Picking right up where we left off.
Warning: Since the fight between Lancer and Saber is pretty much unchanged, I won't be writing it in detail. We'll see a summary of the fight as seen from Zero' POV, but mostly this chapter is Zero plotting how best to take down the two remaining Knight Classes.
If you want to see the fight that bad, read the Novel or watch the Anime. Seriously, watch it, Zero kicks all sorts of ass, and Unlimited Blade Works is easily the best adaptation of Stay-Night so far.
C.C: What about Heaven's Feel?
Kyugan: Haven't watched the Movies yet but from what I've seen they're awesome. The only downside I can imagine is that, since they're spreading the story across three movies, there won't ever be an actual Anime Adaptation of Heaven's Feel Route like there was with Fate and UBW.
That said, let the games begin!
Fate/Zero Requiem: An Alternate Tale of the Fourth Holy Grail War
Fourth Night: Curse of the Demonic Spear.
Saber frowned, the King of Knights' emerald eyes peering subtly over her shoulder as she led the way towards the Fuyuki Harbor district, both to avoid worrying Irisviel and to avoid alerting their pursuer.
For some time now she'd been getting the distinct impression that someone was watching them. It wasn't anything to do with her abilities as a Servant, well, not entirely, rather it was the experience that came from leading a nation through countless battles, carrying the burden of her people's hopes and dreams, and the disdain of her enemies.
'Could it be the Servant from the docks?' she pondered, her expression unreadable as she let her senses stretch as far as they could without jeopardizing her protection of Irisviel 'Doubtful, he's too far away…another Servant then?'
While it was possible for Servants to erase their presence almost entirely from the world by reverting to astral form, that didn't mean they were invisible to other Servants. Only Assassin, Servant of the Shadows, possessed the ability to conceal his presence so perfectly, and if Irisviel and Kiritsugu's report was correct, he'd already been eliminated early on in the war.
'Which would most likely explain why this other Servant is so boldly challenging us.' She deduced, a hint of approval in her tone. As a Knight, it was only proper that she engage in direct combat with her foes on the field of battle. Someone like Assassin, who lurked in the shadows like a coward, waiting for the opportunity to slit the enemy's throat, had no business being summoned into a battle between Epic Heroes in her opinion.
"Is something the matter, Saber?" Irisviel inquired snapping the Once and Future King back to reality to find her Master's wife and friend looking at her with obvious concern "Is it the enemy Servant?"
"It's nothing, Irisviel." Saber assured the homunculus, offering her a kind smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she continued to eye her surroundings , looking for the slightest clue as to an enemy attack "Just being careful.'
Meanwhile...
'Sharp senses…' noted, peering after the pair from behind cover in Astral form in order to minimize the chances of being noticed by Saber 'As expected, Servants of the Knight Class truly are in a class of their own.'
He harbored no delusions as to his chances should he engage any of the other Servants without a proper game plan. Even learning Saber's identity, gender inaccuracy aside, did little to minimize the threat she posed. If anything knowledge of who she was only made her all the more intimidating.
'Reconnaissance would be the best option for now…' he deduced, breaking away from the pair the moment they arrived at the harbour, climbing the massive, unmanned Derrick Crane that loomed over the battlefield like a titan in the night sky, his eyes narrowing as a voice called out to greet the pair, a tall figure wielding two lances stepping into view.
'So it was Lancer.' He confirmed, peering down as the two remaining Knight Class Servants exchanged introductions, the tension in the air so thick it would've needed a Maser Sword to cut it, 'Have to give him credit, he picked a good spot for the first 'official' battle of the Grail War.'
The spot Lancer had chosen for his duel with Saber was on the end of the west bank of the seaside park, an area cluttered with storehouses and a harbour that separated the eastern industrial area from Shinto proper.
What made the place so perfect for the duel was the fact it was literally deserted at night, all the dock and warehouse workers having long since gone home, the street lights shining overhead serving little purpose save to illuminate the Knights of Spear and Sword as they faced each other down, Saber's black suit vanishing in a wave of Prana, replaced with a blue dress, silver armour adorning the hem along with her arms, chest and feet.
'Not wasting any time, are they?' he mused, a smile adorning his features as he stood atop the crane, his arms crossed before him, cloak blowing in the breeze as he watched the two Knights face off, wondering how the King of Knights would hold up to the legends spun in her name as she berated Lancer for his 'Mystic Face' before lunged forwards in a burst of Prana, her invisible sword at the ready.
'That's either Excalibur or Caliburn…' he deduced, recalling the legends on King Arthur he'd grown up reading as a child. Either weapon would pose a serious problem, for while Excalibur was doubtlessly the more famous, and certainly the more dangerous, by the statistics of the Grail War both Holy Swords of Victory were regarded as A-Rank Noble Phantasms, though Excalibur held the distinction as an 'Anti-Fortress' Type.
'And that's not the worst of it…' he recalled, violet eyes narrowed in consternation as he eyed the King of Knights warily as she held her invisible sword in a ready stance "There's still Excalibur's Scabbard to consider.'
In the legends from his homeland, it was said that he who bore the Scabbard would suffer no injury, nor would he age or fall sick. With the knowledge afforded to him by the Grail, however, he knew for a fact there was far more to Avalon than simply preventing harm to the bearer.
Avalon: The Ever-Distant Utopia, the physical embodiment of the utopia King Arthur sought to create for his, her rather, people. Crafted at the same time as Excalibur and inscribed with Fairy Letters, and named for the island that produced the legendary Apple of Immortality in Greek Myth, simply bearing the scabbard on her person granted King Arthur a limited form of immortality through constant regeneration, as well as preventing physical deterioration caused by aging.
So great was the healing afforded to the King of Knights by this relic that the only way to conceivably kill her would be to destroy her brain in a single strike, a task that was infinitely harder than it sounded, given how prodigious the King of Knights swordsmanship was.
However, that was merely the scabbard's abilities as a Divine Relic, back when King Arthur had been alive. As a Noble Phantasm it provided King Arthur with an Absolute Defense by completely shielding her within the actual Avalon, the very same utopia she had sought during life and was eventually brought to after her death on the fields of Cammlan.
Put simply, Avalon was, without question, the greatest Defensive Noble Phantasm in existence, going beyond the limitations of mere defending or reflecting by completely isolating King Arthur on an entirely separate plane of existence where not even the Five True Magics could touch her.
He paused, head coming up briefly as the tell-tale feel of Prana signaled the activation of a bounded field, all other noise save the howling of the sea wind and the clash of steel vanishing into the ether. 'The work of Lancer's Master no doubt.' He deduced, having sensed nothing from Irisviel, and indeed, the homunculus had not made a move since Saber had accepted Lancer's challenge 'He must want to avoid drawing the other Masters with the ruckus the battle with Saber is likely to kick up.' he chuckled darkly 'A good plan, had he not alerted me to his presence.'
Reverting to his corporeal form he snapped his fingers, a doppelganger appearing crouched beside him, this one dressed in a hot pink version of his uniform, much to his chagrin "Lancer's Master is lurking somewhere out there." He instructed, his eyes never leaving the fight below, entranced by the dance of flesh and steel "See to it that something…untoward, happens to him."
"As you command, Zero-sama." The doppelganger acknowledged, bowing in acknowledgement before promptly back flipping off the crane, vanishing without so much as a sound, leaving Lelouch to resume watching the battle below with a hint of wonderment as Saber charged headlong towards Lancer, the Knight of the Spear lashing out with his long spear, the concrete shattering beneath the blow even as he fended off her invisible sword with his short spear, the sheer force of their blows causing the ground beneath them to crumble.
'How the hell can she swing a sword so hard with those scrawny arms?' he muttered, a hint of bitterness in his tone, for if anything Saber's physique was even frailer than his own, and yet she was landing blows that he could feel from up here, though Lancer was proving apt enough at avoiding her strikes.
Such was the benefit of a spear. While it's true the objective was to impale your opponent on the blade, that wasn't the only way it could be used. Whether it was for offence and defense, a spear was actually a more effective killing tool than a sword.
'Kendo Sanbaidan as Todoh-sensei used to say…' he mused, shaking his head at the memory of Suzaku's mentor and his former subordinate, only to blink as the pink doppelganger reappeared behind him "What's wrong? Did you find Lancer's Master?"
"I did." she confirmed, bowing her masked head "However, I also noticed Emiya Kiritsugu and an unknown woman attempting to flank him and felt I should let you know."
"So they really did hire the Magus Killer." he noted, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the Einzbern's supposed ace-in-the-hole "What did you notice about them?"
"They appear to be using rifles fitted with night-vision and infrared scopes." The doppelganger revealed, earning a quirked brow from Assassin "I believe it's a means of tracking enemy masters without using Prana."
"Tokiomi's journals did mention that using Prana causes a Magus' circuits to heat up." he recalled, internally applauding the Magus Killer's genius. While it was true there were more efficient ways of seeing in the dark a Magus could use, reinforcement being but one of them, their use would be akin to lighting a signal flare to any other Masters or Servants in the area.
By contrast, by choosing to eschew Magecraft and instead employ modern technology, which contained and relied on no Prana at all, Kiritsugu and his accomplice could effectively hunt the other Masters from the shadows without ever being noticed. Indeed, had Kirei summoned any other Servant, it was highly likely that Lancer's Master would have died without knowing the identity of his killer.
'A sound plan." he acknowledged, summoning another pair of doppelgangers, ordering the trio to tail the concealed magi for now, as there was little need to exert himself killing Lancer's Master if he could get someone else to do it.
That, and if one of them could tail the Magus Killer back to his base of operations, they could probably alleviate some of the man's ordinance whilst gathering information on their opponents at the same time.
'Better to be prepared than be caught wanting.' He recited, watching stoically as Lancer slowly but steadily drove Saber back, the King of Knights constantly watching both of his spears, no doubt trying to ascertain his true identity.
'Judging his features and accent I'd say he's of Celtic origin.' Lelouch surmised even as Lancer carved up the ground with a single sweep of his Long-Spear 'Only fitting I suppose, the Celtic legends had quite a few legendary spears if memory serves.'
Indeed, given the sheer amount of Demonic and Holy Spears that existed throughout the various Cycles of the Emerald Isle, it was no small wonder that the Lancer Class was almost entirely dominated by Heroes from that land. As impressive as that might be, however, it still presented a considerable problem in discerning which particular spearman was currently matching blades with King Arthur.
"That's enough playing around, Lancer." A cold, aristocratic voice called out, Lelouch's brow quirking beneath his helmet as Lancer's not-so hidden Master made his presence known at last "Do not allow this fight to drag on any further. Saber is a formidable opponent, defeat her with all haste. You may use your Noble Phantasm."
'Getting impatient are we?' Lelouch scoffed, his eyes instantly locking onto Lancer's form as he discarded his shorter spear, the talismans that enveloped the longer one vanishing with a burst of Prana, revealing an ominous crimson weapon with which he boasted would reveal Saber's hidden blade.
A claim that soon proved true, for the moment the battle resumed a tempest erupted between the Knights where their blades intercepted, Saber looking on in shock as the wind magic that concealed her blade was disrupted, revealing the true form of the weapon beneath.
A form that no Servant worth their Legend could not recognize on sight.
'Excalibur.' Lelouch marveled, gazing upon the Sword of Promised Victory, the most Sacred Holy Sword that only the King of Knights was permitted to wield, his apprehension of having to face the blade vastly overshadowed by the sense of wonderment he felt from the depths of his heart.
While Lelouch had come to despise what Britannia had become, having grown up in the palace he, like all Britannians, had been enraptured by the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It was no coincidence that the highest military post in the Britannian Army had been named after that legendary order of Knights, nor that the capital of the Empire bore the King's surname.
However, there would be time enough to bask in the glory of Saber's Legend when she had been returned to the Throne of Heroes. For now, he had more important things to worry about, namely discerning Lancer's True Name.
'A warrior with a Mystic Face that entrances women, skilled in the use of twin spears, with a spear that can negate magic.' he mused, a coy smirk adorning his features as the gale from the clashing weapons died down 'Good grief, you really don't have much luck when it comes to women, do you, Diarmuid?'
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, son of Donn, first warrior of the Knights of Fianna, otherwise known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot thanks to the magical mole granted to him by a young girl that caused any woman who saw it to instantly fell in love with him. A 'gift' which would eventually lead him to his death. One of the most famous warriors in Celtic Mythology, he was said to have wielded twin spears.
'Gae Dearg: The Crimson Rose of Exorcism.' he mused, eyeing the crimson spear warily before turning his attention to the discarded short spear 'Which would make the other one Gae Buidhe: The Golden Rose of Mortality.' he surmised, eyeing the apparently forgotten weapon even as Lancer and Saber exchanged words once more, the two having finally identified one another after their last exchange.
'A spear that Cancels Magic and a spear that Creates Wounds that Cannot be Healed, a formidable combo indeed.' he mused, pausing in his calculations as the Homunculus, Irisviel used her Healing Magic to restore the King of Knights to full health, the wounds Saber had received from Lancer cleaving through her magically summoned armour vanishing in an instant.
'Wait, why would she even require healing?' he wondered, eyeing the King of Knights with understandable confusion even as she thanked her Master for the assist 'Shouldn't Avalon have protected her? Or at the very least healed her wounds?'
As a mere B-Rank Noble Phantasm Gae Buidhe shouldn't have put so much a dent in Saber's armour. And even if the legends regarding Avalon's defensive powers had been greatly exaggerated, which Assassin highly doubted given the information afforded him by the Throne of Heroes, the moment the spear left Saber's flesh Avalon should have instantly healed the damage done to its wielder.
'Even if her legend claims it was stolen prior to her death, that doesn't mean she shouldn't have it as a Noble Phantasm.' He muttered, eyes narrowing in suspicion as he listened to the two Knights exchange banter 'The same goes for Caliburn. If Excalibur is too well known to be used openly, why not wield Caliburn in its stead?'
It was a mystery to be certain. As a Saber Class he could understand King Arthur being denied her Spear or Horse, Diarmuid himself possessed two famous swords which were denied him as a Lancer after all. But both Caliburn and Excalibur's scabbard were an intrinsic part of King Arthur's legend, Caliburn being the Sword in the Stone that she had drawn to become King in the first place, while the Scabbard came as a pair with Excalibur.
Had she been summoned to any other class he might understand her lacking either Noble Phantasm, but as a Saber Class Servant there was no excuse for her not to have them on her person.
'Could she have given Avalon to her Master for her protection?' he wondered, eyeing the Einzbern Homunculus critically for anything that might resemble or be large enough to conceal Excalibur's scabbard. While a tactically sound plan so far as ensuring her lifeline to this world remained, it left the King of Knights' own defences, while hardly lacking, less secure than one would expect.
'Which would mean Lancer's Gae Buidhe should prove just as effective, if not more so.' He mused, eyeing the pile of gravel that cleverly concealed the Golden Rose of Mortality, his mind racing as he revised his strategies for the war 'Perhaps it would behoove me to spare his Master for the moment.'
With Gilgamesh out of the picture, Saber was currently the most powerful Servant in the Grail War. Even without Avalon, her own natural strength and Magic Resistance ensured that facing her in direct combat would be tantamount to suicide.
Hell, as confident as Lelouch was in his own Noble Phantasms, facing any of the other Servants without a proper battle-plan would be tantamount to suicide due to the simple fact that, statistically, he was still the weakest Servant next to Caster, and even then he dared not make assumptions till he'd seen the Magus in action.
'Not that I'd be stupid enough to directly challenge them anyway.' he scoffed, shaking his head at the very idea, recalling the conversation with Kallen from long ago, when she'd tried to convince him to take the Gurren as his personal Knightmare 'For the moment, it may prove beneficial to have the other Servants pick each other off whilst targeting their Masters.' He smiled coyly 'Though depending on the outcome of this duel, Lancer's Master may gain a temporary reprieve.'
A burst of Prana below drew his attention back to the fight, the Masked Servant quirking a brow as Saber dismissed her armour in a burst of wind, which gathered around Excalibur, the blade glowing a bright gold as the King of Knights propelled herself towards Lancer, the Knight of Fianna smirking confidently as he kicked up the dirt at his feet to reveal Gae Buidhe in all its golden glory, Assassin's breath catching as The Golden Rose of Mortality lunged at Saber's unprotected throat.
Fuyuki Bridge...
"Damn." Rider grumbled, the King of Conquerors' eyes narrowing in distaste as he gazed across the vast distance that separated the Harbor from the Fuyuki bridge "This is bad."
"What is?" Waver whimpered, the poor boy practically pissing himself with fear as he held onto the steel frame of the bridge for dear life even as his clearly insane Servant climbed to his feet.
"Lancer has used his Ultimate Attack." The King of Conquerors revealed, arms crossed before him and a scowl adorning his features "He wants to end the battle quickly."
"I don't see the problem with that…" Wave confessed nervously, if anything the sooner the battle ended, the sooner he could get down from here and back onto solid ground as nature had intended "Wouldn't that be better for us?"
"Fool!" Rider barked, stamping on the steel frame, eliciting a desperate shriek from his Master as Waver clung to the frame of the bridge for dear life, his eyes widening in terror as he found himself glancing down at the water below "I wanted to wait until a few more Masters entered the fray," the Servant elaborated "but at this rate it looks like Saber's going to be defeated."
"Wasn't the plan to strike once they've worn each other down?" Waver protested in confusion, the young Magus dragging his gaze away from certain death to peer up at his Servant warily, having never seen him look so serious before
"Don't misunderstand me, boy." Rider countered, tilting his head to regard his Master with a solemn, disappointed look, as if he only expected better of him than to ask such a thing "My reason for waiting is that I was hoping other Servants would answer Lancer's challenge. Rather than picking them off one by one, it would've been far better to get them all together and finished them off all at once."
"All at once?" Waver repeated, blinking up at his Servant in stunned wonderment, wondering what on earth a Free-For-All between Seven, 'Six' he corrected himself, Epic Heroes would be like if Saber and Lancer's battle were any indication "You mean a Battle Royal?"
"Indeed!" Rider agreed, placing his fists on his hips "Rarely does one have the opportunity to exchange blows with heroes from another age. I can't allow one of the remaining five to fall so soon." He smiled proudly as he gestured towards the harbor "Just look at Saber and Lancer. Both are valiant warriors that I would love to duel with." He smiled knowingly "Even Archer seems to think so."
"Archer?" Waver repeated, blinking up at his Servant in understandable confusion before following his pointed finger back to the docks, squinting as he tried to spot the Masked Servant of Tohsaka "Where is he? I don't see him."
"He's been watching from atop the crane." Rider supplied, smirking confidently at the cloaked figure standing proud atop the massive structure "He arrived at the same time Saber did, so it's highly likely he's been following her all day."
"Which means Tohsaka is still alive." Waver reasoned, shivering slightly. It was only understandable really, for not only was Tokiomi a member of the Three Founding Families behind the Grail War, he was also the Second Owner of Fuyuki, which meant he had an intensive knowledge of the city.
While the loss of his home and base of operations was undoubtedly a Major setback, it was likely Tokiomi had several substitutes none of the other Masters, with the possible exception of the Matou, knew of.
"A good thing too." Rider opined, smiling approvingly "Any Servant that can't protect their Master doesn't deserve to call himself a 'Hero'. I'm certain he'd agree that it'd be a waste to see Saber or Lancer die before we've all had a chance to cross swords."
"But isn't that the point?" Waver protested as he attempted to sit up, his tone bordering on hysterical as he tried to comprehend his clearly insane Servant "Isn't the point of the Holy Grail War to kill each other-?!"
He trailed off with a yelp as Rider mercilessly flicked him on the forehead, sending him sprawling on his back, his eyes widening as he briefly saw his life flash before his eyes in the glare of a car's headlights, before the vision faded and he latched onto the bridge once more.
"Victory without Ruin, Domination without Disgrace. That is true conquest!" Iskander proclaimed, seemingly heedless of his Master's distress as he drew his sword, lightning crackling around the blade as he sliced through the very air, cleaving apart the empty space before him.
As it had the night he was first summoned, Waver could not help but cry out in terror as a crack of thunder heralded the arrival of a massive shining chariot drawn by two equally impressive oxen, the sound of their bellowing drowned out by the sound of his Servant's laughter.
"The time for Observation is over!" Rider proclaimed, the King of Conquerors grinning with anticipation as he boarded his noble Phantasm, gripping the reins between his massive hands "We shall participate in this battle, boy!"
"You're insane!" Waver managed to get out between his chattering teeth, gaping up at his Servant in desperation as he clung to the bridge for dear life, as if hoping saying the words aloud would make him see sense "This is Madness!"
"Madness?" Rider repeated, Waver bracing himself for the blow that would surely end his life, only to blink as the massive Servant grinned at his Master with a knowing look in his eyes "You're more than welcome to stay here and watch, if you don't approve."
"I'LL GO!" Waver shrieked, not even stopping to consider how he was more terrified of being left on his own on the bridge than of following Rider into battle against THREE other Servants "Take me with you, you idiot!"
"Good!" Rider declared, laughing jovially as he grabbed Waver's collar, hoisting the terrified boy up into the chariot like a drowned kitten "That's more like my Master!" he proclaimed as he hauled on the reins, Waver crying out in alarm as the Chariot took off into the night sky with a crack of thunder.
And I'll just leave off there.
Quick Recap so far:
1. Tokiomi and Gilgamesh are out of the running. Originally i was going to have Gilgamesh survive in child form but that root has been done away with as it really served no purpose in the grand scheme of things.
2. Lelouch is masquerading as 'Archer' to fool the other Servants and Masters into letting the guard down for Kirei to pick them off one by one.
3. Servants can now sense when one of them dies, though they can't tell which Servant died.
Ability Update! Sort of...
1. ? (Anti-Unit): For some reason, His stats cannot be witnessed.
2. ? (Anti-Unit/Anti-Army) Can make Doppelgangers, each with their own personality and skills. Despite being able to operate independently, they cannot communicate over distance without assistance (Such as telephones, hand signs etc.).