The Great Holy Grail War (Part 9)

Wait for me.

I will be back soon.

This is a promise.

The only promise I will ever swear in this life.

No matter what obstacles stand in our way, I will see you again.

Wait for me, Charlotte.

...I am coming home.

-x-X-x-

"This is...!"

The young girl let out a surprise cry.

The impossible has happened. No, even a miracle would understate the situation that was happening.

Just as she was making her way to the battlefield where the Red and Black Faction clashed, she discovered the scenery which she would never forget.

As a Ruler, the overseer of the Great Holy Grail War, she had felt the abnormal circumstances during her summoning. Why did she need a physical vessel? Why was her instincts screaming at her? Why was her heart beating this fast?

It was at nearly the same time when the living miracles known as Servants fell into the cold earth one by one.

Frakenstein's monster, the Berserker of Black, was forced to detonate herself through her Anti-Army Noble Phantasm's self-destruction. The might behind five Command Spells, three from Caules and two from Fenric, shown its power by clearing over half of the forest.

Spartacus, the Berserker of Red, unleashed his final rebellion to the entire world. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon suffered a direct hit from a massive light ray on the level of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm and crashed into the ground.

Avicebron, the Caster of Black, found his hand through his own heart. He fell from his dream creation and shocked his opponent. The suicide command passed through the Spanish philosopher without any resistance and his spiritual core was destroyed.

Shakespeare, the Caster of Red, was forced to materialize and froze on his position. Not having any powers to go against the orders, he was caught up in Frankenstein's Blasted Tree and blown to smithereens.

Siegfried, the Saber of Black, was pierced through when a shooting star fell down from the starry sky before the very eyes of Mordred. His weak spot located on his back was perfectly penetrated by Antares Snipe and his heart was consequently crushed to bits.

Vlad III, the Lancer of Black, was forced to submit and stabbed in the back by a dark purple sword in the midst of battle. The traitorous silver knight has cleaned up the Wallachia prince's mess and decided to step into the chaos himself. His first victim was the ultimate defender of Romania himself.

Semiramis, the Assassin of Red, escaped from Spartacus' blast range while suffering critical injuries. However, she did not expect to be lost in the mists of London. The avoidable curse has forced out her innards, and two Command Spells made her take her own life.

Jack the Ripper, the Assassin of Black, was bound by spells that erupted from the ground. She discovered her connection to Rikudou Reika severed, and her own head was decapitated moments later by her own knives.

Kotomine Shirou, or Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the Ruler of the previous Holy Grail War, did not survive the explosion enhanced by five absolute commands.

Yes, this is a festival of blood.

The Servants were all killed swiftly. The Masters weren't even given the chance to utilize their Command Spells. Their deaths were all planned, completed in an instant, and with all their spiritual cores destroyed.

Additionally, the Masters of both factions did not end up with a great fate either.

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, Roche Frain Yggdmillennia, and Rikudou Reika were all eliminated by the traps set up by the Rider of Black. The Masters of Red were also killed by his clone during the flying castle's fall.

Be patient, and strike at the optimal moment.

That was the lesson Fenric has taught himself since his rebirth. The words never left his mind even once during his growth, and the results have shown itself at the Great Holy Grail War. He has killed or assisted in the deaths of all the Servants and Masters.

He has not once underestimated his opponents.

He has the full information of every Servants. He has the knowledge of their hidden abilities. He understood the thought process of the Masters. He researched the topography of both Trifas and Sighisoara.

As such, only six figures were still standing.

Keter Malkuth, the recreation of Adam, has not yet fall.

Jeanne d'Arc, the Ruler of this Great War. An expression of pure shock has formed on her regular tranquil face.

Karna and Achilles, who he could not easily kill, were suffering from Prana exhaustion and would soon disappear from this world since they no longer have a Mage to anchor them into this world.

Mordred and Sisigou Kairi, the intelligent and cautious pair escaped from Fenric's assassination attempt with the usage of a Command Spell thanks to Mordred's instincts.

And lastly, Rider of Black, the nameless Heroic Spirit who was accidentally summoned and acted as the Black Faction's trump card. Blood was dripping down his holy sword, yet his expression did not change even after betraying the Romanian prince.

"You are..." The Maiden of Orleans stepped foot onto the grass plains where Karna and Fenric were. However, she was cut off when the Hero of Charity exploded out with flames and dashed towards the silver knight.

Fenric lifted Arondight and parried the strike.

"Why did you betray your allies?" Recovering from the blow's impact. the burning demigod questioned. From a single exchange, Karna fully understood the difference between him and his opponent.

His default parameters were inferior to the silver knight. On the other hand, his weapon skills vastly exceeded the traitor by several realms. It was the disparity between an expert swordsman and a figure from legends.

He could win.

No matter how powerful one is, one's strength does not matter if one's strikes could not land. There's no point of a fight when you have unrivaled strength but could not injure your enemies.

He was not wrong.

Parameters and Magic Resistance of a Saber, dexterous mobility of a Lancer, effective attack range of an Archer, high-level Noble Phantasms that rivals a Rider, magical mastery and versatility of a Caster, stealth and decisiveness of an Assassin, and lastly, Prana consumption that surpasses a Berserker.

Rider of Black was, in a sense, a Servant that composes all seven standard classes and the authority of a Ruler.

Therefore, Karna not could hold himself back. His next assault pushed his opponent back. The flames tried to surround and swallow the silver knight. It worked... but nothing happened. As the inferno subside, Rider of Black walked out from the charred ground and pointed his sword at the Hero of Charity.

"Wait, Lancer of Red, Rider of Black, stop fighting!" Jeanne yelled. Regrettably, she was completely ignored by the pair.

"..." The Son of Surya narrowed his eyes and thrust his spear forward. Fenric tried to avoid the blow, but he was hit in shoulder. Staggering from the collision's aftereffects, the silver knight was pierced by the divine spear.

5 minutes.

That's the amount of time Karna has left in this world.

Without a Master and anchor, they won't be able to continue manifesting in this world. Karna and Achilles are even top-ranking Heroic Spirits that consume magical energy as much as a Berserker-class Servant, no, in fact, they even surpass the Prana consumption of most Berserkers.

In the end, they are mere familiars that rely on a Mage's Prana. Fenric did not need to fight them directly. He could simply destroy their anchor and eliminate them with close to zero effort.

He only has to buy some time before they disappear.

"-I'm here to help, Lancer!" All of a sudden, a green comet traveled through the night sky and approached them. Not given a chance to retaliate, Rider of Black was assaulted by hundreds of blows and knocked into a ground. He was embedded in a crater formed by Achilles' attack.

"Rider." Karna nodded gratefully towards his reinforcement and lunged at Fenric.

"So he's the one...!" The Hero of Iliad clenched his fists and glared at his opponent. He didn't have much Prana left after activating Akhilleus Kosmos. With only sixty seconds, he chose to retreat from his fight with the giant golem.

No words needed to be exchange. They understood that Rider of Black was the one who killed their Masters. The silver knight must be killed.

"...That really hurt."

"Hmm? What? No way." Achilles widened his eyes. There were no visible wounds on Rider of Black, who managed to pull himself up from the crater and back on to the grass plains.

"Damn it. Lancer, I'll hold him back, so use that spear!" There was nothing else that Achilles could have done. He could not use any Noble Phantasms due to the magical energy cost, and his Duel Field was useless if the other party disagree to its rules.

"...I understand." Karna nodded with a grim face. Then, his golden armor burned itself into nothingness. In its place, a massive spear was held in his hand. It shined brightly, giving off an unequaled radiance.

It was a divine blessing. It was the gods' judgement. Its name is Vasavi Shakti, the spear of light granted to him by the Thunder God Indra in the Mahabharata. The spear that could only be used when Kavacha and Kundala were sacrificed.

"As if I'll let you!" Arrows bombarded the Hero of Charity. The homunculus in the forest aimed his bow at Karna, not allowing him to use the spear. Each projectiles targeted the demigod's spiritual cores, preventing him from properly wielding Vasavi Shakti since he could no longer ignore the injuries.

'Stop, or I'll use my authority as a Ruler!', was what Jeanne wanted to say. However, she also knew that this was the last stand of the two Servants. Interrupting this battle meant inviting the inevitable deaths of those two, and lengthening their existence with her Command Seals would be favoring the Red Faction.

Frankly, she was confused by the chaos.

"-Go take care of the bowman! I'll hold this guy back!"

Bang! All of a sudden, a mass of steel crashed into the advancing Fenric and smashed him into the ground. "Your head is mine, Rider!" It was Mordred. Witnessing the dire situation, Sisigou has utilized his second Command Spell and ordered her to assist the pair in taking down the silver knight.

"I'm grateful for your help, Saber!" Leaving behind his words of thanks, Achilles turned into a green comet and headed towards the forest. This would be his last kill. After defeating the white homunculus, he would run dry of Prana and leave the material world.

Clarent was parried by Rider of Black. The silver knight frowned underneath his helmet, and light beams rained down on the flying demigod. Now was not the time to hold back, or else he would be destroyed by the divine spear.

He was not sure of Vasavi Shakti's full effect, but he definitely does not want to be hit by it. A spear that can slay gods... what if it has the ability to terminate souls?

"Kazikli Bey: The Lord of Execution!" Thousands of stakes sprang out from the ground and flew towards Karna. Under his disbelieving gaze, they pierced through him and created holes all over his body. They were weaker than Vlad's, but the quantity of Prana invested in them were far larger.

He ignored the wounds created from Mordred. Avalon was healing him and his Skills were reducing the damage he was taking. Divinity, Robust Health, Human Anatomy Understanding, Blessings from the Ends of the World, Mana Burst, Galvanism, The Honor of the Battered did their job and decreased all harm to the minimum.

Additionally, the Noble Phantasm he received from Siegfried was doing its job well.

"Mordred!" Without warning, Fenric removed his, no, her helmet as her lustrous white hair cascaded down to the silver armor.

Her face caught the Knight of Treachery off caught, and she inserted Arondight into Mordred's chest before dashing towards the near-death Hero of Charity. An ash-white wyvern was summoned, and it bit down on the shocked Saber.

A Holy Lancer formed in her hand.

Yes, this is the end of another story.

The shining symbol of light which connected illusion and reality declared its brilliance to the world once more.

All risks must be avoided. All the Status Points she has gained from slaying the Masters and Servants were spent at that moment.

Faster! Faster! An Agility above 100 points. A speed that exceeded the sound barrier by two times. A divine lance that announced the ending of this Great Holy Grail War.

"Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World!" The brilliant crimson spiral shot towards the man who rivaled the first hero and the world was drowned by the radiance of the light of destruction.

At the center of the grass plains, Jeanne d'Arc held her breathe and clasped her hands before her chest. It was a prayer to her Lord, a prayer for the Servants' fate.

On the other side of the battlefield, Achilles smiled bitterly and removed his spear from the homunculus' body. His legs have already dematerialized. "So this is it, Sister..." He lowered his weapon and glanced at star-filled sky wistfully. "You know, I wouldn't mind helping you achieve your wish..."

Within the crater created by herself, Mordred coughed out blood and wiped her blade on the ash-white wyvern's corpse. She will not fall...! Not before getting an answer from that woman...!

"Farewell, Hero of Charity."

Levitating in the air, Karna widened his eyes and quickly pointed his spear towards in approaching pillar. The speed Rider of Black has was beyond what he has seen earlier. "Vasavi Shak-!"

He was not fast enough.

The Holy Lance which was said to be able to pierce through any objects devoured the Hero of Charity. He was just a fraction of a second too late. Vasavi Shakti failed to activate because its owner was already dead.

Karna has reached his limits. In fact, it was a miracle that he has managed to last this far. Without any magical energy, without his golden armor's defense, without any time to dodge the A-Ranked magical bombardment, he managed to survive until the activation of his Noble Phantasm.

Fenric, not resting for a second, turned her back on the dying demigod and bolted towards the crater. Mordred was there, with her helmet removed. Her grave expression was completely different from her usual self.

"Who are you?! Why do you have Sir Lancelot's sword?! You, you're not my father...!" The Knight of Treachery scowled and hurled Arondight at Fenric. She raised the white-silver sword and glared at the fake imitation.

The space around her and the sword becomes stained with dark red blood, and the blade of the sword, enveloped by the radiance of blood, gave off strange, violent and furious sounds and began to transform.

Changing from Clarent's normally pure and beautiful form, her great hatred transfigures the sword into that of a sinister and wicked blade befitting a demon, a 'demonic sword of calamity'.

To Mordred, Clarent was a weapon that possessed curse-like glory. She wouldn't permit herself to be defeated by anyone except her father, and even more, she wouldn't allow for this sword, which had delivered a fatal blow to her father, to fail to finish killing anyone.

"Die, you fake...! Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father!" With a flash of blood red light, a surging wave of crimson lightning was released in a straight line. The monstrosity of pure destruction rated at A+ headed towards motionless silver knight, promising to consume her in Mordred's rage.

Fenric's next words and action sent Mordred to further confusion and despair.

"This is the end of this story, Saber of Red." Not caring about the incoming attack, the white-haired woman simply summoned a golden scabbard and raised it before her. "Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia." The ultimate defense warded off Clarent easily as the blood red radiance simply passed through Rider of Black.

"I am fake? You are the fake one, so why don't you just die...?!" The sound barrier was broken once more, and Rhongomyniad easily passed through Mordred's chest. She grabbed the struggling Saber, and twisted the lance in her stomach while simultaneously destroying her spiritual core.

Yes, it was exactly like the legend when King Arthur used it in her final battle to kill Mordred. It is said that no matter the toughness of Mordred's armor, it amounted to nothing before the lance as it pierced her chest

"Rider of Black!" Ruler finally decided to step into the fray at that moment. This was too strange. She does not understand what's really happening, but she knew that the stakes Rider utilized earlier belonged to Lancer of Black.

"I order you! Halt your hostility." With a flash of red, a Command Spell was expended and the absolute command forced itself onto the silver knight. However- "What?" Jeanne widened her eyes when she discovered two similar flashes of red from Rider.

They weren't targeting her. They prevented Sisigou's last Command Seal which was Mordred's survival and escape. Not waiting any longer, Fenric kicked the bleeding Saber away and threw Rhongomyniad towards her. "...Brahmastra Kundala: O' Brahma, Curse Me!"

Within moments, the chaotic grassland turned into a fiery hell.