FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS
Chapter 15: The Irregulars Meet
"… The Mages never learn, do they?"
The blonde-haired man casually strode up to his victims. The chaos only lasted less than three seconds, and all that remained were two lethally impaled bodies. Leysritt lay on her back in a pool of blood, dead as could be. Sella had not quite expired yet, but she kneeled over a puddle of her own blood while skewered by several weapons. The grotesque sight made her resemble a scarecrow that had lost its rigidity and slumped onto its knees.
"If they're going to make tools, they should not infuse them with human hearts," the man muttered. "Even if you homunculi function as humans, the fact remains that your purity will never be acknowledged."
He stood before Sella and gazed down at her blood-soaked form. She trembled, ignoring the searing pain running through her abdomen and back, as she gurgled, "As long as I live… I will not… let you… near the mistress…"
"I see."
He conjured a portal to deliver him a basic long sword, and he drew it out before wielding it just above the nape of Sella's neck, then declared, "You may die fulfilling that purpose."
Before he could finish her off though, the walls suddenly exploded with such tremendous force that the bricks and concrete were sent flying roughly a hundred meters away. The impromptu demolition was caused by Berserker when he plowed through the villa, while carrying Illyasviel on one of his arms. The young girl saw the state her retainers were left in and succumbed to momentary shock. Berserker landed in a kneeling position and glared at the blonde fellow.
"So you've finally come, meat puppet bearing the Grail vessel," he murmured condescendingly. "Kirei told me that you were a cross between a human and a homunculus, but now that I see it for myself, you certainly are a peculiarity."
Illyasviel didn't care about what he was saying. He murdered her maids in cold blood. The only one she had left in this world was Berserker. She trembled in rage, then seethed, "Kill him… Kill him right now, Berserker!"
The gargantuan muscled man got to his feet and readied himself in his combat stance. Many others would have been intimidated at this point, but the stranger merely grinned, summoned his golden portals, and said, "Perhaps reenacting a battle of legend will serve to stave my boredom for a while. Now then… how do you plan on ending my life, oh great Heroic Spirit?"
"Grrrrgh-!"
Connla ran through the wilderness, feeling quite at home while surrounded by undisturbed nature. The plethora of trees gave her a fleeting sense of peace, distracting her from the overwhelming gravity of her mission. She hadn't been able to go outside by herself ever since she was summoned here, so for once she finally felt free to do as she pleased. Of course, such serenity would never distract her from what she needed to do. Her job was to go to Einzbern Manor and hopefully initiate a conversation with Berserker's Master. Illyasviel and Berserker were the only ones that Connla had not met yet, so while there was no bad blood between them, that could change on Illyasviel's whim. All the Lancer could do was pray that Illyasviel was reasonable enough to at least let her in.
Before Connla left, Caren warned her about the traps that the Einzberns had set up all around the forest near the mansion. She hopped down from a tree when she came upon a landmark designating a trap that delivered a shock to the intruder.
"This must be it," she murmured to herself. She figured that trying to go around the traps would convey an improper message to Illyasviel. Instead, the young girl boldly stepped forward and waited for the inevitable shock. She figured that disabling the trap would alert Illyasviel to her position, and then she could clearly declare her intentions right then and there.
Except… nothing happened.
"Huh? Did I do it right?"
She walked over the same spot several times, but there was no shock of any kind. She passed by the spot several times and didn't feel anything. To make sure, she traveled to a couple of other locations that Caren told her about and tested the traps there. She didn't experience anything whatsoever.
That's odd. Did Ms. Einzbern already sense me coming and lower the traps for me? Or is there something else going on?
All Connla could do was proceed further into the forest. About fifteen minutes later, she emerged upon the clearing just outside the manor, and already she could tell that something was seriously wrong. Plumes of thick smoke billowed high in the sky from the courtyard, there was visible damage all along the walls of the villa, and there were obvious signs of a battle that had just taken place there. Growing increasingly worried, Connla ran toward the garden to see if she could find Illyasviel. Instead, she discovered Leysritt lying dead over a bed of flowers, and Sella remained hunched over while impaled on some weapons.
"Wh… What's going on here…?" the young girl uttered as she looked around in disbelief at the numerous craters left behind by Berserker's attacks.
"Ugh…"
Connla whirled around when she heard Sella's strained voice. The woman tried to look up, but no longer had the strength to move. All she could do was moan, "Who… who's there…?"
Connla ran to Sella's side and exclaimed, "Hang in there!"
"Uuh… Unngh…"
"Stay with me. Can you tell me what happened?"
"T-The mistress… That man is… going to… kill her…"
"What man?"
"I don't know… who you are… but please… protect her…"
Sella exhaled her last breath and slumped on the weapons impaling her. Connla wanted to call out to her, but she knew that the woman was already dead. A few seconds later, she heard a series of thunderous crashes coming from inside the mansion. The nearby windows exploded into thousands of fragments and showered over the garden, startling Connla. She swallowed hard, uncertain if she wanted to investigate or not.
No, I mustn't hesitate. I've come this far. At the very least, I have to make sure that Ms. Einzbern is okay.
She inhaled a few deep breaths, then leapt through the broken windows and searched through the mansion for Illyasviel.
In the grand foyer, the blonde-haired man fired a series of swords at Berserker. The weapons merely bounced off of the giant's chest, so the stranger raised his hand to conjure a spear. It flung straight for Berserker's head, but he deflected it with a mighty swing of his blunt sword. In that same moment, around fifty more weapons hurtled at him, converging until they exploded in a massive burst of fire. When the flames died down, Berserker's torso was impaled with several different swords.
The barrage had claimed one of Berserker's lives, similar to how Artoria's energy attack had killed him back at the graveyard. His wounds gradually closed up, and he revived from death once again. He rose on his feet once more and glared at the arrogant blonde.
"Seems like it would be foolish of me to celebrate too early," the stranger declared. "Dealing with the mad dog in the last Holy Grail War was but mere inanity. In contrast, putting you down might actually be enjoyable. Thanks to you resisting the very concept of death, I have a full understanding of who you are; none other than the greatest hero of Greek mythology, Heracles."
"Hrrrgh…" the giant breathed heavily. He seemed to pause when he heard his own name being uttered.
"Your Noble Phantasm is actually a sublimation of the Twelve Labors you accomplished in your lifetime. Though it is vexing for me to waste them on a mongrel like yourself, only the highest class of arms will be capable of destroying you."
The blonde-haired man commanded for several high-caliber spears to rush at Heracles Although he knocked one aside, three more pierced his chest and claimed another one of his lives.
"Indeed," the stranger continued prattled, "you are the ultimate symbol of human perseverance. However, my treasury is the exact opposite. Whereas humans have their limit, my infinite collection is the ultimate expression of overwhelming force. As you no doubt understand by now, it contains any and all weapons that are capable of slaying heroes. Do you understand now, Heracles? Your labors will be wasted unless you relieve yourself of unnecessary burdens and fight me in earnest."
The Berserker snarled. Although he was in a constant state of madness, he still possessed enough reason to comprehend what the unknown Servant was saying. He wanted him to forget about protecting Illyasviel and focus on fighting. It was yet another penance being forced onto the Greek hero's shoulders. Overcoming feats of strength was one thing, but this was a true test of his character. During the time he had been summoned here, Heracles had forged an attachment with his young, delicate Master. She was no Megara, but seeing Illyasviel go through horrific trials of her own was what spurned him to fight as her Servant.
"Looks like you need some inspiration, Heracles," the stranger taunted, then sent another volley of weapons hurtling for the giant. As he was preoccupied with defending himself, the blonde Servant used this distraction to fire some common swords directly at Illyasviel's cranium. She had been so focused on encouraging her Servant that she failed to notice the onslaught heading her way. When Heracles saw his Master in grave danger, he let out a horrifying howl.
CLASH!
Within the smoke, the sound of metal striking metal resounded. The cacophony soon settled… and the blonde man actually widened his eyes in surprise. From the way Heracles was standing, he could not have reached Illyasviel in time to save her. Everyone stared at the small figure who had actually jumped in unseen to deflect the swords away from her.
"Looks like I made it in time," Connla murmured.
"What the…?" Illyasviel stammered. Heracles likewise appeared confused.
"Are you all right?"
"Um… Yes, I think so…"
"Hoh?" the arrogant fellow wondered. "What have we here? Unexpected interference from the extra playing piece?"
Connla raised an eyebrow and glared at him curiously. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Naught more than a complex matter that a whelp such as yourself could not hope to understand. I anticipated that the mystery Servant Kirei discovered would be worth my attention, but you don't even deserve to be called an average mongrel. Perhaps you are more akin to the runt of a litter of puppies."
"…"
"Well, don't look so disappointed in yourself. If anything, you and I were meant to face each other as the extraneous Servants in this mad delusion of a war. You could say that this meeting was inevitable."
"Extraneous Servants…?" she uttered. She didn't want to believe it, but there was no way she could dismiss the man's overwhelming power. Only a Servant of the highest caliber could possess such a divine cadence. It felt similar to Artoria's aura, but this man acted more like a merciless despot than a radiant king. Connla swallowed hard and asked, "Are you telling me that I'm not the eighth Servant, but rather… a ninth one?"
"Heh heh. I wish I could capture that stupid look on your face and place it in full display within my treasury," he laughed at her. "Did you think your case was unique? That you were the one and only extra Servant who was summoned outside the bounds of the seven that the Grail chooses?"
"I… thought I was. I don't understand what's going on here…"
"Worry not. You won't have time to concern yourself over why I allowed you to be graced with my presence despite your gross disrespect. Though your interference was entertaining for a while, I'll have to extract the last ounce of worth you have remaining by reducing you and the meat puppet to imperceptible shreds. Of course, I'll have to save that pleasure for after I destroy Heracles."
With that declaration of war, the haughty fellow commanded for more weapons to fire upon Heracles. The giant roared and charged into the fray with more fervor than ever before, now that he didn't have to worry about protecting Illyasviel. He had no idea who Connla was, but he was certain he could trust her with his Master's life. Thus, he weathered the storm of spears, swords, axes, staves and hundreds of other weapon types as he made his merciless advance.
Connla grunted as she swung her spear about in a frenzy, batting aside any stray weapons that incidentally shot for the girls. The majority of the blonde man's relentless barrage was reserved for Heracles, but he managed to slip in some attacks at them. He became irritated when he realized that, although Connla wasn't physically strong like Heracles, her quick reaction times allowed her to perceive the weapons even when they were flying at full speed, and she could knock them aside with godlike agility. Furthermore, the girls tucked themselves into the corner of the foyer steps so that the two walls provided some measure of cover for them. Connla would have to guard the remaining sides, but it was better than being fully exposed.
"What are you doing?" Illyasviel moaned, watching as the little girl defended her while she sat as a pitiful heap on the floor. "Why are you protecting me? Who are you, anyway?"
"Don't worry about me. More importantly, it's clear that this unknown Servant is taking advantage of Berserker's concern for you. He can't keep you safe while fighting his utmost, so I will carry the burden of protecting you for him," Connla declared and readied her spear.
"But Berserker is the strongest Servant in the world. He's protecting me of his own free will. You must be following someone else's orders so that you can capture me afterwards."
"That's not true. I'm here because I want to prevent as many casualties as possible. I may not have even a fraction of Berserker's strength, but believe me when I say this – in this very moment, he and I have the same mission, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure you survive."
"Ah…"
The blonde-haired man heard Connla, then laughed heartily, "Fuh… Fwah hah hah hah hah! Have you gone mad, runt!? Do you have any idea of the forces you're dealing with right now!?"
The young Lancer's lips thinned in apprehension, but she kept her cool while remarking, "I must admit, it feels like I'm witnessing a battle between gods…"
"A most accurate assessment, I'll give you that."
"Though to be honest, I am still in the dark concerning who you might be."
"Hm. Though my name is so well-known that I need not boast it, it would appear that your flagrant naiveté prevents you from understanding even the most basic of concepts. If you want to know who I am that badly, then I shall tell you before I feed your corpse to the wild hounds," the man summoned more rippling portals. Dozens of different weapons poked through the rifts, then he exclaimed, "I am none other than mankind's oldest hero – the king of ancient Sumeria, and the King of Heroes who once sought immortality."
Her throat became totally parched as she yelped in horror. Just that short description was enough for her to understand who he was… and of how much trouble she was really in. He raised his arm and grinned broadly before announcing his True Name:
"Gilgamesh!"
The first rays of morning sunshine broke through the curtains that Medusa drew open. The light hit Shirou's face as he slept on the lounge sofa, and the brilliance was enough to stir him awake. He had to take a moment to parse where he was and what had happened. Gradually, he recalled the battle against Caster, the loss of Saber, and the conversation he heard last night. His deep shoulder wound ached, but the pain was nowhere near as intense as before. In fact, the entire gash had closed right up, leaving only an annoying soreness behind.
"I see you're up," Medusa murmured, looming over him like a towering statue.
"Rider…" he moaned and sat up, flexing his arm to soothe his tightened muscles. "Good to see you're okay. Where's everyone else?"
"Mostly asleep. Hortensia and Lancer are taking care of McRemitz, though."
"I see."
A moment later, they saw Sakura and Rin head down from their second floor guest rooms, and the former beamed, "Good morning, Senpai."
"Mornin'…"
"You don't look so well. Does your shoulder still hurt?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that… Saber…"
Sakura likewise became sullen. Rin didn't want this to become a pity party, so she muttered, "That's enough. We need to focus on regaining our strength before we can do anything for Saber."
"Yeah, you're right. I'm just glad Caren and Lancer are well enough to help us out."
"We just saw Caren come out of Bazett's room. She said that after she was done changing Bazett's bandages, she would make breakfast for us today."
"Huh?" Shirou wondered. "Rider just said that both Caren and Lancer were taking care of her."
"Really?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see Lancer anywhere, so I thought she was doing chores downstairs."
Medusa immediately looked away when Sakura and Shirou turned their eyes toward her in suspicion. With a serious expression on his face, Shirou shuffled to his feet, then barged upstairs to Bazett's room and rapped on the door. A moment later, Caren opened the door and wondered, "What is it? I understand that you must be hungry, but can't you exercise even a modicum of patience?"
Without hesitation, he demanded, "Where's Lancer?"
"She's gone out shopping. Our food stores are getting low, so-"
"Lies. Rider just said that she was with you, but Tohsaka said she wasn't."
"Is that right? What a busybody that girl is."
"I'm not going to ask again," Shirou glowered, giving Caren an uncharacteristically fierce look. "Where. Is. Lancer?"
The nun likewise became cross and retorted, "What would you do to make me talk? Hit me? Belittle me? Or perhaps… rape me?"
He was taken aback by that last statement, but he didn't let it deter him. "Don't screw with me, Caren! It's too dangerous for Lancer to go anywhere by herself right now!"
"What business is it of yours as to what she does? She might be a child, but I can vouch for her talent as a competent warrior. If she gets into any trouble, I'm sure she can fight her way out of it. You're just over-thinking this, Emiya Shirou."
He snarled, frustrated that she wouldn't tell him anything. Just then, they heard Medusa's voice murmur, "Lancer has gone to speak with Berserker's Master."
"Uh-!?"
She, Sakura and Rin all approached them from the hallway. The two Masters both sported dire expressions, as if they wanted to scold someone very badly. Medusa had relented and told them what she knew. Caren pressed her fingers to her forehead and shook her head in disappointment.
"You're… You're joking, right?" Shirou uttered, his eyes bulging wide with horror.
"It's no joke," Rin replied firmly. "Rider witnessed Lancer's departure. Apparently, she wanted to get this 'little side job' over with before any of us woke up."
"That's insane…"
"You're one to talk, going through such ridiculous lengths to save others."
He disregarded her insult and exclaimed to Caren, "Then Lancer's at Illyasviel's place, isn't she? Tell me where that is!"
"I absolutely will not. Lancer knows this is a suicide mission, and she doesn't want any of us involved. It's something she decided, and she will see it through herself."
"And what if she fails!?"
"Then we will continue without her."
"My god, what is wrong with you!? Why didn't you do anything to stop her!? You're her Master, aren't you!?"
"No, I'm not. Bazett is, remember?"
Shirou trembled with rage and frustration, and he unleashed it by punching the wall as hard as he could. To everyone's collective amazement however, the strike actually caused a small crater to form around his fist. He widened his eyes and backed away in astonishment, uncertain of how he suddenly possessed such superhuman strength.
"I… What is this…?" he stammered.
"Senpai, I think you need to sit down for now," Sakura urged and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's unfortunate about Lancer, but what's done is done. Let's just rest for today and pray for her safe return."
"Ugh…"
Rin likewise assisted her sister with bringing Shirou back downstairs, but she couldn't resist giving him a lecture. With a stern look, she said, "It seems you're starting to understand how reckless your own self-sacrificing behavior is. If you didn't, you wouldn't be so upset about Lancer's actions."
"I… I want to help everyone… I know that for sure. Lancer does as well, but she's… she's just a child. Why is she putting herself through so much for us? What sort of upbringing did she have to make her so… twisted?"
"It must be similar to the New Fuyuki Fire you survived when you were around her age. However she was raised, it was definitely not normal. As a result, she has become as fundamentally broken as you, Emiya."
"Fundamentally broken…" he murmured. He sat on the couch and covered his face with his hand to fend off the stressful headache building up. "I never thought I was like that… Is that really how you see me, Tohsaka?"
"Yes. Even at school, I noticed that you would never turn down others' requests. During classes, I would often see heavy bags under your eyes. No matter how tired you were though, you always strived to come through for others at your own expense. To be honest, that really pissed me off. You're much too easy to take advantage of by people like Shinji, who never wanted to take responsibility for their own work, yet gladly took credit for others' work. I thought it was because you were just plain gullible, but if you really are suffering from a severe case of survivor's guilt, then it's all the more reason that you need some serious help."
"You're right," Sakura said. "Senpai, I always admired you for working so hard. It's what has inspired me to work hard in my own life. But, if that effort is really hurting you from within, you shouldn't keep on living like this. If you do, you'll wind up destroying yourself, both emotionally and physically. I would be devastated if that happened."
"See?" Rin nodded. "Just as you would be devastated if anything happened to Lancer."
Shirou stared at his classmates in sheer awe. He had never thought of it that way before. Up until now, he didn't have anyone to equate himself to, so he lacked the necessary perspective for him to step out and analyze himself as a person. Now that he was looking at Connla through such a lens, he was only starting to realize how self-destructive his pursuit of being a 'hero of justice' really was. No doubt, he loathed her ridiculous idea of talking with Illyasviel by herself without consulting everyone first. Yet if he hated her way of thinking, that meant he had to hate his own philosophy as well, or else Connla would have grounds to call him a hypocrite.
Rin sat down next to him and murmured, "I'm not trying to kick you while you're down, Emiya. It's just that, if anyone has any hope of reaching out to Lancer and convincing her to stop behaving like this, it's you. In order for you to do that though, you need to realize how much help you need before you can go helping Lancer."
He glanced at Sakura, and she nodded in agreement. He cast his eyes down on his lap and sighed despondently.
"All right. I won't go after her. Should she come back, I'll have a word with her. If not, then… I'll keep her memory alive within me."
Around a hundred glowing portals opened up in a circular formation around Heracles. Just as many weapons shot through and impaled him dozens upon dozens of times over. Blood splattered everywhere, and his body twisted into a hideous contortion from the various armaments puncturing his muscles. Even so, he revived and pulled the blades out with a mighty cry.
Connla watched the spectacle in sheer amazement. Behind her, Illyasviel kept her determined gaze focused on Heracles. She had faith that he wouldn't lose. For all she cared, he was the strongest Servant in the world.
"HRRRRGH…" Heracles snarled, and his dark skin turned blood red for a moment. An incredible aura of rage and madness surrounded him as he glared at Gilgamesh. The blonde king wordlessly commanded for more weapons to fire at his enemy. Heracles whipped his sword about in a rabid frenzy as he batted them aside while making his advance. More portals opened so that they collectively formed a dome around him. The impact of so many weapons striking him caused another huge explosion of raging flames that engulfed nearly the entire foyer, including the stairs.
"Ggggh-!" Connla grunted as she held up a Shield Rune to protect her and Illyasviel from the conflagration. Now the young Master was starting to look worried for her Servant. Already, eight of his lives had been expended – one from Artoria, and the rest from Gilgamesh. He only had three chances left before he would die on the twelfth fatal strike.
CRUNCH!
More spears gouged through Heracles' chest, claiming the ninth life. Despite his efforts, he still had not breached Gilgamesh's incredible offenses. The arrogant monarch remained entirely unscathed, which infuriated Heracles. Instead of blindly charging at Gilgamesh without a plan, he decided to take a different tack and use up his last lives to actually do something productive. A fusillade of swords rained upon Heracles from directly above, puncturing his skull to expend the tenth life. Through the smoke, the giant hero suddenly leapt backwards and landed right in front of the girls.
"Whoa!?" Connla yelped. The tremors nearly made her lose her balance.
"B-Berserker!?" Illyasviel screamed.
Heracles turned to face the girls. Without a word, he pointed at them, then at the window. He only had less than a minute before Gilgamesh would find his position through the cloud of dust. In that precious time, he wanted to at least rescue the pair.
"You want us to escape?" Connla whispered so they wouldn't alarm Gilgamesh. "But how can we get through? His offense is too much for me to handle on my own, never mind protecting Ms. Einzbern at the same time."
Heracles knew this. Instead of expecting them to accomplish an impossible feat like he could, he had a different plan in mind. To their surprise, he scooped both of them into his cupped hand so that they looked like large marbles resting on his palm. He turned toward one of the broken windows, then got into a discus throwing position.
"Oh, you can't be serious-!" the Lancer yelped in panic and steeled herself for the inevitable. Memories of the Nevada Singularity came flooding back in her mind as she recalled how Spartacus did the same thing back then.
"Ehhh!? W-What are you doing, Berserker!? Put us down at once!" Illyasviel shrieked.
Gilgamesh was likewise surprised when he found the girls bursting out of the thick smoke. They sailed uncontrollably through the window and flew way outside, screaming all the while. He watched them, then let out a bemused chortle.
"So that's how it's going to be, Heracles!?" he shouted in admiration. "Then I'll give you the greatest labor that you will ever experience!"
"YAAA~AAAH!"
Connla heard Illyasviel's scream from directly behind, but she couldn't spare a moment to look back. The ground and trees were barreling fast for them, as if the scenery itself had turned into a gigantic blunt weapon that would crush them to death if they didn't brace themselves.
"Oh boy, this is gonna get bumpy!" Connla cringed. Acting on pure instinct, she summoned several Ken Runes to at least envelop Illyasviel in a bubble of winds that would completely cushion her fall. She managed to do the same for herself, but only on her feet and lower body. Her legs and buttocks crashed upon the dirt, and she went sliding across the grass on her back for several meters. Despite the agonizing friction burns she suffered, she couldn't pay attention to them because she was fast coming up on a thick tree trunk. She raised her feet so that she would plant them against the tree, and the remaining momentum caused by the sudden stop lurched her upper body forward, threatening to snap her lower spine. Somehow, Connla managed to avoid getting paralyzed.
Once the insanity stopped, she collapsed onto her back and exhaled a huge sigh. She laid there for a few minutes, breathing hard to let her excitement settle down. Eventually, Illyasviel kneeled over Connla and whimpered, "Are you all right?"
"Ugh… Yes, I'm fine," the little girl moaned and sat up. The pain in her back was terrible, but she wouldn't let it stop her. "What about you?"
"I'm okay. Your spell kept me safe."
Connla inspected Illyasviel, ensuring that she didn't have any injuries. Once satisfied, she said, "Good. But we're not out of danger yet. Berserker won't be able to hold off Gilgamesh for much longer. We should flee immediately."
"I can't just leave Berserker behind though!" the frantic Master exclaimed.
"Please, be reasonable! He's sacrificed the majority of his lives just to keep Gilgamesh occupied!"
"But-!"
KA-BOOM!
Both girls winced as a huge tremor rocked the entire mansion like a localized earthquake. The walls buckled and the roof collapsed. Neither of them knew what was happening inside, but it couldn't have been good for Heracles. In a panic, Illyasviel cried out, "Come back to me, Berserker!"
The Command Spell etched across her entire body shone red. However, nothing happened. She yelped, "Eh!? What is this…?"
"Is something the matter?" Connla asked.
"I-I'm calling out to Berserker, but he's not responding!"
"Could it be because he's dead?"
"He can't be! I still have my contract with him!"
Just then, they heard Gilgamesh's voice reverberate through the air, "It is useless, puppet!"
Connla got in front of Illyasviel, yet both girls were clearly terrified out of their minds when they found the ancient king standing proudly on the remains of the rooftop. He looked down on them as if they were mere serfs attending a grand celebration in his honor. Heracles was suspended behind him, ensnared in a series of golden chains that wrapped around his extremities and throat. Gilgamesh wanted to demonstrate Heracles' capture to the pair so they understood that they had no chance of escape.
"The Chains of Heaven!" he exclaimed. "Not even a god can break free once they are bound in these chains! Or rather, it binds those with high divinity levels such as this man even more tightly! There's no point in trying to teleport him away through your Command Spells!"
He summoned a single rippling portal, then let fly a huge lance that pierced through Heracles' chest. A tremendous amount of blood exploded out of his torso, indicating that his heart had been thoroughly destroyed.
"B… Ber… BERSERKEEE~EEER!" Illyasviel howled and tried to run to her Servant.
Connla wrapped her arms around the frantic girl's waist to restrain her while shouting, "Stay back! It's too late for him!"
"No, no, no! Let me go! I have to… I have to do something!"
"He wants you to survive! Don't go throwing away this chance he gave us!"
"Uuuh! T-This can't be happening!"
Gilgamesh suddenly exclaimed, "You already lost that opportunity, runt!"
Both girls returned their attention to him as he summoned numerous portals on either side of him. The garishly brilliant luster overcame the soft early morning light. Connla's heart seized in absolute terror as her widened eyes met Gilgamesh's condescending gaze. She knew they were going to die any second now. Yet in this moment of pure dread, she somehow managed to think about Caren and Bazett.
Ms. Hortensia… Master…
In that moment, a strange metallic clang interrupted everyone. This time, it was Gilgamesh's turn to be astonished as he turned back and exclaimed, "What!?"
While the Sumerian king was distracted, Heracles used his incredible strength to break through the Chains of Heaven.
"KRRRAAA~AAA~AAAGHHH!"
A sinister, inhuman cry of hatred and desperation pierced the heavens themselves. The furious demigod plunged upon his hated foe and raised his arm, curling his fingers into a claw-like motion.
"Ugh-!?"
One of Heracles' sharp fingernails gouged through the right side of Gilgamesh's face, scraping out his eye, a good chunk of flesh from his cheek, and a portion of his collarbone and upper chest. At that same moment, two spears jutted from a pair of portals and stabbed through Heracles' throat and chest, instantly killing him. With no lives remaining to resurrect him, Heracles' body shattered into millions of blue particles and disappeared. Gilgamesh used his Chains of Heaven to create a makeshift net that caught him before he could crash to the ground. Despite the close save, he growled in anguish from the pain radiating around his face and shoulder.
"Damn you, damn you, damn you…!" he cursed repeatedly. "What a troublesome man you are… Surpassing your own myth in the very end…!"
Once he regained his senses, he slid off the chain net and let it vanish before he looked around for Connla and Illyasviel. Despite his search, he knew they were long gone by now. There was no way Connla would be stupid enough to stick around to see how this battle concluded. Her job was to secure Illyasviel, and she fulfilled her mission despite being caught in a battle between two of the world's most powerful demigods. In a manner of speaking, she had accomplished an impossible labor like what Heracles would have done.
"So that was the ninth one," Gilgamesh grumbled to himself. He didn't know what to think of Connla. She was extremely pitiful in comparison to him, that was for sure. Yet he seemed to sense something different about her, and he couldn't put it into words. He harbored nothing but disrespect for those beneath him (which basically meant everyone, god and human alike), although he found value in those who could survive the worst of hells. Was she someone like that? Was that why she was so courageous despite being obviously less than ten years old?
After thinking about the young Lancer for a short while, he walked away from the now-deserted Einzbern Manor in complete silence. He would save those thoughts for the next time he confronted Connla. For the time being, he would go into hiding and nurse his injury while observing how the impending battle with Medea unfolded.