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Seraphiel felt fresh. Empowered. As a Servant full on Mana, that was a heady feeling. She glanced at Trambelio, who was sleeping on the bed with a satisfied look. He wouldn’t be happy for long. A quick flex of her telekinesis lifted him off the bed while she dressed, her clothes practically shooting off the floor and draping over her. She made sure to send a pulse of energy into his mind to keep him asleep while she made her way downstairs, where she found Barthomeloi waiting.
“Trambelio? Huh, didn’t expect that. I was worried for a second you wouldn’t come back, but I suppose that worry was for naught.” Barthomeloi stared at the sleeping Trambelio with a dark look. “He wasn’t the one to attack Luthien, was he? That would be…”
“No. For some reason, he was the one to end up with the Command Seals though. I have some idea why, but that’s largely irrelevant at this point.” Seraphiel shook her head while thinking about a certain pervert Vampire.
“Everything go according to plan then?” The nominal leader of the Red team asked.
“Close enough.” Seraphiel nodded. The exact nature of her encounter with her new master had been a question mark, but having her Mana reserves filled so effectively was a positive, despite the method used.
“We’re still going through with the plan then? He is still part of our team on a certain level.” Barthomeloi asked, just to confirm. She wasn’t suggesting a change but making sure she was committed to the path. “I was a bit concerned you had run into complications, but I’m glad that’s not the case.“
“The plan is unchanged. He managed to help with the Mana issue as well, and I’m now topped off completely. Ready to face anything.” She stretched like a cat, causing Barthomeloi to chuckle.
“At least his last moments were pleasant.” She turned a bit more serious. “Can you keep him asleep until…”
Instead of responding, Seraphiel slashed with her sword, severing Trambelio’s hand without the man even flinching. The cut was so clean that it took a moment before the wound even started bleeding. “You might want to rush. There’s no point in wasting mana healing him and this only works while he’s alive," Seraphiel stated coldly.
Barthomeloi nodded, grabbed the severed hand, and chanted the necessary spell to transfer the Command Seals, as well as Seraphiel’s mastery over to her. Their plan had been hastily put together, as they hadn’t known who Seraphiel’s new Master would be, but things had worked out better than they expected. The plan always had been to kill the new Master once their guard was down, though that Master being Trambelio had been somewhat unexpected.
“And Luthien?” Seraphiel asked, confirming a part of the deal they’d made. Neither of them particularly cared as Trambelio bled to death behind them.
“Already off-world and getting looked at by someone who can regenerate her arm and hand. She’ll be further rewarded once the victory is ours.” Barthomeloi confirmed she’d held her end of the deal. She also recognized Luthien’s contribution to the eventual victory.
"Good. Now let's go win this thing." Seraphiel stated, before grabbing Barthomeloi and creating another portal to where Arjuna and Rider were located. The same place where Lord Germaine also resided. As she left, a final invisible cut appeared on Trambelio’s neck, just to make sure.
The underground basement was a rather good hiding spot. "You're back," Arjuna stated, as if he'd never doubted it for a moment. He probably hadn't.
“Haqim is gone. The voyeuristic bastard.” Seraphiel revealed as the two of them arrived.
"That might explain what I'm sensing," Luvia interjected. "The Grail is about to appear near the center of the city, and that usually heralds the imminent end of a Grail War.”
“With only eight Servants left, that makes sense. Although normal Grail Wars only have seven. This one has been a weird one from the start.” Barthomeloi shook her head, familiar with the history of the Grail Wars. "The plan for the final fight still stands?”
Arjuna gestured towards Rider. “I will take care of Karna and Rider will face Cú Chulainn. Together we’ll take the Elven heroes when we have the chance.” He pointed at Seraphiel. “You’ll have to face Gilgamesh and The Lion King. Whoever is left will decide the final victor.”
“I’ll take the Masters inside a pocket dimension to make sure nothing like Luthien happens again. You have my word none of them will be hurt.” Seraphiel promised, before clapping her hands. “Let’s get to it.”
The two other Servants were gone in a flash, while Seraphiel stayed long enough to secure Barthomeloi, Luvia, and Lord Germaine. Next, she stepped through another portal to appear next to the materializing grail. The grail was still intangible and impossible to touch, but the outline was already floating above the city radiating power. It was easy to sense a relic of such power, and it was also clear why so many people were willing to fight for it, risking their lives. The survival rate of Masters in this war was surprisingly high, with many seeking shelter in the central cathedral, though that was irrelevant at this point.
She wasn’t alone. The man in golden armor was already waiting there, and The Lion King appeared only a few seconds after her.
Gilgamesh smiled a bit. “Excellent. None of us was gauche enough to allow the lesser heroes to taint this moment with their presence.”
The Lion King looked at both of the others while maintaining a perfectly calm demeanor. Seraphiel could tell she was wounded though. Not by her fight with Gilgamesh though. Something that had happened after. Something that standard healing couldn’t deal with. A power Seraphiel could recognize. “Fel.” She spat out the name of the corrosive power. “Shame you’re not at full power.”
The Lion King simply inclined her head a bit. “The Demon with two glaives was a worthy opponent, even if he interrupted my fight with the King of Heroes.” Ah, Illidan had been his usual hotheaded self. “It turned out he managed to leave a mark, even if I was victorious. It is my weakness that I have to bear the wound to the final fight.”
"I would offer the both of you a seat by my side, but I get the sense that you'd refuse," Gilgamesh said smugly.
"I bow to no king." The Lion King said simply.
“I’ve killed worse.” Seraphiel shook her head. “As you know.”
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“In that case, let it be finished. This war has lasted long enough for such a mundane affair.” Hundreds of golden weapons appeared and shot towards both Seraphiel and The Lion King. Against many other Servants, this might have been a serious threat, but against the two of them, it was mostly a greeting.
Seraphiel gracefully dodged a few and telekinetically deflected some more, but the main focus of Gilgamesh was clearly elsewhere. Hunting the wounded gazelle first. The Lion King simply lifted a hand and a stone wall appeared between her and Gilgamesh as they were all brought inside another Reality Marble. It seemed like all sound was suddenly cut off, as a wave of pressure fell upon Seraphiel and Gilgamesh, as they floated above the Holy City of Camelot. At the center of the city stood a pillar of gold, a Divine Weapon known as Rhongomyniad, the Spear of the End, and the true form of the Goddess inhabiting the body of the Lion King.
In return, Gilgamesh once again pulled out the same Gold and red sword that he’d used against the Vampire team. It looked almost like a lance with rotating sections, the anti-world Noble Phantasm, Ea. The two were getting serious and preparing to throw their most powerful attacks at each other. Seraphiel felt a little ignored but wasn’t going to protest when her enemies were making a mistake.
“Holy Judgement.” The Lion King declared and a lance of brilliant light fell from the heavens towards Gilgamesh. Rhongomyniad itself was too large to wield, but the power of the Divine Weapon could be directed to attack.
“I shall perform this final blow as a parting gift to you! I will tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split, nothingness praised creating, my Sword of Rupture cleaved the word! Mortar of the stars, heaven’s hell is the eve of creation’s celebration. Now you shall die and be silent…Enuma Elish!” Gilgamesh managed to chant the entire aria for his weapon. Everything around him seemed to be plunged into darkness, as a torrent of red energy, formed like a tornado, faced the lance of gold, fracturing the unbreakable Camelot around them.
The two seemed almost evenly matched, but Seraphiel, currently focused on defense with layers of shields around her, could see Gilgamesh winning. Mostly that was because The Lion King was wounded, and because she was fighting under constraints that the King of Heroes didn't have. That had always been the problem with both Artoria's Excalibur and Rhongomyniad. Both were weapons of unfathomable power, but both were mired in limitations, restraints set upon them by the knights of the Round Table, each knight laying a rule limiting the weapon’s power.
“The enemy must be more powerful than oneself,
The battle must be one-on-one,
The enemy must not be an elemental,
The battle must be one against evil,
The battle must not involve personal gain,
The battle must not be against Humanity,
The battle must not be inhumane,
The battle must be for truth,
The battle must be to live,
The battle must be to save the world,
The battle must be an honorable one.” Seraphiel recited the restraints, too many of which were still in effect for the Divine Weapon to truly perform up to the necessary level. A problem that Ea didn’t have, even if the weapon was slightly weaker.
The reality marble finally shattered, Gilgamesh coming out victorious in the exchange. The Lion King was not dead, but she was dying, golden sparks slowly scattering off her body. Gilgamesh looked pleased with himself, but only as if this much was to be expected. “And so, another King falls.” He stated with supreme confidence.
The Lion King gave a last regretful look at the crumbling Camelot around her as she fell. This was not the first time she’d been summoned, nor would it be the last. She was one of the top Champions of the gods as well, so the two were likely to fight again, even if they hadn’t faced directly in the past. "We shall meet again, both of you." The Servants stated before vanishing.
"I suppose it's my turn then," Seraphiel said, bringing Gilgamesh out of his thoughts. She probably could've performed a surprise attack if she wanted, but that would've felt wrong. It was her time to show off after all. “[Heavenly Host] Azrael.” A golden portal appeared in the air next to her, and she could feel the heavy drain on her new Mana reserves, as her sister appeared, as always, looking like a normal Human instead of a Celestial.
“Sister. I’m a little surprised you called for me. I’m not a warrior like Amenadiel.” Azrael said, as if having expected something like this. “I can’t stay for long either. Souls to collect and all that.”
“What’s this?” Gilgamesh asked with a frown. He had expected a fair one on one fight.
“King of Heroes, may I introduce Azrael, the original Angel of Death. Azrael, your blade please.” Seraphiel opened her hand in expectation like a little child, making a ‘gimme’ gesture.
"Oh! Now it makes sense. Here you go." She pulled out a rather unimpressive-looking sword that burst into flames as soon as it was in Seraphiel's hands. It was too short to be classified as a longsword, but too thin for a short sword and too long for a dagger. It was a decidedly awkward-looking and unwieldy weapon.
“You gathered the Flaming Sword? Really? What necessitated that?” Seraphiel asked, concerned, ignoring the King of Heroes for a moment. She had expected only Azrael’s blade, which was part of the Flaming Sword.
“I’ll explain another time. Go do your thing.” Azrael gestured towards Gilgamesh.
As Seraphiel walked closer to him, Gilgamesh looked quite unimpressed. “You’re going to fight me with that thing? I expected something more. I expected the blade you used to kill a god.”
“Yeah, doesn’t look very impressive, does it?” Seraphiel joked, waving the awkward blade around like it was a toy. It looked a bit like one. She kept walking closer the entire time. “And yet, looks can be deceiving. This is me paying respects and not a slight despite the weapon's appearance.”
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, and suddenly golden chains shot out from several portals. This was Enkidu, his most trusted Noble Phantasm, the Chains of Heaven, capable of binding even gods. One of the few anti-Divine weapons in existence. The strength of the chains grew more powerful the higher the target's divinity, and in Seraphiel’s case, they were very powerful indeed. "Cute," Seraphiel muttered. "But ultimately futile." A single swing of the flaming sword shattered the chains on contact.
Gilgamesh's eyes almost bulged out of his head at the sight. "What is that thing?"
“Did you think I summoned my sister just as a spectator? She’s the original Angel of Death, as I mentioned. And this is her blade, used to cull countless lives over the eons. She’s always had a shit taste aesthetically, but as far as weapons go, there’s nothing more powerful in the entire Creation.” She explained.
Gilgamesh swung Ea again, intent on using the weapon again, but Seraphiel appeared right in front of him in a single step, slashing through the weapon in a simple swing, shattering the Noble Phantasm in one strike, before a golden wing appeared to stab the man through his armored chest. “Be happy I was merciful. I’m not sure your soul would survive if I struck you down with the sword." She said while looking Gilgamesh directly in the eyes before the man scattered into golden sparks with a confused look. Her plan had worked perfectly. It wouldn’t work again though. Gilgamesh was not stupid and was capable of evolving his methods. It wasn’t for naught that he’d become Humanity’s first hero. Hopefully, she hadn't shattered his weapons permanently, otherwise he would carry a grudge. Gil had always been a little precious about his treasures.
Her enemy disappeared just in time for her to witness Arjuna using a fully powered Pashupata against Karna, eliminating his target and half the city along with him, but sacrificing his own life in the process. Arjuna had previously stated that using the ability at full strength could defeat anyone but would cost him his life as well. It seemed the honorable fool had decided to take down Karna at any price. She was quite sure she’d be meeting him again as well.
Ironically, the Elven heroes had gotten to Cú Chulainn first, although now only the Lancer remained. "Seems this fight is about to end," Azrael commented. "Mind if I go now? Like I said, souls to collect and all that. You don’t need the sword anymore either.”
Seraphiel removed her mask and nodded to her sister. “I appreciate you coming, even if the visit was short. It’s always great to meet my favorite sister.” Azael just vanished with a small smile. The Angel of Death could be anywhere and everywhere at once, and they both knew she’d used the word sister instead of sibling on purpose. Although Seraphiel was a little bitter Lucifer had not visited her, and she’d had to settle for the faux version of her Guide.
The flaming blade vanished along with Azrael, and Seraphiel slowly descended towards the place where Rider and the Elven lancer were fighting, ironically exactly where the Grail was about to land. The two were close to equal, the Elven Lancer being faster, while Rider was defensively more powerful with his shield. The two stopped fighting as Seraphiel landed.
“Is it over?” Rider asked.
“It is. Only us three remain. I think it would be polite to at least go with our real names. Don’t worry Rider, I figured out your weakness a long time ago, so the name won’t change that.” Seraphiel looked at the man, no longer bothering with the mask.
Rider grumbled a little but acquiesced. “Achilles. I always hated hiding my name but…”
“Oh, Achille’s heel!” The Elven Lancer realized right away. “And I’m Glorfindel if you didn’t guess already.”
Seraphiel made a small gesture that removed the opportunity for anyone overhearing her next words. "And I'm Seraphiel. Most call me the Exile"
“Yeah, the Angel heritage is rather obvious without your mask.” Achilles nodded. “So how do we want to do this?”
“Unfortunately, there’s little you two can do.” She used all her remaining Mana to reinforce herself, vastly increasing her physical abilities in the process. “Bring it on.” She waved her Cronesword at the two and both rushed her with their spears.
Neither of them reached her. She gracefully weaved between their strikes, using her wings as both shields and weapons. The two worked well together, but they simply didn’t have the experience and skill she had. She'd spent more time than she cared to count mastering fighting with her blade and wings, and with her wings unleashed, it wasn't a contest. She was landing her own strikes in the process. Glorfindel could stay away from her blade longer, but once Achille’s wounds started to become too much, the Cronesword once again draining the powers of another great fighter, the Elf too was wounded. After that, all she had to do was wait and fight defensively.
“I almost feel bad that I’m winning because of a difference in equipment, but I made a promise. A promise I would win this Grail War for my new Master.” The two Servants finally scattered in a shower of golden sparks, leaving her the last one standing.
She released the three Masters from their safety as the Grail materialized fully, and slowly descended towards them.
“It’s not cursed anymore, is it?” Seraphiel asked at the final moment.
"No, that was fixed when we came to this universe," Luvia responded with a faint smile, somehow not surprised that Caster was aware of the curse that had previously inhabited the Grail.
As the winners, Seraphiel and Barthomeloi heard a voice in their heads, asking what they desired as the reward. The Grail War had always been about getting a wish granted, and though the Grail didn't have the power to grant all wishes anymore, the range of options, especially for a war this large was quite spectacular. Her decision was rather easy.