Chapter 23: A ship to behold of

The giant ship is large enough to cover the whole moon. And we are in the shadow of it. In this environment, Assassin almost disappears within the darkness.

"You see, the moment you lay foot on this sand, you were doomed. I may be a weak match in melee combat. However, this is not the strength of an Assassin. Even a stronger opponent can be defeated by a simple scheme", Assassin explains.

We were foolish enough to let our guards down. Now we are at a great disadvantage. Going up against a whole ship- a ship of this scale- is extremely difficult.

"A ship, the whole world, whatever. I don't care, I am used fighting with impossible odds", Archer mentions as he rushes forward.

Strangely, Assassin does not move away. He just stands there looking at the Servant sprinting towards. Before Archer hits Assassin, he is blocked by a Soldier. He is of the same kind as the ones we met in school.

"Khh!", Archer grunts before leaping backwards.

"An Archer should remain in the backlines, wouldn't you agree?", Assassin comments.

Suddenly, hundreds of soldiers leave the ship and stand in front of us. This is a disaster. We cannot fight all these soldiers. No, we have lost the moment this ship emerged to begin with. We are heavily outnumbered and our chances to get away are low.

"Now would be a great time to summon Saber!", Tohsaka shouts at me.

I would really like to call Saber. I would have called out for Saber eons before if I were able to. Unfortunately, she prohibits me from doing so. I have no idea why, but she who suggested to summon Saber in the first place prohibits me from using my Command Spell.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!", I accidentally yell.

"Emiya-kun, you don't have to overreact", Tohsaka says with a surprised look on her face, "summon Saber and we can defeat Assassin".

She does not understand. She could not. I cannot tell them what exactly the problem is without dying. Still, what difference would Saber make against this many enemies? We have no way of winning.

"Seems like he's useless after all. It looks like we are alone against this horde, Archer", Rider mentions.

"I bet I can take out more than you", he responds.

"Why, why can't you summon Saber? Any help we can get now is needed! Are you unable to face her after your little fight? This is a battle for life or death! Don't act dumb and do something useful as a Master", Tohsaka scolds me.

"It's not like I don't want to, it's just-"

Before I can end my sentence, I can see my reflection in a blade. The soldiers encircled us while we were arguing.

"By finishing you all off, two Servants would be gone in one night. The time of reckoning has come!", Assassin announces.

The beach shakes as an absurd number of cannonballs are fired on it. Their only goal is to take our lives. In this very chaos, we have to fight off waves of soldiers.

"Tohsaka, this is madness! We must retreat!", I shout to her.

"Don't you see it? Either we survive this hell, or we die. The enemy already encircled us, so there is no way out of this. If you can't call for Saber, we have to withstand on our own", she calmly analyzes.

"Senpai, I agree", Sakura adds.

"You too Sakura?!", I ask dumbfounded.

"We must defend ourselves. I don't like that idea of hers, but we must fight or we'll die"

Looking around us, I see as cannonball after cannonball hit the beach. Instead of aiming at us, the cannons just shoot randomly. I believe this is a method to limit our field of movements. What a cruel way of controlling your opponent. They are right. We can no longer defeat Assassin. The only objective we can accomplish now is merely survive. No, we have no other choice than fighting our way out of this.

"I see. Life or Death. We have only two options to choose from. Then, we will try everything we can to escape from here!", I exclaim.

"I don't mind your enthusiasm, but it won't save us- ", Tohsaka states as she shoots at several soldiers.

They all advance at once and our only hope to get out of here is breaching the enemies' attack lines. We must also avoid not to get hit by a cannonball.

"Let him dream. We'll deal with them while you escape", Archer suggests while defending against several soldiers.

There are too many of them. We are going to be overrun by their sheer mass. Still, we cannot die here. I cannot let Sakura nor Tohsaka die here. We have to make it out! If I just could do anything.

"Senpai, you seem upset?", Sakura asks.

She drags me back to reality. We are in the middle of an attack; there is no time for pitying myself.

"You're right", I respond, "Remain at my side at all cost. We just have to get away from the ship, so we won't be attacked by cannonballs anymore. This would make things a lot easier"

Sakura nods and I look for a hole or anything that looks like a safe path. Meanwhile, Rider and Archer defend themselves and us against all the soldiers. Metal clashing against metal, swords against swords, chains against cannonballs, the sand that is whirled up all over the place- this feels more like a war.

"Come on, move forward!", Tohsaka yells at me.

There, an opening! Tohsaka is standing right in front of a short opening where no soldier stands. I grab Sakura's hand tightly.

"Sakura, let's go!", I tell her as I run towards Tohsaka.

"E-emiya-", Tohsaka stutters as I approach her.

I grab her hand and sprint towards the opening. The less I think now, the more time I have to act. Suddenly, a soldier from the left is about to stab Sakura, but Rider kicks him away before he can hit Sakura.

"Watch your step!", Rider advises me as she protects us from the left side.

As I look to the right, Archer seems to have understood the plan, since he protects us from the right side. Finally, it looks like we have a chance to escape from here!

"Thanks, Archer and Rider!", Tohsaka acknowledges.

"Cannonball!", I shout.

It is too late; I cannot stop myself in time. It will hit us. If I just could defend us! Surprisingly, the cannonball never hits us. Although I mentally prepared myself to throw both Sakura and Tohsaka, the cannonball never reaches us. Soon, I realize why.

"Don't run around blindly. This is no place to play around", Tohsaka taunts me.

She fired a projectile to counter the cannonball!

"You're impressive, Tohsaka!", I commend her.

"I-I, th-that was nothing at all! I was just concerned about our safety, not yours in particular!", Tohsaka mumbles while blushing.

"Ouch, what was that?!"

Something hit me from behind.

"Whoops, must have stumbled over something!", Sakura admits.

"Take it a little bit more serious, I mean it's not like we are about to get crushed by an armada", Archer rebukes us.

There, I can see the lone darkness of the streets. I was never so happy to see the darkness. To the left and right, Rider and Archer defend us, respectively. The cannonballs can be countered by Tohsaka. There is nothing that holds us back now! So, I lunge towards the empty streets. The cannonballs are no longer able to reach us and the numbers of soldiers are decreasing. Yet after all, I forgot one detail. Someone very important.

Assassin lands in front of us and throws his daggers into our direction. I throw myself at the ground in a rolling motion to evade the attack and take Tohsaka and Sakura with me. However-

"Khhrrraa-!"

I was hit by one dagger in my back. Due to it sticking in my back, I can barely move. Yet, I stand up to face the enemy. It was a mistake. A white-hot sharp pain runs across my entire nervous system. It is like stabbing someone's back with a hot iron rod. It does not get better by time, though. The burning pain becomes like a blazing inferno. Not moving at all is incredibly painful, but standing up almost causes me to fall down again and instantly pass out.

"Hey wait, Emiya-kun!", Tohsaka wants to warn me.

"Senpai, don't push yourself, you are injured", Sakura calls out for me.

But I can no longer take it.

"Rider and Archer are shielding us and Tohsaka is saving us from cannonballs. You all already did your part. I hate it. I can't do anything but run. That's right, this is all Emiya Shirou has accomplished so far"

"Your journey shall end here, quick and quiet." Assassin states.

He is the last obstacle to our way out of here.

Suddenly, someone pushes me aside. It was Rider.

"You have no chances of winning", she tells me, "I will face him!"

She charges at Assassin, but… he dodges her and throws three daggers at her legs. She can reflect two of them, but one hits her right knee.

"Arrgh!", she screams in pain.

"Rider… Rider!", Sakura screams as Rider trips; unable to move.

"One for estimating the opponent's mobility", Assassin elaborates as he approaches Rider, "one for estimating the opponent's action principle. My Dirks' first and foremost function is to gauge the enemy's strength. Now that I defeated you, I will end it all in one blow"

Assassin raises his arm as he suddenly stoops down. Archer has shot an arrow at him.

"Hm, you are a curious one, Archer", Assassin mentions as he turns around.

"And you are a disgusting one, Assassin", he responds.

As I look around, I see no soldiers anymore. No, that is not right- they are far away from us and remain at a distance.

"Why are the soldiers not advancing?", I ask, hoping someone might answer me.

"I don't know myself as to why. For no reason at all, they stopped moving. To be honest, I don't care why they stopped in their tracks, but get out of here as fast as possible is my highest objective right now", Archer explains.

This is strange. Which reason would cause them to spare us? Something is odd, but right now it is how Archer says it. Get away from here is the most important objective.

"Hmm, I wouldn't say they suddenly stopped. I'd rather say they foresaw what is going to happen next, kehehehe", Assassin expounds.

Then, he leaps away and raises his left arm.

At his command, soldiers are running inside the ship. The bow of the ship rises a little bit revealing… a giant hole. It lights up and I can see a colossal cannonball looking at us. The cannonball itself is burning.

"We are doomed…", I assert astonished.

None of my limbs move. I am frozen in place and locked by the certain death I am looking at.

"What are you standing there dumbstruck!", Tohsaka insults me, "Sakura, come over here. When we take Emiya-kun, we can still make it out of here and-"

"It's too late, you are already predestined to be incinerated", Assassin throws in, "even if this one won't hit you, I can fire another one. The range of this weapon is as large as the city. There is no way hiding from it. Currently, you are like chickens running away as someone tries to catch them. You have lost", Assassin reassures her.

Shocked by this statement, Tohsaka does look down while gritting her teeth.

"If that is the case, all we have to do is stand our ground against it, right?", Archer inquires of Assassin.

"Heh, are you out of your mind? Did you listen to me? You can do nothing but accept your fate. State your final prayers", he retorts as he gives a sign to fire the cannonball.

The sound itself would be enough to kill anyone who still stands on the beach. It is more like shooting a sun at us. Even some of the sand beneath the projectile is set on fire and becomes gasoline.

Archer stands in front of us all and holds up his hand. "Archer…", Tohsaka mumbles in disbelief.

What in the world does this guy intend to do?

"Archer, you'll die. It is useless", I tell him before it is too late.

He still stands there without saying a word.

The cannonball is mere meters away from us as Archer says something… but, but I cannot clearly hear him.

"Rho Aias!", is all I hear.

Something shoots out of Archer's hand. In the brink of a second, it becomes a… huge flower. A flower that serves as a shield. Layer after layer, it grows bigger and more beautiful. It seemed like Archer wanted to grew it even bigger, but the cannonball is too fast and already impacts. The first of the three established layers is easily shattered. Everything around us is set on fire and extreme currents are almost blowing us away. The heat is unbearable, but we… are surviving. Second layer breaks. We all stare at Archer. He is single-handedly stopping the impossible. This is madness. If the pain was not burningly real, I would have not believed it.

"I-impossible, what kind of Archer are you?!", Assassin stammers.

Archer concentrates on his very last layer. As the pressure of the cannonball increases upon this shield, it slowly starts to crumble away under its own force.

"GrrhhhhAAAAAAAAAAA", Archer screams as the shield almost breaks.

For a short period of time, it is as bright as the day. The cannonball exploded and so did the shield. Archer is blown away, but he… saved us.

"Damn you, Archer!", Assassin shouts as he throws Dirks at him. Archer can block them off just in time with his blades before he collapses.

"You are a mystery, Archer", Rider claims as she tries to stand up, but fails.

"Archer, what did you… how…", Tohsaka utters half in disbelief, half relieved.

"Still, you are no longer able to fight. Now you have no Servants left", Assassin evaluates.

That is right. He might have saved us, but we are on our own now.

"It may be impossible, but we must defeat Assassin before he can shoot another one of those at us", I declare. The pain in my back almost makes me vomit. But I must stand. Once I fall, I will never stand up again.

"That might be right, but- ", Sakura wants to say, but I interrupt her.

"If we don't try, we will die"

Assassin directs his attention towards us.

"I stand no chance against Servants in a battle, but against mere humans I am more than well prepared", he threatens me.

"I'll be your opponent", I tell him as I dash forward. Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain that is melting away my head the more I move.

"Are you insane, you will be killed by him, you are severely wounded and you can't do anything!", I can hear Tohsaka screaming from behind.

Still- I have to. I cannot just do nothing and hope the issue is resolved by someone else. I have to take action myself. Therefore, I grab a nearby branch and activate my trigger- just like Tohsaka instructed me to. Due to the activation, I feel a sharp pain in addition to the one I am already feeling. This pain is different. It is a short burning sensation that activates my body. The same feeling. Like someone firing the hammer of a gun. I quickly reinforce the branch and launch an attack against Assassin. He throws his Dirks at me, but I can block them off with the weapon I reinforced, although it is getting weaker and weaker with each block.

"Die already!", Assassin shouts annoyed.

I throw my branch at him. My hope is to pierce him with it. I should have known better. Assassin simply jumps over the branch and now he stands in front of me.

"I shall finish this as fast as possible. You have already suffered a lot, so your death shall be painless", Assassin announces.

Damn it. If I just had a weapon. He cannot be defeated from far away, but only in direct combat. Assassin said it himself. He is weak in direct combat. If Archer or Rider were still standing … his weapons; they seem so unorthodox, yet to comfortable. Those twin blades, they look so hastily made, yet to beautiful. In contrast, his normal bow, but with stunning arrows. And his shield, entrancing yet the savior of the day. I want that. I want it. He and I will never get along, but his way of fighting and his weapons feel all so natural. If I just could… If I just could have them, too. The shape of the blades. The twin blades. Concentrate on them. Internalize them. Understand their structure. It is the same as tracing an object, but… I have no other choices left.

"Trace, on!"

"Die quickly and never return", Assassin declares as he removes the clothing from his arm. It reveals a deformed… mass of bones and flesh. It retracts and extends, shattering the bones and restructuring them with an eerie sound. The broken limbs are reconnected to reveal the abomination that is Assassins right arm.

"Noble Phantasm: Zabaniya!"

His horrific extended flapping piece of meat flies towards me. But I do not notice it at all. Rather my senses are filled by

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

The immense unbearable corrosive pain controls all senses of my body. I can only hear my screams, taste blood, smell the burning, feel pain and almost go blind due to it. I would prefer to run around with the knife in my back than this. My brain does not work anymore. I exist in a sphere of nothing but pain. Yet, my hands, my hands are holding something. I can barely withhold the pain, but I must stand against it to recreate his weapon. Death or Life, I do not care for it right now, all I want is to defeat Assassin and protect those behind me. Those are the first real weapons I ever created, but they must work. My blood feels like boiling and my whole body is stabbed from all sides.

"NO! DON'T CREATE THOSE! STOP IT, STOP DOING THAT, YOU'LL DIE", I can hear Archer shouting.

I look down and see the two twin blades that Archer usually wields. There is no time for pain or thinking. I simply hold them up to block off against the incoming red cursed arm.

"KhhhreeeeEEEEEEEEE!-", I yell as the pressure at my shoulders is added to the bowl of pain.

Realizing I cannot block it, I strive beneath the arm and race towards Assassin.

"I have failed, but how?", Assassin mumbles startled.

I throw the blades at Assassin and despite my vision almost going blank, I engage into a sparring with Assassin. His Dirk and my blades clash against each other at immense speed and there is no room left for mistake. One mistake and I die. On mistake and Assassin dies. As Assassin understand the situation, he leaps back and looks at me in astonishment.

"I see, that is why…", he says to himself before retracting his arm.

"I have no business with you anymore. Next time we see us, I will definitely come prepared. You are no ordinary enemy, there is something… something hidden", Assassin concludes.

Consequently, he runs away into the darkness and leaves us alone. The ship sinks back into the sea and the soldiers vanish with it. The blades in my hands vanish as well and I fall to my knees. Breathing is burning my throat, but I was able to do something. The others are approaching. I guess it is a bet.