Dating Caster

"Hey, mad dog, what kind of amusement can you possibly bring this King?"

Archer's crimson eyes were fixed on the black, maddened Servant, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

A short distance away from Matou Kariya and Tohsaka Tokiomi, Archer and Berserker were locked in a standoff. It was a battlefield the two Masters had intentionally avoided, for both knew full well that there was no room for them to intervene in a clash between these two; staying behind would only be a hindrance.

"Waaaaaaaagh!!!"

Having long since lost his sanity, Berserker had no intention of listening to Archer's nonsense. With a roar filled with resentment, Berserker charged toward the golden Archer.

"Tch, a mad dog should be kneeling quietly on the ground, looking up at the majesty of a King!"

Those of lowly status possessed eyes as base and filthy as their origins; to one of noble status, being looked at with such eyes was an intolerable humiliation. To Archer, this insolent Berserker was even less forgivable than Tohsaka Tokiomi, who acted under the guise of his own pity.

After spitting in disdain, Archer unleashed the Gate of Babylon behind him, projecting a triple strike of Noble Phantasms. Axes, blades, and swords, flashing with dazzling brilliance, trailed light like meteors as they intercepted Berserker.

The maddened black Servant showed no fear of the incoming Noble Phantasms. He paused for a fraction of a second, thrusting out his right hand to seize the lead sword-type Noble Phantasm. Instantly, the originally ornate longsword in Berserker's grip was stained pitch-black, and crimson veins began to spread across the blade.

Wielding the longsword, Berserker struck the head of the second axe. The force of the blow sent the axe veering off its original trajectory, causing it to collide with the third Noble Phantasm following behind. Deprived of its momentum, the weapon was easily swatted away by Berserker. The spinning weapon landed behind him, detonating like a bomb; the paving stones of the courtyard were pulverized into dust, filling the air and obscuring all vision.

With such concise and sharp offense and defense, how could anyone believe this black Servant was merely a Berserker who had lost his mind?

"Interesting. It has been a long time since I've played like this. A mere stray dog, yet you manage to entertain me so!"

Surprisingly, Archer did not display the explosive rage he had shown during the battle in the warehouse district; instead, he was laughing wantonly and heartily.

"A stray dog begging for scraps abroad actually has some skill, but do not disappoint me, mongrel!"

Radiance shone once more around Archer. Surrounding his imposing figure, a new group of sixteen Noble Phantasms appeared behind him all at once.

There were not only spears and swords, but also axes, hammers, lances, and various bizarre weapons of unknown purpose and nature.

Every weapon was polished to a mirror-like sheen, rolling with immense magical energy. Each piece embodied an undeniable sense of mystery; these were, in every sense of the word, true Noble Phantasms.

"Let me see how long you can keep up this bad habit of stealing food."

Archer waved his hand lightly, and the group of Noble Phantasms floating in the void rushed toward Berserker. The roaring sound shook the night air, and the constant flashes of explosions seemed to illuminate the entire night sky.

"Kariya, do you hear that? This is the strongest trump card of my Tohsaka house."

Listening to the thunderous roars of Noble Phantasms constantly bombarding the ground outside, Tohsaka Tokiomi looked at Kariya, who had been driven to a dead end across from him. At this moment, elegance and composure had returned to Tokiomi. Every word he spoke, every movement he made, was impeccable.

"Heh—"

Matou Kariya leaned against the wall behind him, struggling to support his own body, and sneered at Tohsaka Tokiomi:

"That so-called trump card of yours seems to be wishing to make you commit seppuku to atone for your sins."

Upon hearing Matou Kariya's retort, the corners of Tohsaka Tokiomi's mouth stiffened, though it passed in an instant.

"If I could fulfill the long-cherished wish of reaching the Root, I would not mind dying this very instant."

However, he immediately shook his head and added in a self-deprecating tone:

"It seems I have lost my composure, bringing up this topic with a deviant magical waste like you. But even if I were to die, the legacy of my clan would still be inherited by Rin. If Rin cannot achieve it, there is still Sakura."

"Sakura?!"

Hearing Tohsaka Tokiomi mention that name, Matou Kariya raised his head in shock.

"That's right. Come to think of it, I should thank the old man of the Matou clan. His request is undoubtedly the greatest help to the Tohsaka house. As a clan that also understands the existence of the Holy Grail, the higher the possibility of reaching the Root."

Why...

Watching Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was expounding on his so-called magus theories as if he were doing what was best for Sakura, Matou Kariya felt a sense of confusion.

Why is this man here spouting such nonsense?

Does he know what Zouken has done?

Does he know the suffering Sakura has endured?

Since he doesn't know...

Then what standing does this man have?

And what right does he have?

To say such things here?

"But it is all because of you, Matou Kariya!"

Tohsaka Tokiomi's angry voice interrupted Kariya's thoughts:

"Because of your inaction! Because of your defection! The Matou family's lineage of magic has been severed, and Sakura, as the heir, has lost the hope of continuing to pursue the magical path!"

Kariya looked up at Tohsaka Tokiomi, who resembled an enraged lion. In his memory, this was the first time he had seen Tokiomi lose his composure so completely. Yet, in Kariya's eyes, this anger seemed so laughable.

Kariya laughed softly and said: "So-called children are, in the eyes of you magi, merely tools to reach the Root."

To this question, Tohsaka Tokiomi responded coldly:

"A magus possesses innate power, and one day, they will obtain even greater power. Before one is enlightened to such a fate, that responsibility exists within the blood. This is the meaning of being a child of a magus."

"Heh—fate? Responsibility? A child of a magus?"

The three consecutive questions made Tohsaka Tokiomi feel incredibly irritated. He swung his Cane again, and accompanied by a two-stanza incantation, a scorching fireball struck toward Kariya.

Kariya, barely managing to prop himself up, watched the magecraft hurtling toward him and twisted his lips into a savage grin:

"Let me be the one to shatter your bullshit destiny!"

At the same time, the three Command Spells on Kariya's hand, which he had kept in reserve, began to emit a blood-red glow.

"By the name of the Command Spell, Berserker, release Mad Enhancement!"

Lancelot

[Kariya, let me tell you, some Berserkers are at their strongest when they possess a clear mind. Take yours, for example...]

A stray remark Wang Xiaoming had made earlier surfaced in Kariya's mind. He didn't know how Wang Xiaoming had learned such a secret, and looking at him at the time, it seemed he had long since understood Berserker's true identity.

But there was no time to dwell on that! All Kariya could do now was—

After barely dodging Tohsaka Tokiomi's magecraft, Kariya revealed the three red Command Spells on the back of his hand and chanted the incantation to command his Servant.

"By the name of the Command Spell, Berserker, suppress your madness!"

The Holy Grail War, a battle where mages summon Servants to compete for the Omnipotent Cauldron, did not mean that the course of the war could be decided solely by the prowess of the Servants.

To survive until the end, one needed more than just the strength of a Servant; one also needed the capability of a Master. Here, the strength of a Master did not refer to their ability as a mage.

It was the judgment to use the three miracles in one's hand to gamble and turn the situation to one's advantage...

And Kariya, a man who never intended to be a mage and despised the path of magic, had made the most correct choice for himself at this very moment.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield between Archer and Berserker.

Watching Berserker gradually fall into a disadvantage under the bombardment of his Noble Phantasms, Archer's expression was filled with sadistic pleasure. From the very beginning, he had never viewed his opponent as an equal. Enemies were only fit to be toyed with and humiliated, and this mad dog was no exception.

He would use his power to teach this disrespectful cur the meaning of awe, and only after he felt pain would he grant him death.

"Hmm?"

Archer, who had been enjoying the pathetic sight of Berserker unable to fend off his bombardment, keenly sensed a change in the mad dog before him. He raised his arm, and the Gate of Babylon unfolding behind him ceased its output of Noble Phantasms toward Berserker.

"..."

A brief silence fell over the battlefield—

The cool night breeze blew through, carrying away the smoke and dust that had permeated the area, revealing the changes in Berserker:

The black mist that had swirled around the knight, who was once shrouded in madness, began to rapidly contract, and the blood-red hue in the eyes deep within his helmet began to fade...

Under the influence of the Command Spells—the crystallization of magecraft that could trigger "miracles" for a short time, the greatest achievement of Zouken Matou's life—the mental effects of Berserker's class skill, "Mad Enhancement," were being neutralized.

And this was only Kariya's first Command Spell. Looking up at Tohsaka Tokiomi, who still maintained his elegant demeanor across from him, Kariya gritted his teeth—

"By the name of the second Command Spell, Berserker, restore your full strength!"

Tohsaka Tokiomi, you threw Sakura into a den of demons for the sake of your so-called path of magic and never once looked back, never once cared about her condition; you are not fit to be a father!

For Sakura's suffering, and for my own hatred, Tohsaka Tokiomi, you shall be buried alongside your ideals!

"By the name of the third Command Spell, Berserker! You must win this battle!"

The three rapidly released Command Spells dissipated the hidden magical energy. After the magical energy whipped up into a whirlwind, it vanished. As a half-baked mage, Kariya would likely never have the chance to wield such immense power again in his life. Yet, even so, he felt from the bottom of his heart that this was the most satisfying act he had ever committed. He had no regrets.

On the battlefield

The armor on Berserker, which had been pitch-black, shed its ominous color and returned to its original, polished luster. He silently reached out and removed the helmet that had been obscuring his face, revealing the flowing purple hair beneath and the features that had once been admired and envied by countless noblewomen.

"What utter disrespect... to dare raise a hand against the King..."

Berserker's melancholic voice was filled with deep remorse, which meant—

"Has the mad dog actually regained his reason?"

Archer looked at the inexplicably somber Berserker, his face twisted in blatant mockery:

"You should know that a mad dog on a leash is worse than a watchdog. You aren't the King of Knights, so why not go back to your previous roaring state?"

Archer's words seemed to touch a forbidden zone in Berserker's heart. The knight, now restored to sanity, looked up at Archer, his eyes as calm as a still lake, a gaze that Archer found quite displeasing.

"Mongrel, to dare look up at this King with such an insolent gaze—it seems even your reason hasn't helped you recognize your own lowly status!"

Noble Phantasms poured down once more, more numerous, faster, and more ferocious than before; Archer seemed to be venting his rage in this manner.

Facing the rain of Noble Phantasms, Berserker calmly caught the first sword that arrived and grabbed the second spear with his right hand. The Noble Phantasms that originally belonged to Archer were now quietly serving their new master, blocking the incoming attacks.

Unlike the wild, sweeping movements of his berserk state, Berserker now displayed his martial arts from life to the fullest, deflecting the incoming barrage of weapons like mercury flowing across the ground.

Berserker could also constantly switch between the weapons in his hands; blades, spears, swords, and even weapons whose origins were impossible to discern all unleashed their full potential under his command. Before this knight, the so-called limitations of weapons seemed not to exist at all.

The relentless bombardment of Noble Phantasms once again shrouded the battlefield in a curtain of smoke. Suddenly, a cold glint pierced through the haze, striking straight toward Archer's face!

It was a Noble Phantasm that had previously been captured by Berserker, now turned against Archer. It was undeniably ironic, and Archer had never expected that Berserker would still have the strength to counterattack under such an onslaught.

"Simply increasing the number of Noble Phantasms is meaningless to me, Hero King of Mesopotamia. Your 'Gate of Babylon' is indeed powerful, but you cannot defeat me with that alone."

Berserker's calm voice sounded as if he were stating an established fact.

Archer's right thumb lightly brushed his cheek, where a long, narrow cut had appeared—the masterpiece of Berserker's strike just now.

Looking at his own blood on his finger, Archer suddenly laughed. His laughter was like a massive boulder crashing into a calm lake, sending out great ripples.

Yet, hidden behind that laughter was a fury capable of burning everything to ash:

"Mongrel, state your name! This King has decided to grant you a decent death!"

"One of the knights of the Knights of the Round Table, formerly under King Arthur—"

Facing the surging, tempestuous rage of Archer, Berserker remained neither humble nor arrogant as he declared his name:

"Lancelot."

Also, regarding the matter of bonus chapters.

The next bonus chapter will be released when the average subscription count reaches 2,000; it's still a tiny bit short...

(By the way, Violet Evergarden is the best!)

Chapter 66. Arondight

"One of the knights of the Knights of the Round Table, formerly under King Arthur—Lancelot."

Upon hearing Berserker reveal his true name, Archer suddenly clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. His previous anger seemed to have vanished completely, and he clapped his hands incessantly.

"Hey, hey, hey, mad dog, are you trying specifically to make this King laugh? What kind of third-rate drama development is this?"

"My creed does not allow me to lie." The white knight's tone was calm, yet the sorrow hidden deep within could not be masked.

"Mad dog—no, wait, Lancelot. I ask you, what exactly does it feel like to draw your blade against your own King?"