Fate: How About a New Savior?

"But still... quite the wilderness. So this is the place you once reached—your final destination, huh, Archer?"

Shiomi reached out and casually drew an unfamiliar longsword from the ground, raising it to point toward the distant Berserker.

His tone carried neither shock nor doubt—only a quiet sense of reflection.

"Perhaps," Archer replied, stepping forward. "In life, I was neither a swordsman nor an archer. I was just a Magus. I had no holy sword, no demonic blade. If anything, this world itself is the only Noble Phantasm I was ever permitted to possess."

The essence of this world was simple: to observe weapons and Noble Phantasms, replicate them, and store them. That was the foundation of this Reality Marble.

Shiomi, Morgan, Rin, and Sakura—being Magi themselves—had all begun to recognize this truth the moment they stepped into this world.

"So, your true name is..." Shiomi asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Archer had no intention of answering directly. "It doesn't matter. I'm just a nameless guardian. There's nothing left for me to regret this time, so my name holds no meaning. If you need something to call me, 'Nameless' will do."

"'Nameless'... a symbol of the unsung hero, huh?" Shiomi nodded, satisfied, and didn't press further.

He glanced back at Rin and Sakura. From up ahead, the sound of Berserker's roar and charging footsteps had already begun to close in.

There was no time left to discuss strategy. None of them were greenhorns—they all knew what needed to be done.

"If you're going head-to-head with Berserker, this would be more fitting." Archer thrust a sharp longsword into the ground before Shiomi. "Durandal—the 'The Unrivaled Sword of Renown.' It's an A-rank Noble Phantasm. With your strength behind it, you should be able to pierce that hero's defense."

Shiomi gave it a glance but didn't reach for it. Instead, he summoned a second crimson magic spear.

"I'll use my own weapon for now," Shiomi said.

"Gae Bolg?" Archer recognized it instantly, though something seemed different.

"This is the prototype—Alternative!"

With that, Shiomi charged, meeting Berserker in brutal close combat.

The sword-covered hill became the stage for a battle that shook the world.

"Is that guy really human?" Mordred couldn't tear her eyes away, stunned by the clash.

She realized that if she ever had to face Shiomi herself, she'd likely have no chance of winning.

"He is human... but he's long since surpassed humanity," Morgan said, raising her hand to cast another Grand Magecraft. "He's already eclipsed most Heroic Spirits in human history."

"You're overhyping me!" came Shiomi's voice from afar.

He vaulted high into the air, dodging Heracles' wild swing. Seizing the opening, he hurled both spears in quick succession, their True Names released mid-flight.

Even in his berserk state, Heracles' seasoned instincts couldn't keep up. The spears, guaranteed to hit, were unavoidable.

And layered over that—Morgan's Magecraft.

A massive explosion rocked the entire Reality Marble. Morgan calmly raised her hand, slicing through the shockwave and creating a tranquil pocket of space.

That first probing clash left Berserker's neck pierced by the spears, driven deep into his body. His frame bore the full brunt of magical bombardment, covered in seared wounds.

As Berserker went still, the others knew—he had been killed again. But it wouldn't last. He'd revive soon enough.

And the next time, Alternative wouldn't be enough.

Sliding back toward the group, Shiomi skidded to a stop and, in one fluid motion, pulled Durandal from the ground—the same blade Archer had left for him earlier.

With Archer's permission, the projected Noble Phantasm, combined with the power of Primordial Runes, could reach the full might of the original after its True Name was fully released.

Mordred's blood was boiling as she shouted to Sakura, "Master! Feed me mana! It's my turn!"

"Okay! I'll leave the fighting to you, Saber!"

If she were to unleash her Noble Phantasm again, Sakura would be pushed to her limits. From here on, she could only assist from the rear. The battlefield had shifted entirely into a domain for Servants—their Masters were better off staying back.

Except for one person.

Mordred's mana surged like a storm, forming a spiraling vortex. The armor, worn and battered from her earlier fight with Perseus, was instantly restored—gleaming anew with reinforced protection for its master.

"Perfect! Now it's my turn!"

Berserker, with his ability to endlessly revive, posed a unique threat. According to the intel Shinji Matou had carelessly revealed in his moment of smugness, Heracles possessed twelve resurrections.

The best strategy, then, was a war of attrition—a rotation of attackers aimed at exhausting those lives as quickly as possible.

In the battle at the church, Mordred and Archer had each taken Heracles down once. Archer had scored two more kills before activating his Reality Marble. Shiomi had landed one as well.

By that count, Berserker still had seven revivals left.

But what if his Noble Phantasm wasn't a one-way consumable? What if under certain conditions, those resurrection counts could be restored?

That was the uncertainty they faced.

It had been four days since the first clash with Berserker. Given that, Shiomi believed they needed to prepare for the worst.

"I see. Then go ahead, Mordred." Morgan lightly tapped Mordred's shoulder plate with her spear, bestowing a blessing that enhanced her physical strength. Saber hesitated, glancing back at her mother with visible confusion.

"Not happy with that?" Morgan asked, expression unreadable.

"...Nothing at all!"

Clearly embarrassed by her own reaction, Mordred gave an awkward shout and charged straight toward Berserker.

In the rebellious knight's memories, her mother's voice—calm or furious—had always carried a touch of madness, something sharp and unknowable.

But now, Morgan radiated an almost unworldly detachment, as if, after exhausting every effort, she'd decided that nothing in this world truly mattered.

Shoving all those thoughts aside, Saber unleashed a torrent of mana like crimson lightning and roared as she charged. In seconds, her blade collided with Berserker's massive axe hundreds of times in a ferocious flurry.

"Heracles is abnormally agile. Without support, Mordred's Noble Phantasm might miss," Morgan noted.

Shiomi grabbed another spear.

"I'm not just going to stand here watching. I'm going in—!"

With that, he dashed forward, leaping into the fray just as Saber's assault reached its pause and she backed off to catch her breath.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake