TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
After pointing out that there was another Servant nearby, Tatsuo did not act immediately. Instead, he stared into Zouken's eyes with a taunting glint in his eyes. Meanwhile, Zouken, who was already enraged, found himself having more and more trouble maintaining his indifferent expression.
"Kill him." Zouken ordered while restraining the fury in his heart.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Immediately after Zouken's order was given, Tatsuo tilted his head, leaned his body to the right, raised his left arm slightly, and shifted his right leg outwards. An instant later, three throwing knives, aimed at the back of his neck, his heart, and his right thigh flashed by before embedding themselves into the ground.
*Clang!*
Then, before Tatsuo could regain his posture, he was forced to jerk his arm back to avoid a stab aimed at his kidney.
"You're even faster than I am." Tatsuo said calmly as he looked into the eyes behind the skull mask. "But I know how an assassin will attack. So, you'll have to be faster than that if you wanna take me out in one strike."
The eyes behind the skull mask did not show any emotion when Tatsuo evaded and stopped all his attacks. Instead, the black robed man leapt back to gain some distance.
At the same time, Tatsuo spun around trying to stab the Assassin-Class Servant with the trench knife in his left hand. Unfortunately, he was an instant too late.
Yet, Tatsuo did not stop his spin with the stab. Instead, he continued to spin while simultaneously drawing a needle from the belt around his waist. Then, using the force from his spin, he flung it towards Zouken, who was simply watching the first clash between the two Assassin-Class Servants.
*Tink!*
Yet, before the needle could sink into Zouken's forehead, a small magical barrier appeared in front of him, precisely defending against the sneak attack.
"It's useless." Zouken said in a mocking tone.
"Yeah, I figured." Tatsuo replied casually.
"Then, why don't you save us both some time." Zouken said. "Just tell me who your master is. Then---"
"You're made up completely of those disgusting worms, after all." Tatsuo said, interrupting Zouken. "I was just curious to know how much damage a little needle would have done."
Immediately, Zouken's expression darkened.
"True Assassin, he knows too much." Zouken said in a frigid tone.
Without needing another order, the man in the skull mask once again threw a volley of knives at Tatsuo while also chasing after the knives, wanting to take advantage of the time when Tatsuo would dodge them.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
This time, however, Tatsuo did not dodge. Instead, he quickly spun on his heels and deflected the four flying knives with his trench knives. Then, he parried the incoming strike from the one called the True Assassin with is left knife before stabbing at the Servant's heart.
Slightly tilting his body to the right, letting Tatsuo's blade pass just past the left of his torso, The True Assassin then clamped his left arm down around Tatsuo's forearm while simultaneously driving the dagger in his left hand towards Tatsuo's lower ribs.
*Clang!*
Reacting quickly, Tatsuo moved the knife in his right hand across his body, getting it between his rib cage and the True Assassin's knife. Then, he slightly shifted the blade's position, forcing the True Assassin's blade away from his body while he raised his right elbow sharply, aiming for the Assassin's chin.
Unclamping his arm from around Tatsuo's left arm, the True Assassin leaned back, barely dodging the tip of Tatsuo's elbow. He then raised his right leg and threw a kick at Tatsuo's abdomen.
*Bang!*
Yet, Tatsuo was able to react quickly, getting his left leg up and blocking the True Assassin's kick with is knee.
However, landing that kick was not the True Assassin's true aim. Instead, he wanted to use the kick to fling himself backwards to once again create distance.
Then, the instant the True Assassin's feet once again touched the ground, he surged forward, moving at top speed. Meanwhile, Tatsuo was forced to use all his skill to dodge, block, and parry the torrent of knife strikes the True Assassin threw his way.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Swish!* *Clang!* *Swish!* Bang!*
The sound of fierce knife combat rang out in the mansion's yard. Meanwhile, Zouken, with an impassive expression on his face, watched as his Servant, the True Assassin, forced Tatsuo back step-by-step.
"Hmph! Such arrogance." Zouken said coldly. "Do you really think that only one Servant would be able to storm the Matou residence without consequence? Apparently, you and your master really have no idea just who you were dealing with."
While Zouken monologued, he saw that Tatsuo was slowly being cornered. And just as Tatsuo's back was forced against the wall of the mansion, he was about to turn towards his adopted granddaughter, Sakura, to take her back to his Crest Worm pit to restart the process of preparing her to be his next vessel. However, just as he turned his head, he saw something surprising out of the corner of his eye, which caused him to snap his head back towards the battle.
*Thunk!*
"How is this possible?" Zouken cried in surprise.
However, Zouken was not the only one who was completely taken aback by what happened, as the True Assassin could only stare blankly at his knife that was embedded up to the hilt in the mansion's wall.
Going back a moment, Tatsuo, while engaging with the True Assassin in high-speed combat, was forced with is back to the mansion's wall. Then, the True Assassin, looking to end the short, yet intense battle, swept his knife at Tatsuo's throat, forcing the young assassin to use the knife in his right hand to parry.
However, with a burst of speed, the True Assassin changed the direction of his strike, the two knives never even coming in contact with each other. Then, he adjusted his grip on his knife and plunged the tip of the blade at Tatsuo's heart.
With a desperate and surprised expression on his face, Tatsuo widened his eyes. Then, he leaned against the wall he was forced up against, looking as if he were desperately trying to gain any bit of distance he could.
Yet, when the True Assassin's blade was less than an eighth of an inch away from Tatsuo's chest, the desperate expression on the young assassin's face changed into a bright, wide, teasing smile. Then, as if the wall weren't even there, he fell backwards through it. A moment later, the True Assassin's blade sank into the wall, resulting in the previously mentioned situation.
"Well, I'll see you guys later." Tatsuo's voice echoed from the other side of the wall. "I'll just go do what I came here to do. Have a good evening."
With that, Tatsuo turned around and started running through the house. Meanwhile, Zouken and the True Assassin were left in a state of shock for a moment or to.
"Argh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!" Zouken shouted, once again releasing an inhuman howl. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he glared at the True Assassin. "Stop him! Stop him immediately. I want him dead!"
Zouken's howl snapped the True Assassin out of his dumbfounded state. Then, the Servant vanished from where he stood in a burst of speed, running to catch up to Tatsuo. Unfortunately, the True Assassin would not be able to do so until Tatsuo reached the Worm's nest, as he had to move through the house like a normal person, rather than phasing through the walls and floors.
{"Hey, Lici."} Tatsuo said through the telepathic link. {"Got any ideas on how I can get rid of all those worms quickly? I wanted to use my [Void Dragon's Roar] to just get rid of everything at once. But I can't use my [Space Manipulation] abilities other than the ability to phase into another plain."}
{"Hmm… That's a tough one."} Elicia said from her perch atop the church. {"You had a B in Magecraft in your Saint Graph, right? Then, why not use a large-scale fire spell, or something. I mean, those worms should burn pretty nicely, right?"}
{"That's an option."} Tatsuo replied. {"But I'm worried about sucking up all the oxygen in the room. The whole mansion collapsing on top of me shouldn't be an issue, though."}
{"Ah! That could be a problem, huh?"} Elicia replied. {"If that happened, I could use a [Command spell] to get you out, though."}
{"I'd rather you didn't have to."} Tatsuo said while shaking his head as he ran. {"I get the feeling we're gonna need those when the real War gets started."}
{"That's probably true."} Elicia agreed. {Still, I can't think of anything other than fire…. OH, wait… You copied Fonzie's [Electromagnetism Magic], right. use that."
{"Not a bad idea."] Tatsuo replied after thinking for a moment. {"A concentrated gamma-ray burst should do the trick."}
{"Absolutely not!"} Elicia shouted over the link. {"Are you trying to make this city uninhabitable?"}
{"I guess that would be bad for the humans, wouldn't it?"} Tatsuo muttered over the link.
Hearing Tatsuo's utterance, Elicia found herself getting worried. She knew that Tatsuo was not completely human. But hearing him refer to the humans as if he was not part of them left her at a loss.
'Being trained as an assassin who disregards human life and having dragon blood can't be a good combination.' Elicia thought to herself. 'I can't imagine how he manages to live with humans all the time.'
Shaking off those thoughts, Elicia once again paid attention to the telepathic conversation.
{"Anyway, I was thinking about microwaves."} Elicia suggested. {"No matter how much they've been modified with magic, those Crest Worms are still just worms."}
{"Not a bad idea."} Tatsuo mused. {"I'll have to do something to keep myself safe from the microwaves, too, though."}
{"I'm sure you'll come up with something."} Elicia said, relieved that Tatsuo took her suggestion.
'I really don't wanna have to find a way to survive the radiation that would spread from a gamma-ray spell.' Elicia thought to herself while wiping a bead of cold sweat from her forehead. 'I'm still wondering if we're gonna see a Godzilla-like monster that evolved when Fonzie destroyed the Tower of Heaven.'
Not long later, Tatsuo arrived in the basement where the Crest Worms were being created. And when he did, he felt absolutely disgusted by what he saw.
In front of Tatsuo, filling what appeared to be an Olympic-sized pool were thousands of worms writhing around. And that was only a conservative estimate. There was no telling just how deep that pool went without diving in for himself.
"Yeah, I definitely have to get rid of these things." Tatsuo thought aloud.
*Screech~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
At that moment, although they had no eyes, Tatsuo felt as though all the worms he could see turned towards him to stare at him with murderous intent. Then, before he could react, they all unleashed an ear-piercing screech.
"Worms aren't supposed to make sounds like that." Tatsuo groaned while frowning at the high-pitched sound.
A moment later, all the worms surged towards Tatsuo in a wave.
"They're not supposed to do that, either." Tatsuo muttered as he created a magic circle on the floor with is [Energy].
A second later, the Crest Worms were right in front of Tatsuo. However, before they could engulf him, the magic circle activated, creating a [Bounded Field] around him that kept all the worms out.
Yet, when Tatsuo looked closely, he could see the [Bounded Field] thinning rapidly.
"Damn it… The worms are eating the mana used to create the [Bounded Field]." Tatsuo muttered. "I don't' have much time."
With that said, Tatsuo stepped forward, the [Bounded Field] moving with him. And he continued to walk forward until his the [Bounded Field] reached the edge of the pool.
"If I get any closer, they'll be able to slip under the [Bounded Field]." Tatsuo said to himself. "And if that happens, it's game over."
Unfortunately, the worms, or rather Zouken, who was controlling the worms, thought the same thing. So, instead of just trying to overwhelm Tatsuo's [Bounded Field], he diverted a good number of the Crest Worms to circle around the [Bounded Field] in an attempt to push Tatsuo towards the pool.
"Shit! I'm really running out of time, now." Tatsuo groaned. "But I should have enough time to handle this."
As he spoke, Tatsuo started drawing a much more complex magic circle just outside of the [Bounded Field]. However, that was made more difficult by the fact that the Crest Worms were eating the mana imbued into the magic circle. AS a result, Tatsuo found himself struggling to complete the magic circle that would release a flood of microwave radiation into the room.
"Even worse than possibly running out of [energy], I can feel that Assassin getting close." Tatsuo muttered as he tried his best to draw the magic circle "And although I can't remember exactly, I know he has a one hit kill move. But at the same time, if he gets caught in this spell, he's gonna have a hard time, too."
As time ticked by, Tatsuo inched towards completing his spell. However, the race against time was putting a lot of pressure on him. As a result, he was completely covered in cold sweat.
"Come on, damn it." Tatsuo spat through gritted teeth. "Just a little more."
Like that, few more seconds past in the battle of attrition.
*Bang!*
"Got it!" Tatsuo cried.
At the same time as Tatsuo's cry, the door to the basement was flung open, slamming against the adjoining wall. And standing in the open doorway was the True Assassin.
"[Prion Radiorum]." Tatsuo chanted, activating the magic circle he just completed.
At the same time, the True Assassin, using his left hand, flung off his cloak. When he did, it was revealed that the right arm that seemed to only be a stump cut off at the elbow was more than that.
Instead of a stump, the True Assassin's arm was bandaged completely and folded at the elbow with the forearm and hand stitched to his bicep and shoulder.
Just then, Tatsuo's spell activated. And with the spell's activation, a high concentration of microwaves burst out in all directions with Tatsuo's [Bounded Field] as the center point.
*Screech~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
As a result, all the Crest Worms who were washed over by the microwave radiation screeched in pain as their bodies were burned and their blood started to super heat.
The Crest Worms were not the only ones affected by the microwave radiation, as the True Assassin also grunted in pain when his body started to heat up at high-speed. Even so, that did not slow him down.
Fighting through the pain, The True Assassin then reached up with is left arm and began tearing at the stitches holding is right arm together.
With the bandages and stitches removed, the True Assassin's arm fell limply before flapping with the wave of microwaves. A moment later, the Servant seemed to regain control of the completely blackened arm with claw-like fingernails. Then, he raised his newly freed hand in Tatsuo's direction.
"[Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat]." The True Assassin said in a deep, raspy voice.
'Here it comes.' Tatsuo muttered internally as he looked back over his shoulder. Though, he was unable to see the True Assassin through the Crest Worms covering his [Bounded Field].
Meanwhile, in the monstrous right hand of the True Assassin, the mana in the air began to gather. And before too long, what appeared to be a human heart formed in his hand.
That monstrous right arm and the heart that appeared in its hand were the True Assassin's [Noble Phantasm], [Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat]. And after hearing the name of the [Noble Phantasm], most Magi and Servants would know who he was immediately.
[Zabaniya] is the signature skill of all those who have received the name Hassan-i-Sabbah, the generational leader of the assassins of the Hashshashin. And the [Delusional Heartbeat] was the technique used by Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
Alarm bells ringing in his head, Tatsuo followed his instincts without stopping to think. In the next instant, midnight purple dragon scales began to sprout from Tatsuo's body in various places, including his arms, hands, chest, shins, feet, neck, and cheeks, as he activated his [Dragonoid Transformation].
At the same time, Hassan of the Cursed Arm gripped the heart in his hand tightly. However, before he could crush the heart, his eyes widened in disbelief.
To explain the True Assassin's surprise, you would need to know the function of his [Noble Phantasm], [Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat].
Hassan of the Cursed Arm's right arm was not his own. Instead, it was the arm of the evil spirit, Shaytan, who was known for [Curse Magecraft] that specialized in cursing humans to death. Yet, because Tatsuo was not completely human, Hassan's curse could not take hold. Add to that the [Divinity] and [Dragonoid Transformation] in his Personal Skills, and there was no way that Hassan's curse would be able to affect him.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, with all his parameters increased by his [Dragonoid Transformation] found it much easier to overwhelm the Crest Worms eating at the mana forming his [bounded Field] and the magic circle for the [Proin Radiorum] spell. As a result, the Crest Worms in the underground chamber began burning to death in droves. Even Hassan was finding it harder to stand the high concentration of microwaves.
Before long, the only two living beings in the basement were Tatsuo and Hassan. However, unlike Tatsuo, Hassan was not in the best shape. His clothing was burned and melted onto his skin, his visible skin was covered in burns, and the white skull mask he wore was blackened from the heat, as well. On top of that, Hassan's eyes were destroyed from the excess heat that built up in them.
"That's finally done." Tatsuo said as he dropped his [Dragonoid Transformation]. "Now, I just need to take care of you and that old man… who's trying to run away… How cute."
As he spoke, Tatsuo expanded his field of [Perception] while turning towards Hassan, who was barely able to stand. He then started walking towards the defeated Servant while materializing one of his trench knives in his right hand.
"Next time you're summoned, I hope you get a better Master." Tatsuo said softly. "One who summons you legally. But for now, go back to the Throne of Heroes."
*Thunk!*
Tatsuo then plunged his blade into Hassan's heart. Then, without a word, the two Assassin-Class Servants stared into each other's eyes as Hassan broke down into motes of mana before fading away.
"I better take care of this quickly before Lici has to deal with Kirei, and possibly Gilgamesh, too." Tatsuo said as he once against started to move. "I'll just put him in a [Bounded Field] filled with microwaves when I catch up to him. And that should take care of it."