It turned out that building a bounded field meant to keep people away was among the basic skills of any Enforcer from the Clock Tower. That stood to reason. The entire purpose was to neutralise threats that broke the rules or went too far in their research, according to Bazett at least.
Still, it did not mean that the entire incident would go unnoticed. She'd already contacted Kirei... and despite my aversion to the creepy priest, I could not deny that it was the most logical decision at the present moment.
The first thing on my mind was putting distance between us. Even if we did target Illyasviel, Berserker was more than capable of throwing aside Cu and Shuwen to hone in on my rear.
The second we left the immediate premises, Cu dragged Heracles through several houses with his lance buried in the monstrosity's neck, almost as if it were payback for what the giant had done earlier. In turn, Heracles managed to get a hold of his leg.
"That's gotta hurt."
I watched Heracles repeatedly slam the blue spandex-clad lancer against the earth in the middle of several collapsed houses. The asphalt road had long shattered, and there was a distinctly man-shaped crater where he was standing. Suddenly, Berserker let him go and raised his axe-cleaver high above.
Cu threw himself aside just as the blade struck him.
Concrete rained, the earth parted, several walls collapsed inwards.
Instead of a fight between heroes, this was more like watching a natural disaster instead. A fight where I was entirely helpless. I didn't have to be a genius to know that the shikigami I'd tamed were doing jackshit to the hulking monstrosity that was Berserker.
...or so I told myself.
I'd never actually tested the theory.
...
Just as Cu launched himself off a wall like spiderman himself, I brought my hands together. The Divine Dogs leapt from Heracles' shadows just as he twisted to avoid the spear. The white wolf crunched down on his thigh, while the black one sank its teeth into his forearm.
The Berserker servant roared, blood seeped from where they'd bit him and they even pushed him with their strength.
Bazett stared at me with a visible confusion, "They hurt him?"
Heracles was supposed to be an invulnerable monster-
"Magecraft below A-rank shouldn't be able to hurt my Berserker..."
The answer came from Illyasviel herself. She'd only murmured, but my ears caught the words easily.
A-Rank... A-rank...
Though my knowledge was severely lacking, my shikigami were from the Age of the Gods. If the A-rank was for modern magecraft, then no wonder they worked. Mystery from the Age of Gods was in a different realm, after all, powerful enough to disrupt and ignore all modern magecraft.
And, now that I thought about it, even Rin had hurt Berserker, though it took a decade's worth of mana.
The Einzbern loli locked eyes with mine.
I grinned.
Nue shot out of my shadows and took to the sky. A massive beast that simply could not be ignored. It cried, and a rain of purple lightning descended on the entire block. Though it didn't seem to cause any significant damage, Heracles roared as his flesh burnt.
Cu Chulainn pulled his spear back.
"Master, I'm usin' it!"
His master gave a resolute nod, "Do it."
Massive amounts of mana, to the point where even I could tell, began gathering in his crimson spear. Then, it began to shimmer and glow most splendidly as he leaned back as far as he could, pulling his arm to its utmost.
I knew what was coming.
"GAE!"
"BOLG!"
With a defiant roar, Cu Chulainn let the legendary cursed spear fly.
"Gae Bolg? That means... you're Cu Chulainn-" A sudden panic crossed Illyasviel's eyes, "Berserker! Get away!"
But of course, to dodge that cursed spear was simply an impossible order. Once the name was uttered, getting your heart rent was a foregone conclusion, it was only a matter of how the world would accommodate the action.
I saw the world bend.
I saw the air screeched and howled.
In the blink of an eye, the gleaming cursed lance had pierced through Berserker's heart. He leapt away, to a side even, that much was certain. The very air had bent to make sure the spear chased him until it was through his heart.
The true shock came when even with a barbed spear lodged in his heart, Berserker twitched and moved.
An Angel of Death descended then, to make certain the result.
Li Shuwen.
He'd disappeared after acknowledging my decision, and now appeared when Berserker was struggling with Gae Bolg, just out of the mad demigod's eyeshot. His open palm was reeled back. His knees were bent to join him to the forces of the earth, and his other hand was held out, to make certain the direction of his strike.
I saw thick veins bulge all over his forehead, across his aged forearms. His robes became tight against his arms.
To be fully honest, I had genuinely doubted my servant's capabilities.
"In lieu of a hundred techniques, I strike with but one..."
His hand became a blur.
"There truly is No Second Strike..."
"Ha!"
Heracles' black muscles gushed out as chunks of meat rained out of a gaping hole in his chest.
That had been Shuwen's noble phantasm... I realised immediately. There had been no flamboyance, no great swirl of mana like Cu's, but even Gae Bolg clambered against the shattered earth, blown out of the Berserker's chest.
A rankless Noble Phantasm I had paid no heed to at all.
"God I'm stupid." I sighed.
Shuwen shook the blood of his forearm.
"Hmph! Perhaps I was a bit too showy..."
Before either Bazett or I could make any movement, Heracles began to twitch once more. The chunks of flesh and blood rolled back into his spasming body.
"Berserker! How could you lose three lives to these weaklings?! You stupid oaf!"
I grit my teeth and clenched my fists.
Two noble phantasms... The strongest attacks in either of our servants' arsenals... and three lives where Heracles had twelve for each of his labours.
The unreasonable demigod raised his bare hands and inhaled deeply, his chest swelling. Then, he roared well and truly, so loud that I shoved my hands into my ears for a sudden headache. The very dirt trembled.
"Ugh. My mood's all sour now... Berserker! We're leaving!"
...What?
We were clearly losing here.
She was giving that up?
I watched with wide eyes as Berserker immediately ceased all hostility to step over to Illyasviel and put her on his shoulder. She gave me a little wave and a giggle, and then they were gone.
"What a mad girl." Bazett commented.
I did not have the strength to agree.
My knees gave way. I collapsed to the floor. The pain in my back came rearing once more and I groaned through gritted teeth. Worriedly, Bazett knelt down next to me.
"You wouldn't be hurt if you didn't..."
I cracked a smile.
"Hey... I wanted to look cool...."
She did not share my amusement, instead, the older woman frowned.
"Don't talk."
Shuwen stood over me with his hands behind his back. There was a pleased smile on my mentor's face.
"See?" He asked.
I lowered my head. "Bravado... huh?"
-
Hope you enjoyed.