Saber and Archer quietly dashed from roof top to roof top, while not as stealthy as true ninjas, they went almost unnoticed in their passing. Only three people of merit noticed them.
Anko looked up in pure chance as some idiot had the nerve to land on top of her home while she was relaxing with a late night dango snack. No-one had done that in years since she sent the last guy to the hospital with a dozen needles shove up places that needles should never go. She pelted to the veranda only to see two Sabers running towards the training grounds. She had heard about how there was a man named Archer who looked exactly like Saber, but wow... two gorgeous hunks in the moonlight.
But...something was wrong, they were too tense, too watchful of each other. Anko may be young in I&R, but she could tell when something was going down. Anko marked the direction they were moving and dashed for her work clothes. If something was going down, Anko would be sure to watch what was happening.
The second person of note was the Hokage himself. For the first night in many years, he was finally able to get out of the office early. He had been able to visit his grandson who was working his hardest on one day gaining the title of Hokage with Ebisu. The day had ended well enough, but his senses had been honed through two Great Shinobi wars and countless battles. Something in him had told him that something was up. All day, the feeling grew stronger and stronger until finally, he found himself waiting at the top of his office. He watched with perfect clarity as Archer and Saber flew upon the rooftops heading for the training grounds.
'I had hoped that this outcome would not occur, but at least they are taking their battle away from the village.' the Hokage thought as he followed the two. He would have to ensure that both of them survived least there be a political incident here. The Hokage had no illusions that the two would let him prevent them from fighting each other. They would probably deal with him first before they went on to face each other. Til then, he would watch and wait for the moment to stop them. *Sigh* He was getting too old for this. Behind him, his ten Anbu guards followed in silence.
The third and final person was too worried to sleep in the night. For the first time in her life, Hanabi sneaked out of her room and the Hyuga compound. She needed to see Saber nii-san and make sure that he didn't hate her. Hinoko obaa-chan had promised Hanabi that Saber was worried about her, but Hanabi had to know for sure. It was on the edge of her Byakugan that she was able to see the bright forms of Saber and Archer heading for the edge of the village. She had never trained outside of the Hyuga compound before, and feared that Saber was leaving her again. She dashed after the two trying unsuccessfully to follow them, but at least they were traveling in a straight line.
As these people followed, they were all oblivious as to how much their worlds would change from this night.
Training Ground Thirty Three
This was the most unused training area in the whole village. There was no cover, no obstacles, no places to hide. It was a wide open flat space with short grass and a small stream at the extreme edge of the village. For a ninja training his skills, the place was all but useless. For a duel, however, it was perfect.
Saber and Archer landed in the field and began making their way towards the center. No words were necessary, they both knew what they were going to do.
Normally, an Archer would never attempt to fight a Saber in close range. Archers are supposed to be long range specialists with a high degree of independent action. An Archer will usually be a Servant who snipes enemies from afar or lays traps around him before he engages.
But...there are always exceptions. This wasn't any regular old Archer.
"How do you want to begin this?" Saber asked.
Archer smirked, "Have we not already?"
Saber shrugged "trace on. " Kansho and Bakuya, twin Chinese sabers of legend appeared in his hands. Archer echoed his words and weapons.
The two stood there for a bit, the wind whipping their red cloaks and rustling the grass.
Anko, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his guards settled at the edge of the clearing under cover of darkness and bush.
Hanabi was dashing so fast trying to keep up, she nearly flew into the area, only to be stopped as Anko grabbed her.
"What are you doing here?" Anko hissed. "This is no place for children. Run home now and do not tell anyone of what you saw."
Hanabi glared at her, no woman in trashy clothes was going to tell her what to do. "I am here at Saber's request." she lied
Anko snorted, "Nice try kid, but these two clearly wanted privacy. No, you must have seen him and decided to follow him on your own. Now scram brat."
Hanabi ignored her and continued to look at the two, trying to determine which of the two was Saber. Anko wished she could sic her snakes on the brat, but the girl's screams were sure to attract the two. Anko was sure that the two were preparing for a fight, but if this was something else, she would need to observe without been seen or heard. Many drug busts had ended up empty when someone tipped the targets off. Saber didn't look like a drug dealer, but there was always a chance.
"Alright brat, here's how it's going down. You are going to stay here and be silent. Not one peep-" Anko began. Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as one of the two had adjusted his footing a bit. From that movement, the other one dashed forward. The clash of titans was beginning in front of their eyes.
Archer dashed forward and unleashed four powerful swings at Saber. As each blow collided, each of their swords were smashed, only for a new on to be traced at speeds so fast one could have sworn that they were the same swords from the beginning. Saber leaped back a bit as Archer advanced. Saber threw his two swords to the side while tracing a new pair. Saber spin back from the blow and slashed downward with his new blades forcing Archer to leap back. Archer saw the trap and pushed with all his might as he evaded the two spinning blades flew back at him. As they collided, a massive explosion tore through the area where he had been before.
Through the explosion, Saber dashed, his twin swords doubled in size and grew metal feathers as he overloaded the blades. Through fire, heat, and shrapnel, Saber dashed forward trying to end this quickly, but Archer was ready.
Saber had only a moment to throw himself to the side as a dozen blades flew through the space he once was. Saber was amazed at the speed of Archer's tracing, twenty blade in an instant. Archer truly was the ideal of him. Saber continued to advance as wave after wave of swords flew at him. Archer watched with disinterest as Saber doggedly held onto his two large swords.
Saber threw the massive white Kansho at Archer, who, rather than dodging it, He grabbed it out of the air and threw it right back.
No words were needed as Saber caught the blade back, the message was clear.
Is that all you've got?
Saber clenched his teeth, if he wasn't careful, he'd let Archer dictate the pace. Saber evaded a new flying blade, only to feel a sword skim his shoulder from above. The bastard was tracing on three dimensions now, not that it would slow Saber down any.
Saber smiled as he closed the distance rather than try to slice Archer, he slammed the two blades together. Archer's eyes widened as Saber forced the two broken phantasms to explode at point blank range. Archer half expected to see Saber blow his face off, but what he saw horrified him...
Sprouting out of his arms were weapons, countless incomplete weapons. The sprouted out of his arms like rampant growing plants.
"My body is made of swords," Saber intoned with a smirk as he dashed forward closing the gap completely.
'Reinforcement Overload' Archer realized as a normal Kansho and Bakuya slashed him on the chest. Archer was able to leap back from a killing blow, but he was still injured. Archer was in disbelief, Reinforcement Overload was the last thing Emiya Shirou would have ever willingly done. By reinforcing his body past it's limit, blades would sprout out of his body. If left unchecked or if it happened in the chest or head, Saber would have died. Instead, he had a body that was able to perform better than Archer ever could.
Saber dashed forward and slashed with his blades causing a near ear shattering sound as they collided with Archer's own. Archer's arms were blown to the sides from the force of the blow. In that instant, Archer suddenly saw Saber as a true threat. Before, their speeds had been matched, but Archer was clearly the victor in tactics and tracing. Now...Saber was far faster and stronger than Archer.
Yugito woke with a start as her command seal began to burn her hand. She knew, somehow, that Archer was fighting.
"That no good dirty son of a bitch," Yugito yelled as she dived into her clothes. "When I get my hands on that mother-fucker I'm going to rip his dick up and shove it down his throat. I'm going to..." She continued to describe horrible ways of torturing and killing her Servant as she finished dressing. She quickly leaped out of the window and climbed to the roof. She scanned the area looking for any clue as to where that bastard had gone.
As she scanned the area, she say a bright flash of light illuminate the darkness for a brief moment. 'There you are' she thought. When she was done with him, Archer was going to regret ever crossing the vengeful cat of Kumo.
Hanabi had to shut off Byakugan to prevent from going blind. The sheer power, the brightness, the very presence of the two of them was almost too much for her to gaze upon. Hanabi was unsure which of the two was Saber, but as soon as she saw one of the two sprout countless weapons from his arms, she began to root on the other one in hopes that that one was Saber. It looked so painful, so many weapons piercing the skin. She was sure that it hurt more than anything she had ever experienced. It didn't look like there was anyway to reverse that. She tried to imagine Saber embracing her with those arms and shivered.
Before her eyes, the man began to resemble a walking weapon monster rather than a man. As she watched, the legs of the monster began to sprout weapons from his legs, shoulders, and even worse...it looked like wings made of swords sprouted from its back. Perverse parodies of wings made of swords, halberds, pikes, spears, katanas, axes, and daggers. On the knees, weapons spouted out and curved upwards like dangerous knee guards. The feet sprouted claws of blades from the boots.
Truly, that one had ceased to be a man. Or at least looked that way.
Archer traced a dozen swords to force Saber to back up. It was almost fascinating how Saber battered the blades aside with his body of swords. Archer traced a bow and a white sword as he leaded back. A dozen more swords were traced as the white sword was condensed into an arrow. Saber's eyes glared at the offending weapons as he swatted them aside. A part of him despised the fact that he was fighting like Berserker, but...meh...he blamed Arcueid for this form. In his hands, he began tracing the least taxing shield for Caladborg II.
As the white arrow lanced towards him, Saber shouted "Rho Aias" Before him, seven pink colored petals appeared. Caladborg smashed against the petals, but was unable to pierce even a single layer.
Archer gazed upon his enemy with contempt. "You can't even hold a sword with those hands can you?"
Saber flexed his claws and smiled, "Who knows."
Archer shook his head, true Saber was faster now, but he was limited to his ruined body for a long time until his body healed. Archer noticed as a wavy and asymmetrical dagger known as a kris was traced onto Saber's clothes. Archer took one look at the dagger before tracing his two swords. Sure enough, the dagger suddenly flew at him and attempted to kill him.
Taming Sari is a famous Malayan kris, it is unique in that it is made of twenty-one different types of metal. If the wielder was menaced or in any danger, the kris would leap out of its sheath, fly through the air and attack the assailant.
Archer had to fend off a few attacks before he was able to destroy the dagger, but it was too late. Before him, Saber was tracing an all too familiar object, Avalon.
Before all the witnesses, Saber began shedding his blades from his body like a snake skin. Archer fell back a distance and traced his bow and Hrunting, the sword of Beowulf. Saber glared at the sword as he rush forward, detracing Avalon as he ran. Avalon was the ultimate defense, but it drained him as long as he held it.
Saber charged with his two most commons swords ready as he charged at Hrunting shooting towards him...
Yugito was ready to kill Archer now. The first flash of light had been two weirdos with bowl cuts, giant eyebrows, and green spandex hugging each other. For some reason, every time they hugged a sunset appeared. The only good this was that a second flash of light was coming from a place nearby, and even better, there were loud explosions. How the two idiots missed it was beyond her...well, not really. The two were way too busy screaming each others names at the top of their lungs.
The moon probably could have dropped on the village and the two morons would probably not have noticed.
"When I get my hands on you you sap sucking cock waving..." She hissed as she ran towards the sounds of swords meeting swords. Archer had not deigned to tell her why Saber looked like Archer. She had threatened to use a command seal, but he was adamant on keeping quiet. As much as she wanted to use the seal, Niibi had countered her pointing out she would regret using that trump card so frivolously.
As she approached, she could feel the Niibi shifting uncomfortably within her.
'Nervous Niibi?' Yugito joked.
"Of course I'm nervous kitten." Niibi snapped. Yugito was surprised, Niibi was probably the second most laid back of Biiji. Only the Eight tails was more laid back these days.
"Who wouldn't be nervous. If Archer dies, we will die. You and me." Niibi raged. "And yet, you're still trying to stop this battle. Foolish mortal, you cannot stop what is in motion now."
'Mortal now am I? Not even a kitten?' Yugito thought as she began to grow nervous. Niibi had never hated her before, but this battle was clearly scaring it. 'Why do you care Niibi? It's not like any mortal can kill you. If I die, you go free.'
"Servants are not mortals kitten. They are close to high spirits. And that Saber...I can smell it. He's killed a creature far greater than me before." Niibi answered. "No, if Archer dies, we will die unless you stay away."
Yugito snorted, "I am a jonin of Kumo, a swordsman does not scare me."
"And yet, you have yet to win against Archer. If Saber wins, you won't have a chance." Niibi told her.
Yugito chose to ignore the advise, especially as she was nearing the battle. She was almost about to clear the bush, when she was tackled. Yugito resisted the urge to kill whoever tackled her and found herself panicking when she saw who it was.
An Anbu, an elite ninja of the Konoha village. As she looked, she could see nine other Anbu and...the Hokage!
'Oh shit,' Yugito thought. This whole thing had just gone to hell. Yet, the Hokage and the Anbu just stared at the clearing.
Yugito turned to see what captured their attention and found herself paralyzed watching the battle.
The one with tattered clothes was unleashing attack after attack upon the one with a slash wound on his chest. The two were caught in a magnificent dance of death. The one with tattered clothes pushed closer and closer to the slashed one til the two were almost touching their chests as they tried to cut each other to shreds. Each clash of the swords brought horrendous noise to her ears, yet, there was a rhythm, a cadence, a song being played by the two of them. It was as if they were playing percussion or something with their swords.
Anko felt a bit of blood drip down from her nose as she saw how close the two were. Anko wasn't the biggest fan of yaoi, but for a brief moment, she suddenly had a vision of Saber on Archer action...in bed. Bloodshed and fights always did get Anko's blood pumping and heated her body up.
Then the whole image was ruined as the two stepped back. The one with tattered clothes was suddenly holding a dagger in one hand and the black sword in another. The one with the slash wound had his white sword and a sword of fire. As the tattered one slashed his dagger, the wounded one slashed his sword of fire. A wave of ice met a wave of fire and created a wall of steam separating the two for a moment.
Arguably, it was the Hokage who noticed it first. The tattered clothes were repairing themselves, while the chest wound was healing, though it was slow.
Saber figured that Archer was now very used to his rhythm. It was time to change it up. In his hands, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the spear of Gaun Yu appeared. Saber could feel the memories and battle experience with the spear cover his body. Archer looked surprised as Saber began to unleash a flurry of spear thrusts and slashes. The entire rhythm had changed as Saber began moving completely different from how he used to.
Archer, rather than copying him, used his perfect style to block, parry, and attempt to counter the spear. Saber was impressed by the pure adherence to the style, but it made sense in a sad way. All Archer had was his style, and his one talent. Unlike Saber who had been around friends to critique his style, Archer had tested and perfect his on enemies alone.
And because he had perfect the style so well, Archer had no need to mix things up. What should have kept him thrown off for a few minutes was analyzed and figured out within thirty seconds. Saber was forced to consider what he could do to win, and came up with only one option.
"I am the Bone of my Sword." Saber chanted.
Archer arched an eyebrow, but echoed him. "I am the Bone of my Sword."
"Iron is my Blood, and Fire is my Heart." Saber voiced as he slashed and cut with his spear
"Steel is my Body and fire is my Blood." Archer chanted as he avoided taking any damage
"I have overcome countless battles undefeated." Saber said as he detraced his spear and traced his twin blades.
"I have created over a thousand blades" Archer intoned as he smashed his blades against Saber's
"Not once have I retreated," Saber continued as he threw a sword at Archer's face and swung the other blade from low to high
"Unknown to death" Archer chanted as he countered the blow
"Nor asked for quarter." Saber chanted as he traced two new swords
"Nor known to life." Archer said as he unleashed ten rapid attacks with his swords. As the last set broke, he traced a pair of large Broken Kansho and Bakuya with metal feathers.
Saber overloaded his own swords and collided his own massive swords with Archer causing a mighty explosion while chanting, "Searching for my final end"
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons." Archer chanted as he leaped back from the blast
"As long as she waits, I will fight." Saber promised
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything." Archer said with a hint of regret.
"Here in.."Saber prepared
"So as I pray..." Archer began to finish
"UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" they finished together.
The world turned to fire around the two. The fire spread quickly and covered the clearing. The onlookers all leaped back on instinct to prevent from being caught in the flames. They all made it, though it was a close thing for Hanabi.
Before them, the clearing had been split in half and a dome-like structure covered the field. Inside the dome, the world was rewritten to show the warrior's most innermost self...using forbidden magic and turned reality into an ideal battleground...
Reality Marble, as infinitely close to sorcery as possible without actually being sorcery.
On one half of the dome, the place was desolate reddish brown land covered in fallen swords like a battlefield memorial. As far as the eye could see, there were blades of every shape and size. From daggers to pears, from axes to katanas, an unlimited amount weapons were plunged into the ground as far as the eye could see. Embers rose from the ground and illuminated the ever present twilight. Massive gears and smoke obscured the sky preventing any real light to enter the land.
The other half was both different and yet the same. The ground was fairly desolate, though there were blades of grass stubbornly finding root in the brown soil. The air was free of ash and smoke, though the sword memorials and the massive gears remained where they were. The biggest difference was that the sky was as black as night with a bright full moon illuminating the land.
The onlookers found that the moon was unfamiliar to them. It was as if the moon had changed it's face.
Archer gazed upon his desolate and smoky ruin of a world as Saber calmly stood in the moonlight on a patch of grass. It was a perfect distinction between the two. Archer was alone, doomed to forever fight countless hells. His mind, body, and soul was now nothing more than a weapon, a factory of war. Saber had so much more than Archer. He had a love, friends, admiration, and died being known as a hero the like of which few could ever match.
Archer hated him even more.
Saber gazed upon the barren waste that was Archer's land. It looked sad. True, his own world was scarred and teaming with it's own flaws, but Archer's was worse. His lands was nothing more than a factory of death. There was no happiness, no moon, no life whatsoever. Saber could feel a small breeze in his world. Archer's looked like it had never experienced a breeze before. Archer was nothing more than a weapon, a tired, chipped and battered weapon.
It made Saber pity Archer more.
Hanabi was very glad she wasn't using Byakugan. She was sure that whatever this technique was, she would have been struck blind instantly and irreversibly for the rest of her life. In front of her, the very reality of the world had been rewritten. Both halves looked intimidating, but the one with the repaired clothes stood in a world that looked far more peaceful than the one that had almost finished healing his wound on his chest. Hanabi was confused by the two of them. The one that had looked like a monster was in a better land than the one in a world of ruin.
As she watched, countless weapons rose in the air between the two of them lifted their hands... a move that looked vastly similar to Gate of Babylon and pointed at their opponents. The sight was terrifying to behold as countless weapons flew at each other and clashed. The space between the two was a whirlwind of death as the countless blades collided, chipped and broke, the orchestra of blades and death... a beautiful and terrifying sight to behold. Hanabi was sure that there should have been noise, terrible loud noise as these weapons clashed, yet, there was no sound. It was as if the place had a soundproof barrier between the two of them.
She watched as weapons larger than men could carry fly at the opponents only to be countered with dozens of other weapons. Spears all colors of the rainbow collided with axes of stone and metal. Countless weapons collided and broke as they clashed... in a world of countless blades.
As all this was occurring, the wounded one was charging the one in the moonlight with the two most perfect swords she had ever seen. The former monster was calmly walking towards a couple of blades heedless of the distance the other was closing. As Hanabi watched, she saw that on the top of a small rise in the ground were three weapons that promised more power than any of the others.
The first was a golden blade that was sticking halfway out of a blue sheath. The second blade was hard to define as a sword. It looked like a black drill-shaped sword engraved with red runes. The thing was, that sword seemed to blur, like a mirage in a desert. It was so indistinct that she was unable to tell if it was truly there or not. The final sword could not even be called a sword. It was more like a boulder that had been crudely cut into the shape of a sword. Standing up in the dirt, it was almost the size of the red knight.
Looking past those three swords was what, at first looked like a massive pillar. Looking at it again, it was a double edged sword far larger than anything Hanabi had ever seen, though it too was shifting like a mirage from where it was planted.
Hanabi looked away from the weapon as the red night in the moonlight gripped the golden sword and blue sheath. As he held them, the sheath vanished and the moon began to glow. That red knight was suddenly joined by a ghost of a woman as her hands gripped the hilt along with the knight. The woman was beautiful, her blond hair fluttered slightly in the breeze. He blue dress was covered with armor around the legs and chest as well as her hands. The red knight smiled as he felt the ghost touch his hands on the weapon.
The wounded knight seemed to be roaring in fury as he charged. His eyes ablaze with anger and fury at his counterpart. The two stand their ground as the enraged one closes in for combat. As the twin blades swing, they are destroyed by the golden sword. The two have struck far faster than Hanabi can keep up with. The lone man summons new swords into his hands, but these are all destroyed by the golden sword.
The pair swing the golden sword and smash the loner with the flat of their blade, sending him flying. The loner brings forth a red spear and a bow and aims it at the pair.
The red knight gently pushes the ghost woman aside as he sends countless weapons towards the loner. The loner fires the spear like an arrow.
What happens next makes Hanabi question her eyes. The spear bent itself and it's flightpath, avoiding the weapons. It impales itself in the male of the pair. Yet, the spear seems to stop at the surface of his skin.
The loner summons countless weapons to counter the wave of death sent at him and points his finger accusing the man in the moonlight of something. The man pulls out the red spear from his body. In his other hand, the gold and blue sheath appears.
The loner snarls as he begin to summon more weapons, but the man in the moonlight charges forward for the first time since the beginning of this strange jutsu. In his hands, a massive sword appears. Hanabi distinctly remembers it from her lectures from the class. It is one of the seven swords of legend from the Hidden in the Mist village, Kubikiribocho the sword that belonged to the demon Zabuza. How that man ever got that sword is beyond her.
She watches as the massive blade hacks and slashes though countless weapons, though it gets damaged itself.
Hanabi finds herself mystified by the whole fight. Nothing in any of her lecture from class or from her clan have told of such abilities. Not even the Seven Swordsmen could match the ferocity these two are fighting with.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, known through the ninja world as the God of Shinobi and The Professor was stunned by the sight the two were displaying. In all his years, he had never seen a space time jutsu so strange as this dome before him. The countless weapons that he had never seen or heard of in his life, the style of fighting in a near suicidal manner the two displayed, the sword skin bloodline limit, so many things he had never seen before.
Yet, these two here were able to perform them without hand seals or any recognizable forms of ninjutu. What was more, the moon in the dome was completely different than the one he was used to seeing. Where was the crater formations that lined the edges of the moon. This new moon had a something like face in the middle of its body. Not to mention the color seemed different. The moon he was used to was a bit yellow, this one was white as the pure snow.
Gazing upon it, he almost missed seeing a familiar sight of the Decapitating Carving Knife that was, as far as intelligence said, still in the hands of the Demon Zabuza. Where had he gotten it from? Zabuza still had it when he disappeared after that mission in Wave. Had Saber gotten hold of it after the mission? Did he kill Zabuza in the shadows when no-one was looking? No, he had just gotten a report last week that there was another rebellion in Kiri that looked like it would win. It was being led by Zabuza as well as a hunter nin that had been seen in Wave. Jiraiya had been certain that it was Zabuza, the sword was a dead give away.
So why was the sword here now?
The Third Hokage watched in silence as the large sword suddenly vanished and was replaced by a green spear. From there, he watched as the wielder altered his entire fighting style swinging, slashing, and stabbing his opponent. All around the two of them, countless blades fell like rain and hail trying to kill them, but other weapons would clash and destroy the incoming weapons.
The battle was intensifying, the two were tiring, but refusing to back down.
Anko couldn't help but lick her lips at the battle before her.
She had figured that the one in the moonlight had to be Saber. His sword skin body was very much like what he had used during the camp to frighten the brats. And then, there was that woman who appeared out of the air. The woman was definitely within the limits of the description that Rider had given her. She had to admit that the woman was beautiful in a strange and exotic way, much like Saber himself. The woman's eyes were definitely those of a warrior and a fighter. She may have even been a ruler of some sort. She had a regal aura about her.
Anko felt herself comparing her looks to that woman. That woman had been beautiful, but she looked rather boyish. She probably didn't have much of a bust. Yet, one look at her, and even Anko found herself captivated by the woman. She seemed to command respect as she held the sword with Saber.
There had been a brief moment of a smile with the woman and Saber before they went back to fighting. Yet, Anko had lost sight of the woman as soon as the golden sword had been left behind on the small rise. It was like she had vanished as soon as the sword had left Saber's hands.
She continued to watch as Saber and Archer were locked in a dance of death as they smashed swords together time and time again as countless blades tried to kill them. Anko wasn't sure if she should be worried or run home and grab a box of dango. If all else failed, the fight was more spectacular than any movie.
Saber knew he was tiring. He probably could not keep the Reality Marble up for more than ten minutes before he ran out of gas. He figured that Archer had probably about the same amount of time. Things would need to be decided soon.
Saber freely acknowledged that Archer was a much better user of their insane fighting style. While he wasn't as fast as Saber, he movements were smoother, far more refined, and used less movements than Saber could ever hope to have. Saber had to resort on being faster just to keep up with Archer.
But there was one thing that Archer had made a mistake on. He had clearly never fought against someone else with a Reality Marble. It was that one thing that gave Saber confidence in victory. There was a reason he refused to enter Archer's world.
Once inside Archer's realm, Saber would be subjected to the rules of Archer's world.
True, Saber would be able to summon his swords from his realm, but that took time. Archer was fast enough tracing that he could make up the difference in time by the sheer speed he could trace his weapons. But, in Archer's realm, Saber knew that he would not be able to fight as well. The fact that he stayed in his world was his only saving grace. He had learned the hard way of what happens when two Reality Marbles clash when he had taken on Seras the twenty fifth dead apostle.
Archer was definitely tiring now. His own attacks were becoming just a tad slower, weaker, even a bit off target.
'Finally,' Saber thought. The ideal being that was Archer had taken Saber longer than expected to tire. Saber wasn't as tired as he displayed, he figured he could still fight for another hour, provided that he dropped the Reality Marble. He had fought a Dead Apostle for four hours by being conservative.
Archer was sure that it would end badly for him at this rate, but he had no choice but to continue on. If he let his Reality Marble drop, Saber would overwhelm him in moments. While Archer was better at tracing, Saber was pushing him to the limit like no other opponent ever had with the exception of Herakles the Berserker. But...he would not stop now. Not now that he had a second chance to kill Emiya Shirou. It might not end his existence, but Archer was willing to take what satisfaction he could get.
Archer decided it was time to use on of his strongest weapons, Skofnung. It was a magical blade that would imbue it's wielder with the strength of twelve berserkers. The problem was that there were several issues with the blade and thus could only be met if the conditions were met.
Archer traced the weapon as he prepared to slay Saber with the strength of twelve mad men. Unfortunately, he failed to remember one of the conditions as he could not see past his Reality Marble. Skofnung cannot be drawn in sun light, nor in the presence or view of a women.
While it looked like there were no women in the area, at least two of them were watching just outside the Reality Marble. As Archer swung the blade, he could suddenly feel the strength of the blade leave him, then abandon him all together. It was then the sword vanish and left Archer exposed to a deadly slash from Saber's Kansho.
"Wha-?" Archer coughed blood from the wound. It was in that moment that Saber struck. Archer could feel the blow slam into his neck sending him to oblivion. His world of smoke and embers rippled and was overwritten by Saber's, which dissipated as well.
Niibi screamed in fear within it's cage as Archer collapsed. "We're dead mortal. You and your pride have killed us both."
Yugito watched in horror as Saber turned to her. Her whole belief that she could survive against Saber collapsed the moment that Being focused on her. She could feel his power, his strength wash over her and drown her feeble thoughts in her head.
She felt every fiber in her body scream at her as she stayed paralyzed gazing at her soon to be executioner. She wanted to close her eyes so as to not feel the death blow that was sure to come, but she dared not look away. Her pride would have her die fighting. She drew a kunai and stood up, waiting to die.
…
…
…
…
Why?
Why? Was Saber just looking at Archer.
Why was...he pulling out...a wooden sword?
Before her eyes, Saber changed into a woman in a yellow and black shirt and a green dress. The woman had white eyes and razor sharp teeth. The short woman grabbed Archer and lifted him to her eye level as she began to shake him and scream, "SHIROU! WHERE IS MY DINNER? I WANT SUKIYAKI TONIGHT!"
The short woman began to beat Archer on the head with her wooden sword as she began demanding fancy food to stem her appetite.
Everyone just stared as Archer was pummeled with blow after blow of the short woman's rage. Behind her, a massive tiger's head roared in fury and hunger at being denied food.
Finally, Archer moaned, "No, wait Fuji-nee...I'll get it started...just stop hitting me."
Everyone just stared as the mighty Archer was trying to fend off weakly the various blows from the short woman.
Finally, the sword broke and the woman vanished and Saber took over the woman's place.
"Had enough Archer?" Saber asked grinning?
"That was dirty Saber." Archer said with a weak grin. "No-one can withstand Fuji-nee's hunger assault."
"Know a better way to get someones attention?" Saber looked serious again, "Archer, you and I have made our choices. You found only regret in yours. No matter what enemy I face, I cannot... will not lose to myself. Especially when I find myself at this low a level."
Archer growled, "I fought countless meaningless battles, killing countless lives meaninglessly for my ideal. I saw it over and over again as a Counter Guardian. Meaningless massacres, meaningless sacrifices, meaningless sadness, meaningless happiness. I was forced to watch it all. Even when I refused to look, I was surrounded by it. This wasn't what I wished for! I didn't become a Guardian for that. What could a Hero ever understand of my hell?"
Saber shook Archer once, "And this is why you will always lose everything Emiya Shirou. I can't stand to lose to anyone, but I will never lose to myself. I refuse to lose friends. I refuse to lose battles. I refuse to lose to my ideal. I will never lose so long as I breathe." Saber pointed to Archer, "You lost to yourself. You lost sight of everything chasing the ideal. You were never happy in life. To you, happiness was a sin, a sign of failure. You never took the joy in spending time making friends and hanging out."
Saber leaned back his head and remember, "I took the time to enjoy life. Made friends with men, monsters even a True Ancestor. I fought battles for no reason other to help my friends. I dived into countless dangers for my friends, my love, and my ideal."
Saber glared into Archers eyes and accused him. "What did you do when you were called a Counter Guardian? Did you try to save those around you? NO! You focused on killing the target and ignored the masses around you. You had the choice, the option of providing weapons that can move mountains, clear fields, and heal wounds to the masses for a few hours. What did you do with those chances? You did nothing. You could have continued to save lives even as you fought. Even as you killed you could have made life easier for those around you."
Archer flinched at the accusation. Truly, he had never thought of it. When he was summoned by the planet as a Guardian, he could have traced various weapons and tools to help those around them. Why? Why hadn't he?
"You gave up." Saber told Archer. "You grew tired of the life you chose. You thought it would be easier to mope and rage about your situation rather than make the best of it. You grew lazy and pathetic, and that is why you will always lose. Emiya Shirou is not a Fighter, he is a Maker. Shirou cannot beat anyone or anything. Emiya's battles are not the world, but the mind. If Emiya Shirou cannot do something, he must imagine something that can do it for him."
Archer's eyes widened as he heard the very speech he had given his younger self in the Fifth Grail war.
"Well Archer? What will you do now? We both still have energy to fight." Saber asked as he shoved Archer away from him.
Archer stared for a second, then did something he hadn't done in a long while... he laughed... not a sarcastic one but one from the heart "You're crazy. You planned for this the whole time. You're stark raving mad."
Saber shrugged, "So I've been told...often."
Archer clutched his sides in pain as he was laughing so hard. For the first time in his memory, Emiya Shirou the Counter Guardian was laughing a pure and unrestrained laughter of joy.
Purpose.
Archer now had purpose once more.
His ideal had not betrayed him, it had been the other way. He had chosen to abandon the ideal. In the darkest hours of the world when he was summoned was the perfect time for him to continue with the ideal that had consumed him in life. He could see it now. As he fought, he could provide the people with weapons that healed the world around them while he fought the enemies of man. Spears that caused trees to grow, axes that cleared rubble in a single swipe, swords that gave absolute protection to the wielders. So many weapons he had never dreamed of using before.
Saber pointedly turned away from Archer and left the man to laugh and weep at his revelations.
It had been a close call, but Saber knew that Archer had no more wish to fight him this night...and if he was wrong, Saber could easily kill him now.
As he marched away, he saw Archer's Master dash towards her laughing Servant.
'May you find happier days Emiya Shirou,' Saber thought as he walked towards one end of the clearing. Behind him he could hear an audible slap of palm meeting cheek and hissed to reveal his caring for his counterpart's pain. 'And may the gods have mercy on the both of us with violent women in our lives.'
Saber marched towards one end of the clearing when he heard a voice call out.
"This was what you wanted me to see mother?" a cold voice said in contempt. "This was a waste of time. Go Berserker, rip him apart."
"********" a monstrous voice roared out.
Berserker dashed out charging with his spear lowered and his shield protecting his front.
'Greek,' Saber mused unperturbed by the development, 'Why are they always Greek? Couldn't I get someone from the round table as Berserker or something?'
"****************" the beast cried as it charged him.
Saber could feel Archer trace a bow and arrow in an attempt to save the uncaring Saber.
'And this is why I have fallback plans and trump cards,' Saber thought with amusement.
"Belle-" A voice called out as a blinding light came forth from the area he was coming from. "-rophon"
A massive wave of death crossed the area in an instant and slammed into Berserker. Yet, instead of instantly disintegrating the opponent like Saber figured would happen, Berserker was merely sent flying a few hundred meters.
"Well," Saber mused, "I recognized the shield instantly. Only two heroes of Greece have ever claimed that shield." The shield in question was battered and had several scratches to it, but was otherwise unharmed. "But since you're not dead yet, that would indicate a high degree of divine protection. Only one hero of Greece with that shield was so hard to kill."
"********" the madman roared as he righted himself to attack, but was hit by another attack by Pegasus and sent flying again.
"Achilles" Saber said with amusement. "Of all the heroes of ancient Greece, your weakness is the most famous."
Author's note: Yes, another cliffhanger, I should be dragged out into the street and beaten.
How was the fight? Enjoy it? Good, cause it gave me a migraine keeping the two separate.
L33t Horo is my beta and I don't own any franchise.
Read and Review please. They are like crack to me in a way. Very addictive to read responses to my story.