Chapter 68
Skin tight fishnet stockings with transparent blue tights wrapped around her slender legs, a black leather holster with a gun secured inside wrapping around her left upper thigh. Two white high heels raised her height, further enhancing the charming slimness of her legs. A similarly pure white bodysuit with the middle cut open clung to the curvature of her torso up her breasts, her belly button exposed from a thin opening in the middles with golden waves ringing the edges. It ended a golden clasp that connected the two cups that barely covered her bountiful breasts, the top left bare for the world to see. Two white cuffs with golden lining on her wrists provided an air of professionalism, and a small blue tie on the white collar that barely reached the valley below enhanced that image, an intricate golden symbol embossed on the silk. The most eye-catching feature of the outfit however, was the delicate golden crown on her luxurious golden hair, and the white ears attached to them sticking stiffly into the air. Her ahoge hung out just beneath the crown.
Inscrutable green eyes scanned the trio, her right hand flipping several cards and shuffling them with dexterity as she assessed them.
"Are you Servants and Master of the Fifth Holy Grail War?"
Despite the fact that the privileges granted to the Ruler class gave her knowledge about their status and True Names, it would be good if they were willing to verbally confirm it themselves.
Naturally, in the knowledge given to Caster and Saber about the Holy Grail War, information about the extra Ruler class was there, so they knew it was no use hiding any information from her.
"I am Emiya Shirou, Master of Saber, and this is Caster, our ally."
Keep your eyes on her face. Shirou desperately repeated this mantra in his head over and over as he took the initiative and introduced the trio one by one. He couldn't help but marvel at how similar Ruler looked to Saber as well. It was a gradation of Artorias, with the young Caster, a teenage Artoria close to adulthood, and a fully grown Artoria right in front of him.
"Caster, your Master is nearby as well, isn't that right?"
Ruler looked in the direction of where Kuzuki was still resting.
"He's injured and asleep right now, so he can't be here."
If he was injured, then she supposed she would have to inform Caster in his stead. She had been summoned here for a purpose, and she would fulfill as much as she could.
"I will be informing the Master's of this war about the new rules of the Holy Grail War as the official overseer summoned by the Greater Grail. Please follow me."
Saying so, she bent her knees, lowering her height until her entire body was lower than Shirou's stomach, then she leaped.
The muscles under her blue tights bunched up together, contracting, then they pulled apart, the muscle fibers exploding with tension as Ruler was propelled into the sky, not like a superpowered bunny hop. Cracked tiles were left on the ground where she had taken off, with two small holes from her stilettos of the high heels imprinted on the ground.
"Let's go, Master."
Saber wrapped an arm around Shirou and leapt up into the sky with him in a princess carry before he could even protest, soaring in the air after Ruler. Caster watched them go at the gate, her duty to protect her Master preventing her from leaving the mountain. Though if Saber was there to represent their alliance, it should be fine, she thought.
*BAM*
Archer went tumbling across the school grounds, his body bouncing across the dirt several times before he rolled to the stop, his left side on fire as he hawked up a wad of phlegm and blood, spit mixed into the slimy mess.
"Gaa-haahhh..."
He tried to brace his left arm on the ground, but it only buckled and he felt flat on his face again in his own puddle of blood and spit as the hole that Rider had made there hadn't healed yet. He lay there for a moment, before he used his right arm to push against the ground, his palm sinking into the mud made from his blood as he finally managed to get off the ground. Keeling backwards, he brought his torso upright, settling into a kneeling position on the ground.
Rin stared at him, her eyes wide while her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Berserker stood in front of her, calmly standing there without even having her sword out, her face so blank that it was hard to believe she had just viciously kicked Archer and sent him flying.
Archer coughed and pushed his body up, forcing himself to stand even though his sides screamed like someone had just placed a grenade there and then detonated with magma. Believe it or not, he had experienced that before, and it had hurt like hell. Moving his lips, he opened his right hand
"Trace-"
Golden light expanded in his hands as a new blade formed. The curved sword and white rippling surface became visible, with Archer tensing his legs to jump between his Master and Berserker.
*DOM*
"Kua!"
Spittle flew out of his mouth with blood, the blade leaving his grasp as his fingers loosened from the immense physical force applied to the center of his body. His body of hardened muscles and black bodysuit of exotic materials barely blunted anything, the force of the blow transmitting throughout his entire body, sending a shockwave of air blasting from his back with the sheer, excessive strength Berserker used.
His ribs cracked as his lungs, heart, diaphragm, liver and spine all violently trembled, some of them almost outright exploding as the fleshy walls of the organs ripped and tore, blood spilling out inside of his body like he had been cut by a thousand blades. Large sections of his lungs ceased to function, the splinters of bone pierced through the organs like shrapnel.
Hurtling through the air like a cannonball, his body spun and jerked until he slammed through the white concrete wall of the school building and broke through the iron rebar hidden inside, sending plaster and dust flying everywhere. He smashed through a second wall and some glass windows, the transparent shards flying everywhere, before he finally crashed to a stop inside an empty club room. The windows behind him shattered, the wall cracking with lines spider webbing from the point of impact. His head bowed until his chin touched his chest, his legs splayed loosely on the ground, while his left arm was bent at an awkwardly, the elbow almost at a ninety degree right angle behind him with the palm facing the floor. Cuts on his face, arms, legs and body dripped blood, his hair no longer slicked back, but falling down in its natural state. The red shroud was severely torn up, his arms almost bare, and large gashes in his pants revealed the dark skin and wounds on his legs.
"A-Archer!"
Rin finally found her voice, rushing towards where Archer had fallen. Rushing towards him, she fished in her pockets for the remaining jewels she had stored as her best weapons.
*Vuon*
A circular crimson blade stretching out from a shining yellow hilt stopped Rin in her tracks.
"It was nice to know you, Tohsaka-oneechan!"
Illya's beatific smile went unseen by Rin, but her angelic voice reached her as the red blade swung towards her neck.
*SHOOM*
The concentrated blast of water drilled through the space Berserker was at a second ago as the Servant of Madness leapt into the air right above the blue beam, dodging it by a hair. When she landed back on the ground away from Rin, a hole could be seen on her dark cloak as it flapped.
"You are my opponent."
Rider aimed her scope at Berserker, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"Oooh? I thought you would be glad to get rid of the distractions first, but to think you'd be so impatient as to fight us now."
"Since they cannot fight any more, you are my opponents now."
Berserker turned to face the maid, lightning crackling in her hands as her lightsaber hummed.
"Is that what you want? Then, die."
*BOOM*
Before either of them could engage, another Servant landed between them.
"I am Artoria Ruler, the overseer of the Fifth Holy Grail War summoned by the Greater Grail. Heed my words, Masters who possess Command Seals."
Just outside the school gates, Saber put down Shirou as they watched Ruler.
On the far side of the school opposite the two, Assassin and Grey finally arrived to support their ally, Rin.
Watching the battle from afar, Lancer floated in the clouds atop Llamrei, lightning occasionally sparking from his hooves.
A single thought ran through all of their minds when they saw Ruler.
"What the ****."
Archer, on the verge of losing consciousness, smiled wearily.
"At least I can die with some peace after seeing this."
"This Holy Grail War has been distorted beyond recognition. To prevent a future catastrophe in the near future from occurring, I have been summoned to watch over the battles fought in the name of the Holy Grail. From this moment onwards, all battles shall be fought at dates and times specified by Ruler. Conflict outside of these specified venues and times shall be treated as an infraction, and all infractions shall be punished harshly. An extra Command Seal will be given to the Master who manages to kill the guilty party."
Ruler raised a card, bearing a symbol that frequently morphed in shape, from two circles with a line passing through, to three petals, to masses of lines intersecting each other that formed an image vaguely resembling a body. Each Master that saw the symbols recognized them as their own Command Seals.
"I will also conduct an independent investigation of the Greater Grail. During the course of the Holy Grail War, no Masters and Servants are allowed within the boundaries of Mount Enzo, unless I specify otherwise. If Masters or Servants are caught trespassing within Mount Enzo, it will also be treated as an infraction, and they will be punished in the same way."
Saber and Shirou exchanged a glance with each other. Did that mean Caster and co would be evicted?
"Finally, all Masters are obligated to hunt down Avenger. Failure to exterminate the Servant within two weeks will result in the termination of the Holy Grail War."
All the Masters reacted with varying degrees of shock or confusion, ranging from Illya's clutching her head as unwanted memories flooded into her head, to Shirou furrowing his eyebrows in thought.
Far off in a lonely chapel, Kirei smiled to himself.
"Interesting."
Sitting atop the red bridge of Fuyuki that served as it's signature landmark, Gilgamesh sipped his wine as he watched the proceedings through an ornate mirror.
"So a false Avenger has appeared, eh."
He took another sip of the wine and swirled it in the cup, the red liquid sloshing around in circles.
"No matter. The more mongrels there are, the more entertaining this will be."
Throwing back his head, he laughed with abandon as the wind tugged at his jackets and hair, the cars passing below him lighting up the road with varying shades of white and yellow.
Deep, deep within the earth, a Servant emerged from the pool of black sludge.
The black helm raised its face towards the sky as it roared.
"AAAARRTTHHHUUURRRRRRR!"