Chapter 4
Zouken paced about the room, feeling restless. It was getting clear that he was far too advanced in age to be straining his physical body so much and for so long, but he was in such a state of distress that he ignored all signs of extreme fatigue and desperate signals from his body begging him to rest.
He could hardly ever consider resting right now because of the body that was in the room with him.
That body belonged to his 'grandson'.
If one attempted to corroborate the relationship he had with Shinji, it would have been a tough ask, because Matou Zouken is not precisely Shinji's grandfather. In fact, a thorough perusal of the Matou family tree will yield a very peculiar result; the name Zouken would appear once in every two generational rows, with no offspring of his own, and without ever taking a wife. What's even more peculiar in that examination is the fact that the physical description of every Zouken in the Matou family tree is shockingly similar to the description of Matou Zouken the first.
Therefore, any attempt to corroborate the fact that Matou Zouken is actually the grandfather of Shinji would have yielded a very inconclusive result. But this time, it would be far too impossible to even suggest that Shinji is Zouken's grandson.
What's more, it is not even possible to determine if Shinji is human anymore.
Getting up slowly, without the use of his arms to support himself as he got up, he muttered nothing, and was not even showing any signs of life. Blankly, he turned his head slowly at Zouken's direction, who paused for a great deal of time.
"Shinji… kun."
"Master, do you have any orders?" Assassin asked as he materialised behind Zouken. "We have not received any orders for some hours, and there might have been some developments that we could have missed."
"I am hardly in the mood for anything else at this point," came Zouken's curt reply.
"Master, your sudden lack of interest in the War unsettles us," Assassin continued impatiently. "I would like to advise you to get us back out to the battlefield and look out for our opportunities to strike."
Zouken remained unmoved by Assassin's urging and raised his hand weakly, much to Assassin's dismay.
"At least allow us to take action independently until you feel the need to participate again."
"No!" Zouken growled, startling Assassin for a brief moment. "Do not mistake my current condition and think that I am disinterested in the War." Zouken hobbled towards Assassin slowly. "Also, I still do not accept the fact that you had nothing to do with the incident involving Shinji-kun."
"But Master-"
"Spare yourself the trouble," Zouken interrupted dismissively, again to the dismay of Assassin. "I am retiring for the day." Turning around, Zouken hobbled away to his room. "I shall send for you when I am sufficiently rested."
"Listen, Shiro. The timing must be perfect," Rin stressed.
"Ah, I got it," Shiro replied. He let out a deep breath before heading off.
"Do you think it is possible to defeat Lancer that way, based on Archer's strategy?" Saber asked.
"Based on the information gained from Archer, Luvia, and Lord El-Melloi II, we might have a shot at this if we try," Rin replied as she too, took a deep breath.
"If it doesn't work, Shiro might be in danger himself, especially if this does not work against Lancer's Noble Phantasm," Saber replied nervously.
"We have to trust him then, and leave the rest to our luck," Rin concluded as Saber put her arm around Rin and the both of them leapt off.
Trimmau's return from observing the fallout within Bram's faction had provided Lord El-Melloi II and the others with information of Bram's faction's base of operations after Trimmau followed them back from a distance. Archer, in particular seemed to be in a great hurry to take action, mostly due to the fact that he was very intent on continuing his fight with Lancer, and was very much insistent on heading off first. However, Rin was more insistent when she demanded to know more about Lancer and his Noble Phantasm before Archer could leave the mansion.
"Lancer's Noble Phantasm worries me, to be honest," Saber said. Her face was grim and there was a hint of unease in her voice. "If the information we got from Archer, Luvia, and Lord El-Melloi II is accurate, then we are facing a Noble Phantasm far more potent than the Gae Bolg used by the previous Lancer."
"You're right," Rin replied. "After Archer's account of his fight with Lancer, there is only one way that I can think of to prevent Lancer from using his Noble Phantasm."
"It's hardly a strategy that I would have agreed with," Saber replied distastefully. "However, given the situation we are facing, and from everything I have gone through in the past three Wars, I don't see another way around this."
"I'm sure we will not resort to an extreme measure despite the looks of it," Rin sighed. "I am usually not this optimistic, so I guess I must have taken after Shiro after all."
"It's not a bad thing," Saber said, smiling approvingly at Rin. "I have fond memories of the both of you after all."
"Why are you in such a hurry to fight Lancer?" Luvia demanded. "You barely escaped thanks to Berserker, and you are so keen on fighting Lancer all over again!"
"My apologies, Master," Archer replied. "It is not that I am eager to pick a fight with Lancer, nor am I eager to meet my doom, but I am disturbed by Lancer's Noble Phantasm, in truth."
"Eh?" Luvia replied dumbly.
Archer gritted his teeth for a moment. "We're here, Master," Archer finally said, setting Luvia down. "It is imperative that Lancer is taken out of the equation as soon as possible. If he starts using his Noble Phantasm on us, there is no escape."
Luvia sighed. "You're right. Lancer is the one holding the trump card against us all."
"Whatever plans Saber and the kid has, I hope it works for us too," Archer said, turning to face the dilapidated warehouse.
"I know you're here, Lancer!" Archer bellowed. "Let's finish our match!"
"Let us indeed, laddie," Lancer replied, standing upright where he was originally seated on the roof of the warehouse. "I was expecting you after all."
"It's a shame that my onii-sama took a blow meant for me, and that our fight was then interrupted by your leader's sudden withdrawal," Archer replied. "Seeing as to how I am now here, I suppose we can pick up where we left off."
"I'd love to, but unfortunately, I have been ordered to put an end to your leader's plans, therefore I do not have time for idle chatter." Lancer's spear began to glow as he spoke.
"He's serious about ending this right off the bat," Archer whispered to Luvia.
Archer did not manage to finish his sentence when Lancer's spear stopped glowing and he leapt backwards. Saber was seen charging in to stop Lancer from using his Noble Phantasm.
"Oop. Looks like another combatant enters the fray, and I am now at a disadvantage," Lancer quipped.
"Save those jests for yourself, Lancer!" Saber grunted. "Everyone knows that you hold the advantage here!"
Lancer's red eyes quickly narrowed. "Indeed you are right, lassie. Unfortunately, I don't have time to play with all of you because I am under orders."
"I'm not allowing you to use your Noble Phantasm, Lancer!"
"Saber is right," Archer replied.
Lancer cursed under his breath as he had been too busy keeping Saber at bay that he failed to notice Archer taking aim with his bow.
"Fly, and may Apollo rain gold."
"Ceh, what a situation…"
"Toxo Teukros!"
Saber took that as a cue to swing her sword at Lancer's feet, causing Lancer to leap up to avoid having his feet taken from under him. He barely avoided Saber's blow when Saber quickly aimed a strong kick to his gut, sending him further up into the air. Almost immediately, Archer's barrage of golden arrows homed in to Lancer.
Archer cursed under his breath this time. "I'm such a fool to believe that he won't survive a second time."
Despite his disadvantageous position, Lancer was able to use his spear to parry the barrage of arrows that flew up into the sky towards him. He was scarcely able to recompose himself when Saber rushed in again to press him with repeated attacks.
The only thing different with this round of attacks from Saber was that she was carrying her Master under one arm.
"Now, Rin!"
"Shiro! Support fire!" Rin shouted as she threw a jewel at Lancer's direction.
Lancer sighed, taking Saber's actions as an affront to him. "Hmph, getting your Master involved in this isn't going-"
Rin's jewel shattered into pieces and quickly expanded, forming a heavy barrier around Lancer, weighing him down and preventing him from moving about freely or to retaliate. As Saber quickly pulled Rin away from Lancer, a bright red light streaked towards an encumbered Lancer.
"It's futile!" Lancer roared as he burst free from his bonds, and he was barely able to parry the blow of Hrunting loosed by Shiro a distance away.
Lancer was unable to recover from the blow as Saber and Archer renewed their assault on Lancer. In the meantime, Shiro was already pouring more prana into his second shot with Hrunting.
"I'm surprised that the lot of you assumed that I am the one holding all the advantage in a fight like this," Lancer griped.
"I'm surprised you're still trying to hide the fact that you have the means to defeat us all in an instant," Archer replied. "Let us not hide behind pretenses nor pleasantries, but let us now revel in our fight to the death!"
Lancer smirked. "Indeed you are right, regarding my hiding behind pretenses, but I unfortunately have no time to revel or to enjoy a fight like this. I will have to-"
Once again, Lancer was unable to finish his sentence. The first shot of Hrunting that Shiro fired earlier had changed course and was returning toward Lancer. To make matters worse for him, Shiro had let loose a second, more powerful shot with Hrunting, and it was now hurtling towards Lancer.
"Ceh!" Lancer cursed as he struggled to defend against the two Broken Phantasms that have locked onto him. "If only I could reach that annoying magus in the distance!" Lancer grumbled. He attempted to close in on Shiro, who was seen pouring mana into a third shot, but Lancer was again interrupted by Saber and Archer.
"I'm not letting you near Shiro!" Saber declared as she closed in onto Lancer. "You're not going anywhere near him!"
"So that lad's name is Shiro. I'll remember that," chuckled Lancer, who was still largely kept at bay thanks to the concerted effort by Saber and Archer, and also by Shiro's two shots with Hrunting. "Anyhow, the three of you are really getting me into a tight spot, now."
"We all know what happens when you use your Noble Phantasm, so why let you?" Archer replied. His bow began to elongate and emit a golden hue yet again as he began to use his Noble Phantasm. "Saber, get far away from him when I loose this one!"
"I'm not letting you go then!" Lancer replied. This time, despite the constant pressure of having to deflect two copies of Hrunting, he was able to remain close to Saber to avoid being fired upon by Archer's Noble Phantasm.
"This Lancer, although he is considered a god, his fighting skill is admirable," Shiro thought to himself. There was only but one way to turn the tables in this fight, but he did not like the idea at the onset. However, given the circumstances, he had no choice but to do so.
If Shiro shifts his aim away from Lancer, Hrunting will no longer home in onto Lancer, which would give Lancer a great deal of freedom to fight without pressure. However, seeing as to how well he fended off all the pressure from Saber, Archer, and himself admirably, dropping Lancer as a target would probably do little to change the outcome. Sighing, he waited until Hrunting's flight path turned towards Lancer again before Shiro shifted his eyes to a new target, and let loose his shot.
Everything that happened within the next few seconds for Lancer felt like an eternity when he witnessed a gold streak of pulsating light hurtling down at his direction. He continued to keep Saber well within his range to prevent Archer from firing his Noble Phantasm. Above him, Shiro's Broken Phantasms were closing in for yet another strike. Despite his abilities and skill, he was having trouble fighting against two Heroic Spirits and a magus who wields an assortment of Noble Phantasms.
"If only I still had my godhood, I would have been able to do more."
He eventually realised that the golden streak of light that was loosed by Shiro was not directed at him. Rather than targeting Lancer, Shiro presented Lancer with a dilemma by taking aim at the warehouse which served as Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri's base of operations.
"Damn you, laddie!" Lancer cursed, leaping forward to try and stop Shiro's attack from striking the warehouse that Bree was in.
"You're wide open!" Archer exclaimed. "Fly now and strike your foe with Apollo's might!"
"Cheh!" Lancer cursed yet again. He was well aware that he was completely overwhelmed by a concerted effort by Archer, Saber, and Shiro.
"Toxo Teukros!"
The area around the warehouse was completely sealed off by a Bounded Field prior to the battle, so nobody would have been able to stumble into the scene. If they did, however, they would not have been able to explain the scene within the Bounded Field.
The warehouse was completely demolished and the ground around it was pockmarked with craters. One would be forgiven if they mistook the scene as one caused by a military bomber carpet bombing the area. Given the way the place looked, it was very unlikely that anyone would have survived whatever caused such destruction.
Despite all the destruction wrought by the combined attacks from Shiro and Archer, Lancer somehow managed to survive the blasts, but there was no way he could resist any further attack. Half of his upper body was blown away by Archer's Noble Phantasm, and the rest of his body was badly burnt and gravely injured due to his attempt to stop Shiro's Caladbolg II from destroying the warehouse where Bree, Viola, and Berserker was in. Unfortunately for Lancer, his attempt was futile, because Bree and Viola was also gravely wounded by Shiro's attack on the warehouse.
"Damn you… kid!" Lancer hissed labouriously.
"Give it up, Lancer," Archer commanded, aiming an arrow at Lancer. "None of us here bear you a grudge. We're fighting you and in such a way because we have an objective to complete."
"You'd stoop so low to achieve your goals?" Lancer demanded. He soon began coughing up blood as his body was unable to bear the injuries that he sustained.
"It pains me to say so, but this War itself is a farce to begin with," Saber replied. "This is the third such time that I have participated in it."
"Tha.. that cannot be!" Lancer stammered. "I thought Servants are summoned with no prior knowledge of any previous Wars that they participated in. How do you know, then?"
"I myself do not know," Saber answered. "Anyhow, please forgive us for resorting to underhanded tactics such as this. I have had to set aside my pride and honour as a knight in this War to ensure that this travesty does not occur again."
Lancer sighed. "There is nothing to forgive. For me, there are only regrets." Pointing to Bree, Lancer sighed. "Please spare the life of my Master. She only participated in this War on the behest of Rider's Master."
"We are well aware of that," Luvia replied. "Your Master is a colleague of ours, and we formerly studied together."
"Shiro won't stand for seeing your Master killed if he could help it," Rin continued.
"That laddie, huh? Lancer replied. "It doesn't explain why he fired at the warehouse, though."
"We all know you would prioritise your Master's safety over your own," Rin replied. It was really a matter of convincing Saber and Shiro to take this course of action to prevent you from using your Noble Phantasm."
Lancer chuckled, as his body began to dissolve. "You are all such an insufferable lot."
The last that was seen of Lancer as he disappeared completely was one of him tipping his head down as if to offer a bow as he left.
"We should take these two ladies and be on our way," Archer said, picking Viola and Bree up.
"Let's get back to the mansion quickly," Saber answered, motioning for Rin and Luvia to hold on to her. "Rider and his Master are not here, so he might be somewhere out there at the moment.
An explosion in the distance attracted their attention, which quickly gave way to worry.
"That is Shiro's location! Someone's attacking him!" Rin exclaimed.
"We don't have time to waste," Archer grunted. "Let's go help the kid before we take these ladies back to the mansion!"
Minutes earlier…
Shiro took a deep breath right after he fired Caladbolg II at the warehouse. As he watched the resulting destruction of the warehouse, Shiro exhaled sharply. It somehow turned out just as Archer suggested it would.
Archer's plan relied on the fact that a Servant would go to all lengths to protect their Master, and that a concerted effort was necessary to ensure that the Servant cannot use his Noble Phantasm. If they were also able to disable Lancer's Master in the attack, the chances of defeating Lancer would have been far greater than before.
Three for three, achieved with minimal complications.
Except for the latest turn of events.
Shiro felt a sudden jolt of pain surging through his body and his legs felt like it was about to buckle. He managed to stay on his feet and attempt to comprehend the situation he was in.
That sudden jolt of pain originated from his back, which radiated from one spot somewhere at his lower back.
That same spot was also spewing blood onto his overcoat and Shiro was also beginning to feel his own blood coming up his throat. He placed a hand onto his back and tried to feel the spot which was spewing blood, only to discover a dagger, with the entire length of its blade buried into his back.
Shiro quickly pivoted on one foot as he whirled around to face his assailant and was genuinely unsurprised by the appearance of the one who stabbed him from behind;
The white skull mask gleamed in the moonlight as Assassin prepared to attack again.
"Damn it, Assassin!" Shiro cursed as Assassin took a step forward. "I was already half-expecting you to show up, but definitely not in such a manner."
Assassin said nothing in reply. Instead, Assassin drew another dagger and began striding towards Shiro.
Shiro traced Kansho and Bakuya and attempted to stride forward to meet Assassin, but he was attacked from behind yet again.
This time, he felt a dagger piercing his left thigh and he was brought down to one knee. Turning his head, Shiro glared at the other Assassin who was taking a step back after plunging his dagger into Shiro's thigh.
"I'm quite glad to be seeing you here," Shiro muttered. "I've been waiting to kill you all for what you did to Shinji!"
Assassin chuckled for a moment. "We remember quite clearly that it was you who killed your friend, and it was also you who killed so many of us too!"
"Shut up!" Shiro grunted, standing up. Kansho and Bakuya disappeared from his hands and in its place, a bow appeared in his hands.
The Assassins were quick to realise what was about to happen and quickly rushed forward to attack Shiro, but he was already thinking a step ahead of them. Despite the injuries on his back and thigh, Shiro leapt high into the air and aimed a shot with Caladbolg II at the ground below him where the Assassins were.
As the ground beneath Shiro exploded from Caladbolg II's impact, he used the force from the blast to propel himself further away from the scene. The injuries he sustained is already a disadvantage to him in a prolonged fight, even though he used Reinforcement to temporarily repair his damaged muscles and blood vessels. The only thing he could do to protect himself at this stage was to retreat and regroup with the others.
"Shiro! Are you okay?" Saber called out from the distance.
"Who is the one that caused those injuries?" Rin exclaimed as they approached Shiro, whereupon their arrival, Rin noticed the wounds he was carrying.
"It was Assassin," Shiro muttered…