AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. This one was a lot of fun, having a couple match ups and rematches as the war continued. Also, we get the answer to who it was that caused all this chaos. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 7 – The True Blackened
Rider rode down the middle of the frozen city on her crimson snowboard. As she pivoted her boots, she accelerated with remarkable speed, gracefully carving lines into the snow-covered streets. Her snowboard glides effortlessly over the frozen surface, allowing her to navigate the city with agility and precision. Following down the trail Rider left behind was Assassin. She zipped past frozen cars and street signs; her speed enhanced her velocity to cut through the cool.
The two effortlessly weave through the empty streets, her red cloak billowing behind her as she leaves a trail of snowy sparks in her wake. Rider watched the sidewalks, noticing the lack of people around, and letting out a sigh of relief that none seemed to be encased in ice. She then looked up at the ice obelisk as their destination.
However, she saw a blue flash in the corner of her eye. A blazing rock headed towards the red jacket girl. Before the collision, she used her weapon's transformed snowboard edges. Rider executed a jump to flip over the rock as it missed her and hit the road. Rider then came to a stop as Assassin caught up, causing the two to look at the origin of the shot, seeing Archer half a block away with her cannon at the ready, "…" The blue-eyed gunner glared with a blue flame.
"Kim…" Rider spoke with slight remorse in her voice.
"Rider, leave this one to me." Assassin spoke.
"You can't rush her when we're on ground level," Rider said before having an idea that made her smile.
Archer waited as she aimed her cannon at the two. However, she had a look of confusion as Rider began to sprint around in a circle, creating a red cyclone of rose petals and snow. The winds bag to reach the first few floors of the nearby buildings, "…!" Archer gritted her teeth as could not see either target. Suddenly, emerging from the eye of the crimson storm, Assassin rocketed herself into the sky and on and fell towards Archer. Her cursed blade reeled back as the blue-eyed gunner used her cannon to block the strike. They were pushed back from one another before reposing their weapons. Looking on from a back alleyway, Rider leaves the two servants to fight before taking the backroads through the frozen city.
As the two formidable servants faced each other, their eyes locked in an intense gaze. Archer, her blue eyes glowing with determination, stood tall and resolute. She despawned her cannon, replacing it with her black blade before taking a mirrored stance to her opponent. Assassin, her crimson eyes burning with unwavering resolve, wielded her deadly cursed sword. The wind rustled through their hair, carrying with it an aura of anticipation.
With a sudden burst of energy, they dashed toward one another with their weapons in hand. The clash of metal rang through the air as they collided. Archer's movements were swift and precise, her blade whirling in an intricate dance of lethal grace. Assassin, met her blow for blow, her strikes imbued with deadly accuracy, but was unable to land a cut. "She knows she can't let my sword cut her or else she will die." The red-eyed killer thought.
Their swords clashed and sparks flew as the two warriors pushed each other to their limits, "…!" Archer's eye glowed with an otherworldly blue fire as she unleashed a flurry of swift strikes, each one aimed at Assassin's vulnerable spots. But Assassin, with her honed reflexes, parried and countered with equal ferocity.
"At this point, it's a battle of attrition, and it'll only result in me losing." Assassin realized, "I need to end this as soon as possible." Their battle continued, the intensity escalating with every passing moment. Each servant demonstrated their unique skills and techniques, their swords intertwining in a deadly symphony. The rooftop seemed too small to contain their power, and ice scattered in their wake. As they pushed back against one another Archer, summoned her cannon and fired a powerful burst of energy toward Assassin. The red-eyed killer agilely evaded the attack, leaping through the air, her movements like a blur.
"There!" Seeing an opening, Assassin seized the opportunity and launched a lightning-fast assault, her blade aiming for Archer's heart. But the blue-eyed gunner anticipated the strike, swiftly evading with a backflip, narrowly escaping a certain doom. Ass the red-eyed killer gasped, Archer responded with a swing of her cannon. The massive metal coil collided with Assassin's right hip as she was launched into the building across the street.
"…" Archer jumped to the rooftop, a plume of snow and dust where she knew Assassin was. The blue-eyed gunner readied for a surprise rush, a final gambit from her target. At that moment, Assassin did just that. She dashed out of the smoke at incredible speed. It was an attempted slash toward Archer's head, but the blade was blocked by Archer's black sword, unable to make its cut, "…?" However, Archer had a good look at the sword here, seeing it was somewhat different than how it looked before. This was not the cursed blade, but a short crude katana, "…!" Archer felt a sudden pain in her abdomen, she looked down and saw the cursed sword in Assassin's other hand. The red-eyed killer looked into the blue-eyed gunner's eyes with a cold gaze, "Gah!" Archer coughed blood before kicking Assassin away but then fell to her knee. The poison was in her system, and she felt it overwhelming her.
"This is your end," Assassin said before dashing in, responding with her sword in a horizontal position. "May you rest in pieces."
"…" With a clean cut, Archer's throat was slit. Blood spilled down her neck as the cursed poisons reached her heart from two directions within her body. As they reached the target, the blue-eyed gunner felt her last beat. She dropped her black blade and cannon, falling forward in a pool of her blood, "…." The blue flame in her eye faded as she lost all light within it.
Assassin let out a sigh, then looked at the crude katana in her hand, "If I didn't have this, she might not have fallen for any other bluff." She spoke before putting away her weapons, then turned towards the ice obelisk in the distance, "I can catch up to Rider and Saber." She said before recalling another servant, "But Caster, where did you go? And why didn't you say where-?" the red-eyed killer then had a realization, "Because that's where you went." She said before scaling off the roof and rushing down the road toward her new destination.
As some time passed on the rooftop, Archer's eye glowed with a faint blue flame again. However, the blue slowly changed colors as a voice echoed in her mind. "In a musical of emotion, I play Insanity's Requiem." The voice spoke as flame changed to a violet coloration, "The pain of hurting others, the thought of that misery, are now lost in a void." Archer slowly gained the purple flame aura around her whole body, "Leave nothing behind, as you begin, you're Descent into Oblivion." Slowly, she began to stand, taking the new form of this Archer servant.
Meanwhile.
The sound of her board scraping against the icy ground echoes through the otherwise silent streets, accentuating the rhythm of her ride. The red jacket girl road through the city, seeing her destination within sight, "Almost there Emma, just a little more." Suddenly, she saw a flash of yellow light in her path. Her instincts told her to dodge as she did so, leaning left to avoid a blast of electricity shot towards her, "Uh oh!"
Down the road next to the ice obelisk, Berserker stood with his fists clenched. His eyes went white as his mouth opened with the yellow light emerging again. Rider gasped as she knew what was going to happen next and began her evasive maneuvers. Bolts of electricity were shot at her at lightning speed. The red jacket girl revealed the engine of her crimson snowboard. With increased speed, she dodges out of the path of the blasts, showcasing her exceptional agility and combat training. Berserker realized straight blasts not going to work from this distance, instead aiming at where she would be to anticipate the dodge. However, Rider summoned her first crimson scythe, striking the ground her pivot her momentum to a new evasion route. With this combination, she dodged the electric assault while gaining ground on her opponent.
However, Berserker was not going to be outplayed this quickly. He lowered his aim, destroying the road with a powerful voltaic spell. The ice-covered road was shattered as Rider's path no longer existed. In the last moments, she leaped off a ramp made from a frozen car, flipping, and spinning through the air. In doing so, she aimed her scythe while changing it into its sniper form. She aimed Berserker, firing a shot, but it was dodged by a simple roll to his right side. The two servants settled at the base of the ice obelisk, focused on one another.
"So, Berserker, is it?" Rider asked with the blue-cloaked boy nodding, "But what's your name at the school? I think I got everyone's except yours now."
"Oh, um, I lost my ID card before I could see it," Berserker responded, slightly breaking eye contact.
"Hm…you look like a Cody." Rider responded, "How about that?"
"Hey, I like that." Berserker said with a smile, but then focused, "Which makes me feel sorry about this next part." He said as black clouds formed overhead, followed by a bolt of lightning that struck his body, engulfing him in an electric aura. Berserker assumed his fighting stance as Rider reposed her weapon.
Meanwhile.
Caster walked down the frozen streets before approaching his destination, the church. While ice covered its walls, the glass windows showed a light inside. He opened the doors to see the mage knelt before the pedestal, "Well, I wasn't expecting a guest in this weather." The Mage responded with a smile under her hood.
"You should have, this would be the only place safe from a Noble Phantasm attack." Caster said as he approached, "You dodged Assassin coming here before, and thought everyone would assume you were hiding somewhere else."
"My, I didn't realize I summoned a detective?" the Mage spoke, a slight irritation in their voice at the last word, "Now, how can I help you? Do you wish to forfeit your place in this holy war?"
"Save it, nothing about this war is holy." Caster responded, "And you know why I'm here, for answers."
"Then, speak your questions." The Mage responded.
"How did you summon us?" Caster asked, "Servants are usually summoned via a catalyst from their time, but you would have nothing of that from any of our worlds."
"Oh, but don't you know." The Mage responded, "There are always exceptions that prove the rules. I did not need any catalyst for your summoning in this war. All I needed were heroic spirits ready to answer the call."
"Even so, how did you know of our exitance?" Caster responded, "We aren't in your history."
"True, but the Grail knows all when it comes to heroic spirits, even from other realms" The Mage responded, extending their arms, "I simply wanted them summoned, and the Grail gave me seven servants for which to hold this war. All it asks, for now, is enough of those servants dead to fill its cup and grant a wish to the victor." They then lowered their arms, "Now, why don't you make like the other servants and fight to the end? After all, this war will be over at sunrise."
"And how can you control that?" Caster asked, "From what I found, no war has had this time limit in the past."
"Well, as I mentioned, there are always exceptions." The Mage responded, then tilted their head.
"Fine, but explain this school you had us go through?" Caster asked, "Why that, why the homes, and how did you even make all of those before this war?"
"Without more masters to keep watch over you, a school seemed like the best way to get you all in one spot." They spoke with a smile, "A true class of ultimate students, and one super doper teacher. As for the other details, I have my connections." However, their smile faded, "I'm getting bored now, so please, leave."
"Just one more question for you." Caster said before focusing his gaze, "Which servant were you in your war?"
"…" The mage remained quiet before speaking, "Heh, I'm sorry, but what did you say?"
"You heard me, and I figured it out now." Caster said with a smile, "You're a servant, one who was in the prior war and won." He said before pointing, "And your wish was to control the next war like it was your own game!"
"What!?" The Mage responded in shock, "That's absurd, how could I even-"
"What were your words?" Caster interrupted, "There are always exceptions." He said before crossing his arms, "If I had to guess, you were the first of our kind to be summoned to war by the grail. One who was from a different realm entirely than this world. Then you won because no other person, nor even a servant, could know who you were." The red-cloaked alchemist then focuses his gaze, "You made your wish to rewrite the rules of the holy grail to make you the only master capable of summoning servants in the future."
"…" The Mage remained silent.
"Now, you make the wars for us to fight, but you plan to steal the wish at the end to expand on your control over the grail." Caster responded, "That one is at least my guess at your evil plan."
"…Hehehehe," The Mage started to laugh, "I was wondering if I would be found out." They spoke as Caster remained stoic, "Now, you got most right, except the ending part." The mage said as they walked forward, "I am from another reality like you servants. I was even a servant in the last war, which I won. My master was so delighted to get his wish, saying how he wanted to control the next war." they spoke with a wide smile forming, "So I slit his throat before he could utter the words. Then stole that idea before him to become the Mastermind of the Holy Grail Wars." The mage then placed her hands on her cheeks, tilting their head back, "Oh, the look of terror in his eyes. The betrayal!" in saying so, their hood fell off, revealing their full face as she looked back at Cater, "The Despair!" Caster saw that of a woman with strawberry blond hair in two massive pigtails with bear accessories: one black and one white. Her face was that of a supermodel in its beauty, her eyes a silvery blue with rings around the iris that seemed to stare into the very soul of the red-cloaked alchemist, "Now, I can make these killing games however I see fit with whoever I see fit, just like I used to." She said before smiling, "With that, I'll make it a rule that a servant attacks the Mastermind." The despairing psychopath said as her smile went wide, "Shall die by my hands."
"Used to?" Caster said before he clasped his hands and formed a blade from his metal arm, "Tell me, which class are you?"
"I thought you were done with questions?" The Mastermind spoke, "But if you must know, I couldn't make up my mind on a single class to be for too long, so I pick which one I enjoy at the time." She said before kneeling, "Right now, I feel like a Lancer." She then placed her right hand on the floor, "Come to me, Spears of Gungnir." Suddenly black spears erupted from the floor under the Caster. He barely had time to dodge before one spear cut his right arm.
"That name, but wouldn't it mean-?" Caster said as he held his injured arm.
"Don't worry, it's not the same spear." The Mastermind spoke as she walked forward, ripping off her robe to reveal her true attire. It was that of a uniform, but this one was a black top with a white tie and red skirt, "I used this weapon to kill my twin sister in a prior killing game." She said upon grabbing one of the spears, causing the others to merge into it as she responded to this weapon.
"And here I thought the ice general was sadistic." Caster said as he reposed his fighting stance, "We aren't your toys to play with, and I'm going to put an end to you right now!"
"Hahahaha," The Mastermind laugh as she approached, "I'm going to enjoy watching the despair fill your eyes as you realize your ambitions will fail." She declared before dashing in with her spear, the head colliding with Caster's blade as the two servants glared at one another.
AN: There you go, the final hidden servant is known. There were a couple of other characters in mind for the reveal, but I liked this one the most. If you know who this character is based on, you know that she would try to do this crazy stuff to see others suffer. Now, more of the truth of how this war is happening has been revealed, all that's left now is to see who is left standing. This means the next chapters are when some servants will not be getting up from their battles. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.