Fate: Break Dawn

by Gavius

Counter Guardian Emiya is a man of many regrets. Among them, the fact that he wasn't able to save his Saber when he was a boy continues to haunt him to the end of days. Now, however, a chance has mysteriously appeared to change that result. And being the practical man he is, he will not hesitate to seize it. But still... why in Alaya's name is Artoria his new Master in this world?

6. Chapter 6 - The Battle is to the Strong

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from the Fate universe and its characters. The rights and credits go to the original authors.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'm confident in my grammar, but if there are any mistakes, then let me know and I'll try to figure out how to fix them as soon as I have time.

Hope you enjoy.

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FATE/Break Dawn
-Chapter Six-

The Battle is to the Strong

Planet: Earth
Timeline: [?]
Date: [?]
Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Miyama Town

(======)

Inner peace.

A state of mind in which every emotion and thought was wiped off, rendering the mind clean of everything unnecessary.

Yeah, Heroic Spirit Emiya couldn't pull that shit.

…this shit is NOT happening right now.

He didn't even bother to stop himself from swearing.

Perhaps for the first time ever, though, he did not blame himself for his inability to calm down. Today had been a long day, and not a good one either. First, he had to deal with his Master's dream about his accursed and peculiar past; and now, he was currently forced to face a male version of the King of Knights in combat, along with the very same girl who had been his Master during the previous two Grail Wars he had found himself in. This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. This whole situation was a gigantic mess, not to mention just a tiny bit cruel for him. He could already feel a migraine coming.

Yep, this day was not Emiya's day.

Behind him, Artoria Pendragon was clenching her hands over the hilt of her sword with so much force that her arms were visibly shaking. Her whole body was tense and stiff, her face dripping with sweat. Archer had to give her credit, though. Despite her obvious nervousness, the girl wore a resolute and unyielding expression on her face, mentally preparing herself to face their enemies despite the inner fear. He could really respect her resolve in spite of the odds.

The silence around the empty street was deafening. Emiya narrowed his eyes, studying his opponents with a bland face. The Servant of the Saber class looked as regal and imposing as before, his emerald eyes focused solely on him with a cold and challenging glare. He stood proud and relaxed, confidence oozing off his whole frame like a fog, his face a mask devoid of emotions as he kept staring at him with unnerving intensity. Next to him, instead, the enemy Master was another story entirely. The girl with raven hair and aqua eyes couldn't be older than seventeen, and yet she wore a confident grin on her face, dressed in a red coat covering an elegant school uniform, and fixing Artoria with a haughty and solemn glare while she kept a hand above one hip in what seemed to be a confident stance.

"My, my, I can't believe you, honestly," Rin Tohsaka was the first to break the ice amid the tense silence, her eyes staring at Artoria's own with a narrowed stare. The girl with golden hair stared back at her in tense wariness while Emiya remained still in a resigned silence. "Casually walking around the streets, without a care in the world... to act so boldly in my city, you must be either overly confident or a complete novice. Only an idiot would patrol the city in search of enemies without concealing themselves first."

Much to her credit, Artoria answered in kind without hesitation. "I consider myself a rather straightforward person. I prefer to confront the enemy directly instead of hiding in the shadows," she replied with a cold voice. "Only a brute or a coward would cower and strike without a warning."

"Quite the contrary. A first-rate Mage stays hidden until they're ready to strike," was Rin's immediate comeback. The girl with raven hair crossed her arms, her face a mask of steeled resolve and duty. "I don't give a damn whether you are a novice or overly confident. Whoever was foolish enough to step inside my territory to fight in the Holy Grail War is an enemy, and as such, they must be taken out. I know you are a Mage despite your young age, so don't bother denying it."

...Haughty, resolute and competitive as always, I see, Archer mused with a narrowed stare. He forced a neutral expression on his face as he inwardly banished his sadness away. Yes, this Rin was definitely the same girl whom he had fought alongside with so many times before. The urge to ran a hand over his face was immense right now. Good grief, what a cruel sight. This is a new low even for you, Alaya.

Artoria inwardly bristled at the other girl's words, but remained silent. She eyed the enemy Servant with wariness, taking her sweet time studying his handsome face, golden hair and emerald eyes. The armored Saber remained completely unfazed under her stare, however, his gaze still focused on Archer's frame.

Emiya took advantage of the two Masters' exchange to tear his eyes away from Saber and observe their surroundings. They were currently placed in the middle of an empty pitch close to the eastern border of Miyama Town, surrounded on four sides by a metal fence that enclosed the entire square completely. The only way out was the small alley on the right from which Rin had emerged from earlier, along with the main road currently blocked by Saber's imposing frame. Archer inwardly cursed their luck even as he fought hard to contain a smirk from his lips. This whole situation was a trap. Rin and the King of Knights had lured them here on purpose. If they wanted to get out, they had no choice but to fight them directly.

As expected of Tohsaka. She used Saber to lure us here, where we are at a disadvantage against them, he thought with a rueful smile. Well played, Rin. Well played.

As if she had been reading his mind, Rin moved her gaze on him this time, her lips curving into a smirk as she saw the realization in his emotionless face. "Hm? So he's already figured it out," she mused with sarcasm. "Your Servant's parameters are weak, but he has the gist of things. Saber, what do you make of him?"

The King of Knights stepped forward, his face a mask of serious resolve as he tightened his grip on the invisible blade. "I can deal with him with ease, Master," was his only reply.

Not for the first time, Emiya felt a sudden urge to kill himself. He restrained himself only for the sake of the small girl standing next to him. You won't be satisfied until you start a fight, huh? He pondered with amusement, ignoring Saber completely and fixing the girl who had been his previous Master with a narrowed stare. His lips twitched upwards ever so slightly. Very well. If you want to go that route again, Rin, then I will indulge you. Two can play that game, after all.

He turned his face away from the enemies – much to Saber and Rin's suspicion – and instead focused his gaze on Artoria. Emiya stared into her emerald eyes with an impassive face.

"Master, can I trust you to deal with the enemy Master for a while?" he asked her through their mental bond, his tone as serious as it could be.

Artoria gulped. Despite her young age, she was no fool. She had already realized the gravity of the situation they were currently in. "You think you can win against Saber?" she asked him back, a scowl visible on her face.

In all honesty, her question was legit. After all, the standard opinion among the Magi World was that the Saber Class was the best of the seven classes and the strongest of the Servants, said to have made it to the final battle in every previous Holy Grail War. Servants placed within this class were usually agile and powerful melee warriors adept at swordsmanship, boasting high ratings in all categories and the highest levels of attributes in all but Magic. Archer belonged to one of the Three Knight Classes, but both him and Artoria knew extremely well that facing a Saber directly would be impossible, at least in close range. And unfortunately for them, the option of using the bow had already been discarded, given the situation. Therefore, it was a huge risk.

However, for some reason, her Servant did not falter in his confidence. On the contrary, in response to Artoria's question, Emiya summoned Bakuya again in a flash of white, staring straight into his Master's eyes. Both Rin and her Servant tensed immediately on the other side of the pitch. But despite the tense situation and the disadvantage they were currently in, Artoria could see with crystal clarity the sheer resolve shining inside her Servant's gray eyes. And as soon as she realized his unbending decision, the young heir of the Pendragon lineage took her decision. No words were needed between the two of them right now. They both knew what they had to do if they wanted to live.

This was not a battle. This was War. And no one could afford to falter and hesitate during a War.

Emiya and Artoria shared a silent nod. "I'll keep the Master occupied for as long as I can," she promised him. "Show him hell, Archer!"

Once again, Emiya smirked with steeled resolve.

Rin stared at them with narrowed eyes as they both took a few steps forward, challenging them as well with a silent expression. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "Are you crazy, facing us directly? Do you seriously believe your weak Servant can fight against my Saber?"

"What choice do we have? You're not going to leave us be, are you?" Artoria asked right back, pointing her katana at the older girl with a solemn movement.

The heir of the Tohsaka family smirked as Saber took a step forward as well. "Very well. I was actually going to ask you to give up your Command Seals and leave the War… but this will be more interesting," she declared, moving a strand of black hair from her shoulder with a haughty movement. "A Master unable to admit defeat in front of a superior enemy may as well be holding a sign that reads 'Please kill me'. I won't show mercy, if you are prepared to die."

"Your overconfidence shall be your defeat," Artoria stated as well, unfazed.

Rin's smile was gone now, replaced by a neutral face. "Let's see about that," was all she said. "Saber, get rid of her Servant."

The King of Knights raised his invisible sword, fixing Archer with an emotionless gaze. "By your will," he vowed at her command.

Saber and Archer tensed immediately. They were perfectly still, facing each other in silence from a dozen meters apart while the moonlight covered them both. None of them spoke, none of them teared his gaze away. They kept staring into each other's eyes, both of them studying the enemy with unnerving intensity and an unreadable face.

Until, after what seemed to be an eternity, Masters and Servants moved at the same time.

And a powerful and ear-splitting clash echoed throughout the empty streets of Fuyuki City.

---

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

The night sky is quiet. The air is tense around us.

While the sound of sirens and ambulances echoes from below, I watch the world from the roof of the skyscraper. I remain seated as I exhale a silent breath. "As we suspected, the situation is grim. Are you sure the flow is going towards Ryuudou Temple?" I ask, glancing at my Master.

Rin has her back to me while she stares below, the wind billowing her raven hair incessantly. "Yes. The stolen life force is all flowing towards the mountain," she explains with a blank tone. "The culprit behind the coma is probably Caster."

"A witch inhabiting Ryuudou Temple, huh?" I muse with sarcasm. "That means we made a mistake last night."

She turns to me slightly. "A mistake? You mean fighting Berserker to a draw? I think that was the optimal outcome."

"I'm not so sure. If Caster spread such a wide net, she must have observed last night's battle," I point out, ignoring her suspicious expression. "Nevertheless, we tipped our hand, while failing to defeat our opponents."

Rin narrows her eyes. She turns her face away again. "Perhaps," she admits with a serious tone. "Then there's only one thing we must do."

She turns to me fully, her face a mask of resolve.

"Archer, let's track Caster down. We must put an end to this before she can flee to Ryuudou Temple."

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

---

As soon as the Servants clashed, the air was wounded by a roar of wind.

Artoria wasted no time, focusing all her prana in the legs and charging against the enemy Master with her katana ready to strike. She leaped forward, her dash followed by a small explosion of wind, aiming her weapon into a horizontal slash with a battle cry.

However, her opponent wasn't just going to stand there. Widening her eyes, the girl with raven hair broke off into a sprint as well, her legs glowing with a green light as she applied a Reinforcement spell on her limbs, her lips uttering a silent spell. "Es ist groß, es ist klein," she bent her whole body, narrowing her eyes as soon as Artoria appeared in front of her, ready to deliver a slash. "Vox, Gott Es Atlas!"

Her body lightened, even to the point of being light as a feather, and not even a second later, Rin dashed away from Artoria, avoiding the incoming attack like a gazelle darting away from a lioness. The girl with golden hair stopped abruptly upon realizing that her attack had missed, stunned by the enemy's sudden speed of reaction, and halted her assault. She stood there, her sword in hand and her eyes narrowed, her gaze focused on the other girl as she landed a few meters away with a smug grin on her face.

On the other side of the square, the clashing of metal against steel echoed all the more, sign of the relentless battle between their Servants.

"A Mage fighting with a sword, huh?" the older girl mused as she adjusted herself, her expression a mixture of contemplation and smugness. "I'd put that down if I were you. You won't have a chance at winning against me with that silly weapon."

Artoria remained still, unfazed. "I won't know until I try."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, ignoring the battle happening on the other side of the pinch. The girl with raven hair tossed a strand of hair over the shoulder. "You've got guts, I'll give you that," she spoke with a serious voice. "My name is Rin. As the heir of the Tohsaka family, I challenge you into a battle between Mages in order to win the Grail. Let's see how long your resolve can last."

Inhaling a little, Artoria readied her stance. "Then I answer as Artoria, heir of the Pendragon line. I accept your challenge," she stated in utmost seriousness.

Rin widened her eyes a little. "Pendragon?" she repeated, looking momentarily stunned for some reason by the revelation. Then, after a few seconds, her face twitched a little, and her expression returned blank and focused as she spared a glance in her Servant's direction. "I see. To think that you would be my first opponent in this War… honestly, that's kind of amusing," she said, speaking to herself more than the younger girl.

"What do you mean?" Artoria demanded.

The older girl merely shook her head. "No matter. My policy is not to miss an opportunity when it presents itself. For that reason, I will deal with you here and now," she declared, dismissing her previous thoughts and returning to focus once again.

Therefore, suddenly and without a warning, Rin pulled down her sleeve, revealing a green crest glowing on her left forearm.

Artoria narrowed her eyes at the sight. "A Magic Crest," she realized.

"Indeed. This is the incarnation of the Magic passed down in my family," Tohsaka explained smugly, raising her arm with a confident smirk. "Simply by passing mana through it, I can invoke any spell etched here. It is my greatest pride as a Mage."

That… didn't sound good. At all.

Artoria swallowed her nerves as Rin glared down at her with a haughty expression. "Our Servants will deal with each other, and I will deal with you," the older girl declared with utmost decision, sparing another glance to the other side of the square where Saber and Archer were still engaged in furious combat. It was blatantly obvious who held the advantage among the two. Rin's smile was both predatory and haughty. "My Gandr Shot will suffice against your sword."

"Gandr? Isn't that a simple Nordic curse?" Artoria asked in tense confusion.

Rin smiled mischievously. "That's right… just a perfectly simple curse."

It happened in an instant.

Not even a second later, the raven-haired girl pointed her arm forward, aiming her hand to Artoria while a small orb of Magical Energy began to concentrate into her forefinger. The younger Master could only widen her eyes and stiffen in tension, just before a hazy black orb of energy was subsequently fired like a bullet from the girl's fingers. However, thanks to her keen reflexes and the years she had spent training in swordsmanship with her family, she was able to react accordingly.

Moving purely on instinct, Artoria raised her arms with a swift movement. Her katana slashed the air, clashing against the 'bullet' made of red and black energy. The impact generated a small explosion, and the girl barely managed to keep her balance as her arms and bones groaned in pain, her body stumbling backwards due to the power behind the spell.

However, she regained her balance immediately. Artoria's head snapped up when she saw another bullet darting towards her, aimed at the legs, and she promptly rolled out of the way at the last second while the spell crashed against the floor with a small but loud explosion, cracking the ground and concrete. As soon as she readied her stance again, she stared at the enemy with narrowed eyes, stunned by what she had just witnessed.

That spell was dangerous. The young girl had no doubt about that. According to her knowledge on this matter, Gandr was supposed to be a simple curse originating from Scandinavia which decreased the physical health of the target. However, the spell used by the girl she was facing right now was filled with much, much more Magical Energy; so much so that the attack had changed drastically. That first shot had roughly possessed the destructive power of a pistol bullet, and while a single hit was not enough to kill someone, Artoria was sure that it could still be capable of knocking out a normal person. If her katana hadn't been covered with Reinforcement spells and protections thanks to her family's blessing, it would have shattered upon contact. She could not underestimate its power.

As expected of a member of the Three Founding Families; she is strong, Artoria thought while a trickle of sweat began running down her cheek. This Master is going to be a tough opponent. I mustn't be careless.

Rin lowered her arm a bit, her face betraying a small amount of impression. "Hoh? You're not half-bad. I guess the Pendragon family really knows how to use a sword," she commented with a hint of amusement. Her smirk soon returned on her face, filled with confidence and resolve. "But that won't be enough to save you."

The younger Master ignored her. Instead, she dashed forward as Rin leaped on the opposite direction. Sparks flew and the sound of metal grinding against magic rung throughout the air as Artoria moved at a surprisingly good speed for her age and demonstrated her mastery of the sword by slashing every Gandr Shot fired at her by the opponent, her arms moving at a level of speed which went beyond what humans would normally be able to achieve in their lives. Not that she was surprised by this, of course. Artoria Pendragon was not a 'normal' girl, by any means. She had been raised as a fighter, as a Knight, and trained in swordsmanship ever since she was a kid; so much so that her sword felt like an extension of her own arms. Not to mention, of course, that her body and her Magic Circuits had been purposely trained and developed by her family to increase her strength, agility reflex, and cognitive skill. Thanks to her lineage and her peculiar lifestyle, she was more of a super-human than a fifteen-year old girl by now, and she was completely aware of that.

Mages really did live in another world compared to average humans.

The exchange didn't last more than several seconds, but to Artoria it might have been minutes as she struggled to block and deflect all the bullets threatening to hit her. In the end, faced by Rin's incessant assault, she had no choice but to stop her charge and leap away, running to the side while desperately jumping and dashing in every direction to avoid the shots fired in her direction. The concrete on the ground cracked and shattered upon being hit by the spells fired by Tohsaka, and the girl with golden hair took a great deal of effort in order to not end up with a few holes in her body.

Artoria was about to ready her stance and charge again when her instincts screamed danger. She leapt to the side and there was a dull thud of something heavy penetrating the area over which she had been a second ago. It turned out that Tohasaka had uttered a spell, firing a rain of magical orbs from above. She had barely managed to avoid its range thanks to her instinct. She inwardly cursed as she deflected yet another Gandr Shot with her katana.

"You have a sharp instinct," Rin said in an impressed tone as he lowered her arms. "There is no doubt that you're not a regular Mage. I think you're either a warrior specialized in swordsmanship, or a complete novice. Which of the two is it?"

The girl ignored the jab and instead focused on debating about what to do. She was clearly at disadvantage here. Rin was an expert at firing spell after spell, as expected by a powerful Mage, but Artoria had been trained to fight on close rage. Compared to the average Magi, swordsmanship was her greatest strength, not spells and curses. That was her only flaw, her greatest weakness, and the world-known downside of the Pendragon Family in general. Living in a family obsessed with Knights and swords had its downsides, after all. However, that didn't mean that she hadn't picked up a thing or two to counter that weakness. She wasn't stupid, after all.

In fact, her body had huge reserves of mana. She had been made for this. Literally.

Time to change tactics.

"Mana Burst!" she cried.

This time, Artoria decided to attack. Gathering all the prana she could muster in her limbs, she infused her weapon and body with Magical Energy and instantly expelled it with a mental command, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending her prana with all her might. Thus, in less than an instant, she dashed forward once again with unprecedented speed, aiming to slash the older girl a second time. Much to her shock, however, Rin reacted accordingly again even in spite of her speed, firing another series of shots while running away, headed to the western side of the square. But it was useless. The girl with golden hair parried and deflected all the bullets, ignoring the pain in her arms, and kept charging against the taller girl with a release of mana and wind following behind her.

Like a living bullet, Artoria finally reached the opponent despite her attempts to keep her at bay. She successfully managed to parry the incoming spells with her sword, and in less than two seconds she had already appeared in front of the retreating Master. However, just as she was about to deliver a vertical slash to her chest, the enemy smiled in victory, and Artoria widened her eyes as her mind screamed danger at her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late.

"Fixierung, Eile Salve!" Tohsaka chanted with a powerful cry, tossing a red jewel in her face.

Artoria's eyes widened instantly. She immediately reacted thanks to her survival instinct screaming at her, and managed to move her arms accordingly. Next thing she knew, she had successfully managed to cut the jewel in half before it could have struck her face, but she failed to realize that her reaction was exactly the one her enemy had hoped to see. In fact, upon being cut in half, the red gem shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, emitting a paralyzing dust that struck the golden-haired girl off-guard.

The effect was immediate. Artoria tried to stop and leap away, but she soon realized with horror that she was no longer able to move. The dust around her had made her body as stiff as a statue, preventing her from acting as she wanted and rendering her basically motionless. The only thing she could do was bare her teeth in a hiss of frustration, staring at Rin with wide eyes while she pointed a hand at her face with a grin splitting her face.

"Got you!" Rin exclaimed in triumph, her hand already glowing with red energy as she began to chant an incantation to put an end to the struggle once and for all. She knew that her spell wouldn't last long, so she had to take advantage of the momentum while Artoria was paralyzed.

Her Magic Crest glowed in the dark of night. "Das Schließen Vogelkäfig… Echo!" she roared.

Artoria could do nothing but widen her eyes and stare in horror…

…while the heir of the Tohsaka family summoned a giant Magic Circle around her, trapping her inside a Bounded Field created to kill.

---

The air shifted, and the Servants moved.

At that instant, Archer surged mana into the circuits in his legs and lunged forward. In a flash, his crisp black armor was covered in prana while a gust of wind billowed his blood-red mantle, his white blade Bakuya still grasped in his left hand and ready to strike. He ducked low, seeking to slide beneath his opponent's guard, but the enemy Saber was well-prepared for something like that.

Steel crashed against steel in a shower of sparks. Saber met Archer's blade with the invisible one of his own, then swept the enemy away with a single push, aiming a second swing towards a gap in Archer's defense… one left there quite on purpose. Archer twisted nimbly to duck the blade, rotating into a spinning kick that caught Saber in the side of the head. But as a testament to the King of Knights' keen reflexes, he had already retracted his armored forearm to block. The two Servants disengaged from each other in the controlled stumble of practiced fighters, back into their ready stances.

Saber used one thumb to wipe a bit of grit from his cheek. His eyes, however, never left Archer's shortsword.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Saber asked. His voice was soft, elegant, refined; and carried a certain ring to it that was painfully familiar to Emiya. "Or do I somehow have the pleasure of crossing blades with another swordsman? What Servant are you?"

Archer remained unfazed by his question. However, taking this opportunity, he took a deep breath and collected himself for the battle to come. He knew that Saber probably did not intend to grasp his combat abilities with that question. In all likelihood, in fact, he had already guessed his Class thanks to his instinct. But just like a certain girl in armor had done during his previous Wars, the King of Knights of this world was interested in his powers because he wasn't expecting to face a Servant wielding a sword like him. Archer didn't like to talk during a battle, but if that was what the other side intended to do, he had to reciprocate accordingly. It would be rude not to.

"Sorry, but you'll get nothing from me," he replied in a neutral tone.

The King's eyes narrowed, but Emiya could clearly see a smile forming on his lips.

"As you wish, Archer."

He gave him no more room for conjecture, closing the distance between them again. Emiya almost grunted in fatigue as their blades clashed again, sparks flying over his vision as he moved and slashed furiously in every direction in order to parry and deflect the enemy's attacks. As expected, the difference in their abilities and strength was as clear as day. No matter how much strength and speed Archer was putting in his assault, his attacks were constantly blocked and deflected with ease, and the enemy was still smiling as they clashed over and over again. He was literally toying with him.

But Archer was fine with that. As long as Saber kept his eyes on his blade and focused his efforts to parry his assault, he could use this clash to understand his abilities. He could not Structurally Analyze the enemy's blade with his eyes, being rendered invisible by that spell; but the more they clashed, the more information he was able to get. For example: the Excalibur that this Arthur wielded was NOT the one he was familiar with. Its length, width, weight and balance: all of it was different compared to the sword that the King he knew used. He could already tell that much thanks to his restless assault, even if the style used by the enemy was exactly the same.

Emiya could clearly see it. He was extremely familiar with the King of Knights― no, with Artoria's fighting style. Putting aside his visions about Caliburn and his inability to forget that girl, Heroic Spirit Emiya knew her sword and her style better than anyone. There were no flaws and no opening in her style, only power. A power that was due to a mixture of experience, Mana Burst, and elegance. This King Arthur was exactly the same. Every strike almost cleaved Archer's breath from his lungs, every blow was wide and loaded with a strength powerful enough to make his limbs tremble and his sword crack. And yet, despite his overwhelming superiority, Archer was able to read each and every one of his movements thanks to his previous experiences and knowledge. He could almost see the King's movements in the corner of his eyes, since he was extremely familiar with that kind of sword style.

Unfortunately, however, that was something that Saber himself was starting to realize.

Seeing that all his previous attacks had been blocked, the enemy Servant scowled. His invisible sword rebounded off Archer's shortsword. The King planted his armored foot and swung the weapon around, the momentum powering his next blow. And yet, once again, Emiya intercepted the attack before it could land fully on his shoulder. The collision's force cratered the earth, shook the trees and made the air itself moan in pain. Bakuya shattered in an instant, unable to withstand so much power, and Archer was rendered defenseless. But only for a split-second.

As soon as the male King of Knights lunged at his chest with a lightning-fast slash, the man of tempered steel took his chance.

He could no longer speak spells that were equal to his own flesh and blood. Just an image. Just a reflection. That was all he could do: visualize the image of his strongest self and make it real. An illusion. A fake. But even if it was a fake, even if it was an illusion, it was also real. As long as he believed it, it was real as it could be.

Right now, the enemy was not Saber. His opponent was not the King of Knights. He was the opponent. His only enemy was himself. The only one he had to overcome right now was himself alone.

And Emiya was quite used at overcoming himself.

"Trace On."

It was not blood that scattered, but sparks.

There was no fresh blood that should have spouted out, and only the empty-dull sound of iron resounded.

In a flash of white and black, Bakuya was summoned again, followed by its other half Kanshou. And together, the married blades parried the enemy sword with disarming swiftness, deflecting the invisible blade with a sudden jerk-like movement and leaving the King of Knights speechless for a second. Following his moment of advantage, Archer dashed forward and swung Kanshou at the enemy's head, only for said enemy to block it with ease; but that was also part of the plan. The attack was instantly followed by a powerful kick, and Emiya narrowed his eyes when his right foot slammed against the enemy's armored chest, forcing him to retreat with a leap.

Saber took a few steps backwards, studying the red Archer with stunned stupor.

"Two swords?" he pondered, caught by surprise despite his better judgment. "How?"

The King's frustration about the fact that the sword strike that was supposed to be a sure kill was repelled was immediately overwritten by that impossible sight. In the hands of the man standing in front of Saber, instead of a bow, he held a pair of white and black Chinese swords. And he could not fathom how it was possible. Moreover, despite Archer's clear physical inferiority, there was no gap in his calm, standing posture; and experienced intuition told the King that his was not a fake dual-sword style.

"A bowman fighting like a Saber," the King with jewel-like eyes realized.

Emiya lowered his arms a bit, the twin blades still pointed at the enemy. "Do I look like a Saber to you?"

"Not at all. But I wasn't expecting to be challenged in hand-to-hand combat from an Archer," he answered with a small smile on his lips and his soft tone of voice. Despite the fact that the two Servants were engaging in a mortal combat, Saber couldn't help but be thrilled by that unexpected turn of events. "Allow me to offer my regards for your skill. Never have I fought against a blade work so flexible… nor so risky."

…Well, well. Just as expected. To already be seeing the tactic in how he fought… he was sharper than what Emiya would have liked. Archer inwardly cursed a bit at the realization. Just like the Saber he knew from his previous experiences, the King of Knights' magical instinct was flawless. His unorthodox tactics and techniques were not going to be enough to best Britain's greatest ruler.

Saber grasped the hilt of his invisible sword and observed Archer vigilantly. "There are times when an Archer will wield a sword. But unfortunately, you are no match for me."

Emiya said nothing, for he knew he was right. There was no way he could best or even match Saber's strength and skills. It was simply impossible, sad as it was.

What happened next, it happened in an instant. The ground behind Saber was blown away as he leaped forward with a lightning-fast speed. Archer widened his eyes in shock as he recognized the attack. Explosive Acceleration: a Mana Release skill usually used to boost physical abilities. However, contrary to the King Arthur he knew, this Saber was able to jet out that surplus of mana like a rocket and put extraordinary destructive power on his sword. The raging torrent of magical power turned into yellow wind, and Saber, who became a flash of lightning, swung his sword down at Archer without stopping the momentum.

"Your struggles are in vain!" Saber roared as he swung the sword.

He slashed once, then twice. And then again, and again and again; relentless. His slashes exceeded the speed of sound, leaving only a trajectory that reflected the moonlight in the eyes of the golden-haired King. The invisible blade cut through the darkness of the night, and the air screamed as the atmosphere was cut into shreds by his incessant assault. But it didn't stop. Like the sea on a stormy night, the roaring and raging sword clad in restless wind increased in intensity over time. However, something was not right. The continuation of his violent and uninterrupted attack meant that the target was still alive.

King Arthur widened his eyes as he watched the enemy with stupor. Archer wielded his twin swords in all directions, catching Saber's sword strikes with skillful movements and dodging or deflecting them. His gray eyes, similar to the eyes of a hawk's, didn't even look worried as he continued to avoid his attacks and parry the slashes. Despite the dangerous situation he was in, he continued to ignore Saber's attacks with a cold expression, focusing all his efforts in attempt to block, avoid, and deflect.

And much to the King's surprise… it was working.

――――Who is this guy? Saber couldn't help but wonder.

The one pushing was certainly Saber. The advantage was surely his.

In the first place, the Saber's class boasted the strongest close combat, and had a track record of surviving to the end in all four of the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars that took place before this one. There was also a strict condition that only Heroic Spirits whose stats were above a certain rank could be summoned, and no matter what many said or chose to believe, the Saber class truly was the best class with the flexibility to respond to almost every condition. That was an undeniable fact, and as his Master had repeatedly said to him, it was for this very same reason that most Mages believed that whoever managed to summon a Servant of the Saber class would end up winning the conflict in most cases.

And yet, as much as this realization shocked him, Saber was finding himself unable to defeat the Archer with his invisible sword's range.

It was impossible. It made no sense. It had no sense, whatsoever. He was King Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights himself. The man believed to be the strongest Knight who had existed in the entirety of human history, and one of the greatest rulers of the planet. His story, his legend and his deeds were still remembered to this day by every man of the globe, and that fact alone was a testament to his strength, and his power. Compared to him, the Archer he was fighting against was nothing. Saber was not foolish enough to underestimate an enemy, nor he believed himself superior to anyone, but the clear difference in power, speed and skill between the two of them was as clear as day. Compared to Saber, Archer's strength and skills were undoubtedly inferior in every aspect.

But despite that… he was resisting. And Saber could not fathom how.

King Arthur Pendragon steeled himself and swung his sword against the enemy. Emiya met his charge head on, parrying his attacks with the twin blades and twisting his body incessantly to avoid a slash aimed at his torso. The more they clashed, the more Saber narrowed his eyes, studying the enemy's style and attacking him in every possible way. Sometimes he slashed at him directly, sometimes he mixed techniques, and sometimes he attempted feints as well; aiming for the neck, torso, arms, and legs. But none of them reached the red Archer. None of his attacks managed to end him.

Of course, on his part, Emiya was struggling as well. His body was now covered with cuts and bruises, even if all of them were superficial ones. He wasn't ashamed to admit his inferiority compared to other Servants, and especially compared to King of Knights. Even now his body was not strong enough to be exposed to such a severe assault and survive unscathed. It was solely due to his well-trained Mind's Eye that continued to lead him to the optimal solution to deal with Saber's assault that he was able to continue to fight, managing to deflect and avoid the attacks at the last second. It wasn't a matter of strength; it wasn't a matter of skill. Not entirely, at least. It was a matter of will, and experience.

Archer was used to deal with the feeling of incoming death. Being powerless and severely out-matched by the enemy was the norm for him. Consequently, no matter the danger he was facing, he was able to remain calm and focused, for he had dealt with this kind of situations countless times in his accursed life, even without taking into account his deployments. His mind was serene and focused, like a ship sailing out into the stormy sea. No matter how much and long the ship was tossed by the big waves, Emiya could always use the wisdom and skills forged on the hill of swords to find a way out for his survival in every moment.

He was a Counter Guardian. He had been through hell and death for the majority of his existence. That experience had rendered him a veteran warrior, despite his lack of talent and natural skill. And no one could take that away from him, unfortunately.

With a sudden jerk-like movement, Archer parried a lunge to the neck, slamming his twin blades against the invisible blade. He released as much mana as he could into his arms, struggling against the enemy's defense with an enraged scowl and a powerful roar of effort.

"Rraaah!"

Surprisingly, it worked. Saber widened his eyes when Emiya's black sword, Kanshou, unexpectedly managed to pass his guard and slashed him on the chest plate, leaving a long cut on his elegant silver armor. At the same time, Bakuya kept slamming itself against him repeatedly, hammering against the invisible sword and forcing the armored Servant to disengage. Not even a moment later, however, Saber had already recovered, and he dashed against Archer with a powerful leap followed by an explosion of wind and prana. The tanned Servant gritted his teeth as he barely managed to block the assault with his reflexes, inwardly cursing a bit as another cut was opened on his right cheek, drawing blood on his face.

The two opponents leaped away from each other after the exchange, pointing their weapons forward with narrowed eyes as they both stepped back. Emiya was panting slightly, his mind focused despite the sorry state of his body covered in cuts, and Saber was clearly irritated, unable to understand how his opponent had been able to read his movements so far despite his obvious superiority in both speed and power. But it was clear for both of them who held the advantage right now. Emiya was clearly outmatched and wounded, and unlike him, Saber was protected by the sturdy armor which had protected him for the previous slash.

However, being slashed in close combat by an Archer severely hurt Saber's pride.

Very well, the King steeled his resolve. I shall take this more seriously.

Emiya stared with narrowed eyes as a gust of wind began to run in all directions around the enemy's frame, surrounding his body entirely. Immediately, a huge amount of magical power was accompanied by a physical shock as soon as Saber took a step forward, and Archer wasted no time in trying to leap away and take some distance. However, that slight retreat was enough for Saber to cross the distance with a sudden charge that was fast enough to appear as a single step, and Emiya knew he had no chance of avoiding it. Hence: he reacted on instinct, flipping backwards his twin blades as he readied himself with a stance.

He knew it was a risk. In the first place, in terms of muscle strength, Archer and Saber were on a different level. The King of Knights he was facing right now was not a teenage girl powered by mana. His muscle power alone was way more dangerous for him. If the attack collided directly, Archer's defeat would be inevitable. So, the only way to survive was to successfully parry the charge and deviate its trajectory. However, this time, he was unable to deal with the slash that was strengthened by Saber's Mana Burst.

Not even a second later, in fact, the King's entire body had appeared in front of him like a flash of light, his sword raised over the head and ready to release its wrath on him with a bellowing battle cry.

Archer considered his options in a split-second. Kanshou and Bakuya had less range than Saber's two-handed sword. However, they had the advantage of being able to turn in a small radius, they possessed a high resistance, and also required little effort to be summoned again after being destroyed. For that reason, when they were wielded together they possessed a defensive power comparable to that of a castle wall, but if even one of the two swords was crushed, the defensive power would be less than half.

Hence: the best way to use them in this situation was to create a momentum.

It happened in less than two seconds. Relying purely on his well-trained instinct, Archer blocked Saber's sword with his twin blades, meeting the charge head on with a great deal of effort. The ground cracked and shattered under his feet and his arms visibly trembled in pain under the force of the blow. Consequently – as it was to be expected – in less than a second his posture crumbled and the swords shattered due to the impact. Saber widened his eyes and focused in full as Archer fell on a knee, aiming all his efforts in order to cut him down once and for a―

Nope. The moment Saber was convinced of victory, his intuition denied it.

"What―?!"

Saber's instinct reacted before his mind could fully process the movement, twisting his body ahead of sighting. Not even a second later, Emiya's white sword, which should have been destroyed completely, slashed through the air with a silent hiss, cutting the space where Saber's head had been not even a moment earlier. At the same time, Kanshou had appeared as well, darting through the air and aiming a slash at his right arm while Archer's body twisted to barely avoid the overwhelming swing of the invisible blade, which slammed against the stone and rubble of the ground with an explosion of dust. Unable to defend himself accordingly, the King of Knights cursed himself as the black shortsword slashed his right limb, opening a small wound on the forearm.

However, that did not stop him from immediately kicking the enemy Archer away as soon as he saw him lunge forward, slamming a foot against his side and sending him rolling on the ground with a powerful burst of wind. Emiya hissed in pain as he was forcefully sent flying on the other side of the square, crashing against the ground and forcing himself on his feet with a grunt of effort. When the smoke cleared, the two opponents stared down at each other with narrowed eyes. Archer did not react to Saber's astonished face, keeping a safe distance from him and gripping his newly summoned swords in his hands.

Saber recovered from his stupor immediately, his emerald eyes narrowed as he analyzed the enemy with a frown. How can this be? He pondered with confusion. I'm superior in both stats and swordsmanship. There's no reason for me to be overwhelmed by Archer's style. He must be using some kind of magic trick… but if I deal with him calmly, he's an opponent I can kill.

Emiya observed him as well. High endurance, monstrous reflexes and an armor that covers almost his whole body, he studied him with an analytical eye. A half-baked attack won't go through this time. Above all, that Mana Burst is dangerous. If I take a direct hit, it will crush both my swords and my bones. I can handle my body fine, but at this rate, I'll be overwhelmed.

Their thinking went on only for a few seconds. The standoff did not last long, and the rematch began without any warning.

Saber attacked, and Archer defended himself. The composition remained unchanged from the beginning. The battle was in a stalemate, despite Saber's disbelief. And while the Servants exchanged a long series of slashes and blows, both of them trying and failing to overcome the other, the King of Knights couldn't help but be in awe in front of his enemy's skills.

"What kind of Archer are you?" he asked, his invisible sword clashing against the twin blades with a rain of sparks. There was no rage in his voice, no hint of frustration or disbelief. Only wonder and respect. "I know of no man who can defend himself this much."

Emiya grunted in effort, struggling against the enemy's superior strength with both arms. "Who knows? I myself don't know much about it," he answered, focusing all his efforts in the clash in order to block and avoid the enemy's attacks.

Eventually, Saber's superior skills overwhelmed him. The invisible sword flipped away Archer's twin blades with a powerful and resolute swing, leaving him stunned for a moment. However, by the time Saber moved to attack him, Archer had already solidified his defense and summoned another pair of twin swords, deflecting the attack in spite of his battered body, just like before. Exactly like before.

King Arthur could not believe his eyes. How many swords does he have hidden? It's the same Noble Phantasm. Are those twin swords with the ability of split system? he pondered in suspicion as he disarmed the enemy a third time, only for him to summon the blades back with little to no effort.

But while Saber was thinking about Archer's skills, Archer was thinking about Saber as well.

After all, had he been fighting any other Heroic Spirit, the current stalemate would not have been possible. His ability to survive and fight was only because he had a familiarity with the sword the enemy wielded.

This King Arthur was not the same one he was familiar with. He was more powerful, more dangerous, and his sword had a longer range. Even his opposite gender was an obvious difference from the woman he once knew and respected. However, at the same time, he was remarkably similar to her. His movements, his face, his style… all of him, it was painfully familiar. No matter how much Emiya tried to focus on the differences, he couldn't help but notice how, in spite of everything, they were the same, albeit opposed.

His swings, his feints, his stance. Even the way he moved was exactly the same. Archer could not mistake it for any reason, especially in this occasion, when the memories of his previous Wars had remained with him. As he watched and fought against the male King of Knights of this world, he could almost glimpse the very same girl of his memories, fighting in the dojo with a wooden sword and glaring at him with that exact same stare. The movements were the same. The stance was the same. The footwork, the lunges, the swings; everything. It was all the same.

The Servant in front of him was King Arthur. Not the one he was familiar with, and yet the same in spite of everything. Male and female, man and woman… at their very core, they were the same. Those two irreconcilable sensibilities were rooted within this Knight in silver armor with an exquisite balance. Archer felt a sense of nostalgia in his very own roots with that realization. A feeling that he could not hold back no matter what, even after all this time and everything he'd been through.

Yes, this swordsmanship was hers― Artoria's.

For Emiya, fighting the Knight in front of him right now felt like looking in a twisted mirror. It felt familiar, like the feeling of memories of a distant past, when he was still a boy talking about naive ideals and chasing a misguided dream. The image of the girl he had met on that fateful night shone unfadingly in his memory, worn out by despair and madness. The memory of the girl training him in the dojo, slashing against him incessantly.

That was the only reason he was able to keep up.

A girl and a boy. A king and fool. Emiya and Artoria.

Those two who were born in different times and grew up in different environments, strangely looked up to the same dream. To the same goal. To the same teacher.

Artoria and Arthur were born as geniuses. They were born geniuses of swordsmanship, trained since young age, and reached greatness through their deeds and their choice to chase the ideal of peace and the dream of a just kingdom.

On the other hand, Emiya was born as an incompetent swordsman. He was born a simple boy. But even though he knew he couldn't reach the girl's heights, he had spent his entire life trying to reach the same dream.

The origin of those two was the same. It was this one point.

Two people who dreamed of the same goal, clashing against each other again and again.

However, the feast of those dreams could not last forever.

The sword fight that seemed to last forever came to a halt in less than an instant.

Emiya widened his eyes, staring with a growing sense of tension as Saber raised his sword above the head, aiming a slash infused with a powerful amount of mana to his chest. He barely had time to react on instinct, raising his arms to deflect the attack before his entire body could be cut in half. Kanshou and Bakuya clashed against the invisible blade with a shower of sparks, cracking and shattering under the unyielding power of the King of Knights with an explosion of metal and dust.

Archer could do nothing to defend himself when the shockwave slammed against him like a hammer of wind, sending him backwards for a few meters, his feet stumbling on the ground. He fought hard to keep his balance as he retreated from the opponent, his body covered in bruises and cuts, his chest rising and lowering as he panted in fatigue, and his face coated in sweat. He had lacerations all over his body, but they were all just scratches. On the other hand, instead, Saber was hardly breathing heavy even after their whole exchange, his face devoid of emotions and his emerald eyes narrowed in an unreadable expression. He was completely unharmed except for the small cut on his arm. However, he kept his distance from Archer all the same.

King Arthur stared at him. "Your skills are admirable. However, at this rate, you won't be able to resist much longer," he stated with a serious tone.

Emiya gulped air with his mouth as he tried to regain breath. This was just a preliminary skirmish, and he knew it extremely well. There was no need to rush to settle things against Saber, at least on Archer's side. He had never started this fight believing he could win, for that was not his objective.

"It's the only way I can keep up," Emiya shrugged. "I knew from the beginning that I'm no match against you, oh noblest of lieges."

Saber's eyes narrowed further. Archer did not miss the way his body stiffened at his little jab. "Are you perhaps familiar with me?" he demanded with a solemn tone. His emerald eyes were glaring daggers at him, and Emiya couldn't help but flinch at how familiar that stare was. "Forgive my suddenness, but the way you fought was… are you able to read my mind?"

As expected, his instinct was dangerous. Emiya was almost tempted to smile in amusement. The King of Knights had realized that Archer was able to read his sword style and movements even in such a short amount of time. However, he couldn't guess how it was possible, and that was something to be expected.

In fact, Saber's hypothesis was not far from the truth. Archer wasn't able to read his mind, obviously, but he was able to read him. His ability to predict Saber's movements was due to the fact that he had already witnessed his swordsmanship in the past. He had witnessed the way Artoria – and consequently, Arthur – fought countless times during his life, both with her and against her; over and over again. So, it was part Magecraft, and part familiarity. That was the reason why he had been able to fight against Saber at close range for so long.

Not that he would say that out loud, of course. He wasn't that stupid.

Instead, Emiya kept his expression neutral in front of the enemy's glare. "Who knows?" he answered with sarcasm, placing a hand on his hip.

Arthur did not relent. "Are you hiding something?" he pressed.

He wouldn't budge. "I wonder… too bad you'll never find out."

Saber glared at him with suspicion. However, his lips soon parted into a confident smile. "Very well. We've come this far, so I'll be with you until the end, Archer," he declared, raising his sword into a familiar position.

Emiya widened his eyes as something unexpected happened. With a sudden release of energy and prana, in fact, the wind surrounding Saber's invisible blade suddenly moaned and raged like a tornado. Then, after two seconds of absolute silence, the Invisible Air was released from the weapon, and Archer felt his gaze narrow in stupor as the legendary blade of the King of Britain finally appeared to life with a bellowing roar of wind.

Excalibur, the Holy Sword of Promised Victory, revealed itself with a golden flash.

Archer stared at the weapon with amazement, his eyes immediately moving to Structurally Analyze the Divine Construct wielded by the King of Knights. Just as he had predicted, this sword was different from Artoria's; and yet, at the same time, it was extremely similar. A refined and holy weapon of wondrous sight with an elegant handle and a golden pommel. A golden blade made of blinding light, able to repel any evil, built to defeat an outside enemy that threatened to destroy the planet. It was larger and slightly longer compared to Artoria's sword, but the style and the power was unmistakably the same.

It was the exact same power, and Archer could not mistake it for any reason. There was no way he could ever forget that light.

"In regards to your skills, I shall fight you with all I've got," Arthur Pendragon declared with utmost decision. "I have no need to conceal my blade against you, Archer. Now come! Let's face each other to the death!"

Faced by the sight of the Holy Sword, Archer was almost tempted to comply to his will. However, he did not scramble this time. His one and only priority was bringing victory to his Master, and the girl had given him the clear order of remaining alive at any cost. And above all, if he continued to fight with Saber in close range, at this rate he was probably going to be killed. If he wanted to win, he had to fight under the best conditions, and not indulge him in a battle of swords. Emiya was an Archer, after all. Thus: there was only one thing he had to do.

It was time to retreat and change tactics.

Emiya spared a glace in his Master's direction, and his eyes widened slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that invitation," he said with cold tone of voice, his face betraying not even an ounce of emotion. "We'll have to finish this in another manner."

Before Saber could lash out at him and attack, Archer activated his Reality Marble with a mental command. He projected three daggers in the air and stabbed them at Saber's feet. The King of Knights stared at him in confusion and wonder, stunned by the sudden way he had projected those weapons, and he was caught unawares for a moment. But for Emiya, it was more than enough. A single second was all he needed. After all, according to Emiya's knowledge and experiences, there was one thing that the King of Knights always maintained in every 'route', no matter the world he or she lived and no matter what role he or she had, be it the King or a simple human.

Naivety.

Archer uttered a spell while staring at Saber's tense face, smiling in triumph as the King jumped back with a powerful leap.

"Broken Phantasm: Illusion."

Immediately, a violent flash of light covered the square. The daggers exploded all at once, creating an earthquake that shook both heaven and earth for what seemed to be an eternity. The ground, which had already been severely damaged during the battle between the two Servants and could no longer be used as battlefield, simply collapsed on itself, creating a wide and deep crater of nothing. And as soon as his jump ended, Saber could do nothing but fall along the debris when his feet landed on the crumbling ground.

"What the― You!"

Saber fell with the rubble and concrete, and Emiya dashed away in the opposite direction, ignoring his muffled cries of indignation.

But the King's cries were in vain, because Archer never returned.

---

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

I watch my Master's face with a serious expression. Despite my better judgment, I cannot fully contain my sarcasm given the situation. "I thought your policy was to avoid things you know are beyond you," I point out with a straight face.

Rin smiles a little. "It is. But don't you think this is a special case?" she asks me back while walking towards the edge of the rooftop.

I sigh as I rise myself from my sitting position. "You won't be satisfied until you start a fight, huh?"

For once, she remains silent. We both know that she won't back down from this.

The glare I send her from behind is absolutely withering. "You're willingly ignoring an easily-defeated opponent to go after the most difficult one."

I didn't mean to, but I cannot contain the irritation from my statement. She knows that I'm right.

Rin ignores it all the same. "It's fine," she replies stoically. "We can take him out whenever we want. I'm just choosing to ignore him, as long as he stays hidden at home."

I stare at her, long and hard. My eyes narrow even further. "Then, what if Emiya Shirou comes to you, still choosing to ignore that he is a Master?" I demand in all seriousness.

For a long while, silence and wind are my only answer. Rin stares at the world below with an unreadable face.

"…I'll kill him," she answers after a while. "I owe nothing to someone who doesn't understand that."

Hearing her answer, I fight hard to contain my satisfied smirk.

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

---

Despite the tense situation, Artoria remained calm. Enclosed within the enemy's Bounded Filed, she glimpsed something happening on the other side of the square, and her lips twitched upwards, unfazed by the feeling of death looming over her.

Rin noticed her reaction all too well. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, but she had no time to react or fully unleash the attack.

On the contrary, the heir of the Tohsaka family visibly jumped in shock when a sudden flash of light blinded the entire square. "W-What the―?!"

She didn't have time to move or finish her spell. Not even a moment later, in fact, a powerful gust of air slammed against her face, and the girl with raven hair yelped in surprise when the wind roared all around her, blocking her sight for a few moments. However, thanks to a silent feeling in the back of her head, she still managed to faintly feel something fast and precise rush past her with unprecedented speed, clashing against the walls of her Bounded Field with a powerful shockwave and shattering the barrier with ease.

Overwhelmed by the wind, the girl fell to the ground on her butt, and she stared with wide eyes as the red Archer broke through the Magic walls of her Bounded Field with his entire body, rushing inside the circle with a speed that no human could ever possess. Before she could fully release her rain of Gandr Shots over Artoria, the enemy Servant had already picked her up with one arm, holding his Master by the legs like a parent carrying his child, and dashing away as maximum speed while keeping his eyes focused on her. The Bounded Field shattered, its Magic Circle disappearing completely, and Rin could not believe her eyes.

Archer's body shot out of the barrier like a living bullet, his rescue attempt having been successful, and then halted his escape abruptly; kneeling a little as his legs slid on the ground for a few meters. Artoria was now safely held in his arm, while the tall Servant kept Bakuya pointed at the enemy Master with his eyes narrowed on the target.

"Are you ok, Master?" he asked her with a serious tone, his eyes not once leaving the girl with raven hair placed on the ground a dozen of meters away from them.

The girl with golden hair nodded, her body held by the Servant's strong arm. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "Thank you for the rescue, Archer. She caught me unprepared this time, and I was careless for a moment. You saved me."

"Of course. That's my job," was all he said.

Rin fumbled back on her feet, inwardly cursing as she realized that her victory had been completely foiled, and she turned to glare and yell at the enemies with a waspish voice. "How is this possib―!?"

Before she could say more, the girl glimpsed something flashing before her eyes once more. Tohsaka openly yelped a second time when she saw Archer's second sword – Kanshou – suddenly rain down from the sky right in front of her face, sticking into the ground just a few inches from her. The girl jumped back in shock and fear, falling to the ground a second time. She openly trembled as she realized that the blade had been dangerously close to hit her. She was alive by miracle right now.

Rin stared at the dark shortsword in front of her with a pale expression.

Archer fixed her with a narrowed stare. "You know how easy it would be for me to skewer you right now, right?" he spoke with a blank tone. There was no need to mention that he had willingly chose to miss with his previous attack. He knew she was smart enough to figure it out herself. "You'd better behave if you care about your life. I won't allow you to kill my Master."

Rin openly glowered at him. Archer ignored the way that glare was so painfully familiar to him. "So that's how it is…" she hissed in frustration.

Emiya straightened himself, placing his Master to the ground with a gentle movement. "Correct. I could have killed you with disarming ease just now. I refrained myself only because I know my Master would not wish for this battle to be ended that way," he spoke with utmost seriousness. However, his voice betrayed a hint of sarcasm at this point. "You should really be grateful right now, young lady."

Artoria beamed at him with admiration, her cheeks visibly flushed by a little pink.

Tohsaka's cheeks were red as well, but for anger and embarrassment. "W-Why you-! You'll pay for this, just you wait!" she exclaimed with her loud, waspish voice. She spun her head to the left with so much speed that her neck seemed to crack, her eyes glowing with immeasurable outrage. "Saber!"

The reaction was immediate. From the crater created by Archer's Broken Phantasms, a gigantic burst of energy and wind suddenly exploded with force. Dozens of blocks of concrete and debris rained down from the sky, and a column of golden light shone in the middle of the night for a split-second. Artoria and Emiya watched in silence as a figure leaped out of the crater with a lightning-fast movement – the former with fear and the latter with focused calm – slamming itself on the ground and landing right in front of Rin with a shockwave.

The Servant of the Saber class had reappeared in less than an instant, looking completely unharmed and unfazed from the previous attack, except for the dirt and dust now covering his face and armor. His emerald eyes were openly glaring at Emiya with unrestrained irritation, his face morphed into a familiar scowl while he gripped the hilt of his now uncovered sword with a strong grip. Archer paid him no mind, focusing on the golden blade instead.

A few seconds of silence fell amid the ruined square of Fuyuki City.

Upon making sure that his Master was alright, Saber was the first to break the silent standoff. "…you really are something else," he spoke with a cold tone of voice. Emiya didn't need read between the lines to know that he was pissed at him right now. His voice was tinged by clear anger and frustration, and Artoria was visibly growing tense in front of his scowl. "To willingly use such unorthodox methods during a duel… perhaps I misjudged you, Archer. I will let it slide, but only because you did so in order to save your Master. I can respect that, despite my dislike for your actions."

Emiya did not react to his words. Even if he didn't show it, he was inwardly conflicted right now. Even if this Servant was not the one he was familiar with, earning the respect of the King of Knights was something he didn't know how to process. He simply couldn't help it. That girl's image was still engraved in his soul even after all this time, and he could clearly see that this King and the one he knew were the same. His respect still meant much to him, no matter how hard he tried to ignore that thought.

He shook his head. "Funny hearing you say that, after luring us here to a trap," he replied back with a shrug, sarcastic. "You and your Master should have stayed cowed in the shadows, or else learn some respect. Not all of us are so proud as you."

He expected Saber to only grow angrier at his words, but something in what he had said seemed to land home. Saber gritted his teeth in reluctant acceptance, while Rin openly bristled in outrage. "I see. Even if there was no honor in your fighting style, you still possess your own code," the King mused, glaring at him. "I could feel your resolve during our fight, along with a sense of… familiarity. Kinship. You didn't even hesitate to trick me in order to save the girl. Tell me, why did you spare my Master?"

Broad shoulders shrugged as Archer smirked. "What? You don't like to be indebted to someone?" he asked with sarcasm, his expression sly and knowing.

His taunt would have fallen on deaf ears if his enemy had been any other Master or Servant… but Archer knew both Rin and Saber well enough to say that they were extremely prideful people. As such, he knew that they now felt indebted to him, and he was more than willing to use that debt to his advantage. That was the reason why he had willingly chosen not to kill Tohsaka with his attack while Saber was momentarily stunned by his previous trick. This fact alone had greatly increased their chance of survival right now, and Emiya always acted in order to obtain the best possible outcome in every situation.

Apparently, both Saber and his Master had begun to realize that as well. "Are you that desperate to win the Grail?" the King of Knights demanded angrily, feeling clearly irritated by this sudden outcome.

Are we really that similar? He also mused to himself, unable to keep his curiosity in check. The Servant in front of him right now was just too intriguing for some reason.

Much to Saber and Rin's shock, however, Emiya shook his head after sparing a glance to Artoria. "Sorry to disappoint, but the Grail doesn't interest me," he replied, completely unimpressed.

Saber narrowed his eyes. "…then why do you fight?" he demanded again.

Archer snorted. That question gave him a headache every time. "I've never fought for some great cause. However, I'll play your ideology game. If I had to come up with a reason why I fight…" he took a quick glance at Artoria, smirking a little as he saw her eyes boring holes in his frame. "Then I wield my swords so that my Master has the right to choose a life that will make her happy," he answered.

For once, his answer was completely true. And the red blush spreading on the girl's face was definitely amusing to watch.

Saber fixed him with a long stare. "Servants are supposed to defend their Master's lives, not their wishes."

"You say that, and yet you fight a selfish battle yourself," Emiya countered, unfazed. "All you do is obey that young lady because you want to win as well. After hearing your previous question, I'm ready to guess – no, I willing to bet that you desire the Grail for some reason. Can't you see your selflessness is actually selfish, Saber?"

King Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I see… I disagree, but your answer seems correct in theory." He readied his stance all of a sudden, pointing his golden blade at the tanned Archer. "Now prove it on the battlefield."

"That's right! Show them who's boss, Saber!" Rin cheered with a resolute tone, glaring at Archer and his Master.

But Archer wouldn't budge. "No," he stated, firm and resolute. He didn't move an inch, didn't pay mind to the enemy's blade pointed at him. His resolve clearly surprised his previous Master and the male King of Knights. Even Artoria was looking at him in wonder. "I spared your Master's life, so you will spare me this fight. Leave us be, and I'll consider your debt paid. We'll settle this another time, but not today."

King Arthur tensed slightly. "…you're slyer than I thought. Do you not prefer to fight honorably as before? I swear we will let your Master live if―"

"Honorably?" Emiya repeated with sarcasm, narrowing his eyes. "If you can draw 'honor' from slaying a battered Servant who showed you mercy, then by all means," he mocked him, pointing to his wounded body filled with cuts.

Saber broke his stance, his face scrunching up in bitter submission. Archer inwardly laughed at his conflicted expression. This Arthur could be different, but he knew the King of Knights well enough to know that he had landed a low blow with that one. Saber – both male and female indiscriminately – would never do something that willingly went against their code. Especially in the current situation.

Minutes earlier, the honorable King of Knights had already attacked them without revealing himself, after all. He wouldn't – couldn't – do something so dishonorable and disgraceful again. Once? He could overlook that. But twice? Saber wasn't that kind of person, and Emiya knew that extremely well. That was why he didn't hesitate to use this fact against him. That was where he and Saber truly differed. Saber was a King of honor, but Archer was cunning monster. He cared not for honor and codes, but ensuring his Master's safety was his top priority. He wouldn't hesitate to make Saber suffer and struggle as long as he and Artoria could claw their way out of this situation alive.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Emiya could clearly see Saber's conflicted feelings as he pondered his words carefully over and over, his mind struggling to decide what to do. He didn't need to be able to read other people's mind to know that King Arthur was currently fighting with himself. One part of him – the one still attached to his Knightly Code – was bound to honor, to duty, and it was begging him to follow his moral code and leave them be because the enemy had showed mercy towards his Master. But on the other hand, another part of him – the more desperate, rational side of his character – also knew that missing this chance could be a severe mistake on his part. Archer was wounded, clearly tired, and definitely more fatigued compared to him; so to finish him off right now would be advantageous. It would be for the best, considering the battles to come. One less enemy from the chessboard was not something that could be easily overlooked, and both him and Archer knew it extremely well.

But that is fine, Emiya reasoned. All I needed to do was to buy some time. There's no need to rely on the enemy's choice.

His plan had already set in motion.

Unable to decide, Saber did the only thing he could: he turned towards his Master with a questioning glance. Just as expected, Rin shook her head. "Don't even think about it, Saber. We cannot miss this chance. Finish him," she ordered with a resolute voice.

And equally as expected, Saber seemed hesitant to obey her will. Emiya openly smirked while Artoria swallowed in nervousness.

"Master… he spared your life," Saber tried to say. "I hate to admit it, but we are in his debt. Please reconsider. My code―"

"Aaah, Mou! I don't care!" Tohsaka raged with an indecisive scowl. Her face was beet red in both anger and embarrassment. "If he chose to be foolish during a War, that's his problem! Now unleash your Noble Phantasm and finish this! If you won't do it, I'll use a Command Seal!"

He did not show it outwardly, but Archer was inwardly impressed by her reaction. Hm. It seems you've grown more resolute in this world. A real Master would not hesitate to go against their pride during a War, he mused with a smile. Good grief, I should have known. You always manage to surprise me in one way or another, Rin.

Saber looked clearly unhappy with her decision. However, he resigned himself with a sigh. "…as you wish, Master," he relented in the end, gritting his teeth in frustration.

The King in silver armor turned to them again, a glint of shame flashing in his eyes, and raised his golden blade into a familiar stance.

Artoria and Archer watched with tense bodies as Saber raised his luminous sword with both arms, holding it above his head. Excalibur's golden blade began to glow with energy, becoming brighter and brighter; more blinding and more dazzling. In less than two seconds, small bits of light began to appear around it. Little golden bits, like fireflies flying in the night; emerging out of the ground, from the trees around the square and even from the air itself. They glowed and glowed and glowed, accumulating and merging into the blade of the Holy Sword, making it become more and more majestic and dazzling as the seconds passed.

The more she stared, the more Artoria paled as she watched Saber and his golden blade. Her eyes visibly widened in a mixture of shock and awe in front of that sight. "A-Archer… what is that?" she exclaimed in stunned disbelief.

But Emiya remained calm and collected. His face did not show any kind of emotion in front of that majestic brilliance. "As expected from the King of Knights. Your blade is truly exceptional, oh noblest of lieges," he spoke with a blank tone, looking completely calm despite the tense situation.

Everyone – and I do mean everyone – tensed and stiffened in a very obvious way after hearing his words. Rin jumped and widened her eyes, Artoria startled and gaped. And Saber… Saber narrowed his eyes with a frown, momentarily stopping his focus to stare at Archer with disbelief.

"…so you really do know my True Name," he realized with a soft tone, lowering his arms and interrupting the attack.

Emiya didn't bother to reply. The stunned silence around him was deafening.

"What?! How can this be?!" Rin exclaimed in complete loss, unable to understand. However, the more she realized that Archer was indeed aware of her Servant's identity, the more panicked she grew. "Saber, what are you doing? Unleash your power now, before it's too late!"

"…it is already too late, Master," Saber replied with a serious tone. His sword snapped with a loud hiss, the golden light fading immediately as Invisible Air began to cover the blade once again. "I underestimated his cunning, and now we are paying the price. My apologies."

Emiya kept his rude smirk to a minimum. "There's no way a Servant would mistake that golden sword," he tried to deflect with a casual tone. "That's why you kept it hidden, isn't it? Unlike me, you're easily recognizable thanks to it."

The King of Knights clenched a fist at his answer, his face a mask of suspicion and growing tension. All the while, Artoria's eyes glanced between them in confusion, utterly unable to understand what was happening right now. "Archer, what is the meaning of this? Have you really figured out his True Name?" she asked, moving closer to the tall and muscular Servant. Her emerald eyes were drilling on him with sheer intensity as he remained still with his gaze glued to Saber's face.

Heroic Spirit Emiya answered with a sharp nod. "I have. There's no way I can be mistaken."

And unfortunately for us both, you won't like what you're about to hear, he thought with sadness.

He was about to speak again, but he found himself unable to do so.

Because right at that moment, just like Archer had hoped, something happened.

A powerful screech echoed all of a sudden.

Everyone snapped their heads up, and the girls widened their eyes in shock. A strange creature was flying above their heads, high in the night sky. A Phantasmal Beast that was essentially an "impossible" existence, recorded solely on legends from ancient times: a Hippogriff. It was an elegant beast with raven wings, an eagle's head and a horse's body, darting through the clouds with an impressive speed. Artoria, Emiya and their opponents stared at it with wide eyes, noticing with no small surprise that there were two people riding the winged beast as it descended towards the ground.

Suddenly, the hippogriff let out a sharp cry, flying through the air with disarming speed and landing in the middle of the ruined square, right between the two groups engaged in verbal combat. As its paws touched the ground, the beast generated a gust of wind that enveloped everything for tens of meters, leaving both Artoria and Rin breathless by the display. On the other hand, Archer and Saber stared at the newcomers with narrowed eyes.

"Aaaalright!" Charlemagne cried with a boisterous voice, dismounting from the Hippogriff with a single jump and spreading his arms wide. "Adventure! Adventure is calling! This excitement is as refreshing as a glass of water after an intense workout!"

Lord El-Melloi II stepped right behind him, donning a hand over his face. "Rider, you haven't done anything yet. Stop being so enthusiastic," he reprimanded him with an annoyed tone.

Everyone stared at them in confusion, especially Rin and Saber.

Archer exhaled a sigh despite his annoyance. He closed his eyes in a gesture of relief. "Good, you're here at last. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever decide to come," he spoke with sarcasm, his shoulders relaxing a bit as the previous tension began to slowly leave his body.

Confused and stunned, Artoria turned to him. "What do you mean? You were expecting them?" she asked him through their mental bond.

Emiya almost smirked at her face. "Of course. Why do you think I kept stalling those two for so long? Buying us time was my main strategy from the beginning," he explained.

"You two were taking so long to come to our agreed location that we grew worried," Waver Velvet stepped towards Artoria and her Servant at that moment, rousing them out of their silent discussion. "We thought something had happened, so we went looking for you."

The girl with golden hair exhaled a sigh of relief. Words could not express how relieved she was now that their allies were here. Her arms lowered a bit as she loosed her grip on the katana. "You have my thanks, Lord El-Melloi II. You just saved us from a very tense situation," she thanked him with a grateful nod. Despite her visible relief, however, her eyes did not leave her targets even once. Archer was pretty much the same.

Waver's narrowed stare glanced at Rin and Saber with a solemn expression, his expression growing grim. "Indeed. It seems we were right to worry," he mused with sarcasm.

"Hey! Are those Saber and his Master? They look pretty cool!" Charlemagne exclaimed upon seeing Rin and her Servant, smiling with a cheerful voice and a carefree behavior. The winged Hippogriff moved to stand closer to him as he grinned. "Is this the girl you mentioned to me yesterday, Master?"

The Magus from the Clock Tower nodded, placing himself next to Artoria and Emiya. "That is correct. Long time no see, Miss Tohsaka. You look well," he spoke with a cordial tone. A fake one, but it was cordial nonetheless. His face was completely stoic as he gazed at the girl with raven hair as if he was staring at troublesome child.

Rin's brow visibly twitched in annoyance. "Lord El-Melloi," she grunted with a dismissive voice. "I see that you've been chosen to participate in the War. Good grief… seriously? Using a Master from the previous War? The Clock Tower has no originality, really."

"The second," Waver stressed, looking no less annoyed than her before composing himself. "But on that I agree. I loathe the role I've been assigned to quite a lot. But unfortunately, I'm in no position to complain about it. I will do what I must."

His stoic eyes moved to stare at Rin's Servant, and his gaze narrowed even further. Emiya took notice of that immediately. "I knew you had been chosen as a Master, given your lineage, but I wasn't expecting you to summon Saber, of all Servants," he admitted with a slightly surprised tone. "Not to mention this one, of all Heroes."

Artoria and Emiya turned to him in visible confusion.

Saber stared back at the man with an unreadable face. The slightest furrowing of his brows was his only reaction. "You… you're the boy from that time," he realized after a moment of pondering, widening his eyes slightly.

Lord El-Melloi II smiled. "Indeed. I'm surprised you remember. Servants are not supposed to recall the events of their previous summonings… but I suppose you're an exception. As expected from the King of Knights," he mused with sarcasm (much to Rin's growing annoyance)

Artoria, however, jolted in surprise after hearing that title for the second time.

"T-The King… of Knights?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Emiya glanced at her, keeping his expression neutral.

Waver Velvet nodded while Rider dismissed his Hippogriff and moved to stand next to them. "Indeed. That Servant over there is none other than King Arthur, Britain's greatest ruler, your very own ancestor… and the Saber class Servant I've met during the Fourth Holy Grail War," he revealed with a hushed voice, looking and sounding completely serious as he spoke.

Upon hearing that, the breath from Artoria's lungs disappeared all of a sudden. Her eyes widened out of human proportions.

Rin and Saber, instead, narrowed their eyes in clear irritation.

Archer crossed his arms, staring at Saber's furrowed face with a critical eye. So it's as I thought. Just like the Saber from my previous timelines, he was summoned twice too, he realized, digesting the information without exposing his doubts and suspicion. So far, that is the only similarity I've found with my previous experiences. It cannot be a coincidence.

Charlemagne whistled in amazement. "He does look like a King," he mused with interest, placing a hand under his chin as he studied the other Servant closely, like a child who had found himself in front of something extremely intriguing. His lips parted into a wide grin while his eyes gleamed. "He seems cool! Way cooler than what I've expected!"

Saber's only reaction to Rider was a blank stare.

Rin stomped a foot on the ground all of a sudden, grabbing everyone's attention. "Enough with the nonsense, Lord El-Melloi II. Why are you here?" she demanded, crossing her arms with a haughty movement. "Do you intend to interfere between our fight?"

Waver exchanged a silent glance with Emiya. Artoria was too busy staring at Saber with her mouth agape to notice. Seeing his subtle nod of confirmation, the black-haired Lord smirked.

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but this girl and I have formed an alliance," he stated with a causal tone, surprising both Master and Servant with his statement. Emiya and the others did not miss the way they two of them tensed at the revelation. "We've discussed it yesterday, and we've already agreed to it. Therefore, as it is expected during a partnership, me and my Rider cannot stand by and watch when our allies are in danger. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Tohsaka?"

The silence that fell amid the street of Fuyuki City was absolute and filled with tension. The not-so-subtle message was clear.

If you want to continue this, me and Rider will join the fight against you.

It wasn't a good prospect for Rin, even with King Arthur at her side. And she knew that extremely well.

Rin Tohsaka glared at Waver Velvet. Waver Velvet stared blankly at Rin Tohsaka.

Until, after a long while, the girl with raven hair finally clicked her tongue with irritation. "Tch. Just you wait, Lord El-Melloi," she stated with a peculiar tone of voice. Emiya instantly recognized it, for he was awfully familiar with it: it was haughty, resolute, and tinged with a distinct note of stubbornness. The exact same tone that 'his' Rin had used with him every time she was unable to hide her nervousness during the previous Wars. "It doesn't matter if you've made an alliance with them: this won't end well for you. I will never agree with the Clock Tower's decision. The Dismantlement of the Greater Grail is not for you to decide."

The man merely quirked his lips upwards. "We shall see," was all he said.

That only made her bristle further. However, no matter how competitive and stubborn she was, Rin was no fool. She knew when she was outmatched, and she had no problem to admit it in spite of her pride. Thus: she restrained her anger, and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Saber," she called, turning around in a swift movement and starting to walk away with a casual pace. "We're leaving."

Upon hearing his Master's order, the King of Knights dismissed his invisible sword. He spared a silent glance between Rin and the others, not uttering a single word. However, his eyes darted between Artoria and Emiya more than once with furrowed brows, focusing his gaze on the Archer especially for a few seconds that – to him – felt like an eternity.

Then, he closed his eyes, and with no further ado, he moved to follow his Master at once, disappearing along with her amid the dark of the night.

Seconds passed, followed by silence.

Then, the tension in the air finally disappeared.

When their presence disappeared as well, Artoria and Emiya exhaled a weary breath.

Lord El-Melloi II took out a cigar from a pocket with a sigh. "You guys just barely avoided a certain death, you know that?" he asked them with obvious sarcasm.

For once, Emiya agreed with him. In full. "So it would seem," he admitted in self-mockery, closing his eyes and placing a hand over his hip. "You guys saved my life, actually."

"By the way, are you ok, Archer?" Rider asked him, looking at Emiya's battered body filled with cuts and bruises with a raised brow. His face deadpanned at his nonchalant expression. "You look, well… you know…"

Archer merely sighed. "I'll live. Don't worry about me, Rider," he dismissed his worries with a wave of the hand. Instead, he focused his attention on his Master, and he immediately noticed that something was wrong. The poor girl had an empty expression on her face, with her eyes lowered to the ground and her gaze devoid of focus. But her clenched fists and trembling arms were clearly obvious to see.

Emiya sighed. He really should have expected this kind of reaction from her. Therefore, he resigned himself to carry out his duty as a Servant once again. "Can you give us a moment?" he asked, glancing at Waver and Rider. "This won't take long, I promise. We'll talk more in a minute."

The two of them understood what he meant with a single glance. They nodded wordlessly, stepping away from the two and moving to check the surroundings instead.

When they were finally alone, Archer turned to his Master in full. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Master… are you alright?" he asked, softly and gently.

Artoria nodded once. Twice. She hesitated for a second, then nodded thrice. "Yes. Yes, I'm… I'm alright," she tried to reassure him with a low voice, sheathing her sword with a habitual movement.

It didn't work. "What's wrong?" he insisted.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Think nothing of it," she stammered.

"Master…"

Her head lowered further. She hid her eyes from him.

"King Arthur," she stated after a ten seconds of silence, blinking unsteadily in order to quell her raging emotions. "You knew?"

Emiya stared at her in cryptic silence. "Yes," he admitted after a while. "I recognized the sword he wielded during our battle. There's no Servant who would mistake that radiance. Excalibur. Its legend is just too well-known."

She nodded. "I see… I suppose we know now why I wasn't able to summon him."

He nodded as well. "Now we know. And I'm sorry."

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide and stunned. "W-What?" she breathed.

"Saber is strong. Perhaps the strongest Servant summoned in this War," he explained with a serious tone. His eyes lowered with sincere regret, and he kneeled on the ground to reach her eye-level. "If you had managed to summon him, I'm sure that your victory would have been as good as granted. Instead, you're stuck with a worthless, nameless Archer like me… and I'm sorry for that."

Artoria shook her head. "N-No, no; it's not true! You're not worthless, Archer!" she denied immediately. Her hands grabbed his head all of a sudden, and Emiya's eyes rose to meet her teary gaze with silent stupor. Even now he remained stunned by the clarity of her green orbs. "The summoning's result was not your fault. I don't care about that anymore." She lowered her eyes a bit after those words, looking almost shy for some reason. "Actually, to be honest… I'm glad that I've summoned you."

Emiya blinked, confused. "You are?"

She nodded, her cheeks tinged with red. "When I realized who Saber was, I felt… empty," she admitted. "Angry. The more I looked at him, the more I realized that the help I desired from him was not out of admiration and hope, but out of anger and resentment. I… I was taken aback by my own anger. That's why I needed a moment to recollect myself, and also why I'm glad to have you at my side. I prefer to be with someone I admire instead of following someone I'm constantly angry at."

He raised a brow as an impossible thought entered inside his head.

"So you're saying that you admire me more than your ancestor?" Archer asked, perplexed.

Artoria wouldn't meet his eyes, but her face become even more flushed. It was honestly amusing to watch.

"I-I do," she admitted with a stutter. Her hands grew warmer on his cheeks, and Emiya instantly realized that she had started to infuse Mana on his body to heal his wounds through contact. "So far, King Arthur's legacy has brought nothing but misery to me, and he even attempted to kill me tonight. You, on the other hand… you've done nothing but help me in spite of my flaws, and you've never turned your back on me even during your fights. Actually, you saved my life today, so… yeah. Of course I admire you more than him."

Emiya just stared at her face blankly, unable to understand. He knew he did not deserve her admiration. All he had done was just what any other Servant would have done for their Master, including saving her life. It was his duty and his contract. She had no reason to prefer a fake and worthless monster like him to the proud and just King Arthur. She was simply selling Arthur's point of view short. He did not deserve―

Artoria's hands caressed him gently. Her smile was radiant as the sun.

"I may not know your name, Archer, but to me… you are a much greater Hero than King Arthur will ever be."

…

Ok, that wasn't fair. It was a low blow.

…

Emiya snorted a little, but the smile on his face grew despite his attempts to remain stoic. "Hmph. My stats and wounds say otherwise," he joked dryly.

"But you did manage to hold your own against him, didn't you?" she pried further with sly grin.

Damn it. She was more attentive than he thought. Archer cursed himself. "Perhaps. But I wouldn't have lasted much longer. He's way more powerful than me. Stalling him was the best I could do," he rebutted, almost stubbornly.

For some reason, his stubborn denial did not upset her. On the contrary, it seemed weirdly endearing to her. He really was childish at times. "And that is why I admire you. You fought with all your might to stand against a stronger opponent, and still managed to resist until the end," she praised him, a distinct note of pride entering her voice. "The way you must earn everything under your limited power alone… that is your greatness, Archer. That is your worth. And I admire you immensely for that."

Emiya fought hard to keep his face neutral. He was seriously risking to blush here. Instead, he rose from his kneeling position once his wounds were completely healed, shaking his head in mirth with a small chuckle while the young Master openly pouted at his dismissive behavior. But even if he did not show it on the outside, the gratitude he was feeling inside would forever be etched in the Nameless Hero's heart.

A heart he had thought long gone, and that only Rin and this girl with golden hair had managed to touch for the first time in a long while.

Thus, for the first time, Archer smiled a sincere smile. "Are you sure you don't regret the mix-up yet?"

Artoria giggled, then shook her head. "No, I don't; and I never will. My dream, my trust and my victory rest entirely in your hands, Archer."

Yet these hands will never hold anything.

Heroic Spirit Emiya paused, looking away in slight embarrassment, and ignored the silent but poisonous thought that entered inside his mind. In the end, however, he shook his head with a sigh and stared at his Master's smiling face in amusement.

Emiya donned a smile.

It didn't quite reach his eyes.

---

NOTES

I'm not gonna lie: this chapter was hard.

You have NO IDEA how much stuff I had to read and check to write this small clash between Emiya and Arthur. I had to do it in order to create a fight that I could personally find acceptable and that could also be consistent to canon. I'm not talking about the Fate Wiki alone; but also documents, interviews, other writer's opinions, the visual novels, the various animated adaptations, and even your very own comments about the powers of both Emiya and Arthur (and Artoria). It was extremely tiring and vexing. However, one thing I've noticed is that most documents and opinions (even the official Wiki) all agreed on ONE, single thing: Artoria would NOT hesitate to use Excalibur against Emiya. Not even for a single moment. That is why I decided to reveal Arthur's sword in this chapter. I was actually planning to show it at a later date, but it still worked out in the end. Obviously, I couldn't show its full powers and attack, of course; but that moment will come. I sincerely hope this first battle between the King and the Faker was enjoyable to you guys. So… I hope I managed to do a decent job, at least.

The reason why Charlemagne is a Rider is NOT because of the Hippogriff. The Fate Wiki states that Charlie can be summoned as a Rider, but it doesn't explain why or how. So, I took the liberty of creating my own reason. And while it is officially stated in the "Orlando Furioso" that the King of Franks did use Bradamante's Hippogriff during two minor battles, the main reason why he is a Rider in my story is another one entirely. It will be revealed in the future.

Rin is going to be slightly different in this story compared to the original character. Not too much, mind you, since I don't want to create an OOC. But keep in mind that this world is different from the official FSN routes. As I've said in the Notes at the beginning and as we've already seen in every previous chapter, this world is inspired by the canon FSN routes and the world of Capsule Servant, but it will also possess some original events. As we've seen, things here went differently in a lot of ways, so it is only natural that some characters will be different from the ones we knew.

This goes for Arthur as well. He is similar to the Proto-Arthur we know, but he will be also different in some ways. For example: his sword does not have any seals. His Excalibur is more similar to Artoria's rather than the one he wields in the canon works, and we'll see why soon enough.

As always, please forgive me for any eventual misspellings and grammar mistakes. If you point them out to me, I will gladly correct them as soon as I can.

See you next time.