I do not own Fate/Apocrypha nor any other Servants depicted here.

To Battle

Sounds of metal striking metal resounded through the night. Two figures landed in an open area, stirring up dust and debris as they came to a stop.

"Did you become faster since the last time?" Lancer of Red asked cheekily, "Seems like I need to up the tempo myself."

"Getting serious?" Saber of Black asked with a smirk, "I'd hate to pull a Dad on you."

"A Dad? What in the world is that?" she asked as she settled into her ready stance.

"Well, he was butting heads with my uncle. Since being hard-headed runs in the family and at the time, nothing was getting done, I went and knocked some sense into both of them. More my dad than my uncle," he explained as he fell into his own stance.

With no prior warning, both of them charged at each other. Saber swung with wide arcs while Lancer counter-swung against his blows. A sudden jab by her had Saber lean back to avoid it. Immediately after, he purposely fell on his free hand and kicked out. She let the spear take her over him and with a twist in the air, jammed the point in the ground. Lancer swung herself around the shaft and aimed both her feet at Saber, who blocked the attack with his sword. As he was pushed back, she came at him with several furious jabs that were swiftly parried before drawing his gun and firing a shot off at her.

She smirked as she tilted her head to the side, the bullet barely burning her hair. A few more bullets were sent her way and she quickly dashed to the side. She then leaped up and hovered out of range of the gun. That didn't stop Saber, as he chased after her by leaping as high as he could before disappearing and reappearing in front of her. Several blocked heavy slashes later, he crashed his blade against her lance as they went to the ground again. He went full swing and she landed on the ground on her feet, leaving a deep groove in the ground. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and crossed weapons with her.

"Well, you're not letting me much room to breathe here," she told him with a wary smile.

"What little I saw, I decided that I'm gonna stop you from using that lance of yours to its fullest," he replied, just as careful as they pushed weapons against each other, "Looks like it's working."

Lancer gave Saber a frown and stopped pushing. Dashing back a few steps, she lunged at him. He dodged as she planted her weapon in the ground and swung herself over as a few bullets whizzed past her trail.

"You were saying?" she said, her smirk back on her face. Saber shrugged, mirroring her smirk, and dashed straight at her once more.

Berserker of Red was thrown to the ground but he rolled to the side as Berserker of Black's shoe crashed on the ground his head formerly was. He grabbed the leg and threw him to the side in turn. With a grunt, the other Berserker tumbled a little before getting to his feet.

"You really don't like to talk, huh," the bespectacled Servant as he charged at his opponent, "That's alright. I can respect a man of few words." He started raining machine-reinforced blows. Berserker of Red expertly weathered them like a boxer would. Suddenly, he ducked under and landed an uppercut square on the jaw. He then punched him in the chest, sending him flying back and digging another groove in the ground. He stared at the stunned Servant before heading towards the castle.

Berserker of Black shook his head and grinned. He quickly got to his feet and rushed at his adversary from behind. He grabbed him by the waist and lifted him over, slamming into the ground. Kicking himself over and on his feet, he repeated the movement another time. Sending himself over again, he lifted and threw the armored Servant into the air. As he landed, Berserker kicked him in the back like he was kicking an American football. Green armor flew in the opposite direction of the castle. He then reached for his glasses and took them off. The frame was bent out of shape and the glass full of spiderweb cracks.

"That didn't last very long," he muttered as he tossed it aside. Then, he loosened his neck and jogged over to the other Servant, who was rapidly recovering. Inwardly, he was a little confused. What happened to the brutal strength that the other Berserker displayed earlier? Sure, the Servant didn't do much against the homunculi. They were weaklings after all. But against him, the Red Servant was playing defensive. This was not productive at all. He came for a great fight and this guy was chickening out. Like hell he is!

"Hey! Where's that strength that you showed off just now? Are you holding back?" he yelled at the Servant of Red, slowly getting quite angry, "Cause' if you are, I might as well end you real quick." In the distance, he heard an explosion. He ignored it, fully concentrating on the Berserker in front of him. With a yell, he rocketed towards the rising green behemoth, the nanomachines turning his entire body black with yellow, glowing lines radiating out of his body.

Archer kept his overwatch with determination. When everyone else had moved out, it fell to him to not just watched the battlefield but also unsaid that he had to defend the castle as well. All the Master's were here after all. Still, he had no way of detecting Assassin, so he would have to make do to retaliate the moment Assassin struck. Though, he wished that Lancer had thought of giving him some control over the homunculi because the defense was atrocious. Simple guard patrols outside the castle? They should be patrolling inside the castle. A more helpful deterrent against Assassin.

A metallic clink brought him out of his thoughts. On the stone parapet was a small round ball with a number 8 on it and a bomb wick on the top. The wick was lit and it was walking on two short, spindly legs while balancing with two short, spindly arms. He immediately materialized a pistol and shot it. It blew up with a bearable explosion, which he weathered without flinching. Moving towards the edge, he looked down and saw the grounds were littered with old boots, bowling balls, a variety of other knick-knacks, and scorched earth that signified an explosion of some kind. He also noted several bodies of dead homunculi, presumably caught in said explosions. He then looked skyward and within his mask, his eyes narrowed. There was a God-damned dragon circling the castle overhead and its occupants were raining all manner of things down on the outside parameter. The pistol disappeared and a sniper rifle took its place. Through the scope, he spotted a girl with metal arms tossing the rubbish from a cardboard box while a woman in white stood near the base of the neck of the dragon while an unknown in strange armor stood in between. After a moment to observe them, he decided to shoot the girl. Young or not, she was still a Servant and she posed a current danger to the Masters of Black. He pulled the trigger.

Suddenly, the armored Servant pushed the target to the side and held up a fist towards him. A white glowing distortion appeared and deflected the bullet. Archer grunted in annoyance and reloaded the chamber, perhaps this time take another show. He heard the dragon roar and fly off. He watched the retreat through the scope. As he pondered their decision, a crashing sound had him look to the side. Part of the parapet was broken and sitting in its rubble was what could be described as a more obese version of the walking bomb. Seeing that the wick was long, he just walked up to it while exchanging his rifle for a combat knife and slashed it off. He walked away as the wick fell into its hand. He turned to face it again, the combat knife now being a grenade launcher. He shot a grenade at the side of the trembling bomb, the resulting explosion pushed the construct off the parapet to the ground below. He walked over, swapping out the launcher for a bolt gun and fired at it. The explosive bolt went through the base of the wick and blew up the bomb as well as scorching the castle walls.

Satisfied with the adequate defense he put out, he scanned the sky for a moment. While the dragon wasn't returning, he noted that the flying fortress was coming awfully close to the castle.

"What are you planning, Caster of Red?" he muttered in a growl.

Archer of Red laughed out loud as she lay down on the dragon back to back, kicking her feet in the air. "Man, did you see all that? The confused looks on their faces?" she giggled as she ended her sniggering session.

"We don't have your sharp eyes, Archer," stated Caster neutrally, "We could not see their faces."

"I am sure it was amusing to you but do quiet down unless you wish to attract attention again," muttered out Rider as she mentally directed Micheal to the Gardens.

"Ah, geez. Lighten up a little," the short Servant exclaimed, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Apparently, she spoke too soon as Rider suddenly materialized her sword and swung up. Metal clashed with metal as she parried the axe strike that was aimed at her neck.

"You were saying?" said Servant snarked aloud as she kept her sights on the enemy Rider as that Servant circled around for another pass.

"We are nearing the Hanging Gardens. Perhaps let Assassin take care of her," suggested Caster as he did the same as the former.

"...Fine," she muttered as she followed through with it.

Meanwhile, as the other Rider flew down for another attempt, she had to veer out of the way when the dragon's tail suddenly got in her way. That huge blade at the end of the tail might have knocked them out of the sky at the very least should it hit them.

"Right, no attacking from behind then," the wyvern knight muttered as she circled around them as they neared the fortress. Suddenly, a purple sigil appeared in front of the flying fortress and shot out a large beam. Minerva dove to the left, narrowly missing the beam.

"Darn, they made it," she said with a hint of disappointment. However, perhaps it was well and good. It was just Minerva and her against three other Servants. It wouldn't do well for her to fall in this battle. Although... why was that fortress coming closer to the castle?

A blink of her eyes later, she spotted another group of those winged skeletons coming at her again. Sighing she shouted, "Alright, Minerva! We are needed! Let's go!"

Jack rushed down to the courtyard as fast as he could. He felt the castle shudder from the explosions outside. As he stepped into the moonlit area, he was shocked. Most of the defensive patrols had survived but at varying degrees of injury. Several had lost legs. Others lost hands. Some were lucky to escape with scrapes. Others were still bleeding through their bandages. As much as he expected grievous wounds such as these, but not to those on defense. He was in turmoil. His heart went out to them, they who had not got the chance to decide on their lives. Like him. It was then that his mind went back to the laboratory he escaped from. Many were still there, waiting to be batteries for the Servant's Noble Phantasms. He wanted to give them the chance to make a choice. A choice to live their lives the way they wanted. Even if they wished to continue serving their creators, it was their choice. And now... time to make his.

He went up to the nearest patrol leader and asked, "Could you get what's left of your patrol and follow me? I need your help with something." The female homunculi looked at him with a puzzled expression, but she still motioned over two of those under her and altogether, they went into the castle.

Lance crashed onto sword as Lancer of Black and Saber of Red pushed against the other's weapon as a show of their strength. At first glance, they were evenly matched. Both were skilled, but as the fight went on it came down to martial prowess against brute force. Lancer was highly skilled with his chosen weapon and wielded it with precision and speed while Saber fought like a mad thing.

With a cry, he pushed her off and extended his lance with the flick of a wrist, the blades on the side suddenly coming to life as they went for her exposed neck. Her face had the look of surprise as she hurriedly parried it away with a swing of her sword. As suddenly as it was extended, it also retracted and tried to pull her sword with it. She narrowly pulled it out of its hook and quickly materialized her armor, now wary of any tricks Lancer might pull off. Not a moment too soon. The Servant of Black leaped forward with a downward swing. She stepped to the side but he followed up with a spinning strike which she deflected. With a cry of her own, she burst forward and started swinging. Now he was on the defensive, dodging and deflecting the blows just as skillfully.

It was readable on his face, how he could feel the strength of her blows as he prevented injury to himself. Suddenly, he roared out and a golden aura enveloped him as he extended his spear yet again. She was able to avoid it by tilting a bit to the right, her shoulder avoiding injury. As she was about to point her sword at him, a clink of metal echoed behind her as the blades of the lance hooked onto a summoned standard that was planted into the ground. Her eyes went wide as he allowed himself to be pulled forward, his pauldron crashing into her stomach area. She was lifted up and tossed behind him as he lunged past her. Landing on his feet, he swung his lance in a scything motion as his downward strike moved towards her head. The breath knocked out of her, she was barely able to recover in time to raise her sword and block it.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed and swung hard, sending the lance aside while the momentum of the swing sent her twisting into the air and onto her feet. "What... the hell... was that..." she growled out as she stopped to catch her breath even as she went on guard.

"Demacia is with me even if I am so far away from home, close to my heart," he told her confidently as the blue and yellow flag behind him disappeared, along with the golden aura. His armor didn't escape that exchange unscathed, with the spikes on his left pauldron bent out of shape.

"Tch, fine you don't wanna say. I'll just beat you and be done with it." she snarled as she centered herself.

"Did I touch a nerve?" he asked as he went on guard as well, "You seem put off by the fact I love my people and my kingdom."

"..."

She willed her helm on and immediately charged in swinging with a shout. With a sharp grunt, he continued to fight back into a stalemate once more.

Assassin and Shirou looked on as the display showed the Gardens slowly moving into place, right above the castle. The great doors swung open and Archer, Rider, and Caster entered the throne room.

"Welcome back," he greeted as he came down the steps, "You are just in time to witness the next part of the plan."

"And pray tell, what sort of plan is it?" Rider asked with narrowed eyes.

"Stealing the Greater Grail from the Black Faction," he announced with a smile as he motioned at the display. The land shook as the inner grounds began the break apart. Soon, small floating islands and even pieces of stone from the inner walls were levitating as magic bored through into the deepest parts of the castle, soon revealing the Greater Grail.

"Cool shiny thing. Is that the thing we're supposed to be fighting over?" quipped Archer with a snicker.

"Yes, it is. Some warning, though," he cautioned, "Even if most of their Servants have taken to the field, there may be some who would hasten to return to stop us, so do see to our defense."

"Very well," muttered Caster curtly before leaving. Rider and Archer nodded before following suit. Assassin and Shirou were once again left alone in the throne room.

"It's all coming together quite well, Master," she commented.

"Indeed. Victory is in our grasp," he agreed as he turned his attention to the display, "Nothing can stop it now."

The car sped up the castle, the speed cutting abruptly and the vehicle itself drifted a bit to the right. The passenger door burst open and Sagara almost leaped out of it. His eyes went wide, almost bulging out, as he looked to the sky and saw what the castle was doing.

"Assassin, get me up there," he ordered. The Servant hauled him on the right shoulder, much to his surprise, and proceeded to run up the wall... and drop him on the top of the roof.

"Damn it! I am not a sack of potatoes!" he yelled at Assassin.

:D

"You have returned, Hyouma. You're quite late," Darnic stated from his perch on a higher roof.

"I tried my best with what I had," he protested weakly and the leader of the Yggdmillenia shook his head.

"What's done is done. Now, we have to stop this. Look," the Master of Lancer said as he looked straight ahead.

Sagara followed his view and his mouth fell agape. The sight of the Greater Grail floating up to the flying fortress took his breath away and he was unable to say anything about it.

"They will be returning soon," the latter informed him, "However, you are the first to arrive. It falls to you to enter first."

"Eh?"

"With the battles raging outside, some of the Masters of Red should be vulnerable. Take them out," he ordered.

The Master of Assassin then schooled his face and calmed down. "Alright. With Assassin by my side, we can make short work of them," he said as he accepted the orders. Carefully he slid down the other side of the roof and stepped on a large, floating boulder. As he went higher, he wondered what sort of things should he expect there.

"They fall to my blade./ No Master shall have mercy./ We bring them quick death."

Commentary:-

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the next chapter of Doubtful Origin. So... I have no idea why someone guessed Mercy as Lancer of Red, but no it isn't. Lancer of Black, however, is quite correct.

Red Faction

Saber - still Mordred.
Archer - Peacock from Skullgirls
Lancer -
Rider - Zero from Drakengard 3
Berserker - Doomslayer from Doom 2016
Caster - Miraak from Skyrim
Assassin - still Semiramis

Black Faction

Saber - Nero from DMC5
Archer - Mael Radec from the Killzone series
Lancer - Jarvan IV from League of Legends
Rider - Cherche from Fire Emblem
Berserker - Senator Armstrong from MGS Revengeance
Caster - The Ancestor from Darkest Dungeon
Assassin - Zer0 from Borderlands 2

So, I took quite a while. I would have been done sooner but a moment of madness struck me and I spent the whole of last month... making FGO related rap battles. And since they are not fanfiction, I put them on Archive Of Our Own instead. If you wanna take a look, you can go there and type my pen name or Epic Rap Battles of Fate in the search bar. Anyway, back to the story.

Lancer of Red getting all the pressure from Saber of Black. The Battle of the Berserkers is still in deadlock, with Berserker of Black getting a little pissed at the assumption he came to. If I am not mistaken, due to the videos I watched about him, his eyes glow when he is nearing maximum output. What else has glowing eyes? Heh. Archer of Black bore witness to the carpet bombing of nonsense that Archer of Red threw down, which included real bombs. Then she, Rider and Caster of Red retreated back to the Gardens. Too bad Rider of Black and Minerva were unable to take anyone out. Jack doing Sieg things. Lancer of Black and Saber of Red still dueling. Shirou and Assassin partaking in a great robbery. Assassin of Black finally arriving at the scene and being the first intruder.

Alright, folks, that's a wrap. If you're able to, please leave a comment or a review after reading, would you kindly?