Holding Back the Sea [Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Fate/Stay Night]

[Latewave]

I thought that Ryuugi actually posted something new. Sadface.

[Mattias]

My God. It lives! I think I'm going to love seeing the other Servants crash this fight...

[Alulim]

I thought that Ryuugi actually posted something new. Sadface.

Yeah, he has quite a bit to post here before it catches up with what is on spacebattles.

[Latewave]

Yeah, he has quite a bit to post here before it catches up with what is on spacebattles.

Or TFF. Where he originally posted it. Sadly Ryuugi has a bad habit of writing a fic for a month or so. Get bored. Then get a new idea. Then writing new idea for a month or so. We in the channel have accepted this sadly. Only you can make Ryuugi actually keep writing something

[Flere821]

After reading this bit again, I wonder why didn't Percy get himself a cellphone for emergencies instead of telling Kariya to hang up if he's not at the base. What was the cellphone's capability during F/SN's timeframe?

[harouki]

Roar of thunder?

I smell a Dynamic Entry!

[Garlak]

“And where is your master? Is he too cowardly to support his own Servant?”

You know, I think I overlooked this before, but... It's hilarious of Saber to even have thought of making that remark. It might be keeping in-character to the charade Saber, Irisviel, and Kiritsugu have going with a decoy master... but still. Sortof looks like a stealth-foot-in-mouth/pot-calling-kettle-black remark on Saber's end.

[Flere821]

You know, I think I overlooked this before, but... It's hilarious of Saber to even have thought of making that remark. It might be keeping in-character to the charade Saber, Irisviel, and Kiritsugu have going with a decoy master... but still. Sortof looks like a stealth-foot-in-mouth/pot-calling-kettle-black remark on Saber's end.

Then again, Kiritsugu does support Saber, if in the shadows and sniping other masters >.> Or Saber's just annoyed how most Masters she came across tend to hide and not fight openly.

[Junky]

Why are the ten more chapters posted on SpaceBattles not posted here?

[Ryuugi]

Because I edit them and then put them on here. A number of spelling mistakes and things that made it flow badly (on top of a few important details within the story itself) need to be corrected before I throw it up on FF.net and I use this site to make sure nothing else slipped through in the second run through. Notice the first section of this chapter and how it's completely different from the one on SB.

[Fancy Face the First]

Rereading this is making me remember how much of a BRO Percy is.

[Ryuugi]

Holding Back the Sea
Meeting of Heroes

Saber and Berserker turned as one to face the south-eastern sky.

The source of the sound was obvious.

A flying object cut a line through the sky, scattering lightning in its wake. The sound was obviously created by it and it was just as obviously heading towards them.

Narrowing his eyes, Berserker was the first to identify it. It was something he’d seen a thousand times and rode in himself frequently.

“A chariot.” He stated.

However, rather than the horses he was more familiar with, it was pulled across the sky by two bulls. Where they ‘stepped’ across the sky, a web of lightning emerged and filled the sky with deafening roars. The sheer power behind each strike of lightning was tremendous and they could feel it easily even from this distance.

Only a Servant’s Noble Phantasm could emit that much power. Without a doubt, a third Servant was getting involved in the fight.

Both Saber and Berserker tensed and watched the chariot silently.

But Berserker had his own reason to be tense. Creating such an enormous amount of thunder and lightning...as always, he was reminded of Zeus. But gods would not participate in a war between Heroic Spirits. And yet…

The chariot circled above them before slowing and landing between them. It positioned itself perfectly in between the two Servants, preventing them from fighting. As the dazzling light of the chariot faded, it revealed a very tall muscular man at the helm of the chariot.

“Both of you, lay down your arms! The King has arrived!” The man’s bellow was like the thunder his chariot created and his glare was as striking as its lightning.

Against Heroes, a yell or two would accomplish nothing. But the man had intervened not to attack, but to end the battle. Neither Berserker nor Saber understood his reasons and they hesitated as a result.

“My name is Alexander, King of Conquerors. I am participating in the Holy Grail War and have received that name of Rider.”

Alexander the Great. Even without the knowledge given by the Grail, it was natural that Berserker had heard of him, as another Greek. And if he was Alexander, then…the Oxen where from the Legend of Gordias, whose ox-cart had been bound with the Gordian Knot that he cut.

The boy in the chariot with Rider—his master, in all likelihood—widened his eyes in shock at Rider’s declaration.

“W-what the hell are you doing, you moron—oomph!”

The boy was cut of suddenly as Rider flicked him in the head and continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted.

“You fight each other to obtain the Holy Grail…but let me ask you something before you continue. I don’t know what your wishes are, but…consider for a moment—are your wishes even greater than the desire to possess all of heaven and earth!?”

Both of the other Servants were taken aback the strange question.

Narrowing her eyes, Saber spoke.

“You…what are you trying to say?”

“Hm? I was quite clear,” Rider said, apparently not finding his question strange at all. “I have descended on the battlefield, so I have to ask…do you have any intention to let me claim the Holy Grail? If you forfeit your claims on it, I shall consider you my friends, and let you share the joy of conquering the world with me. Ask yourselves; do you have desires greater than this!?”

Berserker did as he was asked. He looked down at the sand and then back up to Rider.

“Hell yeah,” He stated flatly, like it should be obvious.

Saber, however, seemed upset.

“Did you interrupt my battle with Berserker for this nonsense?” She demanded. “Your joke was overdone, King of Conquerors. And further…I am the lord of the Kingdom of Britain. No matter what kind of king one is, he can never bow down before another lord.”

“Oh?” Rider seemed suddenly interested in Saber. “The King of Britain? How surprising—the famous King of Knights is actually a young girl.”

“It kind of surprised me too.” Berserker admitted.

“And would you like to test the blade of that young girl, King of Conquerors?” Saber asked.

“A breakdown of negotiations, is it? That’s too bad; what a waste.” Rider said, not seeming threatened.

“R-Rider!” The King’s Master said, finally recovering. “What are you going to do now!? You talk about conquest again and again, but…can you really take on two Servants at once!?”

“—If you realize that, then get out of the way.” Percy interrupted. “Saber and I have a fight to finish…though I would be more than willing to fight you afterwards if that is what your wish, Rider.”

Rider looked down at the smaller Servant.

“You seem quite confident, despite having lost both your sword and your shield.” Rather than mocking him, Rider smiled approvingly.

“Don’t worry about my sword,” Percy said. “It gets lost from time to time, but it always finds its way back. And…I haven’t gotten serious yet—after all, a battle between Servants is a battle between Noble Phantasms, right?”

In response to his words, Saber suddenly tensed, lifting her blade.

“Ho~,” Rider said. “It would be a lie to say I’m not interested, but…do you really want to do that in front of so many people?”

“…What are you talking about, Rider?” Saber demanded.

Rider smiled.

“Saber, Berserker, your battle was excellent. But…the sound of clashing blades could have drawn more than one spirit, don’t you think?” Rider asked, before raising his voice. “Come on out! You must be there—hiding in the darkness and spying on us!”

Saber and Berserker didn’t even get a chance to be surprised as Rider swept them up in his own plans.

“What a shame! Heroes summoned by the Holy Grail—having seen Saber and Berserker fight, does it invoke no sentiments from you? Having names that deserve praise and yet hiding in the shadows and spying in secrecy? How cowardly! Even Heroic Spirits would be troubled hearing this, right?”

Berserker just looked at his cousin like he was insane while Saber glared.

But Rider didn’t seem to feel any fear. Having insulted every Servant in the war in some way or another in the last five minutes, he looked the part of a mighty, challenging king.

“Then come! Spirits called by the Holy Grail, gather here at this moment. Show your faces or crawl away and spare yourselves the humiliation that Alexander, King of Conquerors, would deal you!”

The response was immediate.

“Oi, what are you implying. Rather than being cowardly, isn’t it simply polite not to interfere in a fight between two heroes?”

A fourth Servant suddenly materialized. He had yellow eyes and a dark beauty spot at the corner of one of them. His dark hair was roughly slicked back and he was quite handsome—but rather than his appearance, what drew everyone’s attention were the two spears he held firmly in his hands. Each spear was of different length but both were wrapped in purple cloth, likely to hide their true appearance to conceal his identity. The only parts visible were their tips—one was crimson and the other yellow.

With just a glance, it was easy to identify him as Lancer.

But they had but a moment to look at him before their attention was dragged away.

Golden light filled the shore, coming from the nearby docks. High above the other Servants, standing on a crane, a Servant in golden armor.

No Assassin would be so blindingly obvious and it was hard to imagine that golden armor on a Caster—by process of elimination, he had to be Archer, the last of the three Knight Classes..

“—The jokes end here, mongrels.”

In that way, hostilities began with a gathering of five Servants.

XxXXxX

Also by the docks, Kiritsugu was beginning to get worried. He and Maiya had taken position after receiving Irisviel’s signal and things didn’t look good.

There were five Servants gathered and all of them were problematic.

Berserker, the Servant who had been fighting Saber. By all appearances, she had him on the run, but…if that was so, why had his confidence not wavered? He had also not given anything away about his identity and had only used his sword and shield—if there were any revealing details on either, then they were beyond his sight. If they managed to escape this situation safely, then he would question Saber about anything she might have seen. One thing he had noticed was that his shield had expanded from his watch in a way that was almost certainly magical. However, he was most dangerous because of his master, who was nowhere to be found. For Kiritsugu, prudent, careful magi were more dangerous than ones who gave into their pride, even if they were less powerful or experienced. Because Kiritsugu couldn’t affect his master, he also couldn’t affect Berserker.

Rider, an interrupter who revealed himself as Alexander the Great. Kiritsugu had thought him a fool for both declaring his name and inviting so many other Servants, but he couldn’t deny the power of that chariot. However, he was the cause of this mess and he didn’t seem to be at all worried about what happened. More dangerously, his master, while present, was close to his Servant—he couldn’t be sure his attack would hit successful with a Servant standing over him protectively and immediately after firing, all the Servants would know his location.

Lancer. Having suddenly revealed himself, no details were known about him, but Kiritsugu could see his master though his heat sensitive scope. However, if he actually fired in this situation, even if his shot was lethal and Lancer faded away, it wouldn’t matter, because he’d immediately draw the attention of the others.

Archer, the Tohsaka’s Servant; his master was nowhere to be found. In all likelihood, he was still in the Tohsaka manor, far beyond Kiritsugu’s reach.

But without a doubt, the Servant that most worried Krirtsugu was the one that was present, but had chosen not to reveal himself. Standing subtly out of the view of the other Servants from the best vantage point in the area—a small warehouse that wasn’t as obvious as Archer’s chosen spot but provided a similar view—was a black-clad Servant with a white skull mask. Kotomine Kirei’s Servant, Assassin, who was supposedly dead. His presence confirmed Kiritsugu’s suspicions about the display at the Tohsaka manor being a farce.

Assassins were the weakest of the Servants. In a battle between almost any Servant and an Assassin, it’s generally a given that an Assassin would lose, baring extraordinary conditions. But…that didn’t usually matter. By their nature, the targets of the Assassin class were not ‘Servants,’ they were ‘Masters.’

If he did anything that drew attention to himself in this situation, Assassin would be the first to notice and would almost recognize him, if not as Saber’s master, then as a person that had to be dealt with. And while he did not know for sure how comprehensive Kotomine’s intelligence was, but…if he was as dangerous as Kiritsugu thought he was, he had to assume that he knew of his identity as a master—and as a result, that Assassin knew.

And if Assassin attacked him, the only way he would be able to survive was by using a Command Seal to summon Saber to his presence. But while Saber would be brought right too him…Irisviel would be left to stand by the four Servants below.

In this situation, Kiritsugu’s hands were tied.

XxXXxX

The golden Servant glared down at the assembly.

“Hmph. I didn’t think there were two fools in the entire world who were insolent enough to think of themselves as kings in my presence and ignore me.”

His arrogance and domineering tone surpassed even Rider’s, but it differed from the core. There was neither cruelty nor malevolence in the voice or eyes of the King of Conquerors. Even Rider seemed surprised at the appearance of someone even haughtier then him and stroked his beard in honest bewilderment.

“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” He said. “I, Alexander, am well known throughout the world as the King of Conquerors.”

Archer made a sound of disgust.

“Fool. I am the only hero in either Heaven or Earth who is a real King. All others are but a collection of mongrels.” Archer declared, the words beyond a simple insult.

Immediately, Saber’s face began to color, but the tolerant Rider simply sighed, ignoring the words.

“If that is what you believe…do you mind introducing yourself? If you are truly such a king, surely you aren’t ashamed of your fame?”

In response to Rider’s question, Archer’s eyes filled with a burning pride.

“Are you questioning me? A lowly commoner questioning a King like me?” He demanded. Rather than out of a desire to conceal his real name, it was more like he found the mere nature of the question offensive beyond words. “I lowered myself to meet with you and granted you the honor of my presence, yet you can’t recognize me? Someone so ignorant does not even deserve to live.”

The space around Archer began to distort and the glow of beautiful blades began to emerge from empty space. Each is adorned with ornaments and emits a fiery magical power—it is obvious that they are no mere blades, but Noble Phantasms.

“—If I may interrupt, Your Highness.” Berserker interjected pleasantly.

The tension broke at his words and all eyes, which had been focused on Archer and Rider, swerved to him. However, Berserker didn’t seem bothered by the attention, and stood confidently on the dry sand—

Something was wrong, Saber thought. Hadn’t she pushed Berserker back to the edge of the sea? And yet…now it was so far behind him.

Berserker didn’t even look at her, instead focusing interchangeably on Archer and Lancer.

“If I might ask,” Berserker continued, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Are you perhaps the hero summoned by Tohsaka Tokiomi?”

“…And why do you ask?” Archer demanded, seeming annoyed by the question.

“The five of us have gathered here today,” Berserker began. “And both Rider and Saber have brought with them their masters. Only Assassin and Caster are not in attendance and neither seems like the preferred summon of one of the Three Families. Logically, it could only be you or Lancer and…if I had to guess, I would think it was you.”

“—And if it was?”

Berserker bit his lip and smiled.

“Then I am very lucky indeed. For four of my opponents to gather before me like this, including the Servant of Tohsaka Tokiomi, while I’m in such an advantageous position—as a soldier, naturally I will take advantage of my great fortune.”

The sea that had receded unnaturally suddenly rose up as a wave, high above the shore. A hundred feet and growing, its mere presence took the other Servants, focused on the arrival of Archer and Lancer, by surprise.

As heartless as nature itself, the wave crashed into the shore.

“—For this, I’ll get serious.” Percy said himself, a bronze glow enshrouding him as he materialized his armor.

As his declaration of war, Berserker unveiled his iconic Noble Phantasm.

Perseus – The Deception of Divinity.

XxXXxX

The Noble Phantasm closest to Berserker’s legend, Perseus, was not a ‘physical object’ or even a ‘way of attacking.’ Rather, it was a ‘set of abilities’ that defined his legend.

Perseus’ effect was simple—it granted Berserker Divine Authority over his father’s dominions. But Berserker was an illegitimate child, born against a sworn oath, whose very existence was considered a mistake—he has no rightful claim to that authority.

And yet, the sea obeyed him. Though it was being his father’s son that gifted him with his power, it could not be his father’s authority that he wielded, for he had no need to call upon his father to wield it and could use it in lands beyond the gods.

Then where did his power come from?

When he became a Heroic Spirit, his legend crystalized into an answer that was never given.

—His authority was a result of Deception. His father broke his oath and deceived the world. His mother hid him away and deceived the world. And so his birth, from which he drew his power, was shrouded in ‘Deception.’

And so, his authority, too, was ‘Deception.’

The Noble Phantasm Perseus functions by affecting not any single target, but the ‘Truth.’ Over the Truth that says he has no right, it writes his Divine Authority. It says that he has that power over the dominions of his father, because it is his right—

—Or rather, it says that he is the God of those Dominions.

It is ‘The Deception of Divinity,’ because it says that he is Divine. Giving him power on par with a Divine Spirit by deceiving the world into thinking he is one.

—And when he touches the water, perhaps even his body is caught up in the lie and thinks itself ‘divine.’

XxXXxX

A hundred foot tall wave was not enough to defeat a Heroic Spirit. Of course, Berserker knew that, but it accomplished exactly what it was intended to do.

It went without say that in a battle of Heroic Spirits, not matter how good or legendary one was, fighting four other Heroes is dangerous, at best.

But even if a huge wave would not kill Servants, it could still hurt them—which meant it would kill their Master’s, if they got hit.

And any Servant’s first reaction to a threat on their Master’s would be to protect them.

Rider and Saber had master’s present in separate locations. He didn’t know about Archer and Lancer, but their masters could be present as well. As a result, with this single wave, he broke a group of four into four separate people in different locations, all scrambling in different directions.

As such, instead of having to fight four opponents at once, he could pick who to fight first and battle them alone. Then he’d move on to the next or retreat, as needed.

Deciding one his first target was simple.

Archer, while his primary target as the Servant of Tohsaka Tokiomi, was not his priority. For starters, he was a complete unknown. Second of all, Berserker knew where to find him later, if he needed too—the Tohsaka manor. Even if he wasn’t there, Berserker could just go after his master until he used a Command Seal to summon him. If at all possible, he wanted to use this chance to get rid of his Master’s enemy, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary. His presence here had just made this opportunity that much better.

Rider could fly and he couldn’t. While he wasn’t particularly afraid of him, that one fact would make fighting him annoying and it would likely take longer than he wanted—probably long enough for the others to regroup.

So it came down to Lancer and Saber.

And he had already faced Saber.

Indeed, as he expected, his attack separated all the other Servants. The moment she saw the wave, Saber dashed for Irisviel. Rider and his master had never left the chariot, so they immediately took to the sky and attempted to outrun it. Lancer dashed away from the wave, back towards the way he’d originally come from. Maybe he was running to his master, or maybe just to safety—it didn’t really matter. And Archer, still standing on top of the crane…looked annoyed.

Berserker wondered about that for a moment before putting it out of his mind and focusing on Saber. She’d snatched her master up in her arms and…ran towards the wave.

Berserker didn’t understand her actions, but assumed she had a plan of some sort. In which case, it was probably best to assume the worst and act as if it would work.

He ran after her.

Even with a hundred foot wave bearing down on her and her master’s life in her hands, she showed no fear. Charging her body with prana, she pointed her blade behind her. As she neared the wave, the prana exploded and she leapt straight upwards, high into the air, her feet almost touching the water—

No, maybe they did touch it?

Suddenly, wind roared. Invisible Air exploded, still pointed behind Saber—and thus, straight at the ground.

Accelerated by both wind and prana, Saber ran vertically up the wave and vaulted over it.

For a moment, Berserker’s eyes were wide in astonishment—and then they narrowed as a smirk grew across his face.

“My turn.”

Unlike Saber, he didn’t avoid the wave in any way—he ran straight into it. Unharmed by the tremendous force of the wave, he slipped neatly through the surface of the water—and then up. Within the wave, he used the water to push himself up at high speed, until he was right beneath Saber’s feet as she came down on the other side of the wave, her feet literally walking on the water.

Perhaps by chance but probably because she sensed him, she looked down and their eyes met for a brief moment.

Then he slid past her, a meter higher up the wave, and broke the surface yet again as he drew and uncapped his trusted sword. He hardened the water beneath him so that he could stand upon it as Saber did, but rather than run, he moved the water beneath him to ‘slide’ down the wave.

Saber was already turning, her revealed blade in one hand and her master in the other.

He caught it easily on his own.

“En garde, Saber.” He said. “Or whatever they said in your era.”

Fury was burning in her eyes and it only increased at his words.

“If I had use of both my hands, you would regret this briefly and then die.” She hissed.

XxXXxX

Kiritsugu looked at the oncoming wave in complete shock. Berserker’s attack had scattered the enemy Servants, casting chaos on the battlefield.

He was glad to see that Saber was more than capable of protecting Irisviel, but a question arose.

‘How had this happened in the first place?’

The answer was obvious.

It had all been a trap. The entire fight had been leading up to this point—Berserker had been planning this from the very beginning. First when he tried to push Saber closer to the water and then when he’d allowed himself to be pushed to it. He probably hadn’t planned for Rider to interfere or Lancer and Archer’s arrival, but all they’d done was make things better for him. Six of the Seven Servants had gathered here and several of them had brought their masters, as well. Even if his attacks couldn’t kill the Servants, a one hundred foot wave could end the lives of quite a few normal humans. Rider, Lancer, and—though Berserker probably didn’t know it was him—Saber all had masters here and if they died, they’d almost immediately fade away.

And the three Servants that weren’t in danger were Archer, Assassin, and Berserker.

Were they really working together? Was this all a trap they’d put together? It could be—and if it was, it had worked. Kiritsugu could imagine the details; it was actually fairly simple, but also effective.

Have Berserker wait near a favorable location—anywhere by the water. With Fuyuki being near the ocean and having a river run straight through it, that gave Berserker huge swaths of area that he could stay by and never lose the advantage. Logically, someone would sense him eventually, or even just be near the beach. At that point, if Berserker couldn’t beat them alone, Archer could interfere. Meanwhile, Assassin could hunt down the Master.

The situation Rider had caused may have thrown off their plans a bit, but it also gave them an opportunity. Archer waited until all the Servants had gathered and then revealed himself, drawing everyone’s full attention. He’d then insulted both Saber and Rider, appearing to be ready to fight. Before that became necessary, however, Berserker had unleashed his attack, splitting all the Servants into their own groups.

Berserker pursued Saber, obviously intending to defeat her. Archer didn’t seem threatened by the oncoming wave—what he intended to do next was a mystery. And Assassin…

Kiritsugu’s eyes widened as he realized something.

He couldn’t escape. Even as the wave approached, Assassin was keeping an eye on the situation. If a Master was alone or their Servant’s left them to fight Archer or Berserker, Assassin was in a position to see that and respond.

Which meant that none of his plans for getting to safety would work. The moment he moved, Assassin would see him and attack.

The only way he could escape would be by summoning Saber with a Command Seal, which would leave Irisviel behind.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t put Irisviel at risk like that.

But if he died, Saber would fade away, and she’d have no one protect her.

But how could he survive this and still keep her safe?

XxXXxX

Atop the water, Saber and Berserker clashed and—it became quickly apparent that Berserker would win. After all, Saber had to fight with one hand, while carrying her master, and on a surface completely controlled by her opponent—

No. It was more than that. Even with better conditions, she might still have been pushed back.

Somehow, this battle was different than the previous one.

Even taking into account how weakened she was by using only one arm, Berserker’s blows were much too powerful. Compared to the beach, where she could match him, even if it took both hands, now…

He was stronger and faster than he had been before. And rather than the simple, but well executed, techniques he’d done around his shield, now he was amazingly skilled, performing complicated maneuvers with his sword that kept her constantly off-balance—especially in conjunction with the series of step-like waves he’d summoned on the back of the wave, in an attempt to sweep her underwater. Instead, they just greatly slowed her descent.

They fought on those ‘steps,’ which naturally favored her opponent. Sometimes they’d part beneath her and she’d trip or have to move to another step, or sometimes they were narrow enough that fighting was difficult. Berserker didn’t seem to have any problems, though; the ‘steps’ would change size, shape, angle, and even location at his whim, which he used completely to his advantage.

Not that he needed any more advantages, at the moment.

Every time she parried, the force of his blows made her arms shake—and it seemed as soon as she’d blocked one blow, another came.

“—It was a trick.” Saber said, glaring.

“Hm?” Berserker made a questioning sound, even as his blade lashed out in attacks that seemed, for a moment, random and amateurish—until a moment later when they seemed unspeakably dangerous as they nearly slid through gaps in her defense. He stepped to the side, maneuvering around her, and where there had been empty air, the step they were on grew to accommodate him, and it was all she could do to protect Irisviel. Slowly, methodically, he was using her weaker position against her, clipping away at her defenses, scoring blows on her arms and legs to try to slow down her movements; already, she looked like she’d run through a particularly sadistic thorn bush. She’d avoided taking any serious blows thanks to luck and instinct, but already, she felt her strikes slowing, and she knew that if she couldn’t find a place to put down Irisviel soon, Berserker would go in for the kill.

“That entire battle on the beach was just a trick!” She snarled, her pride as both a king and a knight wounded. Turning that anger against her opponent, she lashed out with a quick slash towards her opponent’s thigh. “When you let me beat you back to the shore…it was a trap! You could have summoned your blade to you at any time, but you held back to make me confident!”

Berserker blocked the blade effortlessly and held it easily as she tried to force it away.

“I guess that’s true.” He admitted just as easily. “Don’t be insulted, though—it may have been a trap, but even if I’d taken out my sword again, I probably couldn’t have done anything more than match you. So, rather than a trap, think of it as me being pushed to this and you’ll feel better about yourself. That’s the power of positive thinking.”

Whereas he had been unmoving as she tried to push him away, he pushed her back easily and stabbed at her chest plate and she had to quickly bring Excalibur back to block it, though the tip of the blade carved a wicked looking groove across her breastplate.

Berserker continued talking like they were sitting at a table drinking tea and not fighting to the death.

“You see, Saber, if you have a glass of water and you drink half of it, would you prefer to think of it as being half full or half empty?” He said, even as he tried to sneak a attack past her defense with a series of feints.

“Since you can control water and you’re trying to kill us,” Irisviel spoke up, glancing nervously downwards. Due to the ‘step’s constantly slowing their descent, they were still high above the earth. “I’d rather it be half empty, at the moment.”

“Touché.” Berserker said with a smile before suddenly ‘falling’ into the wave. A moment later, the entire ‘step’ exploded with enough force to cast them both away.

In mid-fall, Berserker’s voice reached them.

“—If you’d rather there be less water, feel free to land on the ground.”

Below them, the water parted, revealing the harder ground beneath. The displaced water created a cylinder around their landing spot—a cylinder that was sure to collapse the moment they actually landed.

Berserker, still inside the wave, speed quickly down its length, faster than even their fall, and Saber knew that more than water would be waiting at the bottom.

XxXXxX

Kiritsugu tried to hold on for as long as possible.

His only hope of actually surviving was to summon Saber, but he had to at least wait for her to get Irisviel to safety. Then, he could summon Saber. Hopefully, by doing so, he could protect Irisviel as well—the act of summoning Saber away should reveal that she wasn’t Saber’s true master.

But…

There was one problem in his plan which he couldn’t avoid.

Both Saber and Irisviel were out of sight and he wasn’t really in a position to locate the other Servants. He couldn’t tell what situation they were in, much less if they were safe.

In other words, if he summoned Saber, the rest of his plan would rely completely on luck. Would the other Servants realize that Irisviel wasn’t a Master? Would that keep them from targeting her?

But what other choice did he have? If he didn’t summon Saber, he would die and she would fade away, leaving Irisviel just as unprotected.

He had to summon her.

Even if it felt like he was abandoning Irisviel.

XxXXxX

Saber had to react quickly, but also carefully. The fall probably wouldn’t hurt her, but it could probably snap Irisviel’s neck.

But then, even if it didn’t, being underwater with an opponent who could control water would probably be just as bad.

Turning her blade towards the ground, she unleashed Invisible Air again, even as entered the cylinder. The sudden force shot her back out of it, even as the walls of water slammed closed, as she’d expected.

Flipping over in midair, she landed roughly on the surface of the water.

“Are you okay, Irisviel?”

Her substitute master nodded once, dizzily. While Saber had managed to avoid moving faster enough to kill her, all the sudden changes in direction were obviously taking their toll on her. Enduring the force of two Invisible Airs had probably hurt a great deal as well.

She had to find somewhere to put her safely. Not only for her own safety, but because Saber herself couldn’t fight much longer while holding her Master. She’d been burning prana at an accelerated rate to stand even with Berserker on the back of the wave, but if she had to continue doing so, this fight would be over in minutes.

But everything was covered in water. No matter where she put Irisviel, she would be within Berserker’s reach.

Saber couldn’t protect her while holding her, but if she let go, she’d be in even more danger.

And also—

Where was Berserker?

She bared had time to think of the question before she received her answer.

A bronze blade burst from the water, attempting to stab at her legs. Jumping away quickly, she instinctively tried to attack back—

But her blade bounced off the water as if it were solid.

Immediately, the water beneath her feet began to roll and buckle, trying to throw her off balance, even as more sword strikes emerged from beneath the surface. Waves of water appeared out of nowhere and tried to swallow her up, even as whirlpools began to appear anywhere she stood for more than a moment. She was forced to constantly jump around, able to do nothing but desperately evade.

She needed to find a safe place for Irisviel. If she had use of both her hands, she would still be able to win, but with just one, it was all she could do to stay alive. So far, she had avoided receiving even a single attack, but it was not just because of skill, but also the simple, desperate knowledge that if she was hit even once, she would be dragged beneath the water and have no chance at all. So far, she had managed to hold him off, but she knew a great deal of that was because she’d avoided being submerged—if she let herself fall into her opponents domain…

But there was nowhere safe to put her. There was water everywhere.

—Then, there was no choice.

Saber would have to leave Irisviel in a dangerous position and hope that, by unveiling her true Noble Phantasm, she could keep Berserker from focusing on her.

“Irisviel…” She began.

The Homonculus cut her off with a smile.

“I know.”

A moment of indecision before a hardening of her resolve. Saber quickly leapt high into the air and land atop the water that would have been knee deep if she hadn’t been able to stride atop it.

“I will protect you, Irisviel.” She said, setting her down gently. Oddly, the water seemed strangely calm, as if willing to wait.

A spot several meters from them began to ripple as Berserker rose from it silently, his bronze armor gleaming, but not a drop of water on it.

Invisible Air unraveled one last time. She directed it at Berserker once again, but he simply braced himself silently and endured it without moving. At anything but pointblank range, such an attack would have no effect on him, now that he had revealed his true strength.

“It’s time to end this, Saber.” He said, suddenly serious. Maybe the other Servants were recovering. The wave was already in the process of flooding the area, but soon it would be over and the other Servants would attack.

Regardless of the reason, Saber nodded. With her blade unveiled, she began to gather power for her final attack, knowing she had to act fast. Even if Berserker recognized Excalibur due to his nature as a Heroic Spirit, he wouldn’t know the details of the attack without seeing it, but—

It’s a different story if he saw her preparing the attack.

The moment her prana began to gather, it became obvious that her attack would be dangerous. But, by virtue of having a charging time alone, it was unsuited to combat at close range—which was Berserker’s preferred range.

The moment saw her gathering power, he began to close the distance between them. Moving impossibly fast, he reached her in the blink of an eye, his sword already coming down.

In response, she brought up her strongest attack.

His blade was aimed at her neck and hers at his heart. Whoever’s attack connected first would win.

—But, she would not back down. This battle was something she would stake her life on.

XxXXxX

It was time.

He had no choice but to hope that Irisviel was safe.

“Saber!”

XxXXxX

Berserker’s blade met only air, even as his eyes widened.

In an instant, he was before Irisviel, grabbing her wrists in his hands.

As another Servant, he understood what had happened. Saber had been summoned away by the use of a Command Seal, but if her Master was here—

Irisviel’s hands were pale and smooth, unblemished by the markings that signified that one was a Master.

He had been fooled.

He felt her hands trembling in fear at his grasp and let her go.

“What a waste.” He said.

There was no point in being angry. It had been a waste of effort, but if Saber had escaped, then there was nothing he could do but move on to the next opponent.

The thought had barely had time to cross his mind before it was done—for he was not the only one now on the hunt. His attack had made him the target of everyone present—no hero would back down from his challenge.

That was why he’d issued it, after all. It meant they wouldn’t run away.

Feeling sudden motion through the water, he stepped quickly to the side, turning slightly so that the blade aimed for his heart instead glanced harmlessly off his armor.

—Only, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, it passed impossibly through his armor and scraped hard across his chest.

The moment he’d felt contact, water lashed out violently, pushing Lancer roughly away.

Berserker glanced down at his chest plate. It was unharmed; the point of the lance having somehow gone through it without leaving a mark. However, his Curse had still protected him.

Of course, hurting him was nearly impossible in the first place, so that wasn’t a surprise.

And yet…by failing to wound him, he’d learnt his secret.

Upon reaching the Throne of Heroes, all Heroic Spirits are given a degree of knowledge of each other. It wasn’t enough to recognize each other on sight—it wasn’t even enough to know the effects of each other’s Noble Phantasms.

But the list of heroes that were immune to damage was fairly short.

But…the list of heroes who wielded spears like that was shorter still.

They’d both given great hints to each other’s identities, which meant, of course, that if either of them wished to keep their identities secret, the best way to do so was to kill the other.

Berserker lifted his head to gaze at Lancer, whose eyes were cold and whose face was hard.

In contrast, he smiled.

“This war is certainly full of interesting people,” He mused.

[Alulim]

Ah, good.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Holy freakin' crap, this whole chapter was amazing.

[Kieran]

This was quite possibly the most awesome fight scene I've ever read - certainly in the top three. Now I desperately need more . . . (please?)

[Fancy Face the First]

Yesssssssssssss.

[Mattias]

Hehehehe, The Caster fight is going to be epic....

[Chojomeka]

Hehehehe, The Caster fight is going to be epic....

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Bueno...
Must have more...