The Great Holy Grail War (Part 5)

"Rider?"

Controlling several golems masterfully with each of his fingers, Avicebron lowered the tool in his hand and moved the bronze giants to the back of the room. They were special golems, the best from the batch he's made, and he was storing them with more care than the others.

He has used materials like jewels for organs and parchment for all his golems, each at least eight hundred years old, in great quantities. Mercury was used for applying parchment, and the larger models needed their joints reinforced when it was applied.

Magic Circuits taken from living beings can be inserted for the creation of golems able to perform Magecraft. Since Magic Circuits could not be obtained that easily without killing a large amount of Magi, they were mostly harvested from the Black Faction's homunculi.

Nevertheless, the result of the products still varied, and the ones here are of the highest quality.

"Caster." Fenric entered the Spanish poet's workshop and looked around. Spotting his objective, he approached Avicebron and gestured towards the mass of muscles at the far right corner of the room. "Do you mind me examining Spartacus?"

"Hm. Go ahead. But what do you need from him?" The masked Caster and Roche followed behind his fellow Servant and arrived at a quiet Spartacus. "I was about to deposit him to the dungeons since the procedures have been completed."

"I merely wish to see the true Thracian gladiator close up. It's not everyday that you can meet such a famed hero, no, should I call you a rebel, Spartacus?" Fenric answered the Spanish poet and turned his head towards the bound Berserker.

"You. Are you an oppressor as well?" The ever-smiling mad warrior wide eyes stared into Rider's.

"Me? No, o'gladiator who loathes slavery, I am but a knight who swore to protect my mother nation." Rider of Black responded by removing his helmet and staring back into the giant man's mad eyes.

Spartacus did not reply, but Fenric knew that his unblinking eyes were questioning the authenticity of his claim. To be a knight meant to work for a nobleman or a king, and such an act indicated that he stood on the oppressor's side.

"I think you are misunderstanding me, Spartacus. I serve not a single man. I serve the people. To protect the civilians living in my homeland, I would not hesitate to cut down any enemies who dared to invade my country."

"Oh? May I ask what era did you come from?" Speaking up, Avicebron decidedly to sate his curiosity as the identity of Rider of Black has been shrouded in a veil up till now. Roche, who has already lost his interest in the conversation and moved back to tamper with a golem also perked up at this moment.

"...I lived in the age of knights, where magic has experienced a steep decline. An era where kings ruled nations as the absolute monarch, and wars were waged continuously for the greed of the ones in power." At Rider's somber words, the room descended into silence.

"It was honestly an awful period" Lying with a straight face, Fenric clenched his fists and resumed. "Innocent civilians, conscripted soldiers, clueless knights, willing to lose their lives to meager coins that could not even purchase a cup of ale."

"Young men discarded their lives to chase after honor in the hells of battlefields, only to learn the cold truth of reality. Finally, the crown fell under the hands of the dutiful knights. They rise up in a rebellion in order to put an end to the infallible king, closing the curtains of a foolish tale started by a pitiful young girl who abandoned her humanity."

Rider of Black narrated the true story of King Arthur. It was acceptable to tell them it, because Artoria Pendragon has not perished yet. Forever stuck in the Garden of Avalon, the King of Knights' gender will not be available to the Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes.

"...Your king, was she not an oppressor?" Unexpectedly, Spartacus was the first one to voiced out after the silence.

"No, Berserker, the king who I looked up to was not a tyrant who exploited the masses. She is a pure and benevolent saint who dreamed of an utopia. She sacrificed everything, including her own emotions, to saved as many souls as she possible could... though the salvation she granted unto others was not appreciated in the end."

"I see." That was the Thracian gladiator's final words. He did not speak up nor did he struggle for the next few hours, likely processing what Rider of Black has told him. A ruler who did not wish to oppress, a ruler who wished not for slavery but for the freedom of her subjects... such a king, if only she was the Emperor of Rome...

Unbeknownst to Spartacus, Avicebron, or Roche, Fenric has secretly utilized two Command Spells during his long narration. They were used on the bound mad warrior since he knew that a single one was not enough.

The Thracian gladiator lived his life for the sole purpose of defeating the oppressors. He, a slave who thirsted for equality of mankind, was the living embodiment of the concept of 'rebellion'. His rebellion made Command Spells to be not as effective as they should against him even though he does not possess high rank Magic Resistance.

The orders were simple. First, 'Do not feel enmity towards Rider of Black', and secondly, 'Find Rider of Black as an agreeable person'.

They were things that could be formed normally with a Servant through time spent together, however, Spartacus's psyche was too demented for logical exchange and a consensus could never be reached between the two under normal circumstances.

Suicide would be a waste of a precious possible ally and the chances of it backfiring on him was extremely high. Lastly, absolute obedience is tantamount to suicide as the Berserker of Red will bend his will to no one.

Thus, if he could not be commanded and was too valuable to lose, then why not subtly influence him to not target him during the chaos of the Great War? At maximum output, the mad warrior's Noble Phantasm, Crying Warmonger: The Howl of the Wounded Beast, could easily annihilate Fenric's entire body.

Sure, he could survive the blast with Avalon or Heaven's Feel, but that would force him to reveal his trumps cards, and consequently, his identity which was dubious from the start would definitely be questioned by his enemies, allies, and the overseer.

A nameless hero who is not remembered throughout the history? That's entirely possible. On the other hand, a nameless hero who rivals both Achilles and Hercules in fame or power, and his legend was never recorded? Ha! Who are you trying to cheat? Did everyone seemed like an idiot to you?

And Fenric understood that, that's why he...

-x-X-x-

"I'll meet you at the designated rendezvous point, Master."

"Yes!" A feminine voice replied and Chiron sped up towards the forest. He and Fiore have agreed to regroup at a space near the outer zone of the forest.

Earlier the day, Fiore discovered the appalling news of a series of killing in Sighisoara. The newspaper stated that the serial killer was 'Jack the Ripper of Romania'... and that piece of information sent chills down her spine seeing that-

The Assassin of Black is the actual Jack the Ripper.

They have lost contact with the Master of Assassin, Sagara Hyouma, and the last time the man spoke to them was right before the summoning ritual. He has said something about sacrificing a prostitute in order to improve the chances of pulling the Whitechapel Murderer, and all contact was promptly lost.

At first they believed that Hyouma was ambushed by the hunters hired by the Mage's Association during the ritual, and as a result lost Assassin of Black to a member of the opposite faction.

However, the crux of the problem is that why is Assassin carrying out indiscreet murder in the town of Sighisoara? The deaths were in fact all Magi, they are the spies of the Yggdmillennia clan and the support units dispatched by the Mage's Association.

One of the killed Mages was her friend and classmate she met in the Clock Tower when she was still enrolled there before the secession of her clan. She was by no means weak, on the contrary, she is a first-class Magus who could easily overpower the second-rates, which is what the Yggdmillennia clan is mainly composed of.

Many on her level were sent by the Association as the supporting cast, and they were all effortlessly dealt by someone... 'something'. Therefore, Darnic ordered her and Archer to investigate the killings.

...And that was when she discovered the Assassin of Black fighting against the Saber of Red in the middle of a mist-covered Sighisoara.

Chiron took position on the pinnacle of the clock tower and sniped the clashing pair. He missed by an inch, and Assassin made her escape in the chaos. On the other side, Fiore went and attacked Saber's Master, Sisigou Kairi.

After a few exchange of spells, she was caught off guard by the experienced Necromancer, fortunately and unfortunately, Caules followed her and intervened when she was about to be killed by him.

"I am almost there, Master."

Chiron moved in the shadows and retreated to the rendezvous point they agreed to earlier.

'...I have underestimated Saber.' Thinking that he could disable the berserk swordswoman for a few seconds with the mixed martial arts he mastered, Pankration, he engaged her in close combat and was wounded badly in return.

Additionally, Saber of Red's endurance and willpower are greater than what he expected. Despite being smashed into the concrete floor, she was already struggling to stand up the next second. Having no advantage in close quarters combat, he could only choose to withdraw. 'To underestimate someone like this...'

"I guess I am still too green as well." Stepping into the forest, Chiron wryly smiled.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more to that statement."

All of a sudden, a voice came from his front.

"...Rider? What are you doing here?" He stared wide eyes at the silver knight who was waiting for him.

"I am your reinforcement, Archer. Darnic has asked me to ensure the safety of your escape. Don't worry, Fiore and Caules have been secured by Caster's golems and the homunculi. They should be on their way here right now." Rider of Black replied as a dark purple sword was grasped in his hand.

"You have my gratitude, Ride-" Chiron was silenced when Fenric swung his sword at him without any warning. Thankfully, his Skills, Clairvoyance and Eye of the Mind (True), discerned the opposite man's action.

With unequaled dexterity, his hands swiftly went upwards and grabbed Rider's hand, however- "What?!" His hands passed through Fenric... and his body did the same thing the next moment.

"A hologram? Wh-" Not even given a time to respond, an arrow was fired at his back. 'I can't dodge it...!' Recognizing his own predicament, he tilted his wounded body with all his strength and narrowly avoided the projectile, receiving only a scratch from the deadly arrow.

"Why are you attacking me, Rider?!" Materializing his bow, Chiron nocked an arrow and promptly shot down the second arrow coming his way.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound of applause came from his front. "How are you, Archer? How do you feel?" Fenric stepped out of the shadows of the trees and greeted Chiron. Frowning slightly, the silver knight pointed at the ground beneath them.

"Magic Resistance sure is an annoying thing to deal with." To trick the great sage, Fenric had to establish a temporary 'temple' and invest a large amount of resources just to affect the centaur's senses with his specialized Bounded Field, Distorted World.

On the bright side, his plan worked.

"How do I feel? You traitor, I-" Chiron was never a man who tolerated betrayals well. He clenched his fists and glared at Rider, but then- "W-What-" He felt weak. "W-What is this...?" His body slowly went limp.

"What, did you, do to me?! You-" He fell down as all strength left his body. 'Don't tell me... the scratch from that arrow...?!' Not being able to speak coherently anymore due to having his body paralyzed, his shock and anger was instead expressed through the unflinching glare he was giving the opposite man.

"Here look, it's something you are familiar with, Archer." Fenric coldly smiled and withdrew a glass vial from out of nowhere. "You see this?"

'That, that is...!' He knew what was in the vial. Yes, even if he could not examine it, the great sage could feel the familiar substance contained in it. His glare quickly disappeared as his eyes were now filled with... fear.

"Ah, yes, it's hydra's venom. Are you surprise? For someone who died because he could not endure the pain of this poison, it must be quite traumatic to see it again." Fenric's smile got wider... before abruptly vanishing.

"Although it's not from a nine-headed hydra like the one you were afflicted with, it's still the venom of an adult six-headed hydra." The silver knight walked closer to the centaur and uncorked the vial. Without warning, he poured it all over Chiron's face.

"ARGH-"

"You're a loud one. O' Field of Agony, grant tranquility to this man." The great sage's scream was muffled by a spell. Not caring about his ally's wail, larger glass jars filled with green liquid materialized and he splashed them onto Archer one after another.

"$#M*&%...!"

"These solutions are more diluted than the previous one, but they are still effective, aren't they?" Arms, legs, upper chest, and lower chest. Emptying the sixth jar, Rider of Black crouched down beside the centaur.

"You must be wondering that, why am I doing this?" He poked Archer's tormented face unemotionally and continued. "...It's because you know too much, Chiron. The Greek centaur who was given the wisdom by various Greek Gods, you are a variable element that must be eliminated."

"No, I believe that you are already questioning my existence. There's no way that you have not felt it seeing that I have a high level Divinity that rivaled Hercules, who has reached the Throne of Gods. The only reason you're not bringing this up is probably because I am on your side at the moment. Oh wait, let's do this first-"

"By the power of this Command Spell, Archer of Black, I forbid you from activating your Noble Phantasm."

"By the power of this second Command Spell, Chiron, I forbid you once more from activating your Noble Phantasm."

"There." Smiling, Fenric stood back up and glanced at the night sky. "The Sagittarius constellation... what a problematic attack it is. It's pretty much an ultimate trump card that could not be dodged. Although you can't move your fingers, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"&%^#%*...!"

"Ah, were you perhaps waiting for me to reveal everything before using it? Or is that a no? Yes, yes, I know that you are in too much pain to even listen to me, but at least give me a chance to say this."

"Hmhm. I finally understand why the villains prefer telling the heroes their grand plan. It's simply too exhilarating to watch the protagonist suffer while they are certain to have the final laugh... though that always seem to backfire on them."

"Oh, you don't have to be worry for me. I made sure that no one can approach this temple I erected with the amount of Bounded Fields and traps I've set. Yes. In the end, you're someone who must be eliminated seeing that it is certain that you will uncover my identity, or at the very least become my enemy."

"%!^&#...!"

"Have you ever heard of the phrase, ignorance is bliss? That's the reality of this world. You're too smart, you know too much, that's why you're destined to die under my hands. But in any case, I just want you to know that it's nothing personal, Archer."

"^#&%*...!"

"You know, I wanted to keep you alive longer and have you pin down Achilles. Even for me, the hero of Iliad is too hard to kill. Sure, I can injure him with my A-Ranked Divinity, but the crux of the problem is not the amount of damage I can deal, it's the possibility of me hitting him."

"There's also his shield. Sealing his other Noble Phantasms, Akhilleus Kosmos can even block Anti-Fortress and Anti-Country Noble Phantasms. I can't follow his speed, I can't hit him because of the same reason, and my greatest trump card can also be blocked."

"What a bad joke this is... Oh hey, it's time for me to go." Noticing that the moon was moving further away, Fenric concluded his monologue. "Oh well, it was a pleasure working with you."

"May you have a sweet dream, son of Cronus." Arondight was materialized in his hand, and with both hands, he inserted it into Chiron's head before quickly stabbing his heart, destroying both his spiritual cores.

For killing a Servant during the Holy Grail War +30,000,000,000 EXP

You have leveled up! +5 SP

For reaching the max level, you are now Prestige 2!

For reaching the max level, a new familiar slot has been unlocked!

You have leveled up x27! +135 SP

For killing a Servant during the Holy Grail War, you will receive a random Skill or Noble Phantasm from the defeated Servant.

Class Skill: [Independent Action A]

Class Skill: [Magic Resistance B]

Personal Skill: [Clairvoyance B+]

Personal Skill: [Eye of the Mind (True) A]

Personal Skill: [Divinity C]

Personal Skill: [Wisdom of Divine Gift A+]

Noble Phantasm: [Antares Snipe: Heavenly Scorpion Single-Shot A]

You have received the Noble Phantasm: [Antares Snipe: Heavenly Scorpion Single-Shot A]

[Antares Snipe: Heavenly Scorpion Single-Shot]

Rank: A

Type: Anti-Unit

Classification: Noble Phantasm

Effect: Conceptual materialization, target tracking

Prerequisite: Fenric von Leiqritus, Chiron

Description: The trump card of Chiron, the embodiment of the episode in his legend where he is said to always be aiming at the Scorpion in the sky after being turned into the Sagittarius constellation. It manifests as a sniping Noble Phantasm that "shoots a shining star", based on Chiron being said to have attained the ultimate shot an Archer can reach by piercing a star. It is a conceptual materialization of the constellation, but it is not limited to being activated when the constellation appears in the sky. It is not a shot fired from his bow, but a star that shoots a "comet shot", possessing a tracking ability to hit its target. It is capable of being fired the moment the target is decided by simply moving his fingers away from his already drawn bow, and it is unique in that it does not require its True Name to be released or for it to be filled with magical energy to activate. Despite having a high rank, it possesses low attack power, making it a weakness that it must be planned out as to fatally hit the target as much as possible with each use for maximum efficiency. It can only be used once per night, limiting its usage to around fourteen times in an average two week Holy Grail War.