The Sword That Defies Fate
Hey what up sunbros!? It's Sakurada!
Now then, lemme make a point that I love Katanagatari. I absolutely love it. I won't go on ranting about how well designed the characters are or about the great story or the fabulous OST. I will end up taking up the entire page if I do. So I will just say that I absolutely love it.
And I am appalled that there are less than 10 fanfics of it and only 2 crossover fics.
Though one of those crossover fics is Katanagatari/Naruto and is an incredibly good story. Many chapters, still ongoing, some light character bashing and an awesome OC good guy who dresses as the least gay bird in existence.
You can't get much more win than that.
So anyway, I decided to contribute to the fan base by making this. The Grail War never knew what hit it.
This fic will be the second shortest one I have ever done. It will be a two chapter fic.
Reading the disclaimer today is the most adorable psychotic girl I've ever seen. Give it up for Yasuri Nanami-chan!
Nanami: Sakurada-san does not own Katanagari or the Fate/Stay Night franchise. Or maybe he does. Or maybe he doesn't.
Me: No, I definitely do not.
Our story begins in a basement that is so dark and dreary, it would make the bat cave green with envy.
And greener with disgust.
Conveniently, the basement is currently bathed in an ominous green light.
In the center of the room, there are two people. Well, one was a person. The other was a disgusting creature that you could not possible call human.
This creature is Matou Zouken, formerly known as Makiri Zouken. He is a several century year old thing that survives by injecting parasites into other people's bodies to use them as hosts, in a desperate attempt to stay alive.
For there is nothing he fears more than death.
And then, we have his son, Matou Kariya. A man who gave up dignity and the possibility of living a normal life, all for the sake of saving a girl he holds as dear as he would a daughter.
A girl who was violated by the worm based mage craft of the Matou family.
The price for her survival? The Holy Grail, an artifact of great power that can grant you one wish. Any at all. In order to achieve the wish granting device, 7 masters must battle each other using their 7 servants an-
Fuck it, you guys know the drill already. You wouldn't be reading this fanfic unless you had SOME basic knowledge about the nasuverse. Let's just get to the point.
After adding the necessary lines to summon his servant in the vessel of a Berserker, Kariya's eyes are blinded by a whit light emanating from the summoning circle. His disgusting wretch of a father had given him a catalyst that would allow him to summon the heroic spirit Lancelot du loc, the knight of the round table, also heralded as 'The perfect knight'.
What he saw appear was far from what a knight would look like.
A young man stood in front of him. He had incredibly long black hair that was tied into a pony tail, the hair holder being in the shape of a maple leaf. His hair went all the way down to his ankles. He wore what appeared to be a Japanese kimono with only the right sleeve on his arm. His left arm was covered by a form fitting sleeve that was colored red. He wore a black hakama with maple leaf patterns near the feet area, the obi belt being red with the same pattern on it. He had simple sandals on his feet.
To describe it from a fashion freak's point of view 'The outfit is simply weather defying.'
His eyes were the most intriguing. He had black eyes and a normal sclera but his pupil was white. From what could be seen, his body had numerous battle scars on it. There was also a scar under his left eye, in the shape of a cross.
"I'm Berserker. Or that isn't my real name at least but it is apparently my servant class. Who are you?"
A simple blunt question was all that it took to snap Kariya out of it.
This servant was not Lancelot.
This servant wasn't even from Britain.
Hell, this Berserker wasn't even under the effect of madness enhancement!
"M-my name is Matou Kariya. I'm your master." The Matou 'heir' replied a little nervously. The man hardly looked dangerous. Though his body was very lean and fit, it simply didn't look like he could fifth much.
The worms in Kariya's body though screamed at him to get the hell away from the servant. Whatever he was, it was enough the scare the disgusting creatures shitless.
"I only follow one person in my life so don't call yourself my master. Togame is the only one who can give me orders." The Berserker said without much emotion. Kariya did a double take just then. The servant refuses to obey the master? Now that was new.
'Who is this Togame person?' Kariya thought quizzically. His musings were interrupted by the dry laughter of Matou Zouken.
"Oh, how much you seem to amuse me with your failures Kariya. Not only do you fail to summon the right servant, this one won't even obey you!" The decrepit vampire laughed as Kariya glared at him.
"I never said I wouldn't help him." The Berserker said coolly. "I understand that I'm a servant in this war. But I will only obey one person in my life. If you want me to get you the grail, just ask politely and I'll help you get it. As a partner."
Kariya blinked owlishly at the servant. His offer was rather reasonable. Just treat him as a partner and he'll help him get the grail. But was he even strong enough for that? Did he have the power to back up that comment?
"Humph, this servant you summoned seems a bit cocky. Well, you better hope he's strong then Kariya, otherwise Sakura will never be free. Now get out of my house and get to work." Without another word, Zouken leaves the basement, leaving the master and not-so-Berserker behind.
The unnamed Berserker narrows his eyes at where Zouken just left through. His instincts told him that the old man was far from human, much less alive at all. Even Shikizaki Kiki didn't exude such an inhuman aura and he was a ghost inhabiting a ninja's body.
"Kariya-san… who is this Sakura that thing mentioned?"
"I…. I'll explain it all once we get out of here."
Sure enough, a few hours later they managed to find sanctuary in an abandoned apartment building. As they got seated on the dirty and dusty chairs, Kariya told Berserker of the things that the Matou family does to its women.
Even the children.
He told him every single thing that Zouken has done to the girl named Sakura, who was given away by her own family because there was only room for one heir.
As he listened, Berserker's eyes began to take on a cold gleam. His expression became one of silent fury. At the end of the story, Berserker crosses his arms and closes his eyes.
"I see…. I guess I'll help you then. If getting the Grail will save her from that disgusting creature then I'm in."
Kariya looked at his servant in disbelief. "A-are you sure you can even win?"
"Relax…." Berserker says as he suddenly swipes his right arm to the side. To small dots fall from the air and land on his open palm, revealing them to be the two halves of a fly, cut clean in half.
"I'll win."
#days later, warehouse district#
Several servants were gathered here all thanks to Lancer's challenge. Lancer himself was the heroic spirit Diarmuid of the love spot.
Saber was king Arthur of Britain. Though in reality, the king was actually a girl in disguise. So it was actually Arturia.
Rider was Alexander the great.
Archer was Gilgamesh.
Archer had his Gate of Babylon opened up and aimed right at the other servants. Watching from far away, Kariya grinned. The golden servant was the one that the bastard named Tohsaka Tokiomi commanded. Time for a little payback for abandoning Sakura.
"Berserker. Kill Archer."
All servants in the area froze as something smashed into the ground a little way off from Archer. As the dust and rubble cleared, it revealed the long haired servant known as Berserker.
"I am the servant Berserker. Which one of you here is Archer?" He asked with a bored expression. The other servants had mixed expressions on them. Saber was slack jawed at the appearance of so many servants at once. Lancer had a weary expression on him. Rider was grinning like a fool. And Archer…
"Who dares address the king without formal greeting? Get out of my sight, dog."
Archer was grumpy.
The GOB changed directions and fired a pair of random swords straight at Berserker. As it got close, the servant of madness did something unexpected. He did a rising kick with his left foot, breaking the first sword in half and he slammed it back down again to stomp on the second blade, shattering it under his feet.
"Oh, I didn't know I had to introduce myself like that. I thought our identities were meant to be a secret?" Berserker asked innocently. He looked at Archer who had a very angry expression on his face.
"Y-you little…. YOU DARE DESTROY MY TREASURES!?" With the last word being shouted out, he fires off more weapons at Berserker. The servant being targeted simply sighs before muttering "What a hassle."
Saber couldn't help but be amazed at Berserker. The servant wasn't under the effects of madness enhancement, which was for sure. No mad servant could possibly fight so elegantly.
With every approaching weapon that soared at him, Berserker used his hands and feet to shatter them into pieces. Blades were obliterated under his palms, maces were smashed by his feet, and a few spears were even broken in half just from being smacked by the servant's elbows.
This servant was destroying Noble Phantasm's with his body.
The king of knights shivered a bit in fear as she wondered what would happen if he tried to break Excalibur. Somehow, the blade she held felt to her as if it was afraid of Berserker.
Holy swords tend to have a mind of their own you know?
As the barrage of weapons ended, Berserker stands in the center of the destruction with a bored look on him. "Done yet?"
Archer growls in fury before composing himself. He cannot lose face in front of other servants. "Very well mongrel, since you wish to die so badly then the king shall grant you a painful death. What is your name? I wish to remember it as I trample on your body."
"Very well… however by that point you will have been torn to pieces."
That one sentence shocked all the servants in the area, as Berserker suddenly released an intense amount of prana and killing intent from his body and got into a fighting stance.
"I am the 7th and final generation head of Kyotoryuu, Yasuri Shichika. I am here to eliminate you."
With that, the death match began.
Gilgamesh growled and opened his Gate of Babylon even more so than he had before and began firing the most powerful treasures he had.
Vajra, Dainsleif, Gae Bolg, Mjolnir, dozens of sacred and legendary weapons were blasted out of his giant glowing portal.
The long haired Berserker didn't even bat an eyelash as he moved at twice the amount of speed he had before, smashing and chopping every treasure that approached him into half.
One particularly sharp weapon got lucky and struck his right leg, tearing a small but bloody gash in it.
Yet not once did Berserker falter. Even as the weapons smashed and cut into him, he continued advancing slowly to Archer whilst breaking every single Noble Phantasm in front of him.
'I-Impossible… how can he destroy all those Noble Phantasms with such ease!? Why is he letting himself get hurt!?' Saber questioned mentally as she stood as still as a statue.
'Truly… that man is a true Berserker… I wonder if I will be able to negotiate with him and have him join my army?' Rider thought as he found himself shivering in excitement. 'To enter battle with that servant will be an exhilarating experience.'
"I'm bored." Yasuri Shichika said bluntly as he blasted another treasure to smithereens. His body had numerous cuts, some shallow and others quite deep.
"Bored? BORED!? YOU DARE TRAMPLE UPON MY TREASURES AND SAY THAT YOU ARE BORED!? I WILL END YOU!" Gilgamesh all but shouted in fury. The other servants tensed as they felt the massive output of power from the two servants.
"Saber. Retreat now."
Arturia flinched in surprise when she heard her master speak to her through their spiritual bond.
"But-"
"Saber! That's an order! Forget your pride and get Irisviel out of there, Berserker is out of your league!"
Saber's eyes widened in shock before she gritted her teeth and vanished her sword. She immediately picked up Irisviel, bridal style and ran out of there. Lancer followed suit after receiving his orders from his own master to get them both the hell out of there. Rider simply stayed and watched, whilst his master remained passed out on the floor of the chariot due to the shock of how easily Berserker obliterated each Noble Phantasm.
Gilgamesh's eyes were wide with rage as he opened up the Gate of Babylon even wider, before realizing that his target was no longer in front of him.
"How long are you going to use that trick?"
The golden haired Archer spun around to the source of the voice before something pierced through his stomach.
Berserker's arm.
"Unless you have a weapon that can't break no matter what, this battle will end with my next attack." Berserker said darkly before pulling his arm out of Archer's stomach and launching a spinning kick to the side of the red eyed servant's body, sending him flying into a pile of metal boxes.
As the dust from the impact cleared, Archer's hair was down and his body was shaking in pain, fury and even a bit of fear.
"Y-you mongrel… you want a weapon that can't break? I'LL GIVE YOU A FUCKING WEAPON THAT CAN'T BREAK!"
Gilgamesh howled as he prepared to draw out Ea.
"Archer, by the power of my command seal, I order you to retreat immediately!"
Gilgamesh froze as he felt the command seal overpowering his control and forcing him to begin to use his flashy way of teleportation.
"D-DAMMIT TOKIOMI! LET ME END THIS PIECE OF TRASH!"
"By the power of my second command seal, I order you to still your wrath and RETREAT IMMEDIATELY!" His master's voice commanded again. There was a noticeable amount of fear in his voice.
"G-GUAAAHH! YASURI SHICHIKA! REMEMBER THAT I WILL RETURN! AND WHEN I DO, I WILL STOMP ALL OVER YOUR BODY AND I WILL SCATTER YOUR ENTRAILS ALL OVER THE CITY!" Archer shouted as he faded into golden particles and fled.
"Sure. However by that point…. You know what? Never mind."
#Einzbern manor#
Saber was pacing around the room furiously as she waited for Kiritsugu to arrive. She and her master's wife were waiting in the dining room, waiting for the dead eyed man to return with information about the other servants and masters.
Particularly Berserker.
Finally, Emiya Kiritsugu entered the room, accompanied by his assistant and partner, Hisau Maiya. The black haired magus seemed a little on edge as well.
"I'll be brief, the possible outcome of this war has changed dramatically." He said as he opened up a briefcase to reveal photos of the other masters, servants and sheets of paper which contained information like their birth certificates and etc.
"Because of Berserker?" Irisviel asked, worried. Kiritsugu nodded.
"Master, what on earth was he? No hero I've heard of can destroy sacred treasures like Noble Phantasms! Using his own bare body no less!"
Kiritsugu was quiet for a moment before speaking. "The Kyotoryuu… are monsters."
That was the only thing he said before taking an old book from his briefcase.
"I knew I recognized his name somewhere. My… father once told me a few stories about them. According to this history book, there was once a time in feudal Japan where the Shogun enlisted the help of a family of swordsmen who could kill anybody and anything. This family was known as the Yasuri family. The Yasuri family was famous for their technique, the art of Kyotoryuu. Sword less swordsmanship."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Saber asked before realizing. "You mean…"
"They train their bodies to become stronger and sharper than any sword in existence. Before a true Kyotoryuu warrior can become fully mature, they must go through harsh and almost inhuman training under the current head. Usually the training starts when the heir is no more than a child, younger than ten years old."
"But that's barbaric!" Irisviel exclaimed. Kiritsugu silently agreed.
"However, one particular event in history made the Yasuri family go into hiding for at least a decade."
"What event?"
"The slaughter of a feudal warlord's entire castle and the assassination of that warlord himself."
Saber's eyes widened at that in shock. "Why?"
"Apparently the warlord was plotting against the Shogun, so he had to be killed. But the man was also a friend of the head of the Yasuri family of that time, the 6th head. Regardless, after that, the Yasuri family went into hiding."
Kiritsugu waited for a few moments to let that sink in.
"Then, many years later, the newest and final head of the Yasuri family appeared, under the employ of the Shogun's strategist, who was also the daughter of the warlord who was murdered by the 6th head of the Yasuri family."
"So the strategist employed the descendant of her father's killer? Wait, final head? That means-"
"That means that our Berserker was this man under her employ. The 7th head of Kyotoryuu, Yasuri Shichika. The man who destroys blades."
"But why would she hire the son of her father's killer?" Irisviel asked with confusion.
"The strategist was on a hunt for 12 weapons. Powerful blades that were forged with unknown ancient magecraft. These 12 swords were known as the 12 Deviant Blades of Shikizaki Kiki, who was a famous sword smith. These 12 Deviant blades were meant to be collected by the strategist and then given to the Shogun as a gift. The problem was that each blade was in the hands of a powerful warrior. Samurai, priestesses, pirates, ninjas, a whole number of different warriors were in possession of those blades. Which is why she needed a man who could rival each sword in strength. And the only ones she knew were the Kyotoryuu. Either way, for months they searched and fought and eventually they collected each blade, despite the hardships they faced. They even managed to…." Kiritsugu trailed off and a strange look grew on his face as he brought the book up to his face for a closer inspection.
"You've got to be kidding…"
"Master? What is it?"
Kiritsugu lowers the book and sighs. "The strategist named Togame and Yasuri Shichika fall in love."
Irisviel began to giggle while Saber and Maiya just grow expressions of disbelief.
"Awwww, that's so cute! The last head of a dying art of battle falling in love with a girl whose father was killed by his father! That's sounds so adorable!"
"Yeah… cute…" Saber muttered as she tried to imagine what kind of woman could fall in love with Berserker.
"Anyway, after collecting the last of the blades and sending it off to the Shogun, they leave for the Shogun's castle… and that is where the strategist was killed."
"What!?" Irisviel exclaimed.
"An assassin was sent by a princess who had a certain rivalry with Togame. Using one of the Deviant blades, the assassin killed the strategist and before the 7th head of Kyotoryuu could react, he vanished."
"That… is quite sad…" Saber said solemnly. Kiritsugu waits for a moment before continuing.
"It was the following night that Berserker became worthy for his servant class. He broke into the Shogun's castle and slaughtered every guard and soldier that came his way."
The eyes of the three females in the room all widen in shock.
"He kept going up, killing guard after guard. Eventually, he reached a number highly trained soldiers who were wielding the very weapons he sought to collect with the strategist. Despite that, he killed those soldiers and obliterated each weapon he met, until all 12 were no more than fragments on the floor. He reached the top floor and then he killed the Shogun in cold blood. By morning, half of the castle and the compound in front of it was cut in half. After that, the 7th head of the Yasuri family vanished without a trace." Kiritsugu finished and closed the book.
The rest of the room was in shock as they absorbed that information.
"But… I have so many questions about this servant now…" Saber said as she massaged her temple, feeling a migraine develop.
"I only gave you the summary, if you want to know more than read the book. It's practically his Biography." Kiritsugu said before heading outside to smoke and think. Irisviel and Saber immediately take the book and place it in front of them.
"I guess we're about to pull an all nighter!" Irisviel said with a happy smile. Saber nodded as she turned to look at the simple cover of the book.
'Katanagatari, by Shikizaki Hitei….'
Well, half the fic is done, other half is left!
Yeah, its gonna be pretty short…
It seems that I have uploaded several new stories at once.
There is a reason for that of course but I can't remember which fic I typed the reason in…
Definitely not this one.
Btw, sorry if I got some of the history of Katanagatari wrong. I had been typing this using my memory as a reference since my actual episodes of the anime were corrupted and the internet is being shitty so I had to upload this at school.
Cheers chaps!