Chapter 22: Flames Of Determination [2]
As the Wyvern changed its focus to Ritsuka, the young orange-haired girl prepared herself. She never once used any offensive magic like she did before, her Magecraft and circuits were paltry at best, but despite that, she managed to cull the Wyvern's attention from many people to her. It was a win-win in her book.
With her Servants preoccupied, she needed to pull her own weight. She could feel that she had one more shot in her. She was sure it wouldn't kill the Wyvern, but it should give her enough time to save more lives.
She felt her heartbeat faster, pounding against her chest in a rhythm that caused her focus to increase and her mind to enter a trance once again. It wasn't just any ordinary trance, but one that used Instincts. It was the innermost depths of a human to utilize when the odds weren't in their favor.
Before Ritsuka knew it, her body rolled to the left, barreling against the rough and sturdy concrete. Thankfully, she had no scraps on her body. The Wyvern looked befuddled for a moment before going back to hunting mode. Ritsuka had no clue what she was doing. It was as if she was being carried by something else.
She didn't even know it was her will to survive. It was something everything sentient had. It signified the birth of defiance, which caused one to do miracles beyond their original capabilities. It was a state of passing through your limits, shattering them to move forward to the next limit and the next after.
Ritsuka was evolving in the midst of all the chaos around her. The soldiers' rallying shouts against the Wyverns' scornful rage echoed in her mind like a symphony. It was weird. She felt like she's been through countless battles.
Ritsuka found herself on a bridge, with the same Wyvern coming after her, ignoring everyone else that could have been an easy meal. Ritsuka stomped her feet on the ground and charged yet another fireball. The warmth that came from it served as a burning reminder of what was at stake, even if her shot was useless.
She could pray for a miracle, right?
The Wyvern opened its jaw, and slime, blood, and flesh were seen on its teeth, a normal nasty blend for such creatures. However, Ritsuka remained unfazed, her eyes sharpened, and she pointed her fire at the incoming Wyvern. This time the fireball condensed, shrinking in size, becoming as small as a bullet before she shot it. The shot sliced through the air at a speed only seen by those with keen sight or Servants.
The fire bullet tore through the Wyvern's body as if it were a piece of paper. However, the Wyvern kept flying at her, but it went past, crashing a few feet behind her. The scene would've been dramatic if the Wyvern exploded, but such drama wasn't needed here.
A roar resounded in the air, giving the small victory for Ritsuka to be cut short. She turned her gaze to the incoming Wyverm, but just as it was about to land its trenchant talons into her, half its body exploded on the spot. A pole pierced through its body like a hot knife, and the rest of the body crashed to the left of Ritsuka.
A cloaked figure appeared with a flag in their hand.
"You did well, Ritsuka!"
Ritsuka's world went blank as she succumbed to the clutches of exhaustion.
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.
.
"Ow! My head."
"That does tend to happen when you run up your Od like that, Ritsuka, but rest assured, I'm here!"
"Mars?"
"Who else?" The voice sounded dejected despite being jovial.
Ritsuka's eyes opened, and she was greeted by the sight of a small camp, with Mash's shield presumably on a Leyline to transfer equipment. Her mind raced for a bit before…
"The citizens!"
"They're safe, Master. It seems with your short-time leadership, we managed to save the people," Okita answered as she munched a Rice ball.
Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief. Her attention was drawn to the figure next to Mars, who….was definitely not an Archer.
"What's with the getup?"
Mars blinked sheepishly, his red eyes glossed over his book before he looked at Ritsuka.
"My Saint Graph changed. I am now a Caster. I feel more comfortable than I did when I was an Archer. I have no clue why," Mars answered, the tablet opening up with golden runes spewing out and circling it before going toward Ritsuka.
"Are you…"
"A simple healing spell. Medea is setting wards as we'll make this area our base for the night, so I'm the only one at the moment to heal you up. You seemed to burn much of your mana when using that last attack," Mars's words were a sign for Ritsuka to elaborate on the situation.
"Ah! Before that…who is that?"
"My apologies, I didn't want to cause any trouble due to…my other self. My name is Jeanne D'Arc, Ruler-Class Servant…but I'm not in much of a condition to fight."
Mars shook his head. "Those Wyverns were still durable enough to handle the Servants. I think you're being too harsh on yourself."
"I believe you're giving me too much credit. It was a lucky shot."
"And that's why I said you're being too harsh."
"Um…"
"What do you mean?"
"The luck of the person wins most battles. If our luck is terrible, we'll always carry that luck into battle. Sure, skills and experience help us, but in the end, luck is a key factor in battle as well. So, take pride in the fact you did what you did, even if it didn't seem fair," Mars's words held a bit of wisdom…odd wisdom, but still enough for most to reflect upon.
"Umm, about the other Jeanne?" Ritsuka finally managed to get through the seemingly close partners. <i>(Ritsuka's Mind: Couple)</i>
.
.
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"I forgot about her," Mars admitted as the runes healing Ritsuka returned. Everyone was sitting around, eating their fill after the harsh battle they just endured.
"Now…about the supposed Dragon Witch."
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<i>AN: Sorry for this being uploaded late. I had a stressful day, but writing this chapter helped calm me down. This chapter was still more Ritsuka-focused. I scrapped Mars appearing early but kept the part where Jeanne kills the Wyvern (Happens in the Manga).</i>
<i>Yeah, I decided to make Ritsuka more battle-focused as well, She isn't strong by any means right now, but you can say luck was helping her when she killed the first Wyvern. Hope you guys enjoyed that nonetheless.</i>
<i>Without much to say, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!</i>
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