Ritsuka Fujimaru
"Oh? It seems there's still some survivors left?"
Dread.
Overwhelming dread.
As Ritsuka stared at the woman across from him , a woman who was currently crouched in a lithe cat like pose, he couldn't even raise a hint of attraction.
No, rather, any lust he may have felt was swiftly suppressed.
In fact, only one thought filled his head.
Just what is she?!
My body is shaking with fear , and my heart is pounding nonstop! Its like my whole body is telling me I'll die if I go near her!
"Shit?! Be careful you three! I'm getting abnormal readings from that lady! She's giving off levels of corruption and malice unlike anything I've seen before! But one thing is certain, she's a genuine bonafide servant!"
As Romani's voice echoed from Ritsuka's comm device, he nervously gulped.
Ragged breaths left his throat, as he began hyperventilating.
Alarms... Alarms are going off in my head! I can't be here... I shouldn't be here...
The woman took a step forward, licking her lips sensually as she did so, and as a result, Ritsuka took a step backwards, nearly falling backwards if it weren't for a hand steadying his back.
Looking back, Ritsuka saw it was Mash, who was gently rubbing his back as she tried to calm him.
"Calm down Senpai. I'll stop her here-"
Mash's voice cut off as the woman in front vanished in a burst of speed.
*Crash!*
With the sound of whining metal, Mash was blasted backwards as the other servant slammed her feet in the shield's edge.
Stumbling a bit, Mash was quick to catch her balance, and slam her shield into the ground allowing her momentum to taper off as she caught herself.
Unfortunately, no quarter was to be given.
As almost immediately Mash was forced to raise her shield once more, as the other servant came flying in, holding a scythe.
*Screeeeechhh!*
Once more metal screamed as Scythe ground against steel, before with a shove, Mash forced the servant to jump away.
Running forward, Mash pivoted on a foot before slamming her shield forward.
The blunt side slammed into the servants ribs, but she merely shrugged it off, using the force to let herself be pulled around.
Chains materialized from thin air, stabbing forward, forcing Mash to hurriedly disengage.
*Boom.*
*Boom!*
*BOOM!*
Over and over the two clashed, with neither side gaining the advantage.
But as Ritsuka watched, he could barely contain himself.
He moved to charge forward, only for a firm grip to clamp down on his shoulder.
"Let me go! Mash! She needs my hel-"
"Shut. Up."
"..."
The owner of the hand, Dante, looked down at Ritsuka with blazing gold pupils.
His stare was so intense, that Ritsuka felt any retort he may have had shrivel up.
"Calmed down? Good. Now let's be real here, what are you going to do here?"
"I'm going to help her-"
"Help her? As if. Look closely. The very air itself is lethal in their clash. Debris, air pressure, and even their mana levels fluctuating during their fight, all of it would tear you apart in a second. As you are now, there's no way you can help. You'd sooner be killed. You'd be nothing... But Deadweight."
"..."
Once again Ritsuka was brutally cut off by hard cold facts.
*Clench.*
Teeth ground against each other, as Ritsuka clenched his fists tightly, but nonetheless stopped trying to move forward.
Olga, who had been hiding herself away, much like she thought the rest of them should be doing, chose that moment to walk up.
Briefly hesitating for a second, Olga silently patted Ritsuka's back before speaking.
"I know it's rough to watch but, have some faith. Look."
Grabbing Ritsuka's arm, she held it up for him to see.
It was trembling, whether in fear or anger being unknown.
But it was shaking.
Olga clicked her tongue while looking at the sight.
"You're shaking newbie. You're just a normal human, and the pressure they are both giving off is enough to make you want to pass out right? Its fine. Just believe in Mash. She and that servant are the same. They're both servants, warriors even. Mash will win."
...
Both the same huh?
Upon hearing that, Ritsuka's face took on a contemplative edge.
The same?
Mash and that... Thing? The same?
No.
He didn't think that was right. After all, that girl, Mash?
She's different!
Wordlessly, Ritsuka tore his body free of Dante's grasp, and took off sprinting forward.
-
Mash Kyrielight
Back with Mash, she was struggling a bit more than she'd like to admit.
Back when she had made her declaration, that she would protect Fujimaru, she was confident she stood a chance.
Even after the first exchange with this servant, Mash still believed she had a chance.
After all, she too, was a Servant. Or at least a Demi Servant.
But now?
As time went on, Mash realized something was off.
The servant before her, was a little too strong.
Several times, she made to go for a killing blow, but shifted last minute.
Lethal blows instead became blows aiming to cripple.
Like the servant was playing a game...
"!"
She's playing with me? Like a snake does to its prey?!
The realization rocked her perception of her own strength, and that mishap was all it took.
Seeing another swipe aimed at her vitals, Mash instinctively swung her shield to clash.
Except the servant dismissed her weapon, and Mash met no resistance as her shield swept through air leaving her fatally overextended.
"GWEGH?!"
A boot slamming into her gut made Mash choke, before her body was blasted away and she slammed into a wall, making her vision dance black with spots, and a scream tore free of her throat.
Slowly, her body peeled off the wall, and she collapsed to one knee, hacking and coughing up blood.
"You're quite weak aren't you?,' The servant mused aloud while walking forward, "I'd never have thought someone like you could be a Servant..."
"Huff Huff...."
So this is the difference between a real servant and a fake? A Demi Servant like me could never match that gap. Never shorten the distance between us...
As she panted and tried to regain her breath, Mash's mind went to the three she was with.
She began wondering if they had gotten away.
With Captain (Dante) there, he'd have at least dragged Senpai away, as was his duty.
Good... That's good....
"Senpai... Director.... And Captain... Please be safe..."
Muttering those words, Mash forced herself to stand as the servant in front of her swiftly swung her scythe down.
_
___
____
"HAAAAAAAA!!!"
A shout of defiance, that was the sound to pierce the silence.
"Senpai?!"
Looking up, Mash saw Ritsuka jumping down off the bridge, holding a giant rock above his head.
His teeth were bared, and his face was flushed red, likely from fear, but his expression was full of defiance as he aimed to bash the rock on the servants head.
With a crack, he slammed the rock, and the servant was forced to bend her knees from the impact.
_
Ritsuka Fujimaru
She's different!
That single thought was the one thing propelling him forward.
As he jumped off the bridge holding a piece of debris, he let out a defiant shout.
That's right! Mash and this servant could never be the same!
His mind went back to the memory of that fragile lilac haired girl on death's door, with fear struggling to express itself in her otherwise lifeless eyes.
Mash is a normal girl, who can feel terrified and afraid! She would never stoop to the level of being able to kill with glee! And that's why-
"THAT'S WHY SHE'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOOOOUUUUUU!!!"
With a crunch, rock met flesh, and the servant was briefly stunned as her hood fell from her face.
"Don't you mess with me you mortal bastard!"
Enraged eyes flashed red towards Ritsuka, and the rock he was holding swiftly crumbled as he felt his body get blasted with something.
"Khhrggh!"
Grunting a bit, Ritsuka landed on his back, but was relatively unharmed.
"....Im-impossible! My mystic eyes? They didn't work?!"
And the fact he was unharmed left the servant baffled.
"!"
Seeing the servant stunned, Mash wasted no time.
In a burst of speed, she moved, lunging forward with her shield hefted far back.
With a furious expression, Mash slammed the sharp edge forward, piercing straight through the servants spirit core.
The servant didn't retaliate, instead opting to stare in horror at the boy who didn't turn to stone from her gaze.
That horror filled expression was all she gave the world before departing from it in a shower of gold.
"Servant Reaction has Vanished. It's our... Victory?"
As Mash said those words, Ritsuka's legs gave out and he collapsed once more onto his butt?
"We...won? Oh... Oh thank goodness!"
Seeing his state, Mash quickly ran over and began trying to check him over.
"It's fine, I'm fine. Just relieved is all.,' Ritsuka let out a soft chuckle, "I'm just exhausted is all. That's the most running I've ever done in my life..."
...
"I'm really sorry..."
?
Ritsuka looked up at Mash who was giving off a depressed vibe while smiling bitterly.
"I'm sorry for being such a coward..."
"...What on earth are you saying? You're not a coward Mash."
"Senpai?"
"That time with that skull man, and not mention just now... Because of you I'm alive. So how could you be a coward if you saved someone like me from those terrifying things? Oh right... I meant to say this earlier but... Thank you. Mash."
The smile on Ritsuka's face made Mash's own complexion turn a fascinating shade of red as she got flustered.
"I-it's nothing worth thanking me for! B-besides! I've done nothing but be saved by everyone else, so I just wanted to return the favor... Ehem.."
Voice trailing off into a whisper, Mash quickly cleared her throat while changing the subject.
"We've been down here for a while, we should probably meet up with the others up above-"
"*Incoherent screeching noises*"
"Bad touch woman! I'm married so please stop harassing me-umrgph???!"
"!"
That noise?
Ritsuka's expression turned shocked as he looked up towards the cliff and saw something that made all the previous fear return twofold.
Looking down at them were two more figures.
A lady with a skull mask and rippling muscles tightly gripping Olgas head and mouth, and another lady whose body seemed to be clad in nothing but black chains and ripped leather, was currently engaged in a blade deadlock with Dante.
Tears filled Olga's eyes as she stared down at Mash and Ritsuka, and Dante was busy struggling to prevent the servant from pushing his own weapon into his throat.
_
Dante Archaman
Dante briefly wondered if Romani was onto something from before, cause imagine his surprise when not only does Ritsuka manage to stun a servant with a frickin rock, he also survives a counterattack from said servant.
You know, the things mentioned to be very much stronger than FLESH AND BLOOD HUMANS?!
Oh and that's not all.
Within seconds of Ritsuka and Mash having a moment (Dante totally shipped it by the way), two more servants come in and swoop to make a hostage scenario.
Yeah.
Ritsuka might actually be the main character at this point, cause jesus christ, does everyone else's luck tank around the guy.
Which brings us to the next issue.
"I'm already married so please... Could you stop trying to molest me woman?!"
Ok, the marriage part is kinda true, but the molestation part was very true.
He didn't know if it was intentional but every time this servant came near him, she'd 'accidentally' rub against him.
And he was a guy.
A very healthy guy.
So it was very uncomfortable having a scantily clad lass rub against him while fighting.
Seriously.
It was a miracle that he hadn't dissolved in a puddle of lust and stammering fanboy.
*Creak*
Well that could also be the fact his life was currently in the balance but semantics.
And as his blade neared his neck, Dante was kinda open to help from just about anyone.
"{Ansuz}"
"SCRRRREEEEE!!!"
With a high pitched wail, the servant previously straddling Dante erupted into flame and swiftly burned to ash.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Three confused voices let out an 'Eh?' sound, but the servant holding Olga didn't get to say much more.
Unfortunately for her, her screentime was over and she was now being forced to exit stage left.
"Miss, if you would like to live, I suggest you move away from the enemy servant."
A smooth male voice.
Hearing it, Olga instinctively obeyed, ripping herself free.
Just in time too, as almost immediately, a giant wooden hand rose from the ground and grasped the servant.
Grunting, the servant was slowly squeezed.
"My Magecraft is a Cage of Fire. Green Giant woven of thorns and gilded by briar, Confer Retribution! Forest that purifies the Evil Known as Humanity! Burn! O Giant of the Trees!"
.
"[WICKER MAN!]"
The titan of wood slowly fell, bringing the servant it had trapped in its descent.
With a devastating crash, the titan fell, blasting a wave of mana all through the area.
When the debris settled, the titan, and the servant in its clutches were gone.
~Fin
Yeah nah.
Author here. I have to say this.
I'm not even joking when I say this, seeing some of the servants around Fujimaru, I refuse to believe he doesn't get horny.
LIKE DUDE???
THESE WOMEN ARE HOT AS HELL!
FRICK YOU MEAN RITSUKA DOESN'T GET HORNY?
AND NOT JUST THEM, THE MEN ARE HOT AS WELL!
I ain't showing the men cause believe it or not, the art I tried to find isn't exactly wattpad or webnovel friendly. (Side note, I ain't showing the females either... The images I found are kinda bleh. If ya wanna see em, go check on Wattpad under 'YourSavingJace'. Yes this is a shameless plug.)
But like damn.
Bro is surrounded by these types of men and women daily.
I refuse to believe there's no reaction.
...
Ok well on second thought, I've seen some of the interludes for Illya, Miyu, Chloe, and Jack...
So he does have a reaction, just...
....
Well he is Japanese...