A Hollow in DC

Honestly, I was pretty sure that Caster Cu was dead or maybe hiding injured somewhere as even my Cero blast didn't make him come out of hiding, and nor could I sense him in the city with my Pesquisa. So with him not making an appearance I just mentally settled in the knowledge that I was going to have to fight Saber Alter on my own.

"Blake, I may not be able to fully support your mana costs," Ritsuka said with some shame in her voice but I shook my head as I wondered if Emiya even registered the girl as being his alternate selves daughter... Anyway, she had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Girlie, I literally threw down with gods and killed them. I am an Ultra Rare unit and this is just the beginning of the game, so you aren't capable of supporting me... Scrub." I teased and Ritsuka squawked in outrage at me calling her a noob making me chuckle at how her cheeks pinked in her agitation.

Even Olga confirmed my words as she spoke with a soft smile. "Yes more powerful Servants like Blake, Karna, and Gilgamesh would typically be powered by Chaldea's power systems but you aren't wearing the Chaldea mystic codes that will allow the facilitation of power as well as... Your magus talents are closer to a first or second generation to be fair." Olga finished obviously trying not to be rude but my 'master' only shrugged.

"Yeah my father is a first-generation magus but my mother is of the Tohsaka line so I do have some talent... But learning the mystic arts was never my forte... I preferred playing games teehee." She finished shamelessly while knocking her head with her fist.

Before more light-hearted speaking could be done as we made our way into the large opening I carved into the hollow mountain with my cero we were already greeted by the guardian of both the grail of this corrupted Fuyuki greater grail. But also the Grail that was keeping this singularity alive.

Artoria Pendragon, or the archetype of the Saberface meme. But corrupted by the native grail that had the remains of the god of all the worlds evils that were trapped within. Every step that Saber Alter or Salter took toward us killed the already dying ground by coating it in the dark purple miasma that followed her aura of palpable power.

I took a breath and I matched her aura of depraved cursed energy as howling hungry spiritual energy bounded off my form in a royal purple hue. "Mash be careful," I said softly as I Sonido'd away from the normal humans that were staggering under the weight of my spiritual weight.

With a screech of displaced air, I appeared a couple of meters away from Artoria and although her armor tensed at my abrupt movement she didn't instantly begin swinging at me. We merely stared at one another for a moment, my golden eyes meeting her own yellow eyes as she for whatever reason wasn't wearing the visor she typically wore.

"Most Servants don't waste their master's magic in a Noble Phantasm that only opens a path into the enemy stronghold and doesn't even do anything to the enemies within." Artoria seemed to chide me and I smiled before cocking my head to the side.

"I am afraid I cannot take tactical advice from someone who was raised on that asshole Merlin's nonsense." At Artoria's tightening fist on her sword that made her gauntlets creak I couldn't help but prod further as I spoke dryly. "Artoria... Was giving you a woman, a dick to fuck Guinevere who was actually your sister Morgann in disguise an intelligent plan, Does that sound like a sound-minded thing to do at all?" I finished with a wry smile and Artoria was literally shaking. And like I thought was going to happen, she mentally snapped due to her mental contamination from the Grails within her.

I didn't prod her into a rage to just get her beyond pissed at me. No, I prodded that way so she would come at me swinging her sword rather than just spamming her massive sword beams that I didn't know if Mash could do with.

But I made one little miscalculation...

Artoria was a dragon in the shape of a human normally and had the strength to match that. Plus with literally two grails powering her, combined with her mana burst skill that would double if not triple her physical capabilities for an instant... I was sent skidding across the ground as Artoria's fist that collided with mine created a sonic boom while she was able to hold her ground though her gauntlet crumbled under the force of our meeting blows.

"Fucking cheat." I cursed as the two grails powering her were absolute stupidity... But with Rulebreaker added to my sword I knew all I had to do was get to her and knick the woman to break any magical contracts, bindings, and enchantments upon her.

At my words, Artoria snorted but she eyed Mash instead of further engaging me and I saw the flash of pain as she seemingly recognized the shield as the weapon used by her knight Galahad. "Artoria, come to the light side... We have brownies." I whispered and her yellow eyes snapped back to me with irritation while I finally took out God Killer that purred at sensing the dragon's blood within Artoria.

"You fools have no idea what is to come... Having me kill you all here will save you so much suffering." Artoria said melancholically and I rolled my eyes and Sonido'd in front of her and I pulled myself at my hollow heritage as I screamed hauntingly at her that shook her very soul with my voice.

"Gods you are fucking weak Artoria! You were born to be king so you did! Now you see suffering in front of us and decide that we are to die to avoid that suffering! " I roared as I took a slice from Excalibur Morgann to the side that lodged into my ribs so I could just headbutt the shit out of Artoria with my hierro-covered head.

"You who didn't decide anything in your life have no right to decide our fates!" I roared as I healed the fucked up rib and lung before her very eyes making her frown at the sight as we began to duel with her superior swordplay getting the best of me. But I could take cuts and gouges of the cursed sword with impunity whereas I was able to kick and punch the shit out of Artoria breaking her enchanted armor with each blow.

A few dozen blows were shared between us until finally Artoria snarled and Excalibur Morgan burst into life creating a massive pillar of corrupted purple malignant forces that reached beyond the ashe-filled clouds above and sent me flying burning with the corrupted flames covering my form.

"You damned Berserker just die!" Artoria roared before slowly bringing down the massive pillar of cursed energy that was being blasted from her sword. "Excalibur Morgann!" She cried out as the pillar of evil power thickened and grew even larger as it smashed toward me on the ground.

...

I cheated again.

I pulled at my essence as the Unfettered Traveler and combined with Sonido's speed I compressed and twisted space around me as I took a silent step and before Saber could react with how she was dramatically bringing down her Noble Phantasm I had God Killer in a needle-thin form poke through a chink in her armor before flashing purple with the light of Rule Break that made her Noble Phantasm cough like a kid trying out smoking as all of Artoria's connections to the grail in the mountain across from us and then with a soft thudding noise a golden glowing grail fell out of Artoria's slight boobage and onto the ground.

Saber just stood there blankly as her black and red sword dulled with the loss of her two sources of literally infinite mana before she mechanically turned her head toward me. "Was that form of you an illusion?" She asked dully as I poked her soft cheek making her eyes twitch as God Killer prodded me mentally. Asking if I was going to shank her in the throat or something so it could drink her dragon's blood.

"Nope, I am not Merlin," I said cheerfully. "That was all speed, no illusions there." Then I lost that smile as I stared at Artoria Alter. "Now I have defeated you... So wanna join the good guys?" I asked bluntly and she visibly took a deep breath with her grip fighting on her sword as her hand flexed and was clearly about to bring her sword into a slash that would decapitate me I jabbed forward with the hand that poked Artoria's cheek. And that fist clocked Artoria right in the nose making her drop to the ground without the grails fueling her strength and durability.

I couldn't help but sigh as I took the position Shirou did as I kneeled on Artoria's chest in the Heavens Feel Timeline as I pinned Salter's sword hand to the ground as I prepared to give my last try. "Artoria, we need your strength and our adorable Mash is literally the host of one of your knights who strayed from their duties... She needs your help and the very world needs your help. I knocked the grail juice out of you and I beat you in honorable combat so you at least owe me a boon." I said throwing whatever I could out and Artoria after just coldly staring at me, looked at Mash before sighing.

"Very well..." She whispered before her yellow eyes locked onto me. "If your master lays her head low in weakness then I will kill her myself." She said with no hesitation and I thought about reverse warning her about how I would literally fucking eat her very soul... But I merely nodded and waved over Ritsuka over.

"Ritsuka, I snagged us a companion come over and get her hooked into your command seals so she will come with us!" I yelled out and the sunset orange-haired girl carefully walked over with Mash walking close beside her while Olga walked over and picked up the golden glowing grail that was ejected out of Artoria's body.

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