Demon Emperor and Demon King

by Imperator's slave

Lelouch expected many things after his death. What he didn't expect was to find himself in the war between seven wizards and historical figures. Still, the prize seems nice enough so he might as well take it. Not to mention working with a fellow demon might be a unique experience.

21. End of the Fourth War, Part 1

Fuyuki City.

The first thing that Irisviel felt when she woke up was the coldness of the floor. She tried getting up, but pain partnered with her already-weakened state hindered any attempts to move at all.

With the war in its final stages and many Servants having already been defeated and subsumed by the Grail, the vessel known as Irisviel von Einzbern was feeling it the most. Her homunculus form, an unstable mess due to its inhuman design, could barely carry herself anymore after being drained excessively. More so now that her functions nonessential to survival were shutting down in place of the Grail booting up.

'Where… am I…?'

But despite the exhaustion, despite the strain, she instantly felt the need to assess her situation. A dying false human she may be, her magical programming and a small semblance of a human heart demanded she questions her circumstances.

The last thing she remembered was being attacked by Avenger, the Servant who shouldn't have been ever summoned at all. Striking when Saber was away, they were powerless to resist their captor. Although knowing this, Irisviel still had no means to contact Kiritsugu. A quick pass through her pockets and she knew she'd been stripped of all her personal items apart from the clothes on her back. The homunculus also knew she couldn't use her magecraft to signal where she was. She didn't have the strength to utilize her circuits with movement alone causing her great pain. Aside from simple limb movements, she couldn't do anything.

'No… That… doesn't matter!' She gritted her teeth in defiance. 'I need… to find a way… to contact Kiritsugu… and Saber!'

She forced herself to sit or, at the very least, lean against the nearest wall. But before she could try standing, a familiar voice broke the silence.

"I see that you're finally awake."

Irisviel's gaze flew towards the speaker and felt a small chill run down her spine. For a moment, she thought she saw someone else staring her down. But as her vision cleared and adjusted to the darkness, there, barely three meters away, a seemingly innocent raven-haired boy stood by. The young man's face was barely visible from the shadow of his locks, but she recognized the supposed prince of Britain all the same.

Lelouch Lamperouge then turned to give her a graceful bow, but all she saw was her kidnapper being polite for the sake of it.

"I'm sorry that you have to endure such conditions, Lady Einzbern. However, as my enemy in this war, this is as far as I can extend my hospitality. Forgive the insult that is my Servant's… rough treatment."

Irisviel bit her lip. Even with that pleasant smile, knowing what he was capable of, she had her guard up. "Where am I?"

"Shinto, at the top floor of the newly built Community Center Building," he said so casually, not even bothering to hide it. "Worry not. I've already seen to secure the entire structure. At this moment, there is only us. So, although it is a bit rude to not even offer some tea or snacks, how about we chat for a bit to pass the time?"

Irisviel's gaze narrowed. Aware that she was no simple boy, she began thinking of ways to delay or stall him. Judging by the light in the sky, there had already been a considerable passing of time. With that in mind, no doubt Saber and Kiritsugu were already out looking for her. If that was the case, then all she needed to do was bide her time until they did and manage to take out this young yet cunning Master.

And, even if she failed at delaying, there was still a plus side to her predicament.

'So long as he thinks I'm Saber's Master, Kiritsugu will manage.' She knew he would. Though a false soul was she, Irisviel's heart knew better than to doubt the man she loved. She was confident her husband would eke out a victory here no matter what.

"Not one for talking, are you?" Irisviel held her breath when she was suddenly tossed to the floor. Air escaped her with a gasp as the impact rocked her insides hard. Turning with all her effort to see the new speaker, she held her tongue when the cold metal of a katana was held against her throat. Crimson eyes met even more fiery crimson gems as a redheaded woman stared the silver headed one down. "If you plan to buy time for a certain mercenary to save you, you're too naive, Einzbern homunculus."

Avenger, materializing before her to push the flat edge of a blade further against her pale skin, wordlessly threatening to slit her neck. However,

"Avenger, come now. That's no way to treat a guest." One knowing look from her Master had the eagerly grinning woman backing down. Avenger clicked her tongue in slight disappointment but dematerialized a moment later. She then appeared behind the boy to… snuggle against his neck? The boy reacted by simply running his fingers through her locks whilst smiling apologetically. "Apologies for that. However, among our foes, you and yours have been a… let's say a 'particular interest' of ours for quite some time."

"Interest?" Irisviel noted the glare Avenger shot her way over the boy's shoulder.

"Hmph. Killing you right now would be far too easy." Added the Servant as she embraced her Master from behind. "But the easy way out isn't something you deserve, Einzbern. Magi like yourself disgust me."

The venom was genuine. Although, Irisviel wasn't sure what to make of it. Avenger hardly paid her any mind the last time they met. She tried keeping calm as she stated, "I did nothing to you or your Master. For what reason do you bare such hate—?"

"Bullshit! You and the other founding families had the audacity to bait us, Servants, with a chance of a wish!" The homunculus trademarked crimson eyes widened in surprise but the Servant woman spewed a small fire as she failed to contain her anger. "And yet, you plan to use them as sacrifices instead for your sham of an impossible ritual! If that's not an offence to me or my Master, then what is?!"

Irisviel froze. The question of 'how did they know' was stuck in the back of her throat. But the boy was obliged to explain the unasked.

"After defeating a certain Matou Zouken, I had the chance to peruse an ancient collection of old journals. Though it may have been rude to dig into such personal belongings, I had the permission of the current head and now the true head of their household. How it shocked me to find the information stored there!" He was feigning surprise at this point, going for a dramatic wave of his hands and raising his voice slightly. But Irisviel sensed the condescension in his smile. "Your family, as well as those of the Makiri and Tohsaka, has quite the history, Lady Einzbern. A very dark and damning story of the invention of the Holy Grail War that was advertised as a way of achieving one's dream… only for all of it to be a farce of the highest order, designed to lure heroic spirits in as a resource to power your ritual… Truly, had I not read through the diaries of a centuries-old vampire, I wouldn't have believed a thing."

"And?" she almost couldn't maintain her cool. "What of it? Why did you choose to explain all this?" Damned if she didn't, damned if she did, she opted to ask. Considering how much he already knew, she had to know what he would do with what he was already aware of. Lying at this point might just get her killed. And if that happened, Kiritsugu… Kiritsugu will lose his only chance at attaining his dream. With a poker face polished into perfection by the Einzbern's greatest sage and golem, she demanded to know whilst trying not to let anything slip. "For what reason do you bring all this to my attention, Lelouch Lamperouge?"

"The Lesser Grail." Her heartbeat fluctuated. "Won't mind sharing what you know of it with us, Lady Einzbern?"

She said nothing. All she had running through her thoughts were attempts to escape this situation without explaining anything further.

It was bad. Really, really, really bad. No one outside of the three founding families was supposed to learn about the true Heaven's Feel ritual. And yet… the eighth Master and their impossible Servant, a pair that appeared out of nowhere and brought chaos to this war, did know.

It was just not possible. Unless…

"...If you know about the Lesser Grail, then you must certainly know how it works. How the entire Grail War functions as a process…"

"Process, my ass, witch bitch! This entire war is a sham. A play for fools who know not that they are the finale to the comedic act. Or should it be a tragedy dressed like one?" That explained Avenger's anger that was laced with bile. She continued to hiss, restrained from actually attacking only by the boy's hand on her own as it rested on his shoulder. "This isn't a war. War is killing your enemies, conquering the land, and forcing your rule on others. War is assassinating, killing rulers and their heirs. War is conflicts resolved through death and destruction, of towns, of peoples, of nations as a whole! That is war! Your falsehood is nothing but a load of bullshit created by scummy magi bastards who don't have the balls to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of an ideal, honourable or not!"

"No, you're wrong! We—" He… Kiritsugu wasn't like that! He wasn't—!

"To hell with your opinion of my 'wrongful views'!" Finally snapping, Avenger vanished for a second before reappearing not a few inches away from Irisviel's face. "Your family had no shame to call upon us warriors and conquerors of the past, promising to make our greatest wishes a reality! You all lied and used us as feed for a fucking cup! Answer me, you puppet pretending to be human!"

Avenger roared as she raised her by the collar. The silver-haired woman let out a yelp of pain, but in the face of a Servant, she was nothing but a helpless ragdoll. She was merely a tool far too easily broken.

"Where is the Lesser Grail? Speak now and I promise to turn you into a pile of ashes without going through eternal suffering!"

"Aghk! Ngah!—!" she hung on dearly for life as murderous red pierced through her teary own. The fact that the threat hardly promised survival didn't even register in her mind. Not when her heart was already resolved to continue on… even if it meant death. "I won't tell you anything—Ngh! Never!"

Though the Servant would snap her neck as easily as a twig in this case, she wasn't going to betray her beloved. Just as he would wish her to abandon him if it was for the sake of that dream… that beautiful, honest wish, she would allow herself to be killed if it meant protecting it just a little longer.

"J—just kill me! Kill me… and be done with it! You won't learn… anything… from me—NGAH!" Her voice hitched as her vocal cords felt about to snap. She was beginning to black out. Just a minute, nay, ten seconds of her neck being squeezed between Avenger's index and thumb would end her like a bug. But…

"Avenger. That's enough."

Irisviel fell to the ground. Instinctively gasping for air, it took her a second to collect herself and another to realize who spoke. Staring at the boy Master as she hacked at her nearly-collapsed airways, she spied him restraining Avenger with a hug from behind, only this time, Avenger didn't so much as look her way. Like a glance at her would render her Master's order moot. Instead, the boy spoke for them both as she turned away from Irisviel.

"Sorry for the rough treatment. But then again, you must already have been aware how Servants would react upon learning the truth." That she did. But for him to be able to calm Avenger despite it… it planted doubts in her homunculus brain that his wish was an ordinary one. "Speaking of which, how does your Saber, my ancestor Arturia Pendragon, feel about this?"

The prodding question didn't get a response. But silence again was response enough as the boy devilishly smiled. It was as if he expected it.

"My, my. Of all the Servants, she has probably the boldest wish to ask of the Grail. I wonder… how would my dear ancestor react should she learn of her Master's lie. To be betrayed by her allies once more after resolving herself on a path to prevent the first betrayal from ever occurring… Well, never had I pity King Arthur so much before now…"

Again, Irisviel said nothing. She didn't dare raise her head either. She could feel his eyes burning holes, daring her to speak. However, he was right. Saber… Arturia was her newest and probably the last friend she would ever have in this life. And yet, Irisviel didn't want to think about how she and others had to betray her. The King of Knights was always fighting for their sake as well as the sake of her own… but… on a scale where one country was being weighed against all of humanity… how could that girl's wish compare to his?

The only thing they could offer the girl was a false promise, a dreamy lie that would end with the world's prosperity. The cruel thought was something not quite new to Irisviel who'd grown up wanting to fulfil her husband's dream… but still…

Yet, it's not like she wasn't already prepared to earn the girl King's ire. She couldn't stop now. Not when they were this close. 'Sorry, Arturia. I wish… there was a different way… But if it means creating a gentle world for Illya.'

She could already imagine it now. The face of the young woman, broken and shattered upon hearing the truth… It was disheartening. And though she'd never had a mental link with Saber in the first place, having grown so close to her since she was first summoned… She could already feel the curses that the Servant would hurl her way. Spew at her husband and their selfish dream.

A false Master regretting lying to a Servant not their own… it shouldn't have been possible for her, an artificial human, to feel so. But she did. Maybe she could have acted indifferently and told her everything, maybe, had she stayed emotionless, a husk of a person and a mere failure as a human, she could've absentmindedly exposed the truth of it all…

But Irisviel had grown a heart. In the span of being made, falling in love, getting married, having a child, she'd turned into something more than a homunculus and about as human as anyone could become on their own. She understood that, whatever she did now or before, it wouldn't change the fact that she'd shatter the last of Saber's will to fight… All for the sake of something she believed was far greater.

She couldn't ask for forgiveness. Not when they still needed the holy sword wielder's power to win. Her entire role in this war was to be a bait for other Masters, nothing more. Regret or not lies or not, she had resolved herself to do this job.

But, from what she understood, neither Lelouch nor his Servant had picked up on this truth.

'So long as I can play this role, this is enough for me…' Shedding her last apologetic tears for Saber, she steeled herself.

"Can't even admit the truth to your own Servant…" Avenger muttered with disdain and a pitying smile. "Deny it as you'd like, but your ilk are nothing but pitiful excuses as lords! Naïve as she may be, that brat king is still a retainer who devoted her services to you. But then again, she might see this as me doing her a favour if I just singe you a little."

The air suddenly sparked. The stench of sulfur and brimstone wafted about even though there were no active volcanoes or large bonfires around. Avenger's glare sparked a literal flame and very nearly caught the fringes of Irisviel's hair. But not before the woman's Master quickly pulled her into an embrace. One where her face was forcefully buried into his chest.

"What did I say about losing your cool?" he muttered softly for only his Servant to hear. But in the silence of the dissipating flames, the weakened homunculus didn't need to try harder to hear it all. "No burning our prisoners. Not yet at least, my dear."

Surprisingly, Avenger didn't argue. No. She pouted. "Mm. I know, but… I just want to burn something so badly! Can I at least just maim her legs? Or just singe a bit of her hair? Please?"

That she asked with such a childish tone made her appear more bored than she was vengeful at being tricked earlier. With her back turned to the prisoner, the surreal expression of the demon-flame-clad Servant couldn't be seen. But the tone she was using had Irisviel in slight disbelief.

"No means no, Avenger. Hostages are more valuable, pristine and healthy than half-dead. Just wait for a little bit and you'll have your fill of actual combat, okay?'

"Hm… Only because you're asking me… Be glad your face is really cute, otherwise, this entire city would have been a wasteland by now."

"Yes, yes." The boy patted her head like one would a pet. "And I am quite lucky to have such a patient and understanding partner."

When Avenger looked to the side, clicking her tongue, Irisviel spotted it. The tinge in her cheeks, the soft side glances she shot her Master, it was all clear to Irisviel. And despite being their prisoner, she was able to learn something new about her husband's foes.

'What is… does this mean…?' It wasn't unreasonable for a Servant and Master to share deeper feelings for one another. Though it never happened for her family in the past as they always used homunculi, there was already circumstantial evidence with Lancer and his Master's former betrothed. But it also explained another thing. 'So that's why… she hasn't killed him yet…'

The Avenger Servant had fallen for her Master and, even after the reveal of the truth of the war, neither had broken away from one another. But then that begged a question. 'What does the boy get out of this?'

Avenger's wish was already rendered impossible since the Grail required she die as well… but what did Lelouch Lamperouge stand to gain from continuing this war? If he were to win, he'd still have to sacrifice his… but what if that wasn't the case?

'What if… he wasn't after the Grail… What if… he doesn't want to win it… instead he…'

Irisviel's eyes widened in realization. But as her stare absentmindedly flitted to the pair who weren't doing this to win the war, Avenger, who noticed her intense gaze, smiled like a tease.

"Ara, ara? What's wrong, Einzbern homunculus? Never seen acts of intimacy between two lovers before? Does your artificial brain not compute what we have on display? Or do you perhaps," Avenger drew her Master closer, much to his and Irisviel's surprise, whilst seemingly tickling his ear with her words. "Maybe she has a thing for watching?"

"Wha—?! HAH?!"

"Oh? Did I guess right? What a perverted little creation you are. Not even human, but programmed with even more disgusting human tendencies!"

The allegation caught her off guard. Never had she been teased in such a way that her internal musings were momentarily drawn to a pause. It didn't help when the boy decided to ride along his Servant's jape.

"Come now, my dear. A lady shouldn't tease others on their preferences." Lelouch Lamperouge met Irisviel's eyes in passing before shrugging to himself. "Even if the Lady Einzbern were to have such tastes, we shouldn't judge. No matter her relations with her own Servant… or say, her ever-worried mercenary assassins, such talk is beneath us."

A polite disengage the words may have been, the condescending look he gave her certainly wasn't. He may have only followed along to entertain his Servant who continued to cuddle with him, but with how calculated he'd been wording himself since they met, Irisviel wasn't certain if it was true or not he knew well about her relationships with Saber and her husband.

That look that seemed to go through her, the eyes that shouldn't belong to a boy who wasn't even invited to this war naturally, the chills running down Irisviel's spine didn't let up.

'Wait… Assassins?' It was only then that she realized he used the plurality to refer to her associates. "What… what did you do… to her? To Maiya—?!" Her eyes snapped wide, ignoring the Servant's pitiful stare in jest. "Where is she?! What did you do to my companion?!"

"Maiya? I see. So that's her name." Nodding to himself, Lelouch Lamperouge smiled. "Thank you for informing me. She'd been a bit… difficult, so we didn't even know her name until now."

If that meant she resisted… knowing Kiritsugu's protégé, she was as stubborn and tight-lipped as her husband when it came to work. Being so loyal to him, only rivalling Irisviel's own devotion to the man, Hisau Maiya would never talk… even if it meant she'd break…

Irisviel bit her lip. "What did you… do to her?!"

"Not much… Understand that we had to be a little rough, considering she was far more combative than you during capture." The boy's shrug wasn't all that reassuring. "Rest assured, Lady Einzbern. We aren't that careless in handling captives. Especially those already injured beyond incapacitation. Your little mercenary still lives and will continue to be for the next—" pulling out a watch, he paused. "Give or take, the next hour."

'Which means… Maiya is in danger. A part of whatever plan he'd set in motion.' Irisviel mustered all the strength she had left and spoke with a low voice. "Don't you dare to harm my friends. Kill me if you need to but spare her."

"Hmm, I won't mind doing it for you… But only if you would disclose the location of the Lesser Grail." Her silence was his answer. It was the only answer she could give. "I thought so. But if it makes you feel better, I respect your resolve and conviction to stay silent. I will thank you in advance for behaving until the Magus Killer and the King of Knights arrive here."

Irisviel paled even more than usual. "Kiritsugu—?!"

"Calling him by his first name, I see…" She held her tongue but the damage was done. The boy looked eager as he smiled down at her. "So there is something more to your relationship. Here I thought it was just a little jest to rile you up, but that explains his reaction to my call."

'Call? So… he contacted… but that meant…'

A trap. A trap wherein she and his apprentice were the bait. And no doubt, Kiritsugu was already on his way if the boy was this confident about it all. Whether or not the boy was aware that her husband would only do so because Irisviel herself was the Grail, he was still pulling their strings accordingly. That meant they were knowingly walking right into it. And Lelouch Lamperouge was confident he could take them all on.

The boy was no fool. Even as a homunculus, she was aware of her husband's reputation. No way this child wouldn't be after masterfully manipulating all his other foes who were far more superior in magecraft and power. But for him to be this calm… he was either arrogant or prepared.

Irisviel doubted he was the former no matter how much his demeanour suggested.

"Isn't that nice," Avenger suddenly chimed with a haughty smile. "A murderer assassin and his perverted little sex doll are going to be in one place. Only then can I ensure you both suffer for the bullshit you dragged my Master and myself into!"

The insults didn't get to her. It was when the redheaded Servant leaned down and picked her up by the chin, forcing their similarly crimson eyes to meet once more. Gone was the sarcasm. Gone were the jokes. All that she saw in the red pools was the thirst for blood. For revenge. A trait associated strongly with the Avenger class.

"Since you care so much about them, I will make sure you live long enough to watch them burn in hell. Your companion. Your Servant. Your little lover. They will all suffer and you get to watch until I have you begging to be killed and spared the show." She didn't need to spit into Irisviel's face to get the point across, but she did. "Consider this my payback for trying to trick me into becoming your accursed cup's wine!"

"Avenger," Lelouch Lamperouge was already halfway out the door as he called out to his Servant. "Come. We have to prepare for our… guests."

"Coming, darling!"

The Servant of Vengeance said with a sickly sweet and soft voice that belied the devil hiding under her mask. Hugging her partner's arm as she ran into him, she spared Irisviel one last smirking glance before closing the door. Multiple locks clicked shut. But though they would be easy pickings for any competent magi, Irisviel didn't move.

Attempts at escape would only threaten Maiya. Attempts at ending her life wouldn't help Kiritsugu either. The helpless homunculus didn't—nay, couldn't try anything even after she was left in an empty room with barely any guards or locks holding her down.

"NGH!"

Something within her stirred. Pain coursed through her body as her circuits sizzled and hummed with power. The Grail was waking. Her instincts as a homunculus informed her that, whatever time she had left, it would be short.

Meaning the zenith of the war… it was night. And her time as Irisviel von Einzbern… was at an end.

"Ah…" she sighed in resignation. "So I won't even get to see you… in the end…"

A lone tear streaked down her cheek. The mere idea of saying goodbye to her love had never come up. Not that she never thought about it but for the fact that she didn't want to see her husband make that face should she try.

He'd cried enough. As his wife, it wouldn't add more to his already heavy burden.

But despite the acceptance, despite both of them being resigned, having known this day would come, Iri wanted to be a little selfish still. She wanted to hold his face in her hands once more. She wanted to carry Illya, kiss her daughter goodnight, one last time.

Alas, it was not to be. For the device implanted within her, the same one Lelouch Lamperouge sought after, thrummed awake.

'Please be safe…' All she could do was lean back against the wall and pray. Pray that her beloved and friends could find respite after this storm. 'Please, be safe… no matter what… Kiritsugu… Illya…'

If only there was anyone who could grant the Grail vessel her own wish…

---

Shinto Community Center, Central Security Room.

Lelouch stared at the monitors from his seat. One of them showed the room they recently left. The one that housed their most important prisoner. Irisviel von Einzbern hugged her knees as she leaned against the wall, complying as their prisoner even though she could very easily attempt an escape against security cameras that worked with modern technology.

Magic was very versatile when it came to application, but considering the fear and threat Avenger imposed on her, it seems she wouldn't even dare to try.

'Hm… A bit meeker than I expected. For an artificial human, she acts less like an empty doll and more…'

Lelouch didn't know how to put it. He wasn't exactly a good judge of character when said person wasn't even human, but at least he knew how to handle more normal, non-magical, things. One of those being commandeering an entire building for their little jaunt against Saber and Emiya Kiritsugu.

Taking over the centre was relatively easy. Still, in the midst of construction, the giant tower was relatively empty apart from underpaid security. When said security was about as basic and normal as any other everyday person, taking over was as easy as giving the word. The unqualified guards didn't hold a candle to their ancestor's famed daimyo and were all dispatched without much effort. Thankfully, Nobunaga opted to just knock them out and lock them away in a separate room. Truly, the adorable young woman was acting her part as the 'benevolent' demon.

'If only she was able to hold her temper back earlier…'

Lelouch could've done without the Einzbern Master nearly being burned alive, but it wasn't as if he had full control of Nobu's mood. She did as she willed, and it was only because he insisted she be kept alive that she complied at all. 'Knowing she's mad for my sake is great and all, but I'd rather she stay a bit more composed until later.'

Better to vent all that rage out on a target he could afford her letting loose on. For now, though, they could only wait for the trap to be sprung.

"Mgh." Something told him it would be a long and boring wait. Or the finger mushing against his cheeks told him someone would find it boring had she not decided to plop down on his lap. "I know I said you should relax until later but…"

"'But' what, daaaaaarling~~~?"

Another set of fingers mushed against the other side of his face, but instead of just poking, it gently, and forcibly, tugged him to have his gaze centre on his aggressor's smiling own. Making sure she was as close as possible to him, Nobu smiled sweetly while blocking his view of the camera monitors.

"Not even a day has passed since our declaration of undying love and yet you're already looking at other women," she stated with feigned hurt. Lelouch pondered teaching her how to improve her faulty dramatics. "Truly, my partner is the lowest of the scum!"

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "First of all, she is our main leverage against Saber. And secondly, 'undying love'?"

"Don't you dare tell me it wasn't!" she snapped but seemingly flushed slightly. "I—I read stories of romance when I was alive as well, you know? O-only the most intimate lovers would share such a passionate kiss as we had last night!"

"I wouldn't trust some centuries-old books to portray how actual relationships work," Lelouch murmured under breath to only have his face mushed against hers. Forehead to forehead, unamused red eyes locked onto surprised violet orbs. Nobu even raised an eyebrow.

"And what's that supposed to mean? What are we if not soulmates destined for one another? Or… do you mean to tell me your acceptance was all a joke, Lulu?"

"It's not… but…" He seemed a bit troubled, but as that in itself was adorable, Nobunaga let it slide by hugging him tightly. It was also partly to ensure that he wasn't lying at all. Feeling a hand comb the tresses of her hair, though, she heard him say, "… We are demons that stand together. Nothing will change that, Nobunaga. Not now or ever."

"Good," she snapped back with a pout but also poked his nose with her own, hiding a smirk. "Because I'm a greedy woman and hate it when someone tries to take what is rightfully mine." When he didn't push her away and just cuddled her closer, she smirked and felt her cheeks grow hotter as the distance between their faces closed. Pressing her face against his, she allowed him a peek at the monitors once more but only with him feeling her warmth all throughout. "Now, what are we going to do with the homunculus and the other woman?"

"As I stated earlier, they are hostages, Nobu. No more, no less."

With the Magus Killer and Saber as their foes, he needed to use them for what he could. And with the Einzbern woman keeping quiet, there was only one other use he had for her life.

Lelouch didn't expect the infamous assassin to show kindness, but Emiya Kiritsugu's reaction to his call was somewhat telling of an underlying story. He wasn't sure what relationship he may have had with his employer or if he cared about the other woman Nobu brought in, but there was a chance. And Lelouch was certainly going to exploit it.

As for the King of Knights… well, the weakness was pretty obvious. Chivalrous and honour-bound, King Arthur would more than likely halt in the face of this plan. Distraction at worst is completely defeated at best. Either way, a knight who made it their duty to protect her people wouldn't do anything rash that would risk either Lady Irisviel or the mercenary Maiya's lives.

However, there was something that worried Lelouch. So much so that, despite leaning back against the office chair, felt somewhat tense.

"What's wrong?" Of course, Nobu wouldn't miss it.

"Do you think that this entire situation seems… a bit suspicious? According to what we learned in the Matou manor, the Einzberns were the ones who always provided and oversaw the safety of the Lesser Grail. Though they participated in all Grail Wars and never won, this one duty was something they never skimped on. Yet, now they're sending their candidate, who is most likely the only person in this war who knows where the Lesser Grail is, into the conflict. That puts far too much risk even if they planned for one of the other founders to know where it is either."

"True, if the winner was an absolute outsider, either yourself or one of the other four, no one would be able to attain the Grail." Nobu nodded, following his logic. "Not unless it manifested before the winner themselves."

"It's odd. Not only is she placed at risk, but she's also been made to act as a Master. With how many of the wars have gone in the past, according to Zouken's records, the Master almost always dies first as their death would spell the end for the Servant as well, bar exceptions like the Caster and Archer classes that had stores of excess mana and an Independent Skill." Lelouch wondered if the alchemy-based Einzberns were just that foolhardy, just that arrogant, thinking their homunculus proxy was capable of survival against this many overpowered foes. "Now that I think about it, Lady Einzbern almost always had Saber by her side when she didn't shy away from the battlefield. And yet that very Master is looking somewhat off."

"You noticed as well?"

"Hard not to." Panning a glance to the monitor showing the woman still leaning against the wall, Lelouch frowned. "She's somehow looking far more weakened than usual and can't even stand up. Even before you roughed her up, she looked to be in obvious pain."

Though they never conversed much nor encountered them that many times before, it was clear that Irisviel von Einzbern didn't look to be in the perfect condition to fight. Hence, his suspicion something was off. But there was more to it than just her sickliness.

"Disregarding her, for all we know, she can have a similar condition to Kariya, there is still the Magus Killer. From what we gathered amongst our past allies, the infamous assassin's reputation underestimates his skills. If Tohsaka and Kayneth were very much truly aware of his capabilities, they would have targeted him first, but that could just be that they didn't notice his participation until it was too late. Or they could've just disregarded him as he is useless against Servants themselves. Despite this, why is he acting as the side pawn and not the main actor? Why has the Einzbern relegated his talent to the wayside while the seemingly weakened Lady Irisviel continues to take all the heat?"

Nobu fell silent as she too pondered this with him. It wouldn't be all that strange to have a repeat of Kariya's situation. Magi were the odd bunch out that would most definitely seek their own destruction in exchange for power and a chance to win, but for the fact that the Einzberns were willing to deny everyone else the Grail in their gambit? That raised eyebrows.

'Why put so much on the shoulders of one woman who might die at any moment? Matou Zouken's notes on their clan was extensive to the point of praising their devotion to this ritual.' For the Einzberns who were always first to lose, deciding to put all of their eggs in one basket… It seemed natural after all their previous losses, but this seemed a bit too much. Especially when they have the perfect potential Master in the form of Emiya Kiritsugu. The man would have been a perfect choice to take the master's role. But why wasn't he?'

What if he actually was the Einzbern Master? It was a long shot, so he decided to posit it to his partner.

"To make a mercenary a Master? Wouldn't that put too much risk on him going rogue? Not even I would trust any soldier my men bought off the side of a road."

"As you should, but… it's the best conjecture I can come up with." Lelouch considered it longer. Then his mind jumped to his first exchange with Emiya Kiritsugu. "Hm… I can come up with several theories as to how this may be, but not enough evidence to actually ensure it. Although…"

"Although?" Nobu prodded with her cheek resting on his chest. The fact that she was pressing herself on him harder wasn't lost on him but he ignored it for now.

"We have next to nothing to support this claim. Although, if we assume that the Magus Killer was Saber's true Master from the start, some questions can be answered."

Considering that he preferred to work out of the limelight, then it explains why the one most likely to be assumed as the Einzbern Master, the homunculus woman Lady Irisviel, would persist as a figurehead. She was weak and might have been so from the beginning, but she acted as a distraction while he worked in eliminating their foes from the shadows. That explained Tohsaka's surprise attack and being caught off guard. It might also explain why they never saw the hide nor hair of Caster's Master, the psycho child killer, after Caster's death.

Speaking of Caster, the fact that Saber allied with him to take them and Lancer out was pretty odd as well. No way Arturia was going to ally herself with someone like the child-sacrificing magus. But if it wasn't by her own choice, then her utilitarian Master enforcing it would've made sense. Yet, Irisviel didn't give Lelouch the impression of a ruthless and cold person. Just a few minutes ago, she was ready to die should her fellow captive be spared. Perhaps… the Magus Killer was the man he was looking for. One who knew to use others as pawns in order to ensure his own survival. And victory.

"Furthermore, Lady Irisviel has yet to use her Command Seals to call for help." Lelouch's stare flew to the back of the woman's hand as she hugged her knees. There were red marks on her skin, yes. But he wasn't a professional that could sense the mana within. He was more likely to mistake his own Command Seals for a tattoo had he not been made aware of their underlying power. "Even if we can't make sure as neither of us is magi, it's possible to assume that she hasn't used them because she never did have Command Seals. If she hasn't been faking it all this time, then she wouldn't have any reason to play along with us if she could just summon Saber to her side."

"Pretty bold of an assumption to make. Perhaps, she's just waiting for the right time." Nobu theorized while tickling the underside of his chin with her index. "She might think we're waiting for her to call the little knight to rescue her and they'll both end up trapped."

"Maybe or maybe not." Lelouch sighed. "Either way, we'll get our full answer when the Magus Killer arrives. Until then I will look after her while you will take care of something in the meantime."

Nobu's ears perked up at that. The predatory smile she had on while looking up at him was one part intimidating and another part eager-puppy adorable. "Let me guess! Rider?"

"Indeed. Having been played as the diversion, Iskandar will likely appear tonight via sensing your presence." Patting her head, he felt her get a little warmer on his chest as well as his palm. "Not that we'd make it easy for him to find you—"

"But you don't want him to interfere with our plans, yeah?" she finished his sentence whilst pecking him on the cheek. Caught by surprise, Lelouch watched as she pushed off against him, making sure to grind against him as a last tease, and straightened out her hair as she reached the exit. "If my adorable master wants me to deal with any interlopers while he takes care of the mystery mercenary on his own, then I will not disappoint. Call me when the situation turns sour, Lulu. I will not hesitate to sweep you off your feet like a damsel in distress."

That she added a wink to that only had him scoffing back with a smile. "Then, when the time comes wherein you are the damsel, Nobu, call me and I will use a Command Seal."

"To save me, or to empower me?" she tried to poke, prodding for a sweet reciprocation.

"That depends. Although, I doubt a demoness as capable as you would allow yourself to be anyone's damsel." He didn't fall for it. The boy just nodded back before adding over his shoulder. "Be careful out there."

She stopped and gave him a quick glance before smirking. "Watch who you are talking to, Master. I'm the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. Oda Nobunaga!" She shouted with excitement. "The ones who need to be wary will be that brute Rider and naïve Saber. That is, only our dear knight in shining armour fails to slay his king."

She faded into light shortly after pulling the door shut. With that, Lelouch was left alone to his thoughts.

'Speaking of Berserker…'

Lelouch eyed the corner monitor. The camera it was attached to was the one aimed at the underground parking lot. Though not automatically obvious, there was one person waiting there, hidden in the shadows of the security guard's vehicle. Though tired and at the cusps of death, the lone Master who achieved his goal without the Grail patiently waited for his last turn on the stage.

'Despite everything that's happened, there's nothing more I can do for you…' With a resigned sigh, Lelouch muttered to himself. "I wish there was a different outcome, Kariya. Though, maybe, in the next life, you can actually enjoy your happiness for once."

Their last and likely final conversation with one another was about the plan. The Master of Berserker avoided any mention of his condition and only promised that he and Lancelot would win no matter what. But the fact was he already won. He already attained his dream. There was no actual need to soldier on like this. But Lelouch couldn't refute him.

As he didn't let Lelouch say any last words, saying that they will talk after Saber is defeated, the boy opted to take his word for it. Though death would come, it was all he could do to avoid saying an actual goodbye.

'Then again, I'm not the best when it comes to saying goodbye either, am I?'

With just the sight of his sister one last time, her wide-eyed expression of shock and wonder falling into tears before everything faded to black, all he'd given her was silence. Nunnally deserved better. A proper goodbye. A better brother too. But he couldn't give anything but that finale. Had he chosen to tell her the truth of his plan beforehand, he would've wavered in his resolve.

But that's all in the past now. That life was gone and done with. Lelouch Lamperouge had only a new future to carve out for himself. And, by the same vein, Kariya, who had lived in fear for the longest time, had finally chosen how he'd live his last.

'Hm, quite childish of me to regret making a sacrifice for you, considering I didn't hesitate for my own…' Just goes to show how really much of a child he actually was. Albeit, he'd never lived a proper life like one. The thought had him chuckling. 'I bid you good luck, Matou Kariya. One such as you can no longer be called a coward. Not when you're willing to go out with a bang twice over.'

The Demon Emperor supposed that, in some sense, this was a happy ending for a tragic figure like Kariya. After all, he would've died if not for Lelouch's intervention. Most people never got the privilege of righting their wrongs or reconciliation. After this, it might just be more accurate to say the man had the devil's luck.

However, as soon as Lelouch relaxed at his musings, his attention switched to another camera that was overlooking one of the entrances inside the building. Or the fact that it turned offline, leaving only a black screen. A telling sign that someone was afoot.

"You're finally here, Magus Killer. No. Emiya Kiritsugu." Lelouch smirked, leaning back against his seat and crossing his hands before his face. "I pray you don't disappoint me with our first and last game together."

For the first time in a while, Lelouch smiled, somewhat eager for the challenge.

---

First Floor.

The trails of a trench coat billowed past as the man rushed through the empty halls of the building. Stopping at a corner, he eyed the left and right, ensuring no one was waiting for him in an ambush while scanning the walkway for traps.

It wouldn't be an unfounded concern, considering the place was still under construction. With the main structure in place, but the internals still weren't as furbished, many tools, equipment, and crates lined the empty rooms and halls. He wouldn't put it past the brat to have boobytraps hidden in every corner. The only saving grace to this was that there were no civilians in sight, be it inside or near the vicinity of the building itself.

'Clear,' Kiritsugu mentally noted to himself before dashing through the adjacent hall.

With Maiya taken, he only had himself to rely on in this. On the hand, he had his M950 and single-shot Thompson Contender pistol. He would've opted to go heavier with gear, but because he wasn't sure what the hell he was dealing with, he opted to go light and flexible. Calico and Contender in hand, he peeked around another corner with both, ready to fire, before advancing further into his foe's base. Muffled footsteps and paced-yet frustrated breathing were all that could be heard of his person.

'To think that boy would join the fray himself.' Kiritsugu contemplated the move. 'He managed to use Rider as a distraction good enough to fool Saber. Either he was working with Rider's Master or the big oaf was tricked by him.'

Kiritsugu wasn't one to overestimate his opponents, but he couldn't relegate Lamperouge as just another boy way in over his head like Waver Velvet. No. He was more akin to the psychopath that was Caster's Master, if not less random with his targets.

'He's most likely hiding on the top of the building. With any luck, Iri should be there as well.' With Maiya unaccounted for, or maybe with them, that limited his options severely.' Repeating the Hyatt Hotel trick isn't an option for me anymore. Dammit!'

Disgruntled, he continued sneaking around the cameras and disabling the ones he could from their blind spots. If he had a second pair of hands, he could've ordered Maiya to use a familiar or pinpoint the less arduous route. But as circumstances stood, he had to go solo. Not only that, but he had a time limit. Or, as much time as Saber could buy on her own distracting the Avenger Servant.

Just as he reached the end of the floor, a resounding ding caught his attention. Guns were immediately trained on the elevator doors that swept open. But instead of finding a person, the thing that caught his eyes were the barrels within.

And a small alarm clock counting down from the single-digits to zero atop it.

"Shi—!" Not wasting a second to widen his eyes in shock, Kiritsugu ducked to the corner he'd just come from, evading the explosion from the improvised explosive device.

BOOM

The entire hallway rumbled somewhat as a gout of flame burned the freshly painted walls to ash. A small snap, sudden screeching noise, finally ending with a distant crash had him peeking out of his hiding spot. From his safety corner, he found that the elevator itself was gone, the line holding it up had snapped due to the ensuing fireball.

Kiritsugu was momentarily appalled. Not for the explosion itself, but to think the boy had timed the elevator's arrival precisely with his in this exact hallway.

"What in the hell am I dealing with…?" He couldn't help muttering to himself.

"A fine welcome to you, Magus Killer!" said a voice echoing over the centre's PA system. "Or would you rather I refer to you by name, mister mercenary Emiya Kiritsugu? My apologies, but it seems the elevator I sent for you is out of commission. A pity you were unable to catch it in time. We could've resolved everything sooner too!"

'Hmph. How original,' Kiritsugu held back his snarl as he ignored the taunt and started looking for the stairs. No sense in speaking to a man he couldn't see. And once he'd find him, there was enough said behind a bullet through the head.

"Oh come now. It's no fun if there's no response at all. While I may not hear you, you could at the very least act surprised with my gift."

He was surprised, sure. But why give his attacker any satisfaction in it? Kiritsugu popped a shot into the distance as soon as he rounded the corner. A small spark and the shattering of glass killed another camera, the boy's only eyes in this building. But instead of heading down that very corridor, he opted to move to a maintenance catwalk he found in the building's blueprints. Security hadn't yet touched on this particular pathway, meaning no cams.

The misdirection wouldn't last, however. It would only buy him time.

"Quite the unorthodox knight-in-shining-armor, aren't you, Mister Emiya." The boy's voice echoed from the nearest speaker. "The princess awaits at the top to be rescued, yet here you are, skulking in the shadows. As the warlock that you need to vanquish, I find your methods a bit… lacklustre."

'And you've quite a flair for the dramatic.' Kiritsugu wondered if he could try and bait the boy via his arrogance but shut down that idea not a second later. 'No. Stick to the plan. Stay calm. Stay on target.'

Peeking out the next exit, he snuck back into the building's main hall and climbed up the stairs. Passed the first flight, he clicked his tongue upon spotting the debris blocking the second flight up. He had to find another set of stairs up. That or risk another elevator explosion. Opting for the former, he swiftly dashed down the long winding halls.

He most definitely passed by another camera but missed his chance in taking it out when he spotted yet another oddity between him and the cams.

Two small boxes the size of handheld radios on either wall of the hall. Stopping in his tracks, he grabbed a nearby forgotten toolkit and tossed it passed the anomalous boxes. Upon the kit shattering out and its contents spilling forth, something clicked and both small boxes exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. From his cover, he had to duck his head away when nails and small screws peppered the walls and shattered a nearby window. Looking back at the blast radius, a sizable hole had torn open the ceiling, knocking down debris in his path once more.

"Son of a…" his eyes narrowed towards the red light of the security cams.

"So? What do you think? Exciting, isn't it? I'm quite the accommodating host, as you can see. This entire complex has become my castle, and you're its invader. Could you perhaps humour me and play along with the script?" Kiritsugu's response was shooting down the camera and rushing to find an alternate path upwards. "Such a spoil sport… I try to be nice, yet you continue to be a killjoy."

Kiritsugu had no retort for a brat playing games. He was fighting a war. And he was going to make sure he'd win. For the sake of all.

"How disappointing a person you are…" the taunts continued. "Acting tough and soldiering on… despite the outcome of this war already being decided, but oh well… If you wish to save those who are important to you, then come to the 25th floor."

'A clue?' Kiritsugu scoffed. 'No, a trap. An obvious one to boot.'

But considering he had no other hints as to Maiya and Iri's whereabouts, he had no choice. The boy knew he knew he had no choice. It was an open challenge. One he had no choice but to accept.

Upon spotting the second stairwell, he eyed the place and surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary, and neither was a Servant waiting from the shadows. Thinking it was clear, he started climbing… only then to backtrack and kick off hard against the steps like his life depended on it. A resounding click near his foot told him he triggered a pressure trap that he had no humane chance of escaping.

"Kuh—Time Alter: Double Accel!" triggering his self-contained Reality Marble, he swatted a falling grenade that came from the bannister of the floor above. A window shattered and he'd just barely ducked down before an explosion from the outside was heard. This time, Kiritsugu could barely control his anger. "Goddamned brat… where in the hell did he get such equipment?!"

Another camera must've picked up on his reaction as the boy spoke once more. "Be careful now. I had quite the time making preparations for your arrival. If it's any reassurance, not every floor is booby-trapped."

Kiritsugu could practically feel the boy's arrogance poking his patience. 'Damned brat.'

But resolved as he was, the man dusted his trench coat and soldiered on. Not slowing down nor giving up, he continued to avoid and evade as many traps as he could.

All for the sake of killing the boy playing god.

---

Fuyuki Bridge.

Night had fallen on the city, leaving the giant red bridge in cold darkness illuminated only by the street lamps.

The highway that connected Minami and Fuyuki over the Mion River had quite the charming sight under the moonlight. A bit more on the romantic side if Nobunaga would convey her opinion. The cold wind clouding her breath was nice and comforting. A fair contrast against the warm morning sun.

The salty smell of the water flowing under the structure was very welcoming after having spent an entire day inside the nearby community centre as well. Though she was clad in her tight-fitting battle gear, to be able to relax to the breeze without a care in the world had Nobu wishing Lelouch and herself weren't fighting a war right now.

Had things been different, they could be strolling along the empty bridge, enjoying a moonlit date under the dark blue sky.

But no. The bridge was empty with her alone. After Lulu made several calls to his hypnotized police, informing them to keep civilians away from the area, not even a car had rushed past in the last few hours.

'Not that any interlopers would have stopped me at this point,' Nobu sighed into the night. Her breath formed a small cloud before being carried with the breeze. 'Casualties or not, nothing will stop me from taking down our enemies.'

As all Japanese, and by inclusion the Fuyuki citizens, were her subjects, it was therefore within her rights to take their lives if they intervened. It may offend many that she would think so little of her people, but if any were so oblivious to the auspiciousness of the surrounding atmosphere, to the bloodthirst in the air, then their idiotic survival was the least of a demoness' worries.

'It ends tonight.' Her breath made another cloud that brushed against her flowing crimson hair. 'With our victory.'

Lelouch's plan was in motion. With two hostages in either hand, as well as a mad knight lying in wait in his shadow, her adorable Master would deal with the Magus Killer easily. Though Nobunaga yearned to fight next to him, this was still fine. Besides, being integral to his plans was still… a satisfying thought. One that had her cheeks flushing slightly.

'What am I getting all flustered for?' chiding herself, she composed herself with a light chuckle. 'After all, he is my fellow demon. He will be the only one to stand as my equal in this world. Yes… Of course…'

She meant to state it as fact. But the fact her mind was locked onto something as trivial as that… it reminded her of the woman within her that she'd never been in life. Truly, a folly her old self would scoff at, but not one her present would ever deny.

Besides, It was the truth. No one would stand between them. And together, no one would stand in their way.

'Not the naïve King of Knights. Not when one of her former comrades awaited for her with a vengeance.' To think Nobu had been summoned as the Servant of Retribution when the Knight of the Lake, Sir Lancelot himself, would be gunning for his former king due to personal issues. 'Hmph, and here I thought I was an actual fool of a leader in life. To have what legends depicted as your most noble vassal turn on you…'

The thought was hilarious and pitiful all at once. While Nobu had once been betrayed and killed for it, at least her legacy was saved by another of her retainers. For King Arthur, one betrayal turned into civil war. Her legacy, which was Camelot, was lost to myth and fables.

And now, it seems a certain knight was out for blood.

Or so Lelouch's conjecture went upon hearing of Berserker's true name. Still, Nobu thought it was plausible enough, considering her Lulu was a smart enough cookie to guess facts from a glance alone. Avenger scoffed, regardless. 'You better take care of your former liege, Black Knight. Not unless you want me to burn her alive.'

There had been a time when Nobu was worried that Saber's foolish wish would poison Lelouch's mind. Back then, he was lost and uncertain. But now, when Lelouch and she were bound together, Nobu swore she would make sure no one, nothing, would hinder them or come between them. Ever.

Not their foes nor death itself. Not even the end of this war.

They had made their contract. Plagiarized as it was from an immortal witch of his past, Oda Nobunaga was still his and Lelouch vi Britannia was now and forever hers. Not even oblivion will ever change that.

"The time has come to wrap up this little farce of a war. While I so enjoyed letting loose for once in aeons of sitting idly within the Throne, I'd much rather enjoy living in this era of peace…" The Demon King muttered to herself while smiling with a feral expression, but the fiery spark in her eyes hid a maiden's wish. 'With him… and only him.'

But of course, she still had her job to do. She then raised her katana forward and shouted to the skies.

"Come forward, King Iskandar! Let's end our argument and come to a resolution to our conundrum, here and now!"

Rider didn't make her wait too long. The night sky roared with lightning as a bolt struck the centre of the bridge. Street lamps flickered, but upon relighting, the familiar chariot of the Grecian Conqueror appeared. Two divine bulls grunted and bellowed as they glared at her, but neither managed to intimidate the Daimyo. It was their owner who she directed all her attention on.

"Avenger," he greeted her with a calm voice.

"Rider," she answered back.

Surprisingly, he didn't speak or boast as he normally would. Instead, he dismounted and approached her. Reciprocating, she approached him but stopped short of a few meters as did he. From over his shoulder, she spied Waver Velvet standing by the chariot. A measly boy he was, Avenger had to give the brat props for remaining by his Servant's side. In the end, he was one of the very few Masters both she and Lelouch had to commend for having guts.

It still wouldn't save him from being cleaved by her blade, but at the very least, she would grant him an honourable and peaceful death.

"I see that neither of you faltered at my invitation, despite your recent loss to a certain brat." She eyed Iskandar's knowing expression. The man was aware he'd been played like a fiddle, but she could see he neither held a grudge nor was he going to be a sore loser despite her taunts.

"To waver at the decisive battle would only insult the challenger, would it not?" Iskandar eyed her back with a grin. "I came here to save your face. After all, an upstart can only earn their place after beating that which preceded her."

"And I shall," she grinned back with eagerness. "Let it be known that tonight, history shall be decided by the victor. The crown of all the world's Conquerors shall go to whoever leaves alive on this eve."

"Naturally, however," Iskandar raised a palm as he smiled awkwardly. His other hand went to scratch the back of his head. "While I know this is supposed to be the final boss battle or at least the first stage of it, would you mind sharing one drink with me?"

"… … Eh?" When Nobu raised an eyebrow, he elaborated.

"Our little banquet of kings didn't end very well, and I… sorta feel awkward about not ending it on a high note after all. Since you and Saber are still alive, I'd thought to see if we could properly finish it this time."

As he said so, Rider delicately pulled out a bottle of fine wine and a couple of cups out from under his cape. Nobunaga couldn't help snorting when she saw it.

"Snrk… What is this? Some kind of plan to poison me?"

"Oh, please! I would never poison my own drink. It ruins the taste and is certainly a waste of perfectly good wine! I would know." Iskandar snickered as he reminisced about the past for the briefest of moments. "Besides, I'm not an assassin and have no means to make a poison strong enough to slay a devil like you."

Nobu snarled as her katana dispersed into fragments of light. "Hoh? You acknowledge me as a devil now, do you?"

"Don't get your hopes up, woman." He snarked back with a smirk of his own as he sat down. "While I am wary of you and your Master, my opinion of your lordship still stands. I respect it, but I will not abide by it. Conquest is the name of my game, and it only ends with my overwhelming victory or immediate defeat!"

An amusing thought for someone about to die, but Nobu had to concede some respect in that. Still, should she waste time sharing a drink with him? Lelouch was currently alone facing the mercenary assassin and she needed to return to him as quickly as possible. Still, at the same time, Nobunaga felt like she was required to at least humour Rider. If not on a whim, out of politeness would do.

She decided to consult her Master via their mental link. 'Rider is here and wants to have a little chat. How is your situation? Should I finish him right now?'

'If Rider is so casual, he might anticipate an attack from you at any moment. Play along and wait until he will let his guard down…' Ever prompt in the decision-making, Lulu immediately responded without a hint of concern in his thoughts. 'Do not worry about me. Everything is under control.'

'I'll take your word for it.'

Nobu was confident he was alright. He was her equal after all. Still, she wasn't wasteful playing along. Iskandar was going to die so, in a way, this was his last drink before death. She was feeling merciful tonight, hence she allowed him to pour a drink after accepting the cup he offered.

"It seems we have the time, but do please make it quick, Rider. My Master won't make it as he's very busy right now, as is Saber, so it'll be just you and I."

"A shame. Here I thought I could request we play one more game." As Iskandar finished pouring her cup, he handed one to his Master as well, the boy seemingly trying not to glare at his Servant for the lackadaisical admission of fraternizing with their foes. "What? Don't look at me like that, boy! The young prince's sharp mind is both a treat to work with and an adversary I very much wish to try my hand against. From one game alone, I can tell. He will be my greatest opponent should he rise to the taste of conquest as I have!"

'He already has and will never be your equal, you bumbling buffoon…' That the oaf was seemingly boasting about the time he spent with her Lulu had touched a nerve in the redhead. So much so that she couldn't help but down the fine wine without tasting it at all. "Hmph. After tonight, I'm afraid you'll never get to play with him again."

"Oh? How possessive of you, little lady. Don't tell me you've already gone that far with him! Ahahahahah—!"

"We have promised our futures together, now and forever until the end of time!"

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFT—!" Waver Velvet sprayed the cup of wine his own Servant had offered him and doused the back of Iskandar's head.

Rider, on the other hand, ignored the sudden spray to give her a knowing smile as soon as he finished his cup. "Ohoho, I see that the lovebirds aren't wasting any time. Don't tell me you two already went all the way."

"Heheh, wouldn't you like to know? Apologies, barbarian king, however, our love life is a private matter, Rider." Nobu said as she emptied the second cup with prideful gusto. "But I will let you know that I fully intend to make Lelouch experience every pleasure this world has to offer. Be it conquering or enslaving this world, I shall do it all with him… … by my side," she added that almost too late with a hint of pink to her face.

"Oi, oi! I knew you were a dangerous woman but to this extent? Can't say if your Master is a lucky guy or not."

Nobu gave him a flat look as she snapped. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I'm just glad that someone else besides me was able to bond with their Master beyond what the Grail established."

At his hearty chuckle, Waver rolled his eyes but didn't refute it. Even with indifference, Nobu could sense they were far closer than many of the detached Masters Lelouch and herself had beaten. In fairness, neither Lelouch nor Waver carried the same air as the other Masters. Though the amount of blood on their hands were as different as night to day, they still cared about those around them. A testament to their humanity that differentiated them from the magi who created the Grail system.

"Hahahah… ah… Of course, I doubt that my and the boy's friendship can be compared to your relationship with Lelouch Lamperouge." Toasting to that, Iskandar downed another cup while offering Nobu another. She accepted one as he continued. "Still, I'm glad that even in death we Servants are still capable of becoming attached to humanity. That we are, in the end, still human. One would think that after death, we'd be nothing but empty ghosts, shells of our former selves and nothing but our legends incarnate."

He played with his cup, staring at the reflection of the moon in the sanguine pool of wine. Nobu did as well. She never let her guard down, but for this one moment, she sympathized with Iskandar on that thought.

"Despite death, we are heroic spirits. We are this way because humans continue to remember and worship us. And our legends. Their desires, their greed and their beliefs were strong enough to call us. Even if the true origin of this war is nothing but a farce, it doesn't change the fact that human desire to achieve the impossible gave us a chance to experience life again. Even if it will be short for some." Nobu said as she finished her drink.

"A farce?" Iskandar asked, looking slightly slushed but not entirely drunk. "You mean to say that this war was not up to your expectations, little lady?"

"No, it's been more than that." Avenger smiled to herself. Though it left Iskandar and his Master in the blue, she need not tell them. She need not say that this war she was summoned to had both taken away and given her far more than she ever expected it to. "Forget my meandering. At this point, nothing I say should matter to anyone but myself and my own."

Rider truly thought of his master as a friend. Nobunaga was sure the boy who was able to calmly drink with the rambunctious giant thought the same. 'At least this brute found someone to call his friend. It won't save him, but like me, he built a bond with someone.' And she wasn't about to tear that away from them. She may be a demon, but she wasn't that petty, rude and a barbaric bastard, Iskandar may be.

"So, Avenger, your desire to duel with me." Rider stated the fact, already knowing the answer. Both finished their wine and now was time to finish this.

Nobu laughed. "Do you have any more grievances, pretender king? Tonight, I intend to take away your title as promised. You're not here to say you'd back down, are you?"

"Heheh, perish the thought, upstart! Just making sure you're serious about it!" Iskandar smiled. "That title was given to me after my death as the greatest honour my friends and I accomplished. Sorry, but I can't so easily give it up."

"And? What of it? I will just take it away as my tribute should you refuse. You are in my land after all and I take whatever I want here. It is my divine right as ruler of all Japan…"

"So that's who you were…" Iskandar grinned as though glad his guess was on point. "No wonder your fire called out to me so. And? Does the failed subjugator of these isles demand to make a show against the known world's truest subjugator?"

"I may have failed once, but I do plan to expand my empire once again. Of course, I shall be doing so immediately after this war is over."

"Heh, I take it your Master knows about such wish?"

"But of course! My dear Lulu and I have a contract. Upon our victory, we shall then bare our fangs against the rest of the world! After all, he promised to burn the world with her.

Just thinking about it made her excited. The Demon King of Six Heaven and the Demon Emperor who conquered his entire planet in less than three years, two equals ruling everything together, forever. They will make this world into hell. Their hell.

"Hah! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I envy you, I truly do! Here I wish my master shared my dreams, but he always complains about starting another world war." Rider sighed but kept his cheery attitude. "What a killjoy… I know his ancestors may not have enjoyed their first two bouts, but what's a third one when I will lead them to success, right?"

"That's not the issue here, you big stupid idiot!" Nobu had to suppress her chuckle as the small Master attempted to punch his Servant's massive biceps. No doubt disrespectful to harm a king, or even attempt to, but Rider took it on like a friend being chided by his fellows.

"It seems I'll be doing Waver Velvet a favour by putting an end to you before you enact your crazy plan."

"Is the one aiming for world conquest calling me insane? Quite a hypocrisy for a pot to call an urn fragile."

"The expression is 'a pot calling the kettle black', you buffoon!" Avenger couldn't help but snap back. It wasn't meant as an insult to his intelligence, but finding herself suddenly falling to banter with the barbarian Macedonian spoke volumes of his charisma. Thankfully, she was already far too entranced by another to lose her will to fight this one. "Truly, despite being hailed as a god amongst men in your time, I can only see a bumbling country bumpkin that needs to be put in his place."

"Hm. I think this is the part where we try to kill each other, Avenger." Rider stood up slowly. The air about him changed like the flip of a coin, so fast that his Master quickly darted from his spot, discarding their cups next to the empty wine bottle to hid behind the Servant's cape. "Though we are foes now, I truly hoped we would have come to an accord. I wasn't kidding when I offered you a place amongst my army."

"Impossible." Nobu scoffed as she herself stood up. Her katana reappeared in her hand as she slung it over her shoulder like a baseball bat. "I bow to no one, Rider. But, I will admit, though I thought about just sniping your master and being done with it, I didn't think there'd be any fun in unceremoniously removing a foe as entertaining as you."

Iskandar kept the smile but narrowed his eyes. "Careful, Avenger. It is one thing to threaten me, I welcome good banter. But my friends are another matter."

Nobunaga waved it away by pointing her katana straight at his throat. "In that case, you'd best kill me immediately with all you have, lest your Master becomes a casualty."

The air was bone-chilling now. Gone was the gentle breeze, replaced by a tension she could cut with her blade.

To demand he go all out from the start may come off as hubris, but Nobunaga knew she was already treading on thin ice, to begin with. Rider had the advantage in mobility. Spawn as many rifles as she could, it would do little to a target she wouldn't be able to hit. And though she was confident in her mana supply provided by Lulu, that carried the caveat of leaving him alone against Saber and the mercenary for far too long.

Should Iskandar opt to wear her out, she'd lose the battle of attrition and cost Lelouch his life.

But Rider was as arrogant as she took him to be. Far be it for the former King of Macedonia to back down from a challenge. He'd revel in it and charge headlong just to prove he was superior.

And thus, the daimyo was assured of her victory when Iskandar drew his spatha and, with it, nudged her blade aside.

"I've rarely seen a warrior so sure of themselves as you." He smiled fiercely. "It is truly a shame that I failed to recruit you to the end."

"But it will be an honour to die by my hand." She snidely smirked back. "This, at least, you can take to your grave with pride."

"We shall see who bears the honour of going to hell first then." Lowering his sword, the giant turned to march back to his chariot. All the while keeping an eye trained on her over his shoulder. Raising a hand to bring a thumb up, he finished with, "May the best conqueror win! To the victor goes the title and the Grail!"

'Pitiful fool.' Just as the Master and Servant remounted their chariot, Nobu spared a thought for the man. 'You who have not seen real hell will also be denied victory. However, I do wonder what you and your Master would say should you find the cup you seek to be nothing but a mug filled with mud.'

With a sigh, she chased away the thought and readied herself. She'd dallied on long enough. It was time to end him.

Iskandar held himself firm. Atop his chariot, he towered over her. But she saw him spare his Master a glance as he said, "Are you ready, boy? This will be quite a ride!"

The boy Waver didn't look scared at all. Instead, he looked at his servant with fire in his eyes. "Then stop fooling around, Rider. I didn't come here just to see you get drunk again."

"Haha! That's harsh, to deny a warrior their mead before they charge off into a fight!"

"I'd rather you win sober than die drunk, stupid!"

"Well, Master, if you want victory, then by my role as your Servant, I shall attain it!" Iskandar beamed with pride as he stared at the boy who summoned him.

Avenger smiled in anticipation. Just the thought of cutting into a man so high in morale, it was titillating. She couldn't help it when her grip on the hilt of her katana tightened so much that she heard her gloves squeak.

'Ah, to be such a foolhardy braggart, just like Archer. It will be my pleasure to cleave him in twain. However, he is one of the strongest enemies in his war. The fact that he shares my wish only makes it necessary for me to be the one to slay him!'

This world was too small for three conquers. She had already made room for Lelouch whilst continuing to plan her Neo Japanese Empire. Iskandar will not be allowed the privilege. This, she swore!

The rasp of Rider's blade tore through the air light lightning. "Tonight, we ride! Go forth and conquer!"

'Come at me, fool.' Avenger readied her sword arm. Her rifles were prepped as well, ready to be summoned at a moment's notice. 'Come at me with your swords and spears, your chariots and armies. Come and have a taste of lead and iron, of rage and hellfire. All of that which broke the great warlords and laid waste to the isles of the orient!'

The bulls roared and electricity crackled. In a flash of lighting, the red bridge was empty. Gone was the chariot and its riders. Gone was a swordswoman who bared a glare reserved only for god-slaying.

All that was left was the calm breeze and flowing river under the moon's blue light.

---

The winds were scorching.

Gone was the calm blue of the Japanese skies. In its stead, a desert reminiscent of the middle east's harshest dunes burned under the noontime sun.

Avenger found the heat of this desert quite annoying. The fires of her own hell were warm and comfortable, a pain she'd grown to come and love. The sun of Rider's world however was irritating to her. Like a sunburn being poked by the salt of one's sweat. A real pain in the ass.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Accompanying the grating heat was the chortles of a bloodthirsty giant out for blood and conquest. "Avenger, for daring to threaten my subjects, for daring to usurp my title, I have answered your call!"

The King raised his voice, bellowing into the open fields for all to hear. Not just his challenger, but his entire army heard it all.

"So long as I breathe, none shall harm my friends and subjects! None shall insult my pride and honour! For it is not just mine and mine alone!" With a battle cry, the entire field of soldiers stamped their weapons in unison. "You have not only dared to spit on my name, but have dared to usurp those who brought me that title, to begin with! For the sake of your downfall, we bring our all!"

More cheers, more battle cries. From where she stood in the middle of the field, alone, Nobunaga admired the fervour of his army. The passion such noble soldiers carried in their hearts and on their shoulders. Had they not been her enemies, she might've spared them. Or, at the very least, she would've prepared a special place in hell for them all.

She could only smile voraciously at the thought.

"So long as our chests beat with ambition for the far horizon, my campaign shall never end. I, Iskandar, shall carry on the title as King of Conquerors!" The roar of his people, his kingdom, exuded the pseudo-Servant army's support for their liege. "To those who would dare attempt to take it, you're welcome to try! Now, raise your cries of war! [Ionian Hetairoi!]! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALALALALALALALALALALALAAAAA!"

The horde charged. As the vanguard, Rider took the lead with his chariot. Warriors of old roared mighty howls as they all prepared to throw all they had at her, their one and only foe.

But in the eyes of the daimyo, spears and arrows were nothing but relics. Toys from an age where gunpowder had yet to reign supreme. For those who were born well beyond the beginning of the Age of Man, such were nothing but outdated child's play.

Metal whizzed by her face. She'd stepped aside to avoid one of the first arrows fired her way. It did little apart from causing her hair to fray slightly. Nobunaga smiled. An obsolete attempt at her life was still an insult should it hit. And though she didn't need to lift a finger to stop them, it would be an insult not to go to her after demanding her foe do the same.

Her rifles appeared in the air around her, lining up and forming a barrier against any projectiles. Her attention never left the King of Conquers himself, however.

Iskandar didn't waste time and rushed forward. His chariot lined up at her directly. The bulls were ready to run over anything in their path. Onwards, in a reckless charge that would sow the seeds of his defeat.

'Pitiful fool.'

DAN DAN DAN

Her rifles gunned down all that tried to reach her. But Iskandar was a special target. His chariot gave him ample protection against her bullets. His bulls were wounded, being riddled with holes after bullet holes. But, of course, being divine beasts, they weren't going to go down like simple animals.

'Yes! Come closer! Come closer so you may taste led fresh from the barrel!'

It didn't take long for Rider to do just that. Not thirty meters away, just when he was assured of his win, Nobunaga was assured of his death!

"To the reckless fool who thinks his outdated tactics would work on me, taste the wrath of the Daimyo from hell!" The demoness smirked, revealing her fangs as she finally raised her katana and aimed at him. "[Without fail! Three Line Formation]!"

Three rows of arquebuses appeared before her. Three thousand rifles aimed at her enemies and, with a swing of her blade, it all fired, raining death and destruction to the army of Servants that dared defy her.

This was the strategy that won her numerous battles during the age of war. A death sentence to any army that marched headlong into battle without cover and with unreliable armour. Lead, fire, smoke, the explosions from each shot lose. All of that served to create a horrifying display. One where a comrade in front could be torn to shreds before your very eyes. Where one's allies to their side were turned to mush under a hail of metal. Where one's steed would fail and die, leading you to fall to the earth helpless.

The gruesome theatre was bathed with blood and smoke, with the dirt and innards of all the soldiers you fought alongside. And at the very forefront stood a woman, clad in red and black, bearing the devil's smile as she glared pitifully into your soul, mocking your folly at challenging her in the field of battle.

"For you to dare use cavalry against me, for you to dare tread your armies boots on my land, Rider! Face your death at the end of my barrels!" Swapping out her katana for a rifle in each hand, she let loose once more, sending wave after wave of lead shells everywhere. "Know thy folly in facing the greatest warlord of Japan herself! Know the might and fury of Oda Nobunaga!"

Iskandar's army was torn to shreds. One after another, they fell to the wall of shells.

Volley fire, while not her invention, served Nobu well enough in life that her legend was canonized with its gruesome display. It was a western concept that brought her armies glory in her great campaign. Being one of the most famed tactics that catapulted her story of conquest all across Japan, it was seared into her heroic spirit as another Noble Phantasm.

The famous battle of Nagashino was not the start of Nobunaga's great ambition of unification, but it was the start of the changes she'd brought to the fold. The very aspect of warfare within her nation bowed down to the might of the powder and flame.

When mere peasants lined up alongside one another, firing round after round in organized unison brought down an elite, well-trained cavalry's charge, her infamy grew. Embodying the reaper that brought down even the most trained of soldiers, it enhanced her status as a Servant, working its way up alongside her monk-slaughtering aspect. Together, her skills and legend carried anti-Divinity and anti-Riding status.

For a demigod like Iskandar, the son of Zeus and Servant of the chariot, it was a death sentence.

Which was why her smile only grew when she'd yet to hear the oaf's death wails amongst the masses of his men she continued to mow down.

"What's the matter, 'King of Conquerors'?! Don't tell me this is all you've got!" Try as his soldier's might, none could stand against a rain of lead. Spears and arrows flew past here and there, but they were the misfires and failed throws of dying men. The shots that could've actually wounded her were shredded mid-flight by the rest of her arquebus fire. "Send them all! Men, women, children! Your pets and steeds, deities and guardian spirits! No matter who they may be, for accepting my challenge, I shall not rest till all of them burn in hell!"

More died over her demand for blood. And yet, despite the heavy losses, many more took their place. Ionian Hetairoi was a force to be reckoned with. For it didn't matter how many she dropped, at first sight, they didn't stop charging her en masse. Nor did their King show his back as a sign of retreat. The ancient warriors continued to fall, following their king's demand for her head.

In the ensuing mess of fallen bodies, behind it all, a chariot had been overturned and used as cover. The divine bulls that once pulled said chariot were all but spent, bleeding out as their master consoled them with a hand.

"You two can rest now." Rider said with a hearty smile as they vanished into motes of light. Knowing that his loyal steeds' parting would be temporary as they were inscribed forever in his legend, he merely chuckled at his own ineptitude for ordering a full-on assault. "Heh… Still, as expected, Oda Nobunaga's one hell of a number to pick a fight with. Now I see why Goldie was so shaken by her presence." He glanced over at the Avenger who continued to massacre his forces. "This is bad. Being the self-proclaimed bane of gods, I might be at a disadvantage at this point."

Waver, who'd kept his solemn composure through it all, raised his hand. The red tattoos on it glistened under the Reality Marble's faux sun. "I can use Command Seals to boost your abilities and give you a chance to strike her. But… considering they will only give you as much as they could before dissipating, we will need to act fast."

Iskandar met his Master's firm eyes with a confident smile. "Very well. We spent the entire war without using these little marks. Time to see what they can do!" With a hearty laugh, he stood up, ready to charge on his own. "At your command, boy!"

Waver nodded and raised his hand, With more confidence in his tone than ever before, he stated. "By the power of my Command Seals, I order you, Iskandar! Strike down, Avenger! Ignore her bullets, for they will not pierce you! Take her head and win this fight, King of Conquerors!"

The first two marks flickered and faded from Waver's skin. And though nothing changed in his person, Rider could feel the surge of power the magic flooded through his core. With the newfound strength, Iskandar felt like he could take on an entire army—Nay. An entire country!

But as tonight, he only had one foe, it would do perfectly. With a demon as ruthless as she was battle-hungry, the King of Conquerors knew he had enough power to slay the beast killing his men.

"Stay here, Master." Iskandar jumped from his temporary shelter and glared at Nobunaga. "It will be over soon." At the snap of his finger, Bucephalus was with him and ready to ride. "Apologies, old friend. But I must have you work a bit of overtime before the night is done!"

The horse neighed as if to disregard his allowing Saber to blast him with Excalibur once before. In truth, it had taken a lot out of Rider to manifest his steed again so soon. But, to gain the upper hand, he couldn't be stingy with what reserves he had left. Even if it meant he couldn't call on his Reality Marble for the third time.

Waver couldn't stay silent and shouted as the King took his steed's reins and rode on. "Don't you dare to lose, Iskandar!"

"ON MY HONOR!" Iskandar smirked before howling madly. "AAAAAAAAAAALALALALALALALALAAAA!"

Upon hearing their king battle cry, his friends and subjects shouted in unison before joining their king at his charge. Many bled like mad, from their mouths, the bullet holes in their chests, or maybe a severed arm or shoulder. But all able-bodied soldiers strode forth with the same fervour as they always had.

It was always the same, their king would run at the danger without a care in the world and they, admiring his unrelenting back, would follow him to the end no matter what. This is how it was. How it always will be.

In the face of the demon of war, it was a final challenge. Many a time, she'd done the same as Iskandar. Leading her warriors at the forefront. Manoeuvring to cut off her enemies. Tearing through their sworn foes and traitors alike, shoulder to shoulder with those who shared her ideals.

War was not always about death. But death was revealed in war.

As the most powerful Daimyo in the Sengoku Era, and the one said to have killed as many as ten thousand souls, she was to be their ferryman to the world beyond the grave.

'You don't win wars by dying for your ideals, you win wars by killing anyone who will oppose them. Tonight, only one conqueror will leave this false world of yours. And it won't be you, Iskandar!' Nobunaga closed her eyes and contacted her beloved. With a low tone, she uttered her signal. "Now, Lelouch."

He was in the real world, fighting his own fight and yet he answered her call as he said he would. 'By the power of my Command Seal! I, Lelouch Vi Britannia beseech you, Oda Nobunaga! Burn away all who dare challenge us! Send our foes to hell!'

"Yes, your highness!"

Her entire body was overcome with mana. The sudden surge of power, although incomparable to her still vast reserves, was tingling her insides knowing who was giving it to her. She'd never had issues with Lulu's mana supplies before, something neither of them understood completely, but those Command Seals… it was something else.

She might even say she got a bit wet from this, not that she'd share such info to her foe.

Her rifles didn't withdraw, instead, she summoned more. Ten thousand more. As Avenger's body released a jet-black aura burning in crimson hellfire, her blade was drawn from thin air. Wicked sharp and burning vermillion against the desert sun, it promised death and suffering to anyone close enough to see it. Not one would be safe to its edge. Not even a god.

"HAAAAAAAAH!" "HEEEEEEH!"

Two Servants empowered by their respective Masters clashed, blades in hand. One drew power from his Reality Marble, summoning more and more soldiers in an attempt to overwhelm his foe's firepower. The other drew her strength from the land outside the false reality, the ley lines of Japan reaching out, providing her with ancient power, namely the magic and myth that held her legend strong in this day and age.

"Oda Nobunaga, I must confess having been had! Just like that naïve girl, history failed to depict you, the bloodthirsty demon of the orient, as a simple maiden!"

Despite the situation, Iskandar found the moment to lighten the situation. But even with her blade screeching against his spatha, she offered a rebuttal to his comment.

"You underestimate this maiden, Iskandar! Not only will your men and Master fall, for attempting to take my and my beloved's birthright to conquest, but I will also take away all you hold dear!"

Although he still held the advantage in numbers, being mounted, and the terrain, the King of Conquerors wasn't able to push her back. No matter how much he tried, her evil smile never wavered. After all, she'd yet to deploy her final card, unlike the king of Macedon who'd already thrown all he had at her.

So then did she enjoy the pause in his expression when she chanted the aria reserved for her and her alone. The Noble Phantasm only her aspect of Vengeance could call upon at a whim.

"Spread the new over the old. That is my Tenka Fubu! Every me from the past, present and future shall gather. Unfold,『The Hajun Reborn・Demon King of the Three Thousand Great Thousand Heavens』!"

The false reality started to burn.

The heat of the sands changed from dry winds to molten hellfire. The sun darkened and vanished as an endless ceiling of red took over. The land itself seemed to quake as the dunes vanished to be replaced by a lone temple with Nobunaga stood at its base.

A Reality Marble being summoned within an already active one tore the latter apart to make space for the new. As her personal hell was not an anti-world Noble Phantasm, it couldn't break Ionian Hetairoi, but it managed to deform the landscape enough to bring shock to Rider's face.

"What is this?!" he exclaimed. However, the only answer he got was geysers of flame that started to burst and douse his armies behind him.

The sudden switch from their home field advantage of open fields to a mysterious yet hazardous wasteland had his loyal soldiers in a panic. Though, it wasn't only the area that had them under ropes.

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

"Ngh!" From out of the depths, a bony creature the size of a mountain raised its six arms, bashed two into the earth for support, and swept the remaining four into his horde, earning a second gasp from the demigod Servant. "This is—!"

"MY PERSONAL HELL!"

The woman before him swept her blade to the side. The fire burned the section of the stairs it scraped against as she took slow steps up to the temple. Stopping midway, she turned to face him and brandished the katana that was now seeped with hell's god-killing flame.

"I commend you for pushing me this far, or I would, had I not been in a rush to end our little play." Avenger's devilish smile grew just as fast as Rider's scowl had. "Your end is nigh, King of Barbarians."

"Not until the last of my breath, devil woman! RAAAAGH!"

A slash to her throat was parried deftly. A stab towards his neck singed his hair, but he ignored the sparks that earnestly feasted on the tips of his red locks. All his attention was on his foe, that which summoned this hell on earth. Believing that her immediate demise would put an end to the madness occurring behind him, he whipped the reins of his steed.

"Charge, Bucephalus!"

The horse neighed as he continued to press her up the temple steps. Further, she retreated, and further he gave chase. Through it all, the demoness continued to smile. As if all his attempts at attack were within her calculations.

"Oh my, Iskandar. It seems my little pet's found someone interesting to play with." It was at the top of the stairs that he stopped at her words. Forcing her back with a kick of his horse's legs, he sent a quick glance to his rear. There, in the distance, the skeleton monster seemed to focus its hollow gaze on a section of the army that formed ranks before one person. "Your master has balls, following you this far, Rider!"

"NO!"

Try as his mighty soldiers could, a mere sweep of one of the limbs had them breaking formation. The more foolhardy ones tried clambering up its limbs to hack away at the joints, but they were all turned to cinders as the beast immolated itself. All the while, its reach rapidly closed on Waver Velvet, the Master his army tried so desperately to defend.

"Distractions lead you to mistakes, O, King of Conquerors!" Caught with his attention elsewhere, Iskandar had to grit his teeth when he blocked another sword strike. But unlike those that came from above or the sides, this one that came from below had beheaded his mighty steed. Bucephalus' cleaved neck made way for a slash that nearly gutted him as he levelled with the Demon King. "So much for a Servant of the Steed. Your prized horses and chariots are all butter to my flames!"

Rage threatened to take over as he swung wildly and kicked back at the woman. Gracefully, the redhead took it all in stride while he continued his relentless assault, earning him cuts and gashes here and there but only the minimum cuts to her clothes in return. In the end, he far more resembled a Berserker in his state now than the actual one.

The redhead before him allowed a mocking giggle to escape. "You and that boy are quite close. Always keeping your guard and protecting him that even trying to snipe him was a futile attempt of mine. But the phrase 'divide and conquer' exists for a reason." She paused as if lost in thought before adding. "Although, right now, it's more 'divide and destroy', don't you think so?"

"AVENGER!" Rider screamed as he leapt forward, his sword aimed at the woman before him. However, between the two, she was more agile. Nobunaga had no issues dodging and blocking a majority of the attacks he threw.

"Every moment you fail to kill me, your Master comes ever closer to being burned alive." Nobunaga taunted. "Curse your recklessness for it is what has gotten your Master and friend killed, King of Conquerors!"

"Shut your mouth, devil!" Rider swung his sword but it didn't reach its target. Avenger was practically dancing around him, the mocking smile never leaving her face.

"That boy thinks highly of you. A pity for it is that trust that has killed him!" His spatha and her katana clicked as she blocked another attack. "You whose dream was only that, you who's friends continued to believe until you led them to their deaths, you who promised conquest only to end it with a naïve charge straight to hell! Enjoy my flames for they shall feast on thy flesh as your pointless claim to that title has to your countrymen! History repeats itself, my dear Rider!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" King Iskandar screamed another battle cry before trying to punch her with his left arm. Avenger was fast enough to raise her leg and wanted to kick the approaching arm. However, Rider's strength forced her to jump back. The doors of the temple opened on their own, allowing her to basically fly through them.

As her hills clicked against the wooden floor, Nobunaga stood among the flames, a mocking smile taunting him as she waited for Iskandar to pursue her.

But he didn't.

Even in his angered state, Rider could still think clearly. The status of King came with the level-headedness to think things through no matter the circumstance. Which was why he continued to stand before the entrance to the temple, the arm that held his spatha trembling.

He could hear the cries of his soldiers and they desperately tried to protect his Master. But the skeleton beast didn't stop for a moment. This couldn't go on. Things were at their worst and he couldn't risk it with a war of attrition.

Without his chariot, he had no means to fly towards his Master and save him. Without his steed, he was helpless on the ground against Avenger, one on one. He was out of options.

He'd lost. Retreat or fight either would end the same.

The only thing he could actually achieve was a gamble that wasn't even in his favour. Die as he might alone, she may spare the boy… But at the same time, she could so easily snuff out his flame. After all, he and Waver were just human. This woman… was not.

'Don't give up, Rider!' As if on cue, responding to his silent wavering, the boy called out to him via their mental link. That once cowardly and weak-willed Master, despite having his life threatened by a monstrosity a million times larger than himself, continued to show valiant support for his Servant. For his friend. 'By my last Command Seal, I order you, Iskandar, King of Conquerors! Fight! Win!'

Iskandar felt the energy flood him. Knowing the boy kept the last one back to keep him materialized after this fight with Avenger, the fact that he was putting all his cards in before it was over meant even Waver Velvet saw the writing on the wall. And yet, even with his life on the line, he still deigned to bet all his cards on the king who faltered just because he thought he'd lose his newest friend.

"Hahah…" he laughed to himself, much to Avenger's curiosity. "For you to have grown so much in just a few weeks, I really am undeserving of a headstrong Master. Sorry, boy. But tyrants don't get the happy ending that we wish for." With regret on his back yet the weight of his friend's expectations on his shoulders, he squeezed his sword's hilt with a daring smile. "But if it's to die a coward's death or die doing all you can, let it be known that I, Iskandar, will not disappoint you who have chosen honour! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAALALALALALALALAAAAA!"

With that final proclamation, Rider charged into the temple, sword in hand, trust in his friend in the other.

Not once did Avenger's smirk falter. Not as her temple's doors closed behind the charging fool. Not when her thousand rifles formed ranks around him. Not when a million shells shredded and tore through the great Iskandar, bathing her in the demigod's blood. Not even as all fell silent and the fallen King's great armies vanished without a trace.

Soon as the doors opened and only the Demon King stepped out of the temple, all had fallen silent as she quietly basked in attaining her new title.

Even her pet, the giant six-armed skeleton warrior, had paused in its attack on Waver Velvet. The bony hand was held just above, almost about to squash the lad before everything had come grinding to a halt.

Then, everything vanished. The temple, the monster. The flames, the burning sands. All of it vanished, shattering into a million lights of a defeated dream laced with a nightmare of flames. All that was left was a cowering boy stood before a smiling woman in the middle of the red bridge.

"D-Do it!" Waver Velvet screamed at her. Tears and a trembling voice were as clear as the moon on the river's surface, but Nobunaga continued to watch. The fool's friend and retainer knew what had occurred. He need not note the absence of his Servant, or his Command Seals for that matter, to ascertain anything. But, seemingly accepting his fate, he still stood tall and firm against her overpowering aura. "Kill me if you must!"

"Is that surrender, boy? Or a challenge?" she asked with a hint of mocking curiosity.

"N-Neither." Nobunaga was actually taken aback by that. "Surrender before death… is a dishonour to those who fought to the end. Yet… I cannot challenge you with my might… not alone…"

"Hahaha! Aren't you quite a loyal retainer? Yet a smart and brave one at that. I, the Demon King, have slain your Servant, yet here you are, unafraid to stand against me! I see why that oaf is so taken with you. You have potential." Nobu smiled but the boy did not take it as praise. Regardless of it offending her or not, she immediately pulled a rifle out of thin air and aimed at the boy. "However, I am not entirely a malevolent ruler. If you miss your liege so much, I can very well send you to him, right here and now."

The boy minorly flinched, but he never faltered. Staring at her down the barrel, he kept his defiant glare.

Nobu had to admit that Waver was to be given credit for his loyalty. Still, it didn't change the fact that a boy must die, all of the participants in this war must die. Only she and Lelouch could be allowed to live. Only they were to be allowed happiness. And so she pressed the trigger.

But nothing happened.

Avenger blinked before pressing again, then again, then again. Not once did the rifle let a bullet loose. The surprise was for a mere second, but when she glanced at Waver, she noted he was frozen stiff, looking about to pass out at any moment.

Thinking that his spinelessness that couldn't even hold out a bit longer saved her the embarrassment of a misfiring rifle, Nobunaga narrowed her gaze, frowned, then tossed away her rifle.

"Hmph. It seems you also have good luck, boy. I've lost interest in killing simpletons for the day." In actuality, she didn't know what else to say, however, when Avenger glanced at him, she noted the brat gawking. As if he wasn't sure what to do. "Are you daft, brat? Your king gave his life in an attempt to ensure you survive. Though I won it fair and square, I am not so petty as to deny my greatest foe one wish. Or are you so willing to squander your friend's last gift?"

Waver clenched his teeth and fists. Closing his eyes, he turned and walked away.

She could see it. He wanted to scream. He wanted to avenge his friend. But he was as smart as he was loyal to Iskandar. He didn't do any of that and chose to preserve the life he was given. Nobunaga had never been one to show mercy to runaways and cowards, however, she was also aware the tears he shed weren't for his life, hence her just watching until he vanished from view entirely.

Only then did the woman let out a scornful, yet sympathetic, sigh. 'Heh, dying for the sake of his Master. Seems like we have something in common, King of Macedonia…'

Not that she liked the comparison, considering how much of a barbaric fool he was to the end. Still, it was the truth after all. She'd give her life for Lelouch's sake. But before it, their enemies will have to come close to killing her first.

After all, his death was something Oda Nobunaga wouldn't ever allow. Not even over her dead body.

---

The centre building's parking area.

The building's internal parking lot was empty, save for a lone knight in a battle dress who cautiously entered, seeking out the presence of the enemy Servant.

Given that Kiritsugu wasn't giving her precise orders, she could only do what she believed she could. That being engaging Avenger directly as per her descendant's demand for her Master. But saying that, arriving here to find no one was frustrating, to say the least.

There was no foe in sight. Not a civilian passerby or city authority either, despite this building being relegated as under construction still. To the latter, Saber was glad no one else was around. At least, there wouldn't be wanton casualties of random bystanders. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Not a Master nor Servant awaited her in the depths of the place even though she'd earlier felt the presence of one just in the vicinity. Either they'd relocated or were hiding, but that meant this place was clear. Yet, Saber couldn't be hasty lest she exposes her back. Just like she did before.

Kiritsugu's refusal to work with her might be due to her mistake that led to his wife's kidnapping, or he may well be using her as a distraction to get to Lelouch Lamperouge directly. Though the former was deserved, the latter was more apparent, going by the man's utilitarian thought process.

That being the case, now that she was here, Saber had no clue what to do. She'd sensed someone, another pair of Servants clashing in the distance, but considering Berserker and Rider were still unaccounted for, she wondered if it was them. If it was neither and Avenger was over there, then would anyone even show up to her aforementioned 'duel'?

Her grip on the hilt of her blade tightened. If no one would, then she'd take matters into her own hands. She'd save those she'd left behind on her own if she had to. She'd right the wrong she dealt with both Maiya and Irisviel, Kiritsugu's plan to assassinate her progeny be damned.

Even if he was her Master, she needn't bother with him until he used his Command Seal to summon her. After all, he hadn't bothered with her much to begin with.

However, just as she entered further into the place, she noticed someone skulking in the shadows. No. It was better to say he was leaning against a pillar for support before realizing she'd spotted him. He slowly made his way forward to stand right in the middle of her path.

'A Servant?' she thought.

Sauntering out of the darkness with a limp, the hooded man tried his best to remain standing. Even in the darkness, she could see the shaking in his working leg. But although he looked to be a cripple, she sensed the magical energy surrounding him. To her surprise, however, it wasn't at the level of a threat to her.

'No,' she changed her assessment. 'A Master.'

Saber couldn't see his face but she could tell it wasn't Lelouch. After meeting him once, the boy carried an air far more confident than the one stood before her. More than that, the hooded man continued to wobble in place. It was like he was bleeding out. But there was no doubt that this was magus, and since he was inside Lelouch's domain, it could mean only one thing.

"Master of Berserker, yes?" She stated it whilst pointing her invisible sword at the potential foe.

The man said nothing, but it was good enough admission as it was obvious he was not the boy Rider brought with him that night at the Einzbern castle.

She knew that it was likely Avenger and Lelouch had allied with this particular Servant. While Rider and Waver were not off the table, Arturia doubted Avenger would even agree to working with the King of Conquerors. Not since they seemed to carry a bit of rivalry. This one here could only be Berserker's Master then.

The man in question twitched lightly as he stared at her. The hood shifted a bit to the side, allowing Saber a glance at the one and only working eye trained at her. Pale faced and covered in bandages here and there, he was actually dripping blood from one of his nostrils. With half of his face deformed, she could only attribute it to magecraft that abused the physical body. And yet, despite looking like he should be in so much pain, the man looked calm.

"Huh… So you're Saber? King Arthur, right?" Matou Kariya asked between heavy breaths. His expression drifted from drowsiness to genuine surprise then back. "So you really were a girl… Heh…. Sorry… Couldn't believe it until I actually saw it…"

"You've heard about me?" she inquired, eyeing the Master sternly.

"Lelouch said you might… come through this way… Sorry… for greeting you… like this, King of Knights… Haaah…" Kariya returned an expression that was partly regretful and partly tired. "But as you can see, I'm not… in the state… to offer a welcome. Or… much of a polite one, anyway…"

"And was it Lelouch who demanded you stop me?" Saber asked as she slowly started to approach him. She couldn't see Berserker, but it only meant that he was in spirit form, waiting for the moment to strike.

Kariya shook his head. "No… He didn't demand anything from me… If you have to ask… it was… Berserker… who wanted to meet you."

To that, Arturia's eyes narrowed. 'So his Servant is someone from my past.'

Verifying this was a godsend, but that didn't narrow it down much. Even if he was a knight of such renown to be inscribed on the Throne, she still didn't recognize him. Because of the Servant's dark aura, even his armour was nothing but an unidentifiable haze. Whatever order he belonged to, she couldn't tell from sight alone. More so since he didn't use his own weapon, she could distinguish if he'd been a friend or a foe.

"You say it wasn't Lelouch Lamperouge that asked you to come here." She pushed all that aside and opted to reason with the man before her instead. "You say it was your Servant, not him, that wishes to face me. Can we not set this battle aside then? For a time when neither you nor my Master is at risk of being caught in the crossfire?"

Arturia wanted to negotiate a truce. If his Servant demanded a duel, then so be it. She'd oblige him all he wanted later. But for now, she'd much rather see to Irisviel's safety first. If she could convince the man to stand down as he didn't seem to hold any stakes in this, then Saber could—

"You know… … I don't really… have a reason to fight anymore…" Her grip on her sword shifted a little as he muttered. "I mean, I've already… done what I needed…, saved those… that I… wanted to…" He smiled slightly as though he was drifting off into a dream. In his delirium, he added. "The reason… I even had to fight for the Grail… is gone. The person I wanted to save… is free. I… I don't need the stupid cup anymore…

"Then why do you keep fighting?! If you don't have reason to stay, then please leave! You don't have to die in this war anymore." If he didn't care for the Grail, then why was he still here? Why wasn't he limping away to lick his wounds? Why… was he smiling… like he knew it was the end for him either way?!

The mere fact that he would say all this yet not move aside, it could only mean that he was resigned to fight, resigned to resist her. Resigned to die. 'But… why would he—?'

Kariya chuckled. "Heheh… true. I don't need to die… But, you see… I was a dead man walking the moment I joined this stupid ritual… You should know by now… that Magi aren't the most… ethical bunch… Even if I run, there was no escape… from the consequences of my… mistakes… Not anymore."

"What are you saying?" she didn't understand it. She couldn't, but she didn't want to just cut him down. Even though he was obstructing her from saving another, it was against her chivalric code to kill someone as weak and helpless as he. "Enough of this. Please, stand aside—!"

"If I'm… going to die… no matter what, I choose… to die like a man…" He interrupted with a confident tone and took one step back. "Besides… I still… have a debt to pay… for the help I got… from my allies…"

"Lelouch," Saber muttered but Kariya shrugged.

"I see… you're wary of him too… Yeah. It was… the same for me. That boy… he's a dangerous one. The second scariest person I ever knew… And yet… he was the only person… in my life who helped me… It's because of him that I'm… I'm free… That Sakura… is free…" Arturia didn't recognize the last name but concluded it was related to Kariya's original wish. "But you see… King Arthur, he… wasn't the only one… who saved me and my family…"

Upon his stating it, the shadows before the man shifted and warped. Materializing with a black haze shrouding his form, Berserker's kneeled form on the pavement caused Saber's guard to jump up. She readied her sword, however, surprisingly, Berserker didn't move from his spot. His crimson visor kept its glare on the concrete floor.

"Berserker is… well, he's a wild card for one. Not someone I can control either… But he's a heroic spirit. He… was the hero that killed the monster… that plagued my life… The one who helped save me… despite my inadequacies and lack of fulfilling his own wish… A wish… to face you—Ngh! GAHA!" He fell to his knee, but neither knight made to move and assist. Blood escaped his throat, but he still had it in him to speak through it. "Haaah… Haaah… But now, he can have it…. It's time I made amends for… his help…. As his Master, it is… the least… the least I… I can do… for him…"

Kariya's exhaustion was at its peak. With the presence of Berserker, his Servant, the drain on him had skyrocketed. He was very much standing on his last leg, both figuratively and literally.

"Berserker…" he muttered again to his black knight's back.

"Grrrrrr…." was the low growl reply.

"With the rest of my Command Seals, I, Matou Kariya, order you…" the red tattoos bathed them in a flash of crimson. Then, the lights vanished. "Do… what you will… with Saber…"

The black knight didn't move. He didn't speak or was swayed by the seals' inference of a command. Instead, the one to act was the blood-covered man in a hood who forced himself up and walked towards the nearest exit. Even in his shabby state, he still managed to reach the doorway before muttering over his shoulder.

"Thank you… for everything… Farewell, black knight of madness…"

The man vanished with the door's loud thud. Kiritsugu would've been pissed that she let him escape, but she didn't care. She wouldn't cut down the one who stepped away from this. And besides, she already had a foe waiting patiently for her.

All that was left was the Servant of Madness. Though he would always seek after her in a fit of rage, it was now that he was at his most calm. An eerie silence should Saber be allowed to describe it.

But be that as it may, he was still a Servant that now stood in her way. As the King of Knights bound by honour to save her charge, Arturia Pendragon had no choice but to fight.

The black miasma surrounding the knight wisped and waned like smoke, preventing Saber from a clear view of her foe. Though they shared histories, she was still unsure of which among many countless knights of the realm he was. If she didn't recognize him amongst her foes, was Berserker perhaps one of her own?

Arturia raised her invisible sword and pointed it at him. "Ye who demands a duel with the King, if though demands a duel between knights, then you'd best not dally and pull out your sword, Berserker!"

He did no such thing. Instead, he stood up and faced her. Just as calmly as he stared down Archer once before, the knight in black trained his crimson visors on her form.

"If you continue to insult me, then I shall answer in kind!"

If he refused to reveal his blade after demanding they face one another, then she had no choice but to cut him down. Though his behaviour now was a vast difference from the past, she couldn't afford to waste time. She swung her blade down.

"HAAAAH—!" CLANG "Eh?!"

Only to have her eyes widen in shock when he caught the downward swing to his helmet between the flats of his armoured palms.

To her surprise, it was then that the silent knight roared.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

"Keh!" Saber wasn't allowed a chance to breathe.

The moment she registered his pent up rage, she had to raise her free arm to her side. And though she blocked the flying knee, she was still sent several meters back, landing against a van and denting its side door with a crash.

'Impossible!' She hissed to herself as she recovered to her feet. 'He can see through Invisible Air?'

To know the length of her blade well enough to predict its approach, that bordered on clairvoyance through her fae magic. But, in his rage, the black knight didn't look to be an expert of magic nor did he appear to have a tool to see through the sword's enchantment.

However, if it wasn't that, then… there could only be one explanation. Acute familiarity.

"So you truly are a knight of my past!" she hissed as he writhed where he stood. He didn't look to be in pain, but every fibre in his being exuded the desire to attack her this very instant. She couldn't comprehend which foe in her life would be so familiar with her yet just as hateful. "Name yourself, knight! As your king, I order you—"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" was Berserker's response. That and a rush to kick a nearby vehicle over and rip an object taped to its undersides. It was only by Saber recognizing firearms that she immediately jumped behind the nearest pillar.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—

But what should've been a normal machine gun didn't sound like it. An onslaught of lead severed the cement pillar in two like paper. Not only did they obliterate Saber's hiding spot, but they also pierced through and were barely deflected off the flat of her sword. The tinge of cursed black-red metal identified the bullets as under the mad Servant's still-unclear Noble Phantasm.

"Even you would resort to such means?!"

"ARTHHHHUUUUUUR!" Berserker didn't comment except for her name. The fact that his special ability turned even modern weapons into his Noble Phantasm shocked her. Allowing even mundane bullets to harm Servants, for such an ability to exist, she wondered just how capable of a knight he was in life.

All thoughts of his identity were redirected to her own survival. A barrage of shells continued to assault her as Berserker held the rifle's trigger down. Saber had to bob and weave between and under vehicle after vehicle. All in an attempt to avoid the full-automatic fire that continued to melt and perforate metal like it was butter.

Knowing that she was going to be forced on the defensive until she could get close with her blade, Saber grit her teeth in frustration until she spotted a larger vehicle down the car park.

"HAH!" With a mighty kick that looked impossible to come from her lithe form, the van toppled to its side and blocked her from view. She then kicked once more, sending the vehicle careening towards the knight who remained rooted to the spot.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The madman opened fire on the flying van.

Being thicker than most, it managed to tank a few hits, but by the time it got to him, a simple swipe of his free hand sent the now-hunk of metal flying overhead and splitting off into two exploding wrecks. The resulting flame provided a dull orange light to the car park, but beyond the origin of the van Saber kicked, the King of Knights was nowhere to be seen.

"GRRRRRRR—" CREAK "GRAAAAAAAAAH!" BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—

Upon hearing something to the side, behind another car, Berserker shot what would've been a magazine full of bullets into the corner; however, nothing hit. The enraged Servant of Madness remained composed, despite his anger and frustration of losing his target taking hold. But, no matter if she hid herself, Saber knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him entirely even if she chose to flee now.

Which was why she begrudgingly took a risk and opted to strike him from his blind spot. Something she rather preferred not to but had to try.

"HAH!" She threw a swift strike to his side. One that, if it hit, would impale his lower torso and slow his movements even if it was shallow.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" But, in an unbelievable show of dexterity, Berserker swiftly pulled himself back, out of her still-invisible blade's reach, and swung down the butt of his rifle on her head. What's more, he was doing so from the barest corner of his periphery. The crimson of his helmet visor wasn't even looking anywhere near her!

It was as if he'd known she'd pull such a cheap and reluctant attack in a heat of desperation and was countering her out of habit.

'How does he know?!' she internally screamed as she instinctively blasted magical energy out of Excalibur, dispelling Invisible Air but also buffeting his counterattack with a violent squall. Aiming the tip of the golden blade to the underside of his face, she didn't allow him another second and put her all into her own counter. "Mana Burst!"

"RAGH!" Once again, he dodged a fatal strike, allowing his head to tilt back and letting the blast graze the chin of his helmet. Immediately following that, he backflipped out of the way to kneel with the rifle in hand. He didn't even need to aim properly with her being directly in front of him "AAAAAAAARRRR—!"

"Shit!" she raised her sword defensively.

"—THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!" a barrage of shells pelted her like rain.

Sparks flew as she stood her ground. Of course, the sword forged by the fae couldn't be damaged or broken by modern weapons, but the attack was draining her stamina as its random spread had her swiping at and dodging shots in near-lightspeed.

Unlike certain Servants that enjoyed the safety of Protection from Arrows, the hail of gunfire could very well kill her if she wasn't careful. Saber was forced to endure. It didn't help that Berserker's possessing the rifle seemingly gave it an infinite supply of bullets, likely a corruption of his ability forced it to use magic to replicate the shells.

But magic shells or not, she wasn't going to sit idly forever.

Pooling her strength into her blade, she waited. She continued to deflect the shells until her chance came. It did the moment another car exploding rocked the place. Having done a great deal of damage to their surroundings in an attempt to kill her, Berserker had unwittingly razed hell throughout the parking lot. Still shooting regardless of what happened, he suddenly had his vision blocked by debris flying everywhere.

"HAAAAAAH!" She exploited the momentary opening for all she could. Thrusting directly towards her foe, she fired all the magic she stored into Excalibur. The resulting gale knocked him in the chest, sending his weapon firing off to the side. It was then she kicked off and brought her sword down on him. "This is the end!"

Blessed metal scraped against dull steel. She achieved a breakthrough as Berserker was forced back once more. He'd attempted to use his rifle to block her partway, but she kicked into him, resulting in the gun itself taking the brunt of her attack. Well, apart from his helmet anyway.

CRICK CRACK

The ground skittered and sparked beneath the knight as his retreat was his swiftest yet closest yet. But at the same time, a winding break slid down the centre of his helm. Oddly, he assessed the damage with a light grasp to his armoured face. Weaponless and soon-to-be helmless, Berserker mulled in silence at his current state.

"Do you still wish to continue with this farce?" challenging him, Saber levelled her sword to his face once more.

She would've continued her attack had he had the sense to try. She would've ended him if he showed more of the rage his class required of him. But she wished to spare him of that if she could. After all, she refused to break her code of chivalry: that of attacking the weak and unarmed. It would be another story if he were to bare his fangs even now, though. However, she knew he was still holding back.

"Draw your sword, Berserker. Thou art a knight, are thee not?" Though he showed exemplary control and skill with any weapon, firearms or not, the way he could predict her blade, avoid it, adapt to it, from when they first met to now, she could tell. "Or do you mean to further insult me by playing around?"

He kneeled there in silence. When the building's anti-fire sprinklers sprouted on and doused them both in a generous shower, he still kept quiet.

Then, Berserker stood up and raised his right arm before him, grasping on an invisible weapon pointed at her throat. As the air shimmered and the water spray just started to envelop something in the shape of a longsword, he attacked.

Prepared as she was for a sneak attack, she responded in kind. A high swing, she deflected and thrust. He parried, freeing her guard, Berserker weaved his formless sword around for a low blow. She deftly avoided it by hopping back but pressed him with a centre swing aimed at his chest. He reciprocated and they clashed once more.

Saber could see it. The grace and strength behind his swings. Such seamless transitions, the swift movements devoid of wastefulness and honed to efficiency. This was Berserker's real strength. Not mindless rage consuming his charge, but a relentless dance that evoked harmony as it did power with every attack.

Clashing once more, an invisible blade locked in place. Berserker's own then finished materializing. And it was then, when it took full form, did Saber's mind flood with confusion and trepidation.

"Wha—?!" her jaw slackened. Sleek and black, covered in familiar fae runes. Not only did she recognize it, but she could also sense the familiarity of its make as her own carried the same. "It… can't be!"

Water obscured her vision slightly, dampening her hair as well, but nothing could disguise the sword being held against her own. After all, it and Excalibur were sister blades. And it was one that she hadn't seen since the fall of Camelot.

"Aron… dight…?!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Noting her recognition of the blade, and thus its owner, the mad howl stunned her for a brief moment. It was enough for Berserker to kick her back, freeing their swords. In her stupor, Invisible Air dissipated. Shining divine light bathed the flat of his black blade, momentarily colouring it in its former glory.

'There's no mistake. It… it's genuine… But… But… that can't…' Questions overtook her thoughts. She couldn't think straight. Hence, when she spoke, it was in broken, shaken speech. "Why… are you… What happened… to…?"

'Why do you abhor me?' 'Why are you consumed by rage?'

Many inquiries came to the fore but none were asked. Not a single proper sentence escaped her lips. Nothing apart from the utterance of his name. The name of the most loyal of the Round Table. The most exemplary of all knights that even she strived to emulate in life.

"… Sir… … Lancelot…"

He didn't respond. The silence was all he gave.

CRACK

That was until his helmet shattered in clean halves. And metal fragments fell away, revealing not the smiling handsome face of a friend of old, but instead one glaring with rage and fury. Of teeth gnashed and ground to the point of sharpness in his madness and insanity. Of tresses of hair unkempt and wild. Of eyes bloodshot and glaring, absent of any and all rationality.

Gone was the façade of the most honourable knight in the realm. Gone was the composure he used to address their colleagues. Gone were the caring eyes Guinevere fell for. Gone was the very humanity that she admired of him all those years ago.

Arturia Pendragon froze. Her stoic face was replaced by horror as she came face to face with the corrupted, broken man the Knight of the Lake, her old friend and the best knight of Camelot, had become.

"AAARTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

With his helm gone, to see and hear the very man she'd respected and rely on… growl her name with such detest and loathing in his voice… It was heartrending.

Not that her state of mind was any of the mad knight's concern.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"Sir Lancelot, wait—!"

He did not. Heavy swing followed by a graceful thrust. She retreated. A swift stab that turned into a disarming strike. She fell back further. An upward swing that was chained with a mighty cleave down and almost beheaded her. She had to lock blades with him. Worse still, she had to come face to face with his horrifying mug and see the very light in his eyes had already long since vanished.

All that was left of the man was a burning desire to tear her apart.

"Sir Lancelot… Please… stop!"

He refused and pushed even harder. Allowing her blade to slant slightly, she slid away from his push and blocked the resulting side swipe. Getting a little breathing room, she tried to think of a way out of killing her former colleague. However, seeing him like this, she was certain not even her questions would be designed as a response. Apart from claims to her life, that is.

But maybe, there was another way.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She evaded another strike but then feigned an attack to his neck. Her attempt was blocked, but that was expected. Sweeping Excalibur's guard down to meet with Arondight's own, Saber forcibly locked blades with him again. Only this time, she tried her best to speak while restraining his attempts at escape.

"Heed me, old friend! I do not wish to fight you!" Though met with yet another howl through grit sharpened teeth, she persevered. "I apologize! I… am sorry! Because of me… Because of my failure as your King, I have ruined you. I have brought ruin to our kingdom! To Britain and Camelot!"

Sparks flew from his sword grating against hers. Neither would break in the other's lock, but only time would tell how long she'd be able to hold him back.

"I failed you, my knight! I… have failed us all. Those of the Round Table. My Queen and confidant… Everyone!" Her eyes became wet, and it wasn't the sprinklers as those had long since stopped raining, leaving the whole parking lot a dim and damp mess with only two knights still locked in a struggle. "But forgive me, for I cannot accede the Grail to you. No matter your wishes, I wish to demand something of it. I need it to make things the way they're supposed to be! To return the Sword of Selection back to the stone and prevent an unworthy one such as I from ever drawing it again!"

It was at that point that the strength Berserker put into resisting suddenly waned. Not that Saber realized it for she was far too lost in her emotional confession.

"I must win this war… so that the mistake that was my reign would be undone. So that someone else, another more worthy of Caliburn and the crown, can take my place and lead Britain to a brighter future." She made a small nostalgic yet pleading smile. "Please, old friend. I beg of you… Let me fix everything… Let me erase my sins from history and allow you a brighter future."

For a moment, all was silent. Perhaps, he'd come to understand her. Maybe, he'd concede then and there, as a sign that there was still a fragment of the man she knew within the beast.

But then… Lancelot's grip on Arondight shook violently. A sudden burst of strength broke through her lock on his sword, forcing her back.

"Aaar… thuuurrrr…" Her name came out slurred. The look Lancelot gave her stayed the same, but the impotent rage he'd been exuding seemed to be amplified tenfold. "AAAARRRTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

"What the—?!" She couldn't contain her surprise when she blocked his next strike. He not only swung down with enough power to force her to a knee, the floor beneath her cratered under its weight at least a foot deep. "What are you doing, Lancelot?! Did you not understand me?! I said I need to do this for everyone's sake! For your and Guinevere's—!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" His response was not a mad howl. In fact, it was pained. Hurt beyond belief at what she'd said. But there was no way she'd notice when that same pained man was attempting to cut her down.

The man's loyalty mixed with frustrations was but a cloud of madness to the naïve King's eyes. And the end result was a relentless clash of a holy sword against a cursed blade. Sparks flared. Not just the air, but the wet concrete floor was littered with fading embers as Lancelot's attacks went beyond glancing blows to rending their surroundings asunder.

Saber had to fall back, unable to bring herself to go on the offensive as he was. Over and over, she deflected and dodged to no avail.

"Why can't you understand?!" she cried. "Why must you get in the way?! Old friend!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" he overpowered her yet again with another howl.

"Why would you not allow me a chance to atone? Why do you obstruct my path?! I thought you of all people would understand me?! Sir Lancelot!"

Her pleas went ignored as she deflected another swing. Chambered behind it, however, was a stab to her throat. This time, it got very close to skewering her throw had she not dodged it at the last minute. Upon nicking her skin slightly and drawing the most amount of blood yet, Saber resolved herself.

"Very well…" Hardening her heart, she parried the next strike and kicked him back, making distance and buying time to reaffirm herself once more. "I will not… hold back anymore. Not for you, dear friend."

There would be no convincing him. And should she hesitate any longer, she'd only end up sabotaging Irisviel's rescue. And maybe even Kiritsugu's life, hence her wish. Gritting her teeth and suppressing the tears, she steeled herself into slaying yet another one of her knights.

Excalibur glowed with its blessed lustre as it always had. But in her grip, it wept at the realization of tasting yet more of another one of her comrade's blood.

"If you cannot accept… No… that'd be unfair as you can't even comprehend what I ask of you… in your madness… Forgive me." Her golden blade was once again trained on his throat. This time, with regret weighing it down slightly. "Should you still be able to hear me… in your heart… I pray you to forgive me… For I shall have to cut you down myself, SIR LANCELOT!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRR!" Lancelot—nay. Berserker charged.

Aiming for her throat, he lunged. She parried. Chambering a follow-up for her torso, he sliced at her. She blocked and counterattacked. Not even evading it but allowing the blade to graze his breastplate, he got close to punch her with his free hand. She avoided the fist and threw an elbow to his chin which he deftly avoided.

"Aaaagh…" he growled. But although it was quieter than his usual, she didn't see it as him backing down. In fact, she sensed him putting his all.

The water on the floor reflected the tinge of blue emanating from Arondight's blade. It was only through pure instinct that Saber knew to charge up her own magical energy before he struck.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Battle cry met with mad howls. Golden light clashed with torrential blues. The power behind Excalibur warded off Arondight's own blast, but just barely. Though the blades were not equal, their wielders' might have made it so. And with Knight of Owner being rescinded due to the presence of the cursed Unfading Light of the Lake, Lancelot's parameters, amplified by Mad Enhancement, had potentially exceeded that of his former liege.

The Sword of Promised Victory grated against its sister blade with a painful shriek every time Arturia swung it. Both representing the pain and torment to be found when being rejected by someone who'd been dear to her as well as needing to kill them with her own hands.

It was a hard-pressed battle.

Clash after clash ruptured and shook the building. But although their attacks threatened to collapse a mere section of the parking lot every swing, neither of them relented in their battle of the ideals and wishes. Though, even now, Arturia wondered what her most loyal knight was thinking as they fought like they never had before.

'To think you'd be my bane… when in life, you were my crutch.' Saber muttered to herself as her battle instincts screamed at her to duck. Arondight's black and blue steel managed to clip a few hairs but no more. Had she been too late, the sword's anti-dragon properties would've ended her then and there. 'I wonder… was your madness… a fault of my own as well? Did my mistakes… my ineptitude as ruler… turn your honourable self into this?'

"RAAAAAAAAAGH!" His growl came accompanied by yet another graceful strike to her head. Even in his madness, the man clearly knew her weakness.

Though it may not truly have been necessary anymore as she lacked Avalon to even keep any wound of hers sealed indefinitely, but it spoke well enough of Lancelot's understanding of her. Of his former King.

Each and every attack was measured and practised. Akin to moving in a practised dance that resembled their training spars from eras long past. He knew her as well as she knew him. Or, as well as she'd hoped she knew the man.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAGH!" An armoured fist knocked her counterattack aside as Lancelot pushed for another neck slice. Saber would've simply dodged it and waited for another chance opening.

However, she no longer had the leeway to play by the rules. That her foe was aware of all her skills and abilities, of her habits and favoured stances, made winning harder. Which was why she caught the madman by surprise when she ducked below him and threw debris into his face.

"I pray you find safe passage in the next life once more!" Reappearing directly behind him, she apologized. "Sorry!"

"GAAAAHAH!" Blood spurted as a golden blade pierced the knight and exited his front. Not only did she manage to tear through armour and bone, but she'd also ripped through and tore away at her ideals.

A backstab was not a chivalrous way to fight. However, in the face of an adversary, she had no chance of beating as quickly as normal, picking the dirtiest fighting method was all she had. It pained her to even resort to such when she tried her hardest not to. But… even so…

"Even if I were to be called a fool… Even if I were to be shamed as a failure… Even then, I shall win the Grail." She muttered aloud but sounded as if she was trying to convince herself. "For if I don't… there'd be nothing left I can offer as recompense… for my sins to you… for my sins to all… Sorry…"

This was fine. So long as she was the only one to be damned to hell, it was fine. So long as she could offer salvation to those she held dear… Even Lancelot would understand! Clouded by madness now, he'd surely—

"Ah… My fool… of a king…"

"Eh?" caught off guard by the raspy yet familiar voice, her eyes widened when she saw his eyes peering at her over his shoulder. The pity in them, absent of insanity, rocked her to her very core.

"To continue… making that face… even now… …" Lancelot's breathing stilled as he spoke legibly for the first time since ever. "I will tear… it away!"

"You can under—GAH!"

As the softness of his voice stalled her train of thought, the tension rose sharply when he screeched once more and backhanded her in the face. Pulling her sword along, a gaping hole was left to bleed profusely in the man's chest. But that didn't stop the Servant of Madness from mumbling to himself.

"My… King…"

"You… understood me?" Saber grasped at straws as she hoped against hope. " Sir Lancelot! If you can come to reason in your state, why do you—?!"

"You… are a fool…" her breath hitched as the man, formerly silenced by madness, proclaimed with such sorrow and hate seething in his gaze. "As… your knight… it is my duty… to end your… suffering… NGAH! AH! AH… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

As if suffering a delayed reaction to the hole in his person, blood escaped the man's mouth as he further lost any signs of reason and fell back into madness.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

CLANG

The scream of her name was all the warning she got before she intercepted a devastatingly powerful blow. Despite being wounded, he was still going full throttle as his attacks resumed.

But unlike earlier, when she thought she was facing a man who'd lost all reason, her resolve wavered. That he could speak, that he could understand her, it all pointed to the fact that he'd perceived everything she'd said. But, to continue fighting in his state, that meant…

"Why?!" she cried as she blocked and countered his attack and follow-up parry. "Why must you get in my way?!"

He didn't answer. Just attacked.

"Why do you stand against my path of reconciliation?" Saber swung at him, sword barely grating against a shoulder plate before ducking under his fist. "Why must you reject… my attempt to right all wrongs?"

He didn't answer any of her pleas. Apart from swinging at her, he continued to ignore it all.

Then, with a wave of his once-holy blade, Arondight blasted a huge wave of water gathered from their surroundings as a high pressure stream in her direction. In the instant it fired, Saber could do nothing in her stunned state but block it all with the flat side of her blade.

"I… will save… you…" She heard his mutters over the heavy gushing of water. It got stronger when he screamed, the madness returning to his once sane voice. "I WILL SAVE YOU, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"

She didn't understand. Save her from what?

She was not the one in trouble. She was not the one who was wronged. It was the world. Her country. Her people. Her comrades and family.

It was they, all of them, that she wished to save. From whom? Of course, from herself.

From the mistakes, she'd made. From the path of ruin, she led them all to.

Had it not been her… Had it been someone more than her… then, no one would have to suffer. Nothing would have turned out the way they went. Nothing good ever came of her actions!

Why is it that no one could understand that?

Why must they stand in her way?

No longer.

CLANG CRACK

The ground beneath her cratered once again as she stopped Lancelot's most devastating attack yet dead in its tracks.

"This is the only way to fix everything." Calm was her voice. But, in truth, she'd only hardened her heart further, suppressing any and all emotions. That's right. Wearing the mask of the King once more, killing the girl that wielded the holy blade. All for the sake of seeing things through to the end. "I know this path would damn me, however, I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means striking you down, my old friend."

"AAAAAAAAAARTHUUUUUUUUUUURRR!"

The knight's black blade glowed an iridescent blue. Water droplets flew from the puddled flooring as small darts and spears, aiming to skewer her from all sides.

With the blessing of the Lady of the Lake, Arturia Pendragon wouldn't have been harmed at all by this technique. But with the legend of Arondight slaying, a dragon, any and all attacks perpetrated by the sword carried in itself anti-dragon properties. Something her dragon core and blood made her vulnerable against.

But, it wasn't just a single fae of legend that blessed her.

"O, wind, guide my steps."

Wind buffeted water. A large gust enveloped her form, rending all the droplets as but rain against the pavement. But just as it clad her, she also transfixed the wind's blessing onto Excalibur, speeding her attacks.

A slash down was followed by a gale. A thrust was faster than the eye could see. All of which is a testament to her inhuman physical strength in life amplified by her stats as a Servant of the present. The fact that Lancelot managed to evade and mitigate most of it, however, was also a clear example of his luck and skill on the battlefield.

But avoiding her for long was never to last. Not when he was already pierced and wounded once.

And especially not when his Master was but a hollow corpse pushing through on willpower alone.

---

"NGH—GAHA!"

Off in the distance, Matou Kariya spewed even more blood as he slunk back against the centre veranda's railings. Having sequestered his way to safety, out of the Magus Killer's way at that, he was allowed a view of the moonlit sky in his final hour.

Too bad, he couldn't enjoy it much in his state. Especially when he was also losing vision in his only working eye.

"Sorry… Berserker… …" he muttered to only himself. "But… it seems… this is the end… for me… NGH!"

Pain seared through him as the last of his magical energy was drained in the Knight of the Lake's last attempt to break through his foe. But even as Kariya couldn't see the knight, he felt it all.

The man's frustrations, his despair. His love and guilt. His dashed hopes and his earnest desire. All of it was conveyed through their mental link as the madman tried his best to fulfil his last wishes.

That of saving the girl who couldn't save herself and owing up to the mistakes he should've been punished for.

It was a beautiful dream. A chivalrous knightly fancy spoke of in fables. One that Kariya wished he could've lent a hand to had he not been in such dire straits himself. It was funny how he'd come to admire such bravado from a knight in fairy tales at his age, but it was only due to having been saved by said fairytale knight that he could think such things as acting chivalrous himself.

Or, at least, that was what he'd hoped to accomplish, coming here as weak as he was…

Now that everything was falling to pieces, even himself both literally and figuratively, the only thing he could do was offer the mad Servant a pat on the back. Though it's probably not what the man would've wanted from him after all the shit he put Lancelot through due to Zouken.

"It's fine… Master…"

"Eh?" Kariya flinched in his silence as he heard the words. It was from a voice he'd not heard before, but a quick glance at the back of his hand, on where the former Command Seals were etched, he understood. "Ah… Have you… finally done… what did you want?"

"Yes…" A simple, honest answer. One that came from a tired man rather than a mad dog. "I thank you… for the opportunity, you have given me…"

"Is that really… what do you think?" Kariya doubted it.

He'd failed on all accounts to grant Berserker his wish. Selfishly taking his own victory, he pretty much wasted himself away before Berserker had his own chance at retribution. Still, he smiled wryly at his own incompetence, subconsciously knowing the knight would likely do the same if he could.

"Is this really… the outcome that you wanted?"

The answer was automatic. Ironic to think that the only thing he and his Servant shared was a tragic end filled with many regrets. Regardless, Matou Kariya accepted his Servant's answer with a sigh.

The answer was quiet and regretful… but it was also one Kariya hoped he could believe was honest to the very end.

---

"… Yes…" Lancelot muttered into her ear with a dry smile. His body weighed heavily against her shoulder. "This… is how things should be…"

Two knights stood against one another. One had dropped his sword to the floor with a loud clang. Arondight faded into the knight as if sinking into the pool of water beneath, reclaimed by the Lady of the Lake who watched as her blessed child fell to his knees.

Similarly falling to her own knees, the second knight remained stoically still. Excalibur's light shone brightly, as if burning through the second hole it perforated through the black knight's armour. Stained red, it evaporated the blood as its light was reflected off of its owner's jaded eyes.

Saber remained quiet. She didn't flinch. She didn't shout. She didn't scream.

But her tears, masquerading as one of the many droplets sprayed by Lancelot's torrential attacks, was clear for the world to see. That included the friend who slipped off of her shoulder to fall limply to the floor.

"Ah…" A calm voice exhaled as he breathed his last. "I've failed you… once more… my liege…"

"Sir… Lancelot—?" she couldn't help but mutter as her gaze drifted over his still form. The still visage of her composure was cracking at the seams despite all attempts to restrain her emotions from consuming her.

"I… failed… as a knight…" he continued. A nostalgic smile plastered his face as his gaze aimlessly wandered to the wet floor. "Though… I continued to admire you… continued to be loyal… I failed… to protect you… from yourself…"

"What… are you saying?" her voice whispered.

"Britain… needed a King… Many of us… thought this true… And the one we received… couldn't have ever… ever been… more perfect…" The pride in his wandering gaze, a spark breaking through the jaded rage of madness, pierced her heart. "But… what we didn't see… was how much… you'd given yourself… to the curse… of the crown…"

'Curse? What is he saying?' Saber wanted to decry it. To denounce that she'd fallen for such. That he was just speaking madness due to the curse of insanity that befell his summoning.

But he persisted, words grating against her stone-clad heart.

"Fools… were we… To ignore the pain… and burden… you'd taken up… for our sakes… Fools were we… to not see… the weight… on your small… small shoulders… To lie… and feign ignorance… to your own personal… wants… all for our sake… Always… fighting… Always… composed… for us and Britain… but not… yourself…"

"What are you saying?!" she finally demanded, voice cracking. "Do you mean to state that Britain's prosperity was not my own wish?! Do you mean… to deny it?! That what I did for my people… was not my deepest desire?!"

"My fool… of a King…" the man chuckled to himself wryly, painfully, as he sighed his last. "If your wish for the Grail… for… your people… was born from thine heart… why don't thy smile… not shine… as brightly… as it… used… to…?"

His words rang her hollow. His smile at death's door, incomprehensible.

She didn't understand why he'd smile so. She couldn't.

Not even when she saw her face's reflection on the puddle of water.

Tears… and the anguish of a woman who was on the verge of breaking down. Quickly, she'd restored the façade, but Lancelot, despite his vision blearing, saw it all too clearly. His words had marred her, causing her to waver as she listened. They didn't fully dissuade her, but he'd affected her so…

More than swinging his sword, reminding her of the cheerful past they shared brought more pain than the shallow wounds he'd dealt.

"King… Arthur," the man whispered as his body started to slowly fade from existence. "No matter… what anyone says… No matter… what you… say… Then… and forevermore… thou who selflessly took… upon the mantle of King… Thou, who took upon… a role… grander than any…"

"Don't…" she mumbled back in protest.

"Thou," he continued as his torso faded into ash and light. "Who swore… an oath… to uphold all… that is just… and righteous… The one… who went so far… as to pardon… myself… he who committed the sin… of forbidden love…"

"Please… don't—!"

"Thou… who continues… to take the sins… of Camlann… on her small… small shoulders…" He smiled as he vanished from the world. "You… were the greatest… among all kings… All who served you… truly believed that…"

The pool of water beneath him rippled. It was as though tears of the Lady of the Lake herself disturbed the still water's surface. But that was wrong.

SPLASH

What caused the ripple instead was the King of Knights who'd fallen to her knees. Tears streamed down, unable to hold it back. For to hear his words, his honest praise, was but a nail into her guilty heart.

"That's wrong!" she screamed out to no one. "It's… all wrong! You should've hated me! You should've reviled me… for my failure!"

She was tired. The exhaustion and stress had begun to pile up. Having lost a friend due to her own incompetence. Then to have to kill one from her past, one who'd likely fallen to madness due to his blind faith in her failure as a ruler.

'Why would you praise me, old friend?' she contemplated it but couldn't think straight with the emotional turmoil she was feeling. 'What would make you say such… when it was my… mishandling of it all… that you'd all… paid the price for…?!'

She was hurt. She was distressed. She was confused. She was all of that and more.

But did it mean she would stop now? No. Of course not.

She'd donned the mask of a perfect king once more. Always composed, always just. Pushing back all that she'd mulled over, she decided on a single thought alone.

'This… is the best example of how I failed…' She denied Lancelot's claims. 'This… is but one of the many knights I failed.'

Sir Lancelot was wrong. No one saw her as the perfect king. Her nation fell because of her. There was no getting around that.

'What right do I have to continue calling myself King?' None, she believed. Not when her friends and subjects suffered because of her mistakes.

She lied to her nation, to her friends about her identity. All for the sake of appearances, she was truly a perfect King. But it was all a lie. An act. And at the destruction of her stage, the inevitable fall of Britain soon followed. Her reluctance to address her relationship with Mordred beget weakness. That weakness to address Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship properly brought with it Mordred's and half the Round's betrayal. That betrayal tore Britain in two and culminated with Camlann where no true victory was beheld.

'What victory was there… in spilling the blood of my countryman?' The King asked the girl within. The girl had no answer except for one. 'There was no victory… for there was no rightful King.'

Such was her belief in her rule. Or lack thereof.

'I'm sorry I disappointed you again, old friend. Curse me in hell… but I can't stop now.'

The King lived and ruled for the sake of her people and her people alone. Even if it led to her demise by their hand, nothing could mean more to kingship than laying down one's life for the sake of her loved ones. There was no other way around it. Iskandar, Gilgamesh, and Avenger were tyrants who couldn't understand her for they selfishly ruled and reigned overall.

Not one of them understood her views in life. Not one of them knew that the Heroic Spirit called King Arthur could never accept being called a hero… Not when all she had to her name was the failure to save anyone.

'I will accomplish my wish!' To that end, she got up and walked towards the exit. All the while, her thoughts flitted to her final foe. The one stole away Irisviel for the sake of playing games with her Master.

Lelouch Lamperouge. Her heir apparent to the throne of Britain as well as her distant progeny. During the banquet, the boy once said he could see where Arturia was coming from. Of why she would desire such a wish. But he disagreed with her. Arturia Pendragon didn't understand him. Like her own apparent progeny, she never tried to properly do so after realizing he could become a potentially dangerous foe to her.

It was like Mordred all over again.

However, the King was resolved to not stop. If Excalibur's blade was to be stained by yet another of her bloodline, so be it. Mordred or Lelouch, she didn't care. The King lived only for the sake of her people. No one else can stand in the way of that.

As she left through the emergency staircase, she passed by a catwalk that had one person sitting by its railings, staring into the moonlit night sky.

No. It would be more apt to say he'd died staring at the moon up above in the night sky.

Saber spared a gaze for the deceased Matou Kariya, a man who was supposed to be her enemy yet actually had no stakes facing off against her. The one who'd proclaimed he'd already lost the need to seek the Grail yet allowed his Servant to face her… at the cost of his life.

Why he'd done so, she couldn't piece together fully. Even if he was bound by contract to Lancelot, he could've so easily commanded Berserker away, to stop and nullify their contract so that he wouldn't be drained away by the knight's last stand.

And yet, here he was. Dead and gone, yet smiling and satisfied at his own passing. Just like Lancelot, so was Matou Kariya. Content with their end… as though continuing to live their lives as hell in and of itself.

Saber didn't understand, but she respected their resilience to face death. That was the only thing her façade as the perfect king would allow her foes as she trudged on to face the last enemy in this war.

---

Community Center, Top Floor.

A light footstep echoed softly on the walls as Kiritsugu peaked out over the corner of the stairwell.

He'd finally reached the top floor of the building after running through Lamperouge's gauntlet of traps. That he'd yet to find another bomb or tripwire on this floor had him taking baby steps lest impatience get him killed. But regardless of his cautious approach, the whole trek up the building had him ragged enough that his breathing was anything but calm.

'He had time to rig half the building… Considering the efficiency of each trap to only damage small sections of each floor, and the number of them in total, he's practically an expert terrorist.' His thoughts of King Arthur's heir was already soured. Taking all this into account, Kiritsugu wondered what the hell kind of training went into a royal's repertoire these days. 'But does it mean he has some help apart from Avenger?'

It was plausible. He'd brought in Maiya to act as support after all. It wouldn't be strange to assume another Master thought to use subterfuge in numbers as he had. But at the moment, Kiritsugu had to assume Lamperouge's 'support' to be nothing more than domestic terrorists as well.

Considering his mannerisms and apparent goals for this war, it wasn't a very reassuring fact.

'Dammit! For someone like him to slip into the Grail War yet be this flippant about it…' he cursed his bad luck.

It was one thing to get a serial killer who didn't bother restraining their crazy Servant. It was a whole other can of worms to get a child that had a fondness for pressure-plate mines, Viet Cong cartridge traps using construction nails instead of bamboo shrapnel, and Molotov tripwires that broke sprinklers willy-nilly.

Whoever Lelouch really was, he had experience and knew much about guerilla warfare weaponry. And the childish way he used them was straight out of a Home Alone movie!

The teenage parody of Kevin McCallister wasn't a mere magus, Kiritsugu understood this much. However, not once did he run into a trap that wouldn't kill him. The boy most likely didn't know how to use magecraft, but that didn't mean he needed it to be a hazardous hassle.

Still, that didn't mean the Magus Killer was at a disadvantage. In fact, it saved him time in terms of the boy's mortality.

'No magecraft means he has to resort to more mundane means of protection.' Wasting an Origin Bullet wasn't necessary. Just regular rounds, a well-placed grenade, and, hell, even a knife would do. Utilizing Time Alter should give him enough leverage as well in a one-on-one. 'In short, all I need is to get close enough.'

With that in mind, he proceeded to walk onto the floor and glance in every direction.

No sign of a trap. The boy was good at hiding them. Using Time Alter to escape had begun to strain Kiritsugu's body, but as he'd done so sparingly, taking things slow and steady sufficed.

He still shot any cameras he came across, however. It wouldn't let the boy observe his pace. He'd notify Lelouch Lamperouge when he was there simply by cutting off his eyes, but he would keep him guessing until they met face to face.

It also lessened the risk of having Avenger suddenly pop up in front of his exact location should Saber fail to distract her.

After trudging through the deepest hallway, he ended up in front of one of the many rooms. Nothing special stood out from it apart from one thing. Of all the rooms, it was the only one that didn't have work dust dirtying the floor before it. That meant someone had been in it recently.

Noting that the neighbouring room was just the same, he opted to cautiously check them both starting with the one nearest him. And so he opened the door and entered what looked to be an unfinished meeting hall.

It wasn't clean by any means. There were no chairs or wallpaper yet. On one wall, there were stacks of wooden boards and various construction materials. On the opposite end, what should've been a large window was just an empty gap with a few strips of yellow tape blocking access to a freefall. It seems installation of the glass hadn't taken place yet.

"Not here…" he muttered a bit disappointedly. Iri wasn't here, and neither was her kidnapper. 'Then, she may be in the other room next door.'

Thinking that, he double-checked the place for clues. But upon further inspecting the interior, what had appeared to be the innermost wall fell forward, surprising Kiritsugu. His guns were then aimed at what should've been the adjacent room to this one, however, he balked at the sight.

"Ngh!" The windowless wall to his right extended to the other, leaving the next room over to have the same open-air access to the outside world. But unlike his side which had safety tape blocking accidental falls, the other room had a chair just a few inches away from tipping over into the ten-story fall behind her. The one who was strapped to said chair widened her eyes in surprise as he uttered her name. "… Maiya…"

"K…Kiri… tsugu…" His assistant and apprentice uttered back.

Upon a quick inspection, not only was she bound to the seat, her limbs sported various wounds and bruises. Her legs especially had large tears from which he could spy deep gashes, and maybe even bone fractures.

In all respects, his specially trained assassin of a partner was crippled to helplessness. Unable to escape, her life was in someone else's hands. Said someone appeared immediately with the sound of clapping applause.

"Well, well, well! I see the hero has finally appeared to save the princess!" Lelouch Lamperouge appeared from the shadow of a few crates, smiling smugly as he stood beside Maiya's chair. "But this is probably not the princess you were looking for, no?"

"Keh!" Not wasting his breath on a response, Kiritsugu opened fire with the calico. The barrage of bullets rained on his target, but they didn't kill him. Instead, they struck a wall as large cobwebs of thick shattered glass appeared between them.

Lelouch smirked when Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. "This special glass was made especially for this office. So people could see the entirety of Fuyuki City without fear of failing, it's strong enough to endure high-rise wind currents. Similarly, it's also thick enough that small arms fire can't so easily pierce through. Workers were supposed to place them sometime tomorrow, but, as I had some free time, I had Avenger do them a favour of installing it early—"

"Where is Irisviel?"

"Hoh?" Kiritsugu interruption was met with feigned surprise. "Not even going to ask about your friend over here? Is that really how a true gentleman behaves, Mister Emiya?"

"She is just my assistant, nothing more," he said dismissively, not even breaking his stern poker face when the boy eyed him warily before turning to her. Maiya was loyal enough to him that she didn't bat an eye to his claim. Such was her understanding of his cold, selfish, nature. "You said you had my boss in custody. Where is Irisviel von Einzbern?!"

He said as much while drawing the Contender. If small arms didn't work, then what about a pistol with the same firepower as a sniper rifle?

The Master of Avenger looked slightly disappointed. "Hm, quite the professionalism. Here I thought you'd get emotional, seeing as you three were really close. Judging from how defensive Lady Irisviel was of her, your casual disregard of one of my hostages makes for a very curious dilemma." The boy smirked as if sensing Kiritsugu tense. "Hm. If you really don't care for Miss Maiya over here, does that mean I don't need her anymore?"

The callousness of the child's tone caught Kiritsugu off guard when a shot suddenly rang out.

"GAH! AAAGH!" Pained by the bullet that tore through her leg, Maiya's cry had Kiritsugu contemplating on whether to shoot the boy through the glass or not was the best option.

Considering he still didn't know where Iri was, it might not have been the best option, but he could do nothing as Lamperouge made a show of his most loyal subordinate.

"You're wasting my time, boy." Kiritsugu didn't even move or show any emotion. Apart from impatience, that is. "Where is my boss?"

"Quite the utilitarian, are you? To discard the liability that got herself caught and continue to threaten me, the only one who knows where your wife is."

"A job is a job. Subordinates and colleagues aside, whether or not I can fulfil it is all that matters." The coldness of such words hid the pain tearing at him within. However, it was not lost on Maiya as she smiled wryly through biting her own lip.

She'd always know that if it was needed, he'd sacrifice her in a snap of a finger. For most of her life, after he saved her, she'd devoted herself one-sidedly to him. Second, only to Iri, she was his closest ally… even if her life was but another tool to him.

Maiya knew his character just as well as, if not more than, his own wife. For the sake of his dream, she'd do anything. Anything…

Which was why he couldn't fully hide his emotions from Lamperouge's critical eyes as he glared at the raven-haired boy.

"Hmhm Hmhm…" Lelouch laughed. "Hahahahahahahaha!"

"What's so funny, brat?!"

"Just musing to myself," he said, stifling his chuckling. "Your resolve to your job is admirable, but I'm curious as to how your boss would be reacting to this show right about now."

Kiritsugu's eyes widened then narrowed for a second. It was then that the boy gestured over to the corner of the room on his side of the glass wall. There, a red light blinked subtly in the shadows.

"Please, smile for the camera, Mister Emiya! Lady Irisviel looked so lonely, so I decided to show her something to pass the time." Lelouch walked to the camera and picked it before moving to the bulletproof glass and filming Kiritsugu directly. "Considering this a performance review of your work. A demonstration of the lengths you'd go for even as a mercenary. After all, this may be the last time either of you does business together!"

"Son… of a—!" Maiya hissed furiously through grit teeth.

"Is it wrong to give a critique of one's work ethic?" Lelouch smirked before turning towards Kiritsugu. "Now, Magus Killer, do tell! Would you still want me to shoot your little 'assistant' over here, or not? I'm sure your boss has a strong opinion about it, but as you said she is just your subordinate, nothing more. And this is all a job, yes? What do you say?"

Kiritsugu clenched his fist. The bastard brat was doing it to torture Iri. His wife was a kind woman. Far too kind for someone as cold as him. An irony considering she was an inhuman creation. Yet, despite her origin, Irisviel von Einzbern had a human heart. She would never allow anything to happen to Maiya, unnecessary torture included, if she could help it.

His wife was an understanding woman who knew what the two were doing behind her back, yet she accommodated not being able to console him by allowing it all. It was all due to the human heart he fostered within her all those years ago. Both a blessing and a curse to a Grail vessel that wouldn't survive the war's end.

Her time was near. But even though they hadn't exchanged much in the way of words since moving away from the castle, Kiritsugu was well-aware of what his homunculus wife was thinking. And what she would feel as she watched this exchange.

As someone who'd once abandoned someone dear until their gruesome demise, the least he could do was spare Iri the painful scene of watching someone close die because of his negligence.

"... What do you want?" he said but didn't lower the Contender.

"It's good to see you're willing to negotiate." Lelouch's smile turned devilish. "As for the specifics… well, let's see. How do you using up all your Command Seals to order Saber's suicide sounds?"

Kiritsugu's teeth grit. 'When did he—?!'

"What? Surprised I figured it out? I will admit, you really pulled the wool over my eyes, but after some thinking, I started to wonder." Lelouch started to pace around Maiya's seat, keeping his gun trained on her. "Why is it that King Arthur, the noble knight who stands for chivalry and righteousness, ally herself with the child murderer, Gilles de Rais, at the last second of their fight? Why was Lady Irisviel, the only person from the Einzbern camp that should know about Lesser Grail, always stood dangerously close to her Servant, being near the fight more often than not? Not to mention, she spent hours here in our care, and yet not once did she try to call on her Servant to save her as soon as she awoke. Even when Avenger caught her and your little assistant at your new base, Saber was nowhere to be found. And that was despite the immediate danger. Why is that?"

The boy goaded him with a smile and Maiya with the barrel of his gun. Neither made to refute his claims, but neither could get a word in edgewise to deny anything.

"Why risk her life like this when she has two mercenaries who could be of use instead?" Lelouch continued. "Why cooperate with a monster of a man when she doesn't seem like the type to hurt a fly? And that's when I had to change my point of view."

The stare he gave the brat hid apprehension. Kiritsugu was beyond wary of him now. More so with the following assertions.

"What if she wasn't Saber's Master? What if it was someone else? Someone who is not only famed to be more ruthless in his tactics but also wasn't present when the Lady Einzbern was kidnapped, hence being unable to call upon Saber to protect his employer?" Lelouch Lamperouge was beyond guessing. The sureness of his expression already expressed his confidence in his conjecture. "Well? Was my guesswork sufficient, Mister Magus Killer? Or do I need to provide more evidence, Emiya Kiritsugu, Master of the Einzbern camp?"

"Are you done?" The found-out Master didn't flinch nor did he make to save face. Instead of trying to lie his way with a poker face, he faced the arrogant boy down. His gun found itself being aimed at the boy once more.

The utilitarian mindset of his thought about using Command Seals before Lelouch could react. But once again, the brat was one step ahead of him.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you, Mister Emiya. Not only will I be able to call on Avenger faster than you, the room in which I've hidden Lady Irisviel has been rigged to blow. Alongside the rest of this entire floor as well."

Lelouch's hand pulled aside his coat. There, on his person just above his heart, a small radio device was strapped with tape and had a line tied to its trigger. No doubt, it was a detonator ready to be triggered should something untoward happen to him. How sensitive it was rigged to be was up to debate, but Kiritsugu couldn't rule out anything.

He hadn't noticed any bombs through the hallway or in the floor directly beneath this one, but the boy had proven to be skilled in hiding traps too deadly even for him. One wrong move, not only did he risk losing Iri and Maiya, he'd have lost the war entirely. He gritted his teeth, frustrated at meeting a professional suicide bomber.

"While I'm still uncertain as to whether or not you care for your assistant, I'm very sure neither of you nor I, wish to die alongside Lady Irisviel for nothing, yes?"

"What more could you possibly want that's worth risking your life?" Kiritsugu couldn't help but snap back.

"I still need to know where the Lesser Grail is located after all, and something tells me you may know the answer to it." That the boy's smirk widened was a testament to having noted the shifting on Kiritsugu's anxious expression. "Here's your ultimatum. You can either give me the Lesser Grail's location or order your Servant to kill herself."

In either case, the boy won. Kiritsugu would lose. Try as he might think of a way around this, he'd been backed into a corner by a brat. And said brat likely didn't understand the real reason as to how he did it!

The Magus Killer was placed into a hard position. He needed to find a way out. But he also needed to kill Lelouch. In any case, he needed to buy time.

"This deal doesn't sound fair to me." With that in mind, he made to speak while restraining himself and his stressed emotions. With difficulty, of course. "What is there to gain should I accept anything you say?"

"Hm… Fairness has always been absent in wars, don't you agree? Should you obey my demands, I will allow you, Lady Irisviel and your 'assistant' over here to leave alive."

"You mean to let us scot-free after denying our chance at victory?" Kiritsugu couldn't help himself. "Well, aren't you a benevolent psychopath?"

"A psychopath wouldn't give a damn about anyone and have their way with or without your consent." The boy smiled wryly as if he was doing them a favour. "Take it from me. You, all of the other Masters and their Servants, had already lost this war the moment it began. Though, not by your fault alone. It is only due to my intervention that you will be allowed to leave with your lives."

Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes, feeling his emotions escape. "And what? Leave Grail to someone like you? Don't make me laugh, boy. Be it you or Avenger, nothing is getting in the way of my achieving our wish! A bastard like you won't get in the way of our dream!"

His gun was truly levelled and unshaking as it aimed at the boy's head. If he used his Time Altar, he might be able to fire two shots, pierce the glass wall, and kill the boy in barely an instant.

But he was caught off guard by the boy's chuckling.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked.

"Heheh… Dreams, huh? Good, old wishful thinking." Lelouch Lamperouge's guard didn't drop, but the air about him changed. It was as if, to Kiritsugu's eyes, the boy's expression aged slightly. Like years had passed him by in the blink of an eye. "Everyone has them but not everyone can achieve them. A fact an adult like yourself that seeks the Grail knows all too well."

"What's your point?" he pressed, mind distracted from going through his plan and pulling the trigger.

"Do you know what the other Masters in this war wanted? What did they seek the Grail for? What about the Servants? You and I both knew they were lying from the start." Lelouch glared at him." Be honest with me, Magus Killer. No. Emiya Kiritsugu. You and your mistress knew about the true role of Servants from the start. Come now, there's no need to deny it. I've confirmed it with her myself. No Servant would ever live to get their wishes granted as they are needed as a sacrifice still, like all their fallen foes. I'm sure you've been saving your Command Seals especially to order Saber into ending her own life by war's end. Were you not?"

He knew far too much to be a simple accidental participant. Kiritsugu was hired by the Einzbern clan but was only told some parts of the true ritual. It was when Irisviel who made everything clear to him that he came to the same realizations as the boy had.

Servants would die out of necessity, but they needed to use one to do just that. Moreover, they needed something to get rid of their Servant when all was said and done. The fact that Servants couldn't fully resist their Master's Command Seals served to avert a Master's would-be downfall by a betrayal gone wrong.

After all, comparing a present-day magus to a hero of old, the power gap was too severe. So why not upend that by betraying the hero at the very end, all the while keeping the illusion that they too would get what they wanted?

Such cold-hearted thinking mattered little to Emiya Kiritsugu. Heroic Spirits were just that. Spirits. Ghosts. They were, all of them, already dead. Being cursed by one, or seven, or eight, for betrayal and lies was worth it for the wish he had in mind. They were heroes. They'd understand it was for the right reasons.

But it was also one of the reasons why he avoided Saber. Though he was called callous and praised by even his foes for his practical mindset, to command her to commit suicide was going to be difficult no matter the outcome. Saying 'what's another death for the sake of many'… though common for him, it was far too painful to say in the face of a child whose people forced her to carry the burden of kingship.

Emiya Kiritsugu didn't hate Arturia Pendragon. But he hated the circumstances of how she was raised and the role the child was forced to play.

"… How do you know about all this?" With his grip on his gun tightening, he repeated. "Why in the hell does a brat only in it for entertainment know about the truth?"

"Does it matter?" Lelouch shrugged. "You who lied to the perfect ideal of a knight, a chivalrous comrade who defended you and your own all by her lonesome, seek moral justification as to my own knowledge?" The boy's smirk returned, taunting him. "How I know is none of your concern. However, I will let you in on a little secret. It's what I plan to do with what I know."

Looking at the camera, he made a face that sought to tear into both Iri and himself as he spoke.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, seek to dismantle your sham of a war! To remove it from the face of the Earth as it is but a bore to the world!" He made to bow as if he swore to it. "At first, I considered it entertaining. But after a while, I learned of its intricacies and realized the faultiness of it all, as well as the malicious designs its creators would place upon my Servant." The Master of Avenger wanted to make Irisviel feel guilty while dangling his victory in their faces. So he said, "Therefore, as the winner of this war, I have decided to shatter the trophy I've won and declare it an insult, both to its creators who seek its fulfilment as well as those who would demand I sacrifice a friend for such a thing as an impossible dream!"

Kiritsugu clenching his teeth, his wife was the kindest person he ever knew. She already suffered over holding the truth from his servant. She was suffering day and night the longer this war went and Kiritsugu hated that he was part of the reason. His wife was going to such lengths so he could achieve it all. His impossible dream.

But… more than that, he hated that there was yet another absurdity more daunting than reality getting in his way.

"What do you know, boy?" he asked with venom. To find a foe who was not only assured of their win but also magnanimously proclaiming dismantling his one and only goal… his only way out… it enraged the normally jaded man. "Why in the hell do you think we went through with this? Did you think we were the same as you? That we freely carried out what we did… as though it were some sort of sick game?!"

"Truthfully, no." The boy retained his condescending smile as he faced a man seething and at the end of his patience. "Even as a mere outsider, I could see that you all fought tooth and nail for the cup. A brave attempt for a chance of the impossible. But it is why I can only pity you fools who know nought of the fall that awaits you. Just like the Servants, you, my fellow Masters, have lost before the games had even begun."

'What in the hell did that even mean?' Kiritsugu didn't know. But he was beyond caring at this point. His favoured gun didn't waver. His finger hovered over the trigger. "I've not lost yet. Even if a brat like you gets in my way, I will do whatever it takes to achieve my wish."

"Ho? Such passion. And what, pray to tell, does such a wish entail? What does the infamous Magus Killer dream for that he is very willing to bathe in the blood of both children and fallen heroes?"

Kiritsugu didn't know what possessed him to answer. He didn't understand why he hadn't fired yet. But a brief moment of silence passed.

It was just a blink, but as soon as he momentarily shut his eyes, he remembered someone. He saw her.

Not his wife or partner. It wasn't even his daughter. No. It was someone he held most dear. A girl, innocent of all wrong, earnestly seeking out the future despite the reality of it all a mere impossibility to a child. One like him who naively dreamed of a better world.

A girl who was most likely his first love. But she was also the first to die because of him. The first among many.

It was in the briefest of moments that he was compelled to answer the brat who knew nothing. The boy who held nothing and seemingly waved power to do his whims without the care or concern for others.

"My wish…" he held his breath as his emotions consumed him. "My wish… is for the salvation of this world. To save all peoples from all walks of life from wars and conflict. From death and destruction. I… would ask for the Grail to make the world a better place."

---

Uncharacteristic of the killer-for-hire image he'd fostered for many years, Kiritsugu stated it all. In an attempt to claim the moral high ground against a boy who knew nothing, he put his heart and soul into those words.

That's right. Lelouch Lamperouge knew nothing. Nothing of the world that burned and bled because of human greed and pride. Nothing of the blood spilt due to misunderstandings and conflict. Nothing of the many lives Kiritsugu himself regretfully ended due to the earnest desire to bring justice and peace for all…

For if he did know, he wouldn't scorn the man who took it upon himself to change it.

Changing the world for the better. Such was the dream of a man who willingly bathed in the blood of the few for the sake of the many. Such was his desire for an end to the madness… all for the sake of those he loved to be able to live a peaceful and joyous life.

The birth of a perfect world from the shadow of this sinful one. A miracle beyond miracles. A utopia for all where no one else would cry nor unjustly die…. Even if it meant he'd be the only one to suffer the injustice of paying in blood for it all.

Such was the man Irisviel fell in love with.

"Ngh!" the woman, trapped in her room rigged to blow at the slightest misstep on her significant other's part, moaned in pain.

With one hand to her chest and the other to a security monitor, the boy Master placed nearby, her fingers traced the screen. The garbled image of her husband hissing and crackling grey light on her person was the only source of light in this explosive cage of hers. Her only hope… maintained a steely gaze. As dashing… and resolved… as when she fell in love with him. When Irisviel gained a human heart.

"AGH!" Another pang surged through her being eliciting a gasp-turned-cough as black blood escaped her mouth. Examining it in her palm and under the bleak lighting, she realized it was already the end for her. "Ah… So this… is what it feels like… to die…"

With six Servants, the original prerequisite to begin the Grail's manifestation, all the conditions have been met. As the vessel, there was nothing left for her… but to be broken down and rebuilt in the cup's image.

The regret of not having spent more time living the life of an actual human, the remorse for having lied to the innocent knight, the yearning to hold her loved ones once more, even for a little bit, all of that came collapsing down on the soul that believed itself human. That grew to want to become human.

So were the thoughts and emotions that filled the homunculus as she laid her head to rest on the stone cold floor. Her eyes watched as the image of her husband faded from view, her senses shutting down consecutively till nothing was 'alive' in the room anymore.

Then, the body of the former person named Irisviel von Einzbern burst into mystical flames. Magical energy swirled and burned and melted and formed into the image of a golden cup, the Holy Grail. Or rather, the Lesser version that acted as a conduit for the Greater and True version.

All at once, magical energy from the deceased and fallen heroic spirits filled it to the brim with a red liquid. However… it overflowed.

SssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS—

Concrete sizzled and burned. The monitor on the floor started to melt and its plastic caught fire as soon as it came into contact with the liquid, once-red but now blackened and murky. Like mud.

Said mud continued to flow, overflowing until it consumed the entire room in a flood. The door melted open and allowed the sea of cursed liquid out, corrupting all in its wake, be it the explosives Lelouch had set or the very walls of the building itself, corroding them to nothing.

All the while, the Grail that had once been a person continued to glow as it expelled more of the accursed magical energy, pristine gold surrounded by the black corrupting darkness.

Like a star in the night, the young woman faded into the deep never to wake again.

---

Lelouch chuckled.

"Heh… Heheheh…"

And chortled.

"Hahahahah…"

And laughed.

"… HAHAHAHAHA!"

Like a madman, the boy laughed. He heaved and held his chest, seemingly looked weak in his knees as he kept a hand delicately on the detonator to his chest.

He couldn't believe it. There actually were people more coldhearted and idealistic than he'd ever been. Kiritsugu's statement resonated with him. But he couldn't find it anything… but amusing.

It was only when the boy fell deathly silent and made a wry smile that finally reached his eyes that the man, the wishful knight clad in shadows, spoke again. "Had enough?"

"No," Lelouch let slip a slight chuckle as he restrained himself. "Not in the slightest."

"Is mocking an old man's dream that amusing to you?"

That said, the old man scowled harder than ever and proved his words true. Emiya Kiritsugu really was a dreamer. A realistic and blood-drenched one, but an earnestly selfless one regardless.

It was almost uncanny the Demon Emperor would find one like himself in this world, and so close and so soon to boot.

"Oh… Oh, my dear man, you have no idea." The boy shook his head. "For fate to have dealt me a card like you. Heh… Hahah…. Ah… God must be mocking me right about now."

Karmic justice for using his Geass on the Collective Unconscious? Probably. He'd never been the superstitious type, but after all, he'd been through, there may be merit in somewhat believing the supernatural. Such a coincidence like this out of the left field was too fateful to be a coincidence.

But be that as it may, though he once shared the man's ideals in the past, the same couldn't likely be said of their methods. For when he took it upon himself to change the world, this man sought out a cursed artefact to change it for him. His duties still stood. So he spoke once more.

"May I ask one more thing of you, Emiya Kiritsugu." The boy wasn't asking. In fact, he smiled as if Kiritsugu already gave him a 'yes' and just pressed the gun further into Maiya's cranium as a threat if he refused. "Do you really think your dream is so impossible as to be achieved by normal means? Do you honestly believe there would be no other way but to resort to using the Holy Grail for your desire?" Wasting time was not an option. But there was a yearning curiosity within. 'Answer me. Are you like me… or are you…?'

"Yes." The dreamer of a mercenary assassin stated with a jaded expression. "A world without wars is only attainable through the power of the Grail. When I attain it, there'd be no need for any other solution. Much less continue to act on it through human means."

'Ah… So you really are…' The boy sighed as he replied. "For 'human means' are merely a futile struggle with no end in sight. Considering you'd have to continue murdering all who stand in the way of peace, yes? I agree with your logic, however, I shall have to disagree with your methods."

"What?"

Lelouch's smile all but vanished. Replacing it was a cold stare. One without but certainly devoid of compassion. "You would wish for the Grail to stop all humans in the world from fighting. You demand the impossible, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"Do you take me for a fool, brat? Why else would I seek an omnipotent wish-granting device?!"

'Because you had given up on humanity in the first place…' Lelouch didn't bother verbalizing it.

War was hell itself. There was no hope to be had on one, no matter the noble goal. A single death was the tragic loss of another. Be it, civilians or soldiers, no one was safe. There were no heroes. Just people who paid the price of victory at various degrees.

'But unlike you who'd chosen to throw all your cards into this one gambit… I struggled to control everything.'

Humanity has never openly recognized its flaws as truth for eras long past. Billions upon trillions of the bygone ages had their lives ruined for the sake of something or other. But that was when no one controlled every single one of them. Each time a conflict began, there'd be a dazzling hero leading the charge but also blinding all to the horrors of their deeds. Of that, Arturia Pendragon was one. Every time war ended, people convinced themselves it had to be done but break down when the reasons they fought were worth the very dirt they spilt blood on. Of that, Suzaku used to be.

But Lelouch wasn't like that. He was more… pragmatic about it.

"True human nature has never advanced a step beyond the Stone Age!" Kiritsugu then proclaimed. "It is because human nature itself is flawed. That is what I seek to rectify!"

'And that is where you have failed humanity…'

Human nature implied humanity. Humanity implied the nature of civilization as a whole. There would be no end to man fighting man for there was no end to human beings seeking their wants. Wants beget envy. Envy begets conflict. Over. And over. And over. And over… Human beings would lie, cheat, steal, and take away from one another.

But, so what? What was wrong with being human? What was so wrong with wanting one thing so much that you'd kill for it? Anyone would kill for the sake of their own, especially those they loved and cherished the most. What was wrong with that?

Murder? Sanctity of life? Those are just excuses made by someone who wasn't willing to stain their hands in blood and guilt. If one actually cared about such, they wouldn't trample on the dreams of others.

But in the end, that's what made them humans. Flawed, selfish, greedy, but also honourable, loyal, and willing to die for a cause they believed in… like martyrs.

Which was why he didn't get why the man was angered when the former emperor stated thusly and disappointedly. "Such a naive look on your face, Emiya. To have such an opinion on humanity's oldest and most humane trait. I dare say, you lack creative vision."

Kiritsugu blinked once. Then twice before he muttered. "What…?"

"'Creative vision', my dear selfless hero." The boy let slip a small smirk before schooling his features regally. "That narrow-minded mentality of yours fails to look at the bigger picture. War is hell, yes. To that, I shall not argue. However, you fail to accept it as a fact of human nature. And because of that, I find your dream a pointless endeavour."

"Don't you dare—NGH!" The clicking of a gun safety being turned off had Maiya, who'd been silent until Lelouch's comment, going quiet as she stared into the barrel of a pistol.

"I will dare to insult such a desire, my dear, because I have such a fond respect for humans who live their day-to-day life struggling every step of the way." Turning to Kiritsugu, he continued. "War is hell, yes. But it is through war and conflict that those oppressed can finally break free from their oppressors. Tell me, how many people have you killed fought only to free themselves from someone else? Surely a professional killer has had much experience in putting down small rebellions, or am I wrong?"

Emiya Kiritsugu should've denied it. But he didn't. Perhaps, there was a kernel of truth to that assumption.

Yes, Lelouch denied the man's dream. Not because he disliked a peaceful world, but for the fact, it was built on the same foundation as his greatest foe's own dream.

"The world isn't simply coloured in either black or white. As a fully-functioning adult, more so one who has been paid in blood money, you yourself should understand that fact most of all. Revolution and rebellions aren't always started out of mere human selfishness. They are not always won by heroes nor are the sacrifices ever forgotten by the victors. In the same vein, fighting for one's freedom from oppression can't be equated to a fight for survival. Even the Stone Ages you reference was a time when people fought tooth and nail for the sake of limited resources and adequate living spaces."

"The Grail will then answer the unspoken question!" Kiritsugu refuted. It was certainly sounding hypocritical when the man didn't deny participating in the cycle of conflict. "Why do people fight, why do they resort to violence… the cup will give me the solution to end that pointlessness!"

"I will not disagree with your views, you would-be ally of justice, however," the boy shook his head as if he was speaking to a child and not the other way around. "War is a mode of diplomacy reserved for when talking is no longer an option."

War was not always done out of greed or pride. There were certain aspects to it done out of necessity. Food and homes were just a couple but also unavoidable. Harsh climates and famines in the past weren't fully understood, yet many still died due to the destitute desperately seeking the riches of the well-off. And who was to blame but the corrupted nature of self-serving humans?

But saying so didn't mean humans themselves were in the wrong for being human.

Humanity wasn't innocent. It lashed out at the unknown but tried to present itself civilly in the face of injustice. When pushed to the point of hopelessness, it will resort to biting its own arm off for the sake of survival. But of course, that wasn't always the case. Nothing was ever that simple. Nothing.

"War is a part of humanity. Human conflict is natural to us. It is no different from breathing. Certainly, since the early days of our species, we have fought over countless pointless things. But pointless to us only in hindsight. Many of those in the past have committed mistakes because they neither knew nor fully comprehended their situation. The same happens every day. But we still move on. During peace, we assess the damages and grow better as people. Upon the eve of conflict, we reassess our flaws that led up to the conundrum. This has been the tried and tested method that has helped humans evolve and advance. Certainly, it was born out of murderous and overly-ambitious desires, but could your nation be the way that it was today had history's greatest conquerors not left their mark? Will you wish the same if it meant the eradication of what already is and what is meant to be?"

"I do not intend to change the past!" spat the man. The boy's preaching had no effect as Kiritsugu sounded more emotional than before. "Such a naïve way of thinking won't ever improve humanity no matter how good the intentions. My desire is for a peaceful future! And the people who inherit it!"

"Any peace, be it long or short, will soon be replaced by another war. It is only natural for no man can ever hold the world together." Kiritsugu looked about to refer to the Grail once more, but Lelouch beat him to it. "Say you use the Grail. Then what? You have to take away the notion of war and you are left with people who cannot always act on their desires. If a nation that has been asked to share their resource refuses, then the ones who are in dire need of it die. If a government oppresses its citizens but the people cannot rebel, they suffer."

"The Grail will have a better answer than that!" Kiritsugu defended. "An omnipotent object capable of granting any desire is beyond human understanding—!"

"Then let's take an inhuman solution and put it to the test, shall we? Say you use the Grail and take away human desires. Then, and only then, will your wish succeed? If everyone is content, you need only give them what they need. But that is simply stagnation. An eternal lack of progress. A standstill in time. Surely, people will never die of wanton destruction or violence. But would you ask billions of people to go about their lives as they always have been? Now and forever the same."

The cursed Grail would never be able to accomplish anything good. Say it does answer the man's wish, then what? How will it do so?

Reminiscing of the man he'd once feared, and the mother he once sought vengeance for, there was no worse-off solution than being forced into eternity. Even if it was supposed to be a paradise for all, living and dead.

"What would you know?!" The man's gun shook slightly, hinting at disgruntlement. Or confusion. "How could you possibly understand the horrors that I and millions of people experience because of injustice?!"

"Just as I know little to nothing about you, so too will you not understand me," Lelouch muttered under his breath, resigned. However, he added. "Regardless of my views then, how do you think the Grail would respond to your request?"

Kiritsugu… didn't answer. Of course, he wouldn't. Not even Matou Zouken knew how the Grail functioned to its fullest extent. Only that it did. Of all the participants in the Grail War, Lelouch hoped the Einzberns, the ones responsible for the device itself, knew what the supposed Third Magic would entail. But seeing their representative falter like this… It was disappointing.

"I am not a magus. That much is clear." He admitted calmly. "I have no understanding of your Grail's Third Magic, this… Heaven's Feel. But what I do know is your wish. And? How do you suppose the Grail will carry out your dream? Will it force your wish upon mankind? Will you have it change their values and take away their free will? Get rid of all desires or notions of conflict in the name of eternal justice?"

"What… that's…"

"Will you strip them of their very flaws, what makes humanity human? Changed them all into something else no different from cattle living idly in the field? To tear away any and all of the other humans' own wishes?"

"What, what are you talking about?" Kiritsugu was confused, but Lelouch didn't care.

"Please answer me directly, Emiya Kiritsugu." The boy—no. The Eighth Master, Lelouch Lamperouge stated. The air about him shifted from debating to the regality of his former lineage. More judging than observing, as if attempting to discern just how similar Kiritsugu was to himself… or Charles zi Britannia. "How do you intend to change the world? What is your desired method to bring peace upon this sinful planet?"

The boy waited, quietly reassuring in muted silence that nothing would happen should the man actually need to give it some thought. So Kiritsugu did.

The boy had come to many conclusions about the man's wishes. Apart from his parent's own sentiment, there were many solutions to bring about a 'peaceful world'.

But the one thing he couldn't abide by was the eradication of 'humanity' itself. That which allowed human flaws to create happy mistakes and moments, that allowed him to meet his friends and colleagues, that allowed his sister to live a content and happy life by his side…

Lelouch couldn't—nay, wouldn't allow the removal of human nature itself. It was why he loved his sister. Why did he care for her? Why he fought for her well-being and the future of their own world. If something were to take that away from not just him but the denizens of this world as well… he wouldn't allow it.

Not if it'd mean the fulfilment of Charles' and Marianne's dream for a single person that didn't deserve an eternity of anything. A paradise-disguised hell. Even if she wasn't here, no doubt Nunnally would wish for him to stop that at all cost.

"You don't really know, do you?" When the man's gun dropped to his side, Lelouch figured out he had no proper answer to the question. Disappointment filled the boy's core. "I expected more from a man who devoted themselves to such a dream, Magus Killer, yet it seems as though you'd given up entirely for the sake of the easy way out. And here I thought you'd be more resolved to carry the martyrial burden you've taken up for yourself."

Why did the man look so broken? Just how much did he lose to have jaded him so? Where was the human ambition? The fervent desire to succeed? Where was the fiery passion only seen in another person when they were so close to achieving their goals?

'Perhaps… we aren't so alike after all.' The assessment caused his excitement to die down. For once, he thought he'd been thoroughly cheated. What he thought he found was a firm rebel against the cruelty of the world. 'But what I found was actually a man broken into submission, resorting to anything and everything so long as it was satisfactory…'

A man who would cruelly toss aside their loved ones if it was for the sake of reaching a contenting conclusion. A man just like his father. Had Emiya Kiritsugu actually shown such promise, such a difference to the man Lelouch feared the most, he might've given him a chance to live.

"A brat like you would never understand!" Maiya, who'd been behaving since her earlier would-be outburst, spat in the boy's face. "You know nothing, bastard!"

"Hm," Lelouch smiled lightly. Nostalgia flitted to his expression but only for a bare moment before looking at her. "I know a lot of things, miss assistant assassin. In regards to your accomplice's dream, in regards to his methods, all of that which you desire from the Grail, I know. Believe me or not, this is the truth." He then turned to face Kiritsugu once more. Gone was the smile. What remained was a scowl. "However, after hearing all that you have to say, I believe I have to reevaluate my plans."

Meaning time was up. Just as Kiritsugu concluded it, a rhetorical question was asked of the man.

"Earlier, I gave you a choice, didn't I? Order the suicide of my ancestor, Saber, or betray your camp and divulge the location of the Lesser Grail. But seeing as you'd chosen neither, I'll take it as your resolve to continue no matter the cost."

"Of course," the man answered but looked tired as all hell as he did.

"Pity." The boy met his gaze. Bored violet orbs stared into jaded black. "Apologies, Emiya Kiritsugu, but I'm afraid negotiations end here."

He pressed his gun to Maiya's temple once more, prompting Kiritsugu to raise his own at the boy. They stared at each other in muted silence. Lelouch however couldn't help but maintain his gaze on the man, as if searching for something more to Kiritsugu than his observations gave him. But, in the end, such a long pause was wasted. For when he committed to getting rid of all of them here and now—

BOOM

An explosion rocked the entire building.

"What the—?!" "Hng?!"

Considering how the boy himself was just as openly surprised as he, the trained assassin within Emiya Kiritsugu quickly discerned that this wasn't a part of Lelouch's plan. Meaning this was the opening he was looking for.

"Time Alter—" Lelouch heard the muttering, feeling the temperature drop a few degrees as magical energy coalesced towards the mercenary's magic casting. "Square—"

However, he didn't get to hear the man finish. At that moment, the ceiling above them cracked and burst.

BANG

A desperate shot rang out, but it only struck the glass, breaking it but not piercing through. With widened eyes, both Lelouch and Kiritsugu could do nothing as black mud spilt from the cracks, consuming them all.

---

The roof of the Community Centre.

Observing the night life of Fuyuki City from the top of the highest building currently, Nobunaga exhaled deeply, a wide smile plastered on the redhead's face.

The war's zenith was upon them. Just now, she'd received Lulu's report that he'd made contact with the Magus Killer. With his many contingencies in place, there was no way either of his hostages or their final foe himself would escape. Though, if they couldn't win but tried to bring her Master down with them, she was already prepared to swoop in and save him.

'I won't allow anyone to hurt you…'

She kept such thoughts to herself and out of their mental link. She need not distract him with her romantic musings when the boy already knew how she felt. As both of them had suffered when they were alive, now that the two Demons had sworn themselves together, neither would allow the other to be hurt. Not ever again.

Speaking of potential dangers to her significant other…

"My, oh my. And here I hoped the mad knight actually bested you, little girl." Nobu smirked when she felt the presence of the last servant behind her. Glee filled the Demon King's voice as she addressed the King of Knights herself. "Ara? You seem to have lost some of your drive, Saber! Has the meeting with Lancelot, your devoted-friend-turned-madman shocked you so?"

Arturia wasn't in the mood for any banter, teasing or otherwise. Her eyes were devoid of patience and amusement. The fight with her old friend and knight had seemingly drained her mentally. Her quiet stare back was cold, almost lifeless. But upon hearing Berserker's true name, she narrowed her gaze comparable to the point of her invisible blade.

"… You… You knew about Sir Lancelot?"

"Yes. During my Master's whimsical jaunt to assist his own, the chivalrous maniac revealed his sword and I, having been blessed with information from the Throne, instantly recognized it. So? Tell me! How did it feel, fighting an old comrade from the past?" Nobu couldn't help her expression turning a little sadistic as she could see her words ruffling more than a few feathers. "How does it feel to mete out justice upon one of your many traitors responsible for your downfall? Did you feel relief or satisfaction upon delivering divine punishment? Come now and share! I'm curious!"

For Nobunaga, killing traitors was a matter of necessity. Many times, she'd been betrayed and her dreams and goals crushed. It was only deserving she, the Demon that commanded her own Hell, would find enjoyment in fiving their just deserts.

However, she too was curious if others felt the same. Unlike Lelouch who took things in stride, betrayal and all, the idle curiosity concerning those not them still remained. So her assumptions said that it should be the same for the King of Knights whose own trusted circle, the great Round Table, shattered into civil war.

However, whereas Avenger who drew her power from a seeped-in desire for vengeance hence the name of the class, Saber was apparently different. The girl who pretended to be King glared hard at Nobunaga.

"Don't you dare compare me to yourself, Avenger!" she spat with a hint of venom. "I never once took pleasure in killing my enemies. And neither shall I find satisfaction in slaying my old friend, betrayer or not! Sir Lancelot… did as his chivalry dictated. Through dishonouring me, he'd fulfilled his duty as a knight. On his honour, an enemy in this conflict he may be, I will never look down on him for what he did to me. Nor will I stand for you to insult him further!"

Avenger's smile turned into a disappointed scowl. Her innocent, albeit not entirely so, the question was answered with the tip of a blade. "Ah, is that so? And here I thought you and I could've had something in common, King Arthur."

"You are wrong. We are nothing alike." Saber glared at her as she raised her blade near her face, readied for a swing. "We will never be alike!"

"So you may think, yes? Even though both of us sought to unify the bicker clans of our tiny island and create a prosperous nation that would've lasted for centuries, we are nothing alike!" Avenger laughed as she started to walk around the tiny knight, giggling mockingly every step of the way. "Both of us had been betrayed by our most trusted and died as a result of it. Both of us failed to carry out our greatest ambition for our people. Yes, in all respects, we are not alike."

"I will restate myself then." Visibly ticked, Saber replied. "In life, our actions and ambitions were somewhat alike. However, unlike yourself, I would never stoop as low as to desire vengeance upon another. I would never forego my ideals to become a spirit of vengeance like yourself, Avenger!"

"No, you wouldn't." Nobunaga shook her head as she agreed. "You're the idiotic type to do something more outlandish. Instead of mulling in hate and anger like any human being would, you'd go for something more… self-destructive! Yes, that's the word! Oh, how dramatic! The great King of Knights, the paragon of virtue, demanding to wish herself out of existence for the sake of people long gone!"

Arturia narrowed her eyes as she spits back. "And what of your wish, bastard woman?! Wishing to incarnate only to bring about death and destruction to the human realm once more?! Have you learned nothing during your life as a tyrant?"

"Tyrant? Oh please! I didn't have time to properly act like one! But that will change soon." Nobu giggled. "Japan and more will become mine. Soon, this world will be all of mine and Lelouch's to rule. Quite dramatic, don't you think? The best power couple of demons openly ruling over these foolish mortals."

This time Arturia actually stopped to stare inquisitively with widened eyes. "You… and Lelouch? Together?"

"What's the matter? Something wrong with two soulmates finding one another during wartime? Is it that hard to believe such an open proclamation? Or perhaps you're jealous of our bond? If fate does exist, then she is the one who allowed us to meet." Nobunaga's tone exuded childish glee, convincing Saber of her genuine emotions while also weirding out she who'd never once experienced actual love. "Ah, how so much of a trickster, fate is! To have my beloved's predecessor look so appalled that I've been proposed to by her descendant!"

"Is that an attempt to mock me, wench?!"

"Ahahaha! So my ancestor-in-law has really taken a dislike to me? The modern era's tropes for romantic drama is very much on point, isn't it?!"

The redhead's prattling not only caught Arturia off guard, but it had also infuriated her slightly. Though her Master-Servant relationship was kept a closely-guarded secret, the fact that many of the other participants in this war ranged from romantic to cordial to somewhat obedient had her a bit ticked off. Even Lancer, though not getting the best of the bunch, at least had a Master that ordered him to fight in his stead. Kiritsugu abandoning her to the wayside for most of the war annoyed her when the woman before her looked so much like a girl lost in love.

"Speaking about my future darling…" Nobunaga's expression was no different from fiancée who was about to walk to the altar, yet the air still sharpened as she materialized a katana and pointed it at Saber. "You might be the closest thing to a relative Lelouch has in this world. Though you aren't directly related, I would still demand tribute from you as a gift to our union."

"Even now, you'd dare to jest?!" Saber shifted her stance to a defensive one.

"On the contrary, no, my dear ancestor-in law! A dowry is no joke, especially in Japan. Well, not in my time, anyway." The air about Nobunaga sizzled and flared as a red aura akin to hellfire encompassed her. "Still, I shall forgive your tardiness if you'd surrender something worth the delay. Either your legendary sword or your head will suffice, King of Knights."

"Your marriage be damned, I will not surrender my wish, Avenger!" Excalibur flitted to view for but a second before a gale erupted, hiding the golden light of the holy sword. "Even if your intentions towards my progeny are anything but pure, I still have no choice but to ward off a deranged vixen such as yourself from a future king of Britain."

"Stop being so dramatic and give us your blessing, mother-in-law! Or should it be a father?!"

"Shut your trap already, loudmouthed tramp!"

Smiling gleefully that Saber finally gave in to bantering, even if it was just playing overly-resistant in-law trope, Nobunaga relented all she had. For the last battle between the last two Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War, nothing would be held back. Not anymore.

But so lost were they to the heat of battle that neither noticed the trouble that befell either of their Masters in the floors below.

---

Pain seared his being. There was only pain burning all throughout his body. The cause? It was the mud that he and his foe had been bathed in.

"What… is this?"

Kiritsugu coughed as he examined the bloody black muck that pooled around him. But rather than blood, it was more apt to call it mud. Upon one's touch, it burned slightly. Even his damp clothes soaked with the stuff felt heavy, almost as if the grime of the liquid was weighing it down more than it should have.

But all thoughts of the pain and mud drifted away when he lifted his gaze and spotted something glowing up above. Golden majestic rays shone down on his head as his eyes beheld the instrument to his goals. There, hovering in the sky, the golden cup awaited.

"The Grail…" he muttered to himself. 'Which means… Iri's already…'

No, he couldn't waste time on that. He had to claim it before anyone else could—

"And just where do you think you're going?" As soon as he made to lift himself onto his feet, the sound of a gun clicking at the ready caught his attention.

Lelouch Lamperouge, looking a little worse for wear, eyed him cautiously. On one hand, he had a gun trained on Kiritsugu's chest. In the other…

"Agh!" Maiya gasped as blood escaped the corner of her lips, or was it the mud, as Lamperouge carried her around, arms no longer bound but still limp at her sides.

From where Kiritsugu sat, he could see she was still in pain. But unlike earlier, when she could stomach it, now she was actually fighting back tears as her wounds continued to smoke and blacken by the second. The mud that seeped into it appeared to be cauterizing, or perhaps it was worsening her situation? Even her ropes looked to have been singed or crusted away.

Either or, she looked to be on the cusps of death, but that didn't stop the brat from using her as a human shield against him.

"To think the Lesser Grail was in Lady Irisviel's hands all this time. Or rather, it was within her…" The boy snidely commented, still feigning being in control of the situation. "I guess I should've just killed her from the start. Save myself the trouble of unnecessarily having to deal with you."

That caught Kiritsugu's attention. "You… would have the Grail destroyed?"

"Of course." The boy's eyes flitted above once then returned to meet Kiritsugu's. "Had I known the cursed Grail was within your employer all this time, I would've ended this farcical conflict with a swift stroke and saved everyone the time of battling it out for false promises."

'False…?' The mercenary assassin eyed the brat carefully.

Even now, saying all he had, the boy continued to use the half-dead Maiya as a barrier between them. But all the while, Kiritsugu noted the boy's slow retreat away from him. That spoke volumes of how much on guard Lelouch Lamperouge was against his foe.

'Saber, report your situation.'

In a surprising turn of events, the Master who'd continuously ignored his Servant for the longest time broke the mental link silence. And, as soon as the young knight recovered from her momentary shock to respond curtly of her even battle against Avenger, Kiritsugu sighed.

Conditions for his win had never been so perfect until now.

"Earlier, you mentioned that all of us Masters had lost before the War had even begun." Kiritsugu kept a steady, unflinching gaze towards Lamperouge. "Care to elaborate?"

"Would you even listen to the one who openly mocked your dream?" the boy remarked with a smirk, but that vanished when Kiritsugu returned solemn silence. "Would you believe me if I told you that the Grail you seek is cursed? Corrupted? Would you accept it as fact if I told you that something has been wrong even before the first Servants were summoned?"

"What do you mean 'corrupted'? Iri had never mentioned any of that."

"Such familiarity… I guess it really wasn't just an 'employer-employee' relationship." The boy's mumbling went ignored before he continued. "I doubt Lady Einzbern, or any of their kinsmen, knew of the corruption beforehand. Had they realized it, they wouldn't have gone through this folly when a parasite had latched itself onto the cup, tainting it, changing it."

"Where's your proof?" Kiritsugu demanded.

"Why, look around you, Mister Hero," the boy's smile was as devilish as it was taunting. "If the Holy Grail is such a glorious prize, why does it spill a muck that eats away at all?"

Kiritsugu paused at that before sparing his surroundings a glance. Truth to the boy's words, the walls and flooring were damaged. But unlike the results of a simple flooding, there was a clear distinction between the burn marks on the plaster as well as the seemingly melting glass. Maiya's wounds themselves were clearly getting worse, and even Kiritsugu himself felt a bit drained. Like he'd been doused with a depressant slowly eating away at his life force.

"A monstrous 'hero' of a Caster. An Eighth Master and Servant. What's more, a new Servant class is far different from the established ones. Though I cannot speak of the past wars, wouldn't you say something had been off from the start?"

No. Kiritsugu wouldn't deny it. However, the boy was wrong in many parts of his assertions. "You're mistaken, Lelouch Lamperouge."

"Eh?"

"Caster isn't so much of an anomaly as he is a usual occurrence. The Grail's definition of heroes include twisted amalgamations and different interpretations of their legends. Berserker is a prime example. As for Caster, Bluebeard was a hero himself once. Until he'd lost the only one who mattered to him most. As for your Servant, there has been an Avenger class before. But unlike your own, that one had fallen quite easily in the Third Grail War."

Kiritsugu gathered his od and prepared himself for one last gambit. Raising his voice slightly, he garnered a reaction from Maiya. She was still conscious, albeit barely. But if she could move, then…

"And another thing. Though you may say the Grail has been corrupted, you do not have concrete proof of anything. Only conjecture. That's why I won't let you get away!"

With a momentary cry, he darted for his gun. The Contender had been discarded from his person not a few meters away, but with his training, he could make a run for it.

BANG

A gunshot rang followed by a splash of mud near his foot, but that didn't deter the hardened killer. Nothing would. Clicking the gun's chamber open, he pulled out the empty cartridge of his earlier missed shot.

"Persistent bastard—" "Aaaaaaagh!" "—NGH!"

A quick glance to the boy, and Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed. Maiya had pushed through back to the world of the living to distract the brat one last time. "Do it now! Kiritsugu!"

CLICK

'Saber, distract her now!' He conveyed his second command to his Servant. At the same time, the Contender turned to his target: the back of his most loyal tool, as well as one of the few who truly understood him. 'Sorry… Maiya…'

BANG

"Agh!" "GAH!"

The shot struck true, piercing through Maiya who grunted her last with a smile and then hitting the brat with half the force of a sniper rifle. Lelouch Lamperouge collapsed to the mud beneath him, wounded in the lower abdomen but trapped under the weight of a corpse.

There was no way he'd escape now.

"Damn… it…!" the brat coughed with widened eyes. Kiritsugu had approached, looming over the boy with a gun trained on his head. "Ah… I see… Checkmate… for me… is it?"

"You don't sound surprised," Kiritsugu, sounding bored, clicked the gun ready. "Or did you already expect your ancestor to break her code of chivalry?"

That was correct. Via his mental link, he'd ordered Saber to distract Avenger through any means necessary. With as much imagination as a teenager could think of under pressure, a verbal threat to release Excalibur into the building and killing her Master alongside them all had caused Avenger to hesitate for a moment.

It was that very moment that Lelouch Lamperouge was caught. And it was because of that lapse in judgement on the Servant's part that her Master now had a gun pointed to his head.

"To think… this is how… I go… the second time…" The boy exhaled lightly, blood escaping his own lips. "Not being stabbed… but shot…"

Kiritsugu said nothing as he met the brat's eyes. With a practised motion, he pulled the trigger.

BANG

The boy's head fell flat to the mud, sporting a new hole through his left eye socket. Dead as can be, his last foe was gone. And very soon, his Servant would fade away.

He'd won.

Kiritsugu had finally won!

But… at what cost?

His gaze drifted to the other corpse nearby. Turning over Maiya, there was a soft smile gracing her usual stoic features. Even in death, she was still able to smile in a way that cut through Kiritsugu's core more painful than she could stab a knife through him.

The man let out a dry sigh, stifling any and all tears for the departed. There was time to grieve later. Right now, he had to claim the Grail.

Shutting his apprentice's eyes to allow her a peaceful eternal rest, Kiritsugu rushed out of the destroyed hall to find a still-standing staircase. With how high the Grail floated up above, he needed to get closer in order to access it.

In his rush, he failed to notice the black mud claim the boy's body as it dragged him into its shadowy depths.

---

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Pain wracked his body. Specifically, his left eye.

Gasping for air, it took a long while before Lelouch noticed that he was still alive. Or, he knew he was for what else could he be?

Still, to experience such a realistic gunshot to the eye but still clearly be able to see, something was wrong. Only, he didn't notice in his panicked rage.

"Dammit! I was so close!" So close, yet so far. He'd been distracted by the man's asking for the truth. After a quick debate whether he should or not, his arrogance in allowing the man to hear some of what he knew before killing him bit Lelouch back in the ass. Only, he couldn't be angry at Emiya for it entirely. 'Curses… I should've just shot him…'

But be that as it may, right now he needed to contact Nobu. His vengeful daimyo no doubt realized his mistake as soon as he did and he needed to calm her before she burned down the city.

But at this very moment, Lelouch froze.

His eye, the one that was shot, still saw. His vision continued to adjust to the darkness until finally, he was able to recognize his surroundings.

And just that thought alone, apart from his still being alive after receiving a headshot wound, was what caused his very soul to freeze in time.

'What… the… Where… where am I?' The Demon Emperor found himself inside a familiar room. Straightened sheets, a simplistic and well-organized study desk. A shelf fool of study and research material. Walls that looked bland and lacked the décor that was expected of any teenage high school student.

It was the very same room he spent years living in during his time as a normal student.

Ashford Academy… The clubhouse building… His assigned bedroom… Home…

The only thing missing was the green-haired goblin that normally claimed his bed on the pretence that a gentleman would accede to a lady and take the floor.

'This… is impossible!' His mind raced for an explanation, but no one could explain it at all. 'What is… going on?!'

"I heard some noise." A voice, a very familiar one, called out from beyond the door. "Milly is that you?"

'No… No!' Even more than before, Lelouch's breath hitched as he jolted to his feet, tripping onto the floor. 'It… It can't be—!'

It was then that the door opened… and a familiar person, one he'd never forget in all his years ever again, strolled in, driving her wheelchair to a stop before him.

'No…' Bright purple eyes stared back into Lelouch's jaded own. 'Please… don't…'

His reason for living stared long and hard as did he. The one for whose sake he became a hero and monster clasped a hand to cover her mouth. Tears escaped her eyes that could now see as the once-helpless girl whose smile was the light that could always brighten his life exclaimed with happiness she'd never exuded before.

"B-big… brother—?"

The sight of her disbelieving expression tore through Lelouch's heart as tears started to form in his own eyes. Whispering her name, his voice broke.

"Nunnally…"

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This is the big one and I hope you enjoyed it.

Many things happened in this chapter. Nobu fighting Rider over the title and winning it. Zerkelot having his duel with Arturia. Kiritsugu and Lelouch arguing over the meaning of war and how it is part of human nature. About how Kiritsugu's wish is not too different from what Lelouch's parents wanted to force on the world. And of course, Nobu asking for blessing from Arturia (no doubt if it was Mordred, Arturia wouldn't even care :D)

I can talk about those things or I can talk about actually important stuff. Namely, the reasons behind this fanfic existence. There are two reasons but right now I will reveal one of them. Back in 2020, I became interested in Fgo (grave mistake) and that was when I saw the Avenger Nobunaga. I was so captured by her design that I started to read about the real deal Nobunaga and soon was reading his life history. Soon, I started playing Fgo NA, so yeah, Nobu made me join this salty hell :D But beyond that, I wanted to roll for her and heard about how some players will perform strange and weird things to summon their wanted servant, catalysts they are called. And so I decided to do it too but in a different way. Many of you probably already figured out what was my catalyst :D

This fanfic is my catalyst for Avenger Nobunaga and it worked! ( LvL 100, NP 1, 10/10/10)

So yeah, thanks to special thanks to ReavesTheReader for making this chapter amazing!

Anyway, until the next chapter!

The end of the fourth war is near.