"Archer! Give it your all! Don't worry about the mana supply!"
"Hmph, Master, just watch."
Projection Magic was activated, and the black and white twin blades in Archer's hands seemed to leave afterimages as they swung. However, Berserker's martial skills were exceptionally high; the sword shrouded in black energy accurately parried all of Archer's attacks and even forced Archer into a defensive position.
"What?!"
"Berserker?!"
Lord El-Melloi II's eyes widened. The armored Servant before him, radiating black energy, was unmistakably the Berserker from the previous Holy Grail War.
"You know about the Holy Grail War too? You're a Magician... Could you be the Lord El-Melloi II that Akatsuki mentioned?"
Lord El-Melloi II was taken aback, then looked at the girl nearby. It was clear that this girl was the Master of the twin-blade-wielding Servant.
"That's right, I am Lord El-Melloi II, and I was also a participant in the previous Holy Grail War."
"—!"
Berserker let out a beast-like roar, and his violent mana even began to dissipate outward. Blood-red patterns started to erode the ground following Berserker's movements, and his armor seemed to merge with the floor.
"This is bad, Gray!"
"Yes!"
Her Mystic Code was activated. On the inside of her cloak, near her right shoulder and elbow, a slender 'Cage' was secured with fasteners. Inside the 'Cage' was a cubic 'Box' that instantly transformed into a massive scythe.
"Hey, hey, hey! Gray, that's a real Servant!"
"...Ar...thur...!!!"
The already violent Berserker became even more frenzied upon seeing the cloaked Gray, his internal mana surging out like an ocean.
"This pressure!"
"Gray, be careful. This is a true Servant Berserker; anything he touches can become his Noble Phantasm!"
"So this is a real Servant... It feels completely different from Miss Hephaestion!"
The scythe collided with the sword shrouded in black energy. After just one exchange, Gray realized that this Servant's strength was absolutely extraordinary. If she hadn't regenerated King Arthur's Dragon Core (Dragon Factor), which allowed her to constantly generate mana with every breath, that single clash might have been enough to bring her down.
"Eh? Saber!?"
Her cloak slipped off during the exchange with Berserker, revealing the face hidden beneath—it was a face identical to King Arthur's. With a strand of blonde hair falling down, Gray looked warily at the maddened Berserker.
"Saber? You mean someone also summoned King Arthur in this Holy Grail War!"
Lord El-Melloi II keenly caught the information he wanted. Looking at Tohsaka Rin, he continued to press, "What exactly is going on with this Holy Grail War? Why did the Head of the Tohsaka Family send me an email?"
"I'm not sure. We originally thought the greater grail had entered a state of stagnation due to the appearance of Avenger, but in reality, that's not the case. For some reason, the greater grail seems to have activated some new rules."
Throwing out dozens of gems at once, Tohsaka Rin used Reinforcement Magic to dodge the boulders generated during the fight with Berserker while explaining the current situation to Lord El-Melloi II.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rang out. Gray and Archer were blown back by the blast, while Berserker, at the center of the explosion, let out a pained roar.
"Someone explain to me why Sir Lancelot is here."
Akatsuki stood with one foot on Berserker's head, holding Arcueid in her arms, and looked at the crowd with confusion, waiting for someone to explain what was happening.
She had only been gone for a few days, but upon her return, it felt like she had traveled into a different series. Even Berserker Lancelot had popped up, and it didn't look like it was during the Fourth Holy Grail War either.
"Akatsuki?"
"That's right, the powerful me is back. Rin, did you miss me?"
Berserker began to struggle under her foot, but Akatsuki simply increased the pressure, and he immediately stopped struggling, pinned down firmly.
"I didn't miss you at all!"
"Tsundere as always, but I don't hate it."
Increasing the pressure once more, the head beneath Akatsuki's foot made a gruesome sound.
The next second.
Splat.
Akatsuki crushed Berserker's head with a single stomp.
The headless Berserker thrashed on the ground a few times before falling still. His body gradually turned into fine golden particles and vanished from the floor in moments.
"So strong!"
"Heh heh heh~ Didn't I tell you? I'm Super-Strong! The more people I'super,' the stronger I get!"
Setting Arcueid down, Akatsuki straightened her clothes.
"Let me introduce you. This is Arcueid, full name Arcueid Brunestud. Like me, she is a True Ancestor."
"Hello, everyone!"
Despite having just survived a plane crash, Arcueid still greeted everyone with a beaming smile. Perhaps this was one of the perks of being an optimist.
"The same surname... Is she your sister, Akatsuki?"
Akatsuki: "???"
"I see... The greater grail hasn't stagnated, and the Holy Grail War seems to have given birth to new rules..."
Tohsaka Rin explained everything to Akatsuki, including Illya's successful body replacement a few days ago, as well as their chance encounter and attack by Berserker tonight.
"That's about it."
Tohsaka Rin nodded, thinking if there was anything else to add.
"Holy Grail War? In short, I just need to kill everything like that thing just now, right?"
Akatsuki raised an eyebrow. "No, you'd better stay out of it. I'll give you some money to go play in Fuyuki City on your own. Just remember to come home at night."
"Lord El-Melloi II, or rather, Waver Velvet, how does it feel to enter the Holy Grail War again?"
Lord El-Melloi II, his brow furrowed, looked at Akatsuki and said coldly, "You didn't tell me in your email that Magicians entering Fuyuki City would be shot down."
"Actually, I didn't know either."
Akatsuki shrugged. "It seems someone is using Servants to intercept outside Magicians. Even the plane Arcueid and I were on was shot down."
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