FATE/DOWN THE CRIMSON PATH

DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN FATE. FATE BELONGS TO TYPE-MOON AND NASU KINOKO. I OWN ONLY MY OC. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO REAL PERSON OR PEOPLE ARE MERE COINCIDENCE. NO FINANCIAL PROFIT IS MADE FROM THIS. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.


A/N: And yes, I'm finally back for my updates. Sorry about this late update, but final exam for my first term was more important, and I think I would have to resit them. They were some horrendous papers, and I hated them. Anyway, at this point I still have a Chemistry paper to get over with, but with the stress I'm having now, I need a way to vent it. Besides, I do owe you guys an update. To everyone who left me reviews, PM, favourite or follow my story, thank you so much for your support.


Chapter 7

Beowulf crouched at the crossroads,watching the Emiya in silence with the other Masters of the Blue Faction . Yvonne, Charlotte, and Francis were standing with him, on one side of the junction, while the two from the London Faction, whom he couldn't remember their names, were on the other side of the junction. Their leader seemed to be the woman with brown hair, and with the air of a true noble. Francis and the rest of his group were in such a shock when they saw her, but he paid no attention to her. Likewise, she paid no attention to them as well.

The woman with brown hair tied in a high ponytail was dressed in a white shirt with a huge red bow as a decoration, along with a pair of blood red trousers and high brown boots. From what he knew, she has special Blue Blood magic circuits and uses the wind element, as well as Mystic Eyes, though the attribute was unknown to them. And from what they could see, her main weapon at the moment was a holy mithril gauntlet.

The second was a man with long, dark loose hair. He wore a black shirt, and over it a black vest. A pair of black trousers and shoes completed the set. However, even at the end of the winter season, the air was quite chilly. He had a red coat on the outside and finished off with a yellow scarf, which was just hanging loosely around his neck. He saw no weapon of any sort on the man, but from what Francis had told him, the man had a Mystic Code made from mercury, Volumen Hydragyrum.

They had a third ally, but she was somewhere off, working in a way similar to what Yvonne would do, but the mercenary had yet to tell the rest of the Faction about her preference in firearms compared to magic. She was saving things for the second phase of the war. She didn't want people to know about her ace too soon, especially since there was already one on the team who worked in similar ways like her. The final Master refused to let them know her name, instead chose to keep it in the dark. Even when they held meetings, she always covered her face and muffled her voice.

"On the count of three, we charge," Beowulf commanded both verbally and telepathically to his Servant. The others should be doing the same thing. However, before he began the attack, he placed twenty bounded fields around the place, to prevent anyone from seeing or hearing any sound from the fight.

Damn the Red... Who would choose such a place as their base? He grumbled at the work he had to do to prevent the existence of magic to be known.

"One, two, three!" He counted, rushing out from his crouched position. The others followed suit, all except for the woman and man. He ignored them. As long as they didn't pull his leg, they could do whatever they wished to do.

Mordred, Vlad, Atalanta and Lancelot(Berserker) all materialized and charged into the compound. They broke through the bounded fields with ease, as they worked more as an alarm than a defense system, and Atalanta fired several arrows to draw the enemy's attention. It seemed to work, as projectiles landed down on the archer, who grunted as she jumped away, barely avoiding being hit. The projectiles connected with the ground, and exploded, blurring their vision, sending rocks and debris into the air. Archer stood on the roof, smirking as he nocked another arrow, and fired it at the Chaste Huntress.

A blur of red emerged from the smoke, and the invisible sword collided with Clarent. Father and son glared at each other, refusing to break sword contact. Arthuria brought her leg up, kicking Mordred away, who charged back without thinking twice with an incoherent roar. Saber parried the attack with ease, and twisted her sword, pommeling Mordred in the face. She grunted, stumbling backward. It was her mistake for discarding her helm, but she didn't want to hide her face any longer. There was no point after all.

"Look who's here, Arthur." She said mockingly rubbing her bleeding nose.

Her father turned, and saw a black knight, with a sword she knew too well, attacking Sasaki madly. His mad cries echoed across the grounds, and it hurt her, looking at him like this again. Sir Lancelot of the Round Table, reduced to a killing tool without any rationality in him. Mordred smirked, taking the chance to close the distance, and punching Arthuria in the face. The later quickly raised her sword to parry the attack, but the force sent her sliding across the ground.

Sasaki, on the other hand, was having a hard time dealing with the madman. Although he was a great swordsman when he was alive, being summoned into the Berserker class caused him to lose his sanity, and it was a shame. He would have wanted to fight the unknown hero at his full strength. He merely attacked relentlessly, and the samurai countered them perfectly, landing blows on Lancelot, and it seemed to make him angrier. Sasaki frowned, he had never fought a madman before, so it might be a challenge for him, but he was not going to give things up easily.

Lancer, with his usual toothy grin, had opted to fight against the enemy Lancer, Vlad. He pressed the vampire hard with each thrust he delivered, effectively pushing him back with sheer strength. As a fellow Lancer, Vlad seemed to lack the skills as a true spearman. In Chulainn's view, the long haired Servant was still toying with him, refusing to show the Son of Light his true powers. He hissed in anger, thrusting his spear at Vlad's head. With a smile, he twisted his body, and brought the lance up in an upward slash, landing a shallow cut on Chulainn's cheek. He grinned, and the deadly dance continued.

Medusa, although materialized, had choose to stay with the Masters, who had emerged from the house, full battle gear on. Her chains turned invisible, silently laying around the Masters, but it was ready to strike at any chance it had. A beam of energy blasted down on the Servant, who turned to a nearby lamp post after managing to deflect it.

Sat perched on the pole was a man with brown hair, and dressed in an archaic version of green robes. A book rested in one hand, and he smiled as several more beams showered on them. He seemed to be overconfident, as a shield with seven petals appeared, blocking the attack. Shirou charged at him, reinforcing his legs, leaping up to slash the man, who dissolved into mist before reappearing on another pole. The Magus grunted, again jumping after his prey.

Bazett had joined the fight, fending off the swordsman in the enemy faction. Beowulf grinned at the capabilities of his opponent, enjoying the fight to his heart's content. His sword connected with the gauntlet, ripples of energy spiraling outwards. Runes flashed on the Enforcer's limb, which landed a crushing blow to his side. He grunted, grinding his feet into the ground and sent mana through his sword, slashing it. A blade of fire emerged from the sword, and she quickly drew a rune to nullify the blow.

Sakura and Karma took their place behind Rider, serving as long range combatants and well as the support. Karma had his gloves on, the wraiths ready to attack with a flick of his finger, while Sakura had withdrawn several gems. The two had their gaze constantly sweeping over the place, not knowing when an enemy would strike. A mercury tentacle appeared from nowhere, and Karma pushed Sakura out of the way. The ground where they stood moments ago was torn into a giant crater. The two stared in disbelieve, but they had also known the identity of their assailant.

"It's Lord El-Melloi..." Karma whispered to her, who nodded in agreement. "I hate to say this, but we are going to die if we take him head on. None of us has the right Mystic Code to counter him..."

"Scalp!" Waver yelled, and more tentacles sliced through the air. Rider's chains took the blow, and the two quickly scrambled out of the way. He landed beside a blob of mercury and walked towards the lavender haired Servant.

After facing Gilgamesh of all people all those years ago, a Servant is nothing when compared to him. That man was simply horrifying.

"I'm your opponent." Medusa purred, her chains dancing around her.

Waver snorted. "Out of the way, Servant. Scalp!"

Again, the mercury reached out for the Servant, who stood ready to defend herself. But it changed direction at the last minute and tore through one of Karma's arm. The broken appendage dropped to the ground with a sickening thud, the boy letting out an agonized scream. Blood pooled around him, who had sunk to his knees in pain. Sakura pulled him away from harm, and Waver didn't seem to be interested in going after them, though he did notice the Command Seals on the hand he had just severed.

"YOU!" She hissed in anger. Her chains heeded her call, slashing out towards him.

A wall of mercury rose and blocked the chains with ease. But it wasn't able to block the sudden change in the force of the assailant. A gem pushed its way through the barrier and detonated in his face. Waver staggered backward, glaring at the Edelfelt head in distaste. She was cauterizing the boy's wounds, and soon she stood up, a gem flashing urgently in her hands. He didn't like the look of it a bit.

Where in hell's name is that Barthomeloi? He complained to no one in particular, stepping on the mercury, which elevated him onto the roof of the compound. He saw a blur moving through the courtyard, and blades of wind slicing through as well, Magus and Servants likewise hissing in pain from the cuts. Soon, the Queen joined him on the roof and watched in veiled amusement at the family heads on the ground.

Tohsaka Sakura, seventh head of House Tohsaka, Supervisor of Fuyuki. A gem magic practitioner. Though new in the field of gem magic, her strength wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Emiya Shirou, sixth head of House Emiya, a superior Magus in the field of Projection and Reinforcement. He was not someone to take lightly of, considering he was adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu, the infamous Magus Killer.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a member of House Fraga, which was known to possess an actual Noble Phantasm, the Fragarach. Also serving as an Enforcer for the Association, and one of their best hand-to-hand combatants. Even with only one arm, she was a fearsome opponent.

Luviagelita Edelfelt, current head of the Edelfelt clan. A family who had served as mercenaries for generations. They were even nicknamed the elegant hyenas, not that they cared anyway. Also a fellow practitioner in gem magic, a relative to the Tohsaka clan.

Nobunaga Karma, the descendant of the great Nobunaga Oda, the great strategist. Though his family was new in the field, and he was of the third generation, their Mystic Code, Hand of Einnashe was something to be feared off. It was said that the gloves were able to summon wraiths, which was why Waver had targeted him in the first place.

"An impressive collection we have here..." She said, her lips just curving up a little at the sight.

Beside her, Waver frowned at the sight. He hated the damn country, and he would have never returned to the backwater country if he could help it. But he knew his king would be mad at him if he let the chance slip. And thank the Roots he didn't.

"Is it really that impressive?" He retorted lamely, taking another long pull from his cigar. The mercury bounded upwards,landing beside him. "As far as I can see, they're just a bunch of novice. They may be the heads of their family, but they're inexperienced."

Lorelei eyed him dangerously, but the man didn't even flinch at it. "Oh, I thought you too were a novice when you joined this ritual all those years ago. A complete novice who got his predecessor killed because he stole the lord's catalyst."

"I neither deny nor concede things, Lady Barthomeloi. However, do allow me to make one thing clear. Kayneth and I were both fools." He began, blowing smoke into the air. The noblewoman's gaze on him was ignored, as he let his mind wander to the past. "We were fools, eager to show off our abilities in this war, never once thinking that things wouldn't turn out the way we had originally planned. Instead, we stuck to our naive beliefs that this was just child's play..."

"Oh? Pray continue, your narrative is most interesting. And I believe your mercury will be more than enough to deal with them." She commented, launching another barrage of wind blades which were deflected by Medusa.

Waver snorted, knocking the ash off the end of his cigar before taking a pull. The mercury stretched out, razor blades slicing through the crowd, and cries of pain broke out. "Alexander the Great and Kayneth would never get along, this much I'm sure. The king wanted a Master who would ride into battle with him. Kayneth but a Magus, he put priority in secrecy. I know that secrecy is paramount in our world, however, that's his biggest mistake. In a war, no one cared about the pride of nobles. It was a fight to the death. And if you take just one wrong step, you'd die."

Lorelei arched an eyebrow at the statement. "Having a discussion with you is certainly much better than talking to those dogs at the Clock Tower, my lord."

He bowed, not flattered by her words. "Caster seemed to be giving the Emiya boy a hard time..."

"Oh, don't worry. I had the boy implanted with his adopted father's crest. He just refused to show his opponent his true power..." She said, smirking.

"W... What?!" He exclaimed, choking on his cigar, coughing a few times to regain his composure. "You what?! Why would you give such important crest to him?! His father was a Sealing Designate..." He ended exasperatedly.

She didn't even turn at his outburst. "No reason. I wanted to see how far he could push himself, the incarnation of a concept. ... And where's the rest? I thought they charged in before us?"

The man shrugged, moving his mercury to block off another barrage of arrows.


The exchange of arrows continued, with Atalanta firing arrows of the same version while Archer had an entire stock of different arrows in his memory. He slowly moved away from the compound. The angered huntress of Artemis jumped after him, savagely firing arrows at the red bowman, shouting something in the old tongue, which unfortunately he didn't understand a word. Not that he would pay any heed to it anyway.

"Caladbolg!" He called, a spiral sword appearing in his hand, the shape morphing into a spiraled arrow. He nocked it, took aim and fired.

The arrow soared through the sky, a trail of mana behind it, twisting even space itself. It cut through the air, going straight towards the bow woman, whose eyes widened in surprise before hastily firing an arrow. Caladbolg cut through it with ease, like a hot knife on butter. She fired more arrows, but they all suffered the same fate. She backed away, but the arrow caught her before she could retreat, exploding upon impact. Atalanta emerged from the smoke, snarling and firing arrows at Archer.

"Not so easy, Chaste Huntress..." He said to himself, smirking. The bow disappeared, replaced by the twin swords which he loved. Kanshou and Bakuya collided with the projectiles, metal sparks flying off the surfaces. Ha had to replace the swords again and again, as each broke after taking on several arrows.

Soon, the rain of arrows died down, and both Servants surveyed the damages they had caused. In the explosion earlier, Caladbolg had taken a quarter of the bridge down. The arrows from Atalanta gouged holes on the road, smoke filled the area. He groaned at the sight.

If this happened at the brat's house, Fuji-nee would kill him... Or he would be killed since the rest are still there.

"So, want to continue?" He asked, smirking.

She snarled, that was answer enough. He dashed forward, the swords altering shapes as well, they grew longer, bigger, with feather-like constructs on them. He slashed it down at her, missing her by a hair's breadth. The metal beams broke in half, falling into Mion River beneath them. Another slash, and again a beam was torn. He growled in frustration, angered by his incompetence.

"Damn it, stay where you are, huntress!" He growled, dashing towards her at his maximum speed. However, in terms of agility, he was ranks below her. There was no way to match her in speed, that's why he needed to rely on other tactics.

I'm not just an archer, lady...

He grinned, as swords appeared behind him, just like how the Gate of Babylon works. However, there was no golden portal in his version, just projected swords and him. The swords continued to increase in number until it easily reached one hundred. Among the weaponry he had called upon, there were spears, katana, halberds, any form of sharp pointed objects, including axes.

Atalanta stared in horror at the image before her, her hands shaking, unable to hold her bow steady or nock an arrow. It was too terrifying for the huntress. She had never seen an archer with the abilities both as a swordsman, Magus, and bowman at the same time. He was no ordinary Servant, no ordinary Heroic Spirit, and he had demonstrated his powers quite well the last time he pulled them into his reality marble.

"What are thy?!" She demanded angrily, not showing her fear towards the man.

He grinned, the swords in hand disappearing. "I don't think this is the right time to ask such things now, is it?" he replied nonchalantly.

She hissed in anger, screaming. "Answer me!"

He smiled. "Oh, just a spell caster. Nothing more. Or you prefer me answering 'A Hero Of Justice'?"

She snarled at him, baring her canine, before energy began to assemble in her bow. The mana concentrated was so intense the faker just had to smile.


Arthuria and Mordred had moved their battle away from the house, continuing their duel at the foreign cemetery, where Arthuria and Hercules had their first duel. In a way, she felt sorry for disturbing the dead in their eternal slumber, but fighting at the samurai compound was a bad option, especially when both Sabers were adept in using mana burst. And the damage caused would be too great.

She parried a slash by Mordred, twisting her body to avoid a punch, and slamming a fist into her son's gauntlet. The younger blonde grunted, and backed away, eyeing her with an annoyed expression. Arthuria rushed forward with mana burst, closing the distance in seconds, her sword aimed for her enemy's head. Mordred brought her sword up to defend herself, but the force sent her sliding back. She grounded her feet against the ground, slowing down into a halt.

Excalibur came dancing, slash after slash, with Clarent taking every slash, parrying them precisely. Mordred could feel the anger boiling up in her at her father's blank expression. It was a fight to the death. It was a fight against her own blood, her own kin, yet she could feel nothing from it. The younger swordsman brought her sword up, cutting through her father's breastplate, blood spraying out.

The knight in blue stumbled, and held her stance. She didn't even show the pain she had got to be suffering from her injury, and it made the rebel angrier. She ran forward, the wind covering her sword, making the edge sharper. The wind answered her call, and surrounded the knight, pushing her forward with a boost. The sword again cut through Arthuria's armor, slicing through her side. More blood joined the first, but the knight in blue grunted and launched a counter attack.

She moved towards her son at breakneck speed, Excalibur raised for another strike. Clarent came up to meet the sword, but she twisted the sword at the final moment, again smashing the pommel into her face. Mordred dropped to the ground with a cry, one hand covering her severed eye. Her father had made it clear that she would show no mercy, and she had just lost half of her sight. Excalibur came down again, the blade being driven into her shoulder.

She screamed out in pain. "Why?! Why not...just finish me off?"

Arthuria regarded her son with her emerald orbs. "I wanted to know."

"What would you possibly want to know from a traitor like me?!" She spat blood in her father's face.

As an answer to her actions, she twisted the sword in hand, and the rebel hissed in pain.

"Why did you break your oath as a knight?" She asked calmly.

That angered the young blonde. Using all the energy she had, she kicked her father off her, who pulled Excalibur out as she went, blood fountaining from her ruined shoulder. She held Clarent in one hand. Without the aid of the other hand, she couldn't rely on her Noble Phantasm to wake up the stupid king, who was also her father. It was the strength in swordsmanship which would decide the outcome tonight.

"I don't have to answer to you. You are not my king!"

Spitting blood at her feet, she waited for Arthuria to make the move. She took the bait, rushing forward, summoning the air to cover her sword, hoping the invisibility could throw her off guard. She growled at the sight of her father who chose to use such low tricks and kicked the ground, launching herself forward.

The secret to winning is the courage to gamble...

She mumbled to herself, twisting in the air to avoid being skewered alive, her sword raised for another blow. Arthuria was too late to realized what was going on, her eyes widening in shock as Mordred passed her.

Then, blood sprayed everywhere as both of them collapsed to the ground.


The Hound of Chulainn grinned in satisfaction as he made thrust after thrust at the white-haired spearman. He had to admit, the man was good, though in his opinion the guy was better off in the Caster class. That mist of his caused him to constantly miss when he thought he had impaled the guy with his spear. He somersaulted backward, landing in a crouch, the tip of his lance on the ground.

"Hey, phantom, who are you?"

Vlad made no reply, as the mist around him intensify, blocking their sight before appearing behind his enemy, jabbing the spear at Chulainn's head. The hound smirked, dodging it, the spear sailing across his head before grabbing Vlad's arm, twirled the man and slammed him into the compound. Vlad's form went crashing into the dojo, breaking half of the wall, and some of the planks.

Shit, the brat's gonna get a fright, seeing his house like this. Well, ain't my fault since they decided to attack the place.

He shrugged the thought off, focusing his mind on the fight. He watched as the pale man rose from the rubble unsteadily, and immediately rocketed himself forward, his spear longing for his opponent's heart. However, at the final moment, the man disappeared, then reappeared on the roof. He looked up at Vlad, and launched himself up, landing a little distance away from him.

"Hey, nice move. Wanna tell me what's it about?" He didn't answer. Chulainn frowned at the silence. "You aren't a talkative guy, are you?"

Again, no answer was given to him. Losing patience, he bounded forward, his demonic red lance clashing with the spear the vampire held. He brought his face closer to the other male, and the scent of iron filled his nostrils. He growled, and kicked Vlad away, pointing the spear at him

"You stink of blood." He spat it out.

Vlad actually chuckled at the remark. "You have a sharp nose for things. Of course, I smell like blood. It's what keeps me alive after all. Blood is the essence of life, don't you agree?" He asked instead, enjoying the look of shock on the other man's face.

"Yeah, maybe..." He replied sarcastically, rocketing forward and slashing his spear out at the man. The mist shifted, and Vlad disappeared. Out of instinct, he swung the spear behind him in a wide arc and felt the tip cutting in flesh drawing blood. It was further confirmed with a hiss of pain.

Chulainn smirked in joy, finally able to land a blow on him. Vlad glared at him with his blood red eyes, before taking the lead to launch a fresh attack against him. The demigod was enjoying every moment of things, as he rarely had the chance to fight until his heart's content, especially after he was forced to summon that stupid excuse of a priest.

Vlad's spear drew a thin line across his cheek, drawing blood. He only grinned more, as the fight intensified, trading blows after blows, each one of them matching the power of their opponent. He pressed down hard on the spear, and jumped into the air, delivering a kick to the other's face, causing the latter to stagger. He quickly continued his blows, thrusting his spear forward, but Vlad deflected the blow with a sweep from his spear.

The vampire growled, disappearing and appearing once more, slashing at the blue-haired man's back in rage. Chulainn countered them calmly, and elbowed him in the face, angering him even more. Another upwards slash and the elegant robe on Vlad was being sliced through. He jumped back to survey his own work, happy with what he had done.

He had yet to unleash the spear's full potential, but he was sure he could defeat the arrogant bastard with pure skills, plus a trick or two up his sleeves.

"Vampire, ready for more?" He challenged, grinning.

Vlad's vein throbbed in rage. How dare of him to mock me so?! I shall make him pay for such insolence!


The Servant of Insanity continued to slash his sword against the samurai recklessly. The said samurai grunted as the force of the sword caused him to kneel onto the ground. Lancelot roared in madness, his sharp teeth sending shudders down the samurai's spine. His helm had been taken off by a slash from the samurai, who recoiled in shock at the sheer madness on the black knight's face.

He had come after him, slash after slash, none stop, and that annoyed the samurai to no end. The knight gave him no chance to show off his secret technique, not that he would acknowledge the blow anyway, at least not in the current mental state he was in. He grunted, and tried to push as much distance as he could from the madman to unleash his technique, but he just rushed at him the moment he tried to jump away.

Sasaki was now regretting his brash decision of intercepting the black knight. Though the knight's identity was still an unknown, he had at least known that he held a certain grudge against the blue knight, whom he had yet to know her identity as well. Upon his arrival, the black knight's aura had intensified at the sight of the knight, and he quickly intercepted as Red Saber was already engaged with the enemy Saber.

Besides, he was a swordsman, and therefore he stood no chance against the Rider, Caster and Assassin class. Especially if the enemy Assassin is one who is exactly like the description of the class. He would have a headache just to figure where his next strike would land, and he knew he was definitely not the type of person to fight such a duel.

So, he focused on the madman before him, however, reluctant he felt, this was the man he had to fight now. He needed to win, to prove that his Master was right in summoning him to fight alongside him. That Nobunaga Karma was indeed the descendant of the famous Nobunaga Oda. The thought raised his spirit to fight.

With a howl, he pushed the black knight back, the giant stumbling backward. He furiously landed blows on the man, damaging his armor, drawing blood. He had to defeat the man, even if he was denied the access to his secret technique. He was a man without a true identity of his own, shaped from people's impression of Sasaki Kojirou. That wasn't even is true name, that was why he was so deprived of the pride a knight and samurai should have.

Yet, he was proud of the way he was now. At least his Master gave him the chance to fight to his heart's content. At least, he would be able to show his Master the true extent of his skills as a swordsman. He smiled, bringing his nameless sword down against Arondight. The black knight pushed back with all his might, but Sasaki was stronger now, with his new found determination.

He pushed the knight down and kicked the knight again. Lancelot roared, Arondight's blade raised to parry the next blow. He may have lost his insanity, but the swordsmanship was etched into his bones, hence there was no way he could forget everything. He was a knight at heart, no matter what were the sins he might have committed in his past.

Why Lancelot? A knight as noble as you... Why would you give in to darkness?

I don't blame you... I never did... I just wanted the both of you to be happy...

Vaguely, in his mad mind, he remembered what his king had told him in the last war. He shouldn't have those memories, but... somehow he remembered, and the words were like a torch in his mind, shining through the madness, pushing the insanity aside, and brought the noble knight back towards the surface.

"I fight... I fight for the sake of my king!" He declared, Arondight answering his call, unleashing its true powers. "All those who stands in the way of my king must die!"

Sasaki was shocked by his sudden change. Looking into his eyes, he found no madness in the man's eyes. It was clear, the determination to defeat him was clear. The knight had overcome the Mad Enhancement, yet his powers only seem to rise instead of dropping.

What happened? How is he stronger than before even when Mad Enhancement has been shut off? Moreover, who's the king he wanted to serve?

He winced in pain as the blade sliced through his left arm, the blood soaking his samurai attire in crimson. Lancelot pressed forward, landing slash after slash onto the Japanese swordsman, not giving him a chance to take a breath. Sasaki twisted his sword, jabbing at the knight's face, but he deflected it with an arm, the blade sliding down the length of his arm before he agilely ducked under the blade, using the momentum to back away.

Sasaki was the one who pressed forward this time, katana raised to meet Arondight. However, a sudden change in the link with his Master caused him to halt in his steps.

"Master!" He called, turning to where Karma was.

Lancelot didn't let the chance slip, thrusting his sword into the samurai's chest. Sasaki turned to face him, remorse in his eyes, as he watched the blood pooling beneath his feet, and coating the knight's blade.

"I did not wish for our duel to end like this..." Lancelot said to him, pulling the sword out, and more blood fountained to join the ones already spilled.

He chuckled in amusement. "I know. It was a good fight, knight. If only you were sober the whole time, I would've truly enjoyed it."

"I regret not being able to fight you at my fullest. May we trade blades again. You are a great swordsman. It was an honor."

"Ah...likewise..." Sasaki said with a soft smile before disappearing into mana, his soul returning to the Grail.

Lancelot felt the madness returning, and quickly went in search of the two swordsman fighting to their death, before he lost rationality again.


Shirou had to admit, even when he was a Magus himself , the Blue Caster was not an easy opponent. The gentleman kept leaving openings to him as if giving him the chance to strike, but he had never taken the bait. With Shakespeare constant retreat, their battlefield had been shifted to the riverbank, where Shirou thought he had the advantage of projecting more swords to counter the beams the Servant of the Spell had up his sleeves.

"Trace on!" He murmured, and swords appeared over his head, rotating, ready to fire at his next command. "Target set. Continuous fire."

With the command, the swords launched themselves at Shakespeare, who read something from his book, and a shield appeared before the man, effectively blocking the blow. He didn't expect a man and girl to appear, and flying towards him at a tremendous speed. Swords impaled them but easily penetrated the phantoms. Shirou's eyes widened in shock before jumping away.

"The hell!" He exclaimed in anger, as he realized that his swords wouldn't work against him.

Shakespeare made a gesture, and his smile brightened up. "I'm a playwright who loves his work, hence, they love me back as well, and they are willing to do anything for me~"

Shirou frowned. This is bad. A spell caster against a full-fledged Magus. To make things worst, as long as the guy has imagination, he's likely to produce more puppets...

The Heroic Spirit gestured again, and the couple rose from the ground, hovering beside him. The man had short, curly brown hair, with sea blue eyes and a fair complexion. Dressed in a similar archaic fashion like Caster, only that his frocks were blue instead of green, and a pair of brown high boots. The lady had long straight, blond hair tied into a long braid. She was dressed in a red dress trimmed with laces, white long gloves up to her elbows. She held a purse in hand, and on her delicate feet was a pair of high heels.

Shirou had no ideas who those two were, neither did he recognize the clothes belonged to which era. He sucked in history and hated the subject. Well, if the subject of history is connected with swords, then that's another story. He had such a high affinity for swords, not to mention his Origin was the sword as well. It was simply impossible for the guy to ignore swords.

He ran a quick analysis on the two, and as well as on Shakespeare. Though his main expertise was still in swords, he could perform structural analysis on other things as well. He could be called a prodigy in the field and could receive a Noble Colour if he had joined the Association all those years ago.

Fabrics of the highest quality made from silk... That's all I could say about the fabrics. Not much information, as they are created on the spot, and Caster's just a copy of his true self.

The two figures, made from mana, and their properties... wraiths of a sort, then I know the best way to send them along their way...

But, his book seemed to be quite old... Add on a famous playwright, and the material seemed to be of the English style, could he be?

Shirou projected his swords once more, aiming them at the two apparitions. This time, the sword of his choice was a holy one, meant to exorcise wraiths and the lot, as long as they rank C and below. He believed that whatever those were, he could clear them off with those swords.

The couple hovered there, not even bothering to move or dodge the blow. For one moment, it seemed to penetrate them again. But the swords halted in their pathways, and rotated furiously, spinning the wraiths around them. They let out an inhuman howl, their features twisting into that of a monster, their screams echoing across the river before fading away. The swords exploded, freeing the mana into the space to be recycled.

Shirou smirked at his small victory, while Shakespeare seemed at a lost on what to do. His gentlemanly composure gave way to a father who had lost his children, his lips pressed into a thin line as he pointed an accusing finger at Shirou.

"You!" He said with a loud voice. "How could a gentleman like you do this to my children? They are one of my best works. How could you just throw them into limbo?"

"Oh?" He asked, smiling. "You're the first to call me a gentleman, Shakespeare. However, I have no pride in that. I'm just a Faker. Enough talk, let's end this, shall we?"

More swords appeared above him, and they all suited one purpose. To eradicate the apparitions Shakespeare would summon.

The Playwright snarled in anger, and call forth more of his works, and the exorcism continued.


Even with Luvia joining them, the Red Faction was still at a disadvantage due to the defeat of Assassin. Furthermore, Karma's Mystic Code could only provide half of the power it could unleash before, as he had lost one hand, the one with the Command Seals. However, instead of running away, he continued to fight alongside the Red Faction.

Luvia and Sakura joined forces, and together, their gems magic was quite effective in shield formation, though it was useless after a while as they found out that the wind blades and mercury used by the two nobles could change trajectory. So they focused the gems on offense, and it was another waste in a way. And they had to keep dodging the mercury, or they would be sliced in half any moment they let their guard down.

Lord El-Melloi II always had mercury besides him, acting as an automatic defense system. It was frustrating to see their efforts going down in vain, as the gems were expensive, and it took a long time to fill each individual gem up to its full capacity. Not to mention The Queen, who just threw wind blades at them whenever she felt like it and ignored them most of the time.

Rider was unable to land any blows on them as well and received a few cuts from the wind element magic launched by Lorelei. That didn't pose any problem to the Heroic Spirit, as she continued to dance around them with her chains up in a defensive sphere. She was fairly confident that at least her Master wouldn't be hurt in the process, and that was all it mattered to her.

Karma had tried to maneuver past the defensive walls of Volumen Hydragyrum, but the conceptual weight of his Mystic Code paled in comparison to the Lord's, and he was still looking for an opening. Even when he targeted Lorelei, the shield moved to protect her as well. The pain at his left stump constantly reminded him of his failure, and he knew he couldn't fail again. Not after his Servant had fought so valiantly against a madman. He had to at least survive through this. If not for his own sake, then at least for his Servant who had served him well.

"This is simply boring." Remarked the Queen in a monotone.

Waver had to smile. Indeed, even he had not thought that the younger Magus was so weak, as to be unable to stand against them in a one-to-one fight. Not that he could blame them anyway. Volumen Hydragyrum was an impenetrable fortress in away.

"Do forgive them. In terms of experience, they are certainly lacking. Unlike Fraga. She kept up a good fight with Rozenwalt." She commented, watching the Enforcer fighting with her fists and legs against a sword-wielding opponent. Then she realized that the Enforcer had a missing hand as well. "What happen to Fraga?"

"Oh, the priest took it off in the previous war." He replied nonchalantly, pulling at his cigar. "But I doubt it affected her abilities. From what I heard, she artificially replaced the missing appendage, enhancing it with Runes."

A gem shattered as the mercury moved to intercept it, and the Edelfelt head jumped up with a reinforced fist, smashing it against the wall. The mercury quickly adapted to the additional force, and the bones in her hand fractured. The Magus bit back a scream, landing beside the brunette with a somersaulted, applying a swift healing spell to the hand.

Medusa's chain crashed down on them, and the mercury took the form of a sphere, effectively reducing the force applied, spreading it out evenly and moving back to default position once the chains broke contact. The lavender haired woman threw a dagger at them, causing a diversion while Sakura sneaked up from the back, five gems ready in hand, already halfway through her chant when the wind was knocked out from her lungs, and she fell heavily onto the ground, coughing up blood.

"Tohsaka!" Karma yelled, worry in his voice. The momentary diversion was enough, as Lorelei directed another barrage of wind blades towards him. He was saved by Luvia's gems, which managed to delay the wind blades down enough for her to push him out of the way.

"Watch it, brat..." She hissed, reinforcing herself and bounded to Sakura's side, helping the girl up.

Sakura took in a few deep breaths before talking to Luvia. "We're at a disadvantage. Senpai and Bazett-san are engaged with the enemy faction. And our Faction has yet to be complete. The enemy Assassin has yet to show, and we're lacking Caster and Berserker, not to mention our Assassin has fallen."

Though reluctant, the blonde had to agree with her cousin on the matter. Not only were they out numbered, but they had one Servant less than the enemy. She gritted her teeth, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation. She directed her gaze to Bazett, who managed to hold her own fort with only one hand, and her opponent was a swordsman. It was an amazing feat itself, as the Magus continued to watch in awe.


Beowulf smiled in glee at being able to fight such a strong opponent. It was rare for them to fight Enforcers, as they were so little in numbers, and their skills were usually utilized to fight Sealing Designates or Dead Apostles. On the other hand, Bazett's expression was that of a neutral one, showing not even a hint of emotion, or the sheer fun at having such a strong opponent like him to fight.

Bazett brought up a fist to his face, which he quickly parried with the surface of his sword, and twisted the weapon, jabbing at her face. She jumped away, landing in a crouch and stuck out a leg to bring the noble down his feet. Beowulf responded by bringing his sword in a downward slash, causing the woman to quickly pull back her leg, swearing.

"You're quite good, boy." She complimented the Magus, whose eyebrows twitched at being called a boy.

"You're not bad too yourself..." He returned the compliment dismissively and catching out of the corner of his eye where Charlotte and Francis snuck into the compound, while Yvonne cloaked her presence and disappeared off somewhere. He had no interest in the other two. To him, they were just chess pieces, even if they did hold prominent power over the world of Magus.

The two traded blows again, gauntlet meeting the sword, both being pushed back as the force from the mana released into the air. A fist swung down on him, and connected with his arm, causing him to lose his grip on the sword, fighting bare-handed. He growled at the smirking Enforcer, reinforcing his limbs to meet her attack. Another kick to his chest sent the male tumbling onto the ground, groaning in pain as he attempted to stand.

"Not so good now, huh? Without your weapons, you're nothing but a bug waiting to be crushed." She sighed, eyeing the writhing Magus. "I'm disappointed. Even Oriental Magus had realized the importance of martial arts. Not just wielding a sword would get you everywhere."

He spat at her feet, blood seeping through his tight lips. "Damn you, Enforcer! You're just a hired help. Someone who kills for the sake of money!"

Bazett didn't even blink as she kicked the man off the ground, landing in a pile of rubbles. Bones could be heard cracking, even with Reinforcement, she could swear she fractured at least five of his ribs. She jumped after him, picking him up by the collar, headbutting the boy and released her grip, punching him in the stomach until blood spewed from his mouth.

"Say that again, and I swear I would end your life!" She stated calmly as she watched Beowulf struggling to remain conscious.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows and gaped at the sight of the rune covered gauntlets of the Enforcer. No way, a Fraga? I underestimated our enemy. But, this is not the end...

He reached out a hand towards his dropped sword, and the weapon launched itself back to him, lacerating one of her arms, and she cried out in pain, twirled to avoid further damage. Clutching her bleeding arm, she gasped as the Magus stood up, his wounds starting to heal. Then she noticed it. The sword had the ability to draw mana from the surroundings, and directing them into the circuits of the Magus' body.

"Don't underestimate me, Fraga. This is not the end. It never will be." He told the woman with a smile. "I'm the heir to the Rozenwalt family, and I will not let myself be dishonored do. Be prepared to meet your death!"

"Bring it on, boy." She replied with a challenging tone, as her arms and legs were covered in runes.


Blasts of magical energy rained down on the samurai compound, targeting everything except for those of the Red Faction. A shield had formed around them, preventing them from getting hurt from the massive explosion. Servants emerged from the smoke, singed but otherwise unharmed. Beowulf struggled to his leg, using his sword as a crutch and moved towards the mercury sphere which by now had landed on the ground as the explosion blasted the roof they were on, hoping that the Red Caster wouldn't blast him if he stood there.

The ones who were present looked up into the sky and saw Caster of Red, hovering in the sky, her cloak rippling around her like butterfly wings, and colorful sigils were all over it. In one hand, she held a staff. A hood covered her face, and thus nobody knew how she looked like. Her lips curled up into a soft smile as she looked at the damage she'd done upon her arrival.

"Geez, so I'm not the last one after all, huh?"

As if on cue, a team of homunculi rushed through the barrier without breaking a sweat, joining the Red Masters to counter the attack launched by the Blue Masters. All of them had yet to recover from their shock, but it seemed Red had the advantages in numbers.

"Troops, diverge, counter enemy!" Bellowed a loud voice across the compound. Ferdinand von Einzbern rushed in with Luther and Bertram beside him and nodded at the two gem practitioners before the homunculi grouped the Masters together and form a ring around them.

A loud insane roar reverbrated across the battlefield, as a massive man with a stone slab in hand joined the battle.


Behind the scene at Clock Tower (AU)...

A certain vampire and his hot-headed apprentice were called by the Queen for a private conversation in her private office. Miraculously, Kischua decided to show up on the right time this time. Tohsaka Rin looked a little unnerved, but the old vampire merely smiled at the sight. Before he could open the door, voices from inside stopped them.

"Yes, yeah! Right there! Oh, that feels so nice..." Came Lorelei's muffled voice.

Rin blushed, choking on air, while Zelretch shook his head and blinked.

"Err..." Rin mumbled, groping for words.

He shrugged. "The boy is all yours..."

That said, the younger Magus tore the door off its hinges, and stepped into the room. She almost chokes to death at the sight before her.

Emiya Shirou, almost naked save for his boxers, straddling on Lorelei's back, the woman's gown pulled down to bare her shoulders and back.

"EMIYA SHIROU! WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

"Wait!" The boy exclaimed, jumping off the sofa he was on, and pulling on his jeans. "It's not what you think..."

Lorelei pulled the fabric over her shoulders and fastened the sash around her waist, her cheeks tainted pink. Dreamily, she said. "Woah, that was good, even for an Oriental and minor like you..."

That seemed to cause the younger woman to get angrier. She stomped into the room, pulling the said boy from the room by his ear, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Aw... Tohsaka, let go, I can walk by myself..."

Zelretch watched from the door with a grin. "Did you really?" He asked the Queen.

"What? Of course no. I was requesting for a massage. Besides, I wanted to know how toned he is, so..."

"You stripped him." He finished as a matter of fact.

She shrugged. "Let's get down to business."

That day, Clock Tower experienced an earthquake that they would never forget.

By : Tohsaka Rin and SPR


P/N (SPR):

Hello there, humans! ~(*w*)~ Once again, thank you for reading, reviewing and loving this fic. It's great to know my dear cousin's work is being appreciated. All of your inputs, ideas and thoughts on this fic are very much appreciated. I am enthusiastic on what she will pull off soon and can't wait to see how everything will turn out! *internal fangirl scream*

Anyway, stay tuned for more updates from our lovely author, Tohsaka Rin as I "encourage" her to update. Ciao~

Luviagelita Edelfelt (SPR)