Seeing Berserker turn into golden particles and completely disappear from my vision, I unconsciously gulped.
Gilgamesh's attack was so incredibly fast that before I even fully processed it, Berserker was already dead.
The casual way she just fired her Noble Phantasms and instantly obliterated him was absolutely terrifying.
I didn't even see the projectiles move the impact happened before the sound of the weapons firing even reached my ears.
Thank god I haven't done anything to genuinely anger her. I know for a fact that even with my Reinforcement pushed to the absolute limit, I wouldn't be able to defend myself against a barrage like that.
"Just like that...? Berserker is gone?" I heard Saber murmur to herself, her grip tightening on her invisible sword as she looked toward Gilgamesh with intense wariness.
"I didn't expect Berserker to be the first one killed," Lancer added grimly. He knew exactly how strong the Servant was, especially after seeing him completely overwhelm Saber in close combat earlier.
But Gilgamesh didn't seem to care at all. Her regal expression didn't shift in the slightest even after watching the towering Servant die.
She just stood there, radiating absolute superiority, her crimson eyes cold and unbothered-as if silently declaring that such a pathetic end was the only natural outcome for someone who dared to disrespect her.
The silence in the air was suffocating. Lancer hadn't lowered his spear, and Saber was still incredibly tense, her invisible blade raised defensively.
Off to the side, I could see Waver practically shaking behind Rider's massive frame, while Rider himself kept a tight grip on his sword, his usual boisterous demeanor completely gone.
They were all waiting to see if Gilgamesh would turn those glowing portals toward them next.
But instead, the overwhelming pressure of her mana began to recede, the rippling golden gates behind her slowly sealing shut.
"How utterly boring," she sighed, her voice dripping with sheer disappointment as she glanced at the empty spot where Berserker had just been.
"To think I had to dirty my treasures on such a mindless brute."
Her crimson eyes then lazily swept over Saber, Lancer, and the Rider duo. "And the rest of you are equally uninspiring tonight. I have completely lost my appetite for this farce."
Then, her gaze shifted, locking directly onto me. The cold, bored look in her eyes melted instantly, replaced by that, dangerous glint of possessive amusement.
Before I could even blink, her golden armor flashed across the destroyed asphalt. She bypassed Saber entirely, closing the distance between us in a fraction of a second.
"Wha-"
My feet suddenly left the ground. A heavy, armored hand clamped onto the back of my collar, lifting me effortlessly into the air again.
I dangled there helplessly, feeling exactly like a stray cat being picked up by the scruff of its neck.
"Archer! Unhand her!" Saber yelled, immediately surging forward with her invisible blade raised.
"Halt, Saber," she commanded, not even bothering to look back.
Just the sheer authority in her voice, accompanied by a single golden portal rippling into existence and aiming a weapon directly at Saber's chest, was enough to make her freeze.
"This little guardian is coming with me. She is the only thing here that doesn't completely bore me to death."
"Wait, hold on a second!" I protested, kicking my legs weakly in the air. "I didn't agree to-"
"Did I ask for your permission?" she interrupted smoothly, giving my collar a slight shake.
She smirked at me, clearly enjoying my helpless struggle. "You have the rare privilege of entertaining the King, little guardian. You should be weeping with gratitude."
"Hey, wait, King of Heroes!" Rider finally spoke up, his booming voice echoing across the docks, though Waver looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. "You can't just take the girl and leave!"
"I am the King of this world, Rider," she replied coolly, the golden particles of dematerialization already beginning to swirl heavily around her and me. "I do whatever I please. And it pleases me to take what is mine."
Saber and Rider rushed forward, but they were too late. The world dissolved in a blinding flash of golden light, and before I knew it, everyone was gone.
As my vision returned, I realized we had already moved to a completely different location. Right in front of me was a massive bed.
I didn't even have time to properly take in my surroundings, because the second we arrived, Gilgamesh casually tossed me onto the mattress.
"Kya?!" I yelped, completely caught off guard by the sudden drop.
"Lie down, little guardian," Gilgamesh commanded smoothly, looking down at me with an amused smirk.
"The sun is already gone hours ago, and I have decided that your entertainment for me today is concluded. A treasure that withers from exhaustion is of no use to my garden. Sleep, and dream of how fortunate you are to belong to the King."
After spouting random stuff that i have no idea what she's talking about, she simply turned on her heel and walked out, leaving me entirely alone in a luxurious bedroom that definitely didn't belong to either of us.
I laid there for a moment, sinking into the ridiculously soft sheets as I stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"Well... now what?"
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Down the hall from the guest chambers, Tokiomi Tohsaka sat rigidly behind the heavy oak desk of his private study.
He was in the middle of reviewing the latest reports from his familiars when the door swung open without so much as a knock. He immediately stood, bowing his head in deep reverence.
Gilgamesh strolled into the room with absolute ownership of the space.
As she walked, the heavy golden plates of her armor dissolved into glowing particles, seamlessly replaced by her preferred modern attire a pristine white V-neck shirt and sleek, dark leather pants that somehow made her look just as regal and imposing as her armor.
Without offering Tokiomi a single glance, the King of Heroes claimed the most comfortable armchair in the room.
A golden ripple materialized in the air beside her, and she lazily reached in, retrieving an ornate, jewel-encrusted goblet and a pitcher of crimson wine older than human civilization itself.
"My King," Tokiomi began carefully, keeping his tone perfectly measured and respectful. "I trust the excursion to the harbor was to your satisfaction? Has the state of this Holy Grail War proven worthy of your attention?"
Gilgamesh poured her wine, taking a slow sip before her crimson eyes half-closed in sheer boredom.
"A profound disappointment, Tokiomi. The so-called 'heroes' that were summoned are nothing but rabid dogs and delusional fools playing at chivalry."
"I disposed of the mad brute before it could further pollute my sight, but the rest... an utterly uninspiring farce. If this is the grand ritual you have summoned me for, you should be thoroughly ashamed."
"I offer my deepest apologies for their lack of refinement, my King," Tokiomi replied smoothly, bowing his head an inch lower.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his cautious magus instincts warring with his need to control the variables in his household. Finally, he spoke up.
"However... the bounded fields warding the estate alerted me to an extra presence. If I may be so bold to ask, who is the young girl you brought back here?"
The temperature in the study plummeted to freezing in an instant.
Gilgamesh paused, the wine still resting against her lips. When she slowly lowered the goblet, the bored indulgence in her eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a terrifying, lethal glare that practically pinned Tokiomi to the floorboards.
"Watch your tongue, Tokiomi," she warned, her voice dropping to a dangerously soft, venomous octave. "You are a Master in name only. Do not ever mistake that temporary title for the right to question what I claim for my own."
Tokiomi swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck.
"F-Forgive me, my King. I meant no disrespect-"
"See that you do not overstep your boundaries again," Gilgamesh cut him off coldly. "That child is entirely beyond your fragile comprehension. Do not look at her. Do not attempt to study her. And if you or your pathetic magecraft so much as cause a single hair on her head to fall, I will ensure your bloodline ends tonight. Am I understood?"
"Implicitly, King of Heroes," Tokiomi whispered, refusing to look up.
Dismissing him from her thoughts entirely, Gilgamesh turned her gaze toward the window, looking out at the darkened city.
She swirled the wine in her glass, a faint, genuine smirk returning to her lips as she thought about the girl sleeping just down the hall.
Tokiomi could never comprehend it. None of these pathetic modern magi could. They were all scrambling and bleeding for a cheap, mud-filled cup, completely blind to the fact that a literal anomaly was currently resting under their roof.
Gilgamesh remembered exactly what that girl would become.
An entity so incomprehensibly and weird that she had once strolled right into the Throne of Heroes just because she was bored and met with her there.
To see such a terrifyingly absolute being stuck inside the fragile, easily exhausted body of a human child?
It was, without a doubt, the greatest treasure this pitiful war had to offer.
The Guardian of the Root.
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At the same time, after Gilgamesh and Rikka disappeared, everyone at the docks decided to leave too.
Even Lancer and his Master decided to retreat as their goal for today had been fulfilled. At first, they wanted to finish Saber since she is one of the strongest Servants, but after Berserker was killed, their goal was technically finished too.
Assassin, Rider, and his Master also left, leaving Saber and Irisviel there until Irisviel got a call from Kiritsugu telling them to meet at the Einzbern castle.
Usually, this is where Irisviel would insist on driving, but because of so much happening today, she let Saber drive while she thought about what had happened.
During the journey in their car, they didn't say anything. Irisviel was still in deep thought.
"So, Saber, do you feel anything from that little girl? She's from this afternoon, right? The same girl that accidentally hit me?" Irisviel said at one point.
"Yes, and just like this afternoon, I didn't feel anything from that girl. She's not a Servant and she's definitely not a Master. It seems she's just a bystander that came to see."
"A homunculus?"
"No," Saber instantly said, as she could recognize that human and homunculi life forces are different.
Irisviel's life force was like a flame not really bright and not too small, but still pretty small for a human life.
Meanwhile, Rikka was bursting with life like it was never going to fade.
"But Archer seems to like her, as she brought her along when she left, and she actually treated her better than when she talked to us, right?" Irisviel said, remembering how Gilgamesh acted in front of Rikka.
"But why is Archer taking an interest in her? She calls us 'mongrels' and other things, but she called her 'little guardian.' Also, she seemed to recognize her when she saw her," Saber added.
"It seems it's not just Archer. From where I was, I could see Rider and Lancer seemed to recognize her too their expressions changed when they saw her," Irisviel also said.
"Seems like this Holy Grail War is not going to be as simple as Kiritsugu thought."
After they finished their conversation, they continued with their journey. Their car kept going and going toward the mountain outside of Fuyuki City where the Einzbern castle was located.
The car carved its way up the winding mountain road, its headlights cutting through the thick darkness of the forested path leading to the Einzbern castle.
Inside the car, the silence was heavy, broken only by the hum of the engine and the quiet sound of tires gripping the asphalt.
Irisviel glanced over from the passenger seat, her eyes lingering on Saber's hands as they gripped the steering wheel. She had noticed the slight stiffness in Saber's posture, the way she seemed to favor her right side.
"Saber," Irisviel spoke up softly, breaking the silence. "How is your injury? The wound you received from Lancer... is it hurting you?"
Saber kept her gaze fixed on the road ahead, her expression perfectly stoic, though a flicker of frustration crossed her eyes.
"I am fine, Irisviel. You do not need to worry about my pain," Saber answered honestly. "However... I cannot put any real strength into my left arm. The curse from Lancer's spear is actively rejecting my magical energy. It cannot be healed through normal means."
Saber's grip tightened on the wheel, her voice dropping into a tone of deep regret. "I must apologize. I lowered my guard and allowed myself to become too confident in my ability. Because of my foolishness, I have compromised my combat abilities for the battles ahead."
Irisviel offered a gentle, reassuring smile, shaking her head. "Do not apologize, Saber. You fought brilliantly tonight against another servant. If it is a curse, then it is not permanent. We just need to find a way to cure it, or better yet, we simply defeat Lancer and break the spell at its source."
Saber's expression softened slightly at her Master's kindness. "Thank you, Irisviel. I will not fail you again-"
Suddenly, Saber's words caught in her throat. Her eyes narrowed sharply, her instincts flaring as her gaze pierced through the darkness beyond the reach of the headlights.
Standing dead in the middle of the desolate mountain road, completely unmoving, was a dark silhouette.
Without a second of hesitation, Saber slammed her foot down on the brake pedal.
The tires shrieked violently against the asphalt, burning rubber as the massive momentum of the vehicle fought against the sudden stop.
The car immediately lost its balance, the rear end fishtailing as it threatened to spin completely out of control toward the cliffside.
But Saber did not panic. Her high-rank Riding skill flared to life.
Her hands moved in a blur, making precise, calculated adjustments to the steering wheel while feathering the brakes with perfect timing.
With a final, sharp screech, the car came to a smooth, complete halt just meters away from the mysterious figure standing in the dark.
Because they stopped a few meters away, the car headlights still didn't reach the figure in the distance. She was still completely covered in darkness.
Both of them got out of the car. Irisviel stayed safely beside the door, while Saber walked forward. In a flash of magical energy, Saber changed her normal clothes into her silver and blue battle armor.
"Who are you?" Saber asked.
From the dark silhouette, Saber could see the figure was really short, just like a kid. But she was also wearing a long dress with a long skirt, so Saber knew the figure in front of them was a girl.
"Irisviel von Einzbern and Artoria Pendragon," a young, soft voice called out from the dark.
It sounded just like a normal kid, but the voice wasn't what shocked them. It was the fact that this random girl knew Saber's real name. Saber's True Name was supposed to be a closely guarded secret in the Holy Grail War.
The moment Saber heard her name being called, she immediately raised her invisible Excalibur, pointing it directly at the figure.
"Who are you!" Saber demanded loudly, her guard completely up.
Instead of running or getting scared by the weapon, the figure simply walked forward, stepping out of the shadows and right into the bright glare of the car's headlights.
It was a young girl with short, neat blonde hair and clear, pale eyes. She had a very cute and innocent face, looking like someone who wouldn't hurt a fly. She was wearing a light green dress with a long skirt, looking completely out of place standing on a dark mountain road in the middle of the night.
She looked totally harmless, but the warm, empty smile on her face and eyes as she stared at the invisible sword made it clear she was anything but normal.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed that April Fools chapter a few days ago. At first, I wanted to write it until they beat Saber Alter, but I've been sick for the past week and I'm still sick even now, so I decided to stop writing the April Fools chapter.
But still, that April Fools special has like 8k words. If I had continued it and didn't get sick, I was planning for like 10k words like last year from my other fanfic.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and maybe the next one will be out soon, but I don't know since I'm still sick.
Don't forget to comment if you see any weird words or mistakes in this chapter, and I'll fix them!