Chapter 6: Faker Vs. Faker [3]
Emiya learned two things about his opponent. One was his skill, which was undoubtedly similar to his Mind Eye skill, if not better than his. Of course, Emiya was a bit frustrated at this and envious of such a thing since that set Emiya apart from other Servants, but at the same time, that feeling of similarity was there, as if they were the same person. Could his opponent be a Counter Guardian as well? It would seem likely, but Emiya undoubtedly felt the Arrogant King's presence within his opponent.
The second thing Emiya learned was that his opponent preferred taking gambles with his power shots. Emiya preferred to fire his arrows in hopes of disrupting his opponents tactically, usually with a barrage and then into a singular shot that would finish off anyone. If that was the case, his opponent was one of those who preferred a one-and-done strategy. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Arrogant King, who would shoot off several Noble Phantasms in hopes of vanquishing opponents swiftly so he could relax in leisure wherever he's at.
However, this person wasn't arrogant, at least not overwhelmingly arrogant. That was a good thing. However, right now, the two weren't fighting in long range but up close, with short blades in their hands. Emiya was impressed by the way his opponent, who he found out was named Mars, was fighting with such fluidity with two Noble Phantasms in hand. It makes it seem like he had a deeper understanding of those weapons!
Of course…they were white in color with gold accents.
<i>Truly, the Child Of Gold.</i>
What was scaring Emiya was that he could feel the energy from within Byakuya and Kanshou dwindle with each hit upon impact with Mars's swords. It was as if it was stealing it and strengthening Mars's power. It was a deadly ability for a Noble Phantasm, and even worse that Emiya felt his stomach ache with pain as if everything within him was trying to flee the presence that Mars brought with him.
It was no matter. Emiya ignored those feelings and kept attacking. Each strike was a clash of defiance, excitement, and a desire to overcome the other. It was an amazing feeling for both parties. Mars's smile flashed. It wasn't conceited but purely out of the thrill of the fight. His two blades, which he came to know, were called Asi's. Upon contact, Mars knew their name. Perhaps it was one of the Servant's skills? If so…that was practically cheating! But Mars didn't care about such things.
Mars learned throughout this fight that the Asi absorbed Mana upon contact with the enemy's skin, clothing, or even their weapons. Mars could feel his Mana being restored with each swing. They weren't wild and untamed, but with enough control to be considered above average, granted he's not the original wielder of the weapon. Still, he could feel how the weapon wished to be used and acted upon that feeling and mixed it in with his own style.
Going for a slice for the jugular, Emiya dodged the swing, but he immediately felt danger as he jumped back. He looked around him to see various golden ripples forming around him. Emiya furrowed a brow curiously at his predicament but, nonetheless, kept his cool and began to calculate how to get out of this. He had approximately a few seconds to figure out a strategy.
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It was done! Time began to slow for Emiya, he felt a bit nauseous, considering he was overworking his Mind's Eye more than he should, but given the situation, he needed to overexert himself. There was a path he could take to escape this inescapable dome of golden ripples.
Mars and Emiya locked gazes with one another, with the former's blood-red eyes glimmering with that of someone who was about to win, while the latter also held the same glimmer but with a strained smile.
Mars commanded the Noble Phantasms mentally, sending them at Emiya, but half a second earlier, Emiya threw Bakuya and Kanshou with all his might. They spun in the air with intense speeds that a wind current began to form around them, giving it a spinning disc appearance. Bakuya struck Mars's stomach, while Kanshou struck his left shoulder. Blood immediately flew in all directions, and the black-tainted floor was coated red with blood.
And Emiya suffered as well. A sword went through his stomach, two went through his shoulder, and one into his upper thigh. Emiya's Mind Eye could only calculate this possibility, it would hinder Mars, making it harder for him to fight Saber, but it would also help him.
<i>No.</i>
Emiya couldn't blame Minds Eye. He could only blame himself for his damn ideology. He thought he had long since abandoned his "Shirou" mindset, but it seemed to plague him if he wanted to save that damn Saber. No matter where he's at or how much he tries to deny his feelings. He was still Shirou, a man who wished to selflessly save everyone without saving himself.
Emiya was a hypocrite by all rights, but he embraced such a notion. Emiya knew his time was over, he could feel his core had been destroyed, and as such, he would return to the beginning and wait to be called upon again. He lost count of how many times he had to kill for Humanity, but he was glad he had forgotten how much.
"You're…one hell of a strong guy…jeez," Mars's words interrupted Emiya's half-eyed daze, opening them in surprise. "These blades…you treasure these things a lot, don't you?"
Mars struggled towards Emiya's knelt body and fell on the ground, with blood pouring down his shoulders non-stop, the Demi-Servant seemed to ignore the pain, but it was visible on his face, with his dark skin becoming pale. Mars had long since abandoned his Asi blades.
Emiya had one eye open at this point. He would disappear in a minute's time…he guessed he could exchange a few words.
"Do you know whose power you're using?"
"...."
Emiya snorted. "I should've known. If you had, you'd probably would've been lazy. Why do you fight like that? You're an Archer, are you not? Wouldn't it have been better to fight at a distance you excel at?"
The question lingered, and Emiya's body began to glow. Golden particles rose from his leg and began to stretch upwards. Emiya sighed and closed his eyes.
"I responded to the weapon's desire and fought like how they told me to. Like the Bow Of-."
Before Emiya could hear the words, he had long disappeared, but he had a smile on his face, one of relief. It seemed he found peace, even if he may forget this moment.
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<i>AN: So…I may have lied about that double chapter yesterday, but here you go with a new one. I won't lie; I felt I rushed this fight, but that's because I want to put effort into the Saber fight, so I'll take a break tomorrow, and then Friday will be a double upload. </i>
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<i>So, the Asi's are actually Smite weapons, and I used the "lifesteal" effect with a Mana absorbing effect to match the Fateverse. These will most likely be Mars's equivalent of Bakuya and Kanshou. </i>
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<i>So, if you didn't know by now, Mars will use Smite's items as his own Noble Phantasms, like how Gilgamesh uses Enkidu's chains, etc. I hope you guys don't mind that. Just a little creative choice I wanted to add for fun. </i>
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<i>Also, I'm almost done with the Orleans Singularity on the game and manga. Gotta say it was pretty fun. I may have some ideas for that when we get there. </i>
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<i>I have a question, would keeping Olga alive mess up things? I've seen a lot of fanfics keep her alive, and in one case, Gilgamesh uses a Holy Grail to revive her, but they have yet to get far for me to see anything bad with this, outside of her presence being recurrent, but I want to know if it would cause a butterfly effect, etc. </i>
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