FATE/STAY NIGHT
Warrior
Ep.7 Thunderstrom at Ryouudou Temple
The wind blew fiercely, swiftly, and violently like a storm. Flowing purple hair swayed with the gusts, moving so quickly it was nearly impossible to follow with the eye. Faster than a bird in flight, faster than words could describe. This was the movement of that servant.
Rider… She was now moving her body with elegance, evading and countering the attacks of Caster. For Yusuke, watching her was mesmerizing; her grace was captivating, enough to make him almost fall in love on the spot.
Clang!
"How are you at this fast!?" Caster shouted in shock, her expression filled with disbelief. Something didn't feel right to her. Hastily, she raised her hand and began chanting a spell. Summoning the energy circle.
Rider, who was charging toward the witch, was forced to sidestep as an energy blast shot out from a magic circle directly in her path.
"You little monster, stand still!" Caster screamed furiously, flailing her hands to create more magic circles that unleashed a barrage of energy bolts in all directions.
Explosions echoed across the temple grounds, turning the once-sacred site in the heart of the city into a chaotic battlefield instanly.
At that moment, Yusuke stepped into the open courtyard, surveying the chaos with focused eyes. And—
Thud!
A sudden force struck Yusuke square in the face, shaking his jaw to the core. The impact sent him flying backward, his body flung like a ragdoll in video games.
Yet in a split second, Yusuke regained his composure, flipping backward in mid-air to land gracefully on the wooden floor without losing balance. He wiped the blood from his mouth with his right hand, his gaze locking onto Kuzuki, who was standing in a defensive stance.
Yusuke wanted to say something, but he knew it didn't matter. Kuzuki's intentions from his body language were clear as day.
Raising his head, Yusuke placed one hand on his waist while the other swept dramatically through the air.
"Henshin"
In an instant, red armor materialized along with black leather, covering his entire body. Yusuke raised his guard, ready for the next exchange.
Clang! Clink!
The clash of steel reverberated through the air. A gleaming katana, its sharp edge catching the moonlight, collided repeatedly with the ancient knight's sword. The speed of the duel was so extraordinary that it defied the ability of ordinary eyes to follow.
"So fast." Shirou and Rin stood at a distance, watching intently. This wasn't a battle they could interfere with. From their perspective, this is a duel between two Mastery swordsmen.
"Hyaaah!" Saber swung her blade, forcing the purple-haired man off balance for a fleeting moment.
In that brief opening, Saber raised her sword and brought it down with decisive force directly at the purple sleeve of the opponent.
Clang!
Saber's eyes widened in surprise. Her sword had struck the ground, completely missing its target. The purple-haired man had moved with inhuman speed, evading her attack entirely.
His eye, like an eagle, analyzes the weakness of saber and her open-pointed consistency.
"Gotcha!" he grinned, thrusting his katana toward Saber's neck. Saber, however, spun backward down the temple steps, avoiding the strike with graceful precision. Her feet landed firmly on each step, her blade poised as she stared up at her opponent.
" Western swordsman skills..not bad " the purple-haired man sneered, resting his katana on his shoulder with a mocking stance.
In the brief moment he let his guard down, Saber lunged forward with breathtaking speed, her sword slicing through the air like a bird that's flight against the wind.
"Saber, is it?" The man muttered under his breath, tilting his katana to block her blade.
Saber saw another opening. She dove beneath his blade, aiming her sword toward the center of his back.
"I'm Assassin," he said, deflecting her strike with a spinning counter, narrowly avoiding her second attack.
"There's no need to announce your name!" Saber retorted, stepping back and carefully observing Assassin's next move.
Assassin grinned widely, raising his katana overhead, its tip aimed at Saber.
"It's a habit. Not introducing myself would be dishonorable " Assassin said clamly, his eyes glancing at Saber's blade, which shimmered faintly, distortion like as if it wasn't anything there. But clearly it's something there.
" A hidden sword spell, huh? I think I can guess its size " he remarked with a sly grin.
The moment they both stepped forward, the sound of clashing wind echoed. Assassin's ponytails fluttered wildly as he charged ahead. Saber, gripping her concealed weapon, met him head-on. The wind swirled violently as their blades collided in a flurry of rapid, relentless strikes. In each strike, both of them start to increase speed and agility more violently.
Right now, neither of them had gained the upper hand yet.
Kuuga, clad in his crimson armor, unleashed a flurry of punches on Kuzuki with superhuman speed, for ordinary people barely to see his punch. His fists struck with relentless force, as if battling a giant monster that refused to fall.
But Kuzuki was no ordinary man. He used his arms, legs, and fists to parry every blow with equal speed and precision, moving in ways that defied belief for a human ability. His eyes darted around, analyzing Kuga's attacks and finding an opening amidst the blur of numerous punches.
Seizing the moment, Kuzuki delivered a powerful punch to Kuga's midsection, right beneath the red armor, sending him flying backward.
Crash!
Kuuga slammed into a pile of wooden debris from the ruined of temple, his body battered and bruised.
"Argh!" Kuuga coughed up blood beneath his mask. Running out from his helmets, stained over his masks. As he looked at Kuzuki, instead of seeing an opening, he saw nothing but an impenetrable wall.
"Just a regular human, huh? No weaknesses. It's like I'm fighting a demon," Yusuke thought grimly.
"You're probably wondering how I managed to knock you down, aren't you?" Kuzuki said, stepping closer. " To you, I must look like just an ordinary teacher or a man, harmless even. But that's where you're wrong. You kids judge people too quickly."
"Guess I underestimated you," Yusuke admitted, rising to his feet and assuming his stance again. "Not this time."
Kuuga threw another punch, but Kuzuki leaned back, dodging with ease. Simultaneously, Kuzuki charged his right fist with energy and struck with all his might.
Yusuke raised his forearm just in time to block the attack, but for a brief moment, Kuzuki's punch glowed faintly as it met his hand before the energy dissipated.
"Just as I thought—" Kuuga's thought was interrupted as Kuzuki's leg struck his skull with tremendous force, sending him tumbling across the courtyard of the temple.
Thud!
Kuuga rolling away, he tumbled across the temple grounds, groaning as he slowly pushed himself upright. He looked up to see Kuzuki, who was moving his lips to speak.
"Being a master that's a frontline fighter, you've probably figured it out by now. I had my servant boost my physical abilities."
"So it's all your physical attributes, then?" Kuuga asking, while he attempt to pop himself up.
"Exactly " Kuzuki said before surging forward at an incredible speed, the wind whipping around him.
As he approached, Yusuke steadied himself, keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground, ready to counter when Kuzuki entered his range.
"Then take this!" Yusuke shouted, leaping into the air with a spinning kick. He extended his leg and delivered a powerful blow to Kuzuki.
" Hmmm!—! " Kuzuki quickly raised both arms to shield his face, but the sheer force of the kick still sent him stumbling back a meter away.
"Ha!" Kuuga landed gracefully on the ground, resembling an elegant bird that's just landing down. He taunted Kuzuki with a triumphant smirk.
However, Kuzuki lowered his guard as though unaffected by the kick. Without hesitation, he charged at Yusuke, fearlessly ignoring any incoming attacks.
Instantly, Yusuke began to assume his transformation stance. Prepare to counter Kuzuki that is coming like a bull.
"Hen—!"
Before he could complete his transformation, Kuzuki thrust a powerful magic-enhanced punch struck him square in the stomach.
Kuzuki didn't stop there. He unleashed a barrage of punches, each growing faster and more intense, as the point of his punch became blurry images, hammering into Yusuke's body.
Yusuke stood rooted in place, writhing with the sensation that his internal organs were being rearranged by the relentless blows.
"Ugh!" With a final strike, Kuzuki delivered a forceful kick with the tip of his foot, sending Kuga flying like a ball booted across a field. He rolled and tumbled, finally skidding to a stop some distance away.
The once-intense atmosphere grew silent in an instant. Seeing this, Rider could do nothing but watch the fight's outcome, her frustration evident. She wanted to intervene, but suddenly she got trapped within a magical barrier, unable to move any of her organs.
"I don't know what your master's plan is, Rider, but—" Caster said, descending gracefully to the ground. "Looks like I'll have to extract that belt from his lifeless body myself."
Caster turned her attention to Yusuke's unconscious form. She used her immense magical power to lift him into the air and immobilize him. Chanting a spell, she released a glowing white energy shaped like small serpents from her hands. They slithered through the air, inching toward Yusuke.
FLASH!
In an instant, countless red flashes rained from the sky. They struck the area around Caster, creating small explosions that filled the temple courtyard with thick black smoke. The magic restraining Yusuke, the white energy, and the barrier imprisoning Rider all dissolved simultaneously.
"Damn it!" Caster hissed, rising into the air and scanning for the source of the attack. She spotted a sorceress.
Archer was crouching on the temple roof, drawing his bow with four arrows aimed skyward. His sights were set on Caster. " Tch! " Caster summoning the magical circle over her and aim at Archer.
As soon as the arrows were loosed, they transformed into glimmering red streaks of light, erupting into a fiery explosion around Caster's.
When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but a swirling haze drifting in the sky.
Boom!
"What's going on!?" Shirou and Rin both instinctively turned to look toward the source of the sound.
The explosion caused by Archer's arrow drew the attention of Saber and Assassin, who were fiercely dueling with swords in front of the temple. Saber, momentarily distracted, glanced upward for a split second.
Clang!
Saber swiftly swung her sword to deflect the Assassin's strike. Although she narrowly avoided a direct hit, it was too close for comfort.
"That vixen must've been caught in trouble," th Assassin remarked as he stepped back from Saber, his tone smug. "I'll make this quick, then."
Saber's expression hardened, her piercing gaze fixed on Assassin. Sweat poured down her face, yet she held her ground firmly.
"When I was alive, I was a wandering swordsman." Assassin began with a sly grin. "With no clear purpose, I dedicated my life to mastering a sword technique capable of cutting a swallow mid-flight. Swallows, as you know, are swift creatures. To strike one down with a single slash would be no ordinary feat."
"You... don't mean... " Saber's eyes widened in shock, her green pupils trembling. As she sensing herself being cutting in piece to piece as soon as she step forward.
"Tsubame Gaeshi "
In an instant, Assassin's single form split into three, even though it's not his actual body, just an energy that can cut an iron in half, each wielding a blade, all lunging toward Saber with blinding speed.
Saber could feel it—death was inevitable if she pressed forward, and retreating was a dead end.
"Saber!?" Shirou shouted in shock.
Thud!
With no other choice, Saber leaped down from the stairs, tumbling down from steps across the steps before. landing near Shirou and Rin.
"Saber! Are you alright!?" Shirou rushed to support her.
"I'm fine, Shirou " Saber replied firmly, her voice unwavering as she turned her gaze back toward Assassin, who stood at ease, a mocking smirk on his face.
"You nearly lost your life just now if you did not jump in time," Assassin taunted, raising his blade toward Saber, Shirou, and Rin. "Or the stair didn't end here," he said, looking down while stepping half of his feet back in the ground of the stair steps.
"Can't you let them pass?" Saber asked. As she looks at Assassin's serious face.
Assassin remained silent for a moment before replying, "I cannot let you through until this duel is decided."
With that, Saber gripped her sword tighter, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Saber, I think we should."
"I'm fine, Shirou," she interrupted with confidence.
Assassin chuckled, clearly relishing the moment. He pointed his sword at her and said, "Shall we continue?"
Archer's pale eyeball scanned the billowing smoke left by his arrow. He couldn't be sure if the attack was an instant kill or not. His gaze darted around, watching for Caster's movements.
Suddenly, Archer spun to dodge as Caster appeared behind him, slashing with a glowing purple dagger. Archer managed to evade and fired an arrow in retaliation.
The arrows, however, were deflected by Caster's magical shield. Once safe, Caster flicked her hand, summoning seven magic circles behind her, each firing blasts of energy at Archer.
Archer retreated, losing arrows to counter the barrage.
"Archer, is it? Let me tell you something," Caster sneered, her posture proud. "Your puny arrows won't kill me."
"I figured already witch " Archer retorted with a smug grin as he landed in the temple courtyard. His words struck a nerve, visibly enraging Caster.
"You DARE!—!" she yelled in angry before unleashing another barrage of magic. Archer dodged, rolling out of harm's way before firing back his exchange the attack time to time.
At the same time, Yusuke lay unconscious, his body limp and unresponsive. Kuzuki slowly approached him.
Clang!
Rider suddenly dashed in, throwing her chain to wrap around Kuzuki's arm.
"Hmph," Kuzuki glanced at the violet-haired servant standing before him. Despite her imposing presence, he showed no fear.
Rider yanked the chain, dragging Kuzuki toward her before thrusting her dagger at him. Kuzuki narrowly dodged the blade but couldn't avoid her follow-up kick, which sent him sprawling.
Rider's chain tightened, restraining Kuzuki further. This time, he couldn't escape.
Zoom!
Caster redirected one of her magic circles toward Rider and Kuzuki, firing a massive blast of energy at her. Rider released chain from Kuzuki hand just in time to dodge the attack.
"You all can go to hell together!" Caster roared, raising her right hand.
A small orange orb materialized above her palm, rapidly expanding until it resembled a miniature sun, radiating intense heat, light, and energy.
"Saber might've been able to stop this, but you? Let's see how you fare!" Caster taunted, hurling the massive orb into the center of the Temple courtyard.
"Damn it!" Archer and Rider scrambled to escape as the fiery orb hit the ground.
BOOM!
The ensuing explosion obliterated the Ryuudou Temple courtyard, leaving a deep crater that exposed the mountain's bedrock. The resulting smoke that can be seen even miles away.
Archer slowly got to his feet, battered and singed, but not defeated. His body bore scorch marks and his clothes were tattered, yet he managed a wry smile.
"Caster… You're really burning the whole temple, huh? Aren't you worried about your master?"
Caster floating above the temple courtyard, her cape spread out resemblance of a beautiful butterfly, but her smirked is as close to the poisonous insects. "My master isn't foolish enough to be caught in the crossfire."
"Is that so?" Archer looks around he attempt to spotted Yusuke but only emptiness he saw. " Well, it looks like you're running out of tricks now" Archer said before summoning his bow with an arrow and aiming toward Caster.
"You think all souls I have killed and consumed, all that power just for a fireball?" Caster snapped, flicking her hand again. This time, her summoned beasts emerged from the temple's grounds, now far larger and more menacing.
"The real fight starts now." Caster said confidently before she pointed a finger and commanded her army to attack both Rider and Archer.
Meanwhile, inside one of the buildings in the courtyard, that didn't get affected by Caster Power. Kuzuki carried the unconscious Yusuke into the nearby forest. Though his body lay still, Yusuke's mind stirred.
Deep down…
Deeper still…
Within the recesses of his thoughts...
That day, the rain poured heavily, and the thunder roared like an ominous premonition.
That day, it was pouring rain, and the thunder roared so loudly it felt like it could shatter eardrums—truly terrifying. Nobody would dare stay in an open area at a time like this.
But he was there... as far as he could remember.
Something was with him too.
As far as he could recall, he was holding a gun, about to pull the trigger on someone.
And then—
CRACK!
"Huh?" Kuzuki turned to the side, hearing something. It sounded like an electric shock that happens from time to time.
Crash!
In a second, he was struck with full force—a massive punch, far more powerful than before. Though perhaps not as strong as what he faced at the school, it was enough to make him bleed from head to mouth.
Kuzuki spun around the air before landing on his feet, as then he raised his guard once more.
What he saw surprised him.
It was Yusuke... he transformed into Kuuga, in his red form. His armor was still red, but now golden edges adorned his shoulders, wrists, and ankles—something Kuzuki had never seen before.
Lightning began to surge intermittently across Kuga's body.
It seemed like he had grown stronger; that much was clear to Kuzuki. But who cared?
He had to take this kid down again.
Whatever is going to happen next... only god will know.