for that long.
The moment Rider allowed the Black Dragon to go airborne, there was no stopping it from wreaking havoc on the Raid Party. Caster could heal the injured in his domain, but not the dead.
The dead would take considerably more time.
Therefore, the answer to this dilemma was time.
But every problem had its solution.
Glancing towards Shirou who Archer and Rider knew could create Anti-Dragon Noble Phantasms, Shirou shook his head at them. He would do so as a last resort, as it would bring far too much attention to him. He was trying to limit himself to the capabilities expected as the 'Son of Hephaestus' while under the public eye.
Too many questions could draw unnecessary scrutiny and jeopardize their secrecy.
In which case, there was only one answer.
"Assassin," Archer called out to the sky. "Where is Saber?"
Up in the air, Ortlinde shut her eyes and focused on a fellow unit which was rapidly approaching.
She opened her mouth.
/-/
From the very beginning, Saber felt it within his bones.
His very Spirit Origin was screaming at him, forcing his attention as it resonated with the target the Master had sent him and a group of his fellow Servants to observe and track.
The Black Dragon.
Its form, its visage, its energy…was practically that of his own.
How could that be?
Not only had its appearance agitated Saber, but its presence was one that constantly called out to him. He didn't know how or in what manner it was happening, but questions were things that could always be answered later. A warrior should do his role as a warrior, and not as a scholar.
It had been hard for Saber to keep still, and now that the order had been given, there were no longer any reservations.
Saber deftly followed the Valkyrie, Thrud, as she navigated him towards the Master's location. As one of Assassin's units, Thrud was interconnected with Ortlinde and the other Valkyries summoned along with her in her class.
"The battle is near," Thrud said, anticipation and excitement pulling at her expression.
Her duty as a Valkyrie was the ferrying of not mere souls, but a warrior's soul. What her instinct was telling her, was that the battle ahead had many warriors present who could qualify to be ferried to Valhalla upon death.
Yet, the presence of Caster in the group was curbing Thrud's enthusiasm.
That man.
That damn man was the antithesis of everything Assassin stood for. They would never get along on a fundamental level.
Hearing Thrud's words, Saber quickened his pace.
His skin was a bronze tan, his hair of premium silver that billowed in the wind with each step. Metal clanked and groaned as he shifted the weight of his body, the joints of the armour he wore grating against each other with each movement.
The scenery around him was a blur in his haste.
While Thrud led Saber, another counterpart of Assassin known as Hildr was having trouble leading Berserker.
Nonetheless, it wasn't the time to consider the positions of the others.
His blood pumped ever harder, ever stronger. He knew what was before him, what he had to do by duty alone.
Upon the open area of his chest, the blue markings that had etched themselves to Saber's skin upon bathing in the blood of the Evil Dragon was the symbol of his invincible body. And yet, that wasn't all.
The nature of his summoning had become skewed in this world. Legend denoted how a Heroic Spirit was summoned, and that also had to do with perception.
In this new world, a certain legendary hero of the Norse may or may not have existed. But only one of him. There were no variations, and that was widely understood and believed by the residents of the current world.
Saber's summoning was somewhat altered as the body that contained his Spirit Origin became skewed.
A pair of glasses were adorned on his face, and around his waist were dagger-like swords that he intuitively felt could be launched as projectiles by punching them forward. They too were of a legendary sword.
Who he was, or what he was didn't matter.
One thing was the same regardless of either legend that could describe him.
The title of Dragon Slayer.
Saber's eyes narrowed as he burst through the brush of forestry and into an open plain where he quickly spotted the Raid Party up in arms against the last existing target of the Grand Quests.
The link between Servants had helped to fill Saber in on what had occurred in Orario in his absence.
Almost immediately as Saber took to the battlefield, Thrud rushed high into the air with anticipation and a burgeoning sense of pride.
"Thrud of the Valkyries has ferried with her the soul of a true warrior!" Thrud shouted as she spread her golden halo of wings out behind her.
Ortlinde, who was near Thrud, was pouting. It should have been her.
Saber ignored all else and focused on where Rider and Archer were occupying the Black Dragon's attention with unconcealed resolve.
In the blink of an eye, Saber was on the move.
Each step left impressions in the ground beneath him, which wordlessly spoke of the heaviness and sturdy nature of his body.
Saber drew his sword and charged into the foray.
"Honoured Saber, show them the might of the Norse!" Thrud yelled.
Without hesitation, the dagger-like blades around Saber's waist began to levitate around him at shoulder-height.
The path between Saber and the Black Dragon was blocked by a row of several dozen Dragon-Bone Warriors. Magic energy and divinity coursed through Saber's body, and in the next second, he'd punched each floating dagger forward with unerring ferocity.
They cleaved through the Dragon-Bone Warriors like paper, opening a path to the Black Dragon and giving the battling Raid Party a brief reprieve.
In that moment, Loki and Freya's eyes widened at the sight of him before Saber was past them and directly before the Black Dragon.
Everyone noticed it as the Black Dragon's aggression grew notably pointed.
It was uneasy as Saber finally appeared directly before it, Saber easily overshadowing both Rider and Archer in its eyes.
The Nibelungen's had acclaimed him.
Saber readied his primary sword, the gleaming blue jewel embedded into the hilt releasing a potent magic energy and then-
"The Evil Dragon will fall."
With a fell swoop, he clipped a portion of the Black Dragon's left wing, grounding it upon the earth and forever barring it from the heavens as he tore the flight flaps open.
The Dragon screamed in agony, the man's sword shining a radiant blue in the twilight.
What Rider or Archers weapons could not easily cut, Saber's sword did so without hesitation.
The Volsunga sung of his legend.
In the shining light, Saber readied for battle.
"On my name as Siegfried/Sigurd."
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