Chapter 26: The End of Despair, Part One

The battle had begun. On a stage drenched in fresh blood, red and black killing intent clashed.

The tide of battle favored Artoria. Naturally so. Archer was, by name and by nature, an archer—a marksman whose true strength lay in sniping from a distance. That he was crossing swords with a Heroic Spirit whose very essence was the sword was absurd in itself.

In their previous fight, the footing had been stone steps, allowing Archer’s technique to shine and bringing the fight to a stalemate. But here, on flat ground, Artoria’s orthodox royal swordsmanship could fully display its true power. Pure speed and strength overwhelmed technique.

"Archer!!"

Saber thought desperately, wracking her mind for the best course of action in this situation.

At this rate, Archer would die. That was as close to inevitable as one could get.

His Noble Phantasm was useless now that the fight had moved to close quarters, and his other abilities were of little use in melee. He was forced to rely solely on pure swordsmanship.

But that could only end in slow defeat. His sword style specialized in defense, so he hadn’t yet taken a decisive blow, but damage was steadily accumulating. If nothing was done, the defense would eventually collapse, and Artoria’s blade would carve a fatal wound into Archer’s body.

"...Damn it."

But what could she do?

Apparently, she’d been able to use her Noble Phantasm when under Caster’s control, but now she didn’t even know how to activate it.

They could have Shirou use a Command Seal—but that would be too slow. Right now, the only reason Saber and Shirou were being ignored was because they weren’t interfering. The moment their intent to attack became obvious, Rider would almost certainly join the fight.

Using a Command Seal to unleash her Noble Phantasm would be a fool’s move. It would be easily dodged, and in that opening, she’d be killed. The end result would be both Archer and Shirou’s deaths.

Then—

"...No. That won’t work."

Even if a Command Seal allowed her to wield the power of King Arthur, she was still just a counterfeit. In the end, she couldn’t match Artoria.

She might be able to take down Rider, but a battle with that highly mobile opponent would pull her away from Shirou. That would leave him defenseless and in mortal danger.

Checkmate. If this entire arrangement had been thought out to this point, she had to admit she had underestimated Matou Shinji. She never expected him to return to the battlefield like this.

If only she had properly killed him back then, none of this would be happening now.

"...Damn it."

Even as Saber hesitated, the battle raged on.

To Archer’s relentless defense, Artoria voiced her dissatisfaction.

"Just defending is boring, Archer!"

A reckless thing to say while launching a furious barrage of attacks.

But it was true—he couldn’t win by defending alone. In any battlefield, Archer’s strategy was to lay the groundwork for victory and find an opening.

Perhaps this defensive stance was also just another stepping stone toward victory.

"What are you planning... Archer?"

Shirou murmured as he watched Archer’s back.

As if those words were a signal, the flow of battle shifted—

"...What—"

—but in Archer’s case, that shift meant an even greater disadvantage.

Artoria’s single stroke sent Archer’s twin swords flying high into the air. Kanshō and Bakuya soared so high it was almost absurd to imagine such heavy weapons reaching that height.

The blades didn’t fall, but instead embedded themselves into the wall of a building across the battlefield.

Now disarmed and barehanded, Archer stood before Artoria, who let out a sigh, convinced of her victory.

"...So, this is all you’ve got?"

Her words were a lament for the disappointing weakness of someone she’d thought a worthy rival. That moment of dissatisfaction delayed her finishing blow—

And then—

"...Heh."

Archer laughed.

Artoria still hadn’t grasped the true nature of the Servant called Archer.

Every one of his actions had meaning. Every move was a stepping stone to victory—even driving himself into a seemingly hopeless position.

And the meaning behind his actions—was this:

"—Tsurugi no yoku, ketsuraku o furazu."

The reason he favored Kanshō and Bakuya.

The true purpose hidden in his twin blades was now revealed.

A newly appeared pair of swords deflected Artoria’s blade, and Archer simultaneously leapt back.

"...The same weapons?"

Artoria’s eyes widened slightly. In that moment, Archer hurled the newly drawn twin swords.

Imbued with his maximum magical energy, the paired Yin-Yang blades flew straight for her neck.

"Foolish—"

With a single stroke of a Noble Phantasm capable of cleaving steel, Artoria swatted them aside with ease.

It took only one blow. The two blades, coming in from both sides, were dispatched in an instant.

Their altered trajectories sent them flying behind her instead of returning to Archer’s hands.

Once again weaponless, Archer was met with a look of contempt from Artoria—until—

"...The same weapons again?"

A third pair of twin swords appeared, and Artoria’s expression shifted. As a top-class swordswoman, she sensed the strangeness of Archer repeatedly producing the same weapon.

He should know those blades couldn’t reach her—yet he continued to use them. What was his true intent?

"—Shingi, Taizan ni itari."

Before she could find the answer, Archer gave it.

An impossible-angle attack came for her—

"I see... so that’s it!"

With an almost precognitive instinct, Artoria dodged Kanshō as it came flying from behind her.

As the blade buried itself in the ground beyond, Archer swung Bakuya at her—

"Don’t underestimate me!"

Artoria shattered Bakuya even as she twisted away from Kanshō’s path.

Saber and Shirou, able only to watch, were struck speechless by the monstrous feat.

And having just performed such a masterful act of weapon destruction, Artoria—froze.

"This is—"

They’d exchanged countless blows before. That sword shouldn’t have broken in a single hit.

Finally beginning to realize Archer’s true nature, Artoria raised her guard to its utmost.

But she couldn’t keep her eyes fixed forward forever.

"—Shingi, Kōga o wataru."

If Kaneshō had arrived, then naturally, Mokuyō would be here too. Husband and wife are always together.

Just as Kaneshō was drawn to Mokuyō, Mokuyō too was drawn to Kaneshō, lunging at Artoria from behind.

Kaneshō and Mokuyō possessed a nature like that of magnets. Noticing this, Artoria evaded with a reaction speed bordering on divine. Like Kaneshō before it, Mokuyō struck into the ground.

And then came Kaneshō’s follow-up strike.

"—Kh…!"

The Kaneshō in Archer’s grip shattered once more.

Artoria had managed to fend off the simultaneous front-and-back assault of the twin blades Kaneshō and Mokuyō, but she was already at her limit.

She was now completely defenseless.

Archer, however, still had more. If he could draw a third, then naturally there would be a fourth. But what came next was not what she had expected.

In Archer’s hand materialized a slender longsword.

"Tch—"

Artoria’s movements wavered, despite having reached her physical limit. She had a means of surpassing the boundaries of her body.

That was the skill known as Mana Burst.

Forcing her body to move with overwhelming magical energy, Artoria lunged forward—

But because she misread the weapon Archer had drawn, her arm was pierced.

"—Ghh…!"

In her pain-distorted vision, she saw Archer wearing a victorious smile, even as the sound of impending ruin rang in her ears.

Yes—none of Archer’s actions were without meaning.

The Kaneshō and Mokuyō that had first been deflected and embedded in the building wall were now being pulled down by the ones lodged in the ground, plummeting at high speed.

She was already beyond her limit, her arm pierced. There was no way she could dodge or defend.

"I’ve won!!"

Certain of victory, Archer shouted.

But never underestimate her—the enemy was the King of Knights, the Heroic Spirit bearing the name of the strongest sword.

Following her instincts, Artoria shifted her body ever so slightly with Mana Burst. And then—

"…What—"

Saber’s eyes widened at the sight.

Artoria’s arm was severed and sent flying through the air—the very arm Archer had pierced.

By twisting her body with Mana Burst, she had swung up her holy sword, just enough to alter the path of the incoming Kaneshō and Mokuyō.

Kaneshō tore her side, Mokuyō severed her arm—but Artoria still stood.

"You’ve impressed me, Archer."

Gripping her holy sword with her remaining arm, Artoria smiled.

"Still… it bothers me."

Her brow furrowed slightly.

"Who are you? Those four consecutive strikes… they were far too specialized in killing ‘me.’ Are you someone from my past life?"

"…I have no reason to tell you. I’ve taken your arm. Next, I’ll take your life, King Arthur."

At the unyielding bloodlust of Archer, Artoria’s lips curved into an ecstatic smile.

"I see… a foolish question. You mean to speak with your sword! Then let us speak to our hearts’ content!"

The tide of battle had begun to shift in Archer’s favor. Of course it had—no matter how mighty a swordsman, with one arm gone, flawless movement was impossible.

And yet… why? Why would this gnawing sense of unease not leave his heart? Archer should have been overwhelmingly in control.

Perhaps it was because of that dream. Maybe that dream really had been… something that truly happened—

The man’s life had been drenched in regret.

Clack… clack… The sharp sound echoed. Hands cuffed behind his back, a blindfold over his eyes, he kept walking toward the gallows.

He left no will—there was no one worth leaving it to.

He arrived at the gallows. With each step up the stairs, memories of a distant day, the day where everything began, flickered through his mind.

A single tear slipped down his cheek. The guard, assuming it was out of remorse for his crimes or sorrow for his own impending death, remained silent. But that wasn’t it.

He was overjoyed. At last, he had reached the end.

"You’ll grow up to be a fine man."

Once, there had been a conflict among magi. A grand ritual called the Holy Grail War, where Masters summoned familiars called Servants to fight to the death over a single Holy Grail.

He had been chosen as one of those Masters. The Servant he summoned belonged to the Saber class—the most renowned of them all. And the one who appeared was none other than King Arthur, the strongest of swordsmen among Heroic Spirits.

But there was something strange about this Saber. Though her appearance and abilities were unmistakably those of King Arthur, her true self was different.

She—no, he—called himself “Hino Sato.”

Sato, apparently, had once been an ordinary college student.

The cause of his death? “Got dumped by a girl, went on a drunken bender, and died in an accident.” A perfect case of self-inflicted misfortune. Not a shred of sympathy to be found.

Living together with him was nothing short of chaotic.

Their first battle was against Berserker, under the command of a German girl who called herself Illyasviel.

Sato had him use a Command Spell—the absolute order a Master could issue to their Servant.

Drawing upon the power of King Arthur, Sato fought Berserker to a standstill and managed to lure him into a deserted vacant lot.

The lot was cluttered with obstacles, and taking advantage of the terrain, Sato threw Berserker off balance.

"—Got him!!"

Tōsaka Rin, the Master of Archer and their temporary ally, shouted in excitement.

Both Rin and Sato, convinced of victory, were smiling—yet suddenly, a chill shot down my spine.

Far off, on the rooftop of a tall building overlooking the lot, a knight in red stood with a bow drawn. In that instant, I knew—the killing intent wasn’t aimed solely at Berserker. Before I even thought, I was already rushing toward Sato.

"What… Shiro-kun!?"

I grabbed Sato’s hand and tackled him to the ground, and at that very moment, light and sound exploded. The shockwave ripped my consciousness away.

Sato was well aware of his own lack of strength. That was why he had sought help from Tōsaka—but in the end, they couldn’t form an alliance.

Apparently, her Servant, Archer, had strongly opposed the idea.

We would have to survive the Holy Grail War alone, just the two of us. Our fight with Berserker had shown us just how hopeless that was. But with Tōsaka’s refusal, we had no choice. We put our heads together and came up with desperate plans to stay alive.

"…You know, you can just call me Shiro."

After our talk reached a lull, I finally told Sato that.

Being addressed with “-kun” felt oddly ticklish—I just couldn’t get used to it.

"That so? Then I’ll call you that."

Sato didn’t seem to care much either way, and agreed without fuss.

Our immediate goal was simple: get stronger.

We were both far too weak.

In the mornings, we trained endlessly with bamboo swords at the dōjō; at night, we focused on magical practice. Sato used his “knowledge of King Arthur” and “knowledge of the Grail” to give me pointers.

Peaceful days stretched into two, three… In between sword training and magic drills, we relaxed by playing games together. Saber, surprisingly fond of alcohol, sometimes drank with Fuji-nee, who would drop by to pester us for meals.

But those peaceful days didn’t last. One day, I got a call from my friend, Matō Shinji.

"—We need to talk."

Sato opposed it, but I convinced him, and we went to the stylish café Shinji had chosen.

What he told us there was that he, too, was a Master—and he proposed an alliance.

"Not a bad deal, right? You got dragged into this. There’s no way you’ll survive on your own."

It was a tempting offer, but Sato vehemently opposed it.

Normally calm, he would not budge on this. With no choice, I bowed my head and asked for more time to decide. Shinji just gave a little shrug, and as he left, he muttered:

"If anything happens, run to the church. And watch out for the witch at Ryūdō Temple."

I thanked him for the advice, and Sato and I left the café together.

The next day, Shinji called again.

"Have you changed your mind?"

"…No, Saber’s still against it. Sorry, but give me just a bit more—"

"Emiya… you know I can’t stand fools. People who waste their chances over and over? They’re not my problem. From here on, you’re on your own."

Shinji’s voice over the phone was tinged with anger. I hurriedly apologized, and he gave a derisive snort.

"...You just don’t have enough resolve. Hey, why don’t you come to school for once? I’ll show you exactly what the Holy Grail War is about."

Tilting my head at his words, I made my way toward the school. As expected, Sato opposed the idea, but having already turned down a well-meaning offer twice, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse again.

And then, the moment we arrived at the school, both of us froze in shock. The entire building was bathed in a crimson light, and when we stepped into a classroom, the students were sprawled unconscious on the floor. Their skin looked as though it had melted like wax, and our faces went pale.

"Honestly, you really are hopelessly slow, Emiya."
"...Shinji. Don’t tell me this is—"
"Yeah, I had it done."

That was the beginning of the second battle.

Looking back, his actions had always been motivated by the desire to “save.”
It’s all in the past now, but… if back then I had taken his hand, perhaps a different future could have unfolded.

Climbing one more step on the staircase, the man let out a wry smile.

A life filled with nothing but regret. Again and again, he imagined “what if” scenarios, only to fall into despair each time. Mocking his own foolishness, he turned his thoughts back toward the past once more.

"Shinji!! You’ve got some nerve setting off this kind of crap in the middle of the school…"

Almost as soon as the fighting began, a furious Tohsaka appeared and gave orders to Archer. With the fight now two against one, Shinji clicked his tongue in irritation.

"I was planning to kill Saber and take her out of the game… but you just had to get in the way, didn’t you, Tohsaka?"
"I don’t know what you’re plotting, but prepare yourself."

A gemstone glinted between her fingers as Tohsaka began chanting an incantation.

"This is—"

The exclamation slipped from Rider’s lips as she clashed with Archer.

"Tch—"

Clicking her tongue, Rider broke away from Archer, scooped up her Master, and leapt out the window. Archer instantly drew his bow, aiming at Rider as she dashed outside.

"Vanish—"

A sword as thin and twisted as an arrow was nocked against the string and drawn back.

"—Fake Spiral Sword II!"

Imbued with immense magical power, the projectile tore through the air, twisting it apart as it streaked toward Rider. Yet, with her top-class agility, Rider narrowly evaded it. Even so, Archer’s face bore the smile of certain victory.

The next moment was a replay of the Berserker battle. Light and sound erupted in an explosion—the Noble Phantasm’s hidden fantasy unleashed. "Broken Phantasm," a Servant’s trump card.

Struck by an attack of overwhelming destructive power, Rider’s form was left in shambles. It seemed she had instinctively shielded Shinji, leaving him with nothing worse than burns and lacerations.

By contrast, Rider was barely managing to remain manifested.

The battle’s outcome was decided—or so everyone thought—until she removed her eyepatch.

"—Self-Sealing: Temple of Darkness."

Suddenly, my whole body felt paralyzed. And it wasn’t just me—Tohsaka and Archer were frozen as well. Only Saber, thanks to her strong magic resistance, was merely slowed.

Rider’s eyes were Mystic Eyes of Petrification. Her eyepatch was the Noble Phantasm that sealed that power: Breaker Gorgon.

The snake-haired monster of Greek myth—Medusa—that was her true name.

Then, suddenly, she appeared astride Pegasus.

"You’ve grown complacent, Archer. To think you’d grow overconfident just from inflicting a mere wound like this…"

Soaring high into the sky, Rider tightened her grip on her Noble Phantasm’s reins.

"—Bellerophon!!"

Her Noble Phantasm activated, Rider diving from the heavens wreathed in massive magical energy.

Cornered in a desperate situation, Sato shouted:

"Use the Command Spell, Shirou!! We’ll use the Noble Phantasm!!"
"Y-Yeah…!! Use the Noble Phantasm!!"

Even frozen in place, I poured magical energy into the Command Spell and shouted.

Immediately, Sato forcibly released the barrier of the Wind King, revealing the holy sword.

"—Excalibur!!"

A slash of light greater than the brilliance it devoured.

The stroke of the promised sword of victory obliterated Rider, who had invoked Bellerophon, and the battle was decided.

However—at the same time, Shinji had vanished without a trace.

"W-What the…?"

As I stood dumbfounded after witnessing the holy sword’s strike cleaving the sky, Sato suddenly collapsed.

Before the commotion could spread, I carried him back to the Emiya residence.

It was there that Tohsaka spoke terrifying words.

"At this rate… Saber will disappear."