Scene #7010: FateParadox: The First Malformation

Owner	Pose
Eryl Fairfax	The usual sounds of Neo-Tokyo, the cars and foot traffic and hustle and bustle can not be heard today. Instead, there are sirens. There are shouts from civil servants and safety managers guiding people away from the city centre. The shadow cast by the great orbital elevator is lit by flames caused by burning vehicles and spilled fuel. A great roar seemingly shakes the city's foundations. "Avenger...!" A window on a nearby skyscraper erupt in gunfire as a flying man in military garb comes out firing at a great hulking figure at street level. Bullets impact his broad chest. Drawing blood from under his black coat, but his melted, twisted face bears only the eternal grimace he always does. It is Paradox Assassin, and the flying figure blasting at him is Paradox Avenger. "De... gure... chaff..." the latter says with laboured breathing. Assassin lashes out with tendrils stemming from his coat pocket, attempting to snag the military man and bring him crashing down, but he blasts into another building to evade it. "Vexing," bemoans Hikari Toromaru from his hiding place in the stairwell leading down to the subways. "Assassin is quick for his size, but Avenger is faster and has the power of flight. Should I try to flee on the streets, he will gun me down. Should I fully retreat into the subway, he will pursue where I have no room to escape. Think..." Sirens draw closer as emergency response teams approach to make matters even messier.
Sumiko	Earlier, Mikoto was huddled over a book at her school. It was hard work to get back to where she was in her studies...and as someone who usually slacked off, it was odd to see her put the effort to recover so hard. Flipping another page, her eyes looked up at the time. She had another few hours of work and then she'd go home to eat and rest. Finally, enjoy her weekend, and start thinking about actually joining some clubs. These carefully laid plans are about to be destroyed by the explosive fight. Now, Mikoto runs through the city, her magical girl garb already summoned the moment she got close to the actual fighting. Coming around a corner she crouches and looks up, trying to get a feel for what was going on, only to see the two servants colliding. Standing up, she moves towards the center of the road, with the jade sword over her shoulder. "Alright, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing here, but this is my turf. I am Mikoto Shimizu, Magical Girl of Envy, and I do not like it when people damage /my/ things. So kindly get your asses off, or I'm going to start handling this roughly." Mikoto points the sword at the both of them. "I'm really pissed that you're here making a mess too, so I suggest you don't make this worse."
Touta Konoe	When situations had arised in Neo-Tokyo that needed handling of individuals that were above the government's power, there was one group they called upon. A group that was considered a dangerous entity, but a valuable asset should they remain loyal and act on the demands of the Government. It's because of this the government allowed this organization a place of residence ten kilometers off the coast of the city for this reason. Though when chaos starts ensuing on such a large scale the group known as UQ Holder, one of the closest things to a faction this universe is more familiar with, is brought in to deal with the situation. After who better to throw their lives away then immortals right? The first to be dispatched of this group is a youth of spikey-black hair who looks no older than fourteen. His attire matching his black blade as he arrives on the scene before him. It's been a long time since anything crazy's happened back home so when he hears that something's up he's quick to get going and he's not the only one apparently already seeing Mikoto beat him into town. Though upon seeing what's actually happening... "...Wait there are...Avenger? Assassin?!" Oh and who could forget, "...Hikari?!!?!?!" The young man lets out a shout to let the guy know that he sees him, and he is NOT happy. The last time the two had spoken Touta had been able to drop him with a smile on his face, what was he expecting of Touta when he would think that he was actually pissed. "YOU GUYS BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR POPPING INTO MY TOWN!!!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Things are on fire. These fires have not been caused by Jeanne's hands, and they're in a region vaguely close to where she's claimed her domain. Unacceptable. The white-haired girl is already consumed by a flashy burst of flames as her armor forms around her, darkened sword in hand and banner billowing behind her as she regards the two combatants. It's those Servants from the Paradox War. Leaping onto a nearby vehicle, the Dragon Witch observes down the fighters for a while longer before drawing a long cut along the top of the car for a nice, horrible metal-on-metal noise. Hopefully, there's nobody in it, but she didn't really check beforehand. "You two! Although I enjoy watching people fight it out for my amusement, you're making a mess in /my/ territory. Fight it out somewhere else that won't get in my way in the morning, like the top of a tower or the docks!" A beat, and then Jeanne shakes her head when not one, but two annoying children arrive. She glances over at Touta and Mikoto, groaning tiredly at their own announcements. "Great. You two know them, then? Lovely. If they're any more annoying than this, do either of you mind if I just kill them?"
Staren	Avenger's been sighted somewhere. As part of helping Tanya, he must be taken down... ...But it turns out that they're tearing a city apart. Staren flies in from the warpgate and hovers a few stories up from the battle. "SERIOUSLY?! Since like DAY ONE of this war you guys have been interfering with civilians! And it doesn't even give you a damn ADVANTAGE here, it just makes a bunch of people mad at you!" Staren pulls from his bag an alien-looking, vaguely weapony device, which reshapes and extends into a staff with a nozzle at the end. It blasts Assassin with firehose-force water once, and he tries to get the speedier Avenger with it too next time he shows himself in the street. "Bad servants, bad! Get out of here! Scat! Go play outside!" he raises his head and shouts, "RULER, GET IN HERE AND DO YOUR DAMN JOB!"
Reiji Arisu	Past a certain point, all the myriad Tokyos of the multiverse begin to blend together. Sure, there are some differences between individual cities: some have horrible cybernetic god-monsters plotting the assimilation of the globe from under Tokyo Tower, others have completely sealed off the Shibuya district due to rampant space-time anomalies, and this one in particular has a space elevator. It's also kind of on fire. And that, from some sideways interpretation of an ancient Arisu family charter, makes this altercation somehow his problem. "Tokyo's a big enough town to belong in two completely seperate territories, I guess," Reiji Arisu says from the middle of a nearby fire escape. "But it's plainly not big enough for this to go on much longer." He shrugs at the Avenger of Orleans, and seems only mildly put out that he couldn't make a ~cool entrance~ by lighting a cigarette on her frequent firebursts. That would probably be profoundly unhealthy, though. Not just the cancer-sticks-- smoking anything lit by the flames of hatred and wrath is probably not a good idea. "I'm afraid that killing them would cause even more trouble, judging from how things've gone before. If anyone but one of their own kills them, the resulting backlash could do unspeakable damage to the city." Or turn it into Osaka, or something. That would just be awful. "More importantly... What's that flying one doing ranting about a Degurechaff? There's no way he could be mistaking that wall of zombified flesh as the Angel of the Rhine, is there?"
Tanya Degurechaff	"Oh Father, grant me the power to protect your faithful from evil." It is a small girl with glowing yellow-gold eyes who alights on top of a building, several blocks down the street from where Assassin and Avenger exchange fire. Clad in military garb of her own, this girl immediately lifts her rifle, a semi-automatic piece with a hefty magazine protruding from the side. A series of holographic screens materailize around her, zooming in several times on the airborne of the two fighters. Tanya von Degurechaff's eyes narrow, her jaw setting as she holds the rifle firmly to her shoulder. In their last battle, the fight that killed him, he had ambushed her squadron. The corner of Tanya's mouth turns upward just a touch, the Major hesitating just long enough to appreciate the reversal. When she fires, the bullet travels far faster than normal, tracing a line of blue magic down the street. Her target: Avenger's backpack, where the mechanism of his flight unit is supposed to be.
Eryl Fairfax	Accompanying Touta is Rynith, having already produced one of her blueprint weapons. With a grim look on her face, she whispers to him. "Touta. Not counting Saber, every Paradox Servant is present here. The War could very well be decided today. We must be cautious." Hikari looks over at the arriving crowd and lets out an exasperated sigh. "And now the do-gooders are here." Taking a peek at the ongoing battle between Assassin and Avenger, he judges the moment to make a dash towards them all. "I will be frank; I came here to settle the score with you," he points to Touta. "Only to get ambushed by Avenger. The chaos in the streets was not my intention, I am the victim here. Avenger is a loose cannon, evidentially unable to track his real quarry any more. Assassin is entirely at my beck and call. If your goal is order in the city once more, best to throw your lot in with me." Assassin is doused with water, but the hulking mass of necrotised flesh barely even flinches. He turns to look at Staren, but Hikari tuts at him. "As wayward as he is, we have thrown in with he and the Concord. Ignore him Assassin." He cracks a sly smile. "See? I can be co-operative, even when others are not." Avenger jukes through the air, blasting into a tight alley to avoid the pressurised spray before rocketing upwards to hove above the roofs. And then a bullet dings his flight unit. It's not a perfect shot, but it's enough to destabilize him, cause him to rapidly lose altitude. He turns his head, and sees the aggressor. "Degurechaff...!" This would be the moment whereupon he flew at her in a murderous rage. But... he doens't. He rejoins the battle with Assassin. Something is up.
Tanya Degurechaff	It's not a clean hit, but it got his attention. Tanya adjusts her aim, amassing her magical strength for another shot. No doubt the second he realizes who fired that, he'll... ...go back to fighting Assassin. Tanya hesitates, then lowers her rifle, eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and surprise. This flies in the face of everything she's managed to figure out about Avenger Colonel Anson Sioux's obsessions and compulsions. Her entire plan was to lure him to a less populated area if that shot didn't disable his flight unit entirely; because she had assumed he would immediately charge her. The girl's eyes narrow once more, back to business. And now that business is 'what is overriding Avenger's compulsion'. Answering that question and pacifying him, however, are not mutually exclusive objectives. But with Avenger fixating on Assassin, Tanya does lift off from her perch, approaching at a normal cruising speed just above the roofline.
Sumiko	Mikoto frowns, being ignored, but then again it's a pitched battle between to deadly forces. However, she slowly starts walking towards Hikari with her sword on her shoulder. She's mad, she's /very/ mad because this is a threat to her home, something she just got to receive and has been relaxing into. Once in front of him, she grabs him by the shoulders and moves to slam him into a wall. Not GENTLY, but control in her superhuman strength. "You claim to be Concord, so you had to know this is my home. You came here knowing that and caused this mess. Tell me why I shouldn't eviscerate you right now." A shade over her face falls, and her eyes seem to gleam a bright green.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	The idea of holding back or sparing anyone in a fight is rather repulsive to Jeanne, especially when it's coming from someone she only vaguely recognizes enough to not be a Servant. It's only when the cost of the kill 'em all method is revealed by Reiji that she finally lets those flames die down. He shouldn't be smoking, anyway. Burning things down one at a time is good for visibility. Death as a mere result isn't. Plus, the locals do put up with her presence, so that's a decent enough reason to assist with this as a capture mission instead of just killing the Servants or trying to get her hands on that Grail. She doesn't put that possibility out of her mind, but for now... Capture. All that's left is to actually do that. Jeanne's just not sure how to actually do that. Her skills are primarily in the field of killing the shit out of whatever she goes near, after all, so what is a girl with fire and sharp weapons to do? Taking a cue from Tanya, She starts approaching the flying Avenger steadily without so much as breaking into a run. "You're looking for a European, are you? I'm right here, so come up with something more interesting to say!" Taking a gamble on his durability, Jeanne rears back and flings her sword right at the flier before leaping after her blade to catch it in midair and take a flaming swing at the flight unit in passing!
Touta Konoe	When Rynith finally arrives on the scene and tells him the situation, it makes him re-evaluate who in fact was here. Avenger, Assassin, Lancer, with the exception of Saber who could appear any second and Ruler who was...Gone, it really was possible that this could be were the Paradox Grail War ends. It leaves a distasteful look on Touta's face, "There's literally an entire Multiverse where this could have ended...Go figure it'd be in my back-yard." He continues to stay silent for a moment as he chews over her words pulling out the pactio card. Master's could talk to their Servants telepathically and while Touta wasn't a Master having a Pactio was pretty damn close in that regard at least, ("Alright, we'll be careful then, and Rynith...If you see the Grail let me know, if what Reiji says is right, and my gramps disappearing is anything to go by this could get...Messy.") He breathes in for a bit as he says the next thing with a smile on his face, "Hey Rynith, when this all ends a couple of us wanted to know if you wanted a full-time job here. You're way better than when Jeanne and Mikoto started out plus you don't need any school'ing. You don't have to answer now but think about it..." It's an odd thing to ask a Servant. He should know that 'when this was all over' Rynith should be gone, and yet he says those things to her regardless without anything more to go on. Instead he looks back towards Hikari who argues his point to which Touta can't help but smirk ever so annoyed, "Alright smart-ass. Fine we got a truce, but..." He watches Mikoto slam the bastard into the wall to which he finds himself placing a hand on her shoulder, a firm grip given as he tries to look her in the eyes with a calm look. As if to reassure that she's not gonna lose anything...Before looking back to Hikari, "...My sister here, who's also part of the Concord might not feel the same. So you might wanna apologize for attacking her home and promise on your life that you're going to do everything you can to make sure nothing bad happens here, capiche?" With that Touta follows the others in the pursuit of Avenger, it seems like he's got hit pretty well by Tanya and it should be enough to want him to charge her like usual but... "He's not taking the bait?" Tanya makes her notes and Touta agrees, "If it's restraint I've got this. Just make sure that your lackey and Assassin don't hit me from behind!" He enters the fray and while Avenger's around ground level brings out his trusty 'Side-stick'. He brings his blade to the Servant but there's something with with this image, he's holding the blade backwords as he swings. "100,000 FOLD!" He shouts as he assaults the Servant. His intent to pin this Avenger where he is and keep him there. He knows Servants are strong, but he also knows that not all Servants are monster crazy strong. If he finds himself able to pin the guy down, he'll probably start up the questions himself, "Alright there grumpy! I don't care if you're trying to finish this war, you're not doing it in my town! So you need to get the hell out of here!" Okay it's less a question and more of a demand.
Staren	Staren wasn't trying to hurt Assassin anyway. But they do need to be driven out of the city... Which should be easy, with the object of Avenger's hate right here... But... something's convinced him Assassin is Tanya? The hell?" "Hey!" Staren doesn't pursue, but fires at Avenger from where he's hovering for now -- using the beam cannons when he's high enough in the air that missed shots won't hit the city, and the water cannon otherwise. Staren calls downwards: "Hey, Toromaru! If he's after Assassin instead of Hand Degurechaff, then have Assassin lead him out of the city!"
Reiji Arisu	Information has been disseminated. Critical information, at that. To kill either of these servants in the middle of a city would be a recipe for absolute disaster. Reiji clicks his tongue and leaps up from his perch, climbing to the rooftop of a nearby building to line up his shot. Clearly, he doesn't understand the storied relationship between Tanya and the Avenger, but he doesn't need to. He's been told how to disable the servant, and so he goes to do just that. The exorcist unholsters his handcannon, the weapon gleaming gold in the Tokyo sun. "We can at least count on the zombie to be under control. This one, though--" He fires, sending a burst of enchanted rounds right for the Avenger's flight unit... And the air around him? The reason becomes obvious as the bullets sail wide of their 'intended' target. Each one opens up into a glowing geometric pattern etched into the very air. If the Avenger takes a wrong turn to avoid the Onmyoji's shots, he might find himself flying right into one of those sealing arrays. Such wards may not be able to lock the anti-heroic spirit away, but they'd probably do a decent job of pinning him in place for long enough to enact more permanent restraints.
Eryl Fairfax	Rynith is surprised at Touta extends a job offer to her. "Is this really the time and the place?..." she asks him. But she asks him with a smile. "I will think on it. Thank you." Hikari is shoved against a wall, drawing a wince. He looks at Mikoto and blinks in confusion before laughing. "Oh yes. Mister Valeth's guinea pig, correct? It took me a moment to remember who you even are, so do not accuse me of 'knowing' every little thing you do. I am not surprised that you are throwing your weight around though. You're just a mere thug who got in on someone else's good graces. I'll be sure to explain why I am important slowly, so you understand. The Grail War is of huge import to all, but the First especially. If you kill me, you deny the Concord a valuable asset in said War. Do you think anyone could, or would, shield you from the First's wrath if you did so?" Touta butts in, asking for a pledge from Hikari. He rolls his eyes, and raises a hand. "Oh very well. I promise to do all in my power to ensure a happy ending for everyone. Satisfied?" Assassin's massive hand wraps around the entire length of Mikoto's arm as Jeanne attacks Avenger. Her sword cleaves into Avenger's form, drawing blood before she follows up with a burning slash. Her flames seem to dim slightly as she cuts him, but he is still burned regardless. He howls in pain. "Degurechaff...!!!" Touta follows up, leaping up to try and pin Avenger under the multipled weight of his sword. The moment it touches the soldier, it starts becoming lighter immediately. But it still has weight enough to drive him down as he presses the barrel of his light machine gun against Touta's head, swerving to get out from under it as he squeezes the trigger. Hikari looks to Staren, still against the wall, and snaps his fingers. "Fine idea. Now that I have you all covering me, I don't need to hunker down. Once you ensure that your comrade does not try to kill me, I will order Assassin to do just that!" Avenger takes to the air again as Reiji fires at him. He swerves to try to avoid the bullets, but the expanding patterns catch him off-guard. He is caught, trapped in the air when suddenly, a bolt of lightning slams into him and sends him skidding along the ground. The source is a tall, grand figure, shining with an inner light as he walks up the road. "This day be'th a fine day to end this War. Come forth Avenger, Lancer. Offer me thine heads, and I shalt make your ends neat. Then I shalt take Assassin's life, as agreed. This War will end." Paradox Saber is here, with Cenedril at his heels. Avenger lies in a pile of his own soot, looking to the sky as Tanya flies overhead. "Degurechaff...?"
Sumiko	Mikoto, because of Touta drops Hikari and takes a step back, yanking her arm out of the grip of Assassin. There is a look in her eye, that is not friendly, even though she smiles. "If you think all of that, then why is your servant here? I mean, after all, if your position was so important to the First...then why are you worried?" Her grin becomes a toothy one, but she turns away, "I'll be back for you once this crisis is solved. I would suggest you think of a way to make it up to me by then, or I do not think the First is going to care what I do to you for your transgression. After all, if you didn't know, it is because you didn't do your homework. You made a stupid mistake, and incompetence is something the Concord does not tolerate. Unlike you, I stand on my achievements, not because I have allies in the Concord." Her eyes look towards Degurechaff hovering over Avenger, as her eyes glow again, only briefly. One of the flight packs that Tanya and Avenger were using appears on her back, ready to send her into the air. There is a lot going on, and she's sure that it's based on that old man they saw once. They want to restrain Avenger, which seems like more work and puts her ally's life in danger, but Tanya proves to be braver than Mikoto is. She closes her eyes, ok maybe that power she took from Tetra might help right now.
Tanya Degurechaff	Tanya throws up her free hand, shielding her eyes when Saber appears in the act of smiting Avenger. Banking, she circles around, observing the other Servants as they gather. Eventually, she swings her legs forward and descends near the fallen Legendonian colonel. Responding perhaps to her name, she approaches him with her rifle lowered and aimed to the side. "You have been defeated." Coming to a stop, standing above Avenger, she stares down at him with those glowing golden eyes, an unreadable expression on her face, "Issue your unconditional surrender and I will see that you are treated with dignity and respect granted under the conventions of the Treaty of Worms." This is stupid, she thinks intensely. This is far too risky. But it has to be this way, because the alternative leads to an even more lethal alternative. However, the thought rolls through her mind, this being such a departure from the time she did kill him-- that may change how he's likely to respond as well.
Staren	Staren floats down to Hikari, and sternly says, "By the way, if you threaten a Concord agent again I will cut off your hand and find someone else to give your command seals to." Everything happens at once. Gwyn's here ready to win the war, but killing a Servant would be bad here except it won't except it would -- eventually it emerges that they're going to restrain Avenger, and running water will help Reiji do that. Fine. Staren flies over Avenger and keeps blasting him with the water to assist Reiji. Eventually the flow stops, and Staren opens a panel on his device, removing a steampunk-looking glass and metal battery and putting in a fresh, glowing one from his bag. "Hurry up, after this I'm outta juice!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru	"Is that the only thing you know how tosay? Ugh, you're like..." Jeanne squints. "... You'd be rather fun to face as a Berserker. Oh well. Perhaps in the next war." Smirking again, she leaps back to give the others room to strike, then looks over when a new, shining figure arrives. For some reason, his presence is just as repulsive as some of the other people here. "Very interesting... You there! After this mockery of an Avenger is brought down, you're next!" She points her sword towards the Paradox Saber to announce her presence to him, but turns back to the Avenger soon afterwards. With Reiji's plan being issued and not much of her own plan to work with, JEanne might as well play along for now. The sooner this is done, the sooner she can get to fighting the Saber. As Staren provides the water, the Dragon Witch starts conjuring up her own flames on the side opposite the water. Despite the intensity and force of the flames, she's actually got them under control! The logistics of it don't make much sense to her, but... Well. She's no magus. Or... Whatever the hell the man in the red jacket is. She does take a moment to raise an eyebrow at Staren skeptically, though. "I'm pretty sure she threatened him first, if you're keeping track. Or do you just ignore whatever's inconvenient for you?"
Reiji Arisu	Reiji stands in muted shock as Saber's iconic sunlight spear smashes into the immobilized avenger. His head snaps to stare at the imposing figure of Lordran's Lord of Light. "Gwyn," he murmurs, the gears turning in his mind. This situation is perfect. /Too/ perfect. A setup by which any one of them could end the war in an instant, if the tide turns in the right direction. Moreover, a battle here would cause chaos and death of untold proportions. If the Grail ritual is as tainted as he fears, then it would be the perfect catalyst... But, at the very least, the Concord has reasonable people among its leadership. Reiji nods toward Tanya as a decision is reached. She goes to distract the Avenger, and the Onmyoji moves as the plan comes together. Water and fire are unleashed. The city itself is an abundant source of metal. Wood and Earth are all that are left. He takes Hollywood in one hand and Chirai in the other, supplying and abundance of both. A confluence of heat and cold are provided. A meeting of Yin and Yang. It's the best he can hope for. "I call upon the supreme ultimate. From oneness comes duality. From duality, the world is given meaning. From the living world, arises the five elements," Reiji incants as he lands at his intended location. His other three weapons lance outward, moving by sorcerous rite toward a source of each of their respective elements. "I--" he says, voice resonating with purpose, "Am One With All Things In Nature." On the ground underneath the Avenger, beneath the point where Staren's water and Jeanne's fire meet, a massive geomantic array unfolds. Reiji whirls in a ritualistic dance of sanctified steel and sacred gunsmoke, reaching out into the whirling elements of the world. He uses Yin and Yang as the fulcrum. The cycle of the five elements are the fuel. The sacred geometry expands, a circle of two forces connects outward to a pentagram within a pentagon-- the twin cycles of creation and destruction of the five eastern elements. Then from there, the pentagon forms a circle within an octagon rimmed by the eight primordial trigrams. Reiji Arisu has begun a ritual of sealing, a binding to lash the Avenger into quiesence. He counts on the others to ensure that he doesn't die in the attempt...!
Touta Konoe	Of course he has to tell her now. Because truthfully...This could be the very last time he may see her if this war comes to an end, her end may very well follow suit. The thought of that moment has been in his mind for some time now and he hates it. Hates it enough that he forces himself to shake it off. The only way he can be sure to avoid that outcome is if he's able to have his plan work out to a T. A plan that even he's not even 100% will work, but knows that if it does...It might let him keep some sort of peace. He finds himself mumbling under his breath, "If I remember right there's more to the ritual than just that..." For some time Touta ends up on his radio speaking to others. The contents of his conversation varying but apparently he has ideas, plans, and possibly some final words and requests. By that time Touta had already put his comms away and went on the attack against Avenger, the anti-gravity magic of the back-pack proving to be troublesome for his blade. He gets repelled at gun-point, Touta dodging with breath-taking reflexes as bullets chisel through the side of his face. His body immediately healing but still being knocked off the Servant. But he's fine with that, because it lets him prepare for the finale as Saber approaches. He's not sure if the goliath of a Servant even remembers Touta but for a moment he locks eyes with this Swordsman. But only for a moment as he pulls out something from his back pocket. He finds himself mumbling to himself as unfolds that something and let's it expand out. "Rynith, you're just as much family as the others..." He holds the hoop in his hand as he starts up besides Tanya who has him at gun point. If Reiji's plan works out with Staren and Jeanne than he won't need to step in immediately. He won't have to add on the additional burden. But if not...He'd find a way to resolve this. Somehow. He had a plan and one way or another he'd find out if it was gonna work or not.
Eryl Fairfax	"Ah yes, a familiar tactic. Simply saying vaguely confrontational and self-inflating things and assure yourself you have utterly rebutted me," Hikari says as he dusts himself off. "Assassin, be prepared to lure Avenger towards the bay should he still have some fight in him." The massive Servant walks onto the main road and prepares to book it, looking over at Tanya and Avenger. The downed solider looks up at his hated foe as she extends leniency. Degurechaff..." he croaks. With a sudden rush, he reaches out to grab her uniform and pull her close so he can wheeze into her ear. "Help... me...!" He screams abruptly, letting her go as he is doused with water by Staren and flames by Jeanne. Gwyn looks over at her, an appraising eye glittering behind his bushy beard. "I am the Sun, little flame. Thou doth not hold a candle to mine radiance." He chuckles a little at his own joke and waits, content to let everyone else handle this. Reiji assembles the five elements, and commences the binding ritual. Avenger cries out in pain as the Eastern magic pours into him, attempting to hold him in place. Something is wrong. His spiritual flesh bubbles and blisters, erupting from the confines of his uniform to create horrific pustules filled with the essences of the five elements. His arms engulf his weapons and his back his flight unit, taking them into himself as more and more barrels begin to stick from his form, utilizing the Metal and Fire to create guns that volley projectiles all around him. Assassin has his orders. He begins luring Avenger away, and the mutated man takes flight after him.
Eryl Fairfax	Rynith is edging away from everything that is happening, looking at Touta with concern. Gwyn is also looking at her, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "There's no other way this ends, is there?" "'tis war, Lancer. But we shalt have truce for now, 'till the crazed Avenger is laid low." He takes off after Assassin and Avenger. Rynith sighs, and follows suit. Mikoto taps into her copied power, and beholds a vision. A vision of a massive, mutated creature stomping through Neo-Tokyo, crushing smaller buildings under its massive bulk, tendrils lashing about. Is this the destiny of Avenger?
Tanya Degurechaff	When Avenger lunges, Tanya brings her weapon around, though not quite in time to keep him from grabbing her. Eyes wide, pupils shrunk to tiny, intense points, she stares straight into his face with a tooth-bared frown. When he finally gasps out those words, though, the anger immediately disappears. Tanya is visibly confused when the man is pushed back down by water and magic. Taking a step back, she lifts a hand to cradle her chin, though she's given precious little time to ponder just why the man who's tried repeatedly to end her life would suddenly beg her for help. ANd then everything goes sideways, most notably and obviously when the Avenger's physiology. Tanya grimaces, immediately lighting up her flight unit and kicking up and back. Her weapon swings around, discharging a quick artillery spell at the mutating mass just as she reaches the minimum safe range. Cast-off projectiles strike a shield directly in front of her, briefly exposing it with blue ripples as it cracks and chips. Inside it, Tanya grinds her teeth. Is this Being X's work? It'd be an entirely different tactic than it had been using. Could this be the work of Toromaru? Possible, given the nature of the work he wants to do and the nature of his Servant, but would that kind of thing work on a magical being? She lifts her hand, biting the tip of her gloved thumb, staring after the monster as it pursues Assassin. And if it isn't either of those possibilities, /then/ what? Some effect caused by the corrupted Grail that Arisu described? She pauses, expression shifting to surprise, then narrowing intensely. It /did/ start when Arisu attempted the sealing spell. A negative response to geomancy. A defense mechanism against losing its final pawn. He did passingly mention the Grail doing something heinous in his last interaction as well. Those intense, glowing golden eyes shift. Tanya now stares directly at Reiji Arisu from where she floats.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Leaving Touta's plan to Touta, whatever it may be, Jeanne has her attention focused squarely on the Avenger. It seems to be going relatively well at first, but that quickly turns to shit once he starts absorbing his own weapons and gear. And then he explodes. Sort of. Stuff explodes out of him, anyway, and Jeanne jerks back as the sudden burst of hot slag shoots rights into her. Her armor and natural durability help her weather the worst of it, but being that close to the freakish Avenger means the sheer quantity of projectiles is still going to give her quite a few nasty cuts and dents in her armorall over the place. "Tch...! Is anything ever easy with your maguses? Magisese...? Mages!" She shouts in annoyance at nobody in particular, yet still at everybody because of course she's going to yell at everyone. The Paradox Saber's chiding doesn't help matters much as it hits Jeanne just right in all the wrong ways. It's bad enough that, instead of pursuing the Avenger pursuing the Assassin immediately, she waits until the Saber starts pursuing the Avenger pursuing the Assassin before launching a flame at the Saber's back. "Oh? So sorry. I couldn't see past your /radiance/." She is incredibly not sorry about that. Even a complete moron wouldn't even fall for that. If the Saber doesn't confront her about it, then Jeanne finally starts chasing after the Avenger again and launching some spears at center mass. She doubts he'd be killed so easily, and she still needs to be sure if that explosion was a one-time deal or some kind of strange magic involving metal.
Staren	There's another rapid exchange of radio discussion. Okay, new plan: Gwyn is going to kill this guy. But Staren will keep pretending to go along with the sealing plan so as not to tip him off. Aaaany second now. Aaaaaaaaany second now... And then things go to hell. Avenger starts becoming a gun monster and grabs Tanya (and asks her to... help him? Staren takes a shot with his beam cannons, expecting it's NOT enough to kill Avenger but will encourage him to leave Tanya. And then omnidirectional bullets start hitting his armor and he dives low to the ground to take cover and follow, waiting for them to get out of the city to re-engage.
Sumiko	Mikoto gets a glimpse of the future of this poor creature. Whatever he was, whatever issues he had with Tanya...this was horrible. This kind of thing strikes a resonance with her, especially with her...witch problems. Shaking her head clear, she frowns. "We have to kill him," She says suddenly looking towards the others. "He's only going to get worse, more destructive, enough to crush buildings. Any attempts to stop him are just going to backfire like they just did." "At the risk of causing him to go back to the grail...he's going to be a bigger threat to my home. If you won't do it, I will." She does not immediately engage in the battle, instead of taking to the air and staying back as they try to come up with a solid plan.
Reiji Arisu	Everything goes terribly wrong. "What--" Reiji growls as he feels the magic going pear-shaped. With a whispered curse, he cuts the ritual short, his weapons clattering to the ground. But it's too late. The Avenger has... Absorbed that energy, mutated into something absolutely grotesque. The exorcist's face twists into a rictus of pain as bullets cut through his shoulder and send pain shooting red-hot through his nerves. Assassin leads the Avenger away. Reiji picks up his crimson blade-- and blast-cauterizes his wound. He can't afford to bleed out here. Not when he still has to give chase. Touta is going to be attempting something... inadvisable. If that goes wrong too, then... There's one last recourse. One last seal. But the consequences of even attempting it are as dire as they come. But if it's that or allowing this thing to grow until it tears the city apart... Then perhaps... is it worth it? Reiji leaps after the monstrous thing that the Avenger has become. It draws on Metal and Fire alike-- and so he answers by swinging blades of Earth and Water, sending arcs of elemental energy scything at the beast. They might be able to neutralize some of the power it's drawing on... Unless it can absorb even that, too.
Touta Konoe	Touta's tongue clicks in distaste at the results of being inable to seal the Servant using Reiji's spells work. It's a bad situation that makes him figure he'll need to force his hand. Until...He watches the malformation of this Servant. It was like watching a bad allergic reaction, the mutation of a monster, this Avenger's body transforms and distorts beyond any recognition as it trails off growing larger and fatter as it continues through the city. Besides the fact of needing to stop this war, he needs to stop it from destroying his home, Mikoto's home, Jeanne's home, Rynith's home. Touta completely unfurls the object he had been holding, revealing it to be a metal hula-hoop. For anyone who Touta...Which by most of the conversation going on no one apparently did, using this hoop meant business. So he needed to focus on the rotation of the hoop, to keep it rotating at first using the motion of his hips till...The hoop began spinning on it's own. As the two magics in Touta's body began to separate from one another, becoming useable as they split...Which would be important as he'd need both simulatenously... "Alright...This is where the beginning of the end really starts!" He uses his shundo to wall run as best he can to keep up with Servants. While he wasn't able to fly he could keep pace for as long as there were still buildings to traverse, until they get closer to the docks were there aren't, and the fact of the matter is while he's only a couple of meters away from the flying mutant he still needs a bit more distance...There's only one thing he can do... "Ryniiiiiith!!! Launch me!!!" He calls out towards his friend, hoping that she can launch him to Avenger to which when he did, with his hoop still spinning he'd use, "MAGIC CANCEL BLOW!!!" No matter how grandiose a Servant was, at the end of the day they were a familiar, a powerful familiar but a familiar made of magic. If that was the case, using the power of Magic Cancel should have been able to destroy a Servant, to at least remove it's physical form. So with his right fist he'd slam it into the Mutating Servant to destroy it. Yet that wouldn't solve the problem. Once the Servant's magic was disrupted it would return to the Grail as intended yes? That's why in the next instant, as that right fist punched through his left palm grasped at where the body would have been a moment prior. Using the second magic in his body, Magia Erebea he would try to absorb Avenger's magic, his spirit origin, before it could return to the grail. It was a one-two combination that no one else here could do but him. Without merging this magic with his soul he'd attempt to contain Avenger's magic like a spell he had ready to launch back at his opponent...It's a gamble for so many reasons. But this was a gamble that needed to be taken to make the final boss appear.
Eryl Fairfax	Avenger is blasted by Tanya's artillery spell. But something is off. The explosion is nowhere near as big as it should be. That magic absorption effect... is it constantly ongoing? Is this why magic attacks have been less effective against him this whole time? Gwyn flourishes his cape to deflect Jeanne's flames. He narrows his eyes at her as Cenedril protests. "What are you doing?! We're in this together right now!" The great Servant sniffs, and seems content to leave the matter be, until Jeanne shoots a flurry of spears at Avenger. He is pierced, but his flesh and muscles expand around the weapons and crush them, pulling the shards inside himself. And suddenly, Gwyn takes up the Dragon of France in his hand, and hurls her at Avenger. When she makes contact against his flesh, she can feel the mana that makes up her form being pulled into him. More magic is drawn into him when Gwyn attempts to smite he and Jeanne both with a bolt of lightning. "Mine patience is strained wench. Do not test it." Staren sears Avenger with lasers, and these show an effect, bursting the magic stores like giant zits. It's not just 'energy' but specifically 'magic' that has this effect. However, Reiji's fears are proven true as he tries to neutralize the magic. Earth and Water are similarly absorbed. That attack was not an overabundance of those, but a wilful use of what it had absorbed. Touta charges at Avenger, calling for Rynith to launch him. She obliges immediately, producing a weapon and swinging it with the flat side up for Touta to leap off of. He strikes Avenger, using his power to destroy his magical form, and then take it into himself. It's... sickening. Something has contaminated Avenger's magical essence thoroughly. But then, Avenger's flesh grows over Touta's fist. And the magic he absorbed is absorbed again into Avenger's form, creating a constant loop of destruction, absorption, and reabsorption only to be destroyed again. The sickening skin crawls up Touta's arm, attempting to consume him entirely... A blade flashes. Rynith severs Touta's arm at the shoulder, and shoves him away from Avenger. But this leaves her open and exposed. A great mouth forms on Avenger's body, opening and extending to consume her. "Touta-" she says, before the maw of teeth and bone closes around her. Avenger screams, but it's more of a roar. Armoured suits arrive from the sky and in vehicles as they reach the bay, trying to surround the figure. But all of a sudden, they lose power. Flying ones fall from the sky as the magic that powers them is taken. Servants and magical girls both can feel their own power being ripped from them to fuel this monstrosity. He seems set on consuming all magic in the city.
Sumiko	The magic draining drops the Magical girl to her knees, from the sky. She hits the ground and rolls across it for a moment, before drawing herself back to her knees and looks up. She can see the soul gem start to darken, she can't be here forever. But... Touta's nearly eaten, only to be saved by the sacrifice of his servant. He's still there, barely. He's drowning in sorrow, and she knows that feeling. She asks Staren for a weapon, her weapon right now won't be worth anything if this thing absorbs magic. She holds a hand out to catch the blade and ignites the beam saber. She runs for Touta, activating the flight again, and attempting to close distance. She runs as fast as her legs can take her, pushing herself and using the blade to deflect anything thrown her way. Diving in, she attempts to kick Touta one way, while swinging the beam saber the other, attempting to drive Avenger away. "Touta, get ahold of yourself. We can mourn later, but right now if we don't act this thing's going to get a lot worse."
Staren	Staren's shots are the only ones not absorbed. Seeing the vehicles shut down gives Staren pause, but his sensors show those are magic too. Eeeexcellent. It's not that Staren revels in this, but it's always nice to suddenly find out you have the enemy's weakness. And you can give it to everyone. Staren flies around the battlefield (on energy wings now instead of the broom) passing out weapons. People are offered beam swords, high-tech firearms, or missile launchers as they desire; to Tanya, Staren offers the sniper, burstfire laser rifle with underbarrel grenade launcher off his back. It's probably no heavier than what she's used to using. Now that Avenger's out of the city, Staren turns to unload on him. He didn't know Rynith, but she's a magic ghost who just got eaten, there's no way he's able to save that so he's not worried about preserving her, either. A swarm of tiny missiles flies through the air to converge on him from all sides, plasma warheads dumping enough energy into the air to turn it into a giant scorching fireball! Then everyone can follow up with their weapons of choice!
Touta Konoe	What transpires truly does start and finish in an instant. Touta's magic absorbs the Avenger's and so too does Avenger devour him. The two eating at each other from one end to the other. Like an Ouroboros devouring its own tail the two kept consuming one another. Though one was beginning to truly devour the other. It's only by Rynith's sacrifice that Touta's saved in a final moment. He watches in slow motion as a friend, someone who literally gives up their life for him is consumed along with his arm. Touta is left in shock for a moment as he screams her name in disbelief. He's panicked, he's afraid, he believes that what he's just done has killed Rynith. That HE'S killed Rynith. It's something he wants to deny. He can't believe that she's gone and yet what he's seeing of this monster, of what the others say. It's only when Mikoto kicks him that something comes to mind, as he free-falls to the side as she tries to save him. She tells him to mourn later, that they need to act now... That's when he recalls something...Two things in fact. With his one good arm he pulls another thing out of his pocket, Rynith's Pactio card. While it wasn't a Master's crest he can imagine that he should still be able to feel some sort of presence of hers if it was there through the card. And another thing...His arm wasn't flying back. It meant that his arm was being destroyed, but that also meant it would be regenerating on it's own...But had it yet? How long did it take for this thing to consume mana? If it had already consumed Touta's arm it would be on already...And if Touta's arm still hadn't been absorbed yet then maybe...Maybe... "Rynith...She might...Mikoto...Please...Can you get my hoop for me?" He was given a second chance was it? He needs to see what that entails.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	"An honest mistake!" Jeanne shouts back at Cenedril, the lie still all too obvious. So obvious, even, that she barely has enough time to contemplate her next plan of attack after the Avenger absorbs the spears. No, she's too busy focusing on Gwyn grabbing her and flinging her right at that same Avenger, a startled shout escaping her and stopping right about when she slams right into him. It's a curious feeling. Awful, to be sure, but it's not quite what she was expecting since it's pulling less on her physically and more at her very essence. She almost doesn't notice Gwyn following that throw up with his lightning, just barely managing to pry herself off the Avenger enough to start falling just in time for the lighting to clip her instead of engulfing her entirely. That's a little more screamworthy, but at least she's still alive after that. It takes a fair moment for the literal shock to wear off, but she does so just in time to land on her feet instead of on her face. Looking up, she sees Touta losing an arm and Rynith getting eaten. The prospect of launching yet more spears at what was the Avenger while it's occupied would make sense to try and simply overwhelm it with raw power, but using that much magic at once would be inadvisable considering she's still reeling from Gwyn's blast of lightning and the Avenger's ability to absorb magic into itself. It's not like she cares about what happens to Rynith, but... Well. That's something to consider. Maybe. Staren's offered weaponry gets a skeptical stare, but what the hell, why not. Taking a beam saber, she takes a moment to figure out how to turn it on (and nearly stabs herself in the face in the process), then launches herself at the Avenger. "I'll test your patience however much I damn well please, you glowing freak! Now if you don't mind..." Jeanne starts laying into the Avenger with her flag and the beam saber alike, bashing and slashing at it with strangely aimed strikes that look less like her usual style of 'hit it until it dies' and more like she's aiming to carve and pry it open from the outside without piercing straight into it. "There's still something more important than /you/ to deal with!"
Reiji Arisu	This just keeps getting worse. Reiji can only watch, horrified, as Touta's trump card goes horribly awry. The Avenger consumes his arm and Rynith both. Was this the plan all along? All that magical energy, even if they do defeat this thing-- will it all go racing right back to the Grail? ...No. They can consider the possibilities later. For now, Avenger has become too great of a threat. Beam sabers may not be Reiji's weapons of choice, but the only other tool he has at his disposal should not be used so lightly against a foe that can absorb and emit the very powers they bring to bear against it. "Touta," Reiji says as he rushes past, twin beam sabers igniting in his hands. "Whatever you're going to try, do it quickly. The longer we wait, the more certain Rynith's fate becomes. She sacrificed herself to save /you./ Do not let it go to waste." And so Reiji joins the others in... trying to do something, /anything/ to this consumptive horror. He seems primarily focused in trying to carve its body open, to facilitate any attempt Touta might make at rescue. Right now, he has no better plan in mind.
Tanya Degurechaff	Tanya keeps her distance as the monster's rampage continues, noting its reactions to the magical attacks being used against it with a grievous frown. Even her own artillery spell was severely diminished. The fate of Lancer is noted. And she can't help but laud the risk that Jeanne is taking, nor the brass ones Gwyn has for trying to execute her like that. But it leaves her to the obvious problem: All of her offensive options are magical. Staren to the rescue, though. It certainly pays to have friends with a broad range of disciplines, like the catman's penchent for raw technology as well as magic. She slings her ordinary rifle and accepts the weapon he offers, checking it over. There's the usual familiar things, the safety is where most guns she's used tend to have them. The shape is familiar enough. Her era isn't to the point of adding extra features just yet, but she recognizes an underslung grenade launcher from...another life's TV commercials. Once familiar, she hefts the weapon with a sardonic look on her face, as she takes a moment to appreciate the maddening hodgepodge of anachronism she's become. But even something like this is only going to do surface damage. She needs an opening. A mouth, or-- well, all these insane people are going after it with laser swords. Ignoring the strain on her flight unit, Tanya dives into the attack, peppering the beast with short bursts of laser fire, "Cut a big enough hole and we'll see what explosives can do!"
Touta Konoe	He can feel it, it's faint, oh so faint but he can feel her magic. The fact his arm has regenerated was proof that it must take some time for it to digest all that magic at once. With all that in mind he comes up a few plans. Should one fail he needed to try and have a back-up. This was going to be crunch time. He turns towards Mikoto first, "Mikoto! Grab my hoop! And Degurechaff, you said you know Avenger's Master right?!" He slowly gets his hoop and beginnings spinning it again around his waist in a panic as he looks back at the Avenger listening to Tanya's response, "Mmmm, it's a long shot but it's something to try in case...Can you still maybe find ...It? Maybe convince it to use it's command seals on Avenger to spit out Rynith and stop the Servant? It's your nemesis, you gotta know some way to barter with it or something right?" He doesn't wait for a response, instead he looks back at Mikoto. "So...Last time I tried using my magic...I couldn't devour it fast enough so...The best I can do is try to use my magic faster than it can. But even that might be enough but Mikoto...Maybe if it was being absorbed on both sides..." The implication was there. Touta wanted Mikoto to use her magic to copy his magic. In hopes that the both of them could try and devour this beast on both sides that it might increase their odds of stomaching the beast. Though at the same time it could also put Mikoto at risk and the look on Touta's face makes it apparent. "Sis...I won't force you if you don't want to. But...Rynith saved me...As far as I'm concerned she's also family. So if she's still in there somewhere, I gotta try and do everything I can." With those words he holds out his hand for Mikoto to take and if she did some of Touta's magic would flow into her in an attempt for her to use. He'd warn her of the basics of trying to use it and to be careful not to consume too much at once lest they devour Rynith as well. Once the tutorial's over Touta would rush in with or without Mikoto. With the same plan as before. First, use Magic Cancel on the other portion of it's body to try and break it up, and then using Magia Erebea at a more powerful rate he'd try to consume the Avenger's magic once more. There were still risks to this of course. Especially if he was by himself, but...Even if Rynith gave him a second chance for the second chance he gave her, he still just wanted to save his friend. And he'd use ever chance he had to do so. "RYNIIIIIIIIIITHHHHHH!!!!!"
Sumiko	Mikoto turns towards Touta, apparently, there is a plan. Picking up the Hoop she tosses it back to the boy before turning towards the attacking monster that used to be Avenger. She's already losing magic at an alarming rate, but he doesn't need to know that. "Alright, I got your back..." She says, as those eyes of her glow a fierce green. Comfortable with the ability she got, she wondered if it would actually work, but she'd at least try and back Touta up. She gets ready, turning to face the beast fully, with the blade ready to block. He charges in. Mikoto is right on his heels, and once he connects, she grabs onto the shoulder and attempts to use the magic canceler to help accelerate the drain magic effect to try and rescue the servant.
Eryl Fairfax	Conventional weapons are brought to bear. Staren may have been excited to find a 'weakness' but it's more that he found something the mutated Avenger is not resilient to. His skin and muscles are still tough, and when it bleeds, it's a strange corrosive mix of blood and magic that makes the road beneath it smoke and crumble. Gwyn takes up a beam sabre and hacks and cleaves, making a disgusted sound. "Thine weapon has no heft, no weight! I could scarcely damage butter with this!" Touta reaches out with the telepathic link provided by the Pactio. Someone answers. "Touta... I'm glad you're safe. Don't worry about me. Just destroy Avenger before he can do any more harm." His arm does not regenerate, so the chance remains. But as everyone hacks at Avenger, he continues to morph. His limbs have atrophied entirely, his torso consuming his head as he becomes a massive, red, vein oval. Like an egg. "Degurechaff..." is the last thing he says before his mouth is swallowed. The combined force of Mikoto and Touta blasting the egg with the full force of Magic Cancel makes the surface boil away. There, in the boiling blood is a hand. Touta's, to be exact. And then behind that, his arm, and behind that... Rynith. She gasps for air, struggling to pull herself free, grabbing on to the boy as she rips free with a wet sound. She's free. The sound of breaking glass is heard as glass vials impact on the ground around the egg. The contents begin rapidly burning through the road as a laugh is heard. "Hahahahaahahah... HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" From the top of a building, Assassin and Hikari plummet. A glyph upon the latter's palm is shining bright, in the shape of a DNA helix. "I CALL YOU BY YOUR TRUE NAME, NEMESIS T-TYPE, AND INVOKE OUR CONTRACT! I COMMAND YOU... ABSORB AVENGER!" Assassin crashes into the egg, and the force of it makes the road under it collapse. All three plummet into the hole, dust obscuring the source of sudden, wet sounds. They go silent for a pregnant second, followed by a roar that becomes louder and deeper by the second. A hand emerges from the hole. It's visibly growing by the second, sprouting bones as talons. The ground quakes as something presses against it, bursting through with only it's exponential growth. It's skin is mottled green, massive tendrils lash about. It's head is 95 percent mouth, a massive, chitinous segmented jaw jutting out of its front. A gigantic ribcage juts from its back, weeping blood and pus from its exit wounds. It grows, and grows, and grows some more. Drawfing buildings, it crawls from the crater of its birth. And atop it is Hikari Toromaru, laughing maniacally.