"Hahahaha!!!"
"This long-lost sense of danger."
"How thrilling."
Having abandoned the Gate of Babylon for ranged bombardment, Gilgamesh had elected to grip a legendary weapon and engage Berserker in close combat.
Even as the King, he was being outclassed.
"Not only anti-Dragon specialization, but anti-Divine as well."
"Even anti-Demon isn't exempt?"
"For a mere 'human,' this is terrifyingly excessive."
Every projectile he launched was swatted aside. In melee, his strikes fell short.
"How many species of beings did you slay in your lifetime?"
Smiling at the gap between their crossed weapons, faces inches apart, Gilgamesh asked the question.
Not "how many," but "how many kinds."
The deeper he delved into this warrior's strength, the more his curiosity burned.
As a mere "human," he had slain dragons. He had slain gods. He had slain demons.
Saver.
A title even the King of Heroes had not earned in life.
The feat of saving the world itself!
Not one person. Not one village, one town, one city, one nation.
But the "entire world."
Before that achievement, the mythological distinctions of "dragon, god, demon" became vanishingly small.
Gilgamesh himself was a demigod. That was precisely why Berserker's identity consumed him with curiosity.
This warrior had compelled the Most Ancient King to employ Sha Naqba Imuru, the Star of Omniscience, something he rarely bothered with. That alone spoke volumes.
CRASH!
No answer came. Berserker knew full well that Gilgamesh had means of investigation.
The heavy greatsword swung, knocking the King's halberd aside, followed by a raw punch.
Smack!
Twisting to evade the fist, Gilgamesh opened his treasury behind him. Gleaming chains snaked out and coiled around Berserker's body.
SNAP!
In the next instant, the chains were torn apart. Berserker was already swinging the greatsword in a horizontal slash.
"Hmph... even the King must endure such indignity."
Watching his most trusted Noble Phantasm be shrugged off, Gilgamesh muttered with a self-deprecating smirk.
The Chains of Heaven. The symbol of his friend "Enkidu."
A divine armament specifically designed to bind those of high "Divinity." Gilgamesh trusted them even more than Ea.
The higher the target's Divinity, the more absolute the binding. Against someone with no Divinity, however, they were mere ordinary chains.
And Berserker had snapped them without effort, conclusively proving he was indeed a "human" with zero Divinity.
CLANG!!
An axe materialized from a rift in space at his flank, blocking the incoming greatsword just in time.
"How can this be..."
Sensing his mana being drained at an alarming rate, Tokiomi leaned forward in his chair, composure fracturing.
"The King of Heroes is being pushed back?"
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Tokiomi had never envisioned this scenario.
He'd always sat comfortably because he believed in Gilgamesh's supremacy.
But now Berserker appeared to be the stronger?
Despite possessing an infinity of Noble Phantasms, Gilgamesh could not overcome the warrior before him.
Crack!
"What manner of being is he?!"
His teacup slipped from nerveless fingers, shattering on the floor, splashing his trousers.
Everything was trending against him.
What was happening?
"Hmm? What is it?"
A sudden communication from Risei. Tokiomi blinked, then connected through a familiar.
"I see. I'll come find you once this sortie concludes."
RATATATATATAT!!!
A barrage of mana-charged bullets tore between Lancer and Saber, forcing both to leap apart.
"!"
"!"
Both looked up to find the massive Knightmare hovering overhead.
"Rider?!"
The name fell from both their lips simultaneously, their expressions vastly different.
"Saber, unless you want to be caught in the crossfire, I'd suggest stepping aside."
The transmitted voice made Kyoko's stomach drop.
She had a horrible feeling Rider was coming for her too.
"This extermination only requires your participation."
"In fact, you might consider going to help Assassin instead."
"He doesn't seem to be doing too well against Caster alone."
Lelouch's blunt directive halted Saber's intended advance.
'Go assist Assassin, Saber.'
'Leave Lancer to Rider.'
Kiritsugu's order came at the perfect moment. In his assessment, having Saber unleash Excalibur on Lancer was wildly cost-inefficient.
If Rider was volunteering, why not take the favor?
Besides, it was an opportunity to covertly observe whether Rider had hidden capabilities.
"Mm. Understood."
Though she wanted to settle things with the girl, one glance at Rider's towering war machine convinced Saber not to argue.
Rider's attack methods were clearly unsuited for close-quarters teamwork. If she stuck around, she might genuinely get caught in the barrage.
"Hey! Wait!!"
"What's going on?"
"What does 'extermination' mean?!"
With Saber departing, Kyoko whirled on Rider and demanded answers.
Why did she have such a terrible feeling?
Saber and Rider jointly targeting her was bad enough. It looked like even Assassin was on their side.
Factor in Berserker and Archer being occupied with each other, and she and Jonouchi were effectively fighting four Servants.
When had she earned this much hatred?
"You don't know yet?"
"The Church issued an extermination order on Lancer."
"The reason: you killed a civilian during your battle with Assassin, violating the rules."
Rider's words hit Kyoko like a physical blow.
"Every Master-Servant pair that participates receives one Command Spell."
"With that kind of reward, do you think anyone would sit this out?"
"What did you just say?!"
Finally understanding why everyone was attacking her tonight, Sakura Kyoko erupted with fury.
'That time...'
"I didn't do it!!"
She recalled her earlier skirmish with Assassin. She'd thought his half-hearted attack pattern was strange.
The ambiguous combat. The sudden retreat.
'I have a bad feeling...'
Jonouchi's words echoed back. Prophetic.
In hindsight, Assassin's appearance had been the trap all along.
Why the Church would fabricate such a charge, she couldn't understand.
She hadn't killed a single civilian!
How had she been saddled with a "crime"? This absurd, manufactured accusation...
How could she possibly accept it?!
RATATATATATAT!!!
But no one acknowledged her protests. The answer came in the form of countless gun barrels.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]