Finis Chaldea

Another whiff. Iskandar always hated the types who buzzed about like some annoying insect. Each time he encountered such a fighter, it was always ages of attacking and attacking, until a crucial blow was landed at last. In this case, Iskandar was also in the situation of being mainly immobile. On the positive side of things, Altera's movements led her to a position atop his arm. The assault she had planned made no difference to Iskandar with that being the case, as her weight was next to nothing. An upward movement of his arm, made quick, displaced Foreigner's small frame into the air prior to her attack sequence. Iskandar couldn't move fully, nor did he need to. He was Rider. He would ride. Once more, the chariot he began with appeared beneath him again, along with the return of Rider's bulls in full health. While the Foreigner held that mace so recently acquired, the self-proclaimed "Great Iskandar" rode toward her. That lightning once present in his sword was not so limited in its accessibility. The chariot itself, and even the bulls' hooves produced powerful arcs during the charge. He'd felled many an opposing army with this simple approach. The power of lightning he utilized was invoked in the name of the son of Zeus. The ground below his chariot was torn asunder, and the sky screeched as lightning rose to form a barrier at his fore. If Foreigner could not be cut, she would be trampled by the wrath of a demigod, and he would have his shining victory over a legend that he couldn't wait to fell in glorious combat!

Iskander's tactics might have been commendable, against anyone else. This was the thought of Altera as she was atop his extended arm, she wasn't surprised to be tossed up into the air, it was only normal to protect one's face. It was also only natural to use the tools at your disposal in a fight to the death, as such she showed no surprise when the man was once again within his chariot. She didn't like the idea of him being too mobile. Even though she was the type to attack from horseback if need be, this was a tactic to stall in her own mind. Her weapon of choice was now a flail as he rode towards her and given her own inclination this weapon would prove useful. Altera didn't flinch as she was ridden towards, she had ground to hold even as it shook and shattered beneath the great chariot. Without him so close she could do something else. There was a barrier going up in front of him, lightning screeching and a prismatic glow as she drew her weapon back. "Scourge." The power of her Omega Skill would rip forth, a beam which bent along the path of the flail would aim to whip around said barrier, it would aim to use sheer destructive power to break and destroy what rode in front of her. She aimed to use this power to kill, recklessly. Would it pierce the barrier? Hit around it and knock off Rider from his horses? Would it wound properly the man before her? Well, if it didn't she would continue to press forward. Mighty though she was, even she would tire in long term combat against a demigod. How many of these blasts did she even have left to give? Though her form was perfect, every injury she took was one which slowed her, not that she would ever let it appear as such. Remaining mobile and able to channel energy was her only hope of victory and here and now she faced what had to be her most formidable foe. Forgotten were the others, her sweep was here and now. Either she hit and she did not have to worry about the coming tampling or she would be trampled and for the first time pull herself from the ground before continuing. Either option was sweet in its own way.

Someone needed to get this woman a weapon of her own, if only to halt the variety she utilized. Here she was now, showing something entirely new by virtue of having a flail as opposed to a straight weapon. He charged forward, and she whipped around that flail while making use of the same technique which toppled Berserker. Ah, but it was in no way the same. This variant whipped about just as the flail did, yet Rider's focal point was the eyes of Foreigner already. "You run around grabbing the weapons of others to fight. Why did you sacrifice those men who joined you? Attila the Hun is a great king! The king is the one who collects the envy of all his heroes and stands as their guide; therefore, he is not alone - for his will equals that of all his followers combined!!"

What Rider gave was a speech, but it would just as quickly become an incantation accompanying him into the future. Mana swirled around him, swelling up as he charged. As for that whipping beam aiming to slip around his barrier, it would invoke a sacrifice of a different sort. Energy whipped around the barrier, hooking around to Iskandar's rear as he braced with one arm and his remaining functional leg. He had strength enough to launch himself up and forward, over the chariot and bulls a both were consumed by the enemy attack. What a shame; he would not be capable of calling upon them for quite some time. On the other hand, that energy swelling outward from Rider's body was soon to prove the difference between Berserker and himself. One commanded an army of undead loyalists, while the other called forth more legitimate comrades-in-arms. Rider could do so within the Holy Grail's bounded field because he possessed a bounded field of his own─ a Reality Marble which held his army. Never had he utilized it properly; he'd only managed summoning his soldiers on an individual basis. Now, however, his sword aimed a downward strike at Foreigner while he flew through the air. It seemed to fall just short of reaching her, but it was not for her anyway. "Ionioi Hetairoi!" Rider shouted.

A bubble swelled out from him immediately, consuming himself and Altera to create a veritable dimension around them. Around the two would be a desert battlefield with no obstacles, no weapons in sight for Altera to rely on bar what she already had, and... a distant mirage of Iskandar's entire cavalry of soldiers. These soldiers were all who personally fought alongside Iskandar as they swept across continents until reaching here. He could feel them all; few were missing from these ranks. While Iskandar landed on the ground before Altera, those mirages were charging and becoming tangible enough to act as a diverse fighting force with the fierceness of a true army. Their charge was without hesitation. They followed the heightened Charisma of Rider within this space, converging on any he deemed to be an enemy force; Altera was their sole target. Spears were thrown, arrows were loosed, phalanxes marched and horsemen rode forward. All in all, one could say Iskandar summoned an entire siege for a single enemy. Well... he viewed it as a worthwhile endeavor.

Altera found herself being lectured by Iskander. Strange, he really did not understand what she was at all. Everyone thought Altera was some great leader, who had the Huns at her back and the world to sweep before her. But, she wasn't a leader in the truest sense of the word. She wasn't charismatic. She did not care one way or another about other people. In fact, one could say she stood against everything people were. She did not like groups, wars or battles. She wasn't fighting for honor or even to take land for herself and her men. She wasn't practical or pragmatic, she simply wished to kill. Every time she saw people in front of her she had the desire to end them... to wipe everything they were from the face of the planet and leave it the way it was meant to be. It was such a different cause than all the ones she'd ever heard from other people. So much so, she was sure she could not share the information, she was certain others would not understand. She was here to fight and she would fight and if she died, well combat was the only way she wished to fall. It was an absolute truth of her that couldn't be denied. Would she bother explaining herself in this case. "I am no king. People follow because they don't have the strength to stand on their own... tools are here to be used and they will be. And when they are used up, they will be replaced," she said. Use everything at her disposal, use humans to get rid of other humans. Such a thought was practically engrained into her soul, and she would use it.

Ah, but there was a great power coming her way. Iskander jumped towards her falling short of a downward strike but creating around them another space. If she'd been cheeky there would have been some sort of commentary about being inside of a bubble, inside of another bubble, but she wasn't the sort to care about that sort of thing. This man brought forth, not an army of the undead, but his men. The ones who gave him strength, his form of 'kingliness'. She'd heard of this one, the great conquerer who swept across a continent, taking every piece of land he saw for himself, even going so far as to name each place he took after himself. There was something oddly vain about such an action, but it mattered little. Now, there was a siege before her and it was all for her. Arrows were loosed, spears flew, and everyone here deemed her the enemy. It was just as well... she was their enemy. This battle would be legendary as that flail began to spin in her hand more energy was poured into it. She'd aim to use this whip of destructive energy as both offense and defense as a horde came to overtake her. And in the end, eventually she would not have the energy left to power it. When it broke she'd go back to physically dodging abandoning the use of a broken tool as she always would. And beyond that point she'd fight until her last breath, but eventually that crest on her body couldn't empower her anymore. Eventually there'd be no tactic she could use to escape and eventually, she'd die besieged by a superior army. But it would take a whole army to down her, she'd take that as an honorable defeat.

Alas, the honorable defeat would not be one of Altera this day. Iskandar was the great conqueror who laid claim to all land he set foot upon, and moved on to the next. In this case, he would also be conquering the honor of this battle. It was nothing new for the Rider to use his ultimate ability for the sake of summoning of cavalry. It was, however, an entirely new experience to create a Reality Marble that brought forth all of them at once. That was a costly maneuver, and he'd spent a great deal of mana across two battles already. Altera fought and fought, until her weapon had nothing left to offer, and her body was nearly in the same position. Iskandar saw victory in his immediate future, and then, it all faded away as he lost the ability to sustain Ioioi Hetairoi. His soldiers faded. The bubble around them faded. So low on energy reserves, he hardly had the strength to turn over and sit up on the ground. All he could do in the face of this, was laugh at his own inability to claim victory. "Heh heh heh. I guess we can't always have our way..." he muttered, propping himself up on his sword. It seemed almost as if the Rider intended to rise and fight again, and perhaps he was considering it. What would come of this war even if he claimed victory in this battle, though?

Meanwhile, Caster was sitting against the Grail Castle's outer wall, bored enough to try balancing his short sword atop a staff, which itself was balancing atop his forearm. None had entered this labyrinth of his from either side, and he'd long since finished setting trap runes all throughout. What the hell was going on out there? "Ugh, I thought this was a war, not a stakeout!" he griped loudly. This hardly even counted as a battle thus far, as far as action coming his way was concerned. It was all a bittersweet experience, but Caster could always keep his spirits high. "Make-out in the mist while no one's around?"

No real defeat to come? Altera was on the ground breathing deeply looking up at the sky. She was a warrior by her own nature, but what would have happened if she'd been something different? Since she'd appeared like she was in this world, she'd never had a problem conversing with others. She didn't have much to say but she was still talking. One such moment was happening right now. It appeared both she and Iskander were worse for wear post this battle, so much so that he couldn't come and actually kill her, and she was only barely mustering the necessary energy keep her body alive. "It seems not. It is a waste if one of us doesn't die soon. Still though I lost this battle I am not so foolhardy as to want to die myself," she mentioned. Maybe, finally she could sit up, they were warriors should they punch it out? She supposed they'd figure it out eventually.

At the same time, the lad known as Caster seemed to be having a problem with how slowly everything was progressing. A war and not a stakeout he claimed. Perhaps he was really just a bit too rambunctious? Well, even if he wasn't he was way too forward. His offer to Archer made her eyes widen and she managed to look completely aghast by the suggestion. "Absolutely not! I am married and faithful!" she exclaimed. This kind of situation was exactly the sort that had gotten her burned on a pyre before. Never again, she would not be questioned she was true only to her husband and no one else could have her. She was certain of this. Whatever the case, it wasn't just Caster who was growing bored of the wait.

The woman sitting in the room with the Holy Grail was still playing with that dagger across her fingers. Over and under, in and out... she moved this well balanced knife around in her fingers with a level of precision most couldn't have fathomed. It was a really well-balanced knife. She really enjoyed it, and it'd been quite a while since it wasn't on her person. She finally managed to sleep again and when she did, it was there... giving her comfort. She did not have a real explanation for that though, and if asked she'd simply explain that she liked the knife and it had nothing to do with the person who'd placed it into her hand. Speaking of things placed into her hand, this grail was an item she intended to pick up, and that would be exceedingly difficult if no one actually approached her. "Is it impatient to make sure they know where I am?" she questioned while standing. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't but she pulled up her blade, canceling the magic around it, revealing a glimmering blade. Doing so, she took her proper stance holding that shining blade above her head as light began to gather around her. The other members of this war, needed to know where their prize was, and it was only honorable to let them know that she was not planning to simply let them have it, one way or another. Those glowing orbs of light coalesced into a pillar of shining light right through the top of this dilapidated castle, visible to all within the barrier of this Holy Grail War."EX-"

"Hrmph─! You're right. I don't plan on dying either, though, so... apologies." As Iskandar spoke, he was essentially using his sword as a cane to drag his bulky form across the marred battlefield. Altera was not a woman he fancied the idea of killing. What if they could fight alongside one another instead? Neither of them were particularly noble individuals, but there were few combatants he'd come to respect; she managed to make herself one of them with today's little show. "Well... maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Here's an idea. I don't think either one of us wants that Grail for power. Whichever gets it, takes the other up top, and we fight the good fight all over the sky." Ah, what a wonderful suggestion. Sadly, a certain beacon of light would argue with either of their ability to claim the Grail. Perhaps together, even their battered forms could have taken out opponents who were otherwise equivalent or lesser. That light rising into the sky from the Grail Castle, however, was not something Iskandar imagined facing at his best. Altera's ability was bad enough, but that... was truly monstrous. "What..."

There was a fault to Iskandar's incomplete clause. Berserker had been matched by Iskandar and defeated by Altera, but it seemed he had not been felled. Iskandar offered only one word upon viewing that beam of light because there was no way for further words to leave his mouth. Berserker's return was sudden, and it was forceful. One axe coated in green flames had cleaved off his head, and another was simultaneously moving through the air en route to Altera's neck. There Berserker was, still making his way through rubble and corpses, intending to pick up his weapons after ending the two remaining lives in his path.

At that same time, Caster was experiencing the shock of... well, encountering yet another married woman in his life. "What?!" he shouted. Married and faithful was no new statement to him. He'd heard it a hundred times in just as many attempts to pick up women, usually because he shot above his age-range. In this case, Archer hardly seemed to be even the same age as him, but... she was married? "Of course you are. Shit! If I hear that one more time, I'm going to assume every woman in the world is lying to get me off their back," he groaned. Just then, his head lifted. A warmth had enshrouded him, but still no one had entered the mist. What could have leaked through? It must have been that eerie light he could see through the mist, even without utilizing the rune of sight. That was coming from within the castle. Well, he could easily confirm it wasn't his master, but... "Um... More importantly, what in the absolute fuck is that?"

So, neither of them wanted to die. It was a shame they'd already spent so much time wearing each other out. They likely could have abused some pretty effective combinations against others in this war. It even appeared that he was on the same line of thought as he dragged himself up. Altera looked at the man. She didn't want the cup for any particular reason, she wouldn't have minded allowing him to come along for the ride if she won it, it wouldn't have been a problem for her. Besides all of that, he was likely one of the only people she'd ever spoken to who didn't fall into the category of a useless tool. "That would be acceptable..." she started to say, but that light that emitted from the grail castle was one which she'd never seen before. She felt it in the core of her being, like a long fought battle won in her memory. Before she could even comment on that properly though there was an axe of green flames flying towards her, her head coming off her body in an instant with only the thought, 'I should have made sure he was down.' floating about in that head as her body fell apart.

At the same time, apparently Caster was finding out about the marriage of the young Archer. She found his musings on the matter to be kind of funny, poor lad must have had terrible luck with women if that was his standing. "I have been married for quite a while. I am fairly well blessed as an individual and my husband and I are fated people... it isn't anything so disheartening," she said of her marital status. Well, he was still pretty hurt, making the assumption women were turning him down and hiding behind marital status, while she could see doing so if the women in question thought him dangerous he didn't give off the sort of vibes that implied such falsehoods were necessary. "I don't think you should consider it so glumly. Maybe you're just really good at choosing women to like, so good in fact that someone else has already claimed her charms for themselves. You don't seem the type to be so untrustworthy as to need an excuse to escape you," she said, knowing it likely wouldn't ease his suffering at all. Ah, but that didn't matter either, she also felt rather warm at the light she could now see shining even inside of this place. It'd been what she'd been observing this entire time, though admittedly concentrated. "I did say Saber is a monster. This is about what I meant. There are also two people down, Foreigner and Rider have fallen," she commented not knowing if he was keeping track.

Ah, and at that moment there was a bitter end to what had been the start of a newly blossoming friendship. Berserker was now on the loose again, with two kills under his belt but that light was still shining in the sky. It would be just a moment, just a pure and shining moment of clarity before the phrase that was connected to it finished. "CALIBUR!!" the sword end was brought down and all that was before it, would shatter as that beam of light aimed in front of her. Through the castle wall, potentially through the misty labyrinth and all the way cross the field. It wouldn't be too surprising if Berserker was caught in the blast as the monstrous light of hope rained down upon all present. And just as quickly as it had started it was over. and Artoria was standing before the grail her sword planted in the ground once more. "There that should do for a greeting," she said as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do.

With the fall of Rider, came the fall of Foreigner. Two of seven were downed, and soon after... Berserker's essence filled the Holy Grail as well. In the wake of Excalibur's light tearing across the land and shredding the entire territory setup around the Grail Castle, the wish-granting apparatus she stood beside became filled halfway. Bodies did not remain on those three; there were only accumulations of Mystic Codes that, when spreading through the bounded field, were converted to that golden liquid filling the Grail.

To think Caster was sitting against the remnants of a castle wall, worried about idiotic things like his woman problems. No, nothing Archer had to say actually lifted his mood. That didn't matter one bit. She was married, and that was fine. He was rejected a thousand times, and that was fine. A giant laser of hope, dreams, and moreover death for those who stood in its path was unleashed through the wall right beside where they sat... and that was anything but fine. "No," he said, trembling. According to Archer, two had fallen. By the time Caster spread his senses outward, he discovered the number was actually three. Was that something done casually? Caster's interpretation was that the beam caused all three deaths. He wasn't even sure if his master was capable of such destruction as what he only imagined was a practice swing. "Fuck this. Fuck my master. Fuck this team. Fuck that cup. I don't want any part of what I just saw," he announced. Even if Caster wanted to move from his current position, it was very likely that he couldn't do so at all.

One could move, though. The bounded field was gone, and nearly half the combatants were gone as well. Avenger still floated high in the sky, just within the limits of the bounded field. The bandage-wearing male descended slowly. He exuded a thing called Madness which spread far and wide once he decided to enter the fray. This particular variant of Madness carried the aspect of fear with it, being born of Avenger's own fear, and spreading fear to any within its wide vicinity to incite the madness deep within the living soul. Facing insanity and hallucinations were no strange occurrence to the afflicted. Normal mortals would become suicidal in moments, and those somewhat less normal would cower. Caster, already in a frightful state, would easily be the first afflicted with visions of his own dead body with his master looming over it.

Artoria's practice swing had an unintended consequence of ending the life of Berserker. Though it wasn't her intention, that one would have still been problematic long term. She gazed at her cup, half-filled and frowned. There were still others who would have to go in, it wasn't like when Gilgamesh was nearly slain, each one of the people here seemed to be on closer terms as equivalent existences. Though what she couldn't know was how her own codes would weigh in the cup and obviously she had no intention of finding out. What she did wish to know was where the rest of her opponents were and she'd be hearing the voices of two of them soon enough.

Archer had tired to calm Caster, but by the end of the showing of Saber he seemed to be too frightened to move. If she was being honest, she was too. Instead of seeing images of her own dead body she couldn't help but see her husband murdered at someone else's hands right as she found him. She fell against the wall on the other side of the hole in the walls her knees shaking and tears falling down her face. She couldn't know that this was an effect of Avenger. Instead she couldn't help but agree with Caster. "I can't actually do this. I just want my husband, I don't want him to die because of this..." she mentioned shakily. These words were heard by Artoria as she stepped towards this open wall. "Oh? there is something strange going on here," she mused as she looked at this pair. She was stepping ever so slightly forward through the hole in the wall until she could be seen by both of them. She made no real gestures but could seen in both of these individuals a fear like they could not move forward. Such a thing wasn't uncommon in those new to battle, but they didn't seem to be that, no... this seemed so much worse. They were fearful but that was strange. Did normal people not attack what made them afraid? "I will not harm you if you do not wish to fight. If there is another issue then it can be resolved at a later time..." she said carefully to the pair. Excalibur was still shining in her hand as she turned her eyes up towards the sky. "If you can not will yourself to fight, you can stand behind me. On my honor I will protect you," she said to both of these individuals. This was simply put how Artoria was, if these two didn't wish to fight, then she'd look after them. If they were too scared to move, she'd make sure they didn't have to. And so long as they didn't challenge her need for the cup, it was fine. She stood where she could be seen pointing Excalibur towards her intended target, "You, come... I would have words."