Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.
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-Kuoh Academy, Gymnasium-
(A few minutes earlier)
The entirety of Sona's peerage had just finished inspecting the nearly countless magic circles that Tsubaki and Momo had covered the floor with, and the task was made no easier by the fact that many of the circles intricately overlapped with one another, with some empowering or enabling completely different sections of the complex ritual. A few even acted as control or pressure valves for the arcane energies meant to flow through the system. Now they were inspecting the incantation, materials, and time of day, as Sona wanted to make sure her Demonic Power would be at its peak for this.
Her nature as a Devil, which rendered her slightly weak to the sun, made it obvious to Sona that she needed to wait until after sundown, but that was as much as she could narrow it down. Perhaps it would be different for a human, but she could only go with the presumption that midnight would be the most optimal time to start the summoning.
"The hour of midnight to one o'clock is called the Witching Hour for a reason. Whether that will translate to summoning the Servant I want is another matter, but it doesn't hurt to try and tilt the odds in my favor as much as possible, even if I already have the catalyst to summon Perseus."
She asked her team to be meticulously thorough in every one of their tasks; this was an occasion wherein not a single error could be allowed. Sona trusted her team to know how to handle the entire summoning, as their extensive research and preparation leading up to this had helped her understand every step that she needed to take and improve what they already knew. Unlike the summoning ritual Rias used, this one had a couple of changes. Parts that she now understood to have been very bare-bone or redundant had now been corrected if not improved. Knowing just how unforgiving this kind of magic was, Sone had trouble comprehending how Rias had managed to succeed on her first attempt at every point in this ritual without the entire thing blowing up in her face, even when she had no idea what she was doing when she received the Command Seals!
'I had to fix the student council room sixteen times even with protection spells just to get my own set of Command Seals!' She really wanted to tear her hair off at the injustice and what could only be described as blatant favoritism by fate itself. Her attempts had been meticulously prepared with enough resources spent on it to bankrupt a small bank!
Having to resort to asking her sister for help with some funds and materials was embarrassing enough in itself, but to promise favors felt no different to making a deal with the Devil from the perspective of someone affiliated with the church!
Damn that Rias… damn her and her stupid luck.
"It shouldn't have worked; there were imperfections that should have caused it to explode or not even activate in the first place. It makes no sense! I tried to rationalize my thoughts and find a logical explanation, but the more I study this, the more I want to bash my head against the wall. If I didn't know better, then I would have suspected the Gremory clan's power to involve the manipulation of luck itself!" In her anger, the bespectacled heiress lifted her right foot and was prepared to kick the wall until she came back to her senses. "Wha-wait… I shouldn't take any risks and risk accidentally ruining something right when I'm so close."
Taking a deep breath, she forced her nerves to calm down as she recalled everything that was at stake here. "I'll show you, Rias… I refuse to fall behind and let you take such a massive lead just because you got lucky."
She'd found herself feeling hesitant at first; during those ten days of brutal training, Archer had mentioned how dangerous summoning a Servant could end up being. While they were the most powerful kind of familiar imaginable, even when a Master had their sights set on a particular Heroic Spirit, it was still a gamble in one way or another. The presence of a catalyst was paramount if they wanted to secure a Heroic Spirit of their choosing, and even that wasn't guaranteed to produce the desired results, as a hero's personality could very easily differ from what the myths and legends had seen fit to depict, let alone if the Servant manifested as an unexpected class. The fact that the ritual could very well summon a Servant by choosing one deemed to be highly compatible with the Master if no catalyst was provided for the ritual was also a gray area.
"Yet even that doesn't make sense; Archer and Rias don't have anything in common!" She whispered harshly, finding that the man had far more in parallel with her instead of the Gremory heiress. They both took their roles as student and teacher, respectively, very seriously and made sure to not let the supernatural world interfere with their duties.
She liked to read, and Tsubaki had mentioned how the man seemed to be into literature as well, as he'd requested to borrow multiple tomes from Reya at one point.
Hardworking, strict, serious, strategic, thinking critically, and much more. All of these traits aligned Archer with her more than Rias — yet she still got him at the end.
Returning to the previous topic, Archer had mentioned that summoning a mad Berserker or a Servant with an Evil nature could very well lead to the Master's demise by their own Servant if they failed to control it. It was after hearing those words that her desire to call forth her own Servant showed signs of waning — the risks were just too big to ignore. Even with a suitable catalyst for a mighty hero, doubts had plagued her mind. Perhaps it was a moment of clarity after all those beatings or a strange calmness which formed after finishing their training, coupled with the fear that Archer might see her as an enemy if she summoned another Servant. These factors bundled up, making her fear that summoning another Servant would bring her more trouble rather than resolving her issues.
However, these thoughts were thrown out the window when she witnessed the rating game and saw Archer's might against Riser. It wasn't just Archer; she had witnessed how quickly Rias's group had improved under his guidance with less than two weeks of intense training had shocked her even though they'd done so together. She hadn't realized just how much stronger they'd all gotten until they finally faced off against opponents more on their level of power. Seeing it made her curious as to how much easier the nest encounter with a Stray might end up being.
The moment that truly revived her desire to have a Servant of her own though, was when Archer summoned his bow. It was difficult to put into words, but something about his stance as he brought out the weapon that signified his class made her spine shiver. Then, he summoned a strange sword that lacked a clean edge, an abomination that held a strange sort of beauty to its crimson form. The sword was then twisted into the shape of an arrow, and when released, it detonated in a dome of fire, threatening to completely incinerate Riser Phenex and his Sister. That display of power was the final nail in the coffin in her decision to acquire her own Servant.
She desired to have that type of power and capabilities for herself, to shock the world and influence every Devil's mind. With a Servant of Archer's caliber by her side, her dream of creating a school for reincarnated Devils would be all but guaranteed.
However, there was another sensation, a pounding heart and deep sense of envy that took hold of her whenever she saw Archer following Rias' orders or called her 'Master.' She now understood the type of monster her rival had at her command, and as long as a Servant stood by Rias's side while Sona had none, her chances of ever catching up to her longtime rival were practically if not outright zero.
She barely bothered to make a courtesy appearance at the party for Rias' victory, giving Sirzechs a poor excuse about needing to handle some non-existent Stray supposedly plaguing Kuoh. She came to the gymnasium with renewed vigor while her peerage was setting up the final stages for the ritual, a burning desire to see her plans finally come to fruition and make all this hard work and anxiety worth it. She refused to delay this moment any further now that she finally had the Command Seals. All of the materials she had left for this were poured into a single, first and final attempt at an actual summoning. She knew that all the prerequisites for this ritual had been satisfied, and now all that remained was successfully performing the ritual to bring forth her own Servant.
Just the image of having a Demigod like Perseus with all his blessings and artifacts given to him by the gods of Olympus under her command made her giddy. This on top of him potentially having a Pegasus under his command most likely would give her peerage a major advantage in aerial combat. Their Devil wings did of course grant them flight, but even her Knight was not nearly as fast in the air as the legendary Pegasus.
"Are you feeling unwell, Kaichou?" Her body jolted at the voice that spoke up behind her. She turned around to find her white-haired Bishop, Momo, watching her with an inquisitive look. Tilting her head, she spoke again, "Don't tell me you're starting to feel nervous about the summoning? Do you want us to do it another time, if you're not feeling up to it right now?"
"It's nothing of the sort; I'm just feeling a bit more nervous than I expected. We have one chance at this. If this fails, then I'll have no choice but to move on and cut my losses. It's not worth gathering all those materials again and carrying more favors for my sister. It will become an endless loop, and I'll sink further and further into the trap until I won't be able to get out."
The Bishop looked at her King with an uncertain glance. Though she agreed with the sentiment of Sona's words, considering how tedious this whole affair had been for the last few weeks, she had to admit that the way her King portrayed her behavior seemed no different from gambling, and she was getting scared that she was going to become addicted to it. Sure the materials were expensive to gather, but for someone like the Sitri heir it was manageable and Serafall would without any hesitation support her sister for any endeavor simply because Sona had asked.
There was something else bothering her, that much felt obvious.
"I'm sure we will succeed, we managed to obtain the Command Seals, right? And since we also have the catalyst, it seems to me that we've already overcome the hardest parts. I made sure to give it my all, and Gen-kun has also been working with everything he has just for you. The entire thing should be done in a few minutes at best, so all we have to do now is await your signal, and we can get started."
Sona sighed one last time, taking a deep breath and letting the fresh air from outside cool her down. With determined steps and a resolute face, she walked back inside the gymnasium where the magic circles had been fully set up. Every small apparatus, from buckets to chisels and every other tool, now cleared to make way for the ritual. The heiress looked at her watch, seeing that she was but a minute away before the clock reached midnight, which would mark the moment for her to finally see if she was destined to obtain a Servant of her own, or if Rias truly was the favored child of fate itself.
'Or maybe it's more accurate to say that she truly has the luck of the Devil.'
She looked at the back of her left hand, the familiar symbol actually being another reason why she had been persistent in her efforts at performing a summoning. In her eyes, this small set of Command Seals acted more as a sign that gave her hope that she really was on the right track. While Rias received hers just from stumbling onto a human mage's failed attempt at the same which had ended up killing him, Sona had been forced to make well over a dozen attempts at the same. To have finally received her Command Seals, it felt as if she's been deemed worthy solely through her own hard work.
Stepping to the edge of the outermost circle, her footsteps echoing within the quiet gymnasium as her peerage members awaited her on the second floor, watching the scene with bated breath.
"Alright… let's do this."
The Sitri heiress grabbed a handful of potions that had been made specifically for recovery of her Demonic Energy, since she'd recently experienced being almost completely drained multiple times while trying to obtain her Command Seals, and she didn't want to be caught off guard if the summoning did the same. And given she was about to attempt to use everything she had to improve her chances at succeeding at this ritual to bring forth a Heroic Spirit as described in the books — Sona suspected this was going to require even more energy than the Command Seal ritual. But she was prepared for that.
"For the element silver and iron, the foundation stone and the Archduke of Pacts, and for the great mistress, Lilith."
Immediately, a gentle glow filled the room as she sensed an invisible thread latch onto the palm of the hand with her Command Seals, leaching away her magic bit by bit.
"Raise a wall against the wind and close the gate in four directions.
Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill."
The sensation got stronger as more energy was getting sucked away every passing second. Yet it was still very much manageable for Sona, who decided to remain on the cautious side and consume a vial of the recovery potion. The bitter taste turned her face green, but she endured, relaxing her muscles as a cool sensation spread within her and started to speed up her Demonic Energy recovery rate enough that it now equaled the amount that was being consumed.
"Repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it.
Heed my words."
Yet unfortunately, the drain just kept getting worse, forcing her to spend nearly twice as much energy every ten seconds as the glow of the circles grew brighter and illuminated the entire gymnasium. Her breathing quickened, heart racing and sweat beginning to drip down her temples, but still she remained focused on reciting the incantation.
"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.
If-If you abide by this fe-feeling and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning."
Her voice started to lose its strength and her knees grew weak. Damn it, her reserves, even with the aid of premium potions concocted by the best brewers in Lucifaad, no longer had any significant effect in easing the burden. It was like trying to fill up a bottomless well, and she could only hope that saying the rest of the chant would mark the end of this.
"Kaichou!" Saji on the other end worriedly called out for her and stepped forward to intervene — only to be pulled back by Tsubasa. Sona patted her Rook on the back mentally, having known the boy would react like that and told her Rook to keep an eye on him. And Tsubasa had evidently remained vigilant.
Dark spots started to appear within her vision as the sound around her started to turn blurry and incomprehensible. The sensation being no different from a person suffering from hypoxia.
The girl gritted her teeth and pushed through as she consumed her last recovery potion before she shouted out the final lines in a strong and resolute voice.
"I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world!
That I shall defeat all evil in the world!
Seven realms clad in the great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of Scales!"
As the last word of the chant left her now hoarse throat, the brightness within the hall grew to its peak as the whirlwind energy in the air became incredibly dense to the point she could feel the physical weight pressing down upon her. Or maybe it was the exhaustion still making her feel strange things…
Woosh!
The magic circles came to life, spinning before her eyes and it showed no signs of failing, filling her soul with jubilated excitement.
"Please… please work… Please answer my call, o' great hero of Greece. Perseus, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and savior of Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus." She pleaded to no one in particular, she even thought about praying to whatever higher form of existence that wasn't the Christian God, just hoping that for once, her inferior luck wouldn't screw her over.
"—!!!"
It happened. The vast stores of swirling magic coalesced into the center of the complex array, and from the ground a lilac coloured light shined brightly enough that everyone had to avert their eyes but then just as quickly died down.
The first thing that became visible was the drifting end of a strand of very long hair, light purple in color, then more and more could be seen, with strangely captivating silk-like hair filling the space before them.
A head became visible, and calling the face attached to it beautiful would be a severe understatement. It possessed an alluring charm that made every single Devil in the gymnasium gulp at the image of beauty before them, even with their eyes hidden behind a strange blindfold that Sona could sense held magical properties, and a strange tattoo resembling the form of a snake on the forehead.
More of the Heroic Spirit's body emerged, revealing a tight black outfit with purple rims that covered her torso, with arm tights and stockings to cover her limbs. She was an incredibly alluring figure that rivaled the most beautiful Devils alive, and was just as tall as Rias.
A single thought ran through Sona's mind, her jaw opened wide with shock and disbelief plastered on her pale face. A similar reaction mirroring that of her peerage members.
'Perseus… is a woman?'
Unfortunately, before she could even get a chance to catch her breath, let alone say a word, the alluring woman whipped her head around to face the door before she vanished without a trace before their eyes.
The next thing Sona heard was the loud screech of metal being struck with a tremendous impact which was immediately followed by a loud crash.
Why had… Wait, the only other person who would still be at the school at this hour would be…
'Oh no…'
This… this was bad. It was the worst possible scenario shy of her own Servant killing her on the spot. Left with little strength to support herself, Sona fell to the ground as Saji and Tsubaki screamed her name.
"S-S-Stop… d-d-don't hurt… hi-him…"
{Break}
-Kuoh Academy-
A lot had happened during the Fuyuki Fifth Holy Grail War, and sorting out the details became even harder for someone like Archer who had memories from fighting in numerous iterations of it. One of the more common factors, however, was how one of the summoned Servants would get the short end of the stick by being stuck with the Matou boy as their Master. These entities, known to possess immense power, were capable of shaping the very land around them and defeating various mythical creatures with little effort… This exact historical figure ended up controlled by the whims of a pathetic boy, who lacked Magical Energy due to her Master completely lacking magic circuits. This led the Servant, in most cases, to resort to draining the life force of innocents to sustain herself in addition to already having severely degraded parameters.
'If I recall, she often targeted one of Rin's friends.'
Even with this method, it came with its fair share of issues, most notably how it failed to provide the Servant with sufficient energy for sustained combat. Archer knew that most of her stats had been lowered by an entire rank, if not more. In a war against other Servants, this was no different from being crippled, in the middle of a Grail War such an outcome guaranteed a quick end in the near future. He rarely ever fought her in most cases, as a full-on confrontation was a rare occurrence.
Most of the time, Rider would be the first Servant to die due to how weakened she was. Though there were plenty of instances where she'd outlast him. One case he remembered rather vividly of Rider dying was when his Master and the boy found her twisted body within the school. A grim outcome from her trying to take on Caster's magically enhanced Master while she on the other hand was still stuck with that seaweed head and his inability to supply her with Magical Energy.
All in all, if it were a confrontation with that version of this woman, then Archer would have been confident that anyone in his Master's peerage would have been able to take her down.
That was very clearly not the case with this summoning… This Rider evidently had a proper Master. A powerful one at that.
His arms were still trembling a little from that last impact. The residual sensation felt no different than if he'd just tried to hold back an entire mountain.
This was not a Rider inhibited by a Master who didn't even provide any Magical Energy. This wasn't a Rider who even Rin could easily force to retreat with just a few Gandr shots… no, this woman before him was what Medusa should have always been had she only been summoned by a Master worthy of the title.
He figured as much when she sent his body flying through multiple layers of concrete with nothing but a single kick. Her speed easily equalled the likes of Cu Chulainn, and honing his senses to the absolute limit while taking advantage of his own heightened Agility thanks to having Rias as his Master became the only way he managed to avoid getting caught within her chains so far. It was also thanks to his Mind's Eye that he managed to keep up after that first kick for the following clashes.
Facing a fully capable Rider without any effects weakening her was a completely different story from how she usually manifested in Fuyuki, and he didn't like his chances. Even with Rias as his Master… pulling off a win here would be difficult.
"Oof!" The air was forced out of his lungs as his body crashed through the floor below, forming a crater. Yet, he couldn't afford so much as a second on trying to catch his breath. In less time than it took to blink, his body moved an instant before a vicious kick would have caved his skull in. The impact shattered the ground and caused a deeper crater than the initial one. The close call sent a shiver up Archer's spine. Yet again he'd evaded death by less than a hairwidth.
"Hn!" His muscles tensed as he swung his blades with all his might — aiming to wound her leg and possibly rob Rider from using that damn agility of hers to its fullest. The attack moved fast enough to split the air, but unfortunately for him, it was still slow enough for Rider to easily parry with her nails. Archer had to abandon his weapons when her chain-nails nearly wrapped around his wrists, and barely brought up a new pair in time to defend against the heel that flew straight at his gut.
"Gah!" Even though he'd blocked the strike and Reinforced his weapons, body, and armor, he still felt as if that kick nearly tore through him. While a Servant's body was constructed out of pure Magical Energy, the process that formed their physical vessels still reconstructed every part of their original self down to the bones, blood and muscles. And at this moment, he knew something within him had just snapped, most likely a rib or two.
'Something doesn't seem right. I know she's fast and powerful due to her Monstrous Strength and good parameters, but this goes beyond the type of strength she should hold. It equals that of Heracles in his Berserker form, yet it's obvious she has not been summoned in that class herself, and if anything has once again manifested in the class of Rider. Hmm… perhaps I'm not the only one to have received increased parameters upon manifesting in this world.'
Even while his body, through sheer will and perseverance, managed to stay standing and hold his ground, Archer continued to analyze the woman as they traded blows. The initial shock of her arrival and the sudden attack had long since left, and Archer quickly found the rhythm of their battle. The forms of the two Servants blurred across the school field, clouds of dust burst into the sky as craters formed at every clash between them, and the foundations of the buildings started to crumble one by one. Windows were shattered by the winds created from their passing and the walls crumbled from the shockwaves created by their strikes. Bright flashes of light illuminated the area around them every time their weapons met, and the sound of chains and whirling blades whistled through the air as both combatants tried to ensnare the other.
One detail he'd already noticed was that she had been trying to not only restrain him with her chains, but also didn't hesitate to try and do so in a rather brutal manner. 'Even though I had few opportunities to see her fight at full strength in the previous wars, I still remember her preferred combat style. She heavily emphasizes low crouching stances while using her legs to try and break my defenses. She uses the nails to aim for my upper body. Anytime I show an opening, she switches gears instantly and goes for it without hesitation, prefering to end the fight as soon as possible rather than enjoy the thrill like a certain blue mutt. I can't afford to face her in an honest face-to-face confrontation without taking unnecessary risks and won't be able to exploit my knowledge to my fullest advantage.'
So with that in mind, Archer switched up his style from his usual swordsmanship. The married blades, previously kept close to protect his vitals, chest and head, were now held out to the side, leaving his front bare for the Servant to strike at whenever she desired. With little to show for defense, he gambled on a familiar technique he'd often used against Lancer in particular.
Not his preferred way of fighting an opponent like this, but Rider was leaving him little choice as long as he was stuck in close quarters. Leaving holes just to bait the enemy was far too risky for his liking, but he didn't really have another option against someone who possessed far superior strength and speed to him. Yet the results spoke for themselves, where even with her superior physical parameters, he now had an easier time keeping up and dishing out counterattacks.
His Mind's Eye and knowledge of her combat style worked in tandem, where one exchange after the other he was able to adjust his fighting style further. Combining other techniques and pushing himself to predict her next action, he slowly but surely was able to use less and less of the risky combat style that was leaving his own vitals open and was able to take the full offensive at times.
With a loud clang, their weapons clashed again and this time, she kept on pushing forward while he kept his swords raised in an x shaped guard. Even if those nails of hers weren't Noble Phantasms, they were exceptionally durable and were able to even exchange blows against the likes of Excalibur.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue, as even while Reinforcing his body to its limit and being able to predict her, Rider was fast enough that she was able to take advantage of any opening that let her leverage her incredible strength the instant it became available, and was currently pushing him further and further back with each passing second. His boots had cracked through the concrete, digging further below as even though it provided him with more support to push back, such a thing frankly made little difference with just how much her physical strength surpassed his.
'That's B-rank Monstrous Strength for you. Capable of temporarily boosting her already impressive Strength by a whole rank anytime she wants to.'
Yet as he recalled, it was in her best interests to avoid using such a skill more than sporadically unless she wanted to face certain side effects.
If she decided to strike his guard again, then half of his body would sink into the ground or form another crater. Though he doubted he'd survive that amount of damage for long.
"Wo-would you look at that, already becoming a monster — should have known better."
"—!?"
The visible shock on her face made her pause for an instant, and that gave him a small window of opportunity. Sensing her strength wane just enough, Archer pushed back with a loud grunt and broke her guard.
'This is my chance,' He closed the distance, Kanshou aimed straight for her head with a thrust. An attack which Rider was unable to completely dodge in time as Archer used the blade in his hand as a decoy, with the real attack being Bakuya's edge reaching her waist, cutting through the thin layer of clothing slicing into her skin.
Fortunately, despite her incredible stats as far as Strength and Agility went, she still held an Endurance rank that was average at best. Her nature especially made Kanshou and Bakuya the ideal weapon to use against her given their Anti-Monster properties.
Clang!
Unfortunately, it failed to cut any deeper than her skin. Rider's legs hit the flat of his blades hard enough to shatter them, forcing him to jump back and throw another pair of blades her way which she easily deflected, while a few fragments of the first weapon was briefly lodged into her flesh.
'She's getting pissed.' He noted a small crease on her forehead, a sign that didn't bode well for him. 'I've already shown her that I can keep up against her nails, and kicks… so she might try something different.' Just as he predicted, the woman now threw her nail at his head, but he could see that her real aim was to wrap her chains around his neck. He didn't move, waiting for the weapon to reach close enough until they were but a few inches away. With the flat side of Kanshou, he intercepted the chains and let them wrap around it instead.
Crack
It broke right before him, shattering into fragments as Rider now closed the distance between them. Close enough that time almost came to a standstill to his senses, his mind going through a hundred different possible outcomes, eliminating the less ideal ones that might result from this scenario until only one remained as the best option available.
"Trace, on."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Kanshou and Bakuya returned within his grasp at record speed, leaving Rider caught off guard for an instant as he swung his body, fully utilizing his strength and momentum to deliver a vicious cleave to her middle where she was still bleeding a bit from the shrapnel of his previous attack. But despite having managed to surprise her with this attack coming faster than she'd anticipated, Rider was still the faster Servant and she demonstrated as much as she used the other half of her chained nails as an improvised shield to block his attack. Yet he didn't stop just because the strike had been intercepted, continuing to pour every last bit of his strength into the blow with his muscles bulging and veins popping in his temples. "Haaaaahhhhh!!!!" A loud shout followed as he successfully managed to not only push her off the ground, but send her hurtling towards the second floor of the building.
"I hope I didn't destroy my desk by accident." Even in such a stressful situation, he squeezed out a small comment as the man realized that the room he just sent her flying into happened to be his own classroom. Having grown into the habit of using a laptop for his classes since it was expected, he had virtually all of his lessons and grades recorded on the device. Foolishly, he forgot to save the latest ones for next week in secondary storage, and now felt a small part of him worry that he would have to find a way to solve that problem if he failed to repair his device if Rider destroyed it once this fight was over.
"Not the time to think about that; she'll be back any second."
Fighting this woman in close-quarter combat was not ideal. Though he was confident in his skill as a swordsman, having been able to keep up with the likes of Cú Chulainn and even Saber herself for a brief moment, the style Medusa used made it very hard to predict her at times. Even with his Mind's Eye managing to keep up so far, he didn't want to take any risks and let the woman gain even a small advantage.
So with a mental command, dozens of swords appeared around his body, and he didn't waste any time firing them straight toward the classroom.
Weapons of various sizes and forms, from greatswords to spears and even halberds and clubs, all crashed into the building, taking out another large chunk of the walls and floors. This barrage continued for several seconds until it created a large hole in the building, revealing the sky on the other side. The impact was significant, and Archer was certain that this time his laptop must have been destroyed.
After a few more weapons were fired, Archer slowly let the barrage of blades come to an end as by now the entire section of the building had been decimated with parts of it starting to come crashing down. The general view of the school having turned into that of a post apocalyptic scenario where there existed little more than rubble. The weapons he'd fired sticking out of the concrete like pincushions as nothing remained of the former classroom.
"…"
He waited, one second turned to two and instantly did the white-haired man sense something terribly wrong. While getting the boost to his stats in this world certainly put him in a better position to confront Rider, unfortunately, that still didn't put him at a level equal to her. Her speed alone far surpassed his, and her strength completely outclassed anything he could dish out. So just the idea that he could have beaten her with just a simple rain of swords never crossed his mind — that had just been meant to buy him some time.
With his blades by his side, Archer focused on his senses, goosebumps spreading across his skin as a memory flashed before his mind. Where in the middle of a similar setting, facing a certain stubborn spearman who held around the same level of agility as Rider typically did. Except here she was now even faster.
"—!"
His eyes widened, head sharply turning to his back where his instincts screamed at him about approaching danger. Tilting his head just in time, he felt the cold feeling of the nail as it missed its target, but still close enough that it left a small cut on his cheek.
'She used the dust and noise as cover to circle around and get behind me!' This time, she was faster with her chains, fast enough to wrap them around his left hand and stop him from swinging Kanshou. Leaving Bakuya alone to attempt an overhead slash which she dodged instantly. 'This woman predicted my attack. She knew I would use Kanshou first and moved her body just in time to evade Bakuya. She's more observant than I gave her credit for.'
Trying to use the chain as a grasp to throw her away like he did for Saji was not an option. Unlike the boy, she had more than enough strength to hold him down, and could even ragdoll him herself if she so desired.
Her leg approached, to which Archer responded by Tracing several weapons in between acting both as a shield and a trap. A loud bang rang out over the area, loud enough to resemble a cannon being fired as a knee shattered his line of defense, but it hadn't been pointless as Rider sustained some damage herself, and had also been forced to redirect her kick at the last second and thus wasn't able to hit him with her full strength. And as more weapons formed, it proved enough to dissuade Rider from trying that kind of attack lest she allow him to take advantage of her lower Endurance. Calling her a glass cannon wouldn't be entirely accurate but it was close enough of an analogy to get the general point across.
Though the blow she managed to land was painful, it was manageable. Gritting his teeth, Archer knew he had to act fast, as another attack of any kind with her level of strength behind it would almost certainly be the end of him; even his Endurance being increased to B rank wouldn't help. 'Rider isn't the type to mess around during a battle, preferring to end things as quickly and efficiently as possible — so she'll either incapacitate me by breaking my legs or go for my head again.'
He swung Bakuya at the hand holding the chain that kept his arm restrained even as her knee was still buried in his side. He felt the blade's edge bite into flesh, and Rider was forced to let go of her weapon lest she lose a hand.
"—!" With more weapons forming to keep her at bay, Rider grabbed one of his own blades and threw it to impale her chain, keeping him bound in place while she was forced to dodge the barrage of swords he sent her way. All of them nameless Noble Phantasms, having been brought in great numbers without reservation through Rias' seemingly endless reserves. Instantly letting him create a veritable wall of steel between him and Rider.
"Don't think you're the only one who's tried to use my own weapons against me!" Dismissing the longsword construct she used to pin him down, Archer regained control of his arm just in time to deal with his opponent's follow-up attacks as she came from another side this time and picked up her weapon again.
He deflected multiple thrusts from her other dagger-like nail to his neck, her moves getting more aggressive, sparks illuminating their faces. Hers remained as emotionless yet focused as ever, while his own indicated frustration. The hold she had on him needed to be broken before she could take advantage of it again, and he was willing to go to desperate lengths to keep that from happening.
So he changed his tactics. The time he bought before was all he needed to change his hold of Bakuya into a reverse grip, applying Reinforcement to his weapon while pouring as much Magical Energy into the Noble Phantasm as it could handle.
Crack!
The blade cracked, glowing within his grasp and showing the telltale signs of any one of his Broken Phantasms. A change that his opponent noticed and tried to move to stop him, but she was too late.
"Ha!" Archer swung the blade against the chain that held his hand. The Noble Phantasm, no longer capable of holding its shape, detonated in an explosion of mana and shrapnel, the shockwave shattering any remaining glass within the vicinity. The impact was enough that it forced Rider to dig in her heels while Archer was sent tumbling through the school's garden.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Warm blood dripped from his forehead to the ground below, his hair in a messy state with more than half of his shroud burned to a crisp. "Hah… Hah… Hah…" he panted, his previous action, while able to free him, had wounded him as well. Cuts from broken shards marred his arms and even more were on his hands, some slight burns around his forearms and other minor wounds. An outcome he'd predicted, and while far from ideal it was a necessary risk he had to take when fighting against someone like her.
'A-Archer!' A worried voice rang inside his head. From her tone, Rias sounded quite mortified. Not like he could blame her, the sight of him getting overwhelmed by Rider's strength must have gotten to her. 'Please speak to me! Are you okay!?'
'I'm fine, Master.' he assured her, trying to sound as calm as possible. 'I was caught by surprise there for a minute, but I got out of her trap, and I can still fight.'
Of all people, just why did it have to be her? To be clear, he was not frustrated at how much of a disadvantageous position he found himself in against Rider. It instead had more to do with the fact that a Servant of the Fifth Grail War that he was all too familiar with was present here, and in the same class no less! It made him worry that someone like Berserker, Lancer, or Caster would show up next.
'Myself, Yuuto, and Akeno will be there soon t—'
"Don't you dare come anywhere near this, Rias!" He shouted out loud. He sensed how his Master was caught by surprise at his sudden outburst, but it needed to be said. 'Master, no matter what you do, never try to put yourself in a fight between Servants unless you're actually capable of fighting on their level! The most that any of you would end up doing is acting as a liability that I would have to protect.'
Rias on the other end, having teleported outside the school premises, could believe what she'd just heard. 'We can still help you, even if it's just a tiny bit–'
'–No, you fool! The Rider class has Magic Resistance, so attacking her from range with any of your spells would just alert her to where you are, and don't even think of trying to fight her in close quarters! You're doing far more for me by staying away and continuing to provide me with all the energy I could ask for. I'm already healing because of it.'
.
.
.
Standing atop a building more than a kilometer from the school, the young group of Devils had managed to escape the area just in time before they saw the entire main classroom building get absolutely demolished, and the two Servants weren't even fighting inside of it.
That pushed the heiress to speak to her Servant and make sure he was alright. She wanted to send reinforcements and lend him a hand, only to be turned down harshly.
Was acting as a battery for Archer all she was capable of doing? Rias' hands clenched at how powerless she felt at this moment, the earth beneath her feet shaking as she could physically feel the clashes between both entities even from here. Using her connection to her Servant, the heiress grew horrified when she realized Archer's state. And while she was glad to know he was already healing, the sight of him being harmed at all was incredibly distressing. Not even Grayfia had been able to hurt him to such a degree!
All the training that she and her peerage had put themselves through, was it all pointless? Was there nothing any of them could do to make a difference when things truly mattered without just getting in Archer's way?
"Wait, Yuuto! You know you're nowhere close to matching Archer even when he's holding back! Don't go there!" She wasn't the only one worried about Archer, the others were just as willing to go there and help him out, but many realized they couldn't. Her Knight held a pair of blades radiating heat and cold, but Akeno held him back while he struggled to break her hold.
Koneko was in an even worse state. The small girl's eyes betrayed the absolute fear she felt, with shaking hands and a raspy voice that trembled with each word uttered serving as further proof. "He'll… he'll b-be a-alright… W-won't he?" she said, to which Rias could not give a definitive answer right away, but neither could she stay quiet and leave the poor girl to start panicking as her worst fears played out within her mind.
"You know Archer, Koneko-chan. He's strong, he's got this. Trust him." Try as she might to though, Rias had trouble believing her own words. This wasn't any run by the mill Stray or even something like an Ultimate Class Devil from the Old Satan Faction. This was an enemy Servant her Archer was facing!
"B-But she's d-dangerous… V-very dangerous…" Koneko spoke, going pale as she began to have trouble taking full breaths. Before Archer was attacked, back when she was still enjoying her snacks and waiting patiently for him to return from the kitchen with more food, for just an instant Koneko felt her hair stand up. A chill crept along her skin, followed by a tight sensation around her chest. She didn't know what it meant at first, but her answer soon came right after as the wall was destroyed with Archer laying on top of the rubble, and she caught a glimpse of the person standing at the edge of the new hole.
'M-M-Monster…'
Just being in that thing's vicinity had been no different from a giant snake coiling itself around her body, constricting and exuding a suffocating amount of pressure that she nearly collapsed right then and there. If it hadn't been for Issei grabbing her, then she wouldn't even be awake right now. A small specimen of prey cowering before an apex predator, where even an errant muscle twitch could draw the monster's attention and get her killed. The monster's presence was all-encompassing, slithering everywhere, leaving nowhere to hide while this beast played with its meal. All she could see was the shadow of a true monster that made the sensation she got from the Dragon's soul trapped within Issei's Boosted Gear feel like a mere lizard by comparison.
"Where are you going?" It wasn't until Issei blocked her path did the Nekoshou realize that without her even realizing… she had been walking further away from the group, putting more distance between herself and the school grounds. "Are you feeling okay, Koneko?"
The boy asked, but she could not answer. Disgust and revulsion filled her head as the young girl couldn't believe that she had been running away… retreating rather than trying to help Archer.
She was running away… and would have kept doing so if Issei hadn't stopped her.
She had to help him.
'Don't go. Don't go, don'tgodon'tgodon'tgomonsterwilleatmeandeveryo—'
"Oi!" Her body was shaken up as Issei grabbed onto her shoulders, pushing the girl back and forth roughly. "I don't know what's gotten into you all of a sudden, but we need to focus! That bastard is in trouble right now and the last thing he needs to worry about is us having a mental breakdown! The guy knows what we need to do, so let's not try to mess things up further!"
His words were as if a sense of clarity returned to the group, Yuuto having stopped trying to resist Akeno and let his hands loosen their hold on the blades. The weapons fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
"Issei's right. We… We need to calm down and think about our next action carefully. We can't fight a Servant, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything." Just like Rias, he was ashamed that they weren't able to help Archer. The training they went through, while effective, simply hadn't made them anywhere close to powerful enough to be of any help in a fight of this caliber.
He hated this sensation, similar to the time the Servant fought Grayfia and all they could do was watch. It felt like nothing had changed even after all their effort. He… They all needed to get stronger.
But that wasn't an option at the moment, so he thought hard, going over anything that any of them could do that would provide some sort of aid to his teacher without having to put their lives in dang— "Wait, that's it!" It suddenly dawned on him. If Masters weren't supposed to meddle in a fight between Servants… then what about against another Master? "Buchou, I know what to do. But you'll have to trust me and let me go there by myself!"
A plan came to his mind, but more than one person going there would risk them being discovered and put them all in extreme danger. Akeno and Rias were most likely going to do something drastic if they saw Archer get pushed into a corner, and while they had gotten faster recently, they still weren't as fast as him. Same applied to Issei, Asia, Gasper, and Koneko. Just as he was willing to take risks for the man who taught him how to better his swordsmanship, he was willing to shoulder the burden without letting his friends risk their lives.
It was selfish. That much he knew, and accepted.
"What do you mean you're going alone, Kiba!?" Issei exclaimed out loud, both furious that the blonde was going to actually go back there. "Didn't you hea— what the hell!?" A blade was impaled into the ground before Issei, shocking the boy and everyone present, but the Knight didn't react.
"Issei, this is a sword I recently came up with that stores Demonic Energy and releases it upon impact. Should work perfectly with your boosts. Use it in case Buchou and the others are in danger."
"Yuuto…" Rias didn't know what to say, she shared a similar sentiment to him but found it difficult to ignore Archer's words. But, it was better for him to get mad at her then let him get into bigger trouble against this deadly opponent. "Be careful."
A smile showed on his face, "Thank you, Buchou. I will."
And with that, Yuuto rushed back to the school, a magic circle forming within his palm from which emerged a small yellow bird with features similar to that of a falcon. He didn't waste any time and issued an order, "Survey the school grounds. Make sure to not get close to the fight, and try to find anyone else hiding in or around there."
The familiar tilted its head for a bit before nodding, flapping its wings and vanishing into the sky while Kiba made sure to give the two Servants a wide berth and use a different entrance.
{Break}
-Kuoh Academy-
"Hah… That should at least keep her and the others from doing anything stupid." Archer whispered as his surroundings started to clear up. To his surprise, Rider stood in the distance, not moving or attempting to attack him, which put him on guard as he drew his bow.
"…"
Strangely enough, the woman didn't react to his action, instead continuing to stay silent which started to unnerve him. Did her Master tell Rider to stop her attacks and retreat? Most likely not, as she would have left if that were the case.
Either way, that didn't stop him from releasing his hold and firing an arrow in her direction. Yet even then she didn't move, the projectile passing next to her head, blowing her hair and disappearing into the buildings in the distance.
"…"
Something wasn't right here… why was she suddenly docile? Regardless, at least she understood he wasn't really aiming at her at that time, and saw his arrow hit his true target.
"If you have something to say then spit it out," he said, readying another arrow that would be aimed at her if he saw fit to release it. "I'm not really in the best mood right now, and my patience is wearing thin. Either talk, fight, or leave, make up your mind. But don't just stand there."
He found himself feeling worried… worried that Rider actually recognized him. But if that were the case, then she wouldn't have continued after attacking the first time, right? Who was he kidding, of course she would, he couldn't recall having ever left a good impression on her in any of the timelines where he encountered her in Fuyuki even if she might have gotten along with the boy in some, as that had nothing to do with him. In fact he could even recall a few instances where he was the one to have killed her.
Of course, all of that depended on if whatever system that maintained her existence had the functions of clearing away her memories of prior summonings — she wasn't a Counter Guardian unlike him, so she had no immunity there. But then again, if this system didn't hold that function then there might be nothing stopping her from remembering him.
"Who… are you?"
As soon as she said that, Archer felt relieved. While he wasn't that bothered if Rias and the others were to find out about his past through the dream cycles, as he knew that such an outcome was inevitable and that they would keep it a secret. That did not apply to a Servant whose loyalties lay elsewhere, however. Regardless of how much or how little she knew about his history or whether or not she might have kept the memories of even a single encounter with him or multiple ones remained a mystery, the fact remained that if she were to pass on such information to her own Master, then there would be no telling of who might learn his secrets.
Though if she only held memories of timelines wherein they barely knew each other, then while still not ideal, it was far from terrible.
"A peculiar question to ask another Servant, don't you think so? Has my proficiency with the blade and bow alike confused you? That's to be expected I suppose, since a Caster skilled with a myriad of weapons who fights on the frontline is a rarity indeed."
The woman tilted her head at that, and if it weren't for the knowledge he held about her nature and the beating he'd just experienced, then Archer would have even seen that as cute. He was still tempted to compare her expression to that of a confused puppy.
"You are familiar with my fighting style."
"Am I?" he answered with a shrug. "Perhaps I have a skill that provides me with limited precognition or grants me insight into the ways of my opponent. Maybe I'm just that good, or you're just that predictable. Take your pick, but frankly the question is a pointless one to begin with."
Even if she refrained from using her Monstrous Strength, Archer reminded himself that Rider had plenty of other abilities. Blood Fort Andromeda would not cause him any problems, given she needed considerable time to set it up and Rule Breaker would be enough to destroy in the unlikely scenario where she did manage to deploy it. His Magic Resistance, improved by his shroud and wielding Kanshou and Bakuya, would help him against Cybele in the event that she decided to and somehow managed to use it on him, and with his current parameters he'd at least be able to avoid being turned to stone by her Mystic Eyes. He still needed to remain cautious though; just because he couldn't be killed outright by her gaze didn't mean it wouldn't affect him at all, and from what he could tell some of Rider's parameters had increased as well.
'Her strength and speed are definitely higher than what they were in any of the Grail Wars I encountered her in, even the ones where she had Sakura as her only Master.' Combined with the Monstrous Strength skill, her strength equaled that of Heracles in his Berserker form, a concept that made him want to sigh in exasperation and simultaneously bash his head against a wall. Her speed had already been a match for Lancer, yet the way they fought right now felt more strenuous than what he felt with in the past. Her Agility was most definitely ranked at A+, he was certain.
But her Noble Phantasm was easily the trick she had up her sleeves that worried him the most. Even with Rias as his Master… would he be able to keep it at bay long enough?
"No… you're far too familiar for it to just be skills," her tone got more suspicious to which he answered with a smirk. "And you were able to identify my class the moment you laid eyes on me,"
"You think so? I don't see what's hard to believe about my statement, as there are countless skills to be found among Heroic Spirits, many of which do grant the user such things. I see no reason why you should think it's not a case of skill advantage as opposed to some kind of familiarity when you clearly have no idea who I am."
"…Liar."
Archer frowned, why did she sound so certain of her answer? The woman made it clear that she hadn't recognized him, yet she knew he lied? A complicated and troublesome person indeed.
"I'll just have to find out the answer myself then, assuming I don't kill you first." Rider's hand went up to her head, trying to perform an action that he wasn't going to let her complete as he fired off several arrows. But the Servant of the mount easily evaded them and disappeared into the woods. Archer's instincts suddenly went haywire as he sensed another attack from the side, but this time, it wasn't aimed specifically at him. Rider's weapon forcefully pierced through his bow with little effort, rendering the weapon useless as the man found no one holding the end of the chain.
'She threw her weapon!?'
In another spot, farther away this time, he spotted the woman positioned on all fours, releasing a large amount of Magical Energy, all of it concentrated in front of her body in the form of four overlapping magic circles. Archer's eyes widened as he recognised that sight, one that indicated the coming of the one thing about this Servant he wanted to avoid dealing with more than anything.
Her Noble Phantasm.
'Damn it, it's charging up even faster than usual! If I try to shoot it'll either be too late or too weak; that thing's defenses are comparable to that of a dragon!' He pushed his thoughts to the side and raised his hand. He only had one Noble Phantasm in his arsenal that gave him a chance at blocking such an attack.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The intensity on the other side grew brighter, as the woman was already holding the ropes of a bridle with the creature halfway manifested.
"Rho A—"
"—BY THE POWER OF MY COMMAND SEAL, I ORDER YOU TO STAND DOWN!"
A sudden shout resonated through the battlefield, followed by a powerful burst of energy with a red wave spreading all over Rider. The Servant who had nearly summoned her Noble Phantasm, suddenly found herself being forced to cancel the ability, with the bridle and whip disappearing completely along with the creature she'd been summoning. This sudden change had Archer dismiss the small blue bud that nearly bloomed within his palm, letting the construct break down into motes of light as he finally was able to see who the new Servant's Master was.
A strange sight accompanied this, with a slightly wounded Yuuto in the back, holding Saji hostage with a blade placed against his neck. Did he… did he force her to use the Command Seals?
Suffice to say, he was less than amused with all of this.
"Are you an idiot!? What were you thinking, summoning a Servant on your own without telling anyone even though you knew the risks, Sona!?"
Truly, he expected better from her.
{Break}
Her Master wasn't a human; that was the first detail Rider noticed as soon as she was summoned. Breaker Gorgon might cover her eyes, and to anyone unfamiliar with her, they might think this was due to her either being blind or intentionally cutting off what many would consider their most important sense. But Rider was able to discern far more about her surroundings through her other senses than sight alone could ever offer. That made her instantly note the anomalies of her surroundings; not just about her Master or the others present within the room, but also the air itself, which was saturated with an immense amount of Mana. A level that equaled her time back when she was still living with her sisters on the Shapeless Isle, the Age of Gods as the modern Magus would call it.
Thanks to the information provided by the summoning, she knew that she had been summoned into a time thousands of years after her life had ended, yet that failed to explain why the Mana in the air still felt just as dense. Did the Age of Gods somehow endure? Unfortunately, before she could even ask who or what her Master was or introduce herself, her senses instantly picked up the presence of another Servant extremely close to their location. Approaching fast enough for her to easily conclude that their intentions were far from friendly.
'My Master managed to summon me at the last second to protect them from the enemy.' It made sense, and while she couldn't pinpoint her Master's nature, she was certain that the girl before her wasn't strong enough to face a Servant, and so had called on her for protection. So that was what she did, going on the offensive before the other Servant could target her Master by making use of her great speed to catch them off guard. And frankly, her speed and strength surprised even herself.
'I had not expected my power to be this great as a Rider. Is my Master able to offer me so much Magical Energy that my parameters are this high despite not being a Berserker?' This was added to the pile of questions she was forming in her mind, but such things could be addressed later. Right now, she needed to focus on defending her Master by annihilating the enemy before her.
So she gave everything she had to achieve that objective, though preferring to do so without having to resort to her Noble Phantasm since she didn't want to risk straining her Master so soon after being summoned. She'd hoped that the surprise attack would be enough to give her the advantage from the start, but unfortunately that didn't happen, as the other Servant was able to see her coming and defend themselves at the last second. The man with white-colored hair and steel gray eyes quickly proved himself to be an extraordinary swordsman, capable of not only keeping up with her greater speed but also her vicious method of fighting.
For a Saber, she expected nothing less. Yet her assumption of him being a Saber was quickly shattered as all of a sudden he started to conjure up a myriad of swords and other weapons in midair and fire them off as projectiles of all things. Not just any blades either, but her senses told her that each and every one of them was a Noble Phantasm in their own right. A revelation that shocked her, and momentarily reminded Rider of a certain twisted hero who also wielded numerous treasures gifted to him by the gods for the singular purpose of slaying her. But no, this person wasn't him…
On top of that, the phrase he mentioned about her being a monster had left her feeling shaken.
'Did he find out my identity already? But how?' Given her summoning just occurred with her not having used any of her Noble Phantasms or her more obvious skills… it made no sense how he knew about her Monstrous nature so quickly. 'Could he be in sync with those monster slaying swords of his that he can tell they're dangerous to me? Or is he just messing with me to buy himself more time?'
She hadn't expected anyone to notice such a key indicator regarding her identity so quickly. Her surprise soon turned into suspicion and flabbergast, as not only did he seem to at least have a strong clue regarding her true name, but he also knew her fighting style. With each thrust or slash, he proved himself able to deal with her chains no matter how she used them, almost as if he knew where they were coming from before she attacked. She would have chalked it up to a skill of his, such as Mind's Eye or the like, or just him being of exceptional skill. But the way he anticipated her moves and often knew where she would strike next, moving his body before she even began the attack and striking exactly at any openings she had whenever he got the chance the instant they appeared, set off more than a few alarms.
Then when she did manage to snare one of his limbs, he saw fit to break her hold on him with a Broken Phantasm of all things, an action that made her believe she was dealing with a madman. At that point, Rider couldn't help but ask him who he was.
More questions flowed within her mind at his non-answers. Ones that had to do with not only his identity, but also whether they'd ever met in the past. She didn't recall meeting such a person at any point in her life in the Shapeless Isle, and his features looked far too different from any of the people of her homeland. Yet some strange feeling within her gut continued to insist that he knew her somehow. Unfortunately, her questions were all met with snarky responses, in what was clearly him joking around and making fun of her. For some reason, that irked her even more than usual.
Rider was usually quite immune to taunts coming from her enemies, but this man seemed to be exceptionally talented at it, and so she resolved to end this fight with her full power. Before she could bring out Bellerophon though, her Master came and stopped the fight dead in its tracks using a Command Seal — an action that she would surely regret, even if it was forced upon her from the looks of it. Unfortunately, she couldn't say anything as the young bob-cut girl fell unconscious on the ground. The Servant on the other side of the field, whom she now suspected to be an Archer rather than the Caster he'd claimed to be due to his proficiency with the bow being even better than his skill with swords, dismissed whatever weapons he had prepared.
Despite having just been her enemy, the other Servant – who might actually be an ally as it turned out – began to lecture her Master, visibly angry but clearly also concerned about her. Then he sighed as he realized she couldn't hear him any longer, and he walked next to her, close enough that Rider once again got a more detailed idea of his face. Now, with the intensity of the battle no longer occupying her senses, the more she focused, the more odd it felt — a sensation that couldn't be put into words, yet one that grew more and more intense the longer she examined him.
'Why… Why does he seem so familiar?'
Had they indeed met in the past? This entire summoning left her more confused than anything else at this moment, and she wished to be updated on what the hell was going on. But it seemed that answering any of her questions would have to wait, as her Master needed to recover first.
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.
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Servant
Name: Medusa
Class: Rider
Master: Sona Sitri
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Parameters
Strength: A
Endurance: C
Agility: A+
Mana: B+
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: A+
Class Skills
Riding: A+
Magic Resistance: B
Personal Skills
Divinity: E-
Independent Action: C
Monstrous Strength: B
Mystic Eyes: A+
Noble Phantasms
Breaker Gorgon (Anti-Unit): C-
Blood Fort Andromeda (Anti-Army): B
Bellerophon (Anti-Army): A+
----------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.