Fate: Oppression

by Gavius

Alaya is gone. The Counter Force is gone. Without them, the Throne of Heroes released all the Heroes on Earth against the planet's will. When Gaia sensed that the World is on the brink of collapse, she sent its First Hero to fix the mess. Now, Shirou Emiya has to save the day once again. What can a Retired God, a Treacherous Knight and a Boastful King do to save the planet? [AU]

9. Chapter 8 - Arc II

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from the Fate universe and its characters. The rights and credits go to the original authors.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

This is my very first story. I'm confident in my grammar, but if there are any mistakes, then let me know and I'll try to figure out how to fix them as soon as I have time.

Hope you enjoy.

---

FATE/Oppression
-Arc II-

Chapter 8

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: M1 motorway – approximately 10 km from Nottingham (England)

(======)

"She is what?"

The silence in the car was decidedly tense.

Waver Velvet felt a trickle of sweat run down his forehead as he kept his gaze fixed on the highway while he drove the car. He tried in every way to ignore the outraged and cold looks the Servants in his car were giving him, but it was feat easier said than done. The two Knights of the Round Table had eyes blazing with fury as they stared at him with obvious hostility. That was quite unnerving. Even Rin was turning pale in the middle of this situation, fidgeting in silence in the front seat with a visibly hesitant expression. He didn't blame her for her nervousness.

Still, his eyes flickered to a certain Saber on the right. King Arthur — or rather, Artoria Pendragon — sat motionless in the back seat next to her Knights, with an unreadable expression on her face. It was impossible to see what she was thinking behind that mask of cold and impassive indifference. There was simply no way to see her inner thoughts. Waver had to give her credit for this. Her poker face was flawless.

"Mr. Waver... can you explain it again?" Bedivere asked slowly. Though he tried to restrain himself, he couldn't hold back a hint of anger in his tone as he spoke those words.

Lord El-Melloi II sighed. "Gray is the result of a secret experiment that originated more than five hundred years ago. The clan of the village where she was born aimed to create a being capable of handling the Holy Lance that had been passed down for generations. In other words, their purpose was to revive King Arthur; both in flesh and spirit."

The immense disgust and anger in the faces of the two Knights was impossible to miss.

Artoria, instead, remained cold and detatched.

"Gray was meant to be the flesh of King Arthur," he kept on explaining. "When she was born, her facial features vaguely resembled those of your king, but ten years ago her body suddenly changed, becoming extremely similar to that... of you, your majesty. Losing her true face, she could no longer differentiate her own existence from that of the vessel she was meant to be. Due to this situation, the villagers believed her to be King Arthur's second coming, and energized the village elders, making them take seriously the plan to bring back King Arthur. As a result, Gray feared and hated her own face. The villagers treated Gray as the body of the king, and started regulating her lifestyle to the finest detail to try and increase her compatibility as much as they could."

"...this is blasphemy," Gawain spoke with almost perceptible outrage. His face was twisted into an angry grimace as he turned to Artoria. "My King... have you nothing to say about this?"

The woman merely fixed her eyes on Waver. "What happened to her?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual.

The black-haired man remained calm as he concentrated on driving. "I saved her," he replied simply. "Two years ago, the Clock Tower learned of what was happening in the village. They sent me to investigate the situation. Once I learned the truth, I knew I had to do something to stop their plan. So, I helped Gray escape, and I took her away from the 'destined fate' to become King Arthur. The Clock Tower razed the whole village to the ground soon after. No one survived," he concluded, narrowing his eyes at the memory.

Artoria visibly relaxed. "Good," she glanced outside the window as the car sprinted on the highway. "I'm glad that's over."

Rin blinked confusedly at her reaction. "Wait, that's it?" she asked, staring uncertainly at the king with an incredulous expression.

The blonde woman nodded as she glanced at Rin with her green eyes. "Although I can't deny that what was done to her in order to bring me back to life is disgusting… the child is not to blame for her past. What happened to her was horrible and unjust, but she had no choice over it. It wouldn't be fair for me to judge her for what she went through. If those responsible for such insanity have been eliminated, then I'm satisfied," she explained, both to her and the Knights.

A small smile formed on Lord El-Melloi II's lips. "I'm glad we're in agreement on this matter. Gray can be aloof and shy, but she's not your copy. She is her own person. Please don't blame her for what happened, King Arthur."

"Of course not. I would never do something like that," she assured him, shaking her head. Then, her face became more serious all of a sudden. "However, there is another matter beside the girl that I'm most concerned about."

Waver widened his knowing smile. "Let me guess: the Lance."

Artoria nodded seriously. "Indeed. What you said surprised me. How did Rhongomyniad survive to this day? It shouldn't have been possible. Without me, the original owner, such a weapon should have disappeared from the planet. Its power and its Mystery should have faded away completely. Yet, it survived," her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How?" she demanded.

It was Rin who answered the question. "We don't know for sure. All that is known is that the Lance survived thanks to Add."

Gawain blinked in confusion. "Add?"

"Gray possesses a unique Mystic Code referred to as 'Add', you see," Waver Velvet said. "Add has its own ego and is capable of speech and independent thought. It's a small, talking cube. Typically, it stays locked in a birdcage and Gray usually keeps it hidden beneath her cape, behind her right sleeve. The true function of the Mystic Code, however, is to seal Rhongomyniad away and prevent it from losing its Mystery. We don't know who created such a complex Code, but there's no doubt that it was thanks to Add that your Lance survived to this day, King Arthur."

"...I'd like to see this Mystic Code myself, then," she commented seriously.

The man closed his lips in a thin line. "That's the thing: Add has stopped working ever since the War began," he declared in a solemn tone of voice. He could literally feel the gaze of Artoria and her Knights on the back of his head, but decided to ignore them. "More precisely, it stopped working approximately ten hours before we met you, your majesty. It froze suddenly, out of the blue, and for some reason it even stopped talking from time to time. If my suspicions are correct, Gray was defeated during the last fight for this very reason. Add failed to function properly."

"...I see," Artoria mulled with a frown. "This is unfortunate. A weapon of that kind should not be handled lightly. Rhongomyniad was one of my most powerful weapons, second only to Excalibur. Its destructive power was immense. If it falls into the wrong hands it could generate a great catastrophe and massive destruction on a large scale."

"M-My liege, are you serious?" Bedivere asked her, clearly stunned by her statement.

Rin looked at him in confusion. "Didn't you guys already know about the true nature of the Holy Lance?"

Bedivere shook his head along with Gawain. "We knew about the King's spear, but not of its powers..." he admitted slowly.

Artoria gave them an apologetic look. "Bedivere, Gawain... I'm sorry I kept it secret until now," she said with remorse. Her eyes fell to the side. "Only Merlin and I knew of Rhongomyniad's true power. Merlin suggested to me to keep its true nature secret. Even if I regret doing it now, back then I agreed in order to not generate a conflict of interest among our ranks. But then the rebellion happened..."

Bedivere shook his head. "Don't apologize, my King. We understand," he said in his usual serious and kind tone.

"But still, this is serious," Gawain immediately added. "If our King's Lance is really that powerful, then it could be used for nefarious purposes by some Mages. Or even worse, from other Servants. Something like this must be averted as soon as possible."

"I agree," Lord El-Melloi II promptly nodded.

Artoria clenched her fists. Loath as she was to admit it, the current situation was not a pleasant one. Not only they had found themselves in the middle of a world-scale war that wasn't unfolding the way it should have... but now, even her own Lance had been stolen for some reason, along with Gray as well. Such an event couldn't be accidental, and it couldn't mean anything good either. She was ready to bet on it.

"Mr. Waver... do you think Gray was kidnapped by this red-haired man because of the Lance she carries with her?" she asked in the end, looking at the black-haired Lord with a solemn and serious expression.

Waver Velvet tried to hold back his growing anxiety. "...it's a possibility," he merely answered.

"Are you serious? Stop joking around, sensei. This is clearly the reason why Gray was kidnapped," Rin broke in abruptly, crossing her arms with a snort. Her face was both serious and worried at the same time as she looked out the window in anger. "Jacob and Berserker were killed. Gray wasn't. For what other reason could she have been targeted if not for the spear?"

"We can't deal and reason in absolutes, Rin. I taught you this already. Until we find clear evidence, we can't-"

He was unexpectedly interrupted when his cell phone started to ring all of a sudden.

Lord El-Melloi II answered the call instantly, with a casual and habitual movement of his hand. And that's when it happened.

Artoria and the others could literally see the moment when the man's face suddenly went cold, and his expression turned solemn and tense for some reason.

"...I see."

Waver ended the call quickly, resuming to drive with decision and glacing around with his eyes, looking for a freeway interchange to exit the highway and change direction.

Rin looked at him with concern. "What happened?" she dared to ask.

Lord El-Melloi II narrowed his eyes as he pushed the car at top speed. "Change of plans. Get ready, all of you," he ordered in absolute seriousness. "Something terrible is happening in Edinburgh."

Artoria and the Knights widened their eyes. Rin gasped in shock.

"We've been ordered to go there and stop a sudden calamity that's destroying the entire city."

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Abandoned building – Kingston upon Hull (East Yorkshire - England)

(======)

Gray was conflicted.

She felt a conflicting stream of emotions surging inside as she gazed upon Shirou Emiya's cold, and inquisitive, and impassive, and menacing face. That man, that Ruler, was staring at her with unnerving intensity, almost menacing in his solemnity. And despite her best efforts, before those golden-brown eyes that were harder than any steel; the young, unfortunate girl felt a pang of terror make her back shiver under the pressure.

'He... He knows!' she stuttered inwardly. 'O-Oh God... he knows! He knows about Add's true nature!'

Swallowing nervously, she ventured to ask the question in her head despite her mind screaming in terror. "H-How? How do you know about that?" she squeaked in a small voice.

Again, that indifferent stare was her only answer.

But unbeknownst to her, there was anything but calm and cold detachment in the mind of the God of War. A truth that even Iskandar and Mordred sitting next to them failed to notice during that staring contest. But right at that moment, Shirou Emiya wasn't calm. He wasn't calm at all.

He was panicking.

And with good reason. He was literally holding in his hand a Mystic Code used to seal and contain a weapon of mass destruction. A weapon that he himself forged and used many millennia ago, during the Age of Gods. A certain Holy Lance called Rhongomyniad. A spear that had the power to destroy almost anything if fully activate. A recreation and representation of the tower that fastened the outer layer of the World onto the planet. A literal "pillar of light" that fastened together the three sides of the World itself: the outer layer of the World (reality) the Reverse Side of the World (illusion) and the Other Side (fantasy). A weapon of which it has been said that, in the unlikely event that it was undone, reality would be torn off from the surface of the World to reveal the Reverse Side of the World, re-enacting the Age of Gods.

Basically, one of the most powerful and dangerous weapons he had ever forged before his exile.

So, yeah… he had his reasons to be worried.

Mordred and Iskandar were looking at the Ruler and the girl with obviously confused looks, but Shirou ignored their stares without sparing them a single glance. His mind was still struggling to keep his apparent calm facade on the outside. Because the Mystic Code in his hand was Rhongomyniad, there was no question about it. Shirou was old. He was still a little ignorant of the history of the world. He was slightly gullible as well... but he wasn't stupid.

He could recognize one of his own creations with a single glance. There was no mask, no trick, no secret gimmick that could elude the true nature of a weapon from his eyes. Even if said weapon was hidden and sealed behind a stupid Mystic Code in the shape of a cubic cage. And that was without counting his Tracing ability. He wasn't called the God of War without a reason. He just knew it. He could see it, he could hear it, he could feel it resonating with him ever since the night before, when the Lance first felt his presence. He could percieve his own Lance pulsate inside this cube, wishing to be released. He could hear its desperate call, screaming and striving to be reunited with him once again. It was inevitable, since he was the one who created it, who forget it, who gave it a shape, a name, and a purpose. Tha Lance itself knew it, it resonated with him, and was calling out to him inside the Code.

Because just like the ancient Gods used to say in the past: every powerful weapon strives to return to its owner...

...since it's only in the owner's hands that its true purpose can be fulfilled.

Buuuuut, Shirou certainly couldn't reveal all of this, obviously. As much as he hated to do it, he had to lie somehow in order to keep his mission hidden. He had no choice. Both his secret identity and his mission depended on this. So, it was time for a cover-up again.

He still needed to tell them a bit of truth, though.

"It doesn't matter how I know about it," he said casually, shrugging with an indifferent expression. Seeing the small girl's obvious hesitation, he quickly smiled in a reassuring to try to appear more friendly. He was scaring her with his cold and serious demeanour. Old habits die hard. "Let's just say I have a good eye for ancient weapons."

Gray swallowed. Gradually, the paleness began to diminish on her face. Her hesitation didn't go away, however.

Mordred glanced at Shirou with a raised eyebrow. "The heck are you talking about? What's this holy lance?" she asked, confused.

Shirou stared at the small cube in his hand, his gaze colder than ever. "I can sense a powerful weapon hidden within this Mystic Code, kid. A certain spear you too should be quite familiar with."

Those words made her pause for some reason. Mordred blinked in confusion for a second, before narrowing her eyes and turning her head to Gray. The girl hid under her hood, visibly tense and nervous. She didn't like being in the middle of such powerful gazes. Eventually, however, after a minute of absolute silence and hesitation, Gray relented and decided to reveal the truth. There was no way she could lie. Not when she was literally standing next to three powerful Servants without a way to defend herself.

"I-It's true," she admitted in a low voice. "The cube is a Mystic Code. It's name is Add... it's a living seal. A seal created to contain and hide King Arthur's legendary spear, Rhongomyniad. T-That's the true nature of the Code."

Shirou remained impassive after that revelation, but the same could not be said for his companions. Iskandar's eyes widened and he ran a hand through his beard with a thoughtful expression, thinning his lips. And Mordred, well...

Mordred stiffened and became as still as a statue.

Then, she exploded. "WHAT!?" she raged, incredulous. "Father's spear is locked within that puny little cube?"

"Hmm? Are you familiar with that spear, Saber?" the King of Conquerors asked.

Mordred clenched her fists, staring at the small metal object in the God's hands with eyes full of conflicting emotions. Anger, disbelief and shock were there, of course; accompanied by pure resentment and hatred. "...as much as I hate it, yes," she admitted through gritted teeth, her face filled of rage and regret. "Rhongomyniad... that accursed spear was used by Father to kill me. Back then, during our final clash on the Camlann Hill, I managed to disarm him with Clarent and toss Excalibur away. But then, just when I finally managed to deliver a mortal blow to him, he summoned that lance and caught me off guard. Stabbed me right trough the chest. I couldn't even see him dead," she hissed with a contrited face.

Gray listened to that story with wide eyes and mouth agape, completely stunned by the news. She had no idea that the spear she had always carried with her was the very same weapon used to kill Mordred, the King of Knights' very own son. Iskandar was slightly surprised too, nodding with interest and crossing his arms as he mulled something to himself, more thoughtful than usual. On his part, instead, Shirou stared at Mordred in a compassionate way, his hard expression softening a little.

"I... I'm sorry," Gray spoke after while, gluing her eyes to the ground. "I had no idea."

Mordred clenched her fists, her face a full scowl by now. "Tch. Whatever. What's done is done," she turned to the red-haired man who was studying the cube with a calculating glint in his eyes. "Give me that cube, Ruler. That weapon belongs to Father. And I'm the only one who can take something that belongs to him."

Much to her surprise, Shirou shook his head.

"I'm sorry, kid. But as much as I hate to disappoint or bring back bad memories to you, that's something I can't do right now. A weapon like this is downright dangerous, and cannot be left in the hands of another Servant. Even if it's you," he replied, looking at her in the eyes.

She growled menacingly. "What are you saying?" she hissed. "It's just a damned lance."

"No, it's not. Rhongomyniad is a Divine Construct. Don't you know that?" he asked back, confused by her ignorance.

Mordred crossed her arms with an angry pout and a twitch of her eyebrow. "Father never revealed his secrets to the Knights of the Round. And especially to me..." she grumbled, her irritation clearly noticeable. It oozed from her body like a visible fog.

The others sweat-dropped at her sulking face. "...my bad, kid," Shirou apologized with a nervous smile.

Iskandar turned his attention back to Shirou. "What are you gonna do with that Mystic Code, then?" he asked, already trying to guess his reasoning.

Shirou didn't answer the question, but merely remained impassive. Then, he simply shifted his gaze to Gray, who was staring at the motionless cube with a lost expression. "Gray, tell me the truth. This Mystic Code... is it malfunctioning right now?"

She widened her eyes. "Y-Yes! Yes, very much so!" she answered, stunned. "But, h-how do you know?"

"Tell me what's wrong with it. How and when did it begin to malfunction?" he cut her short, serious as always.

Gray blinked confusedly. "W-Well... Add used to be talkative and full of life all the time. It has been that way for years. But since the Holy Grail War began, its power has suddenly stopped out of the blue. He started to freeze and lose his artificial personality repeatedly, day after day, often staying still and unactive for several hours straight. Sometimes even for days. I haven't been able to unlock its power ever since," she answered.

Shirou frowned, deep in thoughts.

Iskandar hummed slowly. "When was the last time you managed to activate it, even if not completely?" he asked her.

The hooded girl pulled her knees close and wrapped her arms around them. "Yesterday, during the last battle. I could faintly hear Add screaming my name. But when I woke up here, he was like this again. I don't know what's causing this problem. I asked Teacher about it, but he wasn't able to help either," she explained sadly, looking with a lost gaze at the cube that had been her only friend for the majority of her life.

Iskandar turned to Shirou. His eyes sparkled in trepidation when he recognized the expression on his face. "You already figured something about this, didn't you, boy?" he questioned, smirking a little.

Shirou had to suppress an impressed smile. That man was smarter than he seemed.

Gray seemed to come back to life instantly. "R-Really?" she asked, her face full of hope. "Y-You know what's happening to Add?"

The God of War sighed slowly, before nodding with an unreadable expression. "More or less. I saw a lot of things during my time, and I have experience with Divine Weapons and Mystic Codes," he slowly admitted, trying to not reveal too much about himself. "To be honest, I think this cube, Add, has started to malfunction because of the War. The cause of this problem must be the Lance itself. Divine Constructs are not common weapons. They are armaments that surpass human limits and hold tremendous power, sometimes even greater than most Noble Phantasms, and they were exceedingly rare even during the Age of Gods or the most recent past, where mystery was still pronounced. Basically, they are time machines linked to the Planet which contain a power that does not belong to this time."

Everyone listened to him with morbid attention.

"Because of this nature, usually, no one but its original owner should be able to wield the Holy Lance enclosed within this Mystic Code. However, given your strange... 'connection' with King Arthur, you have been able to use that power for a short time, Gray. But now, because of the War, things have changed... because its true owner has been summoned back to the World."

Mordred narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, kid. Divine Constructs are armaments not created by humans. They're artifacts defined as a God or a 'comparable being'. Because of this, they're something close to living weapons, and they can sense their master. That's why Rhongomyniad responded only to Gray after all these centuries. It activated thanks to her strange 'kinship' with your father. But now, as I said earlier, King Arthur himself has been summoned back in the world. This must have sent the whole system into a tailspin. The Lance can't obey two masters. That's not how it works," he explained.

Gray blinked. She put two and two together. "So... as long as King Arthur is here, Add won't respond to me?" she asked, connecting the dots.

Shirou smiled, closing his eyes with a knowing look. "More or less. Most likely, the spear would respond to King Arthur if delivered into his hands. Maybe he could even manage to unlock the Mistyc Code from this motionless state. But if my suspicions are correct, Mordred's father is not the only one who can activate the true power of the weapon," he said.

Gray was even more confused by that. "W-What?"

He smiled knowingly. "I told you. Divine Construct can feel the connection with their owner, their master. And King Arthur is not Rhongomyniad's true owner."

Mordred, Iskandar, and Gray stared. Then, they blinked in confusion at his words.

And then, as expected, one of them voiced her disbelief.

"The heck? What are you saying, Ruler?" Mordred spat with an incredulous tone. "That accursed spear belongs to Father! He's its true owner! I'm sure of it!"

"Wrong," Shirou cut her off promptly, smiling at her stunned face. "Yes, your Father managed to find and use the Lance during his life, but it wasn't him the one who created it and wielded it first. The Holy Lance has another owner, kid. One that probably lived even before Camelot or your entire age."

Iskandar was grinning ear to ear, excited by the news. "Who, then? Who is the true owner of the Lance, boy?"

Shirou shrugged. "Beats me," he lied. "But, most likely, the owner must be some Divine being or a warrior from the Age of Gods. All Divine Costructs were forged during that period, after all. However, I personally doubt that such an entity could have been truly summoned in the War. But... if the true master of the Lance was a being similar to a God, then a Demi-God Servant should be able to activate the Lance as well thanks to their Divine Nature. That's what I'm saying," he answered, as if it was obvious.

Gray's eyes widened in realization. "Y-You mean..."

"That's right," Shirou nodded, pleased to see her intuition. That girl was shy, but smart. "When the Holy Grail War began, several Servants with Divine Nature have been summoned back to Earth. Me and my companions have even met one of them during our trip in America. The Mystic Code must have sensed their presence as well, and for this very same reason it has stopped working all of a sudden. It doesn't know who its true owner is, so it shut down completely. Your little friend Add went on stand-by mode, basically," he explained, pointing at the small cube with narrowed eyes.

Iskandar was doubtful. "But that shouldn't be possible," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "A weapon like this possesses a power comparable to a Noble Phantasm. And it is well known that it's impossible for other Servants to use a weapon that belongs to someone else. If the Lance did not belong to King Arthur, then he shouldn't have been able to use its full power in the past. Nor could another Servant do it right now. Noble Phantasms cannot be stolen, Ruler."

Shirou nodded again. "That's right... but you're forgetting something important, King of Conquerors. This spear, this Holy Lance existed before King Arthur and it didn't disappear after he died. It remained in the world, unlike many other weapons related to famous Heroes. It's not linked to him anymore. Well, not entirely. However, now that Mordred's father is back, the cube sensed his presence and stopped working, falling into stand-by mode. It's waiting, basically. It's waiting for its real master to come and activate its full power. That's what happened, I'm sure," he answered easily, smiling with a knowing look.

And he wasn't lying. Ok, his words were half-truths. They were incomplete and filled with mischief; but there really was a bit of truth behind them. He was basically telling an half-truth... leaving just a small detail unsaid.

That being: the real owner of Rhongomyniad was him, and not King Arthur. The Lance had stopped working because of him and his presence.

But he couldn't reveal such a thing... right?

"…I see," Mordred mused in the end, nodding to herself. "Then the only thing left to do is to bring it back to Fa-"

"Wrong again, kid," Shirou cut her off suddenly, chuckling at her confusion. "Your father owns Excalibur, right? He already has his own Noble Phantasm. He can't use the Holy Lance and the sword at the same time. Servants cannot do that."

She opened her mouth to speak.

Already he knew what she was about to say. "And no," Shirou interrupted. "Despite our mutual trust, I cannot give the Code to you, kid. You wouldn't be able to use it either."

Her eyes narrowed. Mordred frowned. "Then what? What are we gonna do with it?"

The God of War threw the cube into the air, then immediately grabbed it with a random movement. "I'll keep it," he declared, as if it was obvious. Seeing the stunned expressions of the others, he resigned himself to explain with a tired sigh. "As a Ruler class Servant, I'm not restricted to one Class only. Both of you already saw this, so you know it's true. I can safely use different weapons unlike normal Servants," he explained.

Mordred was about to protest. "But-"

"Kid, listen to me. It's the right thing to do. Gray can no longer use it, and if Rhongomyniad falls into the wrong hands, it could cause immense damage and the death of thousand of innocents. Even I know the legend of this spear. I know how powerful it is. I can't allow something like this. I'll keep the Lance hidden given my role as a Ruler, and I'll prevent it from falling in the hands of those who might use it for evil purposes. That's the only thing I can do to safeguard humanity right now."

Her jaw clicked shut. Mordred grunted.

He turned to the panicked face of Gray. "And this goes for you too, Gray."

The girl flinched under his gaze.

Shirou looked at her with serious eyes. "I understand that you don't want to part with it, but I have no choice. The fact that mankind, the very same people of your own village have used you in that disgusting way only to unlock the full power of the spear is proof enough. This shows that humans cannot handle a power like this. If mankind dared to cause so much pain on a small, innocent child just to use the Holy Lance… then mankind doesn't deserve to wield it."

Gray's eyes fell to the ground.

Shirou offered her a sad smile, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

She hesitated, remaining silent for some time. Then, she nodded slowly with a resigned expression.

"I understand."

He nodded. "Glad to hear that." Then, the red-haired warrior rose from the ground, stretching his arms with a deep breath. He glanced around the abandoned garden, and then turned to the others as he slipped the small cube into his pocket to hide it. "We should go now. We've spent too much time here," he said, speaking to his companions.

Iskandar and Mordred nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we must resume our glorious search," the King of Conquerors declared with a bellowing laugh, lifting his massive mass of muscles and rising from the ground. Beside him, Mordred began to jump on her legs like an excited child, much to the amusement of the Rider. "We have a whole country to explore, right Saber?"

"You bet. I can't wait to find our enemies and kick some ass!" the Knight of Rebellion grinned as she readied herself, already shaking in excitement.

Gray looked at them with evident hesitation. "E-Excuse me... what I'm supposed to do, then?" she asked shyly, hiding her face even more.

Shirou simply smiled, offering a hand to help her get up from the ground. The girl accepted it with a blush and a small smile hidden by her hood. "I told you. We're gonna bring you to the station. From there, you should be able to go back home with a train or something. We can't exactly leave you here, alone and defenseless. That wouldn't be fair, don't you agree?" he joked, instantly reassuring her with his warm, handsome smile.

Despite the current situation, the girl felt a little warmth start to swell inside her chest.

The four of them wasted no time. After preparing themselves and making sure that Gray was in condition to leave, Iskandar quickly summoned his chariot and they set off for the sky at full speed. They flew over the city at high altitude, so as not to be seen or perceived by anyone. After all, Gordius Wheel was able to keep the noise from being emitted while traveling to avoid detection by ordinary humans, but it still gave off a large amount of magical energy that could be detected by Servants. So, they had to be careful, especially now that they were carrying a human with them.

As they flew on the sky, they observed the city from above. Kingston upon Hull was a port city. It was decidedly elegant even when seen from that altitude, as well as densely populated; but it was very small in size compared to the metropolises the three Servants had previously visited in the past days, like Seattle or New York. So, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. Iskandar drove the chariot to the roof of a big central station from where a great number of trains were departing in all directions, stopping the bulls with a yank of the reins and helping Gray out of the flying chariot.

"This is it, little girl," the King of Conquerors said with a broad smile. "End of the ride for you."

"Y-Yes. Thank you very much for helping me," she said, fidgeting with her hands in embarrassment and shyness. Shirou couldn't help but smile at that vision. That bashful behaviour was simply adorable.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay? Can you buy a ticket to London by yourself?" he asked her.

"Oh yeah, don't worry. I'm quite used to the life in the city now. And you guys have already done so much for me. Y-You've saved my life too. I can't ask you more. It would be rude," she assured them, shaking her head with a bashful smile filled with gratitude.

Shirou nodded with a patient expression. "As you wish. We'll see you around then, Gray. When you'll meet him again, tell your teacher that-"

"Hey!"

Shirou startled, blinking confusedly.

He slowly turned to Mordred with a raised brow, along with Gray and Iskandar who did the same, both of them surprised by her abrupt interruption. What the hell was wrong with her to scream like tha-

Mordred wasn't looking at them. Her eyes were wide, her gaze fixed on a large screen placed towards the front wall of the station, right above the main entrance.

"...look at that," she said.

Shirou followed her eyes. The others did the same.

Their eyes widened.

The screen was showing live news footage. Images of a city ravaged by flames, a series of gigantic explosions, and hundreds and hundreds of people running and screaming in panic were shown to the general public. One of the prim and proper ladies from the news was speaking frantically. She looked tired, with an expression filled with panic, and fear, and horror in equal mesure. Below, in front of the entrance to the train station, the crowd of people was screaming and swearing in horror. Some of them collapsed to the ground in shock, holding their breath in horror as they watched the terrible news on display.

A chill descended on Shirou's back, and it came not from the weather.

Because in addition to the explosions and deaths… the screen was showing images of something extremely gruesome.

Monsters.

Monsters made of liquid and black tar attacking dozens of people.

Monsters extremely similar to the one who neraly killed Gray the previous night.

The God of War snarled in rage as he listened to the news bulletin.

- Sudden and terrible catastrophe strikes Edinburgh. Hundreds of explosions taking place in the capital right now, devastating the entire city. Dozens of buildings in various parts of the city destroyed. Mysterious creatures assaulting and attacking people on the streets -

Shirou felt his back shiver with disgust and horror.

- A terrorist attack? Monsters appeared out of nowhere? A sudden calamity? The APOCALYPSE? -

Beside him, Mordred was trembling in rage and Iskandar was frowning thunderously. Even Gray was shaking her head in disbelief, her face a growing mask of panic and horror.

"No," she whispered with trembling voice, like a mantra. "No, no, no, no, no."

- Police unable to handle the chaos. Death toll immeasurable. Number of dead bodies growing by the second -

There was no time to lose.

Shirou clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in visible anger and concern as he turned to his companions. "We have to go!" he ordered coldly, his face twisted into a snarl and his eyes literal steel as he glared at the world. "Now!"

"Wait!"

He whirled around to look at Gray's panicked face. The girl was grabbing him by the arm, her eyes wide and filled with panic, but – at the same time – decision as well.

"Let me come with you!"

Shirou stiffened in confusion.

Mordred glared at her. "Are you crazy? Can't you see what's happening there?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes on the other girl.

"I know! I have to go!" Gray insisted frantically. Her shy and bashful demaneour was completely gone now. "T-This is happening because of the War! I'm sure of it! T-That means Teacher is gonna be sent there, I know it! I have to go with him! I have to!"

Shirou looked at her seriously. "Gray, you have to understand-"

"I beg you! PLEASE!"

He recoiled back, as if he had been slapped by her. He had never heard that girl scream so loudly before that moment. He could see that she was deadly serious about this decision. Her face was full of fear, but also of determination and will to fight. He could see it inside her eyes. She wouldn't back down from this. Still, a small part of him wanted to insist and deny her request. She was but a girl. A simple, normal human being. If she truly ended up in the middle of the fighting, she could die. Shirou didn't want to involve an innocent in this mess. He couldn't. Especially when he had miraculously saved said innocent from the brink of death just the night before. This was not going to happen.

Just when he was about to refuse, a mighty and large hand landed on the God's shoulder.

Shirou met Iskandar's red eyes focused on him. "The girl has made her decision, boy. Let her come," he said seriously, his face more solemn than usual.

Shirou hesitated for two seconds under his powerful gaze. He wasn't scared of him, but there was something...

He sighed. Then, he made up his mind.

"...fine."

Gray jumped back into the chariot with a nod of gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you very much," she repeated frantically.

The King of Conquerors turned his gaze to the screen. "We must hurry. We shall ride forth right now and reach the city before it's too late."

"We won't make it in time with your chariot alone," Shirou added in a cold, solemn tone of voice. He had promptly pulled his map out of a pocket, his eyes scanning it furiously. "Edinburgh is in Scotland, more than three hundred kilometers from our current position. We won't be able to fly there directly. At least, not from here."

"I have a plan!"

Once again, the three turned their heads to Mordred.

The Knight of Treachery was pointing a finger to the right, towards at a parking lot for planes next to the central station. Her face was twisted in a feral grin, her eyes buring with a mighty trepidation. Shirou repressed a shiver when he saw what the blonde girl was pointing at, while Iskandar grinned broadly and Gray blinked in confusion.

A small, old, yellow airplane.

Despite the tense situation, the God of War let out a ragged sigh from his lips.

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Edinburgh Airport (Edinburgh - Scotland)

(======)

When the plane landed on the airstrip, Artoria wasted no time.

The King of Knights jumped from the flying vehicle with a mighty leap, her armor appearing in a burst of golden energy around her body. Thanks to the Clock Tower which had promptly provided them with a private plane to the nearest town, Artoria and her group had been able to reach Edinburgh in just over an hour. It had been far too long a wait anyway, but they had no other choice. They weren't exactly expecting to have to reach such a distant calamity in such a short time and with such short notice when they first departed from London to search for Gray. But now the damage was done, and all they could do was find the cause of the disaster and put an end to yet another massacre.

As soon as her feet landed on the ground of the city, the woman felt her eyes widen in horror.

The city was being completely devastated. Buildings on fire, streets destroyed, hundreds of deaths in every direction... it was a literal hell she was walking into. She could see dozens of buildings collapsing and crumbling under explosions, she could feel the ground tremble and shake with earthquakes, and the air become filled with fog and smoke. All around her, as far as the eyes could see, there was nothing more than chaos, death, destruction, and rubble. The estimate of damages was immense, human and economic losses unbearable. This... This was surely going to be a severe blow for the economy of the country. Nay, even worse, for the economy of the world. A metropolis and capital as famous as Edinburgh was under attack. This disaster would not, could not go unnoticed after this day. Artoria was sure of it.

"By the gods... no way..."

She didn't need to turn around to sense her companions' shock. She could feel their fear in the air like a fog coming from their bodies. Gawain and Bedivere had reached her with solemn and determined looks, looking calm and collected as ever, but Rin and Waver were another thing entirely. They were floored. They were literally watching one of the most famous cities in the world being completely destroyed, out of the blue, without any warning or reason whatsoever. This was not something that happened every day. This was the result of the Holy Grail War.

Their fear was justified, then.

Artoria noticed the cause of the destruction almost immediately: a great horde of horrifying creatures scattered in all directions and ravaging the city. They were tall, numerous, and creepy as a nightmare. Shaped like insects and resembling gigantic ants or even deformed spiders, they possessed bodies entirely composed of black, tar-like liquid; with long legs and thin bodies, insect-like antennae and mandibles. They were infesting the streets, assaulting civilians, and spreading death and destruction everywhere. In the midst of chaos, their shrill screeching echoed through the city, above the screams of the citizens, the roar of the explosions, and the raging of flames and fire.

Even if she had never seen anything like this before, she knew what they were. "Phantasmal Beasts," Bedivere spoke from her right, his eyes hard and narrowed. "They're destroying everything. We have to stop them."

Gawain nodded with a solemn expression. From the corner of her eye, Artoria saw Lord El-Melloi II banish the fear from his pale face, assuming a cold and determined expression even in this dire situation. Sharing a nod with the man, she and her Knights dashed forward soon after, sprinting towards those misshapen beasts that were ravaging the city. As they drew closer, they summoned their weapons and readied themselves. It was time to put an end to this madness.

Lord El-Melloi II and Rin gawked at the sight. The battle unfolding before them was decidedly uncommon. It couldn't even be called a battle at all, actually. All they were seeing were dozens and dozens of Phantasmal Beasts destroyed and sliced apart like nothing, exploding into mere piles of corroding tar under the blows of the King and her Knights.

A spider-like moster was beheaded by a swift lunge from the side, a beast similar to an ant lost all its legs, another was cut in half by Gawain's broadsword, another was thrown against a wall by Bedivere... and so on.

The creatures didn't stand a chance against them. They were fast, nimble, and creepy; but no match for Servants like them. In less than five minutes, more than fifty beasts were cut down or torn apart by the swords of Gawain and Bedivere, while Artoria literally demolished every single creature and beast that dared to hinder her advance. Those who found themselves in front of her ended up to become nothing more than a heap of black, bubbling mush on the ground. There was no mercy for ruthless beasts like them.

A monster attempted to bite her from behind with its horrid mandibles. Artoria severed its head with a swing of the sword, without even turning around to face it. A giant eight-legged spider leapt at her from the top of a building. She leapt under its bigger body and skewered him in the center, hurling him away on the street. A smaller insect tried to escape from the left. She used her Invisible Air to generate a gust of wind that threw the beast into the air, tearing its body apart in a shower of black liquid that rained down on the ground.

This routine went on for an indefinite amount of time. After three minutes, there were hardly any monsters left near the airport, and Artoria decided to keep advancing towards the center of the city. Weak as those beasts were, their numbers were too great. They were literally spreading panic and death into a large portion of the city. At this rate they would surely destroy everything if left undisturbed and able to roam free.

"This is getting us nowhere," Rin cursed as she attacked a small insect that was climbing the ledge of a tall building with an offensive spell. The beast was hit by a bullet-like sphere and imploded like a balloon. "There are too many of them!"

"These are simple Familiars," Lord El-Melloi II enunciated, helping his assistant take down a second monster with the same spell. "They're too weak to be independent Phantasmal Beasts. Someone must have summoned them and scattered them throughout the city. Someone with an enormous amount of Prana."

Gawain struck a monster in the head, using his broadsword like a sledgehammer. The monster exploded in a burst of ink-black liquid. "An enemy Servant?"

"Almost certainly," the Clock Tower Magus confirmed.

"Must be a Caster, then," Bedivere grunted as he impaled an ant-like monster that was almost four feet tall.

Artoria thrust the tip of her invisible sword into the rubble, lifting it with a Mana Burst. A huge chunk of asphalt and debris was lifted by her power, raining down on a group of insects that were squashed like... like insects, in fact.

"Then fighting like this is useless," Bedivere said, glancing at his King and Gawain. "We need to split up and find the Caster. Once they're taken down, these Familiars should be destroyed as well."

Lord El-Melloi II nodded. "I agree. We need to get rid of the source to stop this chaos. King of Knights, can you sense any energy source from here?"

"More or less. It comes from-"

She didn't have time to finish the sentence.

Artoria's eyes widened, reacting purely on instinct.

She threw herself to the side, leaping away from her position with a sudden leap. A second later, an entire car was thrown into the spot where she had been a moment before, generating an explosion of fire and debris. The earth shook and the asphalt of the road cracked. Somewhere far away, a woman's scream and a child's cry echoed in the air.

The blonde Saber turned to face the new threat with a frown. Her grip on the hilt of her sword increased as she watched the newly arrived enemy positioned on the roof of a half-destroyed house to the right. The others turned in that direction as well, frowning as they readied themselves.

Lord El-Melloi II and Rin gasped.

The enemy was a blue-haired, red-eyed man whose primary outfit consisted of a deep ultramarine full body tights covered in Runic protections, grey metalic pauldrons, and a metal plate over his lowest abdominal section. He wore his hair in a rattail that reached his mid-back, along with a pair of silver earrings on both his ears. As she looked at him, Artoria felt a strange feeling start to grow inside her chest. Her instinct was screaming at her to be careful. That man gave off the impression of a beast, even carrying a bestial smell that her trained draconinc senses could detect extremely well.

But what worried her, more than the Servant's appearance itself, was the weapon he held in his hands. A long red spear with an ominous design, the tip of which pulsed with cursed energy, generating strange trails of air and prana visible to the naked eye.

Artoria was about to address the newcomer, but the distinct sound of a gasp cut her off immediately. She turned to the source, along with her Knights.

Rin was blanching, her whole body trembling slightly. It was more from irritation than actual fear, really, but a distinct trickle of sweat was dripping from her chin. She could see it clearly. Lord El-Melloi II, on the other hand, had narrowed his eyes with an expression that was a mixture of suspicion, disbelief and resignation at the same time. That made Artoria's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Lancer," the black-haired Magus said aloud, looking up to glare at the blue Servant with a solemn expression. "What's the meaning of this?"

Sheer silence was his only answer.

The Lancer leapt into the air with a swift movement, landing gracefully a few dozen feet away from them. He held his head up and shoulders squared, staring at Artoria and her companions with a strange expression. His gaze was dull, empty, devoid of light and interest. Almost as if he was asleep, but with his eyes open and body moving on its own.

Artoria could hear the sound of Waver's teeth grinding together. "Lancer! Answer me!" he roared again.

Gawain brought his greatsword forward, ready to attack. "Mr. Waver... do you know him?"

It was Rin who answered the question. "...earlier you asked us where the other Servants who joined the Clock Tower were," she said in a low, resentful voice. "He's one of them. His name is Cu Chulainn, Servant Lancer, Ireland's Child of Light. A hero from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology."

Bedivere and Gawain stiffened in amazement. They weren't expecting to meet Cu Chulainn in this situation, a Hero famous and renowned even in their own country. This was definitely concerning.

But Artoria didn't show any sign of shock or fear. She merely watched the blue-clad enemy with narrowed eyes. "If you really are allied with the Clock Tower, why did you attack us?" she asked, her voice accusing and more hostile than usual. "Surely you can distinguish a comrade from a foe?"

"..."

He didn't answer.

Lord El-Melloi II gritted his teeth.

"What are you doing, Lancer? Where is Bazett? Why isn't she here with you? Answer me!"

"…"

The Servant watched him with dull, empty eyes.

"Lancer!"

Again, he gave no sign of an answer to Lord El-Melloi II's roar.

"He's being controlled," Artoria deduced, studying him from head to toe. Her green eyes flashed with cold realization. She could detect something strange, something demonic coming from him. "That's why I sensed something strange as soon as I saw him. He's not acting out of his own free will. Something has taken possession of his body."

The sound of the man's teeth grinding together increased.

Lancer showed no expression on his face. With an automatic, almost mechanical movement, his body bent his legs and assumed a fighting stance, with the spear held in both hands and the tip pointed to the ground. Something feral and inhuman shone in his red eyes.

Bedivere gripped the hilt of his sword. "We have to stop him," he declared seriously.

Artoria raised a hand, taking two steps forward. "I'll deal with him, Bedivere, Gawain. You two must split up and protect Rin and Mr. Waver," she stated with a powerful voice.

The two Knights widened their eyes. "M-My liege..." Gawain stuttered.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own," she reassured them in a solemn tone of voice. Truthfully, it seemed more like an order than a reassurance; but they knew better than complain in front of their King. "Our priority is to find who summoned the monsters destroying the city. You must find the Caster and stop him while I keep Lancer busy."

Bedivere was hesitant, but his eyes flashed with resolve after a second. "Are you sure you can handle it alone, my King?"

"I am. I'll hold him off for as long as you need," she said, her voice devoid of any hesitation or fear.

Then, Artoria shot a fleeting glance at Lord El-Melloi II. "If Lancer is really under someone's control, I'll try not to kill him in the fight. I'll buy you as much time as I can. You guys find Caster and take him down. This should put an end to the monsters, and possibly to Lancer's possession too."

Waver Velvet hesitated a couple of seconds. Then, he shook himself out of his anger and irritation, nodding with a determined expression. "Very well. I'll put my trust in you, King of Knights."

"And I shall do the same," she replied, returning to focus on the Lancer.

Nobody wasted any time after that quick exchange. They all knew what they had to do now. Gawain readily grabbed Lord El-Melloi II, sprinting away from there and running at top speed in search of their target towards a street to the right. Bedivere did the same, gently taking Rin in his arms and heading to the left along with her. Artoria nodded mentally at them as she kept her gaze glued to the enemy. They had split up to cover more territory at the same time, and to find the Servant responsible for the attack as soon as possible. A smart move, indeed. It seemed that her Knights had not lost their luster even after all this time. That was refreshing to see-

Her eyes saw the danger instantly.

With an instinctive movement, Artoria parried the tip of the opponent's spear with a casual swing of the sword. Then, she sent his attacker away with a very swift kick.

Cu Chulainn's eyes widened as he was hit in the chest, crashing straight into a garage and smashing it completely with an explosion. He had sprinted on her with a sudden dash, without a hint of warning, and tried to strike her to follow the others and stop their chase. But if he thought he could catch her off guard with such a predictable move, then he was deeply mistaken. He had to do much more than this to stop the proud King of Knights.

Artoria stared at his opponent with cold eyes as he popped out of the rubble and smoke with a mighty leap.

"I shall be you opponent now," she said in a resolute voice, placing her invisible sword next to her in her usual stance. "Come at me, Lancer."

Cu Chulainn leapt with an imprssive speed, his eyes devoid of life but his teeth bared in a feral grin.

Artoria remained calm. She widened her stance, squared her shoulders, narrowed her eyes.

Their weapons collided in an explosion of sparks and metal. She parried the spear, attacking in turn with relentless decision. She danced around his strikes, her weapon guiding her towards the enemy.

Like before, her attack was parried away. She twisted with the momentum. The invisible sword and the red spear collided again, and then again and again and again. They moved with impressive speed, their collision so fast that it was almost invisible during the strikes.

Artoria got the upper hand. Without seeing her weapon, Lancer couldn't measure the distance. He was forced to retreat before she could severe his head with a quick slash, leaping away from her with a frown and a snarl.

The blonde woman watched, calm and impassive, as the blue warrior lunged forward again, aiming the lance at her chest in a straight lunge.

She dodged it, ducking under the spear and thrusting it up with a determined battle cry and a swing of the sword. The ground beneath her feet cracked, and fragments of cement and asphalt rose from the ground, struck by the wind generated by the blow. Lancer widened his eyes, gaping in stupor, as his lance shot to the air against his will. He blinked, then barely managed to dodge a blow with a twist of the head to the side and a sudden dash backward. A few strands of hair were severed by the invisible blade during his retreat.

Artoria gave him no respite. She chased him with a sudden sprint, assaulting him with a series of relentless sword strikes, forcing him to defend without giving him a chance to attack again. Cu Chulainn backed away with clenched teeth, trying desperately to get away from her and grabbing the spear with his hands to deflect and parry all her blows. A single hit could be fatal, and both her and the enemy knew it all too well.

Then, the Saber noticed his opponent's disadvantage. The blonde suddenly stomped on the ground, raising the sword above her head with a battle cry, and she knocked it down with all the force she could generate, slamming it against the defending enemy. The Lancer managed to block it by bringing the spear in front of him at the last second; but the damage was already done. The spear almost bended under the force of the blow, and a moment later Lancer was thrown away completely, crashing into a building a dozen of feet away. A series of debris and metal crashed down on him, burying him alive after the crash.

Artoria took a deep breath as she readied herself once again, waiting for his next move. Her eyes never lost sight of her opponent even when she regained her breath. The difference in power between the two of them was as obvious as day and night. Lancer was swift and agile, but lacked in strength and reflexes compared to her. She didn't know if this was beacause he was being controlled or not, but she suspected this was not the case. Actually, given her current knowledge of the War, she was inclined to assume this could be a normal result. Artoria was a Saber, the most powerful Class among the Servants. And she was also one of the most famous legendary figures in the world. There was no one who could fully match her in a fight even back when she was alive. Combining these two elements together had made her one of the most powerful Servants ever. There were probably few who could really compete against her in a battle of blades and strenght.

But this certainly didn't mean she could let her guard down in a fight.

The enemy Lancer immediately showed himself, jumping in the air from a second explosion of dust and debris. He threw himself at her with a roar, his face filled with a blind rage that didn't really seem to belong to him.

Artoria remained calm. She parried yet another blow from the spear, then deflected a flurry of debilitating blows as she kicked the enemy in the side. Her eyes could pratically see the pain and rage in the Lancer's face while he was hit by her blow, and she had to suppress a satisfacted smile from her lips. This was a duel, and no honorable Knight could ever take pleasure from a battle.

Lancer sprinted away from her, regarding her with hostility. He rotated the spear in the air with one hand, his dead eyes blazing with rage and his teeth bared in a feral snarl. The female King was about to launch herself at him again, but...

A roaring sound echoed in the air.

Both Artoria and Cu Chulainn blinked in confusion.

Lifting their heads to gaze at the sky, they both noticed the cause of the deafening noise that was filling the air.

A small, yellow airplane falling towards the city at full speed.

'...what is that?' she thought with suspicion, confused by the sudden interruption.

Her question would remain unanswered. The King of Knights narrowed her eyes as she watched the flying vehicle disappear over a tall building more than twenty kilometers away from her position. Then, after a couple of seconds of silence, a large explosion echoed in the distance, and the earth shook and trembled for a couple of seconds soon after. It was the proof that heralded what she suspected.

The plane had landed in the middle of the city.

Or rather... it had crashed in the middle of the city.

'…what in the world…?'

But Artoria didn't have time to worry about any possible passengers and pilots right now. In fact, with a roar of rage and ferocity, Cu Chulainn turned to stare ad her once again. Then, without wasting a single second, he leapt forward with a hiss of the air, his spear pulsing with red energy and his face twisted into a growl that was more animalistic than human.

The woman gritted her teeth, preparing to defend herself from the enemy a second time. She promptly dodged his charge and started to sprint towards the central area of the city with a burst of prana and a mighty jump. She had hold the enemy off to give her companions as much time as possible so they could find the Caster and stop him for good. She couldn't afford to fail and let them down.

The woman smiled when she saw the possessed Lancer give chase behind her.

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Old Town – Water of Leith (Edinburgh - Scotland)

(======)

Shirou felt bad for Gray. He really did.

Despite the dire situation they were in (and their barely avoided death) he let out an exasperated sigh as she gently patted Gray's back with a ripetitive motion. He gave her a compassionate look, while glaring at the same time at one of his companions with barely veiled irritation. The poor girl was literally weeping as she tried to hold back her growning nausea since they got off the plane. Or rather – as it was more accurate to say – jumped off the plane. They had been forced to leave the airplane while it was falling towards the ground. The flying vehicle had miraculously – in a literal sense – crashed into a river in the middle of the city, causing no damage by some sort of divine intervention.

Their mad flight to Edinburgh had forced them into an emergency landing, given that the airplane they stole during the morning had very little fuel from the start. But the journey had been very unpleasant, given the old state of the plane and the 'peculiar' driving skills of a certain Saber of the group. Shirou was sure that, if it hadn't been for his advanced body and his status as a God, he too would have felt sick at this moment. And considering that Gray was a mere human girl...

No, it was definitely not an experience he wanted to repeat. Ever.

He stared at the person responsible for their current situation with a deadpan and a twitching eyebrow. "Kid, this is the last time you will drive anything in my presence," he stated.

Shirou knew it as a fact, the same way one knew the sky was blue or the water wet.

Mordred pouted with a scowl, but even she knew she was outnumbered. For once in fact, even Iskandar was giving her a hard stare while he crossed his arms with clear disapproval. "Oh come on, you dimwits!" she protested loudly, waving her arms like a child giving a tantrum. "It wasn't that bad! Everything was fine until the landing! We still managed to avoid damage to the city! And it's not my fault if that plane was a junk of trash without enough fuel!" Her cheeks burned in shame under her companions' hard stare. "H-How about you guys try to drive it next time, huh?"

"...Saber, you were the one who chose it and insisted to drive," the tall Rider remarked with a raised brow.

The Knight of Treachery grumbled with a pout and a blush. Shirou facepalmed.

He shook his head with a weary sigh. He turned his attention to the poor girl kneeling on the ground. "Are you ok?"

She barely nodded at his words, taking large gulps of air as the sickness slowly subsided. Her face was still paler than normal, though. "Y-Yes," she managed to gasp slowly. "The nausea is passing. I... I can stand now."

Shirou helped her to her feet. As soon as Gray recovered, the four of them immediately began to regain their focus and observe the surroundings. And just as they had suspected when they saw the news back in England, the situation was not the best.

Chaos, flames, death and destruction had enveloped the entire capital like an invisible cloak, throwing everything into panic.

"The situation is worse than I imagined," Iskandar commented in a serious tone, glancing around with a hard gaze and studying the destruction that showed itself everywhere. "Many buildings are destroyed, the citizens are nowhere to be found, and the whole city is littered with monsters. It will take a long while for things to return to normal."

Mordred scoffed. "If they ever will, anyway. This place looks worse than a dump," she commented, physically flinching at the chaos around them. This was hard to watch, literally.

Shirou remained silent, merely observing the destruction around him with cold eyes filled with silent anger. His rage was builiding inside him. This vision, this chaos... it was the exact opposite of what his mission represented. An endless expanse of death and destruction that was ruining an elegant and famous city like Edinburgh. This was not acceptable. It was not tolerable.

He had to do something to put an end to this. Fast.

"Let's get moving," he ordered, now fully returned into serious-mode. "Let's tear down the bastards who caused this."

"Now we're talking, Ruler!" Mordred cheered next to him, grinning with a feral smirk as she summoned her armor and sword with a bolt of red lightning.

Iskandar nodded as well, summoning his chariot and helping Gray climb on it. Together, the four of them made their way through the flames and destroyed buildings, in search for the Servant or the being who had caused all this.

They didn't have to advance very far. As soon as they crossed the bridge they landed on previously, they were faced with a large swarm of horrifying-looking insects that were infesting all the streets and the majority of the buildings. And of course, like the good Servants they were, they took care of them immediately without batting an eye. Such opponents were nothing but a nuisance to them. They couldn't even sweat from this.

Shirou ducked the sloppy attack from a giant ant and summoned a dagger. As the beast tried to bite his head off, he pulled his arm back and slammed the dagger into the monster's head. It was thrown at three other monsters by the force of the blow, throwing them into the nearby river with a splash. At the same time, Mordred sliced a couple of beasts with her sword, slicing them in half effortlessly. The severed corpses she left behind exploded in pools of tar as she continued to advance. And Iskandar for his part just ran over the monsters with his chariot, trampling them with his wheels and the furious kicks of the bulls. His electric thunderbolts took care of the insects too big to be trampled.

Gray just watched their fight with wide eyes and eyes full of wonder. Without Add or a magical weapon, there was no way she could help them in battle.

Just like that, the bridge was cleared in less than a minute.

But it wasn't over. The whole city was infested with those repulsive beasts. It was literally impossible to kill them all this way, facing them one by one. There was not enough time to do that, and doing such a thing was risky for the protection of the citizens and the city itself. If they were to stop this, they had to find a way to kill all the Phantasmal Beasts at the same time.

And luckily for them, a certain someone knew what to do.

With his trained skills, Shirou closed his eyes and expanded the mind, focusing on his objective. Then, just as he expected, he immediately detected the source of prana that was controlling the monsters from afar. A peculiar, distinctive signature of mana and energy. A magic Familiar. A Servant.

That was his true prey.

"There," he said, turning to the others. "I sense the master controlling the monsters over there," he said, pointing a finger towards a tall tower in the middle of the eastern part of the city.

Iskandar grinned in trepidation. "Very well! Get on my chariot, my companions! We shall ride forth immediately!" he declared with a bellowing laugh as he raised his sword to the sky. Then, he summoned a sudden shower of lightning that hit and destroyed twenty spiders on the roofs of the buildings, clearing a path for them.

Climbing into the chariot, the four of them flew into the sky and reached the top of the tower in but a few seconds. However, as they got closer and closer, Shirou and the others quickly noticed that something was wrong.

The air around them was filling with a white mist.

And not a normal mist.

A mist full of prana.

Shirou was the first to jump out of the chariot, landing on the roof of the tower with a graceful thud. He glanced around with narrowed eyes full of solemn decision. Then, he summoned a sword, staring at the invisible opponent in the middel of the fog with an intensive gaze.

"Show yourself."

The enemy Servant immediately obeyed his command.

And when it appeared, Shirou and Iskandar and Mordred narrowed their eyes as Gray held her breath in fear and shock.

The Servant in front of them was definitely different from what they were expecting.

To say he was 'unique' was an understatement. It was freaking bizzarre. He looked like a clown with demonic traits. His skin was pale white, eyes purple with pinkish pupils, and his hair of a light purple, flowing downwards and curling into tubes, separated into multiple bangs. Purple tear-shaped drawings of makeup were found underneath his eyes, and his lips were painted in blue lipstick. He had a thin tail that splits into three, each end with a heart-shaped tip.

His outfit was quite strange as well. It included: an elaborately ornate hat with horn shaped protrusions; a cape of purple fur that reached his waist; a red bow tied around his neck with golden trims; a carmine jacket with the zipper pulled down, revealing his white thorax, with electric blue sleeves with attached gloves and holes exposing the overside of the arm, the blue turning carmine in the gloves; a pair of electric blue shorts, decorated with golden lines, and with carmine frills; thin stockings with a diamond pattern, colored light purple and violet-blue; high-heeled boots, resembling elf shoes, colored purple and gold with green fur around the ankles.

Basically, he looked like... he looked almost like...

"...what in the actual, genuine fuck is that?" Mordred hissed under her breath, her disbelief perceptible even with her full-body armor.

Gray hid herself a little behind Iskandar's massive body.

"A... A clown?"

"Hmm. He's quite strange, indeed," the Rider agreed with a raised brow, scratching his beard as he studied the enemy with an intenze gaze.

Shirou said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes. There was something extremely wrong about this man. He could feel it.

It was Mordred who voiced his doubts. She glared at the clown-like Servant with a solemn gaze. "Hey, you! Scarecrow! Or are you a clown? Whatever! Anyway…" she declared, wielding her sword and thrusting its tip into the ground with a decisive movement. "…you stink like hell. It's like blood, guts, and fire. I can smell death upon you even from here."

Her eyes narrowed beneath her helmet. "You're the one, aren't you? The one who summoned these monsters. You're murdering the civilians in the city."

The Servant took a step forward. An eerie smile crept between his lips. "Yes, I did― Wait, no, let me see. Just a moment, please."

Shirou and the others stared at him with confusion as he visibly hesitated, frowning as he put his hand to his chin with a thoughtful expression. After a few seconds he nodded, baring his teeth into a mad and insane grin. "Indeed, indeed. All those people will not open their eyes, brush their teeth, eat food, or breathe ever again," he nodded again. "Yes, yes. Frankly speaking, I'm certain a lot of them are dead."

Gray could not hold back a shiver from running across her back after the Servant made those declarations like someone discussing the weather. There was something evil, and twisted, and insane in the way he talked, he posed and expressed his words. Something that made her shiver in terror and anxiety.

Iskandar remained silent, his expression hardening cosiderably after those words. Shirou didn't react at all, instead, watching him with absolute calm and composure, his eyes narrowing even further.

The Servant noticed Gray's terror instantly. He widened his grin, staring with insane eyes at the girl who was hiding behind Iskandar. "Oh my… did I scare the beautiful young lady?" he asked, breaking into fit of laughter that echoed in the air for a few seconds. "My apologies. As you can see, I'm a Demon, after all―"

Neither the God of War nor the others reacted to his words.

The insane Servant hesitated at their indifference. Then he chuckled nervously. "Ok, ok. That was a joke. I'm sorry for letting you down, but I'm actually a Heroic Spirit. I'm a Servant just like you. The Class is Caster."

Again, the others did not react.

"…Oh? Well, folks, you don't get it?"

Mordred stomped on the ground, her body oozing sheer disgust and irritation. "That's enough. Shut up."

The Caster grinned. "No, I'm sure you got that. You wonder why I revealed my Class so easily? It is reasonable during this Holy Grail War! At least all of you know why! An encounter instantly becomes an all-out battle! As we are Servants without Masters… we can be called the most powerful forces on earth. However… heheheheAHAHAH!" His body was suddenly shaken by a frenzied laughter, and the Servant had to squeeze his own abdomen with his arms to regain a minimum of demeanor. For what little demeanor a repulsive and insane monster disguised as a clown could have...

"...Sadly, Heroes like us are summoned only to fight. Oh, it's a shame! It's a shame indeed! There's no escape from this fate! You'd best protect yourselves well. Otherwise, in no time… you shall all d-"

"Enough small talk. And wipe that grin off your face right now," Mordred cut him off with a growl.

The Caster blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

The female knight trembled in rage. "That smirk of a smile… so annoying!" she hissed, glaring at him with obvious rage. "Was it really fun to kill all those people? To destroy a great part of the city? To cause death and destruction everywhere!?" she snarked.

The enemy merely grinned. "Why, yes―" he replied. "It was the right thing to do. This world is so twisted, you see. So corrupt, so sinful. It needs a correction. A correction made by blood! We are born of blood, made men by the blood, unmade by the blood. All I have to do is open the world's eyes! Besides, it is my mission. The ultimate apex of our cause!"

Shirou stiffened. "Cause?" he repeated in suspicion.

"Yes, cause. When you are obligated to do something. It's quite a nuisance, indeed. But still, it's quite enjoyable for me. Anyone will work hard for a job they enjoy. And to see so many deaths… their expression in the moment they die… the face of a human who understood the transition from life to death… Despair! Sorrow! Ah… that's exactly it―" he singsonged, bursting into another fit of laughs.

"…you're crazy, aren't you?" Iskandar stated the obvious.

Shirou clenched a fist. "So you were quested to do this," he deduced, glaring at the Caster with barely contained rage. "Someone entrusted you to cause death and destruction here, today."

'Just like Hessian Lobo' he mentally added.

The Caster gave the red-haired warrior an unreadable smile. "Well… something like that," he admitted. "It killed my boredom. At least, I guess?"

"…I see," Mordred said, her voice low and cold. "But even if we're in another country, these people are still citizen of my Father's old kingdom. You took them… hurt them, killed them. You put your hands on 'my stuff' without my permission. You know what will happen because of this?"

"Oh? What~?" he asked with irony, widening his grin.

Mordred lifted Clarent up with inhuman anger. "Simple: I'm going to kill you, dumb-ass clown!" she roared, preparing for a battle.

But the Caster burst out laughing like the madman he was. "Well, well, well! You? Killing me? Can you, really?" his crazed grin widened, until it became more demonic than human. "You seem to be a hot-blooded person! Good, that's fine! Try to not disappoint me, then! Buuut… you might as well watch out for the explosions! My Noble Phantasm has already been set up!"

He smiled at her stunned frame.

Gray blanched with obvious terror. "W-W-What?"

Iskandar turned to Shirou with a serious gaze. "Ruler. Is he telling the truth?"

The God of War clenched a fist and tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword. "I don't know. Maybe it's because of this fog or a personal skill, but whatever he placed in the city it's undetectable," he answered, keeping his cool even when faced with such news.

The Caster emitted another loud laugh.

"And now, by my true name, Mephistopheles… I shall relish striking you all down into despair!"

Mordred charged with a ferocious roar.

Her sword cut the Servant right through the chest...

...only to see his body explode in a cloud of purple smoke.

She blinked in shock, leaping away quickly from the smoke. "What the heck!?" she hissed.

The smoke dissolved into nothing. After a few seconds, the Servant's presence disappeared completely.

Gray stared at the point where Mephistopheles stood just a few moments before. "W-Where is he?"

"He's no longer here," Shirou answered, glancing around in every direction with his eyes. He was glaring at the whole city with a solemn and menacing gaze. He inwardly cursed after he realized what happened. He knew what this ability was. "Damn it. Not only that Caster has the ability to summon thousands of familiars and bombs… he can also teleport. It will be impossible to fight him normally at this point."

Mordred stomped on the ground, cracking the rooftop with an irritated growl. "Then what do we do?" she asked him.

The red-haired God stared at the horizon, observing the city from above. "Simple: we split up. He couldn't have gotten too far. He must still be around here, somewhere. We have to find him and kill him before he can detonate more bombs in the city."

"Splitting us will increase our chances of tracking him down," Iskandar agreed, already preparing to act. He climbed on his chariot again, and at the same time grabbed Gray with one arm and carried her over his shoulder as she sqeaked in surprise. "Very well. I'll take the little girl with me. Ruler, Saber. We shall find Caster and put him out of his misery as soon as possible!"

"Agreed," Shirou nodded. He moved a hand into his pocket, taking out a certain small modified earphone and slipping it into his ear. "You have your own earphones. They will allow us to communicate even if separated. If you find the enemy, contact the others immediately with these. Destroy anything else that gets in your way. Are we clear?"

The three Servants shared a nod while Gray squeaked awkwardly from Iskandar's shoulder.

Mordred raised Clarent to her shoulder. "Alright. Whoever finds that bastard and kills him first wins!" she declared with a grin. Then, without giving the others time to reply, she immediately sprinted to the right and leaped away from the roof with a powerful mana burst and a jump.

Shirou and Iskandar shook their heads at her recklessness. Then, they exchanged a nod to each other before setting off in a different direction in search of their carzy, dangerous enemy.

The last thing Shirou heard before leaping off the tower was Gray's shrill shriek along with Iskandar's powerful laughter as they soared into the sky on Gordius Wheel.

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: New Town (Edinburgh - Scotland)

(======)

Waver stared seriously as Gawain severed the head of yet another monster with his broadsword.

Moving along with the Magus of the Clock Tower, the Knight of the Sun had destroyed a large number of familiars. Now, their search was continuing unabated. They felt no closer to finding the Caster, but at least their hunting drew a large number of the creatures away from attacking the innocent. The flow of creatures seemed to be never-ending as they advanced trough the big capital of Scotland. It was literally impossible to count all the monsters that haunted the city. There must have been hundreds of them, perhaps even thousands. The realization that there was a Servant capable of summoning such a number of Familiars worried Waver a lot. Such an opponent would certainly prove to be difficult to defeat.

The Magus fired a projectile-like sphere from his hands, making the head of a large spider that threatened to attack him from behind explode. "Have you found it yet?" Lord El-Melloi II asked aloud, glancing at the Knight as he fought bravely in the middle of a a parking lot.

Gawain remained impassive as he destroyed another creature with his greatsword. "Unfortunately not. I cannot detect anything but monsters around here," he replied with the utmost seriousness. "We must keep going, Mr. Waver."

Waver had to suppress the urge to grit his teeth in frustration. Gawain was a powerful Servant and an excellent Saber, but his sensitive abilities were inferior to those of the King of Knights. He assumed it was normal. Artoria Pendragon was a special case even among Servants. An exception, if anyhing. Her perceptive abilities were what you would obtain if you implanted a Dragon Core inside a human's body. Very few were those in the Saber Class who could match her skills.

And as if the situation wasn't difficult enough, the creatures around them were growing more and more numerous by the second. The young Lord cursed when he saw a group of people suddenly emerge from an alley on the right. Two men, a woman and a child. They were frantically running away from a giant ant that hissed and threatened to devour them with its mandibles.

"Gawain! There!" he said, but the Knight was already moving.

With a sudden dash, the mighty Saber leapt at the creature and sliced it in half from its torso, instantly killing it with a single blow. The ant's legs twitched furiously for several seconds before its entire body dissolved into a pool of black liquid. With a nod of thanks, the civilians started running away from there withiut sparing them a single glance.

Lord El-Melloi II sighed in resignation. This mess would surley prove to be difficult to hide from the eyes of the world. And he had a feeling that things were going to escalate very soon with this accursed Holy Grail War.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he noticed the unexpected swarm of giant insects that had surrounded him from all sides only when it was too late. Waver gasped and roused himself from stupor with a grunt, sweating profusely from the tension as he readied himself to fight. Gawain moved to help him, but luckily for both of them there was no need.

Aid, in fact, unexpectedly came from above.

With a roaring laugh and the bellowing of two bulls, a mighty Servant descended from the sky and crushed a number of monsters with the hooves of his bulls and the wheels of the chariot. Purple lightning shocked the insect-like creatures and traveled along the trails of liquid slime they left behind them, while yet more were cleaved by the scythes at the sides of the chariot.

"Hah! Clear the path, fellow warriors! These creatures face Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"

Waver gaped at the scene before him, completely stunned and floored. His eyes widened inhumanly in shock. He had never, ever, seen such a Servant before.

He was tall, extremely tall, so much so that he was as imposing as a statue. He had a sturdy, muscular body, sternly chiseled features with eyes that gave off a dazzling glow, able to overtake Waver's soul in an instant with their sharpness, and burning red hair and beard. He was so imposing, so mighty with his mere presence that the young Lord couldn't help but feel an immense amazement as soon as he saw him, as well as a deep awe. Even Gawain was looking at the Servant with wide, confused eyes; clearly impressed for some reason.

The Servant guided his chariot with a bellowing laugh, assaulting all the creatures in his proximity and destroying them with the wheels of the chariot or the electric shocks created by the bulls. Then, in less than a minute, all the monsters in the parking lot and those within a radius of two hundred meters were destroyed like nothing.

The mighty Servant stopped the chariot in front of a stunned Waver, glancing around with a disappointed look as he held something on his shoulder.

"Hm. That was simpler than expected," he stated, even as Gawain approached him with a cautious look. "These creatures are not a challenge worthy of the great Iskandar."

Waver stared with mouth agape, completely baffled by that behaviour. "Y-You," he stuttered, shocked. "Why are you revealing your True Name so casually? Who... What... Why!?"

His mind was completely overwhelmed by the upheaval. He had never met such a being before. A Servant who announced his presence to the world without fear and remorse, right in front of an enemy Servant, riding lightning and soaring the sky as he pleased. Even Gawain was confused quite a bit.

The Servant, Iskandar, turned to look at the young Lord with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you surprised, young man? Servants come in all shapes and sizes!" he grinned to the staring man, before flowing effortlessly into teasing as he pointed to the body – a girl? – dangling over his shoulder. "Or is it the lady's shape itself that disarms you?"

The man immediately blushed at the implication, starting to stutter despite the current situation.

"L-Lord Iskandar! P-Please put me down! I beg you!"

Lord El-Melloi II widened his eyes and gaped even more. He recognized that voice instantly. It couldn't be...

"Gray?"

"T-Teacher!"

As soon as the girl was brought down by the Servant, she sprinted towards Waver with tears in her eyes, relief clearly visible in her hooded face. "Thank goodness! Teacher! You're ok!"

"...that's my line, you foolish girl," he replied, grabbing her shoulders as soon as she was close and observing her with attention. He then he tossed the formalities to the air, hugging her swiftly as he sighed in relief. He could hear her weep a little on his shoulder, but he didn't care. "Thank God. I'm glad you're fine," he whispered.

She nodded, burying her face further in his shoulder.

"Young Lady," Gawain approached respectfully soon after that, smiling at her with a nod and a bow. "I'm glad you're here. Are you harmed? Injured?"

She shook her head, wiping her tears away. "N-No... I'm fine! I'm totally fine! L-Lord Iskandar and his friends saved me from an attack and protected me until now!" she explained, giving in to relief. "It was thanks to them that I was able to reach you here! W-We headed here as soon as we heard the news."

Lord El-Melloi II assimilated the information for several seconds. Then he let out a sigh. "I see," he turned to face the gigantic Servant, offering him a slight bow of gratitude. "I thank you, truly, for saving and protecting my assistant until now. You have my gratitute, Servant."

The Rider broke into a broad grin. "Hah. Don't sweat it, young man. No honorable King could ever ignore people in need. A ruler like me might be greedy, but I have a sense of honor too!" he boasted with his trademark laugh. Then he smiled, turning to the hooded girl. "It seems you were right, little girl. You're teacher was sent here, just as you suspected. You've got a sharp mind, haven't you?"

Gray blushed at the praise.

Gawain approached him with seriousness and a little bit of reverence. "So you truly are Iskandar, the Macedonian King of Conquerors?" he asked him.

The other Servant widened his smile, crossing his arms in a gesture that was both solemn and boastful. "Indeed, that's me. Glad to hear my name is well known even to this day and age. And who might you be, fellow Knight?" he asked in turn, already guessing the identity of the Saber allied with the Clock Tower.

"I'm Gawain, Knight of the Sun. Faithful subject and sword of Arthur Pendragon, King of Britain," he introduced himself with a bow, serious as a statue.

The giant man nodded impassively. He had expected him to be a Knight of the Round Table. Their previous talk with Gray during the morning had allowed him to deduce a lot of things, after all.

He then turned back to Waver. "And I suppose you must be Waver Velvet, then. The little girl here talked a lot about you."

Lord El-Melloi II nodded, trying to keep his composure in front of the imposing figure of that Servant. He was literally standing before the legendary Alexander the Great in the flesh. Anyone would have been scared and nervous in his situation. "I... I am," he swallowed.

"Very well," Iskandar nodded as he drew a sword from his side. "Then, my fellow warriors, I shall ask you to join my quest today. We must find Caster, the one who summoned those creatures and destroyed the city, and stop him once and for all," he declared loudly, pointing the sword to the sky.

Waver gaped. "Y-You know about Caster?"

"Yes! We saw him ten minutes ago, teacher!" Gray explained to him frantically, remembering what had happened a little while ago. "The one who caused all of this is a Servant dressed as a clown! His name is Mephistopheles!"

Both Lord El-Melloi II and Gawain stiffened upon hearing this.

"Mephistopheles? The Demon of temptation that appears in Goethe's masterpiece, 'Faust'?" the Lord asked for clarification, clearly stunned by the news.

Iskandar nodded with a serious expression.

"Let's not waste time here, young man. We have a lot of things to do."

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Dalry (Edinburgh - Scotland)

(======)

Bedivere cursed as he thrust his sword into the liquid skull of a mantis-shaped monster.

As soon as it died, the faithful knight glanced at his surroindings with watchful eyes. He, along with Rin, was currently fighting on the rooftops of the buildings built in the most central area of Edinburgh, the innermost part of the city. Here, despite the general critical situation, the damage to the infrastructure and buildings remained minimal even now. That was because most of the creatures had attacked the outskirts of the capital, and they were gradually pushing towards the center, destroying and attacking everything and everyone who dared to stand in their way. At this rate, if they didn't do something, the whole city was going to be razed to the ground.

And this was something Bedivere could not allow to happen.

A second mantis swooped at him with jagged legs ready to catch him, but he reacted faster. He rolled under its hind legs, pointed the sword upward, and pierced its mid-body with a straight lunge. The insect-like beast hissed horribly, before spasming and exploding in a shower of black liquid. Bedivere wiped the liquid off the armor with a sigh of relief.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rin firing a few spells similar to bullets at a number of creatures attempting to approach from below, hitting them in the head and paws as they climbed the buildings. The knight smiled at that scene. That girl might be young and a little too quick to temper, but she possessed both enviable courage and skills in Magecraft. Seeing such an enterprising and determined Magus was a rare sight to behold for a Knight like him, and he suspected it was something rare even for the modern age of men. He smiled a little at the thought.

But his smile didn't last long. It disappeared in but a few seconds.

With his trained senses and his current status as a Servant, Bedivere immediately sensed the sudden change in the air. He could feel the sudden presence like the wind changing direction during a storm. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and tension as he gazed in a certain direction. From there, he could sense a certain familiar presence getting closer and closer to their current location. And he didn't like this one bit.

A magical source of energy. A source of prana.

It was getting closer and closer by the second.

He knew what it was.

An enemy Servant.

Still, it wasn't so much this awareness what frightened him. What actually bothered him, really, was the fact that this new energy signature was... weird, to his senses. Extremely weird. Almost familiar, actually. As if he had felt it before, in his life, but he couldn't remember where or when it happened. And this bothered him more than he liked to admit.

As the signature of prana became closer, he knew what he had to do. "Lady Rin!" he called, instantly grabbing the attention of the girl who was continuing to attack the monsters below on the streets. "We have an incoming Servant approaching our location!"

The black-haired girl widened her eyes. "Caster?"

Bedivere swallowed his nerves. "...I doubt it."

Neither of them wasted any more time after that exchange. Bedivere and Rin ignored the few creatures left on the streets of the city, starting to make their way on the other rooftops to reach the source of prana that the Knight was detecting. It wasn't exactly heading towards them, he realized, but it was actually approaching with some hesitation and a slow pace. As if the incoming Servant was actually looking for something more than trying to reach them, just like them. This puzzled Bedivere quite a bit as he ran along the roof of a giant building made of brick and stone, followed closely by Rin.

Finally, they reached the enemy Servant after a couple of minutes. There, from the edge of a building, a figure bounded. It landed in a squat, strightened, and stared at them from a dozen meters of distance. Metal scaped and clinked. An armor of silver steel trimmed with red markings. A horned elm. A menancing and familiar sword.

Bedivere gaped in absolute shock.

One could hear a pin drop.

He knew who this Servant was.

…

"Huh? What the hell are you doing here… Bedivere?"

The Knight of the Round felt his eyes widen and the air leave his lungs. "…s-sir Mordred?" he breathed.

He could feel Rin glancing at him in stupor from behind, shocked beyond words by the news.

Mordred raised her broadsword, Clarent, resting it on her shoulder like a baseball bat. The mere sight of that sword brought a series of bad memories to him. Bedivere flinched physically.

"...I-Is it really you, sir Mordred?" he whispered again, distraught.

The other Knight tilted her head a little, as if she was glaring at him beneath that menacing helmet. "Tch. I came here because I felt a source of prana, but I wasn't expecting to meet you of all people..." she spat, her voice more contemptuous than usual.

Bedivere struggled to keep his calm. He swallowed a little. "Why are you here?" he asked her in the end, his voice low and dubious.

The female Knight didn't answer right away. She glanced at him, then at Rin, and then back at him with a gaze hidden from the helmet. Then, slowly, her shoulders lowered with a sigh that seemed to be a mixture of irritation and annoyance.

"Whatever. I have no time to lose with you," she said, leaving him surprised with those words. Then, without waiting for his reply, she turned to leave and walked over the edge of the rooftop. But not before offering him one last, parting look of disdain. "This is your lucky day, Bedivere. As much as I'd like to fight you here and now, we'll have to wait. I have another prey to hunt right now. You won't be so lucky next time."

Mordred pointed her head towards the north, towards a distant point of the city. "I can feel another source of prana coming from there... maybe that's where he went," she muttered with a soft growl. Her predatory smile was perceptible even without being able to see it.

Bedivere hesitated, confused and stunned.

Then, he realized the direction in which Mordred was pointing her gaze.

His eyes widened as he too felt the source of prana coming from there.

There... in that direction was... there was...

'No... No way...'

His King.

No!

He couldn't allow it.

"Wait!" he cried, raising a hand to stop her before she could leave. "Wait, sir Mordred!"

Incredibly, much to his surprise, she complied. Her body stopped all of a sudden, as if she wasn't expecting his reaction. Then, slowly, her horned helmet turned towards him once again, staring at him with evident hostility.

Bedivere strengthened his resolve. "P-Please answer me. Why are you here? What is your purpose?" he questioned again. Seeing her stubborn silence, his green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Don't tell me that... you are involved in this destruction?" he muttered, looking for every possible hypothesis in his mind.

That sentence seemed to make her stiffen all of a sudden. Then, slowly, Mordred burst into a deep, hoarse laugh.

But the laugh didn't last long. The female Knight returned serious and solemn in less than five seconds.

"...tell me, Bedivere," she spoke, her voice low, and cold, and menacing like never before. "Why would you ever suggest the idea that I could be involved in this kind of situation?"

Bedivere swallowed, the tension rising inside his chest, but he kept his expression as firm as before. Behind him, Rin was starting to sweat a lot.

Mordred smiled beneath her helmet. "Oh, that's right! Maybe it's because I'm an evil Knight, right?" she spat, her tone filled with as much rage and cruelty as possible. "It's because I'm the evil one among you!"

"I... I never said-"

"My purpose is none of your concern," she interrupted him loudly, her voice a growl of rage and disdain. "My reason to be here is not for you to know. I don't need to tell you anything, Bedivere. Actually, I don't need you at all!"

The silver-haired man clenched his fist when he saw the Knight of Treachery turn again towards his King's direction. He knew that there was no way to persuade her to stop. She was too stubborn, too hateful and too filled with resentment to be able to listen to him. And as much as he hated to do this, even despite their conflicted past, he wouldn't hesitate. He couldn't hesistate.

He could not allow Mordred to reach his King. Not now. Not again.

Never again.

He knew then that there was no way this encounter could end well. "...even despite this, I cannot allow you to go in that direction," he said seriously, tightening his grip on the sword and straightening his back.

Mordred turned again to him, confusion clear on her face despite her menacing armor and helmet. Then, she stiffened suddenly, her eyes glancing to Bedivere's face and the direction where she was feeling the source of prana. Her arm wielding Clarent trembled a little in rage and trepidation.

"I see," she mused in the end.

The air dropped several degrees.

Bedivere could literally feel Mordred's feral grin behind that helmet.

"Father is there, isn't he?" she spat hatefully, her voice full of mocking derision. "You want to prevent me from meeting him. You're scared that I could fight him again. Kill him, again!" she added, laughing with derision when she saw him bristle in rage and contempt.

Bedivere knew what he had to do. "Lady Rin… please get away from here."

The young girl hesitated. "B-But-"

"Please. This is between me and my former comrade."

Rin stared at him, then at Mordred. Then, reluctantly, she gritted her teeth and fled, running away from there and using a reinforcement spell to throw herself off the roof and land unscathed on the ground, surviving from the nearly two-hundred-meters jump.

Bedivere readied his sword, glaring at his former comrade.

Mordred grinned, lifting Clarent with a smile filled with hate and disdain.

Then, it started.

Their charge nearly broke the sound barrier as they clashed.

Bedivere's sword and Clarent collided with an explosion of sparks and metal. A gust of wind was generated around them. Bedivere gritted his teeth under the pressure of the Knight of Rebellion, wincing from fatigue as he desperately tried to resist.

As expected, she was as strong as ever.

"The Knights of the Round colluding with the Clock Tower," she sneered, her voice monotone and unimpressed as she kept pressuring him with her strenght alone. "How dare you and Father stoop so low? What a horrible joke."

He glared at her. "I have nothing to say to the likes of you who killed the King!"

That made her growl in rage. "Shut up!"

Bedivere gasped as his sword was parried to the side and a kick hit him in the chest. The force of the blow threw him backwards for several feet. He lifted his head to stare with wide eyes at Mordred as she pointed Clarent at him.

"Step aside, Bedivere. Or else, I'll grind you and that girl into dust!" she declared.

He said nothing, did nothing. All he did was straighten up, strengthening his resolve and pointing his sword at her as well.

Mordred glared. "Hoh? So that's how it is..."

Seconds passed, filled with silence.

She waited one more second. Then, the armored girl dashed again towards him at full speed, her sword raised above her head and ready to strike. Bedivere reacted quickly, blocking the blow with his blade and pulling Clarent away with a tug of his arms, grunting in pain and fatigue.

Mordred grinned beneath her helmet. "You still have that ridiculous prosthetic arm, you coward!" she mocked him with rage, lunging at him again with a horizontal blow.

Bedivere widened his eyes.

They clashed again and again as he spoke with decision.

"I don't have the blessing of the Lake…"

CLANG

"Nor the blessing of the Sun…"

CLANG

"I didn't even have…"

CLANG

"Natural talent for swordsmanship!"

Mordred growled as the enemy parried all her blows. She unleashed a vertical slash of monstrous power. Bedivere barely avoided the blow by stepping to the side. Then, their swords collided again, generating a blur of sparks and a tremor in the air.

Bedivere dodged a second vertical slash. "And yet, even someone like me was trusted by the King…"

Clarent smashed on the ground with a thud, shattering the roof of the building and cracking the floor. Bedivere stepped on the enemy's blade with a foot, taking advantage of the moment and raising his arms to slash at her.

"...until the very end!"

It didn't work.

Mordred roared in rage and fury. With a powerful Mana Burst, she raised her sword again from the ground, while at the same time throwing Bedivere into the air while he still tried to block her sword with his foot. But Mordred was way stronger compared to Bedivere – who was the only 'normal' human among the Knights of the Round Table, and consequentially the weakest among them – so it was useless. The Knight flew into the air, landing eight meters away from his opponent and panting for breath as he sweated a lot.

Mordred thrust the tip of her sword into the ground, her body trembling in rage. "...until the very end?" she whispered, her mind filled with disdain, and hate, and fury. Something cold, and cruel, and twisted snapped inside of her.

That word echoed inside her mind like a curse.

Trust… Trust… Trust…

Trust. Recognition. Acknowledgment.

Everything she had never received.

Everything she had never received from her own Father.

…this wasn't fair.

Bedivere glared at her, straightening up with a determined expression. "In order to repay that favour, I shall not allow you to harm the King again," he stated, deadly serious. "You will not reach her."

Mordred screamed in rage.

"Until the very end, you say!?"

Then, exactly as she did during her first fight with Shirou, Mordred threw her sword at the opponent as if it was an arrow, aiming for the heart with unprecedented precision. Bedivere gasped, his eyes widening in shock, but barely managed to block the tip of the enemy sword with his own blade. However, exactly as the first time, Mordred had foreseen this. With a sudden dash, she jumped in front of him and kicked Clarent's hilt with all her strenght, thrusting the sword even deeper towards the fellow Knight.

Bedivere grunted and gritted his teeth with fatigue, barely managing to deflect the sword in the air with a two-handed parry. Clarent flew into the air, and Mordred leapt up with a jump and grabbed it quickly, charging towards the enemy with a deadly slash and a ferocious roar. Bedivere blocked the blow with a scream of pain, but he was unable to parry it completely. Mordred's physical strenght was too great compared to his own. Because of this, he was consequentially thrown into another building due to his opponent's superior power, crashing against it with an explosion and cracking its wall completely.

He landed on the street with a grunt of pain. There, he slowly got up to his feet, panting and sweating as Mordred sprinted at him again, without giving him a moment's respite. He barely had time to widen his eyes before he was forced to duck under a sudden slash that would have certainly severed his head.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Bedivere!" Mordred raged, slashing at him again with a furious charge. The silver-haired Knight jumped away from her, panting and observing her closely even despite the pain.

She thrust Clarent into a large concrete rubble, using her sword to throw it at him like a gigantic bullet. Bedivere gritted his teeth, using his own sword to slice the missile in two before it could hit him.

"You became a Knight just because there were empty seats at the beginning," she mocked him, aiming at his head with a direct lunge. "You're a third rate Knight!"

This time, he narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth and reacted promptly. He managed to deflect the blow completely, and Mordred's arm was thrown to the side, along with her sword, leaving her defensless.

"RRRAAAAWWR!"

The female Knight roared in rage, regaining control of the swing and unleashing another horizontal slash aimed at his head. Bedivere ducked beneath it, and the enemy blow neatly sliced through the wall of the building behind him, splitting it in two.

Bedivere reacted promptly. Grasping the hilt of the sword with both hands, he lunged forward with the tip of the blade while still lowered under her slash, aiming for the female Knight's chest. However, Mordred was faster.

His eyes widened when he saw her step to the side with an unprecedented speed, dodging the blow just before it could hit her.

Bedivere gaped. Then, a punch hit him square on the face.

"You're not even a decent fighter!" she spat.

He rolled on the ground, eyes widening when he saw Mordred raise her arms to the side in order to hit him with a straight slash while he was still on the ground. He couldn't dodge it, he couldn't get back on his feet...

...so, his only option was to block it.

He reacted purely on instinct thanks to his countless years of training and battles. He could be weak, but he still was a veteran Knight.

He grabbed his sword firmly and brought it into the trajectory of the enemy blow just before she could kill him. He managed to parry it, but was consequentially thrown into the air under the force of the blow, groaning in pain and losing his grip on his weapon. His sword flew out of his hands, clattering in the middle of the road.

Mordred's voice mocked him even as he rolled pathetically on the ground.

"You couldn't protect your lord properly!"

Bedivere rolled on the ground for several meters, unable to stop. Then, when his body finally landed on the cold, hard ground; he coughed painfully and slowly tried to get back on his feet, both his legs and his only arm throbbing with pain. His chest panted with pain and fatigue as he rose from the ground like a wounded animal, trying to resume the fight and facing his opponent once again.

Mordred stared at him with a look of pure hatred. "You..."

Then, much to his surprise, her helmet suddenly snapped open, revealing her face to Bedivere's eyes. And when he saw her face, when he finally saw – for the very first time in his entire life – her face, Bedivere couldn't help but gape in shock. Because he knew that face. He had seen that face already, even if the one he saw wasn't Mordred's very own.

Because it was a face that mirrored Artoria's own. A face extremely similar to his King's, and yet at the same time so completely different.

'I see…' he thought sadly to himself, panting in pain and regret. 'You really are the King's…'

But Mordred didn't seem to care of his stunned shock. She simply glared at him, her face twisted into a snarl filled with resentment and rage.

"Father may have thought well of you, but you weren't even able to save him during the battle!" she accused him, her emerald eyes shining with hate and derision. "Aren't you just a coward?"

Bedivere shook himself from stupor, his eyes shadowed by his silver hair. "...even so," he declared slowly, before his face became more solemn and desperate. "For the King's sake! I will not allow you to harm her again!"

His prosthetic arm suddenly glowed with a golden-yellow light. Bedivere charged, running towards the opponent with a determined expression, ignoring the pain of his body.

Mordred narrowed her eyes, her mouth curving into a scowl. "As you wish, Bedivere! Come at me!" she spat menacingly, accumulating prana in her sword and lifting it above her head. "I will destroy you here and now, and then I'll continue my mission once again!"

Her blade was instantly clad in roaring flames and bolts of red lightining.

Time itself seemed to slow as the two Knights screamed their anger at each other.

Until, after a few seconds, they activated their Noble Phantasms.

"Clarent..."

"Switch on..."

"BLOOD ARTHUR!"

"AIRGETLÁM!"

And then, the world was blinded by an explosion of red and gold.

---

Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Castle Rock – Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh - Scotland)

(======)

Artoria stared at the light with wide eyes.

This situation was not the one she was expecting. She had managed to force Lancer to chase after her here, in the middle of the city, but she wasn't expecting to see a gigantic explosion of light and prana taking place a few dozen miles away. It was a literal column of red and golden energy rising into the sky, coming from the opposite direction of the city center. To the south.

But what surprised her the most was not the explosion in itself. No, that wasn't the reason at all.

The real reason for her growing anxiety was that she had seen that kind of explosion before. She knew what it was. There was no doubt, no mistake about it. She knew it. She could feel it. She could sense it clearly!

'T-This presence, the golden light... that's Bedivere's Noble Phantasm! And the red pillar is... is...' her emerald eyes widened in shock and disbelief when she began to feel the clash happening in the distance. 'No, it can't be!'

But the King of Knights had no time to think further about the other battle.

With a gasp of surprise, she was forced to leap off the wall of the ancient castle that stood in the center of Edinburgh, barely avoiding her opponent's spear which threatened to impale her alive. She landed on a lookout tower, glaring at her opponent below with a narrowed gaze filled with irritation.

Cu Chulainn landed in front of her, simply staring at her face with his impassive eyes devoid of emotions.

"I no longer have time to play with you," she stated with irritation, assuming a stance and raising her invisible sword with her arms. "Let's end this battle at once, Lancer!"

The enemy didn't make her wait for it. With a feral grin, Lancer once again dashed towards her with an impressive speed, pointing his lance at her and preparing to strike yet another blow. Artoria narrowed her eyes, widened her stance and prepared herself to counter his spear, determined to end this fight with her next atta-

Something happened.

The female King gasped. She had barely time to widen her eyes and stop her charge all of a sudden before it could be too late. But luckly for Artoria, the attack wasn't aimed at her.

In fact, suddenly and without any kind of warning, an unexpected figure had mysteriously rained down from the sky, crashing over the shocked Lancer before he could even approach her or try to defend himself, pinning him to the ground with a deadly grip and holding him still with a sword pointed at his neck.

Artoria gaped, feeling her eyes widen as she watched the newcomer with a stunned look and an opened mouth.

Shirou Emiya glared at the pinned Servant under his grip with an impassive gaze.

"Found you, Mephistopheles."

---

CODEX PLANETAE

[COUNTER FORCE] Database

Taken from the notes of Alaya

Subject: Tyr [-Shirou Emiya-], #1 among the Ancestral Heroes

Alias: God of War, Humanity's Liberator, Grand Hero, God-Slayer, First Hero of Humanity

Description:

Since I already mentioned in my previous note that Shirou Emiya is the true master and owner of numerous weapons of different nature, I believe it is essential to explain how such weapons work and what kind of connection they hold with him. As my last chat with Ado Edem made me understand, this detail is a fundamental information in order to fully understand how Shirou managed to carry out certain actions during his life or even kill some 'entities' that seemed to be, and perhaps still are even to this day, spiritually stronger than him. More specifically, in this particular note, I wish to focus my attention on the countless Divine Weapons forged by Shirou during the Age of Gods.

Divine Weapons, also known as Divine Constructs, are extremely different armaments compared to the traditional concept of "weapon". More specifically, they are essentially extracts of a divine soul. A fragment of a divine soul that is reworked and binded and given the shape of a weapon. Just as Gods are the embodiment of a natural concept, Divine Constructs are the embodiment of a specific desire of the Gods: the desire for [ERROR – DATA CORRUPTED]. Thanks to this specific peculiarity, they possess characteristics and qualities far beyond any other weapon, be it a Demonic one, or one of any other kind.

They are, in the true sense of the word, a part of the God's soul who created them. For this very same reason, my sister and the [COUNTER FORCE] chose to register them as "Living Weapons". This doesn't mean they are alive. Not exactly. But the fact that they possess a certain… will, so to speak, is undeniable even for me.

Unlike all the other kinds of weapons which can be stolen and used by anyone – aside from Demonic Weapons, which are another separate case – Divine Constructs cannot be wielded by anyone other than their master. The reason for this is simple: every soul morphed into a weapon can sense their other half. They can sense their origin within the creator, and that's why it's only in the hands of their master that they can reach and achieve their true potential. Obviously, this applies to all the Divine Weapons forged by Shirou as well. Laevatein, Pashupata, Vasavi Shakti, Rhongomyniad, and many others. Each and every one of them are subjected to this bond that binds them inextricably to Shirou, their creator. And this bond cannot be destroyed completely, but only tampered with death.

This also applies to Caledfwlch, later known as "Excalibur", the most powerful Divine Weapon ever created by the God of War.

Obviously, given his ultimate decision to surrender his weapons to humanity, Shirou managed to avoid this problem by killing himself. With his apparent death on the Real Side – a suicide attempted with his most powerful weapon – his soul disappeared from the reality plane and the bond between Shirou and his weapons was temporarily severed. That's the main reason why he was able to pass down his weapons to mankind despite their bond with him. When he left for the Other Side of the World, his Divine Constructs were lacking their owner and could be wielded freely, even if they chose to manifest themselves only to those who were worthy enough to wield them.

This phenomenon also happened with some Conceptual Weapons forged by Shirou that were inherited by humanity after his death for the exact same reason. The most fitting examples of this are: Gáe Bolg, Rho Aias, Avalon and some other weapons whose nature is much more complex than it seems, making them closer to Divine Constructs than Conceptual Weapons.

However this rule, as it is widely known even to this day, does not apply to Ea, which unlike most of the Divine Constructs in existence, was not forged by a God but rather by [ERROR – DATA CORRUPTED] itself.

And yet, sometimes I still wonder... what would have happened if the God of War returned to the Real Side of the World to reclaim what is rightfully his?

---

What you just read was originally supposed to be split into two chapters, but in the end I decided to merge them together and make a single one. It seemed like the right thing to do for me, because I want to finish this Second Arc in the next chapter.

There's no need to say from what I took inspiration for the battle between Mordred and Bedivere... right? It's already obvious.

Please forgive me if there are errors and misspellings in the chapter. If you point them out to me, I'll correct them as soon as I can.