"Gilgamesh is serious. He intends to use his trump card after Berserker mortally wounded him with a blade in hand. He's even using some Chain to bind the enemy Servant, although Berserker is resisting the power of the chains that seem capable of immobilizing him for a few seconds. But…"
Kirei observed Berserker's next move, when, for the first time since Berserker and Gilgamesh began their battle, Berserker had emitted Magical Energy at that critical moment.
"…Berserker manifested a skull that emits a terrifying Magical Energy. Assassin seems to want to flee the battlefield from what he's sensing from the skull in Berserker's hand. It seems that… the other Servants also sense the danger of Berserker's horrific Magical Energy. Perhaps… this skull is Berserker's true Noble Phantasm, Master Tokiomi."
Tohsaka Tokiomi kept his composure upon hearing Kotomine Kirei's comments through the jewel communicator.
The basement of the Tohsaka Residence showed no discomfort from the distant dockside warehouse that had become a battlefield. Kirei, manipulating Assassin, was delivering results. The conditions were perfect.
The only thing not part of his calculations was that perhaps the strongest Heroic Spirit, Gilgamesh, had reached this moment in the Archer class.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the hallmark of the Archer class is the strength of its Noble Phantasms. For Gilgamesh, who possessed an extraordinary number of EX-rank units, this might have been inevitable. But in the end, the Independent Action skill of the presumptuous King of Heroes was also highly ranked, and that was certainly Tokiomi's greatest miscalculation.
Tokiomi respected the high prestige of the King of Heroes as much as he could and as much as he deserved. But to think that his tolerance would be tested so much, so soon…
For a Servant with the Independent Action skill, who does not depend on the Master, the only way to give orders is to use Command Seals. This grants the right to only three absolute orders. For Gilgamesh, a Servant who has not an ounce of respect for his Master, they are even more precious.
"Always maintain your elegance." This is a family precept passed down through generations in the Tohsaka family. For one who holds this close to his heart, being pressed to use a Command Seal before all other Masters…
But did Tokiomi have a choice?
The situation couldn't be worse.
Gilgamesh had already exposed much of the Gate of Babylon and was even wounded with a mortal injury near his heart, causing Gilgamesh's Magical Energy to plummet to the point where Tokiomi began to feel that the King of Heroes was finally using his Magical Energy to continue the fight against Berserker.
But the cost was too high. The other Masters had gained too much information about the Gate of Babylon.
Gilgamesh was even using not one, but two of his trump cards.
Even without seeing what was happening on the battlefield, Tokiomi, whose Magical Energy was being rapidly drained, knew which Noble Phantasms his Servant was using.
"Exposing Ea now is too risky. It's too early, Gilgamesh."
From the amount of Magical Energy Tokiomi was producing with his Magic Circuits now, he knew the King of Heroes would expose his strongest Noble Phantasm at the start of the Holy Grail War.
"Master, your decision?"
Kirei insisted with a stern voice from the other side of the communicator.
Gritting his teeth, Tokiomi looked at the back of his right hand.
*****
This is bad, very bad.
Damn it. I really should have cut off Gilgamesh's head when I had the chance in the first attack.
Not only was Enkidu a problem because of my Divinity, but that bastard Gilgamesh took the key to unleash Ea from the Gate of Babylon.
As expected of someone who, in the novel, didn't hesitate to use Ea against Shirou.
I have no choice. Now there are only two options left.
I need to use Apomiyus to block Ea with my Vibrational Shield. Since my Vibrational Shield can block A-rank Noble Phantasms, I might be able to block Ea, which has A++-rank destructive power, for a while. But… can I block Ea's space-cutting ability with its Anti-World trait? If it were just the regular destructive attack comparable to a tornado, I wouldn't worry so much about trying to stop it with my Vibrational Shield with Apomiyus. But if he activates it at full power, it can cut through space itself and destroy the layer of reality, revealing the truth behind the reality that humanity lives in. Although it's not significant in terms of scale, an attack that cuts through space is dangerous.
Or…
I could try to force the Void God in my current state. Even though I don't have the Void God as a Noble Phantasm like in my original body, I should be able to force a version of the Void God by condensing the two Vibrations in Apomiyus.
I kept retreating even with the Chain wrapped around my left arm. The strength of that chain is incredible; I could feel it tightening around my arm. At this moment, I'm lucky that my Divinity is Rank E.
If I had a higher Divinity, it would be a problem to move while bound by this chain.
However…
Concepts. Enkidu normally restricts the target based on their Divinity. But Enkidu has the Concept "Reign Over the Gods" or "Rule the Gods."
Even though my Divinity is low… this Concept is a threat to me as a God.
Really… I should have separated his head from his neck in the first attack.
I raised my hand bound by the chain and materialized Apomiyus.
Apomiyus was releasing large amounts of Magical Energy. The reason Apomiyus has Magical Energy is that it is actually a copy reproduced in reality by Magical Energy, just like my black priestly robes.
The chain around my arm reached the limit of the portal's distance, holding me in place.
With my left arm bound by the chain, the other chains pursuing me caught up and began wrapping around my legs, arms, waist, neck, and abdomen, leaving me trapped and completely unable to move. The grip of the Chains of Heaven was extremely strong.
But…
My two hands raised Apomiyus.
Void God!
Forget trying to defend against Ea while bound by Enkidu.
The best option here is to blow everything up, Enkidu, Gilgamesh, the warehouses…
Screw it all!
*****
Everyone watched as Berserker was bound by Archer's numerous chains.
"What is that terrifying Magical Energy?"
Saber stepped in front of Irisviel as Berserker held a skull with both hands, releasing a dark red aura, even though he was bound by Archer's chains, which somehow seemed to have the power to immobilize Berserker.
Rider silently observed the battle between the two Servants. But beads of sweat ran down his face. In his opinion, Berserker and Archer were extremely dangerous Servants, perhaps the greatest obstacles to winning the Holy Grail War.
Saber and Lancer had similar thoughts to Rider. Archer had an unknown number of Noble Phantasms. Berserker had a defense that seemed perfect, and even his attacks, though only two had been seen, seemed capable of cleaving any of them in half with a single blow.
Berserker's black hair floated fiercely in the air.
The skull's eyes in Berserker's hands glowed red. The terrifying Magical Energy released by the skull spread across the battlefield like a violent ocean wave. The wind it unleashed hit the Servants with a maximum danger alert.
Saber gripped her sword with all the strength she had in her good hand. Saber's instincts screamed for her to turn and flee quickly, but she suppressed that fear with great willpower and knightly pride. Saber would not retreat.
Even Lancer, who took a few steps back, remained on the battlefield without retreating due to his pride as a knight of his King, his Master, who had not yet given an order to retreat despite the presence of four powerful Servants.
"Kuhu… hahahahahaha…"
At that moment, Archer's laughter spread across the entire battlefield. Unlike the other Servants, Archer wasn't the least bit worried; quite the opposite.
"…A humble divine dog is truly beautiful when chained! Kukuku! Struggle as much as you want! You can't escape your leash, mutt!"
Archer, even with a mortal wound in his chest, was still the same arrogant Servant as before.
"Now you'll pay with your life for annoying this King, divine dog."
Archer raised the small golden sword he was holding, pointing its strange key-shaped blade toward the sky.
"But rejoice, dog! You'll be killed by the True and only King of Heaven and Earth!"
Archer spun the handle of the key-sword he held, and the key glowed with a brilliant red light as the cubes forming the handle began to shift shape.
A large red pattern resembling a labyrinth extended from the key-sword, covering the sky above the dockside warehouse area.
"What is that!?"
Waver exclaimed in shock, looking at the red labyrinth-like pattern that had spread across the sky.
"What's wrong, boy?"
"That… I've never seen such a pure Magical Element!"
Elements are the basic substances that shape the World. Waver, who saw the sword Archer used, witnessed the purest Element of his life.
All the mages present—Irisviel, Lancer's hidden Master, Kiritsugu, Maiya, and even Kirei, who watched everything through Assassin's eyes—saw the purest Element of their lives as practitioners of magecraft. It was indeed a pure divine element.
The moment that red pattern covered the sky, blood dripped from the skull Berserker held.
Around the skull in Berserker's hands, a dark red sphere had formed, and the skull's eyes and mouth emitted a terrifying murderous light.
Archer's red labyrinth-like pattern began to recede, forming a floating red sphere. The Magical Energy released by Archer's sphere seemed as terrifying as Berserker's.
Sensing the terrifying Magical Energy, all the Servants understood that Archer and Berserker were about to use their most powerful Noble Phantasms.
Archer grabbed the red sphere. His eyes burned with fiery hatred, but…
Archer looked away.
He faced southeast. That's where the hill in the Miyama district, a high-class residential area, was located.
How many people could guess the direction of the Tohsaka mansion?
At the same time, all the chains binding Berserker vanished as if they were merely an illusion.
Berserker also stopped his movement as he quickly realized the situation.
"Tokiomi!"
Archer roared furiously, his beautiful features distorted with rage for the second time that night.
"Do you think someone like you could appease a King's wrath?! You presumptuous bastard!!! Tokiomi…!!!"
With a tone full of irritation and abject anger, Archer spat furiously, suppressing his rage. The Noble Phantasm within the red orb in Archer's hand, like the chains, also vanished without being revealed that night.
"…You escaped death by a hair's breadth, divine dog."
He contained his resentment, but his red eyes had already lost the flame of murderous intent. With his firm haughtiness, the Golden Archer looked at the line of Servants.
"You mutts. Thin the crowd next time. I'll tolerate nothing less than a true hero. And you, divine mutt…"
Archer looked at the black Berserker.
"…Next time, you won't be so lucky. I won't leave a single piece of your being in my world."
With these final words, Archer canceled his materialization. The golden armor lost its materiality and vanished, leaving only the remnants of its brilliance in the air on the battlefield.
The confrontation between the two Servants, the black and the golden, ended in a way no one expected.
"Hmf. Apparently, that guy's Master has an even tougher character than Archer himself."
Amazed, Rider exaggerated with a bitter smile. But everyone else realized it wasn't the time for careless comments.
Berserker, who had matched Archer, was still standing right in front of them.
Berserker scanned the other Servants with his eyes and, with a heavy sigh, commented casually.
"I thought I'd have to destroy this entire part of the city."
For a second, the memory of the Ragnarok Arena with a part of London flashed through Berserker's mind. That Arena was surprisingly larger than it normally seemed.
Berserker's hands, which somehow seemed injured, healed quickly. Berserker's Master, observing, had used simple healing magecraft to mend the wounds on Berserker's hands.
After looking at his healed hands, a shaft extended from the small skull in Berserker's hand, transforming the skull into a staff that a Caster would typically use.
Berserker struck the staff on the street, and…
An earthquake occurred.
The entire warehouse area shook, several buildings swayed, and the pier trembled. The earthquake would likely affect part of the city, if not the entire small city.
Since Japan is a country where earthquakes are common, all the city's structures were prepared to withstand them. This meant only minor damage to the warehouse and the rest of the city affected by the earthquake caused by Berserker.
The other three Servants present went on high alert at Berserker's action. They couldn't sense how much Magical Energy Berserker used, but to cause an earthquake with a single strike of the staff, the amount of Magical Energy would be at least equivalent to an average A-rank Noble Phantasm.
But…
"Hm. It seems I'm not able to control myself much right now."
Since Berserker was accumulating a large amount of Energy that wasn't released, that Energy was essentially still in his body.
Berserker, Beelzebub, is capable of using a type of vibrating cutting blade. In the world, there are similar things made with low-frequency vibrations converted into pure Electrical Energy and then into vibrations for the machine, typically used to cut simple things like food or rubber.
"I hope this doesn't cause a tsunami."
In the end, Energy is Vibration.