Ryuudou Temple.
Is a mountain temple located onMount Enzouon the outskirts of theMiyama Town, owned by theRyuudoufamily.
Acts as the keystone of the Fuyuki leylines. It can be said to be the heart of the Fuyuki spiritual grounds. Built on top of a fallen leyline.
As the name suggests, it is the very heart of the city that functions as the keystone of Fuyuki's leylines. It has a mountainside lake that is one of the four possible places for theHoly Grailto manifest.TheGreater Grailresides within an enormous cavern beneath the temple.
And this, is the place Zouken had choose to manifest the Holy Grail.
Coincidentally, Kariya also thought the temple as a good place to hide, rest, and recuperate.
If he didn't look like kicking the bucket any moment now, that is.
After last night incident, Kariya had lost much of his power. So much so that he is struggling to even stand, Berserker had literally drag him up into the temple. By the time they arrived the night had welcome dawn, by then Kariya condition had turned for the worse.
Thankfully there is a young monk staying in the temple, asking the monk for a room was not a trouble as he thought Kariya was looking for a spiritual support after seeing his condition. They didn't bother to correct him.
For Kariya though he blame Zouken for his current state, he didn't doubt that the old worm actually petty enough to harm him, considering the batshit mood when they left, the fact he is still alive should already lenient enough for the worm standard.
In fact he could feel the worm in his body agitated for no reason, petty bastard.
After getting a room, hypnotizing the monk to leave, and rest, Berserker leave him in the room alone to check on the Holy Grail.
Once he is done, Berserker immediately prepared for the last battle against Saber. When night came the mad servant left him to face Saber on his own.
He wasn't surprised Berserker left without notice, Kariya had noticed that Berserker is performing better without his input.
Kariya was very confident that, with Berserker on his side winning the war is not a problem at all, such was his confidence to his servant ability.
Now all he had to do was wait for Berserker to return from his battle.
Surprisingly, he didnt need to wait long.
Just a few hours after Berserker left, he returned back to Kariya side. Faintly Kariya can feel his presence outside of the door, opening the door Berserker quietly enter and walked into the center of the room.
In the center of the room is a magical circle, a basic and rather crude magic circle but it work nonetheless. This magic circle function was to gather magical energy around the temple, allowing Berserker to basically recharge himself without relying on his master or draining an innocent person of their soul.
This is how Berserker managed to fight Saber without burdening his master with his magical consumption, unfortunately due to his rather limited knowledge magecraft.
Standing in the center of the circle Berserker can feel magical energy filling his being slowly, recovering his power steadily.
Seeing Berserker return, Kariya silently called out to him, though there is a creepy smile on his face.
"Berserker, what of Saber?" Kariya asked.
Berserker stayed silent for a few moment before answering.
"Saber survived my attack, master." Berserker slowly answer.
Kariya merely smile in disdain at this piece of information.
"So she survived." Kariya said quietly letting out a creepy smile again.
"Well, that just means she is stronger than we thought, but im sure you are superior than her, Berserker." Kariya said proudly with a smile.
Berserker frown for a second but is unnoticed by Kariya, he looked at his master with concern, it is one thing to feel confidence at his ability but it is another thing to underestimate an enemy.
His master has been like this ever since his condition turned for the worse when they arrived at Ryuudou temple. It didnt help that Kariya had not sleep for almost the duration of the war after he killed Archer, his condition made him fear that if he sleep he wouldnt wake up again.
Obviously such thought didnt help his condition.
Now that Kariya phsyical and mental condition is deteriorating for the worse, their winning chances just decrease.
"Beside, the old worm has been waiting for almost half a century, what is a little more time compared to that?" Kariya continued talking ignoring Berserker concern, unaware of it if the first place.
To Kariya he joined this war not out of his own will, if Sakura wasn't part of the deal he wouldn't even dream of even here.
So he couldn't careless of how long the time he needed to win, hell he would rather not win if he can just to spite the old worm face, the thought brought an ugly smile to his face, mimicking that of Zouken.
"It doesn't matter if it takes days, weeks, months, or even years as long as I'm still alive we will win this war eventually, Berserker." Kariya said before laughing.
Berserker could only silently listen to his master rambling, while focusing on his recovery.
Byakuya Matou is a coward.
But unlike many cowards, he is not a coward by nature, but by habit. A natural occurrence that happen when you lived under a century old magus with mood swing worse than a wolverine themselves. It is how he survived all these years under Zouken roof, by being a model coward.
Still, it's not like he was born as a coward, in fact there were days when he was filled with spirit and courage in his youth, filled with hope for his future as a magi and a human being, only for that hope to shatter before it even started when Kariya left the family and its legacies, leaving him behind.
'Kariya' Byakuya thought in resentment as he was pressed into the hard cold wall behind him.
"Speak." A cold voice brought a chill to his spine.
A gun nuzzle into his face, threatening to bodily harm him if he so much shown hostile, not that he can, with Saber looking at him for any signs of threat.
Falling into a familiar habit Byakuya started to beg for his life.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! I'll speak! I'll speak! Don't shoot! Please!" He shout begging for his life, hoping someone would hear his voice.
Too bad, Kiritsugu is using some sort of enhancement to silent any unnecessary sound away from him. Noticing that help won't arrive Byakuya turned silent, allowing Kiritsugu to start asking questions.
"Where is Berserker and Kariya hiding?" Kiritsugu ask his first question. Byakuya twitch in reaction to it the question, Him Again!!?
Once again resentment spread in Byakuya heart when he heard the name of his younger brother.
That's right! Everything that happen to him was because of Kariya, when he leaves the family and its inheritance behind the old worm was enraged like none other, after that the pressure that fell on him became so severe if was almost hard to breathe.
Did Kariya think he's the only one wanted to leave? He was also planning to flee the house! The only reason he stayed back then was because to take care of Kariya until he was old enough to become the heir!
And yet that ungrateful bastard flee first, forcing him to face Zouken wrath on his own.
When Shinji was born without a magic circuit the old worm finally snapped, he threw his wife into the pool of worm as a punishment for Him, the sight of his wife devoured alive will never left his mind until his death he was sure of that, there are times he contemplated suicide and yet somehow he feared death even more.
In the end he could only drink his sorrow away.
Even tonight after Kariya forced the old worm to sign the geis, the ancient magi mood has turned for the worse to the point that Byakuya didn't dare to stay inside the house so he leaves until the old worm mood turned for the better.
Sakura? Who cares, hopefully she could survive long enough to soothe the old worm wounded pride.
Despite knowing that heroic spirits is roaming the streets Byakuya can't help himself to go into a bar to drink his stress away. Unfortunately, the bar he usually goes is closed due to the recent unrest in the city, so he had no other choice to find another bar somewhere else.
It never cross the cowards mind that his decision would bring him right into the path of one Kiritsugu Emiya.
Damn it! Byakuya thought, it was all that bastard fault!
"I...I...I d...didn't...know..." Byakuya said while stuttering, only to recieve a hit from the gun handle, not strong enough to make him passed out though unfortunately.
Thud!
"Don't lie." Kiritsugu said threatening him bringing another shudder to his body, his action make Saber arch an eyebrow but she didn't said anything.
"I...I...I r...really d...didn't k...know...Anything!" Byakuya admitted almost shouting at the end out of fear.
Kiritsugu squint his eyes, clearly the man didn't believe him.
"I...Its the truth, I...I really don't know anything! We...we weren't that close!" Byakuya desperately explaining himself.
"When was the last time you meet Kariya?" Kiritsugu asked, only to be met with silence, Byakuya him self is sweating bullets
What a joke? If Byakuya tell him the last time they met, isn't that admitting that he knows something, might as well be silent and ...
Suspicious, Kiritsugu put the nozzle of the gun to Byakuya cheeks, forcing him to answer in fright.
"L...last night, but..." Byakuya choked his voice when he realizes the light in the Kiritsugu eyes become colder.
"Tell me everything." Kiritsugu demanded.
Byakuya swallow hard.
Kariya this is all your fault!
Byakuya didn't even dare to lie, everything was exposed, from the Assasssin - Berserker alliance to the Holy Grail current status. Of course some unimportant part was left unsaid, not out of courage mind you but fear of retribution.
Even Saber couldn't help but be impressed, never in all her life she saw someone blubbering their family secrets as swift as the man in front of her. Even in her time, the worst and cowardly of the villain held some sort of dignity even in the face of threat, but this guy?
All it takes was one hit to the face, what the hell!
Sneering, Saber couldn't help but look down on this man. Somehow her expression was interpreted as impatience by said man.
"That's all I knew! I swear!" Byakuya shouting to them.
Feeling that the man had nothing else of importance Saber turned towards Kiritsugu.
"Master, if his information is true then..." Saber hesitantly deliver before being cut off.
"Then Rider is pretty much dead at this point." Kiritsugu finished.
Damn it! Saber thought.
Listening to Kiritsugu conclusions made her stiff, their plan for counterattack was foiled before it even started! Berserker is one step ahead of them it seems, but they managed to kill Assassin before they can regroup with Berserker, so it can be said that they were even.
But it doesn't change the fact that Berserker is holding an advantage over them right now.
"Then we have to find another way to lure Berserker to us now." Saber concluded.
"Indeed." Kiritsugu said in agreement while looking at Byakuya, something Saber noticed, she sighed.
"No master, we're not using bait, not even him." Saber said, looking frightening Byakuya.
Bait!? Me!!? Byakuya shockingly thought.
"Do we have other choices?" Kiritsugu asked.
"Well..." Saber looked tempted, while looking at the increasingly panicked Byakuya.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! You can't use me as a bait! It...it won't work!!" Byakuya screamed.
"We don't know if we don't tried." Kiritsugu responded coldly, meanwhile Saber is looking at Byakuya with interest.
"You're hiding something else." Saber concluded, to which Byakuya nodded and rewarded with a shove to the wall.
"Spit it." Kiritsugu demanded while looking at him in the eye.
Gulping, Byakuya started to talk.
"I...I don't know where Kariya is but..." He started slowly.
"But what?" Saber asked.
"I know where the Holy Grail is." Byakuya said shocking the pair.
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