It all started one fateful day.

Serial killers were often simple men with little want, and Ryuunosuke Uryuu was no exception. He usually went about his day like every other person, going to work as a simple freeter and coming around with more time on his hands than he knew what to do. He paid little mind to the lives of others around him and everyone around him returned the favor in turn.

He was an ambiguous blip on the face of the world with no one the wiser.

This was when his "free time" came into use.

His latest pet project was in an apartment. Having found a book at his old parents house on how to summon something like a spirit, naturally he assumed this was something akin to a demon, and the very thought made his skin crawl in glee.

Summoning a demon? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, he wouldn't waste a chance like this!

So his next targets had to be the tools for this project. Simply enough, his anonymity blended him into the world akin to a shadow: everyone had one and it would be abnormal not to, that's how he was treated, naturally like any other person.

This was an easy one, the father was currently away on a business trip in Tokyo, Shinjuku specifically. Two little girls and a mother all alone in their apartment. Getting in was one of the easy parts, Ryuunosuke passed off easily like anyone else and took advantage of that fact. Of course the next part was a tad more difficult, but the lock wasn't special and took as much time as all the others to get in.

He took off his shoes as soon as he entered. It was tradition to take off your shoes when you enter the house of another, and he couldn't break that tradition right now. His tool of choice was a scalpel, clean and a deep matte silver that seemed to merely glow in the moonlight without reflection.

The first was one of the little girls. This wasn't intentional as he found her sleepwalking through the hallways, passing by him as though he was a ghost. Her separation from the rest of her family made this easy, pulling out a nearby pan and getting to work with a stab of his knife, and then she'd sleep forevermore.

The next was the mother, sleeping soundly in her queen-sized mattress on the right side of the bed. This was out of habit, as her husband usually slept on the opposing side. She snored soundly, barely making a sound but still there anyways.

With a swift motion, he covered her mouth and plunged the blade into her throat, watching as her eyes opened at the pain before the light faded from them. The young serial killer tilted her head so that the blood would drip into the next pot with ease. Ryuunosuke nearly panicked for a moment as he watched the pot overflow, having to rush back into the kitchen and pick up another pan. He heard a sickening crunch as he had accidentally stepped on the first little girl's head, cringing in disgust as he now had brain matter all over his socks.

Gross.

He rushed back into the bedroom and replaced the pot as quickly and cleanly as he could. Watching as the blood continued to ooze ever so quickly before slowing down. This should be enough for the ritual, all he had to do now was-

"Mommy?" a soft voice brushed past the ears of Ryuunosuke Uryuu.

Oh! Right, he forgot about the other daughter, how could he forget?

He stood up and turned around to see a young girl, not even the age of 6 yet as he made his way over and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her into the living room as reached for the bundle of ropes he brought along with him.

Demons were probably hungry when they were summoned, they needed something to eat, right?

What resulted were two dead residents and a bound and scared little girl with her mouth covered in duct tape. The shape of a demonic circle taking root as Ryuunosuke tossed his socks towards the side of the room and continued to trace along the ground.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill… fill? Hmmm, destroy each when filled," Ryuunosuke traced the geometric symbols and runes along the circle, his foot was soaked in blood but it didn't matter at that point, "What the hell kinda chant is this? What am I supposed to be filling? I- hey kid, can you stop screaming for a second? I'm trying to think."

The little girl's muffled screams continued to also muffle Ryuunosuke's thoughts. He wasn't usually irritated by this kind of stuff but the incantation seemed more important.

"Hey hey, listen," he patted the little girl on the head, "If you don't stop screaming, I'm going to have to cut out your tongue or something, okay? ...Okay you're quiet now, good."

Unbeknownst to the serial killer's while his back was turned and ranting to the child about his fascination over the idea of demons, the summoning circle began to light up. A gust of wind and a flash of light threw him to the side and blinded him for only a couple seconds before the living room went still.

Ryuunosuke shot to his feet as a new figure was now present in the room, completely unknowing of the singeing of Command Seals into his right hand.

He was a young man in a fancy suit, leaning on a peculiar looking cane before spinning around with a flourish. Bright blue eyes gleaming with intelligence and silvery hair that glowed in the moonlight.

"Caster clas- wait," a voice emitted from mouth, formal yet teetering with a sense of relaxation before realizing the situation he was in, "Are you the one who summoned me? Tell me your name."

"Well uh… yeah!" the young man exclaimed, chuckling awkwardly at the situation, not having witnessed his summoning and all would make for a terrible impression, "Name's Uryuu Ryuunosuke. Are you a demon?"

The man looked around, taking in the environment before his eyes fell on the little girl gagged and bound on the floor, "You did this?"

The killer's unanswered question resulted in some annoyance but he was still happy regardless to have summoned something, "Yep, there's a dead kid in the kitchen and her mom's in the bedroom, I used their blood to summon you. Cool, right?"

"And you're a serial killer?"

Ryuunosuke nodded, proceeding to explain how he targeted mainly women and children because they were easy targets and such. The man then sighed and put on his glasses, looking through the area with care. The man tilted his head and a loud pop emitted itself before looking down at the younger boy before him, "Sloppy."

"E-excuse me?"

"Sloppy!" he exclaimed, "Short, messy, and imprecise. I bet you even got your fingerprints all over the place, didn't you?"

The serial killer didn't exactly know how to process this before the supposed demon was now… lecturing him? What the hell was even happening at this point?

"I don't think I get what your saying, Mr. Demon," Ryuunosuke watched as the man picked up a washcloth and tossed it to him.

"Clean it up."

"W-what?"

"Your fingerprints, everything you think and know you touched, wipe it all off. Any hairs that fell from your head, pick those up as well, any sort of evidence that would even imply your identity will be removed. Got it?"

Disappointed by the results of what he summoned, Ryuunosuke did it anyway.

Caster watched as the young man, his master he knew at this point, got to work. It was a grueling and humiliating task for anyone else, but he'd consider it a learning experience for this budding young criminal.

He was a complex man, a spider in human skin with all the grace and tact of a butterfly. Upon his own summoning at the call of the Holy Grail, his plan was formulating from the very start.

"Alrighty, done mister. What now?" his Master reappeared with his sleeves rolled back and the cloth now stained with blood.

Already he was given a promising, if somewhat naively inexperienced, Master that was capable of doing the dirty work for him. He wasn't fond of serial killers, hell he could barely even reason with the Ripper during his own life before he- er, she? They? Whatever, that thing was an enigma that only his own rival seemed to solve. Nevertheless, killers like his Master… Ryuunosuke… were simpler creatures driven by a kind of passion.

"Kill the kid," he ordered, much to the loudened cries of the child nearby, "Tell me, Ryuunosuke, what drives you to do these kinds of things?"

Ryuunosuke looked up as the girl was now bleeding from her carotid artery, "Oh well, all the deaths you see in the movies and read in the books really don't seem… realistic? I'm just interested in seeing it and what happens afterwards, and sometimes tossing in some bits of creativity and coming up with new ways to kill."

It was a simple motivation driven purely by fascination and desire. Caster smiled, he could understand that perfectly.

"What if I can teach you to do it better?" Ryuunosuke's eyes seemed to gleam now, "Interested, eh?"

He watched as the boy nodded excitedly like some over enthusiastic puppy. In its own way, it was kinda adorable, but now was not the time for games.

The sound of a knob turning caught his ear, quickly turning to see that a Japanese man, his body rippled with layers upon layers of muscle, had entered the room, "What in the- who-"

Thunk!

The man slumped over, light quickly fading from his eyes as he couldn't get his last words out. A kitchen knife now embedded in his forehead.

"What was that?" Ryuunosuke watched as his Servant dragged the body back into the room, "Who's this guy?"

"That-" the Servant pointed down, then pointed back at the red-headed boy, "-Is the dear husband and father of this family. As I said, I'm willing to teach you how to do better. If you took the time to listen a little more carefully or maybe even inspect the room a little bit better-"

He picked up a nearby slip of paper and handed it to Ryuunosuke, now reading through the paper. It was the start and end dates of an appointment, readjusted at the last moment due to complications, and he was unfortunate enough to have been at the right time he'd be back from Shinjuku.

"-You wouldn't have had to rely on someone like me to get away," the Servant smiled, "With even the slightest bit of planning and applying any necessary precaution, there would be much less risk and a higher rate of success."

Ryuunosuke scratched his head for a moment before putting away the scalpel into his pocket, angled with the edge away, "So you're saying I need to plan better."

"Correct."

"And you can help me do that?"

"Also correct," Caster grinned before spinning on his heels, "I will teach you that good things come to those who wait. People like you and myself, we love to see the storm after the calm has passed, especially when we're the cause of it all."

"And what about the bodies?"

"What about them?" the British man hummed to himself, "You killed them and removed any traces of yourself. You're a serial killer who wants these to be seen, what more do you need to do? Come now, I wish to show you something."

Ryuunosuke found this man confusing but intriguing nonetheless. Enticed by the offers of improvement and excitement, he followed closely alongside the old man, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Wow…!" the redheaded serial killer seemed to gasp in awe.

The spectacle from the docks was a sight to see even for the young man standing beside Caster atop a building not too far away, a pair of binoculars in hand as he peered through the instrument at the battle coming from the docks.

The Servant only had to sit back and watch, an incantation provided by his Noble Phantasm shielding his Master and his own presence. The swordswoman in blue and the spearman in green proceeded with their duel, even after the injuries sustained did they keep fighting.

Then one appeared, then another, and another right after.

King of Knights, King of Conquerors, Knight of Fianna, a hero of gargantuan stature and strength, and a maddened black knight all gathered within one place. Aside from himself, there was one Servant that was missing.

Of course one of the most pragmatic and efficient in Master-slaying wouldn't show up. As far as the Caster-class Servant knew, the results of a death was all that mattered for an Assassin. No need for honor or chivalry.

"Holy-!" Ryuunosuke was practically squealing in delight from the new fight taking place, both Berserker and Archer had engaged one another already in combat. The docks quickly reduced to rubble as the fight came and went in less than a minute, "That's awesome! That's not just special effects or anything, the real freaking deal?!"

The Servant of magecraft let out a low baritone chuckle as he turned to his Master, a devilish smile plastered upon his own face as well, "That, my boy, is only a byproduct of the Holy Grail War. Each of those men and women upon that battlefield are like myself, Servants to take place in this whole magic ritual."

The redhead tilted his head as he turned away, scratching his head with broad confusion, "Honestly Mister? I didn't even know magic was real and all until I met you. So what's this whole thing about anyway?"

And so the Servant gave the young man a crash course on not only the Grail itself, but the foundations of magecraft due to his own summoning under the Caster container. Magic circuits that the boy had now awakened that supplied the Servant with mana and anchored him to the world, the Grail's ability to grant a wish to the survivors of the war, and the Command seals emblazoned upon his hand.

Of course, he only neglected to mention their ability to force obedience upon a Servant with proper application.

Before long, the Servants departed from the docks, leaving all but the Masters, sans Rider's, alone. It would've been easy even for Caster to appear before them and make quick work of their corpses before disappearing. Though there was the issue of it being too early into the war, their Command Seals still fresh on their hands…

And there was that Saber who refused to leave that woman's side.

Interesting.

Waving his hand, a tome appeared within. Caster scrolled through the pages until he came upon a certain chapter for a certain ritual.

Spellcasting was never his strongest suit, but the mana provided and the Noble Phantasm he possessed gave him an advantage that, while unorthodox, suited his method of attack quite well.

"Come on, boy," Caster headed for the door leading down the stairwell, "We have more planning to do."

Ryuunosuke let out a slight huff before eventually following along.

"Worry not, as I said," Caster repeated that mantra, "Good things come to those who wait. And there will be quite some waiting for the both of us."

Wrapping an arm around the young boy, he drew himself close.

"What I have in store will make all those deaths of yours pale in comparison," Caster began to disappear into his spirit form, spreading his arms out and cackling, "A magnum opus the likes of which the world has never seen before… ha hahahahaaa…"

'Find somebody, anybody, and make short work of them. Take their life and I shall do the rest,' his voice whispered into Ryuunosuke's mind, causing him to let out a short laugh in glee, the blade in his pocket almost heavy with murderous intent.

Caster closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he focused. Seconds passed before he opened his eyes, finding himself within a library.

Territory Creation was one attribute of many that a Servant of his caliber possessed. Establishing a field that would serve to his advantage that only a fool would dare to trespass upon if they believed they would hold an advantage on another's land.

But this Caster was different, he was different.

The Servant found himself wandering through that endless maze, a labyrinthian recursion of tomes. Many of which bore blank, wordless pages with no use to their own. But the existence of his Noble Phantasm would pull his mind to a certain book whenever the urge would call for it.

And so he found himself within a certain section of his territory, the wandering criminal Servant who was not suited for owning a stationary bounded field, but a mobile fortress that lay within his own mind. This would be a disadvantage for a Caster that has to deal with their problems directly.

But for him? This was no such problem.

Caster opened his eyes once more, the tugging sensation from his mind pulling him back forth into reality as he stood before an operation table, a collection of magecraft texts and a surgical scalpel in hand.

Upon the table was a body once as blank as a mannequin and now unique as the body that housed the original soul. The ritual, or rather the operation he conducted, had taken all but an hour to prepare, and several more to conduct. The Doll-crafting of the Ainsworth family, not even dissolved into the annals of history and instead left behind without even a footnote to their own name, had been absorbed into Caster's library.

The process was imperfect, Caster shook his head, preferring not to let his wish for such take hold. Of course it wouldn't be perfect, he was never a true practitioner in this art and there would be such room for error, but the purpose of this doll would serve good enough.

Quantity was a quality in its own right from a certain point of view.

He left the makeshift surgical room he had fashioned for himself in haste, leaving the orders for his puppet to scout after the Saber Servant.

Caster shook his head, grinning to himself like a madman, 'Letting the lives of others fall in exchange for my own, how very me of me.'

Minutes passed as sat upon a nearby chair, feet propped up on a table as breathed through a smoking pipe that he had procured through Item Construction, contemplating to himself as his Master went to work on Fuyuki's citizens.

Ten minutes passed by as Caster began his plan. The Doll had since awoken, stripped of their identity, placed in an identical body and only bearing their seemingly normal, if a tad uncanny, appearance and obeyed such orders, fueled by an inward compass that naturally detected the strong presence of mana.

Being the Saber class, of course, the process would be an easy feat.

The criminal spellcaster possessed no inherent magic circuits in life, though his Spiritual core and the books he possessed carried their own reservoirs of mana that substituted for him. Without them, he would bear no way to ever be called a Caster within the war, it was both his greatest gift and his curse.

Nevertheless, having to fashion a link between the Doll and himself in order to see and hear what it saw was no difficult task, merely a turn of a page and an offering of his own mana, having to nip at the side of a finger with a droplet of blood trailing down and he was set.

He didn't expect it to last very long, merely suffusing enough mana to make it stronger than most men and letting it loose into the world with any expected results.

Ten minutes more and the man had been thoroughly surprised by the development that had proceeded, the link between created and creator thoroughly severed by a thrown dagger to the cranium.

"Assassin…" the Servant muttered to himself with a wicked grin. He took no offense to the man's disregard of him, he knew it was a baiting tactic anyway. Caster was instead intrigued by his methods, especially his own, or rather his Master's, interest in Saber as well.

Alarm bells seemed to fire off in his head as he continued his planning. The sudden reveal of the unseen Servant now lighting a fire in his heart as a dopamine rush had caused him to smile, a cruel and wicked smile even more malicious than the rest.

This was no true rival of his, he doubted that Assassin would ever meet the level of such a man… but the game was certainly afoot.

And Caster only needed another step in his plans: information… and allies.

Desperate men were the easiest to manipulate, this was simple fact for the Servant. Offer the opportunity that man had been searching for and they'll eat it up like bait for a fish. The unbroken were those that had nothing to lose.

And for those in a Grail War, everyone had something to lose.

Their wish, their pride and status, their livelihoods… even their loved ones.

Caster turned to the sleeping man lying on the sofa near the far corner of the room. The Servant tilted his head at him, seeing the two Command seals emblazoned upon his hand… and he was pretty sure that his mad knight was itching to kill him at any possible moment were it not for the order otherwise.

Kariya Matou was an important piece for his game, being a great distraction in order for him to grab information from Emiya. It was the only thing he had to his name so far, but Caster had many more plans for the man before he moves on.

Afterwards? He'll probably send him to kill Saber or something. Even without her Noble Phantasm, the Saber class was a formidable foe for every other Servant within the war, they were an invaluable asset that the Master would go to every length to protect, while any foe would attempt to exploit or try to kill such a Servant through whatever means desired.

Of course, he was no exception, but Caster preferred to whittle away his opponent slowly over time before finally having the chance to strike. However, there existed two other Servants that would be a detriment for him.

The first was Lancer, the wound that was inflicted on the woman was a crippling blow, but not enough to put her out of commission. However, so long as he still remained, her wound would also.

Caster frowned at the next part of his plans… either have Berserker kill Lancer now but bring Saber to full strength, or leave Lancer alive and allow him to run free with every opportunity to dampen his plans whenever possible.

This was… troublesome. The man stood up from his seat, taking a step back from his plans for the moment. He turned his attention to the window outside, the glass pane from the hotel facing out into the brightly lit city of Fuyuki.

Ryuunosuke had been an invaluable boon to the Servant of magecraft, the boy would always provide fresh materials for him to use. Without too much trouble, Caster would be able to teach the boy his methods of doing such magecraft to help achieve his goals in the long run. Both Doll from the dead Ainsworth family and Golem from the dwindling Frain family alike were of massive use to him, however… this only led to the second Servant that was of issue-

Assassin.

Caster turned back to his notes, looking down at the papers he had written down concerning Assassin. Mr. Emiya had no acknowledgements of such, so he was forced to draw his own conclusions. And while his failure to eliminate his Master was without success, there came several new developments that came about.

The man smiled, Assassin had been so close to catching him, and once again did he elude such an enigmatic variable within his plans. Three bullets from his rifle did nothing to the Servant, but enough for the much weaker Caster to copy down the last of Emiya's notes before his escape.

Of course, Caster wouldn't let his new fascination with Assassin hinder his work. He was still a foe that had proved difficult to remove altogether, but it did keep the Servant on his toes as he worked.

The other Servants were of no concern for him. Saber would have to be saved for later, while the concerns between Rider and Archer would be left to themselves.

However… Caster picked up the paper on Archer, reading through the notes that concerned his identity. If his identity was truly what he thought it was, and if his hypothesis concerning That were correct, then…

"Hmm," the Servant hummed to himself, pulling forth another book from his Noble Phantasm and feeling the weight in his hands. The tome was one of the oldest inscriptions in his library, a near impossible object he had acquired in this Noble Phantasm of his, the power it bore was useless in a straight fight, and even more worthless for creating his spiderweb. But the mana the book possessed was… exceptional.

It was a heavy calculation that would spell his doom if he didn't act appropriately, so Caster decided to save it for later.

In the meantime however, all Caster could do was plan while his Master continued his work. He let Kariya continue sleeping for now, he had big plans for the makeshift magus later.

"You…-"

Caster revealed himself before the Executor, raising his arms in peace as he strode closer. He made no efforts to attack the man nor did he have need to. The charlatan act would work for a fool like Kariya, but this was strictly business for the magus Servant.

"Oh do be calm, Master of Assassin. I only wish to talk," Caster shook his head as he pulled up a chair.

The Priest stared at him for a long while, the Command Seal on his arm finally faded though was nevertheless cautious. His glare seemed to pierce through the Servant, knowing the type of man he was.

"Talk."

"You're looking for something, aren't you?" the very words seemed to freeze Kirei in his tracks much like how he did Assassin. It left a good impression for the Servant, so he knew leverage was found, "You just don't know, don't you? Believing that they lie in the form of one…"

He withdrew a sheet of paper from his coat, "-Kiritsugu Emiya."

"How do you know this?" he seemed awfully focused on the parchment in hand.

"I've done my research, Kirei Kotomine, even going so far as to… borrow some readily available records from the previous Grail Wars," he raised a hand before Kirei could speak, "Worry not, your father is unharmed, I did nothing to the man. However, I am aware of your secret little alliance with Tohsaka."

The Executor made no effort to move afterwards, merely listening to what he thought was the rambling of some mad Servant.

"I'm willing to offer a parlay if you simply let me," Caster offered, "I seek the Grail and you seek Emiya, provide me the advantage for one and I shall deliver for you as well."

"You're asking me to betray Tokiomi?"

"I see no efforts of you stopping me right now," Caster shrugged, "If not to kill Tokiomi, then I can offer an alternative solution that would benefit you greatly just as much as it would me."

Silence from the man… until, "I'm listening…"

Caster placed a set of folders onto a desk and slid them towards Kirei, "Information that Emiya had gathered from the rest of the Masters-"

He withdrew another folder, this one much thicker than the others, "-And this being all that I had compiled on Emiya compared to the rest. I've managed to track him down throughout Fuyuki and have since been able to pinpoint a location for you to see him for yourself. Simply take the path to that location and I'm sure you'll be able to find him."

Kirei seemed to track the folder by his eyes alone as the magus set the folder down, "I would consider myself a smart man on several different subjects, the compilation of such a man was difficult to find for myself, but I managed it with some… mimicry from another when I was alive."

"I see…"

Caster studied the expression of the Executor, he was a lost and wandering man. As empty as he was, he was still desperately searching for something. The strewn about files regarding Kirei was some cause for concern from Caster's point of view, wondering if there was any concern from the opposite end of the spectrum.

Once again, it was merely a shot in the dark that he had managed to find and exploit with success. He was no believer in luck, but the probability of success that would play out in his favor. Mathematics was always his strongest suit, and his deduction had hit the mark dead on.

"You're an honest man, as lost as you are," Caster replied, holding out the folder, "And the contents within are true and honest from an unbiased standpoint. I personally don't care for this petty Magus Killer, but I would be willing to offer this information in exchange for a favor of yours."

Kirei Kotomine knew that this man was a conniving trickster, a temptor with long and malicious plans to get what he wants. Finding the deception of others' words was something that he had a natural affinity for, having attended the training of an Executor to snuff out deceivers and lies… and yet he sensed no lies from this man.

"Name your price."

It was quick and fast, the charisma of wickedness had pulled in Kirei's hollow heart with but a single meeting, more than any could ever do. But Caster couldn't take all the blame for himself, that stubborn Assassin of his was a good sort if he kept getting in the way of the Executor's self-interest.

"Berserker and Lancer have been a considerable nuisance," Caster shook his head, "Send your Assassin or whatever you'd prefer and remove them for me whenever you feel is best. Take whatever opportunity is available, I personally couldn't care less for their Masters either, but do with them what you will, ta~"

With that, Caster disappeared, his business concluded.

Short, simple, and easy.

The next step would be a more… difficult process. He only needed to make sure to convince the old man and sway him to his side, that was the easy part. What was tougher was what came after.

Ryuunosuke would have to put his skills against a magus to the test.

Sure of himself as he often was, Caster's doubts worried him this time. The time and precision of this step would have to be perfect… and would unfortunately have to hinge on a rather unhinged individual and his maddened Servant.

This can only go so well.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR-"

Caster watched from a fair distance as Berserker and Lancer fought on. The field of their battle being that abandoned warehouse someplace away. It seemed like a well enough hideout for a failed magus and his wife to hunker down until Lancer inevitably failed.

Lancer fought with that same remarkable speed, fairing that skill over power in order to find a weakness in his opponent's armor. Gae Dearg being the only thing disallowing Berserker's improvised weapon Noble Phantasm, while Gae Buidhe didn't have the same reach as the former but nevertheless attempted to snake it's way around the armor in order to find a killing blow.

It was too bad for the Servant that the mad knight was capable of keeping up.

"Damn it, damn it all!" Lancer backstepped from another attack, the ground where he once stood crumbled away as he landed with perfect grace, contrasting effectively with the angered grimace on his face, "Why would you be summoned under the class of Berserker, Sir Lancelot!?"

Ah, so the knight was Lancelot? Fascinating.

Berserker gave no verbal response, but the intensifying blows from the knight seemed to be in response to the Fianna Knight's question.

"Perhaps you simply hated your king so much?" another roar as he parried another swing aimed for his face, "Or rather you feared the repercussions of deflowering Saber's wife? Whatever it may be, o' Knight of the Round Table, the ever-perfect yet deeply sinned Sir Lancelot, allow me to absolve you of your sins."

Their battle had been fought for a good few minutes. It was no surprise that the Lancer-class, one of the three Knight Servants, was able to keep up with the madman. His skill was renowned by many in his home country, even the legend of King Arthur having recognized his power by sight and sensation alone.

There was no doubt he would win, his Noble Phantasms were inevitable counters to Lancelot's own abilities.

Crunch!

And yet…

Lancer froze, backing away from another attack as his own hands shook, nearly dropping his spears as he turned around.

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, even as crippled as he was, had been a witness of the fight as well. His last Command Spell, despite not having been used, disappeared from the world as blood pooled from his, onto the wheels of his chair before reaching the ground, his choked cries heard fell only upon few ears.

Behind him stood a man Lancer had never seen before, a redheaded man in violet apparel and pale tanned shoes, holding a bloody scalpel in his hand as it had been dragged along the older man's throat.

Without even a word to either his wife or Servant, Lord El-Melloi had passed away from the world without either fanfare or mourning, merely another victim of circumstance.

Lancer fell to the ground with a dull thump, blood sprayed from his back as he had left himself open to attack, the cruel machete-like slab of metal in Berserker's hands had left a running gash that'd prove fatal.

Even then, he still felt the pull of mana from his Master's wife, Sola-Ui was still alive, but the Servant knew not of her own condition. He could only shudder at the thought that this man was now putting her through such torment.

He failed once again, first his King and now his Masters. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne felt his body quickly beginning to fade out as the sound of buzzing caught his ears.

'What… what was that?' he thought to himself as the buzzing grew louder. Before he even had a chance to meet his final demise, a wriggling sensation found itself at the base of his spine, burrowing deep and latching itself onto him.

He didn't even get the chance to scream as pain flooded his senses, his limbs moving without his consent as he stood back up.

From a distance, Caster disappeared, retrieving his Master from the battlefield and departing towards a safer location.

He'd have to thank Zouken later for his work. Now all he had to do was wait for Assassin to take the bait and show up.

Next he'd have to teach Ryuunosuke how to hypnotize a few poor men and women to work on his behalf. Where Caster couldn't have his Dolls and Golems roaming about, he'd have to rely on cheaper labor for his work.

If he remembered correctly, there was a yakuza group that was prevalent in this city. What was the name again?

Ah right, Fujimura…

It was all going so well, everything was finally in place.

There was only one more component left. The final white-haired piece of the puzzle that would bring the Holy Grail War to its very knees.

Caster stood atop the tallest building in Fuyuki, overlooking the city from below. Within a matter of days, the man had managed to recreate what he had managed to build throughout the world during the time he was alive. Smaller in size, his network of men and women throughout the city had finally been completed.

Assassin had taken the guise of a common man and interacted with Saber and her companion while the two were away. Every opportunity to kill them had not been taken… this disappointed the Caster.

He had thought this man to finally become an equal to his old foe, and just like the latter, he too had become attached even if he didn't know it yet. He had a weakness, one that Caster could easily exploit if he twisted the blade right.

What a shame. Nevertheless, Caster's plan was almost drawing to a close. Any unnecessary variables would be wiped off the face of this city by his command.

He watched as Assassin had seamlessly cut down Lancer and Berserker with only minor trouble. He watched as Kirei had mended Kariya Matou of his own wounds and returned him to Zouken's manor. He watched as Assassin continued his march to return the daughter of Tohsaka to the safety of her relatives, even as wounded as he was.

This point in the war and only five Servants remained, this would simply not do.

And even now, three Servants had been gathered together holding a paltry feast over their right to the Grail. Heroes were often fools, and it was Caster's specialty to bring down the reality of Man to them.

Archer was impossible to face on his own, so he would have to resort to other measures. He can only hope that brief entanglement with the priest would be enough temptation for a single meeting with the Magus Killer. If they killed each other in the process, then all the more better for him.

In a single night, all would fall before this lone Servant.

Caster stood up at the edge of the building, a single sheet of worn and bloody paper in his hand. Every creature touched upon by Caster had been bound by the laws of this text, all but his Master of course.

It only went by one name, the writings thought to be made by a fearsome and unholy creature that had been feared by the country of his birth. The fear of the unknown pulled forth the idea of the supernatural and manifested its power into the object he held in his hands.

The pull of mana drew forth from the Servant into the sheet, the power within the paper itself flaring to life as the Caster finally spoke, invoking the name of his Noble Phantasm and ready to unleash the very essence of oblivion upon the city.

"Catastrophe Crime:-," Caster grinned, the drain of mana quickly sapping his energy but he still held on, now was the object of his choosing, the writings of Jack the Ripper, "From Hell."

The paper in his hands burnt away to ash, the power of invoking the equivalent of a Conceptual Broken Phantasm left the Caster feeling faint. He took to spirit form and met back with his Master, descending back to safety.

That night, all Hell broke loose on the city of Fuyuki.