The Madness Unchained

The battlefield lay in ruins. The clash of weapons and the roars of Servants had filled the air not long ago, but now, an unnatural stillness had taken hold.

It was as if the world itself held its breath.

All eyes were locked onto a single figure standing amidst the wreckage—the Foreigner.

She was no longer bound by the limitations of the Throne of Heroes. The very air around her warped and twisted, as if reality itself struggled to contain her existence. Her presence was wrong, a contradiction that should not be.

Her form flickered, like something out of sync with the world, shifting between an unknowable abyss and the remnants of humanity she once possessed.

Saber stood firm, her blade steady but her expression grim. "That is no Servant," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

Lancer tightened the grip on her greatsword, taking a slow step forward. "I've fought monsters before." She exhaled. "But this..."

Even Alter, ever the embodiment of chaos, hesitated. She rolled her shoulders, eyes narrowing as she examined the unnatural force before them. "Hah. The hell kind of joke is this?"

Archer, standing beside Berserker in the distance, said nothing. Instead, her keen eyes focused on the way space fractured around Foreigner, as though the rules of this world had begun to break.

Lucian, standing behind Lancer, felt his Command Seals burn against his skin. It was an unnatural heat, not from exertion but from something else—like reality itself was rejecting the presence of the thing before them.

And then—

She moved.

---

Foreigner raised her hand, and the world bent.

The sky cracked like glass, revealing something far beyond human comprehension. Stars blinked in and out of existence, twisting like writhing serpents in a sea of darkness. The land beneath them shuddered, as if recoiling from the mere thought of what was to come.

Then, the monolith rose.

A massive structure of twisting flesh and abyssal energy erupted from the earth, stretching high into the heavens. The moment it emerged, the battlefield changed. The ruins of the city around them melted and reformed, shifting into grotesque, impossible shapes. The ground itself became unstable, warping like a reflection on disturbed water.

Lucian stumbled back, his breathing sharp. "This is... impossible."

Lancer didn't look at him—her entire focus was on the thing in front of them.

"No," she said, voice steady but heavy with something rarely heard in her tone—concern.

"This is a god's descent."

---

A pulse of energy erupted from Foreigner's body, sweeping across the battlefield.

The moment it passed through them, every single Servant felt it.

A suffocating presence crushed against their minds. It was not merely magical energy—it was something else. A concept. A force. An alien truth that did not belong to this world.

Assassin, lurking in the shadows, gritted her teeth as the wave of madness passed through her. Even in her secluded position, her instincts screamed at her to flee.

Archer staggered, her breath hitching as she fought against the overwhelming presence. Berserker let out a furious growl, resisting the unnatural influence through sheer brute force.

Saber held her ground, but her grip on her sword tightened. Her eyes darted toward Alter—who, for once, was completely silent.

That was unsettling.

"Alter," Saber said carefully.

Alter was shaking.

Not from fear. Not from hesitation. But from exhilaration.

"Heh." A slow, unhinged grin stretched across her face. "Now that's more like it."

"Alter, do not—"

But it was too late.

---

In a burst of black flames, Alter charged.

Her eyes burned with an unnatural light as she closed the distance between herself and Foreigner in the span of a single breath. Her blade howled through the air, a streak of black and blue, aiming straight for Foreigner's throat.

A direct, decisive strike.

It should have landed.

But it didn't.

The moment Alter's sword neared Foreigner's body, something impossible happened.

Her blade passed through.

As if Foreigner wasn't really there.

Alter's eyes widened. "What the—"

Then the world inverted.

A shockwave of abyssal energy exploded outward, sending Alter flying. She barely had time to twist midair before she slammed into the ruins, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop.

For a moment, she didn't move.

Then, with a sickening crack, she forced herself to stand. Blood dripped from the side of her mouth, but her grin never faded.

"Alright." She spat out a glob of blood. "That was fun."

Saber exhaled sharply. "You are reckless."

Alter chuckled. "You love it."

"Tch." Saber turned her focus back to the battlefield.

Foreigner had not moved from her spot. She stood untouched. Unbothered.

But that was not what made Saber uneasy.

It was the way Foreigner tilted her head, as if observing them not as enemies, but as experiments.

And then—she smiled.

A cold, hollow expression.

"More," she whispered. "Struggle more."

The battlefield shook.

And the war was only just beginning.

---

Lancer tightened her grip on her weapon. "We cannot fight this thing alone."

Saber glanced at her. "Are you suggesting an alliance?"

Lancer nodded. "Temporary."

Alter scoffed, cracking her neck. "Tch. Fine."

Archer, still regaining her composure, gave a slow nod.

Even Berserker, ever the wild card, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.

Assassin, however, had vanished.

Lucian noticed. "Where did—"

A voice whispered in the darkness.

"I will return when the time is right."

And just like that, she was gone.

Lucian cursed.

Saber narrowed her eyes at Foreigner, watching as the monolith behind her continued to rise.

Time was running out.

They had one choice.

Fight together... or die separately.

---

To Be Continued…