As ridiculous as it would sound, Kai had given up on the thought of dodging the spear after seeing Lancer using the Noble Phantasm.
Gáe Bolg — Barbed Spear That Pierces with Death.
The Noble Phantasm was one of the most broken ones.
Not only did it freeze the surrounding Mana, making it impossible to use MP-based Skills and Items, in Contestants' terms, but it was known to be a Sure-Kill technique.
The number of Contestants who had survived Gáe Bolg's this Noble Phantasm, as it had one more in its arsenal, could very well be in double digits — in the entire history of the Primordial Tower.
And that was saying something in itself, showcasing the sheer miracle it was — surviving this attack.
There were three prime reasons behind Gáe Bolg's infamous name among the Contestants.
First, just by calling the Noble Phantasm's name, Lancer sealed the target's fate.
The actual action of thrusting the weapon was merely a formality, as the lance had already pierced the opponent's heart before the attack had even started.
The result of the heart of the opponent has been pierced was created earlier than it was thrust, while the cause that the lance has pierced through the heart was generated later.
That's why there existed a saying related to Gáe Bolg — If it was released, then the opponent was dead, because —
— Gáe Bolg attacked a target's destiny itself.
Second, even if by some miraculous, destiny-defying means the target survived, Gáe Bolg wasn't just a normal weapon — it was a Cursed one.
Once struck, the opponent's wound would never heal as long as the lance still existed in the world.
This one fact alone had cost over 99.99% of Contestants their lives.
In all fate timelines, Lancer was destined to die by the end of the Holy Grail War.
However, because of the Gáe Bolg's destiny-attacking nature, every injury it caused on the Contestant became an injury caused by EVERY Gáe Bolg in the Fate Random World.
Fate Bubble was one of the biggest Bubbles in the Multiverse anyway, having a Holy Grail War ongoing in countless timelines at a particular node in time.
So, unless one managed to cut off the entire Random World from the Multiverse, there was no surviving this curse, which ate away HP continuously.
Even the likes of Kings wouldn't survive if they weren't prepared against this.
It didn't matter who it was — A Contestant was dead if his HP became 0.
Third, and perhaps the most headache-inducing, was Gáe Bolg's Damage.
The Noble Phantasm delivered damage equal to 200% of a Contestant's max HP.
No matter to what floor a Contestant belonged, this fact wouldn't change, and the damage would automatically adjust itself as if fate itself had betrayed him.
Even if one could buff the Stamina, increasing the HP over its Max limit, crossing 200% of one's own HP was rarer than encountering a Deep One in one's Initiation Mission.
Also, the higher the Contestant's Stats, the more impossible it would become for him.
That meant — if a Contestant was innately strong, having high Stats, especially HP, then he had even more chances of getting one-shotted by Gáe Bolg.
So, no.
Kai had no intention of dodging the lance itself. He had done so to record the data about the change in Cause and Effect.
Kai had indeed been caught by surprise by Lancer's sudden appearance, though.
As Gáe Bolg attacked destiny itself, there were a few ways to counter it using equally remarkable phenomena.
The first way was to have Divine Protection.
In Contestant's terms, it could be an Old One or a Deep One's Blessing, or even Timeline's assistance.
The second way was to have an auto-resurrection ability, like Heracles.
Once dead, i.e., after their HP became zero, one must have the means to add more numbers to it automatically.
And the third way was —
— to be lucky.
Kai had no way of knowing that Lancer, who most probably had been hiding his presence using his rune-based magic, would ambush him.
His Luck, though, never rested — always conspiring, manipulating, and distorting realities so that Kai would come out to be the ultimate beneficiary.
And Kai's luck was great enough to surpass timelines, Random Worlds, and seep its authority into the Primordial Tower.
Even the Systems themselves had to acknowledge his existence by naming him The Lucky One.
Moments ago, Saber Alter's attack had been strong enough to push Kai's HP near zero, despite him being buffed by many Skills and Venom.
Luckily, that lowering of HP activated one of his Standalone Titles, turning him into a —
…
Standalone Title: Fiend
Specification: Win the Tournament of Worth with the Theme — Survival
Effect:
— When the HP falls below 10 Points, refill the HP by 200% of its Max. Limit
— Cooldown: 60 minutes
…
So, the damage dealt by Gáe Bolg failed to surpass the limit of 200% of Kai's max HP.
Also, Kai's true goal was to evaluate Assassin and find out the Servant's identity.
That's why, when Excalibur had incinerated Venom, Kai didn't return to the battlefield, because he wanted to force Assassin to join the fray.
The matter related to the Curse was even simpler.
Just as Black and Sakura had teleported away, he had luckily returned a few of the Skills to Berserker.
And there was one particular Item that didn't act as an Item, but as a Skill.
…
Item: Lightning Bolt Tattoo (Consumable)
Grade: Rare
Sub-Grade: High
Specification: A lightning bolt tattoo sticker that will tattoo the forehead with a real lightning-shaped scar.
Effect:
— Once tattooed, reflect all Curses equivalent to a C+ Grade or below
— Negates a Mortal Magical Attack every hour
NOTE: If a magical attack inflicts damage over twice the Contestant's Max HP, then its Negation can result in failure
…
Negation of Noble Phantasm itself had failed, but it successfully reflected the Curse, preventing Kai from experiencing a slow death.
As if that wasn't enough, another lucky event happened, then, taking the shape of a notification.
…
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai D. Stormborn
You have achieved a Commendable Milestone
…
Commendable Milestone: Survive Gáe Bolg during the Holy Grail War as a Servant or as a Master
Rewards:
— Item: Gáe Bolg
— Condition: Defeat Lancer in single combat before the Holy Grail War concludes, and earn his recognition as a true warrior
]
…
Looking at the notification, a sadistic smile settled on Venom's fanged face, his long tongue slithering out.
Through the notification, Berserker looked at a purely stunned Lancer.
"And…" Berserker growled, rubbing his chest and blinking out of existence. "… Nice to meet you, too. Hahaha…"
*****************
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