«Fuck», — said Nomat dryly as his spear was destroyed after the eighth blow.
He switched weapons again, but this one broke even faster. It came to the point where he was left with his very last weapon — the scythe called «Reaper».
He couldn't use bows or crossbows because he needed to stay close at all times to sustain the «magical berserker» state in Goethia's body; otherwise, Goethia would regain control over the magic.
Now he stood directly in front of Goethia once more. Dodging a blow over his head, Nomat launched a sweeping attack, digging his weapon into Goethia's body.
At the same moment, a pentagram appeared right behind Goethia, enveloped in an acidic glow. From it emerged a figure — the «Death Knight», who duplicated Nomat's attack and dug into Goethia's other side.
Together, they nearly cut Goethia in half — but then various pentagrams appeared on his body, leaking an appalling amount of magic.
A despondent expression crossed Nomat's face.
«I was so close».
Nomat didn't have time to evade the attack even with magic. So the «Reaper of Death» behind Goethia stopped trying to cut through Goethia. Instead, with all his might, he pushed the scythe forward, wrenching it out of Goethia's body — and in doing so, drove it straight into Nomat. This sent Nomat flying away from Goethia just before the overwhelming surge of magic hit him.
He was also saved by his shield — the «Chamber of the Damned», which he managed to erect while in mid‑air.
The magic that struck the shield caused hundreds of dead bodies to emerge right next to Goethia. They immediately launched an attack, but to Goethia they were like a swarm of mosquitoes — he destroyed them with a single sweep of his hand.
Despite all these actions, Goethia's magic managed to wound Nomat.
With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the ground right next to Ritsuku Fujimaru.
While he had been fighting Goethia, the «heroic spirits» had managed to catch their breath and re‑enter the battle.
However, things had grown even more difficult now. Goethia was faster, tougher, and actively trying to use magic — something he hadn't employed as vigorously during his first battle with them.
Their defeat was only a matter of time. The «heroic spirits» were exhausted, while Goethia grew stronger with every attack.
Ritsuku Fujimaru watched the battle tensely. All he could see were splatters of blood, blurred silhouettes, and monstrous surges of magic that left him breathless. He was far too close to the battlefield.
When he saw Nomat and the «Death Knight» nearly cut Goethia in half, Ritsuku dared to hope for victory — but reality quickly dashed his hopes. He watched in horror as chaotic streams of magic engulfed the entire area where Nomat and Goethia were fighting, destroying even the very ground itself.
Ritsuku rushed to the crater where Nomat had landed, only to behold Nomat's nearly destroyed body with dread.
Instinctively, he wanted to shout, «Are you all right?!» — but the words got stuck in his throat. Seeing Nomat's near‑ruined form, he couldn't bring himself to utter those words.
He turned his gaze back to Goethia and watched in terror as his comrades — the «heroic spirits» who had survived countless battles — were laid low. Goethia stared calmly at him, slowly raising his hand.
As Ritsuku's legs began to buckle, he heard Nomat's voice:
«Deflect this attack — and I'll kill him.»
Hearing those words, Ritsuku clenched his kouhai's shield until his knuckles turned white, then stepped directly in front of Goethia, shielding Nomat with his own body.
Fear gripped him, but he couldn't retreat. His body barely obeyed him, yet he couldn't give up — not now. Not when he was so close to his goal, not when all his friends were fighting tooth and nail for their kouhai's sake.
«A futile attempt to protect anyone, Ritsuku Fujimaru! Look around you! All your efforts are in vain! These dead men can do nothing, Ritsuku Fujimaru! Your strength is insignificant! Stop trying to thwart me! Don't you understand? I'm doing this for humanity!»
But Ritsuku Fujimaru said nothing. Though fear shone in his eyes, he didn't move an inch. He stood his ground stubbornly, gripping the shield left to him ever tighter. When Goethia saw his gaze, he suddenly understood.
«So you're not fighting for humanity — you're fighting to survive. How truly selfish humans are.» And then magic surged toward the ordinary man.
(I heard this line while watching the anime where Ritsuku fought Goethia — it's not word‑for‑word, but the meaning is similar. I'm not sure how it was in the Fate/GO game, but for this battle I drew inspiration from the anime film Fate/Grand Order: Final Singularity — Solomon (2021).)
A blinding flash consumed the world before Ritsuku Fujimaru's eyes.
Meanwhile, Nomat lay in the crater, recovering.
Only one thought echoed in his mind: «I will lose».
He felt it, yet kept denying it. Only now, lying in the crater — bloodied, broken — did he finally admit it.
After all, he had been forced to ask an ordinary human for help.
He saw the man's body tremble as he stepped forward to protect him. This man was willing to risk everything he had for the slightest chance of victory.
Seeing this, Nomat felt shame for the first time in decades. He hated Goethia and had been fighting him with 100 % of his strength — yet he knew it wasn't enough.
There was one detail that made him feel ashamed: he hadn't placed his own life on the altar of victory.
He didn't want to feel that pain — the pain of having your body torn apart from within, only to be rebuilt again, just to be destroyed once more.
Nomat was a vampire, and logically he shouldn't feel pain — but he did. Every time he was wounded, he felt it with full, 100 % intensity.
It was a simple human desire: not to feel pain.
In his final battle — the one where he had to die to secure victory, when he was chasing Sardolica — memories of the pain from using «Chaos Berserker» overwhelmed him. He nearly lost consciousness from that phantom pain. Every time he used «Chaos Magic», echoes of that agony returned, and subconsciously he avoided using it.
BUT HE COULDN'T AVOID IT ANY LONGER.
As if by cruel fate, the only magic capable of dealing significant damage to his enemy was precisely this one.
Before him stood a man. Trembling. Terrified. Bearing the burden of the entire world upon his shoulders. A man whose fear likely surpassed even his own — yet he still stood firm. He did not flee. He was ready to give everything for the slimmest chance of victory.
Something within Nomat broke. Not bone, not flesh — something far deeper. Something that made him not just a vampire, but a human being.
The phantom pain began to melt away. It had not vanished — oh, no, it still tormented him — but now it was drowned out by a different fire. A fire born not of magic, but of spirit.
He rose. Not because he could. Not because he wanted to. But because he had to. Because he would not allow anyone to protect him.
Goethia launched his attack. His magic began to paint everything in sight in blinding white — so immense was its scale.
And in that moment, through the tempest of pain, doubt, and fear, Nomat spoke — softly, yet with unshakable resolve:
«Chaos Berserker.»