FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 17: Clash of Souls part 1

Inside Fuyuki Church's rectory, Soichirou sat on a sofa and quietly read a book detailing the mythology of the Princess of Colchis. It was evident from his conversation with Medea that he had no intention of going back to Ryuudou Temple, but he hadn't been specific about why he wished to remain by her side. It wasn't that he was deliberately being coy with her. Rather, he had been trained to exist as an indifferent being, incapable of showing emotion and affection for anyone.

Therefore, he had no wish of his own to seek the Holy Grail for. If anything, he was more interested in assisting Medea with fulfilling her wish. Seeing her lying in the mud on a cold, rainy night in the middle of February, some kind of strange compunction inspired him to save her. He didn't understand what was happening to him. Despite this, he became her Master so that she could live longer in this world, and he gave her free reign to do as she pleased so long as it brought the Holy Grail to him.

Soichirou wasn't sure of what Medea was doing right now, but he didn't let it concern him. However, he heard a pair of heavy feet step into the rectory, disturbing his quiet reading time. He glanced back and found Archer standing at the doorway with as equally an impassive look as Soichirou's.

"What are you doing inside?" the stoic teacher asked. "Caster told you to patrol the perimeter."

"I got tired of going through the motions," Archer muttered. "Besides, me keeping watch is nothing more than a formality. Caster's eyes are already trained everywhere, including on me. Don't worry, I have no intention of causing trouble for you. If I do, she'll destroy me via Command Spell."

"… Then why are you here?"

"I could say the same for you. There's no benefit in your presence here. If anything, it may wind up being a great hindrance to Caster's efforts."

"No benefit for Caster perhaps. But there is something… No, two things I seek to accomplish here."

"Two?"

"Naturally, the first is to have Caster find her salvation."

Archer sat down on the chair across from Soichirou and said, "Her salvation, huh? Her aim is to use the Holy Grail to set herself free from the constraints that her history has trapped her in. I wonder if the Grail can really accomplish something so vague, but are you fine with this?"

"That's not a wish," Soichirou retorted. "It is simply a duty that one carries out in the natural course of their life. If anything, her real desire is not freedom from her status as a feared sorceress. For all of the power she amasses, she still cannot accomplish her real goal… of just going home."

"…"

Both men became silent as they thought about Medea and her storied mythology. In particular, Soichirou closed his eyes and imagined what she would have been like as a young teenager, standing at the beaches of Colchis and staring out into the horizon. Archer let out a small sigh, then muttered, "So what is the other thing you're here for?"

"… Second Lancer."

"Ah. The irregular eighth Servant. Despite her diminutive stature and flagrant inexperience, she is still one to be feared. Are you saying you met her before?"

"I'm not sure," Soichirou murmured. "The woman named Caren Hortensia brought a little girl with her, and she clearly was utilizing a disguise through Magecraft. When my eyes locked on to hers though, it felt like I was engaged in a duel for my life. Are you sure that she's supposed to be a small child?"

"No question about that."

"I see. Servants are summoned in their prime, so I believe she reached her peak and likewise died at that age. In a strange way, I kind of see something of myself in such a child soldier."

"In what way?"

"All I remember is training to be an assassin. Second Lancer must have lived a similar life. Neither of our spirits have broken from such harsh training, yet something was definitely wrong with her. Caster's desire was easy for me to discern when I first met her, but Second Lancer… I couldn't figure her out. There was a thick veil obscuring her from anyone she considered suspicious. All of my training meant nothing in the face of such perfect concealment. In that moment, I experienced a chill in my bones that is difficult for me to explain."

Archer folded his arms and leaned his back upon the wall. "So what you're saying is that you want to challenge Second Lancer yourself."

"I believe so," Soichirou admitted. "If ever there was an opponent I was born to face, it must be her. I must make certain that whatever she is doing, there are no regrets lurking within her, and that she is not being controlled by the concepts of greater good or evil. If her conviction is true, then my defeat should be swift and certain. If not, then she will be the one to die."

"Suit yourself. I strongly suspect that they will pit Rider against me anyway, and Caster will have her hands full messing around with Rin."

The blank-faced teacher didn't respond for a moment. After a long pause, he muttered, "You should return to your post. It won't be long before they advance upon us."

"Right."

The grandfather clock gonged nine times.

That was the signal that Caren's group was waiting for. Everyone congregated to the front door and glanced at each other without a word. Illyasviel stood several feet away and watched them with visible concern in her eyes. Shirou faced her and assured, "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it. Then we can have a nice long chat about Kiritsugu, okay?"

"Uh… yeah," Illyasviel whimpered and shifted her eyes away from him in guilt.

"You know how to take care of my Master?" Connla asked her.

"Yes, I'll watch over Bazett. It's the least I can do for you, Lancer."

"Okay. Then let's be off."

The four Masters opened their umbrellas and headed out into the rainy night. Medusa dematerialized into spirit form, while Connla set up her Identity Concealment and followed closely behind the others. It would take about 20 minutes for them to reach the church, so Caren said, "Let's make sure we have everything established. Sakura and Rider will keep Archer busy, which will allow the rest of us to infiltrate the church. This will leave Caster and Kuzuki for us to deal with. As I am not proficient in combat, I cannot offer much in the way of fighting experience, so I must keep my distance. My role is to instruct Lancer on who she should concentrate on so she doesn't wind up running all over the place trying to protect Shirou and Rin."

Shirou flexed his fingers on his right hand and stared at them curiously. He couldn't forget how he had punched through the wall as he was interrogating Caren. In private, he spent some time using his reinforcement magic on various tools and realized that his powers were much stronger than ever before. He could now strengthen rocks so that they were as hard as diamond, whereas before they would shatter in his hand.

He likewise practiced replicating Archer's twin swords the same way he did during the fight against Medea. Those very first projections were admittedly rushed and incomplete, so he wanted to be certain that he got it right from now on. After several dozen attempts, Shirou was confident that he could at least mimic Archer's fighting style. That way, he could assist in keeping Soichirou at bay while Rin concentrated on Medea. He wasn't entirely confident that he could keep up with a trained assassin though, so Caren told Connla to focus primarily on killing Soichirou.

Of course, there was always the prospect of Artoria being fully brainwashed, which would likewise make her a third opponent they needed to deal with. If that happened, Connla would have to forsake the others and fight her instead. The key to their victory laid in two factors; eliminating Soichirou as soon as possible, and making sure they rescued Artoria in time.

Although Connla already knew the strategy, she couldn't help but feel worried. She glanced up at Rin and wondered, "ArE yOu sURe YoU cAn fIgHt CAsTer bY yOurSelF, Ms. ToHsAka? In A sTraIgHt uP MaGiC baTtLE, yOu woUlD nOt lAsT lOnG."

"I know that," Rin admitted. "Even so, I think I have a chance of blindsiding her."

"So YoU HavE sOMe kInD oF pLaN. EvEn sO, iF yOu nEeD mY aSsiStaNce, Do nOt heSiTatE To caLl fOr mE. My RuNeCraFt mAy bE aMaTeuRiSh, bUt iT cAn pRovIdE sOmE mOdiCuM oF CovER."

"I'll keep that in mind. Still, your primary job is to back up Shirou and keep Kuzuki at bay. It would be even better if you could kill Kuzuki so that Caster will dematerialize."

"UnDeRsTooD."

With that, Connla looked away from Rin and panned her eyes around the area, making sure that no potential interlopers could surprise the group as they were walking. However, her mind wandered off to the fight at Einzbern Manor, and of the blonde-haired king whose wrath she narrowly avoided.

That ninth Servant… Lord Gilgamesh, the demigod hero of ancient Mesopotamian myth, meant to serve as the Wedge of Heaven to connect the rising humans and the fading gods. He was born with the ultimate attributes of humanity and divinity, yet his unique role wound up isolating him from the ones he was supposed to adjudicate, and he thus oppressed them in turn. He amassed so much wealth that it is impossible to discern what his treasury contains…

And that treasury is what killed Berserker.

Connla couldn't forget how brutal and merciless Heracles' death was. One by one, hundreds, maybe upwards of a thousand weapons punctured his flesh, all with no effort on Gilgamesh's part. They weren't ordinary armaments either; they were truly high-quality forgings, many of which had been created by gods in the distant past. Although Connla didn't inherit much of Cuchulainn's divinity, she possessed just a tiny amount so that she could at least sense the power of the gods flowing through those weapons.

The power gap between Lord Gilgamesh and Lord Heracles really wasn't much. If it hadn't been for his treasury, Lord Gilgamesh could probably be about as powerful or less powerful than Saber. The only options one could have for facing him are to either take the key to the treasury away, or to produce an equal number of weapons so that the treasury becomes irrelevant.

Her expression became strained.

There's no way I can do either of those. That's why I have to rescue Saber – she's probably the only Servant remaining who can match Lord Gilgamesh. If not, then he'll definitely kill me for obstructing him.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

No… Calm down. He isn't what I should be worrying about right now. I have to push him out of my mind and give my all for this mission. So long as we are victorious in this battle, then things should work out in our favor eventually.

Archer waited patiently at near the church's front gates. He kept his eyes trained on the opened entrance, expecting that such a large team would have no choice but to go through here. His expression never changed as he finally saw four figures walking toward him through the deep night fog; Emiya Shirou, Tohsaka Rin, Matou Sakura, and Caren Hortensia.

Archer's lips pursed into a light smile as he said, "I knew you would come soon enough."

Shirou and Rin glared at him. However, it was Caren who wryly scoffed, "Huh. The red carpet might not have teeth, but it sure has a sharp tongue."

"So then, why don't you drop the pretense and bring Rider out immediately?"

"Hoh…" Medusa's voice murmured as she materialized in front of the four Masters. She sauntered toward her fellow Servant, purposely dragging her chains on the ground as she said, "So it would seem you have deduced what our stratagem is."

"Second Lancer is not strong enough to defeat me. My battle against her at Ryuudou proved that. With Saber no longer in Emiya Shirou's control, there's no one left but you in your little resistance faction to take me on."

"Naturally. It takes one with a rotten soul to understand another with a rotten soul. The way you usurped Caster so that you could casually abandon your Master and go do whatever you like is downright irritating to me. Have you no honor as a Servant?"

"I'm surprised. I thought of any of us, you would understand me the best, Rider," Archer said. "Being commanded to obey an impotent, urine-stained little boy must have made you see your real Master in a more disrespectful light. Something like, 'If Master really did understand me, she would never have made me obey her idiot brother'."

Sakura blinked, taken aback by what the bowman was saying. Medusa raised one of her daggers and glowered, "Are you trying to poach me? Or are you asking me to kill you for insulting Sakura?"

"I don't have quite the death wish that you're imagining, but it would seem that my reasoning has no effect on you," Archer muttered as he summoned his dual swords into his hands. "It's amazing to think that Second Lancer managed to bewitch a creature like you into believing that the Holy Grail Wars should be stopped. Here I was thinking I was guarding the gate, but instead I've been dispatched on a monster hunt."

"Do you ever shut that mouth of yours? If you really want to die that badly, I shall gladly be your executioner," the violet-haired Rider declared and hunched her torso down low until her chin almost touched the ground, yet kept her legs straight up and rigid. Her awkward posture made her seem somewhat sensual, what with the way her buttocks were raised high, her thin legs spread apart, and her voluptuous cleavage swayed in tune to her movements.

Caren faced Rin and Shirou, and said, "That's our cue."

"Yeah. You be careful, Sakura," Shirou warned his pensive classmate. "Archer is capable of anything, so keep your distance."

"Yes, I will," she nodded and firmed her expression as she faced Medusa. "No matter what, Rider will make sure that Archer gets on his knees and begs for Rin's forgiveness."

"Thanks…" Rin whispered to her sister, then followed the others toward the church's entrance. Archer was unable to halt their advance since he had to worry about fighting Medusa. If he let his eyes off her for even a moment, no doubt she would rush in and bite his head off, figuratively and literally speaking.

As Caren, Shirou and Rin headed through the main worship hall, they heard the distinct sounds of metal striking metal repeatedly. Then they felt a strange breeze rustling their clothes. It wasn't from the shattered windows, but from a different source. They knew what it was though, so there was no alarm when Connla's distorted voice declared, "LoOkS lIkE aRcHeR aNd RiDeR aRe alREadY gOiNg aT iT."

"Yes. Now that we're inside, you can drop your Identity Concealment already," Caren said.

"My ApOlOgies, Ms. Hortensia," Connla murmured as her voice returned to normal in mid-sentence, and the winds cloaking her body dissipated. "I forgot that it won't be necessary for this battle. No doubt, Caster and Mr. Kuzuki will want to keep this confrontation indoors as much as possible, so there won't be any worry of me venturing outside."

"That's fine, but what about Assassin? He's still one of Caster's Servants, so there's no doubt that she could summon him to aid her."

"Don't worry. Assassin will not come."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"A Servant summoned by another Servant will have strict limitations. Although my meeting with Assassin was brief, I could tell that he was bound not to Caster, but to Ryuudou Temple itself. My best guess is that Caster killed the actual Master who was supposed to summon Assassin before any of this began, then applied their Command Spells to Ryuudou so that Assassin could function as the gatekeeper. That way she could set up her territory without much concern for warding off invaders – Assassin and the natural Anti-Servant field would do the repelling for her."

"So you're saying he's stuck there?"

"Yes. Since his 'Master' is unable to move, he likewise cannot move," Connla said, yet her eyes narrowed in a most curious fashion.

"What's with that look in your eye?" Caren asked. "It almost seems like the cogs in your little brain are moving."

"No, don't worry about it. It was just a passing thought."

As the group made their way downstairs, Rin became visibly upset as she glanced at Shirou. Her gaze made him feel uncomfortable, so he wondered, "What is it, Tohsaka? Is there something you need to say?"

"… Just one thing," she mumbled before taking her red-jeweled pendant out. "You picked this up for me when we bumped into each other earlier today. Remember how you said you had one of these in your room?"

"Yeah."

"The thing is… Well… The truth is, there's only one of this pendant in the world."

"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?" he wondered as his eyes widened.

"This is the one that Archer returned to me, on the day that you were stabbed by Lancer. Until you said that, I always assumed that he just retrieved it for me."

Everyone became silent. Connla already knew, but this was the first time Shirou and Caren were learning about it. Even so, all of them pondered the implications behind this bizarre contradiction, and why Archer did not tell Rin that he had given her his own version of the pendant. After a lengthy pause, Rin murmured, "That's all I wanted to say."

Shirou nodded, and said, "All right. Let's keep moving."

They reached the second-to-last basement floor, which mostly functioned as storage. As they passed by a particular locked room, Connla suddenly stopped in mid-step and turned her eyes toward the heavy wooden doors. For whatever reason, no room other than this one attracted her attention. She was caught in such a trance that she lagged several feet behind the others before they turned around and noticed her.

"What is it, Lancer?" Caren demanded.

"Oh… It's nothing," the young Servant uttered and hurried back to them.

"The last thing we need is you standing around and daydreaming. Get your act together already."

"My apologies."

As Connla hurried to rejoin her compatriots, she once again stopped. This time though, her glare was menacing, and she turned her eyes toward the dark side hallway. Without warning, she swiped her spear a single time. A second later, two Dragon Tooth Warriors collapsed to the ground in pieces and dissipated into black embers.

"Looks like Caster wants to settle things quickly too," Rin muttered dully, then turned to lead the group to their destination – the very bottom floor where Medea was imprisoning Artoria.

Medea had her eyes closed beneath her hood as she concentrated on observing the battle between Archer and Medusa. However, she opened them once she heard multiple footsteps clapping on the stone steps leading to her new workshop. Three Masters and one Servant were greeted by the sorceress and her vapid Master as they blocked the way to Artoria. The blonde Saber had lost so much vitality that she was completely slumped onto the floor save her bound wrists. Rin stood to face Medea, while Shirou and Connla met Soichirou. Caren remained in the furthest corner of the underground chapel so she could observe the proceedings from a safe distance.

Medea initiated the exchange by saying, "Have you forgotten how I graciously spared your lives? How foolish you are for seeking to throw them away."

"I'm not here to throw away anything," Rin retorted. "I'm simply taking back what is rightfully mine. I also can't plain stand you, so getting rid of you will be the cherry on the top."

"I offer my compliments for you all winning Rider on your side, though I believe that was primarily Second Lancer's work. Even so, you are still lacking the pieces necessary for victory. Are you so devoid of common sense that you cannot make such a simple analysis?"

"Hmph. I've been thinking about this for a while now, but that outfit of yours is in extremely poor taste. Seriously, a purple robe and black mantle? What kind of bumpkin wears that in this day and age?" Rin visible patronized Medea, adding a hint of mischievousness to her gaze as she said this. "In addition, this is your idea of a magic workshop? It's hilarious how outdated you are. Get with the times already, lady."

"Oh dear," Medea scoffed, hardly fazed by the girl's insults. "Are all Mages of this era so foolhardy? Whatever your low opinions of me are, it is fact that Archer deserted you and willingly came to my side. If anyone is in poor taste, it is you, little lady."

As they exchanged insults, Soichirou had his eyes focused on Shirou and Connla. It was evident in his gaze though that he found the young Lancer to be the bigger threat of the two, and she knew this. Their pupils locked on to each other's, and they fought that very same battle of wills as they did back at Homuhara. They knew what the other was thinking. Without saying a word, they struggled to find ways to outwit each other.

"Shall we get started then?" Rin asked. "I'm seriously getting sick of seeing your ugly mug, so I'm going to finish you off for good."

"Bold words for such a little girl. Do you think you can defeat me?" Medea wondered. She conjured her magic circles and floated high above the group.

"Of course I can do something about your parlor tricks. After all, a first-rate Mage like me would never lose to a third-rate hack like yourself," the teenager retorted as she held several gems between her fingers.

"It seems you are in desperate need of discipline to correct that flagrant insolence of yours."

Shirou murmured, "Trace on," and projected the dual blades, while Connla got into her combat stance. Soichirou likewise positioned his body so that he resembled a preying mantis. Connla narrowed her eyes as she noticed something off about the man's wrists.

They're radiating mana. Is Caster boosting Mr. Kuzuki's attack power to compensate for her lack of offensive abilities? Or is this her way of keeping him safe…?

Without much as a sound, Soichirou rushed in to meet the pair in combat. Shirou was so busy thinking of what he needed to do that he didn't realize the teacher was already moving. Fortunately for him, Connla's reaction time was just as impeccable, and she conjured a Shield Rune to block a high-powered punch that was aimed for her head. Sparks of mana detonated around them, and the two warriors reared back before engaging in a crazed duel of flash movements and precise attacks.

Whenever Connla attempted to cut Soichirou down, he would dodge her spear effortlessly. Whenever Soichirou attempted to strike his honed fists upon Connla's flesh, she would parry him either with her weapon or Runes. Now that he was fighting her, he could actually see what her expression was like in battle. It turned out to be very similar to his – completely devoid of passion. At this point, they were merely going through the motions, not really fighting for anything other than taking the other's life. Truly, Soichirou felt like he was looking at himself in a mirror.

Even Shirou couldn't deny how spooked he was when he saw Connla's vapid gaze. It served to prove to him how the girl's spirit had been ripped apart through unspeakably cruel training methods, and then poorly stitched back together so that she no longer resembled the child she was supposed to be. Shirou snarled in frustration, tightly gripped his swords, and charged into the fray while releasing a loud cry.

As the night lingered on, two figures were engaged in a fierce contest of their own. The man in red clothing was not having an easy time against the blindfolded lady with the ankle-length lavender hair. Each one of her attacks bore absolutely no hesitation – each one was meant to kill. Granted, Archer knew that Medusa wasn't as fast as Cuchulainn or Connla, so he didn't have to worry about keeping up with attacks that were nearly invisible to the naked eye. However, Medusa compensated by utilizing her daggers in close range combat while attempting to confuse him with her flailing chains. Any time he tried to snipe her down with quick arrow shots, she would simply fling the chains about so that they blocked the projectiles for her.

As much as Medusa promised Rin that she would go easy on Archer, such sentiments became irrelevant once the battle began. All that mattered to her was making this disloyal traitor submit to her superior strength. Since Sakura was her Master instead of Shinji, Medusa felt a lot less constrained as well. Sakura's body was practically overflowing with mana, allowing for the Rider to unleash her true powers upon Archer. To prove this, Medusa leapt high above Archer and performed such a powerful dive kick that it destroyed his blocking twin blades on contact.

"Gh!" he grunted and skidded backwards, then regained his balance and projected another set of swords. Medusa lithely swooped in low behind him and raised her leg to deliver an equally deadly roundhouse kick to his neck. Archer just barely caught sight of her and ducked his entire upper torso back. For just a split second, the stiletto heel of her boot seemed like a razor to him. He flipped backwards several times, and she took chase while thrusting her daggers about.

There was no doubt in Archer's mind now – he was seriously outclassed. He survived his very first battle against Cuchulainn simply because the Lancer had been restrained with a Command Spell. The battle against Heracles was fought from a great distance. The battle against Medea at Ryuudou was not that particularly challenging to him. Things started to get difficult when he engaged Connla, but she wasn't as strong as he thought she was. It wasn't until this fight that Archer was now the one being pressured to give everything he had. Of course, he anticipated such a turnabout; Medusa was considered a Divine Spirit rather than just an ordinary Heroic Spirit, which meant there would be a significant leap in prowess. Maybe her real powers were downgraded because she was being summoned by a human, but her Master was truly a high-class Mage who could help Medusa unleash as much of her strength as possible. Had it been anyone else, the two Servants would probably be equal in strength instead.

In contrast, Archer turned his own inferiority into a weapon by purposely giving Medusa fatal openings for her to take advantage of. This way, he could predict his dodges better and control her movements. While she was once known as a feared goddess, he was merely human. The only thing he had going for him was the nerves of steel cultivated through repeated combat experience. This was a skill known as the Mind's Eye, which wasn't innately born 'instinct' but was rather a sort of honed reaction time one could gain after years of training. It wasn't anything special though; given enough hard work, anyone could gain a Mind's Eye of their own.

Medusa couldn't understand what was going on. She twirled aside to avoid a stab to her midsection, and landed several feet away from Archer. Although her blindfold obscured her eyes, her thinned lips suggested that she was somewhat baffled.

The whole premise behind this fight is entirely wrong. Why is he engaging me in hand-to-hand combat in the first place? If he is an 'archer', he could be finding a high perch and trying to snipe me down. Even so, he is parrying me with such poise that I keep believing he is a Saber.

"You look troubled, Rider," Archer muttered.

"Archer… No, are you really an 'archer'?" Medusa murmured.

"Come now. You're questioning my namesake this late into the game?"

"I'm absolutely certain that I'm giving everything I have to punish you, and yet it feels like I'm going easy on you. You are clearly weaker than me, yet I keep mistaking you for someone who is strong. What a strange man you are."

"Maybe I am. After all, a battle between Servants is really a battle between Noble Phantasms. The fact that you aren't using yours suggests that I'm not worth the time and effort for you."

Medusa stood tall and whipped her chains to make them vanish. "Are you goading me?"

"That's up to you to decide."

"Hm… Still, however you might think that siding with Caster will suit your plans, the fact remains that there is no honor behind your tactics. Even your swords are so devoid of honor that I can't stand looking at them."

At this, the red-garbed bowman smirked. "That's right. I don't have any pride. But what of it? Even though you are an Anti-Hero, you are still offended when heroes act as disgraceful as I do. The thing is, mere heroism will not get you anywhere. All that matters are results. If you're going to lecture me about pride, then toss it to the snakes instead."

"…"

Medusa wasn't particularly offended by what Archer said. Perhaps because she was an Anti-Hero, she could understand him better than a regular Hero like Artoria or Cuchulainn could. Even so, she didn't like his reasoning. She couldn't tolerate him for betraying his Master, when she took great pride in obeying hers. He called himself a Hero, yet acted like an Anti-Hero. She couldn't let such callousness slide so easily. Upon hearing his twisted logic, her murderous intent flared like never before, and the air practically froze around them.

"… Just so you know…" Medusa whispered as she hunched down low.

Faster than the blink of an eye, she was gone. All that was left behind were light swirls of wind. Both Archer and Sakura craned their necks up so that they looked upon the deep night sky. A flash of brilliant white light illuminated the darkness for a few seconds. When it died down, they found Medusa riding the lovely white Pegasus, and she immediately commanded the steed to fly in a wide arc.

"… Snakes have better appetites than you think."

Archer had no reply to spare. He remembered seeing Bellerophon from a distance when Medusa used it on Connla. He made sure to analyze its properties, and he deduced that the steed would function best as a Noble Phantasm when commanded by its rider to shoot straight for the enemy like a bullet. He didn't know anything about Connla at the time, but he could tell that she countered with a fiery projectile of equivalent strength. In other words, she used offense to cancel offense.

That wasn't the tactic he planned on using however. Since he wasn't contracted to a proper Master, he couldn't expend his energy to project a weapon that would rival a Divine Spirit's ultimate attack. He was concerned about whether or not Caladbolg would do the job for him since he was only capable of summoning a miniature version of the legendary Celtic sword. He did have something in his possession though; an impenetrable shield of renowned Trojan mythology. In other words, he would use defense against offense instead.

Medusa scoffed when she realized Archer wasn't going to move from his spot, so she made Pegasus plummet straight for the stoic bowman while screaming the name of her Noble Phantasm:

"BELLEROPHOO~OON!"

Both rider and steed became a searing white comet. The red-garbed knight calmly closed his eyes and raised his arm, appearing as if he was either surrendering or accepting his demise. Medusa knew that couldn't be case. Archer was much too crafty to just give up like that. She braced herself for anything. Then, a series of familiar words escaped his lips.

"I am the bone of my sword…"

He opened his eyes.

"Rho Aias!"

A rose-colored barrier resembling a rocket larkspur was erected in front of him, followed by seven barriers in front of the flower. Medusa immediately understood what the shield was.

The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens… the shield of Aias the Great that was the only thing capable of stopping Durindana, the spear of the great hero Hector.

She would have believed that his True Name was thus Aias, but that didn't explain how he was using swords crafted by the Chinese blacksmith Gan Jiang. It was like Archer was just borrowing weapons from different mythologies and pulling them out of his arsenal when necessary.

Why does Archer have such a thing…?

She grunted as the horse made contact with the barrier and, as she predicted, was grinded to a halt. The two Servants were locked in a calamitous stalemate of absolute power versus absolute defense. Way back at the church's front gate, Sakura grabbed the iron bars to hold herself steady, and watched their struggle in sheer awe. She knew that however much Medusa struggled to penetrate Rho Aias, it would be extremely difficult for her, if not impossible.

Rider, Sakura closed her eyes and psychically communicated to her Servant. We made a promise to Rin. So then, I'll lend you all the mana I can give you, even if it winds up draining me dry!

Sakura…

Medusa grit her teeth, not really wanting her Master to go to such lengths for her. Despite this, she felt such a tremendous surge of power that the air literally roared around her and Pegasus. Archer's face became visibly strained, and his raised arm trembled. The sound of shattering glass pierced around them as the first layer was broken through… then the second… then the third. Now he was showing clear signs of distress as he clenched his raised arm with his other hand to keep it steady. The destructive forces emanating from Bellerophon was beginning to have a deadly effect on him as his skin and muscles became numb, and sparks flickered around the limb.

He grit his teeth and locked his eyes upon her blindfold. She too bared her teeth and glared at him. The fourth and fifth barriers shattered, and after a short struggle, the sixth one followed. All that remained between them was the seventh and last barrier. In a fit of rage and desperation, Archer let out a fantastic battle roar.

"HrrraaaaAAA~AAA~AAAGH!"

Pure white fire exploded around them. The church's outer walls were mercilessly decimated. The cold air seemed so distant when the area was engulfed in unforgivable heat. The miniature supernova lasted for a good minute, then eventually lost its luster. The firestorm soon ceased, and Sakura opened her tightly-squeezed eyes. She realized that she was laying on her side, after the initial detonation had blown her down the road for several dozen feet.

"Sakura?"

She heard Medusa's soft voice urging her to wake up, and found her kneeling above her.

"R-Rider…" the teenager groaned and shuffled onto her buttocks.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

The Servant helped her Master get back to her feet, then they turned their attention to the church's entrance where Archer was. However, he was no longer there. After a long and uncomfortable pause, Medusa tilted her head, then murmured, "I see. So that was his objective all along."

"What do you mean?" Sakura wondered.

"Caster's eyes are not observing us. That means the others must be pushing her into a corner."

"But that means she isn't watching Archer either."

"That's the entire point. We were played into his hands like complete fools."

"Uh…?"

The entire church began to collapse due to the incredible damage caused by Medusa's boosted Noble Phantasm. What were once sturdy stone walls now cracked and crumbled like brittle chalk. Despite this severe level of destruction, all of the combatants paid no mind to it and continued their separate battles. Medea fired a volley of violet lasers at Rin, and the teenager tossed several green gems while chanting, "Sieben!"

The stones shattered and released their magical energy, generating a barrier that repelled Medea's attacks. At the same time, Connla hurled some small fireballs at Soichirou, but they detonated harmlessly as he dodged and weaved around them. She cartwheeled aside as he tried to grab her neck, exposing his back to Shirou so he could rush in to cleave his back. Soichirou delivered a sudden high kick that fractured Shirou's projected swords and pushed him away.

I knew it, Connla thought as she hurried to meet Soichirou in battle again. Caster's enhancing his abilities to superhuman levels. Though he may be a regular human, I should treat him as if I'm fighting a Servant.

She whipped her spear about in a blind frenzy, and it took everything Soichirou had just to evade her in such confined corridors. Suddenly, he snatched her left arm and whirled behind her in such a way that he could pull the limb back in an awkward position. A horrible crunching sound indicated that her bones were broken, and she squealed in agony. Despite this, she had just enough focus to summon an Ansuz Rune in her good hand, and she fired it at Soichirou's face while he was behind her. He barely managed to parry it with his energized arm, but the small blast destroyed his glasses and singed his hair.

With unexpected strength, Shirou leapt over Soichirou and delivered a devastating chopping kick to the man's shoulder, forcing him away from Connla. He didn't seem bothered by the severe pain however, and he punched the teenager's chest several times before knocking him on his back with an uppercut. Meanwhile, Connla flipped backwards using only her right hand for support, then planted her soles on the wall and launched herself at him like a bullet. Her intent was to batter him, but he leaned back just enough that she missed him by inches.

As she passed by him, Soichirou grabbed Connla's leg, then whirled her small body around effortlessly and slammed her face-down onto the stone ground. She gasped from the recoil, then suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through her legs, and she let out a strained scream. He had energized his entire arm and chopped down on her lower legs, breaking both tibia bones so badly that she would not be able to get back onto her feet. Along with her broken left arm, all she had remaining was her right arm.

"Lancer!" Shirou shouted and rushed in to intercept Soichirou before he could hurt Connla any further. He projected a new pair of swords and stabbed at his homeroom teacher numerous times, but the stoic man dodged each swipe with surgical precision. Once Soichirou found an opening in Shirou's offense, he delivered a mighty kick to the boy's chest and sent him flying until he hit his back on the wall. Even though Shirou knew he was severely outmatched, he grunted through the pain and clamored back to his feet.

He spared a glance for Connla, who was lying nearby and hiding her face from everyone so they couldn't see her anguished expression. He shifted his eyes back to Soichirou while thinking, His objectives are to immobilize Lancer and take away my weapons. Lancer's done what she can, and my rushed projections won't be enough. At best, I would be able to make two more proper swords.

Shirou created another blade, feeling his magic circuits flare from the strain. He ignored the pain and dueled with Soichirou again. For whatever reason, Shirou felt more energized and focused than before. It was as if he was now fighting as a proper warrior rather than an inexperienced Mage. Was it because he was getting used to his opponent's fighting style? Was it because he had to do his job of keeping Soichirou occupied? Was it because he wanted to protect the others?

Or was there something else going on…?

Shirou deftly ducked beneath one of Soichirou's punches, then slashed at his chest. The man's suit was cut through in a diagonal line, and a thin streak of blood seeped out of a long laceration on his chest. Neither of them allowed the action to stop just because Shirou got in a hit. The teenager whirled behind the assassin and attempted to stab him in the back, but he wound up missing and had to jerk his head back to avoid having his neck bones snapped into pieces. They kept up this dervish for what was really half a minute, but it felt like an eternity to them.

As the two men's eyes locked on to each other, that was when a peculiar green flash lit up the area. A second later, Shirou blinked in surprise when he discovered someone's blood hitting the floor.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next part should be up soon, but updates may be a bit slower during the holidays. I'm also going to be grinding the Christmas event in FGO like crazy, so that will definitely cause some delays. I should have Part 2 up before the New Year though, so just sit tight, folks.