Hell

"Stop... Get back! Get back here, Berserk!!!!"

Kariya called him. Such a simple instruction should have been enough to reach him, but even so, the black knight did not answer. Instead, the amount of prana absorbed by Berserker's enthusiasm stimulated all the Worm Crests at the same time, and pain shot through Kariya's body.

"Berserk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

At that moment, Itsuki took the opportunity to approach Tamamo.

"We are leaving."

"Huh? Are we leaving already?"

"There's nothing else for us to do here, and I'm hungry. Besides, I don't want to keep Sakura waiting."

After hearing Itsuki's explanation and seeing that he was already leaving this place, completely ignoring the Berserker, Tamamo could only follow him before taking one last look at the Servants.

If Itsuki was ready to leave, it was only because he knew that they would meet the rest of the Servants at another time. Trusting Itsuki, Tamamo followed in his footsteps and left the place.

The others did not even notice when they left this place, as they turned their attention to someone else.

The pain made Kariya's voice sound more like a scream. He no longer even had the mental freedom to use the command seal. Engulfed in a torrent of agony, Kariya could only fully concentrate on maintaining his fading consciousness.

The black knight with the strength of a wild beast pounced on the asphalt. He only looked at Saber, with a dark desire to kill.

Naturally, Saber was ready. She immediately shifted her sword into a defensive stance.

Berserker was holding an iron pole over two meters long after it was cut off with both hands like a spear, putting terrible pressure on Saber's sword. But the most surprising thing was that this weapon was nothing more than an iron pole.

The Saber Sword hidden under Invisible Air was definitely the holiest of holy swords. It was the highest of the Noble Phantasms. There were no problems with a piece of metal picked up from the road.

The only thing that could rival Saber's sword with such power was another Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm. And still...

"...What?"

Suspended, Saber couldn't believe her eyes.

The iron pole in Berserker's hands was turning black. The black lines expanded and multiplied like the nerves of a leaf, invading an iron pillar.

The starting point was Berserker's two arms. Black lines sprawled across the pole like a web from where the black gauntlets held it.

It was Berserker's prana, prana smeared with bloodlust and hatred that only the black knight possessed. The iron pole received it as it penetrated his hands.

"You don't mean...!?"

Through her surprise, Saber realized the true nature of Berserker's Noble Phantasm.

Ryder, after careful observation, came to the same conclusion.

"...So that's what it is. When Blackie takes something, it becomes his Noble Phantasm."

Ryder chuckled in admiration. The Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit does not have to manifest through a characteristic object. Sometimes it can be a type of Noble Phantasm that manifests through a "unique ability" used by the Servant's body itself. This is exactly the case with Berserker.

And yet, what an amazing power it was. Berserker could at will steal the ghostly nobles thrown at him by Archer. Now they understood the terrifying lure. The moment Berserker's gloves grabbed one of them, Archer's Noble Phantasm passed to the black knight.

And it wasn't just that, even the fact that the common iron scrap was filled with huge prana, able to compete with other Phantasm Nobles when they fell into Berserker's hands. Unlike how the golden knight possessed numerous Noble Phantasms, Berserker's Noble Phantasm has no end.

If Itsuki hadn't intervened in Lancer's fight with Saber, right now she would have a wound on her wrist that would make her unable to fight in perfect condition against Berserker. She would be knocked down again and again, unable to defend herself against the black knight's brutal attacks.

But Berserker was still a strong opponent and possessed incredible skills. It was not easy for Arturia to gain an advantage over him.

Kiritsugu Emiya also noticed from afar that Saber was in the midst of a difficult battle. But with Kiritsugu's current equipment, he couldn't interfere in a duel between Servants.

If they even knew where Master Berserker was, maybe there would be ways to control it... But Kiritsugu couldn't see Master Berserker in any of his night vision goggles.

"...Maya, are you seeing this from your side?"

"No, I don't see."

Kiritsugu furrowed his brows when he heard Maya's reply. Kiritsugu and Maya's positions were indeed blind spots for each other. The reason they couldn't see the Master could be because Berserker's Master also considered his hiding place as his priority and didn't stay in a position where he could issue commands directly to his Servant.

It looks like the opponent's personality is even more cautious than Master Archer's. For Kiritsugu, compared to these talented but irritable magicians, magicians who don't show themselves are much more difficult to handle.

"...The situation doesn't look good..."

Just now, it was a duel between Berserker and Saber. In the middle of the two of them stood Ryder with all his potential. On a battlefield where only the strongest survive, the worst situation is to be at a disadvantage. At this point, with a little help from Berserker, they could easily defeat Saber.

And then eliminate the exhausted Berserker. It will be two birds with one stone. Rider can defeat two enemies with minimal prana consumption.

Kiritsugu aimed his rifle at the top of the crane again. The assassin in the skull mask was still sitting there. One moment of carelessness could cost Kiritsugu his life.

"...Crap."

Kiritsugu gritted his teeth but could only sit and wait.

However, something happened that surprised everyone present.

Berserk is gone.

Let's go back a few minutes early.

Itsuki left this place, followed by Tamamo, but he was on a certain path.

"This...!"

Tamamo was surprised when they saw him.

"Yes, Kariya Mato. Master of the Berserker."

The man was kneeling on the ground and hitting his head to keep from losing consciousness. His hands were full of blood, he probably hurt himself to keep from losing consciousness.

"What do we do?"

"Heal him."

On the orders of his master, Tamamo began, at her master's command, Tamamo began to heal Kariya's wounds with her healing skill, restoring his health for a few short moments.

After regaining consciousness, Kariya looked at Itsuki and the Servant who was treating him.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Kariya was afraid of this mysterious young man. He recognized him. He had seen him before along with his knight in the middle of the battle between Berserker and Archer. They must be the Master and his Servant.

Itsuki just smiled, scaring Kariya even more if he could.

Itsuki grabbed Kariya's neck with that hand, threatening to break it easily.

"Use the command seal on Berserker, order him to retreat."

"Good," Kariya croaked.

"By the way, I take good care of Sakura."