Chapter 36-37: Against Rider

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‘Semi, any progress?’

Haruki checked up on Semiramis as he neared his house. Just the thought of Semiramis sneaking through the city made him chuckle. The former queen had her work cut out after making a minor mistake.

“My doves don’t see him now. I might have shaken Berserker off.”

‘Head home once you’re sure.’

Illyasviel wasn’t crazy enough to attack someone in the residential area. Even if she did, Archer was there to buy time until Saber arrived.

“My master, that boy. What is his relationship with Berserker and its master?”

It's hard to explain. Just know that Berserker’s master and Shirou are siblings.’

“T-That. Berserker won’t leave us alone now… Shirou is under my poison. Only I can cure it.”

‘Hold up. We’re screwed, aren’t we? None of us will live if Heracles becomes serious.’

“My master… is he that strong? …We have King Arthur now.”

‘The summoning failed… I couldn’t do it, Semi. That Avalon turned out to be fake.’

Semiramis fell silent. Haruki chuckled, barely stopping himself from laughing out loud. Semiramis was truly scared. Anyone would be scared of being by Heracles. Berserker could crush Semiramis and Haruki with his bare hands.

“I wasn’t incompetent just so you know. Berserker’s master laid out a perfect trap inside the door…”

‘I know. You used to be a Queen. This type of work isn’t your specialty.’

“My master understands me. I knew we were destined to have a great compatibility after I saw you.”

‘Heh. Says the woman who wanted to brainwash me into her puppet.’

“...I never thought of that. Ah, my master. My familiars spotted Berserker. He is leaping through the air… in Ryuudou Temple’s direction.”

Haruki stopped in his tracks.

‘How did Illya know?’

Medea wasn’t in any state of fighting. Even if she had magical energy, the most she could do was escape.

‘Thank goodness I summoned Saber.’

“You just said you couldn’t summon Saber… you liar.”

‘I was teasing you. Sheesh, don’t be mad. I’ll return to support Saber. You go home and tell Rin to come with Archer.’

“You don’t want me to fight?” she asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.

‘It’s not the time to show off my three beautiful Heroic Spirits.’

Her combat ability was unremarkable outside of her domain. Heracles might be weak to her poison due to his legends. One or two deaths by Semiramis’s poison would make him immune to every poison. Her Hanging Gardens and her strategies served his needs more than her strength.

‘Now time to convey the news to Artoria and Medea.’

The telepathy didn’t work with Artoria. She had formed a contract with the World before her death, so she didn’t become a spirit. He couldn’t share his magical energy with her through the spiritual link or talk to her through telepathy. It was the only disadvantage of summoning one of the strongest servants.

‘Medea, Berserker is headed your way.’

“Master! B-Berserker? I’m in no condition to fight.”

He cursed his past self who left Medea without mana.

‘Leave the area with Artoria.’

“Master, our plan for Grail…”

‘You’re important to me. We can take the place back during the day.’

The rules of the Holy Grail War were simple. No fights were allowed during the day. Though many masters broke it to gain the upper hand.

‘Understood.’

He turned around and ran back in the Ryuudou Temple’s direction. Passing through the streets, he came across a street without any lights. He cursed his luck when he spotted his archnemesis standing there. A woman with long purple hair held a girl in school uniform by her neck. Rider opened her mouth and sank her teeth in the girl’s nape.

‘Wasn’t she supposed to hunt in the shopping district’s alleys?’

Shinji must have gotten so desperate that he started hunting here instead of waiting for people to pass in the dead alleys.

‘Is this the result of using spear over sword?’ Haruki thought with a bitter smile. Lancers always got the short end of the stick in Nasuverse. ‘Medea, take Artoria and come to me. I need a hand here.’

Semiramis’s location was unknown. Ryuudou Temple was a few moments from here with Medea’s speed.

“Did you meet Berserker?” Medea asked, her voice shaking in absolute horror. “Use your command spell and summon us.”

‘No. I can manage for a few minutes.’

He wasn’t wasting a Command Spell.

“Ugh! I’m coming.”

Rider licked the blood from her lips and looked at Haruki. Shinji turned around and his eyes widened a bit. His face twisted before an ecstatic smile flashed on his face.

Shinji slipped his hand into his pocket while he held an ancient-looking Grimoire in his other hand. “Hayashi. Oh, Hayashi. I was hoping I’d run into your sorry ass. Fate brought us together in the end.”

Haruki shook his head in response. Rider quietly made her victim lean against the wall. As she stood, two chains materialized in her hands.

Shinji flipped open the Grimoire. The pages flipped on their own as the book glowed with a color similar to Rider’s hair. “Still cocky,  huh. You see this woman. She is my servant. A supernatural spirit. She can crush a pitiful creature like you with her fingers.”

“So boring,” Haruki said with a shrug. “See you later.”

He turned around and dashed into another street. Medusa possessed C-Rank agility in her weakened state. He wasn’t confident of outrunning her, yet he possessed one advantage—he grew up in these streets. Buying two or three minutes was nothing much if he used everything to his advantage. As he sprinted, his body grew hot. The dragon blood in his veins boiled, craving battle. He ignored the impulses and kept taking turns.

Medusa chased Haruki without breaking her calm expression. Just as Haruki took another turn, Medusa jumped in the air. Haruki stopped and stepped aside. A twinkling nail plunged from the sky where he stood a second ago and impaled the concrete road. Rider landed before him with her hands on the ground. She looked like a cat ready to pounce on a rat.

‘A sexy cat.’

Haruki was a little surprised at his leisure to joke in this situation. Was it his growth that made him stand fearlessly before a servant? Even when weakened under Shinji’s control, Medusa was still a servant, a spiritual being with superhuman abilities.

Medusa thoroughly analyzed her opponent through her sharpened senses. The blindfold covering her eyes did nothing to hinder her senses. Her Noble Phantasm Breaker Gorgon kept her Mystic Eyes of Petrification sealed, which in turn raised her other senses beyond ordinary humans. Her magic detection skills were beyond an average Caster servant. Through those senses, she could feel an odd sense of pressure coming from Haruki. Magical energy that didn’t belong to humans, dwelled in his body; it was concentrated near his heart as though he possessed a core. She was more affected by her real master’s scent lingering on him.

“Are you sure you want to be ordered around by that scumbag?” Haruki asked, tilting his head a little. “Your real master is my childhood friend.”

Medusa looked at Haruki and her lips parted. “Good or evil doesn’t matter.”

Shinji was her master, so she had to obey his orders. Her personal issues with Shinji’s character didn’t matter in the slightest.

‘But, if possible.’

She wanted to save Sakura from hell. Before Sakura became a monster like she did. Before she swallowed her loved ones in a blind rage. Yet, she couldn’t go against her role to fulfill her personal wish. Such conflicting thoughts brewed in her mind in the span of several moments.

Haruki sighed at her silent rejection. She was too loyal for her own good. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around. Shinji caught up to them, becoming utterly exhausted in the process. Glaring at Haruki, he gritted his teeth.

“Rider, don’t let him run. Give him pain. Squash him like a bug. Show him the power of a servant.”

Medusa swung her chains and launched herself at Haruki like a bullet. The dagger attached to Medusa’s chain burst the sound barrier, leaving an afterimage. Haruki ducked as fast as he could before he rolled to his side.

‘Fuck.’

It was only the start of Medusa’s continuous assault. He wasn’t trained to dodge bullets, much less dodging a knife that broke sound barriers. Even in that desperate situation, his thoughts were calm, his vision clear. His body moved before the daggers entered his field of vision as though his brain instantly processed the information.

Kch! A dagger skewered his left shoulder, gouging a chunk of flesh. Medusa stopped and yanked her chains. Haruki smiled at Medusa.

‘She is holding back.’

She did nothing compared to her fight against Saber Alter in the Heaven’s Feel route. Haruki frowned at the burning sensation in his shoulder. With just a thought, his magical energy flowed like a tide and gathered in his wounded shoulder. The pain disappeared; so did the wound. A dragon’s regeneration was a cheat skill on its own.

[Skill acquired: Blood Conversion]

‘Odd name for a skill.’

He decided to check it later.

Shinji looked at Haruki with wide eyes. “...Magecraft.”

The single word that came out of his mouth was filled with hatred.

“How can you have magecraft?” Shinji shouted at the top of his lungs. He, the last descendant of the Matou family, was born without magic circuits. He was fine with it until Sakura came and took his position as the heir. She could use magecraft but he couldn’t.

“Hayashi, you always always, always tried to oppress me. I did nothing to you. I was minding my business. But. You came and took my slutty sister. You beat me up whenever you felt like it.”

Now he possessed magic circuits. In Shinji’s eyes, such strength could only be obtained through the use of magecraft. Shinji pulled his hair as his eyes flashed with a crazy glint.

“You used magecraft to beat me… No matter how hard I trained my body, I was always beaten to the ground. Magecraft... Magecraft. Magecraft. Magecraft.”

He had descended into madness. Haruki looked at him with a condescending gaze. “I don’t need magecraft for pussies like you.”

“Damn you. Rider, kill him.”

“Not today,” Haruki said with a smile. “My backup is here.”

As if hearing his words, Medea appeared in front of him and created a barrier to block Medusa’s chains. “Master, I couldn’t persuade her. She is fighting him alone.”

“Nothing is going the way I wanted,” he said with a sigh and hugged Medea from behind. “Let’s go…”

The mental toll of pushing his perception came after the battle ended. He wanted to lie down and rest. The battle wasn't without its merits. He realized that his current strength was useless in front of his ambitions, and he had to enter the dungeon tonight. Being so utterly weak before anyone hurt his pride. Even more so when the woman in his arms and the one he desired could crush him in a second.

'I can't bother with Zouken tonight... I have to punish a disobedient girl.'

A powerful light flared up in his eyes, making Medusa flinch.

Medusa felt his resolve from far away; it was stronger than the determination during their battle, where she held back. The most obvious reason was he had no hostility against her master. There was nothing but pity in his eyes when he looked at Shinji.

Medea nodded at Haruki's words and wrapped him in her robes. Her robes shrunk instantly, and they disappeared from Shinji’s vision.

“Huh?” Shinji stared, eyes wide in horror. “Servant? Rider, was that a servant?”

“Yes, Master,” Medusa replied.

The book slipped from Shinji’s hand and fell to the ground. He held his head with both hands and laughed. His laughter filled the streets.

Medusa shook her head as her chains vanished.

‘He has lost it.’

She stopped before Shinji. The young man raised his head and scoffed at her calm expression.

“You’re useless, Rider.”

Rider didn’t say anything. Shinji stopped himself from using the Book of False Attendance to torture her. She was his only hope to win the war and receive the blessing to use magecraft. He didn’t want to get on her bad side. He had become meeker and even bigger coward all thanks to Haruki’s bullying.

***

Rider is truly a complicated woman, isn't she?