Hey everyone! I'm feeling inspired today.
Not just about this chapter, but also about a character I just created, more specifically a Servant. I was missing a character for the third Holy Grail War I was going to write, and I couldn't think of one, so I started watching TikTok and out of nowhere a video about All Tomorrows popped up; from there I started watching cosmic horror videos and suddenly I remembered a character from my account. So I decided to combine the character with cosmic horror characteristics, and I feel like it turned out well.
I won't say which one, since it will be a surprise, just like some of the others. Well, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.
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Both weapons clashed simultaneously. They began to exert force at once, with Assassin gaining the upper hand until one of his weapons was destroyed.
Lancer took advantage of this to try and cut Assassin, but he managed to react in time, using Soru to slip out of his opponent's sight.
Now out of sight of her opponent, Lancer raised her guard to the maximum, remaining vigilant and dodging several spirit swords hurtling in her direction.
Lancer had no choice but to run to avoid the barrage of sword blows raining down upon her.
As she ran, Assassin lurked in the shadows, observing her movements. The moment he saw an opening, he didn't hesitate.
With a burst of speed, he slashed Lancer, but the cut was quite superficial, at least to the naked eye, yet she felt something was wrong.
"One," whispered Assassin, having severed a lifeline.
Dante's ability was different against servants, since they were already dead.
In a living person, this cuts their lifespan to zero. In the case of Servants, it's different; it begins by severing their life source, in this case, mana, reducing their capacity to a minimum until the final cut to their lifeline destroys their ability to receive mana, forcing them to return to the Hero's Throne.
Berserker's case is different, as he is almost a Buddha; his lifeline is protected by real lifelines, being a transcendent being.
Lancer couldn't counterattack, as another barrage of swords rained down upon her. She had to prioritize deflecting all those swords, since they might not have done much damage individually, but they were all aimed at vital areas or joints; any misplaced cut or blow could hinder her mobility.
The moment she destroyed the last sword, she felt a sense of danger from above and, without thinking, moved from her position just to dodge the edge of Assassin's scythe, which shattered the ground along with the weapon.
Assassin quickly created another weapon, intending to slit Lancer's throat, but Lancer, reacting swiftly to the danger, summoned the eight weapons in her arsenal, leaving her on the ground, one of them at hand.
The clash of the weapons resonated throughout the area, creating a shockwave. The impact destroyed the spiritual weapon, only for Assassin to create another and attempt to attack again.
Lancer did the same, but with a different weapon. With each attack blocked, Assassin's weapon shattered, allowing her to create another, and she quickly switched weapons to defend herself.
Assassin watched as her opponent was able to attack the weakest points of her weapons, destroying them in less than a second. If it weren't for the rapid creation of other weapons, she would have had time to counterattack and surely inflict severe damage.
It was almost hypnotic for him to watch Lancer move as if she had eight arms, one for each weapon. The attack power that surged the moment she struck was something only a warrior with years of experience possessed, allowing her to conserve energy on the battlefield and making her attacks far more powerful than usual. Honestly, a terrifying warrior.
For a moment, Assassin considered using his main scythe, but given the mana drain and Lancer's ability to dodge attacks at the last second, he knew it would take him a while to land a hit; he'd have to tire her out a bit more than she already was.
Faced with this situation, Assassin leaped back, creating distance. Lancer, already suspecting that her opponent would likely vanish again and attack when she made a mistake, lunged at him.
Assassin, twisting his scythe, modified the staff, transforming it into a chain and a kusarigama.
With such a direct attack, it was easy for Lancer to dodge, but that was precisely her opponent's intention, as multiple more chains emerged from the ground, attempting to ensnare her.
Unfortunately for her, one of the chains managed to wrap around her arm, quickly dragging her toward Assassin, who was ready to unleash a barrage of cuts.
Just as he was about to strike, he activated his Noble Phantasm.
"Bishamonten's Eight Aspect Rotating Formation," he declared.
At that moment, Assassin's Observation Haki activated, alerting him to the danger.
He barely managed to react to the multiple clones of Lancer wielding eight different weapons, each poised to strike.
Sensing imminent danger, Assassin used Geppo to escape, taking to the air and witnessing seven more Lancers suddenly appear, joining the fray.
Assassin realized this fight would be more complicated than he thought. Using his eyes, he clearly saw which Lancer was the real one, since only that Lancer had lifelines; the others were mere clones.
Enveloping his fist in Haki, he slammed it into the ground, creating a pressure in the air that shattered the earth, forming a cloud of smoke. He then used Geppo to land there, destroying the area and causing the clones to separate, giving him the opportunity to attack them individually.
At that moment, instead of attacking the original, he attacked a clone. The clone noticed the attack, but because Assassin moved faster, he managed to land a small blow, just enough to make it disappear, revealing that these copies disintegrated at the first sign of damage.
With this information, he wasted no time and attacked the original, who was able to block his attack. However, Assassin's plan was to separate them from the copies so they would be less of a hindrance.
Lancer, being pulled back, could only adopt a more defensive fighting style. Thanks to Assassin destroying one of the clones, she could now use another weapon to defend herself, one in each hand, but that was easier said than done.
She couldn't clearly see the blurry speed around her; she heard the thud of feet, the air Assassin used to propel himself.
Only instinct helped her defend against her enemy's attacks, but it wasn't enough.
One cut, two cuts. Assassin was able to see her openings and attack in less than a second, slashing her before she even realized it.
Assassin had already seen another opening, but just as he was about to lunge, two copies appeared beside him, attacking simultaneously, forcing him to defend himself.
This gave Lancer the opportunity to attack. Using his spear, he lunged forward, aiming for Lancer's heart, but Assassin was able to move, throwing himself to the ground and using his feet to deflect the spear and create a sword ready to strike Lancer. However, Lancer already had his other weapon ready to counterattack.
In the distance, in the forest, the place where they stood was suddenly destroyed.
From there, the chaos and destruction shifted to another location, sending smoke and debris flying everywhere.
Suddenly, a plume of smoke rose from the forest, revealing Assassin trapping Lancer against a mountain, creating a small explosion at its edge.
This was followed by more explosions, and in an instant, the interior of the mountain was destroyed, sending debris of various sizes flying all over the area.
In one of these images, Assassin could be seen standing atop a large piece of rubble, his wings a deep black, his eyes red, clad in Victorian Gothic-style armor, wearing a horned skeleton mask, and wielding a scythe in one hand while red lightning crackled from his body.
In another, smaller piece of rubble, Lancer was seen settling into position, his clothing somewhat tattered, his hair white with black streaks, and his eyes yellow, but with an unprecedented seriousness. He had several wounds on his body and blood trickled from his head, but none of it seemed to affect him.
Assassin also had a few cuts inflicted by his opponent, but these were not transmitted through his transformation.
All of this was witnessed by Archer, Rider, and Chiaki.
"How exciting!" Rider exclaimed, beginning to write frantically. "This is like that scene where the hero faces the Demon King, but in this case, the demon is the good guy; what a great idea for a novel, how come I never thought of something like this?"
Chiaki watched her Servant writing, oblivious to everything happening around her, protected by Yatsufusa. She glanced at the other Servant present.
She saw Archer intently watching the fight. His expression was very serious, his fists clenched.
He had been holding back all his emotions for when he had to face Berserker, but that didn't diminish the excitement of watching Assassin fight.
He couldn't get too excited, though, since he knew he had another fight ahead of him, knowing perfectly well that Saber couldn't defeat Berserker. When that happens, he will be able to have his great rematch, but for now he would see his rival in this war and see how strong he really is, and so far, what he has seen has not disappointed him.
Assassin looked down, seeing Lancer's clones already moving into position.
Reacting quickly, he created another scythe in his other hand and lunged at the real Lancer, who blocked the weapon with both, pushing him back and leaving him suspended in midair.
His opponent, taking advantage of his ability to fly, found himself in a better position. He used one of the scythes for leverage and hurled it at one of the clones, destroying it.
Lancer's violent fall to the ground shattered the earth beneath her, creating a crater. The impact sent her bouncing, leaving her suspended in mid-air. She glanced to the side and saw Assassin already positioned beside her, ready to attack.
At the mansion, in the most secluded part of the forest, an elderly man watched the entire fight with a frown.
Lancer was losing the fight; if they wanted to win the Holy Grail, they needed to survive it.
He glanced to the side at a homunculus bearing two command seals. She nodded and extended her hand.
Returning to the fight, Assassin took a step forward, drawing her scythe back. This weapon couldn't withstand the full power its wielder poured into it, but it would add as much as it could to damage her enemy.
"Δικαστήριο της Απόλυτης Επικράτειας: υπέρτατη εξουσία (Dikastírio tis Apólytis Epikráteias: ypértati exousía)," Assassin announced, creating a powerful energy slash at Lancer.
He, still assuming he saw this, instead of panicking, simply uttered a phrase.
"Bishamonten's Eight Aspect Rotating Formation."
Upon hearing it, Assassin opened his eyes in shock.
The energy blast severed everything in its path, creating a crater whose depth was impossible to see.
This attack could have easily killed anyone except Berserker or perhaps Archer. But judging by the current scene between the two, Lancer showed no signs of damage from the attack. Conversely, Assassin was being pierced by four different weapons.
One in the liver, another in the lung, one in the arm, and the last in the neck. In each hand, he held a weapon, one aimed at the heart and the other at the head.
No blood or ichor flowed from Assassin's body, but that didn't mean the damage hadn't been effective.
He saw Lancer, who was exhausted but full of energy, and he knew it immediately.
Lancer's master had used a seal of mancod, perhaps two. Lancer's body was once again in optimal condition, allowing her to use her Noble Phantasm again and finish positioning herself with a clone, who absorbed the attack.
Using the remaining six clones, she attacked from various locations.
"Well done," Assassin said as best she could, having severed Lancer's vocal cords.
Lancer's mana reserves might have been depleted once more, but that didn't mean she wasn't already exhausted, at least mentally.
Before she could react, a burst of mana and Haki erupted from Assassin, forcing Lancer's clones to retreat.
The surrounding terrain was destroyed, creating a small cloud of smoke that Assassin used to her advantage. With a swift strike, she destroyed two of Lancer's clones, then charged toward the original.
Lancer used her weapons to intercept the enemy's attack, but she hadn't expected him to be just like Berserker and ignore them.
Lancer's sword and spear pierced Assassin's body, but he ignored them and, using her forearm, delivered a lariat to her neck, sending her crashing to the ground and destroying everything in her path.
Assassin's explosive and sudden attack severely damaged Lancer's neck, severing part of it, including her vocal cords, and causing her to crawl across the ground.
If she hadn't briefly blocked Assassin's attack with her own, he would have broken her neck.
The moment the attack ended, she immediately stood up, only to find that Assassin was gone.
But a sense of danger loomed from above, only to see Assassin, like a god, poised to attack.
Assassin had planned to hold back, not because he believed Kancer was weak, but because he knew that after this he might have to face Berserker. That's why he was conserving his energy and stamina, but Berserker didn't care anymore.
He would have to rely on Rider and Archer to stop Berserker or even defeat him.
That's why he would use everything he had in his next attack.
"Η Γροθιά της Κόλασης: Επίθεση σε Πολλαπλές Περιοχές (I Grothiá tis Kólasis: Epíthesi se Pollaplés Periochés)," I uttered, unleashing a barrage of punches upon Lancer.
Multiple punches, infused with Armament and Conqueror's Haki at the fullest extent of what Assassin could achieve in his current state, rained down upon almost the entire forest.
Being coated in advanced Armament Haki, this not only damaged the surface of anything it touched but also internally, which was detrimental to a Servant, as this type of attack could damage their Saint Graph.
The barrage of punches terraformed the entire forest, creating a giant crater in the middle of the area and a fog of pure dust and debris.
In the midst of all this, Lancer emerged, her entire body covered in blood and multiple wounds.
I had to use the rest of my clones to absorb much of the damage, but it still wasn't enough to prevent her from being severely injured. At least she was alive, for the moment, because out of nowhere, in a blur of speed, Assassin slashed her body again, sending her flying backward and causing her to crawl on the ground.
"Six," he said, a spirit katana in his hand.
Lancer got to her feet, badly wounded, but saw that her opponent wasn't much better either.
Assassin stood exhausted, covered in wounds that hadn't been visible before, as he was no longer in his Grim Reaper form. All the damage inflicted by his opponent was now visible on his body.
Assassin was no longer in his Grim Reaper form, having regained his human appearance, but he still had black wings and a blue eye.
Both were ready to end this fight.
Lancer didn't summon all her weapons, keeping only her main spear in her hand. Her entire body ached, and thanks to her opponent's skill, her mana reserves had dwindled to almost nothing, preventing her from using her Noble Phantasm. If she did, she would run out of mana and, by default, ascend to the Throne of Heroes.
Using all that she had left, she charged forward. She was the avatar of Bishamon; she would not surrender to anyone, and if she died, it would be in battle.
Assassin did the same with his katana, their weapons clashing once more.
Both began trying to break through each other's defenses, but neither could. Assassin was stronger and faster, but Lancer possessed her technique and experience, which allowed her to barely hold her opponent off.
At that moment, she saw an opening and, without hesitation, aimed for his heart, but that was Assassin's plan.
Using her katana, she deflected the attack aimed at her heart, redirecting it to her shoulder. She then adjusted her weapon in a single motion, delivering a slash to Lancer.
"Seven," she announced, her katana vanishing as she stood motionless.
At that moment, Lancer's body began to dissipate. With the final cut to the Servant's lifeline, there was no longer a source of mana to sustain his form.
"I've never had such a fun battle in my life; I hope we meet again with our true power," Lancer said with a smile.
"Don't get too cocky, woman, but I'll be waiting for that to happen," Assassin replied.
With that, Lancer vanished, returning to the throne of heroes. He was the second Servant to be defeated in this war, handing the Einzbern clan a defeat.
Assassin knelt on the ground. Her body was regenerating all her wounds, but that didn't lessen the impact.
"You were quite careless," Kiss-shot scolded her husband.
"I know it won't happen again," he said.
At that moment, Archer, Rider, and Chiaki appeared beside Assassin.
"I don't see you in any condition to fight Berserker," Rider told him.
"Sorry, guys, you'll have to face Berserker without me," Assassin apologized.
"Pfft, relax; if we don't need you, I'm more than enough," Archer mocked with a smile.
At that moment, it felt as if the earth trembled.
The battle between Saber and Berserker was not yet over.
"Go, I'll take care of your teacher, Rider; I may not be in any condition, but I can defend her from a surprise attack; after all, I promised you," he told the two of them, especially Rider.
They nodded.
Chiaki and Rider looked at each other; The girl, who held Rider's writings in her hands, silently encouraged her Servant, who understood.
And so the two went to where the battle was raging in the heart of Fuyuki City.
As they left, Assassin activated his partial death transformation once more.
"What are you doing?" I asked, somewhat fearful, worried that he might attack her.
"A warning," he replied simply, creating a sword and pointing it at the forest castle, which hadn't suffered any damage, whether by luck or due to its protective barriers.
"Πορφυρό φεγγάρι (Porfyró fengári)," he exclaimed, and in an instant, the castle was split in two. "Let's get out of here," he told the girl, who nodded, leaving the ancient forest for a safer place.
In the forest mansion, all was chaos. The cut hadn't killed any homunculus or other living being, but the fact that their safe haven had been damaged like that was something else entirely for them.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern's eyes were wide open, his breathing ragged; he had glimpsed death for a moment.
He glanced to the side, looking at the cut that had just passed by him. A few centimeters to the left and the attack would have sliced him in half.
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I'm here to say that the fight I had planned for Lancer and Assassin was going to be longer and more spectacular, but it's difficult to describe the images in my mind in words; hence, the final decision ends here.
I also have to admit that I'm not good at writing novel scenes, at least from my point of view, so perhaps this was for the best.