I looked between Agravain and the cages again and felt utterly disgusted at what I saw. I took a deep breath and settled myself.
"Rin, can you please inspect the cages, make sure there are no traps?" I asked.
I knew Rin was just as repulsed, but this was an important matter that couldn't be ignored.
"Yeah." She said quietly, going to the nearest one with a child who barely looked conscious. He did not look to be in good shape. She took out a jewel and held it up to her eye, scanning the surroundings intently.
"Agravain..." I looked at the man again.
"The Cages – " He stopped, and his body shook, blood started dripping out his nose as he twitched.
"I see…..you're just as trapped as they are." I muttered, looking at the curses and bindings that were cast on him. "Raikou." I called out to my Servant. "Our priorities have changed. Let the others find who we were looking for, we're on a different rescue duty." I could not in good conscious leave these people to this fate.
"Yes, Master. I am yours to command." Raikou nodded.
I know Artoria would not fault me for this. In fact, she'd probably wholeheartedly agree with my actions.
"We're good Schweinorg." Rin called out. "Though there are some marks left on the cages, they look like runes, but I don't recognize them and they're drawn in blood. Witchcraft isn't' my specialty, but it looks similar to it."
I walked over to where she pointed out. There were indeed some markings drawn about, hidden and unnoticeable if Rin hadn't been looking over the cages thoroughly.
"But these things are Mystic Codes, they're designed to act like…..shock collars on a bigger scale." She was clearly upset given her own tone and I couldn't fault her.
"Witchcraft isn't my specialty either…." I bit my lip, considering our options. Raikou's Mystery Slayer would probably be able to cut through them, but the issue was any backlash suffered by other people. I drew a string of runes over the curses to isolate the effects as best I could before crushing the magics around the cage and pulled it open.
"Start healing everyone." I stated, going to another cage. "A Health Potion for everyone and use healing spells too." I began setting them out for use.
"R-right." Rin nodded, looking over the child.
There weren't that many people/children in here, probably only a couple dozen, but it still took some effort to make sure everyone was stable. I don't know if I could acknowledge the effort that went into keeping them all alive. They were certainly not in good shape, but they weren't about to drop dead.
I glanced many times at Agravain to see what he would do, but he didn't make a move. I realized what was going on at this point, but you never knew and I was quite skeptical of everything about this place/on this mission/about this family.
"Anything you can tell me about the large Ritual set up using the Castle as a foundation?" I decided to try asking him as we settled the problem of the prisoners.
"You noticed that….?" He smiled wryly. "It's – " He twitched again, gritting his teeth. "Defense...Uther controls." He managed to grit out between spasms.
A defense mechanism that Uther had control of?
"Master?" Raikou put a hand on my shoulder. "You look conflicted."
I looked around the room once more at the people lying about. Rin was still checking over several, but they would…..survive.
"Wondering what I should do." I said honestly, turning back to Agravain. "What can you tell me without….." I waved at him.
He seemed to understand what I was asking. "I'm Agravain, given the name by Uther. I'm not very strong compared to the other legacies, but my specialty lies in strategy and planning."
"What happened to you?" I asked.
"Uther likes to make examples of people who go against him." Agravain said once more. "Even if they are his brother." He shook his head. "I didn't want to be the head of the family, but I knew that Uther would be....ruthless in his leadership. I was unfortunately proven right."
I opened my mouth and closed it again. "Fucking hell." I rubbed my temples. "What a mess this is."
"I spent years sneaking in little backdoors into all the defenses. But to think you'd just blow right through them." He gave a depressed chuckle.
"You've been sabotaging them?" I blinked in surprise.
"As much as I could." He didn't seem to care about his sorry state as he smiled brightly. "Though, my brother didn't like that I helped his son escape, so he…..increased the chains on me."
"You helped Arthur run away?" I was surprised by that. "He never mentioned anything like that."
"He didn't know." Agravain laughed again. "Uther would have done something eventually. He's too power hungry for his own good. Binding his son seemed like the next step for him to take."
"I don't know If I can do anything about these immediately." I looked him over again. Maybe Avalon could disperse the curses and destroy these 'chains'? But I gave it back to Artoria awhile ago…..Well, he shouldn't be in trouble for the time being. "Would any healing have a negative effect?"
"Probably." He shrugged. "Uther was very systematic in – " He stopped sighing again.
"You're pretty nonchalant about this whole thing." I eyed him suspiciously.
He smiled wide at that. "I don't suspect to live beyond today, but if Uther is gone before I am, I would die happily. And knowing this place was never going to exist again, my heart would rest easy." He looked around.
I blinked for a moment as I noticed another thing on his body. More so than a curse or magics binding him, it was carved on his flesh, rather amateurishly. I reached forward, pulling his rob away to inspect it. It was the same symbol that was drawn on the cages in blood.
"You...you were mitigating it as much as possible, weren't you?" Seeing the matching inscriptions and combining some context clues, it wasn't hard to guess the intent. He was transferring it to himself, shouldering as much as he could.
There was only a bitter smile in response.
"I was never very good at magic." He said quietly.
I was about to speak again, but the whole castle started shaking violently. Strange noises echoing out and I felt like the temperature was increasing.
Agravaine's eyes widened, he looked frantic. "NO!" He shouted. "It's – !" He couldn't finish the sentence as he clutched his heart. "Protect!" He looked at me.
I slammed my Staff of Magnus into the ground and called upon my strongest defensive spell. "Shield of Asgard!" I cast as quickly as I could as it covered all the unconscious people.
I felt the effects assail the barrier, something was trying to latch onto the people in here.
"Draining…." Agravain raised a shaky hand towards the ceiling and spoke between pants. "Family." He finished
"A draining effect?" I muttered. "The ritual is used to drain the Magical Energy from family members?" I tilted my head. That in of itself wasn't that bad, if every person contributed power to a spell, it would support it better.
"Lifeforce." He corrected.
My own eyes widened by the insinuation. Whatever it was, my shield was keeping these people from getting drained, which would definitely kill them in their current state.
"Schweinorg, any idea what's going on?" Rin asked.
"The large-scale ritual, it's taking in lifeforce to power itself and that implies some pretty nasty effects." I answered honestly. "Magical Energy would be one thing, and ignorable as far as morality is concerned. But something like this, that's the dark stuff you don't want to touch."
Everything went deathly still for a moment, then a second later, I felt a large presence envelope the area.
And a roar reverberated, shaking the foundations of the castle.
***
Achilles POV
"Come on, big guy. That all you guy?" I taunted him as he stumbled away after taking my fist to his stomach.
He reorientated himself quickly, let out a few pants before standing back up straight. "Brat!" He shout, gripping his sword. "Do you think a sneak attack like that would keep me down?"
"A sneak attack…?' I blinked at that. "I attacked from right infront of you…"
"Hmph, you won't get the better of me again." He snorted. "Come, face my holy blade – Dyrnwyn. Only the worthy can wield this mighty blade. You shall have the honor of face it head on!"
Dyrnwyn, huh? The name was something I knew from the Grail given knowledge, though it's probably different in this world. Seemed pretty cool, I guess. The Fires are hot enough, I can acknowledge that much.
"Well, it should make it a little interesting." I leveled my spear at him.
"Arrogant!" He shouted, rushing towards me. His body became enveloped in a power I didn't recognize immediately. Was this that 'Touki' I heard about? It made me grin thinking there were still things new to me.
The wave of his sword sent flames cascading towards me. I tapped my foot against the ground before moving out of the way. Again, a torrent of fire filled the spot I had been in only for me to be several feet away at the blink of an eye.
I looked at him and yawned, holding my spear over my shoulder. "Too slow~"
"Raar!" He shouted bursting towards me with a sudden increase in speed, swinging his sword down.
I raised my Spear up with one arm to block. A wave of fire pushed against me but I didn't budge under the flames. No, these fires couldn't touch me through my Noble Phantasm.
"Haaah…."I let out a breath, feeling the hot air fill my lungs. "I guess I got excited for nothing." I stomped on the ground, cracking the stones beneath us and putting him off balance. With a flick of my wrist, I knocked his sword back, breaking his guard and sent my elbow back into his chest.
He crumpled under the strain, lifted off his feet and went sailing over the side of the wall, crashing into one of the buildings below.
I took the moment to glance over at Jinn, the woman that Wilhelm asked me to look after. Don't know why he was so concerned, she was currently handing a collection of magic-users their asses.
Oh well, I just shrugged and looked at the pile of debris I sent that knight into start moving about as he pushed his way up. The building immediately caught fire as he jumped forward, the flames surrounding him.
However, he looked different. His lower body took the form of a lion – no a cheetah?
He growled, looking at me as I jumped down off the wall. As soon as my feet touched the ground, he moved much quicker than before, slamming his sword down.
"That's more like it!" I grinned at the increase of speed and power. This was what I was expecting! "Is this one of those Sacred Gears I heard about!?"
"My Beast Stampede allows me to take the form of animals, I can use their advantages for myself!" He gloated.
Hmm, I think there's more to it than that, since a regular Cheetah wouldn't be able to do something like this…..but I didn't really care.
He swung his sword precisely as I took a proper stance and went about deflecting each strike with the tip of my spear. I increased my speed slightly and he was able to follow for a few more exchanges.
"How about this!?" I laughed, taking it up another notch. With my spear coated in my Magical Energy, I trust out a dozen times in a single breath.
Blood erupted from the man, as he only managed to handle a few blows before the remainder slipped through his guard. Several large cuts ran along his body, flowing with blood as he fell to the ground.
Not very satisfying, the Touki was interesting, but that was about it. Well, I can buy some drinks with the money I made, so it wasn't a total loss.
I wonder how sis was doing? I looked around to finally see her trading arrows with that other guy. "Well, she looks like she's having fun so I won't interfere. Handled this easily enough, guess I'll go find those two girls we were looking for, they should – "
"Balance Breaker – Beast Stampede, Dragon Supremacy"
I turned back towards the Knight as he erupted in a torrent of power. He changed, his body enlarged and scales grew all over him. Wings sprouted on his back and massive draconic limps replaced his human ones.
"A Dragon is the highest in the animal Kingdom" He roared. "I AM A DRAGON!" Fire escaped his mouth as his proclamation.
"Hoooh, now that's pretty good." I admired the pressure he was putting off now. "Maybe I was a little hasty in dismissing you."
"You'll regret making a fool of me." He growled, picking his sword up again. He took a step forward, and the ground shuddered and cracked in every direction. His wings beat and he burst towards me.
I brought my spear up to block as he pushed me back, sending me into the stone walls. His blade pushed against the shaft of my spear, his other hand – his claw reached out to rake at me, only to harmlessly run along my skin.
"W-what!?" He spoke in confusion as his now draconic claws couldn't penetrate my Noble Phantasm.
"What's wrong, you having a bit of trouble there?" I laughed at him.
"DON'T MOCK ME!" He roared, pushing my spear back. He reeled back and swung his sword down harder. His speed was impressive for a human, and his power had been significantly increased. His mouth opened up, revealing a lot of sharp teeth, but I only paid attention to the stream of fire that was bellowed outwards. The flames tore into the walls, melting the stone and caused a large portion of it to crumble under the strain.
I moved out of the way, fist slamming to the bottom of his jaw, stopping the torrent of fire. That surprisingly didn't slow him down as he continued to attack me, sword in hand.
His skill wasn't bad either. The flurry of attacks he unleashed didn't lack the years of practice he must have dedicated. He didn't let this power go to his head and ignore that facet of his skills.
"Should I get a little serious?" I smiled ducking under another swing. With a flash, I had moved out of his vision.
My spear was striking forward toward his head. His eyes widened and he franticly moved his sword to push my spear away, narrowly avoiding me running him through.
Impressive reflex and speed, seems like he still had some power he held in reserve.
How about kicking it up another notch then?
With another burst of speed, the spot I was occupying in a moment prior had become empty, only a wisp of wind indicating I had moved. From the other side of him, my spear was coming again as he moved, once more aiming to pierce through him.
He shouted, sword ablaze, swinging at my spear to defend.
Again, I moved behind him, spear shooting out. I continued to increase the speed slightly each time he blocked, and continued to aim for his blind spots. He became more frantic and erratic as I got closer and closer to landing a blow on him. The small cuts he barely managed to escape with started to become more numerous and larger as a few breaths progressed.
His breathing picked up and his eyes bloodshot. He looked ragged with his fake scales torn apart all over his body.
I could admire his endurance; it was certainly able to keep him going through all of this. Taking a few steps away and gaining a bit of distance, I looked him over and nodded to myself.
"Well, lets end this." I gripped my spear and my feet dug into the ground. The Magical Energy around me swirled and the air exploded with a movement from myself. One moment I was a few dozen yards away, the next, my spear pushed through him, nailing him to what remained of the wall in this area.
His sword went flying off at the impact, his body spasmed under the blow. He looked down, touching my spear that had him impaled to the side of the castle. "W-who are y-you….I'm supposed to be G-Gawain, how…!?" His scales shattered and fell off him, his wings dispersed into nothingness. His body slowly turned back to normal.
"Didn't I already say? I'm Achilles – A hero." I pulled my spear out, flicking the blood away. I looked down at him, his eyes relaying he had more to say, but I doubt he could speak anymore. "You weren't bad, maybe if you trained a bit more, I'd have had to try harder." I shook my head.
Felt like he still had a bunch of potential to get stronger. His – Sacred Gear was interesting and I feel like it could have been used better.
What a shame.
He should survive, but if he doesn't, not much of a loss.
I guess I'll go find those two girls now.
***
Atalanta POV
His melodic tune was followed with a barrage of arrows as I leapt from my perch to another position to dodge the bombardment. With each arrow that was sent my way, I slowly began to scowl deeper. Could he even be called an archer at this point?
He wasn't even aiming, it was a magic bow – harp that did everything for him. His arrows, they worked by themselves, arcing and moving in the air to attack his targeted with their own mind. It seems that the strumming of the instrument/weapon was what powered it to both create and have the arrows seek their target.
"As suspected, no one can match my skills with a bow."
And he continues to say stupid things like that.
I growled, turning around and fired off arrows to match his. It went against my instincts that I had honed over my life, but I felt the urge to stand forward, and face him head on.
If Achilles acted like this all the time, I suppose it wouldn't be bad if I followed his example this once.
The music continued to play from his magic weapon, hundreds of magical arrows manifested and shot off towards me.
I planted my feet firmly, and pulled back my string. My Magical energy fill up and was released at the same time. The sky was filled with the collision of arrows.
I calmly shot down each and every one that came my way, each of his – fake arrows that were shot form his fake bow were destroyed by my own.
His arrogant demeanor, that annoying smirk on his face slowly began to disappear with each of his attacks that were stopped by me.
"Skills with a bow?" I mocked him as our battle continued. "Tell me when you deem to reveal such a thing."
He scowled, pulling back his strings with a renewed fury. The music he created had sped up, and so too did the arrows behind him.
I merely raised an eyebrow as I matched him arrow for arrow.
His fingers carefully wove each note, and continued to escalate until he stood up looking at me intently. His concentration reached its peak, hundred and hundreds of arrows filled the morning sky and they all pointed down at me.
I let go of the string of my bow, looking at all of them that hovered above.
"So you see the inevitable!" He declared, with a laugh as he noticed me not continuing the bout. "Go ahead, flail around with your bow, it doesn't matter. You'll never be able to reach me anyways."
I took a breath and closed my eyes as I saw them start falling towards me. With the smallest motion, I stepped to the side, letting the first one impaled the ground I had just been standing. Eyes, shooting open, I began to weave through each of them.
Jumping back, I avoided several more that came from both sides.
Sliding to the right, another dozen passed me by.
I burst out running as they sailed through the air towards me. I leapt upwards, bow in hand and unleashed a few arrows of my own to collided with a couple in particular, creating a gap in the barrage that allowed me to dive through. I fired another pair of arrows, one to shatter the arrows in line, and I sent a second high up into the air as I calculated the distance and anticipated certain steps.
The arrows that covered my vision spun around, redirecting and continued coming back towards me. However, their paths were much too predictable.
Ducking over some, sidestepping others, and a few arrows fired here or there to open paths. My continued avoidance of his barrage left him annoyed as I could hear his tune change, as if becoming more aggressive.
The arrows swirled in the air and instead of coming towards me instead they surrounded me in a cage.
I stopped, staring at him as he looked smug.
"No more running, little cat." He grinned.
I closed my eyes with a sigh.
Instead of a melodious tune, it sounded more like a hiss, followed by a shout as I opened my eyes again and the magic arrows shattered and dispersed.
I looked at the man – Tristan, as he called himself without much emotion.
He shook, eyes locked on the singular arrow that was embedded in his shoulder. The one I had let loose a few moments prior, the one he ignored or didn't bother to question.
"H-how." He stuttered out.
"You revealed the mechanisms behind your weapon. How could I not understand how it worked and its flaws?" I shook my head. This person was too green.
I jumped off the rooftop I was on and made my way towards the man. He fell to his butt, trying to pull out the arrow, though I believe my aim was very good. His other arm couldn't move with it inside, thus he couldn't play his instrument.
"Your arrows had no soul." I explained. "There was no prediction of my movements, no traps to be laid, no leading me to perform certain actions. You merely created magic arrows and tried to overwhelm me with sheer numbers." I grabbed hold of his uninjured arm. "You are no archer." I squeezed my hand, the bone in his arm cracking under my grip.
He let out a shrilled cry before I tossed him off the rooftop and confiscated his weapon.
He would survive, as per the King of Knight's request. Hopefully, he would stop being so arrogant if he had a future after this.
Wasn't even worth more than a single arrow from me.
***
Jinn POV
"Bitch!" One of the magicians shouted.
"No need for that language." I chided, casting a Greater Ward to block his spell. It was one of my favorite defensive spells I'd learned thus far. I have, of course, altered it to fit my own preferences, but the underlining concepts were quite intriguing.
The teleportation circles were still active, even if most of the magicians were already defeated.
I hummed to myself as I looked over at both Achilles and Atalanta both fighting those who looked a bit stronger than the other knights they had already defeated.
I was about to destroy the Teleportation Circles until they lit up once more. Another few dozen more magicians appeared, wearing similar uniforms. However, there was one man at the front who looked a bit important.
They didn't immediately attack. The one on the front rubbed his beard, giving me a look. "Aren't you an interesting one." He sounded a bit….grandfatherly? Though I didn't like the way he leered at me.
"Are you from the Golden Dawn?" I tilted my head.
"That we are." He laughed. "We have a bit of a relationship with the Pendragon family. I don't know what's going on, but I'd have to ask you to stop now, young lady. It looks like our young'uns aren't dead, so I think we can settle this amicably."
"Hmm, sorry." I shook my head. "You can leave, I won't attack if you do." I denied him
He looked at me and laughed again. "Being young Is good. But I must warn you, that I will have to make a move due to a contract we have."
"You shouldn't judge someone based on their looks." I huffed. In a world with Gods walking around, why was he assuming I'm a young girl?
"Mmm, perhaps." He stroked his beard. "Very well, I shall respond to your arrogance." He snapped his fingers as several of the magicians around him created spell circles. "Let our magic do our speaking."
I looked at the spell circles, reading them and deducing what attacks they were preparing. "Elemental manipulation, the most basic form of Magic." I stated. The Magic back on Remnant, it was almost entirely derived form elemental destruction, only the more talented being able to stretch it for other uses. I liked the magic that I've learned since leaving, the different effects that come from a more neutral source.
The older mage raised his hand then lowered it in signal.
The mages let loose a barrage of spells. The most basics, though basic doesn't necessarily mean bad.
I waived my hands, creating my own Magic Circles, shaping my magic into my desired ways. Spears of ice came raining down and as they got close, they immediately melted and turned to steam. I gripped towards the air, changing the structure once more, using the knowledge of Alteration, I learned from Skyrim and morphed it into a wall of water that split off to connect with the various fire spells that manifested.
I raised my left hand up and returned with a spell of my own. "Mass Paralysis." My Magic pulsed out sweeping up all the magicians in the area. The greenish light enveloped them, stopping them from moving.
"Interesting." The old magician stated, slamming his staff on the ground, dispersing my spell on his people. "It appears as though my students are not your match. Would you be qualified as a High-class then?" He muttered. "Well, it should be a good lesson. I will take you on myself. My name is Albert Frotun, I'm a teacher at the Golden Dawn." He introduced.
"Jinn, I'm just a simple magician." I introduced myself.
"I don't believe there is anything simple about you." He snorted. "Are you perhaps a Genie? No…..just a happenstance and similarity maybe? I suppose it doesn't matter, let us fight." He held his hands up, a massive spell circle appeared above.
"Flame Blade!" A large sword made of fire emerged, swinging down at me.
Hmm, shall I try that new spell I created? I was inspired after seeing Wilhelm's Power of Destruction and Rin's Gandr curse. To create a curse that operates similarly to their destructive ability, however it came out a bit differently.
I rolled my fingers in the air as Magic Circles spun. "Curse of Withering." A monochromatic gray light enveloped the large Fire Sword that brightened the world. It began to eat away at it, devouring the light– the flames as it collided with the magic.
The flames only held up for a moment before my spell crept inside and began to eat it from the inside out.
"Y-you are more impressive than I anticipated." The Older Mage gulped, preparing himself once more. "However, I am a master. I'm known as the Fire King in the Golden Dawn, and I shan't be defeated by you today!" He clapped his hands, forming two more Magic Circles that began to expand and multiple before taking to the sky. "Behold, my own personally created spell, Meteor shower!" He raised his arms out as the spell circles revolved and shaped into flaming rocks up in the sky.
"Oh, there are quite a lot of them." I admired the sequences used to create the effects.
"Admit defeat, and I shall spare you. I admire your talent, why don't' you join the Golden Dawn? I can protect you from the Pendragon families reprisal."
"Oh, no thank you." I smiled. "I just so happen to have something I wish to test. Numbers aren't really an issue for me." I was still connected to Wilhelm's – Our home. And the defenses he set up still answered to me and I wished to see them in action before I modified them further. I used the Bracelet and summoned the Staves he stashed away. Hundreds upon hundred of Magical Staves that were held within our home.
I raised my hand up, my Magical power channeled through each one. "Fire." I commanded as they released their spells towards the spells in the sky. The barrage of magic, it was hard to see any individual spell amongst their number. You could even call it a – Kaleidoscope of color.
I silently giggled to myself for the joke.
Once the sky was clear, I looked back at the old mage, my Magical Staves slowly pointing down at him as well.
"Would you please go home?" I asked. I truly did not like killing people if I didn't have to.
The younger members that he brought with him were trembling.
"…..okay." He said quietly, quickly activating the Teleportation circle and taking his students with him.
Well, that's the end of that.
I smiled, dispersing the Teleportation Circle and put my staves back where they belonged.
For my first fight, I think it went pretty well!
I can't wait to tell Wilhelm how I did. Maybe he'll give me a little reward~.
***
Mordred POV
"Which fool would name you after the traitor?" the supposed Lancelot scoffed in a mocking tone.
"I don't know, which fool would name you after the adulterer?" I rolled my eyes.
"Hold your tongue, wench! I was bestowed this grace by Lord Uther." He growled.
"Pretty sure Uther is a cunt too." I laughed at his attempt to be intimidating. "So I guess that answers my question."
[Mordred.] Kairi spoke to me through our link. [You got this?]
[Yeah, going to enjoy beating the shit out of him.] I answered back.
[Mind if I go with Scáthach to find those two girls?]
[No, that's perfect. Go find them while I deal with this idiot.] My Master was pretty smart, so I'm sure he'd be fine. Not to mention who would be with him.
Well, since they got that priority handled, I could deal with this fool without worry.
"I shall cut your tongue from your mouth and present you to him for punishment." Lancelot declared.
"Yeah, sure." I said dryly. "Is that before or after I plant my boot up your ass?"
"Your brutish words are grating to my ears. Face my sword, en garde!" He drew his sword and leapt at me.
Clarent was gripped tight in my hands as I swung it up to meet his sword. The force created a shockwave that erupted in all directions. I was a little surprised at the force he created from his attack. Looking closely, I could see some sort of energy flow around him.
I think Arthur said he had mastered Touki?
He dropped to the ground, his sword stabbing towards me. I swung Clarent, knocking it to the side and followed it up with a slash towards his chest.
He stepped back, dodging and swung his own sword underneath my own. I stepped forward, letting it scrape against my armor. My pommel slammed down onto him. He grunted, using his arm to block.
For a normal human, he was really good. Hell, he'd probably be a match for that Berserker Servant from the war that I killed.
"Uncouth barbarian!" He snorted, fist coating in that energy, coming at me.
My own hand erupted in my lightning as I caught the fist. "That it, you pansy?" I roared, the Lightning enveloped me fully and I stomped on the ground, sending it out in all directions.
The fake Lancelot hissed, flying back and bouncing off the ground before regaining his footing. With another grunt, he slashed his sword in the air, sending waves of blades made from that same energy right at me.
I deflected them but he continued to swing at me with ease. Each one of his blades sundered the ground, cleaved buildings in half and even slashed through the walls that they struck.
He was pretty fast, and his strikes were precise and well honed with years of experience behind them. Just because I didn't like the guy, it didn't mean I would ignore the effort he put in to reach this point.
I pushed against the ground and accelerated, dodging around the blades, lightning crackling in every direction. Clarent swept towards him again as he rose up, he brought his sword up to block. His legs shuddered under the blow, his teeth gritted as he tried to hold on.
I lifted my leg up and kicked him in the stomach, watching him tumble across the ground again.
"Even the real Lancelot wouldn't sit there and take my blows." I snorted. "Fucking weakling."
That foppish look disappeared as he contorted in rage. "How dare you speak ill of my ancestor!"
Huh, so they were related.
"Bitch, if he was here right now, I'd say it to his face just like I did back then." I raised pointer and middle finger in a V towards him. "All the shit he pulled, all the problems he caused cause he couldn't keep his dick in his pants. And now even I'm starting to feel bad that you're his descendant."
I moved again, turning into a streak of lightning and slammed into his sword again, his body buckling under the blow. I unleashed a series of slashes and he managed to keep up for the most part. Each one sent a shockwave through him as he struggled to raise his arms.
I channeled it into my hand, my lightning gathered as I released it into him with our blades still locked.
He let out a scream of pain, sword shaking in his hand. I grabbed Clarent with both hands, and filled it with my Magical Energy, swinging it at his own sword, shattering it instantly.
The fake Lancelot dropped to the ground, panting heavily for breath. "How!? That sword was custom created by the finest alchemists until I could acquire my true birthright."
"Like that thing could keep up with my Clarent." I snorted. Kinda a dick move to destroy someone's sword intentionally, did it on that Arthur dumbass just out of anger. But this cunt deserved it outright.
He sputtered, looking at my sword. "That's impossible… how did you get that sword? Are you working for the church!?"
"Do you just like to hear yourself talk and ignore everyone else?" I grabbed him by the hair, pulling him up to my eye level. "So, listen well, you dumbass. I'm not a reincarnation. I aint some 'inheritor' of his spirit. And I'm definitely not some stupid cunt that took the name to make myself feel more important. I am Mordred Pendragon, true heir to Camelot."
Turning Clarent sideways, I swung it hard at his head, knocking him into the ground, his body twitching but otherwise not moving.
"Fucking idiot." I spat. "At Least the real thing was able to match his skills with his utter annoyance."
If it weren't for Father, it would be his head rolling instead of just being smashed into the ground.
But it was pretty satisfying beating his ass.
***
Artoria Pendragon POV
Uther's blade did give me momentary pause, if just because the nostalgic feeling of seeing something that reminded me so much of my faithful knight's sword.
After the initial surprise wore off, I could spot the differences quite easily. It was not the Sacred Sword of the Planet, it was a sword created by something lesser. Whether that be a God or a man, I do not know.
However, I did not let my guard down, as it was a legendary blade in this world and I would treat it as such. Taking Arthur's words into account, it would be a powerful weapon for anyone to wield.
"You want to step into the big league, little girl? Fine." Uther spat. "Killing you won't mean anything. I'll get my way in the end."
"Allow me to assist." Arthur spoke up, stepping forward.
"Boy, do not make this worse." Uther frowned glancing at his companions. The two nameless knights didn't speak but they burst forward towards Arthur.
"Handle those two." I said calmly, watching him draw his blade and engage them.
A cursory glance at the two knights, I did not believe them to be stronger than Arthur. Though the both of them together may prove a challenge, I would allow him to fight them both.
He snorted, walking towards me with unabated steps. "I'm curious what gives you the confidence to stand against me with no fear. Let's find out."
He was fast, I could acknowledge that.
His sword – Galatine, swung down at me within a blink of an eye. A single, horizontal slash that threatened to cleave me in two if I made no move.
I brought up Invisible Air, my eyes locking with his own as our two weapons collided, neither budging an inch.
"An invisible sword?" I raised an eyebrow. "Petty tricks." The flames that danced around his sword emboldened, the intensity increased and he attempted to push through my guard. I felt the ground under us began to crack at the strain.
"Haah!" I let out a shout, knocking his blade away, earning a shocked look from him. Pivoting on my heels, I gathered momentum and swung my sword overhead.
He brought Galatine up to block, knees slightly buckling under the sudden force. "If that's all – "
I activated my Mana Burst, sliding my sword along his edge, I spun my body, sword seeking his torso.
He caught it again with the flat of his blade, but he was unprepared for the increase in force, knocking him off his feet. He tumbled a few times before sliding back onto his feet. His metal greaves dug into the ground before he charged back at me.
His blade was quick, swinging countless times in a few breaths. I met each blow with my Invisible Air, sending shockwaves out at every collision. After a few exchanges, I judged his reaction well enough, with a shift in my stance, I thrust forward in an opening.
My sword tore through his armor, cutting his side before he spun away to avoid the worst of it.
My opponent looked furious, the flames around him burst out, condensing and returning to wrap around him. "To be wounded by a little girl?" He spat out. "Disgraceful. I will remove this stain from the world."
"Come, test this 'little girl's' blade." I leveled Invisible Air against him once more.
He was fairly strong for a living human. Not to mention the shimmering flames around him were visibly enhancing his physical abilities.
He sneered, swinging his blade upwards, the ground sundering at the motion as I jumped to the side and charged at him. His physical prowess was impressive, I knew I could be wounded if I took such a blow. I ducked under his next slash, and struck true with Invisible Air, drawing blood from him once more before being forced back.
Uther responded by sending another flurry of attacks at me, each one accompanied by searing flames. I raised my gauntlet up, deflecting his sword to the side to slash towards his neck.
The flames around him exploded out, covering my vision. The heat wave was kept at bay with my Mana Burst, only for his sword to cut through the flames.
I deflected the sword away with a quick thrust. The surrounding flames seemed to be absorbed by the sword as they rolled around the blade. With another sweep, they were expunged towards me.
I gathered my Magical Energy and swung my sword down, sending a force back at them to avoid the brunt of the heat.
The waves of fire burnt away the surroundings, turning the forests behind us to ash.
"The closer to noon, the stronger I become! You chose poorly in challenging me at this time." Uther declared. "Right now, I am a God of Fire!" He swept his sword every which way, creating and controlling the flames that rolled off it. "I only need one of you alive, my idiot son shall suffice. Turn to ashes along with my shame!" He roared, swinging his sword down, discharging the flames once more.
"Then I shall answer in kind." I held Invisible Air up, and swung it down at the coming torrent of flames. "Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King." I activated my Noble Phantasm, the Mystic Code that had been elevated after becoming a Servant.
The condense winds around my true blade had burst out like a hurricane sweeping up the oncoming flames and dispensing them harmlessly away.
A portion of his fires swept to either side of me, turning that area to a wasteland with their passing. Truly, it was a powerful sword, even if I still considered it lesser to the one from my home.
Uther's eyes widened as our vision met once more, his flames showing no signs of having even singed my body.
"Surrender." I declared. "You have been proven to be inferior to me. I shall not hold back my blade if you wish to engage again."
I could understand Arthur's sentiments. He was certainly a higher level than the younger man, however, I was confident in completely defeating him without much issue. He should become stronger in a few hours as well, but I still had my confidence even then.
"Y-you dare?!?" He roared. "I was the one who built this family up from the mess it was before. I made people respect us again! We were nothing but dogs for the Church before I took the seat! How dare some no-name child come and demand I surrender!" He spoke with a fury, his flames exuberating with his emotions as they pulsed at every raised tone.
"I just needed more time. I would surpass that monster the church hides. I would be the strongest human in another few decades! Then no one would have been able to challenge us." He growled, which slowly turned into a chuckle. "Well, I prepared for such a thing. I thought it would be the church that sought to bring us to heel, not some child from a bastard."
He reached towards his own arm guard and tore it away from his right hand. I noticed a tattoo depicting a serpent.
Pushing his left hand towards the wound on his side, he gathered blood on his thumb and ran it down the tattoo, which then began to glow.
Instantly, the ground shook – rather, the Castle began to shake and I felt a very large influx of Magical Energy that swirled into the surroundings.
"What are you doing? Cease this foolishness." I declared.
"Haha, it's already started." He cackled. "It'll set me back a few decades, but it's better than losing my place." He held his sword up as the flames gathered.
"Whats going on….?" I turned to look at Arthur who was confused as the two knights he was fighting dropped to the ground.
"Sacrifice yourselves for the family." Uther said coldly.
They looked like they were being drained of all their life.
My head snapped back to the castle where a very – very large Magic Circle formed overhead, matching the structure's layout.
"I will stop this – " He didn't respond but swung Galatine towards Arthur, a massive torrent of flames sailing towards the younger man.
I grit my teeth and moved to intercept
"Can you stop me while protecting the disappointment?" He laughed. "I've prepared this for years. Finding the right materials to make sure we had a defense for those monsters I couldn't handle yet. Born in a distant land, I give my flames and the life of my kin to bring you back to this realm."
The flames he gathered were swept away towards the source of the magic and the Magic Circle took on a strange hue as an energy was pulled from the castle.
"The Ashen tree left from your corpse, offered to call you back." Uther began a chant. "The head of a Hydra, offered for your new body. The Flames of the Sun, offered as the spark of your resurrection. And the life force of my kin to bind it all together." He shouted towards the Magic Circle. "Return to life – Boitatá"
There were a few items inside the Magical Circle that appeared, a tree just as he had spoken off, the Head of a serpent creature – a hydra. His flames wrapped around him, and the supposed life force of those he gathered pushed into it as well.
A shadow enveloped overhead before its form solidified by absorbing the materials provided
The illusionary form shattered, revealing a massive serpent that floated above the castle. Wreathed in flames, it looked up at the sky and let out a thunderous roar.
***
Wilhelm POV
"Artoria?" I quickly landed next to my girlfriend as her eyes still stared at the massive creature.
"Wilhelm, do you know what manner of creature this is?" She asked. "He called it Boitatá."
"Boitatá…." I rubbed my temples. "It's uh...….South American? Erm….a fire serpent that resurrects or something about hiding in burnt trees? My knowledge on them isn't that in-depth."
[It's only a step down from being a real dragon. About the same thing as one of those Imoogi.] Ddraig spoke in my soul. [I'm pretty sure I was the one who killed this thing.]
Wait, really?
[Yeah, I think it wanted to try eating me to become a real dragon.] Ddraig snorted. [Actually, I remember now, I killed it a few times. It had some annoying ability to resurrect itself kinda like a Phoenix. If the right pieces are gathered….well, you can see the results. Bringing it back isn't that difficult, though how long is the question.]
"It's a step below a real dragon." I told Artoria. "Though, based on its temperament, it shouldn't be controllable. Err, I think they're protectors of nature…? I might be getting some myths confused."
"It's too late!" I heard a shout coming from a man with a few flames burning around him.
"Uther, stop this nonsense. Dismiss this creature, return what you took from your family." Artoria tried to bargain. "This will only lead to the destruction of everything."
"Hmph, do you think I would create something I couldn't control?" He scoffed. "I used the flames of my sword to bring it back." He stated, holding his sword up. At his motion, the massive serpent suddenly jerked its head, staring down at us.
"Will, are Rin and the others safe?" She asked.
"Rin's with Raikou." I confirmed. "They're fine. But there were some…..bad things in the dungeon. We chose to handle them opposed to searching elsewhere."
Artoria took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "I believe it is time to end this farse for good. Please take Arthur and stand back."
"Oh." I realized what she was doing. I immediately grabbed Arthur who let out a surprised noise and flew to the side out of the way.
"Shouldn't you help her?" Arthur questioned.
"Kid, she doesn't need my help." I laughed. "You're in for a treat. You want to know her identity, right? Just keep watching."
Uther cackled like a mad man as he held the simmering blade in his hand. "Devour her, my pet!" He declared.
The coiled Serpent hissed, letting its entire body unfold.
If we were using this world's terms, that thing was definitely in the 'Ultimate Class' and a fair bit higher than this Uther was ranked.
"Show me your struggle. How will an invisible blade help you against such a beast?" Uther smugly spoke.
"Invisible blade? You seem to misunderstand." Artoria smiled lightly. "Condensed wind, folded so many times that light is reflected. But it is not meant as a weapon – it is merely a sheath." She stated as the wind around her blade slowly unfolded.
The shimmering golden light was slow to seep out, but once the wind was gone, the surroundings were suddenly filled with warmth.
The phenomenon spread, motes of golden light slowly lifting out of the ground for as far as the eye could see.
"What…..is that?" Arthur whispered.
Artoria took a step forward, and the gentle light around her erupted in a torrential wave, gathering around her sword.
"Who are you?" Uther managed to force out.
"Sheathed in the breath of the planet, a torrent of shining life…." She held it up overhead. "Ex – "
"No!" Uther roared. "Finish her!" He shouted towards the beast.
It hissed, spewing flames with each motion, but complied all the same. The massive serpent reeled back and shot its elongated body towards Artoria. The flames engulfing its entire length as the creature that dwarfed even the castle, came barreling down towards her.
"—calibur!" She swung her sword down.
The waves of light were released. The serpent was consumed by the torrents of light immediately as its hissing disappeared and its flames were removed from sight. A massive pillar of light erupted at the focal point, eradicating any remains of the serpentine creature.
Everyone stared in silence as no signs of the creature were left, even as the light began to eventually fade.
Artoria took slow, methodical steps towards Uther who had fallen to the ground. He stared at her with a mixture of fear and confusion.
She placed her sword against his neck. "Do you now know who I am?"
***
Big chapter out of the way, dealt with most of the stuff so it wouldn't drag on.
Anyways, if you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.coma/storyforone