A/N: I'M BACK, EVERYONE!

Fortunately, I managed to get some work done for this fic during my trip in the Philippines, but not as much as I hoped. That was actually because while I was doing some work, I got a mosquito bite that nearly turned into a bad infection. I let my guard down whenever I write because I just can't juggle between that and focusing on my external surroundings. And since I always have a mosquito problem over there, I feared I would get more bites if I continued writing, therefore I simply stopped to preserve the rest of my exposed skin.

Anyway, now that I'm back, I was able to use what I got done in the Philippines as a perfect starting-off point for the rest of the content that I wanted. So it wasn't a total loss. I'm also back in school, and two of my classes are actually writing workshops, one specializing in creative writing, the other in creative nonfiction (apparently, those are two very different things). Not only will I hopefully enjoy those classes, but I can hopefully use what I learn to make my fics even better for you guys.

Alright, I'm officially rambling. Let's get on with this long-awaited chapter! ENJOY!

P.S.: I hope you guys have had a marvelous 2019 so far! Let us celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the release of the original "Fate/stay night" visual novel! HOORAY! I do wonder what Fate-related stuff Type-Moon has in store for us in the coming months ahead... :D

Near Einzbern Castle

Leaves were crunched, twigs were snapped, and dirt was shuffled as a small but formidable army of Musik homunculi advanced through the forest. They were carrying a variety of weapons, ranging from battleaxes to spears to halberds. In the lead were Tokiomi and his Saber Servant, Olesya and Arturia, Kayneth and Iskandar, Itsuki and Medea, and Fiore, who was conspicuously alone. Itsuki was using magic to propel his chair along, while a female homunculus was pushing Fiore's wheelchair for her. The Yggdmillennia Master's eyes were closed, and her forehead was creased in her focus.

"We just passed a magical barrier," Olesya announced, looking around with narrowed eyes. "We should be close to the location that Ruler led us to..."

"Be on your guard, everyone," Kayneth responded, and at his command, the army of homunculi aimed their weapons towards the front, at the rows of looming trees ahead.

"Berserker is becoming even more unruly," Fiore warned suddenly, her eyes opening. "I...I think he senses an enemy nearby."

"Then it has officially begun..."

Arturia narrowed her eyes with preparation. She didn't care whether or not the enemy in question was Mordred or Caster of Black. Both of them were grave threats in their own right, Mordred to the throne of Britain, Caster to unsuspecting innocents. She hoped she could face one or both of them in this fight, so she could be rid of their respective naivete and madness once and for all.

Her tight on Rhongomyniad tightened, something that Olesya noticed but decided not to address.

"You said Ruler and her Master are here?" Itsuki asked, his voice a croak.

"Indeed," replied Tokiomi. "Kirei should know what to do once the battle unfolds." Then, as he grinned, he took a couple of steps forward and faced his army. "Remember our strategy, White Masters! And do not hesitate with your strikes. For tonight...is the night the Black Faction falls!"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Waver exclaimed, his voice cracking as he waved his hands frantically. "You're saying the White Faction...the White Faction is here?!"

"Yes," Irisviel replied gravely. To everyone's surprise, her fearful expression was now hardening into a mask of focus and seriousness. "We must retreat to the castle. Kiritsugu's still there; he will lay out a plan for us."

Shivers went down Waver and Caules's spines; while Irisviel, Maiya, and St. George stiffened in their places. Absolutely no one anticipated such a fight happening tonight of all nights. But out of everyone in the group, Kairi was the only one who was smirking with confidence, and that smirk was well in place as he procured his double-barreled shotgun.

"Oh, I think not, miss," he said. "I say tonight's the night we shine."

"But Sisigou!" Maiya cried with concern. "We don't have an attack plan fully in place! The rest of the Black Faction isn't even here. We should fall back to Kiritsugu's position so he could give us an order!"

"We do have an attack plan, and it is to attack the White Faction with everything we've got." Kairi scanned the forest surrounding them. "We have the home advantage, and we'll use it to the best of our ability. Use your knowledge of the terrain against them."

"I like the sound of that!" Mordred suddenly snarled, her grin bestial and hungry as she twirled Clarent around. "I can't wait to give Father another demonstration of my power!"

Maiya ground her teeth angrily at Kairi's suggestion. "I happen to disagree," she replied, trying her best to hold back all emotion. "Kiritsugu entrusted you with the responsibility of being his proxy because of your effectiveness, not your recklessness. He will not approve of such a simple-minded and shortsighted approach-"

"Sometimes your boss thinks over things too much," Kairi interrupted. "The White Faction understands us to be disorganized and chaotic, and is coming at us with that expectation in mind. If that's what they want to think of us, then that's what we'll give them. And that is where they'll be surprised." He turned towards Mordred. "Saber, you strike first, and give 'em hell."

Mordred's grin widened. "Gotcha!"

She disappeared with a mighty leap, leaving behind flying dead leaves and loose soil in her wake. Then, Kairi shifted his gaze towards Waver.

"Get half of the Assassins out here," he instructed. "We'll take their flanks and exploit all their weak spots. Freak out and blabber all you want, kid, but the day to do shit has now come upon you. I think it'll work out better for you if you just cooperate and follow my orders to the T. Understood?"

Realizing he was in no position to counterargue, Waver nodded meekly and then hung his head with worry. All of the battles he participated in thus far were not all that glorious and dramatic in magnitude; and they didn't require any shedding of blood, sweat, and tears on his part. In hindsight, Waver didn't have any problem with that whatsoever. After all, surviving was the name of the game at this point. But now that he was about to participate in the Impossible Holy Grail War's largest fight yet, the Clock Tower student began to ponder his chances of survival.

"And I hope you have a good understanding of magic," Kairi added as an afterthought. "For your sake."

"Probably close to zero..." Waver somberly concluded in his mind.

"As for you two," Kairi said, turning towards Caules and St. George next, "do whatever the hell you want, as long as it benefits the Black Faction down the road. Otherwise, I'll sic Saber on you."

St. George narrowed his eyes darkly, while Caules merely whimpered behind the safety of his Servant's legs. Meanwhile, Kairi glared at Irisviel and Maiya.

"Ladies, get back to the castle," he said. "I'm sure the boss needs some company up there."

"Kairi Sisigou-" Maiya began angrily.

"Consult with the boss all you want, but that's the plan. Do you want to waste precious seconds trying to stop me? Or do you want to help lead the boss to victory? Because I'm pretty sure the boss would agree that expending valuable time thinking of a complex and intrinsic strategy against the White Faction's efforts is a waste of everyone's time and lives."

Maiya pursed her lips but didn't say anything further. As for Irisviel, she stepped forward, her expression hardened.

"Kiritsugu continues to trust you, so I will not question your strategy," the silver-haired woman said sternly. "But I want you to know that your actions tonight will reflect on his leadership skills in Ruler's eyes. So I hope you know what you're doing."

"Sp-Sp-Speaking of which," Waver piped up, "where's Ruler? And that creepy priest that was beside her earlier?"

Kairi turned around and saw that Ruler and Kirei were no longer there.

"This should be far enough..."

Unbeknownst to Kairi, Irisviel, and the others, Ruler and Kirei had quietly walked away to search for the ideal vantage point for the impending battles. Once the two reached the top of a large hill that overlooked a swath of the forest, Kirei turned towards the Standard-Bearer with an expression of absolute concern.

"Ruler," he said, "do you not think this is a little too far from the battlefield? While safety is an understandable concern, I can't imagine us seeing anything from this position..."

"Rest assured, Kirei," Ruler replied, her voice elegant in her focus, "we are in the perfect position for this battle. I will be able to know what is transpiring and where at all times."

She reached into her pocket and carefully pulled out a...

Kirei's voice was flatter than usual. "A water bottle...?"

"I have brought some of the church's holy water, with the approval of your father, of course. Unfortunately, it would have been quite inconvenient for us if I brought the holy water in a traditional cup, so I simply settled on this object..." Ruler examined the water bottle with slight interest. "I must say, it is quite useful for such a peculiar container."

With that, the Standard-Bearer unscrewed the cap and brought the holy water to the bottle's plastic neck. This allowed her to stick her index and middle fingers into the liquid, after which she withdrew both fingers and started drawing in the air. This caused her three-dimensional holographic map to appear before her and her Master, complete with markers that denoted each and every Servant present in the area.

"So...that is the White Faction," Kirei said, his brown pupils trained on a small clump of markers advancing towards what he presumed was Saber of Black's group.

"Saber, Lancer, Rider, Caster, and Berserker of White, to be more precise," Ruler replied. She then noticed two separate dots that were separate from the White Faction's position, and pointed towards them. "It appears the stationary marker right here is Archer of White."

Kirei's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the King of Heroes. He could still recall the golden Servant's words about him and the Holy Grail. He couldn't imagine what might happen if the two of them crossed paths again...

Ruler continued "As for this marker, the one that is advancing towards Saber and Rider of Black's group from the right, it is most likely Assassin of White."

"Most of the White Faction is planning a full-frontal assault," Kirei remarked, "while their Assassin intends to strike any unsuspecting Masters from behind." On instinct, he scanned the model of Einzbern Castle, and blinked with surprise. "It appears the White Faction isn't planning on attacking the castle."

"It appears they are still mistaken about the identity of Saber of Black's Master. They believe Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, is with the group that they plan on attacking."

Kirei narrowed his eyes and he felt a soft exhale of relief escaping from his nostrils. Meanwhile, once Ruler was confident she had all of the Servants' current positions accounted for, she looked up from the map and towards the treeline. Very soon, she would be hearing the sounds of metal and roaring.

"The next battle of the Impossible Holy Grail War has commenced," she announced. "Let the clash of Factions begin."

It was settled amongst Kairi's group. Kairi and Waver ran off in one direction, Irisviel and Maiya another. This left Caules all alone with St. George. But that fact alone wasn't enough to assuage the boy of his concerns.

"Master," St. George said aloud, "I await your orders. What is your strategy for this battle?"

"H-Huh?!" Caules looked up at his Servant, then into the dark and uninviting forest. "I...I-I don't know! I'm-I'm beyond freaked out right now!" The harsh, bitter chill that covered the forest like a blanket started to overwhelm the boy, for his teeth started chattering and the hair on his skin stood up straight, became rigid. "Oh, God! Thi-This is the first time I'm in a battle! A-A battle in the Holy Grail War! Wh-What in the world am I supposed to do?! I-I don't wanna die like this! I-I don't wanna d-d-die at the hands of another! I-I don't-"

Watching as his Master slowly descended into a stuttering, neurotic mess, St. George took a deep breath and consolingly placed a hand behind the teenager's back. This caused him to stop talking, but he was still cold and shivering.

"I understand you are afraid," the heroic saint said. "After all, a fear of death is a natural thing to expect from everyone. But that fear alone won't guide you through this War."

"W-Well, wh-what am I s-supposed t-t-to do?!" stuttered Caules. "I'm-I'm average when it comes to magecraft! I-I'm not cut out for this kind of thing! I don't even care about the Black Faction!"

"Even so, they're your teammates, Master, and they hold value that is more treasured than you can imagine. No matter how brief or shaky the alliance will be, they will provide you with protection, protection that I will not always be able to provide for you. You can be afraid, Master, but you have to act. Doing so will not only preserve as many teammates as you can, but possibly also come back to you in a very beneficial way."

But Caules continued to stare into the forest, his pupils dilating with fear, his breath loud and ragged. He was rooted to the spot, as if he had seen something amongst the dead trees, something so unbelievable and terrifying that it petrified him. It was at that moment St. George realized that he would not be able to reach his Master through that blinding fear. At least not tonight.

"Very well, Master," he said. "You can seek safety tonight. I will not encourage you any further. But if you're so concerned about your abilities on the battlefield, Master, then allow me to make the decisions in your stead. As someone with many years of experience in combat, I can endure the trials of this battlefield with ease."

Caules looked back up at St. George incredulously. "You...You want to fight...without my command?"

"I cannot force you to join the fight. That is not in my nature. Thus, your only concern tonight should be replenishing me with mana whenever it's necessary. You claim you're average in the comprehension of magecraft, but I'm confident your reserves will be more than enough for me to fight my foes on equal footing."

"B-B-But who will protect me?! I-I don't wanna get jumped by Assassin of White or someone very goddamn shady!"

St. George smiled kindly. "Do not forget, my young Master, that I am St. George. I have lived a life defending others who were in desperate need of protection from evil and monstrosity. And you are my Master, the one who anchors me to this world. Should your life come under threat in any shape or form, I will sense your dilemma, and I will abandon all else to come to your aid. Trust me, Caules, I value your life and will see to it that you survive tonight, and tomorrow night, and all the nights ahead until we have finally achieved victory."

"What would Rider do...?"

Caules continued to look up at his benevolent and generous Servant with wonder, and at that moment, he remembered the dream he had last night, once again. He remembered how it was marked with acts of kindness towards strangers, and efforts of bravery undertaken for the sake of the innocent. And looking at his Servant now, Caules could tell there was no sinister undertone of deception in his voice. Only care and compassion.

"Very well, then," he said, a smile breaking his terrified mask. "I entrust my life to you, Rider!"

"Master, an enemy is coming."

Those five words, spoken by Arturia, stopped the White Faction in their advance. The stoic, emotionless Musik homunculi aimed their weapons over the shoulders and by the sides of Tokiomi, Olesya, Kayneth, Itsuki, and Fiore. As for the White Servants, they raised their weapons, their grips so tight that their knuckles were white.

"Be on your guard, everyone," Tokiomi called out calmly. "This could be an ambush."

"No," another voice replied, and everyone was surprised to see the hardened, focused expression on Iskandar's mighty, bearded face. "This incoming enemy is too loud and destructive in their arrival. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Berserker of Black."

Indeed, everyone started to hear blasts of air, and trees that were falling to the forest floor, so quickly that they seemed to be pulverized. The Servants could sense something powerful and angry coming from above-

"FFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!"

The ground, trees, and underbrush in front of the White Faction were blown away in a small but violent explosion, forcing the Masters and Servants to shield their faces from the incoming wood slabs, leaves, and dirt. Fortunately, the explosion occurred yards away from them, and only a few pebbles of rock and dirt hit their forearms weakly.

Arturia was the first of the White Faction to recover from this unexpected occurrence. With her eyes narrowed into slits, the King of Knights stared at the large, billowing cloud of smoke and dust. It slowly cleared, revealing the silhouette of an armored being. It didn't take long for her to realize who that was.

"FATHER!" Mordred called, her vicious voice ringing mightily throughout the forest. "I AM SO PLEASED TO SEE YOU AT THE FOOT OF MY DOMAIN!" She craned her neck slightly to the side. "AND IT APPEARS YOU'VE BROUGHT A CIRCLE OF ALLIES AND WARRIORS! HOW DELIGHTFUL! THE MORE, THE MERRIER!"

Arturia gritted her teeth angrily at the Knight of Treachery's boisterousness, but she was quick to remember the orders of her Master, and the strategies of the White Faction. With her grip on Rhongomyniad still tight, she lowered the lance, pursed her lips, and remained silent. At the same time, the other Servants, all of the White Masters, and the homunculi army stared at Mordred, anticipating her first move.

Mordred suddenly laughed haughtily. "SO, YOU HAVE NO WORDS TO SAY TO ME?! SHOULD I TAKE THAT AS A SIGN OF APPROVAL FROM THE KING OF BRITAIN?! APPROVAL SO STRONG, THAT YOU ARE HUMBLED BEYOND WORDS?!"

"I would approve the lowliest and most depraved of madmen over you!" Arturia shouted in her mind, but she disciplined herself and remained composed.

Meanwhile, Iskandar stepped forward, each step cautious and reserved. "Black Servant," he said, his voice deep, serious, "we have not met before. Judging by your attire and your weapon, you are of the Saber class of Servants. Am I right?"

"You are correct in that regard," Mordred replied.

"Ah, excellent..." Iskandar scanned Mordred's form from head to toe. "You display tremendous power, and you also wield a magnificent sword of what I assume to be great stature!"

"Why, thank you, White Servant!" Mordred bared her teeth in a confident grin. "It is a mark of my royalty, after all!"

Arturia had to mentally control herself again, to prevent herself from lashing out at Mordred's disregard of the facts.

"Royalty, huh?" The King of Conquerors grinned just as confidently as Mordred. "How impressive! Your power and familial background have to be extremely valuable assets to you and to whomever aligns themselves with you! Why not join my army and my campaign of world conquest?!"

The grin instantly disappeared from Mordred's face, while Kayneth's jaw dropped open and the rest of the White Faction sighed with embarrassment.

"What...?" the Knight of Treachery asked blankly.

Iskandar's arms, capped with clenched fists, shot out mightily as he yelled into the air, "With the combined might of our powers, and our abilities as leaders and rulers, we can usher all the lands of this Earth into a new era of prosperity! We shall be celebrated from one side of the world to the next, and we can celebrate the luxuries of every conqueror tenfold! The magnitude of our alliance will be one that is unforgettable! People's knees will quake with fear, and smiles of joy will etch their faces at the very memory of our greatness! I-"

The King of Conquerors was unable to say anything else, for Mordred charged forward, Clarent poised to strike.

"I ALIGN MYSELF WITH NO ONE BUT THE LANDS OF BRITAIN!" she screamed. "YOU WILL DIE HORRIBLY FOR IMPLYING MY AMBITIONS ARE FOOLISHLY LARGER THAN THAT!"

Upon seeing Mordred's move, Tokiomi smiled slightly.

"Excellent," he said to himself. "Sophia-Ri, just like we planned..."

At the corner of her eye, Mordred saw shining glints in the air. She immediately buried her feet into the soil, and because of the speed she was going in her sprint, she started sliding across the ground, trying to gradually slow down to a stop. All the while, she swung Clarent repeatedly, knocking a sword away from her each time. Her swings rapidly increased in frequency as more swords were sent barreling in her direction. As soon as she stopped just a few yards away from the White Faction's army, Mordred held Clarent with both hands and began swinging even more rapidly, knocking away more and more swords.

Meanwhile, Iskandar unsheathed his Sword of the Cypriots and slashed ineffectually at the air. This promptly summoned his mighty, Divine Bull-driven chariot. He jumped inside, followed by Kayneth.

"A most fine strategy, King of Conquerors!" the El-Melloi cried excitedly. "You goaded Saber of Black into our Archer's line of fire by agitating her into a blind assault! How marvelous! For once, your irritating and simple-minded efforts to recruit everyone you see was useful to our cause!"

But Iskandar looked offended. "But...I really was trying to recruit her..."

A vein bulged in Kayneth's forehead as he replied, "No matter! Let's commence with our part, just as we discussed!"

"Very well then, Master." The King of Conquerors took the reins and whipped them. "YARGH!"

With the mighty roars of the Divine Bulls, the chariot charged away from the rest of the White Faction. It rounded a few trees to the side before redirecting itself towards Mordred, who was still violently swatting away the relentless onslaught of Gilgamesh's swords. The Knight of Treachery immediately noticed the incoming chariot and jumped into the air, all the while continuing to swing her sword to deflect Gilgamesh's.

"NICE TRY, CHARLATAN!" she roared. Then, she landed inside the chariot and aimed Clarent, startling Kayneth. "I MEAN IT WHEN I SAID YOU WILL DIE HORRIBLY FOR YOUR WORDS!"

Iskandar was quick to react. He pulled out his sword and used it to parry Clarent before the silver blade could penetrate his chest. This endeavor was successful, but the might of Mordred's thrust still knocked the Sword of Cypriots out of his hand, and it skidded to the other side of chariot, out of Iskandar's reach.

"ARGH!" Mordred bellowed madly as she prepared to thrust her sword again.

"HOLD ON TO SOMETHING, MASTER!" Iskandar yelled.

Before Kayneth could react, the King of Conquerors took the reins of the chariot and cracked them again, prompting the Divine Bulls to halt their sprint abruptly. The chariot made a violent lurch, and Kayneth grabbed onto one of the railings, but Mordred wasn't as lucky. She was sent flying out of the chariot and into a couple of trees.

"You...YOU MADMAN!" the Clock Tower instructor screamed. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that move was?!"

But Iskandar ignored his Master. Instead, he bent down to pick up the Sword of the Cypriots, and once he got back up, he saw Mordred jumping high in the air again, Clarent gleaming in the moonlight.

"YYYYYAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

Suddenly, a blur of silver collided into the Knight of Treachery, sending her tumbling into more trees. When she got back up, her Instinct took over and she was able to parry a blow with Clarent. As soon as she identified her assailant, Mordred grinned confidently.

"I did not even notice you, White Servant," she remarked. "No matter! You are just another obstacle to my victory! I will be sure to slay you tonight!"

Tokiomi's Servant, Saber of White, instantly dodged Mordred's swing and retaliated with a flurry of his own swings, all of which were easily blocked. Mordred responded in turn with her own attempts to penetrate the White Servant's defenses, all of which were unsuccessful. Suddenly, she saw movement at the corner of her eye.

"ARGH!"

She had to roll away to avoid the dozen or so swords that were thrown at her direction. Then, once she was back up on her feet, she knocked away even more swords. Saber of White seized this opportunity to charge Mordred and deliver the killing blow, but she saw him coming and parried his sword again. A split-second later, Mordred saw even more swords being fired from a distance, prompting her to kick her opponent away and defend herself with Clarent's swings yet again.

Then, she heard the Divine Bulls.

"BASTARD!" she yelled, just as she dodged Iskandar's attempt at a hit-and-run. Then, with a loud screech of pure rage, Mordred flung Clarent at one of the chariot's wheels. It hit its target, completely penetrating the wheel and subsequently jamming the rolling mechanism, leaving the chariot partially paralyzed.

"Oh!" Iskandar cried with surprise. "Your methods astound me, Saber of Black! You dress like a fine knight but you use unconventional ways to gain an advantage on the battlefield!"

Mordred charged forward, propelling herself with Mana Burst and avoiding a strike by Saber of White in the process.

"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR ATTEMPT AT MOCKING ME, RIDER SERVANT?!" she screamed madly.

She jumped onto the wheel she jammed, yanked Clarent out of the mechanism, and prepared to skewer Iskandar with it. But multiple volts of electricity shot out from the chariot, forcing her to evacuate the mount. Iskandar then propelled his vehicle forward as the generation of electricity continued to strengthen, and Mordred started running across the forest in an effort to avoid the potentially deadly bolts. And then, to make matters worse, Saber of White and the flurry of swords from the air joined Iskandar in his pursuit.

Any opponent would've realized at this point that they were outnumbered and attempted to retreat. But not Mordred.

Instead, she turned back and started slashing at the air at superhuman speeds, knocking away every last sword that was thrown at her. Then, she saw Saber of White approaching her position, his golden sword raised. Sensing an opportunity to exploit a potential weakness, Mordred held Clarent with one hand, clenched her empty fist, and launched herself with Mana Burst.

In just a few split-seconds, her armored fist collided into her opponent's breastplate with such power that it left a small dent. The other Saber Servant was knocked backward, towards Iskandar's mighty chariot. With a surprised cry, the King of Conquerors cracked the reins, prompting the Divine Bulls to run to the side in order to avoid their incoming comrade. As a result, Saber of White slammed through dead tree after tree, until he dug his feet into the soil and slowed down to a stop. Without saying a word, he ran forward again, towards Mordred as she continued swatting away sword after sword.

But once again, Mordred was quick to react to this advance. After knocking away the last thrown sword, she raised Clarent and brought it downward just in time to block her opponent's blow. The two swords collided with such astounding power that it triggered a shock-wave. Iskandar and Kayneth ducked into the safety of the chariot in order to avoid being blown away, while the nearest trees swayed and lurched precariously. Murders of crows perched in the nearby trees were startled by the blast of air and took to the sky, dotting the sky with their black feathers.

As soon as she recovered from the blow, Mordred tried to knock her opponent's sword away from her, but Saber of White held his ground, exerting all of his strength into the force of his weapon. This forced Mordred to apply as much of her own pressure as she could into Clarent. Though the moment was brief, the tenseness stretched the meteoric seconds into long, unbearable minutes. Both swords struggled for dominance, their blades trying to get closer to the vulnerable areas of their owners' opponents.

Eventually, Mordred felt her strength wearing out, so she withdrew Clarent quickly and hoped such a sudden move would stun her opponent. She watched as Saber of White stumbled forward a little from her abrupt withdrawal, and then tried to strike with her weapon. But whatever surprise Saber of White had from this tactic left him almost instantly, for he blocked the blow with his sword. Sparks flew as metal collided with metal.

Then, the Knight of Treachery heard a powerful whoosh in the air, and Saber of White immediately moved out of the way. But before she could react too, a sword flew through her shoulder-plate, using so much force that it broke the section of armor open. Blood gushed out of the gash in Mordred's shoulder, eliciting a growl of pain from her.

Then, split-seconds later, a second sword broke through one of the horns of her helmet. Mordred watched as the sword then embedded itself into the trunk of a tree nearby before dissipating in a shower of golden sparks. Acting on instinct, the knight turned around and swatted three more swords out of the way, before jumping out of the way to avoid another hit-and-run attack by Iskandar.

As soon as she landed, Mordred was forced to knock more aerial swords away before parrying another blow by Saber of White. Unfortunately, before she could strike her own blow, she had to jump out of the way of even more swords, as did her opponent.

"Coward!" she thought furiously as she scoured the environment within her peripheral vision for any additional swords. "Who dares attack the rightful heir of Britain from above, out of sight?!"

Elsewhere, Bram and Gilgamesh were standing atop a futuristic aerial vehicle, which was facing the battlefield, giving its occupants a perfect view of every angle possible in the clash. The vehicle's design was unlike anything ever seen, and it was colored in brilliant shades of gold and emerald-green. Surrounding it on all sides were over a dozen golden portals, each with an individual sword of differing design protruding from it, their blades all aimed towards the battlefield.

"What an irksome waste of precious swords," Gilgamesh spat as he flung a half-dozen more swords towards the forest. "I sincerely hope this needlessly protracted battle reaches its conclusion soon, before my patience wears out." With a huff, he leaned back against his self-made throne, and lightly leaned his cheek against his closed armored fist, while his elbow was resting on one of the throne's armrests. "For your sake, Bram, I hope it is so..."

"Worry not, King of Heroes," replied Bram, facing the golden Servant so he could bow before him. "The only one who will be worn out tonight will be Saber of Black and any other Black Servant we come across. I assure you, your precious time is not being squandered here tonight. You are demonstrating only a fraction of your power to the Black Faction, and they will think twice before they decide to challenge your kingship."

"I would rather annihilate my enemies in one fell swoop." Gilgamesh pursed his lips. "But...I presume that would not be entertaining in its own right either."

"Indeed it would." Bram raised his head and gave his Servant a confident smile. "As your retainer, I express my profound desire to provide you with the most entertaining night to date. Only if you take my word for it."

The King of Heroes narrowed his red, snakelike eyes to slits, but he replied, "Very well, Bram... I shall continue indulging myself with these comedic antics, but only as long as I reap the most satisfying and fulfilling of results."

Bram inwardly sighed with relief, and bowed his head again. "I thank you for your understanding, King of Heroes." Then, he began to examine the brilliant aerial vehicle on which he was standing. "To think you had magnificent ark this stored within your Gate of Babylon..."

For once, Gilgamesh smiled arrogantly. "Do not be misled about my capacities, Bram. There is more to my precious trove of treasures than mere swords. I have retained many of the items I came to own in my lifetime." He opened his fist and lowered his hand, using it to pat the armrest. "This ark, Vimana, was built specifically for me, though a number of others were also constructed and eventually passed down from my glorious kingdom to the ancient peoples of India." The King of Heroes' smile widened. "Indeed, it is a throne fit for the one true King and no one else..."

All of a sudden, Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed again, and Bram immediately noticed. The Sophia-Ri Master began to sweat nervously, wondering what irked the King of Heroes yet again. Was there something that he did? Was it something that he couldn't sway his Servant's opinion on anymore? Was it something that guaranteed his doom? For all he knew, it was probably something extremely trivial to himself, something that had nothing to do with the conversation at hand.

"Bram," Gilgamesh said again, "I tire of my alliance with that faker."

"Th-The faker?" Bram asked, struggling to remember who that might be. "I-I beg your pardon, m-my king...?"

"The one who proudly, madly calls himself king." The King of Heroes bared his clenched teeth. "Rider of White."

Bram gulped, though he was partially relieved that the source of Gilgamesh's anger didn't involve him in any way.

"I understand your frustration," he said. "But I urge you to stay your outrage for just a while longer. He is valuable all- I mean, asset to your path to victory. His powers and abilities will further pave the way to the Holy Grail, rid you of many inconveniences. It will be because of his assistance that you will not have to worry about sullying any part of your body, or the vast majority of your beloved treasures."

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow idly. "For once, you raise an extremely intriguing point, Bram. Perhaps I will take that into consideration."

Bram bowed yet again. "I thank you for the praise, my king."

The King of Heroes blinked, then raised his index finger, causing all of the golden portals to ripple again.

"In the meantime..."

He pointed towards the battlefield, prompting the portals to fire their swords all at once.

Mordred and Saber of White both saw Gilgamesh's swords flying towards them. Without a second thought, both Servants rolled away to avoid the incoming attack, but then saw that even more swords were headed towards the battlefield, their target range widened exponentially.

"WHOA! YAA! YAA!" Iskandar cried as he directed his Divine Bulls to navigate the chariot safely through the onslaught of bladed weapons.

"What in blazes?!" screamed Kayneth, his voice filled to the brim with outrage. He then looked up at the sky, towards the glowing Vimana. "Has Bram gone mad?! Why is his Servant attacking the entire damn battlefield?!"

Unfortunately for Kayneth, Mordred stared at him and realized his gaze had been diverted. Following the direction of his stare, she was quick to spot Vimana as well. She grinned madly, avoided a half-dozen more swords, parried a couple of blows from Saber of White, and shot into the air with Mana Burst, towards Vimana. With a snarl, she raised Clarent and aimed its blade towards Gilgamesh, who was still sitting idly on his throne, smirking.

"PREPARE TO DIE, YOU FLASHY CRETIN!" the Knight of Treachery shrieked.

Vimana suddenly disappeared in a flash, and Mordred slashed at empty air. She gasped and felt her limbs flailing as she plummeted towards the earth.

Meanwhile, Tokiomi, Olesya, Arturia, Itsuki, Medea, Fiore, and their homunculi army were still walking through the forest, having decided to go around Mordred while she was occupied with Saber of White, Iskandar, and Gilgamesh. The sounds of clashing metal were still audible in the distance.

"We left El-Melloi behind, Tohsaka?" Olesya asked, looking over her shoulder cautiously. "I thought he was best suited to confront the Magus Killer on the battlefield."

"Indeed, he is," replied Tokiomi, nodding with agreement. "But we deemed it expedient at the last minute if he infiltrate the castle from another direction. Our purpose right now is to keep the Magus Killer occupied, so he would have less time to prepare defensive measures against El-Melloi's Mystic Code. When the time is right, and hopefully after Saber of Black is dispatched, he will journey to the perimeter of the castle and find a secondary way in." He glanced up at the looming towers of the castle, which were growing closer and closer with each step he took. "We mustn't underestimate the Magus Killer, no matter how much of an underhanded disgrace he is."

"Understood, Tohsaka. I understand our strategy now."

After a while, Arturia suddenly heard Iskandar's loud, energetic roar. She promptly stopped and looked behind her with a worried expression. She knew that sooner or later, Mordred would eventually overcome her opponents, realize her father was nowhere to be found, and destroy the entire forest searching for her. Once it came to that, combat between her and the Knight of Treachery would be inevitable, and the White Faction would have to come up with a new strategy...

"Lancer!" Olesya suddenly called, and Arturia looked back at her Master. "Why did you stop?! Do you sense another Black Servant nearby?!"

"No, I-" But Arturia paused mid-sentence, for she suddenly felt an ominous presence in the air. She looked all around her frantically, hoping to discern an attempt at an ambush before it was too late.

"King of Knights?" Tokiomi asked, having stopped as well. "What do you sense?"

"Another enemy," Arturia replied gravely. "But...I can't properly ascertain their position right now..."

Tokiomi's azure eyes narrowed, and he called out, "Steady, White Faction!"

Itsuki, Medea, Fiore, and all of the homunculi immediately stopped at his command. At that moment, Fiore winced and clutched the side of her forehead.

"There is...a great amount...of mana...in the air..." she moaned, her head lowered.

"That can only mean-" began Olesya.

Arturia raised Rhongomyniad and twirled it around in preparation. "Caster of Black," she finished bitterly.

Olesya's eyes narrowed vengefully. "The one who has been killing children unsupervised."

"Normally, such a method would not be frowned upon by the Holy Church," Tokiomi replied. "But in this case, the Black Faction is culpable for the deaths of dozens, which have occurred in clusters in a very short period of time. The rabble at large have already noticed and dedicated a substantial amount of their news coverage on it. That on its own is a risk that endangers the integrity of the Holy Grail Wars."

"So killing Caster of Black is a top priority?" asked Itsuki.

"Yes." Tokiomi glanced towards Olesya. "Animusphere, I entrust you with the task of eliminating Caster of Black at once. See to it that the Servant does not make it out of the battlefield alive."

Olesya grinned with satisfaction as she stared off at the same direction Arturia was looking at.

"With pleasure, Tohsaka..." she replied.

"You will be receiving assistance from Assassin of White, but do note that her efforts will be minimal."

"Understood. In return, I trust that you will seek out Lancer of Black and defeat him, so my Servant's trump card could be restored as soon as possible?"

Tokiomi bowed his head humbly. "You have my word."

"Very well, then. Let tonight be a night of victory for the White Faction."

The Tohsaka nodded in agreement before continuing his trek towards the Einzbern Castle, followed closely by the rest of his army. Itsuki and Medea gave Olesya and Arturia one last stare before following the White Faction leader. As soon as they were out of earshot, Olesya turned towards Arturia.

"Do not hold back, Lancer," she instructed.

"I intend not to," replied Arturia, as her lance began to glow brilliantly. "I wasted my chance to slay Caster of Black when it was most prudent, and innocent children had to suffer for it. For that, I refuse to let this horrible madman escape my sights again! It is my lance and my lance alone that will end this!"

Meanwhile, Tokiomi approached the nearest homunculus and clasped his hand on his shoulder, catching his attention.

"The Overseer should be close by, observing the clash between my Servant and Saber of Black alongside Ruler," he said. "See to it that he is aware of Caster of Black's presence."

"As you wish," the homunculus replied blankly. Then, he placed the pole holding his mighty battleaxe on his shoulder and walked off in another direction. Tokiomi and Fiore watched him go before following the others again.

"Tohsaka," said Fiore, after she wheeled herself down a considerable distance, "do you think Kirei Kotomine will be able to observe the clash between Lancer of White and Caster of Black appropriately? Without Ruler?"

"You doubt one of the Overseers, Yggdmillennia?" asked Tokiomi. "In spite of their secret allegiance to our cause?"

"I just fear he alone might not be able to carry out the duties of his Ruler Servant..."

Tokiomi smiled proudly. "I trained him in everything that I could about the art of magecraft and the magnificence of the Holy Grail Wars. And he understands how important it is for the Grail to fall into the hands of someone who doesn't wish ill on the world." He looked over his shoulder, towards the distant trees. "He knows what's at stake, and he dedicates the whole of himself to the task at hand, with no exception. That, I can be certain."

Then, he narrowed his eyes and thought privately, "My dear student. You have not failed me thus far, but this is the first time you are directly supervising a battle with multiple Servants. And all of this comes after the loss of your wife. Do not despair, for you are the one who will bring victory to the White Faction. Your task will be done in due time, and then you can rest easy."

Just a few yards away, Gilles de Rais strolled happily through the forest, his fish-like eyes and demeanor vicious tonight. Following right behind him in a single-file line were a dozen or so children, their stares vacant. It had taken him hours to assemble this amount of children, even with the help of one of his Masters, who had since chosen to break off with him so he could go look for his partner-in-crime. But with all of the hard work that he put into crafting this perfect body of art, Gilles was all the more confident this was all he needed to lure out his precious Jeanne and show her the folly of her righteous ways.

Oh, how he couldn't wait to see the look of misery and revelation etched in his beloved's face! It would be something not even God could create for his disciples to marvel...

"CASTER OF BLACK!"

That heavenly voice stopped Gilles in his tracks, and he stared into the rolling mist ahead. Normally, one would be unable to see through that, but he knew who was standing on the other side, waiting for him.

"Oh, dear Jeanne!" he called. "I, Gilles de Rais, have fulfilled my declaration and come for you! No longer will you suffer under the name of God and His unspeakable cruelty!"

"Monster!" came not the voice of his dear Jeanne, but Arturia, though Gilles did not care one bit. "Unhand those children at once!" The Caster Servant heard a powerful whooshing sound, and the mist suddenly cleared, revealing Arturia as she was twirling her lance. "Or I shall slay you where you stand!"

Gilles refused to be daunted by the King of Knights' challenge. "Holy virgin of my dreams!" He held out his arms, as if he was trying to welcome her in a loving embrace. "Do you despise me so...?"

Arturia didn't respond. The forest was getting colder and colder with Gilles's demonic presence.

"I understand, Jeanne," he continued. "The hand of God is like a vice, powerful, stubborn, refusing to let go. And even if you break free, it will be hard to live without His purported grace and warmth. You have indeed become so dependent on such false illusions, and so passionate, to the point where you would loathe me for depriving you of all that you consider dear. But fear not! I have endured trial and tribulation, one after another, to break free myself, and am willing to sacrifice all so you can bask in the glory of emancipation with me!"

"This is your last chance, Caster of Black!" warned Arturia, her teeth gritted. "Release the children now!"

Gilles sighed, smiled, and replied, "Very well, my beautiful maiden. If you so dearly wish to save these innocent children, then you shall have it. I cannot bear to see mere disappointment in your eyes, after all."

He raised his right hand, prompting Arturia to ready herself for an attack. But instead, he snapped his fingers, breaking the children for their trances. They started looking around, wondering where they were and why they were here.

"Children," Gilles announced, attracting their undivided attention, "rejoice and be exceeding glad about this miracle that has been brought upon you all! God's devout messenger says that she will save you from a fate unimaginable!"

Startled by their abductor's looming, fish-like appearance, the children screamed and ran towards Arturia. Realizing they were really being released, the King of Knights held out her arms, expecting to be embrace them, comfort them, and tell them a way out of the forest and back to the safety of their homes-

"LANCER, NO! IT'S A TRAP!"

Olesya's magically amplified voice reached Arturia, but she hesitated even as the children came dangerously near. Gilles giggled maniacally and procured an ancient book from his robes. The King of Knights saw something glowing within the book, and a split-second later, the children exploded in a violent storm of flesh, bone, and blood. Arturia's eyes bulged with horror at the sight-

Dozens and dozens of tentacles shot out of the flying, spreading mass of juvenile parts and bodily fluids. Arturia reacted instantly, thrusting Rhongomyniad forward. The lance's blade skewered through one tentacle, but another wrapped itself tightly around its pole. Arturia tried to pull the lance away, but the tentacle held on tight with its powerful suction cups.

Meanwhile, the first tentacle that was skewered continued to flail alive, wildly, before shooting forward with a squeal and wrapping itself around Arturia's neck and chest. The King of Knights gagged and struggled, but her distraction gave more tentacles enough time to wrap themselves around her entire form, restraining her limbs and severely restricting her body movement. She could do nothing but feebly twitch with resistance, all the while feeling the blood and bones of the poor, innocent children she failed to save, coating her armor, clothes, and skin like a new, depraved paint-job.

At the corner of her eye, Arturia saw even more tentacles materializing from the ground, protruding from massive, fleshy bodies sporting nothing underneath but rows and rows of teeth. The sight of them was absolutely horrendous.

"How delightful, Jeanne!" Gilles screamed, his eyes bulging even more in his madness. "Did you really believe a miracle had befallen upon these children?! That you would impart God's salvation upon their souls as they experience their first horrors?! Do you not believe for a moment that your undivided, unconditional devotion to God would be so imperfect, an example of pure foolishness and misguided idealization?!"

Arturia watched as his pupils started to quiver, and he started to bare his teeth in an enraged frown.

"How all-good is God if he imprisons your soul with such blind dedication?!" he shrieked. "How all-powerful is He if all He has to offer for His shepherds in return for their pledges of eternal servitude is untold suffering and unspeakable death?! His gratitude for your love was fire at a stake, yet you continue to speak in His name, and use your beauty and power to spread His gospel!" He growled like a mad beast, an unruly Berserker, and tightened his grip on the peculiar book, before he continued, "I swear, I will not rest until you truly feel the pain that He has not delivered you from, JEANNE!"

Arturia felt the tentacles tighten all around her, and she intensified her struggle, but to no avail. She then stared at Gilles again as he continued to toil in his insanity. Watching him spout that nonsense was no different from her encounter with Mordred, and hearing his words made her spirit burn in anticipation for his defeat...

"Very well, Caster of Black!" she shouted in a determined proclamation. "My fight with you is no longer over...the Grail!"

She immediately activated her Mana Burst, which enveloped and pulsated all around her as its strength was contained by the horrors. The tentacles desperately tried to hold on tight, but the pulsating, bursting magical energy forcefully shook their suction cups off of Arturia's silver armor. Gilles gasped as he watched the tentacles struggle to keep their captive in check, but to no avail.

Then, the magical energy's strength couldn't be contained any longer, and it was all expelled outward in a bright, brilliant gesture. The searing heat of the Mana Burst's explosion disintegrated the writhing tentacles into nothing more than bits of bloody, pulpy flesh that were splattered all over the forest floor, painting it with crimson.

"AH!" Gilles squealed, his voice particularly high-pitched. "So...you insist on staying true to your noble but misconceived adherence to God's principles, my holy maiden?!" He then held out his arms in welcome. "Very well, then! If I must spill your blood in order to show you the fallacy of your beliefs, then I gladly welcome this highly unfortunate but necessary development!" All of a sudden, he winced, seemingly showing an ounce of regret. "Oh, holy virgin, how I will shed tears at the sullying of your beauty that makes even God's own pale in comparison-"

"CASTER SERVANT!" Arturia hollered, her voice cutting across his own like a spear against fabric. "I SHALL TAKE UP THE BLADE OF MY LANCE TO SLAY YOU TONIGHT! PREPARE!"

With that, she charged forward with a yell. In response, Gilles gestured towards her, commanding the horrors to lunge at her, all the while issuing the most demonic of screams.

Mordred immediately curled her legs and braced herself for impact. However, while she was still several yards away from hitting the forest floor, she saw Vimana speeding towards her, its imposing, golden-and-green, dragonfly-like form now a nearly indistinguishable blur.

"That cur..." she thought.

She thought she heard Gilgamesh say something, but she didn't have enough time to process his swords, for the King of Heroes launched another flurry of swords at her. Mordred quickly started swinging Clarent repeatedly yet again, knocking the incoming bladed projectiles out of her way and causing them to dissipate away. Then, Vimana passed directly above her, and the blast of air left in the ark's wake sent her flying off-course, towards another section of the treeline.

Fortunately, this allowed Mordred to curl up her legs again and wait until the trees got close. Once she was split-seconds away from hitting them, she activated Mana Burst, knocking the nearest trees back with so much power that they quickly started to fall. Then, as she was sent flying through the air again, she stuck out her unoccupied hand, grabbed a hold of the most convenient tree trunk, and hold on tight so she could soften the fall.

As the tree trunk fell, Mordred somersaulted into the air, landed on the other side of it, and hopped over to the next tree as it too fell. She repeated this process, hopping from one plunging tree trunk to another, until she got really close to the ground, upon which she jumped off and landed on the dried soil safely.

Once she was sure her feet were on land, Mordred began panting, feeling somewhat drained after having to do all of that in just a few seconds. Then, once she recovered her strength, she began looking around the forest in search of a Servant to battle, but Saber and Rider of White were nowhere within sight, Archer of White was still in the air, and...

And her precious father was nowhere to be found.

"FATHER!" she screamed to the heavens. "Why do you not show yourself on the battlefield and fight me, your son?! You upheld the code of chivalry with the highest honors but now...now...you dare hide behind others?!" She slashed at empty air with Clarent with such strength that the whip-like blast cut a standing tree in half. "You would let others, those who are weak, fight in your stead and try to best me?! Do you really think I am not worth your time and effort?! Is that why you ignore me, disregard my power on the battlefield in such a disgraceful way?!"

Then, with a manic grin, she expelled a burst of magical energy from Clarent, which halved several trees and sent them falling to the ground. As dust kicked up into the air and obscured everything, the Knight of Treachery advanced forward and slashed at the air with Clarent, once again using Mana Burst to destroy everything in front of her.

"Very well then, my king!" she roared mockingly. "If that is what you wish, then I shall entertain myself by annihilating everything in sight, and slaying all who dare cross paths with me, until I find you and show you my worth!"

"I must say, Saber of Black is proving to be an unexpected source of entertainment for me..."

Gilgamesh sneered maliciously as he watched the trees of the forest continuing to fall in waves, one after another. There were even more golden portals surrounding Vimana's sides, but he had ceased launching his swords from them. Instead, he was sitting back on his throne, watching the newest proceedings with amusement. Bram, on the other hand, surveyed each wave of falling trees with an analytical eye.

"If she maintains her path," the Sophia-Ri Master thought, "Saber of Black will be on her way to intercepting Tokiomi and his group. They will have reached the castle at that point, but they cannot breach it until after Kayneth does. If Saber of Black reaches them before they could carry out their part of the plan, then the Black Faction will have seen through our strategy and come up with a way to counter it..."

Then, he focused on where he last saw Iskandar and Tokiomi's Servant. Indeed, he was quick to see them both, but they had now split up.

"Kayneth is heading over northeast so he could breach the castle first and divert the Magus Killer's attention away from Tokiomi. As for Rider, he will stay behind to keep guard. I could let Archer deliver me to him, but doing so would trigger a battle between the two of them, given their rocky relationship. I must not pave the way for utterly pointless wastes of precious energy. Thus, this leaves me with Saber of White..."

Bram focused the entirety of his sights on Tokiomi's Servant, the one who had yet to reveal his true identity. Upon seeing his potential route, the Sophia-Ri let out a mental sigh of relief.

"It appears Saber of White is still searching for his Black Faction counterpart. As long as I guide him in the right direction and get him to Saber of Black in time, Tokiomi's plan can proceed without interruptions or complications." However, the man narrowed his eyes. "But there remains one problem..."

Bram turned towards Gilgamesh. "My king," he said out loud, "I beseech you and your immeasurable power. Throw more of your swords at Saber of Black. Saber of White requires assistance in locating her, and your attacks should provide him with the perfect marker."

Gilgamesh tutted with disapproval. "Bram," he replied, "I still await a most satisfying and fulfilling result to my repetitive and boring actions tonight. In spite of my agreement to adhere to your advice and proceed with this comedic farce, I find my disappointment mounting by the minute, and I hesitate to continue, for I find Saber of Black's current behavior to be much more interesting than all else that has transpired thus far. What makes you think I will be willing to expend even more of my valued treasures and interrupt Saber of Black's amusing quest for fulfillment, all for the sake of letting some lowly knight know where the enemy is? It is a gross misuse of my trove, and I cannot just allow it."

The Sophia-Ri immediately bowed as sweat broke out on his forehead. "Your attacks are most effective at long range, my king, and as you can see, the enemy in question nearly brought your precious Vimana down. We cannot afford to get any closer to her, lest she wreak destruction upon this ark. Our only hope for her defeat is to pin her down with your swords, until Saber of Black locates her and finishes her off." He was met with a deathly silence, prompting him to continue with desperation, "O King of Heroes, I beg of you! If you stay your hand for any longer, we will be overcome! I am sure of it!"

He heard Gilgamesh sigh with irritation. "Very well. I shall only send one wave of swords down upon Saber of Black, and no more." The King of Heroes stood up, walked over to the edge of Vimana, and stared down at the forest below with an extremely disappointed expression. "Pray that your knight sees my attack and understands your intent."

Bram held back a sigh of relief as he replied, "Thank you, my noble king, thank you."

Gilgamesh pursed his lips with dissatisfaction as he gestured towards Mordred's direction.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The earsplitting feminine scream, more befitting of a frenzied madman than a chivalric knight, pierced the air like a knife and traveled through the forest until it reached the ears of Saber of White. As soon as he heard it, the knight looked over his shoulder and held his sword high in the air, ready to attack again.

But he didn't see Saber of Black anywhere, even though the scream indicated to him that she was near...

Then, the Servant heard the familiar sounds of metal and looked up at the starry sky, where a series of golden glimmers caught his attention. He could see his fellow White Servant, Archer, standing on his strange aerial vehicle, launching one sword after another like it was a pastime. Then, Saber of White followed the direction the swords were taking, and knew instantly that it was where Saber of Black was at.

"I command you, Siegfried, Dragon-Blooded Knight of Germany, to never speak unless invoking your Noble Phantasm."

The memory of his Master's first order caused Saber of White to falter in his footsteps. Though he chose to abide by the command almost instantaneously, more than once did he disagree with the morals of Tokiomi Tohsaka's strategy.

There were many, many moments during fruitless interactions with his fellow White Servants that Saber of White felt like his character was being willfully, maliciously tarnished by his own hand. Though such concerns were admittedly baseless, he sensed he was already betraying their vested trust in him, that his silence was absolutely dishonorable in its own right and sullied the relationship between one Heroic Spirit and another. It pained Saber of White to watch his fellow Servants disregard the true intentions of such behavior, believing it to simply be part of his personality.

He did not wish to be thought of as a silent, obedient killing machine who thrived on loyalty and servitude.

Even so, Saber of White refused to question the logic behind his Master's strategy. He could not disagree that there was a great risk in giving away essential hints to his true identity, no matter how innocent and infinitesimal the conversations would be. Should a White Master be intelligent enough to glean something crucial from a passing conversation, the long-sought dream of Tokiomi Tohsaka would be crushed in an instant, during the second phase of the War.

Along with his own dream, the one he kept close to his draconic heart and treasured greatly...

Upon remembering his wish, Saber of White recomposed himself and quickened his pace, as his facial expression became hardened with cold anticipation.

He may keep questioning the morals of his Master's strategy, and toil in his regret over shunning his fellow Servants and Heroic Spirits in such a manner. He may feel he had sullied his soul, but not once will he give in to his self-doubt. This is all just a trial, he thought, a trial that he must endure in order to acquire the Holy Grail and achieve his long-held desire. That was something even more important.

As such, for the duration of this Grail War, he would do everything he felt was absolutely necessary in order to achieve this acquisition. Even if it meant dragging everything he held dear through the rain and mud, he would gladly do it, as long as he reaped the long-awaited benefit. This was something he swore ever since he came to this world.

He would purge himself of everything that plagued his previous life like a sickness, and truly become a Hero of Justice.

"Master."

Waver gritted his teeth with annoyance at Asako's voice, and he replied, "Shut up, Assassin. I'm trying to think of a good strategy against the White Faction."

He heard another Assassin scoff. "No, you're not..." he replied with a jeering, singsong voice.

"You're thinking of a way out of this mess," continued a third Assassin, his voice young but flat; it almost sounded accusatory. "Aren't you?"

Waver sputtered with surprise before finally replying, "I'M-I'M NOT!"

"Shut up, kid!"

Waver winced at the sound of Kairi's voice, and he looked over his shoulder to see the freelance assassin hanging up on his phone just a few trees away from him. He had his back against a tree trunk, with a weird-looking gun (he heard the Magus Killer call it a Calico) raised upward. His double-barreled shotgun and ancient-looking pistol were holstered on his hips, ready for use when he needed it, and his pockets were filled to the brim with what Waver assumed to be crudely made explosive devices. It was something Waver still couldn't understand, seeing how magi frowned upon by the Mage's Association managed to make a rather effective blend of magic and rabble technology.

Maybe that was why he was having such a hard time believing he and Kairi would survive an actual battle with the White Faction...

"Don't tell me you're thinking of bailing out of this, kid!" Kairi snapped in a hushed voice. "And just when it seemed like you were finally taking things seriously!"

"I AM taking this seriously!" Waver replied defiantly. "That's why I think this is a stupid idea!"

"Do you have a better idea on how we can defeat the White Faction?"

"NO! But if I did have a plan, it wouldn't involve going straight at them like morons!"

"Relax, kid. Everything's going just as planned. The boss will have our back."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Waver immediately flashed back to the time he first met Kiritsugu. "Because if so, then it's not working. In fact, that only makes things worse for me."

"Well, you're here now and you're going to fight. This is what you signed up for, after all."

The Clock Tower student didn't respond and instead stared at his de facto partner's eyes. Though he couldn't see them behind those dark, intimidating sunglasses, but he could easily imagine him blinking with some sort of disappointment.

"You have never killed before you, haven't you, kid?" Kairi eventually asked.

"Why do I get the feeling I was asked that before...?" Waver thought. Then, he shouted in response, "No, I haven't! And I never even expected to do so at all!"

"So you thought Assassin was gonna do all the work for you? Heh." Kairi peeked his head out from the safety of the tree trunk. "Looks like you're gonna be the first Master to die in this War."

"Why do you even care?! You weren't even selected as a Master to begin with! What gives you the right to have as much of a stake in this War as the rest of us, anyway?!"

To his surprise, Waver was met with a tense silence. Kairi's posture was still the same, checking for any incoming threats and making sure all angles were covered. But it seemed like he was actively trying to avoid answering that question...

Suddenly, the two Black Masters heard the sound of galloping hooves and a neigh. They looked over their shoulders and saw St. George arriving gallantly on horseback, his white cape flowing beautifully with the wind. The magnificent horse, its fur and mane colored in marble-white, came to a stop before Waver and Kairi, and St. George regarded them both.

"Black Masters," he greeted.

"So, your Master's decided to grow a spine, huh?" Kairi asked.

"No. I have decided to come here on my own out of concern for his safety and ability to handle the battlefield. He agreed to this course of action and says he is seeking shelter elsewhere."

"He's letting you, his Servant, fight this battle in his stead while he saves himself?" Kairi scoffed disapprovingly. "What an absolute disappointment of an Yggdmillennia-"

"I do not doubt the intentions of my Master," St. George interrupted, his voice becoming slightly harsher at the freelance assassin's criticism. "I sincerely believe, in due time, that he will come to understand his responsibility and choose to do the right thing, for the sake of this Faction. But, in the meantime..." The Rider Servant dismounted his horse and patted its head gently, causing it to let out a loving, soft snort. "I will be assisting you. You only have Assassin of Black to help bolster your offense, and Saber of Black is somewhere else, out of your reach. You'll need more than one Servant if you wish to stand a chance against the enemy."

"I know," Kairi said, his lips suddenly curving into a confident smile. Waver couldn't help but believe that the freelancer had expected this turn of events. "Welcome to the group, Rider of Black."

St. George nodded politely. "My thanks, proxy Master." With that, the Rider Servant got back on his horse. "May we fight the noblest of battles side by side."

"Just make sure that Master of yours is watching and understands what he's doing."

Just then, they all heard a whip lashing at the air.

"YYYYYAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" a mighty, triumphant voice roared suddenly, followed by the bellows of bulls.

"Oh, God!" Waver thought. "Assassins, are you all here?!"

"We are, Master," Asako replied.

"We, the one and many Hundred-Faced Hassan..." began one of the Assassins.

"Are ready to serve..." continued another Assassin.

"At your express command," a third Assassin finished.

"Be on your guard, Assassins. This-This is it." Waver gulped so hard he could feel an intense amount of pressure bearing down his Adam's apple, threatening to crush it. "We're going to fight an actual enemy..."

"Do you still wish to retreat and live to see another day?" Asako asked, her poisonous voice particularly hypnotic tonight. "Or have you finally accepted your fate?"

Waver wanted to answer his Servant's question, but he suddenly felt his entire willpower leave his body. He simply stood behind the tree trunk in a frozen, almost catatonic state, peeking out from behind it and almost waiting for some sort of stimulus to come his way. That way, his body can spark alive again and he could so something productive-

A mighty chariot of tremendous power roared through the trees and entered a small clearing in the forest, leaving bolts of sparkling electricity in its wake. Waver's eyes gravitated towards the seat of the chariot, where he spotted none other than his instructor, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, sitting there like the smug bastard he was.

Next to Kayneth was the driver, and to Waver's shock and intrigue, it was a gigantic, intimidating man whose great form radiated power in its finest and sported rippling muscles that would make any other man in the world envious. His eyes, hair, and beard were as red as the evening sunset. He was wearing a set of bronze armor and a thick, heavily decorated mantle dyed in equally awe-inspiring red; it resembled a flowing curtain on the stage of the theater.

"WHOA, WHOA!" the red Servant shouted, his muscles bulging as he cracked the reins. The two Divine Bulls pulling the chariot stopped in their tracks in response. As soon as the mighty vehicle stopped, Kayneth stood up from his seat, his brow furrowed with concern.

"What is it, Rider?" the instructor asked. "Do you sense another enemy?"

"Yes," Rider of White replied, his voice as mighty as his form. He stared ahead with narrowed eyes. "He is right in front of us, my Master..."

Waver heard movement beside him and looked across his shoulder. To his surprise, St. George was advancing out of the safety of the trees and into the clearing, bringing himself into Kayneth's direct line of sight.

"Iskandar, King of Conquerors," the Dragon-slaying Saint greeted, bowing his head. "It is a pleasure crossing paths with you again, and on this fine night as well."

"Ah, I remember you," replied Iskandar, his voice surprisingly pleasant. "You were by the side of Lancer of Black during the second fight. If I can recall, you were the only one who willingly negotiated with me on my offer to join my glorious army." His grin widened with anticipation. "I do hope you spent the following nights reconsidering your initial decision to decline."

"My apologies, fellow Servant, but I did not. My spirit is unwavering, even in the face of offers such as money or glory."

Iskandar did not look offended in the slightest. Disappointed, yes, but never offended. "Oh, I truly am sorry to hear that. Your heart and compassion would've been a useful tool in my campaign of conquest!"

"Perhaps, but I'm afraid that your plans for me already clash with my own ideals."

St. George slowly pulled out his sword, and Kayneth and Iskandar followed every inch of its blade as it was unsheathed. He then aimed it at Iskandar's direction, and it gleamed brightly with the moonlight. Waver couldn't help but gawk with awe at that magnificent sight, and he fleetingly wondered the kind of magnificence that came with Rider of White...

"I have pledged to spend my lifetime protecting all who are in need and in danger, no matter who they are, where they are, and what age they live in. Your steadfast intention of conquering the planet endangers the lives and well-beings of everyone else, no matter how well-meaning you are. And for that, I can't allow you to succeed in your goals for tonight."

"Very well, then, Rider of Black!" Iskandar roared mightily, his grin almost manic with excitement. "It shall be conquest against protection! Let us see whose spirit shines brightest!"

With a grunt, the King of Conquerors cracked the reins powerfully, and in response, the Divine Bulls stampeded forward, bellowing as loudly as they could. The mighty chariot raced towards St. George, electricity sparkling from every end and illuminating the clearing. In response, St. George yelled and pulled the reins of his own horse, commanding it to charge forward as well.

"Whoa, no way!" Waver cried, watching as the two Rider Servants were about to collide.

"Now's not the time to be watching like it's a sport!" Kairi snapped. "Rider of White's Master is gone, and we have to find him before he reaches the castle!"

Indeed, Waver realized that, during the conversation between the two Rider Servants, Kayneth had chosen to sneak out of his Servant's chariot and wander into the forest by himself.

"Master," Asako said suddenly, "we have located the Master of Rider of White."

"That's good!" Waver whispered. "Kill him on the spot, Assassin!"

"We would, but there's a problem..."

The student's eyes widened with surprise.

"There he is."

Taking cover behind different trees, yards away from the duel between St. George and Iskandar, Kairi and Waver spotted Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald advancing towards the Einzbern Castle, which was now within immediate sight. Right beside him, crawling gracefully on the forest floor with the style of a caterpillar, was an oval-shaped ball of mercury. As soon as he spotted the liquid element, Waver's eyes widened with horror. He had heard rumors swirling about the true extent of his instructor's magic, but he thought he'd never see the prime example of that up close.

"This isn't good, Assassin," he whispered. "Not good at all..."

"We overheard him using an invocation after summoning it," warned Asako. "Whatever it is, that thing is an autonomous weapon that attacks and defends on instinct. My Master, I fear that our ambush attacks won't be enough to kill the target. But if you wish to test out its speed and its abilities, we are more than happy to make the necessary sacrifices-"

"NO!" Waver commanded in his head. "We can't let the White Faction think there's more than one Assassin of Black! It's integral to our strategy that we remain in the shadows!"

"We, you say, my Master...?" another Assassin asked with a scratchy voice.

"What are the Assassins saying, kid?" Kairi asked in a hushed voice.

Waver trembled as he replied, "That ball of mercury...it's his Mystic Code... It's impossible to get through..."

"Shit..." Kairi muttered underneath his breath. Then, after taking a moment to come up with a strategy, he said, "Alright, let's get closer to him."

"Closer?!" Waver shouted with disbelief.

Unfortunately, Kayneth heard the student's outburst and swiped at the air with his arm, in the direction where Waver and Kairi were hiding at.

"SCALP!" he shouted.

The ball of mercury turned into a blur in an instant and struck outward with a flurry of long, thin, whip-like tendrils. Kairi and Waver ducked to the ground on instinct as trees were bifurcated, sending splinters of wood and loose, crisp leaves in the air, flying in all directions.

"Master!" Asako shouted with warning.

Waver felt a shadow looming over him and looked up, just in time to see a falling tree trunk. With a terrified scream, the student rolled out of the way in time to avoid it. Kairi also rolled out of the way to avoid his own falling trunk and quickly took cover behind another one, but it was clear who Kayneth had set his sights on.

"Well, well, well..." he said, a nefarious sneer appearing. "Waver Velvet..."

The young man gasped and sat up, his eyes immediately meeting those of his instructor. He tried to scramble away and save himself, but his peripheral vision caught the ball of mercury, and his mind told him an attempt to escape would be utterly futile now.

All of a sudden, Kayneth began laughing, and Waver felt as if he was back in that classroom, being forced into the center of his classmates' jeering once again. The memory of that humiliating moment made him dig his fingers into the dirt, to the point where his fingernails threatened to tear and break...but that was all he could do...

"I never even imagined that you yourself had been planning to enter the Holy Grail War!" Kayneth shouted as soon as he was done laughing. "And after all that I have told you! I honestly wonder what twisted madness had invaded your psyche and compelled you, a lowly third-generation mage, a mere baby, to do such a suicidal act!"

Waver gritted his teeth at the return of that unbearable insult from the classroom incident. Slowly but surely, the fear in him at the prospect of facing death in a Holy Grail War battle was disappearing. In its place, absolute hatred was rising, boiling within him.

Unfortunately for him, Kayneth noticed his student's escalating anger, and he let out a comically sinister chuckle.

"Now is that any way to respect your teacher?" he asked mockingly.

"I could say the same for you, prick," Waver thought bitterly.

Kayneth continued arrogantly, "I know you're not experienced in these matters, Waver Velvet."

He started walking towards Waver, his body being repeatedly cast under passing shadows, his step almost gleeful. Upon noticing the ball of mercury rolling alongside Kayneth, Waver started to scoot away in desperation, grinding his backside and scraping his palms against the dirt. But his efforts were weak and fruitless, for Kayneth was getting closer and closer by the second.

At this point, Kayneth's smile was radiating insanity from his revelries. "How would like me to offer you a private lesson? A lesson on what it really means for mages to kill one another?"

Waver tried to clench his fist, the one bearing his black Command Seals, but something was preventing his neurons from sending the message. He was literally clashing with himself, trying desperately to choose between self-preservation and defending his honor and that of his family. But there was no way he could make such a decision within split-seconds-

"I'll teach you all about the fear and pain involved in such endeavors-" Kayneth began with a drawl.

A snakelike hiss filled the air, quickly followed by a hoarse cry. Waver saw a blur of black and gray pouncing towards his instructor, like a wildcat about to ambush its prey.

"Fervor, mei sanguis!" Kayneth shouted immediately in one breath.

Reacting on instinct, the blob-like form of mercury turned into a series of freakishly large spikes, impaling the would-be attacker and thrusting it high in the air. It roared, gurgled, and spat out crimson blood before its limbs fell limp. Waver's eyes widened with shock.

"A...Assassin...?" he whispered.

Three more blurs appeared, wielding daggers. Kayneth's eyes dilated with anger as he shouted, "SCALP!"

The rigid mercury spikes became flexible and lunged towards the three Assassins as bladed tendrils. Two of the Assassins were skewered and killed almost instantly. The third Assassin managed to somersault and maneuver his way through the Mystic Code's offensive tactic, only for him to be wrapped in one particularly large tendril and slammed into the ground repeatedly until the soil was painted with his blood and flesh.

"Assassin of Black?!" Kayneth roared upon spotting the corpses. "I thought he was slain nights ago! That...That is simply impossible! What...What in blazes is this madness?!"

Realizing he finally had an advantage that Kayneth didn't, Waver's lips broke into a gleeful grin of his own, and he slowly got up from the ground.

"See...that was your mistake...Kayneth...El-Melloi...Archibald..." Once he was fully on his feet, the student glared at his flabbergasted instructor with an almost childish giddiness. "You think you're better than the rest of us because you have a pure lineage that has stretched for many generations... You look down upon the bloodlines you think are unworthy of any recognition, and you try to snuff out their credibility because they are antithetical to what you believe..." Then, all of a sudden, he shouted mightily, "But you...you're just a pompous ass who's just afraid of the talent of others!"

"YOU DARE?!" shouted Kayneth.

Waver flinched a little at the ninth-generation mage's outburst, but he continued with shaky confidence, "And because of that, you underestimate what they are capable of, Archibald! What I am capable of! Assassins, reveal yourselves!"

As soon as he invoked that command, veils of shadow unfurled all around the two mages, covering the immediate area. Kayneth looked all around him, gasping, his eyes bulging with horror at the sight of this many Assassin Servants. It only took a full minute for all of the Assassins in the forest to materialize, but by that point, Kayneth's jaw was hanging open.

"This...This is not possible..." he let out in a low, hoarse voice. "Multiple...Assassins of Black...in my midst...? But...how can this be...? The Black Faction..." His teeth clenched with panic. "It...It had us deceived this whole time...?"

"You called me and my lineage a newborn baby," Waver replied, his voice trembling with excitement at the juicy prospect of exacting his revenge. "Tell me, Archibald, who's the baby now?! Assassins, show him what you're capable of!"

The many Assassins charged in unison, their daggers ready and their shared intent to kill set. Beads of sweat broke out on Kayneth's forehead as he cried out with desperation, "SCALP!"

His Mystic Code lashed out as a storm of tendrils again, slamming some Assassins into trees and bifurcating others with the immense and violent power of their lashes. Waver's expression of pride and joy quickly turned into one of horror and regret as his Assassins all fell one by one, within mere seconds, with none of them being able to land a single attack on Kayneth or his powerful Mystic Code. Soon, the forest air was filled with a blue, sparkling, transparent, powdery material that signified the final de-materialization of the Assassins of Black. Upon realizing this development, Kayneth's confident demeanor returned almost instantaneously, inwardly rejoicing at the great advantage he had just regained.

Now, only one Assassin remained, Asako. She jumped away powerfully from one of the Mystic Code's tendrils and landed a couple of feet in front of Waver. The ball of mercury slowly but surely reverted back into its blob-like form and laid still.

"I acclaim your endeavor, Waver Velvet," Kayneth said satirically. "You nearly had me at a disadvantage for just a fleeting moment. But it appears you've made a fatal oversight about your Servant: a Heroic Spirit manifesting as multiple bodies for each of his personalities does not equate to having a more powerful Servant overall."

Asako hissed malevolently and made a defensive pose as she fixated her sights on Kayneth. As she did, two new daggers manifested in her hands. The instructor smirked with amusement at the sight.

"So your Servant refuses to surrender and instead chooses to carry out your will," he continued. "Very admirable, Waver Velvet, very admirable. Such stubborn credence in spite of your own inherent weaknesses. You and Assassin of Black are a match only the Holy Grail could conceive."

Waver gritted his teeth and shouted, "SHUT UP, YOU STUCK-UP NARCISSIST! I AM NOT WEAK!"

Kayneth closed his eyes with an infuriatingly mocking sigh. "Oh, you poor, foolish boy. Even after that marvelous display of my power, you're still insistent of your lineage's superiority over mine? Very well, then." He opened his eyes again. "It is time to begin our private lesson. SCALP!"

Tendrils shot out of the blob of mercury again, while Asako charged forward with all of her might.

"ASSASSIN!" Waver cried, but to no avail. Before he knew it, a sentient, writhing blade pierced through Asako's torso like it was butter; blood jettisoned out of her wounds and mouth; her skull mask was knocked off.

It suddenly became still for a couple of seconds, but to Waver, it felt like forever. Only moments ago, he had his teacher, the one who challenged his worth, in the palm of his hand. Now, he could only stand there and stare helplessly at Asako as she weakly struggled against the weapon. The only audible noises were her coughing and a wet dripping.

The tendril twitched powerfully and Asako was slammed into the forest floor like a thrown rag-doll. She grunted with pain upon impact, and her entire body trembled as it began to dissipate.

Waver collapsed to his knees with despair. Asako had been the only personality who showed him some legitimate respect as a Master.

"A...Assassin..." he breathed out, his eyes close to tears.

She looked at him, and he saw her unmasked face for the first time. As soon as their eyes met, he saw not a tool that he needed to win the Holy Grail and attain the respect and recognition he desperately craved...but a person- no, people that he sent to their deaths...

Even if Assassin was merely a powerful familiar, Waver felt that he knew, now, what it was like to kill.

Five words oozed out of Asako's mouth in barely comprehensible gurgles.

"Take care of yourself, Master..."

Waver blinked and she was gone.

Kayneth too watched as the remnants of Assassin of Black faded away into the misty air of the night. Then, he shook his head and tutted, while his Mystic Code withdrew its deadly tendrils and reverted back to its spherical form.

"How disappointing," he said. "I never held any respect for the Assassin as a Servant class in the first place, and yet, you still managed to turn what looked like a promising battle into a ridiculous farce."

Waver didn't respond anymore. He thought he had Kayneth, one of the great cornerstones of the Clock Tower, cornered at long last, but his efforts simply fell flat on their face. And as Kayneth's cruel, unrelenting mockery bombarded him, he no longer felt the urge to lash out and defend his honor like before. After all, how could he? All of his previous efforts, all of them were utter failures! There was nothing left for him to do now, but simply accept death at Kayneth's hands.

For after all, he had disregarded Kairi's order in an act that was both arrogant and cowardly of him, and summoned all of the Assassins into the forest, not half of them.

Suddenly, a new voice proclaimed in response to Kayneth, "It wasn't a farce, Kayneth!"

Waver looked towards the trees and saw Kairi jump out of his hiding place, his Calico trained on Kayneth. Seconds later, he opened fire.

"YOU WORTHLESS COWARD!" Mordred roared as she evaded Gilgamesh's onslaught of swords. "IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE FOR ME?!"

Gilgamesh didn't respond to her query, but he made a gesture that prompted the golden portals to close. Mordred could sense that the Archer Servant was not planning on addressing her any further. That and the simultaneous shunning she was receiving from her father proved to be a deadly mix, and she proceeded to shout madly into the sky.

"YOU LOUNGE IN YOUR RIDICULOUS LITTLE AIRCRAFT LIKE SOME SLOTH, WHILE OTHER SERVANTS FIGHT HEAD-ON IN THE BATTLEFIELD, AND YOU STILL PROUDLY WEAR THE MANTLE OF A HEROIC SPIRIT?! YOU AND OTHER ARCHERS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN OVERLY GLORIFIED COWARDS!"

She watched as Gilgamesh suddenly twitched once aboard Vimana. He was silent for a moment, before he made another gesture and prompted the golden portals to fire more swords at her direction. Seeing this escalation only made Mordred gleeful, however.

"HA!" she screeched as she slashed away sword after sword after sword. "SO THIS IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO! AND THE WHITE FACTION IS SAID TO BE FULL OF NOTHING BUT POWERHOUSES?! HOW LAUGHABLE! WHAT JEST!"

Gilgamesh pursed his lips and replied, "Mongrel, you were fortunate to receive the greatest leniency from me. But you've chosen to exploit my generosity by mocking me and the extent of my power. As such, you leave me with no choice but to skewer you where you stand!"

He fired even more swords, but Mordred simply outmaneuvered most of them, while swatting away the rest with Clarent.

"AND THIS IS HOW YOU PLAN ON SLAYING ME, ARCHER OF WHITE?!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. "BY SIMPLY REPEATING THIS UTTERLY FUTILE LONG-RANGED ATTACK?! YOUR WORDS MAY SHOW NOTHING BUT CONFIDENCE, BUT I KNOW YOU ARE SHAKING IN YOUR ARMOR AT THE SIGHT OF ME, THE SON AND HEIR OF THE KING OF KNIGHTS!"

Gilgamesh's posture suddenly became rigid, and Mordred could see the golden Servant's Master flinch fearfully from the side. Then, after a couple of seconds, Gilgamesh burst out into laughter, bringing immense irritation to Mordred.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, ARCHER OF WHITE?!"

"You, the son and heir of the King of Knights?! You, a mere knight with a twisted and uncouth worldview, and nothing to prove but a childish and desperate need for affirmation from others?!" Gilgamesh stopped laughing and took a breath of exhilaration. "What ridiculous comedy! To think that tonight would unfold into something that is a spectacle for the mind to behold... I thank you, Knight of Treachery, for providing me with tonight's greatest feat of entertainment yet-"

He was cut off by a powerful blast of mana-fueled air that struck Vimana, sending it spiraling off-course. Fortunately, the King of Heroes managed to recover the ark before he and Bram could fall off, but not before it hit the treeline and broke off a great number of tree branches.

Then, before he could register what had happened, Gilgamesh had to sidestep the vicious swing of a sword. His crimson eyes glared at a wrathful Mordred, who had managed to board Vimana while it was at its closest point to the ground.

"You will regret mocking my royal blood, Archer of White!" the Knight of Treachery hissed, her pupils quivering madly.

She was not alone in her fury. Upon observing the many scratches that now adorned Vimana's magnificent golden frame, Gilgamesh gritted his teeth, and his plated shoulders began to tremble violently. From the side of the ark, Bram gasped inaudibly and cowered at the sight of his Servant.

"Fool..." he growled. "You dare to bring about such a disgusting and unsightly appearance...UPON ONE OF MY GREATEST TREASURES?!"

"What?" Mordred replied, sneering as she looked around with faux-confusion. "Oh, you're talking about this ghastly piece of trash? I honestly question the value of riding on a metal insect of all things."

Gilgamesh's eyes twitched nastily at the insult. Vimana abruptly lurched forward, knocking Mordred off and sending her tumbling back down to the forest. She recovered quickly and looked back up at the night sky, only to see hundreds and hundreds of golden rippling portals materializing behind Vimana as it faced her direction. Their blades aimed themselves at her, each glowing with a frightening golden energy that would make any other Servant question their actions moving forward.

"And then you defile the very being of my Vimana with your foul words and your wretched breath...?" The King of Heroes clenched his shaking armored fists with unmatched hatred. "Your entertainment value has expired in my eyes, knight! I delayed the inevitable under the ill-advised suggestion of my retainer, but not anymore! I shall see to it that your measly life expires as well!"

"So now you choose to take this fight seriously?" Mordred asked arrogantly. "I was wondering what held you back, White Servant. And by your admission, it was your Master? How laughable and pathetic for someone who claims his superiority over others."

Gilgamesh's eyes dilated, which Mordred was quick to notice.

"What's wrong, Archer?!" she called. "Did I touch a nerve?!"

"You will learn to curse those words soon enough," Gilgamesh whispered hatefully. Then, he roared, "Mongrel, when I am through with you, nothing will remain of your corpse!"

Chapter 11:
Heroic Collision

Feend: The opportunity to lead the Black Faction back on the glorious path to victory has now presented itself.

Kayneth: Magus Killer, come forth and let us duel for the possession of the Holy Grail, with our lives and sacred honor!

Jeanne: I place my utmost faith in you, Kirei!

Caster of Black: Do you now feel the cruel and torturous pain of God's punishment, Jeanne?!

Sieg: What is life...?

Kirei: Should I allow this to transpire, at the cost of everything else...?

Next Time:
The Hand of the Demon Marshal

A/N: Here we are, everyone! The first official fight between the Black and White Factions as a group! Very exciting, huh?

This chapter turned out to be a whole lot longer than I originally expected, and this led to a whole bunch of delays in the release date that I had planned. I also blame school for the delays; taking four literature classes from Monday to Friday in one semester is proving to be an exceptionally huge pain in the butt. All of the required reading and assignments that I have to do would probably making anyone else cry.

Anyway, as for the chapter itself, it was both fun and difficult to make. I found myself rewriting some scenes and excising others out of disappointment in their quality. The battles were great to visualize in my head and write down as text, but I feel like I made some of the action sequences repetitive. By the time I got done with the chapter itself, I felt so swamped with life that I decided to call it a day and proceed to the Author's Note. So I apologize if things feel a little too drawn out in some places. Overall, I would grade this chapter with a low B if I were grading individual chapters. I sense it may be a C for some of you (or better or worse), but we'll see in the review box.

Also, in regards to the death of Assassin of Black, we haven't seen the last of the Hundred-Faced Hassan! Rest assured, I have one last thing in my sleeve for that Servant's story. ;)

Oh, and you don't have to worry about Kiritsugu taking a backseat in the Impossible Holy Grail War for any longer. I plan on having him shine during this fight, but I highly doubt that will happen in the next chapter. It will most likely happen in the chapter after that. I know you guys haven't been all that happy about his role so far, but trust me, I hope to make up for all of that in the coming chapters.

Alright, now I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:

-crawforddarius7: Sorry, man, I haven't watched "Akame ga Kill!" in SUCH A LONG TIME, so I'm not gonna be able to write that kind of crossover. I also don't have enough time to catch myself up with that anime.

-blazenite104: Sorry, but Kiritsugu's not gonna die that way.

-metacllica:

1) After the battle at Einzbern Castle is done, we will get to see what Jeanne's response to Tatsumi's invitation will be.

2) Perhaps Jeanne's words will get through to Kirei in time, or will fate be a bitch and have Gilgamesh successfully sway Kirei once again, like in the canon? Only time will tell...

3) Of course Kiritsugu's an ass towards Jeanne. He has a deep-seated hatred of Heroic Spirits and what they represent. But will it be a fatal flaw?

4) And that dysfunction will come to a head soon...

-superpierce: Can you please be more specific in your review?

-TheMaster4444: Indeed, that would be quite a twisted move on Kirei's part...

-Dante 101:

1) One of my teachers actually discussed that during one of her lectures. The failure of language can sometimes lead to brilliant things.

2) That is a pretty good analysis on Jeanne's character. As for the Jeanne Alter tidbit...no comment.

3) I apologize if I am overdoing Mordred's rage. The thing is, I've been way too swamped with work to actually resume watching the "Fate/Apocrypha" anime, and I've been sorta winging it when it comes to writing the Apocrypha characters.

4) "Honestly, if Caules doesn't want any part in the Grail War, why doesn't he just simply resign?" That is a pretty good question, my friend. Why doesn't he give up the Command Seals and totally relinquish his responsibilities as a Master? What exactly is it that's been keeping him in the Grail War for so long despite his attitude?

5) St. George is only a chess piece in the game that is Caules's character development. I'll just leave it at that.

6) I chose not to bring in EMIYA as Kiritsugu's Servant because I wasn't sure how summoning him in this timeline would work out, given he was summoned by Rin's pendant in the "Fate/stay night" canon. The only way that summoning could be achieved is if Kiritsugu stole one of Tokiomi's jewels, but what would be his motive? He'd have no way of knowing that would be a catalyst for a Servant. There's just too many questions for the prologue to address. If you've got an idea on how such a scenario would unfold, I'm all ears, but I just can't see that happening.

7) I chose Mordred not only because of the interesting and unexpected pairing, but also because I believed she'd be the closest to Kiritsugu in terms of personality. Her destructive and unconventional methods seem reminiscent of Kiritsugu's own. Of course, it's a very vague similarity, but because Kiritsugu had a shard of the Round Table and not Avalon like in the canon, this was the next piece of criteria that guided the Holy Grail's pick. I cannot imagine him summoning Arturia with the shard because their personalities are wholly incompatible in spite of their pursuits, unless there's something I'm missing out on in "Fate/Zero".

8) I think someone else already asked that question, and yes, the Grail is corrupted.

9) In the Fuyuki system of the Holy Grail Wars, only Hassan-i-Sabbah can be summoned. The only exception to that was the Assassin of the Fifth War, and that was only because he is an improper summon; his Master is Medea, a Servant who managed to bypass those rules. In Trifas, Heroic Spirits that were not Hassan-i-Sabbah were summoned under the class of Assassin because the magi community became aware of Hassan-i-Sabbah's identities and didn't want to be stuck with them as Servants, so they figured out ways to bypass those rules as well. But in the "Fate/Rule Zero" timeline, no one is aware of that rule and Hassan-i-Sabbah's identities, so that part of the Grail War system remained intact and unbroken by anyone, hence the summoning of two different Hassan-i-Sabbahs.

10) Someone else already mentioned that. I apologize for the missed opportunity.

11) Because the Grail is corrupted and hopes to see something twisted come out of this pairing.

12) Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out.

Well, hope you enjoyed this long-awaited chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!