Hello, I'd like to offer a more detailed explanation of Dante's humor style, as I feel I didn't explain it very well.
When Dante uses humor or sarcasm, basically his silly antics, it's because he feels the situation isn't serious. And because it's not serious, he feels he has everything under control. This helps his mindset and can affect the enemy's, either to their advantage or not. That's the general idea.
Well, I wanted to keep it brief, so I'll stop there. Let's begin the chapter.
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Third-person POV
In the end, the three groups, including one consisting of a Servant and their Master, destroyed 16 talismans.
Assassin had detected one talisman out of 24, but thanks to Berserker's help, 4 of them had already been destroyed in the forest.
Currently, only 4 remained, which, coincidentally, were near Lancer's hiding place, in the section filled with barriers and traps.
Night was falling, so Berserker was likely to become active at any moment, and chaos would ensue. Therefore, everyone gathered where Saber was waiting.
"I see it's time," the swordsman said simply.
"Yes, we'll follow the plan, splitting into two groups. Good luck," Assassin told him.
"I also wish you luck with the recruitment; I hope it won't be necessary," Saber commented, alluding to the possibility that she might be able to defeat Berserker.
"I hope so," Rider said, petting his guard dog.
The group would actually split into three: one with Saber alone, another with Assassin's Master and Archer, who would have to do something, and the rest would go into the forest.
Saber's Master had been busy all day evacuating as many civilians as possible from Fuyuki, announcing that a foreign enemy had attacked and established itself near the town and that it was dangerous to remain there.
So the entire town was now empty, so there were no real concerns about collateral damage and the fear of further revealing the mystery. In other words, they could finally let loose and unleash their full power.
"See you later; it's almost night and you don't want to get in each other's way," said Assassin, causing everyone to disperse into their groups.
At that moment, everyone moved away from Saber; he simply watched the sun set. Just as it disappeared from view, he took a breath, closed his eyes, and focused.
At that moment, his entire essence as a warrior and his heroic spirit resonated throughout Fuyuki. This was Saber's challenge to Berserker.
...
Once in the forest, they stared at the barrier separating the dangerous zone from the woods. In the distance, they could see a relatively old castle.
Assassin immediately connected with the memories that had returned to him.
This was the Einzbern castle, so it was possible that a homunculus was Lancer's master.
He glanced back to see Rider's master.
None of the three servants knew exactly how to destroy the talismans, and Albus, along with Akane, had taught them. She was there to destroy the remaining talismans while Rider and Archer protected her.
"Be careful," Assassin reminded them as he entered the barrier, followed by the others.
After a few minutes of walking, nothing happened. This struck them all as odd, since they had expected to dodge various traps and dangerous situations.
In a moment of foolishness, seeing that nothing was happening, Assassin spotted a rather obvious trap and, without thinking, tried to trigger it.
This prompted Rider to shout, but she fell silent upon realizing the attacks weren't activating.
Assassin immediately understood what was happening; they were inactive or had never been activated.
This, combined with Lancer's hiding and reluctance to engage Berserker and the presence of a potential war zone that wasn't currently active, led Rider and Assassin to quickly count the attack points.
This was all designed to lure Berserker out, allowing Lancer to defeat him in a trap-filled area.
"They underestimate Berserker; this won't stop him," said Assassin.
"You'll have to tell them, since I see they're so sure they can do something against that monkey," commented Rider. "Well, we'll look into the talismans."
"Good," said Assassin, moving on as the others went their separate ways.
Assassin continued walking toward the strongest presence in the forest. After a few minutes, he encountered Lancer. She was alone; she was most likely at the mansion.
"You came. I was expecting someone to come here; sadly, with Berserker out there, they won't let me leave the forest, so I'm grateful you came so I can finally have a real fight," said Lancer, a great joy on her face.
"Hmm, you're resorting to fighting right away; truthfully, I came here hoping you'd join us to defeat that monkey, but hearing what you're saying, tell me, is there any chance you'll join the team?" Assassin asked.
"None," Lancer declared, assuming a fighting stance. "My master is very cautious, bordering on cowardly, but he's my master, and as his servant, all I can do is follow his orders."
"I see," Assassin said, using his Haki to gauge what the others were doing; they were already at the second talisman, so if they started fighting, they couldn't get too carried away until it was over, especially for the girl's sake.
Immediately, Assassin transformed into his Reaper form, staring directly at Lancer as he created a spiritual katana.
At this, Lancer simply smiled at Assassin, but it wasn't a normal smile; it was the smile of a predator eyeing its prey.
Narrator's POV.
(Note: Here I'm going to explain how Dante's Saint Graph works in that summoning; if you're not interested or already understand how it works, skip to the next POV.)
Currently, Assassin, or his true name, Reaper, is one of the records that Dante's heroic spirit holds on the Throne of Heroes.
To give you an idea, we'll use Li Shuwen as an example. This Servant has two classes that represent two moments in his life; both are records of the same being. Something similar happens with Dante, but a bit more complicated.
Dante has four different records, which represent different moments in his life and abilities. For example, magic and the power of darkness, which resides in the Caster class, from when he was the guardian and ruler of Anakosmos.
But with the Assassin class, something else happens, since what is summoned is not Dante, but Reaper, son of Hades and Persephone.
In Greek mythology, the Grim Reaper and Dante are sometimes considered two separate beings and sometimes not.
It is believed that the Grim Reaper assumes Dante's identity and appearance in order to walk the human world and carry out his work.
Therefore, if it were believed that he took the form of another being, as in the case of Bemus, then when the Grim Reaper was summoned, he would have Dante's memory, knowledge, and personality, but Bemus's appearance.
However, this is not the case, as the philosophers did not write it this way, and the throne of heroes knows that Dante and the Grim Reaper were one and the same.
This also explains why he has so few abilities, possessing only Dante's base abilities, with some stats increasing or decreasing depending on the class, which is why some attributes are lower than normal.
...
Third-person POV.
Elsewhere, the chaos in the city and the forest could already be heard, but they couldn't waste any time; they had something to do.
"They're here. We can't delay. The sooner we find him, the better," said Saber's master, seeing the two remaining masters arriving at the meeting place.
"We know," replied Albus, pulling out a map of the town and its surroundings.
Right now, they had an important mission: to find Berserker's master.
They had to be realistic; there was a chance that none of them could defeat Berserker. Therefore, they had to take the least obvious path, but in this case, perhaps the most effective: killing Berserker's master.
"Let's see," said Kenji, looking at the map as he received a pencil from Akane. "I've already checked these places, and there's nothing here; we can also rule out places where there were major battles and, incidentally, places where the Matou, Einzbern, and my families have control, leaving these places."
As he said all this, he was drawing circles and X's on the map.
"Alright, then let's start with the most distant places and gradually work our way toward the city," he said, taking out a piece of chalk and beginning to draw a summoning circle.
Albus was a sorcerer skilled at searching for and tracking objects or people; his sorcery involved summoning spirits or familiars to aid him in his work, both for tracking and for fighting.
"Jeg påkaller deg, du svarer på mitt kall, stor være den inverterte verden, som tilbyr oss dette kunnskapens hav, og la oss søke sannheten og hinsides, søken etter det skjulte," Albus said as the summoning circle began to glow, and at that moment several animals appeared, including dogs, cats, foxes, wolves, crocodiles, snakes, and birds—20 in total. Each one wore a mask.
"Wow," exclaimed Akane upon seeing the animals, especially the foxes, trying to suppress her urge to approach and pet them.
"Since we don't have anything to guide us, we'll have to search blindly but in an enclosed space, so at some point we have to find it by way of the terrain," said the wizard hired by the clock tower as he approached the map.
Albus, using the map, mentally communicated to them the barrier they could move through and the path they could take.
They nodded in agreement and quickly dispersed to do what their contractor asked.
"Alright, let's move," Kenji declared.
...
In the forest, the clash of swords could be heard.
In the center of the fray, Lancer could be seen deflecting and destroying all the weapons that Assassin summoned and hurled at him.
Assassin stood with his hands in his pockets, watching what Lancer and the others were doing.
He had to turn his attention back to Lancer as she lunged at him.
The moment Lancer tried to slash, he had already moved using Soru, so his enemy's attack completely missed.
Assassin, in mid-air, summoned several spirit swords and launched them.
It was a shame he couldn't imbue them with Haki, but they only served two purposes: to cut his opponent using lifelines, so they weren't designed to slice an enemy in half, and as a distraction.
If you were to put it in One Piece terms, it's like trying to imbue the fire produced by a Logia user with Haki, or Aokiji trying to add Haki to his ice. It's the same idea.
(Note: Nothing like this has been recorded so far, so I can say that it's not possible.)
Using Geppo to leap toward him, he created a knife, attempting to slash Lancer, but Lancer intercepted it and summoned a spear to try and impale him, which he dodged.
But Lancer wouldn't stop there. He twirled his weapons, trying to slice his opponent in half, but Lancer always dodged or escaped, which frustrated him.
"Why are you running? You're a warrior, aren't you? Even though you're an Assassin, why don't you face him head-on?" Lancer complained to his opponent.
Assassin took the opportunity to check on the others, since she was already at the last talisman. She knew that if Lancer didn't join them, she had to eliminate her, as they could take advantage of the situation and attack him after he finished fighting Berserker.
This family of mages was only interested in winning this Holy Grail War; they might have another chance at life, but that didn't mean they didn't want these opportunists to take advantage of them.
They hadn't helped at all; they'd been hiding and would only come out when the danger was gone. This really bothered Assassin. He wanted to win so badly that he wouldn't act like a scoundrel. Even Caster's master would have preferred him to take the Grail rather than them. Well, if he were still alive.
"It's not time yet," Assassin declared, summoning several spirit swords from various parts of the body, attempting to transform Lancer into a hedgehog.
Lancer moved swiftly, using the shafts of her weapons to avoid taking as much damage as possible.
Assassin stared at Lancer, focusing mainly on her life bars.
Unlike Berserker, Lancer's life bars were normal, with seven.
Using his speed, he moved toward his opponent, who was busy dodging the multiple swords. Lancer swung her arms, attempting to stab Assassin, but he dodged. Just as he was about to sever the first life bar, several weapons appeared above him.
He had no choice but to move, avoiding the several weapons aimed at his vital organs.
Assassin took a few steps, putting a good distance between himself and Lancer.
"I see this isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be," Assassin exclaimed.
"I see this isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be." Lancer simply smiled at him.
"See? Now you'll use all your power to face me," Lancer remarked.
Neither of them was using their full power; that much was clear, Lancer more so, since Assassin wasn't, but the latter was waiting for something, and it was already happening.
In the distance, the Rider master had already destroyed the last talisman.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Rider said, climbing onto Yatsufusa with his master to head for safety, followed by Archer.
Assassin barely noticed; he glared at Lancer. Lancer stood frozen, on guard, realizing something had changed.
"Let me apologize for my tremendous lack of respect; now I'll go all out, as you requested, since we can't stay here playing games all night." "Tell me your name, god of war," Assassin said.
Seeing the change in attitude, Lancer perked up.
"I go by many names. I was the daimyo of the Echigo region during the Warring States period, avatar of Bishamonten, god of war, and Lancer of the Eight Flowers. My name is Nagao Kagetora," Lancer declared proudly.
"Splendid," Assassin exclaimed, and the atmosphere of the place changed completely; it was as if all the joy and happiness in the world had vanished.
The aura of death emanating from Assassin intensified even more, but there was more to it than that.
Suddenly, a pressure was felt throughout the forest, with Lancer being the most affected.
The surrounding trees began to shake, and their leaves began to fall.
All the animals hiding nearby fell unconscious instantly.
The ground beneath them began to give way slowly.
Lancer felt it; this was the presence of death itself, one he had felt once before in his life, but it felt both calm and watchful; it was an inexplicable sensation.
Red rays began to emanate from Assassin's body, and his blue eyes turned red once more.
But there was another sensation mingled with death; for Lancer, it was like witnessing a superior being, a king himself.
"It is time for me to introduce myself as well; I am the son of Hades, the lord of death, the one who seeks those who escape death. I have had different names in my life, but right now, I am simply the Grim Reaper."
Lancer recognized the Servant immediately. Within the Hero's Throne, it is generally understood that there is little communication between Heroic Spirits, as they are merely records, but combined with the knowledge granted upon being summoned, he knew who Assassin was.
Among the heroic spirits, there are also celebrities, so to speak, such as the title of King of Knights, King of Destruction, or King of Kings. Assassin possessed one such title, a collective one, both in his Reaper form and as a regular hero, and this was the King of the Void.
Assassin extended his hand and summoned a blue spirit scythe. He took a step forward, and the moment his foot touched the ground, it shattered as red beams erupted from all sides, creating a crater about 5 meters in diameter.
This momentarily threw Lancer off balance due to the earth's movement, creating small cracks in the ground.
Assassin, spinning his weapon, slashed the air, unleashing a blast of energy at Lancer, who barely managed to dodge it in time, cutting through everything behind him.
Lancer glanced up at the air, seeing Assassin already lunging, and used all her reaction speed to move to the side, the scythe grazing her face.
But the onslaught didn't end there; Assassin lunged again. Lancer couldn't clearly see her opponent's movements, but her instincts, honed through countless battles on the battlefield, warned her of an impending attack.
She ducked, dodging her opponent's weapon.
"Good reaction time, but can you dodge an area attack?" came Assassin's voice, its source unknown.
But Lancer was still able to react to the multiple energy blasts heading her way, dodging at the last second; this was mainly to conserve energy.
As she dodged the final attack, she felt a fleeting moment of death behind her.
The moment she turned around, Assassin was already there.
"Η Γροθιά της Κόλασης: στο απόγειό της (I Grothiá tis Kólasis: sto apógeió tis)," Assassin pronounced with a fist covered in full haki, both Armament and Conqueror's haki. Lancer, seeing this, opened his eyes in panic.
The moment Assassin unleashed his attack, everything in front of him was destroyed in seconds, creating a tunnel of rubble and destruction.
Assassin's stats are those of a younger Dante, distributed according to his class, but this base stat doesn't reflect the use of Haki. So, when using Haki at its maximum, Assassin can easily reach an A-rank or even EX-rank strength attribute.
And if you're wondering, Assassin did use Haki when fighting Berserker; he still took him down in two hits, just to give you an idea of that monkey's strength.
After that attack, Assassin glanced to the side to see a Lancer with sweat dripping down her face.
"Command seals," he stated, not asking but affirming.
"You saw me off guard, but that won't happen again; I'll go all out," said a now more serious Lancer, holding her katana in a battle stance.
Assassin didn't take these words seriously; he simply created a katana and wrapped himself in several swords.
"We'll see if what you say is true," Assassin said, also assuming a battle stance.
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You can ignore this if you want, but I'm here to complain since yesterday someone asked me for help with something. I didn't want to do it; it wouldn't benefit me at all, but I helped anyway, and in the end, I ended up doing everything myself. Funny, they ask for help and then don't help you.
I want to die; I wish God would sound the trumpets of the end to destroy this world ruled by crazy old people obsessed with cuties.
Well, I've vented a bit; don't take me too seriously. I hope you liked the chapter; the next one will be uploaded tomorrow.