The sudden sound of mana flares being launched into the sky echoed through the city. Ordinary people, at least those who were awake at that hour, saw this strange phenomenon. And at the same time, the Magus who will put an end to this war watched thinking that this is the challenge of one of the Masters, a proof that this person wants to end everything tonight.
At the Matō residence, Sakura looked at the lights in the distance from the window. Her dull gaze lit up a little and a soft smile showed on her small face.
"Onii-san will come to my side... I can feel it."
She said as she held the sharp dagger lovingly. Her gentle smile suddenly changed to a strange disturbing grimace.
"I'll be here, Onii-san. I'll wait for you even if years go by."
-Fuyuki Center-
"Haa... it has begun. The enemy Masters must now be moving to that direction."
The bright mana lights in the sky flickered as they fell returning to earth. Seeing this, Toru decided it was time to start moving, if only to observe. That was the best strategy he had at the moment.
"Now... kill each other."
He stretched his hands forward and the daggers materialized.
"For he who is left standing shall be slain by the edge of my daggers."
The moment to be more Assassin than ever presented itself. With that, he leapt from the building he was in and ran across the rooftops of the other buildings.
Up to this point, Toru's mana in dematerialized mode came to be consumed just like when in materialized mode. But despite this, staying hidden is the best option, so as he ran his body was disappearing into the darkness until no one could be seen anymore.
-Fuyuki West Zone-
Artoria's motorcycle engine roared fiercely as she advanced along the road towards her destination. Her hair fluttered in the wind and her emerald eyes seemed to look at the road with concern.
'I'm really not sure what I'm doing anymore.'
She squeezed the handles of the vehicle tightly as she thought about it. Memories of her reign attacking her mind severely. The Knights of the Round Table, who lost their way along with their king, who died alone in that tree.
'My promise...'
Her promise to the World...
In exchange for offering her services as a Heroic Spirit to the World, she wanted the chance to redeem all her mistakes. And that was the reason why she was invoked in this war. The World gave her the chance to get what she wanted, even if she becomes a slave.
That was her promise, but...
'I...'
The blood that flowed around her spreading across the horizon. The corpses impaled and strewn on the ground, and that knight who rebelled against his king, Sir Mordred....
'I... Am I regretting it?'
She still wanted to know if her wish was the right thing to do. She at least wanted to know if that was her Destiny. But now it's all too hard to process in her mind. If she went back to the past to change all her decisions, what gave her the assurance that she wouldn't make the same mistakes?
'Iskandar maybe he was right...'
She considered the words of the King of Conquest. At that, a faint wry smile showed on her mouth.
'Maybe Asahi Toru could have been a better king than me...'
She remembered what Kiritsugu said earlier: 'He's still out there' And that was strange. Maybe because she didn't give the matter much thought because she was deep in her own thoughts, but people have been talking about an assassin entering penitentiaries in cities neighboring Fuyuki and killing inmates.
"Is it possible?"
No, for her it was not possible. She saw with her own eyes how that lonely Servant died. There was no way for him to still be alive. So, if Kiritsugu wasn't talking about Toru, who did he mean by that?
Now is not the time to think about that. This war has to end and maybe, in the end, she can find an answer to all her questions.
Then, as her thoughts died away, she arrived at the place where the flares were launched. At first glance everything was dull and empty, but she paid no attention to that, for she sensed that there was someone waiting for her in there.
With the soft touch of the wind, she got out of the vehicle and her clothing changed.
Her armor would be her body, her sword her soul, and her ideals the path she would have to overcome.
So she advanced without hesitation. Wielding her wind sword, she entered the subway parking lot of the place. And although the darkness for a moment left her bewildered, she frowned and tried to look for the person responsible.
However...
"Ahhggg!"
Someone's scream echoed in the empty place. After that, a heavy sniper bullet passed next to Artoria's face, who barely managed to dodge.
Due to the sudden detonation of the weapon, the spark caused by the bullet leaving the sniper's mouth momentarily illuminated the scene, showing Berserker in front of Artoria.
She at once rushed forward to fight Berserker, as the latter began to fire the sniper's bullets in succession.
Artoria, with difficulty, dodged the bullets that detonated at high speed. She remained so for a few brief seconds until she was face to face against her opponent.
Berserker, in response to Artoria's appearance in front of his eyes, took the sniper by the barrel and tried to hit the girl.
She reacted with the edge of the sword, cutting the weapon instantly and leaving Berserker without an attacking force, or so she thought, because this guy pulled out a machine gun and fired at point blank range.
She couldn't handle so many bullets powered in succession, so, dodging fast, she got behind one of the cars that were there. Even so, the bullets had too much power due to Berserker's Noble Phantasm, which was causing the vehicle to slowly back up. This, at the same time, was pushing the vehicle next to Artoria against the wall. The powerful bullets were also starting to pierce through the vehicle's defense and hurting her body.
To avoid this, she thrust the sword under the vehicle causing it to tip over and began to push it. With this, she began to close the distance as the bullets continued to pass through its sides.
'Now!'
Being close enough, she thrust the sword into the car and touched Berserker's helmet with the metal edge. However, the knight's armor only received a small scratch.
After that, Artoria had no time to be confused by the enemy's high defense, as he continued to fire bullet after bullet. So she immediately cut the vehicle in half, which exploded causing flames to start spreading around for oil. She then charged at Berserker.
The latter himself again sacrificed his weapon to block the first attack, but at the second slash of the sword that was different.
"¡¿?!"
Artoria was very surprised and confused. Berserker parried the sword using his palms on both sides of the sword's metal. That meant only one thing.
'He knows the length of Excalibur.'
Which also told her that this dark knight in front of her eyes is someone she knew in the past. That was why she instantly stepped back and pointed her sword at the knight's face.
'It is possible that I may have met this knight at some point.'
That was why in her was doubt. Who is this knight in dark armor?
"Perhaps you are a knight known in the world.' So I ask you: you, even knowing that I am Artoria Pendragon, King of Britain, dare to attack me. At least show your face as the rules of chivalry dictate."
Despite her saying that, Berserker only let out a distorted, creepy laugh. It was at that moment that the black aura covering his armor began to fire. Slowly, the dark purple glow of that armor caused Artoria's eyes to widen in confusion.
"What...?"
In the dark knight's left hand, a black sword was displayed, one that Artoria recognized.
"Arondight..."
Right after that, Berserker's helmet began to crack due to the small cut Artoria gave him earlier. The helmet cracked in half, like a shell, and fell to the ground.
...
Then, there, in front of her eyes, the one who used to be her friend, the first of the Knights of the Round Table. He who followed the king and lost his way as a knight.
"Lancelot..."
The man with long hair and sharp teeth, covered by the shadows of his own madness, after hearing his name come out of his king's mouth, said:
"Arthur..."
...
"Why...?"
She wondered.
"Why are you Berserker?"
...
When she thought about that, she remembered when she was looking through the books about Asahi Toru's history, realizing that this very one must have been summoned under the Berserker class. Then she understood that now, the one who showed his identity while the firefighting mechanisms began to put out the flames with a gentle rain, was a hero who lost his way.
With that man's raspy voice, Iskandar's words finally made sense and the answer to one of her questions showed itself.
She may have saved her nation, but she never led it. Her ideals were hers alone and no one else's, which is why no one ever understood her and everyone questioned her. None of her subjects understood her and she never understood them. The man who at this moment is in front of her eyes is the living proof of that. The image of this man corrupted by madness.
"I... I..."
"Arthur!!!"
Finally, unable to withstand the killer instinct that has exploded inside him, Lancelot lunged towards Artoria wielding the sword.
She didn't know what to do. She stepped back as she looked at Lancelot's face.
"¿... I did this to you...?"
The King of the Knights and her closest friend, Lancelot. The memories of the Knights gathered at that Table, where the legend of Camelot's chivalry finally began. The knights who crossed their legendary weapons and looked at each other, and how the memory of that quickly changed to the chaos of the rebellion of one of those Knights.
"I... I..."
Her decisions were what led to all of this. Her wish would fix that, now more than ever she wanted to fix everything, but....
She was afraid.
She was handed the responsibility of a nation to a dreamer child. A child who forced herself to abandon any index of emotions, for in her eyes a king had to be someone perfect, without weaknesses, for those weaknesses were her own emotions.
"Arthur! Arthur! ¡¡¡¡Arthur!!!!"
Lancelot continued to attack as his anger mounted. Desperate, erratic attacks, very different from his old fighting style.
'All this...'
"Arthur!"
Artoria kept retreating and blocking Lancelot's desperate attacks, but the wave of memories and regrets that suddenly filled her mind wouldn't let her think. As Lancelot advanced with powerful attacks, Artoria retreated not knowing what to do.
This was all her fault. Everything that happened in Camelot, with her entire nation. Mordred's rebellion and her final moments. All of it...
All of it...
All of it...
Because of her own foolishness.
'Is it all my fault...?'
There was no need to answer that question. Artoria knew the answer. So, at that, one of Lancelot's attacks managed to knock her onto her back.
Lancelot looked at her, looked at her with his empty, corrupted eyes.
And there...
'I want to live...'
That Assassin's desire mingled with her desire. For her it was no longer an option to try to fix everything. If she did, how would this story end? There might not be a rebellion, the knights might not abandon the king, but the fate of that nation has always been to be destroyed. There is no way to change destiny.
All Heroes have a destiny written by the World. They cannot fight it. No one can, not even this child who called herself the King of Knights.
But if that's true...
'What can I do?'
Artoria resigned herself and bowed her head, and Lancelot prepared the edge of his sword to cut off her head.
'What should I do?'
-Out of the parking lot-
His scarf fluttered in the wind and his bangs hid the glint in his eyes.
"I feel like someone is fighting here."
They were two very strong Servants, but there was no way of knowing who they were. In addition, there was also the presence of one of the Masters.
Toru shook his head and his body dematerialized again. With that, he began to walk through walls until he reached a place hidden between two walls. A place where there were pipes and electrical installations. The place was a bit narrow, but it was also perfect for fighting.
He walked silently through the narrow corridor, and after a few seconds his gaze flared with anger.
"Kariya..."
That man lying on the floor looked at Toru and panicked. He tried to crawl away, but Toru advanced and pulled out the daggers.
"Tell me, Kariya, how much pain have you felt in your life from 1 to 10?"
-Inside the parking lot-
It was too selfish to want to live in this situation. But that was her promise to the world. If she fails to save her kingdom, then what was the point of all this war, all this bloodshed?
To live as a slave to the World after this. She realized that she had become selfish.
'Who can I blame...?'
No one but herself. Still, at this moment, because of that thought, what would that dark-armored knight who turned away from everyone say?
'I don't know... I don't know... I don't understand anything anymore! What am I supposed to do!'
She stood up from the ground suddenly. Just before Lancelot managed to kill her, she blocked the sword and stabbed the knight in the chest.
"What am I supposed to do... to fix everything I've done...?"
Lancelot fell over Artoria's shoulder. He listened to her silently without doing anything.
"What do I have to give for any of that to have happened?"
Lancelot smiled with blood in his mouth.
"You can't do anything anymore, Arthur..."
"Then... what did I do all this for!"
"Everything you've done. Everything you're doing you've done because you're selfish..."
He finally fell to the ground, vanishing into thin air, turning into black sand that mixed with the water on the ground, to finally die into nothingness.
Artoria just stood there, standing there and doing nothing. Staring at the ceiling as the water fell, she whispered:
"Am I selfish?"
She got one more answer to one of her questions with a few last words from an old friend....
-Elsewhere in the parking lot-
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Toru stepped back. Kariya touched his chest in pain as he writhed on the ground.
'What's going on?'
He looked at one of the walls and frowned. He no longer felt the presence of one of the Servants. That meant one won and the other died. That Servant that died must have been Berserker, for Kariya's reaction proved it.
"He was left without a Servant and yet, he's dying."
Toru looked down at himself at that moment. He saw the glowing particles covering his body and let out a tired sigh.
"And I'm running out of time."
So he bent down and looked at Kariya. He grabbed him by the neck with one hand, lifting him off the ground against the wall, and with the other hand he checked if this one had Command Seals. Fortunately, Kariya still possessed the full three Seals. That meant that at the moment he was a Servantless Master with a little mana to offer.
With his glowing gaze of Assassin eyes, he said:
"Let's make a pact."
The dying Kariya saw the eyes of this monster disguised as a child, but realized that the two were not so different.
Toru then finished by saying:
"You will be my Master until you die, Matō Kariya."
To be continued...