Chapter 17: Unknown From M.E.
For Assassin, the night had not been all that bad. With the Master of Berserker on her way with Sonic and his allies, Caster had him moved from the Temple Gate to patrol the inner workings of her territory, with instructions to pick off anyone he came across. As such, he made sure to walk very slowly. Eventually, he found himself in the company of two beautiful ladies- a pity their personalities were not even half as interesting as their outfits! -armed with hi-tech weapons, clearly from another dimension (Or at least, from the set of a Sentai program). However, despite attempts to act diplomatically, the Einzbern maids were determined to fight him. Thankfully, Assassin's own skills were enough to keep their attacks at bay. And as he ducked, dodged, blocked, and weaved around their blows, the wandering samurai continued to make small talk. He could have slain them both in less than ten blows, or just escaped with Presence Concealment, but neither option appealed to him.
"Perhaps we could go see a movie," Assassin said as he blocked and redirected a blow from Leysritt's giant axe, "I don't mind paying for two lovely ladies," He ducked and spun away from a wire-bird Sella created at him. "Of course, we won't be able to buy snacks…"
But as distracted he was by Sella and Leysritt, his senses were still sharp enough for his ears could pick up the sound of mocking laughter. Assassin broke away from the maids as the three of them turned to the source of the sarcastic revelry. It was a man, but his entire body was draped in the shadows.
"Simply adorable. You mere facsimiles acting so energetic," the man said. Somehow, only his piercing red eyes were visible in the dark. "Perhaps you could be of use to me."
There was a pregnant pause as Assassin and the maids took in this newcomer. It was plain to see that whoever he was, he was not someone who held good intentions. However, his presence had a pressure that told them that making overt movements would be akin to walking up to a sleeping lion and kicking it while singing very loudly.
Unfortunately, the decision was taken out of their hands when a swirling vortex of golden light appeared behind the man. It's light was enough to illuminate the intruder s features, revealing his golden hair and golden armor.
"…But, no, there are simply too many players in this game as there is." Gilgamesh decided. Behind him, a golden light appeared.
Caster's vision was stymied by a barrage of twinkling stars and fluttering birdies that seemed to orbit her head. She had trouble thinking as her ears buzzed with a loud throbbing. As she pulled herself up, she tried to recall how she ended up half-buried in rubble.
"I…I was talking to Souichirou-sama, and then…" The memory returned, along with increased throbbing. That horrible, little red thug! How dare he strike a woman! And in front of her husband-to-be! She gasped as realization hit almost as hard as Knuckle s fist had. "Souichirou-sama! If Knuckles dares to hurt him-!"
With barely a thought (That hurt, actually), she blew away the rocks and stone covering her. Caster floated a mere foot in the air, preparing to teleport back to her Master and show Knuckles a thing or too. Before she could, though, she saw that she wasn't alone.
&Break&
Shirou had been the closest to whatever had crashed into the maze, and Tails, thanks to his flying ability, had been quick to catch up with him. As the two approached the crash site, the question as to what it is was answered when her body flew up out of the rubble.
Caster happened to glance in their direction, and a nasty smile grew on her face. Both man and fox cringed.
"Well, well, well," She said with a slight lisp, "If it ithn't the former Mathter of... why do I thound diff'rent?"
"Your, um, your mouth..." Shirou began awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to approach the subject. In fact, he felt that fighting a hundred Berserkers would be preferable to what he had to say.
"What about it?"
Tails, who had ducked down, said, "Well, ah, it s kinda missing...a tooth."
"...What? Slowly, Caster reached up towards her mouth.
"Yeah, the one in front..."
The ear-splitting shriek bounced off of the walls, and seemed to echo into infinity. Caster seemed to forget about the boys in front of her as she underwent a meltdown over her disfiguration. Desperately, she cast some low-level Magecraft to fix the injury.
I know most women are self-conscious about their image, but that seems a bit excessive… Shirou thought as he blocked his ears as best he could. The screeching seemed to echo in his ear drums without fading.
Once she was done, Caster pulled out a hand mirror to check herself out. Much to her satisfaction, the spell had filled the gap quite nicely, and made her teeth shine. Thank God. I don t know what I d do if Souichirou-sama saw me like this-
That was as far as Caster's train of thought when something orange and fluffy crashed into her stomach with all the force of a cannonball. As the witch went flying back into the rubble, Tails landed on the ground and yelled to Shirou, "Quick, put the pendent on her!"
Shirou nodded, already running towards where Caster had landed. However, he wasn't fast enough, and Caster had teleported to behind the pair. The witch was clearly livid, as evidenced by the vein visible on her forehead.
"You little brats!" Caster snarled, and thrust her hands out at Tails. From her palms shot a stream of purple energy. Tails did a cartwheel to avoid it, and in that motion easily fitted the cannon onto his arm. Meanwhile, the stream of power completely vaporized the wall behind him.
"Let s see how you like it!" Tails shouted, and fired a bolt of yellow, crackling power from the cannon s barrel.
Caster made a face and teleported higher into the air. The shot from Tails struck a pillar, causing it to crack and break apart.
Although Shirou had lectured Rin earlier about the effectiveness of technological advancements, he couldn't deny that there was a certain gap in the level of power the two held.
I suppose even if modern science can outdo modern Magecraft, it still has a ways to go before it can meet stuff from the Age of the Gods, Shirou thought, holding out his hands. But we've come too far to give up now!
Shirou projected a bow and arrow, and took aim at Caster. With a thought, he forced a bit more Prana into the arrow, so that it began to glow from overdose. When he released the bow, the arrow seemed to become a stream of light as it rocketed towards the witch. Of course, Caster saw it coming, and dismissed the projectile with an admittedly unnecessary but impressive wave of her hand.
"O-hohoho, please, Shirou-kun," Caster chortled, "Your mediocre skills couldn't reach me even before I found the Emer-"
POW! That was the sound Tails foot made as he did an impressive roundhouse kick that collided with Caster's chin. For the briefest moment, it appeared that his namesake appendages had stopped moving and the rest of his body spun in the air. Caught off guard, Caster went into a downward plunge. Seeing a chance, Shirou Projected Bakuya and Kanshou and ran to where Caster was going to land.
If we can kill Caster here, then this will end instantly! The young mage thought. He liked his chances. According to Rin, a human beating a Servant was possible in certain circumstances. And from what he had learned about the various Servant classes, in terms of physical ability the Caster was the weakest. If he moved fast enough, he would be able to end Caster s life before she could react!
But just as he was close enough to land a decisive blow, Caster s body vanished instantaneously. The witch reappeared several feet away, swaying slightly on her feet. It looked as if all those blows to the head were having their effect.
"Would you stop doing that!?" Caster yelled furiously at Tails. She shot another series of beams at the fox, who weaved between the streams as he had been dodging lasers his entire life. And given what kind of advanced weaponry Dr. Eggman had at his disposal, Tails just may have been.
But Shirou knew he couldn't simply watch the spectacle. While Tails had his experience to keep him going, he was still a mortal creature fighting a Servant, and one whose legend was written during the Age of the Gods. As foolish as it was to charge head-long at Caster, Shirou needed to draw her attention from Tails, if only for a moment. Pulling back, he flung his swords at Caster. Seeing the attack out of the corner of her eye, Caster easily dodged the pair of swords by floating juuust out of the way, and they seem to fly off out of sight. As Caster turned her full attention onto Shirou, the young Mage had already Projected a second pair of swords, continuing his charge. As he did, he could sense the pull.
The true power of Kanshou and Bakuya lay in the bond they held- one sword will always return to the other- even if they were Projections. The pair of swords in the air sensed the presence of a second pair, and two halves began to fly back to their counterparts. And Caster's back was now in their flight path!
But it wasn't going to be that easy, apparently. Just before the swords in motion reached Caster, the witch spun about and dispelled the swords coming at from behind in an instant. Seeing an opportunity, Shirou Reinforced his arms and threw his remaining swords at Caster, and then Reinforced his legs to speed up. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Caster was already turning back around to dispell the second pair of swords-
POW!
-Which made her vulnerable to Tails slamming into her back, sending the witch flying forward. And just as she righted herself, Shirou struck Caster with a powerful clothesline, knocking her into the ground. But just as quickly as she landed, Caster teleported up high into the air, well out of both men s immediate grasp. Even with the distance, Shirou and Tails could see the blood in her eyes.
"Machia Hecatia Graea!"
The entire area became a downpour of light as deadly beams of Magecraft rained down. Realizing that there were too many to dodge, even for someone as fast as Tails, Shirou ran over to the fox and held up his arm.
"Rho Aias!"
The same mystical shield Archer created when Eggman s robot attacked his neighborhood appeared over Shirou s hand, becoming a phantasmal umbrella that protected them from Caster s attack. However, the sheer force of the beams shook the shield, and Shirou knew that it wouldn t be long before it broke. Under his knees, Tails fiddled with the arm cannon s wiring before pointing it up at Caster.
"Shirou, when I give the signal, undo your shield!" The sneaker-wearing fox said, "…Now!"
Shirou released the spell, although he didn't know why. But Tails sounded like he knew what he was doing, and he did have experience fighting witches. All he could do was have faith, and watch as a dozen beams of certain death converged on their location. But as they did, Tails fired his arm cannon. Instead of the solid bolt of power from before, the barrel released a stream of vibrating waves that almost looked like yellow circles. They struck Caster dead-on, but instead of knocking her out of the air, they wave-stream caused the witch to convulse erratically, and the Prana-beams she was firing ceased.
"I modified the cannon's particle-release function into a condensed disruptor field," Tails explained quickly, "It negatively affected the energy her body is made of and shorted out her spells. But it won't last long! Let's get her!"
Nodding, Shirou Projected a bow and arrow. Taking aim, he fired, but before it even reached her, the arrow suddenly looped around and flew back at the pair! Tails and Shirou darted aside to avoid being struck as the arrow impaled the rock floor.
Argh! This is ridiculous! Are we ever going to beat her!? Shirou thought, Maybe we're going about this the wrong way…
He glared up back at Caster, which is when he felt his entire body going numb. Much to his horror he realized that there was another presence inside of his being- one that was a short distance away.
Get him. Caster s voice echoed through his mind, and Shirou found himself moving.
"Shirou? What are you doing?" Tails asked worriedly as Shirou suddenly stepped between him and Caster. When Shirou lunged, Tails jumped into the air and began to fly just out of reach. Taking out the putting on his goggles, Tails did a quick scan of the human and saw that a great deal with Caster's Prana was now inside of Shirou s body. "Oh my gosh!"
"Two against one…" Caster mused in a mock-thoughtful tone, "It's so much fun when you're the one, is it?"
With that said, Caster unleashed another volley of beams at the pair. In spite of the overwhelming odds against it happening, none of the beams struck either of the boys, although Tails had to tackle Shirou out of the way of one stream that had been on a direct path to his neck.
I- I have to fight it… Shirou thought frantically as his body chased Tails all over the area. But he couldn't. Caster s hold was too strong.
Desperate, Shirou decided to focus all of his will on one foot. At the very least, he would be able to slow himself down if only minutely. It must have worked, as Shirou began to feel that foot begin to go numb and he began to lose his balance. As he did, Tails once again tackled into him. Shirou s arms moved to strangle the little fox, but as they did, Tails pressed something into his palm. As he did, Shirou actually felt Caster's hold weaken before it vanished completely. Feeling invigorated, Shirou tried to manipulate his Prana, only to find himself unable to do so. Looking into his hand, he saw that Tails had forced him to wear one of the Ring Pendants Rin made from Power Rings- the pendant shield him from Caster's spell, but also negated his own Magecraft as well.
"Wha- how did you do that?!" Caster shouted, upset. She put her glowing hands together, clearly intent on pouring more influence into Shirou.
Tails wasn't going to let that happen so easily. Tossing Shirou his arm cannon, he built up speed with a Spin Dash and launched himself at Caster. With her focus on Shirou, the witch had been caught off-guard and knocked off of her feet. Meanwhile, Shirou fired several rounds from the arm cannon, successfully hitting her in the legs, arms and left shoulder.
"Eyagh!" Caster shrieked in pain before losing her cool. "Enough!"
The wounds on her body began to heal, and her entire being seemed to glow. Scanning her, Tails saw the problem and shouted, "Shirou! She's using the Chaos Emerald to heal herself!"
Caster cackled victoriously, That's right, you little fools! As long as I have the Emerald to power my Magecraft, my powers will have no limit! All you're doing is drawing out the inevitable!"
Flying back to Shirou, Tails whispered, "Shirou, I have an idea. If we can cut off her Prana flow, we can beat her. It's risky, but I'll need your pendent to put on her."
"You'll never get close enough to do it, she'll just teleport away," Shirou whispered back, and an idea began to form in his mind. "We need to distract her…think you can hold out on your own for a minute?"
Tails nodded, and turned to face Caster. Spinning his tails, the fox charged at the witch, who responded with another slew of purple beams. While they danced around each other in battle, Shirou reached into his jacket. He felt the Thompson Contender. He had two Origin Bullets, but only one chance. He couldn't let anything go to waste.
After making sure that the pendant was securely fastened around his wrist, Shirou took off the arm cannon to load one of the Origin Bullets into the Contender. Once that was done, he checked the cannon's energy levels; If he turned the power to maximum, he had enough for one last shot. Turning the dial up, Shirou fitted the cannon back on and held the Contender in his other hand.
Meanwhile, Tails managed to land another hit into Caster's stomach, causing the witch to teleport away to another area.
"You can't keep this up forever!" Tails shouted at the witch, "You can brag about drawing the Emerald s power as much as you want, but our research shows that the Chaos energy damages the user s body in this dimension! Either we beat you or you burn yourself out- literally!"
Caster gave Tails an angry look, and waved her hand. The minute she did, a pair of large skeleton hands burst from the ground and nearly crushed Tails in their grip. Tails managed to jump out of the way, but before he landed back on the floor, more skeleton hands appeared! Tails flew into the air, but he immediately drifted back to the floor. Dragon Tooth Warriors surrounded him, but Tails Spin Dashed his way out. However, he was clearly panting.
Caster grinned evilly. "Oh, I don t think I m the only one feeling the burn."
FWOOM!
Caster howled in pain as the energy missile struck her directly in the chest. As she magically healed herself, the witch glared at where the beam had come from. At the end of her heated stare was Shirou, or more specifically, the gun barrel he pointed was pointing at her wound. Caster's lips began to move just as Shirou pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed throughout the chamber just as trio of Dragon Tooth Warriors burst from the ground and tackled Shirou. Caster did not bother to moving. As far as she was concerned, the pistol in Shirou's hand was just that, a gun. A mundane weapon built in, and to be used for, an era with only the bare-bones of Magecraft available. The body of a Servant, being composed of Prana, cannot be damaged by a mere bullet, even if that Servant belongs to the Caster-class.
But the ammunition of the Emiya Thompson Contender was no mere bullet. It was a counter for those who defended themselves with Magecraft. It was the destruction of Magecraft.
When the bullet hit her body, Caster's eyes widened. She unleashed a howl of pain that was cut short as her body fell to the floor. She curled up into a ball, shivering as she bled. As she did, the Dragon Tooth Warriors fell to pieces, clattering as they went. Seeing Caster beaten, Shirou ran up, but hesitated before he got too close. He wasn't sure if approaching the witch would be a good idea.
Tails clearly had no issues, flying up to Caster s prone form. He hovered around her, literally, before waving Shirou over. "She's out cold. Pass me your pendant." Shirou did so. As Tails tied it to Caster, making sure that it was pressing against the skin, he asked, "What the heck happened? You shot her- I thought Servants couldn't be hurt by weapons from this universe."
Shirou held out the Contender for Tails to see. "This gun is special- or at least, the bullets are. According to my father's notes, the shots are designed to destroy the target s ability to use Magecraft."
Tails looked down at Caster. "So, now she's…?"
Shirou nodded. "Yeah…a being created from Magecraft, now unable to use Magecraft. A total contradiction…"
With the battle over, exhaustion took them both. Tails and Shirou soon found themselves hitting down on floor as their legs went into what is known as Stand-by Mode.
"It was a long shot, really," Shirou admitted, "But I m glad it worked out."
Tails nodded, grinning. "That's one down, anyway. We're on the right track…!"
But for Shirou, there was still one thing to do. Holding out his hand, he Projected a copy of Rulebreaker into existence. He stabbed it as hard as he could into the witch.
Sonic leapt over a wall roughly Shirou s height that had been erected in the path, positioned there for no apparent reason that to irritate whoever would be navigating the treacherous labyrinth. Thanks to his momentum, the Hedgehog's airtime lasted for a solid 6.47 seconds. As he landed, curiosity nudged Sonic's brain and he looked back. On the other side of the bothersome barrier was a pit, and judging from the glinting from within, there were spikes at the bottom. Had a normal person tried jumping it, they might have found that instead of light, there were sharp points at the end of the tunnel.
Currently, Sonic was on his way to see what had rocketed into the maze with speed and impact of a meteorite. It was difficult to tell if he on the right track, with so many twists and turns, but so far Sonic hadn't seen any signs that was going in circles, so he felt optimistic about his path.
That optimism turned to concern (and mild irritation) as he heard the tale-tell whoosh of something flying through the air.
Towards him.
Sonic immediately hit the breaks, and then jumped high into the air. The ground he had been standing on exploded as if struck by a ballistic missile. While in mid-air, Sonic looked around for the source of the attack. He soon saw it, standing on one of the high walls a fair distance away. Even in the uneven light of the maze, Sonic could make out the red longboat and white hair.
Archer.
Sonic took off running again, and good thing, too, as Archer had fired another shot at him. Years of dodging projectiles with motion-tracking capabilities allowed Sonic to evade the attacks. It was just a matter of consistently and erratically altering his rate of speed, stopping and running at opportune moments, and jumping at just the right time. Although there were a few close-calls, Sonic was successful at avoiding...
Crash! "Ugh!"
Most of Archers attacks.
Rings rained the ground as Sonic groggily pulled himself up. Even with the protection of Power Rings, the shot hurt. Shaking him out of it, Sonic dove to snatched at least one Ring before they all vanished completely. As he rolled onto his feet, Sonic saw a line of three Rings floating in the air and quickly snagged them.
Why are there Rings outside of a Special Zone? He thought, Is Caster tossing around so much Chaos power that her lair is becoming a Special Zone?
Sonic wasn't able to think more on the subject, as Archer was shooting more swords at him. Once more on the run, Sonic realized that unless measures were taken, Archer would get bored with missing and change to a target that couldn t dodge at the speed of sound. Archer needed to go down, but Sonic doubted that he could reach the bowman from the maze in good time. He would have to make the Servant come to him.
Jumping over an explosion, Sonic yelled, "What's the matter, Archie? Too afraid to face me head-on? Worried I'll muss that pretty white hair?" Sliding under between the legs of a Dragon Tooth Warrior (Which exploded spectacularly), Sonic tried a new tack. "Or, do you know that If we did fight, I'd kick your sorry butt around the curb?"
And just like that, the onslaught stopped. Sonic looked over to where Archer had been. He wasn t there anymore. Still keeping a wary eye out, Sonic continued to run, but soon found Archer waiting for him in an wide area.
"Then Let s go," Archer said. His voice was soft, but there was a hardness to his tone. "Why don t we see which of us is the better hero?"
Archer held out his hands, and said, "I am the bone of my sword."
As the two swords appeared in his hands (Hmm, they looked kinda like the ones Shirou summoned) Sonic was already charging at Archer, completely at full throttle. Archer brought his twin blades ready, Kanshou to cut into Sonic, and Bayakuya to catch into the Hedgehog when he inevitably dodge. But before he was in striking distance, Sonic suddenly dug his heels into the ground. The ear-piercing screech of his soles grinding against the ground was nowhere as painful as the gravel and debris that was kicked up by the sudden reverse in inertia and flew into Archer s eyes. Blinded, Archer instinctively threw a sword into the cloud. When he didn't hear another cry of pain, Archer knew he missed and was already turning to intercept Sonic.
He's going around me! Archer thought, but to his initial confusion he didn't see the Hedgehog. The confusion didn t last long as he felt some sharp and spinning slam into his back. Argh! He kept going behind me even as I turned around!
Archer used his momentum to roll into a somersault, throwing his other sword back at Sonic. Sonic jumped into the air to avoid the attack, and at the apex of his ascent launched himself at Archer in a Homing Shot. Archer Projected Rhio Aias to block the assault, and Sonic's spinning body slammed into it harmlessly. As Sonic fell to the ground, Archer dispelled the shield and chopped down with his swords. Before they could connect, Sonic used a second Homing Shot to launch himself away from the Servant.
From around the corner, Illya watched as the two heroes traded blows and raced around each other. She had stumbled upon them while navigating the maze and trying to catch up with her maids. When she saw that Sonic was going to fight Archer, she had considered calling Berserker to help out. Sonic may have had his speed, as far as she could see, had spent every encounter with a Servant running away. As risky as it would have been pulling Berserker away from his skirmish with Saber, it was better in the long run to remove Tohsakah's treacherous former Servant from the War once the opportunity arose. Once Caster and Eggman were eliminated, they would all be enemies again.
But to her surprise, Sonic was not only matching the bowman, but seemed to be out doing him! Granted, Archer seemed to have the worst stats of any Servant in the War, even compared to Saber, bound to her half-trained stepbrother. But even with that, the bowman always seemed in control during every battle. Now, against Sonic, he wasn't.
For some reason, Illya had mixed feelings about that. She contemplated sending some wire constructs out to help Sonic- maybe distract Archer a bit and give the Hedgehog an opening to exploit -when she heard noises from behind. Whirling about, Illya found herself face to face with a pair of eyes that were painted on. And above them was a pointed noise that spun like a mining drill.
Illya instinctively let loose a burst of Prana that tore the Burrowbot to pieces. Out from the wreckage came a cute lil fox cub. A normal one, not anthropomorphic like Tails. Illya watched as it scampered away, and as such was completely caught off guard when a second robot, one built to resemble a bat, slammed into her head with the airspeed velocity of an unladden swallow. Suffering the second worst concussion since the War's beginning, Illya went down.
Meanwhile, Sonic and Archer continued their not-so-merry dance as they dueled. By that point Archer had gotten used to Sonic's methods and was beginning to adapt, forcing Sonic onto a more defensive battle-strategy. Archer ceased attempting close-minded combat and kept his distance, firing at Sonic his Projected swords.
"You seem to enjoy being a hero," Archer said, gritting his teeth. "I ve heard you telling Shirou about your glorious exploits."
"What can I say? I love living dangerously!" Sonic yelled as he zigged and zigged between shots. "And there's nothing wrong with helping people, am I right?"
Oh, hearing those words struck at Archer's core. They struck him more than witnessing his old foolishness in Shirou had. Because from Sonic, those words were more than a coping mechanism. A desperate justification. And it was a reminder of where those ideals have led him.
"And the fame and fortune it nets you must certainly help, doesn't it?" Archer was secretly surprised at the growl that accompanied this question. Was he losing control?
"Fame, yeah, but fortune..." Sonic cooked his head before jumping over a shot that destroyed the wall behind him. "Someone's making a fortune, but it ain't me."
Sonic couldn't help but notice that Archer was becoming predictable. Before, he would avoid an obvious pattern, sometimes targeting Sonic directly, and sometimes he would fire indiscriminately to shake up Sonic and lure him into a better sniping position. Now, though, Archer was just making direct assaults.
Maybe I can fool him... Sonic thought, and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and looked directly at Archer. He spread out his arms, the obvious No Funny Tricks Here pose. Currently, there was a clear path between the two of them. It was risky, but Sonic decided to run the gauntlet, dodging mystical bullets as they came head on.
But Archer didn't take the bait. Instead, he called out, "And what would you do, if that world you fought for, turned on you?" Was that bitterness in his voice? "If, even though you worked tirelessly to save lives, you were tried for a crime you didn't commit? If only so some twisted sense of justice could be fulfilled?"
To this, Sonic just put his hands behind the back of his head. "Same thing I did last time it happened," He grinned, "Launch the most daring jailbreak with the help of my friends!"
Sonic began to run. However, he didn't move. He remained in one place as his legs became a blur. If observed from the side, the hypothetical viewer would have noted that the motion made it look like Sonic's legs had been replaced an 8 on its side. Then, he shot forward in a burst of speed. As Sonic ran, Archer proceeded to shot more swords. But Sonic just swerved to avoid these attacks. Unlike his normal Spin Dash, the "Figure 8 Peel Out" allowed him to build up a charge without sacrificing visual contact. While he couldn t plow through certain obstacles unless he was curled up, being able to see and control your direction made up for it.
Seeing that Sonic would soon collide with him, Archer held out his hands to Project the Rhio Aias. But then his eyes widened. Instead, he fired a Projected sword. Sonic easily ducked under it, going into Spinball mode. He slammed into Archer's chest, knocking the bowman down. The two tumbled over each other, but once their momentum ceased, Sonic was standing on Archer, his right heel pressed firmly against the Servant s throat. All Sonic has to do stomp down and Archer would die.
But Sonic realized that Archer was not paying attention to him or his foot. His eyes seemed to be focused on something behind Sonic...
Feeling a bit apprehensive, Sonic turned his head. He could see a pile of scrap metal a short distance away, with a squirrel scampering off. And lying next to it was...
"Illya!" Sonic gasped, and took off towards the girl. Just as Archer was beginning to push himself up, Sonic was back by his side, and wrapped one of the pendants around his wrist. Then Sonic rushed to Illya s side. A quick inspection showed that, aside from the bump on her head, the little Master was unharmed. But something had destroyed the Badniks...
Sonic remembered the shot that missed and suddenly understood. Picking Illya up in his arms, he walked over to Archer, who was still sitting on the floor.
"You saved Illya," Sonic stated, "You saw that she was being carted off and destroyed her kidnapper. Why?"
Archer didn't say anything. Instead, he was looking at some kind of red jewel in his hand. It looked vaguely familiar to Sonic, but he couldn t recall where. Of course, that didn't matter right now.
With a sigh, Sonic reached over and took the pendent off of Archer. He was about to run off when Archer spoke up.
"I'll taker her."
Sonic looked up into Archer s eyes. The bowman was now standing over him, (a natural consequence of their difference in heights), but there was an near-emptiness in his eyes. Whatever fire and intensity they used to have was almost smothered. But it wasn't gone completely.
With a sigh, Sonic just took off. Whatever side Archer was supposed to be on, he wasn't in the right state to hold anyone, much less children. He called out over his shoulder, "If you wanna help, try using those eagle-eyes to find Knuckles! Who knows what he's gotten himself into!"
As they fought, Knuckles was forced to realize something; Kuzuki Souichirou was good. The man wasn t just a skilled fighter, but relentless and utterly hardcore. As strong as he was, it had been a while since Knuckles had fought with another serious martial artist. Furthermore, Kuzuki had the longer reach. Much to his frustration, Knuckles had found himself on the defensive. Even worse, Souichirou had what was probably the most annoying fighting style, one made specifically to target openings and cause sneak attacks.
Whack!
Knuckles grunted in pair as the school teacher's chop struck his neck. The blow had enough force to be fatal, but the Power Rings shielded Knuckles body from serious injury. Knuckles went down, but not out. As he scooped up the Rings before they vanished, Knuckles slammed his fist into Souichiro s ankle, and then followed up with an uppercut as the man fell. To his credit, Souichirou recovered quickly and was already sweeping his leg in response. Knuckles jumped away to avoid the kick and put his own dukes up in readiness. Souichirou had taken his own fighting pose.
An idea came to Knuckles, and he crouched down. Entering a Spin Dash, he built up speed and then charged at Souichirou. The Master, having anticipated this, was all to prepared and easily jumped aside. Knuckles sped past Souichirou in a rush of red, but instead of a crash, nothing followed. Souichirou turned around and behind saw empty air. Knuckles had thrown himself off of the edge!
He ran away? Souichirou thought, and stared into the expanse below, hoping to see a glimpse of anything red. He could see scuffles all around as the intruders and Caster s own army waged war, but no sigh of- Wait, what's that yellow-
Souichirou's thoughts were cut off when something rammed into his back. He felt two pairs of spikes dig into his body, and realized that somehow, Knuckles had gotten around and tackled him. This wouldn't have been so bad, except Souichirou had been standing on a ledge. As gravity proved to be a harsh mistress, the former assassin struggled to push Knuckles away from his body. Succeeding with a solid punch, Souichirou did an amazing series of flips as he righted himself in the air, somersaulting off of a tower and making a three-point landing on the floor. A quick examination of his surroundings told Souichirou that Knuckles was nowhere around. Which was odd.
Did he land in another part of the- Wait, what s that in the air? Souichirou squinted, wishing that Caster had put Reinforcement spells over his eyes as she had his hands.
Unbelievably, it was Knuckles! The Echidna was flying- or rather, falling with style- down at Souichirou with an expression that was too much like Sonic's.
The teacher readied himself to strike. From the looks of things, Knuckles was on a direct course for him. But as the Echidna got within hitting range, he curved and flew off to the left, narrowly missing the blow. Just as Souichirou turned his head to keep Knuckles in his vision, he felt a powerful kick to the side. Knuckles had rebounded off of a wall to attack Souichirou. As he recovered, Souichirou tried to nail Knuckles with an elbow jab, but Knuckles ducked under it (Easy to do with his height) and slammed Souichirou's chest with a jab of his own…only his had two spikes at the end.
Souichirou went flying, and just barely righted himself before landing. He felt his injured area and learned that as painful as that punch had been, the spikes on it hadn't pierced his flesh. Either Caster s enhancements had increased his durability more than they had thought, or Knuckles dulled his fists. But there was no time to think about it, as Knuckles was running up. Souichirou readied himself, but just as before, the minute Knuckles got within range, the Echidna would suddenly change course, this time jumping up into the air well above Souichirou s head. As the teacher looked up to keep Knuckles in sight, Knuckles suddenly swooped down, once more tackling the Master to the ground and slugging him in the jaw. Before he could do more, several of Caster's Dragon Tooth Warriors rose out of the ground and pulled Knuckles off. They didn't last long, but it was enough time for Souichirou to rethink his options,
I'm at a disadvantage, Souichirou realized as he wiped some blood from his chin, Not only is Knuckles starting to understand my style, but the larger area gives him more room to maneuver. Maybe I should summon Caster to help...
A clanking from behind interrupted Souichirou's thoughts. Turning his head, he saw what seemed like a gigantic, robot worm slink towards him from around a corner. It s body was made up of several spheres connected together in a line, with a rather cartoonish head in front. Upon seeing Souichiro, the Caterkiller reared up and prepared to attack. Not one to let an opportunity slip away, Souichiro thrust his palm forward. Upon contact, the head of the Badnik shattered in a small explosion. As a small rabbit hopped out from the wreckage, the other sections of the Caterkiller's body disconnected and sprang apart in multiple directions. One bounced off of a wall, and nearly struck Souichirou's shoulder.
Robots… Souichirou thought, Shirou's group must have left the door open and they walked right in. They must be looking for the Emerald.
Before Souichirou could mentally contact Caster and warn her, something small hit his back. It was a femur. Looking back, Souichirou saw a certain red figure charging at him, waving what used to be a spine and ribcage like a flag.
We're not done yet! He yelled, and curled up into a Spin Dash. He shot towards Souichirou with the speed and force of a cannonball. The Master prepared to counter, but before Knuckles had closed the gap halfway, the Echidna sprang into the air, leaping over Souichirou as a spinning ball. Souichirou whirled around to keep Knuckles in sight, but saw no one there. Knuckles had begun to glide, and was circling around in the air. But as soon as Knuckles was right above Souichirou, he dropped down and slammed his opponent into the stone floor. Souichirou tried to push Knuckles off, but the Echidna was relentless. Refusing to give his opponent a chance, Knuckles raised his fist, but before he could throw the punch, Souichirou landed a chop on his neck. Rings fell as Knuckles was knocked off of Souichirou's body and tumbled into a wall. Knuckles pulled himself up just in time to see Souichirou charging into him. Feeling a little dizzy, Knuckles felt around for something to steady himself. It felt like a metal ball. A flash of inspiration cleared his mind, and Knuckles flung the piece of Caterkiller at the approaching assassin. Souichirou easily dodged it, but that brief detour was all the delay Knuckles needed. Immediately after he had thrown the Badnik piece, Knuckles was already getting up and had begun climbing up the wall, leaving Souichirou to almost run into it. Caster's Master glared up at the Echidna, trying to determine what Knuckles was up to. As Knuckles went over the wall, Souichirou briefly considered chasing after him, but dismissed it. If Knuckles was going to run away, then it was not his problem.
I should contact Caster and see how she s doing- What s that?
Souichirou became aware that the wall he had almost run into- that Knuckles had climbed over- was starting to shake. His eyes widened as a crazy notion struck him, and he jumped back.
But not far enough, and not quickly enough. The wall came down in pieces, battering Souichirou and knocking him away. Knuckles stood proudly on the other side, fists up and wearing a "I Just Punched A Wall Down" smirk on his face. He had retreated to use the structure as a weapon!
As Souichirou pulled himself up, Knuckles was already in motion. The Echidna charged at the Master, rubbing his fists together at an incredible speed. Once close enough, Knuckles, once close enough, threw a punch which Souichirou managed to catch.
Bzzt!
Souichirou reeled back in pain as a jolt ran through his palm. Knuckles had built up a static charge in his gloves, enhancing the strength of the punch. Knuckles followed up with an uppercut that knocked Souichirou off of his feet. The Master tried to right himself in the air so he could land on his feet, but Knuckles had other plans. He grabbed Souichirou by the ankles and began to swing him around. Faster and faster, the Echidna spun around on his heels. Once he felt he had built up enough speed, Knuckles released his foe as he would in an Olympic Hammer Throw. Souichirou flew through the air, but managed to flip himself so that he landed feet first against another wall. As he landed back on the ground, Souichirou saw the Echidna charging at him and prepared to strike at his opponent. Of course, his stance was not as firm at it normally was, swaying a bit. He had been an assassin, and in that lifestyle, fights did not last long. This extended conflict was wearing him down.
This next exchange will end it, Souichirou decided in his mind, I 'l use two strikes- one to make him drop his Rings, and the second to end him.
As the distance closed, Souichirou saw that Knuckles was holding something in his hands- two more segments of Caterkiller's body. Knuckles leapt into the air and threw the pieces at Souichirou, one after another. The Master dodged them easily, and the robot parts crashed into the ground harmlessly. As Souichirou prepared himself to engage Knuckles, his mind was only partially aware of a gunshot in the distance, mostly covered up by the sound of the metal hitting the ground at the same time.
Knuckles landed back on the ground and was soon close enough. Souichirou shot his fist out and struck Knuckles right in his solar plexus.
Something cracked, but it wasn't Knuckles. The Echidna rubbed his chest in confusion, before glaring at his opponent. Souichirou fell to his knees, clutching his hands. Pain was coursing through his body, all coming from his wrists.
The runes…Caster's runes have undone themselves! Souichirou realized in horror. He quickly tried to telepathically call his Servant. Caster, are you all right?!
The reply was instantaneous, and apparently she was in as much pain as he was. He…he shot me! That little brat shot me! Bullets aren't supposed to hurt, but this& argh, it s like I m melting!
Souichirou didn't understand. Shot? Bullets? Modern weapons, or even mortal weapons in general, couldn't affect Servants. What was going on?!
Before Souichirou could figure out the mystery, rapid footsteps brought his mind back to the present.
POW!
…But not in time to avoid being slugged in the gut by Knuckles left jab. Souichirou buckled down, which brought his chin low enough to receive an uppercut from Knuckles. Souichirou went flying, but instead of flipping about so he could land on his feet, fell flat on his back. Knuckles prepared himself for the inevitable counterattack& but it never came. Souichirou just lied there. Curious, Knuckles stepped over and looked close. While they were still open, Souichirou s eyes, once sharp and full of fire, now appeared glazed and unfocused. He looked very much like a doll on a shelf& after the family dog had been chewing on it. Knuckles began to feel a little uncomfortable, so he reached into Souichirou s coat pocket and retrieved the man s glasses. Wonders never cease, the eyewear were undamaged by the fight. Knuckles reached over and gently pulled Souichirou s eyelids down, and then placed the glasses over the eyes.
With that battle apparently over, Knuckles leaned against a wall as he caught his breath. He took a moment to wipe his brow.
"Now, what next…?" He muttered in thought. A large crash in the distance caught his attention.
What next?
That question was also on Rin's mind, although the context may have been different. It was truly an irony. Out of all of the Masters in the alliance- And she was still a Master, even if her Servant deserted her, no matter what Illya said- she was the closest one to stealing Caster's Chaos Emerald. The problem was that she was also the closest to Saber and Berserker s duel! While the prudent thing would be to ignore the battle and try to get to the Emerald- Steal it, and Caster wouldn't be able to draw its energies anymore. But unfortunately, actually doing that would be problematic. As focused as she was fighting Berserker, Rin couldn't take the chance that Saber wouldn't notice anyone trying to get near the Chaos Emerald. Even with Reinforced legs, there was no way Rin could reach the Emerald before Saber intercepted (And such an act would result in being sliced in half- vertically) her.
But remaining put, hiding just out of sight, wasn't in the cards either. Even with the cacophony of Saber and Berserker fighting, Rin could hear noises from all over the maze- the rest of the group was fighting for their lives. There was no doubt that Caster herself wouldn't get involved as well. As long as she had the Chaos Emerald to bolster her spells, Caster would be almost untouchable.
Think, Rin. You can't get near the Emerald, but you can't leave it be. How can we change the situation for the better?
Rin Reinforced her eyes and did her best to scrutinize the place where the Emerald was. The jewel was floating on a pedestal, which had at least five different runes circles traced around it. These circles were arranged so that they formed a makeshift star. Rin could see the light emanating from the Emerald, and it was being pulled down into the runes. She surmised that this was Caster s method of drawing energy from the Emerald, while cutting down on the risk of damaging herself from the Emerald s potency. Mixing it with Fuyuki s normal leylines evened out some of the disruptive energies.
Of course, none of this matters if I can't get to it. Rin thought bitterly.
As Rin pondered the situation some more, outside forces were working to provoke a decision. As she glared at the glowing gem, Rin noticed that the ground around the runes were starting to crack and break apart. Then, several robots burst out from the floor! The Burrowbots surrounded the Emerald, each one intent on being the first to grab it.
Rin didn't even blink. She pointed and unleashed three Gandre, shattering the robots instantly. It was after the cute little birdy, squirrel, and piggie flew and scampered away from the wreckage that the full implications of what had happened sunk into Rin's mind.
Eggman's robots! How did they get into the maze!? Rin palmed her face in realization. Because we left the door open, duh.
Rin glanced back at the duel between Berserker and Saber. At that point, Saber had leapt onto Berserker's wrist and flipped over his head, slashing at his throat. Thankfully, Berserker was already immune to the Saber's sword, but the force of her slash actually made him pause. Immortal and invulnerable or not, being hit in the neck still hurt. However, that just made him angrier, and his response- while it missed the intended target- knocked down several walls like dominos.
Rin looked back to the Emerald, and sure enough, more robots were approaching it. She couldn't waste her remaining gems picking them off. It was time for desperate measures. Taking the pendant she had, Rin opened the jewel and took the Power Ring out. As risky as it was, she would have to gamble on the Ring s physical protection keeping her alive when Saber inevitably intercepted her.
I am the Master of the Tohsaka Clan, Rin told herself, preparing to sprint. For a chance to obtain the Holy Grail, I would gladly give my life.
Reinforcing her legs, Rin burst into a run. She did not bother looking to see if Saber had noticed her. All she could do was focus on the Emerald. If she could remove Caster's source of power, that might be the deciding factor.
Unsurprisingly, the minute Rin crossed threshold and entered the area where the Emerald was, Saber broke away from her fight with Berserker, kicking him in the neck for good measure. Rather than unleash a flying slash that could potentially strike gem- even the weakest force might break the Emerald, and who knew what that might result in- she charged at Rin in order to deliver a drop kick that could not just break bones, but also rupture the organs so badly that the force would cause them to explode from out the other side of the body.
Thankfully, this terminal effect was blocked, thanks to the Power Ring. Instead of becoming several pieces of a bloody corpse, Rin simply went flying. It still hurt, of course, but compared to the burning sensation of trying to channel a Chaos Emerald's energy, it was...comparably less so.
As a golden loop fell to the ground and faded away, Rin rocketed away. By a smallest of chances, he trajectory was directly in line with the Emerald. Rin crashed into jewel, pulling it out of its rune-circle. And by Reinforcing her body, she was able to shatter the other robots as well. Still hurt, and more bruised than she wanted to be, Rin nonetheless managed to catch herself land on her feet. Shivering from the experience (And pain) Rin held up her prize to get a better look at it. It was a beautiful piece of work, expertly cut as if made by the (other) world s best jeweler. It was precisely the same shape as the yellow Emerald Shirou had found.
"R...Rin?"
Saber s voice brought Rin out of her stupor. The lady knight had a tired look in her eyes, to go with the rest of her body. Although she still held her sword, she seemed to be struggle just to hold it. Either Caster had been neutralized, or taking the Emerald out of its place, thereby cutting off the power, had woken Saber up. Her armor gown dissolved, leaving Saber in a white two piece.
"What happened?" Saber asked, looking around cautiously.
Rin was about to bring Saber up to speed when a furious bellow interrupted here. Directly behind Saber, with his stone sword raised to cause serious harm. Saber whirled around and just barely dodged being cut in twain by ancient Greek anger. The force propelled her towards Rin, and it was a testament to her grace and skill that she only tumbled once before rolling into a lurching run.
Rin realized that something had happened to Illya if she wasn't restraining her pet monster. Or the little demon child was pulling a double cross. Both were possible, really. Rin activated her communicator, entering the party line.
"If anyone s close to Illya, get her to stop Berserker!" She shouted, "Saber's back to herself, but she's going to die if we don't do something!"
There was a babble of voices on the other end, before Sonic s reply came in clear.
"Comin at ya."
That was not the tactical assistance Rin wanted to hear. Especially since Berserker was still on Saber s tail, Saber was still hindered by her exhaustion, and Saber...was running towards Rin!
Rin knew she had to act. She Reinforced her legs and charged at Saber. When they met, both girls dove to the side, just in time to avoid being obliterated as he charged. They were lucky, but the luck wasn t going to last. Already Berserker had crashed into a wall, and preparing for another charge.
"Rin, let's go..." Saber gasped, "Shirou will be upset if I let you die..."
The Tohsaka Mage was aghast. Saber was winded, on the verge of either passing out or fading away (The latter, most likely), and her first instinct was trying to help Rin get away. If anything, Rin needed to do the saving.
But Rin had nothing that could stop Berserker. And Saber was in no shape to help. They were going to die, unless a miracle happened.
And then it did.
Something fast, something sudden, something blue zipped in from the entrance of the area. It put itself between the girls and Berserker, causing a slight screech. The minute it did, Berserker came to a stop so sudden that he tore a large gash in the floor from the force. When the dust cleared, Berserker was frozen in a mid-swing, his stone sword raised, but on its way down. Eyes burning red glared down at the obstacle that appeared between them.
It was Sonic. And in his arms was Illya, who only now seemed to be waking up. There was a lump on her forehead.
Illya groaned, pulling herself out of Sonic s grip. "Wha...what happened? Berserker? Why is it always the head..."
With the presence of his Master, Berserker calmed- (No, not calm. He could never be calm)- or rather, ceased to be overtly menacing. He reached down and took Illya from Sonic, letting her sit on his shoulder.
With that task complete, Sonic turned and gave the two girls a cheeky grin. "So, how's it goin' on your end?"
It didn't take long for everyone to get back together. With Caster beaten, her Mage Circuits horribly splintered, her Dragon Tooth Warriors became naught but piles of bones, scattered every which way. They reunited in the center, like Sonic had said. Tails and Shirou had come next, the young Mage carrying Caster over his shoulders. And finally, Knuckles appeared, dragging Kazuki s unconscious body by the collar of his shirt. Both of the defeated enemies were laid down next to each other.
For Shirou, reuniting with Saber was a dream and a great relief. He was so glad to see her that he almost didn t notice the clothes she borrowed from Rin had been replaced by something a bit more revealing. Almost. And Sonic's wisecracking didn t help.
"Saber!" Sonic wagged a finger in mock disapproval. "What are you wearing, young lady?"
The Servant went "Eep!" and crossed her arms in humiliation. Being exhausted from her ordeal, Saber couldn t materialize her typical armor to cover herself up. His cheeks feeling warm from the lovely sight, Shirou, somewhat regrettably, gave up his own coat for Saber to wear.
"It's good to have you back, Saber." Shirou whispered.
There was a pink hue to her cheeks as Saber replied, just as quietly, "It's good to be back, Shirou."
The reunion between Rin and Archer wasn't nearly as heartwarming, and twice as tense. While Sonic explaining how Archer saved Illya from the Badniks helped ease some of the tension, Rin's facial expression seemed locked into a frown, glare, and raised eyebrow. After remaining silent, since Archer s arrival, she finally spoke.
"So," Her voice sounded very much an axe being sharpened. "What makes you think you can just come crawling back here?"
Archer hadn't been expecting that. He figured Rin would at least want an explanation on why he defected in the first place. But there was always a chance she already knew why he left, if only briefly. In any case, he already had the answer to her question.
"Because the Holy War isn t over yet." The white-haired Servant said. Rin nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer.
"But why did you go?" Tails asked, still a bit worried. "What did you want bad enough to join Caster?"
Archer looked over to where Shirou and Saber were. "A new perspective..."
Tails ear twitched, but he didn t comment. Instead, he went over where Sonic and Knuckles were going through the traditional past time of razing each other.
"...And don t tell me," Sonic said, shaking his head and grinning. "She said we were the bad guys, didn't she?"
Knuckles looked away, grumbling under his throat. This was a common joke, bringing up the times Eggman fast talked Knuckles into attacking Sonic. While Sonic didn't hold a grudge over the incidents, he certainly wasn t going to let Knuckles forget about them either.
Eventually, the subject of the Caster team came up. The assembled heroes looked over the defeated couple, unsure of what to do. While Caster was still unconscious, Kazuki had woken up. While the teacher had always been somewhat intimidating, he looked positively menacing without his glasses. He glared at them, as if daring someone to come closer.
"So, uh, what do we do now?" Tails asked awkwardly, "I mean, we ve beaten them, but…"
"We have to kill Caster," Rin said firmly, "She s the Servant who s been draining people unconscious."
"But what about Kuzuki-sensei?" Shirou asked, looking down at his teacher.
"We re killing him, too," Illya said matter-of-factly, "It's too dangerous to let him live."
"Whoa, hold on," Sonic said, holding up his hand. I thought this guy was just an average Joe with a magic girlfriend. Why do we need to get terminal?"
"Because he's a Master," Saber said "As long he has Command Seals, he could reestablish a contract with an existing Servant and resume fighting in the War."
"How's that again?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought Servants needed Master's to stay around. Where could he find a Masterless Servant?"
"Some Servants have enough Prana to last on their own, at least for a short while," Illya explained, "And even if there wasn't, another Master could steal his Command Seals for their own use."
"And Kirie's gone, so he can't go to the church for protection…" Shirou muttered, walking over to get a better look at Caster's Master.
"So, why don't we just have him give up his Seals to you three?" Tails suggested, "I think he has enough."
"That could work," Rin conceded. In truth, she didn't want to spill blood anymore than Shirou or the off-worlders did. "We can alter his memories, make him forget about Caster or the War…"
"I will do no such thing." Kazuki's voice broke into the conversation. Everyone looked to him. "I have no intention of bartering with children for my life. Do what you will."
Sonic's quills went rigid from the hardness in the teacher's voice. "Seriously? We're trying to find an excuse to keep you alive, and you don't even care?"
Souichirou looked up at the ceiling of the cavern. "I have been dead for years. I've only found a reason to live very recently."
"You mean the Grail?" Sonic asked.
If Kuzuki was going to answer, no one would hear it. There came a whistling noise and a rush of wind, when something fast and gold struck the prisoners dead on. The group stared in horror as the bodies went flying through the air. The attack came out of nowhere, and was so fast that even Sonic was stunned. But for two, it brought memories from the past and future, and they turned around to find the culprit.
That attack… Saber thought.
He's making a move already!? Archer thought.
"Eggman?!" Tails gasped.
"No way, that was too fast for one of his missiles!" Knuckles yelled, he's eyes full of fire.
The walls of the labyrinth collapsed, blown to pieces by an unseen power. As they crumbled, a figure could be seen walking- no, striding- towards them.
"I apologize for interrupting, but you were taking for too long for my tastes," He said, "The outcome had already been decided, so why prolong the inevitable?"
Golden hair that stood up in spikes. Red eyes that pierced everything. Armor that was clearly of the finest quality. And a bearing that was not just regal, but had an aura that made him appear larger than life.
Saber's eyes shook at the sight of the intruder. "Archer!"
Everyone else looked at Archer instinctively, then back to the visitor. Only Archer- the man they knew as Archer- had any indication as to what was going on. And who was approaching them.
History's repeating itself, but in the wrong order! Archer thought, Dammit! It's too soon to fight him! We're all worn out and need to retreat…but Gilgamesh is between us and the only way out.
Once he was close enough, the blond man grinned. "Yo, Saber. It's been too long since we've seen each other. About…ten years ago, wasn't it?"
"How…how are you still alive?" Saber asked, dumbstruck.
Ten years ago… The answer struck Shirou instantly. If Saber knew this man from ten years ago…is he a Servant from the previous War?
The other Archer chuckled. "I suppose it must be a bit overwhelming to be in my presence again. I should have waited until it was just you and I again, as it had been before. But with so many interlopers, I couldn't help but…" He reached behind his back. "…clear out the garbage."
He tossed to objects in front of the group. The sight of them filled everyone else's hearts with dread and sickened their stomachs.
It was Stella and Leysritt. Or rather, their heads.
Archer-2 shook his head. "I was…mildly impressed with the accessories you gave them, but… all you did was dress up some dolls."
What was worse was that the second Archer did not sound cruel. His voice had a smidgeon of callousness, but it carried the same tone of one mocking another form's in ballet. As if their lives didn't matter.
"You scumbag…" Knuckles growled, balling his fists. But before he could go over
"I don't know who you are, but you've made a big mistake!" Illya shouted. Only the smallest of tears at her eyes betrayed her true emotions. "They may have been failures, but they were mine! Berserker!"
With a roar, the demigod surged forward. His rage amplified by his Master's, the corrupted form of Herakles ran at the other Archer, shaking the cavern with each step. Yet, even with a muscular Armageddon bearing down on him, the intruder did not appear bothered. A glowing light appeared behind him, and a projectile shot out at Berserker. As usual, the mad Servant did not charge his path. However, he did swing his sword to deflect the attack. The Masters realized that if Berserker, a Servant whose most celibrated attribute was resiliance, chose to defend...what kind of being was he fighting?
They got their answer when a second bolt shot out from the light behind Archer-2, piercing Berserker's shoulder. As the demigod stumbled, a third beam shot out and impaled Berserker in the chest. That's when everyone saw what the attack was.
It was a sword. A demonic, evil-looking sword, with red patterns on the blade that resembled bloodstains, and a thorny ball on the hilt. Shirou recognized it as Dainsleif, from the Nibelungen. The sword disintergrated, and a stream of golden chains appeared. They wrapped around Berserker, holding him up in the air. The mad Servant found himself being held up, every limb bound by the glowing links.
"Truly, such a crude Servant," The golden man sighed, "I would have liked to meet Herakles in his proper mind, too."
Berserker yelled in fury, and shook against his bindings. A creaking noise filled the air, as if an oil tanker was coming aground.
The second Archer cocked his head thoughtfully. "So, even in this state, you can overcome Enkidu. Luckily, I have more than enough weapons in my treasury that can end this fast enough..."
"Oh, this'll be over quick, all right!"
Everyone had been so awestruck at seeing Berserker at a clear disadvantage that no one had paid any attention to Sonic and company. The minute Berserker had been ensnared by the other Archer's chains, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles had gone into Spin Dashes. Three balls of spinning fur slammed into Archer-2, knocking him down to his knees. Tails then fly into the air, and Sonic jumped up to grab his hand. While Tails took Sonic higher into the air, Knuckles got up and rushed Archer-2 and delivered an uppercut that knocked the man off his feet. Before he could fall, however, Tails swung Sonic around and threw him as hard as he could. Sonic shot downwards, and slammed his feet onto the golden man's face. There was a loud crack as the second Archer's head crashed into the ground, pushed down by Sonic's force. The impact was enough to shake the floor slightly, and the possibly concussion loosened the chains, allowing Berserker to fall free.
Sonic opened his mouth to deliver an undoubtably clever quip, but Saber interrupted him. "Sonic! Get away from him, now!"
Sonic turned to address her. "Why?"
He got his answer when the second Archer stood up so quickly that Sonic was catapulted off. Whatever passive manner the stranger had was now gone. His red eyes were now full of bloodlust.
"You…mongrels! How dare you assault me in such a manner!?" Archer-2 spat something out. "And when was the last time you wiped your feet!?"
Two portals opened up, and two weapons shot out and struck Sonic and Knuckles, knocking them down and scattering their Rings. The golden man glared upwards, his vision focused on the flying Fox. Another portal opened behind him, and from it fired another sacred weapon. Before it could hit Tails, Archer fired his own sword to intersect. The impact of both weapons meeting caused a small explosion that blasted Tails down, and causing his to drop his Rings on the way down. Shirou dove and caught Tails with his body. Sonic zipped over and helped both up.
"Uh, I think we may have picked a bad fight." Tails commented awkwardly.
"No kidding." Knuckles grunted.
"It could be worse guys," Sonic said, "It's not like he can shoot more of those things at…once…"
Sonic found himself eating his own words as multiple portals began to open behind their opponent. And coming out were dozens of high-end swords, spears and other weapons. And each one gave off an impossibly strong aura, very much like Saber's Excaliber.
"…Y'know, one of these days, I'm gonna shut my stinkin' mouth." Sonic decided.
"I will permit you a few seconds to look back on your lives, mongrels," Archer-2 said severely, "But for the crime of humiliating me in front of my chosen wife, those few seconds will be filled with unbearable torment!"
However, Sonic clearly had other ideas. He yelled, "Everyone! Get on Berserker! We're leaving!"
Archer-2 raised an eyebrow. "Are you hoping that oaf can shield you? I have more than enough A-rank treasures to cut through his remaining lives." When no one replied to him, his expression darkened even more.
Once everyone had piled onto the demigod, Sonic waved to Rin. "Gimme the Chaos Emerald! Now!"
Confused, Rin tossed the gem to Sonic. Catching the red Emerald, the Hedgehog closed his eyes and held the jewel up. Sparks of energy began to appear around his hand, and the light within the Emerald flickered. By this point the weapons the second Archer were already in flight. Death was almost assuredly certain.
Almost...but not quite.
"Chaos Control!"
There was an explosion of light and sound, a ripping noise that felt very much like the kind heard several days ago. It was so great that the backlash knocked the sacred arms back, causing them to land haphazardly every which-way. Once the light faded, none of the 'mongrels' could be seen. They had all but vanished.
Gilgamesh was stunned to see this. He looked around the cavern, hoping to see a glimpse of his intended victims. "How did they...no! They teleported?! None of them should have that power...!" He remembered the reaction that happened when Sonic held the Emerald, and sucked air between his teeth. "I hate that Hedgehog!"
A pitiful moan reached his ears. Turning, Gilgamesh saw that the Master of Caster had escaped his bonds, and was trying to carry his Servant away. Still angry and full a pressing desire to kill something, Gilgamesh began to stomp towards the pair...
Outside the Ryuudou Mountain, Assassin- beaten, cut, exhausted, but alive- staggered towards the Temple's stairway. If it wasn't for his skill with the sword, he would have been killed by the golden intruder's sheer might, just as the costumed maids were. Assassin hadn't had time to truly mourn their deaths, as he had been fighting tooth and nail to avoid following them. In fact, he suspected that the only reason he had survived at all was due to their attacker losing interest and moving on.
I hope Saber's friends can escape as well... Assassin thought.
The samurai wondered what he should do. Caster was either dead or dying, and Assassin used up any Power Rings Caster gave him while fighting the blond man. He had virtually no Mana left. His time on Earth was running out.
At the very least...I can vanish beneath the night sky, Assassin decided, The stars are beautiful tonight...
As he moved, Assassin felt a slight pain on his hand. He looked, and saw an odd bug of sorts had landed on it. It must have bitten him. It didn't look like any bug he could recognize. In fact, it looked very much like a...
Assassin felt a very dark presence enter his body. A foul soul had become joined with his, and the samurai felt the urge to retch. More bugs suddenly appeared, flying around him. They began to gather directly ahead of him, and melted together, taking the shape of an hunched-over, shriveled old mummy of a man.
"I would rather have had Hassan-i-Sabbah, but I should be used to working with disappointments," The geezer groaned, stabbing the ground with his walking stick. "At least I can ensure complete obedience from you, False Assassin."
Assassin's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
Matou Zouken held up his hand, and a sigil that look vaguely like a serpent eating its own tail appeared on the back. "You may refer to me as 'Master.' And my first Command is for you to Obey..."
Assassin realized that the stars would have to wait...
At the Emiya Estate, all was still. It was the quietest it had ever been since the day Irisviel Einzbern entered the house to exclaim with glee at the traditional Japanese structure. Not even the death of the Mage Killer had provoked such a void in sound.
And so, naturally, the first noise heard was one of the loudest ever- to start with. While it began with a low hum, there came a crackle, an electric sound that vibrated the air. It was followed by a flash of light, as several bodies tumbled out of the air. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, we'll experienced with the world-bending power of Chaos Control, landed on their feet, although they wobbled a bit, trying to steady themselves. Everyone else, however, landed on their faces. Berserker's fall in particular caused the ground to tremble.
"What… what happened?!" Rin gasped, sitting up. "We're...we're back! But...the Emerald!"
"Right here." Sonic said, casually tossing the jewel up in down.
Knuckles sighed, rubbing his head. "Geez, I forgot what that feels like..."
Shirou looked around. His senses were...jumbled, that was the word. They were calming down, but the whole sensation felt like having his funny bone struck, only a hundred times over.
"Is...is this how you entered our world?" Saber asked, pulling Shirou's coat around her further.
Tails nodded. "Yup! But we need all seven Emeralds to jump between worlds, though."
Saber sighed, standing up. She walked over to the steps of the house and sat down, staring up at the sky. Shirou joined her.
"Welcome back, Saber." Shirou said.
Saber smiled, and leaned against his shoulder. "It's good to be back, Shirou."
Giving Shirou a quick thumbs-up, Knuckles turned to Sonic and Tails.
"So," He began, "Have you guys seen Amy?"
To Be Continued
Einzbern Consultation Room
(Iris and Taiga are playing Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed on Wii U)
Irisviel: This racing game is nice, but I miss having a real car to drive.
Taiga: Ahhh, shishou, I hear someone coming.
Irisviel: Oh, good, that must be our next guest. (Shuts game off) Welcome to the Einzbern Consultation Room, Servant Caster Medea!
Caster: Mmm, hello.
Irisviel: Now, Caster, do you have any regrets that need to be addressed before you pass on?
Caster: Well-
Taiga: Of course she does! This poor woman was murdered right on the eve of her wedding! That's another tragedy for a million regrets!
Irisviel: Zecchan! (Hits her with a paper fan) I see becoming an adult hasn't improved your manners.
Caster: ...But she's right. All I've ever wanted was true love, and when I had a chance to make it real... I can only hope that Souichirou-sama was able to escape.
Irisviel: Oh, he was killed, too.
Caster & Taiga: Whhhhaaatt!?
Taiga: Hey! You shouldn't criticize someone's manners and then make such thoughtles comments, shishou!
Irisviel: Well, telling bad news is like taking off a bandaid...you just need to get it over with!
Taiga: How did someone like you get married...?
Caster: Sou- Souichirou-sama... (Begins to cry)
Irisviel: Oh dear, now she's crying. She'll never pass on at this rate.
Taiga: Let's hold a wake! For Kuzuki-Sensei! He was a fellow instructor at the school I work at, and even though he was really stone-faced, difficult to approach, and generally foreboding, he still worked hard for his students!
Caster: That sounds a bit mean to say about someone who died...
Irisviel: Say, Medea, how did you and Souichirou meet? Were you randomly selected to be bound to him by the Holy Grail?
Caster: No, I was summoned by a different Master. He was a traditional Mage of the current era.
Taiga: You mean, a total scumbag?
Caster: Yes, he was completely unworthy to command me, so I killed him. Unfortunately, without a Master, I could only linger in the physical world for a short time...which was when Souichirou-sama found me, and we formed a new contract. But since he wasn't a proper mage, I had to compensate by stealing Mana from the people of the city. Whenever I felt bad about it, I assured myself that it was to remain by Souichirou-sama's side...
Irisviel: Your motives may have been pure, but your actions were still deplorable. In the end, you were planning to end the entire city just to land a husband.
Caster: Awk!
Taiga: Ah! I have a question! Although multiple Badniks entered your lair, how come only a few found the Chaos Emerald?
Caster: Oh, those machines...I'm not a mechanic, so I can't answer that question. In fact, I find the idea of technology and Magecraft being remotely compatible a total contradiction.
Irisviel: It was probably because you filled your entire stronghold with the Emerald's energy. Their sensors were confused by the widespread power. For example, if you took a compass to the North Pole, or just a room full of strong magnets, the needle would spin around trying to latch onto the largest magnetic field.
Taiga: Oh! Just like Sella being too annoyed by Sonic to be annoyed by Shirou!
Irisviel: Something like that.
Caster: I have my own question. That shock move Knuckles used on Souichirou-sama...was that just static electric? I feel that there was more to it.
Taiga: In Sonic Adventure 2, they had sure-kill techniques, maybe it was one of those?
Irisviel: Oh, possibly. But I doubt they'll be a big thing. Do you feel better, Caster?
Caster: A bit... No, actually. Whatever happens, Souichirou-sama is still dead.
Taiga: Yeah, but...you are too, remember?
Irisviel: Zecchan's right, Medea. Whatever happiness you couldn't find in life, you can surely find death. Go to him.
Caster: He's...he's there? On the other side? ...Souichirou-sama!
Taiga: Ah, a woman in love in both a wonderful and tragic thing to behold...
Irisviel: Yes, but the true tragedy has yet to begin.
Taiga: Shishou!?
Irisviel: That's all the time we have today, children. See you again soon!