"So? What do you say? Enticing right?"
The mans words were like a thick honey, clouding her ears and swaying her judgement.
"All you have to do... Is take this grail, and use it to initiate our plan. In return, Our King will help you in all that you desire."
The promise was sweet, and vague.
But it was everything that Saber, that Artoria Pendragon needed to hear.
So she listened to that shady man, and grasped the grail tight in her armored grip.
{DEATH} {DECAY} {THE END OF EVERYTHING}
And as she took it, images passed through her head.
Knowledge of a future not yet come to pass.
Memories of events that happened prior.
All of it flooded her mind.
"Ah... So that's how it is..."
With that knowledge, came the truth.
So...
Saber-
No, now Saber Alter, did something she thought she never would.
She used the grail, to restart the grail war.
Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, all were swiftly crushed and subdued, before being blackened under her submission.
Archer was harder to blacken, after all, he was no ordinary servant.
But a glimpse of the truth was enough for him to bow his head.
As for Caster?
She let him loose. It was amusing to watch him think he was free.
Besides,
A dog with no master to serve, is a faulty dog after all.
At last, the stage was complete.
All that remained...
Was to wait.
Wait for someone to come and relieve her burden.
As for why Saber Alter did this?
That's a good question.
Why?
Why give up a chance at saving her kingdom?
...
Because, saving the kingdom would mean nothing without a world for it to stand in.
.
Time passes.
She feels her connection to her minions through the grail fade.
A faint sense of trepidation fills her mind.
It seems something is engaging with her Berserker.
With a thought, his vision becomes her own.
She watches in rapt fascination as a being wreathed in flames exchanges blows with Berserker.
Berserker swings his axe sword for the final time, only for a wing to parry it, before the connection goes dark.
And after all of this, not once does Saber Alter seem to get worried.
No in fact she seems pleased.
"Should I go interfere Saber?"
The question comes from the Archer behind her.
One of her most loyal subordinates for reasons even she can't fathom.
"No need."
While the thought does make sense, Saber Alter sees no need at the moment.
Her hands rest gently on the pommel of her sword, Excalibur.
Its glow now dim, but no less volatile.
"Instead of interfering... Separate them. The Chaldeans. Thin the herd if you will. I wish to test them myself."
"As you wish."
____
More time passes. The long drawn out silence is almost comforting in its familiarity, such was how long Saber Alter was used to it.
Then...
A noise pierces that silence.
An explosion in a place that otherwise makes no sense.
And with that explosion reveals a ray of light illuminating the otherwise dark cavern.
"So... You've come at last..."
Saber Alter opens her eyes, the two golden orbs gleaming as a small grin appears on her face.
She sees them in an instant.
A boy with a naive look in his eyes. His black hair was slicked with his sweat, and his body was noticeably tense. Yet, he remained steadfast. Good. Very good.
His impression in her mind went up a few notches.
Then her gaze goes to the next member.
A pink haired girl dressed in loose armor. Her whole demeanor screamed meek. But Saber quickly latched onto that shield the girl was holding.
....
So that's how it is?
Saber Alter took note before turning her gaze to the last member of this entourage.
That white haired girl who didn't know she was already dead.
No matter.
"Wanderers... No. Chaldeans. You've done well to come this far. But this is where your journey ends."
Saber Alter's voice echoed through the cavern as she lightly hopped down.
She saw the group chatting amongst themselves, no doubt questioning what was going on.
But she didn't care for that.
No her eyes were only for that girl wielding the shield as she lunged forward.
It was time...
For a test.
"!"
"MASH!!!!"
-
ACT VI - The Truth of a Smoldering Singulairty
_
Outside the Greater Grail Cavern
_
Dante
"Pant... Pant... Pant..."
Deep, hurried gasps left Dante as he stabbed his mystic code into the ground and leaned on it while trying to catch his breath.
Seeing a glint of light in the air, he hurriedly rolled to the side as the Archer servant came crashing down with a stomp that cratered the ground.
"Guh???"
A grunt left him, as he immediately had to stand and raise his blade to block a downward smash that left his kneecaps on vacation.
"Color me impressed, you're still standing."
And the whole time, the Archer seemed to be almost bored with his interactions.
"Yeah well, if I went down from every heavy hit, I would have died when Chaldea was first established."
And ain't that the truth.
You ever wondered what it felt like for someone to wipe your face with a castle wall?
It don't feel too good.
{1}
At the mention of Chaldea, Archer's pressure seemed to waver.
Taking advantage, Dante dropped to the ground, as he went for a leg sweep, that the Archer predictably avoided by jumping.
Only for a warning bell to go off above Archer's head when he saw his opponent making a slamming gesture with his palm.
Looking up, he met the sight of a giant chunk of wall falling out of a rip in the air towards him.
With a crash, servant and rubble slammed to the ground, the shockwave nearly blasting Dante off his feet.
A few seconds of silence-
And then,
"So this Chaldea, tell me more."
"You know you could at least pretend to have been hurt?' Dante grumbled as he took a guarded stance once more, "It'd have done wonders for making me feel better about myself."
"Fair enough. However, as it stands we are both under no illusion that you can beat me. So just humor me. Why are you Chaldeans here? Why is Saber so fixated on you wanderers of a different time?"
"..."
"Yes?"
"...I honestly couldn't tell you. Originally, our goal was to figure out what was wrong with this place. Maybe by sending a few advanced scouts in a more controlled means of testing. Or even letting more capable people come here and establish a base of operations. Hard to say."
"I'm sensing a but here."
"Yeah." Dante nodded, before plopping onto the ground.
Since Archer wanted to talk, he could probably rest for a bit.
"But things went wrong. Our facility had an explosion go off. The results nearly killed all of our staff, our base is currently in shambles. And an unlicensed newbie was dragged along in the place of other Master candidates. Shameful. Pathetic even.
Countless other people died, and yet we were forced to bring along a kid. Says a lot about the situation that he's the best we have."
Clench.
"But even worse... Mash has to take to the battlefield. That girl isn't a fighter. She wouldn't hurt a fly if she could avoid it. But she's here now, and is forced to deal with it. I'm her Captain, and yet... She's the one protecting me... It hurts my pride as a man ya know?"
"I'm not your therapist, and I don't exactly care about my own pride so I can't say I do."
"Yeah... That's fair."
"Regardless, it seems you'll have to die with your regrets added onto."
"?"
"That girl, Mash was it? She's a defective servant. She can't use her noble phantasm. She lacks the drive to kill. And she's woefully naive. She stands no chance against the king of knights. And you're no better. You are both extremely outmatched, and are both without a doubt screwed. Take solace in the fact that you'll at least die a failure shortly after her."
...
Ouch.
Talk about a sharp tongue.
Hearing those words delivered so calmly, would make anyone want to retort back.
But before Dante could open his mouth, a large runic array appeared in the sky above Archer.
"!"
"Tch?! That damn Caster-!"
Archer tried to jump, only for an increase in gravity to slam him back down.
Several fireballs, a bundle of meteorites, and a... High jump stand for some reason?
All fell down and consumed the Archer's visage, obscuring his appearance as footsteps made their way forward.
Looking back, Dante was met with a wild eyed stare, and a messy bundle of blue.
"Cu?"
"The one and only! Consider yourself fortunate that lil ol me wasn't too far away. You'd be dead otherwise, and the afterlife is pretty bland this time of year~"
Seeing Cu say that, missing an arm, but smiling a grin full of all teeth, for once Dante shut down any snark he had.
Instead he shook his head, before responding in gratitude.
"...Ya know what? I'm not even gonna argue. Thanks Caster. I mean it."
Hearing the thanks, Cu blinked.
"Eh?"
"What? Just cause I don't like ya doesn't mean I'm inconsiderate."
"Fair enough."
A shout of frustration quickly made both turn their attention to the tanned Archer. Someone who was looking non too plussed at being crushed earlier.
"Well shit, let's get this over wi-"
"No. Let me. You go on ahead. The little lady and the rest are waiting for ya."
Dante was cut off as Caster held his staff out, blocking his way forward.
"?"
"That girl? Her opponent is the King of Knights. She'll need all the help she can get. I hate to say it, but I'd be a hindrance at the moment if I went. So you go. You're an important part of your team, so go ahead and be there. I'll handle Archer."
"....Right."
Instead of arguing, Dante nodded as he turned to run towards the cave.
Midway, he paused, seemingly wrestling with something. Before he squared his shoulders and turned to face Cu again.
Watching the guy struggle, Cu raised an eyebrow.
"What? Feeling sentimental already? If you're worried, just get me a drink or something next time we meet. Deal?"
".... Yeah. It's a Deal. So until then, [You Can't Lose]. Alright?"
"..."
For a moment, Caster didn't know how to respond. The boy, no, the man in front of him had his fist stretched out for a bump, which certainly threw Cu for a loop.
"...heh. You've got yourself an agreement."
And with that, Cu bumped fists with Dante.
Following that whole strange ordeal, Dante quickly turned and sprinted away.
Leaving Cu to watch him go.
"Well. That was annoying. One of you managed to escape. No matter."
Archer walked forward, hand on his neck as he stretched almost lazily.
"It makes no difference. Getting into a One on One fight with me is a failure on your part Caster."
"...hah."
Contrary to Archer's expectations, Caster didn't seem remotely concerned.
In fact, he seemed just as smug as ever.
"You've got something wrong here ya crazy bastard. Failure? Cut the crap. This is my best matchup. I think out of everyone here, I have the most experience in disadvantageous situations. Don't believe me? Let me show you why."
.
Archer blinked.
"!"
Only for him to be baffled as Caster vanished from his line of sight.
Enhancing his senses, Archer whirled around as he realized Cater was now behind him. Arm stump braced in front of him, while his staff was held at an angle like a spear prepared for a thrust.
"Physical Reinforcement? No, this speed is still too abnormal! And that stance-"
It could only be a boost from a Command Spell?!
"With this one strike, I'll send you off!"
"TCH! CAASSSTTTEEERRR!!!"
Gritting his teeth, Archer nonetheless turned and met his thrust head on.
__
Back in the Deeper Grail Cavern
Mash was nearly blasted backwards as Excalibur's edge slammed into her shield with surprising force.
Fortunately, she managed to barely stop herself from being thrown.
Or at least she did, until a maelstrom of darkness roared to life where shield met blade.
[MANA BURST], a skill that allows for an increase in performance simply by infusing one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of Magical Energy for an abrupt detonation.
Almost immediately, all resistance was rendered futile, and with a mighty heave, Saber Alter flung girl and shield away.
"ACK?!"
A choked gasp left Mash's throat as she slammed back first into the cavern wall.
Dropping with a thud, Mash swayed unsteadily on her feet as she forced herself to stand up.
"..."
THUD
"MASH!"
Ritsuka shouted her name in concern as Mash's legs buckled and she was forced to lean on her shield.
Saber Alter leisurely walked forward, Excalibur held loosely at her side. A sneer marred her features as she looked down at Mash, and Ritsuka Fujimaru who was currently trying his best to help Mash stand.
"You don't even know the weight of that shield do you little girl? About the hopes and dreams entrusted to it. You dare to stand before me with such faulty conviction?!"
"..."
"You don't even know the name of that shield do you?"
"..."
Mash could only remain silent. It was true.
She had nothing to go off of.
No hints. No clues. Nothing.
Just a heavy shield, and an even heavier burden to bear.
"It's no good....!"
Behind Mash, Olga was hyperventilating.
Her head was at her knees as her palms tightly gripped her face.
"We can't win... Not like this!." Olga cried while her body trembled, "We're going to die here! Without even returning to Chaldea!"
"I- ...."
Ritsuka wanted to say something, but he couldn't.
Any words of comfort would be a lie, and honestly? Ritsuka didn't think he could muster up any such lies of comfort.
"How...Pathetic."
The Chaldeans looked up to see Saber Alter holding her sword in front of her, mana pulsing ominously at its edges.
"This... Weak showing. Your fragile resolve. All of it will be torn to shreds. I will destroy everything. Your so called Grand Order. And your pitiful resistance. This Will be The End."
The glow intensified as Saber Alter's very words began to warp with power.
"Upon this Mountain of Corpses, The Fleeting Embers of Mankind. I will Reverse the Rising Sun."
"!"
Seeing Saber Alter's actions, Mash was quick to lunge in front of Ritsuka and Olga Marie as she braced her shield forward.
"Get behind me! Both of you! That light, The Holy Sword is Coming!"
"Iron Hammer of the Vile King Swallow All Light, [EXCALIBUR MORGAN!!!]"
_
--
Mash.
Oh sweet, dear, innocent Mash...
There's always that brief moment of clarity in the face of death.
A small pause where all of your thoughts are redirected towards living.
Towards mistakes made, and choices yet to be made.
This brief moment is aptly called [Your Life Flashing Before Your Eyes].
And in most cases, this brief period allows for you to come to terms with your life. A coping mechanism if you will.
Of course, there are always exceptions.
Take, young Mash if you will.
She is an artificial being, a Homunculus child created for the purpose of defense.
A designer baby.
But.
She is not a violent child.
No she is in fact, a girl who would advocate for peace wholeheartedly.
So when put in this situation, a situation where her life should be flashing before her eyes, what did she see?
Nothing.
Yes, that's right, she saw nothing.
For the last several years, her life, her... 'world' consisted of nothing more than the white walls of the institute known as Chaldea.
Therefore, what life would flash before her eyes, if any at all?
-
'I'm scared...'
The thought came unbidden as Mash raised her shield against that malevolent torrent of light.
Even now, her arms were trembling as she strained to brace herself, desperately seeking a foothold amidst the maelstrom of unholy light.
'From the very first time I lifted this shield and fought, I've always been so so scared. I wanted to run away more than anything else...'
Panicked screams came from behind her back as Mash fought to stay upright.
And even still, all she could was lament the current situation.
'It's scary! So scary! I never wanted to be here! And yet here I am! This torrent of light will swallow everything! And I, I can't endure it by myself!'
Tears fell from Mash's eyes as she stood firm. The beam's intensity wasn't getting any weaker, and in fact, it felt like Saber was merely taking a breather instead of extinguishing the life of innocents.
'This shield is getting heavy... I can't.. Support it anymore...'
Her foot slipped, and the shield swayed precariously to the side, threatening to be outright blown away from Mash's hands.
"Somebody! Somebody please help me!"
Clasp.
"H-huh?"
Just as the shield was about to slip, a second grip appeared beside Mash.
"Sen...Pai...?"
Yes, that's right.
The person standing by her side, the person bracing his own weight against the shield was none other than Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Seeing him, Mash felt immediate relief upon seeing him.
That's right.
She had Fujimaru.
If it was him then he'll be able to support her.
"Senpai... Senpai..! He'll help me-"
The thought tapered off immediately as Mash felt tears splash her face.
Looking over Mash saw tears running down Ritsuka's face.
"I don't... I Don't Want To Die!"
The declaration was loud and defiant, yet it perfectly encapsulated why a person would struggle in the face of the inevitable. The will to live.
And seeing his tear filled expression, something clicked inside of Mash.
'Have I... Gotten the Wrong Idea? Where did I first get this impression that just because this person is brave he can stand up to Heroic Spirits just fine? Even though it seems impossible, this person has always held the tiniest bit of courage in the face of terror.'
Yes, that much was true.
Even in the face of overwhelming might, time and time again Fujimaru had shown outstanding bravery.
But even so...
'Why did I think he could protect me? I'm the one who's supposed to fight. Even if I don't think I'm worthy of being a hero, I'm still his Servant!'
Mash's grip tightened on her shield, as she began to slowly rise up.
Fujimaru blinked in surprise, as he felt his burden ease up.
Looking up, he saw Mash with a determined expression, as she began slowly pushing back against the Noble Phantasm bombarding her.
"Mash you-"
Mash didn't hear him, as her mind was focused on moving forward.
She needed to stop this mess.
To mitigate the damage and save everyone.
...
A Noble Phantasm is a weapon or skill that every Heroic Spirit is Bound to Have. It's a symbol of the legends or deeds that make ya a Heroic Spirit. Every one of em has a Power that exceeds modern science or magecraft.
...
A Noble Phantasm.
She had to use it.
In this brief moment, where all lives hung on her shoulders she needed to find a way.
"Use it. Raise your hands, and Use it."
Yes. She had to use it...
Use it.
It didn't matter if she was half baked.
Use it.
It didn't matter if she was able to stand with the other heroes or not.
Use it!
If she didn't use her Noble Phantasm now, everyone would die.
That's why!
USE IT!!!
"Even its fake! Even if it's just this once! Please!"
Mash slammed the shield down, while pouring her very hopes and will into the shield.
Not any grand aspirations, nor any selfish dreams.
Just the goal of protection.
"DEPLOY THE PHANTASM!"
[NOW IS A CASTLE OF DISTANT IDEALS - LORD CAMELOT]
A brilliant light burst forth, overwhelming Saber's own Phantasm.
Far from being a rebound blast, the light didn't reflect the attack at all.
No, if originally, it was a shield meant to deflect all attacks, perhaps in response to Mash Kyrielight's own wish to not harm others, the effect changed.
Instead, the light merely... erased Saber's sword wave, leaving behind tranquil silence, and a tired yet firmly standing Mash.
One who slowly lowered her shield, and turned to look at Fujimaru with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Look Master... I used it..."
"...Yeah..."
Ritsuka could only nod back, though the small smile on his face was no less brilliant.
_
On the other side of the battlefield, Saber's expression could be described as very cramped.
Actually, extremely torn is more apt.
Like this actually:
0.99999% contempt, and 0.00001% disgust.
Her face was stuck in a state of both, leading to a smile like grimace.
Seeing those familiar walls, Saber didn't know whether to curse at this girl, or thank her for allowing such a sight to be seen again.
"You there, girl with the shield. What did you say your name was again?"
Mash looked confused upon hearing Saber address her, but nonetheless squared her shoulders as she turned.
"Mash. Mash Kyrielight."
Mash huh...
Saber rolled the name around in her head for a moment.
"You have a difficult road ahead of you. As long as you bear that shield, it won't get any easier."
"....I know. But... I'll keep moving on ahead, so I can continue being a shield for Master."
"..."
For a moment, the image of a man with white hair overlaid the girl in front of Saber.
It was brief, but for a split second, it sparked a fire of irritation.
If only he were still around.
Then maybe Camelot would have been still standing.
The perfect knight...
If he were at Camlann, then maybe...
"..."
Once more, darkness roared to life upon the edge of Saber's Excalibur, as [Mana Burst] flared up again.
Call it pettiness, call it foolishness, at that moment, Saber truly wanted to see how true that declaration was.
Seeing that dark light, Mash was quick to raise her shield, ready to deploy her Phantasm again, only to hear Ritsuka give out a choked gasp before slumping forward.
"Master?!"
Ritsuka didn't respond as he simply hit the ground, mind long gone as he fell to unconsciousness.
Gritting her teeth, Mash nonetheless raised her shield once more, brutally aware that the brief moment of hesitation had probably screwed her.
"[EXCALIBUR-MORGAN]!!!"
___
____
______
"Huh?"
Instead of feeling any pressure, Mash felt a distinct...Nothing?
No.
Now that she was focusing on it, she felt something wrapping her body gently, almost like a blanket.
Hesitantly opening an eye, she looked down only to see what looked like a large wing, wrapped around her body.
Looking back, she saw that same appendage wrapped around Fujimaru, and somehow stretching to cover Olga, who was busy poking at the appendage in disbelief.
And looking forward, Mash saw that person knelt in front of her, a small frown on their face.
She couldn't quite make out their features no matter how hard she tried though, her concern was moreso on Saber Alter, who was still in the midst of unleashing her Phantasm.
Seeing this, she moved to warn the person, even trying to stand up (when did she sit down actually?).
"Please! You need to move! It's not safe-"
"[I'm Sorry.]"
"Eh?"
Two words.
Two simple words that made any argument Mash may have had die out.
Because while the voice was heavily muffled, and quite distorted, it was close enough that she could recognize its owner. {*1}
Captain? Dante?
But if this was him, that meant, this whole time-
"[This whole time, I could have helped. But... I didn't, and I'm sorry.]"
Excalibur's light came crashing forward, yet a twitching at Dante's back revealed a wing bursting forth to meet it.
Immediately, unholy light was split down the middle. Blistering heat gushed over all present, and instinctively, everyone moved closer to the person weathering the blast.
Except for Mash, she simply stared at the person who had watched her throughout this singularity.
A person who had watched her panic, watched her struggle with not one, not two, but four servants, and not even help beyond the minimum.
And she did something that shocked even herself.
Slap
She slapped him.
Well calling it a slap is overdramatizing it, it was moreso of a forceful push on his face, but it conveyed her disbelief perfectly.
"Why?"
"[...I. Just wanted you to grow a bit is all. I mean it worked didn't it? You used your Noble Phantasm, and you gained some combat experience right? So I did it with your best interests in mind-]"
"But the ends don't justify the means!"
"[..]"
"You can argue it all you want, debate it all you want, but you still put several people in danger! Master almost got hurt! The Director nearly died! And all because you wanted me to grow???? What is wrong with you?! So many people could have died if I was even slightly less capable than you estimated!"
Yeah.
That was the crux of it.
And the worst part about all of this?
Even if one wanted to argue that him doing what he did could be considered right, it wasn't the right time for it.
If Mash was a second slower, or if a series of coincidences hadn't lined up, then everyone would die.
Plain and simple.
___
______
DANTE
.
And yet despite it all...
"[In the end, you're more upset that they were almost hurt, not yourself...]"
"..."
Mash turned her head instead of responding.
Watching her sulk, Dante could only sigh.
Turning his head away from Mash, his gaze swept over the other two there.
Olga, who was still stuck in a state of disbelief and relief. Tears were still staining her cheeks, and she was clutching the wing wrapped around her like she was afraid it would disappear if she stopped holding it.
Seeing this, Dante's gaze lingered on her for a sec, before moving over to the collapsed Fujimaru.
A quick scan revealed the boy was fine.
Just tired from mana depletion.
Which is understandable.
In the span of about 7 hours, he had been running up and down the streets of an entire city, as well as survive several servant attacks, all while providing mana for Mash.
The guy certainly had potential as a Master.
Nonetheless, that hinged on everyone actually getting out of here.
His gaze turned towards the blackened king, who showed no signs of weariness, and was instead merely watching them all.
Her gaze was full of disdain, as if the fact foes that she was previously trying to harm weren't worth harming while they talked.
Sheesh.
At this point she was more like a tyrant than a king...
...
Wait...
Tyrant, not king...
Unfit to rule....
Wordlessly, Dante stood to his feet, and began walking towards Saber Alter.
"Eh? Dante?! What are you doing?!"
It speaks volumes of the dumb decision he was making that even Olga was questioning him, considering she was in a stupor moments prior.
"[Call it a hunch. I have an idea I have to test. If it doesn't work? Well, we're dead regardless, no?]"
"..."
Olga fell silent at the rather sarcastic retort.
Soon enough, the man stood before Saber Alter, who was currently looking at him with amusement.
"Oh? Done playing the part of the weakling? Have you finally come to face me like a man?"
"[Something like that. Saber- no. Artoria Pendragon! Under the rules of Brehon Law, I declare you unfit to be a Ruler! I challenge your kingship, and your right to bear the throne!]"
"...."
Immediately, everyone fell silent under the face of such a declaration.
Dante had his finger pointed in Saber's face, and Saber herself was seemingly taken aback.
-
"Brehon Law?"
"It's an ancient Irish law from way back when."
"You know about it Director?" Mash asked while turning to face Olga, who quickly nodded.
"I do. It's a law that stipulates Kings weren't able to inherit the throne through bloodline. Instead, they were elected by the people, and chosen for their merit. They were forced to uphold "noble truth" or 'honest rule' to ensure prosperity, or risk losing favor and even their throne, as they were expected to enforce laws fairly, maintain community well-being, and pay honor prices for any offenses, with laws regulating everything from succession to social status. In the event the King was seen as unfit to rule, then they could be challenged for the throne and ruler rights."
Mash took a bit to digest that, before something else came to mind.
"But wait... King Arthur isn't Irish right? He- Er she, was Welsh right?"
"True. However, her legend isn't entirely concrete. There are still people debating whether she was truly real as is. But despite that, her rule can be considered to be a gray area, because she herself is a Celtic king that may or may not be Irish. And because of that gray area..."
"There's some flexibility on what she may or may not know, and since the grail would impart knowledge... She would have knowledge from both areas just to be safe!"
Olga nodded as Mash finished her sentence.
And they weren't wrong.
Dante himself was nearly pissing himself as he waited to see if Saber would know what he was talking about.
Even if he was now on equal standing as Servants, he wasn't keen on facing the King Arthur.
At least not one that would probably attack innocents if she saw fit for the 'collateral' to be worth it.
Hence this gamble.
Fortunately for him, fate seemed to be smiling upon him, as Saber's gaze took a contemplative edge.
"You would challenge my rule?' Saber began while raising a brow in his direction, "Ignoring the absurdity of such actions, on what basis do you state these claims?"
Gotcha!
Dante mentally cheered as she took the bait, before clearing his throat as he stared her in the eyes and continued speaking.
"[For starters, you quite literally dispatched several assailants to assault our personnel. Even if you didn't give them instruction to destroy everything, you also didn't dissuade them from wanton murder and destruction.
Not to mention, you yourself were willing to attempt to strike down a teenager over what can only be seen as a personal grudge.
These two things alone mark you as unworthy for King.]"
"Heh. Absurd. Your arguments lack substance and are full of flaws, almost as if you strung them together last minute."
That's exactly what he did, but he wasn't going to admit it.
"And even now, it's clear you're merely trying to stall for time or some other arbitrary trick. But you know what? I'll humor you. For even I, have my own pride to uphold. So I'll play along."
Saber's aura roared to life as she slammed her sword blade deep into the ground.
"Come. Wanderer from Chaldea. I, Artoria Pendragon, Heir to Uther Pendragon, and the rightful King of Britain, accept your challenge before the throne."
Well shit.
Is this what they call out of the frying pan and into the fire?
Fin~
*{1}. Because while the voice was heavily muffled, and quite distorted, it was close enough that she could recognize its owner.
While using servant power, the act itself strains his body since he wasn't made for the act unlike Mash. The end result is the transformation itself placing stress on every part of his body.
The current servant sharing their power with him is Bahamut.
[ ]
The brackets surrounding Dante's speech. They represent the fact that servant and human aren't perfectly compatible and thus there is a dissonance.
Although it's also just a thing I did to show he was different somehow, don't expect it to appear for the rest of this fic, as it was a one time thing. For this fic at least.
Also represents vocal overlap and or reverb.
Other characters will have this.
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Aight.
Hanabi dayo~
Er...
Author here.
A bit more from me.
So uh, if anyone is wondering why the characters seem a bit different, then just be aware I'm taking their personality from the games and splicing it with other medias.
For Olga, Case Files and FGO mobile are being used.
For Mash, the anime and mobile are being used.
In the case of Fujimaru, I'm using a mixture of his personality from the anime and manga, while also splicing in my own observations. Since, as far as I can tell, the guy is both brave and dumb, and has a sense of humor that tends to poke fun in a non mean spirited way.
But yeah.
That's all from me.
Also, Brehon Law is an actual thing.
Cause I needed a feasible way to convince Artoria to willing lower herself to meet someone head on.
Let's be real, even in the games and show, Mash never delivered the final blow to Saber.
Caster Cu did. But since he's with Archer...
Yeah.
As for the fact Brehon Law is more Irish, while Arthur is Welsh?
I had to get a wee bit creative.
See, King Arthur is an ambiguous existence.
We can't prove they existed.
There are people that argue whether he was Irish or not, while they all agree that he was at least Welsh.
Thing is, since Fate works on weaponizing myth, it allowed me some leeway.
That uncertainty, means that in some capacity, Artoria is both.
At least in my opinion.
And thus, the grail would account for that, and give her the corresponding knowledge.
Fortunately for Dante, he lucked out, as Saber Alter is very much arrogant enough to crush those who oppose her, and thus would play along.
But yeah, just putting that in there before the diehard fans come to kill me.
This is my own idea, cause this is at the end of the day a fanfiction.
And while my idea may be a bit of a leap, its not entirely out of the realm of reason.
Anyway.
Have a good day, and Happy New Years, seeing as how this chapter was supposed to be out on the 1st of January.
But knowing me, I probably forgot for a few days.