Chapter 8 - Back to Zero

Things sure went downhill fast.

You see, Saber and I were ready to fight against the giant Heart, our hearts set with grim determination to defeat the titanic 1 billion HP monstrosity. The first half minute went by fairly quickly, with us mostly testing out if our attacks even did any damage to the thing, and spoilers! Bullets from the [Thunderer] did a whopping 500, and Saber's sword strikes did 2000!

We both grimaced at out lack of visible damage, but things got worse when the Heart began to actually attack, spamming out several sharp fleshy tentacles and firing blasts made of all the evils of the world at us. Yeah, the thing's firing bits of Angra Mainyu at us!

Getting hit by said blast is uncomfortable at best, and mind-breaking at worst for me, but for Saber, one hit, and she'll start getting corrupted. With that in mind, I made it top priority for her to evade the blasts as best as she could, and only attack when there are no signs of evil energy blasts being readied.

Things took a turn for the horrific when ghastly humanoid beings made of the tainted mud began to sprout from all over the Heart's surface, flooding our battle area with mindless critters, critters that I can't kill. Saber can, since she's been blessed by the fae and has fookin' Excalibur in her hands, but I can't do anything to them, so I left cleaning duty to her while I took potshots at the giant Heart.

And, when things were bad enough, all remnant of hope flushed down the drain when a particularly angry and corrupted Hercules, his black skin pulsing with hundreds of red veins, came rushing out of the Heart when we took out 5 million of its HP and began targeting the weaker of us, meaning me.

Calling it an even fight would be a complete lie. I'm getting owned. The moment he almost came crashing down onto me, it's only because of my armor that I was able to survive the blast that came from his crash, and I lost a quarter of my full HP, just from him crashing next to me. He has 2 million HP, which is nothing compared to the Heart of the Grail, but unlike the Heart, Hercules has defence.

Which drops my [Thunderer]'s damage from 500 to a mere 100.

Fuck.

Which brings me to the present, currently running the hell away from Hercules while avoiding the grasping hands of the humanoid mud creatures. 'I can't keep going like this!' I grit my teeth as I quickly rocket up into the air, avoiding a massive downward smash Hercules made with his stone axe. I make several shots at the man as I hover my way to the side, resting my hand and feet onto the wall to rest my MP.

Then, out came a hand from the fleshy wall, made of tainted mud. Surprised, I moved too slow to get away, and it grasps my arm. Instantly, visions and emotions rush into my head, thoughts to kill and rape and curse and laugh and cry and-

A spark of pain snaps me out, one that I realize came from Berserker picking me up and throwing me all the way to the other side of the room. I get up, thankfully with no bones or joints broken, but with another quarter of my HP taken out.

Berserker roars and charges forward.

I grimace. Things aren't looking all that swell, and Saber, while okay for now, is clearly tired and frustrated. And if someone is too frustrated, it doesn't matter if they're king or the lowest of scum, they'll make a mistake.

'I need to change.'

Forgoing my previous plans, I flick the [Thunderer] over to my left hand and bring out the [Blade of Anarchy] into my right. A feeling of uncomfortable lightness fills my being as my stats take a huge leap, but it quickly fades, and I run forward to meet Hercules' attack. He swings his axe, and I swing my sword, and then,

Everything around me just explodes.

Torn pieces of flesh fly out and burn from the impact of our clashing attacks, and any nearby mud humanoids are sent flying away. Despite our seemingly even match, the damn guy's still much more powerful than I am, and I needed to reinforce my entire body at the last second to withstand the force the corrupted Berserker has.

Our weapons clash again, with no less force than before. Our previous cat and mouse game has turned into an all-out weapons brawl, with his stone axe facing against my flaming sword.

In the midst of all that, my instincts flare, and I quickly activate my pair of Mystic Eyes. The world slows, and I see possibilities of his movements, his arms overlapping over one another, carrying his stone axe and sending relentless strikes at godspeed. My eyes widen in recognition.

[Nine Lives], the technique Hercules is famous for using, a hundred slashes made with his stone axe at speeds surpassing the sound barrier. Though unable to be used at its strongest due to him being summoned as a Berserker, it is still a powerful technique, more akin to a wild dance than any normal swordsmanship, and something I definitely don't want to end up facing.

I leap back, bursting at extreme speeds from a combination of [Sprint], [Reinforcement], and my prana jets before boosting up into the sky to avoid his Noble Phantasm. Thankfully, I evade just in time to escape unscathed.

But my Mystic Eyes aren't only to help me dodge,

It's also to help me learn.

"Hyaaa!" Landing back down, visible shock appears on Hercules' face as several tens of strikes are dealt with my blade. He manages to block some of them, but, unlike me, he doesn't have prana jet propulsions to boost him away from the rest. Where my swords hit his body, blood lashes out as my flaming blade carves a wound on his black and red skin.

[Due to certain actions, you have gained the skill [Nine Lives]!]

But it isn't perfect. The slashes don't quite hit the exact spots I wanted them to hit, and those that hit made wounds too shallow to impact him. And the after effect of the technique is…painful, to say the least. Twisting and moving my arm so much in one instance hurt like absolute hell, but it isn't quite enough to distract me from Hercules' incoming axe from above. I quickly bolt away, a combination of my jet propulsions, [Sprint], and my reinforcement making me fast enough to avoid his swift and powerful attack.

I quickly place back my sword into my Inventory and begin working on my arm.

Several seconds after that is spent avoiding his axe while I get my arm back to being functional, and after a bunch of prodding and pushing, I manage to do so, though with the side bonus of giving me another whole bucket of pain.

With my rejuvenation over, I summon the [Blade of Anarchy] back into my right hand and resume our bout, completely ignoring the fact that my right arm is bruised and bloody, both from my attempt to fix it and from reinforcing it with a bit too much prana. My legs are the same, cracked and running with blood, but not to the same extent as my right arm.

Now, it's currently all good and stuff, but,

[HP: 1864/9200]

My HP's not doing so good, and it's bleeding out by the second, while Hercules is…well,

[HP: 1.566.800/2.000.000]

Yeah, this truly is bad, isn't it?

Pushing past my pain, I continue our battle, clashing my sword against his axe, sending shockwaves out across the area. As our battle stretches on and my HP drops, my Mystic Eyes continue to gather knowledge, both from this fight and from the axe Hercules currently wields. Knowledge of battle moves into my brain. Memories of unfamiliar experiences flashes by in my mind. Arts of sword he applies to his axe filters into my mind.

And my [Gamer] system quickly works to implement them.

[[Sword Mastery] has leveled up x16!]

[[Sprint] has leveled up x14!]

[[Nine Lives] has leveled up x19!]

Despite this, the path to victory is still shrouded, and I know that my right arm can barely handle a single use of [Nine Lives], let alone two. Heck, the technique I unleashed earlier wasn't even the full extent of this skill!

I can't beat Berserker in power, or in endurance, or even in speed. My body is smaller than his, and my body isn't used to battling up so close.

Then I'll just have to win with skill.

I swing my sword forward, but before our weapons can meet, I place my blade back into my inventory and let the stone axe move forward. I leap up to avoid the blast his axe created on impact, and with his axe still on the floor, I bring my sword back out and swing it down.

A berserker he may be, but not even his madness can cloud his skills. Seeing my attack, he lets go of his axe and bends backward, letting my sword hit his chest instead before he rears back up and sends a powerful punch towards me. I quickly propel myself out of the way with the prana jets on my feet. Then, once more coloring Hercules' face with shock, I rocket back down, and returning my weapons into my inventory, I take hold of the stone axe. I swiftly bring the large weapon into my inventory, causing the jagged stone construct to shatter into shards of light and move into me.

[You have gained [Nameless Axe-Sword]!]

But as shocked as Hercules was, it didn't shock him enough to rush forward, grab me by the leg and fling me at sonic speeds. The speed is lessened slightly as I feel my back impact something metallic, something I soon recognize as armor, but it doesn't help soften the impact I suffered.

[HP: 543/9200]

Holy hell that hurt.

But I quickly pull Saber away from the wall, knowing that those hands of tainted mud are ready to come out at any time. "Sorry about that." I say with a weak smile, though it shifts to confusion once I notice the horror in Saber's expression as she looks at me. Weird, why is she looking at me like that? Is something wrong-

…oh, right. My body's bleeding from basically everywhere.

"Tsunaka-san…" She whispers, tracing a finger over my right arm. I wince at the sudden stab of pain, and she swiftly retracts her hand and apologizes. "I'm…well, not fine, but I'm not dead." I say, waving my hand nonchalantly. The worry in her eyes doesn't fade, but she smiles slightly. "At least you're not delirious."

Any future small talk is cut off when a loud bestial roar resounds from the distance, coming from a fairly angry Hercules. He's about to charge, and I was ready to meet him, but then I noticed the sheer number of mud humanoids around us.

"There's still more of these guys?"

"Yes." Saber says, frustration bleeding into her voice as she readies her Excalibur. "It's particularly annoying to know that my [Invisible Air] doesn't work on them." She glares at the mindless critters for a moment, before Berserker's charge begins, and she readies herself to meet him.

But I quickly stop her. "Saber, can you fight using other weapons?" I ask, and she raises an eyebrow at me. "…Yes. Why do you ask?" Good. So she can use other weapons. "Can you use a bastard sword?"

"Yes?" She says, still confused as to what I'm trying to get. "Good. Lend me Excalibur for a moment. You can use this." I say as I bring out the [Blade of Anarchy] and place it in front of her. She looks conflicted, clearly unwilling to part with the weapon she's trusted her life to, but Berserker is getting closer, and Saber finally relents with a sigh. "…Very well. Please don't break it." With those words, Saber gives her sword to me, picks mine up and charges forward to fight Berserker.

Taking a deep breath, I rocket myself up into the air to avoid the mud humanoids below. As I keep watch for any potential evil energy beams, I begin analyzing the Divine Construct, pushing through the massive headaches and trying to take a certain aspect of the legendary blade.

After all, Excalibur is a construct that transforms magical energy into destructive light.

But the blade doesn't give hold so easily. It being a Divine Construct made of the fae and only to be wielded by those it chooses sure doesn't make it easy for me to analyze. We even play a little game of tug of war, with Excalibur trying to make me drop her by searing my hand while I continue to prod deeper into its powers. Sadly, I think the damn sword burnt through some of the nerves in my palm, since I can't actually feel anything from it.

But against my Mystic Eyes, it finally relents, and I can retrieve a small piece of its mystery. With a sigh, I carry my prana back into my magic circuits and let my [Gamer] system do all the heavy lifting.

[Due to certain actions, you have gained the skill [Attribute Enchant: Holy]!]

Yep, here it is!

Using my Mystic Eyes to mark every single mud humanoid in the area, I create several hundred bullets of prana and enchant them with holy energy before I let them fly at their intended targets. I watch with glee as the mud humanoids exploded as my bullets hit them, turning into shapeless mud before sinking back into the wriggling flesh around us. My glee doesn't last long though, since I can feel the turbulence my stunt is causing.

"Sa…ber…!" I choke out and throw Excalibur at her before losing any semblance of strength and falling down. I don't quite know if Saber heard me or not, but since I don't hear the sword impact the fleshy ground, then I'll assume she's got both Excalibur and my sword right now.

That's…good.

'Ah…shit.' One simply doesn't take in something from a Divine Construct. It's called divine for a reason, ya know? I knew that, knew that well, hell, even Excalibur was blocking me because of that, but I pushed on, killed all the mud humanoids currently in the area, fell down, and now…

Now, I feel like-, no, I am being torn apart. I feel hot and cold, light and heavy, pained and numb and everything else in between. Kinda hard to explain, but I basically feel like I'm being put through a meat grinder.

Damn it, why didn't I get [Gamer's Body]!? Fuck the notion of it 'not being fun'. I'm dying here!

But I soon fall unconscious, and my curses go unheard.

.....................

"When I was little, I wanted to be a hero of justice." The man begins slowly, looking up towards the cloudless night sky. The boy next to him frowns. "Wanted? Did you give up?"

"Un. It's unfortunate, but…" He stops for a moment, hunching forward slightly as he stifles down a cough. The boy moves to help, but he waves him away. "Being a hero is a limited offer. When you grow up, it gets hard to call yourself one."

"But…do you still want to be one?" The man looks at the boy by his side, and he winces, seeing the child-like determination those golden eyes of his held. "…To save a life is to condemn another. To save a man you must end another." He closes his eyes. "I…I've followed those ideals, and…I'm…"

He doesn't finish, but the boy understands. Young he may be, but he's seen what he means, seen just what horrors the man has gone through. He was born from that fire, where people were swallowed up by the flames, calling out to him, their hands reaching towards him, crying, begging for him to save them.

The man beside him has followed the path of his ideals, and it led to who he is now.

"I can't…" His thoughts are cut short as Kiritsugu continues to speak. "On my path, how many have I left behind? How many have I killed?" Shirou wanted to ask what he meant, but the man didn't seem to notice. "I couldn't save them all." He lets out a small laugh. It sounds broken, tired, weak. Shirou can't help but wince. "Shirley, Natalia…" He grits his teeth. "Iri…"

"No." He finally snaps out, and Kiritsugu turns to his adopted son. Shirou looks back at his father, his lips set to a thin line. "No. You did save someone." The man moves to speak, but Shirou quickly continues. "You saved me."

The man is struck silent, his eyes wide open. "You said you're too old to be a hero." Shirou says, before he smiles. "Then I'll be a hero of justice."

"…I see." The man takes a deep breath, savoring it, as if it was the first time he'd ever felt the clean air. "I see." He smiles and laughs gently, no longer strained.

"I…I can be at peace now."

Shirou smiles, even as tears streak down from his eyes. "Yeah. You can rest, dad."

Kiritsugu takes his final breath.

..................

Shirou didn't know why he recalled that moment, but…that night was the only time he ever cried. That night, he'd lost a father, and the ideal he held was passed onto him.

But what truly is a hero? Someone who saves? Someone who's strong? Someone who protects? Someone who fights off evil?

No, he mentioned three people, three names he's unfamiliar with. "He couldn't save them all." His dad had said then. He didn't know of them, but they were clearly important people to him.

He knows heroes aren't the grandiose figures stories made them out to be. Heroes are born from conflict, from wars, battles they had to fight and win. They had enemies they needed to slay, castles to raid, countries to destroy. He may be exalted as a hero in one country, but in the other, he is portrayed as a demon.

To save a life is to condemn another. To save a man you must end another.

What is justice then? What is righteous?

He doesn't have an answer to that, but he doesn't need to. The ideal Kiritsugu carried is flawed, broken, and will only end with pain.

But that is fine.

Then stand.

He recalls the burst of terror Saber felt, and he knows he can't stay here any longer. Slowly, he begins to stand up. His muscles are sore, crying for rest, but he ignores them. The lethargy in him weighs him down, but he pushes past them.

His determination wells, rising like a torrent of flames, as energy thumps within his soul, powering his very being.

What is a hero?

He remembers Kiritsugu and his soft laughter. He remembers Saber and her gentle smiles. He remembers Tsunaka and her boisterous cheeriness.

Honestly, the answer's obvious, isn't it?

Someone who fights to protect what he has.

In that moment, the light within him shines ever brighter, lighting the area around him as his body is wrapped by a gentle golden light. The limbs he worn out rejuvenates, the magic circuits he overused heals, the od he used up fills back in, and all feelings of pain and weakness seem to melt away as a soft warmth brushed him, like the feeling of sunlight touching his skin.

Strength regained, he reinforces his legs, and with a resounding kick he runs. He cared not that his sword is no more, nor the fact Okita's haori had once more emerged over him, this time fully corporeal in form. He runs, and as he approaches the end of the tunnel of flesh, guided by Saber's connection, he jumps forward and into the swirling black portal.

His body is twisted, spun, torn and remade, but he ignored them. Even as he plunged face first into the fleshy floor, he ignored the feeling, any disgust burnt away as he looked around.

Tsunaka is on the ground, bleeding, unconscious.

Saber is fighting, being pushed back, the mismatched swords in her hands being her only protection.

The corrupted Berserker rushed forward, his fist being swung downwards.

'Her footing is wrong. She'll trip and get his axe will hit.'

The psyche that came from Assassin says, but they blur into an incoherent static, then drowned by the beating of his heart. Time seems to slow, and as his fist continues to descend, Saber takes a step back, and she slips. Her face twists in surprise, then into horror as she fails to regain a steady footing. Her arms flail, and her center is open to attacks.

Excalibur shines, and he rushes forward. He crosses their distance in an instant, with speeds far beyond any he's ever traveled in, and guided by the resounding warmth in his soul, he raises his hand towards the fist.

For we shall wait forever, for the king to come to rest in that ever distant utopia.

"[AVALON]!"

Light shines from his palm, seeming to form a dome around him and his servant. Berserker's fist makes contact, and not even a second later he is pushed back, the strike countered, and all the force it carried reflected back at him with higher force, easily shattering right through the Berserker's entire hand. Even then, the reflected force is strong enough to knock him right back onto the other side of the room, caving the fleshy wall right in.

"S-Shirou, t-that was…!"

He turns, and seeing her astonishment, simply smiles. "You said you are my sword. Then, I'll be your sheath." She remains there for a moment, wide-eyed and shocked, but she soon recovers and stands up, smiling back at him. "…Very well." She places down Tsunaka's bastard sword and places both hands on Excalibur, falling back into a stance he'd become quite familiar with. "We can save the questions for later. For now, let's end this, shall we, master?"

'Alright~! Let's do this!'

'Use us as the situation demands it.'

"Yeah." Just like his haori, the [Kojiki Kiyomitsu] magically appears in his hands. Where it came from, he didn't know, but that holds no current significance. With a small smile, he grips the blade and pulls his arms back. "Let's do this."

Escaping from the wall, Berserker roars, the red veins across his body pulsing. He takes a step back, and he charges forward.

And the master and servant move to meet him.

Saber meets his attacks upfront, batting his punches away and countering any openings to keep him from moving. Shirou, now faster with the [Coat of Oaths] fully materialized, weaves and moves all around the large Berserker, small yet deep thrusts at certain vital points of his body.

Shirou thrusts deep into the back of Berserker's knee, just as he sees the red veins pulsing and moving erratically. "Saber!" He calls out, his intent transferred through their link, and Saber nods from the other side. She bats a punch away, and aiming her sword at his chest, she jumps slightly and pushes her arms forward, throwing a powerful gust of wind at his chest, and pushing her back and away.

Shirou creates one more wound on Berserker's spine before he quickly leaps away, just in time to see him shout a bestial roar, the veins across his body bursting with heat, burning and pulverizing everything in a small radius around him.

'He is winded. His shoulders are sagged.' With a deep breath, he leaps forward at high speeds, and then he leaps again. The distance he made from Berserker is crossed in an instant and he cocks back his arms to ready his Noble Phantasm.

But Hercules spins around to meet him, a punch ready to be thrown. His arm moves forward, fist aimed right at the redhead's head, but, perhaps inspired by his last battle, he swerves his body forward and slams his forehead onto the fist, knocking Hercules' arm slightly downwards and him up. He stabs his katana down, and moved by his momentum, the blade is dragged forward and creates a bloody line across Berserker's arm.

He stops himself from flying off, using his katana as an anchor, and to finish off, he sends a powerful thrust down his shoulder before leaping off. Berserker roars and readies to follow, only to realize he isn't moving. He looks down, and sees both his legs bleeding heavily, paralyzed from the many thrusts Shirou made across them. He quickly attempts to sear them close, but Saber slides in between his legs and slashes his left leg, severing the tendon within it.

Shirou closes in, but Berserker quickly intercepts by throwing a powerful punch, sending a blast of wind. Shirou is forced to bring his katana up to block, causing the force of the blast to send him flying back, but not before throwing his katana, sending it flying towards the Berserker's right leg and stabbing right into a wound he'd previously made.

Hercules roars, enraged, and bends to leap forward.

Then, something snaps.

Both his legs are torn apart from the sudden movement, bones and flesh ripped apart as he falls forward. He tries to lift himself up, but right arm sags back down, his shoulder unresponsive due to Shirou's precise thrust, stabbing right through the joint. He tries with his other arm, but Saber quickly pins him down, before stabbing her Excalibur into his shoulder before yanking it out, sending a whip of ashen red blood into the air.

With this, Berserker is completely immobilized.

"You've gotten…brutal, Shirou." Saber can't help but comment, watching as her master retrieves his katana. "…Un." He merely hums, accepting yet not comfortable in explaining. Seeing that, any further questions she cooked up is stored, and she looks back to the downed Berserker.

Shirou looks to him as well, before the two turn to look at each other. No words are said, but their intent is clear, and their hearts are set as one.

It's time to end this.

"Saber!" He jumps up, angling himself down and cocking his arms back, aiming his blade right at Hercules' heart. Saber leaps to follow, stopping right behind him, and using her sword as a bat, she strikes with her sword's face at Shirou's feet, sending him blasting downwards, his speed further boosted by a last second jump from her blade.

His grip tightens, and calling out the name of his Noble Phantasm, three thrusts are sent at a single instance.

"[Mumyou Sandan-Zuki]!" Blood flies out as his sword plunges into the corrupted Berserker's chest, blowing through the blackened skin and stabbing right into his heart. The organ beats for a few more moments, before the loss of blood ceases its function, and its life is lost. Silently, he pulls his sword back out, staining his clothing with the blood that flew out.

But, even after all that, he isn't done.

The veins pulses erratically, wriggling across the Berserker's skin as the torn limbs begin to knit itself. The heart he pierced rebuilds itself, and it begins to beat once more.

"SHIROU!" It was too late. The Berserker had begun to rise, and she was still in the air. Even if she used [Invisible Air] to push herself down towards it, she wouldn't make it in time. Fear pumped through her being, freezing her in place.

But perhaps it was that fear that made her forget why her master is so different from the rest.

Shirou doesn't panic, instead raising the [Kojiki Kiyomitsu] up into the air. It flickers, disappearing, before it is replaced by another katana, this one much longer, almost as long as a washing pole. Her eyes widen, shocked, for she knew what that blade was. She'd pitted her own blade against it, fought against the wielder back in the real world.

The [Monohoshi Zao], blade of Assassin.

'Where did he-!?' Her thoughts are then cut off when her master takes a step forward, and he swings the sword. Three slashes are made, created at the same moment, aiming at a single point. His arms seem to blur, merging with two other copies, before the three swings make contact, cutting through the back of Berserker's rising neck. The slashes aren't deep, failing to sever the thick muscles, but the attack is sudden, and the beast is momentarily shocked.

"SABER!" His shout echoes through the area, snapping Saber out of her shock. "[TAKE HIM DOWN]!" The command seals on the back of his hand shine, the command sent to the servant, and Saber swiftly moves to act upon it. She thrusts her sword upwards, using the blast of wind it sent as a thruster to send her down. She holds her sword behind her head, and empowered by the command, she slashes down as she makes impact onto the ground.

Wind blasts outwards, ashen red blood splatters all over, and a few moments of silence follows before Berserker's decapitated head falls and rolls over across the fleshy ground.

Saber lets go of the breath she'd been holding, her head drooping slightly as the adrenaline in her system fades away. But,

"…It's over." All the worry and fear washes away as she watches the decapitated head begin to glow, breaking apart and fading into particles of gold, before finally disappearing. "…Yeah, it is." Shirou finally says, before he smiles in relief.

Though the fight may be over, one more enemy remains. Both of them know, and both know that even their combined strengths will not be enough to take down the giant Heart of the Grail. Their smiles disappear, their hearts set with solemn determination, and they nod at one another. Shirou quickly moves to the unconscious Tsunaka, gently carrying her up and moving to the back of the area, though making sure not to touch the wall as Saber advices.

Saber stands in front of the two, her back facing them, and her sword held forward, aimed at the last remaining obstacle in their path.

Seeing her, standing there, Shirou wanted to do…something, anything. After all, things couldn't just end like this, could it?

But he banishes those thoughts, and bring up his left arm, he says his final two commands.

"[Saber, with everything you have, unleash your Noble Phantasm]"

Slowly, she raises her sword, and she closes her eyes. Sprites of golden light begin to rise around her, lightning the area and burning away any mud humanoids currently existing. The steel blade glows a brilliant yellow, its light stronger than the sun will ever shine in its life. The light ascends, filling the room, and burning away the taint the plagued the grail. The tainted mud, the flesh, and the heart begin to burn away, its essence being cleansed by the empowered light.

Shirou swallows the lump in his throat, and shakily, with one last command remaining, he shouts.

"[Saber…with everything you have," Tears begin to flow freely, but he pushes through. "DESTOY IT]!"

He needn't say any more words, for no more are needed. Furiously, he wipes away the tears in his eyes, resolute on watching Saber's first and final Noble Phantasm.

Silently, holding back the tears in her eyes and the feelings in her heart, she takes a step forward. Her will and Shirou's command merge as one, granting her power far beyond any she's ever felt. She roots herself in place, and invoking the name of her Noble Phantasm, she swings.

There was no shouting needed,

For victory shall shine the brightest.

Forever.

"[EXCALIBUR]"

The pillar of light follows, crashing down upon the Heart of the Grail, and in that instant, a shrieking scream sounds, before it's drowned out by the chime of the falling light. Shirou's eyes are blinded, and he's forced to close them as the Noble Phantasm is launched.

Then, as the searing heat dies to a comforting warmth, he opens his eyes.

The Heart is no more, the walls of flesh around him are burning and falling apart,

And Saber is no longer there.

Shirou stares at where she once stood, pondering and hoping, but the floor under him collapses, and he falls. Closing his eyes, he holds Tsunaka close, and lets himself go.

…................

[Prana overload is imminent. Drastic measures must be taken]

[Executing…]

…................

[You have rested on a bed, but your injury remains. HP, MP, and stamina partially recovered! Injuries must be healed for full recovery]

...I'm…wait, what…?

Did…Did I die when I fell unconscious? That's-, no, last time that happened this notification didn't pop up, so I…didn't die? Damn, that sounds even more outlandish than dying. To make it weirder, I'm sleeping…on a bed?

It's then that I finally notice where I am.

I'm neatly laid down on a white bed, a hospital bed in fact. As expected of a hospital room, the surrounding walls are white, and so are the tiled floors. The single light on the ceiling isn't active, though the small table lamp by his bed's side is. The windows are closed shut and the binds are down and covering it, but I can see glimpses of the night sky outside.

I'm back on the earth, out of that tainted Heart of the Grail.

I survived.

Reality sinks in, and I can't help but let tears of relief flow. I lived from that insane ordeal, survived a scenario I can't even begin to imagine. I'm beginning to understand just how…beautiful this normal world looks, especially after I survived…that perversion of a Holy Grail War.

I sigh, closing my eyes, content in just enjoying the fact that I'm alive.

Then other questions begin to creep into my mind, and all the relief I felt earlier is quickly washed away. Cracking an eye open, and my Mystic Eye activates, delving into the history of the current place I'm in, and just like any other 'deep analyzing' I previously did using my Mystic Eyes, the burden it gives on my poor aching head is not comfortable. Still, I continue delving further in, trying to see if where I am, and if I'm in the Nasuverse, if anything's different to the usual canon.

To my surprise,

[Miki City]

A fairly large city at the Southern-West side of Japan. It's a humble, modest setting, without much going on.

It is currently the year 1994 and you are currently in a public hospital after several people found you and Shirou on the streets, hurt and unconscious. They speculate you to be victims of the nefarious serial killer currently in town, but only you two know the real reason.

1994…? That…That means that I'm about when Fate/Zero starts, which means I'll be facing the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Which means I traveled back in time.

How the fuck did that happen?

Well, it's obvious that I won't be getting any answers by pondering, so I'll just store that question for a later date. For now…well, I don't actually know what to do. I want to check up on Shirou, who I can magically hear in the room across mine, but I can barely lift my legs. My right arm's in the same situation, but worse, since unlike my legs, I can't feel it.

I sigh again, irritated this time, since if there's something I hate, it's not being able to move. Maybe it's the recent bombastic events influencing me, but I just can't stand not doing anything.

But! Just before I can truly sink into depression, my [Gamer] system comes to the rescue!

[A new update has been implemented. [Gamer Ver.1.1] has been implemented. All previous stats and items have been transferred over]

[New changes include: [Rank B Materials can now be bought!], [Item restrictions], [Skill Book restrictions], [Gacha has been removed!], [Craft Essences can now be bought in the [Shop]!], [Rank C Craft Essences can now be bought!], [Monster Subspecies have been added!]]

[Note: Further updates will be implemented if issues are discovered]

[Good Luck, [Gamer]]

Yep! I can now buy Rank B Materials now! Ooh~, am I excited~! I can just imagine reforging the two spears of Diarmuid and maybe even fix Atalanta's bow! Her boar hide is still out of the question though, since I'll need to polish up my sewing skill.

The [Item] and [Skill Books] restrictions are a pain, since that means I won't be able to use something that's too heavy or powerful for me to wield.

On that note, I don't have the [Blade of Anarchy] anymore. Can't quite ask Saber to return it to me now that I'm in the past now, can I?

Well, on the bright side, at least that gives me an excuse to use the broken shards of Diarmuid's spear, so that's something!

Also, no more Gacha! Good, 'cause Gacha is bad civilization!

So, throughout the night, I spent my time surfing through the newly updated [Item Shop].

...................

The next day, a nurse of the public hospital comes in, expecting to monitor the condition of the unconscious girl they brought in, only to see said girl sitting up, looking blankly at nothing before seeming to snap out of her reverie and turn to her. "Uh…hi?" She says with an awkward wave.

She immediately rushes out and calls the doctor, only to get another shocker when he diagnosed her as her limbs being 'too injured to move', while any problems they initially detected in her body has vanished without a trace. It's amazing as it is confusing, and the girl doesn't provide any sort of knowledge as to how that's possible.

Her name is Hanami, surname unknown. She doesn't seem to remember much apparently, aside from the boy with auburn hair at the room across from this one. They seem to be close, judging from her relief when she learned that he's mostly unharmed, and the frown when she came to know that he hasn't awoken to this day.

Then, she asks whether she can visit him. The doctor obviously says no, but Hanami is adamant, and after a full minute of hard staring, he finally relents and asks her to bring a wheelchair.

With a wheelchair, she returns to the room. Gently lifting the girl from her bed, they move Hanami over onto the wheelchair. After a lengthy session of what she can and cannot do, the doctor sighs and leaves for another patient, muttering something about 'persistent brats' or something.

Since the poor girl can't use her right arm (she actually tried to wheel the chair herself, only to realize that she can't and ask her. It's kind of adorable actually), the nurse is the one to push her out the room and into her friend's. There, as she remembered several days ago, the redhaired boy sleeps silently, the heart monitor on his right beating in rhythm and the IV stand on his left supplying him with his needed nutrients.

"Shirou…" She hears Hanami say, her voice a mix of relief, fear, and…something. She isn't quite sure, but it's clear the girl is very close to the boy, Shirou. She wheels Hanami closer to his bed as per her request. "You're okay…" There, she places her left hand on his, a gentle smile blooming on her face.

It was an adorable little scene, one she couldn't help but watch with a smile.

"By the way, Hanami-chan, want to have some breakfast?" The girl looks up to her and blinks, before her stomach decides to make itself known and groans loudly. Her cheeks burn a ripe red. "A-Ah, t-that'll be nice…uh…"

"Ah! My name's Watanabe Akari. Just call me Akara, Hanami-chan."

"Oh, uh, yeah, that'll be nice, Akari-san." Akari smiles, before pushing the girl out towards the cafeteria.

..................

Several days have passed since I first woke up.

And I'm. So. BORED!

First, it's the 1990's, so there isn't much technology around. 'Course, there's still TV and stuff, but my neck hurts from staying still and watching too much. Second, this is a public hospital, so they're not offering any entertainment devices, not like they have any though. Last but not least, I'm stuck in a wheelchair, and I can't use magecraft without being suspicious.

Ku~, how I can't wait to heal!

But this relative peace has given me time to consider my plans though. 'What do I want to do when the war's over?' Is a question I pondered for many hours, a question I don't really want to answer. But now that I'm on the eve of the Fourth war, the answer's become obvious, ain't it?

I'll survive, just like I have before. It won't be easy, and I won't be arrogant to say that I know how this war works now.

Because,

[Element: Null]

[Origin: Change]

Wherever I go, things will stray from their intended path.

After all, that strange gift had said it, right?

"May you never be bound by fate ever again."

Heh, it actually almost knocked me back into a coma when I started to dive into myself using my Mystic Eyes. Akari said that my body nearly entered a vegetative state, and that, while I was diving, my brain nearly shut down multiple times. In retrospect, it sounds stupid and incredibly dangerous to do something like that, but I was bored, okay!?

On another interesting note, what the hell does [Null] mean? Does that mean I'm average in all? Or I can't use elemental magic at all? Or something else entirely?

I'll have to experiment on that one.

My origin though…it's, well, as like any origin in the Nasuverse, complicated, though that might be understating it. The problem with 'Change' is the fact that it's not a tangible thing, like Shirou's 'Sword'. I understand that whatever I do will change the course of fate, but how? In what ways? How big is the influence? Does it only work on fate, or on other things as well, like people or whatnot?

Sadly, I'll need a specialist to answer those questions, and seeing that I'm currently disabled, well…yeah, that isn't happening anytime soon.

That all aside however, I'm currently in Shirou's room, sitting by his bedside as I idly watched the TV across the bed, occasionally changing channels when one gets too boring. Sighing, I turn to look at Shirou, still asleep. I can only sigh, remembering that not even using her Mystic Eyes can reveal why he's still asleep. That, and I don't really want to journey into his soul after what happened last time.

"Hanami-chan, why don't we have lunch?" A gentle voice sounds from my left, one I realize belongs to Akari, who's been poking me in the cheek. "Sure." She nods with a smile. Turning off the TV, I say my goodbyes to Shirou before she begins to push me towards the cafeteria.

You see, I'd actually asked if she was even allowed to take care of me so often. It's obviously not okay for a nurse to spend hours just tending to a single patient, but the doctor allowed it, since their hospital isn't currently all that busy. Of course, then I asked why she was taking so much time to care for me. She didn't answer, but the sad smile she had when she heard that gave me enough ideas to grasp the picture.

Anyways, Akari's…kinda like a big sister to me. She spoils me, cares for me, and she'll help me do something when I ask for it. It's a…foreign experience, but not a bad one.

Heck, she even asked me to call her 'Akari-nee-san', but I don't feel quite comfortable enough to do that.

(But I did call her that one misty morning, and the happy squeal she made resounded throughout the hospital.)

"We're here, Hanami-chan." I blink out of my thoughts to see that we've arrived at our destination, a plain-looking room with several rows of tables at the middle, with food stalls at the side to purchase food from, well, unless you're a patient that is.

"Curry and rice again?" I nod, and she smiles, before pushing me behind one of the tables and goes to order my desired food. She returns shortly with a steaming plate of curry, topped with beef katsu, diced potatoes and chives, and several karaage. "I seriously think you should start eating something else, Hanami-chan. It's been…4 days? And all you've eaten for lunch is this."

"It's the best one." I say simply, and Akari sighs. With a smile, I begin to take spoons of the stuff while I enjoy myself in the relaxed atmosphere, listening and occasionally replying back when Akari spoke.

After my lunch is fully eaten, I'm wheeled back into my room. Gently, I'm carried up and placed back on my hospital bed, before Akari leaves to finish her remaining duties for the day. Slumping back onto my pillow, I slowly turn to reach for the TV remote on the cabinet by my bedside.

But a sudden cold chill creeps up my spine, and my hand jerks forward, knocking the remote down onto the floor and out of my reach.

I curse silently to myself, before turning my head up to the ceiling and closing my eyes. That chill was a warning, a sign of…something. I'm not quite sure a warning for what, but…

Whatever it is, it's close.

With that very comforting thought, I fall to a deep sleep.

................

[You have rested on a bed, and your injury has fully healed. HP, MP, and stamina fully recovered!]

Nice! I may not have [Gamer's Body], but at least my Vitality's high enough to heal my limbs from their destroyed selves.

But my limbs are all sore and weak, since I haven't used them for around a week or two. Sucks, but I'll manage with [Reinforcement].

Hearing no one approaching, I tear off the casts around my injured limbs and pull away the blanket over me. I pump my od into my limbs, and slowly, with the speed of a cranky old man, I begin to move from the bed. A good minute later, I'm off the bed, leaning onto the railing on my hospital bed for support.

I let go of the railing and begin to walk around the room, stumbling and nearly falling flat onto my face as I got my legs used to walking again. While I do that, I have my right hand tap the remote I picked up earlier to rebuild my finesse over it. My left arm's left empty, acting as a backup in case I happen to fall or stumble.

If someone sees me right now, they'd probably think I'm doing some weird ritual or something.

Once I feel the strength in my legs return, I deactivate my [Reinforcements] on them, which leads me to bonking my head against the wall. Thankfully, it's night right now so I didn't really disturb anyone.

I stand back up and steady myself, which turns out to be a much tougher job than I initially expected, but it got better over time as I return to my ritual of walking around the room. My right hand's all sore from all that button-pushing, but, as expected from human biology, tapping buttons over the course of ten minutes or so isn't going to completely cure my muscle atrophy.

But hey! At least I'm able to somewhat hold the remote without it shaking like a rusty car engine!

Or a vibrator.

…where did that thought come from?

Anyways, as I said earlier, it's night right now, no one's awake, and I'm (somewhat) capable of walking around.

It's time to grind, boys!

"Alright, alright…which to pick…" I say as I bring up my [ID:Create], only to sadly realize that there's only one dungeon that really fits my current level, since it's recommended for me to be level 40 before going into the [Reave Jungles], and as much of a battle junky I've become, I'm not suicidal enough to go in and check out the enemies there.

'[Forest Dungeon] it is!' With a shaky finger, I call out the dungeon's name and let my [System] do the rest. Instantly, the room begins to shake, vines break and creep into the room, and flora begins to sprout out of the cracked concrete.

Looking out the window, the newly transformed city looks like something from an apocalypse, where humanity is long gone and nature has made the city its domain. The roads and buildings are old and cracked, with vines and large roots growing through it. Overall, the entire thing paints a stunning picture, especially coupled with the eternally setting sun, casting its warm orange light across the skies and down over the earth.

It actually reminds me of that one anime where the main character can edit himself…or something. Can't quite remember it clearly.

With the ID fully materialized, I bring out the [Thunderer] and begin my slow and shaky descent down the hospital, walking close to the wall with the [Thunderer] in my left hand, ready to be fired.

Good thing I did that, 'cause this thing decided to make itself known.

[Poisonous Bloatfly Lv 25]

HP: 12000/12000

MP: -

Stamina: -

A giant fly with a gland filled with poison. Despite being a fly, it has fangs that it secretes its poison upon biting. That, and it's pretty hard to take this thing seriously with how it just looks like someone stuffed a bunch of stuff into a fly to make it fat.

And it's still able to fly with those tiny wings. Physics everyone!

The moment it popped up from around the corner, I drilled the fat thing with three flaming bullets, killing and burning its lifeless body into a crisp.

[You have killed a Poisonous Bloatfly. Gained 1.500 Exp!]

[You have gained a Poison Gland]

I stare at its ashes for a few more seconds, before deciding to move on, making my way down the stairs and into the main lobby of the hospital, which, just like the rest of this place, is overtaken by roots and flora of all kinds, and also infested with more of those fat poisonous flies.

There's more than 20 of them, but, thankfully, they can't spit out poison and stuff, since that'll make the encounter much more annoying. As it is, all I needed to do is aim my gun and fire at them, while creating other prana bullets to fire if one happens to come too close. They all fell and burned away like…well, flies.

Although one of the bloatflies with a blue body instead of its usual grey, which I recognize to be the new Subspecies monster, lasted for two bullets instead of one, and burst into an explosion of blue poison upon its death, one I saved myself from by creating a barrier of prana over me.

[You have killed x23 Poisonous Bloatflies. Gained 34.500 Exp!]

[You have killed a Poisonous Blow Bloatfly. Gained 2.500 Exp!]

[You have gained x24 Poison Glands and an Acidic Stinger!]

As expected of a special monster, it dropped a different drop compared to its brethren. And…the stinger's a Rank B Material!? Damn, not bad!

So, with a room full of fly corpses and a plan to grind my levels up, I exit the hospital, treating myself to a wonderful view of the desolated city, bathed in the warm light of the fading sun,

And promptly tripped and fell on my face.

"…ouch." I remain there for a minute or so, before slowly and shakily pushing myself back up and glaring daggers at the small crack I caught my feet on. Sighing, I dust myself off and continue on my merry way, mostly following the roads heading north while also keeping an eye out for any hidden loot. Sadly, hidden loot doesn't seem to be a feature just yet, but at least I have many enemies I can plow down with my [Thunderer] to get my sweet loot.

[You have killed x43 Poisonous Bloatflies. Gained 64.500 Exp!]

[You have killed x22 Biting Bloatflies. Gained 33.000 Exp!]

[You have killed x3 Poisonous Blow Bloatflies. Gained 7.500 Exp!]

[You have killed x12 Crawling Iguanas. Gained 36.000 Exp!]

[You have gained x46 Poison Glands, x22 Empty Carapaces, x3 Acidic Stingers, and x12 Iguana Scales!]

[You have leveled up x2!]

Overall, a very pleasant experience despite the many swarms of bugs and packs of Iguanas that I had to deal with. I Doubt that this ID only has Bloatflies and Iguanas, but I won't take my chances to explore deeper into the city, since me tripping and limping around the battlefield while being attacked is a recipe for me to encounter the good old [Game Over] screen.

Now that I've leveled up a couple times, I begin walking back towards the Hospital, since dawn is approaching in the real world. Don't want anyone seeing that I'd disappeared, you know?

But as I come close to the hospital, there, standing between me and the entrance, is a shadowy figure, its short humanoid and armored body covered in a veil of black miasma, and its crimson red eyes glaring at me. In its hands, it wields a large lance, cloaked in the same dark miasma. My instincts blare, and my magical hearing goes haywire with static, but my Mystic Eyes easily see through it all.

[Shadow Servant Lv 45]

HP: 65.000/65.000

MP: -

Stamina: -

Trait: Demonic

A copy of a servant belonging to the Throne of Heroes, built from the lingering miasma of the tainted core of the Holy Grail. It seems to have been created when the Heart of the Grail is destroyed, and it has followed you back into the past.

It rears its arms back, and the lance begins to spin, twisting the air around it. The shadow levels one more glare at me, before it charges forward.

I didn't move. I didn't need to.

The moment its lance touched my chest, the layer of prana I've been keeping on my skin explodes outwards, blowing the shadow servant back. But it isn't just a simple explosion, as the shadow soon comes to realize as it sees its lance crack, and the hands it used to hold the weapon shudder in a loss of strength.

Oh, how I love my new skill!

[[Attribute Enchant: Holy] has leveled up!]

It glares at me again, but it's forced back as several bullets, each shot enchanted, impacts its breastplate, cracking it deeply and forcing it to jump back and take cover. I continue to fire, drilling and breaking the walls of the hospital she's taking cover in. Then, as the whirring of an engine overtakes my gunfire, the shadow servant rushes out of cover and runs at me, her speed boosted by the rockets fired by her lance.

The speed is incredible, easily surpassing the sound barrier, but I saw the attack coming from miles away with my Mystic Eyes and swiftly boosted myself up into the air to avoid it. Sadly, it seems the charge only goes in one direction, causing her to drill right through a whole district of buildings. Then, just to add further damage, I rain down several holy prana missiles once it stopped moving, exploding it in a cascade of holy energy, causing the buildings to come crashing down.

Under all that damage, its breastplate broke, as did its gauntlets and helmet. Its HP remains untouched, but with its armor mostly gone, its main body will be open to attack.

And, while undertaking further damage, its lance remains mostly intact, due to her sacrificing her armor to prevent it from fully breaking.

But, of course, as I was firing my gun at its unprotected chest, a black shield appeared in its other hand. It holds it over itself, and a translucent purple silhouette hovered over the shield, deflecting the bullets I fired at it. And unlike the rest of its shadowy self, the shield barely budged under my holy-powered bullets.

I'll have to get close!

Plan set, I rear myself forward and let the prana propulsions on my feet to boost me towards it. It clearly sees me approaching, but I maintain pressuring it with the bullets from my [Thunderer], forcing it to keep its shield up as it backs away.

Sadly, I'm moving too fast for it to get away, and my motor controls are still garbage.

Which then leads me to crash into it, tripping us both and sending us rolling across the streets. It was then I learned that the shadow servant I'm fighting is a female, with how her breasts are pressing against mine, but I don't let that momentary distraction pull me away from my plan.

My shaky right hand snaps to the side and grabs her black shield, before pumping it full of my prana, already enchanted with Holy energy. White lines stretch across the surface of the shield, and with my prana in place, I shout the name of the attack.

"[Gehen]!" The white lines shine with searing light, before the prana I pumped into the shield snaps around wildly and explodes outward, breaking the shield apart. In retaliation, the shadow servant kicks me in the gut, sending me flying up into the air. Pain floods through my system, but a grin breaks out on my face as I aim the [Thunderer] right at the exposed shadow's neck, and fire.

Bang!

A resounding shot echoes through the ID. I quickly let my weapon disappear into my inventory, before snapping my freed left hand down to grab her neck, boosting downwards and grabbing her neck. Wind blows outwards, and as I flood my enchanted prana into her neck, I let out one last shout, and her neck explodes. A shower of black blood bursts out, flowing and carried by the wind, splashing all over the place, including me.

(At least the blood's not red! My thoughts would've gone down a road I really don't want to go through if it was…)

A quick enchanted [Prana Burst] sends the black blood on me flying away, but more importantly!

[Fatal hit!]

[You have killed the Shadow Servant. Gained 45.000 Exp!]

[You have gained 3x [Void's Dust], 2x [Arrow Heads of Attonement], [Rusty Steel Visor]!]

Loot!...Well, it's actually not as much as I expected. Hell, I got more Exp from killing that swarm of fat flies from before, and the drops I got are fairly underwhelming, especially since I don't know what the hell the first two does!

But that third one though,

[Rusty Steel Visor]

Material

A rusty steel visor, one that once belonged to a helmet. Oddly enough, it seems to have been detached from the helmet, not broken from battle.

It seems to have belonged to a figure in olden myths and legends. Wonder who it could've belonged to?

'Once belonging to a figure in olden myths and legends' is it? Sounds like a catalyst to summon a Heroic Spirit, doesn't it? Makes sense that the shadow servant dropped this, since, ya know, it's a shadow servant based on an actual Heroic Spirit.

Well, it could be that, or I can just remake it back into a helmet to wear, just like I did with the [Thunderer]. Now that I think about it, the broken spears and Atalanta's broken bow are Catalysts as well, aren't they? The problem then is that they're things I plan to reforge to make actual weapons, and I don't remember whether the catalyst will disappear if I use them in the summoning ritual.

Well, whatever the answer may be, I'll find out when I summon my own servant, and proceed to derail the plot of Fate/Zero.

With two more levels up my belt and a whole box worth of materials gathered, I walk back into the hospital.