"Tch... to think the King would be reduced to this!"
Dodging a swipe from the dragon's immense claw, Gilgamesh's expression darkened to its absolute nadir.
With access to the Gate of Babylon, a mere dragon would have been dispatched in moments. Being chased around like a mouse by a cat was an affront to royal dignity.
And yet, he genuinely had no recourse.
Forget pulling weapons from the Gate. The only thing still functional was his golden armor.
Unlike Berserker, who carried weapons on his person, Gilgamesh only retrieved armaments from the Gate as needed.
Who could have predicted that someone would actually lock his Gate? Absurd. Unprecedented. In his entire existence, the King of Heroes had never suffered such indignity.
He swore to himself: next time, he would prepare specific countermeasures to ensure this never happened again.
CRASH!!
Berserker's golden greatsword shattered one of the black dragon's incoming fireballs. Glancing below at Caster, he identified his real target.
With skills and Noble Phantasms sealed, defeating this dragon head-on was impractical. Better to eliminate the summoner directly.
Whoosh!
But the instant he tried to advance, the black dragon unfurled its wings and blocked his path, refusing him passage.
This was bad.
With all his abilities reduced to "baseline," this dragon could genuinely stall him.
And the golden loudmouth next to him was completely useless at the moment.
The situation looked grim.
"Heh. Red-Eyes isn't going down that easy."
Unlike ordinary monsters, the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] was his ace in the hole. He didn't know why it had manifested at such enormous scale, but it was working in his favor.
"Hah!!"
A sharp cry from below. Jonouchi's attention snapped toward it.
He spotted Saber, battered and stumbling, sprinting in his direction.
"Oh no you don't."
Recognizing her intent, Jonouchi reacted quickly. Saber's injuries had slowed her considerably, giving him ample time to respond. The dragon's massive tail slammed down across her path like a cliff face, cutting off her approach.
"Ugh!"
Gauging the height, Saber grimaced. Normally this would be nothing, but injured and conserving energy, it became a serious obstacle.
Her plan had been to create a diversion for Assassin. It seemed to have only half-succeeded.
"That's enough."
But Assassin's voice reached her, sharp and clear.
Kenshin sprinted from behind. In a single leap, he used her shoulder as a stepping stone and launched himself skyward.
But his injuries betrayed him. He couldn't maintain balance mid-air; the forward momentum fell short. He wouldn't clear the dragon's tail to reach Caster.
"!"
Jonouchi spotted the figure sailing over the tail. He wasn't worried. At that trajectory, Assassin was nowhere near close enough. Red-Eyes could swat him aside at any time.
Swoosh!
But then Assassin shifted his grip and hurled the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi like a javelin.
"Crap!"
Jonouchi reacted, but his body simply wasn't fast enough to evade completely.
CRACK!
The divine blade sliced clean through the rightmost section of his Duel Disk, carving off the [Skill Drain] zone and sending it clattering to the ground.
In that instant, every Servant on the field felt the oppressive seal lift.
"Saber!"
"Yes!"
"I've been waiting for this!"
Familiar golden motes of light began swirling around the holy sword. The radiance of hope itself.
Mana erupted outward, alerting even Gilgamesh and Berserker on the rooftops above.
"Ex--calibur!!"
The golden blade arced toward the black dragon in the sky, its brilliance swallowing everything in its path.
BOOM!!
The impact detonated high above, forming a cross-shaped "firework" of staggering beauty.
"Red-Eyes!!"
Jonouchi shielded his face against the shockwave and screamed.
"Rider, are you alright?"
"Alright is... a bit generous, honestly."
Waver helped the bloodstained Lelouch to his feet. The Emperor managed a self-deprecating chuckle.
"We need to leave, Waver. In this state... I can barely... protect you."
The halting words conveyed just how depleted Lelouch truly was.
"I know!"
Nodding, Waver put the earlier conflict aside and supported him as they withdrew.
"Not bad. Quite the display."
"Wouldn't you agree?"
As the aftermath settled, Gilgamesh savored the brilliant "firework" and turned to Berserker beside him.
"..."
Berserker said nothing. He simply watched Saber below, a distant nostalgia in his gaze.
He too had once shone with that same radiance.
"Hmph. Now that we can finally clean up this mess."
"If we're to settle things between us properly, these mongrels need to be dealt with first."
"All these interruptions... most unpleasant."
The Gate of Babylon reopened, its interior bristling with countless blades aimed below. Gilgamesh was still furious about the earlier humiliation.
"Don't you dare!"
"Sakura!"
Dragging herself upright, Kyoko wheezed the words. Jonouchi watched her with visible concern.
"You're out of cards, aren't you?"
"So now it's my turn to protect you."
"But you're also--"
Jonouchi tried to protest, but she cut him off.
"Heh. Relax. I've still got an ace up my sleeve."
She flashed a reassuring grin.
'Never thought I'd actually resort to this... what an idiot I am. What am I even thinking?'
But behind the bravado, she was far from calm.
Witchification.
Perhaps it was the only option left.
She still didn't know what it would truly do. But if it could protect her friend...
No matter the cost, no matter the consequences...
She would use it.
'Damn you, God. You really are cruel.'
Maybe she'd already fallen into the abyss. Joining this "Dragon Ball War" had been a mistake from the start.
And yet, strangely, she felt no regret.
At least...
She'd made a new friend here.
"Jonouchi..."
"Hmm?"
"Our time together was short, but... I'm really glad."
"Huh?"
"So... we're friends, right?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? We've been risking our lives for each other. Of course we are!"
"Haha..."
'I'm sorry, Sayaka. I really couldn't save you.'
'But right now, I can save another friend.'
"Jonouchi... meeting you was the best thing that happened to me."
As the words left her lips, the atmosphere shifted. Something sinister crept across the surroundings.
An unnatural chill swept over everyone present.
The streets warped. Heaven and earth distorted. An alien landscape bled into view.
Waver, halfway through his retreat with Lelouch, went wide-eyed with terror.
"A Reality Marble?!!"
That night...
A "Witch" was born in Fuyuki City.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
PS: A note on the plan.
Kenshin and Saber's strategy depended entirely on their remaining physical capacity. Saber lacked Kenshin's speed, so only he could attempt the breakthrough. But Kenshin was too injured to sustain a full assault, which is why he didn't try to kill Caster directly. Just reaching the Duel Disk was exhausting enough, and he only had one shot. If he didn't destroy Skill Drain, every one of them would eventually be incinerated by Red-Eyes. So he settled for the next best thing: destroying the card from range with a thrown sword.