Everything is dark, filled with deafening screams echoing through the mountains. People flee in terror from the man who has gone mad, striking everything in sight with his powerful sword.
Although there were some people who stayed behind to calm his anger. They tried to convince him to stop the massacre he had begun, but the man's anger was too great, so much so that he ended up killing those people.
...
Those people... his own family...
...
Illya opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep in the bathtub for a few minutes. Beside her was Berserker, sitting on the floor, staring into space. Even in that moment of calm, his breathing was too powerful to be that of a normal human. Of course, in life he was not a normal human.
Berserker is one of the most famous heroes in Greek mythology.
"Berserker..."
The colossus did not respond. He continued to stare into space in silence. On the floor lay the strange combination of an axe and a sword, Berserker's weapon of choice.
The servant, strange as it may seem, looked worried. Normally, Berserkers are so consumed by madness and rage that they forget to feel other emotions, unlike other servants, but Berserker is different.
"Assassin is dangerous..."
Hearing Illya mention that servant, Berserker frowned angrily. Illya could even feel Berserker's hatred for Assassin. The walls echoed with the broken will of the hero who had gone mad.
"If we face him, we will die."
Assassin was the only one who could evade Berserker's Noble Phantasm. At first, that wouldn't be a problem since Assassins are usually very weak and slow, but very agile and intelligent. Berserker's brute strength should be enough, but they didn't count on this Assassin completely breaking the mold of an Assassin.
Tired, Illya submerged herself in the hot water. She looked up at the ceiling and changed the subject in her mind.
"Shirou..."
Although she always saw him from the window, she never imagined the willpower that boy would have. She already had an idea of what Shirou was like in his daily life, but that was surpassed by reality.
For the past few years, Shirou had been trying unsuccessfully to infiltrate the Einzbern family's castle. Illya thought Shirou was doing this only because he felt guilty for taking the life that belonged to her, but once again she was wrong...
"I wanted to make you suffer what Kiritsugu must have suffered..." She closed her eyes, remembering the days she spent waiting for her father, who never returned. "You must suffer... I have to make you suffer..."
In response to Illya's emotions, Berserker snorted. She was the only one who could control him completely. She is the most powerful magus in this war, but against a servant she was powerless.
"Let's wait, Berserker. Let's wait a little. We'll leave Shirou for last, along with Assassin and his Master. For now, we have to focus on other Masters and their Servants. I'll send some familiars to investigate. You just wait."
Berserker responded with a snort. Then he looked at the bathroom door, where two very similar maids were silently watching Illya. Illya soon understood that these homunculi would begin to question her decisions during the second confrontation of the war.
—A few hours ago, in the center of Fuyuki City—
Toru took the call on speakerphone and explained everything they had so far. He sat down at the table while Sakura served breakfast.
The first thing should be the least important, such as the mystery surrounding Caster's master's identity, the most recent pools of blood, Archer, Lancer, but in the end, he got to the most important part.
"Arthur Pendragon was summoned, Professor. She's a girl."
On the other end of the call, Waver seemed to choke on his own saliva. He coughed repeatedly as he regained his composure.
[So that's why Lady is like this...]
Toru and Sakura looked at each other.
"What happened to Gray? Is she okay?" Toru asked.
Sakura frowned slightly, annoyed by the question. She felt like hanging up, but being so rude and cruel to Toru would only bring back bad memories for the boy. She refrained from showing her jealousy in front of him. Besides, it was her father on the phone.
[Lady is going through a bit of a difficult time right now. If Saber was summoned, just like ten years ago, that would explain what has been happening to Lady in recent days. Her hair is turning blonde and her voice is changing. Her mana is also out of control, but Add is taking care of stabilizing her. She has locked herself in her room ever since.]
Due to the presence of the King of Knights in the world, Gray's body reacts to her presence. Since she is the vessel for the King's soul, it would be logical to explain the connection between the two.
"I see..." Toru nodded. "She always gets very nervous or sad quite easily, so tell her that everything will be okay. I'll try to kill Saber. That way, the connection between the two of them should be broken."
[That's something I thought of too. If it's not too much trouble, I'll leave that to you. And also... Come back safely.]
Then they moved on to the topic of Berserker. Waver quickly deduced that it was the well-known hero from Greek mythology, Heracles. The description fit perfectly. If it is Heracles, then he will have twelve lives based on the number of labors he had to perform to redeem himself. Each time Berserker revives, he will be even stronger and become immune to whatever killed him.
[That limitation shouldn't apply to your eyes, Assassin. You can kill him as many times as you need to. That's your advantage. Make the most of it. If Saber took two lives and you took two more, that means he has eight lives left. In that case, you'll have to kill him eight more times. But be careful because his lives will be restored every three days.]
Understanding everything perfectly, Toru nodded. Now that he knew more confidently what Berserker was, he would have no trouble the next time he faced him.
"I'll use all my power the next time I meet Berserker."
Now Waver wanted to talk to Sakura in private. She took her cell phone and, while Toru ate breakfast with an expression that showed he liked the food, she went to her room.
[This is something I think you should already know, as it's obvious, but Tohsaka Rin is also part of the war. First of all, considering that she is the only blood relative you have left, are you going to face her until you kill her? In the life of a magus, betrayal and death are the most commonplace things, so are you prepared for what is going to happen?]
Sakura's gaze darkened. The memories of her childhood weighed heavily on her with pain and guilt, but above all, the uncomfortable feeling caused by knowing that everyone had abandoned her was too strong. Even today, it affected her deeply and was the cornerstone of her trauma.
"I don't know... I don't know what will happen when I see her again... I'm not sure if I want to fight her, but I'm also not sure if I want to ignore her. Rin abandoned me... my real father abandoned me... my mother too... I only have Toru and you left..."
On the other end of the phone, Waver sighed heavily.
[Do what you have to do. If you truly want to fulfill your wish, then that will lead you to make the right decision. And you also have Assassin. He may be a bit rough and bitter, but he's smart and strong. He'll know when to protect you, and he'll surely know when to stop you too.
Sakura didn't know how to respond. So she just said goodbye.
"Goodbye, Dad... I miss you so much."
[I miss you too, Sakura-chan. You're very strong, so survive and come home. There are many people here waiting for you and who are very proud of you. We won't abandon you, you can be sure of that.]
Sakura hung up the phone. She sat on the bed and clutched the phone tightly. Her gaze showed that she was somehow unsure if she was doing the right thing.
"I told Assassin to kill a child..."
Where was the kindness and heart of gold that characterized her? Her own desire was clouding her judgment, and her trauma was leading her to make the most extreme decisions. It wasn't necessary to kill the masters, but Sakura didn't hesitate to try to kill a child.
"Am I... only thinking about myself?"
Was the excuse of saving Toru really just a way to save herself? Then what she felt for Toru wasn't love, but a sick obsession. Even so, there are no right answers this time. Sakura had to figure that out for herself.
—The following night—
Throughout the day and night, no one heard from the other Masters. Matou Shinji and Rider haven't appeared on the map lately. Tohsaka Rin and Archer continue to explore the city in an attempt to thwart Caster's plans. Assassin's clones travel throughout the city searching for more and more information, and the mysterious Lancer remains missing since the beginning. Emiya Shirou and Saber are currently resting at home.
This part of the night, however, belongs to Shinji and Rider. Both were at Homurahara Academy, repairing the seals they had left behind earlier. This place is full of young and strong souls. The mana this would give them would be extremely valuable, but there was someone who kept breaking the seals.
"It took me so much effort to learn this magecraft, and some bastard comes along and damages my magic seals. But it doesn't matter," Shinji muttered, standing on the school rooftop. "Tomorrow, we will take this school. We'll kill them all and become stronger. I want everyone to know that I'm here, in the darkness, watching them like the cattle they are. I want everyone to fear me and know that they are at my mercy."
Rider laughed. This was a good strategy. This barrier is a rather underhanded method, but Shinji didn't have the morals of a human being.
"With all the mana I spent on Archer, this will work out great for us. But boy, you're very ruthless."
Shiji smiled and looked at Rider. His eyes were trembling, and he looked worse and worse. With each passing second, the pain seemed to cause his body to give way.
"I already told you, Rider. I'll do whatever it takes to fulfill my wish. I'll be immortal and rule over everything that moves in this world. There will be no one who won't kneel before my power."
"That's why I say you and I get along so well. I understand your wish perfectly, and I'll help you fulfill it. Just don't leave me behind when you succeed. Leave something for me."
...
...
A little later, in another place, Shirou fell asleep in the shed while training. When he faced Illya, he realized he needed to become stronger. Otherwise, other Masters would kill him. He also needed to know how to defend himself against Assassin, but while he was at it, he fell asleep.
He continued to have dreams related to that place full of swords. As he writhed on the ground, mysterious threads embraced and enveloped him. A voice called out to him, and Shirou, within his dream, followed the voice.
He walked among the swords and climbed a hill. As he did so, he felt a deep thirst for blood and opened his eyes. Suddenly, he found himself in a temple. It was nighttime and very cold. In front of him was someone.
It was a woman covered from head to toe in a mystical magical cloak. Her purple lips smiled when she saw that the boy had awakened. It was a shame, but that's the way it is.
"You... The temple of Issei... Who are you?"
Shirou didn't need to ask the woman's identity. From the powerful stream of mana emanating from this woman's body, he could tell that she was a servant. She is Caster.
Caster approached Shirou and spoke to him.
"No matter what you do, you won't be able to free yourself."
Only then did Shirou realize that his body was entirely covered by sharp, powerful threads. He couldn't move and felt death caressing his soul.
"These magical threads cannot be destroyed with magic. Especially you, Saber's master."
She knew it. It was obvious. Shirou is cornered, and Saber quickly realized this. She immediately followed her master's trail. The paths of life are strange indeed, for Rin and Archer are also heading there.