«Revenge? Ha! I give people a chance…» — but Goetia was cut off by the vampire's greatsword, which attempted to split him in two. However, Goetia grabbed the blade with one of his hands and stopped it.
Goetia was about to continue his monologue, but suddenly dozens of «crystal spears» appeared behind the vampire, crashing down on Goetia and forcing him further back. Because of this, the vampire pulled his greatsword free and retreated a few steps, assuming a new stance to continue the attack.
Normally, the vampire would taunt his opponents during a fight. But not now.
Before him stood a creature that had taken everything from him: his peaceful home, his quiet days, his very right to call himself human. It was because of this being that the vampire had been drawn into a bloody meat grinder that had lasted ten long years. During that time, he had looked into the abyss more than once — and the abyss had looked back at him. He felt his human essence slipping away, dissolving into the darkness…
And when it all ended, he found himself in another world.
For those who had been born with magical abilities, such a change would have been merely an unfortunate twist of fate. They would surely have found a way to turn the situation to their advantage, effortlessly overcoming obstacles.
But Nomat was not one of them. Before he gained magical powers, he had lived as an ordinary human. His mind was not prepared for the cruelty he had to face, nor for the transformation into a monster. He remembered how his hands had trembled in the early days, how fear had paralyzed him, how tears of helplessness had rolled down his cheeks, how, driven by hunger, he had attacked anyone with blood flowing in their veins.
The only reason he hadn't completely lost his mind in this situation was the guidance of his family. When he had lived a peaceful life, he had considered their advice at least strange, sometimes downright insane.
Thanks to this, he was able to cultivate an inner core within himself.
To survive — no matter what.
To resist — even when the darkness calls.
To keep craving life — even when every breath brings pain.
Over time, he lost the understanding of how to live as a human. All he did was kill and try to survive. With each new murder, with every vampire heart he consumed, he drifted further from his humanity.
Nomat understood: one more step would change him forever. He would become a creature that would lose its human nature irrevocably.
However, in this new world, where he had been prepared to finally lay his humanity to rest despite all his struggles, something extraordinary happened. His heart suddenly came back to life — the heart he hadn't heard for ten long years.
This powerful, rhythmic heartbeat — seemingly insignificant in nature — had a profound effect on Nomat.
It became a kind of catalyst that allowed him to rediscover his inner strength and confidence.
For Nomat, this was not merely a physical sensation, but a symbolic reward for all his desperate attempts to preserve the remnants of humanity that still lingered in his mind and soul.
This moment became a crucial turning point in his transformation, proving that even under the most extreme conditions, human nature would find a way to adapt.
Why did I decide to tell this story? Precisely now, when humanity's last master has lost?
When Nomat spoke of his goal — revenge — he wasn't entirely honest. He hadn't come here just to avenge himself.
He had also come to help Ritsuka Fujimaru, a man who had been dealt an even worse hand than he had.
Unlike Nomat, Ritsuka bore a truly horrifying fate on his shoulders:
To be humanity's saviour.
Not just any saviour — the only one! With a time limit! Without any prior experience or skills!
Like Nomat, he had been an ordinary civilian, yet he had witnessed ancient battles, fought against god‑like beings and humans, and literally restored the history of humanity!
And despite all his efforts, despite all the horrors he had endured, he had lost here.
Nomat refused to accept this.
And he expressed his disagreement in the only reliable way he was currently capable of: through violence.
He would never admit it — after all, people rarely reveal their true feelings. Even he himself didn't always know why he acted the way he did.
The battle.
Magical attacks proved ineffective. They shattered against Goetia's body. Only two types of magic affected him: «chaos magic» and «unholy magic». The former inflicted serious damage to Goetia's body, while the latter prevented him from actively healing his injuries.
One mustn't forget about the «magical berserker» state. Nomat understood that he faced a being known as the progenitor of magic. He knew he was no match for Goetia in magical prowess, and once the «magical berserker» effect wore off and Goetia's magic was unhindered, Nomat would most likely be obliterated by magical force.
Therefore, he had to fight Goetia at arm's length to constantly renew the «magical berserker» magic within Goetia's body.
It was only a matter of time before Goetia managed to catch Nomat off guard. Although his combat skills were mediocre, he developed monstrously fast right in the midst of battle.
A punch from Goetia crushed half of Nomat's body.
«Not bad for a Dead Apostle (a vampire in the Fate world — far, far stronger than vampires from other worlds). I don't understand the structure of your magic — you don't even have magical circuits — yet you're still able to cast spells.»
Nomat didn't respond. His blade tried to block the blow but shattered right before his eyes. The only thing he managed to do was deflect the attack — and not entirely successfully. Now he swung the hilt of his sword to clear the dust that had risen in front of him and began to regenerate.
A few seconds later, the destroyed part of his body had recovered.
Glancing at the ruined blade, Nomat sighed.
«Seems I was too hasty calling him mediocre in close combat.»
He tossed away the hilt, and a regular bastard sword appeared in his hand.
Nomat swung his sword, and a «Shockwave» rippled across the ground, reaching Goetia. It only slightly staggered him, but that was enough for Nomat. He used the «Veil of Illusions» to create an exact copy of himself at his previous location, while he himself, now in a semi‑transparent form, was already right in front of Goetia, unleashing a «whirlwind» of rapid attacks.
From the outside, it looked like a small natural whirlwind of blades enveloping Goetia.
Goetia tried to resist, but Nomat seemed to have become much faster than when he used the greatsword. Whereas earlier Nomat had dared to block Goetia's strikes, now he either dodged or deflected them.
Nomat also made sure to infuse his blade with the «magical berserker» magic to hinder Goetia's spellcasting. Even so, with a magical system raging inside him — one fundamentally different from Goetia's, not only causing internal damage but also preventing concentration on magic — Goetia continued to cast spells.
Magical circles appeared behind him, in front of his face, or to the side, unleashing uncontrolled streams of magic. With each such circle, Goetia adapted, gradually regaining control over his magic, bit by bit.
Then Nomat's blade cracked again. Goetia immediately seized the opportunity, focusing on a single decisive strike. Realizing his opponent's intent, Nomat hurled the remnant of his broken sword straight at Goetia's head, striking his eye. He then drew an enormous mace — taller than himself — and prepared for the clash. Just before contact with Goetia, Nomat imbued the mace with «chaos magic». When the blow met Goetia's fist, an explosion occurred, sending both of them flying in opposite directions.
«Kha!» — spitting out a clot of blood that had formed in his mouth, Nomat groaned like an old man.
«Horrible. My weapons clearly aren't suited to fight an opponent of this calibre,» Nomat grumbled, simultaneously clearing the dust with the hilt of his mace.
«BASTARD! DID YOU DECIDE TO DESTROY ALL MY WEAPONS?»
«The weapons of ordinary mortals cannot stop me. But I am impressed by the quality of these weapons — they weren't imbued with special magic or crafted from mythical materials, yet they were able to withstand several of my strikes. At the same time, it's disappointing: if you had a worthy weapon, you could have resisted me a little longer.»
«Ho, have you already written me off? Kid, once all my weapons are destroyed, I'll beat you to death with my bare hands!» — a spear appeared in Nomat's hand, and he was ready to rush into battle again, but a colossal amount of magic suddenly rained down on him from the sky — straight from that giant magical orb hovering above their heads.
Nomat was about to evade the attack using the «Veil of Storms», but just then Jeanne d'Arc appeared right in front of him, deciding to take the blow upon herself.
To Nomat's surprise, the shield Jeanne d'Arc had raised didn't collapse immediately — though his astonishment lasted only about ten seconds, until cracks began to appear in the defence.
«Crazy woman! Damn it!» — Nomat swore. When the protective enchantments finally shattered and the raging torrent of magic was about to engulf Jeanne d'Arc, Nomat grabbed her and shielded her with his own back. He then raised his magical shield — the «Chaos Barrier» — and absorbed the remnants of Goetia's strike.
It worked. Once the torrent subsided and the «Chaos Barrier» vanished, dozens of «Chaos Volleys» appeared in its place — harnessing the magic from Goetia's attack that the «Chaos Barrier» had absorbed. All of them rained down on Goetia, eliciting a cry of pain.
Nomat then turned to the surprised Jeanne d'Arc.
«You freaking suicide case. I won't save your ass again!»
«A-ass?! How vulgar!» — Jeanne d'Arc suddenly cried out. Nomat looked at her as if she were mad.
«Are you serious right now?» — he asked her, but then simply grabbed her by the scruff and hurled her straight at Ritsuka Fujimaru, shouting:
«Keep this suicide case away from me!»
After saying these words, Nomat got up and charged straight at Goetia.
Author's notes.
Haha. I will try to reduce the edits from Nomat's parents a lot in the future. after the death of Goetia. It just makes me feel awkward when I keep writing about it. I didn't expect this topic with my Parents to go so far. It feels like I have some problems with them myself, but they don't exist. I guess it's because I'm still new to writing.