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

Berserk

Lancer grunted as he withstood Saber's sudden onslaught. He could feel her anger through her wild blows, making him wonder if he was fighting a Berserker. Avoiding another swipe, he extended the lance. She dodged to the side and sent a downward slash his way. He turned round to avoid it while swinging the lance in a scything motion. The blow knocked her back a little and before he could continue, she launched herself at him as if it hardly fazed her.

It was then Darnic suddenly spoke to him, "You have to return, my liege. Caster of Red is using his fortress to steal the Greater Grail."

The words almost froze him in place, yet he was still aware enough to lock weapons with his opponent. "Hardly a good time to tell me this, Darnic. I am in combat with Saber of Red," he thought as he pushed against her strength.

"I have asked the others to notify their Servants," his Master replied, "We have yet to lose anyone, so we can still take the fight to them. I refuse to relinquish our only advantage."

"To be fighting in the enemy's territory without any knowledge of the area is unwise," he replied as he finally pushed her off and went on his offensive, using controlled swings and jabs, "Still, if this is what you recommend to do... then I shall make it happen. I shall put Saber of Red in dire straits before returning to aid the others."

He began to flare his golden aura again as he made his move, leaping and sending a jab at her face. The blow was blocked by the flat of her sword, but he paid no mind to it as he leaped into the air again, much higher than before.

"DEMACIA!"

The lance slammed into her blade. The ground fractured and cracked under her. A shockwave of energy radiated out faster than the eye could see. With barely a warning, the earth moved. Huge blocks rose up immediately after the blast as the ground shuddered in upheaval. When the movement was done, the entire area around them turned into a natural colosseum. As he landed on his feet, he slammed the butt of his lance into her solar plexus. Stunned, she wasn't able to react as he spun around and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying into the earthen walls of the colosseum. After a moment's pause, he ran up the other side of the arena and ran up the wall. After a few steps, he leaped off and extended the lance, snagging the highest outcropping. He was able to pull himself up and the momentum carried him high enough for him to grab the jutting edge. Dismissing his weapon, he pulled himself up.

"Hey! Get Back here! We aren't done yet!"

He turned around to look down at the other Servant. She had recovered quickly and was now standing in the middle of the arena, pointing her sword at him.

"Your faction is attacking the castle. Should I not return to defend it?" he called out his question as she dismissed her helm, revealing her irate face.

"I have nothing to do with that!" she retorted hotly.

"Even so, I must return to defend it. May we meet again, Saber of Red," he wished her as he disappeared into motes of golden light, hastening his journey to the castle.

"Let me out of here first, you damned crown prince!"

Both combatants landed on their feet opposite each other. Slowly they circled each other warily, one more relaxed than the other. Their breathing was calm and collected, ready to react at an instance. And then, Saber of Black suddenly stopped to shout, "What is it now, lard ass?"

Lancer of Red blinked. Was he talking to his Master?

"Hey, I'm in the middle of a fight. You're interrupting," he spoke rudely. After a moment, he grumbled, "Alright... Fine, I apologize for snapping at you. But a little warning next time. This kind of crap could get me killed." He turned back to her, the conversation finished apparently, and said, "Sorry about that. It seems your faction has decided to raid the castle. I don't suppose you knew about that?"

She shrugged and replied, "I didn't really know? My Master only said to fight and win. I just aim to do just that."

"...My Master's asking me to finish this up and get back to help stop Caster's little raid," he said as knelt down and poked the tip of his sword in the dirt., "So, I intend to win this fight. No hard feelings?"

"None taken. Giving your all right now?" she asked, lowering her stance just a little to spring up to the air.

"In a sense," he replied with a smirk as he turned the handle of his sword twice. It sounded like an engine, strangely enough.

"Rawhide."

His right arm transformed; a metal claw arm attached to a metal forearm with a ridged surface, colored in blue, red and black. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly as he had never demonstrated this before. Is this part of his Noble Phantasm? Suddenly, he had already closed the distance between them.

Fast.

She blocked two of his slashes before going airborne. A little taken aback that his sword was on fire at that moment, she was still prepared and as he leaped after her, proceeded to divebomb him spear first to finally take him out of the fight. What she didn't expect was for him to slash twice; one to parry her spear, the other to slam her to the ground at an angle. As she crashed, she could barely hear him say, "Not done yet!" She felt something pierce her through the back and she was pulled, quite painfully, airborne again. She felt the flurry slashes to her back, feeling them breaking through her dragon mail and biting her skin. The onslaught stopped and as she felt herself freefall, she felt him crashing into her and slamming her on the ground. She tasted dirt. It wasn't very nice.

"Heads up!"

She felt something grab her back again; she was pretty sure it was that claw. She felt herself being swung and slammed on the ground three times. At the third impact, her body was released and she caught sight of him aiming his gun at her. It was then, she knew... and she resigned herself to her fate. He pulled the trigger. The slug entered her heart almost immediately. The force of the shot threw her to the ground a few feet away from her lance. She coughed a little as he approached. The metal on his arm seemed to flake off in glowing red.

"Well, that could've -cough- gone better," she muttered as her breathing heaved. She could literally feel her body breaking down, her eyes catching wisps of red dust rising. She made sure to look up at his face, stating, "You know, frowns don't make you... kinda makes me wish we're on the same side."

"Kinda wish that too... too bad then," he stated somberly.

"Hey, can you promise me something?" she asked with a grin, that last cough throwing up specks of blood on her lips, "We go grab a drink sometime -cough- if we ever meet again."

The side of his mouth twitched upward a bit. "Sorry, I'm spoken for," he apologized.

"Didn't mean it that way... -sigh- see ya around, pretty boy," she started but said her goodbyes as she finally disappeared.

"Berserker, you have to settle this quickly!" shouted Caules at the display that showed the battle between the Berserkers of both factions. Both Servants seemed to be evenly matched blow for blow. Even with his Berserker at full, the other Servant of Madness still went head to head with him, as if ramping up to match his output.

"Maybe you can tell him to stand down then," sneered his Servent through the connection as he continued to wail on Berserker of Red's defense, "Or maybe, get him to show his full power. I feel like I'm being looked down on and it's pissing me off."

"Do you need a Command Spell?" he asked as he watched the Red Servant duck under the latest punch and sent an uppercut at his Servant's chin. Berserker stumbled back with a grunt and a growl.

"...Maybe I do need a boost. Up to you, son," was the reply as he went at it again with a yell.

He grit his teeth as he continued to watch. With each second going by and the urgency to take back the Grail increasing, he made his decision. He raised his fist with the seals and declared, "By order of my Command Seal, defeat Berserker of Red!"

Small arcs of yellow electricity started coursing over Berserker of Black's body, his eyes gaining a glowing red color. The Servant grinned on the display, at the same time Caules heard, "You've got guts, son. Alright! Let's do this!" He watched the display in earnest, feeling a bit more confident of victory.

The Black Faction's Servant yelled as he swung at his opponent, who had suddenly stopped moving the moment the Seal was activated. Much to his surprise, his fist was grabbed just as he reached the helmet. He pushed as hard as he could but the armored hand was unmoving. It was like the Red's Servant had a jump in strength. It was then he noticed that the Servant was glowing red. As his hand was forcefully lowered, he could see the visor of the helmet had also changed. Instead of opaque, it now had a glowing red skull on it. He was suddenly pulled in and given a thunderous left hook, followed by a powerful right straight that sent him flying.

"Berserker..." Caules muttered. Truth be told, he barely interacted with his Servant, Berserker preferring to do his own thing. The Servant even spent more time with the homunculus than him. However, Berserker showed an image of a strong person who didn't tolerate any nonsense, emphasis on strength. What he saw on the display gave him a lot to be concerned about.

Berserker crashed into a wooded area, a line of broken trees in his wake and finally crashing into the side of a small cliff. He recovered quickly, shaking his head as he got up. He barred his teeth as he looked at the broken line. And then the other Berserker appeared in his line of sight. Now, he looked even more enraged. The Red Servant took a running leap at him while he stayed and lowered his center of gravity, preparing to counterattack. A gust came out of the boots and the other Servant went even higher. Berserker's mouth opened like he was shouting out as he swung his fist, which crashed into the descending boot and knocking it aside. His second swing grounded the Red Servant on his back. Berserker of Black then jumped and crashed onto his waist, then proceeded to rain blow after blow on the helmet. However, after several hits, his fists were punched aside and a hammer blow slammed into his chest. It sent him off the Servant and crashing into another tree.

The Black Servant landed on his feet as he slid on the broken bark, which helped him to avoid another punch that took out a rather large chunk of wood. He lunged and tackled the Red Servant but they only moved a few meters before he received a double axe handle from his opponent. Two in fact, after which he released his hold. He then got a forearm to the face followed by a blow to his temple. His head was then grabbed and a helmet crashed into his forehead. He stumbled back as he reeled from the impact. He was then grabbed by the shoulder and Berserker of Red started punching his chest repeatedly.

To Caules' shock, his Servant's hardened skin started cracking. Berserker of Black realized it too, as he pushed a punch aside and grabbed the other hand, wrenching it off his shoulder. Black chips fell off and revealed raw red skin that started to heal up as the Black Servant pulled as hard as he could. The ground cracked and cratered as the armored body withstood the impact. Both their eyes went wide in disbelief as the Red Servant got up like it was nothing.

"Son, I don't think we can win this," he heard through his link, watching as his Servant grit his teeth and charged, "Help me wish Jack the best of luck. Looks like I won't be going home."

His determined look was set as he glared at the display. Caules raised his clenched hand again and started, "Berserker of Black, by order of my Command Seal..." Right before his eyes, the Berserker of Red grabbed the former by the neck and plunged his hand into his chest. He pulled out a white beating heart and crushed it to a pulp. His Servant's body began breaking apart as the body was let go.

"Damn, that guy was strong. Mighty glad I went through with it," was his Servant's last thoughts as the black dust of his body in turn disappeared. He continued to watch as the red aura around the other Berserker faded out. He looked around for a moment before walking a few steps and shifting to his spirit form. Caules exhaled a breath he didn't know he kept in. He waited a moment to steady his racing heart before leaving his room to notify his sister.

Archer stepped off the floating bit of dirt while observing the place. Dark with minimal lighting. No matter, he had experience fighting in low light so it didn't bother him that much. Several minutes later, he could hear faint clicking around the nearest passageway. Eventually, the shifting shadows solidified into a troop of dragon tooth warriors. Wordlessly, he materialized a shotgun and waited patiently for the skeletons to arrive. As they came in range, he started unloading. Eight shots in all, and with the troop too near to avoid it, the majority of the skeletons shattered to pieces. He could hear footsteps behind him and several homunculi charged forward to tie up the survivors. Moments later, Lancer stepped up to his side.

"My Lord," he greeted, still maintaining his vigil even as the skeleton summons were mopped up.

"Archer," the latter returned the greeting, "Have you seen Assassin and his Master?"

"I have not," the former replied, wondering about the question.

The Servant of the Lance paused for a moment to consider his words. "Very well. We will fight and make our way forward to reclaim the Grail," he decided.

"I shall follow, my liege."

Both Servants turned around and found Darnic standing behind them.

"It will be dangerous," the lead Servant of the Black Faction informed his Master.

"I spent many lifetimes trying to reach the Root and with the aid of the Grail, it is now within my grasp," the magus declared resolutely, "I will not let the Red Faction steal it away after all my efforts. I will retrieve it personally if I have to."

Lancer smiled and said, "You are a brave man. Very well, do as you wish."

Darnic bowed. Turning back around, the Servant ordered, "Let us be off, Archer. We have a Grail to retrieve."

The earthen wall shook. Then it shuddered again. A third time, it moved and exploded outwards. Saber of Red took a few wary steps through in full armor. A growl echoed in the helm followed by the collapse of the summoned arena. She glanced behind her and her growl became fiercer with some added annoyance when she saw the rubble that remained.

"Damn that Lancer. I'm gonna pound him in the ground the next time we meet," she grumbled mentally as she started to walk towards the castle, dismissing her helm as she strode on.

"You should hope that it happens soon, Saber," quipped up Sisigou through their link, "The longer the War goes on, it's likely that he might get taken out by another Servant."

"Tch," she sounded, knowing that his words rang true. Still, Lancer was skilled. He should last long enough for her to find him.

As relaxed as she was, she wasn't stupid. She raised her sword and easily blocked a strike that seemingly came out of nowhere. "You'd have to do better than that if you want to defeat me," she stated simply, "Rider of Black?"

"Hello, Saber of Red. Apologies, but I'm afraid you can't go any further," said the mounted Servant as she circled around with her dragon gliding in the winds.

Kind of small to be a dragon, to be honest. A drake? Wyvern?

"Eh? Why not come down here and fight me? Or are you gonna play hit and run like a coward?" she taunted. Since she knew nothing about this Servant, why not lure her down and fight on even terms?

"My, my, what a rude little girl," the Servant replied chidingly, "Perhaps I should land and teach you a lesson, but I prefer my advantage."

"Tch," she sounded again and proceeded to guard herself again as Rider dove down on her again, the axe crashing against Clarent in a fly-by, "You are really pissing me off." The sword began emitting red lightning as she said that. She then motioned at the Servant of the Mount and shouted, "Alright, come and get me!"

"if you insist," was the reply before the Black Faction Servant dove down again.

With a yell, she launched herself at the diving mount, much to the other's surprise, while swinging her sword that was alive with crimson electricity arcing of its blade. Just as they were a few inches away from each other, she felt a tug on her back and she was pulled the opposite way with a sudden jerk. Her entire body crashed to the ground, driving dust into the air as she tumbled to a halt and landed feet first. With a growl, she looked around and caught sight of a smirking face.

"I had it handled, Saber," Rider said to the interrupter, "You didn't need to."

"Maybe you could have handled the attack. But... it could also have been super effective against you," he said as he shrugged.

"Well, I suppose we'd never know now, would we..."

This is just too much. She was being ignored like some ordinary squire. Her temper was rising quite rapidly until a voice of reason broke through.

"Hey! Cool it. You're a future king, so keep it together," Sisigou suddenly communicated through their link.

"...Heh, you're right. It's unbecoming of a king to lose his temper so fast," she replied back with an eager grin forming on her face, "It seems I'll just have to teach them a lesson."

She raised her sword, pointed at him and asked, "Hey! You're Saber of Black, right?"

The two looked at each other for a moment. "Yeah? What about it?" he asked.

"I am Saber of Red," she declared, "Come on, Servant. Show me what you got."

"Hn, I'm supposed to get back to the castle, you know," he stated as he glanced over to Rider. "But... you seem to be heading the same way, so I'd better stop you. I doubt Rider could do anything to slow you down, right?"

"Bet on it," she replied, still grinning.

"Well now, I..." he started but he stopped, a frown forming on his face. "What did I say about leaving the battles to me, lard ass?" he suddenly said as he glanced back to the castle. Turning to Rider, he asked, "Can you help keep an eye for interruptions up there?"

She gave a salute and rode off. "Now that we're done, I suppose we can start," he said as he reached for the sword on his back. He gripped the handle and twisted it a little. She could hear the sound of an engine being revved up. Cocking her eyebrow, she wondered what sort of sword it was. She then swung her sword, which crashed against his as he flew at her.

"Alright, let's do this, Red," he told her before the sword ignited before her very eyes.

Blood rushing in her excitement, she replied with equal measure, a lightning coated sword.

Commentary:-

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the next chapter of Doubtful Origin. Here is the full list of Servants.

Red Faction

Saber - still Mordred.
Archer - Peacock from Skullgirls
Lancer - Aranea Highwind from FF15
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

Once more, I took quite a while. My apologies, my dear readers. However, rejoice, for we can go back to the story.

Saber of Red getting left behind by Lancer of Black. She looked quite angry. Imagine him using his ultimate and then lancing out of there, leaving you to be like a fish in a barrel. Then, Lancer of Red got killed off. With Saber of Black being recalled, well, he'd want to settle this in a way that there won't be a Round Three. The Battle of the Berserkers finally has a winner, with Berserker of Red getting even more pissed off than Berserker of Black. Archer of Black prepping a beachhead for the others to storm from and eventually joined by Darnic and Lancer of Black. Finally, we find that Saber of Red has broken out of the arena. Just in time for the arena to crumble to dust. Then, she runs into some fresh victors and proceeds to challenge Saber of Black to a fight. It's time for a Death Battle!

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