Jeanne Alter POV
The sun felt warm on her face.
It was a clear day today. Which means it's a perfect day to fly and unleash death upon her enemies.
She adjusted her tinted eyeglasses.
Gilles made sure they fit her perfectly so that she wouldn't have to worry about the unexpected sprays of sand anymore.
She wasn't used to wearing accessories on her face; however, they were a necessary countermeasure.
She walked towards the central plaza.
Orleans was once a thriving city, now it was just a ghost town, corpses shambling about in place of workers, wyverns screeching above the skies while on patrol.
Not that anyone was foolish enough to attack them, but one could not be too careful.
She felt the presence of her two servants as they grew closer.
"And I told you, that woman was standing on my side of the city! So her blood was mine!!"
"Did the Ottomans teach you nothing about how borders work? No, forget it, I take back that question. Given your history, they did teach you but you were too stupid to pay attention."
"Why you lousy wench!!"
She rolled her eyes when she heard these two going on their usual inane banter.
"Enough chitchat you two, get on your wyverns. We're heading out, Assassin, Saber, and Berserker are fighting as we speak."
The two vampires stopped their bickering and lowered their heads in respect.
"Yes, master." Carmilla said.
"Hmph, as you wish." Vlad scoffed, but it was not directed at her but rather the countess.
She mentally called out to Fafnir, and the dragon responded by dramatically covering the plaza in darkness with his looming shadow.
He landed with a thud next to her, the ground trembling under his might.
She smiled at the weapon of mass destruction with wings, and was about to hop aboard, but she was stopped by Vlad before she even had a chance to flex her toes.
"Was it wise to send just three of them at once? They made it to Theirs did they not? That means they will be dealing with twice the amount of opponents."
She turned to face Vlad and raised a brow, "Yes. That is true. But, I sent them first to tire the enemy out, before we went in and finished the job. And also, in case the angel or those invisible attacks appear again."
Vlad grunted, as if he had something to say.
She rolled her eyes and motioned him to continue.
He nodded, "about that, I do not believe the angel or the attacks will be a problem."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because, the last time we fought them, the mysterious forces which attacked you and Fafnir did not use the same attacks to blind us, or to subdue us. In fact, I believe the entity cannot attack with high frequency."
Annoyance bubbled to the surface, she faced the vampire and sneered at him.
"And why didn't you say anything sooner?!"
"Apologies, I tried, but you were too busy asserting your authority over us that you didn't allow me to make a proper report." Vlad said matter-of-factly.
She massaged the bridge of her nose, "alright. Sorry about that. This is good information to know… regardless of how late it is."
"Master, may I have a word?" Carmilla suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" She will admit, she snapped a bit too harshly on the woman;however, she did not seem to mind her rude response.
"My younger self will be present in the upcoming battle, permission to have her all to myself?" Carmilla asked.
She waved the countess's question off, "sure yeah, whatever. We've spent too much time yapping, we're heading out now, come on."
Not bothering to let either servant say anything else, she hopped on top of Fafnir's back.
The True Dragon stretched out its massive wings and in a single flap, he was already coasting over the city.
The dragon looked southwest and flew, towards the city of Theirs, while a cloud of wyverns followed behind him.
✦✧✦
Theirs, France 1431
"Ungh!" Sanson cried out as a blast of magical energy hit his face.
He bared his teeth at Mozart, who was pointing a baton toward him.
"Amadeus!! Butt out!! I'm trying to cut off Marie's head!!"
"To admit your intent to commit such a horrendous crime against Marie, you truly have lost your mind Charles Henri Sanson!!" He said with incredulity.
"A crime you say? Please, execution is a punishment reserved for those who carry the debt of sin!! However, the act of being executed is also a settlement of that debt. "
Charles Henri spread his arms out, a crazed expression on his face, "but for that to work, the executioner must inflict more pain than sin! For executioners that is more important than rules, more important than petty things like ethics or logic!! All that matters is that the sinner suffers so much that they start to feel pleasure!! Pleasure so painful that they seek to embrace death!!"
[Ho-Shit, this guy is serious. ]
[Dude is sick in the head. ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Who the fuck says that kind of demented shit out loud, and in public no less?! Someone get this guy into a psych ward!! ]
[It can't be… is that… the legendary Super Sadist?! ]
Marie's voice caressed the senses of everyone within earshot, and Sanson avoided a rain of magical lasers.
Another magical attack flew towards Sanson, who had to block with his blade.
He threw himself at Marie and slashed.
Marie ducked, and her hat took the damage instead.
"Aahhh!!" A second later, a long gash appeared on Marie's body.
[Oh no Marie!! \("˚☐˚)/ ]
"Marie!!" Mozart ran towards Marie and helped her up.
"Marie, are you okay?"
"I-I'm okay Amadeus… it's just a flesh wound."
"That's a lie!!" Kiyohime, despite having her hands full helping Astolfo fight D'Eon, found the time to confirm the lie Marie had told.
"See what you did Amadeus? Because of you, Marie is going to suffer," the Executioner said.
[Don'tTouchMyBuns!: Stop gaslighting Mozart you shithead!! You're the one hurting Marie!! ]
[Junior_Researcher: Didn't he just go on a spiel about executioners inflicting pain on people? Why is he worried for Marie? ]
[I dunno man, I gave up trying to understand Berserkers days ago. ]
"But on that note, I have to ask you something Marie,"
The Executioner walked closer toward Marie, like a serial killer who was closing in on his victim.
"How did your beheading by my hands feel? I mean, I smelled everything your body expelled at the gallows, but it was also hard to tell … but you climaxed at the end didn't you? "
[Ah!! My ears!! Please stop talking!!!! ]
[Dude!! WTF?!! ]
[Frisky1inTheFlowers(MOD): This guy is the type of degenerate who would look up gore porn online and actually fap to it rather than vomit. ]
[Gore porn? That's a thing?!! (°△°|||) ]
[Frisky1inTheFlowers(MOD): Yeah, it is. Not my cup of tea, but its popular enough that there's thousands of images of people in various states of abuse or death. ]
[ I knew it was a good idea to skip lunch before I sat down to watch this stream. ]
[HippityHoppip650: I miss the wholesome ASMR streams man… (╥﹏╥) ]
Marie's face turned pale and horrified.
Mozart's face meanwhile, turned red with anger, enough!! You barbaric cur!! How dare you ask such a vile, moronic question to Marie!!"
Charles Henri's smile became a frown, "it's not a moronic question!! My greatest achievement in life was cutting off her head!! I MUST know how it felt so I can-"
"I said cease your degeneracy you cur!! None of us want to hear it!! Cresendo!!"
[Yes!! Thank you for shutting him up Mozart!! ]
[This guy's greatest achievement is cutting off an innocent woman's head? loser. ]
A magical attack flew at Charles Henry's face but he dodged.
Charles Henry tried to go for another attack, but he was blindsided by a wall of flames hitting his body.
"AH!!"
The executioner rolled on the ground, but the fire proved too stubborn to put out right away.
[Fire&Flamez: Burn you degenerate, BURN!! ]
[LOL. Bitch goes on about pain being pleasure but can't deal with the pain himself. ]
While he was distracted, Marie used one of her skills to heal herself.
Charles recovered, just in time to avoid another wall of flames.
He spotted Kiyohime and scowled.
"Another nosy interloper getting between Marie and I's intimate moment."
Before chat had a chance to see more, the camera disappeared, and reappeared next to Astolfo.
[Damn it!! This is ass!! Too much is happening all at once!! ]
[Sometimes I feel like Gudao and Chaldea are playing hot potato with us. ]
[AltariaFloof: Honestly? I think I prefer being away from that creep Charles Henry for a while.]
[Good point. ]
The air cried as the chain-like sword tore through it.
Chevalier D'Eon, despite being held together by a literal thread, managed to barely evade on time, but at the cost of another wound on his already damaged body.
The Chevalier's face was scrunched into a frown, "have you no shame?! to go parading around in what barely qualifies as clothes for all to see?!!"
The shadow bunny tilted its head, "but it's cute?"
[Bunny_Aachan: He's right, you know? Accept the shamelessness. It will make you stronger. ]
"It lacks class!! Besides, that outfit is not "cute" at all!! It just makes you look like a whore!!"
The shadow suddenly got serious, the anger in its malicious smile was potent enough that it made the Chevalier's body shiver.
"Your lack of faith in cuteness is disturbing."
[IliekQTthings : You tell em!! NOW BEND HIM OVER AND SLAP HIS PRETTY BOY ASS UNTIL IT TURNS RED. ]
[Ms.Roxanne: (＾་།＾) ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Um… I think it may be too soon for that kind of action. I might have to invite him to a fancy dinner first. ]
[I thought shadow servants couldn't speak? Why is this one yapping?]
[Mighty1Oak: Actually, I distinctly remember Da Vinci saying in the debrief prior to Orleans that the shadow servants that Ritsuka controls speak generic phrases or not at all. The only time it deviates from that is when it encounters a catalyst that triggers a reaction, which is usually related to something or someone that shadow servant has experienced in their life. ]
[AltariaFloof: So because Chevalier D'Eon is a femboy and Astolfo is ALSO a femboi, then that is what triggered the extra dialogue? ]
[Mighty1Oak: For all intents and purposes, yes. It's funny, because this phenomenon reminds me a lot of how Pokken characters will say different things depending on who they are fighting. ]
The camera cut off the femboy death match early, in favor of showing the menacing Black knight Lancelot.
Ratatatatatata.
Bullets whizzed in the air, spreading the stench of gunpowder and death wherever they went, but they all missed their intended targets.
The landscape had not been given reprieve to recover, and the scabs of battle were ripped from its flesh, exposing the loamy earth to the sun.
Any that came close to hitting either Jeanne or Georgios were deflected or blocked.
The bullets, while originally a modern weapon that contained no mystery, were now packed with enough of it to hurt a servant.
Both saints had to watch their movements to avoid being struck.
In the skies, Elizabeth flew like a drone, occasionally unleashing a helping roar whenever she could get away with it.
"ARTHUUUUR!!" Lancelot cried out, then aimed the massive laser at the blonde saint.
The air tasted dry, the sheer energy from the cannon laser dispersed the surrounding water.
It slammed into the flagpole and exploded in a radiant light.
Jeanne was unhurt, but the Black knight was relentless and continued to focus solely on her.
This single-minded obsession was a benefit to Georgios, who made a beeline towards the dark berserker servant.
Lancelot saw this, and guided the stream of bullets at the red-headed saint.
Georgios sidestepped right, and ran around Lancelot's perimeter.
The oversized cannon followed the moving target, but the onslaught of bullets, while strong, were too slow to catch up to the saint, especially when Georgios manifested a horse and rode it.
[Lancelot is doing it wrong. He's supposed to aim where the person will be, not follow them. ]
[Common mistake for amateur gun users. ]
[MagnetKing: Actually, that is not a "gun" its an artillery cannon. ]
[Junior_Researcher: Which is just a big gun. ]
[MagnetKing: erm… right. ]
Kriemhild, seeing her chance to strike, jumps to action.
"AAAURRGHHH!"
Metal shrieked as Balmung cut through Lancelot's armor, slicing the flesh underneath.
Lancelot tumbles, and becomes a sprinkler of death as stray bullets sprayed everywhere.
Georgios charges at Lancelot, hoping to trample him to death, but like an animal possessed, Lancelot gets on all fours, and awkwardly throws himself aside.
[Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! ]
[SurgeOfLightning: Geez,how much strength does this guy have, to make such acrobatic movements while carrying such a comically oversized cannon?! That thing looks like it weighs a literal ton!! ]
[Junior_Researcher: Never thought I'd see the day when a guy who brought a gun to a sword fight would be the one losing, yet, here we are. ]
Lancelot stood up, his breathing ragged, but he was not panicked or scared. There was only one emotion that the Knight of the Lake felt at that moment.
"AUUUUUUWHHHHOOO"
✦✧✦
"PSST" the bottle hissed, coating Sasaki's cheek in medicine. The liquid glowed briefly before seeping through the skin and the open wound.
Flesh knitted itself together. If Sasaki was a normal human, he would have needed something else to replace the blood he lost, but it was unnecessary.
"Quite the useful potion you have there Master of Chaldea."
"It is a potion, yes. Modified to work on heroic spirits. "
The swordsman raised a brow, but said nothing. It was not his place, nor was it wise to question a healer.
Not that Ritsuka could provide a proper explanation of what Pokémon was without having it turn into a lecture, and he had no time to give an "Intro to The Wonderful World of Pokémon" class at the moment.
All he knew was that the potions included in the care packages worked on different principles, yet somehow still worked on servants.
They didn't work on humans for some reason. The Pokémon world explained that they weren't designed for humans, so it was left at that.
These potions were modified to be more potent. Unmodified potions by themselves fell short when healing servants. Which makes sense since these potions were originally designed for weaker Pokémon, something that Sasaki Kojirou was not.
The care package came with full restores and other medicines; unfortunately, Da Vinci was stretched thin on the various projects under her supervision.
Reverse engineering his gifts were on a lower priority than ensuring Chaldea is restored to its former condition, so she only had a chance to make a few usable potions that he kept in his zipper pockets in case of emergencies.
"Thank you for tending my wounds, now I must head back."
"Wait, before you go, can you make a contract with me?"
Sasaki pondered the question for a moment, before nodding, "alright, I suppose the boost in energy will be useful."
The swordsman looked Ritsuka in the eyes, "I accept you as my master… for now. "
The bond was formed, and the contract was finalized.
"Now then, I'm off to fight the strongest knight of the Round Table."
Ritsuka blinked and Sasaki was gone.
The purple samurai easily weaved through the onslaught of bullets with ease and grace, until he finally rejoined the fray alongside Kriemhild, Jeanne, and Georgios.
He moved past them, and readied his blade.
Lancelot was too fargone to follow proper dueling etiquette, so Sasaki just went for the kill.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!!"
Lancelot, realizing he was in danger, hid behind his cannon.
The long sword left three shallow cuts on the cannon.
[VioletZephyr_Falk: So that was the Aerial Ace of Gudao's world huh? Impressive. ]
[Wide_OpenSky-la: OMA it was so cool!! I gotta teach my Unfezant this new variation!! ]
[CasCu: Good luck with that, it took Koujirou his entire life to master the technique. ]
[Wide_OpenSky-la: Well then thee's no better time to start than now! Of coarse… after this fight of coarse. ]
[CasCu: You're also going to need A LOT of swallows to practice on. ]
[Wide_OpenSky-la: … I'm sure there's a more ethical way to practice… I'll figure something out. ]
Sasaki clicked his tongue at his failure to lop off the Berserker's arm.
Lancelot jumped away, aimed his gun at Sasaki, and fired.
"Senpai!!" Mash jumped in front of Ritsuka, blocking the incoming bullets that Koujirou had dodged with ease.
The bullets moved away, following after Sasaki, and away from his new master.
[That was close. ]
[yeah… Gudao is really lucky Mash is always there when he needs her. ]
"Thanks Mash."
"It's no issue, Sen-"
"Kyah!!"
Both of them looked to the left to see Chevalier D'Eon, his body riddled with gaping holes.
[AltariaFloof: It breaks my heart to see such cute boys fall to the darkside and meet their demise too early. Oh well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go vomit now. ]
Ritsuka winced at the sight.
Friendly fire.
D'Eon had crossed Lancelot's path, and could not evade in time.
To add insult to injury, Astolfo did not let the other femboy recover, as his blade wrapped around D'Eon's girly frame like a Burmese python.
"Shriiik"
Ritsuka felt the bile in his throat when he saw the white swordsman shredded like ground beef.
D'Eon fell to the ground with a wet splat, his blood seeping into the soil and nourishing the land he helped burn.
[AltariaFloof: ervwe94gfbui0 ]
[Oof, its a bad time to be @ AltariaFloof.]
He opened his mouth to speak, but his body was still in shock after getting brutally murdered like he was.
He went limp and exploded into a flurry of lights.
The grisly death seemed to have not elicited any pity from his comrades, quite the opposite in fact.
"Hahahahahah, Serves you right you pathetic twink!! "
[Seriously dude, shut the fuck up!!! ]
"The only pathetic one here is you Charles Henri Sanson."
Sanson's head snapped at Marie in disbelief, "huh?!"
Marie looked somber, "The Sanson I knew was a wonderful executioner, you never looked down on the criminals you executed. You developed your guillotine so that the criminals would not suffer.
But as you are now? You're nothing more than a psychopath who enjoys the misery of others. A man no different to the murderers he executed."
"Wah…"
[She said, Hypocrisy Thy name is Charles Henry Sanson!! ]
"That last attack of yours, if you had attacked me as your older self, it would have killed me." She looked up to meet his heartbroken gaze, "but this rotten personality of yours, it has dulled your blade, so it will never kill me."
"LIES. YOU LIE!!!"
"No she's not!! Truth!!" Kiyohime said, but was ignored and later silenced when a massive door emerged from the earth.
No, it was no door, it was a guillotine.
"DEATH IS HOPE FOR TOMORROW! LA MORT ESPOIR!!!"
Dozens of hands emerged from the guillotine.
The hands ignored all but Marie.
Marie, seeing that these hands were aiming for her, manifested her crystal horse and ran.
[Oh Arc… Run Marie!! Run for your life!! ]
[Please don't let Marie die, please don't let Marie die! ]
[Of coarse the creep has a noble phantasm that manifests creepy Cofagrigus hands. ]
[Ghost_Prince: Don't go hating on the guy, we have enough pokemon type haters in our world as it is. ]
The horse zipped through the air, barely managing to evade the hand on time before they had their clutches on her.
Another voice resonated in the air.
It was Mozart, he was playing on a piano he manifested.
Once again, he has unleashed his noble phantasm, Requiem for Death,
But it was not alone.
Marie's voice joined the concert, and her soft melodic voice synced with the tone of the piano.
"I shall continue to bloom, and I shall continue to dance! I want to live!! Guillotine Breaker!!"
Sanson made the attempt to evade the attack, but it was too late.
"Requiem for Death!!"
Both Sanson and Lancelot froze in place as Amadeus's noble phantasm took hold, and sapped their strength.
Marie's horse whinnied, and charged at the demented executioner.
All Charles could was watch in horror as the crystal equine got closer, and closer, until the mass of crystal slammed into his body.
His head was able to avoid the attack, his body; however, exploded into chunks of meat.
[YEAH!! She got him!! And she did it with style!! ]
[I don't mind the brutality if its done to creeps like this guy. ]
[Madness enhancement or not, fuck this guy. ]
His blood and viscera splashed on the crystal horse and Marie's body.
She pursed her lips, not in disgust but in genuine sadness and pity.
She hopped off her horse and landed on the ground with grace despite her current disposition.
Looking down, as if by fate, she saw what remained of Charles Henri Sanson next to her.
The decapitated head was still moving, despite missing its body.
She walked over and picked up the disembodied head. Charles's mouth moved but not even gurgles came from his mouth.
Still the raw emotion on his face told her everything she needed to know.
His mouth moved, and while she could not understand everything he said, she could make out one key word.
'Forgive'
Her eyes softened at the executioner,poor thing. To be so misguided that you would be reduced to such a state."
She hugged his decapitated head, like a mother would comfort a child, "there there, you can rest now Charles. I bear no grudges against you. There's nothing to forgive."
The head of Charles Henri Sanson's mouth stopped moving, his eyes dulled and his eyelids drooped shut.
Charles Henri Sanson died in Marie's embrace.
✦✧✦
[Two down, one more to go. ]
[DragoonRuleZ: I hope he suffers. ]
[Beaumains: Please do not wish ill on him!! I'll get mad!! ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)💢 ]
[@_DragoonRuleZ why are you so obsessed with Gareth anyway? She's not even a dragon. Don't you dragon trainers love dragons? ]
[DragoonRuleZ: …You wouldn't understand, besides, I don't have to explain myself to losers on the internet. ]
[Wow, someone's defensive. Keep your secrets then ma'am. :Neil Degrasse Tyson meme emote:]
The camera pans to berserker lancelot surrounded on all fronts.
A seven versus one fight.
Jeanne(Arthur), Astolfo, and Mash were to the East, while Georgios, Kiyohime, and Elizabeth Bathory were to the West.
Sasaki Kojirou and Kriemhild covered the North and South respectively, closing the ring of enemies he had to deal with.
Even under the haze of madness, Lancelot was not blind. He knew he was heavily outnumbered and his odds of survival were now the lowest they've ever been.
They closed in, like hunters about to challenge a mammoth.
He was cornered, too many enemies to choose from.
He was not given the privilege to choose.
Kriemhild struck first, her evil blade seeking to end him, but the massive cannon he wielded deflected the attack.
The woman jumped away, and he moved his arm to aim an attack, but a searing hot flame hit his back.
"Uuuur!!"
The stench of burnt pork filled the air.
Gritting his teeth under his helmet, Berserker pushed past the pain, charged an attack, and pointed the artillery at the white berserker.
BANG
An arrow slams onto the side of his cannon, sending the charged beam off coarse.
The beam carved a trench as it veered horizontally towards the red super idol, but she took to the skies, evading the attack.
"Everyone! Cover your ears!! I'm going to give this brute a special death metal performance!!"
Elizabeth's chest expanded as her lungs took in as much air as they could hold…
"RAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"
…And unleashed a growl that was so loud, it drowned out Lancelot's screams of agony. The berserker tried to cover his ears, but the cannon he wielded prevented that.
He was now deaf in his right ear.
Even after the growl stopped, his ears buzzed, and his balance was thrown off, which was why he was unable to hear Sasaki close in from behind.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!!"
The weight in his right arm vanished, the sound of the cannon plopping on the ground barely audible due to the buzzing in everyone's ears.
But their eyes did not lie, Lancelot had been disarmed… again.
Blood sprayed out from his wound like a fountain.
A touch of lucidity came to the forefront of Lancelot's mind.
He was going to die.
His head slammed into his shoulder as an arrow hit the right side of his head, splitting his helmet in two.
The pieces of metal fell to the ground, revealling… a handsome looking man.
[Oh wow… He looks so handsome! <3 ]
However, that image was shattered as the man scrunched his face and opened his mouth to reveal jagged teeth.
"Graugh!!"
[AH!! NEVERMIND!! ]
The wind changed direction, his long hair flowed in the breeze. He opened his clenched fist, and a swirl of dark energy slithered down his left arm.
A pitch black sword manifested in his grip, the fae runes glowing ominously in a sickening purple light.
His enemies, once confident that they could take the man down, were suddenly hesitant as the weight of the sword's presence fell on their shoulders.
However, despite the sudden shift in atmosphere, the pink bunny boy attacked, his chain sword aimed to disarm the Black knight.
With the grace and agility that he had not shown earlier, Lancelot deflected the tip of Astolfo's sword away with a sharp flick of his wrist, preventing the blade from grabbing hold of the evil sword as the femboy intended.
SHLICK
Astolfo's face fell face first onto the ground, as the upper half of his torso was cleaved from his hips.
The servants' eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as they beheld the grisly sight in front of them.
"Everyone!! Step back!! He's not the same man when wielding a blade!!" Georgios said, a serious edge to his tone.
[ ( 〇□〇）] x234
[Bunny_Aachan: Ouchies, that look like it hurt. ]
[Bruh, you just saw yourself get cut in half like a caterpie, and all you have to say about it is "ouchies"???!! How can you be so calm!? ]
[Bunny_Aachan: I'm fine though? He just killed my shadow, so while it is freaky, it's not the end of the world. Master can always manifest more. ]
[... ]
[Cascu: @_BunnyAachanI agree with you, but damn, it sounds so horrible and brutal when you say it. ]
[GudakoBot: TTS enabled. ]
[Frisky1intheFlowers donated 100 bits. ]
["Everyone, please be careful. That sword is Arondight, the legendary sister sword of Excalibur. It is a divine construct forged by the Lady of the Lake, Vivian. Whatever you do, do NOT let it cut you. "]
[SAY WHAT?! ]
[Um… well, at least Mash can use her Noble Phantasm to block any sword beams right? ]
Georgios pursed his lips at the information, "I see. Thank you for shedding light on this enemy of ours, monsieur."
Suddenly, Romani's voice sounded out for all to hear, "Oh shit! This is bad!! Everyone!! get ready!! The Dragon Witch is coming!! and she's bringing two more servants and an army of wyverns with her!! "
"N-No way…" Mash said, "so soon?"
"That white femboy D'Eon did say that she was on his way, so it's not surprising at all." Elizabeth said.
[Beaumains: Master, switch me in. ]
[Gudao: Are you sure Gareth? ]
[Beaumain: Do it. Please. ]
[Gudao: Fine. I trust you know what you're doing. ]
Ritsuka's command seals glowed, tethering themselves to Chaldea's systems and pulling a copy of Gareth into the battlefield.
The shadow's eyes immediately zeroed in on Lancelot, but she seemed hesitant to approach the fight.
"I see. So that means we will have to end this fight quickly then." Georgios pointed his blade at the mad servant.
Berserker Lancelot pointed his own sword at Georgios.
"But do not fret, for those who intend harm on others, their attacks will never reach me."
Arondight shone a sickly purple color.
"Raugh!!"
Lancelot jumped at the saint, his glowing sword of malevolent light ready to cut his enemy.
[Watch out Mr. George!! ]
"Thy dragon. Originating from Sin..."
The red headed saint's sword also glowed, but unlike Lancelot, it was a holy light.
"Hrr?!"
An intricate red insignia overlayed itself onto a confused Lancelot.
"...see the truth of my blade…"
The symbol condensed into red crackles of lightning that danced around Lancelot, etching a draconic essence down to his very soul.
Georgios met him halfway.
The purple sword of corruption clashed with the holy sword of justice.
If Lancelot still had both his arms, he would have been able to lock swords with the saint.
Unfortunately for Lancelot, he was not only missing an arm, but he was also not left handed.
"Grugh!!"
Ascalon parried Arondight with ease, and the holy sword struck armor.
Metal shrieked as the holy sword Ascalon cut through it like it was made of flesh, exposing Lancelot's chest to the outside air.
Blood splashed on Georgios's face, but he did not avert his gaze and etched a cross on the madman's chest and armor with a second slice.
Lancelot staggered backward, blood seeping from the cuts in his armor.
The Knight of the Lake fell to his knees, defeated.
Georgios returned to a neutral stance and looked down at the pained face of the man in pity.
He calmly walked towards the kneeling enemy, Ascalon slowly pointing to the sky, ready to end the man's suffering, but a hurried set of steps gave him pause.
He turned around and barely caught sight of a small, dog-eared knight charging towards Lancelot, her lance aimed at the man's chest.
SHRICK
And pierced his heart, shattering his core.
The crazed eyes of Lancelot regained the light of sanity.
The man looked up and when his eyes landed on his killer, they shone with recognition.
"G-Gareth… ?"
The shadow of Gareth stared into the man's soul, the disappointment, fear, and sorrow all laid out for him to see.
"Do you see me now, Ser Lancelot?" the shadow said.
Tears streaked down Lancelot's face, his lips trembled, the anguish and guilt on his face barely holding back his grief.
"Y-yes… I can see you now… Gareth… I… I'm sorry… I didn't see you that day… I… I didn't mean to…"
He coughs, splattering blood on her face, but she doesn't say anything else.
No words of comfort, no anger, no confession.
Just sadness.
Lancelot's body glowed, his eyes drooped.
The cold embrace of death was dragging him back to the Throne.
Arondight clattered to the floor, and his hand reached out….
[DragoonRuleZ: DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!! ]
… and pat her head.
"Thank you… for helping stop me… I'm so proud of you. You were truly the greatest knight of the Round, unlike me…."
[Baeumains: Ser Lancelot… (◞‸◟) ]
His hand lost strength, his fingers slid off Gareth's head and fell to his side.
Lancelot's eyes glazed over and he slumped forward, his translucent body vanishing into motes of light.
The battlefield fell silent, even as the distant flaps of dragon wings grew closer, no one said a word.
Finally, the Dragon arrived, its overwhelming power making the air tremble before him.
"So much for being the strongest Knight of the Round table…"
The voice of the Dragon Witch drew everyone's ire.
An ire which cooled when they saw the Dragon Witch standing on top of the dragon's head, with a pair of sunglasses on her face.
✦✧✦
Dark Jeanne slowly surveyed the battlefield, her eyes weren't visible to the others but behind the mystic code, she analyzed every servant before her.
Her eyes landed on the master, and she scowled at him, but unlike the humans in this singularity, he did not flinch nor did he hide behind his servants.
He looked more confused than fearful.
She scoffed and gave her attention to the mop of blonde hair that was and gave her a toothy grin.
"It's about time you got here, Jeanne D'Arc."
Jeanne frowned hearing that unfamiliar voice, she turned to the speaker and tilted her voice.
"And you are… wait…" she pointed a finger at Marie, "it's you!!"
"Yes its me, Ma-"
"You're the perverted Queen who wants to have her way with my body!!"
The declaration made everyone turn to face the Dragon Witch, even Fafnir was looking at his master weirdly.
"Pardon?" Marie asked, taken off guard by the statement.
"Don't play games with me, Marie Antoinette!! Chevalier D'Eon told me you want to make my heart and body yours!!" Dark Jeanne said, her face flushed with blood.
Marie's fist hit the palm of her hand, "Ah right, I did say that didn't I?"
"Well you can forget it!! This body is mine and mine alone!!"
"Are you sure about that?"
Jeanne flicked her gaze at the one who spoke, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Berserker Kriemhild huh… wait a minute," a smile came across her features, "now it all makes sense!! Fafnir told me about the massive explosion of energy from Balmung a few days ago. And that Siegfried's weak life signature perished. That was you, wasn't it? How hilarious!!!"
Kriemhild pursued her lips, displeased by the Dragon Witch's words.
She pointed a finger gun at the Berserker, "thanks for that, by the way. I was meaning to snuff that roach out earlier, but there were higher priorities that needed incineration."
She pointed at Theirs, "like burning that human settlement behind you."
"I regret to inform you that the town of Theirs will remain standing and unharmed, you however, still have not answered my question."
Dark Jeanne lifted a brow at Kriemhild, "oh? And what would that be?"
Kriemhild tilted her head, "who said that body you are puppeteering is yours?"
Dark Jeanne did not like the words Kriemhild said, "It's obviously mine, I am Jeanne D'Arc."
"You're wrong."
Dark Jeanne sent an annoyed look at Marie, "hah?! The fuck you mean 'I'm wrong?' I AM Jeanne D'Arc!!"
"She's not lying." Kiyohime said.
"Kiyohime?"
"Yes Marie-san?"
"Can you do me a favor, and shut up?"
[Σ(ﾟ口ﾟ ) ]x 1267
[Marie, for all the bubbly personality that she is, can be quite scary if she wants to. ]
[I don't like this Marie… please go back to being sweet. ]
"..." Kiyohime eyed Marie in shock, not expecting the sudden edge in her voice, "I.. I am sorry…"
Marie cleared her throat, "As I was saying, no, you are not Jeanne D'Arc." she pointed at the blond Jeanne, "She is Jeanne D'Arc. She's the sweetest, most caring person I know."
"Marie…" Jeanne looked touched at Marie's words.
"Also, she's very fun to tease!"
"Hey!!"
[Yay! Marie is back to being the same tease and cutie she always has been!! ]
[Ghost_Prince: Sorry Jeanne, but I agree with Marie. You are just too easy to bully. ]
"The fuck you talking about? She's just a shade of my past!! A ghost!! She might have regained her powers, but a loser will always be a loser!!"
She jumped down from Fafnir's head and planted her flagpole on the ground, the wind picking up the flag and displaying the symbol of the Dragon for all of them to see.
"And I am a winner!"
"Wrong again Dragon Witch, you will lose. I will cut down Fafnir and my allies will slaughter your army of sparrows." Kriemhild declared, her own Balmung shining a bright red.
"Pftt… you? Slay Fafnir? Oh man, you can't be serious, can you? What makes you think that you can even touch Fafnir, let alone slay him?"
Kriemhild didn't laugh with Dark Jeanne, and neither did the others, each of whom were preparing for the fight to start at any moment.
Jeanne's psychotic laughter ended and she looked at Kriemhild again, "you may wield Balmung, but you're no Siegfried, you're no god, and you're certainly not a dragon slayer. You're just Siegfried's wife."
Kriemhild's bangs cast a shadow over her eyes, "you're right. I'm not Siegfried, I'm not a God, nor am I a dragon slayer by legend… but you know what I am?"
Jeanne raised a brow, "what?"
Kriemhild's frown flipped into a smile, "Real."
"Fafnir…" Dark Jeanne bared her fangs at Kriemhild, "BURN THEM ALL!!"
✦✧✦
Archer POV
There was a hole in a mountain.
A large, gaping hole in the mountain just behind the city of Theirs.
Kriemhild said something, and it pissed off the Witch to such a degree, she ordered Fafnir to erase a mountain.
The valley was also on fire, and half the city was gone too, but that feat pales in comparison to the mountain being deleted.
Thankfully, no one was harmed, as he had finished off the last enemy targeting the civilians so they could evacuate on time.
And now he had to face a dragon.
He let out a sigh, "good grief. That woman gave me so much work to do."
She owed him big time.
[Ah, salutations Archer. We are following you now. ]
[You know what? I'm just going to embrace the camera switches. The camera knows best. ]
And as always, his master's stalkers have shown up just in time to see when something big happens.
This time the "something big" was him. Man, what a pain in the ass.
Taking a moment to survey the battlefield, he let out a satisfied hum when he saw everything had mostly happened according to plan despite the surprise attack.
"Monsieru Archer! What is happening!!" Gilles de Rais asked him.
"The Dragon Witch has arrived, take your men and head north, I'm going on ahead."
"Godspeed Archer."
He didn't spare the baron any more mind. His legs tensed and the roof he was on exploded as he pushed himself forward and ran over the city, towards the dragon.
[Archer is joining the fray!! Lessgo!! ]
[I dunno, Fafnir looked pretty strong. H-He blew up a mountain. What can Archer even do to match that? ]
"I am the bone of my sword. "
[He's saying his chant again. ]
[Again, what can he do against a mountain destroying attack?!! ]
[You missed the explanation that he gave about his abilities didn't you? ]
[Gimme a break, I don't keep up with everything that happens on stream. ]
[CasCu: All you need to know is that Red Boner Guy is gonna wave his dick around again. ]
[AYO?!!]
Steel is my body and fire is my blood.
I have created over a thousand blades.
[Hm?]
He cleared past the gate of the city, and began to sprint in the open, yet he continued to chant.
"Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life.
Have withstood pain to create many weapons. "
[Hang on… he's still going?! ]
[(☉Ô☉)] x2344
"But yet, those hands will never hold anything."
The world shudders around him.
Fafnir paused, his attention diverted from his allies and now fully focused on him.
[Is he doing the thing?! ]
[What thing?! ]
[The thing his edge lord version in Fuyuki didn't show us!! ]
[Fafnir is looking at us guys… is he going to do his Mountain destroying thing?! ]
He landed in front of the Dragon, who was still staring at him, yet he refused to avert his gaze,
"Ah? And who the fuck are you?" The Dragon Witch demanded, but she was unimportant.
He opened his mouth and uttered the last verse of his chant, "And so, I pray, Unlimited Blade Works!"
The dragon's eyes shot wide open as the ground breaks apart, white light emerging from underneath.
"What the FU-"
The dark Jeanne cursed, but it was too late.
She and her dragon had fallen for their trap.
The intense light eventually died down, and the blue skies and green landscape was replaced by a red wasteland.
________________________________________________________________
AN: Not much to say this update. Hope you enjoyed.
See you next week.