The Holy Grail War was a simple matter for Rider. Saber and Lancer thought to team up against him but all they had managed to do was die together to Rider’s own sword and spear. Berserker had been a joke, nothing but a mindless brute that took less than a second to destroy.
Assassin had tried to assassinate his master, key word being tried. That had annoyed Rider enough to leave a crater where he had once stood. Even Archer who had been a difficult opponent with how his attacks seemed to come from all angles at once was easy prey after he found the servant of the bow.
He had defeated his enemies, and he had come to the spot where the Greater Grail was to manifest, he had preformed all of the proper actions. So why was this thing standing before him! He fired a volley of electricity filled arrows but they simply bounced off of his opponent’s rocky shell.
How was a damned Caster keeping him from his goal. Caster’s monstrous form roared and charged at Rider. This was nothing, the creature that Caster had turned into did not have anything approaching the speed of a Rider. His keen eyes ran over the caprice to find a single opening to his flesh, a hole to allow the servant to breath through the indestructible shell, and drew his bow. The arrow flew right into the hole, only to be deflected by a sudden exhaust of air. The hole was then covered by the caprice forming layers to allow air to get out without exposing Caster’s skin.
“Aiming for my exposed blow hole? How quaint. Unfortunately you were just a step too late Rider.
This had been happening the entire fight, every time Rider had managed to find a weakness right before he could exploit it the attack was reflected and the flaw was fixed. This wasn’t fair, fight were not supposed to be this way. When you attack an enemies weakness they are supposed to die that is the natural order of things.
He had enough of this, this, this cheater. He called upon the power of the Trimutri. Shiva the destroyer would end this servant. Mana gathered around Rider as the power of the destruction god gathered in his hand.
“Holy Ground Expansion, Space Fixation, Divine Punishment Enforcement Period Establishment... All Clear. By Shiva's wrath, your life ends here..."
“Pashupata!”
The energy was released all at once, not as an explosion but as a vacuum. The light of destruction washed over the monstrous Caster. His soul was being judged and there was no doubt that it would be found wanting. Rider could almost see the soul being sucked out.
Then the impossible happened. A counter light began to shine keeping back the Pashupata. A powerful red light shot out keeping the power of Shiva at bay. Eventually the judging light of destruction vanished and all that was left was Caster completely unharmed. He looked at Rider and once more he felt that mocking gaze like in life. The glare of somebody who flaunted the idea of a fair fight in his face. Who refused to accept that Rider was the strongest. His blood was boiling, his rage building greater than ever before.
“A great attempt Rider, but I’m afraid my body emitted the proper counter radiation to stop the Pashupata right in its tracks. A side effect of this bodies new internal organs.”
He was going to utterly destroy this insignificant stain off the face of the Earth. He powered up the next power of the Trimutri, Brahmada, to create the ultimate phantasmal beast and destroy this beast.
“Invert Space, The Reverse Becomes the Upside…”
“Rider! We should retreat.” Rider’s master spoke through their connection interrupting the Brahmada.
“What?! I am about to destroy this worthless piece of trash!”
“No! I am almost out of Mana to give you. Any more and I die! We are leaving.”
That was why this was happening of course. If he could be at full power nothing would be able to stop him, but as he was now his master was holding him back.
“Very well, I shall retreat for now.”
Break
Rider’s master was pacing. “What are we supposed to do? Caster seems invincible-” Rider glared at him. “as long as I can’t fully power you.” He amended. “Plus his master is nowhere to be found so we can’t win that way. We may have to use your Noble Phantasm.”
Rider scoffed. “I am invincible and my Noble Phantasm isn’t necessary to defeat any opponent, even a cheater like Caster.”
Rider’s master looked like he wanted to speak against Rider’s words so he brought up his Rakasha Charisma to make him submit.
“S-sorry Rider.” His master spoke through pained breath. “I know you are the strongest servant of them all; it is just that I don’t know why we have to treat a cheater like a regular opponent?”
Rider released the pressure off of his master. “Explain.”
“W-well, I agree that if Caster was a regular opponent that I had held you back from defeating you should just use your overwhelming strength to destroy him. However Caster is a cheater right?”
“Correct.”
“Well then why should we allow him to continue breaking the rules? I mean you truly are the most honorable heroic spirit as well as the strongest but shouldn’t there be a limit? Why don’t we just finish this cheater off before he can insult you any further?”
Rider smiled at his maser finally seeing things his way. Of course it only made logical sense that he would, after all Rider was the ultimate being so all would see his truth eventually.
Break
The fire worship was a simple thing, in fact it was completely anticlimactic. After giving the proper sacrifices and respect to Prathyangira the chariot simply appeared in the arsenal that Rider could summon. What would not be anticlimactic, Rider thought, would be the look on Caster’s face when the invincible chariot destroyed him so completely he would refuse to ever be summoned from the throne of heroes again.
He stood before the Caster, who now had shed his stoney armor. “There you are you cheater.” Rider started. “Now that I am here at full power your tricks won’t work.”
Caster grinned. “Cheating this, cheating that, wow that’s pretentious don’t you think.”
Rider growled a little. “Cheating is cheating, and anyone that can stand up to me is obviously cheating.”
“Nature doesn’t know word’s like cheating or fairness. All that matters in the end is survival of the fittest.” Caster raised his arms up and laughed maniacally. “And some pathetic wretch like you who goes crying to the gods for more power isn’t fit to become the dominant species on this planet.”
“Shut up you cheater!” And Rider sent a blast of lightening towards the servant. However as the electricity neared him Caster’s body turned into a rubber material and dispersed it into the ground.
“Well,” the rubber Caster spoke, “it seems out time for conversation is over. I do hope you brought something new to the table.”
“I do have something new! You will have the pleasure of being the first and last being to see this! Come forth my Chariot of Promised Victory!”
To call what happened next a boom would be to call an atomic bomb a fire cracker. It was as if the very boundaries of reality cracked to allow for the massive energy of the chariot to come forth. The air around the chariot bent and warped as if it was straining to even be near the power. The chariot itself was unassuming, it was rather small, barely enough for Rider to stand in, which he did as if he had been born to ride such a divine vehicle. It was pulled by two brilliant stallions, one pure white shinning like the sun, the other black as pitch seemingly sucking in the light.
“This chariot changes forms to become most suited to defeat the enemy in front of me, let us see what form it decides is necessary to destroy you!” The two horses began to shift, growing larger and having scales erupt from their bodies. Soon enough it was two dragons pulling the chariot which had grown to accommodate them. One of the dragons breathed a gout of flame and the other one of ice.
“I see!” Rider shouted. “The mixture of heat and cold will instantly shatter your rubber body before it can shift into a different form! Now go my dragon’s destroy him!” The twin dragons shot out their breath weapons.
The resulting explosion forced Rider to look away but when he looked back Caster was still standing there. This time his body seemed to be made out of an infinite amount of infinitesimally small creatures. “W-what is that!?”
“The Tardigrade, or water bear as they are more commonly known as can survive in almost any possible environment and in insane temperatures. Not only that but they are the only known animal that can survive in outer space.” The collection of uncountable water bears laughed. “My body has now become a hive of Tardigrades able to easily survive your dragon’s breath attacks.”
“Well let’s see if you can survive this!” The chariot began to change again. The dragon’s reverted back to horses and the shape of the chariot body became taller eventually forming into a giant speaker. “I see! Your body must communicate with itself through sonics. Therefore by sending a counter signal your body will fall apart! Go my sonic chariot!” Anybody who is familiar with the Blood Countess of Hungary would know what happened next. A large scale sonic attack that shook the foundations of the area. It was a destructive force that rivaled that of the strongest anti army Noble-Phantasms. When the attack was finished Caster was nowhere to be seen.
“Finally the cheater got what he deserved, and I get my Holy Grail.”
“Not so fast Rider.” Rider turned to see Caster standing there. “Right before that sonic attack could work this body of mine it changed to create a neural link between the different bodies that lies beyond simple sonics. I’m now running on Radio Waves.”
“YOU BASTARD!” The chariot began another change.
Break
The chariot had gone through dozens of variations, dozens of different power each strong enough to take down several servant; yet for some reason Caster just adapted to each of the new abilities before they could even land.
“Come on Rider, we’re almost there.” At this point caster was simply a nebulous cloud of radiation in the form of a man. “I’m sure you have a mother few variations in you.”
Rider could hardly breath. His master had already spent all three command seals to give him energy but it was running out fast and his master himself was being drained too dry to even move.
But Rider was the strongest in history, the greatest hero who’s name would echo throughout the ages with the help of the Holy Grail. He mustered up the last of his energy.
This time the Chariot got smaller, small enough to the point it wasn’t even a chariot anymore. It was a small crystal that fit in the palm of Rider’s hand. “I see. This is the only way to defeat a cheater. To break the entire system!” He raised the crystal up into the sky. “When I destroy this crystal all spiritual being in the area will be disconnected from their power source! Even a cheater like you cannot survive without help from the Grail!”
“Willing to kill yourself to destroy your enemy! This is why I love you hero types so much! Just try it!”
“Diiiiiieeeeee!!!” Rider threw the crystal onto the ground and a bright white light surrounded both of them.
Rider laid on the ground barely able to move. All of his magical energy was gone and he had no way to regain it. However could disappear in solace knowing that he was the strongest of them all.
“Wow. That was quite the performance.” Rider turned and saw Caster standing there unharmed.
“W-what?”
“I have to say that you really did act just as I needed you too. The moment I found out your true name I knew that you would be the one to psh my evolution to the limits. To cause me to evolve to a point beyond human understanding.”
“C-Caster!”
“No no no. I am no longer Caster. You see to survive that last attack of yours I had to change into something stronger, something with the ability to Manifest Independently. Call me Beast V, the Beast of Evolution.” Beast laughed and walked away, no longer caring for Rider now that his own gains had been realized.
“Y-you fucking cheater.” And Rider returned to the throne of heroes.
Originally Posted by Bugs
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