FBBH 103

This chapter was ease to wright, it has long been in the works and was overrall fun... Next one, I predict, will be a pain in the butt.

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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103- Wonder of You

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“Just to make things clear,” Olga Marie began clearly in an extremely bad mood which was intensified by a growing headache. Finally she managed to make a couple of friends and was enjoy her school trip only to have it cut short because a certain Mage, “you want me to use the Chaldea System, a system that I already adjusted to work with devils, to connect you to a seed to connect you to the Throne of Heroes.”

‘Convoluted’ was the sort of procedure she hated more than any other. Indeed the young magus liked controlled factors and predictable outcomes. Her grandfather was the same which was probably why he disavowed the Chaldea System.

Either way the Mage of Swords’ idea was convoluted enough to tick every single box that Olga Marie hated.

“That is right.” Shirou tried to smile but he could feel the petite girl’s irritation. Already a little overwhelmed by the glares of other women present he nevertheless persevered.

Olga began massaging her temples, counting to ten, counting prime numbers and even coordinates for a couple constellations. Nothing was working, the frustration was still boiling as she sat in her chair. “Are you insane?”

“He is.” Rias affirmed with conviction and some frustration of her own.

“Meh.” Azazel, who flew in from his lab after a meeting with Michael, shrugged as he studied the flask with the seed without touching it. Its pulse was enough to bother the fallen angel who could recognize something made to kill his kind with a glance. “Sanity is overrated.”

An exasperated sigh escaped Olga who looked every bit her age as she hid her face in her hands. ‘I want to go back to Kyoto.’ Unfortunately when the girl first heard the request for assistance she found herself trapped. There was no way she was going to refuse the Heiress of Gremory and her Mage without becoming a pariah in the Clocktower since Sona no longer had the influence she once held. “That isn’t what the Chaldea System was designed for!”

“Neither was it designed to give devils Noble Phantasms.” Shirou reminded the girl who glared at him. Raising his hands in surrender, he tried another approach. “Look, we need to investigate more of Illya’s-”

“Your homicidal sister.”

“...” It took a lot from Shirou to not protest but that was his brotherly instincts talking. His sister was a terrorist, there was no escaping the fact and he had to swallow the bitter pill. “You know how powerful Heroic Spirits are. We need to know what we are dealing with.”

Kuzuki, who was representing the Sitri Clan, spoke for the first time since welcoming them at school. “Although I cannot say to be an expert in magic, I can agree that a course of action must be set as soon as possible. Especially if we are dealing with enemies more powerful than ourselves. Which isn't an excuse to be imprudent so I request, Emiya-kun, that you allow Animusphere-kun time to adjust her equipment.”

“Adjust how? Nobody here has any idea of what we are doing.” Xenovia commented with her arms crossed, not allowing Shirou out of her sight. “But we need it done anyway. Trust me, if we weren’t worried that the seed could stop working at any moment, Rias and I would have dragged him home and tied him on a bed.”

“We can still do it. My bed has plenty of space.” Akeno joked even as she helped Tsubasa set some wires for a special chair that Olga had ordered them to place on the chamber in the center of the room.

The Rook stared at the Queen for a second as the others barely gave her a glance. “Maybe you should join the Pervert Trio, ‘Great Onee-sama’-senpai.”

“... Can you call me Onee-sama again? I quite liked it” Tsubasa blushed and quickly summoned her shield. If questioned she would retort it was for the experiment's sake, not to hide her face.

“Focus now, my High Priestess.” Medusa was also present for several reasons, including the fact she was already at the club waiting for any news from Kyoto and ready to defend Fuyuki if necessary. Which was quite good for the lilac haired girl who was happy somebody could rein the Queen in. “My Champion, I have to agree this seems to be a bit too rash and risky. Is there no other way?”

Shirou shook his head without hesitation. “No. Maybe Illya herself could figure something out-”

“Oh yeah. The terrorist will help us break her magecraft apart out of the goodness of her heart.” Olga Marie wasn’t apt on the use of sarcasm but she had been getting quite good over the last few hours. “Maybe we should call her. Do you have a number or is she going to try to kidnap you again? Maybe level Fuyuki while at it.”

“Animusphere, that is enough.” Rias folded her arms beneath her breasts and glared at the girl who just huffed and began turning on her equipment. After a sigh, she looked at the seed which rested on a table. “We have no clue if this will even work without electrocuting you or worse. Please, Shiro, reconsider.”

The flask left her field of view when Liz placed it in a cube that Azazel brought from his own lab. “Lady Illyasviel’s magic shouldn’t harm Shirou-sama. She would never allow it.”

Xenovia winced, holding her side. “Gilgamesh certainly did.”

“Not a spell. A person.” Yet the maid glared at the chair which was too similar to a dentist’s to not evoke the idea of pain. “I worry more about this system.”

“Don’t you dare!” Olga Marie roared in anger. “My research is flawless in every metretic. A devil walks in there with an Evil Piece and they are going to leave with a Noble Phantasm 70% of the time.”

“Not everyone gets one.” Rias reminded the magus with a serious expression, making her flinch. “Your research isn’t flawless by any stretch of imagination, Olga Marie, but it is the best any magician has managed to accomplish in thousands of years.”

“Until Illya toppled her off.” Azazel added and the redhead glared at him. She had been trying to calm down the younger girl but the Cadre cared not for that. “All it took was the death of dozens and a complete abstinence of ethics. Sorry Shirou but we won't cover your sister’s crimes anymore.”

To the fallen angel’s credit he sounded guilty which his friend appreciated. “It is fine.” Anyone could tell the Mage was lying. “We need to stop her anyway.”

Yoruichi entered the room with two huge glowing wooden barrels. “This is as much mana from Kyoto as we managed to gather in short order.” The nekomata placed them on the floor. Akeno and Tsubasa moved to position it close to the wall where several tubes rested. “Oogway-sama confirmed there were traces of foreign mana in there. Your sister’s ritual screwed our ley line quite a bit.”

“Sorry.” Was all Shirou could say but his lover brushed him off.

Before flashing to his side and hugging him with an arm. “Still think this is a good idea? That is a lot of mana and who the hell knows what that seed can do.”

“We aren’t even using it as intended!” Olga protested once again.

“Animesphere-kun, what are the chances of the procedure Illyasviel realized to be repeated in these conditions?” Kuzuki asked and everyone fell silent.

Not for long. “None. Zero. Nil.” The girl crossed her arms in a ‘x’. “This isn’t something we are prepared for even if it is similar to my work. I have no idea what sort of procedures, spells nor I know enough about Einzbern magecraft to make this work.”

Yoruichi frowned before pointing to the chair inside the chamber and its many wires. “Isn’t this based on Heaven’s Feel?”

“Heaven’s Feel isn’t what his sister managed to accomplish! I don’t even know what to call that but True Magic it ain’t. The cost was too great and the conditions too unstable.” Olga Marie shook her head vigorously. “This is impossible. We have better odds of him exploding than we getting to the Throne of Heroes.”

Everyone paused and looked at each other as fear and trepidation dominated the room. If given a choice nobody there wanted Shirou to die yet he remained resolute. While they all stopped, the Mage approached the chair and continued adjusting it. For a minute or so they only heard him tight some screws while connecting a few wires. After a sigh he picked up a tube and opened one of the barrels to place it inside.

‘Liquid mana isn’t a thing I see often.’ The Mage thought, waiting for the silence to end.

When he moved to the second barrel, Yoruichi finally spoke. “Maybe we should run a couple of tests first? Use a dummy or a volunteer?”

“I can get a criminal on the death roll here in minutes.” Rias offered.

“Would that be acceptable?” Kuzuki questioned and Olga Marie stopped to think.

“Wouldn’t make the procedure perfect or anything but at least we would know if it is safe.”

Akeno marched to the door. “If I fly to get them, we can start in-”

Shirou cut off the conversation. “Do any of you think that the seed will work more than once?” Nobody reacted as he fixed the tubes with the chair. Xenovia came closer and offered him a wrench since he couldn’t Trace one and risk contaminating the place with his mana. “Well, do any of you?”

“We should minimize the risks.” Olga retorted with her arms crossed.

Shirou stood up with a grunt and approached her. “And if the seed vanishes after one use then this whole experiment is over.” Hands in her console, their eyes met. His were full of determination, hers with frustration and caution. “Don’t act like you don’t want this.”

“Want what?”

“To see if your machine can work with humans. To get more Noble Phantasms from the Throne.” He declared without fear.

Olga Marie’s glare grew stronger. “Don’t pretend this is the same. You aren’t trying to connect with the Throne for a Noble Phantasm! You are trying to use my System to get a Heroic Spirit.”

“Yes I am! Because it is the only way I can stop my sister!” Silence descended again but Shirou broke it quickly. “We need to level the playing field and even if I don’t get any Heroic Spirit then I can at least find some way to break the ritual.”

“You can’t know if that will work. No, it can’t.” Olga Marie stood from her and pointed to his face. “The Chaldea System isn’t ready to work with humans. It just isn’t.”

“Doesn’t matter if it is or not. The ritual is still going.” Shirou pointed to the pulsing seed. “We only have this shot. We need to take a chance.”

“Didn’t you flip a table when Tsubasa connected with Galahad’s Shield?” Olga Marie shot back angrily.

“You did this because she,” Shirou pointed to the Rook, “wanted power. It was unnecessary and she could get an Artificial sacred gear if she was that desperate.”

“Still anxious to try that.” Azazel tried to interject into the conversation.

However the Mage was on a warpath. “But this is going to save lives. This will stop my sister from making a body pile so big Heaven will get to see it!” Everybody else stood still as he took several deep breaths. “‘To be a magus is to walk with death’. Since when is magecraft supposed to be easy?” He focused on Olga alone as he said those words. “Unstable? Unknown? Yes, we are basically walking in a cave without a light.”

“Technically devils-”

Xenovia hit the Queen’s side and whispered. “He is doing a thing.”

“I am not underestimating the risks or denying that I am asking too much of you but we have no choice but to take a shot in the dark.” Shirou was about to slam his hands down but remembering the equipment was important, he just leaned forward to greet Olga at her height. “Usually I would agree with you and try to find another way around but not this time. Not when we only have one shot and we don’t know for how long.”

“What if…” Olga Marie licked her lips. Her throat was dry and the Mage scared her yet she raised her head to be just a bit taller than him. “What if taking our time would actually get us the better result What if-”

“‘To be a magus is to walk with death’.” Shirou repeated without fear. “Someone has to risk their life and this is my sister’s ritual, her mistakes.” He glanced at Rias who was biting her lip. “Let me do this.” Then turned back to the smaller magus. “Let me do this because you aren’t going to find anyone more committed to making this work or who has a better chance of success anywhere else.”

“Because you believe your sister wouldn’t let you die?” Animusphere asked hesitantly.

“Because I trust her work… and yours. And Azazel’s.”

“Nice to know I am not chopped liver.” The Cadre commented while getting back to work and connecting the wires to his glass box. “Should we take the seed from the flask or leave it there?”

“Does it make any difference?” Yoruichi asked, her eyes jumping between her lover and the box in question.

“I think not. This thing’s output is almost akin to a small reactor and power is pretty much leaking. Probably to empower whoever should be using the seed, anyway.” It was the best theory he had. “You sure you don’t want to try and swallow it, Shirou?”

“And leaving foreign mana inside his body for his sister to use?” Rias questioned after recovering from her lover’s outburst. “No, if we are doing this… we are using Olga Marie’s system or your equipment-”

“Then make a decision.” Medusa demanded, her mind already made. She gestured to her Champion before saying, “Let the fool do as he wishes. He knows more about his sister’s magic than anyone else anyway. Besides, we can make sure he doesn’t die.”

Olga sighed heavily. “That is what the wires are for. A way to drain mana out if there is too much for the body.” Gritting her teeth the girl found no choice but to reveal, “Theoretically they are supposed to ‘siphoning’ out a Noble Phantasm if the lack of an Evil Piece risks the subject- I mean, its bearer’s life.”

Leaving out a few details for the sake of her pride and irrelevancy for their current situation, the Magician of Sitri knew if her Gremory counterpart demanded her research to do everything on his own, she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Rias didn’t want him to risk his life but his arguments were decent and they had technically prepared as best as they could. If Shirou didn’t risk his life then the fight against the Hero Faction would be much harder. A lot of people would still perish anyway but if the Mage could reduce that number he would do so.

And the Heiress of Gremory was willing to give him a chance despite how fearful she was for him. “We notice anything wrong,” the redhead said somberly, “we pull the plug.”

“I think we won’t have the time.” Tsubasa mumbled, immediately getting everyone’s attention. “If it is like it was for everybody else…”

Olga threw her arms up. “We can’t know! That is the problem! We don’t know anything!” Crossing her arms, she added, “A magus may walk with death but doesn’t mean you should be suicidal.”

“Does that mean you aren’t going to help?” Shirou asked with a raised brown. “I would believe the data you are about to get is important to your research.” He saw a vein pop in her forehead. “Also, Illya undeniable also found a way to the Throne of Heroes. Are you saying you are going to give up a chance to see what that seed is about?”

The white haired girl glared at him. “I can do the same if you let me study-”

“Either we do it my way or I am taking the seed to my workshop and trying to make some sort of ‘Anti-Servant’ sword.”

“Would that work?” Akeno questioned the Mage who shrugged.

“No. Mana like that is too immaterial. I would have to shove it into a core somehow, try to bypass the ritual and whatever functions Illya placed on it and then, somehow, connect it with a sword. Again, we don’t know how long this pulsing is going to last. We don’t know the rules to my sister’s ritual or whatever traps she placed on the seed. The Chaldea System is our best bet because she would know little about it.” He focused on the younger magus again. “Fight unknown with the unknown. Since it is undeniable that you also managed to touch the Throne, there is a chance that two wrongs somehow make a right.”

“That is just stupid.” Xenovia commented, understanding half of what was.

“But it can work?” Tsubasa asked but nobody had a reply.

“... You are a fool.” Olga Marie affirmed with conviction with a deadpan stare at the Mage.

Shirou offered her a cheeky bow. “The Greatest one, at your service.”

“Glad to see you embrace the Title. Now, Animusphere, is everything ready for the procedure?” Medusa asked while motioning towards the chamber where the chair looked like an amalgamation of wires and tubes. “Or do you need to make any more adjustments? Please, make a decision.”

Grumbling something about ‘pompous goddesses’ under her breath, Olga looked at her prototype before shaking her head. “Place a few more wires on the arms and adjust the head before placing a tube behind it. Also, is that box going to survive the process? We are pumping it full of mana. Extremely volatile mana, not even mentioning the seed’s power itself. Maybe we should get some steel instead of glass, even if the former is a worse conductor.”

“I will have you know that ‘box of glass’ as you called it is made of rare quartz synthesized by yours truly.” Azazel revealed with flair.

““Is it now?”” Akeno and Yoruichi asked with playful tones before nodding at each other. ““Doesn’t look like it.””

“... You two are awfully in sync- Never mind. Yes, it is a special quartz more conductive than gold and capable of storing a huge quantity of mana before cracking. A marvel of Alchemy and magic, I plan to call it Sain-”

“If that blows up in our faces, I am blaming you.” Olga cut the Cadre off before pointing at Shirou. “And if you blow up or melt or die in any gruesome or non gruesome manner, I won’t be responsible for it. Do you hear me?”

“Sure.” Shirou replied before Rias could. “I am fine with it since I requested-”

“More likely demanded.”

“-your help. Don’t worry, though. I won’t die.”

“You are about to channel enough mana to invade the Throne of Heroes. Yes, ‘invade’, that is the right word.” Olga coined before growling. “You are about to invade a section of the World, using inappropriate means from a ritual we know nothing about. Dying should, believe it or not, be the lesser of your concerns. The mana alone your body will have to deal with will be humongous.”

Shirou nodded at each of her points, patiently waiting for her to finish. “I survived most of Fuyuki’s mana when reforging Caliburn, I used even more than that when I fought Loki and I train with a Divine Beast almost on a daily basis.” The Magus reminisced the last part with a smirk. “My body is used to large quantities of mana, at least more than most. Add that to the fact it is my sister’s ritual and our own precautions and, even if this doesn’t work, I don’t see myself dying.”

“I- You- Are you- That is not- Bah! I quit! You want to kill yourself? Fine! Let's get this over with!” With that declaration, Olga booted up the computer to adjust the Chaldea System further. “Stupid Mage of Swords. Stupid Einzbern. Stupid Throne of Heroes.”

While the young girl mumbled, Rias approached Shirou. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

Taking her hand, he said. “It will be fine.” Everyone else but Liz looked at him as he smiled and declared confidently. “I promise I will be fine. You all know how bad of a liar I am.”

“Omission is not lying, technically.” Yoruichi pointed out. “And you may be denying your own situation. I know Illyasviel is your sister but she isn’t worth all of this.”

“As a King of Kyoto, what do you think?” The Mage of Swords asked.

And the nekomata had to acknowledge that, “You should go ahead with it. Damn it, I sorta hate your sister right now.”

“Just let him do it already.” Xenovia tried to sound confident but Shirou, Rias and Medusa could tell she was nervous. Still there was an unshakable faith that allowed her to say, “You already heard Master; it is going to be fine. He can do it.”

Akeno sighed and shook her head before saying, “Well, for good luck then.” She then leaned forward and kissed his cheek, much to Rias’ jealousy and Yoruichi’s amusement.

“Bold, my priestess, really bold.” Medusa clearly approved.

Rias then moved for a kiss as well, only for Olga to interrupt. “Get to the machine already!” The stress was finally getting to her since she didn’t care about infuriating an Heiress of the Pillars any longer. Azazel laughed as the girl ordered. “If we are going to do this, we are doing it now. Stop wasting time.”

The fallen angel laughed again. “Hahahaha! You heard the boss.” Repositioning himself behind a station, his fingers moved at high speed as he prepared several commands. “Mana deposits and energy connections are a ‘go’. All the systems are green and waiting.”

Despite being a magus, Olga Marie was familiar enough with technology that she didn’t lose to Azazel on typing speed. “Chaldea System online.” Mostly because the original system also was quite modern she had to learn the basics of programming. She would never be great at it but knew enough to get by even on a normal computer. “Preparing life support systems and-”

“Was that used on the original Chaldea System?” Shirou interrupted and everyone paused. “Was it?”

“Please tell me you are joking.” Olga knew what he was about to say.

“We must maintain the process as pure as possible.” Was the Mage’s response.

Clicking her tongue, the girl pressed a few more buttons and she started repeating. “If you blow up or something else-”

“I won’t.” Shirou marched towards the chair.

Where a huge opening appeared on the floor in the chamber’s center. “After this,” Tsubasa began, “you won’t be able to criticize me for taking the shield.” The Noble Phantasm was easily inserted on the opening.

It fit like a glove and the Round Table moved beneath the chair turning on several lights on the floor which lit dozens of hundreds of letters. Mana began flooding the chamber as the air grew heavy and the pulsing seed’s light grew brighter. Azazel and Olga immediately began analysing it from their stations as everyone took a step back.

“Are they…”

“Compatible?” Both Olga and Azazel were surprised as the mana began flowing from the seed to the quartz, empowering everything. “These numbers… Olga Marie, is this normal?”

All eyes were on her but she didn’t care. “Somehow the system is being more efficient but that could be a mistake.”

“Or a glitch.” Shirou stared at Tsubasa and said, “You wanted the shield as a shortcut because of fear,” he touched the chair, every nerve in his body feeling the energy within it, “same as me. But you did it for yourself. So don’t go around thinking it is the same.”

Before the Rook could reply, the Mage sat down and tied his right arm on the chair. Liz was beside him, doing the same to his left. “You sound like a real magus.”

A chuckle escaped him as Tsubasa huffed and moved to the station. “Do you think dad will be disappointed?”

“Not with you.” What almost everybody in the room didn’t know or forgot was that it wasn’t only Shirou’s sister who joined the Hero Faction.

While not as responsible for Kyoto’s attack and its tragedies, Sella still followed her mistress as she was made to do. Leysritt’s sibling, deemed by their creators as the smart one of the pair, was also a member of the terrorist organization and without a doubt helped set up the ritual.

Meaning both their sisters were the enemy and neither was really coping with it well. Shirou decided he needed to do something about it which involved him jumping head first into a dangerous procedure.

Liz followed him both for his sake and also to distract herself as she felt her chest hurt everytime she thought about Illyasviel and Sella on the Hero Faction, using the Einzbern’s legacy to plan a genocide.

Both were glad Kiritsugu finished off that family if what the Hero Faction did was any indication of the danger the World would be in if the Holy Grail War ever started. “Good luck.”

Every instinct screamed for her to take Shirou’s place but both of them knew only he could survive that. “Won’t need it. Don’t worry.”

“We still will.” Rias commented as everyone began to step closer to the work stations.

“Shouldn't we have another wall or something for this?” Yoruichi questioned as the mana in the air pricked her skin. “That chamber alone seems rather thin.”

Olga grunted as she worked. “You try to connect this to a whole different room and stop the thing from falling apart.” Glaring at Shirou and then at the box, she added. “By the way if he blows up, we probably blow up too.”

“Medusa and I probably will survive anything like that.” Azazel joked for the sake of it.

Only for the girl to retort, “We are pumping the equivalent of a ‘key’ to the Root, which already has the power of a Noble Phantasm, with mana from Kyoto to boot, into a dangerous ritual.” She glared at the fallen angel, not amused. “If this blows up, Fuyuki probably will become a hole to the ocean’s floor.”

“You are exaggerating.” Medusa was the only one who barely reacted.

“Probably. Most of the energy is going to be spent starting the ritual and sending his consciousness wherever it needs to go but whatever happens, happens.” Olga finally reached the point that she didn’t care and just prepared herself to get as much data as she could.

Which actually reassured Shirou who knew the girl had diligently checked all possibilities she could. ‘Since we are, no, I am plunging into the unknown, I need to accept the risks. Truth be told I would feel more confident if Artoria was here so Avalon was at 100% but, even without her, I hope it will be fine.’

Unfortunately Rias didn’t share the sentiment since his life was the one on the line.

So she didn’t hesitate to blunge inside the chamber again just as the doors were about to close. “Oi! Gremory, are you mad?!”

“Just finish preparing everything, Olga Marie.” By her love’s side, she asked. “Shiro, have you considered the grail?” She whispered to him as Akeno and Xenovia covered them.

The raven and blueheads shared a look as both also knew that was a possibility that would level the plain field against Heroic Spirits. Even if Enkidu could counter Bellerophon, it could do nothing against the raw power of a Holy Grail. In fact the three of them actually agreed the Mage was rushing a bit too much and maybe not considered everything.

Except he did and had been doing so since the moment Gilgamesh beat him down. “The Holy Grail would only work if someone was powerful enough to survive the constant influx of energy- No, Rias, not even Sirzechs can do that.” Perhaps a god could but he wasn’t going to mention that. The only goddess he trusted was Medusa and he wasn’t going to risk her life against Enkidu. “Believe it or not, this is the most valid approach I could think of.”

He said ‘valid’ instead of ‘safe’ because there were other options that risked other people’s lives or he could try and use Loki’s blood combined with the Holy Grail to try a ritual of his own in Fuyuki.

However every other alternative presented their own risks and none of them, including using the Chaldea System, had a clear possibility of success. So he would try Olga’s magecraft first to take advantage of his sister’s ritual in hopes it gave them something. If they didn’t then he would start to get desperate.

Didn’t mean Shirou was willing to quit. “Trust me, alright. If the Holy Grail could solve all our troubles I would have already used it. Turns out that unless it is for a Wish, it isn’t a ‘get out of jail’ card.” Looking at the three women, he added. “You all better exit now. Olga Marie looks ready to pop a vein.”

Akeno shook her head and ignored his request. “Are you concerned about the Holy Grail getting full?”

“Always.”

“Can the three step out of the chamber already?” Olga Marie called out as her patience dwindled and died. “At least stay behind the yellow line so we can start.”

A bright yellow tape separated the boundary between the ritual circle and the rest of the chamber, clearly irrelevant because of how much energy was going to be used. A last look from the women had them stepping out as Shirou did his best to relax in the chair. Which gave him some time to grow nervous.

“Pretending for a moment that this is the same thing as if I was a Reincarnated devil,” he started the hypothetical scenario as the door of the chamber closed down, “what I should expect?”

“First, you aren’t. Second, every experience was different.” Olga turned to Kuzuki.

Who spoke calmly. “Don’t worry too much about it. You will find yourself somewhere and make contact with the Heroic Spirit… Most of it is vague and you will barely remember anyway but they will leave an impression for certain.”

“Any advice on what I should or should not do?” Shirou asked and his teacher fell silent. “Sensei?”

“... Just be yourself.” As he said that the mana grew heavier and the letters surrounded the chair grew brighter.

Already the Mage felt some of it enter his body as his soul reacted to something. “Okay then. Hope you guys don’t have to wait too long. Maybe I should have made some lunch before this thing started.”

“It will be over in an instant.” Olga Marie spoke with a playful tone as a dangerous smile grew in her lips. “For us, I mean. For you it can last hours of a game of tag or something equally stupid.”

Yoruichi glared at the small magus. “Wait, what do you mean? And did you call ‘tag’ a stupid game?”

Medusa glared at the two. “Is that what you are focusing on?”

“Time is different for those undergoing this ritual, isn’t it?” Azazel deduced and Olga Marie giggled.

“Oh yes. Spiritual something, soul moving around beyond the boundaries of our dimension. You know how it is.”

Which began concerning Shirou. “Wait, if my soul is going somewhere how do I get back?”

“That is for you to figure out.” Suddenly everyone was worried that Olga had lost her mind but she was just being honest. If a little too eager as she raised her fist and punched the red button which would start the procedure. “Banzai!!”

“Are you-” Mana flowed into his body and Shirou felt himself float while also feeling like he was submerged in water and lost into a storm of sand. “-kidding me? What?”

No longer could the Mage of Swords claim he was inside Olga Marie’s workshop for the sight before his eyes couldn’t be anything manmade. It was similar to how the Dimensional Gap was described except with far less colours and much more orderly from what he could perceive.

“Whoa…” Shirou managed to mumble while watching a river of teal surround his body and flow somewhere behind him. Looking at his hands the magus knew exactly what it was. “Mana… All this is mana…”

Floating in place, or at least feeling he was floating, the Mage looked around and noticed he was deep in the middle of a huge river of pure mana. More mana than any ley line he had ever seen, more even than Fuyuki and Kyoto’s combined. It wasn’t just a single river either as his eyes caught sight of another above his head.

When he looked right he found another couple of ‘rivers’ flowing in the same direction, some carrying less mana than the one he was in. Same when looking left and down, mana everywhere his eyes could see. Mana and the abstinence of anything else as the world lost all its colours but teal and blue, even his red cloak sharing in its light.

Leading him to deduce that, “This is my soul.” Shirou began feeling his own body before chuckling. “At least it isn’t Unlimited Blade Works. Less complicated like this, I guess.” Testing his motions a little, he quickly learned he could ‘swim’ in the ‘river’. At least he believed so, his mind could be playing pranks on him. “Great. Now, I doubt this is the Throne of Heroes. Unless it is… because it is a… Metaphysical space… Okay, better believe I don’t know anything.”

Because he didn’t and was growing increasingly confused while looking around to try and get his bearings. However he only saw mana and rivers made of it as the space between the teal energy was filled with more blue energy that felt the same and at the same time different.

There was so much mana there, so much power, that Shirou instinctively knew he could destroy and reshape Earth hundreds of times over and never use a hundredth of what he found around himself.

Which had all sorts of implications. “Am I in the Root?” The idea sounded absurd, especially considering any magician who reached the place should gain godhood. At least a couple managed to glimpse it and gain True Magic but the Mage didn’t feel any different. “Maybe I am but the process… I am not in the Root but I am watching it? Shit. Rin or Luvia would know… Certainly they would know what to do.”

Shirou found himself lost and in a dilemma; supposedly he should have made contact with some sort of Heroic Spirit, guided by the Chaldea System and his sister’s seed per the plan he concocted.

Sure it was improvised and had millions of unknown factors but if he was inside the Root then he had been partially right. Yet no Heroic Spirit greeted him and he had no idea where he was or where to go. All he knew was that he was in an impossible river and he could either go with the flow or against it.

‘I can’t believe nothing else is happening right now. My luck usually isn’t that good… Then again, maybe something is happening and I am not noticing.’ His soul, at least Shirou believed was his soul, wasn’t being influenced by the mana. ‘Better not think too much about this whole thing. Perhaps I am not really there, just a visitor, unworthy of the Root’s greater Mysteries and rewards…. Where did those thoughts come from?’ Shaking his head, he cleared  his mind and looked ahead, focusing solely on the mission. ‘First things first…’

Leaning forward the Mage found himself moving in that direction, the same happened when he moved backwards. It was intent based movement and not much different when he was flying with Bellerophon. Figuring out he was free to go wherever he wished, the problem was still figuring out where to go.

‘Since I showed up in a ‘river’ of mana, maybe leaving isn’t a good idea… Perhaps this is connected to Fuyuki? I mean, if every ‘river’ is a different ley line or something like that. In that case… If all ley lines are part of the World so if I follow it to the source…’

Turning around he stared at the direction where the ‘river’ started and found himself staring at a ‘star’ he was 100% sure wasn't there just a moment ago. Yet it was there, a ball of blue energy so bright that even the light of Ether paled to it. A sphere so simple, so perfect and so powerful that the Mage knew he should be shivering just staring at it.

A good thing about being just a soul; no nerves.

‘Well, looks like I am going there.’ Common sense was optional and Shirou wasn’t known to have much of it. ‘Here I-’ Suddenly several images assaulted his mind.

Earth floating in space, as peaceful as it always was regardless of the conflicts with it.

Oceans clashing against each other.

Land and Heaven breaking up.

A woman with blonde hair and red eyes that was strangely familiar.

Just for a moment, less than that even. “-go. What the hell?” Shirou exclaimed in surprise before looking around. “How did I end up in a jungle?” Vegetation filled his vision while the sound of insects reached his ears. Next the Mage looked at his hands and touched his body, noticing that, “I am corporeal again? Did that teleport me somewhere?”

Before voicing more of his confusion or trying to figure out what to do the former redhead caught the sound of tires cutting through a harsh road while breaking wood and scaring the animals.

Signs of civilization. ‘At least it is somewhere to go, I guess.’ Circuits active, he dashed towards the noise at full speed. A few seconds later he halted and climbed a tree to see, “A convoy?”

Eight trucks braved the jungle while surrounded by twelve armored vehicles with machine guns attached to the front and four men in each car carrying their own firearms. He would have mistaken them for an army, at least a battalion, if not for the lack of uniforms and the thorn clothes they wore.

‘Revolutionaries, criminals or something else’ Shirou began pondering before something began pricking the back of his head. Not an insect or anything similar, the sensation was coming from his skull. ‘There!’

For a few seconds the Mage didn’t know what he was looking at but he knew there was something. Then a few leaves moved and he was sure a brown cloak of some sort shifted the branches, barely revealing a person hidden in the trees on the other side of the convoy.

Trying to remember Azazel’s words about not involving himself in any wars, Shirou hoped the other person was also someone who stumbled there for a reason or another. Yet that wasn’t the case because a couple more leaves fell and he saw a pair of arms unveil a huge bow.

‘Is that-’ An arrow was notched and soon fired. A single lonely arrow that shouldn’t do much damage.

It crossed the air in an instant without anybody noticing until the driver of the first truck got hit in the neck. Shirou watched with morbid fascination as his sudden demise was followed up by others as his vehicle swerved to the side and hit a tree. Whatever was inside it had to be some sort of ordnance as well because the impact was quite explosive.

Half of the convoy was destroyed and the Mage couldn’t stay quiet. ‘That precision!’ Tracing his own bow, he was about to intervene but was too slow.

Six arrows were fired in rapid succession, two more truck drivers were hit and crashed in their final moments while the last four killed the armored vehicles’ drivers. Lighter than the trucks, the four wheelers turned around and hit each other as men screamed. Either they died on impact or because of the fire a few seconds after.

Shirou was already landing on the ground to help one of them before an arrow finished the job without the Mage being able to do anything. A sense of impotence filled his being, something that ticked him in the wrong way because of his recent failure in Kyoto. His bow was already prepared and he was about to fire his own arrows to avenge the fallen.

Not that he had a chance as the air around the jungle grew charged and the person on the tree left his position. “HEY!!!!” The call was ignored so the magus abandoned his plans of firing and started his pursuit. ‘Bellerophon?’

His Legendary Mount was missing and so Shirou gritted his teeth to accelerate further by his own means. Kicking the ground, he started doing the same with the trees, jumping up and forward to catch the runner. The jungle was still thick so he didn’t have a line of sight of the archer.

Abandoning his weapons, the Mage used his hands to speed up but his target was leaping farther than he ever could without wasting a single movement. It was like the archer’s feet were glading over the branches instead of touching them.

Whatever the case, soon he came to a stop and Shirou called again. “Hey you!!!” Either the archer hasn’t heard or didn’t care. Either way he was already preparing another shot which revealed his features to the Mage.

Broad shoulders held long arms full of muscles, used to draw his heavy bow like it was nothing, black armor, pants and gloves were contrasted by the man’s gray hair as he finished the preparations by turning to the side, showing the magus his focused gaze.

Like a hawk eyeing its prey.

Brown cloak dancing in the wind, Shirou knew exactly what he was looking at. ‘That stance! Kyudo?’

How could he not recognize that posture which he had drilled in himself for hours upon hours without end after Angelo gave him the idea of practicing archery? How could he not see the grace in the archer’s movements, the strength of his draw and his steady breathing as there was only him and his target?

Of course Shirou realized all that, meaning he knew the archer wouldn’t hear him.

Instead the Mage sped up further, his circuits glowing in his skin as he could already tell someone was about to die. Getting closer to the jungle’s edge he saw the archer’s target and realized it wouldn’t be just one person but several. Because right beneath a cliff there was a hidden facility full of missiles and fuel tanks.

‘No.’ A Noble Phantasm wouldn’t be necessary to cause a big explosion. A small but powerful shot would blow everything when fired precisely. ‘No!’

By the time he finished the thought it was already too late.

A one in a million shot was released.

The arrows cut sliced the air like a blade arriving at a particular fuel container that had been opened to start filling an also particularly huge missile, getting inside without anybody but the archer and the magus being none the wiser.

For the people in that base it was any other day, routine even, as they prepared to unleash more violence into the world per orders, customs or a plethora of reasons. Never would they see the night or another day for the arrow lit up a particular spark which started a chain reaction of epic proportions.

Because the missiles and other weapons were hazardously badly set up without any real care so when the fuel began catching fire it quickly spread until it reached the huge missile close to it.

Either due to sheer bad luck or thanks to some preparation from the archer’s part, it exploded, spreading the flames which quickly reached more fuel, missiles and other weapons.

Unleashing a nasty, gigantic fireball that consumed the whole base. With the cliff becoming an inferno, the flames shot up, looking for a direction to escape. Shirou realized if the fire went too far then the whole forest could be in danger.

Quickly he began focusing mana, Rho Aias was about to be summoned when he felt something pulling his body. The cliff and the jungle vanished as suddenly found himself staring at a desert full of dunes and dead men. Dead or dying as he heard a battle cry as two different columns of armies began charging at one another.

‘Where am I?!’ The Mage looked around before realizing, ‘When am I?’ Because no longer he saw trucks and missiles.

No, he saw camels and chariots, spears and shields instead of guns, light armor made of bronze instead of kevlar. That wasn’t any sort of modern army and he was pretty sure nobody there was using mana for the most part. Not that he could be sure, his nose could only smell blood, shit and fear.

People died and Shirou felt himself grown overwhelmed as thousands of men did their best to kill each other, any semblance of order dying in a melee that made impossible for him to differentiate the sides.

And sand.

Lots and lots of sand being kicked up by thousands of people began filling his vision as he lost sight of the battle. All he could hear were the screams before moving to try and save someone both for their sake and to ask what was happening.

However there was still a pull in his skull, that pitch that began growing stronger when he began moving in the wrong direction. Shirou looked to wherever that pull was demanding him to and found a shadow also running across the sand, just in the opposite direction.

Something compelled him to follow so the Mage turned around and raced towards the archer. A moment later they no longer were inside a cloud of sand, the brown cloak protecting its wearer which compelled Shirou to Trace a bandana for himself. He accelerated but the archer had already reached his goal.

A clean hill surviving the battle where he could draw his bow without interruption. An arrow of mana formed in his hand and Shirou already knew he was planning on killing someone. In a battle no less which was odd but there were no times for questions as the arrow was released, going over the Mage’s head.

Turning around again the young man watched the shot also go over the battle until it reached a man wearing fanciful clothes, holding a staff of some kind and a crown that looked like a turban of some sort.

With his sight Shirou saw the man was mumbling something and his body began glowing before he suddenly stopped, eyes growing wide, and looked in their direction allowing the arrow to pierce his forehead.

That final sight was all the Mage had before his body was pulled again and he found himself no longer in a desert or the jungle but, “Victorian London?” At least a city of the time. ‘Time travel… I’m time traveling… I thought that was impossible because God- Maybe it's all an illusion…’

Starting to lose his composure because of the implication of either possibility, Shirou soon recovered thanks to a scream. A scream of distinct panic botherlining fear that could only belong to a victim of some sort. Deducing the archer he was pursuing was about to make another kill, he rushed towards the sound.

What he found was a strange sight of an old woman, maybe even someone a hundred years old, with a huge knife bothering a machete about to stab a boy on the chest. Tracing his bow, he prepared to shoot only for someone to do it first. An arrow pierced the witch’s head from the side and she fell like a puppet without strings before her body caught fire.

Looking at the blue flame for an instant, Shirou’s head turned to where the arrow came from. ‘There you are.’ The same brown cloak, the same gray hair, a bow and even an armor similar to his own. ‘It can’t be… Can it?’

Another pull and no longer they were in a city, at least not one standing by any sort of imagination. Instead Shirou watched the archer jump from the top of some ruins that were once a house. Not hesitating in the slightest, the Mage kicked the building’s wall down and the rest of the structure fell easily as he crossed it.

If the previous city looked like something from the Victorian Era, the current one was even older than that. Most of it looked to be made of clay and jagged stone, no semblance of glass to be found anywhere. Perhaps all of it was destroyed in whatever did the same to the city itself, corpses filled the area with no living beings in sight.

No other than Shirou himself who kept chasing the archer almost desperately. ‘Okay, if this isn’t an illusion; what sort of Heroic Spirit lives long enough to be in so many different places? And if it is time travel then how?’ Some possibilities crossed his mind but he shook his head while looking for the archer. “He is here to kill someone again? Is all you do is kill? What sort of Hell is this?!”

Making a turn he saw the brown cloak getting into a building falling apart and rushed inside only to find the arrow already loose. There was nothing he could do to stop it, neither him nor the old fashioned magician who looked to be in the middle of a ritual of some sort. The man’s neck was pierced from behind and he died without knowing who did it.

Another pull later and Shirou found himself on an open field. Instead of paying attention to where he was, his eyes refused to leave the archer’s back. He certainly knew exactly where to go because there was nothing stopping him from bolting in a random direction.

Just as the Mage began racing after him only to miss a grab. ‘Is he even noticing me?’ Gritting his teeth despite almost falling on his knees, he kicked the ground and resumed his desperate chase.

Yet the archer was faster than him, so much so that even if they had almost made contact a few seconds before, the distance between them grew insurmountable in just a few instants that took him to find his target.

A single ship sailing at a distance, already several kilometers from shore. A caravel made for short travels capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. Not a challenge for that man who just notched a new arrow and fired without a single sound.

Even if Shirou didn’t see who the archer had hit, he knew there was a hit when his body got pulled again. ‘Shit.’ Again they were in a jungle but much less dense than the first one. ‘Where is he? There!!’ Tracing a sword the Mage of Swords cut down a tree right on the archer’s path. Only for the man to speed up and move past it before it fell. “Hey! Get back here!!”

Either the man didn’t hear or he was following some impulse of his own because they cut through the jungle in a couple seconds to find a cave. Outside the cave there were a few people, a tribe of some sort, with men, women and children who were about to be attacked by some sort of creature.

Only for him to realize the creature was using some sort of primitive human clothes and had a club in his hand. In fact the tribe was also lightly armed and wore too many pelts even if they had too little clothes. Again he grew aware time and space were throwing him everywhere and anywhen.

Regardless of his doubts the archer was still resolute.

A new target meant a new arrow and in a second the monster of a man died.

But it was still a man and with his dead the corpse began shrinking until he looked normal if a little burly, his hair too long and a too large frame. The tribe began crying and lamenting his death which the former redhead found odd.

Still he had no time to think as the pull returned and he found himself pursuing the archer across a long road.

They traveled through the Eras always following the same pattern; Shirou doing his best to chase the archer as the latter hunted his next prey. Not really hunting as much as locating and executing the next target on some sort of list the Mage couldn’t perceive but could somewhat comprehend.

The targets were always dangerous individuals or groups with power, prestige or weaponry that could kill hundreds or more, usually more. Funnily enough most of them weren’t part of the moonlit world, some sure were but the majority were just ambitious or reckless people who caught the archer’s sight.

And he never missed, not even once.

Even when Shirou tried to intervene for the sake of a woman with children he couldn’t just shoot down the archer’s arrows. His shots were always just a bit faster and his precision was impeccable. He always fell a little short, just like during his pursuit, failing to grasp either the man or his cloak several times over.

It didn't help that after every kill they were pulled somewhere else and Shirou needed an instant or two to adapt before resuming his chase, something the archer had no need to because he always seemed to know where to go.

‘How many?’ Sooner or later the Mage of Swords asked, his mind getting overloaded with information as he began growing weary. ‘How many jumps have there been? How many people did he kill? … How many did I fail to save?’

Because a woman with children wasn’t the only one he tried to protect.

There was a group in a ship who looked to be celebrating something just to sink into the deeps a second after, a band of brothers who were researching something before their experiment blew up in their face courtesy of the archer.

And others.

So many others he tried to save.

However he was always one step behind, always fighting to catch up with the superb archer who never acknowledged his presence. ‘Come on!’ After every jump he got a centimeter closer and reacted a bit faster. ‘Come on! Move it! Move Shirou! Move it!!’

An ancient city in their days of glory where a king was killed by his mistresses before she also died.

Vikings clashing with knights before their leader fell for an arrow.

Both men crossed a futuristic battlefield with tanks the size of trucks and jets that looked more like spaceships where one of the pilots perished and his plane crashed on a ship as big as an island, blowing it up.

Again and again they were pulled through space and time itself, Shirou no longer bothering to question why that was happening as his mind focused solely on catching up to the archer who no longer left his sight.

He stopped thinking about who was dying.

He ignored the sights around him, for they would change seconds later.

He forgot about the motives for his chase or the questions of why the archer killed so many.

There was only the chase, even if the archer didn’t know about his pursuer.

With that sort of narrowed focus, it was only a matter of time for his body to move by instinct after every pull, always in the archer’s direction even when there were walls or whole battles between him and the Mage.

Shirou’s mind entered a state he could only reach when fully coming to his Reality Marble or forging a sword; a form of high concentration that some would call ‘flow’ but actually went beyond anything a normal person could achieve.

For he was enlightened in a manner befitting only for the Mage of Swords, his mind, body and spirit moving like his best creations or weapons of its kind, sharp, unparalleled and precise to the point of madness.

In such a state of mind Shirou’s body accelerated further as his reaction improved because he no longer thought about anything at all. There was only the hunt and he had become a sword pointed towards the archer.

When they landed on another battlefield, one of hundreds since their chase began, for the first time it was the Mage who moved first, sizing the other man’s shoulder just before he moved.

For the first time the archer acknowledged the presence behind him, his eyes gaining new life and growing wide in shock. A brief pause occurred, almost as if time had stopped for both of them. Perhaps it did as they stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the older man’s surprise turned into fury.

“You are-”

“-Emiya Shirou.”

A meteor could hit the planet and neither would care as two versions of the same person stared at each other. One with determination while the other held so much vitriol that could poison the ocean. Worse even, the younger one noticed, the hatred from his other self only seemed to grow.

Both felt a pull and their bodies vanished from wherever they were and landed in a desert, a hill, full of swords beneath a rust colored sky that hid hundreds of shadows behind its clouds. The sound of gears reached Shirou’s ears before the older one moved, his arms a blur as his bow hit the younger warrior's chest.

The Mage of Swords was sent flying but managed to recover with a flip and raise his arms. “Wait! I was just-”

“You shouldn’t be here.” Never in his life did the younger man hear so much hatred from someone’s mouth. Making matters worse, he was sure that man was him so even if the voice was different, he feared whatever made him so bitter. “You shouldn’t be here! Shouldn’t have made the pact!”

Mana flowed around that man as his brown cloak fell apart into mottes of energy before a new one took its place. A shroud of red, similar to the Mage of Sword’s own cloak, appeared but the similarities ended there because the colour was a bit darker and steel or crystal spheres protected his wrists.

It was also slightly longer than the younger man’s cloak with its upper and lower part separated and tied to his armor which looked to be the same but was slightly different. Another difference was the material it was made of, a holy shroud that offered a certain degree of protection against evil.

Staring back at the Magician of Gremory was a person with a face similar to his own but sharper, more rugged and older version of himself who looked like some sort of warrior of Legend straight from fairy tales.

Yet that one was no prince nor hero, the hatred in his eyes truly belonging to a villain.

He also was taller and his skin was tanned in an unhealthy way because that if they were one in the same, that was how Emiya Shirou would look like if he constantly abused his circuits to the point of almost cooking himself alive.

Regardless the Mage of Swords felt uncomfortable staring at his older self, especially after confirming who he was. ‘So I am going to die, huh? Rias will be-’

“To think another would be so foolish- so stupid to make that deal!” Vitriol poured from the older man’s tongue as his eyebrows knitted together in pure anger. Pure hatred. “Why are you here? No, the Contract probably isn’t complete yet.” Kanshou and Bakuya surged in his hands. “There is still fixing this.”

Dread filled the younger Emiya. “Hold on-” Sand exploded from the hill’s top as the man’s disappeared in a burst of speed. ‘Shit!’ Not wasting time blinking, Kanshou and Bakuya dropped in his hands to block their counterparts. More hatred filled the older man’s vision as they struggled against the other’s swords. “Can you give me a minute?”

“Why waste a second?” The taller man repositioned his feet and pushed, forced the younger one’s swords up. Bakuya followed up with a stab which the Mage barely dodged by jumping back.

A temporary reprieve and an extremely short one since the older man kicked his side during the escape. A kick so strong that the Mage of Swords couldn’t help but compare it to Akeno’s strikes whenever she started going all out. Perhaps even stronger but definitely more precise.

Because the younger man was sure his ribs broke during the exchange.

Which was still less than the older one expected since, “You are still alive?” Hatred retreated from his gaze as he began studying his younger counterpart who held his right and slowly stood up. Coldly, he mused, “You are a bit too young to accept becoming a Counter Guardian as well. Maybe that is the problem.”

Between deep breaths, the Mage focused on the words. ‘Counter Guardian? Where did I hear the term again?’ Oxygen eventually reached his brain. ‘The Kaleidoscope’s works! The Hounds of Alaya! … Did I- Will I become a servant of the Planet? But none was recorded to-’

Unfortunately he had no more time to think because his older self dashed towards him with the Married Blades pulled back. Already recognizing the maneuver, the younger man threw his weapons first just as his counterpart sent his arms forward. The four blades crashed and repelled each other but the men were already Tracing new pairs.

Still the Counter Guardian didn’t miss his stride as his eyes grew more focused. He zoomed in on his target who pulled both arms back to throw a wide swing. The taller man stopped just in time to avoid the blow and attacked with Bakuya again only for Kanshou to block it.

A struggle began but the older man was stronger and all the younger one managed to accomplish was redirect the attack and save his vitals. The white blade moved downwards towards its target’s leg but the Mage was retreating already. Leaving himself open for a shoulder check that ruined his balance further.

Kanshou aimed for its enemy’s heart but its wife’s counterpart returned from below to parry the hit as its owner allowed his body to spin for the sake of recovering his balance. His back was still open and two Married Blades would have skewed it if not for the Mage’s instincts prompting him to roll forward instead of completing the spin.

He did so just once before dropping to a knee and raising his swords barely blocking the other pair. His shoulders buckled under the pressure of the taller man’s blow but he held firm as he had a more solid foundation, at least in that moment. A foundation that still left him exposed to another kick.

Fortunately his arms were already up and he managed to fold them enough to protect his head while also slacking his legs which ruined his posture but allowed him to be sent flying away again.

However the Counter Guardian was starting to pick up his style and so held the kick back enough to just launch the Mage of Swords far enough where he could still push forward to stab the younger man with his Married Blades.

Only for the other pair of Married Blades to block their advance as the shorter man filled his leg with an energy the taller one didn’t fully recognize. Ki came to the younger fighter with some difficulty for reasons he couldn’t comprehend at that moment but he gathered enough to stomp his opponent away.

A flip later saw the Counter Guardian standing on his feet before he Traced two more Married Blades in his hands, throwing four of them. By the time he did the Mage was already in his feet and channeled a good amount of mana on his own swords before hurling them to the sides.

Since they all were Kanshou and Bakuya, the older man’s pair followed the younger’s, making the tall one raised a brown. “Looks like you know your basics.” He commented as his swords intercepted the other’s pair. More black and white blades dropped in his hands. “Should know that by your hair.”

“Are you going to listen to me now?” Asked the younger man while calling for a new pair.

“Is there anything to listen to when you already made the pact?”

“That was one year ago.”

Fury returned to the Counter Guardian’s face before his glare was replaced by a colder expression. “A year ago? Are you really that stupid?”

Despite his opponent disappearing in a blur the younger Emiya managed to find him easily despite the dash. He turned left and blocked with Bakuya to stop the black sword before sending Kanshou towards the other fighter’s leg. Kanshou was blocked by the white blade, the shorter man felt his arms shake but refused to bulge.

Meanwhile the Counter Guarding stood there solid as a rock, his eyes carrying utter loathing even as his expression disguised it under a cold pretense of calm. With a clear physical advantage the tall warrior struck first again, his Bakuya shoving a Kanshou to the side, freeing it for a slash.

The Mage of Swords ducked slightly to avoid the blow and tried to take advantage of his new position for a counter but his sword from beneath was short in range. More precisely his arms weren’t long enough and the other man delivered a knee to his gut before moving his Kanshou to stab the heart.

However the younger fighter had expected such a hit and didn’t overextend which gave him a precious second he used to repositioned. Ki filled his arms as he pushed them forward for a double stab only for the taller man to also move around the blow using only one of his swords to parry it.

Both sides had traded places and were quick to spin around to unleash several strikes in sequences only to either find themselves blocked or incidentally intercepted the other’s hits, forcing resets.

Paying no heed to the shorter Emiya, the taller one began to diminish his tempo while increasing the strength of his strikes. Every single one of them would be fatal but the Married Blades always clashed on their counterpart before those quickly retreated.

Contrary to the Counter Guardian, the other Emiya focused on speed instead of power so he was throwing several small but dangerous hits while keeping a sword free at all times to start a defense while bringing out the other.

It wasn’t enough to get any sort of advantage, the older warrior was too strong and soon the Mage found himself taking a few steps back or losing his head. Both his swords moved to block Kanshou and the other Bakuya moved for the kill which had the younger man taking a long step back.

When both swords were downwards was when the Counter Guardian changed the tempo again with a cross upwards slash which the younger one anticipated and managed to stop even if brute force alone still shoved him backwards.

Again the older man advanced with a wide swing from his right only for the Mage of Swords to change tactics and meet the blade with his own right forcing a parry. Ki compensated for the difference of strengths but it was slow to build up because of a ‘disconnection’ due to the ritual that landed Shirou in that fight but was still useful.

Useful enough to party the blade away for the first time before he threw a stab to his counterpart’s abdomen which forced him to retreat for the first time. Instead of chasing, the younger man threw his Married Blades at him before immediately calling a new pair.

Repeating the process five times in a roll, he failed to even disturb his opponent who blocked them with an expression of utter boredom. “That energy field of yours is new but not impressive.”

Those words made Shirou stop. ‘He doesn't know Ki?’ Was all he managed to think before the Counter Guardian filled the blades with mana for a very familiar maneuver forcing his younger counterpart to do the same. ‘Shit!’

Obviously the Counter Guardian finished preparing first and pulled his arms backwards just as his swords grew until they were wings. “Overedge.”

Without a drop of hesitation he launched his swords forcing the younger man to do the same. “Overedge!!!” The swords collided but they were closer to the Mage of Swords who took advantage of his raised hand to call for his shield. “Rho Aias!”

The flower bloomed, its barrier blocked most of the explosion and the swords’ remains which would have definitively cut the young magus into pieces. Already he was able to see the difference between himself and the Counter Guardian, especially how the latter’s kit was far more lethal even when they used similar spells.

It wasn’t just that either, ‘He is stronger than me, faster than me and has better reach.’ Looking right the Mage of Swords saw the other man approaching again, new Kanshou and Bakuya already in his hands. He jumped and pulled his arms back, going around Rho Aias with ease. ‘So fast.’

Clearly the Mage of Swords couldn’t surpass the Counter Guardian’s speed without Bellerophon but when his soul immersed itself in the ritual the Legendary Steed didn’t follow his rider to wherever he ended up going.

Meaning he was too slow and just about to lose his head unless something was done. ‘I still can,’ dropping Rho Aias, he remembered where they were and grabbed a random sword off the ground, ‘keep going!’

The weapon crashed and broke against the Noble Phantasms but it bought enough time that another pair of Married Blades surged for the Mage’s defense. Just in time as well because the Counter Guardian managed to reach him and almost cut off his torso and arm. Both pairs of swords clashed as the shorter fighter began a fighting retreat.

He did his best to slash and counter whatever the older Emiya threw at him but the taller man’s anger was subdued so every attack was calculated. Not only that but their fighting styles were similar enough that the more experienced one of them had the advantage since he could read every strike almost perfectly.

Six fast slashes were intercepted but the Mage of Swords almost lost an arm. His cloak was cut and he felt a sting but thanks to his retreat, he avoided a worst result. Falling back even more defensively, he submitted himself to the older man's assault. Twelve blows later and Bakuya scratched the shorter fighter who jumped back.

Jumped over a sword stuck on the ground which he promptly kicked at his opponent. “Is this the best you can do?” The taller man repelled it easily before closing the distance with a stab to the younger warrior’s chest. Two swords blocked a black one and his back met the ground again. “Pathetic.”

‘Is this how people feel when fighting me? I owe some apologies.’ Jumping back to his feet, two pairs of Married Blades collided as the Counter Guardian forced their weapons into a lock down.

Not something the Mage of Swords could afford to happen so he lowered his center of gravity to slide his weapons forward during a tackle. A suicidal maneuver that didn’t impress the taller man who didn’t hesitate to kick his side again.

However that result was expected and the younger man rolled around before standing up to say, “‘Pathetic’ is your face.”

“... It is your face too…”

“So you are admitting you are me?” Shirou asked both for confirmation and to buy time.

It was a mistake. “I am going to enjoy skinning that face off your skull.”

Both men began running, one to attack and other to escape but the older one had more reach and soon enough they were crossing swords again. Yet there was a change to the youngest’s strategy as he began skipping from one side to the other like a boxer while throwing fast short stabs towards his opponent’s torso.

The Counter Guardian found himself annoyed by how his opponent’s attacks simulated the sting of a thousand bees. “Are you a dancer now?” He questioned while throwing a horizontal swing.

After ducking under Bakuya, the Mage replied with a grin. “If it works,” his own white sword sailed forth only to be intercepted by Kanshou, “then it works!”

But his own Kanshou delivered the first strike on the older Emiya who was almost cut on his chest if he hadn’t retreated. It was the first time the parts of hunter and prey had been properly inverted but Shirou didn’t allow that to move his heart. The young man kept his feet moving, approaching and withdrawing several times over before striking.

The bad side of that strategy was that the Counter Guardian had plenty of time to watch where the attack would come from. He took another long step back before bringing his Married Blades forward to lock the shorter fighter down. Something that wasn’t going to happen if the younger warrior had anything to say about it.

When the first slash came the Mage moved to the right, unleashed several short swings with his blade before pretending to dive. The older man didn’t pursue, instead choosing to pull his black sword back to block several short strikes from the white one. Both knew such blows wouldn’t end the fight by any stretch of the imagination.

So they started trading hits, the older man rising his defenses while the younger kept moving around trying to pry them open and create an opportunity. Several times the taller fighter retreated a little to deliver a fatal strike but the shorter warrior was always moving, never committing to the kill.

Neither could win with how they were fighting and even if the combat accelerated as they settled in their strategies, there wasn’t any progress for their parts. If anything it was like they were waiting for something to change, observing each other like eagles eager to seize their opportunity.

Opportunity that never would come if one of them didn’t change their pace. ‘Faster.’ The Mage of Swords’ strategy was to force a flow of Touki and strike decisively. ‘Faster! Faster!! Come on!’ He was being moderately successful but by that point he realized there was a cap in his Ki he couldn’t break through. That wasn’t his body after all, it was his soul. ‘In this case,’ hundreds of swords crossed his mind, ‘then I need to consider another weapon.’

Choosing one among many wasn’t hard and he was about to execute his plans when a hard blow hit his side, getting him close to vomit. “Did you really think,” the young man was sent flying back again as the Counter Guardian stood his full height, “that I was giving my all? You aren’t worth it.” Despite those words it was rather evident his expression held a certain curiosity.

Unfortunately the Mage of Swords couldn't see it as he was too busy crashing on the hill of swords. “Goddammit.” Again he jumped to his feet and prepared to throw his swords but dozens of blades were flying in his direction. He parried them all, noticing how they hadn’t fallen towards him but were shot despite the taller man’s hands being busy with his Married Blades. “Wait, how did he do that?”

Something inside him told him how but he was getting mixed messages as if another fact was also true. Glancing up he looked at the clouds and when he managed to distinguish the shadows behind them, a bad feeling settled in his throat.

“We are in Unlimited Blade Works.”

“Oho, so you aren’t as incompetent as I thought.” The older Emiya looked moderately surprised but that was hard to see mid dash. When he closed the distance between them, the Married Blades crashed and the younger man knew he had been played. “Question is; if you already know about your Reality Marble, why are you fighting with just the basics? Probably you are just that incompetent.”

The Counter Guardian began swinging again, the Mage finding himself back in the familiar position of retreating or losing his life. Gritting his teeth, he tried to pay attention to the man in front of him, trying to figure out how they were the same but also so different even in their fighting styles.

It really didn't matter if both were ‘Emiya Shirou’ because the older one not only had a different armor but fought in a somewhat different fashion. Less precise; not in his spells or swordplay, but his movements had a certain waste. Not the waste of a fighter for everything was as efficient humanly possible, but the waste of someone untrained in combat.

Someone who developed their fighting style mostly under fire.

While the same could be said about the Mage of Swords, he had first learned Kendo before dwelling into proper combat and spared uncountable hours against Liz and his sister when younger.

Not only that but there were other inconsistencies that made Emiya Shirou doubt he was fighting ‘Emiya Shirou’. That doubt was crushed under their similarities; their face, their clothes even if his armor and shroud differed critically in some aspects, their fighting styles, preferences and magecraft.

Most importantly Unlimited Blade Works because ever since he realized where he was, the Mage of Swords knew that was his Reality Marble but at the same time it wasn’t. Maybe he could solve the mystery more easily if he wasn’t busy fighting for his life against an opponent who was at least ten times stronger than he was.

And hundreds of times more experienced.

Every single feint, every single blow and counter was brushed casually and only the Mage of Swords’ hours upon hours sparing against ‘Artoria’ in his own Reality Marble kept him standing because no matter how strong his other self was he wasn’t on the King of Knight’s level skill wise.

Thanks to that training the younger man managed to stay in the fight for far longer than he should, the Married Blades colliding with each other to the point the Noble Phantasms cracked with every blow.

The Counter Guardian maintained his heavy strikes if only speeding them up slightly to keep up with the Mage of Swords who refused to commit or do anything more between their blades other than parry.

Instead his movements grew faster to compensate for his opponent’s acceleration, neither side willing to fall behind. However the taller of the two still had more reach and a mountain of experience over the shorter and used that for a double slash which he converted into two stabs for pincer in order to finish the fight.

The younger fighter saw the blows coming and dashed back for a couple of steps before throwing a double stab forward. The four blades crashed and cracked before finally exploding between the two.

No problem, new Married Blades took their place.

And the dance continued.

The Counter Guardian pretended to overextend a bit, quickly evading a stab to his side before throwing a failed counter. One Bakuya and one Kanshou broke but neither missed a step and called new ones forth while their pairs moved to cut their opposition’s neck. Slashes that were intercepted by the new swords which forced both to retreat.

The Mage of Swords tried to move around while sending random strikes to the older man’s sides. Yet his reach was still shorter so everything was blocked or parried as the taller man not only kept up the pace but actually dashed into him for an overhead slash. Such an attack ruined the younger fighter’s balance but his Married Blades blew up, saving his neck.

Quite literally as Kanshou was about to reach it only for him to bend back and flip backwards just as his pair exploded. Another set of Married Blades dropped in his hand to parry one Bakuya away, giving him room to slip left avoiding a kick. Not enough to escape the Counter Guardian who still managed to land a good hit on his shoulder.

But the Mage of Swords didn’t fall that time, having seen the attack coming. “Stop with the kicks already!!”

“If they are still working, that is your problem.” The taller man retorted with a hint of mockery before jumping towards his younger quarry. Once again they found themselves locked in a deadly dance as neither had managed to hit the other.

After a couple instants the taller man slashed with his left hand quite heavily, forcing a quick parry and side step leaving the shorter fighter open to his right leg which was already mid motion for another kick.

One that wouldn’t connect as dozens of swords fell between them forcing the taller man to jump back as wave after wave kept dropping over his head. Still there was a limit, a range the younger magus couldn’t cross once safely behind it.

Leading the tall warrior to stare incredulity and a bit of frustration. “You are still in the basics. At the middle of the journey but not really at your full potential. Tell me, have you ever manifested your Reality Marble before?”

“You want to talk now?” After clicking his tongue, the younger man added. “Yeah. I can use Unlimited Blade Works-”

“Then known,” the older one interrupted, raising an arm with his thumb holding Bakuya in place, his other fingers open, “this isn’t because we are in mine Unlimited Blade Works.”

Mana jumped around the Counter Guardian in the form of lightning while a dozen swords surrounded him. They hadn’t come from his Reality Marble nor were already present when he began Projecting them. Indeed he had Traced them from the scratch using the basics; mana, blueprint and projection.

What the younger man found odd was how the swords were defying gravity by floating around their creator like it was just a suggestion. “How?”

A snarky chuckle later, “Figure it out.” Then he fired the weapons.

Truly fired them as in they flew towards their target without a single extra motion.

‘Like the bullets of a gun.’ The Mage of Swords thought before dodging left and right to then parry a couple of others. ‘This is Gilgamesh’s style?’ Three more were blocked. ‘No, the Gate of Babylon is faster, not even counting on how he needed a few instants to Trace them. Why is he,’ dashing left he parried another sword while dodging the rest, ‘attacking like that? If he wanted more range, his bow would pack a bigger punch.’

Indeed compared to the Gate of Babylon or their bows, that method of attack was far weaker if slightly more efficient. The Counter Guardian’s hands were free and if he wanted to there was nothing stopping him from personally fighting while shooting swords from behind his back.

Except the danger that such fighting method would incur but he could also use it to prepare more arrows or different Noble Phantasms while approaching the fight with several different options.

However since he wasn’t doing it, “Can we talk now?”

More swords appeared around the Counter Guardian. “No. You are still an idiot.” Another wave of blades flew at the Mage who gritted his teeth before connecting his Kanshou and Bakuya. “Oh?”

A string of mana and an arrow formed between his fingers, a random Noble Phantasm that could destroy a whole building upon being fired even without a True Name. So he took his shot, aiming to the center of the taller man’s chest.

For his part the older Emiya stepped aside and allowed the projectile to pass without contest. “That is new? Certainly not basic.” Five more arrows were fired in rapid succession and more swords appeared to counter them. His weapons failed to contest the younger one’s more precise creations, forcing him to evade. “If I do this…” Another pair of Married Blades connected with each other and he turned just in time to fire the exact same arrow at itself. Both blew up close to him but the man was unharmed. “Despite being Noble Phantasms, this bow packs less of a punch. Yet it is more useful for close quarters.”

The Counter Guardian demonstrated it by bashing away a couple of arrows with the connected blades in a casual manner. It was almost like he was dancing with the weapon, spinning in place to avoid a couple of shots and blocking only those that would actually hit him.

Were those actions deliberate or the man was just being efficient? Even he didn’t know as he wasn’t accustomed to using the Married Blades like that. Regardless his mind remained focused and his movements precise even as he stopped Projecting swords to focus on evasion.

Soon enough the Mage of Swords stopped firing and began preparing a bigger shot. “Are you done playing around?”

“Playing around?” An irritated retort came as the man stopped. “I am just getting a feel for your movements. Your style is more technical than mine but also has some kinks that need to be hammered out.” He repositioned his body and pointed this ‘bow’ towards the younger man. “And if that is all you can do, you really don’t belong here. Not stuck in the basics as you are.”

“Basics are a killer. You can win wars by mastering the basics.” It was an argument for its own sake.

For both knew he was correct. “Not against another master of the basics. Without anything extra, your style is predictable, weak, slow.”

“I will show you ‘slow’!!” Despite suspecting that man was his future self in some shape or form, it was pretty obvious the Mage was growing increasingly annoying with him.

A mutual feeling for different reasons.

One thing was certain; Emiya Shirou was losing his patience.

“Enough with these games!” The young man had finished his preparation and the Spiral Sword soon turned into an arrow aimed at his older counterpart. “Caladbolg!!”

A familiar name which would concern most of its targets but not the Counter Guardian who Traced the same arrow in half of the time. “Caladbolg!!”

Both Rainbow Swords clashed between them in a manner similar to what the younger one partook during the skirmish in Kyoto. However the Noble Phantasms in their bout were equal; two fakes worthy of Fakers such as then, capable of unleashing cataclysmic disasters when called.

Such as two equally powerful space distortions that began tearing apart the fabric of a Reality Marble, opening a tear so large it dwarfed skyscrapers.

They weren’t on Earth or any planet with an entity like Gaia who could fix that sort of stuff even while asleep. Instead they were inside the Counter Guardian's Unlimited Blade Works which was somewhere beyond the Mage of Swords comprehension. Because of that it would take his counterpart some sort of effort to stop the place from falling apart.

But he did nothing about the Rainbow Swords, his expression indicating he was somehow eager to see the result from their crash. To see space itself bend into two equal spirals that should tear him and the Mage apart together with whatever the younger one tried to use to seal the whole.

He didn’t need to bother for visible beyond the breach there were rivers of mana.

The same rivers which guided Emiya Shirou.

Just that they no longer moved like rivers and instead shifted like threads of energy, waving around the tears in space by an invisible hand which expertly fixed everything up before leaving them on the eternal bronze skies of dusk.

“That was disappointing.” The Counter Guardian commented with a shrug. He didn’t really look upset but resigned. “Oh well, back to this.”

“Wait! Can’t we just talk?”

Separating his swords, the tall man said, “No,” and dashed towards his younger self while several swords appeared behind his back.

Answering in kind, the Mage of Swords easily managed to Trace an equal number of weapons before firing them at a slow rate. At least when compared to the older man who took his time before unleashing his shots. Every blade was a reflection of each other and lasted only until crashing against their counterpart.

Unlike the Married Blades who faced themselves again and resisted for longer as the men tried to kill one another. The extra swords stopped appearing as the combatants got into range. Immediately the shorter man ducked to avoid a slash and threw a swipe at the Counter Guardian’s legs.

Only for the older swordsman to jump over it for a kick that had him vulnerable for just a second for a double upward stab. Both swords were blocked and both sides Traced new ones, firing at each other. Since they were too close, every single one of them either missed or was intercepted as the fight kept going.

The younger man didn’t really want to fight because it would accomplish nothing. What he needed was power, a power so great that could stop his enemies. Or at least keep them in check.

The power of a Heroic Spirit.

Surely he didn’t expect to face himself, much less a furious version of himself leading him to lock blades and ask, “Why do you hate me?”

“Does it look like I hate you?” The tall man asked with indifference.

Yet the Mage of Swords knew his own face. “Yes, you do. Not as much as before but it is still there. That hatred,” feeling himself being pushed, he leaned back until his back was on the ground to throw a double kick, “is smaller now but it isn’t gone. What did I do to you? … Or what am I going to do to myself?”

The Counter Guardian flew a few meters away while two swords appeared over his shoulders. “You are Emiya Shirou. An idiot.”

Suddenly the blades pulsed with mana and grew five times their size. ‘He can use Overedge with other swords like that? No contact or anything?’

“That is more than enough reason.” The giant swords were fired but the younger man parried them both. Sparks pelted his arms as he still needed to do an immense effort to fully repel them but he succeeded and the blades crashed behind him. “If anything this is the best way so you can understand.”

“Understand what?” Asked the Mage of Swords while Tracing five swords and firing four while trying to influence the last one with mana.

“How much of a fool you are.” The Counter Guardian dashed and sidestep each weapon, getting close before his counterpart could finish his preparations.

Giving up on completing the Overedge, he still turned the sword into an arrow while combining his bow. “Muramasa!”

Only when he heard the name did the older man realize it wasn’t just any random katana. “Shit.” Catching him off guard for the first time. He barely managed to raise the Married Blades in time to block the shot but it still exploded in his face, forcing him back while burning his arms. “A Muramasa, huh? Another one?”

Indeed the Mage of Swords had Traced another katana and prepared to fire in a second. A second too slow because when it had already been fired there was already another version of it on the other side, also an arrow, flying in its direction. Another explosion rocked the Reality Marble but there was no tear in space that time.

Not that Emiya Shirou expected it would be. “Can’t we really just talk?”

“We can. I just don’t want to.” The Counter Guardian confessed while splitting his blades and dashing again. The Mage began firing more arrows but the man dodged everything and closed the distance for a horizontal left handed strike that was blocked by the bow. “You see, there is no one that I hate more than Emiya Shirou.”

The younger man gritted his teeth and separated his swords just in time to parry a stab. “But you are Emiya Shirou.”

“Don’t remind me of that.” A knee strike was dodged and the leg barely escaped being cut before the shorter fighter began retreating again. Unfortunately he was caged by a rain of swords. “I have no idea how you got here but I am not missing this chance.”

Stuck in close quarters combat against a more experienced enemy, the Mage of Swords did his best to survive the onslaught while having nowhere to retreat. Without a means of escape it wasn’t long before he took a couple of hits but his arms never stopped moving and Ki kept him in the fight.

But the Counter Guardian was stronger, more precise and infinitely more experienced. Both sides could predict each other’s moves, the younger one even growing more accurate with every exchange. It just wasn’t enough, the older warrior being three to eight steps ahead unless caught off guard.

“Overedge!!” And caught off guard he was when Kanshou and Bakuya grew in size, almost gutting the taller man who barely had time to block both his swords.

An unexpected development since there were few Married Swords left around the men and the Counter Guardian was pretty sure he couldn’t use that particular spell as fast as his counterpart managed to.

Because the Mage of Swords had developed a deeper understanding of the White and Black Twins thanks to Bellerophon. A Divine knowledge he gained meaning he could force their ‘growth’ with less resources. Not something he usually would because the extra effort and cost weren’t worth it but he realized something throughout the fight.

‘I don’t feel my circuits. Not really. They aren’t there and it is more like a placebo effect.’ In fact he wasn’t feeling his mana being spent nor his body making any effort. Pain he still felt, his muscles screamed in protest because of every slash and kick he had taken during the fight, but exhaustion was absent. ‘This is all a grand illusion.’

And he would take advantage of that, suddenly his limbs pain vanishing as his body began moving even faster. The speed was still familiar but the ease to use Reinforcement grew as he separated the idea of using a spell to using magecraft. For that moment he wasn’t flesh and bone, nor he was a sword or steel

He was something else and that meant he didn’t need to care about self preservation.

Which was why he exaggerated the Reinforcement of his arms when thrusting the giant Kanshou at his counterpart who deflected it. Barely a moment later Bakuya had reached the taller man and he was forced to roll right. The Counter Guardian glared at the younger Emiya who smiled confidently.

‘I can do this! I can win!’ With those thoughts he roared and advanced, swords to the sides like they weighed nothing.

Two wide swings from his giant blades saw the Counter Guardian retreat before he tried to do the same trick. “Overedge!” His Married Blades shone with energy for a moment before the Reinforcement went too far and they cracked. “What?”

Leaving the older man exposed as the younger one’s roar of determination grew louder and he threw another thrust with Kanshou. Immediately a random sword appeared in his elder self’s hand allowing him to parry the black blade as his eyes scanned every atom of it. Yet, despite their circumstances and History, he found himself unable to replicate the spell.

More precisely he needed more Married Blades to have the same effect while the young Emiya Shirou could accomplish Overedge with far less thanks to the Divine influence in the Mage’s very soul no matter how distant and the knowledge that came with it, one beyond mortal hands.

Even for a Counter Guardian’s since he wasn’t a god’s Champion but a weapon of the Planet.

“You sold your soul to a god?!” The older man didn’t know if that should make him more angry, confused or just annoyed.

Swinging Bakuya, the youngster replied. “I didn’t sell anything!” A different version of Durandal blocked his swords but Kanshou was free for the follow up.

Abandoning Roland’s weapon, a new pair of Married Blades intercepted their giant peer. “You still made a pact!”

“So what?!” The two wings sailed as one, destroyed the smaller versions of themselves and pushed forth until smashing the older man’s armor.

At least the part around his left shoulder was damaged by the heavy hit but the tall fighter retreated fast enough that he wasn’t hurt much. “‘So what’? You really are an idiot!” He was still wounded even if it wasn’t very detrimental.

The black bow returned to its owner’s hands but he had no chance to fire anything because the Mage of Swords had already hurled both his weapons towards the Counter Guardian who summoned several huge blades between himself and them.

Because even if he couldn’t imitate the more ‘Divine’ version of Overedge, he recognized the telltale signs of the weapons pulsing with excess mana. The main function of Black and White Swords when in that state wasn’t to cut their opponent.

It was to destroy them violently.

Mostly with an explosion.

With his opponent stuck behind a wall of steel the Mage of Swords knew his attack would fail so he took advantage of the Married Swords already in the field to Overedge a new pair. After the impact he was about to throw them again only to freeze, his body suddenly getting stuck if not fully paralyzed.

At least until he managed to break free with some effort, turning his head and noticing a thin but rapier with a small red handle stabbing his shadow which reminded him of a cross. Structural Analysis filtered the information telling him those weren’t really swords but prayers of a sort made to neutralise spirits and the undead.

‘Sacraments in solid form? If the Church of my world had those then the devils were screwed. Not to mention vampires and others.’ Still the Shadowbinding technique was made to neutralize and lock down spirits, a characteristic shared with the blade itself. Those strong enough, at least super human and not vulnerable to the prayers, could break free like he did. ‘It’s a distraction!’

Not hesitating for a moment the Mage of Swords launched the Married Blades as soon as he finished the thought, watching as they barely missed his older counterpart who dove between them and kept dashing.

Yet the stalemate gave both of them time to think. ‘Since mana exhaustion is just a suggestion around here,’ leading the younger man to realize he could Trace some of his most dangerous swords without fear, ‘I can do this!’ A silver blade formed in his hands and the Counter Guardian stopped upon feeling its power. Both called for their Noble Phantasms. “Clarent Radiant Road!!”

“Rho Aias!!!” The shield, a stronger version when compared to the Mage’s, appeared just in time to block the wave of mana threatening to consume its owner. Holding himself in place the older warrior held his arm up with his other hand, keeping the tide at bay.

Four petals broke and a fifth began falling apart before Clarent’s attack waned. Still damage was done because the Counter Guardian’s arm was bleeding and he looked tired. For just a second before anger returned to his gaze which was quickly replaced by a smirk when he Traced something he didn’t have before their fight started.

More precisely an EM. “Hell no!! Clarent Radiant Road!!!”

“Huhuhu.” The tall man chuckled, his body already in motion and dodging the wave of mana rather easily despite its size being enough to consume a whole highway. Again the younger man didn’t hesitate and began throwing around slashes of energy like mad but missed them all.

Until the older fighter stopped in place and said, “A purified Clarent. The wonders today don’t cease.” Those words were enough to stop the Mage who was rather mad at the situation but knew that throwing attacks at random was useless. “Your work as well. Emiya Shirou purified Mordred’s Clarent. Definitely that is new. And you delivered it to King Arthur’s descendant too… No, her reincarnation.” Again he frowned before his smirk returned. “How are you still a third rate magus that can only use a single spell?”

“Three.” An eyebrow rose so the younger man continued. “Projection, Structural Analysis and Reinforcement. Three spells. More if you count its branches-”

“Seems that in your World they are divided into three while in mine they were two at most.”

“So we aren’t the same.”

“We were never the same.”

“Then why are we fighting? I need-”

“I don’t like your face.”

“It is your face too!!” It was clear Emiya Shirou was frustrated.

Because the older one replied. “That is exactly why.” Yet his posture changed, his frown vanished and he stared at the other version of himself. “You are still an idiot no matter which World you came from. The only question is how much of an idiot you are.” Mana flooded the area as he raised his healed arm. “Whatever you want, prove to me you deserve it.”

“How? We aren’t the same but we are similar. You know that I wouldn’t be here if I had any other choice. I need your help!”

“And what do you want?” The Counter Guardian asked. “Power? Is that what led you to this ridiculous incursion into Alaya’s domain? I don’t even know how you did it but it is proof you are an idiot.”

“Power would help. Especially against Heroic Spirits. Gilgamesh is on the loose and-”

“Ah, him again.” The older man rolled his eyes. “Just use Unlimited Blade Works and make sure he doesn’t summon Ea. With how arrogant he is-”

“Can you stop interrupting me?!” Shirou demanded of his older self. While confused by the knowledge that person both was and wasn’t him, his patience was stretched thin. “Look, that won’t work. The second he sees my Reality Marble, Angelo is summoning Ea without hesitation.” Again the older man raised a brow, mostly because of the name, but chose to remain silent. “And it isn’t just him. There are others. There are also Heracles, Siegfried and God knows who the hell they are going to get. I need, we need, the help of a Heroic Spirit of our own. We need your help.”

A scoff later, the Counter Guardian replied. “I doubt a lowly Heroic Spirit such as myself can make any difference against such great Legends. Or do you believe in yourself so much that you are on the same level as them after death.”

“No, I am not that arrogant. But you are also on the Throne so maybe-”

“Who said this is the Throne of Heroes?”

“... What?”

“This isn’t the Throne of Heroes and my circumstances are more… complicated than just being a Heroic Spirit. I am a Counter Guardian, not a proper hero with a Legend so large it can cut through space and time. Just a lowly third rate magus, like you… Worse than you even. Apparently you are also quite the smith.”

“... I knew our History had to be different when you didn’t recognize Medusa's Gift but…” Its abstinence on the Counter Guardian’s armor was also odd.

Even as a soul the jewel remained encrusted on the Mage of Swords’ armor and carried a small trace of Divinity that helped him realize how to use Overedge in ways his older counterpart couldn’t.

“Rider?” Confusion colored the younger man for a moment before the older waved him off. “No, forget about it. Clearly the circumstances of your World extremely differ from my own. Which means that you, being here, can only be the result of Emiya Shirou being the greatest idiot on the planet. Again.”

“Medusa calls me the Greatest Fool.” Even he had to admit his rush had been a bit uncharacteristic but they had little time. Also their ritual worked, he was talking with a Heroic Spirit so, fool or not, he felt somewhat vindicated. “Look, let me explain what is happening. You can make a decision later.”

“I would rather not. I would prefer it if you leave. Even if the break is nice, looking at your face and knowing I will be stuck here either way after this visit, doesn’t help my mood.”

“Can you stop being so stubborn?! By the Root, if this is what people have to deal with, I owe everybody a formal apology and buffets for the rest of my life.”

“... You look to be doing just fine with Clarent. You were the one who purified it, which means you have a certain level of skill. Skill I don’t have. Cultivate it and go fight Gilgamesh on your own. Or better yet get… Artoria to help. So she chose to use that name, huh. Steadfast as always.”

“You also met her?” ‘Maybe if our stories are similar enough I can find some common-’

“I met an ‘Artoria’ but not your Artoria. Different Worlds mean different people. Even if names, History and a thousand other things are similar, they aren’t the same because they inhabit different Worlds. Everyone is their own individual.”

Shaking his head, the Mage of Swords raised Clarent again. “Never mind that. What do I need to do to convince you to help me?”

“You can’t but clearly you aren’t going to leave, are you?”

“Would you?”

A sigh escaped the Counter Guardian. “Probably not and no matter how much I hate this… it is like looking in an old mirror. A bit more polished in some areas but still an old mirror all the same.” Raising EM to his eye level, he glanced at the younger man. “You also created this. A tool to save people… I never thought of that.” He then crushed the Mystic Code in his hand, breaking it in half. As it vanished, he used the scalpel mottes of mana to start Tracing something else. “Your Caladbolg’s handle is a bit incorrect and while you met Artoria, she clearly wasn’t the King of Knights anymore so you haven’t seen it yet.”

“‘Seen’ what?” A shiver ran through the Mage’s spine as his instincts began screaming.

“What else but a sword? You met a version of Artoria that is far from her prime because she was missing something.” Gold energy began forming around his hand.

Energy because it wasn’t mana, or at least not just mana.

There was so much in that light that for a second the Mage of Swords felt he was meeting Michael again. Only that light was even more intense than the one from the angel Closest to God. Perhaps less warm but still somehow more inviting to him in a sense only his heart could fully understand.

Said energy first became a blade, one simply pure because there was no metal in its making. The sort of Legendary weapon that wasn’t forged but just appeared from nowhere. Its handle was elegant but the word still felt short for it was made from a gold more than gold and a blue more than blue.

Shirou tried to think of a description, of anything that he could call that beyond just Divine Construct, but everything felt wrong.

Every word that came to his mind was either ‘beautiful’, ‘pristine’, ‘graceful’ and even ‘perfect’ always felt like insulting the blade before his eyes.

He didn’t need magecraft to know that.

His very soul was telling him that the sword in the Counter Guardian's hand was something beyond unique.

An existence without equal.

The pinnacle of Holy Swords.

“Come on now, no time to be stunned.” The Counter Guardian commented with mockery as the light of his sword diminished. For some reason it wasn’t as bright as it should be yet it was still the Ultimate Holy Sword. “You already know its name.”

A western sword ninety centimeters high and twelve wide carrying letters from the fairies which told the tale it wasn’t made by human hands while shining with a light all of its own.

His throat dry, the Mage of Swords tried to swallow before saying the name all warriors would know by heart upon gazing at that blade.

“The Promised Victory; Excalibur.”

A snicker escaped the older man. “Still a bit of dunce, this one.” A vein popped on the younger man’s forehead. Not that the taller one cared as he raised his sword in front of himself. “This is not the Sword of Promised Victory but an Image made only inside Unlimited Blade Works. This is Excalibur Image.”

“‘Excalibur Image’.” Upon hearing its True Name, the Mage focused on his eyes and used his magecraft to divine the sword’s truth. What he saw was both shocking and unsettling. “A sword made with the hopes of Emiya Shirou.”

Because what he saw wasn’t just a Holy Sword-

A Hell made by the folly of man.

A road all too familiar, made with bodies, fire and blood.

A smile capable of saving anyone.

A promise under the Moon’s light.

A woman of bright blonde hair wearing a silver armor and blue dress. “Are you my Master?”

A war unlike any other where Servants whose powers shook Reality fought for supremacy.

A failure to connect, hearts breaking as paths grew apart.

A journey that could only end in tragedy

A life of tribulations leading to nowhere.

A man marching from place to place.

A pact, an oath, a promise to the Planet.

A smile capable of saving everyone but not himself from the gallows.

Abandoned by those he saved, the man died alone, still smiling.

A new Hell of his own making.

-what he saw was a lifetime different from his own and a gruesome Fate he wouldn’t wish even on his worst enemy.

“You saw Hell.” The Counter Guardian commented knowing exactly what the younger man had seen.

“That- I- You-”

“Excalibur Image can only be Projected in Unlimited Blade Works. A Divine Construct such as this,” he turned the sword revealing its edge, “is far beyond the means of any human. Even Emiya Shirou.”

After a while, the Mage of Swords used Clarent to stand up again. “That sword… you made it with your hopes… The hope that you-”

“The True Excalibur is made with the crystallization of the heart, the dreams and fantasies of all who… believe in its principles. It is the Sacred Sword that carries all hope of Mankind, a Divine Construct from the Planet itself. But this one.” He held Excalibur Image higher. “This one has only the hopes of a single man. Which is why you managed to read bits and pieces of my History from it.”

“That was just bits in pieces?!” Even if the Mage didn’t see the more banal moments, he saw years of blood, sweat and tears his counterpart had to endure.

His shock was enough to make the Counter Guardian chuckle. “I have been doing Alaya’s bidding for a very long time. And it isn’t like you would see everyone I killed for Humanity’s sake. In fact, their faces became a blur at some point.”

“... You hate this…”

“Every second. That is why I tried to break free by having our two Caladbolgs clash on each other. Even made mine a bit more defective to match yours.” A new edge took over his eyes as the man lowered his posture and pulled the Holy Sword back. Gold mana surrounded the blade as its power pulsed. “But since you can’t help me, what are you good for anyway?”

A new sense of urgency took over the Mage of Swords’ body who raised his Noble Phantasm and allowed the silver blade to devour his mana to unleash its True Name.

Because despite both blades being amplifiers, one was clearly stronger than the other.

“Clarent Radiant Road!!!” A tower wave of silver cut through the Reality Marble.

Its target smirked and threw a swing of his own. “Excalibur!!!”

Gold and silver clashed in the hill of blades and the world born in Emiya Shirou’s soul began shaking as both men pushed more mana into their attack. At that moment, neither side had a limit so the attacks kept going. Not only that but they grew like bubbles of energy as their reserves were without end.

But Emiya Shirou knew for a fact that one sword was stronger than the other and their History said as much. One blade was made to be the Ultimate Holy Sword, the pinnacle of the Planet’s Mysteries capable of fighting against the White Titan itself. In truth both swords weren’t comparable when at their best.

The only moment Clarent managed to reach and surpass Excalibur, albeit slightly and with some of its power sealed, was because of Mordred’s rage and sheer determination. A body similar to King Arthur’s also helped but the resentment that cursed the King’s Sword was the deciding factor because it reforged it into a weapon to ‘slay King Arthur’.

Not that the curse's presence would make any difference since his opponent wasn’t Artoria but the Mage of Swords noticed, ‘I am losing.’ His body started getting pushed back as the bubble of energy which was the size of a mountain began moving in his direction. ‘This strength is insane!’

Excalibur was the Ultimate Holy Sword and even a Projected form of it was still a reflection that existed beyond most Noble Phantasms. Sure it was much weaker than the Original’s, a blade forged by a single man’s hope couldn't compete with the hopes and dreams of all Humanity.

Yet a fact remained. “Even when at its weakest,” the Counter Guardian started shouting as the bubble of energy began leaning to one side, “Excalibur is the Strongest Holy Sword!!!”

Gold triumphed over silver and the waves became a single pillar of energy moving to pulverize the Mage of Swords in an attack so strong it wouldn’t be surprising if it opened another scar into space.

Except that didn’t happen as it was just power without much capacity beyond destruction even if a lot of it. Unlimited Blade Works wasn’t affected and whatever its owner damaged was fixed an instant later. New swords, or the same ones, replaced its predecessors on the ground as the hill didn’t lose a single speck of dusk.

“Using Clarent as a shield like that. Mordred could never.” The Counter Guardian joked as he found the Mage a few kilometers away from his previous position taking several deep breaths and holding his Noble Phantasm sideways. “That dive was also moderately impressive. Maybe we should try again.” The younger man held his sword closer but looked more ready to run instead of fighting. “Pity.”

What followed next was a slow stride from the older man as he held Excalibur with one hand and approached the younger fighter. His eyes held murderous intent as even as his smile remained sarcastic and his posture casual.

Completely different how Artoria would act. ‘I can’t use that weapon’s History against him.’ Even to the Mage of Swords’ eyes it was like the taller man was using that Noble Phantasm for the first time. ‘Can I Trace a copy of it?’

The answer was a responding ‘no’ because he had been trying that since Excalibur Image first appeared but while the blade took residence in his Unlimited Blade Works there was something impairing its creation.

Not power, it was already determined that they both had infinite reserves of mana wherever they were having their fight. Perhaps a lack of understanding or experience, or maybe even because he had a copy of a copy that stopped him from grasping the real deal. Avalon helped fill the gaps but he remained rather lost regardless.

‘But even if I Project Excalibur then what? He will still beat me with experience.’ Power was still a key factor. The refined sort of power that came with dozens of life and death conflicts, born from surpassing the odds time and time again which made the Mage chuckle. “Hey, aren’t you underestimating me a bit?!” The Counter Guardian paused. “You can keep using its True Name again, if you want. I have done something like that in the past. Or are you giving me a chance?”

“... I am just enjoying a small reprieve.” The older man answered with annoyance before he leaned forward. “However, since you are in such a rush to leave, let me show you the exit.”

Watching the Counter Guardian’s dash, the Mage focused everything he had on his arms and legs, Clarent’s History on the forefront of his mind. ‘I also,’ instead of waiting he dashed as well, both hands in his Noble Phantasm and mana around his body, ‘defeated lots of strong enemies and beat the odds! Besides, I have people waiting for me!’ Their Noble Phanstams were about to collide when suddenly, “Mana Burst!!”

The taller man was caught off guard when his younger self sped up, barely having time to turn his blade around for a parry while bringing his other hand to the handle. He managed to grasp it firmly just before losing his grip thanks to a second thrust which was followed by a slash from the right.

For half a second both blades were locked and Clarent began pushing Excalibur sideways as the latter’s user began backpedaling while repositioning his sword to stop a barrage of thrusts that were followed by silver mana.

The Counter Guardian winced at the use of Mana Burst and how a version of Emiya Shirou using it was far more deadly than he expected. Sure the taller man could use it as well, he had the same swords and could replicate the memories, but he never tried and was unwilling to risk it.

Because losing to his younger self wasn’t an option. “You think that will work?!” Excalibur moved in a flash, Clarent stopping in place before being shoved aside. “You aren’t- Gurgh!” But he was being stubborn and his body paid the price.

A devastating punch hit his ribs, Ki allowing the blow to ignore the black armor to deliver the impact directly into the man’s organs. “Mordred’s style,” then came a stomp to the abdomen that shoved the older man back, “is more versatile than that!!”

Clarent’s bright silver began glowing and a slash of energy kept up with the blade as it clashed against a far less empowered Excalibur. The Holy Sword resisted the attack easily but its wielder couldn’t say the same. His hands had started bleeding, the impact so strong that a couple of bones threatened to break.

“‘Touki’, was it?” Yet the Counter Guardian knew how to fight wounded and managed to predict the next attack, dodging to the side while parrying another thrust. “Your World’s version of Ki. This is just fantastic!”

Ignoring the sarcasm from the taller warrior, the Mage roared and pushed more mana into his body to renew Mana Burst. His arms should be starting to burn by that point however he finally understood they weren’t fighting with flesh and bone even if some Laws of Physics still applied to them.

If that was because of Unlimited Blade Works, a quirk from the situation, the ritual or whatever reason, Emiya Shirou didn’t care.

‘One of us is winning this fight’, was the silent agreement they came to.

The Mage of Swords attacked relentlessly, Ki and mana flowing around his body making a wind that could slice as much as any blade. Clarent danced into a fast sequence of slashes, forcing Excalibur to stay on the defensive until he used another of Mordred’s tricks and slammed his Noble Phantasm on the ground.

A cloud of dust blinded them both but one was already positioned to attack and he was spoiled by choice. Whatever direction he struck, the younger man predicted there was no way for his counterpart to answer. Yet he was still cautious, hiding Clarent’s energy inside itself, he moved to a horizontal slash at his opponent’s waist.

Excalibur successfully stopped the blow, unleashing a gust of wind that cleared their vision leaving gray eyes starting at each other. A heartbeat later and the taller fighter threw a kick which was blocked by an arm while the other delivered a thrust which would never reach because the kick helped the man to dodge.

Adding a one hand cartwheel into his movement, the Counter Guardian bought himself some distance in return to end into a crouch where he raised Excalibur above his head. Again his hands bleed because of the youngster’s strength but he didn’t lock blades or kept pushing since he finally had an opening.

Using his superior speed he pulled Clarent’s back making both Noble Phantasms rain sparks before thrusting it towards the older warrior’s head. It was almost an instantaneous movement; one moment their swords made contact, the next had the silver sword moving beneath the golden one.

But it was still anticipated, the Counter Guardian moving his neck out of the way just in time earning himself a cut on the cheek. Instead of pursuing the man’s head or neck the Mage of Swords took advantage of their position to do something unexpected; he aimed for his opponent’s weapon.

For all intents and purposes an illogical move as he was abandoning the kill in favor of something else but the Mage of Swords anticipated that the Counter Guardian was ready to dodge for his life but not to save his sword.

He was proven correct and Excalibur Image flew from its creator’s hands.

Leading the Mage into a mistake of expecting the Counter Guardian to chase after it because the younger’s fighter mind was too stuck in Mordred's train of thought. To the Knight of Betrayal the idea of abandoning Excalibur was impossible and even paradoxical as that was the strongest Holy Sword.

Since it took diving deep into Clarent’s History to fight as intensely as he did, it wasn’t odd for the Mage of Swords to hold the same belief for at least a moment. Just a moment where it wasn’t Emiya Shirou fighting but Mordred wielding Clarent and clashing against Excalibur like in their Legends.

A mistake because in that moment the difference between the fighting styles was made evident; where the younger magus dove into a weapon’s History to complement his shortcomings, the older warrior fought with his own skill and power consistently meaning that when Excalibur left his grip, he wasn’t concerned.

Artoria and Mordred would have pursued the blade because they would see it as something important but Emiya Shirou should always see it as just a sword no matter how magnificent or otherworldly.

As a tool to be used and discarded when required.

Which was what the Counter Guardian did with a smirk when his Excalibur left his hands and he noticed the younger man’s surprise. “You lose.”

True enough because there was nothing the Mage of Swords could do when a new pair of Married Blades stabbed his sides. “Crap.”

Clarent dropped on the ground when the older man opened his arms and his younger counterpart’s sides, the blades ripping through flesh while leaving their victim to fall on his back.

By that point the Mage couldn’t move as he felt like his body had almost been separated from his waist with the only assurance he had that wasn’t the case was the extreme pain which came with the process.

Regardless the fight was still going and he barely managed to raise an arm for a sword when Bakuya eagerly shoved it to the side as Kanshou was pulled back for an obvious stab to the head.

And unlike him, his older counterpart wasn’t going to make any mistakes. “ILLYA!!!!” So he went for a desperate resort and he shouted for his sister.

Both because he still wanted to save her and because, he hoped, that any version of Emiya Shirou would be the brother of Emiya Illyasviel or at least Illyasviel von Einzbern. A desperate gamble that paid off when the black blade stopped just inches from his eye.

“Illya?” For a moment the Counter Guardian looked confused before understanding dawned in his eyes. “Why did you call for your sister?”

“Our sister. You are me.”

“Different versions, different lives.” Kanshou moved from above the eye to the neck. “Why?”

“Because she is about to do something really awful back home and I… I want…” he froze but the words left him anyway. “... to save her.”

Again the older man paused before standing up, glaring at the Mage. “Just to be sure, you made a Pact to save your sister?”

“The Pact came before.” An eyebrow rose. “My sister has nothing to do with Rias. Hell, she doesn’t even-”

“Rias?” At that moment both of them realized how different they were.

Because even after an eternity there was no way the Mage of Swords would ever forget, “Rias Gremory. She is my heart.”

“Your…” The Counter Guardian stepped back and stared at the younger man like he was a stranger. “Gremory as in the Pillars of Solomon? Ars Goetia?” Somehow he got a nod. “And she is your girlfriend, I guess?”

“It is more than that…”

“...”

“...”

“... Just making sure; You didn’t sell your soul to the Planet, did you?”

“You can actually do that?!” Shirou managed to scream through the pain, finally believing what he saw in his older counterpart’s memories who sighed and dropped his swords.

“Right, you don’t know much about Counter Guardians and the situation sounds rather bizarre from what I managed to glimpse of your life. I thought it was more like mine since you have Rider’s necklace, even if I never heard-”

“‘Rider’? Like the Servant. That is the second time you refer to Medusa like that…” Both men paused again as the differences between the two grew more distinct. “You really aren’t me.”

“And fortunately you can say the same.” With a wave of his hand two foldable chairs showed up in the Hill of Swords, the Counter Guardian promptly sitting in one. “So, how long are you going to lay down?”

EM appeared in the Mage’s hand as he grumbled. “I need some time to heal-”

“Stop thinking that you bare flesh and blood. This isn’t your World even if it is Unlimited Blade Works. You weren’t teleported here either.” Pointing at the younger man’s midsection, he added, “Look down. You haven’t bled a single time since this fight began.” Truly he didn’t and the younger man was truly shocked, evident by the way his eyes grew wide. “That form is probably just a shell barely connected to your brain. Some sort of proto-Rayshift; incomplete, distant, much safer but probably because you did something extremely stupid and reckless to make it work.”

“I don’t… How do you-”

“I was Emiya Shirou once.”

“And you aren’t anymore?”

“Not for a long time.” The man leaned on his chair and crossed his arms and legs. “Now are you going to stand up and chat or you don’t want help anymore?”

“Are you going to really help me or is this just some sort of trick?”

“Do I need tricks? I had you dead to rights.”

“I almost won.”

“Hah! Aren’t you forgetting something?” Closing his fist, hundreds of swords appeared above both men, all aimed at the younger one. “I could have killed you at any time.”

Swallowing his irritation, Shirou slowly stood up. “Then why didn’t you?”

“I needed to vent a bit. It was fun.”

His eye twitched as the pain vanished. “So you just beat me up around and almost cut me in half… for kicks?” Looking at himself he saw mana closing his wounds or his ‘body’ restoring itself, he wasn’t sure which.

“Kicking you was fun too.” The Counter Guardian commented smugly.

With an exasperated sigh, Shirou sat in the empty chair. “I hate you.”

“That isn’t healthy.” The older man chuckled at the obvious irritation. “Besides, we already defined we aren’t the same man. Even if we started at the same point, I no longer use the name Emiya Shirou. In fact, you can call me Archer, if you want. Doesn’t make much of a difference.”

“... Again with the Servant-like name. Were you summoned in a Holy Grail War or what?” An arrogant smirk silenced the Mage of Swords. “But how do you remember? I thought Heroic Spirits-”

“All this is irrelevant if you want to save Illya. Unless she plan on a Great Holy Grail War, best advice I can give is to get-”

“She isn’t planning to start a Holy Grail War. She got Heroic Spirits to fuse with her allies and they are planning to kill everything they consider inhuman.”

“... Excuse me?”

“And one of them is Gilgamesh’s descendent and now the guy has every weapon and skill from the King of Heroes. Not even mentioning Heracles-”

“Stop! Stop. Just hearing Gilgamesh and Heracles working together gives me nightmares and I can’t sleep anymore.” Massaging his face, Archer took a deep breath before waving at Shirou. “From the beginning. We will work our way down from there. How did Illya even come up with the idea of fusing Heroic Spirits with their descendants? Sounds like a fever dream.”

“Depends. Do you want to start from where she left home to join a terrorist organization or when they attacked Kyoto to get its mana from the yokais?”

Archer paused, took another deep breath and dropped his shoulders while holding his head. “God I wish I had a stiff drink. So yokias are a thing in your World? Kitsune, kappas and stuff?” Understanding the Counter Guardian was getting a little overwhelmed, Shirou nodded slowly but with conviction. “Okay, okay. I can work with this. Not the strangest thing I came across. Start from the very Beginning. And I mean the Beginning with capital ‘B’. How did this World come to be, who are the main players and why the hell did you make a Pact with a Pillar from Ars Goetia. And spare no details. I will need a lot to know what I am working with here.”

So Shirou did as asked, not starting with his life story but much earlier.

Using whatever scraps of knowledge he gained from his parents, Azazel and the devils, he told the tale of his World from the start with gods warring against each other until the White Titan showed up and forced them to work together just as Humanity emerged from the mud.

He told about the cold war that came after, the great powers poking and prodding at each other while allowing History to play with humans as the protagonists.

He spoke about God and his decision to place Gaia in deep slumber without details because he didn’t have much.

He repeated Azazel’s speech about how each god claimed to be the World’s creator and proper custodian with grace or brutality.

He recited the divisions between angels and fallen angels while speaking vaguely about the origins of the devils, noting how he knew little besides the fact the modern ones were far different from the originals like the last survivor Mephisto Pheles.

He remembered the Great War of the Christians Factions which resulted in the demise of God and the Four of Original Maous who were actually fallen gods and the Son of Lilith with Adam.

Finally he retold an abridged version of Human History just to point out the ways the moonlit world remained in the shadows while also influencing events to make sure that was the prevalent version of History to stop Gaia from waking up.

And after telling all that did Shirou realized he needed to talk about his own History while also revealing to Archer everything his father had done; the destruction of the Einzberns, the sealing of the Holy Grail, the formation of his mercenary company and finally how he was saved from Hell.

During all that the Counter Guardian remained silent and still like a statue. He didn’t question, he didn’t react much less blinked no matter what he heard. The closest thing to a reaction was the shrinking of his pupils upon learning Kiritsugu’s dream before he gave the Holy Grail to his son.

Nevertheless he said nothing about him saving Medusa, getting together with Rias or the Khaos Brigade. Neither did he make any indication about caring about the devils when Shirou told him about the Underworld's society to make sure he didn’t associate the species with their Legends.

Or peers in other Worlds because he had no way of making sure the devils anywhere else were like the ones he knew. The fact his older self didn’t know anything about Rias or Sirzechs or about anyone else was telling if not concerning. Yet both sides took everything in stride as the Mage finally reached the part of Loki and Kyoto.

“I got the gist of it.” Archer leaned forward, supporting his body with an arm on his leg and scratching his head. “Surprisingly none of this is your fault even if you are still an suicidal idiot and a third rate moron.

“Harsh but fair.” Shirou accepted the criticism.

But Archer wasn’t done. “The ritual you used to get here, not Illya’s but your own, is a mishmash of mistakes, coincidences and luck. It is so bad that you would have more luck crossing the Atlantic in a small boat with duct tape and a paddle.”

“Hey! It worked. We wouldn’t be talking if it didn’t. I know it was risky but-”

“‘Risky’? Brat, you don’t know a thing.” Clicking his tongue, the Counter Guardian leaned back in his chair and looked at the sky. “The only reason you managed to succeed in this stupidity is probably because Alaya helped with the connection.”

“The Will of Humanity?!” That sounded like excellent news for Shirou. “Archer, isn’t that great? If it is helping it means that what the Hero Faction is wrong and we can stop them!”

Archer raised a hand. “Hold your horses. It isn’t that simple.” Once his younger self was less excited, the man growled and massaged his temples. “Look, Alaya doesn’t give a damn about the other creatures that live in your World. It only cares about Humanity and any direct help would probably extinct them too… Not that it can help directly anyway.”

“Our World is that much different from your own?”

“If there was ‘Gaia’ then eventually it would have an Alaya of its own but since Gaia was put to sleep, don’t even know how that is possible but if it was God I won’t question, then Alaya never had a chance to form. What you need to understand is this; in the beginning Humanity was part of Gaia but development, evolution if you prefer, and Free Will separated it from the Will of the Planet. That separation had a part of the Planet itself slipping its consciousness to create a ‘custodian’ of sorts to watch over them.”

“But Humanity needs the other races, at least in my World. We are living in harmony, kinda.”

“No need to explain. You were right on what you told the Hero Faction; in Worlds where Humanity is the apex, we do tend to kill each other. Trust me, I killed enough to know that for a fact. The supernatural has nothing to do with our own inherent greed.”

Shirou frowned before asking, “How do you know what I said?”

“Throughout our fight I got bits and pieces of your History. Our souls are similar and have the same Origin hence it isn’t weird we get synchronized and share some of our experiences.” Archer pointed at his younger self. “Get ready for some bad dreams once you are out of here. You will probably see me killing a lot. Maybe with luck you will watch a Holy Grail War or two as well. Again, if you are lucky.”

“Not counting on it then.”

“Good. You are less of an idiot than I thought.”

“But isn’t there any way to have my World’s Alaya to help?”

“And you are back to being an idiot already? Must be a new record.” The man clicked his tongue and started explaining. “Look, brat, the gods took Gaia’s place as stewards for early Humanity. They corrected the World, protected it from invaders and yourselves to make sure the Planet wouldn’t intervene. They are, effectively, your ‘Will of Humanity’. A much more selfish one and less powerful but it was the choice you all made.” He then made a point to shrug. “If Gaia were to wake up after sleeping so long, it… she would equal humans as a bunch of ants that sneaked in her bed. What do you think would happen after?”

“Nothing good.”

“That is an understatement.” Archer affirmed coldly. “Gaia would start the process to erase Humanity. Not just to kill it off but to completely get rid of it because the Modern Man is far, far away from their Natural self.” Again he leaned forward on his leg but with just a hand. “Think the Planet approves of the cities? Pollution? The many, many, many wars and devastation? Gaia wakes up, Humanity will get in a war without winners.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think fighting the Planet entails? Everybody comes from the Planet so it already has an advantage. Sure, gods and whatever else you guys have in there can probably kill it but then what?” He asked with a dramatic shrug. “You killed the Planet. No crops, most animals will die or stop their basic functions and nature will decay until all you have is a desert. If you quote unquote ‘win’.”

“But couldn’t Alaya-”

“There is no Alaya, get that through your skull. Think about it like this,” Archer leaned forward with his hands apart, “Alaya is Gaia but Gaia isn’t Alaya.” The Counter Guardian recited with conviction. “The Will of Humanity is the System which exists to preserve the human race. But that system needs time to establish itself, to be programmed.” With a sigh, the man relaxed in his chair. “At this point it is far too late for your World to develop any version of Alaya. The second Gaia wakes up, it is game over even if she has to unleash a Beast to start the World from scratch.”

Shirou sighed in acceptance while Archer frowned, a hand in his chin. Such reveal had tons of implications and raised questions exactly why the Kaleidoscope inferred about Alaya’s existence in his works.

When the Mage of Swords asked, his counterpart could only muse, “That vampire doesn’t have as much freedom as he pretends to have. The moment he really acts, he closes all other possibilities, effectively killing what could be the best possibility.”

After that both fell silent for what felt like hours, Shirou growing increasingly worried that, ‘Was all this just a waste of time?’ Suddenly he realized how long he had fought Archer but quickly shook his head. ‘No. He looks willing to help so maybe…’ Looking at his older self in the eyes, he asked. “Can you come with me to fight against the other Heroic Spirits?”

Narrowing his eyes, the taller man folded his arms. “Getting arrogant, aren’t we? Do you think I am a match for Gilgamesh and Heracles when they are fighting seriously?” He scoffed and shook his head. “My stats are superior to yours but not by much. I already gave you plenty of new swords as well and if you walk around Unlimited Blade Works, you can have all of them in due time.”

“But that doesn’t solve my problem. I need to stop Illya and to do that I need to defeat Gilgamesh before it is too late.” The Mage’s eyes shone with conviction which the older man found familiar. “You said Alaya helped me get here. It must want to help and that means you can help. Don’t you have any ideas?”

“I hate to count on Alaya for anything… However, I probably don't have any choice.”

“... Why did you sell your soul to the Planet?"

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to us-”

“I come from another World. I never met Rias Gremory, I fought and died like an idiot chasing an impossible dream. One that you reje-”

“It is still beautiful.” Those words froze the Counter Guardian whose eyes grew wide as he paid close attention to Shirou. “A world where nobody has to suffer, that is my dream. A hero can do it but… I grew selfish and wanted my family to be safe first and foremost.” He let out a self depreciated chuckle. “I am not fit to be a hero. In a way, I envy you, Archer.”

“And what? Do you want to change places?!” The silence had him scoffing again. “Don’t speak about things you don’t understand. I have been here for so long… killed so many. Once you are gone, it will be back to business. A drone of Alaya, a reaper.”

Shirou leaned forward carefully. “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Both men paused and just looked at each other. “You said to yourself that this state of affairs is unique. Maybe I can-”

“How many seconds are in Eternity?” Archer suddenly asked, his eyes distant and his expression empty. “I have been here for so long and have been summoned in so many wars… yet I have never seen a World like yours. Makes me think that some part of me may have and I escaped… But then, when will such an escape be actualized to my real self?” He stood up, watching over the Unlimited Blade Works. “You must have realized, time is irrelevant here. Even if you, by some miracle, free me, I will always be here.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t try-”

“Maybe you already did. Maybe somebody else did. Maybe I am just a shadow of a shadow and Alaya is just commanding my every word…” Archer turned around, focusing on the Mage. “Forget about other Worlds, Emiya Shirou. Focus on your loved ones. It is the best thing you can do for us… Because it would be selfish of you to abandon them.”

That was exactly what the Counter Guardian needed to say to get his younger self to give up meddling with Alaya further; the happiness of others which would in turn give happiness to himself.

“What do I do then?” Shirou asked, hoping that the man was right and somewhere, somehow, he had found peace if not freedom.

Archer scowled and closed his eyes while tilting his head like he was trying to hear something. Perhaps he has since the whole experience was unique and he was unsure what Alaya wanted or how to proceed. He knew nothing about how to undo Illya’s ritual or present his younger self a weapon to surpass his enemies completely.

“Archer?” Shirou called after a long silence. “Do you have any ideas?”

“No.” Was the honest answer.

“Then why did Alaya let me get in here? Does it want me to go deeper?”

“Hahah! Sure, yeah. Alaya is going to give the Akashic Records to someone for free. Hahahaha! Aaaaah. Thanks, I needed a laugh.”

“Screw you. You know what I mean. Excalibur Image isn’t enough. Unless I can get the Original or something on the same level, Ea will wipe my existence the second Gilgamesh feels really threatened.”

“From what you told me, he doesn’t want to kill you… Then again, cornered rats and all that.”

“I wonder what the King of Heroes would say about you calling his descendant a cornered rat.”

“‘Mongrels have no right to use my name and if anyone is brave enough to dare then they should win without my magnanimous assistance’ or something along those lines.” Archer answered without missing a beat. “Still, no, the Root isn’t in your reach. The thing about the Root is that you are either Fated to reach it or you, through extreme pain and effort, cheat your way to it. If a half hazardly and improvised ritual was the path to the Root then any Holy Grail War would do the job even incomplete.”

“Great. That doesn’t help at all.” Shirou stood up as well and began pacing around. His eyes jumped everywhere, absorbing all the swords he could into his Reality Marble to quickly find out, “Your collection is big but most of them are… average at best. Some of my swords are better.”

“Woe is me. Not like every weapon can…” Suddenly understanding dawned into Archer. As if the answer was right there the whole time and he just saw it. “What did you say?”

Shirou scratched his head and bit his tongue in a bit of embarrassment. “Sorry. You do have more Noble Phantasms than me but I am serious.” One of his Muramasas, the Fire one, appeared in his hand and burst into flames. “Took me a bit to get hang of making them but-”

“You made a Muramasa by yourself?” Archer approached and took the sword. Something was tickling the back of his head as he absorbed the sword’s History. “The forging process of Muramasa himself, replicated to perfection. You learned how to make swords with emotions…”

Hope returned to Shirou as he could see the Counter Guardian was on to something. “Yes, I did.” He Traced the Original Muramasa, the cursed weapon which brought ambition to the front. His older self grabbed the weapon and stared at them both and the younger one could swear he heard the cogs above his head turning. “It is part of my magecraft. Since my Element is Sword, mom thought it would be a good idea to learn how to make them and well…” an EM appeared in his hand, “things developed from there.”

Tracing his own EM, Archer stared at the small mystic code. “Not even close to something like Avalon-”

“That is hardly fair.”

“-but the beginning of something.”

“Wait, you aren’t going to suggest-”

“You are Emiya Shirou,” Archer affirmed with conviction while dismissing the scalpel and turning around, “if you don’t have a weapon good enough to defeat your enemy, make one.”

“... The only thing I have that could defeat Gilgamesh and Heracles is just far beyond my reach. Fuyuki Muramasa… I don’t have that hatred in me and the mana to Trace it.”

“You are thinking too small.” The Counter Guardian commented while beginning to Project something. “The World you come from is different from my own. So different that there is a chance that dating the King of Heroes isn’t that impossible as you make it sound.”

Shirou nodded in agreement. “I know that but how? I doubt Gilgamesh will let me escape a third time. Our next fight… will be our last.”

“Huh, even if not the Original, your Gilgamesh is almost as arrogant as the true King of Heroes. Just not enough to avoid using Ea if he is losing.” Archer chuckled at some joke only he knew before his expression turned serious. In front of him there was a desk very similar to the one Rias gave her Magician. “Which is why we need to make something equal or greater than Ea.”

“Can something like that exist in Unlimited Blade Works? Better question, could I even take that when I leave this place?” Shirou asked as he touched the table. It was a perfect copy, down to the scratches from the swords he dropped in it from time to time. “I know there is a good reason why you can’t just Trace the real Excalibur or why I can’t just Trace Fuyuki Muramasa wherever I want. A normal Reality Marble has limits.”

“Must you make me repeat myself? Your World is too different from most of the ones I know. Including the one where I came from.” Archer leaned on the table and folded his arms. “Gods, devils, sacred gears, just one of those things popping in any World where the Age of Humanity is truly prevalent would revolutionize all magecraft unless Gaia put a halt to it.”

The Mage of Swords turned to stare at him. “Meaning?”

“The differences between a World with and without Gaia are huge and small. Some may be coincidental like how bonded fields are called boundary fields but the fact anyone can learn magic and how the gods are still on the loose, can only be associated with a World where Gaia’s influence is at a minimum and Humanity can’t stand on their own. A perfect storm where Legends are born. Where an idiot can become a hero.”

Archer chuckled bitterly before laughing out loud which surprised his younger self somewhat for one moment until he remembered the older man came from a place where a hero like him couldn’t have a good ending.

And Shirou truly considered the Counter Guardian a hero, even if he wasn’t going to say it outloud. “Sounds good and all but how are you going to do that? You are the expert here, Archer, and a desk sounds like a good start but not what we need.”

“You are going to sit here and make blueprints while I,” the older man tapped his own head, “will access whatever knowledge Alaya is shoving on my head about and we will find what exactly you can use in your own World. With this, we are going to cut the development process to just production." He commented while slapping the mahogany desk. “All you need to do once back there is to gather the materials and make a Miracle with the knowledge we uncover.” Shirou’s jaw dropped and the Counter Guardian chuckled again. “Good for you, Mage of Swords, you are about to use the Root to push your magecraft further. Keep it a secret or the whole Mage Association will want your hide.”

“That sounds too good to be true.”

“Alaya seems willing to part with some stuff so you have a terminal for the Akashic Records right before you.” Archer commented, motioning to himself. “Not bad for a third rate.” His expression quickly turned serious. “I also have far more experience in modifying and using our weapons so cramming all that in your thick skull can be useful for something. I can already see how we can fix one problem you have with EM, aka, how you need to Trace to use it everytime.”

Shirou watched as the taller man Projected two chairs on each side of the desk and sat down in the one where his legs would have the most space. “Sounds too good to be true and likely it will take a long while. We don’t have any of the materials here and most of it will be theoretical meaning we are going to go over hundreds of possibilities and-”

“Did you forget where you are? How much you struggled to catch me.” Archer’s boots rested on the table, annoying the Mage who glared. The older man offered only a smug smile. “Time and space means nothing inside the Root, especially with this fake Rayshift of yours. Nobody else will know how much time we spent here… I think.”

Shirou facepalmed. “Please tell me this isn’t some sort of gamble. My luck sucks.”

“Haha. Some things never change.” He gave a half shrug. “If you are in such a rush, then we better start working. Project all your creations on the desk so we can make them better.”

The Mage did as ordered, his armor, bow, EM, several swords and a few spears dropping around the table. There were so many that not only did Archer have to take off his feet but also Project two more desks to hold everything. His eyes jumped left and right as he grabbed one of the Muramasas.

“This is the Root, right? Doesn’t it have anything already capable of beating Ea?” Shirou wondered out loud.

And the Counter Guardian grumbled. “Alaya won’t give me access to anything like that. If it did, I would try to escape.”

Shirou looked at his older self again and even if he wasn’t his ‘future self’, the younger man had to ask. “Tell me… if you could go back to the past, your past, and change this situation… Would you do it?” Archer paused, his own glare reflected to him by a sword. “You have been summoned in Holy Grail Wars, normal wars, strange ones. Landing in your own past doesn't sound far-fetched. If that was possible, if Alaya allowed that to happen, would you stop yourself from becoming a Counter Guardian?"

“Yes.” The answer didn’t surprise the Mage. “Yes I would. The best chance would be to make a paradox by killing my real younger self… Or maybe I would try and break him from the loft ideas of a Hero of Justice because killing him sounds like more trouble than it is worth it.” His tone was bittersweet, as if he was reviewing a memory.

‘How many seconds in Eternity? What is to say that he didn’t already meet a past version of himself.’ Shirou mused sadly.

Until he saw a small smile grow in Archer’s face, one extremely familiar. “Or I would be an idiot and just do everything all over again.” That admission shocked the younger man. But barely less so than the smile he saw. “In the end I can’t help but think of the idea of saving everyone… It is just too beautiful. I hate it. It doomed me to Hell and yet… Despite everything I still love it… Despite so many regrets, it is the only thing I still hold.”

There was no way Shirou couldn't recognize that smile because it was his own, the one he saw in the mirror when his family took their first picture together, when kissing Rias’ cheek upon a random morning and in so many moments where he was truly at peace.

‘I see Hell. I see a man who stands in the middle of Hell, his back straight and his eyes locked forward.’ Shirou couldn’t help but think. ‘I see… Beyond all the pain, all regret, beyond even the dream, he still stands and nothing can take him down. Nothing.’

Archer clicked his tongue and threw a sword away, judging it useless. “Probably would just scream at him until he grew some sense or find somebody else to keep him out of trouble. You seem to be doing fine thanks to your women. Maybe that was what I needed in my life.” Only then did the Counter Guardian notice that his younger self looked lost and frowned. "Aren't you complaining about time? Get to work, these blueprints won’t draw themselves and we still need to figure out what exist in your World that can be of use.”

“Hehe, if what you say about other Worlds is true, maybe we should consider ‘everything’ exists in mine.”

“And not everything is useful. We are talking about premium materials here. Premium.”

“Are we talking about meat or metal?”

“Maybe both. Who knows?”

For the first time Shirou began understanding the typical magus and the idea how one could obsess in reaching the Root. After all, Archer was offering to work as a ‘terminal’ for the Akashic Records meaning he had limited access to everything he would need to know. An opportunity the whole Clocktower would sell their souls to have.

It also helped that the person helping him was also himself, even if a bit too jaded for his tastes. “Can we consider that I already have Loki’s blood? That could help.”

“Alone it won’t. Not if we want to keep Enkidu out of play or stop it from beating you like last time.” Archer replied with a frown that turned into a grin. “But I can tell it is a start. Divine blood can work as a bidding agent to stabilize a more unstable creation.”

“But then we run into a problem; anything made with a god’s blood will be inherently Divine. Enkidu managed to bind a pegasus. Whatever I make with Loki’s blood will just suffer the same fate.” At Shirou’s words, Archer paused and tilted his head. It was almost like he was hearing something in the distance again. “Is Alaya speaking with you directly?”

“It is complicated. There isn’t a voice or anything like that and the information is pretty much downloaded in my brain after a while. But clearly Alaya isn’t willing to give up the goods easily, even if it is favorable to your success.”

“Can you guess the reason?”

“Our Planet likes being difficult?"

“I won’t even comment on that.” Shirou frowned and shook his head. “Nope, not gonna. Let’s try a different approach. What if instead of discarding the use of Divine blood we try to find a way to either suppress or remove the Divinity?” He could tell by the bafflement in Archer’s face he was on the right track. “Can I make something with Divinity that isn’t inherently Divine?”

The Counter Guardian snapped his fingers and pointed at his younger self. “Great question. That is what Alaya is suggesting and…” His smile turned into a frown before realization dawned on him. “Oh, that is going to be complicated.”

“Please tell me I don’t need human sacrifice or something stupid like that.”

“Actually there is that option-”

“For fuck’s sake.” Shirou hit his head on the table, barely avoiding his swords.

Archer was surprised by the reaction but quickly focused on the facts. "Wouldn't be that efficient anyway. Sure it would corrupt the Divine by using Sin but that isn’t even close to the strongest thing we can make with the right materials.”

The Mage of Swords deduced that, “The problem lies with the other materials?”

“Hmm, some are far too difficult to collect while others are far too risky to even use.”

“Such as?”

“... A fragment of the White Titan… Since Sefar attacked Earth, there are still parts of it lying around in a couple of places that fortunately are inaccessible to most people. I doubt anybody in your World would have managed to collect all, if any, of them.”

“Since it is a being from outside our World, its Existence is different from the gods. Heavier too because it almost killed all of them.”

“It is beyond that. Sefar is a… lets call it creature, from beyond the universe. It is something so weird that even if we came from different Worlds, both were attacked by it. Maybe the first attack was when all Worlds were one and because of how it was defeated the multiverse was created or something?”

“What Alaya is saying?”

“Silent as the dead. In fact, I think it wants us to move on from the topic.”

“Okay, if I were to use parts of the White Titan…”

“... You could be assimilated and destroy Earth.”

“Changing topics then. What is next on the list?”

“ORT, a machine in South America that could end the world if anybody messes with it…”

“... Same problem?”

“Same problem.”

“Next.”

Back and forth they went, Archer informing Shirou about some of the most dangerous creatures or weapons, be them from Earth or not, and warning about their dangers as they debated the merits of using a few of their parts.

Crossing reference with several mythologies thanks to Alaya both knew some Artifacts were beyond the Mage of Swords reach or would fall to Enkidu anyway. What they needed was something far from Divine but powerful enough to challenge Ea since that would be Gilgamesh’s true last resort.

Finally they reached somewhere when Shirou randomly suggested they should be looking not for quality but age. “The older the Mystery is, the more powerful it gets. Is there anything that is as old as Ea that we can use?”

Alaya gave a quick answer and Archer smirked. “Look at that. Not bad for a third rate.”

“Not liking your smile.” Shirou admitted with a hint of fear.

“You shouldn’t because you are about to do something even I wouldn’t have dared. Hoho, when everything is done you are going to have so many enemies. Hahaha. How I wish I could watch that.”

“Just tell me already.” Archer did and Shirou shivered. “Is this a joke? That is a death sentence! Every magician on the planet is going to come after my head!”

“Just some from certain groups. If you play your cards right, maybe not that much.” The Counter Guardian commented with a shrug knowing that the consequences would be devastating when the Mage of Swords made his move. Realistically, it was the most logical one and he had few other options, none of them good. “It really is your best choice since the Wandering Sea and the Atlas Institute of your World are missing their fangs, probably because of the gods. Those guys wouldn’t allow any weapon as the Black Barrel to exist away from their control.” He tapped the table pensively. “Maybe it exists in some other shape or form but not one you, of all people, should use. If it was, then Alaya would just say so. Rhongomyniad is in play but…” Then he shrugged again, a bit more dramatically. Shirou was starting to wonder if his older self was a bit of a showman. “Either way you are going to be pissing off people and messing with powers beyond human comprehension. Might as well get something from it.”

“Grr, I hate that you are right.” Grabbing the Projected version of his armor, he Traced a hammer and motioned to the side. “We still need to figure out how I am going to pull this off.”

“Have devils help you. For now, time to improve your base equipment and a few other things.” A wave of his hand had a huge anvil, several tools and a forge ready to be lit appeared in the Hill of Swords. “I must confess I never really forged anything in the traditional sense but if you can do it, I can’t do much worse.”

“Heh, let's see about that, old man.” Emiya Shirou placed the armor in the anvil and raised his hammer with a glint in his eye. The first strike roared in Unlimited Blade Works as he said, “Tried to keep up, old man.”

Archer Projected a hammer for himself and, once positioned, delivered a strike of his own that made his Reality Marble tremble. “Me, keeping up with you? You keep up with me.”

“Who is the master smith here?” Shirou asked while applying mana to the material. Already he felt something shift in his own world, a new blueprint taking form.

“Sword smith. Give me a minute and I will show you how to really fix an armor with your eyes closed.” Archer's next strike was full of mana as he visualized the materials changing in his own mind.

But the younger man followed next, his creation stabilizing with structure and rules that would exist in his world. Only for the Counter Guardian’s next strike to present him with dozens of possibilities he considered and hundreds that never crossed his mind.

It was all about finding a balance of what could be and what couldn’t be done once the Mage of Swords returned because he wouldn’t keep such equipment just for himself considering the dark days ahead.

Yet that was a little far in the future, one where the two would each walk their own path.

For the moment it was just two men losing themselves into work, finishing several versions of the armor until they created something that could be reproduced consistently, even if the Mage would need outside help.

Time lost its meaning as they kept hammering away, moving on from improving the Mage of Swords’ options until they began drawing the blueprint for what would be their Masterpiece.

The Ultimate form of Emiya Shirou’s thaumaturgy; an ever evolving weapon, made with the goal to save people.

An impossibility to make a dream reality.

It was just too much fun.

…..

With the press of a button all lights in the room glowed far more brightly than normal, far more than it should be possible either with technology or magic. Mana saturated the room as more energy got pumped in from the unknown and there was more to come as it took over everything.

All part of a ritual Olga Marie Animusphere knew she started but had no idea of its consequences or their lack of control over it. In the end she was right; they rushed, prepared poorly and didn’t know what they were doing.

She could acknowledge that Illyasviel was a superior magician for managing something far more stable by stealing Kyoto’s resources as well as her own lack of understanding from the moment she pressed that button.

Regardless, Olga Marie did it anyway, leaving herself to powerlessly stare at how the Chaldea System was taken over by something. The monitor in her face flashed with trillions of numbers all at once, too much data for her to comprehend running rampant until there was so much it was left just glowing too.

For a moment there was just light, everyone but Azazel hiding their eyes because of its intensity, especially the devils, Rias in particular even screaming a little because of pain and panic.

“That can only be-” The Cadre stood there in shock as if he was seeing something completely different. An instant later he panicked. “Olga! Turn off-”

It was too late and a jolt of energy, mana laced with electricity, jumped from one panel to the other initiating a chain reaction that spread over every computer. Magecraft and technology weren’t meant to work together and it took a painful amount of effort to make such a thing possible.

By utilizing an extremely expensive system that had dozens of fail safes and insolation to make sure it could survive even a straight lightning bolt falling into the place. It didn't stop things from blowing up in seconds.

“Shit!” Yoruichi cursed as she began moving to pull out everyone from there quickly, starting with Rias who barely grew aware something was wrong.

The redhead didn’t even have time to react thanks to the nekomata’s speed but there would be no need as the situation soon resolved itself; the energy suddenly stabilized, lights dimmed, and the system crashed just as they concluded their function before screens began blowing up.

Fortunately Kuzuki was already in position to cover Olga Marie with an arm and protect her from the shards of broken screens. Akeno had moved in front of Medusa, Liz and Xenovia when suddenly all lights died out, confusing everyone.

But giving time for the people moving at a normal pace to react. “Shiro!”

“My workshop! I knew this was a bad idea!”

“No time for that! Water!! There is a fire in here!!!”

"Fire extinguishers on the walls. Close to the doors.” There were two ones, for the main chamber, the entrance to the lab, and Kuzuki was already on one. Pressing his palm on the wall he noticed that even the emergency system was down and decided to rip it open, throwing one at Yoruichi. “Can you-”

“On it.” The nekomata was moving like a flash, putting down fires before he finished the question.

Others were moving as well, Liz also ripping a wall open for a fire extinguisher while Xenovia tried to clear her sight. “What was that?”

“Mana expanding akin to the cosmos.” Medusa answered while focused on the chamber where Shirou resided. “Power like that… Isn’t something a human ritual should accomplish on its own.”

Azazel was also putting fires as he questioned. “What just happened?”

“I should be asking that!!” Olga demanded.

“Shiro.” Rias, once her sight was clear, began rushing only for Akeno to hold her in place.

“He is fine.” Medusa said immediately and they all watched the Mage slowly sit up from his chair. “My Champion, please tell me you weren’t possessed by any otherworldly entity, if you will.”

“You have been reading too much science fiction.” Shirou complained jokingly as he began removing the wires from his body, noticing his armor felt a little uncomfortable. Fortunately the blueprints for a new one were already in his mind but his first priority was the ballistic missile in the shape of his first lover blowing the chamber open and jumping in his arms. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I am okay. I am- Xenovia no!”

The blue head jumped on them, hugging both as the three fell back in the chair. “Never do that again.”

“... How long was I out?”

“It is not that you were out but this place feels like it is about to explode.” Rias informed, face in his chest. Shifting in place, she managed to get the former Exorcist out of her back to look up and notice, “You are crying.”

“I am?” Shirou noticed the left side of his face was dry but there was a single tear. “Heh. Don’t worry, these are good tears. It worked, I met a-”

“You met a Heroic Spirit?!!! Oh no!!!” Olga Marie’s wonder lasted little when a new fire started.

“We better save the questions for later.” Shirou suggested, and his lovers moved to help control the fire as he recovered his bearings. ‘Looks like it wasn’t that long. Another thing he was right about…’

With everyone working together the flames didn’t spread leaving only only the chamber and workshop damaged. Controlling the fire also took some time because they avoided using magic since the air was still saturated with mana. Sona’s prudence came to their rescue since there were several fire extinguishers for them to use in every floor of the building.

Still there was no denying the damage to the lab had been considerable to say the least since there wasn’t a single piece of technology that hadn’t been affected by the overload they had unleashed.

Even their phones had short circuited during the event, much to Tsubasa’s frustration. “Fuck. Mom ‘s gonna kill me.”

“We can buy another from the same model. Give me a minute and I will have someone on the case.” Azazel commented while pressing some buttons. Soon he moved to turn on the lights in the hallway but those were out too. “This is going to cost a pretty penny to fix.”

“My workshop.” Olga fell to her knees after finally paying attention to the destruction around her. “My research. Gone. All gone.”

“You do have a back up, right?” Shirou asked hesitantly.

And the younger magus jumped at him with an aura of fury. “Of course I have back ups, you morron! That doesn’t mean everything was saved! Especially the data from this… this stupid disaster you dragged me into!!”

“I am sorry.” The Mage said sincerely.

She didn’t care. “The Chaldea System- Rebuilding everything is going to take months!!! And the money… oh, how I am going to get the money.”

“Calm down, Olga Marie. The Gremory will pay for the expenses from this venture in full.” While upset from the sudden start of the whole thing, Rias could tell the girl was overwhelmed. Since Shirou was safe, she didn’t mind giving her a break. “Just tell us what you need. Better yet, give Azazel a list. I bet he can get better computers than the ones you had.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” The fallen angel acknowledged while approaching a particular table where once a certain box rested. A box, a flask and a seed. “Father Above, this was a disaster alright. But it could have been worse.”

Medusa tilted her head. “Do I want to ask how?”

“Fuyuki is still standing.” Touching the table, everyone watched it fall apart into ashes. “And considering this… Shirou being alive can be classified as a Miracle.”

“What happened?” Rias demanded.

“And where is the seed?” Yoruichi asked next, folding her arms.

“Not a clue and probably spent.” Azazel touched the former desk’s remains and clicked his tongue. “My special quartz also went the way of the dinosaur so I can’t even examine it to figure out the properties of what happened.”

“But it worked, right?” Xenovia questioned, turning to Shirou.

Who smirked and shrugged. “Not as we wanted but yes, it did. I got into contact with a Hero Spirit.”

“Really?!” Olga excitement returned. From somewhere she grabbed a pen and a note pad. “Were they aware of what was happening? Were you in the Throne? Did you see the Throne? Since you are human, did that affect the process in any shape or form? Could we replicate without the seed?”

“Yes, they were aware. No, I didn’t get into the Throne of Heroes. We were in a separate space but… I am a bit confused about where we were during all that. Being human probably made the whole thing possible, I think. And no, without the seed, I can’t see all that working again.” Shirou gave a moment to see if she had more questions but the girl was mumbling something, her pen moving madly. While Olga wrote, he asked, “How long was I out?”

“Two seconds. It started and two seconds later everything went downhill.” Rias reported.

Akeno actually shook her head. “No, it was shorter than that.” All eyes turned to the Queen who shook her head again. “There was a spike of mana that I can’t explain. I think it came from outside?” The ravenhead shook her head before affirming more decisively but still with confusion. “I mean, I believe it was from outside. Then the lights and everything happened in a gradual manner before blowing up after two seconds or so.”

“So it happened before the two seconds or during these two seconds…” Olga Marie tried to make more notes but her eyes weren’t good without light. Kuzuki’s were and he collected the notepad and wrote her observations, including Shirou’s answers. “Thank you, sensei. About Noble Phantasms, did the Heroic Spirit give you one? Oh, and who they were? That is important too.”

Emiya smirked a little. “I don’t think he wants me telling people his name.”

“‘He’? He is a ‘he’, then.” Then Olga pointed out what Kuzuki had to write before realizing what the Mage had said. “What?! Why?! He is in the Throne of Heroes! He already has to be famous!!”

“Relatively but he doesn’t like the fame. In fact, he probably would have asked me to not say his name outloud. He really hates it.” Shirou commented with humor.

“You promised me data.” The younger magus grumbled her complaint before pointing and waving around frantically. “My workshop is in ruins! My lab will need to be fully refurnished! It will take months before I can try and call for another Noble Phantasm!! MONTHS!!!! Not to mention how this whole operation left me with nothing but scraps!! At least tell me what Noble Phantasm whoever he was gave you!”

The Mage of Swords Projected raised and raised a glowing sword for some light. “He really couldn’t give me any Noble Phantasms. No evil piece means I don’t have anywhere to store it.”

Rias, Xenovia, Liz and Yoruichi looked at Shirou in confusion while Olga shouted. “What?! Well, I mean, it makes sense, that was how I designed it.” She mumbled the last part, trying to not show how the excitement made her forget how her own system worked. It just reminded everyone that no matter how mature, she was still a kid. “Maybe the important thing was the point of contact… You did talk with a Heroic Spirit… But without any new Noble Phantasms that was, overall, a failure.”

“So it was all for nothing?” Tsubasa questioned.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Azazel also knew about Unlimited Blade Works and suspected Shirou was hiding something. From the way Shirou was talking he could infer that, “You still got something didn't you?”

The Mage nodded in agreement. “Knowledge, mostly. Turns out the guy knew a lot of stuff about making swords… and other things.” He really hoped nobody asked about the ‘other things’.

“Muramasa! You met Muramasa, the Legendary Smith!” Rias, in all the enthusiasm her lover was grateful for, deduced. She was grinning from ear to ear at the idea of learning more about such a historical figure. “Did he look like you? I knew you had to have his blood. It must be Fate."

Shirou silenced her by touching her nose. “That would have been cool. But no, it wasn’t Muramasa.” Her disappointed pout was too cute so he focused on something else. “He also taught me a thing or two about magecraft and Muramasa wasn’t a magus… I think.”

“No, he wasn’t.” Yoruichi confirmed despite the suspicion in her tone but she could tell he wasn’t lying. Avoiding saying something, sure he was but not outright lying and the nekomata could tell. “Totosai, Kyoto’s top smith, spoke about the man in the past. I wanted you to meet him for the longest time but he had accompanied Oogway-dono to the Heavenly Court and must be back by tomorrow at the earliest.”

“Great. Maybe he could help…” Shirou shook his head, dismissing the thought. “No, better to stick to the plan.”

“What plan?” Akeno asked before anyone else could, all of them wondering what the Mage was mumbling about.

“A plan to make weapons to face the Hero Faction.” The Mage’s words surprised everyone. He focused on Rias who was just standing there, stunned. “No, this isn’t a joke. The situation calls for extreme measures.” While speaking, he Traced a few more glowing swords, not caring where they fell since the place would have to be fully rebuilt anyway. “Rias, can you call your Clan and tell them to get every smith and skillful armorer in the Underworld? We are going to be fighting terrorists and we will need to arm everyone. And I mean everyone, if possible.”

Akeno half ignored what he said because, ‘His Tracing improved quite a lot in ‘two seconds’. Not only that, those swords just dropped around in a perfect circle with just a wave of his hand.’

“You hate to make weapons like that. In scale.” Liz pointed out without hesitation, snapping the Queen’s attention back to the Mage. “Others will get your weapons too. Not just the good guys.”

“Can’t be helped. There is going to be a war. And a big one.” Shirou’s conversations with Archer, mostly his memories, helped him see the signs.

The Hero Faction had accumulated too much power and ultimatum or not, their plans would involve conquest, domination and destruction of several Pantheons. Nobody was safe and if he held back from arming the Underworld then the piles of bodies were going to involve his friends.

Meaning he also couldn’t hesitate even if that meant some of his creations falling in the hands of criminals and the like.

Despite his mistakes, at the end of his life, Archer held no fear or hesitation of any sort.

Emiya Shirou planned to mirror him, just a little. “Everybody needs to be prepared for this. No matter if they are soldiers, nobles or whatever. If they are on our side they get to fight with the best swords and armor that we can make.” He kept his focus on Rias. “Can your father expand the forge? I figured out how to streamline the process of making my armor and even making it better than before. I am going to need a lot of help and someone who can make runes- Actually, we should see if Rose is interested in working extra time. Bet she will agree if it is for a bonus.”

“Slow down. Wait, you managed to do what with your armor?” The Heiress was getting overwhelmed. Not her fault, most of them were.

“Damn! Now I want to meet this Heroic Spirit as well.” Azazel whistled in appreciation, admiring how inspired Shirou was.

Medusa couldn’t help but feel the same. “Must have been a great hero.”

Shirou looked at the goddess and smiled sadly. “You two would get along.”

“Does that mean I will get one of those cool armors too?” Tsubasa asked eagerly.

Giving her an evaluating look that surprised the Rook, the Mage answered. “If everything goes well, for you I will make something special. Something to pair up with that shield.”

Tsubasa grinned and Rias was stunned. “Okay… all that is doable. I know a lot of my Clan will be over the Moon about you making weapons again. But Shiro… is that what you really want?”

Nobody needed a reminder how they had to save him the first time he wanted to stop making weapons. He was tortured by Lakmia because of the very idea of them falling into the wrong hands. Yet the Mage of Swords still seemed to have changed his mind which was worrisome for the Heiress.

But the resolve in his eyes presented no fear. “It isn’t about what I want but what is necessary to get us out of this mess. To stop the Khaos Brigade, no, the Hero Faction.” Contemplation was soon evident in his face. “I wonder for how long the Khaos Brigade will exist as an entity.”

“Probably not too long if they are all about ‘human supremacy’.” Azazel commented while making quotes with his fingers. “Jokes aside, they presented an argument of shoving everyone out of Earth so maybe nothing will change but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

Yoruichi frowned. “If you have any spies-”

“Any fallen angel in that organization is either a traitor or an angel who fell and didn’t join the Grigori.” The Cadre assured with certainty. “I tried to infiltrate some spies. I failed. Can’t guess anybody else’s success but I imagine they are already extracting however they can since things are about to get ugly.” A depressing frown was soon in his face. “Even if the war Shirou is predicting hasn't started yet, it has already claimed a lot of victims, not just those in Kyoto or in the Underworld from their previous attack.”

“Uncle, are you alright?” Akeno asked with a hand on his back.

Azazel offered a forced smile. “No.”

“How many did you lose?” Medusa asked sadly.

“Enough.” Was all he replied before sighing. “I really hoped that after the ceasefire things would slow down.” Resolve returned to his gaze. “But Shirou has a point; we have to mobilize everyone. Meaning that whatever old grudges our Factions have will have to be buried.”

“This will be the first time the Three Factions fight as one…” Xenovia realized and the Cadre nodded.

“Mobilizing an army isn’t easy but since we are dealing with a terrorist organization, one which already took its pound of flesh, we have plenty of warning.” Azazel turned to Yoruichi. “I know your side suffered already but can I count on you to present your case and evidence of the attack so the hardliners don’t get in the way.”

The nekomata nodded. “Sure. No problem. Someone will have to go to the Underworld sooner or later to sign the treaty between our Factions so we are officially allies with the Grigori and the Church.”

“I don’t want to hear any of that.” Olga Marie admitted as she began exiting the lab. “I don’t need to hear politics! I definitely don’t need to hear about terrorism. I just want to do my research!” Kuzuki followed her to the door where she paused, turned and pointed to the Mage and Heiress. “I am sending the Gremory the bill for all this!!”

With that declaration she was out, which was good because Shirou wanted to keep his last request far from any magician’s ears. “I may have a way to fight against Gilgamesh. To beat Ea.”

Everyone froze and looked at him. “We haven’t even seen the thing yet.” Tsubasa pointed out. Her presence was a risk but he trusted her loyalty to Sona, not Olga.

“Its power is stuff of Legends for a reason.” Yoruichi pointed out correctly. “It is the boogeyman to every god. All Pantheons only became really active when the Original Gilgamesh passed away exactly because they feared it, no matter what they say. Also because of Enkidu but the latter doesn’t matter for us, ‘simple mortals’.”

“Don’t like this.” Liz whispered before her voice grew in strength. “Sounds like you’re the one who will face him.”

“I mean, I am the only one who has a realistic chance of beating him.”

Some jaws dropped, including Azazel’s. “Debatable.”

“You lost to him twice!” Akeno pointed out.

“No.” Rias said simply, sounding something between furious, frustrated and exhausted.

“Hold on, hold on. Let me plead my case. I won’t be fighting him like this. Enkidu pretty much locks me out of Bellerophon and as I am now, I can’t just counter the Sword of Rupture out of the blue because I know how.”

“Which is why we should get somebody else to fight Gilgamesh.” Medusa said with a look of exasperation. “Someone powerful but not Divine. Oh, wait. We have the Maous for that. Sirzechs is one of the Most Powerful Beings. He can handle it.”

“Hey, are you all forgetting about me? The winner of the Great War?” Azazel wouldn’t say his pride was wounded but it was wounded. “I haven’t had a chance to fight him either and with Fafnir on my conner, I bet I can defeat even that Dragon Slayer of theirs-”

“If Ddraig couldn’t, neither can you.” Akeno reminded his uncle.

Only for the Cadre to raise a finger. “But I am a way better fighter than Ise. I won’t get hit by Balmung even in my sleep.”

“What are you going to do against the other hundreds of Dragon Slayer swords that Gilgamesh has in his Vault?” To prove his point, Shirou Traced a few dozen of those swords. None of them was as strong as Balmung or Ascalon but everyone could tell they were dangerous. “And Gram as well?”

Rubbing his chin, the fallen angel let out a chuckle. “I will figure something out.”

"Doesn't mean you should be the one facing them, you fool.” Medusa was quick to declare.

And Shirou surprised them all by nodding. “I don’t plan to face them yet. Like I said; I need to make something that can defeat Ea. Something even the King of Heroes wouldn’t see coming.” A more severe expression took over his face. “And this is the best way to minimize the risks. I don’t know if anyone else can fight against the Gate of Babylon and win but I know I can do it. I know how. I just need to become strong enough to deal with the rest.”

“By making something stronger.” Xenovia deduced and her lover nodded.

Yoruichi crossed her arms with a pensive expression. “I mean, if he is sure…”

“You know how Shiro is. He is just risking his neck so somebody else doesn't do it.” Rias pointed out and nobody challenged her.

Except the Mage himself. “Except that I am right. My Reality Marble is the perfect counter for the Gate of Babylon.” All looked at him and while none challenged the claim. “I know, it alone isn’t going to be enough. I know Angelo won’t hold back. He will go for the kill next time, no doubt about it. That is why I am pulling all the stops. He is coming for the kill and so do I. And I will make something that helps me kill him.”

“...Promise me… ” Rias began with a steel-like tone. “Promise me that whatever you are going to make can really defeat Ea. Promise me-”

“I swear it on my love for you.” The Heiress blushed as he held her gently. “Gilgamesh is going to die but I promise to put my life first. I swear it.”

“Well… I don’t think he is lying.” Akeno commented. “Does anyone disagree?”

“I still don’t like it.” Liz confessed.

Shirou understood her feelings and said, “Someone needs to stop Gilgamesh first and foremost. Besides, I am not saying I will be fighting the whole Hero Faction on my own.” It was something that stuck with him about Archer’s story; how, despite all his deeds, sacrifices and actions, the Hill of Swords remained lonely. “Everyone will have their part to play if we are going to win. And we are going to win.”

Rias knew he was serious and couldn’t help but notice how he was willing to share the burden with others. Made her wonder what sort of Heroic Spirit he met. ‘Do we really have no other choice.’ The idea of Shiro dying scared her but if he was trusting them to help, she saw a chance. “You aren’t dying. None of us are.” He nodded in full agreement and she still saw no lies. “Okay then… what do you need?”

“I can only wonder what exactly a weapon to face the Sword of Rupture could possibly be made of.” Azazel leaned forward and pulled out a notepad of his own.

Eager eyes focused on him, Shirou chuckled nervously. “Right, I already have some of what I need. Medusa’s Gift and Loki’s blood will definitively help.” The goddess looked both pleased and concerned since he was still using Divine materials which should leave him vulnerable to Enkidu. Nevertheless, nobody questioned, trusting him. “But I am going to need a huge favor from the Gremory.”

“You are nervous.” Xenovia pointed out, starting to sweat. “Why are you nervous? Is it something dangerous?”

“Or stupid.” Akeno saw the moment his smile grew strained. “Oh no.”

“I sorta need someone to convince the Mage Association to give me access to its lower levels… You know, the place where the real good stuff is.” Shirou noted how only Tsubasa didn’t look nervous about his request.

Indeed almost everybody else knew what he was talking about and, more importantly, how stingy the Clockwork could be with their research. Reality was many times worse considering what he wanted; entrance in their ‘vaults’ where several treasures beyond comprehension lay dormant.

A dangerous place not only for the security around it but because the area itself was perilous.

A zone beneath London, the last connection with the Reverse side of the World.

Where the rules of Man grew thin and the Laws of Fairies took shape, a gateway to Avalon carved by a mighty beast whose, despite perishing upon finding it completely sealed, existence alone distorted its surroundings making it ideal for research.

In there a humble magus could risk their life to collect materials which could be sold for millions of pounds and where the most important chambers in the Clocktower resided. Not a place for strangers as the vetoing process to get inside could be quite rigorous despite the dangers within.

And Shirou was suggesting not only getting there but also to take something from it. They also knew he wanted something that Clocktower definitively would miss.

“I don’t need to take everything…” The Mage quickly added as he saw the panic growing in everybody’s faces. Almost; Azazel was grinning like a lunatic, Tsubasa remained confused and Medusa tilted her head like she was trying to comprehend a different tongue. “Just, you know, enough?”

“Shiro…” Rias began massaging her temples before hiding her face between her hands.

“Oh, this just takes the cake.” Akeno started smiling as if they were planning the world’s greatest prank.

“That is insane. Insane!” Xenovia commented, throwing her arms in the air. “Even the Church never managed to get someone in there. You need to have all sorts of contracts and contacts and… What do you want there?”

After he told them, Yoruichi mused. “Well, you better not tell them that.”

.....