Magical Energy is consumed not only to keep the Servant materialized but also for all the effort they exert. Thus, in battle, the rate of consumption is even higher.
Magical Energy is extracted from the Master's Magic Circuits and supplied to the Servant.
And the activation of the Magic Circuits, in Kariya's case, would mean infernal pain from having his body eaten by the Crest Worms. This would normally be the case for Kariya, especially with a Berserker and his Magical Energy consumption that was beyond imaginable for Mages.
But…
The Berserker summoned by Kariya was a special Servant of the Berserker class. His Servant had a skill called Independent Action.
This was the skill that allowed Servants of the Archer class to act independently even when rejecting the supply of Magical Energy from their Master. At lower ranks, it was only for a short time, but at higher ranks, it was an entirely different matter.
It is a useful and problematic skill at the same time, depending on the Servant's disposition and the rank of Independent Action. With the Servant acting independently of the Master's Magical Energy supply, the Master can focus their Magical Energy on large spells, or the Servant will be fine even if the Master cannot provide Magical Energy.
The disadvantage of this skill for Masters was that it was harder to control and keep the Servant by their side, making the only way to command the Servant be through the use of Command Seals.
At lower levels, the Servant could remain materialized for a few minutes or days.
At Rank A, a Servant could even last a week without the support of a Master. Although the Servant cannot use Noble Phantasms with high Magical Energy consumption, a Noble Phantasm that does not consume much Magical Energy is still usable.
However… Berserker had a Rank A++ Independent Action. Not even Zouken knew how far Berserker could go without the Master's Magical Energy supply.
If Berserker were a Berserker like any other Berserker, the worms would awaken and start eating Kariya's flesh, grinding his bones. Acting as Kariya's pseudo Magic Circuits, the Crest Worms would supply Magical Energy to Berserker without regard for the host's limits. Describing his agony doesn't even cover half of it. Being corroded, plundered by living creatures inside his body, the pain of being devoured alive doubles with fear and revulsion.
Even Kariya already had an idea that Zouken wanted to eliminate him at the start of the Holy Grail War by making him use the Enrichment Formula to summon Berserker with high Magical Energy consumption, so the worms inside his body would devour him in the first battle.
But that was not the case. The worms only ate what was necessary to survive or when Kariya himself used his Magical Energy, and the worms would start eating him to produce Magical Energy.
"Fuhu, hahaha … hahaha … haha…"
Hidden in the darkness, Kariya stifled his laughter and chuckles.
"Hahahaha!!!"
Kariya was unable to contain his laughter. The distortedneutered face of Tokiomi's Servant gave endless pleasure to Kariya's body.
The pleasure coursed through Kariya's body, which writhed in extreme delight.
He, Kariya, had done it… that arrogant mage had finally been splattered with mud by an ordinary man like Kariya, after always despising people like him.
In his heart, Kariya mocked with abundant pleasure, thinking of Tokiomi and Zouken.
'Did you see that? I'm not a loser. No one will call me a failure or an insect anymore. I can fight you. I'll make you know what fear is…'
Just imagining Tokiomi's terrified face and the humiliation he was feeling for having his Servant destroyed by Kariya's Berserker, a sadistic pleasure brought Kariya to a climax and…
A smell invaded the warehouse as Kariya's pants became wet with his climax.
Even the worms inside Kariya had calmed down with his climax. The sadistic pleasure provided more nutrients for the worms to produce Magical Energy than Kariya's flesh at that moment of extreme pleasure.
At the same time, an earthquake struck Fuyuki City.
Kariya came…
*****
Berserker's remarks made the three Servants understand that he had no intention of fighting. Although they did not lower their guard.
"Are you really a Berserker? You don't seem like one? You also don't seem… uh, mad?"
Rider commented, looking at the black Servant's clothes and staff from top to bottom. The black Servant really didn't seem like a typical Berserker.
"Yes, I am a Berserker; it's a pleasure to meet you, great King of Conquerors, Alexander the Great. I can't say my name, but you can call me Bel or Bell with one or two Ls, I don't mind."
"Hahahaha! That's the spirit, Bell! You at least seem more approachable than that golden one!"
Alexander laughed as he nodded in agreement with Bell. But suddenly, he stopped and became serious again, almost as if all the joy and happiness from a few seconds ago were just an act Rider had prepared.
"So, Berserker. What do you say?"
"Hm… what?"
"My proposal. What do you think? Would you hand over the Holy Grail to me and join my army?"
"I don't even have a wish, Alexander. And about serving you… I already serve a Master. Although it's an honor to be invited to join your great army, which even in death follows you in battles."
Bell calmly replied to Alexander the Great, rejecting his proposal.
"You too… what a pity. I finally thought I had found an ally."
Alexander sighed heavily in disappointment. None of the Servants seemed to want to join him in this Holy Grail War. Not even the Berserker who said he had no wishes for the Holy Grail.
"Berserker, what were you thinking?"
Berserker looked at Saber, who had suddenly spoken to him.
"It's also a pleasure to meet the legendary King of Britain. And for your information, I was following my Master's orders. Although that half-breed was ready to attack you all alone, a battle was inevitable."
"You're right. A battle was inevitable against Archer from the start, but your reckless action could have put us all in a total conflict."
Berserker looked Saber up and down, his forehead and eyebrows furrowed. Saber noticed the strange look Berserker gave her and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable… as if that Berserker Servant knew everything about her… Saber truly felt naked in front of Berserker. It was uncomfortable.
"What's the matter, Berserker? Why are you looking at me with those… eyes?"
"Hm… it's just that…"
Berserker blinked, thinking for a second about what he would say.
"…I really didn't expect to meet a descendant of Zeus… alive?"
Berserker's words surprised everyone. Although Artoria trembled at the last word Berserker whispered to her with a low murmur using his Magical Energy.
'He knows? … How does he know that? How can he know that? Who… who else is… who is Berserker?'
Saber exploded in thoughts while outwardly containing the dread that gripped her heart because of the words Berserker uttered at the end.
"So we're relatives, King of Knights!"
The thunderous, powerful words of the King of Conquerors, followed by a hearty laugh, hit Saber.
Irisviel, behind Saber, was confused and very shocked. Saber, the King of Knights, the legendary King Arthur of Britain, was a descendant of Zeus, according to Berserker. How did Berserker know Saber was a descendant when even Saber herself didn't seem to know she was a descendant of Zeus?
In fact, Bel was also confused and surprised. Somehow, now that he was close to Saber and looking at her closely, he could feel Zeus in her blood. Not just Zeus's blood—several Olympian gods' blood ran through Saber's veins.
Bel already knew Artoria was a descendant of Zeus. But he didn't expect to be able to sense something like that in her veins just by being near her.
This reminded Bel of Hercules, when Hercules drank Ambrosia and ascended to divinity. Ambrosia was Zeus's blood.
Bel also recalled Hades's blood. Hades's blood could be used to strengthen his Bident.
'Is the blood of all the gods from Shuumatsu special? I need to run some tests with my own blood…'
Making plans to test his blood in the Reverse Side of the World, Bel pushed them to the back of his mind and stored them away. Now wasn't the time to think about plans he couldn't put into action.
"What are you trying to say, Berserker?"
Saber spoke, questioning the pensive Bel. Saber's tone was harsh, sharp, ready to cut anything in front of her that displeased her.
"It's exactly what I said… though I'm also surprised to sense that old man's blood in you… well, I… shouldn't be *that* surprised, considering it's him we're talking about. He has milk banks for— no! Forget that! I need to forget that!"
Berserker, who had been speaking calmly, shook his head, telling himself to forget about some… milk banks? What was Berserker talking about?
"No… no, forget it. How do you know I'm… a descendant of Zeus? Even I didn't know about this lineage of mine."
"I already told you. I can sense his blood in you. Although the divinity in your lineage has already been diluted, his blood still runs in you."
"The god Zeus…"
Saber murmured the name of the ancient Greek god with strangely conflicting feelings in her heart. But as she thought about the Greek divinity, Saber remembered that Archer had also called Berserker a divinity.
"Berserker, Archer called you a divinity… are you… a demigod?"
Saber concluded that Berserker might be a demigod. Rider and Lancer had the same conclusion in their hearts. It didn't take much thought since Archer had called him a divinity and a divine dog. Archer's arrogance was still surprising to the Servants, even with a terrible wound in his chest; he remained arrogant and domineering… more so than Rider himself.
"Something like that. Archer is a demigod, a very old one, nearly five thousand years old."
"Hahahaha. That's why you two are such powerful Servants! Hm… I think I already know who that Archer is. A king, indeed, a very ancient king."
Listening to the brief conversation between Berserker and Saber, Alexander had deduced some theories in his heart based on things Berserker said. The danger of Berserker had risen to the top of Alexander's list… any Servant with knowledge of a Noble Phantasm that hadn't even been revealed yet posed an extreme danger in Alexander the Great's heart.
Waver and Irisviel remained silent, both digesting Berserker's words. It was still hard for them to believe that the legendary King of Britain was a descendant of *that* Zeus, the Zeus of ancient Greek mythology, a god.
"Two demigods. I didn't expect to fight against such heroes."
Lancer, who had been silently listening to Saber and Berserker's conversation, spoke with a calm smile, hiding his tension. The Holy Grail War had just become a much tougher battle with two demigods present.
"It's a pleasure to meet a great hero like you, Berserker."
Lancer then smiled at Berserker. As an ancient hero, Lancer was genuinely happy to meet a demigod, even though he still didn't know who this demigod was.
But…
"I'm not sure I can say the same, Lancer. I admire you for bedding a married woman, but at the same time, I'm disgusted that you bedded a married woman… or is it envy?"
Berserker muttered to himself at the end, low enough that no one heard what he murmured.
"Eh?"
Lancer was shocked by Berserker's words.
"W-wait… it's a curse… and that was for love. I didn't touch her until I had my lord's permission for us to marry."
"Dude. You have a skill for picking up… no, for stealing married women."
"It's a curse, Berserker! I don't do it because I want to steal another man's woman!"
"No matter. You'll steal another man's woman anyway."
Berserker declared harshly. Lancer is cursed with a skill that enchants any woman who looks at his face. It was a magical love spell bestowed on Lancer by a young woman in his life.
"Y-you…?"
Lancer was incredulous. Berserker wasn't listening, and even knowing it was just a curse, he still didn't care and blamed Lancer.
Lancer truly hadn't done anything with her; he had always been loyal to his lord. Even when he ran off with her, it was because she forced him with a Geis, a curse-like contract that compelled him to betray his lord and flee with his lord's fiancée. But Berserker still wouldn't listen to anything Lancer had to say, even though Lancer wasn't truly to blame for stealing his lord's woman.
Rider smirked; it was amusing to see the two Servants bicker for a few seconds over something so trivial.
"It's unbelievable that you're a Berserker. You're so intelligent and cunning."
"And you're too stubborn for a Rider."
Berserker quickly retorted to the smiling Rider beside him… the King of Conquerors.
Emiya Kiritsugu, from his distant vantage point, observed the peaceful battlefield situation. But just because it was peaceful didn't mean it wasn't difficult.
With Kiritsugu's current equipment, he couldn't interfere in the pacifying conversation the Servants were having.
Especially with that Berserker, who wasn't a Servant consumed by insanity and had lost all reason. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The Berserker Servant displayed normal sanity and seemed extremely intelligent based on Kiritsugu's observations.
When Berserker looked directly at him with cold, emotionless eyes, Kiritsugu, for a moment, thought Berserker was a Mage, but the combat power he displayed was definitely that of a Servant.
Be it Kiritsugu, Maiya, Lancer's Master, or Assassin.
Kiritsugu saw in Berserker's eyes that Berserker knew the location of all of them. For a moment, Kiritsugu even thought his affinity with that Berserker was much greater than with the legendary King of Knights, and he felt jealous of Berserker's Master for summoning a Heroic Spirit he could use in this Holy Grail War without clashing over ideals with the Heroic Spirit.
But the Berserker Servant was one of the greatest threats in this Holy Grail War. Not just because of his power, but because of his intelligence and cold, calculating personality that Kiritsugu saw on Berserker's face.
If he could at least figure out where Berserker's Master was located, there might be ways to deal with it… But Kiritsugu couldn't see Berserker's Master with either of his two night-vision telescopes.
"…Maiya, can you see him from your side?"
"No, I can't see him."
Kiritsugu furrowed his brow upon hearing Maiya's response. Kiritsugu and Maiya's positions were actually each other's blind spots.
The reason they couldn't see the Master might be because Berserker's Master had also prioritized their own hiding spot and didn't stay in a position where they could give direct commands to their Servant.
It seems the opponent's personality is even more cautious than that of Archer's Master. For Kiritsugu Emiya, compared to those talented but irreverent mages, mages who don't show off are much harder to deal with.
"…The situation isn't good… a Berserker who's too intelligent and a cautious Master."
Kiritsugu cursed his luck. Saber was injured with a wound on her hand that couldn't be healed. But the other three Servants were still at full strength, especially Rider, who hadn't fought any battles. In a battlefield where only the strongest survive, the worst position is to be at a clear disadvantage.
'The Masters of the other Servants must be thinking the same.'
At this point, any of the three—Lancer, Rider, or Berserker, if that earthquake he caused was any indication—could defeat Saber. And then, eliminate an exhausted Servant from the Holy Grail War.
It would be two birds with one stone. Two Servants could defeat two enemies with minimal Magical Energy expenditure.
Kiritsugu aimed his rifle at the top of the crane once more. Assassin, with the skull mask, was still sitting there. Just a moment of carelessness could cost Kiritsugu his life.
"…Damn."
Kiritsugu gritted his teeth, cursing his luck in his heart, but could only sit and wait. The wound on Saber's finger had cost her the ability to wield her sword effectively. If another battle broke out, Saber's chances of victory were low.
In the battlefield, Rider grew serious and asked the other Servants a question.
"Well, what are you all going to do now?"
"I still have unfinished business with Saber. The battle between us isn't over yet."
Lancer declared his intentions immediately in response to Rider's question. Saber was deeply moved by Lancer's words. The spear-wielding Heroic Spirit devoutly believed in the same chivalry as she did.
"And you two?"
Rider asked Saber and Berserker right after.
"I also intend to finish my battle with Lancer."
Saber declared proudly. She wanted to conclude her battle with Lancer.
"Well…"
Berserker began to speak slowly.
"…I wanted to have a battle against Saber. But her hand isn't in the best condition. And she already has a commitment with Lancer."
Berserker stated his intentions without much thought. His goal in this Holy Grail War was to test himself against the Servants and learn to fight firsthand, as he was inexperienced in combat compared to the other Servants.
Because if Berserker were experienced in close-quarters combat, he would have gone after the functional Holy Grail in another world and wouldn't be wasting time in this one.
But…
Saber's next words instantly froze Kiritsugu's soul.
"If you want a fight! Let's fight! Even with my injured finger, I can still wield my sword!"
Saber challenged Berserker, raising her invisible sword in defiance. Berserker blinked once, twice, three times…
"Are you an idiot?"
Berserker asked. He couldn't understand Saber's challenge in her current state.
"I'm serious, Berserker."
The street, the ground cracked with Saber's words; a fissure hundreds of meters long had formed from the staff Berserker was leaning on. Everything in the fissure's path crumbled, breaking apart; several warehouses and buildings in its way were completely destroyed, turned into rubble by the black Berserker with terrifying nonchalance, without even moving a single finger from the skull of his staff.
Waver clutched his head and crouched behind Rider, grinding his teeth in fear. He didn't want to participate in the Heaven's Feel anymore. He wanted to go home, to London, to England.
The Holy Grail War was too terrifying!
______________
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