Return to Null Chapter 10:
The King's Banquet Part 2
Flashes of flame and glass blades brightened the dim hallways of the Einzbern Manor. Irisviel fired more of her glass objects at Tokiomi, hoping to find an opening. The Tohsaka patriarch was putting up more of a fight than she expected, but it did not matter, she had to buy that boy time to escape to repay her debts.
"Did you really think your plan would work here?" She asked coldly.
"I should be asking you the questions, Lady Einzbern." Tokiomi countered harshly. "What is your relationship with that boy? Don't you know what he is?"
"I don't care. I feel like I can trust him, so I will." Irisviel answered. "I mean, he's way more trustworthy than your boring face."
Tokiomi gritted his teeth and from his cane, a more powerful stream of fire surged forth, intending to hit Irisviel directly. The white haired woman widened her eyes for a moment before rolling out of the way before the flames could touch her. Irisviel cursed under her breath and took time to regain her bearings. She knew she was stronger than him, but as things are now, she finally realized how inexperienced she is compared to Tokiomi. She had to figure out a way to get him to make a mistake, and capitalize on it.
(Meanwhile)
The wind blew silently as Emiya mulled over everything that Kiritsugu revealed to him. He didn't need to say it, but it was now clear that Irisviel was the real Master of Saber here. That alone meant that this timeline is in a very dangerous situation.
"Now that you're aware of the situation, let me go and allow me to complete my objective." Kiristugu said.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd let you." Emiya said. "But these circumstances aren't normal."
"And I should care why?" Kiritsugu asked.
Emiya smirked. "I think we can help each other here."
"What do you mean?"
Emiya walked up and knelt down to look at the alternate version of his father with a gentle gaze. "When was the last time you remembered saving lives, instead of taking them?"
Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you getting at?"
"I think there might be a way to aid you on your mission, and get what we want." Emiya answered. "I just need you to trust me."
(Meanwhile in the Einzbern Manor)
Ritsuka walked through the halls with Kariya on his back, the white haired man being as light as a feather. The black haired teen couldn't help but feel the concern wash over him as he felt the bugs inside Kariya wriggling against his back. Ritsuka looked around and found an open room to place Kariya down so the white haired man could rest. After setting him down, the black haired teen immediately checked the man's vitals, feeling a weak, yet erratic pulse. After breathing a sigh of relief that Kariya was still alive, Ritsuka turned on his communicator to speak to Roman and the rest of the Command Center. "Can you give me a quick internal scan of his body?!"
"We already did." Roman replied. "And the news is really bad."
"Is it the bugs?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes. They're in the final stages of eating his brain." Roman answered. "He's not going to make it."
"Shit! There's got to be something I can do!"
"Ritsuka, there's nothing you can do right now." Roman countered. "We don't have the time to-"
"Now hold on a moment." Alexander said. "The bugs must be coming from somewhere right?"
Everyone looked at the Rider with a raised eyebrow. The red haired teen took center stage and stared at Roman. "Didn't he say that he had a bug in his arm or something?"
"I….I think so. But why-"
"Roman, zoom in on his arm!" Tatsuko shouted.
Roman did exactly as instructed and closed in on Kariya's arm where the Command Seals were located. After closing in and showing the interior, everyone saw the insect inside of Kariya's arm. The source of all the bugs inside his body was fat, near the size of his arm, and pulsating.
"Holy shit…." Ritsuka muttered. "That thing's been inside him all this time."
"It's like a tumor." Roman said. "Wait….a tumor…Ritsuka you might be able to save him if you act fast!"
"Really? How?!" Ritsuka asked frantically.
"You have to cut off his arm!"
Ritsuka stared at the doctor blankly. "I have to do what now?"
"Cut off his arm." Roman repeated. "If Alexander is right, then if you cut off the source, then the other bugs will die, and therefore they'll stop eating his brain."
Ritsuka's eyes widened. "But I only assisted in amputations twice! I don't know if I can make a clean cut to do it properly."
"You're the only one who CAN do this right now." Roman countered. "You know how Kojiro managed it in France, so just think back to that and use that as a basis."
"Senpai, we need some aid!" Mashu said telepathically. "Lancelot is overwhelming Saber, and Cú, Diarmuid and I are not able to defeat Gilgamesh on our own!"
Ritsuka's eyes widened for a moment before taking a deep breath and slowing his heart rate. The black haired teen looked at Kariya and then at his hands. The last time someone this close to death was in front of him, he was powerless to do anything, he failed to save a life that night….
Ritsuka reached into his med kit and brought out his bandages to make a tourniquet, applying it right above where he needed to cut. After making sure it was tight enough, Ritsuka clapped his hands together, forcing the water within his pack to flow upward and freeze into an ice shaped katana. After looking back down at Kariya, Ritsuka took a deep breath, aligning the icy blade where he needed to cut.
He just hoped this worked.
Gilgamesh laughed in amusement as his opponents struggled in their offense. Cú thrusted his spear at the Archer's right side, but Gilgamesh smirked, summoned one of his chains, and wrapped it around the Lancer's arm. With a flick of his wrist, Gilgamesh made the chain throw Cú right into Diarmuid, who was about to make his own attack. The two Lancers collided with each other, and slammed to the ground in a heap. Gilgamesh summoned his portals again and fired a volley of blades at the two of them to finish them off. Mashu was quicker though, and got in between them and the blades. She raised her shield, and buckled under the strain of the onslaught of attacks.
"You mongrels have proven to be more entertaining than I would think!" Gilgamesh said. "But this is starting to get dull. I think it is time that I increase the tempo a bit."
With a snap of his fingers, more portals opened up, causing the three combatants to widen their eyes in disbelief. Mashu quickly dug in her heels as the portals shot more blades right in their direction.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
The blades slammed against her barrier, but the relentless onslaught kept pushing back. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out until Cú put his hands on her shoulders to help her keep steady.
"You're doing good, Mashu!" The blue haired Lancer said. "You just bought me enough time to try and distract him."
"Distract him with what?" The Shielder asked.
"Anzus!"
The blue haired Lancer hurled another large fireball at the golden Archer, hoping to buy them some time to breathe and think of a new plan to stop him. As the fireball exploded in front of Gilgamesh, the barrage of blades stopped, allowing Mashu to deactivate her Noble Phantasm for a brief moment, her guard never lowering for even a second. As the smoke cleared the two of them saw that Gilgamesh didn't even move a muscle. The golden Archer lost his smirk and stared at them calmly, but with slight disappointment. "Is that really all you are capable of, you mangy mutt?"
"Oh I can do so much more than that!" Cú said with a smirk. "That was just part of my plan."
"Oh? So you are capable of actually thinking?" Gilgamesh asked mockingly. Before he could continue, he sensed someone coming up behind him, and saw that Diarmuid was about to strike. It would seem that the black haired Lancer was the one who was intended to kill him. Gilgamesh simply conjured more portals from his Gate of Babylon, firing a dozen blades at the Lancer. Diarmuid clicked his tongue and expertly dodged the blades with ease. Since he was forced to deal with that, Mashu and Cú had to attack Gilgamesh from the front, Mashu tried to bash Gilgamesh with her shield, but the golden Archer simply grinned and wrapped chains around Mashu's waist. With another flick of his wrist, Gilgamesh swung Mashu to the ground, slamming her hard into the earth. Mashu coughed and hacked as the air left her lungs. Cú had to deflect and dodge more of the Golden Archer's treasures as Diarmuid recovered to try and help Mashu up. As the three of them struggled to make any sort of offense on the golden Archer, Gilgamesh regained his smirk.
These mongrels definitely were putting up a better fight than he previously thought.
As that was happening, Berserker roared and unleashed a flurry of strikes upon Saber. The blonde Servant was doing her absolute best to keep up, but the sheer speed of her opponent's attacks left her little room to maneuver. As much as she wanted to help her temporary ally in defeating Rider, the moment Berserker entered the fray, she was forced to break away to defend herself from their former ally. Saber ducked under Berserker's masterful swing, and lunged her blade towards his chest, but the armored opponent sensed her attack and deflected her blow. Berserker then struck with his knee, hitting Saber in the gut. The blonde woman grunted, but did not buckle. Instead she saw an opening in his form, and struck with her blade, hitting him in the side. Berserker flew into the shrubbery and caused it to collapse completely. The maddened warrior growled slowly as he got up and lunged at Saber with utmost ferocity.
"Do you even know when to give up?!" Saber shouted. Berserker did not reply, and instead roared again as his swing missed after Saber sidestepped to dodge the strike.
As that was happening, the older Waver panted and caught his breath as Rider stood there with a grin on his face. The red haired Servant was initially disappointed in Saber's forced exit, but it allowed him and the Caster to properly face off in a proper one on one. The older Waver conjured streams of fire to keep Rider at bay, but the large Servant simply ran through them and swung a spear down at the black haired man. The Caster ducked and with a wave of his fan, conjured a sheet of ice to catch the blade of the spear. Rider simply pulled the spear hard enough, and released it from its frozen prison, but it was more than enough to give the older Waver some breathing room to get some distance.
Rider did not let him stay at a distance for long, and rushed towards him, sword in hand. The older Waver cursed under his breath and dodged every swing he could, but the speed of Rider's attacks was impeccable. However, the Caster soon saw an opening and shot a gust of wind at Rider, pushing him back. As the Caster caught his breath, Rider laughed in mirth.
"You handle yourself well, you know." Rider said.
The black haired Caster chuckled. "I appreciate the compliment."
"If only you were half as interesting as my current Master." Rider said while laughing. A second later, Rider had to brace himself as a barrage of ice attacked him from above and a current of air attacked him on all sides, courtesy of the older Waver.
"I'm only half as interesting eh?" The black haired Caster asked with a quivering lip. "And why would I give a damn about earning your approval?"
With another swing, Rider was upon him. But the Caster anticipated this, and summoned a boulder above both their heads, letting it fall and separating them before Rider could land his strike. However, this did not deter Rider in the slightest, and the red haired Servant managed to reach the Caster, swinging the haft of his spear into the older Waver's gut, sending him flying into the bushes behind him. Crackles of lightning formed around Rider as the Caster slowly got up and sighed.
"Those little sparks won't scare me at all." The older Waver said. "I'm not a child you know!"
"You really have grown up, haven't you…" Rider muttered with a satisfied smirk. "And yet you became boring."
"What are you two even saying to each other?!" Young Waver asked.
"Huh? The answer should be obvious!" Rider shouted.
"Well it isn't to me!" Young Waver shouted back.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out sometime then." Rider replied.
A stream of fire and shards of ice shot at Rider, but the red haired Servant deflected them with ease. He then saw the older Waver standing his ground, his fan pointed right at him with a grin. "You should be taking this fight more seriously."
Rider laughed. "You're right! Let's get back to business then!"
As they continued their fight, the battle against Gilgamesh raged on. The golden Archer unleashed another wave of resplendent treasures as the three Servants rallied against him. None of his foes could track the sheer number and power of the swords as they ripped through the air.
"Hahaha! Without that mad dog, it would seem you mongrels have lost some of your bite!" quipped Gilgamesh cruelly as he saw the three attempt to dodge his attack.
Cu's sharp eyes and Protection from Arrows allowed him to dodge the swords, but their explosive force still buffeted him no matter how he tried to dodge. Diarmuid's red spear, the Gae Dearg, could disrupt the prana within the fired swords to, however briefly, diminish their power before they struck, but the sheer number and speed were slowly overwhelming him.
"Gah!" yelled Mashu as she tanked the full brunt of the treasures.
Unlike the other two legendary warriors, the Shielder was still a neophyte to fighting. Raising her shield to block an attack head-on was still her first reaction to avoid damage. Against an average Servant, Mashu's defense would be satisfactory, but against the golden Servant, her shield could only protect against so much.
"Missy, keep your feet moving. Even a shield-bearer has to know when it's time to dodge!" advised Cu as he traced a rune with free hand.
It was a minor Strengthening Rune to enhance the target's Agility. Mashu felt her body become lighter as she leapt backwards to bleed the inertia from the barrage of swords. She suppressed a flare of shame as she realized that Cu had to expend some of his own magic energy to assist her, when she should be assisting everyone else as the Servant of the Shield. The fact that Mashu still did not know the name of her true Noble Phantasm, or the Servant bonded with her, strengthened that sensation.
"Hold tight everyone!" commanded Diarmuid, sensing that the golden Servant was planning another assault.
At Diarmuid's order, all three motioned towards each other as a unit. The son of Donn was not one to ignore during a razor's edge battle.
"Dance for me more, mongrels. Amuse your king like - what would the modern day call them…acrobats!" said Gilgamesh as the portals above him subtly shifted yet again.
Rather than a wall of destruction that the trio had, through great pains, adapted to, this next attack was rather different. A dozen Gate portals suddenly lit up around the three in a circular fashion while eight more formed an inner ring above the dozen. It was akin to an explosion, inverted, to divert the force from the Gate into a much smaller area.
Mashu felt her heart almost erupt out of her chest at the sight; there was no angle to escape or dodge for any of them. Any direction to break: left, right, back, forwards, upwards…all of them were sealed.
"So, we go with that then!" said Cú, immediately understanding Diarmuid's plan.
Diarmuid knew that the golden Servant would try something like this; he had seen a previous God of War fight Lord Fionn with a similar ability. The commoner's logic would be to spread out; if such an attack was a guaranteed kill, then sacrificing one to guarantee survival of the rest was only prudent. However, to a hero…
"Use your Noble Phantasm again, Lady Mashu!" commanded Diarmuid, hands practically white as he clutched the Dearg.
It would take a fraction of a second for the sword to rain down, and in that time, Diarmuid intercepted all of them with the Dearg. All 20 portals sputtered for an instant as the Dearg displaced the magical energy that sustained them; such a feat would be worthy of being claimed as boosted by a Command Seal. It would not stop the attack, no…but it would buy the girl the time she needed.
"Create a wall to protect all those before my sight…Lord Chaldeas!" yelled Mashu as she deployed her pseudo Noble Phantasm.
The circular glyph, a mirror image of Mashu's shield, sprung with a pale green light in front of her. It was indeed mighty, perhaps capable of holding off, even for a few seconds, the thunderous assault from the Gate of Babylon. However, such a shield was only useful against frontal assaults, and would not protect the three against attacks from behind or the side.
"There we go…Algiz! Agnath!" yelled Cú as he drew two more Runes with his spear.
The first was a powerful, spherical shell made of magical energy. It radiated a bright red energy, matching the Bolges, with occasional eruptions of thorns on its surface. It was powerful, but a tad unstable; unavoidable when Cú used the curse inherent within the Bolges to strengthen it as much as he could given his Class. The second rune…was a fire spell.
It happened all at once; the swords fell, the fireball erupted, and the shield exploded…and all according to Diarmuid's plan. He was not going to sacrifice anybody to the golden Servant's trap, he was going to USE it to go for the king!
Cú grabbed Diarmuid as the two Lancers were launched to the side; the double layers of protection had prevented any permanent damage…but they could feel broken bones and torn muscles as they landed. It was not the most elegant of escapes, but they would heal, in time.
Mashu, on the other hand, was rocketed forward by the sheer impact behind her. Cu's Algiz Rune had protected her rear, and so she focused entirely on pushing through the front, now understanding Diarmuid's plan. Within her sights…was Gilgamesh!
"What!?" yelled Gilgamesh, astonished at the sight.
He had foreseen the mongrels scattering and one of them, ideally the mutt in blue, being skewered alive…he had foreseen the mongrels making a desperate last stand to withstand another assault, just to be wiped out by his next, undaunted…he did not expect to see a purple haired girl barreling towards him with her shield outstretched.
Gilgamesh opened up 10 more portals, noting that he had overextended himself setting up that trap for the trio earlier. The treasures flew out, and smashed directly into the pale green energy, erupting in brilliant showers of light and magical energy.
Mashu could feel her arms smarting at the impact. Lord Chaldeas would protect her…but it didn't mean especially powerful attacks were easy to dissipate force from. Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth, remembering Cu's words. There was a time to dodge, and a time to hold one's ground…and the latter was THIS time.
The pale green shield began to form cracks, but Mash's speed was undaunted. Gilgamesh's red eyes flashed for a bit as he realized he had no time to protect himself…
Like a train with only a single direction and boundless determination, Mashu collided her shield, the pale green light only barely hanging on through a thread, directly into Gilgamesh upper torso. The golden Servant which had previously been practically unassailable, the one Servant that had never received a single wound throughout the Fourth Holy Grail War…had now been injured.
Mashu could feel the weight of her shield strike flesh, before she fell to the ground, the force from before having dissipated. She almost felt her stomach upturn and her knees buckle as her feet touched the ground. The sudden acceleration was most unkind to the contents of her stomach, and the strain of using Lord Chaldeas in such a manner was taking its toll. Still, Mash refused to collapse, as she was the last Servant of the trio still capable of fighting.
"Ha…ha…ha!" laughed Gilgamesh, though in a highly disturbed way.
The golden Servant had also fallen to the ground; his nose was broken in an unsightly manner while his face, once a visage of cruel perfection, was bloodied and bruised. His mouth was open in a smile…but the sort that didn't reach his predatory red eyes. Even his laughter was hollow…the events that had just transpired were too much…laughter was the only thought his brain was capable of at the moment. He raised a hand to his face, taking a moment to soak in the sensation of pain and humiliation.
With a deft moment, Gilgamesh reset his broken nose, flinging his blood to the ground as it began to flow freely again.
"...Do you want more?!" questioned Mashu, astounded by the fact Gilgamesh was still battle capable.
"I have not met anyone brazen enough to mangle the king's face in a long time…" responded Gilgamesh, red eyes scanning the blood on his gauntlet, "And it's been even longer since I have seen my own blood. I must offer gratitude to the smith that crafted this armor. If I hadn't been wearing it, there was a chance, however slight…that I might have even lost."
Mashu was unsure of what was more disturbing; the Gilgamesh from before that cruelly laughed, jeered, and mocked her and her compatriots…or the Gilgamesh in front of her now that seemed almost beatific at the sight of his own injuries.
"That is what you deserve, standing above everyone else and demanding they serve your whims!" replied Mashu, narrowing her eyes at Gilgamesh, "I do not know much about kings or ruling over countries, but I would never want to be your subject if you treated them like you did us."
"I should cut out your eyes and your tongue for daring to besmirch the king with such defiance…however, I did request for you and your troupe to entertain me. I cannot complain at the results of such a farce." said Gilgamesh.
With a shower of gold, Gilgamesh created another portal from the Gate. A singular one, surprising Mash as the golden Archer preferred to overwhelm his opponent with a cruel assault from afar. Rather than launching a treasure from the golden portal, Gilgamesh reached his hand inside to take something out. It was…a bottle. A simple (yet elegantly detailed) glass bottle with a dark red liquid inside and sealed with a dry cork. The Shielder looked on in curiosity as Gilgamesh uncorked the glass bottle. "Why did you bring out wine?"
With quick and nimble fingers, Gilgamesh placed something on the bottle, and revealed it to Mashu. It was a rubber teat that he placed on the bottle. "Now the child is ready to drink!"
The Shielder's eye twitched. She gripped her shield tightly as she gritted her teeth, her blood starting to boil over. "You know, I was trying to be nice and cordial. But this? That was the last straw."
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow in amusement. The Shielder then lunged at him, her shield raised to bash his skull.
"I will stop you here and now!"
CLANG!
Mashu's eyes widened in shock as Gilgamesh caught her attack with his gloved hand, the golden Archer laughed in amusement. "You show great spirit, little female corgi. I look forward to crushing it under my boot!"
Before Mashu could react, chains snaked around her body, taking hold and yanking her harshly away from Gilgamesh. The golden Archer manipulated the chains to spin her around for a moment before they settled her off the ground a few feet, showing her the rest of the battles ahead. The sight before her nearly made her heart leap to her throat in shock.
Berserker unleashed a flurry of strikes against Saber, the blonde Servant was getting worn down, struggling against the onslaught of Berserker's rage. Saber tried to swing her blade at an opening she saw in his side, but Berserker swung his blade to block on instinct, deflecting the blow and disarming Saber. Berserker kicked Saber to the ground, and before she could react, felt his boot on her throat. She then turned to see Rider facing off against the older Waver, with the latter fighting with everything he had. While he was far from worn down, he was tiring out from having to restrain Assassin and fighting Rider at the same time. He wasn't going to last much longer.
"There may be a way to save them." Gilgamesh said. The golden Archer floated to her side with a sinister grin. "Bow to me, and beg for me to save your allies."
Mashu struggled against the chains, hoping to find a weak point to slip through. Gilgamesh chuckled in amusement, and simply tightened the chains around her. "I did not tell you to escape. I told you to grovel and beg for my aid."
Mashu threw a nasty glare at Gilgamesh, her eyes smoldering in anger and disgust. In defiance, she tried to struggle more, but soon she saw Berserker raise his blade, aiming for Saber's head. The Shielder's eyes widened in despair, causing Gilgamesh to laugh. "It seems time is up! Such a pity, but it would seem her death will be all your fault."
"DON'T COUNT ON IT!"
Everyone's eyes widened as a familiar voice rang out like thunder. Soon, another window was shattered as a lone figure leapt out the window. The combatants turned to see the figure rise up, and a wave of relief and shock filled the Chaldeans in equal measure. Standing with anger and resolve was Ritsuka, with a katana made of ice in his right hand, dripping with blood, and on a belt, a severed hand with Kariya's Command Seals.
"Senpai!"
Ritsuka looked up and saw Mashu bound in chains, and Gilgamesh staring at him in curiosity. However, Ritsuka was not amused, and flashed a harsh glare at the golden Archer.
"You had your fun," Ritsuka said harshly. "But playtime is over."
"Ah, so the other corgi bares his fangs." Gilgamesh replied in amusement. The Archer raised his hand to point at Mashu. "Tell me, do you enjoy the sight before you?"
Ritsuka scowled and clenched his fist tight enough to almost draw blood. "You really know exactly how to anger me, you know that?"
"Senpai, forget about me and help the others!"
"Just do something already!" The older Waver shouted. Ritsuka wasted no time in melting the icy blade in his hands to grab the hand off his belt. As soon as he had Kariya's severed hand, he took a deep breath and raised it high. He could only pray that this would work….
"By this Command Spell, Berserker, ignore Saber and attack Archer with everything you got!"
A faint hum filled Ritsuka's ears, and a red flash appeared from the hand. Within moments, Berserker lowered his blade from attacking Saber, and stared at Gilgamesh blankly. The golden Archer clicked his tongue and scowled at the black haired Master. "When I am done with this mad dog, I shall be sure to discipline you with my chains!"
With a flick of his wrist, Gilgamesh used the chains wrapped around Mashu to throw her at Ritsuka. The Shielder didn't flinch or panic as she simply used her momentum to land on her feet next to Ritsuka before flashing a gentle smile. "That was impressive, Senpai."
"I must say, you are very unpredictable."
The two of them turned their heads and saw Saber getting up and popping her neck and relaxing her shoulders. "I'll go back to help your Caster over there, while you two help Lancelot in finishing off Archer like you planned."
Mashu's eyes widened. "How did you-"
"Even if his body is obscured, I would recognise the swordsmanship of my finest knight anywhere." Saber said with a faint smile. The blonde Servant quickly shifted gears and became like steel. "We have to finish this quickly now, once that is all done, my Master and I will listen to what you all have to say."
Saber soon leapt back to the elder Waver's side, surprising Rider from behind with a swipe of her blade. As soon as Ritsuka knew the Caster would be safe, he took out one of the three Mana Prisms given to him and took a deep breath. He tightened his grip until the cube was crushed, allowing the mana within to be absorbed by his body. The male Master gasped for air as he felt his magic circuits flaring. It was as if his veins were getting engorged. But it felt more than that, it felt like his circuits were starting to stir from a deep slumber. The male Master nearly doubled over from the pain, but he gritted his teeth and waited for the worst of it to subside. By the time he could control the pain, he saw that Mashu was already back in the fight, working in tandem with Lancelot. However, the Berserker was struggling to keep up with the other combatants. The previous wounds he received from the earlier fights were finally starting to show their results. Ritsuka shot both of his hands out, and focused his efforts on healing him. As his hands started to glow, Ritsuka's eyes widened a bit. The spell enveloped Lancelot, and within moments, his wounds started to heal up. The Berserker roared and lunged at Gilgamesh with renewed vigor, causing the Archer to click his tongue in irritation.
Waver felt a pressure in his head as he waved the feather fan to conjure another wall of flame to engulf Rider. It was obviously strong enough to overwhelm the target's Magic Resistance (which was never particularly mighty to begin with), but the impact of the flames (Waver had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from analyzing HOW fire could pack concussive force; analyzing the Mystery of a Servant would put half of the the Lords in a conniption) was not enough to do more than mildly deter the giant of a man he was facing.
Waver could hear the 'voice' of Zhuge Liang in his mind as a dim chime; the Heroic Spirit ceded control over their fused Saint Graph to the younger man, and provided only tactical and strategic knowledge. It was nice to NOT have to be the smartest mind in the room and provide an answer for every question, Flat was often fond of asking off-the-wall and irrelevant questions to 'prove' his teacher's intelligence, but Waver did have to admit the lack of morale from the Chinese strategist wore down on his nerves as he fought Rider. Surely the veteran strategist from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms could weather the assault from an enemy Servant much better…and wouldn't have issue fighting Iskander, King of Conquerers.
"What's the matter, boy?" asked Rider, short sword crackling with powerful electric force, "You look distracted, unsure, and utterly defeated."
"I haven't lost yet you massive oaf!" yelled Waver, waving his fan to launch a volley of stones to back up his words.
Rider matched the blow by slashing with his sword, launching arcs of electricity to pulverize the rubble and blind Waver with the resulting dust cloud. Waver sputtered and tried to clear his vision, but a sudden 'order' from Zhuge Liang instead told him to focus on the battlefield. Relying on his hearing, he swiped the fan to conjure a bellow of wind; it wouldn't stop Rider cold, but did launch Waver away to recover.
"Haha! So you relied on your hearing and spells to dodge even after you were blinded," noted Rider, smirking as his eyes narrowed in analysis, "Ah, I suppose that was advice from the voice in your mind no?"
Waver didn't immediately answer, focusing firstmost on clearing his eyes.
"Are your cheeks burning?" asked Rider, his voice soft and almost sing-song
"NO THEY ARE NOT!" pouted Waver, practically reverting in age before the King of Conquerers.
"Careful, Rider!" came a voice from within Rider's chariot, "Judging by his fan and eastern styled Magecraft, I think that guy might have been a Chinese general or strategist!"
It was the younger Waver Velvet, relaying his observations and analyses.
"Hoho, I've heard the strategists from the Orient were infamous for their ruthlessness! I shall have to be exceedingly cautious then!" cried out Rider as he conjured another mount, a stallion that would qualify as a Heroic Spirit in his own right.
"Bucephalus!" realized Waver as he recognized the equine's gait and splendor.
He was in a precarious situation; if he retreated, Bucephalus would run him down without question; if he tried to close the gap before the horse leapt, Rider would cut him down with his sword; if he deployed his Noble Phantasm, Gilgamesh would know of it and they'd lose the element of surprise against the golden Servant.
Yet before a choice could be made, the horse leapt backward, sensing a threat to its lord. Saber had crashed between the two, taking side with Waver while Invisible Air coiled around her sword.
"Your mount is quite valorous," commented Saber, eyes locking with Bucephalus and then Rider, "Even a war horse would be unnerved at the power of Invisible Air."
Bucephalus paced in a circular pattern, carefully observing the effective reach of the new Servant. The horse was practically a second combatant in his own right.
"Naturally, my companion has led me to glory and saved me from death more times than I can count. He is one of my oldest and most loyal retainers…" replied Rider as he patted his horse's head lightly.
"I understand he's a good horse, but making him a retainer…" muttered Waver in (he refused to acknowledge it) jealousy.
"Gahh!" came a yelp of pain from behind Rider.
"Hrmm…" muttered Rider in response, his brow furrowed as he took stock of the battlefield.
The younger Waver was hidden within Rider's chariot, biting down on his hand forcefully to avoid making any sound. He knew he wasn't fully prepared for a Servant like the King of Conquerers, but Rider, his chariot, AND Bucephalus out at once strained the student Mage's Circuits to their breaking point.
"I have decided Bucephalus requires a better arena!" declared Rider, returning to his feet as Bucephalus dispersed in a sparkle of red-gold, "I did promise to personally clear you of your delusions, Saber!"
Even without his foreknowledge of the 4th Holy Grail War, Waver knew Rider was bluffing. He had overtaxed his Master, and refused to disperse his chariot since that would render his Master vulnerable. Waver internally swore at the memory of his younger self's weakness…though truthfully he wasn't that much stronger even as an adult. Still, for a Master to just barely be capable of supporting a Servant and holding them back on some level…it was a bitter pill to swallow twice.
"Choosing to forgo your mount out of arrogance? I may follow a knight's honor, but I do not suffer fools gladly, Rider!" replied Saber, interpreting Rider's actions as an insult to her capabilities as a warrior.
"Saber, perhaps we should-" started Waver, before realizing just how bad the situation had gotten.
Gilgamesh was their biggest threat to correct the Singularity, and they would need as much firepower as they could to bring down the golden Servant. If Saber and Rider fought to the death now, they'd be depriving Chaldea of at least one powerful asset.
"Err, Rider!" came the voice from before, as the younger Waver poked his head out from behind Rider's chariot, "My familiar just gave me a warning, and we have to go!"
"Haha, it would appear something else has come to my attention," said Rider, retreating to the chariot with his Master, "But mark my words, Saber, we will have our clash. Any battle between kings demands a proper stage."
Waver let out a breath as he gave a token of appreciation for his younger self. Iskander's pride would not permit him to retreat so easily from a scenario, so his Master had to restrain his Servant for their own good.
"That's the role you said was for me…" said Waver under his breath.
"You rest here, and I'll help your comrades in defeating Archer." Saber said calmly. "You fought well by the way. Good job."
Waver sighed and ignored her compliment as she went on to aid the others in facing down the Golden Archer. Gilgamesh sensed her impending attack and unleashed a storm of blades from his portals to pin her down. But that left him open for Mashu to hit him over the head with her shield. The Archer simply toughed it out, and used his portals to overwhelm Mashu with his blades, the Shielder was forced to raise her shield to block each attack, but the effort pushed her back towards the gates. Lancelot soon was upon him and grabbed another blade from a portal, using it to try and cut through the Archer's armor. Unfortunately it did nothing to harm the King of Heroes, but it made the golden Archer scowl. Ritsuka could only do so much to support everyone, but it was clear that even with Saber's inclusion, things were still in Gilgamesh's favor. He then saw the two Lancers starting to get up. Cú must have used some Celtic runes to help them heal, albeit slowly. The black haired Master decided to speed it along and applied the same intermediate healing spell used on Lancelot, allowing them to heal faster.
"Wow, that Mana Prism came in handy!" Cú said in astonishment. The Lancer and Diarmuid dodged multiple blades without any hint of difficulty as Gilgamesh gritted his teeth.
"You mongrels really do not know when to stay down!"
Cú and Diarmuid wasted no time and leapt back into the fray. As soon as they attacked together, Gilgamesh was forced to dodge Cú's spear. Diarmuid was upon him in an instant, thrusting his spears at Gilgamesh, forcing him on the defensive, allowing Saber to come up from behind and slam the hilt of her blade into his back, throwing Gilgamesh off balance. This gave Lancelot and Mashu time to connect their attacks as well, making the Archer reel back. Diarmuid did not skip a beat, and used Buidhe to thrust at his face. Gilgamesh tilted his head at the last second to move his head out of spear range, but a stinging sensation ran through his head. The golden Archer's eyes widened in anger as he felt blood running down his face.
This mongrel cut his cheek!
Gilgamesh flashed a death glare at the Chaldean fighters and their allies. "When the little corgi broke my nose, I was more amused and found it quaint. But now? Now I find this unfunny."
A sound of crackling filled the air. Everyone braced themselves in shock as a monstrous amount of mana was unleashed courtesy of Gilgamesh. The golden Archer crossed his arms and started to float up in the air. Cú and Saber attacked simultaneously to try and ground him, but Gilgamesh summoned forth some of his chains, wrapping them around their ankles and threw them to the ground. The golden Archer wasted no time, and summoned portals all around the group, trapping them in a deadly prison.
"I will kill you all now." Gilgamesh said coldly. The Archer then turned his gaze towards Mashu and Ritsuka. "But I will save you two for last."
Ritsuka instinctively brought up Kariya's hand to use the final Command Spell. He didn't want to have used it here, but they were out of options. But the gusts of wind from the mana being projected were incredibly powerful, making it difficult for Ritsuka to hold on. His hands felt empty soon after, and a chill ran down everyone's spines.
The hand was thrown right out of his hands from the wind!
Gilgamesh raised his hand, making a familiar movement that Cú caught. Mashu immediately went to work, and activated Lord Chaldeas to protect everyone, but Lancelot burst from the protective barrier, howling at Gilgamesh. The golden Archer simply smirked and waited until the Berserker was getting closer.
BOOM!
Everyone didn't have time to react, but the explosion nearly overwhelmed them. Lancelot was shot outside the manor, his body becoming harder to see as he was flown farther away from the power of the explosion.
The shockwaves nearly caused Mashu to fall over from the sheer force, but she held fast, and Lord Chaldeas did not break. However, some of the other people inside the barrier were knocked onto their backs from the impact, but were otherwise unharmed. Mashu grunted as she tried to keep herself steady, but it was proving more difficult for her to stay on her feet. Ritsuka immediately put his hands on her shoulders to help her stay on her feet.
The older Waver, on the other hand, didn't even have enough time to erect a protective barrier as the shockwaves shot him back into one of the walls of the manor. The Caster felt the wall crack from the impact of his landing, his body still weakened from his fight with Rider. He slowly got up, and his eyes widened in terror.
Assassin was moving around again. Gilgamesh's attack caused him to lose his concentration for a split second and now Assassin was free. The hooded Servant immediately jumped out of the garden, blending in with the shadows.
"We have a situation." Waver said telepathically. "Gilgamesh's little tantrum has caused Assassin to escape!"
"It's a slight hiccup." Ritsuka replied. "Gilgamesh was always the biggest part of the plan, and we're probably screwed now since Lancelot's gone, and plan C might not even happen!"
"I wouldn't be too sure about that!"
The Chaldeans eyes widened as they heard Emiya's voice ring in their heads.
"Rho Aias!"
Multiple petals formed around Mashu's barrier to bolster her defenses. With the aid of Rho Aias, the rumbling and shockwaves stopped becoming an issue for the allied fighters allowing them to get up. As soon as the explosion was finished, Gilgamesh scowled at the fact only Berserker was out of the fight.
"What's wrong, King of Heroes? Are you going to bitch and moan about how they're still alive?"
Everyone looked up to see Emiya standing on the rooftop of the manor aiming his bow at Gilgamesh. Ritsuka took the time to catch his breath and regain his composure. "Well, looks like it's going to be Plan C afterall."
"Be silent." Gilgamesh said in a quiet tone. The golden Archer opened up more portals to the Gate of Babylon. Everyone reacted immediately to prevent the onslaught of blades. Mashu slammed her shield to protect Ritsuka while Cú used Protection of Arrows to protect himself. Diarmuid dodged and parried every blade that came his way alongside Saber. Emiya simply dodged, jumped and maneuvered around each blade like an acrobat, shooting at Gilgamesh to provide an opening for the others. After finding some cover, Emiya noticed a good spot to hit the golden Archer, and fired one of his projectiles right at the spot. This distracted Gilgamesh enough that everyone stopped for a moment and readied themselves. This was their best chance to end this once and for all!
Ritsuka raised his hand and activated two Command Seals onto Cú and Diarmuid. One was to heal them as best as he could, while the other would strengthen them to keep up the assault. While it diluted the strength of each Seal, it was more than enough to get them back in proper fighting shape.
Saber rushed in first, hoping to end the fight as quickly as possible. The blonde woman slashed at Gilgamesh, landing a blow on his chest. The golden Archer blasted her away with a wave of his hand, but Diarmuid and Mashu immediately appeared behind him to keep up the pressure. The Shielder smashed he shield into his back, sending him straight into Diarmuid, who thrusted Gáe Dearg right towards his chest to pierce him. Gilgamesh managed to move his body away from the worst of the attack, but a shallow cut managed to land on him. Cú wasted no time, and pierced Gilgamesh's shoulder with Gáe Bolg, then leapt out of the way when Gilgamesh fired several blades at him.
Bang!
Gilgamesh widened his eyes in shock. Something hit him, but he didn't know what it was. The golden Archer coughed up blood, as he looked down at his chest and saw a small hole in the center. Everyone watched in slight surprise before taking this opportunity to attack. It was now or never, and they didn't have much longer before they tired out. Diarmuid lunged first, piercing Gilgamesh through the sides with his spears. Cú came from behind and thrusted Gáe Bolg into the Golden Archer's chest, followed by Saber, who stabbed Gilgamesh in his gut, staring daggers at the King of Heroes with a fierce glare.
"Do not get so carried away, mongrels." Gilgamesh hissed. "This was your only option to even have s chance to last as long as you-"
Thwip!
Gilgamesh stopped talking as a sword buried itself into his head. The golden Archer turned to see Emiya staring down at him with indifference, making his blood boil. However, even if he wouldn't admit it, he was finished. Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Ritsuka, the black haired teen glaring at him. The golden Archer smirked and burned the image of the boy into his memory. That boy was just too interesting…
Without uttering another word, Gilgamesh faded away into golden dust. The group felt a huge weight lift off of their shoulders, with Ritsuka shaking a bit in his body.
They did it. They defeated Gilgamesh.
(Meanwhile)
Irisviel ducked under another stream of fire and fired more glassy blades at Tokiomi. The Tohsaka patriarch simply slammed his cane down, and a burst of fire came forth as a barrier, shattering the blades in an instant. Irisviel wasn't done, however, and waited for the flames to die down in order to strike. She was getting used to his attack patterns now, but she couldn't get the opening to take him down due to the distance he kept making. She just had to keep waiting until he let his guard down. A sharp pain ran through her body, like a large shard of glass pierced her heart. It soon dissipated and she saw the barrier completely vanish, and saw Tokiomi's dumbfounded expression.
"No." He muttered. "No no no, it cannot be!"
"It seems that you've lost." Irisviel said. The white haired woman clutched her head in discomfort for a few brief moments. Tokiomi's Servant's soul was incredibly powerful, and it felt like she was getting overwhelmed. But she had to get herself under control. Irisviel had to finish this quickly, and so conjured as many glass blades as she could, firing them directly at Tokiomi. The black haired Magus managed to regain his senses just in time to dodge and duck under the intense volley, he then raised his cane to try and attack, but a blade coming from above forced him to move out of the way. In the process, his hands felt lighter, as if something was lost.
"Wait, what happened?"
Tokiomi looked down and saw that his cane was now cut into two pieces. "Oh…."
Before Irisviel could finish him off, Assassin appeared behind the Tohsaka patriarch, lifted him onto her shoulder, and ran. The Assassin had no interest fighting a battle they obviously could not win. The best option was to run, and hope to find another way to claim victory.
Irisviel watched them escape, opting to not follow them. The white haired woman took a few deep breaths as she felt her knees buckle.
"Here, let me help."
Irisviel looked to her left and saw Emiya standing before her, his hand outstretched in offering. The white haired woman nodded and took his hand as he offered her his support to get outside. "Is that boy okay?"
"He's resting right now." Emiya said gently. "The fight with Archer took a toll on him, but he'll be okay."
"Thank goodness." Irisviel said with a struggling breath. "And Berserker's Master?"
"One of our people is grabbing him right now." Emiya answered. "He's alive from what we know."
"I see…."
"I know you have a lot of questions, but please try not to speak right now."
Irisviel nodded and tried to conserve her strength as Emiya led her towards the garden. The white haired woman sighed in disbelief as she saw another window was broken. As soon as she saw the rest of the intruding party members tending to themselves and Kariya, her heart stopped for a moment as she saw someone she never expected.
Standing by Diarmuid was the white haired gunman that tried to kill her. She then saw Saber glaring at the man with her weapon ready at any hint of betrayal. A wave of relief and calm came into Irisviel as Saber was now close by. She returned her attention to the white haired assassin and raised an eyebrow. "Why is he here?"
"Trust me, this is not what I planned either." Kiritsugu said. "But I've been convinced to help you, instead of killing you."
"Make no mistake, I'm still watching you." Saber replied. "If I see so much as a twitch I do not like, I'll take you down."
"Personally I'm glad that we talked him out of it, but I wasn't sure he'd even entertain the idea…." Ritsuka muttered as he sat down. The black haired Master hissed in pain and let out a cough, causing Mashu to kneel at his side.
"Senpai, please don't speak right now." The lilac haired girl said gently.
Irisviel smiled at the boy and slowly made her way to him. As soon as she was close, the white haired woman sat down in front of him, breathing in deep to try and keep her own discomfort under control. "That's twice I owe you my life."
"Hey, don't worry about it." Cú said as he checked Kariya's pulse. "It's the least we could do."
"Well regardless, I promised to hear what you all have to say." Irisviel said. "I want to hear everything, so spare no details."
"I am curious about this as well." Saber said as she walked towards Irisviel until she was standing right next to her. "You knew exactly who Berserker was, and furthermore, you seemed to have known when we would be meeting Archer. So just who are you people?"
Ritsuka grinned and nodded. "I'd explain it myself, but I think there is someone else much better suited to the task. Just…..don't freak out okay?"
The two women raised an eyebrow in confusion as Ritsuka got his communicator out and activated it. Irisviel and Saber widened their eyes in shock as a red haired man stared at them through a holographic image.
"What in the-"
"Hi there! I'm Doctor Romani Archaman. Acting Director of Chaldea."
"Chaldea?" Saber muttered. "What is your interest in the Holy Grail War?"
"I can answer that. Doctor, if you would be so kind."
Irisviel and Saber widened their eyes as they heard that voice. Roman nodded and moved aside, revealing Artoria to the two women. The Chaldean Servant smiled warmly and stared at Irisviel with great fondness. "It is so good to see you again, Lady Irisviel."
Irisviel and Saber simply stared at her in absolute silence. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Artoria took note of their gazes, still smiling at them.
"I suspect you have questions. So allow me to have the honor to tell you everything."
Day 10
Dawn was fast approaching now. The docks were silent barring the gentle lapping of the waves. Kariya simply sat down on a bench, watching the waves. After waking up and learning of what happened, the white haired man felt a strange sense of calm and peace. A feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time…..
"Nice view. Though I know of a certain place that puts this to shame."
Kariya turned and saw Ritsuka walking towards him, albeit with some slight limping. The fight had hurt the boy's body more than previously thought, but with enough rest, he'd be good as new. The black haired Master sat down next to him and sighed. "I can't believe we managed to get out of that…"
Kariya grumbled, causing Ritsuka to stare at him curiously. "Hey, what's wrong."
"-ry….."
"I…..what?"
"I'm….sorry for what I said to you the other day." Kariya said. "You deserved better than my cruel words."
"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Ritsuka replied. "I was really out of line."
"We both were, so let's just leave it at that." Kariya said calmly. "Any word on Berserker?"
Ritsuka shook his head. "We know he's alive. But he's probably laying low or recovering somewhere."
"You'll find him eventually." Kariya said. "I trust you on that front."
"So…any plans for Rin?" Ritsuka asked.
"I'm going to leave her where she is now. She at least can have a better life under her family's watch."
"Where are you going to go?"
Kariya shrugged. "Not sure. I'm sure Lady Einzbern will tell me before we depart."
"Well I wish ya-I mean you- Oh goddammit…"
Kariya chuckled lightly. "I thought this was already over with. You should stop trying to hide your natural accent."
Ritsuka sighed in defeat. "I thought I'd be done talkin' like this….just how many more times do I have to have this brought up?"
Kariya thought to himself for a moment, before turning his gaze to the water. "Can I be frank with you for a moment?"
"I guess." Ritsuka said. "Whaddya want to say?"
"You aren't like those men in the Shinkaichi district."
Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "I mean that's obvious, because I'm tryin' to get rid of that….taint from my voice."
"And it's wrong for you to do so."
Ritsuka stared at him in disbelief. "Are you sayin' that I shouldn't hide my real voice? That I should speak like those pigs and animals in that district?"
"But you aren't them. You might think you are trying to improve yourself by getting rid of that accent, but what you're really doing is fighting yourself. You have to accept it."
Ritsuka stared at the white haired man in shock. He tried to form words, but something prevented him from doing so. Kariya took that silence and decided to deliver the final blow. "If I remember correctly, you mentioned that some prostitutes had a hand in raising you, right?"
"Well, yeah. So what?"
"When you speak in our native tongue, you should think of them instead. They lived there too, just like you. So when you hide it, you're denying their role in your life."
"Ah, there you are."
Ritsuka and Kariya turned their heads and saw Emiya approaching them. The white haired Archer smiled and pointed towards the boat at the dock behind him. "It's time."
The two Masters nodded, and Ritsuka stood up, offering his hand to Kariya. "Ready?"
Kariya nodded and took Ritsuka's arm for some support. The black haired teen allowed Kariya to set their pace, not wanting to make it too strenuous for the older man. The two of them continued their way towards the boat that would take Kariya away from Fuyuki when they saw the others waving at them. But most importantly, the black haired little girl who held Medusa's hand and received headpats from Irisviel. The little girl saw them, her eyes beaming and ran towards Ritsuka and Kariya, her smile widening. Kariya knelt down, his good arm opened up and embraced the little girl in a tight hug.
"Is it over?" She asked.
"It's over." Kariya raised his head and nodded to Irisviel. "Thank you for giving us the means to get out of here."
Irisviel smiled and nodded. "It'll be a long trip all around, but the boat will be headed to America. Hawaii specifically. It's supposed to be nice that time of year, and I think this little bundle of sunshine would love it there!"
"That's perfect." Kariya said. The white haired man slowly got up and gently smiled at Sakura, taking her hand into his remaining one. "I think it's time, are you ready?"
Sakura nodded, but slipped out of his grasp. "Can I say something to everyone first?"
"Of course." Kariya answered. "I'll be right here when you're ready."
Sakura smiled and rushed to Ritsuka's side, hugging him tight. "Thank you for saving me from those scary bugs back then."
Ritsuka said nothing out of surprise. The little girl released her embrace, and rushed to hug Fou next. "I'll miss playing with you, Fou."
"Fou Fou!"
Mashu giggled and scratched the critter's chin. "He says he will miss you too."
Sakura hugged Mashu next, thanking her for staying with her the morning after her rescue. The Shielder hugged her back for a few moments before the little girl decided to finish up. As soon as they let go, Sakura thanked everyone else individually, until she reached Medusa. The little girl's smile faded, replaced with uncertainty and concern. "Will I ever see you again?"
Medusa trembled at the question. Her body tried its best not to shake as she stared into Sakura's eyes. The Rider could only think of all the things her former Master suffered in the hands of the Matous, from her childhood, to the Fifth Holy Grail War. And yet here her younger self stood before her, innocent to all of that. Medusa took a deep breath and did her best to smile back. "I'm sure we will."
Sakura's eyes beamed with joy. "Do you promise to come see me?"
Medusa nodded. "Of course. No matter the distance, I'll be sure to find you, and say hello."
"Then let's not say goodbye then!" Sakura said. "Let us just say until we see each other again!"
Medusa gave a small giggle at the comment and nodded. She then saw Sakura opening her arms up, obviously showing what she wanted. The Rider saw the first rays of the sun shining upon this girl, making her more angelic than before. Medusa immediately knelt down, and wrapped her arms around Sakura, her body trembling. Even if this was only a temporary event. Even if things will go back to normal. Even if the world would make everything they did here pointless, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that a little girl would be happy. Medusa's embrace merely softened, yet remained tight and warm as the sun finally rose up to bask them in its warmth.
"Until we meet again, Sakura. Live a good, happy life. No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."
The honking of the boat's horn broke their concentration. Medusa and Sakura slowly broke their embrace, allowing the little girl to step back and smile at her. Sakura gave a small bow to everyone before returning to Kariya's side. "I'm ready Uncle Kariya."
Kariya simply nodded and smiled. "Let's go Sakura, let's go home."
The little girl gently took her guardian's remaining hand, and walked aboard the ship to their new destination. A few minutes later when everything was set, the boat finally sailed away to the rising sun. The Chaldeans watched with faint smiles as they watched it leave the harbor, but not before seeing Sakura once more looking from the boat, waving her goodbyes to them. They responded in kind, waving to her as the boat got smaller and smaller, until it was out of their sight. When they could no longer see the boat, Emiya took a deep breath and smiled. "This is without a doubt one of the best jobs I've ever taken."
Medusa said nothing for a few moments until she looked at Ritsuka. The black haired Master caught her gaze and tilted his head in confusion. "Are you o-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Medusa rushed towards him, pulling him into a tight hug, causing everyone to stare in surprise.
"Thank you, Ritsuka."
"Medusa, you're welcome, but can you please loosen your grip? You're crushing me…." Ritsuka said, trying to be gentle with his words.
The Rider blushed a bit before releasing him and clearing her throat. "Sorry….."
Ritsuka's communicator rang for a moment before Roman appeared on the screen. "I decided to go over Kariya's vitals while you were talking to him, and I have some good news."
"Really?" Martha asked. "What kind of good news?"
"With the bugs no longer eating his brain, his brain is starting to make new cells. He's healing."
Medusa's eyes widened. "You don't mean….."
Roman nodded. "He might not make a full recovery, but thanks to Ritsuka, he'll be able to live a full life!"
Some cheering could be heard from some of the Chaldean Servants. Cú laughed and gave a big pat on the back to Ritsuka, while Mashu beamed with joy. "Oh how wonderful! Senpai, you saved him!"
Ritsuka remained silent. He had no clue what to say, or what to think at the news. Yes, he might have done so, but something felt….off. He was happy with the news, but something gnawed at him. But what was this feeling…..
"Okay, if everything is done, I do believe it is time for the three of us to return to Chaldea." Martha said as she pointed at Medusa and Liz.
"I shall set everything up!" Mashu replied. The Shielder placed her shield on the ground, waiting for the three women to step onto it as their beacon. As soon as they were in place, Roman and some of the analysts worked on their end to return them home, and in a brilliant flash of light, the three girls waved their goodbyes before rayshifting back to Chaldea.
"Well, with all this madness done, we have important work to do." Waver said. "First order of business is to find Kariya's missing hand. It should still be in the garden somewhere. It'll give Ritsuka a new Command Seal for the two he used up, and perhaps give us control over Berserker."
"Lancelot." Saber said sternly. "His name is Lancelot."
Waver shrugged in indifference. Saber simply scowled at the Caster before sighing. She can't help but think of all the things her future self told her and Irisviel last night. It felt so unreal, and yet….it felt like it all fit together like a puzzle.
"Regardless, we have a lot of work to do." Irisviel replied. "Oh I know! I'll drive Mr. Fujimaru and Mashu to the manor!"
Saber froze, her throat starting to feel lumps within. "P-perhaps it would be wiser if we all found cabs?"
"Oh nonsense!" Irisviel said. "It'll be quicker if I take you three with me anyway, so we can begin the search then!"
"Then how about we Servants take the taxis, while the rest go with you?" Waver asked.
"See? He gets it!" Irisviel said.
"Yeah, that'll work for me." Ritsuka said. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"
Saber looked at the communicator and saw her other self staring at her with cold sweats as well. However, her Chaldean self soon flashed a grin of mischief and shook her head. Saber nodded back and smirked. "Fine, have it your way."
Irisviel rose her fist in the air and smiled. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
(A couple hours later)
The trip to the manor went smoothly for the majority of the team. Ritsuka's group, on the other hand…had quite the interesting adventure riding with Irisviel. By the time they arrived, Ritsuka and Mashu were pale, staring off at nothing as if they saw the abyss. Saber could only smirk in satisfaction at seeing their faces, seeing the regret in their eyes. However they soon had to get to work. Kiritsgugu was waiting for them back at the manor to help them with their search. The entire group scoured the gardens to find Kariya's hand, but strangely, it was proving to be a difficult task. Ritsuka was kneeling down in an area close to where Gilgamesh nearly blew them all up, frantically scouring for the hand.
"No, it has to be here of all places." He said to himself. No matter how much he looked around, it was not there. "But this is the most logical place for it to land!"
"Did you find it?" Kiritsugu asked.
Ritsuka shook his head. "No. But of all the places it should have landed right here."
"Lancelot was blown out of the manor from what I heard." Kiritsugu said.
"That was different." Ritsuka countered. "He was blown because of his placement."
The black haired teen looked up to the others searching their areas with a concerned gaze. "Did any of you find it yet?"
"No, it's not by the broken windows." Irisviel answered.
"It isn't over by the fountain either!" Cú shouted back.
"I cannot see anything within these bushes!" Mashu replied.
"It's not inside the manor either." Emiya said.
Ritsuka felt his heart stop. That couldn't be right. It had to be here somewhere…..But where did it go?
—-SCENE IV—-
(Night Time)
The moon bathed the airfield in a beautiful, yet ominous light. A lone man in black armor studied the jets and other aircraft with great interest, as if lost in thought.
"Ah there you are. I have been looking for you."
The armored Servant turned around and saw a shriveled husk of a man slowly shuffling his way towards him. His visor glowed red as his body soon smoldered in anger and hatred. The armored Servant clenched his fists as the creature stopped before him.
It was Zouken Matou, grinning at him.
"Hello Berserker, it seems you survived after all."
Berserker summoned Arondight and immediately charged at the ancient Matou. Zouken continued to smirk, reaching into his sleeves to bring something out. Berserker stopped mid swing, looking at the object in question.
It was Kariya's severed hand!
"I was watching the entire battle last night, you know." Zouken said. "So when I saw that useless whelp's hand fly out of that boy's grasp, I saw an opportunity. When they all were gone, I decided to use some of my bugs to fly it all the way to me."
Berserker felt a tinge of mana beneath his feet, but it was already too late. A barrier trapped him inside, the magic within the circle crackling like lightning, shocking him continuously. The armored Servant howled in pain as he felt his hands becoming restrained, forcing him onto his knees. Zouken cackled sinisterly as he raised his right hand, three Command Seals were already there. Without any hesitation, Zouken then transferred the Command Seal from Kariya's hand to his own. The elderly creature smiled as he saw the four Seals on his hand, then looked to Berserker with a knowing gaze. Why not make sure this thing behaved itself, eh?
Zouken raised his hand to Berserker, the Command Seal he recently obtained glowing. "Do not bother resisting, we are going to make a contract, whether you like it or not."
A surge of power swelled around them, Berserker tried to resist, but he could not break free of his restraints. Zouken smirked and continued his plan.
"By this Command Spell, you will become MY Servant!"
Berserker howled as the Seal activated, all the while Zouken started to laugh. "Do not fret, you will have another opportunity to kill Saber. That much I am certain of."
Berserker stopped his thrashing, causing Zouken to chuckle in amusement. So that got his attention. The elderly magus thought to himself how easy this was, and soon everything he worked for would come to fruition.
"Before we do that, we have work to do."
(OC and Yatsu look around from behind their chairs)
OC: Damn, I knew we shouldn't have taken Shuten's sake! What year is it anyway?
Y: Hrmm, good question. Judging by the flying cars, either 3024 AD, or BC
OC: See, I told you that sake would cause us to hibernate. Wait ... .oh hang on, those flying cars belong to our Mini-Nobus. False alarm.
(OC and Yatsu see the audience)
OC: Hi guys! Sorry about that, but we're back! And holy crap this chapter was….chaotic to put it mildly.
Y: Lots of things happened, that's how it goes
OC: Yep. But we also have some huge news to celebrate too. After many months of the site bugging out and preventing us to see our view counts, it has returned, and we did it. We made it to 80k views!
Y: It's a nice milestone. I think I'll treat my mini-Nobu with something extra. Got steak skewers yesterday for groceries with red-skin potatoes. Tasty
OC: And they DO love red meat. But that will have to wait for later. We have some special guests tonight, and the first one has arrived. He's been a staple of the franchise since day one, and one of its biggest cash cows. He's someone everyone knows and loves, and is the best cook money can buy! Ladies and gentleman, please give a huge welcome for Actually Satan!
(Emiya appears lounging on a couch)
Emiya: That was uncalled for.
OC: Hey don't blame me, blame the fans. Now for our second guest, I think it should be obvious. A particular Servant who, without her, this franchise probably wouldn't have gotten to where it was. A woman who loves her food, and is perhaps the most iconic character of Fate. Ladies and Gentleman, give a hand to Artoria Pendragon! AND UNIT LION!
(Artoria comes in with happy Saber noises riding unit lion and waves at Emiya)
Artoria: Shirou!
(Unit Lion shuts down again)
Artoria: Oh. Give me one hundred yen!
Emiya: That thing still costs money?!
Y: All things cost money, even if you're not aware of it. (Gives Artoria a 100 yen coin)
(Artoria feeds it to Unit Lion, turning it on and allowing it to make its way to the center)
OC: Well, we have quite a bit to cover, so I think we'll combine that with our usual interviews, how does that sound?
Emiya: Personally that would be best.
Artoria: I have no objections either.
OC: Okay then for the first scene that was….well it was hectic. Irisviel's fight with Tokiomi was an interesting event but more importantly we had two other things happen. So Emiya, how DID Kiritsugu respond to your question?
Emiya: He just asked me what I wanted him to do.
OC: That's it?
Emiya: That's it.
Artoria: Huh, so I guess he still had some sense afterall…..
OC: Well we also had Ritsuka saving Kariya's life too. Which was weird because you'd think they'd have figured out cutting the arm off would have done it, but I guess they didn't know that at the time….
Y: Well, the main cause was the worms in Kariya. The main bit was just realizing that, between the arm with Command Seals and Kariya's life, Zouken would prefer to have the arm, and thus get the worms out of Kariya and into the arm so he could retrieve it later.
Emiya: Well he's going to get what's coming to him. Karma won't let him get away that easily.
OC: Ohohoho, finally someone who's speaking my language! In any event scene two was…..yeah that was THE hardest thing to write, and one of the reasons we took so long. We had to make Gilgamesh's fight feel like a fight for survival, yet also doable. And Yatsu did a wonderful job influencing the events to get the battle into Chaldea's favor.
Y: Gil fights are always going to be tough considering the sheer versatility of the Gate makes any Gil fight boil down to 'Can Gil counter X' and "WILL Gil counter X'. It was a difficult conundrum, that was for certain, and that was still working in the framework that the Zero Event laid down.
OC: And yet it somehow worked out. Everyone went in and gave Gil everything they had. And Emiya for certain was the hero who saved the day.
Emiya: Well if that golden Archer is involved, you won't see me running away.
OC: But why shooting him in the head again?
Emiya: Because I wanted to piss him off more.
Artoria: I wished I was there, but my other counterpart helping in killing him definitely made it better to swallow.
OC: And you got the chance to talk to Irisviel again. How did that feel?
Artoria: It was wonderful seeing her again. And I am glad to have been able to see her so lively, and her enthusiasm after so many years. Though I will admit I will not miss her driving….
OC: Why DID you not warn them about that?
Artoria: What? I need some entertainment, and letting Ritsuka see what it was like amused me.
Y: Iri driving is always fun. Kinda sad she wasn't summoned as a Rider, cuz that would be a funny NP for her.
Artoria: ….Now you gave me something to dread.
OC: You're welcome! Now as for scene three, well, we had to give a proper send off to two characters, but we also decided to have a nice talk between Ritsuka and Kariya. I know it's strange how a conversation about accents seems important, but it was Yatsu's suggestion in guiding them to that point and having Kariya be the one to tell Ritsuka to not hide it anymore.
Emiya: Personally I think Kariya was correct in his opinion there. It's a part of him, and he needs to face it.
Y: The worst thing to do was to try and appeal to others who would never be satisfied no matter what. Those who sacrifice their liberty for security will lose both and deserve neither, to quote a certain someone.
OC: Well said. Then again he seemed to try and be approachable too but that's neither here nor there.
Artoria: It is still a lesson he needs to learn.
Y: Quite so. I wonder how things will progress after learning that lesson. Ah, and Zouken managed to squeeze out a victory of sorts by nabbing Lancelot from under everyone's noses
OC: He might have done so, but he can't take away the victory Chaldea received in getting Sakura and Kariya out of Fuyuki. I wanted to make sure that moment would give Sakura the send off she deserved, and to give Medusa some closure. I might not have played or read the original VN, but having Medusa and little Sakura hug it out and saying goodbye actually hit a warm and fuzzy feeling in me.
Emiya: Seeing them like that, and being able to have her live a happy life….That actually made everything worth it.
Artoria: Indeed. After everything she's been through, is it so wrong to give her some hope?
Y: Well, that's also what Waver wanted to do to send off Kayneth and Sola-Ui. Once he was an adult, he seemed to regret Kayneth's death, so that was something he got to fix.
Artoria: Personally I'm conflicted on that, but I will respect the boy's wishes, and say no more.
OC: Same, I'd rather keep mum on my opinion on him too, but that's neither here nor there. As for Emiya, I have an interesting question: How do you think this Kiritsugu and Iri will think about the other?
Emiya: What?
OC: Well I mean technically Irisviel is your mother by adoption, right? Must be weird seeing this happen.
Artoria (grins): Yes, Shirou, how DO you think they will talk to each other?
Emiya: …I don't know, and I don't WANT to know…..
Y: Well, that'd also make Sella and Leysritt your nieces, since they were made by Illya…gonna need a flowchart to keep track of the entire family.
Emiya: Please no…..
OC: Yeah, I'm pretty sure we have enough family tree problems thanks to Nasu's meddling. And Zeus. And….ah you get the point.
Artoria: I'd also like to point out that Charlamagne would also make it hard too.
Y: Definitely need a flow chart…
OC: Well in any case, I think our time is up. Thank you guys for coming to give your insight!
Emiya: Not a problem.
Artoria: I can keep Unit Lion, right?
OC: Of course!
(Happy Saber noises. The two Servants exit the stage and wave their goodbyes)
OC: Well that was fun. In any case, it's about time we wrap this up. Thank you all for stopping by, and thank you all for your patience in waiting for us! Please come back again for the next chapter! Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off!
Y: Bye bye everyone!