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It could only be said that Max (the developer) had put his entire budget into the particle effects engine.
When Excalibur fired, it wasn't just a beam of light. It was a localized apocalypse. The sheer rendering power made the audience gasp in awe. The ground was scorched, the air shimmered with residual heat, and the sky was split open.
Even Maverick, who had seen his fair share of triple-A cutscenes, looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Did I do that?" Maverick whispered, staring at the steaming crater that used to be a mountain.
Beside him, Ryu (Lancer's Master) and the Gamer Girl (Rider's Master) were equally stunned.
"Note to self," Ryu muttered. "Don't make Artoria angry."
With the Columbus Egg vaporized, the source of the corruption was gone. But the mastermind was still loose.
Ashiya Douman had survived. Barely.
The demonic monk had used every scrap of mana he had stored to shield himself from the blast. He was battered, his robes torn, his paper talismans burnt to ash. He stood on a nearby hilltop, looking down at the devastation.
"Kukukuku..." Douman wheezed, clutching his side. "What a terrifying blow. But rest assured, my dear Master Kevin... your sacrifice was worth it. This humble monk will fulfill your wish... eventually."
"You sure can talk," a cold voice interrupted him. "But keep your pipe dreams for Hell."
Douman froze. "What?!"
SHUNK.
A massive bronze spear pierced through his chest from behind.
Rider stood there, her face devoid of her usual cheerful grin. Her eyes were cold, filled with disgust for the treacherous monk.
"You sacrifice your allies," Rider spat. "You mock the bonds of battle. You are trash."
Douman gasped, blood bubbling from his lips. "You... you were supposed to be... distracted..."
"I'm fast," Rider said simply.
She ripped the spear out. Douman collapsed into the mud.
Rider turned to leave. She didn't look back. Cool guys (and girls) don't look at explosions, and cool Servants don't look at corpses.
But Douman wasn't done.
A few seconds later, his body twitched.
"Kusu kusu kusu..." The laughter started low, a wet, gurgling sound. "Did you think... it would be that eas—AH!"
STAB.
Before he could finish his villain monologue, Rider spun around and drove her spear through his skull.
"I knew you weren't dead," Rider said flatly, watching him dissolve into golden particles. "But I wanted to hear you scream one last time."
She waited until every speck of light faded.
"Stay dead," she commanded.
With Caster officially eliminated, the spell broke.
Across the city, the remaining Columbus Clones stopped moving. They crumbled into paper scraps, dissolving into the wind. The nightmare was over.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION][BOUNTY COMPLETE. REWARD: 1 COMMAND SPELL.]
Maverick looked at his hand. The red seal he had spent to power Excalibur reformed instantly.
"Nice," Maverick breathed. "Reloaded."
He turned to Saber. She was leaning on her sword, looking exhausted but triumphant.
"How are you holding up, Saber?" Maverick asked, genuinely concerned.
Saber straightened her posture. She twirled her invisible sword with a flourish and flashed him a smile that could melt glaciers—a smile worthy of Britain's national treasure.
"No problem, Master. Just a little mental fatigue. But if we need to fight again? I am ready."
Just then, green lightning crackled overhead.
Rider's chariot swept across the sky, landing in the ruined courtyard. Rider leaped out before the wheels stopped turning, landing next to the Gamer Girl (her Master).
"You worked hard," Rider said, patting the girl on the head. "Thanks for protecting my Master while I was gone."
The Gamer Girl blushed furiously. "R-Rider! You're back!"
"Of course I'm back," Rider grinned, flexing her bicep. "I'm the fastest, remember?"
[Chat]:[Simp_Nation]: OH NO MY HEART. RIDER IS TOO HANDSOME.
[Fujoshi_Club]: Is this yuri? Or just peak romance? I don't care, I ship it.
Lore_Master]: So Caster was Ashiya Douman. Good riddance. He was annoying. [Tactician]: Okay, celebration over. Look at the board. Maverick revealed his True Name (Excalibur). Everyone knows he's Artoria now. He's a target.
[Betting_Pool]: Who wins the free-for-all?
[Gambler]: I bet 10 packs of spicy strips on Maverick. He has plot armor.
[Realist]: I bet on Rider. She's faster and her Master hasn't revealed anything yet. [Chaos]: I bet on Berserker. Where is Berserker?
Indeed, while the chat placed their bets, the three allied teams relaxed. They had won. They were safe.
Or so they thought.
"Is the party over already?"
An arrogant, booming voice echoed from the darkness of the temple gate.
Maverick, Ryu, and the Gamer Girl spun around.
Standing in the gateway was the sixth Kiritsugu Emiya. He looked confident. Smug, even.
And standing beside him was a monster.
It was a giant, easily ten feet tall. It had the body of a man but the head of a bull. Massive black horns curled from its skull. A golden nose ring glinted in the moonlight. Its mane was white and shaggy. In its hands, it held two massive, double-bladed axes that looked heavy enough to cleave a tank in half.
[SERVANT: BERSERKER - ASTERIOS (THE MINOTAUR)]
"Three teams gathered in one place?" the Berserker's Master laughed. "It seems Lady Luck is smiling on me today!"
He raised his hand. His Command Spells flared red.
"Berserker! I command you with an Order Spell! Unleash your Noble Phantasm!"
Maverick's eyes widened. "Trap!"
But it was too late.
The Minotaur roared. It wasn't a scream of rage; it was a mournful, terrifying bellow that shook the ground.
"This is the Labyrinth..." The monster's voice was deep, guttural, and sad. "This is the Labyrinth..."
The world began to warp. The temple walls twisted. The ground shifted.
"Here, you will wander... and be lost for all eternity..."
"CHAOS LABYRINTHOS! (The Eternally Unchanging Labyrinth)!"
The Berserker team had been camping. They had received the same bounty email as everyone else. But instead of helping, they waited. They played the role of the oriole stalking the mantis.
They watched the alliance fight Douman. They watched Saber blow her mana on Excalibur. They watched Rider exhaust herself chasing the monk.
And now, they struck.
The Master used a Command Spell to recharge the Noble Phantasm instantly. It was a calculated, brutal move.
"No!" Saber yelled, trying to grab Maverick.
But the world dissolved. The temple vanished.
When Maverick opened his eyes, he wasn't in Fuyuki anymore.
He was standing in a dark, stone corridor. The air smelled of mold and old blood.
He was alone. No Saber. No Ryu. No Rider.
Just endless, twisting corridors.
"Welcome to the maze," the enemy Master's voice echoed from the walls. "Let's play a game."
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