The False servant

Three Days Later.

It had been three days since I started walking, and it seemed I was getting closer to the place where the Holy Grail was kept.

A cold wind blew gently through the ruins of the silent city. The remnants of charred and cracked buildings stood as silent witnesses to the tragedy that once unfolded here. I stepped cautiously through the debris-filled streets, trying to trace the presence of the Holy Grail in this place.

As I walked, my mind replayed what I knew about this singularity. Ah… I haven't explained the cause of it yet, have I?

Maybe it's time to talk about how this chaos began.

This singularity originated from something I had seen in the game—Fate/Grand Order. In that game, there was a city called Fuyuki that served as the battlefield for a war between seven Magi and their Servants, all fighting to claim the Holy Grail, said to be capable of granting wishes.

At first, everything proceeded as expected—a typical Holy Grail War. Servants battled, their Masters devised strategies, and conflicts between factions escalated over time.

However, an anomaly occurred.

In the middle of the war, Saber—Artoria Pendragon—fell into a mysterious black mud that transformed her into something different. No longer the steadfast and noble King of Knights, she became Artoria Alter The Fallen king, consumed by the darkness that tainted her existence.

And with this newfound power, she defeated all the other Servants.

Only one remained—Caster, Cu Chulainn.

The defeated Servants did not truly disappear. They were turned into Shadow Servants—mere shades of their former selves, stripped of free will and reduced to mindless pawns obeying Saber Alter's command.

After that, Artoria's forces were divided into two main tasks:

One group remained in place to guard the Holy Grail alongside her, likely beneath the ruins of this city… or perhaps in a hidden cavern.

The other group pursued Caster Cu Chulainn—the only Servant who retained his consciousness.

And I had encountered one of them a few days ago while I was still using my Artoria form.

From his movements, I deduced that the Shadow Servant had initially been chasing Cu Chulainn. But somehow, he sensed my presence and, instead of continuing their pursuit of Caster, he chose to confront me.

That battle was still vivid in my memory.

Fast movements. Deadly strikes.

He wielded a spear—a massive weapon that swinging toward me like a red bolt of lightning in the darkness.

A Servant with the Lancer class, without a doubt.

But even though I could determine his class, I had no way of knowing who he really was.

But one thing was certain—I had to reach the Holy Grail's location as soon as possible.

I continued walking cautiously, piercing through the darkness that was beginning to shroud the ruins of the city.

Each step felt heavy in the eerie, oppressive silence. I remained alert, my eyes scanning my surroundings for any signs of danger.

This place was too quiet—too still for something that should be a battlefield.

'It seems safe,' I thought.

But that calmness lasted only a moment.

GROOOAAARRR!!!

A deafening roar shook the air, sending chills down my spine and making my hair stand on end.

Reflexively, I turned, my eyes narrowing as they searched for the source of the sound.

And in the distance, I saw it.

A towering figure, far taller than anyone I had ever met. Its silhouette was faint under the dim light, but the aura it radiated was unmistakable.

A Shadow Servant?

I tightened my grip, preparing to face a new threat. But as the figure moved forward, revealing itself more clearly, I immediately recognized who it was.

That giant was a half-god hero from ancient Greek mythology. He was known as the man who completed twelve impossible labors assigned by the gods.

He was—Heracles.

I frowned.

This situation was far from favorable.

As a Berserker-class Servant, Heracles had lost all rational thought. He was a pure killing machine—knowing no fear, no mercy. Only the instinct to fight and destroy.

Speed. Strength. Durability. Everything about him was at an absurd level.

But what made him most dangerous was one of his Noble Phantasms—Nine Lives.

With it, he had nine lives as it's name, making him almost impossible for me to defeated him.

I exhaled deeply, trying to calm myself. There was no point in panicking.

Berserker was getting closer.

Each of his footsteps shook the ground.

I had only one chance.

And just as he nearly reached me, I made my move.

With a swift motion, I leaped forward, soaring over his head.

At the same time, I extended my hands.

"Come forth."

A brief flash of light appeared in my grasp.

By the time I landed, both of my hands were already holding a pair of gleaming daggers.

I raised them, ready to face the Berserker, who now turned around with a blank but murderous gaze.

The battle had begun.

Heracles let out a ferocious roar, his voice echoing through the ruins.

Without warning, he lunged at me with impossible speed, his massive fist hurtling forward like a meteor ready to obliterate anything in its path.

I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.

BOOM!!

Heracles' punch slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater and sending shockwaves through the air. Even from this distance, I could feel the impact of his strength.

'Just one hit would be enough to break me.'

There was no room for mistakes.

I adjusted my grip on my daggers and charged forward. I aimed for his exposed side, swinging one of my blades with precision toward his ribs.

Slash!

My dagger managed to pierce his skin, but that was all. The wound was shallow—not nearly enough to slow him down.

Berserker didn't even flinch.

Instead, he swung his massive arm, attempting to swat me away like an annoying fly.

I tried to retreat, but his movement was faster than I expected.

Thud!

His giant fist slammed into my abdomen.

Instantly, excruciating pain surged through my entire body. I was thrown backward, crashing hard against the ground.

I groaned softly. It felt as if my insides had been shaken, as though my organs had shifted from their proper places.

But I couldn't stop.

I forced myself to stand, even as my chest still ached.

Heracles wasn't giving me time to recover.

He was already moving again, approaching with inhuman speed for someone his size.

I had no choice.

I leaped onto the nearby ruins, using the shattered structures of the city as stepping stones. I jumped from one crumbling building to another, trying to maintain my distance while searching for an opening to attack.

Heracles swung his arm, obliterating the ruins where I had stood just moments ago.

'Fighting like this is pointless. I need to find a way to chip away at his lives, one by one.'

But how?

Then, I remembered something.

Heracles had immense durability, but that didn't mean he was completely invulnerable. Nine Lives granted him regeneration and absolute endurance against lower-tier attacks, but if he was struck with enough power or a specific technique, his lives could be diminished one by one.

I tightened my grip on my daggers.

'In that case, I just need to make sure every attack is strong enough to break through his defenses.'

I took a deep breath and then launched myself toward Heracles at full speed.

Berserker raised his fist, ready to crush me in mid-air.

But just before his attack connected, I twisted my body, dodging his strike with a margin so narrow it was almost imperceptible.

At that moment, I swung my dagger toward his neck with all the strength I could muster.

SLASH!

Black blood splattered, and Heracles' head separated from his body.

I landed smoothly behind him, breathing heavily.

Berserker stood still for a few seconds before his body began to dissolve into black dust.

But I knew this wasn't over.

Seconds later, his body reformed—Nine Lives had activated its regeneration.

Eight lives remained.

I let out a long sigh.

"Alright," I muttered.

I took my battle stance once more.

Heracles roared again. But this time, something was different.

Suddenly, out of thin air, a weapon appeared in his hand—a massive axe with golden blades that shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

I frowned.

'Damn… so he's finally using his weapon.'

Until now, he had only fought with his bare hands, and even that alone was enough to overwhelm me. Now, with the axe in his hands, the situation had become much worse.

I tightened my grip on my knife.

Berserker didn't give me time to think.

He swung his axe down to the ground with immense force.

BOOM!!

An explosion of dust and debris scattered in all directions. I tried to jump back, but the shockwave from his attack sent my body flying.

I crashed into the crumbling wall of a nearby building.

Crash!

The wall collapsed along with me. Dust filled the air, making it hard to breathe. A sharp pain shot through my back, but I had no time to complain.

I forced myself to get up as quickly as possible.

But before I could fully stand, a sharp whistling sound reached my ears.

My eyes widened.

'NO WAY—!'

I twisted my body as fast as I could, just as the massive axe hurtled toward me at an incredible speed.

I raised my knife to block—

CLANG!!

The sheer force of the impact shook my entire arm. My knife managed to hold the attack… but only for a moment.

CRACK!!

My knife shattered.

My eyes widened as the remaining force from the axe slammed into my body brutally.

BOOM!!

I was sent flying again, this time crashing hard into the ground.

Pain spread throughout my entire body. My bones felt like they were cracking, and blood trickled from the corner of my lips.

'Damn… this is really bad.'

I tried to steady my breathing, but Heracles didn't give me a chance.

He was already above me, lifting his axe high.

'If I get hit by that, I'm dead!'

Without thinking, I rolled to the side.

BOOM!!

Heracles' axe struck the ground right where I had been just seconds ago, creating a massive crater.

I quickly jumped back, trying to gain some distance.

But Heracles wouldn't allow it.

He lifted his axe and swung it horizontally with impossible speed.

I was forced to raise the broken remains of my knife to block—

CLANG!!

This time, I couldn't even properly defend against it.

I was thrown again, blood spilling from my mouth.

'I… I'm too slow, and too weak.'

I gritted my teeth.

No matter how fast I moved, no matter how sharp my attacks were, this monster's body was simply too strong.

Even if I managed to strike a vital point, Nine Lives would bring him back again and again.

And now, with his massive axe, this battle had become even more unbalanced.

'I can't win like this… I have to find another way.'

I took a deep breath, enduring the pain that spread through my entire body.

My eyes narrowed, locking onto Heracles, who stood firm like an unshakable mountain.

I couldn't fight him head-on.

If I wanted to survive, I had to think beyond just fighting.

I had to find a weakness in his attack patterns.

Because if I couldn't…

Then this would be the place where I met my end.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips, my breathing still heavy.

Heracles stood across from me, his massive axe dripping with dust and fragments of stone. His empty gaze, which should have held no expression, felt like a real threat.

I then materialized my knife once again from thin air.

I gripped the handle more tightly.

'I can't keep taking his attacks like this…'

My body was already growing weaker, while he… he had only lost one life. He still had eight more.

I growled.

'In that case…'

I took a deep breath, then whispered:

"Come forth, the shroud of night,

Veil the world in death's embrace,

Let the mist descend, silent and deep,

As shadows claim the land in grace."

The air around me shifted.

In instant, a mist seeped out from my body, mist began to creep out, quickly enveloping the battlefield.

As the mist spread, the world seemed to lose its shape. The crumbling buildings faded from view. The sound of footsteps, the sound of breathing, even the scent of blood in the air—all of it vanished, as if the world had been swallowed by nothingness.

Heracles, who had been moving with brute force, suddenly stopped.

I could see him, though he could not see me.

That was the primary effect of The Mist—creating illusions within the fog, hiding my presence while disrupting my enemy's senses.

'Now… this is my chance.'

I silently leaped behind him, then swung my knife.

Slash!

My blade struck his back, right between his shoulders.

But as expected, the wound wasn't deep enough.

Heracles roared in fury, swinging his axe toward the source of the attack.

But he only sliced through empty air.

I was no longer there.

I ran in circles around the battlefield, striking from another angle.

Slash!

I stabbed from the side, then retreated before he could counter.

Slash!

Another strike, this time at his leg.

Heracles growled, beginning to move wildly, swinging his axe in every direction.

But he couldn't see me.

He had no idea where I was.

'Good… it's working.'

I kept moving, kept attacking, slowly chipping away at his endurance.

But then—

BOOM!!

Without warning, Heracles slammed his axe into the ground, creating a shockwave that blasted the mist away in all directions.

I was thrown back, my body crashing into the rubble.

As I got up, I realized something bad.

My mist was fading.

'Damn… the effect is wearing off.'

I bit my lip.

Heracles turned his gaze back to me.

His eyes were empty, but I could feel his aura growing stronger.

He lifted his axe high.

I knew.

I only had one last attack before he fully recovered from my previous strikes.

I gripped my knife tightly, taking a deep breath.

'Then… I have to make this attack make him lose one of his live!'

With all the strength I had left, I dashed forward.

***

Author's Note:

At first, I intended to finish the battle against Berserker quickly, but as I was writing the draft, a realization came over me—I remembered one of his ability. Yes, it's was Nine Lives.

Because of Nine Lives, it became difficult for me to end the battle quickly. If I made the MC defeat Heracles too easily, it would feel like I was disrespecting him. So, I decided that the fight between Heracles and the MC would be longer.

Also, regarding the weapon Heracles is using, some people might be confused about why he's wielding an axe. Let me clarify: the version of Heracles I'm using is from Fate/Grand Order, not the Fate/stay night version.

Q: But isn't FGO's Heracles supposed to be the same as the one in FSN?

A: Well, they are fundamentally the same, but in FGO, there's an Ascension system where each Servant gets an upgraded appearance as they ascend. Based on my observation, Heracles uses an axe in his third Ascension, while in his first and second Ascensions, he still wields the same weapon as in the Fate/stay night anime.

If my observation is incorrect or if you have a better explanation, feel free to Comment and let me know, then I'll revise this chapter accordingly. Don't be shy to comment, I don't bite.

If you're curious about Heracles' appearance in his third Ascension, here's the picture.