64: Theater D

There's not an ounce of hesitation from Lancelot as he crushes her head between his hands.

Even though they were comrades, even though Gareth held him in the highest regard - the strongest Knight of the Round Table follows through, killing her in the exact same tragic manner he had in life.

I already forgave Sir Lancelot. Even before I had been summoned, on the throne, I already decided to forgive him.

She said that, when it came up before. To be honest, at the time, I had thought it was kind of admirable.

But now…

Now, as Gareth's still faintly smiling face craves in under the force of his grip-

Now, as gray matter and chunks of skull squeeze out from between Lancelot's fingers-

Now, as her headless body crumples to the ground-

My vision swims. A surge of vomit pours out of my mouth. It's completely sickening - the utter lack of contrition, his willingness to not only kill her again, but to do it in the exact same manner-!

"Unforgivable! You're completely unforgivable, Lancelot-!" I roar as my heart thunders in my ears.

He turns, dull eyes focusing on us, still visible from behind his stringy, unwashed hair - and then, he bounds forward, scrambling on the ground animalistically with his three remaining limbs.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" He howls, spit flying out of his mouth. He gets closer. Twenty meters. Ten meters. Five meters.

Briefly I glance at Mash, still unconscious on the ground behind me. Out of the edges of my vision, I see Marie and Prelati tensing up - but it's useless, and we all know that. Marie is still around a minute and a half away from having enough mana to use [Guillotine Breaker] offensively, and none of Prelati's spells are having any effect on Lancelot.

I take a step forwards. "[Invisible Providence]." I'm going to die. I know that.

But if I can punch Lancelot right in his shitty face as he kills me, I'll feel a bit better about it.

The distance closes. His sword is swung-

-A burst of motion from behind me-

-and the blade crashes against Mash's shield.

"Gaaah! Raaah!" The berserker roars in a vaguely confused manner, smashing his sword a second time against the shield - but as his weapon crashes against hers for the second time, her boot connects with his chin, sending him reeling backwards into an awkward three-limbed landing. "Haaaaagh-!"

"-Ninety seconds, right?" The words exit Mash's lips in an almost slurred manner, her voice barely audible. Her limbs are shaking, and her face is ashen pale from blood loss - and looking at the still damp redness covering her torso and arms, I can't even tell whether the bleeding has stopped. But her eyes are filled with a solemn determination that looks completely alien on her usually shy face. "If it's just that long - I'll hold this idiot off."

Wordlessly, I nod, and Invisible Providence retreats into my body as I activate a different authority in its place. "[Cor Leonis]." I'm all but bowled over by searing pain, a feeling like my insides have been scrambled and my bones are about to break.

"ARRRGGH!" Lancelot blurs into motion once more, and a rapid flurry of blows is exchanged. I feel my bones creaking, and my middle finger shatters as Mash disengages the fight once more with a right hook from behind her shield.

"I'll heal-!" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Don't. If you're going to cast something, give me that gravity spell. This next attack is going to decide it." She mutters, and to my dismay I see Lancelot's sword begin to glow blue as he rights himself. "While you're at it, switch that ridiculous pain sharing ability of yours off. If I can't keep track of how much I'm pushing her body, this girl is going to die."

'This girl'!?

"Y-you're-!" I stammer as Cor Leonis falters and a hundred thoughts and questions flash through my mind.

Lancelot howls, bounding forward using only his leg and his left arm, with his right arm holding his glowing weapon aloft. "[Aron-"

"Now, Master!" Roars Mash - no, Galahad - as she(?) lunges forwards to meet him.

"[Vita]!" Barely, I manage to cast my last available spell from my mystic code before she reaches him.

"-diiiiiight]!" Lancelot howls, swinging the sword down, a wave of mana cascading out of it-

Only for the pommel to meet Galahad's shield not five centimeters into the downswing, as the shielder performs a sliding kick, shield raised over her head.

There's an audible sound of bone cracking as the berserker tries to complete the swing of his weapon - but unfazed by the damage, Galahad hicks him in the chest with both feet, knocking him backwards and sending the rest of the beam from his sword in the opposite direction intended.

With a howl, Lancelot flips through the air to land in the same animalistic pose as before, now around fifteen meters away from me. Galahad, meanwhile, rises unsteadily to her feet.

"Gaaaa…Laaa…Haaaaad!" the Berserker twitches feverishly - but then, his attention switches - locked on Marie as sparkles begin to fill the air around her.

"That's far enough, Sir Lancelot - it's over! [Guillotine-!" Marie says as her gemstone horse manifests once more.

It's over. Lancelot is missing a leg, and just used his Noble Phantasm. He's already expended all of his ranged attacks. The sky is clear, no allies are coming to save him. Even his bullshit Luck Stat and Protection of the Fairies can't deflect an A-ranked Anti-Army Noble Phantasm! And so, Marie starts to charge-!

"[Dolorous…" The Black Knight plunges his clawed gauntlets into the soil, corruption spreading across the ground.

"I won't let you-!" Galahad shouts, charging him, her shield spinning downwards in an attack-

"-Breaker]!" Marie finishes, as her crystal steed-

"-Gaaaaard]!" impacts a steel wall as it erupts from the ground. Behind the Lancelot, and in front of him, around twelve meters away on each side, two jagged rectangles of steel emerge from the ground.

Galahad aborts her attack, attempting to leap away, but black chains explode out of the ground, arresting her movement. She gives a single glance at me, and then calls out- "Go!"

And then the steel jaws snap shut around her and Lancelot, completing the image of a black iron castle with no doors or windows, just outside the city gate of Paris.

…

For a moment, I can't say anything. I stagger forward and lay a hand on the cold metal.

"You've got to be kidding me." I mutter, voice cracking. I find my fist hammering against the Fortress's side impotently, the skin on my knuckles. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! We were so- we were so close!"

"Jeez, to think he'd have a Fortress-type Noble Phantasm in his back pocket too…" Prelati shakes his head as he approaches me. "That's fame bonus for you I guess! What a shame!"

My fury boils over, my vision going red. Enough. That's fucking enough, out of this piece of shit-!

"-Come to think of it, you got a Fortress-type from being summoned to this country too, right Marie?" The alchemist says, just before I start to reach to strangle him. "Bet that would have helped keeping Jeanne, Mozart, Gareth, and Mash alive. How come you didn't use it, huh?"

Something white hot lances through my brain. I turn, unblinkingly towards the Queen of France. The Queen of France most renowned for airheadedness, for saying 'let them eat cake' when told her peasants were starving.

She flinches under my gaze. "That's… I don't have-"

"Did you forget, by chance?" The Alchemist needles.

"No! I just didn't have enough mana to use both [Crystal Palace] and- " She protests.

It makes sense. It's a perfectly rational reason. Anti Army and Fortress Noble Phantasms are both incredibly mana intensive. It's a completely sensible defense.

Which is why I instantly regret my next sentence.

"That sure as hell didn't stop him!" I blurt out, gesturing at [Dolorous Gard]. "And so much for the A-Rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, huh!?"

The second criticism is also out of place. It's normal for an Anti-Army attack to not breach a Fortress. That's what Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasms like Excalibur are for. It's completely out of line for me to expect a Queen with no combat experience in life to have anything on that level.

Her eyes fill with tears "I'm sorry! I know, I'm useless, I was useless, I'm sorry-!"

I'm filled with remorse instantly. I want to apologize. I was completely in the wrong, needlessly cruel, lashing out - but no such reconciliation can ever occur.

"[Phantom Maiden]."

Because, in the next instant, Marie shoves me back - and then, just as with Mash, the metal jaws of a death trap swallow her whole.

She screams. Marie Antoinette screams for an impossible amount of time. The Iron Maiden floats away from me in slow motion, as I reach a hand out, completely numb, and Marie is still screaming. A form materializes below the maiden as blood oozes from the cracks in its doors, cruel laughter on her lips, and Marie is still screaming.

Her hair has changed color to a vibrant pink, draconic horns have sprouted from her skull, and a black tail is swishing in the air behind her - but from her figure and dress, Berserk Assassin, Carmilla, is unmistakable.

She says something, but I can't hear it over the sound of Marie's screams and my boiling blood, and I lunge for her, blinded by rage.

"[Grand Illusion]!"

-Before I can reach Carmilla, the world dissolves into mist, and I feel a vague pain in my left wrist.

I can't move. I can't move a single muscle. Something is hot and wet on my wrist, but I can't look at it, because I can't move.

Slowly, Francois Prelati loops around from behind me, to come into the view of my frozen sight. "Hey now, you can't die just yet, Subaru. We've still got a little prep work to do. You don't mind my confiscating this for a bit, do you?" He gives a cheeky grin, and waves a severed hand with three expended command spells at me.

Didn't he say he wouldn't be able to create another illusion for hours after the last one!? And yet- Oh.

Duh.

This is the part where he betrays me.

Noble Phantasm Revealed!

Accursed Black Castle of No Return: Dolorous Gard

Rank: B-

Type: Fortress

Range: 30

Maximum Number of Targets: 2-22 (One Enemy, Lancelot, and up to Twenty Allies)

The Bleak Fortress which Lancelot conquered and purified at the start of his career, now turned to darkness once more by his madness. Allows Lancelot to ensnare an enemy within, and force them to fight him and up to twenty allies.

However, there are several caveats to the Fortress's use. First, [For Someone's Glory] must have already been dispelled. Second, once the ensnared foe is defeated, [Dolorous Gard]'s door will open, and the fortress can be entered by another lone enemy. Third, if [Dolorous Gard] is destroyed, Lancelot will also die. Finally, neither Lancelot nor his allies can leave [Dolorous Gard] unless his Mad Enhancement is dispelled by some means, or he is killed.

This Noble Phantasm is only available to Berserker Lancelot when summoned in France or Britain.

A/N:

Chapter title is from the Re:Zero insert song by Myth&Roid. I don't actually think it quite measures up to that moment in the show, so maybe I should change it... but I wanna post the chapter now, not spend an hour making up a new title for it

The next chapter is, of course, titled "Sudden but inevitable".