Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
King of Beasts Productions Presents:
Fate/Zero Hour: A Fate/Zero Multicrossover Fanfiction
Chapter 15: The Black Temple
"No way..." Saber could only stare in awe as the colossal battlecruiser covered the sky, casting it's titanic shadow over the battlefield. "How could something like that be a Noble Phantasm?"
"As I said last night, I led a rebellion against the corrupt regime of my time. A pretty big one, if you don't mind me sayin'." Rider could not help but grin with pride. "The ship I commanded, and the men and women who followed me...you could say that they're a huge part of my legend."
"Wow, so pretty~!" Assassin's eyes widened in child-like wonder. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a cute toy, Rider?"
"Toy?" Rider felt his vein bulge at that question, but set that aside for now.
"So, what's the play?" Berserker asked as he stepped forward, cracking his neck and knuckles while grinning. "I'm pretty sure you're not gonna make it just fly there and look pretty."
"Ya hear that boys?" Rider smirked as he pressed on his earpiece. "Sounds like someone's challenging the Raiders! How's things up there, Rory?"
"The boys are all locked and loaded, sir!" A deep, burly voice answered from the other end. "Findlay's feelin' particularly excited!"
"Good man. You got things ready on your end, Matt?"
"You only need to give the order."
"All right then," Rider looked to the other five Servants, who gave him a nod in return. "Alright, Raiders! Move out!"
"Roger!"
No sooner than the order was given that dozens metal cylinders as tall as Rider came hurtling into the ground from the Hyperion. Once they made their landing, out of them stepped Marines clad in power armor, armed to the teeth with assault rifles, rocket launchers, flamthrowers, etc.
"Alright men, open fire!"
Without warning, they began firing upon Caster's hordes. The Fel-Orcs and Naga responded by charging straight at them, while the Blood Elf mages and archers rained arrows and spells on them.
"Let battle be joined!" Saber roared as she ran alongside Archer and Berserker to meet the enemy's vanguard. Her now revealed blade shining in the darkness, it sung in the air with a satisfying swish as foe after foe fell with each swing. To an onlooker, it looked as if she was in the midst of a graceful dance of death.
"Not bad, Saber. I'm not gonna let you show me up, though!" Berserker kept up the pace, matching her poise with his ferocity. "DEAD SPIKE!" With a mighty roar, he swung his blade upward, a wave of darkness in the form of a beast's head devouring all beneath it.
Archer, for his most part, clicked his tongue in annoyance as Blood Elven archers began raining down a volley of arrows on them. "Nuisance!" With speed and precision almost unheard of, he twirled his katana like a propeller. The blade moved so fast that it caught any and every projectile hurled at him and bounced them off. He then resheathed Yamato, then swung several times so fast that the human eye couldn't catch his movements.
"Be gone."
As soon as the tell-tale click of Yamato resheathing popped up, the Blood Elven archers fell apart after being hacked into pieces. The Servant of the Bow struck with such speed that they didn't even realize they were dead until the final moment.
"Leave the archers and spellcasters to me!"
They looked up to see Lancer soaring through the air with spear in hand, bobbed and weaved between arrows, fire balls and shadow bolts as she took aim for the enemy's rear guard.
"Eat this!"
Archer began noting that her spear began glowing blue and that there was suddenly a chill in the air. She dove down into the crowd of warlocks with spear extended and crashed right into them. When her spear embedded itself into the ground, several icicles burst forth from the ground, impaling the unfortunate foes with impunity.
"You certainly never showed this power before." The Son of Sparda noted with mild surprise.
"To be honest, I was holding back then." Lancer replied with a giggle, only stopping to swat away an errant sword thrust with her buckler and responding to her attack in kind by skewering him with her spear. "I was saving my full strength for when I duel Saber once more."
"Perhaps you think you could've defeated me had you used your Noble Phantasm's full power then?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
They stopped their conversation to see a massive fel-guard with it's bludgeon raised high. Both Archer and Lancer prepared to defend against an oncoming attack, only for the beast to stop mid-swing.
The reason being was the purple scissorblade embedded into it's chest, it's handle attached to a blood red string.
"And you say I'm chatty, Archer-kun." Assassin answered with a cheeky smirk, clearly enjoying the pain her prey was experiencing.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion or your help, Assassin." The white-haired devil rolled his eyes as the Servant of the Shadows giggled inanely.
"Oh, you know me! I'm just here for the thrills~!" She laughed as she forcefully yanked her weapon out of the Fel-Guard, bleeding him out as she swung her weapon and decapitated it and several others.
"You know...their get-ups are giving me inspiration for a new clothing line!" Assassin, her one good eye sparkling, tittered as she caught her scissor blade after yanking it back. "We can start with the entire medieval theme and work from there!"
"...Even in the battlefield, she thinks of clothing." Archer sighed. All the Servants gathered felt themselves sweatdrop at her behavior.
Nevertheless, they press on to reach the steps to the temple all while battle raged around them. Shells and spells were flying as men equipped with the technology from mankind's distant future fought tooth and nail with primal warriors wielding the darkest magics. At the forefront, Marines rained lead upon orcs, nagas and elves while, at the rear, futuristic tanks provided artillery fire in response to the dark arts the warlocks wielded.
"Fire plasma torpedoes!"
"Firing!" Matt's voice responded in Rider's earpiece as he gave the order. Sure enough, the Hyperion's laser batteries rained lasers upon the orc regiment blocking the Servants' way, annihilating them almost instantly. This left them to ascend the steps with little challenge to them.
"Damn, that battleship of yours is scary." Berserker commented as he thrust an Azure coated fist into a shielding blood-elf, shattering his defense like it was paper mache and going through his chest.
"The pride of our Raiders, she is." Rider chuckled as he switched out his assault rifle for a massive sniper rifle called "The Penetrator". He took careful aim and, with a pull of a trigger, fire a bullet that plowed through several Myrmidons lined up for him. "She's seen a lot of our victories and our defeats, and there's no finer battlecruiser out there than the Hyperion."
"We're almost at the the entrance!" Saber declared as they managed to reach the massive doors. However, what stood in their way was a naga much like the ones they faced earlier, only with red scales and several times larger.
"Damn." Rider chuckled as he stared at the beast's girth. "You're one large mother-!"
That curse was cut short when the massive Naga roared a defiant challenge to the intruders.
"Alright, then." The Servant of the Steed was amused to say the least. "I doubt you'd let us through if we asked, nor do we got the time to deal with you. So I'll let someone else take this one." He pressed his earpiece once more to communicate with his crew. "Tychus, you're up."
"Hell...it's about time."
The battlecruiser drops another payload unto the battlefield. This time, however, it was much, MUCH larger than the drop pods the Marines came in. It landed in front of them with a loud crash, causing dust and debris to fly everywhere. The other five were forced to shield their eyes as the dust suddenly shrouds their area. When it cleared, they looked up to see another technological marvel; What emerged from the landing zone was a mech much larger than the red-scaled beast before them. In each arm was a cannon and inside the cockpit was the same grizzled Marine that aided Rider and Berserker during their initial confrontation with Caster.
"Is that...a giant robot?" Berserker would be the first to speak among the astonished Servants.
"WOAH THAT'S SO COOL!" Assassin burst out with wonder.
"To think mankind would be capable of such feats in the future..." Saber found herself murmuring in amazement.
"Admit it." Rider chuckled at his old friend. "You've been DYING to use this since we started."
"I ain't gonna lie; I missed using this guy." The loud booming voice of Tychus Findlay could be heard from the Odin's speakers. "Seein' as I oughta pay ya back for Char, howabout you leave this one to me?"
"I'll appreciate it." Rider chuckled then turned to the rest of the Servants. "Let's go on ahead. He'll handle everything from here."
With a nod, the rest of them went along and proceeded to enter the Temple. The red naga known as High Warlord Naj'entus turned to face the massive metal titan, it's pilot grinning like a kid in a candy shop at the prospect of the destruction he will be causing.
"Ready for me, you oversized handbag?"
Ryuudou Temple, at that Same Time
Emiya Kiritsugu would no doubt conclude that this would become one of the weirder evenings of his lifetime.
Well, with the gathering of many strange individuals, each with their own unique skill or power, in one place will no doubt do that to you. Yet here he was, fighting alongside them as well as four of his opponents in the Holy Grail War. Seeing this as a chance to observe his opponents up close, he mentally noted each and every of their capabilities.
"Tohsaka Tokiomi, Master of Archer. A Magus who utilizes Jewelcraft with devastating skill." He noted as he watched the Magus incinerate several orcs at once with the swing of his jeweled staff. "While his power is indeed undeniable, he possesses a similar mindset to Kayneth. The pride of a Magus is a weakness easily exploited."
He then turned his attention to the hooded man sending several swarms of insects towards a particularly massive Myrmidon, the ravenous creatures devouring him from the inside-out. "Matou Kariya, Master of Berserker. His Magecraft is sub-par compared to the other Masters, but seems to possess an almost indomitable will. Also bears a hatred for Tohsaka Tokiomi. That can be used to my advantage."
Finally, he turns to analyze the man he considers the greatest threat to his claim for the Grail. He watched that man in awe, as he seemed to move with much greater speed and strength than he had demonstrated back in his attack of Einzbern Castle.
"Kotomine Kirei, Master of Assassin. A former Executor of the Church." Despite his stony expression, he was surprised at the man's newfound power. Even as he watched him disembowel orcs with nothing but his fists, he could tell that the man was much stronger than he was when they faced off at Einzbern Manor. "Subject is demonstrating a new level of strength compared to when we last fought...perhaps it comes from his new garb?"
Kirei, for his part, felt a thrill of exhilaration overwhelm him as foe after foe fell before him.
"This is amazing!" His lips curled into a twisted smile of glee as he brought out Black Keys in each hand, swiftly hacking apart Nagas into ribbons. "This power...this is truly the power of the Life Fibers?"
As he briefly pondered this, several orcs brought down their weapons on him, only for them to find that they failed to cut through the cloth.
"HAHAHA! This is incredible!" The priest's sanity slipped even further, grinning with glee as he spun on his heel, his Black Keys dicing his voice into a bloody mess. "I must properly thank Assassin for this wonderful gift!"
As the priest continued his rampage, he was unaware that he was being watched by a certain Shadow Knight warily, clad in his jet black armor as he cleaved through foes with Belderiver.
"So it begins for this one as well." Edgar sighed inwardly as he ran an attacking fel-orc through with his weapon. "It makes me wonder if every incarnation of Kotomine Kirei has the same desire."
As he pondered this, he unfortunately failed to check his six. A massive Myrmidon snuck up behind him with trident raised, ready to run him through. That thought was cut short when said naga found itself without a head courtesy of an axing from the most recent, and unwilling, recruit of the Sentinels.
"Thanks...I guess." Edgar warily eyed the orc known as Garrosh Hellscream as he snarled at him. "If you don't mind me asking, are you sure you're okay fighting your own kind?"
That question was answered with a grunt, then a swing that seemingly aimed to take his head off. The Head of OSG ducked and was prepared to retaliate against the would-be traitor...only to find that Garrosh's true target was a fel-orc that got halved from the waist down.
"The moment they partook of demon blood..." The Ex-Warchief spat in disgust at the sight of his red-skinned brethren. "Was when I no longer considered them part of the Horde!"
With that bold declaration, Garrosh rushed forward and began hacking any unfortunate sap that got in his way. This left Edgar to observe the other members of the Sentinels as well while keeping his head in the game. He noted that, like the OSG, each of them had something to bring to the table.
"They're an impressive bunch, to say the least." Edgar felt himself smile as he watched Selvaria, who had been at the vanguard, plow through enemies with her lance and shield as if they were wheat. Behind her, Minato smirked as he pulled out what seemed to be a handgun. However, instead of aiming it at his foes, he planted it in his right temple.
"What is he-?!" Edgar was about to stop the guy when Scarlette stopped him with a smirk.
"Just watch."
"PERSONA!"
Sure enough, Minato pulled the trigger. However, instead of his brains being blown out, the sound of glasses breaking was heard followed by a blue aura surrounding the man. Seconds later, what looked like a an automaton version of himself with a harp emerged from within and, with twang of the string, burned several enemies in his wake.
"How...?"
"The power of Persona is one of the many unique abilities found in the multiverse." Scarlette explained with a smile. "Just goes to show that it's a vast, unexplored frontier, huh?"
"Yeah..." Edgar then found himself trailing his gaze on the blue-haired girl he snubbed yesterday, watching as she and the brunette were handling a crowd of fel-guards, wielding a pair of cutlasses and a spear respectively. Scarlette noticed that same somber expression he wore the night before.
"What is it with him? Why is he acting this way around Sayaka?"
It was a question that had to wait, as they were busy dealing with these foes. In the mean time, Sayaka and Kyoko were busy taking count of their kills.
"That's fifteen!" Sayaka smirked at her friend as a cutlass she tossed nailed a naga right in the head. "Better step up your game, Kyoko!"
"I'll catch up to you soon enough!" The brunette grinned as she ran a blood elf through with her spear, then swung that poor elf in a circle. After swatting away any that got too close, she flung that elf as hard as she could, using the sap as an improvised bowling ball to take out a small crowd of naga.
"Pshh, show-off." Sayaka muttered with a grin as she parried an orc, then ran it through with her cutlass. "Alright, let's step it-Urk!"
Much to the horror of Kyoko and Scarlette, an errant shadow bolt nailed the blue-haired Magical Girl from behind and took her off her feet.
"Owowow..." Sayaka winced as she sat up to see several orcs looming on her, their axes and swords gleaming while the look in their eyes did nothing to hide their cruel intent.
"Sayaka!" Kyoko screeched as she ran towards where her comrade was. Scarlette for her part was about to send Graveryl in that direction.
However, a black blur dove into the crowd before either of them can do anything. With inhuman speed and strength, Edgar tore every orc in the vicinity to shreds. As he stood straight, Sayaka could only watch in awe, as did Kyoko and Scarlette.
"Are you alright?"
She was startled by the almost gentle voice of her savior while he offered her his hand. Nodding briefly, she slowly took his hand as he helped her back up.
"Thanks for the save..." Sayaka smiled at the man sadly. "And I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"For last night." The girl looked down bashfully. "If there was anything I said to offend you, sir-!"
"No need." Edgar shook his head with a smile, much to the girl's surprise. " I'm the one who should be apologizing. It wasn't fair, how I treated you then..."
He then turned to the horde with a hard expression on his face. His eyes began to glow red and shadows began clinging to his form, everyone in the battlefield feeling a cold shudder go down their spine.
"Damn..." Alvin remarked as he caved an orc's skull with his greatsword, making sure to fire upon another that was trying to sneak up behind him. "He's gotten serious."
"This is an opportunity." Neji smirked as he spun on his heel, taking out several attackers with a Rotation. "To see the Shadow Knight cut loose."
"Now...it's time I repay everything I owe her." With that declaration, Edgar vanished from his spot, then reappeared in the thick of battle. Belderiver gleamed in the moonlight as foe after foe fell before him. The Director of the Ordinis Sancti Gladius showed how he earned his title, hacking and rending any enemy before him like they were tissue. One blood elf tried to snipe him with an arrow, only for a burning crystal attached to a chain to burst from her chest.
"Away with you!"
With a wave of her arm, Scarlette flung the elf high into the air and into the Well. After this, she leapt into the action, her back against Edgar's as they faced the mob of enemies. "Your title is well deserved. It's something that has to be seen to be believed." She noted as Graveryl moved with her thoughts, impaling and scorching any who try to come close. "If you do not mind me asking, why do you act so strange around Sayaka? It is as if you've seen a ghost!"
"A ghost, huh?" Edgar smiled somberly as he ran an orc through. "Yes. I suppose you can say that. I'll tell you someday, but not right now." With that, he pressed onward before Scarlette could stop it.
"Wait-!"
"Let it go." She turned to see that Salem had walked up to her while cleaving any foe in his way with his scythe. "He'll tell us when he's ready. Right now, I can imagine that his beloved being a Servant in this 4th War put enough on his plate as is."
"Of course, sir." With a nod, both returned their focus to the battle ahead, their trial far from over.
Black Temple Hallways, Within the Portal.
"How close are we to Caster?!"
"Hard to say, Saber!" Berserker grunted as he and Lancer joined her at the head of the group, plowing through the same minions on the way. "All these hallways look the same to me!"
"There is an overwhelming amount of tainted energy coming from where we're going." Archer added as sword after sword flew in the air, impaling the backliners that would support the crumbling frontline. "If we follow that..."
"We'll find that bastard and put an end to this madness." Rider concluded as he fired Penetrator round after Penetrator round, taking out lines of enemies with ease. "Seems like our best shot."
"Alright then! Onward~!" Assassin giggled as she pranced along, slicing every opponent that got in her path.
Using this line of reasoning, they continued on their way. Occasionally a loud boom would come from outside, reminding that the battle was still raging outside. It also reminded them that time was running short.
Eventually, they reached the door to the Temple's Inner Sanctum.
"I can sense it." Archer spoke as they stopped to catch their breath so close to their goal. "This taint...this is no doubt Caster's lair."
"Yeah, I can feel it too." Berserker nodded as he felt his right arm pulsing. "He's definitely here."
"You guys ready?" Rider asked as he reloaded his weapon. "Once we enter that room...there's no way we can say for certain that we'll back out."
Saber looked to the other Servants, who each gave her an affirming nod, before looking at Rider and giving her own nod as well. At this point, no words needed to be said.
"Alright. Let's go."
With a kick they opened the door to reveal that the large, circular room had no roof. At the very center stood Caster, awaiting them with a skull in hand.
"You've survived my minions. I applaud your efforts, oh brave Heroes!" Caster gave them a mocking grin as a greeting.
"This ends here, Caster!" Saber declared defiantly as she pointed her golden blade at him, each of the other heroes. "Your designs for the Grail will not be realized, not as long as we have a say about it!"
"Oh? Is that right?" Caster smirks as he summons his warglaives. His eyes began glowing underneath his blindfold and at that same moment, the other five began to feel an overwhelming amount of Prana coming from him.
"This is...Caster's power?" Even Archer was in disbelief.
"No way...he wasn't that strong when Rider and I fought him!" Berserker exclaimed while Rider gritted his teeth.
"We're in for a rough ride, kids."
"Indeed. Woe to you, Heroes! You think you can come into my Temple and hope to face me?!" At that moment, Caster extended his enormous wings, the pale moonlight and the shadows that clung to him likening him to a demon emerging out of Hell itself.
"YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!"
End Chapter 15
Omake Time!: Assassin
Kotomine Kirei stood surprised as he watched his Servant emerge from the Summoning Circle. While he certain that this was the Servant Assassin, he was sure that this was not Hassan-i-Sabbah. The female had lavender skin and pointed ears, as well as a curvaceous figure underneath the knife-lined cloak and black armor. In her hands was a ringed blade made for quick kills. What caught Kirei's attention the most were her eyes; the green orbs beneath her helm was filled with an unquenchable thirst for vengeance.
"I am the Servant Assassin." She spoke in a brusque tone of voice. "And I presume you are my Master?"
"CASTER, YOUR HEAD IS MINE!"
The Servant of the Spell smirked in recognition as she charged at him, tossing knife after knife before getting close enough to swing her blade. Amused, Caster merely ducked the attack before dispatching her with a kick. Though it sent her flying, she landed on her feet, still seething.
"Ah, if isn't my jailer." Caster laughed as he took a ready stance. "I see that the Grail has given you an opportunity to grant your wish with your own bare hands, hm?"
"I will never stop chasing you, Illidan Stormrage! In this or the next!" Assassin's words were laced with poison. "I will never forgive you for the deaths of my Sisters!"
"Then come at me, Maiev Shadowsong!" Caster beckoned her, challenging her as she summoned a giant shadow version of herself. "Come and see your vengeance through!"
End Omake
A/N: And with this chapter, we're further into the Battle against Caster!
Welcome to another edition of Fate/Zero Hour! As you can see, things are about to pick up in the Caster arc! Our Servants (with the aid of Rider's Raiders) have begun their battle against Caster's hordes, making their way through the temple and to Caster's sanctum. In the other side, the Masters as well as our dimension hopping heroes have joined the fight as well, making sure to contain the monsters before they could leave the Temple. Will our heroes prevail, or will Caster triumph?
Also, some stuff happened between Sayaka and Edgar. If you wanna know what happened, be sure to check out X the Reaper's Fate/Zero Sanity series, particularly "Fate:OSG". It explains it all there.
That's pretty much all I can say for now. Please leave a review whether you like it or not, cuz I'd always love to hear your feedback! Once again, I'm the King of Beasts and I'll see you next chapter!
Next Time on Fate/Zero Hour: The Flames of Azzinoth!