Fate: All Riders.
Chapter 10: Destroyer of worlds.
Kotomine didn't like this at all.
The boundary field covering the park that hid all sounds from passing to the outside was gone, simply gone! It was Berserker's doing of course, previous evidence supported this.
It wasn't just the Boundary field that had disappeared either.
Every single person and hero there was gone, simply gone, no trace or clue to where that had gone.
Heroic Spirit Rider had used some sort of noble phantasm that turned him silver. The flash of light was so intense that even through the imperfect image of the divination magic Kirei was rubbing his eyes.
They were all gone.
Not wanting to leave things to chance he made a motion with his hand.
"Assassin, Archer we're going." This was going to get messy.
Assassin as always obeyed without question, Archer on the other hand tilted his head to question his Master.
"Charging straight into a fight with little to no preparation, this doesn't seem like you at all Master."
Kirei shook his head to deny this.
"Your observations are off Archer." He began. "We're not going there to fight we're going there to clean things up, look at the time."
Shrugging the Heroic Spirit did indeed check the time. "It's about two fifty, so what?" then it dawned on him. His eyes widened with what the priest assumed were worry. It appeared that Archer understood the full implications.
It was getting close to the time when school children would start leaving schools and without the boundary fields that Kotomine had originally set up the children and the secret of magic was in jeopardy.
Kotomine wasn't marching to battle as a soldier, he was making his way to a mess as the janitor.
It was going to get messy.
Sitting in the shadows Kariya watched as his Servant unleashed it's rage upon the Assassins. They all looked like and felt like normal civilians but their weapons gave them away.
He had run into a Servant using something similar last night.
Confident in his Servant's victory with his own repertoire of Command Seals he was soon blinded by the Rider.
As a man who had spent much of his metaphorical life in the shadow's such a light was uncomfortable to say the least.
When his vision returned mountains and hills of gravel littered his vision.
In the middle of it all was his Servant surrounded by a group of heroes which he honestly expected.
What he didn't expect was the number of heroes that surrounded Berserker, before there were only three, now there were seven.
Even stranger was that Saber and Lancer were not among them.
These new heroes had more in common with Rider in the sense that none of them had weapons… except the grey one.
Where they had all come from puzzled Kariya but such things were not important now.
The bigger question was where the Masters and remaining Servants hiding?
In the corner of his vision he saw all of them watching the battle from a vantage point.
The Master of Saber, Rider and Lancer sat there with their Servants excluding Rider of course.
It was an alliance if he had ever seen one.
Rider had just left his Master at the mercy of two others, there was no way they weren't allies!
Then he felt his insides practically implode.
Clutching his stomach in pain Kariya wondered were all the Prana went, his command Seal from earlier should have kept him running for at least half the battle and Berserker had not even begun to move yet!
The pain, the insects within demanded to be fed!
Seeing no other choice Kariya used another Command Seal.
"Stop hurting!" He commanded.
What was going on?
"What was going on?" Was the thought that plagued Rider as he and his companions faced down the green eyed foe.
The ground beneath Berserker was simply dissolving into nothing, the ground was being replaced with solid white. It was somewhat unnerving but the monster was still a monster, it needed to be brought down.
"LET'S DO THIS!" He cried charging forwards, his brave allies burst into action!
Their enemy faced them all silently watching them.
V3 using his mastery of the wind swiftly arrived first with a kick however the attack did not seem to faze Berserker who simply grabbed the poor heroes foot before throwing him into Riderman.
The two of them fell into a heap.
Dashing forwards and avoiding the blows of all the other heroes Berserker slammed his glowing pink fist into the fallen pair.
An explosion shook the area and the ground beneath him evaporated with the two heroes into white nothings.
Turning around he kicked the identical looking two grasshopper heroes into the ground.
He grabbed and crushed the head of Amazon.
He ripped apart the one known as X with his bare hands!
But when he got to Stronger his fist was blocked.
The ground beneath Berserker had turned white, the gravel ground was slowly evaporating.
"How did you defeat them so easily?" Rider asked in shock. He was answered with another fist which he himself kicked out of the way before replying with his own attack.
Jumping to avoid another strike Rider managed to land a devastating punch against Berserker making the beast stagger back in annoyance.
"I've seen them take more powerful attacks then that! What's going on?" Standing on the white ground Stronger felt his energy being sapped.
"RARRR!" The green eyed monster replied. Charging forwards it slammed the ground dissolving it once more creating shockwaves sending Rider into the air.
Leaping towards his prey Berserker brought his fist up to finish the job as his body began to glow with a sickly pink.
Out of nowhere a voice was heard.
"RIDER DOUBLE KICK!" And Berserker was sent crashing to the ground turning it white as two heroes entered the battle once more.
However instead of landing with both legs intact they landed on their faces.
Everything beneath their waist was evaporating and soon their entire bodies were gone.
However even after such a death they came back, all of them came back.
The first two stood side by side proudly as if they had never been defeated.
V3 and Rider man prepared themselves for another assault!
X readied his weapon while Amazon lowered his stance growling at their foe.
"As long as Riders are needed, we will never die!" They announced.
The ground beneath Berserker continued to evaporate, it's meaning was now clear.
Everything from the reality marble touching Berserker including those born from it were destroyed.
However as long as it existed the Riders would simply resurrect.
The battle had just become more even.
Together they might've been a match for Berserker's strength and speed.
The ability to simply not die would ensure that they could defeat him in a battle of attrition.
However with the power to simply defeat them with a mere touch the outcome was far bleaker.
At this rate Stronger estimated he'd be able to keep the reality marble up for another ten minute or so.
"MACHINE GUN ARM!" Rider man yelled as his hand began spewing out bullets.
Following his example the other heroes began to pepper Berserker with their own ranged attacks.
Resorting to picking up rocks and throwing them didn't seem like a good idea however as Heroic Spirits each piece of gravel easily surpassed the speed of a bullet.
It wasn't enough to kill Berserker but hopefully it was enough to hurt it.
If nothing else it was certainly annoyed if it's yells of fury was anything to go by.
Charging in once more Stronger's silver form blurred against the gravelly back drop.
"Take this and this!" He yelled sending a flurry of fists towards his enemy.
Each blow however was dodged or blocked despite his obvious expertise.
It wasn't Stronger's fault honestly and it wasn't even the skill of Berserker that left him relatively unharmed.
Rather it was the fog that surrounded the crazed Servant that kept him safe.
Without knowing where the brutes arms and legs were Stronger could not predict which blows would come in contact with what.
The best he could do was aim for the monster's glowing eyes or the centre of its body mass.
On the other side Berserker could not get a solid blow in either due to its mindless fury.
Each attack was foiled by Stronger's defence or the intervention by an expertly aimed projectile from the other Riders.
It was a stale mate that Stronger would lose. With each passing moment his Reality Marble continued to be eaten away.
Throwing himself in for the decisive strike Stronger braced himself.
His fist glowed with lightning while Berserker's fist glowed with a sickly pink light that throbbed with each breath.
Their fists collided and at first it seemed that Stronger would win, the thunder surrounding the area appeared to reflect his immense power blinding all onlookers.
Pushing each other away Stronger fell to his knees only to support the fall with his hand.
With the flash of light fading away the outcome was now clear.
Instead of the expected crater the impact zone was marred with simple white.
Not only that but Stronger had reverted to his original red form. The silver markings were now non-existent.
This was not the most worrying thing however.
Berserker was nowhere to be seen.
So everyone did the most sensible thing and looked up.
If the Seven Legendary Rider's weren't Heroic spirits then there was no doubt that they would despair at what they saw.
Kariya doubled over in pain gasping for precious air.
"Plleeeaassee STOP HURTING!" A Command Seal faded away.
Berserker was eating away at his Prana too quickly, he had to finish things quickly!
"I wWIiish to STTTTOOOP! PLEASE stop HURTing!" The pain evaporated once more.
Sweating profusely it seemed his Servant was at a stalemate.
"Stop the PPPAAAIN!" Another Command Seal gone.
Even after a few moments of battle the pain came back.
"Stop HURTING!" Kariya yelled again with another Command Seal fading away!
Despite using the Seals to stop the pain Kariya wasn't doing it just to get comfortable.
Kariya had no fear. "NO PAIN!" As long as he fought for love.
He knew that if he was in pain then it meant Berserker wasn't getting enough Mana and if he wasn't getting enough Mana he would lose the battle.
"STOP HURTING!" He yelled again, his voice was starting to crack.
He had to finish this soon, his Servant had to use his Noble Phantasm but for that to happen he had to be sane.
"I command you to be Sane!" Clutching his fist he felt the draw of power dropping slightly.
"Use ALL YOUR STRONGEST ATTACK BERSERKER!" The Servant roared in response.
'Final Attack Ride, DE-DE-DE-DECADE!'
Berserker had revealed himself, a sort of Pink and white armoured knight. It was an appearance that hid his true animal fury.
The seven Riders wasted no time and jumped to meet their foe.
"DOUBLE RIDER KICK!"
"V3 KICK!"
"POWER ARM!"
"X KICK!"
"DAI-SETSUDAN!"
"STRONGER LIGHTNING KICK!"
They were all used to having the higher ground to attack from. Such an assault was against their strengths yet they had to try.
There were seven of them and just one of him, if nothing else such numbers would even the odds right?
Berserker wasn't even slowed down.
Like a meteor crashing to the ground each Rider was destroyed before finally crushing Stronger into the ground.
The world went white.
Kariya still had a decent amount of Command Seals remaining even after Berserker's battle with Rider.
But everything still hurt, that last attack his Servant had used not only burnt out the last of the prana but it also burnt out his retinas. So used to the dark Kariya had to squint during normal hours of the day. The worms his father had so 'Graciously' given had messed up quite a bit of his body.
Still, despite his Servant's apparent victory Kariya was tired and wanted to retreat.
Though his body was in pain he was used to that by now. What made him tired was his mental fortitude. Using a Command Seal required one to wish with all their willpower to perform the impossible. It was no problem for most mages but Kariya had just burnt almost a dozen Seals in the space of a few minutes.
The last attack was powerful, there was no doubt about it.
He was certain that Rider was defeated and only Saber and Lancer had survived.
Overall it wasn't a bad day, both Assassin and Rider gone.
For now he would retreat and recuperate.
However, being temporarily blinded Kariya had no real way to escape unless he resorted to another Command Seal.
"Berserker!" He gasped tasting blood. "I command you to get us both somewhere safe!"
A roar answered his summons.
However instead of just grabbing his master and running off his Servant did something else.
Feeling his body suddenly feel weightless was a surprise.
A strange sound and sensation passed over him.
It felt empty.
Then just as quickly as that had happened he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
However something was different.
The loose gravel beneath was replaced with something solid, most likely concrete.
The air which was warm was now cool and the sound of waves softly crashing against the shore was heard.
Rubbing his eyes his sight came back.
He was standing by the docks, alone.
Not even Berserker was there yet it's presence was still felt.
"Stop hurting." He grit his teeth and another Seal was gone.
As Rider was smashed into the ground the world exploded.
Rubbing his eyes Waver yelled out. "RIDER!" How did this happen?
His Servant was supposed to be stronger, unfairly so! How could any other Heroic Spirit beat him?
If that didn't confuse him enough the Servant had beaten Rider whilst inside his own Reality Marble!
Logically Rider should have won! Oh who was he kidding logic didn't apply to his Servant!
Running towards the fallen form of his friend he was soon stopped.
"Hey it's not safe!" Saber yelled grabbing the boy's shoulder.
Indeed it was not, Berserker still stood glaring down at Rider it's Grey miasma once again hiding it's pink form.
However before it could deliver the final blow it screamed, the area around seemed to distort as it's form began to twist.
Then the same grey miasma that engulfed the Servant expanded before consuming it and disappearing.
It appeared that Berserker had run away somehow.
"RIDER!" Waver cried.
With Rider's reality marble the only evidence of the battle was a small crater where Berserker had destroyed the Assassins.
Rushing over to his fallen Servant Waver saw that the damage was far more severe than first imagined.
The helmet was smashed beyond repair, the eyes were cracked open and the horn on top was missing, his clothes were torn and the belt was hardly even holding itself together.
Rider saw his Master and grinned.
"Hey Master, stop crying, I don't want to be drowned you know?" He didn't realize it until now but he was indeed crying.
"Don't die Rider I still need you for the war…" He felt something flick his head, it was Rider. Even weakened as he was the Servant was still strong enough to school his Master.
Sighing Stronger cleared his throat. "As long as Riders are needed, we will never die." He quoted.
There was that phrase again, the phrase that came with the reality marble.
He spoke it with such certainty that for a moment Waver truly believed that his Servant would survive.
But that was not to be, Stronger simply began to fade away.
His lack of prana had finally caught up to him.
Kneeling next to his Servant gold dust began to fill his vision.
"You don't need me anymore Master." Then he was gone, no bolt of lightning, no explosion he was just gone.
Waver paused, his eyes burned. Looking around to the horizon he almost expected his Servant to jump out of nowhere to announce his presence but no such thing occurred.
Clenching his fist Waver ceased to cry.
"Alright everyone we need to cover this up!" The change in Waver's tone surprised everyone there.
"Saber use your strength and push that tree over." Waver continued. "Make sure it "lands in the crater, it's not the best excuse or cover up but at least it'll give people a reason to overlook magic."
"Lancer!" He called out. "See if you can get my Master to hypnotise any passing bystander."
Lancer scratched his neck. "Uhh sorry but possessing my Master takes quite a bit of strength I'm afraid he'll be too tired to do such a thing."
"I'll do it then." Waver announced. Getting onto a bench he surveyed the area for oncoming students. It was the time of day when they would be let off school after all.
Yet none came, in fact it seemed that they were the only ones in the park.
It was confusing but Waver did not let this chance go.
It was time to clean the area up, to make the falling tree and the impact site more believable.
It wasn't as messy as the priest feared. In fact not a single civilian had entered the park once he had arrived.
A group of school children were about to do such a thing but a quick hypnotise spell sent them on a different path.
Laying down several bounded fields was tiring work but he was quick and efficient about it if nothing else.
The bounded fields were placed at each entrance to the park and would only last for the next two hours, enough time to come up with a more permanent solution.
Any non-magus individual trying to enter the park would spontaneously decide to go somewhere else.
It was a crude enchantment but time was of the essence.
Entering the park the priest hid himself, the other Masters were sure to be around.
However instead of hearing sounds of battle all he heard was a single tree crashing to the ground.
He knew Heroic Spirits were prone to collateral damage but this seemed too precise.
"Hey Master, I think they're…. I think they're cleaning the place up actually." Archer spoke hiding himself from view.
It appeared the battle was indeed over already.
With his usual neutral expression Kotomine decide to simply leave, his forces were simply too weakened to try anything today.
Where was Kariya? Where was the man who killed his father? Where was the man that killed his teacher?
It was the thing that nagged his mind yet Kotomine could not bring himself to care.
Why should he care if his father had died? Why should he care if his mentor had died?
Those questions plagued his mind but the one that frightened him most was.
"Why didn't he care?"
Perhaps finding Kariya would solve that.