Hey everyone, I'm here to let you know that I've updated the list of participants in the Fifth War of Fate. I mainly wanted to mention that I couldn't find a single decent image of Medusa in her Lancer form, so if you happen to have a good one, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it in the comments.
With that said, let's continue with the chapter.
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As we walked through the forest, I felt the atmosphere shift.
Gesturing to Rider, we both stopped.
There were two possible scenarios.
The first was that the brat would introduce herself, revealing her immortal wall behind her, spout the things the Einzberns had programmed her to say, and then start fighting after a pointless speech.
And the second…
Before I could continue speaking, something suddenly blocked out the sun, forcing me to move to dodge as a giant immortal wall crashed down on us.
Once the smoke cleared, the immortal wall was revealed in all its glory. Standing before us was Heracles, the most famous Greek hero in history, wielding his sword-axe.
"This was the second scenario," I said, a little nervously.
Heracles looked around, his gaze settling on me, his eyes narrowing.
"He'll recognize me, well, it doesn't matter, Rider; he's all yours," I said as I turned to flee a safe distance.
"No problem, Master, leave it to me," she said as she summoned her armor and spear.
With that said, Rider assumed a battle stance. Heracles, seeing this, drew his weapon and did the same.
I quickly ran to the top of a mountain to get a clearer view; I could see the entire confrontation using only Haki, but I prefer to see things visually.
By the time I arrived, the battle had already begun.
Rider, using his speed, attacked first, trying to kill him in a single move, but, as expected of the great Greek hero, he easily blocked the attack with his weapon, beginning a flurry of attacks and counterattacks.
After about five minutes of this, Rider repeated the same movement as before, only for Berserker to repeat his move. But to Berserker's surprise, Rider jumped along with the movement of his spear. Before, the first time, it had been horizontally upwards, but now, with the jump, it was horizontally downwards.
With this new stance, she managed to reposition her spear, avoiding Berserker's block, and in a single movement, she buried it in her opponent's torso. She then summoned her sword and attempted to sever Berserker's head.
Unfortunately, Berserker acted as if she hadn't stabbed him in the chest with a spear and tried to attack Rider in midair. This forced her to block instead of attacking, sending her spear crashing to the ground and shattering several objects in the process.
What just happened is due to Rider's Tactical Genius —B+ ability, which allows her to analyze combat in real time. This enables her to counter the enemy's techniques and movements as soon as she sees them.
This means that Berserker cannot attack her twice with the same move, as she will have a more effective way to counter or defend herself.
"Your defense is higher than I expected," Rider said as she summoned the spear that Berserker had in his chest once again. Once the weapon disappeared, the wound regenerated instantly.
"Master, will this count as a lost life?" he asked me telepathically.
"I don't think so. I may mortally wound him, but that's in the sense of a normal person; your opponent doesn't qualify with those characteristics," I replied.
"I see. I'll have to get past him then," he said, whistling into the air. In less than 10 seconds, something appeared in the forest, though it cleared everything in its path to reach Rider's side.
This was his mount, a horse with dragon-like armor.
Berserker just stared at it, as if it were the most boring thing in the world, before getting into a fighting stance.
Rider glared at Berserker, as if he were looking down on her, only to then break into a maniacal smile, knowing exactly what he was about to do.
"Let's see if you can withstand this," Rider declared, mounting his horse and aiming his lance at Berserker.
I think he's sensing something and has become more defensive, and that's the right move.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the golden king, Rider has the most Noble Phantasms, two of which he'll activate consecutively against his opponent.
The moment the horse started moving, it turned around to create distance, only for it to gradually increase its speed, forming a western dragon, its head being them and its body the remaining energy they left behind.
Suddenly, the dragon took to the air. From an outsider's perspective, it was like watching a golden dragon soaring through the air, but for his enemies, it was a nightmare.
This was Kurikara Ryūō, an A+ rank NP, being the manifestation of the divine dragon, which is related to Bishamonten.
With each passing second, the dragon's speed gradually increased until, in an instant, it launched itself at Berserker, simultaneously activating the second Noble Phantasm.
In just a few seconds, the dragon traveled thousands of kilometers to reach Berserker, and no matter how strong Heracles was, he could do little against the fury of a dragon.
Rider, using his spear as an attack, collided with Berserker, destroying everything in his path and dragging his enemy across the area.
Berserker tried to dodge the attack, but, as if fate had decreed it, Rider's attack still struck its target.
This was the second Noble Phantasm, The Charge of Kawanakajima, which is based on a confrontation he had with Takeda Shingen. The Noble Phantasm is based on the opponent symbolically becoming Takeda, making Rider's attack technically unavoidable.
The trail of draconic energy vanished, but Rider's charge didn't stop, dragging everything in its path, including Berserker, destroying half of his body, including his heart.
Gradually, Rider's speed slowed until he came to a complete halt.
The sight was ludicrous; half the forest had been destroyed with a single attack from Rider. This was possible because it was me.
Using the third magic, I had infinite magic, which I granted to Rider as well, so I had two inexhaustible sources of mana. For a normal master, their reserves would have been cut in half in an instant, or they would have had none at all.
Rider looked at his opponent, who was technically dead, but to his astonishment, he began to regenerate until he was as if nothing had happened.
"I think we can say you killed him now, happiness, now do it 11 more times," I told Rider from afar.
"Easier said than done," she complained, but without losing her smile.
Once everything calmed down, Berserker let out a yell that echoed through the forest, turned to face Rider, grabbed her axe-sword, and, with a speed that seemed to defy her size, charged at her.
In response, Rider used her spear to try and deflect the attack as the horse reared up.
"Can horses jump backward?" I wondered to myself.
"Technically, no," replied Kiss-shot, who had been watching the entire fight from my shadow.
"And how do you know that?" I asked uncertainly.
"I thought it was common knowledge," she answered.
I strongly disagreed with that; to be honest, I haven't liked horses much since I went to Greece. I used to feel fine around them, but ever since I saw what some Greek women did with horses—gods transforming into horses—I felt incredibly disgusted and insecure about having any of my lovers with them. It's a feeling I still can't shake.
Putting that out of my mind, I continued watching the fight.
I saw Rider, using his mount, darting back and forth trying to damage Berserker, but Berserker, using his innate warrior skills, managed to block every attack, even if he was moved from one place to another.
At the precise moment, Berserker turned to look at the ground, creating a wall of earth, dust, and clumps of dirt, just so that the moment Rider passed by, he would have to jump out of the way.
Berserker's silent attack was intended to kill Rider in a single blow, but anticipating her move, it only managed to severely damage the horse, which then disintegrated.
The moment Rider fell to the ground, Berserker was already behind her. Twisting her small body, she managed to deflect her opponent's attack, burying her spear in her neck and, with a swift movement, severing half of it.
That's two kills out of twelve; ten more to go.
Sensing what was coming, she leaped back several times to put a safe distance between herself and Berserker.
(Quick note: Currently, there are three forms of Uesugi or Kagetora: Lance as the warrior, Rider as the commander, and Ruler as the complete avatar of Bishamonten, just to clarify.)
Berserker returned to the battlefield; he launched himself mercilessly at Rider.
Rider managed to block the attack, but Berserker didn't stop and, in a fury, dragged her through everything in front of her.
Uesugi managed to deflect Berserker's weapon only to receive a kick that made her vomit blood and send her bouncing to the ground several times.
But the moment she was able to get up, I saw what was going to happen; I quickly used a Command Spell.
"By this Command Spell, Rider, use your Noble Phantasm to evade Berserker's," I ordered, and a Command Seal disappeared.
Rider opened her eyes to summon a banner and march in front of Berserker, who was ready to attack her.
To Berserker's surprise, several of Echigo's spirit soldiers appeared around him. But that didn't stop his attack.
Using Nive Lives, which was aimed squarely at Rider, he attacked the entire army.
In an instant, the entire Special Army was destroyed by Berserker's precise and swift movements, even managing to wound Rider with his final attack.
This last attack sent Rider flying back several meters.
"Rider, are you alright?" I asked, seeing that the wound wasn't superficial.
"Yes, I can still go on." The moment she said that, Berserker was already on top of her.
Rider, using her spear, managed to block Berserker's attack, withstanding his full weight and force, causing the ground beneath her to crack.
Using her spear, she managed to swing her axe-sword to counterattack, but Berserker, with remarkable agility, managed to parry her attack with one hand and strike with the other with his weapon.
Rider had to summon her sword to respond to Berserker's belligerent attack. Fortunately, she had already thoroughly analyzed her enemy's fighting style, so she could defend against each of his standard attacks.
The attack came and went relentlessly; luckily, Rider didn't suffer any further injuries, but the wounds she inflicted on Berserker were very superficial, creating a stalemate between them.
Uesugi couldn't remain frustrated by this, and unfortunately for her, Berserker ignored her next attack, tanking it to launch his own.
With a horizontal slash, the ax-sword sliced through everything in its path, including Rider.
But Rider managed to block, being flung back. Berserker wasn't going to let it go, and with a leap, he slammed down on her, trying to cut her in half. But Rider managed to block his attack again, using her spear, already nearly broken from the blows she'd received in such a short time.
Berserker, on top of Rider, with a weapon trying to slice her in two, screamed in fury, exerting even more force. Rider, with her sword on the ground, using her spear to avoid being killed, also screamed, only for the ground to crack and give way under their combined strength, creating a wall of dust that obscured almost everyone's view.
"This isn't good," I said, watching the whole scene unfold. "If this keeps up, Rider will inevitably lose." Berserker still had 10 lives left and she was already on the ropes and, without her mount, she could no longer use Kurikara Ryūō or The Charge of Kawanakajima.
I looked at the castle in the distance, seeing the brat watching the fight from the very top. For a moment, the thought of killing her to prevent Rider's defeat crossed my mind, but I pushed it away. Even though she's 18, she's still a brat to me, so no matter what happens, I won't kill her. But I could force her to make Berserker commit suicide.
I don't think it will actually work.
Through the smoke, Rider emerged, his head bleeding, his spear broken, and one arm dislocated.
Berserker stood there, as if nothing had happened, just as she had started the fight, despite having already died twice.
"Rider," I said.
"I can still fight, Master," she replied. "I won't lose," she said with a confident smile.
I just looked at her, and she sighed.
"Rider, use your final Noble Phantasm; I'll face the consequences," I warned her.
That stopped her in her tracks, making her look around, but that didn't last long, as Berserker didn't stay still, launching himself at Rider.
The moment Berserker was less than a meter away from Rider, she was enveloped in a swirling flame of blue and orange, sending Berserker flying backward.
A divine aura surrounded Uesugi, causing him to generate an explosion with a column of fire in the air.
After a few seconds, Rider was seen wielding a longsword engulfed in blue flames; around her were several mechanical weapons and a disc on her back. Her attire had also changed, now possessing a more divine aura.
Before, Berserker was no longer a heroic spirit but a divine one. She was no longer facing Uesugi Kenshin but the reincarnation of Bishamonte himself.
This was her last Noble Phantasm, Bishamonten Tenrin—Avatar of the War God of EX rank, temporarily transforming her into the vessel of the god of war for a maximum of 5 minutes, depending on the circumstances. Being wounded, it will likely be less, as the duration depends on Rider's condition at that moment, but that doesn't matter at this point.
(Note: This is exactly the same as the third ascension of her Ruler version).
The plan was for her to use this Noble Phantasm when Berserker had three or four lives, but we calamitously underestimated Heracles completely.
"Well, there's no other option but to give it our all," I said aloud, prompting Rider to teleport in front of Berserker with her katana and kill him with a single slash, sending him crashing into the castle and destroying it in the process.
I celebrated this, not only because Rider managed to take a life but also because she destroyed the castle; it was about time that place suffered some damage. It would be a shame if it hadn't happened.
A scream echoed through the castle, only for Berserker to be blown away; I don't know how he can fly, but he was soaring toward Rider, who dodged the Greek hero and tried to slash him. Berserker twisted in mid-air to block the attack.
Berserker avoided being killed again, but the blow sent him hurtling toward the ground at an incredible speed, creating a crater about 10 meters in diameter.
The moment Berserker got up, Rider was already in front of him and, with a slash, unleashed a burst of fire that engulfed the entire forest in front of his opponent, taking another life from him and killing him with fire.
4 of 12.
Berserker, amidst the flames, revived with a great shout. Without his weapon, which had vanished, he launched himself at Rider with his bare fists.
Rider, instead of dodging, blocked all of Berserker's incredibly fast punches with his sword, only to receive a punch in return.
Taking advantage of Berserker's stunned state, Rider sliced him into four pieces, killing him for the fifth time.
Eusugi stood still, watching Berserker revive as if nothing had happened. I could only complain, since I was now in the mind of a divine being, not a warrior, and my pride was running high, making me let Berserker recover instead of finishing him off and leaving him in ashes with nothing left to regenerate. But this was something I had expected.
As soon as Berserker fully regenerated, Rider aimed the weapons her counterpart possessed and, gathering pure ether, unleashed a barrage of bullets, mana blasts, and energy cannons in quick succession, destroying Berserker's body and taking away another life—the sixth of twelve.
When the attack ended, Rider opened her eyes and vomited blood, collapsing to her knees. The transformation vanished instantly, and she reverted to the heroic spirit Eusugi.
Seeing this, I sighed, knowing Rider could no longer fight. Her Noble Phantasm transformed her Saint Graph from a normal one to a divine one, which was dangerous because it could severely damage her. However, once the transformation ended, her body lost all its strength, leaving her completely weakened.
This was Rider's trump card, allowing her to defeat almost every Servant in existence, but unfortunately for her, she faced an enemy with multiple extra lives, managing to hold out until her transformation ended.
Breathing heavily, Rider looked ahead only to see Berserker, almost fully regenerated, standing just inches away from her with his axe-sword ready to finish her off.
Rider couldn't respond to that; all she could do was close her eyes and await the end. But that end never came.
When she opened her eyes, she saw me tanking Berserker's attack with one hand. I saw the attack destroy my hand, but nothing more.
"I seem to recall that you tried to kill my daughter a while back, didn't you?" I said emotionlessly. Hearing this, Berserker flew into a rage, but I ignored him. "It's time for retribution."
With that said, I enveloped my fist in advanced Haki along with my sorcery.
"Pugnus Inferni, vires mille multiplicatae," I recited, preparing to strike Berserker.
He blocked my fist with his arms, but that didn't lessen the damage; I saw his arm shatter and his chest crushed as he was flung back into the castle.
"Strike," I said, seeing my fist burning red and my arm cracking, bones on the verge of breaking.
"Master," I heard behind me, only to see a sad and embarrassed Rider. "I lost."
I simply took her in my arms like a princess, making her blush even more.
"You didn't lose; in fact, you beat him six times, but the enemy cheated, okay?" Hearing my words, she looked at me, nodded, and snuggled against my chest.
I glanced at the castle, seeing that no one was coming for us. And without wasting any time, I left the forest.
I wasn't interested in eliminating Berserker, since there were still five other Servants—excuse me, six if you count the golden one—who could do it; it would be better to let Rider rest.