* Umineko – Lastendconductor

* Fata Morgana - Bad End

* Higurashi – Zenmou Cast


Chaper LXXXIX: Rhapsody Requiem


* UminekoLastendconductor

Run around.

Dodge.

Focus on the target and recentre.

Dodge.

Then close the distance while dodging some more.

This sequence described more or less the steps Honda had to take while facing against Nimrod. There was no such thing as a straightforward close range battle here: the ashen giant was sending volley after volley of dark arrows without pausing one bit. As a result, his opponents were constantly on the move; Honda couldn't stay in one place for more than a fraction of a second. However, that was fine by him: with his instinct and his speed combined, it was nothing more than a light spring shower.

Nimrod must have noticed that fact, for he was focusing mostly on the spearman. Ganelon wasn't so lucky since his large frame and slower pace made him an easy target – he would trying fending of a volley from time to time but was mostly forced to keep his distances.

Nonetheless, Honda appreciated the fact that the white knight was attracting some of the fire; it gave him more opportunities to work with.

While dashing away from some more arrows, he quickly turned his heel and bolted toward Nimrod. The latter reacted instantly by firing a wall of arrows that seemed impassable. However, Honda saw a gap he could fit through: the lowest arrows were roughly eighty centimetres above the ground. And so, with a sharp acceleration he dived underneath. To an outsider, it might have looked like his body was gliding horizontally mere millimetres above the roof; but that was just how strongly he had leapt.

Once he had passed the wall, he slammed the butt of his spear against the ground to propel himself upward and, after a few spins, he brought Tonbokiri down on the ashen giant with full momentum.

He had put enough power behind it that the building below them was practically cleaved in two.

However, Nimrod didn't so much as flinch. He was absolutely unscathed as though he had never been attacked. That was a result Honda had expected: his previous attempts at putting a single scratch on him had ended in failure as well.

Even had he not tried, he had heard of Phaeton's battle against the hunter and how the latter was safe from attacks by humans. The Noble Phantasm covering his skin was probably what gave it such an unnatural colour. A skin-tight, impermeable armour like that was an absolute cheat that rendered Honda's fighting style completely inefficient.

It wasn't as though there was no way around it; even with a defense like that, the true power of his spear could likely cut him anyway. No, especially because he had such a defense set up, it would be all the easier to slice through him. However, in his current state the spearman couldn't use his Noble Phantasm willy-nilly. In fact, he wasn't sure if he could use it even once without exhausting his reserves.

That was why, pointless though it might be, he would still go on the offensive and attack Nimrod normally. He had learned from his precedent fight not to give control of the battle to any bow-wielding bastard.

Not to mention, shaking his head at a problem while saying it's helpless just wasn't his style.

This time though, his attempt had failed so he quickly broke away and had to make his way through another wave of arrows. Instead of going in a straight line, those curved in unnatural ways and ricocheted onto the white stone to corner Honda.

"Can't ya try a little harder than that?!"

Unlike the hunter though, there was nothing preventing his from taking those down; with not a single wasted movement, he cut them down.

Once again, he began skirting around the bowman while looking out for his next opportunity to strike.

Meanwhile, someone else was doing as much and had decided that now was the time to charge in. Thanks to Honda's little offensive, Ganelon was given some slack and managed to slip through Nimrod's barrage. Despite being a Berserker, he had a good enough head on his shoulder to understand when to strike. On the other hand, this tactic would be more efficient if he hadn't already done the exact same thing every time Honda had approached the Avenger before.

Without surprise, Nimrod saw the white knight's charge coming before it even happened. Holding his bow like a sword, he waited until he was in range before swinging it at the Berserker's feet. If he sweeped him off his feet and made him fall down, he could finish him off them – that was what he must have thought. But even if he wasn't wrong about that, he had underestimated Ganelon's resilience: the dark bow struck his leg with impressive power yet the knight didn't so much as budge. As though nothing had happened, Ganelon raised his sword with two hands and brought it down onto the hunter's head.

"It's useless." It was the usual result though; Nimrod smiled as the blade failed to do anything to him. In fact, the sheer power behind Ganelon's strike didn't affect him at all. "You run and squirm and bare your fangs, but in the end you can do nothing!"

"That's right, that's right~. Then, don't mind if I do."

"...!"

Nimrod had been about to riddle Ganelon with holes at point blank range. However, by focusing his attention on the Berserker, he had left his guard wide open for Honda. The spearman had snuck up behind and seized the giant's ankle.

From the way their attacks had been fruitlessly crashing on him like waves on a cliff, it was clear his armour wasn't just absorbing the damage. Rather, it was practically cancelling them altogether, as though Nimrod had never been struck. This wasn't absolute; according to his memories, Phaeton had been able to push him around with his chariot.

Even if they could output as much horsepower as a chariot going at full throttle, it was still pointless if they couldn't hurt him. That was why Honda wanted to try something out.

Nimrod seemed surprise that this man so much tinier than him managed to lift him off the ground. But even if he was a giant, it was still no sweat – Honda took a page out of his book and decided to throw the hunter to the ground. More specifically, against an adjacent building.

"The act of grabbin' ya wasn't cancelled, so interaction's still possible. So then..."

When he hurled Nimrod and made him slam into a house, the hunter didn't register the impact and just glarred at him with his bow at the ready. It was no use apparently: even though the one that harmed him should have been the building, it had still been acknowledged as an attack on Honda's part.

"Ain't that goin' a bit too far? It's a bit exaggerated don't ya think – ain't that really cheatin' at this point!?"

And it was back to running away again.

The amount of arrows Nimrod fired was indicative of his displeasure, so at the very least Honda had achieved something, as petty as it was. He wasn't going to celebrate that, however: he was on a time limit here; he wanted to make that time count. There had to be a way to get through that annoying armour.

There weren't any natural gaps in the creases like in regular cuirass. There was no such thing as overpowering its natural defense and Honda didn't have anything like a god's blood running through his veins. He was only a human, so he needed a solution for humans. He would also only get one shot with Tonbokiri, so he had to make sure it wouldn't miss.

Someone's damned skin didn't have any right to be this tough...

"...Skin?" Suddenly, a thought occured to him. "That's right... I see, I see, maybe it's not that flawless after all~."

Now, when would he be getting his next opportunity?

It wasn't as though he could get infinite tries. His opponent had a brain and with each failed attempt Nimrod was learning as well. In other words, it would be more costly to approach him again; the firing rate of those volleys had increased already.

On the other hand, who was to say only the spearman and the hunter were learning?

"OoooooOoOOoOoOooooOOOOOOO! It matters not how adamantine the enemy be, for our blades are hardier!"

This time around, Ganelon was the one who charged in recklessly toward the King of Tyrants. Had he understood that mixing up their approach would throw Nimrod off? Actually, it might just be a whim, but it was a serious one at least. When Honda saw that, he didn't think twice and headed in at the same time. Unlike the spearman, Ganelon didn't have the agility to dance through Nimrod's arrows; instead, he accepted to be pierced by them and kept advancing without a care in the world.

"That toughness is somethin' else alright." Honda couldn't hold back a whistle of admiration.

Nimrod must have noticed that as well; although he had equally nothing to fear from both of them, his attention was turned toward the juggernaut. After all, by charging in a straight line it was the latter who got to him first – Ganelon raised his sinful blade high. Honda wasn't falling far behind though. In order to get both Servants at the same time, Nimrod pulled back his bowstring and dark lightning ran across his arm.

"Muuurgleiiiisssss!"

However, nothing came out of it – Nimrod thought Ganelon's sword would crash harmlessly against his waist, but when the white knight called out his Noble Phantasm's name, the treachery came to light: the true strike was aimed at the hunter's hands. More specifically, the blade collided with the giant bow the Avenger held. Since it wasn't a part of his body, none of the damage was cancelled. Nimrod was brought to his knees as his weapon of choice was forcefully slammed to the ground.

The surprise was enough to jeopardize his attention; he should have retreated as soon as his counter-attack had been foiled. Instead, the ashen giant stood still long enough for Honda to reach him.

"Thanks for that!"

Instead of his spear though, he brandished his hand.

Nimrod looked at him with confusion – Honda jabbed his thumb into the hunter's eye. Surprise was painted over by pain. When the spearman pulled back his hand, he confirmed he had crushed his eyeball completely.

"So it really had a flaw like that~!" He smiled smugly to Nimrod's bloody face. "Yer armour makes ya unvulnerable, but that doesn't work for areas that ain't covered by skin!"

Perhaps that wasn't such a massive breakthrough. After all, there were only so many parts of the human body that weren't covered in skin. Nonetheless, he had successfully wounded Nimrod and that sight alone was worth it. The aura of confidence and invincibility surrounding the King of Tyrant had gotten a bit more fragile. And proof of that was the Avenger's wrath: with a savage howl, he filled his bow with mana and fired at the ground below them.

This was a move Honda hadn't thought he would see; the arrows reflected off the white surface and spread all around the hunter like a blooming flower.

Now was the moment to pull away.

The spearman promptly leapt away and managed to increase the distance.

On the other hand...

"What manner of perfidiousness...!"

Ganelon had evaded the wave of arrows as well but he had stayed too close to his enemy: when he tried to step back, he found himself unable to. Nimrod's shadow had extended around him and the white knight's foot was sinking into it like was a swamp. A still target was a dead one – understanding this, Ganelon didn't hesitate one second. Swinging his sword, he severed his own leg with disconcerting ease. Then, a pair of black wings erupted from his shoulder blades and swiftly lifted him up in the air before he could be trapped again.

"An eye means nothing." Nimrod wiped the blood on his face. His wound did not heal but that did not make him seem less threatening. "Even plucking every limb from my body would be a far lesser agony than what I've had to endure for all these years!"

"I'd gladly make ya test that theory..." Honda muttered to himself.

As if in answer, the hunter turned to him and took aim. Instead of an arrow though, what he fired was a chain made of black links. The tip of it glued itself to the ground near the samurai's feet and pulled Nimrod toward him. Once again, the hunter's shadow came to life and wrapped around him; when the two Servants were close, it swelled and blew up in an explosion of projectiles in all directions.

There was no time to avoid it, so Honda resorted to taking them down with his spear – he had barely cleaved a path that the ashen giant appeared from behind the curtain and grabbed him by the neck.

The spearman winced as thorns buried themselves into his flesh and crushed his windpipe.

Then, Nimrod lifted him like a twig and hurled them with a prodigious strength toward the airborne Berserker. The latter visibly hesitated to consider him as a hostile projectile and to strike him down. But on his end, Honda saw an opportunity: he turned his body around to land onto his ally and found something to hold on.

"Don't mind little ol' me, I'm hitchin' a ride." Thanks to his Noble Phantasm, he could speak even with his throat in this state.

"Begone; I have warned you not to stand in my way, frivolous warrior."

"C'mon, don't be unreasonable~, I'm as light as a feather~."

Admittedly, the juggernaut seemed to be flying without issue even with a passenger. Unfortunately, with one leg gone his balance was already precarious. The added weight was quickly felt and his flight became very erratic like that of a fly. On the bright side of things, thanks to that he made a harder target for Nimrod.

Somehow, they made it through a rain of dark darts.

Although, it felt to Honda that the hunter was missing them on purpose. No matter how much they resisted him, he had to feel like he had already won: if they stepped on the ground, he would capture and kill them; if they kept running around from his attacks, they would exhaust themselves and die. The latter must be a much more gratifying sight for the ashen giant. It was as though he was in absolutely no danger himself.

Honda couldn't exactly prove him wrong.

During this Holy Grail War, he had fought all kind of opponents. Slippery ones. Cunning ones. Ones that refused to die. Whether those were weaker or stronger than his current enemy, he didn't know. But none of them had felt like the King of Tyrants did, a mighty wall that couldn't be breached. But that made the spearman want to break him all the more. On the battlefields of the Sengoku era, there had not existed an opponent quite like this one. Even the harshest battles of his life felt like child's play compared to what he had to face now. And thanks to that, he understood the thrill of fighting someone much stronger than him.

"Hey, birdie~, d'ya think ya can make that man bleed?" He asked Ganelon.

"What a preposterous question!"

"So ya got somethin' up yer sleeve? Ya didn't just show up here because you felt like it?"

"Do not make me repeat myself."

"Gotcha – break a leg then!"

When Ganelon was at an angle he liked, Honda leapt off him. As soon as his foot touched the rooftop, he speeded like a bullet. Instead of a straight line to his opponent, he made many sharp turns and accelerations: he was taking advantage of the blind spot he had created himself by taking one eye off Nimrod. As expected, the shots that came his way were much less acurate and seemed to be searching for him.

Once he had the perfect angle, the spearman shifted his course toward the hunter and shot forward.

"Laughable."

"...!"

Abruptly, Nimrod's head turned to stare straight at Honda while a carnivorous grin adorned his face. So he had only been pretending to have been blindsided – now that Honda was rushing toward him at full momentum, the ashen giant dropped the fa?ade and pointed his bow at him. He fired arrows at a rate superior to a machine gun at the spearman who was in a precarious position to dodge.

"I don't really care, though?" Honda grinned back at him.

Indeed, it didn't really matter for him: he ran straight into the hail of death without a care in the world and he let the arrows devour what was left of him. After all, as long as he was wrapped in his own legend, 'Honda Tadakatsu' was doing perfectly fine and could keep going. The fact that wounds meant nothing to him was a trump card Honda had kept from Nimrod. Now it was the latter's turn to realize his mistake; he had been so sure he could kill the spearman with his trick that he had missed his opportunity to run away.

It was perfect for Honda if the hunter watched him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth – for it was the latter Honda was aiming for.

The black arrows had destroy more or less the entirety of his body.

There were some bits and scarps left here and there, but about 99% of his body was gone.

At this point, it was more fitting to describe the samurai as a wraith.

He had no eyes, yet he could see.

He had no hands, yet he held his weapon without hesitation.

And he had no mouth but he surely was laughing at the King of Tyrants' face.

"There's somethin' I'd like ya to taste! Open wide!"

And so, Honda thrusted his spear toward Nimrod's mouth, a spot that wasn't protected by his armour. Thanks to the difference in height, he might even be able to stab through the giant's brain. Nimrod was a bit slow to react; the blade passed between his teeth and entered his mouth.

Unfortunately, it didn't go further than that.

Honda's arm and Tonbokiri's shaft were trapped by the many hands which had erupted from the hunter's shadow. Even though they had appeared at the last moment, their grasp was so tight the spear was stopped dead before it could impale Nimrod's head.

Nimrod stepped back to remove the sharp metal from his mouth.

"You are less than a corpse now." After he had spat out blood, he turned a dark eye to Honda. "You must be desperate to resort to such a move. That was the last shred of your hope, reduced to nothing. It is time you return to dust."

"The last of my hope? Who the hell are ye talkin' to?" Honda replied. "D'ya really think ya should be mindin' me?"

From the beginning, Honda's stunt had held very little chance of success. If anything, it had worked out better than he had expected. All he had wanted from the start had been to distract Nimrod.

After all, the ashen giant was still missing half of his sight.

"You little...!"

Nimrod suddenly turned to his blind side and dashed back. However, it was already too late: Ganelon was swooping down on him with the wind in his back. The white knight had let go of his sword; his gauntlets burst apart as long, razor-sharp claws grew out of it. They sliced through Nimrod's arms before the latter could fire his bow.

The armoured skin was ignored as if it didn't exist. Nonetheless, the flesh and bones beneath it had indeed been cut through; Nimrod's arms went limp. Next, the Berserker swiped his claws at the Avenger's chest. Although the wounds couldn't be seen from the outside, the pain and anger on Nimrod's face were proof of their presence.

The King of Tyrants roared and, at his command, his shadow covered his body.

At the same time, the hands' grasp on Honda loosened and the spearman broke free.

Cracks were spreading over the City all around the three Servants. From them, more hands emerged. Soon enough Honda was standing in a field of those reaching out blindly and grasping at what they could.

"The darn ugliest flower field I've ever seen." He mumbled.

Nimrod had hidden away inside a shell in a shape reminiscent of a bell. Thorns were growing on its suuface and were launching themselves like missiles to keep the Berserker of White at bay. Even though those two had used to be teammates, it looked like the hunter hadn't expected Ganelon to be able to hurt him to this extent. But it was foolish of him to simply hide away like that: even if the white knight couldn't give the final blow, there was still someone down here who could.

"When yer not jumpin' around and firin' toothpicks one after the other, what d'ya got going for yerself?"

Honda's legs were got in the sea of hands and he felt his feet slowly sinking. But none of that mattered; he only needed a single attack.

Tonbokiri shone a bright green and he heard the dragonflies dance around him.

That was probably the last time he would get to swing his old weapon.

"Sorry for bein' a useless Servant, Master." He raised the spear abovehead with both hands. "At least let me take this guy with me as a parting gift! Tonbokiri: As Two Halves of a Dragonfly, Separate Heavens and Earth!"

Finally, he swung with the strength he had left.

The rising tide of hands were mowed down like tall grass.

The taller buildings surrounding them had their roof cleanly cut off.

And without fail, the dark bell that shielded the King of Tyrants was split in half and disintegrated.

...

...

...

* Fata Morgana - Bad End

". . . . . . . . Bastard..."

Honda cursed when he saw what was inside the cocoon.

Nothing.

The shell that was supposed to be hiding Nimrod was completely empty.

Since when?

From the beginning, most likely. Because he had seen the hunter disappear within it and launch attacks from it, Honda had believed that he absolutely had to be inside. No amount of cursing and seething would change the result – the spearman was the one who had made a fool of himself in the end.

A few metres in front of him, a colossal figure emerged from within the sea of hands. Towering above Honda, Nimrod looked down at him with neither anger nor scorn. There was nothing in his gaze, as though he was looking at nothing. The samurai felt his heart sinking; he wanted to raise his blade and strike the giant, but the spear slipped from his hand.

That was because his fingers were vanishing already.

"So that is all, in the end." The ashen giant said.

Up in the air, Ganelon didn't fail to notice the suppressive fire had stopped. Swiftly, he charged down with his deadly claws raised toward the hunter. But despite the heavy beating of the wings and the distorted screech that came out of the metallic maw, Nimrod didn't even spare him a look.

Soft as a whisper yet loud as a bang, he uttered a single word:

"Kneel."

"...!" When it reached his ears, Honda was shaken.

It was as though the giant had spoken directly to his soul and Honda's body complied at once. His legs became heavier than lead and he fell to his knees, unable to put up any resistance. Something similar occured to Ganelon: before he could lacerate Nimrod, the Berserker violently crashed as if something had knocked him down. He tried to push himself up with all his might, but just like Honda his legs were as nailed to the ground.

All they could do was to look up at the one who had reduced them to this state.

From this close to the ground, the King of Tyrants appeared as imposing as a mountain.

"...Ya cheeky bastard... You had somethin' like that up yer sleeve all along..."

Even if he had been allowed to fight back, Honda wouldn't have been able to: he couldn't muster any strength.

He didn't even have a body, only a shadow that was slowly disappearing into golden particles.

That was the result he had expected from the start, yet he couldn't help feeling frustration from the bottom of his guts. But there was really nothing to be done for a man who had planned to die from the start.

Ganelon wasn't faring any better than him. Ignoring the black arrows sticking out of his body, the white knight still bore the marks of his previous battles. Without taking a moment to rest or heal his wounds, he had fought opponent after opponent and had ended up here.

In the end, they were a pair of idiots who had rushed in without a care of the state they were in.

"For a corpse and a beast, you made me fire many arrows." Nimrod's missing eyes was healing. His arms were twitching, indicating the same was happening to them. "Yet your struggle led you to nothing. Did you think you could stand up to me and walk away with your life?"

"...Shouldn't ya know the answer to that...?" Honda barely had the energy to speak. "We already lived out our lives a loooonnng time ago; now we just do whatever we want, right~? We're not the one who'll suffer from all of this, so we don't hafta worry 'bout our lives."

"Pathetic. If you were going to lie, you should have come up with something better." Nimrod scowled. "Even spectres have desires. If there is someone who would discard their life without a second thought, they shall not be called human. I saw it with my own eyes. The Holy Grail... it is an existence on par with our Tower: it attracts dreams. Unfulfilled ambitions or impossible desires. dreams beget regret, and regret lead to seeking a miracle. That is true for humans as well as Heroic Spirits. You who were summoned to chase after that dream, you are not free of regret."

"Ah, ya hit the nail on the head, didn'tcha? I don't really mind though. Isn't it fine to leave with some regrets? Yer askin' too much if you expect people to get rid o' their worldy desires before they croak~." The spearman chuckled. "There's some grief that's better to laugh at than to cry for. Livin' in fear of regrets is dumb: no matter how many ya avoid, there's always gonna be somethin' ya coulda done better. Look at me. I'm just an old geezer who wanted to fight until his body crumbles. With this second life, I got that wish granted – and yet, somehow along the way I picked up a new regret! But ya know what? That's fine. Even if ev'ry little wish I had didn't come true, that ain't mean this life wasn't worth it – I lived the way I wanted to! That's somethin' so regret can tarnish!"

He hadn't said those words solely for Nimrod, but for someone else as well.

...

...

...

What are you doing?

The voice of Hatsuyo Toriyama resounded in his head.

Ah, Master, so yer watchin' this after all. This is yer Servant's sorry last stand, there's nothin' to see here~.

Is this some kind of joke?

Her voice was firm.

I wish I were jokin' but I'm seriously dying here. I'm practically gone already.

Who said you could die?

Ah, that's right, I never got permission from ya, did I? Guess I deserve to die for betrayin' yer trus.

...You...

It's fine, it's fine~! I already told ya: don't make a sad face for me. If I made ya cry, I'd be a total shame of a retainer.

... ... ...You said you'd follow me until the end, no matter which path I chose.

I did say that, didn't I? It's not like I said it lightly... but it looks like ya won't be on yer own even if I'm gone. I can leave without bein' worried for ya. Ya don't need a retainer like me to walk behind ya.

I refuse.

That's a pretty selfish thing to say, Master.

I still need you in order to get the Holy Grail. Until we've won, you're supposed to be by my side. You pledged to be my blade, remember? Even if I cover my hands in blood, even if I turn traitor...

If yer blade rusts n' breaks, it probably means ya don't need it anymore.

I refuse.

Master...

I refuse! If you're gone, how am I supposed to continue...!?

Beats me. That's somethin' for ya to figure out, Master. Shouldn't be too hard for you though. No matter what happens to me, yer path won't end here – yer life is just startin'.

No...

This is where we part.

You haven't lost yet! Why are you kneeling in front of that guy?!

I...

You're always moving behind my back without a care in the world, trying to help me thinking I won't notice. Always grinning like an idiot while preaching something, always listening no matter I say, always acting like nothing can take you down – there's no way someone like you would die like this, right?!
You said you would come back to me, so

you better hurry up and cut that guy down.

* HigurashiZenmou Cast

A crimson light flared up and shrouded Honda's figure.

This sudden surge of magical energy was like a cold shower for him. All of his senses were forced awake. Hearing, sight, touch, etc – all five of his senses became sharp once again. That was because he had a body. Not only an ethereal shadow surrounding him and keeping him alive at all cost; his real body of flesh and blood had been restored.

This was more than newfound vitality though: there was enough mana to spare to fill up his reserve.

"To think ya'd use a second Command Seal on me, I'm gonna hang myself in shame." Honda clenched his fists while grinning ear to ear. "But first, I think I'll answer yer command!"

Naturally, this event didn't go unnoticed.

Both Nimrod and Ganelon looked in surprise at this man who had been waning from existence a second ago. The King of Tyrant recognized the light and glarred. He had very good reason to be afraid: Honda wasn't going to remain glued to the ground. In a single frantic heave, he broke free from the hands holding him down like shackles. That was only the first step though: with a grunt of determination, he lifted one of his knee up and then the other.

The dark king's words may have been powerful, but the spearman had received another order from someone much more important. The authority of Hatsuyo's Command Seal overruled the Words of Babel and Honda could finally stand up with a defiant smirk. Nimrod raised his bow toward the samurai but the latter had the initiative: he plunged his arm in the sea of hands and seized his spear.

"As two halves of a dragonfly...!" Then, with a wide movement he pulled his weapon out and unleashed its power. "Tonbokiri!"

The hunter leapt aside at the last second, just in time before the block of houses they stood on was bisected vertically. Even the clouds above their heads were cut in half. The field of hands started vanishing; Nimrod exerced caution and put more distance between them.

"OOOOOhhahhhahaHAHahahAhhhaAAAAAAAAaaaa! ███▄...!" In the midst of all this, Ganelon roared madly while his body twisted more and more into a monstrous griffin. "You are no King of mine! I wiLL nOt ackNOWlEdge youR authoritttttttyyyYY!"

Perhaps he had been inspired by Honda's defiance; the Berserker resumed his endeavor to stand up with more fervour than before. His effort was met with a very noticeable success. The more his body transformed, the less Nimrod's word had bearing on him. He didn't have the power of a Command Seal like Honda did but he had his own weapon: insanity. By pushing his Madness Enhancement as high as he could, his soul disregarded the Words of Babel altogether.

When the griffin took flight, the samurai bolted alongside him toward the King of Tyrants.

A wall of arrows greeted them, coming not from Nimrod's bow but from the darkness spreading at his feet. But it was an insignificant obstacle at this point: Ganelon flew higher than the projectiles while Honda carved a path with his blade.

However, it turned out to have been a distraction - while the Berserker maneuvered to evade the onslaught, Nimrod took the shot. He only fired two arrows, both faster than what he had shown off until now. Ganelon was too slow to react to them in time and the darts tore through his wings, causing him to plummet.

The juggernaut nonetheless stuck the landing and carried on forward. His form as a griffin was cumbersome now, so he subconsciously reverted back to humanoid. But despite his perseverance, he was hindered by his stump leg; the hunter took advantage of this vulnerability to fire a deluge of arrows at him. Since it couldn't be helped, Honda jumped in on the action, as well as onto his ally's back – while the juggernaut kept on, the spearman cut through any arrow that came their way.

At this rate though, Nimrod could just keep increasing the distance between them and that was unacceptable. Fortunately, Honda had a stroke of inspiration.

"I'm gonna give ya a little push, aye?"

"████████████-!–!–!" It was hard to tell if Ganelon understood.

Regardless, the spearman jumped down to land right behind him. When he had said he would give a push, he had meant it literally: the white knight already had a good momentum thanks to his strength, so when Honda drew back his leg to kick him forward, the juggernaut shot like a cannonball.

This move took Nimrod off guard; he bent his body backward just in time to avoid the sharp griffin talons. He tried to dash away from Ganelon, only to find Honda had skirted around him and cut off his escape route. There wasn't much Lancer could do to him normally, but he would still act as though the opposite was true.

And it was effective to some extent: Nimrod knew to fear Tonbokiri, so instead of taking his chances he opted for a hasty retreat. His two opponents weren't planning to let him get away this easily though. Even though today was the first time Honda and Ganelon fought side by side, in this very moment they worked in perfect tandem. Well, perhaps not so perfect; Ganelon's claws reached far and Honda had to always be on the lookout for them.

In the first place, the Berserker was probably too insane to acknowledge Honda. If not for his fixation on Nimrod, maybe the spearman would also be in danger. But even so, their unintentional teamwork was making wonders. Honda knew the white knight represented a bigger threat for the hunter, and so he made sure to create plenty of opportunities for him.

In spite of that, the ashen giant was putting up a formidable fight.

Even though he made for such a large target, it didn't feel as though he was being cornered. Using his bow as a melee weapon, he met the two Servants' assault with ferocious counter-attacks. When Honda managed to extend a high kick into his eye, the hunter took his leg in exchange without flinching. Knowing Ganelon's talons would phase through his weapon, he would strike his hands instead.

At the end of the day though, two stubborn opponents was hard to deal with.

Honda managed to knock the bow out of the way, allowing Ganelon to slash the hunter's stomach. Small victories like this were tipping the scales in their favour. Eventually, the opportunity the samurai was looking for came: Nimrod attempted to break away from the melee while evading an umpteenth assault from Berserker.

"Tonbokiri!"

Honda aimed the spear slash so as to cut his escape short. The ashen giant noticed his intention and shifted his course at the last moment to get out of the Noble Phantasm's path. In doing so however, he had dropped his guard and Ganelon's claws mangled his back. Thanks to this, Nimrod didn't escape from Tonbokiri unscathed either: Honda had managed to take his hand, and with it his bow.

"Irritating...!" Now disarmed, the King of Tyrants called upon his shadow to repel his enemies. Then, he turned a storming glare toward his fellow Servant of White. "Begone! Beast who understands naught of humanity, human who cannot reach the dignity of beasts! Let your fervour be your doom!"

A myriad of sharp spikes erupted from his shadow and soared into the sky. However, they didn't rain down on the two Servants. In fact, they seemed to be headed toward a completely different part of the Ark. Honda was left utterly confused by this cryptic move – on the other hand, the Berserker of White reacted immediatly.

"CoOwaaaaAAaaRrrdd!"

He deployed his wings and wanted to take off, but the holes punched by Nimrod's arrows remained. When he understood it wasn't an option, Ganelon rushed off with all of his might. In a second, he had completely vanished from sight and Honda stood alone against the hunter.

"What the hell kinda trick is this..?" A chill went down the spearman's spine.

"That makes one less." The Avenger's eyes burned with malice.

Honda couldn't afford to think long and hard about it: he had lost his ally. And now Nimrod forced him to dash away with another burst of missiles. Although he could keep fighting regardless of his body's state, getting wounded cost additional energy. That being said, the hunter was arguably in a worst state than him; before he could recover his hand and his weapon of choice, Honda charged at him. Nimrod knew this as well and he spun around: the rising mass of buildings at the centre of the Ark was only a stone's throw away.

The hunter climbed up its surface and Honda followed after him.

"Ya think I'd let you run away after all this?!"

"Run away?" Nimrod glanced at him coldly. "I have no reason to flee – you'll be dead soon."

As they ascended, Honda noticed the dark liquid seeping through the gaps between the buildings. It looked similar to the material Nimrod used to make his armaments. However, a truly striking detail was that it flowed upward. If that wasn't worrying enough on its own, out of the blue a hole opened next to where Honda was and the same liquid spewed out like ooze.

"D'ya ever clean this place?!" He managed to carry on, but his foot payed the cost of finding out how scorching that substance was. "So this weird tower is yer secret weapon? What would happen if I cut it in half?"

"You cannot." Nimrod replied. "Even an all-cleaving blade has no hope of cutting through that dream of ours."

"Is that right? Wanna see me do it?!"

"Hmph." Suddenly, Nimrod shifted his course; instead of climbing up, he dived down toward the samurai. "If you wish to test your own foolishness, feel free!"

Honda blocked Nimrod's foot with his spear, but the impact sent him a couple stories down. The hunter plunged his working hand into the black liquid; when he took it out, it was covered in thorns. He was now coming fearlessly at Honda and the two Servants clashed on the tower's side. Now the Lancer understood his opponent's change of battlefield; even though they were equals in agility, this terrain was harder to fight on.

Even so, neither of them were yielding any ground.

"C'mon, c'mon! Weren'tcha supposed to end me?!"

"Your death has already been decided from the moment you stood in my way. Do you really believe your sacrifice here will prevent death for the rest of you?"

"Damn right! I'm not the only one ready to kick yer ass after all!"

Honda was standing on the edge of a building protuding from the tower. Predictably, Nimrod rushed toward him from higher up. But instead of the samurai's head, his fist collided with white stone. Honda had closed in on the wall and, with a taunting gesture, he invited the hunter to do as much. The latter didn't hesitate; when he approached, Honda used the wall behind him as a platform to leap over the ashen giant. Finally, he used the latter's head as another platform and jumped away from the rising tower. As this was not an attack per say, the push sent Nimrod toward the wall.

(As good a time as any!)

Honda was in the middle of the air, but his new position gave him a clear view on his target who was turning his back to him.

He seized the opportunity.

The flight of the dragonflies could be heard – Honda called out the spear's true name and executed an horizontal swipe with both Avenger and the tower in sight. Whether it was anticipation or instinct, the ashen giant understood what his opponent was planning: the liquid metal coating his arm warped and turned into a rope. When the spear was swung, the rope extended upward and dragged its master with it.

"Tch! Yer the one who's gettin' real irritatin'..." Honda cursed under his breath.

But although it had failed, Tonbokiri wasn't wasted this time either: blood poured out of Nimrod's thighs where his legs had been cut clean off. Moreover, the tower that was at the centre of this chaos wasn't unscathed either. A long line stretched across the gargantuan structure, a mark that it had indeed been sliced through by Tonbokiri.

Or so Honda thought.

The next moment, the Tower opened its mouth.

That was the only way to describe it. Just as Nimrod had warned, he hadn't managed to take down the whole tower in one go; the line drawn by Lancer didn't actually circle the whole structure, only one of its sides. Darkness spilled from the cut as though it was a bloody wound, or so it seemed at first, before the gap suddenly opened wide. And when it did, the tower exhaled a powerful gust of energy with the same aura as the dark metal.

Honda's body was pulverized.

It couldn't be helped since he couldn't fly. Nonetheless, to think he had been reduced to a shadow once again. He was only mildly annoyed thanks to Shikazunowakidate no Kabuto, but the terrible omen he had felt earlier returned.

Nimrod disappeared into the hole; it was so dark inside that Honda couldn't fathom was in there.

It wouldn't be long until he found out, however.

As stated previously, the spearman was in a precarious position in the middle of empty air. The surprise attack from the tower had sent him flying further away from it, but the Kind of Tyrants had other plans. A long tentacle-like arm shot out of the hole and grabbed Honda's leg as he was falling. It looked very much like a frog catching a fly with its tongue, a comparison Honda didn't appreciate – especially since he understood he was about to share the same fate as the fly: the rope-like appendage pulled him back toward the tower to drag him into the monstrous mouth.

And once it had swallowed its prey, the mouth closed behind him.

Everything around him was dark, that went without saying. The exception was Nimrod's bright red eyes. Because of that, it felt like the darkness themselves were staring the spearman down.

"Well, that's just great, ain't it...?" Honda sighed.

"... ... ... ...Let me ask you: do you remember your sin?" Nimrod's voice came from many directions at the same time.

"Whatever are ye babblin' about?"

Lancer put his guard up while glancing at his surroundings. Though he couldn't see, he could at least tell he was standing in a body of water. No, considering what he knew, this most likely wasn't water. This was the inside of that damn tower so about everything here had to be deadly. His Noble Phantasm was keeping him alive but in a place like this...

"Can you not feel it?" Nimrod said slowly. "What dwells here, their endless wishes – our plight as well as your sin. I have waited for this day. Waited and waited and waited! Compared to those five thousand years of agony, you are nothing but dust!"

"What's that 'bout sin? Well, can't say I got clean hands but that ain't yer business. Likewise, I'm sure the sins yer whimperin' about caused you a whole lotta grief. But that ain't no reason to burden us with it – people have enough problem to deal with on their own~!"

Being trapped was not even the worst part about this situation. Hatsuyo's Command Seal had given Honda a second wind but that energy was finite; and he had almost reached the end of it. He wouldn't be in this pickle if not for that surprise attack, but complaining about it now would change nothing.

Rather, this was eerily familiar: here he was, reduced to an ethereal silhouette in a most perilous situation. At this point, it almost felt like he had been granted an ironic redo.

Honda felt the hunter's bloodlust rising. In other words, the entire room was filled with it, a 360° death threat.

It was about time then.

"So I only get one shot again, huh?" Honda tightened his grip around Tonbokiri and flashed a smile. "I better not waste it this time. This is my last occasion to show off~."

And as expected, at a moment like this his Master popped back in his head.

No, I can still bring you back one more time! With that you can–

"Ye can't!" Honda's face hardened. He had shouted with more harshness than he had ever shown toward her. He couldn't let his hardheaded Master have her way this time. "Ya keep that Command Seal at all cost, ya hear me? This is yer proof as a Master. If ya really plan to go all the way to the end of this War, ye have to forget about me and hold on to it!"

...But...

"Master, watch me." He held out his spear and made it glow a faint green. "Ya said ya don't like the way I was dyin', right? This time, I'll show you somethin' better, so feast yer eyes."

Wet noises echoed all around him. He could tell even without seeing it that many weapons were being prepared, and soon they would be coming for him.

"Originally, I though I'd only buy some time for e'eryone. But I'll do ya one better – I'm gonna make that bastard run with his tail between his legs!"

At last, Nimrod launched his offensive.

It didn't look any different in this place where no light shone, but Honda's senses were blarring alarms.

With attacks coming from every angle at once, it was as though the darkness were about to digest him.

On his end though, he only have a single blade – a single swing to make.

"This is the life of a monster, the sum of my existence! Watch closely so ya don't follow the same path!" He was a man who could only wield a spear - but that was a fact he would carve into the King of Tyrants. "Separate heavens and earth!"

The blade whistled through the shadow.

However, it was only a fake out; Honda hadn't truly activated his Noble Phantasm yet.

Because he knew the ashen giant would be looking out for it, and he wanted to leave him a farewell gift.

And so, after the first swing, he swung for the second time in a different direction.

"Eat shit!

Tonbokiri!"

The dragonflies took their last flight.

What exactly he managed to slice through, he had no idea – the next instant, the shadows swallowed him whole.

While the remains of his Spiritual Core was eaten away, he spared one last message for her.

So long, Master! It was a blast~!


Thank you for reading.

As stated in the previous Author's Notes, this chapter and the one before were supposed to be one chapter. If you don't follow Rongodamiant and only check the latest chapter when you spot it on the front page (why tho?), make sure to check Chapter LXXXVIII! In other news, I will very soon be leaving for a trip to a place with miserable internet connection. While I wished to publish one more chapter to wrap us this arc, I won't have the time.

Thus, see you guys later.

~Legends Storyteller