Shinji did his best to suppress his anger as Sakura gently wiped his forehead with a damp cloth.
He was sure a lot of people would kill to be in his position. To be honest, if it was any other girl taking care of him, he was pretty sure he'd kill a few people to be in this very position. But no, it had to be Sakura, the one woman in the world that filled him with so much anger and disgust.
The fact that her Rider Servant was standing behind her, staring down at him like some vengeful giant didn't really help much either.
Still, he sat there, bearing it all quietly. He was slowly beginning to feel better. He was sure that soon he could get out of here and have the small amount of freedom to beat this Holy Grail War. All he had to do was wait…
Some footsteps were heard outside their door, causing the three to turn their heads. Slowly, the door opened to reveal their grandfather's ally.
He was a young looking man. He had a lanky build that made him even taller than Medusa. If he was wearing any green, they could easily see him as a string bean. Instead, he wore a white labcoat. His long dark blue hair stood out against the white coat.
The kids couldn't help but wonder how such a young looking man was such good friends with their grandfather.
"Hello. I'm just here to check on Ms. Sakura before taking you down to your grandfather." He said kindly. He walked over to Sakura, gently holding her wrist, feeling for her pulse. "How are you feeling?" He asked her. "I know it's been a month since the surgery, but you never know what might come up…" His face darkened as he spoke. The kind man remembered his revulsion to seeing what Zouken had done to his own family, and how hard he worked to help ease Sakura's suffering.
But he wasn't a doctor… not that kind of doctor, anyways. He wasn't sure if she was healing properly, or if he missed any of those detestable worms. To make things worse…
Sakura just remained silent as he checked over her, a dead look in her eyes.
The magus could only keep a straight face as he checked over her. The march of time really did a number on a person's soul… he couldn't imagine Zouken being this monstrous back in the day.
And it wasn't like he could do anything to stop it today.
He was a Servant, one lent out to Zouken. He had to follow his orders. Besides, if he and Zouken were to come to blows, Zouken would likely come out on top. He was just too entrenched in this land, and the alchemist wasn't the best at battle.
Oh well. It didn't really matter with the timeline going away in a few days. He only hoped that Perceus at least did what he wanted to before the end.
"Now come on you two, your grandfather wishes to talk to you two." The man stood up straight after he finished his examination, turning around to leave.
"I… uh… I don't feel good enough to go…" Shinji muttered. He really just wanted to keep resting so he could have the strength to leave as soon as possible. It seemed uttering those words was a mistake though.
The man crossed over to Shinji's bed. His hand raised into the air. A glass flask, filled with a strange liquid appeared out of nowhere.
"Allow me to help you." The man said as he roughly grabbed Shinji's cheeks.
"Wait, wait a minute!" Shinji tried to protest, but the man forced the flask to Shinji's lips, a hot, burning liquid filling his mouth and flowing down his throat. His stomach now felt warm… uncomfortably so. However… his arms and legs did feel better. They at least didn't feel like concrete as he swung them over the side of his bed.
Shinji stood, grumbling to himself as he did. "Fine, just take us to my grandfather, Mr…?" He trailed off as he realized he didn't even know the man's name.
"Hohenheim. Paracelsus von Hohenheim." The man supplied as he lowered himself, using both his shoulders to support Sakura and Shinji's frail bodies at the same time. He looked over to Medusa. "Zouken said you are to stay here… or else."
Medusa's fist tightened as she heard those words. She was tempted to lash out, but her face betrayed none of her emotion. She quietly nodded. She knew if she did anything now, Zouken's wrath would be fast and violent. She couldn't endanger Sakura's life like that.
Paracelsus slowly and carefully helped the two weak humans down the hall. They were headed to the most hated place in the house, the one place no one wanted to go. The basement waited for them, like an entrance to hell that refused to close.
They were quiet as they descended down the stairs to hell. The air was tense as they made their way down. Shinji saw Zouken standing at the very bottom, his form looming over an unconscious body on the floor. Who the heck could that be?
"Welcome, welcome you two!" Zouken greeted with a faux friendliness, causing both of his grandkids to flinch. "Today, today is a special day!"
"A… special day…?" Sakura asked, her tone fearful.
"Yes. Today is the day my plan finally comes to fruition." Zouken stated, staring down at the body on the floor. The two siblings looked at the floor, both having very different reactions to the sight.
Sakura saw the boy staying at her senpai's house. Was he Tohsaka Ritsuka or Fujimaru Ritsuka? Even now, she didn't know. But seeing him unconscious on the floor told her one thing. He went against grandfather. It was an awful fate… one she could never escape from.
She tried to ignore the lingering thought in her brain, the tiny part of her that enjoyed looking down at him…
Shinij wasn't sure if he should scoff or laugh. Both seemed fitting here. Ritsuka looked so pathetic, sprawled out on the floor as the worms surrounded him. But… he couldn't find it in himself to enjoy his supposed superiority. After all… his grandfather was the one that caught Ritsuka, not him.
Would his grandfather even keep him around now?
"Ah. Um… Congratulations, Grandfather." Shinji stated, trying to hide his confusion. What even was Zouken's plan? He had no clue. The elder Matou's face smiled, a sight to truly terrify the weak.
"And now, one of you gets to help me with the final step of the plan." Zouken held out his hand, waiting expectantly. Paracelsus quietly slipped away, headed into the shadows. A few seconds later, he returned. In his hand was a large, thick jar. Shinji recognized it from earlier.
Whatever was in there was still making that horrible scraping sound.
Paracelsus opened the lid, letting the contents of the jar slip right into Zouken's waiting hand.
Shinji couldn't even begin to describe what it was he saw.
Sakura took a step back out of instinctual fear.
It was a Crest Worm.
And yet it wasn't.
A regular Crest Worm was horrifying. They didn't look like worms, more like phallic shaped parasites. Some were more armored, some were more sleek, but the worms were all equal parts disgusting and horrifying.
The thing Zouken held was worse.
Unlike its brethren pale coloring, this one was jet black. It was bigger than any other worm the two children had ever seen, looking to be almost three times larger. And worst of all, this one had legs. Eight spindly, needle-like legs thrashed about in the air. Its front end split open into four sections, creating a mouth full of sharp teeth.
It was a nightmare that found its way into reality.
"Would you like to hold it?" Zouken asked in a tone that mocked playfulness. He took a step towards his grandchildren, who took a step back. "Shinji." Zouken suddenly said. "You want to become the successor to the Matous, yes? You want to help our family's dream come true? You want to be the Matou that finally makes it come to fruition?"
Shinji nodded, uncertain where the old man was going with this.
"Then, I need you to prove your loyalty…" Zouken stated as he took another step. "Take it in your hands…" He held up that nightmare to Shinji. The creature thrashed and hissed. Shinji tensed up, hesitating as he stared at the creature. "What's the matter, Shinji? You can't do it? Don't you know that to be a magus is to walk wi—"
"Does no one know what that saying actually means?" Paracelsus commented, causing Zouken to sigh.
"I see dying has not helped your sense of timing." Zouken grumbled as he stared at the Servant.
"Time has dulled your sense of reason, though." Paracelsus shot back. "Zolgen. You cannot expect them to just blindly follow your orders." Zouken frowned. "Don't look at me that way. Your mind games are all well and good, but your plans keep failing because you never get your intentions across."
"They're too incompetent to understand." Zouken growled, the guise of a loving guardian tossed to the wind.
"And so you trudge forward alone, just like you always did." Paracelsus finished. He turned, looking at the two younger Matous. "If you will not explain it, then I will." Zouken only scoffed.
"Do as you please then. What's a little more time wasted at this point?"
Paracelsus took a step closer to the kids, as if to be a barrier between them and the monster their 'Grandfather' held. "About a month ago… a Holy Grail came into this world. One from an entirely different timeline, a distant Japan. Your grandfather was the first to find it… and when he beheld it… it connected him to another life. A world foreign to both of them… the one this boy is from." He motioned to the prone Ritsuka. "And he—"
"I saw it…" Zouken's tone became quiet as he looked to the ceiling, interrupting his own friend. It was like he was in a trance, like he was reliving a beautiful dream. "A temple cut off from time. 72 Demons rising up to stop two pathetic people. A truly impossible situation. For all intents and purposes, the Demons had already won. But then… but then… they came." His voice drifted off as the old man stared at the ceiling.
Shinji held in a smartass comment. It was a feat that truly deserved a standing ovation. Yet, he couldn't help but to ask. "They?"
"Servants…" Zouken continued, not reacting to Shinji's voice. "Hundreds of Servants came from the heavens. They filled the sky like shooting stars, like a meteor shower. So many, all from different eras, different mythologies. Sworn enemies fighting together, all working as one without a hitch… Such a feat is impossible. Even getting a mere 14 people to work together ended as a bloodbath. Multiple times."
"I… I don't understand…" Sakura muttered, mostly to herself as she stared at Ritsuka's body. She realized that she had been completely out of the loop this whole time. But what did all this mean in the end?
Zouken turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka, pointing a bony finger at him. "This boy… this… unremarkable, pathetic boy managed to control a complete army of Servants. It can't be his magecraft. You saw for yourself. He has no potential in the art at all. So… how does someone like him control so many?" Zouken turned back to his grandchildren. "It must be something with his body… something to do with his Origin… So… I decided to no longer make Sakura the heir to our magecraft."
Shinji blinked at that before turning to look at Sakura. She wasn't the heir any more? Wait, no, that couldn't mean…
"Instead, I will take this boy under my… tutelage." Zouken stated. "He will become the next Matou heir." Before Shinji or Sakura could even react, the other magus began to speak.
"Of course, that's not something you could normally do." Paracelsus mentioned dryly. "You'd need to change his Attribute to Water, much like you did with Sakura there." He paused, staring straight at the two children, like he was trying to tell them something without saying the words out loud. "And we don't know if his Attribute contributes to his… innate ability. So to bypass that, we created… that." He motioned to the nightmare in Zouken's hand. "This special Crest Worm will allow Zouken to take Ritsuka as a new host without changing anything about the boy's body… well, not anything important, anyways."
"A… host?" Shinji muttered. At that, Zouken shot Paracelsus a look. Paracelsus looked down at the old man, a confused look on his face.
"I am sensing I may have said something I shouldn't have. Although I am hard pressed to figure out what that was." The magus stated flatly. Zouken sighed.
"They were not privy to the fact that I… make vessels out of certain Matou heirs." Zouken stated, causing Shinji to stiffen. "It matters not. He will be the last." He turned back to Shinji and Sakura. "I will make this boy into my vessel, and with his body's power, take control of the spirit that resides in the Holy Grail." He grinned at that. "And then I will make my dream a true reality." He paused. "And who knows? Perhaps… with that spirit under my control… I could take control of my benefactor."
Taking control of spirits? That didn't sound right to Shinji at all. He saw how Ritsuka acted around Servants. He didn't control them, they didn't even always listen to him. He was sure his Grandfather was absolutely wrong here. But would he be the one to tell him?
Hell no.
It was obvious his grandfather lost it. He had no idea what the family head might do if he spoke up.
"So now that you know the truth, what will you do, Shinji? Will you stand your ground and claim your destiny?" Zouken asked. "Or will you flee and die like a dog?" Both of them knew why Zouken was doing this. Both of them knew that Sakura would do it with no hesitation.
This was just to force Shinji into making a choice.
The monstrosity bared its fangs, inching closer and closer to Shinji. Shinji stared at it, torn at a crossroads. What would he do? How would this all end? The uncertainty… scared him. He didn't know what to do. What would give him what he wanted?
So in this crucial moment, Shinji did the worst thing he could do. He froze up.
Suddenly, a flash of black.
The air was tense as everyone processed what the flash was.
Zouken's wrist slowly and cleanly slid off his arm, his appendage and the horrifying creature falling to the ground.
"We had a deal, monster." Shinji heard the voice of his savior, Perseus, echo across the walls. The Greek hero dropped from the ceiling, standing between Zouken and the two Matou siblings. "I tired out Fujimaru Ritsuka, weakened every lead he could possibly have, and led him right into your arms. Now uphold your part of the bargain."
"Bargain…?" Shinji muttered.
"It's true they have no more use for me." Zouken muttered as he watched his detached hand turn into a pile of worms. "But I don't like your attitude, familiar. I think I'll keep them." He let out a horrible laugh, one that sent shivers down Shinji and Sakura's spines. "What will you do about it? You can not threaten me. You can not kill me in a way that matters."
"Zolgen." Hohenheim's voice was sharp, a sound of warning. Before Zouken would question it, Perseus pushed his counterattack.
"I'll tell your benefactor about everything you're planning here." Zouken's laughter stopped at that threat, the old man looking over the male Rider's face. It was hardly a second later his laughter began again, echoing throughout the basement.
"Please. Do not make threats you will not follow through. It makes you look weak. If you were to tell them about everything, then they'd—"
"They'd kill me for not telling them earlier." Perseus finished without a hint of hesitation. "That's true. But they'd kill you too for planning to stab them in the back." Perseus's tone turned mocking. "You'd die in a way that matters." He placed Harpe away as he folded his arms. "And those two would be free of you afterwards. Meaning it's still my victory. I'd say that's worth mutual destruction."
Zouken's laughter stopped again as he stared into the eyes of Perseus. Perseus stared back, his gaze unflinching. The air turned frigid as two wills clashed against each in a silent game of chicken. Finally, Zouken relented, folding his hands behind his back.
"Feh. Take them. I have no need for them any more." Zouken turned away. "Farewell, my dear grandchildren. Enjoy your last few days of freedom." With that, Zouken walked back into the shadows, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Perseus motioned to the two Masters. Sakura turned to walk away, but as she walked, her legs gave out, the girl falling towards the ground. Perseus's hand shot out, gently grabbing Sakura and pulling her up. "Let's get out of here. Both of you."
With that, he carried Sakura up the stairs, Shinji slowly following behind him. As Shinji climbed up the stairs, he looked back into the basement. That horrible creature was laying on top of Ritsuka, as if claiming its new den.
Shinji quickly scrambled the rest of the way up the stairs, wanting to get away from that monster as fast as possible.
"Do you two have anything you want to take with you?" Perseus asked when Shinji caught up with them. The two looked at him in confusion. "We will never be coming back here. So if you have something you actually care about that you want to take with you, you'll need to grab it now."
Sakura looked at Shinji, before looking back at Perseus. She simply shook her head. With a smile, Perseus gently patted her head and nodded. It made sense. He looked over to Shinji, who thought to himself.
"I…" Did he really have anything here? He couldn't say. Maybe it was just shock after everything he learned today, but nothing felt… worth taking with him. Was his greatest desire just another dead end, a way to be a meat suit for this grandfather? Was that Sakura's fate? Was his burning jealousy… all for a fate as pathetic as that? He sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm… I'm good…"
"If you two say so. Don't go changing your minds. According to the deal I made with that… monster." Perseus took the time to spit in the general direction of Zouken. "If you two step into this house again, you're all his, no questions. I trust both of you to not be so stupid." As they turned towards the exit, the three saw Medusa rapidly approaching them.
Perseus quickly ducked under a swipe from her chain, releasing his grip on Sakura. Medusa quickly grabbed her and pulled her close. Perseus, on the other hand, grabbed Shinji and quickly backed away, pulling the boy with him.
The two Servants quietly and intensely stared into each other's eyes. Perseus began to take steps backwards towards the front door. Medusa kept pace with him, never letting him leave her sight. The two kept the tense facade up until they both crossed the house's threshold.
Not even a second later, Medusa rushed at Perseus, her nail poised to stake him through the heart. He raised his scythe in defense, the two clashing. Her superior strength caused him to slide back, barely able to stand his ground.
"Look." Perseus grunted between gritted teeth. "You don't like me, and you have every reason not to, but we have a common goal. We both don't want our Masters to die. Let's work together to save them, and then you can kill me, okay?."
"Explain yourself." Medusa hissed as she pushed even harder. Perseus adjusted his stance before he explained.
"This world is the next in line to become a feast for a Beast. Once it manifests in this timeline, this timeline is doomed. Everyone will die, all to feed this monster. So, before that happens, you and I need to work together to get the Fuyuki Holy Grail and wish our Masters away to a new timeline, somewhere away from the Beast's jaws. Will you help me do that?"
Medusa's eyes were hidden by her blindfold, so Perseus had no idea how she was taking his suggestion. "I'd have to be killed to activate the Grail as well. How can I be sure you'd keep your promise and send Sakura somewhere safe?" She pointed out.
"That's not… entirely true." Perseus commented. "Trust me, my own Grail War taught me that you don't need all seven dead to activate the Grail and get a wish. With the lineup this war has, we could probably kill about four people and activate that Grail."
Medusa felt a nagging in her mind as she listened to Perseus. Something about four Servants was important… a sort of… time limit? Oh, right. Ritsuka mentioned that if four Servants were defeated, then another Archer would toss him in the Grail's curses… actually, come to think about it.
"That Grail is corrupted." She fired. She didn't know if it was true or not. But she had to see how Perseus reacted to this information.
"Yeah. If a wish is made on it, the curses will spill out and kill all that live in this world. Or something like that." Perseus answered. "I don't know all the details myself, but our wish will still be granted. They will be sent to another world before the curses pour out into this one. And hey, maybe the curses will be enough to setback that Beast if it eats this timeline." Perseus commented.
Shinji looked up at the two, and he felt his chest tightened up. Being protected, being coddled. Like he wasn't good enough? Did no one think he was worth anything?!
"What?" Shinji suddenly shouted, drawing the two Servants' attention. "You're saying I'm not capable enough to save the world? That I have to run away with my tail between my legs? Are you looking down on me too?" He took a step towards the two, his rage bubbling. Perseus looked at Medusa before motioning to the boy. Medusa stared before backing away from Perseus, who began to walk to Shinji.
"You buckled the moment Fujimaru put the slightest bit of pressure on you!" Perseus shot back, causing Shinji to stiffen. "You worked with him the moment it saved your own hide, but the fear of your grandfather made you unable to even commit to that!" He stopped in front of Shinji, jabbing a finger onto the boy's chest. "Even now, you don't want to save the world, Shinji! You want to be the one that saves the world. You're my friend, but let me tell you, someone with convictions as weak as yours won't be able to do it!"
Shinji deflated. He wanted to argue, to shout and prove himself. But deep down, he knew. He knew Perseus was right. But to admit it… was to admit defeat. Was that something he would do?
"Um…" Sakura's voice called out to the group, drawing their attention. "You… you all are saying this timeline will be destroyed…?" She paused, shuffling her feet. Speaking out like this… it scared her. It scared her so much. But… but! "Does that mean… everyone will die?"
Perseus paused, thinking of the best way to break this news to her. Finally, he decided on the blunt option. "Yes. Everyone will die."
Sakura tensed up at that. "No… no… please… Rider…" She looked at Medusa. "Please… we can't… we can't leave him behind…" Medusa looked at her, only nodding.
"Him?" Perseus asked. "I don't know anyone named 'Him'. Is he related to 'Nohb'dy'?" Medusa glared at Perseus, who only kept his eyes on Sakura. "If you want us to save somebody, then tell us. Shout it out, call out for a hero. Only then will a hero answer."
The Servant's mind flashed back to memories of Andromeda, her beautiful form tied to the rock. He only hoped that Sakura would be like her… and call out.
Sakura closed her eyes, her body shaking. She needed the courage, the will to call out. But… what if this was a dream? What if this was just a cruel prank? Could she ever truly be free? She was already tainted, already violated. Someone like her… didn't deserve happiness, right? The two Servants waited expectantly for her. Time seemed to slow down as she tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, the words came spilling out of her mouth. "Please… please save my senpai, Emiya Shirou as well. I can't… I can't leave him behind…"
Perseus softly smiled, walking forward and gently rubbing Sakura's hair. "As you wish." He held back a sigh as Medusa grabbed his wrist, forcing his hand off Sakura's head. "Alright, alright, I stopped touching her." He said as he backed away from the Master and Servant. "I guess we should pick up Emiya Shirou so we can protect him too."
With that, the man marched forward.
Shinji watched as the man marched. He looked at his own Servant, the one that was trying so hard. Freeing them from their Grandfather. Working to save them. There was only one question that completely swarmed his mind. It was funnily enough a question that constantly plagued him, a question that never stopped coming up around Ritsuka and Shirou.
"Why?"
The roar of a monster.
That's all Shirou and Tachie could hear as Berserker moved forward. Common sense states that the bigger something is, the slower it moves. Large and lumbering, powerful but slow. That is the common sense of the modern age.
Berserker defied all common sense.
Faster than one could blink, he was right in front of them. In the span of a heartbeat, his weapon came flying down. It carved through the ceilings and the walls like a knife through warm butter. It was easy to imagine the damage that weapon could do.
The two couldn't escape from his strike, too frozen by their own fear.
And yet, their feet left the ground, out of range of the massive strike.
Bazett grabbed Shirou's collar as Archer grabbed Tachie's arm, yanking them both to relative safety. The weapon buried itself deep into the floor, shaking the very foundations of the house. Heracles roared, angered by his miss.
The small gems that Rin mounted on the ceiling began to glow with light, before quickly firing small blasts at Heracles and Illya. The shots were completely ignored by Heracles as they bounced off his skin, and Illya easily deflected them using small familiars.
Bazett gritted her teeth as she buried her fist into the wall where she drew a rune. She let her mana flow into it. The rune glowed with a dangerous light. With a mighty battle cry, she ripped a chunk out of the wall.
With all her might, she threw it at Heracles's head. The rune glowed brighter and brighter. It would soon hit critical and explode.
Heracles opened his mouth, catching the chunk between his teeth. The chunk of wall exploded. The Servant's face was engulfed by light and heat.
As this happened, Archer grabbed Shirou by the collar and turned. He twisted his entire body, raising Shirou over his head. Space itself felt like it contorted as Archer drew back like a bow. With all the power he could muster, he released the arrow known as Shirou Emiya.
In other words, Archer threw Shirou Emiya as hard as he could through the house.
Shirou could barely let out a cry of pain as he crashed through every wall in his way. In less than a second, he flew through the entire house and crashed into his own backyard. His skin burned as he felt the friction between him and the grass. He almost wanted to call Archer an ass, but he did save his life.
That didn't mean he liked the guy though.
With that done, Archer turned around to see Heracles completely unaffected by the rune attack. He opened his hands, letting the familiar weight of Kanshou and Bakuya fill them.
Heracles went to move again, his weapon poised to crush Bazett.
Tachie moved. Her body was no longer frozen by fear, nor did it move like a scared woman in a battlefield.
No, now she moved with the grace and confidence of a knight.
Galahad stood in front of Bazett, blocking Heracles's weapon with his shield. His arms buckled under the sheer force of the attack, but he didn't move.
"Perhaps you should leave this for the Servants." He said to Bazett. Bazett's eyes drifted over to Illya, and nodded. That was the proper way of a Holy Grail War, after all.
And so Bazett rushed forward, keeping her body low to the ground. She went to slip past Heracles, to sidestep the problem of him entirely. Her sights were locked completely on Illya.
Heracles growled and swung his mountain of a weapon.
It collided with the immovable shield.
Bazett's hand glowed as mystical runes surrounded her good fist. With a yell, she threw a punch at Illya. Illya didn't move. She didn't even look worried.
A familiar flew out of Illya's hair, transforming into the shape of a broadsword. It stood in front of her like a shield, taking the full force of Bazett's fist.
"My, my, how scary." Illya's smile never left her face. "You're just like an anim—" She paused as she watched Bazett reach out and grab the familiar. With a squeeze, the Enforcer shattered it into pieces instantly. Illya only kept smiling, even as she backed up a little to avoid Bazett's wild swing at her.
Maybe she would have just a little fun here.
Heracles roared in anger as his free hand suddenly lashed out. Galahad took a leap into the air, avoiding the hand that grasped for him. Archer rushed forward, swinging his two swords against Heracles's wrist.
The two weapons left no noticeable mark on the giant.
Galahad barely managed to twist around in the air and block another strike from Heracles's weapon. However, the knight realized he made a mistake. Without his feet planting himself on the ground, there was nothing stopping him from being launched across the house like a pinball. He soon found himself outside, landing next to Shirou.
Rin was slowly helping Shirou up to his feet as Galahad landed. She stared at the body, feeling conflicted. She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to ask. There was no time though.
"She really didn't give us any breathing room." Rin muttered to herself as she looked back to the house. Suddenly, Archer shot through the roof and straight into the sky, like a bullet fired from a gun. Rin barely had time to even think about keeping a straight face before Berserker took off in a single bound, crashing through the roof and flying after Archer.
The unbeatable giant grabbed Archer's ankle, roaring at the top of his lung as they fell back to Earth. Like a giant divine meteor, Heracles hurtled to the ground, Archer raised high above his massive head.
Heracles crashed into the ground before slamming Archer into it right after him. The sheer force of his landing blew back Rin, Shirou, and Galahad, causing them to crash through the wall of the dojo. Archer meanwhile hit the ground so hard he actually bounced back into the air, like he was a bouncing ball.
And much like a bouncing ball, he felt Heracles's foot connect with his ribs, sending him flying right back into the sky.
"What… a monster…" Shirou muttered as he stared at the scene unfold. He did his best to get back onto his feet, but Galahad placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, forcing him to sit back down.
"I'll hold him off. You two get to safety." Galahad stated as he walked to the door of the dojo. "My host body has unfinished business with you…" He turned to look at Shirou. "So don't die. She can't have closure if you die just yet." With that, he rushed back outside.
The demigod roared as he looked around. Where was the boy? The boy his Master wanted dead. He looked around, the Madness Enhancement making it hard to pinpoint them. He did notice the shield smashing into his face, however.
With a roar, the two leapt into battle.
The weapon Berserker wielded was too big, too crude to be called a sword. Far too big, far too thick, way too heavy. It was nothing more than a crude slab of black stone. And yet, despite that, it moved like a storm, faster and stronger than the Shielder. The attacks Berserker made were gigantic, smashing swings with not a hint of technique behind them.
And yet, that was enough.
Techniques, after all, are things humans create to compensate for their weakness.
Weakness was something the demigod didn't have.
The only thing one could do was defend. To weather out the storm, to find an opening. That was an impossible task.
But.
Heroes did the impossible all the time.
Galahad's shield protected him throughout the storm. No matter how hard Heracles smashed into the shield, it never faltered, it never broke. There was no way that Heracles's strength could break through his defense. The only way around that shield was with a technique.
Techniques was something the demigod didn't have.
Suddenly, Heracles stopped smashing.
He instinctively leaned back. A red arrow shot by his face, merely fractions of an inch away from striking his eyes. The arrow struck the dirt, no longer a danger to anyone.
Heracles turned to look where the arrow had come from. He could see the lights of the city far in the distance. With a growl, his grip tightened on his weapon.
Another arrow shot out.
Heracles swung, striking it down.
Another arrow. And another. And another.
Heracles swung and swung and swung, destroying each arrow shot at him.
The rate the arrows attacked became faster and faster. Heracles's swings became more and more wild. Each strike, each mere swing took out an arrow. None hit Heracles, who became a maelstrom of motion.
Galahad couldn't find an opening to strike, and so backed away. He was impressed. The Archer was skilled. He could easily say that the Archer was on par with Tristian in terms of skill, perhaps even surpassing him.
A sudden light in the darkness moved him out of his musing.
Looking up into the sky, he saw what looked like the light of a small sun. It illuminated the night, impossible to miss. Looking closer, he saw the Archer descending from Heracles's kick. He had his bow drawn and at the ready, a strange arrow notched.
Everyone, even Berserker, paused to stare.
"I am the bone of my sword." EMIYA muttered as he aimed. The arrow began to change form, as if it was mutating. EMIYA was certain. It would take no less than a Broken Phantasm to kill this monster. "Gram." And with that, he fired.
The arrow shot down, the light following it. It looked like a falling star, one people would make a wish on. However, this star would bring nothing but death.
Galahad, sensing the danger, rushed back towards the dojo, standing in front of the hole they made. He planted his shield down and hunkered behind it, bracing for impact.
The arrow struck Heracles, who only swung his weapon at it. His berserk mind realized it was too late to dodge and instead attempted to destroy it. The arrow slipped past his swing and collided with Heracles's eye.
And then the entire night was illuminated.
The arrow skewed Heracles's eye before erupting into a twister of flame. Heat that reminded everyone of the sun blasted out of it, knocking over everyone nearby. The grass, Shirou's home, the dojo. Everything around them caught fire. Everyone could hear the roar of the fire, and the roaring of a monster in pain.
And then there was silence.
Out of the burning dojo, Rin and Shirou ran. Out of the burning house, Bazett and Illya escaped.
All of them witnessed the charred remains of Heracles. Archer landed on the ground, panting to himself. He stared at the giant, whose face was torn in half. The Berserker's body was damaged, there was no way he could have lived.
But.
Everyone but Illya could only watch in horror as his face magically repaired itself. The wounds on his body vanished, like time itself was reversing to invalidate them. Soon, he stood before them like nothing happened.
"See? See?" Illya called out. "Berserker is the strongest in the world!" She was so caught up in her gloating, she didn't notice a mist starting to form around her…
"What a monster." Rin muttered to herself as she watched. She began to understand why Ritsuka was so wary of Illya and her Servant. She looked over at Illya. It seemed there was only one way to defeat Berserker, and that was by defeating his Master. She quickly turned her attention to Shirou. "I'll be back. Don't follow me." She said as she ran out into the darkness.
Now she just needed to find a good place to ambush Illya.
"Wait, Toh—" Before the words could leave Shirou's mouth, Heracles's head whipped over to stare at him. Shirou covered his mouth as a reflex. With a roar, Heracles moved. Faster than anyone could react, faster than humanly or inhumanly possible, the demigod crossed the distance between the two. And with one, smooth motion, the stone slab came down.
Shirou swore he watched his life flash before his eyes. Then… something warm covered his shoulder. He stared in shock, trying to process what he saw.
He saw the girl, the one so desperately attacking him, standing before him. The shield was trying to get into a position to defend, but it was too late. The stone slab reached her before the shield could come up and buried itself deep into her shoulder. Galahad let out no cry of pain. The blood from her shoulder splattered Shirou's face.
The redheaded boy gasped, reaching out, as if just reaching her would be enough to save her.
And then Heracles swung again.
Tachie's body collided with Shirou, sending him flying through the wall of his shed, crashing into the floor. Tachie's body was thrown off the weapon, soaring through the air and landing on the ground with a lifeless thump.
With that, the giant roared. Was it a shout of anger, a shout of victory? No one, not even Berserker knew.
Shirou did his best to pull himself up coughing as he felt blood covering his body. He knew it was a mix of his own blood and the girl that protected him. He looked out the door of the shed, seeing the giant looking around wildly for him.
Was this the end? Would he die here?
The giant spotted him and began to charge.
Shirou gritted his teeth. He felt it deep inside. This was bullshit!
Archer charged at Berserker, attempting to stop him. He was tossed aside as easily as a stuffed toy.
Shirou felt a burning on his hand as he felt something growing deep inside. It was something he hadn't felt in a while.
It was a fire of determination.
"I was saved… over and over again, I was saved." Shirou muttered to himself as Berserker came closer and closer. "So, I won't die that easily… I need to live, to fulfill my duties… to help those that need it… and I can't do that if I'm dead…" He stared down at the giant rushing at him, weapons raised over his head. "I'm not… I'm not going to be killed by you." Shirou muttered. It wasn't a hopeless delusion, it wasn't a pathetic last cry. "I won't die here!" He yelled out as a red mark etched itself into his hand. With a shout of determination, he roared forth. "I REFUSE TO BE KILLED IN A PLACE LIKE THIS BY THE LIKES OF YOU!"
What happened next could only be described as magic.
A blinding bright blue light.
A figure appeared in front of Shirou. A girl, from what he could tell.
Without the hesitation expected from someone just summoned, she took a step forward. The way she moved, Shirou could tell that she was swinging a weapon, but he couldn't make out the kind of weapon it was.
That rocky slab collided into her weapon. The force of the collision blew over the contents of the shed. The two stood in a stalemate.
This was not because Heracles was fighting.
He was frozen, as if torn between his orders, and something else. It seemed the 'something else' won. He turned, rushing back to Illya like a runaway train. The girl sighed and turned to Shirou.
The boy found himself at a loss for words. Anything he wanted to say was stolen away the moment he looked at the girl's beauty. She stared at him emotionlessly with beautiful eyes. The moonlight highlighted her blonde hair and her knightly armor. In her hand… she held nothing. Then what was it she blocked Berserker's sword with?
Shirou was lost in his own world, staring at the beautiful girl. Suddenly, two things ripped him back into reality. First, the moonlight vanished. The sky was covered with red arrows, arrows that blocked out the moon and rained down on every combatant outside. A brilliant purple light suddenly illuminated the area, making the girl stand out even more.
Secondly… and more importantly to Shirou… the girl spoke.
"I ask of you… are you my Master?"