Then the girl curtsied. "Pleased to meet you, Rin. I am Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern."
"Einzbern?" Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya repeated simultaneously before eyeing each other in surprise.
Those red eyes had closed confidently only for the left one to peek open at them in delight. "Oh, you both recognize the name? Wonderful!" Illya clapped her hands. "It's nice to see a commoner like Rin knows that much, but you, Big Brother? And you summoned good old Kakashi, too! You don't know how happy you've made me!"
Alarm bells were ringing inside Shirou's head, and it wasn't only out of remembering the warning Maiya once gave him: "Keep your distance around anyone introducing themselves as Einzbern, especially if they have pale skin, white hair and red eyes. That family is dangerous, Shirou." He hadn't made the connection when they'd crossed paths before, but seeing this girl with her Servants… He saw what his aunt had meant.
Saber chanced a step closer to her Master and partner. I'd rather not face her, Irisviel, but your daughter's offering me little choice…
Rin for her part set aside wondering how Emiya could've known about the Einzbern family when he was clueless about everything else or how this girl knew Assassin X. Right now, the much bigger concern was the two enemy Servants. Her "Master's Perspective" allowed her to read first one's stats, then the other. The results were not encouraging and judging by the way Ruby blurred over to cover her front, her own Servants realized this, too. "Saber X's parameters are at least on par with Saber's," the Master muttered out loud for them to hear, "but Berserker's… incredible." She shivered, and it wasn't from the chilly mist. "He outclasses every other Servant here if we're talking about ability alone."
Ruby tried not to flinch when the massive man flared out some air. "Well, he's a Berserker, so he shouldn't be more than a serious powerhouse." She tried injecting some optimism in her words, but it wasn't easy. The budding Huntress had never encountered someone who just radiated power like… him. And he was scarier than most Grimm she'd faced in her life. Maybe even more than…
"Being a powerhouse is enough where he's concerned," Archer's cool voice cut through Lancer X's ruminations. "He alone could probably handle six other Servants, and with a Saber for a partner, who knows if there's any team in this Grail War that can face them."
"So, that means out-muscling these two isn't an option," Rin concluded warily, "and Saber X isn't weighed down by insanity from the looks of it. The odds really aren't in our favor…" She glanced behind herself. "Archer, prepare your class's usual tactics." Long range was their best bet right now.
"That would leave Lancer X alone to guard you. She'd be best if you need to make a quick escape, but a charge from Berserker?" Archer's warning carried a sliver of concern, an appropriate response considering how the girl standing between these two giggled at them.
He was right, but Rin wasn't seeing any alternative other than retreat; perhaps their best chance with Lancer X's speed potential, but leaving Emiya beh- showing her fleeing back to an enemy like Einzbern didn't sit right with her… She then noticed Ruby looking at her before nodding pointedly to their right. A glimpse in that direction reminded the Tohsaka Master that Emiya and his team were still present, and two of them seemed willing to cooperate. Assassin X hadn't moved, but considering he appeared to be this Einzbern girl's main target… "Told you we shouldn't pick a fight yet." Archer scoffed at Lancer X's jab.
"No, she's right, Archer." Shirou listened to Tohsaka taking on a calmer voice while she looked back at the trio. "There are five of us here, so we ought to last a little while against them." He wasn't that big a fan of her just factoring him, Saber and Kakashi into her battle tactics, but it wasn't like Shirou felt that keen on handling this situation alone. First, he needed to find out why the girl was so mad at Kakashi…
Then that Archer asshole pointed out the obvious. "We could just fall back and reposition. Our enemy seems fixated on Assassin X and the boy, which gives us an opportunity." Shirou felt like he was being mocked; no doubt Archer could've kept this suggestion private, but leave it open for him and the others to hear-
"Out of the question." And Tohsaka surprised him yet again tonight. "Even if I wasn't in debt to Emiya, this girl could change tacks on a whim and chase us down. Better all of us together try putting a stop to her now." It sounded logical, and this really wasn't the best time for such thoughts, but Shirou still had to keep any heat from his cheeks as she injected some finality in her next words. "Go. Take your position and make it count."
That seemed enough to get Archer on board. "Understood." The incorporeal Servant began sprinting away…
On Illya's side, one of her protectors blurred.
Archer stopped in his tracks as something black appeared before him. "Archer, huh?" Saber X was suddenly standing in his path. "I'd stay put if I were you." He spoke in a flat tone as ever, but his red eyes were locked onto a materialized Archer, and one of his swords had been thumbed loose of its sheath.
"Well, you're a Saber." the Servant of the Bow backed a little away while his Master's worry surged again at their plans being so countered so easily. "Facing your enemies head-on is a given for your type." Archer on the other hand seemed unfazed by his opponent. "Then again, if you can move that fast, it would've made more sense for you to just run my Master and the boy through before we could react."
"Sounds like you're an expert on the subject." Saber X's assessment earned him a cold stare, but he didn't blink. "Truth be told, I'm no saint, either, but I'd rather this doesn't get any messier than it has to be. We just came out here to introduce ourselves…" he tilted his head to bring his team into sight, "right, Master?"
Illya sighed in exaggeration at the slight scolding from his tone. "Sure, we did, Big Bro, but this is just a teensy more exciting than I expected. And here I was worried this War would be boring with you two on my side." She pretended to pout at the dark eyebrow cocked her way. "I know, I know, Chihiro, no letting my guard down…" All the while, she kept smiling, and her eyes drifted again and again to one particular person. "For a guy with his strength, Chihiro can be a total fussy worrywart! Did you ever feel like this with Kiritsugu around, too, Kakashi?"
Shirou's eyes widened at hearing his adoptive father's name, but before he could ask anything, Kakashi whispered to him, "Stick to Saber's side, Shirou. She's your best defense in this situation." The masked man still hadn't raised his head, but his voice carried over loud and clear. "But if a fight breaks out, put as much distance from here as you can. Especially from me…"
"W-wait, what are you…" Tuning out Shirou's protests, Assassin X spared one last glance to Artoria who shook her head at him, silently warning him not to approach those two. But he simply nodded towards their Master; Shirou needed her protection more than he did. Deserved it more, too.
Thus, he finally looked up at the little girl he'd met in that snowy yard. Illya had much of her mother's features, especially her prettiness, but some of her locks in front likely came from her father. And her smile was so much colder and more vicious than the innocent, cheerful beauty it had been back then. Whose fault is that? A harsh voice snapped in the back of his mind, and Kakashi let the feelings that came with it wash over him. He took three steps forward, Berserker bristling in front, Saber X tensing from behind, but he had no intention of attacking. Kakashi Hatake simply had something to say, loud and clear:
"…I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you, Illyasviel."
The ninja's words had been spoken softly, yet everyone present heard them all the same, just as they heard the sincerity, guilt and regret reverberating within them.
Sadly, they were also the worst possible thing he could've said to Illya in that precise moment.
"…No, you're not." The young homunculus lost her smile and simply glared venomously down at the Servant of the Shadows. Her hands curled into tight fists as she made her own promise: "Not yet."
Illya felt her heartrate speed up as that sneaky, backstabbing friend of Kiritsugu shrink into himself at her words. What was he doing acting so hurt? He broke his promise to her, he just said so! They abandoned her! Kakashi and Kiritsugu… Big Bro Saber was shooting her another of his flat stares, the other Saber looked like she wanted to walk over to Kakashi, her other Big Brother was glancing between her and Kakashi while Rin was just frowning at the latter… Too much going on, too many thoughts racing in her head…
So, Illyasviel von Einzbern shut her eyes and said three words: "Crush him, Berserker."
Shirou's attempt to ask Kakashi what the hell was going on halted upon hearing those words and seeing a red hue spread all across the colossus' body. Muscles bulging, Berserker released a bestial roar, then suddenly he/it was hurtling straight for his silver-haired friend.
A flurry of red-and-dark bolts sailed over the heads of Shirou's team; Gandr, the term zipped through Shirou's mind from another of Maiya's lessons. A simple curse condensed and fired like a bullet at its target. Tohsaka must've fired them all! More recognizable gunshots sounded out, too: Ruby's sniper rifle. All the projectiles struck Berserker dead-on… and didn't even make him itch as he brought down his weapon.
That stony axe shattered the ground, pieces of asphalt flying all over the place as Saber having discarded her overcoat pulled Shirou behind her. Panic briefly flitted through her as she watched a shredded coat flutter helplessly amid the wind currents, then experience compelled her to look to the right. Sure enough, Assassin X was flipping through the air for the park below, his headband already pulled back to unveil his Sharingan.
But Berserker was already picking up the chase. The King of Knights hurriedly spared a glance back to their Master. "Stay back, Shirou!" Then she leaped over the ledge after her comrade and their newest enemy.
Down below, Assassin X's foot barely managed to touch the ground before a giant meaty missile nearly collided with him. "Nearly" wouldn't have applied, either, if he hadn't seen the attack coming with his Sharingan, and even then, he barely invoked a Substitution Jutsu in time to avoid getting pulverized. Skidding across the grass, the Hidden Leaf shinobi hurled a spread of shuriken at select spots of Berserker's body, the stars all shattering into metal fragments upon hitting his skin. "The Einzberns spared no expense with you, huh?" Assassin X muttered a tad fearfully as the broader Servant loomed growling over him.
He didn't stand a chance. Every instinct the Copy Ninja had honed over the course of his life and in his memory as a Servant told him this was an opponent superior to him in nearly every category. His lower parameters didn't help, but even at his height when Kiritsugu had summoned him, he couldn't have hoped to defeat Berserker alone.
The beast of a man charged again, only for a gust of air and a familiar defiant cry to herald a reminder to Kakashi that he wasn't alone.
Berserker actually skidded back a bit despite blocking Saber's overhead attack, but his free hand quickly snapped up to punch her blonde head off. Then Assassin X was there to help Saber twist around the fist even while he jabbed a kunai at one of those blazing red orbs. Berserker didn't even blink as the blade snapped in half. Still, it provided enough distraction for the duo to flip backwards to a (somewhat) safe distance.
Grateful though he was for her help, Assassin X couldn't help but point out an alternative. "You should take Shirou and run. I'm the one Illya's really after, so while I draw her attention…"
Artoria spared a moment to fix him with a chiding stare. "If you have the time to spout nonsense, use it to think of a way to stop him." She grinned despite the situation. "Crafty plans are your forte, after all."
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask for a moment before sobering as Berserker attacked anew. Like old times.
While she'd never admit it in a hundred years, Rin hadn't been that much faster reacting to the sudden attack than Emiya. And her Gandr had zero effect on Berserker. She quickly collected herself in time to register the clanging of blades behind her. Spinning around revealed Archer locked in high-speed combat with the other Servant, those twin blades of his flashing to fend off a single katana. Saber X's demeanor remained stoic as ever even when Lancer X swung her scythe toward his head, ducking under the larger weapon to swipe at her. She hopped out of reach, then added another step to join her partner's side.
Saber X's other hand closed around his sword. "So much for just talking tonight…"
Lancer X nodded to her partner before rushing Saber X again, aiming Crescent Rose at his shins. He in turn stepped into the lunge, blocking the slash before smacking his sword's pommel into her cheek. He readied his own slash as she stumbled back, but Ruby squeezed her beloved weapon's trigger. Saber X's eyes widened, the most emotion he'd shown since his arrival, as he spun around to block the gunshot-propelled scythe blade. One step slower, and it would've chopped clean through his torso.
Still, the force behind her surprise attack made Saber X stumble, and Lancer X kicked at his right knee, unsettling him further. He fell backwards while she drew back Crescent Rose for a vertical cut. Behind her, Archer seized the chance she had provided him and dashed off to reengage his prior plan. From the sounds of the battle below, Saber needed all the help she could get.
Assassin X perishing before he reached his vantage point or from a stray arrow, well… Too bad, so sad.
But while saner than his partner, Saber X was no less tenacious. He braced his right hand on the street while swinging at Lancer X's stomach with his left. Aura shielded her from the sword cutting into her, but its strength still made her stagger backwards as the dark-haired boy sprang up and hurled something at her partner. An oncoming glint was all the warning Archer needed to deflect the wakizashi flying towards his shoulder, but Saber X instantly closed the distance to catch it and make for another attack. The Servants' landing carved deep gouges in the asphalt as they skidded across it, sparks flashing from their locked blades.
Archer grunted while trying to break free, but while taller, he wasn't as strong as the swordsman. His swordplay's raw and aggressive. Not much technique, but it's backed by battle experience. Problematic. It wasn't working so well, either; he couldn't even get a complete read of the short sword, let alone the long one which was definitely a Noble Phantasm. Gotta find me some breathing room. "Not going to lend your partner a hand when it's two-on-one?" He forced himself to smirk. "Awfully callous of you."
Saber X didn't so much as flinch from his taunt. "Berserker's more than capable of handling those two on his own. Besides, you look like the kind of guy that doesn't have a problem blindsiding someone who's busy with their own fight." He pushed Archer back and slashed with his katana, painting a red line along his abdomen. "So, I might as well make sure you can't get in the way."
Rin clicked her tongue in frustration at hearing this. Guess he's a more pragmatic fighter than Lancer.
A twist of Saber X's wakizashi, and Archer's right hand was missing its weapon. He backed away fending off more attacks but kept his cool. The fool was playing into his hands. Bakuya spun in an arc like a boomerang, closing silently in on the back of Saber X's neck…
Only for him to swing around his katana without even looking. The white blade's broken halves clattered to the street. "I thought there was something about those swords of yours…" The young man in black eyed the pieces by his boots before staring at their black companion. "There's a connection between them. Even when apart, they're drawn to one another like two magnetic bars with different poles."
Archer frowned at the surety in his opponent's words. Though he might've lived a short life, he definitely wasn't a stranger to fights with magic weapons. And there was something about the way those red eyes examined Kanshou and the new Bakuya he called up. They weren't just the eyes of a warrior, but something else, too. Like… a dedicated artist scrutinizing a portrait at a gallery.
"Not bad." Saber X readied his own swords. "I'd almost believe those blades were authentic."
Rose petals danced as Lancer X appeared above Saber X, neither noticing the former's partner conceal his shock. Saber X flipped away before Crescent Rose split the spot where he'd stood a moment ago, then he lunged, his katana pushing aside the longer weapon while the wakizashi approached her throat. She leaned out of reach, but Saber X was already moving to block Archer's path yet again. "Doesn't bother you at all, trying to run off and leave your Master and partner to fend for themselves?" He traded no less than twelve blows with the red Servant in less than one second. "And you called me callous."
"Nah," Ruby dived between them again, Crescent Rosewhirling about her like a ribbon, "he just trusts that I'm good enough to handle you alone."
Archer fought to keep his face straight. Something about the confidence in her voice, the belief she had in him, it… left a cold feeling in his chest. So, he used an age-old tactic and covered up his feelings with dry wit. "And how long do you think you alone can last against the two of us, Saber X?" Kanshou and Bakuya flashed, and Saber X skidded away with a slight cut by his left shoulder. Archer joined his partner's side. "You're not that amazing with a blade, and you're obviously the weaker Servant compared to Berserker."
"What's your point?"
The smirk he'd put on slipped away as Saber X straightened and sheathed his wakizashi, not a speck of wounded pride in his words or his face. "Berserker's a lot more powerful than me. I've been sparring with him for two months to know that's a fact." Both red Servants bristled as he approached. "But on the flipside, Lancer X is clearly stronger and faster than you, Archer. Does that mean I can just shred you to pieces and move on to fight her for real?" Particles of mana began swirling like water droplets near his katana's hilt.
Rin flinched from the sudden uptick in the scarred boy's mana. It was just like when they had fought Lancer, before Emiya had interrupted… He's about to invoke his Noble Phantasm! Saber X looked like he had been eighteen at the oldest, but he had managed to hold his own against two other knight-classes this far, and now he was ready to get serious. No… Rin corrected herself, those sharp red eyes appearing the same to her as they had at the start of the fight. He's been taking this seriously this whole time. Not the type to play around.
A tremor swept through the pavement, drawing her attention to the other battle happening below. Her eyes widened upon realizing someone wasn't up here anymore. Emiya, that idiot…! Sure enough, the red-haired boy had climbed down to the park, probably trying to think of a way to help his Servants. But he was useless in a fight like this! Rin dug into her pocket for a select few gems. They couldn't waste any more time here.
Lancer X spared a glance herself towards the other battle, trying not to worry about Saber and Assassin X. She couldn't afford more than a moment, anyway; Saber X was good and not out for fun like Lancer. 'Ruby, buy me a second!' Her arms moved instinctively even as Rin's message finished, and she took aim with Crescent Roseand fired. Saber X narrowly side-stepped the first shot and managed to block the second, but he stumbled back a step from the impact against his sword. Looks like he's not used to parrying bullets, Lancer X noted while chambering another round. Lancer could swat them away without batting an eye.
True enough, Saber X might've been physically capable of dealing with bullets, but he wasn't proficient in it. The mages and thugs of his world didn't tend to pack heat. Not to mention the high-impact caliber of a Noble Phantasm-grade sniper rifle wasn't something you could just brush off. Still, he quickly settled for evasion and kept his sword ready for when Archer tried scampering off again. The other Servant was visibly waiting…
Too late did the Heroic Spirit of the Sword notice something glittering above him.
"Gewicht der Welt!" Three amethysts shattered, their fragments sprinkling around Saber X an instant before expanding into massive blocks of mana. "Schwerer Käfig!" The Servant couldn't escape in time as they enveloped him with gravity so great it cracked the street. Rin couldn't resist pumping her fist in savoring her spell's success; the power in those jewels would've been enough to slow down even someone as strong as Berserker… for a few seconds. She sobered quickly; no time to celebrate. "Archer!"
The Servant of the Bow didn't even bother waiting for her yell to spring up and over the amethyst prison, Kanshouand Bakuya already replaced with a long black bow. He couldn't afford to be picky about vantage points, but with the right ammunition, he could still turn this situation around-
"Enten." A familiar deadpan voice rang out over the crackle of Rin's magecraft. Lancer X could barely make out something… black swirling underneath the purple. Silver eyes widened. "Kuro."
A stream of pure black erupted unhindered through the barrier and surged straight for Archer in midair. A mass of petals enveloped him half an instant before contact with the black, and Lancer X kept Petal Burst going long enough to get them both to a safe distance before deactivating it. The red petals faded away to reveal she hadn't been quite fast enough; Archer's left shoulder had been slashed, and his bow was split in half. Meanwhile, blood trickled from a thin cut running along Ruby's right cheek before her Auramended it.
The rest of the amethyst barrier crumbled away, revealing an utterly unfazed Saber X with his left arm still in post-swing. Rin nearly kicked herself for her blunder. How could I forget?! High Magic Resistance is par for the course with Saber class! While her magecraft might've been able to affect Berserker, his partner could shrug off any spell below three verses like a summer drizzle.
"Thanks for humoring me, Archer." Chihiro Rokuhira rose to his full height, the final sword his father had forged held by his side. "After getting smacked around by Berserker so much, I wanted to see how I'd do in an actual Servant swordfight. And you, Lancer X, definitely showed me there's room for improvement."
Ruby ejected Crescent Rose's clip and slapped a new one in, not taking her eyes off that blade. "Well, uh, you're not all that bad, considering you're self-taught, right?" Those red eyes widened just a little again, and he actually nodded to confirm her theory. "Yeah, it kinda shows a bit when you learn how to use a sword without any, uh, teacher's input? At least, that's what Dad always says."
Archer noted his enemy's grip tightening just a bit on his katana. Father's a sore spot for him? But Saber X had already regained his usual stoic mien. "Either way, you're both too dangerous for me to go at this half-assed. I didn't want to showcase too much of Enten's power right in the first battle…" Enten… His silver eyes narrowed at the Noble Phantasm as black energy flared up from it again. He focused and focused, but it always faltered at only the second step: Judging the concept of creation. Hypothesizing the basic struc-
Error.
Unquantifiable elements found.
Incomplete hypothesis. Insufficient materials.
Tracing terminated. Just like with Crescent Rose… Archer silently gritted his teeth as the "static" persisted whenever he fixed his attention on either weapon of the "X-tra" Servants. Guess armaments stemming from other worlds are literally beyond my comprehension… He forced himself to relax, a new bow emerging in his hand. He'd been in tighter spots and made do then.
"But if I want to keep you away from my Master and partner, I guess I have to commit to this fight." A second time Saber X intoned the word for his sword's power. "Kuro." The black seemingly solidified and took on a specific form that hovered above its origin. It practically radiated mana.
"Is that a… goldfish?"
Archer and Rin blinked at their teammate's question before realizing that the shape did indeed resemble a black goldfish. Lancer X eyed it both confused and in some awe. "It's a little weird, uh, no offense, Saber X, but… supercool, too."
"…Thanks." He crouched and readied his blade, that black spiritual construct "swimming" around him, then swung. The "fish" instantly expanded into a straight horizontal line that forced both Servants to jump away as it sliced clean through the streetlamps and fence behind them. Saber X tracked their movements and attacked again, more darkness flowing from his blade. 'Sorry, Illya, but I may have to dig a little deep.'
'Don't worry so much, Big Bro, it makes you look silly.' He sighed to himself as her giggle echoed inside his head. 'You and Berserker can go wild, do whatever it takes! I can keep you both running through the night.' Chihiro called exaggeration on that, but at least his own reserves were better than when he'd lived.
Thus, Saber X was pretty much keeping "Team Red" pinned down on his own. Seeing him there with his power on full display and no sign of any fatigue or even annoyance confirmed Rin's worst worries: While Berserker was the bigger monster of Einzbern's team, he wasn't the only monster.
As much as Shirou wanted to do something after climbing down to the park, he found he couldn't think of anything. His feet were rooted to the ground. His arms felt like lead by his sides. He couldn't even come up with any words. The only things he had that moved were his eyes, and they were locked on the battle between Saber, Assassin X and Berserker.
Every time that behemoth swung his axe, gusts of wind blasted across the field, and even Saber was visibly straining to block them. Assassin X didn't even try in favor of dodging the moves, and it was still dangerously close. This Servant wasn't just monstrously strong but insanely fast, but maybe the worst part was how nothing seemed to faze him. Kakashi had shattered maybe two dozen throwing stars and knives against his frame, some of which had exploded, and even Saber's invisible sword couldn't cut into him. Not to mention her slashes rarely got through his guard in the first place. Shirou briefly wondered if Berserker could actually see it, but that didn't really seem the case. It was more like… instinct.
That said, neither of his targets had given up. After flipping away from another clash with Berserker, Saber landed and broke into a run to the right while her partner headed left. Berserker's red glare darted between them in mounting fury. Looks like Kakashi isn't his sole focus anymore, the knight noted satisfied amid her charge. She closed the distance and swung in from her right. Berserker's own slash slowed as a smoke bomb collided with his eyes and went off, allowing Saber's blade to smack his arm aside. She added a mite more power in her next strike, a tiny trickle of red emerging down his torso. "You can be cut!"
Berserker's reply was another feral roar and a sudden swing from overhead. Saber barely managed to step aside, then she stomped with both feet onto the axe, planting it deep into the ground. She wasn't particularly heavy, but her own strength pinned Berserker's weapon down enough for her to run up its length and aim for his neck.
Then Berserker released his axe, leaned backwards before the blade could touch him, and actually performed a backflip that resulted in a series of spinning kicks. Assassin X pulled Saber out of reach before those feet would've kicked her all the way to a dumbstruck Shirou. Berserker whirled forward to deliver a straight right at the duo, but it was Assassin X who met him, not Saber. The shinobi sidestepped the fleshy battering ram of a fist and wrapped his own arms around it, then with a grunt and all of his For One's Comrades'-enhanced strength, he flipped that colossal body over his hip.
Illya blinked, a hint of the same surprise her "big brother" felt rippling inside her. "Not bad, Kakashi! Guess you're more than just a sneaky cheater…"
As Berserker hurtled towards the grass, Saber readied another attempt to behead him. But then his left hand struck the ground hard enough to actually suspend him in the air, then he flipped towards them, arms and legs whirling about. The resultant blows sent tremors through the park that nearly made Shirou fall over, and it was only Kakashi's Sharingan that kept him and his comrade relatively unscathed.
They skidded back to a relatively safe distance, one of them a little out of breath. "Strong, tough and agile as hell…" Assassin X panted. "And on top of that, he's been trained in some form of martial arts. Must've been an exemplary warrior in his time."
"Berserker, or his teacher?" Saber couldn't help but ask, a shrug his only answer. "But even driven mad, his body still remembers the training he received." Before them, Berserker stalked from the collection of craters his barrage had made and easily plucked his weapon from the dirt. "It's ingrained in every one of his muscles. He must be a Heroic Spirit of great legend. I'm rather impressed," she admitted.
"Ditto." Assassin X rose to a slight crouch. "Just calling him an insane warrior doesn't do him enough credit, not with that savage technique of his. I guess it's a good thing he can't actually think enough to utilize his training properly. Otherwise, we'd be mincemeat by now." Despite their lack of a mental link this time around, both Servants inadvertently judged this Berserker to be a near-perfect amalgamation of the two in their prior adventures: Kenpachi Zaraki's raw aggressive might, and Lancelot's unshackled, turbulent grace.
Listening to these words from his spot, Shirou wondered how the hell these two could keep their cool in light of all this. Nothing they'd tried so far had stopped Berserker, and he looked like this had all just been some exercise before the real fight. But even with their backs to him, the boy didn't pick up any despair or sense of giving up from either of the two. Were they just crazy or… did they have a plan?
Berserker barreled across the field, but they were ready for him. "Earth Style," Assassin X swiftly performed three handsigns before slapping both hands against the dirt, "Rupturing Earth Palm!" The ground in front of the duo shuddered, then cracked apart just as Berserker's right foot came down. It sank into one of the newly formed crevices while he pitched forward and stumbled under his own momentum.
Saber was already sprinting as her comrade's jutsu ended, effortlessly stepping over the fissures to reach her enemy. His foot still stuck, a snarling Berserker lashed out for her, but she twisted around the swing and leaped past his right to pivot and slash at his back hard enough that he face-planted into the ground. He roared something unintelligible amid the dirt, more irate than injured.
But these two were just getting started, and Shirou realized he couldn't see Kakashi anymore.
As the mighty Servant tried to pick himself up from the fractured ground, he grunted in confusion as something gleamed beneath him. Said heralded a sudden Dragon-shaped torrent of fire, coupled with a powerful upward gust, that blanketed his entire front. Berserker instinctively shielded himself the best he could in his current position; Even for he, these bolstered flames were rather hot. This left him wide open, though, for Saber to leap high, briefly expel her sword's wind coating, and come crashing down upon him with a jetstream-powered slash. Another tremor surged across the area, Shirou barely keeping his balance.
Even Illyasviel had to brace herself against the fence, her smile flickering. "Oh, those two make a pretty good team. Guess Big Bro Saber had a point about working together…" Then it returned. "But all the clever tricks and teamwork in the world don't mean a thing against your Noble Phantasm, Berserker."
Saber flipped and landed gracefully about halfway between Shirou and the place where she'd buried Berserker. Dirt shifted near her right before Assassin X's head and shoulders popped out. She kept her eyes on the swirling cloud from their combination attack. "Think that left some damage?"
Then the smoke cleared to reveal Berserker standing tall amidst dying embers, hair waving behind him. Some of his front was a bit singed, and there was a bloody gash across his face that reached his neck and left pectoral, but his eyes still burned with life and fury. "Is he immortal…?" Shirou muttered at the sight of him.
"…Well, we managed to give him a tan and a shave," Assassin X grumbled as he dug himself completely free. His clone had done its job and now released itself underground, though he didn't get as much energy back as he'd have liked. "And we've made about the most we can of this stage." He nodded pointedly off over Shinto.
Saber followed his gaze, an old talk of Fuyuki's layout coming to mind. "A change of scenery, then. Less open ground." She brought up her blade fully cloaked in Invisible Air once again. "Brace yourself."
He shuffled two steps behind her. "On your mark."
Shirou had just enough sense to pick up their strategizing, his own eyes drifting to the area. Change of scenery… Less open ground… Then Berserker was charging them again, his sword ready to chop through Assassin X's stomach. Saber stepped between them and intercepted his attack, but rather than push it back, she rode with the swing, Kakashi jumping right behind her and then pulling her along. Together, they leaped high and back to street level. Berserker followed them in a single bound, but again, they combined the power of his blows with Saber's resilience and Assassin X's agility to carry themselves further away. "After them, Berserker!" a frowned Illya ordered her Servant. Like Shirou, she realized the two were deliberately leading the fight to a new location. Eager for this to be done, she followed the battling Servants at her pace.
The shift in battle was noticed by Rin and her entourage despite the latter's own skirmish with Saber X. Between dodging the dark slashes their steely enemy kept flinging at them, Lancer X glanced to where the other duo was headed and decided on a new plan. She turned to her partner who was readying another arrow and nodded. "Go!" Archer was confused for only a moment as Lancer X rushed Saber X, then it dawned on him. He pulled back his bow's string, took aim and fired.
Saber X had to abort his next swing in order to dodge the arrow. It slit open his right bicep in passing, and the force behind it threw him off a bit, leaving him barely able to block Lancer X's scythe. He noticed Archer behind her making yet another break for it and was contemplating his options to stop him when she pulled the trigger again.
Lancer X had loaded up her baby with Gravity Dust earlier, so the resulting shot put enough recoil behind Crescent Rose's swing to send them both flying in the opposite direction as Archer had gone. Rin ducked down as the two Servants sailed over her head, but she couldn't be mad at Ruby for the brazen tactic.
A large black goldfish erupted from Enten, blasting the girl and her crazy scythe off of Saber X. He flipped to the ground and glared at the distant buildings. "Slipped away after all…" He gauged the distance between him and the red Servant, noted how the other red Servant was right in front of him, then tilted his head towards the now distant sounds of Berserker's rampage. The path Illya was following.
Without another word, Saber X broke into a run for where his partner was being led, his katana still out. "Stop him, Lancer X!" Rin quickly ordered her only Servant still present. "We can't let him meet up with Berserker!" The Heroic Spirit of the (Sniper-) Scythe was already moving to try and intercept. She didn't need explaining that if these two could cause so much trouble separately, beating them as a unit would be a pipe dream.
A sound behind her made her spin about in slight worry, but it was only Emiya who had just climbed back to the street. His gaze was locked on the direction Saber and Assassin X had retreated to, and while Rin couldn't read his mind, she had a pretty good idea what he was thinking.
"Stay away from the battles!" Shirou was snapped out of his thoughts by Toshaka's order and the hurried glare she shot at him. "You hear me?" She then ran off before he could think of any protest, leaving him behind.
Behind in every way. His knees gave out, and he fell forward, barely putting his hands up to stop himself from hitting the street face-first. He breathed heavily in an effort to get his strength back. Why was it even gone? It wasn't like Shirou had been the one fighting for his life, he'd just been standing around like a complete moron! "Damnit…!" He pounded his fist against the pavement. "I was useless… Kakashi… Saber… They could've been killed!" He looked up, some of the ravaged battleground below in his peripherals. "But what could I hope to do against that monster…?"
His training as a magus was laughable compared to Tohsaka. Nothing he Reinforced could've lasted one second against Berserker's strength. Shadow Clones would've been blown away like leaves! How could Shirou Emiya have been of any use to heroes like those two…?
The ringing of blades and another crash echoed in the distance, making the boy look up. He saw clouds of dust billowing in one spot after another, along with small bouts of fire, displaced wind and even a little electricity. To have covered so much ground in just a few seconds… Gunshots rang out while black shapes met red bolts from afar. "They're still fighting…" His gaze fell to his hands, the same hands Saber and Kakashi had both shook just minutes ago. When they'd recognized him as their Master and comrade.
Though his breathing grew a little ragged, both hands became fists. "Didn't I just resolve to fight?" Shirou smacked himself twice before dragging himself on his feet. "That I'd stand with the both of you?!" His legs finally moved and pulled him along in the direction of the ongoing clashes. While he had been wasting time feeling sorry for himself, they were fighting together for each other's and his lives.
I'm alive, so there has to be something I can do! There has to be some way I can fight!
Hey, been a little while, huh guys?
Anyway, I recognize this chapter is both sooner than I warned and a little more than usual. Both are connected: I felt an urge to write this back during the holidays, your reviews and comments playing no small part in that, of course. But at the same time, I feared it being largely exposition/explaining things to poor Shirou would've been too drab. Thus, I decided to include the proper introduction of Illya and entourage. The rest of my chapters will hopefully stay closer to twenty grand maximum word count. I'll do my best.
I skipped through Kirei's explanation because it was essentially the same as in canon, X Servants or not. But the scene will, of course, play a role in the progression of the story. Besides, I really wanted to showcase the reunion between Saber and Assassin X. It was one of my favorite parts of this chapter!
And now, to business.
Saber X-
Class: Saber
Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern
True Name: Chihiro Rokuhira
Titles: Seventh Blade Wielder, Legacy of Rokuhira
Sex: Male
Source: Kagurabachi
Region: Japan
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: B+
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Mana: A
Luck: E
NP: A
Class Skills-
Magic Resistance: Grants protection against magical effects.
B: Though he himself cannot wield magic due to his connection to his sword, Saber X is extremely adept at hunting and defeating magic-wielders. In life, he quickly garnered a fair bit of infamy for cutting down sorcerers of varying powers and strength despite his young age. He is unaffected by mid- to low-level spells and may be able to counter High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals with a plan and luck.
Riding: The capacity to ride vehicles and animals.
C: Saber X can handle practically any land-based vehicle or mount with expert prowess.
Personal Skills-
Appreciation of Swords: A Skill similar yet different to Appreciation of the Arts. Comprehension related to armament.
B+: Saber X was the son of arguably the greatest swordsmith of his home, and prior to the latter's murder, an avid pupil of his father's techniques. Nearly the entirety of his childhood was spent in the family forge learning how to craft swords and other weaponry. As a Heroic Spirit, he can determine with one glimpse the properties and capabilities of nearly any non-Noble Phantasm bladed weapon. This allows him to discern their vulnerabilities and exploit them appropriately. Due to the magical aspects involved with his swordsmith lessons, Saber X may even be able to discern details of sword Noble Phantasms he encounters.
Sword Trial: Refers to a swordsmith's trying out the sword. Test slashes, test swordsmanship. A method to measure the sharpness and performance of swords.
B: Another fruit of his father's lessons, Saber X has an innate talent for wielding blades to their fullest potential. He carries a simple wakizashi in conjunction with Enten yet is as deadly with it as if he were to swing a larger katana. While his Noble Phantasm itself is indeed powerful, its true effectiveness is exhibited through the creativity with which Saber X harnesses its different abilities. Even a butterknife may be a lethal weapon in his hands. He cannot harness the greater powers of foreign Noble Phantasm swords, however.
Mind's Eye (True): Is a heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. A danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent's activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.
B+: Saber X quickly adapted to the dangerous life he had chosen in seeking out his father's creations and killers. Despite his stoic demeanor and tendency to rush into battle, he has sharp instincts and a keen eye for danger. These traits coupled with his other Skills make Saber X a remarkably adaptive swordsman who can revise his tactics on the fly. He has a particular aptitude for analyzing others' swordplay.
Noble Phantasms-
Enten: "Final Blade, Rokuhira's Fury Through Steel": B+ (Anti-Unit): Saber X's father was a swordsmith famous for crafting six "Enchanted Blades" of such incredible power they played an instrumental part in ending the grueling "Imperial War." He would later forge a seventh and final blade, Enten, which was the only Blade saved when sorcerers ransacked Saber X's home and killed his father. He then formed a "Lifelong Contract" with the last Enchanted Blade and honed his skills with it for thirty-eight months, subsequently setting off on a mission to reclaim the others avenge his father's death. Forged from an extremely rare, spiritually enhancing ore named "Datenseki," Enten possesses an extremely sharp and durable blade perfect for extensive duels, as well as three magical techniques themed after a trio of goldfish its creator took as pets. The black "goldfish," Kuro, summons a black liquid-like energy that can be released as powerful flying slashes, their size and cutting power varying according to Saber X's judgement. The red "fish," Aka, absorbs energy-based attacks it comes into contact with, making for an effective defense provided the attack does not exceed its absorptive limit, and stores the attacks' properties for Saber X to use himself for one time per power. The three-colored "fish," Nishiki, envelops Saber X, its full use elevating his Strength, Endurance and Agility stats with plus-factors, increasing his already deadly fighting prowess even further. However, extensive use of Enten's powers taxes Saber X's mana and stamina in Nishiki's case, which is why he has developed offshoot techniques which expend less energy. He also died before discovering the entirety of his sword's potential; thus, it may be even more powerful than its current rank implies…
?: A- (Anti-Unit): ?