Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Scáthach securing first place in the Tournament, things moved on to the challenge phase of the event but, with the absence of Mordred, the only person to issue a challenge was Gawain. This was a bit of a surprise as Vahn had expected several people to challenge Gray. However, while it was true that the latter had made it to the semi-finals, it didn't seem like anyone had the desire to display that they were stronger than her.As could be expected, Gawain had issued his challenge towards Okita as the latter's attack against Artoria had left quite the impression. Though he didn't have any true animosity toward her, he was honor-bound to at least take a stand.Unfortunately, even with his [Numeral of the Saint] still active, Gawain quickly learned that it wasn't a fluke that brought Okita victory. Her skill with the sword had reached a realm that only Kenshin and Scáthach had any hope of reaching. Though Gawain's orthodox techniques were very near the limit of what was achievable, Okita's had simply blown through such limits entirely. All he could do was persist for as long as possible before ultimately losing consciousness while still standing, greatsword in hand.Gawain's display had earned him uproarious applause but, despite the efforts of her opponent, Okita showed no change in expression. Instead, she just vanished from the battlefield before appearing at her Master's side. This earned her a wry smile from Vahn but, as there was still an entire League left, he didn't have much time to discuss the importance of socializing with her. It was a little unfortunate that the only person to defeat her was Scáthach as, if she had lost to someone else, Vahn would have been able to task Okita with observing and learning more about others.As most Spirits didn't really need things like sleep, the audience wasn't even remotely tired, despite the fact nearly seven hours had passed. Rather, after watching Gawain push himself to try and land a single hit on Okita, they were even more riled up than before. This wasn't too surprising, however, as the matches between Scáthach and others were more than a little anti-climactic.Fortunately, while Scáthach would be participating in the Magus' League, the battles between Magi were always flashy. While the Knight's League was full of explosive displays of speed and power, it often came down to a difference in skill and technique. This wasn't necessarily the case for battles between Magi as, if they fought cleverly, it was possible to achieve victory against much stronger opponents. The only exceptions to this would be during the bouts between Scáthach and, as a result of her former status as 'Queen of Heaven', Ishtar.As fate would have it, Ishtar ended up being one of the first contestants drawn from the box. This all but guaranteed the battle would be flashy as, with her nature, Ishtar was the type that liked to show off. If her opponent was smart, they could use this against her but, this time around, that would be a very difficult feat to achieve...Olga couldn't help lament her misfortune as she assumed her place upon the now devastated arena. She was actually regretting her past decision to even participate in the event as, after seeing some of the battles play out, it was very apparent she had underestimated the power of Heroic Spirits. Now, as if to spite her past bravado, her opponent ended up being a literal Goddess...Ishtar was already floating upon her massive bow with an amused smile on her face as Olga, much like the rabbit Vahn often compared her to, stood on shaky legs in the distance. Though she would have considerable trouble with Scáthach, Ishtar was confident in being able to defeat virtually every other contestant. Since fate had whimsically placed her against one of the weakest opponents, she figured it would liven things up if she made the battle into a spectacle. She intended to let Olga use up all of her power before securing the victory, both as a way to test the mortal woman's limits and show the insurmountable power she wielded after receiving a vessel from her lover.While the use of Noble Phantasms was limited, there were no such restrictions on [Pactio] so, even before the battle had begun, Olga struck an unnecessary pose as she shouted, "Adeat~!" As a result, there was a momentary flash of light before the pale-haired Magus appeared, now attired in a dense assortment of robes. The only exposed part of her body was her face and, as a quirk of how [Pactio] often worked, a 'window' of sorts that displayed her cleavage. This wasn't the most notable aspect of the [Pactio], however, as Olga had a massive orrery in her left hand.Orreries were mechanical models of the Solar System and, as a result of her Thaumaturgy, Olga's was an extremely complex version that showed the actual positions of the planets. At the very center, a very realistic looking sun was depicted, complete with tiny solar flares arcing from the surface.Ishtar was slightly surprised by Olga's Artifact but, as it didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, she just hopped off her bow before moving it into a ready position. With this, Vahn had shot his pistol toward the Heavens and, as a result, Ishtar's body outright vanished from her spot. At the same time, her own dominion began to spread through the battlefield, giving her full control over the surrounding Space as Olga began chanting a three verse magic spell.As Olga chanted, a very peculiar magic circle appeared beneath her feet. It looked like an overhead depiction of the orrery in her hand, complete with secondary magic circles that represented each planet. Her own position was that of the sun and, while she couldn't use her Artifact's full power. it was still a sight to behold as, by the time her chant had completed, Olga's surroundings began to look like actual Space. She had created the illusions of planetary bodies but, as if to spite her, Ishtar appeared standing atop the illusory Venus with a smile on her face.Olga was pushing herself far beyond her limits, to the point that blood had started to trickle from her nose as she shouted, "Heliocentric Annihilation~!"From Olga's palm, a massive eight-sided magic circle appeared before a massive pillar of Star Elemental magical energy poured from the center. It took on the shape of a solar flare and, much to the audience's surprise, the protective barrier around the arena began to ripple slightly. This was only the prelude to the actual devastation Olga's attack would cause, however, as her solar flare tore through the area where Ishtar had been standing, annihilating the false Venus in the process.Unfortunately for Olga, Ishtar was able to freely transition through the void and, while others may not have noticed it, those with high perception could see Olga's unique domain being suppressed as far more powerful energy encroached upon it from the periphery. Since she had put her all into the attack, Olga could only rely on the trickle of mana provided to her by Vahn but, due to the rules of the Tournament, this wasn't even remotely enough to keep her going.As Olga's domain continued to shrink, Ishtar appeared out from behind Mars, giggling amusedly as she looked at her opponent's ragged yet determined visage. Since using her bow was the same as using her Noble Phantasm, Ishtar wasn't able to simply shoot Olga. Instead, she sat on her bow like a swing with her legs crossed. The surrounding void began to ripple and bend, gaining a crystalline structure before finally taking on the form of a massive hexagonal gemstone behind her body. This was a technique that Ishtar had actually inherited from her mixed memories with Rin but, rather than have to produce gemstones and imbue them with her mana, Ishtar could simply create them at her leisure.With the same smile on her face, Ishtar brought her index finger to her lip as she teasingly stated, "I can't wait to see you make that power your own in the future. For now, I'll have to ask you to give up the match before things get out of hand~"As Ishtar spoke, the gemstone behind her began forming an extremely complex magic circle using various runes and a few characters of Divine Words. This caused a feeling of combined dread and awe to pass over the crowd while, as the target of Ishtar's building attack, Olga fell to her knees with wide eyes. Fortunately, Ishtar hadn't suppressed her completely so, while she couldn't stay standing, Olga was able to mutter, "I...I surrender..." in a subdued tone.Ishtar smiled radiantly in response to Olga's words but, instead of dissipating her attack, she angled the face of the gemstone toward the sky before releasing the stored up energy. This caused a pillar of light to pierce through the sky with enough force to rip through the surrounding space. It was a terrifying display of power that caused Vahn to released a tired sigh since he knew Ishtar was just showing off. Her attack could have easily wiped out a city so, if she had actually fired it toward Olga, they would have had to intervene since even an [Effigy of the Hero] might not be able to save her.Olga ended up being retrieved from the battlefield by Lakshmibai and Fenrir as, even after Ishtar had withdrawn her domain, the poor Magus was not able to stand. In fact, if anyone were to look closely, they would be able to see that Olga had actually wet herself due to the overwhelming dread she had experienced trying to contest the power of a Goddess. Fortunately, Fenrir and Lakshmibai were able to have Olga leave the Training Orb directly and, as Ishtar hadn't drawn any attention to it. the secret was well kept.Vahn made a mental note to comfort Olga and have a stern talking-to with Ishtar after the event had concluded. It almost felt like the latter was bullying the former but, given her status as a God Queen, Ishtar couldn't simply take a step back and allow herself to lose face. Even though Vahn's use of the [Page of the Akashic Tome] had fundamentally changed her nature, she still had an extreme amount of pride. She was also slightly hostile toward other women, especially if she felt they were not worthy of his care and affection...With the field cleared, Vahn drew out the next two names after Merlin had finished making repairs to the massive hole that now existed in the dome-like magical barrier. Fortunately, they shouldn't have to worry about such things this time around as, by some string of fate, Rin and Luvia ended up being the next contestants. This caused Rin to release a profound sigh while Luvia, amused by the turn of events, crossed her arms as she raised the back of her hand toward her mouth and laughed in her characteristic, 'Ohohohohoho~' manner.Like Olga, both Rin and Luvia had [Pactio] of their own so, after shouting, 'Adeat~!', they were both wrapped in magical light before reappearing in their raiments. Rin's took on the appearance of an orthodox Magus, complete with an ornate robe that had several gemstones adorning it. As for her Artifact, it took on the form of a sword-like staff that was made out of rainbow-hued crystals. When she was serious, Rin was able to use her Artifact to produce beams of magical energy that allowed her to cut through anything under B-Rank...While Rin looked relatively normal, Olga's raiment was anything but as, rather than attire befitting a Magus, she appeared in a complicated outfit that gave her the appearance of a professional wrestler. It was a very form-fitting raiment that showed off a considerable amount of skin while, to exacerbate matters even further, her Artifact itself was a mask that covered the front half of her face, leaving just enough space int he back for her drill-like hair to cascade down her back. As for its usage, Luvia was able to multiple her parameters for a short period of time at the expense of magical energy. This was a very straightforward Artifact that suited her well but, every time Vahn saw it, he had to take a deep breath to relax his nerves...As the two had actually fought each other in their [Pactio] forms several times, the battle was just a repeat of their usual spars. This generally involved Rin taking evasive action as she tried to bait Luvia into magical mines that Rin could place around the battlefield just by placing gemstones. These were strong enough to destroy armored vehicles but, as if she was a living weapon, Luvia would charge in without any hesitation as she attempted to get her hands on Rin. If she managed to do so, it was all but guaranteed she would be the final victor as, even with [Reinforcement] Magecraft, Luvia's power was already monstrous, even without her Artifact.Fortunately, while she no longer had two Goddesses sharing her body, Rin had benefitted greatly from the extended exposure to Divine Energy. She hadn't reached Tier 4 herself but, compared to a normal human being, she was far stronger than normal. Her Od had surpassed Luvia's a long time ago and, while her parameters were much lower than the golden-haired beauty, Rin was able to use a D-Rank [Shundo] while Luvia had been stuck at E-Rank for a long time. She didn't have a talent for the Space Element while Rin had benefitted from having Ishtar's guidance for more than two years.While Luvia was able to bait Rin into losing her cool in most situations, she couldn't use her words to goad her easily when there was a crowd watching. Thus, with Rin having far greater mobility, it only took around ten minutes before Luvia took an especially bad hit to her side, sending her tumbling across the battlefield like a rock skipping across water. This wasn't enough to defeat her, as her own Innate passively protected her body, but Rin had kited her toward the edge of the arena. Thus, while Luvia had more wins than Rin overall, she ended up losing the Tournament match.Seeing how the battle had played out, followed by how Rin had helped Luvia up, the crowd was in high spirits as they loudly applauded the two girls. Vahn also had a smile on his face, even though he knew this loss was going to make Luvia butt heads with Rin a lot in the coming days. He needed to prepare himself as, while not all that often, the two sometimes came to him in order to 'compete' in a way where neither had an advantage over the other...Following the cat and mouse game between Rin and Luvia, the next match included Iris and one of the favorites to potentially win the entire event, Medea. Unfortunately, while Medea was actually far more powerful than Iris, the young Magus didn't have the heart to harm others. She was intending to forfeit from the very start but, rather than upset the crowd, Iris managed to convince her to put on a performance of sorts. Thus, instead of a battle, the crowd was able to witness a display of pure magical power and finesse, one that showed why Medea was considered Circe's greatest student.Iris had been able to make a 30m tall golem formed from gold, a sight to behold, but Circe had been able to one-up her by summoning a titanic golem formed from the white stone of the battlefield. It was a startling 100m in height and, much to Vahn's lament, and the amusement of many, it looked like a massive Grecian statue that used him as a reference. This meant the statue was predominately naked and, while there was a leaf-like motif covering the front, his eyes dulled when he heard Circe comment at the side, "That leaf is too small...silly girl..."With it being very apparent which of them had the greater skill, Iris ended up being the one to give up the match, despite Medea's insistence that she continues forward. Unfortunately for her, this had no effect on Iris and, using her motherly disposition, it didn't take long for the white-haired woman to convince Medea to continue in her stead. This resulted in Medea reluctantly agreeing to do her best, earning her a long hug from Iris in return.Though it wasn't nearly as flashy as the previous battles, the audience applauded the familial display with vigor. Vahn also appreciated the scene and, if not for the fact Medea had left the massive statue on the battlefield, he would have been very happy with how things had turned out. Now, until it was destroyed by someone, there would be a giant version of himself towering in the center of the arena. While he wasn't exactly shy, Vahn became increasingly despondent when future contenders made an earnest effort to avoid damaging the embarrassing work of art...Following the match between Iris and Medea, the next duo to take to the field was Nobunaga and, much to her chagrin, Scáthach. This resulted in Nobunaga outright forfeiting the match in a not-so-content manner, complete with a few very vocal curses. Vahn knew he would be getting an earful from her later but, as Scáthach's participation had already been decided on two weeks prior, there wasn't really anything he could do about the situation. While it did indeed feel a little unfair, the same argument could be made in regards to anyone that had a demonstrable amount of power compared to the rest of the contestants.With Nobunaga's forfeiture, Medusa and Semiramis were the final pair to take to the battlefield. This gave Da Vinci a pass through the first set of matches as there was an uneven number of participants in the Magus' League. It was apparent that her Luck parameter wasn't just for show and, if he wasn't wrong, Vahn expected she would be placed against Medea in the next set of matches. If she gave up in the match against Scáthach, there was a chance Da Vinci could pass through all the way to the finals without ever actually battling...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Poor Olga xD...','Intertwined fate','Nobunaga calls bullshit')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Having built up various small grievances over the last few months, Semiramis was looking forward to the chance to vent some of her pent-up frustrations. She was actually considerably weaker than any of the other Caster Class Servants as, unlike them, she was, in fact, an Assassin Class Servant. If not for her Unique Skill, [Double Summon], allowing her to fulfill both roles, she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight outside her Garden of Babylon.Hailing from the Age of the Gods, Semiramis had an advanced understanding of several forms of ancient Thaumaturgy. As 'History's oldest poisoner', combined with her status as a Demigoddess, she could cast a variety of chantless Magecraft, many of which could penetrate through magical barriers and poison her opponents. While she was significantly weaker outside of her territory, she would still qualify as a Grand Magus, the highest obtainable rank within the Mage's Association...A stark contrast to Semiramis, though they both had impossibly long hair, Medusa was still a rather young existence who had much to learn. She primarily relied on her Innates and the abilities she had obtained from being named, meaning she predominately used potent poisons to battle against her opponents. This, combined with her inordinately fast speed, granting her a base Agility of 37B, made her a force to be reckoned with if you were unfamiliar with her capabilities.Due to rarely leaving her own residence, Semiramis wasn't too familiar with those that made the Inner Sanctum, a place she was denied access to, their home. While she had made an effort to try and collect information on them, it didn't take long for a series of golems and a team of Homunculi to quickly turn her away. Thus, while she had heard about Medusa, this was the first time Semiramis was actually meeting Vahn's 'pet Gorgon'...After entering the battlefield, both girls stared at each other and, despite being separated by several kilometers, they were still able to maintain eye contact. This was an inherently foolish decision by the raven-haired Semiramis but, having supreme confidence in her ability to resist such effects, she did not fear Medusa's petrifying gaze. She wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn't afraid so, when the battle finally began, she ascended into the sky with arms spread wide as the feathers around her collar began to peel away, each taking the form of a dark-grey dove.Medusa saw the veritable wall of birds heading her way but, instead of trying to flee, she crouched low to the ground in a very peculiar stance. In truth, she still wasn't all that accustomed to walking on two legs so, rather than force herself, the lower half of her body transformed into a long, snake-like tail. She had beautiful golden scales and a peculiar white pattern that ran along the backside while, on the front, a smooth, honey-white surface allowed her to easily glide along the ground with extreme speed.Most of the audience was surprised to see Medusa's transformation but, when they saw what she did next, a stunned silence spread over the entire crowd. This was because, after leaping into the sky, using her tail like a spring, Medusa's pale-golden eyes turned a silvery-white as a pulse of invisible energy radiated out from her body. Any dove within range was immediately turned to stone, despite the fact they were formed of Magical Energy and not true biological life forms.After clearing the initial blockade, Medusa's hair flared out wildly while, from beneath her silvery locks, three pairs of angel-like wings sprouted out, drastically increasing her speed. This was enough to finally get Semiramis to panic as she had not expected Medusa to try and close the distance from the start of the battle. A purple magic circle appeared behind her that quickly collapsed backward to form a spatial gate of sorts as she sent a cloud of green and purple magical energy to obstruct the supersonic charge of Medusa.Once again, Medusa strained her eyes and, just as before, a pulse spread out that turned the mist produced by Semiramis into a pale-gray substance. She then passed through without any hesitation, dissipating the cloud of poisonous powder with a burst of magical energy as she tossed her spear toward the closing gate. This was, unfortunately, a futile attempt as, right before it pierced the gate, a scale-like membrane easily blocked the spear, repelling it backward with even more force than the initial throw.Medusa was easily able to evade the wayward spear but, as she looked around the battlefield, it was impossible to find Semiramis anywhere. She had simply vanished into thin air and, with her C+ Rank [Presence Concealment], Medusa was unable to sense her. This caused her to scrunch up her nose a bit as her tongue flicked out of her mouth in frustration, looking decidedly longer and more purple than a normal tongue...Semiramis was cursing her past self for looking down on her opponent but, more than that, she was annoyed that Noble Phantasms were disallowed from the competition. This affected her a lot more than others as, due to various restrictions placed on her, she could only use a fraction of her power outside of her own territory. If she had her Hanging Gardens of Babylon, she would be able to use several A and even EX-Rank magical spells in sequence, making short work of most opponents.Now, Semiramis was forced to squat down behind a pillar, an action made difficult by her massive volume of hair and ornate bell-frilled dress. If not for the fact she was invisible, she would be biting through her nails in frustration knowing that several thousand people had seen her in such a state...Without being able to sense Semiramis, Medusa began to feel increasingly annoyed so, while her Master had prevented her from using the most potent version of her poisons, she began to lightly flick her six wings. This caused a rainbow-hued powder to begin spreading through the area and, guided by her magical energy, a reactive mist that could target foreign magical energy began to spread across the battlefield.Semiramis was fully aware of what Medusa was attempting so, under her breath, she cursed, "This little brat is trying to compete with me in poisons..."Despite feeling a great deal of scorn towards Medusa, Semiramis elected not to look down on her opponent as only the truly arrogant underestimated the potency of poisons. She knew better than most how effective they could be so, while she did not believe Medusa had even a fraction of her capabilities, there was a chance she had a unique poison that no amount of magical resistance could protect against.Though it was almost impossible to discern due to her clothing, smooth black scales began to sprout all over Semiramis' body. Rather than the scales of a snake, however, they were extremely smooth and compact, much like a fish. This was due to the fact that Semiramis' mother, Derketo, was a Syrian mermaid Goddess. While Semiramis disdained her mother a great deal, she was never shy when it came to exploiting her heritage and its many benefits...After scales covered much of her body, leaving only her breasts, neck, and face exposed, Semiramis placed her palm against the ground. This caused a malicious black ooze to form a magic circle that ate into the stone like a potent acid. Once this had been completed, she made use of her [Presence Concealment] to move undetected around the area, placing several other magic circles at various locations around the battlefield. These were each powerful curses that, upon contact with foreign magical energy, would trace the source and inflict them with various malignancies.Unfortunately for Medusa, she was simply too inexperienced and, while her education had been going well, she didn't treat it as seriously as she should. Thus, when faced against someone that had a considerable amount of experience, both in subterfuge and actual war, it was only a matter of time before she ended up getting baited into a trap.Despite never dropping her guard, it wasn't long before Medusa's poisonous mist came into contact with one of Semiramis' curses. Much to the latter's surprise, however, her curse was devoured by the energy in Medusa's poison. Thus, rather than take the petite gorgon out of the battle, she only left the silver-haired girl with a mild headache as the poisonous mist was released from the control of her magical energy.Though she knew Semiramis likely wasn't in the area where her mist had penetrated, Medusa made another golden spear before tossing it down like a bolt of lightning. She was beginning to feel very annoyed and, though she could keep going for several hours without too many issues, Medusa wasn't actually that fond of fighting. Her preferred method of combat was to surprise her enemies and end the battle in an instant. She hated being on the receiving end of the same treatment so, as her opponent continued to skulk about, she was contemplating just giving up.Deciding it was better to go out in a bang than simply surrender, Medusa's hair began to darken on the tips, gaining a purple luster. After a few seconds, her hair had formed into several large snakes, each having very realistic features that included reflective eyes and flickering scarlet tongues.Using what remained of her surprisingly large pool of mana, the throats of Medusa's snakes would glow, illuminating the gaps between their scales, before they spat out balls of radiant purple energy. When these projectiles hit the ground, they erupted into massive explosions that could easily level large buildings. If going by the usual ranking system, each projectile would be around a B-Rank spell and, as a result of Medusa's inherent Poison Laws, they had a powerful corrosive quality to them as well.Since she was unable to sense Semiramis' location, Medusa just began indiscriminately bombarding the entire battlefield. She didn't really care if she hit anything but, after a few volleys, Medusa felt a bit of feedback from one of her projectiles. This caused her to veer around and, instead of balls of energy, the snakes formed from her hair began firing purple lasers that refracted off a dome-shaped magical barrier that revealed Semiramis grimacing on the other side.Having finally discovered her opponent's location, Medusa angled herself downward and began a dive-bomb towards the turtling Semiramis. Her snakes continued to focus their laser beams, leaving an expanding purple on the surface of the barrier that made it seem as though it would break at any moment. This, however, wasn't Medusa's intention so, once she was within a few dozen meters of the barrier, she stopped flicked her wings to evade backward as several black chains emerged from purple magic circles to try and entangle her body.Semiramis clicked her tongue when Medusa was able to evade her attack but, when the latter's eyes turned silvery-white, the raven-haired Magus couldn't help but smile. Just as the pulse of invisible energy spread from Medusa's body, Semiramis' barrier changed shape, forming a concave lens with a highly reflective surface. She had mistakenly believed that Medusa was another Heroic Spirit and, knowing about the legends associated with the monstrously powerful Gorgon, Semiramis was trying to use her own attack against her.Contrary to expectations, Medusa's energy pulse, despite being rebounded, had no effect other than causing her to float backward in surprise. When she realized what Semiramis had attempted, her cute face formed into a deep frown as a very long spear, nearly 5m in length, formed in her hands. Even the snakes in her hair seemed offended as they all began to simultaneously charge up, their throats expanding as intense purple light began to escape through the gaps of their mouth.Seeing that her counter had no effect, Semiramis' face had an even deeper frown than Medusa but, rather than give up, an inky black liquid began to pour out from the bottom of her dress. Before she was able to completely activate her skill, however, Scáthach appeared between them and stated in a cold tone, "The battle is over. Semiramis attempted to use her Noble Phantasm so the victory goes to Medusa."Medusa immediately ceased charging her own attack but Semiramis, feeling aggrieved, allowed the black liquid to continue expanding for a few moments. She only stopped when Scáthach turned to look directly at her, crimson electricity beginning to dance across her palms. This caused alarm bells to ring in Semiramis' mind, restoring her clarity and causing the black fluid to quickly dissolve into an inert state.Without missing a beat, Semiramis adopted a calm and elegant demeanor as she gave a polite bow toward Medusa and chimed, "Your performance was beyond my expectations. For a moment, I felt as if we were having a true life and death battle. Forgive my lack of decorum...it has been a long time since I faced off against such a mighty opponent..."With her words finished, Semiramis promptly exited the Training Orb. She no longer had a reason to stay and, while Scáthach was terrifying in her own right, it was the intense gaze of a Vahn that made her heart tense up. She was hoping that, by extricating herself and laying low for a while, he would forget about her momentary slip as it would make her life very difficult if she lost what little favor she had with him.Though Vahn didn't say anything outwardly, he sent a telepathic message to request that Scáthach observe Semiramis to make sure she didn't try anything while the majority of their forces were in the Training Orb. It was not impossible to destroy the orb itself and, while they would be able to safely move everyone outside before the collapse, it was better to be safe than sorry. Even if there was less than a one percent chance she would do something, Vahn never underestimated what women were capable of under duress...After the rather intense battle, there was a brief recess to clean the arena since there was still a large amount of malignant mist present. Fortunately, this was an opportunity for Spenta to show off and, as she was always eager to help, everyone was able to see her purification in full effect for the first time.All it took for Spent to purify the entire battlefield was for her to stand in the center for around ten minutes. This caused a peculiar energy, formed from green and gold light, to spread across the field. As it passed, a field of flowers blossomed over the desolate land and, when it came into contact with Medusa's and Semiramis' poisons, they were simply turned into a wispy yellow mist that caused a warm and pleasant floral smell to spread throughout the area.While this was quite the sight to behold, Vahn was troubled as Spenta's energy spread over the large statue that Medea had previously erected. It had escaped Medusa's bombardment and, for her own reasons, Semiramis had avoided trying to use it as cover. Thus, with Spenta's purifying energy having an overwhelming amount of Life Energy contained within, the previously white statue now looked like a giant formed from green shrubbery that was covered in flowers and vines...No matter what anyone said, Vahn was intending to destroy the statue in the near future, even if he had to make it look like an accident. For now, however, they still had a tournament to finish and, with the match between Medusa and Semiramis concluded, it was time for the second string of matches.So as not to keep the surprisingly patient crowd in suspense, Vahn pulled the first two names almost immediately after Spenta was escorted from the battlefield. When he saw what was listed, he rolled his eyes as, meeting his expectations, Da Vinci had indeed been paired with Medea. He even began to suspect that Da Vinci had made another vessel for herself, one with EX-Rank Luck as this was very clearly the result of causality itself being warped.As expected, Medea had no intention of harming anyone so, after a short discussion between her and Da Vinci, they put on another performance of sorts just so the crowd wouldn't be upset. Thus, without any suspense whatsoever, Da Vinci proceeded to the finals while Medea happily found a place for herself next to Circe in the viewing area. After this, the next match was between Rin and Scáthach so, as could be expected, the former quickly surrendered as the latter had already shown that she was willing to inflict considerable harm onto her opponents.Following the series of non-fights, the final round of the second set of matches was between Ishtar and Medusa. This, however, wasn't really a fight as Medusa had used up most of her magical energy in the battle against Semiramis. Thus, after a brief exchange of explosive attacks, Ishtar came out as the final victor by teleporting Medusa outside of the battlefield. She could have actually done this against Olga as well but, as she wanted to give the mortal woman a chance to test her limits, Ishtar had played around a bit...With the second string of matches completed, the third and final set was quickly conducted. As he had expected, Da Vinci, once again, got a free win as there were only three finalists. Since Scáthach and Ishtar had their names pulled, Da Vinci was just sitting patiently at the side with her massive magic staff, a perpetual smile on her beautiful face as she monitored the equipment that analyzed each battle...To the surprise of no one, the battle between Scáthach and Ishtar didn't last very long as the latter had several exploitable weaknesses while the former had none. The only real advantage Ishtar had was her mastery over Space but Scáthach, with EX-Rank [Magic Resistance], [God Slayer], and her [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground], this wasn't even close to being enough. She could effectively negate the effects of Ishtar's Divinity and, while the battle lasted longer than expected, Scáthach was slowly able to corner the haughty Goddess until she was forced to teleport from the battlefield itself.With Ishtar's defeat, the only match that remained was between Da Vinci and Scáthach but, much like he had expected, Da Vinci simply surrendered the battle outright, bringing the tournament to a rather anti-climactic end. It wasn't until after the reward ceremony that Vahn was able to confirm that, for the purposes of the Tournament, Da Vinci had indeed produced a body that had almost human-level parameters in exchange for Luck that defied quantifiable limits...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Medusa is surprisingly strong...?','Ishtar OP','Leave it to Da Vinci to find a way to get to the finals without having to lift a finger...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the winners from the first round determined in a little under two hours, there was still plenty of time to continue with the Tournament. Thus, after a few words of encouragement to both the victors and defeated, Vahn took up the second box to draw names.Fortunately, when he had been giving his short speech, Artoria, sans Mordred, ended up returning to the Training Orb. Vahn wanted to ask her if anything had happened but, seeing how calm she was, it was safe to assume the matter didn't require his attention.As if compelled by her powerful fate, Artoria's name ended up being drawn first, this time pitting her against Gawain. This ended up being a rather lackluster development as, due to his chivalrous nature and unwavering loyalty, Gawain outright refused to raise his blade against Artoria, even in a contest. In fact, during the lead up to the Tournament, he had opposed the participation of any member of the Imperial Family as it could seed dissent if anyone developed the rationality it was okay to point their sword at those in power.If Gawain had his way, Artoria would have been at Vahn's side while Mordred sat obediently at the side like the Princess she was supposed to be. However, as the decision was ultimately left to Vahn's discretion, everyone that wanted to participate in the Tournament was given leeway to do so. While he would take Gawain's opinion into consideration regarding public functions in the future, now was not the time for such concerns.With the forfeit of Gawain, the actual first round of the second set of matches included Jeanne and Okita. This pit two users of the Counter Force against each other and, as could be expected, their battle was quite the sight to behold...Just as she had done so during her duel against Fenrir, Okita started off the battle by assuming her iaido stance as she waited for Jeanne's reaction. With the latter's [Revelation] at the A-Rank, she only had to set defeating Okita as her goal in order to determine the best course of action. Curiously, this didn't go exactly as planned as, from the moment she activated the Skill, Jeanne quickly realized that there was no path to victory. The only way forward was to pave her own path but, rather than show any signs of concern, she instead charged ahead without any hesitation.To her credit, Jeanne was very fast and, compared to most Heroic Spirits, her parameters were almost ridiculously high. She also had EX-Rank [Magic Resistance] and, while Okita was able to circumvent this with her understanding of Sword Laws, some of her attacks lost their efficacy whenever Jeanne used her spear to deflect them.Still, while it seemed both had a nigh-infinite amount of stamina, the machine-like precision of Okita, combined with her advanced understanding of Laws, allowed her to whittle way at Jeanne. The latter had incredible Endurance, reaching the middle of the A-Rank, but the human body could only take so much punishment. Though Jeanne never showed any signs that she was in pain until the very end, her body had undergone something that would have broken all but the most steadfast and resolute individuals.Vahn had already realized this from before the Tournament even began but, without their Noble Phantasms, the amalgamations of their legend, most Heroic Spirits didn't wield incomprehensible strength. They were certainly strong, yes, but the majority of their power seemed to be condensed into their Noble Phantasms themselves and, while some of their Innates were a little 'extreme', he was beginning to suspect that the Throne was not able to replicate them properly.Though he did not regret summoning some as Heroic Spirits, Vahn knew that the 'originals' would almost always be more powerful, especially with the boost provided by the Throne. He would need to take this into consideration in the future as, while it was a good failsafe to keep unvetted people as Heroic Spirits, there was a fair chance they would have something 'unexpected' within their Status.Realizing this was one of the reasons why Da Vinci had proposed the idea of summoning one of every Class, alongside other justifications, Vahn shelved the matter for later discussion as he pulled two more names from the box. This time, Gray and Hati were given the honors and, as a result of her past battle being won by default, the mature Vanargandr seemed to have something to prove.Unfortunately for her, Gray may not be invulnerable like Siegfried but, as an entity nearing the level of a True Vampire, there was only so much Hati could do against her. Still, after shredding Gray a few times with her claws, making little progress, Hati eventually lost her cool and ended up grabbing the left ankle of her opponent as the former attempted to dodge. As a result, Hati slammed Gray around a few times, rather violently, before tossing her toward the edge of the arena.Contrary to Hati's expectations, Gray managed to recover mid-air and, while not at the same level as people like Artoria and Mordred, she could still use [Mana Burst]. This allowed her to stay inside the battlefield but, as a result, Hati ended up reminding everyone present why her name literally meant 'Hate'. Her previously golden eyes became dark red and, at the expense of her prepared armor, she began to quickly increase in size as her body transformed into a 10m tall wolf with spiky black fur that seemed to burn with similarly colored flames.Before things could get out of hand, Vahn spoke in a plain tone that resonated through the entire battlefield, "Hati...sit..."As if she had been struck by lightning, Hati's eyes regained their moonlight hue as she immediately plopped her hindquarters down onto the ground. Confusion seemed to flash across her expression for a brief moment before she turned her head back to find her Master staring at her. This caused her ears to droop and, still in her wolf form, Hati lay down before covering her snout and eyes with her paws, seemingly with the thought, 'if I can't see him, he can't see me'.With Hati breaking the rules of the Tournament, Gray was given her second win. It was beginning to seem like her A++ Rank Luck wasn't just for show as, without argument, she was undoubtedly the weakest contender. As for Hati, she was in the upper half but, due to her own Luck being D- Rank, it seemed like she was always pitted against people she had no method to defeat. Still, as punishment for breaking the rules, Vahn had her lay down at the base of his viewing platform until he could give her a stern talking-to later on.After the battle between Gray and Hati, the only two contestants remaining in the second set of bouts were Kenshin and Scáthach. However, as Kenshin couldn't even gain an edge with the use of her Noble Phantasm, there wasn't much she could do against the monstrous 'Purple Demon'. She lasted much longer than Gareth, largely due to the vast gulf in their experience and skill level, but it only took a handful of exchanges before Kenshin was pierced in the shoulder and right thigh by two of Scáthach's spears.In a battle between True Masters, victory or defeat could be decided in an instant. Kenshin's Innates made her a difficult opponent for most people to face but, just as it seemed like one of her famous 'slips' had given her an advantage against Scáthach, the latter's spears moved along the new path with laser focus. Rather than evade the attack her trip should have allowed her to avoid, Kenshin had skewered herself and, as a result, the battle was quickly brought to an end.The second set of matches took less than twenty minutes in total and, with only four contestants remaining, the were officially in the semi-finals. Vahn was a little surprised by the fact that Gray was in the running but, with Artoria, Okita, and Scáthach as her opponents, she had finally reached the furthest point her Luck could take her. This didn't mean she would just surrender but, as if fate was intent on showing her the futility of such actions, her opponent ended up being none other than Scáthach herself.In truth, all of Gray's potential opponents had the perfect counter to her regenerative ability but, in Scáthach's case, she literally had 'infinite' options to choose from. It only took a few seconds from the start of the battle to the finish as, with their speed being reminiscent of a snail and a falcon, a single attack was all it took before Gray was hunched over with a spear pinning her to the ground.The majority of viewers didn't have a lot of love for how Scáthach fought but, as it was the result of a vast difference in skill, they couldn't really say anything of merit against her. Since the participants were all aware of why she had been given the title of Grandmaster, this was the expected outcome, not an upset. Rather, if Scáthach ended up losing a battle, they would be hard-pressed to believe that she hadn't thrown the match.With the battle between Gray and Scáthach ending shortly after it had begun, the next match was between Artoria and Okita. This was slated to be one of the most climactic battles of the entire event but, much to everyone's surprise, Vahn included, Okita's prowess seemed greatly diminished against Artoria. It could be due to the protection of her fate, or her S-Rank [Instinct], but Artoria seemed to be able to read the untraceable trajectory of Okita's katana from the very beginning of the battle.Fortunately, with her [Furthest Earth] and her most versatile ability, [Boundlessness], Okita was able to deflect and evade all of Artoria's own attacks. Even with [Mana Burst], Artoria's blows would just dissipate and, while her Holy Elemental Affinity was a powerful boon against most other people, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Okita was the 'embodiment of light'. Her [Boundlessness] gave her the ability to essentially become light and, if her katana wasn't sealed, it was the catalyst that allowed her to use her ultimate Noble Phantasm.The only thing that kept the battle going at this rate was the fact that Okita knew the significance of Artoria and, due to the rules of the Tournament, she was forbidden to kill. While her attempt to kill would likely backfire due the Artoria's fate, the fact she was holding herself back made the battle last for nearly three hours. After all, even without using the active component of [Avalon], Artoria was able to benefit from the regeneration it provided. This, combined with her infinite mana and intense focus, meant the two could continue battling indefinitely under ideal circumstances.Unfortunately, without [Excalibur] and [Avalon], Artoria was not the unstoppable monster that she could be. She eventually attempted a complex maneuver using [Shundo] to evade and, while it had worked several times prior, Okita had baited her into it this time around. The moment Artoria was 'mid-step', meaning she had yet to transfer between her anchor points, Okita did something that stunned the entire crowd.In an incomprehensible display of skill, Okita had reached Artoria's destination faster than her, just after the spatial coordinates had essentially been 'confirmed' by [Shundo]'s activation. She placed her sheathed katana in the area Artoria's body was going to occupy and, as a result, the latter ended up with a 15cm 'dent' in her armor that ran through to the middle of her midsection.This was one of the penultimate dangers of using [Shundo] as, once the coordinates were confirmed, which could only be done when there were 'no obstacles', the movement could no longer be stopped. By placing an obstacle in the area that had been previously cleared, something that should be 'impossible', Okita was able to violate one of the fundamental failsafes built into [Shundo], ending the battle in one of the most jarring manners imaginable.As could be expected, Artoria's [Avalon] immediately took effect to preserve her life as, while it would usually take having her head destroyed in a single blow, having most of her organs turned to pulp wasn't something that could usually be walked away from. Fortunately, so long as she was not separated from [Avalon], there were few ways to kill Artoria and, as an extra precaution, each person participating in the tournament had an [Effigy of the Hero] embedded directly into their equipment.After a brief exchange between the two woman warriors on the battlefield, who had nigh-identical features, Artoria ended up leaving the battlefield while Okita remained. She was given the chance for a recess but, while the battle had gone on for an extended period of time, there were no observable signs of fatigue in her expression. Rather, as a being reminiscent of a Counter Guardian, Okita had a nigh-inexhaustible amount of mana at her disposal. She even had the [Persistence] Skill at A-Rank, an ability that essentially made her stronger and faster as the battle was drawn out.With Artoria taking her place at his side, Vahn announced the commencement of the final battle between Scáthach, the favorite of the entire competition, and Okita, the dark horse. Everyone knew she was powerful but, as she had been pit against almost every other favorite to win, it was still a bit of a surprise to see her facing off against Scáthach in the finals.Unfortunately, what nobody could have expected was for Scáthach and Okita to simply stare at each other for several minutes without moving. This confused and annoyed many of the Spirits but, as the combatants understood what was going on, they became increasingly tense. This was especially true for Vahn as he had seen Scáthach behave this way on several occasions, typically when he was using his [Laplace's Key].While Scáthach had nigh-unstoppable momentum, she almost always reacted to her opponent when battling against them. This was the most efficient way for her to fight as, if she overextended herself, there was a non-negligible chance she would make a mistake. It was much easier to exploit the small gaps in the movement and techniques of her opponents as, in the vast majority of instances, she was more skilled than them at their own style of combat.Much like Scáthach, Okita's entire combat style was reactive for almost the exact same reasons. She was the type that used pure skill to counter her opponent's techniques and, while her own offensive might was equally unstoppable, it was her ability to act faster than her opponent that gave her the ultimate edge in a battle. Thus, as a result of their similar methods, neither woman moved even a macrometer as they continued staring at each other in a ready stance, both waiting for the smallest of movements that could be exploited.It was in situations like this where Scáthach's experience came into play as, while Okita was a true monster in regards to combat, she didn't really exist prior to her summoning. She had the combat experience of her original but, as she had never gone through any of the training herself, there was a persistent gap in her psyche itself. After all, everyone had something that drove them forward but, as she often stated, the only meaning behind Okita's existence was to be useful to her Master.Rather than charge at Okita, Scáthach began to move toward the edge of the battlefield, still facing her opponent with an expressionless mask. This caused Okita's finger to twitch slightly but, as she had no way of knowing what Scáthach was up to, she remained standing in her position. What she didn't expect was, at the very same instant that she decided to stay put, the match had already been decided.While Scáthach may actually lose out in speed against Okita, as the latter could move beyond the bounds of Time and Space itself, it was inarguable that the former had greater mastery over both. This wasn't the main reason behind her victory, however, as Okita was simply unaware of what her opponent was capable of due to having no interest in other people. Thus, when Scáthach pulled out what looked like a massive cannon, Okita immediately activated her [Boundlessness] but, just as she was going to use [Furthest Earth], a series of spears pierced through her body.For only the second time since her summoning, Okita showed a genuine expression on her face, this time shock. She slowly turned her head to her back to find another Scáthach standing right behind her. To further cement the hopelessness of her situation, there were five other Scáthach forming an encirclement around her, each appearing from the void like phantoms.These weren't simple illusions either as, long before her other self was summoned, Scáthach already had the ability to clone herself. In fact, regardless of how much her opponent struggled, it was nearly impossible for them to win as, even if they managed to force her out of the battlefield, her extra body would just dissipate while an infinite number of herself occupied the surrounding void, completely undetectable and intangible.Vahn had tried to level the playing field by having Scáthach turn over his gemstone core but, even without a nigh-infinite supply of energy, she had two weeks to prepare beforehand so, while others had been training, she produced ninety-nine versions of herself, each just as lethal as the original. It took a lot of effort to maintain them but, as the majority were just slumbering away in the void, she didn't experience any major reduction in combat proficiency.Fortunately, while Okita's injuries seemed extreme, especially with her C-Rank Endurance, Scáthach had made a point to not hit any of her vitals. Instead, she targetted the joints and major muscle groups, effectively crippling Okita on the spot. Since the latter was akin to a Counter Guardian that had never existed, Scáthach's [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground] provided her no information on her opponent. This was the safest way for her to end the battle so, before Okita could surprise her, she wasted no time in pointing a blade at her throat and saying, "This is my victory..." in her usual calm and cold tone of voice...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hati, bad...!','Artoria without cheats versus a living cheat xD...','Scáthach is even worse than Batman...don't give this woman prep time (x _ x)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1276: Interlude: Magical Supremacy (1/2)