Phew, I was excited while writing this chapter. I've got a little surprise here.
-130:45:08
Lord El-Melloi sauntered along the path to the castle up ahead. His research told him that it and a most of the forest surrounding it had been purchased by the Einzberns.
He could hear the clash of the Servants further away, drawing a smirk from him. With so many running about, Caster's fate was as good as sealed. And Lancer with his speed was almost certainly the one that would strike the final blow. Meaning there might be a chance he could persuade the overseer to reward only him for the Servant's death.
The sound of gunfire through the trees soured his good mood a bit. He'd been using a familiar to keep track of his Servants' actions, including their joining the effort against those abominations Caster had called forth. And her attempt on Assassin X's life. "Leave it to that black-suited brute to complicate things," he grumbled to himself. Archer X's priorities should've been to eliminate Caster first before trying to settle any petty vendettas, but now she'd gotten herself into a scrap with that alcoholic ruffian of a foreign Saber.
Oh well. If she perished in battle tonight, it would mean one less migraine and more time to keep an eye on Lancer (the Servant he'd wanted in the first place) for Kayneth. And if she succeeded in killing Saber X, then maybe she wasn't so useless after all. Assassin X, a bonus.
Besides, the professor hadn't forgotten how those familiars had insulted him at the docks. The thought of those two falling dead to the ground put a pleased grin on his face. And Iskandar's punishment, ohoho… That would be a joy to behold. And then that simpering mouse that stole him from Kayneth would be next… Ah, but first things first.
Caster's Master wasn't here from what he had divined. It seems that psychopath had just enough sense to realize intruding in a battle between Servants was tantamount to suicide. But Kayneth could most assuredly track him down via his connection to the soon-to-be dead Servant. And his absence left one other target.
He could clearly see the front of the castle now. Credit where credit was due, the Einzberns had taste in class. And the Einzbern Master was almost certainly in there. Oh, Kayneth could feel the powerful Bounded Field surrounding him, but an amulet from an Austrian alchemist that had once been in conflict with that family shielded him effectively from any surprises that might've befallen him. And with Saber and Assassin X busy out in the forest, he had the perfect opportunity to engage the homunculus in a proper duel between magi. Sola-Ui would have to rescind her previous barbs in the wake of his victory.
The proud scholar calmly withdrew a certain amethyst from his pocket, knelt down a bit and pressed it into the lightly soggy soil. "Thou art of earth yet not of earth," he intoned in a clear voice, "of man yet not of man. Thou shalt rest in paradise."
The crystal sank into the earth, a green glow marking its movement. Then the glow spread into a sizable radius that Kayneth stepped out of with no hurry. A slight tremor through the ground, then rock and soil erupted upwards, shifting and rearranging until three seconds later, it had become a large golem ten feet tall, with blocky arms and legs and the amethyst in its center, surrounded by green markings.
The Archibald patriarch smirked pleased as he lifted his right index finger up and cast it towards the house. The golem immediately began to lumber towards it. Just as he'd been told, the runes across the amethyst not only enchanted the soil to surround it, but it also allowed him to retain full operational command over it. And no need for verbal chants, hand gestures alone sufficed.
But just in case… His left hand retrieved a test tube filled with mercury. He pulled out the cork on top and began to pour the special liquid. "Fervor, mei sanguis." No sooner did the first drops hit the ground did the entire swell and expand into exactly ten liters of mercury. It coalesced into a large blob by his side, Kayneth chanting, "Automatoportum defensio: Automatoportum quaerere: Dilectus incrisio." Volumen Hydrargyrum rippled upon processing the command, the Supreme Mystic Code he had lovingly crafted in his twenties ready to attack and defend at a moment's notice. Together, magus and mercury set off after the mass of earth towards the Einzbern mansion.
A boulder-like fist smashed the front door and most of the doorway to smithereens. As his construct stepped aside, Kayneth strode into the entrance hallway with a confident smirk. "Kayneth El-Melloi, ninth head of the Archibald family has arrived," he announced into the empty room, confident that its owner would clearly hear him. "Master of the Einzberns, come forth so we can duel for the Holy Grail with our lives and our sacred honor!"
Silence was his only answer. Disappointing; he'd expected a proper response from a member of one of the Three Founding Families. The Master pursed his lips as he watched for anything to happen. Then his keen eyes noticed a modern camera installed in the upper right corner. An unexpected feature for a proud family of Thaumaturgy. He walked further into the hall to have a closer look.
A thin wire snapped by his leg, and four vases in separate corners suddenly burst apart. Multiple tiny balls of metal flew across the room at a speed that would've perforated any regular human. Smoke wafted from the traps, obscuring most of the hall.
Its dispersal revealed the golem undamaged save for a few tiny chinks here and there from the barrage, and a massive sphere of mercury amidst a circle of scorched wood, ruined carpet and smoking beads. The mercury flowed aside to reveal an unscathed and unimpressed Master of Lancer and Archer X. He clicked his tongue at the stench of gunpowder. A barbaric trap like this, instead of elegant anti-intruder magecraft? Kayneth recalled Archer X's warning from last night, of marksmen prowling the shipping yard.
His respect for the owners of this castle plummeted further. "Stooping low, aren't we, Einzbern?" he muttered in disgust. Then he began to walk further into the complex, motioning for the golem to follow with the beckoning of his finger. Volumen Hydrargyrum trailed obediently behind its smirking master. "Very well," Lord El-Melloi sneered. "This will not be a duel, but an extermination."
Further away, Kiritsugu Emiya stood alone in the room, watching the intruder progress through the building via the cameras and his laptop on the table. He had already sent Iri to leave with Maiya for her own safety; a prudent decision, considering the uninvited guest. His dark eyes scanned the features of El-Melloi's assets. A broad golem designed for instant creation and not requiring verbal instructions, mercury enchanted with magic to automatically defend its owner… No wonder the claymore mines he'd set up had proven ineffective.
Having seen enough through the cameras, Kiritsugu closed the laptop and picked up the Calico M950 beside it. He knew this gun alone wouldn't be sufficient to penetrate his target's defenses, though. He'd have to use what magus training he'd learned as well. But there was no need to recall Saber or Assassin X for this. The latter had already provided his Master with an unexpected edge.
His hand went for the doorknob… and paused. A thin sliver of silver liquid trickled through the keyhole, then paused as ripples traveled through its surface. "So that's it," Kiritsugu muttered as the liquid retracted. "Automated probe." Then his trained ears picked up a rumbling just before the floor underneath the table erupted.
The golem grew visible through the cloud of dust, its massive fists reaching up to crunch into holds to lift its weighty mass. Kiritsugu fired instinctively. The Calico's 9mm. rounds peppered the golem's front but did little damage. The crystal in its center, its core, was too covered by rock and soil for a clean shot. As a foot crunched amidst the table's splinters, it made to swing for the puny human in front of it.
Time alter, Kiritsugu mentally chanted even as he began to sprint, double accel! Magic surged through him, and the world around him seemed to slow down. The golem's heavy fist moved in such a crawl that he easily darted away from the mass. That wasn't really the case, though; rather, the flow of time in the Mage Killer's internal functions had been accelerated to twice its regular speed. He sped away from the construct and into the hole it had made, rolling to a stop on his knees in the lower floor. Another leap forward to further the distance.
Once there, Kiritsugu quickly chanted, Release alter! Immediately, the increase ceased, and his body reverted back to his regular setting. And with that came a wave of pain that rippled through every bone and blood vessel. The gift of Innate Time Control that just kept giving. He sucked in quick breaths and rose to capitalize on the advantage-
"Quick little rat, aren't you?"
And just his luck, Kayneth El-Melloi stood in front of him, mercury flowing about him.
"It seems you know some magecraft after all," the magus sneered. Though the technique he just witnessed was curious, he could discern its properties with a glance. "But meddling about with time in your own body is rather taxing, isn't it?" He lifted his hand, a sign for the golem above to cease movement. This rat, he would finish himself.
Three tentacles of silver liquid rose around him, curling like big whips with razor-thin tips. "Allow me to put you out of your misery."
Kiritsugu tensed. He hadn't recovered enough to use Innate Time Control effectively again. "Scalp!" The tentacles hurtled towards him, slicing deep into him-
Poof!
Smoke burst from Kiritsugu Emiya's body, making Kayneth watch in shock, then a wooden chair was now being cut to splinters by his Volumen Hydrargyrum. The man was nowhere to be seen.
Kayneth's eyes darted about in an attempt to understand what precisely had happened. Did he cast some sort of illusion? No, I would've never been fooled by enchantments of such a pitiful level. Time-Space Manipulation, then? No… from what I saw, his magecraft involved manipulating the flow of time inside himself, turning his own body into a Reality Marble. A magus of his level couldn't affect the outside world with that, he lacks the skill and power.
His mouth twitched into a cold leer. "So, the little rat has a few more tricks, then?" The professor swept his hand to the side, commanding, "Ire sanctio!" The blob of mercury beside him immediately shot out tentacles that stretched out and divided further across the room, the liquid traveling across surfaces and through cracks in search for its master's enemy. Kayneth snapped a new gesture that made the golem lumber off and then crossed his arms in pride. "No matter, he's no match for me on any scale." He walked away in the opposite direction, no hurry in his steps. No amount of trickery would save this… dabbler for long.
In a different hallway, Kiritsugu ran while reloading his Calico, a miniscule smirk on his lips. Substitution Jutsu, huh? Not bad. Not bad at all.
-244:01:34
Assassin X had gone into great depth about the odd magecraft-like abilities of his world. The many facets of jutsu had proven curious from both a thaumaturgic and a tactical standpoint. The latter of which was more important to Kiritsugu, but even he was slightly intrigued with how Assassin X could duplicate himself or breathe fire so easily. Even the comparatively mundane trick of flipping onto the ceiling and standing perfectly there as though he were right side up on the floor. "All with just a little magic," he quipped to the trio as he sat cross-legged on the ceiling's surface, one hand by his chin, another tapping his legs.
But the real discovery hadn't really been made by the Servant.
Assassin X had just summoned his hounds and was introducing them to the group when Iri paused in her playing with Biscuit and Bull to look at the wall in thought. Saber and Kiritsugu had their backs to her, engrossed in Assassin X's explanation of the dogs' tracking acumen. Therefore, all three started at a thud and a yelp behind them. They turned to see a slightly dizzy homunculus lying on the floor and two worried doggies fussing over her.
Kiritsugu's Mage Killer-mindset swiftly receded as his husband instincts took over. "Iri!" He hurried over to her side, the Servants quickly moving to the opposite in case.
His wife simply shook her head before giggling at the snouts nudging her. "I'm alright, boys. Just a little flustered." She gently pushed their fluffy heads away as Kiritsugu helped her sit up slowly.
His concern remained. "Iri, are you alright? What happened? Was it-"
"Oh, no, Kiritsugu," she assured him while smoothing her dress, "nothing like that! I was just trying something." The homunculus then emulated their daughter in a cute little pout. "Thought it was working for a moment…"
Saber shared a puzzled look with her partner before asking, "…What were you trying, Irisviel?"
The red eyes glanced at her. "I wanted to see if I could emulate Assassin X's wall-walking."
"…Excuse me?" Assassin X's eye was wide open.
All stared in shock at her, even the hounds, but she continued unabashed as she stood up from the carpet, not noticing Kiritsugu being limply pulled along. "Well, yes. You said this 'jutsu' was similar to magecraft, Assassin X, and based on your presentations, I agree with you. As a homunculus of Einzbern origin," she tapped the side of her left eye, "I have a bit of a higher sense for mana than an average magus. So, when you were on the ceiling, I felt the magic curling along your feet, your legs, whichever body part was attaching itself.
Iri shrugged. "It looked fairly similar to Thaumaturgy like Reinforcement, so I wondered, could I do that, too, with my magecraft knowledge?" She then walked to the wall again with a frown. "It didn't work the first few times, even though I was sure I was following your example, so I tried adding a little more mana. Then for about two seconds, I felt like my foot was actually affixed to the surface. See?" She placed her bare foot against the wall and concentrated. Mana grew visible around the limb's sole, and as the others watched in shock, she lifted her other foot… and didn't fall back to the ground.
Then she suddenly launched off the wall with a surprised sound, landing into the quickly spread arms of Assassin X and Saber. Iri huffed in disappointment. "That's basically what happened. And I still don't know what I am doing wrong."
Even with her time spent with Merlin, Saber was no expert in magic. Kiritsugu specialized in hunting magi, not in magecraft itself, let alone this new frontier. They couldn't have helped if they wanted to. Assassin X, on the other hand, developed a thoughtful gleam in her eye. "…Why don't you try again, Irisviel?" The others looked to him, but he simply guided the lady back to the slightly cracked wall. "This time, I'll see if I can coach you through it."
She nodded in interest, and he placed his sandaled foot against the wall. "Now, this technique is similar to the principle of magnetism. I assume you're familiar with it?"
"Of course. Attraction and repulsion."
"Right. And that's basically how this jutsu works: making your foot stick to the wall like a magnet affixes itself to metal." He gestured to his raised leg. "The key is focusing a fixed amount of chakra," he snapped his fingers, "ah, that might be another difficulty you were having. In this world, there are two different kinds of Magical Energy, right?"
Irisviel nodded. "Mana, which is the greater Magical Energy in the world's atmosphere, and od, which is the life force inside every living being. The lesser source." She tilted her head. "Wait… wouldn't od be closer in comparison to the idea of chakra than mana?"
The ninja pointed to her. "Exactly. Jutsu is harnessing one's internal energy and kneading it into special techniques. Which means that od must be the right kind of energy required for this. You instinctively channeled od and mana into your foot when you tried to emulate me, Irisviel, because that's how most spells work here. But I think you need only od for this." He gestured towards her leg, prompting her to place it against the wall.
"Now, as I was saying, the key is focusing a certain amount of energy to the bottom of your foot. Too little, and it can't affix, but too much, and you're repelled from the surface." Assassin X took one step along the wall, then another as a demonstration. Then the wall beneath him cracked, and he was pushed away, gracefully flipping back onto the floor next to Iri. "Try again with one foot, but this time, no mana, just od."
She nodded before concentrating at the spot where her foot rested against the wall. Only od, no mana… Not too much, not too little…
She lifted tentatively her other foot… and remained "standing." Excitement welled up in her, but she kept her cool. With magecraft, you needed to keep your focus when casting a spell, or the effect could dissipate. Her training already helped in this case. The homunculus placed her other foot on the surface and repeated the mental process, then took another step… and another… and another… They were small, careful, but she wasn't far from the ceiling now.
Iri looked at it in wonder, then turned her head back around to look with starry eyes back at the little crowd she'd attracted. Kakashi nodded to her in approval, Artoria smiled in encouragement (even as she kept her arms out, ready to catch her), Bull and Biscuit panted in excitement, and Kiritsugu… gazed with a hint of wonder up at his wife. She smiled to him, and he returned it instinctively.
Then Assassin X turned to him. "Alright, Master, now it's your turn." His smile shifted into a confused frown, but his Servant pulled him to the wall. "Come along. Irisviel was birthed of magic, but if you, a human of this world, can do it as well, then I might have an idea."
Kiritsugu remained a little reluctant but relented eventually. His first attempts were lackluster, his own doubt limiting the flow of od to his feet. But an encouraging smile from Iri convinced him to try harder. Soon, he was tentatively walking along the wall until they met halfway. For a tiny moment, the man allowed himself to enjoy this strange sense of accomplishment. Then responsibility returned. He glanced down. "So, what's the point?"
"The point," Assassin X beckoned for them to come back down, "is that it seems possible for this world's mages to learn jutsu." Both returned carefully to proper ground, albeit with a mutual stumble. "And that in turn means," the jonin clapped his hands onto their shoulders, "that I've just found myself two new students."
"Students?" Kiritsugu repeated skeptically while Iri looked interested. "…Are you actually thinking about teaching us these jutsu?" He sighed. "Not that I don't see the potential for them, but I'm imagining this would take years of training. Years we don't have, and there's already enough other concerns that we have to deal with for the Grail War."
"True, but I don't think it'll take that long in your cases." Assassin X scratched his chin. "I don't intend on teaching all of my techniques because you're right about lacking the time, but some of the basics might come in handy. And considering you have years of experience with magecraft, I think it's just a matter of… shifting perspective a little." He stepped back next to Saber, spreading his arms wide. "Besides, are you really willing to let a potential asset slip through your fingers out of skepticism?"
"No offense meant, Master," Saber stepped up to beside her partner with a diplomatic tone, "but Assassin X is right. This Grail War could prove to be unlike anything any of us could begin to imagine. Perhaps learning Assassin X's ways can provide you with an advantage needed to win." She glanced ruefully to Assassin X. "I lack the training for this, but you have an opportunity here. An opportunity that none of the other Masters may receive."
Kiritsugu glanced between his Servants, the gears whirring about in his head. Try as he did, though, he couldn't deliver any suitable argument against this idea. They were right; this Grail War was inviting Heroic Spirits from worlds he could've never imagined. These jutsu alone had proven to be not quite like any magecraft he'd encountered or read about, and considering his occupation, that was an accomplishment. Who knows what other X Servants might be bringing to the battle? Or how their Masters would make use of them?
Hence his reluctance fading away in favor of what Natalia had once taught him: use any resource at your disposal to win. You can rarely afford to be picky. "…What do you have in mind?" was Kiritsugu's eventual question.
Iri beamed at him in encouragement, herself curious as to what they could learn. Assassin X simply turned sideways, one hand extended towards the door. "A few jutsu easy to learn quickly. One in particular that ought to come in handy on many levels."
The time since then and now had been interspersed with lessons and training not like anything Kiritsugu had learned before. His and Iri's first lessons had been mostly to improve their flow of od and develop a certain familiarity with the sensations. This came in the form of climbing up tall trees without their hands and later actually walking on the surface of a defrosted lake close to the Einzbern mansion.
Saber had volunteered as associate lifeguard seeing as she could naturally walk on water. Though she had seemed a tiny bit apprehensive. Kiritsugu had wondered briefly if she were incapable of swimming before dismissing the ridiculous idea; he'd been busy enough trying not to lose focus and fall into ice-cold water.
Once they'd gained the familiarity, Assassin X taught them the basic mindset behind casting jutsu, and after that came the first actual technique: the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Master still remembered the flash of inspiration when he created his first duplicate (that admittedly had too small a nose to be considered a perfect clone, but he improved); all the different ways he could use something like this, especially with what else Assassin X told him about the trick.
Time had been needed for other preparations and travel, of course, but the lessons had culminated into a few extra weapons in the hunter's arsenal. And he'd been admittedly a little eager to field-test them. The Substitution Jutsu had been a success just now; right before those mercury whips had struck him, he'd switched places with a chair next to him and escaped. The high-speed movement hadn't even taxed his body like his family magecraft would've, and it seemed to have rattled Kayneth slightly. Excellent.
The Mage Killer ceased his running to slip behind a corner to catch his breath. He could hear a tiny flowing sound through the air. Jutsu were all well and good, but this required something more familiar to a mage. Grateful that his body had taken a chance to recover from the earlier double speed, he prepared a different use. Time alter, he shut his eyes in concentration, triple stagnate.
Even as a mercury probe began to trickle down next to him, Kiritsugu's entire body was growing still inside and out. His rapidly beating heart slowed down, almost as though it had stopped completely. His breathing retarded, and his metabolism moved at a trickle compared to his usual pace. Kiritsugu opened his eyes to find his environment much brighter than usual. No, his eyes simply perceived more light. All results of Innate Time Control's opposite use.
Even with the increased brightness, he could still make out the mercury drop next to him, slowly dripping down. But it never rippled as it did before. Just as he had discerned: These things lack eyes, so they react to fluctuations in heat or the air. If I slow my internal time to a third its speed and lower my respiration and heartbeat as far as they can go, they can't detect me. Sure enough, the probe's surface remained unchanged and eventually retracted.
Release alter. Kiritsugu released a breath as his internal functions began to realign with the flow of the world around him. Just as it might've gotten risky. Thuds from around the corner told him that the golem was approaching, but something designed that simple couldn't move its heavy body that quickly. He still had a little time. Time he already knew how to use.
Placing the Calico on a nearby stand, Kiritsugu brought together his index and middle fingers into a t-formation. His od flared up before a Shadow Clone poofed into existence next to him. The original traded a nod with his duplicate, the latter knowing perfectly well what was expected of him. The Calico was reclaimed, and they sprinted off in opposite directions.
Kayneth El-Melloi had lost his best chance to kill him in their first encounter. Now, the Mage Killer was ready for the hunt.
-130:44:55
Irisviel moved as quietly as she could through the trees, silently wincing at every leaf rustling or odd branch snapping by her steps. "Please hurry, ma'am." The woman Maiya was a phantom in comparison; she only knew Kiritsugu's ally was there because she saw her. Another thing that unnerved her about this woman who had been acquainted with Kiritsugu before Irisviel, who knew the Mage Killer better than she ever could.
But now was no time for thoughts like this. No sooner did Irisviel sense the approach of Lancer, Archer X and Saber had Kiritsugu instructed her to leave the castle with Maiya as a bodyguard. For her own safety, he had said; the Master of the former two Servants may attempt an attack. A reasonable concern, judging by the explosion she heard a while back.
Saber and Assassin X couldn't help either of them, not with so many other Servants about. Aside from Caster and his army of vile demons, she had noticed that not all of the others were confronting him but engaging each other in battle. She sensed Berserker and Rider X's arrival as well, but those two were having their own clash further away. Hence their current route; the mysterious knight and metallic titan were not to be trifled with.
As she followed Maiya, another tremor rippled through Iri's body. She stiffened just as her escort glanced back and immediately noticed what had happened. "Something wrong, Ma'am?"
She leaned against a tree to steady herself. "Another new intruder," Irisviel's red eyes glanced to her right, "not far from here. We'll run into them if we head that way."
Maiya nodded. "Then we'll have to head north." She frowned slightly as gunshots rang out. "Saber X and Archer X are fighting near that area, but if we stick to the shadows-"
But Irisviel shut her eyes as she concentrated. Her clairvoyant magecraft sharpened her focus, allowing her to see the intruder's black clothes, the gold cross hanging around his neck, the dull eyes-
She gasped. "Kirei Kotomine." Her eyes opened to see Maiya's stance growing tense at the name. It was barely noticeable; she'd have to thank Assassin X later for his pointers about noticing details. But this man was of far greater concern right now. The one that Kiritsugu had placed a kill-on-sight order on for Saber and Assassin X, to which neither had voiced a single objection; the one that had summoned that otherworldly conqueror that was fighting close by; the one that her love outright admitted to being afraid of…
Maiya fingered her Calico's grip. She hadn't forgotten her last encounter with Kotomine. He may've surprised her, but she had still been no match for him. If it hadn't been for Assassin X's intervention, it was very likely that man would've killed her then and there. And what's worse, his real target had been Kiritsugu. She couldn't let the priest near him, but-
"Miss Maiya," her ward's words prompted her to focus. Irisviel was giving her a strange look. "Kiritsugu's orders are to keep me safe, right?"
"Yes…" the suited woman conceded, "but…"
"But what? You were just thinking 'I can't let that man anywhere near Kiritsugu,' weren't you?" Irisviel gave her an odd smile, one of both kindness and steel. "On that, we agree."
"Ma'am, I…"
The homunculus ceased to smile. Saber and Assassin X were fighting for their lives right now. Rushing after the priest would leave their backs wide open. Kiritsugu himself was busy with another. That left them with only one option. "We have to stop Kirei Kotomine." She declared with utter conviction. "He's the greatest threat to Kiritsugu, and we're the only ones right now that can do something." She stared at her ally. "Are you with me, Miss Maiya?"
The woman eyed the one before her, the one that had claimed Kiritsugu's heart and was now talking about fighting to protect him. This homunculus shouldn't be suited for battle, but she stood ready for the imminent violence without hesitation. First Assassin X and now her… Maiya found herself thinking. There's more to them than at first glance.
And she knew what her answer would be. Maiya Hisau adjusted her grip on her gun and squared her shoulders. "My apologies, ma'am. Please prepare yourself."
"Don't worry about me," Irisviel von Einzbern assured her. "Just concentrate on your duty." She flexed her fingers. Truth be told, she'd been hoping a bit for a chance to test her combative abilities "Not what you've been ordered, but what you believe is right." Her ally hummed in agreement, checking her other firearm with mechanical movements. Irisviel recognized the teachings of her husband in the way her hands flew swiftly over the gun's individual parts with no hesitation or stumble. A human trained to act like a machine.
And her, a homunculus taught to be a human. By the same man, no less.
A giggle escaped her lips before she knew it. Maiya gave her a perplexed glance. "Something wrong, ma'am?"
"Not at all." Two women quite different from one another, yet united for the sake of one man… Irisviel smiled despite the tension in the back of her mind. "The human heart is an odd little thing."
Saber cut a Horror in half, then spun around to slice off the limbs of another that reached for Caster X. The wizard returned the favor a second later by enveloping both in a sphere of light that repelled a third monster dropping down on them. It crashed right on top of Lancer's crimson spear, dying instantly from the mana loss. Caster X lifted his staff to the air, drawing in stray surges of electricity from Assassin X to release them in a concentrated bolt that fried two more and weakened a third enough for Saber to cut it down.
As Assassin X leaped over a starfish beast, placing a piece of paper on its head that exploded a second later, he landed in a crouch that turned into a lunge to pierce another reaching for Lancer's back. The knight class Servant in turn dealt permanent wounds to another with his golden weapon, allowing the shinobi to shred it to pieces with a series of water slashes. Saber leaped high to bifurcate a third hurtling for her partner, landing beside him amidst the blood.
The four traded nods with one another, then continued to press on through Caster's army even as the insane familiar called upon his Noble Phantasm's magics yet again.
In another clearing, Archer X's SMGs flared up as they trailed after Saber X, the lean Servant sprinting among the trees. Harbinger's blade remained curled, but the handle had shortened to sword length, the result being a bladed tonfa that its wielder used alternately to block those few bullets that caught up with him and return fire via its shotgun function. She rolled under the sprays and changed tactics. One of the guns disappeared and a grenade shimmered in place, Archer X freeing the pin with her thumb to hurl it in front of her opponent's path. Saber X skidded to a stop upon seeing it, but instead of backtracking as she'd anticipated, he leaped high and tossed his curled blade towards her. The Freelancer threw herself back just before it could've split her in half while the forest in front of her erupted in fire. The Noble Phantasm spun off in an arc. Archer glared about the area, but her fellow knight class was nowhere to be seen. Until he dropped from high above onto her, his sword aimed at her head.
On the opposite side, Berserker parried a diagonal slash with his branch weapon, then brought up his right elbow to intercept a punch. Rider X crouched low to sweep his leg, but the knight leaped effortlessly over the massive limb and flipped forward for a downward smash. Rider X rolled with impressive speed for his bulk out of the reinforced branch's path just before it crushed the spot where he'd been. Rising to his feet, the ex-gladiator fired his cannon. Berserker twisted his body underneath the plasma, discarding the branch to snag a couple of pebbles. He then rolled forward before thrusting his hands out; the rocks in his gauntlets, blackened by his Noble Phantasm, sped like bullets towards their target. Rider X crossed his arms but grunted from their impact; they'd been hurled at specific points of his limbs to increase the damage. Nothing he couldn't shrug off, though.
Then the black creature tackled him further into the trees.
Needless to say, the sounds of battle resonated through nearly every corner of the forest. Kirei drank every last one of them in with a deceptively stoic face. Inwardly, though, a part of his soul began to grow excited. His heartrate increased by a millisecond. Fingers twitched. And his thoughts drifted to his more recent… dreams.
Dreams of violence. Pits filled with scrap metal and corpses. Though most of the scrap metal used to be corpses. Steel and energy flying through the air even as an all-encompassing cheer surrounded the combatants.
And in the center of it all stood a certain metallic being. Always victorious regardless of who opposed him or how many. Some attacked him head-on, others opted for stealth and traps. Yet no matter the odds, no one could defeat the gladiator named Megatronus. "I STILL FUNCTION!" That cry would often follow his inevitable victory. Impressive for a once nameless miner.
Normally, Kirei wouldn't bat an eye at such barbarity, but the words from that Heroic Spirit duo made him wonder how the memories, brutal and painful as they were, could be laced with such excitement, such… pleasure. On the one hand, he sensed that Rider relished having been a warrior throughout his life. On the other, he absolutely loathed how his life had begun, among the lowest of castes of his homeworld. A particular moment, part of a conversation, was among the last of his dreams:
"You don't need to take your caste grievances out on me," someone else was saying. Someone that sparked a multitude of conflicting emotions inside him. "The caste system hasn't helped me any more than it has you."
"Again, that's where you're wrong." He shot back even as the gladiatorial battle before them reached its climax. "Your caste is safe. You observe. You move data and put it into places where your betters decide if it has been put in the right place." He tapped his knuckle against his own chest. "My caste dies. We die in industrial accidents when molten alloy pours over us, or energy leaks from a conduit and vaporizes our processors, or when liquid nitrogen shatters our limbs, or when a crane spills a cubic kilounit of raw ore and crushes us to junk." His tone had grown bitter as the memories of so many of his deceased brethren swept through his mind. "We die. You watch. Do not compare the two."
All the while, he continued to drink in the battle. And a growing part of him savored the one to come.
Again, an odd contradiction, Kirei wondered. To strive for direct confrontations of physical might and strength of will yet delight in matching your cunning against that of others in strategy and rhetoric; to hate your origins, the unfairness behind it all, yet simultaneously take pride in your struggle throughout your life and invite even more… curious.
Then he noted some disturbed leaves just ahead and remembered the reason he was out here. Assassin had slipped into the Bounded Field undetected to confirm that Saber and Assassin X were preoccupied with another battle. So many other Servants being involved was a bit of a bother, but he wasn't surprised. The bounty for Caster's death drew them here like moths to a flame. Rider X had (for once) the grace to let him know he was around and, apparently, preoccupied with the crazed knight. That battle wasn't too far from his current position.
Whatever concern Kirei felt towards an encounter with an enemy Servant (he'd in particular instructed two Hassans to watch their counterpart now) was minimal compared to the tension towards facing Kiritsugu Emiya. If he was simply an ally to the Einzbern Master, then he'd be guarding her. If he was the Master, then he'd be monitoring the battle. Either way, the Einzbern castle was his destination, and with both Einzbern Servants distracted, they could finally meet.
Assassin had warned him, though, that Lord El-Melloi had already reached the castle and seemed to be fighting. The priest's knuckles cracked; he wasn't about to let some glory-seeking bookworm stand between him and his- rival? Prize? Well, now. I think Rider X is influencing me more than I thought.
Kirei's musings were interrupted by a warning sounding in his mind. Trained reflexes allowed him to evade a spread of bullets zipping through the forest. They're all coming from one source. Single opponent, high vantage point. His eyes swept along the trees until they caught a silhouette darting silently amongst them. Two Black Keys flew up towards it but hit only bark. Quick one. Or…? Gunfire sounded behind him, prompting the Executor to whirl around and launch more Keys, but the blades failed again to pierce his opponent. That volley had been more dangerous than the first one, and Kirei could sense more presences around him. Initial confusion gave way to comprehension. "Illusions."
Suddenly, bullets struck his back, and these were, in fact, real. The priest fell forward, his face hitting the ground with a grunt.
Maiya slowly stepped out of the woods, Calico still at the ready. Her twin feint seemed to have paid off, but she'd heard enough of the Church's special militia to be wary of this supposed victory. And this man had proven to be dangerous. She wasn't taking any chances with him.
Further away, Irisviel sensed something from her hiding spot and shouted telepathically, 'Miss Maiya, look out!' But it was a moment too late; a Black Key flashed from the trees, slashing her right calf. Hissing in pain, Maiya watched the body before her fade away as Kirei Kotomine leaped from his spot with more of those blades at the ready. She ignored the pain to open fire again. The Calico's bullets hurtled towards the priest even as he charged, arms crossed in front of his face. They bounced harmlessly off him; them being this close, Maiya recognized the weavings of Kevlar and sacramental blessings of his clothing. Her guns lacked the percussive force to pierce it.
But she still had a few cards to play.
Just before Kirei had fully closed the distance, someone dropped from the branches over him, a tactical knife glinting by the scant moonlight. He spun to parry the blade and was a little perplexed; his attacker looked exactly like the woman he'd been fighting. The same woman who dropped her now empty gun to draw her own knife and lunged. Blades flashed as Kirei clashed with the twin women, evaluating his current position. His opponents shared height, clothing, facial features set in a stoic expression, and even the sense of mana. An illusion? No, the vibrations from his weapons clashing with theirs traveling down his arms couldn't come from any misdirection magecraft. Both were real, very real. But not quite at his level.
As for Maiya, she made a mental note to thank Assassin X later for teaching her this "jutsu" earlier today. The Shadow Clone moved and fought exactly like she did, except for the uninjured calf, of course. Between the two, they were slowly making ground. The Church's Black Keys were primarily projectiles. Their length wasn't suitable for melee, it was already a feat for Kotomine to wield them so skillfully like this. And Kevlar couldn't stop a knife.
Then Kirei suddenly brought his leg up to Maiya's stomach. Hampered by her wound, she fell back from the kick with a grunt, leaving only her clone in the fight. That one in turn scraped her knife alongside the longer blade to seize the momentary off-balance. But her opponent was too fast. He replanted his foot, dropped his right Key, and grabbed hold of the clone's wrist, stopping her attack. She barely had a chance to grab something from her jacket pocket when his left foot kicked out her support at the exact same moment his left elbow struck the flesh before her heart.
Six Grand Opening-Elbow Upthrust: a devastating technique of bajiquan, the Chinese martial art Risei Kotomine had instructed his son for years in. This combo would easily shatter two, maybe three ribs and inflict such internal damage that the woman would be in total pain. This knowledge pleased Kirei a bit, moreso because he knew Emiya was close by. One stomp to her chest, and she'd be-
The body burst into smoke as his blow finished, no trace of her left. Kirei was just surprised enough by this unfamiliar technique that he initially failed to notice four little papers fluttering onto his torso, all of which carried the same collection of Japanese markings.
As he registered them, his eyes focused with some alarm on the main kanji, baku. Explode.
Maiya wasted no time in pointing her left index and middle finger at her target. Her Magic Circuits crackled as the papers detonated like grenades, blowing the bigger man backwards. Kirei landed in a crouch as tiny flames danced across his robes; he barely managed to apply Reinforcement to them, and it had been incomplete. His body, resilient though it was, ached slightly from the explosions' force. He could even feel some blood trickling from his chest.
Maiya almost smirked: when Assassin X had first told her of their discovery concerning jutsu, her first reaction had been skepticism, of course. That quickly changed once he helped her walk alongside the hotel's wall (while making sure nobody noticed them). The sensation of standing on a vertical surface had been odd, even for her, but she quickly grew more interested. She'd asked him this afternoon, right after learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu, if he had any offensive uses for jutsu she could use. The Servant had explained that even he couldn't teach high-level techniques in just one afternoon, but he had an idea for her request.
The woman going by the name Maiya Hisau used to enjoy drawing when she'd been little. Sketches of buildings or people, writing Chinese, Japanese, or even a little Arabic from a grumpy old Sufi (the kindest man in her childhood), those were tiny rays of light amidst the darkness of her past before Kiritsugu had pulled her out. This allowed her to copy quite easily the markings on the paper bombs Assassin X showed her, and thanks to the Tree-Climbing Exercise, infusing a little od into the paper was simple. The results spoke for themselves.
In hindsight, they could've used some of these bombs to bring down the Hyatt. Oh well.
Kirei Kotomine was already rising to his full height with a frown, though. Maiya had hoped that the bombs would do a little more damage, but at least she'd been given time to recover. A backflip carried her to a tree behind her where she affixed herself.
Kirei's eyes narrowed at how the woman remained rooted to the bark despite gravity, then he grunted when a bullet scraped against his cheek. Maiya fired her Glock three more times even as he advanced. That double, the papers, this nullifying of gravity… what sort of magecraft is this? …No matter. She won't stop me.
Then a new voice drew both of their attention. "That's enough, Kirei Kotomine." Noting how the woman's face shifted into shock, Kirei halted and turned despite the danger. Stepping into the small clearing, moonlight glinting around her, was the Einzbern homunculus. The alleged Master of Saber and Assassin X.
This was a surprise. If she was indeed the Servants' Master, then her safety ought to be top priority. She should've been running while Kirei was battling her obvious bodyguard, but here she stood. Wary of a trap, Kirei coolly spoke, "Woman, I don't know what you're thinking, but you are not my target tonight."
"I'm well aware," Irisviel replied in the same tone. She may not have been a warrior like Saber or Assassin X, or a trained killer like Kiritsugu or Maiya, but she still steeled herself. She knew what she had to do. "I know why you've come here, and I won't allow it. You won't come anywhere near Kiritsugu Emiya." Her fist clenched as she remembered the terror in her love's voice when he'd been in her arms. "We'll stop you. Here and now."
What is she- No, this is my chance! Maiya rallied from her surprise to use their enemy's distraction and concentrated. As Assassin X had taught her, the Tree-Climbing Exercise required a specific amount of od. Too little, she'd fall off. Too much…
The bark beneath her boots ruptured as she launched towards the priest, pistol in one hand, knife in the other. Unfortunately, he sensed it coming and leaned away, the blade cutting only hair. Maiya fired one-handed as she spun around, but she couldn't aim properly. Thus, the most damage her shots did was nick the man's left knuckle. The rest bounced off his robes. "Ma'am, please run!" She called behind her even as her knife clanged against a Black Key. "This man's an Executor of the Church, he specializes in hunting magi! Regular magic can't beat him!" The only reason Maiya's attacks had worked was because she'd been using jutsu, something he couldn't be familiar with.
Irisviel knew this, too. She voiced a silent thankyou to Assassin X for his lessons. But they weren't the first experience the homunculus had with abnormal magecraft, oh no. She'd sworn to herself that she'd never be a crutch to Kiritsugu, and the wires she began to unwind from her sleeves were the fruits of her efforts. "Driving wasn't the only thing I learned from Kiritsugu." The wires began to move on their own as light shimmered off them. Kotomine knocked Maiya away before watching with a hint of curiosity.
Irisviel's thoughts drifted through times of happiness, sadness, frustration, excitement… all moments, all emotions she had experienced thanks to one wonderful man. And the threads wrapping around each other tightly were thanks to one other lesson. "Kiritsugu taught me how to live and how to survive!" Irisviel's proclamation was the herald to her weapon taking form: an eagle formed from the shimmering threads. "Shapen ist Leben!" Her construct screeched on her shoulder like a real eagle.
Maiya pushed herself up from the dirt just in time to watch the creature of wires soar across the battlefield. So she isn't completely defenseless. Good to know.
As he evaded the first lunge, Kirei admitted to himself that he hadn't seen this coming. He knew that the Einzbern family's specialty was alchemy, but this sort of application was unexpected. It moves and sounds like an actual bird. Forging magecraft, then. But the Executor had one particular advantage over her: combat experience. He tracked the flight pattern of the "eagle" and impaled it with his Black Eye when it came too close.
The construct's threads began to unravel… and then a second eagle swooped in from behind. Kirei's eyes widened as a second homunculus stepped out of the forest, controlling the creature that slashed at his back. Moreover, the one he'd stabbed extended its wires down the blade up to his arm, binding it tightly.
Irisviel nodded to her Shadow Clone as she approached, the other bird continuing to attack. She was proud of what she'd managed to accomplish with her abilities, but that didn't mean she wouldn't apply the jutsu her friend had taught her. Two birds were better than one in this fight.
Kirei tried to ward off the eagle, but he let his left hand drift too close to his right. The wires there shot out to entangle it as well. That left him effectively armless. Still, a martial artist didn't need his hands to be a threat. He ducked under the bird's claws, pressed his feet against the ground, and launched to the homunculus controlling his restraints. One kick and it'd be over.
A gunshot echoed, then a bullet cracked against his left knee; it failed to pierce the pants, but the force unsettled Kirei's balance for just one second. Irisviel traded a glance with Maiya, smoke wafting from her handgun, before pouring more mana into her wires. They pulled the big man towards a tree, and her Shadow Clone directed her eagle's talons to clasp down hard on his shoulders, drawing blood and a cringe from him. The combined alchemical magic made him slam hard against the tree, wires wrapping over his arms and legs to the wood. Kirei glared at them but couldn't dislodge himself.
Still, neither Irisviel nor her clone relaxed. They could sense their prey's struggle through the wires. And Assassin X had warned his Master's wife of the downside of Shadow Clones. The magecraft might've been doubled, but each Irisviel had only half of her od. It was taking everything just to keep this man rooted to the tree; he was stronger than she'd thought. "Miss Maiya, finish him now!" Her ally nodded before replacing her munitions clip for a fresh one.
Yet despite the current situation, with death a possibility and trepidation of meeting it before he'd faced Kiritsugu Emiya… a smile grew on Kirei Kotomine's lips. His heartbeat quickened, fingers danced against each other, he sucked in air with something foreign stirring inside him. I don't know why, Kirei thought through his struggling, but this battle, this uncertainty of victory… it's like nothing I've known before.
His mind flashed back to those memories of the pits, of battlefields where energy and weapons hurtled everywhere. Death had always been so close to Megatron when he had lived, yet he had always faced it head-on. And every single time, regardless of the circumstances, he had known… pleasure.
Now Kirei understood. To face the prospect of death, when there was so much to live for, and then beat the odds… That was a certain kind of joy.
Arms and legs bound. Grown tree, about thirty cm. thick. Gun trailing up for his head. Adrenaline pumping through his body.
The women all started as a loud BOOM echoed from the tree. Kirei's smile widened minutely. "Impossible…" Irisviel whispered in worry.
A master martial artist did not limit himself to merely training fists or feet. Elbows, knees, back, chest, all of these needed to be honed through exercise. If the entire body was forged into a weapon, then restrained limbs meant nothing.
Kirei calmly drew in a breath, then released it. Simultaneously, all the muscles in his limbs flexed, the collected force sending cracks across the bark by his hands and feet. He Reinforced his limbs, then repeated the process. Steam wafted from his appendages as the entire tree split in three large pieces, splinters flying through the air. Irisviel, her clone and Maiya could only watch the priest spread his body wide in shock. His restraints collectively snapped like cotton threads. The homunculi winced in pain from the backlash of their spells' destruction.
Rubbing his wrists with some remnant of satisfaction, Kirei's cold demeanor returned. That flash of excitement, though, had been interesting. He'd be sure to review these feelings later. But first things first.
"Why, you-!" Maiya's Glock barked twice, but he ducked underneath the bullets and sped for her. One of the Irisviel's forced herself up to throw herself between them. Maiya cried out in concern, "Ma'am, no-" before Kotomine's punch struck her.
For the second time that night, a woman Kirei struck poofed into smoke. And then a knife carrying three more of those odd burning papers flashed through the cloud to explode.
Maiya needed only an instant to realize it had been the clone just now and quickly sent her knife with a little surprise before bolting over to the real Irisviel, helping her to her feet. "Forgive me, Miss Maiya," the white-haired woman whispered in shame. "I underestimated him-" but she waved the apology off. Her first priority was getting Kiritsugu's wife to safety now.
She made to run but winced; she'd bound her right leg's injury, but the wound still hampered her. It was taking everything just to block out the pain. "Go," Maiya hissed to Irisviel. "I'll hold him off."
"Will you now?" Both turned to see Kirei Kotomine walk through the smoke towards them. Clothes singed, slight burns on his face, traces of blood here and there. Yet the man showed them the same emotionless face as before. He didn't hurry at all. They wouldn't get far.
Then silver and black erupted from the forest.
The priest rolled away with a frown, watching how Saber X tried to impale Archer X with his sword, only for her to have caught the gigantic blade between her hands. Right in between him and the women. Luck is not on my side tonight.
Neither Maiya nor Irisviel chose to question this turn of events; the pair's duel had been the closest to their location. They simply seized the opportunity and moved as quickly away as Maiya's leg allowed.
Her back on the ground, Archer X growled as she slowly forced back the heavy Noble Phantasm. Her opponent in turn grunted, putting his full weight against Harbinger, but she was a little bit stronger. One more push, then she let go of the blade and rolled aside as it sunk into the dirt. A kick to Saber X's gut sent him tumbling away without his weapon, and Archer X rose to her feet. Only then did she finally notice the two had found company. One was some banged-up preacher with empty eyes; probably nobody important.
But scurrying away from them, helping a black-wearing woman along, was that white-haired chick Saber and Assassin X had been defending at the docks. Finally, the Servant mused as a sniper rifle manifested in her grip, I catch a break. She took aim at the back of her long-haired head-
Only for Saber X to tackle her from behind just as she pulled the trigger.
Irisviel cried out as the bullet tore straight through her right shoulder, the impact knocking forward. Her hands barely caught the roots in front of her before her head could've met them. "Ma'am!" Maiya knelt beside her, trying to stem the profusely bleeding wound.
Kirei took in the scene before him with a displeased glint in his eyes. He'd hoped the many Servants fighting would've granted him an opportunity to meet Kiritsugu Emiya, but now they were just getting in his way. This forest is becoming too crowded. He sighed to himself. And I'm not in the best shape to confront that man. Another time, then.
The priest surprised himself with his lack of worry over Lord El-Melloi potentially killing Emiya. For some reason, he just knew that the scholar would fail to kill him. He just knew that they would meet. Just not tonight. He slipped off undetectable into the trees' shadows.
Agent Texas snarled in rising anger; that shot should've blown her head to pieces, those assholes were busy with the fisheyed fruitloop, the opportunity had been perfect to get rid of them both. And she still lost her chance!
All because of this alcoholic fucktard on top of her, wrestling for the rifle. "You should really focus on your fights better, Blackberry." Saber X pushed his knee against her stomach for leverage. "I'm starting to think you've got ADHD or something."
"Oh, I've got a lot of issues, buddy." She willed the rifle away, unbalancing him enough for her to slug him in the face. "High time I got rid of one of them!" Archer X reached up and grabbed the leaner Servant, slamming him hard enough against the ground that he formed a crater. She then began raining down punches even as that weird red energy flickered around him to absorb the brunt of her attacks. However it worked, it couldn't be unbreakable. And the guy had been stupid enough to leave his sword behind. His ass was hers.
But Qrow Branwen hadn't lasted so long as a Huntsman with his "gift" by being dependent on his weapon. He brought up his arms to parry the blows, his Aura taking the worst of it, and concentrated again. Soon enough, when the armored woman lifted her right foot to stomp on his gut, the earth gave way under her left. She fell to the side with a "Shit!" allowing him to spring up and throw a straight punch right against her visor. The blow sent her tumbling.
Even as she rolled backwards into a crouch, he'd reclaimed Harbinger and was leaping towards her. Archer X twisted away from the first slash and blocked the second with a combat knife, but the heavier blade still cut into her shoulder a bit. The crack on her visor grew as she glared at the man.
The Servant of the Sword smirked back. "There I go again, shattering expectations."
An assault rifle appeared. "Think you're funny, do you?" Gunshots rang out through the forest once again, a sort of symphony to express the Servant of the Bow's fury at her shitty luck.
To be fair, some of it was Saber X's fault.
Back inside the Einzbern castle, Kayneth and his golem tried to keep up with his elusive prey even as more explosives were set off. One in particular made the being of stone and mud stumble down a flight of stairs, cracks beginning to form from the many impacts. His patience fraying, the professor noticed movement to his right and called "Scalp!" Twin whips of mercury lashed out through the room towards his opponent but hit only wall. Something clicked behind Kayneth and he swiftly recalled Hydrargyrum around him just before a gunshot rang out. This little dance was beginning to bore him. None of this rat's toys had come even close to breaching his Supreme Mystic Code's defense.
To his shock (and a hint of dread), something blasted right through the mercury wall and clipped his left shoulder. Just a graze, but it burned. Oh, how it burned… his pride.
The Mage Killer's Shadow Clone slipped away before the injured scholar could retaliate. He reloaded his copy of the Contender while running, grumbling about the near miss. He's not going to misjudge its power twice.
As it turned out, the Shadow Clone Jutsu had some set limits: tools of the original could only be copied to a certain extent. Simple weapons like knives or shuriken were no trouble, but technology such as a modern firearm or a cellphone proved too complicated. Fortunately, the Thompson Contender, a single-action handgun, was just primitive enough to be replicated.
Including its ammunition. The clone slipped a fresh round into the muzzle even as he heard Kayneth snarling curses and a fresh cacophony of destruction by mercury and golem behind him. The magus was growing more agitated, more eager to end this game. Especially after miscalculating the last strike and receiving an injury. He'll be pouring more of his mana into his defense to make sure I won't surprise him again.
A Shadow Clone thought exactly like the original. …Just a little more. Then he'll be all mine.
-130:32:40
A Horror screeched as sword and spear cut it apart. It collapsed to the ground, the latest among its fallen brethren. By now, the earth was torn, battered and soaked in wretched blood and flesh. Saber, Assassin X, Lancer and Caster X stood back-to-back, weapons at the ready, as more Horrors circled them from a safe distance. Nearly two thousand of these creatures had fallen at the hands of one or more of the Servants. But still so many remained.
"Barely making a dent in their numbers…" Lancer mumbled to himself, "it's amazing."
Assassin X tilted his head askew, eyeing the mass of tentacles and teeth. "You don't suppose the rest'll see reason and get out of the way, do you?"
The Celtic knight chuckled at the joke. "They would've done that by now if they could."
Caster X swung his sword to remove the blood, the Elvish blade regaining its full shine. "Be that as it may, I think we can agree that your little competition has no winner."
Saber took a moment to sigh in agreement when the males mock-protested. "Caster X has a point. Our immediate concern is ending this threat. Whosoever succeeds at killing the most is irrelevant." The three nodded their heads in respect to the King of Knight's maturity…
Unaware of her thoughts. I still won. She continued, lest her partner somehow discern this like the crafty dog he was. "Anyway, the source of these monsters is that grimoire, Lancer." The Servant of the Spear was the only one who didn't know about Caster's power source yet. "As long as he has his Noble Phantasm, our situation will hardly change."
Lancer's eyes scanned the mass of Horrors around them. "I see, that's how it is, then?"
Caster X watched the beasts warily as well, though his true target was yet to be seen. "The only alternative would be to destroy them faster than the Noble Phantasm can spawn them, and that strategy has yielded little results until now." They were all powerful Spirits, moreso as a team, but in this situation, endless battle would exhaust even them eventually.
Assassin X had the same thoughts. And he shared the wise one's irritation. "But even if we manage to punch through, we'll still end up swarmed if the book isn't destroyed. Caster's crazy, but he's got enough sense to keep on the move."
"Can't your red eye seek him out?"
The Copy Ninja shook his head at Diarmuid's question. "My eye lets me see Magical Energy itself, but the problem is there's too much Magical Energy around us." Even the Horrors' remains radiated mana, and the ones battle-ready even more. No matter where the Sharingan was cast, it was like Assassin X was surrounded by a dense inferno.
Saber adjusted her (one-handed) grip on her sword while failing as well to locate their enemy. A risky plan was beginning to form in her mind, then she noticed a shift in her partner's posture. Caster X noticed it too. "Are you well, Assassin X?"
"Oh, yes, I am." The shinobi rolled his shoulders as a fresh sense of strength washed through him. "My clones just dissipated themselves."
A hopeful look crossed Saber. "Then the children are…"
"Safe inside the city." It wasn't just the Shadow Clones' unused energy that he had received, but their memories.
Ten children huddled together in front of a police department. The twin men had gently set them down, gave them assurances that they'd be okay, and seemingly left after one rang the bell and lights flickered on. An officer had yet to appear, though, and they were still very shaken from their abduction. Tears and snot flowed down their cheeks.
And one soul had borne witness to part of this scene. A single boy, having still been up late at night to read some fantasy manga, had first heard some commotion outside his window. Upon opening it and seeing two of his friends among the sobbing ones, he quickly bolted down the hall to his parents' bedroom. "Mom! Dad!" He called while knocking on the door. "There are some kids outside the station! Two of them are Mako and Ren, they need help!"
By the time Risei Kotomine learned of the children's situation, they were being treated in the police station with warm blankets, tea and a good number of adults as company.
Only once they were absolutely sure the little ones were safe did the watching Shadow Clones release themselves.
The four breathed a collective sigh of relief, then Assassin X popped open a pouch on his flak jacket. "Alright, it's time we ended this." He withdrew a scroll while pricking the tip of his finger and smeared a line of blood over the unrolled paper. "And I think I have an idea to catch him."
While the others eyed his actions with curiosity, Saber simply nodded. Even if she didn't know what exactly he was planning, she had nothing but trust in her comrade's talents. "Then if you can keep him in one location, we have a chance. Lancer, Caster X," both listened to her, "would you be willing to try a gamble?"
The wizard inclined his head. "It would not be the first time, and given the circumstances, I have no objections."
"Personally, I find such tactics deplorable," Lancer admitted, "but fighting these beasts brings neither victory nor glory." He smiled. "I accept your offer."
"Then I will clear a path." The King of Britain hefted her magnificent hidden sword. "But we only have one chance. Can you run with the wind, Lancer?"
The knight's eyes twinkled in a way that would've made most women swoon. "So, that's it." He chuckled. "Easy enough."
Caster X gave his staff a thoughtful look; he'd understood the plan as well. "Then with your permission, Saber, I shall give you my help with this. These creatures are quite swift healers. Can you run with fire as well, Lancer?" He smirked playfully as the wooden tip flared up.
Twin spears danced in the moonlight. "Oh, I do love a challenge."
She looked to her partner, who simply nodded with an eye-smile as he rolled the scroll back up with a flourish. No words, out loud or telepathic, were needed to convey his message: I'm ready when you are. Saber allowed herself a second to smile at this turn of events. The three Heroic Spirits were not ones she'd ever known in life, yet they'd proven themselves in word and deed this night. Lancer, a knight of chivalry and valor, eager as she was to finish their duel of honor; Caster X, a wise sorcerer who'd been willing to face such evil alone for the sake of children, yet perfectly willing to fight in a group as well; and Assassin X, a man that had proven himself a skilled warrior, a reliable help for any situation… and a good friend.
Though all from different lands, the four Servants readied themselves with utmost confidence in one another. And Saber's Instinct told her that this next move was guaranteed to succeed.
Caster paced along the mass of Horrors with rapt glee. He couldn't take the chance of remaining stationary with so many cretins about, but the ones flocking around Jeanne were as good as doomed. No matter how many of his forces were cut down, Prelati's Spellbook's power was nigh infinite. "Are you saying your prayers in there?" He called out his taunt. "Tremble in terror, writhe in despair! No matter how exceptional an individual may be, they can only stand against insurmountable odds so many times!" A dark cackle echoed from his throat. The Horrors before him began to lurch forward towards their enemies.
The knights glared about them from Caster's insults, but the other Servant of Spells sheathed his sword to gesture for them to remain calm. He himself was not bothered by the taunts. For he had witnessed many wondrous moments in his life. An individual may indeed falter eventually against insurmountable odds, Caster. But none of us stand here alone.
He simply said, "Remember, sir Lancer, the calmest point of a storm is its heart." The green knight nodded after a moment of thought. Both of Caster X's hands clutched his staff tightly as he began to chant. The rest couldn't recognize the language, as it was an ancient one from another world, but they sensed what he was up to. Heat began to gather around the staff's crown. Assassin X began his own preparations, keeping hold of the scroll while he made handsigns.
"How humiliating!" The Demon Marshall continued to jeer, unaware of his enemies' plans. To be crushed and deprived of your final breaths by these wretched, soulless creatures! Could there be any greater shame for a hero?" The Horrors were moving in a greater frenzy now. The strike would come any second. "Who shall fall first, I wonder? The elderly monk, making his final petitions and receiving no answer? The mouthless heathen, dragged down in agony to whatever pit spawned him? Or the haughty knight, learning the price for his interference?"
Saber lifted her sword to face level and angled it so the tip was pointing forward like a spear. Said weapons were braced at the ready with Lancer as he dug into his heels.
Caster drew a hand over his savagely grinning face. "Either way, you, dear Jeanne, shall be the last," he vowed softly. A giggle bubbled up. "That beautiful face… it shall warp in agony!" And the Horrors finally rushed forward.
"Ninja Art Summoning!" Assassin X didn't waste time in crouching down and slamming the scroll into the dirt. "Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" Text rippled from the scroll and into the ground.
A second later, Caster felt a tremor beneath him. He glanced down puzzled only for something to burst out and bite down on his right ankle with sharp teeth. He didn't even have time to shriek from the pain before his left ankle was next. Then six more forms erupted snarling from the earth, and as they made contact with him, a cry of pain finally erupted from Gilles de Rais.
Inside the Horror mass, Saber's ears tracked the scream and other noises to one specific spot. She shifted slightly to the right and as Assassin X turned with her to unleash a spread of lightning to ward off the rest, she uttered the name of her own technique. "Strike Air!"
Invisible Air transformed from a sheathe of wind into a billowing cyclone that was thrust forward. Caster X simultaneously held his staff to the brilliant sword, and the winds became a roaring torrent of flame that didn't merely blast but incinerated all Horrors in its path. The funnel expanded into a large tunnel, just big enough for someone to step through while the fire kept any demons outside from interfering. Lancer sprinted through it without word or hesitation. Calmest point of a storm, eh? He smirked. A wise man. And a fearsome wizard.
Indeed, though fire raged about him, none of it came even close to singeing the Heroic Spirit. Even without his Magic Resistance, he needn't have worried, so great was their control over this combination. And the burning path led to an unusual sight; Caster barely standing due to eight hounds of different breeds piling on top of him. Each had sunk their fangs into his body and judging by the pain mixed with surprise in his giant eyes, they kept a good grip on him.
Lancer wasted no time marveling at Assassin X's methods. He cleared the distance with one lunge, pulling back his crimson spear. "Prepare yourself!" Those few Horrors that attempted to stop him were swiftly dealt offhand wounds by the golden spear that would remain until they died. Which wouldn't be long now.
"Run it through!" A red tip hurtled towards its target. "Gáe Daerg!" The moment the enchanted spear cut into the book in Caster's grasp, just out of reach of a little pug, its mana was severed. Red mist leaked from its tear like a gaping wound, and all of the remaining Horrors burst apart in a shower of blood. Caster X quickly summoned a white barrier around himself and his allies to shield from the horrid "rain"; not a drop touched them.
Saber peered through the comforting light to recognize just what bound their quarry. "So that was your plan," she said to her partner in impressed praise. Caster X had earned their trust by now. "You decided that if seeing or hearing Caster didn't work…"
"I'd have to find him by smell." Assassin X confirmed, proud of his pack's quick work. "Granted, only Pakkun and Guruko had his scent, but I tend to plan ahead." He tapped the side of his cheek where Caster had scratched him earlier. "The only reason he could touch me was because I let him."
Caster X nodded, impressed with the plan. "And by taking a piece of your skin, he unwittingly marked himself with your scent, one your hounds would know intimately." New respect developed for the masked one beside him and his pets. No less because even as they snarled while tightening their hold on Caster, they still seemed friendlier than wargs. And Assassin X had proven himself as valiant as any member of the Fellowship the Gray Wizard had been part of till his sacrifice. As have these knights, he thought in pride.
Caster struggled furiously to escape and bolster his forces again, but the damned hounds kept their jaws as tight as possible on his flesh. Moreover, his Spellbook remained pierced by that crimson weapon of the green knight, somehow nullifying its abilities. He was trapped. "Damn you… Damn you al-IAIIIIEEEE" The bulldog chomping down harder on his back drew a fresh screech from him.
Lancer had no sympathy for him, keeping Gáe Daerg's tip embedded in the tome. He had no interest in battling another horde tonight. "How do you like the situation now?" He taunted the captive Servant. "If Saber had retained both of her hands, you'd have never stood a chance."
"Hear, hear." Assassin X mumbled while Caster X nodded in agreement.
The King of Knight nodded her thanks to their confidence in her before striding towards Caster, right hand clenching her sword tightly. She held Caster X in the highest regard for protecting the children so valiantly until the others' arrivals, but her anger flared at the one who'd put them in danger. "Prepare for your death, fiend." Saber readied her sword carefully; she didn't want to hurt the hounds while finishing him. The Servant's fate seemed sealed.
Fate tends to not play sides, however.
Something black flew out of the clearing before skidding to its left of where Caster was trapped. Everyone glanced in surprise (and for Saber, a hint of horror) at Berserker as he planted his feet with a feral growl.
Rider X rocketed in his aircraft form towards him before shifting back just before they'd meet. His right fist slammed into Berserker's crossed arms, the momentum unsettling the knight's guard. The larger Servant landed and spun with a kick that knocked away his opponent, then he noticed his audience. "Well, well," he finally said with a cruel smirk, "this battle appears to be a little one-sided." He lifted his fusion cannon.
Saber stepped in front of Lancer to deflect the first plasma blast with her sword, but the sheer power behind it against her one-handed grip rattled her. She was forced to dodge the next one, as was her fellow knight. The latter's action unfortunately shifted his spear's position just a little bit. But enough for Caster to slide his Noble Phantasm free of the anti-magic tip and regain its power. The Hounds yiped as tentacles erupted around him, forced to let go.
Caster X had resummoned his barrier to block more blasts at him and Assassin X, but the Horror corpses surrounding them suddenly swelled, then burst like bloody bubbles. A red mist gathered over the battlefield, the blood clogging the dogs' senses and the mana inside it confusing even the Sharingan. Allowing Gilles de Rais to quickly slip away.
What's worse, the sudden move had disrupted Caster X's concentration for just a bit. Seeing an opportunity and being the least hindered by the mist, Rider X focused his barrage on the wizard's diminished shield while striding towards him. Caster X gritted his teeth from the exertion, trying to keep his defenses up. Assassin X performed a new set of handsigns before planting his palms on the ground. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" A thick wall of earth, four dog faces in its surface, rose up in front of the two, granting the elder one a reprieve.
Rider X merely sneered while blasting the wall to pebbles. "How desperate." Perhaps he'd get a chance tonight to end those two potential troublemakers after all.
Something large and heavy smashing into him from the side put a damper on those thoughts.
Saber and Lancer leaped out of the bloody fog, weapons at the ready. Caster had regrettably escaped them, but to their surprise, Rider X had been knocked to the ground. Berserker hefted an entire tree he'd uprooted and blackened with his Noble Phantasm before attempting to slam it onto his enemy with a howl. Rider X moved out of the way, but the trunk, unwieldly though it should've been, changed course swiftly enough to smack him further across the field. No other Servant present could've hoped to wield such a large weapon with anything close to grace. Eternal Arms Mastery continued to serve the black knight well.
Though her thoughts remained conflicted over one of these interlopers, Saber had no doubts about what to do with the other. She sprinted for Rider X as he pushed himself to his feet. Her first slash was blocked by his deployed arm blade, but she continued to strike undeterred. Rider X parried her swings while mixing in his own attacks, but the smaller Servant weaved around punches and kicks. His bulk granted him longer reach and strength, but her stature made her the more mobile one. A frustrating stalemate for both participants.
Then a third, Lancer, contributed as well with a flurry of lightning-fast jabs with both spears. Megatron's gladiatorial experience helped him weather the storm with his blade, but the two began to work together. Slowly, he was being pushed back. Saber's sword scraped by his neck, Lancer's red spear cut past his abdomen. And Berserker was getting close as well.
-130:32:31
Lord El-Melloi's golem continued to stomp through the Einzbern mansion, though not quite as swiftly on account of its left leg having sustained heavy damage. Compliments of an explosive hidden among the stairs. More cracks and chinks along its surface told stories of meeting other traps.
Yet it suffered no pain or frustration even as another wire snapped by its path and caused a statue next to it to blow up. A sizeable hole had formed in the center, revealing a glow, but the golem merely continued its search for the one its master had ordered it to crush.
As a simple magical being of earth and rock, it only possessed some simulacrum of senses. And those were limited to sight and hearing. Still, both were sharp enough that it detected footsteps from the upcoming corner. The golem's basic programming told it their origin could be its target, so it lifted a massive boulder fist that scraped against the hall' ceiling.
Then it halted its actions as it registered its creator stepping into clear view. The man in blue clothing showed no sign of alarm as he kept his arms to the sides with a frown. The golem's own arm fell to its side as well as it awaited a new command.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was not happy. He'd been chasing this uncultured rat across the entire mansion, set off at least a dozen of his silly little diversions and had thought he'd come close to cornering him three times by now. The only injuries the prodigal magus had suffered was the earlier graze by his shoulder, and the burn was easily remedied. His clothing showed more damage, another little irritation.
This was most certainly not what he'd expected of the Holy Grail War. He'd joined this event to match thaumaturgical skill with the likes of Tokiomi Tohsaka, Zouken Matou or other pioneers of the magic arts. Open duels between gentlemen, with martial acclaim and honor as the prize. But this… this little game of hide-and-seek was frankly embarrassing. His opponent was some commoner with a few abnormal magic tricks and too much gunpowder.
If he weren't so disappointed with this farce of a battle, Kayneth might've been intrigued about the magecraft this man employed. Time manipulation inside one's own body, self-duplication, possible teleportation… not quite like anything he'd ever seen or heard before, which was a rarity for a scholar like him.
But he'd long since lost interest in this game. Once this rat had been dealt with, the Grail War would be free of such tarnishing, and Kayneth could look forward to proper challenges again.
Another vase exploded to launch those ridiculous balls at him, but a field of mercury blades rose up to keep them far away from him. The lights flickered off; power flow must've been damaged in the area. Kayneth's Magic Circuits strained a bit from his pouring more mana into his defense, but he was done taking chances. No toy of that rat was going to touch him again. His automated probes detected movement up ahead, both the heavy steps of his golem and lighter ones.
Lord El-Melloi sneered at the opportunity. The golem would cut off his retreat, and he would personally take one step closer to ending this game. He rounded a corner and saw the construct…
And himself.
"What?!" Kayneth started, drawing his double's attention. The other Kayneth briefly turned from facing the golem to give him an unimpressed stare, then his hands went for his pockets. The golem made no movement whatsoever.
The Lord El-Melloi would've never received his title if he'd been slow-witted. It's some sort of illusory trick, and that blasted golem is too simple-minded to tell the difference between him and me! "How dare you impersonate me!" He snarled as Volumen Hydrargyrum's mass shifted into a trio of whips.
But they were too far away to stop his imposter as he quickly pulled out two black objects with rings from his pockets and shoved them into the glowing hole in the golem's torso. Two little rings clattered to the floor.
Even as the whips finally reached the man, their blows revealing him to be Kiritsugu Emiya('s clone) before he turned to smoke, the grenades detonated inside the golem. He'd placed them as close to its core as possible, the amethyst that served as its origin, and the twin explosions shattered it. Which in turn blew the heavy creature to pieces.
The mercury retracted into its defense form as rock and mud flew across the hall. Anger swelled inside Kayneth at the destruction of a valuable artifact. He'd paid a pretty copper for that crystal, and for it to be destroyed not by some powerful spell but by mundane trickery, was infuriating.
That's when he heard footsteps behind him.
Kiritsugu's Calico sang as it fired its ammunition at the professor's back. "Fervor, mei sanguis." Kayneth ground out, channeling his mana into the mercury swords that defended him from the bullets. He turned around with a prideful glare. "What you owe me for my golem, I'll take out of your hide."
The Mage Killer's face was a blank slate, showing no sign of concern or satisfaction. His Shadow Clone had succeeded in its main task, neutralizing the construct. He didn't want to take any chances of that thing still lumbering about after its creator was taken care of.
"Prepare to curse the ones who hired you, to curse the Einzberns for defiling the Holy Grail War with your inclusion!"
Speaking of which… Even as his left hand fired the Calico's entire supply at the mercury field, Kiritsugu's right hand rose with the Thompson Contender at the ready. That gun barked once, its .30-06 Springfield bullet flying at two-and-a-half times the speed of the Parabellum rounds and with seven times more destructive power.
Kayneth barked a laugh at the familiar sound. Even he knew how to differentiate guns by their shots. "Repeating your tricks, little rat?" The blades encircled the special bullet and closed it off like a Venus flytrap. Trapped in mercury, the projectile would never touch him.
The Mage Killer smirked. Got him.
A warning sensation flashed through Archer X just as she pulled the trigger of her shotgun; the resulting blast went wide, and she barely ducked under the slash of Saber X's scythe. She'd felt similar feelings when she'd lived, a version of the "sixth sense" normal people would have. But not quite like this.
Somehow, though, the Servant knew exactly what it meant.
Saber X heard her mumble, "Oh for fuck's sake…" before her gun was replaced by a collection of grenades. Their pins fell down quickly. He flipped quickly out of the following explosions' radius and readied his scythe, but Archer X was gone. Really gone, he noted, not just doing that disappearing act he saw a while ago.
He scratched his dark hair in slight confusion. "What was that all about?"
At the same time, Lancer halted in his tracks with a gasp. This hesitance was exploited by Rider X who batted him away, transformed into his Alt-Mode and gunned his thrusters. The enemy Servants were forced to evade his energy bolts as he soared off into the night sky.
"An infuriating opponent…" Saber glared at the increasingly distant flyer before tensing up at a familiar growl. "Arrr…" Berserker stalked towards her, actually spinning the massive tree in his hands like Lancer would his spears. That skill… she thought with a tinge of fear, the picture of his armor… No, it can't be him. It just can't.
Assassin X leaped to her side and Lancer shook his head to crouch for a possible lunge, but the former noticed his partner's hand slightly trembling even as it gripped her sword. Did our last encounter with him shake her that much? Kakashi worried for her but couldn't let this distract him. His hounds, still about, braced themselves for a fight at his signal.
Berserker's armored foot stomped hard enough into the ground to send mud and blood flying. He swung back his weapon…
Then Caster X stepped in front of him. The knight ceased instantly. "Berserker," he addressed his partner as though they were having a regular discussion, "have you been facing Rider X this entire time?"
"Mmm…" the maddened Servant rumbled, dropping the tree. He inclined his helmet towards the wizard. "N…m…y… t…gtt…"
Caster X peered at him carefully, seemingly gazing into the Heroic Spirit's tormented soul. "…I see. You acted to keep him from attacking me, did you?" He gave a kind smile before reaching up to place his hand on a blackened shoulder. "For that, I thank you, my friend." Then his tone grew strict. "But whatever your grievance with Saber, this is neither the place nor the time for you to face her." The duo's Master was surely experiencing great pain from their endeavors tonight. Continuing to fight others would cause even more damage.
Berserker knew this, and because of this wise man standing in front of him, he had enough presence of mind to feel some shame towards his part in his Master's struggles. Caster X sighed. "Let us leave now, sir. We may have failed to stop Caster or Rider X," both tensed at the thought of that dangerous familiar, "but tonight is not the end of the Grail War."
The knight's body rattled in place, but his helmet nodded once in acknowledgement. "Nn… sr." He made no further move to attack, instead choosing to dematerialize into smoke.
Though they had seen it before, the others observed this scene in utter shock. How easily the elderly man could scold the Servant of Madness as though he were an angry dog and yet convince him so kindly to stand down… it was awe-inspiring. Saber finally spoke up, her earlier conflict pushed down. For now. "You are a benign person, Caster X." The wizard glanced to her. "For defending the children with such valor and for being so patient with that Servant." Her breath hitched slightly, something her partner picked up on.
As did Caster X. But he chose not to dwell on this; even though he suspected Saber and Berserker might know one another, he preferred to leave this forest in peace. "Berserker is a… troubled man. But I sense good in him, and he has yet to shatter my hopes." He removed his pointy hat and bowed before the rest in respect. "As for my actions, I was merely the first to arrive tonight. You have all proven yourselves heroes at least as great as I am. And even if we may engage in battle later, it has been a true honor to fight by your sides tonight."
"The honor is shared, wise one." Lancer spoke up as he joined the other two in returning the bow, though with some urgency. He sensed trouble, though not directed at him.
The others noticed his tense posture. "Is something wrong, Lancer?" Assassin X asked politely.
"My lord is in trouble," Diarmuid answered honestly. The masked man had earned his trust and respect as well. "I think he chose to send me and Archer X here and engage in battle at the castle."
Saber and Assassin X traded a look; pretty much as Kiritsugu had expected. Saber retained her distaste about her Master's traps, hence her subsequent urging. "It's likely the result of," Assassin X sent her a telepathic note, "our associate." She corrected herself with an internal wince. Lying to the knight felt wrong, but she'd agreed to their strategy with her word and deed. Besides, it wouldn't have been the worst lie she'd told. "Go ahead, Lancer." He and her partner looked in shock to her. "You might still be able to save your lord."
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's surprise faded as he smiled to his rival. "I thank you, King of Knights."
"It's nothing. We swore to have a knights' duel, and we ought to see that honor through."
"I wish you both the best with that." Caster X had taken spirit form with a parting smile to them. Saber had returned it, albeit with some internal snark. Merlin could've learned a thing or two from him about being a respectable wizard…
Lancer then noticed another preparing to move. "Would you try to stop me, Assassin X?"
"Not from retrieving your Master, my friend." The Copy Ninja assured him and his partner. He had a feeling Saber's choice wasn't going to win her any favors with Kiritsugu, but he respected her wish for a proper duel. And to keep someone from aiding their comrade despite his personal philosophy would've been a little hypocritical. "I only want to accompany you, in case a certain partner of yours decides to get a little trigger-happy with our associate."
Lancer released a bitter sigh. "…Fair enough." He did not look forward to the upcoming argument with Archer X. The two males nodded to Saber and subsequently vanished into spirit form.
Saber remained where she was, her mind awash with thoughts about what Kiritsugu might've done, disgust towards Caster and admiration for those Servants that had stood with her tonight…
And conflict over Berserker. Please, please don't let it be him…
Then she felt a little nudge by her ankle. Glancing down revealed Pakkun by her foot. "Kakashi told me to hang back and lead you to Irisviel and Maiya." The increase in wrinkles showed his concern. "I hope it's just this place, but I can smell blood, Saber."
Artoria's eyes widened at that; she didn't believe for a second the dog's nose might be mistaken. "Lead the way, Pakkun." The pug nodded and bolted to the north, the King of Knights right behind him.
Blood poured from Kayneth's mouth and nose as he hunched over, clutching his sides. Agony coursed through every millimeter of his body. His once impeccable Supreme Mystic Code collapsed into a puddle of useless mercury around him. The magus clawed undignified at his throat, his face, while stumbling about, trying to find some way to cease the pain, but it was no use. He felt like someone had set all of his body's nerves on fire.
Kiritsugu flicked his Contender to the side to dispel its smoke, not a speck of emotion on his face. Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had become the thirty-eighth magus to fall at the hands of his Mystic Code: Origin Rounds. Sixty-six .30-06 Springfield bullets containing his powdered bones, manifesting his dual origin, Severing and Binding, in anything they struck. Archibald's mercury weapon had been so saturated with his mana that when it had enveloped the bullet, the magic within had first ripped through every last one of the man's Magic Circuits, then messily reattached them beyond use.
An old creed in combat was "Turn any weakness into a strength, and turn your opponent's strength into a weakness." The Mage Killer believed strongly in the latter half. The more powerful the target, the more devastating the effects of his Rounds.
Case in point, the once great Lord El-Melloi vomited up one last surge of blood, then fell clumsily into the remains of Volumen Hydrargyrum. The only grace he received was the loss of consciousness with the impact. His Magic Circuits' damage had crippled his body so thoroughly that even if he survived, he'd never be able to move a toe under his own power, let alone wield magecraft again. Only thing left was the final blow. Kiritsugu walked without haste, pity or joy towards the fallen man while he lay twitching. He shifted his Calico's mode to semi-automatic. Another obstacle removed.
Or so he thought. A surge of mana rose around the body, and Kiritsugu shot twice on instinct. Archer X shimmered into view to catch the bullets with one hand. The other pointed a SMG at him. "Well, well," the cracked visor was fixed on him, "you've really done a number on this prick, haven't you?" She dropped the useless rounds into the mercury beneath her. "He wasn't kidding about you, Mage Killer."
Dull black eyes narrowed at the Servant. The one who had thwarted his bombing of the Hyatt. For her to show up now of all times, and from the sound of it, she knew him by reputation. But how? She wasn't a native of this world, and El-Melloi hadn't seemed aware of who Kiritsugu was. He'd have bragged or derided him about it otherwise. "Who's 'he'?" he asked warily, calculating the odds of him evading her initial attack and managing to finish Kayneth off. Neither goal looked good. I could use a hand.
And Archer X knew better than to give him any chances. They had too much in common for that. "Wouldn't you like to know." Six shots burst from her gun's muzzle towards the hidden Master.
Cl-C-Cl-Cl-Cl-Clang!
They clattered harmlessly to the ground. Kiritsugu cocked an eyebrow at his savior. "Cutting it a little close."
"You're welcome," Assassin X snarked back, smoke wafting from the twin kunai in his hands. Both of his eyes watched Archer X like a hawk even as she growled in frustration.
"You are really starting to be a major pain in my-"
"Language, Archer X." Lancer appeared beside his Master in a kneeling position. His eyes that would've captivated most women were set in a hard glare with no one sure who it was directed towards.
Archer X turned slightly to him, some of her rage shifting into elation. "Good, you're here," She kept her tone gruff, just to let him know he wasn't off the hook yet. "We'll take him together."
"No."
Her fist clenched. "Excuse me?"
Lancer wasn't intimidated by the anger in her voice. "I came here to rescue our lord, Archer X, and Saber granted me passage for this specific task. I won't violate her trust in me by attacking her partner or her ally." He spoke through her protests. "And do keep in mind that you are not the only one in this partnership that is frustrated. We are leaving. Now."
She trembled in anger before releasing a huff. "…Fine. But you get to carry him." She couldn't find it in her to refuse his order. Dammit, I'm getting too soft with this dipshit…
Kiritsugu's ears latched onto certain details the knight had said. Saber had let him go, then; the news made him click his tongue in distaste. Of course, her damnable chivalry must've compelled her to trust him with this. At least she hadn't blabbed out his true connection to them. Still, Emiya had to try one last thing. 'Assassin X,' he asked over their link, 'can you dispatch them?'
'One, maybe. Two would be a bit much, even with the boost.' For One's Comrades might've given him a rank-up, but he was just as exhausted as the two of them. And Lancer's spear had already proven a deadly counter against his jutsu. Even if he were willing to go against Saber's wishes, Assassin X doubted he alone could win against the pair.
Kiritsugu considered ordering him with Command Seal, but it was ultimately too risky. He'd also grown to trust Assassin X's judgement despite himself. If he said victory was unlikely here, then his Master had to grudgingly accept it.
Lancer hefted the unconscious Kayneth's limp body up, it spasming lightly in his grip. Assassin X's mask hid a wince as his Sharingan surveyed the once proud magus' body. His internal systems looked like a tornado and an earthquake had been fighting each other in there, with a thunderstorm mixed in for extra fun. The damage was very severe; even if he survived, the man would likely be a cripple for the rest of his life. Kiritsugu wasn't exaggerating the effects of those Origin Rounds…
The Celtic warrior carefully slung his Master onto his back while the otherworldly soldier kept her gun trained on the duo. He then said, "Ally of Saber and Assassin X. The reason I do not punish you for what you've done to our lord is for your Servants' sake." He had lost any patience for dishonorable plays with his partner's actions. "You keep your life because of the grace of the King of Knights. Remember that." And so, he bounded out a broken window.
Archer X just sighed loudly before following him. Useless deadweight of a Master… At least she didn't shoot again.
Kiritsugu finally lowered his gun with a sigh. With the battle over, adrenaline had finally given way to exhaustion. He'd pushed himself with using Innate Time Control so often tonight, him and his clone. Pocketing the Contender, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it while Assassin X quickly checked the perimeter. Those knights and their naivete was so taxing.
The Servant returned after a moment, covering up his left eye again. "Area's secure, all of the other Servants have long since cleared out."
"Any Assassins?"
"Three, but they bolted when I approached them. We ought to be relatively safe for the time being."
"Relatively…" Kiritsugu repeated, appreciative that at least one of his Servants wasn't blindly trusting. "Where's Saber?"
"She's gone with Pakkun to check up on Irisviel and Maiya." Kakashi noticed a slight relaxation in his Master's posture at the news. So he still trusts her just enough to protect his wife, he mused before asking in honest curiosity, "So, how was your test run?"
The Mage Killer knew what his question referred to. Hefting his Calico, he removed his cigarette to answer. "A few kinks to work out, but otherwise satisfactory." More than satisfactory, he admitted to himself.
"You're willing to continue using them, then?"
"Definitely." Even the "simple" jutsu had proven to be a valuable asset and a good part of how he'd managed to retain the upper hand against Archibald tonight. They began to walk back to the less damaged parts of the castle.
Kiritsugu took another drag from his cigarette while glancing to the shinobi maintaining watch. How ironic; the Servant he hadn't been trying to summon was the one he could truly count on in this War.
Then his mood soured again when he caught Assassin X sneaking a peek inside that thrice-damned book. "Oh, come on!" The Servant pleaded. "Just a little treat after a hard-thought battle?"
Click. "Put. It. Away."
"…Are you aiming an Origin Round at me?! We don't even know how a Servant could be affected by those things!"
"Put the book away, or I'm finding out, Assassin X."
Maiya set Irisviel beside a tree as gently as possible, her hands stained in the homunculus' blood. Too much for comfort. "Try to keep pressure, Ma'am," she whispered while beginning to check her pockets. "I'm afraid we need to work fast if there's any chance of saving you."
"Miss Maiya, it's-"
"Please don't speak, I need to concentrate." She turned with a single roll of bandages, a holdover from last night's cut. Maiya began to unroll it as quickly as she could; much as it pained her to be in this woman's presence, to see how Kiritsugu's expression would always lighten up by just a tiny bit when he saw her and lament how she never provoked such a reaction…
Irisviel von Einzbern was precious to Kiritsugu Emiya. That made her worth protecting to Maiya Hisau. Her feelings were otherwise irrelevant.
A bark drew both women's attention. The little orange pug (Pakkun, Maiya corrected herself) bounded into sight, calling "Over here!" behind him as his eyes caught hold of them. He scampered over quickly to where Irisviel was propped up, Saber soon following.
"Irisviel!" The Servant called out as she hurried over. Her eyes quickly were quickly drawn to the blood on her jacket. She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, hoping it would suffice…
The little dog whined in worry, his paws resting on the white-haired woman's leg. She giggled at him while stroking his head. "I'm fine, Pakkun. Really." She smiled at all of them. "You can all stop worrying now."
"Ma'am-"
"Miss Maiya, I'm quite alright." She interrupted her gently while taking her hands away from where she'd been shot. "See?" The woman saw to her surprise that the wound had disappeared. The clothing remained drenched in blood, but the skin underneath looked as though absolutely had happened. Irisviel lifted and bent her arm to prove her point.
While Pakkun huffed in relief (and melted under her cuddly fingers), Maiya still had questions. But it was Saber who indirectly answered. "You see, Irisviel?" She asked playfully. "This is why I've been declining your offer to return it to me."
The homunculus giggled as her furry friend tickled her nose. "Alright, Saber, I'll admit that holding onto Avalon was a good precaution in hindsight." The mention of that fabled object was the final piece in the puzzle for Maiya to comprehend.
Avalon: "The Everdistant Utopia." The sheathe to King Arthur's sword that could protect the wearer from any wound, even fatal ones. Had it not been stolen from her earlier, the king would've survived the great clash with Mordred on that bloody battlefield.
So, she's been carrying it…
In an unexpected shift from his original plan, Kiritsugu had been upfront with Saber about entrusting his wife with Avalon. An idea the Servant had no objections to, another rarity. Though in that case, she easily understood the logic. Seeing as she was to be by Irisviel's side the entire time, the sheathe could serve as a sort of Conceptual Weapon for her. Its regenerative powers wouldn't work without Saber's mana, after all.
After Saber had been injured by Lancer's Gáe Buidhe, her friend had repeatedly offered to return her Noble Phantasm to her. The magic within Avalon could certainly nullify the curse on her injury. But Saber had refused politely every single time, citing that the situation had yet to grow so dire that she truly needed her left hand. "I already have a fine surrogate," She once said with a little smile. "Assassin X."
Irisviel showed no signs of injury whatsoever now as she rose to her full height. "What about Kiritsugu?" She asked, both her and Maiya staring intently at Saber. "Is he alright?"
"He is," the knight assured them. "Assassin X sped off to his location while I followed Pakkun to yours. And he just reported to me that the castle is secure again. They're waiting for us to return."
"Thank goodness…" Irisviel sighed in relief. Maiya relaxed as well. If Assassin X is with Kiritsugu, no one will touch him, she thought before blinking. When had she developed such confidence in the odd foreigner?
"Now then, let's tend to your leg, Miss Maiya." Irisviel's words shook her out of her thoughts. Pakkun was plopped softly into her lap, and as her hands instinctively moved to pet the furball, the woman crouched by the injured limb, her hands glowing. The healing magecraft to her calf and the soft fur by her fingertips steadied Maiya's nerves.
Saber frowned at their state. "Who did all this to you?" she asked while keeping watch.
"Archer X was the one who shot Ma'am," Maiya's mentioning of that treacherous brute of a soldier drew a scowl from the King of Knights, "but the rest came from a fight with Kirei Kotomine."
That name made her stiffen. "He sought you out?"
Irisviel shook her head with a concerned frown. "He was heading for Kiritsugu, and I thought that we could stop him. But I didn't realize just how deadly that man was." Even with Assassin X's lessons, the two of them had at best managed a shaky stalemate against the mysterious priest. The Servants' intrusion into their battle had been a stroke of luck.
All this steadied her resolve even more. As she glanced down at her false Command Seals (slightly faded, I'll have to ask Assassin X to refresh them), Irisviel swore to herself that she couldn't allow that man anywhere near her husband.
And one glance at her patient's face told her that she had been having the same thoughts. Yes, Irisviel smiled at her tenderly, I'm not alone in protecting Kiritsugu, am I? And neither are you, Miss Maiya. Both also glanced down at the cute pug sitting alert in Maiya's lap, wearing his master's headband proudly. Their eyes travelled up to Saber, standing watch steadfast like a man twice her size.
We will keep Kiritsugu safe. We will help him win. All of us. We won't let him fight alone.
Kariya Matou groaned by his spot at the border of the city, where man-made structures gave way to the western forest. This had been the furthest he could go before his legs gave out. His insectoid familiars had been sent to follow his Servants' movements, but the frequent flashes of pain from those damned Worms and Berserker's rampaging limited his perception.
But at least he knew they were all right… Heh. Didn't think I'd grow to care so much over a pair of familiars.
Speak of the devil; Caster X and Berserker appeared from spirit form before him. The former immediately knelt down by his Master to begin treating him. Kariya relaxed as the Crest Worms' rummaging ceased almost instinctively; the little bastards really were scared of him. "Is Caster dead?"
"Unfortunately, no. Despite our best efforts, he was aided in his escape by another." Both frowned as an image of certain terrifying metallic Servant crossed both of their minds. But the wizard continued. "We will continue to be watchful of both of them." Then a healing spell swept over Kariya, alleviating his aching body. Caster X paused in his mumblings to give the crippled man an amused glance. "You needn't have pushed yourself after sending Berserker off to assist me, Master. I feel guilt at exacerbating your struggles."
Kariya waved off his worries with a laugh. "I'm not that fragile, Gandalf." Speaking the Heroic Spirit's True Name was a sign of his sincerity. "But I didn't really send Berserker after you." They looked to the still black knight, his lack of tremors a rarity. "He was all set on following you when night came. I just granted him permission."
The wizard eyed the knight with a smile. "Is that so?" He chuckled to himself before beginning to help up the Matou Master. "Well, our adventures here have concluded for tonight. Let us get you back into the city."
"Sounds good-"
Then both were surprised when Berserker, without any urging from them, stepped over to grab hold of Kariya from the other side. He gave no grunts or growls steadying the smaller man's body against his own, even taking astounding care to not let his armor injure his passenger. Once Kariya had been fully pulled off the other Servant, the supposed madman simply jerked his head towards the road. "Hm."
Caster X gave an understanding smile. The knight seems to be rising past the madness. The progress had been slow, but the results seemed promising. Though there was still heavy concern about his friend's raging whenever Saber appeared…
He pushed that thought to the side and nodded. "I thank you again for your aid, good sir." He gestured to himself with a weary chuckle. "This body is not quite as deceiving in its appearance as others may think."
"Nn… sr."
"I'll just be glad when I'm done with this whole thing." Kariya muttered with a little laugh as he was carried along the darkness. Then his thoughts shifted to what his situation would most likely be when the War really was over, one way or another. He shivered involuntarily from the painful death that awaited him but tried to steel himself by remembering what he was fighting for. Please… hang on a little longer, Sakura.
Then his single functioning eye drifted to the old man walking beside him, the one who had chided him for letting revenge cloud his judgement. He hadn't let go of his anger towards Tokiomi Tohsaka, not by a long shot. But Caster X had been right to remind him why he'd abandoned the way of the magus. And why he'd taken it up again.
"You know, going by how much you disdain the magical side of this world," Caster X's words shook him from his musing, "I imagine you would've found a good home in the Shire on Middle-Earth."
"The Shire?" Kariya asked in honest curiosity. Anything to distract him from the Worms' antics or the rage that bubbled up when he thought of that man.
Gandalf nodded with a nostalgic smile. "It's a peaceful little place that Hobbits have called their own for generations. Beautiful, too."
Kariya's mind drifted back to his dreams of the Servant's life. "Hobbits? Those little dwarves with big furry feet?" Come to think of it, they did pop up pretty often in those dreams…
"…Errr?" Even Berserker sounded curious.
Caster X laughed both at their interest and in fondness. Truly, many of his happiest memories had been in good company with those little rascals. "That is indeed one way to describe them, Kariya, though Dwarves are an entirely different race, and neither would appreciate being mistaken for the other. Ah, but Hobbits are a friendly folk that enjoy good food, peaceful days, and tending to their crops and gardens. Finding one on a battlefield or going on an adventure," his smile widened at a certain Baggins, "is an extreme rarity. Songs would sooner be sung over their endeavors in brewing ales and cultivating pipeweeds…"
And as the trio walked along the streets, Caster X's magic allowing them to avoid curious eyes while he spoke and Berserker helping him steadily along, Kariya felt an old urge to pick up a pen and start writing. I wonder how I would spin an article about Hobbiton…
Kirei stepped tentatively off of his Servant's vehicular form and onto the roof of the church. The ride through the skies had been uneventful, allowing him to treat his wounds. By the time Rider X had reached where he should be, his body had been completely restored. Now all he had to do was change clothes, and no one would be the wiser.
"Tell me, Master," the Servant had asked him when collecting him, "how was your fight?"
"It was… engaging." Kirei remembered how taken aback he had been by his own choice of words, but it was the truth. Tending to his injuries had also given him some time to reflect more on it; the unknown magecraft both women had wielded, how either could duplicate herself, or those odd alchemical eagles of the Einzbern woman. How uncertain he had felt about surviving, something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
But never before had such uncertainty felt so invigorating to the hollow man.
"You are beginning to learn more about the general pleasures of life, Kirei," Rider X had explained to him. "One of them is the excitement at not knowing what might come next. It is often feared, but uncertainty brings a certain spice to living, I have found. And the harder you have to fight for something, the more accomplished you feel once you've won. Because you've earned it."
Fight for something… Kirei Kotomine had never truly fought for anything in his life. His studies, his missions as an Executor, his time as a husband and later a father, it had all come so easily to him. Mainly because he always had a sense for what would be coming next. But this fight had stepped completely outside of his expectations. Maybe that was why it had felt so different.
Or maybe, he pondered while opening the roof door as Rider X flew off, it had been because he had been so eager to finally meet Kiritsugu Emiya only to be stopped. But on that note, the women interfering with his goals rankled something inside him.
The homunculus had been far too brazen in attacking him. No intelligent Master would throw themselves at danger without any reason like that. And her appearance was so frail. So delicate. Based on his research, Kirei theorized she was most likely meant to be the recipient for the Holy Grail. That meant she certainly shouldn't be anywhere near a battlefield.
And the Seals on her hands… They had looked pretty worn, even nearly rubbed off on some spots. Kirei hadn't gotten a closer look, but he doubted that she would've spent her greatest weapons so quickly in the War. Which meant they were fakes. And in that case… Kiritsugu Emiya really was the true Master of Saber and Assassin X. The woman had no reason to fight him.
So why had she? Why had she shown such resolve in standing against him? Why had the woman persisted in fighting him even though he'd proven that she wasn't quite in his league, even with her weird tricks? Why had they defended that man so strongly?
Did he order them to defend him? Or had they acted of their own accord? Kirei frowned in puzzlement as he walked quietly through the church to his study. Was it out of excitement, like Rider X might? No… It was truly for his sake. But… that can't be. Kiritsugu Emiya is an empty man. Alone, understood by no one. Like me.
Isn't he?
Just before he opened the door to his study, he imagined a scene of him and that man standing before each other, having finally met face-to-face. Words had yet to be spoken, but both seemed to be bracing themselves for battle.
Then Kirei saw himself flickering away and Rider X standing in his place while the image of Kiritsugu Emiya was replaced by another of that robotic race. Tall, with red, silver and blue armor, radiating a presence that seemed to command respect and yet scorn from him.
The beings traded glares before breaking into a charge at one another, weapons deployed. Just before they clashed, the unknown being faded back into Kiritsugu Emiya and Rider X into Kirei.
What did it mean? Was he fated to fight that man? Why did his blood surge at the prospect?
Questions for which Kirei Kotomine would find no answers tonight.
Gilgamesh sauntered through the halls of the Tohsaka residence with a glass of wine in his hand and an amused smirk on his face. He'd been stepped out earlier for some entertainment; much as it tickled him to see some fresh tension between Tokiomi and Lancer X, the latter's agitated pacing quickly grew tedious to watch.
The performance in the forest to the west, on the other hand, now that had been quite a show. The duel between Casters at first, with tiny lives in the balance, then the intrusion of more Servants to put that deranged mongrel out of his misery, the black dogs' interference,, even the skirmishes on the side, between the peacock and the gutter rat, Kirei against the rat's tools…
A certain blonde shining among the rest. She could prove to be interesting, and not just because of her sword.
Archer had witnessed it all from high above, atop the only vessel worthy of carrying him. The distance had been so great none could've known he'd been present. And that was as it should have been. The king standing above all.
Truth be told, he had considered loosing a few of his treasures to eviscerate the little ones and the doubles of that masked cur. Basking in their despair as their efforts had all been for nothing would've been a treat. But then his vastly inferior counterpart had made a ruckus, and watching her get tossed around by the drunken dog with his amusing weapon had caught his attention.
Archer made a mental note to check through his Gate to see if he had anything like that sword-scythe hybrid…
But back to the battle, he remembered laughing at how those mongrels had pooled their efforts together into catching Caster, and then they still failed to kill him. All thanks to an otherworldly dog.
Watching Rider X tussle with the mad dog had certainly been a delicious treat. That brute of metal and malice believing himself cleverer than he is… He thinks himself capable of rising above his station. He thinks himself capable of surpassing me!
The King of Heroes gave a haughty scoff, swirling his wine. He had noticed the Servant's traveling about the city, how each move he made had been to map the area, probe his enemies, learn more about the Grail War. Archer might've considered it impressive if it hadn't been so pitiful. Yet he had still humored him. If he wished to test his might against the king of this world, so be it. Playing around with Kirei had been amusing for both, after all.
And he knew that once the board had been cleared of the excess pieces, that intruder into his garden would attempt to challenge him for it. Rider X's ambition was so palpable, it baffled Archer that Tokiomi thought he could control him. Another miscalculation of that fool.
Go ahead, upstart. Gilgamesh sipped from his glass. Gather your pieces. Make your plans. Try to match me if you can. No matter what you do, I will show you the power of the king.
Further away, Rider X soared through the skies of Fuyuki City. Though he didn't know for sure what was on his Master's mind, he could guess from the human's expression while riding him and his departure. He's like a child in his own way. Pure, uncomprehending. Waiting for someone to show him guidance.
He flew into the Shinto district before returning to robot form on a tall tower. One of the benefits to the Skill The Path to Glory was an emulation of the Independent Action Archers enjoyed. It allowed him to enjoy a great deal of freedom so far. And with his rank, he could last an entire week even if he'd truly severed his contract with Kirei. Not that Tohsaka knew of this. Rider X wouldn't want him to worry.
The Servant of the Mount cast his gaze across the wide city, noticing how a few of those frail insects scurried about even this late at night. A weak little species, just as the ones I remember. He sneered in delight. Once I've won this War, they will be the very first to fall before me.
Then he felt his mouth shift into a frown. Despite his efforts, Assassin X and Caster X had escaped his attacks. And Rider X had a feeling that he wouldn't get many more chances. The two Servants were powerful, clever, and most troubling, they seemed to have endeared themselves to their partners. Saber and Berserker would never stand idly by if he chose to strike again. And much as he enjoyed clashing with them, the time was still too early.
But it was coming. Megatron could taste it. And his fated battle with the King of Conquerors… his sharp teeth shifted into a bestial grin. That would be the most delightful treat of all. It took all of his willpower not to charge for the house that little mouse of a Master had huddled away and challenge Rider.
But no, Rider X told himself. Not yet. His rival had powerful allies by his side. So, he would have to acquire allies of his own.
And that was the main goal to which he'd succeeded in tonight. Caster had fled with his life only thanks to Rider X. Even a lunatic can prove a tremendous asset in war. And the seeds of doubt he'd laid in Archer X's mind, culminated with her experiences tonight that he didn't even have a part in, meant that another potential asset would reveal itself soon.
And his dear Master, so fixated on Kiritsugu Emiya… That was a particular project of his. He would keep his word and help Kirei open his eyes to his true nature, and he would ensure that the man would repay him for his services.
The Einzbern woman was another prize. Rider X had noticed while overflying the woods that she'd been injured, but she'd likely survive. He'd be sure to have the Hassans keep an eye on her. She was bound to play the ultimate part in this Holy Grail, judging by what his informant had told him.
The memory of that particular meeting and the fruit it bore drew a dark chuckle from the galactic conqueror. Such a vile individual… it's rather endearing. Another pawn in his game.
And with Gilgamesh, the legendary first hero of this world, as his final opponent…
This, Megatron knew, was going to be fun.
Yup, Kiri, Iri and Maiya have learned some jutsu. Another idea of mine to spice up this crossover. Rest assured, though, I've given this a great deal of thought. It's delicate work concerning the chakra-od situation. And don't expect any high-level techniques from those three, either, there isn't much time for Kakashi to train them after all. A War's going on. So, it's just the basics they can do now, wall-running, clones, substitution, that kind of stuff. No nature transformation, complicated genjutsu or massive ninjutsu. Basically, parlor tricks that can still be quite deadly if used right. And Kiritsugu's the kind of guy who'd come up with a few sneaky applications.
And if any nitpickers are unhappy with this idea, well, I hereby invoke "Screw the rules, I'm the one writing this thing". Kakashi is teaching them jutsu, it's an integral part of my story, deal with it. I'm not backing down on this.
Oh, and just to clarify, Gilgamesh and Megatron aren't really in an alliance. Rather, it's like they're opponents in a game. The Grail War is the board, the other participants, Master and Servant alike, are the pieces, and those two are the players. Megs has challenged Gil, and Gil is happy to play. Toying with Kirei was a little fun for both of them, but there is more to come. Hope you guys get my drift here.
Archer X-
Class: Archer (technically Gunner)
Master: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald
True Name: Agent Texas
Titles: Director's Ace, Tex, A Bit of a Badass
Sex: Female
Source: Red vs. Blue
Region: Project Freelancer
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Strength: A
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Mana: D
Luck: E
NP: B
Class Skills-
Magic Resistance: Grants protection against magical effects.
-: Archer X has not even a token measure of this Skill due to coming from a universe where no magic exists, only advanced science.
Independent Action: The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the mana supply from the Master.
B: Archer X has always been fiercely independent, preferring to rely on her own skills rather than depend on someone else to help her. She can last two days in the world without a Master, provided she does not overexert herself.
Riding: The capacity to ride vehicles and animals.
B: Archer X can ride most mounts or vehicles up to and including a military tank, regardless if it is land-, sea-, or air-based. However, she is incapable of handling Phantasmal Beasts.
Presence Concealment: The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant.
C: Archer X has state-of-the-art cloaking technology, allowing her to follow and attacks other Servants while invisible. It only shields her from sight and sense by mana, though; even with specific training to make as minimal sound as possible, she can still be detected by sharp enough other senses.
Personal Skills-
Berserk: Is a composite Skill of Valor and Mad Enhancement. Grants the user the ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. It also has the bonus effect of increasing melee damage.
C: Even with the versatility of Weapons of War, Archer X prefers to get up close and personal with her opponents. She displays considerable physical might, brutal hand-to-hand combat abilities, and a savage streak at times. A fearsome individual at all ranges.
Engineer: A Skill for creating, repairing and using advanced modern technology.
B: Archer X has experience with fields such as bomb construction and digital programming. She cannot construct highly advanced machines out of thin air, but she can work complicated machinery with ease.
Subversive Activities: Is the talent to reduce the enemy forces in the preliminary stages before going into battle. An expert of traps. However, the higher the ranking of this Skill, the more one's spiritual status as a hero declines.
B: Archer X may tend to dominate others in hand-to-hand combat, but she has a fine grasp of pre-battle preparations and a pragmatic mindset. Should she have sufficient time, she will hide traps and weapon among the battlefield, allowing her to disable roughly 30% of an enemy's force before proper confrontation.
Noble Phantasms-
Weapons of War: "Only the Best for Freelancer's Best": E~C+ (Anti-Unit): Archer X can channel her mana to create the firearms she wielded often in life. Far superior to Projection magic, these weapons' ranks vary based on their design: for example, handguns and grenades qualify as E-rank Noble Phantasms, sniper rifles, semiautomatics and stronger explosives D-rank, rocket launchers and miniguns C-rank. Though the ammunition magazines are not bottomless, she can manifest more to quickly reload. Displaying excellent proficiency with her entire arsenal, Archer X can neutralize enemy Servants from a distance, though she also has E-rank combat knives to augment her ferocity in close combat. Weapons of War can also be separate from her for a brief period of time, allowing her to hide them and surprise enemies at a later point. The maximum limit they can be separate from their source is five minutes. However, her relatively low mana supply limits how many weapons may exist.
?: A (Anti-Army)
The name and concept behind Weapons of War admittedly comes from something similar in "The Illegal Grail War," by ArmoredCoreNineBall. That one's a great read IMHO, and I recommend it for Fate and A Certain Magical Index fans.