Assassin's POV
"I think we're safe here," I said as I set the girl down and sat down, leaning against a tree.
My whole body ached; I never expected Lancer's master to use two Command Seals. His attacks might not have killed me, but I felt like I came close.
I took advantage of the system's bounty window.
[Congratulations, you have defeated Lancer-class Servant Nagao Kagetora; his bounty is 800,000,000,000 PL.]
That'll help me replenish what I spent earlier in the all-seeing eyes of God.
Now that I think about it, I also defeated Apollo and Hephaestus, but because of the situation, I never saw the system notification.
"Are you alright?" the girl asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine; I just need to rest a bit; the wounds won't heal on their own."
Thanks to Haki, I could sense everything that was happening, from Saber's defeat and Akane's escape to the rest that no one cared about and especially that Archer and Rider were facing Berserker.
Oh, wait, that's a lie; now it's just one of them.
Everything's wrong, from Saber's fight to Berserker somehow fighting seriously now and Archer being left almost in a coma.
What bothers me most is that I had to fight Lancer; if I had that awful master, she could be on our side now, and the four of us could be fighting Berserker and surely defeating him. I just hope Lancer's wish comes true and I can fight her with everything I've got this time; honestly, I'm holding back from the little time I interacted with her.
But there is something good. And that is, since there's no one else in Fuyuki, I can perfectly sense all the presences in the place. I can sense Archer, Rider, Berserker, and, most of all, a worm hiding underground.
The problem is, I'm not in any condition to go right now. I need to rest.
"Brat," I said to Rider's teacher, sending her into a panic. "I'm going to take a nap. Keep an eye out for anyone coming; if anything happens, just beat them up." With that, I closed my eyes, ignoring the girl's panic.
...
Third-person POV.
In Fuyuki, powers and weapons flew everywhere.
Rider, on her mount, was constantly dodging and deflecting Berserker's attacks, knowing she didn't have the power or skill to kill him; perhaps she could seriously injure him, but for a monster like him, that kind of damage was no different than cutting your finger with a piece of paper. It didn't take away the pain, but it didn't affect him at all.
Before nightfall, Assassin had given her two pieces of advice on how to face Berserker: first, never stop moving; staying still is an invitation for him to grab you and destroy you in seconds; and second, dodge everything, and, if you can't, deflect it, but never block a direct hit.
But it was easier said than done.
Berserker was already getting bored of moving around, so he was becoming more precise and destructive in his attacks.
Rider, using her pearls, hampered Berserker's gait and movements, but it wasn't very effective.
In a burst of power, Berserker swept through everything, ignoring any attack from his enemy to reach her and try to finish her off in one blow.
What he didn't expect was that, before she even arrived, he had already leaped back while the wolf lunged forward, only to push him back to where the pearls were, surrounding him.
There was no need to hold back.
"Eight guardians enveloped in heat and power, rising before the guardian of the Satomi: 'The Chronicles of the Eight Dogs,'" Rider announced, leaping into the sky, blinded by the moon, causing Yatsufusa to transform into a spirit sword that descended upon Berserker at full speed.
Berserker tried to move, but the eight pearls swirling around her coalesced, sealing her movements. This gave Rider's Noble Phantasm time to reach her opponent.
Once the spirit sword reached Berserker, the entire area was engulfed in magical energy that swept away everything in its path. It was carried upward on a pillar while everything within the circle was destroyed.
When the attack ended, Rider was seen retreating, exhausted. After all, her master didn't possess incredible magical circuits, or she wouldn't have been sold. Not to mention, she was still just a child, so she wouldn't drain much of her master's magical energy.
Amidst all the chaos, a figure emerged from Rider's Noble Phantasm. It was Berserker, half her body destroyed, regenerating, but this time much slower than before.
Her mana was already running low; This slowed her regeneration, as it came from the mana provided by her own master.
Rider noticed this, but before she realized it, Berserker was already upon her. Just as he was about to attack, a fiery punch erupted from behind him, sending him flying.
Rider looked at the figure that had arrived, none other than Archer, now conscious again and without his armor.
"I let my guard down. That won't happen again," she said as she walked to where Berserker had crashed. Each step she took left a footprint that melted on the ground.
With each step he took, Archer's body became increasingly engulfed in flames, a fire born from the rage and fury within him.
In an instant, he lunged at Berserker, only to have to dodge a direct blow to the face. He shifted his center of mass to the side and attempted to strike his opponent's ribs but was stopped by Berserker himself.
Rider didn't stand idly by. He commanded Yatsufusa to attack. Already positioned behind Berserker and a bringo, Yatsufusa bit Berserker's neck.
This disoriented the Monkey King, giving Archer the opportunity to break free and deliver a powerful kick that sent him crashing to the ground.
Once on the ground, several pearls, engulfed in flames, rained down on him, severely injuring him.
In a swift motion, he summoned his staff and spun it rapidly, forcing his three opponents back to avoid his attack.
Berserker's wounds were healing more and more slowly. Given his situation, he decided to adopt a more defensive fighting style, that of Buddha.
Berserker has two fighting styles: one focused on aggression, a style of underground or street fighting, while the Buddhist style is more defensive, centered on destroying his opponent with a single blow, not killing him but rather incapacitating him.
Therefore, no matter how powerful the blow, it would never kill the opponent, which is why Archer could get back up after being knocked down for a few minutes.
Blows flew back and forth. Archer, with his explosive punches engulfed in hellfire, gave no respite. Behind him, Rider and his guardian wolf supported their partner so that Berserker couldn't strike him so easily.
Berserker was increasingly ceasing his attacks and focusing more on dodging and blocking.
This caused Archer's blood to boil with ecstasy as he saw, for the first time in all these days of combat and chaos, that the monkey was finally bleeding.
This gave Archer confidence, allowing Berserker the opportunity to act.
Archer used his chakram to strike his opponent, but Berserker blocked it with his forearm, damaging and burning it. The Hindu warrior did not cease his assault, using his feet to try to knock Berserker unconscious.
Berserker took a step back to create distance from Archer, only for Archer to rush forward.
In a moment of calm, Berserker cleanly dodged Archer's blow, leaving him with a clear opening, which he did not hesitate to exploit.
Standing firmly, the monkey king formed a fist and struck Archer's intestines with all his might.
The difference between Berserker's fighting styles can be seen in the way he strikes. In his Buddhist style, he strikes with the palm of his hand; in his more street-style attack, he uses his fists.
Archer felt Berserker's punch shatter and liquefy his intentions, sending him crashing into a pile of rubble as he vomited blood and bile.
"Damn," Rider said, watching Archer fall.
Rider looked at Berserker, realizing something: before, his regeneration was incredibly slow, but now, it wasn't regenerating at all.
Berserker's mana was at its limit.
Dawn was just around the corner; she could either stall for time until daylight and survive or risk it all and try to kill the monkey.
Lifting her katana, she assumed a battle stance; she would take the risk. There was no telling if there would be another opportunity this perfect to kill him.
She charged at her opponent, with Yatsufusa following behind.
On the other side, Archer writhed on the ground, still vomiting blood. His immortality helped him withstand the damage, but it didn't lessen the pain; unlike the monkey, who felt no pain, he felt it nonetheless.
At this moment, he felt useless; all his anger and fury had been for nothing, nor had the help of Saber and Rider. This only enraged him more and more.
Rider threw himself to the ground and rolled, dodging Berserker's stomp, only to pull out a pistol and fire a shot straight at his head.
Although the bullet was imbued with magical energy, it only managed to scratch the surface of Berserker's skull.
She watched as the bullet casing fell to the ground, leaving a mark on her head where blood began to trickle.
Rider clicked his tongue, his thoughts and mana dwindling.
Suddenly, he noticed the sky was clearing, so he glanced toward the rising sun, seeing it was already beginning to brighten, but that was a mistake.
Berserker took advantage of Rider's distraction and, in a flash, was there, ready to strike his opponent with his staff. Rider realized what was coming, but he couldn't react in time to the blow.
Just as he was about to strike Rider, Yatsufusa pushed him out of position to take the attack.
Rider watched in horror as Yatsufusa was destroyed with a single blow of the staff, brutally torn in two and beginning to disappear, fulfilling his mission to protect his beloved.
(Note: Beloved, since Rider is also the Saint Graph of Fusehime, and because of Nansou Satomi's story, Eight Chronicles of Dogs).
Before Rider realized what was happening, Berserker was already upon her.
The monkey king grabbed her face and slammed her head into the ground, shattering it, before beginning a rampage, tearing through the ground with Rider, who remained suspended from the earth.
Once this torture was over, Berserker lifted Rider with a single blow, releasing her face and seizing her neck, beginning to strangle her.
Rider, badly wounded, tried to grab her opponent's arm or land a few blows, but with each passing second, her strength drained from her body.
Just as Berserker was about to snap Rider's neck, a fiery explosion erupted nearby.
"BERSERKER!" came a roar of rage.
It was Archer; blinded by fury and rage, he glared at Berserker, ignoring everything else, and in a blur of speed, he was running toward him.
Archer channeled all his strength and magical energy into a single fist. Berserker was no longer healing; he had the opportunity to kill with a single blow.
So he charged straight ahead without pausing, his strike already prepared.
Blinded by rage, he struck.
The attack landed; the sound of blood and flesh being torn apart filled the air; Archer's fist could be seen slicing through a body. But it wasn't Berserker's.
Berserker saw what Archer was doing, and the blow was indeed capable of killing him in his current state, so he decided not to take it, but instead of dodging, he decided to block it.
Grabbing Rider's body with both hands, he positioned it between Archer and himself.
Archer, blinded by the tunnel vision effect, didn't see Rider and couldn't react in time to Berserker's actions; his body's acceleration wouldn't allow him to stop.
Rider's fist pierced through Rider's entire ribcage, passing through the other side of his body.
Berserker managed to leap out of the way of the high-acceleration train that was Archer, watching as Rider's body flew like a rag doll, crashing brutally to the ground.
Elsewhere, Chiaki sat waiting for daylight, only to feel the connection between her and Rider brutally severed, causing her to scream and fall to her knees.
This startled Assassin awake, only to find the girl on the verge of tears.
Without hesitation, he used his Observation Haki to survey the scene, then stood up, summoned his scythe, and sprinted toward Fuyuki.
Back in Fuyuki, Berserker stared at Rider's body, marveling at how, despite the extensive damage inflicted upon her—her chest practically ripped open in a horrific wound with numerous burns covering her body—Rider was still alive. Well, not for long.
Berserker watched as Archer stared, unsure what to do: attack. Berserker or try to help the allied Servant who was about to die because of him.
"Time's up," Berserker declared, watching as the sun's rays began to rise, causing him to dematerialize and leaving the two Servants alone.
At this, Archer could only clench his fists tightly and bite his lip in frustration and self-loathing.
He walked to the side of the dying Rider, who was struggling to breathe, feeling her wounded lungs fill with blood, making it difficult to breathe.
She looked at Archer's face, seeing the guilt and remorse for what he had just done.
Aśvatthāman was a warrior of pride and honor; to harm his allies like this and be mocked by his enemy was a disgrace to him.
Seeking absolute victory at any cost, she made him pay with her comrade's blood on her hands.
"Archer," she heard Rider's dying voice, making her look up. "I don't blame you; it was an accident, just don't do it again."
With those last words, Rider's body began to disappear, returning to the throne of heroes, leaving a permanent mark on one of the heroes of the Mahabharata.
Archer stared at the spot where Rider's body lay with a bittersweet feeling.
He stared at the blood-stained hands of his ally, the one who had tried to help him win his battle against Berserker.
In that place, he silently swore an oath: no matter what happened, he would kill Berserker, no matter what.
"I'm too late," said a panting Assassin, clutching his scythe, only to have to return it to where it lay.
"The monkey left a while ago," Archer replied, still staring at his hands.
Assassin simply shook his head.
"I see that," the assassin said simply, surveying the chaos, destruction, and fire that surrounded the place.
This night ended with the deaths of three Servants: Lancer at the hands of Assassin, Saber at the hands of Berserker, and Rider at the hands of Archer.
Only Archer, Assassin, and Berserker remain to fight for the Holy Grail.
...
Akane's POV
Once it was daylight, Kenji, Albus, and I returned to Fuyuki, heading towards what was, or should have been, Kenji's house, only to find a somewhat depressed Archer and an Assassin holding a forlorn Chiaki.
I noticed that both Servants were still badly injured, with Assassin looking the worse, at least superficially.
The atmosphere was very depressing and sad, and I suppose that was to be expected. The plan hadn't worked; Berserker was still alive, and Saber and Rider had died. Well, they returned to the Heroes' Throne, but the feeling was the same.
The moment we arrived, Archer stood abruptly to face his master.
"We need to talk," he said, then went to a more secluded spot.
Albus looked at Kenji and me and followed his Servant.
Kenji sighed; he was surveying the surroundings of the village, which was in a terrible state.
Luckily, there were still structures and walls left to rebuild the city; if it hadn't been for Saber's final attack, nothing would have remained of Fuyuki.
"Saber did well; now all that's left for me is to kill Berserker's master to cleanse my honor and pride. This has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War; this is something within the Tohsaka family itself, which is why I'll continue helping him find that bastard and eliminate him."
"Speaking of which," Assassin appeared, walking toward us, holding Chiaki's hand. "I have an idea of where he is, but I'm not sure which entrance to his lair is."
"It would be best to wait for Albus to return so he can use his family to check the place where you say the hideout is," Kenji replied.
Assassin nodded, looking at the little girl beside him.
"This brat needs to rest. Do you know of any place where she can sleep?"
Chiaki said nothing, just stood there with her head down.
"I'll see if my son's room is still intact," Kenji said, taking the girl's hand and leading her around.
At that moment, we were alone together, unsure what to do, mainly because Assassin seemed mentally exhausted.
"We should take advantage of this time to rest so we're ready for nightfall," I said.
"Yes, I think you're right. Something tells me tonight will be the last night of this Holy Grail War."
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Good people, I've decided to end the chapter here. I still have a few things to do, and I'll probably focus more on the masters' battle next night than on Archer's and Assassin's fight against Berserker; it'll be the same there, except for the ending.
I also have to say that I'm going back to university classes tomorrow; it probably won't be noticeable in the first few days, but this is my last year, so I have to put effort into my thesis and my internship. So, whatever I do, I'll see how I can manage my time to keep writing both fics.
Well, that's all for now. I have some ideas I changed and something I'd like to suggest, but I'll tell you when I finish this part of the arc. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you.