When the summoned familiar finally arrived, the scene that unfolded nearly made Tokiomi faint.
What did he see? His servant, Archer Gilgamesh, was beating the hell out of three people! Fighting three on one and still not losing ground, truly worthy of being the King of Heroes... or not!
For Tokiomi, Gilgamesh casually using his Noble Phantasm "Gate of Babylon" in such a way was like openly exposing his trump card to the other Masters, which, to the cautious Tokiomi, was a colossal mistake!
What if the information got out? What if they noticed the flaw? What if other Masters united against him?
"To think he would keep using his ultimate weapon so carelessly under the public eye... This is too reckless..."
Tokiomi muttered, pressing his forehead with a bitter smile.
Always maintaining composure and elegance—this was the family motto of the Tohsaka family. Tokiomi had always kept it in mind, but never did he expect to face a situation where he would be forced to use a command spell so soon…
Gritting his teeth, Tokiomi finally raised his right arm.
"By the command spell, I order you, King of Heroes, to cease your rage and retreat."
The red glow of the command spell illuminated the workshop for an instant, and immediately, Archer's eyes flared with anger, his gaze shifting southeast.
That direction led to the hilly areas and high-end residential areas of Fuyuki City, where the Tohsaka family residence stood.
"With your words, you think you can make this King retreat? You're really bold, Tokiomi."
Gilgamesh sneered in disdain, lowering his voice as he spoke, but still concealed the brilliance of the Gate of Babylon. The large and small swords embedded in the ground vanished instantly.
"You've saved your lives, for now, you mongrels."
Despite still being furious, the murderous intent in his eyes had receded. Gilgamesh donned in golden armour, remained as arrogant as ever, glaring at all the servants present.
"You bastards, before we meet again, keep on this pointless slaughter. Only true heroes are worthy to witness the majesty of the King."
After uttering these words, Archer deactivated his manifestation. The golden armour lost its lustre and vanished, leaving only faint afterglows.
Sakatsuki and Lancer, after a brief moment of silence, sheathed their weapons.
"Seems like Archer's Master isn't as resolute as I thought."
Lancer sighed.
"Honestly, I'd rather continue fighting to the last moment, at least let me get a shot in."
"It feels like punching cotton."
Sakatsuki also shook his head, suppressing his killing intent as he began to consider the Tohsaka family issue.
As the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh's unparalleled arrogance and the "Independent Action" skill of the Archer class allowed him to act without relying heavily on his Master, which greatly diminished his dependence on Tokiomi. Even though Tokiomi served him as a subordinate, it only caused Gilgamesh to restrain himself slightly, but he remained firmly independent.
Under normal circumstances, Tokiomi would tolerate Gilgamesh's behaviour, even letting him rampage across Fuyuki City, but sooner or later, their fundamental differences would cause a clash—like right now, a severe contradiction between their values.
Gilgamesh considered himself invincible, looking down on all other servants. To him, punishing those who showed disrespect to a king was perfectly natural, and using the Gate of Babylon without any hesitation was no problem, as even if the opponents knew his secret, they couldn't do anything about it.
Tokiomi, on the other hand, always adhered to the rational and cautious mindset typical of magus. He believed in not revealing one's trump cards too early, especially when facing enemies whose full capabilities were unknown, fearing that it could backfire.
And in this case, Tokiomi had used a command spell to restrict Gilgamesh's actions.
"The limitation of magi is exactly this. The golden gleam is the King, unparalleled and supreme. How dare you try to forcefully bind him?"
Sakatsuki muttered to himself, his tone filled with schadenfreude.
At the core, Tokiomi was still a magus, a traditional one who viewed servants merely as tools. To him, a servant was just a more powerful familiar.
The role-play of being a subordinate was merely a means, and deep down, Tokiomi always saw Gilgamesh as just a tool, albeit one that was a bit unruly.
It seemed that Gilgamesh had seen through this, which was likely why he was so enraged.
The relationship between the two had already cracked.
If this rift was not mended, it would only widen, eventually leading to Tokiomi's death and causing significant trouble for the Tohsaka family and even Fuyuki City.
However, even knowing this, Sakatsuki wasn't about to intervene. What's meant to be, will be. Some must die, some must be buried.
He wasn't like Emiya, nor was he a hero of justice—why bother caring about all that?
The night was still young, and eventually, he would face off with Gilgamesh.
Waiting, with hope in his heart.
When Sakatsuki and Diarmuid put away their weapons, Berserker, standing beside them, still had not quelled his resentment and murderous intent.
The red light from the mask's slits flickered erratically as the Berserker's rage seemed to flare once more. When a knight bathed in moonlight entered his vision, Berserker seemed unable to restrain himself, his entire body trembling in anger.
Feeling the hateful gaze upon him, Saber shivered, a chill crawling up her spine.
"…ur…"
The sound came from deep within, like a disaster, a curse—a groan of resentment without any linguistic meaning.
This was the first time anyone present heard Berserker make a sound besides his growl.
"…ar…er…!"
With the sound of metal grinding, the black berserk beast howled at the sky, six tails suddenly extending from his back, thrashing wildly.
"Irisviel, get back!"
Artoria's pupils contracted as she could only shout this before Berserker turned into a shadow, grabbing an electric pole from the side of the road, and charging toward the silver knight king with a deadly, curse-like rage.
He jumped and, holding the pole, he swung it down!
"Did he just do a standard Eagle Dance?! Is this guy playing Falling Dragon?"
Sakatsuki blurted out an obscure reference.
Boom!
The shockwave exploded as Saber held her sword in a horizontal block, but the ground beneath her feet caved in, proving just how powerful that strike was.
"Bad... Saber can't use her arm."
Diarmuid frowned, watching as the blonde knight's arm trembled.
Berserker, a mad warrior who sacrificed his rationality to enhance his physical attributes, was now overpowering Saber, forcing her into a defensive position she could hardly maintain.
Sure enough, after a brief deadlock, Artoria had to switch tactics, turning to use finesse and skill, scraping sparks against the pole. Then, she twisted and exerted force, slashing the pole aside.
But Berserker had already anticipated it, lifting the pole to knock Saber's sword off course and then sliding backwards to a position just outside the range of Excalibur.
'This guy... seems to be very familiar with my sword techniques!'
Saber gritted her teeth, looking down at her trembling left hand.
If only I wasn't injured…
"Saber!"
Irisviel's scream snapped Saber out of her thoughts.
Looking up, she saw the black electric pole coming at her head. Berserker roared, and she was sent flying!
The left arm injury made it impossible for her to summon the strength needed, while Berserker seemed to be triggered even further, launching an even more violent attack than against Archer.
First strike.
Second strike.
Third strike.
Berserker's attacks grew heavier and heavier, while Saber's defence weakened each time.
The damage from Lancer's "Yellow Rose of Mortality" had a serious impact at this moment. Saber had to rely on only her right hand to wield the sword, and though magic-assisted techniques kept her fighting, the overwhelming force of Berserker's repeated strikes pushed her further to a disadvantage.
"You... who are you...?"
Saber's left hand throbbed painfully as she barely held her ground, but Berserker showed no mercy, swinging his pole and aiming for her head.
"Swish!"
A flash of red light.
The cursed pole was severed by the Crimson Rose, shattering into pieces and flying into the sky before crashing down to the ground.
The figure of a man with a tear mark on his eye appeared before Saber, coldly declaring to the berserk knight.
"Enough of the childish games, Berserker. The Saber over there and I had a prior agreement."
"If you continue to interfere, I will not stand idly by."
***
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