"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
Almost in the blink of an eye, the golden flying ship beneath Gilgamesh and the pitch-black fighter jet ridden by Berserker—Matou Kariya—flew out of the area surrounding Enzō Mountain, one after the other.
Now that they were in the darkened sky where they could unleash their attacks without restriction, the scene was much like the previous night.
The only difference was that this time, Gilgamesh was not sitting upon his throne.
He stood upright, Ea, the Sword of Rupture, firmly in hand, his entire bearing serious and alert.
After all, the "main course" had already been served and was within reach.
He had no time to waste on the mad hound barking relentlessly behind him.
Vimana raced through the sky, continuously dropping brilliant yet deadly golden projectiles toward the pitch-black fighter jet pursuing it from behind.
Regardless of what kind of attack came his way, Berserker simply tanked it head-on.
He cared about nothing except tearing a piece of flesh from that unbearably proud demigod!
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
Berserker—Matou Kariya—repeated the same hoarse roar again and again, his voice filled with obsession, jealousy, and fury toward Tokiomi Tohsaka.
If he hadn't existed...
If he hadn't existed, my life would never have become what it is now!
I could have lived happily with Aoi and Sakura!
Everything is Tokiomi's fault! Everything!!!
Now that Aoi Tohsaka and Sakura Matou's futures had been completely secured, this obsessive displacement of blame had consumed every corner of Kariya's heart.
At this moment, he wanted only one thing:
To strike back at Tokiomi Tohsaka and prove that he had never been inferior to him!
Yes.
That was the pitiful fantasy of the man known as Matou Kariya.
After all—
The power he wielded now did not truly belong to him.
"Heh-heh. Come on, catch up."
"Come a little closer!"
Gilgamesh laughed wantonly, as though he were taking a dog for a walk.
Then he suddenly sighed nostalgically.
"Tokiomi~ You really are more amusing to me dead than alive."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
The moment Berserker's keen hearing caught the name "Tokiomi" from Gilgamesh's mouth, he reacted as though struck by a trigger.
His fury intensified instantly!
Whoosh—!
Although Kariya had not touched the controls of the pitch-black fighter jet even once, the aircraft seemed to understand his thoughts.
Its speed suddenly jumped to an entirely different level.
The insane acceleration caused the entire fuselage to vibrate violently, as though it might disintegrate at any moment.
But thanks to that terrifying burst of speed, Vimana ahead was suddenly within reach!
"Hmph!"
Gilgamesh snorted.
Unlike before, when he had deliberately and theatrically opened the Gate of Babylon against Leon, this time the treasury manifested instantly.
The entire sky was obscured.
Everywhere Berserker could see, countless golden ripples—the gates of the treasury—had appeared.
"This little game ends here."
"Looks like the Master holding your leash has no intention of saving you."
Gilgamesh glanced toward Ryūdō Temple.
Saber—Leon—showed no sign whatsoever of leaving.
Gilgamesh immediately mocked him even more freely.
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
Berserker urged the pitch-black fighter jet forward at full speed.
The aircraft's cannons, lined with Adamantium plating, poured bullets toward Vimana without restraint.
Yet—
An ancient-looking round shield automatically emerged from one of the golden ripples.
An invisible barrier unfolded around it, blocking every physical projectile fired from afar.
Waiting on the other side was Gilgamesh's amused, mocking smile—
And the commanding sweep of his raised hand.
"!!!"
Berserker's violent crimson pupils contracted.
The fragment of rationality that remained within him instinctively sensed danger.
But it was already too late to evade.
At Gilgamesh's command, the Gate of Babylon unleashed its full firepower.
Countless golden ripples intertwined, forming a radiant sphere resembling a miniature sun.
In an instant—
Berserker and his fighter jet were swallowed into its center.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!
The densely packed Noble Phantasms formed countless golden threads of light connecting the golden ripples with the black fighter jet.
Explosions erupted almost simultaneously.
"SCREEEEEECH!!!!"
The Vibranium plating covering the surface of the "black fighter jet" lasted only an instant before being violently torn apart by attacks exceeding its structural limits.
Its internal framework was exposed.
But what emerged from within was not machinery.
It was a viscous shadow that moved like a living creature, letting out a shrill cry resembling that of a dying bird.
"Heh~ Interesting!"
Gilgamesh's grin widened with excitement.
He waved his hand and shouted:
"Let me tear away your true identity, Berserker!"
At his command—
The rate of fire from the Gate of Babylon increased yet again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The "black fighter jet" had only just lost its Vibranium plating.
In the very next moment—
The shadow creature, resembling a dark phoenix spreading its wings toward the heavens, was torn apart by the even more ferocious concentrated barrage.
It was shredded into fragments like splattered ink.
And with it—
Berserker, whom Gilgamesh regarded as little more than a stray dog on the roadside, was torn apart as well.
Then—
The world fell silent.
Not even bone fragments or droplets of blood remained of Matou Kariya.
"Hm?"
"Where is that sword?"
Gilgamesh frowned as he stared at the empty space where the Gate of Babylon had just annihilated Berserker and the shadow phoenix familiar.
In Gilgamesh's eyes, the sword in Matou Kariya's hand was the true body of Berserker.
Kariya himself was merely a foolish man who had been possessed and controlled by his own Servant without even realizing it.
"That sword is certainly no ordinary weapon."
"Why didn't I feel as though I actually struck it?"
Gilgamesh had already seen through part of the Ebony Blade's nature.
Aside from what he believed to be its "possession" ability—which was actually a curse—its most remarkable characteristic was its indestructibly sharp black blade.
Even without any ranged attack capability, that single attribute was enough to allow powerful beings without absolute defensive or offensive abilities to challenge those above their station.
The Gate of Babylon contained the original forms of countless Noble Phantasms throughout the world.
Therefore, Gilgamesh was certain that the original of this strange sword—whose origins he had yet to identify—must exist somewhere within his treasury.
The problem was—
The number of treasures within the Gate of Babylon was practically infinite.
Even Gilgamesh himself was not entirely certain which weapon among them was the original form of the Ebony Blade.
That uncertainty only made him more interested in obtaining it.
Much as he had regarded the Holy Grail as his possession from the very beginning, he now wanted to claim this strange sword for himself.
As Gilgamesh pondered—
He suddenly felt the sky darken.
"Hm?"
"SCREEEEEECH!!!"
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
Gilgamesh looked up.
The dark clouds he had scattered earlier had somehow gathered again without him noticing.
They churned and surged like thick black ink.
Then—
A pitch-black sphere silently emerged within them.
Like the egg of some monstrous bird, it rapidly expanded.
In the blink of an eye, it burst open once more.
A Shadow Phoenix emerged from within.
And with it—
Berserker—Matou Kariya—reappeared from the shadows.
His Vibranium armor had been completely shattered.
His bare upper body was stained with fresh blood and covered in bizarre black markings.
As for his lower body—
It had been buried directly inside the Shadow Phoenix's head.
It seemed as though man and creature had become one.
Wielding the Ebony Blade, he returned once more from that shadowy inferno.
With a furious roar, he spread the Shadow Phoenix's wings and dove toward Gilgamesh!
The black tip of the Ebony Blade pointed directly at the King of Heroes' head.
Its wings were like clouds hanging from the heavens, blotting out the moon and sky.
Its sword was like a reversed waterfall of stars, its edge gleaming with an icy radiance.
Time—
Seemed to stop at this very moment.
Without a doubt—
This would be the peak moment of Matou Kariya's life.
The struggle of the weak.
If I had never cared about my own life...
The impotent rage.
Even if those so-called strong never once looked me in the eye...
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