AN
"Blah" - Normal Speech
'Blah' - Thoughts
"Blah" - Memory
BLAH… - Rouser
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider
Journey through the Kaleidoscope
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider Blade
Fate/Royal Flush
Chapter ?: Evolution King
Ten thousand years ago, a massive battle known as the Battle Royal was fought by fifty-two Undead, each representing a species fighting for dominance over all others. The winner was the Human Undead, known as Category Two of Hearts, giving dominion of the Earth to humanity.
In the present day, archaeologists discover the sealed Undead, and accidentally set them free. Thus, a new Battle Royal begins…
Trust, by its definition, is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something. To earn the trust of somebody can be considered a great honor, to know that someone else believes in you strongly enough to the point where they will willingly put their future, fortune and even their very lives into your hands is not something to be understated or dismissed so easily.
And yet trust by its nature is also a paradox. Under the right circumstances the trust between two people can be stronger than tempered steel and yet it is also as fragile as glass. Forging trust takes time, days, months, years or even over the course of a lifetime for such bonds to be formed and yet it only takes seconds for it all to crumble.
When trust is broken, regaining it can be difficult if not neigh impossible.
Blade grunted as he forced himself up off of the ground. As he did so a growling noise from nearby caught his attention informing him that the strange creature known as Trial D was still on his trail, the red and black skinned spike bedecked monstrosity that had absorbed most of the Rouze Cards that contained the Undead that he'd managed to seal.
"HAVE AT THEEE!" A voice cried suddenly out and moments later a blur of blue and silver dashed past the fallen Rider as it made a beeline towards the looming form of Trial D, the sound of metal cutting through the air was heard that was quickly followed by the clang of it striking against something.
Glancing up, the Knight of Spades found himself looking at the back of a familiar looking figure with blond hair and clad in silver armor engage Trial D Again and again the Servant of the Sword swung her weapon air at the demonic looking creature who in turn would either fall back or lean out of the way, as if it had it had no problem seeing her air concealed blade.
Saber lunged forward, a look of determination etched into her face as she slashed at Trial D again, this time managing to catch it and leaned in to it in an attempt to hold the red and black creature back.
"Shirou, get away from here." Saber said through gritted teeth as glanced over at him, doing her to keep the red and black skinned monstrosity from getting to her former Master. "Whatever this thing is, I will hold it off while you get to safety."
"S…Saber…" Blade was stunned at the blond haired Servant's sudden arrival, given all the people who could have come to help the blond haired Servant was the last person he had expected to come to his aid.
Saber, there would have been a time not too long ago when he would have been glad to see her, back when they were still partners. Back when they still fought together as Master and Servant.
Back before the night where everything had changed, the events of which had been burned into his brain…
He could recall just about every detail of that night. He and Saber had just successfully tracked down and sealed the Lion Undead when a flash of golden light erupted from out of thin air a short distance away from the two of them, from which emerged a man with blond hair, blood red eyes and a cocky smirk.
Upon seeing him Saber had automatically taken up a defensive stance in front of him, however even without the Blond haired Servant of the Sword's actions given the aura of power that radiated off of him it was pretty obvious to Blade that this man was a Servant.
"Archer," Saber addressed the man. "What are you doing here?"
Hearing Saber address this man as Archer caught Blade off guard. Archer, there had to be some mistake since Tohsaka had been the one to summon the Archer Servant and whoever this was did not look anything like the tanned skinned man in the red coat. How could there be two Archer Servants at the same time?
Hearing Saber address him the blond man let out a chuckle as he raised both of his hands with his palms facing forward. "Now now my dear Saber, you misunderstand my intentions." He said, his voice oozing confidence. "I have not come all this way to fight with you."
Saber cocked an eyebrow at this. "If you're not here to fight then what are you here for?" she retorted in a harsh tone. "Answer me."
"Why, I am merely here to see if you'd given any serious thought to my offer?" The blond Archer replied. "So how about it Saber, what is your answer?"
Blade looked at his Servant, wanting to her to explain what was going on. From the way he talked to her it was pretty obvious that Saber and this mystery Servant knew each other, not only that they'd apparently been meeting with out his knowledge. And this offer that he'd made to her what was that about, what could this man possibly promised her?
"Saber, what's going in?" The Knight of Spades asked. "Who is this and what's he talking about?"
Saber didn't answer him. Her gaze fixed ahead of her her form shifted slightly, squeezing the handle of her sword tighter for just a moment, her eyes never leaving those of the man in front of her. "Yes Archer, I have given your proposal much thought." She told him, her tone firm. "As for my answer, here it is…"
No sooner had she finished saying these words Saber spun on her heel and drove the blade of her invisible sword into Blade's gut, fixing the Knight of Spades with a look of contempt.
"S…Saber…" Blade choked out, his voice a mixture of shock, confusion and pain. "W…why…"
"Because you cannot give me what I want and I have no use for a weak Master who will not make a serious effort to compete against the others." The blond haired knight replied harshly before pulling back her sword, watching as the Hercules Beetle themed Rider collapsed into his knees. "Day after day we fell further and further behind the other Masters and Servants, instead of making strides in claiming the Grail all you cared about was finding and sealing The Undead, a truly worthless pursuit when the Grail is the true prize. A prize that you are more than happy to let slip through your fingers. Well no more, if you will not take the Grail War seriously I will simply find a new Master who will."
With that Saber turned on her heel and began to walk slowly away from the fallen Rider and towards Gilgamesh. "Goodbye Shirou, as of this moment consider the pact between us broken." She told him. "You are now free to do what you wish, but for your sake I hope we never meet again."
Blade couldn't say anything, too in shock and too in pain to form words. All he could do was watch as Saber, somebody whom he'd believed he could put his full trust in, walked away from him and towards the man who had somehow managed to convince her into betraying him so easily.
"Let's go Archer. No…King Gilgamesh," She said to the blond man, her tone subservient, bowing her head to him. "From this moment onward I acknowledge you as my Master. I am now yours, now I expect your to hold up your end of our bargain, bring me to the Grail."
Gilgamesh let out a chuckle as he brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek. "But of course my sweet Saber, I am after all a benevolent king." He replied. "I have long awaited this moment, for you to be at my side. I promise you your heart's desire."
"S…Saber…" Blade cried out weakly.
Hearing him Saber glanced over at Blade, fixing him with a haughty look whilst at the same time the blind haired Archer look of smugness twisted into a sinister looking smirk. Moments later a large glowing mote appeared behind the two of them, vanishing from view as it swallowed them up.
Pushing the memory of that night aside, Blade focused on the situation before him. It appeared that despite the power granted to her by her class even Saber was struggling to deal with the red skinned creature. Regardless of how he felt about his former Servant, Trial D was the bigger threat right now.
Just then the Blade's Rouze Absorber opened up, revealing the three Rouze Cards that contained three special sealed Undead within it. Quickly rising back up to his full height, Blade took one and slid it into the slot on the front of the Rouze Absorber.
ABSORB QUEEN…
Instinctually Blade was about to grab the Jack Rouze Cards when he hesitated. 'No, this thing…it's too powerful. Jack Form's not gonna cut it.' Blade grimaced under his helmet as he glanced over at his only other option. 'That just leaves…'
With some hesitation Blade took hold of the card designated as the King of Spades and slipped it out of its place in the Rouze Absorber. "King…" He muttered. "I need to borrow your power…"
"You want my power, you'd best be careful." The voice of the Caucasus Undead filled his mind, reminding the Spade Knight of its warning. "If you show the slightest sign of weakness, even a moment of hesitation and you'll be taken over like Leangle was."
As he was contemplating this Saber continued to engage Trial D, the red and black demon catching her wrist as she made another attempt to slash at it, halting her in mid-swing, something that caught Saber by surprise. Letting out a low growl Trial D glared at Saber before pulling forward, causing her to lose her balance before backhanded the blond swordswoman across the face, the striking having enough force to send her sprawling across the ground.
With that momentary annoyance out if the way, the demonic looking creature once again set it sights in Blade and charged towards him with great speed. Seeing this Blade steeled himself and scanned the sealed King, the clear window on the front of the Rouze Absorber gaining a blue plate that bore a golden Spade symbol.
EVOLUTION KING…
Within seconds of scanning the King of Spades Blade felt a surge of power course through him as sparks of energy radiated off of his body, even with Reinforcement Magecraft strengthening his body and his own high tolerance for pain did little to help him withstand the agony he currently found himself in as power coursed through him.
He recalled feeling something close to this before, it had been the first time he'd fused with the Category Ace, something that was required not just to become Blade but to use the Rouze Card in the first place, as well as a stronger surge that came from fusing with the Jack for the first time.
Was this really the power of a Category King?
As the Knight of Spades cried out in agony, Illya appeared from her hiding place in the underbrush, despite the Spade Knights instruction to stay away and even if she couldn't do anything to help she refused to let her brother face down the red skinned monster alone, not after everything that he'd done for her. "Onii-san…" The white haired girl muttered as she listened to him scream in pain.
Pain coursing through him Blade clenched his teeth and balled his fists before letting out a cry, one of defiance rather than of pain. As he did so from the Blade Rouser emerged larger versions of all thirteen Rouze Cards that contained the Category Spade sealed Undead that encircled him, as they did so both the Knight of Spades armor and the cards began to glow with golden radiance.
Moments later all thirteen cards were drawn towards Blade and were absorbed into him, changing the Rider's appearance. His normal blue bodysuit was now black with gold and silver armor worn over the top with plates attached that bore images of each of the thirteen Spades designated Undead engraved on them. Most prominent of all was the Spade symbol of the chest plate which was adorned with an image of the Caucasus Undead.
Finally Blade held out his hand and in a flash of light his new weapon the King Rouzer, a large and regal looking blue and gold sword, appeared. It all came together to complete the look of Kamen Blade King Form.
As it drew closer Trial D swung its spike covered fist at the Blade, the golden Rider responding by blocking it with the armor that now covered his left arm that was quickly followed up by aiming a punch that struck the red and black skinned creature it its chest and, much to his and everyone else surprise, the blow knocking it back with ease and sent it sprawling across the ground.
"I…I feel it," Blade said to himself as he stared at his fist, just as surprised as both Saber and Illya were. "This power…I…I feel like I can't lose…"
From her position Saber looked on in surprise at both Blade's new form as well as being able to effortlessly halted the red skinned creature with a single blow, a stunned look etched into her face. Meanwhile Illya also looked on her her hiding place her eyes wide and mouth agape.
Blades new form, the golden armor upon which were engraved images of the thirteen Undead that belonged to the Suit of Spades. The large golden and blue sword he now wielded, the three points that protruded from the top of his helmet and the power that seemed to radiate off of him. All of it combined certainly came together and lived up to the title of King.
Just as Trial D was getting back to its feet the engravings located on Blade's biceps, shoulder pads and chest plate glowed and from them a glowing card emerged, the King of Spades quickly snatching them up before loading them into a slot in the King Rouzer.
️SPADE 10…SPADE JACK…SPADE QUEEN…SPADE KING…SPADE ACE…ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH…
Assuming a wide legged stance and gripping the handle of the King Rouzer in both hands, Blade raised his weapon, the blade radiating with a fiery aura, as spectral images of the five Category Spade cards appeared before him.
With a yell Blade swung his sword, unleashing a powerful beam if golden energy that passed through the five spectral cards as well as unleashing a powerful blast if air that buffeted the area that almost knocked both Saber and Illya off of their feet, and struck Trial D, the demonic looking creature letting out a final cry before it was consumed by the golden energy and leaving not even the slightest trace of it behind.
With his pursuer finally vanquished, Blade's shoulders slumped and he lowered his sword to allow his arms to hang at his side. "I…I did it…" He muttered as he breathed heavily. This creature, whatever it was, had been his toughest opponent yet. If he hadn't gained this new form and new power he wasn't sure if he could have won.
"Onii-san…" Hearing Illya calling out to him, Blade looked over and saw the snow maiden running towards him, a gleeful look on her face as approached. "You did it, I knew you could. I knew that annoying bug was no match for you."
Blade just looked back at her as he caught his breath, whilst he may not share the younger looking girls enthusiasm he figured it was better to keep that to himself. No need for him to ruin the moment by being a Debby Downer. "Come on, let's get out of here." he said as he reached out a hand towards her. "Let's go home."
Illya giggled. "Of course, after all it's only fitting for a lady to have a knight as her protector." She said as she reached out and placed one of her hands into his. "Now, let us return home."
Blade couldn't help but chuckle a little at this. "Yes Ma'am." He replied before he began to lead Illya back in the direction of where he'd left his Blue Spader.
A short distance away Saber watched as the two of them began to depart, having managed to recover her wits following the series of events that had happened in quick succession. "Shirou…" She called out to the pair, "Shirou, wait…"
Hearing her voice both Blade and Illya halted, turning to look over in the direction of the blond haired Servant. "Oh, you're here." Illya said haughtily. "What do you want…bug?"
"Shirou, Shirou please listen to me. I know I let you down, I betrayed your trust and I was wrong. I regret what I did, I really mean it." Saber said in a desperate tone, reaching out a hand towards Blade. "Please…please I beg of you, please take me back. I swear from now on that I'll never betray you or your trust ever again."
Blade said nothing as he glared at the former King. If not for the helmet, Saber would have seen the look of contempt on the young man's face.
"Goodbye Saber, if you're so desperate for a Master then perhaps you should go see Tohsaka. Maybe you can still make a pact with her." Blade said in a harsh tone as he looked away from his former Servant, her eyes widening as a look of hurt spreading across her face as he did so. "Then again, after what you did, I don't think even she wants you anymore."
"Sh…Shirou…" Saber said, her voice small as she fell to her knees. "Shirou, please…"
"Illya, let's go." The golden Knight told the Enizbern Master. "There's no point hanging around here."
"What about her?" Illya asked, indicating the pleading form of Saber who was looking up at her former Master with a look of desperation.
Blade glanced over at Saber again, beneath his helmet he had a look of barely restrained anger. "She's no longer my Servant, she's free to do what she wants in whatever time she has left." He said plainly. "For her sake I hope we never meet again."
Illya was taken aback by this, her look of surprise quickly giving way to a wicked looking grin. "Oh my Onii-san, it seems I've misjudged you." She said, "If it were me I wouldn't hesitate to kill a Servant that betrayed me, but you chose to let her live with the shame of her choices. You're far crueler than I first thought."
With that the two of them walked off towards where Blade had left the Blue Spader, Saber crying out to them, begging the Knight of Spades for forgiveness only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears.
Trust is a paradoxical thing. It can take a lifetime to forge and only seconds to crumble, and when it is broken it is next to impossible to earn it back.
AN And like that another chapter for this series is in the bag.
So yeah, you all now know why Saber was absent in the first Blade chapter since by that point she'd already abandoned Shirou and had sided with Gilgamesh.
Before I get inundated with comments from people telling me that I made Saber ooc and that she would never betray Shirou, clearly you've most likely only ever seen the anime because in the Visual Novel Saber betraying Shirou is literally one of the bad endings that you can get in Fate Route, y'know the ShirouxSaber route. And before you go thinking that that particular bad ending must occur near the beginning of the story where Saber and Shirou wouldn't be all that close, nope, it happens right at the end of the story.
Basically what happens in this particular bad ending is that Kirei, y'know the last person you'd think she'd ever listen to given their history, is able to convince Saber to turn on Shirou, kill him and claim the Grail for herself. So yes, based on the right circumstances in, it's perfectly in character for Saber to turn in Shirou.
For all you Artoria fans I get it, I really do, she the OG Saber and her character journey resonates a lot of people. That being said every fandom has its members who are overzealous at best and obnoxious at worst and if you they really don't get her character because from what I've seen a lot of fan work tends to pigeonhole Artoria into the role of a 'perfect flawless angel who is completely selfless and can do no wrong, which is kind of baffling given what her goals and motivations are instead of the flawed character that she actually is.
It also doesn't help that, and lets be honest here, she's basically the Pikachu of the Fate franchise who gets her face slapped in practically everything even if her role is minimal to nonexistent, prime example of this being the F/GO Camelot movies where she's barely in them but was still made a focal point in the advertising campaign. Also doesn't help that she gets different class versions of herself that do nothing to develop her as character, which is impossible cos her character arc basically begins and ends in Fate/Stay Night, and exist to be nothing but fan service when there are plenty of other Servants who could actually use the attention.
Ok, Artoria rant over.
Getting back to this story an early part of it would have had Shirou and Saber not getting along with each other, the starting point of which would have been when Rin takes Shirou to introduce him to Kirei. For a while I had this idea for a chapter that would featured Shirou meeting Kirei that would have then transitioned into the ending of the first episode of Kamen Rider Blade where Tachibana unleashed the sealed Undead.
If you ask me in the canon FSN a story, Kirei telling Shirou about what the true cause of the Fuyuki Fire is what ultimately convinced him to participate in the Grail War however this version of events Kirei never got that far, in fact he'd barely introduced himself when Shirou got a call from Shiori informing him about what's happening at BOARD HQ, prompting him to leave without making a decision whether or mot to compete in the Grail War.
When Saber questions him about his decision, Shirou shoots back and tells her "Who cares about that, this is more important", which as you cam imagine sours Sabers opinion of him, before driving off to get to BOARD, he even completely ignores Illya and Berserker as he dose so.
After that Shirou chooses to prioritise sealing the Undead over the Grail War which would have further irked Saber as she strongly desires the Grail for herself, evening learning about BOARD and the Undead dose little to help, so combine a Master whom she thinks poorly of and throw in a few secret meetings with Gilgamesh who practically dangles the object if her desires in front of her, its enough motivation for Saber to turn her back on Shirou and side with Gil and Kirei.
So if she betrayed Shirou to obtain the Grail then your probably wandering why is Saber now trying to return to his side, well the answer is this: Gilgamesh kept his word and in time brought her to the Holy Grail where she learned the truth of what it actually is. She sacrificed everything only to discover in the end that none of it was worth it. She threw away everything and in the end was left with nothing.
As for what kind of role Saber would have going forward her I see it as one of redemption, vowing to follow and protect Shirou as a way to atone for her mistakes. Even after he's inevitably becomes the Navy Joker she vows to protect him even if he spends the rest of eternity resenting her for her betrayal.
I think that'll do for now, glad that a lot of you seemed to like the previous instalment, was genuinely curious how you'd all react to a potential crossover with Den-O would be. The chapter based on W is almost finished, I just need to do a little more work in it and it should be done. The Zi-O chapter is kind of in the back burner for the moment, I did have an idea in mind for how it would go but I've recently been rethinking how it should play out. I've also recently begun work on a new chapter that I hope to have done before the end of the year, as for what its about I'll leave that as a surprise.
Oh and because I forgot to mention it in the last update it was announced recently that both Hurricanger and Abarenger are getting 20th anniversary movies, which is pretty neat. Hurricanger was the first Super Sentai show I ever watched back when I started watching Sentai back in 2013 and is still a favourite of mine so seeing the characters again puts a smile on my face. As for Abarenger, I haven't seen it but still happy that its getting some love.
As an aside I'm kinda surprised there no ones done a Fate/Super Sentai crossover fic. I get that Fate/Grand Order exists (cos when you get down to it Grand Order is essentially Fate meets Super Sentai minus the brightly coloured spandex suits and giant mecha) but you'd think someone would have done one by now. I know there's a piece of fan art out there that has EMIYA, Cu, Gil, Artoria and Medusa doing a Sentai pose.
As always feel free to drop me some feedback and let me know what you thought of this one, I always enjoy reading your comments. Next time we meet it'll be in December which means it'll be time to get into the Christmas mood.
Till next time peace out y'all.