The Son of the Great

[Agailius]

Okay, so a lot of people think my lemon was bad. And, yes, it was BAD. And somewhat stupid, considering that the Shirou/Sakura relationship I had in mind (emotional bond of romance between childhood friends) would be totally derailed by it.

However, after a bit of thinking... I realized there was another reason I had to get rid of it. What is that reason? Well...

---

Shirou pushed Sakura down on the futon, his powerful arms easily overpowering the girl's supple figure. Her violet hair fanned out across the bedsheets, she gave no resistance as the boy she loved situated himself on top of her, his golden eyes staring into her amethyst ones as they shared a longing look between them, their breath hot on their already flustered faces.

"Senpai, please..." She whimpered, "I can't... bear it any longer..."

"Sakura..." Shirou uttered, gulping. "Are you sure...?"

"Yes, I am," She replied, biting her lower lip in anticipation as she wrapped her arms behind his neck. "You're the only one I want..."

Closing his eyes momentarily, he reached up to cup her cheek into his hand. "You've endured for so long. I suppose... I should reward you for your loyalty."

Without another word, he began to slowly close the gap between them, taking her face in either of her hands. The two lovers closed their eyes, preparing to tear down the barriers between their affection and embrace their bonds as lovers with a deep, passionate kiss--

When the sliding door violently ripped open, catching both of them by surprise and almost literally with their pants down as they both shot their gazes at the interloper.

That was the very moment when the Latin chanting began playing in the background.

Because, standing at the door, was a man draped in black and red, his gait ominous and menacing. His bone-white hair and gaunt figure made him look almost like a walking corpse, but his marred face simply made him nightmarish when beset with that look of absolute blood-lust and raw hatred he had...

"Who the heck--?!" Shirou uttered.

"Kariya-oji-san?!?" Sakura almost yelped in utter shock and confusion.

The man let out a seething growl as his fingers dug into the door, his shoulders shuddering in outrage. "I misjudged you... SHOURISHA SHIROU!!!!" His already scary face became outright terrifying as his red eyes bore into the hapless boy's very soul, and out of nowhere, a swarm of the most foul, ugly, and monstrous-looking black-and-red bugs one could possibly imagine swarmed out of Kariya's sleeves--all of which were homing in on Shirou.

"Wait, Uncle Kariya, stop!" Sakura shrieked as Shirou shot around the room to evade the bugs all trying to evidently devour him. "Senpai and I--"

"Say no more, Sakura-chan!" Kariya said in his totally angry tone. "That boy was just using you to satisfy his own urges, just like all the rest of them! But don't you worry--Uncle Kariya will protect you!!"

"CrapcrapcrapcrapCRAP!!!" Shirou yelped as he jumped to dodged a beetle from biting him in the rear. "Saber, where are you?!"

Unfortunately, Saber and Rider were both too busy doing... something. And, no, Lancelot was totally not peeping on them. And most definitely didn't wish he could get in on the action. The huffing and growling he muffled out was clearly his insatiable hatred for his king, nothing more.

Finally, Shirou was backed into a corner, looking up helplessly at the absolutely terrifying figure of Matou Kariya looking over him. "I'm really sorry, Mister Kariya!" Shirou apologized profusely in the Japanese fashion of bowing down. "I didn't mean to despoil Sakura! I swear!"

"Stop making excuses and face the consequences of your actions like a man!!" Kariya barked back, kicing Shirou up against the corner of the room, then pulling out a very evil-looking insect whose description I choose to not entertain you with out from the depths of his shroud.

Sakura gasped at the sight of the previously-mentioned bug. "Is that...?! No, please, Uncle Kariya, anything but that!! How are Senpai and I supposed to have--?!"

"NOT ANOTHER WOOOORD!!!" Kariya screamed as he brought the bug down on a screaming Shorisha Shirou.

Right up between his legs.

*CHOMP*

BAD END

----------

This is the real deal! Tiger Dojo!

"Hello!" Fujimura Taiga said cheerfully as she waved to the viewer. "I'm Fujimura Taiga, instructor of the Tiger Dojo! Here, we cast out a lifeline to protagonists who die easily and train them to not be totally moronic!"

Beside her Ilya chirped, "And I'm Ilya, keeping Taiga and Waver here company, even if I don't have to."

Like a strike of lightening, Taiga's shinai smashed into Ilya's head. "Senior student! How many times must I tell you your name is senior student in this dojo!"

"Ouch... that Tora-Shinai is truly fearsome..." Ilya winced. "No wonder junior disciple always gets blown away whenever you hit him with that thing, Taiga!"

"Uuuugh..." Came a groaning voice from the corner.

"Speaking of which," Ilya blinked at Waver Velvet, who was clutching at his nether regions in apparent agony. "What happened? Did Taiga finally go for massive damage?!"

"Incorrect, senior disciple," Taiga said gravely. "That last Bad End forced Waver to reevaluate that which he himself possesses. When you're reminded of how easily you can lose something you take for granted, it can be a mortifying experience."

Waver shuddered, "As a man, I'm morally obligated to sympathize with Shirou here. When one sees his fellow male being robber of his junk, the pain of simply watching is almost as excruciating as the act itself being preformed on you."

"But, hold on a second..." Ilya wondered as she looked up to the ceiling. "Is it really a Bad End? I mean, Shirou could survive something like that, so even if it's excruciatingly painful, can't they just continue on the plot? I mean, Onii-chan lost an arm protecting me, and look how that turned out!"

"OF COURSE IT'S A BAD END, LITTLE GIRL!!" Came a booming voice, as the doors to the dojo slammed open, the enormous form of Shourisha Raida (Iskandar) entered the room, tears of outrage and despair on his face. "My son has been reduced to a eunech! My dynasty has been literally ripped away before it could make fruit! And right when it was so damn close!!" Iskandar immediately fell to the floor, beating the floor with his huge fists. "How shall I ever have the privilege of seeing my grandchildren rule the world if my son does not possess the ability to have them?!"

"Only too late does Shirou realize the dangers of premarital consummation of a romantic relationship," Waver mused, seeming to have recomposed himself enough to stand upright. "You see, kids? If you don't wait until after you're hitched, you're girlfriend's psychotically protective uncle will come up to you with a nasty bug... thing... and chop them right off."

"Truer words could not be said, junior disciple," Taiga nodded in approval. "Now kindly remove your bawling friend from my dojo."

"Right, right," Waver grumbled, helping Raida up. "C'mon, your Highness, it's just a bad end. We both already know Shirou's more responsible than that."

The burly man sniffled as they went for the door. "R-really, Waver...? Shirou isn't some hormone-enraged boy who would incur the wrath of an insane, borderline-omnicidal ghost?"

"Of course not. You traumatized him so much by taking him to the red light district as a child that it's only possible for him to have a meaningful romantic relationship by ignoring anything even remotely naughty and focus almost entirely on an emotional connection."

"But how are they going to make babies without--?!"

"Patience, your Grace, patience." It was at this point Waver and Raida left the dojo.

"Right, now that that's out of the way, let's review!" Taiga continued. "Senior disciple, why is this a Bad End?"

"Osu!" Ilya answered enthusiastically, "Because that scary Kariya-san would never allow anyone who touches his pure, innocent Sakura in an unworthy manner to escape with his life and/or dignity now that he's up and about! Also, onii-chan in this universe is a chaste, understanding boy who doesn't care about doing the nasty to begin with! This Bad End is the result of poor foresight and trying to act out of character! Oh, and bad writing, too, but that's out of context!"

"Magnificently done, senior disciple!" Taiga said proudly, "You learn very quickly! Now, as for how to avoid this Bad End and others like it, the solution is quite simple. First, always be considerate of Sakura-chan's well-being and happiness, and you will appease the mighty Dark Kariya and be spared his wrath! Secondly, when being considerate of her, think with your brain before your hormones! Now, go out there and show the world the power of sexual maturity!"

"Fight on, onii-chan!" Ilya said as she jumped in the air with gusto. "It's not going to get any easier from here, so keep soldiering on until the next Bad End!"

[Lycodrake]

wut
i just
can't

[Renko]

Massive lols all around.

[Frostyvale]

I actually found this somewhat overplayed and dry.

It looks like you selected a bunch of ideas that you thought would be really cool and wrote them all together, but none of it is executed well.

To be blunt, make things more subtle.

[nitewind]

That might have been the point though.

[Agailius]

That might have been the point though.

If you can't walk softly, get a big stick.

[Xamusel]

I thought the saying was "Speak soft, and carry a big stick"?

At least, if my memory of Teddy Roosevelt isn't wrong.

[Agailius]

I thought the saying was "Speak soft, and carry a big stick"?

At least, if my memory of Teddy Roosevelt isn't wrong.

Trouble is, I stink at walking softly(being subtle). So I just carry the big stick.

[Xamusel]

...crap. No wonder.

Well, in any case, I hope you improve on being subtle over time.

[Agailius]

...crap. No wonder.

Well, in any case, I hope you improve on being subtle over time.

I'm about as subtle as a locomotive, yes. But, to quote Winston Churchill, "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack."

Still, though, you are right about being discreet. There's a time and a place for being as blunt as an anvil, just as there's a time and a place for being subtle. I just suck at the last bit, is all.

[Xamusel]

Indeed... well, didn't know the Churchill quote, but I understand where you're coming from with it.

As for sucking at being subtle... well, wish I could help you learn how to be that way, but I seem to be a bad teacher.

[Frostyvale]

Do this:

When you want to communicate "Shirou is really dense." imagine Sakura confessing to him in a very roundabout way. Then think about the most blatant way of describing the misunderstanding.

Shirou: "Sakura, I also consider you a very good friend."

Sakura: Q_Q "S-senpai... uuuuuuuuuuu."

Now downplay the implication.

Shirou: "Thank you Sakura?" Thoughts: Sakura is a really great underclassman. It's really unfair of me to have her cook every other day.

Sakura: "Ah... You don't have to thank me or anything." Thoughts: A person like me doesn't deserve senpai...

And it's basically like that. If you want to emphasize a trait or aspect of something, make sure it's prominent, but still shackled by the emotional landscape of the character or situation.

And you misspelled kicking, Agailius.

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Ok, that was hilarious.

[Renko]

I just noticed now that Shirou was actually castrated....poor lad.

[Agailius]

I just noticed now that Shirou was actually castrated....poor lad.

Kariya shows NO mercy to those who will sully his Sakura-chan.

[Agailius]

--BGM: Fate/Zero Anime OST; Babylonia--
The battlefield was silent following Shirou's bold challenge, Ilyasviel and her gargantuan Servant standing in stunned silence at the revelation of the true identity of the boy's Servant.

The blue knight Saber standing beside Shourisha Shirou was none other than King Arthur, the legendary Once and Future King, and rightful ruler of ancient Britain. In her hand was her mythic sword, Excalibur, bathed in a divine golden light which shone brilliantly in the darkness of the night. Her face was still set in the grim, stoic determination which made her the flower of the battlefield, her gaze never faltering from the herculean Servant facing her.

"So, Einzbern Master," Shirou said with a smirk, "Still planning on trying to wipe us out? You think that overgrown ape of yours can overpower the King of Knights? I bet that unsightly weapon of his would be shattered in one hit from her sword. But I'm willing to show mercy; if you hightail it out of here right now, I won't make this place Berserker's grave."

"...He's really gone and done it," Waver uttered in a deadpan tone as he watched the scene with a dull look. "That idiot just went and wasted a Command Seal just to reveal his Servant's identity for any and all to see." Sighing, the Grail War veteran suddenly began to feel very tired.

"It's so irritating!" Rin all but screeched as she gripped either side of her head in exasperation. "How does some sub-par, backwater, bull-headed idiot like him end up with King Arthur?! It's not fair!!"

"Amazing..." Sakura said softly as she watched Shirou stand heroically against such an impossible foe, feeling nothing but awe when she heard his voice filled with such bold calm.

"Hah! That's my son for you!" Iskandar said with pride and merriment, despite his grievous wounds. "He's not one to shy from a battle when he believes he can make a difference! Now if we can but instill in him that same confidence in world conquest, or at least producing an heir, and we can go ahead and prepare our campaigns!"

"One ridiculous dream of grandeur at a time, your Majesty," Waver muttered. "For now, we need to concentrate on actually, you know, surviving."

Meanwhile, Rider, who'd recently joined the fray in a rather timely entry, whistled in an impressed manner at the blue knight. "The King of Chevaliers, huh? This should be interesting."

From his vantage point up in a nearby tree, Archer could only stare at the red-haired boy who'd so brazenly flaunted the power of his Servant. His sheer short-sighted, arrogant, and almost gaudy display was something Archer hadn't anticipated from Shourisha Shirou. Were they not in a life-or-death confrontation, he'd have a mind to mockingly scoff at the boy.

For a moment, Ilyasviel's gaze was to the ground, her eyes hidden beneath her bangs. Then she balled her tiny hands into fists. "I see..." She said in a voice of trembling anger, "So you want to mock me, Onii-chan...?!"

"No, not really," Shirou told her with a casual shrug. "I'm just giving you a choice. You either back off now with your Servant intact, or you can choose to risk it all against mine. Really, I'm throwing you a bone here, but it's still your call. Do you think your Servant is a match for mine?"

"Don't you insult me!" Ilya shouted at him in a childish yet deadly anger. "It doesn't change anything--Berserker can and will crush you regardless of who your stupid Servant is!"

"Oh, really?" Shirou challenged her, cocking an eyebrow. "Because from what I understand, Saber seems to be just fine holding her own against him. Now, with her Noble Phantasm armed and ready, I'm not so sure it'll be so close a fight. Or are you saying your Servant is someone capable of even overpowering the King of Knights?"

"He IS strong enough to take down Saber, and he WILL kill all of you!" Ilya huffed. "My Berserker is the greatest hero in all of Greece, Herackles!"

"WHAAAT?!" Iskandar bellowed loudly, his eyeballs nearly seeming to shoot out of their sockets. "My forebear, the great and mighty progenitor of my father's line, Herackles?!?" For a moment, the mighty king looked utterly stunned, before he suddenly began laughing heartily, slapping his thigh.

"...Oh, balls," Waver remarked. "His Majesty's cracked."

"Truly splendid!" Iskandar roared. "To think I would have the chance to meet my legendary ancestor! 'Tis nothing short of a tragedy that he cannot be reasoned with, but I am nevertheless awed that I was given the chance to cross swords with him!"

"S-shourisha-ojii-san!" Sakura yelped worriedly, "Please don't get too excited! You're wounds will reopen!"

"Shirou!" Iskandar continued, entirely ignoring the poor girl, "Conduct yourself well in this confrontation! You are battling a man among men here!"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about him staying alive?!" Waver yelled, only to receive a finger-flick from Iskandar, which sent him to the ground.

"Fool! Of course he should charge headlong into the fray! The closer one is to danger, the farther they are from harm!"
--OFF--
Rin simply watched as her mentor and Shirou's father argued back and forth. She decided then and there she wasn't too keen on prodding into Shirou's childhood.

"Don't you ignore me!" Ilyasviel stomped her foot on the ground in outrage. "That's it, Berserker! Kill them!" Herackles roared in reply, charging to meet Saber.

As Saber rushed forward, Excalibur in hand, Shirou swallowed hard. He'd put on an air of confidence, but, truthfully, he was worried. He had no doubt Saber was strong, nor did he doubt her holy blade's power. It should slay Berserker... but the same could have been said of Archer and Rider's Noble Phantasms. The first time their attacks went through, it would have been right to believe that no Servant could survive such explosive power. But Berserker simply refused to go down--and the following attacks on Rider and Archer's end only seemed to slow him down, not even injuring him. If the same were to happen to Saber's weapon--if Excalibur couldn't take that monster down...

Well, to say they were all royally screwed would be putting it mildly.

But now there was nothing Shirou could do. His chances of making a personal impact against Berserker was laughable, realistically speaking. He'd never even get close before being turned into chunky salsa by that hulking goliath. His ace in the whole, the Mystic Code Waver had given him, was far too risky to use in this situation for the same reason, not to mention the fact simply using it would risk destroying his body.

The best he could do right now... was simply hope that the mightiest holy blade in existence would be enough. Hiding anxiety behind bravado, he held his breath as the two Servants charged towards each other, until there was a mere few feet separating them from the decisive moment--


"Kill him."


--When suddenly, out of nowhere, a geyser of nigh-black violet mist erupted in that very space, it's sheer magical power producing galling winds which forced the two Servants to retreat in shock.

"What the--?!" Ilyasviel gasped as Berserker moved in front to shield his Master from the near-razor squalls.

"W-what is this--?!" Rin started as she shielded her eyes from the gusts of air whipping around them. Waver managed to keep his ground a little better, trying to look at this new force which had, rather conveniently, interrupted at that critical moment. Iskandar's mantle billowed in the wind as he stared undaunted at the black, swirling mass at the epicenter, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"That black mist... I remember this!"
--BGM: Fate/Zero OST; The Berserker--
Sakura could only cling behind her Servant, the crimson-pink-haired privateer having leaped to likewise shield her Master from this new danger. Yet despite the obvious unknown of this new force... why did she feel safe seeing that black mist?

Why did it seem almost... familiar to her?

And as quickly as the mist appeared, it dissipated in the galling wind, vanishing into the night sky. And where it once stood, a figure clad in full ebony crouched low on the ground, like a wild animal. It's armor was wreathed in blood-red veins, making it seem as though it were a monster sent from the bowels of hell itself. It's whole form seemed to tremble, before it reared up and roared with an intensity to rival Berserker's own howl.

And in a sudden moment of stark realization, Saber, Waver, and Iskandar's eyes all widened in sheer shock. That black knight was one they had all seen before. "...You have got to be kidding me," Waver uttered.

"Wait, Sensei," Rin blinked wildly at him, "What is that thing? Is it Assassin?! I can't get any sort of reading on it's stats!"

"That, I can assure you lass, is most certainly not Assassin," Iskandar spoke gravely, his eyes honed on the black knight. "It is a foe Saber and myself battled before--only not in this War."

"What do you mean by..." Rin's eyes widened in comprehension. "No, hold on... you're saying that thing's another veteran from the Fourth War?!"

"We're as shocked as you are, kiddo, but that bucket-head isn't something I'm forgetting any time soon." Waver shook his head. "That bugger right there is the Berserker we fought a long time ago."

Saber could only slowly shake her head from left to right in sheer horror. "No... it cannot be..." She said in little more than a whisper. "L... Lanc..."

"Another one...?" Ilya wondered as she looked at the black knight, absolutely ignorant of just what that thing was. It was clearly a Servant, but she couldn't read it's status as a Master normally could of a Servant. But even more than that, something about it sent a cold dread into her diminutive frame... she quickly shook it off, not allowing herself to look weak in front of so many. "Berserker, that tin can annoys me! Crush it!"

Growling in acknowledgement, Herakles thundered towards the interloper like an aspect of death itself. In turn, the black knight roared in challenge before lunging towards the invincible monster like a panther, seizing a fallen tombstone in his hands. In an instant, the dull grey cross of stone turned utterly black, with veins as red as the ones upon the black knight's armor webbing across the whole of it. Brandishing it to meet the axe-sword of it's foe, the black knight leaped high into the air, diving down to meet the maddened hero like a demon of hell itself, the two roaring in terrible unity as the two insane juggernauts began their dance of death.

---

Once, he had been her dearest friend, steadfast and loyal above all her other knights. Once, he was a companion she could rely on and fight beside with pride and honor. For the King of Knights, she could not have asked for a greater comrade.

As Saber watched the black knight, once Lancelot du Lac, foremost of the Knights of the Round Table and peerless hero of Britain, she felt like she was watching a nightmare play out before her. She tried desperately to recall the valiant warrior she had called her brother in arms, trying to reaffirm that his nobility was never tarnished... only for the ebony-clad madman to shatter her delusions with each of it's maddened roars, reaffirming the girl of the cruel, terrible truth. She'd been forced to see this truth during the previous War, but she had hardened her heart to obtain the Grail. But to see him once more, to haunt her like a ghost of the past, to remind her of her folly...

You may have once saved them, but you never led them. The King of Conqurors' words had been spoken ten years previous, but they still cut like a sword of coldest ice through her core.

The mad warrior before Saber had been led astray because she had never found reason to correct him, the perfect knight.

You never showed them what it really meant to be a king.

Even though he knew her true gender, and was confided to her deepest secrets, she never once tried to understand him because she had to stand alone as king.

You abandoned your men when they lost their way.

She had to brand him a traitor when he cut a bloody swath to rescue Guinevere, forcing her to to make war on the one she had called comrade.

Then, alone and untroubled, you followed after your pretty little ideals.

All for the sake of her ideals. For the justice she had worked so hard to realize. And what did it lead to? What did her failure to understand her people lead to?

The end of everything she had pledged herself to. A hill of carnage and death, where all hope had been shattered for a unified Britain.

It had led to Lancelot, once her most proud and noble follower, to be driven to madness--to be warped into the terrible and insane monster now battling her foe.

And as she looked on, it took all the willpower and strength she could muster to even stand watching, rather than to fall to her knees in despair.

This was not... what I wanted...

---
--BGM: Fate/Zero Anime OST; The Battle Is to the Strong--
The black knight's impromptu weapon had amazingly held against the giant's axe-sword, easily parrying each attack with a level of skill and precision no Berserker had any right to possess. Switching between one hand and two to swing and thrust the cross-shaped club, Herakles' might seemed all but nullified by the mist-shrouded warrior. Again and again, the demigod rained down blow after savage blow onto his foe, but to no avail. The black knight's movements, though slower than all the Servants present save perhaps Iskandar, did not need to move wildly to defend itself. Each block and parry was executed with flawless form and ruthless efficiency, as though it's body had been honed to machine-like precision, it's own muscle memory having embedded the inhuman skill it displayed.

"I just don't understand..." Rin gaped as they all watched the two mad heroes battle. "How can that other Berserker move like that? Isn't he insane?"

"It's called Eternal Arms Mastery," Waver explained, looking hard at the fight before him. "That black bugger there has a an ability which allows him to use any weapon he touches with a level of skill only reachable though a lifetime of intense training. And as you might have notice from the rather esoteric changes to that tombstone, anything he touches which can be classified as a 'weapon' becomes his Noble Phantasm. In layman's terms, he gains mastery of any feasible weapon he gets his hands on."

"Hold on a second, sensei," Rin straightened up as she turned to him. "How did you figure that out? His status is literally unreadable!"

"It's because we've fought him before," Iskandar interjected. "As I said earlier, Saber and I had joined forces against him ten years ago. Though, admittedly..." He scratched his beard contemplatively. "Waver, doesn't Berserker seem different now?"

"I noticed, too. He's moving a hell of a lot slower than before, but the fact he's not being blown back by that Einzbern girl's overgrown attack dog is pretty unsettling--He's hardly even taken a step back. And those red veins on his armor..."

Indeed, the black knight was unflinching as it clashed it's weapon again and again to counter Herakles' axe-sword, both monsters roaring as they attempted to strike a fatal blow. The demigod's blows were causing the very earth to tremble beneath the terrible force he exerted, but the dark chevalier in turn could not be overpowered no matter how much strength it's foe poured into it's rage-filled strikes.

It was the unstoppable force meeting the irresistible object. The towering tsunami crashing against the indomitable mountain. One unrelenting, one impenetrable.

"I am getting so annoyed at this!" Ilyasviel said angrily. "Berserker, stop toying with him! I want you to crush him NOW!" Suddenly, the Einzbern Master's body seemed to glow in a manner akin to Command Seals, and as though compelled through his Master's command, the son of Zeus took his axe-sword in both hands, and with lightening speed, swung it brutally to strike down the black knight. The ebony-clad interloper did not seem much phased by the renewed onslaught, but the makeshift weapon in his hand was beginning to buckle beneath Herakles' divine strength, red cracks forming on the already sundered surface. Six times the demigod swung with all his fury, six times did the black knight deter him.

Then, the black knight's weapon finally gave out, shattering into pieces as the giant closed in for the kill--

Only for it to be stopped with but a simple arm block by the black knight.

Practically everyone gasped in shock as they saw the black knight simply stand there, with nothing more than a slight trembling of it's arm as it seemed to just stare at the titan. "N-no way..." Ilya gasped, looking at the foe with some child-like fear in her eyes. "With nothing but it's bare hands..."

"It blocked Berserker's attack?!?" Shirou blinked wildly. "The hell is that guy made of, adamantine?!"

And just as suddenly and as shockingly as it had just blocked the giant's blow, the black knight took it free arm and thrust it's gauntlet fist in an uppercut which delivered so much friction through the air it seemed to be wreathed in flames, right into Herakles' unguarded head. The blow savagely blew right through Berserker's flesh, crushing his skull and obliterating half his face in a horrid, smoking pulp of mangy hair, gore, and bone.

"BERSERKER!" Ilyasviel cried out in shock.

"Well, that's new," Waver said in a voice trying to sound dull but failing like everyone else to hide his shock. "I knew the guy was strong, but to be able to both block and literally punch straight through a monster like that..."

Before anyone else could marvel further on this, however, the giant's meaty hand yanked the black knight by the arm which had just destroyed his face and threw it through the air, sending it hurdling across the clearing. The black knight landed on all fours, crouching low like a panther as it growled back at Herakles. The maddened demigod was right back up as it was before it's face had been pummeled, the two insane monsters charging at each other once more. Herakles swiped his axe-sword in a diagonal path, only for the black knight again to block the weapon with it's hands. Slamming the crude weapon down, the black knight swung it's leg in a wide kick, which the giant blocked with it's huge arm--But too late did the giant realize that the black demon's other leg was thrust up into it's barrel-like chest in a brutal fashion, the sheer force of the blow enough to crush a mountain, annihilating every organ in Heracles' torso, the latter howling in agony. Using nothing but it's armored limbs, the ebon-clad warrior decimated the demigod twice more, reducing the once terrifying creature into a mutilated corpse each time.
--OFF--
"Enough, Berserker! ENOUGH!" The white-haired girl screamed in something between outrage and terror. In an instant, the greater monster leaped back to it's Master's side, scooping up the tiny Ilyasviel in one arm. Strangely enough, the black knight did not pursue. "You're all a bunch of meanies! Sending that... that monster against Berserker! I'll get you all for this, you hear me?! I'll make all of you pay for this!"

Without another word, the mightiest of Greek heroes retreated into the night, his Master in tow. None dared pursued him, after having fought so hard to simply drive off the monster.

"...Holy hell," Shirou rasped, gulping. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified, but his knees were trembling all the same. He'd seen Heroic Spirits battle, between the War and his years of training under his father's soldiers, but never in such savage brutality or sheer destructive power. An encounter between either such monsters would have been nothing short of suicidally stupid, or outlandishly insane. "Just... who is that guy? Is he an ally?"

"I doubt it," Waver grimaced. "We have something of a bad history with that bugger. More than likely... no." He shook his head, denying the possibility. He'd seen Matou Kariya drown in the Grail's black mud ten years ago. The King of Heroes and his own liege may have been able to survive, but countless innocents were incinerated in the hellfire which followed. A mere drop of that foul liquid had splashed on his arm, and the resulting burn damage had nearly cost him his entire limb. To be fully submerged by it was instant death for any mortal. There was no way that Berserker's former Master could be controlling him. And if that were the case...

The black knight turned to face the motley group of Masters and Servants, it's attention particularly attuned to Saber. Then, without warning, it began to tremble, before the mist surrounding it began to dissipate, then swirl and spiral in it's hand, materializing a sword as black and demonic as it's armor. The blade seemed to have lines of deep sanguine running across it, akin to the red veins wreathed on it's armor.

It was then that Berserker's true level of power was revealed. What Shirou, Rin, and Sakura felt in that moment was nothing short of pure, primordial fear. Herakles had an aura of blood and destruction all around him, it was true--but this black knight... it was saturated in something far beyond the fear of death and ruination. Something beyond human comprehension, yet tapping deep into their base instincts, instilling a deep sense of doom and fear.

And then the black knight roared, charging towards Saber with such raw hatred and malice, no earthly force could hope to stand against it.

The King of Knights, shaken though she was at once more being forced to battle her demented comrade, hastily raised her sword to defend herself. She'd fought him before, and unlike then, her Master was nearby, and needed her to stay focused and protect him and his new-found allies. The black knight came upon her like a hurricane of rage and fury, his black sword swinging down on her. She raised up Excalibur to defend herself--

But when the swords clashed, it was not as equals, as it was the last time. Immediately, Saber was sent hurdling through the air, howling in pain against the sheer shock of the blow, before crashing through a tree and tumbling to the ground. The black knight's strength, even among Servants, was unlike anything Saber had ever experienced. Even Herakles' strength seemed to pale against such might. But how? Neither in life nor in the Fourth War had Lancelot been so powerful. Where could he have possibly gained such inhuman power?

Saber shook the thoughts from her mind as she rose to her feet, seeing Beserker once more charge towards her. Sakura's Rider, realizing that this monster was certainly not their ally, immediately began bombarding the ebony-clad beast with numerous cannons. "Hey, Archer, care to lend a hand?" She asked aloud as she unloaded her pistols as well, noticing that the red-clad bowman hadn't immediately renewed his own method of firing swords from his bow. "Don't tell me you're already out of juice! I had thought you were the type who could go at it for hours!"

"Don't say something which could be misunderstood, pirate," Archer grunted. "I'm trying to get a good shot lined up here. Keep him pinned down, and I'll finish him off in one blow."

"Well, aren't you full of surprises," Rider practically purred. "You telling me you've got another little surprise in your bag of tricks? I think I'm actually beginning to like you, Porcupine!"

"Just shut up and keep him busy!"

"Fine, fine, spoilsport," Rider sighed, before materializing more cannons from her arsenal, and then REALLY bringing down the heat. In order to conserve her own reserves, Drake had to power down her individual attacks, but for what they lacked in their capacity for explosive power, they more than made up for in sheer numbers. The whole of the blasted field was being riddled with cannon-shot now, with no set target in mind. They called for a way to slow Berserker down, not outright kill him--and that's just what they did. Not a single one of her blasts could penetrate the black knight's armor, but each shot bore down on the juggernaut, hindering the already slow creature almost to a crawl.

Yet as Rider held the mad warrior at bay, and as Archer prepared his strongest attack yet, Saber could only stand still where she was, her own inner turmoil overtaking her composure once more. Even with coutless cannonballs raining down upon him, the once-proud knight still roared in his maddened rage, still crying out her name in a voice of unrestrained spite. No one else could understand his roars beneath his helm, but she had seen what lay beneath before.

"Aaarrrthuuurrr!!"
--BGM: Fate/Zero Anime OST; Painful #2--
"It's... all my... fault..." Saber all but whispered in a hollow voice. "Your suffering, your pain... all of it was on my shoulders, wasn't it?" Her guilt and her grief was beginning to tear down her resolve, and she felt like she could no more fight against him than she could forgive herself...

"Saber, snap out of it!!" Shirou's voice cut through her doubts like ice, the sudden urging of a Command Seal surging through Saber's body like a shot of adrenaline, allowing her to dodge the imminent blow of Berserker's demonic sword before it bisected her, leaping back in front of her Master.

"Shirou, just now--did you...?" Saber blinked at him.

"Now isn't the time to be moping around like that! I dunno what kind of beef you and that guy have together, but you can't allow yourself to be distracted! Stay focused on fighting him off until we figure out how to beat that thing!"

Saber could only gape at how simplistic yet focused her Master's words were. For a moment, she thought indignantly that he could not possibly understand what she was feeling at battling her old friend, but yet he was also absolutely correct. She couldnt allow her past sins to bear down on her like a heavy yoke, last she fail before she had a chance to make right all her mistakes in life. With a renewed determination, she held her sword in both hands. "Understood, Master!" She said solemnly before charging in, practically dancing around Berserker's slow, lumbering movements with skill and grace, managing to easily avoid both his terrible bows and Rider;s rain of shot.

---

"...Did you just waste two goddamn Command Seal in a single night?" Waver immediatly quipped once Saber was away and keeping Berserker a reasonable distance away.

"Hey, she was practically in a daze there!" Shirou said defensively. "I had to do something!"

Rin all but smacked her outstretch hand to her face. "I knew you were an idiot before, but clearly whatever you went through as a child caused you to lose more than a few brain cells."

"I do have to admit... that was reckless of you to do, Senpai," Sakura commented shyly.

Iskandar, for the most part, was actually beaming at his son's descisive action. "Now, now, you lot, there is merit in such boldness! With that Command Seal influencing Saber, she's much more focused than she was before!"

"No arguing there," Waver shrugged as he watched Shirou's Servant run laps around the black knight, with Rider's storm of cannon fire adling their demented foe from effectively countering her strikes. "Rin, care to share what Archer's cooking up?"

"Can't say for certain," Rin replied. "He said it'd take out that black Servant in one hit, but aside from what he's shown against Ilyasviel's Berserker, I can't think of what he might have that could hurt that thing."

"Well, all we can do now is wait, and hope your Servant isn't all talk."

Rin shot a look at her mentor for his snide comment, before returning her attention to the battle.

---
--BGM: Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua OST; Final Power--
"Will you hurry it up, Archer!" Rider yelled with some strain in her voice. "I can't keep this up for much longer, and once I give out Saber'll be left vunurable!"

"Don't rush me here," The red knight clicked his teeth as he held the spiral sword in his fully drawn bow, pouring magical energy into the projectile. "I wouldn't want this blowing up in my face."

"Dammit, this had better be worth it!" The corsair grunted. "I'm firing off enough shot here to have sunk the Spanish Armada!"

Not paying any more attention to his talkative new ally, Archer narrowed his gaze, as though homing in on the black knight battling Saber below.

"I am the bone of my sword."

Meanwhile, below, Saber continued to trade blows with Berserker, making sure to avoid his savage yet precise strikes. She watched as a mere scrath of the blade upon the ground ripped the earth asunder like one of Herakles' blows. She held no illusions of surviving such absurd levels of strength head on. And with him being so much slower than before, it was easier for her to go on the offensive. Though Lancelot's mastery of Arondight afforded him the ability to parry her blows despite his slower movements, the fact that she was now faster than he, coupled with Rider slowing his movements with her cannon fire, made her all but untouchable, for all his tenacity and unstoppable strength. Though, she could not afford herself to lose her momentum or show hesitation--a mistake like that would be instantly fatal.

The black knight's thunderous blows again and again sought to rend Saber asunder, finding to her dread that Lancelot was beginning to catch up to her pace, his slashes inching closer and closer to her at each turn. It would make sense, from a certain point of view; in their last battle, he had caught her sword as it was wreathed in Invisible Air, despite his insanity. If he knew the length of her blade whilst in the throws of madness, knowing her fighting ability, style, and speed did not seem that far-fetched. Even with his hindered mobility, his monstrous strength and endurance rendered her superior speed and agility almost a moot point--she could only stall for time.

Rider herself was running low on her own magical power. The nigh constant bombardment of two unstoppable Servants had taken a vast toll on her reserves, to the point she had been forced to tap into Sakura's own prana in an effort to make sure she could maintain her suppressing fire. The violet-haired girl, to her credit, was standing composed and unflinching despite the deprivation of magical energy slowly ebbing away her strength, not wanting to concern her allies at this critical moment--though the corsair could see, even at a glance, that it wouldn't be long before she would give out. As slow as the rate she drew on Sakura's prana was, firing her Noble Phantasm for so long far exceeded what she was receiving.

Clicking her tongue in frustration, Rider strained to keep up the firepower.

Time was quickly running out for all of them. Between the battle with Herakles and now Lancelot, neither Saber nor Rider could keep up their momentum for much longer, and Berserker showed no signs of slowing down. Archer needed to prepare his finishing move before it was too late. The bowman narrowed his eyes, as he drew more magical power into his projectile, drawing it back into his bow, and took aim.

Skill honed over thousands of years, over hundreds of battles across uncounted timelines. An infinite arsenal forged from a lifetime of strife and an afterlife in service to the Counter Force. A will tempered and hardened by constantly warring with mankind and mankind's enemies, all for the sake of an impossible ideal, an unreachable goal. The spiraling, warped blade resonating with a dangerous amount of magical power, becoming fragile and delicate.

Just the way he liked it.

Archer smirked for but a moment, before he let the arrow fly. "Caladbolg!!"

The Broken Phantasm ripped through the air with terrifying speed, but Saber and Rider both saw it coming. "Incoming, little king!" Rider yelled corsely, before using two of her cannons to propell her far backwards to evade the incoming attack, finally calling back all of her guns to make a hasty retreat.

Saber likewise caught the notion, and just as the black knight was preparing to swing once more at her, she leaped back and then struck the ground with her sword. "Strike Hammer!" She cried with a roar, the phantom winds of Invisible Air propelling her far up into the air.

And just when it seemed Lancelot was about to give chase--

Archer's arrow hit the ground.

And the world seemed to be consumed in scorching fire and blinding light.

----------------------------------------

Someone was calling Waver’s name. He thinks. It was kind of hard to tell when sight and sound reduced to the same consistency as golden syrup. Even his memories were… what had just happened…

Enough of his facilities come back that Waver can switch on his Circuits for a full body prana charge. It’s a pretty rough method by anyone’s standards, but in his current state it works like a cold shower for a hangover to bring him some approximation of coherence. Both Rin and Iskandar were looming above him.

"Sensei! Pull yourself together already!"

"Kid! How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Ugh, will you both shut up?" Waver groaned, wincing as he clutched his head. "It feels like my brain's ricocheting against my skull..."

Iskandar laughed. "See, young Tohsaka? He's perfectly fine! You could have warned us that your Servant had such phenomenal power at his disposal!"

Rin flustered. "H-how the heck was I supposed to know he had something that dangerous?! I've only seen him fight Lancer and Saber before all this!"

"You know, I think I misjudged your summoning ritual, Rin," Waver said with a grunt as he sat up, making sure he had no broken limbs from all the debris that went flying through the air when Archer's arrow went critical. "I thought you had gone a screwed up so terribly that you ended up with a rather pathetic Servant despite your pedigree and preparation, but it turns out he REALLY packs a punch when he needs to. You did good."

At that, Rin's eyes widened and her cheeks went as red as her overcoat, as she cast her gaze down and muttered under her breath.

"Imagine that kind of power, at my command!" Iskandar said with a grin, like a child who'd gotten a new toy. "We must enlist him into my army as soon as possible! I mean, look at this place! It's like one of those B2-thingies had come through here!" True to his word, the graveyard was now a leveled, smoking ruin of fire and ash, any trace of the battle, and fore that matter, any trace of the cemetery, had been incinerated or scattered into the wind.

That comment, however, shook Rin out of her awkward flustering and straight back into her angry state of mind. "Hold on just a second! I have no intention of just handing him over to you, you big oaf! Archer's my Servant!"

"I'm willing to discuss terms, if need be," The Macedonian king replied, undeterred.

"Do you really think I'm petty enough to hand over MY Archer, after I spent months preparing to summon him using up a considerable amount of MY money--all for a quick bit of fame and fortune?!"

"...I find the irony of that statement astonomical," Waver deadpanned, causing Rin to flinch. "Anyway, I assume our not-so-mysterious black knight had the courtesy of being obliterated?"

Rin shook her head in dismay, looking towards the epicenter of the blast. "There's no way we could tell. By all rights, it should be dead now, but I didn't feel it dying in the blast. It just... vanished."

"Figures," Waver sighed. "Well, at least it seems we drove them off. Is everyone alright?"

"The other Servants are fine--considerably drained after all that fighting, but no one's seriously hurt," Iskandar explained. "Both Archer and Rider astralized when we confirmed Berserker to have hightailed it. Saber's weathered from all the fighting and Shirou's a bit shaken from that last blast, but they'll both be alright. As for Sakura..." He sighed, as both he and Rin looked back concernedly a few meters away. There, a tired Saber and a worried Shirou looked over an unconscious Matou Sakura, the latter hold the girl's prone form gently in his arms.

"She must have overexerted herself," Rin said with a look and voice which Waver could clearly feel guilt in. "Rider had to use her Noble Phantasm so extensively. What was that girl thinking, letting her Servant tap into her own reserves like that...? Why did she even go to the trouble of helping us?"

"It's because of her willingness to help that we're all still alive," Shirou retorted in an indignant tone at Rin. "Don't you dare--"

"Now's not the time for us to be mulling over what's already happened, you two," Waver quickly cut in, preventing another argument between his pupils. "I think it's high time we blow this popsicle stand before the authorities finally realize there may be something out here that needs investiga...ting..." As though on queue, they could faintly begin hearing the sound of sirens becoming gradually louder. "Huh, speak of the devil. I say we finish this discussion at the house. Let's move, people!"

---
--BGM: Fate/Stay Night OST; Wandering Shadow--
He couldn't understand. Even as he clutched at his body in agony, like a creature set under a sea of blood, with all the pressure and weight and pain, he couldn't understand.

Berserker was supposed to show her that he could protect her. That she wouldn't need to fight anyone, especially not her sister, as long as he was there. That he would kill and devour all the other Servants before he allowed her to get hurt.

"Sakura-chan... don't you understand...? I'm trying to... protect you..." He coughed and gagged, vomiting out black taint which caused the ground to wither and die where it touched. He didn't want to see her get hurt anymore. He would KILL and EAT and RIP before that happened. The world was so cruel, so heartless, to force such an blameless child to not only live under a monster like Zouken, but to then force her to fight for her very life?

NO. He would NOT allow it. He'll destroy them all. But not yet. He needed to regain his strength. Berserker had fought too hard, had been too damaged in the fight.

That was fine. The boy would keep her safe, that much he knew. Yes, for all his follishness and ignorance, he'd do for the time being. But he'd regain his strength, and when that happened, nothing would stop him.

"Just a little longer... Sakura-chan..."

---------------

AN: Well, that was a bit delayed. Procrastination is the great enemy of fanfic writers, innit? Sorry that took so long, guys and gals. Hopefully ya'll won't think I'm turning into George RR Martin here--there only think I have down to a T is his schedule slip, though I am getting chubby here... Oh, Game of Thrones new season, yeah, awesome--*smacks self for geting distracted*

Anyway, that finally concludes out epic Berserker battle. Sorry if the Lanc vs Herc part seemed a bit short, but I was lacking any intuition on that part. TRUST me, they'll be having a rematch. Or several. Depending on how I go about this thing. Feel free to review, critique(positively, or course), and squee. Now to figure out if I should do an omake, or actually get on with the story...

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

Awesome! Good Job, Shirou! Good Job, Archer!

[Renko]

Hn. An update has appeared, finally...

It was good. Caladbolg went flying in this one!

[Agailius]

And now, Lancelot Alter's stat sheet!

Spirit:		Lancelot
Master:
Alignment:	Lawful Mad
Strength:	A+	Mana:	A++
Endurance:	A++	Luck:	B
Agility:	D	N. Phantasm:	A
Class skills:
Mad Enhancement			A
Personal skills:
Eternal Arms Mastership			A+
Magic Resistance			N/A
Protection of the Fairies			D
Noble Phantasms:
Arondight		Anti-Unit	A++
For Someone's Glory		Anti-Unit	B
Knight of Honor		Anti-Unit	A++

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

And now, Lancelot Alter's stat sheet!

Spirit:		Lancelot
Master:
Alignment:	Lawful Mad
Strength:	A+	Mana:	A++
Endurance:	A++	Luck:	B
Agility:	D	N. Phantasm:	A
Class skills:
Mad Enhancement			A
Personal skills:
Eternal Arms Mastership			A+
Magic Resistance			N/A
Protection of the Fairies			D
Noble Phantasms:
Arondight		Anti-Unit	A++
For Someone's Glory		Anti-Unit	B
Knight of Honor		Anti-Unit	A++

I am surprised that Lancelot Alter's Luck stat is B.