The chase continues relentlessly across the rooftops of Fuyuki. Several chains slither through the air, homing in on their prey. Swords appear midair to meet them with equal force.
Despite being caught off guard by the red Archer's ability, Enkidu was able to adapt. He was already accustomed to such a fighting style thanks to a certain someone. However, these swords aren't genuine. They're hollow imitations of their original prototype. He knows because he saw the genuine articles with his own eyes a long time ago.
"Escape is futile!" Enkidu yells at the retreating Archer.
Enkidu abandons his sprint in favor of flight. Closing in on the Archer, he turns his hand into a blue glowing blade that hums with electricity.
Archer reaches the edge of the next roof and jumps. He turns and looses a volley of arrows from his ebony tower bow. Enkidu swats them away and follows him into his descent.
Archer lands on the street and tumbles to the side just in time. Enkidu comes crashing down like a comet. Splinters of asphalt fly about in his wake.
Kanshou and Bakuya appear in Archer's hands. Enkidu comes charging towards him before the dust even settles.
Their blades clash with a force that sends a shockwave outwards. They keep their blades locked for a few seconds, neither of them giving in to the pressure of their opponent.
Archer snarls and kicks him in the gut. Enkidu maneuvers swiftly to the side and goes for a stab. Archer diverts the strike sideways with his short swords.
Small golden portals open up around them. Archer immediately jumps into the air, the chains trailing him. More projected swords appear to parry them while Archer lands on a nearby car.
Enkidu puts his hand on the ground. Weapons molded from clay with a golden shimmer shoot out of the ground toward Archer. He dodges to the side and counters with swords of his own.
He attempts to close the gap between them when the chains reappear. Archer traces his copies to face them. They entwine with each other in the air, fighting for dominance.
The wrought-iron hero throws his twin swords at Enkidu and traces a new pair. They whiz through the air, but are blocked by a new set of earthen weapons. The Babylonian hero quickly notices that he threw a second pair and stops them too.
This gives Archer a small window as he leaps the final few meters. Putting all his weight into the attack, he comes down on Enkidu as their blades collide. Enkidu doesn't give in, but the ground below him cracks due to the force.
Archer backs off when another flurry of earthen weapons comes flying his way. Enkidu jumps out of the small crater. The small wounds he has suffered have already healed as he darts toward Archer.
Dozens of portals open up from various angles around Archer. Multiple chains come out, trying to bind his limbs. He twirls in the air, making sure not to be blindsided and counters every chain with a projected counterfeit.
More forgeries of various swords fly towards Enkidu. It barely slows him down as he banks sideways or knocks it away with his swords.
Archer lands on the ground and jumps backward to create some distance. A cursed red spear appears in his hands and red prana gathers at its tip.
"Gae Bolg!" he shouts, throwing it.
Enkidu changes course and smashes into the ground. Feeling the earth below him with both of his hands, he raises a massive wall.
The moment the spear hits the raised bulwark, it goes up in a big explosion. Once Archer lands, he summons his bow and primes an arrow, aiming at the cloud of smoke with a steady hand.
The smoke clears. Enkidu just stands there. Though his robe is torn at some parts, the wounds underneath it are all healed, if there were any to begin with.
Archer internally sighs. This is an opponent who doesn't mess around. He'd rather fight the King of Heroes who doesn't bother to put in effort into his battles.
One question remains. How long can he keep pace with the Chain of the Heavens? Sure, he has enough mana, but there is a gap in skill.
In this brief respite, both warriors exchange looks. Fierce determination is written on both their faces as they stand amidst the rubble and the destroyed cars on the street.
Archer inhales just as lightning crackles around Enkidu.
He lets loose an arrow. The fight continues.
More weapons from the king's treasury travel through the sky. With each sphinx shot down, another one rears its head.
"Fascinating," Gilgamesh says. "I have not enjoyed myself like this in quite a while."
The Vimana banks hard to the right as it barely dodges a blast from Ozymandias's Cosmic Sphinx. Another volley from his Gate of Babylon dispatches the next wave of lesser phantasmal beasts.
This Holy Grail War isn't as mundane as he originally thought. If anything, this is a nice distraction. There are a few worthy or interesting individuals present.
During his confrontation in the sky with Ozymandias, Gilgamesh caught a glimpse of his one and only equal in the city below.
However, the time for a joyful reunion must wait just a little longer. He doesn't want to dishonor the Sun King with a brash exit. It would be unbecoming of a king such as himself.
A condensed beam of red prana shoots one of the sphinxes out of the sky. Both Gilgamesh and Ozymandias come to a halt.
"To think that someone dares to interrupt us," Gilgamesh says. "Such insolence is punishable by death!"
"I shall see to it that the perpetrator burns to ashes," Ozymandias replies. "We shall settle this another time, King of Heroes."
"Very well," Gilgamesh says.
Thus, Ozymandias flies away on his sphinx toward the source of the shot, leaving the king alone once more to dwell in the heavens.
His eyes wander once more over the city before they land on the green-haired Lancer. He decides that he should honor his friend's effort by putting in some of his own.
And just then, his Clairvoyance warns him of an impending attack.
"Filthy worm crawling on the ground," he says, his tone slowly rising with anger. "By whose permission do you look upon me?"
Seconds later, he summons a shield through one of his portals to his side. A projectile hits it moments afterward with a resounding clank.
Gilgamesh rises from his throne.
"You damn mongrel," he shouts, looking down at the source of the attack. "Your impudence has guaranteed your death! I will have your head for your attempt at the king's life!"
He sits back down on his throne and turns the Vimana around.
Katsuki reaches up the shelf and grabs one of the bottles in it. He glances at the label, then turns around to search for a glass over the counter.
He pushes the former bartender aside, whose body hits the ground without any resistance.
"Tch, what a mess," he says to himself.
Upon finding a glass, he grabs a nearby chair and sits down. This tavern is quite nice. Its western style interior isn't too common here. Most of the furniture is made of wood and looks like something out of a wild west movie.
If it wasn't for all those dead bodies littering the ground.
Oh well, wrong place, wrong time. Assassin needs a lot more sacrifices to even hope to keep up with the other Servants.
Shrugging at the bloodshed around him, he pours himself a glass and raises it to his lips. Leaning back, he loses his balance and falls off the chair.
"Fuck!" he says, landing on the ground.
It turns out that this unlucky occurrence just saved his life. He notices two black keys stuck in the wall. They would have probably pierced his head and heart.
"So that's how it is," he says.
He clenches his teeth and brings forth a swarm of flying insects.
"Devour!" he shouts. "Devour whoever is in here with me!"
The swarm emerges from behind the counter. Katsuki takes this chance to peek on his assailant. He sees a hooded man in dark clothing, wielding three black keys in each hand. He cuts down every insect flying towards him with almost inhuman speed.
This infuriates him even more. Who does this guy think he is?
More. He summons another swarm before the first one is completely wiped out, silently cursing again from the pain. Matou magic truly is unforgiving.
"Assassin!" he yells. "Move your ass over here!"
He ordered him earlier to get stronger by taking out whoever he finds in the area around the tavern.
Katsuki sends another swarm out, but it barely slows the executor down as he starts closing the gap. The hooded man throws another three black keys at him. The first pierces his right hand. The second embeds itself into his right shoulder. He barely manages to move his head. The third grazes the side of his head and cuts off a strand of hair.
"Assassin!" he screams at the top of his lungs. "Get me the fuck out of here!"
The attacker comes within melee range. He prepares the finishing blow when the nearest window shatters. Fog pours into the room like a flood. The man turns and deflects two bloody knives thrown his way and jumps backward.
Jack the Ripper lands where the aggressor stood moments ago. His top hat peeks out of the fog for a moment as he looks towards his wounded Master, then back towards the hooded man.
Jack whips out two more knives and twirls them in his hands. The priest takes a defensive stance, remaining as stoic as ever.
"You'll be sleepin' with the fishes tonight," Jack says.
The serial killer dashes toward him, but his knives are met with a black and gold long shield. Two undead soldiers have risen from the ground to protect the cloaked man.
"Tch," Jack hisses.
He jumps back to avoid the retaliation of the soldiers. Quickly grabbing his Master, the murderer jumps out of the window he came from.
The fog vanishes along with him. The executor retracts his black keys. The Matou Master narrowly escaped death through sheer dumb luck. It's a good thing that two soldiers from Berserker were with him in case of an emergency.
"You may go now," he orders them.
It's time to check in again with Darius III. He should have engaged the samurai they met a few days ago in the theater by now.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I say with a heavy sigh.
The fog cloud that Jeanne and I were chasing vanished. We were only two blocks away too.
"Can you sense any nearby Servants?" I ask her.
Jeanne looks around carefully for a moment before shaking her head. I look up at the sky again.
"I don't see Gilgamesh and Ozymandias up there anymore either," I add.
Has the action already died down? Assassin retreated, but where did the two kings go?
"Master, look," Jeanne says, pointing at a few parked cars up ahead.
We walk over to them. I can already tell that they were wrecked by something. One is toppled over, another is cut in half, a few others have been punctured by something, probably spears. Upon closer inspection, we both notice that one was completely crushed. It has a huge footprint left on it if you can even call it that.
"Looks like Berserker was here," I say. "At least he's the only one we know of with a footprint that big."
"Might I suggest that we seek out a vantage point?" she asks. "We need to get a better picture of what is happening in this area. Since we have no means of flying, how abou-"
An explosion nearby cuts her off. Before I can react or even say something, she gets between me and the point of origin. A blur of red and black appears out of a side alley and we're right in its path.
As it closes the gap, Jeanne fends it off with a swing of her banner. When it backs off, I can make out what it is.
A Servant. One that looks an awful lot like the Archer we fought before. However, this one wears armor on his torso. The lower half of his face is covered by grey cloth beneath the red hood. I'll wager he's an Assassin by his getup.
"Looks like we found one," I say to Jeanne. "Saber, you know what to-"
The Assassin takes out a submachine gun and opens fire. Jeanne spins her banner in her hands. The bullets bounce off and rattle to the ground like rain.
The gunfire ceases shortly after. I see him trying to run away in a different direction.
But before I can even say anything, his path is blocked. A dozen swords and spears come down from the sky. They explode on contact, much to his misfortune.
"You dare turn your back on me, mongrel?" a voice says. "You insult me!"
All three of us turn to the source of the voice. I can already tell who it belongs to. On the edge of a roof stands Gilgamesh with at least thirty portals behind him.
With one motion of his hand, another set of weapons protrudes from the gates. That Assassin must have really pissed him off. Gilgamesh isn't even paying attention to us.
The weapons point towards Assassin and he springs into action again. Dodging the barrage from Gilgamesh like a skilled acrobat, he makes a run for us.
He's trying to get us caught in the crossfire.
"Saber!" I say.
"Leave it to me!" she replies. "Stay close!"
Assassin zigzags through Gilgamesh's volley. He emerges out of the resulting smoke behind us.
Jeanne deflects two swords from the front with her banner in quick succession. She then pulls me with her free arm between her and her banner. Only at that moment do I notice that Assassin holds a bayonet in a reverse grip in his right hand.
Once Jeanne lets me go, she grabs ahold of her sword. She swings it horizontally, leaving a trail of light in its wake. Assassin is forced to parry with his bayonet and falls back.
The next wave of the king's assault comes raining down. Jeanne picks me up and jumps out of the danger zone. She brings us to the front of the building where Gilgamesh stands. His currently deployed portals shouldn't have an angle to hit this area.
Jeanne inspects me from top to bottom. Seeing that I have no injuries, she sighs in relief. She turns her attention back to Assassin who is still evading Gilgamesh's attacks, although barely.
"I will be right back, Master," Jeanne says with a serious look in her eyes.
I nod before she runs off. She spins her banner over her head for a few seconds before bringing it down to the ground. The clouds in the sky part as several pillars of pure light come down on Assassin's position.
Whether he didn't see it coming or couldn't react in time, one of them hits. Assassin is sent flying and crashes into the ground. He continues to tumble for another few meters. Trying to get back up, a sword finds its mark and pierces his left thigh.
He pulls the sword out while rolling to the side. But in this condition, he won't last much longer.
I see him drawing a pistol as he ducks behind a car for cover. The barrel pokes out as he shoots straight up. A red-glowing projectile rises into the sky, leaving smoke in its flight path like a firework.
Golden portals appear all around the car in the form of a dome. A final barrage from Gilgamesh completely obliterates the area Assassin is hiding in.
"Damn it," Archer says, his erratic breathing slowing down.
Though they were rather evenly matched at first, their difference in skill is becoming clearer as the battle progresses. The title "Ultimate Weapon of the Gods" isn't just for show.
The fight reaches another stalemate with Archer and Enkidu staring each other down. The area around them is completely destroyed. Craters litter the ground, wrecked cars line the sidewalk, and the pavement is just a complete mess.
Archer sustained a few cuts and bruises. Nothing too serious. He can heal such injuries without any effort. But Enkidu's healing capabilities are on another level. He draws magical energy directly from the land they are standing on as extra fuel.
Both of them turn their heads for a moment when they notice a red flash rising in the distance.
Archer sighs internally. Plan B it is then.
"Let's finish this, Lancer," he says.
Enkidu remains as stoic as always. A weapon has to be calm and collected at all times. This opponent turns out to be stronger than he anticipated. He copies every weapon, even Enkidu's very own chains, to throw against his creations.
Therefore, he'll have to resort to using a weapon he can never hope to reproduce.
A dense concentration of prana gathers around Enkidu as he puts his hand to the ground.
Prana gathers around Archer as he whispers, "I am the bone of my sword."
The earth starts shaking. The ground is enveloped in a lush, green glow as far as the eye can see. It resembles an ethereal meadow one would find in fairy tales.
"I walk alongside the path of man," Enkidu says.
The enemy isn't divine, but that's of little consequence. In this lush prairie, green portals start to form in the ground.
Enkidu rockets toward the heavens. Out of the green portals, massive golden chains sprout forth, tearing through the sky after him.
His body begins to glow as the chains envelop him. He accelerates even further as they intertwine with each other.
"Now, I will awaken the breath of the stars!" he shouts.
The chains have now merged into one giant, singular chain. In this state, he becomes a divine construct. The tip grazes the clouds as it begins its descent towards the earth.
"Enuma Elish!"
[O' Humans, Let Us Bind The Gods]
Archer holds out his hand against the incoming Noble Phantasm. He remains focused and shouts.
"Rho Aias!"
[The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens]
A pink flower with seven petals of light appears in front of him.
The chain comes down in a cataclysmic impact. The first and second layers shatter immediately. Archer pours everything he has into the barrier.
But it's still not enough.
The third and fourth layers are destroyed. Archer starts to feel the pain from the feedback, but he won't just give up.
The fifth layer breaks.
He hates this plan, but it's the only option at this point to get back under the radar.
The sixth layer bursts.
Their target hasn't shown up yet, but Assassin should have gathered the information he wanted.
Cracks appear in the seventh and final layer between him and the Chain of the Heavens. Archer roars in pain as he grips his right arm with his left to stabilize it.
The final bastion breaks and he is engulfed in a massive explosion.
I regroup with Jeanne and carefully look at the crater where Assassin was hiding mere moments ago.
"I can confirm that our masked enemy is no more," Jeanne says, relaxing the grip on her banner.
That's one down. I wonder if that qualifies me for one of those extra Command Seals. Technically, Jeanne played a vital part in taking him down. Even if Gilgamesh was the one to deal the killing blow.
I hear the rhythmic clanking of armor coming closer. Gilgamesh walks past us with crossed arms and inspects the crater up close.
"Hmph," he utters before turning around again.
Jeanne remains close to me and eyes Gilgamesh suspiciously. The king, on the other hand, seems to have lost interest in the situation and turns his back to us.
It's no surprise that we had to fend off some of his attacks and I doubt he would have cared if we died in the crossfire in his quest to kill Assassin.
I turn to Jeanne. "Then there's just two more left. Let's see if we can fin-"
"Do not bother with such a fruitless endeavor," Gilgamesh interjects. "Even if they were to perish, they will arise again soon enough."
"Then why did you go out of your way to kill this Assassin?" I ask.
"A matter of principle," he replies.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'they will arise again soon enough'?" Jeanne asks.
"Exactly as I said," he answers.
The ground starts to shake. It's as if the earth itself is crying out, but not in a negative way. It's more like a harmonious song.
Off in the distance, I can see a green glow emanating from something powerful. A bright light in the center of it rises into the sky with several golden chains behind it. They fuse into one. Soon after, it begins to descend and I eventually lose sight of it behind the many buildings.
I still register the resulting explosion from the impact moments later though.
Was that a Noble Phantasm? But who could-
I then notice that Gilgamesh is wearing a proud smirk on his face. It's as if he's very pleased with what he just saw. Though I haven't seen him care for just about anything so far. Wait a minute. Don't tell me those chains belong to who I think they do.
"Vimana," Gilgamesh says.
A big portal opens a few meters above the ground. Out comes the flying golden aircraft we saw earlier. Guess there's my answer to what it's called.
The king hops onto it and takes his seat on the throne.
He throws one more glance my way and says, "Strive to never bore me, mongrel."
With those parting words, he takes off on his ship toward the impact zone of the chain.
I follow it with my gaze for a few more seconds before looking around again. This area's completely busted from the fight. Though Gilgamesh's words about those Servants are a little concerning.
"Well, let's stop by the church and call it a day," I say, dusting off my coat.
I turn around to face her when I don't hear a response. It looks like she's deep in thought and didn't even hear me.
"Earth to Saber," I say, waving my hand in front of her face.
She quickly comes back to the present and nearly yelps when she notices what I'm doing.
"Ah! My apologies!" she says.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"Yes, I am fine," she says with a smile. "I was just thinking about something, but thank you for your concern."
My curiosity tells me to dig deeper, but I'll let that slide. After everything that's happened today, I just want to hit the bed.
Enemy's presence has completely vanished. Target eliminated.
Enkidu gets back up and scans the area around him. He wanted to avoid using such extreme measures, but it couldn't be helped. The ruined area is certainly something he feels guilty about. It'll probably inconvenience a lot of people.
At any rate, it's time to report back to his Master. There are no other Servant signatures within a one-kilometer radiu-
No, someone's approaching at an incredible speed.
Enkidu puts both hands on the ground and begins to mold another batch of weapons to fire. However, he stops seconds later.
This aura... This nostalgic presence. Ah, this must be him.
The Vimana comes into view and stops above his position. The person he wished to meet again after so long has arrived. Death has parted them thousands of years ago, but it couldn't stop this reunion now.
"As you have no doubt been told already, my Saber Servant played a vital part in taking down one of these Servants," I say with crossed arms. "So, I'd like to collect that extra Command Seal now."
"Indeed, that is the truth," Father Risei says.
He pauses for a moment.
"Is something the matter?" I ask.
"You could say that," he replies.
He walks back to the podium as if he's looking for something. Why can't we get this over with already?
I almost gasp when I see him pull out a small, familiar drone. He walks back to me with it in hand.
"I believe this is yours," he says, dangling it in front of me like bait. "It is the same model you used to view the meeting when I called everyone."
I checked up on it before we left earlier today. Therefore, they must have found it sometime after that. Or wait, maybe they knew of it beforehand and only took it down when they were sure I wasn't keeping an eye on it?
"You are aware that this is in violation of the rules," he continues.
That's rich coming from him. I doubt one of their executors as a Master in this war is playing by the rules either. As much as I'd like to say that to his face, it's no use. He'd just deny it since I have no concrete evidence.
But two can play that game.
"This isn't one of mine," I say. "Someone's clearly trying to frame me or it might belong to another freelancer. Hell, I even fought three other freelancers mere days ago. What makes you so sure that this isn't one of theirs?"
If he wants an admission out of me he has to work for it.
"I see your point," he says. "However, it still makes you a prime suspect, no?"
"This is preposterous!" I say. "Ever heard of 'innocent until proven guilty'?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes," he says. "But we cannot take any risks in a Holy Grail War. If our investigation truly finds you innocent, then you shall receive your rightful reward. Until then, I ask that you have patience."
In other words, I can kiss my bonus Command Seal goodbye. By the time their "investigation" finds anything, the Grail War will be long over. Just another case of the church trying to keep their good image up while using every opportunity to hinder the competitors of whoever they are colluding with.
Guess that's that. Staying here and arguing with him isn't going to change a damn thing, so I might as well just take my leave.
"I understand," I say. "Then we are finished here. Good evening."
I turn around and promptly walk to the exit, but I'll get them for this down the line.
"Ah, one more thing," he says after me. "Since the interloping Servants have been dealt with, the truce will expire at sunrise."
"Duly noted," I say.
I exit the church and find myself back out in the cold. Jeanne is waiting next to the gate since Servants aren't allowed to enter. She has also changed back to her casual clothes by now. Back to wearing her purple winter coat and matching scarf.
"How did it go, Master?" she asks when I catch up to her. "You do not look all too pleased."
"Let's just say I got screwed over," I say. "The silver lining is that another Master won't get that Command Seal I guess."
I bury my hands in my pockets and sigh. At least we got some information out of this ordeal regarding Caster, his Master, and the identity of the Lancer Servant who I suspect to be Enkidu. Another ridiculously powerful Servant to deal with on top of Gilgamesh and Ozymandias.
"Come now, do not look so down, Master," Jeanne says, walking up to me. "Even if this is not the optimal outcome. At the end of the day, we got through this safe and sound!"
She smiles warmly at me.
"Honestly, I don't get how you can be so optimistic," I say. "Granted, I didn't do much today other than being a target for other Servants, but all the work you've done today was almost for nothing."
"That is not true at all!" she says. "No harm has befallen you today and that in itself is more than enough of a reward for me."
I'm at a loss for words at her selflessness. She's been like this ever since we met. In fact, she pledged to protect me right after her summoning. Perhaps I shouldn't be so worked up about that Command Seal. They're mostly used to force compliance on orders that Servants wouldn't obey otherwise. I don't see how I would ever need that with one like her at my side.
Sure, they can also be used for things like instant teleportation or strengthening, but at the end of the day there's no use in lamenting what can't be changed anymore.
I chuckle as I look at her blonde hair, tied neatly into a braided ponytail and her amethyst colored eyes. Eyes that show genuine concern for my well-being. "Sometimes I think you're too nice for your own good."
Her lips curve into a slight smile and she gets a little red. "I fail to see how that is a bad thing."
How did someone like me even end up with someone as kind, thoughtful, and caring as her? I'm even slowly starting to revert to how I used to be. Before the incident at the-
Jeanne pokes my cheek, with a small frown on her face, interrupting my train of thought.
"What was that for?" I ask.
"You seemed to be spacing out again," she says as her smile returns. "I imagine you must be really tired."
She tugs at my coat as a motion to pull my hand away from my pocket. She slips her hand into mine, our fingers interlacing with one another as she proceeds to lead me.
"Let us get you home before you catch a cold," she says, turning her face away from me. "You will need plenty of rest after such a strenuous day."
Her warm, soft hand starts to tug on mine as she moves forward.
"I suppose I don't have any say in this?" I ask, not entirely opposed to this situation. "It's not like I'll die from overwork or anything."
I catch a glimpse of her pouting.
"You are so stubborn at times," she says. "I told you that I will look after you, and look after you I shall."
A brief smile escapes me. I really can't bring myself to stop her.
