"I'm sorry you have to face me, Lancer," Caster said with a compassionate smile.
"Don't worry about me, Caster, every man's path will always be full of obstacles, we can't stop in life, we must always move forward."
"Wise words ... too bad they will be your last."
The two Masters behind the Servants were ready to fight each other and had ignored Henry Allison's escape.
"Master," Lancer said, "am I allowed to use my Noble Phantasm?"
"No not yet. We have to be careful."
"So be it."
Lancer attacked first, launched a swipe that should have decapitated Caster but he was swept away by a wind of fire generated by the candle in his opponent's hand. The two Masters moved away and began to face each other in the city.
Lancer had managed to survive Caster's attack and when he got up he was ready to attack again, however another cloud of fire forced him to retreat. Caster stood still, calm, and kept blowing on that candle, that was how he generated those particular clouds of fire.
"Your magic is fearsome α Caster, but I wonder why you're limiting yourself to these simple attacks. Aren't you going to kill me?"
"I understand from your eyes that you're a philosopher, you're a sage not a warrior, I have no intention of humiliating you."
"So you're holding back."
"Christ had compassion for his enemies, so do I."
"You insult me, Caster. I'm a philosopher, but I'm also a Heroic Spirit and above all a man who deserves your respect as I respect you."
"Well. Then attack me, Lancer, show me that you are worthy of my respect."
Lancer landed a blow but Caster dodged it with speed, dodged the one after and the one after that, it was as if he could anticipate his every move. A blast of fire hit Lancer but the latter got away just in time.
"God speaks to me, ω Lancer, none of your attacks, for me, are hidden by the mystery."
"You can predict my moves, α Caster, but you mustn't underestimate me."
"You say?"
Caster blew on the candle and generated a fireball that he threw at his opponent.
"You don't seem like much-"
"Here!"
Caster turned and was surprised to see Lancer on the roof of a house without any injuries. Caster's soul immediately calmed down and that compassionate smile reappeared on his face.
"A pity you're still alive, ω Lancer."
Caster generated four more fireballs and threw them at Lancer but the latter, with great agility, was able to successfully dodge all hits and counterattacked; however, Caster dodged the opponent's blow and the following four; then responded, in turn, with another ball of fire; Lancer also avoided that attack.
Neither Servant was injured.
"My compliments, Lancer, I thought you were just a thinker ... but apparently you really know how to fight."
"Who are you, Heroic Spirit?" ω Lancer asked, pointing his weapon at the opponent.
"Why do you want to know? You didn't say your name ..."
"I'm curious. I've never in my life met someone so calm during a battle. Generally people are agitated, worried, angry or ecstatic … you seem to have no emotion. There's something wrong with you. Who are you?"
"I won't tell you my name, Lancer. What you need to know is that I've been chosen by God to fight this Holy Grail War," he replied quietly.
"I understand ... then I won't insist."
The two resumed fighting. Lancer couldn't hit the opponent, it seemed that α Caster could foresee the future. At one point ω Lancer found himself inside a cloud of fire. If it weren't for his Magical Resistance, he would've taken a lot more damage.
"Where are you bastard?!" exclaimed the furious man.
A hand touched his shoulder. It was α Caster who, in a quiet, commiserating voice, said:
"You're losing your focus, Lancer. If you go on like this you will lose."
"Son of-!"
Lancer turned to hit the opponent. Caster dodged the attack and responded with a fireball.
"No …!"
Lancer was hit straight.
Meanwhile Raphael was facing Mikhail. Now there were three mercury dogs along with Raphael but none of the three was able to injure the Russian magus, who moved the scythe with such skill as to impress even Raphael himself.
"I'm surprised at your vigor," Mikhail asserted with a wicked grin, "I never expected such tenacity from a professor. But do you really teach?"
"Even a professor must know how to fight, otherwise he's not a real magus" replied the man, sending his three hounds against the opponent.
"Mercurial magic? Old stuff."
"While blood magic is typical of monsters," Raphael commented.
"I guess you're right." Mikhail cut the three hounds in half with a single swipe. "But it's not that that epithet drives me crazy. I'm not a sanguinary. Killing those people was just doing my duty as a member of the Order of the Blessed. You French don't know loyalty, so easily you turned your back on Napoleon Bonaparte and you've not changed since then."
"What are you raving about, monster?"
"I'm just saying that I understand your inability to tolerate my fidelity to the Order of the Blessed, it's precisely for this limitation that you label me as a simple 'monster'. Follow orders, this is what a magus employed by an organization must do. Outside of those orders he's nothing."
"You're wrong, Sadykov, but I'm not going to change your mind. Your battle ends here."
"Yours too."
At that moment an intense light coming from the sky blinded both Masters for a moment, the next moment Raphael found himself in a completely different place together with his Servant.
"What happened? What is this madness?" Lancer asked, shaken.
"Quiet, Lancer," Raphael looked up at that immense obelisk in the center of Adocentyn and noticed that an immense rhomboid-shaped crystal had sprouted above the tip that emanated a red light "probably that was it. It wasn't there before."
"What is it?"
"I don't know but I'm sure we were deliberately pushed away from our opponents."
"Why? The purpose of the Holy Grail War is to fight opposing Servants, right?"
"Yeah, but I think the guy who brought me here has other plans in mind. I don't know what, but I know that all of this is far from being fortuitous."
Raphael turned and then saw the very high circular walls of an arena whose appearance resembled a typical ancient Roman amphitheater.
"Maybe we have to fight in there?" Lancer asked, puzzled.
"Probably."
"Then we go?"
"No not yet. I'm not going to be careless. There are some houses nearby. We will remain on the lookout and await the arrival of another Master, then we will set a trap."
Having said that, the two entered an empty house to implement their strategy.
"Don't worry about me, Caster, every man's path will always be full of obstacles, we can't stop in life, we must always move forward."
"Wise words ... too bad they will be your last."
The two Masters behind the Servants were ready to fight each other and had ignored Henry Allison's escape.
"Master," Lancer said, "am I allowed to use my Noble Phantasm?"
"No not yet. We have to be careful."
"So be it."
Lancer attacked first, launched a swipe that should have decapitated Caster but he was swept away by a wind of fire generated by the candle in his opponent's hand. The two Masters moved away and began to face each other in the city.
Lancer had managed to survive Caster's attack and when he got up he was ready to attack again, however another cloud of fire forced him to retreat. Caster stood still, calm, and kept blowing on that candle, that was how he generated those particular clouds of fire.
"Your magic is fearsome α Caster, but I wonder why you're limiting yourself to these simple attacks. Aren't you going to kill me?"
"I understand from your eyes that you're a philosopher, you're a sage not a warrior, I have no intention of humiliating you."
"So you're holding back."
"Christ had compassion for his enemies, so do I."
"You insult me, Caster. I'm a philosopher, but I'm also a Heroic Spirit and above all a man who deserves your respect as I respect you."
"Well. Then attack me, Lancer, show me that you are worthy of my respect."
Lancer landed a blow but Caster dodged it with speed, dodged the one after and the one after that, it was as if he could anticipate his every move. A blast of fire hit Lancer but the latter got away just in time.
"God speaks to me, ω Lancer, none of your attacks, for me, are hidden by the mystery."
"You can predict my moves, α Caster, but you mustn't underestimate me."
"You say?"
Caster blew on the candle and generated a fireball that he threw at his opponent.
"You don't seem like much-"
"Here!"
Caster turned and was surprised to see Lancer on the roof of a house without any injuries. Caster's soul immediately calmed down and that compassionate smile reappeared on his face.
"A pity you're still alive, ω Lancer."
Caster generated four more fireballs and threw them at Lancer but the latter, with great agility, was able to successfully dodge all hits and counterattacked; however, Caster dodged the opponent's blow and the following four; then responded, in turn, with another ball of fire; Lancer also avoided that attack.
Neither Servant was injured.
"My compliments, Lancer, I thought you were just a thinker ... but apparently you really know how to fight."
"Who are you, Heroic Spirit?" ω Lancer asked, pointing his weapon at the opponent.
"Why do you want to know? You didn't say your name ..."
"I'm curious. I've never in my life met someone so calm during a battle. Generally people are agitated, worried, angry or ecstatic … you seem to have no emotion. There's something wrong with you. Who are you?"
"I won't tell you my name, Lancer. What you need to know is that I've been chosen by God to fight this Holy Grail War," he replied quietly.
"I understand ... then I won't insist."
The two resumed fighting. Lancer couldn't hit the opponent, it seemed that α Caster could foresee the future. At one point ω Lancer found himself inside a cloud of fire. If it weren't for his Magical Resistance, he would've taken a lot more damage.
"Where are you bastard?!" exclaimed the furious man.
A hand touched his shoulder. It was α Caster who, in a quiet, commiserating voice, said:
"You're losing your focus, Lancer. If you go on like this you will lose."
"Son of-!"
Lancer turned to hit the opponent. Caster dodged the attack and responded with a fireball.
"No …!"
Lancer was hit straight.
Meanwhile Raphael was facing Mikhail. Now there were three mercury dogs along with Raphael but none of the three was able to injure the Russian magus, who moved the scythe with such skill as to impress even Raphael himself.
"I'm surprised at your vigor," Mikhail asserted with a wicked grin, "I never expected such tenacity from a professor. But do you really teach?"
"Even a professor must know how to fight, otherwise he's not a real magus" replied the man, sending his three hounds against the opponent.
"Mercurial magic? Old stuff."
"While blood magic is typical of monsters," Raphael commented.
"I guess you're right." Mikhail cut the three hounds in half with a single swipe. "But it's not that that epithet drives me crazy. I'm not a sanguinary. Killing those people was just doing my duty as a member of the Order of the Blessed. You French don't know loyalty, so easily you turned your back on Napoleon Bonaparte and you've not changed since then."
"What are you raving about, monster?"
"I'm just saying that I understand your inability to tolerate my fidelity to the Order of the Blessed, it's precisely for this limitation that you label me as a simple 'monster'. Follow orders, this is what a magus employed by an organization must do. Outside of those orders he's nothing."
"You're wrong, Sadykov, but I'm not going to change your mind. Your battle ends here."
"Yours too."
At that moment an intense light coming from the sky blinded both Masters for a moment, the next moment Raphael found himself in a completely different place together with his Servant.
"What happened? What is this madness?" Lancer asked, shaken.
"Quiet, Lancer," Raphael looked up at that immense obelisk in the center of Adocentyn and noticed that an immense rhomboid-shaped crystal had sprouted above the tip that emanated a red light "probably that was it. It wasn't there before."
"What is it?"
"I don't know but I'm sure we were deliberately pushed away from our opponents."
"Why? The purpose of the Holy Grail War is to fight opposing Servants, right?"
"Yeah, but I think the guy who brought me here has other plans in mind. I don't know what, but I know that all of this is far from being fortuitous."
Raphael turned and then saw the very high circular walls of an arena whose appearance resembled a typical ancient Roman amphitheater.
"Maybe we have to fight in there?" Lancer asked, puzzled.
"Probably."
"Then we go?"
"No not yet. I'm not going to be careless. There are some houses nearby. We will remain on the lookout and await the arrival of another Master, then we will set a trap."
Having said that, the two entered an empty house to implement their strategy.
 |
| Duel in fire by BikoWolf |
