A note on the Stats of my last chapter; I don't feel they were wrong with regards to the stats solely due to the nature of Madness Enhancement. It grants you a rank-up in various stats depending on its rank. E-rank is nothing but the Servant cannot feel pain. D-rank is Strength up one rank with the Servant refusing to retreat once the battle has started (Between you and me; this is the rank I feel Cu Chulainn would be before using the Noble Phantasm Warp Spasm). C is upping the 3 main stats with B upping Luck and Mana (Servants personal reserves; not including the Master's supply). The point being that when some stat that has B-rank and undergoes Madness Enhancement; it goes up to A-rank not B+ rank.
I am fully aware that '+' means 'double in certain circumstances' but I am almost positive that the exception to this rule is the Madness Enhancement. A+ is being used because there is no 'S' rank in Fate/Stay Night; rather then it being a true 'double all the time thanks to Madness Enhancement'. Berserker Hercules was running on 60 times strength rather than 100. I feel it would be a bit silly if Madness Enhancement was something like "if it's B-rank; up by 10. If it's A-rank; double it." Also in the visual novel there were nodes in the stat bars; nodes that increased by one golden node to show the rank-up from Madness Enhancement. So I am not just talking out my ass lol.
With the setting of the sun the Fifth Holy Grail War entered its final stage. Rin had told them all of her sneaking suspicion of the Master of Archer: her Master and the Judge of the War; Kotomine Kirei. Her old teacher scared her enough to spend a second day hiding in her fort and it was painfully obvious that she wanted another member of their group to go after him. But they couldn't just destroy the church; Bazett Fraga McRemitz was there for the very reason that the Church got involved in the first place: to stop the Holy Grail War from becoming a slaughter fest like the Second War.
They had only lost Zouken; and Shinji if you wanted to get really technical; with Sakura being the successor to the house of Matou. The death of a competitor with the lines of succession remaining unbroken; and the successful retiring of an Heir of an ancient family; meant that as far as Holy Grail Wars went, this was the least bloody by far. In fact, so long as they played this right, there would definitely be a Sixth War.
The point being; Rin told them all to prioritise the death of Archer rather than Kotomine; even sparing the man completely if they had to. The absolute worst case scenario being that they all tried again sixty years later in the Sixth Holy Grail War; with Illya being gone.
Shirou wasn't going to accept that; and was ready to send out Rider for a very specific task at the right moment. But they were hoping that Kotomine went outside of his church tonight; that way Shirou wouldn't have to implement his contingency.
Shirou tonight was partnering up with Illya and Saber tonight to form a Hunter/Killer Group; with Sakura and Berserker forming another; whilst Rin stayed in her Territory with Caster. Rin had informed them that without Fragarach being wielded; she would be able to use her Mystic Code to defend herself. Caster was currently scrying the city; searching for Archer or his Master. As for handling communication; both Sakura and Illya were wearing a clip-on earing with a jewel at the end; with Rin having the master Jewel back at base.
"Mou Shirou; why haven't you being spending more time with us?" Illya continued to tease her brother as she skipped across a cobblestone path. Saber was smirking at the pair and genuinely enjoying this war. Now that was a sentence that she would never have seen herself saying.
But fighting with allies, and having a Lesser Grail as your Prana Battery, would make any Saber confident. Now if only they could get rid of this mud. She loathed the fact that the black mud had clogged up her Agility; reduced her Instinct and deleted her Riding Skill. Thankfully her armour and Excalibur had already being blackened by blood at this point in time; she couldn't imagine what this world's version of King Arthur would have felt.
"Sorry Illya; but Sakura and I have made some critical breakthroughs with our Magecraft over this week. This is one of the first nights I had available to spend with you…and Saber too." Shirou smiled at the Tyrant of Knights next to them; causing her to experience a light blush. Not that you could tell with the black covering her cheeks.
"But Shirou; who taught you over the last months the Transferal of Consciousness? Me, not that Sakura."
"Is Illya...jealous? No it couldn't be; she's my sister." And once again the curse of the clueless harem protagonist strikes again.
"Shirou, I taught you swordsmanship." Saber nodded as if she had said something profound before turning back to their path.
"Shirou! I taught you about Magic Crests!" Rin voice almost screamed out of the earring; causing Illya to wobble and yelp "Au!" (German for Ow; like Itai in Japanese)
"Rin don't be mean to Illya. Apologise." Shirou spoke in a normal tone to the earring on Illya's ear; which she began taking off.
"Hmph, fine. But it's not because I like you or anything Shirou. Sorry –"
"SHIROU! CAN YOU HERE ME!" Caster screamed over the connection, entering full fangirl otaku mode.
"Ghah!" "Au!" Both Shirou and Illya jumped at the noisiness of Caster's announcement over the connection; nearly dropping the expensive earring.
On the other side of the city; Sakura felt an urge to kill Rin. This wasn't a particularly new urge; but for some reason she felt that Rin was keeping the connection purposely closed on her end.
"Should I continue going after Rin Master? All the other Masters are out in the open and Rider is nowhere to be seen." Archer was standing at the top of the highest skyscraper in the city. He was Reinforcing his eyes to scout out the whole place; with his Master hitching a ride on his senses.
"Hmm. The Einzbern Homunculus is obviously Saber's Master. She doesn't even look tired after unleashing Excalibur; although that is not the same Saber that fought in the Forth War. Did Angra Mainyu really corrupt her? None the less, Berserker and Caster together are too powerful; Rin being the Master of Caster doubly so. We must take out the Strongest Master and the Weakest Servant to have any chance of winning."
Archer sighed and began making his way towards the Tohsaka mansion; even as he continued his conversation with his Master.
"None the less; attacking a Caster in their workshop is a bad idea. Doubly so when it's still occupied." He was almost half way there.
"Undoubtedly. But I am prepared to use a Command Seal to get you out. Just make sure to kill either Caster or Rin; though Rin preferably."
Archer smirked. "Prioritising your students death over Caster's; what a cruel Master I have." He changed direction and ran to the top of a nearby hill. He began Tracing.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Hrunting was traced…
"Shirou! Sakura! Caster has spotted Archer. He is coming after me!" Rin yelled out through the network.
"Rin! Is Kotomine not there?" Shirou's voice took on a commanding tone that caused the female Magus to briefly pause at the question. Caster took over.
"Yes Shirou! Kotomine is definitely nowhere close." She then turned off the connection and prepared herself and Rin.
Illya and Saber looked oddly at him for his question; not understanding his plan yet. Shirou grinned somewhat manically and revealed his lit up Command Seals. It took the appearance of a stylised eye; with a top, bottom and circle in the middle.
"Are you at the church, Rider?" Shirou asked the all-important question whilst both Saber and Illya watched him curiously.
"Yes Master; although I cannot go any further without alerting the spirit-based Bounded Field."
"That's fine." Shirou took and deep breathe and then spoke his first Command. "By the Grace of my Command Seal, Rider; unseal Cybele; and use your eyes to kill Kotomine Kirei." The Command Seal flashed and the top part of it vanished. His brought his attention back to Illya and Saber and began smirking. "This War ends tonight."
Bazett was actually eating dinner with Kotomine, 'Curry again. My mouth can't take it!' when the entrance to the church burst open and a blur charged straight at them. Rider had conserved her human soul boost and still had A+ Agility. Before anyone could do anything; a Servant with purple hair had appeared on top of their dinner table; locking eyes with her friend.
Bazett still had her fork 'she had no idea how to use chopsticks!' raised halfway up towards her mouth; as she watched her friend and partner turn to stone.
'Medusa!' Bazett's mind and body responded somewhat sluggishly as she launched herself backwards. However; Medusa just blinked, put Breaker Gorgon back on; and left.
And thus was the end of Kotomine Kirei; sitting down in his dining room chair; a plate of warm curry still in front of him. Frozen forever as a stone statue.
For Kotomine also thought the same as Rin. No, it would be fair to say that Rin thought that same as Kirei. That the worst that could happen was him trying again sixty years later…
Sakura was passing buildings by in a blur; being carried bridal style by Berserker. She had commanded him to carry her to the Tohsaka Mansion; and the effects of her first Command Spell had taken effect. He was surprisingly gentle when he wanted to be; as if his hands had held a princess before.
As she closed in on Tohsaka's mansion; she closed her eyes and focused her attention on the last of her Blade Wing Worms; who by now should have made it into range. She saw Archer engaging a –
'Is that a golden Dragon?!'
Indeed it was. A Western Dragon with golden scales; whose fire burned hot as it launched Breath attacks against a running Archer. As Sakura watched further through her Familiar; the dragon turned; and she the saw that the dragon had a mane of golden sheep wool.
'I hope they put up a Bounded Field before the battle; or this is going to be hell to cover up. I wonder if Archer can beat that dragon?
…It doesn't matter; Senpai wants Archer to die. If the Dragon doesn't kill him then my Berserker will.'
'Well this is new,' Archer thought as he dodged another Breath attack from the dragon. Let it be known that despite everything; Archer was a modern hero. He had never actually fought a dragon; despite the multitude of Anti-Dragon Noble Phantasms he had recorded in Unlimited Blade Works.
But there were swords he had recorded that had done such a thing. Beowulf had slayed a dragon with the sword Nægling; which was the sword he used after becoming a king and discarding Hrunting. It would do fine here.
Archer traced the broadsword of cold steel; as Nægling, like Hrunting, was grey. For all of Beowulf's swords were the colour of steel; and meant to be used to slay creatures. Even Nægling, the sword he had as a king, was never used as a symbol of kingship.
Archer rolled to the side, barely dodging the flaming breath of the dragon, and spun around to face the creature. There were multiple reasons he had chosen this sword rather than something like Arodnight.
For Nægling had slain a dragon; then broke. It was actually somewhat unique in that aspect; it had fulfilled its purpose; then broke. History was full of legendary weapons failing or breaking when the hero needed it most; hell in the same legend Hrunting failed against the magical barrier of Grendel's Mother.
But there were very few Noble Phantasms that were recorded as doing the job then breaking. Nægling could become an incredibly powerful Broken Phantasm; and Beowulf was one of the few Heroic Spirits, aside from himself, that actually made use of a Broken Phantasm. From the memories recorded on the blade; Nægling was brought out to slay Caster, whom Hrunting couldn't cut, and Broken to kill an exceptionally powerful Rider.
Archer winced as he felt Kotomine die; but it couldn't be helped. He was committed now. He overloaded Nægling with Prana; draining his reserves. The grey sword cracked; then began shining like a star. It knew its purpose now. To slay a dragon; like it always had been.
The pavement cracked under his feat as he charged forwards; never once looking back.
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood." Archer said as he charged through the edge of the flames; his limited Magic Resistance and coat protecting him from the heat rather than the fire.
"I have created over a thousand blades." Archer ignored the burns; he had far worse. He was close now, the dragon had landed. It spun around; its tail lashing out.
"Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life." Archer unleashed a barrage of traced Noble Phantasms; impaling the dragon's tail and rendering it limp. The dragon growled on pain; directing its ancient anger at this gnat.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons." He closed the distance. Now the dragon was using its claws and teeth. A claw sliced open his chest; but it was far too late now.
"Shine! Nægling!" Archer brought his shining blade down across the dragon's chest. Like a falling star it descended; and served to remind the dragon that they were killed by the very humans they looked down upon.
The blade shattered and a blue star was unleashed. The shockwave it unleashed broke every window in the Tohsaka mansion; and left a smouldering crater where the dragon had been.
"Ahhhh! What's going on Caster?!" Rin screamed as she ducked down underneath her desk; glass flying everywhere. Caster was able to create a dome of wind around her; allowing her to protect herself from the glass shrapnel. But it did nothing to protect her mind from mental shock; as she felt her connection to the ultimate Familiar die.
"Argon Coin…was defeated? By an Archer?!" Caster was both terrified and seething.
'Forget Saber; half of that damned class has an Anti-Dragon something. But an Archer!' She found herself actually at a loss on how to stop him; as if that Archer had an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm then there was nothing she could do to stop him blowing them all away.
It was with great relief that she felt Berserker crossing the borders of her Bounded Field. She quickly used her High Speed Divine Words to speak the Language of the Gods; causing all the damage to her Temple to be reversed. The cost was high; but she wasn't leaving Archer with any cover, like craters; to hide behind.
Sakura got off of Berserker just outside of Caster's Bounded Field. Her Crest started pulsing as it picked up on the massive amounts of Prana in the Air.
'Settle Down!' She used her own Magic Circuits to tame her Crest; which was still something of a living creature. After it settled down she turned to her Berserker. Now it was her turn to fulfil Shirou's plan. Revealing her Command Seals; which were still full thanks to the spares she had stolen from that man; who should have been the Master of Caster. It was time to consume another spare.
Besides; she always wanted to see what would happen. "By the Grace of my Command Seal, Berserker; use your Noble Phantasm to kill Archer." Her Command Seal lit up; and Berserker started shaking. Shuddering and with the sounds of groaning metal; his helmet fell away. The black smoke was sucked back into the armour and suddenly Sakura could see her Servant's stats.
"Wow you are a big boy." Sakura smiled as she saw her Servant's stats for the first time. 'A-rank, A+ rank, A-rank, A-rank Mana and B-rank Luck. Well aren't you just the little stat monster?' Berserker put his hands on Arodnight and suddenly she saw the Noble Phantasm rank appear in her mind.
"Well well; A++ rank and a Prana whore to boot." Sakura watched as all three of Berserker's main stats gained a rank-up. Sakura activated all her Circuits and her Crest; causing her white hair and red eyes to begin glowing through the hair dye and eye contacts. As a black robe started forming around Sakura; she said "What a ridiculous Servant I have. Go forth and destroy; Berserker."
Berserker spun around and went charging into Caster's Bounded Field, Arodnight bared. Behind him, Sakura's smile turned dark and hungry.
"Foolish dog. It is as Senpai told me. This is where I shall assume the form of a goddess. Tonight I shall dine on the hearts of two knights…"
Berserker closed in on Archer; the red knight was on his knees, shoulders slumped and obviously exhausted. Berserker didn't care for that; a Command Spell had been used and he would fulfil it.
Archer continued to speak his Aria; back turned to a charging Berserker. "Yet, those hands will never hold anything." Archer stood up and his cloak fluttered in the wind. Caster had almost finished repairing all the damage done to the battlefield.
It didn't matter; this was his last fight. He turned to look at Berserker. "So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works." A border of fire was unleashed, showing the border of the Bounded Field. It continued on until it consumed both Berserker and Archer. They both disappeared from the real world and entered a Reality Marble.
Inside Unlimited Blade Works…
Archer knew that he didn't have much time with no Master. But he could beat Berserker in here.
'It takes half a second for Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon to fire a Noble Phantasm; due to them being in 'storage'. There is no delay within the Blade Works. Berserker will have no time at all to catch the blades.'
'Only he is not even trying to catch the blades.' Archer took a look at Berserker's weapon and he finally understood. 'Arodnight; this is Lancelot. And its use seals away his other abilities."
"Ghaaaaaah!" The mad hero roared as he blasted forwards; charging head on towards the standing Archer. Arodnight flashed forwards; deflecting the blades the Archer launched; with Lancelot's armour protecting him from the weaker Noble Phantasms.
But it wasn't nearly enough. Archer moved forwards and drew the Sword in the Stone; Caliburn. Turning back around to face Berserker; he began unleashing the big guns.
B and A rank Noble Phantasms started raining from the sky; piercing straight through Lancelot's armour. The mad knight fell to his knees and Archer charged forwards; Caliburn drawn and ready to pierce Berserker's chest. He allowed Unlimited Bade Works to fade away to conserve his Mana.
'Three metres,' Archer thrust the Sword in the Stone at Berserker's chest –
*Splash*
Blood was spilt on both sides. For against odds; with him limbs impaled; Berserker managed to sheath Arodnight into Archer's chest.
'What?' And then he saw the glint of a Command Seal. Sakura; Berserker's Master; had given her pawn one last order.
Suddenly a black shadow emerged from her; and Dark Sakura swallowed them all…
Now how was that for an epic death and battle scene guys?
