Summary: No one but the only Master in Chaldea's staff could really make sense of the new Berserker Servant. He was much larger than any other Heroic Spirit, but the machinery and horse-like body showed he wasn't a figure from Proper Human History. The last thing anyone expected was for him to be an Achilles' Heel to their newest Crypter enemy.

Note: This was inspired by my pulling of Xiang Yu in the gacha before even starting Lostbelt 3's story. I had him in my party when first fighting Akuta Hinako and her Saber Servant, so I wanted to cover a possible version of how the fight would've gone had Xiang Yu saw our opponent with his own eyes.

Beware of MASSIVE HEAVY spoilers for Lostbelt 3: SIN. Also, CW for heavy angst and the occasional use of language. This has been mostly unedited (as of November 2020) and written on a passing muse's whims.

The theme I recommend is Thest by KOCHO, the song used for the trailer that announced Lostbelt 3's release. I couldn't really think of much else.

Day 6: Untimely Reunion

Saber had leapt back into the fields of wheat, panting after taking two Noble Phantasms head on. Hinako clenched her teeth, tempted to bite the fingernail on her thumb. Of course he'd be weak. Those two attacks were stronger than anticipated.

Hell, Chaldea was more powerful than Hinako anticipated. From using a swimsuit version of what appeared to be the King of Knights (what the hell) together with the hero known for slaying Karna in a tag-team combo formation, no wonder Chaldea had defeated Ophelia and Kadoc. Vy, even when poisoned, was still alive and going strong, staring at Hinako with a determined look in her bespectacled eyes. Gao Changgong's condition, from the sweat dotting his neck to the awkward way he was holding his sword, clearly showed that Hinako had brought the battle to Chaldea far too soon.

Goddammit.

"Is that all?" Vy said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, standing to Mash's right side as she clenched her right fist. All three of her Command Spells glowed in the sunlight, exuding confidence as her eyebrows narrowed. "Because if you want to keep fighting, Hinako-san, I can do this all day. Poison or not."

Hinako did her best to not huff, channeling all her disgust and anger into returning Vy's gaze. "Take your win for now, Chaldea. I underestimated you," she said instead, shaking her head. "Saber."

Gao Changgong stood to attention. "Yes, Master."

"We're retreating." We need to come up with a better plan so that the Emperor does not deem me unworthy…

"Of course, Master."

The last thing Hinako expected before Saber could run and grab her was that voice.

"YU MEI-REN!"

Every single drop of her blood froze. No. No. No one on Chaldea's side should know that name. Hinako had discarded that name eons ago. Right now, Hinako was still—

Wait. Kadoc had mentioned that Vy had summoned a Lostbelt Servant before his Lostbelt had fallen. Scathach-Skadi, the Lostbelt King of Scandinavia — she had gone about cursing Kadoc and his Servant the entire time before Russia's Tree of Emptiness was cut down, contrasting the gentle demeanor she seemed to have according to Ophelia. So... could it be? Could Vy really have that kind of luck again?

Against Gao Changgong's urgent cry of, "Master!", Hinako turned her head and found herself staring into green eyes.

The figure was tall and hulking just like his counterpart in this Lostbelt, but exuding power and gentleness that she couldn't mistake for anyone else.

Vy had stepped to the side of the large Servant, her own brown eyes wide past her glasses as she murmured, "Berserker…?" in a respectful and shocked tone.

"My wife," Xiang Yu whispered softly, one of his hooves making a heap of dirt in the field they were in as he stepped forward. "Even after all these years, I still can recognize you, Yu Mei-ren, new clothes or not. My only consort, the only woman I ever loved. But my wife, what are you doing? And…" The hulking Servant paused, his gaze going over to Saber before his eyes widened, his glowing green maw dropping for a moment in surprise. "Gao Su too?"

"No…" Saber whispered weakly. He must have recognized the severity of the situation too. "Why are you with them? I could have sworn that you were still with—"

With us.

Hinako felt tears start to bud in the corners of her eyes. She had only seen the Lostbelt version of him mere seconds ago. But now, seeing this version of him, at Vy's side, better armed, far stronger and more majestic… "Lord Xiang Yu."

The Berserker Servant smiled wryly at her, his green eyes soft in spite of his opposing figure. "My wife. I see you are still wandering."

"Wha—"

Mash Kyrielight was looking between all three of them with growing shock, her jaw slowly dropping before she turned to Vy. "M-Master, what is going on? Why is he calling Akuta—"

"I-I don't know," Vy's voice came out wispy in the reply. "Berserker just moved forward on his own, and…" She put a hand over her heart, pressing her palm against her Winter Mystic Code. "It feels like he knows her somehow."

Sherlock Holmes had a hand to his chin, already looking like he was deducing what was going on. Bastard.

"Yu Mei-ren, you are not the kind of person to go along with a crusade that would doom everything," Xiang Yu continued, not minding the side chatter as his hooves went about tapping the ground underneath him in a familiar melancholic tune. "I remember you being so much kinder than that. Why are you assisting the enemy?"

Hinako was shivering. "But, but, Xiang Yu, it was for…" The shock was slowly turning to anger. Why? Why why why, why? Why couldn't she have summoned someone else? Why did the last Master of Chaldea have to summon him— "VY!"

Vy jumped about a centimeter into the air, all attention having gone back to her. "What?"

"How—" Hinako grit her teeth. "How dare you!?"

"How dare I what?" Vy filled in with the slightest bit of sarcasm, giving Hinako an incredulous look. "How dare I live? How dare I summon Berserker? You realize you helped in destroying the world I'm currently trying to save, right? Not to mention that one of your fellow allies/cronies poisoned me? Kinda not in the mood for—"

"SAVE YOUR BULLSHIT!" Spittle flew out of Hinako's mouth just as Saber rose to take her into his arms, his grip shaky and frantic. Vy fell silent as she stared back at Hinako in surprise. "To summon him and use him for your own gain, you're a monster! HOW DARE YOU USE HIM AGAINST ME!"

"Er, I have no clue what you're talking about," Vy added in a quieter voice, barely hitting the inflections of a deadpan. "I just summoned him two days ago."

So before Chaldea had even entered China. GODDAMMIT.

"Yu Mei-ren…" Xiang Yu said softly. "You're wrong. I willingly came to her, not in the manner of what you are thinking—"

"Silence, pretender. Do not call me by that name."

The Berserker flinched, but still took to drawing one of his swords and holding it protectively in front of Vy. Hinako bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste iron. Whywhywhywhy, why. It shouldn't have been like this.

Lord Xiang Yu wasn't supposed to be drawing one of his weapons on her—

"Master," Saber said urgently, his one hand on her shoulders clenching tightly. "We have to go."

"Yu—"

"E-Enough of this." Hinako forced herself to look away, burying her face into the front of Gao Changgong's clothes. She already knew that if she looked at that Servant any longer, she would be tempted to cry. "Even if you look like him, you are nothing but an imposter of someone I know. Saber, we're retreating. NOW."

"As… As you wish, Master," he said hesitantly, tightening his grip on Hinako's figure. "May… May we meet again, Lord Xia— Berserker."

Hinako held back a scream of anguish once Saber took the first leap away from those fields.