What are the heroes?
Some will say that they are superhuman that were capable of great feats, while others will say that a hero is someone who helps others selflessly. The heroes were those who had engraved, for better or for worse, an epitaph called "Human History".
They were historical and legendary people who had been admitted to the Throne of Heroes after their death. They were not necessarily heroes devoted to good, but some were recognized as antiheroes, that is, heroes who had left behind legends and dark stories.
Assassin grunted annoyingly as he hotfooted.
It was supposed to be a simple job. He simply had to keep an eye on the Sub-Zero Emperor and steal Deliora's magic core on behalf of his master, however, this impediment was putting the mission at risk.
"How do you keep up? Who are you really?" Assassin grunted as he carried the black lacquered knife in front of his face to block Yuto's married swords.
"I am just a first-rate magus," Yuto replied sarcastically.
Yuto let go of the married swords and moved back.
"Can't you accomplish anything without surprise attacks?" Yuto mocked as a black bow much larger than a normal longbow formed in his right hand and a coffin full of iron arrows appeared hanging behind his back. "To think that imbecile King Arthur had been defeated by a third-rate servant."
Yuto knew what kind of Servant Assassin was. From what Yuto had seen in his dreams, Hassan of Cursed Arm was the only one who did not possess any talent from birth. His title was derived from the arm he stole from the demon Shaytan and transplanted onto his own body.
Yuto took a step forward.
BADAPUMP!
The ground exploded, hitting both Yuto and Assassin.
A knight stood at the centre of everything. The man wore a black-plate armour that vaguely resembled the features of a dragon. The servant stared at Yuto through the golden slits on his helmet. Yuto could not determine the class of the new but suspected it was one between Saber and Rider.
"You're useless and pathetic, Assassin. You had one order, and you cannot even finish it alone," the Servant said, turning to Yuto. "I'll take care of him. Go and kill them, mongrel."
"I get it," Assassin nodded.
Assassin vanished into the night and Yuto did not even try to run after him. His instinct was that the new Servant would not let him chase Hassan so easily.
The Black Knight turned to Yuto. "My master is annoyed by your continuous intrusions."
"Who are you?" Yuto asked.
The dark servant had nothing that allowed Yuto to identify him as in Hassan's case. He had no sword to analyse, nor was there any distinctive element that would allow Yuto to expose his identity.
"Berserker, but that's the only thing you'll know from me." Berserker's hands were wrapped in the raging magic energy. "Now die, King of Dragons."
"Indirectly Berserker gave us confirmation of his identity, Lord Henry," an elderly man with a curved posture said while observing the holographic image above him.
The man the old man was speaking with was a man in his forties with light brown hair carefully kept and hazel eyes. He wore a refined black dress over a white silk shirt, elegant black trousers, and brown loafers.
"True, but it is still too early to act. The seventh has not yet been summoned," Lord Henry said, fiddling with the expensive walking stick. "The future of the Ravensword depends on it."
The Ravensword, of which he was the head of the family, was a noble family whose history spanned four centuries. However, that glory was but a faded memory and his family had begun a slow but inexorable decline that had led them today to be little more than Count of the Kingdom of Fiore.
"Rather, are we sure that he is the person narrated in annuals?" Henry asked doubtful.
The elder nodded. "Berserker identified him and this is a proof of his identity."
"..." Henry brooded deeply.
Then why did he look so weak? Based on what was reported in the annals, the King of Dragons was an extremely powerful individual that no human or dragon could safely challenge.
"His summon may be incorrect. Or that the annuals have exaggerated his personal history," the elder spoke, finding Henry agreed. "Whatever the reason, it would be better for Berserker to use him as a source of nourishment."
Henry nodded. Although he sent magic energy to Berserker through their master-servant contract, a little more magic energy did not hurt and, from what he had seen, the King of Dragons was an excellent source of it.
Putting Yuto and Berserker aside, Henry focused on another crucial point. "Is there any news from the supervisor?"
The elder shook his head. "The situation remains the same. The seventh servant has not yet been summoned, although the seven masters have already been chosen by the Holy Grail."
Lord Henry had no idea who the other masters and servants were however Berserker had explained to him in what he had entered and the idea of being able to restore the former glory of his family or even elevate it with a simple wish was an attractive idea for him.
Berserker was the mad warrior, yet the Heroic Spirit he summoned had not lost his rationality. He was the type who could not stop when he started fighting and one who could not restrain himself, but what Lord Henry found most comical was Berserker's wish for true salvation.
What a foolishness.
"The supervisor has no idea who they are?" Lord Henry asked.
"Unfortunately, their name was erased from his memory by that woman as well as from the register," the elder replied.
Lord Henry grimaced annoyed. The fact that she had deleted the name of the seventh master had made it impossible for him or others to take away his right to be a master and finally start the First Holy Grail War.
"Lord Henry, what are your orders?" the old man asked.
Lord Henry took a few moments of reflection before giving orders. "Tell Assassin to kill the villagers and even those magicians of Fairy Tail."
The old man nodded and immediately set to work.
[Berserker, hurry up and finish him. Then, retrieve Deliora's magic core,] Lord Henry ordered through the mental link.
Erza had considered bringing Natsu and the others back would be difficult, however, she did not believe that the situation would fall as soon as she set foot on the land.
She had not even realized the presence of Assassin until he was already behind her, and Lucy had shouted. She would surely die if Yuto had not intervened.
"Hey Erza, do you think Yuto and the others are safe?" Lucy asked as she kept running towards the village.
"I don't know." Continuing to run, Erza looked fleetingly at the shadow that followed them. "He is here."
A sword was summoned and swung to deflect Assassin's dagger, and another was swung horizontally to drive Assassin away.
"Tch..." Erza gritted her teeth before looking at Lucy and Happy out of the corner of her eye. "I don't care what you want. Let me get my companions back and we'll be on our way."
"Hehe..." Assassin chuckled gloomy. " I'm sorry, but it's the master's order."
Erza could imagine what the masked man's fighting style was, so she could anticipate where he would attack from; however, Assassin moved so fast and nimbly that all she could do was push him away.
"A human can hardly beat a servant."
Erza turned and saw a man come out of the clearing. His presence emanated the freshness of spring. Long white hair fell to the ground and amethyst eyes stared calmly at the group. He wore a long, finely woven white cloak, wide trousers and dark boots. He had a staff with him in which a sword was merged and some coloured strings that wrapped it.
"So, I guess your master is close enough. Maybe I should pay him a visit," the man shook his head. "No, I don't like tragic endings very much. Better set it up here."
The armband fell from Assassin's arm.
"This will end now."
The man beat the stick on the ground.
"Zabaniya."
Yuto panted heavily while staring at Berserker.
The man was undoubtedly a High Servant or even a Top Servant, skilled with both the sword and the magic. Yuto could not identify the magic used by Berserker, though he may have been in the magic realm of the age of the gods, but, for some reason, it hurt him more than getting hit by one of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms.
"I expected the King of Dragons to become stronger during these 400 years of travel." Berserker closed the distance with Yuto and swung his sword, disarming Yuto with a quick and precise movement. "I can't feel the great power you once had." He kicked Yuto in the stomach, throwing him against a rock. "If you don't remember alone, I'll make you remember your sin."
Yuto got up and wiped the blood from his mouth. "What are you talking about?" he asked, gasping.
Berserker stopped in his footsteps and observed his opponent. "The Dragon King Festival," he said, wincing Yuto. "Dragon Slayer Magic was born because you came here. In your ambition for power, you have created a type of magic that can kill dragons."
Yuto had no idea what Berserker was saying, but he could not deny it. Those words seemed so true to him that he felt both nostalgia and regret.
"You served a woman named Irene. She was the queen of a foreign kingdom called Dragnof and you were her shield and her sword. When the Hell unleashed, you volunteered as a guinea pig for Dragon Slayer's project. You were a success... too much."
"You mean I'm a Dragon Slayer?" Yuto suspiciously narrowed his eyes. What Berserker was telling him could be a ploy to let him down.
"Yeah, you were the strongest to the point that you were seen as a monster. Do not get me wrong, you are a monster. There is not a single part of you that is human." Berserker vanished and reappeared before Yuto, his sword crossing Yuto's Excalibur. "And then, others were born after you, but you were the only one who didn't suffer the side effects. You were the only one who suppressed the effects of seed."
Yuto gathered strength in his legs and pushed Berserker away before pointing his sword at him. "Assuming that's true, how do you know my life?"
"Because I lived at the same time as you." The magical energy explodes from Berserker, causing a change in the same magic of Berserker.
That meant one thing.
"A Noble Phantasm."
Berserker's magical energy was more furious and uncontrollable than before. That was also why he had obtained the classification of Servant of Mad Fury.
"I am Berserker, the Arcane Dragon Slayer."
The fog surrounding Berserker's sword faded. The shock adorned Yuto's face as he saw Berserker's sword.
"Excalibur."
"You should be safe now," the man who saved Erza, Lucy and Happy said after he had finished casting his magic. "Therefore, I offer you my greetings, my dear ones. I have saved you in your time of need, storm me with praise."
"Thank you so much!" Happy cried comically.
Tears aside, Happy and Lucy were grateful to finally meet someone who was not their enemy.
"Cut the crap!" Erza growled. "Remember what you're in."
Right, they broke the rules.
"Anyway, thanks for helping us. Who are you?" Erza asked.
"The greatest scoundrel in history," Yuto replied acidly. "The most eminent kingmaker, court magician and pervert in the world. His name is Merlin for the friends."
"Stop describing me. You embarrass me like this," Merlin replied casually, further annoying Yuto. "Anyway, yes, my name is Merlin. Merlin-oniisama for friends."
Yuto snapped his tongue. Although it was the first time he met Merlin in person, the Magus of Flower was as annoying as Yuto had seen in his dreams/nightmares.
"Shouldn't you be imprisoned in your tower in Avalon?" Yuto asked.
"I was until you summoned me a few weeks ago," Merlin replied. "You know why, don't you?"
Yuto nodded and he did not like it. The Holy Grail War has really started again. What did not fit him was how someone other than him knew of the existence of the Holy Grail War.
Merlin searched his sleeve and took some parchments he gave to Yuto. He read them and was shocked. Those scrolls described the ritual of the Holy Grail in detail. They were too detailed to be a coincidence.
"What will you do?" Merlin asked him. "You are a master. The Holy Grail has chosen you to attend."
Yuto observed the writings and then sighed.
"Where are Assassin and Berserker now?" Yuto asked.
"They are still on the island. They intend to take the demon's magical core," Merlin replied. "And their masters are on a small yacht not far from here."
Yuto sighed and turned to Erza.
"No," Erza rejected, without giving Yuto time to say a word. "We are only here to bring them back."
"Then, I have no other choice," Yuto replied, appearing behind Erza's back. "Forgive me."
Happy and Lucy were white as ghosts as they watched Yuto openly challenge "the Great" Erza.
Erza felt a twinge in the back of her neck and slowly fainted.
"He hit Erza!" Happy shouted in shock.
"It's over for everyone!" Lucy screamed in terror.
Placing Erza gently on the ground, she slightly pulled a lock of her hair and for a moment her image overlapped with that of another woman.
"Is she...?"
"Yes, she is," Merlin confirmed.
Merlin's confirmation was enough for Yuto to make his decision.
"What are you going to do?" Lucy asked.
"Erza will kill you!" Happy said.
"I don't care," Yuto replied.
Yuto's clothes changed, replaced by armour identical to that of Berserker. The only difference was that it was a silver-plate armour, with slight gold accents. Excalibur was sheathed inside Avalon, its sheath, and hung from the belt by magically reinforced leather straps.
"FIUUU!"
The woman Yuto had met during the first meeting appeared within a magic circle; a kind smile was addressed to Yuto.
"I need your help again, Saber."
"You have begun to recover your memory. I am happy," the woman said.
Her body glowed with scarlet red light. It began to alter and change until it became something else. Or it was more correct to say that he was returning to what he was originally: A silver and red sword and a symbol of royalty.
The ground exploded precisely, forming a magic circle.
"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let red be the colour I pay tribute to."
The wind began to blow, black clouds began to gather over the island of Galuna. The growing magical energy immediately caught the attention of the Sub-Zero Emperor and all the other magicians on the island.
"Raise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
Tendrils of magical energy began to gush from the magic circle, symbols began to twist repeatedly.
"Let it be declared. Your body will serve beneath me, and my fate is entrusted to your sword. If you have heard the call of the Holy Grail and agree to submit the will and reason, answer now."
The Throne of Heroes was the place where the Heroic Spirits resided, detached from the concepts of time and space. There it could be found heroes of the past and future as well as heroes of different parallel worlds. Therefore, Heroic Spirits like Mordred could be summoned without a catalyst if the master were compatible with her.
"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead. You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance."
Thunder roared and at the same time, a knight appeared in the centre of the magic circle. Her face was exposed, showing a sneer of anticipation.
"It's just a formality, but you are my master, aren't you?"