Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki city. 

A few more seconds passed with Tatsuo pressing his knives down against Saber's sword. However, the stalemate was broken when Saber put some extra strength into her arms and pushed him away. AT the same time, Tatsuo, deciding it was time to reset, jumped back to create some distance. 

However, as soon as his feet hit the ground, Tatsuo had charged in once again. And once again, a furious exchange of blows occurred. Though, like last time, it was clear that Saber had the advantage. And when she used her [Mana Burst] Skill, the advantage was pushed to a whole different level. 

Even so, Tatsuo was not caught off guard when she used it this time. In fact, he was expecting it, always keeping it in the back of his mind. So, even after three minutes of exchanges, he had not sustained another injury. 

Though, he was getting tired of being pushed back one-sidedly. 

"Fine, since this isn't working, let's try something new." Tatsuo muttered as he thrust forward with the trench knife in his right hand. "[Trace On]." 

To Saber's surprise, as she readied her sword to parry Tatsuo's thrust, the knives in his hands were dismissed. Simultaneously, a pair of short swords, each with a black and white blade were [Projected] in their place. 

*Clang!* 

Even so, Saber was able to successfully guard against the strike. However, since Bakuya, the white blade among the two, was heavier than the knife she was expecting to guard against, her parry was less successful than before. 

Following up, Tatsuo swept Kanshou up from Saber's left hip towards her right shoulder, forcing her to step back to avoid being cut. 

*Swoosh!* 

However, as soon as she was out of range, Tatsuo threw Kanshou at her like a boomerang. Though, she evaded it easily by simply leaning her body to the side. Even so, with only one blade in hand, Tatsuo stepped forward before slashing horizontally with Bakuya. 

*Clang!* 

And once again, Saber parried the blow. And since she was ready for the difference in weight from Tatsuo's previous weapon, she was able to chain it into her next attack. 

*Swoosh!* 

Or she would have, had she not been forced to evade once again when Kanshou returned on its own after being thrown. She then prepared to guard again after Tatsuo caught the thrown sword and prepared to slash her horizontally with both swords. 

"[Trace On]." Tatsuo chanted once again before the weapons collided. 

An instant later, Saber was forced to change her defensive maneuver when the two short swords vanished and were replaced by a sinister looking crimson red spear that Tatsuo thrusted forth with scary precision. 

*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* 

Then, as soon as Saber managed to block the thrust, Tatsuo whipped the other end of the spear around, aiming at the inside of Saber's front leg. However, just as quickly, Saber lowered her blade to block before Tatsuo once again attack with the tip of his spear. 

Like that, Tatsuo, putting his [Weapon Mastery Skill] to work, continued to change weapons as he tried his best to keep Saber on her toes. 

Meanwhile, Rin, who was standing with Elicia and Sakura as they watched the final battle of the Holy Grail War, could only point at Tatsuo with disbelief written all over her face. 

"He…! How…?" Rin stammered, unable to put her thoughts into words. "That… That's Archer's… Magecraft… How…?" 

While Sakura only glanced at Rin in confusion before returning her sight to the battle, Elicia patted her on the shoulder with consolation. She already knew just how bullshit Tatsuo's [The End Ability] was. And to be honest, she felt the same way Rin did when she saw him use her [Thread Magic] back in the ICDS Universe. And that was when she knew it was about to happen. 

"Yeah, I know." Elicia said in a soothing tone. "Assassin is kinda unfair like that. He has the ability to intuitively understand and recreate almost any technique he's ever seen before. That's why he's qualified to be any Class… Well, except for a Rider. Apparently, because of his origin, he was never sent into battle on horseback." 

"Just who the hell is that guy?" Rin asked in an astonished tone. 

Even Sakura looked away from the battle again, curiosity swirling in her eyes. 

"Actually, not even I know that much about him." Elicia replied. "But I do know that he was called Kenós in the past. According to history books, he was an assassin who sided with Telemachus when he overthrew Phalaris." 

"I've heard that name in my studies." Rin replied while turning back to the battle. "But there was almost no information about him. Other than his cuts were so sharp that they could cut through the fabric of space." 

"Well, if you look hard enough, it was also said that he could enter or exit any room, no matter the level of security." Elicia added. "But yeah, there's no mention of how easily he can learn the techniques of others." 

"Wow…. Assassin is incredible." Sakura muttered with her eyes sparkling. 

'Looks like she's got it bad.' Elicia thought to herself with a smile. 'Just how many is that now, Tatsuo?' 

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Saber, although she was caught off guard by Tatsuo's ability to change weapons at will, was adapting quickly. And with the use of [Mana Burst], even when she was unable to react quickly enough to a sudden weapon swap, she was still able to remain uninjured. 

And that was beginning to frustrate Tatsuo. And with every failed attempt to harm his opponent, his frustration grew. And with it, the more draconic features he took on. 

At first, it was just his eyes. But as time went by, his hands, up to his forearms, had sprouted midnight purple dragon scales. Then, they began covering his chest and legs below the knee. Though, those were hidden by his clothing. They even eventually started to show on his forehead, cheeks, and jawline. 

And the more draconic features Tatsuo took on, the more suppressed Saber felt in return. But because her will was so strong, the suppression did not slow her down by much. Though, she did notice that Tatsuo was growing faster and stronger as time went by, as well. 

Saber was not the only one to notice the changes in Tatsuo's appearance, either. Though, they did not notice when it was just his eyes and hands, Rin and Sakura eventually noticed the dragon scales on his face. 

"Are those… Scales?" Rin asked dumbfoundedly. "Just what the hell is that guy." 

"A demi-god." Elicia replied bluntly. "Though I'm not completely sure about his father, he may be the son of either Nuwa or Longmu from Chinese mythology." 

"You gotta be shitting me." Rin muttered. 

"Amazing." Sakura said quietly. 

Unfortunately, as amazing as Tatsuo's ability to replicate the skills of others was, Saber was adapting quickly. And after only a few minutes, she was once again gaining an advantage in the fight. And that led to Tatsuo getting even more frustrated. And as he did, his features turned more and more draconic. And with that, his speed, strength, and even [Energy] was increasing. 

But along with those increases in physical stats, Tatsuo was losing his rationality. Meaning, his attacks were becoming more impulsive, his skills were getting sloppy, and most importantly, he was racking up more and more injuries. Until he eventually… 

*Roar~~~~~~~!* 

… completely turned into a humanoid dragon. 

And when he did, a pair of large, midnight purple draconic wings emerged from his back, a long, thick yet flexible draconic tail popped out from his lower back, and every inch of his body was covered in draconic scales. He even forewent the use of weapons and magical abilities all together. Though, when he swiped his claws, they still held the power of his [Noble Phantasm], [Exacuere Vadis Inanis]. On top of that, his base stats grew to surpass Saber's, even when she was using [Mana Burst]. 

*Clang!* 

"What has happened to you, Assassin?" Saber asked with a scowl as she raised her sword, which was no longer hidden by [Invisible Air], revealing the pristine silver blade, golden handguard, and blue hilt that had been hidden ever since she was summoned, to block a wild claw swipe from Tatsuo. "No longer do I see the proud warrior who was looking forward to fighting me. Instead, all I see is a beast. A beast who is only driven by instinct." 

"*Growl*" Tatsuo's only response was to push harder against Saber's blade as he growled in irritation. 

"*Sigh* it looks like you're no longer the man you were." Saber said, lamenting the way things turned out. 

Saber then shifted her blade, made a half turn to her right, allowed Tatsuo's momentum to push him forward as she withdrew her blade, and slashed across the dragon-man hybrid's back. 

*Roar!* 

Stumbling forward after receiving his deepest wound yet, Tatsuo fell to one knee. But instead of just allowing himself to fall, he whipped his tail at Saber as he passed by her. 

*Clang!* 

Even so, Saber was prepared, using her sword to parry the tail whip before she raised her blade once again to stab down at her kneeling foe. 

Luckily, Tatsuo's instincts kicked in just in time. On top of that, despite the depth of the wound, his ability to keep fighting had not been lost, yet. So, he lunged forward to avoid a fatal blow. 

Tatsuo then spun on his heels and threw himself at Saber with his right claw outstretched. Yet, despite his speed, Saber was able to read his movements easily. So, she calmly stepped to her right, lowered her sword below Tatsuo's lunge, then raised it quickly to slash across his chest. 

*Roar!* 

And once again, Tatsuo roared in pain as he passed by Saber's side, narrowly missing another attack. 

"What's happening to Assassin?" Rin asked curiously. "When he fought Archer, he wasn't like this at all." 

"*Sigh* It looks like his draconic side has completely taken over." Elicia said while shaking her head. Honestly, I never expected anything like this. But… I guess this is as far as he'll be able to go." 

"Taylor-San… Please do something." Sakura said, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the one sighted beating Tatsuo was taking. "He would never be satisfied if he lost without being in control." 

"*Sigh* Unfortunately, I can't." Elicia said regretfully. "I gave my word that I would not interfere. So, I won't." 

Hearing that, Sakura was heartbroken. A moment later, however, her expression filled with resolve. She then took a step forward as her shadow began to expand. 

"Fine then, I'll do something." Sakura said firmly. "I never made a promise like that." 

Yet, before things could even begin, Sakura found herself completely wrapped from her feet to just under her chin in threads. 

"Sorry, I can't let you do that." Elicia said calmly. "This is a battle between the two of them. And as much as Assassin would hate to lose when he's in a state like this, he would hate it even more if someone had to step in to save him." 

'Besides, I've got this really bad feeling that if someone interrupted right now, something really bad would happen.' Elicia thought to herself. 'And not just to the person that interfered, but to the entire world.' 

Higher Dimension, Void Empress' Palace. 

Meanwhile, in the Void Empress' Palace, the Void Empress sat on her thrown while watching Tatsuo's fight with Saber. And as much as it pained her to see him losing the way he was, she knew this was crucial to his growth. 

"Now, my son." The Void Empress said solemnly. "If you can overcome this and regain yourself, then you will grow tremendously. Unfortunately, if you are unable to overcome this on your own, your path to power will more than likely come to an end here." 

As she spoke, the Void Empress could only watch as Tatsuo's strikes were easily defended against, time and time again, while easily being countered. And with each counter, a new wound would appear on his body as blood flew, and his movements slowed gradually. 

Eventually, Saber landed a slash with enough force to send Tatsuo flying while cutting halfway through his ribcage. And when Tatsuo finally came to a stop, he was unable to drag himself back to his feet. And when she saw that, the Void Empress could only sigh. 

"Perhaps simply allowing you to live a happy life would have been enough." The void Empress said in a tone filled with lament. "Never once did I ask if you wanted the revenge on the man who tried to kill you so long ago. Instead, I only pushed you in that direction with no input from you." 

While questioning her life decisions, the Void Empress continued to watch the battle that was clearly nearing its conclusion. 

TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki city. 

After knocking Tatsuo away, Saber stood ready for his eventual return. However, when she saw that he was no longer able to stand, she relaxed her stance. Though, she did not lower her weapon. 

"Although I cannot say that this is a satisfying ending to our battle, I can say that you were more than what I expected." Saber said as she started flaring her mana. "At first, I thought you were just another version of Kiritsugu, cold, calculating, callous. But as I became Elicia's second servant, I realized there was more to you. You were much kinder than any assassin I've ever seen in the past. And your skill in cooking…" 

Reaching that point, Saber stopped to lick her lips. A moment later, however, she regained her senses and shook her head. 

"Anyway… There's much more to you than I expected." Saber continued, the barest hint of embarrassment was audible in her tone. "And for that, I respect you. And because of that respect, I'll send you off with my most powerful [Noble Phantasm]." 

Reaching that point, Saber raised her sword over her head. And as she did, it began to glow with an intense golden light while leaking magical pressure that made both Rin and Sakura feel a bit uncomfortable. 

Tatsuo, on the other hand, was not able to respond to Saber's farewell speech. Because right now, he was floating in a void filled with [Energy] the same color as his own while only able to watch what was happening as if he were a spectator of an FPS video game playthrough. Instead, the one controlling his body right now was his Dragon Aspect, the part of his soul that had been sealed before he was born. 

Though, ever since Tatsuo had unlocked the ability to access his [Energy] back in the ICDS Universe, that seal had been coming undone slowly. And had it continued at that rate, Tatsuo would have been able to easily integrate with is dragon side. But ever since he arrived in this world, the seal had begun opening faster than usual. And that was all thanks to the background he inherited upon arrival and the frequent contact with Saber, who housed a dragon in her Mana Core. 

And as his battle with Saber began, the aspect of Tatsuo that was hidden behind that barrier began encroaching on the Tatsuo everyone had come to know. 

"Ha! So, you take advantage of my irritation and take over my body." Tatsuo said derisively. "With all your infinite power, you claim you could have won this fight. But what the hell is this? The only thing I see is that you got your ass kicked even worse than I did. I mean, shit… Even though I wasn't winning, I wasn't really losing, either. But you? You can't even move." 

"Silence!" Another voice, one that sounded a lot like Tatsuo's, though a lot more bestial, replied angrily. "If this pathetic body wasn't so weak, I would be able to unleash all of my power and destroy this puny woman with no effort." 

"Maybe." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "But you're already stronger, faster, and have more mana than her. Yet, you're still losing. You're even about to die. Are you really that great?" 

"Impudence!" The bestial voice shouted. 

"Look, let's cut the crap, alright?" Tatsuo said, completely unbothered by his other half's ager. "Stop acting like you're better than me. Because you're not. Hell, we're the same person. And it's clear that your irrational way of doing things isn't doing us any good." 

"Oh, and you think you could do any better?" Tatsuo's draconic half asked sarcastically. "Because you weren't able to win, either." 

"No, I couldn't." Tatsuo replied, taking his Dragon Aspect aback. "Look, I'm not gonna say something cheesy like we need to work together. Because… We don't. How can we work together if we're the same. But you need to stop working against me. I mean seriously, ever since you woke up, though I didn't realize it at first, you've been trying to hijack the body for yourself." 

"That's because there is no more powerful being than a dragon." The Dragon Aspect shot back. 

"Maybe." Tatsuo replied dismissively. "But we're… No, I'm not a dragon. I'm a hybrid. And that's how we need to do things." 

*Growl~~~~~!* 

The sound of the Dragon Aspect's growl echoed deeply. But it did not disagree, as much as it wanted to. 

"So, just merge with me like you had been." Tatsuo said. "And I promise, I'll win. With access to this much power and all my training, there's no way I could possibly lose." 

*Growl~~~~~~~!* 

The Dragon Aspect's irritated growl rang out once again. Yet, All the midnight purple [Energy] making up the place began to move, to flow towards Tatsuo before fusing with him. 

"Be wary." The Dragon Aspect said, its voice growing quieter with every unit of [Energy] that merged with Tatsuo. "Should I one day deem you unworthy of wielding a dragon's power, I will destroy your psyche and truly take this body for myself." 

"Yeah, well you better just get comfortable, then." Tatsuo replied in a proud tone. "Because you're gonna be waiting an eternity for that day to come." 

*Growl!* 

With that last growl, the last of the [Energy] was drawn into Tatsuo. And when that happened, Tatsuo once again found himself in control of his body. Though, he was still heavily injured. However, he already knew how to fix that… partially, at least. But for now, he needed to worry about stopping what Saber was about to do to end the fight. 

Struggling to raise his right arm in Saber's direction, Tatsuo flared his [Energy]. Naturally, that surprised everyone watching, as he had not shown such control of his [Energy] ever since he lost control a little while ago. AT the same time, he started pumping his [Energy] through his [Mana Reactor] as quickly as he could to keep his reserves high enough to continue the fight after defending against Saber's attack. 

"[Excalibur]!" Saber shouted as she swung her sword down towards Tatsuo. 

"[Trace... On…]" Tatsuo chanted as his [Energy] began to form in front of him with is [Projection Magecraft].