Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

74. Chapter 74

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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74- The King's Sword: Merlin's Sin

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Both swords clashed for a few seconds and sparks flew around as the fighters pushed each other. Pulling back and striking again a few times over neither wanted to back down the initial advantage. Once their blades were locked again Shirou managed to lock Altria in a difficult position with Clarent descending on her face as the redhead pushed it with his full might.

Immediately the Mage made it clear he was the strongest of the two as their swords shook and the blonde watched as they grew ever closer. Gritting her teeth she repositioned Clarent in her hand, reminding the redhead her weapon was a true Noble Phantasm when his Muramasa fell into pieces.

It was barely a chance of position, a small touch some extra power behind it but Clarent proved which was the superior blade in that instant, something Shirou already knew was a fact but Altria reminded him how dangerous it could really be.

She leaned forward to slash his torso but from his sleeves two swords jumped from his coat, one to block her weapon and another aiming for her shoulder. Despite being open thanks to her advance Altria still managed to bend her body to dodge her opponent's weapon and pull back for a counterattack.

It was then that Shirou demonstrated the advantage of size by just extending his leg during her evasive maneuver to send her flying back with a kick. Her midriff stung because of the blow but Altria also used it to her advantage. So far she had managed to identify Emiya's physical advantages and getting some distance would be for her benefit.

Which of course Shirou acknowledged before even throwing the attack and didn't hesitate to pursue her with both weapons in position for a sequence of attacks. Both were Muramasas of which the Mage Altered for different situations. One sword was made slightly shorter than a normal katana while the other was a wakizashi barely bigger than the forearm.

A perfect weapon for assassinations or to cripple someone's arm once stabbed just right. 'My victory conditions are either to break her physically or mentally.' Reaching the blonde he attacked with the taller sword first to force a reaction. 'No matter how temporary, this is going to hurt.''

Clarent blocked the attack as the shorter sword came from the other side but Altria dropped her posture and moved low to evade his weapon and bring her sword up to cut Shirou's side from an odd angle.

It was then when her blow connected and that both acknowledged that Altria was the faster one between the two. The Noble Phantasm impact also showed that despite not being the strongest fighter she was quite strong as Shirou almost stumbled. But that was also the result of his armors' durability as anyone else would have been cut in half just above the waist.

Their eyes met as they followed up their attacks at the same time, the redhead jumping back and bringing his shorter sword down as the warrior in blue reversed her grip to intercept it safely before trying to swipe his legs with her own.

Still he was taller so his jump was far enough that he had time to escape and discard the destroyed wakizashi before holding the katana with both hands. With a mental command it grew as tall as a standard Muramasa and not a single moment too soon as Clarent collided with it when its owner dashed forward.

Another sword was broken but Shirou didn't even look phased as he retreated several steps back, Altria dashing with mana to catch up quickly. That still gave him precious few seconds to draw another Muramasa from his coat and raise it defensively as mana flowed into both their weapons.

He could already see the next attack coming, a standard one for most Holy Sword users that Artoria developed during her reign. Caliburn was a defensive sword after all so all its offensive power came from the King of Knights and her skill with the blade. Clarent was also, technically, a more powerful sword.

So it wasn't a surprise when Altria slashed the air and her mana mixed with the Noble Phantasm's power to sail in his direction faster than lightning. Fortunately he already expected that and he knew the technique including its weaknesses so he moved around its pattern, dodging the blow.

It still exploded behind him but the magus ignored it in favor of meeting the swordswoman mid charge as the two clashed again. "Do you really think you can beat me with half baked Noble Phantasms?"

"Do you think you can beat me with a sword I just forged?" Both jumped back before jumping forward and clashing again. For a moment he saw her surprise as his most recent blade didn't break but it was only a matter of time. "You better come with everything you got so you can't complain later."

"Heh." Her smile was a marvelous thing but a little too confident for his tastes. "I am just warming up." Mana began to surround her body and Shirou fixed his footing to run. He knew what was coming. "Mana Burst!" A blast of wind marked the coming of Artoria's signature technique.

A skill similar but several times greater than Reinforcement, Mana Burst acted much faster and on a bigger scale than the inferior spell. It could and did strengthen Altria's body to heights even humans who broke their limits couldn't compete. One of its characteristics was the blast of magical power that acted much like a jet engine accelerating her and harming anyone in her range.

The redhead had escaped just barely because he knew the signs thanks to his Reality Marble but that was just from the initial explosion from Mana Burst, he still had to deal with the aftermath.

And the attack came quickly as Clarent was covered with more mana than the redhead had in his whole body, which surprised him, and its power was still growing. Mana Burst was the sort of skill that could turn anything into a lethal weapon but combined with a good sword, a Noble Phantasm to boot, it became a terrifying power.

'Mistakes were made.' Thought Shirou with legitimate regret at giving Clarent to Altria before their fight. It was one thing seeing the memories from Artoria's fights but it was another feeling it in person. 'Ruler really was holding her back.'

Emiya managed to think as Altria unleashed another swing of energy in his direction and that time he found himself unable to dodge as the attack moved even faster. The blast from it was also extremely strong and had a boundary field isolated the area Kuoh University would have raised an alert of some sort.

Fortunately it was activated just as the fight started so nobody needed to worry, especially Altria who knew someone would have prepared something for the fight. She was confident it would resist most of her attacks, so long she didn't go all out, but took her time to evaluate the barrier just in case.

At the same time the blonde waited for the Mage expectantly as she was mildly disappointed the attack connected as it did, a sigh even escaping her lips. "You were stronger yesterday. Was Rias' mana carrying you that far?"

"To be fair," his voice lacked any semblance of pain and the wind cleared her vision to reveal Shirou unscratched, "was waiting for you to get serious. I needed to test your limits and that was the first time you used Mana Burst with Clarent."

"Oh?" Altria lowered her posture with her sword to her side with a two handed grip, mana pouring from her body. "Really inconvenient that your Reality Marble divulges all of my secrets. Even though I didn't practice Mana Burst with Clarent to catch you off guard. Makes your reaction more impressive."

"Not really." Casually walking to the side, Shirou didn't draw another sword from his coat as he had to sacrifice a few to survive the attack. 'I need to save my mana…' His eyes moved to the closet weapon away from his grasp. 'Which is why I had all this set up.'

Quickly they both raced in the same direction, Altria smiling as she dashed to the exact point where Shirou would try and get a scimitar that Liz had planted on the ground before Caliburn was reforged.

Clarent came with a mighty swing and the Mage was forced to dodge, abandoning any hope of recovering the weapon. 'My mana reserves are bigger and he is trying to conserve his.' Grabbing the scimitar herself, Altria did a pirouette and threw the weapon in Shirou's direction. Mana Burst added extra power to the throw and his shoulder was hit, the weapon bouncing from his armor. "You better start using your magecraft else you won't last."

Chuckling, the Mage of Swords ignored the wound and kept retreating. "Believe me," she was on him in an instant and he barely managed to duck thanks to knowing how she would attack, "I am!"

From his coat another Muramasa presented itself and he executed a drawing slash from below but mana exploded from Altria's feet pushing her back in a maneuver he never saw coming.

Except for Xenovia with her Noble Gear. 'Did she just use Mana Burst to 'jet' herself back?' Gritting his teeth and not bothering to ask, he raised his sword to block the counter as the power waned. The ground under his feet shook as the mana diminished around Altria. "Nice try."

"I am not done!" Using her strength the blonde managed to pin him until her feet touched the floor before their swords disengaged and clashed again. Muramasa began to crack but mana flowed into it, restoring the metal, before Shirou maneuvered it to take advantage of his size. "Mana Burst!"

Only for him to be thrown back with several cuts in his face and hand as she reactivated her technique and exploded with mana. Far more mana than anyone should have and the redhead took notice of it. Yet he barely had time to think as he threw his sword in her direction to stop a follow up.

With a powerful blow Clarent broke the lesser Noble Phantasm into pieces but enough mana had been placed on it that the sword exploded an instant later and Altria felt the first real blow of the match.

Something that Shirou was actually quite proud of. 'A bit cheap but the best way to imbalance her while getting some space. Even if the damage was superficial, she felt it.' He thought while racing towards a rapier on the ground before pivoting towards a gladius. 'But it isn't enough.'

Proving him correct were several slashes made of mana flying in his direction which Shirou had to roll to dodge and then jumped back to avoid the third and fourth ones. Altria showed up in front of him an instant later looking no worse for wear if a little burned. But it was nothing and her attack quickly destroyed his rapier before he could do anything with it.

"Damned woman, let me work!"

"No!" A blast of energy exploded from Clarent and Shirou surprised her by turning around to take the hit with his back.

While he still lost his footing the redhead used the momentum for a roll and grabbed a random bastard sword from the floor. Raising it over his head he used it to gently dislodge her next blow, making Clarent slide with the metal before he pushed forward and hit her stomach with the handle.

"Having some troubles?" Shirou asked challengingly and Altria glared. "If you need Caliburn to compensate for any weakness, you aren't worthy of it in the first place." Pointing his sword at her he added, "After all, a true King could defeat a lowly Mage with any weapon."

Pride wounded, the girl jumped to her feet but didn't attack immediately. "You are going to pay for that, Emiya Shirou." Mana exploded from her body once again, much to Shirou's surprise. "I don't care about being a King but… I will claim Caliburn! Mana Burst!" She vanished from his sigh, a really bad sign.

"Oh shit-" That time the Mage Traced a weapon to protect himself but his swords were destroyed and he was sent flying.

For the second time his armor had failed as well as blood poured from his side and Shirou found himself holding it as he crashed on the ground, rolling several times until he eventually stopped.

Didn't take long for the wound to close and he made sure to restore his armor even as more fragments fell from his coat. 'Like I thought, Avalon is working just fine even if my opponent is…' Altria rose to her feet and assumed another posture. 'Are you working due to Artoria's History or despite it? Honestly things would be easier if you could talk-'

"That healing… is the same thing that saved you before." The reincarnated King Arthur observed with sharp eyes as a colorful glow closed the wound on his side just as his armor was repaired. "The same thing that saved your life against Zolgen…"

Clicking his tongue, Shirou let out a disappointed sigh as he expected to hide that for a while longer. "What can I say? Can't even use the usual excuse because technically this isn't my secret." Altria's eyebrows rose in surprise as he stood up and stretched his right arm. "For the sake of fairness let me tell you this; so long as the proper conditions are met, I won't die easily."

A smile grew on Altria's face, the sort of confidence and self assured smile that had him worried. "I see." Power began to pour from her in waves and Shirou involuntarily took a step back. "Then I really don't need to hold back." More power exploded as she raised Clarent to hold it with both hands with a lower center of gravity. "Let me guess, you will be fine so long as I don't cut your head?"

"I am not sure, to be honest." Shirou replied, trying to remain calm as his hands preparead to Trace his next weapons. "Never could test it. Its conditions of activation are reeeeeaaaaaaally precise." While he tried to sound playful, his mind was running hundreds of miles per second. 'If I am right and she is Artoria reborn, there is no way she wouldn't recognize Avalon's light unless…'

"Too bad. Mana Burst!" Power gathered around her body and Clarent as she interrupted his train of thought. "I will just have to be reeeeaaaaaally careful then."

A couple of things were made clear to the Mage in that moment; Altria was quite competitive, she probably didn't remember anything from her time as Artoria, assuming he was correct, and he really was going to go through a lot of pain before the fight was over.

Considering what he was trying to do, Shirou wouldn't have it any other way. "Trace on!" In his left hand was his bow and his right held one of his many Muramasas already Altered into an arrow.

One arrow turned into three as he fired in several short intervals. Each carried the power of a Noble Phantasm and each was either destroyed or dodged by Altria. She sidestepped the last one only for it to explode behind her. But neither was done as she quickly recovered and threw a blast of mana in the redhead's direction while he Traced another arrow and shot the ground.

The blast passed through as a cloud of dark fog covered the area and even reached the blonde much to her surprise. She first held back her breathing afraid of poison despite her suspicion Shirou wouldn't use such a method. What it did for certain was take away her vision.

Without a speck of hesitation Altria charged towards the Mage's last location and threw a swing where he would have been. Unfortunately she found nothing and gritted her teeth in anger as something in the back of her mind told her she was somehow cornered. Moving quickly to get away from that feeling she found herself lost in no time.

Finally after a minute Altria took a deep breath and had no reaction to the fog, not even a cough. That by itself told her Shirou's goal wasn't suffocation, choosing instead to blinde her which he had been successful at. For all intents and purposes Pendragons were humans and her hearing and nose weren't that special, not like some of his friends at the very least.

'The question is if he is in the same situation?' Altria thought while raising her sword defensively and reducing her mana output. 'If he also can't see then I need to hide as well and try to look around carefully without giving my location away.' Even Clarent's presence diminished with a simple command and focus.

It was when she was dividing her attention between hiding and keeping her guard up that Shirou attacked with something hitting her right shoulder from out of sight. Glancing at it she saw a metal arrow and quickly repositioned herself in that direction, cutting down a second one that almost hit her other arm.

She ignored the pain and ran several meters in a random direction to get away from her last location before stopping close to a sword on the ground. Touching it she could tell it was a thinner weapon than her own but abandoned it and took a few steps back.

Then arrows began to fly from her right and she barely managed to make out the telltale glimmer of metal before cutting them down at high speeds. Realizing Shirou had her location, Altria ran in another direction at her top speed until she found herself jumping out of the fog.

Staring straight at Shirou's creation the blonde couldn't help but glare at the cloud surrounding their battlefield. "That is cheap!"

"This is still one on one so it is still fair." His voice came from somewhere in the fog but even then she couldn't tell where. "You can surrender whenever you want, you know? Just renounce Caliburn and we are done."

"Aah?! Aren't you underestimating me a little?! Mana Burst!" Altria pulled her sword back, preparing for a full swing. "After all, that is just fog!" Mana and wind shook the area as the attack exploded forward to banish the fog.

While it was mostly successful, Altria saw Shirou standing there with an arrow at ready. Yet the redhead didn't even look concerned and soon the fog took over the area surrounding Caliburn once again.

"What the-"

"Caliburn can filter everything evil from the area but this smoke isn't harmful and neither can it be easily dismissed. To get rid of it you have to destroy the original arrow." Shirou informed helpfully, making Altria grit her teeth due to a simple fact, "Question is; you remember where I shot it?"

'A little. He made me move too much and the battlefield is too different for me to get the exact right location.' More arrows began to fly in her direction and Altria blocked them all before throwing a slash that cleaned the fog and should take Shirou down. However her attack was easy to see and the redhead had dodged it by the time it entered the fog. "Face me, you coward!"

"I am facing you, just not how you want me to. With how much mana you are throwing around, consider this my way of evening the playing field." He explained before unleashing a rain of arrows in her direction but Altria had plenty of time and warning to cut them all down. "It seems I will have to up my game a little more." For a second she felt a spark of mana and knew from where the attack would come from. "Hrunting!"

She remembered well the sword from the previous night and how unescapable it was so when the red star exploded from the fog Clarent was already in position and she swung at it with her full strength.

Cutting it in half, Altria charged in Shirou's direction just as the fog began to hide him again, guided by his shadow that she managed to make out for a moment. Dashing and jumping at full speed she reached his location and threw a slash that the redhead saw no alternative other than to block with his bow.

"Got you!" The Radiant Royal Sword made contact again and she could see his blood as she pushed forward after stabbing his abdomen. "Game over."

His hand grabbed the arrow still in her shoulder. "Is it?" A sword took form and she could feel he was about to take her arm.

Remembering her opponent was capable of healing, Altria had no other choice but shove him away and jump back to escape the sword taking shape in her arm. Some of her shoulder was taken in the engagement but she was sure Clarent also pierced several important organs.

Didn't mean she could stop since the memory of Zolgen almost killing him never left her mind. 'If he can recover from that…' Channeling her mana into Clarent she took a swing in that direction and hit Shirou again, from his left shoulder to his hip. "Yes, it-"

Something hit her back and for an instant Altria suspected foul play before dismissing the thought immediately. Shirou wasn't fighting to kill but fighting because he believed she was making a mistake in his eyes and she wouldn't honor dishonor if he won with truly underhanded means.

While her mind dismissed those thoughts, the swordswoman moved to escape the sword that was trying to pierce her back in the milliseconds of contact. She turned fast enough to avoid everything but a small cut before dropping to a knee while using Clarent for balance.

Shirou wasn't done though and his eyes glowed with power as the swords in the area obeyed his will. It was a trick he picked up in his Reality Marble and while it cost quite a bit of concentration to use it outside he certainly could do it.

All his blades, every single one Traced hours before the fight, jumped from their resting location and flew towards Altria.

"She has more mana than me." He told Xenovia while they made their way home. "And I have no doubt she is more skilled too."

"Can't you imitate her skill?" She fixed the bag on her shoulder as the redhead pulled his cellphone.

"Not perfectly and if I am right she can draw from experiences from her past life to push herself further, if not physically than mentally. And King Arthur was known for being quite good with a sword." Several times he had to remind himself that the memories on Caliburn weren't Artoria at her peak as she had Excalibur for a good number of years before Camelot fell. "That is why I am going to use these few hours to get ready."

"I don't think you have time to train, Shiro." They went straight to his workshop where most of his work was still lying on the ground.

With a nod the magus closed his eyes and focused on the mana inside his forge. To be more precise, his ley line. "That is why I am going to cheat a little." His reserves were full once again and they began to clean the place up while taking out his tools from the bags with a few things they got from the church. "Although I will argue with any judge this isn't cheating."

Sitting down on the floor the Mage opened his circuits and began to work Altering several swords inside his Reality Marble before Tracing the first one in the air. Xenovia watched with intrigue when he raised a hand and shot the sword with his mind even if it was slow and clumsy.

"Whoa." She removed the blade from the wall with admiration in her eyes. "Can you do with any weapon or just with what you Trace."

"The second." Focusing on the ley line and his circuits, Shirou slowly began to Trace several swords around them with a smile. "You think she will mind if we plant those before the fight starts?"

Moving around a semicircle, Altria cut down all swords that tried to strike her down. 'Did he Project every single weapon they brought?' Power swelled in her chest as she gritted her teeth before shouting. "Mana Burst!" Jumping to her feet the blonde exploded with mana to clear the fog, noticing it was less thick than before. "You cheeky Mage!"

"Comes with the territory!" Shirou replied as his body finished healing and he prepared another arrow. While he could control his Projections from a distance, their speed and impact was much weaker than if he shot them directly. 'She is already wounded so the best way to finish this is crippling her mobility.'

While he knew her instincts and speed were top notch, Shirou remembered well how Zolgen almost caught Altria during their fight; he had them surrounded, her senses mostly overwhelmed from everywhere while focusing on a sudden surprise attack.

The dancing blades trying to hit the blonde were just a distraction as he prepared a more powerful arrow that would hit her leg and cripple the girl until she was healed. Once that was done the Mage was sure victory was just a few more moves away from being conclusive. To increase his chances of success obviously he was going to use a Noble Phantasm.

His hound only needed to be told where to bite. "Hrunting." He whispered the name, carefully minimizing Beowulf's sword power and presence.

A stealthy strike similar to an assassin's, unseen and undetectable that would bring a potential Savior down. Still not the worst outcome possible from that match but one Shirou was more than willing to see realized. He just needed to get a hit on the knee or at least above her foot and Altria would be mostly immobilized.

Before firing the Mage knew he needed to be careful about a counter so he used his remaining swords to 'see' in what was left of the fog. After moving to another position for safety the redhead let loose his shot when he saw an opening. It was just after he called three swords to attack Altria from the left and she was forced to turn her body completely.

It was a situation very similar to what happened the previous night, the Mage doing his best to pull Altria's attention in several directions before striking. Even if his swords were less numerous than the army of insects had been, the redhead also had several of them filling the place with fog to confuse the blonde further.

So he couldn't hide the surprise from his face when Altria perfectly dodged the swords surrounding her by dropping in a crouch while swinging Clarent to destroy Hrunting before it could hit her leg.

Her eyes locked into his and the redhead could see her smile at the small victory before she danced while standing up to destroy another half a dozen swords and banish the fog away with her mighty strikes.

"I won't fall in that trap again. Not like yesterday." Mixed with her confidence there was a clear air of gratitude on Altria's new smile. "That fight taught me how to trust my instincts even more so I could protect my allies. This way, even if you see the attack coming first, I will be able to save you."

"That is…" Shaking his head, Shirou began shooting even more arrows as he spread his mana around and called his remaining swords. 'Her instincts? Just like that? How? Is that something Artoria learned and she remembered after a near death experience? What else does she have? All her experience? Even without memory?!'

A sad fact about his situation was that Shirou never expected to face someone who reincarnated after a legitimate death so he had no frame of reference. Most Legends that dealt with the subject spoke of dreams, memories or nothing at all and yet he studied none of those.

'No, calm down, she doesn't remember everything if nothing at all.' Shirou shot several arrows again while retreating to a specific spot in the area as he saw Altria's mana expand around her. 'If she did she would call out Avalon and then… I don't even want to think about it.' As the blonde destroyed a few more of his arrows she retained her smile like she knew what he was planning. 'Instinct… if that is what the memories are being translated to… then she won't have all of Artoria's prowess but more than enough to spare.'

After all the Mage would be dealing with someone who's fighting ability was honed during two lifetimes; in war as Artoria and in whatever adventures Altria had with her friends.

Considering she worked with Vali, those couldn't have been few. "Really? Just instinct? Weren't you trained since little because of your family or something?"

"That too, actually. Our parents insisted that all three of us knew how to use a sword but I have always been particularly good." She confessed casually while taking note of her wounds. "Can't call it anything else." Altria was still wary even as the attacks stopped and the fog began to lift up without swords to sustain it. Taking the break for what it was she cut off some of her left arm's sleeve and tied up her shoulder. Despite his common sense telling him to attack, Shirou let the girl do as she pleased. "It is just something that pops up in the back of my mind from time to time but yesterday I learned to really pay attention to it. If I did then you wouldn't have come close to dying." Then she rose Clarent high with a smile. "Then again, it is way easier to focus when I don't need to worry about breaking my sword by accident."

Letting out a deep sigh, Shirou evaluated his situation carefully and took a few steps back while gathering his mana. "Seriously, your skills just defy logic."

"Don't you have a Reality Marble that allows you to take over the world on your own?" Her eyes grew sharper and even more challenging. "Why aren't you using it? It is still your ability and if you won't use it I will consider you are holding back."

"Hehe, unfortunately I don't have the mana to use it casually. That was always my biggest weakness."

"You could be using Rias' mana." She pointed out but chuckled just after. "Except then this wouldn't be a one on one fight, would it?"

"You don't need to honor defeat if it isn't delivered honorably." Altria couldn't help but nod at his words. As someone desiring the Sword of Victorious she could try and get it at any time so the only way she wouldn't was if Shirou convinced her of the contrary. "Just hope this is enough to show how determined I am to not see you suffering under that sword."

While the sentiment was appreciated, the blonde still refused to accept it. "Doesn't matter. I will win and claim Caliburn." Her beautiful smile was back at full force. "I hope we can still be friends after it, Shirou."

"Hope we can still be friends once I make you turn around." She noticed he had grown more confident and that was her signal his preparations were done. "One way or another you are losing this fight, Altria." From the remaining fog she could see them, several blades, almost a hundred, floating several meters above the redhead. "You only have two choices to deal with my next attack and neither of them can lead you to victory."

"Is that so?" Clarent began to glow but so did the swords under the Mage's control.

But that was also part of his plan as Shirou knew the only way she was surviving his next attack was if she saw it coming. "Here they come, Altria Pendragon! This is my Rain of Swords!"

With that command all swords he had brought to the fight began to descend in his opponent's direction, magic and gravity pushing them to break the sound barrier. Adding to that Shirou also unleashed several shots with his bow to force a specific reaction on Altria, a 'no run' scenario where she only could survive in one way.

Her sword grew even brighter, the guard around the lower side of the blade opening as mana bursted from the Noble Phantasm and pierced the fog's remnants.

Finally she roared, "Clarent Radiant Road!"

…

"So let me see if I got this straight, you two ran to his workshop after preparing Caliburn Ruler and Shiro used our ley line to Trace over a hundred swords for this fight instead of borrowing my mana?"

Rias wasn't furious or anything but by her tone of voice it was easy to guess she was annoyed. Compounding that fact was that they couldn't see anything because of the fog while Xenovia explained the Mage's strategy just made her extra frustrated. At least with the part where Shirou insisted the fight should be one on one.

Unsurprisingly plenty of the present understood his logic, especially Setsuna who fought him in a similar manner before. "While he can't bring his full power to bear without a source of mana, by fighting like this it is easier to swallow defeat… No, it makes it less bitter."

"But still bitter." Kirei commented from the side while he and Caren shared a bucket of popcorn. "Still his strategy isn't bad against a human. Or does your sister have some way to counter the lack of vision, Le Fay Pendragon?"

"It is rather rude to ask such a thing from a young girl, Father."

"Caren, only she can answer our questions since, while almost everyone here knows Emiya Shirou's capabilities, only she knows her sister's."

[...]

'Ddraig?'

Sona massaged her temples as they heard swords colliding inside the fog. "Can someone explain to me why Emiya is trying to stop her from claiming Caliburn?" It was clear she was angry, furious even. "I thought we all agreed he wouldn't get in the way of anyone else after his stunt with Xenovia!"

"The cost… Master judged it too steep." The bluehead said, eyes locked in the fight even if she couldn't see anything.

Yet the Heiress was having none of it. "Couldn't he do that after she took it from here?"

"Sitri-san, it doesn't work like that." Le Fay spoke coldly but not completely devoid of sympathy. "Once the sword is taken… there is no going back."

"And you can't take it out half heartedly. It is a burden which can't be abandoned." Kiba commented as Sona looked increasingly frustrated.

[Grrr.]

'What is wrong?' Ise could feel the rage building up but the dragon remained silent as the Pawn looked to his hand. 'C'mon pal. Talk to me.'

"Looks like the fight is about to end." Azazel suddenly said and they all saw several swords starting to fly above the fog. "That is going to be Shirou's finish."

Rin rubbed her chin with interest before asking, "Is that even going to work? Didn't he give her a Noble Phantasm before all this started? A stupid mistake, mind you."

"He is trying to be fair here."

"No offense Buchou but a noble idiot is still an idiot. Even if we all can respect that, I won't call giving your opponent an advantage before the start of a match a mistake."

"Ohohoho. Such a foolish observation, Tohsaka. Shero wouldn't have Caliburn Ruler to reforge the sword if he hadn't offered Altria a suitable replacement."

"And if he tried to cheat her, Pendragon wouldn't listen to a word from him." Tsubasa suddenly said, Le Fay silently nodding at her observation. "This is the only logical result and this fight will decide if Caliburn will be taken up again or not…" A pit was growing in her stomach and she didn't know why.

A roar cut out any further debate. [That bastard! I am going to kill HIM!] Everyone jumped to their feet as Ise felt himself losing control of his power.

Or to be more precise, lose control of the Original Red Dragon Emperor. "Ddraig, calm down!"

"Ise, what is wrong?!" Rias called while their peerage tried to help but Kirei and Azazel were quick to hold them back while Caren pulled Asia away from the line of fire.

"I don't know!" Replied the Pawn as Boosted Gear appeared in his arm and he began to hear a chant in his mind.

[I, who am about to awaken…]

However it was muted and he managed to ignore it while trying to control his partner. "Calm down, calm down, calm down. Please, calm down."

"Saji! Absorption Line!" Ordered the Cadre and to his credit the Sitri Pawn didn't hesitate.

"Absorption Line!" Genshirou's aim was true and the power began to flow in his body.

Too much power for Sona's tastes. "Send it to the ground!"

"Yes, Kaichou." The boy did as told and little by little the situation began to stabilize.

Despite that Ise was still struggling to reach his Partner. "Ddraig! Oi, you overgrown lizard! Stop trying to blow us up and say what is-"

"Clarent Radiant Road!"

A blast of silver mana was unleashed, illuminating the night and destroying every single one of Shirou's swords while banishing the remnants of his fog. It was like a waterfall of light in reverse as it ascended to the heavens.

But its power was even greater than it appeared as the weight they all felt from that blast was greater than even Azazel's power. It also had not even a single speck of Divinity wrapped on it, just pure mana focused into a manner that made everyone feel in their shoulders just by being close.

Those that could still see even as the light tried to blind everyone bore witness as every single one of his swords was utterly annihilated before the silver waterfall swallowed Shirou whole.

"Shit!" Azazel shouted upon seeing it as Le Fay hid her face behind her hat.

"What is wrong?! Talk to us, Azazel, what is wrong?!" Rias demanded as the only sound they heard was Ddraig's roars and Ise trying to calm him down.

Considering Shirou's position as Rias' most important person, Azazel didn't know how to reply until he noticed, "Wait, he survived?!"

"Just as planned." Xenovia commented as she lowered her arm and looked back at the battlefield. "Even if she is powerful, not everyone can use the full power of a Noble Phantasm all at once without a price." She would know well since using Durandal in the same manner as the blonde did would have her passing out. "Forcing Altria to unleash Clarent's full power or suffer the weight of dozens of magic swords capable of exploding, that was Master's victory condition all along."

Little by little everyone recovered their vision and Kirei observed, "He used the fact that since he had a lower mana capacity he could set up everything to force Altria to exhaust her own with an overwhelming attack. That way even if she has some energy to keep going, his reserves will still be almost full."

"That was why he needed that many swords. He even positioned them around and sacrificed a few to make an opening while hiding his intent behind a literal smokescreen." Sona realized but quickly saw the flaw with such a strategy. "How did he block it? He doesn't have anything capable of countering, much less surviving an attack like that." The Heiress' eyes examined the battlefield trying to figure out the trick until they grew wide when she noticed what was right in front of the redhead, between him and Altria. "Son of a bitch, that is cheating."

"Oh my, Kaichou just let out a bad word." Akeno giggled as many on the Sitri Peerage watched their King with horror.

Except one who was rather busy. "Guys, I think Ise is going to explode!" Vritra's Host reminded everyone as his fellow Pawn struggled with his dragon.

Irina was by his side in a moment as Holy Light emerged in her hands and she began to channel positive feelings into the sacred gear. "Please, Ddraig-san, you need to calm down or you will kill everyone!"

[Mine! Mine! That bastard stole it from me!]

Finally hearing his Partner saying something else, Ise latched on it like a lifeline. "Who stole what? Help me here, Ddraig! What's the problem?!"

[My heart, my Core! Curse you Merlin!]

"Wait, your what?!" Azazel began to grow pale as a sheet, his eyes zoning in Altria with horror as he noticed her power didn't diminish despite unleashing Clarent's full power. "You have got to be kidding me? She has a Dragon's Core? That is impossible!"

"What is going on, Azazel? Talk to us!" Rias and Asia rushed to help Ise but the King also divided her attention between her Pawn and her lover. "Azazel!"

"Right, right. If Ddraig is right then Altria…" His eyes turned to Le Fay who met his gaze with a cold look. "Artoria-"

"She was born with the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, his heart. Originally it was given to King Arthur by Merlin." The young magus reveals to the audience who either didn't understand enough to grow extremely surprised or fearful. "Thanks to that her circuits are better than any magi's and her power is vast, capable of taking down countries on her own. Now she also has a weapon capable of surviving it."

Rin was one of the few who managed to keep her composure. "Wait wait wait! Are you saying the Pendragon family has the power of the Red Dragon Emperor?! All of them?!" She couldn't believe it.

"No, not everyone." Caren's eyes were locked in Altria's form as she saw the girl enveloped in power. Despite the distance she could see Shirou was as surprised as them that she could still fight. "If they all had it, History would be quite different. France would never last long enough for Jeanne d'Arc to be born and Britain would have conquered its neighbors instead of becoming England. Not to mention America and the colonies would never escape their thumb if the Pendragon family remained in charge."

"Wouldn't it be fair to say they would still be in charge in the first place?" Pointed out Tsubaki and she could see that her King reached the same conclusion.

[My heart! That blasted Mage gave humans my heart! Curse you Merlin! I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!]

Roar after roar escaped Boosted Gear as Ise did his best to control Ddraig's fury. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Don't worry, Ise, we won't let you lose control." Irina declared as the Light in her hands kept controlling the excess of power while Saji stopped it from growing too unstable.

"What an amusing sight." Kirei retrieved his bowl of popcorn and began to chew it again, much to Medusa's amusement and irritation.

"You are getting too much pleasure from this, Father Kotomine."

"How could I not? This is an unexpected but welcomed twist. Emiya Shirou isn't just fighting anyone but the true heir of King Arthur to stop her from claiming the Sword of Selection." Kirei found the whole thing all too funny.

Le Fay could only imagine he would be laughing if he knew the whole truth. "The Mage of Swords isn't just facing Altria Pendragon but also the Noble Phantasm he gave to her." She reminded everyone as her cold eyes saw Shirou prepare another card to play. "Mana from a Dragon Emperor and a sword that can compete with Caliburn. He has no chance of winning."

Kiba shook his head, refusing to believe someone was about to claim Calibur. "But King Arthur, Artoria, wasn't strong just because of her mana. Her true might only came with Excalibur."

"Excalibur, a powerful magic armor that could repair itself while denying powerful magic, the Divine Lance, Rhongomyniad." Le Fay recited many of Artoria's armaments from when she was King. "There was also Prydwen, a shield which could transform into a boat and, of course, Clarent itself. All weapons that Artoria had to split her attention and energy when using at the same time. It was why she focused only on a few of them. Excalibur was never her only resource." She glanced at the others with a blank face. "But Altria just has Clarent and now all her power, the power of a Red Dragon Emperor, can be completely focused on a single Noble Phantasm."

It began to sink in how much stronger Altria was just by having a Magic Core since Artoria could go around and use that many Legendary weapons with ease.

Dread began to fill Le Fay as she focused on the battle again. "Even if she has less resources, my sister has enough power to secure her victory with just Clarent." Pulling her head down she wanted none to see the sadness in her expression. "Emiya Shirou can't win. He just-"

She couldn't finish her sentence as they all felt a new power take over the battlefield, the power of a Noble Phantasm.

And a curse.

…

Altria took her time recovering her breath after unleashing Clarent's power, her grip relaxed after the powerful attack. 'I hope he managed to block it.' She would feel truly sorry if she had killed Shirou by mistake but doubted it was possible. 'That healing was too fast and smooth to let him die, it must be some sort of Noble Phantasm.'

Seconds passed as the light died down and her eyes grew wide when instead of the expected sight of a wounded but living redhead she saw the man standing proudly and looking perfectly intact as every damage he took previously in the fight had either been healed or somehow blocked.

Because of her last attack, her shock was understandable."That is impossible." Altria exclaimed with gritted teeth, raising her sword back up.

Shirou didn't need her to elaborate, his unharmed state was obviously what she was referring to. "Not really. You failed to account for every factor in the battlefield." He commented offhandedly as his hand rested in a single sword.

Not one of his and even if he had forged it, he had not brought it to the battle nor Traced it with his resources. Yet, looking at it standing proudly in front of him, Altria knew he wasn't lying and that blade had managed to protect him from Clarent Radiant Road.

However that was incorrect, it protected itself and the area where it stood, Shirou just was in the right place at the right time. True enough it would have cost all his mana to Trace Rho Aias and use it to survive that strike if he tried to face it head on.

That was why the Mage of Swords had hid behind Caliburn, the Sword of Selection, the only thing capable of withstanding the power of another Noble Phantasm with ease even if the battlefield was mostly destroyed by the silver wave that tried to consume him.

In fact most of the area had been leveled but just like Shirou expected, Caliburn and the place surrounding it were untouched. "Funny that you wanted this sword so much and completely forgot it was right here." He patted the Golden Sword of the Victorious with a grin. "Are you sure you want it? King Arthur was known for neglecting her weapons, after all."

"Not neglect, borrow. Borrow! Many of the Round Table's Knights needed their power to accomplish their missions." Altria held back an anger she didn't know where it came from. If anything she blamed Shirou's maneuver of using Caliburn as a shield. "You shouldn't complain, you used it to save yourself."

"Yeah. And you used all your mana to destroy my swords and try to finish me off." He rebutted confidently. Altria didn't bother to hide her confusion from that statement. "I know that sword and the cost from unleashing its True Name is quite high. Even greater than Caliburn if its Cores didn't compensate." Divinity really made things easier for that sword. "Hell, I doubt most people on the planet could do what you just did and stay conscious."

"Oh~ Is that so?" Then he saw her smile and knew there was something wrong.

Or right in that case. "You aren't exhausted…" Shirou realized.

"A bit winded but not really tired." Altria informed him with a pleased grin. "Looks like I surpassed your expectations." Mana began to pulse around her once again in great quantities. Just as big as before she unleashed her Noble Phantasm. "I bet that I have a few more shots in me."

"What the- Clarent's cost should be too large for anyone but…" It began to dawn on Shirou who he was really facing. "You are really her… Completely reincarnated, memories and powers included even if indirectly."

"What are you talking about?" Despite her confusion, Altria brushed it aside. "Doesn't matter. Caliburn is mine." She pointed her Noble Phantasm at the redhead. "Surrender or I will cut some limbs off before claiming my sword."

Shaking his head, his answer surprised her further. "Now that I know who you are for sure, I really can't let you claim that sword. Not again." His resolve grew firmer and he began to step around Caliburn as his opponent power grew to new heights. "The tragedy of King Arthur, of Artoria Pendragon, won't be repeated. Not on my watch."

At that Altria stopped for a moment, a frown on her beautiful face. "I am not her." She said it suddenly. "Or him. Either way, I don't care… because my brother is Arthur and he is the one who has the Sacred Lance." Power kept swelling around her, growing more and more. "He also has a woman he loves, his own Guinevere. He is probably the one you are referring to."

"You are wrong…"

"No, you are. But that doesn't matter." Clarent began to resonate as more power was pushed in it. Had it not been a Noble Phantasm or as strong as it was the blade would have already broken into pieces. "In any case someone needs to pick the sword, to be selected, and I shall be that person. Last chance Emiya Shirou!"

Her power exploded and the Mage found himself almost losing his footing as the full might of a dragon stood before him. "How can you deny who you are when you have all this power? When your instincts guide you into battle, expecting the unexpected, even when your experience should say otherwise?" He rose with the question but the blonde didn't reply, waiting for him to get ready or accept his fate. "Good grief, you even have a Magic Core! The heart of the Red Dragon Emperor! Who else but King Arthur could have such a thing?!"

It was obvious she didn't believe in his words. "This conversation is over!" And she meant it too.

Hours upon hours practicing against Artoria's image gave him a intimate knowledge of her body language during her early years and habits that she first developed when learning how to wield Caliburn.

The sort of telltale signs which were not weaknesses as they just indicated when she would move or which leg she preferred. Every warrior has them no matter how much they practiced on feints and such, most people just didn't fight each other enough to learn everything about another person.

But of all the swords he had he knew hers the most because Artoria's fighting style was one of the best. It also didn't need the monstrous power she could wield so he did his best to learn despite lacking it. Power that Shirou accepted Altria had, something unexpected and hopefully manageable. Later he would say that there was no way he would expect the girl to have reincarnated with her Magic Core.

Rin will hit the back of his head while reminding him that Magic Circuits were part of the soul and that he should have considered a Magic Core a certainty the second he suspected that Altria was Artoria's new life.

But that was in the future and in the present he had more pressing issues like stopping a dragon empowered mass of feminine fury with a legendary sword which he reforged for her from taking his arms.

"I won't let you take it." The gentleness in his tone actually surprised Altria, his hand moving to his coat to draw his 'Plan B'. "Not again."

"Shirou!" With a roar she jumped and swung her sword down to cut his shoulder only for a powerful malicious energy to emerge from his coat as he drew what appeared to be one of the Church's light swords.

Once it was one of such but the Mage of Swords did some modifications in short notice to turn it into a weapon that could keep him in the fight with minimal mana cost, just in case his original plan failed.

While the design was standard and the Church had produced hundreds of those handles capable of simulating the Light, its color was odd. Gone was the bronze polished metal as it had been replaced by a red a little lighter than blood.

Then the redhead turned it on and an equally red blade came to life which he used to block Clarent, the floor cracking under them due to the impact. Slowly, at least for the two of them, Altria began to descend as their blades kept crashing. She poured more of her power into crushing Shirou but the Mage held her back successfully.

So much so that after a few seconds of struggle they pushed each other back hard enough that one lost their balance while the other was sent flying. Since his feet were still grounded it was Shirou who almost fell as Altria was sent away at the mercy of gravity and momentum.

However the redhead knew that distance wasn't advantageous for him any longer so he sprinted towards the blonde, his red light blade pulsing with sparks of lightning as he felt his arms growing numb.

Her feet barely returned to the ground and Clarent had to be raised or she would have lost an arm to the red blade capable of filling her heart with dread. She didn't understand half of what was happening or even why Shirou claimed she was the reincarnation of Artoria but something was clear to her.

That red sword wanted her blood and if they weren't careful it would take her life. "Why would you use such a thing?!" Altria asked while pushing his sword to the side and trying to cut his chest open. Shirou leaned back and brought his sword back which she barely held at bay. "Such malice-"

Letting go of the sword with his left hand, Emiya punched the blonde in the face, breaking their lock. "It is a curse from someone who would have a word or two to say about you taking Caliburn again!" He moved to stab her chest, close but not quite the heart, only for her to jump back.

"Mordred?" The name came out unprompted as if Altria had not a single shred of doubt to whom such curse could belong to. Focusing on her Noble Phantasm she unleashed a blast that Shirou cut in half without breaking his advance. "Clarent's curse? You filled that thing with its curse?"

Their blades clashed rapidly as she kept retreating and he kept moving forward until the Mage managed to lock her in place to throw another punch freely. That one hit her midriff and the swordswoman lost most air from her lungs as he moved to hit the back of her head with his sword's pommel.

Or at least he tried to as she managed to shout with her last breath, "Mana Burst!" Her power pushed his follow up back and ruined his balance as Clarent stabbed him through his own midriff.

Recovering from her own situation, Altria was quick to hold her sword firm, getting ready to finish the fight as more mana filled the Noble Phantasm. However she couldn't push on as Shirou grabbed her face and began to push her away while tightening his grip to make the situation as painful as possible.

Once again size was his advantage and despite having a sword in his gut the redhead still managed to move his leg to kick Altria's body. He repeated the process twice before she pulled out from that position while dragging Clarent through his body in the most painful way possible.

Fortunately for him Avalon was already healing his wounds that would have otherwise been fatal but Altria wasn't done and returned with her sword pulsing with energy in another attempt to cut his arms off.

"Trace on!" Circuits flared and several swords were shot from over his shoulders towards Altria's direction. It was an attack fast enough that even if she blocked a few the blonde saw no other choice but retreating.

Ironically for every meter she retreated his healing grew slower as Avalon needed her presence to work properly. The sheath had no will of its own, it had only held its capabilities and a directive; protect Artoria.

As an Artifact, as a Noble Phantasm, its capabilities were equal to True Magic and could even challenge the gods yet all that potential belonged to only one person. That person wasn't Shirou which was why it could only help him so long as Altria was around, either as an ally or obstacle.

However that was much to his advantage as its healing was still faster than any of his own. Even Kuzuki's Noble Phantasm or Asia's sacred gear couldn't compete against almost instant healing with no cost. And it was truly without cost as his cells were reborn with the light, blood and muscles back into place in seconds as even a fatal injury could be reversed.

Because Altria was still in the area even if Shirou forced her over ten meters back. She also took advantage of his attack to get some time to breathe. If anything he didn't want to push her that far but he still needed a few seconds to get back up, something Artoria's reincarnation needed more than the Mage.

Unlike him, she had no means to heal herself despite Avalon being so close to her. Legends were clear that Artoria could only use its protection when it was in her possession. That was how Morgan managed to neutralize such a threat or Mordred's Rebellion would have died before starting, by taking the sheath as far away from her sister as possible.

As long as Altria didn't know about Avalon, Shirou would be at an advantage the longer the fight went on. 'I need to get to her quickly before she thinks about using Clarent again.' Were the thoughts running through the Mage's mind as he dashed the second his body was fully healed.

Such a straightforward attack surprised the blonde swordswoman but she corrected her footing and concentrated power into her sword. "Clarent!"

A wave of power was unleashed but not a True Name Release, she was holding back to avoid killing Shirou as she judged his charge shortsighted and foolish. It was still stronger than her faster and shorter slashes of mana, the sort of attack that could easily demolish Kuoh if she missed.

The red blade in the redhead's hand pulsed as he assumed a similar posture and took his own swing. "Clarent!" A similar wave, red instead of silver, was unleashed from the blade of energy and clashed against Altria's power.

Shockwaves and explosions followed contact as their powers turned up equal, much to the blonde's surprise. "That isn't a Noble Phantasm, then how did her-"

"It is all about technique!" He covered the rest of the distance in an instant and their blades clashed again. While they struggled, Shirou pointed out, "Learned it from you." 'In more ways than one' went unsaid.

Altria, already wounded, began to retreat while blocking his assault as their blades clashed. "That curse…" She complained with gritted teeth as despite Mana Burst strengthening her body the fight was starting to get to her.

"The Holy Water we used on Clarent absorbed most of the curse. It was just a matter of giving this little thing a bath and fortifying its material and bang, temporary Noble Phantasm." And Shirou honestly meant temporary as the curse wouldn't last long due to several reasons.

A mass produced tool, subpar materials, no connection to the curse and the extra power by itself, all those factors were destined to break the light saber sooner or later. It was all a matter of time, one that Shirou managed to stall by imbuing the metal with his own and turning it into a pseudo Noble Phantasm.

It was Clarent, Morderd's Sword. But also it wasn't.

An improvised if well made facsimile that was barely surviving the Knight of Betrayal's emotions and little else with every attack cutting its existence shorter. The curse had taken over the light sword's original power source but it was destined to break. There was no escaping it, even if Shirou had the time it would break regardless of his efforts.

All it mattered was if it would break before or after he managed to defeat Altria. "Like I said, someone else needed a voice in this discussion if you are about to try and pull that word again!" Shirou attacked several times, focusing on the blonde's right side where her shoulder was wounded.

"Mordred…" The name was said with gritted teeth as the blonde kept retreating and defending until she charged to lock swords. "I already said I am not King Arthur!"

As his sword was pushed to the side, Shirou roared back. "Even if you aren't, you are making the same mistake!" He kicked her leg but mana flowed on Clarent and blasted his shoulder, forcing him back. "I won't lose!" But Shirou quickly recovered and pushed forward, cutting Altria's chest.

Immediately he paused as the blonde rolled on the ground, blood spilling from the wound even if it was superficial. But it was only superficial because the Mage made sure it was so, always being careful to not go for the kill.

"It's over." He declared confidently but didn't deactivate his blade." Stand down and let me heal you, Altria, you aren't getting-"

With a speed faster than he expected Altria had jumped to her feet and unleashed another powerful attack from her Noble Phantasm giving him no time to react. Shirou's body was fully consumed and the explosion was deafening as his body flew away from its epicenter.

Much like her, Shirou rolled a few times but took longer to stand up as Reinforcement was truly inferior to Mana Burst. It was for that reason his estimation failed and the wound was even shallower than he expected. He only realized that when raising his head and seeing how truly shallow the cut above her breasts was.

Also he took note the blood had actually come from her previous shoulder wound, at some point the improvised bandage had been ripped apart and it began to bleed out which Altria used to her advantage.

"If you want to bring me down, you will have to kill me." Altria declared with absolute certainty as power covered Clarent before she brought it up to her shoulder. She didn't even hissed as the sword cauterized her wound, her eyes remaining sharp and locked on his during the process. "And you can't win."

"Just because I can't kill you?" His wounds were once again fully healed thanks to Avalon.

"Because I am stronger than you." Was a rebuttal he actually expected.

Even agreed with. "Right, that is true." Fixing his posture again Shirou prepared his body for one more charge. "But that is why I am using all these tricks. It doesn't matter if you are the strongest, anything can go down with the right strategy. It is all a matter of creating an opportunity." He smiled bitterly before adding. "You should know, Camelot fell because of it."

Anger filled her eyes as Clarent's began to build up power. "I don't want to hear excuses from someone who lacks resolve."

"It isn't a-"

"Clarent!" Another blast was unleashed and too fast for Shirou to escape or counter with a half baked sword. Still he did his best to block it, raising the light blade against it which split the attack in half.

But it wasn't enough to just survive it as the silver energy kept going and he could still feel the Noble Phantasm's power trying to rip his arms apart. Most people would have already lost consciousness with the growing heat of so much magical energy focused in a single point.

Shirou wasn't one of them since his constitution, built up by his years working in the forge, would have him feeling just fine even on a hot day in a desert. A feat most people would need technology or magic to survive would be barely a bother for the Mage of Swords.

And magic was exactly what Altria had as she enveloped her body with Mana Burst and pierced through her own attack to reach the redhead who had lost sight of the blonde because of how much energy she used in the blast.

She had hid inside her own attack, surviving an even greater heat and pressure, just to get Shirou in a moment of vulnerability as his sword would be busy holding back Clarent's slash.

When he saw her again it was already too late, she was already in his face and Clarent was flying straight to his chest. There was no time to react nor dodge so the Noble Phantasm easily stabbed through his armor, heart and lungs. Pain overloaded his nerves as Mage found himself unable to breath.

The silver glow in the area vanished as Altria held the power back during the stab, not really willing to blow up Shirou's torso. She still twisted the sword to make sure its exit would be extremely painful while causing as much damage as possible.

'Depending on the stimulus,be it pleasure or pain, the human brain can only take so much before shutting down.' Altria paid close attention to Shirou's eyes as she expected their amber to lose focus or go blank after such an ordeal.

Yet the Mage resisted and made his best effort to bring his red sword up for a counter attack. All he could get was a cut in her cheek as Altria escaped and while doing so she turned her legs and shoulders to the left while jumping to the right. Dodging his sword was easy, cutting his flesh and bone with her Noble Phantasm even more so and the reincarnated King watched as the magus lost his footing.

For an instant it would seem that Shirou's body would be cut into pieces but the light of Avalon was already healing him even when the sword had destroyed his heart. In fact it was safe to say only the scabbard and Altria's presence kept him alive, literally keeping him together. Yet he also knew the whole fight had been one mistake after another.

The Magic Core, Clarent's, Artoria's skills ingrained in Altria's instincts and the woman's resolve went beyond everything he had calculated. Pain flowed freely around his body and for an instant it was all he could feel.

Just as she planned. "You are strong, Shirou. But you are still-" Suddenly she felt something was wrong and jumped as far away as she could. She ended up escaping fake Clarent when it was about to cut her in half. "Impossible. How are you still conscious? No human can survive without a heart and their lungs! Healing doesn't matter, you should have passed out at least!"

In fact it took him a bit to be able to reply as his lungs grew back and he managed to take a breath of fresh air before smiling sincerely. "Whoa. To be fair I almost did. Also lost myself there. Sorry... "

Unpleasantly as it was healing from almost being cut to pieces Shirou was mostly disappointed with himself for losing control and almost going for the kill. His expression was legitimately apologetic and easy going as he felt the rest of his body finished being fixed. Avalon couldn't deal with the phantom pain but could deal with everything else.

At seeing his smile Altria couldn't help but take several steps back and raise her Noble Phantasm defensively. "Are you some sort of phoenix?"

"Heh, I was born in flames so maybe? Just don't compare me with the Phenex Clan…" Feeling his body stitch back together was an unique experience but Shirou felt much better once it was done. "Rias certainly wouldn't like that."

Gritting her teeth, Altria couldn't help but feel she was being cheated somehow. "Phoenix, Phenex! It doesn't matter! No human or devil should be able to take that much pain!"

"That is because most people see pain as their enemy, to me it is my oldest friend. The one thing that will always assure me that I am still alive!" Completely recovered, Shirou closed his fist in front of his face, both testing his grip and feeling empowered by the statement. "Born in Hell, pain was the first thing I remembered feeling, what kept me going even when the world fell apart. Funny thing, I can barely remember anything before meeting it."

Perhaps a voice or two pushed him forward but Shirou couldn't be certain they were real or not nor could he tell who they belonged to. Before Kiritsugu found him all the redhead had was pain and a drive to survive, anything else had been discarded. If they hadn't the boy who would become Emiya Shirou would never have gotten far enough to be saved.

Recognizing the Mage's resolve and admitting she wasn't going to win by overwhelming him indirectly in any sense, Altria found herself in a dilemma. She didn't want to kill him but more and more she was starting to see no other ways of claiming Caliburn.

'No!' Suddenly the blonde screamed in her own mind as she glared at Shirou. 'That would prove him right and show me unworthy.' Realization dawned to her that to win she couldn't kill the Mage. The instant she became someone who killed for power he would have won regardless as the Sword of Selection could never choose someone like that. 'What I need is a total victory. One where his back is on the floor and he is out of energy…'

A plan formed in her mind but far from a perfect one. She still had several kinks to work on but had no time as Shirou began to advance again. Placing things in motion she unleashed several silver slashes at high speed to keep the magus back before running around to reposition herself.

Shirou saw it happen and frowned as that wasn't a tactic either Artoria or Altria had ever used. 'Then again, she has never faced someone like me before… so this is her genuinely adapting.' He thought with some wonder before giving chase but a blast of mana froze him for a moment. 'That wasn't supposed to hit me.'

Really it wasn't, just something to keep him at bay while Altria got more and more distance between them before she finally stopped over fifty meters from their initial position. "This is far enough!" She suddenly declared and a great quantity of mana shot from Clarent towards the heavens. "Shining light which is the path of Chivalry! Show all the meaning of Honor!"

The posture, the buildup of power, both were signs that Artoria was about to unleash Caliburn's power on her enemies. That wasn't the Sword of Selection and Altria couldn't use her mana as well as her past life but Shirou knew what she was about to do. Clarent was about to unleash all its might on him.

'And she made sure I was far from Caliburn as well.' He couldn't help but grin as he raised his sword in front of his body and opened his circuits completely for the first time since the fight began. "I am no King, but I follow the King's path! I will destroy all that I must to bring the King peace!"

That wasn't his aria, it was Mordred's and something in Altria's soul made her stop for a moment before she crushed all her hesitation. She didn't know what happened or why her heart hurt while staring at the pillar of red lightning exploding from Shirou's sword but it was easy to push all aside when focusing on her goal.

'Caliburn needs to be claimed and I will claim it!' It was that desire that resonated with her soul more than anything. "Clarent-"

"Clarent-"

"Radiant Road!"

"Blood Arthur!"

Pillars of silver mana and crimson lightning collided with each other with the size of mountains before the powers converged into each other, both trying to trample the other completely equally matched.

Yes, Altria's Clarent carried the original power and she had the right to use it as the King but Mordred's curse was just that strong. The Knight of Betrayal loved and hated her father in equal measure turning those emotions into a fuel which created an attack designed to surpass King Arthur.

Even inside a fake the curse held strong and grew stronger so long as the opponent was King Arthur in any shape or form. Enough so that the power of a simple light sword from the Church could be pushed to Noble Phantasm levels. Not the weaker sort either but reaching a strength as great as if it was Mordred's Clarent.

Unfortunately that sort of standard sword wasn't made to deal with that sort of power and even with Shirou's improvements he could feel the handle crack in his hand. He wasn't surprised as unleashing Mordred's ultimate attack was always a sure way of losing his weapon.

But it held on thanks to a resource that Shirou had and Altria didn't, something Artoria neither Altria had knowledge nor the chance to practice; Ki. Touki to be more exact, one of the few things that kept him in the fight while making it safe to save his mana.

With a roar the Mage channeled as much Ki as he could on his weapon as it began to fall apart but the reborn King wasn't done yet. She roared just as loudly and pushed her considerable mana reserves in her Noble Phantasm making it even stronger.

Both attacks kept crashing like waves against each other as the mountains of mana began to focus into a malformed, inconsistent and pulsing sphere made of silver and red that shouldn't exist.

Obviously it blew up but not in fire and destruction but instead in a shockwave that destroyed the battlefield and threatened to consume most of Kuoh despite the blasts weakening each other.

Surely it would generate a small earthquake in Fuyuki with their impact alone if it wasn't for the efforts of the audience.

…

Perplexity filled the audience as they watched the struggle for the Sword of Selection. While Ddraig's fury had somewhat abated thanks to a collective effort it was also due to interest. Everyone could feel the powers colliding, taste it in their mouths and skin as two versions of Clarent clashed.

'Monsters. They are monsters.' Issei couldn't help but think as the pressure he felt one that fight was much greater than when he stood against Ise on their Rating Game. 'They can't be human, they possibly can't.'

It was a sentiment several on Sonai Peerage shared as most of them couldn't even conceive those heights of power outside of a Maou or Seraphs. Even Medusa, a goddess, didn't show them all the depths of her strength. Yet two humans were colliding with enough magical energy to decimate the city.

From what Le Fay described, Altria could power a whole city if she wanted. Homes and cars alike for she carried the power of the Red Dragon Emperor as the Original One complained about several times.

"How are they so strong?" Reiya asked under her breath but she was heard as beside a few grumbles from Ise and Ddraig the clearing was quiet.

"One was born with a power beyond Humanity. The other came very prepared and armed, all his experience culminating into his own power capable of facing a dragon." Azazel replied with a grin as the fight escalated and he grew excited. "Cheer up kids, it is not everyday you can watch a fight like this without a war involved. Bet even Rating Games don't have fights like this more than once every two or three years."

Rias giggled as she felt the boundary field shake with every impact. "Certainly not ones where we can be this close." Then her eyes grew sharper. "Fortunately both sides have an unspoken truce about containing their powers. It is the only reason why we are safe watching."

"We may be safe but the school isn't!" Sona complained and with every right to do so. "Look at this damage. And all because Emiya doesn't want her to take Caliburn?!" She shook her head but everyone could feel her fury. "We all agreed it was a good idea for that sword to leave our property!"

"Only in the hands of its chosen, Sitri-dono." Caren pointed out with a small bow, the Heiress turning to glare at her. "Kuoh is still the best neutral territory available. It is a fact that stands even if Fuyuki belongs to devils."

"If anything, think this as Merlin's trial for the sword, much like the ones from King Arthur of old." Kirei added before munching some more popcorn. Several others, mostly from the Gremory side, were also enjoying the lunch as Ise, Asia and Irina managed to calm Ddraig down. "Since he shares the Mage of Flowers name, perhaps Shirou earned the right to apply such trials."

"We never agreed on this."

Xenovia snorted as she also ate some popcorn even if her bites were slow and her eyes were far too focused on the fight. "I don't see why my Master needs your permission."

Sona's glare shifted to the bluehead. "Because it is my school they are demolishing!"

"Our school." Rias said playfully but knew her friend was right.

Considering the area where the fight was taking place was being destroyed left and right everybody would agree that 'demolishing' was an apt description.

There was a few minutes of small discussion which was interrupted when Shirou was stabbed in the chest much to the majority's horror. Yet Rias, Xenovia and Liz barely reacted, silently watching as Shirou managed to keep fighting despite a fatal wound which actually healed thanks to a glowing light after a few seconds.

"He should be dead." Observed Kuzuki.

"And he speaks." Azazel joked.

"He speaks when necessary and when raising a good question. How is Emiya alive?!" Asked Sona without missing a beat.

"Good question. Since when is Emiya-kun immortal?" Rin had watched the fight with great interest since the very beginning but seeing how fast the Mage was regenerating really caught her attention. "I am pretty sure he is still human and his EM can't heal that fast."

"It is also faster than a Noble Phantasm." Luvia pointed out while staring at her teacher whose attention was still fully on the battlefield.

"Indeed it is. Why didn't he ever use that before… Rias?" Sona asked her counterpart who glanced her way with a serious look but refused to say anything. "What are you hiding?"

"Secret." It was Leysritt who spoke with a cold and distant tone.

The tone was rude and something many on Sona's peerage didn't like. Like her Queen who saw that as a breach of protocol. "Liz-sensei, I understand magi have their mysteries but Kaichou is just interested in the resources of her ally."

"Secret." The tone grew colder and red eyes turned towards Tsubaki before zooming into Sona. A dead stare that carried a warning, "You shouldn't ask," and a threat.

Before anything else happened, Xenovia raised an arm to control the maid. "Let it go. They are just curious but won't press. It is none of their business." If anything the former Exorcist knew that threats would only make people more curious.

A curiosity Rin fully shared. "We can't help it. Nobody here knows any sort of spell that would render someone virtually immortal. Whatever he is using, everyone wants it." The last part surprised herself before she shook her head. "I mean, it is even helping him compete with the brute force of the Red Dragon Emperor," everyone heard Ddraig's growl but ignored it, "you can bet we are interested."

"An unstoppable force meets an immovable object." Le Fay pointed out as her eyes remained locked in the fight. "Unparalleled power against some form of immortality, neither side can break and both refuse to back down."

"But your sister isn't really unstoppable." Tsubasa surprised them all as she nodded to the fighters who prepared their swords for the next clash. "Her Magic Core has limits but Shirou's healing… I can't see it slowing down below a certain point."

"If anything it speeds up when he is in danger." Koneko pointed out and in hindsight many could agree.

Then all conversation ceased as they felt the fighters' focus on their swords, the Noble Phantasms becoming even stronger in preparation to unleash their ultimate attacks against each other.

Medusa was the one who reacted first but Akeno wasn't far behind, both jumping to their feet to strengthen and increase the number of barriers around the area. Didn't take long for Gasper, Momo, Reya, Issei and Caren to raise their arms to fortify the barriers with their own power.

They were still going to break but before the others could pile on the problems as solved by an unlikely source.

[Transfer!]

"Finally calmed down?" Ise asked his partner as everyone saw the green glow move from the raised Boosted Gear towards the barriers.

In a second all the other's effort was no longer necessary as the boundary field's quality was doubled. Not only it wasn't going to break any time soon but the thing was fully filtering the colliding powers inside it. The clash could still be felt but it was only by those present and no further.

[...] Ddraig remained silent but the Pawn could feel his anger and waited. [We are killing Merlin. The original. First chance we get, we go to Avalon and kill that son of a bitch!]

Azazel chuckled somberly. "If getting into Avalon was that easy then we would have fairies around… You don't want to mess with fairies."

"Suddenly I really want to meet one." Kirei commented as he kept chewing his popcorn.

"Good job, Ise. You really saved everyone there and even fortified the boundary field. Really, you have grown into an amazing devil and dragon." Rias congratulated and prized before hugging the boy.

Coincidently his head ended up in her bosom and he couldn't help but smile pervertedly while enjoying his position. 'Thank you, Maou-sama, for making me a devil.'

"Ise-san…"

"Ise…" Both Asia and Irina watched his face with sadness even as everyone else focused on the fight.

Sona wanted to complain some more about the state of the school grounds but she had lost her voice at seeing the explosion's results. The area was almost turned upside down with not a stone in place. All grass and flowers that had grown around the Sword of Selection had been decimated.

Except by those directly under Caliburn itself who remained standing pristine and untouched.

"Insanity." The Heiress of Sitri said in shock. "Even if both of them can survive this… it is just insanity. Why go so far?"

"Because it is right." Tsubasa found herself surprised by saying but fully believing in it. "Two sides who believe in a truth and want to make it a reality but found themselves against each other." It hurt her heart and she knew Galahad's shield was the culprit.

"They are really not so different, after all." Le Fay, who was the only one unmoved by the shock wave, observed. "Two stubborn creatures that will keep pushing until everyone sees their point of view or they fall apart for being wrong."

"Well, my Champion is the Greatest of Fools." Medusa commented proudly, standing beside the other girl. "He isn't going to stop so long as he believes he is fighting for what is right, as Tsubasa correctly stated."

"'Greatest of Fools'? He has many contenders for that name." The witch rebutted playfully before pointing towards the battlefield. "There is one right there. The unstoppable force," Altria raised from the rubble covered in wounds but clearly willing to fight as her power hadn't diminished, "who will destroy everything in her path for what is 'right'." The taller blonde took several flasks from her pockets and uncorked them with her teeth before drinking one by one. "Oh, she is finally using my potions."

"What are their effects?" Rias asked immediately.

"Restore blood, fix bones, heal wounds. Basic stuff. They cost a lot of mana and stamina but… a Magic Core is useful like that." Ddraig growled again but much like her fellow magus Le Fay easily ignored him.

Approaching them, Xenovia sat back on the ground before saying, "She isn't the only one getting up." Shirou emerged covered in blood and his armor ruined but the light of Avalon was already fixing his wounds. The worst damage was in his hands, both ruined from when his light sword blew up but in a second the fingers were back into their proper shape. "Master isn't done. Not by a long shot. In a fight like this, he can't lose."

"But he will." Le Fay affirmed. "Not saying he isn't strong or lacks resources but the immovable object has a universal weakness that most who debate the thought experiment forget."

"It is only immovable so long it doesn't move. But this isn't a vacuum and to win he will have to move on his own." Kirei pointed out with a chuckle. "And he also lost Mordred's curse so… what will you do now, Emiya Shirou?"

"Aren't you enjoying this a little too much, Father?"

"My dear Caren, all humans enjoy watching History being made… we just take pleasure in different parts of it. Kukuku."

"This is still insanity." Sona repeated with conviction.

"And we still have to fix the school after." Akeno reminded her with a grin that only earned her a look of fury. "Cheer up, Kaichou. Father Kotomine is right, we are seeing History being made, one way or another." A sad look crossed her face as she watched both sides ready to keep going, understanding neither wanted to fight the other. "It just has to be this way."

…

Altria swallowed the last potion and freed her feet from some rocks while crushing the glass with her hand. "Thank you sir, may I have another?" She called loudly before raising Clarent again but feeling the weight in her limbs. Yet she refused to show weakness. "Or do you just have one Noble Phantasm like that for little old me?"

"Oh, I got plenty. Just don't know how many will work on you." His circuits were warm but his reserves were barely spent as he fought conservatively the whole time. "To be honest I bet a lot of my chips on fake Clarent. Just my luck that you had a Magic Core of all things."

"Well, you have really bad luck then." She said while spreading her feet, getting ready to dash.

"Yeah, me and my E-Rank luck…" Both stared at each other for a moment, him with a look of horror and her with amusement. "Forget about it?"

"Forget what, mister E-Rank Luck." Because if he wanted her to forget she wasn't going to. While the atmosphere improved momentarily, she sobered up quickly. "We don't need to keep doing this. I get your point; Caliburn's cost is great but… I still need to claim it."

"Why?"

"Because if not I then another person will." A truth that no matter which arguments were raised would remain fact so long as Caliburn remained unclaimed. "So I understand your point, I really do but I will take that sword. However the cost… I am ready."

Shirou took a long deep breath before replying with a distinctive angry tone. "That wasn't the point." Altria almost recoiled in shock. "The point is that nobody should have that sword. Even you, especially you."

"Because I am King Arthur?" She asked sarcastically. "Stop with that excuse. If I am Artoria reborn then-"

"It already broke with you and will break with anyone else!" He shouted with impatience. "That sword will bring you misery. To you and whoever eventually pulls it out. That is why I am here." White aura began to cover his body as his coat grew slimmer, returning to its original form as his shroud. "So I am going to stop you or anyone else who tries, I refuse to let anyone willing to sacrifice themselves like that to suffer just because God said so."

While feeling they were going around in circles, Altria asked, "Then why reforge it? And don't say it was because of a promise."

Once again the Mage took a deep breath. "Because a sword isn't guilty of how it is used or how it breaks or fails. Caliburn is a beautiful sword." He turned to look at the Sword of Selection, something she does so as well. Then his gaze returned to her with sadness and pity but an unwavering resolve. "That is why I am going to stop you. Artoria Pendragon or Altria Pendragon, Magic Core or not, I won't let you be a sacrifice."

"You could pull it too once, couldn't you?" Her question pierced his heart but he nodded. "I won't lose, neither to you or Caliburn. It doesn't matter if I have a past life or not, I don't believe that," a great dragon made of mana appeared behind her, "I am me and I will win."

"Bellerophon." Whispered the Mage and a pegasus appeared behind Shirou. "Then allow me to repeat myself; if you want Caliburn you will have to go through me."

Altria looked in his direction before looking around with a blank stare as she prepared her sword. "Mana Burst!" The familiar sensation of mana enveloping her body filled the blonde with confidence as she took a step forward.

Before bolting to the right, ignoring Shirou completely and charging towards Caliburn making the decision to go around him. After all, Altria had decided she wouldn't become someone who killed for power and once she took Caliburn any argument would be rendered moot. Simple and practical, it was up to the sword to choose its wielder.

Except her plan failed for a simple reason, a pegasus was much faster than a dragon and the redhead hit her with a kick followed by a spin into another that sent her flying away from Caliburn.

"You think I didn't expect that?" It was why Shirou called Bellerophon in the first place after his light sword exploded. He watched Altria flip in the air and land safely without any troubles. "Let me say it again; if you want Caliburn you will have to go through me."

Grasping Clarent with both hands, Altria began to channel mana on the blade but Shirou reacted before the attack could be unleashed. He charged at full speed and stabbed Bakuya on her thigh before pushing the blade up in the superficial wound. It didn't go past her waist as she threw the gathered energy at him and forced the Mage back.

Then the swordswoman pushed forward with another attack which hit the redhead in the chest and threw him away even farther. Normally that sort of blow would have cut his shoulder and neck enough to immobilize or kill but she was well aware Shirou would get up in a time could be enough for her to claim the sword.

She couldn't know about Avalon but ignorance didn't make her foolish and her estimation was mostly correct as the Mage almost lost his heart again. His armor and Bellerophon's aura weakened the hit enough that he didn't need time to recover. The second his feet were back on the ground he was skipping and jumping towards Altria.

Despite that her head start gave her enough time to reach Caliburn thanks to Mana Burst and the blonde was about to succeed when a huge rock hit her side. It was taller than her body and she was completely caught off guard because of her opponent's early recovery so her balance was ruined.

It was completely destroyed by the time Shirou arrived with a tackle that threw both of them between several rocks as they rolled around punching and trying to stab each other. The redhead failed as Altria managed to kick him up and cut his stomach with Clarent while unleashing another blast of mana.

The magus didn't fly a second time but was still pushed back as Avalon closed his wounds even faster. "That won't take me down." He tried to discourage her.

What he got was a punch on the face, a slash on his shoulder followed by a stab on his leg before it was almost severed off. "This will!" She rebutted while running towards Caliburn.

But he grabbed her leg before she could get too far, forcing Altria to stop and cut his hand with Bakuya intercepting Clarent, their impact so strong that the area where they stood fell apart even more, almost forcing the reincarnated King to fall only for her other foot to stomp so hard that it broke a stone apart to keep her steady.

Using her high ground to her advantage the blonde brought her sword back before striking down with even more strength but she was surprised when the redhead let her go to evade the attack and swipe her legs with his regenerated one.

Mana exploded from her back to stop her fall with a gust of wind just strong enough to keep her balance as she kicked him in the face with one leg while the other helped her stay standing and with posture.

The uneven terrain made things harder for both but neither was willing to let it be an obstacle in the fight as it continued with a quick exchange of blows. Reversing his grip on Bakuya the magus used it to keep Caliburn back while going for a punch but Altria adapted by using Mana Burst to repel the hit.

Repel the hit and him as Shirou was pushed back a few feet leaving himself exposed to Clarent as its owner pushed forward for a stab. Fortunately his own Noble Phantasm was able to stop the hit but for the first time in a while the redhead found himself losing in strength as the blow almost reached him.

Quickly his other hand pushed the White Twin's blade to keep Clarent back as Altria focused even more power in her arms. Shirou fought back as his opponent's focus grew sharper, using Ki to supplement his own power.

The might of a Dragon Emperor grew more stable as the fight went on for reasons that the redhead knew were his fault; that was the first fight Altria could go all out with a blade that wouldn't break and an opponent who wouldn't die.

A perfect opportunity for her to sharpen the instincts and brush off the training from her past life even if she remembered none of it. But her soul did as it also remembered facing opponents much stronger. Memories weren't being unlocked and Altria didn't acknowledge her past life but Artoria was still there in any sense.

With that her Mana Burst wasn't growing stronger by itself and instead it was growing more focused as Artoria had long perfected the technique throughout her life with Altria quickly relearning the skills she once had.

King Arthur hadn't come back at her full strength, lacking several of her Noble Phantasms, knights and knowledge, but when it came to her mana control and martial skill the blonde swordswoman was growing exponentially better.

Not really strange since her previous life had been trained since childhood to become the Ultimate King, someone who could both be and seen as umbetable. There were Legends about King Arthur facing Excalibur and other weapons with just grit and guts thanks to Morgan's machinations.

In a sense the Mage of Swords was just one more in a long line of people who held an unfair advantage against King Arthur because of things outside her control. He knew well those stories, how the villain held the advantage for most of the fight until Artoria managed to outskill and surpass her opponent with her own strength.

Those were the stories that prove how skilled the Once and Forever King really was. How capable was the one chosen by the Sword of Selection, a warrior skilled and powerful enough to beat the odds without it whenever necessary.

So much so that even if Shirou could read every single move she could make he ended up getting several cuts on his legs and arms while defending himself. Bellerophon was also complaining as the blonde's strikes grew sharper and his owner was failing to accelerate properly in close combat.

Needing some space the Mage kicked a few stones in her direction for naught as the storm of mana around Altria decimated them before they had any effect, the woman smiling at his desperate maneuver.

Only for her mouth to open in shock when he threw himself at Clarent, letting it pierce his heart again as he got close enough to stab her gut with Bakuya. Light began to heal him but not her as the Bellerophon's Divinity finally broke through her mana and pierced her flesh.

Biting a curse she rose her foot and kicked the magus while pulling her sword back like if she was freeing it from a prison. Yet the damage was already done and Shirou allowed himself to be sent several meters away to recover, a privilege he knew his opponent didn't have.

Or shouldn't have if not for another potion quickly being uncorked and swallowed making Shirou grit his teeth. 'Can't even complain about that.' He thought while Avalon restored his heart. 'Really can't.'

'That was my last one.' Altria realized with trepidation as even if Le Fay had been willing to supply her with her magic potions her sister didn't have many. Mostly always went for the Khaos Brigade's many factions thanks to the 'neutrality' of their group. 'But victory is in sight.' The thought echoed in her mind as she jumped farther from her opponent while focusing on Clarent. "I think I realized your weakness."

"Which one?" Shirou asked nonchalantly as he dashed in pursuit, getting ready to dodge.

A huge wave of silver was unleashed to consume him but as Altria expected the redhead was moving far too quickly to be hit, weaving around like a streak of white as he moved first to evade the attack to then resume his charge.

She was already preparing another blast. "That healing doesn't use your mana but everything else does. Like a car running on gas we need mana to fight and yours is running low!" Another slash of silver flew in his direction and Shirou gritted his teeth while dodging. "Question is; how much do you have left?"

'She is right. This fight had been like this from the beginning. No, even before the beginning.' The redhead reflected on the fact in his own mind as he pushed more of Bellerophon's power to evade the slash and another one immediately after. 'This fight was always going to be like this.'

Using her car metaphor the Mage could perfectly understand how Altria was seeing the two of them; much like a car's they needed something to feed their engines, their attacks, with mana acting like the gas that kept them going.

Cars were compact but tough sort of vehicles so they even fitted in their fight styles as Shirou saw himself as a sports car while his opponent could be classified as a muscle car with more bulk and a tendency to last longer.

Even the frames could fit on that analysis as everytime his body was damaged the repair had to be fast to keep his value while Altria only needed a quick patch up before going back 'on the road' as her wounds, while dangerous in mass, could be ignored due to her superior constitution.

Once again it came back to the Magic Core, Ddraig's heart, in her. If both were cars running on gas then she was not only consuming a premium fuel but was also capable of holding far more of it. Again it was easy to see Artoria powering up a modern city by herself and even if Altria was learning to control her power in that fight she was capable of the same feat.

Shirou didn't have that luxury as twenty seven magic circuits didn't give him the best mana capacity in the world even after years of training to use it as efficiently as possible. Much like the engine of a car he needed to spend a minimum to keep moving and Ki, while a different kind of fuel, couldn't outright replace magical energy.

At least not to Shirou who hadn't figured out a way to Trace sword with Touki in any case. "You still need to outlast me!"

"And I shall!" Altria replied by swinging her sword in a circle in front of her face, generating a silver wind of mana that began to blast in his direction.

But the Mage of Swords had the power and speed of a pegasus whose Divinity couldn't be contested. It wasn't easy but he dodged the blades and once again got close enough to throw several stabs towards Altria. The blonde took several steps back before slamming her sword down on the ground, mana and rocks blasting around.

Once again she worked in getting distance and Shirou, fearing she was going for Caliburn, repositioned to put himself in front of the Sword of Selection. His gamble failed because the swordswoman had jumped in the opposite direction with a grin as Clarent gathered even more power.

Still too far from Caliburn, he was exposed when Altria shouted, "Clarent!" unleashing much of the Noble Phantasm's power.

Circuits flared as more of Bellerophon's aura exploded around Shirou to help him escape and reposition. The pegasus had no problem pushing his limits as Avalon was there to fix his torn muscles and broken bones. Once again the scabbard kept him in the fight even as he stumbled and fell.

Pushing himself with his free hand, Shirou managed to flip and dodge the swordswoman following attacks as her arms swung eight times in a roll to cut his body into pieces. Sure she wasn't aiming for the head but even Avalon would need a while to fix the damage he could take. Time she would use to get Caliburn.

Since his opponent's plan was obvious, the redhead focused on recovering his balance despite the rough terrain. Altria gritted her teeth as she watched the Mage move around with speed and grace going from a handstand to his feet in moments while avoiding her attacks.

What she really wanted was to charge Clarent's full power to force Shirou to abandon Bellerophon. Vali told his friends plenty about the Mage's capabilities and she noticed after fighting Zolgen when he called for the pegasus' full power for the second time it was much weaker.

'He never used that armor by himself and even the second time was barely enough to carry me to Tsubasa's apartment.' Altria thought while dashing to the left as her opponent got closer. With another blast of silver the redhead was forced to go around, giving her more time. 'And then its power felt weaker, less majestic. The pegasus, Bellerophon, also has his limits.'

Vali made clear that the Mages' Ascension was still incomplete and by being carried in his arms even for a few minutes the blonde could agree with that whole heartedly. It was like there was a 'hole' in that form, the abstinence of something. She couldn't tell exactly what it was but it was impossible to miss once noticed.

Even without the armor Altria knew Bellerophon needed something else to go all out. 'The pegasus doesn't have its full power or Shirou can't use it.' Two more swings later she smiled as the redhead was forced to retreat again. 'Time is on my side.'

Clarent was the best sword Altria ever had in her life, comparing it to Caliburn Ruler was unfair for both swords as the latter lacked the power necessary to be a contender as using the former was so superior it was in a whole other category.

Sure her Magic Core gave her an absurd quantity of mana but she was still human and without an instrument to direct all that power it would just sit in her soul. A Noble Phantasm was the ideal weapon for her and Clarent barely needed a spark to take down buildings. If she put too much in it there was a chance Kuoh wouldn't be left standing.

Because of that she knew there was no rush from her part and instead it was Shirou who needed to break their stalemate. Just using Bellerophon's speed meant his mana was being spent and time was running out.

A battle of attrition was something the Mage of Swords wanted to avoid from the beginning but nevertheless he found himself into one. 'I need to do something!' He thought while focusing more Ki in his legs.

However Shirou already pushed as much as he could manage and despite not minding risking his body it just couldn't go much further. Simply put the redhead wasn't strong enough or skilled enough to pull off the kinds of speed he needed to close the gap. At least not by himself.

Frowning at his situation and understanding there was only one, perhaps two ways, to break through Altria's defense the magus came to a decision and stopped charging before retreating several steps back, forcing the blonde to stop.

In most circumstances she could have used the extra space to focus Clarent's power and unleash her strongest attack but held herself back when she saw where Shirou was going.

The magus made sure to stop extremely close to Caliburn, effectively using it as a shield once again. "Are you giving up?" Asked Altria while not moving an inch. While he close to the sword gave her a chance to claim it, her instincts were saying the Mage wasn't quitting so easily. "Or just hiding?"

Raising Bakuya close to his face horizontally, Shirou rested his free hand on the blade and began to focus. There were truly two ways for him to win that fight, both carrying a huge amount of risk and mutually exclusive. Sure enough he barely had mana for one of them, much less both.

He could try Unlimited Blade Works as the Reality Marble was fully open to him however the truth was Shirou wasn't confident on using it well. Having it for just a day wasn't enough time for him to practice and just his aria alone took enough time that Altria could easily stop its summoning.

Mana cost wise it was the better alternative having but again the problem was getting it out and to do that he would also need to let go of Bellerophon's power, leaving himself exposed for at least a second or two.

With Caliburn he could survive any blast Altria could unleash but nothing guaranteed he would be fast enough to stop her from getting the sword.

Alternative number two was using Ascension without Rias' support, something whose cost was far more steep.

But it was faster and that was what he really needed. 'Last time I tried this without help I could only hold the armor for a few seconds before it fell apart. And that was with me rested.' It was fair to say Shirou was far from rested. "Can't I really convince you to not take the sword?"

"Isn't what all of this is supposed to be? You trying to 'convince' me?" She asked honestly with her guard high. "Why are you fighting so much? You barely know me."

"I owe you one."

"This goes beyond debts. It is like you are afraid of Caliburn!"

"Because I have already seen what that sword can do to your life!"

"I am not Artoria!" Altria's mana exploded around her.

Shirou nodded calmly as Bellerophon signaled he was ready. "Maybe not. But there is a reason why Caliburn broke in the first place. Humans aren't meant to close their emotions. Not like that." He said resolutely as his aura grew stronger with the pegasus taking shape right behind him. "And I won't let it ruin anyone else."

Controlling her emotions and power, she asked, "Isn't that the opposite of what Merlin is supposed to do?"

"Never liked the name. Merlin was a massive pervert who couldn't see beyond his own nose and he allowed that sword in the world knowing exactly how the story was going to end."

"It was the right thing to do." Altria rebutted.

"Just because you are right doesn't mean you are correct." Shirou said the words in an almost trance-like state as he concentrated to extend his Ascension for as long as he could. "Sure the world needed a Chosen One, a Hero, then but now… I won't allow someone to lose themselves in that role even if it is the last thing I do! Fly beyond the Heavens, Bellerophon!"

A flash of white enveloped Shirou before he emerged with his transformed armor pulsing with power. Even if his face was hidden by the helmet Altria knew that behind the visor his eyes were locked on her.

"Last Stardust!" Time slowed down for Shirou as he transcended his own power and moved in perfect harmony with Bellerophon.

Divinity filled every pore of his body as the redhead moved in a straight run towards Altria as fast as possible like a streak of light cutting through the distance in milliseconds at speeds that few could perceive and even fewer could react as the wing made of energy on his back pushed him forward.

Better yet was that thanks to Avalon the sense of vertigo and loss was absent, making it so that Shirou could enjoy his speed for the first time without problems. Other than the mana being spent but he was fast enough to do what was necessary before using his whole tank.

Still it was an amazing feeling moving that fast without his body fighting back and the closer he got to Artoria's reincarnation the better it was. It was suddenly so easy to think and move on that form that if it wasn't for the mana cost of it Shirou felt he could explore the whole world within a heartbeat.

Perhaps he was losing himself on that feeling but it couldn't be helped as the magus was moving close to the speed of light if not already past it. With his conscience also accelerated he wondered, 'Is this how the gods see the world?'

Considering Bellerophon was the responsible for his state, Avalon only making sure he could live with it, the Mage found that was a fair question and he almost froze to ponder such thoughts or stopped to ask Azazel about them.

Yet he had a fight to end.

Finishing the fight like that almost made Shirou feel bad but the redhead didn't dwell on it. 'I am sorry but this is the best result in a bad situation.' He justified himself once he was close enough to take a good look at Altria's face as he raised Bakuya for the finishing blow. He threw a single slash before noticing, 'Wait, something is wrong…'

Bellerophon wondered the same thing as the two quickly communicated faster than most computers could process. Indeed the process was even binary in a sense as Shirou wondered one thing or another before dismissing the thought. All they knew was that the problem was with Altria.

Not even a second had passed when the Mage began to notice the first signs of the problem; Altria's guard was low and she was open for a direct blow which made no sense considering the intensity of their fight.

Despite that he could see several openings in her posture that he was sure weren't there before making the Mage of Swords freeze. Still in his transcendent state with Bellerophon and Avalon didn't mean time had actually stopped and he was still moving. Moving to attack a completely open opponent which was a bad sign in that position.

Where there was one problem there was usually more and if there was one thing Shirou learned from experience was to believe in Murphy's Law.

In the microseconds that would take for Bakuya to reach its target Emiya observed Altria's body with the sort of scrutiny that would make his father and sister proud. Watching her carefully he saw nothing wrong until he noticed the abstinence of something that previously was filling her bones and flesh making her almost unbeatable; her mana.

Mana Burst was no longer active and that should be impossible, the more they fought the more she had depended on it to keep going, making use of her Magic Core to the point Shirou grew envious with how big her reserves were.

Yet there was no sign of the magic surrounding her body and that immediately made him suspicious. However there was also no signal of mana being channeled on Clarent and his nose detected nothing but the Noble Phantasm power strengthening the woman.

'Why? She couldn't have run out-' Shirou cut off his thoughts as he saw the problem with the situation, looking at Bakuya coming ever closer to hitting Altria. Horror began to fill his veins. 'She can't survive it.'

Had she been using Mana Burst or even Clarent's power to cover herself then there wouldn't be a need to worry but as she was there was no way Altria could survive an attack with Bellerophon's Divine Aura behind it.

Using a Noble Phantasm in those circumstances was already overkill that would rip her torso apart with a touch.

Transcendent state or not Shirou found himself with little time to hesitate so he bit the metaphorical bullet and pulled his arm back. With the speed he was going any sudden stop was supposed to be impossible but he had Bellerophon and the Phantasmal Beast made it possible.

Time resumed normally to him soon after as he found every bone on his arm breaking which led to Bakuya falling to the ground and Bellerophon's power returning to his soul. Altria gave him a look of surprise for a moment before understanding descended on her. Understanding but not confusion.

It was clear that Shirou fell into a trap. "You left yourself open on purpose." Exhaustion began to hit him since despite Avalon keeping him in perfect condition all his mana was gone.

There was nothing sustaining him as his muscles failed and his legs grew weaker but Altria quickly turned her sword upside down and grabbed his body before crouching to bring him gently to the ground.

"Yes, I did." Replied Pendragon with a calm expression as she gently laid his back on some rocks.

It was uncomfortable but Emiya didn't care. "Why? Are you insane?" He managed to grab her arm but his grip was so weak it could be called pathetic.

She would never call it that, respecting his determination. "Because I knew you wouldn't hurt me. Not in any way that mattered." Altria told him with an angelic smile on her face. It was a vision of beauty that paralyzed Shirou. "Your goal was always to save me and no matter how much we disagree about Caliburn, we weren't really trying to harm each other. When you unleashed that armor… I couldn't keep up. So I did the next best thing." Gently she laid his head on the floor after finding a stone that wouldn't bother his neck. "I stopped fighting knowing you would do too. It would just cost you more."

'Faith. She had faith that I wouldn't go too far. That I was looking for her well-being even after everything.' Despite the potions she drank Shirou could see the red in Altria's clothes no matter how well the blue managed to hide it. "Pretty sure I almost cut your arms off."

"And I stabbed you in the cut and destroyed your heart twice." Her reply was gentle as she made sure he was comfortable.

"No fair, I threw myself at you the second time." He said with a bitter chuckle as he looked to the audience hoping someone would approach. Nobody was moving. 'The are waiting to see if she will get the sword.' From his position Shirou could see Kirei's smile growing bigger. 'Shit.' Turning back to Altria he said, "You can't take Caliburn."

Altria stood her full height before replying. "But I can. It is my win." Her eyes, filled with determination, turned to the Sword of Selection. "You fought well but from now on it is my choice that matters." Shirou wanted to bite his tongue as her words were true. "And I chose to take Caliburn and do better than King Arthur did."

"You can't even accept who you are." He groaned out but she ignored his words and marched forward. "That is why you can't use Touki, you know?! In some part of your soul, you know I am right!"

"It won't matter anyway. Caliburn will more than compensate for my lack of practice with Touki." Her steps were firm but calm as she grew serene with her ever approaching destiny.

"And what will happen when it breaks again?" Shirou asked in challenge but she didn't stop her stride. "Artoria or not, that sword already broke once."

"It won't break this time." She declared while stabbing Clarent on the floor, bowing her head in respect and gratitude before resuming her walk. "Not on me. I won't make the same mistakes. I won't let pride win."

"That by itself is a prideful statement." But Altria paid him no heed as she almost reached her destination. "Wait!" He turned around in the stone and tried to get up which made her stop and turn to him. "I still can fight." Ki flowed from his body and rejuvenated his muscles.

But it was slow and not enough to be a threat as his circuits protested every action. The lack of mana in his body was causing as much trouble as if he was dying of thirst. Worse was that Rias was right there and so was the temptation to take her 'extended hand' for their connection was ever present.

Still he held back, nor his words or actions would have any value if Altria saw him cheating. "I admire your resolve but we are done, Shirou. You should respect my choice." When she turned again the Mage knew he was beaten.

With a heavy heart Shirou had no choice but to admit defeat. "Fine, go ahead and pick that sword up. You are going to need it anyway."

"I intend to." His tone was odd for Altria but besides giving him a look she didn't stop for long.

Just a couple of steps and the Sword of Selection would be hers.

But the Mage of Swords kept talking. "A power given by God. Eternal youth, super regeneration, pretty much a second Magical Core. Once you have Caliburn you will be pretty much unstoppable, right?"

'What is wrong with him? Is he… a sore loser?' The swordswoman shook her head and got rid of those thoughts. 'Maybe he is trying to distract me-'

"Not like you can do much without it, right? Artoria's reign fell to the wayside because she lost that weapon in the first place." Those words made Altria stop and Shirou needed to strike while the iron was hot. Slowly he turned himself back where she had laid him down, noticing the stone for his head had moved and was now bothering his neck. "So maybe you are thinking that if you don't lose it again everything is going to be fine."

"I already said that I am not Artoria's reincarnation." She replied coldly but there was a hot fury beneath her words. "I am my own person and I will Caliburn and make a better world."

"Sure, sure. You should do that. Not like you can do anything without that sword." Pride was a sin Shirou didn't know much.

But Altria did. "Your back is on the ground and I didn't even need the Sword of Selection."

"True, and you are hell strong even with just Clarent. Probably the strongest woman I ever met in my life." Even if he wasn't looking at her, Shirou knew striking her pride and then massaging it was throwing Altria's head on a loop. "But you still need Caliburn anyway because you knew I would have won if it was a fair fight."

"You call your regeneration fair? I could have killed you-"

"And I could have killed you too. The both of us held back so it doesn't count."

"Now I know you are a sore loser." Shaking her head, Altria arrived at the Sword of Selection, her hand about to take it.

"At least I am not a coward who needs a weapon to feel strong." But his words froze her just as she was about to take it.

"... What?" It was as if the blonde couldn't even process what he said.

"It is the reason why you want Caliburn, right? You think you are weak and incapable of accomplishing anything unless the Sword of Selection is by your side. What a joke! Hahaha!" It hurt to laugh but Shirou did his best. "Maybe in the past it was fine, you needed the sword as proof of kingship, but the times are different. Sure some will follow you because of it, I can think about one or two groups of fools like that, but for the most part that is just a powerful weapon." He raised his arms up for a shrug. "A weapon that you need because you can do nothing without it."

"I beat you!" She roared in anger, her pride wounded. "You are down, defeated, and I didn't need Caliburn."

"But you need it to face everyone else. You pretty much admitted it by how desperately you fought for it." He was glad Altria couldn't see his face. "So go ahead, take it! It is just a clutch that God left us anyway. Maybe Caliburn won't even make any difference since God is dead!" The summer wind picked up strength as Shirou let his arms fall by his side. "What are you waiting for, draw Caliburn. Become the Once and Forever King! Just make sure that when the sword breaks you won't come crying because you needed it to make a difference."

Grinding her teeth against each other, Altria stared at Caliburn for several seconds as she took her hand back. She flinched upon realizing that and turned to her hand with confusion before shaking her head frenetically.

'He is lying. You don't need that sword.'

'But aren't you struggling to take it?' If Altria didn't know Shirou lacked the ability for telepathy she would suspect it was him talking. 'You say you aren't King Arthur and yet here you are, after the sword which was her ambition since childhood.'

Her hand began to shake in fury. 'Caliburn is the strongest sword around, the best sword.' She declared firmly while glaring at the blue and gold weapon. 'Most swords break on my grip, almost all of them are destroyed by my power. And then-'

Images flashed in her mind, powerful enemies she feared would put her family in danger before realizing they would place the whole world in peril. Zolgen was just part of the Khaos Brigade but she always watched several of them with wariness and even a bit of fear.

Cao Cao from the Hero Faction with eyes full of confidence but a deep hatred simmering beneath, Rizevim for the first time she met him Altria saw an hedonist monster who would kill just for a laugh, Gilgamesh whose aloofness hid a man who wouldn't hesitate to commit murder for the sake of his desires and even Ophis worried her immensely despite Vali's friendship with her.

And many more were part of the Khaos Brigade's rank and file. Men and women with hearts drowning in hatred, wishing vengeance or destruction. The status quo wasn't perfect but even if it was, those people would tear it apart for their own sake. Or amusement in some cases.

Because of the Khaos Brigade's nature they didn't even bother to hide their intentions and bloodlust.

To protect her family, to defend her friends, to save the world, Altria needed power and so she did the obvious; trained diligently. But her own martial prowess was limited because she wasn't like Vali who had Divine Dividing or Shirou who could Trace weapons. She did learn magic in various forms and was particularly good at magecraft but it always felt unnatural to her.

Only when Altria held a sword in hand was that she felt really at home on a battlefield and before her was one of the most powerful swords of them all with just Excalibur being confirmed as greater.

'Why are you hesitating?!' She shouted to herself as it had been a minute and her hand was hovering over the Sword of Selection. 'Just take it, take it, take it!'

Her hand still would not move and Altria could feel something creeping inside her heart, something she never felt or if she did it was never noticed. It was like there was a gun in her head and a sword at her back.

'Because you fear he is right.' Her own voice replied, one with a more mature tone. 'Caliburn has already failed once, you shouldn't depend on that sword.'

'But if it breaks this time, Shirou can fix it again.'

'So you are already anticipating it breaking?'

'I am not…' Altria's hand dropped to her side as she felt conflict surge in her gut. 'I won't-'

'Let it break? No one believed the blade could break or fail the first time around. King Arthur was supposed to be invincible and the Sword of Selection was proof of that invincibility. Then it broke.' Altria heard her own voice reminiscing the story in factual fashion. 'King Pellinore was a good man who fought fairly. Caliburn could only accept two outcomes against such an opponent; an equally fair win or defeat. You could never accept defeat.'

'I would.'

'How would you know if you never lost even once.'

'Arthur defeated me several times-'

'In spars where nothing was risked and nothing was lost and where you didn't hesitate to challenge him again to take back the win.'

'But I won Caliburn! I am willing to take it!' Altria raised her arm once again but still didn't touch the sword. 'It is right here, right in front of me! A sword that I can use and defeat evil… Except I could do it by myself… Clarent also is a proper sword, isn't it?'

No longer she heard a separated version of herself as Altria shot down her own argument instantly. A vortex of emotions and confusion kept trying to swallow her up as some finally began to approach her location. Le Fay was right by her side but said nothing, waiting for her sister.

Nobody else dared to interfere or approach Altria as she stood there for another minute staring at Caliburn. In that time Rias and Medusa helped Shirou who found his head resting on his lover's lap but refused to look at the swordswoman who defeated him.

Of all people present Sona was the one who lost her patience first but as she was about to speak Xenovia grabbed her arm. The Heiress turned to the former Exorcist and watched the bluehead shake her head and give her a pleading look. No matter how much the pureblood devil wanted that sword gone, it wasn't her place to intrude.

The Sitri Heiress was fuming but held back as Tsubasa approached from the side to watch Altria with a concerned expression. Much like the others she kept her distance but was closer than anyone else save Le Fay who patiently waited for her sister's decision. A decision the younger sibling dreaded.

Finally after another minute of agony Altria's hand landed on Caliburn and everyone held their breath as she pulled.

And it didn't budge.

Rias could feel Shirou taking a deep breath even as he hid his eyes behind one of his hands and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Not that anyone else noticed as they all watched Altria putting both hands around Caliburn and trying to draw it with her full strength. Mana exploded around the area as the wind picked up in answer to an overloaded Mana Burst as she made another attempt but the sword didn't move.

That was the most fundamental truth about Caliburn, the reason for its indestructibility and why even Clarent's strongest attack couldn't dislodge it; so long as none who fit the criteria stepped forward and directly pulled it, the sword couldn't be moved.

As the Sword of Selection that was a truth engrained in every aspect of its existence. The whole of Fuyuki could sink on the ground and Japan could be devoured by a tsunami, that wouldn't change. Until the selection was made Caliburn wouldn't budge an inch no matter who tried or with what. Only once someone who understood God presented themselves would the sword leave its perch.

"Why?" Altria asked out loud and while the question was met with surprise by many it wasn't by a few. "I was sure that I felt a connection."

"Is it that weird? People have been trying to draw it every day since it showed up here." Momo pondered what many present questioned.

"She could." Tsubasa affirmed to her teammate and even Altria herself. "But she can't anymore."

"But why?" Letting go of Caliburn, Altria stepped back with eyes full of confusion. "There was something there, I am sure of it. From the moment my eyes first landed on Caliburn back when we came to save Vali until now… There was something." Like an impression calling her without words. "Even incomplete… why is it rejecting me now?"

Rias placed a hand on Shirou's head and hoped no one looked at them. 'You don't want to answer, do you?' It hurt but she could feel the guilt pouring from his soul. 'What can I do to stop you from hurting more?'

Looking at Medusa the pureblood devil tried to silently communicate with the goddess for her to do something. A message the purple haired girl managed to get but honestly knew little of about what to do so she turned to her priestess. Akeno's vision jumped from her King to goddess several times before letting out a sigh and starting opening her mouth to stall.

"Oh but the answer is quite simple." Except that someone beat her to the punch and despite how gentle Kirei's smile looked, Caren's expression showed a great deal of worry. At least to the True Hybrid but nonetheless the priest kept speaking. "It is because you lost the right to wield Caliburn. Rather obvious, isn't it."

Altria glared at the tall man whose smile didn't bulge. "That isn't what I want to know. I want to know why?"

Kirei placed a hand on his chin with a look of deliberation. "Well, that is also obvious. It is because the qualifications to hold Caliburn are strict and you just lost one of the main qualities needed for it."

"Father, while usually I have no problems letting people figure out their problems on their own, I believe the suspense is killing plenty of us." Caren commented loudly while giving Kirei a side glance.

"Yeah, no one is getting any younger, Kotomine." Azazel said next with a confused grin.

"What I want is to help lady Pendragon understand where her failing was and giving an answer may be prejudicial for her development. Especially if she wants to try claiming Caliburn again in the future." With that explanation several people, including Azazel, bit their tongues to avoid asking anything else. Yet Kirei wasn't done as he looked at a distant Altria's back. "Unless, of course, she wants me to explain. The duty of a priest is to help the Flock, after all."

While Irina bowed her head in admiration for Kirei's principles, Caren could only glare at the man before turning to Altria. "Learning by herself or through you won't change anything. If she can surpass this huddle, it is up to her and her alone." The silver haired woman offered with a tinge of carelessness. "So please, tell everyone what insight you have, Father."

"Yes, tell us. Tell us where I went wrong." Altria added before turning around and staring at the priest.

Who chuckled. "Such strong eyes you have, full of determination and pride." He chuckled again.

'Is my imagination or this guy is acting more like a villain than a priest?' Ise asked Ddraig.

Despite his prior anger, and desire to rip Merlin to shreds, managed to reply, [That man is dangerous, Partner. Very dangerous. He is probably the most dangerous man we ever met.]

'What? He is stronger than Lucifer-sama and Azazel-sensei?'

[I said 'dangerous', not 'stronger'.]

"The reason is quite simple," Kirei's baritone pulled the Red Dragon Emperors away from their thoughts, "you lost the absolute certainty in your actions." When no one said anything else, he added while observing the older Pendragon sister. "It is a special quality that children always have but only the most steadfast and ignorant adults can keep. Absolute confidence that your path is the most righteous can lead to many tyrants." Waving a finger around he concluded with, "And God wanted his chosen to follow his most righteous path, so long it was truly righteous, without hesitation."

Plenty of people didn't understand but by the deep breath and look of resignation in Altria's face it was clear she got the message. Instead of trying to pull Caliburn anymore the young woman marched towards Clarent and collected it without saying another word. With eyes covered in shadow by her hair she turned to Shirou who didn't turn around since he stopped speaking.

"Le Fay, we are leaving." The younger sibling was so surprised by the sudden declaration she jumped a little. "It was a pleasure knowing you all." Altria didn't bother looking at their faces as she said those words.

And despite no one being able to see her expression they knew it was one full of frustration, not one proper for an amicable departure.

Since her King was busy with her boyfriend, Akeno was quick to take over by offering a modest but respectful bow. "It was nice to meet you, both of you. As far as the Gremory is concerned you are always welcomed in Fuyuki."

"... The Sitri as well since we incurred a debt when you helped with the infestation. So long you don't cause problems, that is." Sona added and most of her peerage stood to attention and respect at their King's words.

Most but not all as Tsubasa approached Altria and said, "Isn't it better like this?" The blonde looked at the lilac haired girl with confusion. "You are free."

"Am I?" Sarcasm poured from the blonde's voice. Sarcasm and sadness. "Fay."

Hearing her sister's tone the magus could do nothing but draw her wand and waved it in a pattern that nobody understood before a magic circle manifested. That pattern changed into a language none could comprehend but didn't last long as most of it disappeared, opening a portal surrounded by strange letters.

"Good bye." Altria walked in first while her sister stayed behind for a moment longer.

"Mage of Swords." Le Fay's call had Shirou sitting up slowly as he finally accepted Rias' mana and recovered his mobility. Still he didn't stand and just turned his neck to see the witch offering him a deep curtsy. "Thank you for saving my sister." With that she walked inside the gate which disappeared a second after.

"What just happened?" Ise asked, half in shock.

"That magus opened a portal in a language I couldn't read." Admitted Azazel with a frown. "That should be impossible." He made a point to learn every language ever conceived after all.

"Not that!" The Red Dragon Emperor scratched his head in confusion.

Saji nodded as he understood his friend. "What my friend means is why was Altria looking so…"

"Depressed?" Irina offered as a question, turning to Kirei. "Wasn't because she lost her confidence."

Rias shook her head while holding Shirou's back. "It wasn't just confidence, Irina…" Focusing on her Magician she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Admitted the magus.

"You shouldn't. You accomplished your goal, Shero." Luvia commented while crouching in front of him. "Maybe she is angry now but-"

"What I did… was cruel." He looked at the blonde Rook's eyes with shame. "Necessary but cruel."

"And what was that exactly?" Medusa asked her Champion.

"Please, please. Give Emiya Shirou some space. What he has done clearly torments his soul more than it should." Kirei announced to everyone as he went back to their previous location, gathered his box of supplies and prepared to depart. "Truly, for a man like him, that must have been the most cruel of sins. Such a shame it had to happen."

"You sound more like a fake priest who gets off people's pain than the genuine article." Rin couldn't help but throw the jab yet the man was unbothered by it.

Caren massaged the bridge of her nose before saying. "Unfortunately he is still one of the better ones even if his sins are numerous." There was a begrudging respect in her statement but respect nonetheless.

Asia looked towards the older woman with a conflicted expression. "While I understand that, so far Father Kotomine has only spoken with wisdom."

"It is so kind of a Holy Maiden to say that but trust me, his words have far more bite than they should even if they are wise."

Issei approached his old friend with a frown before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Shirou, whatever is bothering you, you can tell me. If you want, we can even talk in the Student Council's office like old times."

Exhaling softly, the redhead stood up and offered everyone a smile. "Thanks but I will be fine. Guilt is normal when you do a bad thing."

"But what did you do?" Tsubasa asked loudly, marching towards him with purpose in her steps. Liz was fast to stand in her way but the shield holder stayed calm and kept talking, "Whatever it was I feel that should be a good thing but you are looking like someone killed your cat. Sorry, Koneko."

"I am not his cat." Was said casually. "That would be my sister."

"Son of-"

"Ise, hush." Rias' gentle order also sounded like a warning. "Look, while some of you want answers, Shiro isn't in the mood to give any so let it go."

"Should I give everyone answers then?" Kirei wondered out loud with a smile as all eyes landed on him. "I mean, what happened should be obvious but if you all want someone to illustrate the facts, I don't mind doing it." Before the Gremory Heiress could protest he suddenly added. "What do you say, Emiya Shirou?"

Ball in his metaphorical court, Shirou held his head to think for a moment before finding himself saying. "Sure. Get this over with."

"Shirou-kun, are you sure?" Akeno asked gently.

"Either we deal with that now or you all are going to be curious and ask later. Maybe even hate me for it when you figure out what I did." The Mage confessed with resignation which concerned more than a few present. "So let's just get this over with."

"As you wish." Kirei said while placing his supplies on the ground. "What he did was introduce to Altria something that Merlin didn't dare to give Artoria. A very human emotion that was suspiciously absent in her soul."

"Get to the point already." It was Shirou who lost his patience first and everyone could see how angry he really was.

Yet Kirei was more amused than phased. "What the Holy Father wanted for his Champion was the absolute certainty that their acts were just. Now ask yourselves this, what emotion could rob someone of such a state of mind that only God should have."

At seeing her love in agony, Rias couldn't help but snort. "Really starting to agree with Rin that you are a fake priest of some sort. Spare us the sermon, Father Kotomine, and just get this over with."

"Apologies about him, Father has been quite insufferable today." Caren sounded both sincere and bored.

"My sympathies." Akeno offered with a gentle smile that was reciprocated.

"Would it be 'doubt'?" Tsubaki asked, trying to satiate her own curiosity. She, like many others, wanted to know what could make Caliburn give up someone.

Azazel let out a sigh and groaned. "Yeah, that would do it."

"A good and precise deduction, Queen of Sitri." The priest praised the woman as his hands folded behind his back. "Yes, doubt. Something so simple and so small. If God demands His Champion to have absolute confidence then doubt is the poison that Caliburn can never heal." Waving at Sona, he continued. "Think about the value of a King to their subordinates; be in times of crises or prosperity a good monarch needs to present themselves in control at all times. At least they must show confidence so those below can feel safe." His hand went behind his back again. "Even when a mistake is made such kings need to maintain the absolute certainty that they will surpass the challenge and improve their situation. Ergo it is fair to say that confidence is paramount. A King who fails to trust in himself, who doubts themselves even a little, is already a failure."

"What is the problem in doubting yourself? I do it all the time."

"Ise…" Rias began to massage her forehead as some looked at him with pity.

"What?"

"Dude, that isn't healthy." Saji almost jumped back when Ise looked at him like it was a great revelation.

"Indeed, it isn't. Perhaps you should procure a therapist." Kirei took over, the only one looking at the Red Dragon Emperor with amusement. "There is nothing wrong about not knowing one's limits, it is wise to know them, so it is to stop and doubt yourself from time to time. But all the time? And about certain things? You should be assured in your strengths and show the proper amount of confidence. Pride, like any sin, is only a detriment when in excess." It was his turn to be watched by Ise whose eyes grew wide. "When you master a skill you need to acknowledge 'I did it'. That sort of confidence is both natural and healthy."

"But what does that have to do with Caliburn?" Kiba was the one asking because while he was concerned for his friend he couldn't shake off Altria's failure. In fact he felt that if anyone was able to pull the Sword of Selection it should have been her.

"Because Emiya Shirou said the exact right things to bother someone who wants the Sword of Selection. At least someone as proud as Altria proved herself to be." Kirei could barely hide his glee. Especially at seeing Shirou's shoulders grow stiff. "As far as Kings go, Artoria was known for being someone assured in her every action and confident that no sacrifice was too big so long it could lead to results. Not all Kings would be recognized by God but she was because of her determination, sense of justice and, of course, confidence." Raising his other hand he had two fingers up. "Sure too much of a good thing is dangerous and Caliburn broke for that reason but only because Artoria allowed pride to overcome her good sense while assured she was still doing a bad thing."

"So self confidence is bad?" Ise's question just earned him eyes of pity. "He is the one saying it!"

Rias shook her head and explained that, "No, self confidence is good with a dose of reality." She looked at Shirou sadly. "Unfortunately, reality can be cruel."

"And once that cruelty is thrust into someone's face their own spirit can be made or broken by the situation." Kirei took over again. "Doubt is an consuming emotion that all humans have. Incredulity, disbelief, wonder, curiosity, all of those things are born out of doubt in some fashion." He paused to let everyone digest the information. "But what humans have in spades has no place in a god or even a government's mentality. The moment doubt starts to appear it is possible to see cracks in a system that shouldn't be there. How many gods stopped existing the moment their believers doubted them?" Kotomine looked at Azazel who remained quiet as everything the priest was saying was true and the question was rhetorical. "So when the seed called doubt was planted in Altria Pendragon she found herself unable to dismiss it outright because of who she was. Or would it be who she should be?" For that he lacked an answer. "However the fact remains that once doubt was introduced the poor girl didn't have any point of reference of how to deal with it since she isn't Artoria Pendragon… yet, at the very least."

Everything clicked for Azazel who let out another groan. "So that is what happened. Rather cruel of you, Shirou."

"That is why I tried to defeat her before opening my mouth." The redhead replied with dropped shoulders. "I knew it was cruel so I thought 'hey, if I can convince her that I was on the way she will be forced to defeat me before getting Caliburn'. Then I was going to deny her rematches and stall until I thought of a better solution." In truth Shirou lacked a concrete plan to deal with someone capable of drawing the Sword of Selection. All that fighting was an attempt of using Altria's honor to stall for time. "But she won… she was stronger than I thought… certainly stronger than me. And even when I proved myself faster, even when I was more capable… when victory was one step away… it was a step too far. She learned enough about me to know I would never strike if it meant her death!"

Her last gamble paid off perfectly as Shirou unleashed his full power only for it to bite him back by draining all his energy. He wouldn't be surprised if that was what she planned and wasn't actually a gamble at all. Altria understood the Mage of Swords and that led her to victory.

Only for him to take it away from her. "Humans' worst enemies are themselves but I didn't want to do that."

"Why did she value your words so much then?" Sona asked with suspicion.

"Because of who I am… I am Merlin in this case, the Kingmaker. The one who knew all Caliburn's History and her own which made me the best judge…"

"And Altria realized all that." Kirei spoke again as some still didn't understand Shirou's words. "She knew who her opponent was and what his words meant. Coming from the Mage of Swords, the one who reforged Caliburn and knew it better than anyone else… It was enough for the seed to be planted." He opened his arms wide and spoke with a boisterous tone. "A seed that grew in a mighty oak as technically speaking, Shirou didn't tell a single lie. Yet he distorted her point of view by having her second guess her own desire of claiming Caliburn and see weakness. A self fulfilling prophecy as she created one." He shrugged. "In reality, nothing changed and Altria won the right to have the Sword of Selection and should have taken it. However, because the Mage of Swords, who reforged her weapon and the Sword of Selection itself, told her she was misguided, lady Pendragon could do nothing but believe. After all, they fought together before and she knew he was a terrible liar." The black haired man chuckled. "But it is easier to lie when no one can see your face."

"More like telling half truths." Shirou rebutted weakly but the older man's point was made.

"To be fair, it isn't that different from what the Original Merlin did." Azazel said in consolation. "Sure he and Sir Ector did their best to raise Artoria to be the ideal King but, well, she kinda failed."

"Camelot was an Utopia but the people couldn't understand their King. Yes, I know." If anything it just made bile show up in Shirou's throat. "But Merlin knew it was going to happen."

"He couldn't see the future-"

"But he knew people who could and literally warned her… while doing little to change things himself." The Mage of Swords felt hatred for the Mage of Flowers because he knew the truth. Because both were in the same position, just different spectrums. "He was there when she took Caliburn, he delivered the last warning about her Humanity and then sat back instead of saying there was another way."

"Shiro, people were only going to follow the True King." Rias reminded her lover.

He sighed and shook his head. "Caliburn broke and people kept following her regardless. Artoria had the makings of a King without being chosen and maybe… maybe there was another path. A better one." Shirou couldn't see it nor say for certain but looking at how much Artoria suffered he could only wish it was true. "Same thing with Altria. Maybe I am being naive but… I don't want to watch anyone turning into a machine and giving up their happiness."

It reminded him too much of the Magus Killer and how the man was a cold calculating monster capable of sacrificing anything for his goals. Only Kiritsugu could keep that thing at bay and he could only move forward because of the love he found in his wife and family.

Caliburn wouldn't give Altria the same privilege, it couldn't. Its priority would forever be the mission and the moment its owner went beyond its parameters the blade would break. From Clarent Shirou saw how guilty Artoria was with the loss of Caliburn and he didn't want that for Altria.

"There is also the fact that I am sure she is Artoria reincarnation… if I let her repeat those mistakes… I could never forgive myself." It would be a failure of his ideals, the sort of thing which would kill Shirou from the inside.

"And so you acted as a villain and taught Altria to doubt herself." Kirei pointed out neutrally. "With that the girl will have no choice but to face her past self, Artoria Pendragon, or find another means to reach her goals. A success on your part even if it doesn't feel like it." Raising an arm proudly he added. "Congratulations, young man, your wish has been granted."

"Yeah and it was crap." Shirou said nothing else and began to depart as the events of the night came to a close.

Medusa looked at her Champion with confusion and worry, coming to her own conclusions. 'He manipulated her for her own sake and guilt is eating him up. I can't say if it was a good or bad thing but…'

Looking to the side she saw that Akeno had reached similar conclusions, her priestess nodding to her as both started to follow Shirou. Rias was already by his side with Xenovia trailing right behind. Most of their group began to leave as well, Liz holding the rear.

For those who lagged behind Kirei said. "Fufufu. You only blame yourself for doing the same as Merlin once did."

"What do you mean, Father Kotomine?" Irina asked with concern as her eyes followed the members of the Gremory, Rin rushing to catch up with Shirou for a reason or another.

It was Azazel who replied, "The original Merlin raised Artoria to understand the principles of chivalry and hold them high to the point that honor could be considered sacred. If everyone lived life that way, Father would have less problems." The Cadre started with a cautious expression as he stared at Caliburn. "Through his lessons she learned how to maneuver politically while preserving her principles so long as she remained faithful in herself and her upbringing."

"Merlin's guidance assured the sword wouldn't break by teaching the exact right things that she needed to earn Caliburn…" Caren realized before clicking her tongue to add. "And what Emiya-san did was the opposite. He taught Altria what she needed so the sword couldn't be moved instead of how it could be preserved."

"Ah, but Caren, you miss an important detail in all this."

"And what would that be, Father Kotomine?" Sona, who was getting ready to call a repair crew, asked.

"That he taught her the exact opposite lessons in the same manner. Many were King Arthur's adventures before the sword was pulled and before Camelot was founded." Kirei pointed out with an honest grin. "He took her to an adventure against a monster, gave her a magical artifact, guided her to the sword and offered a moral lesson. Doesn't all that seem like something out of fairy tales?"

"Yes, those without happy endings." The Heiress of Sitri said with crossed arms.

"On the contrary. There is still hope, it was just part one of their saga." The priest commented. "Altria doesn't seem like the type to quit for long and sooner or later she will confront the Mage of Swords again. Now, what sort of form that confrontation will take is a mystery. Perhaps another fight?" He collected his box and began to leave as well. "We can only hope to be there as well, both as witness and to stop Fuyuki from falling apart as it almost did today."

After a few minutes Sona Peerage found themselves alone in the school grounds as their King made several calls to get the repairs moving. As there were classes the next day it would probably go through the whole night so someone would have to stay behind and supervise.

"Kaichou, do you want me to take care of this?" Tsubaki offered first with Saji and Issei right behind.

"You all can go. I will take care of this mess." She truly wished that her Knight's Noble Phantasm could fix the area or they had a spell for mass repair.

"Very well, then we should depart." Kuzuki told everyone before bowing to Sona with respect. "By your leave."

One by one her peerage left until Sona found herself standing in the devastated area with just two other people. She knew Tsubaki wasn't going to leave until she herself departed so there wasn't any surprise in that front but her Rook staying behind was odd.

"Tsubasa, how are you feeling?" Once again the Queen spoke first which Sona found convenient. "After what happened at your home…"

"Mom gave me some extra chores but I am fine." She sat on the ground and crossed her legs as her eyes stared at Caliburn.

The King of Sitri knew something was up. "And what about today? You were oddly invested on Caliburn's debacle." She couldn't stop herself from sounding bitter as she truly wished that the sword had left their territory.

After glancing at her King for a moment, the lilac haired girl turned to Caliburn and took a deep breath. "I don't know if it is the Gallahad's shield or something else but… I am happy things ended like this."

"You are?!" Considering the man was hailed as one of the most loyal members of the Round Table, Sona guessed the shield would be averse to Shirou's actions.

With a relieved smile, Tsubasa nodded. "Surprised me too but staring at Altria not pulling that sword gave me hope. Or I think it is hope."

Such an odd feeling had her smiling from ear to ear even if she didn't know why. In any case it was only late, when the sun was going up, that she departed to get ready for the day.

The smile stayed on her face until Tsubasa's head hit her bed the following night.

…..

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