Chapter 19: Another lost
Within a ruined hall, a mad beast was chained in the air.
The room was occupied by a blonde man with portals, a little girl with white hair, and a gargantuan sized man.
"Come back to me, berserker!" Illya attempted to use a command seal in order to teleport her servant out of the chains.
Red lines flashed throughout her body for a moment, before disappearing.
However nothing changed. She gasped in surprise. "But why?! I told you to come back to me, so why won't you-"
"Quiet little doll." Gilgamesh's voice interrupted her. "The chains of heaven. Even a god bound in these chains, could not escape their cold embrace. The more divine their captive, the tighter the chains will hold him." He stated as fact.
Illya was rightfully worried, Berserker was on his last life after all. There would be no reviving after the next death.
"As if I would I would ever allow him to teleport away with a command seal." Although a sneer wasn't present on his countenance, you could practically imagine it in his tone.
When Gilgamesh raised his hand, it was followed by a large ballista peaking out of another golden portal. The weapon shot out at high speeds, aimed right at the bound berserker's chest.
"No!" Illya widened her eyes in horror.
The ballista wasted no time, closing the distance, ready to finish him off.
*CLANG sfx* However, an invisible blade intercepted the shot.
"Oh?" Gilgamesh slightly widened his eyes at the newcomer. The ballista flew off to the side and destroyed a wall, before disappearing back into golden dust.
"That's enough, Archer." Saber narrowed her own eyes at him.
"Well you're looking lovely as ever Saber, unfortunately I'm not here for you right now." The blonde smirked at her. Completely unphased by her interference.
"It doesn't matter, this time I will put you down."
"Hah, hahahahahahaha!" He began to laugh as if he heard the funniest joke. "Put me down? Remind me how our battle concluded, the last time you tried to do that?"
"Not only that but while that mongrel in the last war was able to provide you with the proper magical energy needed, your current mongrel can barely even qualify as a proper battery." He spoke condescendingly. It was true though, Shirou wasn't exactly a good battery even if he could use his magic circuits this time.
"That's true." Surprisingly Saber nodded in agreement.
"Right? So I suggest you-"
"But I have a solution." She raised a crystal shard up.
"Hm?" Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes at the object.
It was a small crystal shard. The surface was clear and twinkling, as if it were made from the stars itself. In front of everyone there, she brought it to her mouth.
And bit down on the starlight shard.
A pulse of magical energy was spread out from the King of Knights.
The invisible air unraveled, allowing a golden blade to be released into the world.
"I hope you're ready, Gilgamesh." Saber leveled her weapon at the King of Heroes. Power thrummed as her appearance changed. A crown rested upon her head, along with a flowing cape. Surprisingly the starlight shard allowed her to perform an ascension in her spirit origin.
"Because I can assure you, things won't end like last time."
∞
"What's with this guy?" Lancer muttered. A little confused.
At first, when they had began to fight. He was bombarded by a multitude of different spells. Carian slicers rained down on him, exploding blue arrows assaulted him and he noticed they were backed by primordial runes. If he didn't have protection of arrows, he would have turned into a pincushion already.
Lancer was faster than him, stronger than him. But he had a little trouble catching up to the teleporting magus. He spammed spells nonstop and teleported every second as if he had a never ending supply of mana.
Whenever Lancer managed to catch up to him and strike, a giant magical hammer or greatsword would erupt from his opponent's spear.
Zieg appeared in the air, standing on a glyph. Gently poking the air, a ripple spread out like a drop of water in the sea.
"Gae bolg Alternative." The white haired magus called out.
Cu Chulainn widened his eyes in shock as thousands of glowing Gae Bolgs rained down on him. His protection from arrows wouldn't save him from it. A feral grin graced his lips, he stood his ground.
His Gae Bolg whirled in the air so fast that his arms disappeared with it.
The sound of metal clashing rang out in the air. The dust kicked up and covered the field.
Zieg's calculating eye looked down as the dust settled, his eyes picked something up.
*SHINK sfx* However his body couldn't react in time. Blood spilled from his shoulder, his concentration disrupted as he fell from the sky.
"I've got you now!" Lancer dived down at him, red spear in hand. He roared out, his spear closing the distance again.
'There it is!' His eyes saw it again. On Zieg's face, a familiar smile appeared again.
Cu Chulainn had met many on the battlefield and he knew what it was. An insatiable lust for battle and blood. He knew that Zieg wouldn't teleport away, instead his body forced itself to meet his spear head on.
'So that's his weakness.' Lancer noted with a smirk. He figured out the type of person his junior was. A man who couldn't find the balance between instinct and reason.
They both hit the ground and before the dust even settled, Lancer found the white haired magus leaping at him.
Zieg's Gae Bolg howled in the wind, a manic smile present on his face. His eyes were practically bloodshot, it was obvious that he had lost all reason.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lancer grinned ferally, finally able to fight this bastard of a junior head on.
Two spears met, and the night raged on.
∞
Identical blades clashed, clangs reverberated from the source.
*SHATTER sfx* But only one pair of blades broke.
Shirou was forced back as his swords were shattered.
"Did you really think your projections were on the same level as mine?" Archer taunted with his usual calm expression. "While you may mimic the appearance and material features of the original, if the structure isn't logically sound, it's worthless."
"Damn it!" Shirou shouted out. A new pair of blades appeared in his hands as he charged forward.
The blades met again, but this time the red head felt as if something was changing within him. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't react to the kick that immediately followed.
Archer didn't let up, he continued his direct approach and continued to use every moment to clash blades with his younger self.
Each time their blades met, Shirou continued to be overwhelmed by the flooding information that coursed through his body.
When he found himself pushed back, all of a sudden his posture morphed and sharpened. Archer found his own techniques used against him.
"Well, looks like you're beginning to feel it." Archer noted without much fanfare. "I've heard of magecraft that allows one to master old skills by communing with selves from past lives and letting them possess you. It appears that every time our swords clash, your skills are being honed."
"No kidding? Then I guess we're both copycats. Keep talking tough, I'll catch up to you soon enough." Shirou grunted, raising his blades again.
"Catch up to me?" Archer nearly scoffed. His body practically disappeared and reappeared in front of Shirou as their blades met again. "You have no idea how far you are from me."
Shirou immediately felt a searing migraine in his mind, vivid images appeared and overwhelmed him. Scenes continued to play in his mind, until his own blades shattered, finding himself on the ground.
"You saw it didn't you?" Archer spoke, gazing at the red-head beneath him. "Why don't you see it again... The answer I found at the end of that path." Magical energy thrummed from him as Shirou remained panting on the ground.
"I am... the bone of my sword."
∞
Zieg's body moved on it's own. It didn't bother to dodge the spear moving closer to his shoulder. Instead it decided to trade blood.
His shoulder practically split open, blood splashed. Yet he didn't stop his own attack and nearly pierced Lancer's head.
Lancer widened his eyes in surprise as a cut appeared on his cheek. But that wasn't what surprised him, he noticed his opponent's shoulder healing right after the cut.
Cu Chulainn felt like Zieg was an actual berserker under the effect of madness enhancement at the moment. He stopped using any spells, and only opted for a frontal confrontation. But he preferred that over being pelted with constant spells from a teleporting mage.
He focused on Zieg's expression. The manic smile on his face, the crazed eyes that showed he was no longer capable of reason.
Their spears continued to clash, sparks shot out and stung their skin. Lancer began to avoid trading blows, even when the trade would have ended up in his favor. He noticed there seemed to be a sort of barrier that was around Zieg's body, but it wasn't enough to stop his attacks.
The battle was surely enjoyable, especially for Zieg. However Lancer was a little disappointed. Fighting Zieg in his current state was no different than fighting a beast. While it was true that his opponent had gotten faster and stronger all of a sudden, he was driven purely by instinct.
For the inexperienced, it would have been terrifying. However for Lancer who was used to such a thing, it became predictable. The amount of people he had killed in his life that were hell bent on their lust for battle were too many to count.
He avoided the blood that shot out towards his eyes, a kick shot out as he predicted Zieg would automatically guard against it. The crazed white haired magus found himself in the air.
Before Zieg had the chance to begin his dive at him, Lancer's spear erupted with blood-lust. His blood red spear roared in anticipation.
He decided it was time to end it. "GAE...BOLG!"
The spear thrusted forth, blood red energy shot up the sky. Zieg only just began his descent. There would be no escaping.
*SPLURT sfx* Blood splashed out. Zieg gasped out of his battle-craze. His eyes widened.
"Serenity..." He whispered out, eyes widening.
The back of the Assassin had appeared in front of him, saving him from the fate-altering attack.
He let go of his spear, grabbing the girl in the air. They landed on the ground, but Zieg didn't bother paying attention to Lancer.
"...Master." Serenity spoke weakly.
"Don't say anything else!" He stopped her from speaking. Zieg immediately assessed the damage and his countenance darkened. He had found that her spiritual core was broken.
"I'm glad... you're safe." She spoke anyway, her body began to glow a dim light.
"Serenity... I'm sorry." He closed his eyes, his lips quivering as he whispered out.
"Don't be... I am here to serve you. You are my master... my everything.." Serenity closed her eyes and vanished into white ash.
Zieg remained there on his knees. Looking at the empty space before him.
"Sorry kid." Lancer frowned. He didn't take advantage of the situation, and just let them have their moment.
"Don't be." Zieg closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "Once again, my selfishness has caused me to lose something."
He had lost his last Assassin in the Great Holy Grail war. He got Jack killed, and now he got Serenity killed. All because he couldn't control his urge to fight.
"Thank you, Lancer. For not interrupting me in my moment of weakness." Zieg slowly stood up.
"Hm?" Lancer felt the world darken for a moment.
"It's time to end this." The white haired teen decided, he opened his eyes and locked eyes with Cu Chulainn. "Watch yourself Lancer."
Lancer widened his eyes as the ground beneath his feet disappeared, replaced by a watery surface. The world darkened and became illuminated by stars. A chill moon hung across the horizon.
"Because at this moment." 3 intersecting circles shined from Zieg's back.
"You face..." The Elden ring shined from his eyes.
"An Elden Lord."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone