Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Fate/stay night is owned by Type-Moon, and Kamen Rider Wizard is owned by Toei and Ishimori Productions
Chapter 2: Their First Battle
Berserker roared a mighty roar as the three swordsmen charged against him. With Berserker's size, one would think that his speed will be decreased, but he is somehow able to match his three opponents in speed. Berserker defended himself from their swords with his own Axe. He exchanges blows with his opponents in quick succession. Eventually, he was able to find an opening and kicked Okita, who he deemed to be the weakest of the three.
"Okita-San!" yelled Haruto before getting smacked by Berserker's Axe, leaving Saber as the only opponent standing.
"Yes Berserker!" exclaimed Ilyasveil. "Kill the fodder first, then violate Saber however you wish!"
Tohsaka Rin focused on Berserker. His stats are simply amazing. All A-Rank besides luck. She turns her focus to the other two figures who were helping Saber who are able to get back up and rejoin the Battle. The pink haired girl in the Haori, who she deduced to be Okita Souji thanks to the other guy saying her name, has average stats besides personal skills which are above average. The masked guy however…
She can't read anything. That could only mean that he's not a Servant, but a Master. She has to say she's impressed, with him fighting toe to toe against a Servant, which she assumes to be the work of his armor, probably a reinforcement type Mystic Code. While he's currently fighting with Saber, he's still an enemy, so after this, she'll have to figure out how to take that away from him. Without his Armor, he wouldn't stand a chance against Servants, leaving him helpless.
Meanwhile, Haruto, Okita, and Saber continued their fight with Berserker. "Just who the heck is this guy?" thought Haruto as he changed his WizarSwordGun to its Gun mode and began shooting at Berserker, which did absolutely nothing but a few scratches, which quickly healed themselves.
"I-I think I know who he is," he heard Caster said through their link.
"Eh? Then tell us who is he," said Okita, as she blocked Berserker's blade, ignoring the fact that her own Katana is showing signs of breaking.
"He's Greek's greatest hero, Heracles," said Caster, much to the internal shock of her two allies. "Defeating him would be a challenge. Any attack that you throw against him, he would develop a resistance to."
With this information, Haruto, he realizes that his SwordGun won't do much against Berserker now, so he puts on another ring and scans it in his belt.
"BIG, PLEASE!"
A magic circle appears in front of him, which he punches. His arm comes out the other side, now enlarged, and he punches Berserker, who was sent flying away by the attack.
Now, Rin is baffled. She already established that this guy is just a Master, so WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! That is not mere Magecraft. Somehow, the Ringed Master has a Mystic Code that can access True Magic.
Ilyasveil is similarly shocked. "H-How did you—"
"Magic," is Haruto's answer.
Berserker is able to get back up after the Wizard's attack, charges towards said Wizard.
Haruto figured that the Big Ring wouldn't work a second time. He sighed. Looks like regular Flame Style won't cut it anymore. Well then, it's time for an upgrade.
"FLAME, DRAGON!"
"BURN, BURN, BURN, BURN, BURN!"
With Haruto scanning the Flame Dragon Ring, A Magic Circle appears in front him. The circle passes through him, and his armor became red in coloration, with the design of his helmet resembling more of a Dragon's.
He scans another Ring, and his belt announced, "VERY NICE! SPECIAL, SAIKOU!". Now a dragon's head materializes on his chest.
"Now, for the finale," said Haruto as the Drago Skull unleashes Dragon Breath, shooting a massive stream of fire at Berserker, tearing a hole into his Chest. Berserker's lifeless body remained standing, not moving in the slightest.
Rin is left speechless. Who is this guy that was somehow able to kill Berserker of all people?
Okita's eyes widened at the scene. "Haruto-Kun. Did you just…"
"That's not possible," Ilyasveil gaped. "A normal human couldn't possibly kill a Servant."
"Fwee," Haruto sighed in relief, the Drago Skull dematerializing from his armor.
"Master, this is no time to relax! Berserker's Noble Phantasm—"
She was not able to finish her sentence when Berserker's body started healing itself.
Haruto was left shocked by Berserker's regeneration, and had no time to react when Berserker punched him in the chest, sending him to fall backwards, breaking parts of his armor, and exposing his chest.
"Haruto-Kun!" Okita yelled, and tried to run to her fake Master, only to stop when she started coughing blood and fell to the ground. Berserker didn't take notice of this, as he prepares to strike a blow to the fallen Wizard with his Axe.
'I am a fool.'
Only for the red headed boy that is Saber's Master to shield him from the attack.
Everyone present could only stare in shock as his body is tossed away like a ragdoll, his blood and intestines coming out of him.
Even Medea, who watched the scene unfold, is stunned silent at the boy's actions.
Standing on top of a building, a white-haired man could only think to himself, 'idiot'.'
The boy's body landed in front of Ilyasveil, who looked at him with a shock and confusion.
"No way. Why? This is so boring."
She said nothing else, and no one stopped her when Berserker dissipated and she left the scene, as they are too focused on their respective allies.
Haruto, realizing that he's covered with the boy's blood, calls off his transformation, and finds the strength to stand up and ran towards Okita.
"Okita-San, daijobu?" he asked.
"I should be the one asking you that," she said. "Or maybe we should be asking him."
The two looked at Saber's master, unconscious from Berserker's attack.
Haruto felt guilty. If he hadn't lost focus, this wouldn't have happened. He tried to approach the boy, only for Saber to point her invisible Sword at him.
"I-I just want to help," assured Haruto. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I will handle this," said the girl in twin tails. "You should leave now."
Haruto didn't want to listen, but Okita puts her hand on his shoulder, agreeing with the younger Master. With hesitation, Haruto relented.
"I guess we'll have to fight some other time, Saber," said Okita.
"I look forward to it," assured Saber. "But for now…"
she looked grimly at her unconscious Master, and Okita nodded in understanding.
And with that, Haruto and Okita left as well, wishing the best for the red-headed Master.
Haruto and Okita walked back home, since Haruto is in no condition to ride his Motorcycle, while Okita doesn't have the necessary riding skill to ride it herself.
They didn't get to do what they were supposed to do (kill Saber), but the fight wasn't fruitless. They learned Berserker's identity and abilities, and can now strategize on how to defeat him.
Haruto looks troubled though. Something that Okita didn't miss.
"Something wrong, Haruto-Kun?" asked Okita
"I can't help but think of Saber's Master." Admitted Haruto. "It's my fault he got hurt. If only I wasn't careless, he wouldn't have shielded me from Berserker. I'm the one who's supposed to be saving people. Not the other way around."
"Don't say that. If anything, it's my fault."
Haruto was surprised to hear that from her. "It's not your—"
"Yes, it is!" Okita snapped. "If it weren't for my illness, I could've protected you like a Servant should. Maybe he wouldn't have risked his life saving you."
"I wouldn't even need saving if I wasn't hit in the first place."
Okita was about to retort, when Caster interrupted.
"Stop it, both of you. It's none of your fault."
The duo went silent at their Master/Servant's words.
"Haruto, it was his choice to shield you from Berserker. Nothing you can do would've changed that. And Berserker is who he is. Even Saber was having a hard time against him. I assure you that no one blames you for failing to defeat him. If anything, the fact that you were able to take out one of his lives (which they'll have to talk about later) is more than anyone could've done during the situation. "
"And Okita. Your illness isn't something you can control. You can't blame yourself for that. And even if you did manage to get there, what's stopping the boy from shielding you instead."
While there are still some lingering doubts with the two, both didn't say anything else.
Caster doesn't like seeing them distressed, especially over trivial things. If she were to be honest, she doesn't exactly share her Master's views in preserving human life, especially Masters. But Haruto made it clear that he won't kill anyone unless they deserve it. Fortunately, in the world of Mages, many people will fit his criteria of someone who doesn't deserve to live. Okita on the other hand isn't as sensitive to killing as Haruto is. However, she has a soft spot for children, which Caster tolerates since it reminds her of an old friend, but that means killing Berserker's master is out of the question (not that she would too, unless she has no choice).
She doesn't necessarily have to obey them. She's known as the Witch of Betrayal after all. But she respects them, so she'd like to honor their requests. And it's Haruto's kindness that saved her and what made her like him. If she were to force him to kill, that part of him would surely disappear. She would rather keep his kindness alive.
When the two reached an alley, Okita stopped walking.
"What is it?" questioned Haruto.
"I sense a Servant."
Haruto's eyes widened. The two entered the alleyway, and what they find is purple haired woman wearing some kind of blindfold feeding on the blood of a school girl.
She took notice of them, and she puts the girl's body down.
Haruto puts on his Driver-On Ring, and prepares to henshin and fight.
"No, Haruto-Kun," said Okita, pulling him back. "I'll handle this."
Haruto backed away, and Okita readies her Katana. The woman materialized a dagger with a chain connected to it to her hand. She's undoubtedly a Servant.
The Chain wrapped itself on Okita's wrist. Okita tugs the chain, trying to break free, and surprisingly, it works. She ended up pulling the Servant towards her. Taking advantage of the situation, as the Servant got near her, Okita hits her with her Katana.
And just like that, Okita defeated the Servant.
"Eh?" said Okita, surprised at how fast that was.
The Servant sat there defeated, when all of a sudden, she screamed in pain as she is electrocuted by some unknown source.
"Who said you were allowed to be defeated!" Okita heard someone screamed, possibly her Master.
Someone descended from the stairs, and she saw a blue-haired wakame looking boy holding a book that he seems to be using to control the Servant.
"Stand up! Or you'll make me look like a loser!"
"Oi! Stop that!" Haruto yelled.
Either he didn't hear him or he's an idiot, but the boy didn't listen and didn't stop until the book that he's holding turned into ash.
As the boy despaired over his book, the Servant disappeared, confirming Okita's suspicions and possibly taking her out of the War.
"It seems that this is too much for you, Shinji," they heard someone say.
An old man appeared. He looks barely human. He doesn't look like he should be alive. The boy looked terrified.
Okita and Haruto stood there as the old man and the newly named Shinji talks of how the Matou's Magecraft has long since dwindled or something like that, and that Shinji is a failure and he had no expectations from him. Soon, the Old Man turned into a swarm of bugs and disappeared, and Shinji, now realizing that he is in the presence of Servant and an actual Mage who could easily kill him, runs away in fear, leaving them and his Servant's victim behind.
"What the heck was that?" asked Okita, still confused on the events that transpired.
Haruto shrugs as the two stared at the girl's unconscious body.
"What should we do with her?" asked Haruto.
If Caster had her way, she would've told him to kill her. But instead, she told him, "Since she is a victim of the Holy Grail War, you should take her to the Overseer."
Back at the Church
Haruto and Okita reached the Church, where they meet Kotomine Kirei, the overseer of the Holy Grail War.
No one else was in the church, besides them and a blond foreigner who is just sitting there doing nothing.
Kotomine examined the girl. Then he takes and carries her in his arms.
"She will be in my care for now."
"Please take good care of her," said Haruto
He didn't say anything, and left the scene. With the Priest gone, Okita turned to Haruto. "I think we should leave."
Haruto nodded in agreement, and they left the Church. Okita noticed that the foreigner is glaring at her. It was unnerving.
As they passed the blond man, he only said one thing.
"Faker."
"When I was little, I wanted to be a Hero of Justice," Kiritsugu told Shirou.
"What? You wanted to be one? Did you give up?" Shirou asked in curiosity.
"Yeah. It's unfortunate, but being a Hero is a limited time thing. When you grow up, it gets hard to call yourself one."
Shirou thinks on that. He remembers the smile that Kiritsugu had when he saved him from the fire. The look of happiness in Kiritsugu's face when he saved him. To be a Hero of Justice. It's a beautiful dream, and he wants to feel that happiness too.
"Yeah. Since you couldn't do it, I'll do it for you."
You're an adult now, so you can't do it. But I can."
"Leave it to me," he said as he gave Kiritsugu a determined look. "I'll make it happen."
Kiritsugu smiled and closed his eyes. "I can be at peace now."
Those were his last words.
Emiya Household, The Next Day
Emiya Shirou woke up from his sleep. As his senses returned, he realizes that his body is sore. He also realized that he is in his room, with Saber and Tohsaka watching over him.
"Master, you're awake," said Saber in relief.
Memories of last night flooded his head. He shielded that masked man from Berserker. He instinctively touched his stomach where he was wounded, but to his surprise, his wounds are gone.
"I'm healed," he gaped. He turned to Tohsaka. "Did you do this?"
"No. Your body healed itself," said Tohsaka.
"But I can't do anything like that," said Shirou in confusion.
"I suspect it must have something to do with your contract with Saber," she mused.
"That reminds me. What was that earlier? Why did you shield that Master from Berserker?"
"Wait, he's a Master? Not a Servant?" Shirou asked in surprise.
"Are you telling me that you shielded that man under the impression that he is a Servant?" Tohsaka asked in an annoyed tone.
"Well, he was able to fight Berserker, and I thought Masters can't fight Servants."
"He was using a Reinforcement Mystic Code. He wouldn't have done all that he could do otherwise."
Shirou was even more surprised when he heard that. Kiritsugu only taught him basic Reinforcement. To think that it could take someone to the level of a Servant is unbelievable to him.
"But that's beside the point. Why the hell did you shielded that guy."
"If I didn't, he would've died," answered Shirou.
Tohsaka looked very annoyed. "He's an enemy master! Why do you care if he dies? And besides, his armor seems strong. He would've been put unconscious at worst."
Shirou didn't say anything. He didn't regret his decision though. If there was even a slight chance he would've been killed by Berserker, then he doesn't mind risking his life to save him.
Tohsaka stood up. "I'll be taking my leave. The next time we meet, it'll be as enemies, so be prepared."
With Tohsaka gone, Shirou is left with his own thoughts. Now he knows the scale of the Holy Grail War. What happened last night was just one of the first of many battles, and so far, he's already met four Servants besides his own, and Mages more competent than he is.
But he won't give up. Now he knows that the previous War was the cause of the Fire where his old life was destroyed and where Kiritsugu found him, and he is determined that nothing like that will happen in this Holy Grail War.
He won't let the tragedy of Ten Years ago happen again.
I feel like I'm gonna get flack for having Berserker be killed by a Rider's finishing move, but then again, they're basically one hit kill Noble Phantasms, so what the heck? And besides, Drago Breath will no longer work anyway, so that was a onetime use
Oh, and in case you're wondering, the regular Styles and their finishers won't hurt Berserker. Only Dragon Styles and Infinity can
For anyone wondering, my schedule on posting these is every other Month. Same with my other Fic
