AN
"Blah" - Normal Speech
'Blah' - Thoughts
BLAH... - Driver
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider
Journey through the Kaleidoscope
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider Zero-One
Fate/Authorize
Chapter ?: Another Ark
"The age of the HumaGear, where robots imbued with Artificial Intelligence work in most fields.
The young President of the world's top A.I. company stands to protect humanity!"
Rin shifted uncomfortably in her seat and it wasn't just due to the wooden pew that she was seated on, the very atmosphere inside of Kotomine Church was suffocating. Opening one eye she took a moment to glance around her at the four men that she currently found herself in the company of.
The first, naturally, was her own Servant Archer, the tanned skinned man clad in his trademark red coat as he stood behind her, a nonchalant look on his face.
The second was Lancer, the very first Servant the two of them had encountered in this Holy Grail War. At present the blue clad spearman was lounging on another of the Churches pews, seemingly more interested in examining his weapon than anything that was going on around him.
Then there was Gilgamesh who was casually leaning against the wall, although his appearance was slightly different then it had been ten years prior she recognized him as the very same Servant that had been summoned by her own father prior to the previous Grail War. What was he still doing here? How had he survived this long when her own father had been a casualty in the last war? And what was he doing here in Kirei's company? These were all questions that she had no answer for.
And finally there was the man that had arranged this meeting: Kotomine Kirei, the man charged with being the arbiter of the Holy Grail War, former pupil of her late father and the man who had spent the last decade raising her and instructing her in the ways of Magecraft. The mullet bedecked man standing at the altar at the far end of the room.
"So gentleman, Rin, I take it that we are all in agreement." Kirei said, the tone of his voice made Rin's skin crawl. "For the good of the Holy Grail War and to keep the existence of Magecraft a secret, Emiya Shirou must be eliminated."
"Guess I got no choice but to agree." Lancer sighed, shifting his gaze away from examining the bladed end of his spear. "Too bad, I'd actually taken a liking to him before this whole thing started."
Gilgamesh then let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "You make it sound like we're doing this out of courtesy Kirei, as if this is all for the greater good." A smug look then spread across the blond Servant's face. "That little upstart, I'll admit watching him struggle was amusing for a while, however he's long since become tiresome, I'll be more than happy to put him down. I just hope you have no objections to me toying with him a little before I do so. Destroying him piece by piece, leaving him broken, watching any and all hope he might have fade away before ending him would be most entertaining."
Kirei then turned to look in Rin and Archer's direction. "And what about you Rin, Archer?" He asked. "What say you?"
Archer turned his steely grey eyes to meet the fake priest's gaze. "I am a Counter Guardian, it's my job to track down and eliminate any and all threats to mankind. Upon siding with Ark, Emiya Shirou has become such a threat." He replied, his tone firm. "However, Rin is my Master. As such I am duty bound to follow any course of action that she decides on."
"Very well then." Kirei said before he turned his attention to his charge, "Well go on Rin, what is your answer?
Rin said nothing in response, she dare not least the turmoil that was currently boiling away inside of her betray her, instead she kept her gaze firmly affixed to the ground beneath her whilst doing her best to keep the turmoil that she felt from having to do this hidden behind a mask of neutrality.
Taking a deep breath she merely nodded in response to the fake priest's proposal, instantly feeling disgusted with herself for having done so. Seeing this the ghost of a smirk appeared on Kirei's lips for just a moment, as if he derived some pleasure from seeing his charge in her current state.
"Very well then, if we are all in agreement I see no reason to delay." He said. "Gentlemen, our objective is clear: track down Emiya Shirou and eliminate him."
Before anyone could do or say anything Archer, Lancer and Gilgamesh's suddenly turned their attention to and the churches entrance, Rin and Kirei quickly doing the same, moments later the double doors were thrown open and standing there was a dishevelled looking Saber who was breathing heavily, her normally well looked after clothes wrinkled and her hair that she usually kept tied back hanging loose around her face and shoulders.
"S…Saber…" Rin exclaimed, taken aback by the Servant of the Sword's current apperance.
"Well this is a surprise," Gilgamesh said, his smirk widening. "Welcome my dear Saber, seeing you is always a pleasure. Have you come to aid us in killing your renegade of a Master?"
"No, that is not the reason I have come here." Saber replied, her breath slowing to a point that she was able to speak clearly. "I know what Shirou has done and I understand the course of action that you've no doubt agreed upon, had things been different I would have most likely stood beside you, however I am asking all of you to stay your hand."
"That is not possible." Kirei replied. "For whatever reason, be it by coercion or by his own choice, Emiya Shirou has accepted the power of Ark and in doing so has become a threat to us all. You do understand what that means?"
"I know, I know what he's done and what it could mean. But still I'm asking you…no, I'm begging you, not to kill him." Saber replied, desperation slipping into her voice. "Izu, she told me why he did it. Why Shirou would use the power of Ark. He did it for me, he did it to save me."
"Save you?" Lancer spoke up, sounding confused. "Save you from what exactly?"
"From myself, from my stupid selfish wish. I'm not a King, I'm a coward. I'm a liar and a hypocrite who has been running away from responsibility because I couldn't bear to face the consequences of my own choices." Saber told the blue clad spearman. "Shirou, he saw what I was becoming, he watched as I destroyed myself. He wanted to save me, he must have been so desperate to do so that he would align himself with Ark just to have a chance."
Her voice shaking Saber paused for a moment, biting back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "That is why I'm here, that despite what has happened I'm begging all of you not to kill him." She continued. "I want to save him. After everything that he's done for me I owe him enough to at least try."
"Well, this is certainly an interesting development, however I'm afraid what you ask of us is quite impossible." Kirei said, sounding amused. "Horobi, MetsubouJinraii and Ark, we could have put them down at any time, it is only because of shortsightedness and a stubbornness to act on our part, believing that they were beneath our notice that has allowed them to become the threats that they are. We cannot let such irresponsibility continue. Surely, as a Servant and a former King, you must realize this."
Saber looked away from Kirei, her gaze shifting itself to Rin. "Rin," Saber said to the dark haired Magus, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Rin please…"
Rin looked away, unable to meet the blond Servant's gaze. This was not the Saber that she knew.
From the moment they had met Saber had had an aura of authority, she'd been confident and decisive. Most of all she'd had the pride of someone that had held the position of King. And now it was all gone, thrown away and all that was left was a desperate woman.
She too wanted to believe in Emiya, she really did. Deep down she wanted to have hope that the rust haired boy could be saved. However she also knew what her position as a Magus and her duty as Second Owner of Fuyuki meant of her and, despite how much it disgusted her, she'd already agreed to Kirei's proposal.
Calling upon every last ounce of her resolve she pushed back against her human heart and buried it deep beneath the cold veneer of a Magus. "I'm sorry Saber," She replied, a mask of coldness appearing on her face. "But for the greater good Emiya Shirou has to die."
Whilst this discussion had been going on Archer had remained silent, from the moment Saber had entered the church he'd gotten an odd feeling about her, as if there was something not quite right. It was then his eyes widened a little as a sinister thought creeped into his mind. 'No, she wouldn't…'
"Saber," The tanned-skinned Servant spoke up, his steely grey eyes fixed upon the former King of England. "What have you done?"
Hearing his voice Saber took several deep breaths as she composed herself. Looking up she met Archer's eyes with her own. "I…I did what I had to." She replied in a tone of absolute certainty.
As she said this the blond haired Servant reached behind her and produced a device that had a red core in its center and placed it against her waist, a dark grey strap emerging from the device and securing itself around to her.
"Archer," Rin managed to say, with shock in her voice. "That…that's…"
Archer's eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. "...Ark Driver…" He muttered. "Saber, don't tell me that you've…"
Her face adorned with a look of pure determination Saber pulled out an Ark Progrize Key and hit the button, her gaze affixed upon Archer as she did so, the eye-like gem on the device flashing red before it slid open.
ARK-SABER!
She then slid the Key into the Ark Driver, a plate on the side folding over as the red core began to give off an ominous glow.
SINGURIZE!
Hundreds if not thousands of small black and red droplets formed out of thin air that quickly coalesced together to form what appeared to be a liquid like substance that radiated pure malice, it then crawled across the ground the towards Saber, washing over her feet before moving up her body, moving highest and higher until it coated every inch of her body as if consuming her. Moments before her face disappeared from view Saber began to scream in agony.
HAKAI…HAMETSU…ZETSUBŌ…METSUBŌ…SEYO…
Inside the ominous mass Saber howled in pain as thousands of small red and black kanji spread across her body. This was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before, this dark feeling creeping through her and permeating every last inch of her being.
Was this really human malice?
No, this was too much, she couldn't handle this. This creeping, sickening sensation of that was spreading through her, infecting her, consuming her. This was wrong, all of it wrong.
No, she would bear this. She had to. After all Shirou had done it, he'd most likely experienced this same agony coursing through him the first after accepting Ark's power. And he'd done so for her.
This was punishment for her sins, the cross she would have to bear for every bad decision she had ever made brought about by her arrogance, her pride and her greed. When the time came, alone atop that hill of bodies, swords and blood she had wanted to undo it all. To undo the pain that had been brought about because of her mistakes, for someone better suited to assume the throne and create the better world that she could not.
That was all a lie, a fiction that she had crafted for herself. The real truth was far less noble; she'd wanted to run. Run from her responsibilities and the consequences of her own choices. And she had been running ever since.
Well there was no running now, there was no escape, now she had no choice but to face the consequences. She'd spat in the eye of God in her quest for the ever distant Utopia and now the Devil had come to deliver her to the Hell of her own making.
If this truly was Hell then she would accept it, this was after all the atonement for all of her sins. She would bear this creeping darkness as it tried to consume her piece by piece, for even a chance that Shirou could be saved she would bear it.
The malicious substance then vanished in a puff of red and black mist that quickly dissipated and standing there was a figure clad in white and black armor similar in appearance to Thouser but with a chest plate, gauntlets and grieves similar in design to those Saber had worn. On the helmet several spikes protruded from it, as if giving the twisted impression of a crown, along with two sinister looking red eyes.
In that moment Artoria Pendragon ceased to exist and in her place stood Kamen Rider Ark-Saber.
CONCLUSION: END!
The air inside of the church became more tense than it had been prior to Saber's arrival. Rin could only stare wide eyed and slack jawed at what the blond haired Servant of the Sword had become. From the moment of their first meeting she'd concluded that Emiya and Saber were a perfect match for each other, despite wanting to have summoned the King of Knights for herself she'd reluctantly come to the conclusion that she and Saber wouldn't have worked half as well together.
Emiya Shirou and Artoria Pendragon, two vastly different people and yet both of whom seemed to be two sides of the same coin.
Over time she'd watched how close the two of them would come, watching they fought side by side together regardless of who or what it was. Be it the other Masters and Servants. Horobi and the forces of MetsubouJinraii, Thouser or Ark, it didn't matter, Shirou and Saber were partners and would do anything for the other.
And yet despite knowing this never had Rin imagined that Saber would go to such lengths, to use the power of Ark despite being fully aware of the consequences of doing so. Especially after seeing what it had done to first Horobi and then her own Master.
Gilgamesh stared at the armored figure, a look of disgust on his face. "Tsk, what a waste. Your beauty has been tarnished, seeing you like this disgusts me." He growled dissaprovingly. "Very well then, if this is the choice you have made then you can share in your mongrel of a Master's fate."
"Lancer…" Kirei said in a stern tone, his eyes shifting to the spot where his unwilling Servant stood.
Hearing the blue clad Servant let out groan. "Sorry about this Saber…" He said he lunged forward, spear at the ready to impale the armored figure that stood a short distance away from him.
Seeing the Hound of Ulster come charging at her the Servant turned Rider lashed out at one of the nearby pews with her armor covered foot, launching it at Lancer at inhuman velocity.
Despite seeing the large wooden structure flying towards him, Lancer didn't even flinch or hesitate for a second, as he dashed forward he raised his legendary spear Gae Bulg in a single fluid motion slicing the wooden bench in two with the bladed end, both half flying off and crashing into several more pews reducing them to kindling, as he continued forward.
Ark-Saber in turn didn't seem to flinch Lancer advancing towards her. The moment that he was close enough the Irish Servant thrust his spear towards the armored figure in front of him, this however was in vain as the Ark empowered Rider twisted themselves out of the way before the tip of the crimson spear could even scratch them.
Again and again Lancer tried to slash and impale her however thanks to the predictive algorithms of Ark combined with her own inhuman reflexes allowing Ark-Saber to calculate and react to the blue clad spearman's every move, side stepping, twisting and backing up out of the way each time he tried.
Again and again Ark-Saber continued to avoid Lancer's spear, quickly stepping out of the the interior of the church and out into the courtyard where the white and black clad Rider quickly found herself with her back pressed up against base of the statue that was located a short distance from the double doors of the church.
"Gotcha now…" Lancer smirked as he once again moved forward to impale his armor clad opponent with his spear. Ark-Saber however merely stood there as he approached, holding out her hand hundreds of small kanji appeared out of thin air that coalesced together and took the form of a white and black sword similar in design to Thouser's Thousand Jacker.
ARK JACKER…
With her new weapon in hand Ark-Saber used it to knock the bladed end of Gae Bulg away from her before lunging towards Lancer, their positions quickly switching as he found himself on the defensive.
Lancer backed up slightly in an attempt to shift the momentum of their fight back in his favor and lunged forward, attempting once again to impale the white and black armored figure with his spear. Instead of blocking it or avoiding it Ark-Saber instead stood her ground, reaching out she grabbed a hold of Gae Bulg and with a mighty tug pulled Lancer towards her where she drove her knee into the Irish Servant's gut.
Far from done Ark-Saber quickly followed this up by slamming the pummel of the Ark Jacker into the side of Lancer's head and, relasinging grip on his crimson spear, delivering a vicious punch to his chest that had enough force to launch him backwards and slamming into the wall of the building, the stone work cracking from the force of the impact.
No sooner had Lancer been dispatched a faint buzzing noise caught Ark-Saber's attention and glancing up she was met by the sight of a pair of what appeared to be spinning disks cutting through the air as they approached her at high speed. Her body tensing for a moment, Ark-Saber launched herself upwards to avoid the object that were coming at her that moments later cut effortlessly through the large statue and base, reducing them to rubble.
As she hung there in the air Ark-Saber felt a tingle in the back of her mind, turning quickly she raised the Ark Jacker to block one of the swords wielded by Archer, the red clad man glaring at her as the two of them locked blades.
Both Servants proceeded to trade blows as they fell back towards the ground, the moment her feet touched the ground Ark-Saber lunged at Archer, ducking under another of his attempts to cut her down and drove the tip of the Ark Jacker into his chest, the Servant of the Bow wincing in pain as she did so. Her blood red lenses glaring at him, Ark-Saber then took hold of the Jack Ring and with a small tug pulled it back to its full length.
JACKRIZE…
Within seconds Archer felt a sudden sensation of weakness as his strength was forcefully pulled out of him and absorbed into Ark-Saber's weapon, the white and black clad Rider following this up by kicking him in the chest to force him back as the Jack Ring slid back up at the blade began to glow with fiery energy.
JACKING BREAK…
"..." Ark-Saber swung the Ark Jacker at the empty air in front of her, launching a wave of destructive energy at Archer who gritted his teeth and raised both Kanshou and Byakuya in an attempt to deflect the incoming wave of energy but to no avail.
Not missing a beat, Ark-Saber spun round and launched another wave of energy at Lancer, the blue clad man having gotten to his feet and had been dashing towards her, both bodies of the Servants of the Bow and Spear began crackling with energy before they were both consumed by a sudden explosion that shook the area, causing debris from the churches roof to collapse and shattering several windows.
PRESENTED BY ARK…
With both Archer and Lancer dealt with for the moment, Ark-Saber turned her attention in the direction that Gilgamesh was standing in the open doorway, the Babylonian King looking back at her with a look of disgust on his face.
Just as she was about to move towards the blond haired man several projectiles came flying at her, noticing this the white and black Rider effortlessly managed to swat them out of the air and sent them clattering to the ground. Glancing downwards Ark-Saber was met by the sight over several Black Keys.
Feeling another tingle, Ark-Saber looked up and found Kirei approaching her at speeds greater than what a regular human could ever hope to match, the false priest armed with three Black Keys in both of his hands.
As with Lancer beforehand she merely twisted out of the way each time the former Executioner turned Overseer tried to slash at her with his chosen weapon, her own sword hanging at her side and pointed at the ground. This in of itself sent a powerful message, declaring that the man before her was not worthy of being cut down by her sword.
After avoiding several attempts to slash at her Ark-Saber reached out and grabbed Kirei by the wrist before pulled him in close and driving her knee into the robe clad man's gut, Kirei's eyes bulging out of his head as air was forced from his lungs and ejected from his mouth along with a spray of blood.
Ark-Saber then seized Kirei by his collar and after spinning him around tossed him aside, sending him flying a fair distance before his body slammed into the wrought iron gate that surrounded the property, hitting it with enough force to bend the metal.
With the mullet bedecked man out of the way, Ark-Saber once again turned her attention to Gilgamesh and pointed the tip of the Ark Jacker at the man in question who had not moved from the doorway of the church before shifting into her fighting stance.
Gilgamesh meanwhile looked unphased by the armor-clad Servant's challenge, the look on his face shifting from a look of disgust to one of annoyance. As he met Ark-Saber's glaze with his own Gilgamesh was suddenly bathed in golden light as his Noble Phantasm, the Gate of Babylon, appeared behind him and from which the bladed ends of dozens of weapons protruded before one of them was launched towards the armor clad Rider.
As the weapon flew towards her at high speed images flashed before Ark-Saber's eyes as Ark's algorithm calculated the speed and trajectory of the incoming projectile. As the sword drew closer and closer the white and black Rider raised her Ark Jacker and swung it, knocking the blade out of the air and sending it clattering to the ground.
No sooner had the one weapon been dealt with Gilgamesh unleashed a barrage of bladed weapon at Ark-Saber who in turn launched herself towards him, shifting to the left or to the right to avoid the incoming bladed projectiles or swatting them away with the Ark Jacker or with her own hands as continued to press forward.
Ark-Saber leapt into the air and dived towards Gilgamesh, his lips twisting into a snarl the blind haired man quickly reached behind him and from his glowing gate drew forth an elegant looking sword that he used to intercept and block the weapon wielded by the Ark empowered Rider, the sound of metal striking metal ringing out as the two weapons collided.
The next few moments were a blur of activity as two Servants engaged one another, their swords connecting again and again before Ark-Saber delivered a powerful slash with her Ark-Jacker bringing it down upon Gilgamesh's sword with enough force to crack the blade and break it in half.
Ark-Saber quickly followed this up as she then drove the tip of the Ark Jacker into his chest, staring the Mesopatamian King in the eye as she did so before once again pulling back the Jack Ring.
JACKRIZE…
Like Archer before him Gilgamesh let out a gasp as he was overcome by the sudden and forceful loss of strength, momentarily rendered unable to defend himself as Ark-Saber grabbed him by the collar and tossed him over her shoulder and onto the ground.
Turning on her heel, Ark-Saber began slowly towards the fallen form of Gilgamesh, as she did to the Jack Ring slid back into place, the blade of the weapon becoming engulfed in fiery energy.
JACKING BREAK…
Flipping the weapon around Ark-Saber drove the glowing blade of the Ark Jacker into the ground which began to shake and crack before several pillars of glowing and explosive energy erupted forth, tossing all present around like rag dolls and causing a portion of the ceiling inside the church to collapse.
PRESENTED BY ARK…
As debris fell all around her Rin grit her teeth as she quickly poured prana through her Magic Circuits, blue lines that gave off a faint glow spreading across her skin, before launching herself at the open doorway, diving through it before a large portion of debris came crashing down upon the spot that she had been mere moments before.
Letting out a groan Rin as she pushed herself up into her elbow, looking up her heart skipped a beat as she found herself gazing up at the back of Ark-Saber, as if sensing her gaze the white and black Rider glanced over her shoulder, one of the glowing crimson lenses meeting Rin's eyes and instantly the dark haired heiress felt a cold chill run down her spine.
"Saber…damn you…" Gilgamesh cursed as he forced his aching body up off of the ground and back to his feet, the sound of his voice snatching the Servant turned Rider's attention away from Rin and back onto himself.
As the two of them glared at one another something caught Ark-Saber's attention and looking around her the white and black Rider noticed that Kirei, Lancer and Archer had managed to recover from the respective beatings that she had dealt to them and were approaching her quickly found herself being surrounding on all sides.
Beneath her helmet Ark-Saber glanced around her, her gaze shifting from one opponent to another before she reached down and began to press down on the button that was located on top of the Ark Driver. Once. Twice. Thrice. Quarce. Quadrice. Each time she pressed it dark red energy would radiate off if the device and the gem in the center began to glow.
AKUI…KYŌFU…FUNNU…ZŌO…ZETSUBŌ…
That done, her armored hand then shifted itself to where the Ark-Saber Progrize Key was located and pressed it into the Ark Driver slightly before releasing it.
PERFECT CONCLUSION: LEARNING FIVE…
Dozens of red and black particles formed as Ark-Saber's body began to crackle with red bolts of energy as two sizable if particles seemed to form behind her and giving her appearance of a pair of wings protruding from her back, these 'wings' then contracted inwards and coalesced around her.
Letting out a cry a large release of energy exploded outwards from Ark-Saber, catching Gilgamesh Lancer and Kirei whilst Archer quickly fell back and did his best to shield Rin, all of them getting blown away by the blast leaving behind a smoking crater with the white and black Rider in its center.
PERFECT CONCLUSION…
Eventually the cloud of debris began to settle revealing the state of the battlefield, the ground littered with the bodies of those caught in the explosion, flames licked the area and deep cracks marred the ground as Kotomine church had been reduced to a burning pile of rubble.
As the bright whiteness subsided along with the ringing in her ears Rin noticed a weight bearing down on her, within seconds she realized that this weight was Archer, the tanned skinned Servant having used his own body to shield her from the brunt of the explosion.
"Archer…" She cried out in a concerned tone as she rolled the tanned skinned Servant onto his back. "Archer, speak to me…"
"Rin…are…are you hurt?" Archer replied, a groan of pain passed his lips as he did so before he began coughing and blood splattering his chin.
From her position Ark-Saber took in the sight of the devastation that her Hisatsu had created, all around her with her in the very center of it before slowly moving towards the spot where Gilgamesh had come to rest, seizing him by the collar she raised him up until he was eye level with her, her glowing red lenses met his red eyes.
After a few moments of glaring at him the white and black Rider then raised her Ark Jacker above her head, ready to deal the final blow. Before she could finish him off however a noise, faint but growing increasingly louder, caught her attention. The sound of approaching footsteps.
Tossing the Ancient Mesopitamian aside, Ark-Saber turned to face the direction the footsteps were coming from where she and the others were met by the sight of a figure approaching them through the cloud of dust. As it drew closer the figure produced an item and a sinister sounding voice filled the air accompanied by a small flash of red light.
ARK-ONE! SINGURIZE!
"Henshin…" Came a voice from within the cloud, the sound reverberating through the area as before dozens of red particles emerged and began to coalesce around the approaching figure and looked to absorb the cloud of debris into itself as it obscured them from view.
HAKAI…HAMETSU…ZETSUBŌ…METSUBŌ…SEYO…
The red substance quickly subsided and the dust cloud created by Ark-Saber's Hisatsu was blown away by a sudden gust of cold win to reveal the figure that was now standing there, their body clad in a black bodysuit with several pieces of stark white armor pieces attached to it, their head covered by a horned helmet both bore a pair of optical lenses one of which glowed an ominous red as there stared silently at the scene before them, their presence sending a chill up all but Ark-Saber's spine.
CONCLUSION: ONE!
For several moments no one said or did anything, Archer, Rin, Kirei and Lancer they could only look back and forth between the two Ark empowered Riders as they stared back at one another.
"Shirou…" Ark-Saber muttered as she narrowed her eyes beneath her helmet, her gaze firmly fixed on Ark-One as he stood across from her, his gaze in turn seemingly fixed solely on her.
After what seemed like an eternity Ark-One began to move forward, slowly advancing in Ark-Saber's direction which in turn caused her to take up her fighting stance. As he drew closer Ark-One reached down and pressed the button on top of his Ark Driver.
AKUI…
And still he drew closer, this in turn caused Ark-Saber's body to tense up in readiness, gripping the Ark Jacker even tighter as he drew closer and closer…only for him to walk right past her and instead walk straight towards the spot where Gilgamesh was struggling back to his feet.
Bearing his teeth the ancient king of Mesopotamia once again summoned his Gate of Babylon, from which the bladed ends of dozens of weapons protruded before launching them at the approaching Rider.
Seeing the incoming projectiles Ark-One's body began to radiate a dark, almost sickening aura, with a wave of his hand he released a surge of malice that intercepted the blades and knocked them out of the air and sent them clattering to the ground.
"I…impossible…" The blond haired king exclaimed, unable to comprehend that a barrage of weaponry stored within his Gate of Babylon had been dealt with and dispatched so easily.
With the King of Heroes' attempt to strike him down nullified, Ark-One then carried on walking towards him, pressing the button on the Driver several more times as he did so.
…KYŌFU…FUNNU…ZŌO…ZETSUBŌ…TŌSŌ…
Growling Gilgamesh reached behind with and drew forth a pair of swords from the glowing gate situated behind him and with a snarl lunged towards Ark-One, slashing one of his newly acquired swords at him only for the white and black Rider to lean out of the way of it, the predictive algorithms of Ark allowing him to evade the blond haired Servants blade each time he swung them at him.
Anger surging through him Gilgamesh tried again and again to cut Ark-One down only for him to effortlessly dodge out of the way, as he made another attempt the white and black Rider, instead of dodging, instead lashed out and managed knocking the weapon out of the blond Servant's hand.
Far from done Ark-One then delivered a vicious blow that struck the Mesopatiamian King in the face, the impact forcing him back a few steps, before following it up with another punch that caught him in the chest, forcing him back yet again, before delivering a nasty kick to his midsection that forced him back even further and resulted in a short distance between the two combatants.
Wincing slightly Gilgamesh glared at the Ark empowered Rider that was now a short distance away from him, his hand clutching at the place he'd been struck in the chest. How dare he…how this mongrel, this insignificant worm dare raise his filthy hands in his presence let alone lay them upon him.
This…this could not be allowed to stand. This was an injustice that could not, would not, go unpunished. If this upstart believed that he could lay his dirty hands on his betters without any form of retribution then so be it, it would only be all the sweeter when this little fool realized that had brought this fate upon himself.
The ancient king was bathed in golden light as once more the Gate of Babylon manifested itself, his time above him, the blond haired raising his arm to reach above him as he continued to fix his gaze upon his opponent. "You…you little bastard…" He barked menacingly. "To think that the likes of you would be backed into a corner and force me to resort to this…"
As he said these words, a golden object emerged from the gate, its shape looking like a large and overly designed looking key, slid out and dropped into his outstretched hand. Giving it a twist a large and complex pattern that resembled Magic Circuits appeared in the air, the design letting off a flash before dissolving and leaving behind a glowing golden sphere.
The however didn't last long as from it emerged a golden item shaped like a oddly designed and oddly yet elegant looking sword with an ornate blue and gold guard from which protruded a black blade that was vaguely cone shaped, red lines running along its surface.
Without a moment's hesitation Gilgamesh snatched the sword and pointed it at his armor clad opponent. "You brought this upon yourself Mongrel, now despair as I unleash the truest form of my wrath." The ancient king spat bitterly as he then raised his weapon high. "Judgment is upon you, behold the crushing might of my sword of rupture…"
Ark-One watched in silence as he took note of the sword that the ancient king now wielded, the sections of its circular blade rotating and the red lines that ran along it began glowing as waves of red energy radiated off of it. Reaching down once more he pressed the button the Ark Driver again.
…SATSUI…HAMETSU…ZETSUMETSU…
With the count now up to nine, Ark-One slapped the Ark-One Progrize Key, pressing it into the Ark Driver, the sinister sounding voice of Ark once more filling the air.
PERFECT CONCLUSION: LEARNING NINE…
At that moment dark energy began to radiate off of Ark-One, more potent and foul then it been when Ark-Saber had used her hisatu that had devastated the area, the foul energy then began to growing in mass as it the coalesced itself around the Riders right arm in the foul aura.
"ENUMA ELISH…" Gilgamesh cried out as he swung his weapon, a beam of dark red energy being unleashed as he did so. Ark-One simply stayed quiet as the blond haired king swung the ancient sword at him, his response the Ark empowered Rider stepped forward, raising his glowing hand out as he did so just as Gilgamesh attempted to cut him down.
Moments later a large release of blinding light and searing heat was unleashed, debris was rubble and debris effortlessly blown away in its wake. On his end Gilgamesh smirked triumphantly, the little fool had sought to challenge him and in the end had met the same end as all the others who had believed themselves worthy of taking his throne.
The glowing abyss that surrounded him began to fade and it was then he saw that Ark-One was still standing there before him, gripping the blade of Ea's in his glowing hand, its tip mere inches away from the Rider's face.
The foul aura that coated the Ark empowered Rider's hand that spread across the surface of Ea, red kanji radiating off its now coated surface. Had he not been so taken aback by Ark- One's survival Gilgamesh would have heard a cracking noise and as such wouldn't have been caught so off guard when the blade of the Sword of Rupture shattered into pieces.
PERFECT CONCLUSION…
Wide eyed in shock and horror Gilgamesh could do nothing but watch as the broken pieces of Ea were consumed by the corruption and dissolved away into nothing, just as Excalibur had been corrupted, destroyed and consumed before it.
"E…Ea…no, no…this is…this is impossible…" He exclaimed.
Far from done Ark-One then proceed to unleash a vicious beating upon the Mesopitamian King, not giving him a moment to defend himself or react, one he would have unlikely to have survived if had he still been human.
Once he was finished His gaze fixed upon the bloodied form of the so-called Strongest Servant as he struggled to breath, Ark-One then hit the button in his Ark Drive again and again and again.
AKUI…KYŌFU…FUNNU…ZŌO…ZETSUBŌ…TŌSŌ…SATSUI…HAMETSU…ZETSUMETSU…
There was a pause, a small moment of hesitation as Ark-One fixed his glowing lens at the man in front of him before hitting the button one more time.
METSUBŌ…
Having now pressed the button on the Driver ten times, Ark-One once again reached down and slapped the Ark-One Progrize Key, never once breaking eye contact with Gilgamesh.
PERFECT CONCLUSION: LEARNING END…
Once more that foul aura erupted from the white and black Rider's body, this time carrying him into the air where he hung, gazing down at Gilgamesh from his position. "Goodbye King of Heroes…"
With that Ark-One then launched himself at the red eyed King, that same foulness now radiating from off of his outstretched foot, drawing closer and closer to the man below him until his foot made contact with his chest and launched him backwards until he came to rest in the still burning ruins of Kotomine Church before he was engulfed in a large explosion that was then followed by a second and then a third, the force of each blast rocking the area.
PERFECT CONCLUSION…
Before long the smoke and debris from the explosions created by Ark-One's Hisatsu began to settle, revealing an even more dishevelled looking Gilgamesh, the ancient Mesopotamian panting heavily as he collapsed to the ground.
Breathing heavily the ancient king turned his gaze upon Ark-One who in turn stared back at him, his red eyes burning with hate for the Ark empowered Rider.
So fixated upon him that Gilgamesh notice as dozens of kanji appeared and spread across his skin until he that the skin on the back of his hand was starting to darken. "Wha…what the…" He exclaimed as the pigment of his skin slowly grew darker and darker as the kanji spread higher and higher before his body began radiate with the foul aura that Ark-Saber and Ark-One utilized.
"N…no, you can't…" He cried out, sounding panicked. "DAMN YOU MONGREL…DAMN YOU!"
It wasn't long before the Ark corruption spread itself through every last inch of the Uruk King's body, and just like Ea beforehand, he too was consumed by the power of Ark and dissolved away into nothing.
AN And like that another chapter is fini. The nights drawing in, the weather is starting to get colder so welcome one and all to the month of spooks and scares.
I hope you all enjoyed our venture into the world of Kamen Rider Zero-One. Zero-One is a very technology focused Rider show which might seem at odds with the more magical Fate stuff but a lot of Riders shows have elements of magic and science co-existing together so I don't see it as much of an issue. Also I didn't plan to release this chapter in October when I was writing it but given how it turned out it felt appropriate to post it now.
An example of the magic and science co-existing, even though its not mentioned in the chapter itself, are the Servants themselves because in this story they are specially designed Humagear. Essential Magecraft in this world, similar to what happened in Miyu's world, has grown so weak since the Fourth Grail War ended that no one, even the likes of Rin and Sakura, has enough power to summon an Heroic Spirit thus making Gilgamesh the only real Servant present. To get around this the Mages Association commissioned Hiden Intelligence to develop and build seven specially designed Humagears that serve as a vessel for a Heroic Spirit.
Its not a 100% perfect solution, for example Berserkers vessel would barely be holding itself together due to the nature of his being (which is also what would happen if they tried to use a regular Humagear as a host body) and these Humagear are highly costly, and take along time to make, hence why they're so few if them, so once the Humagear is destroyed thats it. Also given that the vessel that the Servant inhabits is a machine makes their bodies susceptible to skilled hackers or being corrupted by, like lets say, a God like rogue A.I..
An idea that did popped into my head was that at some point Ark somehow manage to analyse the corrupted Grail which led to it making contact with Angra Mainyu and in doing so is what corrupted Ark in the first place. I dunno, that sound like a good idea or is it a little much?
Also I'm curious what you all thought about Ark-Saber? Obviously I took Ark-Thouser for her bases and then added Saber's chest plate to add an element of Saber's design in there. Thouser already had a very 'king like' design with the horns giving the impression of a crown so it already has that going for it given Artoria's past role as King of England although given Ark corruption you could say that Ark-Saber's is done more in mockery of her past. And given that Ark-Saber is a corrupted King you could see it as a way for Saber to become Saber ALTER just without being tainted by the Grail mud.
Also for if you who are asking where Saber got another Ark Driver and Progrize Key from, they probably appeared from the same place that Thouser got his from when he fought Genm in that one special.
Now lets move on to the elephant in the room and answer how Shirou was able to beat Gil so easily. Well Shirou himself puts it best when he faced off with him in the UBW route "your a king not a warrior". As we're all aware Gil is an arrogant bastard who looks down on just about everyone, thus his only real strategy is when dealing with an opponent is to throw crazy amounts of Noble Phantasm's at them and if that doesn't work his sole option is to resort to Ea (which in this case wouldn't work since Ark is technology not Magecraft).
TLDR version If you can force Gil into a fist fight, something that he most likely sneers at because its beneath him, you'll probably have an easier time dealing him then you would otherwise although he's still a Servant make of that what you will.
And with that I'm done for now, I usually write more at the end but I got super busy and wasn't left with a whole lot of time to work on these. As always feel free to leave me a comment as I'm always curious to what you think of my work. In the next chapter we return to the world of Fate/Wake up for the Halloween instalment of this story, or close enough to it anyway given this stories upload seclude.
Till next time, peace out y'all