Chapter 23: Nowhere to Run
I'm…not done…yet…
Those were the thoughts that repeated through the mind of Avenger. The Shadow. Angra Maiyu. It was a mantra that kept his focus, a will that held his body together. It echoed in his heart as he dragged himself away from the sacred mountain.
When Sonic stabbed his body part with the Rule Breaker, it didn't just sever his connection with the Chaos Emerald, but also his bond to Sakura's soul. Combined with the damage he suffered when Zouken's Mana exploded and the blows from Sonic's attacks, Avenger was in terrible shape. His body seemed to be partially melting, held together only in the faintest sense.
A Master…I need a Master… Avenger thought, pushing himself forward. If…if I can find a living soul to form a contract with…
Avenger could sense life energy from the city. But the souls there were faint, mere specks of spirituality. They would only sustain him for a single day each before dying of Mana deprivation. Still, it was better than nothing…
Avenger was so fixated on the path ahead of him that paid no mind to the stomping sound fast approaching. But his hunger was such that the life force nearing became his new target. Before he could act on it, a great metal capsule suddenly appeared and scooped Avenger up, sealing him in an airtight lock. Only a single, round window gave a hint as to what was inside it. It was attached to a long steel tentacle, which was connected to the Egg Walker manned by Dr. Eggman.
"My, what a strange creature you are," Eggman commented, looking at his quarry. "I wonder what tricks you can do."
Lancer would have been at Ryuudou sooner, but the explosion from the Matou Manor distracted him. Granted, the entire War so far had been nothing but distractions. Between Eggman's robots lurking around everywhere, the strange creatures, not to mention Sonic and his friends stirring things up, it was almost impossible to focus on the Holy Grail War. The only solace in this whole mess was that it caused Kirei even more ulcer's than it did him. That, and whatever turned the Matou property into a smoking crater also did in the aged patriarch of the Matou clan.
By the time Lancer got to the mountain, the entire place, the temple and surrounding grounds, was swarming with soldiers and other workers. Men with high-tech devices like geiger counters mulled about. He recalled a large operation going of a similar nature near the Einzbern Castle after Eggman attacked it, and wondered if the mad doctor was involved in Ryuudou as well.
I wonder if Saber's group or Sonic was here, too, Lancer thought, looking on. Of course, they've probably already flown the coop. Not like either of them could got caught by the government…
When the darkness gave way to the light, Sakura was staring up at a ceiling. Her vision was a still a little hazy, but it was definitely a ceiling. Not a particularly interesting one, either. Just the same kind youfind in any public building.
Why does heaven have florescent lighting? Sakura thought blearily. As her head began to clear, she realized that she was lying in a bed. As she began to take stock in her surroundings, she realized that she was in a hospital room. A faint breathing caught her ears, and looking at the source, Sakura gave a slight gasp that made her chest hurt. Sleeping in a chair on one side of her bed was none other than Rin!
"Are you all right?"
Sakura looked to her other side. Sitting in yet another chair was Saber. The Servant was dressed in her casual wear, but her posture was erect. It was like looking at a statue. However, Saber's eyes were steady, but focused. Her gaze was pointed directly at Sakura, almost staring into your soul.
"What…happened?" Sakura asked.
"We destroyed Avenger and his creations," Saber said, "He is no longer bound to your soul."
"Oh…good…" Sakura had no idea how to react. It sounded so wonderful to hear, but she knew from experience that her life was never that good. But there was still so much she didn't know. She could barely remember what had happened after passing out in Ryuudou. And the time between that and her breakdown at the Tohsaka mansion was admittedly hazy. Sakura's eyes drifted towards Rin's sleeping form.
"Y'know, I think we've had the wrong idea about Big Sis," A voice piped up. Sonic poked his head at the foot of Sakura's bed. "She talks tough, but, you shoulda seen her when we brought her in here. Wouldn't leave your side for a second!"
Sakura found this amazing to hear. Rin certainly hadn't cared when she was given to the Matous. Had the Tohsaka heiress grown a heart? Or more likely, a cynical part of her whispered in the darkness of her mind, she needs to make sure you won't produce more monsters like Avenger.
"I'm going to call the doctor." Saber said, standing up. "He told us to alert someone once you woke up."
"And I guess that's my cue to leave." Sonic said, standing up to stretch. "Wouldn't want to answer any awkward questions."
He zipped over to a window and pushed open the curtains. Bright sunlight filled the room. Sonic opened the window and took a moment to inhale the fresh air. Sonic then tossed something onto Sakura's lap. It was a book.
"I picked that up from your house," Sonic explained, "Not a very complex story, but I think you'll like the pictures."
And with that, Sonic jumped out the window. Confused, Sakura looked at the book. It looked vaguely familiar, but her eyes focused on the title; Sakura. Her hands feeling a bit steadier, Sakura opened the book and looked at its contents.
It was her. Or rather, it was the old her. The pictures depicted a happy girl, completely unaware that one day she would traded away like an extra baseball card. She remembered each moment, a life that ended when she was first sent down to the worm pits.
That's when Sakura realized. For the first time in as many years, she could not feel Zouken's presence. The crest worms he used to control and keep tabs on her were gone. Was that why she hurt? Had they been removed somehow? Through surgery, as impossible as it seemed? As Sakura reached into her clothes to see if she feel any sign of sutures, a faint groaning reached her ears.
"-at time is…" Rin rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up. Once she became aware of the two people in the room, she instantly sat up, just as rigid as Saber had been- With the reddened cheeks as a difference. Rin's eyes drifted to the album in Sakura's hands, and the reddening increased in size.
"I'll be right back," Saber said, leaving the room. "I need to call Shirou and tell him what has happened."
Once the door closed, Rin and Sakura stared at each other. An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Finally, Rin spoke.
"I…I suppose you want to know how we got here from the mountain…" She said, awkwardly averting her eyes. "Well…"
Everyone stared at the large squad that was waiting outside the entrance to Caster's lair inside the mountain.
"Why are there people out here?" Shirou whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Didn't someone set up a Boundary Field?"
"We did," Bazett hissed, "Even if Eggman's robots came, these normal soldiers shouldn't be here!"
"Those aren't soldiers, they're robots," Illya muttered, her eyes narrowing. "I can't sense any Mana from them. That's why they got through the Boundary Field, just like the Badniks."
It was Sonic who broke the stalemate. Stepping forward, he said, "Hey! I don't suppose someone brought an ambulance along? We've got a medical emergency here!"
One drone hovered up and examined Sakura. After a moment, a gap appeared in the wall of robots and stepped forward. Topaz' voice came over the speakers again.
"Come this way. We'll have transport to the nearest available clinic ready. The rest of you though, need to answer some questions."
The group cautiously followed the path set out for them. At the foot of the mountain, they found a makeshift military outpost set up. Two men with a stretcher came by and put Sakura on it. A truck backed up, and Sakura, along with Rin, Saber, and Sonic boarded it. Archer went to the driver's seat and pushed the driver out.
"Hey, what are you doing?" The soldier cried, "You can't drive!"
"Be quiet," Rin said, holding a finger up to her forehead. "You gave driving duties to another soldier."
"What? I…" The soldier's eyes glazed over. "Yes, ma'am…"
As Archer drove Sonic and the heroines away, Illya created a Boundary Field within the area. One by one, soldiers began to line to up to her.
"…And then Illya and Bazett hypnotized the CO and everyone else on the squad once we got there," Rin finished, "Hopefully, that will be the end of it. I'm getting worried, though. The government has been poking around Magecraft sites more and more… If Bazett reports that to the Mage's Association, we could be in serious trouble."
Sakura didn't respond. She just kept staring at Rin.
A little unnerved by the silence, Rin continued. "Erm, Emiya-kun went back to his house to prepare a breakfast for you. Af-after what you've been through, you could probably want something tastier than hospital food. Archer is keeping an eye on him since Saber stayed here."
The quiet was deafening. And it caused Rin's composure to weaken. She became very interested in her knees.
"I…I hear the Matou Manor is gone!" Rin blurted out suddenly, "I don't know how, but Shirou and Sonic caused the old man to explode, or something. Who knew those two softies had it in them, right? Shinji was out, so he's still alive, but I don't know what he's going to do…" Rin swallowed, "I know you like to stay at Emiya's place sometimes, so you can just do that, I guess…" She glanced at Sakura. "But, um, once the Mansion is fixed, you can always… If you want…"
"But…what do you want?" Sakura finally asked.
Rin didn't answer. She just hugged her knees. It was a sight to see. Sakura had never seen her sister look so…vulnerable. Even when they were children, Rin had always been the strong, determined one.
Finally, Rin said, "I…I know we haven't really…look, what happened back then was wrong, okay? But Father insisted it was right, and- Mom just accepted it, so…" She bit the bottom of her lips. "We…we haven't been sisters since then, but…would you like to, maybe…" Rin sighed, "I want you to live with me. But I know you hate me for not giving a damn until now, so…"
"Why didn't you kill me?" Sakura asked finally. It was what she really wanted to know.
Rin opened her mouth to say that she had no intention of killing her, but the words didn't come out. She tried to explain that Avenger's destruction meant that Sakura was no longer cursed, but the lecture died in her throat. Finally, Rin looked at Sakura, but she couldn't see very well. The tears were in the way.
"…Because we're sisters."
On the other side of the door, Saber smiled.
"Why are you smiling?" Shirou asked Archer.
"No reason that concerns you," Archer replied, "Besides, shouldn't you be finished with that by now?"
"It is finished," Shirou said, packing up the breakfast. Given Sakura's condition, he chose light-tasting. He handed the box to Sonic, who saluted and zipped off. "So you can go back to Rin."
"Not happening," Archer said, "I have orders from my Master to keep you alive until Saber gets back to watch your suicidal butt."
"I am not suicidal." Shirou protested in annoyance.
Archer pointed at the television set, where Illya was engaged in a play-through of Vectorman. "You're letting a rival Master into your home- one who's tried to kill you once before."
"Illya's not a Master anymore," Shirou stated, "Berserker was killed in the last battle, remember? There's no harm in letting her stay here."
"But she's still a Master," Archer pointed out, "She can always form a contract with a wayward Servant- that Assassin from Ryuudou got away, didn't he? Or, more likely, she could kill you and take Saber for her own."
"I don't want another Servant," Illya piped up. She was still playing her game. "If I can't win with Berserker, then there's no point. Besides, Shirou's my brother. You don't betray family."
Archer stared at the back of Illya's head. Shirou wasn't sure why, but he was reminded of the times when Saber looked at Illya. Like he was thinking of someone else.
The bowman sighed, but if he was going to say anything, it was cut off by the phone ringing. While Illya turned down the volume on the television (Heaven forbid she should pause the game. The horror!), Shirou went to answer the phone. Giving Archer one last odd look, he picked up and spoke into the receiver.
"Hello, Emiya residence." Shirou greeted.
"Master Emiya," A deep voice said, "I hope you are doing well."
Shirou felt his blood go cold. He recognized that voice anywhere. A tone that was somewhere between comforting and disdainful. Velvety, but wrapped in a sour shell. "Kotomine?!"
At the TV, Illya instantly set her game to pause. Archer immediately Reinforced his ears to better listen in.
"I'm glad to hear that you recognize me. Considering we've only met once."
"You…where have you been?" Shirou asked, "We couldn't find you at the Church…" And the police are looking for you, because apparently there were dead bodies found underneath the building. Not to mention that Sonic thinks you're working with Lancer and so far he hasn't steered me wrong…
"Caster attacked me," Kirei replied, "I would have reemerged sooner after she was defeated, but the military investigation at the Church forced me to stay in hiding longer."
I'll bet. Shirou thought. Aloud, he asked, "Does this mean you'll be returning to the Church?"
"Yes, but that's not why I called," Kirei said, "I've been using my own familiars to keep track of the War's activities, as best as I can, at least."
"You have?" This was news to Shirou. He wondered what the priest had seen exactly…
"My own father was killed during the previous War. I've learned that a little caution can go a long way. Which brings me to my point; From what I've heard, the group you've formed with Rin and the Einzbern child encountered a squad of soldiers at Mt. Ryuudou. Is that true?"
"Yes, but you don't have to worry about that," Shirou said. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Archer hold up a sheet of paper with the words 'DON'T MENTION BAZETT!' written on. "We hypnotized the soldiers so they won't remember seeing us there."
"I'm afraid that's not the point," Kirei said, "Too many times the military has gotten close to Magecraft. I'm afraid drastic measures may be required. I need you to contact Rin so we can work out a plan to settle this situation."
"Why can't you do that yourself?" Shirou asked. Meanwhile, Archer had crossed out 'BAZETT' and wrote 'Sakura' underneath on his paper.
"When I stopped by the Tohsaka Mansion to speak with her about this matter, I found it under surveillance," Kirei explained, "Be sure to tell Rin to meet me at the church at night."
Shirou looked at Archer. The white-haired seemed to be boring a hole into Shirou's head with his eyes. "…I'll be sure to do that."
"Thank you."
Shirou hung up. Archer had shut his eyes, and Shirou wondered what was going inside the bowman's head. Rin's Servant was such an enigma. His attitude grated on Shirou's nerves, but at the same time he couldn't but feel a small sense of admiriation for him (Not as much as Sonic, but...). Furthermore, Saber once mentioned to him that Archer, during her brief clash with him at the beginning of the War, already seemed to know the basic shape of her sword, even when cloaked with Invisible Air. While he could have been someone who had seen Saber fight during her time as King Arthur, Archer didn't dress like someone born in Arthurian times.
If Shirou could see into Archer's mind, he would have only seen this one sentence; So, Kotomine's still alive...
At the Tohsaka Mansion, Tails had just finished crafting an improved Chaos Emerald container. Unlike the first one, which was the size of a lunch box, this new version had been made from lining a suitcase with the lead needed to block the energy signature of the jewels. On the inside were seven slots, four of which were already filled. Yellow, red, purple, green lights shone brightly as Tails shut the lid. Knuckles was already on the hunt for the remaining gems, and once Amy retrieved the Emerald she and Bazett had found on their own, they would only need two more.
Speaking of which, he wondered where to keep the ones they had. He wanted to stash the Emeralds in the Tornado's compartment, but that was so obvious. If any Badniks got onto the Mansion grounds and past the perimeter security, the bi-plane would be the first place they would check. Perhaps somewhere in the Mansion…
"Hey, Tails," Sonic greeted, lying next to Tails in the grass of the backyard. "Working hard, or hardly working?"
"Both," Tails chuckled, and the two exchanged a hi-five. "But seriously, any idea where I should hide this?" He asked, gesturing towards the Emerald case.
Sonic rubbed the space under his nose in thought. "I guess the Tornado would be too obvious a choice..." He snapped his fingers. "I got it!"
Sonic took the briefcase and led Tails into the Mansion. After some searching, they found the stairs leading down to the basement. Granted, "Basement" was a broad term for the area. It looked more like the study of a wizard, which, given who owned it, was entirely accurate. The spells that should have kept intruders out had been disrupted by Avenger's attack the previous day, and Rin, in her haste to reclaim Sakura, had neglected to restore them. Sonic took in the surroundings, nodding with approval. Compared to the underground lairs of the last mystics he had encountered in Shirou's world, Rin's was certainly an improvement.
Meanwhile, Tails was calling up Rin on his communicator to keep her informed of what they were doing. Mostly because she could rather testy when others poked around her house.
(And boy, imagine her fury when she sees how Knuckles left the bathroom.)
Sonic, for his part, looked for an unused nook to stick the briefcase in. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an old chest in the corner.
"Hey, how about he put the Emeralds in this box?" Sonic suggested.
"DON'T OPEN THAT BOX!" Rin shrieked through the speaker. The feedback was so bad that bad Sonic and Tails clutched their ears in pain.
"Okay, we won't, jeez," Sonic groaned, "We'll just…put in here, then."
Deep within the confines of infinite space, contained safely within the chest, a certain Mystic Code thought, "Curses, foiled again!"
For the first time since he had arrived in this strange, dark, and emotionally conflicting universe, Knuckles felt pretty confident about the day. After the harrowing adventure against the Dark Warriors underneath Mt. Ryuudou and subsequent encounter with the military, Knuckles had slept until the late morning at Shirou's place. But after a hardy breakfast (He made a note to pick up some groceries to pay Shirou back), he was finally back on the hunt for the remaining Chaos Emeralds.
And at the moment, his search had led him to a building in the city. According to the sign out front, it was for a business called, "Exciting Splash!". Knuckles' Treasure-hunting instincts told him that despite its otherwise ordinary appearence, there was something inside.
I hope it's a Chaos Emerald this time and not some freakish Magic Ghost again... Knuckles thought as he walked through the doors. There were very few people out, so Knuckles didn't worry about being spotted in broad daylight.
Inside was a large indoor pool area. Several pools, in fact. There were also slides and showers. It was sparsely populated, but what people there were clearly enjoying themselves. Knuckles wandered about, looking for a secluded place where a Special Zone entrance would appear. However, his search yeilded no results, except for the bruise he got when an opening door hit him in the face.
"Ow! Hey, watch..." Knuckles stopped talking when he saw who was coming out of the changing room.
Clad in only a pair of relatively modest shorts, with a towel slung over his shoulders, was none other than the man who attacked the group under Ryuudou Temple several nights ago; The Archer from the Fourth Holy War. He was talking on a cell phone, so he didn't pick up on Knuckles' words immediately. Knuckles instantly dove into a nearby trash can and held his breath.
"...Hmm?" The Fourth Archer glanced at the space where Knuckles used to be. Shrugging he walked on. "I'm sorry, I must have zoned out, please continue."
Once he was sure it was safe, Knuckles poked his head out, watching as the golden-haired, red-eyed man made his way to a lone reclining chair by the largest pool's edge. It had been fenced off by a velvet rope with a sign marking that the area was reserved for "private" use. His eyes narrowing, Knuckles pulled himself out of the can, got on all fours, and crawled towards the pool. Along the way he snatched up a towel someone had left lying on the floor and went into the water. With the towel over his body for cover, Knuckles swam towards Fourth Archer's area. Thankfully, the man with red eyes seemed to preoccupied with his phone conversation to pay any mind to tiny people under towels.
"-least that mess is taken care of," He was saying, "To think that wretch Zouken had the gall to bring such vulgar creatures into my world. So? Is that all you have to say to me?" He paused. "I see...yes, that is good to hear. After all, the question has been burning in my brain."
What Fourth Archer did next astonished Knuckles. He reached out, and a portal, much like the ones he created in Caster's but smaller, opened up. The golden-haired man's hand went into it, and when it retracted it was holding some sort of exotic beverage with a twisting straw and little paper umbrella.
So he can pull out more than weapons? Knuckles thought, What is that power?
After taking a long sip, Fourth Archer continued. "I'll be sure to pay that little rodent a visit, once he gathers the rest of his little toys for me. But for now, we should focus on attaining the doll."
Doll? An image of a floppy effigi made in the likeness of Tails flashed through Knuckles' mind, and he shuddered.
"If her pet brute hasn't been killed by now…well, my Gate of Babylon has enough treasures to destroy a hundred of his lives," Fourth Archer chuckled evilly, "Now, don't bother me unless you have something relevent to report. I want to enjoy the rest of my workout in peace."
Fourth Archer hung up, and deposited the phone into another portal. How he managed to do these things in broad daylight without anyone noticing would be a riddle for the ages, but so far all Knuckles cared about was getting as far as he could away from the red-eyed man so he could tell the rest of the gang about what he had learned. Still covered by the towel, Knuckles crawled away, unintentionally writing the Legend of the Living Towel which would be passed down through the generations to come.
And Rouge always made this spying business sound hard... Knuckles thought, But what the heck is a "Gate of Babylon?"
Once Knuckles was out of the Exciting Splash, he began to climb up the side of the building. Once he was high enough, he jumped off and began to glide. He was not aiming in any direction in particular; He let his instincts and the wind carry him...preferably away from the pool.
Thanks to Saber and Avalon, Sakura's recuperation was over by noon. And thanks to the meals prepared by Shirou and delivered by Sonic, all three girls were in much better moods to argue when the doctor came to insist that Sakura remain a bit longer just in case. Rin wanted to use hypnosis to end the discussion, but earlier Saber had insisted they not resort to that unless it regarded maintaining Magecraft's secrecy. The constant encounters with the government forces were beginning to unease her. Saber's battle instincts were telling her that something was on the horizon, and it wasn't going to be another Grail battle…although there would undoubtably be those as well. Rin had assured her that agents from the Mage Association and the Holy Church would be working to keep the truth of what was happening in Fuyuki buried, but Saber wasn't convinced.
Thankfully, Saber's own Rank-B Charisma was enough to cow the doctor into agreeing that some fresh air and sunshine would be good for Sakura. He left the room looking extremely pale and excited at the same time, as would anyone just in the presence of a king exerting their authority.
Once they were out of the hospital, the ladies hailed a cab. At Sakura's insistence, they weren't going to either the Emiya Estate or the Tohsakah Mansion. Instead, they were going to someplace far less welcoming; the Matou Manor. Or, more accurately, the crater where it used to be.
They were authorities there, of course. The area had been fenced off by police tape and partitions, and men in radiation suits were going about with geiger counters. One police officer saw the three ladies, of course, and came over.
"I'm sorry, but this area is off-limits," He said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Do you know what happened here, sir?" Saber asked. She noticed that Sakura was staring resolutely at the center of the crater.
The policeman shook his head. "Investigation is still on-going. We don't have enough information to make a- Hey, you're Saber!"
Rin and Saber tensed up. They didn't like where this was going. Why was this officer of the law familiar with Saber's face? Meanwhile, Sakura kept looking at the crater.
"I'd like to answer a few questions, if that's all right with you," The officer said, pulling out a pen and notepad. "An eyewitness sighted you and another person heading towards this property. Did you see anything unusual here?"
Rin looked as intently as she could out of the corner of her eyes. Although she didn't have a telepathic link to Saber, she desperately tried to project her thoughts to the blond Servant. Don't admit you were here! Lie! Say it's a mistake!
"I came here to discuss the health of one of our friends," Saber said, and Rin screamed internally. Saber gestured at Sakura, who was still gazing at the crater. "As you can confirm by checking her medical records, Sakura has not been feeling well. Shirou and I confronted Zouken about it, and he confessed to severely abusing her physically and mentally. When he became violent towards us, we left."
Rin was pretty impressed. It was an amazing cover story, while at the same time being technically accurate. In hindsight, it was patently obvious that in order to have been ruler of a nation, the ability to "tactfully edit" information was a necessity.
"…And you have no idea what could have caused this disaster?" The officer was asking as he wrote Saber's testimony down.
"We left before any such thing happened," Saber said flawlessly, invoking a bit of her Level B charisma. "I had no idea someone like Zouken kept explosives on his property."
As the officer jotted Saber's words down, there came a yell from the crater. A worker was holding up something that looked like a piece of charred metal. Reinforcing her eyes, Rin saw that by its design that it might have been a robot sent by Eggman (Given how wrecked it was, it was hard to tell).
Getting an idea, Rin pointed down into the crater at the worker and asked, "Do you think that thing he's got may be responsible?"
However, the police officer waved her off. "I can neither confirm nor deny anything at this time. Once the investigation is complete, an official statement will be released."
That didn't seem to work. At the very least, the officer was no longer interested in talking to Saber. She and Rin returned to Sakura, who was sitting on her knees, still looking into the crater.
"Are you all right?" Rin asked.
"…He's really gone," Sakura said softly. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I thought it was too good to be true, but...I can't feel his presence at all."
Sakura covered her face and began to weep. However, both Saber and Rin could see that she wasn't crying with sadness. She was letting out more than a decade's worth of pain and suffering. And it wasn't just for her, that she was crying.
"Uncle Kariya...I'm free..." She whispered, "We're free..."
Saber looked at Rin, and now saw that the Tohsaka Master had tears in her own eyes. However, Rin just wiped them away with a hankerchief. While the reunion with her sister had awoke the long-dormant nurturing sections of her brain, Rin's default insistence on appearing strong and emotion-free was still a force to be reckoned with.
"We-" She sniffed, pushing back more tears. "We should see how Shirou is doing. I just realized that I left him alone with Illya."
Saber grimaced, and Sakura looked confused. She didn't know about Shirou's new association and unofficial adoption of the Einzbern girl. Once her sister better explained the situation, her expression changed to one of horror.
"Shirou's letting a former Master into his house...?" Sakura gasped.
"Archer's watching him," Rin said quickly, not wanting Sakura to faint over from the stress of worrying. "I'm sure he can keep things in line."
Saber thought about how much effort Archer gave in any endeavor that didn't involve the Holy Grail. She immediately broke into a run. Two seconds later, she returned, picked Sakura up in her arms, and rushed off again.
"Hey! Get back here! Wait for me!" Rin shouted, running after them.
Agent Stuart was busy submitting a report for his higher-ups. Although calling it a "report" was somewhat generous. Despite the combined efforts of himself, Dr. Pierceman, and Commander Topaz, the investigation was somewhat stagnent. He knew that whatever was happening in Fuyuki, Tohsakah, Emiya, and their associates were involved, but until he could pinch them for something, there was no way he could legally bring them in for questioning. It was frustrating.
Sometimes I wish I were part of a government that allowed blackbagging... Stuart thought absent-mindedly when his phone began to ring. "Hello?"
"Agent Stuart? This is Pierceman. According to our instruments, the energy field around the Fuyuki Church has recently reappeared. Furthermore, according to our bug, Kotomine Kirei is attempting to make contact with Tohsaka Rin."
Stuart sat up suddenly.
When the "Heroine Team"© arrived at the Emiya Estate, Shirou passed Kirei's message to Rin. Rin was surprised to hear the Fake Priest was still alive, but quickly the discussion shifted to what to do about the increasing surveillance the military was performing.
"At the very least, we can blame Eggman if we have to," Rin said, "I've been keeping track of the news. There are some people that think Sonic and his friends are actually robots, too!"
"Is that such a good idea?" Sakura asked faintly.
Rin nodded. "Honestly, it's better than the usual cover stories we've used in the past. And it's only temporary. Once Sonic's group goes back to their home, they'll take Eggman with them and everything can go back to normal."
Only Saber and Archer noticed Shirou becoming very still. But it was Saber who spoke next. "That may be fine for a resolution, but we have no idea when that will be. Sonic needs all seven of the Chaos Emeralds before he can transport his group and Eggman back to their world. We don't know where the last two are, it will take time to find them. Meanwhile, the Holy Grail War rages on."
"But is it?" Shirou asked finally, "We now know that the Holy Grail is cursed. We can focus on finding the remaining Emeralds now."
"I don't think the remaining Masters and Servants will just wait for us to send the Sonic bunch away," Illya piped up, "Lancer and his Master are still out there, and we don't know what happened to Assassin. They'll keep fighting and that will draw Eggman to stir up more trouble, which will cause the military to take a closer look."
"Which means we have no choice," Rin stated, "We have to cancel the Grail War. I'll talk to Kirei, and we'll get his help taking down Lancer and his Master."
Archer's impeccable self-control kept him from groaning outwardly. The sheer irony nearly gave him indigestion. It certainly caused his brain to stall. He knew damn well how that request would go. Unfortunately, by the time his mental facilities recovered, he and Rin were already halfway to the Church.
This may be a bad idea, going alone, Archer said.
Look, Kirei asked for me, and me alone, Rin said, If I'm going to convince him to go along with cancelling the War- As in, actually taking part in implementing it- then I'm going to need to play by his rules, for just a little bit.
You remember what Sonic said, didn't you? About Lancer and Kirei working together? Archer pointed out, I don't think we can count on Kirei to do anything noble.
Rin didn't reply at first. Archer thought she was formulating a reply that would dismiss his concerns (and Sonic's accusations) without sounding too much like she was grasping. The War had been rough on her ego and the Pillars of Truth she had constructed her mental world around. Bringing Sakura back and recognizing the cruelty of her forced departure from the Tohsaka Clan was a good start, but that meant Rin would be less willing to accept that a friend of the family was in fact an enemy.
Which was why it was so surprising when Rin instead said, via mind-link, Not long after Sonic's gang showed up, I had an unusual dream.
Did you? Archer asked, privately noting, Where's she going with this?
It was about Shirou adopting Illya. I thought it was nonsense at the time. Not even Shirou would be reckless enough to bring that little menace into his life on a permanent basis. And then he did.
I guess there's no accounting for taste. Archer cracked. However, he was secretly pleased he could see Illya intergrate herself into the Emiya household a second time. Not that it wouldn't make knowing she was going to die within a year any less painful.
As part of their connection, Masters and Servants can, when they sleep, view into each others lives. Rin stated.
Archer began to get worried, but he remained calm. That's not supposed to happen for a while.
I know. That's why I wrote my earlier vision off as a warped nightmare, Rin replied, But, Tails told me something about the Chaos Emeralds once. He said they were amplifyers- They didn't create new powers, they just enhanced preexisting ablities. There was a Chaos Emerald in Shirou's house that nearly killed him when he tried Projecting. And the Shadow emerged from Sakura because of the Emeralds, as well. Other abilities could be increased as well.
Archer didn't answer.
Archer...why was I dreaming about Shirou's future...when I should have been dreaming about your past?
Archer should have responded with a sarcastic, vague comment that would be positively misleading, but technically accurate. Rin was poking at a can of worms he did not want to open. But a small part of his mind kept insisting that coming out about his true identity would help clear things up. If Rin knew what Archer had experienced in his Grail War, would she be more cautious of Kirei? And perhaps, would that change Shirou's fate and his own? It was a crazy thought, but so far the entire War had been crazy. Utter Chaos, even.
Archer almost snorted at the idea. It was tempting, but that would mean bringing up his status as a Counter Guardian, and the countless deaths he had caused in his role as one. But if Rin was already starting to dream about his past, it was possible that she was close to the truth.
Instead of saying anything, Archer waited until the cab had dropped Rin off at the edge of the church's Boundary Field. Once it was gone, he rematerialized in physical form. Rin raised an eyebrow. He reached into his the pocket of his longcoat, and pulled out a precious stone tied to a string.
Rin's other eyebrow shot up.
"This isn't my first Holy War," Archer said, "But the one I went through wasn't like this. There were no robot armies, or mad scientists, and certainly no catchphrase-spouting mascot heroes. It was...what a Holy War should be. Depressing, but with a bright spot if you have a generous perspective."
Rin looked down, and Archer was a bit pleased to see that she appeared gobsmacked by his confession. But, she recovered quick enough. Perhaps she had saw enough of his past to believe him.
"Did I win?" Was her first question.
Archer couldn't even bother rolling his eyes. "No. And the Grail was cursed in that timeline as well."
Rin frowned, making growling noises under her breath. Then she asked, "What does this have to do with Kirei?"
"In my War, Kirei was working to steal the Grail for himself," Archer explained, and he was pleased to see Rin stop. "He stole Lancer's Command Seals from his original Master and worked to play the other Masters against each other."
Rin had a conflicted expression on her face. "And I suppose you know who that golden guy from Mt Ryuudou is, do you?"
"He's Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes," Archer stated, "And he and Kotomine are working together."
Rin didn't respond at first. Archer could see on her face the internal war waging inside, between believing his admittedly crazy story, or blindly hoping that Kirei was...not-evil (Because seeing him as good would require an incredibly generous perspective). Rin, for all of her stubborn insistence on being seen as yet another cold-hearted mage, was actually quite fond of those close to her. Hopefully, Kirei really was such a jerk to her as he was to everyone that she wouldn't dismiss the notion of him being evil out of hand.
"You...you said that there was a lot of things different in this timeline, wasn't there?" Rin said at last, "For all you know, Kirei is different as well. We shouldn't make any snap judgements until we get a further scope of the information."
Archer sighed, but didn't press the subject. He knew that Rin could be very stubborn. And maybe she had a point. No, she was clearly delusional. But, from what he remembered, Kirei didn't make a move until it was only Saber and Lancer. Maybe they still had time.
And Gilgamesh isn't secretly plotting to make Saber his bride and destroy the world, Archer thought glumly as he reentered astral form, And while I'm at it, I wish I had a sportscar, too.
"Ha! Here it is!" Amy held up the Chaos Emerald, it's blue light glittering. "Now I need to get this to Sonic."
"I hope you can wait until it's darker out." Bazett said, lying on her bed.
"I don't see why," Amy responded, "I mean, we can just hail a taxi, and you can hypnotize the driver into forgetting about me if you're worried I might get spotted."
That wasn't such a bad idea. But Bazett was a bit exhausted. A fight to the death, followed by hypnotizing soldiers, had taken a bit out of her. And not just physically. It was incredibly concerning, to think about how many times the military was taking a closer look at sites of Magecraft. While she knew that agents of both the Mage's Association and Church would be working around the clock to make sure any information about the Holy War would stay away from the government and public at large, she also knew that they were quite trigger-happy when it came to possible breaches in secrecy. The only reason they hadn't made any moves so far was because Eggman's presence was now the perfect alibi. Mysterious explosions? One of Eggman's weapons. Strange creatures? Obviously more of Eggman's weapons...probably.
Okay, perhaps using vaguely-understood technology to explain away disasters caused by Magecraft wasn't the best idea. If anything, it was making those in power more curious about what was happening.
But the real issue now wasn't what was happening now. It was what Bazett was supposed to do later. As an Enforcer of the Mage's Association, Bazett had "erased" potential sources of exposure. She had sought out those with Sealing Designations and delivered them to the Clock Tower. All without hesitation.
But that was all before she had met Amy. Before the pink alien had just exploded into her world, saved her life, and pestered her with stories of her own world. before she had incessantly spoken of freely showing kindness and love. Compared to her own life, the world they were living in now...
It's only going to be a matter of time before the Lords of Clock Tower come to a decision, Bazett thought, Even if they decide not to harm Fuyuki, there's no chance they'll allow Amy and her friends to keep exposing themselves. Amy, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles...if they can't find their way to their world soon, I'll have to bring them in...
Bazett tried to push that possibility down. Amy had become her friend, and the idea of sending her to Clock Tower to be disected was revolting to conceive. However, thinking about the sheer havoc Sonic and his friends would bring upon the Mage's Association lifted her spirits, just a bit.
They'd probably bring the entire organization down, too, Bazett snickered at the thought. Serves those stuck-up fogies right...
"Hey!" Amy shouted suddenly, causing Bazett to start. "I just realized! We never told Sonic or that Shirou guy about Lancer, and that priest!"
Bazett sat up quickly. "Give me your communicator."
In the Fuyuki city Church, Rin was wrapping up her explanation of she had learned from talking with both Saber and Illya. Her audience, Kotomine Kirei, didn't seem to react to any of her words. The most her narrative caused was a slight widening of the eyes once she mentioned Angra Maiyu, but for the most part he was stone faced.
"…And so, that's why we need to put a stop to the War." Rin finished. For some reason, she felt tense. She knew that the Fake Priest would have a rebuttal ready, but that wasn't why. There was just this…tension…in the air.
Kirei nodded, and said, "That is astonishing to hear. While I knew someday someone would protest against the Holy War, I never imagined that it would be you, Rin. Whatever happened to capturing the Grail for your clans honor?"
Rin tried to push back her irritation at the Fake Priest's blatant teasing. "Haven't you been paying attention? The Grail. Is. Cursed. Incomplete, it destroyed half of Fuyuki! And Zouken used its leftovers to create the Shadow that nearly overran the city with its monsters. No matter what wish is asked, the Grail will twist it towards destructive purposes," Kirei nodded, although Rin could definitely see he was only doing that to patronize her. Why was he being so difficult? "The only Servants remaining are mine, Saber, Lancer, and Assassin, and he won't last long without a Master. We just need you to contact Lancer's Master and relay this to him. If we can stop feeding the Grail Servants, we can prevent another disaster from," She looked thoughtful. "And maybe afterwards we possibly put an end to the Grail Wars entirely…"
"You make excellent points, Rin," Kirei noted, "But, you have clearly missed something very important in your research."
Rin looked sharply at the priest. "What's that?"
"Just, I have no intention of stopping anything," Kirei then smiled in a way that was both beautiful and hideous. "Save your life."
Rin barely had time to register Kirei's words before what happened next. The head of the church moved, and in an instant was directly in front of the Tohsakah heir. And once he was, Kirei slammed his fist into Rin's gut with a powerful strike that would have killed a lesser man. Rin went flying, and would have crashed into one of the pews had Archer not burst in and caught her. The white-haired Servant gently set Rin down. He briefly glanced at his Master, an unsaid "Told ya so" in his eyes, which Rin didn't have the wherewithal to meet. Once he was sure that Rin wasn't going to die, Archer stood up and glared daggers at Kirei.
"Well, Servant Archer," Kirei greeted cordially, as if he hadn't assaulted a teenaged girl mere seconds before. "I shouldn't have to remind you that Servants are forbidden to enter the church."
"You should work on enforcing that rule," Archer replied, and half-shouted, "Right, Lancer?!"
Kirei blinked, a rare look of surprise on his face as Lancer appeared next to him. However, the confusion was quickly replaced by annoyance as the Fake Priest worked out the source of Archer's information. Lancer, on the other hand
"I see you've been talking to Sonic." Kirei supposed.
Archer shrugged. "Among others."
"Such as…" Kotomine began
Archer couldn't help but notice that Lancer's attention seemed…torn. Very, very quickly, his eyes would dart towards a spot on the floor. Always that same spot. And he had a calculating expression on his face, weighing unknown options.
Rin, how well can you move? Archer sent to his Master.
I've been better, but I can move. Rin sent back.
Good. Make a run for it. I'll hold them off for you.
What?!
It'll be hard enough fighting them and watching your back at the same time, Archer explained, Go!
"So, let me see if I have this right," Lancer suddenly said, cutting into everyone's thoughts. "It's time for us to kill these two?"
Kirei's smug smile returned. "Of course. Isn't that what you wanted? To finish your fight with Archer?"
"I know what I want, but I need to know what you want, Kotomine Kirie," Lancer said firmly, "Is it your plan to kill Tohsakah Rin and her Servant? Do you want me to do both, or are you going to kill her Yourself?"
Was it Archer's imagination, or was Lancer speaking louder than usual? Why was he putting emphasis on certain words? If his goal was to annoy Kirei, then it was working like a charm. The smug smirk had collapsed into her another annoyed frown. Clearly, this wasn't going the way the priest wanted. But he quickly regained his composure. And his smile seemed even evillier than it had been before.
"I forgot what a ladies man you pretend to be," Kirei said, "Don't worry, I won't have you sully your Noble Phantasm with the blood of an innocent maiden. By the power of the Command Seal, I order to you to kill Archer, and then, yourself."
Lancer let out a yell of discomfort, and his arms began to shake as his spear appeared in his hands. Slowly and awkwardly, Lancer began to approach Archer, leaning back as if invisible strings were moving his limbs. But his resistance didn't last, and the Spearman was rocketing at his target at full force. Archer pushed Rin away and brought up his own swords in time to block the spear, and the two became locked.
"If you were going to betray him, you should have just killed him," Archer hissed, "You didn't have to be a prick about It!"
Lancer grunted. "Just…covering my bases! Make sure your Master doesn't say anything incriminating…!"
Lancer swung his spear downward, throwing Archer off-balance, and kicked at him. Archer rolled back at the blow and leapt at the rafters. Projecting a bow, he fired a Projected sword at Lancer, but it was narrowly dodged as the Spearman charged up at him. The space between the two warriors became filled with a rapid-fire clash of blades as Lancer stabbed and Archer parried.
Down below, Rin found herself facing Kotomine Kirei, who advanced on her with shoulders hunched ominously. The treacherous priest reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a black key that in his hands looked more like a dagger. Perhaps a little too late, Rin remembered that the man she had covertly insulted and disdained for many years had once been an Executioner, a member the Holy Church's division that hunted down and destroyed Dead Apostles. She reached towards the communicator.
"I hope," Kirei said evenly, "You can last a bit longer than your father did, Rin."
Rin began to see red. She forgot about the communicator. She whipped out the Azoth Blade and lunged. This was a definite mistake, but Rin was too consumed by anger to care. As much as she disdained Kirei's mannerisms, his betrayal had cut her. And his casually callous remark about her father set those hurt feelings ablaze.
Yet despite that, Rin's form was as impeccable as she swung a roundhouse kick, intent on taking the Fake Priest's head off. It was no good, however. Kirei easily ducked under her attack and punched her hard in the side. Rin was better prepared for that, but it still hurt, and it still knocked her. As she recovered, Rin saw that Kirei was moving purposely slow as he approached her. She whipped out her Azoth Sword, but Kirei just laughed.
"You don't truly believe that will make any difference, do you?" Kirei asked with dark amusement.
The two began to fight again, and it was obvious that, being stronger and more experienced, Kirei was going you win. He easily blocked and countered her attacks, and the Tohsakah Mage kept getting pushed back. Nonetheless, she refused to give up, and kept pressing her assault. All round them, Archer and Lancer were engaged in a high-speed battle that seemed to be destroying the church faster than it would either of them. Pews were carved up, walls were knocked down, and depictions of God were technically desecrated
"It was you," She hissed, trying to block out the pain as Kirei struck one of her joints. "You killed my Father!"
Kirei shrugged, but he still smiled as if congratulating Rin for figuring it out. "You say it like it was some grand feat. In truth, Tohsakah Tokiomi practically gave me the chance. For all of his skill and knowledge in Magecraft, he never understood his own student. He never even bothered to connect to with his Servant, much less learned that the Grail he sought had already become corrupted. Of course, one shouldn't expect much from a man who gave his daughter to Matou Zouken."
Rin seethed at these jabs, but she knew by now that attacking in a blind rage was exactly what the priest wanted. An idea came to her, and she fired one of her few remaining Gandr at a light fixture near Kirei's head, causing a blinding flash that forced his eyes shut. He instinctively brought his arms up in defense. Rin was already running towards him on Reinforced legs, the Azoth Sword ready to Pierce flesh.
Meanwhile, at a relatively isolated corner of the church, Archer and Lancer continued their rapid-fire exchange of thrusts, parries, and enough near-misses that would make Imperial Stormtroopers green with envy. And the most aggravating thing to Archer was that, even though Lancer's heart wasn't in it, their fight was even harder than it had been at the beginning of the War. Was it the power of a Command Seal, or had Kirei's Absolute Order separated the Hounds physical limitations from his mental inhibitions? Either way, Archer couldn't let this go on. Once he reached the limits of his own Mana supply, he'd have to dip into Rin's, and with Kirei on the warpath, it wouldn't have pleasant to results for his Master.
But unpleasant results were all Rin had. Just as the tip of her blade struck Kirei's arm, the priest suddenly leaned back, shot his foot out and kicked Rin's ankle's. Rin fell, but before could correct herself, Kirei slammed his fist into her arm, causing her to drop the Azoth Blade. Rin cried out in pain and let go of her sword, which Kirei snatched up.
"Very clever… You almost had me," The Fake Priest hissed, "But I'm afraid 'Almost' only counts in Horseshoes, not the Heavens Feel."
There was the sound of glass shattering, followed immediately by something round and blue slamming into Kirei's face. The priest went tumbling back, crashing into a few pews that had been spared from being Archer and Lancer's collateral damage. Sonic landed back by Rin's side, and he began to help her up.
"Are you okay?" Sonic asked worriedly.
"I'm better than I would have been otherwise," Rin said, "How did you know I was in trouble?"
"Amy called me," Sonic explained, "Her friend Bazett is Lancer's original Master."
To his credit, Sonic did not even bother even with an implied, "I told you so". All he cared about right now was taking down the creep responsible for much of the city's suffering. He handed Rin a few Rings and then turned to face Kirei.
Meanwhile, Kirei had recovered quickly enough. The War Overseer was standing up, and glaring daggers at Sonic, both hands holding a black key.
"I'm becoming truly aggravated by these violations," He said darkly, "And that window was expensive."
Rin glanced back, and saw that there was a Hedgehog-shaped hole in one of the stained-glass windows. The rest of the window fell to pieces shortly after.
"Tell you what, why don't I give you my insurance info?" Sonic responded.
Sonic launched himself at Kirei in a burst of speed. Kirei responded by throwing his keys at the Hedgehog, but Sonic dodged by jumping into the air, then struck Kirei with a Homing Attack. Thanks to watching Sonic fight through Lancer, the priest was able to see the attack coming and tried to dodge, but even the force of a glancing blow sent Kirei flying again.
Damn it...he's faster than Kiritsugu ever was! Kirei thought, and reached into his pocket. He pushed a button. There's no way I can beat him on my own, and I've already ordered Lancer to kill himself after he kills Archer...
"I'm guessing you were after the Grail's wish for yourself," Sonic assumed, "I don't suppose it matters that the Grail will destroy the world no matter what you ask for, does it?"
"He wants it to happen!" Rin shouted as she channeled the energy of the Rings to heal herself.
Kirei saw a chance to bid for time. Shrugging off his pain, he also shrugged theatrically and began to elaborate, "The Holy Grail is a creation of God. If its purpose is to burn the world...who are we to defy it? Destruction...creation...they are two halves of the same coin. And perhaps that is the Final Judgement that awaits all of mankind...retribution for the sinful lives that they have lived."
Sonic stared at him through half-closed eyelids. "I'm assuming no one's told you that the Grail was made by wizards, not God."
As Kirei shot Sonic an aggravated look, Rin resisted the urge to laugh. For the first time, she truly understood what it looked like when she and Sonic argued. Of course, the body spasm only served to make her injuries hurt more, but she considered the pain to be a fair trade.
Sonic rushed at Kirei, and narrowly ducked under a kick the priest tried to land on him. Jumping up, Sonic swung a punch, but even with his speed Kirei was able to catch it and use the momentum to throw Sonic against at the Archer-Lancer duel. Spotting Sonic out of the corner of his eye, Archer shifted his feet so as to lead Lancer into the path of the flying Hedgehog. Lancer's Protection From Arrows activated, and he spun his spear to deflect Sonic. Sonic ricocheted off of the spear, shot up towards the ceiling, bounced off several rafters before slamming back down into Kirei's back. Kirei was knocked flat on his face, but when he recovered, all he could see was a spinning blue ball flying straight towards him.
Then there was a flash of gold and suddenly Sonic was knocked out of the air, several of those golden Rings erupting from his body. Sonic managed to grab about six Rings before they all vanished, then looked behind him, as did Rin and Kirei. Even Archer and Lancer, still locked in a mutually-unwanted duel, managed to spare a glance at the entrance of the room.
Standing in the door way, dressed in very casual (But still obscenely expensive) clothing was none other than the golden warrior from the Ryuudou Mountain. His hair was not standing upright, but there was no mistaking that smug smile or those ominous red eyes.
"Well, this is a surprise," Gilgamesh remarked, glaring holes at Sonic. "I was planning to stop by your little hiding place, and yet here you are," He then gave Kirei a withering glance. "I told you to leave this one to me, Kotomine! Are you trying to steal my vengeance!?"
Kirei pulled himself up, trying to regain his composure. "I assure you, it was completely unintentional. He just burst in here completely unannounced and assaulted me."
Gilgamesh shrugged dismissively. "Yes, I am very familiar with this one's lack of decorum."
Oh yeah, Sonic thought sarcastically, That sneak attack was the pinnacle of manners.
Archer hissed in frustration. Dammit! What's Gilgamesh doing here!? Just when it looked like we were going to get out of this… He shouted, "Sonic! You can't defend Rin and fight Gilgamesh-"
"Who?"
Archer ducked under one of Lancer's thrusts and punched him in return. "Just grab Rin and go!"
Rin gasped. She had never heard Archer sound so desperate before. And she knew exactly what he was asking. Sonic was to take her and he would stay behind to hold all three back. But doing so would kill him!
"Absolutely not!" She cried, standing up. "There's no way we're leaving you on your own here!"
"Of that, you are absolutely correct," Gilgamesh sneered, "After entering, I took the liberty of wrapping this building in my holy chain, Enkidu. Doors, windows…every possible opening on the surface is completely sealed off.
"None of you are going to leave."
To be continued_
Tiger Dojo
Taiga: Lights! Camera! Action! It's the Tiger Dojo, filmed in front of a live-studio audience! Hosted by me, Fujimura Taiga!
Illya: And you're Number 1 Student, Illya, is here as well! Welcome to our show!
Taiga: Wow! I can't believe that we're finally at the confrontation with Kirei.
Illya: Rin was so stupid. Archer told her that Kirei was a villain, and she went in anyway.
Taiga: As her teacher, I can safely assert that Rin is not stupid, but she can also be stubborn. She doesn't like to admit error. Plus, Kirei was a friend of her father's. It was hard admitting that the person she admired was wrong about one thing, and seeing he had been in error about another would be twice as hard.
Illya: You're talking about Sakura, right?
Taiga: But now, we must get to the questions. Number 1 Student! Please read us the first request!
Illya: Code Geass Zero asks, "What would happen if Berserker Lancelot meets Shadow the Hedgehog?" Zero Berserker might attack Shadow, but nothing major.
Taiga: Hmm? But Lancelot mistook Sonic for Saber, didn't he?
Illya: When Sonic was pulled into his world's legend of King Arthur, it imprinted Arthur's image inside of his soul. The Lancelot he met in that world was identical to Shadow, but this was only because of the result of Sonic becoming King Arthur. If Lancelot met the real-world Shadow the Hedgehog, he would only find Shadow confusing because he's from another world.
Taiga: Our next question comes from Lucius Tiberius, and they ask, "Does the Chaos Emeralds have the power to give flesh and blood to a servant?"
Illya: Nope! The only thing that can give a Servant flesh and blood is the Holy Grail. The Chaos Emeralds might be used to create a Holy Grail, and maybe all seven could help extend a Servant's time in the material world. But without a path to the Greater Grail, they'd still be just Servants.
Taiga: And finally, our last question: "Why was Knuckles had trouble to deal with Iskander?", by Magni Thorson.
Illya: Normally, Knuckles would have the same amount of success fighting Zero Rider as Sonic did fighting Fate Lancer. But the Zero Servants were summoned into the world by Avenger, who was absorbing energy from the Chaos Emeralds. That energy increased their abilities, which was more obviously demonstrated b Zero Berserker.
Taiga: Indeed, no outcome is certain when the Chaos Emeralds are in play. Well! That's about all the time we have left. I will see you at the next practice!
Illya: Goodbye, everyone!