The Story of Illya Emiya

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Fate Stay franchise or the characters associated with them.

"talking"

Thoughts

Showtime

The corrupted heroes were descending towards them.

They needed to carefully consider what to do. The enemy numbers were vast and still increasing. Dealing with them was a waste of energy as they needed every drop of mana for the battle that actually mattered. As Illya looked at this from several angles, Rin and Luvia stepped up in front of them.

"We'll blast an opening right through the center" said Rin.

"Let us deal with the small fries" Luvia continued. "The rest of you should save your strength. Just be grateful we're letting you take center stage on this one".

The weapons the pair chose were nameless. Defective products to a certain extent based on vague ideals. But regardless of their flaws, their abilities would rival most authentic noble phantasms worthy to be wielded by heroes of legend. Attached to each of them were their own unique abilities.

Equally under those conditions, modern day mages don't even have close to the amount of mana to use such powers without dying.

However the seven days they spent preparing wasn't for nothing.

Using Shirou's jewels and Sakura's massive mana reserves, they stored away quite a sum of power. With their combined attack they cleared out the first wave just as the next wave was approaching.

But for the pair, they brought several of Shirou's weapons. Taking point, they raced up the stairs as Rin and Luvia blasted through the corrupted hoard.

Racing behind them, "you've been busy I see" said Illya.

"Everyone's got to have a hobby".

As humble as he was, Shirou's weapons took inspirations from many legendary artifacts tapping into the very elements themselves. Even managing to weaponize ideas and universal laws. All of human history in terms of knowledge and technology past and future that went into every swing of his hammer. The very line between science and magic blurred with each of his creations to find the truth of what it meant to be a hero.

These were the fruits of his labor as Rin and Luvia kept pushing forward destroying these mud heroes as they came.

But due to their numbers and varied abilities, a few had managed to counter attack. However Sakura had brought some of Shirou's tools as well as she was able to protect them from all kinds of irregularities that attacked the mind, body, and soul.

As they continued to ascend, the corrupted heroes were only getting more dangerous then what the three of them can handle on their own.

"We need to thin them out some more" said Miyu, "install! Rider!"

"I got you covered!" Kuro exclaimed. "Install! Archer!"

"You will not face them alone" as Saber and Caster joined as well.

With their addition it relieved some of their burden. But it didn't mean they should let their guard down as they needed to hurry.

Watching her friends fight as hard as they did, Illya wanted to help. She could tell that even her brother desperately wanted to do something. But it was the right move as they needed to hold back.

Upon reaching the main grounds, the reason became apparent as the arrogant golden king was waiting for them.

"Took you long enough" Gil said snidely as he was standing on the roof top. "And here I thought you were going to be done in before getting here. I suppose doing this much is worth some praise".

"Go!" Shirou commanded. "I'll handle this!"

"But . . . ." Illya started only to be cut off.

"There is no more time left. This is a fight I must do alone. Now go!"

His friends and family could only give grieved expressions. But he was right. It was always the plan for Shirou to face Gilgamesh alone. With heavy hearts they had to leave him behind as they needed to deal with the bigger threat.

"Oh? Well if it isn't the faker" Gil remarked condescendingly as he held an air of contempt for the mage smith. Although it's generally said that imitation was the greatest form of flattery, the golden king could only feel disgust for this mongrel. A complete hack who did not stand for anything. Someone who used fake weapons which stood as an insult to their originals. He was someone not even worth a proper burial as he will obliterate him till there was nothing left.

"You'll find that I'm much different to the person you fought previously" said Shirou. This fight was based on both luck and strategy. The moment he enacted his plan he had to keep it going to the very end as any minor slip up meant his death. He would not delude himself into thinking that in a fair fight he could beat the first hero recorded in human history. But the key to beating the king of heroes was playing on his arrogance and narcissism. In his eyes, a simple nobody mage like him wasn't even worth the dirt beneath his feet.

But that kind of thinking was what was going to cost him dearly.

Having enough of this pointless drivel, Gil opened several portals as noble phantasms emerged.

Shirou's eyes shined as he saw them. "Trace on!" as he mirrored his opponent canceling out his attack. This was merely the opening act. Things were going to get more dangerous the longer this battle continued.

True to Gilgamesh's nature, his pride would never allow him to fight this nobody seriously as he continued to mock his opponent while only attacking him half heartedly.

"Rho Aias!" as Shirou formed his shield as he started to chant the one magic that was truly his own. As the petals were fading from each attack he saw glimpses of the man he might someday become. But for the things that mattered in his life, he will stand tall and proudly walk the path he had chosen unafraid to what laid ahead. Steeling himself, let's see how the king of heroes will stand up to unlimited blades!

~ Ryuudou Temple ~

The group had their hands full as they were fighting back a flood.

They were closing in on the breach as they had to slay them as fast as they were spawning.

But then came the other problem as Assassin joined the fray attacking the group from their blind spots. Luckily Saber predicted his trajectory deflecting his daggers before they could do any real damage.

"Damn it! Now of all times!" Illya cursed. Their group could not deal with these mud heroes while Assassin was taking shots at them.

"Keep going! I'll deal with him!" as Kuro took the initiative. They needed their heavy hitters here. Although unwise to divide their strength, Saber and Caster were more useful in dealing with the corruption. Against an enemy servant, best to fight fire with fire.

"It'll take the both of us" said Miyu. It was a calculated risk. But a necessary one as both girls parted from the group to smoke out the rogue servant.

With their overall fighting potential significantly dropped, Illya had to pick up the slack. Taking out her origin scarf and Thompson Contender, "include! Berserker!" as Thor's gauntlet and hammer became equipped. Raising her weapon, "Mjolnir!" as bolts of lightening rained down ravaging the enemy lines.

Finally seeing the source, they bared witness to the pitch black hole in reality as putrid mud continued to pour out.

With their goal in sight, "Saber!" Illya exclaimed.

Knowing what she had to do, the knightly servant took her stance. Raising her blade, it revealed it's true form. Soon ethereal light started to rise and gather as the sword grew brighter and larger. With her attack ready, "Excalibur!" Saber cried out swinging her sword as everything in it's path was vaporized.

For a brief moment, it seemed all was well only for her attack to had merely scratched the surface. The corrupted heroes along with the mud had taken the brunt of her attack. But more so, it was going to take something more complex to shut down the greater grail as attacking it current state would not yield any meaningful results.

Just like that, the mud returned along with it's corrupted.

If they had any hope in winning, they needed to hit this thing where it would hurt the most. Hence they were wracking their brains trying to think of a solution while holding back the enemy that had no end.

But then it hit her as Illya had an idea. The hole connecting to the greater grail was not a self sustained reaction as it still needed a constant feed of immense magical power to keep the connection running. She just needed to disrupt the flow to the leyline. How she was going to do that, she had no idea as she would need to figure this out as she went. But she at least knew where to start.

Looking at the current situation she had no idea how Shirou, Kuro, or Miyu were faring. Saber and Caster were able to continue just fine. However Rin, Luvia, and Sakura were beginning to feel the effects of this prolonged battle.

Shaking her head, she couldn't let her personal feeling guide her actions with how much was on the line right now. They were now standing on the edge of an extinction level event as they were that one thin line between it and the rest of the world. She had to trust them now for what must be done.

Relaying her plan, her friend's didn't even blink.

"Then what the hell are you still doing here for?!" said Rin. "Get going already! I don't want to be doing this all day!"

"Oh?" Luvia huffed, "I can keep this up longer then a day" which earned a growl from her frenemy.

Giving a tired sigh, "Please be safe Illya-sempai. We will hold out as long as we can" as Sakura continued to maintain the defense line.

"So long as I stand and breath they will not pass me" as Saber stood firm.

"What she said" as Caster acted as his usual whimsical self regardless of the seriousness of the situation.

Withdrawing from the battle, Illya quickly raced to the cave structure that was located on the temple grounds. Channeling her power through her magic circuits, she ran faster then she had ever before as every passing second mattered.

Entering the cave, if she hadn't stopped a moment earlier she would have found herself impaled. She had narrowly dodged a few blades that came at her. Then carefully scanning her environment, the place was covered with the same putrid mud. But carefully continuing her way in, her eyes narrowed as she could feel her rage burning hot again. "Kirei" said Illya venomously.

"I'd figured you'd come here" as the fallen priest kept his stoic yet condescending aura. "It's almost poetic I suppose. Your father and I were the last ones left to fight for the grail. Only seems about right that events should repeat itself".

"I'll finish what he started. But I'll make sure you stay down this time".

"Oh?" as Kirei sneered. "No consideration for your mother?"

In that instant Illya's body exploded into powerful flames of energy as she took on the power of Thor. Adorning his visage, she couldn't contain her murderous intent towards this vile man. ". . . . I'm going to paint these walls with your insides"

"Hmph, we'll see about that" said Kirei confidently as Illya rushed him.

~ Ryuudou Temple ~

Gilgamesh was growing increasingly irritated.

After using a great deal of his treasury, he still hadn't killed this nobody mage. More so, this mongrel continued to mouth off at him sullying his ears with his verbal nonsense.

Although it was getting more dangerous for Shirou, so long as he played this close to the vest he should be able to pull out a win. So far, it was a stalemate with the advantage being on his side. However the current situation can only be maintained so long as Gilgamesh did not draw out Ea.

But it was time to end this.

For the mage smith had thought long and hard about what it meant to be a hero. Truthfully, he didn't have an answer. Not that it didn't exist. But rather the idea of a hero was shapeless in it's concept. A hero could be anyone doing a number of things. Ranging from a warrior running across a battlefield to a person performing an act of kindness that could change a world. It was just a moment waiting to take form.

Inspired by Caster, that was the hero he wanted to be. A person who could be anyone they needed to be whether it was as big as saving the world or just saving one person's world.

Negating each attack from the golden king, he continued to race forward. But it was not his lack of fear towards death that pushed him. Rather it was for the people waiting for him that gave him the strength and resolve to win.

With each step closer the mage smith took, Gilgamesh felt his confidence slightly waver. Not even in a hundred years would he ever consider such an outcome possible. This only increased the ferocity of his attacks in both numbers and strength of noble phantasms. Yet this mongrel still continued to charge at him as he himself refused to move.

Now within range, it would be decided how this battle was going to end.

Shirou was focused on this single moment like a hunter with his prey in sight. Sword in hand, his arms recoiled ready to deal the killing blow.

Gilgamesh was conflicted as his instinct and pride fought each other. The moment his opponent had gotten too close, Ea had emerged from his Gate of Babylon. Yet his hand could not reach for it. How could this mongrel of a mage force him to use his mightiest weapon. A weapon that was reserved for only those he deemed worthy. But that moment of hesitation had costed him everything.

In that final moment, Shirou in a burst of speed gouged his blade right through his adversary.

Giving a painful cough, blood spurted out from the golden king's mouth.

Although he saw his hand shaking reaching for his prized sword, the mage smith remained steadfast gouging his blade deeper causing his opponent to cough out more violently. For the first time in all of Gilgamesh's life was he forced to take one step back.

". . . . I admit . . . . You have won". Although he had his pride, he wouldn't do something as pathetic as denial or make excuses when the results were clear as day. Although every fiber in his being wanted to kill him for making him feel this disgrace, his body was too weakened to muster the strength. Yet looking into this mongrel's eyes, he saw something. He was certainly not the same person from before as his eyes showed him his soul. No longer a tool wanting to be used. Now a man who wanted to live.

With such a transformation, the golden king was certainly interested to know how this counterfeiting empty shell of a human being had managed this. It had piqued his interest if only a little bit as a passing curiosity.

Just standing there as such, his enemy did not look away still maintaining the same intensity as they reflected in his eyes. ". . . . This bastard" Gilgamesh grunted. But as the modern saying went, there was no point in crying over spilled milk.

The reality marble faded off as Gilgamesh would soon follow. These two enemies had nothing more to say to each other.

For the golden king, any words of refutation would only degrade his pride further coming off as the cries of a pathetic beaten dog. He certainly would not give him any more praise as he had already admitted his defeat.

As for the mage smith, he will give humanities oldest hero his respect. Although he believed under different circumstances this conflict could have been avoided. But he would not voice such ideals. For someone like Gilgamesh, it would be like pouring salt on a wound. Thus he would see him off in silence.

With his enemy gone and the battle won, Shirou's blade disappeared as he fell back onto the ground heavily breathing. His mind and body strained to the limit as it took everything he had. Although every fiber of his being was exhausted, he was still needed somewhere.

". . . . But I suppose I was lucky" as Shirou looked down clenching his hand. If Gilgamesh had pulled Ea, he still had one possible move he could make. One sword had come to mind. A sword that could be forged by mortal hands that reached the state of a divine construct. However the resources to make such a blade was not feasible as the only place he could forge it was within his reality marble. But because the sword was a divine construct, he would die the moment he swung it. However there was no point in dwelling on 'what if' as he should just count his blessings.

Now dragging himself back to his feet, Shirou took a few deep breaths as he readied himself for the next battle ahead.

~ Ryuudou Temple ~

"Slippery bastard" Kuro cursed as she couldn't pin down Assassin. She just needed one good shot to end this.

Although he may have been a heroic spirit, his overall fighting abilities were nothing special in comparison to the other classes. In a direct fight, Assassin would lose.

Miyu honed her senses feeling every vibration in the air sorting out other useless noise. But she had to hand it to the rogue servant's ability to hide his presence as she was only able to pick up whispers of him.

If this fight was just between them, things would've been easier.

However, the corruption was also present here as the pair were busy fighting them off too while Assassin was still taking shots at them. They immediately understood that Assassin purposely led them here to optimize it's advantage. There wasn't much they could do to change the battlefield conditions as they had no choice but to deal with the hand they were dealt.

But fighting as they were trying to conserve their strength the corruption grew numerous and more aggressive as their prize laid before them. For Illya was not the only one they instinctively chased.

Losing ground, it was time to deal their hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Miyu questioned.

"We don't have time to drag this out. We need to end this here and now". Seeing her about to argue, "don't worry" smirked Kuro. "I don't plan to die just yet".

" . . . . OK" Removing her cover, her eyes snapped open as a blood red magic circle appeared in front of her. Pulling back, reins appeared in her hands as she started to float up. Taking form was the winged horse Pegasus as Miyu took control of this divine beast. "Bellerophan!" she cried out starting her attack. Appearing in a streak of white light, Rider Miyu plowed through the mud heroes.

"Well can't let you have all the glory" as Archer Kuro started firing out broken phantasms specifying her targets to maximize the damage.

As this was going on, Assassin had been carefully watching biding his time till the right moment came for him to deal the killing blow. All he needed to do was wait for them to use up their strength. Once they were backed into a corner, the pair were forced to use their noble phantasms further draining their limited mana. Now separated from each other, this was the moment he desired as he just needed to pick who he wanted to take out first.

Of the two targets, it was easier for him to take out the support.

Thus he activated his own unique skill Zabaniya as his cursed arm shot out from his cloak approaching it's target at blinding speed.

Sensing the incoming danger, Kuro turned about only to see his hand within just inches of her. Just as he tapped her chest, that would've been it as he literally held her life in his hand. However, "gotcha" as she grabbed his wrist. "Trace on!" as several swords materialized pining Assassin's arm into the ground. "You should've known better you bastard. It's when an animal is cornered is when they are the most dangerous".

Unable to reel his arm back in, Assassin realized his mistake and quickly needed to get the situation back under control. Flipping his hand around, an ether clump materialized forming his target.

Knowing what was about to happen, Kuro grasped his hand trying to keep him from crushing her heart. However his fingers were already pushing on the very surface as she could feel a painful pressure in her chest. Tried as she did, Assassin started to dig deeper. Her eyes became strained as blood leaked from her mouth. She could literally see as her heart was becoming erratic under the duress. As much as it hurt, Kuro just grinned as everything was still going according to plan.

Miyu had traced Assassin's exact location as she flew in at full throttle. For this was the plan as Kuro acted as bait to lure the rogue servant into a false sense of an assured victory. She didn't like it one bit. But influenced by Archer's countless years of combat experience always gambling his life to the very edge, Kuro trusted his instinct and allowed it to guide her. All this culminating to this moment as Miyu would not allow it to slip away from them.

Assassin was trying to escape as he contemplated breaking the seal on his arm as a way to insure no one wins in the end.

Howling in war cry, Miyu's gaze was completely focused on the rogue servant as he was fully paralyzed.

For all he could do now was watch his end.

Moving with all the power they could muster, Miyu with Pegasus left nothing of their opponent left except a streak of destroyed land.

Kuro fell to the ground giving painful coughs spitting out blood. As the mud heroes began to surround her, Miyu flew in picking her up as they got to safety.

"That was very reckless of you . . . ." Miyu commented.

"It worked didn't it?" Kuro grinned shakily as she held her chest in pain. "Anyways, no point in dealing with these small fries. We need to get back to where the main fight is".

"But . . . ."

"Don't worry about me, I'll recover as I go. We've been away for too long".

~ Ryuudou Temple (cave) ~

Illya screamed in war cry as she swung her hammer with everything she had. But even bolstered by the power of a servant, her opponent kept slipping away. Certainly wasn't helping much that he was able to manipulate the mud to help defend himself.

Still condescendingly smiling at her, "how pathetically dismal. Your father put up a better fight then this. At this rate how do you plan to avenge your mother?"

That remark caused Illya to fight more aggressively.

For Kirei was quite aware of what he was up against. He was already past his physical prime. If he were to take one hit from her he'd be done for. However his opponent was not a seasoned combatant. She was still just a child who easily let their feelings get the better of their judgment. By constantly keeping her mentally off balance, she was burning through her mana trying to go for the kill shot.

As abundant as her mana capacity was, she still had limits.

Once reached, all he had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

With each passing moment, Illya's breathing became heavier. She knew she was being reckless. Although her logical side said one thing, she couldn't stop herself. The very essence of berserker was fueling her raging passion which thrummed with every beat of her heart. She wanted to see this man punished for the pain he had caused. For what he costed her and her parents. With each time he talked while dodging her attacks it only fed her fury.

But just as Kirei had anticipated, Illya had burnt through her mana as her servant form soon shattered like glass. With her biggest advantage gone, the fallen priest went on the offensive. She had training. But without her magic, her combat skills weren't even comparable to Rin let alone himself. Defend as she did, she was now outmatched. Frankly he could of ended this fight at the moment she lost her powers with a decisive blow to her heart. But then, what fun was that? He took pleasure in the pain and misery he inflicted. What better way of not only breaking her body but also her spirit in making her realize that not only did she fail to stop his plans but equally so failed to get justice for her parents. Yet beaten and bloody she still tried to fight back in which he continued to strike her down.

Blood dripping down her face, Illya gave haggard breaths. Squeezing what mana she could, she tried to use her time alter to at least remain competitive. However she was only able to dodge of a few hits before it became too much. Her vision was blurry as she could barely keep her eyes open. If her body wasn't coursing with adrenaline, she would've been screaming in pain. Taking one of his kicks broke her left arm to which he quickly followed up with a flurry of strikes. She could feel a few of her bones were definitely broken. At this point for what limited strength she had left, she was practically his punching bag. Patronizing to the end as he slowly beat the life out her as he wanted to make her feel the futility of her resistance. To make her feel the weight of her failure.

Knocked to the ground again, Kirei had just thought of how he wanted to kill her. That was the same way he killed her mother. Grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her back to her knees as he soon wrapped his hands around her throat. Slowly, he began to squeeze.

Coughing out painful choking gasps, Illya had not lost the deviant shine in her eyes. If her opponent had taken this fight seriously she would have died the moment she lost her servant form. Yet for his arrogance in toying with her, she was going to make him pay for it. She had one last trick up her sleeve both metaphorically and literally. When she augmented her father's coat she didn't just change how much she could store but also where she could pull things out. Raising her right arm angling her hand just at his center mass, her father's Thompson Contender was summoned as she held it around the barrel. Managing to give one little whisper of a sound, "Include . . . . Lancer . . . ." Taking shape was the blue servant's prized weapon Gae Bolg using the gun as it's medium.

With it's back end anchored into the ground, the full piercing power of the spear went right through Kirei's gut.

Vomiting out blood, the fallen priest had lost all his strength as he fell to his knees. Shock clearly written on his face.

The spear then turned back into a gun. Illya tried to calm her breathing as she steadily got back on her feet. Properly gripping the handle, she pushed the barrel against Kirei's forehead forcing him to look at her.

Seeing how the tables had turned, he could only remember the final moments he had when he fought Kiritsugu. Looking into Illya's cold and indifferent eyes as she stared at him, he could only give a strained chuckle at the serendipity of it. "Like father, like daughter . . . . "

Pulling the trigger, she ended him right then and there as the origin bullet tore right through his brain. She didn't care to waste her breath on this monster who looked like a man. Frankly he wouldn't care. There was no point in gloating to a man who did not regret his actions nor feared his demise.

As he fell to the ground dead, Illya just watched as a pool of blood formed under Kirei's corpse. She didn't really have the right words to describe how she felt. It was just one big complicated cocktail of emotions. But it was something she would have to sort out later as she walked passed his body towards the center of the magic seal in the cave.

Pulling out the origin scarf, this was the only idea she had. So wrapping it around her fist she charged what little mana she had left to muster as she punched the ground. Feeling the energy flow being disrupted, "I hope this is working".

But then in the next moment a flash of light had overtaken her forcing her to shut her eyes.

Yet as she reopened them, she was no longer in the cave anymore. Quickly trying to reorient herself, her new setting didn't make any sense. Recognizing the familiar walls and furnishing, "What . . . . Why . . . . How am I home?"

"Are being a sleepy head Illya-chan?"

Alarmed, the young homunculus quickly turned about. But upon seeing the origin of the voice, her face then dropped as this person just calmly smiled at her. Hundreds of thoughts quickly raced through her mind trying to make sense of what was going on. However only one word was able to escape her lips. ". . . . mama?"

To be continued . . . .

Author's notes: Hope this chapter was alright. Now onto some commentary.

I've been considering for a while now how far I wanted to take this story. I considered covering Miyu's story of what was happening in her universe. But there is still too much we don't know about it. I also considered covering the college lives everyone would move onto. But that would be a completely different story altogether. So at the moment, this story will probably end with the holy grail.

Now covering the battles, the battle between Gilgamesh and Shirou would have still played out the same like in the UBW timeline except with him personally dealing the finishing blow. Plus tagged with this version of Shirou's development, this was more or less how I figured it would end.

I had considered what I wanted Shirou's noble phantasm to be. But honestly I gave up on trying to create one as I would end up arguing non stop with people about it's power leveling as Shirou as he is now can build any noble phantasm with whatever broken ability he wants. Yet the issue is creating something that truly symbolizes him as the hero he wanted to be. The ideal he wanted is what I noted above. But for the tool in question, I wasn't sure how to do it without needing to deal with so many nasuverse drama I'd probably would have to listen too.

As for Shirou's last gambit, that would be the Tsumukari Muramasa. As noted above, Muramasa using Shirou's UBW was able to forge the blade which proved itself to be an anti-world type noble phantasm. Yet how it would stack against Ea in a head to head attack, I honestly don't know.

Miyu and Kuro battle against Assassin was pretty straight forward. Nothing really to comment there.

For Illya and Kirei's fight, I take notes from what would happen if he fought Rin. It was noted that if Rin fought him at her full potential he would lose. Hence why he knew how to attack her mentally to keep her from reaching it. Thus why Kirei was using Illya's sore spots to keep her off balance as he was biding his time.

Now in the final part, I'm about to enter the final battle. A showdown between irisveil/Angra Mayu and Illya. It's definitely to be pitting the servants of the 4th war against the servants of the 5th. Hopefully I can do it justice.

If there are any questions or concerns feel free to ask as I'll try to answer them.

So thank you for reading as I further extend my gratitude if you can review as well.