Chapter 9: Confrontation

The four were racing through the forest towards the Clock Tower. Rani was on a white motorcycle, with Emu, already transformed into Ex-Aid for protection, in a sidecar. Takeru, transformed into Ghost, and Saber were running in front of the motorcycle, managing to keep in front of them due to their heightened stats.

"That vehicle looks comfortable." Saber commented as she ran. "Too bad there is only one seat in the side."

"This doesn't match the speed of a Servant." Rani replied.

Suddenly, up ahead, they saw Robin Hood standing in their way.

"There he is!" Takeru shouted.

"Umu. He seems to be greeting us. We go according to the plan! Let's go, Takeru!"

"I leave the Servant to you!" Emu shouted back as the motorcycle veered off to the right.

Saber and Ghost ran ahead, charging straight towards the waiting enemy Servant.

"Saber, now!" Takeru shouted. Saber nodded and, in a flash of light, turned back into her Eyecon form and flew into Takeru's hand. Takeru opened his driver, pulled out his Ore Eyecon that was already in the driver and slammed Saber's Eyecon in. The Ore Parka Ghost currently over his armour vanished into dust. In one fluid motion he closed the driver and pulled out the side lever.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!

Saber's Parka Ghost, which looked like a sentient version of Saber's dress with a hoodie attached to the neck, flew out of the Driver and around Takeru for a second. Takeru pushed the driver lever back into the driver.

KAIGAN! SABER!

WIELDER OF THE HERO'S BLADE! LET HER TAKE THE STAGE!

Please… remember!

The Saber Damashii landed on Takeru's armour and solidified into a parka. For a moment, Takeru thought he saw Archer flinch at his transformation and his heart lifted slightly with hope.

Ghost Saber Damashii materialised the Gan Gan Saber and rushed towards Archer. As they clashed, Ghost brought his sword across in a wide sweep, which Archer managed to dodge. More blows followed, all of which Archer deftly deflected with his Crossbow. Finally, they jumped away other and stood for a moment, facing each other.

Saber-san, let me try now. Takeru said to Saber inside the suit.

Saber understood and gave control of Ghost's body back to Archer.

"Robin Hood!"

Archer stopped.

"Ho? You figured out my True Name already?"

"I have, and it's because I know you! I'm Tenkuji Takeru! I fought with you against the Ganma back when they were invading Earth! I summoned you from your bow using Mari Shirase's feelings for helping the poor! You were one of the 15 Heroic Eyecons who I connected with so that I could come back to life! How can you not remember me? Please, stop fighting for Blackmore and come with us! We want to save the Moon Cell!"

Archer's face turned to intrigue.

"Huh. I think I recognise you…"

He turned away, and for a moment, Takeru felt a glimmer of hope that bloodshed could be avoided.

Suddenly, Archer whipped back round and fired a shot from his crossbow at Ghost. Takeru barely had time to react before the arrow penetrated into the chest of the Armour. He yelped and quickly grabbed onto the arrow that had embedded itself into him, pulling it out. Blood spurted out of the place where the arrow hit. He looked back up at Archer, who gave a smirk.

"Sorry, kid. I don't remember you at all. And even if I did, I can't just give up the fight like this."

While Takeru felt shocked and betrayed, Saber's blood boiled.

"You cur! That was an underhand blow! You'll pay for that!"

She brought up the sword and ran towards Archer.

"You'll be a goner anytime soon, so no need to rush!" Archer snarked, before shooting more arrows at Ghost, who deflected all of them, and leaping up into the foliage.

The ground rumbled. Around the outskirts of the forest, giant walls began to rise from the ground like in the First Stratum.

"Alright then, let's have a rematch!" Archer's voice echoed from above. "No… This is the end!"

"How desperate of you, Archer..." Saber retorted. "The one who stole from the rich will be finished off by the once rich! Let's go, Takeru!"

Takeru, shaken out of his shock by Saber's words, agreed, and together they jumped up into the canopy.

Meanwhile, Rani and Emu continued on their path towards the Clock Tower. Both were silent. Emu was still contemplating the information he received yesterday when Rani spoke.

"SE RA PH was supposed to be made for the observation of humans. But in the end of the day, the Moon Cell is still a machine. Machines can manage human emotions, but not understand them. That's why it can only replicate human behaviours."

Emu understood.

"The Holy Grail War…"

"Correct." Rani continued. "However, that is merely a reaction created from human behaviour. Because the Moon Cell doesn't understand feelings, it throws them away. That is why the bottom floor of SE RA PH became the disposal room of human thoughts and feelings."

Emu recalled the incinerator that was on the bottom floor of SE RA PH. Was that what it was for? He didn't recall much of the lesson, but he definitely heard the teacher's warnings about not going near it. And yet…

Was that what they were talking about?

"In the real world, there's no such thing as life after death. Because of that, it doesn't observe such a concept, and thus SE RA PH manifests humans in spirit form. Thus, for a thousand years, there is a manifestation of dead human thoughts which have gone astray."

Emu felt queasy.

"…who might you be talking about? Dan Blackmore? Or…"

Suddenly, his head began to hurt, and he gripped his forehead with his hands. A spark of purple flickered around Ex-Aid's armour.

Ghost, meanwhile, had lost Archer, who had activated his No Face May King halfway through the fight. He was walking amongst the trees, sword ready in his hand. Both Takeru and Saber were vigilant in their guard.

"Now…" Archer's voice came from above. Ghost looked up.

"I'm taking this seriously."

Another volley of arrows came Ghost's way. Although Ghost tried his best to parry and dodge the arrows, the onslaught of bolts was never-ending. He turned and ran, arrows striking the ground around him. He leaped up onto a tree and continued running, striking the arrows as they came towards him. Alas, when he jumped down, arrows grazed the Damashii coat, causing Saber to flinch in pain inside the Damashii.

Ghost rolled on the ground and caught another arrow, which became visible in his hand.

"Not bad for a coward…" Saber grunted as she snapped it in two. She let the arrow fall from her hands. Ghost turned around and spoke in Archer's general direction.

"Robin Hood!" Takeru desperately shouted from within the armour. "Stop this now! Your Master is insane! He's no longer able to participate in the Holy Grail War! Why did you continue to kill all those innocent people for nothing?"

"It's nothing personal." Archer responded. "We just don't want to lose. My Master gets nothing of rewards, be it honour or some kind of prize, no matter how many he kills. Do you dare say that to the face of an elder knight? 'You're a loser who should give up and die.' Is that what you want me to say? I'll be hung, drawn and quartered! Sorry, but I'd rather not!"

Takeru was angered by that response. Such cowardice! Is this truly the great hero Robin Hood? I don't recall him being this gutless!

"Anyways, as long as I don't lose…"

A raven cawed near Archer. Ghost turned around.

"… at least my pride can survive!"

He fired another shot, again deflected by Ghost. He looked down and saw that the arrow was poisoned.

He fired it. That means we need to act fast.

"Use the Yew Bow!" Saber shouted tauntingly at him. "Show yourself! And when you do, I will strike you down with Rosa Ictus!"

The motorcycle carrying Emu and Rani finally broke out of the forest and into the sunlight. The Clock Tower was in sight, and Rani increased the throttle of the motorbike, giving it a burst of speed.

Suddenly, the Clock Tower chimed, and dark blotches suddenly blocked Emu's vision. He raised his hands to wipe it off, and when he looked at his hand, he saw that it was blood. Emu then turned to Rani.

Rani had been shot clean through the head.

Everything seemed to slow down around him. The motorcycle lost control as Rani fell backwards, causing the side car to lift in the air, throwing Emu out of it and into a stairwell leading down into the terrace. The Gashat flew out of his driver, cancelling his transformation. He got up onto his knees and looked out. He saw Rani on the ground motionless, a pool of her blood steadily growing around her.

Emu began to get up.

"Don't." Rani raised her left hand. Emu stopped.

"I didn't dodge… to bait the bullet."

Then, with a final weak voice, she commanded Emu.

"Go."

Emu's instincts were screaming at him to save her, but Rani's words had stopped him.

Should I leave her?

If I go inside, Rani will get killed.

Even if I take care of her, she'll die either way.

The pain returned to Emu's head. He once again grabbed his head and shut his eyes, trying to withstand the pain. He opened his eyes. His vision was reddened, and the faceless bodies of students started appearing around Rani's body.

She'll get killed either way.

Then, get to the tower…

And take him down.

That's what you came for, right?

You made up your mind for this plan, didn't you?

Saber is having a hard time fighting.

Rani has sacrificed herself.

Don't hesitate!

Get to the Tower!

Revenge is what you desire.

That is the right choice.

The pool of blood grew even larger as Rani's body finally went limp.

Emu understood what they were saying. He knew that saving Rani would jeopardise him as well. He knew that she sacrificed his life for her. He should take his vengeance on Blackmore. That is what his purpose is.

No….

And yet a fundamental part of him, even deeper than his voices, started to flare up.

That's wrong!

The clock tower chimed again.

That is not who I am! I can't just leave her there! I can't just abandon her!

I can't let her die!

Emu lifted his head upwards towards Rani, and he screamed skywards in rage.

"DAN BLACKMORE!"

His eyes flashed dark purple.

He grabbed the Mighty Action X gashat from the ground and pulled out the Dangerous Zombie gashat. Activating them both, he slammed them into his driver and pulled it open.

GACHAN!

LEVEL UP!

DANGER DANGER!

DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!

The Dangerous Zombie screen overlaid with the Mighty Action X screen appeared in front of Emu. With a roar of anger he ran through the screen, purple electricity sparking around his body and the black aura cloaking his form.

Emu once again had taken the form of Zombie Action Gamer Level X-2.

And as the bell rang again, he leapt out onto the terrace, kicking up a dust storm and leaving a crater in his wake. As the dust and black aura mixed together, he ran towards Rani and, picking her up, ran back into the forest.

When the dust settled, Rani's body had vanished from the terrace, and only cracks in the floor remained.

Dan Blackmore peered through his scope, irritated.

In a clearing in the forest, Ex-Aid laid Rani down on her back and tried desperately to stem the bleeding.

"Can you move?" he asked.

Rani nodded her head.

"Can you fight?"

Rani paused for a moment. Then, she nodded her head

Back in the forest, Ghost was continuing to fight off the arrows. Archer had once again escaped their sight, and Ghost was now running through the forest, looking around for him.

"Goodness, there's a Saber this stubborn?" Archer mused to himself. "But this is taking a while. Sir must have already defeated the Master by default."

Suddenly, he heard an explosion at the Clock Tower. He raised his head towards the noise.

"It can't be… has that kid realised Sir's traps?"

Then he shook his head in disbelief.

"No, there's no way."

He turned back to Ghost, still turning his head rapidly in every direction.

"The poison should still be in their body. Therefore…"

He flipped back his hood and took aim with his crossbow.

"If I use Yew Bow, it's all over!"

The bolt flared up, and a tree started growing from it. Then the wood exploded, leaving behind the Yew Bow trigger.

Ghost stopped moving.

"I see you have revealed your trump card." Saber said.

Blood was oozing out of Ghost's left leg.

"No matter your arrow, I shall deflect it, then slice your throat!"

"And that's where you're wrong, kiddo! This isn't an arrow, it's the explosion trigger! It doesn't have to pierce your body, just touch you!"

He jumped down and aimed his crossbow.

"Yew Bow!"

He fired the trigger, which blazed with green light and grew tendrils of wood.

It's no use! You'll explode even if you deflect it!

"Takeru, now!" Saber shouted from inside Ghost's body.

Ghost hit the top button of the Ghost Driver, ejecting the Eyecon inside. The Saber Damashii coat vanished into dust. He then grabbed the Eyecon and threw it past the flying trigger towards Archer. He lifted up his Gan Gan Saber and blocked the green ball of light.

"What?" Archer's eyes widened. "It… can't be!"

But he didn't have time to register the action before the Eyecon turned back into Saber, who brought out her Rosa Ictus and slashed through Archer.

Then, Ghost pushed the trigger to one side and ran forwards, slashing through Archer as well. Blood spurted out of the two slash wounds left by Takeru and Saber.

The two turned around and faced Archer, who was clutching his stomach. He fell to his knees and turned to glare at Takeru.

"How… did you not explode?"

Takeru detransformed and also fell to his knees. Then he looked up and smiled. Archer look down at Takeru's left leg. The wound made by the bullet from yesterday was re-opened, and blood was coming out rapidly, soaking the ground below. Archer looked back and saw that the ground there was also stained with blood, which steamed with a purple vapour.

"You see, I figured that the poison circulated the body in the blood. Therefore, all I had to do was throw it away!"

"How reckless!" Archer gave a mirthless chuckle. "How are you still alive?"

"That would be me!" Saber proclaimed. "Just who do you think I am? I am a woman capable of surviving a slit throat for three days! As long as our body was intact, we still have this Invictus Spiritus!"

"Ah, I heard of that skill before." Archer said. "Still, that trick was very dirty of you. But who am I to say that?"

Saber walked up to Archer and pointed her sword towards him.

"Are you sill capable of fighting?"

Archer smirked.

"Hasn't it been decided already? More importantly, my Master has been defeated by yours. I can't hear the ringing bells anymore."

Saber's eyes widened, and she turned around. The top of the Clock Tower was smoking. She ran off towards it.

"Go on, like a puppy you run…"

Archer then started to disappear into orange dust. Takeru limped over to him.

"Umm, Archer, if you please. This will only take a while."

Archer looked up at Takeru's face for a moment. Then he smirked.

"Sure, kid, just do what you have to do. I'm done here."

Takeru made a triangle with his hands and, just like Drake, drew the Eye symbol over Archer. His body glowed green, counteracting the orange mist, and he was sucked into the Eye, emerging as a Damashii. It was a green coat with yellow trimmings and a hood with a fake yellow feather stuck to it. The Damashii flew into Takeru's Driver. Takeru put his hands under the eye of his driver, and a green Eyecon came out. It was the same colour as Archer's coat, and its scelera was white. On the plate on the top of the Eyecon was written ES-02 and Archer, and the picture on the top was a bow and arrow positioned to look like a face.

"Welcome back. Robin Hood." Takeru said, smiling.

Ex-Aid ran up the stairs of the Clock Tower, his armour continuously sparking with purple electricity. When he reached the top, he stood behind the back wall. He peered into the Bell Room and saw Dan Blackmore still holding his rifle aiming outside.

Suddenly, there was a sound of beeping behind him.

He turned around and saw that there were bombs there. He ducked out of the way, but it was too late. The bombs exploded.

From far away inside the tower of another castle, Dan Blackmore was still looking through the scope on his rifle at the Clock Tower. He had heard the bombs explode, but the dust still made it difficult to see.

"I can't see the Master…"

He lowered his rifle.

"Looks like Archer was having some difficulty there, but with this-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he realised something.

"The Wall's still standing? The Battle hasn't ended yet?"

Then, his eyes widened with shock. Where the Master should have been was… a white cube?

That's-

DANGEROUS CRITICAL FINISH!

He heard a sound behind him, but before he could even turn around, he felt a sharp pain in his left leg. The shock of it caused him to pull the trigger, firing a bullet at the Clock Tower.

As he staggered on his left leg, he managed to turn his body back.

Ex-Aid, in Zombie Action Gamer form, stood behind him, cloaked in a dark aura like the emissary of death, holding in his hand his Gashacon Breaker dripping with blood. Blackmore could feel the cold fury behind the helmet and knew what he was here for.

"This is for Takeru." He said coldly.

Then, quick as a flash, he rushed forwards and drove the blade deep into Blackmore's heart, ripping through the green tunic and causing an explosion of blood to erupt from his back.

"And this" he continued. "is for Rani."

Blackmore felt his muscles weakening, and he slumped backwards, sliding down the wall of the room, leaving a bloody streak, until he hit the floor, limp.

Ex-Aid withdrew his Gashacon Breaker and dropped it down to the side.

Blackmore, still in pain, looked up at the Doctor Gamer, and, groaning with effort, managed to ask in a weak voice.

"How did you know?"

Ex-Aid lifted his sword and pointed at the Clock Tower.

"The bells. Every time you shot, the bells rung. There is no way an experienced soldier such as you would signpost your attacks in such a way. In addition, that vantage point was too obvious. It was like painting a giant target on you saying "I'm here". So why would you choose such a place to snipe? That's when I realised: you didn't."

Ex-Aid swung his sword onto his shoulder.

"I saw that there was another castle in the distance, and I could make out a figure standing at the window. You used the Clock Tower as a decoy, ricocheting the shots off the bells to make it appear that you were shooting from there. Then, when the unsuspecting Master ascended the tower, they would get a nasty surprise. So I sent a decoy myself."

Blackmore smiled.

"Clever, young man, clever." He groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Outside, the bells began to ring again.

Blackmore closed his eyes.

"I can hear the bells ringing…"

His body began to dissolve into an orange mist.

"Somehow, this brings me back… It feels like…"

His muscles relaxed, and he slumped back. The dissolution of his body had reached his neck. With one last sigh, he breathed out his last words.

"…I'm back in those days…"

He vanished into the mist, and his rifle clattered to the floor.

Emu de-transformed and fell to his knees. Behind him, the elevator descended, signifying the end of the battle. He knelt there, frozen. Now that the rage had subsided, he had realised what he had done.

"Maestro! We won!"

Emu was interrupted by Saber running towards him and giving him a big hug. Emu was happy that she had gotten out there successfully. Then he realised what was missing.

"Where's Takeru?"

"He stayed behind to get the Eyecon." Saber replied. "He should be coming soon."

No sooner had she said that, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Takeru limping slowly, his leg still dripping with blood.

"Takeru!" Emu ran up to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's not so bad. In fact, I think it's recovering quickly." Takeru replied.

Emu turned back to the red-dressed woman, who was eagerly awaiting Emu's praise.

"Thank you, Saber."

"Umu, umu!" Saber responded gleefully. Then she turned serious.

"There's no time to celebrate! It's just like the first floor! As soon as the Floor Master is gone, the floor falls apart!"

She was right. Already the forest was dissolving into black dust.

"Departure time: 2 minutes" The elevator said behind them.

"No! Rani's still on the ground! I need to go!"

Emu turned to run down, but Saber grabbed his doctor's coat.

"There's no time left!"

"But, Rani-"

"You fool!" Saber shouted. "Has she said something about ascending with you?"

Emu remembered.

I have decided to always be alongside them.

"Ever since the beginning…"

This was her choice.

"Now do you understand, Maestro?" Saber said.

Emu was stuck.

Takeru walked forward and placed a hand of Emu's shoulder.

"Rani sacrificed her life to save yours. We need to honour her sacrifice. Normally, I would hate to leave her behind, but here we have no choice."

Emu felt torn.

In the end, they were right. She would die either way.

But at least she can rest in dignity.

Takeru turned and looked out into the forest. Emu did too.

Thank you, Rani.

On the ground, Rani's form was also vanishing into purple mist.

"Thank goodness. The final star has soared up into the sky."

She felt her eyes getting heavier.

"But, be careful… That mask of death will… one day…"

Before she could finish her sentence, her vision went dark, leaving nothing but the void.

Takeru took out the Robin Hood Eyecon. It glowed green, and Takeru's form was drawn into it once again.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a forest. It was the same forest that they had fought in on the 2nd Floor, except it was night. He wandered around for a while before he saw a light in the distance. He slowly paced towards the light. The light was a blazing campfire, crackling and flickering in the soft wind. Sitting in front of it was a hooded figure wearing a green cloak.

The hooded figure turned around and lowered his cloak.

It was Robin Hood. Well, it was a given, since it was his Eyecon.

"So, I guess you've come to talk, huh?" Robin asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

"Yeah."

Robin sighed and, picking up a torch and lighting it with the campfire, gestured Takeru to follow him. They walked deeper into the forest

"My Master was not always the murderous lunatic that you fought. There was once a time when he was chivalrous. Noble. Like a knight was supposed to be. He fought in the Holy Grail War 1000 years ago and lost, but the reason was that he handicapped himself."

Takeru was curious.

"How did he do that?"

"My abilities all rely on traps and poison. I fought this one Master and managed to get a good poison shot at him during the day. However, my foolish Master, always going on about chivalry and all that, removed his poison, forced me to break all my poisoned arrows and fight fairly. However, that led to our defeat. Forced out into the open, I couldn't manage against the enemy Servant and was swiftly pushed down. Damned flying swords... "

Takeru could hear Robin mutter a bit under his breath. He could feel that there was still some resentment left in him.

He turned back around and continued walking.

"As I lay dying, I saw my body vanishing into mist. I thought it was all over. However, when I opened my eyes, I saw that we were revived. My Master, bittered by his loss, spend the next 1000 years killing all the Masters who climbed the ladder to the floor. I was forced to help. The new plan he adopted was extraordinarily dirty, even if it was effective, and every shot he made was done without mercy. Then again, I can't really say much, given my own fighting style..."

He trailed off a bit and slowed to a halt. Takeru wondered what he was stopping for. He stood still for a moment, then shook his head and continued walking.

They reached a clearing, where a large tree stood before them. At the foot of that tree was a gravestone, its name mostly obscured by moss. There was a pause. Silence hung in the air, save for the sounds of crickets chirping in the night. Then, Robin turned around and looked at Takeru.

"My Master... before he died the first time, he gave a message to the other Master about accepting the outcome of any fight or something like that. I didn't like that message at all. But what he said afterwards was more important..."

He paused for a second. Takeru listened intently.

"'If possible, you have to find the meaning of a fight. What are you fighting for? What are you not losing for? You have to find that answer yourself and deliver your responsibility until the end.' I ask you: what are you fighting for? Is it as simple as escaping this place?"

Takeru thought for a moment. To be honest, he was starting to doubt himself. Of course he wanted to escape. But could he really do so and leave this place to rot? What was he supposed to do about it?

"Oh, and another thing..."

Takeru snapped out of his thoughts.

"Even the noblest of hearts hide darkness within them. That, I think, is the best lesson to get from all this. Though I, Robin Hood, am seen by you as a hero, I am actually a fighter willing to get my hands dirty. Though my Master, Dan Blackmore, was once a chivalrous knight, he became a monster who kills without regret. Your friend..."

He paused, a concerned expression on his face.

"Your friend... I can see that he is a good man, but behind him lies something else. In his eyes, I could see something... like my Master had..."

He trailed off once again. Then, he suddenly shook his head.

"Anyways, I'm not good with lessons. I don't know if there's much I can teach you telling you this. Just something to get off my mind. Anyways, I think your friends are waiting for ya. You should probably go back now."

Takeru understood.

"It was nice talking to you again, Robin."

He turned round to go.

After a few steps, he turned back round.

"By any chance, did you remember anything about me?"

Robin shook his head.

"Sorry, kid. Still don't remember."

Takeru, although disappointed, nonetheless thanked Robin again. Then, he continued his way. As he left the clearing, his body slowly went transparent until he disappeared.

Robin sat down beside Dan's grave.

"It's over now, Sir. Satisfied now? What a long journey we've been through."

He lay back on the tree.

"There was no way that I could win face to face. That was the one thing you miscalculated. But even so..."

He touched the gravestone gently.

"...I'm glad you can finally rest. You've fought long enough, and you can finally see your beloved."

With that, he closed his eyes.

On the Elevator, Emu was sitting on the couch wracked with guilt, his head in his hands. Saber was gloomy too, Rani's sacrifice and certain death still fresh in their minds. Takeru was mulling over the words given to him by Robin.

"Well, hasn't she got what she wanted?"

A female voice spoke behind the three.

"After all, she has finally met the star she's been waiting for."

Saber contemplated this for a moment.

"Well, I suppose that is for the best…"

"I hope so…" Emu agreed. And yet, that feeling of guilt wouldn't go-

Huh?

Emu, Takeru and Saber turned around.

Rin was standing at the doorway to the room, a lollipop in her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" was all the three could say.

Rin smiled and took out her lollipop.

"Yah-hoo~!"