It took a while to get away from the hospital, the staff making things difficult leaving the premise due to his injuries. But being one of many victims from the collapsing hotel that took countless lives where only a few lived made things difficult. Kariya being considered lucky that he survived the collapse despite looking like he was close to death already after bringing him in.

There was only one reason he hadn't died though, even then it still shook Kariya how close he had been to entering the other side.

'But I can't give up. Not yet.' That brush only made his determination that much stronger, shocking as it may have been. As if a single near death experience would make Kariya quit at this stage of the game. If anything, something in Kariya made the man feel even more determined to fulfill his goal before his time was up. He's already on a time limit thanks to the worms; death was already hanging over his head. So long as he saved Sakura, the reaper could have his soul. He just had to make sure he didn't die any time soon.

"Berserker," After getting away, with Berserker entering spiritual form, the two were already off, just looking for their next opponent. "Have you found anybody?"

"No." Or they were trying anyway.

Grunting, Kariya could already feel himself scowling. Not because of Berserker, but because this was much harder than he thought it was. Locating an enemy to deal with them. a problem not easily solved, nor helped that unlike the other Masters in this war, Kariya couldn't deny he was no proper magus.

It was one of the reasons why he was willing to accept Kayneth's help. Working with a proper magus, even one as pompous as Kayneth, would have been very beneficial. The man was so skilled that it actually pissed Kariya just a little. Probably because Tokiomi was one such incredible magus himself. Such a shame that he couldn't witness two windbags fighting each other to the death.

Where Kariya would witness Tokiomi kill Kayneth…Giving him the chance to beat down, break, then kill that bastard with his own two hands. Or maybe have Berserker do the beating for him. Breaking his legs sounded really nice. Not to mention the satisfaction of hearing him wail.

"And only then will Sakura and the others be freed from his claws." Came such (self) righteous thoughts within his head. He'd chuckle if the worms in him would actually stop messing with his vocal cords. This gag from his monster of a father was getting old now.

Though him wandering around wasn't any better either.

'We need to find a way to locate them, otherwise we'll just keep walking until someone else finds us.' Sending a message to Berserker, with hopes she had an idea, Kariya asked her, "Berserker. Don't you have any skills in hunting?"

She responded a lot faster than he imagined. Surprising since when she talked aloud she just grunted or paused. Shame such clear sentences this time gave an answer he didn't want. "I hunt dragons. Why would I waste my time hunting people?"

Groaning as best he could, Kariya pulled his hood over his head further. At this rate he'll accomplish nothing other than tiring himself out. Moving with aching muscles and worms moving in him wasn't healthy, nor fun.

Just as Kariya considered the vile option of going home to Zouken for help, where he would throw up at such a thought, Kariya caught sight of something in the sky. 'Huh?'

Taking this chance to see if it was a Servant, a good look showed it wasn't one of the Servants. Yet what Kariya saw instead may as well be an opportunity all the same. Immediately he turned to take hold of this chance.

"Why, hello there." Not even realizing that his chances have gone higher than expected when in front of him, someone had come to greet him. "I wish to talk."

Between moving quickly but safely enough to not strain their new companion, it was rough and go for a bit. Saber managed to make it work though, Waver being most useful when the two finally reached the hospital with the young Master putting his hypnosis skill to the test. It was good practice and a way to allow easy entry.

Especially when it helped cover up Saber entering in his armor. Thankfully, the people inside quickly found themselves 'remembering' that there was a cosplay event going on.

The local stores had a few brands to also help out.

"I must say," Stepping out of the store with Waver, Saber stretched a bit as if testing the new clothes durability. "It feels awkward wearing normal clothes after all this time."

Lamenting on his lighter wallet, Waver responded to avoid thinking depressing thoughts. "What? Do you mean you've always worn that armor all the time?"

"Not all the time." Rolling his eyes, Saber found himself shaking his head. "Though, it sure felt like it on most days." Being in perilous adventures meant he had little time to take that armor off. Unless he was cooking. Or being stolen by a pack of goblins, little miscreants.

"Uh-hu." At the very least now, nobody will be looking at Saber for his clothing style. Denim blue pants and a somewhat tight white shirt. Even if it wasn't revealing, one could see that Saber had a rather decent build, showing he's no pencil pusher.

"So, Master." But there was more to talk about than some new clothes. Taking a look at where the hospital was at, Saber asked, "Do you think that woman, she'll be okay?" A reasonable question, as Waver could tell Saber was a decent man. As for how he should answer him, best to be honest.

"She should be alright." Waver told him. "I won't say she'll come out healthy since Rider drained a lot out of her. She could still end up worse." Looking away from where the hospital was at, Waver kept on walking. "People in conditions like her have recovered though before. I can't promise anything, but she could make it through."

"As long as she has a chance, that's fine." Accepting the answer, Saber changed topics. "And now, with this act, we have gained the trust of our new allies."

"Yep. That's a relief." A total weight off of Waver's back. After all, he and Saber may very well be the weakest pair in this Holy Grail War at the moment. What with Saber having been crippled by some sort of curse, the chances of the two winning on their own was low. Borderline impossible.

'Having an ally changes things.' Even if it was temporary, with an alliance that would only last until all the other servants were dead, for now, Waver could rest just a bit.

"Later on, we need to talk about how to deal with Rider."

"Agreed." Even if Saber didn't like the idea of hurting someone he held no grudge against, he's done it before on the field of war. Back when he was a soldier and even after he was promoted. In some ways, what he did now was no different from what he did before. Just with less enemies who were much stronger.

"Although I must say, do you think we can make our partnership work?"

Waver thought over Saber's words for a bit before answering. "We'll just have to wait and see." Not all alliances were good, with Waver having no idea if the Einzbern representative wouldn't just use him like a tool or perhaps try and take advantage of him. Ultimately, their alliance could very well end in the first hour.

"But I have some hope." The way Irisviel was so concerned back in the forest, how she acted after seeing that woman nearly dead. True, perhaps this could be a side she only showed to those close to her. Or maybe, Irisviel wasn't as bad a person as Waver imagined.

There was only one way to find out.

"There she is." Speaking quietly, Saber pointed out who was walking towards the two men. Irisviel and her Servant, Rider. Both of them coming right at them.

No weapons were held in their grips and Waver sensed no mana. Plus, it was daytime and all four were out in the open. Sure the amount of people was a little less compared to before, what with all the disasters happening, but that should stop them from outright attacking in front of civilians.

And since there would be no fighting, Waver got a good look at his new partners. With a single look, he could tell they were strong. 'Man, they're pretty.'

Along with noting their good looks.

Yeah, yeah, probably was the last thing that should be on his mind, but after all the stuff he's been seeing, Waver couldn't help himself. He didn't get a chance before, considering how emotions on both sides were running a little wild, but now he had an actual chance to take in and inscribe their appearances in his eyes. And yeah…the rumors were true.

The Einzberns really knew how to make appealing homunculus. Not that Rider wasn't half-bad either. If anything, her skin tone and similar red-eyes like Irisviel almost made her look like a younger sister with a more fierce appearance. The Servant was wearing some kind of military uniform of sorts and pulled it off. Plus…she looked close to his age.

'Here's to hoping the Einzberns can't read thoughts.' Waver thought as he shaked his head and controlled himself. Stepping forward, Waver approached and held out his hand to Irisviel. "We got your, um, friend, to the hospital."

"Thank you." Grabbing his hand, Irisvel shook it. Wincing a little when she did before taking back her hand. "Granted, she wasn't a friend….But she's still someone who was dear to a man I knew."

'Knew.' That didn't sound good, with Waver also deciding not to question it either. They were partners, not friends. He shouldn't poke his nose in private business. Nodding, he decided to get back to why they're here and maybe comfort her. "I had the doctors put her in a good room. I can't promise she'll do fine, but…"

"I'm just glad she has a chance." Near Irisviel, Rider looked away. Almost as if she were ashamed. "Anyway, back to business."

"Right." Waver agreed. "So, you and I?"

"Indeed." Giving a polite bow, Irisviel looked back up to him and humbly said aloud, "For the remainder of this war, until our collective enemies are dealt with, I, Irisviel Einzbern, will willingly work with you to our shared goal and desire." The Holy Grail itself.

Only one of them could have it, naturally. Still, at least Waver felt confident that Irisviel won't just stab him in the back. Maybe he's wrong, the possibility of her being two-faced is still there. All the same, Waver felt he could trust her despite those whispers in his ears saying otherwise.

"Great!" With a little excitement in his voice, Waver felt rather happy. "Okay, so the four of us will try and take out the others. Granted, one of them is…already taken out." Waver tried not to think too much about Kayneth. For now, anyway. "That just leaves four more. Berserker. Archer. Lancer. And Assassin."

"Right." Irisviel will give it her all to take down the others, even if it won't be easy. For Kiritsugu's sake.

"Then shall we aim for the weakest? Reduce our foes' numbers. Or deal with the stronger ones so they don't become a threat later?" Rider felt dealing with the second option would be for the best. Ensure they couldn't be a danger when they faced them, only on their terms. After all, the longer they were around, the more time they had to prepare themselves and go on the offensive.

"Right. Stronger ones." Up until now, all the Servants Waver had seen were pretty tough in their own way. Right before Saber was weakened, his swordsmanship proved to be very good, with a variety of interesting Noble Phantasms to support him. Rider, while not as skilled, wasn't a noob with the blade entirely and held immense raw power and speed. With, as Waver might add, swell armor that looked like it came from an anime.

As for the remaining Servants, Waver thought back to the construction site. To the park. Berserker and Archer were a show of force. The former capable of handling Archer's summoned dragon, a dragon slayer versus one of the mightiest phantasmals.

Then there was Lancer and Assassin, where…there was actually little information on them. Thinking about it, Waver hasn't even seen Assassin properly other than the confirmation from the overseer that the beast was related to Assassin. As for Lancer, there hadn't been any sights of her, let alone any information.

'That's something I'd expect from an Assassin. Not one of the cavalry Classes." Perhaps that meant Lancer was dead. Still, all this talk about strength did get Waver to consider one idea. "Actually, how would you guys feel about teaming up with Archer?"

While Irisviel and Rider became confused, for Saber it took only a minute to understand what his Master meant. Eyes dawning in understanding as like his Master, he knew what Waver meant. "That's right," Saber began, glad his Master reminded him of Archer. "Archer was actually rather adamant about not fighting."

"They were?" Now that was news to Irisviel. Rider just listens closely.

"Definitely." Saber confirmed with his Master. "We actually met them. She was quite polite. She never seeked to even harm us."

"Heck, she actually protected us." That put her in Waver's good book. "My opinion, we should ask her to join us."

"So, she'll fight alongside us?" Irisviel asked.

"Uh…probably not."

"Hm?"

"As I said before," Saber explained to the two women so they'd understand. Taking an extra step-forward to take the lead. "Archer was adamant about fighting. My belief is that if we make an alliance with her, it'll be more of a ceasefire. We don't harm her, she doesn't harm us."

"For now?" The two men flinched at Rider's blunt words, who cared not for subtly. Staging crystal clear, "Last I checked, six Servants needed to be killed for the Grail to work. Not five."

"She should know this as well." Whispering quietly, Irisviel thought it over, Waver's suggestion. It didn't feel like a good idea. "I don't think saying we won't attack her now only to do so later would be ideal."

"Er, I mean…yeah." Sighing, Waver relented. "I suppose that is a bad idea." Worst case scenario, she summons a dragon and attacks them. No way Waver wanted to be behind that kind of fire power. Which left only one thing.

"Ignoring her seems to be the best solution." Rider suggested. "We don't bug her until the time is right."

"This does seem to be the only sensible solution. At least with Archer." Just a shame that they would have to go after her. If anything, Saber held no doubts that when he met Archer again, he would deserve any anger the woman would unleash upon him. "In that case, perhaps we should go after another. Berserker seems optimal."

"I guess." As Waver considered that idea, he then felt Irisiviel tug his sleeve.

"Look." She then pointed somewhere with Waver following her finger. There, in the sky, a flow of mana could be seen that only magus can witness. Coming from the direction of the church itself.

"Another message to come." Looking at Waver, it was clear what Irisviel wanted to do next.

"Guess I better get a familiar ready." He should still have a few mice around at home. "Still, I wonder what the Overseer wants this time."

"Only one way to find out. Come along." Taking a different direction from the street, Irisviel decided to guide everybody to the last place Kiritsugu bought. "I know a place we can all stay in for now. See what's up." Because if the overseer was calling for everyone to come, it couldn't be good.

The four then turned the corner to find an empty spot so the two Masters could send their familiars out.

Completely stopping when at that very same corner, the presence of two Servants and one Master came to greet them.

Standing in the center, looking just a tad pale, Risei stood with a serious expression. Bags were under his eyes, with a tired look showing itself to everybody who was in attendance. A variety of different small animals gathered here together, just as before when Risei first made an announcement.

Now, as his duty and oath, he must make his message clear as day.

"I hereby offer all Masters a Command Seal, in preparation of what is to come." With Assassin enjoying every minute of it. Drinking down the pleasure of fooling every single one of the magus as their familiars began shaking a little or ruffling their limbs. His message heard loud and clear, hook-line and sinker.

"Thanks to the hard work of those in the Church, we have discovered that Assassin's Master has made plans to attack the city in a few hours." While Assassin couldn't see their expressions, he knew they were likely shocked. Best to lure them in further before they begin to question the authenticity of his words. "For the moment we still have time before he begins. Such an emergency must be dealt with soon."

Bringing down his sleeve, showing off the Command Seals, Assassin made his 'promise' to the other Masters. "Come and attain a Command Seal, then deal with Assassin and his Master. We cannot allow them to cause any more havoc."

Whether it was because none of them wanted to see people die, the fallout of the masquerade, or simply be made associate with this troublemaker, Assassin didn't know. What he did know was that he caught everyone's undivided attention at his promise of a reward. The chance to get one over their enemies and strengthen their current power. "Please arrive within the hour and work together to deal with this danger."

The familiars in the church stayed silent for just a bit, continuing to sit. Then, every single one of them moved out, leaving the church where no doubt the remaining Masters would come to ask for the Command Seal as soon as they could.

Completely unaware that they were just coming to the lion's den where they would be slaughtered.

Snickering, Assassin tilted his head to the ground where deep below he knew his other-half was waiting. Anticipating the chance to maul and murder the foolish humans who would soon come. Release its violent tendencies upon them on neutral grounds.

Funny since this church was made to be a safe haven for those who were lost. Instead, it'll become home for blood and regrets. Not that such exemplary grounds were any pure from before. Assassin saw Risei's memories, and how he broke his oath. Aiding a Master when he should have been neutral. Secretly supporting Tohsaka and his son. So much for keeping his vows, and in front of God too! Hahaha!

Victory was now at hand.

Once the Masters came, Number 96 will have the humans be the first to be killed. Even if they did bring any of their Servants in secret, without an anchor and a lifeline of mana, the Servants would fade away soon enough. Faster if they tried to fight, futile as it would be.

Then came Kire and Tokiomi. Lancer and Archer. One that dared to cross him, another with unimaginable might. He had the proper arrangements for them.

Force the two humans to summon them, one at a time preferably, then have Number 96 use its Noble Phantasm and take away their power while increasing its own. Weakening them so they could be slain.

Or in Lancers case, weakened enough to be captured and then tortured.

He'll break all her limbs. Skewer her with Number 96's claws. Have her chewed up, spit out, stepped on, and so much more. The price for slighting a God such as him. Though she was going to be getting it easy.

"Yuma. Astral." Just saying those names tasted like trash. "Soon, you'll be next." With even greater suffering planned for them. Lancer was a nuisance, but those two were a pain. Once he returns to his original dimension, he'll meet up with his hated foes and show them the consequences of thinking they won one over him.

Such thoughts he had of the two of them. The despair he would bring about to them. Perhaps he should meet those insects' little friends first and then drop their mutilated dead bodies before them. Then, at their weakest, have a duel where he would crush them without breaking a sweat.

Remind them why he's the strongest Number of them all.

"Hahaha!" He better stop smiling, or he might very well split his own cheeks. Besides, it seems he spent longer than he thought imagining the cruel deserving scenarios on his foes. Nearly an hour had already past. Which means-

"Hello."

-his victims were here.

The Church had a minor bounded field around it. Nothing too special about it, but it let the overseer know when someone was coming. The bounded field informed Risei, Assassin, that multiple people were coming.

Even better, he couldn't detect their Servants at all.

Although that might be because they were in spiritual form, but so long as they didnt attack immediately, then Assassin was fine in that regard. Already he brought forth memories to see just who they were. Their names passed by in his mind while his lips used that sickly kind tone the old man spoke in to greet them.

"Ah. Hello there, chosen Masters." Waver Velvet. One of the Einzberns. And…ah, a Matou. Despite being enemies, it seems all of them have chosen not to fight as it could risk them losing out on a Command Seal. A temporary ceasefire between them all.

"I am glad you all arrived. Please, come." All of them walked towards him. Unaware of the trap they were about to walk into. Like bugs heading into a lamp! Perfect. "It pleases me to know all of you are willing to come here to help out at this time of need."

Grunting, the Matou just looked around with one eye narrowed. Was he perhaps looking for the other Masters? Hm, might be best to ease any nerves, just as a precaution. "Thankfully, I am told that the remaining Masters, such as Tohsaka, will be here soon."

The look in Matou's eyes suddenly changed. A glint that Assassin knew all too well, considering he sometimes had that look. Hatred.

'Thinking about it, don't the Matou's and Tohsaka's have some kind of history?' This body should have memories related to the family's history. Though, there was no point in doing it now at this late of the game. He was going to kill them all, there was no point in learning whatever pathetic history the two men had together. Probably just more human drivel.

"R-right." The one known as Waver said. He stepped closer. Beneath the Masters feet was a maw waiting to bite down and execute them all and conclude their miserable lives. "So, um, I-we," the boy looked at the Einzbern, who nodded at him. "Yeah, we came to help out."

"Wonderful. Then know that I will support you as best I can." For himself. It took a lot to not just laugh at them. Grin at their impending doom. Waving a hand, Assassin suggested they come closer while holding up the other hand where his arm exposed all the alluring Command Seals.

All three stepped forward. They were in position.

'Number 96.' There was no longer any need for this pantomime. This wonderful act can be put to a close. The second all three stood just a few meters away, Assassin did away with the old man act and revealed the widest smile he could. Enjoying that brief look of shock from the boy while the other two humans flinched.

'No-'

From the ceiling something exploded.

It was thin. Quick. Bright.

"Oooaahhhhhhh!" And burned like hell as it tore right through his right arm, tearing the limb off while giving off unimaginable pain. A dark miasma escapes Risei's body almost as if it were blood as he shrieks in two voices.

All while a lance is now embedded on the ground right next to Assassin along with Risei's right arm. Command Seals seen on the torn limb and considerably up for grabs by anybody.

Immediately the Masters stepped back. By their side three Servants appeared, all of them in their armor. Whatever script Assassin had tried to make ruined and rewritten.

"GRUAGHHH!" Except for Number 96 bursting forth from the ground, the entire church floor breaking apart to make way for its arrival. The building shook apart as its shriek made way across the building and beyond.

With Lancer smirking from above at this new entertaining performance she has just made.

Should be obvious who Kariya and the others met. The one person, the one Servant that Assassin didn't even bother considering to prepare for. After all, why would he. All of Risei's memories have Kirei state Lancer is weak. And obviously such a weak Servant can't harm him. What happened before was a fluke. No way she could do anything.

Cue Longinus folks. Even if it isn't as strong as it should be.