"Such skill... even among Heroic Spirits, it is elite. Azem? That isn't your true name, is it?"
Fighting Berserker in person, Gilgamesh smirked. Saber and Jonouchi, watching from the sidelines, were stunned.
"This King possesses the eyes to see through all things. Though something interferes with my vision, I can still discern the True Names of mongrels. But you... this King cannot see through you. Even the True Name I read is a falsehood."
"You possess such strength and spirit, yet you have no Divinity. As a 'Human,' you are remarkably unadorned."
Gradually shifting his tone, Gilgamesh spoke with rare candor. Based on the skills Berserker displayed, he should have been a renowned hero in history. But as the 'Oldest King,' Gilgamesh had no memory of any such person. None of the heroes he knew matched Berserker's versatility.
An all-around warrior skilled in greatswords, spears, magecraft, katanas, and bows—it was impossible for him to be a nameless nobody. Such rare talent even earned a look of respect from Gilgamesh. Many Divine Spirits would pale in comparison to this hero's prowess.
Berserker gave no verbal answer. Instead, he swapped his longbow for a golden spear, his rising magical energy serving as his response.
"Hmm? A Noble Phantasm release? Good. Let this King see what you can do!"
His interest fully piqued, Gilgamesh stood with arms crossed in his golden armor, waiting. The space behind him rippled with potential. Whoosh! Whoosh!! The wind howled as Saber and Jonouchi shielded their eyes, witnessing the staggering release of magical energy.
White light bloomed like fireworks. Blue sparks erupted from the golden spear, materializing into a visible form behind Berserker. "What is that? A Dragon?" Saber whispered, seeing the azure dragon coil behind him.
"Roar!" The dragon's mouth unhinged as if to consume everything in its path. Azure Dragon Flame!
The figure launched forward like a blue meteor, a streak of starlight aimed directly at the golden King. Gilgamesh, no longer careless, withdrew a defensive Noble Phantasm from his Treasury capable of resisting Anti-Fortress attacks. He wasn't arrogant enough to rely solely on his armor against such a strike.
BOOM!! A violent explosion rocked the earth. A massive pillar of magical light erupted, reaching toward the sky as if to touch the heavens themselves.
"That's insane!" Jonouchi was thrown backward by the shockwave. He desperately grabbed onto a tree to stabilize himself. Saber, too, was forced back, her Holy Sword gouging a deep trench in the ground as she braced against the pressure.
...
"He's far too strong... that Servant," Waver remarked, watching the pillar of light from a distance. If Rider took that hit, he and his Knightmare would be obliterated.
"Indeed. We cannot face him head-on," Lelouch agreed. He had no intention of provoking such a powerhouse directly. He knew that an enemy of this caliber would shift the entire war.
"Joining forces is a necessity..." Realizing his limited combat power, Lelouch adjusted his strategy. In this war, his direct martial ability was low; without the Knightmare and his Geass, he would have little to offer but his intellect. It fit him perfectly—he was the mind, not the sword.
"The Tohsaka and Matou families..." Lelouch had already deduced the Masters behind Archer and Berserker. He needed to prepare. Those two were rule-breakers, and face-to-face confrontation was out of the question.
...
Crack... After the explosion subsided, nothing remained in the center of the crater. Berserker looked around and realized his opponent had vanished. At the very moment his Azure Dragon Flame was about to breach the defenses, the golden King had been pulled back by a Command Spell.
It wasn't over. Although the King hadn't given his all, the intervention of his Master had cut the duel short. Berserker didn't know if such an opportunity would come again.
Glancing at Saber, who was leaning on her sword nearby, Berserker decided not to press the attack. His magical energy was spent. Continuing would mean draining Sakura's reserves, putting her in danger.
Saber watched as Berserker faded away, somewhat surprised. She had expected an follow-up attack, but he simply left. She could still sense Caster nearby but had no strength left to pursue him. The battle had taken a heavy toll on her stamina.
She worried about Kiritsugu and Maiya. 'They haven't called... there shouldn't be a problem, right?'
...
"Pui! Pui!!" Jonouchi spat out dust as he stood. "Is that really a human?"
He couldn't believe what he had just seen. These Servants were like living Duel Monsters. "How am I supposed to win against that?!"
He looked at the final set card on his Duel Disk—a card he hadn't been able to use since he drew it. [Soul Relay]. His monster, spell, and trap cards had all been burned through by Lancer. He was down to his last resort.
His Life Points were ticking down. He couldn't stop the decline. Sooner or later, he would self-destruct. "Argh! This is so frustrating!"
As he walked home, grumbling to himself, he rounded a corner and stopped. A small figure sat on the ground, knees hugged to her chest. She looked up as he approached. Lancer. Caster.
"It's you!" "It's you!!" they shouted in unison, neither expecting to meet like this.