The Prince Of Magic

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Scáthach's lips almost twitched into a smile as she thought about the young man in question, absentmindedly ducking under the roundhouse punch that the intruder sent in her direction.

She retaliated by using her crimson spear, twirling it in her hand as she turned around after evading the punch before whipping at her foe with the side end of her weapon.

*SMACK*

Her aim was true when her attack landed on the intruder's temple, quickly forcing the intruder away from her by ten feet or more.

Scáthach let out a smirk when she immediately noticed the few droplets of blood on the ground that came from the wound on the intruder's temple.

The end of her spear was designed with a small yet sharp point, which can easily pierce through the skin and cause it to break if enough speed and force was used into the attack.

To the intruder's credit, he remained composed and aware as he managed himself upright, even as Charles rushed in and took her place, almost coming out of nowhere.

"UOH!" The cheeky retainer shouted out a battle cry as he attacked.

With a speed that can't be tracked by the n.a.k.e.d eye of a normal person, Charles went on the offense. Flashes of silver appeared in the air as he attacked with his wave-patterned straight sword, whistling through the air as his assault continued on relentlessly.

Charles was quite determined to not give the intruder the upper hand in the fight, but sadly, his opponent was too skilled, too fast for him to hit with his sword skills alone.

Nevertheless, Charles was not discouraged by it as he simply remained on the offense and waited for an opportunity to land a fatal hit on the enemy.

He wasn't the only one active in the fight though.

Every now and then, the intruder would counter his attacks with one of his own, either by punching or kicking at him after evading or parrying Charles's sword strikes.

Most often than not, Charles had to take a few moments to do his best to roll or dash out of the way to avoid being on the other end of his foe's counters.

It was only thanks to his own experience and honed instincts that he was able to do so. That, and Scáthach's sneaky interventions had helped him as well.

Scáthach would subtly attack with her spear here and there close to wherever the intruder might back away or move as she went to his blind spots.

While Charles prided himself in being skilled with the sword, he was not foolish as to deny the crimson eyed woman's help when it comes to a battle that he obviously can't win on his own, as much as it rankled on his nerves for being weak.

'No…' He corrected himself. 'Not me. This bastard is just too strong!'

Only a minute had passed, and Charles was quick enough to realize that the intruder was a monster.

Every single time he strike, the big guy never failed to respond, either to parry or to counter his attacks.

One would think that someone of his build would have trouble moving faster within a blink of an eye, but the bastard he was fighting at the moment certainly does not have any qualms about it.

Not only that, he was outclassed by the intruder's physique as well.

Charles was given a body that was quite strong and durable enough to handle the powers of a Servant. But, it wasn't without its own limitations.

Using too much of his powers can possibly cause his physical body to explode. Hence, the reason why he and the others often prefer to switch to their servant forms if the battle goes hard.

Unfortunately, the option was strictly closed off for the time being, due to the current circ.u.mstance.

The intruder was too strong and nimble to take down, even with him and Scáthach joining forces.

Heck, they have yet to even make some real damages on the bastard's cloak. He and Scáthach have been trying to cut at the intruder's cloak and hood for a while now to reveal the bastard's face, but the process was slow.

So far, they have made scratches on it, and the wound on his temple went ignored.

Charles's only saving grace was due to his own experience and Scáthach's timely interventions. If not for that, Charles might have died in the few times he exchanged blows with the intruder earlier.

They were managing the flow of battle so far, but he would rather not delude himself into thinking that they could bring the intruder in without sustaining some injuries on their end.

As his liege had often told him, one can never expect how a battle would end, especially when the enemy was also an experienced fighter.

'One thing left to do then…' The cheeky retainer mused.

He saw Scáthach gave him a slight nod, and that was when he knew it was time.

With narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, Charles sidestepped a high kick, barely escaping the counter by a hair's breadth, and did a swift turn before he pulled the sword back to his c.h.e.s.t, bending his legs a bit as he poised right arm with the blade into a coiling position while his left held the sheathe to his waist.

Once he saw an opportunity, the black and white haired retainer quickly dashed forward and he went in for the kill. He pushed his sword with great force, exerting the necessary magical energy into his right hand to give the piercing strike a bit more strength.

The intruder saw the attack coming and merely dashed to the side a few feet away from him, which was just as he expected.

Charles smirked.

"Got ya, bastard!" He taunted.

Before the intruder could process what he said, a flash of white bluish light of a rune appeared on the ground near his feet and a great explosion followed immediately after.

The kinetic force blew the giant of a man further away from Charles, who only looked on at Scáthach's runic handy work with an appreciative eye.

A large, black crater appeared where the intruder had stood, cracked with web lines and gauged by six feet. And as for the bastard himself, Charles saw the black cloaked form that laid so still on the ground, located just outside of the crater.

What elated him more was that the cloak looked quite damaged, appearing tattered and incredibly singed.

'Heh, that's big sis for you. Primordial Runes for the win!' The cheeky retainer grinned.

He heard footsteps nearby, but Charles kept his eyes on the intruder's downed form, unwilling to let his guard down.

"Think that's enough?" He asked Scáthach, who stepped beside him.

"No, it's not." Scáthach replied, her tone was clear yet ominous. "I'm afraid it'll take more than that to bring that cur down."

Charles glance at her in surprise and curiosity, noticing the glare on her beautiful face before he turned his gaze back to their enemy. He turned just in time to see the intruder slowly standing back up, and Charles can't help but make a comparison.

It felt as if he was watching a beaten zombie right itself into a standing position, arms spread and back arched in a creepy manner.

His humor quickly dissipated when a loud ominous growl emanated from the intruder, who then proceeded to take off the cloak from his body in a rough fashion, almost ripping it in the process.

The intruder's appearance was as uncanny as his presence.

The first thing that they noticed was the long black and gold shroud that covered his face from front to back. It has diamond patterns that run along the length of it.

The enemy was taller than the average man, and quite muscled, from top to bottom. The enemy's skin was dyed red, but over his c.h.e.s.t near his heart, a shape of a large scar was dyed white.

He wore black pants that ended his knees, a large black sash that was wrapped around his waist like a belt, and a knee-length chlamys with a similar design that covered his rear and sides. He was also wearing a pair of black leather sandals to protect his feet.

'Well, at least it's now confirmed that this bastard's a guy.'

Charles opened his mouth to taunt the enemy, but was rendered speechless when he sensed a familiar sensation permeating from the intruder.

It was the aura of a Servant.

As if in response to his thoughts, the dark red skinned intruder lifted both of his arms slightly and opened his hands. A flash of crimson magic particles later, a large wooden bow in his left hand and a few long arrows appeared in his right.

Such an image was the only thing that Charles and Scáthach needed to confirm that their enemy was truly a Heroic Spirit.

"Oi, oi! What the f.u.c.k is this?" Charles growled lowly, glaring at the taller spirit. "How the hell is there a Rogue Servant running around? I thought Kieran was the last one."

"No clue." Scáthach answered, calm and poised. The slight tension in her shoulders hinted that she was on guard though. "And for the record, Kieran's case was different. Also, we do not have time to argue. That cur seems intent on wreaking havoc in this place. We have to prevent him from causing too much disturbance, especially if he uses his Noble Phantasm."

Knowing that she was right, Charles silenced his protests and followed after the crimson eyed woman, who reinitiated the battle once more.

As he assisted her in the fight, he can only hope that his fellow retainers and his liege were doing better than he and Scáthach were.

Charles had been a bit skeptical with his master's warnings before regarding the intruders, but after knowing their true nature and realizing the danger they represent, he was beginning to believe that the case had become a lot more difficult.

He could use a drink right about now.

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