The Chosen One 15 (Patreon)

"Nothing yet, Dog?" The King of Arcadia simply shakes his head, and goes back to sniffling the ground as we walk forward. "Man, what a pain..." Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

We are moving incredibly slow, we can't exactly run while he tries to catch the smell of a Servant. It also doesn't help that everytime a normal person gets close I need to dismiss him, since I can't exactly explain the existence of a shadow dog as normal.

And unlike Illya, I don't have magic to make people ignore him, I can't even raise a Bounded Field yet. Maybe this group wasn't such a good idea, since Sakura has no knowledge of magic either.

Rider reassures me. "Don't worry Daichi. I imagine the others aren't exactly making progress either." How is that supposed to not worry me!?

Though at least they haven't found trouble either. You see, we came up with a system just in case we run onto Gilgamesh, or the shadow... or if the Lancer Servant is particularly aggressive and dangerous.

As mentioned before, Fuyuki is split in two parts, one more traditional, and more modern. Current, I'm scouting the traditional part, and Rin is scouting the modern part. Archer will excel in a area full of big buildings after all.

Meanwhile Illya and Saber are moving close to the bridge that connects the two sides of Fuyuki. We have split in this way, so that help is never too far away from someone.

For example, if danger shows itself to Rin, she can throw some sort of signal. Illya will then see it, and make a signal so that I see it as well. And then both of us will rush there, with Illya presumably reaching it fast enough to save Rin.

In a situation like this Illya is naturally the safest party, since both Rin and I are moderately close to her. The reason for that is that she is protecting a... normal-ish person, so she needs the extra security.

I think it's an okay formation, but in the end none of this will matter if we can't find Lancer. "Well, let's just hope Dog gets results soon." At least Regulus agreed that he should be a decent tracker... Specially if the Lancer Servant has divinity.

That's what Dog is after all, a weapon meant to kill the divine. I suppose all Longinus are to some extent of course, but it specially applies to him who made partly out of a sword actually used to kill a god.

Sakura smiles. "I-I'm sure he will, Daichi! He looks like a very good boy!" I don't know how to feel about the fact my sister is currently looking at Canis Lykaon like he is the cutest thing to ever exist.

Actually, I know how I feel about it, I don't like it. "You know that's Lycaon, right? Don't go praising him for being cute or something." It's such an absurd thing, that I ended up chuckling a little.

But Sakura seems genuinely confused. "Lycaon...? I know all your weapons are alive, but I don't recognize that name..." I suppose it doesn't live to the hype that someone like Medusa carries, so it doesn't surprise me that you don't recognize him.

Medusa frowns. "Lycaon is one of the many monsters to have lived in Greece. Once a cruel king, he decided to test the authority of the king of gods by feeding him his own son. As punishment, Zeus turned him into a wolf. Some say he is the first werewolf, and therefore their king." Thanks for the lore dump, Greek lady!

Sakura pales. "That's..." And then she points at Dog. "B-bad boy! That's bad!" The worst part of this entire thing is that the damn monster whimpers. "H-hey Daichi, are you sure it's okay to use him?" Well, isn't that a common question?

I scratch my cheek. "Well..." He did try to manipulate me using a horrible dream, and I do think he wanted me to use Juggernaut Drice, but... "Yeah, sure. In the end the most he can do is yap. The final choice is mine." In that way I can't even get angry at him.

"And besides... I do genuinely think he wants to support me, and to make me stronger." That seems to be a standard amongst the Longinus. "It's just that he is a weirdo." As long as I can keep a leash on this weirdo, then things should be fine.

Sakura pouts. "Well, if ever genuinely bothers you, feel free to come to me for help, Daichi!" Geez, what would you even do? Ask Rider to beat up the dog stuck in my soul? That would definitely be something...

"Sure big sis." Found it. Let's go. These two thoughts suddenly hit my brain like a freigfreight train. "Sakura, Rider, let's go!" I begin running at the same time Canis Lykaon does.

Sakura gulps. "R-right." And then she and Rider follow along. It goes without saying that the Servant could move faster than all of us, but she keeps herself at our pace.

Eventually we arrive at a park, and Canis Lykaon stops running. Instead he howls to the night... or at least he howls to the skies. This better not have been his way to troll me or something.

Sakura is panting, her hands on her knees as she tries to regain her breath. She definitely doesn't have nearly as much stamina as I do. "Why did he suddenly... suddenly start running?" It's a good thing she's not sick anymore.

Medusa sighs. "Probably because of that." She points at the top of a tree, and as she does so chains appear on her hands. That must mean...

"Oh! Finally some action!" On top of a three branch what is definitely a Servant appears. Lancer. He drops to the ground. "Two beautiful women, a guy who looks like he works out, and a dog! Now that's my type of company!" This...

Is great! He has a big smile on his face, so that tells me he is probably the friendly type. And apparently Canis Lykaon being here already got me some points. Maybe this time I won't get mad if Sakura calls him a good boy.

I awkwardly wave at him. "Y-yo! My name is Daichi Ryouta!" I'm really scared of screwing this up, specially since Caster is probably watching this and judging me. Peeping toms are scary, huh?

My big sister bows. "And I'm Sakura Matou! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She has finally regained her breath. Shame, she's super cute when she's panting.

Medusa nonchalantly waves at him. "I'm Rider." Even so, I can see that she's definitely ready to jump into a fight at any moment. It's a skill that Saber and Archer possess too, maybe something developed after years of combat.

The new Servant seems totally surprised. "Huh, these are certainly some nice and polite introductions... I guess I dig it." A red spear appears on his hand, just like Caster describe it. "Well, now that we know each other, we might as well get to the fun part!"

Bloodlust immediately floods the area, it reminds me of Berserker, though Lancer's is lesser. Nonetheless, while Rider and I are used to things like this, Sakura isn't, and so she immediately pales and takes a step back.

I raise a hand. "Erm... Mister Lancer... We actually aren't here to fight." The Bloodlust immediately disappears. "We were looking for you specifically funnily enough, and we just want to talk." Hopefully he's not as hard to convince as Medea.

He sighs. "For real...?" And then his body tenses up, that bloodlust floods the area yet again. "Welp, too bad. I'm not in a talking mood, since I haven't gotten any good fights just yet!" Are you throwing shade at Kojirou!?

Yet again Sakura becomes scared, but this time she actually has enough strength to speak up. "P-please listen to us! It's very important!" He doesn't seem to be the type to listen. Without a doubt he's a fighting maniac.

The bloodlust immediately disappears. Eh? "Killing a pretty gal like this would be pretty lame, so sure." Ah, you're... that type, aren't you? "So what do you guys want with little ol' me? Hell, how did y'all even know about me?"

Sakura takes the reigns of this negotiation. I guess. "W-we want to make an alliance... and we knew because we already made an alliance with all classes except for Lancer!" An Assassin, technically.

His eyes widen. "All of them...!?" And then a look of anger appears on his face. "Oi, your plan isn't on stalling the war forever or something right? That sounds boring as hell." Sakura looks away.

I interjects, I will be taking back control of this, but nonetheless, thank you my big sister! "Um... No. Our alliance has two very specific goals, and after these goals are accomplished we will dissolve it." Technically we have three, but Zouken is more personal, and Lancer probably won't care for it.

He grins. "Okay, that sounds better. My ears are open little man." Why did you have to call me little man!?

I pout. "Right. We want to eliminate a monster we have decided to call Shadow. Archer encountered him once, and just a look was enough to tell him that running away was the only good option." Admittedly this is our lesser goal.

We don't know much about the Shadow after all, we don't even know if it's still hanging around. Meanwhile Gilgamesh is a threat to two entire countries, and I have also seen firsthand his immense power.

Lancer nods. "Um... I see. Well, I can understand the appeal of hunting a monster with a couple of felllow, hopefully drunk as hell warriors." Well, at least negotiations are going well. This guy doesn't exactly fit the knight archetype though.

I smile. "Great! Please don't get drunk in the middle of a fight though..." I shake my head. "Anyways, the second objective is taking down this Gilgamesh Servant. He is an anomaly of this war..."

"We don't even know his class, though he can't be one of the seven, since I've met them all this point. He's also crazy strong, and has threatened to destroy all of Japan and Germany... Mostly because he hates me." And because he is jealous of me.

Lancer makes a thinking pose. "That's... I don't like it." Huh? "I don't like this whole thing. I get hunting a monster, but ganging up on a hero leaves a bad taste on my mouth. I haven't met the guy after all... so..."

He gets into a fighting stance, his bloodlust return. "Screw that cowardly shit! Come and get it, scaredy cats!" W-what the hell!? This guy... He is just looking for an excuse to fight, isn't he?

Rider sighs. "Ugh, bloodthirsty heroes are the worst." She looks back at Sakura. "Stay back, behind Daichi." And before her Master can say anything she disappears in a flash. That is to say, she moves faster than the eye can see.

And she appears behind Lancer, trying to stab his neck with the dagger of her chain. However, the blue warrior dodges at the last second, and their battle begins, sending snow everywhere.

Sakura gasps. "R-Rider...! Take care please!" While she does that, I recall Canis Lykaon. Since he can appear from shadows, he could make for a useful sneak attack.

I won't think it will be needed however, because Rider seems to be stronger than him, or at least faster. Not to say she has some super advantage, but so far she is the clear winner here.

Shamefully that makes me stop paying attention to the fight, mostly because I'm trying to decide whether I should keep trying to change Lancer's mind, or if I should throw out a signal for help already.

Eventually I make my decision. "Lancer, I have one last thing I want to say!" And now I can only hope he stops fighting Rider. Which... he doesn't of course.

That is until Sakura screams. "Please stop fighting Lancer! Daichi wants to talk!" And now he immediately stops! Oi!

Jumping back the Lancer raises an eyebrow. "What is it? I was just about to win ya know? So this better be important." Medusa snorts. It's clear what she thinks about his boasting.

I take a deep breath. "You called us cowards, right? That's why you won't ally with us, right?" As much as I want to tell him to act like a true hero, and help us, I know that would just come off as whining. I have to see things from his perspective.

At least if I want to become the Jason of this tale, and not the Medea. Hopefully Caster is watching me right now, because I'm about to show her that I'm way dumber than the founder of the Argonauts.

He grins. "Yep, that's pretty much it. To me it sounds like a bunch of crybabies lost and are now crying to be saved... Well, I might save the dog. Where did he go by the way?" He is a surprise tool that will help us later.

I wave him off. "I called him back, since he's my weapon... That doesn't matter right now, because I'm about to show you that I'm not a coward. Let's fight Lancer, I'll kick your ass and make you submit." If he takes me seriously, I'm dead.

But I need to prove that I'm not a coward, that I'm not hiding behind a Servant. That is to say, I have to show this battle maniac that I'm a complete idiot who will die before he becomes an adult.

My declaration is met with silence, until... Lancer starts laughing. "You're really gonna throw the glove at my face, ain't ya!? Okay then!" His spear of death is now pointed at me. Good.

Sakura is horrified as one would expect. "No! No! No!" Ah, she said it three times. "Don't...! Please don't do that Daichi!" I have no answer. "R-Rider, ignore what they're talking about! Kill Lancer!" Hah... I didn't expect her to outright say it.

Rider walks back to Sakura. "No need. Daichi will win." And so my twin can only look at her in shock. "Sakura... for people like me and him... winning for you is what we do, so don't be afraid. Simply believe in him."

"That's...!" It's clear tha my sister is panicking, but it can't be helped.

Rider pats her shoulder. "It will be alright. He defeated me once, even if I was weakened. Daichi Ryouta is a hero, so put your faith in your prince." Ah... Now I'm really feeling stronger. Seriously.

Before Sakura can protest, I walk forward. My axe appears on my hands. "Okay then, let's go Lancer! I'll show you some courage!" Even if it's a false one, for now it will have to do. I seriously hope he will hold back against me.

His legs tense. "Okay then, get ready to die in front of your woman, kiddo." Hah! People are now understanding the dynamic between me and Sakura before I even announce i-.

I barely dodge losing my head to a stab from his lance. Normally I'm the one who's aggressive, so I'm naturally surprised. "W-wow...!" But I'm glad. A Servant could have killed me right now, so he's definitely holding back.

Nonetheless, I need to get him off me. I swing my axe with all my strength... which naturally gets casually blocked by his red spear. Still, I need to remember, overwhelming my opponents is my best quality as a fighter. The momentum must shift towards me.

And so I summon Absolute Demise. Normally I only bring her out from the back of my body, but this time I actually summon her from the front. She immediately emerges by trying to slam Lancer with her bare fists.

The Servant chuckles and moves backwards to dodge. The truth is that he could probably have cut her down in a second, she's not a physical fighter. He doesn't know that however, and it's only natural to retreat from a three meters goliath. That is to say, I take advantage of her appearance and his ignorance.

My mind races. I think of a plan. I know how I will defeat him, and so I am no longer making things up as I go.

Lancer naturally tries to stab through Princess, but I dismiss her, and my axe. Instead I summon my Divine Dividing, and take advantage of him suddenly thrusting onto nothing to touch his spear.

"Divide!" For a second I was afraid that absorbing the power of a weapon would be impossible, but thankfully that didn't happen. That means my plan is good to go.

However, this means I'm now defenseless in front of Lancer, even if I'm stronger. And so by taking another step forwards he completely ignores my grip on his weapon and...!

Runs me right through.

I summon Absolute Demise behind me. The plan was to make him retreat by using her, but I wasn't fast enough. And so his red spear is now inside of my body. The knight then kicks me in the stomach, both freeing me, and crashing my body against Absolute Demise.

We fly back a good few meters, and my mind goes white. This isn't like the fight against Medusa however, he never hit my head, so even though there's a massive hole on me I can still think. My plan is still salvageable.

I hear Sakura's shrill scream. "Daichi...! Rider do something!" Her hand begins to glow red, it goes without saying, but if intervenes then Lancer will definitely keep thinking of us as cowards.

So I recover as fast as I can, and raise a hand. "It's fine Sakura. This much damage is expected from a warrior." Besides, I'm sure he didn't hit anything too important with his stab. His kick hurts more.

I seem to shock her into silence. That's good, because I can win this. Currently I think Lancer is holding himself back to around the level Saber does when we train. That is to say, he is almost a unbeatable monster.

Almost.

He laughs yet again. "Yep! Ain't a fight if nobody gets stabbed!" But he doesn't approach me, and the reason for that is clear... I will die without anymore imput. I literally have been stabbed after all.

What a shame, I was hoping to weaken his weapon more, but if I need to make the final push, then I will make the final push. It's time to desperately gamble it all and win this little deadly spar.

I grin, and float in the air. "You think what I did was enough Albion?" I don't even know if the dragon understands my plan, but for some reason I still question him anyways. Maybe because I want to be reassured by a dragon.

He chuckles. "You are the White Dragon Emperor. There is no universe in which you lose to this man that smells like a mutt." That's good to hear.

Absolute Demise gets up, and then picks me up with her massive hands... She then proceeds to throw me onto the air as if I was a baseball. Divine Dividing helps me get even more speed.

Once I'm high as I can... I dismiss her. And then I begin flying downwards... No, I simply begin falling. Falling towards Lancer of course, gravity will help me with this, because I plan to strike as if I was a meteor.

His eyes are widened as he raises his spear, clearly ready to block whatever new thing I throw at him. I could call Canis Lykaon from his shadow, to deliver a surprise attack, but that's no good, I want him to block me.

At the final possible moment I dismiss Albion, his wings have already thrown out all the extra power I got from Lancer's spear. Instead I call upon three Longinus, draining my stamina. That's fine though, since this is meant as a finisher.

First is Telos Karma, I beg it for a miracle. Secondly is Canis Lykaon, I call it as a sword, something which I will use to cut that thing in two. "You promised you could cut everything, right!?" And then I shut up.

Because my last Longinus is summoned to my mouth. I bring Regulus in his axe form, and bite the handle to hold onto him. I desperately need his strength, just as much as I need a miracle, and just as much as I need cutting power.

Finally, after all that... my black sword collide against the spear. "Agh...!" I can hear the knight screaming in effort. It's clear that he was not expecting this.

For a second I lose strength. Then I remember Medusa saying Sakura should trust in me, and my strength returns. The world flashes red.

"Boost!"

I cut through that red. I cut through him and release his red blood. I land on the ground.

He immediately jumps backwards. "You...!" And looks at his own spear, which are now two. "This is going to be hell to fix... Shit." It's annoying how he is ignoring the fact that I almost split him in half, but that's fine, I didn't want to kill him anyways.

I dismiss all my Longinus, and cough. "Is that enough for you?" I don't have more gas in the tank, in fact I coughed blood just now. That's not good... that probably means he hit something very important.

But thankfully his spear... spears disappear. "Hell, yeah it is! As far as I'm concerned I just threw down with a hero!" Awesome. I'm gonna be bragging about that.

My vision goes white. "C-cool... Then welcome to the Justice League." I fall down to the ground. I can only hear Sakura's screams as my life slowly faded away.

I really have to learn how to win without losing.



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AN: Since Daichi has been trained with Artoria it's only natural he would pull a Proto-Arthur.

Also another Longinus! I know Daichi is unlocking them really fast, but it's natural to do so in a environment like the Holy Grail War were his resolve is constantly being tested in life or death scenarios. Basically it's the Iori Miyamoto strategy.