I did not think this idea up. It is based off a comic strip of the same name, I just decided to write the fight scene down as a one shot. Hope you all enjoy.

"Keep pushing! We can't falter now!" shouted the male voice of his master, Shielder alongside him as they rushed towards their target.

Suddenly he saw it, the light rapidly approaching their group of cobbled together Servants, instantly Archer knew what was going on. "MASHU PROTECT RITSUKA!" he shouted, causing the Demi-servant to freeze as she to saw the incoming blast.

Unfortunately, his warning would come too late for most of the other Servants, whom were caught off guard by the sudden attack. As the blow landed the world exploded into rainbow light, the ground was torn up from beneath them. Truly by the time the dust and smoke cleared, the only one left standing was Archer, Rho Aias fading away as he stood between his master and their new opponent.

Archer took a quick glance at his surroundings and felt incredibly grateful the no one appeared to have been killed, Rho Aias absorbing enough of the blast to simply render them unconscious. After all, they couldn't afford to lose anyone this late into Solomon's plan. They needed all the help they could get, and if Ritsuka died then Chaldea was as good as gone.

Pain erupted throughout the archer's body as it began dealing with the aftereffects of using Rho Aias, his body nearly tearing itself apart. However, he forced himself to ignore the pain as the sounds of hooves grew louder. Gritting his teeth, he looked up and saw a group of mounted knights approaching him, and leading them was none other than the Lion King. Raising his hand, the archer prepared to conjure another Rho Aias if needed as the group came to a halt before him.

"Oh," muttered the Lion King without even a change of tone in her bland, uncaring voice before turning to her subordinates. "Deal with the rest of them, I'll take this one."

The rest of the knights just nodded as they went off to find and deal with the rest of Ritsuka's rag tag band of Servants. Meanwhile Archer positioned himself between his master and the one causing this Singularity.

"You've done well to survive my attack…Red Bowman," she congratulated, watching the heavily wounded Archer panting as he lowered his arm.

"Naturally I'm not ready to lose to you. Besides…this is personal," he spat.

Oh yes very personal indeed. This New Camelot being created, truly she would be rolling in her grave if she knew what the Lion King had planned for Humanity.

The Lion King cocked her head to the side, "You say that…but I'm unable to recall someone like you."

Archer froze at that one line, his heart seemingly breaking in two before the rage once again flooded his body. "You're right, we never met but…" Archer felt his voice grow soft as the once static filled image of the blonde woman materialized in crystal clarity in his mind.

The former Counter Guardian heard the gun go off in his mind as dormant magical circuits throughout his body kicked to life. Flooding his body with magical energy as faint, green glowing lines, appeared all over his red clad form. Archer felt more and more power begin surging through him, despite being cut off from his master's supply of Mana, burning through his own reserves at an alarming rate.

"Something inside me…" he continued, glaring at the knight in front of him, Kanshou and Bakuya materializing in his hands.

The Lion King's face gained a small frown as the archer finally looked up from the ground, his steely grey eyes narrowing on his opponent. The Servant of the Bow, glaring at her with a fury that likes of which she hadn't seen since Mordred's rebellion.

"Is telling me to stop you!" yelled the bowman as he rushed towards the knight, his twin blades scraping along the edges of her armour as the knight swiftly dodged with a half turn.

The Lion King then retaliated as her stead, Dun Stallion, reared, before charging towards the Archer at an unimaginable speed, nearly crushing the bowman beneath its hooves. Archer's Eye of Mind skill only just let the Servant dodge the nearly lethal blow as he leapt back to gain some distance, his twin blades disappearing as his Black Bow replaced them.

However, the Lion King was not about to let him gain an advantage and in a blur of motion, closed the distance between the two of them with her mount. Not having any time to aim, Archer instead brought his bow up to deflect the Lance heading for his Spiritual Core, causing it to tear a massive hole in his Shroud of Martin. The bowman simply gritted his teeth in frustration as his bow broke from the force of the lance and he was forced to bring out his twin swords once more. The married blades appearing in his hands at the last second to redirect the knight's next attack at his supposed opening.

"Ho, it would seem you are not as much of a novice to combat as I believed you to be…Red Bowman," commented the Lion King.

"What can I say, I was trained by one of the best," he replied with a snarky grin on his face, more staticky memories coming into focus.

Memories of a young naïve red-haired boy, practicing with a pair of wooden swords, and his blonde instructor smiling at his progress. However, Archer was snapped out of his reminiscing as Rhongomyniad whizzed past his face, scoring a shallow graze along his forehead.

She was too fast with her stead, he couldn't gain the advantage of distance while that creature was still on the board. The horse needed to die.

Gripping his twin blades Archer faked another opening, countering perfectly as the Lion King once again took the advantage, leaving the mount's neck exposed. Giving a loud roar Archer slashed down with Kanshou and Bakuya, hoping to take the beast out in one hit, only to see the horse vanish in a blur of motion.

Growling in frustration he looked to see the horse and rider both staring at him with equally intelligent eyes. Archer mentally kicked himself, of course, the horse was a Divine Beast at this point. It was no dumb beast, no matter how much it might have looked like one.

It wouldn't just stand there and be killed by him like most beasts would, it would plan, it would protect both itself and its rider to the best of its abilities. If he was going to kill it, he needed to treat it like a person and not a beast. But it was too fast to catch, anything he threw at it would just be dodged. It was no mere animal either, it was intelligent and had already learnt one of his tricks.

How could he kill a beast like that? Let alone the Rider atop of it.

A Beast…

Suddenly the archer's eyes widened as he leapt backwards, throwing his twin blades at the horse and forcing it to retreat. Giving the archer just enough time to summon his bow once more as a black sword appeared in his other hand, before the sword became elongated. Cracks appearing along its edge as the Noble Phantasm was flooded with magical energy. Smirking he drew the sword-arrow back on his bow and fired.

Soar, Hound of the Red Plains, Hrunting!

Like before the horse easily avoided the hit, both it and its rider about to charge their now helpless opponent when suddenly mid charge, Dun Stallion veered off course. A red light passing through where its head had been seconds earlier as the Divine Beast tumbled head over end, throwing off its rider and creating a fountain of blood and smoke as its body continued with its death spasms.

Archer couldn't savior his victory for long though, as the moment the dust cleared, a lance came straight at his head. Thanks to his Mind's Eye he was able to twist ever so slightly, so that the flat part of the lance hit him rather than being brained by the weapon. Even so the archer was left dazed and unable to do anything as an armoured boot kicked him to the ground and a pointed object was left just above his Spiritual Core.

"Any last words Bowman?" asked the knight, as Archer's eyesight returned to see the now helmetless knight standing over him.

The red clad archer just gave a condescending laugh as more memories of a young red-haired boy entered his mind, a boy determined to be a Hero of Justice. To Save The World. "It's funny, you know?" he said with an amused smirk.

"What is so humorous?" questioned the Lion King.

Instead of answering, Archer grabbed the length of Rhongomyniad and reinforced his body to dangerous levels, using his newly increased strength to push the knight away from him. The archer then sent a lightning fast punch to the knight's head and sending her back a few steps.

"I thought I outgrew this habit of mine, but I suppose it never truly went away…this desire of a small boy wanting to be like his father," he replied, preparing himself for what was to come next. "But like always the Hero of Justice must save the world, from all who would destroy it."

"I will save the world, not destroy it. If you truly wish to save it then join me," she argued, lowering the lance and extending a hand out towards him.

Archer just shook his head, his body trembling slightly, "In your mind perhaps you truly believe that, but at what cost? Can you really call that living?!"

The Lion King just lowered her hand, "It would seem that we will not be able to talk this out."

"So, it would seem," replied the archer his rage filled expression morphing to one of sadness as he raised one arm before gripping it with his other. "Even if it kills me, I will stop you. I will save everyone."

"Oh, you think you can? Then please try, if you have some trump card now is the time to use it. I won't interfere," she replied, raising her lance.

"How chivalrous," mocked the archer before closing his eyes as magical circuits all over his body began glowing green.

I am the bone of my sword

The words seemed to rebound over the ruins of the city, echoing throughout and making all who were left even semi-conscious take notice of the power and conviction held within them. For her part the Lion King had a strange sense of déjà vu but continued to be silent, watching as the magical energy began saturating the area.

Steel is my body and fire is my blood

With conviction only rivaled by the steel in his gaze, Archer's voice seemed to strike a chord with the world, Reality seeming to shudder as the Aria continued. His body now a neon green from the magical circuits visibly glowing around his entire body.

I have created over a thousand blades

The Lion King blinked as she saw what seemed to be ghostly swords stick into the ground all around them, the earth beneath the archer's feet cracking as a green glow appear beneath it. Blinking she felt another shudder from the earth beneath her as the Lion King frowned and readied her lance for what was to come next.

Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life.

The once hurricane like winds that had been blasting the two of them stilled all at once, leaving a deep silence, as if the very planet itself was now holding its breath, wanting to see just what was to come next.

Have withstood pain to create many weapons

As the pain filled words spread throughout the battlefield, everyone stopped, looking towards the sounds with an inexplicable sense of pity and grief. The sounds of combat completely halting as the combatants of both sides ceased their violence, a strange feeling of anticipation entering them.

Yet, those hands will never hold anything

The Lion King frowned as she saw the faintest hints of light glinting off the archer's cheeks, the clear liquid running down his face and staining the rupturing earth beneath them. Archer took a deep breath as he stared at the Lion King, the image of his friend once again so close and yet out of his reach, before completing his Aria with a heavy heart. The ground exploding beneath them as the World was compressed and his soul became bare for her to see.

So, as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works

Suddenly there was a wave of fire and heat rushing towards the two fighters and engulfing them in a large sphere. The Lion King shielded her eyes as dust was thrown up everywhere before her eyesight came back into focus, and making her eyes widen as she saw the wasteland full of swords, almost as if graves of the heroes past.

And standing on a hill above her was the red bowman, staring down at her with steely grey eyes.

"A Reality Marble? I see I am not the only one who has abandoned their humanity. Tell me, what happened to you to make you so warped and twisted?" asked the Lion King with a raised eyebrow.

Instantly the archer's mind was filled with the crystal-clear memory of the fire, the smell, the heat, the screams, all of it came crashing back down to him. Archer frowned as he pushed the memories to the side, and instead focused on his opponent as he replied, "I saw Hell."

"I see," she muttered, her expression giving no indication on what her thoughts about this were.

The red clad archer then sighed as his eyes searched her own, hoping, praying, to find something of the person he once knew inside. "You said that you'll do anything to obtain your Utopia, regardless of what that means for Humanity," he commented, his voice devoid of emotion, betraying nothing of the conflict held within him.

"I want to save all of Humanity," argued the Lion King, her own Sigil on the lance beginning to glow faintly as a soft click was heard.

"BY PUTTING THEM IN YOUR LANCE!" shouted Archer, his voice booming across the wasteland of blades, sand and rocks.

The Lion King showed no reaction to the archer's outburst and instead simply nodded, "Yes."

The red clad archer reeled as if stung at this response before he began trembling with barely contained rage, seeing nothing of the person he once knew within her eyes. "What about your dream?! Does that now mean nothing to you!?" he asked, in a deceptively calm tone.

The knight was silent at this as her brows furrowed in confusion, almost as if hearing someone speaking a different language. Upon seeing this, the archer blinked and gave another sorrow filled sigh.

"I see…you've held onto that lance for so long you've forgotten why you even took it up, haven't you?" he asked, his voice a soft whisper before growing in volume as his magic circuits once again flared to life. "In that case, I'll have to show you the truth. The memories that you've long forgotten."

There was a faint click heard from within Rhongomyniad as, unknown to anyone, the Sigil bearing the crest of Sir Agravain opened. The bloodied archer got up from the ground and turned his steely gaze once more to the blank uncaring orbs, the image of the girl he once knew overlapping once more over the Lion King. Suddenly a sword shot out and into his hand, a sword that was immediately recognized by his opponent.

Not giving her time to process what was happening the archer sent a wave of swords at the knight as he rushed her, forcing her to engage him in close combat or else risk being skewed by blades. As Caliburn collided with Rhongomyniad, faint green lines seemed to appear between the two weapons, causing a series of images to flash through the Lion King's mind.

I ask of you, are you my Master?

Saber! A KING WITHOUT GREED IS NO KING AT ALL!

He is a complicated man, Saber. Please believe me, he wants the best for everyone.

Saber…By my command seal…

Saber…

Saber…

Saber…

I'm not going to stand by and watch people get killed…

Saber…I love you…

The last image caused her to stumble as a red headed boy appeared before being devoured in static as she blocked another blow from Caliburn. "What trickery is this?" she asked, forcing the images to the back of her mind.

With a grunt she deflected Caliburn to the side before shoulder ramming the red archer away from her, only to be hit by his swords piercing her from behind. Their master no longer in the firing line. Realising the problem she was forced to focus entirely on defense, deflecting what she could and constantly dodging the swarms of blades that chased after her.

My core is twisted into Madness

Instantly the Lion King spun to see the bowman with his Black Bow out once more and a spiral object held within, the knight tried to take cover but the rain of swords continually pelting her kept her in one place.

CALADBOLG!

The Lion King frowned as the projectile was released from its bow, soaring towards her with unimageable speed and power. Truly it was a powerful weapon, but, it would not be enough to bring her down. Leveling her lance, she watched it give a faint glow before spinning in an almost lazy fashion as energy flowed into the weapon.

RHONGOMYNIAD!

And just like that the powerful projectile was engulfed in light and destroyed, the light continuing towards the bowman whom had his eyes widen before he frantically threw his injured hand forward.

RHO AIAS!

The seven petalled shield sprung to life before him and the archer breathed a sigh of relief as it blocked the hit, only for his eyes to widen as the knight appeared directly next to him. Using her own attack to get within his blind spot and score a grazing blow as Caliburn blocked the hit. The knight was then forced to retreat as another line of swords rained down upon where she had been standing nanoseconds earlier.

This hit and run tactic proved to be extraordinarily effective against the archer as, even without her mount, the swords were not able to keep up with the knight's speed, forcing the archer to continue to engage in close quarters. As she was coming in for another run however, the Lion King skidded to a halt, seeing hundreds of thousands of blades, mundane and magical, appearing in the sky before her and bloating out both the sun and enormous gears in the distance.

There was no way she could dodge this and upon seeing the archer's smug grin he knew it as well, she was going to die. Instantly the Sigil of Sir Kay snapped open and yet another lock was undone, the lance's power rising by an incredible amount as the restraint was removed. Rhongomyniad rotation was no longer lazy as it rushed to meet this newest attack, the lance giving off a holy light as it sent a beam straight at the archer.

Like a dragon made from living metal, the swords all moved together to block the attack, to try and overpower it with their sheer quantity. Yet it soon became apparent that despite the infinite number of blades being thrown against the attack, nothing would stop the Holy Lance from reaching its target. And like the dragons before it, Rhongomyniad pierced the heart of the beast and consumed the archer.

Upon seeing this, Archer again threw up his shield in desperation but not even the seven petaled shield of Rho Aias, one of the most powerful defensive Noble Phantasms in his possession, could halt the Holy Lance's attack. For it was a Lance that could not be stopped, no matter the strength of the armour or shield, Rhongomyniad would pierce it as the legends foretold.

Archer closed his eyes as he was knocked to the ground from the force of Rho Aias' destruction, recognising his death had come, "I tried Saber…but I couldn't save you. Just like everyone else."

And yet his death never came…

Much to the shock of everyone, a golden light erupted from within the archer, pushing back against Rhongomyniad's attack and shielding him from its wrath. For while no armour or shield could withstand Rhongomyniad, no force could overcome the protection of this Fey creation and as the attack ceased both Archer and the Lion King were left confused and stumped.

Not only had the attack failed to kill the archer, but his wounds were gone entirely…in fact Archer felt almost rejuvenated. Opening his eyes, he could have sworn he saw the faint image of a blonde girl, offering her hand to him.

"Saber," his muttered in disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes as he accepted the hand up, only to find something cold and metal as he grasped it.

Archer just looked down and his eyes widened as he saw what he had grasped, the image of his old friend smiling and nodding in encouragement as energy continued to flow into his body. Suddenly, he saw it…the blueprints that were once inconceivable to him, now burned into his mind…a gift.

"…Bowman…how did you survive?" asked the Lion King, a wariness now in her voice as she stared at her opponent.

Clutching Avalon close to his chest Archer breathed deeply, feeling the tears still streaming down his face, "Avalon…but why?"

And once again the sheath gave off a soft golden glow as memories of the blonde girl, the reason he became a hero, finally pieced themselves together in his mind. For the first time Archer could clearly remember every single moment of his life as a naïve red-haired boy, and he just laughed.

"I understand now. I know why you're helping me…" he said, placing a hand over the empty top of the sheath.

"After all, we were her sheath, weren't we? And together, we're going to bring her back!" he promised, his voice not wavering for a second as a golden glow appeared in the hand over the sheath.

"Speak up Bowman, I cannot hear you," ordered the oblivious Lion King, not seeing the object that the archer clung to feverishly.

Archer just gave another smirk as the hand over the empty sheath made to grasp something before a golden light began forming in his hand…

"Trace On!" he yelled, his hand moving to pull something out of the sheath, causing the knight to step back as she recognized the magical energy coalescing around the archer's hand.

"That Sword…" she muttered, an almost fearful tone entering her voice.

The world of the Reality Marble was silent as the two stared at each other, rusted and broken blades surrounded them all in fragments of metal. Suddenly a golden pulse sprung out from the sword, the gears in the sky began turning once more, and the rust was burned away from the broken blades to revealing them glowing brilliantly. The light from the sword glinting off them to form a dazzling golden light show as the winds blew away patches of dust and earth to reveal grass growing beneath the sands.

Its job done Avalon faded into golden particles, sinking back into the archer's flesh as the sword in his hand glowed ever brighter. Archer then turned to face the Lion King as he gripped the sword in two hands, causing the Lion King to take another step back as she saw a second figure, a ghostly image, place her hands over the archer's own as they lifted the blade together into a ready position.

"Here I come, King of Knights. Are you ready to recall the dream you've forgotten?" announced Archer, his steely grey eyes burrowing into hers.

"You…" hissed out the Lion King.

There was a brief flash of emotion on the Lion King's face, the closest thing to fear beginning to seep into her mind as the glowing sword materialised in the Archer's hands. In response to this, the lock bearing the Sigil of Sir Bedivere finally clicked open and together the eight locks glowed in an array of different colours. The remaining five locks, each bearing a different Sigil of a Knight of the Round, all suddenly clicked open at once and slowly Rhongomyniad began rotating once more.

I've expanded the land

Light seemed to be gathering around the still form of the Lion King as her expression once again hardened into a blank mask, a massive rainbow of colours nearly blinding the knight from view. Deep within the blinding array, the rotation of the Lance began to grow faster and faster, the light's brightness increasing with the speed.

I've built cities

Far behind them, the ruins of the New Camelot glowed red, fires continuing to rage across its surface and consuming all in its path. However, not even the heat from those blazes could rival the anger that had crept into the knight's voice. Suddenly, with a deceptive grace and beauty, the bright light condensed into an almost serpentine shape before flowing around the lance now blurring with motion.

I've crossed the ocean and split the heavens

The sky appeared to almost be cut in two as she lifted her swirling lance up towards the clouds, one side the normal dark sky of the Reality Marble but the other…

It was wrong…

The other side glowed with a colour that was everything and yet nothing at once, constantly changing the more it was observed. Deep within creatures once thought extinct were peering in, watching the showdown between the two fighters. For the first time in history, the Anchor that had kept the Reverse Side of the World separate from Reality, was coming undone.

And yet despite all that was happening around him, the red archer kept his gaze focused solely on his opponent, the warm comforting light of the sword and sheath shielding him from the energy swirling around him. Slowly to match his opponent, he raised the sword, its glow now rivaling that of the Holy Lance.

All for... what...?

Unlike the normal booming voice resounding out from the battlefield this one was soft and sadden, sounding much like the younger version of herself. The Lion King's eyes seemed to weaken for a fraction of a second at the sight of the sword being used against her and of the familiar female shape that seemed to overlap over the archer's own image, of the betrayal of something she never could have predicted. However, the Lion King's eyes hardened once more and anger returned in full force as the cracks in the sky continued to grow.

Holy Lance, tell me of the end!

And suddenly the colourful light along Rhongomyniad's length reached its crescendo as it raced towards the sky in a pillar of light. On the other side of the barren wasteland, surrounded by shining and yet broken blades, stood the Wrought Iron Hero, the final Servant of Chaldea and the last defender of the Human Race. Breathing a deep sigh, he was consumed in the sword's pure glow, winds gushing all around him as his tattered and torn Shroud flapped behind him. It was a sorry sight, a wounded and dying man, already with one foot in the grave standing up to the might of the Lion King.

RHONGOMYNIAD!

The denizens of the Reverse World had to shield their eyes as the glow from the two most powerful Holy Weapons known to Mankind increased. The two most powerful weapons of legend, prepared for the battle that would decide the fate of Mankind. Either they would survive imprisoned, or risk death in exchange for their freedom, their dream.

And so, the sky was illuminated with the rainbow glow of Rhongomyniad before the spinning pillar of rainbow light began falling, ever so gracefully towards the archer. In response to this, the glow from his borrowed blade grew stronger, claiming its own spot among the light show with its pure and calming glow. Hurricanes viciously pushed against the two fighters as the two lights briefly met, each struggling to maintain their footing as the forces began their assault on the other. And yet despite being a mere copy, a fake, the sword refused to give in and met the lance with an equal ferocity.

For it was the Sword Of Promised Victory, the Sword of Salvation, the crystallization of all of Mankind's Hopes and Dreams.

And All Knew Its Name.

EXCALIBUR!

The Lion King blinked as she could have sworn she heard two voices crying out the sword's name, before the light from the sword skyrocketed. The Lion King was forced to give ground as the magical energy from the blade surged forward like a flood breaching a seawall. Rhongomyniad's power struggling to hold back the shocking force of the Sword of Promised Victory, the sword's light creeping closer every second as the lance's rotations grew even faster, almost as if desperate to keep it away from its wielder. But it was clear that this time it would be the sword that would not be denied its prize and as Excalibur's light was inches from her face…she saw something in within it.

"Damnit Kay! Give it back!" roared the child version of Arturia, her white clothes stained with dirt as she chased after her brother.

"Come on, you really think you're going to be King if you can't even catch me?" smirked Kay, holding her practice sword just beyond where she could reach.

Eventually the two siblings ceased their play fight and he handed the wooden blade back to her before gesturing for her to sit down with an unusually serious expression on his face. "Arturia, do you trust me?" he asked, getting a shocked look from his sister.

"Of course I do! You're my brother!" she shouted in anger.

"Then please listen to what I'm about to say. Wanting to be King is fine but…promise me you won't lose yourself in the process of doing so. Regardless of what Merlin says, nothing is worth your humanity, not even a Kingship," he replied distantly, looking out over the horizon to see the forest below them.

The child beside him was silent as she pondered her brother's words…

The two teenagers gave each other one last longing look before they entered a loving embrace, both knowing this would be the last time they would ever see each other again, then the blonde female slowly evaporated into blue Spiritual Particles.

"We'll meet again…so wait for me. Won't you Saber?" begged the red-haired boy, his words barely heard through the sobbing.

The blonde girl gave him a radiant smile before nodding as she finally faded away, her last words being lost to time as the winds drowned them out. Then in the girl reappeared in a distant land, under a golden sun, resembling the golden fields of her childhood. And here she sat and waited for her love, knowing that he would come to her. Her sheath would always return to her...

She saw greenery everywhere she looked, clean water flowed along the streams, the sky was a deep blue with not a cloud in sight, birds were heard giving beautiful songs in the distance. In the middle of this apparent paradise stood lonely figure clad in a dress of pure white, her armour left discarded at the nearby stream bank as she stared up at the sky. Her blonde hair was done up in a fine bun while her face seemed the picture of peace, and yet despite her serene appearance there was a pain felt radiating off her body.

The blonde-haired girl gave a loud sigh as she turned to face the forest in the distance with a melancholic expression on her face, "I'm still here…so come find me…"

"After all, you promised we'd see each other again, Shir*u," she muttered, the weak gleam of tears being reflected in the light...

However just as quickly as they came the visions stopped and the Lion King stumbled at the lack of resistance as Rhongomyniad rushed forward, easily overpowering the dying light of Excalibur's blade. Above them the sky of the Reality Marble cracked and began collapsing, the entire world being destroyed as the Reserve Side invaded it, creatures wreaking havoc in the short time that they had before they were sent back.

Finally, Rhongomyniad pushed Excalibur back to the red archer before hitting him with full force, broken and battered swords rushing to form a quasi-shield even as the Reality Marble crumbled all around them. There was a brief silence before the world exploded into light and sound, consuming everything within the area with its violent embrace. Even the Lion King was thrown backwards from the force of the fully powered Rhongomyniad and as she stood back up, she saw the ruins of New Camelot once more in the distance, the Reality Marble well and truly destroyed.

Looking up she saw the sky of the normal Reality still being encroached upon by the Reverse World, creatures pouring out from the cracks and rampaging through the countryside. Still it did not matter. As long as she saved Humanity, then she would accept the consequences for her actions, and yet, why? She was doing the right thing, wasn't she? So why did Excalibur, her own sword, oppose her? Why did her heart feel like it had been pierced by a spear? Was she sad? But why? Why did it feel like she had just killed off something precious?

And what did she see…

Why was she having so much trouble with her emotions now? She had freely given them up when she ascended to Godhood. And worse still…

Had it really been so long since she felt emotions that the very concept seemed alien to her now? Was this what they warned her about Rhongomyniad?

Her musings were broken as she heard a faint groan and her eyes widened as she turned to see the red archer pushing himself to his feet. In his hand was the broken hilt of what she what recognized to be Excalibur's handle, before it faded into blue particles.

"Heh, what do you know. My Mana ran out before my body did. Excalibur is quite the power-hungry sword, isn't it…Saber?" grunted out the archer, blood pooling around his feet as he struggled to stand.

Saber

Instantly visions of the red-haired boy reappeared in her head, his voice echoing across her mind and once again the Lion King felt her heartbeat speed up ever so slightly as pain erupted in her head. "Surrender Bowman, you are wounded and out of Mana. There is no need to fight any longer, besides I have questions for you," she ordered the archer, her hand closing around her lance once more.

"I'm sure you do…but…I'll have to decline. After all, I promised to save you…even from yourself," replied the archer and the Lion King was shocked to see bloodied tears falling down his face.

To make her shock worse she saw his wounds once again closing on their own accord, his flesh stitching itself back together at an alarming rate as the bowman once again glared at her. The archer then took a deep breath as his body gained a faint blue outline, the Servant cannibalizing the Mana used to kept him alive for his last ever Projections.

"Trace on!" he chanted, his favoured weapons, Kanshou and Bakuya, once more appearing in his hands.

Spirit and technique, flawless and firm

The archer then leapt towards the knight with a sudden, reckless, burst of speed, catching the Lion King completely off guard at the suicidal maneuver. Placing her lance in the path to block his approach the Lion King was instead shocked as he threw his set of swords towards her, the married blades' natural attraction keeping them close and on target directly at her Spiritual Core. Frowning at this apparent desperate move she deflected them with her lance and sent them flying off behind her.

Our strength rips the mountains

However, the Lion King wasn't prepared for the archer to keep charging regardless of his failed surprise attack, and so the knight wasn't able to keep her distance from him. Still there should have been no danger in this maneuver, the archer was unarmed, and yet her instincts told her that she could not let herself be hit.

Our swords split the water

Suddenly her instincts were proved right as another pair of the twin blades appeared in the archer's hands, slashing towards her armoured chest and creating deep gouges in the amour as they ripped through it like a hot knife through butter. Crying out in pain the Lion King's Instincts once again screamed another warning as she tensed her lance, the twin swords of her opponent snapping from the force of the attack they had delivered.

Our names reach the imperial villa

Finally, a third pair appeared to replace the broken ones, only these had been modified, almost appearing as black and white crane wings, their grace and beauty nearly unmatched as they cut into the knight's exposed throat. Or rather would have, if they hadn't been intercepted by Rhongomyniad at the last second. The attack simply faded away as the archer's arms dropped to his side, his stomach pierced completely through with her lance tip poking out the other side.

"An admirable attempt Bowman, but you will need more than cheap tricks if you want to beat me," she muttered, her vision seeming to blur slightly.

Frowning she reached up to her face and felt a wet, clear liquid running down the side of her face, were these tears? Why? Why was she crying over the death of this bowman? Again, the image of a red-haired boy appeared in her mind unbidden.

Who was he?

Her attention was drawn back to the present as she saw the archer's faintly glowing body get brighter, his Independent Action no longer able to fight off the lack of Mana. However, the red clad archer just grinned as blood slowly flowed out of his mouth, the Overedge Kanshou and Bakuya falling from numb hands and the two gave a mournful chime as they hit the ground. Archer just gave another coughing laugh, the red liquid spitting out over the gleaming shining armour of the knight before him. The Lion King tensed as the Servant of the Bow used the last of his strength to embrace the knight in a bone crushing hug, trapping them both in his embrace.

"The two of us cannot hold the heavens together," he muttered in a voice choked with grief, anger and acceptance, twin streams of water leaking out his eyes.

Suddenly the Lion King felt twin objects stab into her back, burying themselves deep within her body and piercing her Spiritual Core. Crying out in pain the Lion King turned to see the twin blades that the bowman had thrown before, had returned to their owner. It was then Archer finally fell to the floor, his body glowing an increasingly bright blue as he turned himself to face her own glowing body. The Lion King sighed as she felt her life force draining away from her mortal wound. She had failed and yet…as she lay down next to the bowman beside her…a part of her felt relieved.

And suddenly the cracks in the heavens above them sowed themselves up and the sky returned to its normal dull grey, the denizens inside either screeching in frustration or silent in shock as the anchor separating the two worlds reasserted itself on Reality.

"You won…congratulations Bowman," she replied, before propping him up on a nearby tree trunk and collapsing on the other side of him.

"I guess so," replied the archer, erupting into a bloodied laughter. "I really am still the same foolish boy as ever. A Hero of Justice…still, at least I kept my promise to her.

The Lion King was silent as she looked up to the sky, thinking about what her opponent had just said, and again the brief vision from Excalibur came back to her. Of the two teens embracing each other in a longing and loving embrace. Inside the Lion King felt a panging of longing erupt, the fragments of her humanity seemingly being rekindled by the vision she had been shown. What would things have been like, if she had picked the sword over the lance? Was this what she could have had?

"Bowman…have we met before?" she asked, images of the red-haired boy flashing through her head once more.

Archer just smiled sadly as his voice grew faint, "I told you before didn't I? We never met, no matter how hard I tried to make it otherwise."

Again, there was a sad silence as not even the winds blew, leaving the two dying warriors to their own thoughts, eventually they saw the first rays of light peak out over the remains of her New Camelot. Seeing her lance dissolving into a soft blue light, the Lion King turned back to see where the remains of her loyal knights also lay collapsed, dissolving into Spiritual Particles.

"Bowman…what was your name?" she asked, staring at her killer with a conflicted expression on her normally bland face.

The response was so weak and quiet that it would have been drowned out by the sounds of the wildlife had she been a human, yet the Lion King heard it as if it had been shouted from the top of his lungs. "Shirou...Shirou Emiya," replied the bowman, his body once again collapsing to the ground, unable to keep itself upright.

The Lion King frowned as she turned to the now silent and evaporating archer, his energy finally well and truly spent from his wounds. He was going to die, but unlike her, he was recoverable with enough Mana, his Core wasn't pierced. In fact, it even seemed that the archer's strange healing factor was even now still in play, the bowman's wounds closing of their own accord.

For the first time since she had met her opponent, the Lion King examined the strangely familiar magical energy that was struggling valiantly to preserve the archer's life. Groaning she forced her dissolving body towards him, placing a hand on his head, and suddenly she saw it. Hidden deep within his body…the familiar gleaming golden sheath that she had abandoned long ago, and the memoires it held within…memories of a different life…a different her…

"Shirou…you liar," she said, tears welling up in her normally stoic eyes.

Wiping away the faint traces of tears, the Lion King…no…Arturia Pendragon, began funneling what little strength she had left into the sheath, praying for a miracle. As the last of her energy left her, she felt her thoughts drift off to the red archer. "Shirou…maybe we'll meet again. In another lifetime."

She never saw the archer gasp as the last of his wounds closed, his eyes snapping open only to see the faint remnants of blue Spiritual Particles float down and come to rest on his outstretched hand. Without a word the archer softly closed a hand around the last particle before bringing it up to his face, his body trembling ever so slightly, he remained silently sobbing until Ritsuka and the others awoke. Despite their many questions, none of them ever found out just what had gone on that day.

The day where at long last the two's paths would cross again, only at opposite sides of the same war. Where one had abandoned her humanity and dream for an unwanted utopia and the other who was willing to sacrifice anything to bring her back.

This was originally meant to be 2,000 words long...Jesus...time to sleep now that my muse can shut up.