AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is my first attempt at story telling so any feedback will help me grow as an amateur author.
Another important note. English is not my maiden language so please forgive me for some grammatical mistakes here and there.
One last important note. I am a working man so I might not be able to update my story on a regular basis. Please understand that my love for stories is not enough to bring food to the table
PROLOGUE - The Inheritor
-1/31- 11:59 pm- EMIYA MANSION-
It was a cold night just like any other here in this mansion and being the only person here just makes it colder. Normally Fuji-nee eats dinner here with me but she was busy with the board meeting and because she is the principal, she has no choice but to attend. One week prior to the meeting, she constantly and loudly complained about it and she rather laze around at home than attending. Its a mystery how our school earned so many acclaim from the Department of Education with her as the principal.
Anyway, thats just being rude to the person who has been my guardian ever since I was little so I should restart from the very begining.
Taiga Fujimura Yamato
The current principal of my school and the head of the largest Yakuza in Fuyuki City. She is well loved by all the locals as she is feared by most of the smaller Yakuza's in the city. There was a rumor that she attained her dominance by beating all of her opponents to a bloody pulp with her iconic wooden sword. She also happens to be the guardian of my father, Shirou Emiya , ever since his father died. It already goes without saying that Fuji-nee is someone my father fully trusts.
Another interesting fact about her is that she became the mother of a pair of 8 year old twins, Bali(Male) and Caspia(Female). Her husband is a very kind and very normal salary man whom she happens to meet in a drinking bar and became drinking partners ever since. One thing led to another which ended up with me, babysitting 2 kids during weekends... 3 if Fuji-nee joins them. They were such a mismatched couple that my father seems to wonder what she saw in him. My mother on the other hand instantly realized that her husband resembled my father in a way. He was kind, hardworking, a good cook and is very skilled at fixing things.
I don't know if its a joke or Fuji-nee never knew but the name of her kids are the names of extinct tiger subspecies.
Oh and another thing, NEVER EVER tease of her being a late bloomer. Seeing that I am older than her first kids, it goes without saying that she had a horrible time finding a man that can keep up with her. If anyone ignores my warning, the poor soul will experience the full strength of a kendo master. Painfully if I might add.
Thats enough emotional stuff for now as I have more important things to do. Most of the preparations are complete and are waiting for me in the shed. The only thing missing now is the catalyst that I hid in the guests room. I unlocked the door, entered the room and retrieved a box from under the bed. I know its not the best place to hid it but since I always keep this room locked, then its relatively safe to keep it here.
I exited the room and locked it. I then proceed to the shed behind the mansion where the summoning circle was waiting for me. I didnt use any of the jewels that I saved up during the years seeing that I already have a catalyst to work with. I have my complaints about using an old shed as a workshop but this is father's workshop so I didn't have much of a choice. I could use the house mother used to stay in, but I feel very uncomfortable in that western mansion.
I opened the box which contained a chipped piece of steel. This is a gift from my parents which they got from saving some people in one of their adventures. The guy that gave it to them said it belonged to a famous warrior but he could not recall who it was. My mother tested the piece of metal and was positive that it had magical properties which she entrusted to me until she could find a better catalyst during her travels. My Father also confirmed as he analyzed the metal was part of a weapon but he had no idea what type of weapon it was. Unfortunately, we ran out of time as the next Holy Grail War was about to start so im betting my fate with this one. I really hope that I can draw the strongest card, SABER.
I placed the metal shard in the middle of the summoning circle and readied myself.
"ANFANG!" I said which flipped the invisible switch within me.
At this point, Hikaru Emiya was no longer human but a tool that converts mana from the environment into usable power. I concentrated as the mana filled my body to the fullest while enduring the heat and pain that is within my body. Then I released all of it into the summoning circle and begin the incantation.
Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill
Repeat 5 times
But when each is filled,destroy it
Head my words
My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny
If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason,
then answer me!
I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world
That I shall defeat all the evil in the world
You, Seven Heavens, shrouded by the three great words of power
Come forth from the circle of inhibition
Guardian of the Scales!
Blinded by the white light, I covered my eyes while holding back the thrill of viewing my servant. I then felt a massive presence right in front of me. I uncovered my eyes to see a man, at least 5'9" tall wearing black samurai armor and purple vest. His aura very different from what I expected from a Servant. I expected an aura so great that I would feel crushed just by being near him but this Servant has a gentle wind around him. Pain suddenly shoots through my left hand which must be the command spells engraving itself into my hand.
"Greetings Magus. Are you my master?" The man in a very businessman like voice. I cant tell anything about him just by looking at him aside from the fact that he is Japanese in origin. I tried to calm my confused mind and answered
"Yes I, Haruka Emiya, am your master. So... which hero are you?" I said and as expected, he looks dumbfounded at my statement which lasts about 2 seconds.
"Wait... Are you saying that you summoned me without any knowledge of who you were summoning?"
"I cant help it! We were out of time and the relic I have on hand was with unknown origin!" I said. The Servant made a big sigh as he placed his hand over his face. After a few seconds, he stares back at me and said
"Young people this days... Anyway take a seat" He said in a gentle voice as he sat seiza style on the dirty floor.
"Hey! Im the master here! Why should I do what you say?" I said while yelling. It goes without saying that Im very pissed right now. Not because this man is bosy but because his actions make me realize how foolish I am for not putting more effort in preparing.
"I said sit down young lady!" He raised his voice similar to how my father would scold me if I did anything wrong and due to his father like authority I sat down infront of him.
He then proceeded to scold me in a calm manner about the importance of preparations and the lack of it will lead to my death. This went on for 5 minutes and my shame increased with every minute simply because he is right. This really feels like my father's style of scolding me, no critisism, no screaming but stating the facts and the consequences of a foolish action.
"Now do you understand young lady?" My Servant ends his scolding without a spec of critisism
"Ugh... Your absolutely right. Im impressed though, you must have been a good father in you past life" I said. I cant believe that I, daughter of Rin Emiya, have been talked down by someone else.
"A good father you say? Hmm... I did rule over the Oda clan so I guess its like raising a lot of loud mouth children." He said as he looked reminiscingly outside the window
"I see... Wait... Did you just say Oda Clan?" I said in shock.
"Ah... I was caught up in the moment that I forgot to introduce myself." He said as he stood up.
"I am Nobunaga Oda of the ARCHER class! Be it your luck or divine intervention, Rejoice! For by my side, we shall rule Japan!"
I was godsmacked. Sure, its sad that I didnt get SABER which happens to be the best card in this war but this ARCHER is probably the most famous person in this country and more fame means a stronger servant. I might just win this!
We moved into the mansion and talked a bit. He demanded me to show him my family account records, which I dont have, and scolded me again for my wasteful mindset. After one hour of talking, we ended our discussion. He went into spirit mode and station himself on the roof as a lookout while I took a bath and went to bed. As I was lying down, I took a quick assessment of my combat capabilities.
The magic crest on my right hand allows me to use Gandr shots. This is my best weapon so far as it needs no preparation and can be used anytime I desire. This is what I inherited from my mother Rin Emiya who used to be Rin Tohsaka. Her family has generations of history and it happens that I am very compatible with her magecraft, which also includes transformation of energy, the art of storing prana into objects such as jewels. Thanks to the relic, I didnt need to use any of my jewels in the summoning ritual like my mother did when she participated in the last war. With 20 jewels in my disposal, Im fairly confident with my odds of winning. I also rather not use any of them as they cost 10 million yen per piece to make.
Another weapon I have is my projection magic which I learned from my father, Shirou Emiya. It allows me the ability to create weapons I can use in close quarter combat. Unfortunately, I am nowhere near as good as Father who can copy any bladed weapon almost perfectly including the weapon's abilities and experience allowing him to wield it as good as its original owner. On the other hand, I can copy the weapon and a small fraction its abilities though it will break after a few hits as I lack the ability to fully understand the weapon.
And finally, my strongest card in this war, ARCHER.
From the looks of it, I summoned Nobunaga Oda of the ARCHER class and not a SABER. It is unfortunate but its not bad as it seems. He nearly unified Japan in a very unorthodox manner. He valued skill above lineage which shows how good his decision making abilities. He always had an eye for something that can be used as an advantage, namely the Tanegashima rifle which paved the way to his near total domination of the Sengoku era. I guess his Noble Phantasm has something to do with those rifles then.
I went to sleep thinking that there might be a lot of problems in the future but thanks to the cards that I have on my hand, I actually have a decent chance of winning.
-2/1 -EMIYA MANSION-
I felt tired physically and mentally as I woke up that morning. Im confident of my ability to wake up early in the morning but due to the summoing ritual yesterday, my body feels sluggish with a slight headache to accompany it. I sat up straight and took a deep breath. I was thankful for the cold air as it never fails to beat the sleepiness out of me. I get up, get dressed and walk to the living room to cook breakfast because 3 kids are going to arrive soon and all of them have stomachs twice as large as a normal human. As I put on my apron started cooking a typical breakfast with miso soup, fried rice and chicken, I recalled something very important so without stopping, I called ARCHER.
"ARCHER! Can you come here for a second?" I said in a loud voice since I wasnt sure if he could hear me from the roof. A few seconds later, ARCHER materialised in the living room.
"You called Haruka?" he said in his usual fatherly voice.
"Theres going to be a few visitors later on, so make sure that you dont come out okay?" I said while putting all the ingridients into the frying pan.
"Thats fine and all but I must say you are very impressive"
"Hmm? How so?" I said without looking behind me as I was concentrating on my cooking
"Not only are you a talented mage but you are also a good cook. You will make a good wife for sure. I should make you into one of my mistress- " ARCHER said but was cut off when he dodge as a nigata went flying straight to his face. The nigata went thru the wall leaving behind a fist size hole.
"Keep talking like that and I swear I will use my command spell on you!" I said with a very threatening voice
"Oh? And what will you do to me? Order me to follow your every order? You know that it is a waste of command spell for a prolonged order like that right?" He said as he smiled arrogantly. He was right and I agree with him but unfortunately for ARCHER I also know a way to make him obey without using a command spell.
"Its simple ARCHER, I will order you to shove that spear I threw at you up your ass. Do you understand?" I said with the most beautiful smile I can make
"... You're serious arent you?"
"Yes I am"
"Hahahaha! You came up with an impressive threat on using a mans weakness. You will become a good politician one of this days. Once I conquer Japan, I will give you the second highest rank in my shogunate." He laughs as he disappeared. I let out a deep sigh as I returned to my cooking. Im glad that he follows my orders but handling him takes way too much energy. He is much better than me when it comes to war of words.
A noisy breakfast went by as usual as I gather my things and prepare for school. Im thankful that the twins idolize me because they help me with the dishes which makes things go faster unlike their mother who does absolutely nothing. They went on ahead because the twins are part of the kendo club and Fuji-nee is still the adviser of the archery club so I normally walk alone to school. Before I leave, I take a phone and make a phone call to my parents. I make a call and after a minute, my call went unanswered. I tried again and finally my father, Shirou Emiya, answers after a few rings.
"Hello? Dad?"
"Sorry about that Haruka, your mother didnt know how to use my Iphone and went into a panic" My father said in a joking manner. I also hear my mother on the background
"I DID NOT! I JUST DROPPED IT BY ACCIDENT!" Her scream was so loud that I pulled the phone away from my ear
"Whatever you say Rin. I'll put you on loudspeaker so we can talk to you okay?" Father said
"Anyway, I called to report my current situation" I said
"Go ahead" My mother replied in a serious manner
I told them about ARCHER, his real name and his attitude.
"*sigh*, Im starting to think that us Tohsaka mages are cursed or something" My mother said
"Why is that mom?"
"Your grandfather and I summoned ARCHER class heroes during our time and now you too. Is Fate making sure that we dont get SABER class servants? ... Well, whatever. Anyway, hows life there?" Mother said
We pretty much talked about meaningless things after that. How I had received my 11th confession this month, how my parents went into hidding after pissing off some prominent mage family, how much ARCHER reminded me of my father and how much I missed them. I put the phone down as I dry my eyes with my sleeve, then ARCHER suddenly appears behind me.
"I see... I thought you were a typical powerful magi who only cared for her selfish wish, willing to kill anyone while hiding behind a normal teenagers face but you trully do love the people around you." ARCHER said in a soft voice.
"ARCHER, I am a typical powerful magi who only cares about my selfish wish. It just so happens that my selfish wish is to protect the ones I love and I will not hesitate to massacre anyone who endangers the most important people in my life."
"I see, then why desire the Holy Grail?"
"Simple, because I am a Tohsaka descendant thus anything within my family's land is mine, right? Not to mention, my family is also responsible of eliminating any threats in our land thus ending this war is top priority"
"So... eliminate the threats and get the Grail as a bonus? Not a bad plan! You truly are a master worthy of my prescence"
"You got it wrong ARCHER. Im going to destroy the Grail as it is a threat to our land"
"WHAAAAAAAT? WHY? The Holy Grail can grant anything you desire?"
"PWAHAHAHA! That reaction is priceless! HAHAHA! oh my gut! HAHAHAHA"
"This is no joke! This is the Holy Grail we are talking about! AND STOP LAUGHING!"
I laughed hard for a few more seconds until my gut twisted in pain. After calming down, I straightened I face ARCHER in a serious manner.
"The reason is simple. Because the Holy Grail in Fuyuki City is a corrupt machine that only knows how to grant wishes by destroying everything else."
ARCHER was silent for a few seconds.
"And what proof do you have of that claim Hikaru Emiya" He said with a voice filled with murderous intent. I can understand why he is like that. Servants desire the Grail as well thus ARCHER will probably kill me if I dont present my facts straight.
I take a deep breath.
"My proof is that my parents Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya are the winners of the 5th Holy Grail War" I said in a serious voice. I then recount what happened during the last war based on what my parents told me. How my father summoned the SABER Arthuria Pendragon, how my mother summoned the Heroic Spirit EMIYA, how my father's past and future tried to kill each other, how my father defeated the servant ARCHER named Gilgamesh using the Reality Marble "Unlimited Blade Works", how both of them destroyed the corrupt grail and how Lord El-Melloi failed to shut down the Holy Grail War.
ARCHER was speechless after that and I can understand. Though he hasnt express any desire for the Holy Grail yet, the fact that the omnipotent vessel is a defective death trap must really be a shock. He then sat on the hallway with a very difficult expression which means that he is thinking very hard about the subject. I let him do that for 10 more seconds before I spoke again.
"If you want, I will take you to a victim of the corrupt Holy Grail?"
"A... Victim?"
"Yes. My godmother, Sakura Matou has a piece of that filth inside her"
"No, there is no need. If you can produce hard evidence which backs up your statement, then it must be true. I never had any desire for the Holy Grail but now that I know what it is, then I will help you destroy it."
"Wow... that was quick. Why did you suddenly agree to my plan?"
"Simple. How am I suppose to rule over Japan if that thing will kill every subject I have! Thus threats to my shogunate will be destroyed!"
"You know that you will disappear when the grail disappears right?"
"Of course not! Have you not seen my stats? I am an ARCHER with a rank A+ Independent Action! I could stay in this world with or without a Master which also goes without saying that I can live without the Grail"
"Oh... I didnt know that. Good to know that I have a partner that will keep my mission going even if I retire early"
"Your not retiring early with me around. And did you just say you didnt know my abilities?"
"Damn!" That comment slipped out by mistake which automatically leads to ARCHER making me sit on the floor and scolding me about how lack of information means death. Thank god its still early because the scolding lasted 20 minutes. I then cut off ARCHER during his scolding with the reasoning that I needed to go to school which he agrees as it is necessary for the future head adviser of his shogunate to be educated, thus letting me go.
I think about the Holy Grail War as I walk up the hill. Many things pass through my mind such as "I might die, will I die without regrets?" and "Will everyone be sad if I die?". ARCHER noticed and began to speak to me while in spirit form.
"Having seconds thought?" he said with a fatherly voice
"... You could say that ..."
"Do tell"
"Well... Im still young and there's a lot of things I want to do but this war might get me killed and... Magi's have to accept that death is right beside them.. but.."
"Stop right there Haruka. It is understandable to fear death and your anxiety is normal. Then the solution is very simple."
"Oh? Then what is the solution?"
"Win." he said with absolute confidence that not only shocked but move me. I was silent for a bit as I condemn myself for my frail mindset.
"Yeah... You're absolute right. I am the daughter of the Holy Grail War winners so its only natural for me to win!" I say as I throw all hesitations away.
"Very good Haruka" He said. I cant tell but I assume he is making a "father proudly watching his daughter grow up" type of face
-:-
I reach the school gate with a good mood because of my talk with ARCHER. I was already started making plans on what to do tonight so my concentration was to its highest level but it was effectively disturbed by a man suddenly calling me out.
"Hey Emiya, how are you?"
I looked at him. He has good looks, good build but thats all I can say about him. I think to myself "Do I know this guy?"
"Im fine. So, who are you and what do you want?" I said in a cold voice. I was in a roll with my planning and this guy suddenly disturbed my thinking for no good reason.
"Huh? Im Yo Karasuba from the soccer club. I left a letter in your shoe box yesterday."
He must be that heart throb my classmates been fussing over. From what I heard he is a typical popular guy, good grades, good looks and a skirt chaser.
"I see... Well see ya" I said as I make an attempt to walk away. Im loosing my cool here. I dont have time to talk to this guy
"Hold on! You read the letter right? Then whats your reply?" He said. He must be confident that I read his letter because he knows about his popularity among the women. I on the other hand have more important things to do.
"Listen, I have no idea what you wrote in your letter because the moment I see a letter in my shoe box, it goes straight to the trash. If it was a love letter then consider yourself rejected"
"What?" He looks stunned, then pissed. I guess his pride got hit pretty badly
"What hell! You think your all that just because you got a bit of looks!" He yelled
"Did you really think that I would fall for you just because your handsome and popular? Im not like most girls who would throw their clothes just because of a handsome skirt chaser. I have high standards and the fact that I dont even know your name means that your so beneath my standards that I never even knew that you existed. If you get it then get lost, I cant stand being near a dog who is constantly in heat."
He was speechless. I guess no one has ever turned him down that horribly. With a last curse of me being a wrench, he dashed into the school with his tail between his legs.
"Hahahaha! Impressive Haruka. I suddenly feel a bit of pity for all the men you have broken down." ARCHER said in a whisper. As I cant answer him right now, I simply smiled at his comment.
I looked around triumpantly when I saw a person that made my resolve to fight waver. Ein Ahikaru, one of the few people who has been with me since we were kids. We had a fight a year ago about his choice of friends which left our friendship in shambles. Truth be told, its more like I refuse to speak to him until he cuts all connections with his friend. I know Im just being stuborn but I cant take back what has already been said. It hurts me even more that he doesnt think ill of me. Im afraid that I might die without fixing our friendship. I stared at him for a second then turned around and head into school.
*LUNCH BELL RINGS*
I rushed out of the classroom before anyone can ask me to eat lunch with them and head to the place where there are no people, the rooftop. I then talk to ARCHER about our plans for tonight and we concluded that I should take him around so that he can understand the layout of his new battleground. If we meet other masters on the way then it cant be helped.
"Hey ARCHER, can I do something selfish before we start later?" I asked the invisible ARCHER as I stare at the town below
"... Sure I dont mind but why so serious?"
"You see... I had a fight with a friend of mine a year back and... you know..."
"Ah, I see. You are about to enter a war so you want to patch things up" ARCHER said. Im sure he was leaving the "In the event that you die" part to keep my spirits up.
"Yeah, thats it. It wont take long and we can start when night comes"
"The value of a warrior is defined by the number of people waiting for his return. The more people waiting for him, the more reason for him to survive" ARCHER said which raised my spirits even more.
"Thank you"
Lunch ends as I returned to the classroom
*BELL RINGS*
The day ends and I walk out the classroom and head for Ein's classroom. I had to turn down 2 dates, 1 karaoke and 4 study sessions just to get away, how tiresome. I understand that my beauty attracts all kinds since I made sure that I am perfect in every way just like my mother used do it but just being me attracts way too much attention. Well, whatever.
I arrived at his classroom then the thought suddenly hit me, "How am I suppose to call him?". I cant just barge in and call him out, that would be very rude. No wonder ARCHER keeps scolding me about not thinking things thru. I stand in front of the classroom for a couple of minutes until I noticed a girl who was trying to get my attention.
"Emiya-san?"
"Huh? ... Oh sorry about that, I was deep in thought err..."
"Mia Kazumi"
"Kasimu-san... oh, have we met before? If so then sorry for forgetting your name, I've been a little bit stressed lately"
"No, this is the first time we talked so dont worry about it. Anyways, do you have an aquaintance in our class?"
"Can you call Ein - I mean Akiharu-san for me?"
"Sure, please wait for a bit"
"Thanks for the help"
I went to the window while I wait for Ein. Once again, I was struck by the uneasiness that the Holy Grail brought. The chance of dying didnt scare me because mages will always face death in pursuit of knowledge, what scared me is giving up the people I value greatly for a pointless war. The chance of never seeing them again torments me to no end but remembering ARCHER's words raises my spirit. Once again, I gather my resolve and steel my mind then I heard a voice behind me
"You called Haruka?" He said. He looks nervous and its understandable since I was the one who started our fight
"You're going home right? Lets go together" I said to Ein
"Er... Sure"
Ein has always been the calm silent type which shows as we didnt talk ever since we left school. I was trying to find the right words but since im not used to saying sorry, it becomes a real challenge.
"Haruka, this might sound rude and all but why did you talk to me? Normally you ignore me completely" He said. Looks like he ran out of patience. Well then, I guess I should get over it. I took a deep breath then started talking
"Im sorry"
"... Huh?" He looks at me dumbfounded
"I said Im sorry damn it! Listen properly when people are talking to you!" I raised my voice. It pisses me off that he can be clueless sometimes
"Hey...Calm down, I get it. But why are you apologizing?"
"*sigh* I cant believe it. Its like you forgot that we even had a quarel"
"I didnt forget, I just never angry at you. Besides, I think it was probably my fault anyway"
"This is why Im so pissed off! Anyways, just accept my apology and lets get back to being friends alright?"
"Sure... whatever you say"
"I cant believe I've been stressing on this issue for a year and it gets resolved in a few minutes"
"I cant help it, I just dont get angry easily"
He kept his calm smile through out this pathetic attempt of an apology which pisses me off even more. I guess that's why he is one of the few true friends I have. His kind and relaxed attitude is probably the only one that can keep up with my aggressive personality. We kept talking like that until we reach the intersection where we split up. We said our goodbyes as I take the road to the my house.
"He is a good kid" ARCHER suddenly said out of the blue
"Yeah, a bit stupid and a bit slow but a good person never the less"
"Thats not what I meant"
"Then what did you mean?"
"The fact that he can keep up with you means he is a bottomless pit of kindness"
"... You piss me off"
ARCHER laughs heartily as we reached home. Just like breakfast, dinner is just as noisy and chaotic but this time, Fuji-nee's husband, Ayime Yamato, is here thus things go smoothly and quickly. I know he has a weird name but his overall nice-ness can easily make you forget about it. I guess this is the calm before the storm because when night falls, the storm will rage
Its 30 minutes past eleven as I sit in the porch where its warm even during the winter. I looked at the cloudy skies while reviewing my plan in my head. Truth be told, we are just scouting the place since ARCHER isnt familiar with the town. If we get lucky, we might even get to see other servants fighting each other since information about the enemy is everything in this war and as an ARCHER, he needs information on terrain as he will be using it to his advantage.
"Ready to go Haruka?" ARCHER said as he materializes behind me
"Yeah, lets go"
I packed up my trusty daggers, 10 jewels and a prayer that all goes well. We set out and the first destination was the tallest building in Shinto because its the best vantage point in the city. Due to the time, there were no way to get to Shinto other than an hour walking. We went straight to the tallest building which gave ARCHER a good 360 view of the city. We stayed there for about 10 minutes when the invisible ARCHER suddenly called my attention.
"Haruka, we have a problem" ARCHER said
"What is it"
"There is a servant on the bridge and he seems to be calling out to other servants"
"I see... so he wants to fight. Can you see him clearly?"
"Its a very cloudy night but yes, I can see his profile... and there lies the problem"
"Why?"
"I know this person personally... *sigh*" ARCHER said as he rubs his head. This is worrying. The fact that he is stressed out just by seeing the enemy means trouble.
"ARCHER... who is he?"
ARCHER once again makes a sigh. He then looks at me with serious eyes.
"He is Kenshin Uesugi of the SABER class. A warrior so powerful that he was even considered as the avatar of the god of war. I wouldnt be exaggerating if I said that he was the most powerful warrior in all of Japan"
He doesnt need to tell me anything. No one in Japan doesnt know who Kenshin Uesugi is, what he did and how he did it. The only one who could match Kenshin was Shingen Tekada but neither was able to beat each other.
"Can we beat him?" I asked unsurely
"If we follow the warriors code and fight him one on one then no matter how hard we fight, we will loose"
Damn. I knew the answer but hearing it from ARCHER's mouth really hurts. I guess we have no choice but to avoid him.
"But... If I utilize my abilities and fight the way I want, not the warriors way then yes we can beat him" said ARCHER with a voice filled with confidence.
"Ofcourse. This is war, not a duel so anything goes" I said with a smile
"Then are you ready?"u
"Hmph. Lets go!" I said as I jump from the building's roof. ARCHER then materializes and carries me towards the bridge.
A few minutes later, ARCHER puts me down at the base of the bridge. The plan is simple, I will remain hidden along the side of the bridge while looking for the enemy master while ARCHER takes on SABER. I reinforced my legs as I go thru the building beneath the bridge until I find the service entrance while ARCHER walks slowly up the bridge to meet SABER. I travel up the stairs until I reach the boardwalk at the lower part of the bridge. From there, I ran up one of the metal beams until I feel gravity pulling me down then stabbed the thick metal with my daggers like a mountain climbers Ice axe.
This daggers were created by my father while he traveled the world without mother. I tried to trace it once but the materials is unknown to me. It seems to be created with the same material as my father's armor and bow. Its sharper and stronger than steel and it can even cut thru diamonds with little effort. My father gave it to me to defend myself since I kept failing at projection.
I climbed until I reached the top part of the bridge. More than a 100 meters away, I can see SABER's towering 6'5"+ back. I made sure I could get behind SABER in the chance that his master is standing behind him but from the looks of it I was wrong as no one was in sight and my command spell isn't reacting thus the master is nowhere near here.
"Don't worry enemy master, I came here alone since my master is a man of tactics, a strategist if you will. Thus he is at his fortress sche- I mean planning" said the white monk in a booming voice. My blood went cold. SABER knew that I was here even though he didn't even bother looking back.
"Once again, do not worry enemy master. I have no intention of harming you... but your servant is another matter." He said as ARCHER arrives about 50 meters away with 2 samurai swords at the ready.
"Though I am overjoyed since I have been here everynight for one week, waiting for any advisery to appear, it is unfortunate that you are my first opponent Oda" said SABER
"I could say the same Kenshin. I was hoping for a more sophisticated first enemy, not a religious monkey that only know how to swing a thick piece of steel" ARCHER countered
"Says the coward who stays behind his armies. Will you be alright without any meat shields to cover you?" said SABER in a mocking tone
"This is a war Kenshin. Information, strategy and tactics govern it, not retarded zealots. Why did you think your god abandoned you?"
"What did you say ARCHER?" SABER said in a threatening voice. He then draws his sword with branches which is all too famous amongst the people of this country, the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. Killing intent rises to the point that I cant breath even at this distance.
"Its easy SABER. You died early, your realm shattered to pieces when you died while I nearly united Japan under my banner. From the looks of it, Bishamonten favors me better than you!" ARCHER said mockingly then laughed arrogantly. Is he insane? He already said that SABER is practically the god of war in his time yet ARCHER is making him angry intentionally.
The massive white monk suddenly dashes to ARCHER with his sword raised and swings it down with full force.
BOOM
ARCHER dodged it by leaping back and I agree with that action as the pavement was crushed under the weight of the strike. SABER then dashes at ARCHER and lets loose a barrage of swings which ARCHER dodges and parries. Each blow delivered with pavement crushing force thus ARCHER cant block it directly.
Arms, Legs, Head, Throat, Heart. SABER aims to kill and nothing else as all blows are thrown with percision while ARCHER bravely stands in direct line of fire, dodging and parrying for his life. It goes without saying that SABER is the superior warrior in terms of strength and skill as he pushes ARCHER back inch by inch. The abnormal shape of his blade doesn't help as well as it can not only cut like a sword but can also act as like hooks that can rip ARCHER to shreds. Thankfully ARCHER and SABER move just as fast thus ARCHER can keep track of the blows.
Suddenly, SABER does a very baseball like swing that will separate ARCHER's legs and torso. ARCHER blocks the blow but is blown 10 feet back. ARCHER rolls on the pavement but quickly jumps back up even before his momentum ends.
"Whats wrong ARCHER! Where did your arrogance go?" SABER yells as he gives chase at the unbalanced ARCHER.
He raises his sword while running to cut ARCHER in half from the head to the groin. ARCHER stands his ground does nothing to evade the attack. In a panic, I rushed out my cover and try to provide back up using one of my jewels but before I could completely move from cover I noticed ARCHER was smiling.
Then the battle suddenly goes from a one sided beat down to the weirdest reversal I have ever seen. Before SABER could swing his sword down, he suddenly guarded his right side using his sword against an attack that wasn't there. This is a fatal mistake, which ARCHER shows no hesitation to capitalize. ARCHER thrusts his right sword into SABER's unguarded left side, straight to his heart. Blood is drawn but SABER was able to jump before the blow landed thus the sword pierces his stomach. SABER then swings down on ARCHER while he was stabbed but ARCHER made a fast retreat and jumped backwards 10 feet away thus was not hit. The battle stops there for a bit.
SABER put his hand on his wound and looks at the blood. He looks just as confused as I am. He is a heroic spirit that has lived thru many sword battles but that move earlier was not normal. No way a master could make such an elementary mistake.
"What sorcery is this ARC-?" SABER said but was cut short by a spear thrust to his head. He dodge by moving his head to the left but it cut his cheek as it went thru.
ARCHER didn't allow SABER to regain his composure as he attack. ARCHER now weilds a spear which drastically changes his attack pattern. The ARCHER class has always been known as the class with the largest number of Noble Phantasm, I guess this is what that means.
However, this doesnt affect SABER greatly as he counter attacks by slashing at his enemy. ARCHER back steps and once again SABER goes into attack by swinging at ARCHER. SABER used his sword to guard his right leg but no attack came. Blood gushes from his left shoulder as ARCHER stabs him with the spear but once again, it was not enough to cripple as SABER was able to lower his shoulder at the last moment. SABER went to defense in confusion as ARCHER begins his assault. SABER keeps making weird blocks to attacks that werent there while ARCHER keeps abusing those mistakes but unfortunately SABER keeps minimizing the damage by moving his body at the last second. The assault continues for 10 more seconds as SABER is slowly cut appart.
SABER makes a desperate retreat by jumping back atleast 20 meters away. The moment SABER stopped moving back, the air suddenly freezes. ARCHER doesnt gives chase as he knows whats happening. SABER collects large amounts of mana and focuses it into his sword. His sword starts to burn and the fire increases in size with each passing second.
This is bad. I heard from my father that there are Noble Phantasms that can turn an entire city block into a parking lot due to its destructive nature, namely Excalibur of Arthuria Pendragon. This might be one of those Noble Phantasms. A gunshot was heard before SABER could gather the mana required to use his noble phantasm. At ARCHER's hand was a beautiful silver Tanegashima rifle, but he wasn't aiming at SABER at all. His shot went somewhere far behind me, somewhere near the edge of the bridge. The air unfreezes as SABER relaxes his stance and stares at ARCHER.
"ARCHER... why didn't you kill me? You have the advantage in this battle" SABER said as he looks at confusion.
"SABER, where you so focused in our battle that you didn't even notice another person has been observing our battle?" ARCHER said as he points somewhere behind me. My gaze followed his finger and saw a large pool of blood but no body.
"Whoever that was, he fell into the park below" ARCHER continued
I ran as quickly as I could to the pool of blood and looked over the railing to the park bellow. I could see another pool of blood below but there was no body. Did he survive this fall? If so then this one isn't human.
"ARCHER! Whoever you shot is still alive!" I yelled back at ARCHER. ARCHER nods in confirmation. His weapons disappear and begins to walk towards me.
"SABER, this is no longer a duel between the two of us. Let us finish this at a later date" ARCHER said to SABER.
SABER hesitates a bit but lets him pass.
"Very well. It would be bad for other masters to find out our identities. My master would be angry if that were to happen. Till we meet again ARCHER" SABER said as he disappears into the dark night
"Till we meet again SABER" ARCHER said to the now nonexistent white monk.
I wait till ARCHER reaches me, then he lets out a very big sigh and leans on the railing of the bridge.
"A-ARCHER? Whats the matter? Are you alright?" I said as I rush to him
"Im fine Haruka, I only got a few scratches in the battle. Im just relieved that SABER is as stupid as he was before" ARCHER said as he laughs in exhaustion. He then sits on the dirtly floor.
"Er... What do you mean?"
"Look there" ARCHER points to the top of the bridge, there was a samurai with the Oda symbol in his chest. He then points to 9 other locations in the bridge and there was a samurai with the Oda symbol in each location.
"Huh? What the-?"
Amused by my confusion ARCHER explains this bizarre event.
"Noble Phantasms comes in many forms as long as it makes the Hero a Hero. Majority are weapons, some are mythical beasts but to me, it is not the weapons that I have that made me legendary. It is my men that ate with me, fought for me and died for me that catapulted me into the history books. My men are my strongest weapons and my most valuable treasures. They are so valuable that no riches could ever equal anyone of them in value" ARCHER boasts with pride.
History always have remembered kings but it is the soldiers who do the fighting. I guess this man understands that without a solid base, those on top will fall thus he values those beneath him which in turn results in the undying loyalty of his subjects as they still follow him even after death.
"I see... but that doesn't explain why SABER made so much bad moves earlier" I said
"Its easy Hikaru. Warriors like him relies heavily on instinct which allows him to feel incoming danger in combat and counter act against it. On the other hand, I have no such ability thus I resort to knowledge to make up the gap and command my men in the most efficient manner to overcome even the greatest enemy. People with great instinct react to killing intent thus I had my men send their killing intent at certain points in his body and he will automatically react to it. He was stupid enough to assume that I was fighting alone" ARCHER said as he laughs heartily.
"Wow... Impressive. But why didn't you shoot him in the head when he was preparing for whatever he was about to do?"
"Another simple reason Haruka. He is now honor bound to me with the promise of a rematch. There will come a time that we might face an opponent we cant beat, so I am currently gambling on the chance that he might help us in order to keep our promise. Warriors will always be fools no matter how strong they are"
I am impressed beyond words at the fact that he already planned that far ahead. It reminds me that this person beside me led Oda to near total domination of Japan.
"So... What about the intruder?" He said as he tilted his head at the blood beneath the bridge
"We go after him. Whoever this guy is, he might have valuable information. Did you get a look at him?"
"Unfortunately no. I was panicked when SABER started his preparations for his noble phantasm that I did the 1st thing that came into mind just to escape that situation. The moment I saw him, I shot him in the heart"
"Was his Noble Phantasm that dangerous?"
"Very. To put in perspective... Lets say that the bridge would melt like butter in an oven if he used that. The best counter against that would be to kill him before he can use it because once used, there is no way anyone will survive against it"
My fears have been realized. An Excalibur level Noble Phantasm is in the hands of the enemy and I have no way to counter it. It seems my chances of winning just gotten smaller and there's nothing I can do about it. For now I should focus on the task at hand. If this guy survived a bullet to the heart then he might be a homunculus of the Einsburns. We jumped down the bridge and landed at the park, there we followed the blood trail but the cloudy skies hamper our search a bit.
"Hmm... I might not be the best ARCHER in the world but tracking this guy down in darkness is hard. Even the street lights provide little help" ARCHER said in frustration.
"It cant be helped. This guy is keeping to the trees in hope that he wont be found"
"So how are we suppose to find him?"
I shrugged at the question. For some reason, this guy isnt leaving any traces of mana which makes me think that he might be a normal person. But a normal person doesn't survive a gunshot to the heart, a 20 meter drop and large amounts of blood loss for over 5 minutes. The more we moved away from the bridge, the darker it became. I could still hear the river at the left, and the direction we are heading is puts us nearer to the Tohsaka mansion so if we don't find him, we might as well spend the night there. After a few minutes of more futile searching, we decided to call it off and begin to move towards the end of the forest. We re-entered the park and walk towards the exit but we suddenly stop. I suddenly felt like I was being crushed by an invisible weight.
"Haruka!" ARCHER said
"I know! Go ahead ARCHER, I'll catch up with you!" I said as ARCHER ran faster than a race horse back to the forest with both swords drawn. I then chased after him
That feeling that we just felt was a wave of mana that was pushed by an even larger wave of mana. Someone is generating massive quantities with no care if others will discover his position. It must be a bit further in as I have been running for more than 3 minutes already. The mana gets more oppressive as I get closer, then it suddenly dies down. Did ARCHER get to him? If so then why do I still have this bad feeling? I dashed with full haste to my original destination and after 20 seconds of running I understand where my uneasiness was coming from.
The ground shook and the sound of steel clashing against steel was in the air. I ran as fast I could to the sounds then I stopped and took cover at one of the trees. They were fighting near a street light so I can see a bit. On one side was ARCHER desperately defending against his opponent. On the other side was his opponent, she was smaller than ARCHER and maybe even smaller than me. I even mistook her for a bride as she wore silver armor on top of a pure white one piece dress that ends slightly above her knee. She had her dark blond hair tied in curly twin tails with black hair ornaments shaped in a cross which makes her look like a doll. In her hand was a silver two handed sword with weird water like pattern in its blade which completes her pure white look.
Wait... Another SABER? What is going on here? Didn't we just face Kenshin earlier? Then who is this?
Before I could even make sense of the situation, the sounds forcefully reminds me that she is a monstrous servant. ARCHER can only block and parry against her as she unleashes a barrage of slashes. Though weaker than SABER, she is much faster thus ARCHER has no time to think of a counter measure.
ARCHER retreats by jumping back but the girl closed the distance before ARCHER could even land. She twirls like a ballerina as she gets closer and swings her sword downwards with the momentum behind it. ARCHER blocks with his sword and is planted into the ground. The ground cracks under the sheer force of the blow. ARCHER then uses her momentum to throw her off and sends her tumbling 5 meters away from him. The moment she stops, she charges with only one hand on her sword as she performs a thrust so fast that ARCHER was slightly wounded on his left shoulder even after blocking it. A violent storm of sword thrusts was then unleashed as ARCHER bravely blocks and parries it and is slowly cut apart in the process.
I was in awe of the fight but I snapped out of it. My mission was to find the enemy master before ARCHER is ripped to shreds. I didn't need to look as I spot a person wearing a blue hooded sweater about 20 meters away. He was leaning on the street light for support and was covered in his on blood. I prayed for ARCHER's safety in my head as I moved quickly thru the forest near the river until I was in the trees behind him.
The fighting seems to have moved to the park as I can see them under the street lights. ARCHER is still in the losing side as the white ballerina dances violently and gracefully around him. Every time she twirls, ARCHER blocks a powerful blow and makes him staggers. ARCHER does try to capitalize when the girl shows her back when she twirls but for some reason she blocks without even looking behind her. She keeps within sword range of ARCHER and chases him if he retreats.
The enemy master was observing their battle thus not noticing me. I stepped out of my cover and aimed my finger at him. I then let loose a barrage of 10 gandr shots at him. With the strength similar to a machine gun, it got him in the back as blood gushes out of his wound. He fall face flat on the floor in the pool of his own blood.
"MASTER!" Screamed the white ballerina as she disengages from ARCHER and rushes to her masters aid.
"AIM!" ARCHER said as 10 samurais appear out of nowhere. They all ready their rifles and aim at the girl.
"FIRE!" ARCHER yells and 10 gunshots where heard.
The girl turns around while parrying and dodging the bullets but was not able to stop them all as one bullet grazed her left shoulder while another cuts her in the cheek. ARCHER then charges with his men with swords drawn and surrounds the girl.
"You insolent trash! How dare you damage the face whose beauty is only second to the Virgin Mary!" The white ballerina roars in anger. She rests her blade on her right shoulder with two hands gripping the handle then charges at the samurai nearest to her and slashes him with full force. The samurai tried to block with his katana but due to the sheer force of the blow, his sword shatters and he was cut in half from the left shoulder to the right knee. She then tries to break away and rushes to her master but she was quickly surrounded again and was forced to fight the other 10 enemies including ARCHER.
As I watch this in awe, I suddenly realize that something was off. I already killed her master, so why is she still here? I suddenly noticed that the enemy master was already on all fours. He looked the battle for a second then turns his head to look at me with his red eyes. I suddenly felt an inhuman killing intent, it was like a rabid dog was staring at me, ready to bite and rip me to shreds. He quickly turns around and rushes at me with inhuman speed. I raised my finger and fired the garndr freely. I was a good 20 meters away from but he was closing the distance with speed almost equal to a servant. He put his hands in front of his face and used it as a shield as sways left and right like a boxer to dodge my shots. A couple of shots got him in the hands and the shoulder where blood explodes but it didst slow him down. When he was only 4 meters away, I stopped firing gandr shots and said...
"TRACE ON!"
A Nigata appeared in my hands out of nowhere. I thrust it at the enemy's body but he lunges with his left leg first beneath it thus only grazing his already wounded shoulder. I then saw my mistake. He was well within my lethal range as there wasn't even half a meter between us. He rises from the lunge and sends his right knee into my chest. I quickly used the shaft of the nigata to defend my ribs but it shatters after only one hit. I know Im not that good at tracing but this nigata should be as hard as steel yet his knee strike has enough force to break it. I felt some impact in my chest which blew my breath away. I was pushed back but he didn't give me any chance to catch my breath as he slams his raised right foot into my left knee but I was able to move my leg to the side thus his stomp went between my legs. He then uses his right leg as a base as he start to turn to the left. I couldn't breath properly and my mind was in chaos thanks to the pain but my instincts tell me to block so I put both of my hands in front of my head. He then uses his left elbow to perform a spinning elbow strike. I felt the bones snapping in my right arm as it took the full force of the strike. I was knocked down on the floor while withering from the pain in my right arm. He then jumps as high as he could with his right fist crashing down on me.
"HIKARU!" screamed ARCHER
I guess this it. This person who is strong enough to break steel with a single knee strike will make short work of my head. For some reason, time slows down as death approaches me. If I could, I would scream in frustration for dying at the very start of the war. I would beg for forgiveness for failing the task that my parents have given me. I would bow my head in shame for treating Ein unjustly. And finally, I would cry in regret as I would never get a chance to tell them any this.
0 years has passed since the end of the 5th Holy Grail War with Tohsaka Rin as its winner (UBW route). Everything is calm and peaceful but unfortunately the Holy Grail still remains due to the fact that it was never destroyed properly (i think the only route where the Holy Grail was destroyed permanently was HF, i could be wrong though). The next set of masters are to be chosen and all of them are truly powerful. Once again Fuyuki City will be rocked by the battle royal of kill or be killed for the ultimate prize