Mattman324
you expected some anime, non-IRL giant robot, eh?
- Location
- Working in the basement on my giant robot.
Cursed Arm was used right, but only for about half a Grail War. Still, he got an amazing showing there.
A Poisoned Chalice (Fate/Zero, Fate/Grand Order)
- Thread starter Rob Rimsill
- Start date
Cursed Arm was used right, but only for about half a Grail War. Still, he got an amazing showing there.
Chapter 22 - Fast-acting
- Location
- Probably at sea
Chapter 22 - Fast-acting
Despite how she seemed, and despite her Servant Class, Ibaraki was not a simple thug.
Living on a mountain right next to the Heian capital was a… gutsy move for a band of oni, and they'd never have survived as long as they had if Ibaraki hadn't had at least a smidgen of guile to go with her heaping piles of raw power. Admittedly, a lot of the time the extent of her guile was persuading her stupid subordinates to maybe not just blunder in and crush everything when that stupid cow Raikou was obviously waiting in the wings to ambush them, honestly.
And usually Shuten had blundered in and crushed everything anyway. But Shuten was an apocalypse that walked on two legs, so everything tended to work out okay no matter what she did, and besides there was nothing Ibaraki could say or do that would stop Shuten doing exactly as she pleased at all times. Ibaraki had stopped bothering to try and instead just kind of planned around her.
But in general, Ibaraki was well-versed in guerrilla tactics, and humans that expected her to simply charge in swinging were often in for a nasty surprise.
Now, Ibaraki stood on the rooftop where Caster had left her, watching specks of green shoot up like fireworks from a distant point. There, just visible through the haze of smoke rising from Fuyuki, was a small figure, bow raised to the sky.
Green arrows streaked across a backdrop of red, as Archer found and attacked her prey. When her shots found their mark, it would be annihilated. Ibaraki didn't know what that bow was made of, but it had managed to punch its projectiles though entire buildings in order to attack their target on the other side, and hadn't that been a fun surprise for Ibaraki.
She could have run. She could have dodged. She didn't.
"Alright, Archer," she said. "Let's try something new for a change."
Since her escape from the church, Ibaraki had been on the back foot. Trying to stay one step ahead of Archer while hustling that priest around had not been easy. No matter how she tried to evade, Archer had seemed to expect it, and launch a flurry of arrows that would force Ibaraki to dodge yet again, or else try and weather an endless storm of punishing strikes.
It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really. Archer was Atalante, the greatest huntress of Greece – no wonder she knew exactly how to herd her quarry where she wanted it to go.
But Caster's intervention had changed that, in two ways. First, she'd taken the priest off Ibaraki's hands, and she no longer had to worry about keeping a squishy, modern, old human from breaking. Now, Ibaraki was free to move as fast as she could – which meant speeds that would give any human passenger severe whiplash at best. Ibaraki might have been able to escape from Archer, before, but she'd have had to scoop up what was left of the Moderator in a bucket.
(There was a time and a place for that sort of thing, no matter how much it made Shuten giggle when the twitching, fleshy mass begged for death after she was finished with it.)
Second, Ibaraki had now had a moment to think.
And so, after fully considering her actions and their ramifications, and comparing her tactical advantages compared to her opponent, she made her informed and rational decision.
She exploded screaming from the rooftop, launching herself sword-first straight towards Archer.
After all, the sooner she brought the fight to close range, the better – and the quickest way to Archer was straight towards her, right? It was basically science.
Ibaraki vaguely heard the building she'd kicked off cracking from the force, but didn't pay it any attention, instead focusing on sticking her landing. Her foot touched down for an instant on another building – and then that roof shattered too, Ibaraki propelled forward at insane speeds.
Another, and another: Archer was firing from a mile away, but that was no more than a handful of steps with the distance Ibaraki was covering. The world narrowed to nothing more than the remaining steps, and the skyscraper that served as Archer's perch.
Three. Archer's aim adjusted.
Two. Ibaraki readied her sword.
One. Muscles tensed in her leg, and her claws dug in for purchase before she shot forward once again.
And-
-Ibaraki lunged. There was still maybe a quarter-mile between the building she kicked off from and the top of the tower – and Ibaraki covered half that distance in the blink of an eye.
Archer's face loomed closer, her expression showing nothing but cold focus even now. Her bow tracked Ibaraki, even as it became obvious that she had not jumped high enough to hit her.
"Hey, kitty…"
Ibaraki allowed herself a savage grin, and pulled her sword back.
"Git!"
When Servant Berserker impacted the tower, it was with an explosion.
The concrete slowed Ibaraki's blade not at all, which scythed through the entire thing like it was made of air. In its wake, Ibaraki pumped as much power as she could into her Prana Burst, leaving a white-hot line of rapidly-expanding gas where her sword had been.
The top two floors of the skyscraper just… ceased to exist. In their place was a cloud of rubble, metal, glass and furnishings moving at speed, with a surprised-looking catgirl in the middle.
Which wasn't to say that said catgirl didn't respond basically perfectly. Archer twisted upside-down in mid-air to place the soles of her feet against the nearest block of concrete, and pushed off, launching herself downwards. As she dove, she managed to fire a steady stream of arrows at Ibaraki, each one aimed to intercept her projected flight path.
Unfortunately for Archer, Ibaraki was an oni, and as far as she was concerned her projected flight path could fuck straight off.
Ibaraki held a hand out, and a torrent of fire blasted forth – and this time, Ibaraki let the recoil stop her almost dead in mid-air. With a backhand swing, she hurled her sword at Archer, then held both hands up behind her. They ignited, and Ibaraki fell from the sky as a burning comet. Bits of building fell all around her, but she fell faster, and locked her gaze on her opponent.
Down below, Archer reached the decapitated building, and landed in a roll to come up on aim in the ruins of an office, now open to the sky. Her head snapped up, her ears twitched, and she zeroed in on Ibaraki, bow drawn-
-and was forced to leap aside and vault over the side of the building, as Ibaraki's sword came down like the fist of an asura. It punched clear through the floor Archer had stood on, lodging in the next while rubble rained down around it.
Ibaraki herself followed an instant later, snatching up her sword as she barrelled through concrete and steel like it wasn't there, emerging on the outside of the building. Archer was there, running down the glass surface – and when her ears twitched and she noticed Ibaraki thundering towards her, she leapt out into empty space.
With another blast of flame, Ibaraki followed. Shards of glass seemed to hang in midair as she blew through them, and shattered them on her iron skin. Then, they were left far behind as she half-fell, half-flew, a nimbus of flame surrounding her in her pursuit of the falling Archer, far below.
This was more like it. Now she was the one hunting Archer and not the other way around, she could dictate the pace of the fight. Archer was fast, and she could bring a lot of firepower to bear, very accurately, over a very long distance… but up close? She was just another human to die beneath the blade of the oni.
With that cheerful thought in mind, Ibaraki threw yet more fire out behind her, pouring on the speed. Archer's speed meant nothing in midair, and with a thrill of excitement Ibaraki realised she was gaining. Archer seemed to realise it as well, and twisted to shoot yet more arrows at Ibaraki even as she fell, but a forward burst of prana blunted their force and Ibaraki's sword took care of the rest.
Closer. Archer grimaced in concentration as the ground approached.
Closer. Ibaraki cackled at the sheer joy of chasing down a strong enemy.
Closer. Archer was just outside her sword's reach…
…and then Archer twisted to land on her feet, inches ahead of Ibaraki – and was gone, her impossible speed taking her hundreds of yards away before Ibaraki slammed her sword into the road where she'd been.
She screamed in frustration. "Goddammit!"
Tarmac rose in a great rippling wave, but Archer only rode it to gain more distance. Snarling, Ibaraki flung herself out of the crater, sword blurring to knock aside Archer's counterattack, and the chase was on.
The streets were still packed with people – of course they were, Ibaraki had blocked off all the roads and sown chaos only today. The thought had been to keep the other Servants too busy reacting to try and stop her, and to fill the space with potential witnesses. A battle between Servants was anything but inconspicuous, and that kind of thing was generally frowned on. Ibaraki didn't care, of course, which gave her the advantage.
Apparently, no-one had told Archer.
She was just too damn fast. No-one saw her as she passed by, because she was only really visible as a green blur. Ibaraki could just about follow her by where she paused between footsteps – kicking off a wall here, leaping off a rooftop there – but the people had no chance.
They noticed Ibaraki though, because she was a little slower and also still on fire. Those that didn't get out of the way… well, how sad for them. It was such a shame, too, because Archer was going to so much trouble to thread her arrows through gaps in the pedestrians, her skill utterly defeating Ibaraki's attempts to use the foolish humans as shields.
"Come on, Archer," called Ibaraki, after batting away the latest volley. "Surely there is more to you than this?"
There was no reply. Archer sprinted down a relatively deserted street, and Ibaraki only just managed to barrel round the corner before losing sight of her. The buildings were getting taller as they moved further north – Ryuunosuke had mentioned this was the business district, although what kind of business required such grand, sky-piercing masterpices Ibaraki could only guess. Some kind of magecraft? Were they wizard's towers?
"Maybe you could try your Noble Phantasm again?" she suggested, shaking off her distraction. "That was very effective!"
This time there was a reply, but it came in the form of three arrows aimed for various vital points. Ibaraki laughed and swatted them aside.
Up ahead, Archer disappeared into some kind of arcade – enclosed, narrow, with various shops and stalls on either side. This modern time really did have an abundance of interesting things. Ibaraki would have loved to stop and sample the delicacies, maybe bully a vendor or two, but there was no time. If Archer wanted to shut herself into a narrow space where her agility was useless, who was Ibaraki to argue? She dove into the arcade.
A second later, she was forced to pulse her power in a violent blast of prana, knocking about fifteen arrows off-course. She growled. In the brief instant Archer was out of her sight, she'd managed to fill the narrow arcade with a flurry of projectiles, just where Ibaraki was unable to dodge.
Annoying. Archer wasn't much a threat if she didn't deploy her Noble Phantasm, but she was just so annoying. Ibaraki growled, and her rising sigh of frustration ignited as a cone of flame ten feet across. The wooden furnishings in its path flashed and burned to ash in moments, while the fancy clothes and desserts on display simply disappeared.
Now look what Archer had made her do! She could have at least snagged some of the sweets on the way past. Growling, Ibaraki gave chase through the blackened and burned arcade, Archer a barely-glimpsed figure in the distance.
But not quite so distant as she had been.
Maybe it was the fire, maybe it was the tight quarters, maybe it was how Archer kept on trying her pointless counterattacks, but Ibaraki felt she was catching up. Spurred on by the thought, she pushed herself faster and faster.
Round a corner, the arcade opened onto a wide plaza, and Archer was only a few dozen yards away. It wasn't Ibaraki's imagination! This meddling cat was tiring, slowing, and soon enough she'd be a smear on Ibaraki's sword. She lunged, heedless of Archer's arrows, brandishing her sword, and Archer had to dodge, rolling under the strike and kicking off the wall to gain distance.
Archer and Ibaraki emerged from the arcade into the plaza almost simultaneously. Well, 'emerged' made it sound gradual. At the speeds they were moving, 'exploded' would have been a better word – especially as the next thing out was a torrent of demon fire, as the arcade utterly failed to contain the sheer volume of flamed Ibaraki was pumping out behind her.
People screamed and ran from the noise, tripping over themselves to escape. Neither Servant paid them any mind.
The next blow would be the last, Ibaraki knew. She knew, because she intended to make damn sure this was the case. She wasn't messing around, and she shoved enough power into her blade to cleave a hill and its three best friends in half.
And then Archer stumbled.
Ibaraki howled in triumph, and whirled her blade over her head. Her eyes locked on her opponent's, blazing yellow malice fixed on cool green… amusement?
She had only an instant to register that something was seriously wrong.
In that instant, Archer moved. Her muscles uncoiled, her tail lashed, and she was suddenly just… not there. Instead, she was on a rooftop, half a mile away, already aiming her bow.
Ibaraki's jaw dropped. She couldn't help it. She'd seen both heroes and oni move quickly before, but this was impossible. No wonder no-one had been able to catch Atalante, in her legend.
In that frozen instant, Ibaraki finally realised the truth. She'd been allowed to catch up, nothing more – and in the very instant she overcommitted herself, the trap was sprung.
Ibaraki's blade smashed into paving stone at the same instant that Saber appeared out of fucking nowhere and shoved their rapier through Ibaraki's shoulder blades, driving her to her knees and leaving her pinned to the ground like a bug.
Her scream was lost in the sound of the earth tearing, rippling, shattering under her monstrous blow – but anyone who heard would have been able to pinpoint the moment it turned from pain to rage.
The way she erupted into flame would probably have been a clue.
All around, stone melted to slag. The plaza had once had some rather fetching plants and trees in it, but it sure as hell didn't anymore, only some artfully-arranged flecks of ash. Around Ibaraki, there was a blackened area of devastation – and at the edge of it, one sneaky backstabbing double-teaming swashbuckler, entirely unharmed.
They seemed… different. Parts of their blue jacket, and their cape, had turned silver, and they wore a ruby amulet at their throat. Ibaraki didn't like the look of that at all, and if the fading glow was any indication as to what it did, Saber was going to be even more of a nightmare than they were last time. Apparently, they'd come prepared.
Of course Atalante the Huntress would have set something like this up. The hunter becoming the hunted was a problem as old as hunting itself – and so was the solution. And since the only thing that could realistically pose a threat to a Servant was another Servant, what else could the trap have been?
Around them, the plaza cleared. Those that had lingered after Ibaraki's violent entrance had decided not to hang around after her second explosion. Those that still stayed were hurried along, as arrows lodged themselves between their feet.
Apparently the huntress didn't want any hostages messing up her trap. Ibaraki let them go. She was past caring.
Saber saluted with their rapier. Ibaraki hadn't even felt it get removed from her chest, which was probably a good thing. The relaxed, playful expression on Saber's face from their first duel was gone, leaving only a calm professionalism. "En garde."
Ibaraki struggled to her feet, clutching at her breast. It wasn't a fatal blow, not to a Servant, but it had still really goddamn hurt. "You're supposed to say that before we fight, fool! What kind of knight are you?"
"One who, with regret, must slay a wild beast before it hurts anyone else." Saber raised their sword, a textbook guard. "You may have your reasons. As you say, all is not as it seems in this War, I agree. But nevertheless, you cannot be allowed to live."
"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Ibaraki tried, before sighing. "Ugh, whatever. There's no talking to you people." She brandished her sword, and flexed her claws.
There was a whistling noise behind her, and Ibaraki swung her sword backhand to deflect another shot by Archer. Saber lunged at the same instant, darting in to thrust at Ibaraki's heart.
But Ibaraki had been expecting something like that, and met Saber's charge with a torrent of flame from her right hand. The force of it stopped Saber cold… and cold really was the word, as Ibaraki's worst fears were proven true about the amulet.
The fire – Ibaraki's own demon fire, her pride as a high-class oni – spiralled inwards towards Saber's amulet as though disappearing down a drain. Within a second, there was no trace of it, and Ibaraki stomped her foot. "That's cheating! You can't do that!"
"My Master came prepared," said Saber. "Although I believe this was meant to stop magecraft – how impressive it was able to stop even your flames! As expected of my Master… ah, how wonderful magic is."
"This is so unfair," grumbled Ibaraki. "My Master's good too, you know! Very, um, non-judgemental!" Why was she even arguing? She shook her head and glared at Saber.
"Yes. That is why you will lose," said Saber. "Your Master simply did whatever you wanted – and mine thought about how best to use his weapon in this War." Not bragging, not posturing, just a simple statement of fact. Ibaraki was hard pressed to disagree. Ryuunosuke was doing an admirable job of keeping her summoned, and an absolutely abysmal job of everything else.
But honestly? This wasn't about Uryuu Ryuunosuke. Ibaraki hadn't really worked with her Master. At best, he'd been a tool, a convenient way to learn about this new era, or use the Command Spells at her instruction. Beyond that, she'd treated him as a sort of affiliate. Not her partner, not her clan.
There was nothing he could say or do to stop her doing as she pleased at all times.
She'd had to fight alone, only because she never did anything to forge Uryuu into a worthy partner.
Well. Maybe it was time to change that, when she rescued him from Caster's clutches.
For a moment, Ibaraki debated telling Saber about Caster, and how her Master was captured. How the Moderator they'd set out to save was even now in her hands.
But no. When had anyone in this War ever listened to a thing she said? If their ignorance about Caster came back to bite them, it was only what they all deserved.
Ibaraki smiled, and readied her blade. "We'll see. Saber! Archer! Before you stands Ibaraki-douji, leader of the Mount Ooe oni, Servant Berserker! You who stand between me and my Master, prepare to feel my power!"
"Well met," said Saber. "Die well."
The only answer from Archer was a flash of green – and when Ibaraki swung her sword up to meet it, the duel began.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Great fight scene, very nice showing Atalanta's mobility.
- Location
- Arcadia
Hm, Assassin is presumably waiting in the wings to take the kill and the Command Seal, in which case, Lancer will intervene to prevent that scenario.
However, I do not think that Da Vinci is quite done with Ibaraki yet. Presuming that Lancer is finally revealed, Da Vinci may rescue Ibaraki somehow. Even if Ibaraki is a tool to be discarded, a tool should not be cast aside before its usefulness is at an end.
Assuming that Ibaraki still survives after this situation is resolved to some degree or another, perhaps the hunt for Ibaraki should be called off. Hm, well, given how much chaos Ibaraki has already caused, whether she was manipulated into doing so or not, one can understand why the others would want to deal with her as soon as possible. Still, at this point, focusing on Ibaraki over what has been revealed seems like playing into a Kansas City Shuffle, really.
However, I do not think that Da Vinci is quite done with Ibaraki yet. Presuming that Lancer is finally revealed, Da Vinci may rescue Ibaraki somehow. Even if Ibaraki is a tool to be discarded, a tool should not be cast aside before its usefulness is at an end.
Assuming that Ibaraki still survives after this situation is resolved to some degree or another, perhaps the hunt for Ibaraki should be called off. Hm, well, given how much chaos Ibaraki has already caused, whether she was manipulated into doing so or not, one can understand why the others would want to deal with her as soon as possible. Still, at this point, focusing on Ibaraki over what has been revealed seems like playing into a Kansas City Shuffle, really.
- Location
- Southern California
Man I freaking love Berserkers, especially the ones who get into a massive fuck off brawl with fire in their hearts, laughter in their throats and a smile on their face.
Seriously she might be cause wide spread destruction, killing any poor soul in her general area and being lead around like a dog after a frisbee but I can't help but enjoy Ibaraki's fun.
Seriously she might be cause wide spread destruction, killing any poor soul in her general area and being lead around like a dog after a frisbee but I can't help but enjoy Ibaraki's fun.
I love how you highlighted just how good a servant Atalanta really is. In Apocrypha she is overshadowed by Achilles and Karna but she is a badass in her own right. In particular she shows excellent tactical thinking combined with extraordinary speed even by Servant standards. Combine that with her having an anti army noble phantasm and as a last resort being able to turn into a Berserker herself and in a direct fight she is probably second to Lancer here in terms of strength.
Silvan Eldar
Delinquent Heir to Makai
- Location
- Here and There
Hm. So unless I'm misremembering Da Vinci neutralized Ibaraki's ability to retreat, forcing her to go all in. Kayneth BS'd up an amulet that negates an A-rank skill and Ibaraki's only real tactical advantage against D'eon. Atalanta has a good vantage point of the battlefield and can bombard the two servants at will, and is targeting Ibaraki in particular (and even if she wasn't, D'eon can't be injured by her Noble Phantasm). D'eon is more skilled in melee combat, and is both stronger and faster than Ibaraki, though less durable. Despite being an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm as much as it is an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm, Great Grudge of Rashomon isn't really suited for this situation. Due to how they're positioned, Ibaraki can only use it agains one of her opponents at a time, and using it will leave her somewhat more vulnerable to the other enemy servant and drain a fairly large amount of her magical energy. It'd be worth it if it actually killed one of the two, but from a practical and narrative perspective I highly doubt D'eon or Atalanta will die today, which means they can't be hit by GGoR since neither of them are the type to survive being crushed in a giant flaming fist. Great Flame of Mt. Ooe should be able to break through Kayneth's amulet, but ten swings + chanting, even if she can pin D'eon down to use her second Noble Phantasm, puts her at risk of getting hit by Atalanta.
I can see a few ways for Ibaraki to win, the most likely being that Da Vinci intervenes once...whatever she's doing that she needs Ibaraki to serve as a distraction for, is done. Atalanta could get overconfident with how easily she's played Ibaraki so far and decides to backstab D'eon to eliminate another contender (least likely in my mind, but it could happen). D'eon could just plain-old make a mistake that costs her the fight and/or her life. Heck, this Lancer fellow could intervene only to cause such chaos that Ibaraki can just walk off for all we know.
But, I'd say that all those possibilities (and many more) are less likely than Ibaraki dying here. She's facing two opponents at once, is at a severe disadvantage against both, and her greatest weapon that doesn't leave her vulnerable to the servant she doesn't kill has been (at least to our knowledge) completely negated. This is not a good situation for Ibaraki, and while I'd put Ibaraki before...pretty much anyone else in this war when it comes to command, Ibaraki doesn't have any subordinates here to temper her personal recklessness and this is a fight of individuals, not bands and armies. From a more 'meta' perspective, Ibaraki and her master have received the most focus outside Serenity and Kerry, and possibly more than those two at this point. Either she is going to survive because that focus and presence was building up to a future event, or she'll definitely die here or soon because the moment it's been building up to is her death.
So, yah. I'm fairly certain this is the end, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
Now, about the writing beyond the plot...this was a fun chapter to read, the details on how the characters were maneuvering, how their 'moves' were affecting their surroundings and how they each reacted to events around them was very evocative of the imagination. It's a thing I've noticed with your action scenes, you're very good at giving a good image of the battlefield both as its set up and as the fight goes on without really being slowed down by it, since you're showing it as you develop it.
Anyway, thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to the next update!
I can see a few ways for Ibaraki to win, the most likely being that Da Vinci intervenes once...whatever she's doing that she needs Ibaraki to serve as a distraction for, is done. Atalanta could get overconfident with how easily she's played Ibaraki so far and decides to backstab D'eon to eliminate another contender (least likely in my mind, but it could happen). D'eon could just plain-old make a mistake that costs her the fight and/or her life. Heck, this Lancer fellow could intervene only to cause such chaos that Ibaraki can just walk off for all we know.
But, I'd say that all those possibilities (and many more) are less likely than Ibaraki dying here. She's facing two opponents at once, is at a severe disadvantage against both, and her greatest weapon that doesn't leave her vulnerable to the servant she doesn't kill has been (at least to our knowledge) completely negated. This is not a good situation for Ibaraki, and while I'd put Ibaraki before...pretty much anyone else in this war when it comes to command, Ibaraki doesn't have any subordinates here to temper her personal recklessness and this is a fight of individuals, not bands and armies. From a more 'meta' perspective, Ibaraki and her master have received the most focus outside Serenity and Kerry, and possibly more than those two at this point. Either she is going to survive because that focus and presence was building up to a future event, or she'll definitely die here or soon because the moment it's been building up to is her death.
So, yah. I'm fairly certain this is the end, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
Now, about the writing beyond the plot...this was a fun chapter to read, the details on how the characters were maneuvering, how their 'moves' were affecting their surroundings and how they each reacted to events around them was very evocative of the imagination. It's a thing I've noticed with your action scenes, you're very good at giving a good image of the battlefield both as its set up and as the fight goes on without really being slowed down by it, since you're showing it as you develop it.
Anyway, thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to the next update!
Silvan Eldar
Delinquent Heir to Makai
- Location
- Here and There
I'd like to think the author will at least let her retain some dignity as she leaves the stage...
Well the author has been building up Lancer for awhile so they need to show just how dangerous they are.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
Ibaraki's in a right pickle here, facing off against both Atalante and D'Eon. Not seeing her really escaping, honestly, so I guess this is the end for one half of the murder duo.
An excellent demonstration of just how crazy fast Atalante is. Catgirl is near impossible to catch provided she's got some sort of footing with the ground - only way to get close would be aerial combat, as Ibaraki tried earlier.
- Location
- Probably at sea
I'm glad you think so - because I'm actually finding Atalante quite tricky to showcase.
She's in an interesting position where the things that make her an excellent Servant also mean it's hard to make her fights interesting. Outside her Noble Phantasm, where I can talk about the shy darkening with arrows or whatever, she's got a very basic skillset of hitting people really hard with arrows, from really far away, really accurately. It's an easy killshot if she hits the head or heart, and yet I can't very well have every fight be 'and then Archer sniped them from a mile away lol'. So people tend to end up blocking or dodging a lot of her shots, which makes her come across as a bit ineffectual.
The bits I can showcase are her speed and her skill at manipulating her quarry, and I'm quite pleased with how those turned out this chapter.
(I will never not be amazed by how, in Apocrypha, Achilles was the one to receive a Noble Phantasm based off his being 'the fastest Servant' when it's literally part of Atalante's myth, in-universe and out, that she was absolutely the fastest thing on two legs in Ancient Greece and had to be distracted by
Now, regarding Ibaraki's fate in this fight! I'm obviously not going to confirm or deny anything - but neither Ibaraki nor Caster intended for her to get into a duel against two Servants right now. Ibaraki only went after Archer in the first place because it was easier than falling into Archer's rhythm the whole time (although that kind of backfired). Her goal remains to get to Ryuudouji Temple, and Caster's goal remains... unclear, but as @Tzaphquiel mentions, she's likely not done with Ibaraki yet.
- Location
- Night's Plutonian Shore
Said it before, and I'll say it again. You freaking excel at these fight scenes, at capturing and showcasing how incredible these Servants are. It's a pleasure and refreshing to read when so many Fate fanfics seem to dumb it down to just Noble Phantasms or perceived "power levels".
And yeah, Atalanta is a top-tier Servant...but she doesn't really have many flashy things that make her stand out, and the stuff that makes her special are kind of hard to make it seem special. Especially, the "sniped and killed" approach. Which is why, your portrayal of her prowess is quite honestly the best I have ever read. That's including the LN because as amazing as all the things Atalanta does in it, her actions as "an Archer" are pretty stupid. Monologue how useless pride is then seethes at how Chiron shoots her arrows out of the air. Swearing to shoot Jeanne out of the air, fires two or three shots, then gives up and confronts her instead of just shooting the plane out of the air.
And yeah, she got screwed over by both Achilles and Chiron. There is a part in the Illiad that mentions that Achilles is the swiftest of all the Achaeans, but it's still annoying that someone whose legend is being the fastest in Greece doesn't have a NP to accompany it while Achilles does even though Atalanta was developed first. Then there's the fact that her pankration feats of beating Peleus, Achilles' old pops, in a match is completely skipped over most likely because pankration Archer is Chiron's schtick.
Achilles was famous for his speed and is much more famous then Atalante so that could explain why they decided to give him the speed noble phantasm.
Atalante does have two skills that are related to speed. They are never really showcased in Apocrypha however as she mostly supports the other Red Faction Servants (which is a smart policy for an archer in a team battle) and I think the only real one on ones she had was her fight with Spartacus who was so slow speed didnt matter and Jeanne where she went berserk and couldn't use her skills properly. So its no so much that Fate made her slow is that they didn't highlight her speed in Apocrypha.
Speaking of Atalante I really hope she has a better ending here then in the anime. What happened to her was so heartbreaking seeing her best trait (her love for children) causing her to go mad was so sad.
Chapter 23 - Emergency
- Location
- Probably at sea
Chapter 23 - Emergency
Once again, here Ibaraki was – in a city she'd recently put to the torch, fighting tooth and nail to stay alive against warriors who could give even her a decent fight. The screams of the fleeing citizens were drowned out by the clash of bone on metal, and the earsplitting cracks as the stone of the plaza failed utterly to stand up to the forces involved.
In oni terms, this was called 'a decent start to a Friday evening'…
…usually. Now, though, she wasn't here for a good time, because her Master was in the clutches of the Servant that Ibaraki was least equipped to kill. Every second he spent there, he was in danger, so she had no time to deal with Saber and Archer.
Unfortunately, she couldn't just run. Archer had led Ibaraki into this trap while acting as the quarry – on the pursuit, Atalante the Huntress would be twice as impossible to deal with.
Couldn't run.
The obvious solution was to close to arm's length and squash Archer before making good her escape… but the first problem with that was, Archer had already proven she wasn't about to stand still and get caught. Atalante was faster and more agile than Ibaraki, there was no way around it. If she wanted to conduct the fight at a particular range, then that was what was going to happen.
And at the moment, Archer looked like she wanted very much to be across the plaza and on top of a roof, raining shots down on Ibaraki.
Couldn't run, couldn't fight.
Now, Ibaraki was very, very tough, and could shrug off wounds that would kill a human in minutes. She was used to thinking of arrows as a kind of battlefield decoration – a bit distracting, occasionally annoying, but essential for the ambience. But that black and green bow, in Archer's hands, fired off shots that hit like siege engines, perfectly aimed to pulverise Ibaraki's vital points, at a terrifying rate, from over a mile away. It was almost unfair.
Couldn't run, couldn't fight, couldn't ignore the problem.
And, as bad as all this was, it was still not the most pressing issue in Ibaraki's life. No, that would be the second problem with just running up and splatting Archer.
"Eyes on me, Berserker!" sang Saber. Cuts flashed out, so fast their sword tip appeared in multiple places at once.
"Shut up!" A tonne of oni bone scythed through the air, left to right, and Saber slid out of range – then backpedalled as the air the bone sword had passed through exploded in white-hot flame, an arc of fire that echoed Ibaraki's own blow.
Once more, Saber's goddamn amulet did its work, and the flames were extinguished as they were sucked in. But that was okay. There was more to flames than heat, after all.
They also made an excellent smokescreen.
Ibaraki burst through the wall of flame swinging, and Saber pivoted to let the blow strike only concrete.
Usually, concrete would shatter when subjected to this kind of punishment, or more likely turn to sand under the kind of force Ibaraki could put out. But this concrete had been superheated, by Ibaraki's last strike and also by just being in her general vicinity while she was pissed off.
So, there was more of a splash.
This suited Ibaraki just fine, and she followed up with a heave to send even more softened, red-hot concrete cascading over Saber.
Or, she would have, if Saber had had the grace to stand still for it, but nooo, they had to go and whirl to one side, silver cape flying. Ibaraki had expected that, and had aimed her shot wide, hoping to catch Saber with some debris.
She did not expect their cape to move of its own accord to shield its wearer from the rest, then shoot out as spikes that bent against Ibaraki's iron skin.
"That quicksilver Mystic Code again?" she whined. "Can't you do anything without your Master's help? Do you really have that little pride as a knight?"
"Ah, Berserker," Saber beamed, giving a twirl that showed off their silver highlights and took them further out of reach. "What knight goes into battle without a favour from the cheering crowd? Mine is simply, ah, a little more favourable than most."
Ibaraki inspected the spot the spikes had hit her. "Not favourable enough, apparently."
Saber tipped their hat, and looked up mischievously. "Alas! It does make a wonderful distraction, though…"
Ibaraki was already diving aside when the arrows drilled into the ground, because even she could recognise a set-up line when she heard it. Even so, she had to slam her sword into the other arrow Archer had fired, having guessed which way she would dodge, and the impact nearly knocked it out of her hands.
Her head whipped round to find Archer – now behind her. Had she made her way round via the rooftops? Ibaraki turned her dive into a roll, and came up ready to bat aside the next volley-
-and Saber's boot took her in the back of the head.
Ibaraki tasted concrete, and blood, as she sprawled.
Move!
She blasted herself aside, a liberal application of Prana Burst taking her past Saber's downward stab – and another halting her before she ran into the arrows hammering along her path. If she'd just rolled aside, or continued longer…
No time to dwell – Archer's next volley was on its way. It looked haphazard and random, with shots going wide or shots oddly spaced, but Ibaraki knew better. She blocked the first arrow perfectly, which unfortunately also put her perfectly out of position to parry the next two. She darted to one side, and used her right hand to punch the predictable follow-up away – only to snap her head to one side, taking the arrow that had looked randomly off-target on her horns.
By now, Ibaraki assumed that Saber would be making her life difficult again, so on the principle that more fire was probably always good, Ibaraki aimed a wide-angle blast at where she'd last seen them.
On the principle that Saber was more likely to be taken out by a random lightning strike than something like that, Ibaraki felt for the spot the fire started cooling unnaturally, then launched herself sword-first in that direction.
As usual, Saber was ready for the thrust, and twisted to spin sideways along the length of Ibaraki's blade and ram an elbow into the side of her head.
This wouldn't usually do much, because Ibaraki's skull was made of the same material that her sword was, and that had been splitting concrete all day without a scratch. And yet, stars exploded behind Ibaraki's eyes, and she staggered, clutching her temple.
She didn't dodge so much as ungracefully fell out of the way of Saber's follow-up, and lurched backwards out of the way of Archer's opportunistic shots – coming from the side, now, she noticed in the part of her mind focused on not dying against the best swordsman she'd ever faced.
This wasn't working. Ibaraki would love to blame her performance on Archer's interference, but… the truth was, Saber was faster than her, and better than her. Ibaraki had the edge in strength, with her Madness Enhancement and her Prana Burst both working together, but that wasn't enough.
Saber had gotten her measure during her last fight, and while Ibaraki was a far better duellist than she seemed, the Servant of the Sword was just too skilled for Ibaraki to win in a swordfight.
Well, then. That made the choice obvious, didn't it?
Ibaraki lunged round to one side, as if to flank, incidentally putting both her opponents in a line – and then whipped her left hand forward and hurled her sword at Saber. It hummed as it tore through the air, and when Saber sidestepped it smartly, it carried right on and collapsed the building Archer was perching on.
"Unorthodox!" called Saber, sounding quite unconcerned. "But, I don't believe you thought this through. That fine blade was really the only thing giving you a reach advantage, and its weight was the only thing allowing you to match me blow for blow. Are you sure that was wise?"
"Quite sure," said Ibaraki – and with a flex of rarely-used muscles, she changed.
Her claws thickened and hardened, and her fingers lengthened slightly. Her horns extended and reinforced themselves, harder even than before, and under skin turning to iron callus her bones did the same. Her tusks grew razor-sharp, and jutted out ready to use as weapons.
Her oni-bone sword was a wonderful weapon, but Ibaraki didn't really need it. Shapeshifting was a little-used skill, but when pushed? Oni made perfectly adequate weapons all by themselves.
Her feet flexed, claws dug into concrete, and Ibaraki flew at Saber as a whirlwind of tooth and nail.
Saber's rapier blurred into motion, a steel flash too fast to track, but Ibaraki accepted a cut to her shoulder and was inside Saber's guard in an instant, flinging the rapier aside and actually ripping it out of Saber's hand with the force. Claws raked across Saber's chest, and made it halfway down before skittering off metal. Ibaraki lunged for Saber's neck with her teeth, and was rewarded with a taste of blood and a startled yelp – but Saber jerked their head out of the way just before the oni's jaws could lock on.
Ibaraki settled for a headbutt, with every ounce of power from her torso channelled into a horn point. Saber had to fall back entirely into a backwards roll to get clear, and Ibaraki followed with a vicious stamp.
Saber came up twisting and turning, trying to create distance, but Ibaraki had her now, and had no intention of letting her get away. The Knight of White Lilies might have been an incredible fencer, but this kind of infighting wasn't their strong suit, and the advantage would always go to the one with…
…claws?
Ibaraki ducked her head without thinking, and felt something scrape across a horn. As she did, she felt a sharp pain in her side, and another in her shin. Something was wrong, and Ibaraki took her usual course of action when faced with something unexpected in close combat.
Namely, she detonated with the force of a medium-sized bomb.
Once more, the fire was sucked into Saber's amulet, but the force still sent Saber skidding back – and with the added distance, Ibaraki saw the problem.
Saber's gloves, coated in quicksilver, now sported blades on the fingers, similar in shape to her own claws. Their knees and boots had sprouted spikes, and a longer blade jutted back from each elbow. It was all very beautiful and elegant, and very annoying.
Ibaraki felt her side, and found a small cut. Apparently, Saber was strong enough to force these short, thick blades through Ibaraki's hide, even if the Mystic Code itself didn't have the power.
"I really hate that Code," she grumbled.
"My Master and I fight as one," said Saber. They sighed, a fond smile gracing their perfect features. "He amazes me more and more with his concentration and his drive… I dedicate this victory to him." Before Ibaraki's eyes, the Code reshaped itself again, flowing down the glove and extending out to form a silver replica of Saber's rapier.
Ibaraki groaned, and readied herself to fight again – then shot forwards, partly to catch Saber off guard but mostly because she'd missed Archer getting round her again.
Saber caught her wrist, and replied with a textbook riposte with their new sword. Ibaraki jerked her hand free with a blast of flame, and only a hasty grab managed to catch the sword in time to stop it running Ibaraki through. She gripped it as tight as she could, but it ran like water through her fingers, and Saber whirled out of range before Ibaraki could counterattack.
She charged, trying to get in close again – but Saber skipped backwards, giving ground and punishing her with deep cuts to her throat and wrists for trying. Well, screw them too. Ibaraki held both hands out behind her and blasted flame backwards, rocketing forwards horn-first.
Saber stopped that with a dizzying elbow strike, but Ibaraki was back at close range now, and this time she was ready for Saber's extra spikes. She blocked and checked and thrust, and all the while thrashed at Saber with every sharp point she had.
She could do this. If she kept it up, kept Saber confused enough, they wouldn't be able to adjust to her new, wilder style in time. Ibaraki shed heat and light like a miniature volcano – forwards, backwards, anything to add more force to her strikes and overpower Saber.
And then Saber caught her right wrist again. Ibaraki funneled more power towards it, and prepared to break free.
"You couldn't keep a grip on me last time – get some new tricks, Saber!"
Ibaraki wrenched her arm up… and Saber's grip came with it.
The silver hand stayed clenched on Ibaraki's wrist, sealing itself into a closed ring, while Saber removed their real hand out from under it, leaving behind a chain linking Ibaraki's hand to theirs.
The other end of the chain developed a spike, which Saber crouched to plunge deep into the concrete – leaving Ibaraki staked to the ground, tethered by her right wrist. The chain shortened violently, dragging her down and leaving her open.
She tugged, but the damn thing had grown spikes after being placed. Ibaraki planted her feet, and prepared to pull up the whole damn plaza and hit Saber round the head with it if necessary…
…before realising Saber had skipped back.
She'd forgotten Archer, yet again.
Dammit. These two were too good. They didn't exactly work well together – they just worked well, in general, and were more than capable of adjusting to take advantage of the other's manoeuvring.
And now, arrows streaked towards her, while she was unable to move freely.
Well.
Shit.
This was… pretty bad, actually. Archer and Saber's plan had gone off pretty much perfectly. She couldn't reach Archer, couldn't effectively fight Saber, and every time she tried to focus on one the other punished her for it.
Now, with arrows capable of punching through steel plate like paper bearing down on her, her right hand was trapped against the ground.
Ibaraki smiled.
She'd been holding off on this, because there was really nowhere left to escalate to afterward… but if Saber and Archer were going to push her to this extent, there really was nothing for it.
"Should have gone for my left hand," she said. "Great Grudge of Rashomon!"
There was fire.
There was a hand the size of a horse, which basically just appeared in the path of the arrows, leaving only a streak of flame to show where it had been.
But, more importantly, there was now a gap at the end of Ibaraki's arm, and she wasted no time in slipping her shackle.
Time to go.
She blasted herself sideways, and made a break for a particularly sad-looking pile of rubble that she was pretty sure used to be the building she'd thrown her sword at.
Out the corner of her eye, she noticed Saber start after her – and also noticed the way they broke off when a giant flaming fist slammed down into the plaza a single step ahead of where they would have been. The speed at which Ibaraki's right hand travelled, and the awesome force it could bring to bear, meant that, actually, yes, it could deal with both Saber and Archer at once – long enough for her to escape.
More arrows flew, but these were batted away with a sneering disdain by the Great Grudge, again streaking upward to intercept before slamming onto the rooftop Archer had moments ago been standing on, reducing it to kindling.
Archer fled over the rooftops, slowing not at all for ledges, gaps and wires. Her aim was affected not a jot, and the Great Grudge was forced to burn more arrows into disintegrating ash. That was the Servant of the Bow for you.
Ibaraki reached the rubble. Now, how to find her sword?
Oh, yes. It would be the only thing not reduced to ashes when she was done with it.
A thought, and the Great Grudge came down like a thunderbolt to pound the little piles of concrete, brick and glass into sand. The next moment, it was gone, sweeping low and forcing Saber to break off their pursuit – the moment after, smashing another of Archer's perches and fouling her shots.
Noble Phantasms. Ever so helpful.
With one last look back at the wrecked plaza, and the two Servants failing to get past her Noble Phantasm, Ibaraki made her escape, and sprinted west as fast as she could go.
---
Yeah, like it was ever going to be that easy.
At first, Ibaraki made good time. This sort of thing was easy for her, because she'd long since stopped caring what happened to the city and just kind of barrelled through every building in front of her.
The occasional potshot from Archer still found its way to her, but they were easy enough to deflect – and Archer herself was way, way too busy dealing with the Great Grudge to really start to herd Ibaraki in one direction or another. Saber had the same problem, and wasn't nearly as fast.
Still, if she dawdled, Ibaraki would get caught.
So, when she got her first sight of the river, and the Servant guarding it, Ibaraki didn't even slow down. On the contrary, she poured on the speed, boosting her strength to make great bounding strides and blasting fire out behind her to accelerate as fast as she could.
Up ahead, Rider braced herself for Ibaraki's charge. She looked very impressive, her cross-shaped staff planted and her posture bolt-upright. She looked every inch the perfect holy saint – an image only helped by the way her staff was glowing with a pure white energy that made Ibaraki's eyes water to look at.
Ibaraki used one final boost, and shot towards Rider like a flaming missile. Rider raised her staff to meet the charge…
…and looked very surprised when Ibaraki just flew straight past her.
"Love to stay and kill you, but I have things to do!" called Ibaraki. She sailed high, high up into the air-
-and was brought back down by an explosion of white light.
She landed in a heap at the water's edge, but managed to turn it into a roll. She came up, crouched and ready.
"Dammit!" she yelled. "Rider, I don't have time for this!"
"Indeed," said Rider, approaching to join Ibaraki on the riverbank. Her staff began glowing again. "In fact, I would go so far as to say you are out of time completely."
… okay, that was a pretty good line.
Ibaraki considered trying to talk it out… but an image returned to her of the priest's cheek sizzling under her red-hot claw, and Rider's outrage.
Thanks, Caster, she thought venomously. Literally burning my bridges.
Well, whatever. She could take one lousy saint.
Without warning, Ibaraki lunged. Rider brought the staff up, glowing, in a simple block – which collapsed basically immediately under Ibaraki's assault. Ibaraki closed in… and noticed the quickly brightening glow from the staff.
She retreated, just in time to avoid an explosion of light, centred on Rider. She landed, skidding back, and dodged to one side as a shaft of radiance descended from the heavens, gouging a crater into the earth. Rider lowered the staff, looking ever so slightly smug.
"The Lord's power cannot be resisted by evil – and will never harm His loyal followers," she said. "With his staff, I do His wonders. You have met your end, Berserker."
"Oh, spare me!" Ibaraki swung her sword, and released a wave of fire, which met an equally bright wave of light.
But, well. Fire still made a great smokescreen, and so far Rider hadn't proven nearly as good a fighter as Saber.
Ibaraki hurled her sword through the fire, then surged after it herself. As she emerged, she saw Rider struggle to parry the unnaturally heavy blade – and out of position to stop Ibaraki from closing her remaining hand around the shaft of the staff.
What do you know? A one-handed oni was easily a match for a wimpy saint in a fight.
"Enough of this toy," she said, even as her fingers started smoking.
Then she ripped it out of Rider's hands and threw it underarm into the river.
A headbutt sent Rider stumbling back.
Ibaraki considered just letting Rider go, and continuing on her way. But no. She was tired, and pissed off, and Rider was still enough of a threat that she could justify taking a moment to smash.
Rider's hair had fallen over her face, but her hands trembled and her voice shook. "You… you threw away my staff…"
"Don't worry," Ibaraki said. "Hold still and I'll send your head down to look for it." She approached, and flexed her claws.
Rider raised her head. The fury in her eyes gave even Ibaraki pause. "You threw away my staff, you bitch!"
Oh dear.
Ibaraki attacked.
Ibaraki picked herself out of a crater with her head ringing.
What had just…
She rolled out of the way, and Rider's boot came down in an axe kick and crumbled the earth in a ten-foot radius.
"That was a gift from the Lord himself!" Rider fumed. Her fists balled up, and she stomped one leg forward into a basic fighting stance.
Then she darted in to stomp on Ibaraki's foot, while pounding a hammerblow of an uppercut into her chin.
Ibaraki went flying.
"Ow! Are you sure you're not Servant Berserker?"
She landed, and jerked to one side as Rider's fists thundered through the space where Ibaraki's head had been. She ducked and wove, and eventually had to explode again just to create distance.
This was… unexpected. Apparently the saint of the shore had a really, really mean streak and a left hook that could fell an elephant.
Fortunately, Ibaraki didn't have to sit here and take it. Rider's staff was gone, and apparently that meant instead of raining down holy fire to purge the unclean she just had to beat sinners up until they repented.
And while Ibaraki could take her – totally! – it would take time. She had a Master to rescue.
So instead of attacking, she just blasted off and leapt over the river. But, just in case Rider had something up her sleeve, she focused on bringing up a little insurance.
"Why you- get back here!" yelled Rider. "Tarrasque!"
"Tarra-whatnow?" Ibaraki didn't know what Rider was yelling about – until she felt prana spike below her.
She looked down, and saw teeth.
The dragon Tarrasque rose from the Mion River like a breaching shark. Its catlike jaws opened, wider, wider, enough to swallow Ibaraki whole, revealing the spark of dragon fire deep in its throat.
Come on, come on!
Ibaraki threw fire downwards, not expecting to even singe the beast but trying to gain a little more height. Tarrasque just continued to rise, its tail thrashing like a crocodile's. Ibaraki was no more than a foot above it…
…when her insurance arrived.
All the breath whuffed out of Tarrasque, as the Great Grudge of Rashomon hit it square in the chest. Its jaws closed with a snap, and Ibaraki continued on her way.
She landed on the far bank, and booked it, not even bothering to look back.
This time, no more distractions. No more obstacles.
Hold on, Ryuunosuke…
---
"Tohsaka… that was truly pathetic."
"Your input is as valuable as ever, Matou. Kirei, I think it's fair to say we failed. Eliminate Berserker."
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Never get into a wrestling match with Martha. Also, poor Tarrasque's about to get his ass kicked.
- Location
- Probably at sea
I really don't know where everyone's getting this idea that Martha is abusive towards her pet,
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Maybe I'm remembering a meme rather than the source material, but when her Noble Phantasm starts off by asking God to temporarily close his eyes, you know there's going to be some violence going down.
But you're right. Georgios can attest that Martha is the very picture of a perfect Mistress for her Sub.
- Location
- Germany
Speaking of, that will be part of the next Event on the FGO NA-Server
X-Mas Wrestling Mania!
Martha is part of the Protag-Team
just lovetaps, which she asks God to not look at.
yeah, I fear Martha is not good at holding back
Maybe I'm remembering a meme rather than the source material, but when her Noble Phantasm starts off by asking God to temporarily close his eyes, you know there's going to be some violence going down.
But you're right. Georgios can attest that Martha is the very picture of a perfect Mistress for her Sub.
She says that in her NP-line in FGO as well. (or was it her Ruler-form?)
she does have the looks and clothing-style for it.
- Location
- Germany
she is from the 1st century and feels like she has an image/the reputation of saints to hold up
this makes the moments when she goes full Tomboy or Squee so much better.
I'm really loving the fact that you showed exactly how deadly Kayneth can be when he has the chance to actually use his strengths. He was taken out like an incompetent chump in Zero but El-Meloi was probably the second or even best mage in that War, and if he hasn't gotten arguably the single worst matchup Servant wise I can definitely see him winning (well, maybe not against Gilgamesh but he would've made a damn good showing).
- Location
- Probably at sea
It's an interesting case where as Magi go, El-Melloi was designed to be a very competent but extremely orthodox example, to showcase how Kiritsugu's methods worked perfectly against them. Meanwhile, his Lancer was almost tailor-made to work against him.
I'm not sure when or how I decided to have d'Eon spend this War as the C1000 (the C standing for Chevalier, natch), but I'm glad I did.