Prismatic Edge 6

Author's note: I paged Sage of Eyes about if he has plans on continuing the story but unfortunately, he said in a PM to me that he was backing off from fanfiction to move on to professional writing. So, it was unlikely that he would have finished the climactic battle between Archer-Ilya vs Saber. But, I didn't feel that it was a good idea to just leave it out like that, so I decided to take the initiative to write it to satisfy the fans, and myself. My writing may not be as good as Sage of Eyes, so I ask for forgiveness in advance. If people request that I take down the fic (or if Sage of Eyes request it, then I will remove it, but not before giving a warning). So, without due…here is chapter 6.

…

I needed power, power to protect the one I loved. As Onii-san held out his hand to stop the black, enormous blade of death, I knew that he wouldn't be able to stop it. The shield had 7 beautiful petals, but each petal broke at a fast speed. But without Ruby in my hands, I could do nothing but watch.

No, I will not allow Onii-san to die!

As there was somebody inside me that agreed with my declaration, my body moved without warning. My hands reached my pocket, the Archer card laid dormant in my right hand as I slowly lifted it. I brought it in front of me, as though begging it to give me strength.

My mind was suddenly clear as I slammed the card to the ground; a magical circle engulfed the area around me. Warm flames dissolved my old clothes to be replaced by something else. The new clothing wrapped around me as some areas became tighter and some had become lighter.

In my hand, I held the bow that I had once loathed to use. I focused and willed a corkscrew arrow into existence and fired it at my enemy. The arrow caused an explosion that would have destroyed a house, but Saber sensed it and avoided it by stepping backwards.

"Install!" I looked at the source of the voice, it was Miyu. In her hands was the Lancer card and she managed to replicate what I did. A blue magic circle swallowed the area around Miyu and within a few seconds, Miyu was dressed in blue attire wielding the dreaded Gae Bolg that she was proficient in using.

Without a word, both of us understood that we would protect my brother. Miyu launched herself forward, thrusting the Irish spear of death towards the shadow.

My teammate's actions managed to catch the attention of our enemy. As Excalibur stopped itself to meet the threat, the resulting explosion sent Onii-san, Luvia-san and Rin-san into multiple directions but my highest concern was still my brother, who was still weakly moving despite expending so much energy was already a relief to me. Now, I could focus on supporting Miyu.

Without a blink, the blades that my brother had favoured appeared into my hands. Even in close combat, I was no pushover.

With Miyu's agility and the speed of the thrusts, she forced the enemy back several steps but Saber had used Strike Air and blew Miyu to the floor with a swing of her blade. I quickly jumped behind Saber and went for a strike that would have beheaded her.

But my victorious blow did not end favourably; the black knight had anticipated my attack and moved her blade to intercept it.

Sparks erupted where my Kanshou and my enemy's Excalibur met. My left hand moved to attack with Bakuya. I wasn't surprised as my opponent disengaged from the lock of blades to counter my second blade, and she came down hard against my twin blades.

I had to use both Kanshou and Bakuya at the same time to deflect each strike as my short blades were not very effective in defending if only a single blade was used. Catching Excalibur and tossing it to one side and the rinse and repeat. This was my strategy; I knew that Onii-san tried to do something similar and he managed to survive in close counters against this monster.

In the meantime, Miyu had recovered from the gust, and reengaged Saber. It was now 2 vs 1 in terms of close combat. We had the advantage, or at least that's what we thought…

The numerous slashes and pierces that Miyu had pressed had delivered many light and superficial wounds to the dark knight, only to find them slowly healing again. Only a decisive blow could finish this.

…

My body was torn up from shoulders to my feet with numerous wounds that would be compared to a soldier that had the luxury of walking into a hail of bullets. I was relieved to find that I didn't have to hold out against a blackened Excalibur with my Rho Aias, not that I may have lived through it and all.

I reinforced my ears, and I began to have cold chills.

I hear the sound of blades clashing distantly and I did my best to stand. There was no telling how my sister and her friend were faring against the opponent that even I had a hard time in handling.

Illya, Miyu, you two better be alright! My determination turned to strength and that strength was what allowed me to stand even now.

With my torn up body and my exhausted Magic circuits, projecting any phantasms ranked B and above was nearly impossible without causing more internal hemorrhage. I was not sure that projecting Avalon would work, seeing that there was no link even with the corrupt Saber in front of us. And lastly, if it didn't work, then I would exhaust myself for nothing. I better think of alternatives methods and quick.

I continued to watch as Ilya, for some reason, was dressed up similarly to Archer. This had tugged at my past memories and wondered how well Archer would have stood up against my Saber in the 5th Grail war in a pure sword fight.

But the fact that Illya and I guess Miyu, were duelling the former Heroic Spirit to a near draw and that Ilya seemed to be even more proficient in using the blades than even myself greatly alarmed me. It looked like that Rin and Luvia was right, and that Ilya and Miyu were channeling the strength of EMIYA and Cú Chulainn respectively. As the blades and spears clashed, even I could tell that the two together was only pushing the beast back.

And a beast gets very dangerous when it's cornered….

I raised my hands once more and felt a familiar weight in both arms. I may not be able to attack Saber in close range, but I could still provide support for them!

I uttered the opening creed of the Three Crane Realm. I just needed the first line, Ilya and Miyu would be able to take it from the rest. I threw my remade Kanshou and Bakuya at the Saber who was still duelling the two girls.

"ILLYAAA!" I yelled out, hoping that my voice would reach her even in whatever trance or state she was currently in. I breathed a sigh of relief as she heeded my warning and backflipped as the 2 blades cut lightly into Saber's shoulders. If the shadow didn't appeared annoyed for the whole battle, it clearly did so now.

"From me to you, choke on it," I taunted Saber, an ill advised threat as I felt several drops of blood pouring from my mouth as a small trickle continued to leak from my lips. I definitely need medical treatment after this ordeal was over. As the blades were returning, Saber had other plans in mind as she shot a minor gust at me so that the blade of wind would bisect me in pieces.

Well damn…I guess that pseudo Saber wasn't too stupid. But, I rolled to the other side so that the wind only scratched my arms.

Miyu held out her lance protectively in front of me, with her back turned to me. Her voice displayed concern for me, "are you alright Shirou-san?"

No, of course not, was my immediate thought and for good reason too. My bones were fractured, I had wounds all over my body and my magic circuits were almost exhausted.

"Just some wounds, nothing too big of a deal." Wait, where is Illya?

I sense a growing power above us, and there was Illya, her facial expression revealing a cold expression, one which contained a lot of concealed anger after Saber had nearly killed me again. In her hands were the bow that Archer favoured to use, and the bow strings were tensed as Illya projected Caladbolg in a speed that I even envied.

"Caladbolg," the corkscrew arrow was released in the Saber's direction, and it knew. It would not be able to evade the projectile. Even it's wind shield would not last against an arrow that distorted space. The explosion nearly knocked me back and engulfed most of the area with black smoke. But that wasn't a concern seeing that I could just Reinforce both my eyes and my lungs, compared to the Fuyuki park fire, this wasn't even a comparison.

My sister also jumped in front of me, her stern expression not leaving the source of the smoke. She was staring ahead as though assessing if the enemy was fully dead from the Noble Phantasm. It was a direct hit, but I know that Saber's resilience even surprised me at times. And there was no way I am going to let down my guard. I reactivated my magic circuits and waited…

As expected, the demon king had awakened once more...

With a loud battle roar, Saber brushed all the smoke aside, she was wounded from head to toe, her armour was all but gone and her blackened dress was now marred with the redness of her blood. Her visor was also gone but what was scary was her facial expression. I knew that Saber was scary when she was angry but this time clearly took the first prize. I knew what she was going to do, and there was no stopping her.

The blackened Excalibur once more glowed with power, the black sun once more reappearing as if to engulf us once more. Black wind became a tornado as black flames surrounding the knight as though it was an unholy aura. The wrath of the Sword of Promised Victory was pointed to none other than the three of us. We must prepare for the worst, I wouldn't be able to project another Aias, and I knew that the blade would just cut it down like last time.

There wasn't many options left, the only way to counter a Noble Phantasm was to use one of equivalent strength or stronger. That left a only choices to counter Arturia's Excalibur.

Illya continued to glare at her enemy, I turned to see her expression. She was briefly alarmed with return of Excalibur, but she knew what to do. Using the knowledge that she had with by combining with Archer, she held out her hands as though grasping a hilt.

What she said next would give me nostalgia as she muttered the very mantra I did when I was in the 5th Grail war.

"Trace on…" a familiar outline of a blade was being made into existence in front of my eyes.

The speed of how Excalibur was traced into existence was much faster than anything I could have pulled off in my lifetime and I hoped that it would be enough to briefly counter Saber enough for her to completely drain her prana.

The two warriors faced off, each holding a Sword of Promised Victory above their heads. Both blades promised nothing but victory for their masters, but only one side would prevail.

Once both the gold and blackened blades finished charged, there was a brief moment of silence before Illya and Saber stared each other down.

"Excalibur!" "EXCALIBUR!"

The power gauntlet was cast, gold light clashed with black. Both Miyu and I covered our eyes due to the intensity of the light. Even turning our sight away doesn't hide the fact my anxiety in hoping that Illya would be fine in projecting such a massive blade of power.

But the odds of favour did not last long as I expected. The black Excalibur had the greater output in terms of strength. A fake could never surpass the original, I am not sure how strong Illya's Excalibur was compared to Saber's, but it wouldn't beat the original Excalibur and I was very worried for our lives.

But there was still an option, one that I did not want to take. But drastic times led to drastic measures, I couldn't help but smile.

Closing my eyes, I opened my mouth slowly, "Trace on," I knew what to project. It was going to be my aid to my dear sister that I wanted to protect.

Old memories flooded in my head, as I briefly went through each memory with my cherished Saber from the 5th war. Because I did not want to make any mistakes, I forced myself to go through each step of projecting in detail.

Begin projection…

Judging the concept of creation

I had the memory when I first looked upon Saber when she was summoned, the majestic feel she had and the hidden power she concealed.

Hypothesizing the basic structure

In the days that she was my Servant, I had dreamt many dreams about her past, the resolution she took and how they had brought her to despair.

Duplicating the composition material.

The first time I had seen Excalibur being used in it's full capacity was against Rider's own Bellapheron. The warmth of the blade which promised victory for us was fulfilled, not even the magnificent Pegasus was it's equal.

Imitating the skill of its making.

I remember the time when I first tried to create a blade to help Saber. It wasn't as powerful as the Golden blade of victory, but a famous blade nonetheless. Caliburn, the sword that King Arthur had pulled out from the stone, which allowed her to become King, and cursed to it's role to the end. I could never forget the bond we shared as both our hands clasped together and struck down Berserker.

Sympathizing with the experience of its growth

As we found out near the end of the war, the remaining participants found out that we were only the play things of the administrator of the war, Kotomine Kirei. The fake priest had tempted Saber the last time with the Grail. Upon learning it's nature, my loyal Servant had rejected it utterly.

Reproducing the accumulated years

I wished Saber all the best as she ended the foolish wish of trying to save her homeland from destruction. There, she had used Excalibur for the last time on the tainted Grail and ending the tragic Grail war.

Excelling every manufacturing process

After the war ended, I never pushed Saber out of my mind. She was my yardstick, I would never stop until I had surpassed her. Not for myself but also for her sake, I would ensure that her sacrifice would never be forgotten.

In my hands was an identical copy of Saber's Excalibur. The weapon had drawn a gasp from Miyu, who thought it was impossible for a mere human to project such a Noble Phantasm, notably the same phantasm that was being used by the two other participants.

Such a display of power even drew attention from my little sister who looked at me. Her once cold mechanical expression now displayed concern for me. I walked until I was beside her, holding Excalibur in one hand.

"Onii-chan…what are you doing?" Illya's eyes displayed an emotion which drew me back to those days when I had cared for a dying Illyasviel after the end of the 5th Grail war. Reality was harsh, and it took my sister away in another lifetime. Well, I am not letting it happen this time.

"Illya…" My voice was soft, there was no guarantee that even I would be alive after projecting such a weapon. My Magic circuits were completely drained, the projection would not last for more than a minute. Then, this last minute would determine the victor.

"I am your older brother, it is my duty to protect my little sister. So, I will not let you face this alone." I held up Excalibur over my head and imagined my Saber was looking at me from above followed by the Illyasviel, whom I had left behind when I was young.

With as much strength as I could muster I swung the blade forward, creating a similar beam that Illya had created. With my Excalibur that aided hers', victory was upon our reach. Saber tried to pour more prana into her black blade, but there was only so much energy that her Dragon Reactor could provide. I wasn't going to spare any chances to give her a chance of recovery.

Without looking away, I called out to the third person that was with us.

"Miyu, now's your chance!" With Saber distracted, Miyu had the chance to end this once and for all. As both lllya and my Excalibur pinned Saber in place, our opponent wouldn't be able to move and maybe she knew it as well. But there was nothing she could do.

Miyu jumped high into the air above the beam clash as the moon silhouette was behind her and she readied the spear of death.

"GAE BOLG!" The 'soaring spear that strikes with death' rushed and stabbed Saber in the heart and skewered her as the Excaliburs completed vaporised her, leaving nothing but the inert Saber card.

"It's over." My eyes were becoming heavy, my projection vanished and my legs had buckled. I had no more strength left and I crumbled to the floor.

"Onii-chan!"

"Nii-san!"

The last sight I was greeted with was the image of both Illya and Miyu rushing towards my fallen body. I am glad that the battle was over.

…

"Onii-chan."

A familiar voice had rang in my mind. But all I could see was darkness.

"Onii-chan…" the voice repeated itself and I struggled to find who was speaking to me. There could only be a single person who would address me with such a title.

Illya. When I recognised who was speaking to me, a white being was behind me, embracing me from behind. It was my sister yet not my sister.

"You did really well today Onii-chan." The voice was not of that of my little sister who was a fan of Magical girls in this world, but my older sister who had wasted away. I could not bear to turn around to look at her after I had failed to be her hero that day.

"Don't be sad Onii-chan." Illyasviel Von Einzbern turned my head and our eyes had met. She held no hatred for me whatsoever. She continued, "it is far too early to resign Mr. Hero of Justice," as she giggled. Still the same lllyasviel that I treasured back then.

"You saved 'me' as well as our friends and you don't want 'me' to be sad, do you?"

"Of course not Illya," yes, though I had regretted a bit of my past before, but now there was a new path, and I would continue to walk that path, to support my little sister in the collection of the Cards and ensure they do not threaten her life.

The white being started to disappear, "I guess my time is up. Please give my regards to the other 'me' ok?" as her silhouette vanished and a bright light began to engulf all of my vision.

…

"Onii-chan, please wake up!"

"Illya, you have to let him rest."

"It's because of me that he is so hurt, who knows if he would wake up ever again!" I could hear sniffles coming from my sister. I could not allow my sister to shed any more tears of sadness for me. Therefore, I must reassure her, I WILL wake up.

I opened my eyes slowly to see my younger sister Illya grasping my left hand with hers' and holding it close to her face as though praying to ensure I was still in the realm of the living. I turned a little and looked at Miyu, she was comforting my sister still not knowing that I was partly awake. I know in her eyes, she was suppressing her true emotions. She too, was heavily worried for my sake.

As for Rin and Luvia, they just stood near the door with a calm expression. I honestly can't tell what they were thinking right now. But they probably were more focused about the Saber card than me anyways.

"Illya," I called out to my sister softly and she froze briefly before giving my hand a tight hug. I knew that my arms were not in the best condition and they ached when they were being pulled in an embrace. Illya turned her eyes to look at me. Using the same hand and moving it to her face, I brushed off some tears from her face but she didn't look like she would stop crying soon.

"Onii-chan…" My sister's voice was cracked, she didn't know what to say. Illya was filled with so much emotion that she could hardly put it into words.

"Onii-chan, I am so happy you are alive. I was so…worried about we faced that monster, and….you didn't…wake up. I was so afraid I lost you!" Illya's emotions flowed like a tidal wave that bashed through every resistance and suppression she had put up. To be honest, I felt really bad that I had to put in such a position.

" I was so afraid that I would be alone!" As she said that, I immediately patted her head. I wasn't going to let that happen, especially after the pain that the llyasviel that I knew in the past life had gone through. I would not make the same mistake.

I smiled at her, "there is no way Onii-chan would succumb to wounds like this. Afterall, I have a promise to my sister that I would protect her no matter what happens." I was completely serious on that promise.

A new voice had cut in on our sibling exchange, "Miyu and Luvia, let's leave the siblings be." Thanks for your concern Rin, I was going to appreciate the alone time with Illya when I saw the expression on Miyu's face.

Loneliness and longing were the immediate expressions of Miyu's face, and they paralleled Illya's expression a few seconds ago. The two girls were almost exactly the same and I can't place why either. For that reason, I can't leave either of them alone.

"It's alright Tohsaka, Miyu could stay." Miyu turned back to me, 2 single tears of happiness poured from her eyes.

Luvia was about to protest when Rin pushed her aside lightly, "very well. We'll talk to you after you recover." With that, the 2 senior Magi had left and closed the door behind them. At least they had the decency of leaving us alone.

The younger black haired girl sat on the bed to my left, opposite of Illya who sat on the right.

With much suppressed physical pain, I patted the two girls in the head and ruffled their hairs.

"Both of you did a good job, if It weren't for you two. I am sure I won't be alive right now and we wouldn't have won our fight. I want to thank you." I was sincere, and it was the truth. If it weren't for the 2 younger girls equipping the cards, there was no way we could have overcome Saber's Excalibur(s).

If Miyu's expression were to be described now, it was complete happiness like she was waiting to hear that from a lost loved one.

"Nii-sa…I mean Shirou san. Thank you, it means so much to me." Miyu also held my hands tightly.

"It's okay…"

"?" Illya's friend was puzzled at my latest statement.

"You can call me Nii-san. I may not be your brother in blood, but as far as I am concerned, I treat you as part of my family." I patted the dark hair once more, and earning a honest smile from said girl.

"Thanks, nii-san."

I could feel 2 red eyes were staring at me, "Onii-chan. I will not permit you to die. You have to stay with me always." Of course, I won't. But I pulled off a rare joke as a nod to my own Grail war.

"I guess since you used a Command Seal on me, I guess I really can't refuse now can I?" I laughed softly and the two girls smiled with me.

"Get better soon Onii-chan," the two girls climbed into the bed with me and I hugged them each with my hands. I really need to get some sleep now.

~End chapter 6~

PS: There is no guarantee that I am picking up the rest of the story because my main focus is still Severed Bonds.