Return to Null Chapter 14:

An Unlikely Ally

Day 17

The night was silent aside from the sound of crickets chirping in the distance. All was peaceful, suspiciously so. However, inside a particular cave, the sounds of grunting permeated the area, and a sense of dark foreboding hung over the entire cave. Inside was a tall tower of flesh and cursed energy. It emanated a sinister aura, and standing close by was Zouken, admiring the sight before him. Right behind him was Berserker, having returned to his new Master's side.

"Ah, so you managed to hide our little surprise eh?" Zouken asked with a grin. "Good, good. I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when you use it."

The decrepit old man kept his gaze on the abomination before him. "Soon, Justeaze. Soon, everything we strived for shall become reality…."

Without skipping a beat, Zouken turned to his Servant, tapping his cane on the ground with utmost authority. "We must lie and wait for our guests to arrive."

Berserker twitched for a moment before Zouken used his first Command Spell. "I order you to use For Someone's Glory to hide!"

The Servant growled and hissed as he stared at his Master loathingly. However, without any choice in the matter, Berserker did as he was told, and activated his skill before disappearing where he came from. Zouken grinned and took a deep breath. Soon after, the elderly magus transformed into a swarm of bugs, following Berserker to their hiding place.

(Meanwhile)

Fuyuki's nightlife was as lively as ever. However, the people did not sense or see two particular souls making their way through the city towards a mysterious destination. Tokiomi and Assassin hid themselves through invisibility to go through the city unnoticed. Their mood somber and dreary, Tokiomi decided to try and brighten the mood.

"You should try smiling more."

Assassin raised an eyebrow, though it wasn't as if Tokiomi would be able to see it. "It's heresy to lust after another woman as a married man, Master."

"You presume too much, Assassin. My wife simply mentioned something similar about your lack of smiling, and I just so happened to remember it."

Assassin said nothing, but in her mind she mentally screamed in anguish. She couldn't wait for this Holy Grail War to be over. She wished that she was never summoned to this place, and that someone else was summoned instead. Her first Master wasn't even trustworthy in the slightest, and she could tell that there was something too evil about him, and now THIS Master was just…Assassin could only think that Saber's Master was right. Tokiomi Tohsaka IS boring, and terribly so….. "Master, what will we do when we reach our destination?"

"I want to check on the Holy Grail." Tokiomi answered. "Your report regarding Mr. Fujimaru and Rider's Master's conversation and the aftermath makes me think it's a trick to make us doubt."

"And if it turns out something really is wrong?" Assassin asked. "Do you intend to work with them genuinely in that instance?"

"I….do not know. One thing is for certain, I will not work with that Fujimaru boy at all."

"Rider's Master thinks that killing him would be most unwise."

"Hah! That boy is from the future!" Tokiomi countered. "Killing him won't affect us at all."

"Perhaps you're right…" Assassin muttered. The purple haired woman couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong with all this. Rider's Master thinks something is wrong with the Holy Grail, Ritsuka isn't here to win the Grail….this should mean that Tokiomi shouldn't have anymore quarrel with the boy aside from his alliance with Saber's Master…. "Master, why do you have it out for Lord Fujimaru?"

Tokiomi felt his face redden in anger. His fists clenched tight as his blood boiled thinking about that uppity brat and his smug attitude."He and his kind are an absolute nuisance. Besides, you can attest for yourself that he hates me just as much as I hate him."

"You're not wrong there. He wasn't intimidated by you in the slightest."

"That smug, arrogant little…he should know better than to disrespect his superiors."

"Perhaps we could find something to use against him as leverage?"

"It's a little too late to try and force him to do anything."

"I apologize, Master, I did not mean that. I was referring to any ideas to take him out of the action."

"I appreciate the thought, Assassin, but leave his fate to me."

"I understand, Master. I shall not say anymore about this."

"That would probably be for the best."

The duo returned to their silence as they made their way to their goal. Tokiomi could not help but feel an intriguing jolt shooting through his body. The Tohsaka patriarch took a deep breath to calm his nerves over thinking about that boy, and sighed as he felt that feeling again in his chest. No matter how much he tried shaking it, he had a sneaking suspicion that this would be the final battle of the Holy Grail War.

Meanwhile out in the woods, another Master and Servant were making their way to the cavern that could be holding the Holy Grail. The younger Waver couldn't shake the feeling of something being off about it, and wanted to see it for himself. Rider, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear over the idea of finally fighting Ritsuka and his merry band of Servants and to finally know what has caused them so much anxiety. He only wished that Archer were still here, for he'd wished to have had a proper fight with the King of Heroes.

"Rider, is everything okay?"

"Of course!" Rider replied. "I'm just looking forward to the big fight!"

Young Waver smiled shyly. "I am too….sort of…..I'm just wondering if it's just going to be him and his Servants, or if Saber would be joining…."

Rider laughed jovially, his fist raised in the air as he stared up at the sky with that wide goofy grin of his. "You know what they say, the more the merrier!"

"Rider, I'm being serious!' Young Waver said. "If she joins, you could lose!"

Rider went silent at those words. His smile never left his face as Young Waver turned to face him in mild confusion. "Are you even-"

The young magus felt Rider's hand touch his head, causing him to stare at his companion in bewilderment. Rider then chuckled and tussled his hair. "You're a smart kid, you know that? I wished I had an advisor like you around when I was alive."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rider boomed with laughter now, making Young Waver pout. "You always try to find a meaning behind every statement! That is truly funny."

Young Waver sighed, his breath slow and calculated. "I give up…..but now I'm wondering what everyone else is doing…"

"Well I have a feeling that the big group won't be far behind us now." Rider said. "And I get the feeling that Assassin and their Master will be making their move as well."

"Then that means….."

Rider nodded. "Tonight will be the night this all comes to a close."

"What about Berserker?" Young Waver asked.

"Berserker? I thought he was dealt with…."

Young Waver shook his head. "I don't think anyone's seen him since the battle in Einzbern manor…."

The two of them stared at each other silently, a chill ran up their spines as they came to the same uncomfortable truth. Berserker was still out there unaccounted for, and wherever he is, the War won't end unless he was killed…. The two of them steeled themselves and nodded. If they found Berserker first, then they'd deal with him, then deal with the Chaldeans.

"Let's get moving." Young Waver said. Rider simply nodded and summoned his horse to his side. The red haired giant placed his Master into the saddle before getting on himself, and with everything ready, they quickly rode to the cavern.


Minutes passed and by that time, the Chaldeans, Diarmuid, Irisviel, Kiritsugu and Saber were nearing the cavern themselves. As they got closer, Ritsuka stopped them in their tracks and knelt down, seeing the hoof prints. The black haired Master scanned the area for more signs of Rider and the young Waver, but could only see the hoof prints going in one particular direction. "Looks like they were in a hurry."

Waver walked towards the boy and knelt down to check the tracks alongside him. "Not just in a hurry. They were frantic."

"Why would they be frantic?" Mashu asked.

"They know we're on their trail." Cú answered.

"There's another scent here…..and it smells incredibly foul." Ritsuka said.

"Scent?" Irisviel asked.

"Ah right, this is the first time you saw this." Emiya said. "A couple weeks ago we learned that Ritsuka and Tatsuko both have a very good sense of smell."

"I swear those two are like bloodhounds with those noses." Cú muttered.

"Okay, my sense of smell might be good, but it's not THAT good." Ritsuka countered. "Besides, it has its downsides. Like if there's a particularly strong smell, it can drown out any other scent in the area, making it hard for me to smell anything else…..which is also another reason I hate mapo tofu."

The Chaldeans aside from Mashu groaned in annoyance. "Just let it go already!"

"Let's get back to the matter at hand." Kiritsugu said. "What does this new scent smell like?"

"I honestly can't tell you." Ritsuka answered. "It's just incredibly foul, and makes me want to gag."

"Perhaps it's a sign of our….unwelcome opponent." Diarmuid replied.

Mashu scowled and clenched her fists. "It's taunting us."

Ritsuka's eyes narrowed as he got up and stared at his companions sternly. Everyone took note of his posture and finally noticed something off about his attire. It looked too tight in some areas, as if he had some extra bulk to him. The black haired Master did not pay their stares any heed and exhaled sharply.

"You know what I'm about to say." Ritsuka said coldly. "When Rider is….defeated…..we wait for the next phase of the plan to start. But if it is there, then leave that thing to me. Everything hinges on making sure all the pieces link together."

"Are you sure this will work?" Saber asked.

"I don't know if it will go exactly how we want," Ritsuka said. "But this is probably the best we can come up with."

"It's really risky." Waver said. "I don't really like how it seems, and everyone but a few in the command room seem to approve either."

"That's not for them to decide." Kiritsugu said. "The only way to know how things pan out is to head on over to the Grail."

"He's right." Diarmuid replied. "I have faith in this plan, and I also think things might get more chaotic."

"That's not exactly comforting." Emiya muttered.

"Then let me say one thing before we head over there." Irisviel said. The white haired woman smiled at Ritsuka and the Chaldeans warmly as she clasped her hands together. "I appreciate everything you all have done for my sake. But if the worst comes to pass, do not worry about my health. I already feel the end coming for me…"

"It won't come to that." Ritsuka said. "Listen, all your life, your fate has been decided by others. They decided everything you'd do, everything you'd learn, and what your purpose was. But they're not here now, you are. It's time for you to decide for yourself what you want to do. Not the rest of the Einzbern's, not the Counter force, not me, not even the world itself should guide your actions. You are the master of your own fate, just as we should be the masters of our own."

The white haired homunculus stared at the boy in surprise. Ritsuka's gaze did not falter as he stared back, his visage remaining the same. Irisviel suddenly felt a calm wash over her as she processed his words, her smile shifted slightly, giving off more warmth and a calmness she hadn't felt before. "Thank you, Ritsuka, and you're right, I should choose for myself. I don't know what I will choose, but I am certain that I will figure it out soon."

"Then let's get moving." Waver said. "We don't have a moment to lose."

Without uttering another word, everyone followed the hoofprints towards their destination, with Cú and Diarmuid taking the lead. Mashu walked towards Ritsuka and tapped him on the shoulder, smiling at him. "That was a good speech, Senpai. Did you practice that?"

"Oh gosh no." Ritsuka answered. "If I practiced that, I'd have fumbled it and made a fool of myself. And I hate looking like an idiot."

"Well I think it was sweet." Mashu said. "And I think you are right. I never thought about it before….but what you said…it rang through my soul."

"Fou Fou!"

(Special translation: Get a fucking room you two!)

Mashu blushed brightly as Ritsuka facepalmed. "Fou, why would you joke about that now?"

"Fou Fou Fou-kyu!"

"Fou, please stop." Mashu said gently. "You are misunderstanding everything….."

Meanwhile at the front of the group, Diarmuid tried to keep a lookout for any potential traps or ambushes that could have been made to protect the Grail's path, but he could find none. The black haired Lancer glanced back at Ritsuka and a chill ran through his spine. He knew he was a good kid, and he had every reason to desire a confrontation, but he couldn't help but think of what he told Saber earlier…..

"Trust me, you're not alone in thinking about it." Cú said. "Some folks back home are concerned too."

"Was I that obvious?"

Cú chuckled. "Yeah, but here's the thing about this. Until recently, Ritsuka was more or less bottling it all up and internalizing it all. Roman and Tatsuko were the ones to tell him to stop doing that."

"So he's trying to express what he kept hidden until now?" Diarmuid asked. "Is it really wise for him to fight like that?"

The blue haired Lancer shrugged. "No clue, but I do know that it's probably for the best to let him deal with it."

"And I think this will get him killed." Diarmuid countered.

"Not on my watch." Cú said. "Look, I'm not so thrilled about this either, but I think Ritsuka's got something figured out."

"We're really leaving everything to chance tonight…." Diarmuid muttered. "So much could go wrong…."

"You're not wrong, but think about how we took on Archer." Cú said. "One by one our plans crumbled because of bad timing, or unforeseen circumstances. Only our last plan managed to succeed due to luck. What does that tell you?"

"That making plans isn't your strong suit?"

Cú laughed. "No no, it's that plans never survive on the first contact."

Diarmuid raised an eyebrow. "I cannot even comprehend your thoughts right now. It is as if you have one opinion, only to change it a second later."

"I'm merely stating the facts, my friend." Cú said with a shrug. "Right now my opinion doesn't matter."

"Tonight's going to be hectic, regardless of our preparations." Waver said. "We just have to be prepared."

"And what of you, Lord El-Melloi II?" Diarmuid asked. "Are you prepared to fight Rider?"

The black haired Caster clicked his tongue as he huffed his cigarette before taking a deep breath. Waver did not speak for a few moments, trying to figure out what to answer. He could understand where Diarmuid was coming from in asking that question, and he could tell the Lancer suspected his displeasure over the situation. "I'm not particularly happy with the thought. He is my king after all. But... I think he'd prefer it this way. He was a battle junkie if I ever saw one…."

"Honestly I'm looking forward to fighting him." Cú said. "He's just what I was hoping for in an opponent."

"And what about Assassin?" Diarmuid asked. "Do we have anything to worry about with her?"

"I don't think she'd be much of a threat." Cú answered.

"She seemed crafty and resourceful, that is for sure." Diarmuid muttered.

"How much farther?" Saber asked.

"It shouldn't be far now." Ritsuka answered. "I know it's going to be a bit of a chaotic mess tonight, but that means we have to do our roles to the best of our abilities."

"That sounded like you rehearsed that." Kiritsugu said coldly.

Irisviel pouted and smacked the Counter Guardian upside the head, though he did not really react to her attack as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Can't you at least try to be nice?"

"I could." Kiritsugu said with a cruel grin. "But I won't."

"Are you ready for this, Master?" Saber asked. "Once we start, you know what might happen…."

Irisviel nodded. "I am ready. So many innocent lives are hanging in the balance right now. If destroying what my ancestors worked for is what it'll take to save them, then that's what I'll do."

"Hopefully that thing will keep its end of the bargain…" Mashu muttered. "I did as it asked, afterall…."

"Okay, I think we're getting close now." Diarmuid said aloud. Everyone stopped in their tracks as Ritsuka went ahead of the others and surveyed their surroundings. The black haired Master sniffed the air for a moment and shuddered. The air was much more dense and ominous than it was in Singularity F, but the presence was unmistakable. They were getting close. Ritsuka looked at Mashu and nodded, beckoning to her to come to his side and for everyone else to follow. As they drew closer, the group grew silent, their breaths becoming shallower and shallower as uncertainty gripped their minds. It was too late to turn back now, given their situation. But what if everything fell apart? Those thoughts ran through their minds for but a moment until they finally found the cave to their destination. The air grew heavy, thickened by the power within.

There was no turning back now.


Inside the large cavern, the young Waver could not believe his eyes at the monstrosity that laid before him. The young man felt the power emanating from it, but it was….off. This felt wrong somehow… Every part of his being was telling him to take Rider and leave this place, otherwise the sheer atmosphere would overwhelm them.

"Well well, I think this is quite the perfect arena!" Rider said aloud.

The younger Waver looked at the red haired man in slight disbelief. "Rider, we can't stay here!"

"Why do you want to leave?" Rider asked.

The young man gestured to the Holy Grail with a look of bewilderment and shock at such a question. "How is that a good venue for a fight?!"

"Oh come on, it's got a final battle look to it."

The younger Waver looked at the Holy Grail again, and felt its power resonating around the area. He looked at just how much room there was, feeling that it could house a small army inside. The ceiling of the cave itself looked like it could fit a small sky scraper, and still have room left over. A wave of dread filled his body, chills ran through his spine as a realization clicked in his mind. This is the reason the time travelers were here…

"Well, looks like we won't be waiting long!" Rider shouted. The young man snapped back to attention as he turned to see where Rider was pointing at. Young Waver's heart plummeted as he saw the Chaldeans, Irisviel, Saber, Diarmuid and Kiritsugu coming through the cave's mouth. The Chaldean Master saw them and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I had a feeling you'd be waiting here." He said with a sigh.

"Listen, I don't know if you considered this, but I think Berserker might still be at large!" Young Waver shouted.

Everyone stood still as those words rang out in the cavern. Ritsuka's and Caster Waver's eyes widened in shock as they tried to process what was just said to them, both of them staring right at the young man before them.

"Why are you telling us this now?" Waver asked.

"Wait a minute….." Ritsuka muttered. The Chaldean Master thought long and hard to remember where he lost Kariya's hand, and how it seemed to have….disappeared…. The boy's eyes widened in realization as to what really transpired. "It wasn't a gas leak that killed the previous overseer…..It was Zouken and Lancelot!"

"I knew it had to be foul play!"

Everyone's eyes widened in slight surprise as they heard Tokiomi's voice come from behind the Chaldeans. In a flash, they saw a black blur rush past them, ready to strike at young Waver. Ritsuka turned to look at Cú and with a gesture of his head, the blue haired Lancer rushed in and clashed with Assassin with a grin. "We should really stop meeting like this."

Assassin groaned in annoyance as she swung her blades at Cú. As that happened, a torrent of fire shot out behind the Chaldeans. Ritsuka immediately prepared to defend himself, but Irisviel was much faster, producing a glassy barrier to shield everyone from the flames. Ritsuka clicked his tongue as Tokiomi glared at the group in annoyance and contempt. "Whoever killed Rizei can wait. I want to make sure none of you survives!"

"Looks like Tohsaka and Assassin arrived earlier than we thought." Ritsuka muttered.

Tokiomi scowled as he saw the black haired teen and clenched his free hand into a fist. "You in particular have been a thorn in my side this entire war!"

"Oh please," Irisviel said in irritation. "Archer's death is more your fault than theirs."

"And you have the wrong priorities, Lady Einzbern." Tokiomi replied. "You're not wanting to activate the Holy Grail, I suspect."

"If we so much as activate that thing, thousands might die." Irisviel said. "It's no longer a wish granting miracle, it's a ticking time bomb!"

Tokiomi stared at the white haired woman in shock for a moment before staring at the Holy Grail's form. He saw the terrible visage before him, his body shaking in disbelief. It wasn't radiant, nor pristine. It looked filthy, corrupted and terrible. This was the thing that his ancestors wanted to use? It looked like it would cause untold destruction…. The Tohsaka patriarch shook his head and blew a loose strand of hair back into place. "Even so, we have to try. Sacrifices must be made if we are to reach the Root!"

"Then get used to disappointment." Waver said calmly.

Tokiomi snorted. "How you came to be my daughter's teacher, I will never understand."

"Can I just knock him out?" Kiritsugu asked. "He's boring me to death."

"We can't." Emiya said softly. "If we did, Assassin would come after Ritsuka in a heartbeat."

"We don't have time for this anyway." Ritsuka replied. "Lancelot and his Master are somewhere in this cave, and we have Rider to deal with alongside Tohsaka here. We need to get to work now!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Tokiomi shouted before unleashing another stream of fire from his staff. Irisviel conjured another glass barrier to protect the group, however unlike the first time, the homunculus was struggling to keep the barrier up. Rider saw her faltering and noted her appearance and posture. She was much weaker than the last time he saw her at the King's Banquet, her eyes baggy and darker and body shaking. He then looked at the Grail, then back to her and smiled. So she was the key to all of this…..

Meanwhile, the Chaldean group was thinking about their options when Ritsuka's communicator beeped. The young Master activated it and saw Roman's image. "Roman, I don't think now's the time!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Roman said. "Listen, something's coming towards you all. Something fast!"

"What could it possibly be this time?!" Emiya said in annoyance. No sooner did he utter those words, an immense pressure built up around the area. Everyone stopped their fighting as they felt that wave of power. Soon they all heard a loud noise ring in their ears, something inhuman, something big….They looked everywhere to see where it was coming from, but to no avail until they looked towards the Holy Grail, and then up. As soon as they saw what it was, everyone stared in disbelief.

It was a large jet, and riding at the top of it was none other than Berserker. The black armored Servant roared in anger as he found Saber, taking one of the guns from the jet and revving it up. Everyone's eyes widened in shock and terror as Berserker aimed his weapons at them, all to attack one woman.

"ARRRRRRRTHUUUUUURRRRRRRR!"

"Everybody find cover!" Ritsuka shouted. Everyone wasted no time in finding any place that could shield them from the upcoming hail of bullets. Rider grabbed his Master and found a good sized rock to hide behind to protect themselves. Cú simply activated his Protection from Arrows skill to deflect the bullets, while Assassin dodged as many bullets as she could before finding a boulder to hide behind to keep safe. Tokiomi tried to find a place to hide, but Mashu was already ready to protect everyone close in her vicinity. The Shielder activated Lord Chaldeas, and the bullets bounced off the barrier. The force of the attack pushed Mashu back, but the lilac haired girl did not falter, and continued to defend everyone behind her. Tokiomi now had enough time to find a good jutted rock to get behind while the others were distracted. With any luck, some of those Servants would perish when the girl would be forced to stop her defense.

"I'll deal with you all later." He muttered in contempt as he ran to his preferred cover. The rest of them paid him no mind, as if he were a mere nuisance in their way. Mashu focused all of her energy to protect everyone, but Berserker's bullets did not relent.

"I do not know how much longer I can keep this up!"

Saber looked at everyone briefly before turning her attention towards Berserker. Her former knight was causing mayhem across the battlefield, and if he was left unchecked, then everything would be lost. She stepped away from the barrier Mashu conjured, and deflected bullets on her own. "All of you get to the Grail! I'll buy you some time!"

"I'll help!" Irisviel said.

"No, you can't risk it." Emiya said.

"I don't care!" Irisviel replied. "I'm not letting jet man over there to keep blasting at us!"

"Given the circumstances, I think we should have the majority of us stay here and hold him off." Kiritsugu said. "The Caster and Fujimaru can head towards the Grail while we keep this guy busy."

"If I may make a suggestion." Diarmuid chimed. "I would like to help Cú in dealing with Assassin. That way she can't slip through and attack Ritsuka and Lord El-Melloi II.:

"Fine by me."

Diarmuid made a small bow to the group before staring at Ritsuka with determined eyes. "Good luck, and be careful."

"You too, Diarmuid." Ritsuka replied. Without uttering another word, Diarmuid left the group as the hail of bullets calmed down close to where Cú and Assassin resided, and saw them resume their battle.

"What shall I do?" Mashu asked.

"You stay with Fujimaru and Caster." Emiya said. "Make sure they stay protected!"

Ritsuka and the two Chaldean fighter's nodded. As soon as Mashu deactivated her Noble Phantasm, the three of them rushed away to get towards the Grail. Berserker did not make it easy, however, and fired at them just as much as he fired at the distracting group. Mashu was forced to block the attacks with her shield when Berserker strafed around them, trying to destroy everyone in sight.

"Seriously, just what kind of jet is he using?!" Ritsuka shouted.

"The McDonnel Douglas F-15 Eagle." Nobunaga said from the communicator. "An anti-fighter jet with BVR sidewinders capable of Mach 2.5 and altitude of 65,000 feet!"

"You sure do seem to know a lot about it!" Ritsuka said while catching his breath.

"DO YOU EVEN READ MY CHRISTMAS LIST?!"

"Now's not the time for admiring a bloody aircraft fighter!" Waver shouted.

"Lancelot, I'm the one you want!" Saber shouted. "Come and face me!"

Berserker stopped his attack on everyone, and roared as he singled out Saber once more, firing round upon round at her and the rest of the group. Irisviel thankfully found cover behind another conveniently placed boulder, and proceeded to reinforce Saber and the others as best she could. As that was happening, Tokiomi saw his opportunity to sprint away to try and stop Ritsuka and his group to deactivate the Grail. He looked at his surroundings, and noted that a full frontal assault would be unwise. The best course of action for him right now would be to get closer to the Holy Grail, and perform a sneak attack when Ritsuka's back was turned. He saw that he had a clear shot of reaching it before them if he enhanced his speed a bit. With a small breath and focus, the Tohsaka patriarch activated his Magic Circuits and rushed towards the Grail with as much force as he could. The three Chaldeans did not notice this, and kept their focus on reaching the Grail.

"Hey now, where do you think you guys are going?"

Mashu gasped as she instinctively grabbed Ritsuka by the waist and threw both of themselves down on the ground while Waver ducked to the side to avoid Rider's attack. The three of them got up and stared at Rider in bewilderment.

"You can't be serious right now!" Ritsuka shouted. "Do you really think now's the time for our fight?!"

"Of course now's the best time!" Rider said jovially. "Although right now it seems my options for fighters are quite limited…."

"Rider wait!" Young Waver said as he caught up. "This is foolish!"

"Foolish? I can't let this opportunity go to waste!" Rider said with a smile. "It has to be done!"

The young man opened his mouth to try and protest, but the moment he saw the look in his Servant's eyes, he stopped himself and sighed. He realized Rider has made up his mind, and will not back down. "Fine, if that's how you want to do this…Then hear us, Master of the Future, we hereby challenge you!"

"If that's how you want to do this, then so be it." Ritsuka said.

"Good good!" Rider said happily. "Now, which of you will face me?!"

"Neither." Older Waver said.

"Awww come on!" Rider replied. "You really became a party pooper, you know that?"

"And you bore me." Older Waver said with a mischievous grin.

"Okay, Lord El-Melloi II, Mashu, you two go on ahead of me." Ritsuka said. "I'll hold down the fort here."

Older Waver nodded and gave Mashu a knowing gaze. "Come, we have to get moving."

Mashu nodded reluctantly, but moved forward a bit before looking at Ritsuka. "Be careful, Senpai."

Ritsuka nodded as the two Chaldean Servants ran passed him and towards Rider. The red haired Servant stepped to the side to let them pass, and gazed upon the black haired Caster. "You really have become a fine man."

The Caster said nothing back, but a small smile formed upon his lips as he and the Shielder passed him by. Rider turned to watch them for a moment until he saw they were but specks as they reached the Holy Grail before he turned his attention to Ritsuka. "Well, I hope you have another Servant around, otherwise this won't be much of a fight."

"Eh….yeah about that…." Ritsuka said apologetically. "Everyone else is fighting fly boy over there, or Assassin. So I'm all that's left…"

"Well at least you're honest." Rider said.

"Hope you don't mind, but can you give me a moment to try and summon another?" Ritsuka asked. "Otherwise this would be a very boring fight for you."

Rider laughed. "Go on ahead!"

Ritsuka took the opportunity given to him and used his fingers to draw the necessary circles in the ground. As soon as he made sure they were correctly made, the Chaldean Master raised his right hand and began to mutter a chant. The circles soon glowed with mana as Ritsuka continued to chant. Without Mashu's shield, he knew that summoning a Servant from Chaldea wasn't possible, so he had to hope that whoever he could summon here would be enough to give Rider the fight he desired. He didn't have to wait long as a large pillar of light erupted from the center circle, but Ritsuka did not shield his eyes. He stood there calmly as he watched the lights dance around the summoning circles. Soon the lights dissipated, allowing the three witnesses to see the Servant in question summoned. Young Waver stared in absolute disbelief, while Rider smiled and chuckled in realization of his situation. Ritsuka, on the other hand, stared at the Servant with widened eyes as the Servant glared at him fiercely, before the eyes softened in amusement, causing Ritsuka to scream internally once more. What did he do to deserve this...?

"Hahaha! For you to summon me like this, I see your luck has run out, Mongrel!"


OC: Pft…No, no, I can hold it in…..Okay no I can't…..Pft ahahahahahahahaha! Can someone get me a camera? The look on Ritsuka's face is priceless!

Y: Well, that was certainly a surprise. If that's who I think it is, then it'll be one hell of a second meeting

OC: As if we'd have it any other way. Hello everyone, and welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming. We are now officially beginning the final battle for this singularity, and I hope you're prepared, because it's going to be a doozy…..And we might need some aspirin later if we get headaches from this lol.

Y: It really has grown into a crazy event story, hasn't it? Well, Zero event did start to speed things up near the end, I suspect due to the desire to push out the Elemental Iris. Fun fact, Sayoko Ohara gave different voice lines and takes to each Iri despite them being one-shot villain bosses. I am once again saddened that FGO doesn't have boss replay…

OC: Yeah that would be fun. But now onto the chapter! So scene one we decided to show the other Masters preparing to give this battle a real show that the Fourth Holy Grail War is now coming to a close. It's been a long journey, and seeing Rider's interactions with Waver has actually been a new highlight for me.

Y: Yeah, they were definitely the highlight Servant-Master pair. It's interesting since Waver was hyped up as a cool and badass background character in the Materials, so Zero was his first proper appearance to many who were unfamiliar with El Melloi II until then. So his pairing with Iskander most definitely was an important centerpiece for emotions. Along with Kiritsugu cheating on his wife…

OC: Ooooookayyyyy moving on! So yeah nothing really happened in scene 1 aside from that, but scene 2 had a couple of interesting bits. Ritsuka's sense of smell and Cú's interaction with Diarmuid. For the former, that was something Vlad and I had planned for a bit, but couldn't properly write in yet, so Yatsu and I decided here was the best place. I know it seems we're giving Ritsuka a lot of things, but it was something we felt would be interesting, but also give us a way to give him a big weakness. Having a great sense of smell has its downsides afterall…..

Y: Smell is always a fun sense to write. Fun fact, humans actually do have a very keen sense of smell, it's just not always apparent since the creatures we tend to interact with the most are dogs who…well, yeah. Plus the fact that living in the modern world makes us nose-blind to a lot of stuff due to sheer stimulation. And yeah, that's always a fun sense to write in, as shown with Tanjiro from Demon Slayer.

OC: Indeed! And as for Cú and Diarmuid, we both realized that they didn't really interact much on screen aside from a few words, and that was a shame because they're both celtic Lancers, so they should have had more screen time together here, which we failed to deliver. I hope this mitigates that oversight on our end.

Y: Mhmm, I remember Diarmuid had a neat line for Cu in the Unlimited Codes game. They come from different Cycles (Fennian vs Ulster) but they should know of each other. It'd be like Achilles meeting Heracles, it'd be a riot. As well as talking about stuff like their vows and the nature of fighting as a warrior.

OC: Yeah we should probably tried harder to give them more screentime together, but hey hindsight can be a bitch. Now as for scene three, we had perhaps the most chaotic battle begin! Tokiomi showing up to attack the group and Rider, then Lancelot coming in with a jet to basically rain on everyone's parade. I wanted Lancelot to use his jet, and I was not letting this slip past me! And yes, we made a team four star reference, and I am not apologizing hehehehe.

Y: Team Four Star, it's been a while since they've done something. Here's hoping they do more. We had to do a little research on the jet used by Lancelot, the F-15. It was interesting looking into its capabilities, as well as the fact that it's predicted to be used even into the 2030's. Well-designed machine there, makes sense Lancelot would take a shine to it.

OC: Nobbu too apparently. And yeah with Zouken now being Lancelot's Master, things aren't exactly looking good for the heroes. Given how much stronger bug fossil is, Lancelot is seeing all this and thinking "I can do this all day."

Y: Yep, Zouken has a LOT more mana to give than Kariya, which means Lancelot can go all out, can't time him out like last time. Arondight gives a +1 to all stats IIRC, so being able to use that without worrying about the time limit…yep.

OC: And he caused the group to split up. And Rider had to be the battle junkie and separate them further lol. Well at the very least he took older Waver's insult in stride, and I think he'd even be proud that he talked back like that.

Y: He's basically doing the Karna thing from Apocrypha, where he insists on fighting the heroes and, should he win, THEN fight the greater villain. Well, that's another for the Nasuverse BINGO sheet.

OC: I think we may actually win that bingo lol. Well at the very least it allowed Ritsuka to summon Gilgamesh at the end. That's right folks, Gilgamesh vs. Iskander round two is upon us! That was something that was planned from the start, because to be honest, the in game event was…..kinda rushed and forgettable…So Vlad and I decided long ago to bring in Gilgamesh via summoning to make it interesting.

Y: I imagine Gilgamesh would be up to speed thanks to Sha Nagbu Imuru. He was aware of what happened to the other Gil in FSN in FSF, so he should be aware of that here as well…or just read everybody's minds.

OC: Yeah…..honestly it's only his arrogance that stops him from being a mary sue. Well, not entirely….but you get the point.

Y: That's Nasuverse BINGO for you, an extremely powerful and generally overpowered villain that the heroes only manage to survive due to them being extremely thick and too arrogant to take things seriously until it's too late. It was kinda new when FSN came out, but it's, well, becoming more common now. To the point where it's surprising when they get to do much now…

OC: Let's…not think too hard on that. In any case, that's all we have time for. Thank you all for stopping by for this chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. Stay tuned for the next chapter when it comes out. Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off!

Y: See ya!