CLANG!
Steel met steel, and sparks flew.
However, Kamitani Yuu's spear tip did not pierce Gilgamesh's armor or penetrate his heart. At the moment of contact, it was ensnared and halted by a silver chain that had materialized out of thin air.
After blocking the lethal strike, the Chains of Heaven (Enkidu) coiled around the shaft of the demonic spear like a constricting python, binding Yuu's body in a slow, rhythmic undulation. It all happened in a flash—so fast that before anyone could react, the situation had completely reversed.
Sensing the aura of the chains, Gilgamesh turned around slowly. His gaze toward Yuu was filled with a cruel, frigid coldness.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, mongrel," he hissed.
The space around them distorted for the third time, revealing a forest of blades. This time, thirty-two ripples appeared—double the previous count—each glowing with the light of a Noble Phantasm.
"To dare touch my dearest friend with your filthy hands... Die!"
In an instant, every Noble Phantasm zeroed in on Yuu's restrained body. It seemed certain he would be reduced to ash in the next heartbeat. However, the Chains of Heaven were an Anti-Divine weapon; to Yuu, who possessed no Divinity, they were merely exceptionally sturdy chains.
Snap.
Quickly reinforcing his physical body with prana, Yuu forcefully broke free from the binding. A white light flared around him, and he vanished instantly.
"...Was that a short-range teleportation magecraft?" Having seen the process clearly, Fionn narrowed his eyes, whispering his deduction. The other watching Servants and Masters shared similar looks of contemplation.
"Mongrel, you cannot escape."
As Gilgamesh spoke, the thirty-two Noble Phantasms behind him pivoted as if possessing foresight. After locking onto a specific coordinate, they fired simultaneously.
Appearing back on the street, Yuu looked at the incoming rain of the Gate of Babylon, his expression turning grave. He gripped his demonic spear, preparing to rely on his sheer martial prowess to bat the weapons down.
Yet, at that critical moment, the silver chains that had been circling Gilgamesh moved on their own. They lunged forward, appearing in front of Yuu in the blink of an eye. The pale gold, spear-like wedge of the chain darted like a swimming dragon through the incoming projectile fire.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Accompanied by a series of violent metallic collisions, all thirty-two Noble Phantasms were knocked aside, scattering across the street and shipping containers in a chaotic mess of explosions and dust.
"Eh?" Yuu was stunned. A flash of surprise crossed his pale gold eyes. "The Chains of Heaven... are protecting me?"
"W-What—?! My dearest friend, how is this possible!"
The most shocked person on the scene was Gilgamesh himself. The King of Heroes stared in disbelief at the chains guarding Yuu, looking like a man who had just witnessed his partner betray him in front of his very eyes.
But the chains ignored their shock. After blocking the projectiles for Yuu, they returned to Gilgamesh's side, swayed gently a few times as if in greeting, and then vanished back into the void.
"..."
The scene fell into a dead silence. Everyone was utterly bewildered by what had just transpired.
Gilgamesh, his anger temporarily cooled by confusion, stared intently at Yuu. The more he looked, the more a sense of familiarity nagged at him—a feeling that he had met this person somewhere before. He knit his brows in thought.
Just as the group stood there in awkward silence, Tohsaka Tokiomi's voice suddenly came through the magical link.
"You think a suggestion from someone like you can appease my rage? You have quite the nerve, Tokiomi..."
Finding an exit for his pride, Archer's lips curled into a disdainful sneer. He scanned everyone present and spoke in a deep tone. "Based on my subject's plea, I shall forgive your insolent behavior toward the King for today."
"But listen, you mongrels: before we meet again, cull the trash. I only wish to see true heroes!"
With one final, lingering look at Yuu, Gilgamesh de-materialized. His golden armor lost its substance and faded away, leaving only a few shimmering particles.
The battle between the modern magus and the Golden Servant ended in a way no one could have predicted.
"It seems that fellow's Master doesn't have a personality quite as iron-willed as Archer himself," Iskandar said with a helpless smile and a wry laugh once Gilgamesh was gone.
"Tokiomi isn't as battle-hungry as that 'Goldie.' Being steady and cautious is more his style," Yuu replied, putting away his vermilion spear with a smile.
"Oh? So you're an acquaintance of Archer's Master?" Iskandar raised an eyebrow, looking at Yuu with curiosity.
"Not just Tohsaka Tokiomi. I know Lancer's Master, Kayneth, and your Master, Waver, too," Yuu said, shaking his head. "I am a magus who graduated from the Clock Tower, after all. Naturally, I know of them."
"Is that so, boy?" Iskandar looked down at Waver.
"Yes!" Waver nodded vigorously. He hadn't expected someone as famous in the Clock Tower as Kamitani Yuu to recognize him. While both were magi without prestigious backgrounds, Yuu was a genius who had self-taught the incredibly difficult Modern Rune magecraft in just two years. Compared to him, Waver felt his own talent was painfully mediocre.
"I never expected a hero like you to appear in this age. If the opportunity arises, I will certainly recruit you!" Sensing Waver's shift in mood, Iskandar patted his shoulder and laughed boisterously. "Well, the night is almost over. Let us meet again, hero of the modern era!"
"We're off, boy!"
His rough laughter echoed in the quiet night. Iskandar snapped the reins, and brilliant lightning crackled beneath the hooves of his divine bulls. Accompanied by Waver's scream, the chariot soared into the sky and vanished into the darkness.
"Let us part for tonight as well." After Rider left, Saber looked at Yuu with a serious yet gentle expression. "Next time, let's find an opportunity for a true one-on-one duel to test our martial arts."
With that, he departed the warehouse district, leading a still-distracted Irisviel.
Finally, only Yuu and Fionn remained.
"Lancer, please tell Kayneth that I will visit him at his hotel in a few days," Yuu said with a smile, looking up at the handsome Fionn.
"Very well. I shall relay your words to my Master exactly as you said," Fionn agreed readily.
"In that case, I'll be going." Having achieved his goals for the night, Yuu nodded with satisfaction. A white light flashed around him, and he disappeared instantly.
Once he was gone, Fionn didn't linger either, turning into spirit form and leaving the ruined street.
In a dark corner of a street far from the warehouse district, a grotesque Wing-Blade Insect flapped its wings and landed on the hand of a boy shrouded in shadows. Beside him stood a tall, towering figure radiating black mist, looking like an embittered soul from hell.
"Hehehe... To think I'd encounter such an existence in this era..."
A decaying, grating old voice emerged from the seaweed-haired boy. A twisted, obsessed smile appeared on his young face as he whispered.
"If I can just obtain the body of that Kamitani brat... the victory of the next Holy Grail War will surely belong to the Matou family!"
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
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