C243: Beginning of The End Pt:1
Alt title Teaser: A Dangerous Situation.
Date published: 7/28/2025.
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Just to clarify for everyone from last chapter:
Berserker & Luna vs Saber
Lancer & Sheba vs Assassin
Archer vs Shirou/Angra Mainyu
Washio & Rin vs Caster and her group
Alright, let's begin
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Out of everyone, Archer is the first to take action as he shoots a multitude of arrows/swords at the Alter group which forces them to split up in different directions. After that Archer goes after …himself. Though he is still a step slower than Herackles and Caenis who both reach their targets while their support gets into place.
Berserker rushes at Saber who he already has a grudge against for acting as an obstacle and thus allowing his master to be injured. Were it not for getting revenge now, he would not leave his master again, even against her own wishes if need be. He will protect her. He has already witnessed how capable the other girl, Sakura, is with her magic. Since both are to remain outside of this fight, he can unleash his full might now.
Unleashing his rough sword, which collides with the unsheathed Excalibur Morgan as the two begin an abnormal version of swordplay. Heracles with the intention to crush Saber (alter) under his might while Artoria deflects his blows or attempts to counter them.
As the fight progresses, the Berserker sustains many wounds but thanks to god Hand, his passive noble phantasm, ensures that he automatically regenerates from these near fatal injuries.
It also doesnt help that Saber had already killed him once by beheading, as such, dissecting him would no longer kill him but this servant might not be aware of this fact yet.
Over time, Saber's endurance will fail her, especially since her master will not be able to reliably provide her mana during this fight as he too is preoccupied.
One thing is sure, her annoyance at Luna's spell is very high, the ground suddenly softening to make her slip, walls to weaken her strikes or even sudden sprouts of mud to collapse her vision, all proof fruitless but the servant is now heavily covered in mud and water from the leftover pools created by the giant wave that Lancer had made.
More than once, Saber had attempted to escape Berserker to chase Luna. Yet the former goblin is light on her feet as by the sheer variety of powers she gained from her 'lord', allow her to escape. Each attempt is a new method, sometimes the ground suddenly shifts to separate them, other times a barrier is cast to keep Saber in place so that Berserker can catch up, his madness only increasing at these repeated attempts.
Other times space itself is expanded so Saber's sword get infinitely close but never touches Luna. Only once has Saber struck Luna but the attack had done no damage, not even cutting her as the entire force of the attack had been absorbed by her and then redirected into her hand where the former hobgoblin had slapped the saber servant upside the head, sending her flying away.
That had been the last straw to her sanity as she requests her master for permission to utilize her noble phantasm to take both the servant and strange mage down at once. Yet her negligible hope was extinguished as she was simply told to wait for now. She could only hold firm to her will and return to fighting heracles.
Over at Lancers side, Caenis originally came with strong intent but it quickly changed to a standstill due to the higher grade of strength that this new alter assassin possesses. Spear meets sword over and over again. The bloodthirsty swordsman now lacks his former techniques in exchange for a sort of madness enhancement yet retaining the assassin class.
The only sort of technique this alter servant possesses is his higher speed of movement and habit for targeting his subjects back. It seems that compared to the original that took many losses in hopes of his continued growth, this altered self was far more vindictive and is far more suitable to be an assassin. Yet it is grudges that drive his passion, likely assassinating anyone that slighted him in his altered mortal life.
His swordsmanship only grew renowned as he was one of the last swordsmen of his era, anyone more talented or whoever could beat him was killed off early by him. Sasaki Kojirou, the false Samurai and greatest assassin of his era. Having bathed in so much blood he has grown addicted to it and eventually perished after the local shogunate had dispatched an army to take him down but was only felled after taking another 300 with him.
His hair turned white from the altered state yet the blood he had bathed in had made it matted red with chunks of black from the pieces of decayed flesh that stuck to him. A demon had returned from the underworld to face off against the embodiment of the sea itself.
With the noble phantasm trident, Neptune's Blessing, Caenis is able to hold her ground as she studies the footwork of her opponent. She was the captain of a boat, footwork is very important to any seabound person. The swaying of the ocean, rocking of the boat, the scent of the seat that clings to her and her armor and weapon.
Not one part can be without the other as the two exchange blows, Caenis is able to handle it far better as each injury to the altered assassin only seems to set off his rage further. His speed increases but his strength and endurance decrease as he becomes more frantic to simply plunge his blade into his opponent's back and tear her apart, bathing in her blood to remedy his broken mental state.
Yet just like Martha before her, Caenis too begins to inherit the draconic mana from her master, Washio. Her partial divinity as an apostle of Poseidon had made her more resistant to the intrusion of the draconic mana. While the mana itself is not harmful, it can, over time, gradually turn its user into a dragon if not controlled, something akin to a vampire thrall.
Naturally, Servants are empowered by the Throne of Heroes and thus incapable of having this transformation as the very source of their strength is legends, stories of old and gone. These stories shall never change unless one was to be altered while the draconic energy was still present.
Regardless, with Lancer progressively being strengthened by this mana and thus turning the already turned tide back to her side as she breaks one of assassin (alter's) hands which causes their grip to falter and they are disarmed before Caenis continues and cuts down the broken assassin, returning him to the Throne of heroes.
Throughout the entire fight, Sheba had not assisted in any way as she was confident in Lancer's might, her attention was to act as an extension of her master and watch over Washio even if he did have Rin's help. "Go assist Berserker in taking down Saber, Ill assist Archer." Her words only cause Caenis to click her tongue as she feels the Caster is very pompous but does regardless which further shifts the tide against the Alter Saber.
As Saber is besieged on three ends, she can no longer condone her master;s inaction."I shall not fall her and now, I shall claim victory with my own power. As such, I call upon the evil dragon to rend my enemies to shreds" She raises her sword to her side as black puffs of energy begin to gather around her. The bracelet on her wrist loses all color as the full charge is used up.
"Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King, reverse the rising sun.
Swallow the light,
Excalibur Morgan!!"
As she chants, the rotating energy is intensified as she swings horizontally. Luna engages to chant her own magic to increase it's power as she attempts to seal the space around Saber which falls short due to not having enough time to solidify it in time. The barrier is shattered but not before weakening the attack considerably. The noble phantasm does cut heracles in half at the waist and chop off his left hand at the wrist but as compared to the heavens feel movie, it is not completely fatal even as his insides are chopped apart. The blade continues onward towards Caenis but Sheba intervenes now and deriving from Axel's own pseudo divine mana, she completely halts the noble phantasm as she mimics the previous archer chains of heaven to bind Saber, preventing her from fully swinging and locking her in place.
This gives Berserker to regenerate, syncing his upper body back with his waist and picking up his lost hand back to his wrist does the same as the only evidence that he was harmed is but the intensifying red glow throughout his body. Caenis remains unharmed as she and her spear charge forward and engage Saber, further giving time for Berserker to continue recovering as the corrupted energy is still rioting inside his body.
On the other side of the battlefield, Angra Mainyu clicks his tongue, the first time around when Assassin perished and the second Saber used up the bracelet's energy marks for herself. He continues dodging the long range sword attacks. Deflecting when needed and dodging when right. He quickly cuts the distance between them as the pseudo-servant begins a melee brawl with archer who also changes to utilizing his unique swords in combat. There is no short resolution to their battle as Angra Mainyu also received Shirou's abilities and inheritance as his host. That includes projection magic and should he witness Archer utilize his noble phantasm, he would achieve that too along with the altered version. That is Unlimited Lost Works and Unlimited Blade Works.
For now though, he chooses to absorb what he can from Archer, future and present fighting it out, one learning from the other until there is nothing left to gain.
While the others fight it out, Washio and Rin enter the half ruined Ryuudou Temple. The barrier had voluntarily been collapsed so Caster could recover. As such, the first ones the duo encounter…is Martha, of course the actual master of Caster is also here, the former assassin Souchirou Kuzuki who is the homeroom teacher of both Washio and Rin.
Naturally both remember his voice from the meeting Axel had hosted at the chapel, both understood that this was going to happen. Yet they also feel strange seeing their usually stoic teacher go out to fight them like this. Neither understands what drives him to fight for Caster or what he gains from competing for the grail.
Martha pouts as she feels she is being ignored, while she is forced to fight on behalf of Caster, her own nature as a cheeky but hard working Saintess is not diminished under his switch of control.
"Ill handle Ruler, I know her best afterall" Washio proclaims as Martha had obviously heard him, both walk off to the left to leave their partners alone."
"You look much more spirited than you did before, I hope your loss did not demoralize you too much." Ruler speaks as she observes her former master. While she still needs to fight, she can't help but be proud of Washio and how far he has gone. Her sense clearly understands that he has undergone intense short term training to better counteract herself, Assassin and her new master, Caster.
"I have prayed for your safety." She says finally as she takes a fighting stance with her cross staff.
"Your prayers were likely how I survived my parents training these past few days" He off-handedly remarks as he raises his fists into a fighting stance. While his current stance is similar to before, Martha can see the minor shift in his muscles as he stabilizes his position to better make use of his physical strength.
The chantless transformation of his dragon horns, draconic scales covering much larger chunks of his body, which includes claws and a tail is also much more notable as all the draconic features have taken on a darker shade due to the greater intent and mana control that Washio possesses.
"I see I must reclaim my title as Martha the Dragon Rider once more, taking up the mantle to defeat another dragon. I shall now witness your growth here and now, prepare yourself."
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Word count: 2109
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