FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS
Chapter 22: EMIYA
Caren had been put in a deep sleep ever since Archer abducted her so that she wouldn't try to resist him. The dreams she experienced were nostalgic ones, as if something had unlocked a bunch of memories she had kept buried within herself for years. Although she was quite young when her family broke apart, Caren could still see her mother Claudia's smiling face. No matter how ill she was, she did her utmost to care for the young child, and that loving nature stuck with her as she trained to be a nun and demon detector.
Claudia was probably the only person in the world Caren still respected. She regarded everyone else, including her father Kirei, as commonplace boors that needed guidance. Although Caren inherited an aspect of Kirei's twisted nature, she would never allow it to actually stray her toward the path of evil. She instead channeled her acrimonious attitude so that she was strict with others, even to the point that her words would be downright shocking and rude. Even so, she wasn't a pure sadist. Her latent ability allowed her to feel the pain of those who were possessed by demons, so she possessed some degree of empathy that allowed her to reach out to the needy.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was the daughter of Kotomine Kirei. However much that thought disgusted her, she accepted it since she was also the scion of Claudia Hortensia. Perhaps that was why Caren's dream felt so melancholic and bittersweet. Did she want to wake up to escape from Kirei, or did she want to remain asleep so she could be with Claudia?
"-sia?"
Someone was calling to her. It was faint at first, but Caren soon made out the familiar little girl's voice.
"-tensia?"
The images of her parents soon faded into darkness. She didn't mind though. She knew that the young Lancer would be there to greet her when she woke up. For a split second, she remembered that she had been captured. If Connla was there, that meant that Caren would be rescued, wouldn't it? That realization prompted her to regain her senses and follow the voice back to reality.
"Ms. Hortensia? Are you all right?"
Caren's eyes eventually cracked open, and she moaned once she felt how stiff her muscles were from being tied to the chair for a long period of time.
"Ms. Hortensia!" Connla yelped joyfully.
"L… Lan… cer…"
"Just a moment. I'll free you."
The girl used her spear to cut through the ropes binding Caren to the chair, and the priestess flexed her wrists, shoulders, legs and ankles before feeling limber enough to stand back up. Connla waited patiently for Caren to recover, but she could tell from the strained look in her eyes that she had been extremely worried this whole time.
"How are you feeling? Did Archer do anything to hurt you?" Connla asked.
"I was asleep for the whole time, but I believe that reprobate left me be," Caren said.
Then to her surprise, the child Servant threw her arms around her waist and hugged her tightly while moaning, "Oh, thank goodness. I was beside myself with anxiety while you were gone."
"H-Hey…"
As much as the nun wanted to push her off, something told her to just let her do as she pleased so she could relax and focus on her job as a Servant better. In that moment, Caren could feel Claudia's warmth once more, as if her mother was transmitting her love through Connla's embrace. Caren placed her hand on the child's head and muttered, "All right, that's enough. I'm safe now, so you can let go already."
Connla did so, then said, "You have no idea how guilty I was feeling for letting you get captured like that. I kept thinking over and over again, 'I shouldn't have involved Ms. Hortensia like this. I shouldn't have allowed her to follow me around as a false Master'."
"Spare me such drama," Caren retorted. "It was my suggestion in the first place. No matter how much danger that decision put me in, I always commit to my choices and see them through to the end. Normally I'd say that it's your job to protect your Master, but given the state you were in during the battle against Kuzuki, it can't be helped. If I'm going to be angry at anyone, it'll be with Archer."
"Right…"
As the pair were lost in the thrill of their reunion, they heard Kojirou head down the stairs before he found them. Caren glanced up at him in surprise and wondered, "Assassin!?"
"It's okay," Connla said. "It's a long story, but he's made a new contract with Shirou."
"Goodness. That does sound like quite the tale."
Kojirou inspected them, then said, "I trust everything has gone well with the rescue effort?"
"Everything's fine now," Connla told him. "I only wonder how Shirou is faring against Archer though."
"Are they battling each other as we speak?" Caren asked.
"Yes. They're in the foyer with Saber and Ms. Tohsaka, but Shirou explicitly requested them not to interfere."
"How inconsiderate of them to start the party without me. Oh well, better late than never. I don't know about you two, but I am most curious to see the outcome of their duel. If anything, I look forward to the moment when Emiya Shirou swiftly punishes Archer for his flagrant insubordination."
"Agreed," Kojirou frowned. "Though I am not privy to all the details, it is clear to me that that man has put you all through needless duress. I shall gladly join you on the sidelines and witness my lord's fortitude."
"Then let us depart immediately."
Archer narrowed his eyes at Shirou when he heard that unexpected response.
"What do you mean, we are two different people?" he wondered.
Shirou dropped the silver sword, letting it clatter on the marble flooring next to his feet. He said, "Unlike you, I never regret anything that I do. That's why I can't accept you. If you really are the embodiment of my ideal, then I just need to wipe it out and find a different path for myself."
"What makes you think that changing the course of your life will make things better? You're such a hardheaded fool that any new decisions you make will wind up leading you back to where you started. It is inevitable that you will become me one day."
"I will not. That day will never come. I know this because my experiences are different than yours."
"You're probably right. If you have no intention of running from here, then you will no longer have a future anyway," Archer declared, then began striding down the steps.
Artoria got in front of Shirou, but he put his hand on her shoulder and implored, "It's okay. Thank you, Saber. But this time, I want you to stand back and be a witness."
"…"
"Trace…"
"On," both men murmured and projected Kanshou and Bakuya into their hands. They stepped forward into the very center of the foyer and stared at each other intensely. Archer murmured, "Can you keep up with my blade works? If your accuracy is even a tiny bit off, you will die."
Shirou didn't respond. He simply charged at Archer flailing his blades. The bowman likewise met his alternate self in battle, and sparks rained about everywhere around them. They dashed and danced about in a frenzy while striking their swords repeatedly. Archer was the faster of the two though, as he was swift enough to blindside Shirou and attempt to stab through his back. He spun around just in time to parry the deadly blow, but the murderous force behind it sent him jumping backwards a few feet.
Archer vanished again, appearing right in front of Shirou as if he had teleported, and they clashed again for a few seconds. Archer managed to find an opening in Shirou's offense and punched his chest, throwing the teenager into his back. To Archer's surprise though, Shirou rolled backwards and deftly leapt onto his feet like a gymnast. If he had been an ordinary Mage, Shirou would have been gasping for air. However, the unknown 'blacksmith' who had been tempering his magic circuits surfaced in his mind, and he understood that this person had been assisting him the entire time in order to make him as strong as a Servant.
If only I knew who that man was… and what it is he wants with me…
Shirou's thoughts were disrupted when he and Artoria noticed azure particles flowing off of Archer's partially vanished body. The swordswoman gasped, "He's running out of mana!"
"Don't get your hopes up," Archer replied calmly. "Even if my Independent Action is reaching its limit of sustaining me, that won't affect the gap in our fighting abilities whatsoever. In other words, it doesn't change the fact that Emiya Shirou is going to die by my hand."
With that declaration, Archer charged at Shirou so ferociously that he wasn't much different than a wild bull that had lost its mind. He swiped at his younger self's swords with blinding rage, which caused Shirou's swords to shatter into useless pieces and simultaneously throw him back once more.
"Shit!" he cursed and peeled his light jacket off so he could move more freely. He created another set of blades and met Archer in another violent dance. Although Archer had every advantage possible, he still couldn't breach Shirou's impeccable defenses, nor could he break his spirit and force him to surrender. Another thrust from Archer's swords destroyed Shirou's weapons once more, but he just made another set.
"You think your projections are on the same level as mine?" Archer taunted. "Granted, you have the exterior composition and material characteristics mastered, but if there is no structure to support your constructs, it is pointless. You might as well be flailing papier-mâché at me."
Shirou let out a profane yell and swung once more, meeting Archer in a vicious stalemate. His magic circuits flared a gentle aqua color, and they coursed through the Servant's weapons as if they had intrinsically become a part of Shirou's subconsciousness. If he didn't know how they were structured from within, all he needed to do was copy how Archer projected his weapons, store that information in his memory, and mimic it.
Furthermore, he could see the old man's black silhouette lurking within the jagged network of mana paths. There weren't any words exchanged between them, but Shirou understood that the man was instructing him on how to forge a high-quality weapon. In those few seconds, Shirou had become the stranger's pupil, and the lessons he received were so thorough that he felt a lot more confident than before.
Shirou stood there in dumbfounded amazement, his eyes wide with surprise. He couldn't afford to reflect on what just happened because Archer kicked him aside and dashed in low to stab at Shirou's midsection. He deflected the blade, and they continued their incredible struggle. Archer destroyed this third set of Shirou's swords with a mighty clang, but the teenager snarled with unspeakable rage and delivered several powerful blows at his foe.
"Your cadence seems different than before. It would seem that your mystery benefactor is lending you a hand," Archer muttered. "I've also heard of Magecraft that allows you to master old skills by communing with past selves and letting them possess you. Whoever is lending you their support, their spirit must be in such harmony with yours that it's like you're the same person split apart by centuries. With such abilities in hand, you are honing your skills every time our weapons meet."
"Guess that means we're both copycats," Shirou retorted. "But enough with the tough talk. No matter how far ahead you think you are, I'll catch up faster than you will realize!"
"Catch up to me? Truly, you still fail to understand the most basic principle of all."
"Such as what?"
Archer rushed in faster than one snapping their fingers, and he forced Shirou into another stalemate while growling, "That you ever had any possibility of defeating me!"
As both men glared into each other's eyes, Shirou heard a peculiar ringing in his ears. Random visions swam in his mind, all bleak and grey as an overcast day. Just as Archer claimed, he lived his life murdering countless people. Several swords stuck in his back, symbolizing the constant betrayal and deception he had to endure. Then the sight of a lone noose hanging within a dark warehouse came into view.
So this is how it ended for him…
Shirou stared at the utterly broken man kneeling within the endless field of swords that was Unlimited Blade Works.
I refuse to pity him. I will not feel sorry for him. This was the path he chose. But…
He found himself standing within the desolate wasteland, hundreds of feet away from the ruined Archer.
When I think that I will eventually walk the same path as him… I feel like I could shatter from despair. Seeing that everything you believed in was just a fantasy mired in lies… I…
"HAH!" Archer let out a mighty cry and broke Shirou's swords yet again. The incredible force sent him crashing onto his back. He didn't get back up though. He shuffled backwards on his buttocks, which caused Artoria and Rin great concern.
"What's the matter, Emiya?" Rin wondered.
"Gh…!"
"From that pathetic look on your face," Archer said to him, "you're practically on the verge of vomiting. I'm guessing you saw it, didn't you? Then there's no need for me to explain anything further, other than that it is the honest truth. If you seek to 'catch up to me', that is how you will end up. If you still don't believe me, then I'll show it to you again… My internal world; the disgusting landscape that is the culmination of my efforts."
The familiar blue aura exploded from Archer's body, engulfing the entire foyer in an azure haze. Right as he began unleashing his true power, this was when Caren, Connla and Kojirou entered the large room from a side entrance, and they were caught surprised by the sudden winds blowing around them.
"I am the bone of my sword. Unknown to Death, nor Known to Life… Unlimited Blade Works!"
The reality of everyone standing within Einzbern Manor was overwritten by the desolate wasteland of fields, grey clouds and rotating gears in the sky once more. This was the first time Kojirou was witnessing this, though he did nothing except narrow his eyes and thin his lips. All he could do was stay with the others and see how his new Master would respond to this overwhelming power.
Rin clasped her hands over her chest and thought of the short time that she had been Archer's Master. If she had been any ordinary Mage who regarded her Servant as a mere familiar, then she probably would have called him a terrible partner. She was not like that though. Maybe Connla had been right about her failing to understand him, but in her opinion, Archer simply wound up being more 'unmanageable' than 'terrible'.
Archer… You might have been too much for me, but that was why I tried so hard. So long as you were my Servant, I swore only to do what I believed in. It frustrates me, but I can't be the one who will save you from your endless nightmare… Because I think you're right. Seeing your internal world for myself, I can only think that your regrets are justified. Just like Emiya, I'm not the type to look back, so it's hard for me to understand how other people can constantly reflect on their past. All I can do is focus on myself, yet my lack of consideration for your situation makes me downright angry with my own ignorance.
Even so… Changing oneself is the maximum limit a human should achieve for themselves, isn't it? We are not capable of changing others. I cannot change you. I cannot save you. Only you can change yourself, Archer. The only gesture I can make to you is that I will expand my own horizons as I live my own life. It is the least I can do to repay you for showing me the dangers of regretting my choices.
As Rin contemplated in silence, Shirou was already engaging Archer in the fiercest dervish of his life. Both men were razor-sharp whirlwinds of movement and passion. It didn't take long for Archer to overpower Shirou though, fracturing his blade with a mighty thrust. The teenager fell to his knees and held himself upright using the wrecked weapons as a prop.
"You knew you were no match for me, yet you were foolish enough to appear before me. I shouldn't be surprised. You're a sham who was obsessed with a stupid ideal for his entire life. Is it becoming clear to you that this is who you really are?" Archer wondered. "Saving people just because you want to is a mistake. A defect like you could never hope to achieve this impossible goal. There's no meaning to your existence."
Shirou turned his eyes toward the man and growled lightly.
"Right. Look at me. Look at your ideal self," the Servant implored. "You can be disgusted with me all you want, abut the truth is that you are no match for me."
Shirou clenched his teeth. So much blood covered his face that he was barely recognizable as a human. He turned his eyes toward the assembled group, particularly on the despondent Connla. Her eyes were heavy with sadness as she returned his gaze. That sullen look was enough to prompt him to create some new swords and run at Archer while yelling a battle cry. As much as he wanted to tear his alternate self into bloody shreds, he didn't even have the strength to fight a serious duel. Archer simply blocked Shirou's halfhearted sword swing and muttered, "I will admit that your refusal to accept me is natural. As long as I am the result of your ideals, Emiya Shirou must reject me more than anyone in this world."
Shirou tried to fight him again, but he blocked each swing before jamming his blade against the hilt of his enemy's sword.
"Let me ask you this then," Archer continued. "Do you really want to become a hero of justice?"
The younger warrior's sardonic gaze spoke volumes, but he still replied, "You're asking me now, of all times? I don't want to become one… I'm going to become one!"
He broke free of the standstill, but Archer snatched his arm and forced him to stand back-to-back with him. He then said, "Right. You have to become one, no matter what. Why? Because that is the only thing that ignites any sort of passion in your heart. The thing is, that passion is not actually coming from yourself."
"…"
"Judging by your reaction, you must have always suspected it. I no longer have memories of my past, save for that one scene; the encroaching stench of death, walls of flame surrounding me, searching for hope when there was none to be found. I remember that feeling I felt when Emiya Kiritsugu saved my life.
"That is the moment when 'you' were born. Any sort of gratitude you felt for being saved didn't come until long afterward. With every fiber of your original memories destroyed, the first thing that blossomed within your burned-out spirit was admiration for that man, simply because he looked so happy when he was saving you. You were thus convinced that you wanted the same thing."
Shirou's jaw dropped. It was impossible for him to refute Archer's argument.
He's right… I wasn't the one who was saved that day. One might think that I was the sole survivor of that fire, but in reality… I had 'died' within the blaze. I was an impossible survivor. The real one who was saved then was Kiritsugu. That joyful look in his eyes, the tears streaming down his face as he held my hand, the appreciation he showed me for saving his broken soul…
"It's common sense for children to idolize their parents," Archer said. "But what that man left you to inherit was a curse. Because everything that defined you prior was destroyed in the fire, you had nothing left but to become the hero of justice in his stead."
Connla bit her lower lip. Memories of growing up under her mother Aife's guidance came back to haunt her. They lived in an isolated hut in the mountains of Scotland, hundreds of miles away from civilization. She didn't realize it at the time, but that sort of seclusion was part of Aife's plan to groom her daughter into a weapon that would slay Cuchulainn. Connla had no choice but to look up to her mother and do her utmost to make her proud. Tragically, all the effort she put into appeasing Aife was never enough. No matter how much she accomplished, no matter how many wounds and insults she had to endure, the goal post was always moved further and further away. The woman was never satisfied, and constantly demanded that Connla perform better even though such stress would destroy a small child like her. Maybe that destruction was what Aife wanted. Regardless, Connla kept trying and trying. She wasn't going to stop until her mother decided that she was ready to meet her father.
Because of such a brutal upbringing and the lack of outside support, Connla figured that this was how all people lived. Straining her body and torturing her spirit simply became natural to her at some point. In a way, she had inherited a curse from Aife, the same way Archer believed he had from Kiritsugu. Though their origins were different, both of them wound up leading self-destructive lives that would end in regret.
Indeed, Connla regretted obeying Aife without question. Perhaps her self-reproach was only born the moment she discovered who Cuchulainn was and why Aife placed the three geasa on her. Before that, she had lived in complete and utter ignorance of the truth. Even so, such disappointment would continue to exist within her every time she was summoned as a Servant. Connla hated herself for not doubting Aife's way of teaching her the way of a warrior. If she had, maybe things could have been better for both of them.
Maybe that was why Connla felt she needed to continue pushing herself to the brink well after she left Aife behind. She wasn't content with the salvation that Cuchulainn killing her should have given. She felt that she needed to punish herself for her own stupidity for all of eternity. Thus, the very first thing she gave up was the ability to smile and enjoy life. Next was the ability to forgive herself. Then the concept of having fun for the sake of mere entertainment had vanished. Connla had reduced herself to a machine that had to spend every moment of her life being productive in some fashion.
In other words, she had discarded the notion of reclaiming her childhood, and ventured into adulthood without actually being fully prepared for it.
"Your ideals are borrowed," Archer murmured to Shirou. "You just took the baton from Kiritsugu and carried on where he left off. You're just mimicking what he believed was right."
"No… That's not…"
"A hero of justice? Don't make me laugh. You're just parroting his talk of wanting to save others. A fool like you seeking to help everyone is the very height of arrogance!"
Archer cleaved through Shirou's sword, then jabbed his blade into his upper leg. Shirou let out a pained scream and stumbled away.
"The only reason you admired his wish to help others was because of its inherent beauty! You're so enraptured that you fail to notice the real ugliness lurking beneath it!" the bowman exclaimed, then proceeded to fight his other self once more. "Consequently, you have no passions of your own!"
Right. Shirou, Artoria and Connla had nothing they could be passionate about for themselves.
"You have been driven by the obsession that you must give yourself for others!"
Yes. All of them could only find joy in being of service to others, even when they would never receive any gratitude in return. It wasn't something they decided; it had been decided for them by their parents. They just copied the ones they respected and failed to forge identities of their own.
Archer finally managed to get in a lethal stab to Shirou's midsection. Artoria shrieked his name, while Connla covered her mouth and stared in absolute horror.
"In the end, you're just a hypocrite and a fake!" Archer exclaimed, his eyes wide with hatred and malice. "The fact is, you never knew what you were supposed to save in the first place! Your ideals are bankrupt! You never knew how to save anyone, nor did you actually have anything to save! Look at the result! Do you honestly think a defect like you can save anyone!?"
He destroyed Shirou's sword and carved a deep gash onto his arm, throwing him back onto the ground. He continued ranting, "Thinking that others are more important than yourself, wishing for everyone to be happy is just a saccharine delusion. If all you live for is to cling to that dream, then it will become the anchor that will ensnare and drown you to death!"
Shirou laid on his back, his arms and legs splayed out. He stared at the clouds as they passed over him at high speed. Artoria clenched her hand and shivered. Connla pressed her hands against the base of her throat to fight back the horrid depression welling within her.
Most of what you say is right. I'll give you that much. Yet, I feel like you're overlooking something. There is something fundamentally different that you're not realizing…
His fingers twitched.
You showed me the hell that I would arrive at one day. Or rather… I already made small glimpses into the future I was heading towards thanks to the people around me. Saber, Tohsaka, Sakura, Caren, Assassin… But most especially…
He turned his head so that he faced Connla once more.
Lancer…
He hadn't put it into words before, but he realized that he had never seen her smile, not even a tiny bit. He believed that children her age should be playing and laughing, taking in the innocence of childhood before they opened up to the realities of adulthood. He still couldn't fathom her being a child soldier, despite all of the explanations and assurances she had given him before. Shirou wanted to make others happy, yet nothing he did worked for Connla. If he couldn't do anything for a single person like her, just how arrogant was he for trying to do the same for everyone?
Then he recalled the words of his classmate Mitsuzuri Ayako:
"Remember when we were in training camp? When we were all being rowdy, you were the only one who didn't laugh at my funniest jokes. I'm still holding a grudge over how you never cracked a smile that day. Heck, you still don't. It's like you have no desire for anything. I'm not saying you should be like Shinji, but why not loosen up and have some fun for a change?"
Was he really that devoid of joie de vivre? Looking at Connla was like gazing at a reflection of himself however, so it had to be true. If she was always unhappy, then so was he.
Archer… You didn't have anyone like that, did you? You didn't have anyone who could show you the way. The only one you wound up relying on was yourself. Without allowing others to save you, you lost so much that it is too painful for me to watch.
Even so, I can't help but think that within your despair, you inadvertently sealed off a particular emotion. If only you could remember that, then perhaps…
His mind retreated to a far corner of his subconsciousness that he always wanted to block out; the hellscape that was the New Fuyuki Fire. He stepped forth onto the smoldering ruins and stared at the memory of a single man rummaging through the debris.
This is not just Hell. It is the most crucial thing you have forgotten. Our admiration isn't just hollow. It was the product of one man's humble wish to help others. It had gone unfulfilled, and he had lost everything. Despite this… although the memory is hazy, I'm certain that he bequeathed more than just the curse of imitating his ambition.
Shirou rested his hand on his breast, and a golden light rushed all around him. The sight of a blue-and-gold sword scabbard came into everyone's view. Archer was especially astonished to see this peculiar light. Shirou's egregious wounds healed themselves in the gentle glow, restoring him to full health.
Archer glared at Artoria and realized, I see. The reason his wounds can heal on their own is because of her scabbard.
Indeed, Kiritsugu had not just given Shirou the dream of being a hero. He had also rescued the dying boy by planting the Sheath of the Everdistant Utopia within his body. All this time, Shirou had been living with the power of the sacred scabbard Avalon coursing through his magic circuits. It was the catalyst Kiritsugu used to summon Artoria in the Fourth War. Since it was inside Shirou, he himself acted as the unintentional catalyst for her return in the Fifth War.
The link to Saber that Kiritsugu implanted in us to save our lives… It's not a Divine Construct that was summoned, but is an actual object that exists in this world. Even though his pact with Saber has been severed, the scabbard will continue to protect him.
Shirou's lips flittered, then he whispered, "Steel is… my body…"
"You wouldn't-!"
The awful stab injury that ran through Shirou's stomach and back was stitched together with fibers of pure healing essence. He projected new swords in his hands, ones brimming with substance and life, and slashed in an X formation to deflect Archer's blades after he had thrown them like boomerangs. Shirou's swords sparked with blue electricity, indicating their sheer strength and durability.
"I refuse to be beaten by you!" the Mage declared. "Against anyone else, I wouldn't mind accepting defeat. But I won't be beaten by myself!"
Archer closed his eyes in consternation, then said, "It seems you have made great leaps and bounds to reach my level. But it doesn't matter when the difference between our capabilities are like night and day."
"My spirit was broken, but my arms and legs still work. I acknowledged that you were right. My soul wasn't as truly strong as I believed it was."
"What…?"
"However, just because you're right doesn't mean you are absolutely correct. I'll become a hero of justice in my own way! Just as you have denounced me, I will use everything I have to defeat my own self who has lost his way!"
Shirou ran toward Archer with no hesitation in his steps, and his swung his swords at his opponent's. This time though, it was Archer's dual blades that started to show cracks. He winced in surprise, then forced Shirou back with a swipe.
"Ridiculous… Ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous!" Archer shouted angrily at the blood-soaked boy gasping for air. "I can't stand to look at you anymore! This is the summit of stupidity, Emiya Shirou! You still want to be a hero of justice despite seeing all of this!? Me being right isn't everything to you!? Why can't you see that you're mistaken!? Saving one and saving everyone are mutually exclusive! The more you strive for everyone's salvation, the more you will be consumed by your own contradiction! You'll become nothing more than a killer for hire!"
"…"
"If you still refuse to acknowledge this basic truth, then get out of my sight! Return to the dust along with your pathetic ideals! Disappear before you can achieve anything! Once you do, my mistakes will vanish like so much smoke! I'll erase any and every trace of your existence with my own two hands!"
The two warriors dashed in to duel once more. Way off to the side, Connla peered at Artoria and Kojirou, then murmured, "Can you both sense it?"
"Yes," Kojirou replied. "Their abilities are beginning to overlap. It won't be long before my lord is certain to catch up to that man."
Artoria didn't say anything. Her eyes became strained with concern. The other Servants weren't sure why she seemed so bothered, but they trusted her instincts and returned their attention to the battle. The flurry of movements that Shirou and Archer were lost in were downright amazing. Although Archer was already a Servant, Shirou's swiftness and flexibility were so refined that he might as well have been a Servant. Shirou flipped beneath one of Archer's precision swipes, then jumped over him and whipped his blades at him.
"You little-!" the bowman snarled and parried him. He bared his teeth at his enemy while wondering, Why am I bothering to fight him fairly? if I take a few steps back, this will all be over. But something tells me that even if I took one step back, it would be tantamount to me admitting defeat!
Archer kicked Shirou away so that he could have a moment to regain his composure. Being so angry was not like him. He needed to calm his nerves and focus on utilizing an effective strategy.
By all accounts, this is already over. Emiya Shirou is already dead on his feet. This has to be the final-
Shirou clenched his swords tighter than before. Now Archer was outright furious with his tenacity.
Am I some kind of idiot!? How many times will I seemingly land the final blow before I learn my lesson!? He won't stay down! He won't reach his limit! He's long since gone past it!
The Mage got on his hands and knees so that he could glare at Archer like a rabid beast.
I know that look… I know that sallow look far more than I care to! I know it… He is a man who was never defeated and never surrendered because of his indomitable spirit!
Shirou was now back on his feet, yet he never took his eyes off of his future self.
The cruel embodiment of justice who struggled toward his ideal of making everyone happy, despite that desire being shared by none… I know that ugly sight all too well!
Archer scowled at Shirou like never before. The gears in the sky jolted to a sudden halt, as if in response to his frustration.
The idea that it is possible to save everyone who suffers… How deplorable to know that I understand his way of thinking!
Meanwhile, Artoria never voiced her opinions about the battle, but her heart stirred with many emotions that she refused to share with the others.
The thing that Shirou is trying to cut down isn't really Archer. He wants to defeat the hypothetical self that stands in his way. To be able to remain true to his beliefs, he needs to eliminate his doubts. Conversely for Archer, he wants to kill the past self that gave rise to him. He believes that Shirou will make the same mistakes, and seeks to place the final period in the story of his twisted life.
She closed her eyes and remembered the time when she pulled Caliburn out of the stone.
Both had a dream. Both were right. It's just that the outcome was not what they wished for.
Connla peered at Artoria's forlorn expression and frowned hard. She too was having similar thoughts. She couldn't deny how tempting it would be to go back and fix the mistake of obeying Aife without question. She too had the dream of meeting her heroic father, and trained hard in the hopes that she would be taken under his wing. Maybe she didn't want to be as famous as him, but at least she wanted to make him proud. Sadly, the outcome for all of her hard work was being murdered by the man she sought to meet.
Despite her own regrets, Connla found it difficult to yearn for such a chance. Unlike Shirou, Archer and Artoria, her philosophy was to face reality for what it was right from the get-go. Besides, she didn't believe that it had been a complete waste. She fought Cuchulainn with everything she had available to her at the time. She didn't hesitate. Each of her strikes were meant to kill. It was just that it wasn't enough. As she died in his arms, he expressed both praise for her abilities and love for her as his daughter. If he had rejected her in the end, the whole thing would have been too tragic for her fragile spirit to endure, and she would have gladly refused to return to the mortal world.
Connla shifted her eyes back and forth between the three, then wondered, Even if the end result is not what they wanted, wouldn't it be fine to achieve at least some of their ideals during their lifetimes? Or do they have to accomplish everything they had in mind to be satisfied with themselves?
She wasn't sure. At the very least, Archer already expressed that he had no pride within him. His hatred for Shirou's perseverance was apparent in his jagged expression.
That man… He knows it's meaningless to try and win against me. Yet he continues to fight all the same. He represents the very mistakes I made. So why am I…?
Archer projected some long rapiers to have them surround him like arrows without bows to draw them. He declared, "No matter what you do, it will all be the same! You will lose hope just like I did!"
He fired the blades at Shirou, and it took everything he had just to deflect them. He collapsed onto his buttocks and gasped hard. His limbs were getting weaker, which meant that his magic circuits would soon run out of mana.
"Looks like your body betrayed you before your ideals could," Archer scoffed. "Since that feeble blade is the only weapon you have left, it means that your battle ends here."
"Yeah. You're right that my wish is fraudulent," Shirou admitted. "But… I also found it beautiful."
Archer clenched his teeth, startled to hear such a confession. The Mage continued, "I understand that putting others before myself is self-righteous. Even so, it served as inspiration for me. My life may be a sham, but the idea of making others happy is beautiful in its own right."
Then, a miracle occurred to Unlimited Blade Works. Against Archer's volition, the clouds began to rush in the opposite direction.
"I didn't inherit Kiritsugu's dream! His dream mirrored my own! Even if I am a fake, my dream is real!"
As if reacting to Shirou's willpower, the Reality Marble's grey clouds dissipated, and a soothing blue sky overcame the depressing orange heavens that had been looming over everyone the whole time. Then Shirou ran towards Archer. Every time the soles of his shoes pounded on the ground, a pure blue shockwave exploded all around him like ripples.
"BEGONE!" Archer screamed and launched more swords at him. To his amazement, Shirou deflected long swords, rapiers, sabers, and even massive broad swords that could fell giants with his only remaining blade, despite it being cracked and fractured beyond repair! Shirou was now a foot away from Archer, and the livid bowman wielded his sword in a stabbing motion before lifting it above the teenager's head.
However, he hesitated. Shirou forced him to remember the promise he made to Kiritsugu on that moonlit night.
"I'll do it for you. Just leave your dream to me, old man."
For a moment, Archer felt empty. All of the bloodlust he harbored toward Shirou disappeared like a bad nightmare. He remembered the dying Kiritsugu's soft smile, illuminated by the light of the full moon. Once he heard that promise, it seemed like he had finally found the peace he had wasted his entire life searching for.
How cruel… There really was such a man, wasn't there…?
At the very moment both men could slay each other, the whole world turned white once more. Everyone found themselves back in the Einzbern Manor's foyer. They blinked in surprise when they saw the state the duelists were in:
Shirou had successfully jammed his sword through Archer's stomach. However, Archer wound up never stabbing Shirou.
"… I've won, Archer."
"… Yeah. And I've lost."
The Mage extracted his weapon from the Servant's innards, and was too exhausted to continue maintaining its existence. Archer likewise dematerialized his sword.
"Shirou… Archer…" Rin murmured. Both men remembered that they had witnesses and turned to see her and the others standing nearby. Shirou smiled when he saw Caren standing there, meaning that Connla and Kojirou rescued her.
"Honestly," Archer grumbled at Rin. "Still sentimental to the core, I see. If you had been just a little more callous, I would never have reverted to my old self. Nonetheless, the matter has been settled. I have yielded to Emiya Shirou's will, so I should properly take my leave as the defeated."
He then turned his eyes toward Connla and murmured, "I must apologize to you as well, Second Lancer. I put you through the threefold trauma of killing Caster right when she accepted your conviction, calling you a nuisance and attempting to end your life, and kidnapping your false Master. In reality though, you are partly responsible for showing Emiya Shirou how self-destructive his idea of being a 'hero of justice' really is. Now that he can compare himself to someone with a similar mindset, he will no doubt follow a different path from the one I took. In all honesty, I shouldn't have threatened someone like that."
Her eyes became heavy, and her expression took on a despondent tone. She might have accepted his apology, but the wounds he carved into her spirit would not be so easily healed. Her only reply was a long bout of crushing silence. Truth be told, Archer was expecting such a response. What he did was unforgivable, so he didn't deserve to have his actions be readily dismissed just because he apologized.
As everyone focused on Connla and Archer, Artoria's eyes shifted sideways when she noticed peculiar movement coming from the top of the stairs. Acting on instinct, she shouted, "Archer!"
The others looked at her, wondering why she sounded so alarmed when everything had been resolved. Then Archer's face suddenly contorted with agony. Three different types of swords had been launched at his back, and they cleanly punctured through him like he was a mere pincushion to them. Everyone else was now struck dumb at this unexpected turn of events. Artoria, Kojirou and Connla drew their weapons and turned their attention toward the attacker. However, all of the air escaped Connla's lungs as a horrified yelp when she saw the man standing at the top of the stairway.
"Watching two fakes pointlessly fight each other was rather entertaining. Now that your little contest is over, it is time you be gone from my sight…"
The blonde-haired man gazed at the crowd with a supercilious smirk.
"… Mongrels."