The black knight didn't move. He didn't speak or was swayed by the seals' inference of a command. Instead, the one to act was the blood-covered man in a hood who forced himself up and walked towards the nearest exit. Even in his shabby state, he still managed to reach the doorway before muttering over his shoulder.
"Thank you… for everything… Farewell, black knight of madness…"
The man vanished with the door's loud thud. Kiritsugu would've been pissed that she let him escape, but she didn't care. She wouldn't cut down the one who stepped away from this. And besides, she already had a foe waiting patiently for her.
All that was left was the Servant of Madness. Though he would always seek after her in a fit of rage, it was now that he was at his most calm. An eerie silence should Saber be allowed to describe it.
But be that as it may, he was still a Servant that now stood in her way. As the King of Knights bound by honour to save her charge, Arturia Pendragon had no choice but to fight.
The black miasma surrounding the knight wisped and waned like smoke, preventing Saber from a clear view of her foe. Though they shared histories, she was still unsure of which among many countless knights of the realm he was. If she didn't recognize him amongst her foes, was Berserker perhaps one of her own?
Arturia raised her invisible sword and pointed it at him. "Ye who demands a duel with the King, if though demands a duel between knights, then you'd best not dally and pull out your sword, Berserker!"
He did no such thing. Instead, he stood up and faced her. Just as calmly as he stared down Archer once before, the knight in black trained his crimson visors on her form.
"If you continue to insult me, then I shall answer in kind!"
If he refused to reveal his blade after demanding they face one another, then she had no choice but to cut him down. Though his behaviour now was a vast difference from the past, she couldn't afford to waste time. She swung her blade down.
"HAAAAH—!" CLANG "Eh?!"
Only to have her eyes widen in shock when he caught the downward swing to his helmet between the flats of his armoured palms.
To her surprise, it was then that the silent knight roared.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!"
"Keh!" Saber wasn't allowed a chance to breathe.
The moment she registered his pent up rage, she had to raise her free arm to her side. And though she blocked the flying knee, she was still sent several meters back, landing against a van and denting its side door with a crash.
'Impossible!' She hissed to herself as she recovered to her feet. 'He can see through Invisible Air?'
To know the length of her blade well enough to predict its approach, that bordered on clairvoyance through her fae magic. But, in his rage, the black knight didn't look to be an expert of magic nor did he appear to have a tool to see through the sword's enchantment.
However, if it wasn't that, then… there could only be one explanation. Acute familiarity.
"So you truly are a knight of my past!" she hissed as he writhed where he stood. He didn't look to be in pain, but every fibre in his being exuded the desire to attack her this very instant. She couldn't comprehend which foe in her life would be so familiar with her yet just as hateful. "Name yourself, knight! As your king, I order you—"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" was Berserker's response. That and a rush to kick a nearby vehicle over and rip an object taped to its undersides. It was only by Saber recognizing firearms that she immediately jumped behind the nearest pillar.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
But what should've been a normal machine gun didn't sound like it. An onslaught of lead severed the cement pillar in two like paper. Not only did they obliterate Saber's hiding spot, but they also pierced through and were barely deflected off the flat of her sword. The tinge of cursed black-red metal identified the bullets as under the mad Servant's still-unclear Noble Phantasm.
"Even you would resort to such means?!"
"ARTHHHHUUUUUUR!" Berserker didn't comment except for her name. The fact that his special ability turned even modern weapons into his Noble Phantasm shocked her. Allowing even mundane bullets to harm Servants, for such an ability to exist, she wondered just how capable of a knight he was in life.
All thoughts of his identity were redirected to her own survival. A barrage of shells continued to assault her as Berserker held the rifle's trigger down. Saber had to bob and weave between and under vehicle after vehicle. All in an attempt to avoid the full-automatic fire that continued to melt and perforate metal like it was butter.
Knowing that she was going to be forced on the defensive until she could get close with her blade, Saber grit her teeth in frustration until she spotted a larger vehicle down the car park.
"HAH!" With a mighty kick that looked impossible to come from her lithe form, the van toppled to its side and blocked her from view. She then kicked once more, sending the vehicle careening towards the knight who remained rooted to the spot.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The madman opened fire on the flying van.
Being thicker than most, it managed to tank a few hits, but by the time it got to him, a simple swipe of his free hand sent the now-hunk of metal flying overhead and splitting off into two exploding wrecks. The resulting flame provided a dull orange light to the car park, but beyond the origin of the van Saber kicked, the King of Knights was nowhere to be seen.
"GRRRRRRR—" CREAK "GRAAAAAAAAAH!" BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
Upon hearing something to the side, behind another car, Berserker shot what would've been a magazine full of bullets into the corner; however, nothing hit. The enraged Servant of Madness remained composed, despite his anger and frustration of losing his target taking hold. But, no matter if she hid herself, Saber knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him entirely even if she chose to flee now.
Which was why she begrudgingly took a risk and opted to strike him from his blind spot. Something she rather preferred not to but had to try.
"HAH!" She threw a swift strike to his side. One that, if it hit, would impale his lower torso and slow his movements even if it was shallow.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" But, in an unbelievable show of dexterity, Berserker swiftly pulled himself back, out of her still-invisible blade's reach, and swung down the butt of his rifle on her head. What's more, he was doing so from the barest corner of his periphery. The crimson of his helmet visor wasn't even looking anywhere near her!
It was as if he'd known she'd pull such a cheap and reluctant attack in a heat of desperation and was countering her out of habit.
'How does he know?!' she internally screamed as she instinctively blasted magical energy out of Excalibur, dispelling Invisible Air but also buffeting his counterattack with a violent squall. Aiming the tip of the golden blade to the underside of his face, she didn't allow him another second and put her all into her own counter. "Mana Burst!"
"RAGH!" Once again, he dodged a fatal strike, allowing his head to tilt back and letting the blast graze the chin of his helmet. Immediately following that, he backflipped out of the way to kneel with the rifle in hand. He didn't even need to aim properly with her being directly in front of him "AAAAAAAARRRR—!"
"Shit!" she raised her sword defensively.
"—THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!" a barrage of shells pelted her like rain.
Sparks flew as she stood her ground. Of course, the sword forged by the fae couldn't be damaged or broken by modern weapons, but the attack was draining her stamina as its random spread had her swiping at and dodging shots in near-lightspeed.
Unlike certain Servants that enjoyed the safety of Protection from Arrows, the hail of gunfire could very well kill her if she wasn't careful. Saber was forced to endure. It didn't help that Berserker's possessing the rifle seemingly gave it an infinite supply of bullets, likely a corruption of his ability forced it to use magic to replicate the shells.
But magic shells or not, she wasn't going to sit idly forever.
Pooling her strength into her blade, she waited. She continued to deflect the shells until her chance came. It did the moment another car exploding rocked the place. Having done a great deal of damage to their surroundings in an attempt to kill her, Berserker had unwittingly razed hell throughout the parking lot. Still shooting regardless of what happened, he suddenly had his vision blocked by debris flying everywhere.
"HAAAAAAH!" She exploited the momentary opening for all she could. Thrusting directly towards her foe, she fired all the magic she stored into Excalibur. The resulting gale knocked him in the chest, sending his weapon firing off to the side. It was then she kicked off and brought her sword down on him. "This is the end!"
Blessed metal scraped against dull steel. She achieved a breakthrough as Berserker was forced back once more. He'd attempted to use his rifle to block her partway, but she kicked into him, resulting in the gun itself taking the brunt of her attack. Well, apart from his helmet anyway.
CRICK CRACK
The ground skittered and sparked beneath the knight as his retreat was his swiftest yet closest yet. But at the same time, a winding break slid down the centre of his helm. Oddly, he assessed the damage with a light grasp to his armoured face. Weaponless and soon-to-be helmless, Berserker mulled in silence at his current state.
"Do you still wish to continue with this farce?" challenging him, Saber levelled her sword to his face once more.
She would've continued her attack had he had the sense to try. She would've ended him if he showed more of the rage his class required of him. But she wished to spare him of that if she could. After all, she refused to break her code of chivalry: that of attacking the weak and unarmed. It would be another story if he were to bare his fangs even now, though. However, she knew he was still holding back.
"Draw your sword, Berserker. Thou art a knight, are thee not?" Though he showed exemplary control and skill with any weapon, firearms or not, the way he could predict her blade, avoid it, adapt to it, from when they first met to now, she could tell. "Or do you mean to further insult me by playing around?"