FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 96: Thunder Meets Lightning

...

The colossus let out an earth-shaking roar.

The battle had begun.

Strangely enough, or perhaps not, it was Aaron who came to his senses first.

"Rider, what are you waiting for!?"

"Aye!"

Rider leaped up onto the rail to run around his Master, seeming for a moment to be running horizontally, and, reaching the bow, leaped into the air as a comet of light, disappearing into the heavy clouds above.

Berserker made a ready stance. He knew who his opponent was.

Above, mist, ice and static clung to Rider's armor as he sailed up, the gathered lightning skipping across his metal exterior to gather in his outstretched hand. Reaching the open sky, he cast the same hand towards the moon, the energy floating upwards, growing in size as wind began to swirl around it.

"O Hound o' Howling Thunder! Wolf o' Whirling Winds! 'Tis truly a wild hunt! Let no prey escape! Hither! To me! Failinis!"

...

Those below saw only flashes of lightning through the clouds. But these streaks, some white, others blue, soon turned purple.

...

A violet light pierced the clouds- large as a meteor and faster than a bullet. Before anyone could begin to register what it was, it was already pressing down on Berserker's axe as he swatted it away, scattering it into fizzling sparks. But there was Rider, having hidden in the comet's tail, still abuzz with violet static, below him. He launched forward with a light imbued punch to the colossus's midsection, causing just the slightest flinch from the beast, and kicked back in the nick of time as Berserker's axe came down to cut at where he had been a second ago. The behemoth went to rush forward, to not give Rider even a moment to rest, but in his half-step was blindsided by a strike to the face from the same purple light.

He swatted again. The light scattered again. Rider came in with a kick to the collarbone, dodging in the air to get behind him. Berserker turned- but the orb of light struck him behind the knee on his pivot foot, knocking him off balance. Rider launched a kick to his shoulder, spinning him in the air- but Berserker turned into the spin, landing on all fours like a cat before pouncing back towards his opponent with a roar. He brought down his axe with a fury, but the violet orb intercepted it, blocking the attack, once more causing Berserker to stumble. Wasting no time, Rider went fully aglow with golden light and released a flurry of punches so fast they were invisible to the naked eye, all the while Failinis smacked Berserker in the face over and over again. Combined, they pushed the massive monster back, never giving him a moment of peace, and not a single opportunity to counterattack.

Aaron pumped his fist, "Whoo! Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

He had never imagined things could go this well. Failinis was another one of Lugh's Noble Phantasms, and it was the last one in his arsenal; the only one Aaron had yet to see for himself. During the day, it was a powerful hound, but at night, it transformed into an invincible ball of energy that would pursue its target without err or hesitation. It would- literally- chase its prey to the end of the earth, provided the sun didn't rise first. The plan to double-team Berserker was the best they had, and he had anticipated something going terribly wrong, but no, to his own surprise the only thing that wasn't going to plan was the fact that everything was going accordingly.

His excitement was only tamed by the fact that they didn't seem to be doing any visible damage so far. But even that was expected, though they had hoped otherwise.

Blue lightning gathered inside the monster before bursting outwards from the chinks in his armor-like skin, sending a wave of thunder that knocked both Rider and Failinis back about thirty feet, but this, even this, was well with him. Without missing a beat, the beings of gold and violet light ran circles around the colossus, seeming to disorient him. He didn't know what they were doing or why- or where he should attack regardless. The same didn't apply to those overhead.