Despite his endless suffering, Shirou knew that it was for a grand purpose. With every moment of agony, he was getting close to Iseri and, therefore, his opportunity to end this carnage and murder spree. The crazed mage had to fall, and as Shirou got closer, he realized that Iseri's aura was weakening. The mage was entrapped into a powerful bounded field that Shirou could sense, making his wind magic completely useless. Iseri attempted to run for his life, screaming and begging Hermes to save him, but there was no way for him to escape the invisible prison created around him. This had to be a noble phantasm, perfect timing to weaken and disorient Iseri. All Shirou had to do was to cut off the enemy's escape route…

But before he reached Iseri, Shirou heard a loud sound of metal echoing in his ears. The reflection in his shield changed, showing an array of swords that were consumed by the vortex. Archer's main weapon…The onslaught occurred too quickly for Shirou to process in time. All he could do was to reflexively turn around and use his shield to block a few of the approaching blades. Most, however, reached their targets. One blade pierced Iseri's chest, ending his life almost immediately, while countless others struck at the hurricane Hermes created. Archer must have hit all of his weak spots, for Shirou could hear the creature howl in rage as the wind barrier gradually dissipated.

In the next instant, those blades turned in another direction. Only a few seconds ago, Shirou was in the middle of a whirlwind; now, it was a storm of blades that surrounded him. Each of the swords absorbed the wind around it, turning into an even deadlier array. They rushed forward, cutting Shirou and wounding all of his limbs and chest without going beyond the upper layer of skin. This was the last straw, making Shirou's already weakened hands drop his shield, all while blood drenched his dry, cracked skin. Moments later, he began falling with no more magic to support him. All Shirou saw before him was the fading wind and Iseri's bloody corpse with an expression of terror frozen in his eyes…

However, they would not descend any lower.

The swords unleashed a wave of the wind they absorbed, giving both bodies a strong push towards the skyscraper. Shirou fell onto the tattered floor of the building, feeling it tremble beneath him. He was alive…But the agony was still too unbearable to withstand. Before his eyes, Shirou could see Archer pacing calmly around the room. Those were his sword, his cruel, dirty work.

"A fascinating design…" Archer said as he picked some of Iseri's marbles off the mage's corpse. "A pity I was never able to claim those back in my world, but fate is finally showing me some kindness."

"Who…Are…You?" Shirou pleaded, only to have Archer ignore him and continue the ruthless advance. Shirou attempted to stand up and fight back, but Archer retorted and forced the wounded hero to the ground, kicking his body to the side.

"No, no, you are not standing up! You've done that enough."

"Please…" Shirou begged only to be punched by Rin's former servant again.

"Was it Rin's idea that I could keep my memory? Always shrewd, that one. Most servants do not remember their summoning, but I am not 'most.' I am a counter guardian who was a master and a human once. All before I gave my soul to the world, naively thinking that it would give me the power to do what I wanted…But instead, I sold myself. Now, I am an executioner…And you are my final target, Shirou Emiya."

"W-why…"

"Don't you realize, fool? Is looking into your own reflection not enough? You are my past, and I am your future. Yes, I was once named Shirou, too, and followed the same path in my world…I had the same ideals as you. I thought of myself as a hero, destined to save people and battle psychopaths like Iseri, but I had to accept the bitter truth eventually. You cannot save everyone. The path I took was a mistake…I can never undo it, but you can, Emiya. The most straightforward path is your death. This was my goal when Rin Tohsaka summoned me. Alas, I never got a clear shot…Or perhaps I got too sentimental. You followed the same path I once did, yet you paid more heed and care to Saber than me. It was almost like you could actually save her. I wondered if that meant that you would be able to make another choice…Your belief in people has always been your greatest weakness, Shirou, and I am not free from it, either. I gave you a chance by sacrificing myself…And you blew it! You have become the hero that I have, made all the same mistakes, and set yourself upon exactly the same conclusion!" Archer shouted with uncontrolled rage. "You deserve no more chances, Emiya. You will die…But first, I will make you realize that you are no hero and have never been one. Don't assume I have a great desire to release Angra Mainyu into this world, but if that is what it takes to break your will, for me to finally be free…I will gladly play my part."

Everything happened so quickly that Sakura could barely understand what was going on.

She watched Iseri run in terror from Iskandar's army, finally breathing a sigh of relief as she realized that this was the end for their shared enemy. She couldn't help but feel a measure of pity for the defeated mage in the last moments of his life, but Sakura knew that he earned this destiny through his egregious actions; this was the only way to protect innocents. Much to her surprise, it wasn't Rider or any of his soldiers that dealt the final blow; it was a blade that pierced the reality marble from below. By the time the desert disappeared, Sakura noticed that it was not just Iseri's body floating amidst the air.

"Shirou!"

He was there, withered and weakened, desperately clinging to balance. Right after Sakura called out to him, the woman saw an array of Archer's blades aimed at Shirou. They wounded him right in front of her eyes and then tossed him to a lower floor of the skyscraper with the newfound power of their wind.

"NO!" Sakura cried in despair, desperately reaching out to Shirou. She immediately turned towards Angela. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? TRAITOR!"

Everyone in the group looked at the Einzbern magus with confusion and concern.

"It's not me," Angela said casually and without a shred of concern. "Seems like Archer decided to act all on his own…Interesting."

"What do you mean? We had an agreement!" Sakura pleaded. "Call him off with your command seal, please!"

"Hm…" Angela hesitated, and before she could respond, Marianne interjected.

"We aren't done here yet…" She pointed to the edge of the floor the group stood on. "Iseri is gone, and so is Berserker's main source of power, but we haven't banished the servant yet." She pointed at the silhouette of a pale man in dark green robes. His eyes were empty and darkened, he kneeled and shook uncontrollably, as if something horrific tore him from within.

"Ugruh…Ruuh…"

"A pitiful sight," Romulus said. "There is only one salvation for someone afflicted with the curse of madness, and that is a swift death."

However, Hermes was not defeated yet. He raised his gaze and screeched in pure spite.

"RAAAAGH!"

He moved as quick as the wind, wounding the one closest to him.

"Aaargh!" Marianne screamed and fell on her knees as her chest dripped with blood.

"Master!" Romulus jumped at her side. "Are you alright?"

"I…I'll be fine. Just end this monster before he restores his strength!"

From one battle to another, all servants and masters put their effort into stopping a god that moved with the speed of lightning, maneuvering around them and thirsting for blood. Hermes was weakened and completely off the leash; he would kill anyone in his way unless they stopped him here and now, but Sakura hesitated. The rest of the group would defeat this fiend very easily, considering all the servants and powerful mages joining their forces in opposition to Berserker. Angela, Waved, and Rin cast destructive spells of chilling ice to weaken and slow him down, while Lancer, Assassin, and Rider used every single opportunity to attack Hermes.

Meanwhile, Shirou was on the lower level, alone against the crazed servant who broke their agreement. Sakura had to help him…She had to save him. The woman felt her heart shrink at the thought of abandoning her allies, especially Hector, who saved her life during this battle. But she had to make a choice, and Shirou was the one who needed her help.

"Gilgamesh!" Sakura called out to her servant. "We need to help Shirou!"

"And miss out on this revel?"

"What fun is there in beating some madman down as a group when you can fight Archer on your own?"

"When you put it like that…Let's go."

Sakura rushed towards the half-shattered staircase with Caster following her closely. The woman turned around one last time, letting out a pained cry while looking at El-Melloi. She didn't think about it, instead allowing her heart to speak for her.

"Protect Hector!"

She didn't know why she wanted to say those words, but Sakura could not hold them within. Perhaps she wanted to repay him for saving her earlier, or perhaps there was more. When Sakura looked into his shameful eyes, suffering Angela's abuse, she saw a very familiar void within him. She had a similar one and had longed for it to be filled for years.

However, she could not allow herself to be distracted, not when so much was at stake. Sakura and her servant ran downstairs, ready for another battle.

"Archer didn't disappoint," Gilgamesh said with a smile. "Seems like he needs Emiya for something. I wonder what the reason for such interest is."

"It doesn't matter; all I care for is saving Shirou and blasting that monster into oblivion!" Sakura said with sudden spite in her voice, surprising Caster.

"So this is what it takes for you to show your teeth…Such devotion, as admirable as it is amusing."

"Please, just focus on…"

"Sakura, wait!"

Sakura turned around, realizing that her sister was following her.

"Rin?"

"I'm coming with you."

"What about the others?"

"They'll manage. That treacherous bastard was my servant once; I know a thing or two about him…And I'm not leaving Emiya unprotected!"

"Alright…Let's hurry!"

When the trio reached the level where Shirou landed, they saw a horrific picture that made Sakura want to puke. Shirou was beaten and bleeding, weak and powerless from the trial he endured. His skin grew pale, and his hair became almost completely white…In this state, he looked surprisingly similar to Archer. The treacherous servant stood above his victim, gloating about his assumed victory.

"Don't assume I have a great desire to release Angra Mainyu into this world, but if that is what it takes to break your will, for me to finally be free…I will gladly play my part."

"Stop!" Sakura screamed, making Archer pause, turn around, and distract himself for a moment. "Caster, kill him!"

Gilgamesh raised his hands, creating a golden field of absorption underneath Archer, burning the servant's feet and making him clench his teeth in pain. Archer attempted to attack, but Gilgamesh summoned chains from the nearby wall, both of which tied Archer's hands. Despite the sudden surge of pain, the man who looked like Shirou's dark reflection didn't seem angry or disappointed by the interruption.

"So this is what it comes down to? Our hero's only way to survive is to rely on the two women he promised to protect and his sworn enemy coming to save him from my clutch?" He chuckled before draining more mana for himself, creating large cracks in those chains, all while staring at Rin and Sakura. "Do you not realize that if either of you two gets hurt, he will never forgive himself? That he will inevitably indulge in his destructive tendencies even more actively."

"You don't know him!" Sakura spoke up. "Shirou fights for what he believes in, and he does with honor; neither you nor your master will ever understand it!"

"I know Shirou better than any of you, and I know the true reason for him taking okay this path…It is a way for him to have a meaningful death. He always wanted a release, and this is the only path he believes can redeem him."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura said with spite. "You don't know him!" As Gilgamesh was about to attack again, Archer jumped up and evaded the blast, finally breaking his chains.

"So that's how it is…" Rin said in a somber tone. "There was much I didn't realize about you, Archer, was there? Shame on me for thinking I knew you."

"Don't blame yourself, Tohsaka. For what it's worth, I am sorry I have to make you a part of this, and I am sorry for lying to you…You were a good master, and I don't regret giving my life to you."

"What?! You mean you…"

"Yes. I have never forgotten." Archer said, with a powerful magical explosion trembling above moments after. "Ah, I take it someone has done their job…"

"Protect Hector!"

Why did she say this? Those were Sakura's words just before she escaped the battlefield to save Shirou, and they left the young man stunted. He fought her and tried to kill her twice, and that is how she repaid? Her allies were fighting there, too, but she mentioned him. Much to his shame, Hector felt the world around him stop as he processed those words.

He saw Iskandar and Romulus battle Hermes, gradually draining the wind god. Eventually, the Assassin wounded his back, causing Hermes to slow down. Berserker had barely any stamina left, and his wind magic was not nearly as powerful without Iseri. Eventually, Lancer finally pierced Hermes's cursed heart. The broken servant screeched in agony, letting out a powerful shockwave as he released his remaining wind, after which he finally succumbed to mortality. One final breath before his body slowly faded before Hector's eyes.

The battle was over. Berserker and his master were gone.

"Perfection!" Angela exclaimed. "Finally, this gnat won't trouble us any longer! A shame his master did not live long enough to see his demise…But how can I be angry when we have such an opportunity before us?" Angela smiled and turned towards El-Melloi and Assassin, the only representatives of the Coalition who stayed to fight Hermes. "Seems like most of your mages, as well as your most powerful asset, Gilgamesh, aren't here to help."

"You wouldn't dare…" The mage lord clenched his fist.

"Of course, I would. Lancer, Rider, kill them both." He said coldly as Hector stared in disbelief. She was just as quick to backstab as Archer was. Iskandar and Romulus, however, did not move. "What are you waiting for? Don't stop at one servant when you can take out two!"

"You are not our master," Romulus said with an undertone of disgust in his words.

"Then listen to your masters. We are all fighting for the same cause, after all! Marianne, Hector?"

The masters were silent.

"Angela, we…" Hector spoke up with pain, he couldn't force himself to look up into her eyes. "We can't. It's not right."

"Not right?" Angela said quietly, her voice turning sharper than a razor blade. "What do you mean, 'not right'?" She spoke spitefully while approaching Hector. "Do you not remember what I taught you? What did I tell you about this war and its importance? I granted you the highest honor…And you dare to sabotage me?"

"P-please, we…" His voice broke, but Marianne came to his aid.

"We had an agreement to give each other time after this battle. It would help us, too…There is no point."

"You…" Angela clenched her fists as she heard El-Melloi's voice behind her.

"We do not wish to fight today. Leave in peace, and let Fuyuki rest from the chaos Iseri wrought. Do what's honorable…For once."

"This…This isn't over." Angela took a deep breath. "I will return, and you will regret letting me go. We're leaving!"

"Rider, we need your chariot!" Hector shouted.

"Of course!"

After those words, Iskandar manifested his chariot with enough space for everyone. Angela was the first to rush into a seat, and Romulus followed her, helping wounded Marianne get towards it. Hector was the last, still reluctant to board it, seeing the rage in Angela's eyes. He looked back, thinking about Sakura. A part of him wanted to stay, to ask her about the words she said…But he couldn't. The moment Hector boarded the chariot, he realized that it was only Iskandar and Marianne's presence that made him feel remotely safe, not the person that he saw as his mother. After that, the chariot set out in the castle's direction as swiftly as the wind. Angela looked at the skyscraper and raised her hand.

"By my command seal, I order you to return to my side!"

A second later, Archer emerged aboard the chariot. He breathed heavily and was clearly weakened, unable to contain some of his wounds.

"Thanks, that was a timely rescue…" Archer sighed. "I might have overestimated myself in thinking I can stall Gilgamesh for a while."

"What of Emiya?"

"I taught him a humiliating lesson, which will demoralize him and his allies," Archer explained.

"You should have killed him."

"There would have been no point. The Assassin would just make a contract with Tohsaka or El-Melloi, and either of those is a far more rational and dangerous master than that naive fool."

"I hope you're right…"

"Oh, don't look at me like that, master. I told you that we won't be able to end the war today. It will inevitably be prolonged."

"It wasn't our fault it was prolonged…" Angela said with disappointment and looked at Hector. The young man could feel himself shrinking from looking at her eyes which reminded him or a ravenous lioness looking at her prey. "We all make mistakes, Hector, I understand. But this…"

"Please, we were weakened; there was no point to…"

"Shut your mouth and let me talk." Angela snapped back. "And don't try to fool me with your excuses. You did not do it out of any pragmatic reason. You refused to fight because you didn't want to kill them…What, are you developing sympathies after this Alliance of convenience we had for a couple of hours? What did those degenerate freaks tell you to poison your mind! Tell me!"

"Nothing…"

"Stop lying, you ungrateful worm!" Angela screamed and hit Hector, after which she grabbed her apprentice by the neck.

"Stop!" Marianne spoke up through her pain. "You are forgetting yourself, Angela. We are allies who work together because we believe in a shared goal. You may have your delusions of superiority, but in the eyes of the Grail, we are all masters. We are all equal. I am not your servant, and neither is he, for that matter. We decide how to use our authority and our servants, and if you want us to be on the same page, I'd advise you to stop behaving like a backstabbing psychopath." She spoke coldly and confidently, leaving Angela speechless, if only for a few moments. Those fleeting seconds were enough for Hector to realize that he had never seen someone stand up to her like that. Marianne had no regrets about her decision…And neither should he.

"If that's how you want to play it…" Angela said as she took a seat, looking at Hector and Marianne with unbridled hatred and rage.

She didn't speak a word until they arrived at the castle.

"Shirou!"

Sakura's cry echoed in the man's ears, all while he lay down, coughing and desperately trying to focus, to push through the fading image before him, but he was too weak to rise up. Even he could not bear the pain. Shirou couldn't feel his body, only hearing his weak heartbeat and the echoing sounds of his breaths. This changed the moment he felt a woman's soft hands holding him, drenching his broken vision in dark violet.

"S-Saku…ra…"

"It's okay, Shirou, don't waste your breath." She reassured him.

"Where…Is…"

"It's okay, they're gone, you're safe. Just hold on, please; it will all be okay…I'll share some of my mana with you."

"You…"

Shirou couldn't speak any longer. His mouth and tongue did not listen to his mind. However, he could feel another pair of hands on his chest. Rin was there, too…Both sisters poured their mana into him, cutting themselves to release their blood and heal his wounds. They were willing to do anything for him…An honor Shirou did not deserve yet was immensely grateful for. However, it was another woman that he saw before him as he closed his eyes. A beautiful girl from another place and age, the one who inspired him to greatness. Saber looked at him with her majestic emerald eyes until a blade of treachery pierced her from behind. Then, his crimson reflection emerged in her stead. The Archer who came here to end his life.

Shirou Emiya.