Suspicious.
If there's a word that can describe the ongoing fight right now, it would be it. Illya bit her thumb, chewing on the thin fabric of her Sherlock Holmes gloves (picked the costume herself of course) in anxiety. Currently, her mind is leaping through various scenarios, theories and motives of one simple question.
How did Lancer find them?
Granted, Illya never hid her presence nor hid her movements but for Lancer to find them at the same exact moment she located one of Kiritsugu's safehouses. The servant of the Lance timing was too suspicious when she's just about to unlock the backdoor.
Too suspicious.
As such, she opted not to enter and watch the fight itself. The whole thing smells like a trap or worse, a set-up to kill her. It's better this way as she can monitor the ongoing fight and maybe identify Lancer. Not to mention, keep Berserker's eyes on her.
Afterall, Lancer's Master hasn't appeared yet.
She has already deployed a few Storch Ritters, an application of magecraft where she uses her hair as medium to create translucent familiars in the shape of birds. They are akin to independent familiars that can either attack or defend.
Currently, she had two scouts in the area to find Lancer's Master but no such luck.
Suddenly, a small building exploded into dust as it collapsed due to Berserker bulldozing through the poor structure. The mad servant in pursuit of the elusive Lancer.
~~~~~~~~~
"Not much for conversations aren't we, Big guy!" Lancer said through the clash of steel.
But honestly, it was more like him trying to survive Berserker's rampage by keeping his distance and avoiding direct clashes.
His broken arm can attest to that.
Down to one arm, he can only deflect and parry Berserker's attacks. It was a bad situation and he really is feeling the consequences of his eagerness for combat.
Berserker was just too strong.
Unlike Saber who he can match through his strength, skill, agility and speed, Berserker had him beat on all those categories except speed. Thinking otherwise, he got careless and it cost him his arm after a bad exchange.
Once again, Berserker's massive slab of stone came crashing down the pavement where Lancer once was. Dust and debris exploded upon impact yet the blue servant wasn't idle. He sidesteps into Berserker's blindspot while holding the stone slab.
His red spear flashed forward and stabbed multiple times into Berserker's head. His attack missed its intended target. Berserker let go of the stuck weapon and raised his arm, blocking the spear tip from hitting his head. Lancer clicked his tongue as he stabbed the arm three times, leaving only shallow wounds.
That's another problem for Lancer.
Berserker's body was too tough.
It's not his divinity alone that he had to cut through with Gae Bolg but also the dense and bundled up muscles of the massive servant.
It could be compared to a fork stabbing piece of hard meat, hardly any damage.
With a roar, Berserker swung the bleeding arm in a backhand.
"Woah!" Lancer yelped, jumping over the limb and twisting his body mid-air to reposition.
In a feat of flexibility, Lancer hung in the air upside down with his spear poised to thrust towards Berserker's forehead. In a blink of an eye, said spear rushed forward to its intended target to impale his brain.
Then Berserker proceeds to pull off a Neo.
With flexibility belying his own size, Berserker leaned back perfectly to dodging the fatal attack by a hair's breath. His momentum carried the giant to flip into a handstand but not before kicking the weapon stuck to the ground at the same time.
Lancer cursed loudly as the massive stone slab spun in the air towards him. To defend himself, he swung his spear to deflect as much force as he could.
"Guh!" Yet it was still enough to send him flying through a window to an empty building's hallway. The nearby wall soon exploded soon after, Berserker's red eyes emerging from the new hole as he chased after.
Lancer mouth turned into a bloody feral smirk. Gae Bolg spun in his grip as he faced the massive servant in the tight narrow hallway.
Berserker roared and charged at him.
Lancer stood his ground.
What followed was a fast-paced exchange of blows with Lancer controlling the pace. The narrow hallway might hinder his range and movements but Berserker is by far handicapped by the new environment. He was noticeably slower as the huge servant cannot move his limbs and weapon at full range while Lancer can to some extent. Long lines of cuts and gashes filled the room as Lancer let his expertise and skill with the lance loose. Already, multiple red lines have appeared on Berserker's body, his blood turning his blackened skin red.
Yet the massive servant is still no worse for wear.
'Lancer, kill Berserker and his Master.'
'Unleash your Noble Phantasm.'
Hearing his master's command, Lancer took a step back. In one leap, he distanced himself far away from the weary Berserker who was still guarding his vitals.
"What a bummer." Lancer grumbled before spinning his lance to take up his initial stance in unleashing his Noble Phantasm.
"And here I thought it would be fun. Oh well, no hard feelings then, Berserker." Power began to gather to the red spear, bloodlust began to flood the empty hallway as its true power was being invoked.
Outside, Illya saw the activation of said Noble Phantasm.
"Stop him, Berserker!" She cried out in alarm.
But it was too late.
"Your Heart is Mine! Gàe Bolg! (Gáe Bolg: Barbed Spear That Pierces with Death)"
A powerful anti-unit Noble Phantasm. A cursed spear bestowed by a Lancer's Master. Those who are wounded by this spear would never heal due to the curse, the ability to manipulate fate. Its main ability is to reverse causality of cause and effect.
With it, the effect comes first before the cause.
Under its condition, it meant that 'the enemy is already pierced and so the spear was thrust.'
That's what had happened as Berserker charged to stop Lancer.
His heart was already pierced.
As Lancer finished the motion of thrusting the red spear, Berserker lurched back with a shuddering gasp as he was struck by something invisible.
"Berserker!" Illya cried out in alarm.
Berserker has died.
His heart exploded in gore
The mad giant toppled, falling into his knees as his heart exploded deep within his chest, impaled by Lancer's Noble Phantasm. His red eyes dimmed as his life faded away before his head went slack.
Dead.
"Man, I was hoping for a longer fight but my Master's pretty impatient." Lancer sighs in disappointment. He was so much fun despite the mad servant's gimmick. Heck, it made the fight more thrilling and exciting for him.
'Find the Einzbern. Kill her now."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll kill the girl." Lancer huffed, his mood going down the drain at the order.
But as he took a step, Berserker's body began to explode with prana. Lancer leapt back in alarm away from the corpse only to see a damning sight.
Berserker is reviving.
Flesh began to heal. All wounds inflicted by Lancer all across the giant's body began to close up, making Lancer's efforts for the past few minutes all but useless. Lancer whistles, impressed at the clear display of a Noble Phantasm.
It's far even better than his own Battle Continuation.
"Hahaha, here I thought funs over. Looks like your orders have to be delayed master!" Lancer laughed, eager for another bout. This time, his own Battle Continuation has already healed his broken arm with the small break, enough to be used albeit lightly.
Meanwhile, Illya frowned.
Berserker found out the Lancer's identity at a heavy cost. He lost a life through Gáe Bolg, Cu Chulainn's infamous red spear. The Irish version of Berserker.
Unfortunately, Cu will now pay the price for wasting Berserker's precious lives. Illya smirks as Lancer readies for battle after Berserker finally heals, not knowing the danger he is in.
If she is correct, Lancer is now powerless against Berserker for using his Noble Phantasm against Berserker's God Hand.
Berserker, true name; Herakles.
The most powerful Greek hero arguably one of the most infamous heroes across the globe.
God Hand is a conceptual Noble Phantasm representing Herakles' 12 Labors, with each labor corresponding with 1 life. As such, Berserker can be killed but not permanently as it will simply use up a life from said Noble Phantasm.
Its secondary effect was its greatest strength. God Hand also acts as a conceptual armor around Berserker, a proof of his own Divinity as a demigod and acknowledgement of his feats in the 12 Labors. In action, this allows Berserker to simply ignore below A-rank attacks or Noble Phantasm. Anything below that threshold, Berserker cannot be simply harmed.
Then came God Hands' most useful effect.
Upon death and revival, Herakles' will gain immunity to whatever killed him.
Case in point, Herakles was killed by Gáe Bolg in this situation.
As such when Lancer took initiative, thrusting his spear to impale Berserker's heart once more-
Herakles simply stood still.
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the night.
"Oh, you gotta be bullshitting me right now." Lancer muttered in awe and creeping horror.
Gáe Bolg failed to pierce Berserker's skin. No, it was completely halted at the mad servant's skin as if it was solid metal, complete with sparks and everything when Lancer struck the giant.
'What kind of monster this guy was?' Of all the enemies he could have fought, he just has to find someone who can completely negate his Noble Phantasm.
He was then sent flying through a building once more by Berserker's backhand.
"So that's Cu Chulainn. How pitiful." Illya mused, "If it was any other servant, that would be the end of the fight and all but Berserker's God Hand made his Red spear useless. How unfortunate of him."
With Berserker now immune to Gáe Bolg, Cu Chulainn is practically disarmed against Berserker.
He's already dead.
"Fuck…" Cu groaned in the rubble, taking his time to think his way out of this mess. Berserker hasn't gone his way to rush him yet, must be toying him with its immunity.
What a mess, total immunity to the only weapon he has for the entire war. Whatever thought he had in beating Berserker was dashed the moment Berserker revived and resisted Gáe Bolg's edge, somehow gaining immunity from the cursed spear.
Total Bullshit if you ask him.
This mess makes him wish he was summoned as a Caster instead of a Lancer. Weak he may be as a Caster, at least he would have tons of options to takedown Berserker.
Sadly, this wasn't that timeline.
'Lancer, can you still fight?'
'Do I look like fucking alright? As you can see, that monster had me dead to rights right now and I can't do shit with whatever Noble Phantasm or skill he has!' Cu bemoaned at his fake master.
'I already see that but we can still recover from this setback.'
Cu raised an eyebrow. What the hell is that fake priest planning?
'By the Power of My Command Seals-'
Oh shit.
'I order you to use your Second Noble Phantasm, destroy THAT building and the Einzbern master!'
Cu groaned as the power of the command seals began its magic on his body. Whatever broken bones he had from Berserker's bitch slap snapped back to place and wounds knitted together as his Battle Continuation worked overtime in order to follow through the command.
This priest is REALLY persistent to not let that girl enter THAT building.
Berserker has only time to look up as Lancer shoots out of the rubble from the building he was thrown into. In the air, prana began to gather once more as Bloodlust enveloped the area.
"Again!" Illya was surprised. Why would Lancer try his Noble Phantasm again when Berserker can clearly shrug it off.
In the air, Lancer grinned wildly as he twisted his torso in preparation.
"Sorry lass but nothing personal!" He throws a warning as Gáe Bolg's second activation was complete.
Sensing that something was wrong, Berserker acted immediately.
"Berserker! Wha-" Illya gasped in surprise as Berserker crossed the distance between him and her to tuck her in her arms.
Just in time.
"Gáe Bolg! (Soaring Spear That Strikes with Death)" Lancer threw the cursed red spear with its 2nd activation.
Completely different from its first form of an anti-unit Noble Phantasm, this activation is far simpler and yet powerful. Upon being thrown, the cursed spear transforms into an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm as a powerful attack. An all-out attack where Cu's entire magical energy was used to turn the spear into one explosive attack.
Yet it wasn't enough to kill Berserker.
Normally, Cu needs to perform initial steps to maximize the effects. A run up and a charge up to fully throw it with his entire strength. Unfortunately, he's under command of a command seal and Berserker's threat means he has to do it very fast.
He isn't keen on dying tonight.
Not to mention, Berserker's immunity to the red spear made Cu doubt it can fatally wound the giant. Thankfully, he wasn't the target.
He just hopes the little miss would survive this.
As the red spear soars across the distance with incredible speeds, Berserker cradles the girl deep into his arms to protect her from the shockwave as the weapon passes over them. Illya, still surprised and confused, has only a moment of recognition of what attack was meant for. Before the spear struck its target, Illya has hastily created a crude barrier as additional protection, crude it maybe.
It did help as not soon after, the building imploded before bursting into a massive explosion of magical energy. A massive shockwave swept the nearby buildings, blowing the nearest structures to crumble from the very foundations they stood as the earth imploded from the explosion. Rubble and dirt flew as shrapnels in addition to the shockwave, bashing into Illya's hastily made shield. If it wasn't Berserker's immediate protectiveness, she would be dead by the sheer destruction of what Lancer had just unleashed.
By the end of it, nothing was left of the building she was meant to investigate. Multiple blocks destroyed by the explosion, leading to so many questions, cleanup and cover-up and some wasted resources as well some insights.
Berserker lost a life.
Lancer's true name is Cu Chulainn.
Status? Alive but defanged by Berserker's God Hand but shows no qualms in an attempt to kill her to bypass Berserker, a smart move.
Except for Berserker's new immunity to Gáe Bolg, Illya gained nothing in this encounter except for wasting one of Berserker's life.
"I'll kill that mutt." Illya muttered with a dark expression, promising vengeance for tonight's loss.
Looking at the conflagration consuming what once was Kiritsugu's safehouses, Illya huffed.
Maybe she can still find something useful…
~~~~~~~~~~~
War.
War was everywhere.
The screams of the dying and wounded echoed around him.
Shouted orders and explosions echoed.
And then he saw them.
From the moon they came down…
The…
.
.
.
Upon the moon's surface, phantoms began to appear.
Conversion rate progress: 35%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes.
Lancer vs Berserker results:
Draw!
Let me explain. From stats alone, Herakles should win in the encounter and once Cu activates Gáe Bolg, he's in checkmate with Herakles re-enacting Carnival Phantasm with Cu's corpse.
Except Cu has higher AGI as a Lancer and Disengage skill. So at the moment Cu uses Gae Bolg and Herakles gains his buff, Cu will be forced to disengage immediately to avoid death but not before taking one life.
And yes, I know Cu can use magic or runes a lancer but you all really think he can throw something strong enough magic to kill Herakles as a Lancer?
Now, Lancer can no longer fight Berserker effectively but that doesn't mean he can't assassinate Illya.
Not to mention, Lancer still wants to live longer to fight the other participants of the war so retreat is his primary goal immediately after Berserker's God Hand activates.
.
.
.
For the next chapter!
We will be back to school and Shirou will meet a certain worm!
More Conflict and route divergents!
Not to mention, another fight is going to happen.
Rin vs Shirou!
Tune in next time!
Now show me your stones!!!