For Early/Extra Chapters : patreon.com/scoldeyjodxd
Already 30+ Chapters Updated + Daily Updates
It truly lived up to the hype of high-end rendering. Excalibur's aftermath left everyone in the game looking like they'd personally witnessed something they needed a moment to process — and Maverick, who had technically ordered it, was included in that group. A-bro and his partner stood beside him in the new geography of what used to be Ryudou Temple's rear courtyard and did not immediately speak.
On a nearby hilltop that had survived the blast radius, the last remnants of Ashiya Doman's mana reserves were running their final calculation.
He'd stored a significant reserve before abandoning the workshop — an experienced Caster's precaution. Excalibur's shockwave had eaten through most of it. The paper substitutes were exhausted. He'd used the last of them to survive the initial pursuit, and now he was sitting on a scorched hilltop, looking at the trench that used to be a mountain, and doing the math.
The math was not good.
"What a terrifying blow," he said quietly, to no one in particular. "But rest assured, Master. Your sacrifice was worth it. This humble monk will fulfill our shared wish."
"Oh, you really can talk."
Ashiya Doman turned.
"Go do it in hell."
[Pfft.]
The spear went through his chest from behind.
Rider stood behind him, expression stripped of everything except a specific, thorough disgust for treachery. No performance. No announcement. Just the job.
The paper substitutes were gone. No escape available. As the spear pulled free, Ashiya Doman went forward into the mud.
Rider turned and walked away.
Three seconds of silence.
Ashiya Doman's body twitched.
His laugh began to build — the quiet, self-satisfied version, rising—
The spear came back through his head.
Rider had not walked more than ten feet.
He stood over the dissolving golden particles and waited until the last one was gone. Then he withdrew the spear.
"I knew you weren't dead," he said. "I was watching."
[Chat]: HE CAME BACK
[Counter]: HE CAME BACK FOR THE HEAD
[Rider_Assessment]: no dramatics. no speech. just came back and finished it.
[Respecting_It]: that's the most competent thing I've seen in this entire stream
[Noting]: "I knew you weren't dead, but rest assured, this time I will watch you completely disappear." and then he WATCHED
[Ashiya_Doman_Fan]: I will miss the theatrical seaweed man
[Counter]: the theatrical seaweed man tried to turn his Master into a giant egg
[Still_Missing_Him]: I know. I will still miss him.
Caster Ashiya Doman: eliminated.
The Columbus army, deprived of their source and their Caster simultaneously, became paper scraps at a visible rate and drifted out of the field. The city returned to the specific quiet of somewhere that had recently been very loud.
Maverick's hand — he checked — showed a fresh Command Seal where the used one had been. The Holy Church's compensation, delivered exactly as advertised.
He looked at Artoria.
"How are you — Saber."
She caught the correction and gave him a look that contained no critique of it. "Fine, Master. Some mental fatigue from the Noble Phantasm release, but nothing that would prevent continued fighting."
She demonstrated this by twirling the invisible sword once, then producing a smile that Maverick's chat immediately began discussing in several simultaneous threads.
[Chat]: ARTORIA'S SMILE
[Chat]: ARTORIA'S SMILE
[Declaring]: world-class treasure. the smile is a world-class treasure.
[Analysis]: Artoria's True Name and Noble Phantasm are both exposed now though. that's a strategic disadvantage going forward.
[Odds_Assessment]: Berserker and Assassin are probably the easier targets in the next phase. but in a three-way alliance civil war, Maverick gets eliminated first. I'm putting spicy strips on it.
[Counter_Bet]: I'm on A-bro.
[Third_Option]: Rider group. final answer.
[Risky_Bet]: I'm choosing Berserker or Assassin as dark horses and I'm prepared to be wrong
Shark Platform had quietly launched a viewer vote while the Columbus situation was wrapping up — two million participants, spread across five predicted outcomes. The Rider group led with roughly a third of the vote. Maverick and A-bro split the middle. A smaller percentage had taken the bold position of picking the Berserker or Assassin groups who hadn't been seen yet.
Not many people were optimistic about Maverick's chances of winning.
Maverick was not reading this particular part of the chat.
The chariot came in from above, decelerating to a landing at the edge of the ruins. Rider stepped off before it fully stopped — a small, easy leap — and landed beside A-bro's partner.
"You've worked hard. Thank you for protecting my Master."
"Rider—!"
"Master. I'm back."
[Chat]: oh no
[Chat]: my heart
[Feeling_Things]: that was three words. three words and I'm done.
[BL_Perspective]: as someone with experience in the genre, I can confirm this scene is exceptional material
[Also_Feeling_Things]: the way he landed. the way he said it. I need to sit down.
The celebration had maybe thirty more seconds before it was interrupted.
A voice arrived first — arrogant, carrying the specific confidence of someone who had been waiting and was pleased about how the wait had gone.
Maverick looked up.
The sixth Emiya Kiritsugu was standing at the temple entrance.
Beside him: a figure that required a second look to fully register. Three meters tall, minimum. Bull's head on a human body, black horns, gold nose ring, white mane — the mask covering the face styled like a bull's skull. The physique beneath it was the kind that didn't have a regular word, and the double halberds in its hands were sized proportionally, which meant they were enormous. The whole thing radiated what could only be described as battlefield demon god energy.
The player raised his hand.
"Three groups gathered in one place." A satisfied smile in the voice. "Our luck is exceptional today. Berserker — I command you with a Command Seal. Release your Noble Phantasm."
Berserker raised both halberds.
"THIS IS THE LABYRINTH!"
The voice was enormous — not loud exactly, but enormous, filling the space from ground to sky, the kind of voice that had been amplified by the weight of its own legend.
"This is the Labyrinth! Here, you will wander and be lost for all eternity—"
"Then—"
"DIE. The Eternal Labyrinth!"
[Chat]: BERSERKER
[Chat]: WHERE DID BERSERKER COME FROM
[Explaining]: the Holy Church bounty was sent to every Master. every group received it. the Berserker group came to Ryudou Temple the same as everyone else.
[Strategy_Analysis]: but they didn't engage. they waited. they used Berserker's Noble Phantasm to hide. they watched the entire Ashiya Doman fight from cover.
[Realizing]: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. they waited until Rider came back so everyone was in one place—
[Math]: one Command Seal to activate the Noble Phantasm a second time. one Noble Phantasm to trap three entire groups simultaneously.
[More_Math]: that is the most efficient use of a Command Seal I have seen in this entire game
[Maverick_Assessment]: Maverick. Maverick look at your surroundings.
[Maverick_Also_Assessment]: "Berserker! When did you get here?"
Show Some Supports By Giving Powerstones
Next BONUS CHAPTER at 300 powerstones