Somewhere hidden in Fuyuki, far from the roar and lights of the stadium, the silence was absolute.
The air was thick, like coagulated blood, and a wild current of magic tore through the night with a roar no one could hear, yet it made the soul tremble.
The clouds crouched low and heavy, as if trying to swallow whole that place destined for slaughter.
High above, suspended with unshakable arrogance, floated a man wrapped in a golden radiance.
His armor gleamed with a merciless brilliance, every detail radiating the arrogant grandeur of a time when gods still walked the earth. His hair, as golden as his armor, bristled like thorns, and his red eyes shone with delight and the desire for destruction.
Behind him, massive golden rings slowly rotated, circular portals that flashed like mirrors.
They were the manifestation of his Noble Phantasm: Gate of Babylon.
He was Gilgamesh, the first hero of humanity, king of kings, now clad in his battle armor and emanating a power so overwhelming that hope itself seemed to vanish in his presence.
"Hahahaha! Filth!"
His laughter erupted like a wild thunder, filled with contempt and feverish excitement. "Use your broken heads and those screams to amuse this King on his eternal journey."
No sooner had the echo of his voice faded than the golden rings behind him exploded into blinding flashes.
Currents of gold, like sharpened lightning, roared as they plunged toward the earth.
Their target: the two figures waiting below.
Shirō Emiya clenched his teeth as every magic circuit in his body cried out in pain.
The density of the magic in the air was so brutal that breathing felt like a struggle; every fiber of his being understood he was facing a power he could not match.
His legs trembled involuntarily, not out of cowardice, but from a primal instinct.
In front of him, standing firm like a wall against the tempest, rose a slender, radiant figure.
Her blue skirt-armor rippled under the chaotic wind, and her golden hair gleamed like a beacon in the darkness.
It was Saber: Artoria Pendragon, King Arthur.
With both hands she gripped her invisible sword, wrapped in the magic of Invisible Air, Barrier of the Wind King, holding it high with unwavering determination.
Her steady green eyes did not blink before the approaching rain of death.
"Shirō, fall back!"
Her voice left no room for doubt.
The next instant, the golden spears struck.
!
In Artoria's hands, the invisible sword became streaks of light impossible to follow, cutting, deflecting, blocking. The clash was so colossal her body trembled, and the ground beneath her feet cracked open, sinking under the crushing pressure.
However, she remained rooted, not yielding a single step.
"Hmph! A mere third-rate servant dares to stop my treasures?"
Gilgamesh's voice turned sharp, filled with irritation and fury. His crimson eyes gleamed with murderous intent. "Then allow me to show you what true despair is."
The golden rings behind him expanded and multiplied. A colossal surge of magic erupted, far more intense than before.
This time it was not just a few flashes: dozens, then hundreds of weapons emerged from the portals, swords, spears, halberds, axes, hammers… a golden deluge raining down with devastating force, straight toward Artoria and the exhausted Shirō.
"EX——CALIBUR!"
Artoria's eyes blazed with determination.
She gripped the hilt of her sword, and the magic around her burst forth like a hurricane. The invisible restraints shattered, and the true form of the sacred sword was revealed for the first time: golden, majestic, radiant like a sun trapped in steel.
An immeasurable light gathered at the tip of the blade. The Sword of Promised Victory was ready to unleash its absolute might.
"Muahahaha! What a fascinating curiosity! Very well, let this King judge how many of my treasures that mediocre sword you wield can withstand."
Gilgamesh laughed with scorn and raised his hand. From the central golden ring slowly emerged a different weapon, a strange hilt made of three interwoven cylinders.
The moment it appeared, the space around it began to distort.
An indescribable pressure swept over the place. The energy it emanated surpassed everything unleashed so far; it was wild, primeval, as if it intended to tear the very world apart.
"Severance of Heaven and Earth… Enuma Elish."
Gilgamesh's smile turned ferocious. "Disappear before the power that cleaves the world!"
A dark crimson current began to wrap around the blade of Ea, spinning at an impossible speed. Everything nearby twisted under the crushing maelstrom.
!
Artoria's eyes narrowed. The weight of that force was suffocating; her knuckles whitened around the hilt.
"S-Saber! Let's retreat! It's too much power!" shouted Shirō, barely able to endure the pressure.
"A knight does not retreat before the enemy's might!" roared Artoria, never breaking her gaze from Gilgamesh.
The golden light of Excalibur ignited to its very limit, as if she were holding a sun about to explode in her hands.
"That fool was right! You won't back down? Then die!"
Gilgamesh burst into laughter as the crimson vortex around Ea spun with a deafening shriek, accelerating until it seemed capable of swallowing the world.
"ENUMA ELISH!"
BOOOOM
The crimson torrent was unleashed, ripping through the air like a cataclysm.
"EXCALIBUR!"
Artoria unleashed the light of the sacred sword. A colossal golden beam erupted with a roar, colliding head-on with the crimson storm.
!
Everything trembled as a blinding light swept across, devouring everything around it. The shockwave expanded like a tsunami, crushing structures and kicking up clouds of dust for kilometers.
Crack
But the golden radiance began to fracture. The crimson force of Ea strangled the sacred light until it shattered into pieces.
"UGH—!"
Artoria let out a strangled cry as the attack struck her full on.
BOOM
Her armor split open as if it were paper, metal fragments scattering as blood burst from her mouth and newly torn wounds. The brutal force hurled her through the air, tracing a red arc before she slammed into the ground with a devastating impact.
At the center, Artoria lay within a cracked crater, her sword fallen beside her. Her blue skirt-armor was shredded, and the exposed skin showed deep gashes and bone peeking through.
Blood soaked the ground beneath her. She tried to rise but managed only a weak gasp before collapsing again.
"SABER!"
Shirō's shout broke the heavy silence as he ran toward her in desperation.
"Hmph!"
Gilgamesh gazed down from above, wrapped in golden radiance. His smile was cold and satisfied.
"Do you see? This is the price of defying the King."
His crimson eyes gleamed with a dangerous thrill.
"But… that indomitable will has its charm. I have changed my mind. Taking you alive, breaking you, and adding you to my collection… would not be a bad idea."
Behind him, the golden portals of the Gate of Babylon rippled. From one of them slowly emerged a pair of golden shackles, aimed directly at the weakened Artoria.
Swish
At that critical instant…
A sharp whistle tore through the night.
An arrow cloaked in dense, corrosive black light sliced through the air like lightning, aimed straight for Gilgamesh's head.
"Hm?!"
Gilgamesh's pupils contracted, and his expression twisted with fury.
"Wretched insect! You dare stand in my way!"
He abandoned the chains and, with a sharp turn, opened the Gate of Babylon.
A golden shield emerged before him.
CLANG
Black light met gold with a deafening crash, cracks spiderwebbing across the shield's surface. The arrow disintegrated into dust, but the impact made even the King of Heroes falter for a single instant.
Gilgamesh raised his gaze, furious, following the trajectory of the attack.
At the top of a ruined building, a white figure stood firm against the night wind. A tight red and black suit, arms covered with mechanical armor, and an unusual bow in his hands. White hair whipped in the air, and red eyes, cold as blades, aimed at him without fear.
"Scum! You're courting death!"
The golden gates trembled, and dozens of weapons prepared to rain down on the archer.
!
But Gilgamesh stopped and whipped around toward the crater.
Empty.
"What?!"
Artoria had vanished.
In the distance, Shirō staggered forward, carrying the unconscious knight on his back. Her blood soaked his clothes, leaving a red trail with every step.
"DAMN YOU!!!"
Gilgamesh's fury exploded, and the Gate of Babylon blazed like a sun on the verge of devouring everything.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Before he could fire, the ground where Artoria and Shirō had been erupted in a chain of detonations. Hidden magical gems detonated at the same time, unleashing white, red, and deep blue flashes.
A wall of chaotic energy rose instantly, cutting off Gilgamesh's advance. The shockwaves shook the air and warped the space, blocking his vision and aim for a moment.
"Cunning rats!!!"
His crimson eyes burned with absolute hatred as he listened to the fading echo of Shirō's staggering steps carrying Artoria away.
His face twisted in pure rage.
"The Tōsaka family…? Trash that doesn't know its own death."
The air around him turned dense and heavy under his fury.
When the dust began to clear, a silhouette emerged from the shadows: Kirei advanced calmly, as if the scene meant nothing.
"Archer, focus on the objective." His eyes locked on Gilgamesh with a sharp reminder.
"…Yes, yes, I know." Gilgamesh clicked his tongue in irritation, but his gaze remained fixed on the direction where Shirō and Artoria were disappearing. "They just ruined the game… and that's intolerable."
Kirei let out a faint, malicious smile. "Relax. The final victor… will be us."
…
At the edge of the battlefield, the only sound was heavy, ragged breathing.
Shirō staggered forward, carrying Artoria on his back. Each step over loose stones and cracks was a struggle.
He felt the sticky heat of blood soaking his shirt, his chest burning, and his magic circuits numb.
Only his will kept him standing.
Although the explosion had stopped Gilgamesh, the weight of his presence still clung to him, making his skin crawl.
"Huff… huff… Saber… hold on…"
But there was no answer. Only the faint rhythm of her breathing confirmed she was still alive.
Swish
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows and advanced without making a sound.
It was a man dressed in a tight suit of crimson and black, his arms covered with mechanical armor, and the bow already put away.
His white hair rippled in the night wind, and his cold red eyes locked onto Shirō and the woman he carried.
Danger!
Shirō froze instantly, his heart pounding against his chest.
He carefully lowered the unconscious Artoria onto a rock and, ignoring the pain, took a guarded stance with clenched fists.
It was him! The archer who had fired the black arrow. Ally or enemy?
Then, a familiar female voice cut through the tension.
"Shirō, it's me."
From behind the archer appeared Rin Tōsaka. Her red jacket stood out even in the gloom, and her blue eyes moved from Shirō to Saber, wounded and unconscious.
"RIN?! You saved us?" Shirō's voice cracked with relief; the tension drained from him all at once, and he nearly lost his balance.
"Yes." Rin didn't stop to explain and gave a firm order. "Archer, carry Saber."
The white-haired man moved without hesitation, lifting the unconscious Artoria carefully and settling her onto his back.
Meanwhile, Rin's gaze swept quickly over the surroundings and the space still unstable from the magical storm.
Her expression turned serious.
"This is no place to talk. We need to move. Archer, cover the rear. Shirō, follow me."
She advanced without wasting time, leading Shirō and Archer to a small abandoned cabin, discreet and still standing despite its neglect.
Inside, the air was dense and smelled of dampness, but it offered shelter. Rin cleared a corner of the floor and gestured to Archer.
"Put her here."
Archer gently laid the unconscious Artoria down. Rin immediately knelt beside her and began working without saying a word.
With skillful hands, she removed the broken pieces of the blue armor, exposing deep wounds that reached down to the bone.
Several jewels crumbled into dust between her fingers, releasing pure magic that flowed like water over the injuries, sealing the bleeding and expelling the magical corruption embedded in Saber's body.
The process was long.
Sweat dampened Rin's forehead, and her face lost color, but she didn't stop until the blood ceased to flow. When she finished, she improvised a bandage with the cleanest cloth she could find and covered Artoria with a blanket.
Only then did she stand, breathing deeply, and step out of the inner room.
Shirō, who had been waiting with his heart in his throat, rushed to her at once.
"Rin! How is she?!"
"She will live." The answer came dry but firm. "She's badly wounded. She took Ea's attack head-on. Her spiritual core and her body suffered severe damage. She won't be able to fight for a long time."
Air left Shirō's lungs in a deep exhale, his body finally relaxing.
"As long as she's alive… as long as she's okay… that's enough…"
"Don't celebrate so soon." Rin cut him off coldly, fixing her gaze on him. "The Holy Grail War won't stop. You're a Master without an active Servant now. That makes you an easy target."
Shirō let his head fall back against the wall with a bitter smile.
"And what other option is there? You saw it yourself… Saber…"
"..."
Rin stayed silent.
She leaned against the opposite wall, her brow furrowed and her mind racing without pause.
Her original plan had been to join forces with Shirō and survive the first stages together.
But now… everything had collapsed. And heavier than all else was the looming shadow that Gilgamesh cast.
That radiant figure clad in gold, that power terrifying to the point of absurdity… and, above all, one crucial fact.
Gilgamesh had once been her father's Servant, Tokiomi Tōsaka.
But the Gilgamesh she saw today was no mere spirit; he had a real body.
How could that be? A Heroic Spirit shouldn't be able to exist physically… unless he had achieved complete incarnation using the Holy Grail.
A shiver ran down Rin's spine.
Her father's death…? That truth she had never known… could it be tied to Gilgamesh? Had the Servant who betrayed Tokiomi used the Grail to fulfill some hidden purpose?
The thought chilled her to the bone.
"Rin?" Shirō noticed the change in her expression.
"It's nothing." Rin pushed the thoughts aside and spoke with cold resolve. "Right now, what matters is finding a safe place, tending to Saber and…" she turned her head toward Archer, who was still leaning against the doorway, "…thinking about how to survive."
Archer, arms crossed, stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
"Sounds simple enough, but out there that rabid dog won't give up so easily." His gaze lingered briefly on Shirō. "Besides, you're carrying a huge problem with you."
Rin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she ran through options, discarding them one by one.
But she saw no way out.
Then her gaze shifted and, in the distance, through the cracks in the wall, she caught sight of a giant screen lighting up the night: GG — Devil May Cry Concert.
Shirō saw it too and sighed.
"Do you want to go to a concert? Now's not the time. We'd drag civilians into this."
"No." Rin shook her head, without taking her eyes off the sign. "My sister invited me to that concert… I don't know with what intention."
"Probably to see some handsome guy." Shirō gave a tired smile. "Nero is good-looking, I have to admit."
He tried to joke to lighten the mood, but his voice sounded broken from exhaustion. Even so, he pulled out his phone, its screen covered in cracks. After a few seconds of fiddling with it, he handed it to Rin.
"Here. Look at this. Maybe it'll distract you a bit."
Rin took it, confused.
The screen lit up her face… and she froze.
In the photo was a man with white hair, holding a golden microphone, his crimson suit shining under the stage lights. A face absurdly beautiful, almost demonic… and his eyes seemed to pierce through everything.
Deep in her mind, a fleeting memory surfaced of what had happened at Marin's house, when that same man had spoken with absolute certainty:
"I'll handle it."
The words echoed in Rin's mind, sweeping away fear, hopelessness, and chaos in an instant.
Everything, Gilgamesh's threat, Saber's wounds, the shadow of her father's death, vanished before that sure and arrogant promise.
She took a deep breath.
Her eyes lit up with renewed determination. She turned toward Shirō, who was still trying to ease the tension with clumsy jokes, and spoke.
"Maybe…" she said with resolve, "we need to ask for help from outside."
________
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