Fate/Hijacked

Chapter 4

Rin and Shirou split up, each taking one side of the school as they attempted to disable the magic circles that powered the deadly bounded field, Blood Fort Andromeda. Rin had explained earlier that the field drew its power from several key points placed around the school, and unless they were destroyed, the bounded field would drain the life from every student in the building.

Shirou darted from room to room, smashing the crimson glowing circles whenever he found them. Each time he thought he had destroyed one, another would activate nearby, keeping the malignant energy flowing. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he dashed through the hallways, his sense of urgency growing with every unconscious student he passed.

"This isn't working..." Shirou muttered to himself, frustration building. The field was regenerating far too quickly. The mastermind behind this had likely set up an auto-repair mechanism—or worse, had someone capable of constantly regenerating the sources. He clenched his fist, his thoughts racing. "There has to be another way."

Just as he turned a corner near the gymnasium, a familiar, smug voice interrupted his thoughts. "Well, well, Emiya. Looks like you're having trouble."

Shirou's heart sank. Standing confidently by the stairwell, with an arrogant smirk on his face, was Shinji Matou. Shirou's classmate and former friend stood with his arms crossed, his posture exuding a sickening sense of superiority.

"Shinji? What are you doing here?" Shirou's eyes narrowed as he felt something sinister in the air, something connected to Shinji. "Are you behind this?"

Shinji's smirk widened. "I'm glad you finally caught on. Took you long enough." He stepped aside slightly, revealing a woman standing silently behind him. Rider, her purple hair cascading down her back, stood with her arms crossed and her eyes hidden behind a strange visor. The air around her pulsed with magical energy.

"A Servant?" Shirou's eyes widened in realization. "You're the one maintaining the field…"

Shinji chuckled darkly. "Bingo. Blood Fort Andromeda is Rider's Noble Phantasm. She's been gathering mana and blood from everyone in this school to fuel my rise to power. Impressive, isn't it?"

Shirou's hands clenched into fists. The thought of all his friends and classmates being used as nothing more than fuel for Shinji's ambitions filled him with disgust. "You're going to kill everyone here if you don't stop this! How can you do something so horrible?"

"Horrible? Please," Shinji scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't understand what it's like to be born without talent, without the recognition you deserve. This is my chance to show everyone that I'm not just a worthless Matou heir. And besides," he added, his tone dripping with condescension, "I'm doing you a favour. If you join me, Emiya, we can take Tohsaka down together. She's a bigger threat to us than anyone else."

Shirou shook his head firmly. "I'm not interested in teaming up with someone who'd hurt innocent people. Stop this now, Shinji, or I'll make you stop."

Shinji's expression twisted into one of anger and frustration. "Idiot! You think you can take me on? Rider, kill him!"

At Shinji's command, Rider moved faster than Shirou could react. She darted forward, her chain weapon lashing out like a whip. Shirou barely managed to dodge, but the force of the attack sent him crashing through the window. The glass shattered around him as he fell from the second floor, the ground rushing up to meet him.

In that split second, instinct kicked in. "Lady Avalon!" Shirou called out, hoping his Servant was nearby.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a swirl of flower petals appeared beneath him, cushioning his fall. Shirou landed softly on the bed of petals, and a familiar figure materialized beside him in a flourish of floral magecraft.

Lady Avalon appeared with her usual grace, her lavender eyes sparkling mischievously as she offered him a hand to help him up. "Oh, darling, you do get yourself into the most dangerous situations, don't you?"

Shirou quickly took her hand, grateful for the save. "Thanks... I didn't mean to—"

Before he could finish, Lady Avalon interrupted with a dramatic sigh. "Honestly, an elegant lady like myself shouldn't have to deal with such brutish combat. All this fighting and bloodshed—it's terribly unbecoming!" She fluttered her eyelashes playfully, clearly teasing Shirou despite the seriousness of the situation.

Shirou blushed slightly, but there was no time to respond. Rider leaped out of the shattered window, her chain weapon swinging ominously. Lady Avalon's playful demeanour shifted in an instant, her eyes narrowing as she faced their opponent.

"Ah, Rider. I suppose I'll have to deal with you, then." Lady Avalon sighed theatrically, though her tone remained cheerful. She glanced at Shirou with a wink. "Darling, leave Rider to me, alright? Go handle Shinji."

Shirou nodded, already moving toward the school's entrance. "Be careful!"

"Oh, I always am," Lady Avalon called after him, her voice lilting with amusement.

As Shirou ran back into the building to confront Shinji, Lady Avalon stood her ground against Rider. Despite her earlier complaints about fighting, there was a fierce gleam in her eyes as she faced her opponent. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned an ornate staff, flowers blooming around her feet as she tapped into her vast reserves of magical energy.

"Now, now, Rider," Lady Avalon said, her tone light but her stance prepared for battle. "I'm afraid I can't let you continue this. As much as I dislike getting my hands dirty, my Master's safety comes first."

Rider didn't respond with words. Instead, she launched another attack, her chains whipping through the air with deadly precision. Lady Avalon twirled her staff with surprising speed, deflecting the chains with a burst of shimmering petals.

For all her whimsical nature, Lady Avalon's control over her magecraft was flawless. She weaved between Rider's attacks with an almost effortless grace, using her magic to create barriers of flowers and energy that absorbed the blows. What surprised Rider even more was the Pretender's sudden shift in tactics. In a flash of motion, Lady Avalon summoned a shimmering sword, its design intricate and elegant, then engaged Rider in close-quarters combat.

Though Rider was a formidable combatant, Lady Avalon's swordplay was unexpectedly skilled. She parried Rider's strikes with fluid movements, her blade glowing with magical power. It became clear that Lady Avalon, despite her complaints, was more than capable of holding her own in battle.

Inside the school, Shirou found Shinji pacing anxiously near the stairwell, clearly unnerved by Rider's prolonged fight with Lady Avalon. "What's taking so long?" Shinji muttered to himself before spotting Shirou running toward him.

"You!" Shinji spat, his earlier bravado now replaced with fear and frustration. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Shirou didn't waste time with words. Fuelled by his anger and determination to protect the people in the school, he charged at Shinji, knocking him to the ground with a solid punch to the jaw. Shinji yelped in pain, scrambling to his feet, but Shirou grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the wall.

"Stop this!" Shirou demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "Tell Rider to deactivate her Noble Phantasm, or I'll make you."

Shinji glared at him, blood trickling from his lip. "You think you can intimidate me? I—"

Before Shinji could finish, Shirou slammed him into the wall again, harder this time. "Do it, Shinji! Now!"

The fear in Shinji's eyes finally broke through his stubborn arrogance. He tightly clutched his Book of the False Attendant within his trembling hand. "Rider! Deactivate Blood Fort Andromeda!"

Outside, Rider hesitated for a moment, her chains slowing as she processed the order. With a resigned sigh, the crimson energy that had surrounded the school began to dissipate. The bounded field was deactivated, and the students who had been trapped inside were safe.

Lady Avalon, her sword still at the ready, seized the opportunity. With a flourish of her blade, she delivered a decisive strike to Rider, her magic-infused attack cutting through the Servant's defences. Rider let out a pained gasp before vanishing into a cloud of ethereal mist.

By the time Rin and Archer arrived on the scene, the battle was over. The bounded field was gone, and Rider had been defeated. Shinji, now Servant-less and terrified, stumbled away from Shirou, his eyes wide with fear.

"Y-You... you'll pay for this, Emiya!" Shinji stammered before turning on his heel and fleeing into the night.

Unfortunately for him, his escape was short-lived. As he ran through the school grounds, he came face-to-face with Illya, her cold gaze fixed on him as she sat atop Berserker's broad shoulders.

"Well, well," Illya said, her voice sweet but laced with menace. "Looks like you're all alone now, Shinji. No Servant to protect you."

Shinji's face turned white as a sheet as he stumbled backward. "I-I…"

"Berserker," Illya called out, her voice light and playful. "Take care of him."

The towering figure of Berserker loomed over Shinji, and with a single, crushing blow, Shinji's terrified scream was silenced.

Omake

Throne of Heroes: Artoria's Wrath, Part 4

In the Throne of Heroes, Artoria was fuming once again. Her emotions were a storm of contradictions. On one hand, she had to begrudgingly admit that Lady Avalon had done an exceptional job of protecting Shirou. Not only had she saved him from a fatal fall, but she had also decisively dealt with Rider and neutralized the threat of the bounded field generated by Blood Fort Andromeda.

"Unbelievable!" Artoria fumed, pacing back and forth in the Throne of Heroes. "She's genuinely protecting him… I should be grateful for that, I know. But why does she have to be so flirty and affectionate?!"

She clenched her fists, feeling a strange sense of frustration. "I've somehow lost to her... as a woman." Her voice wavered with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Merlin of all people! A succubus half-breed pretending to be a knight!"

Artoria groaned, slumping into an ethereal chair. "If she's going to protect him, fine. But does she have to be so shameless about it?!"

A floral wind blew by, seeming to carry an annoying chuckle on its currents.