CHAPTER 2.9 - MOCK/REAL FIGHT

Streaks of black and blue blurred amidst the abandoned factory, each clash igniting sparks that illuminated the surroundings. Neither combatant would relent.

Mockery strained to keep up with the relentless servant. Their transformation had closed the gap between them, but not completely. Not yet.

For every second that passed, with every clash between them, each strike of their spears, and their close proximity, Mockery was able to absorb his knowledge, copying his form, techniques, and tracing over his Saint Graph data for their own use.

As time went on, Mockery grew stronger, more skillful, and refined. The servant's spearmanship became their own, twisted and molded to suit their needs.

Cu Chulainn, Son of Lugh, warrior of Ulster, and disciple of Scathach, the Queen of the Land of Shadow—Mockery started to understand their opponent better.

Cu Chulainn's eyes twitched, devoid of his previous easygoing nature. Facing an opponent who mimicked his very being would unnerve anyone.

"What are you?" he questioned, his voice laced with curiosity and disdain.

"̴W̵e̷ ̵a̵r̶e̸ ̷n̷o̴t̴ ̸h̷e̵r̶e̴ ̸f̴o̴r̷ ̴p̴l̶e̷a̵s̵a̷n̷t̶r̴y̴,̷ ̸H̷o̷u̴n̵d̷ ̶o̵f̵ ̸C̵h̷u̷l̴a̶i̶n̴n̸"̷

A momentary pause hung in the air before Cu Chulainn leaped forward, aiming an overhead thrust with his spear.

Mockery swiftly parried the attack, countering with a deft strike of their own. Their spear swiped upwards, striking Cu Chulainn's abdomen with precision, sending him hurtling through several floors above. Seizing the opportunity, Mockery pursued their adversary, only to be met with a forceful stomp to the head as Cu Chulainn emerged from the dust and debris.

CRASH!

Mockery crashed into the ground, the impact creating a deep crater. Gazing upwards, they witnessed Cu Chulainn retrieve his spear and swiftly throw it, generating a sonic boom as it propelled toward them. Acting swiftly, Mockery pulled their body up, narrowly evading the deadly trajectory.

BOOOM!

The red spear pierced through the concrete floor, missing its intended mark but grazing Mockery's left arm. A surge of pain shot through their limb, rendering it temporarily useless until it could heal.

They needed to buy some time. Mockery bolted out, and Cu immediately gave chase.

"What? You want to run away?" Cu taunted.

Mockery ignored his words, their focus fixed on breaking several concrete pillars as they circled around the area. Cu relentlessly pursued, launching unyielding assaults without any sign of stopping.

Sensing the moment was right, Mockery halted their movement and turned to face Cu's oncoming attacks. With only one hand, they unleashed a flurry of their own assaults. The clash intensified as the two exchanged strikes, but this time, Mockery found themselves easily overwhelmed by Cu's relentless onslaught.

The abandoned factory trembled under the force of their battle. Mockery grinned. This was precisely what they wanted.

Before long, distant rumbling sounds grew louder, and the entire building began to collapse.

"You bastard!" were the last words Mockery heard before they both were buried beneath the falling debris.

A giant cloud of dust blanketed the entire premises. From within the debris, shadows slithered and intertwined, gradually forming the figure of Mockery. Seeing no sign of Cu, they focused their energy on regenerating their injured left hand.

They waited for a while.

BOOOM!

The falling debris was violently blown apart as Cu emerged from beneath it.

"Alright, now I'm pissed," he declared, his gaze fixed on Mockery. "Time to end this."

His spear crackled with an ominous red aura as Cu assumed a lower stance before lunging forward.

"Gae Bolg!"

He hurled his spear towards Mockery, unleashing a streak of red accompanied by a deafening sonic boom.

Gae Bolg, the barbed spear that pierces with death, soared through the air. It was renowned as one of the most lethal Noble Phantasms, manipulating causality to ensure that "the spear is thrust, so the heart is pierced" becomes "the heart is pierced, thus the spear must be thrust."

It was an unavoidable strike. The spear soared, bending and twisting its way toward Mockery.

STAB!

Mockery didn't resist; they knew it would be futile against this weapon. The spear easily impaled their chest, exiting through their back. It seemed that Cu had successfully struck a fatal blow.

However, Mockery did not crumble. After all, they had no heart to begin with. Gathering their strength, Mockery forcefully pulled the spear out of their body, causing a chunk of what appeared to be black mud to fall. It was the cursed part of their body, afflicted by the "death" curse brought upon by Gae Bolg.

Sporting a gaping hole in their chest, Mockery discarded the spear, allowing Cu to call it back into his hands.

"Should've used the anti-army version," grumbled Cu, annoyed.

"̶O̴u̵r̷ ̷t̶u̸r̶n̵"̶

They had absorbed and copied enough of Cu Chulainn's Saint Graph data. Their black spear, a crude imitation of Gae Bolg, was shrouded in swirling shadow. As Servant's Mockery, their weapon was also a mockery of the servant's Noble Phantasm.

Their black spear crackled with animosity.

"V̵e̴r̷g̴..."

Mockery thrust their spear with all their might.

"̷G̶a̸e̵ ̸B̷o̴l̶g̸!"

If Gae Bolg was the barbed spear that pierces with death, then this Verg Gae Bolg, a degraded copy, was the barbed spear that pierces with destruction. The original causality concept was degraded into sure-hit. It should have been inferior to the genuine article.

"What a bad joke," Cu stated before lunging into action.

CLANG!

Unlike Gae Bolg, Verg Gae Bolg lacked sturdiness, so Cu easily shattered it when focused. Yet from the broken shards, two more Verg Gae Bolgs appeared.

"...?!"

CLANG! CLANG!

Again, Cu skillfully batted away the two spears. Then four more took their place. Cu gritted his teeth. He shouted a battle cry and began adeptly destroying every Verg Gae Bolg that came his way.

The concept of quantum worlds encompasses the existence of every possibility. Each query presents a simple dichotomy of yes or no. The spear is thrust with the intent to strike and destroy its target. However, what if it misses? What if it is parried? Or what if the target manages to survive?

Verg Gae Bolg took the concept of a sure-hit to another level. It would split into numerous parallel versions of itself, multiplying exponentially to guarantee the target's complete annihilation. This unleashed an unrelenting onslaught of overwhelming numbers, where each failed spear would be swiftly replaced by two others, then four, eight, and beyond. What was initially a single thrown spear now expanded without limits.

It was an attack that tapped, albeit crudely, into the realm of the second True Magic. the Operation of Parallel Worlds.

Cu became a blurry force to be reckoned with, shattering thousands of spears, yet countless replacements took their place. It was a relentless storm of steel raining down upon him, but he never lost his feral grin.

Amidst the chaos, numerous spears managed to break through Cu's defenses, slicing and stabbing him, but he refused to relent. He had once held an entire army at bay by himself; this onslaught of steel was nothing he couldn't handle. Blood dripped from his wounds, his armor fell apart, but none of it mattered. He pushed his body to its utmost limit.

Just as the battle seemed to reach its peak, a voice from above shouted, "Heads up! Clarent..!"

A humanoid figure descended from the sky.