Fate-profaned offering

by VitaVitaAR

The Holy Grail War. A free-for-all battle to the death between seven pairs of Masters and Servants. Matsushita Ai, at the behest of the organization that has cared for her for ten years, has been sent back to her birthplace to participate in such a clash. Together with her Saber-class Servant, Okita Souji, she will descend into a violent conflict in which there can be one victor.

8. Chapter 8

So far, Saber had yet to see a single enemy.

For that matter, it was difficult to see her allies through the forest as well. But she could sense their presence, and hear them. The rumbling of Rider's chariot, Lancer and Archer's footsteps, and, surprisingly, she felt certain those were the footsteps of the overseer as well. She wasn't exactly keeping pace with the Servants, but remarkably, she wasn't far behind either.

Reflecting on their first meeting, as long as the overseer didn't try anything funny, Saber could tolerate her presence. But this confirmed what she had expected: Estrizia was a killer, just as she was. No kind words could hide that.

The only one she couldn't sense was, unfortunately, the one she was most wary of: Assassin. However, no matter how she felt about the retainer of Oda Nobunaga, the fact was that it would be foolish for her to attempt to assassinate any of the other Masters at the moment.

The wind whipped past the girl samurai as she sprinted through the Harazuki forest. Phantoms and undead: Those were the enemies she should be expecting, were they not? But not simply human dead. By Lancer's account, there were giants among Caster's forces as well. There was quite a bit they didn't know about Caster's capabilities.

She had to be careful, but Saber was nothing if not confident! No matter what Dead she was up against, she'd cut them down one after another! This was where her skill lay, slicing through the enemy with her blade again and again without fail!

Saber swerved to avoid a tree, and heard then heard a chorus of 'twangs'. Almost immediately a hail of arrows whipped through the air towards her! Darting to her left to avoid them, she was greeted with another set of arrows, less, this time. She felt one tear past her cheek, dangerously close to her head, but the next was greeted with her blade! She split the arrow down the middle, slicing cleanly through it as she burst into a clearing!

There, a set of dozens of undead, wielding bows and ancient swords! These weren't the simple decrepit corpses that Caster had summoned before, each was armed!

Diving over a hail of arrows, off a large rock, the platinum blonde girl angled herself so that her foot made contact with one of the undead as it drew its bow once more, crumpling its chest cavity and sending it crashing to the ground. These dead looked almost fresh, their bodies exhibiting some level of decay but for the most part they looked as if they had died recently! And yet these were no modern civilians murdered to join Caster's forces. They were ancient, helmets and armor foreign to this land…

One sword came slicing through the air towards Saber as she straightened. Swiftly, she parried the blow and forced the undead soldier back, spinning in place to take the head of another. Not only were these dead armed, but their ability to react was much faster. They were far more 'alive' then the Dead Saber had faced previously! As she parried another blow, katana flashing, an axe came careening towards her as well!

Stepping back, Saber allowed it to cleave through the air just in front of her before tilting her body and slicing upwards. In one swing of her katana, she took the undead soldier's arm, and she brought it back down to cleave through its body from the head to its flank, sending the corpse to the ground in two pieces. These Dead were more dangerous, but Saber wouldn't be stopped! She danced away from the strike of a long, two-handed western sword, the undead who made the attack snarling. Before it could raise its weapon again, Saber swiftly put her katana through its head and sliced upwards, splitting its head in two before kicking the corpse away, sending the advancing dead behind it stumbling back! She was already thinning the numbers of this first group!

But it wasn't long before the samurai heard a roar from the forest, thunderous footfalls approaching as three massive giant undead charged towards her! They cared little for their allies, crushing the human undead under their huge feet as the charged. The first of the giants raised its enormous club and swung it down, Saber darting backwards out of the way as it crashed into the earth hard enough to leave a crater! Indeed, the giant undead were on an entirely different level then the human corpses!

But Saber was a Servant! She would never allow herself to be frightened of such beasts!

"It's no different then cutting down a tree!" she declared, sprinting in and swinging her katana in an arc, slicing the giant's flesh right to the bone! It growled and raised its club once more. Ah, she hadn't cut deeply enough to sever its leg entirely!

The second undead giant, this one with a massive, crude stone sword, raised it overhead and prepared to bring it down. Even leaping back, the girl samurai was forced to use her blade to block the weapon as it came crashing down! The impact sent Saber skidding backwards across the grass, tossing up dust before she came to a halt!

The third undead giant, unarmed, charged her and raised one its massive grey fists!

That was its mistake. But it was only an undead, after all!

As its hand came hammering down, Saber's blade flashed and sliced clean through it! The giant's enormous fist was cut completely in two, the huge undead's fingers falling away, part of the threat the huge dead thing posed eliminated in an instant! Now she simply had to kill all three!

As the girl samurai stepped back into a ready stance, the club-wielding undead giant struck at her once more, its enormous weapon smashing into the earth as it did. The other, smaller undead still remained, but it seemed as if every blow from the giants either killed some of their own forces or sent them flying… But right now, Saber had to take advantage of this!

Before the giant could raise his weapon again, the silvery-haired girl planted one foot on the club and sprinted up it, crossing the massive club in an instant, then the creature's arm, and…!

Her blade flashed in the setting sunlight, and Saber cut clean through the giant's neck, decapitating it!

The massive body fell to the ground with an enormous, resounding thud, as Saber landed behind the enormous corpse. Almost immediately, the sword-wielding giant swung its blade towards her, not even giving her a moment to spare between her slaying of the club giant and its next attack. And even as she leaped backwards to avoid the crude blade, the unarmed undead giant swung its remaining hand towards her in an open-palmed slap!

Saber almost seemed to vanish, putting to use the technique that allowed her to cover distances in an instant as if the earth between herself and her destination had been reduced. She had trained relentlessly to gain mastery of this technique in life, and she had put it to use over and over since being summoned! She reappeared several meters away, air currents whipping past her as she came to a halt, bringing her katana parallel to her head once more!

The girl samurai erupted forward in the blink of an eye, before the huge giant could recover. In a flash, the silvery-haired swordswoman cut cleanly through the hulking undead's wrist, its hand tumbling off and twitching on the ground! Now without functioning hands, the massive walking corpse attempted to lean back and kick her! Saber smiled, side-stepping the clumsy maneuver and cleaving through the undead giant's right leg, this time ensuring she severed flesh and bone! With a groan, the enormous figure started to fall forward, catching itself on the stump that remained of its foot, causing the massive dead thing to fall sideways. In a flash, Okita sprang up and cut its head apart, slicing completely through its skull and sending half its head hurtling through the air and to the ground!

But as the air rushed past her, Saber still being carried through the air by her leap, the third giant's sword swung right for her! Even if she blocked, she was going to be sent flying!

At least, it looked that way until a chariot pulled by two enormous bulls came from the sky, crashing down onto the huge undead! Saber landed on her feet as the huge corpse was torn apart by the pawing bulls, and the spinning wheels. Bones snapped, skin and muscle torn away, and with a bellow one of the bulls reared back and slammed its hooves down, pulverizing the giant's skull!

"How unsightly," commented Medb, tapping her crop against her hand as she did, looking down at the fading corpse, "These things are absolutely vile, aren't they, Saber~?"

She smiled towards the samurai, who returned her gaze with a glare. Rider's attitude, her flirtatious nature and aggressive interest in Saber herself left the swordswoman uncertain what to do, but wary of the pink-haired monarch.

"Oh, don't give your savior such a sour look~" complained Rider, waving her hand dismissively, "I saw Caster. She's above the black spot, you might even be able to see her from here."

"She's outside the black spot?!" exclaimed Saber.

Immediately, silvery-gold eyes widening, the katana-wielding Servant looked skywards. She'd expected Caster to remain inside of the strange dark patch on the Harazuki Forest, not to come out and face them directly! What was she doing!? Indeed, she could see the dark form of the necromancer Servant, suspended in the air by two wings of black mist.

"What could she be doing?!"

"I don't know," replied Medb, with a pout "I was going to slam her out of the sky and crush her under my foot, but it was like my chariot was charging though water, I couldn't move fast enough to hit her! It was so frustrating!"
Rider's hands clenched into fists.

"So… I came down here to help out~ Aren't you thrilled, Saber?" she asked, giving the other girl a flirtatious smile, "I'm one step closer to thoroughly dominating you and making you my own~"

Saber took a small step back. Even now, in the midst of battle, Medb was… dedicated to such inappropriate behavior. The tales of the Queen of Connacht really were true.

"… Regardless of how I feel about that, this isn't the time…" she replied, uncertain of how to react.

"Fine, fine, I'll keep forging ahead. These pathetic undead are nothing compared to the Queen of Connacht!"

With the thundering sound of massive hooves, the chariot charged onwards. Soon, Saber followed. Medb's chariot could cover a large area with its charge, but if Caster was summoning more undead there was no way she would kill all of the walking corpses at once. And they still didn't know just what Caster had waiting for them!

To her left, Saber saw an enormous flash of brilliant white light. Lancer had to be engaging the Dead too… naturally, there was no doubt in the silvery-haired Servant's mind that the knight would be victorious!

Something whistled through the air towards her, and Saber's katana snapped up to deflect it. As her sword clashed with the incoming projectile, she realized it was a thrown axe, and the next group of undead, this one mostly human once more, was now emerging from the brush! Flash-stepping forwards, she met the first of the dead before it could draw its main weapon, katana flashing to slice it completely in two down the middle of its body! As both halves fell apart, she darted between them to immediately parry another sword slash, cutting apart the next of the dead as it advanced. Her sword cleaved the air, taking another corpse's head, and another, and another, and another… but they just kept coming. Just how many of these dead had Caster summoned to her side?!

And then something else appeared. Something even more unnatural then the walking dead.

A ghostly, skeletal figure, half of a skeleton with elongated, warped arms and hands, draped in what seemed to be some form of shroud. Another of its kind appeared, and another… So these were the ghosts that were now bound to Caster's will?!

"The edge of this blade will never fail, even against apparitions!" declared Saber! She backed away from the lashing, skeletal talons of the ghosts. Certainly, these were spiritual beings with no true physical form. But she was a spiritual being too, even if she had a body!

Thrusting her blade forward, she pierced the translucent form of one of the phantoms, and it faded into mist!

They could be destroyed just like anything else!

A strange, shimmering, light-like projectile flew from the hand of one of the phantoms, ripping through the air towards her. Saber darted to the side, the air almost seeming to ripple across her as the unusual attack went past her. When it struck a tree, rather then doing physical damage, it seemed to simply cause the bark to blacken and die, crumbling away, as if the very life had been removed from it in an instant. So the fact that the ghosts lacked a true physical body meant their attacks were based on the removal of life rather than causing injury?

It wasn't as if it mattered! Dodging another hazy, shimmering projectile, Saber lunged forward and cut one of the phantoms' arms from its body, both limbs dissipating into white mist as they faded away! Not a single sound came from the ghost, it's jaw simply opening and shutting as it drifted backwards. But the samurai couldn't afford to pay attention only to the skeletal apparitions! No, the armed undead were still advancing!

It wasn't exactly unexpected when they simply walked through the ghosts, as if nothing was there. Raising her katana, Saber prepared for the next attack!

But then a trio of gunshots rang out! Almost immediately, the undead that had made their way past the ghosts hit the ground, each with a bullet drilled right into their skull!

Archer had taken the chance to help thin the numbers that Saber was facing! No matter how she felt about his conduct before, he was certainly being helpful now! Smiling, the girl samurai sprinted forward and cut through the next phantom, its halves dissipating into mist as they drifted apart from one another!

The final ghost drifted backwards noiselessly, as Saber advanced swiftly towards it. The other undead that surrounded her were swiftly being gunned down, Archer putting a hole through their heads as rapidly as they emerged from the foliage. One more of the undead warriors raised its blade to attack her, but in an instant she took its hands and pierced it through the skull with the tip of her katana. It fell to the ground, motionless, its body fading away slowly as Saber sprang over the corpse. The ghost let off blasts of life-sucking light, but there was no way the samurai would let herself be taken off-guard by something like that!

In the blink of an eye, she covered the distance between herself and the phantom with a rush of wind, and cut it to pieces! The body of the spirit came apart and faded away, leaving behind white mist once more.

These undead, and these enthralled ghosts, were certainly more dangerous then the decrepit corpses that Caster had used previously! It required genuine effort to pay attention to their attacks in order to avoid them, and the giants especially were incredibly strong! And yet, they were still nothing compared to a member of the Shinsengumi like herself! Saber knew she'd have no trouble cutting her way through the rest of Caster's forces!

Suddenly, the trees parted, and an enormous, skeletal, clawed foot came crashing down. Forced to halt, Saber skidded along the ground and took a step back, silvery-gold eyes widening in surprise as she followed the leg up. Flesh still clung to the enormous creature, and as the swordswoman perceived the entire monster she realized what it was.

Scales flaked away, and its wings were tattered and useless. But as it let out a mighty roar, showing razor sharp fangs, there was no mistaking it for anything else.

It was a massive, undead dragon. Its enormous jaws parted in a roar, flesh sloughing off of its head as a greenish miasma swirled from its maw, leaves wilting and decaying as the breath washed over them. Saber darted backwards, and as the grotesque cloud of gas came in contact with the earth, small plants began to wither and die.

The undead dragon was exhaling some kind of horrible toxin, a poison that killed on contact. While, as a Servant, it was likely Saber would be more resistant to it, she had no desire to test that hypothesis. Instead, she focused on just how to attack the creature.

It lurched forward and swiped with one of its foreclaws, as Saber sprinted to the right to avoid the attack! The huge, half-rotted, scaly monstrosity twisted its body in an attempt to follow her.

Massive damage or removal(or destruction) of the head seemed to be the surest ways to slay one of Caster's undead. Therefore, if she disabled its limbs and brought its head into range, she could kill it! That was all that she needed to do!

Suddenly, with a flap of its tattered wings, the immense undead dragon reared back into its hind limbs with a snarl! The front of its body blocked Saber's view of the sky! Was it trying to slam down and crush her?! There's no way she'd just stay still and let it do that!

As it turned out, she didn't have to.

A brilliant light tore through the air, bathing the forest in a golden glow for an instant as it slammed into the enormous dragon's side! The creature let out an enormous bellow as it toppled sidewise, the light ripping through its stomach cavity and erupting out the other side of its chest! And yet, even with the enormous damage done to the monster's body, it managed to catch itself as it landed firmly on the ground.

Lancer leaped out from the trees, cape and braided ponytail fluttering the wind, cavalry lance bathed in swirling, golden mana as her armored feet hit the ground.

"No matter what form these dead might take, I shall destroy every last one of them!" she declared, leveling her blazing weapon towards the undead dragon. But even as she spoke, the huge beast turned, its spikey tail, bone exposed in numerous places, whipping towards the blonde knight!

Saber darted forward, clearing the distance between herself and the beast's tail in a split second and cutting clear through the decayed flesh and bone!

Even though it was severed, the tail writhed as it hit the ground, twisting in on itself before laying still after a moment.

"We'll destroy this thing twice as fast, now!" Saber declared, flashing a grin towards Lancer. The blonde knight gave her a small smile, before her attention returned to the massive, snarling, undead beast as it turned itself about to face the both of them once more. Lancer was the Servant she had the most experience fighting alongside. No matter how dangerous this monster was, there was no question of their victory any longer!

The massive walking corpse let out another stream of decaying breath from its maw, and both Lancer and Saber broke in opposite directions, avoiding the impact of the vile miasma. From the other side of the dragon, the girl samurai could see Lancer's weapon blazing with mana once more. No matter which one of them the dragon chose to follow, it would be open to attack by the other! That massive, decayed head quickly turned to follow the silvery-eyed girl as she darted towards its hindquarters. That was all that she needed!

There was a resplendent flash of light as Lancer drove her cavalry lance clear through one of the dragon's forelegs and released the mana that had built up in it all at once, blowing the limb clear off! The undead beast stumbled forward, losing its footing, and as it tried to turn towards Lancer, Saber sprinted towards its hind leg and cut clear through it! Now with only two functional feet, the massive creature hit the ground. With a guttural growl, it flapped its ruined wings, unable to move properly! Perfect!

The beast's head leaned back before lashing out, attempting to snap its jaws shut on Lancer as she made her way around its front. But that was exactly what Saber had been hoping for!

With another burst of speed, she crossed the distance between herself and that massive head in an instant, and…!

The dragon's head came sailing off, rolling once before lying still, the massive body collapsing as Saber severed its neck entirely!
Saber flicked her blade clean, foul, green fluids splattering to the ground. With the blonde knight's help, the undead dragon had gone down in no time!

"Thanks, Lancer!" declared Saber, brightly. But soon, her more serious expression had returned. There was no time for levity when it came to something so dangerous. There was no telling just what Caster was doing, especially given the presence of an undead dragon. Could there be more?

"There is no need to thank me, I was conducting my duty," replied Lancer, quickly raising her weapon. Before they could continue their advance, another two… three… four of the massive giants came stomping out of the trees, bellowing!

Saber drew her blade parallel to her head.

No matter how many undead she faced, she would destroy each and every one, without fail!

And then…!

A hulking figure suddenly erupted out of the trees to Saber's left! Raising one massive fist back, it punched the first of the giants in the face, snapping its neck at an odd angle. A blow from a golden handaxe finished the job, as a hail of arrows flew from the treeline and peppered the other three undead giants.

The huge, dark-skinned figure turned towards Saber and Lancer, letting out an unearthly wail.

"Berserker?!" exclaimed Saber. Before anything else could happen, the huge figured barreled towards the both of them, Saber flash-stepping to her left and Lancer hurling herself out of the way, rolling once.

"The Einzbern girl…" Lancer straightened, raising her weapon as Berserker turned to attack once more, "She must be attempting to wipe out her enemies all at once, using Caster's defensive force to her advantage!"

Now that she was looking, Saber noticed more engagements in the forest, blackened skeletons clashing with undead soldiers. Now, of all times, Berserker was attacking?! Archer had said that Alysvial von Einzbern's goal had been to slaughter the other Servants, to the point of rejecting the ceasefire entirely. She was so dedicated to this goal she'd make an assault now, when they were trying to take down Caster?!

But as Berserker began to charge once more, one of the roaring giants, bristling with arrows, came to meet him. For a brief moment, he was caught in a clash against the undead, but soon he was chopping his way through the huge walking corpse with both axes! The other two giants had advanced as well, however, and even if he would surely destroy them it would take a few moments for him to do so! Additionally, the undead on both side were being distracted for now, clearing the way to the black orb…

Both Lancer and Saber hardly needed to confirm with one another what they would be doing. They were off and running.

They were here to stop Caster, after all!

Speaking of which, just what was she doing? Aside from establishing a bounded field to keep herself from being attacked in the sky, she hadn't done a single thing, simply floating in the air high above the dome-shaped black spot. It seemed strange that she wasn't doing more to directly support her undead forces, or even attack directly using her magical bombardment capabilities. It was strange, and it made Saber wary…

Then, the Servant far above spoke. In spite of their distance, it was easy to hear the Caster-class Servant speak.

"Hear me, heroes of human history!" declared Caster, thrusting her staff into the air. "You are, all of you, pinnacles of what humanity calls 'heroism'! But this is not the first time I have done battle with so-called heroes!"

So-called heroes? Who was she to make such claims, when she was a threat to so many people!?

"My legend is one that ended in the death of the hero who came to slay me," continued Caster. Gears turned in Saber's mind. Her legend was one of the death of a hero? Was that the reason for her confidence? But surely she couldn't expect to find victory against so many enemy Servants. Not with her dead. Even if they were far more dangerous then the old corpses she had used before…

In fact… a necromancer who was responsible for the death of the hero in her myth? One who wielded undead frost giants, dragons, and other such beasts, one who could use runes…

"I shall give you the privilege of looking death itself in the eye!" cried Caster. Suddenly there was a flicker of green light, far in the air, Caster's bone staff seeming to ignite with mana. "Behold, the great beast that stalked the island of Oland! The monster who answered my call! Heed my voice once more, oh Hrolfr's bane!"

The green light suddenly erupted outwards.

"Oland?!" Lancer exclaimed, as she sprinted beside Saber, "Hrolfr? Could she mean…"

Medb's Chariot suddenly cruised low above them.

"Every time I try to reach her, my chariot can't move fast enough to get there… grrr, she's stealing the scene!" Saber heard Rider complain.

If Caster was a necromancer, who came from Oland, who had caused the death of a man named Hrolfr, then…!

"This is the greatest beast of Princess Skuld!" cried Caster. That was it! The Necromancer of norse myth, the final antagonist of the Saga of Hrolfr Kraki! Saber was not familiar with the legend in life, but as a Servant… she knew the name of Princess Skuld!

"Behold, the Great Quilled Boar!"

There was a sound like a crack of thunder. This feeling… this was one of Caster's Noble Phantasms!

"If she's Princess Skuld, then…!"

A great green light ignited above them, stretching open to reveal an inky blackness, darker then the night sky. From it, something emerged. An enormous, dark shape, bigger even then the undead dragon had been, a gigantic, monstrous thing, came descending from the hole in the air. It had four massive, thick limbs, a huge, bulky body, and a blunted head, its jaws squared off. It was unmistakably the silhouette of an enormous boar. The Quilled Boar… one of the beasts of legend that had composed Princess Skuld's army!

The ground shook when those huge hooves hit the earth, and soon Saber was able to perceive the creature's true form. Indeed, it was an incredibly gigantic, huge boar, but its body did not bristle with fur. No, thousands and thousands of quills lay across its form, and on its back was a ridge of much larger, longer spines. When it opened its mouth, she could see its teeth, sharp and pointed, tusks winding from its maw. Its eyes were more like balls of fire in empty sockets, glowing unnaturally…

It let out an enormous bellow that seemed to pierce the air.

So this was one of Caster's Noble Phantasms!

"A phantasmal beast…" Lancer's eyes widened, "The monster that took part in the slaughter of Hrolfr Kraki and his companions. No wonder Caster was so confident!"

Saber drew her katana parallel to her head.

"No matter how powerful it is, we're here to stop Caster!" she declared, "For the sake of my Master, I can't hesitate!"

She had never faced beasts such as this in life. No, her skills, her exploits, had been tested against other humans. Saber had no experience in the slaying of monsters. And yet… for the sake of Ai, for the sake of her honor and pride as a member of the Shinsengumi, a samurai, and a Servant, there was no way she would let the huge creature give her pause!

With another bellow, the enormous boar charged. Each footfall was like an earthquake, and it uprooted trees as it tore through the forest.

Immediately, Saber broke right once more, Lancer sprinting left as the enormous hooves trampled past her, leaving great prints in the earth. She saw Medb ascend in her chariot, and a brilliant beam of light fired from her crown once more. It sliced across the enormous boar's body, but as far as Saber could tell it did little to damage it. With a tremendous roar, the boar's quills suddenly stood on end… and rocketed towards Rider's chariot! Surprised, the pink-haired Servant swerved in the air, to evade the hail of spines. But while it was distracted, Saber took the opportunity to dart in and take a jumping slash at its lower leg!

There was a shower of sparks, and as the silvery-haired girl landed beneath the enormous monster she realized that her attack had failed to even pierce its flesh. At this close distance, she could see what the boar's skin was truly made of. Thousand and thousands of interlocking, tiny quills coated the monster's frame. It wasn't simply covered in spines, even its skin was made of quills! The quills formed an armor, locked together like that… there was no way an ordinary attack was getting through it easily. Bellowing, the boar stamped its massive feet, leaping back in a bid to slam one hoof down right on top of Saber!

She leaped away, rolling once before catching herself, the enormous hoof grinding into the earth where she had just stood!
Lancer, on the other side, charged before releasing another shining beam of mana directly into one of the boar's forelegs! Saber couldn't tell if it had done any damage, but the monster immediately kicked. The blonde knight had just enough time to raise her cavalry lance defensively before it struck, the blow sending her flying!

"Lancer!"

But there was no time to be concerned for her ally. Suddenly the Quilled Boar's tusks came raking along the ground towards her, carving great ruts into the earth! Saber darted out of the way in the blink of an eye, but even the air current from the monster's bucking head sent her rolling away, and it was already recovering for another attack! Rolling to her feet, Saber shot back up again. At the moment, she still couldn't see Lancer… it looked like the knight had gotten knocked pretty far away. Rider was still above, trying to bombard the massive boar with beams of light from her crown. It didn't seem to have much of an effect, but it was keeping the enormous creature distracted for the moment!

On top of that, the undead were still present, and Berserker was still nearby… Indeed, some of Caster's dead were advancing at this very moment, even as the huge boar's hooves came crashing down around them! Some of them were crushed underfoot, but for the most part they kept moving towards Saber singlemindedly, raising their weapons and drawing arrows. This close to the black orb, they must not have been engaged in combat with Berserker's skeletal warriors! Saber raised her katana again.

At least, for the moment, the massive boar was distracted with Rider's continued assault. The girl samurai could take on the undead without getting stomped in the process!

The first of the undead to approach, swinging an enormous broadsword towards her. Just as its predecessors had been, Saber deflected it, but she was almost take by surprise when a scraggly undead wolf came charging towards her, leaping through the air! Taking a step back, she adjusted her grip and swung her katana, slicing it in half! She recovered swiftly, in time to block another attack by the first undead, force it back, and take its head! A line of archers took aim, even as one of the boar's hooves crushed two of their fellows, loosing their arrows towards her. Breaking into a sprint, she evaded the projectiles, slicing one that came too close out of the air as she ran!

As they drew their bows once more, Saber turned, darting towards them. As soon as she met their line, she took the first undead archer's head, sending it spinning through the air. But as she went to attack the second, the shadow of a gigantic hoof fell over her and the samurai sprang back, a rush of air washing over her as the hoof slammed down and crushed both the undead she had been trying to attack and another that had been beside it! If nothing else, the boar at least was thinning the numbers of the dead somewhat, albeit unintentionally.

They still had to figure out how to hurt it…!

Several undead wolves came sprinting out of the trees, snarling and frothing, as they began to hurl themselves towards Saber! The silvery-haired girl stepped back, and in a flash of her blade cut the head of the first in two. The second, which had gotten under her initial strike, was met with a spinning kick that sent it tumbling through the air to roll end over end across the ground. The third circled to her left, as the fourth leaped at her and was greeted by her katana piercing through its chest and slicing its way through the undead wolf's side, before she swiftly put an end to it by cutting through its head as it hit the ground. The other undead wolf was leaping towards her, but a gunshot rang out and tore through its skull! It hit the ground and rolled, as the final undead wolf was also shot, its body being crushed by one of the monstrous boar's hooves moments afterwards.

Archer swiftly emerged from the treeline. Saber backed away from the boar, which was still distracted by Rider, quills firing off of its body towards her as she tried to cut through its hide with her crown's beam of light. There was no telling how long it would be before the massive phantasmal beast lost interest and started trying to attack other Servants, or worse, head for the town.

"Ma'am," Archer tipped his hat, "Well, if this ain't going to hell in a handbasket. A phantasmal beast, huh? Plus Berserker showin' up to throw a wrench into things…"

He seemingly didn't even need to look as he shot the first of another group of undead emerging from the foliage. Saber raised her katana parallel to her head once more.

"No matter how strong it is, we can defeat it, Archer!" she declared, slicing through a second undead's body and cutting it apart. Even if she had never faced a phantasmal beast in life, let alone anything as massive as this, Saber knew that this was something they could overcome. Even with Berserker's presence, even with these swarms of undead bolstering the Quilled Boar…! "It's the duty our Masters gave us! We can't let Caster win!"

"Did I say anythin' about that?" Archer asked, firing twice to put a bullet through the heads of another two dead, "We're Servants. Heroic spirits of mankind. There's no sense givin' up when the battle's just begun."

With every shot the cowboy Servant fired, another of Caster's dead fell. With every flash of Saber's sword, another fell apart. But at this point, it seemed as if the boar was losing interest in Medb, and once again beginning to focus on the other Servants that it had a better chance of hitting…

Suddenly, a storm of quills was launched down towards their position! Nearly taken by surprise, Saber broke into a sprint as quills embedded themselves in the earth behind her. She stopped, spun, and sliced one of the oncoming spines in half, both pieces embedding themselves in the ground at her sides. So they could be damaged!

Archer rolled back, and fired a stream of shots. Each bullet knocked the quills launched at him off-course, into groups of undead or simply causing them to hit the ground elsewhere! Even now, in the midst of battle, the girl samurai could acknowledge Archer's skill as a marksman. The only time he had ever missed a single shot was when his enemy was another Servant!

"Gotta say, this monster's one tough nut to crack," commented Archer, stepping back and reloading his revolver as he did. For the moment, the Quilled Boar was swinging its tusks at Rider's chariot. Medb had circled around in front of it, to grab its attention again… As much as Saber didn't like the Queen of Connacht, she at least seemed very aware of her position in battle. She had the best capabilities to evade the boar and could keep grabbing its attention, diverting its attacks for at least a few moments.

There was no telling how long it would last this time.

"Its skin is made out of interlocking quills," Saber commented, eyeing the boar again even as more undead began to advance towards them. Just how many could Caster summon!? "It's like some kind of armor!"

"So we've gotta shell it," responded Archer, backing up as the boar's attention began to return to Saber and himself, "'N then we can attack whatever's inside!"

As Saber readied herself to exterminate the next group of undead as swiftly as possible, a golden light burst from the trees, tearing through their numbers in an instant! Lancer had recovered, springing out of the darkness of the forest, piercing the head of one of the remaining dead with her cavalry lance before swinging the weapon in an arc and slamming another of the walking corpses to the ground in an instant!

"Lancer!" Saber called to the blonde knight, now that she had given them another moment to try and plan before the undead closed in once more, "Rider is keeping the boar distracted, but we only have so much time. We have to crack open its armored skin!"

As if on cue, the great boar bellowed. Saber glanced up, and caught sight of the way the balls of fire that served as its eyes were now turning downwards. It was losing interest in Medb again… The quicker they figured out how to break through its armor, the better!

"I can tell. The armor is thick, but I certainly don't believe it's unbreakable!" responded Lancer, raising her cavalry lance as she spoke.

That enormous head lowered again, and the tusks dragged through the earth, uprooting plants and tearing right towards the Servants! The group broke apart, Lancer releasing another blast of magical energy towards the Quilled Boar's face! However, it failed to do more then burst against the surface of the enormous monster's flesh. They had to break though the armor! But it was so strong, so thick… Medb's attempts to regain the attention of the beast were failing, as it seemed to have decided to give up on such a difficult target entirely.

There was… one thing that Saber could do. It was something that would reveal quite a bit of her nature, yes… but it would allow her to break through the creature's armor. At the moment, that was simply more important then concealing her identity from the others at this point. However, she couldn't reach any vital areas on the massive creature. Everything was far too high up! The boar turned its enormous head, bellowing as it dragged its tusks through the earth once more!

And yet, before it could flick its head to try to catch any of the Servants, it was… stopped?

Saber's silvery-gold eyes widened when she saw the caused, and she heard Lancer's exclamation.

"Berserker?!"

Surrounded by his skeletal warriors, who were fending off Caster's undead with a rain of arrows, Berserker had wrapped his arms around one of the boar's tusks! He couldn't hold it for long, a scant few moments before it would tear away from his grasp, but for even those moments…!

Was it possible, even in his current state of madness, Berserker recognized that the greater threat was the Quilled Boar? Or had he simply gone for the largest target, unthinkingly?

The important thing was that, for a moment, the Quilled Boar was unable to move its head, slamming its feet against the ground and bellowing. This opportunity allowed Saber, Archer, and Lancer to gain some distance, heading into the forest.

A few moments later, they heard another unearthly wail from Berserker.

"… Saber, Archer, do you have any power that would allow you to critically injure that beast?" Lancer asked.

"'Fraid not, my skills aren't suited for killin' beasts," Archer replied, reloading his revolver once more as he did.

"… This sword may be one meant for manslaying," Saber began, as she raised her katana, "But… if I can reach a vital spot…"

There would be no point to utilizing this technique from the ground. Simply injuring one of the boar's legs wouldn't put it down, and there was no way of knowing if it had the ability to regenerate from injuries or not. There was no telling when it came to a phantasmal beast. But, if she could access a place from which she could deliver a fatal blow…

"… I may be able to pierce its skin and kill it," the girl samurai concluded. A blow to its heart with her most trusted technique, maybe…

There was another wail from Berserker, and the sound of something massive hitting the ground. They only had so much time to concoct a plan.

"By using my Noble Phantasm, I may be able to disable it long enough for you to unleash your killing blow," Lancer explained, "But even then, its vital parts will not be accessible from the ground."

"Oh? You need to fly, then?"

Medb's bulls grunted as her chariot cruised low, landing beside them.

"Fufu~ I'm fine with letting Saber take a ride," commented the Rider-class Servant with a smile, "Though once she's mine, I'll be the one on top~"

Saber narrowed her eyes, but now wasn't the time to be flustered. She wasn't exactly excited to be taking a ride with Medb, but at the same time there was little other choice. It wasn't as if anyone else was capable of taking flight.

There was another enormous thud, and the sound of Berserker roaring again. He was managing to keep the beast occupied for just a little longer.

"… Rider, I'll need you to take me as close as possible, towards the center of its body," Saber said, stepping towards the chariot. She realized she couldn't be certain if this creature truly had a heart to strike at, but it seemed like it followed the physical shape of a more mundane boar. There was no reason to suspect it didn't. and it was their best hope when it came to killing it as quickly as possible.

"I've got it~ You're going to be my plaything anyway, so I can help out with something like this for now!" declared Medb, brightly, offering her hand to Saber. Reluctantly, the swordswoman took it, and was pulled onto the chariot.

"Try to get into position quickly, and attack as soon as possible, once I have halted its movements," said Lancer, glancing back out of the forest, towards the slowly-expanding clearing created by the enormous boar's movements. "I have no idea how long it will be immobilized for, but I cannot imagine it wouldn't be able to recover quickly."

She glanced towards Archer.

"Can you keep the dead away from me while I'm using my Noble Phantasm, Archer?" she asked.

"'Course, ma'am," he responded, adjusting his hat as he spoke.

"Then there's no time to waste!"

Saber nodded, and with a rush of wind the chariot took to the air, erupting out of the treetops. Below, she could see Lancer and Archer sprinting out of the forest. Berserker had been unable to inflict any damage to the great boar, but as far as Saber was able to tell, he had avoided being harmed and was still doing well to distract the monster.

The fact that this could change at any moment was yet another reason they had to move quickly.

Rider sighed.

"I wish that your first trip on this chariot would have been while using its true purpose~" she said, wistfully, "Oh well~ Next time~"

As the chariot ascended further, the boar bellowing as one last flick of its tusks sent Berserker flying into the woods, even Medb started to grow more serious, a look of concentration on her face as she looked the tremendous creature over. Even the act of flinging Berserker away seemed to have put it off-balance, and it had to right itself for a moment to prevent itself from staggering. But it was no surprise, Saber had felt Berserker's raw strength first-hand. The boar's great fiery eyes turned skywards, towards Medb's chariot, and it let out another immense roar, its quills standing on end.

"As if you'd hit me with something worthless like that!" declared Medb, and moments later the hail of quills rocketed towards them. Saber held on tight as the chariot lurched, their surroundings blurring as it swung and pitched through the air, spines of varying sizes hurtling past them. Beside her, the pink-haired Rider grinned confidently as the spines hurtled past them. Being in a flying chariot was… certainly something, Saber had never been in the air like this before. The wind rushing past them as they flew, Rider commanding the bulls to fly in twisting, evasive patterns to avoid the quills being launched towards them, it was all an entirely new experience for the Servant.

However, there was no time to dwell on such things. The girl samurai had to focus, to remain fixated on her duty. She had to slay the Quilled Boar. But, until the boar was successfully immobilized, she also had to keep an eye on their surroundings. Being attacked while in Medb's chariot would immediately make it more difficult to execute the plan. It seemed as if, for the moment, Caster was content to use her summoned undead and the boar itself as her weapons, without directly interfering with the battle. From here, Saber could even see just where the undead were coming from.

The surface of the massive black dome rippled as corpses streamed out of it. Was that the purpose of the black spot? The infinite generation of walking corpses? Caster didn't even need to seek out the bodies of the dead if that was the case, which made perfect sense given the undead she was summoning included beasts of all sorts and human corpses clearly from a distant time and place. Princess Skuld's legend told of her powerful necromancy, and this black dome was clearly showcasing it.

But was that really its only capability?

There was little more time to think, as the top of the orb began to ripple and reveal a set of undead wyverns. They were emaciated and half-rotten, but their wings were intact enough to allow them to take flight. For the moment the boar had stopped launching its quills towards them, but now they were about to be assaulted by undead wyverns. It didn't look like Lancer was ready yet, either…

"Hmph, as if those unsightly corpses would ever catch up to me," Medb commented, as the wyverns began making their way, remarkably quickly, towards the flying chariot.

"If the boar attacks with its quills again while the wyverns are here…" Saber nodded to herself. She wasn't going to let this opportunity be taken from her, they had to kill the boar as quickly as possible. If a monster like that reached their Masters, or the town… Saber got to her feet.

"Rider, I'm going to take out those wyverns!" she announced, reaching up with her free hand to pull herself onto the top of the flying chariot. Medb glanced up at her for a moment.

"Don't worry, I have absolute domination of these bulls. There's no way you'll fall when I'm in control!" responded Medb as the chariot hurtled through the air. Saber took a deep breath and raised her katana parallel to her head once more, her feet sliding into a ready stance as the wind whipped past her, her scarf and ponytail fluttering. The moonlight gleamed off of her blade as the wyverns approached, faster the closer they came.

The first of the undead wyverns let out a roar and swooped down, careening right towards them! There wasn't much room on the roof of the chariot, but Saber didn't need to, sliding her right foot to the side as she turned herself. The wyvern's skull passed her as her blade flashed, beheading the undead creature in an instant! Its wings stopped flapping as its corpse tumbled through the air towards the ground below!

One down, but there were still several others remaining! For the best chance at success, she'd have to take all of them out before Lancer used her Noble Phantasm! The other wyverns were drawing ever closer, just as fast as the first one hand, and so Saber readied herself for another attack! The next two monsters found it difficult to crowd around the chariot without bumping into one another initially, forcing them to move apart, the first of the pair swiping at Saber with its single remaining clawed foot! Stepping back, Saber escaped its range and forced it to move closer, whereupon she slashed off its foot. The second wyvern lashed out at her, jaws snapping centimeters from her head as she rotated her body, blade slicing through the air and soon through its head, cleaving its upper jaw from its lower and causing the corpse to fall to the ground!

The remaining wyvern spun, its tail whipping towards Saber as it did, but there was no way it would be able to outpace her! In a flash, she'd cut clear through the rotted flesh and bone, sending the writhing tail hurtling through the air and past her! Left with only its most vulnerable point to use for attack, the wyvern lashed out, jaws snapping, only to be met with Saber's blade.

Pierced through the top of its head, the wyvern's corpse fell away, hurtling towards the earth. There were only two more of the undead beasts left! As long as she finished them off…!

The fourth wyvern made it to the chariot shortly before the fifth did, raising its claws up and trying to latch onto the side! But the bulls swerved, dragging the body of the chariot out of the reach of the undead beast and nearly sending Saber off-balance. What ever else could be said of Medb, the fact that she was excellent at controlling her chariot was undeniable. The girl samurai raised her blade as the final wyvern reached them, roaring, drawing it parallel to her head once more as her feet slid into a ready stance. No matter how many of these creatures were raised, she would simply kill them again and again, as many times as she had to!

Both wyverns lashed out, this time one of them successfully latching onto the side of the chariot! … For a moment, at least, before Saber swung her blade in a downwards arc and severed both of its feet and the ankles. Its half-decayed head came lashing out, downwards, at an angle difficult to counter, forcing the platinum blonde girl to step to the side. The other undead wyvern flapped its wings, strongly, a powerful wind current buffeting Saber's body, threatening to toss her off the chariot!

Until a resplendent beam of light erupted from the front of the chariot, a kaleidoscope of color tearing through the wyvern's side, leaving a sizable chunk of the undead creature vaporized! Rider must have been able to get a good angle, and while it didn't kill the reanimated corpse it did keep it distracted for a moment!

Before the first of the two undead wyverns could strike again, Saber suddenly cleared the distance between herself and the creature. Hopping up, using the monster's chest as a springboard, she suddenly sprang into the air and sliced through its desiccated neck, before springing off of it to reach the other wyvern as it fell! Saber's katana came whistling through the air as she landed and cut the undead monster's head in half, killing it as well. As the corpse fell, the chariot was already a short distance away… but, using the body as a springboard, the samurai threw herself through the air! For a scant moment, she was afraid she might not make it, but both her feet landed on the very edge of the chariot's body, and she caught herself as she stepped forward, the wind whipping around her. She'd made it!

But there were two more wyverns coming, emerging from the rippling spaces on the black spot! Preparing herself for another, Saber raised her sword… and felt something hurtle past her, only missing her head because of her tilt to the side! It careened over her left shoulder. Narrowly, the object had missed embedding itself in her back.

The Servant caught a glimpse of it as it hurtled away. It was the smooth, razor-sharp shape of a quill. The Quilled Boar was firing again! She could see the other quills hurtling through the air, and took a deep breath as she tried to keep an eye on the wyverns and the incoming quills at the same time! It had been a weaker projectile, one that had just barely missed her, but there was no telling what else the phantasmal beast was capable of. They had to kill it as quickly as possible! Saber narrowed her eyes, her blade flashing in the moonlight. Lancer had to be ready soon, didn't she? She had to be close! It was hard to see just what was happening now, below, but there were plenty of undead to delay Lancer's activation of her Noble Phantasm even with Archer's covering fire…

Rider swerved, avoiding another hail of quills which struck both of the attacking undead wyverns. They were both riddled with huge quills, tearing the flying corpses apart in an instant! The immense creature was bellowing and stamping its feet, the spines being fired off in patches from its armored body.

"Ah!"

Saber had to catch herself again as the chariot lurched and swerved to avoid the boar's quills! The sudden movement had nearly cast her off the chariot's body completely, but she'd managed to find her footing as the wind whipped past her body. Not a single undead wyvern remained! At least, for now. There was no telling what else would emerge from Caster's black spot. In myth, Princess Skuld had called untold beasts to her side, as well as other strange beings…

She caught a glimpse of Lancer, raising her cavalry lance… and…!

The light gathered around her lance suddenly dispersed, the mana she used to make it a more deadly weapon dissipating in an instant. Instead, it seemed as if a golden glow was being created at the very tip, while the massive boar was still distracted with Saber and Lancer.

"I shall bring you to your knees, great beast of Skuld!" cried Lancer, thrusting her weapon forward. The glow built, and then…!
"Trap of Argalia!"

The brilliant light streamed fourth, striking the massive beast's leg. Suddenly, the Great Quilled Boar of Princess Skuld staggered, stumbling forward with a bellow. From here, Saber couldn't quite see what happened, but the enormous beast was no longer able to support the front of its body. For a moment, it had been immobilized!

The Trap of Argalia? Wasn't that…

Saber shook her head. Lancer's identity was a secondary matter, at the moment! Right now-

"Rider, bring me as close as you can!"

Without another word, Medb's chariot suddenly swung around, rocketing back downwards. Saber took a deep breath, concentrating everything on her sword. She was a manslayer. She had killed men over and over. Never before had she slain such a powerful beast. Never before had she even seen a phantasmal beast prior to this day.

But this technique… the very purpose of this blade, it was meant for killing. The durability of the boar's armor no longer mattered. All that mattered was the blow that the girl samurai would strike.

As the neared the massive boar, its quills stood on end again. Saber faced it, blade glinting as she slid herself into a ready stance, the chariot turning to fly parallel to the boar's massive body. They were right where its heart would be…!

There was a screaming sound, and the chariot lurched forward, just barely avoiding a brilliant stream of green light! Saber stumbled, catching herself near the end of the chariot's roof. Caster was joining the fight again?!

"Caster?!" Saber turned on her heel, and indeed, there was the shape of the enemy Servant, her misty black wings shimmering behind her. A set of three intricate magic circles floated behind her, in an arc over her head. She'd been hoping that Caster wouldn't have involved herself, that she would avoid fighting at all costs. But it looked like she felt as if she had enough of an advantage here that she would be able to attack!

"I'm not certain what you're attempting to do," said the black haired girl, leveling her skull and bone staff towards Saber, "But you're an utter fool if you believed I would allow it."

The boar's quills quivered, standing up on its armored skin before launching themselves out. At this close range, even Rider wasn't able to dodge all of them, several slamming into the side of the chariot! Saber's blade flashed, slicing apart one of the huge spines, and then another, but the fact was that two of them had crashed right into the body of the chariot. There wasn't any visible damage, but how long could that last?

Rider spun her chariot around, Saber ducking lower to avoid being thrown off, eyeing Caster.

"So now you decide to join the fray, Caster?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she spoke, "You might have had a better performance if you had lead the battle from the beginning~ Ah, but I suppose that's to be expected, when you compare a silly little princess to a queen~"

Caster's green eyes narrowed, the circles around her flaring with brilliant light.

"The same queen who perished in such a humiliating way?" she asked, cocking her head to one side, "A piece of cheese slaying the Queen of Connacht, wasn't it? Fufu, what kind of joke is that?"

Even from on top of the chariot, Saber could immediately tell Medb was angered by Caster's words. Indeed, Queen Medb had been slain by a piece of cheese striking her in the head while she bathed. But…

"Meanwhile, I succeeded in my every goal, right up until the very end, while you couldn't even capture the heart of a single ma-"
Immediately, Rider's crown flared with a brilliant light, the rainbow beam of mana piercing the air and tearing towards Caster! In the face of the attack, the magus Servant called a barrier, the circular form of a magical shield whirling to life in front of her. When Medb's beam struck it, the barrier cracked, but held firm.

"You're lucky I can't get any closer to you, Princess Skuld, or else I'd step on you and grind you into the dirt until you begged for mercy!" declared Rider, the light in the center of her crown still shimmering.

"An impressive effort, Rider~ But ultimately…"

Saber readied herself, drawing her katana up parallel to her head once more. She could at least deflect some of the beams, even if some of them would make it! Ah, the boar's quills were standing on end again, it was preparing to fire at the same time! Worse still, it looked as if whatever Lancer had done was about to wear off, the boar slowly beginning to rise again. If they lost their chance now…!

"There is no-one more suited to such efforts in this war than myself~"

Caster's circles glowed brightly, and…

Suddenly, a stream of golden light erupted up from the earth. It was Lancer! At the same time, a trio of gunshots rang out, and Caster was given no choice but to turn and create another barrier pointing downwards, to save her own life! The impact of the blow cracked her shield immediately, and it shattered, the explosive force of the cancellation of her spell sending her rocketing skywards!

Saber had her chance!

She spun on her heel, facing the boar once more, even as it slowly began to regain its footing. There would be no second chances.
But she wouldn't need one.

The girl samurai drew her blade back, inhaling as she did.

It was a technique she had spent so long developing. Days, weeks, months spent training with her blade. She'd been inspired by Hijikata, if she was being honest. The manner of his swordplay, specifically the way in which he had thrust his katana, had given her the idea. His technique had formed the core of her idea.

Saber's goal was the ultimate refinement of this thrust. Not simply a single jab intended to pierce the enemy, nor a flurry of stabs that would overwhelm the target's defense. It was something else. The capability to pierce the enemy three times simultaneously. Not in a manner that appeared to be simultaneous, nor in a way that tricked the eye into making that conclusion. The goal of her refinement was to create a sword strike in which defense was impossible not because of the speed of each individual thrust, but because each individual thrust happened at the same time.

"Receive the brilliance of my concealed sword!"

The silvery-eyed girl slid one foot back.

She had trained relentlessly to perfect her new technique. It had not been a simple matter. Every single day had been spent practicing, narrowing the time between each thrust each session. Her body would ache with every time she practiced, but she wouldn't allow that to stop her. She wouldn't allow anything to stop her.

This was the culmination of her sword skills. The absolute technique that she could call her own.

"One silent step…"

There wasn't much room on top of the chariot's roof, but there was enough. She needed only enough space to ensure she could make the strike.

"Two steps infinite…"

Saber's foot came down on the chariot once more, propelling herself forward as she prepared herself. There could be no failure.
When she had achieved it in life, she knew this was a sword that would slay its target. A blade that would slay men unquestionably.

"Three steps, a sword absolute!"

She leaped from the top of Medb's chariot, the wind rushing past her.

It was a sword for killing humans.

But today, it would kill a monster.

Saber thrust her katana forward. The tip of the blade made contact with the boar's flesh, its armored skin of interlocking quills.

"MUMYOU SANDANZUKI!"

Her blade made contact three times. In that instant, there was not a single sword thrust, but three. Three stabs that struck at the exact same time, creating an existence that the world considered to be impossible. Even if one would have failed, the laws of the world were unable to coexist with an attack that occurred three times in the same instant. Causality itself, in that moment, at the tip of that sword, was shattered.

The boar's armored skin gave way. No matter how large her target was, how massive its body was, this was the unfailing result of her technique!

The Three Stage Thrust of Okita Souji!

Saber's feet hit the ground. Her body was spattered with the enormous boar's blood, soaking into her kimono and staining her skin.

Her sword dripped crimson.

Behind her, the enormous boar had finished rising to its feet.

A hole now pierced its entire body. From the right angle, it was possible to see completely through the Quilled Boar, from its left shoulder to its right side, behind its leg.

The fire in the massive beast's eye sockets died.

With a groan, its enormous body began to topple sideways, black motes of light drifting off of its gigantic frame as it slowly began to fade away. Before the huge boar hit the ground, its entire body had dissipated into nothingness.

The great beast of Princess Skuld was dead.

Straightened, Saber flicked her katana, splattering blood droplets from the blade, leaving it gleaming in the moonlight once more. Soon enough, that blood had dissipated into nothing, as well as the blood covering her body and clothing. Aside from the destruction that the Quilled Boar had wrought on the forest, no sign of its existence remained. Straightening, Saber turned to face the black dome, lowering her katana at her side as she looked upwards. She could see Caster, high above them, staring down at the battlefield in absolute shock.

The Quilled Boar had been an enormous threat with nearly impenetrable armored skin, and difficult to fight on-foot. It was obvious that Princess Skuld had never expected that they would be able to kill it. After all, it had been one of the things that sealed her victory in her myth, hadn't it?

But when it came to the sword, Saber would never allow herself to simply fail. For a few moments, she felt a strange excitement surging through her being. Even though she was a heroic spirit, she was not counted among the number that had participated in the slaying of legendary beasts. Her life had not featured such mystical beings as that.

But, as a Servant, she had destroyed one, with the help of the others. A great sensation of pride swelled in her chest, but the silvery-eyed girl couldn't allow herself to become too distracted by her own great victory.

Caster turned and immediately descended rapidly, entering the black spot and causing the surface to ripple like water.

"There's no way we'll let you escape, Caster!" she declared, before immediately breaking into a sprint towards the towering dome of inky blackness.

But, as she did, suddenly the huge, dark form of Berserker erupted from the foliage with an unearthly roar! Now that the Quilled Boar was dead, his focus had returned to the other Servants and herself! His massive hands raised, bearing those golden axes, swinging down to cut Saber in half! But she sprang back, avoiding the glimmering blades.

The only good thing about fighting Berserker was the fact that his agility seemed quite low. But even then, a single direct blow could be crippling…! Worse still, his skeletal warriors were rising from the brush, drawing swords and bows, clearly ready to fight. On their own, it's likely Saber would have been able to defeat them quite easily, but when fighting Berserker as well…

Gunshots rang out, as the skeletons fell limply, blasted apart by bullets. As Berserker raised his axes again, there was the sudden, brilliant light of Lancer's mana, blazing around her weapon as she intercepted his swing, just barely holding!

"Saber, I shall hold Berserker back, and Archer will handle his soldiers!" cried the knight, "Someone must be able to pursue Caster!"
After the briefest of pauses, Saber swiftly nodded. Lancer had held back the massive warrior back at the skyscraper, so she had to place her faith in the blonde-haired girl, to believe she could do the same again.

"I understand!" the girl samurai declared, "I won't fail!"

With that, she was off and running once more. The trees began to grow sparser, before finally clearing away all together, to reveal the black dome in its entirety. This close to it, Saber realized its nature was almost like that of pitch black, volcanic glass, a gleaming surface that even seemed to show her reflection as she approached.

But that wasn't the only thing worth noting. Assassin was there was well, glancing towards Saber, still clad in her fox mask.

Warily, the samurai raised her sword, but instead of making a move to attack, Assassin tapped her blade against the side of the dome.
Realizing what this might have meant, Saber leaned back and struck the massive orb with all her strength.

It didn't budge.

Not only had Caster raised an army of dead and summoned a phantasmal beast, but she's constructed a sort of fortress as well for her defense?! Princess Skuld was famed for commanding an army of the dead and winning, slaying her half-brother Hrolfr through the use of her neverending army. But to think she could create such a fortress as well…

"We'll have to break through it, somehow," Saber declared, taking a deep breath as she raised her sword. She'd attack it as many times as she needed!

"Do you, now?" declared a voice from above, "Then it looks like it's time for Queen Medb to shine once again!"

Casting her gaze skywards, Saber could see the shape of Rider's chariot, suspended in the air some distance away from the orb. Now that Caster had fled into the massive construct, there was no bounded field in place that restricted her movements when she got closer.

"Did you think that was all I could do, you little bitch? A cowardly little princess, fleeing the moment things start to look grim?" Rider asked, though assuredly there was no way Caster could hear her at the moment, from inside the dome. The pink-haired Servant raised one hand skyward.

"No matter what you've created, there's no way it can stand up to this memento of my passions!" she continued. A shimmering orb of light, composed of all the colors of the rainbow, formed above her hand.

"Fergus, My Love!" shouted Queen Medb. With that, something emerged from the light, slowly. It was something like a sword, but also not. Perhaps it could be called as such, but speaking of it as a blade seemed inaccurate as well. It looked like a lance, but that seemed wrong too.

But the instant it was revealed, there was an immediate sense of danger in the air. Rider drew the sword back, raising it over her shoulder.

"This is the difference between a Queen and a Princess that I told you of! CALAD-"

Rider swung the weapon down.

"-BOLG!"

From the sword came a brilliant light. It tore the air with a roar, and outshone even Lancer's golden mana blasts, a wave of magical energy containing the seven colors of the rainbow. Caladbolg, the legendary sword of Fergus Mac Roich… So Medb even had access to something like that? It rushed towards the black dome, slamming into the glossy side of the construct and rippling across it, fragmenting the defense in an instant. The sheer power behind that blow left the air feeling almost electric, there was a heat spreading through everything nearby… even the earth around the point of impact crumbled, blown apart by the power of Caladbolg's attack!

Saber took a step back, eyes wide, as the light faded slowly. It revealed a massive scar torn into the earth, and a huge hole blasted in the side of Caster's black dome, revealing nothing but complete darkness inside of it. Rider had possessed something like that all along… the enormous power behind that sword, it was a destructive attack capable of wiping out an entire army in a single blow.
But now…

Now there was a path into Caster's black dome! Without waiting another moment, Saber broke into a sprint, darting into the darkness immediately. The moment she entered the orb, she noticed that there was absolutely no light, and that it was freezing cold inside. The light of the moon and stars didn't penetrate the blackness of Caster's domain, and nor did the heat from the summer. It was as if Saber had stepped into a moonless night in the dead of winter.

As she took another step, something crunched under her foot. It was quite simply too dark to tell just what it was, but it felt almost like it was bone.

"Welcome, Saber…" she heard Princess Skuld's voice begin, echoing through the blackness, though she couldn't see where the enemy Servant was located. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, really. "To my Kingdom of Nightmares!"

"Caster… Where are you hiding?" Saber asked, drawing her katana up parallel to her head once more. She didn't exactly expect a response from the enemy Servant, but perhaps if she could hear her voice again…

"Do you really think I'd answer you? Of course not," replied Caster. As self-assured as she sounded, this wasn't the same manner in which Caster had spoken before. There was just the faintest wavering in her voice, her confidence rocked by the death of the Quilled Boar and the shattering of the dome's defenses. "Especially not here. You have just stepped into the very place where I claimed my victory. This isn't any simple bounded field!"

Something, there was no way to tell what, suddenly rushed towards Saber through the air! It was only because she heard it that the girl samurai was able to dodge, stepped swiftly out of the way as whatever it was slammed into the ground with an enormous thud!

"No… this is the second of my Noble Phantasms," declared Caster, from the darkness, "The Kingdom of Oland!"

Oland… that was the Kingdom that Skuld overtook as part of her plot to kill her half-brother, wasn't it? She had essentially taken it from her husband to use it in her plans, as Saber recalled. This pitch black hellscape was a representation of Oland? She heard something move beside her, the sound of a weapon rushing through the air again, and stepped backwards. She felt an air current rush past her face as it narrowly missed. But now… that wasn't the only sound in the void of cold and blackness. There were footsteps from all around her, the sounds of weapons being drawn… in the blackness of the Kingdom of Oland, the undead were awakening.

Another weapon swung towards Saber! This time, however, as opposed to dodging it, she followed the source of the sound in order to block it. For the briefest moment, there was a shower of sparks, and she could see the half-skeletal corpse that had attacked her with its sword illuminated in the brief flash of light. She could hear another undead raising its weapon… Her sword lashed out, and she felt it strike something and go through it, cutting the first undead in half! She backed up, one hand facing backwards… there was another!
Spinning, she cleaved it apart. By sound and touch, even though she couldn't see what she was doing, Saber could pinpoint the location of the attacking undead! If only she could do the same when it came to Caster… But it was difficult to figure out just where the enemy Servant's voice originated from. It almost seemed like it had been coming from all over…

"Within this place… it's as if I was back in my homeland~" came Caster's voice again. It was still hard to tell… but Skuld's voice was definitely originating from deeper in the inky blackness! "Do you understand just what that means~?"

Wait… if the interior of the bounded field was a replication of Skuld's homeland, did that mean it would give her the benefits of being summoned there?

Then…!

There was an enormous scream as a green blast of light tore from the air, shrieking across the interior of the bounded field. For the briefest moment it cast its sickly green glow over the hundreds of undead inhabiting the Kingdom of Oland, and Saber had no choice but to dart to the right, shoving one of the dead out of the way and back as the beam seemed to vaporize multiple undead! Even the air, frigid as it had been moments later, felt hot just by being near the blast! Was this the power granted to Princess Skuld within her Noble Phantasm!? The benefits granted by summoning a Servant in their homeland?! It would explain exactly why she had been able to summon so many undead so quickly, and in such vast numbers, while also calling a phantasmal beast! It was the benefit granted by the Kingdom of Oland!

There were so many… an entire army between herself and Caster. But Caster's defeat was the duty that she had been given, and she had to fulfill in no matter what. Even if Caster had the capability to infinitely generate undead and cast enormous destructive spells at will while within the Kingdom of Oland, she had to do this.

Saber wasn't going to allow herself to feel hopeless. Even if she couldn't see the undead, she could sense their movements. Even if there were hundreds of them, she was far more coordinated and skilled. She had slain the giants, the wyverns, if there was a dragon among them she would fight her hardest then too. It didn't matter what creatures that Caster summoned, Saber would fight her hardest for the sake of her Master.

"This is a manslaying, slaughtering sword, Caster!" declared Saber, as she brought the blade down, passing through the body of one of the nearest undead. Stepping forward, she deftly avoided a blow she could hear passing through the air and slashed again, feeling the edge of her sword cut through flesh. "But today, it's a sword that has slain even a monster! No matter how many dead you raise, no matter what kind of strength you grant to yourself, I'll cut through everything so that I can reach you!"

There! She could see the lights of Caster's magecraft, the arc of circles over her head and shoulders from which she fired her offensive spells! Sparks flew when she swiftly clashed with another undead, but the girl samurai forced it back and spun to cleave clear through the body of another of the dead that had been advancing behind her! Caster's magical blasts fired, but Saber tore forwards, bowling over undead with the air current around her body, thrusting her blade forward to cut through the swarm blocking her way as the lasers flew over her head!

Caster could move, yes, but if Saber kept her firing, kept her using her magecraft, she could track her! The silvery-haired girl would be able to figure out where she was, just where Princess Skuld was moving to hide in, in that black abyss of death that she had created! If she could track her, she could win! As long as she could do that…

Something huge stepped beside her, but before it could get the chance to attack, Saber managed to cut through its leg and send it to the ground. Whatever it was fell heavily beside her, and she kept moving.

"There is no light in the void, Saber," she heard Caster's voice once more, "Whatever hope you're chasing is long dead. I can't understand why you've chosen to continue when there's no choice for you but to die in the abyss. Isn't it more painful to keep persisting?"

"More painful?!" that might be so, in the end. Saber wasn't sure how long she could guarantee that she would be able to evade the undead, or Skuld's magical attacks. But the fact was that if there was even a slim chance she could reach Caster…!

And then, something massive landed in front of her. It was impossible to tell just what it was, for a moment, but then a light began to build in front of her and revealed just what this thing was. A second undead dragon, but this one was far more intact then the first. In fact, it looked almost alive, something exemplified by the fire that was wafting out of its mouth as it opened its powerful jaws, only a few parts of the beast seeming decayed. Saber had worked with Lancer to destroy the first undead dragon… but she could slay this one as well!

She had to, even though Caster was here, even though she was surrounded by the undead!

The dragon's jaws opened wider, and…!

Rider's Chariot came tearing into the bounded field! Of course, why would Medb decide to stay outside!? Even if it was still hard to see, she could practically feel the bulls slam to the ground and continue charging, shredding their way through the ranks of the undead like they were nothing!

"Did you really forget about me already, Princess Skuld?!" cried Medb, as she swung her chariot around, slamming right into the side of the undead dragon and bowling it over with her bulls. The gout of flame still erupted from its maw into the air, and for the briefest moment Saber could see the stunned Caster illuminated by the flames! "I can understand why Saber would catch your eye, but she's mine!"
The hooves of her bulls and the wheels of her chariot chewed their way through the dragon's side, splitting its massive body in half as she charged right through it!

"Rider… you…!" Caster's voice almost seemed to snarl as the green light ignited in the sky again.

"What a fool!" declared Rider, the light suddenly glowing brilliantly in her crown before firing upwards, right towards Caster's green glow! This time, Caster barely had time to erect a barrier, and it almost instantly shattered! Even if weakened by the defense Skuld had created…! With a cry of surprise and pain, Caster fell!

And the bounded field cracked. Light began to show through the smallest cracks all over it, even if it was the faintest moonlight… and it grew. Many of the undead began to simply dissolve, few of them remaining in existence, being crushed under Rider's chariot… Saber could see Caster, now. She was injured, blood running down her small frame from her shoulder, but she was struggling to her feet as her bounded field began to break down further and further.

This time there wouldn't be any chance for her to escape! Drawing her blade parallel to her head, Saber erupted forward, clearing the distance between herself and Skuld in an instant, air almost seeming to explode behind her! Desperately, Caster attempted to conjure another barrier, but it was shattered by the tip of Saber's blade, and-!

"STOP!"

A girl had thrown herself in front of the green-eyed magus Servant, arms spread wide. She looked to be around the same age as Tsubaki, with pale skin, red eyes, and dark, short hair tied into a side ponytail. She was rather pretty, shaking as she stood with her arms outstretched.

Saber barely managed to stop herself, the tip of her katana stopping centimeters from piercing the girl's chest.

Was this… Yumimura Saori…?

Saber hesitated. She had vowed to do whatever she could to save Yumimura Saori, even knowing that she had become a vampire. But now… now the girl was protecting the one she was supposed to be saved from, using her own body to do so?

"I-I… I'm not going to pretend I know what the grail war is," Saori said, her arms outstretched in a bid to cover as much of the injured Caster as she possibly could, "And… and I know Caster is your enemy… But… b-but… she's the only reason I'm alive right now! She's not… even if it seems like it, Caster isn't a bad person!"

"I… that's…" Saber wasn't sure how to respond to this. Caster had saved Saori's life? How? Was that why the girl was now a Dead Apostle?

"… I… I know I'm not human anymore… and I know Caster is the one who did that to me…" Saori continued, her voice growing more quiet as she averted her eyes away from the girl samurai, "But… but I know… I know she did it to save me. Even if I… I get these… I want to do terrible things, I know the only reason I'm alive is because of that…"

The dark-haired girl took a deep breath.

"S-so I won't let you hurt her… you… you've won, haven't you? That's all you needed to do in the grail war, isn't it?"
Caster, clutching her wounded shoulder, slowly got to her feet.

"Master…"

"So… so we'll just leave… I wanted my friends and family again, but… if we leave, it's fine, right? You won, right?"

Saber could see the desperation in Saori's crimson eyes. This wasn't what she had expected. She was expecting that Saori had been transformed into a vampire and pressed into being Caster's Master against her will, not that it had been something entirely willing. What's more, is she knew that she couldn't fulfill such a request. That wasn't how the Holy Grail War functioned. And yet… Could she bring herself to attack now? What was she supposed to do?

"… Master, you know that's not how it works… I told you as much, did I not?" asked Caster, "… All of this was my plan to make sure I won. But I won't die without a fight, nor will I leave this world simply to be followed by Saori," said Caster, clutching at her bleeding shoulder. "Do you understand that, Saber?"

Saber hesitated for a few moments. This was a very different look at Caster… was it because she lost that she was acting so accepting?

"… C-Caster, c-can't we j-" began Saori, but then… something appeared behind Caster.

It took only a moment for Saber to realize what it was. Assassin had appeared in an instant behind Skuld. Everything happened so fast.
Assassin's blade plunged into Caster's back, emerging from her chest.

The only sound that came from the Servant was a wheeze, not even a cry of pain, as her green eyes widened. Just as quickly as it had entered her back, the blade was drawn back out, and Caster's limp body collapsed forward.

"C-Caster!" cried Saori, immediately reaching out to grasp the fallen girl in her hands, "N-no, you… you… er… y-you can survive this, can't you?"

For a few moments, Caster didn't respond.

"… I had planned ahead for everything… but that took me off… off guard…" she mumbled to herself, "… This time it was quick, at least, wasn't it…"

Saber's blade lowered. This was what she had been here to do, to slay Caster, and yet… this didn't feel like a victory. Still wearing her fox mask, Assassin looked down at the dying Caster in Saori's arms dispassionately.

"C-Caster! Y-you saved me, s-so can't you… c-can't you…"

Slowly, Caster reached up, her fingertips brushing Saori's cheek.

"… I… I worked hard to r-revive you, Master… so… don't waste the generosity of Princess Skuld…" she responded, her voice wavering, her breathing labored. By this point, tears had begun to roll down Saori's cheeks freely.

"Y-you're a Servant, c-can't you s-survive th-this? I-If you have m-mana, isn't th-that…"

But Saber could sense it in Saori's voice. She already knew the answer was no.

"… Don't die, Saori," said Caster, simply, "Or else… there really was no point… was there…?"

Her hand fell limply at her side.

"C-Caster?!" called Saori, her voice trembling. But there was no response. No, instead, the Servant's body began to dissipate into golden light.

Princess Skuld, summoned as Caster, was dead. Weakly, Saori clutched at the empty air that had once held Skuld's body, but there wasn't even the smallest remainder of the small girl. Shaking, Yumimura Saori finally began sobbing, burying her face in her hands.
Assassin raised her blade.

Immediately, Saber intercepted it, thrusting her sword forward and blocking the weapon before Assassin could strike. The fox-masked Servant took a step back as her blade was forced up and away from the sobbing girl, and Saber stepped around her.

"No," she said, firmly, glaring directly at the mask, "There's no need to harm her. You've already slain Caster, that's enough!"

The swords pressed against one another, but, ultimately, Saber forced Assassin back. She had already defeated Assassin once, if it came to battle she felt certain she would do the same if it came to battle this time. Instead, Assassin quietly removed her mask.

"That girl is a vampire," she said, simply, "I intended to give her a swift death. Is that not all that is required?"

"It doesn't matter what she is," Saber replied. To be honest… she had no idea how things would work out for Yumimura Saori. But even as a manslayer, she couldn't raise her blade against a sobbing girl on her knees, even if that girl was a vampire. Aside from that, she'd been asked to save Saori. There was no way she would stand there and allow her to be killed! "I'm certain you remember the result of our last clash, don't you?"

Saber brought her katana parallel to her head once more, the blade glinting in the moonlight.

"Archer isn't going to save you, now."

"… I have no intention of fighting you," Assassin replied, lowering her sword as she spoke. While Assassin didn't elaborate, it was obvious what the reason was. Now that Saber fully understood Ranmaru's tricks and knew her identity, it was simple fact that Ranmaru did not have the capability to directly battle another Servant of the knight classes. Even considering Saber's relatively low parameters for her class. The girl samurai made up for that when it came to skill.

"I intended to end the threat of the vampire, that is all," asserted Assassin, stepping back, silently. No matter how dedicated she was to her duty, the fact remained that she was also no fool, and she would not begin a fight she knew she would not win. "If you wish to be foolish, so be it."

With that, Assassin swiftly vanished into the darkness. Saber was left alone with the sobbing Saori, though Rider was still nearby, as well. Slowly, she turned to face the girl, shifting uncertainly. Caster, who had moments ago been one of her enemies, was someone so very important to her… She wasn't certain what she could do in order to try and comfort her. Slowly, she reached out with one hand, and then hesitated. Saori was still sobbing…

"… Yumimura-san, I…" Saber paused for a moment as she tried to think. The girl was completely unresponsive to her voice… But she tried to speak to her, regardless. "Caster may have been my enemy, but I want to fulfill her wish. I don't want to see you die, and with her last breath, she wished for you to live. It's dangerous for you to stay here."

For several moments, all Saori did was cry. It wasn't as if Saber could blame her, now that she had learned just what Caster's true intentions towards her had been, but there was no way of knowing how the other Servants and Masters would respond to her. Would they attempt to kill her as Assassin had done? Saori was, of course, a vampire, but seeing her like this made it nearly impossible for the silvery-haired girl to believe that she deserved to be killed. It was clear, if nothing else, that her mind was intact. If she didn't want to die, as someone who had been dragged into the war unwillingly… No, it wasn't just unwillingly.

This war had shattered Yumimura Saori's life, hadn't it? Even after being saved here, there was no way things could go back to normal for her, was there? Even if it had been to save her life, she had been transformed into a vampire. Saber had no idea if there was any way for things to become normal after something like that. But regardless of anything, she was here to save her. Rider was, for the moment, mopping up lingering remnants of Caster's undead. Perhaps corpses she had personally raised rather then summoned through her Noble Phantasm were lasting longer.

Regardless of what Rider's reason was, it gave her the opportunity to try and get Saori out of here without any of the other Servants noticing. Gently, Saber leaned down and attempted to place a hand on the girl's shoulder, but she pulled away. For another moment, the girl samurai hesitated, before insistently placing her hand on Saori's shoulder once more.

"Yumimura-san, would Caster have wanted you to stay here and potentially be killed? You heard what she told you, didn't you?"
Saori didn't respond, but, after a moment, she slowly got to her feet. "… This… this stupid grail war… if it d-didn't exist…"

The platinum blonde girl trembled, wrapping her arms around herself. Saber could see the tears still flowing. Her heart felt tight, she desperately wanted to say something to try and comfort the girl, but any words died in her throat. She was a manslayer, not someone suited to giving words of reassurance in a situation like this. No matter how she desired to do so.

Feeling another presence close by, Saber's hand tightened its grip on her katana as she turned to face towards it. To her surprise, it was Lancer, who appeared little worse for wear.

"Lancer?" asked Saber, keeping herself close to Saori in order to keep an eye on her, to ensure she didn't attempt to run away and put herself in danger, "What… what happened to Berserker?"

The blonde knight glanced towards Saori, immediately registering just how distraught the Dead Apostle girl truly was. It was still difficult, considering just how different the situation truly was compared to what Saber had believed it to be. The fact that Caster had chosen to transform Saori into a Dead Apostle in order to save her life, the fact that Caster had genuinely cared for the girl and wished to protect her… It was totally different then what they had thought.

"I… Berserker suddenly disengaged from battle," Lancer began, "I cannot be certain as to why, but it was shortly after the dome began to break apart."

She turned her gaze to Saori, who was still crying, though not as loudly.

"… Did Caster…" she trailed off, but it was obvious what she had been trying to ask. Saber simply nodded.

"… Yumimura-san… she needs to be taken somewhere safe," Saber managed, finally, glancing sadly towards the girl, who by now was simply staring quietly at her feet. "And… given some time to herself…"

No matter what, Saber found it unlikely that trying to discuss Caster's fate openly in front of Saori wouldn't help her. On top of that, even if Skuld had been her enemy, the girl samurai couldn't help but feel guilty. She was part of the reason for the state of misery that Yumimura Saori had been left in. Caster's death had felt wrong, it hadn't felt like she had won. Assassin appearing out of no-where to stab Caster in the back…

This was no victory she could be proud of. Certainly, she felt pride in defeating the Quilled Boar, but in defeating Caster…

This was nothing to be celebrated.