'VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!' The loud noises coming from Optimus's engine assaulted Waver's eardrums to no end. Not only was this the first time he was in the driver's seat of an automobile…
… It was also the first time that he was in one with a will of its own.
"Turn left." Waver commanded as the red truck with blue flames did just that.
"What is our destination, Master?" Optimus asked from the truck's radio.
"There's a house a few miles away that we can crash at." Waver replied.
"Crash? As in you want me to destroy that house?" Optimus asked.
"Huh?" Waver muttered as he was utterly dumbfounded over how Optimus would come to that conclusion. But then…
'HONK!' That confusion turned to anger as he slammed his hand onto the steering wheel.
"I-I-Idiot! Why would I want you to destroy a house!? By 'crash' I meant we are going to stay at the house so we can get some R&R." Waver replied as a vein bulged out of his head.
"R&… R? Are those the enemies?" Optimus asked with confusion in his voice.
'Bam.' Waver face palmed himself. He should have learned after Optimus didn't understand what he meant by 'crash' that this modern lingo would be a foreign concept for the robot.
"N-Never mind. Just keep going in that direction. And don't run over anyone!" Waver instructed.
"Why not? Are these people your friends?" Optimus asked. Waver looked at the random civilians and didn't recognize anyone. That was a given since he's only been in Fuyuki for a little over a day. Not only that, but he has avoided any people so he could prioritize the summoning ritual. The only exceptions were a certain elderly married couple that he happened to brainwash with Magecraft.
"No. I've never met or seen any of these people." Waver admitted.
"Then why do you care? Surely someone as selfish as you would not give a damn about random civilians?" Optimus asked in a cruel tone befitting of the robot that he is.
"Because…" Waver muttered but couldn't finish his sentence. Optimus was right. Waver was a selfish young man solely in the Grail War for himself and no one else. Someone who has even gone on to admit such a thing doesn't have a right to refute that fact. Waver knew that. Even still…
"… I don't want to see anyone die." Waver admitted. That's right. The fear of seeing a person he was close to dying was what feared the young man more than anything else. It was for that reason he decided to run away from his parents as they were slowly dying before him…
… And for that reason, he avoided making any connections with other people.
"I will do as my Master wishes. But let me say this. That way of thinking won't allow you to accomplish a single thing. The only way to win the battle that is life is to kill. Anyone who refuses to kill is no man…" Optimus spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… But a coward." Optimus finished giving the final blow onto Waver's argument which shattered it to pieces. Waver felt immense shame but more than that…
'Drip. Drip. Drip.' He felt immense sadness to the point that he cried.
"W-Why? What made you develop such a cruel ideology?!" Waver asked with tears in his eyes.
"…" The radio's speakers remained silent for a few seconds until-
"… Perhaps now is the time that I tell you w-" Optimus spoke but was cut off by-
'BOOOOOOOM!' A loud explosion knocked the truck into the sky!
"AH!" Waver gasped as he looked toward the ground that was now over fifty meters away from him!
'I-Is this it? Am I going to die!? Will I never achieve anything for myself?!' Waver thought internally until his thought process was cut off by-
'CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!' Optimus transforming into his robot form!
"R-RIDER?!" Waver yelled out of astonishment as he was now on Optimus's back.
"Hang on." Optimus instructed.
"What do yo-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Waver's question turned into a scream as they fell back to the earth like a roller coaster heading down on the tracks at an amusement park!
'BAM!' Optimus crash landed onto the ground! His feet hitting against the ground-
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' Cracked the road to pieces! However…
'HONK!' A honking noise captured Waver and Optimus's attention as it was driving straight toward them!
"What the!?" Waver looked toward the speeding truck and noticed multiple people in there with anxious looks on their faces.
'I-Is there something wrong with their brakes?!' Waver thought internally as he assessed the situation. In less than ten seconds, they were going to collide against Optimus! However! Even if Optimus were to move out of the way…
… They would crash into the broken pieces of the earth! That means the only way to save those people now would be to-
"RIDER! LIFT THAT TRUCK INTO THE AIR!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs as the truck was readily approaching them!
"As you wish, Master!" Optimus replied as he-
'BAM! BAM!' Grabbed onto the sides of the speeding truck with his massive hands!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The collective screams of the passengers inside the truck would have pierced the ears of Waver and Optimus if the windows of the truck weren't soundproof.
"Now put the truck back onto the ground. Lightly." Waver instructed as Optimus did just that but-
'Bam!' The truck's wheels broke to pieces when they hit against the ground.
"I said 'lightly!'" Waver snapped back.
"That was light-" Optimus replied but he was cut off.
'Bam! Bam! Crack! Crack!' By the truck's doors falling to the ground and all of the windows shattering to pieces.
"… Sorry." Optimus apologized.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The people inside the truck ran away screaming. Except for…
"Thank you, mister robot!" A young girl who was one of the passengers of the truck spoke as she bowed toward Optimus.
"… Your… welcome?" Optimus replied with confusion in his voice.
"Bye-Bye mister robot!" The girl closed her eyes with a smile before joining the rest of her family.
"…" Optimus was speechless as he stood motionless until-
"… Master… why did she thank me?" Optimus asked.
"Because you saved her." Waver replied with a smile.
"… This is the first time… that someone has thanked me for saving them." Optimus admitted he felt a certain feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. But before he could reflect on said feeling-
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' Loud noises ruptured Waver's eardrums as he looked toward the distance and noticed a giant horned creature. Its horns were white. Its body was blue and red. Massive bones were sticking out of its limbs. But it had no fingers. Finally, it happened to resemble a certain farm animal.
"I-I-I-" Waver stuttered uncontrollably until-
"A GIANT COW?!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs as a giant cow was destroying buildings like Godzilla!
"Huh. I didn't know that this planet had massive lifeforms like that." Optimus admitted.
"THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T!" Waver snapped back with veins bulging from his forehead.
"I see. Then that means it's an extraterrestrial lifeform. Permission to kill, Master?" Optimus asked as he focused on the cow kaiju with the intent to kill it.
"Permission… granted." Waver replied as buckets of sweat dripped from his forehead as he thought 'of course, idiot.'
"Then… it shall die by my hands." Optimus declared as not even a second later-
'WHOOOOOOSH!' He leaped into the sky like a cannonball! The wind currents alone knocked Waver off of the robot as he-
"Ow." Fell on his ass.
Meanwhile…
"Hey, Caster! Look! It's a giant robot!" Ryuunosuke spoke with excitement in his voice as he looked at Optimus leaping into the sky with a pair of binoculars.
"A robot?" Caster spoke as it looked in the same direction as Ryuunosuke.
"Keh! Heh! Heh! Well, look at what we have here! It's none other than Optimus Prime!" Caster replied with a smirk on its face.
"Optimus Prime? Is he a friend of yours?" Ryuunosuke asked.
"Not even close. I've never met him before. But from what I heard he was a kind and caring Autobot that loved the human race, so much so that he sacrificed his own life to save it. Which means?" Caster asked.
"… That he won't endanger the civilians below us!" Ryuunosuke answered.
"Exactly! He'll be utterly annihilated by my Choju! Keh! Heh! Heh!" Caster declared as it laughed. And then…
"… COWRA! KILL HIM!" Caster shouted at the top of its lungs. This order made…
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cowra unleashed a mighty roar! So powerful in fact that it-
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' Shattered the glass windows of all the buildings in a five miles radius from it! This included a certain skyscraper-
"What the hell is that?!" Kyoko yelled out as she stared out of the broken glass window on the top floor of the Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel. She used her impressive eyesight to see that it was none other than-
"Whose bright idea was it to make a cow a monster?" Kyoko asked no one in particular. She then looked around the room and realized that no one was present. This was her chance.
"Hahaha…" Kyoko laughed quietly until-
"… Guess I'll kill it." Kyoko finished as she leaped off of the skyscraper!
'WHOOOOSH!' The wind currents made a mess of her red hair as she plummeted toward the earth! But before that she-
'BAM!' Threw her golden Lance into the air! Her lance had several chains that connected the golden pieces of metal together to make a lance! But this meant that it had the ability to latch itself around anything! And in this case, she used its chains to wrap around the wires of a utility pole!
'SKEEEEEE!' Kyoko then used her lance to slide against the wires as if she were on a zip line! The result was a sound that pierced Kyoko's ears, but it was so much fun that she could care less!
"WAHOO! I'M COMIN FOR YA COW MONSTER!" Kyoko declared as she zoomed across the city! But before she could reach her destination…
"TAKE…" Optimus shouted at the top of his lungs as he fell toward Cowra!
"… THIS! Optimus finished as he landed his fist against Cowra's cheek!
'CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE!' The power of Optimus's fist connecting against the cow monster's face resulted in a shockwave that made a few buildings crumble to the ground!
"What- Caster spoke.
"The- Ryuunosuke spoke.
"Hell?! RIDER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs.
'Those buildings… they were definitely full of people! And Rider destroyed them without a second thought! S-Should I resort to using one of these?' Waver thought internally as he stared at the tattoos on his left hand, the Command Spells that connect him to Optimus.
'I have no choice but to- Waver thought internally as his command spells flashed red for a second. However, this was a mistake that would soon become fatal as-
'CHOMP!' Cowra ate Optimus's entire body!
"Gulp!" And swallowed him whole!
"R-R-R- Waver uncontrollably stuttered as he backed away in an effort to not accept this reality until-
"… RIDER!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs as his Servant was gone in the blink of an eye.
'Damn it… DAMN IT! I was so stupid! If only I had noticed that the monster was about to launch a counterattack, I wouldn't have lost Rider!' Waver thought internally as Optimus's words came back to haunt him.
'I will do as my Master wishes. But let me say this. That way of thinking won't allow you to accomplish a single thing. The only way to win the battle that is life is to kill. Anyone who refuses to kill is no man…' And then the words that gave him great shame…
'… But a coward.'
'Optimus was right. I'm… a coward. All I've done throughout my life is run when the going gets tough…' Waver thought internally as he remembered all of the times he ran away from it all…
'… It's ok… you can give up… you can let us go now…' It happened then…
'I will be perfectly frank, this paper is nothing but immature, juvenile fantasies. Blood determines a Mage's powers and abilities. This is a hard and unchanging reality in this world. Even for you, Waver Velvet.' … It happened there too…
'… And now… Is it about to happen again?!' Waver thought internally as he was convinced that he was going to run away again. That assumption which he assumed was inevitable made the young man clench his fists and bite his lower lip hard.
"There's nothing… I can do." Waver muttered as he closed his eyes and was about to accept his Fate that there was nothing that he could do. But then…
"Hey. Are you really going to give up now, little puppy?" These words made Waver's eyes shoot open. The voice itself was unfamiliar so he turned around and saw a young blonde-haired girl.
"Huh?" Waver muttered as he stared at the girl. Her entire outfit was pink and was decorated with many red ribbons. It gave off the appearance of a very young child. However, in contrast…
… Her tone of voice made her sound like she was much older than him.
"Eh? Are you deaf? Or are you just stupid? I said, are you really going to give up now, little puppy!" The girl asked with a scowl as she put her hands on her hips.
"W-What does it matter to you?" Waver asked.
"It matters to me cause if you were to just give up now, that would be pretty boring, right? And there's nothing I hate more than being bored. So, if you are really serious about giving up…" The girl spoke but paused for a few seconds as she skipped toward Waver. And then…
"… Maybe I'll just kill you now." The young girl finished with a whisper while leaning towards Waver. She then pushed Waver to the ground.
"Ow!" Waver groaned in pain over falling on his ass but then he-
"Ah!" Waver gasped as he noticed the girl's eyes, they were blood-red. Not only that, but she was also smiling sadistically too.
'RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!' The air itself vibrated as a purple sphere of pure energy materialized out of thin air and rested on the girl's hand. Waver realized that she meant every word, but it was too late…
… Or it would have been if it weren't for-
'BAM!' The purple sphere of energy was destroyed in an instant!
"Ah!" Waver gasped as he noticed someone falling down from the sky! The girl noticed this too.
"Eh? What are you-" The girl spoke as she looked above her and saw-
A GOLDEN SPEAR HURTLING STRAIGHT AT HER!
"TAKE THIS!" Kyoko shouted as she was about to pierce the girl with her spear! But before that-
'BAM!' She deflected the attack with another purple sphere of death! This only lasted for a few seconds till-
'BOOOOOOM!' An explosion was created that knocked both girls a few meters away from each other!
"Wow. That was one hell of a sneak attack." The girl spoke with a smile.
"Yeah. Too bad I didn't bust your head wide open." Kyoko replied with a grin of her own.
"Hahaha!" The girl laughed until-
"… I'd like to see you try." The girl replied with a hideous smile.
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' The girl unleashed ten purple spheres at Kyoko in an instant! However, not even a second later…
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' She destroyed all of them with ease! It was so fast that Waver's eyes couldn't keep up!
"Hahaha! You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to kill little ol me!" Kyoko spoke with a smirk.
"Ok! Guess I'll go all out then." The girl declared as she smiled wickedly at Kyoko. And then…
'RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!' The air vibrated as many purple spheres appeared all around the blonde-haired girl. Ten of them would prove was child's play for Kyoko to destroy all at once. However…
… Now there were over one hundred of them.
"Damn. I should have kept my big mouth shut." Kyoko admitted as she assumed a combat stance.
"…" Waver was speechless. He already deduced that the red-haired girl was the Lancer-Class Servant due to her having a spear. However, he couldn't understand why a girl even younger than him would fight at a complete disadvantage.
'What is she doing? With her speed, she would have a good chance of outrunning them! But why is she about to fight them head-on?!' Waver couldn't understand. But then…
"What the hell are you still doing here?! Get outta here! NOW!" Kyoko commanded. The reason why she was going to fight was made painfully clear to Waver. That being…
… to save him.
"I agree. You might have a chance to escape… if you're lucky. However, if you leave…" The girl spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… Then I'll make sure to give her a slow and painful death! First, I'll open up her stomach! Then, I'll rip her intestines out! Finally, I'll turn them into candy! Yum! That sounds really gooooooood! HAHAHA!" The girl laughed like a witch as saliva dripped out of her mouth.
"This girl's batshit crazy!" Kyoko yelled out as sweat dripped from her face like bullets. Even still, she didn't budge an inch. Kyoko was going to stay and fight even if it meant dying in such an insane way.
"…" Waver couldn't say a word. How could he respond to that? The only way for him to survive is to flee. However, if he does this then that girl will be killed. But if he stays, then he will die. Both Fates were unacceptable for the young man. At that moment…
… Waver felt truly powerless…
… And Kyoko recognized this.
"It's fine. Really. I won't let an innocent bystander like you die. So, if anyone's gonna die, then it's gonna be me." Kyoko declared as she spoke to Waver with a gentle tone that was completely unlike her way of speaking up to this point.
Waver remembered his conversation with Optimus from a bit earlier. He didn't know how to respond to why he wanted the lives of people he never met to be protected. But this girl… without a second thought…
… had decided to protect Waver even if it meant her demise.
"…" Waver stood up without saying a word.
"Good… now go." Kyoko replied with a reassuring smile. In Waver's eyes, she was truly selfless. She truly believed that saving this person is more important than pursuing her own wishes.
However…
… Waver had other plans.
'Bam.' Waver slugged himself in the face.
"… Huh?" Kyoko muttered with a confused smile.
"Are you a masochist or something?" The girl asked with a bewildered look.
"No. I just had to punch this coward who was about to run away… ow." Waver spoke but groaned in pain as his cheek was now stinging.
"Hmm. Does that mean you're staying?" The girl asked as she teleported to Waver in a flash.
"… Yes." Waver replied as he was unfazed by this girl invading his personal space.
"A-A-A-" Kyoko stuttered for a bit until-
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT OR SOMETHING?!" Kyoko shouted at the top of her lungs.
"YEAH! I'M AN IDIOT! BUT I'M NOT LETTING SOME CHILD SACRIFICE THEIR LIFE FOR MINE!" Waver snapped back.
"C-CHILD?! I'M NOT A CHILD! I'M FOURTEEN! I'M PRACTICALLY AN ADULT!" Kyoko shouted.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I'M NINETEEN! I'M FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN YOU! SO, TO ME YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE A CHILD, YOU IDIOT!" Waver snapped back once more.
"Grrrr." Kyoko growled as she gripped the hems of her skirt with a face that was bright red.
"Hahaha…" The girl laughed quietly until-
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She started laughing hysterically.
"Wow! You actually talked back to a girl who could kill you in a blink of an eye! You sure have guts for a puppy! HAHAHA!" The girl spoke as she continued to laugh. But then…
"Guess you'll both die." The girl declared with a tone of voice that was full of murderous intent. Both Waver and Kyoko closed their eyes as they accepted their Fate and died…
"Just kidding." The girl spoke as she snapped her fingers while all one hundred of the purple spheres of death vanished without a trace.
"Huh?" Waver and Kyoko spoke in unison as they were utterly dumbfounded over this outcome.
"Jeez. I might be a Witch. But just because I'm one doesn't mean I'm just going to kill you both. After all…" The girl spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… You are just pieces on the chessboard. So, make this game a grand spectacle that won't be forgotten for a millennium." The girl finished as she began to rapidly disintegrate. But before that…
"Who are you?" Waver asked.
"Me? Didn't I already tell you? I'm…" The girl spoke but paused for a second until-
"… A Witch." The self-proclaimed Witch finished as she vanished without a trace. But then…
'BOOOOOM!' A loud explosion went off in the distance! This caught Kyoko and Waver's attention as they noticed that the cow monster was still making a mess of the city.
"Don't get yourself killed." Kyoko muttered to Waver before she-
'WHOOOOOSH!' sped across the ground and leaped into the sky!
"T-This girl…" Waver muttered as he wanted to do something. But what could he do against a monster that was fifty meters tall?! If he still had Rider, then he could have had him fight it while supporting Lancer. But Rider was…
"Huh?" Waver muttered as he noticed that on his left hand, three Command Spells remained. This meant that he was still a Master. And that Rider was…
"… Am I an idiot?" Waver muttered to himself as he realized that Optimus was still alive.
'Slap!' Waver slapped his cheeks. And then…
"BY MY COMMAND SPELL…" Waver spoke as his hand flashed bright red! So bright in fact that-
'What?! Is he actually a- Even Kyoko noticed but as-
'WHOOOOOSH!' The cow monster's hoof was heading straight for her!
"OH SHIT!" Kyoko yelled out as she was about to be pulverized. But before that-
'… USE YOUR NOBLE PHANTASM RIDER!" Waver declared as one of his Command Spells vanished without a trace. But in exchange…
'BAM!' A golden sword made out of pure energy busted through the cow monster's stomach!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cowra screamed in absolute agony as its stomach was ripped open by-
'SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!' Rider's sword as he leaped out of its innards!
"Took you long enough!" Optimus shouted as he was finally free from the cow monster's stomach.
"Sorry about that." Waver muttered as he looked away from Rider out of embarrassment.
"DO NOT EVADE YOUR EYES!" Optimus yelled out at the top of his lungs as Waver looked at him. Even though Rider was over fifty meters away, Waver was able to see his Servant and hear him clearly.
"GOOD! KEEP LOOKING AT ME! JUST WATCH ME…" Optimus spoke but paused for a few seconds as he-
'BAM!' Landed back onto the ground!
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' Which made several massive cracks on it! And then…
"… AS I SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN!" Optimus declared as he-
'WHOOOOOSH!' Then leaped into the sky like a rocket! Ten meters… twenty… thirty… forty… fifty… and even higher than that! He was now above the gigantic monster! With the high ground, he was now able to-
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Optimus yelled out as he fell toward the monster! But the monster noticed this! And for a second it was reminded of something red and white that defeated it a long time ago! As a result…
'BAM! BAM! BAM!' Cowra stepped backward in order to evade the attack! But then…
"OH NO YA DON'T!" Kyoko yelled out as she-
'STAB! STAB!' IMPALED THE MONSTER'S LEGS WITH HER SPEAR!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"Cowra groaned in agony as it fell forward toward the ground! This meant that its neck stuck out! Which gave Rider the perfect chance to-
"NOW…" Optimus spoke as he gripped his golden sword, the Sword of Judgement and-
"… GIVE ME YOUR HEAD!" Optimus finished as he-
'BAM! BAM! BAM!' Stuck his sword deep into the monster's neck! But it wasn't going through completely! Not until-
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Optimus roared at the top of his lungs as he used every ounce of his strength to drive his sword deep into the monster's neck until-
'SLICE!' ITS HEAD WAS COMPLETELY SEVERED FROM ITS HEAD! And then…
'BOOOOOOOOOOM!' COWRA EXPLODED INTO PIECES!
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' Several of its body parts hit the ground as a result.
"NOW…" Optimus spoke as he twisted himself around and noticed two people on a rooftop. One of them was an orange-haired man and the other was…
"… PREPARE TO DIE!" Optimus declared as he locked eyes with his target the Demon in Black!
'BAM!' Optimus kicked against a building and-
'WHOOOOOSH!' Soared toward the rooftop. But before he could reach them-
"I THINK NOT!" Caster replied as they began to vanish along with Ryuunosuke!
"But we shall meet again… Prime." Caster declared as they and Ryuunosuke vanished without a trace. Just as-
'BAM!' Optimus clenched the rooftop to no avail.
"They… got away." Optimus admitted as he overlooked the city that was full of destroyed buildings. He then leaped off the rooftop and made his way back to his Master. Just as-
'WEE WOO! WEE WOO!' Police sirens echoed in the distance.
"Master, it's time we retreat." Optimus spoke.
"Yeah, you think?!" Waver snapped back.
'CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!' Optimus transformed back into a truck as Waver hopped in.
'VROOOM! VROOOM! VROOOOM!' They then raced throughout the streets in order to escape the incoming authorities. But just before making a successful escape…
"…" Waver and Kyoko locked eyes for a split second as the latter was making her escape too. And then…
… They went their separate ways as they both knew in their hearts that they would meet again and have to fight against each other…
… Because the Fourth Holy Grail War had only just begun.
Episode 1: The Fake First Shot