"Sheath your weapons, for the King has arrived!"

A chariot landed amidst the hail of lightning. A massive construct pulled by two large and bulky oxen. The beasts huffed and stomped their hooves, creating a sound akin to thunder as electricity filled the air.

The owner of the chariot was a giant of a man, all muscle and dressed in leather armor, a long red fur lined cape covered most of his figure. Dark crimson hair and a beard adorned his strong features, a proud smirk formed upon his lips.

A cowering youth trembled at his side, a young boy dressed in what appeared to be a school uniform, he looked so frightened to be in the middle of all this.

"Heroes of old hear me, for I am the Rider class Servant of this war, I am Alexander of Macedon, known in the East as Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!" He proclaimed in his deep voice.

"…Eh?" Lancer tilted his head.

Saber merely stared at him in a mixture of shock and annoyance.

Kariya muttered to himself. "Alexander the Great?" A figure of incredible renown in the history books, the man who conquered most of the known world in ancient times. Irisviel shared his surprise, she hadn't expected such a famed hero to appear before them

The Masters couldn't believe he had suddenly revealed his name for all to hear. Sure, Saber and Lancer were planning on revealing their names to each other, but in their bout and interactions they had come to respect each other greatly. This Servant just announced his identity, uncaring of who might be hearing, and what others might do with that knowledge.

Saber herself did not recognize that name, a fault of not being a complete Heroic Spirit. All knowledge she could have about other Servants were limited to legends she had heard about in life.

"Fate has drawn us together to fight for the Holy Grail, but I am here to give you a proposition!" He extended his massive arms. "Join me and my army, grant the Grail to me and together we shall relish in the glory of conquest! You shall be my treasured friends, and nothing shall stand in our way!" His words were full of passion.

"What the hell, you idiot?!" The young man cried out. "You can't just reveal your name like that! And what's that nonsense you said-!"

Rider flicked him across the forehead, knocking him back into the chariot.

Lancer sweatdropped. "Hey now…" It didn't look like those two had much of a formal Master-Servant relationship.

"So!" Iskander once more turned to them, an eager smile splitting his face. "What say you?!"

"You interrupt our duel to offer such a ridiculous proposition?" Saber said in outrage.

"Hehe, sorry about that" Rider scratched his nose. "I wanted to arrive before anybody ended up dead. The dead don't make for good allies"

"Hpmh!" The swordswoman shook her head. "I would not lower myself to be a subject, for I am a King too. And the land of Britain shall always be under my protection"

Lancer stared at her quizzically. "Britain?" His ruby eyes widened. "Wait, that means…" The hidden sword, could she be…?

"Oh!" Rider immediately understood. "Who would have thought the famed King of Knights is a cute little girl!"

Irisviel swore she could feel the anger radiating from Saber.

"Wait wait wait!" Lancer waved his arms rapidly. "The King of Knights? The Wielder of Excalibur? YOU'RE King Arthur?"

Saber nodded to him with a proud smile. "Indeed, I am King Arturia Pendragon of Camelot, the Once and Future King"

"Oho!" She was taken aback by the sudden wide smile and excitement on his tone. "I've been fighting against the epitome of knighthood all this time?! What honor! No wonder you shine with such magnificence, Chosen of the Fey!"

The King of Knights had to blink a few times, Lancer was truly an… energetic person. "Your words honor me, Lancer. But I am afraid I've yet to know your name, I'd like to know the identity of the man who's honored me with today's duel"

"Why, you don't even need to ask, King Arturia!" Once again, Lancer planted his trident upon the ground, and widely waved his arm. "I am the Great King of Kosala, heir of the Suryavansha, the Solar Dynasty that descends from the Sun God Surya himself! The Rightful King of Heaven and Earth, I am Rama, Seventh Avatar of Vishnu!"

Irisviel gasped in shock. High up on his vantage point, Kiristugu swore to himself. Not only was the King of Conquerors a participant on this war, but also the great hero of the Ramayana himself.

If Heroic Spirit's strengths were affected by their faith, then Rama was a hero who received an incredible boost worldwide. Rama was not only a legendary figure of the Indian epics, which held feats that were just absurd by modern standards, there were temples to him, worshipers that venerated him as a god by the thousands. A god incarnated that would fight single handedly against entire armies of demons.

Truly a Servant to be feared.

"Oh!" Iskandar looked so thrilled at the prospect of meeting him. "So you are Rama, I heard so much about you in my travels through India! Truly it is an honor to meet such an outstanding hero!"

"Hehehe" Rama scratched his head. "To be praised by one such as you is flattering"

"So, what do you say? Would you like to join my army?"

"I apologize, Rider" The Lancer replied. "But conquest is not my thing, plus I really need the Grail, I swore I'd get it for my master"

"Come now, I'm willing to negotiate"

Saber huffed. "You are wasting your breath"

Iskandar sighed in disappointment as he scratched his head. "So this negotiation between kings has failed. Such a shame…"

"What mockery is this?!" An ethereal voice suddenly spoke.

The individuals on the docks looked around in surprise, the voice had come out of nowhere.

Iskandar run a hand through his beard. "Hmm, it appears others have decided to show up"

Golden dust gathered atop one of the lamps, coalescing into human form. Donning a magnificent golden armor, the hero in question possessed fair skin and blonde hair, his red eyes glared down at the Lancer.

Rama's eyes narrowed. The sheer power coming off from this Servant…

"T-That's…" The young master of Rider stuttered. "The Servant that killed Assassin"

Kariya gnashed his teeth together. That was Tokiomi's Servant. Sakura held the stuffed monkey in her arms tightly. Did father know she was here?

"Not only do I find three posers claiming to be kings" His voice was regal, yet full of scorn. "But also someone who claims to rule over Heaven and Earth, the domains that solely belong to me?!"

Rama tilted his head. "Well, I assure you, as Vishnu's Avatar, I'm an extension of his divinity. His domains are mine as well, such was the responsibility I was entrusted with"

"Foolishness!" The golden Servant snarled. "I am the only true King!"

"Hmph" Iskandar huffed. "Then tell us your name, no king should hold their identity a secret"

His words seemed to infuriate him further. "The fault is yours alone if you cannot recognize my glory with just a glance" Golden ripples appeared in the air around him, and two weapons of outstanding design came forth.

Those weapons, Lancer realized, they were Phantasms.

Saber quickly moved to protect Irisviel, while Rider's master held unto his cape.

"Lancer" Kariya spoke into his mind, Rama blinked in surprise at how much hate there was in his words. "Defeat him, kill him!"

He would have questioned the negative emotion that fueled his command, but now wasn't the moment to show hesitation. The golden Servant seemed to be in a foul mood and was directing his anger at him. He couldn't afford to hold back

Though a question lingered him on his mind.

"Tell me something, are you of the Archer class?"

A blonde eyebrow raised elegantly. "And if I am?"

"Ah…" Rama's gaze dropped to the ground, the sadness and disappointment in his eyes was noticeable to everyone present. "Sorry I just… I was hoping for somebody else"

The golden Archer seemed to take that as an insult, and let out a soft growl as he fired his weapons.

They traveled at outstanding speed, Lancer had to jump back using his high ranking Agility to its fullest. The impact of the weapons created blasts that torn the ground around them. Without a gesture, Archer opened more portals from where even more weapons pulled forth.

The young master of Rider looked in terror. "Those… those are all Phantasms"

Saber and Irisviel could only watch shell shocked. For a single Servant to possess that many Phantasms at his command was simply… impossible. What kind of Servant was this Archer?

Lancer looked up to see a runed spear flying his way, with a twirl of Trishula he swatted it away into the air, and then brought it downwards in a strike to stop a peerless sword. The impact created a cloud of smoke.

Archer was already readying more weapons, believing two more to be enough... when suddenly two flying projectiles flew from inside the smoke, creating large holes on the cloud from their sheer velocity. His red eyes widened as the projectiles, arrows he realized, impacted against the weapons of his gate. They clashed and exploded, the blast sent Archer to the ground, the cement cracking under the weight of the impact.

He wasted no time in standing up, Archer would never lay on the ground before this unworthy peons. Archer's eyes glared at the figured who had dared strike him. "Why you..!"

The spectators looked back to the where Lancer was, and to their shock he was no longer holding his trident, but a bow. A masterfully crafted weapon of red and gold, the string seemed to glimmer with sacred light, he held the weapon with just as much mastery as he did with his previous one.

"What is this?" Saber muttered to herself. First the Archer's unnatural number and use of Phantasms and now a Lancer who also had access to a bow?

"Ohhh, very interesting" Rider said with a grin as he tapped his chin.

"I-I don't understand, how can he have a bow while he is a Lancer?" Wasn't the role of Archer taken by this golden Servant? Even if this one didn't seem to use a bow himself, instead being content with firing his weapons.

"Don't be so naive Waver, you should know by now how the skills a hero had in life, plus their legend, affects their containers. There is no reason to believe he'd be so limited" His Servant admonished him. "Rama was said to have mastered all weapons and all forms of combat, so I'm not surprised by this. Check your ability to see his stats if you wish to understand, now that you know his identity it should show you everything"

Waver did so, looking intently at the red haired Servant to see in his stats. He nearly passed out at what he saw. "It… It says Rama can function as all the three Knight Classes into one! And not only that, his second Phantasm is called Vishnu Bhuja; Arms of the Great One, which is a collection all the Phantasms and weapons he was entrusted with in life!"

Iskandar laughed boisterously at that. "Impressive! Now I really want to have him on my side!" He placed his fists on his waist. "It appears he and Archer have something in common, both have a large collection of weapons to bring to bear against the other" His tactical mind was already analyzing the situation. "So in a battle between them the outcome will be decided by whoever is more skilled, and what strategy they use" But a feeling told him they had yet to see all the tricks up the Archer's sleeve.

"Rama…" Arturia muttered to herself. Had he been holding back in their fight? Just how powerful was he?

The golden Archer's eyes flared in fury. "You dare strike me, mongrel?! You dare wield those weapons against me?! Fool, I am the true owner of all treasures, those weapons you hold are mine!"

Four arrows formed on in between his fingers as he strung them together while he held the bow diagonally. "Owning a weapon means nothing if you don't know how to use it, Archer"

A dozen portals opened around him, immediately bringing more of his treasures to bear. Lancer released his arrows, and took out four of the weapons before they could be fired. He jumped over one of the containers, avoiding the strike of a halberd that pierced right through the metal. Leaping into the air, he fired three arrows in quick succession, knocking away three more weapons coming towards him. As he landed, he dismissed his bow to summon two khanda blades on his hands. The swords became a blur as they parried and swatted away two swords fired from the golden portals. Two spears and a sickly came at him at tremendous speed, yet Lancer charged forward, his swords knocked away two of them while he kicked up the third one, sending it spinning into the air. He jumped, twisting his body to kick the butt of the spear and sending it flying back towards Archer.

Archer barely had time to react, he quickly summoned a golden spear, large in size and intricate in shape, and swiftly fired it to counter this own returned weapon. The blast clouded his vision momentarily and forced him to take a step back. He grunted, angry that this mongrel dared to use his own weapon against him.

He saw Lancer quickly changing weapons once again, this time he held six golden chakrams, circular saw blades with many edges, three in each hand. The disks shined and Lancer threw them, they flew through the air, gracefully gliding with the wind, aimed directly at him. Archer summoned a large shield which completely blocked his view but protected him fully. The chakras bounced off the towering shield, unable to even leave a scratch on it.

Lancer did not relent, with an inhuman burst of speed that tore the ground behind him, he launched himself towards his opponent. In his hands formed a long golden shaft, connected to the end of said shaft was a great ornate spherical piece of metal. The name of this mace was Modhaki, the Beater.

His weapon shined as he called upon its power. It didn't possess a conceptual ability, nor was it elementally charged or had any sort of special effect. No, what Modhaki possessed was pure, raw, physical might which could unleash a torrent of destruction with its blows.

Lancer stood just a feet away from the shield as he held his mace high and called out its name. "Modhaki!" The clash between shield and mace created a brief flash of light, followed by a tremor and a shockwave. The ground around them cracked, pieces of broken stone were flown away by the sheer strength of the impact. Most of the spectators had to shield their faces from the turbulent winds alone.

Archer's eyes widened as he saw the shield beginning to crack, more and more the cracks spread like a twisted spider web.

Finally his shield shattered, and he was thrown back by the shockwave. His body hit the ground a few times, rolling until he finally hit a container, and the metal posed no resistance as Archer pierced through, creating a hole in it.

Rama relaxed his stance and dismissed his weapon. He let out a soft breath.

Kariya couldn't stop the smirk from forming on his lips, he ignored the worms wriggling inside his body. "I hope you are watching this Tokiomi. Watch as my Servant beats yours, watch how I can keep Sakura safe while you didn't even care about her wellbeing!"

The clanking of metal caught their attention, and so they saw Archer walking out from the container. His armor still looked pristine, but his face was bruised, such small injuries were enough to send him into rage. "By harming my visage… you have signed your death sentence!" This time, far more than a dozen of portals emerged.

Rama clicked his tongue and summoned his bow. Archer was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Before his weapons could fire however, a vortex of blackness appeared on the other side of the battlefield. From the darkness appeared a large armored figure. A single red line over its visor gave the impression of a singular v-shaped eye which shined with a baleful red. The Servant had an unnatural feeling to it, one that radiated rage and madness.

"Is that… Berserker?" Irisviel frightfully asked.

"So it appears" Saber replied before turning her eyes to Rider. "Will you try to get him to join you as well?"

"Hmph, I doubt a Berserker would br remotely interested in negotiating"

The golden Archer merely snarled. "More mongrels appear before me? And a mad dog this time. Fine!" He spread his arms wide. "I shall slaughter you all right here!"

Saber held her sword. "Irisviel, get back!"

Waver tried to hide behind Rider's large figure while his Servant grabbed a hold of his chariot's reigns.

Rama prepared himself for oncoming onslaught.

…Yet it never came. Archer's face morphed into one of shock, he looked up to the sky in anger. "You dare order me to retreat after this humiliation? You have some gall Tokiomi… Fine! When I get back you shall feel my wrath" With a swat of his arms, he dismissed his weapons. "Enjoy what remains of your life, Hero of India. Next time we meet, you shall face judgment at my hands" And so vanished into golden dust as he astralized.

Rama knew next time the Archer appeared, he'd bring everything he had against him. He understood the level of danger this Servant represented, for that collection of Phantasms seemed to possess no limit. Who knows what more he had in store?

And yet, the Lancer relished the challenge. "And when that day comes, I will be ready" He had a promise to fulfil after all. He frowned as he stared at the new arrival. "Only this guy to deal with now"

The Berserker merely stood there.

"Master!" Rama called. "Can you see his stats?"

Kariya, briefly intoxicated by the feeling of victory over having Tokiomi's Servant retreat, tried to do so, but, "I… I can't" He replied in confusion. "That darkness around him is stopping me from doing so"

"I see" Red eyes narrowed. "Must be a Phantasm or Skill that conceals him"

Why wasn't the Berserker doing anything?

"So you are the one who stole my relic, Waver Velvet" A voice amplified by magic announced. Making everyone look around in confusion, not sure where it was coming from. "I was forced to acquire a new relic in haste, fortunately Berserker here has been obedient for the most part"

"N-No" The young boy stuttered in horror.

"To think you of all people would have the gall to steal from me in the first place… It appears you are long due a lesson on mages killing each other. But don't worry, I will make sure my lessons will be as long and thorough as necessary, all so you can properly understand the meaning of pain…"

"Lord El-Melloi…" Waver cowered, holding his head in fear, tears of pure terror leaking down from his eyes.

This was it, he was going to die. He was going to die. How could he have been so stupid? He should never gotten involved into this horrible war to begin with. Now he was going to die and…

A comforting hand laid on his head.

A soft gasp escaped his lips, and Waver turned to see Rider smiling reassuringly at him. The burly man turned to reply to the magus. "You say you wanted to be my Master, magus! Yet I do not see you standing here next to your Servant! I would only ride with those brave enough to stand at my side through my conquests! Hmph, the thought of someone who skulks in the shadows, too afraid to show their face, as my Master is nothing but a joke!"

His words enraged the Magus. "Watch your tongue, you glorified familiar! Berserker, kill him!"

The black knight began to tremble, a blood curling howl escaped from him and suddenly he moved with unnatural speed… ignoring Rider and his Master, and instead heading straight for Saber.

"What are you doing?! Attack the Rider, not the Saber!"

But Berserker did not listen, he knocked out a lamp and held it in his hands with great dexterity, despite his mad nature. Red lines of prana infused themselves over it.

"Irisviel, watch out!" Saber was forced to move forward and meet Berserker head on so the clash wouldn't hurt her companion. The mad warrior brought his makeshift weapon down on her. And the force of the impact was enough for Saber's knees to buckle under the weight and her arms to scream out in agony. His strength was comparable to that of Lancer.

"Tch!" Lancer wasn't about to let this mad Servant get in the way, he and Saber had a duel to finish.

The terrified scream of a child reached his ears. Alarmed, he turned to see Kariya falling to the ground, a dagger buried on his back. Sakura struggled under the grip of a dark cloaked figure of unidentifiable gender with a skull mask and purple hair.

Assassin?! But Rider's Master said he was dead!

The stuffed monkey fell from Sakura's arms and to the ground.

"Master! Sakura!"

He rushed to aid them, but Assassin was already escaping with Sakura on their arms.

He hesitated for a moment when he stood next to his master, looking at the knife on his back, if he wasn't treated immediately he would die, but…

"Go after her!" Kariya commanded through the pain.

That was all the instruction he needed. Lancer quickly jumped over the containers and followed after Assassin. The Servant of Murder was very nimble, his Agility likely rivaled his own.

Rama called forth one of his bows and aimed an arrow as he jumped over various containers, he had to be careful lest he harm Sakura by accident.

Assassin turned around and threw several dirks at him with such speed and force they were comparable to bullets. Lancer bit back a curse as he fired several arrows and knocked the dirks from the air.

Their chase took them all over the docks. Assassin was trying lose him, but his marksman's eye stayed on him all the time, even as he threw more dirks at him Rama just shot them down with perfect precision.

They ran up through a crane, Assassin dodged several arrows that pierced through the metal, skillfully moving in between the various parts of the structure. Lancer did not understood why Sakura had been taken hostage, it seemed that she was a priority rather than his Master. At least, if Assassin wanted her dead then she would be so by now.

At the top of the crane, Assassin ran over the beam ramp, gaining distance from Rama. The Lancer realized he couldn't keep chasing him around, but fortunately the straight line Assassin was running in gave him an advantage.

Lining up his arrow, Rama aimed low, and let loose.

"AGH!" Assassin screamed, stumbling as their ankle was pierced by a crimson arrow, momentarily stopping them.

That gave Rama all the time he needed. Judging by the purple hair peeking out over Assassin's shoulder, Sakura's size and length, the position in which Assassin was holding her, he calculated his next shot with outmost accuracy.

Another arrow was let loose, this time burying itself into Assassin's elbow. Namely, the one belonging to the arm that held Sakura. Assassin's arm fell limp, and let Sakura go… over the edge of the beam rail.

Her screams filled the night, Rama used every last inch of his speed and jumped down. Time seemed to slow down as he twisted his body and aimed one last arrow at Assassin, who was holding their injured elbow. The projectile soared true, too fast for the injured Assassin to evade, and found its mark on the Servant's skull mask, splitting it in half as the arrow buried their forehead.

Rama was already turning again as Assassin dissipated into golden particles. His eyes focused on the falling girl, dismissing his bow he summoned a large golden noose. A twirl of the item and the knot was flying straight for Sakura. It glowed with light as it seemed to move with a mind of its own, wrapping itself around Sakura. Gently as to avoid any kind of painful backlash.

Rama tugged at the noose and suddenly the girl was safe on his arms. The ground was coming closer and closer.

Positioning himself to absorb all the force of the impact, Rama's landing made the ground crumble around him. He quickly looked over Sakura with concern. "Are you okay?"

The girl's eyes were wide with terror, her breathing was erratic and she was clinging to him for dear life. But she was unharmed.

The Avatar of Vishnu sighed in relief. "You're okay" Without further delay, Rama quickly took them towards their Master.

He feared the worst as they raced, but his fears were soothed at the scene playing before him. Irisviel was kneeling beside him, having removed the knife and was now healing him with her own magecraft.

"Uncle!" Sakura run towards him the moment Lancer set her down. "Is he..?"

Irisviel smiled kindly at her. "He's going to be okay" And handed her the fallen stuffed animal.

The little girl couldn't hold it anymore, and so she cried in relief. Kneeling before Kariya's body as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey…" Kariya, tiredly and painfully, smiled at her. "Sorry for worrying you" He sat up with Irisviel's help, and looked at Rama with gratitude. "Thank you"

Rama smiled back. "It's what I do" He turned his eyes to the white haired woman, and much to her surprise, kneeled before her. "I own you my Master's life, lady Irisviel, I am in your debt"

The homunculus bashfully blushed. "O-Oh it was nothing"

Rama's ruby eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, Saber…!"

His words died on his mouth as he witnessed Iskandar's lightning chariot trample over Berserker's figure.

The King of Conquerors glared to the night sky. "I will not stand by and watch you bully your way into this conflict! Retreat, Master of Berserker, or we shall finish off your Servant right here!"

"…Tch. Retreat, Berserker"

This time, the madman seemed to obey as he vanished into dark particles of magical energy.

Saber, whose arm was currently bleeding from an injury she had received, sighed in relief and look at the Rider with gratitude in her eyes. "I thank you, King of Conquerors"

Rider just beamed at her. "Well, I thought it was hardly sporting that Berserker came at you while you had yet to finish your duel with Lancer. Speaking of" He shifted his gaze to the approaching Servant. "Will you continue where you left off?"

Lancer and Saber exchanged a look, and both shared a sigh. "I'm afraid now is not the best time, I must tend to my Master"

"I believe there have been enough hostilities for today"

"Hmm, indeed" Rider smiled down at his own Master. "So! What do you think of your very first battle experience?!" His gaze grew curious. "Oh?" He picked up his Master by the collar… who was so shocked by the whole ordeal it looked like he had passed out. "Really wish you'd man up a little, oh well…" After putting his Master into a comfortable position on his chariot, Iskandar turned to address his fellow heroes once more. "If you ever change your minds about joining me, just say the word. If not" His smile grew challengingly. "It shall be my honor to face you in battle"

Rama and Arturia both smiled. "Farewell, King of Conquerors"

The Rider beamed at them one last time, and with a snap of his reigns, his oxen let out a mighty cry as they took him and his Master through the sky, riding upon thunder and lightning.

Lancer rubbed his neck as he stretched. "Well, tonight has been eventful. Sorry we couldn't finish our duel"

"It is alright. We shall continue another day" Saber assured him.

The Indian hero held out his hand for the British legend. They shared a smile filled with respect as they shook hands, recognizing each other as worthy foes.

And like that, the first battle of the Holy Grail War had ended.

"If you ever want to have dinner before our fateful duel just find me. My treat" Lancer promised with a nod as he returned to his master, who was walking towards them with Sakura and Irisviel at his side. He seemed to be alright, albeit with a bit of difficulty on his step. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine" He coughed, his skin wriggling as he did.

Rama grew concerned. "I hope my fights did not strain you much"

"Nothing I can't handle"

Sakura merely held to his hand, as though she was afraid he'd vanish if she let go. Rama gave her a gently smile as he patted her head. "You were brave today" Once more he turned to Irisviel with gratitude. "Again, I can't never thank you enough. You and Saber have earned the respect of Rama of Kosala"

Before she could reply, Irisviel saw the wound on Saber's arm. "Saber!" She hurried to her side and quickly inspected the wound.

"'Tis nothing to be concerned for, Irisviel" The Servant of the Sword said as she brought her left hand to her arm. She made a soft sound of surprise as Irisviel held her hand and with the other she channeled her spell to quickly mend the wound as she had done before. Saber looked at Irisviel in the eye, her tone unreadable. "Some would call it foolish, to heal your enemy in a war" The Einzbern winced at her words, but the blonde's lips curved into a smile. "Yet to show kindness in such a conflict, it is the sign of a pure courageous soul, Irisviel"

Irisviel let out a soft laught. "I'm just doing what any knight would do, don't you agree, King Arthur?"

"You have upheld those ideals tonight, my fair lady" The Servant assured her with a gentle squeeze of her hand.

From the distance, Rama, Sakura and Kariya observed the exchange. Rama placed his hands akimbo as he smiled brightly at them. "Awww, they're a cute couple"