The Battle Of Fallen Heroes [2]

Malzeno and Vlad's battle began the moment their spears returned to their sides, with Malzeno spinning the sharp tip against the ground, splitting it with ease. Vlad retaliated the motion by countering it with the middle of his silver impaler. 

The impacts were light, but the pace of their movements reached lightning speeds. Malzeno, despite being thrilled by this battle, was still cautious. From the class skill that Rulers are given, he could discern the names of his opponents. In the blink of an eye, Saint Martha didn't seem "imposing." but Malzeno knew better. She had the slight smell of a Dragon on her, but it wasn't the Dragon that made Malzeno have alarm bells ringing in his head.

It was her.

What a scary woman…

Vlad, however, felt his heart race. The pounding it was giving his chest was beyond any other known sensation. His [Madness Enchantment] was silenced. For whatever reason, he was completely sane and unbothered by the constant swirl of madness. He had no idea what was happening but was truly grateful for it.

Malzeno spun his Duke Impaler with incredible velocity, causing it to whip up a twister in front of him like a protective barrier. The action caught Vlad off guard as the turbulent winds threw off his thrust. Amid the spiraling winds, two crimson dots pierced through before a bronze-gold piece of metal made its way through the winds. 

Vlad caught on to this and summoned another Impaler in his right hand to intercept the incoming attack. The two Impalers immediately broke upon contact, and the turbulent winds stopped their incessant howling as Malzeno cut through it. 

The battle continued with Malzeno and Vlad using two Impalers, increasing the thrill of the fight tenfold. The red gems glowed from Malzeno's Duke Impalers before his agility took effect. Malzeno took one step forward. This singular movement closed the distance between him and Vlad in one split second. It was faster than anyone could conceive without having their sense of sight heightened. 

In a black burst, Malzeno had struck Vlad with the blunt side of his Impalers, striking at his ankles with the right Impaler and at the rib with his left Impaler. This left speechless expressions on the audience of his fight. 

"Teleportation Magecraft?" Carmilla theorized with her yellow eyes fixated on the battle that left her petrified. "No, I didn't sense magic being used at all. What is happening?" 

Vlad took a step back to observe the damage he had done. He knew Malzeno could've pierced through the spots he attacked but went for the blunt ends. This wasn't out of disrespect but to show the power between the two and how far that gap was. It was then that Vlad took note of Malzeno's new appearance. 

His red eyes were more menacing than before, almost as if they darkened like insanity had set in, while his arms, chest, and parts of his face had black, obsidian scales. His white hair changed from its metallic gray to a shade of black with gold tips. 

"I was unsure I could access this form in a Human body, but I'm glad it paid off. I hope you don't mind me showing off a bit," Malzeno flashed sharp fangs as his voice took on a metallic note.

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Jeanne and Jalter were also locked in combat, with Jalter having an odd feeling about using two flag poles instead of one. Although the two Jeannes were similar in appearance, with some differences, their fighting styles were different in every aspect. 

Jeanne fought with the same elegance she did in her life, untainted by the impurities and hindrance of her summoning. Jalter went for lethal stabs and slashes with the poise of an angry beast. It was a vengeful style. 

Yet, despite this, they seemed to be on equal footing. That confused Jalter, Jeanne's summoning should have left her nothing but a crippled insect, scrouging to make it to the next day, yet here she stood fighting with the full might of a hero, with a burning determination that was unquenchable. 

"Tch, even now, that damn Dragon causes me problems!" 

"Sir Malzeno isn't as unruly as he seems! You can discern that by a gaze if you're me, right?" 

They still conversed despite the two of them trying to find an opening. 

"Shut it! If you saw what I saw, you would have even more reason to turn your back on Humanity!" 

"W-What?" Jeanne blocked an incoming stab for her ribcage by twirling her flagpole in front of her. 

"There's a reason I wanted to bring him to the rightful side," Jalter halted her attacks and glanced over at the man in question, whose appearance she saw in a few visions but in his original form. 

"You're being truthful, that much I can tell," Jeanne figured this would be the prime opportunity to talk with her lost counterpart and hopefully shed some light on her thought process. 

"I have no reason to lie to you of all annoying people," Jalter's eyes narrowed. "However, I'm not in the mood to talk. I'll cut it short. He's like us."

"Us?"

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Malzeno's new style of fighting was quick and unseeable. Each time he stabbed, he would teleport behind for another. Although Vlad could keep up at first, the speed was overwhelming, and the intensity was suffocating, as if he had a constant grip on his throat that squeezed every second.

He was thankful that none of his teammates intervened in this fight, as this was something he enjoyed. He was destined to fail at this rate, but losing against a worthy opponent like Malzeno? That was worth the defeat.

Malzeno's strikes continued to clash with Vlad's Impaler and the ones he summoned from beneath the ground in an attempt to halt his inhumane speed. Malzeno was ecstatic that his first fight was against someone like this. 

But all good things come to an end.

Malzeno carved his Impalers into the ground, kicking up large chunks of rocks and debris that simultaneously blurred everyone's vision but Malzeno's. 

The Vampiric Dragon teleported from the ground and flew above the large cloud he conjured. The Impaler in his right hand disappeared, turning into light particles before a large bow, the size of 2 meters, appeared. It was chalk white, with gold outlines and a red ruby at the center.

His other Impaler wasn't gone, as he notched it like an arrow and took aim. However, the once noble Impaler turned pitch-black, with the gem glowing like a flickering light. 

Malzeno pulled on the string, and the further back he pulled, the more colorful his Impaler Arrow appeared. 

However, the dust cloud split open as a few Impalers shot towards him like homing missiles. Malzeno wasted no time, sending his Impaler down with the same mastery of a master bowman. 

Midway, the Impaler exploded into a furious red color with black spiraling winds encompassing it. The next second, the deafening sound of the impact, followed by the ear-splitting explosion, was enough to stop the fighting and take cover.

Malzeno stared at the colorful and vibrant light of the explosion. It reminded him of his battle with the people in his world, but it was a mixture of destruction and beauty.

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"…Seems I lost this battle," The strained voice of Vlad crept through the disappearing dust. 

Malzeno had returned to normal. His [Bloodening State] had served its purpose. Vlad appeared standing, which caused Malzeno's respect for this Hero to be raised.

"I enjoyed my time, albeit short. There is a clear gap between us. Yet despite that large canyon that separates us, I was able to cross a partial amount," Vlad's body began to fade into motes of light. His words were fleeting, but they conveyed his happiness in this moment.

"Likewise. I will keep this battle in my memory for as long as I live. I bid you farewell, Vlad Dracul, Hero Of Romania."

With silence, Vlad returned to the Throne Of Heroes, awaiting his next summoning. This left the Dragon Witch short a Servant, but that was enough to cut her chances at victory. 

"Hmph, what a fool," Carmilla's words sliced the air, her tone sounding as if made with corrosive venom. 

Malzeno shook his head at the infamous Carmilla. He could sense some confusion and hurt, something he could not learn at this particular moment. 

"I'm assuming you three will be my next opponents?" 

"I'd rather not, but I have the advantage. I will fight you myself."

Malzeno rubbed his chin as his weapons faded. Saint Martha made his skin crawl. He could peer at her skills thanks to his [True Name Discernment]. He would have to ask Jeanne how this works when her full powers returned.

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Jalter felt the disappearance of Vlad and frowned. She thought he would survive that attack, but her expectations were too high. 

On the other hand, Jeanne parried an incoming attack, using expert footwork and twirling her flag to block both stakes. 

"I would like to discuss things with you, but I fail to see that happening. So, I will have to beat some sense into you."

Jalter bared her teeth angrily. "We'll settle later. I've already got to see how that guy operates."

"...?" 

However, before Jeanne could get an answer, a Wyvern took Jalter away with the rest of her Servants. 

This left Jeanne confused, worried, and, above all, conflicted. 

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"Huh, I wanted to fight that lady…" Malzeno, at the same time, watched as Saint Martha retreated with Jalter.

"Malzeno, are you alright?" 

Malzeno turned his attention to Ritsuka, Mash, and Jeanne. His glimmering crimson eyes seemed to lose their enthusiasm from before.

"I am fine. I wanted to fight Saint Martha, too."

"Is that why he's sulking?" Jeanne and Mash thought in sync. 

"Don't worry! I'm sure you'll fight her next time. Thank you for taking out one of our opponents." 

Malzeno closed his eyes and smiled. "Just doing my job. I had fun." 

"I'm glad you guys are alright! I was worried things would've taken a wrong turn," Romani breathed steadily as the enemy Servants fled. 

"Ha…don't doubt our strength. If push came to shove, I would've transformed to my original form." 

Jeanne kept silent. The words of her counterpart flowed through her brain like being drenched in rainwater. She was confused about the mysterious Ruler Servant, so much so that she felt a pulsing headache begin to brew from her lack of knowledge.

She would have to question him about this before everything is settled. But how would she go about doing so? That's an invasion of privacy, and she didn't want to pressure him for his backstory. 

Yet, so far, his intentions aligned with the safety of Humanity, but how far was that? 

All these unknowns bothered her. 

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The Chaldeans reached the south-east of La Charite, in a lush forest called Jura. This was the perfect opportunity to wind down after the tribulations from earlier. 

Ritsuka sat on a log as the previous events played through her mind like a television show. Mash stood on guard, as there may be unwanted guests roaming Jura, and Jeanne looked at her flag with a caring eye. 

"Hmmm," Malzeno hummed a light tune, his spirit was high, and his mind cleared of doubt. A smile trickled upon his face as he floated a few inches above the ground with crossed legs and arms. 

"You guys can come out!" 

"Eh?" 

Seeing the nonchalance in Malzeno's body language and the smile on his face showed that whoever was lurking wasn't out to kill them, but Mash and Jeanne still prepared for another fight.

Coming out of the treeline were a small group of four, all with a single gaze, discerned from Malzeno's [True Name Discernment] which was classed at [A Rank], allowing him to see small bits of the Servant's past life without them lying about it. It was a handy skill for someone like this. 

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AN: This chapter was 2K words and I wrote this from phone as I'm still sick so things will be slow for a bit, but I will still be pushing out chapters. I decided to make the fights short as they're not the "final" battles. Although you can expect Malzeno to show off more when he fights a particular madman. 

Malzeno shooting his lance like a bow is a homage to Emiya and Caladbolg. 

Let me know your thoughts!