Rin Tohsaka found herself wandering the secluded streets of Fuyuki that night. Of course, her father had told her to stay out of the city for the time being while he was busy, but there were much more important matters to attend to, even if she had forced herself to disobey him.
She didn't like it, but it was necessary. It was her duty to solve this problem, she would be the one to inherit this land after her father passes it onto her. The title of Second Owner would be her responsibility someday. In a way, this was a trial by fire to prove her worth.
Sink or swim. Do or die. If she didn't have the strength to carry out this title, then there was no point in carrying it at all.
Still, she had to find the people who were making all of her friends disappear and put a stop to it. She didn't give a damn if this was a Holy Grail War, even an innocent like her needed to find them and-
But, what would she do? All she had was her resolve to try and fix this problem and a measly pair of gems at her disposal.
She stared down at the fistful of jewels in her hand. It was her only line of self defense, and then what? What if the enemy was stronger, what if the one doing this was a Servant instead, what if… what if…?
"Shut up," she whispered to herself, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!"
The little girl pulled herself together with a huff, eyes steeling themselves as she marched on into the darkness. This was her decision and Rin Tohsaka had to follow through with it.
Her father said that the Holy Grail War was no place for children, hence why she had to leave Fuyuki for the time being. Despite that, she knew that there were ways around her father's rules. That being his expectations for her obedience and that the train's operator was more than willing to take a jewel as a bribe (thankfully it was small and hadn't had mana poured into it, she knew the occasion would've come up eventually).
Storm clouds rolled overhead, the short traces of rain drops began to pour down onto the concrete ground of Fuyuki and with it were Rin's frustration of never considering to bring an umbrella. Nevertheless, the little girl stepped off the train and onto solid ground, the street lights hanging overhead as she made her way through the city.
It was awfully quiet, even for a place this big. The clap of thunder caused her to jump if ever so slightly, but she bit back the yelp that nearly escaped her lips. Rin pulled out the compass-like device from her back, looking down at it as it seemed to tick ever so slightly.
That was strange, perhaps whatever was causing these disappearances didn't have as much mana as she thought. It was strange to consider, maybe it was just some ordinary person that just so happened to prey on kids?
No, not right. Not ordinary, a monster in human skin. Rin felt the weight of the jewels in her pockets, if that were the case it would be simple to finish them off.
It seemed like forever until Rin checked her watch: forty-five minutes had passed. She sighed to herself, this was supposed to be easy for someone like her. Her! The daughter to one of the greatests Magi in the whole world!
And with a small trip over a small black bag in an alleyway, the daughter of one of the greatest Magi in the whole world just now tripped and fell, crashing to her side as the compass from her coat pocket fell out and began to roll to a nearby sewage drain. With a frantic burst of speed she didn't even know she had, the little girl pulled herself up just in time to catch the small device before it could completely tip over and take the plunge into the watery depths of the sewers below.
Rin let out a sigh as she pulled her arm back, stuffing the object into her coat and pulling herself back to her feet. Her hand pressing into another black bag as she finally stood up.
The bag beside her felt… sticky. Rin let go of the bag and looked down at her hand to see that it was covered in some sort of red… substance…
She froze, feeling a new presence as her compass ticked ever so softly. The drumming of wood and metal slapping against the concrete ground followed it, followed by more and more and more. Soft chuckling filled the air as the little girl looked up to see that she was surrounded by rough looking punks, each carrying an assortment of different blunt instruments.
"Shit, look what we got here boys," one of them whistled to another group nearby, "What's a little girl like you doing here? You know there's dangerous criminals that lurk around these parts."
Rin's breath was caught in her throat as her eyes widened at the sight of the street thugs surrounding her. Leering grins speaking of malicious intent as more and more managed to gather around her.
"I-I'm just lost, mister," she put on a sullen facade, looking at one of the men with a teary doe-eyed look, only to fall to the ground as one of the men shoved her to the ground, her back now slick and soaked with dirty water from the concrete.
Damn, it seems they didn't fall for the "lost little girl" ruse. That was a shame.
"Now you're gonna come with us, little girl, we got someone special you're gonna wanna mee-gah!" the thug didn't have time to finish his sentence as the men surrounding Rin were knocked back by the concussive force of a single jewel.
Rin cursed at the situation she put herself in, not the appropriate course of action for someone her age or as a future magus. Nevertheless, she quickly turned and sprinted away, heading for no particular place, just to get away from those punks. She ran and ran and ran, muscles and lungs burning as she tried to get away before finally coming to a stop.
Her back was pressed against a nearby wall stacked high with cardboard boxes, Rin cringed at smell and the cold dampness on the back of her coat as she pressed herself further, but never once did she waver from her spot. The spirit of resolve swelling in her chest as she listened to those cruel men's footsteps draw closer, she had one more jewel and she had to use it wisely.
The gap between her and the way out of the alleyway was ten meters, move fast enough and she could get away in time. Rin listened to their footsteps slowing down to a crawl, thuds of feet against puddles of rainwater giving away their position now matter how soft their steps were.
Rin Tohsaka let out a sigh before balling the jewel up into a fist and leaving her hiding spot, rearing her arm back before suddenly hearing a click catch her ears.
In his hands was something smooth, metallic, and ended with a cylindrical barrel pointed right between the eyes of the Tohsaka girl, "Gotcha now, you little brat! Now you're going to come with us, slowly and carefully. Since you gave us a bit of a shock with that little rock of yours, now you really caught my boss's fancy."
Rin stood firm, hands shaking up a storm but she hid them behind her back, turning the last jewel in her hands over and over before holding them close to her sides, "I'm not going anywhere with you, you creep!"
Even trying to summon up the pride and confidence of a true magus, the thug only blinked for a solid few seconds before looking over to his lackeys standing right behind him before busting out laughing. He was then followed by a cackling chorus of thugs that could practically be heard from beyond the city.
Despite all that, his gun never strayed away from its path nor did he take eyes off of the little magus girl, "You got guts, kiddo, but you're far from tough shit here, so you better come along with me while I still think you'd be worth more alive.
"And what if I don't?"
The thug sighed at Rin, "Then I don't need you alive, blood for that creep is all our boss needs from you. You don't seem to be using it telling from how airheaded you are."
BANG!
A crackle in the air akin to a thunderclap split the air between them, followed by a short cry and Rin fell back, blood spraying in a fine mist as she fell on her back, unmoving.
"Well then," the thug lowered his arms, "That takes care of that… hold on a minute, what's that?"
He watched as Rin's breath shuddered, haggard but still alive, her coat was caked in dark crimson blood, but… but…
Rin's eyes fluttered open, remembering the sound of a gunshot. She looked down to see that she was covered in blood. But there was no pain, she didn't feel an entrance or exit wound anywhere. It wasn't until she looked down did she realize where the blood was coming from.
"AAAAAAAAGHH!" the man screamed, falling to his knees and clutching his wrist with his remaining hand, for what had been left of the former was nothing but a bloody stump, the limb having been cut off and landed on Rin during the confusion, "YOU FUCKING BITCH, YOU DID THIS!"
"Heh, I see Caster's resorting to lowly thugs now," a deep voice caught the ears of the surrounding thugs, a voice that Rin had the misfortune of recognizing. The thug turned around, only to scream once again as three new blades found themselves within several rather painful parts of the man's upper body, pinning him to the wall nearby, "Tracking down the leftover magical presence from a Servant wasn't an easy task. I should thank you, Assassin."
Before the rest of the goons could respond, a flash of silver appeared and a sickening wet sound overcame the sound of rainfall. The remaining group of criminals fell to the ground, dead in the blink of an eye as one last man was left standing, one who didn't belong within the rest of the group sliding a blade back into its sheath.
"Kotomine..." Rin growled, the priest ignored her and turned his attention to the criminal. Despite hating him, the girl grimaced at his blatant ignoring of her before another voice caught her ear.
"Can you stand?"
"I… huh?" the little girl turned her attention to the new voice, another voice she heard before yet was somehow unfamiliar. She looked up to see that same large man, still in that black suit.
"Can you stand, Miss Tohsaka?" his somewhat static voice much more clear as he kneeled down to her level, offering her a hand to her.
She looked at the hand for a moment before looking back up at Assassin, eyes growing cold as she pushed herself back to her feet, "I don't need a babysitter, I could've done this alone!"
Another cry of pain snapped her out of her stupor as Kotomine's hand was around the criminal's neck, squeezing hard as his expression remained unmoved, yet… there was a hidden gleam behind it all. Not that she could see it, of course.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Assassin only muttered before kneeling down to the little girl's height and pulling her away from Kirei.
"I'll... I'll talk!" the thug choked before Kotomine loosened his grip, allowing the man to speak while Assassin tended to the girl behind him.
"The one who hired you, what's his name?" Kirei asked, straight to the point.
The thug's eyes widened, fear would be an understatement of the expression he had shown, "I-I can't tell you that. If I do that, he'll kill me."
"If you don't tell me, I'll kill you," Kirei retorted, stuffing the man once more with another set of blades through his abdomen, covering the man's mouth as muffled cries of pain echoed through the city.
Minutes passed and the man was able to speak again.
"Tell me what you know."
"Listen man, I just work for the guy, it's not like he'd give us his na-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
That was the sound of a priest pushing the Black Key embedded in the man's shoulder deeper into the wall, "L-listen, I c-can't tell you. He has eyes and ears everywhere, connections everywher-"
"Your omittance will only lead to more suffering," Kirei explained with a biting rhetoric behind his words, turning back to see that Assassin had long since covered Rin's face with his hands and plugged her ears.
Rin had watched the priest continued to torture this man long enough. He had held a gun to her head and was about to kill her, but even then what Kirei was doing was just… sick. Before she could continue watching, she felt something thick and heavy and warm cover her face, five digits across her face told her this was a hand, a pair of thumbs lightly pressing against her ears as the sounds of screaming were muffled to near-silence.
The third key was pushed deeper into the thug, the pain so great he couldn't even scream as he simply let out choked gasps, slumping over and hanging onto the threads of life.
Assassin blinked in surprise at the stubbornness of this petty thug. Was what they were doing simply nothing compared to what Caster does to them? This had to be absurd, but he found himself walking towards the man, placing a hand on Kirei's shoulder and lightly pushing it aside, having let go of Rin as the sounds of interrogation had died to a still silence.
The sound of sliding steel caught everyone's ears as the man in black approached the thug, "Tell me and I'll kill you now, quickly and without pain."
The man looked at Assassin, finding his words to be true through all the pain he had suffered. He inhaled, which sounded like it was going through a disjointed reed whistle before exhaling, which was not without several hacks of blood, "His name…"
Assassin leaned in as the man was about to speak… two words, two words that would now determine the fate of the Holy Grail War. He then pulled back only to find himself showered in a fountain of blood and grey matter as the thug's head exploded before he could have a chance. The Servant pulled away in disgust as a bloated insect had crawled from the gaping wound that was the man's neck, wings sprouting from its back and taking flight.
A familiar, it must've been implanted without that man's knowledge and was set to kill him should a condition be met. That could only mean-
Kirei furrowed his brows in thought as the priest began to piece together what has been given.
Watching as the creature took off and began its retreat, the man turned to where his Servant was, "Assassin-"
Just as he was about to give the word, his Servant was already gone, having disappeared into the concrete jungle of Fuyuki.
Before Rin even had time to protest or realize what else was even going on, the priest had already scooped her up into his arms and sprinted off with all the speed and vigor of a veteran Olympic runner. Intent on returning her to Tokiomi's wife… or Tohsaka himself if there's any hindrance along the way.
Kirei looked down at the last two command seals on his hand, looking back up with the intent on them if worse comes to worst.
In the meantime, he would have to put up with the little girl's incessant complaining while she was under his protection and see it as some trial from God to test his mental fortitude.
-oOo-
With a perfect landing and skidding to a halt, Assassin had managed to track the flying vermin familiar to its place of origin. It slowly descended to the ground, the buzzing of its wings silenced as the Spartan crushed it under his heel. The crunch of its hardened carapace echoing in the wind.
This had to be the place.
It was an abandoned warehouse. Completely dilapidated, dull, and quite shoddy even for the impartial Heroic Spirit's taste. His heads-up display told him that there were no signs of life to be found.
Willing his body to move, the Servant of the Dagger took a step forward and made his way towards the building. Spirit form would've been an easier task for investigating the area, but any moment of reverting to human form would likely be springing a trap… one that he knew was undoubtedly here.
Mind's Eye was a part of his Spirit Origin, manifested through his own tribulations as a Spartan. The Alterations made on his body raised those parameters, keeping him on his toes as that sense of dread and unease constantly lurked at the back of his mind.
There was a sensation around the base of his skull, the familiar sensing of a magical presence. Assassin unsheathed his knife, spinning the blade into a reverse grip as he slowly stalked towards the presence.
It would be a lie to say that a Spartan felt no fear. It was a survival instinct that all humans possessed, it was what kept him of all people alive. The threat of death was a threat to his objective… to his goal.
The entrance to the old warehouse was without a door, allowing him easy entrance. Eyes flickered underneath his helmet towards every square inch, crag, corner, and crevice of the room surrounding him.
Plip plop…
The sound of liquid splashing against hard ground was faint, yet he was able to pick up the sound. Coincidentally, it was within the same vicinity of this magic presence.
Plip plop plip…
That same dripping sound, still faint but growing ever more clear. The Spartan weaved through the rust and iron-filled labyrinthian maze that was the warehouse, his footsteps silent as the pitter-pattering of droplets began to grow ever more present.
Plip plop plip plop…
He sensed no presence, at least none that gave off the "density" that was a Servant. That being said, Assassin inhaled and turned the corner… to be greeted by a grisly sight.
Red, that was the first thing Noble Six noticed when he saw the woman strung up against the wall. Short red hair, a large red bow upon her once-white bloodstained shirt. Rusty dried blood caked the girl's broken fingernails as large screws had been drilled into the palms of her hands, likely with some heavy duty power tool.
Plip plop plip…
Blood pooled from her palms, from the many wounds that she had succumbed to, the crimson dribbled out of her lips as well, all of it filling up a small pail just two feet below her, dropping ever so softly like a leaking faucet.
Why did that bug lead him to this?
Assassin stepped closer, his steps much less quiet, intent on inspecting her cause of death, especially who the perpetrator was. Just two feet off the ground, the Spartan was tall enough to reach the top of her collarbone, so he moved his arm forward, fingers grazing against her skin.
"Hah… h…" a soft gasp and whimper caught his ear, the sounds coming from the woman before him. The woman opened her eyes, catching sight of the man in black before her, those dark brown eyes widened in fear as though she was looking at the Grim Reaper himself.
In Six's case, she wasn't far off.
"C...C…" she tried to speak, her throat dry as a bone, just the very act of speaking was agony for her. Just how long had she been here?
"I know, it's Caster," Assassin answered for her, spinning the knife in his hand as he reached up, "I'm going to see if I can get you down from here and take you to a hospital."
He sensed magical presence from her, she must've been a magus, or a Master. Though the Servant saw a clear lack of Command Seals on her.
"C…" her voice rasped, too dehydrated for even tears to form, "Ki..ll… m-me…"
Assassin blinked once… twice, the Servant stared down at the knife in his hand about to cut the screws from her palms. It was a miracle she was even able to survive this long, not many people would've been able to make it.
And yet she asked for this final mercy from him. He knew now that she probably didn't have long to live.
He was Assassin, a Servant representing the masters of death… it was the only gift he would be able to deliver.
The blade drew closer, the woman closed her eyes as she could practically feel it already against her neck.
"Diar...muid…" was all she said, rasping painfully through cracked lips.
A quick slice, then another, Sola-Ui felt herself falling before a pair of hands caught her. The woman weakly looked up to see her own Grim Reaper holding her in his arms, sparing her life.
Her eyes flashed with anger for only a moment before they closed, lying still as she was too weak to resist. Two fingers were placed against her palm, a pulse, but extremely weak.
Ring ring ring ring!
Assassin's head snapped to the sound of a phone, directly within the young woman's left pocket. He dug it out, holding it in his hand. The number was blocked, it could be anyone… and yet it decided to ring at this exact moment.
Beep!
The Spartan held the phone to his ear, his voice like steel, "Talk."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I don't think that's a good way to thank someone who left such a valuable lead for you. Besides, the woman before you got off lucky, what was done to her husband was so much worse," the voice was British, too old to be Rider's Master and too crafty to be Lancer's, "I will applaud your efforts in an attempt to gain knowledge on my identity, but I'm afraid I wouldn't allow that, even for a fascinating specimen like yourself."
"Using golems and dolls to attack me and now you realize that only a Servant can kill another Servant," the Spartan snorted, uncharacteristically cocky… perhaps this was the only thing stopping him from flying into a fit of rage.
"Those were meant for your Master. Unfortunately, your Presence Concealment has been quite a thorn in my side, putting a damper on my plans and all… oh and worry not for those dastardly scoundrels I had my Master hire for the time, anyone unfortunate enough to have made that deal with him will shortly suffer similar consequences," Caster sighed, "I wished for them to see the magnum opus I had in store… but you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette."
Assassin squinted, concerned with the words this man was exchanging with him, "Magnum opus?"
"Don't worry about that, you'll find out shortly… or not, it depends," the Servant only said, he could practically hear the man shrugging his shoulders, "You probably have so many more questions, with a big confusing one playing directly in that little head of yours, mayhaps?"
Six said nothing.
"Why would I choose to reveal myself to you after putting in all the effort towards the contrary? Well, it's simple," the Spartan could practically hear the man lean in, "You interest me, and I wouldn't let an interest go to waste until it has a chance to prove itself."
"Then you're a fool," Six merely said, carrying the unconscious woman in his hands after having tended to her wounds, tearing off bits and pieces of his own casual apparel before reverting back to his combat form.
"A fool, yes, but one who dares to sneer in the king's own court," the Caster continued his wasteful monologue, "And yet you are a proud little soldier for this king, aren't you? A perfect little wind-up toy for your Master to do with as they please."
Assassin left the warehouse with the woman in his arms, the phone on speaker as he held the phone with the free hand underneath the crook of the woman's legs, "What do you want?"
"The Grail, of course, why else would I have answered the call to action for this petty ritual?" Caster's voice seemed to grow bored, "And you want the Grail as well, if only to satisfy your own self-sacrificing wish."
Assassin froze mid-stride, eyes glaring at the phone.
"Oh, it seems I struck a nerve," Caster snickered to himself, possibly even sensing the cold anger rising from the Servant, "I've had to wonder for myself: why out of thousands of dying soldiers throughout history were you chosen? You're not a king, a knight, nor a being of divine blood, not even a villain from great myths and legends that contributed to this world. And if you're a soldier summoned from some great war with a wish, of course you'd want your enemy gone."
Two beings emerged and stood before the Servant… the first materializing in a haze of gaseous ink and the other weakly stepping out from behind a nearby wall, the latter's movements a strange cross of stilted and staggering, like a simple breeze could knock them over.
"You'd simply take to Spirit form if there were no stakes made before you," Caster said, "For whatever reason even as an Assassin, you are inherently a good person… and someone like you would never leave those you protected behind regardless of their sins."
Assassin had enough of the braggart, meaningless smalltalk brought him no where. Placing the woman against the wall, the Spartan crushed the phone beneath his boot, stepping forward and unsheathing the blade in his hands… though he would need a lot more than a simple dagger for this.
To his left was Berserker, shrouded in that black haze and twitching ever so often in that maddened state. To his right was Lancer, both spears gripped in his hands, but something was off about the man.
Namely the blood pooling from his eyes and mouth, irises glowed like burning coals and seemed out of focus… as though he was staring at nothing. The way he carried the spears in his hands looked like that of a drunkard, held weakly in each opposing hand and dipping off to the side every so often. The moon hung overhead, light from the incandescent body glowed against the two spears, Dearg and Buidhe.
Lancer had to be under some sort of spell, something akin to a Command Seal, but from what he was able to gleam from his duel with Saber, Diarmuid Ua Duibne wasn't exactly bleeding from any orifice when he was forced to work with Berserker the first time. His body seemed to twitch every so often, something was very wrong.
Either way, he was an enemy, forcefully or not, Lancer needed to die.
None moved an inch from their spots, Assassin's eyes flickered ever so often toward one Servant to the next. He had wished to fulfill his purpose of killing his foes rather than just playing scout, and fate decided to give him just that, laughing all the while.
To his right, the woman was still thankfully unconscious. Assassin would eventually have to bring her to the Church, his Master could probably do something about it in the meantime. If he simply left her here, Caster would simply order them to kill her… not something he could allow now that he was caught in this trap.
With that being said, Assassin exhaled… and took the first step.
Berserker and Lancer followed suit.
-oOo-
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" a voice split the silence as Kirei found himself coming to an abrupt stop, a threefold set of Black Keys balanced between his fingers, holding the child of Tokiomi in the other.
The priest had barely managed to make it to the edge of the city, fast enough to have returned Rin to where she was supposed to be in accordance to her father's orders. Kotomine couldn't care less what happened to the girl if he was being honest with himself.
Then he heard those four words. They sounded vaguely familiar, which is what compelled him to stop.
The source of the voice was just ahead of him, followed by the intense sound of buzzing. Kirei then saw it limping and dragging itself under a nearby street light.
"According to Scripture, it was Christ himself that brought Lazarus from the dead," Kirei remarked, small smile playing upon his lips as he watched the corpse continue to keep twitching in it's own wrath, "But even then I would be surprised to see a rotted corpse with carrion flies continue to breathe. I'd even consider it a miracle."
"Let her go and I'll let you live," Kariya Matou's voice was strained, the weakness apparent as talking was even a pain for him. The worms of that old vampire slithering through his body and eating away at his soul as it supplied him mana, parasites that gave power at the cost of a frighteningly short lifespan and pain altogether. It was a sad sight to see how far the Matou bloodline how fallen.
Kirei Kotomine frankly couldn't give less of a shit, though.
"And what happens if I don't, will you simply kill me?" he mused, listening as the intense buzzing proceeded to grow louder, "You'll attack me while I'm carrying an innocent child? How lowly your own morals have fallen, Master of Berserker."
Like he was one to talk.
Of course, Kirei knew that Kariya could have those wretched insects solely target him without having a single one of them even touch Rin. Unfortunately for him, Kariya knew that Kirei would resort to more unorthodox methods of safe passage.
The single filmed-over eye bulged wrathfully in its socket as the winged Crest worms began their assault. Each and every single one of them flying with neither pattern or concern, all in one single, chaotic charge as Kariya gave the order to attack Kirei. Unfortunately, the attack was too late as a single Black Key drew itself closer to the small of Rin's neck.
A vortex of insects stormed around Kirei, flying close but daring not to touch as each one squealed, hissed, and buzzed with wrathful intent. It resembled a grotesque reenactment of the Red Sea's parting.
Suffice to say: Kirei knew that Kariya wouldn't let Rin get hurt, and Kariya knew that Kirei was more than capable of doing that. Of course, this was all a farce, Kotomine had a job to do along with… personal matters he would see through to the end.
The Executor had done his research on the Matou, his hatred against Tokiomi probably also stemmed towards keeping his daughters away from him. And from the abuse he had performed on his body and the condition it was in, who knows how little of a reasonable state the man was in.
Of course, there was always convincing Kariya that Kirei was simply returning Rin to her mother and could give his proof by offering her to him as a sign of faith and good will.
'...But where would the fun in that be?' Kirei thought to himself.
The two stood on the opposite sides of a nearby train station, Kirei paid no mind to the Matou familiars as he continued to move onward. The insects grew closer with each step, the Black Key drawing closer to Rin, who had long been unconscious… Kirei would have to ask God for forgiveness for failing that supposed test of his.
"It appears that we are at an impasse," Kirei smirked, reveling in Kariya's reactions as he stepped forward again, blade held close to the little girl as a gesture of his control. Even from a distance, he could see that Kariya still had two command seals left, glowing as it was held out.
Kirei's smirk grew even wider, the remaining command seals on his own began to glow as well.
Their Servants would have to decide who would leave here alive.
"By the power of my Command seal," they both spoke in unison, " I order you-"
"-Berserker-"
"-Assassin-"
"-kill my enemy!"
-oOo-
It was by pure skill that Assassin was even able to survive.
The spearman had been the first to strike, followed by the mad knight with a slab of sheet metal fashioned into a crude sword. The pair worked together in a frightening unison that would've probably cut down Saber with ease had the two actually go through with the plan without Archer or Rider's interference.
The Spartan ignored the stabbing pain in his left shoulder as he skidded back, tossing up a cloud of dust as he came to a halt, having been nicked by the yellow spear in the process before having to dive under a swing from Berserker. His eyes flickered to Lancer, who was currently charging straight for him while Berserker flanked him from the left.
The shorter spear, Gau Buidhe, had severed functionality in his left arm and pretty much left him crippled with one arm clutching a single dagger in his hand. His priority was now getting rid of Lancer at all costs.
Assassin grimaced at the situation he was put in. For the Spartan, this was a battle, a clash with no flashy movements displayed for the enemy like some sort of peacock. Every single move was made with the intent to kill. What felt like an eternity of battle was merely just short of a minute, the accumulation of wounds causing the Servant to cough up a glob of his own blood.
It also seemed to reinforce that there was something wrong with Lancer, honorable bastard that he appeared to be.
Two seconds, there was a gap of two seconds until impact. Berserker drew closer with every one that passed and Lancer drew forward with that killing intent of his all the same. Assassin's left arm hung limply, blood pooled out at a constant pace while the other clutched the combat knife he never separated himself from.
Damn his E-rank luck.
Drawing in mana within himself, another second passed, one more until his demise would be met. The Spartan's newfound resolve steeled his mind in the process, Mind's Eye keeping watch on Berserker as he dove straight towards Lancer.
It was a terrible gamble with low probability of success, but Assassin was in too much of a desperate situation to do much else. Everything hinged on a single possibility.
Stepping in, the blade left Assassin's hand and was sent spinning in the Lancer's direction. A whirlwind of steel intent on severing the man's head from his shoulders.
Gae Dearg, being the longer of the two, had been aimed specifically for the Spartan due to the difference in reach, leaving Gae Buidhe for a follow up attack should an opening be made. With the knife now a clear threat to Lancer's existence, the Servant had no choice but to use the spear to block it, raising it up as the knife shattered into pieces, no longer holding the power it once bore in the hands of the Spartan.
A flash of pain wracked Lancer as a second knife found itself embedded between his ribs, finding his heart… while the crimson spear of exorcism found itself gouged through the abdomen of Assassin.
Despite whatever being was now controlling him, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's eyes finally found their moment of clarity. In that second, finally meeting his end to an adversary he had never even met, the Servant felt a sense of loss.
He'd never be able to face off against that beautiful and deadly Saber, and his Master was now likely dead with the Servant now bound and puppeted by another… but even then, he fought alongside a knight of the Round Table, despite the conditions he was in as a Berserker, and he earned one last fight even from the torture he was put through.
This was… truly a conflicted feeling the knight of Fianna had felt. With the core of his vessel torn to shreds, so too was his anchor to the world… by nothing more than a simple switchblade the Spartan had pocketed off of a mindless Puppet.
The first one that earned him Caster's attention.
Assassin's second was up, Berserker's roars of fury making his intentions quite clear. The reflexes every Spartan was embedded with began to kick into high gear, the blade in the mad knight's hand was clearly just over a meter in length from what Six would see. He needed something longer than that, another gamble to take in order to test his abilities as a Servant.
Hyper Lethal Vector, an A-ranked skill that demonstrated his aptitude over weaponry. As far as he could tell, only one other man would be capable of possessing this skill if they were a Servant.
Grasping the weapon within his hand gave it "Killing Intent", being able to wound Servants so long as the Spartan was holding it. The only limitation Assassin knew of it was that its power did not extend towards improvised weapons, unlike Berserker's own ability. As soon as a weapon leaves his hands, it reverts to the state of "Mundane"... and so the Heroic Spirit gambled once again, testing the limitations of the vessel that was Assassin.
SHING!
Steel met steel once again, only this time did one break upon contact.
Berserker stumbled back as a powerful kick sent the Servant skidding. The blackened knight looked down at his sword to see it cleaved apart and shortening it to that of a dagger.
With Gae Buidhe gone with its owner, Assassin could feel the wound in his shoulder begin to mend ever so slowly. The Spartan grit his teeth in pain from the new wound given from the weapon now in his hand, feeling the tether of mana now connected to it and preventing it from leaving the World so long as it was in his hands.
The mad knight tossed aside the crude weapon, seeing it now no longer able to serve its purpose against this new change in threat. With that same roar, Berserker charged forth, mana welling up within as a new sword, pristine and refined despite its corruption, began to erupt from the shadows of the knight.
Assassin grimaced, unenthused by the reveal of Berserker's true Noble Phantasm. His arm was mended enough for him to finally grip his new weapon in both hands, if ever so weakly. The hole in his gut would further impede him, but not enough to outright steal his fighting ability.
So the two charged forth, Arondight thirsting to clash with the stolen Gae Dearg in Assassin's hand… before they disappeared from sight.
-oOo-
The bug-riddled Master pitched forward, coughing up blood and Crest Worms as he felt the tether bearing Arondight had been summoned forth. Command Spell from Matou and Executor alike spent and their opposing Servants appearing before their very eyes.
Spear clashed with sword, sparks akin to lightning shooting from the contact both weapons shared as their onslaught continued forth. For a moment, both knight and soldier alike appeared on equal footing as both their weapons pushed against the other… until Assassin took a step back.
While Kariya was unable to notice, the insects surrounding him seemingly having gone haywire from the mana upkeep of Berserker, Kirei could barely see his Servant struggling from the newfound strength the maddened Heroic Spirit seemed to possess through the frenzied storm of insects. Muscles pushed to their limits as the pure density of mana exuding from Berserker's form finally sent Assassin soaring back.
With mechanical precision, Assassin managed to catch himself in time, impaling the ground with the stolen spear in his hand and slowing his momentum until finally reorienting himself back to solid footing.
His body was strained and worn out beyond human comprehension, but still he continued to fight. The strength of this maddened dog seemed to have risen a rank, maybe even the rest of his entire Spirit Origin as well.
'There's not point in hiding it anymore, Assassin. Use your Noble Phantasm,,' Kirei looked towards his Servant, still clutching the spear in his hands. How Assassin was able to keep Lancer's weapon manifested, the Executor had no idea, but he then felt the flow of mana begin to build up within his Servant.
The black form that enveloped his Servant began to brighten, glowing a dull shade of gray as Berserker charged towards his target, sensing the manifestation of a Noble Phantasm.
Blackened blade of the maddened knight was raised high above his head, swinging it down with all his might, perfected accuracy and strength befitting a true knight of legend. The blade's path was as sure as sunrise, like a tsunami crashing against the shores of a coastline.
Before the blade could make its mark, a single word was spoken from the Assassin of Kotomine.
Merely a whisper in the howling dark did such form truly bring about, the Spartan from a future age and an antithesis to the very definition of Heroic Spirit. A walking contradiction given flesh and steel.
And thus he spoke.
"MJOLNIR."
A flash of light blinded everyone in the vicinity while a sound similar to a gunshot rang out. Both Masters shielded their eyes from the flash until it finally dissipated shortly after.
What stood before the Executor was a taller being than what should've been Assassin. Clad in dull gray metal, bulky and heavy by the looks of it alone, and yet the pass connecting Master and Servant told Kirei that the Heroic Spirit had not only been given greater durability from the armor, but his strength and speed were raised as well.
Assassin felt his energy return, the power of his armor bestowing him his new parameters… at least for the time being. Too much mana had been consumed for the night, but this should be enough for now.
Berserker looked down at his newly empowered opponent. If he had been a sane man, Assassin would've guessed that the Servant was bearing a shocked look on his face.
He would've been shocked too if someone under his weight class caught his sword in mid-swing too. There was still pressure as both palms had managed to catch the blade in time, but the difference was quite noticeable for Assassin.
Having let go of Lancer's spear, the stolen Noble Phantasm now vanished from the World correcting the anomaly. Six didn't care at that point, Servants and Noble Phantasms were merely tools, and the genuine article that belonged to his legend would suffice well enough.
And now? The primal anger he bore behind that helmet of his was very genuine.
Assassin released his grip on the blade, pushing the weapon with a hand as it came slamming down. The concrete shattered as the Servant of the dagger disappeared from sight in a flash of gray.
Kirei felt a gust of wind pass by as Assassin reappeared behind Berserker. Despite the risen parameters, the mad knight was able to keep up with Assassin as he spun around to face his opponent, swinging that black sword of his in the direction of his assailant.
A pair of silver blades suddenly unsheathed from the Spartan's hands, enhanced by Hyper Lethal Vector as mana poured into the weapons. Blocking with the new blades in his hands, the sword shattered them in an instant with only some resistance and continued its trajectory.
That was all Assassin needed, raising his arms to block the blow as he was met with a familiar dull pain. The Servant felt himself flying through the air before finally crashing against a nearby lamppost, bending from the pure force that Berserker struck him with.
Noble Six opened his eyes, a droning noise in his ear brought about a strange feeling as he opened his eyes, a flashing red bar in his HUD showed the words "Warning" before finally ceasing, the aggressive red bar then replaced by a soothing cyan blue as it finally filled back up. Assassin looked down at his body, surrounded by a crackling amber light that surrounded him.
He nearly forgot about the benefits of his armor's shielding.
Mana surged through him once again as he stood back up and faced the knight once more. Those same silver blades appeared once more as the Spartan dove back into the fight, the blades shattering to pieces with every blow, yet a new one reappeared before his eyes.
Assassin would later have to make a note of returning Kirei's Black Keys to him, another blade shattering and reappearing as the Servant poured more mana into the weapon. Those semi-solid blades barely able to manage their fortitude against actual steel reinforced by the legend of a Heroic Spirit, and yet they served their purpose for the Servant in an attempt to find an opening.
Another swing and the Spartan leapt back, finally spotting an opening in Berserker's defenses. With the Black Key in his hands, he threw the weapon at his opponent.
It wasn't until Assassin landed did he finally get a solid hit in, spearing the mad knight through the wrists as he swung down with that longsword of his in a two-handed strike, the Key impaled further and stopped just above Berserker's knee, immobilizing him for what could only be a second after the Spartan let go.
Assassin wasted no opportunity, breaking into a dead sprint with the last blade in his hand.
He just needed that last second of time, just once.
Come on! Assassin felt MJOLNIR finally begin to dissipate, reaching his limit of mana as he drew closer to his enemy.
The knight stared down at the weapon speared through three of his limbs before snapping the blade once more. An animalistic roar split the air as Berserker looked up, about to catch sight of the source of this voice before a lance of pain wracked through his body.
Before he could even have the chance to react, the last Key finally found a new target, buried into the opening between Berserker's breastplate and helmet, snugly fitted into his throat.
Blood spurted out as Assassin pitched forward, wrapping his arms around the knight and shifting his center of gravity, the both of them tossed to the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAAAA-" the maddened Servant screamed, a fist colliding with Berserker's helmet, then another, and another.
The black knight struck with a fist, hoping to toss the Spartan off as armored knuckles buried into his side, intent on getting enough distance to finish off Assassin with his sword. What happened instead was the Spartan gritting his teeth through the pain, pinning one arm with a foot while a single hand grasped the handle of Berserker's black sword, preventing the knight from truly grasping it.
"JUST-"
The armor began to fade away, as did Berserker's sword.
"-DIE-"
But Assassin kept punching.
'- ALREADY!"
It wasn't just Berserker that had finally gone mad.
Assassin continued his onslaught, his vision gone red, literally and figuratively as blood and anger blinded him. Even with his armor already gone, he still threw his punches until the only thing left was the concrete beneath his feet.
Berserker had since then left the world with one regret, to never have been judged by his King. And thus, Sir Lancelot was no more.
Kirei had watched the fight in all its glory, both Servants fighting between an arena on the orders of their Masters. On the opposite end was Kariya, his body still writhing from the pain of Berserker using his Noble Phantasm.
And in the center of it all was Assassin on his knees, arms hung weakly by his side as his breathing grew more and more haggard.
In only a short amount of time, his body had been pushed to its limits against two Servants. Assassin stared down at his hands, both knuckles bloody and literally almost worn down to the bones. His body practically in shock to even feel the wracking pain in his hands.
Before long, he finally stood up, pulling himself out of the railways and towards higher ground, almost stumbling until he reached Kirei.
"Lancer and… Berserker… eliminated," Assassin said between breaths, "Sir."
Kirei looked down at the two single Black Keys that his Servant had stolen, taking them in his hand and sheathed them someplace in his clothes in a flash. In the Executor's other arm was Rin Tohsaka who, by some miraculous feat created by a combination of both fortitude and exhaustion, was still fast asleep.
"Take the girl back to her mother and return to Tokiomi," Assassin advised, straightening himself back up, "I still have things to do in the city."
"You're quite low on mana," Kirei observed, "Not enough to remain fighting for the rest of the night."
"Then what do you suggest I do?" the Spartan demanded, his voice taking a bit of an edge to cause concern for the Executor, "There was a woman nearly dying in a warehouse before I was brought here with a Command seal, probably Archibald's wife."
Kotomine raised an eyebrow, "That would be a cause for concern if you managed to track Caster there with bait like that."
"And yet I still live."
"Indeed," the man shook his head, "The effort to return Rin will be less of a strain on your reserves. I-"
He looked back at the former master now on the opposite end of the station, "-will take care of some unfinished business. If the night is still young, I will retrieve the woman and bring her back to the church as well."
Assassin seemed to stare at him behind that mask, before nodding his head, "Thanks, Master."
Kirei only hummed to himself as he passed along the girl to his Servant, who now disappeared into the night. The mystery behind his Servant seemed to grow even further.
An Assassin that claimed to be a Spartan, yet called forth a suit of armor named after a weapon of Norse Myth? The Servant was a Frankenstein's Monster of legends, patchworks of borrowed names that only served to confuse the Executor even more.
But it was no matter, he would speak with Assassin after the night was through. In the meantime however, he had something else to take care of right now.
Pacing around the station, the priest found himself standing above the half-dead man known as Kariya Matou.
"Now… what to do with you…" a grin had plastered itself on Kirei's face.