Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 936 - : Heracles

Let me tell you the story of a hero.

There once was such a hero.

He stormed the heavens, rampaged through the underworld, and fought against the king of the seas.

He possessed immense strength and peerless combat skills, wielding a mighty club that was unmatched.

He had a fiery temper, and a rough demeanor, and often wore nothing but an animal hide.

He endured countless trials, overcame immense hardships, and eventually found a happy ending.

I'm referring to the great hero of ancient Greece, the mighty Heracles!

In Fate/Stay Night, Heracles is the servant summoned by the Einzbern family.

The reason they chose him is simple: as Medea described him—"the strongest"!

Greek mythology is one of the most renowned mythologies in the world, unparalleled in its fame. It's filled with countless legendary figures, but among all these proud heroes, Heracles stands at the top for one reason—his undeniable accomplishments.

The son of Zeus, born with the typical traits of a demigod, needs no further explanation.

Even as a baby, he caused pain to Hera, the queen of the gods.

As an adult, his feats were even more extraordinary. He strangled the Nemean Lion, whose hide was impervious to weapons, and slew the Hydra, a serpent known for its powerful regeneration and deadly poison.

Even the rulers of the Olympian gods—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—could not defeat him. This was an impossible miracle during the Age of Gods, where the gods reigned supreme.

He is the pride of humanity, one of the undisputed strongest figures in human history.

After they failed in the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family became determined to summon an even more powerful servant.

In the Fourth Holy Grail War, they targeted King Arthur, but that also failed.

This time, they placed their hopes on an even stronger hero—Heracles.

Perhaps fearing that the hero's overwhelming sense of self would hinder their ability to obtain the Grail, they cast a [Mad Enhancement] spell on him after summoning him, turning him into a Berserker—a mindless warrior who knew only battle and slaughter.

As the developers of the Greater Grail system, the Einzberns had certain privileges, including summoning servants in advance. Two months before the start of the war, they summoned Heracles, planning to use that time to tame the Berserker and turn him into a perfect killing machine.

However, due to Heartless' sacrificial act, the Holy Grail War started earlier than expected, severely disrupting the Einzbern's plans.

First, their two-month privilege was cut short. The war, originally scheduled to start in December, began in November, nearly halving the time they had to tame Heracles. They hadn't yet finished training him but had no choice but to deploy him to Fuyuki for the war.

Second, the Einzbern castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki didn't have time to be prepared. This castle was their main base during each Holy Grail War, and they would typically send people to clean and prepare it, a process that took about two to three weeks. Naturally, there was no time for that now.

Of course, this wasn't without its advantages. Without a base, their movements became less predictable. Over the past ten years, Shinji and Kiritsugu had made various modifications to the castle, to fully monitor the Einzberns. Now, with no base to monitor, all those surveillance measures were rendered useless. This is why Heracles' presence near the Emiya household was only noticed by Medea—surveillance systems are not infallible, and the informants stationed at the airport were just ordinary people unaware of the larger plot. Furthermore, after the last Holy Grail War, the Einzberns had become significantly more cautious.

However, this caution was relative. When it came to attacking the Emiya household, the Einzberns displayed their usual homunculi traits—directness. To put it bluntly, they were reckless. Upon discovering their target, they immediately launched an attack.

The reason they were discovered was simple—both Irisviel and Illyasviel had grown careless.

The peaceful life they had been living dulled their vigilance. When they first arrived in Fuyuki ten years ago, they were constantly on guard, fearing pursuit from their family. But as time passed without any pursuit, their nerves gradually relaxed.

It wasn't just them; even Shinji and Kiritsugu had let their guard down, assuming that the Einzberns would no longer send anyone after them. The fact that Kiritsugu and Maiya had been going out more frequently each year was evidence of this.

With their guard down, they stopped paying attention to certain details, such as disguising themselves when going out or avoiding crowded places. Over time, the residents of Miyama Town came to know that a pair of silver-haired, red-eyed, doll-like mother and daughter lived in an old-fashioned estate.

So, when another person with a similar appearance showed up, it was easy for people to make connections, thinking they must be relatives or something.

And then—Kiritsugu's worst fear came true.

At first, the Einzberns didn't send Heracles. They only dispatched a few combat homunculi.

In the minds of these combat homunculi, a Lesser Grail-type homunculus was good for nothing but magical energy. How could they possibly stand against combat homunculi? After all, these were weapons personally designed and created by the central program of the Einzbern family, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, after realizing that outsiders couldn't be trusted. In terms of raw physical ability, they were comparable to servants, despite limitations like lifespan, cost, and experience. This time, they were specifically brought in to deal with other Masters. How could two non-combat-type homunculi possibly stand a chance?

However, the Einzbern family, stuck in their rigid thinking, didn't know that Irisviel and Illya weren't ordinary homunculi—they could learn and improve. When Irisviel was pregnant with Illya, she secretly began learning magecraft and combat techniques from Kiritsugu, and she hadn't stopped practicing over the years.

Illya was even more formidable. She had been taught various things by Aozaki Touko, Justeaze, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, and even Shinji. Any one of these things would make the big shots at the Clock Tower green with envy. While Illya, like her mother, didn't have much combat experience, she still held an overwhelming advantage against the combat homunculi, who also lacked experience.

Without even activating her magical staff or entering her magical girl state, Illya was able to defeat the homunculi using only alchemy. Since they shared the same origin, mother and daughter refrained from using lethal force, instead disarming and binding the homunculi, preparing to interrogate them.

However, before they could start asking questions, a terrifying roar echoed from outside.

"■■■■■■■■■■■■────!"

It wasn't a beast, nor did it sound human—it was more like the roar of a monster.

Just hearing the sound made both mother and daughter shudder, freezing their very consciousness.

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It felt as if a blade were pressed against their necks as if even the slightest movement would result in their heads being severed.

Immediately afterward, they felt violent tremors. The ground shook, the house quaked, walls, pillars, and gates were all destroyed one by one, and the dreadful roar grew closer and closer.

Finally, after another wall was smashed apart, a massive shadow loomed over the Emiya household's backyard.