A Saber appeared before one, and struck out against it.
Against a Saber-class Servant, a lone Lyaeus lacked the requisite speed to outmatch it, let alone that it was already preparing something that had been so rudely interrupted. However, five of its kind were waiting for such an occurrence, and so one charged into the fray. The swing of that war god's sword moved to cleave the Lyaeus in two as it approached, but as that attack met its mark, it stopped, halting at the being's skin.
The force behind the attack changed, converted into 'something' that flowed into the Lyaeus.
At this proximity, she could tell. What it was converted to, it resembled the Ether Servants were composed of, but not quite. It was not mere magical energy, but something on another level entirely.
Of course, she would not have time to mull over that, as the Lyaeus's hands moved to grip the sword that had been leveled against it, grabbing its blade with no regard for self-harm. She could not tell what, but something in her Saint Graph was being sawed away at, as long as that grip on her sword was retained.
The Lyaeus she punched, then, took the brunt of her attack. It was sent sprawling back, reeling from the blow, but it did not die. In fact, her blow had encountered more resistance than should have been expected; the force of her punch went through, but there was some part of it that had mitigated the remainder. It was hardly difficult for her to deduce what the cause was, given the instincts that roared in her mind about the nature of these beings.
The injured Lyaeus let out a low sigh, its preparations cut off.
"...very well, white titan. This time, allow me to be your death."Such were its words as it charged forwards, forming a pincer attack in tandem with the one gripping her sword.
A hero appeared at a speed that eclipsed possibility. Yes, they knew the hero's nature, but that did not equip them to deal with such ridiculous speed any better.
That primal spear thrust forwards, to pierce its target. However, like the war god's sword, it came to an abrupt halt at the skin, all of the energy behind that mad charge stolen in an instant.
Yes, for a weapon that bore the title of 'forger of civilization' to breach that wall...the very notion was absurd.
But, an interruption was an interruption nonetheless. Though, in this regard, Achilles was surely less fortunate than Altera.
For, while Altera's interruption brought her a moment of respite, Achilles's saw his target acting, thrusting that miniature sun forwards to ignite it. Even if he was able to use that divine speed to save himself, he would only be dooming the hot springs that stood behind him.
...troublesome.
As Gilles charged, they could only think that.
How very troublesome. Severing that line could perhaps be done if it was the source, but these mere emanations could not cut apart the Servant's existence like that. The Berserker himself was a 'door'; to close that door would require time and attention that they simply did not have.
The fire was equally troublesome. Magecraft was magecraft, but with the limits of these emanations...
One stepped forwards to meet his charge. The flames burned at its body, searing it away, but nonetheless it stood stalwart. Its hands stretched out to grip the Berserker even as it was immolated, tying him down in place.
However, in spite of that, the damage it took with each passing moment was nothing if not significant. It was not enough to immediately kill the Lyaeus, not with their
aptitude to survive, but an extended period of exposure would not fare better for them than it would for anything else.
So then, they had to act quickly.
Knowing that, the second Lyaeus focused in silence.
Yes, to close the door was too difficult, but that was not the only answer-
Chiron's student really had grown.
Ah, what a pity. He had been wanting to give the boy some lessons of his own, now that training had completed. How best to perfect his magecraft, where to travel to learn from other experts, how to do a proper wine tasting.
...but, that was all in the past. He was no longer Dionysus.
"He must be proud of you, Gin."Truth be told, the Beast felt some pride for the boy as well. He was, undoubtedly, a 'human hero'. That much was apparent in how he curbed that
bakkheia. Had Chiron made him do something similar in his training? It wouldn't put that past him.
Still, though.
Those magic armaments, they were raising the Servants' 'meaning of existence'. If allowed to persist for too long...
The Lyaeus whose mental interference had been interrupted changed gears. Its eyes fixed on Gin. On his hopes, on his determination, on the lines connecting him to all those who had joined his cause.
Shatter all edicts. This is the heart of the Beast I.
And so, its mind stretched out to cut those lines. To break those damnable glasses.
Those Lyaeus targeting Ilya, initially attempting to bog him down, seemed to shift their actions after a few moments. While unharmed from the strikes of his sword, they dropped off from their position, allowing the hero to depart.
Perhaps the most concerning thing was their abrupt change in action.
For the Avenger a short distance away, though, the attack was unceasing. Trespassers on this ground could not be permitted, after all.
The three Lyaeus, clad in holy light, cut through the air towards Dido. Magecraft from the Age of Gods manifested as they ran, but they made little effort to avoid it.
The bursts of light struck them head-on, and were taken in by their bodies. There was perhaps some damage dealt, but what was achieved was negated by the energy that was absorbed. It bought perhaps an extra sliver of time, but that was not enough.
The three Lyaeus closed the gap, and reached out towards Dido. There was no doubt, with this level of proximity; the purification of Amaterasu would wipe her greatest weapon away in a single fell swoop.
...of course, that would only come to pass if they made contact to begin with.
They had begun their approach, limited though they were in movement along water. If they succeeded in reaching the ships, the battle would be decided. Neither the Strategist nor the homunculus had any recourse at that point.
"Am I supposed to be insulted you only sent three? Seems like whatever metric you used to decide on your numbers has some kinks in the system."-However, they would not reach that target.
In the sky before the fleet, a great magic circle formed in the sky. The spell-like waves it emitted were certainly noticeable by any magus in the city, even if they could not see the circle itself.
The bombardment of Fisher's fleet drove into that magic circle and seemed to dissipate into its structure. However, this magic circle was not a shield to stop the bombardment...
...but rather, a barrel to amplify it.
Fisher's Noble Phantasm and Elena's calculations to optimize the procedure, Shaytanea and Raphiel to serve as the basis for power, Ys to be the cornerstone that realizes the principle.
Let the tree drink of those wells of men, monsters, and gods.
Midgard within the city. Helheim at the fringe.
Asgard within the Moon, crafted by silver.
Vanaheim within the sun, crafted by gold.
Niflheim within Mercury, crafted by quicksilver.
Muspelheim within Venus, crafted by copper.
Svartalfheim within Mars, crafted by iron.
Jotunheim within Jupiter, crafted by tin.
Alfheim within Saturn, crafted by lead.
All on this day, where the new sun meets the cosmological snake.
Yes, dredge out everything you can to create something unprecedented, and with that power-
"Alright Ys, let's go! Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, fire!"The elated scream of a homunculus filled the air, before that magic circle pulsed, and the amplified might of the greatest artillery force in the war was released, a terrifying burst of magical energy that cut through the night, consuming the harbor.
...wait, what was with that naming sense?
...ah, so that was it.
As they had arrived at the site of the Master, with her Servant fast approaching, they understood. So that was the nature of this war, the lines reaching out from that vessel made it clear enough.
It had been wondering from the beginning. Chiron had seemed to know, but it had been unable to leave that bar as the original designation, and so it was in the dark until this moment.
"...child of nature, I do not wish to fight you. You and your Servant may join me. Is your wish not also for the salvation of humanity?"Perhaps, to an Einzbern, those words were more fatal an attack than anything it could deliver.
Lyaeus (4)
In Pursuit of Nikola Tesla and Darius III
@floodtalonThe Archer had fled.
And so, they pursued. There was little else to say. Even with Tesla's aptitude to Disengage, the Lyaeus were able to at least match his movement speed, something that became all the simpler with those intermittent jumps in space they seemed able to accomplish.
However, they did not overtake him. It was as though something was being prepared as they pursued, but as for what that was...
The Loser King evaded the great burst of a sun.
His aptitude to flee was considerable, to be sure. When working in concert with the ally who he sought, ti was no exaggeration to say that they had stepped into the pinnacle of running away, a mere half-step away from the secret technique of a family born from that emblazoned star.
...however that would not be enough.
Because, after all, as that car reformed, as Nikola Tesla was picked up and the course of action was changed-
Primary action: Infeasible. Secondary: Infeasible. Tertiary: Infeasible. Quaternary: Counterproductive given the enemy. Quinary: Counterproductive given the enemy. Senary action: Counterproductive given the enemy.
A pair of Lyaeus pursued from behind, while the other pair shifted through space, teleporting before the bonemobile.
In one's hand, another sun formed.
With one's prayer, space was frozen for the fleeing pair.
This time, there would be no salvation.
To think that a human could conceal themselves from its eyes was laughable. Even many Assassin-class Servants would have failed to do the same, after all.
As such, the result was only natural. Well before the girl had reached the hot springs, she found her path barred by a pair of Lyaeus. There was no indication of hostility, no attempt to attack or even bind her, but they stood nonetheless, that threat implicit.
"I ask that you stay here, please. I would rather not stop you with force."As it spoke, what came next went without saying. The connection to her Servant was cut.
The lightning of Gozu-Tennou struck out, and met its target.
However, it did not harm them. As with the lightning of the Modern Prometheus, that divine lightning crackled against their bodies harmlessly, disassembled into something else as it was drawn into them.
The cloud of debris would have indeed obscured the vision of most, but for them, it was trivial. Their eyes could see the existence of Raikou regardless of what visual obstructions attempted to halt it.
The trees and plants acted like free-form weapons, and within moments the fleeing Raikou was under siege by what should have been ordinarily foliage. Yet, under the Beast's command, it had become something capable of harming a Servant, not at the power of the great Disemboweling Forest but not something incomparable in nature. The ceaseless swarm of attacks bore down on her as she fled. All the while, the Lyaeus moved to close the gap.
As for the other two...
One moved with haste, as lightning cut through the air. Without even a moment of hesitation, it did something unthinkable.
With its body, it shielded both Giulia and Lilith from the lightning that would have otherwise struck them.
"...I apologize, I did not expect such an indiscriminate attack by that one."They had not refused its offer, after all. Moreover, it could see Giulia's heart. She too was a liberator, one who gave the downtrodden and oppressed the means to free themselves. If anyone could understand the world it sought, it would be her.
"I would again ask for your aid, if you would be willing."
...he refused. It was tragic, but expected.
Of course, it was only after that refusal that they realized something was wrong. Their will reached out to sever the hero's connection to that arm, but found that it was far more ingrained than they had expected. The line that connected the two was no different than the line that connected the hero's existence to his normal arm-...no, perhaps it was stronger even than that.
Damn it, if they had only gotten there faster-
That moment of surprise nearly kept them from forming shields as the boar quills shot out, taking the weight of those attacks.
As he moved, though, they felt genuine shock.
Those physical parameters by far eclipsed what he should have been capable of. It was nothing short of absurd.
Yes, the strength behind his movements, there was no doubt that, even when the other's abilities were taken into consideration, the sheer combat power of the paladin was
not one whit inferior to that of the Sword Emperor.
He gets stronga' when shit's stacked against 'im.
They recalled those words Chiron had uttered about this man. One who became stronger the more dire the situation, a hero of reversal.
Durandal cleaved through the shields of the two it targeted like paper, but even that terrifying strength was stopped there, the blow meeting the same lack of impact as so many others.
That arm, though...
That arm, it should not have been even a tenth as problematic as it was. Indeed, the reasons it would be threatening to most were all but nonfactors to the Lyaeus, but with that hero attached to it, it had become one of the most troublesome things that any Servant possessed.
The remaining three faltered back while the two that had been attacked attempted to keep Roland at bay.
The will of those two stretched out and took root in the land.
Call on the cosmic order of the great god of this land, and-
With the will of one, space stopped. Within the immediate expanse of this combat, space itself froze, binding the two Lyaeus in place just as much as Roland.
Or at least, that would have been the case, were it not for Nega Liberator. Instead, with the will of the other, something began to condense in its hand. A miniature sun.
With the will of the remaining three, something was prepared, something cut from the same cloth as the preparations being taken against Gilles de Rais.
This threat needed to be dealt with, without delay.
Lyaeus (4)
Church Outskirts
The assault continued.
The Saber had switched to defensive tactics in an attempt to prolong the fight. His mind was working at full-tilt, but even with his abilities, this was a losing battle. Without a connection to a Master, he was working on borrowed time, and he knew it.
It took every ounce of concentration he had to fend off the attacks from four of these damned things at once, to disrupt them when they prepared something significant while also fending off the more regular attacks.
His armor was keeping him secure, but even that had its toll; the magical energy it consumed was only accelerating his fading, in his current state. This was to not even mention his relative inexperience with such defensive tactics, even if his skills were honed to perfection.
For now, he survived, but there was no doubt that the Sword Emperor's time was nearly out.
The Master had fled.
They allowed this. His Servant stood on the other side of the city.
By the time he reached there by his own two feet, after all, the tyrant would be long dead.
The Caster's mockery was met with nothing other than a serene smile.
"The power of the original designation, to move between the living and dead. The power of the contaminant, to revive those who have died. You will see. It will not be long, once my true body is freed." As it spoke those words, rats poured forth.
There was no concern on the part of the Lyaeus.
Three of the four stood together, unifying their strength.
And in that moment, a mere instant after Piper had disappeared with the force of a Command Seal...
-The academy and its premises were consumed by a sun.
By the time the light faded, revealing the crater where an academy had once stood, the curses of the rats purged under the very same light that Dido currently stood against, the four Lyaeus had vanished.
The children were freed, after all. The rats destroyed, the taint of the Caster's Noble Phantasm undone. And, more pressingly, they were needed elsewhere.
"...you really are amazing, ■■■■■■■. How many times..."
Before a human and a machine, a man and a woman, they arrived.
The boy's eyes told his story. There would be no attempt to win him over. He had resolved himself, after all.
"...well, if it isn't saucy Jack."Words it did not fully understand left one's mouth.
"Just a little too late, as usual. You're not ending my plan, you're expanding it."A simple action. A trivial one, compared to the trials its other instances faced across the city.
Two darted out to tie Jack down.
With a flicker, one appeared between Jack and the machine, to bar the two from each other.
And for the remaining two...
Their will reached out to a single thread. A thread that would not be reformed once severed.
In a single instant, they cut the line that connected the machine to the heart she held in her hands.
At long last, they arrived.
As a boy became a knight, they arrived.
There was no proposition, as they already understood the answer.
There was no attack, as the battle had yet to begin.
As the five Lyaeus surrounded the two that became one, there was nothing. No grand assault, no halting of space or creation of a sun, no severance of bonds or order of the stars.
Ah, it hated that it had to do this.
Seeing the one before him only drilled that further in. It was amazing, it was beautiful, it was the potential of humanity.
...but, it had resolved to turn its mind to steel.
It had resolved to kill, if that was what was necessary.
"You."There were no other words.
