The soft sound of the branches swaying, the sight of the silver moon above his head, and the soft kiss of the cold night's wind as it danced across his skin. These were the things that, in this life, he appreciated most.
It was the end of winter, and the dawn of spring. Trees, growing anew their leaves after their fall; bare and shaking under the force of chilling winds.
There was a beauty to it and, after a moment, he finally looked down from them, at the ones who had arrived not moments ago. How odd; they were led by one who was a Master, a boy that simply stood still upon seeing him. He did not stop for fear, or surprise, or some other expected emotion.
"It is beautiful. Tonight, the moon is quite full." The boy spoke softly, one hand up behind his head as he looked to the sky. He was wearing a coat of some kind, though the samurai could not place what it was. "A shame, to stain it."
It took him a moment to place why the boy's words sounded stilted, but when he did, he laughed. Seventeen syllables.
"You have a gift for words," he said in a mirthful tone. "Servant Assassin. I, Sasaki Kojiro, shall be tonight's foe."
The boy smiled wryly. "That was hardly proper. Where's the imagery? A true haiku is more than the words that compose it."
"I have left you waiting long enough as I enjoyed the view, I believe." He could not help but return that smile. "Three Servants. I have seen Lancer once already, and none of you hold the weight of a Berserker. You are… Rider, Saber, and Archer, yes?"
The one in red and black, with silver hair; he was the one to step forward.
"Servant Archer. I won't be giving you my name, but I'll be your opponent tonight."
Ah… Sasaki could not help but be disappointed. A bowman, rather than a bladesman.
His disappointment faded away as two blades manifested in his hands; one of a gleaming silver not unlike the moon, and the other a void-black like the gaps between the stars.
Two beautiful, beautiful blades. Even from here, even though he knew they were but images of the true form, he still saw the beauty in those two bonded swords.
"I see. I suppose fighting more than one Servant at once would be beyond my abilities," he said softly. "I will hold you off, then, Servant of the Bow. That witch should hardly expect any more."
Footsteps; the others moved past him quickly, through the gate. As its guardian, it was his job to prevent them from passing, but…
He looked down the steps, into the eyes of this Swordsman of the Bow, and smiled.
He was doing just that. Here, he would stop Archer from entering… And perhaps find the joy in testing his skills against a strong opponent.
We were moving quickly. We passed through the gate just as the sound of steel against steel rung out from behind us. It was clear that Saber wished to assist Archer, but she understood the greater threat.
There was a sound; a word, unrecognizable to me. However, while I did not know what the word meant, the sound of Ancient Greek is still quite ringing.
My energy surged, and I threw myself out of the way. Saber moved to protect Rin, while Rider had already pulled Sakura well away.
"Tch. What is Assassin doing, that he couldn't stop so many?"
There she was.
She was not standing in front of the temple, but rather, she was on it. Past the courtyard and above the entrance, that woman stood, hovering in the air. Her hand was extended, and the residue of magical energy was proof that she had fired the spell.
"He's engaged at the moment, I'm afraid." Saber said, her voice hard as she stood. Rin seemed fine, protected by my Servant's Magic Resistance and body. "Archer is disposing of him now."
"…Hm. A Saber, and a Rider…" Her voice was soft and contemplative, yet there was an undertone of worry. With Saber's own Magic Resistance… This would not end well for her…!
"The more time we give her to talk, the more danger we're put in." I stepped forward. "We don't have time to talk. Wrap this up fast."
I reached to my back, where the two purple bundles remained. Ascalon sat at my hip, but she would not get the job done.
With a pulse of energy, the hidden weapon emerged, the cloth falling to the ground.
"Go."
One syllable, and the Servants began to move. Saber took a forward charge, ready to block any spells aimed for us, while Rider made use of her incredible Agility to dart across the field.
Ancient words, older than any other I'd heard, began to fill the area. For a single instant, the sky was clear; the next, and it was hailing spells of incredible power.
The temple shook, the ground cracked, but I would not fail. The spells were aimed mainly for Saber, but Ascalon swung out to guard against the strays.
However, that was not the weapon I was focusing on.
In my hand was a spear. It was different, yet similar to the one that had struck my heart once in the past. However, unlike its barbed descendant, this lance was not so rough; at its end, there was not one, but five tips, each flared at the base and honed sharper than any mortal weapon. Its body was softly ribbed, uniform in shape and pleasing to the grip.
It was of incredible length, and the method of throwing it should have been beyond me. It should have been as out of my reach as the clouds, and yet I could feel it; I could Grasp its history… And even the skill of its user.
The lance that had belonged not to Cu Chulainn, but to his father.
This weapon, the lance of the Celtic god of light, Lugh, and third of the treasures of Babylon's Gates.
I reached back, Ascalon falling from my hands as I readied the throw.
"Awaken… Brionac: The Five Roaring Stars!"
Light split the heavens and, with motions not my own, the lance was hurled. Five gleaming orbs of brilliant light were launched, coursing through the air at his target.
Caster saw the lights coming, the very air around her warping as she began to disappear.
But she was only so fast.
Four flew past her, too slow to touch her fading form, but as she reformed tens of meters away, clutching a bleeding shoulder, it was clear that Brionac had struck true.
Saber pushed forward, bounding straight towards the wounded magus and bringing down her blade. Caster moved to teleport away once again, and as she did, I drew a familiar weapon from my pocket.
She began to reform, away from Saber and the now-pursuing Rider, and raised her arm to cast a spell. Then, there was a sound of thunder.
"A-AGH-!"
She reared back, clutching her arm in agony. Looking down, she saw a small hole in her arm, and she turned to look at me.
I looked down to the Contender, and realized something a little too late.
An Origin round destroys the target's Magical Circuits when they're in use, thus rendering the target thaumaturgically crippled.
Caster's High-Speed Divine Words…
They let her cast without connecting to her Circuits.
"Αερο!"
Aero, a wind-spell. Where do I..?
Oh. OH SHI-
I tried to leap to the side, but even as I moved, I felt a soft breeze over my legs. It didn't feel like much, if I'm being honest.
That was merely proof of the strength of the spell, that I hardly felt my legs being shredded into nothing.
I slammed down into the ground, a choked scream caught in my throat as I rolled.
"Shirou!"
Three voices, shouting as one, and all of them feminine.
Sakura moved to my side, while Rin stared in shock.
Saber, on the other hand, looked monumentally pissed off.
"CASTER-!"
The ground shook as Saber exploded towards her target, the stone path being displaced and broken from the force of her leap.
"S-Senpai, the bleeding-"
"Will stop, eventually," I said, grinding my teeth. A momentary burn came from the stumps of my legs, but the pain faded as I damaged the exposed nerve endings just enough.
Holding out my hand, light began to form in it; handing it to Sakura, I started on the second piece and spoke.
"You need to land the shot. Caster can just jump around this place and pick us off; she needs to get crippled."
Sakura looked down at the bow I gave her; my Artemisian Agony. This was a bow unparalleled by any of the modern age, a bow enhanced by thaumaturgy to become the strongest weapon possible.
The second weapon was a Traced blade. It wasn't just any weapon, though. The blade that I saw in my dreams… A beautiful blade, brighter than any silver, yet warped in blood and hate. A blade of a ruler, yet a blade of rebellion.
And now, in my hands, as I felt agony course through my Circuits, I warped it further, 'Breaking' it and forcing it into the shape of an arrow. Silver and crimson spun together, the shaft a winding of colors as I helped Sakura.
Looking deeply into her eyes, I spoke. "Aim true. Know that, with this bow in hand, missing is no longer a possibility, for your target has already been struck."
I could not hypnotize her, not in my current state, and not with her power as a Magus.
But I didn't need to.
"Y-Yes, Senpai."
I smiled as she pulled back the arrow. For a moment, there was a brief flicker of hesitation, but it was replaced by something familiar.
There was steel in her eyes, then, as she went through the actions of aiming, of readying herself for, not if, but when her arrow would strike true.
I placed my hand on her arm, and the name of the blade slipped from my lips.
"Bleed the traitor; strike, Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father."
It was not yelled, merely whispered, but it could still be heard by all.
The arrow was fired. Caster saw it coming. She tried to move, to get out of the way, to teleport with a single syllable.
But the sound of thunder caught that word in her throat.
She was unable to dodge, and the skies were dyed red.
He was being pushed back.
Every time he tried to step up, he was pushed a step back down.
When he hurled Kanshou and Bakuya, they were struck from the air effortlessly; without even moving from the spot he was rooted in, Assassin's blade would hound out his weapons and knock them aside with a touch.
Archer, whose greatest strength was his weapons, frowned. The spell of the Temple, and with Medea's Territory Creation… Every weapon he could summon, they would be Ranked-Down, every one of them. And, against this samurai, weak blades were something that meant little.
This… It was down to a simple battle of swordplay. However, in that case… Wasn't it clear, then, who was superior…?
Assassin merely stood still, waiting for Archer to move.
Ranged weapons would not work, but to close in would be suicide…
It was unfortunate, but he would have to use it.
"…You're a good swordsman," he said lowly. "But not good enough."
"I am the Bone of my Sword."
Assassin stopped, his blade's tip lowered a fraction of an inch.
"Steel is my Body… Fire is my Blood."
There was something wrong with those words, he realized.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
He needed to stop that chant. He needed to move!
"Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life."
His blade lashed out. It reached, and he performed it: that impossible move.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!"
Yet, even as the sword was swung, even as he was struck thrice in a single instant, Archer did not stop.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons."
Just below his skin, there were blades; countless blades, Traced for the purpose of not blocking, but surviving the famed Swallow Reversal.
"So, as I pray…"
Assassin stopped, his blade lowered slightly.
"Unlimited Blade Works."
Around him, a circle of flame appeared, and then the world changed.
It was not the sight he had expected, to be honest.
Assassin looked around, seeing a world of steel and dirt; a world that was no more than a hill, covered in swords. But… They were not simply swords, were they? For him, it was easy to recognize them.
They were burial stones. Commemorations for the dead. Here… They were the blades that showed the fallen.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to kill you now. My Master needs to save her prana, after all."
That was all Assassin heard before the sky went dark.
He wondered what it was, as he looked up, before the realization came, and he realized it should have been obvious from the beginning.
This world… Was truly made up of nothing but swords.
It was a few moments later that the world was dispelled, the only trace left of the enemy Servant being a few motes of light that floated away.
Archer, for one, was surprised. In this place, at this time… If he hadn't used Unlimited Blade Works…
…Could he have lost…?
"Huh? A Reality Marble?"
Archer froze, the voice behind him a familiar tone. After so long… It almost hurt to hear.
He turned around, looking at the fairy-like girl.
"Ah… You must be Archer." She curtsied cutely, smiling widely. "My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, and I'm here to kill you, and everyone else here that isn't my Onii."
He did not have the time to reply, before that titan appeared before him. The monster of this Holy Grail War, Heracles himself, now stood tall before him.
He looked at the impossible being, and he opened his mouth to speak… But then, the world shook, and everything went red.
It was only a moment before the lights and smoke cleared.
All who watched stared in shock, but I merely nodded to Sakura.
"Congratulations, Sakura. You just killed a Servant."
I moved my hand from her arm, only to wince as I saw something.
Her arm was burnt slightly, right where my hand had been.
Coursing so much power through my arm… Even with so many Nerve Circuits to channel all of it, I still wrecked it internally.
Over a hundred Nerve Circuits, burned away at once. Entire scores more, barely reparable.
But it worked. I had Traced and Broken an A-Rank Noble Phantasm.
Now, I only had one problem. Unlike the last time I lost my legs, this time, they aren't in one piece.
I have no legs with which to walk this off.
"S-Shirou… That sword…"
Saber was the first to speak, her blade hanging limply in her hands.
"I saw it once, in a dream."
I looked down at the stumps of my legs.
…Tch. This isn't going to heal fast, or easy. I'll be out of combat for two days at least.
That was what I was thinking when Archer's body was hurled through the temple gates and started skidding across the courtyard.
A miasma of death and hate began to seep into this place, into the temple. Without Caster's thaumaturgy to keep the energy separate from this place, I could now sense that incredible power that stood just out of sight.
"Berserker…"
With slow steps, he walked into the temple, the gates barely high enough for him to go through without damaging them. On his shoulder was Ilya, smiling innocently as always.
"Ah! There you are, Onii. I was worried that you'd die before I got here, but instead, I found out that two Servants were killed!"
She hopped off Berserker's shoulder, falling a full eight feet and landed elegantly. It should have at least broken her ankles on landing, but instead, she just curtsied and bowed her head.
"To think, my Onii managed to team up with two other Masters, and help kill two Servants! On top of claiming one of my Hercules' lives, and Saber claiming seven before you stopped her… My Onii is really amazing!"
She stood up straight, her arms clasped behind her back now, and she beamed to me a radiant smile.
"That's why… I wanted to ask you to be my Servant!"
Even in the thick, nigh-unbreathable air from Berserker's presence, there was still an overtone of general confusion.
"…Ilya, a Servant is a Familiar whose body is forged by the Greater Grail to match both the Class of summoning, and the spirit of the being summoned forth from the Throne of Heroes," I said calmly, ignoring the fact that I was still bleeding from my femoral arteries. "I can't be your Servant, as I am not a Heroic Spirit."
Ilya blinked once.
"Ah? But isn't a Servant just someone who stays by your side, protecting you?"
"…I would call that a guardian, personally. However, you're confusing 'Servant,' the summoned spirit, and 'servant,' someone who serves. You see-"
"Excuse me." Rin's voice cut into my sentence. "Not to interrupt or anything, but aren't you dying, Emiya?"
"…Wait, if I'm bleeding this much, that means blood isn't reaching my brain. I have, like, three minutes before I start experiencing brain damage."
It took me a few seconds to make the final realization.
"…Holy shit, I'm dying!"
Ilya frowned.
"But, Onii, you're not allowed to die! You haven't accepted my offer yet!"
"That's… Not exactly the biggest thing on my mind right now, if you don't mind me saying," I replied, my mind running a mile-a-minute.
…Oh, that's just great.
The best way to seal it, while minimizing bleeding and allowing for the legs to regenerate fully, would be…
"…Tch. Sakura, help me up."
She frowned, but didn't question it. My face must look quite serious.
Within a moment, Saber was at my other side, helping me as well.
Deep breaths… In through the nose, out through the mouth…
"…Trace, On."
My eyes slowly shut. The words… I could hear them, if only barely
"I am the bone of my sword."
A soft stinging began to plague my 'legs.'
"Steel is my body… Fire is-"
My tongue caught, then.
What…? The chant, it's incompatible.
I'm… Too different from Archer.
"Master, what are you-?"
…However, I didn't need to be Archer.
This… Isn't his chant.
"A body of steel; a heart of glass."
I could feel it; the slow, steady movements from within my body.
And, from the way that everyone was wincing, they could hear it as well.
"Walking countless paths, living a forgery; a fake."
The drag of metal-on-metal rose in pitch, and the blood ceased flowing.
I…
I do not know the rest.
This chant… It's an elegy; a sorrowful tale of life and death.
Unlike Archer, I haven't seen my end; I haven't seen the hill of swords on which I will cease to live.
Thus, the chant is unwritten. Someday, I'll finish it; I'll reach the end of my tale. That day is not today.
But the purpose has been served.
"This body… Is truly made up of blades."
Steel encased my legs, shifting and moving as I did.
No more blood; only swords. This was the only way my body would allow it.
"W-What…?"
I took slow, deep breaths. The blades, they hurt… But it was only pain. I had experienced agony before, at much worse levels, whenever I forged Nerve Circuits.
Slowly, my skin began to extend across the blades, Avalon recognizing them as part of my existence. Every time I shifted, the skin tore, but it merely was shut and continued growing.
"…Sorry about that," I said, feeling vaguely light-headed. "That's probably pretty gross to watch. I won't be able to walk for a while, so I'm kinda… Stuck."
Once again, silence. Everyone was shocked.
…For a moment, at least. Now even a few seconds after I said that, a soft, tinkling laugh broke the quiet air.
"You really are something, Onii!" she said, smiling broadly. "I really, really want you to be my Servant now!"
I sighed, scratching the back of my head.
"You're… really something too, Ilya. But I can't be your Servant."
She frowned.
"Well, how about that other thing you said? A 'Guardian?' If you don't want to be called a Servant, I suppose I could-"
"Sorry… But I can't."
She stopped.
"…Why?" Her hands were tightly clenched at her sides. "I'm offering you a chance to live, to be with me forever. You- You protected me, even when you were supposed to hate me!"
I flinched.
"So, why…? I'm trying to do the same thing! You're nothing like what I thought you'd be, so I… I watched you, and I met you, and I-" Her voice cracked. "…Why won't you hate me?"
"…I can't hate you. You're someone precious to me. I'm sorry."
"…Fine." She turned around, walking away. "Berserker… Slaughter everyone. I order you… To kill every last one of them."
Her body began to glow a faint red.
Before, I thought the air was thick.
But now, I couldn't even breathe.
His presence was ever worse; my heart rate skyrocketed, and I was afraid. I was terrified.
I was going to die.
That was what he promised.
That giant slab of death…
He roared, and my body relaxed.
My body has realized the truth that my mind continues to reject.
I am going to die.
He moved, then. At least, I assumed he did.
A Command Seal empowering him, that impossible beast moved only faster, his blows were even harder, and surely, his skin would be even tougher.
Saber was moving, but how could she stop him?
Berserker swung, and she blocked his blade, but it did little good.
Her block was perfect. Against anything else, there was no chance that she could be harmed.
However, in this case, skill was unimportant. The raw strength of the attack was simply too much, and she was sent hurtling through the air towards the wall.
For a moment, I wondered why he didn't pursue her.
The next, I realized he had. I simply had been incapable of processing his movement.
Sakura and I were hurled backwards; not from an attack, but rather from the displaced air from Berserker's movements being so great that it was like a tornado had struck us.
Before we even hit the ground, at least four more detonations occurred, each one against Saber. However, the worst part was only just beginning.
The people who were in the Temple… They were kept away from here and ignorant through Caster's magic. Without it, they could hear the destruction.
They were coming out. So many innocents were going to come out, and Ilya's words rung in my ears.
Every last one of them, too…
They would all die.
The words began to whisper again. The sounds in the back of my mind, the howling, the pleading, the screaming that I had tried to silence… They came back in full force.
I needed to save them. I had to protect them. No matter what, I could not allow them to die.
The steel began to scream, and my nerves as well.
Skin tore, blades erupted from my flesh, and blood spilled again.
It did not matter.
The blades dragged against each other, an unholy noise that tore through the night as I began to move.
The pain was incredible. Every nerve ending left alive, they were being clawed apart by the blades, healed thereafter by Avalon, and cleaved into again.
My body had become nothing but raw agony.
But it did not matter.
Prana began to flood my body.
"A normal magus can not kill a Servant."
Then I will not be normal.
"No magus can stand up to a Servant."
Then I will not be a magus.
"No human could survive against a Servant."
Then it's simple.
"I… Reject, my… Humanity."
Energy pulsed, and the air around me cleared.
I could breathe. I could see.
My eyes began to burn as every bit of information on Heracles began to sear my mind. His history, his weapons, his every movement that he had ever made. All was laid bare.
I could feel blood dripping down from my nose and my eyes, but it would not stop me.
There were those who would try to reject their Origin, once it was Awoken. It was a futile effort, as impossible as refuting your own existence, but there were those who would do it nonetheless.
I am not that kind of person.
I am Salvation. When I can protect others, I will. This is my life. This is my existence.
This is the reason I am alive.
I opened my mouth, and sounds came out. They were not the sounds of words from a human throat, but something else entirely.
It was the sound of metal scraping metal; the sound of screaming blades, warping and being forced beyond their limit. The sound of swords breaking, swords being made, and swords carving through flesh and bone.
Yet, even in the cacophonous melody of steel, those two timeless words were still clear.
"Trace On."
Every Nerve Circuit on my body activated at once.
Circuits that spanned my arms, my torso, even my throat and parts of my face. Nerve Circuits made from my limbs, removed and placed onto skin all over my body. They were the closest thing to a Magic Crest that I could forge, and my entire body was simply a single, massive collection.
I had spent hours turning my limbs into Circuits, just for Avalon to heal them.
And now, it would pay off.
Alteration… At its highest levels, it could achieve nearly any feat, so long as one has the prana and knowledge to perform it.
My bones… My entire body is ready. The amount of prana within me was beginning to cause a massive overheat; steam was pouring off my body in the night's air.
"Analyzing base construct."
My body is weak.
"Judging required material make-up."
However, weakness is not something to be ashamed of.
"Duplicating composition material."
I rose, standing tall and firm, even as blades ravaged my insides.
"Hypothesizing interlacing process."
The weak… We win not through being the strongest, nor do we win from being the fastest.
"Sympathizing with artificial history."
We win through grit, determination, and cunning.
"Reproducing the experience of accumulated years."
It began to burn. The fire under my skin… The writhing agony.
Swords would make up for the weakness of my skin. A layer of them would stop any mortal weapon.
But it is not enough.
"Excelling in every process of creation."
How could it be? How could a natural human body be enough?
That's why I have to do it.
The simulation is complete. All processes have been completed; all that was left was…
"Materializing spellcraft within Gaia's domain."
The fire roared. The burning surged through my body, like hellfire scorched my every bone.
But that was it, wasn't it?
Internalized Reality Marble… So long as its effects did not go beyond my body, Gaia would not reject it; not completely.
Alteration; Tracing. Together, they came together into something that I had never practiced, but needed to perform.
My bones howled and screamed as another object crawled along it.
Replicas of the bone-blade, Oni-Hone, stretched and covered my bones, Altered into a semi-liquid state. They wrapped around them, seeped into them; those bones, forged by my mind, merged into one with the bones forged by my body.
They were not merely 'Phantasms' any longer. These bones were a part of my body; a part of my soul that could not fade. I felt the pull of prana, flowing through my Circuits to feed them a trickle of energy, a mere fraction of what it took to Trace them, in order to keep them here. Soon, when all settled, even that would be unnecessary.
But that would not be all that was required. To take on that walking leaden slab of death, I would need to copy the strength and speed of the strong, use it as only I know how.
And that meant one more thing.
My eyes scanned him one more time. My vision was slowly turning red, no doubt from a ruptured blood vessel. Somehow, seeing that mad titan colored red felt… Natural.
And that was enough.
His actions that led him to be summoned as Berserker… I could grasp them. I could see it, and I could understand it through his own eyes.
That's why… Even if it's just a copy, it will be enough.
I charged forward. The prana burst tore apart the ground beneath me, but I heard no complaints from my body.
On my own, this titan is beyond me…
But that's fine.
After all, I'm not truly alone.
I raised my arm, forcing more energy into it than it had been designed for, and I brought it forward.
It was not a Tracing. I called for that blade, and she answered.
Ascalon swung forward, but it merely bounced off the leaden skin of God Hand.
He turned to me; he stared into my eyes, but I felt no fear. Staring into red and yellow, I felt only sorrow. Berserker had truly become nothing but a weapon, and it was all because of the pain he had endured at the hands of the gods.
I barely avoided losing my arm when Heracles struck. I could see every move he would make whole seconds before he would make them, yet for all that I could see, I did not have the speed to make use of this advantage.
But then she began to sing.
Ascalon, she reached out to me.
In the name of Salvation, in the name of Protection; that was for what her master had wielded her in the past.
Now, she sought another who would do the same.
In the name of defense, Ascalon shall pierce any defense without exception. Nothing in creation would stop this blade, for it is The Blessed Sword By Which Force Is Slain.
Even God Hand could not stop this.
Blood spattered across the ground.
His skin, his muscles, his ribs, and his heart; all were slashed through by this blessed sword.
One life had been claimed.
Over the last five days, his stock of lives had replenished.
He would need to die twelve more times before he fell.
But that did not matter.
That meant only that I needed to cut until nothing remained to cut.
I saw what he would do. I watched his stone axe-like sword, and the motions it would take were clear to me.
Ascalon lashed out, barely touching the wrist of Berserker, but it slowed him down that fraction of an instant required to avoid being struck.
So long as I have my blades…
I am not alone.
A blow, aimed for my chest; deflected by a glancing sweep.
A swing, aimed for his heart; bone was cut away.
Slowly, it would cut. A definitive blow was impossible in these circumstances. Merely surviving was a challenge in itself.
However, the sound of armored footsteps was proof enough that I-… We are up for the challenge.
That shining, golden blade. A weapon of unparalleled beauty; a weapon that had killed Berserker before.
It would not claim another life. God Hand made such a thing impossible on a conceptual level. But then, she was not here to kill; she was here for something altogether different.
She was here to protect. To defend.
She would be my Guardian Knight.
And I would be hers.
Ascalon's power flooded into me further. A fragment of her wielder; an imprint of what she had been used for.
As long as I held her with the intent to protect others, I would stand strong.
Saber… Rin… Sakura… Even Archer and Rider…
And the innocents, awakening from the temple.
So much had happened that one would think they'd be out already, but in truth…
The amount of time that had passed could be counted in seconds, using only one's fingers.
Truly, this is a terrifying battle.
But soon, it would be over.
As Saber helped deflect Berserker's attack, he was left open. Ascalon swung out, a surge of prana and the spatter of blood being the only signs of that beast's death.
But still more would come.
Even in death, he continued to fight.
We were not the only ones with those we sought to protect.
Another swing came, but as it rose, Berserker's hand was knocked astray by an arrow.
Archer was standing, if only barely, his bow in hand. That cocky grin of his was clear even with my eyes failing.
Another life, cleaved mercilessly in the name of a Guardian.
It was almost time. One more life… If he died one more time, I could end this.
And as he swung again, the sound of a chain came. It would not stop that blade as it swung through the air, but it slowed it by a fraction. With that, Saber could slam the blade away, forcing that titan's blade into the ground beside her.
Again, I lashed out.
His throat was gouged open. His spine was severed.
It was time.
I had seen enough.
I reached out, and I felt it. The accumulated experience of the Heroic Spirit known as Hercules. Son of Zeus and Alcmene, and father to a son and daughter by Megara of Thebes.
He who slew the Nemean Lion, who captured both the Erymanthian Boar and the Golden Hind of Artemis; the one to kill all of the Stymphalian Birds, who stole the Mares of Diomedes and the cattle of the monster Geryon.
But most of all…
He was the one to slay the Lernaean Hydra.
That was the experience I saw clearer than any other. The movements… I could feel each one within my soul, and I merely acted. No more thoughts, now. There is only…
Nine Lives Blade Works: The Hundred Shooting Heads.
The temple, the collarbone, the windpipe, the diaphragm, the ribs, the pelvis, the femoral arteries.
Eight points. Eight places vital to the survival of the body.
In an instant, my arm was moving. Ascalon was not swung, but she moved nonetheless. With speed my body could not give, with strength I could not muster, I cut, and cut, and cut, and cut. The detonation of every motion came from a sonic boom as the sound barrier was ruptured with every strike, but the monstrous strength that belonged to that titan's memories was mine, if only for a moment.
When Ascalon ceased her movements, jagged lines had been gouged out of the lead titan's body. Berserker had swathes of his flesh missing, and his motions had been all but halted. The hissing of God Hand could be heard, but it would not heal fast enough.
In the end, Berserker fell to his own most powerful attack.
A wet *schunk* accompanied the sheathing of Ascalon in his heart, and I could see it in his eyes.
It was not fear. It was not even anger. As his body began to waver, I saw only resignation.
"In the end, madness took away from you your family," I whispered. "But it was not your fault then, nor is it yours now. Hera took them from you before, and I take you from Ilya now."
I pulled out Ascalon, blood coating her body entirely.
"Rest, Heracles," I said softly. "Sleep now, and know that on the river Styx, I swear to protect her in your place."
He looked at me, his body fading away, and I saw… Something.
Was it… Contentment…?
With that, and nothing more, his body faded away.
"B-Berserker…?"
Her voice was shocked. Terrified, even.
How could I blame her, though…?
I had seen the bond they shared.
I had grasped the entirety of Heracles' existence.
In the end…
I witnessed even his death from his own eyes…
My vision was red, but it was slowly changing.
From red, to black…
The blood was covering my face, pouring from my eyes, nose, even my ears.
I hadn't noticed, but my entire body was screaming. My bones had been pushed beyond their limit with that last attack, and my muscles were not meant for anything I had done.
Blades were carving up my insides, and only Avalon kept me alive.
But… I was alive.
Rin, Saber, Sakura, Ilya; Rider and Archer, and all of the bystanders too.
They're alive.
That… That means I…
…Saved them…
Another wet thunk came. I couldn't see the ground, but I knew I was laying on it.
How long until I wake up again…?
Three Servants, dead.
Five are needed, to manifest the Greater Grail.
Or… One.
That one.
As the ground became warm with my blood, I had an odd feeling.
We would not need to search for him.
He would come to us…
He had learned much of the boy that Kirei had taken a personal interest in. The fact that he was the son of the very man who had ruined his chances at taking Saber as his own, ten years ago… It had, for a moment, infuriated him.
But he was not one to blame the son for the sins of the father; not when his only friend had been born by the gods he loathed so much. That mongrel had died in a slow, agonizing, and painful way, as befitting of such a disgusting thing. His son, however…
That fire that had started ten years ago. When he had seen it, he had thought that it would be a beautiful testing ground. After all, would the fire not separate the wheat from the chaff? Slaughter those undeserving of his rule, and leave only those strong enough to be worthy of him?
That is what he had thought; that only those that could survive the very flames of Hell could be strong enough for him to accept as part of his garden.
And this boy had done exactly that. What Kirei had informed him of was almost completely inane uselessness that merely concreted the setting, but some of the things he had said were quite… Interesting.
To think that the boy had found the treasures that he had launched into the river against the beast, all those years ago… He had almost felt angry that the boy had taken them, but he had cast them aside from his treasury; they were things not worthy of being under his possession. Let the boy have such sullied tools. It made no difference.
As he sat, watching from afar as the boy collapsed to the ground, he made a decision.
That child was quite like the heroes of the ages following his rule. He had found a weapon that had once resided in his treasury, he had fought against impossible odds, and he had ultimately come out victorious.
He did not deserve the respect of the King of Heroes, but he had earned his acknowledgement.
"Feel pride in yourself, child of the modern age," he said calmly. "I shall give you this coming day to recover, as a reward for your accomplishments."
He slid off the building he had been watching from, falling two stories and landing without ever breaking his regal grace.
In one day…
He would come to claim both his wife and the Grail, as well as see if the boy was worth being looked upon a second time by one of his caliber.
Bazett was grinding her teeth together. A bad habit, yes, but she was not exactly in the best of ways at the moment.
According to the nurse, her wound was in rather good shape when she was brought in.
She had asked for an exact description of her state as she came into the hospital, and what she had heard astounded her.
"You were suffering from several torn tendons and muscles in your left arm, and minor nerve damage. Moving it will be difficult, but it should be fine in a few days."
The problem with this was not that she lost the ability to move her arm.
It was the fact that she knew her arm had been cut off entirely.
She had seen Kotomine standing above her, holding her limb in his hands.
So why did she still have it, even if she couldn't move it?
Who had found her, and how did he save her?
She didn't know much. However, apparently, the person who brought her in used to be a regular at the hospital. She had gotten a name, and an address.
It wasn't too long of a walk, so it wouldn't be long now.
It was almost dawn.
Sighing, she brought up the scrap of paper, looking down at the name one more time.
"Shirou Emiya… Just who are you…?"
A/N: Hm. For some reason, this chapter makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Sorry about the lateness of the whole thing. I got distracted with family affairs, preparing for the college term, part-time work, and binge-reading the Prison School manga. 191 chapters of ecchi lewdness and dirty jokes.
Anyway, this chapter has to have been one of the hardest thus far. I had to rewrite the thing four different times; nearly 80 pages of content, only to scrap all of it for various reasons. Even this version still bothers me, but I feel even less comfortable putting this off for yet another week in an attempt to make the 'perfect' chapter.
As it is, if there are any errors in the chapter that I missed (and I don't doubt that there are) review or PM me about them.
Speaking of reviews, there are a few to respond to.
The first is from EVA-Saiyajin! I'll admit, Gilgamesh is not a character that I'm sure I can show off well. I mean, there's just so much content about him that it's a little terrifying to try and look at. Plus, he has one of the most complex characterizations in the series when you really start digging. There's times where I'll think he might do one thing, but then I remember how he does the opposite thing somewhere else.
Honestly, that complexity is one of the reasons why I like Gilgamesh. Hopefully, I did him at least some small modicum of justice in this snippet of him, and will show him off better in the next chapter. If you think he would've reacted differently, I'd be glad to hear it.
The next review will be Rangle's comment on how Jumper!Shirou is going to become a punching bag due to the loss of several of his Magic Circuits. I do not think that will be the case, though I can see where you're coming from. Like I said in the A/N of Chapter 9, he will be making up for the loss of Magic Circuits with Nerve Circuits. He's not going to go full 'Nerve Damage' levels of malarkey, but he has an incredible amount of power that he could be gaining.
Though, at the end of the War, that path will be more-or-less closed off, due to Avalon not working without Saber. But, eh… That's a problem for after the Fate Jump, should I continue this Jumper's Grand Game.
Also, as for your last few sentences about Salvation being a pipe dream… Honestly, it was reading that sentence that I remembered why I started this story, and exactly how far it is from my original idea. This was supposed to be a self-insert gratification fic just for the sole purpose of making me feel better about certain issues I have.
However, I honestly don't think that's the case anymore. I re-read the story, and I figured one thing out very quickly.
If I had gone full self-insert, this story would be the worst thing since deep-fried chocolate covered Twinkies dipped in caramel and molasses. I even tried writing a crack-fic version of this, showing how a true world-breaking self-insert with unfair knowledge would've turned out.
Yeah, Kamen Riders, Love-Love Projection Fist, and Rin having an aneurysm. Just in case anyone wanted to know.
So… Yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say in altogether too many words is, thank you for your reviews. I was honestly caught off guard, and I can say with confidence that I like how this story is turning out, despite it being nothing like what I originally planned.
Or maybe because of that. I dunno.
Anyway, the next review comes from polarpwnage, who says that Jump is essentially a bad rip off of Zelretch.
I… Don't really disagree with you, there. The reason I used Jump was because I had the idea for this story pop into my head while looking at the Jumpchain-CYOA series, which is based on the idea of being thrown into a fictional world with certain boons that you can purchase with starting points to see how you fare, and hopefully spawn some writing. Which it did.
Jump is from Jumpchain, and because that was the inspiration, I used her rather than Zelretch. To quote Chapter One's A/N, "[the story]'s inspired by the Jumpchain CYOA series, but, if continued, will take pretty much nothing from it other than the girl Jump."
I hope that explains everything.
Now, I would like to thank EVA-Saiyajin, zachary2, theycallmebeanz, Roxas902, Rangle, and polarpwnage for taking the time to review the story, as well as thank everyone who has fave'd and followed the story. It means quite a bit to me to see that people like the story. I'm pretty sure I've said that already, but I still mean it.
If there's anything that bothers you about the story, or something that you think should have gone differently, leave a review or PM me about it. Whatever the case, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!