Kiritsugu took a long drag on his cigarette in the darkened room, only the dull light of a solitary lamp illuminated the hotel room. Pulling the cigarette from between his lips, the mercenary Master released the smoke into the air, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion and being lost in thought.

This war...he'd known they were supposed to be bloody, he'd known that there were risks, but never before could he have imagined things would get this out of hand. From the very first day things had begun this war became something never seen before with the summoning of an eighth Servant whilst another one appeared to have 'died' only to later be found to have many forms.

Then that day at the docks when all Servants were revealed except Caster, who later showed himself to Saber. Never could he have imagined so many supremely powerful Servants could be summoned in a single War and yet the proof was there to behold. On top of that, Saber was injured and Hunter revealed both herself as well as the threat she presented; first in being able to eliminate Assassin and then go toe to toe with Saber.

She only served to complicate things further, expressing her goal, or 'duty' as she called it, to kill Irisviel. For what reason or how she knew she wasn't Saber's Master either he could only guess. At least he had learned several things about her even if he and Maiya had to have been revealed to her in order to try and fix the situation. She'd do whatever it took to accomplish her goal but was still restrained by some sense of morale otherwise she would have bee-lined Irisviel immediately.

They had learned the name and properties of her main weapon and even if they still couldn't identify her using the information they could use it to prepare for the future. He also had yet to exactly place where Hunter fit into all of this. She had speed like Lancer, wielded a knife like an Assassin, and had a gun at the same time which she used with the proficiency of an Archer, one that hit excessively hard and whose bullets could not be recovered. She could mask her power level to seem weaker than she was was something else he'd come to a conclusion she could do as well. While she seemed like an average Servant most of the time she could go toe-to-toe with Saber and he could feel something far more powerful when she used that roar of hers and expended some mana. She was a wild card and he didn't have anything concrete enough for his liking.

Then after that they learned what Caster and his Master were doing and it not only caused complications with Saber due to the involvement of the children but the madman also thought she was his Joan of Arc. That whole night was a mess in its own right as well but in the end it turned in their favor, even if he almost lost Maiya and Irisviel to that...he truthfully didn't even know the right term to describe Kirei Kotomine with. He was thankful for planning ahead and putting Avalon in Irisviel; he could only have wondered what might have happened considering Hunter had been there at the end as well. He'd wounded Kayneth Archibald to the point if he hadn't outright killed the man then at the very least he'd likely never cast any magic ever again.

He'd consider it a higher plus but sadly due to him sharing the binding with his fiance so she supported the mana to Lancer, he was still in play for now. Still, it'd been a worthwhile blow. On top of that, Lancer, Saber, and Hunter managed to deal with Caster and though Hunter got the final blow, they had learned a great deal from what Saber recalled to them.

She turned Caster's own magic against him and had spells as well as trinkets of her own in the form of that roar that was able to tear Saber off her feet, the molotovs she used when she first appeared, and the odd 'tentacle summoning' the knight described which she used to take the grimoire from Caster. What intrigued and worried him so was how volatile the woman was, having such a range wide of combat and abilities as well as weapons if Saber's description of the cane whip type weapon the woman used was any indication. She seemed to specialize in control; able to direct the flow of combat in her favor or adjust to the situation itslef. But it was odd for a single Heroic Spirit to have so many things at their disposal as well...

They did learn she was older than Caster though, enough so that her magics-or at least ones she was familiar with-could be altered as she described and adapted to what Caster used. But...if that was the case how did she have a flintlock? It raised many questions and made identifying her all the more difficult a task as she didn't seem to fit in anywhere. She also had done something to apparently shatter the mind of Caster or at least put him under her control with a single touch of her bare hand so they'd have to look out for that if the gloves ever literally came off.

Then, just the night previous, Rider came to the castle and had a banquet with Saber and Archer. They had discussed kingship with one another with Saber ultimately falling out of favor of the two other kings. As well, every Assassin made an appearance later into said banquet to ambush them only to be eliminated at the hands of Rider's noble phantasm: a reality marble. Of all the things they'd be up against. He didn't know what else he might have expected from someone deemed the King of Conquerors, but it was still a threat. Assassin was out for good now, though to risk every Assassin to draw that noble phantasm out...he couldn't even think about what was going on behind the scenes.

All that together though and it made for one hell of a mess and in the center of almost every event was either Hunter or Kirei Kotomine. That woman was on her mind just as much as Kirei for while she had said her 'duty' was Irisviel, her intentions were just as much a mystery. Somehow she'd also managed to hide her Master even when they had gone to claim their command seal. His instincts were telling him, screaming to him, that there was something much more to her and it was because of this he didn't know whether to make her the number one priority or to watch.

He was just...so conflicted. He knew it was Irisviel's task to die so the Grail might be summoned, but he still wished to keep her safe and protect her and he didn't know how much longer he could do that. He felt helpless before everything taking place and as much as he tried to be detached so the reality would not hurt...it was not as simple as he wanted it to be.

The mercenary sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, wondering what it all could mean and how they could even begin to plan ahead for this sort of thing. At the very least they'd managed to move Irisviel and Saber to another location, hopefully that'll make it harder to be targeted at least for the moment. He could only hope anyway…

Kiritsugu was about to take another drag on his cigarette when he felt something a sudden piercing sensation in his skull and winced, rubbing on his temple and wondering what could have caused such a thing.

The door suddenly burst open, "Kiritsugu!" Maiya exclaimed and the mercenary looked over to see the woman looked abnormally more panicked than normal.

His brow furrowed and he was still somewhat dazed by the sudden pang, "What is it Maiya?"

"Look for yourself," the woman walked over to the curtain shielded windows and pulled them aside to reveal the blood red moon hanging in the sky over the city. Its very presence seemed to taint the sky as a purple, splotchy pollution of some sort stretched slowly from its place in the sky.

Kiritsugu stood slowly with a stunned expression, but that lasted only briefly as his expression hardened once more and he approached the window. He stared out to the glowing moon, something about it sending an unholy disturbance across his very mind and for a moment he felt something unnatural try to draw him closer but he blinked and shook his head, looking to Maiya. "Maiya, get your things," his voice was cold, but calm and he looked back out over the city, only wondering what sorts of horrors could be going on and questioning himself as to why he thought so.

"We have a great deal to prepare for."

Saber grit her teeth and gripped her weapon tighter as she ran through the streets, haunted by distant screams. She did her best to keep her gaze off the abnormal sky above her and how just being under it filled her very being with agonizing dread. The only respite she felt was knowing she'd requested Irisviel to keep as far away from it as she could.

Questions and grim thoughts ran through her mind even as she did her best to control them. What could have caused such a thing? It appeared the point of origin was the moon itself, seemingly hanging oh so low and close in the sky, but surely there was something behind all of this? How could they have done it if so?

Strangely...dreadfully, for every question her mind posed, something….something wrong and inaudible whispered the answer. It was as though she knew the answer all along and it was horribly frustrating and...terrifying, as though to always know the answer but never clearly. Like it was there all along but simply reminded to her by some outside force slipping them into her mind.

A heart-wrenching wail from not far away broke her from her thoughts and she grit her teeth tighter, scaling a building that proved itself an obstacle in her path only to be surprised by what she saw at the top. The knight landed and looked up only to blink, both Lancer and Rider, in his chariot with a hand raised thoughtfully to his chin, turned and looked at her with curious brows raised.

"Oh, Saber, you've decided to join us," Rider greeted inquisitively.

"Wha- Saber?" the familiar voice of Rider's Master piped up and the boy leaned over to see the blonde woman straighten with a serious look at her fellow Servants.

"Rider? Lancer? What is going on?"

"We've been trying to figure that out for ourselves. Take a look for yourself," Lancer offered with a gesture of his head to the street below.

Though cautious about the situation, with a brow to show it, Saber nevertheless approached the ledge of the roof and when she got a mere glimpse of what stood in the streets below her eyes widened and she almost had to take a step back in shock. There were many words to describe the thing which was standing hunched over several hundred meters away. Abnormal, terrifying, unholy, awesome, but also powerful.

Whatever the thing was, and Saber took a few more hesitant steps closer to the edge to get a better look at it, almost completely forgetting about her companions, it was enormous. The Knight was hesitant to say anything, a primal, instinctual inner fear telling her to run now while she could and it took a great deal to reign in the urge to flee. After a few seconds she managed to bury it, but the longer she looked the more her brain began to ache and indistinguishable but also terrifying whispers hovered at the edge of her conscience mind.

At last she flinched and tore her eyes off the thing, gripping her forehead as beads of sweat began to form.

"You have felt it too then?" Saber looked up to see Rider and Lancer watching her, the former having been the one to address her whilst his Master remained hidden by the chariot. No doubt keeping his eyes as far away from the thing as he could. She could not blame him. If it was anything magical to cause such a thing, for it to affect her so strongly she could only imagine what it'd do to a mortal mind like his.

She did not need to give an answer it would seem though, for Rider sighed deeply and looked upon the thing though she could see the tension in him as he did so. "Neither of us can explain it for ourselves. To think I fear no man or beast, such things I thought long since behind me especially now reincarnated as a Heroic Spirit, but it pains my very core to look upon such a hideous abnormality. Though I doubt its appearance is the reason for this feeling. It is truly an annoyance if anything. I almost considered requesting my Master stay behind for this particular encounter, but what better way to make a man than to face even your greatest fears?" He released a hearty laugh and Saber heard the boy grumble something, still out of sight.

Lancer smirked, clearly keeping his eyes off of whatever it was down below. "It's an oddity indeed, I'm especially not a fan of the headaches whenever I look at it," Saber noticed that he rubbed at his ear and wondered if he too heard the whispers. The Servant released a sigh and glanced down below with a small frown, "But it seems we aren't the only ones who made a hurry to get here."

Saber furrowed her brow and studied the streets around the thing in search of whoever would dare be on ground level with such a creature, only for her eyes to fall upon who was standing right in front of it, gazing up defiantly at it, "Hunter?"

Rider grunted with a nod, "She was here before we were just as she is now. I must say, I wasn't sure what to make of everything I'd been hearing about her but for my first time laying eyes upon her I must admit to being impressed. I expected her to a bit taller at the very least," Saber turned to him with a quizzical look only to see he had a genuine look of interest on his face as he seemed to study her. "Of course, to stand before such a thing is commendable in its own right as well but I will withhold too many praises until I see her in action," a small grin formed on his lips at the prospect.

Saber merely had a frown adorning her own features and chose to remain quiet, glancing to Lancer to see him spare her a flick of his eyes before returning them to the street, abstaining from comment as well. Not entirely sure what to make of the situation, she was about to look back down as well when a...sound resonated against her being. Whatever it was, for it was no true sound as it wasted no time with her ears and simply infiltrated and filled her mind, it caused Saber to wince.

She did not know how to describe it, for it felt like words, at least that was what she told herself, but they were formless and beyond comprehension. It was like a hollow echoing with tones which were punctuated by inhuman ringing and resonance. As her eyes fell upon the creature she saw it grow animated. It shifted around Hunter as though to study the woman from every angle, some of its hands moving as though in tense conversation.

Saber looked to her companions just before the sound stopped to see Rider maintained his composure but had an eye squeezed shut meanwhile Lancer had both his eyes closed and gripped his spear tightly. At last it relented and Saber breathed a sigh of relief before looking back down to Hunter to see the woman apparently conversing back, though her mouth made no words. As Saber blinked, a gasp left her and she quickly blinked several more times as though to try and recreate what she had seen. For just before her eyes had shut, she had seen...something else standing where Hunter was, though she was not sure if she had words to describe the vision nor if it was true for it was just as quickly gone as it had appeared.

"So you see it as well?" Rider asked with a serious tone, watching her from the corner of his eye.

Saber blinked again, "See what?" surely it had been a trick of her mind? Caused by the creature or whatever was causing the whispers in the back of her mind every time she looked to it.

"I believe you know what I refer to," Saber frowned nervously and glanced back down, the unholy sound filling her mind once more but it was more bearable this time. "It would almost seem as though she is conversing with it as well, though of what I cannot know," the powerful Servant was quiet for a moment before releasing a thoughtful hum. "Hrm...I believe there's more to our Hunter friend than she is letting on."

"So everyone keeps telling me…" Saber muttered and watched the scene unfolding below her. Just who are you Hunter…?

The creature began to have a more threatening stance. Elongated digits clawed marks in the concrete as it gripped it tighter, its posture rising and fanning out as though to bear down more upon the woman before it, and its hand motions grew more exaggerated and seemingly angry. Saber had the feeling she knew where this might be going and though she did not know what Hunter was speaking to it about, Saber had the feeling she knew it was not going to end well even if her features remained hard.

"Whatever they may be discussing, I hope Hunter knows what she is doing," Lancer finally quipped, "Because I'd rather us not attempt to deal with that thing in the middle of the city."

"A valid concern," Rider replied thoughtfully, seemingly quite engrossed in the matter unfolding below him, "I suppose we will have to trust in her diplomacy skills." At that queue, the creature leaned in close to Hunter before slamming two of its hands down on either side of her and then rearing back with a hand posed for a backhand. Hunter whipped her cane to the side before making a wide arc to slash right at the thing's misshapen porous head. It released an earth-shaking roar that left Saber's ears ringing and she looked down to see the woman dashing in between its arms and legs slashing at it with all the tenacity she had. Though it spared her no wasted energy, swiping and smashing in a fit of ferocity and causing a mass of wreckage in its wake.

"Uhp, it seems I may have spoke too soon."

Saber grit her teeth, "Come, we must lure the creature away from the heart of the city!" With that she lept off the edge of the building to go join Hunter. Rider and Lancer glanced between each other and the former shrugged.

"Th-there's a large park to the south, perhaps we can draw it there at least for now?" Waver offered shakily from in the chariot, not entirely sure if this was the best place for him to be right now if things got too serious.

Rider nodded and grabbed the reigns, giving them a hard flick for the mighty oxen to bellow and begin to move. "Lancer! Inform the ladies of this plan, perhaps we can get Hunter to lead it there if this thing is after her!" The Knight gave a swift nod before jumping down to join his fellow Servants. Rider grinned wide and drew his sword, "Come boy! Let us see what this beast can do!" Waver groaned and gripped the chariot tightly as they circled around and down toward the thing whilst his Servant bellowed a warcry.

He was certain if he wasn't dead by the end of this war the stress alone would no doubt put him in an early grave.

*INHERITOR….*

Reyven stood before the Amygdala with a stern face and a tight grip upon her threaded cane, knowing full well this would not end well. *What are you doing here upon this plane? You do not belong and it is not your place to intervene within this trial.*

It shifted back and forth around her, growling at her claim, *SAYS THE ONE WHO IMPLANTS THEMSELVES FORCEFULLY INTO IT. YOU SYMPATHIZE TOO MUCH WITH THESE PESTS, INHERITOR OF THE MOON, SUCH THAT YOU PLACE THEM THEM OVER YOUR OWN KIN. BUT SUCH PETTINESS IS TO BE EXPECTED OF ONE WHO SIMPLY ASCENDED TO THEIR POWER RATHER THAN BEING BORN WITH THE UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE.* Reyven furrowed her brow and felt her jaw tighten but remained still as it continued.

*THESE MORTALS PLAY BLINDLY WITH POWERS SO FAR BEYOND THEIR COMPREHENSION THEY TEAR REALITY AND THE VERY COSMOS ASUNDER IN THEIR PETTY SELFISH PLIGHT. WITH EVERY ONE OF THESE 'WARS' YOUR GRASP UPON YOUR ENTRAPPING DREAM WANES AND WITH IT YOUR HOLD UPON US. IS THAT WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO TAKE PART IN THIS SQUABBLE? DEMEAN YOURSELF SO AS TO BRING YOURSELF BACK DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL? SUCH ARROGANCE IS NOT WORTHY OF ONE WHO WIELDS THE POWER YOU DO!*

Reyven could tell it was growing more agitated but she did not care, already knowing what the outcome would be. It knew very well the reason for her doing what she had and she knew it was not here with good intentions, but it should not be here so soon and for it to be alone, while still worrying, must mean something unto itself. The matter would be difficult in this state, but it was not the first time she had put one of them in their place.

*BUT NO MATTER, FOR I HAVE BROKEN FREE AS A MESSENGER AND A HARBINGER, FOR WITH THE CORRUPTION OF THIS 'GRAIL' WHEN THE LAST OF THESE FALSE HEROES FALLS WE WILL ONCE MORE HOLD POWER NOT ONLY IN THIS ONE CITY, BUT THE WHOLE PLANE THIS WORLD RESIDES!*

Her eyes grew wide before her features hardened once more and she took a stance, bracing herself as its hands slammed and shook the ground on either side of her. She had not believed things had gotten that out of control. She had thought a brief intervention would at the very least meant if she failed she could try to contain things once more even if the worry of a greater threat had hung about the back of her mind. As it stood though, she had not expected things to wane as much as they had in her abscence. It was all or nothing now and the stakes were too great to let a single chance pass them by.

*I CAME HERE NOT TO DESTROY THEM, BUT TO DESTROY YOU! DIE FALSE KIN!* It reared its hand back to swipe at her but she whipped her threaded cane into its secondary form and slashed at its 'face', earning a roar of defiance. She used the temporary hesitation to wrap the bladed thread around one of the tentacles upon its face and pull herself out of the way as it swiped at where she stood, carving a deep trench in the street and causing a sizable crater in the building it collided with.

Reyven landed with a roll and set to work keeping underneath it as it struggled about on its stumpy legs trying to crush her underneath it with foot and claw. Its actions were swift and strong, causing craters and slashes in the buildings and street around it, throwing cars and kicking up rubble with every swipe and stomp.

As she set about agitating it to make it clumsy, for this street was no place to be fighting it as it bumped into walls buildings and street posts, she heard a feminine battle cry and watched as Saber leaped and swung powerful strokes at the creature. It made sounds of protest as her blade hit it hard enough to beat a hand out of the way and strike its face with sizeable force.

*PETTY WORM!* It made to swipe at her but Reyven wrapped her cane around its wrist and yanked hard enough to keep the hand down only for another of its six hands to come reaching for her. Dashing out of the way, the hand flattened a postbox against the building behind it before throwing it and rubble her way in retaliation. She was struck by some of the smaller pieces but managed to avoid the large and more dangerous chunks.

It roared furiously again and now tried to fend off both her and Saber, the latter of which proving herself more of a threat even if she still could not even break its thick hide. Reyven grit her teeth in frustration, knowing they wouldn't make much progress even with the help of the other Servants but also knowing they had to keep trying something.

A flash of red, yellow, and green darted between them up the beast's middle and struck a great multitude of swipes and strikes going up its legs and hunched body before hitting its face hard a great many times. It staggered back and bumped into another building before roaring again and swiping its arms furiously all around it. All three Servants were pushed back, Reyven catching a backhand which sent her flying and skipping off a building but she stuck the landing with a roll and came up on her knee beside Lancer standing with his spears at the ready and Saber sliding back with the force of a blocked blow.

The Amygdala shook its head to clear its daze and get its bearings straight, angrily pounding two fists into the building beside it. "Saber, Hunter," Lancer began without taking his eyes off of it, "We must lure it south, away from the populace so we cause as little damage as possible."

"Aye!"

"Agreed…" Reyven panted out before catching her breath, hearing a warcry above them. Rider came flying in as it focused in upon them once more only to be struck hard and sent reeling by a passing strike from Rider. She turned to her fellow Servants, "It wants me, I will lead it away, just be ready when I get there…" Lancer and Saber nodded before turning to see it almost swipe Rider out of the air.

"Let us be off before it knocks Rider out of the sky," Lancer quipped before disappearing in a flash, swiftly striking the Amygdala to draw its attention to him before he sprinted back past where Reyven stood at the ready, Saber following quickly behind.

Its gaze fell upon her and it slammed its hands onto the ground again before it tore off, barreling toward her clumsily. She watched and waited before her eyes widened as she remembered Garren. "Master!" she spun and shouted before she sprinted back to the car, seeing his eyes were wide with terror and awe. She ran up to the door and threw it open, Garren blinked several times in surprised.

"R-Re-" he began stumbling out but she silenced him and ripped him out of the car and hefted him in her arms before sprinting down the street, hearing her massive enemy behind her in hot pursuit.

She did not need to tell him to hold on tight as she sprinted with all her might, making a turn down a street and hearing a moment later as her foe struggled to slow and crashed into another building before taking off again.

"Do not look back!" she told him and felt him grip her tighter.

"Duck!"

Reyven rolled with him in her arms, feeling the air rush above them and as she staggered back up out of the roll already running again, she watched as a crumpled car smashed down the street in front of them. Gritting her teeth, she could feel it bearing down on them and quickly turned into an alley, bumping into the wall with her shoulder with her momentum and hearing its clawed hand tear apart the corner as it tried to slow itself using it.

She came out on another street and continued running, not sure how far south she was supposed to lead it but figuring she'd know when she got there. Hearing a sound above them, Reyven looked behind them and her eyes widened. The creature was running along the rooftops, crossing between them to close the distance quickly.

Running down alleys would no longer prove useful it would seem. Not wasting another moment, she returned her eyes forward and made another turn, eyes spotting a sign referring to a park pointing in the direction she was running. It'd have to do.

Garren suddenly began to scream and she glanced back to see a misshapen, six-fingered hand reaching for them, feet away, before lightning struck it from above causing it to roar in pain and anger. It paused to swipe at a chariot flying through the sky but seeing the distance Reyven was making reared its head back, a multitude of eyes popping out from its porous head.

Knowing exactly what it was trying to do, Reyven quickly looked around before diving into another alley, knowing it was her only option as a beam of light tore down the street, closely followed by jarring explosions. She charged through several trash cans, sending their contents scattering, and came out looking at an open green park.

"We're in the open!" Garren shouted and the pounding behind her let her know the Amygdala was already upon them. She had to make a split second decision then, to run for the cover of the buildings and put them closer within its reach, or continue forward for the woods and hope to avoid the beams.

Gritting her teeth, Reyven sprinted for the treeline, hoping the other Servants were waiting for them. She could hear the laser closing in, knowing it was harder for it to aim the further away she got and hoping she got lucky. Sure enough, the line went wide to her left and she quickly made for the right as the explosions soon followed. A furious roar filled the air but Reyven continued to run, looking for a safe place to set Garren down.

After a minute she came out the other end of the park and was on another street. Panting and not sure what to do, she simply set Garren down, the man stumbling a bit as his legs felt weak and his head dizzy.

"Jesus…" he breathed, trying to catch his own breath and right himself. They stood there for a second, the sounds of combat and piercing roars ringing out behind them. "What are we going to do?" Garren asked, looking to his companion whose gaze was turned over her shoulder.

"I...don't know…" Reyven mumbled, conflicted as to the best course of action as she saw explosions and glimpses of the beast over the treetops. There was one thing she was certain of though, "Garren, you cannot stay here. You must get somewhere safe, if not from it than the other Servants...I cannot let you die here."

"Reyven…"

She shook her head decisively and swept her hand to the side, "No, it was bad enough you came out here as the sky was infected with Paleblood, but now the situation has worsened even more than I already thought it was." Olive eyes raised to his and he could see the tiredness in them at their fullest, a dull resentment to past mistakes and the need to fix them. "Garren...please...you can't stay here. This night is too dangerous for someone such as yourself to be out here!"

"What do you mean someone such as me? I'm your Master and your friend," she visibly seemed to flinch at that. "We're going to do this toge-"

"You are mortal!" she snapped back at him, cutting him off and catching him off guard. "And more importantly...you are good and kind...you do not deserve to see and be corrupted by the horrors which will unfold this night. No one does," he could see the grief growing on her face, the way she fought back memories in her eyes. "And I don't want to lose anyone else anymore...Please...just-"

He could hardly bear her it anymore and without warning he gripped her shoulders tightly and gave her a hard shake, "Reyven just stop for a minute!" At the very least it silenced her, her eyes widening in surprise at the sudden contact and shout and she hesitated for a moment and he used it to speak. "I don't care what you think tonight will bring or whatever, but we're a team, understand? You can try to keep this lone wolf bullshit up all you like, but we need to do this together alright? If you keep this up all you're going to do is get one or both of us killed! Do you understand?" She stood half facing toward him but with her head turned down and away and she did not move until he felt her shoulders begin to shake and her hands suddenly shot up to bat his hands off of her. He remembered she hated to be touched, something never voiced directly but it was always subtly hinted at in small actions and reactions of hers. Something one might think childish till they had seen the reasons why. And he just shouted at her on top of it.

He blinked after a moment, realizing what he'd done. Shit. "Listen, I'm sorry Reyven, but you were-" She raised her hand and he shut his mouth, just barely noticing the way it shook, though it steadied after a moment, her brow was furrowed and her face still. Finally she straightened and stood facing neither him nor the park, face still set.

"Fine...stay if you insist, but do not say I did not warn you from the things which you may see and do not get yourself killed…I need some way to finish all this." Her voice was cold and quiet and Garren felt his heart drop in his chest. With that she turned and began walking into the forested park.

"Reyven wait!" Garren called and took a step after her reaching a hand out but she ignored him and disappeared into the dark of the trees. He clenched his teeth and ran a hand through his hair, "Shit...Fuck!" he shouted and felt like hitting something. He'd simply acted without thinking, breaking her unspoken boundary and shouting at her but it was not as if it was not unwarranted. She needed to be snapped out of her moment and be reminded he was here willingly and that by summoning her he had agreed to whatever was in store. And she just...she just sounded so lost and...He sat down at a bench with his head in his hands, drawing them down and jumping to look behind him as another roar filled the air, almost completely forgetting the reason for the situation to begin with.

It was a shitshow through and through, of that he could not deny and he now knew why Reyven wished to keep him away from the start. Though how she'd know it'd be this bad he could only guess. Well, something about her words he supposed could lead to that answer. Garren placed a hand to his forehead and thought. What could he even do in this situation? He didn't want to get anywhere close to whatever that thing was, for other reasons aside from likely just getting in the way.

Well, thus far he knew only three of the other Servants were present fighting whatever that thing was so it begged the question where the other two were if it posed a threat to the public and exposure of secrecy but perhaps they simply had yet to show. Still, he did not want to simply abandon Reyven, there must be something he could do.

Familiars! That was the only thing he could think of. If he could not join her then he would at least watch out for her in case the situation turned sour or something happened for her to be made aware of. Garren took a deep breath and sighed before sitting straight. Yeah, that's what he'd do, whether she wanted him there or not he would look out for her because he was her Master and even if he couldn't fight then maybe he could do something.

He could only hope things didn't get too out of hand.

Reyven dashed out of the way as a fist slammed into the dirt before it was hastily dragged back, tearing deep gashes in the earth. They weren't making any progress harming this thing and she knew exactly why but still she held on hope something could be brought to light soon enough which might prove itself useful in damaging it.

She dove out of the way of a cluster of beam blasts and lashed out with her threaded cane, the pointed blades striking at its head but none managing to rake into the holes to possibly damage its eyes. Even then she wasn't sure that would work. All the Servants worked diligently in throwing everything they could at the creature but despite their best efforts no progress was being made.

Saber dashed in and struck at its leg with powerful and decisive blows but it was unfazed and it only succeeded in getting it to raise its foot in an attempt to crush her. Rider came charging in again with his sword sparking with lightning, bellowing a great warcry as he gave a mighty swing at its head. The blow was strong enough to upset its balance and almost send it toppling, though a combined effort from Hunter, Lancer, and Saber all lashing out at once managed to disturb it enough for it to bellow out a cry and collapse to the ground.

However, victory was short-lived as it was quick to begin angrily trying to right itself. If anything it granted them a short reprieve.

"This isn't working," Lancer stated flatly, standing between Saber and Hunter once more.

"Has this beast no weakness? None of our blades seem capable of piercing its hide," Saber spoke as well, none of them taking their eyes off of it as Rider circled around to hover over them.

His eyes fell upon Hunter, who stood with drying blood on her brow, though her injuries had been healed with a vial or two. "Hunter, you seem to know this beast better than anyone here, surely you must have something to contribute?"

She took a deep breath but shook her head, "It would not make sense to any of you and as such I doubt it is a feat possibly accomplished by any of you. Truthfully I am at a loss myself as to what can be done."

Rider frowned, almost seeing such a claim as a challenge but holding back his opposition in that regard. "If that is what you think, then what would be the harm in sharing? Surely something is better than nothing at all even if we cannot achieve it?"

Reyven returned the frown in part and saw the eyes of the other two upon her; she relented with a sigh. "It is only vulnerable outside of dimensions it does not directly control. Under the Paleblood sky its hide is impenetrable and to try and lure it away from under it will only spread its influence further and faster." It finally managed to find proper footing and leverage and pulled itself up, "Unless you have a means to rip a hole within reality itself and take it to another plane where it does not have influence, I do not know what can be done."

The creature bellowed a vicious roar again and Hunter and Lancer were quick to prepare themselves whilst Saber and Rider shared a gaze. "Rider..." his Master spoke up, his words hanging. Rider already knew what was being requested of him.

"If that is the case I may yet have a means to deal with it. Prepare yourselves! Keep it still and be ready to fight with all your strength!" He raised his sword and snapped the reigns of his chariot, taking off into the sky once more as the other three Servants scattered to surround the monster as it swiped and clawed all around it with every hand and lanky arm available to it.

With its attention diverted between the three Servants around it, trying to keep track of them all, it did not notice Rider closing in from above until he began his warcry and as it turned, an orb of light surrounded the Servant. It quickly began to spread and the beast howled and reached to attempt to tear him out of the sky but in a flash it vanished with all four of the Servants along with it.

Gilgamesh sat upon his flying throne, the Vimana, watching the scene below him with little interest, so visible in his expression and the way he sat. Tokiomi stood anxiously before him, watching with tension furrowing his brow as he watched the scene as well, clearly upset by the way things were unfolding without their intervention. Something he'd voiced on several instances, not that the King listened to a word of it.

He knew not what had tainted his skies so, to make them wrong and an eyesore to look upon, though figured that queer monstrosity of a creature had something to do with it. It was a nuisance to look upon and that that 'Hunter' character chose to walk the same ground as it only proved the level at which she was worth being viewed. To see the others toil about with it as well only further solidified their status in his eyes even if he still felt the creep of undesired pity form.

Still, the King released a bored sigh, "Such a pitiful sight. Mongrels though they may be, some of them are at least worth some slight renown and yet here they struggle fighting together with all their might to slay that base monstrosity to no avail. Surely there are limits to which one might sink," his eyes lingered upon it a moment longer before his frown deepened ever the slightest and he turned them to Tokiomi. The man was still watching everything below with a deeply troubled brow. "Do you not agree, Tokiomi?" he asked, hoping to provoke some form of interesting response from the man, to see if he could prove himself worth some redemption.

The man's frown grew briefly for a moment, knowing the creature was not only causing a scene but also corrupting the population with whatever influence it had. It was his honorbound duty to do something to smite the thing down.

Finally he turned to Gilgamesh and gave a small bow, "My King, that creature is a vermin ravaging your Garden and corrupting the minds of your people. I humbly beseech you to slay it yourself, if not to prove your power to those who might think lesser of you."

Gilgamesh sat unchanged and unmoved, not even bothering to sigh in disappointment. He knew full well what the mage was trying. "The people of this generation could use with a bit of thinning, their well being is of no interest to me. And I need not have to prove myself to anyone. Unless, Tokiomi, you think me a gardener and my Noble Phantasms on level with a gardener's hoe?"

The man kept his composure, "I would never dream of such a thing. But as you can see, your Majesty, this creature is beyond the abilities of the others, it is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your true light. I beg you, please take action…" He did not wish to use a Command Seal, and he knew if he were to do so it would only further ruin his already fragile relationship with his Servant. However, the King's piercing gaze was unflinching and Tokiomi kept a calm composure even if he held his breath.

Seconds passed before Gilgamesh shifted with a small hum of amusement. He lifted his hand and Tokiomi suppressed a sigh of relief, only bowing his head further before straightening to look over the side as pools of golden light formed in the air. Before any of the King's prizes could be released, he piqued a brow, watching as Rider charged the beast to swallow it and the others in a flash of light.

"Hmph," the pools of light faded after a moment and Gilgamesh lowered his hand, "Tokiomi, we're leaving."

Tokiomi choked a breath for a moment, "B-but your majesty, there's no guarantee that they'll be able to destroy it! Only your holy blades no doubt have the means with which to annihilate it. I humbly beg you to at least remain for us to see the outcome."

Gilgamesh remained nonplused, "Tokiomi, I have humored you up to now but I will not further waste my time on something I have no interest in seeing the outcome of. If the mongrels cannot defeat such a simple creature on their own then they are not worthy of my assistance and deserve whatever fate befalls them."

The man shook before dropping to a knee, "Your Highness, please, what were to happen if they do indeed fail? Surely you do not mean to allow such an unsightly thing to continue its rampage?"

Gilgamesh scoffed, "If my intervention is truly necessary I will give it even should it be reluctantly but until that time comes, do not hold your breath, Tokiomi."

His head hung further and he grit his teeth, clenching his hands tightly and looking down at the Command Seals which yet remained. No, to do such a thing would be more detrimental than the chance the beast might continue existing beyond tonight. However it was no less difficult a decision.

As chance would have it though, a loud howling sound had begun to filled the air below, like the sound of rushing wind, before the world itself seemed to shatter. Tokiomi looked down below only to gasp, his eyes widening as he watched the monster reached another hand out of another plane of reality and tore the gap it made wider, its hands swirling with cosmic energy as more joined the effort. Another unholy roar filled the air and it pulled all its hands at once, spitting the four Servants and the beast onto the ground in a flash of light.

Tokiomi's mouth hung open in shock, "Impossible…."

Gilgamesh sat a bit straighter in his seat but watched with the same expression as before, deciding perhaps he might wait another moment longer to sate building curiosities.

Reyven blinked in surprise at the sudden change of scenery, around them was an endless expanse of sand in all directions with the only ones there being the four Servants and the Amygdala before them. It too seemed perplexed as to where it was as it threw its head one way and then the other.

Rider smirked and held his sword high, "Legions!" he shouted to the heavens and the sand quaked and shifted with sounds of marching in the near distance.

"A reality marble…" Lancer breathed in astonishment, knowing that Rider was no doubt a powerful Servant, but to have such a card hidden within his sleeve…

Hunter herself stood amazed, blinking and looking behind them to see a massive army crest the dune behind them, spears stretching high to the sky and in such great number it made it difficult to see what was behind them. To think such a thing was capable of being created by a being who was not Kin to the Great Ones, and not but a spirit at that.

Her stupor didn't last long though, for an echoing, undulating howl filled the air and when she turned she saw her foe raising its arms high into the air, a swirling of light and cosmic energy forming above it. Reyven's eyes widened, "We cannot wait! Strike it down now or we may not have another opportunity!"

Saber and Lancer both blinked and nodded before they both took off toward the creature, Rider doing likewise as he ordered his army to charge, a sea of steel and sheer living will rushing forth to smite the beast where it stood. Rider was leading the charge just in front of the other three when suddenly a powerful pulse was released from the ball of cosmos forming above the Amygdala.

It hit them all with great force, upturning even Rider's chariot as sand and person alike were picked up by the shockwave. Reyven was sent crashing and rolling into the sand, having to cover her vision briefly as the clouds of sand swirled around her. When she was certain she could open her eyes once more, she looked behind her to watch as Lancer and Saber met similar situations as she and the legions charging with them were obliterated entirely by the pulse, vanishing into clouds of dust as it hit them and reality began to get eaten away at its edges.

"What is happening?!" Saber called out, shielding her eyes before lowering her hand as the dust began to clear.

"Impossible…" Rider's tone drew Reyven's gaze back to the Amygdala only for her to gasp as she witnessed what it was doing. With each hand surrounded by a swirling cosmos, one by one it slammed them up into the vortex it made and slowly it began to pull open a hole in the blue sky to reveal the Paleblood one they had left behind.

"We are still somewhere outside of its domain, strike it down now!" Reyven cried at the top of her lungs and scrambled to her feet to break out into a dead sprint right for the creature. Lancer fell into line behind her and Saber trailed behind, all three of them passing Rider's chariot as he tried to turn it over once more while also checking on the condition of his Master.

Hunter whipped her cane out to the side before swinging it over her head in an attempt to catch one of the hands it tried to raise. She snagged it and skid to a stop in the sand, yanking with all her might to watch as the hand was tugged down and crimson blood dripped from where the blades bit deep. It roared its defiance and tore her off her feet by yanking the hand she snared.

The cord was released and once again she tumbled in the sand before it slammed the last of its hands into the hole and slowly pulled it further open. Before the other two Knights could reach it, the beast pulled its hands together and roared as it threw its arms open and shattered everything around them.

All four of the Servants were sent flying as they returned to their true reality, hitting the ground hard by the force of their reentry. Rider tumbled with his young Master held protectively in his arms as the chariot and oxen were thrown once more in different direction. Lancer twirled himself in the air and slammed his spear into the ground, digging up a trail of dirt as he slowed himself to a stop still on his own two feet. Saber was sent up into the canopy of the trees, using the wind spell around her sword to reorient and redirect herself back to the battlefield. Reyven on the other hand was thrown with great force toward a thick tree and slammed hard into it, collapsing to the ground unmoving.

The three Servants still standing slowly recomposed themselves as best they could, Rider holding his hand out to keep his Master behind him as he stood ready to face the beast on his own two feet if he must. The creature itself staggered a bit when it crashed to the ground, though it had all its limbs to brace itself as it reevaluated its surroundings.

Slowly, it turned to look back at them, observing it was back under its own sky before finally facing them completely. In a fit of triumph and anger, the beast slammed its two frontmost hands to the ground and released a will-shattering roar, dragging the claws deep into the dirt before it made to move upon them again.

Out of nowhere, an agonized howl quickly followed and it took them all by surprise. A black shadowy figure leaped from the trees with a lamppost in hand, corrupted black and red by its touch, and smashed its weapon down hard upon the misshapen cranium of the creature, forcing it into the ground to create a small crater before the monster growled loudly and thrashed in all directions, forcing the figure back.

"Berserker?!" Saber cried, the surprise was evident in all of them as the twisted and broken man released painful howls and screams, laying into the beast with unrelenting blows. What could he possibly be doing there? Why did he have such a tendency to show up and the most bizarre of times.

"Do not question a stroke of luck! So long as he fights with us he is an ally!" Rider shouted and Lancer was quick to nod and join the madman, Saber hesitating as she did not wish to provoke the man's ire once more and turn his attention upon her, but she decided she would keep out of his sight. She dashed in to join her fellows. Rider turned to Waver, "Boy, stay clear from this action; check on Hunter if you must. She may be our key to defeating this beast."

The boy glanced back to where the silver-haired woman lay and nodded, "Alright, I'll see what I can do…" He took off in her direction while Rider approached his chariot, getting to it just in time to watch it fade away. A frown punctuated his features and he looked back to the action unfolding before him. He wasn't certain how much more he could do. His mana reserves were now all but emptied as he relied on his own stores every time he used his reality marble. To use it this second time so soon had taken a great deal from him.

However, he'd be damned if the great Ishkandar did not go out fighting! Bellowing forth another great warcry, Rider raised his sword and charged.

Garren ran through the park as fast as his legs could go, his heart beating hard in his chest and breath coming heavy. He did not know what had happened when they had all disappeared in that flash caused by Rider, but he had seen the aftermath and bore witness to what had happened to Reyven. Even as his instincts and conscience screamed at him to stop and to turn back so he might not get in the way, he kept going. If there was anything he could do for Reyven, anything at all, now would be the time to do it and now was the time she would need it.

The sounds of the unholy brawl taking place before him grew louder the closer he got and the sights he saw through the trees were terrifying, fear gripping his heart tighter the closer he got. That too he fought though, doing his best to avoid looking at that and prioritize finding and helping Reyven.

Finally he broke through the treeline and looked around, the combat with the monster much, much too close for comfort but he had to ignore it for the moment. He'd have plenty of time to flee soon enough. It took a minute but he managed to find her, Rider's young Master kneeling beside her as he propped her up against a tree.

"R-Hunter!" Garren had to catch himself, especially around the other Master even if he didn't pose a threat. The boy looked up at him in surprise and seemed ready to run until Garren dropped down beside Reyven.

"You're her Master?" he asked with a shaky voice even if he kept a better composure otherwise, no doubt inwardly disturbed by all that was going on. "She's still alive but when we got thrown out it must have knocked her unconscious."

Garren gave a nod and placed a hand on her shoulder, not knowing if healing magic would really help her regain consciousness. "Hunter, are you there? You need to wake up. Come on, you gotta help the others finish this!" He gave her shoulder a light shake and took her hand in his other one, holding it up gently. "Come on, you've gotta wake up."

Waver continued to sit, merely watching tensely and sparing a few glances over his shoulder every few seconds to see how it was going. Sadly it was not well, even with Berserker's help, the creature's hide remained unscathed by the onslaught of the other Servants. His eyes fell upon Rider as the great leader dove under swipes and made great cleaves of his own upon the beast.

Why isn't he in his chariot?! Waver thought angrily, though more out of worry than anything. Surely he could just summon it again couldn't he?

"Hunter!" The exclamation caused him to turn and he saw the woman stir, eyes seemingly unfocused for a second as she looked up and around before said eyes fell upon her Master and then Waver.

She nodded slightly to her Master and moved her hand from his and placed it upon Waver's shoulder. He gave a small smile of relief and reassurance but noticed her eyes were not looking up at him. Her head hung low and both her bangs and her pointed hat blocked her features from him but he could just make out a barely audible, "I'm sorry…" Before he could even think of a response, Hunter slid her arm further around his shoulder and pulled him close.

Pain. Sharp, biting pain that soon melted away from its point of origin until it was only numb where it had begun.

Hunter's hand shook and Garrn looked on, mortified, before he lost his balance and fell back onto his rear with an expression that embodied his shock. The blade, curved and silver, protruded from the boy's back covered in a sheen of crimson blood. Waver could only sit there, blinking in surprise and utter shock before his breath returned to him and he coughed up blood onto Hunter's shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered shakily, "I warned you...I'm sorry…"

Waver took in a shaky breath and released it as he tried to process what happened. He breathed in another and when he released it he drew no more, slumping into her.

Rider lurched where he stood and whipped his head over to Waver, Hunter's face buried in his shoulder as a wicked blade protruded from his back, "Waver!"

"Rider!" Before he could act, Saber's call caused him to turn just in time to see the massive hand coming toward him before it swatted him into the ground and send him rolling. He tumbled for several feet before rolling to a stop, slowly and weakly pushing himself up to look at Waver and Hunter, the man who was her Master sitting shocked beside the two.

His strength was failing him. His mana was depleted and without Waver to support any extra mana, he would no doubt fade in but a few minutes even despite the perks of his class. "If that is how you wish to play, then so be it Hunter. To think I believed the story he spun of you…" Rider sat upon his knees and aimed his sword before tossing it with all his might at her Master.

The blade flew true, spinning through the air right for the man who never suspected a thing. However, Hunter was not so unobservant. Spinning her body to rest Waver's where she had been sitting and then continue the motion to swat the blade up into the air with her own weapon just in time. A shadow hung over her face as she stood with her head lowered, her hat casting it upon her features so as to obscure it some, though her lips pressed deathly thin said enough.

The blade tumbled through the air before sinking point first into the dirt between them. Slowly, she eased her stance, never meeting Rider's eyes. "A coward through and through…" Rider muttered spitefully and simply sat with a quiet acceptance as she drew and raised her pistol. The weapon shook for only an instant before it was steadied in the hand of the killer who held it.

Rider could only scoff before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His only regret was that he had not been truer to the boy he'd called Master, who had come so far. "Hunter, wait!" the clap of the gun went unhindered and a moment later Rider collapsed with a pool around his head, remaining there for several seconds before fading away into sparkling blue dust.

Reyven stood unmoving, pistol still raised for a moment after Rider faded but when that time had passed she turned to where Waver sat and crouched down beside him. A trail of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and his eyes stared blankly into the distance. She used her sleeve to gently wipe away the blood before closing his eyes, holding herself there for several moments before almost falling onto her knees. A single tear dropped from her chin and she stood before spinning on her heel to face the creature which relentlessly fought the other Servants.

"Reyven...how...why would…"

"Master," she stated simply, unemotionally, glancing back to him over her shoulder to notice him kneeling beside the boy, that ever-present resenting tiredness hidden behind the cold determination. He looked up at her with a hurt expression, "This is a war. I told you before I would take what opportunities presented themselves and this was better than any other. I warned him before as well...I'm just sorry he did not heed it well enough." She turned her eyes back forward and began walking, "Stay close please, it would be better that way for now."

As she walked, a bubbling grey mass formed on the ground in front of her and small misshapen beings pulled themselves out to happily present a silver bell to her as she approached. She bent down and graciously took it from them as she got to them, running a thumb gingerly over one of their heads before standing and looking back to make sure Garren was following. With clenched fists, he finally stood and began walking up to her, though he did not think he could meet her gaze after the things he had just witnessed.

She nodded and looked back to the battle before her. Seeing what Rider could do had given her an idea, one that still remained within the rules she was bound to as a summoned Servant. Perhaps it was not quite the same thing, but it was likely similar enough that she could at least fool the Grail into allowing her to use it under similar pretext.

Reyven held the bell out to her side and studied it for a moment before she gave it a ring, the sound emanating from the bell resonating with her very being, the sounds overlapping upon themselves with each consecutive ring. Almost instantly the Amygdala whipped its head around to her before releasing a defiant roar. She simply stared it down and continued to ring the bell until it began to glow.

Saber dove under a stray swing of the creature's and grunted as she felt an odd sensation come over her. The sound of a bell filled the air, but not as any natural sound did. No, whatever this was it seemed to echo through space itself and as it bounced off her it seemed to resonate with her very being. She couldn't help but pause and grip her head as it felt like it was washing over her mind with every ring. Berserker howled and she watched as he thrashed his head about this way and that as he gripped it meanwhile Lancer pressed a hand to his temple. Saber watched on, none of them capable of doing anything as the monstrosity charged Hunter.

Just as it approached Reyven though, twisted hands reaching for her, an orb of light burst forth from the bell that captured her, the False God, Garren, and all three of the other Servants which had been fighting.

There was a sudden stillness in the air and Reyven closed her eyes, when she took a deep breath the queer but lovely scent of the moon, her scent, filled her nostrils. The Hunter opened her eyes and before her, the three Servants, Garren, and Amygdala, was an expanse of beautiful white flowers never seen outside of the Dream, dotted with crosses and tombstones. Behind them rose a small hill which transitioned into a single, massive tree hundreds of meters tall and perhaps a hundred in diameter. Its branches fanned out into the sky and reached for the heavens all the while the moon hung close in the sky and bathed their soon-to-be-battleground in light almost equivalent to that of the sun.

Lancer, Saber, and Garren too stood in awe of their surroundings, enraptured by the beauty of scene they were caught up in meanwhile Berserker merely stood still, a certain calmness about him for once as he looked up at the bare branches ever so high above. In front of them stood the Amygdala, its arms held up almost fearfully before it. But then, why should it not be afraid?

Whereas Rider's reality marble was a conjuration of a place within his mind, this place was real. Outside of the dimension they should be in or no. It had no power here so long as she willed it.

"What...what is this place…?" Lancer asked, looking around him before his eyes fell upon Hunter.

"This is the Dream…" Reyven began quietly, Saber's brow knitting confusion as she studied the crosses and the stones of graves amidst the endless field of flowers. "Conjured so long ago as a refuge for Hunters in the days of the Hunts. With every one that passed, the chosen Hunter would have their contract severed from the Dream so they might die a mortal death. A true and final one without worrying about being trapped in here...or the Nightmare, forever. However…"

Saber gasped and jumped back as the ground beneath her bubbled and frothed and a figure began to rise from it, covered from head to toe in dark leathers with a hat not unlike Hunter's. Looking around, more and more figures began to rise around them of every shape and size, gender and color. Their garbs ranged from a wide-brimmed hat and tattered clothes, to something more noble and pristine, to even more churchly attire. Every one of them had a weapon of some sort and they were equally as diverse, from rapiers with a flintlocks lined in their hilts, to a brutal looking curved rectangular piece of steel with both a sharp and serrated edge.

She looked around and blinked, wondering if each of these 'Hunters' was as skilled as the one acting as a Servant in the war and quickly dreading the thought. Her eyes fell upon three figures that approached Hunter from behind. One was an old man, tall and lanky with a top hat and a tattered cloak who held a curved sword in an aged hand. Another a woman who stood near as tall with a clean dark leather garb and pale skin whose hair was equally so and she held a weapon which looked like a saber with a dagger on the other end. The other was a man who stood at a normal human's height and held a weapon similar to the older man's, though he worn an olive garb with a high popped collar, his face shielded by the visage of a six-eyed skull and a very wide-brimmed hat.

"The Dream did not fade even when the Hunts died down and its caretaker was killed. It continued to exist as one last refuge should it be required and the Hunts were to rise again. And it is on this Night that it is called upon once more along with all those who wish to prevent what happened in Yharnam so long ago from ever happening again." The older man stepped forward and placed a hand upon the woman's shoulder, she looked up at him and saw a small, pained smile on his face. While she never had gotten a chance to truly know the man, she respected him and the sacrifice he chose to make even if she had released him from his torment in the end.

She turned to the False God and stared it down with all the Hunters of old doing likewise. *You have come this far. What say you? Are you prepared to face the Hunt?* She raised her hands high above her head and with a wordless order, Gehrman slammed the blade of his scythe into place and caught the shaft as it opened behind him, Maria taking a stance beside him. Rearing himself back, the first Hunter took off at blinding speed with Maria close behind, the duo kicking up flower and petal alike as he was almost instantly upon the creature, meanwhile shouts of glory and vengeance filled the air and the Hunters moved as one upon it.

Another hand was placed upon her shoulder as the Hunters converged upon the beast. "Reyven, it has been some time."

Reyven lowered her hands and hung her head, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth to fight back her emotions. "Arthur...I'm so sorry…I've missed you…" she turned and opened her eyes to look upon her brother, knowing he was smiling beneath that gruesome mask.

"Tut, tut now sis. There's no need for that, one certainly can't say I didn't deserve it…" he looked upon her with a sorrowful gaze. "I am the one who is sorry for the fate you have endured all this time."

"Better I than anyone else…"

"I suppose so, anyone else might have done it wrong. Now then," he patted her shoulder and looked around at those still standing around, "enough moping around folks, we have a victory to ensure."

Garren blinked and could only be struck in awe by everything around him, from the sheer beauty and grace of this 'Dream', to the way the numerous Hunters bore down upon the creature once giving them trouble with merciless brutality.

Saber and Lancer blinked from their stupor, engrossed by the sight of how at first the creature tried to defend itself before blind panic set in and it tried to flee, not getting far before blade and bullet alike assaulted it from every one which direction. Both of the knights shared a glance before nodding and taking off toward the creature. Strong as the multitude of Hunters was, it was no less a reason to lend assistance.

Arthur whistled, "Hey, tall, dark, and gloomy over there," Berserker finally looked down from the trees above and turned his hollow gaze to the Hunter with a creak of armor. "Yeah, you," he snapped his fingers at another Hunter standing near him dressed in black churchly attire similar to Reyven's, who blinked in confusion. Arthur looked back at him and nodded eagerly, the other looking annoyed before he reached his sword behind him and stuck it forcefully into a large block of stone on his shoulders. He tossed the heavy weapon reluctantly to Berserker, who caught it effortlessly before pulling the sword from its heavy sheathe and studying it before doing likewise with the block of stone, his corruption spreading to them quickly. Arthur smiled beneath his mask, "Have fun," and with that he slammed his blade into a shaft on his back in a similar fashion to the older man and drew forth a scythe as well before running to join the action with the mindless knight close behind, quickly overtaking him as he released another growing agonized howl.

Reyven stood where she was and watched with Garren standing not far from her, looking between her and the slaughter taking place mere tens of meters away. He was so conflicted by everything, his mind having been put through the wringer tonight. First there was whatever corruption this 'Paleblood sky' caused, getting chased by that thing through the streets of the city in Reyven's arms, shouting at her in a sudden unneeded fit of anger, watching her get hurt only for her to kill a boy and then his Servant without mercy. And now this. It was all just so much to take in. Every event that passed he wasn't certain if he was knowing the woman less and less or such varying parts of a greater story,

"Reyven…" he began quietly, looking to her slowly as the beast was pulled and pushed this way and that, several of its arms already having been cut to pieces and its entire body filled with cuts which dripped crimson blood and stained the white flowers not already crushed by it and the horde around it.

"I'm sorry, for all of this, Garren..." she replied equally as soft. "You deserve much better than the things you have seen thus far into this war, but the things I have seen and those that can happen...I do not blame you if you hate me, perhaps then it would make things easier, but this is all for the greater good for I do not wish upon anyone the mistakes of the past should we fail…"

"I know…" he admitted quietly and watched at last as the thing was pulled down, blades of Servant and Hunter alike rising and falling to put the beast out of its misery. "I just...I don't either...but I…"

"I understand, and I hope you never have to. But please, stay here, will you? You will not approve of what is to come." Before he could say anything, she began walking toward where the Hunters stood triumphantly over the corpse of the Amygdala, Saber and Lancer standing off to the side speaking quietly to one another as Berserker continued to pound into the creature's corpse unhindered by anyone.

The cheering slowly died off and the crowd slowly parted, not between Reyven and the massive body, but her and the other two knightly Servants. Both of them blinked as she stared at them with tired eyes before looking over to Berserker. "Berserker," she called quietly and the madman turned to her, sword and stone splattered with blood. She pulled off her glove and reached for the man's foot.

Saber and Lancer immediately knew what she was doing. "NO!" Saber and Lancer ran to meet her but as she swung a blade caught hers and a man blocked her path, the visage of a warped skull staring back at her. Lancer caught in a similar disposition by the woman with pale hair.

"I'd appreciate it if you let her do her business," Arthur told her calmly but the knight only grit her teeth before quickly dropping to swipe out his feet but he jumped away and by then it was too late.

Berserker howled in agony and clutched his head, once more thrashing it back and forth before Reyven snapped her fingers and he fell silent. He looked to her as she replaced her glove on her hand and gestured beside her with her head. The madman made no sound save for the shifting of his armor as he dropped down and took a spot beside her, the other Hunters surrounding the four Servants in a wide circle.

Lancer straightened, glaring daggers at Hunter and Saber gripped her sword tighter before falling in line beside the other knight. "To think I once had respect for you, Hunter. But you truly are without honor or dignity. First killing Rider and his master in cold blood and now this," he spoke his words calmly, though with a hostile edge upon them before he spat at her feet.

She did not flinch, "I lost my honor long ago, Lancer. And you may not realize, but there is a great deal more at stake than you can possibly ever imagine, something much more important than one or several men's honor."

"It does not make you any less craven," Saber bit back with a sneer.

The woman was unfazed, "Nothing you can say will change what has happened nor my mind. I do not expect you to yield even if I show you the truth of what may happen, but we have all night to decide the outcome of this battle."

Lancer's brow furrowed but his frown remained and he took a readied stance, "Indeed we do, and I no longer have a reason to hold back."

"Aye, prepare yourself, Hunter, for you shall pay dearly for your actions." The King of Knights spun her holy blade and took a step back as she readied a stance to charge.

I already have so many times over...Reyven said nothing in response, merely preparing her own stance as Berserker shook beside her, desperate to engage Saber with memories and overwhelming horrors swirling in his mind. Without a word, all four of them took off at once.

Garren couldn't quite see what was happening with the number of tall Hunters in the crowd but as he strained to get a better look from this distance he felt a gentle tap upon his shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the action and snapped his head around to open his eyes wide in surprise. Before him stood a tall womanly figure similar to the one that had stood beside the older man, though it seemed the pale complexion and hair was all they shared as this woman had a much softer expression and was dressed in ornate attire similar to what one may find on an old Victorian doll.

"Would you please follow me, good sir? It will not do you or the Good Hunter any good should you get hurt," she offered gently and Garren hesitated. He looked over to where a circle had formed and he could just barely make out the four Servants thanks to the rise of the hill.

Finally he released a relenting breath and turned to the tall woman, "Alright."

She bowed and that was when he saw her segmented fingers...like what one might find on a doll. "This way please," she turned and began to walk, Garren sparing a glance in the group's direction before he frowned and followed after the figure.

AN: Hello again all and pardon the wait, know it's been a while. Let me first begin by saying that I've been a bit conflicted with parts of this chapter but set definitely in others. I suppose my greatest uncertainty is in the way I wrote certain parts more than anything; perhaps rushing a bit here and there. Simply put though if any of you have any criticisms please feel free to share because they only serve to better the story as a whole. The ones I've gotten up to this point have been more than appreciated and I thank all who've contributed their word.

Moving on though, to those who might be confused by the use of the word 'awesome' used early, know that I use it in its purest form. In recent years its use has been downscaled to more or less refer to anything that can be designated as 'cool', but it really has a deeper meaning than that. For something to be awesome is for it to be able to strike awe into you and the like but in a much more profound way than we tend to use it. Sorry if that's a tangent but I have a person gripe with how it's used these days and figured I'd clarify.

As to my disappearance as of late I have to apologize, life has gotten away from me a bit between school and just lacking motivation but I've done my best to crank this out for you guys all spring break and I hope if anything it's at the very least alright. Thank you all so much, without those of you who stick around to read this story especially up to now I really don't know where I'd be with it but I appreciate it more than you know. Once again, please if any of you have any words to share at all, go ahead and do so because they are more than welcome whether of praise or critique. Thank you again and I'm looking forward to what the future will hold for all of us. Wishing each of you the best of luck in your endeavours and promise to continue to do my best for the story.