Before we begin this chapter, I want to discuss the power levels of the Servants in this war. Dante is powerful, but he's limited by his class, which prevents him from reaching his full potential. If he were forced to do so, he would have to sacrifice his humanity, something he won't do.
Not to mention his opponents, there's the wielder of a perfect divine sword, said to be on par with Ea, the reincarnation of Bishamon, a god of war; a warrior who fought alongside Karna against Arjuna and his siblings; a writer possessed by a guardian deity; an onmyouji who could be considered the most normal of them all; and finally, the Monkey King, a perfect candidate for Grand Berserker.
It's also worth noting that Dante's nerf is beneficial, as it prevents him from becoming a Gary Stu, since his body isn't from One Piece but rather one granted by the Throne of Heroes. If you keep this up, I can bring you a new power-up in the future, whether it's from within the system or from another dimension.
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Dante's POV
"I can't believe I went from a Servant to a mere familiar; if only I could use magic... I thought that, being an Assassin, I'd be the strongest, but it limits me quite a bit," I complained as I walked through the houses of Fuyuki Village, looking around for any Servant activity.
"There's no other way; perhaps you can modify her Saint Graph to become a Caster, taking advantage of the fact that the previous one is mine," Kiss-shot said, following behind me.
I turned my head to look at her, as beautiful as ever. Kiss-shot was categorized as one of my Noble Phantasms, which has two phases: an active one and a passive one.
The passive phase is her consciousness that lives in my shadow, which I have to enter if I want to have any interaction with her other than telepathically.
The active phase is when she manifests with a solid body as if she were a Servant, but this one is different. When she appears, she doesn't possess a functioning Saint Graph, so I have to somehow keep her body on this plane; in other words, I have to maintain a constant mana drain so her core doesn't disappear. This has a small advantage, since I can modify her Saint Graph so she can appear in whatever class I deem convenient.
Since I don't plan on having any combat tonight, I let them go out in the same class I have so no one would detect us. As long as she doesn't fight, the constant mana drain is manageable without really affecting me.
"It's not that easy; I could end up damaging my Saint Graph, which isn't a very good idea knowing that monster is still alive and could return even tonight," I explained as we resumed walking above the houses. She simply nodded at my words and followed me.
As I walked among the houses, I felt Caster's curse hanging over the village. A feeling of famine, unhappiness, and a hint of death. This curse was also maintained by absorbing mana from both the environment and the people inside; that included me, as I felt a little mana from my body seeping out to maintain all of this.
The streets were empty. Since the incident on the first day and the chaos that ensued in the forest, people have been terrified. Tōhsaka, Saber's master, tried to control everything, but it didn't go as well as he'd hoped.
I looked up at the sky and saw an eye, one that looked like it was drawn, staring down at the village. I don't think that point is the origin of all this; Saber would have destroyed it by now.
(Note: This isn't the same Noble Phantasm from Fate/GO, since there he summoned a god, if I'm not mistaken, something his Saint Graph allowed him to do, which was fused with three other beings; the eye Dante mentions is the same one that appears on his talismans.)
Most likely, Caster created an area of effect, like a barrier, to curse an entire specific area.
I landed in front of a house just to see what the situation was like; what I saw was a man in his thirties ready to hang himself.
I didn't know if this was due to the town's current situation, the curse, or both; perhaps it was the latter, since several people had lost loved ones on the first day of the Holy Grail War. Maybe this man was one of them.
Without thinking, I picked up a rock from the ground and, with enough force, threw it at his head, knocking him unconscious instantly.
I couldn't let this guy commit suicide in front of me; when I stopped paying attention to him, I could do whatever I wanted, not to mention that his mind could be completely affected by the curse.
Kiss-shot was about to say something, but we both froze, sensing activity from two Servants in the distance.
Without wasting any time, we both moved toward the confrontation between the two Servants.
...
Third-person POV.
Somewhere in Fuyuki, Rider and her Master could be seen walking through the streets, the latter concealed by a camouflage spell.
"Are you sure it's safe to walk around here?" Chiaki asked.
"No, nowhere in this town is safe; with a curse, surrounded by Heroic Spirits and mages, there's no safe place," Rider said, walking while still looking at her notes.
"So?" her fearful Master asked.
"Because this place is plagued by a curse, and I can't allow this to continue, so right now we're searching for the talismans that maintain the curse."
Rider knew how all this worked; after all, while the whole situation with Berserker versus four Servants was unfolding, she had been watching everything from afar. She watched Caster activate his Noble Phantasm before returning to the Heroes' Throne, and she had an idea of how it worked, since she knew how onmyouji operated. There must be a certain number of talismans maintaining the curse's area of effect; the problem was, she didn't know where they were.
The brief conversation between master and servant abruptly ended when they sensed a presence nearby.
Chaiki hid again as if he were an assassin; he tried to conceal his own magical energy as much as possible, running to hide somewhere that seemed safe to him.
Rider stood still, staring at the new character who had just arrived.
She had already recognized all the Servants of each class, except for one, and the Servant who had just arrived was one she hadn't yet had the chance to see.
"Let me guess, Lancer, right?" Rider asked.
"Indeed, now that that monstrous being is gone, my master has allowed me to go out again and seek my new opponent, but let me ask you, how do you know my class?" This was difficult for him.
"Saber, Archer, and Assassin are in poor condition; Berserker is gone, and so is Caster, which leaves me with only one option," Rider reported, unafraid to reveal too much, something that can be discovered with a little basic research.
"I see, so that only leaves you as Rider. That's good information; in gratitude, as the god of war, I will grant you a glorious end." Lancer replied, unafraid to reveal his identity, drawing a sword resembling a ceremonial one.
"You call yourself a god, how amusing," Rider said, drawing his own katana, ready for combat.
Rider didn't much like the idea, but he had no other choice; he had to act and hope this fight ended soon so he could continue with his personal mission.
...
Dante's POV
In a secluded spot, Rider and Lancer ran towards each other, clashing their weapons and exchanging blows.
"Who do you think will win?" I asked Kiss-Shot.
"The way things are going, Lancer will win, but if I'm not mistaken, a Rider is never truly alone; their mount is always missing. If it appears mid-battle, perhaps Rider can win," he replied.
Hmm, goddess of war, that leaves few options, but it doesn't limit her to just one being; there are several gods with that title. I imagine that's why it doesn't hurt her much to say it. But in a Holy Grail War, she can't summon gods, so she must be a self-proclaimed goddess.
That helps me figure out Lancer's identity, if she survives this.
At that moment, I heard Akane's voice in my mind.
"Is Assassin there?" I heard her ask.
"Yes, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Archer's here looking to fight you. While you were gone, I put up another barrier around the workshop, making it harder to get in, but it's not very strong, so Archer could arrive at any moment and destroy the whole place," I heard my treasure explain.
I could only sigh. I had hoped Archer was rested and waiting to attack the following night, but I think I underestimated his thirst for battle.
I glanced at Kiss-shot, who was staring at me, immediately knowing what I was waiting for.
"I didn't even want to fight anyway," I told her, to which she gave me a charming smile that momentarily warmed my heart.
Without much thought, I plunged my hand into his chest, touching his Saint Graph and manipulating it without having to dismantle his body.
If the Saint Graph broke, Kiss's consciousness would simply revert to shadow, and I could summon her again.
Using magical energy to repair the damage to his Saint Graph, I changed his class from Assassin to Saber, and, by default, his stats changed as well.
"Don't kill him; just keep him occupied without wasting too much mana, or you'll leave me powerless for next night," I said, withdrawing my hand from his chest, watching his wound regenerate in less than a second.
"Understood, my husband," she replied, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
Spreading a bat-like wing from her sword, she flew to Akane's workshop.
I watched her leave before turning my attention back to the fight between Rider and Lancer, which was taking place in a dead zone.
I settled myself, sat down, crossed my legs, and began using my Haki to survey the entire village and its surroundings, while also maintaining as much mana as possible.
...
Third-person POV.
Akane was pacing back and forth; she had already seen him pass by the workshop without him noticing that she had gone right where she wanted to go.
Assassin had told her that for now, it wasn't a good idea for either of them to die, since one could withstand Berserker's blows and the other had the potential to kill him.
If Assassin didn't come, there were two possibilities: the first was that Wright would help him and tell him where they were, and the second was that he would destroy everything with his chakram; both were bad for her.
Meanwhile, Archer was pacing back and forth; he knew the workshop was around here. He had come to collect what Assassin owed him, but he hadn't expected him to back down and not show up to fight.
Quite frustrated, he was thinking about doing the second option that had crossed Akane's mind when he felt a strong presence approaching.
This presence briefly crossed Berserker's mind, but it wasn't the same.
He looked up at the sky only to see a yellow and red blur crash into him with a violent force, destroying half the path they were on.
Archer quickly stood up and took a fighting stance; he didn't recognize the new opponent before him, even though he thought it might be some Servant who hadn't appeared yet.
"I'm sorry, but for your information, my husband can't come to face you, as he had something to do; I've come in his place," said Kiss-shot, now on the scene, explaining the situation.
The idea was that he would stop searching and become enraged with her, hence the information.
But Archer had no interest in her. In fact, after saying that, he recognized the woman; after all, he had read the legend of the Grim Reaper/Dante, and there was always a recurring element, a woman who was there as if she were glued to her partner.
"This is what Assassin does, hiding like a princess while ordering a woman to..." He couldn't finish his complaint, as Kiss-shot, with a punch to the face, sent Archer flying several meters away.
Archer writhed momentarily on the ground, as the punch wasn't much different from Berserker's blows.
He wasn't in good enough shape to fight, but he hoped Assassin wasn't either, so he didn't care and went looking for him, thinking they'd be on equal footing. But he hadn't expected to fight his partner, who, for some reason, hit just as hard, or even harder, than Karna or Arjuna.
He quickly got up to find his opponent already standing in front of him.
"The woman in front of you will give you the biggest beating of your life, one you'll never forget," Kiss-Shot declared, or we could simply call her Assassin, since she was fused with Dante like two in one.
"Don't underestimate me," Archer roared, enveloping his body in his armor as it burst into flames.
...
Rider wields the eye sockets; the warrior dogs that had helped her eliminate the cults merged to form the weapon she currently uses alongside her katana and Yatsufusa.
Yatsufusa, a spirit dog and guardian of Fusehime, fought and protected against all of Lancer's traps, even using her own body; after all, Lancer honored the name of the god of war.
Using eight different weapons, she was able to corner Rider; if it weren't for her guardian dog and the eight warrior dogs, she would already be seriously wounded or even dead.
With direct attacks and no hint of mercy, Lancer launched relentless attacks, as if she were in several places at once.
Thanks to her Eight Blossoming Defenses fighting style, she was able to parry eight attacks almost simultaneously.
It was as if, the moment her body attacked with one weapon, her mind was already ready to attack with another at that very instant.
Rider, no matter what she did, couldn't break through Lancer's defense; every time she managed to destroy one weapon, Lancer created another.
She couldn't quite see how she was fighting, since her opponent had the perfect ability to repel her weapons as if they were eight people at once.
Just as she was thinking of using her Noble Phantasm, a great amount of light appeared in the distance, something that stopped them both in their tracks.
Only to realize that it wasn't ordinary light, but fire, and a small source of light was flying toward them, only to crash between them.
Seeing the fiery figure that had fallen, they realized that this wasn't just anything but a person, more specifically, a Servant.
He stood up as if he hadn't been engulfed in flames and let out a scream.
"AAAAAAAH," Archer shouted to the heavens as he summoned his chakram in his hand.
Kiss-shot, now facing Archer, ignored the other two Servants as she slowly walked toward her opponent.
In response, she lunged forward, ready to destroy him, only for him to deflect her attack without her sword, spinning to Archer's right and unleashing a Haki-infused energy slash that shattered his armor. She also sent him crashing into the village path.
In response, he ignored the threat, something he found difficult, and charged at Kiss-shot, once again engulfing his weapon in flames. He began to spin, intending to deliver a powerful energy blow that would kill her instantly.
Kiss-shot didn't defend herself but allowed him to attack. The blow barely touched her; it shattered her entire body from the hips up, leaving only her legs intact.
Archer wasn't satisfied with this. Without letting his guard down, he turned to block a kick aimed at Kiss-shot's lower body.
The upper part was already regenerating, and by the time the kick ended, it was as good as new. As long as Dante continued supplying it with mana, it would keep regenerating, even if they somehow managed to destroy his Saint Graph.
Speaking of Dante, he was in a house, eyes closed, trying to stay as still as possible so that Kiss-shot wouldn't come after him while he sweated out all the mana that Kiss-shot was draining from him.
Without his opponent noticing, a shadow doppelganger appeared behind Archer, ready to attack. Archer noticed it and turned to the side to block the attack with his free arm.
With swift movements, Kiss-shot and his doppelganger quickly punched Archer in the face, sending him crashing to the ground and destroying everything in their path, creating large amounts of dirt, smoke, and rubble.
This final attack snapped Lancer back to reality, causing him to look at his enemy, only to see that Rider had already escaped.
Honestly, Rider was having a tough time against Lancer, so she took the best option possible: escape. Besides, she wasn't interested in fighting but rather in destroying Caster's curse. This interference helped her disappear and continue her mission.
This annoyed Lancer, as his prey had escaped. Intending to get rid of that bad taste in his mouth, he went straight for one of the two who were fighting.
Kiss-shot noticed this, so without wasting any time, in a flash of speed, he arrived in front of Lancer.
She wasn't prepared for the vampire's speed, so her defense was very poor, giving Kiss the opportunity to strike Lancer in the ribs, causing him to bleed a little and push back.
Behind Lancer was Kiss's shadow copy, but this time the goddess avatar was ready and, with a spin in the air, sliced the shadow in half.
Kiss stared in astonishment, only for Archer, behind her, to attempt to crush her with a single blow.
The moment it took effect, it was revealed that beneath her weapon wasn't Kiss-shot, but her shadow.
Lancer opened her eyes at this, only to try to shield herself with her weapons, which didn't do much good, since Kiss-shot, who was now beside her thanks to the exchange with her shadow, had attacked Lancer's shadow with her sword.
To Lancer's surprise, she was the one who took the damage. Kiss-shot had attacked the shadow's shoulder, and this attack, replicated on Lancer's original body, appeared as a wound on his shoulder, in the same way the shadow had attacked.
Without wasting a moment, Kiss-shot kicked the left side of Lancer's shadow, and the instant he struck, Lancer felt as if his right side had been hit by a giant truck weighing thousands of pesos.
Lancer, realizing what was happening, quickly backed away from Kiss-shot.
The entire place fell silent, and no one moved.
Archer was badly injured, with blood in his mouth and several cuts on his body. He was immortal and had good regeneration, but it wasn't comparable to Kiss-shot's or Berserker's.
Lancer was in better shape than Archer, but he still had quite a few wounds; the few blows Kiss-shot had landed had affected him considerably.
Kiss-shot was deciding which of the two to attack first, and just as he was about to strike, a sound was heard.
"We'd better stop fighting; the future I saw isn't very good." Assassin appeared not far from them.
"What are you talking about?" Lancer questioned, already on high alert at the sight of a new enemy approaching.
Archer said nothing; he was too tired to speak.
Assassin didn't answer but simply pointed to the sky.
The three of them looked up at the sky, their eyes widening in pure horror.
For there in the sky was the Heavenly Pillar, Ruyi Jingu Bang, a quarter the diameter of the village, falling upon them.
Not far from there, Rider looked up at the sky and said,
"If the city is destroyed, then I won't have to look for those talismans of Caster."
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I hadn't planned to bring Berserker in so quickly, but I wasn't quite sure how to end the fight organically, so I took this option, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I feel it makes sense; thinking about it, given the character, it didn't make sense for him to stay still for so long.
I also realized that the same thing happens to Aśvatthāman; it must be the same as with Mordred: despite not being of the Berserker class, he behaves and looks like one.
Not every fight will be against Berserker; I'm saying this right away so you don't think every fight from here to the end will be against the ape. Clearly, he's the final boss, and doing this reinforces his invincible status, but that doesn't mean every fight will focus on him.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.