144 Reaching The Infinite

"How did I end up in this situation?"

It was a good question that Seth couldn't help but ask himself as he stared at the scenery in front of him. Deep trenches, unrooted trees, and unconscious bodies filled his gaze no matter where he looked.

It all began once he came back from his material hunts for Medea's potions after two days. They weren't only for regenerating Asterios' arm, so the number of monsters he had to hunt was not small. It was truly a chore to carry them all to the island, even while using one of his biggest forms.

After giving them to Caster to work with them, he got called by EMIYA because he wanted to request something. It turns out Fujimaru was acting a bit distracted after his conversation with him, and, although Archer didn't know what actually happened, he had a feeling it had to do with the black-haired man. So, after a bit of inner struggle, EMIYA asked for his help. However, that help meant doing something to alleviate the kid's guilt for the events that transpired. The Red Bowman thought hard about how to achieve that, but he came empty-handed. That said, it didn't take long for him to conclude, and that was to teach Fujimaru how to fight. Naturally, his Servants, including himself, wouldn't allow him to do such a thing knowing the risks, but having him believing he could get rid of his feelings of powerlessness by obtaining a way to defend himself was the optimum solution—just a sneaky psychological trick.

Cu Chulainn had mainly worked on getting their Master in shape, but he taught him nothing outside of that, so now it was their time to do something for him.

What Archer didn't expect, though, was to get punched in the face as soon as he asked Seth to train Fujimaru.

"I don't train people just so that they can feel better about themselves. I do it so that they can grasp a future greater than the common man, for beliefs that fall no short of extraordinary. Beliefs they will do anything to keep. Talk to me when Fujimaru has even a tenth of that." Those were the only words he left before going somewhere else.

EMIYA wasn't — much to Seth's annoyance — the only one who asked him for the same. Zhuge Liang, although he worded it differently, requested the same of him. As he wasn't the physical type, Seth just outright denied Caster without actually punching him as he did with EMIYA.

It would all be okay if that had been the end of it, but it was not. They kept insisting again and again. It got to a point where even Fujimaru himself asked him for it, probably Archer's idea. That didn't take away the youth's awkwardness at speaking with the black-haired man again after how their last conversation ended, though. Knowing him, Seth supposed the kid run how and what to talk about in his head repeatedly, only to make everything useless the moment he was standing in front of him.

Setting that aside, the relentless begging got him fed up, so he ended up agreeing, but on his own terms. He won't be training Fujimaru. He was going to beat him up, thoroughly. Suppose he learned something from that, good. If not, then go bother someone else. As he said before, his standards were high, and his fellow Master didn't meet even one of the requirements. However, if he gained something from actual "combat," then it was all okay. Of course, a little vengeance for all the pestering was mixed in there.

Surprisingly, Fujimaru readily agreed, making him wonder if the kid didn't have some more than... questionable tendencies. BUT, he was no one to judge, so he didn't even ask about it.

Going forward a little, Seth found himself in a desolate part of the island together with Fujimaru, EMIYA, and Zhuge Liang the next day after agreeing. Here, away from prying eyes, would begin the beating of the young kid's life.

"Okay, we are ready to go. Just a warning, make sure you don't hurt him too badly. We all know how that can end up." Archer gave Seth a simple suggestion before they started. He and Caster would work as spectators and give the pointers they could give, seeing as the bastard wasn't going to give any.

"Remind me, why are YOU not the one doing this instead of me? If I recall correctly, you could see the history of a weapon and more or less fight like the owner of the said weapon. Why can't you do something like that instead of bothering me every single minute of the day?" It was clear by his tone of voice that he didn't wish to be there.

EMIYA just gave him a smug look, yet he didn't look all that superior with all the bruises. "To begin one, my battle style doesn't suit Master as it is very risky for untrained people. Besides, knowing how to wield a weapon doesn't mean I can teach someone else how to use it. That is outside my expertise."

"So, me beating him up is somehow better than that? Sure, sure. Sound logic you have right there." The urge to roll his eyes was too strong to resist.

"U-Uhm... Could you please stop speaking things like those when I am right here?" Fujimaru tried to interject, but Seth's glare was enough to shut him up.

"You keep silent. But first, tell me what weapon you want to fight with. However, don't tell me unrealistic things like a battle-ax or something like that."

"I agree with him on this, Master. You should think about what weapon would benefit your body more." Zhuge Liang offered his two cents from the sidelines, trying to help Fujimaru with his choice.

The Japanese youth thought for a bit, but he already had something in mind. It would have to be that, wouldn't it? "I want to use a katana."

They were weapons from his home country, and he had seen some action movies regarding their uses, so it should not be that hard as a starting weapon. Of course, fiction and reality were different things, but the basics were still there.

'Why am I not surprised...' If Seth's unamused face and raised eyebrows were anything to go by, then his choice had been predicted long ago.

"Whatever. EMIYA, you are like a walking armory. Do you have any wooden 'katanas' available?"

Archer's lips twitched at the given epithet. He was using every opportunity to get back at him, wasn't he? "I am assuming you mean a bokken, and yes, I have one. Any preferences regarding it, Your Majesty?"

"Do I really look like I am in the mood to care about names? And yes, give me one larger than normal. And I swear to everything unholy. If you comment on my words, I will use your body as a sword instead." Seth added the last part when he saw Archer's mouth ready to speak some of his unfunny jokes.

EMIYA shut himself up even before speaking and just wordlessly projected two wooden swords before throwing them to Fujimaru and Seth, respectively.

Now he just had to sit back and see how things were going to go. If Seth was a God of War, he should be someone with deep battle knowledge and be able to wield every kind of weapon possible.

That thinking quickly went down the drain at an abysmal speed.

Seth was doing random phantom slashes at nothing, looking like a complete amateur. Even when he practiced kendo with his former teacher, he wasn't this bad. It was seriously making him cringe. Looking at the side, his fellow Servant had most likely the same thinking.

The worst part was that Fujimaru was looking at the black-haired man as if his technique was so deep it looked simple at first glance. It was too much to watch, so he had to put an end to it.

"Seth, did you ever wield a katana in your life?"

"Do I look like a simpleton? Of course, I never wielded one. Swords, in general, are boring and overused. There is no way I have ever touched one in my life." '...Not exactly me, at least.' He added in his mind.

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". . ."

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"Then why didn't you say anything in the first place?!" A retort immediately escaped Archer's mouth while Caster just shook his head on the side. Meanwhile, Fujimaru reached a new level of awkwardness.

"Because it is not important, so do me a favor and let me focus." Seth then took his glasses off and threw them to the side without care. They were really annoying to wear, mind you. He then closed his eyes and started his phantom slashes again.

'This isn't it... This isn't it either... Was it like this? No, no. It was like that...'

As Seth was having some sort of mystical delusion, Fujimaru just stood there waiting for him to finish, while Zhuge Liang lit up a cigarette to pass the time. EMIYA, however, noticed something that no one else seemed to do.

After each slash, his posture was becoming better, his technique was getting more polished, and his intent deadlier. All the while maintaining the subtlety of a calm stream. 'This guy... was he lying before? No... those initial movements were indeed those of an amateur, or even worse. Even for a War God, to learn how to use a new weapon out of the blue in just a few minutes is far too much.'

Also, the white-haired man could have sworn that he saw an image of a different person overlapping with Seth's for a moment, but nothing was there when he rubbed his eyes. He must have been seeing things, he thought.

"All right, Caster and Archer, get your ass over here and fight me. I think I got the handle of how to use this." Seth interrupted his musing with something he didn't expect. He was supposed to bea—train Fujimaru. Why the hell were they being included in all of this?

"I don't see how that is going to help. Fighting us will only end up delaying things." Zhuge Liang took the role of speaking what was on his mind, something he agreed with.

"I told you, didn't I? It is my first time using this weapon. Unless you want me to injure Fujimaru accidentally, make sure to work as practice dummies for me." His argument left no room for refusal, something that didn't sit well with the two Servants.

"Just make sure to be careful, okay? Tomorrow we are departing, and I don't want to fight with broken bones on me." Archer got here with a broken arm. He didn't need to return with another one as well, just as it got healed.

Seth's only answer was to nod. He wasn't that stupid to lessen their fighting force. Besides, he was going to face them with a wooden sword. How much damage could he do?

"Master, get to a safe distance. As for you, how much can you see without the glasses? Safe to say, it wouldn't do for you to hit him while aiming for us." Caster asked as he released a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"Imagine a colorful painting, then blur it as much as you can until you can barely distinguish the shapes. That sums it up." Although he couldn't physically see, he guessed they were looking at him with deadpan expressions. "Relax. I have my other senses to compensate." Seriously, what's with their trust issues.

"Forget it, we won't go anywhere like this," EMIYA said as he materialized his favorite pair of swords. He was secretly glad for this chance to score some hits with an excuse added to the mix. Petty, he knew, but it didn't make it less satisfying.

Sighing in resignation, Caster positioned himself on the back. "I will provide support. Just make sure to keep him away from me."

Nodding to his partner, EMIYA turned to Seth. "Ready when you are. Just don't blame us if an accident ends up happening. It was your idea, to begin with."

'This guy's intentions are as clear as day... No matter. The real reason I accepted this was to test how my observation skills were after all these years, and I can do it without having to worry about being killed by making a mistake.'

Closing his eyes, Seth forgot about the rest of the world, only concentrating on his movements. He pulled his right feet backward, grabbed the 'handle' of the wooden sword with his two hands, and raised it until it reached his shoulders, with the tip pointing straight at his two practice enemies.

EMIYA narrowed his eyes; that stance seemed all too familiar. Behind him, Zhuge Liang voiced his thoughts. "I am not that well-versed when it comes to these things, but he doesn't look like someone who is touching a new weapon for the first time."

True, Archer thought the same way. However, he more than anyone knew that stance, those moves he would probably make, weren't his. They belonged to someone else. How in the world did he acquire them, and how he was able to replicate them in such a short time, he didn't know.

"I am ready." Seth didn't give EMIYA time to question him as he gave the signal to begin the fight. It seemed he would be getting the answers in the old way.

Giving a quick look to check if his partner was ready, Archer quickly dashed at Seth, zigzagging to start the fight.

Seth used the sand to detect his location. That way, he would know where he was attacking from no matter the faint he might try to do. 'All right... If I am not wrong, you did it like this...'

All of a sudden, the charging EMIYA felt as if death was ready to bite his neck, making him stop dead in his tracks.

'Oh shi—' Before he could even blink, a strong gale hit his body, sending him backward, soon doing the same with Zhuge Liang, who was at the backline, and Fujimaru, albeit to a lesser extent.

The gale didn't stop there, razing the landscape with an incredibly destructive force. The author of this, Seth, was just watching with his mouth slightly agape and broken sword in hand. 'What the hell?!'

The Egyptian God then turned his head to his broken sword before frowning. 'I used more strength than I originally planned, but that slip of control... what was that?'

At the moment of executing the technique, his mind suddenly was filled with an inexhaustible number of outcomes, possibilities that were endless, infinite. Like searching for a desirable result among a thousand.

Eternal Arms Mas—

'Shut up and let me think.'

Returning to his musing, Seth felt like what he did was familiar. No, maybe not what he did, but what he caused with that technique. However, no matter how much he thought, he couldn't reach an answer. 'I better do it again to know for sure. Though now...'

The black-haired man observed the destruction all around him, making sure that everyone was alive and kicking. Luckily, they were. 'EMIYA still owes me that favor for making me eat that atrocity Saber made, so I will just push the blame on him, not like he can complain. For starters, it was their fault for pestering me.'

At least he was able to redirect the technique just in time as to not give them any serious injuries, so they will be ready to depart once they have had a good night of sleep. Also, beating Fujimaru up will have to wait until they arrived at Chaldea.

"Tomorrow is the day, huh..." Seth looked at his hand as he said this. Three orbs of a different color were orbiting around it at a slow pace.

"I will be leaving his last life to you..."

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"...Mars."