A Pitiful Monster

Three hours had passed since the fierce confrontation between the Black Faction and the Red Faction.

The sky had transitioned from dim twilight to deep black night, yet the battle on the battlefield remained intense. Both sides had truly ignited the flames of war, giving off an unmistakable impression of a fight to the death.

On the main battlefield swarming with the dragon tooth warriors and golems, there was a figure that seemed somewhat out of place.

A girl wearing a white wedding dress with metallic horns on her head, wielding a disproportionately large round hammer, was continuously pounding on countless dragon tooth warriors.

In this bizarre and chaotic Holy Grail War, Frankenstein felt a bit awkward.

Despite possessing the 'Mad Enhancement' of Berserker-class, her strength was comparatively weak among the Servants participating in this war. Whether she joined the fray or not, her impact on the battle remained minimal, rendering it impossible for her to influence the overall situation.

As a result, Vlad decided to assign her to deal with the dragon tooth warriors. After all, the round hammer she wielded, known as 'Bridal Chest', was a Noble Phantasm capable of continuously absorbing the surrounding magical energy to replenish her own magical energy, achieving an effect close to a perpetual motion machine.

This made her well-suited for prolonged battles.

However, just as Frankenstein meticulously pounded on the dragon tooth warriors, she caught a glimpse of a suspicious figure swiftly darting through the midst of the dragon tooth warriors.

When she turned her head, the figure had already disappeared into the woods.

"Hmm?" Frankenstein tilted her head.

The speed of that figure didn't seem like that of an ordinary human, but there was no Servant's aura on them.

'Could it be... a mage? But a mage showing up at a time like this can only mean a Master, right?'

—If you encounter any enemy Master, find a way to take him out!

Recalling the order given by the man with a terrifyingly pale and eerie complexion, Frankenstein's gaze immediately becomes resolute.

She continued to swing her hammer, smashing through the dragon tooth warriors along the way, relentlessly chasing after the mysterious figure.

Servants were Servants after all.

Although Frankenstein's agility wasn't outstanding, it had already far surpassed the maximum speed of ordinary humans. In just a few breaths, she covered a distance of several hundred meters and rushed into the woods.

At this moment, she suddenly noticed that the mysterious figure had stopped and turned to face her.

"It seems you're my opponent, Frankenstein... A pitiful monster born from humanity's pursuit of ideals. You were supposed to be a turning point, but the world abandoned you." 

The mysterious figure spoke with a gentle smile.

It was none other than Kotomine Shirou.

Frankenstein immediately halted her steps, lowered her posture, and growled softly.

'How did this man know my true name?'

Even her Master, Caules, was surprised when he saw her for the first time. It was not without reason since Frankenstein was commonly known to be male, a massive figure with a robust body.

It shouldn't be easy to deduce her identity based on appearances alone.

'Did he know me before this? No, that's highly unlikely.'

She was born in an era shrouded in mystery, barely qualifying as a recognizable time. The number of human heroes born during the same period as her was not many, and even if there were, she had never encountered them.

'Then, who leaked my true name?'

"Are you pondering something? Impressive. Despite being a Berserker, you can still maintain such a clear mind. It's truly incredible..."

Shirou said with an innocent smile, reaching out his hand toward Frankenstein.

"You know... I know a lot about you and understand you really well. That's why, how about joining me?"

"Grrr!" Frankenstein growled with caution, picking up broken twigs at her feet and tossing them toward Shirou.

"Looks like it didn't work out, huh..."

Shirou sighed lightly, swiftly throwing four long and slender rapier-like swords, known as Black Keys, from between his fingers toward her.

Swinging her hammer, Frankenstein smashed the oncoming Black Keys.

*Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!*

Although her appearance seemed delicate, she charged toward Shirou like a tank, reducing the distance between them to less than ten meters.

"Impressive."

Shirou praised with a casual expression, irritating Frankenstein even more.

'Just wait until I smash your face with my hammer; let's see if you can keep that carefree attitude.' Frankenstein thought with anger.

However, at that moment, she saw him suddenly clench his palm and declare something.

"I announce—Set!"

Frankenstein's heart trembled as she instinctively swung her hammer, rotating her body three hundred and sixty degrees.

*Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!*

The Black Keys, initially knocked away, unexpectedly flew back. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she might have been injured.

"Too bad..." Shirou shook his head regretfully.

'Is he talking to himself, or is he referring to me?'

As she thought like that, Frankenstein quickly shook off those unimportant thoughts and charged forward, unable to endure prolonged complex thinking.

"Well, looks like I need to be a little serious."

Shirou raised his hand high, and a weapon with boundless magical energy materialized.

Frankenstein halted her charge, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment as they locked onto the slender katana stored in its iron sheath.

With such massive magical energy in the katana, it undoubtedly revealed itself as a Noble Phantasm!

"This weapon was specially prepared for me by Caster. I hope it performs well, or else I won't be able to find anyone to return it to."

Shirou joked, flashed a smile, dashed forward, and swiftly pulled the katana from its sheath.

Instantly appearing in front of Frankenstein, Shirou lowered his stance and made a quick slash forward.

*Splurt—!*

Caught off guard, Frankenstein's chest was immediately cut open, a gash appeared, and vibrant blood stained her pure white wedding dress with crimson traces.