Raven stared around curiously as he and Zelretch appeared in a new place. He hissed as he immediately sensed and felt the pure and raw radiation in the area.
"What the fuck." Raven said as he felt his regeneration working in overtime to heal him from fucking dying because of it. A few spells prevented anymore of it from effecting him.
"That would be the reason we're here, at this point, neither you nor I can deal with this threat, not very much can. I still want to show you what's to come, thankfully we still have a good amount of time before it awakens." Zelretch said seriously as he guided Raven over towards a cliff.
Looking down, Raven saw a very familiar golden saucer.
"That thing is from my dream." Raven mumbled and Zelretch nodded his head.
"Yes, it is. When you accidentally linked up with my kaleidoscope, you saw it in an alternate universe. Luckily we have a bit more time before it awakens, or else we'd all be doomed." Zelretch said seriously before they both left.
Unknown to both of them, the existence that was ORT, also known as Type Mercury, stired as it momentarily awoke before going back to sleep.
"⟦Ƭ⟧⟦ℍ⟧⟦Ɽ⟧⟦Ɇ⟧⟦₳⟧⟦₮⟧ ⟦₦⟧⟦Ø⟧ ⟦Ⱡ⟧⟦Ø⟧⟦₦⟧⟦Ǥ⟧⟦Ɇ⟧⟦Ɽ⟧ ⟦Ɗ⟧⟦Ɇ⟧⟦₮⟧⟦Ɇ⟧⟦₵⟧⟦₮⟧⟦Ɇ⟧⟦Ɗ⟧"
(Threat no longer detected)
•~~~~•
Neither of the two would realize how lucky they were for leaving when they did.
•~~~~•
"I need to clear my mind, thanks for that kick in the ass old man!" Raven said before using a portal to go away.
"That kid seriously has no idea how much of an annoymally he is, and it's so amusing. Especially the complaints of Alyla and Gaia." Zelretch cackled as he could faintly hear the two arguing over the young fae child.
"Things have certainly gotten interesting." Zelretch mused aloud with a smile. "I hope they stay that way."
•~~~~•
Raven let a soft cackle as he arrived back in the clocktower offical area, he ignored all the whispers about him and being a magician.
Honestly, he understands the hype behind a magician, a peak you can't ever hope to accomplish, a might unable to be replicated. A peak so elusive, that in the span of existence, only five beings have managed to acquire such power.
However what he doesn't understand is the underhanded tactics people try to do with them. Like, what do you expect when you mess with a magician or the person closest to that point?
"Raven." Artoria greeted as she was eating alongside Shirou and Rin, though her plates were stacking fast.
"A- Saber, Rin and Shirou." Raven greeted as he sat down with them a carefully balanced set of trays being put down.
"Not another one." Rin groaned in horror and Raven chuckled.
"I'm sure I should be offended, but I'm not." Raven said as he began eating.
The four made occasional small talk, or rather Rin and Shirou did, with Raven and Artoria occasionally speaking as they shoved food down their throats.
•~~~~•
"Wait, Shirou really told his future self to basically fuck off? This is hilarious!" Raven cackled as he listened to some stories from their holy grail war. "All my future self did is never visit me, or if he did, he ain't ever show himself."
"Lucky you." Shirou said with a grumble.
"Oh come now Shirou, you have proven yourself wrong by not becoming my like Archer." Artoria said gently and Shirou nodded his head.
Raven froze momentarily as he thought on the golden saucer, and took a deep breath.
"Are you ok?" Artoria asked, the other two also looked slightly concerned, even if Rin hid it behind her Tsundere looks.
"Fine, just… anxious, over something Zelretch showed me." Raven replied and she looked at him with narrowed eyes before nodding to herself.
"Let us spar. It will help you relax." Artoria said as she stood up, and Raven the battle maniac wasn't one to refuse to throw down, stood up and followed her to a battle area, he also set up barriers, lots of them.
•~~~~•
Raven took a moment to just stop all the thoughts in his head and focus fully on something for once. No parts of his brain working to achieve one of the projects or solve a mystery.
Nope, he would give his everything to fight Artoria.
"Let us begin." Raven said as he had Malevolent appear in its fan form. It opened to reveal the word "BATTLE" on it.
Artoria dashed forward and with a swing she slashed down at Raven who bumped the invisible sword to the side and landed a kick to her chin that sent her up, but she just ignored the pain and swung her sword straight down at him.
Malevolent immediately switched to shield form and blocked it, though it did crack, but Raven only smiled as he pushed the shield up and dashed back.
He very quickly raised the shield again to block a sword swing aimed at his chest, and he grunted in surprise at the strength behind it.
Malevolent also further cracked.
He grinned as he moved forward and swung his shield, Artoria blocked it using pure strength, her lithe and thin form downplayed her strength he mused, and cackled as he heard another crack.
A hand with sharp claw like nails pierced through the back of the shield and Artoria just barely managed to avoid it, though she didn't escape a small cut on her cheek.
"Sharp." Artoria muttered as she wiped the blood off her cheek revealing it had healed already.
Both fighters paused as they sensed something, then in a myriad of colors their location changed to a giant open area. Large trees surrounded the clearing they were in. Taller then even the redwoods.
"Go all out. This world is uninhabited, and don't worry these two are safe, Artoria you won't have to worry about mana management." Zelretch said as he appeared, a barrier forming around him and the two observers.
"All out huh?" Raven muttered before he let his aura spread out, unconfined fully for the first time. The four observers went wide eye at the sheer raw energy released.
Raven cackled like a maniac as his wings and tail appeared. His horns started appearing from his head, the glow of dawn energy radiating off them. His nails, hand and foot, started turning dark alongside parts of his hands and feet. Small patches of scales formed over his body, his eyes glowed a bright cyan color. Black lines formed over his body, hidden by his clothes.
"Then the fun shall begin." Raven declared before he held a hand out as malevolent appeared brand new and in sword form.
In just a moment, Raven was in front of Artoria who had barely raised her sword in her defense. Raven smiled as his sword glowed before they were both caught up in a explosion of dawn energy.
"Your sword is most certainly beautiful." Raven said with a smile as he tossed his sword up in the air as it became a bow. He quickly took into the sky as he pulled the string back and an arrow of pure Dawn energy formed before it was fired off.
Artoria cut it in half as both halves exploded behind her.
"That was cool as hell." Raven muttered before he started firing multiple arrows off, each one she cut, deflected or dodged.
"That's annoying." He said aloud before smirking and firing off a batch of five arrows, Artoria cut them all, but the last one imploded as she tried to cut it.
"Unstable." She said in realization.
"Correct. I constructed the arrow as a stable form, but unstable core, just the slightest fluctuation of different energy and it would implode." Raven said pleased and she smiled.
"Your skills in magic are most impressive Raven. Only two others I can think of had comparable skills." Artoria said and Raven smiled at her as Malevolent changed into the form of a fan and he stuck it into his pocket.
"Thank you, but I supposed I should get serious." Raven said before he snapped his finger and multiple giant balls of Dawn energy started forming in the sky, and then they started firing blast of energy down at Artoria who quickly moved to avoid them.
Raven watched in curiosity before he started molding Dawn energy into a new form, a giant spear, which he threw down at her, she glanced at it as Excalibur started glowing golden softly before she swung it and all the attacks coming at her vanished in a golden slash of energy.
"Oi, that was scary as hell. Even I'd worry if I took a direct hit from that." Raven said aloud before he flew back as another golden slash passed right by where he was.
However he was surprised when Artoria disappeared and reappeared behind him aiming a cut at his back, but his tail lashed out glowing with dawn energy, at the same time his wings glowed brightly with said energy to form a shield.
Excalibur just cut right through it…
"Fuck." Raven grunted as Excalibur pierced his shoulder and the force of the attack sent him flying into the ground.
Artoria took a deep breath as she realized what she just did and quickly moved forward to check the stab wound as she landed on the ground, but she just got a hard kick to the face by a size twelve boot for that.
She looked up, rubbing her face to see the wound slowly closing up.
"That hurt." Raven huffed as he took his malevolent out his pocket and changed it into its sword form.
"You have too much experience in combat, much more then I will have for a long while. Your instincts are arguably better then mine. However I have something you don't." Raven said as his outfit repaired itself like nothing happened as soon as his stab wound closed up.
"What is that?" She asked and he smiled at her as he copied her current stance.
"Annoyance factor."
So began a battle of wills as Raven copied her every move, matching her strength and speed, at times she moved faster and overpowered him, but he used extra magic energy to enhance himself physically.
"You are still annoying when doing this." Artoria declared as her own move nearly cut her arm.
"Thank you, I've very proud of your skills." Raven cheerfully said as he blocked an attack, however Artoria used a lot more strength and speed, and in that moment Malevolent broke into pieces from the attack and was pointed at Raven's throat.
"I surrender." Raven declared smiling as the other three approached.
"You did well Raven, perhaps if you focused more on your own swordsmanship technique, you might beat me eventually." Artoria said and he smiled.
"Why would I do that when I can just copy yours? Also about beating you? I wouldn't say I would lose in this battle." Raven said to everyone's confusion beside the old bloodsucker.
"In the sky, look at the sun." Zelretch provided as everyone looked up and at the sun, or rather the humongous orb of dawn energy.
"This world odly had no sun, just pure light, so I made my own sun." Raven said happily as he let it break apart and rain dawn energy over the planet.
"Yes, you are truly terrifying." Zelretch said and he glared at the bloodsucker.
"You wanna go old man? I'm not afraid to throw hands with the elderly!" Raven glared as he butted heads with the user of the kaleidoscope.
"Old man! I'll teach you your place brat!" Zelretch said as sparks formed around them.
Artoria let Excalibur vanish off as she broke them apart, but the two magicians just cackled in sync as the three shivered.
"It's on!" They declared before they just stopped and Zelretch returned them to the clocktower.
•~~~~•
"Hey Arotria, do you wanna go out on a date?" Raven asked during one of their sparing sessions, and she blinked at him, a small blush covering her face.
"I would not be opposed to such an outing, perhaps during the summer time after we have properly gotten to know each other." Artoria said and he smiled at her.
"Perfect." Raven said before attacking her again. She smiled as she got back into the fight.
•~~~~•~~~~•~~~~•
So the next chapter has been dropped. This was actually going to be shorter, but ended up at 2000 words. Not gonna complain about a longer chapter then planned. Was expecting around 1500 words instead.
Anyways, I have some thoughts on a fun future event for next year. Can't wait to write it out.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, until next time!
Bye~
-Voidy, The Insomniac
[Discord]
https://discord.gg/RhMYhxpFgY
[Patreon]
patreon.com/Insomniac1031