Part 77: Small resistance / Twelve Labors

Music: Sword of Promised Victory













Please no

Ilya's laugh echoes through the forest.
"Dammit…!"
I can't do anything.
Saber's about to collapse in front of me and I can't do anything.



Music: Sword of Promised Victory









"…!!"
I feel like I'll grind my teeth down.
Am I unable to do anything after all?
I can't protect Saber nor fight alongside her.
There's nothing I can do.
All I can do is



In that case, at least imagine it
After all, that is the only thing you can do.

""
That guy said so.



…That's right. What was he saying? It wasn't his usual harassment. Those words held an importance that I need to understand right now.
No, saying that…
Weren't all of his words a warning that I shouldn't have ignored?



Saber's body is flung away.
She didn't jump to get away.
She took a blow.
That storm-like blow landed right on her side.

Saber totters.



Concentrating strength into her numb fingers, she faces Berserker again, coughing violently.
The giant will not miss the opening Saber has finally shown.

"Don't…"
My voice won't reach them.
It's useless for me to say anything, and it's useless for me to have a bow mimicking Archer's.

Do I still not understand?
What I can do.
What I should be doing.
That's right.
What do I need in order to save Saber?

Music: Stop



A bow won't do. Even a lance won't be able to pierce him. And that doesn't mean I should have the same weapon as the enemy.
That giant…
To defeat that mountain, I'll need a sword.
A sharp and gorgeous sword of the king that will defeat the enemy in one blow.
Like…
That golden sword so suited to her, that I saw in my dreams.



"Ku"
My head hurts.


Bearing my nausea, I still stare at Saber.
But ironically, I feel like I'm going crazier the more I stare at her about to collapse.













"Nothat's not right…!"
The only thing flung into the air is Saber's armor.
Berserker only smashed Saber's armor.
Saber created an opening to make Berserker take a large swingand Saber charges in at top speed using all the energy she has left…!

"!!"
A black howl surges out.
But he can't retreat from Saber, who is right in front of him.
She places both hands on her sword and slashes at Berserker with all her might!

Video: Surprise Attack (mirror)

Music: Clashing Souls



""
I can't believe it.
The giant that seemed to be rooted to the ground is smashed back a few meters by Saber's blow.

And then…
"Get back, Saber…!"
The true final attack is executed instantly.

She must intend to fire from as close as possible.
Tohsaka jumps down from the branch high above and throws her jewels as she descends



"Neun, Acht, Sieben!
Stil, schießt Beschießen, Erschie Ssung!"





A rain of ice whirls down.
In it, three giant icicles shaped like spears have enough magical energy concentrated in them to blow away a whole mansion!





"No, dodge it, Berserker…!
Ilya, who was only watching until now, screams.
She must have realized how dangerous that attack is, but it's too late.
The spear of ice isn't just falling.
As it's fired, it is accelerating to skewer Berserker.

…but things accelerate as they fall, too.

There's no way he would be able to dodge it.
A once in a lifetime opportunity. A shotgun of ice perfectly coordinated with Saber's desperate attack.
It has enough magical energy in it to be able to kill Berserker!

But.

", !!!!!"









He swings his axe-sword through the air.
Even as he's pushed back by Saber, he destroys three blocks of ice with his quickly readied axe-sword.



Splashes of blood.
Perhaps because he swung with only one arm, the ice is not completely destroyed and it lacerates his arm.
Not only that.
The ice refreezes on the giant's arm and stops its movement completely.

But still, it got only one of his arms.
"Wha?"
Saber raises her voice.
It's only natural.
Because Berserker's other arm has grabbed Tohsaka's body as she descended onto him.

Music: Stop



"…!"
Tohsaka's face contorts in pain.
With Berserker's power, it should be no problem to crush Tohsaka.

"T-Tohsaka!!!"
I run.
I don't care if I'm only dragging her down.
I don't care if I can't do anything.
I won't let him crush Tohsaka!

"Rin…!"
Saber must not have any power left to stand, but she still lifts her body.
"……"
Tohsaka must be in pain as she reaches out with her face downcast.



She smiles and speaks boldly.



Music: Premonition of a Storm



"…!"
Everyone gasps.
Saber, I, and even Berserker must have frozen.
She's horrible.
She knew this was going to happen, yet never told us about it!

"!"
Berserker puts power into his grip.
But it's a second too late.
"Got you…!"







Music: Stop

Bullets of light are fired.
Four jewels are used.
The rapid fire from perfect point-blank range kills the black mad warrior for sure this time.

No.
It has splendidly, perfectly blown away his life.



Did Berserker's head get blown off?
Blood splatters over me and I'm at least ten meters away.

…Uh, is this his spinal fluid?
I can't be too happy about it when there are things other than blood mixed in it.
…But I'm sure it wasn't overkill.
He was a monster.
I bet Tohsaka would've been crushed if she didn't blow off his head in a single blow.

"Phew."
I slow my running steps.
Tohsaka is still held by Berserker, but the battle is over.
Berserker's face is still covered in white smoke.
From the smoldering sounds, it must have been a huge explosion

"No way."
I hear Tohsaka's voice.
She is looking into the white smoke, dumbfounded.

Music: Footsteps of Destruction



Hold on.
Is it… just my imagination?
Berserker's fingers holding Tohsaka are digging deeper into her?

""
Tohsaka is just staring at the white smoke.
…But it doesn't last long.
The large cloud of white smoke fades away.
In it…



…Is Berserker's face, though it was certainly blown away.

"Oh."
Tohsaka is at a loss for words, cowed by the demonic stare.
"…Fufu. Ufufu. Ahahahahahahaha!"
Laughter echoes through the clearing.
The silver Master controlling Berserker from the edge of the clearing is laughing.

"I have a better opinion of you now, Rin. For you to kill Berserker even once.
But it's too bad. Berserker won't disappear just from that, because he has a body that won't die unless he's killed twelve times."

"…Killed… twelve times…?"
She must have figured out something important from Ilya's words.
Tohsaka's eyes are strained in faint regret.

"…I see.
I should have thought of that as soon as I learned he was Hercules. Hercules should have the Bow of Hydra, but he only carried a rock.
…So his Noble Phantasm isn't something like that. The symbol of the hero Hercules is"

"Yes, his body itself is his Noble Phantasm.
You should know too about Hercules' twelve labors. The Greek hero Hercules overcame twelve tasks to atone for his sins and became 'immortal' as a reward.
You know what that means, right?"
"…A stock of lives… multiple layers of resurrection magic, huh?"

"Yes. So he can't die easily. He lives through deaths equaling the number of labors he overcame, the curse of immortality.
That's Berserker's Noble Phantasm, God Hand."



I can't hear Ilya too well.
I see Saber run up to Berserker out of the corner of my eye.



Wait, didn't her armor get blown off?

Tohsaka tries to tear off Berserker's fingers, but they won't even budge.
Then…



The burning eyes glare at Tohsaka.

"Ahhkua…!
Tohsaka screams.
The giant's fingers dig in as if to scoop out Tohsaka's guts.

What lies ahead is

Music: Stop





that inescapable figure of her, miserably crushed.

Music: Nightmare

""
I run.
I forget who I'm against or where I am.
My mind has already burned up.

"Stop…!!"
Saber slashes at Berserker.
The invisible sword is swung at Berserker's defenseless arm as if chopping a vegetable.
But it has no effect.

The sword bounces back. Not only does it not hurt Berserker's arm, but it does not even loosen Berserker's grip on Tohsaka.
"!"
It must be painful for her to even move.
Saber swings her sword desperately as blood spills from her mouth.



"Let her go, you bastard!"
I smack my bow against his back.
The giant does not budge.
It must think nothing of me at all.

"…!"
My fingers are numb.
What kind of a body does he have if I, the one doing the hitting, have my hands go numb!?

"Please run, Shirou!"
…Huh?
I raise my face at Saber's voice.

In that instant.
My body flies through the air like a leaf.



"Gah."
I drop like a piece of trash.
Berserker smacked me with that frozen sword.
The bow I instantly blocked with is easily smashed, and I'm thrown so… far

"Gahah, haa!!!"
I writhe in pain.
The breaking sound was not from the bow.
One of my arms is bent like a spider's.
Breathing hurts so much that I want to smash my lungs up.

"Ha… ah, guh…!"



I can't breathe right from the blood coming up my throat.
But it doesn't matter.
Breathing will just make me pass out.
I shouldn't be breathing right now.

"HaHaa, haa!"
I get up.
Right now, I have to



I can dodge it.
I won't be hit by something swung with a frozen arm!



"Haa"
Damn, my body is sinking…!
It must have scraped my leg. Damn it, don't break my leg when you haven't even hit it!

"No waythat is enough, please get away, Master…!"
I can't do that.
I won't let Tohsaka die.
What do I need to save her?



A weapon. A blade would be good. At my feet are the remains of the destroyed bow. Above me is Berserker's sword coming down. I pick up a broken piece. Descending sword. There's no time to think. I channel my magical energy into it.
I easily succeed at strengthening it. But the sword comes down. The broken piece is totally smashed this time. My body, that should have dodged the blow collapses. So there was no meaning in strengthening such a broken piece. If I am to do it again, I have to do it from the very beginning.
Nothing should be impossible. If there's a model, anyone can imitate it. So I have to repeat the foundation, composition, work, experience, time and

""
The giant turns.
It must have decided to kill this annoying nuisance before Tohsaka.

""
Raising my body, I glare at the giant.
I have no fear. My mind has already burned up.
But behind me…







Prepared even for her own elimination,
Saber is determined to use her holy sword.