'Step… step… step.' A man with long black hair used his crutches to walk through an alleyway. If it wasn't for the moon hanging in the sky, it would have been completely pitch black. However…
… He wasn't alone.
"Here. Eat this." Eren spoke as he tossed a small brown bag into the dark alleyway. Suddenly, a sickly-looking man with white hair revealed himself and grabbed the bag. He recklessly ripped the bag open and grabbed the contents of it, a sandwich.
"MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!" Kariya devoured the sandwich in less than thirty seconds. Eren noticed this and it made him cringe.
"Tch. Shoving that food down your throat without even enjoying it. It's completely wasted on you, slave." Eren commented with a click of his tongue and a scowl. Though in Kariya's defense, he hadn't eaten a thing in three days and was just barely surviving on whatever, he could find in the trash.
"Thank you." Kariya replied as he bowed with his face on the ground toward his Master. This made a grin form on Eren's face.
"You're welcome. But with that out of the way, I'll be leaving." Eren spoke as he turned around and started to leave the alleyway until-
"Wait! Where are you going?!" Kariya yelled out.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Eren replied as he left the alleyway without another word. Kariya was left alone once again as he could only reflect on what had happened.
'I… I don't understand. Why didn't the Command Spell work? All Servants are bound to their Masters through these spells. My ancestors, the Makiri, were responsible for creating this Magic. It has always worked in the past… until now.' Kariya thought internally as he desperately searched for an answer to his question…
… But no matter how long he thought… the answer wouldn't be given to him.
'WHOOOSH!' Kyoko fell toward Optimus like a cannonball!
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' Kyoko's landing caused the ground to crack into pieces! With his opponent in close proximity to him, Optimus materialized his golden sword!
'SLICE!' Without a word, Optimus attempted to decapitate his enemy! However, he missed and only struck his sword against the wind!
'WHOOOSH!' Optimus then leaped into the air to annihilate Kyoko off the face of the earth! But then…
'SLICE!' Optimus's sword did not reach her because Kyoko slid against the ground to avoid the attack! She used her small stature to her advantage!
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' The ground continued to crack as Optimus's feet hit against the earth! He looked everywhere for his opponent. However, she was nowhere in sight! Once again, the difference in height has put the Autobot at a disadvantage!
"Damn. That height of yours is annoying." Optimus admitted while looking everywhere for Lancer. And then…
"RIDER! DODGE!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs. But he was too late.
"What are these?!" Optimus yelled out as he noticed that his body had several metal chains all over it. He couldn't move a muscle. Only then did he realize…
"Ah! These chains are- Optimus spoke as he realized that the metal chains that were wrapped all over his body were a part of the enemy's weapon. But there was nothing that he could do. His arms wouldn't move…
This meant that he couldn't use the Sword of Judgement to free himself. Not only that, but he couldn't jump into the air since the chains went through the cracked parts of the ground and chained his feet onto them! Optimus was quite literally trapped! Waver noticed this.
"By my Command Spel-AH!" Waver spoke but gasped as he noticed Kyoko readily approaching him. Even though her lance had immobilized Rider… all she needed were her fists to kill the young man. Both Kyoko and Waver knew this.
Three…
"…" Waver didn't utter a word as he knew that this was Game Set. With not even three seconds left before Kyoko kills him, that was not enough time to use a Command Spell. There was nothing he could do that wouldn't prevent his demise. So, the young man closed his eyes as he accepted that this was his Fate.
… two…
"…" On the other hand, Kyoko desperately tried to use every ounce of her strength to ensure that she wouldn't cause a lethal blow onto the young man. However, she knew that once her fist would hit his body…
… one…
… Waver would be utterly annihilated.
… Zero.
'BAM!' And the battle was over. The young man had died against the hands of the young girl. Even though they both didn't want this to happen, there was nothing that they could do to defy Fate…
… Or that would have been the result if it weren't for-
"This war is an utter joke." Someone said out loud. Waver heard this.
"… Ah!" Waver gasped as he looked at his hands and noticed that he was alive. But that was impossible. He heard a loud noise that ruptured his eardrums. Surely, that was the blow that took his life. Except…
… He was alive. That could only mean that-
"BLAUGH!" Kyoko vomited up blood as she was barely standing with the golden sword lunged into her back. She noticed the expression of confusion, fear, and worry all over the young man's face. Even still…
… She smiled before collapsing onto the ground.
"…" Waver was speechless. He did not know how to react. All his life he had tried to avoid seeing a person die before him. And now this girl… the one that had protected him the other night… was about to die…
… it was enough for him to-
"A-A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Waver screamed at the top of his lungs as Kyoko continued to bleed out before his own eyes.
Everyone else turned their attention to the source of the voice from earlier. It was clear that a new servant had entered the fray. He was near the other end of the shipping containers, opposite from where Saber and Irisviel entered.
He was descending from the air. As he was descending from the air, everyone could see what he looked like. He was completely covered in gold armor from neck to toe. His eyes were crimson red, his hair was blonde, and the light of the moon shined onto it, making it appear that it was golden.
He landed on top of a lamp post. Even though he landed gently on it…
'CRACK!' The glass on the lamp post shattered due to the circuits being overloaded by the sheer amount of magical energy the new servant was emitting. It was now crystal clear that he is a threat to be taken seriously.
"How disappointing. All that I see are a false king, a pile of scrap metal, and a small child who is about to die. All of you are nothing but peasants and mongrels. Consider her demise a gift. Now…" Gilgamesh spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… You will all bow to the one true king." Gilgamesh finished as he crossed his arms with a serious expression on his face. But before anyone could bow to him…
"Stand up…" Someone muttered until they started yelling.
"… Stand up! Stand up! Stand up! STAND UP! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME, YOU WORTHLESS FUCKING SERVANT! NOW GET THE HELL UP BEFORE I USE THIS LAST COMMAND SPELL TO FINISH THE JOB!" Kayneth shouted at the top of his lungs. But then…
'BANG!' A gunshot could be heard in the distance. Excluding Gilgamesh who couldn't give a damn, everyone else looked around to find the source of the gunshot. And it was then…
"H-How could I have be-BLAUGH!" Kayneth spoke until he coughed up his own blood. He then proceeded to fall off the large shipping container he was on and onto the ground.
"Maiya. I just assassinated Archibald." Kiritsugu spoke through his comm piece. But unbeknownst to him…
"… S-Someone… kill… me." Kayneth spoke as he begged for the sweet release of death. The bullet in his body was causing him an insane amount of pain. Add the broken bones from the fall and it was enough for any sane man to go mad.
"No. It appears that 'Lord' is still alive." Maiya replied through her comm piece as she watched Kayneth through the scope of her sniper's rifle. Then Saber approached him. Waver noticed this.
"Rider. Can you move?" Waver spoke.
"Yes. It appears that the chains have retracted once the child collapsed." Optimus admitted.
"… Save them." Waver spoke.
"No. I refuse to rescue the enemy. Their deaths will pave the way for our victory." Optimus replied. He was serious. There was nothing that would change his mind. And Waver knew this.
"Fine. By my Command Spell…" Waver spoke as his hand flashed bright red.
"You are going to regret this, Master." Optimus spoke as Saber made her way to Kayneth.
"…" Without a word, she raised her invisible sword into the air. But then…
"… I ORDER YOU TO SAVE BOTH LANCER AND HER MASTER NOW!" Waver commanded as another one of the tattoos on his hand vanished without a trace. Just like Kayneth, he was down to one Command Spell. But he could care less about that right now. Because now…
… WAS THE TIME FOR ACTION!
'CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!' Not even a second later, Optimus transformed back into a truck and-
'BAM!' Hit Saber! Which sent her-
'BAM!' Crashing into one of the shipping containers!
"RRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Waver roared as he used all of his strength to lift Kyoko. He then proceeded to run as fast as he could toward Optimus while carrying the girl.
"You are… such an… idiot." Kyoko muttered. But Waver ignored this. He wasn't much of an athlete. Hell, he had never entered a gym in his entire life. But through sheer resolve, he put Kyoko into the back of the truck. He then set his eyes on Kayneth…
"…" Who was unconscious due to his injuries. Waver was about to pick him up when-
"Sorry kid, it's nothing personal." Kiritsugu muttered to himself as he put his finger on the trigger of his gun and-
'BANG!' Shot a bullet that was aimed at Kayneth's head! Not only would Kayneth die instantly, but the bullet would hit Waver's chest too, and ensure his demise. But that was Kiritsugu's intention. What he was trying to do was kill two birds with one stone.
"AH!" Waver gasped as he heard the gunshot and froze. Suddenly, his life flashed before his eyes. All of the good and bad in nanoseconds appeared throughout his mind. He might have cheated death through the skin of his teeth once, but a second time might be too much to ask for.
'WHOOOSH!' The bullet went through the air as Waver saw it for a split second. But then…
"… Huh?" Waver muttered as he noticed that the bullet had not hit him. Not only that, but it had also…
… COMPLETELY STOPPED IN MID-AIR!
"What the hell?" Kiritsugu muttered as even he was completely dumbfounded. Bullets don't stop in mid-air. Bullets continue moving until they hit something. Any other idea would be completely absurd. So why? Why did the bullet stop? The answer to that question is-
"Hahaha…" Someone's laughter echoed throughout the warehouse area. Everyone turned their attention to the source of the laughter and noticed a girl floating mid-air. Her clothes were all pink and they were covered with red ribbons. She was familiar because she had already made her presence clear. And now…
… She's about to make it even more clear than before.
"… Nice try. But I won't allow that old man and the brat to die so early. That would be sooooooooooooo boring! This Holy Grail War is my game. So, I won't allow anything to ruin it. Especially, you…" The girl spoke until she turned her attention to a certain someone. And then…
"… EMIYA." The girl finished as she glared daggers at Kiritsugu.
'How does she- Maiya thought internally.
'Know my name?!' Kiritsugu thought internally.
"Maiya… we're retreating." Kiritsugu spoke through the comm.
"Oh, you don't have to retreat." The girl said out loud.
'She can hear us through the comms?!' Both Kiritsugu and Maiya thought at the same time.
"You can all beat each other up to a bloody pulp. Actually, that sounds like fun so do that! But I refuse to allow anyone to die just yet. But when the time comes…" The girl spoke but paused for a few seconds until-
"… I expect you all to slaughter each other into oblivion!" The girl finished as she vanished without a trace. Everyone was speechless, especially Kiritsugu and Maiya who were utterly dumbfounded at this turn of events. But there was no time to reflect as the battle was not over yet!
'VROOOM! VROOOM! VROOOM!' Optimus's engines roared as he started speeding away!
'Damn. While we were distracted that boy must have put Archibald into the truck.' Kiritsugu thought internally as he accepted the fact his target was going to get away. Because if he did try to kill the people inside the truck…
… Then that might spell his demise too. However…
"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO GET AWAY THAT EASILY, RIDER!" Saber shouted at the top of her lungs as she attempted to pursue the truck!
"By my Command Spell…" Kitritsugu spoke as his hand flashed bright red until-
"… I ORDER YOU TO NOT PURSUE THAT TRUCK." Kiritsugu commanded as one of the Command Spells on his hand vanished without a trace.
"Damn it!" Saber yelled out as she couldn't pursue any further due to Kiritsugu's order.
'To think that I had to waste a Command Spell so early on something so trivial. At this rate, that King of Knights is going to be the death of me.' Kiritsugu thought internally. But then…
'BANG!' Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning flashed a few meters behind Gilgamesh. Wooden crates were flung everywhere and the masters on the ground hid behind their servants to avoid getting hit by them. The golden servant didn't flinch at all.
Once the lightning fizzled out, everyone saw what came from it. It was a huge humanoid monster, even taller than the robotic rider. The monster looked like a naked human male with no genitals. The monster had no hair on its body except for its head which is long and black.
'Between this and the robot, I don't know how the hell is the church going to cover this up.' Kiritsugu thought to himself as he looked at the monster. The monster then looked down and stared at the golden servant.
"Who gave you the permission to look at me you mangy- Gilgamesh spoke but before he could finish his sentence-
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' The monster kicked where he was standing and punted him across the area! Every step made cracks against the ground! He flew past the other servants and crashed into a stray shipping container! But the monster knew that a simple kick wouldn't hit his target. He then got on his knees like an Olympic runner.
"Shit." Kiritsugu muttered as he could tell that monster was a Berserker judging by its animalistic behavior. By observing its current position, he knew what it was going to do next. He got on his comms to warn his assistant.
"MAIYA, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE! THAT MONSTER IS GOING TO CHARGE!" Kiritsugu shouted at the top of his lungs.
Maiya ran like the wind as she jumped off the shipping container she was on just as-
'BAM!' Berserker destroyed it! But before that, she managed to roll onto a shipping container that was a few meters below the one she was on! Through the skin of her teeth, she had managed to escape from the monster's reach!
"Tch." Berserker clicked its tongue before it sprinted and ran across the battlefield to cause even more destruction! But in his path was Irisviel! And Saber noticed this!
"IRISVIEL!" Saber yelled at the top of her lungs as she bolted toward Irisviel and grabbed her as they barely managed to get out of Berserker's way. Thankfully for Saber and Irisviel, Berserker wasn't interested in killing them because…
… he was hell-bent on killing the golden servant.
In less than a second, Berserker charged toward the lamp-post Gilgamesh was standing on! Archer refused to move from his spot, so it was impossible for him to avoid collision with Berserker as-
'BAM!' The lamp post was completely obliterated off the face of the earth!
'BAM!' The kinetic energy shot Gilgamesh into one of the shipping containers!
"How dare you sully my armor with you filthy- Archer spoke as he stood up while seething with anger. But before he could finish his insult, he was met with the world's meanest elbow drop.
'BAM!' Berserker's elbow annihilated the shipping container!
The humanoid monster then got on his knees…
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' AND RAPIDLY PUNCHED THE GROUND! The entire area was completely flattened in a matter of seconds! 'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' Even still, the monster kept punching the ground, displaying its savagery for the other servants to see.
"What is that monster?!" Irisviel asked as her entire body shook out of terror while hiding behind Saber. She knew that the Holy Grail War was no laughing matter. Fuyuki itself became the battleground for a devastating war that would mean the deaths of countless lives.
Irisviel was prepared to die. No. She knew that her death was inevitable as she would become the vessel for the Grail to fully materialize into this world. Her Fate had been long since decided before she was even born. However…
… That monster shouldn't exist in this world.
'THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!' Her heart wouldn't stop beating. Not once had she ever felt such an overwhelming sense of fear.
This monster terrified her more than the thought of actually dying. What if it managed to get its hands on the grail?! Worse, what if it managed to kill her husband?! Or even worse than that, what if it made its mission…
… To kill her own daughter?! All of these thoughts plagued Irisviel's mind. And Saber noticed this.
"Irisviel, calm down." Saber spoke.
"B-B-B- Irisviel stuttered uncontrollably as her teeth chattered to no end.
"IRISVIEL! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Saber yelled out as she grasped Irisviel's shoulders.
"That monster… is definitely Berserker. Only the Berserker class can display mindless brute force like this. Which means… I can kill it. And I WILL kill it…" Saber declared as she paused for a few seconds until-
"… Because I refuse to let you or Kiritsugu or anyone else die. So, have faith in me, Irisviel." Saber finished with a warm smile on her face while gently caressing Irisviel's hands in order to calm her down.
"… Thanks… Saber." Irisviel muttered with a smile as tears dripped down her cheeks. However, the battle was still going on.
Berserker raised his right hand in the air to prepare another punch. But before he could land said punch…
'SLICE!' Something shot out of the air and sliced off Berserker's right arm…
'BOOOOM! With an explosion! The explosion pushed Berserker back a bit as his blood…
'Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! was spilled onto the ground. Berserker's blood was like rain as it drenched the ground crimson. Very few knew what had just occurred.
"What just happened? How did Berserker's arm get cut off?!" Maiya spoke through her comm.
"Ten meters above you." Kiritsugu responded as Maiya tilted her sniper rifle's scope according to those exact calculations and saw something unnatural.
"Ah!" Maiya gasped as she noticed several golden portals in the air with weapons coming out of them and they were all aimed at Berserker. Berserker noticed them too. But before he could do anything…
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' The portals shot more weapons which pierced Berserker all over his body!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Berserker shrieked in agony as the weapons continued to pierce him with no end in sight.
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' The golden portals kept firing weapons until Berserker was completely shredded into pieces.
Gilgamesh stood on the arm of a nearby crane to look down on Berserker's corpse. Even though he was completely unscathed from Berserker's assault on him, and the victory was surely his…
… He was utterly disgusted by this turn of events.
"This is your punishment for dirtying my armor. Be glad your death was quick, Mongrel." Gilgamesh spoke as he glared daggers at the remains of the monster.
'Snap!' Gilgamesh snapped his fingers as the plethora of golden portals vanished without a trace. However…
… That was what Berserker was waiting for. Mere seconds after Gilgamesh snapped his fingers…
'BANG!' Lightning appeared further back from where Berserker's corpse was!
"What the hell!" Gilgamesh cursed as he was utterly dumbfounded. He had heard that noise only a minute earlier and that meant the mongrel was not dead yet! Once the lightning fizzled out once more… everyone saw what stood in its place…
… Berserker was somehow back from the dead with no injuries whatsoever…
… And this time he brought a weapon with him…
… A. Very. Long. Hammer.
"How is Berserker still alive?! We just saw him die!" Irisviel shouted.
"It must be a form of battle continuation!" Saber replied.
Berserker held his white hammer over his head with his two arms, ready to pay back Gilgamesh in full!
"Hmph." Gilgamesh scoffed at the monster's pathetic attempt to make a comeback. He was so unamused by Berserker's new weapon that he stood there…
"Come at me… mongrel." Archer spoke as he waved his fingers back and forth in order to taunt the monster as the latter kneeled down.
"Hmm. It appears that you know your pla- Gilgamesh spoke but he was cut off by the monster.
'WHOOOSH!' With a kick of his feet, Berserker leaped into the air and-
'BAM!' SWUNG DOWN THE HAMMER!
'BOOOOOOOM!' The amount of force caused the crane to explode! Berserker stood there as he examined the surroundings to ensure his enemy's defeat when suddenly…
'SLICE!' A massive axe sliced off the head of the hammer. Left with nothing but a long stick, Berserker tossed his weapon to the ground. He then noticed his enemy standing on top of one of the few shipping containers that wasn't destroyed.
"I had enough of your defiance you mad dog! This place shall become your grave!" Gilgamesh yelled out. He had had enough of Berserker's shenanigans. Golden portals started to fill up the sky, ready to level the whole area. Each portal had a different weapon varying from swords to axes to spears.
"Judging from what we saw earlier, that has enough firepower to scorch this entire area clean." Maiya said as she analyzed the situation.
Kiritsugu saw everything that was unfolding. He needed to get Saber and Irisviel out of there. He knew they weren't going to survive that barrage of weapons. He was not willing to lose his servant this early in the war…
… He also could not afford to lose Irisviel because he loved her. He was using her as bait so that he could assassinate Mages from the shadows. But even with his ruse exposed to everyone that he was in fact, Saber's true Master, he wasn't going to let his wife suffer such a horrific demise.
"Maiya. It's time to retrea- Kiritsugu spoke through the comm, but he was cut off.
"You wouldn't dare!" Gilgamesh yelled out. Archer felt his body stiffen as if something paralyzed him. He knew what this meant. This was an order he could not refuse.
"Tch." Archer clicked his tongue in frustration, and he made the golden portals disappear.
"Damn you, Tokiomi! How dare you force a king to retreat?!" Gilgamesh shouted at none in particular. Due to the fact that his Master was not on the battlefield. The golden servant then looked down to see the rest of the servants.
"Let this be a warning! You must cull your numbers before the next time we meet." Gilgamesh finished as he went into his spirit form and left the battlefield at the whim of his master. Luckily for Kiritsugu and everyone else…
… it seems like Fate has decided to spare them from utter destruction. However…
… The battle was not going to conclude just yet.
Berserker seeing that his target was gone, he turned around to look for a new target…
… And he has his eyes set on Saber.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Berserker roared at the top of his lungs as he dashed toward Saber!
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!' Breaking the already ruined concrete with every step!
"…" Irisviel's teeth chattered as she felt powerless while the gargantuan monster approached them. But then…
"… Ah!" Irisviel gasped as she felt Saber's hand touch her own.
"Trust me." Saber tilted her head to the side with a smile as not even a second later…
'WHOOOSH!' Saber leaped into the sky like a comet! Not even Berserker could do anything as-
'SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!' Saber sliced her enemy into pieces!
'BAM!' The chunks of the monster's flesh all hit the ground at once! It all happened in an instant. No one could process what just happened. Irisviel, Kiritsugu, and Maiya all looked toward Saber with astonishment in their eyes.
'So… this is Saber's power.' The three of them thought internally. But then…
"Not bad… not bad at all… you're pretty good." A voice spoke from Berserker's remains.
"…" Without a word, Saber perused her enemy, but an intense amount of steam obscured her vision. But before she knew it…
… That person had vanished from the battlefield. Saber stood there as she silently cursed herself for not being able to finish the job until she felt someone approach her.
"Thanks for protecting me, Saber." Irisviel spoke with a smile and tears in her eyes.
"… You're welcome, Irisviel." Saber replied with a smile of her own.
"Well, I'll be. Looks like our King of Knights can at least do that right." Kiritsugu muttered.
"What was that?" Maiya asked through the comms.
"Nothing. Maiya, return to base. We'll go over what we saw in the morning." Kiritsugu spoke as he withdrew from the battlefield.
"Understood." Maiya replied as she stood up too and watched Saber and Irisviel walk away from the carnage behind them.
"… So, this is the Holy Grail War." Maiya muttered to no one in particular as she withdrew from the battlefield too. And with that…
… The second battle of the Holy Grail War had come to a close…
Episode 4: A Wicked Beast's Roar
… Or at least that should have been it.
'VROOOM! VROOOM! VROOOM!' Optimus's engines roared as he sped through the streets until he came across a man in black walking toward him. However, this person was familiar as it was Caster.
"PRIME!" Caster shouted. But not even a second later-
'BAM!' Optimus collided into Caster and ran them over!
"RIDER!" Waver shouted in protest as he noticed Caster, who appeared to be a random civilian, got utterly decimated by his Servant's tires.
"I just did you a favor, Master." Optimus replied as he continued speeding through the streets without a care in the world.