A giant bolt was fired by ω Archer. The impact triggered an explosion that destroyed half of the amphitheater. The smokescreen rose under a storm that still roared. Archer stood over a bolt of lightning, triumphantly waiting to see the corpses of his defeated enemies.
When the smoke cleared and Archer saw the figures of α Saber and Alessandro Serpi appear he exclaimed energetically:
"Impossible! What devilry did you use to survive my Noble Phantasm?!"
It was then that the man noticed a long piece of purple cloth that was circling around the two.
"Iliona's Veil," said α Rider. "It's one of the treasures of Rome, the Pignora imperii. It is said that Iliona was the suicidal daughter of Priam and Hecuba, her veil is able to provide an absolute defense against attacks of a magical nature."
Rider shouldn't have gotten into that fight. It wasn't in the agreements and Anna, furious, reminded that to Alessandro, who was still confused:
"You violated the agreement we made! You said it was going to be a fair fight! It was obvious that you were lying! I should've guessed it!"
Alessandro didn't have time to answer and it was Rider himself who justified his actions:
"Did you really think that a Roman emperor like me would agree to witness the victory of a barbarian? Please... I must defend the dignity of my people and my family. I certainly couldn't allow my mother to be killed by such an animal."
α Archer, Alisa's Servant, intervened: "You're an arrogant man, Rider. This battle was only about ω Archer and α Saber, you broke the agreement by getting in the way. Now I no longer have any reason to stay on the sidelines. I'll make you regret protecting that girl!"
"Mm? And who are you to talk to me like this? Do you have at least the faintest idea who I am?"
"A dead man—"
"Damn it, Rider!" Alessandro shouted furiously. "What does your brain tell you?! I told you we didn't need your help! Do you really want to force Ina to fight this war?"
"Don't you dare tell me what I must or must not do! I'm an emperor, I'm not your Servant and I do not have to listen to a pleb like you. Maybe my mother respects you, but I don't. Your way of treating my Master is unacceptable and I am tired of being pushed aside as if I were any Servant! Now I'll fight and kill α Archer!"
"You can forget about it!" Alessandro walked towards the Servant determined to impose himself on him.
To Saber's Master, who had seen Servants and Masters of all kinds, α Rider was just an overly arrogant and extremely undisciplined creature. Alessandro would use every means available to him to put that man back in line.
"Are you challenging me, plebeian?" Rider braced himself for battle. "Whether you like it or not, I will fight against our enemies—!"
"No, you won't," Caesar exclaimed in an authoritative tone. "It's evident that you've not understood your place, my son. Emperor or not, you wouldn't be here today if it weren't for me, so you'll listen to me and do what I tell you. Stay in your place as my Comrade ordered and don't make too many fuss."
"But I—!"
"Do you really dare to challenge me, Lucky Boy?"
Rider fell silent, embarrassed, and looked away with a hint of shame. That nickname was enough to silence him and to end the feud. So Caesar turned to ω Archer:
"There's no need to be so scandalized by a help that I didn't choose to have. The pact is still valid. Know that my son will no longer intervene."
"Nonsense! I can't trust those who have no honor—!"
"Or you don't trust your abilities enough," she exclaimed with a defiant grin. "The first time you almost managed to kill me, are you afraid you won't succeed a second time? If you're really stronger than me I bet you can kill me in the second round."
The man said nothing, but it was clear that the girl's words had managed to hit a soft spot. Alisa's Servant, however, was not yet convinced and expressed her opinion:
"You speak well, α Saber, but your actions tell a story of dishonor and lies. Who tells us you didn't plan all this from the start?"
When the smoke cleared and Archer saw the figures of α Saber and Alessandro Serpi appear he exclaimed energetically:
"Impossible! What devilry did you use to survive my Noble Phantasm?!"
It was then that the man noticed a long piece of purple cloth that was circling around the two.
"Iliona's Veil," said α Rider. "It's one of the treasures of Rome, the Pignora imperii. It is said that Iliona was the suicidal daughter of Priam and Hecuba, her veil is able to provide an absolute defense against attacks of a magical nature."
Rider shouldn't have gotten into that fight. It wasn't in the agreements and Anna, furious, reminded that to Alessandro, who was still confused:
"You violated the agreement we made! You said it was going to be a fair fight! It was obvious that you were lying! I should've guessed it!"
Alessandro didn't have time to answer and it was Rider himself who justified his actions:
"Did you really think that a Roman emperor like me would agree to witness the victory of a barbarian? Please... I must defend the dignity of my people and my family. I certainly couldn't allow my mother to be killed by such an animal."
α Archer, Alisa's Servant, intervened: "You're an arrogant man, Rider. This battle was only about ω Archer and α Saber, you broke the agreement by getting in the way. Now I no longer have any reason to stay on the sidelines. I'll make you regret protecting that girl!"
"Mm? And who are you to talk to me like this? Do you have at least the faintest idea who I am?"
"A dead man—"
"Damn it, Rider!" Alessandro shouted furiously. "What does your brain tell you?! I told you we didn't need your help! Do you really want to force Ina to fight this war?"
"Don't you dare tell me what I must or must not do! I'm an emperor, I'm not your Servant and I do not have to listen to a pleb like you. Maybe my mother respects you, but I don't. Your way of treating my Master is unacceptable and I am tired of being pushed aside as if I were any Servant! Now I'll fight and kill α Archer!"
"You can forget about it!" Alessandro walked towards the Servant determined to impose himself on him.
To Saber's Master, who had seen Servants and Masters of all kinds, α Rider was just an overly arrogant and extremely undisciplined creature. Alessandro would use every means available to him to put that man back in line.
"Are you challenging me, plebeian?" Rider braced himself for battle. "Whether you like it or not, I will fight against our enemies—!"
"No, you won't," Caesar exclaimed in an authoritative tone. "It's evident that you've not understood your place, my son. Emperor or not, you wouldn't be here today if it weren't for me, so you'll listen to me and do what I tell you. Stay in your place as my Comrade ordered and don't make too many fuss."
"But I—!"
"Do you really dare to challenge me, Lucky Boy?"
Rider fell silent, embarrassed, and looked away with a hint of shame. That nickname was enough to silence him and to end the feud. So Caesar turned to ω Archer:
"There's no need to be so scandalized by a help that I didn't choose to have. The pact is still valid. Know that my son will no longer intervene."
"Nonsense! I can't trust those who have no honor—!"
"Or you don't trust your abilities enough," she exclaimed with a defiant grin. "The first time you almost managed to kill me, are you afraid you won't succeed a second time? If you're really stronger than me I bet you can kill me in the second round."
The man said nothing, but it was clear that the girl's words had managed to hit a soft spot. Alisa's Servant, however, was not yet convinced and expressed her opinion:
"You speak well, α Saber, but your actions tell a story of dishonor and lies. Who tells us you didn't plan all this from the start?"
"Would it really make that much difference, α Archer? Even if you were right, that wouldn't change the fact that I could never repeat such mischief a second time. So why complain? We're not children and this is not a game. If ω Archer is really stronger than me, then he will be able to kill me without problems."
"I know what you're doing, brat," Archer exclaimed. "Behind your smiles and your courtesy is the wickedness of a snake. You want to force us to play your game, but you won't succeed—"
"Okay, I accept it." She shrugged indifferently. "But I'd like to hear my opponent's opinion. You both know that α Rider will no longer intervene, so now the question is: Does Archer really need someone else's help to win?"
"No!" shouted the furious man. "I am a true warrior! I'm not like you! I don't use cowardly tricks to win my battles!"
"Then prove it."
"All right, woman, let's see if you can defeat the great Palnatoke! This is my storm! I'm the one who has the favor of the battle! There will be just you and me in this duel! I don't need anyone else's help to kill you!"
Caesar prepared to join her opponent and Alessandro, worried about the Servant, asked her:
"Are you sure you can deal with him?"
"Don't worry, Comrade, I'll roll the dice and we'll see how it turns out."
"But he has a strong advantage over you."
"I know, but who said Caesar can't tame lightning?"
The battle resumed.
The two Servants, submerged in that roaring storm, collided for the last time. Palnatoke fired a dozen electric arrows and Caesar, with surprising speed, dodged them one after the other, jumping left and right, and, in the end, leapt towards the opponent. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and Caesar put her foot on it and jumped to reach the next lightning bolt and then the next one; everyone gasped as the Servants began to fight moving from lightning to lightning in the pouring rain.
Caesar's blade deflected the arrows with precision, but she was never able to wound the man whose speed was commendable.
"A woman without honor can never defeat me!" he yelled.
"We'll see, my shaggy friend," she said with a smile.
Caesar continued to jump trying to get as close as possible to the opponent, but it was difficult to keep up with him. Palnatoke was much more agile than she was and moved among the lightning bolts like a monkey in trees. Despite her difficulties, the girl decided to imitate some of the opponent's moves in the hope of shortening the distance; she lost her rhythm and fell.
Palnatoke took advantage of this to fire an arrow aimed at her head. It was luck that sent a thunderbolt under Caesar's feet. The girl jumped and avoided the enemy's attack.
Anna Newton then decided to use a Command Seal to strengthen her Servant. Alessandro did the same, albeit with a little more hesitation.
The two Heroic Spirits continued the duel in the fierce rain and, in the end, they both understood that it was time to use their most devastating attacks; it was time to give it all.
"The time has come, woman!" Palnatoke affirmed preparing his own Noble Phantasm.
"So be it!" Caesar's sword lit up.
The two Servants jumped in at the same instant.
"Hjörungavágr (The Eternal Storm of War)!"
"Crocea Mors (Sword of Certain Victory)!"
The impact of the two Noble Phantasms generated an immense explosion in the sky accompanied by a loud roar.
The storm fell asleep and with it Palnatoke's dreams of glory.
The man fell from the sky and disappeared even before touching the ground.
"The battle is over," Alessandro said with some regret.
"It would've been different if your friends hadn't intervened," Anna exclaimed indignantly. "You won only thanks to deception."
Caesar, returning to her Master, answered Anna Newton's words coldly:
"Don't you think it's pathetic to complain to the bitter end? What happened happened, the quality of this victory is of little importance. I won and your Servant lost, that's what matters. Now it's up to my Comrade to decide what will happen to you—"
"I've already decided, Caesar." He looked into her eyes. "I will not kill her. I don't want to kill anyone."
"Comrade, I don't think—"
"I know what you're doing, brat," Archer exclaimed. "Behind your smiles and your courtesy is the wickedness of a snake. You want to force us to play your game, but you won't succeed—"
"Okay, I accept it." She shrugged indifferently. "But I'd like to hear my opponent's opinion. You both know that α Rider will no longer intervene, so now the question is: Does Archer really need someone else's help to win?"
"No!" shouted the furious man. "I am a true warrior! I'm not like you! I don't use cowardly tricks to win my battles!"
"Then prove it."
"All right, woman, let's see if you can defeat the great Palnatoke! This is my storm! I'm the one who has the favor of the battle! There will be just you and me in this duel! I don't need anyone else's help to kill you!"
Caesar prepared to join her opponent and Alessandro, worried about the Servant, asked her:
"Are you sure you can deal with him?"
"Don't worry, Comrade, I'll roll the dice and we'll see how it turns out."
"But he has a strong advantage over you."
"I know, but who said Caesar can't tame lightning?"
The battle resumed.
The two Servants, submerged in that roaring storm, collided for the last time. Palnatoke fired a dozen electric arrows and Caesar, with surprising speed, dodged them one after the other, jumping left and right, and, in the end, leapt towards the opponent. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and Caesar put her foot on it and jumped to reach the next lightning bolt and then the next one; everyone gasped as the Servants began to fight moving from lightning to lightning in the pouring rain.
Caesar's blade deflected the arrows with precision, but she was never able to wound the man whose speed was commendable.
"A woman without honor can never defeat me!" he yelled.
"We'll see, my shaggy friend," she said with a smile.
Caesar continued to jump trying to get as close as possible to the opponent, but it was difficult to keep up with him. Palnatoke was much more agile than she was and moved among the lightning bolts like a monkey in trees. Despite her difficulties, the girl decided to imitate some of the opponent's moves in the hope of shortening the distance; she lost her rhythm and fell.
Palnatoke took advantage of this to fire an arrow aimed at her head. It was luck that sent a thunderbolt under Caesar's feet. The girl jumped and avoided the enemy's attack.
Anna Newton then decided to use a Command Seal to strengthen her Servant. Alessandro did the same, albeit with a little more hesitation.
The two Heroic Spirits continued the duel in the fierce rain and, in the end, they both understood that it was time to use their most devastating attacks; it was time to give it all.
"The time has come, woman!" Palnatoke affirmed preparing his own Noble Phantasm.
"So be it!" Caesar's sword lit up.
The two Servants jumped in at the same instant.
"Hjörungavágr (The Eternal Storm of War)!"
"Crocea Mors (Sword of Certain Victory)!"
The impact of the two Noble Phantasms generated an immense explosion in the sky accompanied by a loud roar.
The storm fell asleep and with it Palnatoke's dreams of glory.
The man fell from the sky and disappeared even before touching the ground.
"The battle is over," Alessandro said with some regret.
"It would've been different if your friends hadn't intervened," Anna exclaimed indignantly. "You won only thanks to deception."
Caesar, returning to her Master, answered Anna Newton's words coldly:
"Don't you think it's pathetic to complain to the bitter end? What happened happened, the quality of this victory is of little importance. I won and your Servant lost, that's what matters. Now it's up to my Comrade to decide what will happen to you—"
"I've already decided, Caesar." He looked into her eyes. "I will not kill her. I don't want to kill anyone."
"Comrade, I don't think—"
"I said no!" he screamed. "I'll find a way out of this place, I will not kill anyone! Acies Gladii!" Alessandro evoked magical swords that were fired at the barrier surrounding the amphitheater. "Adversarium Ferio!"
"Comrade is useless..."
"Comrade is useless..."
"It's not useless, damn it!"
Alessandro began casting every Magecraft at his disposal against that barrier; he was like a lion trying desperately to get out of its cage. The others watched in silence. There were eyes of amazement, indignation, compassion and pain. The boy went on, head down, ignoring those people. He had only one goal in mind: to get out.
Anna could've used that moment to kill him, but she didn't. She didn't do it because there was something about him that reminded her of James Jenkins. He was equally determined and kind. She couldn't take the life of a person so good and so equal to the boy she had loved and lost.
Ina's first instinct was to go to him to console him, but Henry stopped her to protect her. He understood that at that moment Alessandro was unstable and he could do things he would regret.
Caesar, on the other hand, approached him and grabbed his shoulder firmly:
"That's enough. You're exaggerating."
"Stay away from me, I know what I'm doing. I just need to find a weak point in this barrier. It will take some time, but I will succeed..."
"Comrade, you won't succeed—"
"Bullshit! I'll find the weak point of this barrier and we'll get out of here!"
"Alessandro—"
"What is your problem?!" he screamed at the top of his throat. "Everyone thinks only of dying, killing and massacring! Is it possible that there isn't a magus with a minimum of common sense?! We are experts in Magecraft and the only thing we can do is destroy?! How is it possible? I was the most talented magus in the Coven, damn it! I certainly have magic that can save us all! I'm sure! Wait and see! I'll be able to free us all and no one will have to die! No one!"
"Alessandro, enough!" the Servant yelled.
"NO!" he cried out in tears. "Everyone stay away from me! Nobody dares to come near! Let me do my job! I'll save you! I—!"
Ina ran towards the boy and hugged him. "Stop Please!" The girl was crying. "You're hurting yourself. You have to calm down...."
Anger turned to sadness. The boy surrendered to Ina's affection and let out all the tears he had in his body.
"I can't... I can't do it... I have to get out of here... I have to get out... damn it..."
At that moment a shiver ran down Alessandro's arms, there was something that had changed in the air. He took Ina and ordered Henry to protect her. He walked away a little to study the place around him. The others asked him what the problem was, but he didn't answer; he was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on. With his eyes he sifted through every corner of the arena and, in the end, raised his head and saw, a little further on, a male figure. He couldn't feel his magical energy.
"An Imitation..." he said in shock.
Alessandro began casting every Magecraft at his disposal against that barrier; he was like a lion trying desperately to get out of its cage. The others watched in silence. There were eyes of amazement, indignation, compassion and pain. The boy went on, head down, ignoring those people. He had only one goal in mind: to get out.
Anna could've used that moment to kill him, but she didn't. She didn't do it because there was something about him that reminded her of James Jenkins. He was equally determined and kind. She couldn't take the life of a person so good and so equal to the boy she had loved and lost.
Ina's first instinct was to go to him to console him, but Henry stopped her to protect her. He understood that at that moment Alessandro was unstable and he could do things he would regret.
Caesar, on the other hand, approached him and grabbed his shoulder firmly:
"That's enough. You're exaggerating."
"Stay away from me, I know what I'm doing. I just need to find a weak point in this barrier. It will take some time, but I will succeed..."
"Comrade, you won't succeed—"
"Bullshit! I'll find the weak point of this barrier and we'll get out of here!"
"Alessandro—"
"What is your problem?!" he screamed at the top of his throat. "Everyone thinks only of dying, killing and massacring! Is it possible that there isn't a magus with a minimum of common sense?! We are experts in Magecraft and the only thing we can do is destroy?! How is it possible? I was the most talented magus in the Coven, damn it! I certainly have magic that can save us all! I'm sure! Wait and see! I'll be able to free us all and no one will have to die! No one!"
"Alessandro, enough!" the Servant yelled.
"NO!" he cried out in tears. "Everyone stay away from me! Nobody dares to come near! Let me do my job! I'll save you! I—!"
Ina ran towards the boy and hugged him. "Stop Please!" The girl was crying. "You're hurting yourself. You have to calm down...."
Anger turned to sadness. The boy surrendered to Ina's affection and let out all the tears he had in his body.
"I can't... I can't do it... I have to get out of here... I have to get out... damn it..."
At that moment a shiver ran down Alessandro's arms, there was something that had changed in the air. He took Ina and ordered Henry to protect her. He walked away a little to study the place around him. The others asked him what the problem was, but he didn't answer; he was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on. With his eyes he sifted through every corner of the arena and, in the end, raised his head and saw, a little further on, a male figure. He couldn't feel his magical energy.
"An Imitation..." he said in shock.
When the others also became aware of the presence of this stranger, Anna Newton's life met a violent end.
Alisa let out a cry of terror from her mouth and everyone saw Anna be beheaded by a Servant with androgynous features; it was ω Specter. The magical barrier disappeared when the innocent blood poured on the altar.
"No..." Alessandro said in shock. "No... who the fuck are you two?"
Specter's Master reached the center of the arena and, with a sadistic grin, bowed slightly.
"Nice to meet you, you must be Yukiko Kumahira's brother. I'm Tao Shunyuan and I'm here for the traitorous homunculus. Please don't get in my way."
As soon as Tao met Alisa's gaze, the latter ran away in terror, leaving behind the body of her deceased friend. The man began the chase and Alessandro, enraged, wanted to avenge Anna. He chased after Tao and summoned swords to strike him, but missed and was eventually stopped by Vergil.
"You're quite rude," he said. "My colleague asked you not to hinder him."
"Get out of my way, asshole!"
Alessandro threw a punch, but only hit the air.
"We're violent, huh? I'm surprised you decided to show this aggression just now. If you had killed the girl, we might never have gotten to this point."
"Stop talking! I don't want to listen to you anymore—!"
"Oh, come on, I like to have a chat with my nemesis."
"You're a monster! A fucking monster! We have nothing to say to each other!"
"You're a disappointment, however. I would've expected more initiative from a magus like you, but apparently you're still unable to understand your place in this wonderful war. You just cry like a brat and show compassion towards pawns. Anna is dead and Alisa will also die. You can't avoid it, you don't have the strength to do it."
"Don't challenge me, you bastard—!"
"I've challenged you several times already, you know? And what did you do? Nothing. Indeed, even less than nothing. You limited yourself to weeping and complaining about the horror of this war. It's not what I want, it's not what I designed for you. Maybe I need to corner you to force you to show your fangs."
A dazzling light enveloped both Alessandro and Caesar. In an instant the two found themselves in front of an amphitheater.
"What...? Where did you take me...?"
"The 'where' doesn't matter, my friend. What matters is something else..."
With a nod of his head he invited Alessandro to turn around. The boy's blood froze at the sight of that demonic grin, the cold terror blocked his senses for a brief moment and a sense of nausea filled his stomach.
He turned slowly.
Ina wasn't there.
Ina was no longer with him.
Vergil had separated him from Ina.
"Let's see who will die first: you or her? Don't worry, I also moved her... so it will be harder for you to find her. She's now in one of the arenas, maybe it's the one behind me or maybe not. Who knows..."
Alessandro couldn't even formulate a thought. His mind was completely darkened, it was as if all the words had been buried.
"Come on, Alessandro, it's time to get your claws out. I want to see what you're capable of. Show me your strength."
Alisa let out a cry of terror from her mouth and everyone saw Anna be beheaded by a Servant with androgynous features; it was ω Specter. The magical barrier disappeared when the innocent blood poured on the altar.
"No..." Alessandro said in shock. "No... who the fuck are you two?"
Specter's Master reached the center of the arena and, with a sadistic grin, bowed slightly.
"Nice to meet you, you must be Yukiko Kumahira's brother. I'm Tao Shunyuan and I'm here for the traitorous homunculus. Please don't get in my way."
As soon as Tao met Alisa's gaze, the latter ran away in terror, leaving behind the body of her deceased friend. The man began the chase and Alessandro, enraged, wanted to avenge Anna. He chased after Tao and summoned swords to strike him, but missed and was eventually stopped by Vergil.
"You're quite rude," he said. "My colleague asked you not to hinder him."
"Get out of my way, asshole!"
Alessandro threw a punch, but only hit the air.
"We're violent, huh? I'm surprised you decided to show this aggression just now. If you had killed the girl, we might never have gotten to this point."
"Stop talking! I don't want to listen to you anymore—!"
"Oh, come on, I like to have a chat with my nemesis."
"You're a monster! A fucking monster! We have nothing to say to each other!"
"You're a disappointment, however. I would've expected more initiative from a magus like you, but apparently you're still unable to understand your place in this wonderful war. You just cry like a brat and show compassion towards pawns. Anna is dead and Alisa will also die. You can't avoid it, you don't have the strength to do it."
"Don't challenge me, you bastard—!"
"I've challenged you several times already, you know? And what did you do? Nothing. Indeed, even less than nothing. You limited yourself to weeping and complaining about the horror of this war. It's not what I want, it's not what I designed for you. Maybe I need to corner you to force you to show your fangs."
A dazzling light enveloped both Alessandro and Caesar. In an instant the two found themselves in front of an amphitheater.
"What...? Where did you take me...?"
"The 'where' doesn't matter, my friend. What matters is something else..."
With a nod of his head he invited Alessandro to turn around. The boy's blood froze at the sight of that demonic grin, the cold terror blocked his senses for a brief moment and a sense of nausea filled his stomach.
He turned slowly.
Ina wasn't there.
Ina was no longer with him.
Vergil had separated him from Ina.
"Let's see who will die first: you or her? Don't worry, I also moved her... so it will be harder for you to find her. She's now in one of the arenas, maybe it's the one behind me or maybe not. Who knows..."
Alessandro couldn't even formulate a thought. His mind was completely darkened, it was as if all the words had been buried.
"Come on, Alessandro, it's time to get your claws out. I want to see what you're capable of. Show me your strength."
 |
| 'Caesar can tame lightning' by BikoWolf |
Caesar can tame lightning!😆 It took me a while to write this chapter because I wanted to find a way to make the fight between Caesar and Palnatoke as badass as possible! Was it a success? Who knows... while you think about it you can click here to read the Adocentyn prequel.😏
