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Nero      It has been a while since the last time that Hakuno and Nero ventured into corrupted territory. In that time, Hakuno has been tirelessly analyzing the data of the Black Grail fragment that she acquired after the battle with Longinus. In the end, he was summoned away by a mysterious Master, preventing interrogation, but they had reclaimed a large portion of territory, in turn restoring Hakuno's reduced Authority over Moon Cell.

     In that time, while that newfangled Tournament was happening, the brunette researched, and researched, and researched some more... until she finally managed to come up with a solution. Sitting on her throne within the imperial palace, multiple holo screens open before her, all sorts of bars, graphs, flowcharts, numbers, and notes in her vision.

     Her eyes sweep back and forth, back and forth, while fingers blaze across a virtual keyboard. This persists until finally.... ding! ".....!" Hakuno pauses, and just stares at the screen. "... It's done." She murmurs, double checking the data again. "It's not a mistake, it's done..."

     At first, it almost seems like she's going to just keel over and pass out from utter exhaustion, now that the determination to work, and work, and work is bleeding out of her figuratively. But she stops herself and rubs her eyes. "Okay." All of those screens are closed, and the brunette stands. "Saber!" She calls, and immediately, Nero appears a shower of particles.

     "Yes, my Praetor?" The blonde asks with a big smile. "No. Hold a moment. Do not tell me." She interrupts with a hand raised. "... You have acquired a solution?" Hakuno smiles wide and nods. "I did! We need to go back into the quarantine area immediately. Saber, prepare the transfer. I'll call for backup."

     With that, the two go about their tasks, and soon after, vanish in a piller of light... ... Which brings them back to where they had been last time where they fought Longinus. Master and Servant walk through the recently cleansed area, until they reach the end of the line, and find where the corruption resumes. "Here. Wait a bit." She murmurs as she brings a hand to her ear, a holographic earpiece forming. Then she speaks.
Riku Of course Riku was going to arrive. He has some interest in the Moon Cell, perhaps even a measure of a vested interest considering the situation. As a result, it should be no surprise that the white-haired boy arrives at the location, striding with an easy gait. "Hey there." He says, adjusting a pair of leather gloves as he looks over Hakuno and Nero. "So, you have a solution?"

He turns his gaze to the corrupted area and frowns. "Looking as inviting as ever."
Ritsuka Fujimaru Jeanne, too, is here, but not at all for benevolent reasons. She had a good fight against that wild Lancer the last time she had come to the Moon Cell, and all that tournament watching has had her feeling fired up to get some fighting in of her own. Thus...

She shows up at the designated waypoint, looking over at the corrupted area with a slight grin on her face already as she looks over at Hakuno. "So? Out with your solution. If it's good, then you might still keep your head by the time we're finished here." It seems as though she's itching to bash some skulls in.
Touta Konoe      Touta was really excited...For the MECC fight of Gilgamesh and King Arthur. But when you a friend asks for help priorities change. Looks like he'll need to watch the recording later. For now he set off back into the Moon Cell. It takes some time but eventually Touta returns wearing the same attire as last time.

     "Hakuno, Saber it's good to see-" Touta stops mid-sentence. "Hey...Hakuno, you alright? You look like you haven't slept in ages..." He knew that she was researching this for quite some time and she had even said over the comms a while back that Saber didn't want her going out into danger but she looked plain exhausted. He looks at her for a moment to get an answer before turning to look at Saber with an inquisitive look as if gauging her opinion on her Master's current circumstances.
Crys Gattz It had been a while since Crys last deployed to aid Nero, since she started she will see this through to the end. The tournament had been a good watch, lots of partying and enjoying it she had chosen not to enter this time for personal reasons. Namely few know the full scope of what she can do, and she'd like to keep it that way. She'll arrive on site catching up with Sabre and Hakuno.

"Sabre, Hakuno you called for some help?"
Ryouma Sakamoto     It's never hard to get Ryouma's attention when these kinds of things are concerned. And luckily, where he goes, Oryou follows, and in this case of the fact the Moon Cell has large (data) frogs in it is always reason enough to visit by itself.

    Ryouma waves hello, ever smiling. "Emperor, miss Hakuno," he says, then a bit more reserved (but not unfriendly, just because he doesn't want her to chew him again): "Ah, hello again," right at Jeanne. "Your help is appreciated."

    Oryou just floats behind him, silently.
Nero      Nero, who stands ahead of Hakuno, has her blade already drawn, and stabbed into the ground. Her hands rest upon the pommel as she stares out into the blackened distance with a narrowed gaze. "Hmph. Who will come for us this day? Assassin again? Perhaps Sir Longinus wishes to try his luck once more? Or will I match blades with Saber? Mhmhmhm! Even still, I will emerge victorious."

     Hakuno smiles sheepishly, and shakes her head. "We don't know. It could be anyone. That is, assuming they have Servants of all seven basic classes..." She brings a hand to her chin thoughtfully, right around the time that Riku appears. The Master looks his way and smiles. "Oh, hello Riku. Thanks for coming." His curious inquiry regarding a solution is met with a nod, but before she can explain, Jeanne shows up, asking about the same thing, and then Touta, Chrys, and Ryouma and Oryou.

     Questioning of her physical state is met with a wave of the hand. "Uh, don't mind me. I've been researching the Moon Cell Archives, and carefully prodding at the Black Grail cube that we got last time based on several hypothesis." Nero meets Touta's look with a shake of the head. Apparently this was as good as it was going to get for now. Hakuno proceeds to walk into the corrupted territory, that familiar buzz of static dancing across the vision before it settles down.

     And she keeps talking. "After several weeks, I finally managed to complete my research, and I produced a strain of the Black Grail that cleanses rather than corrupts." She raises a hand, and a large white cube forms, floating above her raised palm in a slow, rotating manner. "If I can plant this in the very source of the corruption, then it should theoretically spread out and purify everything at once." She smiles. "It's more efficient than plucking out fragments one at a time like before."

     At that moment, they arrive at a roadblock. The land ends, and is divided by what looks like an ocean that stretches as far as the eye can see. Waves lap against the shoreline back and forth, a sickly veil of red thrumming through the water. Nero stops here and frowns. "My Praetor, be vigilant. I do believe that we have a guest..." She says, clenching her sword and raising it at the ready.
Riku Riku turns and walks with, giving a lazy wave. "No problem. Isn't going to be much of a place to move into if it's all messed up." He says simply.

The production of the white cube gets a squint from Riku, however. "You sure that's going to do what you think it's going to do? Too much purity might be just as bad as too much corruption." He shakes his head and shrugs. "Well, it is what it is." He walks along, grimacing at the distortion of the corrupted area.

Naturally, they are stopped along the way. "This doesn't look like a good place to take a dip." With a flick of his hand, he calls out Soul Eater, his armor manifesting over his body as he readies himself for combat. "Doesn't look like it's going to go down without a fight... Whoever's behind it, anyway."
Ritsuka Fujimaru "Oh. It's you again." Ryouma gets a hard stare from Jeanne as that grin fades momentarily. She holds that stare for a moment longer before turning back to Hakuno once more.

At least she didn't snap at him!

Hakuno's research talk draws a more inquisitive stare from the Avenger. "You seek to purify the corruption with the very thing that corrupts everything it touches? That sounds rather insane." She laughs lightly and shrugs along with Riku before moving to follow the group.

"Well, whatever. If it means there's something to fight, I can overlook how crazy that sounds for a while." Breaking into another smirk, she peers at Touta briefly before gesturing at the movement in the water. "Don't get yourself killed. I'm not carrying your corpse back if it slices you in half."

A beat, and then Jeanne draws her sword while pointing it towards the water. "Come on out! I don't have all day!"
Ryouma Sakamoto     "You reverse engineered the Black Mud?" Ryouma asks, evidently a bit amazed at Hakuno's talent. Digital reproduction or not, that's no small feat. "Ah... I look forward to seeing it in action then. I recommend keeping the backup plan on the table, though. Sir Longinus' lance should be a holy relic of sufficient strength to cleanse even that accursed mud, once we free him from his master's iron grip. Which, inevitably, we probably will have to."

    He'd rather it not be done through murder, though.

    "Oryou will eat Longinus' master. That'll solve the problem," Oryou chirps in, flatly, and Ryouma laughs nervously as ever.
    "We'll, ah, we'll cross that bridge when we get there, Oryou."

    Jeanne taunts whatever's in the water to come out; Ryouma just waits, because there's no sense engaging the enemy Servant on his own terms like that. And while Oryou can operate in water trivially, the same can't be said of everyone else, so moving the fight there would increase danger.
Crys Gattz Crys's one eye looks to Hakuno for a moment listening to what she has to say.

"So I'm ready as I'm going to be."

She takes note of the information and seems to be listening pretty intently.

"So this is something we can actually get rid of? Good!"

She'll take stock of the roadblock and summon a massive two-handed weapon. When one might take a closer look at the huge weapon It looks like someone turned a high tech chainsaw into a sword.

She has no trouble hefting it ready.

"All right then we should get ready."

There's a soft rumble as the chainsawed comes to life.
Touta Konoe      At no point during any of that did she say she wasn't tired, or actually okay so he's just gonna have to trust that Saber on this one. As Hakuno proceeds through the contaminated zone he makes sure to keep close considering the last time they've been in these situations they've been trying to go straight for Hakuno so he's sticking to her like glue with his blade out and ready.

     As they reach up to the ocean's edge and they see the red silhoutte within it only reaffirms his defensive stance with a smile on his face. "I don't plan on making it that easy. Besides, you may not have been keeping up with my matches, but I got a new trick or two. Let's see what this guy's got."
Nero      Nero laughs, "Hah! Indeed, I thought it sounded like madness myself, but perhaps that madness may be what is necessary to resolve this debacle once and for all!" She says in response to Riku and Jeanne. Hakuno meanwhile looks to Ryouma, recalling the white cube as Nero says that danger is afoot. She steps back a ways while she talks. "I'm not sure what will happen, but... Let's call it plan B. Longinus' spear would definitely be a safer bet." Pause. "That is, if we can get it or him, to cooperate."

     Right then, the ground quakes as the surface of the water ripples. Then, a large, blob-like shape rises up out of the corrupted ocean. It looks like... a shadow of the Black Grail. Towering above, like a skyscraper, a black blob with red orbs for eyes and long, noodly arms that end in three large points. On what can be called its shoulder, a lone figure stands high above.

     Wearing ancient robes, he is an old man with bronzed skin and a long, gray beard. There is a golden staff in one hand, and an ornate stone tablet under the other arm. "You will not be allowed to continue further, usurpers to salvation." He says gravely, while the shadow rears back with an arm... and swings it out to drag across the landscape quickly to mow everyone down at once.
Ritsuka Fujimaru "Safer, but more boring. Although I won't blame you if you do choose the safer option once we see what we're up against." Jeanne flashes a taunting grin at Hakuno. Nero, meanwhile, gets a more approving smirk as the Avenger sets her own blade aflame once something starts to emerge from the water. It's not exactly what she was expecting, but it's certainly large and threatening enough to get her blood boiling.

"A large enemy this time... Fine, then! If you're that big, then that's just more flesh to rend!" Cackling madly, Jeanne brandishes her blade and readies it in front of her as the shadowy creature swings its arm forward.

She makes no attempt to avoid the blow at all, instead going so far as trying to trade hits with the giant. She slashes mightily into its arm mere moments before being smacked by said arm, tumbling over it a few times and suffering a few dents and crack in her armor for her trouble.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz she looks to Nero for a moment

"Right shall we get to it?"

She will take stock of the thing beyond them and gets bad flashbacks a memory strikes her. The depths of Ragol the infestation of the Dark Falz and she tries to shake it off as someone else appears she looks at the old man she sees the staff and tablet for a moment.

"The light has nothing to do with what's here."

She notes and then she'll break into a run she's caught shadow strike it is dampened by her photon armour enough that she keeps going and that chainsawed of her? The chain blade is going full throttle now as she leaps fo the figure swinging it like one might a normal long sword a triple combo of slashes it seems she's not messing about. She says not a thing, but the look in her one good eye says it all she's on the hunt and this being before them is her prey.
Riku "I can respect that you're actually doing something instead of just talking like most people." Riku says, then thumbs back to the Dragon Waifu (no, not Jeanne, the other one) "I like her solution." Riku comments about Oryou's solution to the problem. "Simple. Clean." A pause. "Relatively."

Of course, this is when the enemy shows up. "Seriously?" He says, looking up at the mutant monstrosity. "This is getting ridiculous." That said, Riku doesn't skip a beat, leaping up to land on the arms of the beast with pinpoint precision, bouncing off of it as he lunges up towards the creature and slashes at anything that comes near even as it buffets at him. He runs /upwards/ along the beast, defying gravity in a ridiculous display of speed and agility.

"Who asked /you/ for salvation?" Riku snarks back as he rushes.
Ryouma Sakamoto     An old man riding a shadowy beast. Ryouma's not sure for the beast, but... Moses? Abraham? The tablet limits the number of people it could be but... the water makes one more likely than the other by a lot.

    "Ah, I don't know how I feel about fighting this particular opponent," Ryouma laughs, not arming himself yet. "Maybe we can talk it o--" Nope.

    The shadow attacks.

    Oryou imposes herself, shielding Ryouma with her body, and letting the thing's blow roll off her natural armor and divinity. It's a good thing she's magical enough to do that.

    "If Ryouma won't fight, Oryou will handle it." She says.

    She takes a deep breath, and then releases a nasty cone of blue-black fire straight for the old man and his pet. The fire burns not just flesh, but mana, making it the ideal weapon against a man who might just be a Caster.
Touta Konoe      The ground quakes, water ripples, and a large monstrosity appears to torment them. Seems about right. The old man gives his declaration. "Man, I feel like I've been hearing that line a bit more than I want to recently..." Before he says anymore though the shadow starts the big wind up and attempts to slam one of those oversized tentacle arms his way and he braces himself since well...He's decided he's on guard duty. So he'll be trying to guard and defend at the same time as the arm starts coming his way.

     "2000-FOLD!"

     He swings down his sword in an attempt to rend the arm in two and part it like a certain individual parted a certain sea. The sword makes contact with the monstrosity and he's does his best to keep himself afloat from it's strike as he tries making headway cutting through this thing.
Nero      Nero, of course, foregoes Jeanne's choice of facing that sweeping arm head-on. Instead, she grabs Hakuno around the waist with an arm and leaps up and backwards, over that terrible sweep. It wouldn't do to let her Master get flattened like that now. Though the Avenger does get a strike in against that crushing arm before getting knocked away.

     Crys tries to run up the length of the shadow's arm to get at the robed man standing on its shoulder. It doesn't quite work. The shadow's other arm lifts up, and the chainsword slices into the hand, rather than cleaving apart the staff bearing old man. Then, that giant hand leaking black fluids aims to smack her away and back into the ground.

     Of course, while this is happening, Riku, who was following the same path is met with the same attack that accosts Crys, intending to knock him back to the ground as well. Clearly no one is allowed to get near the old man on its shoulder. That man, however, responds. "The people need not ask for salvation." He says, stroking a hand through his beard with his staff bearing hand. "Salvation was promised to man long, long ago. And now, the promise will be fulfilled." A grave statement, yet there is not a hint of malice in his words. This is just what must be.

     Right then, while Ryouma doesn't attack, Oryou does. Unleashing a blast of fire right for the old man. But again, the shadow raises an arm and shields him despite the damage. Meanwhile, down below, Touta tries to cleave that massive shadow arm in two. And he is... partially successful? The sword certainly cleaves into it, and splits it apart, but that does not seem to render it useless.

     No. Now the shadow has THREE arms. And they all clench into fists, and come bashing down into the ground, quaking the land and cracking the pavement as it aims to crush those underneath.

     But that's not it. The shadow suddenly gains a mouth, parting wide as if 'jaws' were unhinging, to reveal a bright red insides. Energy gathers, and then Ryouma and Oryou are treated to a huge blast of pure energy, almost plasma-like, as it blazes down at them, and then sweeps across the street erractically, before resulting in a delayed explosion that sends schrapnel flying and building collapsing.
Ritsuka Fujimaru After that first hit, Jeanne is taking a slightly more defensive stance even while pointing her blade at the old man. "Hah! Salvation... What of it? Do you really think anyone can be saved just because you said so?!" The Avenger laughs once more, clearly not buying what he's saying about promises or salvation. Although the laugh is mostly a mocking one, there's also a hint of bitterness to go with it.

The laughter doesn't last for long, of course, as the creature's arms become considerably more numerous than before. Those ground-cracking punches, combined with the energy sweeping out across the group, even has Jeanne trying to actually defend against it this time! Stabbing her banner into the ground, a burst of flame erupts around it as it provides her with a bulwark against the worst of the laser and the debris falling at her. She still sustains quite a bit of damage and loses a pauldron in the process, but the Avenger still looks fired up as she charges the creature once more!

Instead of just stabbing it like before, however, she opts for a slightly more fire.. Flamey solution. Carrying that flaming banner with her, Jeanne raises it overhead as she starts slamming it downwards at the creature's arm, each swing bringing down a massive burst of flame like a burning sledgehammer!
Riku Riku continues to charge along the beast, almost antlike to the massive horror. He doesn't seem to be dissuaded by the inhuman creature's status, but the heavy strike does much more. With a yell, Riku leaps away, the strike almost crushing him... but his own shadow rushes out, forming into a large, dark form of black with gold eyes, clawed, muscled arms... And a gaping, heart-shaped hole in its chest. It takes the strike, guarding Riku from the worst of the blow. "Gggh! What's salvation worth if you don't earn it?" He yells. The shadowy Eidolon flashes back behind Riku, hands outstretched as he plants his feet into the thing's hands, and then he's boosted upwards, launching himself even higher as he shoots right back towards the beast! "Get out of our way! We're going to make our own path!" With a yell, he brings his hand back, the Eidolon rushing in behind as they strike simultanously with a massive punch into the side of the creature, a wave of dark flames blasting outwards from the impact point.
Ryouma Sakamoto     "Please don't encourage her," Ryouma jokingly asks of Riku, although there's a hint of being very serious in that tone too. But there's no time to joke about! The Shadow opens up, and that's enough of a tell to react.

    "Oryou, launch me!"

    Ryouma's shadow suddenly springs up, launching him high up in the air. Oryou, for her own part, flies away in the opposite direction, allowing the beam to scorch the ground where they used to stand. Aerial and on opposite ends of the Shadow, the two coordinate their strike.

    Ryouma draws his katana, the blade materializing from blue wisps of mana out of thin air. Oryou doesn't really do anything special.

    "My apologies, but I don't believe Salvation can come from this shadowy beast! Might we convince you to explain yourself over tea instead of... this?"

    Wishful thinking, but Ryouma has to try.

    Even as he and his wife crash down in an X-slash, Ryouma with his blade, suddenly fiery blue, and Oryou with her hair, like her entire body is one big divine blade.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz doesn't do as well as she'd hope but she does get a good hit on the shadow's arm, and the giant seems to be quite angry about it. Oh, it's very angry as she gets slammed into the ground like a bug leaving an impact crater. She lets out a scream of pain as she does she will crawl out o it looking fairly battered from that hit, she's not done, however. She grabs the red arm ring she wears and slowly get up with her chainsawed in hand still and breaks into a run for the man if she can get to him.

She will attempt to hack slashes her way through any in her way and she'll also fire off several bolts of flame from her off hand shouting

"FOIE"

As she does so and just keeps coming as she moves in again.

"I see not salvation I only see darkness."

The chainsawed picks up its pitch ahs she'll try for a leaping cleaving strike the moment she can get in range.
Touta Konoe Good news, his swords ends up cleaving through the shadow. Bad news, the arm splits into three now. The retaliation to Touta's retaliation is actually quite forceful. The arms come towering simulatenously and Touta finds himself hard pressed to dodge.

     End result: Monster thing +3 arms. Touta Konoe -1 arm.

     He's arm gets trapped under the grail and he's got a bad feeling of where it's gonna end up. But if it does get destroyed or something he can at least grow another one. But until then.

     Alright...I don't care if you're a Caster or a Rider or whatever, but I'mma make you pay for that one!

     Touta presses forward charging at the beast with but one good arm. Truth be told while he's been getting better at doing this since the fights in the MECC to say that he can do what he's about to do consistently is...Difficult to say the least. Still he'll attempt to do it, even without his hula-hoop. His blood will begin to spin slowly at first but continue circulating and gaining speed. The magics in his body will begin to separate.

     Touta goes in low as Oryou and Ryouma go in high. He this thing was a building he wanted it toppling to the ground

     "MAGIC CANCEL BLOW!"

     Touta lets loose a fist while still holding his blade towards the base of the creature hoping to see if it was possible to break up whatever magical grail mud or whatever it was from the ocean below it and see if he can make this Rider go down a peg or two!
Nero      Still stroking his beard, the old man looks down at Jeanne. He's silent, not even minding the chaos happening below. "... Dear child, you have been much, have you not?" That is stated while his eyes seem to see right through her. "... I can see it. You saved your people, yet in turn you were not saved by anyone. Truly pitiable." He shakes his head. "But it is for those such as yourself, that true salvation will embrace with unequal welcome." Those words are said even as flames dance across the arms of the giant shadow, scorching it and causing bits of black matter to melt off and fall into the ocean with loud splashes.

     Next, is Riku, as the robed figure looks his way. "For what reason must salvation be earned? God chooses to save all equally. Though man is imperfect, saving only those they want to save. God will save everyone. None will be left behind. Your path, your struggle, admirable as it is, factors little into the salvation to come." He says, while the shadow once again is struck by a brilliant blow from both sides by Eidolon and swordsman both. Yet still, the old man is unbothered.

     Just about then, Ryouma leaps up into the air into direct talking range, and the staff bearing elder looks up at him, smiling at something only he seems to find amusing. "This beast, is merely a sentry manifested to guard the promised land from those such as yourself who would interfere before the time is proper." He says, stroking a hand through his beard. That cross slash cleaves into the giant shadow, exposing a huge red X in its torso now.

     Just in time for Touta to come in from below and strike out with a blow that cancels magic. Once again... it sort of works? The strike definitely causes it to grow unstable steadily in a rising manner. But it doesn't vanish immediately. Instead, that serves as just the perfect opening for Crys to leap in and cleave into the shadow, which causes it to topple over and go sailing right into the ocean with a massive splash that sends water flying upwards, and then raining down on everyone dramatically.

     But where is the figure that was riding it?

     He's still in the air. Floating now under his own power. "Impressive. To contend with Salvation's sentry..." At that point, he floats down... down... down to the surface of the water, almost looking like he's standing on top of it. Then, he spreads his arms, and the ocean splits perfectly down the middle exposing the ocean floor as it divides.

     "Then I shall make my move. Parting the waves! Bring forth judgment upon these sinners!"

     Right at that commend, the two halves of the ocean roil and rise up behind the staff bearing elder, forming into two massive tidal waves that curl forward, and then go crashing right over everyone with crushing physical pressure and magical force combined.
Riku "You have to earn it because you're the one who hurt someone else. What are you supposed to learn if you just have it handed to you? How are you supposed to understand if you don't have to make up for it? How are you supposed to learn to do better!?" Something about this rhetoric seems to actually be getting to Riku, his cool edgy boy expression cracking as he grimaces, an expression of anger crossing his expression. "What kind of weak crap is that?! I don't want that! No one here does!"

But the nh's suddenly falling, the thing he was climbing diving into the water. With a yell, he plummets... And hits the ground as the ocean parts just before he hits the ground. "What...?" He gasps, looking up. "N... No way!" He says, eyes wide at the sight of the parted waters. Then they crash down upon him, the waves crushing him as that dark form does what it can to mitigate the colossal impact... And Riku vanishes into the dark, crimson waters.

A black tear opens in the air, and a soaked, battered Riku plunges from it, Soul Eater outstretched as he drops from it straight for the floating man. "YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE WHEN I'M DONE PAYING FOR MY SINS!" Riku yells, cleaving down and through the man's position with a strike that leaves a burning black trail behind him, the darkness erupting in fire and pain...

And then he emerges from another hole, slashing through his position again. And again. And again. And again. It keeps repeating, Riku going faster and faster as he emerges from Corridor after Corridor, until he reaches hit limit.
Ryouma Sakamoto     "That mud brings only ruin! How can a man so wise as you see salvation in it?" Ryouma asks, puzzled beyond belief. Corruption? Is it corruption? Or is there more to the Grail replica than awful evil mud?

    Oryou, unlike Ryouma, doesn't much care either way.

    Especially when tidal waves of holy water crush the two of them from both sides. Or try to, anyway. Oryou darts to Ryouma's side, her hair rattling about as if it were forming a bubble around the two. It's not quite perfect, but it'll do to stop the worst of the damage.

    Which still hurts a lot.

    But with the old man flying, he gets a pretty good look at what happens next. The waters darken, the shape of a massive serpent roaming under their surface and blackening the sea not unlike the Black Mud. The waters leap up, taking the shape of a big, great maw that tries to swallow the old man whole, Ryouma emerging from the waters to ride the maw.

    It's corrosive, mana-burning, liquid shadows.

    In the core of the shadow dragon's mouth is Oryou, lancing for the old man directly. She didn't transform, she's just imposing her shadows on the water and manipulating them to attack.

    Ryouma's handling the steering. Or looking cool, mostly. He likes to say he's technically a Rider. It's probably true.
Ritsuka Fujimaru The old man's observation only serves to drive Jeanne's rage further as her grip on her weapons tighten, the flames burn hotter around her, and even her expression becomes one full of anger rather than the previously amused one. "What...? You /dare/ to say something like that? If your God truly cared to save anyone, then...!"

As the water rises around the old man, so too do the dark flames churn around the furious Avenger illuminating her with that eery purple light. Anyone with the slightest ability to feel magic or read the room/battlefield will notice that she's burning a whole lot of mana at once!

"This is the howl of a soul filled with hatred!" She swings her sword in front of her, pointing it towards the old man. "La Grondement Du Haine!"

The flames surrounding Jeanne expand rapidly, surging through the flood of water washing over her. The flames boil the water rapidly around her to the point that she's surrounded by a bubble of steam, the surface wounds from being so close to so much steam at once going ignored by the Avenger in her sheer rage directed all towards that one target. As the fire pushes through the tidal wave, yet more geysers of flame erupt from the earth beneath the old man followed by numerous spears shooting towards him from below. As the spears reach their target and collide with each other, an explosion bursts forth around them centered on the old man's location!
Crys Gattz Crys presumes the being before her, just looks like an old man. Not that he would be weak and feeble as a human of such age actually shout be.

"You speak a good game and sound like a warrior monk I knew a long time ago but I doubt you speak of the god he served."

This man has done something few can get Crys to do in a fight, which is talk. Given she normally does not do so.

She will take notice that something else is now happening as the wave start to form. Crys drives her chainsawed into the ground to brace herself and puts her photon barrier as high as it can go. That is all that saves her it breaks enough of the 'waters' force. She's battered soaking wet and looking a bit like an angry cat in that respect she'll pull her weapon out of the ground. She's also clearly hurt from everything she's suffered so far.

She keeps going for the man and she'll char letting lose a mix of ice and fire blasts as she does so.

If she can somehow reach the man or get close enough to leap she will leap upon him with all the fury she can muster.
Touta Konoe      If anyone had any doubts about what Servant this guy was, it was definitely not hard to figure out now. While his class still hadn't been revealed yet the power of whatever Servant Moses was, had proved to be powerful none the less. So much so that as Touta thinks he's got his Revolution under control...He doesn't. The moment his attack gets unlashed he feels his balance disrupted. That equilibrium he finds breaks and the end result is that it leaves him highly susceptible to the massive Tidal Waves that would ensue. And oh would they ensue.

     Waves crash with immense amount of force, and while Touta at first thinks that he was just going to suffer some nasty knockback, or crushing force under the pressure of this water pressure but something's wrong here. Everything burns...

     Well that made sense, Moses did in fact split the narrow sea which had lots of salt, and salt in Touta's sliced off arm wound would probably sting and burn like crazy...But that wasn't the case. Everything felt like it was burning. Why did it feel like that when he was in water....And that's when he realizes it.

     "UWAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

     It was holy water. Touta's skin begins to burn off like he's been bathing in acid. His clothes thankfully are covering up a good deal or else things would be getting much nastier than they already are.

     He's in pain. Grueling amounts of pain. But he knows that if he stays in this water he'll die so. So he's gotta focus. There's no time for the hoop. He's got to start it up again under duress.

     The water that enveloped him begins to spiral around him and the the waters around Touta's body just begin evaporating instaneously.

     More now than ever this kid looks less like he got out of water and more like he just got out of an inferno. In a way this Servant's Noble Phantasm had brought forth judgement on this 'sinner'.

     "Hey pal, I'm not too religious but I gotta ask. What's it mean if I survived your judgement?" Touta finds himself still able to smile just enough as he grimaces through the pain. He's gonna use Magic Cancel one last time but this time he plans to get up close and personal and remove this magical gunk altogether.
Nero      Nero decides she can't possibly clear this with a jump. so she stands in front of Hakuno, flaming sword at the ready as the twin waves bear down on everyone. "Mhmhmhm.... Ah ha ha ha ha! If you will part the seas and crush us with the waters of judgment, then I shall reject your judgment with all that I have! Moses, The Prophet!" She laughs uproariously, and then raises her sword high. "Laus Saint Claudius!" The flames burst into a swirling tempest as she swings forward and cleaves into the tidal wave as it crashes down onto their position, steam hissing as it rises up from the meeting of fire and water.

     Soon after that, Riku bursts through the water and comes flying right at Moses, as Nero has so named him. His gaze lands on the boy and a smile forms. He doesn't try to stop it. Soul Eater cleaves into him. And then again, and again and again and again, through corridor after corridor, blood splattering every which way.

     But that's not the end of it. A dark shadow of water repurposed by Oryou lances right up at him and devours him whole. And while he's engulfed in that water, Jeanne's flames burst to life and pierce through the wave to consume Moses directly, spears lancing up from below and colliding to cause an explosion that scorches his body. And yet still, even more flames are fired at him, with shocks of frost mixed in in an alternating array.

     Through all of this, Moses somehow still floats. Until Touta comes hurtling in to unleash one last magic canceling blow right into his chest.

     He goes sailing through the air and hits the ocean waters as the waves settle back down. He skips a few times, and then disappears beneath.

     .... .... All is silent after that.

     ".... Is it... over?" Hakuno asks tentatively. But juuuust then, Moses' voice can be heard ringing out in amused laughter. "Hah...hahahaha....hahahahaha! ...Very good... yes, very good indeed." His body is nowhere to be seen, yet his voice echoes all across the ocean. "... You have passed my trial, and therefore... my work here is complete."

     The ocean parts again, but this time, it doesn't rise up to attack. It stays that way, revealing the way forward. And in the far distance, the faint shape of a castle of some sort can be seen. "If you believe in your own ideals, then continue onwards. He who grants salvation will meet with you without reservation..."

     After those words are said, golden particles begin to rise up out of the water... and nothing more is said.
Riku Riku cleaves through the man over and over and over, Moses reeling at the attack as Riku expends his intense anger in a short, violent burst of Darkness. Again, he falls, unable to maintain the energy to remain aloft any longer as he falls down, his Eidolon catching him before he hits. Riku slides out, banishing his weapon as the man relents and vanishes, the way opening. "Enough of that." He says, grunting as he looks over at the castle in the distance. "Well, I guess we're going to just hang a sign out saying 'go this way'." He says to the others, and nods. "Let's move." His expression still looks irritated, the teen stalking off with less but still present agitation.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz pauses for a moment she knows that name.

"..."

She shake he head a bit but say nothing as she recovers from the last attack but it's clear she's in no condition for a fight she looks to Moses and wonder what could warp a person with a reputation like this? She pauses was it a trial? She's not sure but she'll push on before muttering.

"Heck of a fight."

She wonders now what is going on, the ocean doesn't try to kill her at least so far. She will end up moving forward wondering what awaits them.
Ryouma Sakamoto     "Did we... did we just kill Moses?" Ryouma asks, extremely uncomfortable. He seems to seek the answer out of Jeanne, of all people, too.

    "Oryou thinks he deserved it," his partner adds in, floating down to hover by his side again.

    "I... maybe, but that's... still unfortunate."
    Ryouma scratches the back of his neck in discomfort.

    "Oryou will destroy that castle to cheer Ryouma up," she offers. Ryouma jerks back to attention. "Ah, no, no! Not yet! We need to meet who's inside, first. It'd be a shame to have come so far just to do that. Perhaps we'll find Assassin, Lancer and their master inside."
Ritsuka Fujimaru Jeanne continues to burn with unholy energy as she listens to that old man laughing despite his lack of a body, already conjuring more spears and preparing to take things even further. "Tch... Really, did you think talking about belief would get anywhere with me? Foolish old man." Scoffing once more, Jeanne turns to the path and looks out towards the castle further ahead.

"Honeyed words from an old man that's far outlived his usefulness. Maybe he'll stay dead this time." Answering Ryouma somewhat inadvertently, the Avenger cracks a slight grin at Oryou's comment. "He did. If he hadn't said something so foolish, maybe he'd have left a corpse behind."

Another look at the castle, and she shrugs. "Oh well. Let's keep moving already!"
Touta Konoe      "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!" This wasn't his intent. He had meant to strike at the creature with his attack, not at Moses. He knows what Magical Cancel is capable of doing to Servants. He knows that Magic Cancel was something capable of dispelling familiars and Touta having come to know so many Servants was aware of one fact, no matter who they were or how powerful they are, a Servant was still just a familiar conjured by the Grail. Truth be told he had never used Magic Cancel on a Servant before and he never wanted to. Because in his eyes he still considered them alive. It didn't matter that they were resurrected or some sort of ghosts or whatever, they were here right now and that was enough for him. Especially with the type of friends he had.

     So to see his fist slam into the Servant at the last moment is frightening. As the fighting ends his body is visibly shaking as he looks at his fist. He doesn't even care about the majority of his body covered in burns that aren't healing. He doesn't care about that at all. He cares that he almost killed that guy, and it sends shivers down Touta's spine.

     '...You have passed my trial...'

     Touta looks up ignoring any other voice that may be trying to get his attention. "How...How did he?" He takes a deep breath processing what just happened. "Maybe..." Maybe at the last moment as he panicked, and freaked out about killing Moses he ended up disrupting his own blood flow? So Magic Cancel wasn't as effective as it could have been. That'd make sense right? Yeah, that had to be the reason...

     Well for the time being at least Touta didn't have to contemplate if he was a murder or not as he take in a sigh of relief. At least for now.

     Touta picks himself up, he looks pretty nasty at the moment with the burn marks but he's still got that usual carefree smile, even if it does look a bit forced. "Yeah, I'm ready to keep going if you guys are-" The moment he even tries to walk though he falls face first. Truth be told, he definitely does not look combat ready. Hell, his arm that got crushed from before hasn't even re-attached yet.
Nero      Nero swings her weapon and disperses the flames. "And so, the great prophet has fulfilled his duty. Rousing." She mutters, entirely unimpressed. Hakuno, meanwhile just... stares at the path open to them now. "As much as this seems like a trap... I think this is the only way to get some answers, so..." She steps forward, and starts down the center of the ocean with everyone else. She tries not to think about the fact that they just defeated a biblical figure like that. Not that she was especially religious, but it was once such a widespread thing on earth, that it feels odd.

     Touta gets a glance, and the Master furrows her brows. "... Well, um." She walks over to him and tries to help him stand back up. "Here, Touta." She looks down the split ocean path, and then sighs. "... We should go back for now. Touta here has seen... better days. And have the rest of us to be honest."
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz pauses for a moment and looks at herself for a moment.

"I hate to say it but you are right I'm in no shape to keep fighting."

She wil turn about and start to head back. She does look like she's about to fall over too.