We see each other again, people. I bring you the next chapter of this story, which is practically action from beginning to end. This chapter will cover most of the first great battle, and as in the first chapter, I decided to fast-foward or omit events that are exactly the same in the original story. By this, I mean, for example, the fight between Karna and Vlad III. I don't know about you, but I don't think you want to read a fight that's exactly like the one in the anime. However, I did not omit them completely and mentioned them in passing to make it clear that they did.
As for the question of EVA-saiyan, the fighting style can help to recognize a heroic spirit, in the case of Mordred not. While her unorthodox style is quite unique, let us remember that Mordred's noble phantasm, Secret of Pedigree, prevents anyone from finding out her identity, even servants who knew her in life. That is why, until she takes off her helmet, King of Fakers cannot find out her identity through her sword, nor can he relate her to Arturia.
I also set out to correct the errors you pointed out to me.
Without further ado, let the chapter begin.
Disclaimer: I don't own any rigth over Type-Moon or the Fate franchise.
In the throne room of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Assassin of Red, Caster of Red and Kotomine Shirou watched the battlefield through projected images
Despite her Assassin class, the Queen of Assyria had a great knowledge of magecraft, even greater than Caster himself, who was only a writer of the modern era.
Lancer, Archer and Rider were on the outer balconies of the flying fortress, ready to jump into action at any moment. As for Saber of Red and her master, they did not know about their whereabouts, but they were sent a message to warn them about their plan, so they would not be long in coming.
The Dragon Tooth Warriors, familiars mass produced by Assassin, were about to collide with the army of homunculi and golems deployed by the black faction. Lancer of Black, Saber of Black and Berserker of Black were also fast approaching them by land, and Rider of Black was flying towards them in his mount.
However, Archer of Black was nowhere to be seen.
"Archer, it's about time you unleashed your noble phantasm to cleanse their army." Shirou gave instructions to said servant through Assassin's magecraft.
"Understood." Archer materialized his bow and set out to comply with the order.
But, his actions stopped because of the dismayed voice of Assassin. "Master, a huge amount of prana is approaching at great speed!"
"What!?"
The projected images went on to show what looked like a blue comet stretching across the battlefield skies. Its trajectory pointed directly at them.
"Magnificient! Archer of Black is once again surprising us with another of his tricks!" Caster remarked vigorously as he wrote frantically in his book.
Assassin snapped his tongue at the carefree servant. Assassin,
"I leave the defens to you, Assassin." Shirou remained calm at all times, while his eyes did not let go of the impending attack.
"Of course, master. I will teach them not to underestimate the defensive power of my noble phantasm." Assassin showed a confident smile and snapped his fingers.
At that instant, a multitude of magic circles formed in front of the fortress, and several prana beams were fired at the projectile.
Still, it was useless. The prana beams dispersed as they approached the comet.
In seconds, the broken phantasm crashed into the first magic barrier. To the immense surprise of all present, the projectile passed through it as if it were paper. The 'arrow' continued to advance without slowing down a bit. The spatial distortion surrounding it immediately destroyed Assassin's magical defenses.
"Impossible!"
In spite of the immense surprise, Assassin did not stand idly by. With a mental order, the flying fortress began to turn at full speed.
They barely made it in time. They got the broken phantasm to hit the sides and not the central core, where the throne room was.
However, the huge explosion made the whole place stagger. The large amount of prana released took the form of a red bubble for a few moments. The shockwave even rocked the entire battlefield.
Much of the left side of the fortress was destroyed, but it managed to stay in flight. The debris began to fall to the ground, wreaking havoc on the family army.
"Is everyone okay!?" Shirou asked as he rose from the ground. The tremor caused by the explosion had brought him and Caster down, who had nothing to lean on.
After receiving affirmative answers from all the servants, the excited voice of Rider was heard. What the hell was that!?
"We assume it was another of the noble phantasms of Archer of Black."
"What!? First an anti-immortal scythe and now an anti-army noble phantasm? That guy is really interesting!
"Assassin, what's the damage?"
"The explosion only caused surface damage. We will be able to continue in flight without problems. However, if we get more hits like that, I'm afraid we'll be in trouble, Master." Assassin replied agitated. Her precious noble phantasm had been harmed by the enemy without much difficulty.
"Good. We will continue with the plan as agreed."
All the servants nodded. Archer struck two arrows at her bow and aimed towards the night sky.
"With my bow and my arrows, I respectfully ask for the protection of the sun god Apollo, and the moon goddess Artemis."
Both arrows were infused with prana. Archer released the rope, and the projectiles flew upwards, scattered among the stars.
"I offer thee this calamity. Phoebus Catastrophe!"
At the end of her chanting, the sky lit up, and endless emerald projectiles fell upon the army of the black faction. It was literally a rain of death. They had nothing to do with such an attack.
"ROOOAAAAR!" Before the projectiles fell, a guttural roar echoed on the battlefield. Berseker of Black appeared among the enemy forces and crashed her mace into the ground.
The noble phantasm then began to emit a great deal of electricity. This worked as an improvised barrier, destroying a large number of emerald projectiles.
In addition, several twisted swords struck Archer of Red's arrows, diverting them from their trajectory.
The result was that the number of victims was reduced considerably.
At the same time, Lancer of Black reached Assassin's family army.
"It is time for your punishment, savage invaders of my neat country. My forgiveness will be to end your sinful lives! Your pain will be an incredible despair that will bring peace to your souls!"
After his speech, stone stakes emerged from the ground and impaled all the Dragon Tooth Warriors before him.
Archer of Red frowned. Her noble phantasm had not cleansed the army of the black faction as she had hoped.
"Rider, it's your turn."
"Yosh!" The servant rose with a smile and ran to the edge of the balcony. He leapt to the battlefield, and in the air whistled.
His chariot appeared and he rode on it. "It's time to fight! I, Rider of Red, will take over the battlefield from now on!"
The battle chariot crashed to the ground, wrapped in a green beam of light, and advanced among the enemy ranks, destroying everything in its path.
Lancer of Red and Archer of Red did not fall behind, and jumped to face Lancer of Black.
At the fortress, Caster of Red continued to delight at the sight of the battle between legendary heroes.
On the other hand, Kotomine Shirou was sitting with his hands crossed and his brow frowned.
Realizing this, Caster turned to speak to him. "Well, well, Father Shirou, why are you like this? This show is really interesting to watch."
This one ignored him. "I have information. Ruler is heading this way."
"It is said that you get out of one problem to get into another. Right?"
"In this Holy Grail War, she is still doing her duty... For that reason I will have to see how she uses her abilities. I will probably have to fight her."
"Come on, servants of the black faction! Show me your power!"
Rider of Red continued on his unstoppable march. His face had a euphoric smile at all times.
Several giant golems appeared in front of him to try to stop him.
"Tsk, get out of my way idiots." The Greek servant did not bother to change his path. His only goal in mind was to find Archer of Black, or any other servant who could give him a exiting fight.
But, to his surprise, the golems turned to mud and stuck to his battle chariot . They then solidified again, successfully trapping the noble phantasm of Rider of Red.
All the homunculus around him jumped to attack him in unison and from all angles. However, it was no problem for the red servant.
With swift movements of his spear, he cut off all his enemies in just a few moments. They could not even react.
Blood splattered everywhere. But, Rider of Red didn't have time to relax. He moved his head to one side and narrowly dodged a scythe with the twisted blade.
That was certainly one of the strange projectiles of Archer of Black. Aquilles could not help but show a wild smile.
"That's interesting! Where are you Archer of Black!? I'm here for the fight we have pending! Let's fight until we're satisfied!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and swung his spear quickly to deflect another 'arrow'. This time, he could see where it came from. The forest that was near the castle of the Yggdmillenia.
"Heh, I found you. You really are a slippery guy. However, my trust... on behalf of my mother, father and friend... I will not turn my back on anyone!"
The Greek servant ran into the forest. His body brimming with prana was wrapped in a green beam, and he carried his spear ahead. The golems in his path were obliterated.
Already in the forest, Achilles landed in a clearing. Anti-immortal projectiles began to rain from all angles.
Rider of Red swung his spear frantically to deflect them, as he continued to run in the direction they came from.
"Don't think the same trick would work twice!"
He was already close. Rider could see the silhouette of the man, up on the branch of a tree and with a huge black bow.
"You're mine!" Rider jumped at him at high speed, intending to cut off his head.
But just before he reached him, something unexpected happened. In front of him materialized Saber of Black, who deflected his attack with his sword and sent him back to the ground.
"You again?" Before he could continue to speak, he had to catch with his hand another projectile heading for his head.
"Heh, another two against one. Let's see if you're doing better this time!"
Both servants jumped at each other and clashed violently. This time it was different. Although Saber of Black was still unable to harm Rider of Black, his mind was clear. The fight was much more even. Trees and pieces of land flew with each crash.
"This is much better!"
Siegfried, on the other hand, continued with his stoic face, although if you looked too closely, you could see a slight hint of a smile.
Another stalemate. Both warriors were repelled by the crash. But, this time, instead of throwing himself forward, Saber jumped to one side.
Twenty weapons, including several scythes, were immediately fired from the bushes behind him. All had anti-immortal attributes, courtesy of The Gate of Babylon.
"What!?" The sudden barrage of weapons took Rider by surprise. He managed to deflect most of them, but some eventually grazed him and a sword pierced his thigh.
Saber left him no time to pull himself together and lunged at him. He swung his great sword only with his right hand. Rider stopped his attack with his spear. Although the situation was becoming more difficult for him, his smile did not disappear from his face.
However, his eyes opened wide when another of these scythes materialized in the free hand of Saber. He quickly swung it aiming to his chest.
Rider leapt as far back as he could, but could not prevent his armor from being cut and a superficial wound appeared on his chest. As soon as he landed, he heard sounds behind him.
He immediately turned to see Archer of Black with his back to him. His legs were separated, and he was holding a long katana with both hands, so that his blade was parallel to the ground.
"Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi!"
After uttering those words, his body moved to make a swing with the sword. But, at that moment, the space twisted. Where there should only be one blade, there were three, balancing at the same time and from different angles. They weren't three quick attacks that should feel like happening at the same time. Actually, at that time there were three katanas, three strikes superimposed. An attack imposible to avoid.
Rider didn't even worry. Why should he? Although it was an impressive technique, the weapon had no anti-immortal property, so it could not damage him.
That mistake almost cost him his life.
While one swing was directed at his neck and another was directed to the left side of his chest, the third attack was directed towards his right heel, his only weak spot. If that attack landed, it would be his end. His noble phantasm would be annulled, and the other two attacks would cause fatal injuries.
Aquilles moved his spear with all his might and struck the third swing. The katana did not resist enormous force and broke. That caused the other two katanas to disappear.
Without giving Archer time to pull himself together, Rider threw him a quick thrust with his spear.
The broken katana vanished from Archer's hands, and instead, a pair of twin swords appeared, one white and the other black with a red hexagonal pattern. The red archer deflected his spear without much trouble with the black sword.
Aquilles continued his bombardment of rapid attacks. The same fighting style that overwhelmed Saber in his previous fight. Few heroes could catch up with him, and yet Archer did not disappoint.
He deflected and dodged all his attacks, barely getting scratched. His swordsmanship was not as dazzling as Siegfried's, but that did not detract from his merit. An unconventional style of fighting, refined and perfected to face enemies much stronger than him, as in this same case.
The sparks flew on all sides, as Rider of Red increased its pace. Archer of Black did not fall behind, starting to use prana burst more and more.
It was another dead end. In view of this, Rider decided to change his fighting style. Instead of quick attacks, he tried an attack with all his might. A wide horizontal swing.
King of Fakers put his two swords in front of him and let himself be carried away by the attack. Both blades broke, and Archer flew away.
In the middle of the air, he turned around and drew his bow along with another anti-immortal weapon. Seconds later, a barrage of 'arrows' fell on Rider.
Said servant was forced to deflect and block the rain of projectiles. His surroundings were filled with explosions.
From the smoke, Siegfried ran out to attack Aquilles, throwing a cut at his neck with the scythe in his left hand.
Rider tilted his body back, letting the scythe pass inches from his nose. He put his free hand on the ground and kicked Saber's chest. Saber stopped the attack with Blamung and threw another cut with the nameless scythe. Rider jumped back, somersault to get back on his feet, and the fight paused for a few moments.
"Now this is a fight!"
The battle continued for several more minutes. Coordination between Saber and Archer was improving as the battle went on. Rider was being pushed harder and harder. Most of the wounds he received were not dangerous, but the fact that they didn't regenerate remained problematic.
The forest was devastated. It was filled with craters, and the ground was filled with the various weapons that Archer was shooting at Rider. At one point Siegfried began to attack Aquilles with those weapons, making things more difficult for the Greek servant.
It was becoming a fight of resistance, to see who would run out of prana first.
In the middle of the fight, a huge explosion of prana could be seen and felt outside the forest. The three servants stopped to observe the event. A great ray of prana ascended to the sky, formed by two colors, red and blue.
Under normal circumstances they would have let it pass. Could have been caused by the fight between both Lancers, Karna and Vlad III. Both were incredibly powerful servants, one for being a divine spirit, and the other for having been invoked in his homeland and found in his territory.
But, Saber and Archer recognized one of the two noble phantasms that were colliding. It was undoubtedly Balmung, the noble phantasm of Siegfried, which posed a contradiction. If Saber and his sword was here, how his noble phantasm was activated there?
There was only one possible conclusion. It had to be the homunculus that had Siegfried's heart in his body. That was really troubling. The boy they had saved by risking so much had come here, to the battlefield, and was surely fighting with Saber of Red.
Both servants of the black faction looked at each other. There was no need to exchange words, their thought processes were almost identical. Saber nodded and reasserted his stance to face Rider of Red, while Archer turned and ran towards the explosion.
"Hey, what's the big rush? This was being exciting." Rider wasn't happy about one of his opponents leaving.
"He has some business to settle. I'm sorry but you'll have to settle for me." Saber spoke for the first time in the entire fight. He tightened his grip on Balmung's hilt and drew from the ground one of the blades with anti-immortal properties that Archer fired.
"Rider's smile returned to his face. Okay then. Let's see how long you can stand now that you're alone, Saber of Black!"
Both servants resumed fighting and clashed again.
Sieg had done well at first. He managed to infiltrate the battlefield without getting caught in the crossfire. The servants of each faction began to fight among themselves, completely forgetting the homunculus.
He found several of these who managed to survive. They were few compared to all the corpses that were scattered across the plain. The place was really a land of death.
He stopped to help them, after all, helping someone who needs it is not wrong. That belief was what had brought him here in the first place.
he homunculi he helped brought him to the castle, and there he was able to rescue all the homunculi in the basement.
When they asked him why he was helping them, his answer came out alone. He wanted to give them the same freedom that Archer, Rider and Saber gave him.
However, in the midst of the evacuation, Sieg could distinguish the figure of Rider of Black falling from the sky.
This had been defeated by Assassin of Black in his assault on the flying fortress, and knocked off his mount.
He wanted to go save him, but he couldn't leave the homunculi alone. Then, one of the homunculi he saved from the battlefield told him that, exercising the freedom he gave them, he would let them take care of the evacuation themselves.
With no time to waste, Sieg ran to where Rider had fallen. When he arrived, he found him fighting with Saber of Red. Well... rather than fighting, Astolfo was being beaten, very hard. He had no chance against a servant as powerful as the Knight of Treachery.
He intervened in the fight, even though he knew he didn't have a chance either. But still, he wanted to help Rider, rather than because he saved him, because helping someone is not wrong. That was the path he had chosen.
The result was obvious, both were defeated. Berserker of Black came to try to defeat the enemy Saber, but neither did he. The power difference was abysmal, and she was quickly defeated. Having the blood of a dragon running through her veins gave Mordred the ability to use prana burst as if it did not require prana.
Even so, Sieg did not give up and kept getting up to fight her. He barely managed to cause her a superficial wound during a distraction.
At the insistence of the homunculus, Mordred asked him. "Why do you fight to the end?"
He replied again, full of determination. "Because helping others is not wrong!"
Finally, Sieg was pierced by Clarent and fell unconscious.
During those moments, Berserker of Black attempted a last suicide attack on Saber of Red, self-destructing with his noble phantasm. The explosion did considerable damage, but did not kill the red knight.
The Black faction lost one of their servants, and Saber of Red regenerated as if nothing had happened.
When all was lost, and Astolfo was about to be killed too, Sieg rose again.
After showing his resolve to the Siegfried who was on the throne of heros, he somehow succeeded in manifesting the power of said servant in his body. So now he looked exactly like the Dragon-Blooded Knight.
Although his combat experience was nil, and his swordsmanship was hardly a shadow compared to that of the original Siegfried, with that power he could give Mordred quite a fight.
In the end, both ended up colliding with their noble phantasms, Balmung and Clarent Blood Arthur. The result was a huge explosion that left them both in a deplorable state. Their armor was shattered, their bodies badly wounded, and their reserves of prana almost exhausted.
But the difference was that Sieg was not a servant as such. Therefore, while Mordred was able to regenerate with the prana provided by his master, Sieg lost his 'transformation' and fell to the ground without being able to move a muscle. He had reached his limit.
The situation had really ended badly. He and Astolfo were at the mercy of Saber of Red.
"Heh, I don't understand why, but it's over. After all, you're just an impostor..."
She slowly approached them, with a victorious smile on her face.
But, just then, a couple of swords crashed on the ground in front of her and exploded, preventing her from approaching them.
"Tsk, and now who else is coming to get in my way?"
"Sorry, but if you want to touch a hair of those two, you're gonna have to beat me first."
The owner of voice, and therefore, who had thrown the swords, was none other than Archer.
It is said that the hero is always late. Although he was quite exhausted from his fight with Rider of Red, he remained firm and his face showed pure determination. In his hands he held a long sword of simple appearance, with a golden guard and no decorations.
Mordred recognized that sword immediately.
"Hoh, so you're finally coming to face me with everything you've got, King of Fakers. Well, bring it on!"
Both servants prepared for the impending fight, but that did not happen in the end.
"Oppressor, die by my love!"
A gigantic mass of gray muscle crashed into Mordred, disrupting the scene completely.
"Berserker of Red!?"
In effect, it was Berserker of Red, Spartacus. This had been released by Caster of Black, and ended up fighting with Archer of Red. His ability to regenerate got out of control and ended up turning him into an abominable monster with several arms and heads.
"Damn, you're just a traitor!" Saber, angry at the sudden interruption, flooding her sword with prana and swinging it toward the servant of madness.
The crimson beam that covered Clarent split the servant in half.
"Tch. Don't come bothering me when the good is starting."
However, Spartacus regenerated again, making his appearance even more grotesque if possible. It seemed like he was about to burst.
"Gross." Saber withdrew on the orders of his master
In view of that, Archer approached Rider and Sieg.
"Don't move! You're too hurt!"
At the same time, Ruler was running towards them with a worried face. "You have to get out of here." However, seeing Sieg there, her eyes opened like plates.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in shock.
"I'm sorry, even though you saved my life. But I had to do this... after all, helping others isn't wrong, is it?"
Both Jeanne and Rider looked at Archer. He could not resist the urge to put his hand on his face. He had inadvertently ended up instilling his suicidal tendencies in the poor boy.
"We don't have time, you need get out of here."
"I can't move. You go. You're not a servant who should die here." Sieg had hardly any energy left to talk about.
"Then, at least you, Rider of Black and Archer of Black."
At her proposal, Astolfó seemed to be angry. "No! No! No!"
"Hey, you're not a child."
"If I say no, is no! I won't run away! If it were you, you wouldn't leave him here to escape, would you, Ruler?" At the end of his answer, Astolfo showed a confident smile.
Archer stayed out of the conversation as he thought. Of course, he wasn't going to leave anyone behind. Sacrificing someone to save himself was unthinkable for him.
But... sacrificing himself to save the other three was not an option to consider either. He made a promise. He did not remember the name or face of the person to whom he made that promise, but he knew she was very important for him. He promised he wouldn't throw away his life just like that, and he would try to love himself. And no matter how much it cost him, even if it took him millennium, he was going to keep that promise.
Therefore, he would have to face the noble phantasm of Berserker of Red head on. Rho Aias was discarded. The coming attack would not be a projectile, but rather a beam of energy. He didn't know if the shield would hold, and yet, several layers would be destroyed, leaving his body in a pitiful state.
The sword of promised salvation was not usable either. In order to use it to its fullest, it required being in the place where it was forged, that is, the Unlimited Blade Works. There was no time to deploy the reality marble, and bringing the sword to reality required a lot of prana. Healing Siegfried had already left him completely dry, and at that time he had his prana reserves almost to the fullest.
With all that, he had no choice but to face fire with fire. He looked at the sword in his hand. The prototype of all swords that select the king. It was undoubtedly the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, and one of the swords he could best replicate because of its close connection to his legend.
"He's right." Archer's voice was accompanied by a heavy sigh. His grip on his blade strained, as he stepped forward to face the gray monster.
"Archer, what are you doing?" Ruler asked him with concern.
"Fix the mess that caused my faction. Stay behind me, I'll take care of this." His firm voice gave no room for doubt.
"One more word of advice, boy." He turned his head to look sideways at Sieg. "If you plan to follow that way, then, never give up. Whatever happens, stay strong and don't lose hope."
Although the encouraging words were addressed to Sieg, the three present nodded. In fact, the three could not help but look at him in amazement. In the face of adversity, he did not falter, and faced it with sheer determination. Determination to save everyone.
His back was upright and firm, giving the feeling that he could carry all the weight of the world. His red mantle waved with the wind, making the image even more epic.
He raised the sword that already accompanied him at the front against Ortenrosse's minions above his head, and began to pump prana into it.
"I don't know what hero you were in life, Berserker of Red, but I'm not letting you take a single innocent life in my clock!"
"The moment arrived." Espartacus began to inflate more and more with the energy accumulated in his body.
Meanwhile, the sword in the hands of King of Fakers wrapped itself in golden light, which began to spread upwards.
"My attack will end it all, and tear the fools to pieces. GO! MY LOVE, EXPLODE!"
Espartacus finally exploded, letting out all the energy accumulated inside him in the form of a huge ray of energy.
"Exterminate the impure. MERODACH!"
Simultaneously, King of Fakers swung his sword forward, firing a great disintegrating beam of light.
Both attacks clashed for a few moments. Merodach's bolt of lightning was small compared to all the energy released by Spartacus. However, the power of the foundation of the sacred right to select the king was superior.
The golden light that burned everything in its path, much more condensed than the noble phantasm of Berserker of Red, pierced the attack and split it in two.
The aftermath of Spartacus' last attack shook the entire battlefield, destroying everything in its path. Fort Yggmillenia suffered some damage despite being so far from the explosion, and even the flying fortress of Assassin of Red staggered.
But there was a small strip that remained intact. When divided in two by Merodach's beam, the location of Astolfo, Jeanne, Sieg and King of Fakers was not reached. The violent energies passed through the sides harmlessly.
Archer planted his blade on the ground to lean on it, as he tried to regain air. His magical reserves were low, but not at a dangerous level. The same could be said of his body. The prolonged fight against Rider of Red, and this last attack, was starting to take its toll.
"Are you all right?"
Astalfo, who had curled up on Sieg and closed his eyes, blinked a couple of times to make sure what he was seeing was real.
"We're alive... We made it!"
"Muh!" There was a choking grunt below him.
"Oh, sorry, my bad." Rider got up off Sieg, and he was able to breathe again.
Jeanne approached Archer and helped him stand up again. "You did it. But you shouldn't do these crazy things so often, Archer of Black."
He could not help but smile ironically. It was not the first time he was told, nor would it be the last. And he was right. It was already the second time she saw him in a pretty deplorable state after rushing to save someone.
"It can't be helped. That's how I am."
Ruler sighed at his answer. "You could have let me help you. I promised to protect the boy, right?" However, despite scolding him, there was a smile on her face.
The conversation was interrupted when Archer received a message from his master.
"What!? The red faction stole the Great Grail!?" His reaction explained everything.
The four turned to look at the Castle of the Yggdmillenia. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon had been placed just above the fort, and the Holy Grail was being transported to the flying fortress.
"It seems I must go to witness the end of this battle." Jeanne set out to run towards the fortress, but was stopped by Archer.
"Let me go with you, Ruler."
"Don't overdo it, you're almost at your limit. You've done enough."
"Limit? My legs and arms can still move. I'll reach my limit when I make sure the Grail doesn't fall into the hands of a bunch magus with questionable intentions."
Jeanne breathed another sigh, and agreed. She knew that trying to convince him would be impossible.
Fort Yggdmillenia was in chaos. The red faction took advantage of the distraction caused by Spartacus' latest attack to steal the Great Grail. Saber, Lancer, and Caster boarded the flying fortress to try to retrieve it.
The masters of the Black faction gathered to reorganize, and as Darnic had disappeared, Fiore took command. The situation was really bad. The enemy also had been preparing for war for decades.
They'd lost Berseker, Archer was still on his way, and Rider was practically out. Added to that was that their laboratory in the basement had been so damaged by Sieg's incursion that they could not even produce more golems.
All they could do was to trust their servants, and unfortunately, they weren't doing so well either.
Saber of Black was the best man in his fight with Rider of Red. But now, he no longer had Archer's arsenal of anti-immortal weapons, so his chances were considerably reduced.
Caster and his golems could hardly keep up with Archer of Red, and Lancer of Black was quickly being overtaken. Now that he was no longer on Romanian soil but in the domain of Assassin of Red, his power diminished considerably. He could barely stand up to Lancer of Red.
At that moment, Darnic appeared on the scene, and forced his servant to use his noble phantasm, The Legend of Dracula, with a command seal. This caused him to lose his humanity and become a monster according to the other aspect of his legend, a vampire.
With what little sanity he had left, Vlad III lashed out at his master for revenge. But, before he was killed, he used his other two command seals to order him not to die until he got the Holy Grail, and to merge his existence with that of the monster.
Finally, the old magus took control of the body and began to attack everyone who stood in his way to the Grail. He sucked the blood out of the homunculi who had accompanied them, turning them into demons.
Rider of Red attacked him recklessly, and he was almost converted as well if it weren't for Siegfried saving him at the last minute.
From then on, all the servants began to cooperate to overcome such a threat. They couldn't let that monster get the Holy Grail, nor could they let the demons escape to the outside.
Lancer of Black was cornered and tried to retreat, but his escape route was cut off by Ruler and Archer of Black, who had just arrived.
In view of the situation, Jeanne proposed to all the serfs to form a temporary truce to defeat the vampire. They all agreed.
"Under my title as Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, I order all servants to put an end to this vampire."
The command seals on Ruler's back shone, giving a magical impulse to all the servants.
Saber of Black, Rider of Red and Lancer of Red immediately rushed against the monster. Its ability to disperse their bodies in smoke gave them enough trouble, but the combined attack of the two Archer servants prevented Lancer of Black from escaping. Caster of Black kept its minions at bay.
The stakes were fired from all sides, in a desperate attempt to get rid of arrows and twisted swords. Still, the vampire was quickly overwhelmed by the teamwork of the five servants.
"Leave no dust and disappear, monster." Karna got serious and attacked him with a powerful fire prana burst.
However, despite being burned, Vlad III's body regenerated quickly.
"No! I will not die until I get the Holy Grail!"
The vampires already had a great capacity for regeneration. The command given him by his master before he merged with him only boosted it.
Lancer of Black tried to escape by scattering his body again, but...
"Redeemer!"
The hallway was filled with an aura even more malevolent than that of the monster. A silver sword, wrapped in a purple prana, flew at high speed toward the vampire. Upon reaching him, it exploded, shaking the place.
When the smoke dissipated, the monster could be seen in a deplorable state. His right arm had been destroyed, and half of his body was decomposing. The curse of the sword was consuming him faster than he was regenerating.
"Damn Faker! Why does a nameless servant have so many weapons!" The vampire cried out in anguish, though ironically, that was the question all the servants were asking.
"If you planned this from the beginning, summoning me, a hero who was fighting dead apostles for most of his life was very stupid of you."
"Checkmate." Karna prepared to give him the final blow.
But, something happened and that made him stop all at once. His body began to tremble, and his face twisted in agony. And it wasn't just him. Archer of Red and Rider of Red were the same.
The vampire took advantage of the event and went quickly towards the inside of the fortress.
"After him!" Ruler, Archer of Black and Saber of Black didn't lose a second and ran after him.
Archer shot him several blades, but the vampire avoided them by scattering his body.
"Archer, Saber, do you know why the Red Servants stopped?"
The first to respond was Archer. "Most likely it was the masters, but it doesn't match the timing."
Turning a corner, a trap was activated and a prana beam was fired. The monster managed to evade it and continue on his way, but the three servants had to hide behind the corner.
"Tch, is activated by movement."
"Is it only aiming at us?"
"It looks like that, but we can't let that monster go, there's gonna be a lot of victims." Saber responded in a deathly serious tone.
"Go, I'll take care of the traps." As he said that, Archer traced his black bow again.
Both the servants nodded and raced down the corridor. The twisted swords flew over their heads, intercepting the rays and destroying the prana cannons.
By the time they reached the hallway room, the vampire's body was found reduced to ashes, and traversed by several Black Keys. His executor had been Kotomine Shirou, the master of the red faction Ruler was looking for so much.
"It can't be..." After seeing him for a few moments, Jeanne's face was filled with surprise. Her skill as a servant Ruler had shown her something seemingly impossible.
Upon seeing her, Saber was immediately on guard. The priest had an ominous aura.
"Nice to meet you, Ruler of this occasion. I am the master of the red faction that you seek so much, Kotomine Shirou."
"..." Ruler stared at him speechless
"If you're so surprised, I think you're making me look bad."
Those words pulled her out of her stupor, making her frown. "Never would I have imagined that there were sixteen servants."
"No, you're wrong. I'm a servant, but like you, I'm a Ruler."
"Then, why? If you are a Ruler servant, you should follow the rules of the Holy Grail."
Upon hearing it, Shirou made a complicated face. "Rules? When I followed the rules, I couldn't save anyone. So, if I break the rules, no one will get in the way of my dream."
"What is your goal, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada?"
"You should know it already. I seek the salvation of mankind, Jeanne d'Arc. I will use the Grail to obtain it."
That response surprised both servants. His dream was very similar to that of a certain servant.
"You should know because you are a servant Ruler! We are allowed to come into this world to help the people who live in it. But, as a heroic spirit, you deviate from it, trying to force salvation upon mankind, even knowing that such a thing does not exist."
Jeanne's words angered Shirou. "I was reincarnated sixty years ago in the Third War of the Holy Grail and I waited for this opportunity! Retreating is no longer an option for me."
"Reincarnation? So that's why you're another servant Ruler."
"I won't miss this unique opportunity. No matter who it is, I will eliminate whoever interferes."
"If you don't listen to the prayers of the living, you don't qualify as a heroic spirit."
"It is as you say, Jeanne d'Arc. I am no longer a saint or a heroic spirit. However, if I can still bring the miracle of salvation to mankind... I will do it!"
"What about the other masters of the red faction?"
"They've served their purpose, so I don't need them anymore."
"Just what did you-"
"Don't worry, Ruler." A third voice interrupted the conversation. Seconds later, Assassin of Red materialized next to her master. "Or are you saying that my master went against the rules."
"Assyria's Queen. World's older poisoner. Are you the Assassin of Red, Semiramis?"
"Indeed."
"Are you his accomplice? Or maybe it's your whole plan."
"You think I was the one leading my master down the path of evil? You are a bit off, Ruler. I am a servant and I just follow my Master."
Just then, Archer of Black arrived in the room, along with the servants of the Red Faction and Caster of Black. Archer of Red was the first to speak and did not seem very happy.
"A moment ago, undoubtedly, we had a change of master. And I bet you know something about that, priest."
Semiramis' confident expression shifted to one of anger, but Shirou stopped her before she answered.
"That's true. A few moments ago I had a peaceful conversation with your masters, which resulted in them giving all their command seals to me. In other words, I, Ruler, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, am now the master of all the servants of the red faction."
Aquilles and Atlanta didn't take it very well, and Rider immediately charged into his new master. Assassin of Red stepped in, blocking his spear with what looked like fish scales. However, the 'shield' broke, and Archer of Red took the opportunity to shoot an arrow in her head.
But, to her surprise, Lancer of Red caught the arrow with his hand.
"Are you saying you accept him as your master, Lancer!?"
"I have questions for him, but he won't be able to answer them if you kill him."
"Thank you so much for that, Lancer." Shirou thanked the servant, though he looked completely calm despite all the hostility pointed at him.
"Don't thank me. I haven't approved this change of teacher yet."
"Well then, as for the war between the black and the red faction, I have a suggestion for it. Surrender now, Siegfried, Avicebron and King of Fakers. It is a very reasonable proposition in view of the current situation."
Siegfried and Archer raised an eyebrow to the unisono, and Caster was the one who said what the three of them had in mind. "Surrender? I'm sorry, but I really don't see how much advantge you have right now.
"Oh? That's funny coming from someone who is trapped inside a beast's belly." Assassin responded in a petulant tone.
"Let's hope that doesn't turn out to be a boulder in its stomach."
"Avicebrom, let's hear your opinion."
"Surrender, huh... pure nonsense. But at the same time it is simple. It seems that you know a lot about the Great Grail."
"I don't know much, I know everything about it."
"I don't need it to get my wish. You could say that our wishes don't overlap. But I have a condition."
"Let's hear it."
"Don't lay a hand on my master. Is that condition acceptable?"
"Selling yourself for your master's sake?"
"Caster, what are you-" The question of Saber was interrupted by such the masked servant.
"Saber, I have my own desire. For the sake of achieving it, I don't mind trampling on my pride and my ethics"
Archer looked at him with an expression that said, 'magus, I never expect anything from them, and yet they continue to disappoint me.'
"And what is your opinion, King of Fakers?" Shirou turned his attention to Archer of Black. Rather, his attention was on him since he arrived. "Your dream is the same as mine. Wouldn't you like to cooperate with me to achieve it?"
All the attention in the room turned to King of Fakers, who kept staring at Shirou. In fact, he had been doing it since he entered the room.
"I see... For a moment I thought you were the same person." Archer whispered to himself.
It was almost impossible for this servant to be the same person as that boy who promised to surpass him. And besides, he wouldn't have given up and decided to entrust his dream to the Holy Grail.
Seeing that it took a while for him to answer, Jeanne's face was filled with concern.
"That our dream is the same? Where did you get that? My dream is to save everyone, something very different from saving 'humanity'. Besides, I don't need any device created by the selfish desires of the magus to achieve it."
Shirou's face in that moment was a poem. Jeanne sighed relieved, and Siegfried looked at him with respect. Despite the tempting proposal of the priest, he did not hesitate for a moment and remained faithful to his ideals.
"Are you saying that, not only are you rejecting the opportunity I'm giving you, but you're also going to get in the way of the search of my dream?"
"That's right. I'm not going to ally myself with someone who gave up and chose the easy way."
They both looked at each other with sharp looks like knives. The tension was palpable in the atmosphere.
At that moment, the conflict of ideals between King of Fakers and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada began.
And that's all so far. What do you think? Although hard to imagine, you need to think now that Hanging Gardens of Babylon has a rather important hole on its left.
As I said, I decided to focus on the fight that was original to this story, Siegfried and King of Fakers vs Aquilles. Since the black faction has no servant with divinity who can damage Rider of Red, they had to come up with a contingency plan. As Saber of Red does not appear at the beginning of the battle, Siegfried is in charge of helping Archer in his fight against Aquilles, causing Sieg and Berserker of Black to end up facing Mordred as in the original story. The power of Siegfried, combined with the arsenal of King of Fakers, put the hero of the Trojan War in a bind.
On the other hand, in this story Sieg acts like Emiya Shirou because of the influence of King of Fakers. As some of you said in the reviews, I don't find much sense in the homunculus deciding to follow the same path without having gone through the same circumstances or having him around to influence him.
As for King of Fakers being the one facing the noble phantasm of Spartacus, you may think it was forced, but consider it this way. What's King of Fakers going to give more priority to? A fight to the death without meaning from his point of view, or to go and save the boy who got imprudently into an fight against a servant. Obviously he'll prioritize the latter, and Siegfried knows it too. And so, we also had some development in Jeanne and Sieg's relationships with King of Fakers.
And finally, speaking of the last scene, Jeanne worrying about King of Fakers joining the enemy doesn't mean she's already in love. I don't know if I put it right, but for now, Jeanne's feelings towards Archer are one of admiration. Later, in what we might call 'days off between battles' there will be scenes of them two alone. Yes, as in my previous story, King of Fakers will have to take the role of 'psychologist'. Kind of ironic, considering he's the least mentally healthy person on the cast.
Without further ado, as always, any constructive review, follow and fav is welcome, and motivates me to continue writing. My next update Will be probably about the other story I started. I couldn't help it, I'm currently reading the light novel of Date a Live, and my head is full of ideas that I need to write. However, if this story has a lot of support, I may make a double update like last time.
With this I bid you farewell for now. Now Until we meet again!