The War Without a Grail

Sometimes, a hero is needed, appearing in the darkest of moments. When darkness rises, the light falters, sometimes… the world comes alive. The gods abandoned this world long ago… so instead, I shall bring forth the heroes it needs. For just this moment… rise again, heroes of the old world, and take flight!

Siegfried

The moment the summoning had occurred, he'd been given his mission from his Master… and thus he came forth into the world of remnant, with but a single goal, one he fully agreed to fulfil.

Save the kingdom of Vale from its darkest hour, its blackest night… and he wasn't alone in this endeavor. He appeared far above the clouds, silhouetted by the broken moon in a freefall. He summoned Balmung to his hand, far to his left was the allied Caster, the great witch taking flight and firing at the Grimm that flew towards her, leading the skies themselves on a wild chase. To his right, a Lancer riding the flames themselves, smashing her way through the grimm with untold ease. Siegfried looked down, watching as the flying ships came into view, several other figures falling from the sky beside him. He closed his eyes. He was the Saber of this group of Servants, summoned by a single, unknown Master with this mission.

Angling himself so that he could land feet first, he watched as the allied Archer proceeded to open fire with his massive cannon, blanketing the skies before spinning his cannon behind him and firing to go down faster, shouting in joy all the way down. Their Rider summoned his golden steed, engine revving before driving directly onto the deck of a ship, running a grimm right over with a smile on his face before leaping back off to fall towards the ground once more.

Berserker just roared in glee as well when he finally slammed into a ship, the force of his impact driving it down and towards the ground as he started fighting the Grimm with his spear, his armor draining their very being into mana and into him. Assassin… well, she was a far more familiar face. Turning his head towards the sky, he could only watch as the Hanging Gardens descended slowly from on high, Assassin and Ruler standing side by side as their mobile base began its attack upon the forces of darkness.

Seigfried finally landed on a ship himself, Griffons clawing at the metal of the deck. He ran forward, slashing clean through the wing of one before cutting off the head, then turning to block the rapid slash of the other, turning Balmung directly to the beast's face and firing it up, a laser of blue flame going straight through the beast's head, killing it as he turned his attention towards his true target… flying high in the sky. His reason to be here.

The Grimm Dragon, which was flying rapidly to avoid the barrage from the Hanging Gardens. He closed his eyes, before raising his sword and taking a few steps back. He took a deep breath, before running forward, and upon reaching the end of the battleship, leaping off it, the battleship's bow actually crumpling under the force of his leap, he nearly ran straight into a Nevermore, but a quick swing as he was flying by cleaved a wind straight off its body. From below, a volley of cannon fire literally the sky, Archer clearing his path with a smile on his face before turning his attention towards the streets.

He watched as from below… something rocketed into the sky from near the tower, he had to adjust himself mid air to avoid it slamming into him… a locker, and the screams coming from within. He turned his attention to where the locker had come from, a girl in greek armor walking towards the tower on her own… it seemed there was a hero going to confront the dragon, just as he was.

He landed with an astounding impact, shattering stone around him as he looked towards the tower, seeing sparks flying up it, the girl somehow climbing it herself. He looked up, the draconic Grimm perching on the tower for a moment, to cover itself from the volley of fire. For some reason, the Hanging Gardens did not fire upon it… it made sense, they were to prevent Beacon's fall, and that tower was Beacon… it would be up to him to face the dragon.

A roar came from behind him, that of an engine, turning around Rider tore up the cliffside, landing in front of him with a smile on his face. "Saber! Need a lift?" Rider asked, adjusting his shades.

"It would be appreciated Rider," Siegfried said, walking up to Rider's bike and getting on behind him, the bike was clearly not meant for two, but it would have to do. Rider smirked, reving the handle.

"Alright bear… let's ride!" he said with a smile, hitting a gas and driving towards the tower, before making a U-turn and driving away, off the side of the cliff. Siegfried wasn't going to question it, he had to trust that Rider would get him to his destination in time. The golden man just leaned forward as they tore into the courtyard, chaos around them, students fighting robots. Rider zeroed in on one of them, even as a few students took a moment to look towards their arrival, before returning to the fight.

"Bear Howling!" Rider pulled his his arm, driving right towards one of the larger mechs as Siegfried raised his sword. The spikes on the front wheel of Rider's mount deploying… as he forced it into a wheelie with a crack of his hand. "GOLDEN DRIVE!" Golden flames erupted from the back of bike, and gold erupted from the wheels. Siegfried held out his sword, flames encasing Balmung as Rider rammed straight through one of the mechs, cleaving it in haf, Siegfried swinging Balmung and incinerating the rest of the durable machine as Rider spun the handles of his ride, tearing up the concreate and slamming through a few robots before completely spinning around, and there Siegfried saw their target… a straight ramp riding right towards Beacon tower.

"Ready!?" Rider shouted, revving the engine one more time, "Because we're going!" he continued, rocketing forward once more on his bike, Siegfried preparing himself, handing onto Rider's jacket as they tore through the courtyard battle a second time, and Rider cracked it again. "GOLDEN DRIVE!"

The motorcycle spewing gold rocketed up the slope, launching into the air… and maybe halfway up the tower… at the apex of their jump, Siegfried stood up. "Rider!"

"I gotcha!" He shouted, giving Siegfried a thumbs up before he leapt off the bike, going further up the tower, but no where near enough high… before Rider lept off his own bike, Siegfried lowering his sword so that he was standing on Balmung… as Rider's lightning charged fist rammed straight into it, launching him higher and higher, he looked up, fighting was happening atop the tower, and just as he reached the apex of his daring jump, he grasped the side of the tower, and pulled himself up.

The girl in greek armor had her sword to a woman in red, the dragon was coming in for a strike on the tower. He ran forward, both seemed surprised by his appearance, as he stood up, back to both of them.

"Awaken from a golden dream, be released from your cradle," he twisted the handle of Balmung… but behind him he heard a shatter… he turned his attention, only for a moment, to the girls, the sword of the warrior broken from heat… before she fired towards him. He canceled his activation, ducking as the Dragon's wing bashed the toward, the then the girl in armor was flung back by the black haired woman. He lifted his head, a good portion of the tower's head removed… the girl in armor lay against debris as the woman in red looked towards him, floating above the floor with the aid of jets of flame.

"SABER!" both he and the woman turned towards the voice… as Lancer dove in, kicking at the woman with jets of flame herself. The armored girl tore herself from the ground, launching metal debris at both Lancer and the woman with a swing of her hand. Lancer pulled away, and the woman was slammed to the side before the armored girl retrieved her shield. "Saber, the dragon!"

He looked, the dragon was coming back around for another pass. "Cover me!" he ordered, running past both Lancer and the warrior as the woman blasted herself free from the debris. "Awaken from your golden dream!" he shouted, twisting the handle again as the armored girl got behind him, protecting his back as Lancer launched towards the woman, who created a pair of glass swords to face against Lancer's spear. "Be released from your cradle!" his sword flashed, blue flames emitting from it, a shining beacon of light the dragon was heading right towards. A gout of flames flew towards them, but the girl behind him charged forward, and with that charge she threw her shield, being deflected by the maiden in red before sending the gears of the tower right at her. "Must kill the evil dragon!" he stomped, raising the blade… and swung downward. "BALMUNG!"

The air exploded… sound was gone as he unleashed his Noble Phantasm directly at the Dragon Grimm. It roared in defiance, unaware of the power that came for its head, as behind him Lancer had just joined the armored girl in slamming the maiden through the tower with a metal gear. The dragon ate the blue flames of his Noble Phantasm, roaring… before tapering out slowly… and when the beam of blue light and fire was gone… there was nothing that remained, the dragon, slain.

A burst of flame from behind him forced him to turn towards it, their ally being blown back into a pillar, a red shield armor her body falling as Lancer spiraled into the sky, and then back down towards the girl in red, smashing her lance into the woman's swords… and Siegfried charged forward, shoulder tackling the maiden as lasers started flying in from the sky, Lancer breaking off and floating in front of the girl in orange, who picked herself right back up. Caster floated above the tower, flapping her wings, and a smirk on her face as the red maiden pulled herself up.

"ENOUGH!" she roared, flames bursting from her eyes, and power erupting from within as the three servants, and one girl, stood off against this woman, her rage engulfing her as she looked towards their ally… She threw her armor forward, Siegfried throwing out his own sword to block the blast of flame before standing directly in front of the vulnerable warrior. Lancer charged forward once again, just as another girl, carrying a scythe, leapt up the tower to join the battle.

The maiden growled and tried to blast Lancer away, only for Caster to continue barraging her with an array of lasers, followed by a blast of magical lightning. Behind them, slowly flying into range of the tower… was the hanging gardens, Ruler leaping straight off the garden top and landing beside Siegfried as Assassin raised her hand from atop the gardens. They had her, dead to rights.

"It… was all so perfect… HOW! Who are you people!?" the woman screamed, flames bursting from her eyes, and even her mouth as Ruler walked forward, his white hair offset by his tanned skin.

"I am Ruler, leader of this group of heroes… and we have come with a single purpose. To save this world, and to start, by saving Vale." he revealed, before pulling out an array of Black Keys. "And with your dragon slain, you are all that remain."

She tried to run, but Caster landed, and tapped her staff against the ground, an array of magic circles appearing around the woman, and she flew head first into a wall, she screamed, beating on it with all her rage and might, throwing out flames that did nothing but disipate against Caster's barrier.

"Wow…" the little girl in red started, Siegfried looked towards her, and gave his best smile, but the girl ran over to their ally, helping her stay standing as Ruler walked forward.

"For your sins, you have been judged. Even if we do not have you name, know that you have failed. Beacon shall stand… we shall ensure it, so say I, Amakusa Shiro…" he raised his swords.

"Avert your eyes…" Siegfried said, walking in front of the two girls and facing them, both staring at his chest, and then up at him as one final scream of rage came from behind him… before a single, small, stab. Behind him, the woman fell slack, finally, with a single sword pierced into her heart, having broken through the small remains of her Aura with a single blow, the flames in her eyes going out… before vanishing entirely, and for a moment, Caster was watching and then watched east, before shaking her head.

"Hmm… what I wouldn't give for Edison right now… but we still have work to be done," Ruler stated, before turning to the two girls. "Ruby Rose… Pyrrha Nikos… come, join us on the gardens, and watch, or fight alongside us… as we restore peace to Vale," Amakusa stated, holding out his hand as the hanging gardens came to a complete stop near the tower's top, a long gangway extending to the tower as Lancer rocketed away from the tower with nary a word, Caster waving before flying away herself to go rejoin the greater battle. Siegfreid watched as, slowly, Ruler managed to lead the girls onto the Hanging Gardens, to join him and Assassin before he to jumped down to join the battle once more.

It was going to be a long night. The witch had been slain, the dragon destroyed, but their work was far from over. The first mission had been completed, but for Siegfried, this war without a holy grail had just begun.

AN: Something that I wanted to write for all of you. A bit more of a 'modern' era summoning. A full Grail War's worth of Servants summoned to the battle of Beacon to swing the fight right into their own favor. See if you can guess all the Servants who appeared here! For now, this is just a one-shot, but I may expand upon it later, much later… but for now, I'll leave you with the beginning of a… very different story.