Chapter 4
Converging of Wills
What defines heroism? The bravery of a person to stand in the face of evil? Or perhaps the stubbornness of a person to carry out their wills?
No, heroism is purely subjective as is good and evil. If one sees someone as heroic in their character and actions, another may see evil or a detrimental trait. Therefore, what makes a heroic spirit in the eyes of humanity or to the world?
Heroism, heroic, and hero are mere winds uttered in a pattern that only other humans and their creations can only understand. Therefore, the world does not have a definition of heroism.
The throne of heroes, a collection of humanity's greatest, is not the collection of humanity's greatest heroes but the collection of humanity's greatest humans. Villians, monsters, and pure evil are therefore recorded forever into the throne of heroes.
As long as people have seen, seeing, and will see their deeds as a great source of inspiration or larger-than-life motive, they will be recorded in the Throne of Heroes.
Therefore, even the most despicable of people can be found there and be summoned as a servant. Like, the golden bastard standing arrogantly before her.
Many shining golden circles at his back, ready to spew out its vast treasury.
In his hand, he held one of her Storch Ritter familiars, its form trying to squirm from his grasp.
"You are late, doll," he said, a look of irritation clearly on full display on his face as he crushed the familiar. "Do not test my patience."
Illyasviel felt a bit of a chill up her neck, feeling the full weight of the King of Heroes' anger. Yet, with a discreet glance at Berserker's back, confidence brimmed once again within her. "A gentleman waits for the lady, do they not?" she shot back, a practiced smile on her face.
"The world does not wait on the whims of women, doll."
A cultural conflict, one of the most destructive sources of conflict, was now brewing between them. A tense standoff occurred between the strongest archer and the strongest master.
"Tell me, how do you feel about Saber's fate?" she inquired, doing her best to diffuse the tension between them.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow at Illyasviel's words, a look of minor waterways interest replacing his previous irritation. "Oh? Tell me, doll, what makes you think I hold opinions on them?"
"I am not just a homunculus," Illyasviel said as she brought her hands from behind her and presented a book to the king. "After all, I have a father."
"I see, you're a spawn of the previous master of saber," the king noted with budding interest as he approached her. "Then I suppose that makes you less human than before."
The snow-haired Einzbern took the insult in stride, taking a step forward to the approaching Gilgamesh. "I suppose you are right, I am less than human. That makes me more of a perfect magus," she boasted, twisting the insult into a compliment.
"You have a lot of confidence for a doll who hides behind a beast." Gilgamesh continued his stride unimpeded, neither slowing down nor speeding up in pace towards her.
"For the king of heroes, your attitude does not match up with the definition of heroism."
"Heroism is purely subjective, mongrel. If a king does not carry himself in confidence, then how can he ever become a hero?"
"If Berserker kills you, does that mean he becomes the king of heroes?"
"Your jest is not amusing."
By this point, Gilgamesh stopped just right in front of Berserker. His crimson eyes burrowing into the mad servant's golden.
Suddenly, a loud bang rang out as a weapon from one of the gates shot from its opening. The sudden noise alerted Illyasviel, making her flinch a bit.
Sending a glance to her left, the point impact was the wall. However, instead of a smooth grey concrete wall, she found merely rubble and an empty storage room of a closed business.
The spear that had shot from Gilgamesh's gate pierced an insect of some sort, its body crushed underneath the sheer mass of the blade.
"Tell me, doll, what do you hope to accomplish?" the king asked his gaze not even flickering to the newfound rubble.
"To eliminate an enemy servant, of course," Illyasviel said, dismissively.
"Do not lie to me, doll," Gilgamesh threatened with a deep glare directed at the small girl. "I am not a servant for you to command."
"Now, I never commanded you, did I?"
Suddenly, an ominous presence loomed from the entrance of the alleyway from which Illyasviel just came. A presence too ominous it was utterly repulsive and repugnant in feeling. Her skin started to crawl with a slight hint of fear.
"It looks like the whore has appeared," Gilgamesh noted as he dissipated his gates and turned to face the new arrival.
Illyasviel, meanwhile, felt her heart twist as a feeling of utter fear and disgust flowed through her body.
"Raaaaah!" Berserker howled, his shrill voice rattling and shattering the glass all around them. He then charged with black and red energy flowing from Tensa Zangetsu.
Only to be countered by the Sword of Promised Victory.
"I see..." Gilgamesh muttered as his eyes narrowed in cooled anger. "You knew the fate of Saber, didn't you, doll?"
"It was just a hunch," she said silently, her mind focus on the fight.
"Do not give me vague answers, doll." The clear edge in his voice expressed his channeled anger
"I-It's rhetorical, is it not?" She bit her lip as she let slip a minor stutter, the utter fear and threat she was feeling from the kingly servant were utterly overwhelming. Damn it Illyasviel! All you had to do was act confident!
She kept her eyes fixated on Berserker's back as he lept backward, almost right upon her, to avoid the shadow.
Gilgamesh merely gave her a long look, a clear look of disgust on his face, seemingly unconcerned with the fight unfolding before him. Suddenly, dozens of Gates of Babylon opened behind him.
Illyasviel, having kept a familiar's eye on Gilgamesh, turned on her heel to face the king. Due to the proximity of him to her, she knew there was no escape.
"Bers-"
"Don't move, doll."
Berserker and Saber fought their way outside of the alleyway and into the deserted street. The previously government-issued curfew and Illyasviel's bounded field did their job and kept people away from the streets. The buildings they destroyed also were vacant in due part to a "gas leak" just a few miles away which prompted all to flee from the city's heart.
This gave free room for the two servants to duke it out.
Berserker's utterly massive advantage in all stats besides intelligence allowed him to bully Saber Alter around the area. Only her sheer ability and durability the only thing keeping her intact.
Yet, the darkened King of Knights' eyes held steadfastly and narrowed as she finished analyzing the wicked-looking servant's moveset.
An utter beast of calamity.
As she was flung high above curtesy of her trying, she righted herself to face the ground and the blindingly fast approaching Berserker.
Power hummed in her corrupted version of the Sword of Promised Victory. Turbulent winds picked up wickedly, the air itself now cutting the clouds in twine.
"Ex... Calibur!" she roared as dark energies burst forth from her blade and formed a massive beam of sheer energy.
The air contorted to her whims as the beam of hot mana burned through without resistance. The attack almost instantaneous in the world's eye.
Yet, Berserker was faster than the attack and with an outstretched hand, a ball of angry red energy gathered at his palm. The world seemed to pause as a foreign legend forcibly overrode the rules of the world. It applied rules of its own upon the world, bending and dominating the will of the planet.
He barely made a grunt of exertion, seemingly conjuring it as easy as breathing.
But even if his attack bent and dominated the will of Gaia, it did not necessarily mean that it was stronger.
Saber's attack was the will of the corruption of the world.
While his attack is merely that of an invader.
A massive explosion rang out as these two attacks collided head-on. Brilliant light contrasting to the dark expanse of night.
Yet, even as this explosion erupted and surrounded them, they did not remain idle.
Saber, unable to effectively traverse on air found herself on the defensive once more as she caught a flash on the corner of her eye.
Moving her blade to counter Berserker's she found herself flung far away from the initial area in which they began. For comparison, where they had started fighting at the heart of Fuyuki City now she found herself in the trees of a forest that can be considered the borders of the Fuyuki district.
Ultimately unfazed by her new location, she stood up in the sizable crater she found herself in and dusted herself a bit. Only the pause to look to her left.
There, she found herself staring into the round eyes of a cockroach.
Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she recognized the mana.
Shirou Emiya found himself looking at the faraway mesmerizing light that was the clash between two legends. His knowledge not truly knowing which servants were currently duking it out.
He then tore his gaze away from the light show to the item he was currently shifting through, Kiritsugu's luggage.
"Did Kiritsugu ever keep a photo of me and Mother?"
No, his foster father did not keep a photo of a girl of Illyasviel's description. Instead, all he found were pictures of a child Kiritsugu and an older woman. There was nothing else besides these few photos.
He looked to the journal snuggly fit inside the luggage and picked it up.
He stared at it, contemplating whether he should proceed or not. He was unsure if the items it recorded were something he wanted to know.
He did not want to find incriminating evidence that tarnished the image he held of the broken man.
He looked behind him which coincidentally was the room in which Sakura usually occupied when she came over.
Whenever she waited for him, whenever she thought he wasn't around... Her eyes held the same feeling within them...
The sense of finality.
He gritted his teeth as frustration welled within him.
"Do not become like me, Shirou..."
What exactly defines justice?
Illyasviel felt her hair billowing as the numerous noble phantasms zoomed past her head. Her heart hammered relentlessly within her chest as the adrenaline was pumped within her.
She fell to her behind as the golden servant approached her.
"Next time you don't do as I say, I will not go out of my way to preserve your life," Gilgamesh stated with annoyance as he strode past her. "Now, blight, you dare invite yourself to a party hosted by me?"
The Einzbern looked behind her to find the utterly repulsive being dressed in black and purple.
"And you took something away that did not belong to you," the king continued as a dozen noble phantasms appeared behind him. "For your transgressions, there is no fitting punishment but the utter destruction of your existence."
Thus with his words said, the most powerful arrows in existence fired themselves towards the being. In instant massive chunks of itself were destroyed, leaving it similar to swiss cheese.
Illyasviel, meanwhile, felt herself getting a bit angsty and irritated. We were supposed to just dispose of Zouken! she thought in utter irritation as she looked to the king. I was hoping to save her execution until after I receive Shirou's resp-
Suddenly she found herself looking at a repulsive sight as a large shadow stretched itself from the being and at Gilgamesh. Acting quickly, the servant moved backward to avoid it.
"Zabaniya!"
From the darkness of the end of the alleyway, a black arm pierced the darkness and reached for Gilgamesh's back.
Only for the hand to be batted away by a swing of a sword courtesy of the king's swordsmanship.
"Damned mongrels! How dare you!"
Illyasviel found herself now involved in a very dangerous situation. Looking to her right, she saw an opportunity to escape the utter chaos now unfolding. Moving towards it, she ran as fast as possible, reinforcing her body with magecraft to enhance her agility.
It seemed to be the right call as dozens upon dozens of portals opened up around the block. Thus, hundreds of noble phantasms were unleashed.
She was flung away as the explosions ensued, forcing her to use her Storch Ritters as a cushion and a shield.
Berserker paused in his pursuit, his body standing high in the sky. Without hesitation, he turned around and was about to use sonido to get to his new destination.
Then a black and purple beam cut through the treeline and hit him. While it merely scorched his body, his attention turned away from his master to Saber once more.
Yet, despite being hit by the attack, he merely remained still. His yellow eyes locking onto Saber's golden eyes.
Then, he vanished in the flash of his sonido.
After all, his master did not call for him and he trusted in her strength.
Down below in the heavily forested area, Saber stood her ground in a wide stance. Her form ready for any all attack that may come her way.
For what she was disadvantaged in stats, she will make up with her skill.
After all, she was merely stalling until her master can eat one of the two great meals of the night.
Swiftly, she pivoted on her heel and parried the blade of her opponent. Yet, instead of full-on locking blades, she ducked underneath the strike and used her left hand to strike at the Berserker's abdomen.
It is like striking steel! she thought with more budding annoyance as she withdrew her fist and braced herself for the imminent counterstrike.
And it was a hell of a counter strike.
Berserker's blade was coated in a wicked black and red energy as he swung sideways. While the side strike itself was amateurish and crude, the sheer power behind it flung Saber far.
Saber remained composed, however, despite the dire circumstances presented to her. She landed on her feet and skidded to a halt, her eyes focusing on the now vanishing Berserker.
Knowing the attack will come from the front, she preemptively pivoted on her left heel to face her previously right side. Dust abruptly was kicked up as a massive crack in the earth opened up where she was previously.
More importantly, Berserker had once again opened his back to her as he had struck downwards in a lunging attack.
Well, she will give him a proper downwards strike.
Her blade was covered in a wind that combined itself with her mana. The fae that once encompassed and converted the blade now was bent to the will and corrupted by the whims of a woman.
A being that bent the world to its whim with its contradiction and the sword that was corrupted beyond recognition that it bent the world of the powerful faes to its whims. Which would prevail?
Excalibur stroke Berserker's back hard, forcing the servant to the ground and creating a massive crater in its wake. The forested area in which they fought now turned into a desolate opening equivalent in size to a stadium.
Blood spilled all over as Saber inflicted a grave wound upon Berserker.
Yet, it only served to enrage rather than hinder the rage-stricken servant. Tensa Zangetsu lit up in black and red energy as it swept for Saber's legs.
Acting swiftly, Saber jumped in the air and aimed her blade downwards, ready to strike Berserker once more.
Yet, with sheer agility and instinct, the mad servant evaded the attack by using sonido to teleport himself at the crater's edge.
Saber stared at the beast as she removed Excalibur from the earth and pointed it at him. A small smile seemingly formed on her face. "Thank you for the gift, master," she said with a growing sense of arrogance as her mana levels rose.
Meanwhile, Berserker's levels remained the same as an air of growing disinterest wafted from him. His eyes looking away from Saber and to the direction of his master.
Illyasviel coughed as the dust picked up from the explosion entered her lungs. Her mental state that in a disorientated and confused state.
Everything was blurry for her as she staggered to her feet, unsure what had transpired beyond the fact that Gilgamesh had unleashed a staggering barrage upon the earth.
"Berserker!" she called out, her voice hoarse and dry, lips chapped, and hair a mess. "Berserker!"
Then quite suddenly, the form of Berserker appeared before her his back towards her as a loud clang of blades rang out. Yet, whoever was fighting with him, the mad servant did not budge and instead flung the assailant back.
"Did you take care of Saber?" she asked as she wiped her eyes of dust with her sleeve.
The mad servant remained silent per usual but the answer appeared sooner than expected as all the dust was suddenly blown away. There, before them was Saber, her blade swirling with energy.
Yet, the corrupted servant did not make a move, actually in complete contrast to that, her blade stopped producing its energy. Behind her, the lumbering shadow of the repulsive being produced a shadow that consumed her. Yet, she did not produce any resistance.
"Please accept my apologies, master," she said to the shadow before disappearing.
"To think you would blame others for your mistaken arrogance of victory," Gilgamesh noted from beside Illyasviel. "For you to not only take a single prized possession of mine but to dare desecrate my body with a mindless dog! The sheer arrogance of your worthless existence disgusts me!"
Illyasviel looked at the kingly servant in horror as she noted his missing arm and bleeding stump. Yet, he paid no mind to her as he took a step towards the being. "This generation of humanity utterly disgusts me with all of your misplaced arrogance!"
Dozens of noble phantasms lined up behind him and fired at the being.
Only for all of them to be deflected by a red spear.
The red spear forged from a giant was later influenced by the spear that slew Jesus Christ. The Longinus of Ireland, the spear representing the mortality of pain and death.
The spear wielded by the gatekeeper of the underworld and the dog of Ulster who fended off an army for many days and nights.
The spear will not allow the world to deny the existence of the wounds it inflicts.
"Yo, is the asshole priest doing well, kingy?" Cu Chulainn asked with a confident smirk, resting his Gae Bolg on his shoulder.
Chapter 4 End
Sorry, not sorry for twisting the story in a way that you would not expect.
Oh, I am curious about what you think Saber was referring to when she said, "Thank you for the gift, master." and "Please accept my apologies, master."
Of course, was referring Sak- the being when she mentions "master" but was curious about your interpretation of what she meant by "the gift".
Anyhow, I apologize for posting late but now that the world is forwarding faster that I have a whiplash of growing towards adulthood, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Though, I think it may be a blessing as I have gained a new experience to write about.
That's why I love Ichigo especially high school Ichigo. The act of feeling lost but "dreaming" of fantasies and longing for power... Yeah, that's why I write Bleach Fanfictions a lot nowadays.
Therefore, I recommend reading "Collision" which will be the combination of the predictions of my future life and the experiences and information it is based upon.
SaveTheWeak, out.
