44 Chapter 44: Shard
Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER
For those curious curious about Alice and Bianca's appearance. I've added to chapter 44 on Wattpad and in the chapters where they first appear. I'll also add them here in a bit.
.
.
.
-???-
It all happened in a split second, right before he could respond to the reality in front of him. The idea that such an entity could manifest itself in this world was practically inconceivable.
The very moment he locked eyes with it, the destructive crimson energy had already reached the halfway mark. Archer knew that he had to act fast as death was but a breath away, his skin had begun stinging from the heat of the attack, and the bodies around him were already turning to ashes. The rubble melted within seconds, a display of sheer power he could not contest against — he knew that it carried far more destructive power than even Caladbolg II.
The Counter Guardian raised his hand, reciting the first verse to Reinforce his Traced Noble Phantasms. This was the first time he ever used it in this world; nothing had ever forced him this far, or he always had other options — even against the demon army that ambushed him and Maia. That time he needed a weapon to kill them all in one fell swoop, but now… he needed to survive more than anything.
"Rho, Aias!"
A small bud formed in the middle of his palm before blooming into seven enormous yet beautiful larkspur petals. Their pink light shining brightly and stubbornly against the sea of crimson. The attack hadn't reached him yet, but his shroud was starting to tear and break apart.
He braced himself, before…
Crash!
The seven layers barely came into existence before the attack collided followed by a loud shockwave which spread across the area.
"Hn!" Emiya watched helplessly as the seventh layer broke without resistance, followed by the sixth and was shortly followed by the fifth. The sleeves of his shroud burned up into ashes, leaving behind his black armor. Using as much Od available to him, with his circuits pulling the mana inside his body without holding back, the dense abundance of this world's mana acting like a double edged sword to his body. But he had no choice, he could bear through the pain of having every single part of his body feel like they dipped into boiling water if need be.
This Projection used more of his energy to Trace — three times as much as a sword — and far more to power it. Each petal destroyed was a large portion of his reserves getting used up, by the time the fourth layer broke down, more than half of his Magical Energy was used up and his circuits just couldn't keep up even when pushed to their limits. A drop of blood hit his face, more and more cuts and burns spread across his arm.
The third layed shattered not a second later.
'W-What power!'
His feet dug into the blackened ground, trying his best to not get thrown by the sheer force. Each petal was the equivalent to a fortress wall!
Small cracks started to form on his armor by the time the second layer. He was left with his last wall of defense separating him from certain death. His reserves had almost run out, the heat coming from his body made his blood boil and steam come off his skin. He gritted his bloodstained teeth, using his left hand to support his right arm.
Emiya glared at the edge of his last layer beginning to break down bit by bit. So gathering the last embers of his Od — he poured every last bit of his Magical Energy inside the Noble Phantasm.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
His loud scream of defiance was drowned by the explosion that followed soon after. A dome of red fire grew to cover the entirety of what had once been the castle of Discordia and beyond. It's tremor capable of being felt across the entirety of the dark lands and even past the borders of neighboring kingdoms. Every being capable of using and sensing magic felt the equivalent of a heatwave passing through their bodies, causing a few like Celestine to perceive the exact location.
.
.
.
"G-ah!"
Inside a dampened cell, Archer quickly opened his eyes before taking a loud gasp of air. His mind was filled by confusion, the sensation of the attack still fresh in his mind. Sweat poured down his face as his hand rested against his chest, his heart beating like a drum.
"Where… where am I?" He asked, finding himself sitting inside a familiar cell with a single torch light illuminating the surrounding. He remembered this place… wasn't he inside the dungeon Brynn and the other Knights threw him in when they captured him in Ken? Archer tried to get up but stopped when he heard the sound of chains skidding across the ground with his legs unable to take another step forward as they were chained to the wall.
The accumulated years of experience as a Counter Guardian prevented him from panicking as he analyzed his current state and surroundings. "This… this isn't Ken." Paying closer attention, he noticed something odd about the space around him, it was blurry and anything beyond the bars was covered in pitch black darkness. Furthermore, the air around wasn't the usual dense mana filled environment he was used to. The biggest factor was himself; as his left arm was perfectly fine without any hint of his circuits overloading, when in reality it should have been absolutely burned and bloodied from the attack.
"An illusion?"
"You're quite sharp, Guardian," said an elderly voice.
"—!" Light flashed as Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands. "Who's there?" He asked, wondering what kind of spell could have trapped his consciousness in such a way. Would Tracing Rule Breaker even help? He could try, if nothing happened then he could attempt to forcefully break away from his constraints.
"Calm down, Guardian. I was barely able to bring you here for a talk, so I'm not going to squander that by harming you in any way — just think of me as an ally." His tone was gentle, Archer could feel it almost having a calming effect but realized it was not natural. "It's been a while since we've spoken. Why don't we catch up?"
"Humph, I have no memory of ever speaking to you." Archer sneered. "You could at least show some decency by introducing yourself. I'm getting rather pissed by visitors tempering with my head."
"So harsh, I guess I should have expected that after what you've experienced before coming here. As for my identity, I told you already, I'm a cleaner just like you. Have you forgotten? We were talking in this exact same place back in Ken." That made the Counter Guardian frown, he had no recollection of their conversation in the dungeons, only that there was no one in the cell when he inspected it.
"I take it you finally remembered our previous interaction, it was quite cordial I assure you. Plus, I see that you even took my advice to heart. It would be a waste to neglect all that Eostia has to offer during your stay. While I may know little of your history, your eyes are a window to the kind of person you are."
"Drop the flattery. Tell me why you've brought me here." He wasn't in a mood to speak about such things anymore nor was he comfortable sharing his past and history. After further reflection, he concluded that he must have survived the attack somehow, or else he would have been brought back to Alaya's domain. He doubted the collective unconsciousness of mankind would waste its time or risk having someone else seize his soul like this just for a talk.
"Hm, I don't have much time for a long speech to begin with. I've used too much of my energy to keep that woman at bay and out of this world. I brought you here because I wanted to apologize."
Apologize? The bowman failed to see what he could have done that made him believe so. They only talked once in the past and nothing else besides that.
"What for?" Archer heard him sigh.
"For having failed my duty. And as a result of my incompetence, that dreadful being has been set loose inside this world." The image of the attack brought back the heavy stench of blood that permeated the air around him, making him tense up. "I tried to stop her from getting anywhere close to this world and even did my best to hide it from her senses. But the very people I protected created a beacon and a path for her to use. Nevertheless, I successfully stopped the main body from coming through, but a small bit of her essence still slipped through the cracks. Even as we speak I'm pushing her back with all my might, but unfortunately, I won't be able to stop her completely until the shard acting as her core is destroyed. Or else, it'll grow stronger and more complete until her true self is able to form within Eostia."
Perceiving no hostile intent, Archer sighed and decided to see where this conversation would lead. Kanshou and Bakuya broke down into motes of light as he realized that having them on hand wouldn't matter as all of this wasn't even real to begin with. He crossed his hands while leaning against the wall.
The more he explained, the more his words cemented the identity of this entity — much to his dismay.
"So it is a Beast after all." Archer murmured worriedly.
At least, that was his guess. The bloodied figure felt completely different from a regular Servant, let alone that version of Sakura that another copy of himself defended against in the many different versions of the fifth Holy Grail War. The feeling it gave him felt so foul, so utterly repulsive and oppressive, that only a handful of entities he had seen as a Counter Guardian could come even close to matching it — and all of them were exceptionally dangerous.
"A Beast, huh… An appropriate name I must say. I assume she originates from your world."
"I'm afraid so." Archer couldn't help but sit back down, the weight of the danger ahead caused him to feel slightly lightheaded. He wasn't qualified nor remotely strong enough to face a Beast of all things, even a shard of it was a gargantuan task. For these scenarios, the Counter Force should have deployed a Grand Servant and not him. "This is a disaster…"
"This Beast will destroy the world if it isn't stopped." The elderly man spoke with a grave voice. "Can you explain to me more about this creature?"
Explain… it wasn't so easy to describe what they were in a few words and it depended on which Beast it was in the first place. "To put it simply, they represent the Evil of Humanity, a manifestation of their sin. They are beings of absurd power that could be seen as unstoppable by most and calamity given form. But I wouldn't worry about them killing off all of humanity nor the world, that is never their goal… in most cases."
"A manifestation of their sin? I can see why she was attracted to this place then… Looks like that Insect God Cult has really bitten off more than they can chew if an entity that powerful was attracted by their sins. Or perhaps it would have still come to pass if Vault's plan had borne fruit." He went silent for a few seconds before speaking again, something still intrigued the old man, "Also, given how you describe them as 'Evil of Humanity' and 'calamity given form', I can't help but worry."
The Insect God Cult… He remembered the man who attacked Brynn and the worm he killed. It turned out these people were a bigger threat than the Kuroinu could ever be. Who knew what dangers could be unleashed if they were left to their own devices, not to mention if they managed to attract another entity. No, he couldn't let that happen.
"Don't get me wrong, they are an insidious threat to all humans. They portray themselves as benefactors sent to save humanity, but it's only a ruse to hide their twisted nature. They promulgate ideas seemingly geared towards prosperity and a better future. But unbeknownst to them, that future would be littered with corruption and their own destruction. Again, this depends on the Beast." They were complicated beings that couldn't be summarized in a few words, but his speech was enough to convey their danger to the elderly man. It made him recall one of the Beasts he knew about from the knowledge of his different versions and his identity as a Counter Guardian, a Beast that desired to destroy humanity yet recreate them in his image. In retrospect, the beast's end goal was the betterment of humankind, however the path it chose involved eradicating the current generation of humans or completely distorting them from who they once were. A blatant distortion of humanitarianism in the most odious matter.
"But yeah, the humans are in danger."
"You speak as if you weren't one to begin with, Guardian." Archer detected a hint of pity in those words, something which made him chuckle.
"In some ways, you could call me human, but I am truly nothing but the spirit of a man who had died many… many years ago." Even though he was given a human body in this world, he did not let that fool him.
"Many would disagree, especially those Princess Knights you've met."
"Then let them," he shrugged. "Opinions do not change facts, what happened in the past cannot be changed and it's not like they'll ever find out."
"Going back to the matter of the Beast, can you handle her?"
"I can't face one alone." Archer admitted, knowing full well the limitations of his abilities, notwithstanding the fact that he doesn't have a savior complex to cloud his judgment. He wasn't Shirou Emiya anymore, his current self knew the reality that not everyone could be saved.
"You were sent here to stop her."
"I was sent here to stop Vault and the Kuroinu!" Archer shouted in frustration, feeling both angered and helpless at his current situation. "This simple task should have been my only concern. But now… now I have to somehow take care of this mess as well, Alaya really made a mistake sending me here."
"Has it crossed your mind that you're being too pessimistic?"
Perhaps he was, no, this was him being realistic and understanding the situation. Then again, the entity known as EMIYA wasn't particularly known for his optimism.
"You forget, in my world, humans are only a small portion of all living beings. If these Beasts prioritize humanity, then what about the rest? Will they get slaughtered?"
He honestly had no idea, but it was very possible that many would die in the end. As far as he knew, elves, dwarves, beastmen and so on did not count as humans — so it was logical to assume that a Beast wouldn't care about them.
"My duty is to protect them all and not just humans, I have failed miserably in the past and would have failed yet again if Vault had lived but now I have you. I witnessed your might in the previous battles, and I have absolute confidence that you will persevere against this dangerous being." All the while the old man wore a happy smile, seemingly reassured by Archer's continued presence.
"Having me isn't all that impressive." Emiya commented dryly, "you just happened to draw the short end of the stick."
"Regardless, whilst you cannot battle a Beast, you can still hinder her arrival. That blood shard is the connection between her and this world, it should be in a very weakened state after exhausting all of its power. For now I've dedicated a portion of myself to suppress the item as long as possible — it most likely went into a deep sleep. You have ample time to rest and recover and when you're ready, find and destroy it. That's all you need to do, I'll handle banishing the source for good and hide this world from their eyes."
This only further served to reinforce his idea of removing this Insect God Cult permanently, on the off chance they reawakened it before schedule.
"How nice of you," the Counter Guardian said sarcastically. "And how am I supposed to find this shard exactly? It could be anywhere by now." Eostia itself was but a small part of the world, there were other kingdoms as well as other islands spread across the globe. It was no different than finding a nail in a haystack, worst even.
"I'm afraid you're on your own from here on. She made sure to erase her signature and mine as well so as to not be tracked so easily. But the shard shouldn't be very far with how depleted her reserves are right now. From what I've observed its primary feeding grounds are sin, depravity and the most extreme human emotions — so that should help you track it. But I am certain that it still resides in Eostia. Again, I'm sorry I couldn't help you much, my current self is already struggling to keep this illusion stable."
"... I can see that."
The surroundings had started to warp and break down, showing how the elderly man had reached his limit. "If you find yourself doubting your capabilities, then gather allies, people who will aid you in your quest. You cannot shoulder the weight of the world all by yourself, the fate of everyone's lives depends on you."
Not like he could decline in the first place, Alaya did mention how he needed to destroy that shard as well. He sighed, wanting to curse and question why his life was so troublesome.
He really had abysmal luck…
"Just be prepared to die if I fail. I can promise to try my best, but in the end, I can't create miracles to guarantee a victory." He remembered the scene of his body getting flooded with enough power to summon a hollowed copy of Ig-Alima. It was a discomforting experience for him, having someone sneak around inside his soul was not something he welcomed even if she helped him in the end.
His vision got further blurry before everything turned dark.
"I will talk to you again when I've recovered enough."
{Break}
-???-
From the darkness a small glow materialized. Knowing he returned to the real world, a wave of intense pain swept over his body and particularly on his arm, where the intensity felt like a thousand bullet ants stinging him constantly.
He agonizingly realized that this source of light was the fire burning around him. Opening his eyes, he felt like relieving an old memory of his past, but this wasn't the Fuyuki fire — it was the aftermath of the attack.
Archer slowly got up, barely able to summon a regular spear to use as support. He glanced at his right arm and frowned, his skin was mostly gone and burned to a crisp with a large part of his pain receptors having been damaged. The bones inside two of his fingers were fractured along with many other parts as well. Thankfully, he could still move his hand and didn't worry that much about it. He suffered much worse in the past.
"Damn it, it's gone," the shard was nowhere to be seen. Even the bodies of those he killed had long since disappeared and turned to ashes by now. Even the melted rubbles created a sea of lava around him, painting an almost apocalyptic image in his eyes.
"I still can't believe I survived that." Maybe the old man was right, whichever Beast it was, their shard didn't have enough Magical Energy to kill him. Perhaps this could be seen as good news, as it meant he could destroy it before it gained any more power. Plus he was assured that there was enough time for him to rest and recover before commencing his search. Still Archer preferred getting it done as soon as possible.
He looked around and found that a part of the dead forest behind him had also been destroyed by the explosion.
"I wonder if those two are still alive?"
With a low grunt, Archer began moving away from the burning area. Having a lot to think about and plan for his next move.
.
.
.
"Olga-sama! A-Are you injured?" Not too far away, two dark elves were kneeling down encased in a blue shield around them. The explosion came out of nowhere, a massive inferno of fire and magic threatening to engulf both of them before turning their bodies to dust.
The Dark Queen reacted in a split second, having sensed the malicious energy before the attack, and casted a wordless spell that created a large bubble around both her and Chloe. But the shockwave ended up pushing them away and shattering the spell within seconds. Fortunately, she didn't get hurt or suffer any major injuries aside from her heart pounding like a drum from what she just experienced.
Chloe rushed to her Queen, wanting to make sure she was alright. It was a hell of a day and the blonde haired girl feared that she wouldn't live up to her duty as her protector.
"I… I'm fine, Chloe." Olga whispered, still feeling a bit dazed from the impact but remaining mostly unharmed. She checked Chloe's body for any wounds and sighed in relief when she found no other wounds aside from the bruises she got from Vault.
"W-What happened back there? Did that bastard human try to kill us?" Chloe muttered in anger, thinking about what happened when Vault captured her. A sea of anger and fury washed over her when she remembered how those humans wanted to use her to break her Queen's resolve and forcefully use both of their bodies for nothing but carnal pleasure. She became nauseous thinking about what could have happened, the monstrous reality that almost befell them made the blonde curse her weak self.
And that man… assumed to be a Dark Elf descendant but is most probably just a regular human enhanced by Celestine's power. He may have saved them from Vault but to think he actually tried to kill them soon after!? As expected of their kind, betraying everyone at any given opportunity! Those filthy Lycans were no different, she still recalled how they deserted the castle right before Vault's group arrived.
But no matter, he underestimated her Queen and they survived.
"Olga-sama, we should leave befor—" both heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. The dark elves looked towards the area of the disaster and found the same man emerging from the treeline.
"Hoo, trying to leave your savior behind? I would say that I honestly expected more from you people, but that would be a lie." He said with a chuckle, but the state of his body made both speechless.
'How is he even alive?' Olga thought while watching the man come forth, using a spear to keep himself standing. Under the remains of a black armor covering a part of his body, his right arm had been extensively damaged, charred and bloodied, with patches of the skin burned off. His face was a mess with cuts and more burns, though despite that, he still managed to keep an expression that felt like he was mocking them. Not an ounce of pain or exhaustion was evident in his gray eyes which remained as sharp as a sword.
Her heartbeat quickened when she saw him, a part of her shocked and filled with wonder as to how a human could keep walking in such a state. But the biggest emotion she felt at the moment was fear, knowing full well the man who destroyed a mountain with a single sword and slaughtered the entirety of the Kuroinu now stood before her weakened self.
'Should I attack him right now?' she thought to herself, already having dozens of lethal elemental magical attacks ready to be launched within seconds.
She did not show an ounce of her true emotions, keeping a poker face that nearly broke when his frigid eyes locked onto hers. It was almost as if he could see through her intentions, patiently watching her like a tiger stalking its prey.
This man was dangerous.
"You again!" Chloe on the other hand, was ignorant of the threat that Archer posed and merely saw him as a man already at death's door. "Did you come to finish the job? Just as you tried before!? Like I'd let you! Die, human!"
"Chloe, no!" Dread filled Olga as she saw her most loyal follower grab a stiletto and rush towards the man with the intent to kill.
"Hn," he scoffed, appearing amused and annoyed at his attacker. Olga expected to see his spear move and pierce Chloe's heart, her neck or just decapitate her. She moved, raising her hand, ready to launch an attack to save her before it was too late.
But at the last minute, she grew baffled when something completely unexpected happened. He didn't raise his spear, instead, he let it go..
Slap!
And proceeded to slap the stunned Chloe.
The strike was strong enough to make the girl lose her balance and fall on her butt. "E-Eh?" The dark elves couldn't help but exclaim the same reaction., not expecting such a thing.
"Attacking your savior? Who is injured might I add. How rude." That comment only made the struck girl grow further incensed and red with fury. She jumped off the ground and went straight for his neck…
"You filthy human! I'll kill y—Gah!"
Slap!
Only to be slapped so hard that her face crashed into the dirt.
He looked indifferent to her attempts, his eyes focused on Olga the entire time.
"You truly don't have any control over your subjects it seems." He said with a light smirk.
"Who are you?" Olga demanded, his origin and goal still a mystery to her. "What is your purpose with me…"
"I'm Archer, and you're my prisoner."
"..." She spotted no malicious tone from his voice, and he could have killed her before if he wanted to. Looking back at her destroyed castle, she sighed. Olga knew that this time, she had truly lost in this centuries long war. Worst of all, it wasn't even by Celestine — but a random stranger.
How humiliating.
"Y-You dare say that to Olga-sama!?" Chloe shouted with vitriol and a bit dazed from the slaps. "You won't lay a finger on her hum—mmph!" Archer used the spear's wooden end and nudged her face down to the ground, making her eat dirt again.
He gazed at Olga's reaction, "I'm not going to kill her, I've done enough today. But I won't hesitate to smack some sense into her."
"...Thank you."
"Appreciate it, now get ready, I'm taking you with me."
"HHHHHHHMNMMNMN!!!!"
"Would you mind letting her go?"
"...No."
{Break}
-Feoh-
In a grand white castle deep within the land of Feoh, seven figures of extreme importance to the land of Eostia gathered together for the first time in many months.
The first one being Maia who sat with her feet on the table and body leaning against the chair. Smelling like she drank an entire tanker of booze which made a certain blonde Princess Knight beyond maddened. Brynn stood by her side, though she no longer had her previous Knight armor and instead wore a black leather armor with accents of red that hung tightly around her body whilst leaving an open window that showed her cleavage. Though what drew the attention of many of the guards, Knights and even some Princess Knights was the copper colored metallic arm.
Next to Maia sat Luu-Luu, in the middle of doing some sketches about some sort of contraption and even a few weapons. Fully immersed in her little bubble whilst ignoring everyone.
Prim and Alicia sat side by side, the former looking a bit lost in her imagination. Her expression was a bit melancholic which worried Alicia who asked whether she was feeling ill — only to get a silent no.
'What did that bastard do to her!?' Alicia screamed inside her head. Ever since the day he brought back her cousin, Prim has been acting quite out of the norm. Her usual bubbly personality and cheerfulness had been replaced with a silent and sometimes dazed state. She would spend the entire day in her room, coming out after many hours in a haggard state.
'She swore that he didn't touch her nor forced himself upon her. Yet I can't help but worry…' At this point, Alicia wanted to find him and have that man flailed and executed for his actions! 'Did he use some brainwashing spell on her? I must ask Celestine-sama to check Prim's condition after this meeting.'
On the opposite side of the table were both Claudia and Kaguya. The Levantine sat silently with her arms crossed, displaying a regal image that had many awed by her presence and aura. Yet no one knew that deep inside she was extremely worried about matters relating to her husband and her best friend. Meanwhile, Kaguya remained as expressionless as ever, her eyes closed as she waited for the most important person in the room to start talking.
"Greetings fellow Shields, I'm glad you all came for this rather abrupt summon." Sitting between Claudia and Kaguya was Celestine, looking much better than her previous self — at least in Claudia's opinion. No one knew the absolute mess she was not that long ago. Now, all she could see was a determined goddess filled with a strong fire in her eyes. She wondered what happened?
"I hear and obey your orders, Celestine-sama." Kaguya said, her tone as serious as always.
"No worries, I wanted to get away from the forge a bit."
"Prim and I are happy that you came to our kingdom. It is an honor we shall not forget!"
"Hmm, I needed a drink."
Everyone said their part, all curious about this meeting in the first place.
"Now, the reason I called you here is related to a vision I got not that long ago. One that carries great importance to both the people and our duties as protectors of the innocent." Many tensed up when hearing that, even Maia sat properly despite her tipsy state. They all thought this was related to Vault, Olga and her forces. He went on a campaign to battle the Dark Queen along with the bravest men their alliance could provide and marched for the Dark Lands. For weeks they haven't received word about their progress,
From the window, a few moths flew in and landed upon Kaguya's hand.
"Have you learned something?" Celestine asked as she saw the priestess's messenger reach the room. She wanted to ask her about something in particular when she felt that burst of energy coming from Olga's territory.
Crash!
No one expected Kaguya to react so strongly, her eyes wide with shock and hands shaking.
"Kaguya, what happened?" Celestine went over and comforted the woman. "What happened in the Dark Lands?"
Everyone could feel the tension in the air.
"... It's gone." She whispered quietly. "They are dead…"
"Vault defeated Olga?" Alicia asked, unable to believe the news. Unfortunately, the joy she experienced died instantly with what Kaguya said afterwards.
"Vault and Castle Discordia… they are all gone. The Kuroinu army that was sent… are dead."
"..."
"WHAT!?" Maia was the first one to shout in disbelief, sobering up from the news.
What ensued afterwards was nothing but pure pandemonium.
---------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.
