Albert Waldstein.
Not much was known of the man, but even then, his feats were still spoken of in whispers by those who had known him.
An earnest man.
A shy man, too embarrassed to train in front of others as if he was lacking in capability.
A man who remained humble despite the stature of his skill and ability, always striving to reach some form of a goal that he would not readily share while giving only a small smile.
He was the Mercenary King and a Sword Master renowned throughout the world for his inclusion as a hero in the chronicles of Dungeon Oratoria.
-Clang!
It was he who led the first explorations of the mostly unknown Dungeon that had appeared in Orario, braving various dangers and uncertainties to carve a path for others to follow.
His maroon scarf, light armour, and silver longsword were etched into the minds of all those who had followed and adored him.
-Clang!
Albert was a man who cared greatly for his family, his wife, a supposed Spirit of which the race was not widely understood in the lower world, was always by his side. He was famous for being unable to say no to his wife's wishes to the extent he was often picked on by fellow party members.
-CLANG!
And yet the oddest thing was…
For all of Albert's strength and skill, it was unknown whether he was part of any Familia. Rather, everything he'd displayed was a result of his own work and training. Something that was beyond what most Adventurers and Dungeon divers could hope to attain easily.
But more than anything else, he was-
"Uoh!!"
A shout echoed out, reverberating through the air as steel met steel, blood splattering in horrifying arcs as Saber and Albert locked blades for the briefest of moments.
And then numerous flashes of steel rapidly filled the battlefield, each one resonating with hair-raising cries of clashing metal.
Vertical slash against vertical slash.
Stab versus stab.
The ferocity and precision of each strike generated blades of wind that cut valleys into the distance.
It was abundantly clear for anyone who could keep up that Saber and Albert's swordsmanship was mirroring each other move for move.
However, there was a key difference.
One was desperately trying to catch up to the other.
Albert was pushed back, losing ground as Saber pressed his assault.
Demonstrating the skill of his namesake, Saber diverted all blows away from any of his allies in a way that Albert could not hope to emulate in his corruption.
Eyes that were once warm had become glazed and vicious, clouded by the green haze of draconic corruption.
Across from those eyes stood calm pupils, unwavering and steadfast.
With the rumbling of thunder, the two swordsmen locked blades.
Growling, Albert tried to force his strike by putting strength into the grip of his silver longsword, but Saber bucked his knees and shifted his center of mass.
Carried forward by momentum, Saber side-stepped as he diverted Albert's force into the ground before shifting his sword into a one-handed grip and countering with a solid punch to Albert's chin.
A sickening crack echoed as Albert staggered back on wobbling knees, spittle flying in the air.
"-!"
Saber did not let up, pressing forward as Albert staggered, he rammed the pommel of his sword against Albert's head, blood gushing out from between Albert's mouth as teeth cracked and shattered.
"ARgh!" Albert never let go of his sword and cut horizontally, but Saber was prepared.
He who bathed in the blood of a Dragon gained an invincible body immune to mankind's steel. With his skin alone, Saber blocked Albert's strike as sparks grated from the exchange.
Muted gasps echoed at the observation from those getting up on shaking knees from the prior shockwave.
Albert himself barely had a moment to adjust his posture from his failed attack before Saber pommel struck him again.
His neck snapped sharply to the left, dazing the maddened Albert before Saber followed through by sweeping Albert's legs from under him.
'It was over.'
It was the general consensus for all those watching. Saber was a battle-hardened warrior who would not let an opportunity slip.
Saber tried to stab the hand Albert was using to hold onto the Holy Grail fragment, but his sword was diverted by a pulse of magic energy from it. Instead of stabbing into Albert's arm and severing it, his stab pierced into Albert's stomach, skewering him into the ground.
"Argh-AAAAAHHH!" A wretched scream reverberated throughout as the anti-Dragon properties of Saber's sword took fell effect.
It was like acid was eating away at the wound, scarring it black as tendrils of draconic energy were warded away by the azure glow emitted from the jewel in Saber's sword.
Boom!
Saber braced as more and more magic energy was suddenly released from the Holy Grail fragment in an attempt to blow him away.
However, the Dragon Slayer was not easily pushed around.
Digging his heels into the dirt, Saber quickly surmised what he needed to do as he glanced from Albert's maddened gaze, and then to the fragment of the Holy Grail.
Saber would not be able to separate Albert from the Holy Grail fragment while the madness that was consuming him remained conscious. Just for a moment, he had to make Albert faint, but doing so without outright killing him was not so easy.
Then so be it.
Mounting Albert by pinning him further down with a knee, Saber began raining punches at Albert's face.
Each punch was followed by horrifying squelching noises and gasping breath. No regular human could dare to survive this sort of beating, but Saber was acutely aware that the same indestructible body blessed with Dragon blood flowed through Albert to a degree.
Not in Albert's entire body, but from his heart that was making the rest of his body stubbornly durable despite the beating.
It was hard to watch, let alone for others to understand that Saber wasn't just trying to ground Albert's head into a pulp.
Mingled with spittle and blood splatter were fragments of teeth and torn lip, each strike causing the rest of Albert's body to spasm while still pinned into the ground by Saber's sword.
With swelled eyes, Albert was still conscious and glaring at Saber with draconic fury. In a bid to swing his silver sword at Saber, Albert tried to raise his arms, but was instantly dazed as the intensity of the punches magnified several folds.
Cracks formed, spiraling out as solid rock began to depress and cave with Saber and Albert at the center.
It was almost too difficult for many to stomach, but most that had joined the Raid Party were veterans and skilled elites. They'd seen their fair share of horrors, and knew better than greenhorns to look away in the midst of a raid where anything could happen.
Finn in particular tightened the grip on his spear and took in a deep breath.
Finn had no choice.
After all-
"Finn, hold her down!" Riveria screamed, jolting Finn to action as he noted the rapidly changing expression on Ais's face as numerous emotions flickered in her eyes.
"AAAGRHHHHHHHHH!"
What those emotions settled on was hysteria, anxiousness, and impulse.
"I-I need to go," Ais began to tense her muscles, the grip on her sword increasing as her pupils rapidly dilated.
She was shivering, complexion paling by the second even as blood rushed up to her head at the sight of the two people that came from the accursed One-Eyed Black Dragon.
Finn swept Ais off her feet with his spear before she could dash forward, and then promptly locked her in an arm bar. She would not be able to draw her sword, nor would she be able to struggle out without breaking anything. Even if she was crazy enough to do so, Finn could just as easily grapple her again.
The ground shuddered from another of Saber's punches, revealing the sheer strength in each strike.
And there it was again, the sickening sound of breaking bones.
"Let go of me!" Ais thrashed, ignoring the pain in her joints as Finn tightened his hold and refused to listen.
The punches continued, the stubborn madness in Albert's eyes refusing to leave.
To all the rest, the screaming had stopped as Albert's face began to swell up like a balloon.
"H-He's killing him!" Ais began crying, head butting Finn and yelling at his face.
"HE'S KILLING HIM!" She yelled louder, hoping for anyone else to take action.
R-Right, there was Rider, or Archer, Shirou, or even Caster!
Ais's desperation and hope died quickly as she noted that no one, let alone Rider and the others were interfering. Not only because it was dangerous, but due to the grief that Black Dragon had already wrought.
They were cheering. Cheering, as if Ais's father were the Black Dragon himself.
Ais's heart sank, stomach loaded with butterflies as she noted the same look in Finn's eyes.
That look of incomprehension.
"Ais, you have to calm down!" Finn stressed, not wanting to hurt his fellow Familia.
If she went there now, she would not only intervene against Saber's duel, but put herself in grave danger.
No matter how one-sidedly Saber was beating Albert now, Finn and many others could tell that Albert would have slaughtered them with the skill of his swordsmanship alone.
What could Ais do against that?
Finn had never pried too deeply into the backstories of his fellow Familia, so he would have been unaware of what Ais was really going through. Rather, the only ones who were as ashen faced as Ais were Loki and the other Gods who were around when Albert was still active as the Mercenary King.
Noting that the expression on Ais's face had not eased, but rather continued to spiral, Finn clenched his jaw in a bid to reason with her rather than knocking her out.
"Ais, I'm warning you as Captain," Finn stressed, knocking away Ais's hand as she reached for her sword. Before she could react, he disarmed her of her weapon in a bid to keep her in place. "Stand down. That person came from the Black Drag-"
"That's my father!" Ais yelled through tears and bloodshot eyes.
"…"
For a fraction of a second, Finn's grip slackened at the revelation, and Ais did not waste that opportunity.
She ran.
No sword and no plan.
"Ais!" Bell Cranel who had been watching Ais break down in a daze chased after his idol.
With the ground cracked and caving under him, Saber could only sigh as Albert soon managed to free himself from where Saber had skewered him into the ground.
However, Albert was in a sorry condition.
Excess magic energy from the Holy Grail fragment alone was what was keeping Albert up on his feet. But that connection also meant that the madness still clinging to Albert remained.
Saber picked up his sword and drew it from the ground.
Albert stared him down, panting for breath as bruises and lacerations were found throughout his body. His face was the worst off, bruised and utterly bloodied.
"If you have yet to come to your senses, then shall I weaken it further?" Saber murmured.
"UoaaAHHH!" Albert charged.
Even in his madness, the sword skill Albert had trained to catch up to the image of the warrior in his heart remained in his body.
But that very warrior was the one who stood before him.
Without doubt or compromise, Saber was the goal Albert had always striven towards.
The attack…was futile.
Before Albert could even draw close, his shaking knees and ruptured blood vessels were severely hampering him despite the Holy Grail fragment's energy. One could harness all the power and magic in the world, but it was useless if the body was broken and unable to utilize it.
Aiming his sword, Saber threw his blade and pierced it again into Albert's chest.
Carried by the momentum, Albert was pinned into the rock of a newly created cliff face.
With a humming noise, the smaller blades that were placed around Saber's waist then hovered around Saber. He punched three, each striking into Albert's limbs and pinning them to the bedrock.
The only limb that remained safe was the one holding the Holy Grail Fragment which still maintained a barrier of magic energy around it.
Soon.
Saber narrowed his eyes while observing the minute changes in Albert's expression and the reason that continued to flicker in and out of existence.
Just a little more.
Saber advanced closer, one step then another before he raised a brow.
Thunk!
The sound of flesh and bones striking steel echoed as a fist struck Saber's jaw. The attack hardly phased Saber, leaving only a tiny redness on his cheek as his gaze followed the direction of the fist.
First from the fist, then to the armoured forearm, and then to the face streaked with tears and biting venom.
"…I'll kill you." Ais's voice cracked from the heat reaching her head. "I'll kill you!"
Sword or no sword, she tried to wrap her hands around Saber's throat when she realized punching him was utterly ineffective.
Saber stopped the attempt when he intercepted Ais's arms by grabbing them, and then tossing her to the side. His focus had always remained on Albert.
"Stop hurting him!" Ais screamed, jumping back onto her feet as dirt and dust coated her clothes and armour.
"Listen to her. There's no need for this!" Bell tried to reason, running up to Saber's side and calling out to him rather than attack. "You've stopped him! He can't do anything more!"
Running in front of Saber, Bell tried to block his path, Ais quickly joining him and conjuring her magic around her.
Saber had no choice but to glance at the two interlopers.
Loki sighed heavily in the distance while Hestia's pupils dilated upon seeing Bell in a place he shouldn't have been.
"Step aside." Saber said, looking past Bell and Ais.
Only Bell noticed Saber's action, Ais balling her hands into fists so tight that she drew blood from her palms.
"I refuse!" Ais charged at Saber again.
With no weapon, Ais sought to grapple with Saber, but again, she was caught and tossed to the wayside.
"Saber!" Bell called out for Saber's attention with earnest eyes.
It was a look that no hero could lightly pass over: Innocence and naivety. He thought what he was doing was right.
Saber finally paused in his steps.
"Do you two understand what you are doing?" He asked, giving enough time for Ais to get up and bar his path again.
Now there were only a few steps away before Saber could reach Albert.
Bell and Ais opened their mouths to answer, but this time Saber did not give either of the two the chance. Only Bell noted the urgency in Saber's expression.
"Step aside." Saber said again.
"I said no!" Ais dug her heels into the dirt. She'd rather die.
Saber had enough.
In the blink of an eye, he was next to Ais and Bell, arms wrapped around the both of them before green lightning struck up from the clouds, muting all noise.
"It's dangerous." Saber whispered.
The green lightning hadn't come from the sky like many would have assumed, but instead from the direction where Saber's swords had Albert skewered in place.
A verdant glow began to shine over the area as the scent of ozone began to heavily permeate.
There was no time.
Saber made a decision with a grim face. He pushed both Ais and Bell behind him while trusting Rider and the others with minimizing collateral damage.
Ais struggled and resisted with all her strength, but Bell saw passed Saber and looked at Albert who was wreathed in arcing tendrils of electricity. The accompanying swell of magic energy magnified by the Grail Fragment in Albert's hands only charged the area further.
The tendrils resembled the roots of a tree entrenching themselves into the earth beneath before branches spread out from there.
With one declaration, every dragon slaying blade stabbed into Albert was expelled all at once.
"Blasted…TREE!"
The world before Bell's eyes was covered entirely in green light, heat and magic energy swelling outward in an all-consuming wave. What stood alone before it was Saber's back as he shielded both Bell and Ais with his body alone.
When the light receded, Albert stood panting for breath, the radius around him scorched black and filled with ashes.
In contrast to all the destruction, a tiny spot remained unaffected. The location behind Saber whose armour had been blown off, revealing a chest with corded muscles and a glowing blue marking identical to that of the One-Eyed Black Dragon's.
Saber reeled in his magic energy while feeling parts of his body spasm from lingering electricity.
"Y-You!" Ais widened her eyes, understanding what would have happened had Saber not shielded them.
"Are you alright?!" Bell shielded his face from a spark of electricity that jumped off of Saber and nearly struck him.
"Stay back. Both of you." Saber held no grudges. A hero accepts a burden, not disparages it. "That man is not in a state of mind to speak. The energy corrupts him, controls him with hatred and vileness."
"W-We can just cut off that arm." Ais stammered, starring at the fragment of the Holy Grail Albert was still holding.
"It's not that easy." Saber muttered before grabbing both Ais and Bell by the nape of their neck. "I must buy him some time to get back in control."
"Time?" Bell asked while Ais struggled in Saber's grip.
Saber shook his head. This was not the time to explain anything. "Go."
With a heave, Saber threw Bell and Ais just far enough to not get involved in what would happen next.
Reaching a hand to his side, Saber's scattered swords flew back towards him.
Weakened from another use of magic energy, Saber merely walked up to Albert and struck him once more with his anti-dragon blades.
Arm, leg, shoulders, knees, each strike cleaved through the corruption. Light gradually began to reappear in Albert's eyes until Saber struck one final blow that sent Albert flying.
Tumbling over the ground, Albert came to a stop with his body sprawled and face staring up at the sky.
Roaring, the maddened Albert got back up on his feet and charged Saber for the last time. No amount of defense or enhancement could alter one's weaknesses.
Saber's expression hardened.
As Albert drew close, blood splattered as Saber pierced him through the chest, just barely missing the heart.
A gasp escaped Albert's mouth as a mournful scream of despair reverberated.
"Have you come to your senses?" Saber asked.
"Ah," blood trickled down Albert's mouth as his body fell limp and pierced further down into Saber's blade up to the hilt.
Face to face, Albert's expression did not show blame nor reluctance, rather it was relief. "…Yes."
Nodding his head, Saber pulled his sword out of Albert's body in a single swift motion, leaving Albert to stagger back and choke on his breath.
Black veins spread down Albert's hand from where Albert was still holding the fragment of the Holy Grail. Seeping into his forearm, the black tendrils sought to reach his core once more.
"It continues to eat away at you." Saber said, hardening Albert's expression.
"Then there is no time." Albert spat out blood, expression softening as he used his free arm to let go of his silver sword. His duty was coming to an end. "Before it may reach my core."
Albert placed his free hand over his left chest, just near his pectoral.
"This heart." The roar of a Dragon sounded as Albert began to drag out the very heart within his chest.
In the eyes of all, the hero recorded in Dungeon Oratoria was ripping out his own heart rather than let himself continue to be used.
Subsequently, Albert placed the core of his being into Saber's hand.
"You may not know or remember, but that selfless favour. I return it to you." Albert smiled through all his pain the moment Saber eventually nodded.
Taking the offered core in hand, it vanished in motes of green light before they absorbed into Saber.
"I see." Saber said before gently closing his eyes and processing the experiences and adventure of the boy that another aspect of him had once saved.
From a boy into a man.
And from a man into a hero to be proud of.
Albert…no- Sieg.
You've done well.
From here on, Saber and the others will carry the burden from Sieg's shoulders. The mistake made, the truth of the Dungeon, and what lies beneath.
Saber would have a lot to share with the rest, but this was not the occasion.
Sieg staggered back, his body giving out on him as he'd lost his core, the one object tying him into existence in this new life and identity.
Left without a medium, the fragment of the Holy Grail Sieg had been holding clattered to the ground, many staring at it with apprehension.
For Sieg it was relief. His body lurched backward, but before Saber could move to support him, someone else did instead.
Tresses of golden hair and a face marred with tears entered Sieg's bleary view.
It was the same shade of hair Sieg had fallen in love with, yet the face was different but similar.
Craning his neck, Sieg noted the appearance of a tattered banner and a deceased woman clutching onto it. Deep sadness took hold before it became clear to him who was propping his dying body up.
"Is that you…Ais?" Sieg asked with a weakening voice.
"F-Father." Ais nodded her head, her gaze too drawn to the woman Sieg had been staring at. "M-Mother."
The body of the woman, a Spirit, began to vanish into motes of light.
No. No please no.
Ais swallowed audibly, her breath hitching.
"You've grown big." Sieg coughed, his blood staining Ais's hands while Bell and Saber watched on in silence.
"Caster," Ais stammered. "I-I, where is he? H-He's nearby, he can fix it. H-He can-"
Sieg wasn't sure who Ais was referring to by Caster, but even then, he shook his head.
There was something more important that had to be said.
Staring at Ais, Sieg could see it.
"Can...you…Promise..me…o..ne..thing?"
He could see it so damn well.
A growing darkness of animosity and blame.
Sieg raised a shaking hand and caressed his daughter's cheek. Ais was the miracle between him and the woman he loved.
Then Sieg looked to Saber and made sure Ais was paying attention.
"Don't…hate…your…grandfather…"
Right in Ais's arms, Sieg's body vanished into motes of golden light that then funneled into Saber, assimilating with him.
Albert Waldstein's silver sword clattered to the ground by Ais's feet, silence stretching from her hollowed expression.
Ais sobbed, unable to answer.
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