The Son of the Great

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Quite nice, as always.

[skulkidcachi90]

I love this fic.
The idea of so Good and I almost enjoy every chapther.

I wonder if you can make Saber and Iskandar talk about their beloved friends, actually I want see Iskandar talking about the loss of his friendship/love of Hephaestion with Saber or Shirou.

[Seika]

Please do not dig up age-old threads like this: instead, communicate directly with their author.

[Agailius]

Well, actually... I just got the next chapter up.

Yes, you may rejoice--I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE VALLEY OF THE DEAD!!!!

Gimme a second, Imma get it up on here.

- - - Updated - - -

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night, nor any additions, spin-offs, or adaptations of the Fate series. All titles are owned by Type Moon, and I am in no way shape or form claiming ownership of their characters, ideas, or works, and only use them for entertainment purposes only. Please support the official release.


A/N: I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! More than half a freaking year has gone by since I updated this poor thing?! Alright, then! Master Chief's adventures in Westeros can wait!


[BGM: Fate/Zero OST - The Berserker]
How long had he awaited this moment?
Arondight, like a sliver of night, crashing against the hidden blade of Excalibur, the sister swords crying out in a tragic, magnificent music as they so bitterly clashed.


How much had he yearned for this outcome to unfold?
The anguished yet determined look upon his king's face as she swung her divine sword again and again to repel the advance of his fell blade.


How long had he dreamed of this penance, languishing in his own sins upon the Throne of Heroes?


"AAAAARRRRTHUUUURR!"


Again his body surged towards the one he had loved more than any other, had respected more than any other. Again his sword sought to cut her in t'wain, only for her to parry it with virtual flawlessness. The giant warrior beside her moved in to strike with his enormous sword-but he was inferior. Inferior swordsmanship. Inferior stance. Inferior armor. Inferior weapon. Yes, the blade was that of a king, but it was forged by but the hands of man, no match for the make of the fae. The swords Arondight and Excalibur were crafted by the fairies, sister incarnations of the glories of the planet itself. He could see the chips, notches, and cracks his weapon had carved into the conqueror's blade. Even in his maddened state, as his body moved and raged of it's own accord, Lancelot instinctively recognized that, for all of his bulk and endurance, the Servant of the Mount was not nearly as great a swordsman as himself or his former king. Every time the giant had rushed forth to attack him, his giant red mantle billowing behind him, Rider's attacks were easily parried and batted aside. By that alone, the bellowing Servant should have met his end at Arondight's edge…


And yet he did not.


Be it by some damnable coincidence or some foul trick of fate, whenever a fatal blow was upon Rider, the King of Conquerors had somehow narrowly cheated death, always somehow able to avoid the mortal blows meant to slay him. It wasn't to say he escaped unscathed, however-already he could see the blood from where Arondight had managed to land on Rider's body. His cuirass was cracked and sundered where it had managed to land a blow on him, Lancelot's sword having slashed a superficial but nevertheless bleeding gash in the conqueror's side.


His king, however, had only the barest scratches marring her. Even in his mindless rage, in all his spite and hatred, he could only see her as the flower of the battlefield, the flawless knight and most valiant of champions. All of which, only served to stoke his resentment even further. Again he howled her name, and again he charged against her, Arondight singing it's demented yet beautiful song as the blade was swung through the air. Excalibur again smashed into its sister, the dazzling brilliance of the sword of promised victory starkly contrasted against his own weapon of blackest night. The Servant of the Mount again lumbered forward, roaring his ancient battle cry as he raised his sword up to bear it down upon him as Arondight danced with Excalibur.


It would be the last time that sword would be swung against him.


Though both of his hands occupied with locking his weapon against his king, Lancelot instinctually knew from the wear of Rider's blade that one well-placed strike would shatter the lion-pommeled blade. Thus, he merely watched as the spatha descended upon him… before he shifted his armored leg back, and then like a desolating storm swung it violently forth, connecting his greaved boot into the fuller of Iskandar's weapon. The effect was nigh instantaneous. The blade itself was powerful, one could acredit. It was certainly of a higher make than mere steel, and against many a weapon it could outlast. But it was most certainly not a Noble Phantasm, much less one on par with the fabled blades of the Knights of the Round Table. And having repeatedly weathered blows from one such a storied sword, it could not ultimately triumph.


And with one final thrust of his already enormous strength, now augmented by Arondight's power, Lancelot forced Rider's blade to at last yield to his superior might, as all of the cracks and notches all buckled and wreathed across the whole of the sword from the shock wave of his leg's raw physical force. Both Rider and Saber seemed shocked at the feat Berserker displayed, but it was only for an instant. The shards flung straight into Saber's face, and she barely had the time to shield her face from the shrapnel about to tear into her face, the blue knight leaping back to avoid it. With Saber distracted for but an instant, the black knight moved quickly, swerving on the leg he still had on the ground to thrust his raised one into Rider's now-exposed chest, putting so much force behind it that he literally sent the Servant hurdling into a support column yards behind him.


All of this, he had done in the blink of an eye.


With the interloper removed, Lancelot moved in for his one true prey, roaring again as he lunged towards Saber. Arondight swung through the air, even as Saber could barely begin to defend herself, raising Excalibur to block the savage downward slash. But Lancelot's move of shattering Iskandar's sword, combined with the single-minded, blindingly fast follow up of pursuing Saber rather than attempting to finish off Rider, left the King of Knights momentarily disoriented. And that moment was all he needed. For while Excalibur withstood Arondight's wrath, Saber did not see Berserker's gauntleted hand thrust toward her, until she felt the overwhelmingly huge strength within it vised around her neck, leaving her gasping and choking for oxygen, her feet kicking in the air as the black knight raised her up with one hand high off the ground.


"Aaaarrrrthuuuuurrrr…!"


The pain was nearly unbearable. Saber could feel the sharp metal of Lancelot's gauntlets digging into the skin of her neck, squeezing down on her throat with enough force to powderize steel. Any normal human, and likely a Servant of lesser caliber, would have already had their heads rolling on the ground, with their necks reduced to splinters of bone, shredded gore, and blood sputtering from vessels ripped and torn open. Saber herself was exerting every last ounce of strength left in her body to just make sure she didn't meet a similar end, and even then her attempts to gasp for air were met in vain.


Already she could feel the deprivation of air burning her lungs, her head feeling numb without oxygen. As Berserker's eyes bore into her own, she could not help but wonder… Did you… hate me this much? Had her ideals truly alienated her so much from one she had regarded as friend and ally? Is your madness… my fault? Had she, in her kingship, abandoned him to his loathing? Was she so disconnected from her own people, so adherent to what was right… that she could not see the pain of those she loved?


She tried to wrench herself free of Lancelot's grip, but to no avail, as she barely had the strength to wield her sword in her other hand. She could only watch as he raised Arondight up, roaring as he swung down. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Saber, unable to tear her gaze from the blade of her friend, as a cold realization filled her. She would die here. His hold over her neck was too strong for her to break away in time. Even if she were to run enough mana through her arms to cut his hold on her, she would not be able to raise Excalibur in time to stop the demon sword set to cleave her in twain. Was this to be her punishment for being unable to understand those who followed her? Was this the price she would pay for all the sacrifices she made through the loss of her comrades and her own choices?


An emptiness filled Saber's mind as she watched the blade fall closer and closer to her head in the crawl of time her instincts instilled upon her senses. It felt almost like a bitter peace, or a tragic contentment... That she would fail at the hands of one she had wronged.


The sword came down, and the distinct bite of blade smashing into flesh rang in the smouldering, burning devastation of the battle around them. Blood spattered Saber's armor and face, tears running from hollow and empty eyes down her cheeks with a deathly silence.


But... it was not Saber's blood stained upon her. And only scant inches from her face, Arondight was frozen in the air, unbloodied and clean. Lancelot had fallen completely silent, not even breathing in his ragged growl. In her shock, Saber could not comprehend what had happened, until she looked behind her former comrade. For looming behind Berserker was Rider, silent as he somberly looked down on their adversary. His broken sword was buried into the back of Lancelot's neck, it's broken and jagged point thrust into where his armor did not protect.


"I told you before, Berserker," Rider said with a tired voice, "You cannot turn your back to a foe." With a sudden flare of Iskandar's fiery eyes, a surge of lightning rolled and arced through Berserker's body, electrocuting and roasting the mad warrior from within his own armor. The black knight was terrifyingly silent even as this brutal execution was inflicted upon his body, even as his skin burned and his body buckled. When at last the volts of lightning stopped rippling across him, Iskandar pulled his shattered blade from Lancelot's body, allowing the mad warrior to fall to the ground.


"Lance...lot..." Saber uttered as she looked down upon her friend with frozen sadness in her eyes. But the former Knight of the Round Table did not respond. The madness which has ruled his was gone now, replaced by the face she remembered he had in life. The calm, serene, and fair Chevalier of the Lake. His eyes were closed now, blood spurting from his mouth-and in that moment, she knew he was gone from the world once more. The Mad Servant began to fade, his body dissipating like grains of dark, shimmering sand in the wind. Silencing the grief welling within her, Arturia did not allow emotion to cloud her voice. "Even so, I… will obtain the Holy Grail," She said aloud, determined to at least comfort Lancelot in his final moments. "If I do not… I will have nothing to recompense you with."


For a long, silent moment, there was only the sounds of the destruction surrounding the three Servants, and the water sprinkling from the ceiling trying to extinguish the flames. But then, came a voice Saber did not think to hear. His madness stripped away and his mind whole once more, Lancelot spoke in his final moments, despite his gory wound. "...Even after all of this… you would still take up your sword... for such a reason…?" He smiled, almost seeming relieved or humored. "Truly helpless, you are..."


And with that, Berserker, the Knight of the Lake, the greatest of the Knights of the Round Table, whom in life was called Lancelot du Lac died; the fourth Servant lost in the Fourth Holy Grail War.


[BGM: Fate/Zero Anime OST - Nervous]


Something soft and wet repeatedly touching against his cheek was the first sensation Waver could feel after blacking out. For how long he was out he hadn't the foggiest. His ears were still dully ringing from the last blast which had taken out the insect familiars. Very analytically, Waver guessed from the aforementioned ringing in his head and the fact that his skull felt like it had been hit by the business end of a goddamn jackhammer that he was not, in fact, dead. Wincing as he did, he blearily opened his eyes to see Theodore beside him, licking worriedly at his cheek.


"...You better be grateful," Waver groaned to the ferret, the boy struggling to sit up. "I just saved your furry rump and got nearly blown up for it..." He immediately wondered where the skittering hordes had gone off to, considering they weren't busy eating him and his rodent friend alive. For all their explosive power, the more cynical part of Waver thought the napalm capsules wouldn't have done the trick. He attempted to glance around to see if they weren't just lurking around to take him out at their leisure… when he saw the body laying right next to him.


Out of instinct, Waver jumped up away from the figure with a not-so-dignified yelp, scrambling to his feet. It was the same guy who had yelled at Waver earlier, he realized. Was he a Master? Seeing him up close was just as horrible as the insect familiars, if not even worse. He had a sickly pale complexion, with bleached, bone white hair. Half of his face seemed horribly malformed, his vacant eyes likewise mismatched-one dark and normal, the other milky white and blind. He looked similar to a cancer patient, almost, and didn't look like the type of person one would expect to be a Master. Indeed, Waver saw no Command Seals on the man's hands.


"...He's not moving," Waver swallowed.


"It is the price he pays for having those disgusting parasites feast on his body," Came the voice of Archer, whom Waver had all but forgotten in the chaotic chase. The golden Servant had a look somewhere between boredom and disdain at the scene, an expression which made Waver look at the Servant in fear. "I was hoping for him to put on a better performance, but it seems even at the end of his rope the mongrel continues to underwhelm me."


Waver's thought process went cold with dread. The 'parasites' Archer was referring to… 'feasting on his body'? Suddenly the implications were hitting Waver like a freight train, causing him to nearly vomit. Those insect familiars were… inside him?! The magus part of his brain came to the conclusion that, if he were indeed a Master, and if Berserker, the most difficult of all Servants to control, were here… "This is… Berserker's Master? But his Command Seals..."


"Perceptive, I see," Archer said, an amused smirk on his face. "You continue to show more shreds of worth, boy. I thought your incompetence would be the end of you when that mongrel there sought to take your life, yet he collapsed before he could do the deed. Through desperation and sheer dumb fortune, you have managed to survive... I find myself amused you prevailed over Berserker's Master, however coincidental it was." He seemed to narrow his eyes at that, his gaze shifting towards the exit to the chamber. "And if that mongrel's Command Seals have been extinguished, then Saber is finished playing with her mad dog of old. She and Rider will be arriving soon."


Whatever conclusions Waver could have surmised from Archer's implications were cut short as he heard a sputtering cough from the fallen figure on the ground. The presumed Master was wheezing weakly, his eyes blank and listless. Waver could see just from looking at the man that he was going to die. If it wasn't the blood coming out of every facial orifice, it was the simple fact the man couldn't move anymore. His voice hardly even a whisper on his breath, the man spoke a name, unable to recognize anyone was listening. "Sa...kura...cha..."


Waver had seen far, far worse in the Grail War, with Caster's horrific workshop coming forefront into his mind; but upon seeing the prone figure before him, Waver could only feel pity for the man. What had he struggled so much for that he would pursue the Grail even in his condition? What aspirations and dreams had he hoped to fulfill, that he'd subject his body to such an awful fate? What the hell could such a man hope to accomplish in the end, knocking on death's door and having fallen so far?


The sudden crash of steel biting into the ground shot Waver out of his thoughts a second time, and he flinched when he saw the grand looking sword embedded into the floor only a few feet away from him. Archer's imperious voice rang in the air. "For amusing me in such a fashion, I have chosen to allow you to finish off your adversary personally. It is the right of the victor to vanquish his enemy at his own leisure. Take up that sword, boy, and put an end to that miserable mongrel's life."


Waver was surprised at how hesitant he felt, looking between the sword and the figure on the ground. He was his enemy, and as a Master of the Holy Grail War and as a magus, it would be natural for Waver to kill the man. But… he seemed so helpless now. There was no way he could get up and fight again, not with his insect familiars gone and his body destroyed from the inside out. Was it really right for him to ruthlessly slay someone so broken and crippled? Or was it a mercy to put him out of such apparent suffering?


But, in a repetition which made Waver start thinking like the universe seemed to be actively trying to interrupt his train of thought at every turn, the sounds of approaching footsteps came from the entrance to the chamber. Sure enough, it was both Rider as well as Saber. Rider himself looked wounded, and his eyes were uncharacteristically grim. Despite this, he stood tall and undaunted, his fiery eyes seeming to only become sharper with his grim countenance. Saber, despite being the more whole of the pair, seemed shaken to her core, as though the battle with Berserk had unsettled her something fierce. Was I right…? Waver thought to himself, wondering if his hunch on Berserker's identity was on the mark.


Whatever wavering Saber's face contained was quickly suppressed when she lay eyes on Archer, who merely smirked at her. "Archer..." she nearly hissed, brandishing her invisible blade.


Rider heaved a sigh. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Goldie. Figures you'd beat us to the Grail first."


"The fault is entirely your own, Rider," Archer replied. "You allowed Saber to frolick around with her rabid dog of old for so long, you had me wait. Though, your Master did markedly better a job at providing me with some entertainment than I thought him capable of."


"Truly?" Iskandar muttered, shifting his gaze across the chamber until he saw Waver. "Yo, lad! It's good to see you're in one piece!" He had a face which seemed both confused and relieved. "And what happened in here? It looks like Goldie went loose in here, but..." He stopped when he noticed the body of the man near Waver. "Is that…?"


"Berserker's Master," Archer again spoke with a nod. "When your own Master arrived here, he was contested by the one laying on the floor. The boy managed to crawl and claw his way to victory by sheer luck. An admirable attempt to alleviate my boredom as I waited here for you. I believe you should congratulate him for that deed. But, before that..." The golden hero narrowed his eyes at Waver's friend. "Why are you so wounded, King of Conquerors? Have you forgotten what I had decided at our banquet-that I will be the one one to crush you? I will not be satisfied in your defeat unless you are at full strength. And yet you come here, torn like a slab of meat, and your own weapon shattered."


"Well..." Rider said casually, scratching the back of his head, an almost embarrassed look on his face. "It irks me to say this, but I lost my chariot to Saber, to begin with. And I couldn't well allow Saber to battle Berserker alone, what with us being allied and all. However!" His voice became resolute there, making his way over to Waver without breaking stride. "It is precisely because my weapons are depleted, and that I am not in perfect condition..." He stopped in front of the blade anchored in the ground, before grasping it by the hilt and effortlessly removed it, turning to face Archer once more, a resolute, confident fire in his eyes. "...That I am more than perfect tonight."


Archer scoffed at that, a smirk appearing on his face. "I see. Indeed, the aura that you're exuding; it's more potent than usual. And that brazen impudence to partake of my treasures without my permission-you only reinforce my need to destroy you. But I shall forgive that brazenness of yours, simply because I shall reclaim it from your corpse. Although… it seems you come here thinking you have some chance to defeat me."


But before Iskandar could retort, Saber let out a gasp, her gaze torn behind Archer. "Irisviel…!" Waver had almost forgotten about the ivory-haired woman in all the confusion earlier. She was the whole reason he and Rider had been dragged into this mess. Waver turned his head in the same direction Saber had… but was stunned silent.
[BGM: Fate/Zero Anime OST - This Day and Never Again]


Irisviel was nowhere to be found on the altar, or anywhere else for that matter. In fact, the altar itself and the floor beneath it was gone, a giant hole gaping across much of the stage and dropping into darkness below. But that wasn't what had Waver's attention. Suspending in the air right in the center of the massive hole as though by levitating by some unknown power, was an enormous chalice, intricately ornate and seemingly wrought of pure gold. It was something truly fit for only a king, and Waver couldn't deny it was a truly glorious looking treasure. There was one thing and one thing only that it could be.


"The Holy Grail..." Waver uttered. "Irisviel… was the Holy Grail?!" Suddenly, Kiritsugu's urgency in finding his wife seemed to make far too much sense. It always fell to the Einzberns to provide the Grail in every War thus far. But he'd never heard of actually making it's vessel into a living being. The thing which all the bloodshed and violence of the Holy Grail War centered around, the thing which all Masters and Servants fought and died for… was inside a woman this entire time?!


Rider sighed beside him. "By the looks of it, yes," He muttered somberly. "Damnation, it seems our mission was a failed one before we even arrived."


"Quite so, Rider," Archer confirmed. "My new Master killed that woman long before you entered the fray." Speaking to Saber now, Archer scoffed as he looked at her. "Saber… to look at your face, it's like that of a ravenous wild dog." Waver could see even from his vantage that the comparison, while crude, wasn't without merit. Saber had a desperate look in her eyes, her emerald orbs dancing in the light with the wavering of a compromised resolve. Rider spared her a concerned glance, but there was something knowing in those eyes of his, something which said he had foreseen this reaction in her. It was honestly really unsettling for Waver to see the normally unflinching and composed King of Knights reduced to such a base state.


"Get out… of the way..." The azure knight almost growled, the grip on her invisible sword tightening. "The Holy Grail… belongs… to me!"


Even as she barked out those last words, a golden ripple suspending above Archer signaled the firing of one of his many Noble Phantasms. Firing so fast that Waver couldn't see, it dived down from up high and smashed into Saber's battle skirt, the awful sound of steel rending flesh, spattering blood, and hacking at bone filling the air, followed by a short, harsh gasp surging from Saber's lips as she was forced down onto one knee. Archer closed his eyes to Saber, a pleased look on his face. "And yet, even delusional and lying on the ground… you are still a beautiful woman." The remark only caused Saber to glower at his, baring her teeth in defiance.


"Saber!" Rider finally hollered, "Don't allow yourself to lose your composure! We may have failed in rescuing Lady Irisviel, but you cannot allow yourself to lose what dignity you have left to you-especially at this closing hour!"


"Hmph," Archer scoffed. "Indeed, you are correct, King of Conquerors. This is the moment where I shall decide how to end this farce. Now, I would have you be silent for now, as I wish to finish my wedding ceremony to Saber before dealing with you."


"Hm?" Rider's eyebrows shot up at that last bit, an expression shared by Waver and Saber. "Wedding ceremony...?"


Archer's voice somehow became more imperious than before, his eyes once more on Saber. "Lay down your sword and become my wife, Saber. Why pursue something as dubious as a Grail which grants miracles? Abandon your foolish ideals and vows-from now on, seek only me and be stained only in my color. If you do, then as king of all the world, I shall give you every pleasure there is to feel."


"Wait… seriously?" Waver couldn't help but wonder. Was Archer really... trying to propose to an enemy Servant in the middle of battle?


"Can't really blame him," Rider mused. "Saber is a pretty little thing, no doubt."


"...You'd steal the Holy Grail from me..." Saber herself asked, defiance in her eyes as she managed to rise to her feet, despite the sword impaling her leg. "For such utter nonsense?!" Another ripple appeared behind Archer, and another sword erupted from that ripple. Saber managed to dodge the blow this time, but was still sent reeling back, flying through the air and back onto the ground.


"I was not asking for your opinion," Archer replied callously and uncaringly. "This is what I've decided! Now, give me your response."


"I refuse! I'd never-" A third weapon shot out at her, this time an axe which bit through her protective cuisses and, evidently by Saber's pained gasp, into the leg beneath.


"Shyness has left you at a loss for words, I see. That's fine," Archer said with a smile, extending his hand in a forgiving manner, "You may answer wrongly as many times as you like. If you would learn the jubilation of serving me..." Dozens of golden ripples of light appeared over the golden hero's head, each one brandishing swords, spears, and axes; all pointed directly at Saber. "You must first have to experience the exquisite pain of it, as well."


But before Archer could fire more weapons from his vault, a sudden, continuous gale blasted from Rider, his tattered mantle and battle-skirt billowing in the wind he created. The suddenness of it all sent Waver to the ground, landing on his ass. "Wait-Rider!" He hollered, trying to get his voice over the cry of the winds. "Are you going to use it here?!"


"We've little other choice, boy," Rider declared. "If we are to overcome Archer, our best chance is to do it before he subdues Saber any further! Within the confines of Ionian Hetairoi, we will have one chance to charge Archer before he-!" Rider cut himself off, something seeming to grab his attention, even as the winds which acted as the incantation for the summoning of his Reality Marble were howling around him.


"Rider, what is it...?!" Waver yelled again over the winds, turning his gaze to where Rider had been looking. It was towards the back end of the chamber, in the raised platform behind the stage. There, standing in the very center of the balcony, was Kiritsugu, his hand raised up, and his Command Seals shining with a red brilliance.


Saber removed the sword and axe trapping her to the ground, rising up once more as she saw her Master enter the stage. She knew this was it. All Kiritsugu had to do now was order her to take the Grail, and victory would be hers at last. She would finally be able to use the Grail to avert all the tragedy of her reign, and prevent her friends and comrades from suffering by her decisions.


"Ah, then you have finally reached your decision." Archer said with a smile on his face. But Saber ignored his blather, her attention entirely fixated on her Master.


"In the name of Emiya Kiritsugu," The man said with cold resolution in his voice, "And by my Command Seal, I order you, Saber…"
Give me… the Holy Grail…


"Use your Noble Phantasm… and destroy the Grail."


Saber's world came to a screeching halt. Against her will, Invisible Air dissipated it's girdle around Excalibur, revealing the blade in all it's golden and shining brilliance. Everyone else in the room looked just as shocked as Saber herself was at this.


"Impossible…! What are you doing, Saber?!" Archer asked, seeming both dumbfounded and outraged.


"What in the hell are you thinking, Kiritsugu?!" Rider bellowed. "Was not retrieving the Grail your ultimate goal?!"


"Wait, he's going to destroy it?!" Rider's Master nearly shrieked. "Why the bloody hell would he do that?!"


"No...!" Saber uttered as she struggled desperately against her body's obedience to her Master's command. Why?! Why was Kiritsugu doing this?! They were so close to victory! "But why, Master…!? You, of all people…wanted this!"


Undaunted, Kiritsugu continued with ruthless efficiency. "By my third Command Seal, I order you again..."


"Damn you to hell..." Archer sneered, turning back to face Kiritsugu, his weapons likewise shifting to take aim at him. "You dare interrupt my nuptial, mongrel?!"


"Stop, Kiritsugu!" Rider almost seemed to plead, "If you destroy the Grail, you will lose all hope of fulfilling your goals, of reuniting with your wife-!"


But Kiritsugu refused to listen. "Saber, destroy..."


In absolute desperation, Saber cried out to her Master. "STOOO-"


"The Holy Grail."


"-OOOP!" And thus Saber could only watch as she unwillingly swung Excalibur down, as the arch of light in produced erupted into a torrent of blinding, goldenbrilliance, obliterating all before her… and in an instant, obliterated the Holy Grail.
How could I possibly hope to know a man… from merely three commands alone? I… I never even knew the heart of those… who served me well… Who were closest to me...


Even as Excalibur's light consumed all around her, as the last of her mana was poured into destroying what she had yearned so long for, Saber's thoughts came to a bitter calm, her eyes closing in an accepting despair.
Perhaps all this… was a punishment meted out to a king… who cannot understand others…


And with those final thoughts on her mind, Saber vanished in the light of her own weapon's brilliance, her form dissipating from pouring every last ounce of mana left into fulfilling an order she had no desire to fulfill, but no power to defy.


Thus died Saber, who was in life Arturia Pendragon, rightful sovereign of Brittania, and the King of Knights.

[Crimson13]

I liked it, the only thing I would say felt off was the use of the word hell from both Rider and Archer. These are guys with the religions and mythology of their time; for example Rider could say Tartarus instead. I looked around for a Sumerian version but all I found was a generic 'underworld'.

[skulkidcachi90]

great chapter again, nice to see how you manage to make the climax of Fate Zero coherent with your Fanfic.

"Can't really blame him," Rider mused. "Saber is a pretty little thing, no doubt."

But you can blame the methods than he use to win the Woman.
thinking about that for a moment make me realised than we do not know what the hell iskandar pretend to do to win saber?

[Agailius]

Sorry again for the MASSIVE delay. ASIW is really engrossing to work on, and real life's a thing, too. I dunno how may people are still watching this story, but those few who've been patient with me? Thanks. I've been neglecting this story for too long, and now with the Zero part (mostly) over, we can get to Shirou next chapter. And, yes, I'll be spending chapters on Shirou's childhood as well as more shenanigans.

Question, though--if I made the setting fairly more noblebright, how massive will the loss of follows be?

[Renko]

Finally! An update after many months...

Oh a flashback. Okay. (O_O)

[Agailius]

Finally! An update after many months...

Oh a flashback. Okay. (O_O)

I'm sorry!

[ZidanReign]

tfw Fists of steel is deader than dead than even this

thanks though

[I Am The Table]

Welp, I just burned through this whole thing today, and I really like it! Rider is the best dad, and I love that Drake is here, she deserves way more love. You also have me shipping things I never thought I would ship too.

[Agailius]

Also, theres a poll now.

[MWkillkenny84]

Also, theres a poll now.

Voted.

[skulkidcachi90]

Nero (She's basically the love-child of Iskandar and Saber)

You blow my mind.
Also what is the reason for this poll?

You also have me shipping things I never thought I would ship too.

Like what?.

[Agailius]

You blow my mind.
Also what is the reason for this poll?

To figure out which Saber would go best with this version of Shirou.

[Lycodrake]

Ag, hate to break it to you, but you're not aware of the wonder of F/GO's Saber Lily. From what has been gathered, she is Arturia in her mid to late teens, rather than the one that we know, who is 35.

[Agailius]

Ag, hate to break it to you, but you're not aware of the wonder of F/GO's Saber Lily. From what has been gathered, she is Arturia in her mid to late teens, rather than the one that we know, who is 35.

You mean the incarnation where she lives into her girly side? I'd love to add her to the pole, but the instant I do, everyone will vote for her in a millisecond. I mean, a girly queen and a rough around the edges prince? Everyone will scream bloody murder unless I make them the OTP.

[Kishou the Badger]

Sounds like she's a shoe-in anyway. Still, I think Moedred deserves some love so... yeah.

[I Am The Table]

Like what?.

Rider/Rider. And Rider/Saber. And Rider/Taiga. Lots of Rider ships XD.

[Agailius]

Sounds like she's a shoe-in anyway. Still, I think Moedred deserves some love so... yeah.

Yeah, they could bond over their dads being unreachable. And have a hetero bromance. Seriously, her confidence and his conciounce could make good material.