Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fanfiction.

Chapter VI: Cry, Time to Come Crashing Down

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A quiet night in the Emiya mansion was unnatural. Usually, Illya would be making a fuss about something which happened to her at school, or be frustrated with some annoying homework she couldn't solve. But not tonight.

Shirou sat cross legged in the shed as if meditating. He focused on the flow of Magical energy through his body and waited for that moment when it felt perfect. In front of him was the Summoning Circle Kiritsugu drew long ago, and behind him was a worried Illya who watched over him patiently. Moments passed and then he felt it.

—The perfect moment had arrived.

Immediately, he extended his arm forward and activated his circuits. Focusing on the Divine Construct inside of him, he started his chant;

"Silver and Steel as the Essence, Stone and the Archduke of Contract for the foundation"

The Magical Circle glowed fiercely in response to the chant, lighting up the entire shed. Illya covered her eyes while Shirou continued, his irises turning fiery gold.

"Heroic Spirit of the Sword, I call upon you"

"You who was betrayed, you who obeyed"

An ominous sound started to be emitted from the Circle, which only glowed brighter and brighter with each word, Illya sensed the rate of consumption of Magical energy was not normal, but there was no response from Shirou when she complained about it.

"The everdistant Utopia beckons you, an Oath shall be made."

"You shall be my sword, and I shall be your sheath"

"If you hear the Grail's calling, then heed me and obey..."

The two felt the ground shake underneath them. The ominous sound grew louder and louder, until Illya could no longer hear what Shirou was saying.

"Come to me Saber, for the Time for Rebirth Hath Come!"

"Shirou!" The albino girl screamed out as the light exploded and sent the teenager flying back towards the wall. The shockwave was so strong, the electricity of the neighborhood got cut off, and the only sound which was heard after were the alarms of parked vehicles going off from the shock.

The light flickered back on as Shirou opened his eyes again to see her. A dark presence standing in front of him. An existence as charming as it was deadly. With armor as dark as the night, hair pale and faded. She stared at him with emotionless eyes.

"— I ask of you... Are you my Master?"

"Shirou! Are you okay?" Illya rushed towards the downed teenager, before being alerted by a Magical energy signature approaching the mansion.

The summoning was a success, and it went exactly how Shirou wanted. The explosion was a Mana Burst, and it probably alerted every Mage in Fuyuki. Meaning that he will have visitors very soon. But he didn't expect the visitors to arrive as soon as he finished the ritual.

No matter, he would deal with them accordingly.

Saber immediately rushed off towards the gate, where she sensed the presence of a Servant and another weakling. Followed by Shirou and Illya.

The enemies seemed to suddenly stop, as if hesitating to enter through the front gate. But that made no difference to Saber.

A Mana Burst and she was no longer inside the mansion. Leaping to the skies, the black knight was able to see two people standing behind the gate before landing firmly on the asphalt next to them.

Shirou and Illya rushed after Saber through the gate. The teenager immediately smiled in amusement when he saw who it was outside the walls.

"Oh how interesting, Shinji decided to pay us a visit. Don't you think that's cute Illya?"

The albino girl just watched on, unsure whether to scold her brother for being overconfident or to join him in his happiness.

Rider was unsatisfied with how things turned out in the Matou mansion, but Sakura used a Command Seal on her. So her hands were tied. Her lips thinned when she witnessed the black Saber in front of her, knowing it was not going to be a battle in her favor.

"Master, I suggest we fall back and—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Shinji interrupted, his eyes leaking rage and frustration. "You people think I'm weak... That I'm useless... You think you're better than me hah EMIYA!"

"If you say so, then it must be true right?" Shirou teased without batting an eyelash, "It doesn't matter whether I say yes or no, because let's face it. You're dead Shinji. Dead."

Shinji made an incomprehensible grumble which even he didn't know whether it was out of fear or hatred, before stepping back behind his servant, "Go! Rider!"

Shirou merely looked at Saber and nodded. That's all she needed to see.

A Mana Burst and she was already within melee range of Rider, who, as taken by surprise as she was, managed to block an upwards punch from Saber using her staff, but the blow was so strong, it sent her flying upwards.

Shinji, who was standing behind his Servant, eeked in fear when he realized he was left defenseless. But just as was about to run away, he felt cold steel on his throat.

"Going so soon?" Shirou teased as he pressed the straight sword slightly more into his enemy's flesh.

Shinji felt the blade sink through his skin slowly and froze in place, but then, the redhead holding the blade had to jump back so as to not be crushed by the descending Rider.

"Have at them! Tarasque!"

Everyone gaped at the giant turtle shaped horned beast which seemed to have just dropped from the sky. The evil dragon Tarasque roared in fury, staring down its competition. Shinji took one look at the Dragon and immediately jumped back to his feet, "Now I'll show you EMIYA! Rider's Dragon will turn you and your Servants to ash!"

"Master." Saber announced mechanically, "Permission to use Noble Phantasm."

"Don't Saber! If you do, you'll destroy the houses nearby!" Screamed out Illya who was still by the gate. But to her dismay, Shirou nodded at the black Saber.

The latter let a vile smirk draw on her face, as a sword was summoned to her hands. A weapon as dark as the night with nothing tainting its sharp edges except red stripes decorating its blade and hilt.

Shirou felt pain engulf his head when he tried to analyze the sword, and even when he persisted, he couldn't identify it at all. The information was completely blacked out as if it was corrupted.

Saber's body took on a stance, lowering the blade behind her as she stared down her enemy.

"Vortigern, hammer of the vile king…"

The giant dragon roared, flames welling in its chest. Rider thinned her lips in anticipation, if Tarasque was to lose this exchange, she would grab her Master and run off, with her speed she should be able to get away.

"Reverse the rising sun…"

The sword became a burning torch of darkness, coated in a black flame which extended its size. And in response, the Dragon's head swayed back in preparation to spit out its deadly fires.

"Swallow the light! EXCALIBUR— MORGAN!"

The black Saber roared out furiously, swinging her blade upwards, emitting a wall of black, crimson-tainted fire which burned everything unlucky enough to be in its way.

The Dragon's head lunged forwards, releasing the massive flames which lurked within its maw.

The two fiery blasts contacted, causing an enormous heat dome in the middle of the street, but the black flames of Saber were way stronger than those of the evil dragon, and eventually, they overwhelmed it.

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Shiki Tohno felt really lucky. Not only did he find a place to call a base, but he also found a seemingly reliable ally who promised to help him find a Servant. Things were looking up for him and he only hoped that they'd continue at this rate.

He sat on a white couch in the Tohsaka mansion, a cup of steaming coffee placed on the table near his legs. In front of him was Tohsaka who gripped the shiny Diamond in her hands, examining it thoroughly.

Diamond was the rarest gem, and by far the most powerful when used to conduct a Spell. But she wasn't about to waste such a valuable resource on a one time Spell.

"Satisfied?" Shiki inquired, extending his hand forward as if demanding it back, "I assure you it's real."

Rin could hardly let go, if it was under any other circumstances, she would've taken the Gem and threw the idiot who brought it to her out of the window, but this guy was sent by the Fifth. She was wiser than to cross an actual Magician.

Rin handed the item back and watched with eyes glued into it as Shiki placed the Diamond back into the container then inside his pocket.

"I have a question." The brunette asked as if remembering something, "Do you have any idea about who would have sent that familiar which attacked us earlier?"

It was weird that they didn't discuss their attackers when they first met, they haven't even mentioned the attack until now. But, considering the circumstances, the need to sort out each other's loyalty took priority.

Shiki placed a hand over his chin, thinking about that familiarity he felt earlier. "I have seen familiars like that once before back in Misaki town, but that doesn't make much sense considering—"

The ground shook underneath the mansion, causing the two to jump to their feet, followed by expressions of shock overtaking their faces when they felt the crazy amount of Magical energy radiating from a nearby location.

Archer materialized, furrowing his brows as if he had just received some horrible news. "Master." He announced with a serious expression on his face, "Someone just fired their Noble Phantasm."

"A Noble Phantasm!? Here? In the residential district?!"

Rin's face paled when she saw Archer nod in confirmation. "The Magical energy is coming from the direction of the japanese-style houses, it's most likely—"

"Emiya Shirou…" she finished his words herself, clicking her tongue.

Shiki did not know what was going on, but it seemed serious. "Tohsaka! What's going on?!"

No answer left Rin's lips, instead, she started running towards the door as Archer shook his head at him to follow, before dematerializing.

The brunette prayed to a deity she didn't know she worshiped to keep the civilians near the Magical energy source safe. But all was for naught as over the hill, she was able to see the catastrophe which took place. Pillars of smoke were rising from the ground where fires were seen in the distance, at least five houses were ablaze from what Rin and Archer could see.

"Oh… No…" was all that Rin could muster upon witnessing the view.

Shiki, who had just arrived behind the Master and her servant, stared at the scene with a bitter expression.

"A Master did this?" he asked, tightening his hand into a fist.

"A Servant, more accurately. I place my bets on Saber." Confirmed Archer. Though the reason escaped him, why Saber would cause this destruction.

"Let's go, Archer. We have to salvage the situation before any more casualties are caused." Rin announced after swallowing a heavy realization, "Tohno-kun. You should return to the mansion and wait. If Saber was actually summoned, it would be extremely dangerous to go with us."

Shiki shot back an angry stare at the brunette, "No chance. I'm coming along."

Tohsaka visibly staggered when he looked at her that way and when she saw the expression on his face again, she knew that no amount of convincing would change his mind. "Y—Your funeral…" she whispered before Archer scooped her off her feet and jumped off.

The trio made their way towards their destination, and while Shiki wasn't as fast as Archer, he was able to keep up by using Reinforcement on his muscles and following in the Servant's footsteps.

They arrived shortly after, and the view was even more gruesome up close. Shiki and Archer landed on the street, their eyes instantly landing on the source of a weak Magical energy signature. A purple haired, strangely clothed woman was swaying across the street as if looking for something. Obviously wounded and in no shape to fight, she clicked her tongue at the sight of the trio. Archer confirmed she was a Servant before the woman suddenly faded into her spirit form and escaped.

Rin was speechless as she took in the scenery. There were charred bodies all over the street, haunting screams echoed in the area as they faded into the cackling of the flames. It was a massacre, and the person responsible for this was still here somewhere.

The glasses-wearing teen was about to take off, but Archer placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in place. "Wait. Take this." the Servant said as he lifted his hand, then on his palm a sturdy combat knife was Magically created, and before Shiki could ask or object… "Don't show your real knife on this battlefield. Trust me, you'll thank me later."

The boy didn't understand why or how, but he knew better than to ignore a legendary hero's advice. Taking the knife, Shiki immediately rushed off towards a nearby building, as his Lifehunt vision informed him of someone imprisoned in the rubble but still alive.

He earned a concerned glance from Rin, but then…

Two golden orbs glowed in the smoke in front of them as the Master and Servant heard metallic footsteps approaching. A menacing figure armed with a sword slowly emerged, with a villainous smile drawn across her face. She stood in front of them, emanating Magical energy which manifested itself as red lighting dancing across her plated armor. The black Saber planted her darkness-imbued sword into the ground and placed her gauntleted arms above the pommel, unmoving from her location as if she stood guard.

Archer couldn't believe his eyes. This Saber… That sword… How could something so beautiful and pure fall so low? He stared in disbelief until Rin shook him out of it. "Archer! Can you do it?" she asked with little hope behind her words.

"Fighting her here would not only be a death wish to us, but also the remaining residents." he explained after taking a look at his surroundings.

"Urgh… You're right…" Rin grumbled in despair, "Can you at least distract her until I get through?"

"No need." Saber's voice announced with confidence, bobbing her head towards Rin then back towards the Emiya mansion, "If you wish to meet my Master then by all means, go ahead. But not your Servant."

Shiki ran and jumped through and over the debris, until he found a collapsed wall which blocked his path.

Removing his glasses then putting them back on as fast as he could, he stabbed the point of death using the combat knife Archer gave him. The wall fell down as a pile of dust, revealing an unconscious, severely wounded teenager with charred curly blue hair. Shiki immediately but carefully scooped him up and started rushing back towards where he left Rin.

He found no one else on his way back, but was alerted by the outrageous presence which presented itself right next to Archer and Rin.

Emerging back from the ruins, Shiki caused a raised eyebrow from the black Saber. Rin, who was contemplating whether she should go in or not, discarded the idea as soon as she saw the wounded teen being placed on the asphalt next to her. She instantly started tending to his wounds, trying to stabilize his condition as best as she could.

Shiki Tohno shifted his attention to the black Servant, then asked Archer about what was happening, "She said Rin could go in to meet her Master, but not me." he explained with a serious expression, "Maybe you can go in too. Try your luck?"

The teen took another look at Saber, she stared him down from the top of his hair to the bottom of his legs, analyzing every feature, before simply nodding. "You may pass." was what all she said before resuming her silence.

"Wait!" Rin's concerned voice came from behind, "Why would you go in there?! It's obviously a trap!"

Shiki fixed his glasses and smiled, "I'll be fine. Unless this guy can kill me just by looking at me, I won't go down easily." he assured dryly, "And besides, if things go south I won't hesitate to run away."

The brunette found it hard to oppose him as she had to maintain her concentration on keeping the injured teen alive. But even when Archer tried assuring her, she couldn't help but feel worried.

The last remaining member of the Nanaya family walked by the black Saber who didn't even turn her head, then broke into a sprint towards the only intact mansion remaining on the street, the Emiya mansion.

He could hear voices from behind the outer gate, one seemed to be that of a child, a girl, and the other was more mature and also sounded like it belonged to a male.

"...You idiot! You terrible monster! How could you do that!? All of our neighbors! They're dead! Shirou! You killed them!" the female voice scolded, disbelief clear in its tone.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure that fake priest will come up with some excuse. Besides, this is a war you know?" the male voice addressed, completely unshaken by the child's scolding, "Speaking of which. The gate is unlocked! You can come in whenever you're ready!"

Shiki clicked his tongue as he slid open the outer gate, stepping into his enemy's domain. Then an idea came to him, "Well that's just marvelous!" he spoke to himself out loud, before realizing the other two were almost able to hear him.

He had thought of stealing this Master's Command Seals. Allowing him control over that Saber outside. Just imagining having control over such a beast can pretty much win him the war single-handedly. The thought made him sweat in both excitement and nervousness.

"Welcome to the Emiya mansion. I am Shirou Emiya, and you?" An orange haired, amber eyed teenager walked up to a respectable distance from him, Shiki noted the red tattoo on his right arm before thinning his lips. He wasn't about to reveal his identity to an enemy, that would be stupid.

"Satsujinki." Shiki replied without thinking that long, the name simply resonated with him.

"Are you calling me a murderer?" Shirou inquired, misunderstanding what Shiki tried to say, "Well, considering the circumstances... I can be considered one from your perspective."

Shirou extended an arm forward, a steel straight sword created in his hand. "Now, mysterious stranger." he announced, pointing the tip of his sword at his opponent, "Show me a good time."

That was the trigger. Shiki took off his glasses and revealed the combat knife which raised an eyebrow on the redhead's side. But he didn't have time to ask or comment as Shiki let his body sink.

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise as his opponent vanished from existence and reappeared mere feet away from him. The latter swung his knife straight at his throat, or so the redhead thought before moving his blade to block the attack. Only for it to be reduced to particles of Magical energy upon contact with the knife.

"Wh—" Shirou did not get to continue his exclamation, as the black haired teen didn't stop attacking. Another swing was coming right for his neck, Shirou projected another sword and attempted to block again. Nothing, the sword shattered again. The relentless slashing of the one calling himself DEATH didn't stop, and with each blade which broke, Shirou's frustration built up. He didn't understand how his blades were dismantled so easily by a nameless combat knife which had no history whatsoever. He was at a clear disadvantage and he didn't like that one bit.

The redhead eventually tired of the exchange which only drained his Magical energy, and raised a hand above, alerting his assaulter to step away from a barrage of sharp weapons which rained in a straight line.

Shiki didn't excuse the redhead however, the moment the attack stopped, he launched himself forward, aiming for the hand with the Command Seals.

"Oh no you don't!" Shirou screamed out as another volley of weapons formed itself around him. Axes, spears and greatswords included this time, and even then, the Murderer didn't falter, his Magical circuits flared to life, Reinforcing his muscles once again to perform impossible dodges he needed to get to the redhead. His speed quadrupled as he continuously dodged and destroyed projectiles, closing the distance slowly but surely.

Shirou knew his game was up, and that if he continued this way, he would run out of Magical energy before he could defeat his opponent. So, he stopped.

Shiki didn't expect the barrage to suddenly stop, so when it did, he was caught off guard, struggling to restore his balance, and when he finally did. He instantly dodged out of the way of something which crashed down when he just stood. Smoke settled, and Shirou didn't need eyes to tell that it was Saber who almost crushed him. The Magical energy radiating from her was more than enough to tell.

Alarm bells rang within Shiki Tohno's head. This was not what he signed up for. Fighting Shirou was one thing, but fighting Saber? That was a different thing entirely.

"Saber. Kill him." The redhead said, eyes glowing fierce gold. The black knight raised her sword and readied herself, "Fine."

"Uh oh." the black haired teenager whispered to himself, before taking on a battle stance. He just needed one opening, and he would run away as fast as he could towards Rin and Archer.

Mana Burst and she was swinging the blade right next to his throat, he felt heat emanating from its tip tingle his skin as he barely dodged in time. Then, he noticed something shining above him.

"OUT OF THERE. NOW KID!" Archer's voice reached his ears as another slash from Saber's sword almost split him in half. The latter stopped attacking, which let Shiki have an opening to escape. He put every ounce of his remaining Magical energy into Reinforcing his body to increase his speed.

The red Servant soared high above, pulling his black bow and aiming a spiral sword turned arrow at the black Saber. "I am the Bone of my Sword..." the aria echoed in Shirou's ears as if he was the one who said it. It all happened within an instant.

The bow string was released. Shirou's lips moved, and Saber lifted her sword towards the projectile. Shirou's hand glowed red, one of the symbols on the back of his right hand disappeared, signaling the activation of a Command Spell. The black Saber's pale irises shrunk as she felt the massive amount of Mana surging through her, she concentrated her energy into the tip of her blade, then fired it like a black laser beam which made contact with the Broken Phantasm Archer deployed, causing it to explode into a massive heat dome.

Shirou and Illya covered their eyes, and when they opened them again, there was no sign of the red Archer, or the black haired teenager.

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Author's Note:

Slightly shorter than usual and different from the original. Nice, smooth and actionpacked. That's how I like my chapters. Stay Tuned for the next part! See you soon.