Chapter. 28 Kurumi vs Berserker

'He's fast!' Kurumi remarked. No sooner had she confirmed that Laila would land safely on the road than the ground exploded. She could perceive it first, then the prana in the surroundings reared up. With his sword at the side of his dark armor, Berserker reached Kurumi. The blade flashed downward, and she turned to the side. In the corner of her eye, she recognized black hair in the breeze.

'Too fast!'

A white arm shot up from the ground into the sky. With her foot, she catapulted backward. Only now, hit the shockwave her body. Flying through the sky, she caught sight of the knight, blurred behind a cloud of smoke. The sword was already positioned at his side.

The cut white arm fell into the depths of the garden. With only one arm, her clone had significantly fewer options. At the same time as the war cry, Kurumi changed her clothes on the fly and used the extra surface area of her astral gown to slow her trajectory.

She landed on another roof, and the force of her feet broke through the tiles. Before she could develop a plan, Berserker rushed at her again. Kurumi jumped to the side. A cold wind suddenly brushed her thigh; luckily, no pain, but she focused all her attention on the enemy. One hit would mean certain death. She watched in shock as the red blade sliced effortlessly ​​through the roof and split the house.

In flight, she aimed her weapons. The recoil of the Flintlock hurled Kurumi further back as six bullets made from shadows crashed into Berserker. However, they proved ineffective in the face of heavy armor. There was only a metallic sound as the bullet burst into pieces.

Berserker's footsteps created a bottomless thud that went to the marrow. Kurumi could hear he was near. Then two portals opened next to her, and two identical clones poked their heads out of the pocket dimension. Unfortunately for her, the Berserker class gained an immeasurable strength that dwarfed the power of the original hero in every way, but the price was high. Madness...

Kurumi, who already prepared to jump to the side, paused. Was it her clones that made him hesitate? Even though Berserker rampaged, his ironlike will made him analyze the situation calmly; he was a fearsome opponent indeed.

But that one second turned out to be a severe mistake.

"Follow Laila!" Without saying a word, her clones disappeared.

"You must love my closeness, but you won't get a hug... Come forth, Zaphkiel!"

With a bang that kicked up the dust, Berserker began to move even before Kurumi finished her words. His murderous aura surged forward as he overtook the sound.

Spiraling, a large clock appeared behind Kurumi, and the 12 numbers shone ominously. "Bet!" yelled Kurumi and rushed backward as two o'clock lit up and a red smoke emerged. Berserker's speed seemed superhuman, even for her as a Servant. The sword split the air. She felt a pain in her left leg as she dodged. Panicking, she continued to move as warm liquid flowed down her skin. The lower part of her dress was completely torn.

'Damn!' she cursed as realization struck her. The astral dress was nothing but cloth in Berserker's eyes. Even in overtaken by madness, his sword art was precise and deadly.

At last, the red smoke was sucked into the Flintlock. She pulled the trigger back. Her feet rammed into the roof tiles of the nearest house.

Berserker's aura exploded. Again, he charged forward. No one knew whether he thought he had the upper hand. Did he understand that bullets ricocheted off his armor?

The bullet flew out of the barrel; faster than the shadows ever could. Berserker must have recognized danger. He crashed to the side, down from the houses, into the middle of the street. Kurumi clicked her tongue. With an ominous thud, the bullet hit a falling piece of wood that gradually dropped to the ground as the internal flow of time slowed down.

"Aleph!" She roared before Berserker reached the ground. Physically, she was worlds inferior to him. Therefore, she only saw her chance when she could keep him at a distance. The number one on the dial behind her lit up. A red substance was sucked into the Flintlocks barrel. She would not give the enemy time to gather.

With his shoulder, Berserker crashed into the street. The heavy armor tore up the asphalt as if made of paper. With a light thrust of his hands, he turned his body and stabbed the sword into the ground to slow his speed.

She had no trouble seeing Berserker. Red flashes traveled across his two-handed sword and chest plate. One would think he was wincing in pain, but the blood-glowing visor had long lost all emotions. No, she worried about the black smoke that covered that masked his intentions.

Berserker's head tilted to the side, where splintered wood and stones still hailed the earth. He had heard the impact of the bullet... But where was the damage? With one knee, he remained on the road while the other foot was on the ground as he prepared for his next move. He recognized that the second bullet was dangerous, and his animal-like instincts pushed away even the madness that clouded his mind. But in the end, he did not realize that the enchanted of the bullet was dangerous.

'His senses and mana are phenomenal,' Kurumi remarked. 'Does he have an unlimited amount of mana, or is he draining his master? Anyway... I can slow him down or freeze him, but I won't penetrate the armor. Maybe I can stretch the fight? No, I don't know how long his master can provide mana. With Berserkers consumption rate, the master should possess much more than Laila... Maybe retreat for now?'

Unsure of the right move, Kurumi stayed in her position and analyzed Berserker. The black smock-covered armor was a mana construct. Its stability depended on many aspects. As Kurumi had already noted, Berserker pumped inconceivable amounts of magical energy inside. This, combined with the supernatural effects of his class, made penetration with ordinary weapons virtually impossible.

Of course, Kurumi's Time Angel Zafkiel was anything but an ordinary skill; each of the twelve digits allowed her to manipulate time by enhancing a bullet differently. However, precisely because of this, it lacked the offensive firepower to penetrate particularly strong armor.

More blackness slowly emerged from the gaps. He was preparing something, but what? The metallic claw-like fingers gripped a lantern. The steel screeched. With the heavy concrete foot, Berserker yanked the lantern out of the street. Kurumi's eyes widened as a red flicker passed over the lantern and changed its shape.

She had no time to analyze what the Servant was up to. Like a sword, he held the steel construction to the side of his body. The air rippled as he hurled the weapon forward like a boomerang. Houses, roofs, and walls were torn apart as it broke the sound barrier.

Kurumi rammed the bullet into her head. The world lost all color as the internal clock sped up. Instantly, her body shimmered, and she disappeared from the roof, landing in a meadow in front of the trees.

Berserker fought like an inanimate being. One could think he was nothing more than a machine programmed to hunt its prey. Kurumi did not know who the noble hero under the tainted helmet was and did not want to know as every moment was precious. Right now, the only thing that mattered was to draw this force of nature away from Laila and the city. Only then could she vanish and take a breath.

'No comparison to Assassin...' she thought. It was indeed a clash between two monsters.

The world moved still in slow motion. However, even though everything was moving forward in black and white like an hour's hand and the leaves were nearly stopped in midair, Berserker sped up to her like a train.

'One hit is more than enough.'

Kurumi extended her hand to the number two on the clock.

"Bet!"

The world regained its color. The Flintlock sucked up the red smoke and clicked.

A deafening scream sent flames erupting from the visor; Berserker must have lost all self-control by now. The sword pulsed as he condensed mana inside.

10 meters.

Kurumi pointed the Flintlock forward. With a click, she pulled the trigger. The bullet shot towards Berserker, who this time made no sign of dodging the bullet. The first time, Kurumi smiled. She wanted to leap backward to avoid the blade. Was the fight decided? Kurumi thought so, but she realized a few moments too late the true intentions of her opponent.

She saw the lantern that had also reached the forest and crashed into the dirt. The stones of the back houses pattered on the ground, and cracks spread with each further step as the asphalt gave way under the force and mass of Berserkers footsteps.

'I will lure him to the end of the forest, stun him and then return to Laila. A piece of cake... Wait a minute,' her eyes widened. 'Why do I have time to think?'

The smile vanished as Berserker slowly sliced the sword sideways seven meters in front of Kurumi. Under normal circumstances, her eyes would never be able to see the blade. Kurumi didn't know what was coming, but it was clear to her that she had underestimated her opponent.

The bullet reached the plating first and spread a gray matte sheen across his armor. The steps slowed as Berserkers time decelerated. A Black Smoke-like blast rippled from the two-handed sword and shot straight at Kurumi.

'Damn!'

In slow motion, Kurumi could only watch as the growing storm rushed toward her, a phenomenon she had never experienced before. The attack lasted only a fraction of a second but stretched into an infinitely long moment for her. The trees gave way as if they were made of butter. She was defenseless against this attack. She tried to move her arms, but her body was as slow as everything around her.

She only had one option, defend.

As Berserker had demonstrated, she pressed as much mana as possible into her astral dress. Red sparks flew out of her as she strained the connection to Laila, sucking mana like a berserk class. She heard a silent groan, but Kurumi didn't know where it came from.

Thoughts pounded into her mind like spears. It took everything from her to keep the raging mana under control. Fear and self-doubt simmered, but her experience allowed her to shut those emotions away. Right now, she couldn't hesitate. The vision blurred into a single grey mass as every muscle tensed.

Then the wave engulfed her.

Kurumi could no longer tell what happened. With a bang, the air around her began to glow. A fire engulfed her body as an indescribable pressure threatened to crush her bones. The splintering of wood rang in her ears, and with an earthquake-like tremble, she plowed the earth and ripped off tree roots.

For a few seconds, her eyes went black, and she gasped in panic but couldn't get air to flow into her lungs. With both hands on the ground, Kurumi tried to push herself up. Berserker was still there; she had to get up somehow. Something that felt like a root was between her fingers. She tried to lift herself but plumbed to the burned ground.

Suddenly, air rushed into her lungs. Her eyes cleared, and relief spread. The smell of coal drowned out the madness raging at the forest edge.

She gritted her teeth. All the bones would likely be broken if it were a human body, but her knees still quivered. No, she was trembling from head to toe. Blood flowed down her arms to her hands and soaked the fabric on her stomach. Kurumi grimaced in irritation as she realized mana seeped through her wound.

Unstoppably, Berserker dashed past the trees. His black armor was now colorless. The steps... slower than she remembered. Her eyes fixed on this monster as she took a deep breath and remained frozen on the spot.

"Get up, Kurumi... Get up!"

Like a reboot, her body responded, and she rolled to the side. Hands pushed her off the ground. As her feet hit the ground, weakness jerked through her torso so that she almost plumbed into the dirt again. However, she felt the pain only as a distant throbbing, so one might think it didn't even exist. She closed the worried thoughts that were spreading inside her behind a wall. She didn't have time to think; If her body collapsed from mana loss, then she had to accept that.

For the first time, Kurumi could feel Berserker. The mana flowed over her magic circles in the direction of the deceleration. Like a cloak, it settled over the Servant and slowed down time. To Him, it would probably look like the world was in a time-lapse. All outsiders would observe the exact opposite.

'He would get to the city faster than I can reach it through my shadows...'

The Flintlock formed again in her bloody hands.

"Zafkiel."

The familiar flash of red, followed by an ominous clock strike, filled her with warmth. Her time angel never failed her. The space behind her circulated, and a mechanical clock face appeared.

Then she pointed it at the position of the seven.

"Zayin!"

The weapon sucked in the red mist, and she pointed the barrel at Berserker.

'No... I need to hit him harder.'

Her gaze wandered from left to right. Nothing. Berserker's heavy footsteps echoed through the forest. Ice fell from the branches. The hairs on her arms stood up.

'I have to go!!!'

On their own, her legs started moving. The trees swam past her as she disappeared into the forest. She jumped right and left, dodging the trees that appeared in front. Suddenly, she could hear a bang. Kurumi looked back with her head. Tree stumps were hailing down on her. Black, red, and purple lines rippled across the dry wood.

"This could work," she grumbled, even though she didn't believe it would.

With a leap to the side, she dodged the first log and skidded across the dirt. The Flintlock was still glowing when she came to a stop. In her other hand, a second weapon formed.

"Aleph!" roared Kurumi, holding the musket to the one on the dial. The remaining trees crashed on the ground, lifting her off her feet a little.

Berserker had noticed that his prey had come to a halt. As he ran, the sword materialized in his hands.

'Guilt...justice...kill...'

His gurgling through the visor could only come from a rotten body. Each step broke the frozen earth. Again, he pumped mana into his blade. Black smoke magnified the cutting edge. He briefly thought he heard a pained groan, washed away by the madness corrupting his head. Kurumi couldn't harm him, even with her special bullets. Then he watched as Kurumi slowly pointed the musket at her foot.

With a war cry, he sent a wave of terror forward. A golden glow passed over Kurumi, and she disappeared. At least, that's what Berserker saw. In reality, Kurumi's internal time was greatly accelerated. For someone who was already slowed down, it proved to be practically impossible. Kurumi slid along under the smoke tsunami. Immediately, Berserker expanded his aura to search.

"Dalet,"

He whirled around as he sensed Kurumi behind him. The musket pointed at the four. Fury took over his body, mana exploded from his blade, and he hurled another mana wave at Kurumi.

This time Kurumi jumped backward and narrowly escaped the onrushing storm. The wave raced past beneath her and caught the black and purple trunks. Her Flintlock clicked. The bullet struck a tree trunk, stopping it momentarily in midair.

The mana drain grew. Kurumi had already lost all feeling in her fingers and toes. But she could not give up. When she landed again, she sprinted towards the city. The earthquake followed her. Skin prickled, and a concentrated amount of mana was shot in her direction.

She dodged to the side. The gray trunk hovered in the air in front of her, and she slipped under it.

Kurumi was too small to see over the trunk. However, she could see the outline of the smoke even above the edge of the bark and aimed her musket.

"Time wasted."

With a bang, the bullet flew into the trunk. Immediately, Kurumi went to her knees as mana was sucked out of her body, and she groaned painfully.

The wood vibrated as its internal time was turned back.

Berserker couldn't even react as the trunk changed direction. Thunder shook the branches of the surrounding trees as the log broke the sound barrier. With over sonic speed of the mana blast, the object crashed into the Black Servant's body. Without Kurumi blinking once, the air around Berserker began to glow as it was jerked backward by an invisible force, creating a massive dent in the plates.

The shock wave forced her to blink. When she could see again, Berserker was gone.

Exhausted, Kurumi tumbled down, her back against a tree root.

"Ahh damn it," she cursed as pain shot through her body and the cold embraced her.

A portal appeared, and a familiar person peered out with a head. "We should get out of here. It won't take long for Berserker to recover."

"Give me a second," Kurumi replied, feeling her stomach with a Free Hand. The cut went deep, deep enough that she was surprised she still finished the fight.

Wow, am I a mess?"

The blood felt pleasantly warm, and she had to shake her head once to get rid of the soporific feelings. With her other hand, she raised her Flintlock.

"Zafkiel... Dalet."

Kurumi pointed the gun at her forehead and pulled the trigger. The bleeding stopped, and the wound slowly closed as some of her internal time turned back.

"After our encounter with Assassin, I had thought I was one of the stronger Servants... That was pathetic of me; how can I be a role model for Laila when I'm still stumbling over the basic building blocks myself?" Kurumi muttered as a sudden pain made her wince.

"At least now we know how Berserker fights. His master must have incredible amounts of mana if he can withstand that consumption rate. However, you're right; we failed miserably today."

Kurumi gave her clone a nasty look before tipping her head back.

Damn, that hurts. You could show a little more sympathy. You weren't much help either."

Kurumi giggled at the original's words. Both were well aware that the clones' bullets would bounce off the armor. Moreover, they had no time angels to compensate for the lack of offensive power.

"I feel for you..."

Suddenly, black smoke rose from the wound. Kurumi groaned and increased the pressure on the interface. Something deep inside changed. What exactly she couldn't tell; fortunately, the stagnant breathing quieted, and clarity spread through her mind.

"Saber and Lancer's offense didn't look so overpowering yesterday. That Laila's naivety has already rubbed off on me."

"Wasn't it Berserker's class that gains more power in exchange for madness? Shouldn't we assume that Berserker is basically the strongest?"

"I mean, Laila mentioned something like that," Kurumi replied. "And yet, we should come up with something. We're probably among the weakest participants. "

Kurumi's clone nodded in agreement.

"What do you think, other me? Would it be possible to create such mana bursts as well? They seem effective."

Indeed, a good question, but I suggest testing this another time." After Kurumi completed the sentence, she breathed a sigh of relief. Surprised, she touched her upper body. The smoke had completely disappeared.

'So Berserker's mana is like a virus. To think I have to watch out for something like that too. I already have my hands full.'

"You know, I'm starting to like this war less."

"There's still a long day... And we have plans."

"Don't start lecturing me; I don't have the nerve for that," Kurumi replied to herself.

She tried to stand up. The pain throbbed through her stomach and almost made her eyes pop out. Immediately, she slumped down again and pressed on the wound with both hands. Her body wasn't repaired after all.

"We're traveling across the shadows. Will you help me?"