Fate/Zero:Act 4 Part 3

-153:50:22

Prana is consumed not just to keep the Servant materialized, but also for the least effort they do. Thus in battle, the consumption rate is all the higher. The prana is extracted from the Master's magic circuits, and is supplied to the Servant.

And the activation of the magic circuits, in Matō Kariya's case, means a hell of pain by having his body eaten by the crest worms.

When dematerialized, the prana consumption is at its minimum. Still, in that state, Kariya would sometime be tortured with palpitations and dizziness.

But when Berserker was materialized, the agony was beyond imagination.

The foreign body awakens, starts eating his flesh, creaking his bones. Acting as Kariya's pseudo magic circuits, the crest worms supply the sucked off prana to Berserker without concern for the host's limits.

Speaking about agony isn't even half of it. Being corroded, plundered by a living creature inside his body —the pain of being devoured alive doubles with fear and disgust.

"Guh... Ga, gwa...hh!!"

Hiding in darkness, Kariya stifled his scream of impending death, raking up his throat and chest. When his skin tore and blood started running, he started chewing off his nails on both hands.

For even more of a disaster, the prana consumption required from the Master by the Berserker class is even higher. When Zōken had Kariya use the maddening formula during the summoning to make him stronger, maybe this really was already a plan of the old magus to tyrannize him.

The worms bite at his spine. The worms are melting his nerves. The worms are, nesting en masse inside Kariya's body, the worms are the worms are the worms are the worms the worms the worms the worms...

"Gaaaaahh..."

He was unable to hold out his scream, but only a feeble moan came out. The intense pain was choking him and wouldn't come out of his throat. As he started sobbing, Kariya kept trampling his body out of rage.

He couldn't even watch over the fight between Archer and Berserker in the main street. When the tempest of pain finally calmed down, it took Kariya some time before recovering his ability to think and get a grasp of the situation.

"... Haa... Haa..."

Roughly breathing away the remains of his agony, Kariya resumes his observation of the battlefield through the vision of his familiar. There are three Servants left. Archer is nowhere to be seen. The battle has ended.

Victory— is not acquired. Perhaps Tokiomi evacuated Archer when he realized the disadvantage.

Kariya's Berserker hasn't taken one step back in front of the overwhelming golden Archer. With a magecraft improvised in a year, Kariya was able to rival the Tōsaka magecraft polished through generations all by himself.

"... Fuhu, hahaha..."

Haggard, Kariya left out a dry laugh from his theory.

He did it. That haughty magus was finally splattered with mud by an ordinary man like Kariya, after always looking down to the likes of him. In his heart, Kariya sneered abundantly at Tokiomi and Zōken, thinking, did you see that.

I'm not a loser. Nobody will call me a failure or an insect anymore. I can fight against you. I'll have you know what fear is...

This is enough for tonight. There is no reason to continue a battle that will pain him now that his sworn enemy, Archer, has withdrawn. Just let the other Servants kill each other as they wish.

As he reached his conclusion, Kariya was the most panicked of them all when he saw Berserker take Saber as his new target and charge at her.

"Stop... Come back! Come back here, Berserker!"

He called out to him. Such a simple instruction should be enough to reach him, and yet the black knight didn't respond. Instead, the amount of prana consumed by Berserker's excitation stimulated all the crest worms at once, and pain shot again through Kariya's body.

"Berserkeeeeer! Stoop iit!!"

With the pain, Kariya's voice was more like a scream. He didn't even have the mental freedom to use a command spell anymore. Swarmed by a torrent of agony, Kariya could only focus entirely on keeping a hold of his receding consciousness.

The black knight charges with the force of a wild beast, kicking the asphalt. He looks only at Saber, with a swirling, black killing intent.

Naturally, Saber isn't unprepared. She immediately readies her sword in a defensive stance.

"~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~h!"

Like a ghastly drive creeping on the ground, Berserker swings his current weapon down at Saber's head.

Saber blocked it safely with her invisible sword, but she was astonished when she identified what the weapon was.

An iron pole— this is what is left of the street light pole Archer was standing on top of, that tumbled on the ground when Berserker chopped it down. Berserker probably picked it up at his feet when he charged at Saber.

Berserker holds the iron pole, over two meter long after being cut down, with two hands like a spear, putting a terrible pressure on Saber's sword. But the surprising point is that this weapon was nothing but an iron pole.

Saber's sword hidden under the Invisible Air was definitely the holiest of the holy swords. It was the most supreme Noble Phantasm. There is no way it will have troubles against a piece of metal you pick up on the roadside.

The only thing that could possibly rival Saber's sword with such strength is the Noble Phantasm of another heroic spirit. Yet...

"Wh... at?"

Holding up, Saber couldn't believe her eyes.

The iron pole in Berserker's hands is being tainted in black. Black lines are spreading and multiplying like the veins of a leaf, invading the iron pole.

The starting point is Berserker's two hands. The black lines are spreading on the entire pole like a spider's web from where the black gauntlets are holding it.

This is Berserker's prana— a black prana tainted in hatred and murderous intent. The iron pole is receiving it by permeation from his hands.

"You... can't mean!?"

Saber understood through her surprise. The true nature of this Berserker's Noble Phantasm.

Lancer and Rider, watching closely, reached the same conclusion.

"... So that's it. When Blacky takes something, it becomes his Noble Phantasm."

Rider growls in admiration. The Noble Phantasm of a heroic spirit doesn't need to manifest through a characteristic object. Sometime, it can be a type of Noble Phantasm that manifests through a "unique ability" detained by the Servant's very body. This is exactly the case for Berserker.

Still, what an astonishing power that was. Berserker was capable of pillaging at will the countless Noble Phantasms thrown at him by Archer. They now understand the frightening lure. The instant Berserker's gauntlets grab one, the control of Archer's Noble Phantasms go to the black knight.

Not only that, even ordinary scrap iron became full of the immense prana fit to compete with other Noble Phantasms once it came into Berserker’s hands. Unlike how the golden knight owned numerous Noble Phantasms, Berserker’s Noble Phantasm is endless.

The second blow, the third blow – Berserker pressed Saber back with impressive throws of his ‘spears’, while Saber was merely defending herself. Saber’s left hand that was resting on the hilt had no strength in it, and the wound dealt by Lancer’s Gáe Buidhe started to hurt again. With only her right hand wielding her sword Saber could barely to fight with the support of prana, but faced with the torrential attacks sent by the furious Berserker she could only defend. Saber could not find a chance to retaliate, and gradually became disadvantaged.

“Saber…!”

Irisviel called out eagerly. Unnoticed, drops of anxious sweat seeped out of the King of Knight’s brow.

Emiya Kiritsugu, from his distant surveillance, also saw that Saber was in a tight spot. But with Kiritsugu’s current equipment he could not interfere in a duel between Servants.

If they could at least find out where Berserker’s Master was located, there might be ways to handle this… But Kiritsugu could not see Berserker’s Master with any of his two night scopes.

“…Maiya, can you see from your side?”

“No, I can’t see him.”

Kiritsugu furrowed his brows when he heard Maiya’s reply. Kiritsugu and Maiya’s positions were actually each other’s blind spots. They reason that they could not see the Master might be that Berserker’s Master also considered his own hiding place as a priority, and did not stay at a position where he can deliver direct commands to his Servant.

It seems the opponent’s personality is even more prudent than Archer’s Master. For Kiritsugu, compared with those talented but flippant magi, magi who do not show themselves off are much harder to handle.

“…The situation doesn’t look good…”

Right now it was not just a single combat between Berserker and Saber. In between the two of them stood Lancer and Rider, both at their full strength. On a battlefield where only the strongest survive, the worst position is to be at a clear disadvantage. The Masters of the other Servants must be thinking the same – at this point, by just helping Berserker a little, they can easily defeat Saber.

Then eliminate an exhausted Berserker. It would be two birds with one stone. Lancer and Rider can defeat two enemies with minimum prana expenditure.

Kiritsugu held up his pistol and aimed his scope at the top of the crane once again. The Assassin with the skull mask was still sitting there. Just one moment of carelessness might cost Kiritsugu his life.

“…Damn it!”

Kiritsugu gritted his teeth, but could only sit and wait.

The wound on Saber’s finger made her lost the manoeuvrability of her sword. Saber was keenly anxious because of that.

Of course she was aware of how dangerous her situation is. While she needed to stall Rider, who was observing at one side, Berserker’s fight with her had also become a stalemate. In the current situation – she didn’t have any strength to fight Berserker anymore.

Berserker, on the other hand, mercilessly used ferocious attacks more fitting for the title of the maddened Heroic Spirit. Although the ‘iron pole spears’ that Berserker continued to throw in a way as rough as a beast, the skill of the throws was nonetheless supreme and accurate.

It was not Berserker’s vigour that pressed Saber down, but his intensely strong attacks gave Saber no way to retaliate. No matter how bad the wound on Saber’s hand might be, as the strongest Servant Saber didn’t even have a chance to strike back. Also, although Berserker’s weapons were strengthened with prana, they were still twisted remains of an iron pole.

Berserker is definitely not a simple mad dog. The Heroic Spirit that became Berserker is a master warrior with amazing skills that even after his Mad Enhancement, he still possessed such an extraordinary ability.

“You… Just who are you?”

Of course, the black knight ignored Saber’s question, but threw the iron pole following his piercing vigour. The strike could be called as an absolutely exceptional feat. The ferocity of the strike appeared to hit Saber’s short stature and –

However, the thrown pole did not hit Saber.

The two meter long iron pole was split down the middle, and fluttered from the air to the ground. It was Berserker’s fake Noble Phantasm, with enough strength to be compared with Saber’s holy sword. What broke this fake Noble Phantasm with ease was – a streak of red light that glimmered through the darkness.

Lancer had his back towards the astonished Saber. This beautiful spearman took a pose of protecting Saber, the King of Knights, whom he regarded as an enemy only moments ago, and stood against Berserker.

“Please stop your pranks now, Berserker.”

Lancer pointed at the black knight with the tip of the long spear in his right hand – the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, and coldly declared war on the black knight. If Lancer’s red spear repelled the prana of Berserker’s Noble Phantasm, then the fake Noble Phantasms covered by Berserker’s black prana would be nothing but a pile of iron blocks.

“Saber has a tract with me… If you keep up this nonsense and interrupt the battle between us, how could I stay on the sidelines and look on?”

“Lancer…”

Although this is a fight to the death, Saber was immensely touched by Lancer’s words. This Heroic Spirit of a spearman devotedly believes in the same ‘code of the knights’ as she does.

Despite that, not everyone gathered on this battlefield praised Lancer’s actions.

“What are you doing Lancer? Right now it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to defeat Saber.”

A voice questioned severely. This displeased voice should be Lancer’s Master, However, Lancer unexpectedly donned a solemn expression unfitting to this Heroic Spirit.

“The fight with Saber is a battle that I, Diarmuid ua Duibhne, gambled my honour on!”

Lancer yelled loudly at the empty sky.

“I’ll first let you see how I will kill that mad dog. I am doing this – because I am a king! The duel between Saber and I…”

“No!”

Mercilessly interrupting Lancer’s passionate plaints, Lancer’s Master ordered with an even colder tone:

“Lancer, help Berserker to kill Saber. I order you with a Command Seal.”

The air on the battlefield froze with tension.

A Command Seal. An absolute order for a Servant. No matter how great a Heroic Spirit might be he cannot disobey a Command Seal. Therefore, Lancer no longer had the right to freely control his own will –

The tip of the red spear reversed direction and attacked, flying towards Saber with a low whistle. The two demonic spears, long and short, brushed past the shoulders of the rapidly retreating Saber one after the other in front of her face, sweeping across the sky.

Lancer used the two spears in his left and right hand to attack the target directly behind him without even turning his head around. This astonishing skill with the lances, these two fluidly interchanging spears, is indeed the essence of the class Lancer. The accuracy of Lancer’s techniques didn’t even invoke his opponent’s rebuke.

“Lancer…!”

Saber was halfway through her sentence, but she suddenly went silent. Lancer turned around. Humiliation and anger filled his face with anguish; it spoke of the Heroic Spirit Diarmuid’s thoughts more than any mighty argument ever could.

For Lancer, whose body was bound by the Command Seal, his flesh no longer belonged to himself. It was merely a cruel and merciless machine called Servant. All the skills and abilities the Heroic Spirit Diarmuid had gained were manipulated wantonly without regard to his own beliefs, used only to fulfil the Master’s supreme command. As a Heroic Spirit, Saber deeply understood Lancer’s regret.

Beside Lancer, Berserker was closing in step by step. Although the situation had changed on the battlefield, Berserker’s goal apparently remained as Saber herself. Berserker picked up the iron pole that was cleaved in half by Lancer’s red spear, and this time he combined the pieces and poised it in front of his chest like a long spear. Although the shape of the Noble Phantasm had changed, there were no inconveniences with him using it.

Saber was out of options.

If her left hand was not injured, she might be able to fight her way out of this. But now, Saber was at the limit of her abilities just handling Berserker alone. At the moment, with Lancer being her enemy as well, Saber has no chances of emerging victorious.

“… Saber… I’m sorry…”

Lancer moaned painfully, but continued to advance towards Saber step by step. Contrary to Lancer’s expression of shame, the prana of the two spears on his left and right, with its hidden aura of the kill, was raising towards the sky in ascending vapours.

The black knight beside Lancer remained silent, but the intensity of his threatening surge was increasing exponentially and advancing towards Saber. A thick layer of black veins covered the fragment of the iron pole, and turned it into an alien weapon even more fearful than a sword, and the tip of the splint was pointed with intimidation at Saber.

Saber stared calmly and intensely at those Noble Phantasms, but she suddenly gave a sidelong glance at Irisviel, and blinked at her.

“Irisviel, I will handle the situation. During that time – ”

Saber’s thoughts were already running in circles. There’s only one desperate measure left. She has to do this in such a grave situation. No matter how big a sign of defeat she was showing right now, she must protect Irisviel. Even if she is to lose her own life…

“During that time, I need to get you out of danger. Run as far as you can.”

Saber nonchalantly reported this quick decision to Irisviel, but Irisviel did not detect Saber’s true intention.

The proud maiden knight will cleave out a path for Irisviel to survive, at the expanse of her own life.

Irisviel shook her head decisively. Right now she doesn’t want Saber to sacrifice herself a single bit.

“Irisviel! No matter what happens, you must – ”

“Rest assured Saber. Believe in your Master.”

Saber recognised the deeper meaning hidden in the sentence, but she was still very puzzled.

“Kiritsugu – Is he here?”

Actually, Irisviel did not help with Saber’s confusion, but she had always believed firmly in Kiritsugu.

At this point, Saber and she did not do anything wrong. As per Kiritsugu’s orders, they have fought honourably in the open. Now Saber is the focus of the battlefield.

Everyone regarded this delicate knight as a thorn by their side.

The two spears of Exorcism and Mortality, the iron soaked through with the black aura of the kill, did not threaten Irisviel. All this is proceeding as Kiritsugu had planned. That is – Saber and Irisviel should now be in an advantage.

“Therefore – whatever happens, we depend on you, Kiritsugu.”

Faced towards her husband who was nowhere to be seen, Irisviel prayed with total conviction.

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