Author Notes: Finally chapter eight is out. I was sure that I would get it done and released, that belief never left me, but still it's an enormous relief to finally have finished it. I will try not to bore you with all the reasons for the delay, mostly it was the sheer difficulty of getting the last scenes done and having the entire at sufficient quality for me to avoid cowering in shame. I hope to have just done that although I am still not satisfied with everything but given it has been over ten months since the last chapter, it's past time to post it.

-About the reviews, I've answered most of them long ago. Still I suppose I'll answers a few of those which don't reveal plot points. (Feel free to skip them.)

[A point I MUST make I believe. Yes Shirou has gotten much better with Archer help, but he still has no chance whatsoever against an heroic spirit. for some reasons people keep forgetting that canon Archer had only one-tenth of his strength when he fought Shirou in the UBW route. So no, in one-to-one Shirou has no chance of winning against a servant. The best Archer help has given him is chances of surviving against one servant long enough for someone to help and reduce the need for the Sabers to watch over him.

Regarding Lily not knowing about sex. It isn't really as surprising as it seems. If you look in History (notably French) you can find many examples of royals families who doesn't know about sex, much less what it involves, because no-one got around to explaining it to them before it's required. Given that, for someone to tell Lily about sex in her times could be a tad... awkward. It isn't like she needed it, and just how do you get the nerves to explain that to a Saint who just happens to be your ruler?]

-Now with this insanely long, twenty-five thousands words, chapter. This chapter conclude the second arc of the story, so far it seems I'll end up with arc of four chapter each. For those who wonder, I didn't split this chapter because I promised not to make a cliffhanger for this chapter... which proved much easier to say than done. The sheer amount of places that could lead to bad ends was terrifying. Which bring rather nicely in perspective the end of this chapter. Lots of battles in this chapter too, I've tried very hard to make that lore proud. (And no, that is not Berserker here.) There are revelations too, including a certain name which for reasons which escape me seem to have alluded all my reviewers.

Well then I shall end this author note here. Really I could make it much long but I know I must avoid doing that like the plague. I do hope to see your reviews, and I pray that you'll enjoy once more

King of Blades - Tricolor Swords - Day Five(Part three)

*break*

ROAAARRR!

A world engulfed in one single presence radiating with prana, dwarfing even the heroic spirits by its sole existence. A fifteen meters long immense body, three men height or rather depth considering it was standing up on all its length. A skin shielded with pale marine scales over its entire body, large claws that could pass as paws with their size. The legend brought out from ageless myths lowered its body to sit upon the top of the hill after giving its warning. Two intelligent purple eyes perfectly conscious of the surrounding reality continued to focus upon the trio below with unwavering focus, patience.

"This..." Azur's stunned voice echoed in Shirou's ears as like him the two Sabers observed the giant replacing the now gone temple's arch. A blue fog periodically left the beast's mouth as it exhaled prana every time it breathed. Two bluish-green pierced wings lightly brushed the air overflowing with prana as if to leave no doubt about what kind the immense form belonged to. The magus silently clenched his hands tighter on Archer's bow, resignation overcoming both wonder and amazement. The overwhelming power rolled over Shirou worn out mind as all but a dry laughter escaped his lips. Why should he be surprised? He had jinxed himself countless times those last days, compared to Caster's slaughter for a two stories high Dragon to appear seemed like a foregone event. Immense, the mythical lizard's presence melted the desperate cries of the many souls imprisoned inside the temple and crushed them into nothingness by merely standing there.

"Impressive, to think Caster was hiding such a powerful card." Lily commented with a hint of tension. It was so mighty that even the smaller male servant, Assassin, standing at the beast's feet seemed like a frail existence with no power. Resignation again, Shirou clenched tighter Archer's bow as he took a step forward to place himself between the two Sabers and the insanely powerful enemy. He had no hope of triumphing against this impossible enemy, the phantasmal beast that made a servant seem negligible could never be beaten by a mere human. But precisely because there was no hope, precisely because this entity dwarfed heroic spirits, Shirou stepped forward to place himself between his two servants and the menace ahead. A white gloved hand grabbing the magus's shoulder, holding him in place. "No." Lily told him calmly without looking away from the two enemies above, her only word unnaturally shaking Shirou's resolution and freezing him in place.

"I'll fight." Shirou muttered while fighting against the invisible bounds holding his body.

"We fought dragons before Shirou." Lily spoke with a calm face yet inwardly surprised by her master resilience even as the discrepancy between her bearing and inner feelings made her aware of the charisma she used as king and ruler, flowing out to affect her surroundings. Lily turned her eyes toward her twin servant, hoping both for the plural form of her affirmation to be correct and for a support that would avoid her using her brainwashing-like charisma.

"Killed them to be exact." Azur sharply added a little behind Lily as the blue servant wanted to keep both her master and the enemies ahead in her sight. "We can beat it, hide your skills until we need them Shirou." The blue servant's gaze meet with Lily for one second even as she spoke. "Those arrows of your could take down Caster by surprise should she come." Azur continued to her master attention but looked back at the Dragon and servant ahead.

"Yes." Lily supported showing a confidence she was far from feeling like often in her living two centuries of reign. Falling to the two servants unnatural charisma and arguments, the redhead reluctantly withdrew behind them. The white servant turned her attention back on the two forces ahead. She was perfectly conscious that Azur said they could beat it, not would. Thin line between truth and lie. As she looked up the difference appeared all the more clear. True, Lily had fought dragons back in her own time. Powerful monstrous beasts with often underestimated intelligence and breathing prana with every breath, claws ripping a castle's walls in seconds. Their scaly armor that only powerful magical swords could damage doubled with their godlike magic-resistance made them nearly unbeatable opponents. Even so, fighting as a human and as a servant was very different. The Dragons of over a thousand years ago would lose against any average ranked servant.

"I could take them from this distance." Azur said with raising slightly her invisible blade. She had already abandoned the idea of holding back, against such an opponent it would be suicidal. Both a warning from a wizard she once knew and the knowledge of the Grail left her with no illusion. Monstrous Beasts left on earth after the age of Gods ended, the dragons of the last two thousand years were all only centuries if not decades old. Lily slightly turned toward her, the closed look in disturbingly similar servant's eyes gave Azur a hint that her knowledge was shared. Not a monstrous beast, not a child whose existence remained limited to their physical form, but a phantasmal beast. An entities whose existence lasted beyond centuries and transcended the status of mere monsters. Such was the Dragon observing them from above with an infinite patience, unwavering attention. "Both with luck, they shouldn't be able to dodge it." Azur answered her twin silent question.

Lily nodded as she looked at the two enemies in the distance. Her appearance remained of calm determination even as he looked at the servant by the beast's side. Truthfully she didn't like using one of their trump cards so fast. Would Caster be ready to fire a giant blast, would the dragon or Assassin have a long ranged attack. Then they might have time to use a counter against Azur. Yet the white servant realized like her twin that they strategically had no choice. The Japanese man who held no stance, no presence or even killing intend was in fact an immense threat in Lily's cautious eyes. Hiding his power, his presence overshadowed by the Dragon, his attacks would be seen too late while the Dragon would keep both Lily and Azur attention. A certain death. "Then do it, we need at least one down." Yes, if one of the two threats was gone or wounded enough a chance of victory would appear. Azur stepped away from her ally, raising her invisible blade behind her as Lily made sure to stay out of the path of what Azur once described as a 'showy attack'.

As if on cue, Assassin steeped forward as he saw the duo was ready to attack. "I see you've finished discussing." The Japanese said politely. Still without taking a stance he raised his overly-long katana and pointed it at the group below. "Well then Saber, will you duel me?" Pause, the confusion filling the two female servants not showing on their posture or expression but nonetheless marking its presence in the pause of Azur's movements. "Won't you?" The purple haired samurai asked again after a while. The dragon remained perfectly still, only his eyes darting for a second at the smaller male servant showed that it followed the exchange.

"Why would you want that?" Azur asked without lowering her sword but neither starting to gather prana to attack.

"I want fight a superior swordsman." Assassin easily replied, without losing his smile he continued. "For I who do not have a wish to ask from the Grail, a battle is the closest to any wish I can ask for." Yet despite the kimono-wearing servant apparent sincerity, neither Saber showed a reaction. Even Shirou Emiya who is observing the situation could only be wary of Assassin's words, because he was Assassin.

"I don't understand." Lily addressed the Katana user. "We're going to fight anyway, why are you asking for a duel?" It was impossible to hear the suspicion in her calm yet analytic voice. But indeed, Assassin demand was odd. Nothing could be felt from the male servant, not an ounce of prana or the power of a noble phantasm. For such a man, fighting aided by the Dragon behind him should be extremely advantageous. It was difficult to believe that a servant whose class is Assassin would renounce such an overwhelming advantage in favor of a straight-up duel.

"Do you refuse?" The male servant asked not quite hiding a hint of dread as he took a few steps down the hills. The two Sabers below tensed but neither took a step forward. Assassin stopped seeing their reaction and sighed, sitting atop the hill the Dragon continued to observe the exchange without any trace of impatience. "My name is Sasaki Kojirou." The male servant announced as if his words were of little importance. "Yet, I am not Sasaki Kojirou." A pause.

"Then who are you?" Azur asked unsure of the servant intend. A bitter smile returned to Assassin's slender face as his free hand brushed his long purple ponytail.

"It's simple, Sasaki Kojirou never existed to begin with." A fictional heroic spirit, a kind of existence with deeds and fame given to one single entity who didn't even exist. "It isn't really a surprise," Assassin continued "Sasaki Kojirou was made as a rival to a 'famed' swordsman." Yes, Mushashi Miyamoto, his rival and killer who never even mentioned Kojirou's existence in his memories. Pause, then "Now, will you fight?" he asked one last time while raising his blade toward the Sabers.

Lily and Azur didn't answer immediately. Assassin or rather Sasaki Kojirou seemed to be telling the truth, but did it even matter? Lily instinctively suppressed the reflex of clicking her tongue, as a knight, even if Assassin was lying, could and would Azur and her decline Assassin's request? For her honor as a knight, Lily knew it was too late for her to refuse his demand after he stated his purpose and name. Even if this wasn't the case, the possibility to fight Assassin alone without having to fight the Dragon at the same time significantly raised the Sabers and their master's chances of victories. However, the Dragon's inaction was one of the two reason of both knight hesitation. Lily took one step forward while Azur still remained ready to use her noble phantasm. "Tell me Sasaki Kojirou, won't the duel you propose be interrupted?" The white servant asked the other servant in a light tone but the strength of her voice indicated that the real target of her inquiry was addressed to the beast above. The male servant followed her gaze, then chuckled lightly.

"Ah. There is no need to worry about that." Assassin equally lightly said half-turning toward the mythic creature behind him. "Neither of us hold our summoner in great esteem. We would probably kill her if we were free to do so." Kojirou answered both addressing Lily's concern about the Dragon but also unknowingly eased her suspicions that his demand for a duel was part of Caster's plan. Atop the hill the Dragon growled in what could pass as an agreement No one bothered commenting on a servant summoning another servant. After summoning such a powerful creature as a phantasmal dragon, such a thing couldn't be surprising coming from Caster. "Well now, whose lady shall oppose me? or both?" There wasn't any sense of insult in the man's voice, merely genuine curiosity and anticipation.

"I should go." Azur said as she took a step forward.

"No, I'll answer his call." Lily stopped her blue ally firmly, then turned her voice into a whisper. "If things go wrong or it" An ever so small movement of the chin toward the Dragon "move from its spot, you seem to be the only one who can take it from this distance. I sure can't." Fail and Archer attacking Caster were among the things were the Dragon might move, but none of the trio mentioned it. There was no proof that none of their opponents couldn't hear them from this distance.

"If I use my noble phantasm on the beast from there, you'll get caught in it." Azur warned her, a hint of worry in her eyes. Lily accepted the information with a small nod.

"It wouldn't matter anymore in that case. Beside, the possible consequences are still hypotheses." An ambiguous sentence that only Lily and her two allies here could understand, the possibility that if one Saber died, the rest of the trio would follow and disappear. Still if they took their enemies along with them, at least their master would be safe. Azur nodded and the white servant stepped forward.

"Lily." Shirou called the girl who turned back to look at her master. The command seals on his hand visible as he turned them toward the female servant and remained immobile, his brown eyes looking into the green ones. There was no need for him to voice his intend. For whatever reason Shirou Emiya valued his servants lives far more than his own, he wouldn't let her fight alone and merely watch, the master would rather confront Assassin and the Dragon by himself. It wasn't about victory for he had no chance against the two opponents ahead and he surely knew it. No, Shirou Emiya merely walked toward a path the Sabers couldn't understand. To achieve that he was willing to use a command seal to prevent his servants from fighting, getting hurt, and dying. He was ready to do the three things in their place.

"Don't." Lily told him calmly. "You cannot save anyone by dying here, certainly not us." "We're because we've chosen to fight. To prevent us from fighting is not doing us a favor." It was strange, "Sometime" she added in a strangely subdued voice. "To save those you care for sometime isn't enough. Trust us Shirou, and let us fight." It was unfair to use trust while she used her charisma to bend her master will, but it was the only way. Ironically she was doing exactly what Shirou had intended to do. "Guard Azur, and watch me." It was unfair, but there was no longer time to speak, Assassin's patience as he waited couldn't be endless.

Shirou continued to stare at the girl with a closed face, a silence lasted several seconds. Then "Fine..."-but I'll do anything to save you if you lose.- Nonetheless Lily's master slowly lowered his hand with the command seals and nodded toward her.

"Finished?" Assassin asked the white servant as she approached and stopped three meters away from him. The Japanese servant's one meter half katana moved lightly with small movements from his wrist.

"I apologize for the delay." Lily said calmly although she felt her heart beat faster. "Since you gave me your name, as a knight I have to give you mine." Truly she didn't want to say that name that was her. Not because of shame, a bit because revealing it to her enemies still carry heavy risks. But it was mostly Azur's presence combined with Fail's absence that weighted on her mind. There was no reason for Lily to fear for her past to be learned by the others, but that awkward first night when she met her two almost-twins told her that both carried darkness they didn't wish to speak about. They had occasions to reveal themselves but the all three of them let it pass and now one would miss the revelation. Yet Azur didn't tried to stop her and Lily knew the other blonde servant would have chosen the same path, if she was truly who Lily believed she was. The white servant inhaled deeply.

"There is no need." Assassin completely surprised her by saying those words. An amused smile escaped the male servant's lips as he saw Lily dumbfounded expression. "I didn't give you my name to know yours. Getting information for my master isn't among my orders and I surely won't make that woman's life easier." Assassin raised his one meter half katana toward Lily with an even larger smile. "Our swords will reveal much more than our names could." An amused but appreciative smile bloomed back on the white Saber's lips and she realized that maybe she would enjoy this duel.

"Very well Assassin, then-" Lily raised her unseen blade and placed her right hand on the invisible steel. Decision, her left hand pulled on the hilt as if unsheathing her blade. "-For our pride as users of the sword-" Blue then golden, a hilt suddenly appeared in her palm. "I shall defeat you with all my might."

Dawn, the rays of a faint Sun illuminated the golden blade as Lily freed it from its invisible sheath and raised the sword above her head. "Th-that's..." Stunned silence. Azur's whisper of disbelief passed by the ears of her master without truly registering. A blue hilt with golden sides, a silver blade adorned with a golden large line on both flat sides of the blade. Runes written in an inhuman language were graved on a fifth of the ninety centimeter sword. Analysis wasn't needed to understand how splendid Lily's noble phantasm was. Symbol of a king, even the weapon's dazzling beauty and decorations couldn't disguise its deadly nature as a legendary noble phantasm. Lily pointed her revealed sword toward Assassin even as her right hand briefly stopped by her waist.

"Impressive." The male servant commented with a strange smile. "Truly my own blade cannot compare." A hint of bitterness pierced Assassin's cheerful demeanor as he briefly glanced over the immoderately long katana with the understandable sadness of a fictional hero whose curved blade wasn't even a noble phantasm.

"Will that alone make you concede?" Lily asked in an even but sharp tone as she took light steps toward her opponent. A long blade rising in the air. Assassin's smile widened and a fierce look appeared on his face.

"No, this will make my victory even more glorious."

"Good." Lily simply answered as she reduced the distance between them to a mere two meters. Tenth of second, the first steely sound echoed as Lily's sword blocked the katana centimeters away from claiming her exposed neck, the swordsman and swordswoman starting the first true one-to-one duel of the fifth Holy Grail War.

*break*

"This way." Archer said as he and Fail arrived before a small tunnel half hidden by the vegetation. He glanced toward the girl by his side who remained silent as she starred at the tunnel, Fail's gaze swiftly moved on him before turning back to look at the entry Archer had designated. The girl stiffened so faintly that only Archer's reinforced senses were able to notice it. The male servant turned away from the girl and entered the underground passage, the tunnel barely large enough as they walked side by side. "We should be clear of the temple's barrier here." Archer commented as he observed the darkness ahead. Truthfully if the original barrier was still up, they wouldn't have been able to reach the entry, however Caster had reduced the range of the wall when fending off Berserker.

"You knew... this passage." Fail told him in an even voice resembling an accusation. Archer noted how slow his feet moved although they should have been running, yet realizing it only made speeding up harder, and there was no spell behind this. Grey eyes unaffected by the darkness looked up at the girl's face and off-handily wondered if her yellow catlike eyes were equally unimpaired by the obscurity. Then Archer chased off the thought and nodded solemnly to her affirmation. Yes, he knew this passage, just as he knew from the moment Fail decided to come with him that something would happen here.

"So did you." He said quietly keeping his eyes locked with hers as they slowly walked. The girl blinked once, then turned her gaze forward as her arms remained hanging on either side.

"No." Fail whispered softly in answer, Archer felt one of his reinforced feet break a stalagmite as he briefly stumbled. The impassible face of the girl turned at him as he continued to stare. Fleeting instant, then the black Saber lightly shook her head on the sides twice without breaking eye-contact with him. Archer forced his body to continue walking even though their pace continued to suffer from their unbroken visual lock. After a few seconds Fail looked away and starred in the darkness ahead. Archer saw her body shiver briefly and her own pace slowed too. Then Fail opened her mouth slowly and waited a couple seconds before speaking as if she had trouble finding the words. "We might both die soon." She took a mouthful of air after her sentence yet Archer didn't make the mistake of attributing it to the fact she evoked, rather it was the length of the sentence that gave the black servant trouble.

"True. This might very well be the last time we can speak." Archer continued in her stead. Fail nodded both in agreement and in thanks for saying the many words. The male servant sighed softly as he continued to keep unwanted memories at bay. "My master is waiting." He said in a weak protest as the thought of the captured Tohsaka Rin came in the background of his mind. Fail shook her head lightly once again.

"You wanted this talk." Her voice was a whisper but it was all to clear to Archer's acute hearing. "Wouldn't have slowed down... otherwise." Archer faintly nodded. Yes, somewhere he wanted to talk with Fay alone once. Truly he should have been running to save his master. But he wasn't doing so. The moment the other cursed servant came with him, he knew that if saving Tohsaka Rin depended on the two of them, it was doomed to fail to begin with. His own curse was very much real after all. The male servant sighed once again as he scolded himself for his own pessimism, he only had to reach for it once more, and all his doubts would be gone and replaced by a steely determination.

"Why..." In truth he was ready to do it, ready to abandon the girl and rush to his master. But there was one question that always bothered him since he was first summoned, one question that only the black servant knew the answer of. A bitter taste in his mouth, he rolled his tongue in order to find the right word. "You fought in the Fifth War before." Archer finally affirmed. Fail continued to look ahead and waited a couple of seconds before nodding slowly. "Then" Archer continued as he felt hints of anger fill him. "Why didn't... why don't you do anything to fix all the things that went wrong?" He sounded bitter and he knew it, yet there was this anger boiling inside him, one that had been in him for so long. "Why do you only stay by your master's side without saying the essential things?" He asked again realizing how bitter and harsh his voice sounded and finding perfectly fitting his feelings. The other servant didn't look back for a few seconds, and briefly looked at him as Fail made a totally unexpected answer.

"I don't remember." She said, her voice weak albeit she made the effort to make a proper sentence.

"You don't remember?" Archer repeated his anger momentarily halted by dumbfounded shock. Fail shook her head to further emphasize her point as her eyes glanced straight at him. "But" Archer caught the paradox. How could she know that she participated before if she had no memories of it? Fail remained silent for a time as they continued to slowly progress into the tunnel.

"I ...only have... two memories." The blonde servant softly spoke. Archer remained silent, watching Fail as she dived into her past, the girl lowering her guard as she did and letting appear a sadness cloaking her like a second skin. The darkness with but a single name, the ultimate enemy Archer was the greatest nemesis of. Hurriedly, the male servant looked away to chase the urge of destroying this manifestation, sparring Fail might be why he didn't reach for it. The odds were higher than a mere revenge for a hate that wasn't even personal on two aspects. Instead he chose to focus on the memory that Fail was about to bring upon and found himself briefly lost as he found only one corresponding memory.

"The corruption," Fail began in a voice were horror had faded into a distant resignation. "A veil of swarming darkness surrounding my body, singing happily in a morbid fashion. Distorted faces speaking of violence and torments like a benediction, words of death and betrayal akin to joyful songs." The black servant had to pause to takes soft breaths. Heavy memories and maybe it was the cause of what rendered so difficult for the girl to speak more than a few words. Archer silently waited for her to continue. Fail probably hadn't even noticed that she had put her hand onto the wall for support as she continued to walk slowly amid the obscurity of the tunnel. He didn't help her, fearing what the touch of their bodies might bring, what the Evil within her would make him do. "Behind me-" Fail finally said, the focus in her golden eyes lost as she let herself be absorbed by the memory, her voices now laced with countless marks of a despair that could only express part of the horror she must have felt back then. "-was salvation." Fail paused again as she lowered her head. "He was behind me, outside of the darkness. And I think that... he was calling me." she finished as if unable to speak any further.

"Your master, Emiya Shirou." Archer whispered softly. Fail seemed to freeze at the name, paused, then nodded lightly as her eyes continue to stare emptily ahead.

"On purpose." The bleached blonde servant started to whisper sadly once again, Archer blinked in confusion. "They did it on purpose." Fail repeated the words once filled with anger but where now only resignation and long shouldered despair remained. "They left me a path of retreat..." A path that she couldn't take, a cruel dashed hope, the servant's curse preventing the girl from retreating and escaping to safety. "The faces were... so proud of it." The girl finished in a faint voice filled with a somber disgust.

Archer remained silent, not daring to touch the girl nor finding words of comfort. The male servant saw the pair of yellow eyes move from the tunnel ahead to stare at him and he returned her gaze without faltering. A lifetime ago he might have taken the girl in his arms and tried to comfort her, to show that he would be here to support her even if he wouldn't truly have comprehended her experience. But now after an existence of battle and tragedy, after all the hate and pain, he couldn't find the strength within himself to do. All he could offer now was to listen and accept her suffering and horror for what it was, and simply show that he understood. This was all he offered as his grey eyes solemnly stared back into the golden ones, both pairs dry and devoid of tears. Lasting silence, broken as the black servant left the support of the wall and strode forward.

"The second memory..." Fail began again in a cold voice as she entered a larger place, the small tunnel turning into a large cave dozens of meters wide. Archer followed her silently as she advanced in the spacious place. "...took place here." The black servant waved at the place at large as she turned toward Archer. "This is... where I died."

She laid on the ground amid the darkness. A blade eating her flesh and piercing her heart, part of the blade visible at the front of her sight. Two hands holding into the steel she didn't remember feeling, arms trailing up to a body. In the background no blue sky but the cold and unforgiving black underground of a cave without a single light. Then at the center was the face of a boy. Blurry sight yet the two trails of his tears were visible.

"I remember." Archer whispered quietly as he felt Fail's eyes snapping at him. The white haired man closed his eyes as he remained on the border of the somber place.

The blade laid discarded on the ground as its owner's chest was pierced by an enemy sword. The blade continuing to rage and shine in its malevolent might, but its powerlessness was all too clear. Neither sun nor stars to witness their demise, blade and woman, as a man knelt over her beaten form, his face partly hidden amid the darkness. The woman's lips opened to thanks her killer. the blade then ceasing its efforts to pursue the fight with a final vengeful scream.

"Then..." Fail's voice brought Archer out of his reminiscence as he looked at the black-clad servant meters away. Slowly the words escaped her lips and echoed inside the obscure tomb. "Did you kill me here?" The woman asked that impossible question as she starred back at him with cold eyes, in a merciless but calm tone.

Archer inhaled the fresh air of the place and waited for the last echoes of Fail's words to dissipate from the cave. He stood straight with his two arms on each side. "Tell me..." he began with a heavy voice "Why do you want to know?" It wasn't an order, yet it wasn't a demand either. Why he asked that question, maybe because he couldn't figure out if he truly did sense hints of hope in her words, or if those were only illusion amid the merciless coldness of despair.

"Will that change... your answer?" Fail asked him back with her expression still unreadable. Archer closed his eyes a couple of seconds to strengthen his resolve and opened his eyes once again to look at her. A single word was enough to answer her and she nodded, her expression unchanging. Ever so slowly she put one hand on the armor covering her chest, and started to speak with resigned sadness that occasionally broke through the coldness laced in her voice. "I failed twice." She began slowly as she inhaled large amount of air. "Corrupted I betrayed my master. Then... he spent his life to stop me." Fail shook her head. "More than his life... his mind."

Eyes filled with tears bore no traces of light, devoid of conscience the body remained in its stabbing position for eternity even as her own mind embraced the darkness.

Archer starred as Fail's words echoed in his head. It had been so long since he first saw this image, yet he had never noticed that detail, the limitations of his abilities or his own incapacity at reading the corrupted history of that blade? The male servant willed the question aside as he opened his eyes to stare once more at the girl. He had promised his answer wouldn't change and it really didn't. Maybe if he lied he could give that tragic heroine a small amount of happiness, but he wouldn't do that. No matter if he still hated her or if he had no choice but to hate her. Thus he answered. "I never killed you."

The girl starred at him a couple of seconds and slowly lowered her head, searching for phantom traces of events that never happened here as she muttered words of acknowledgment. "I see." Silence, several seconds passed before Archer took a step forward. The red cloaked servant saw Fail raise her head at him and he paused as she spoke again. "You knew me." Her voice sounded lower as she coldly stated the fact. "Although it might have... been better if you didn't." The corrupted servant added as she starred into the grey eyes of the male servant, also a witness to countless tragedies. "Did I... fail again?"

Archer continued to walk toward the other girl, a pause and then his own voice started to sound distant as he spoke. "Once, there was three powerful people who fought in a battle, a weak boy with them." Another pause, he answered the question before it was voiced. "They won. One of them wearing a pale smile while leaving, never to return." Archer stood before the girl, towering by over a head as he guessed the silent perplexity in her inexpressive eyes observing his battle-worn body and his voice grew more distant."Evil was laying in wait, hidden from our eyes and ready to pounce upon those who believed the fighting to be over." Archer knew he had created others questions, and never truly answered her question. Again he didn't let the black servant the time to speak. "Do not seek salvation in the past, nor condemnation... in the future."

"I cannot... ignore the past." Fail said as her eyes briefly lost the light of conscience.

"What will you do then?" Archer asked as he remained immobile before her. The girl closed her eyes once more and remained silent for several seconds, then without opening her eyes she opened her lips.

"If no matter what I choose, I'll suffer." A resigned sigh, then she opened her catlike eyes to glare at the male servant in a murderous manner. "Then I shall... suffer fighting."

"I see." Archer said after a few moments of contemplation. "Then please, continue to take care of me." He said almost gently, his left hand rose to touch the girl's cheek but he stopped it before he made contact. He saw an almost invisible hint of pain pass through Fail's eyes as he withdrew his hand. "Maybe one day," Archer continued while forcefully maintaining his earlier gentle tone although he knew it sounded more distant. "you shall be freed of those darkness."

The black servant blinked in either surprise or perplexity at his words. She nodded faintly although it wasn't clear to what. Archer realized he was wearing a strange smile, erased it as he considered the tunnel ahead they had yet to engage and spoke in a firmer voice. "But for now, we have another Evil to vanquish." Caster was at the end of this place, and they had been around long enough. He advanced firmly abandoning the center of the cave.

"...Maybe." Fail answered with an impassible expression as she took up his side. "The others are fighting." She noted, her comment a fleeting concern as a squishy sound echoed in the tunnel before them. Archer reinforced eyes witnessed the apparition of sticky fluids emerging from the rocky walls. Yellow, green, blue with a dominance of red. "Rah!" No question, no time for surprise. Four noble phantasms flew from Archer's hands followed by a terrible black wind. The rocks exploded in the tunnel, the unknown matter flying everywhere. Fail's war-cry echoed as the two servants simultaneously rushed forward in hope of out-timing the trap before them. Two meters away from the exit, four colored and semi-transparent tentacles flew straight at them as the mass reformed itself inside the tunnel and blocked the passage. Cut, Archer called upon a two-handed great-sword to cleave two members in one strike. On his side wind howled as Fail's threw multiple powerful slashes, the cursed wind empowering her strokes to shred more tentacles even as the cleaved ones on Archer sides fell to the ground twisting as in post-death spasm.

Then Archer observed in horror and confusion as the gelatinous thing gushed out of the tunnel and started to fill the cave, not expanding on the ground but rather raising itself up to the ceiling. "Sh-" The male servant briefly swore and readied his weapons as he recognized the threat, or more precisely how it had been made. A blob, a gigantic slime made of nothing but liquid jewels and prana. Apparently Rin's fortune hadn't escaped Caster's eyes and she had found a use for the Tohsaka jewels without a doubt never thought of before. Archer observed the squishy abomination sprout out four more tentacles and couldn't help but think he hadn't tempted fate with this one. On the side Fail form raged with thunderous winds as she charged at the forty-ceiling meters high blob.

*break*

The bladed string of Archer's bow bit lightly Shirou's skin. Waterfall, on the distance the blades of the two servants created countless noises as they clashed with a speed that even Shirou's reinforced eyesight couldn't start to follow. Lily stepped forward each dozen blows and Assassin followed suit by retreating either backward or to the side, refusing to let the swordswoman close the meter and half distance between them in which he could unleash a torrent of attacks while Lily's reach remained constantly ten to twenty centimeters too short. The katana flew thrice more in large arcs, invariably encountered the glistening sword, then broke away for another attack before a prolonged contact could damage the fragile elongated blade.

"T..." Shirou was left unable to voice his feelings as he starred at what the two servants had called a duel. The both of them disregarding the absurd speed of their blows, putting aside the inhuman skills which allowed Assassin to swing a fury of slashes without taking a stance and Lily to counter those same attacks with sometime only the tip of her sword. Beyond that was the madness of over four hundred impacts having echoed through the hill despite the duel starting only three minutes ago. And yet, what shocked Shirou most was undoubtedly the overwhelming presence the white Saber radiated. Clash on the left, upward, left, and right ignored as it bounced on the armor. The golden sword cut through long purple hair as Assassin retreated once again, continuing to restrain the swordswoman slow but never-stopping advance. The crater which they never left once had become marked with countless traces of their five complete turns around it.

"However long it takes, I shall catch you." Lily voice softly echoed sounding almost lovingly. Her defensively focused style proving so far to be unbreakable by Assassin's efforts, but similarly she had yet to inflict more than a scratch on her opponent's clothes or a cut of his hairs.

"It's tempting." The Japanese servant answered with a tense smile. "So frustratingly tempting." Shirou heard him add in a strained voice as Kojirou forced himself to retreat yet once again before Lily's blade could slash his entire right shoulder apart. The magus couldn't help but agree with the man. The blonde armored entity fighting using only her left hand in a stance close to fencing couldn't be called human anymore. Product or consequence of her dual status as saint and ruler, Lily overwhelmed every sense, every nerve, with her overwhelming presence. One could but wish to adulate her, venerate and adore her not as a woman but as a superior existence of divine essence. You literally couldn't hate, fear or reject her. It granted a selfless love that compelled one to sacrifice everything for this perfect entity. Shirou who felt like this just staring at Lily from a distance couldn't understand how Assassin managed to fight and withstand the swordswoman's combined might and aura. His visible efforts to resist Lily's otherworldly presence proved he wasn't protected from her crushing influence.

"Then come." Lily whispered once again as she pressed forward slightly faster. The green eyed woman saw the smile on Assassin face freeze as he fought the attractive urge to throw himself on her blade. The katana swiftly moved and delivered yet another blow, twice time slower than before. Lily pushed forward with an innocent smile, no malice nor somber impulse. She was a being of frighteningly pure nobleness that wasn't stained by the concept of blood and death, a deadly angel whose birth could only happens in a world where death and harsh decisions were the norm rather than the exception. The golden sword knocked back the katana and the distance between the two opponents fell below a meter and half. A slash, ready to end the duel. One tenth of a second, in a situation where Assassin couldn't escape, counterattack or block Lily's noble phantasm. Impossibly, the katana still appeared ready to cut Lily extended arm.

Time slowly going forward for her superior senses, Lily released her hold on her sword and withdrew her arms. Steely sound, the katana bit on her armored wrist as her right hand seized the golden sword that had no time to start falling. Clenching, the white servant pursued her interrupted attack as the curved blade bounced back harmlessly and air suddenly felt disturbed above her. Then the katana was there once more in a downward strike even though the sound of it knocking her wrist has yet to reach her ears. Lily body started to lean forward as her golden blade rose in the air without causing any vacuum, tip against edge, and the smallest part of both blades collided. Momentum , Lily began to extend her left hand as the tip of her blade followed the katana's edge and closed on Assassin's face. Third slash, a jolt of surprise slowed down Lily movement as her green eyes caught the immense katana coming diagonally down toward her despite that the tip of the golden sword was still rolling on the katana above her at the same time.

Shirou saw the curved blade's image thrice visible cutting through Lily's skin on her left arm, the golden sword leaving the katana above and slashing through Assassin's left shoulder. Breaking free, to prevent the blow from threatening his heart Assassin pulled back and his third slash vanished before Lily's arm could be fully disabled. Similarly Lily lost her momentum and was left unable to further pursue the male servant. Quickly she imitated her foe and stepped away in fear of an improbable fourth attack. Break, time pressed onward once more and seconds passed in complete silence as the two combatants faced each other without a single movement.

"Impressive.-" Assassin then said after regaining his stance-less posture, a faint smile on his lips even as he ignored the blood gushing out of his wound. "To think you survived it." Lily answered by raising her sword with her uninjured sword and speaking in a stern tone.

"Do not mock me, your attacks were too shaky."

"Indeed." Assassin replied lightly closing his eyes before opening them with eyes flaring with anger. "However aren't you the one mocking me Saber?" He himself raised his katana toward Lily and the end of their blade stood side by side in mutual accusation. "Your stance, your posture. It's clear to me that you're used to wield this sword right-handed. Do you truly believe I'll be glad if you used a handicap?"

"Hmpf." Lily made a strange sound akin to a sigh. "You don't need to worry about that Assassin." As if to prove her claim she lightly placed her sword into her left hand, then back into her right, then grabbed the blue hilt with both hands, then finally took it back in only her right hand.

"Ambidexterity?" Shirou confusedly muttered in sync with the male servant. "With one sword?" Shirou continued as he turned toward the other Saber in puzzlement. Azur baffled face mirrored the dumbfounded expression of the perplex Sasaki Kojiorou ahead.

"I only have this sword." Lily said lightly in answer to Shirou's voiced question. "Two swords are sadly too heavy for me." She paused with a derisive smile while the others starred in incomprehension. Shirou even saw the patient Dragon above titling its head as it probably also wondered just what was the point of dual wielding with a single sword. "With that, you're also right Sasaki Kojirou." Lily suddenly spoke up in a sterner voice. "As I wanted to compete with pure swordplay, I indeed didn't use my unrelated skill." Shirou felt only confusion as Assassin himself furrowed his eyebrows. Yet before the man could speak, Lily continued. "Yet this duel will soon come to an end, I've almost healed while you're losing your strength." Lily waved her left arm to send the blood away before clenching her fist harder than her wound should have allowed. The cutting traces of the curved blade had also disappeared without a single trace on her skin.

"The Sword...-" Shirou heard Azur whisper by his side even as the blue servant kept switching her gaze between the Dragon and her blonde twin. "but, so quickly?"

"I see. Then it's time to end this." Assassin suddenly said placing his second hand on his almost two-meter long blade and placing it horizontally behind him as he took a stance for the first time. A hint of tension in his face, he prevented."Use all your might this time Saber, this technique won't be broken by half-hearted efforts."

"Very well." Lily simply replied as the white servant took her golden sword with both hands. The brief memory of Assassin simultaneous multiple attack flashed through her mind. It was an attack of unparalleled skill, not a noble phantasm but a skill refined at such height that it could be called magic, sorcery even. Rapid beating of one heart, Lily felt her core weaken a brief moment before she crushed this weak part of herself. A single instant her presence faltered to let fear leak, then all senses of fragility were sent back into invisible depth as she called upon the strong part of her that always accomplished her duty and often more. A swing of the sword as if to cut any indecision before Lily let her presence as swordswoman, king and Saint claim the surrounding. The white servant starred at her foe, ready to defend or attack.

"Secret technique-" The eastern swordsman's strained but decided voice reached her ears. Choice, Lily instantly pushed forward abandoning the idea of merely defending for Sasaki Kojirou apparently regarded the three meters between them as irrelevant to unleash his trump card. Shield denying the wind through magecraft, the air around Lily remained unaffected as she moved. To nullify the friction between her body and the air, the air and her sword. Such was her primary use of Invisible Air, giving her greater speed and protection against attacks in the form of an unseen armor of wind. "-Tsubame Gaeshi!" -Concealed Sword: Swallow Return-

Ubiquity, three thin shadows appeared before Lily as she ran forward. One seventh of a second, in this time where all three slashes would land she realized the true nature of Assassin's skill. Tripling the existence of his blade without even the support of magic. A triple attack meant to prevent any possibility of escape, not three consecutive slashes but simultaneous blows without any difference in the moment of executions. Ridiculously the swordsman had achieved such an inhuman speed and precision that the katana itself duplicated its own existence not once but twice. An impossible yet achieved feat. One horizontal slash on the right coming for her waist, one downward attack from above to cut all the way from her left shoulder to her heart, diagonal strike from the side ready to claim her neck. There was no path to escape this attack, there was no time to dodge, blocking this triple directional attack within one seventh of a second was even more absurd. Each slash fatal.

"Ra-!" Lily charged into the terrific attack. Burst of prana exceeding the limit, her right hand left the sword and continued to ascend, her left arm exploded, skin, nerves and blood gushing out under the excessive reinforcement. Her golden sword clashed at impossible speed with the diagonal slash coming on the left. The already damaged eastern steel screamed as the golden sword pivoted around it before the shock started to wear out. Fourth-seventh of a second, Lily left arm exploded once more as her left hand holding now the blade backward flew toward the second attack coming down. Her damaged hand followed the movement and the golden blade pivoted in the other direction without any air friction to hinder its movement. Fourth point three-seventh of a second, the golden sword collided with the second katana edge against edge. Screaming of steel, the blue hilt continued its course at inhuman speed- "aaa-" Fourth point four, into the right palm awaiting it. Switching in midair, the utterly destroyed hand left the trusted western blade and the right arm exploded as soon as the gloved fingers clenched around the sword. Fourth point five, prana gushed along with blood as the self-destructing right arm swung the golden blade toward the last attack on the side. Fourth point seven-seventh of a second, three times the distance between the first and second slash vanished in this impossible small gap and the golden blade hit horizontal katana making up for disadvantageously striking away from Lily's body with the palm facing her through sheer power and speed. "-aah!"

Forward, the triple scream of wounded steel reached her ears as she closed two meters away from her foe. Crackling, even as the insanely long blade thrice materialized started to break in pieces the blades all continued their deadly journey toward her small frame. Sixth-seventh of a second, the slashes assaulted her body as she quickened the outcome by rushing into the attack. Searing pain, diagonal coming pieces further persecuted her already disabled and destroyed left arm. Upward tore through her left shoulder and easily cut the exposed white skin, metal crushing the collarbones in painful manners. Side's aim was put off by the final attack and the sharp shards bounced upon the armor with little damage.

"Assassin!" Lily's cry echoed, the eastern blade breaking in the male servant's hand as its existences unified. The white servant stomped her left feet heavily before the swordsman wearing an astonished face. Last effort, the golden blade pivoted forward as the right arm damaged by overusing reinforcement responded slowly to her command. Lily entire body moved forward, silver and golden light sparkled as the mighty blade pierced through clothes, skin and heart in a final thrust. Bodies slamming into each others as the two bloodied duelers directly touched each others for the first time of their meeting. Silence, the world coming to a halt. A pause at the end of the battle.

"Marvelous." A dreamy whisper escaped the man's lips as parts of his body started turning into orbs of purple lights, each quickly vanishing. "You was really serious."

"Yes,-" The white swordsman softly agreed immobile as Kojirou Sasaki's head remained on her shoulder. Lily's bloody arms hanging motionless on her side, both already starting to heal and recuperate even as the other servant started to vanish and his body to lose consistence. "Without holding anything back." She didn't say how impressive he himself had been, how impressive his technique had been. Her actions had already showed her feelings through her sword and body, words could only tarnish them.

"Lily, how appropriate." The beautiful Japanese servant continued in a both dreamy and amused tone. "Some lilies are fully white and pure but others are white and red, red with her own blood."

"To abandon oneself, to forego any distraction and accept any pain. Until one's duty is done, the enemy gone and your allies safe." Lily's words slowly echoed like an ancient oath.

On a castle, on a battlefield. In the brightest of days or the darkest of the night. Countless times one single woman gently hugged men covered in steel as they departed, her followers, her knights, her people. Countless times she heard those words and then they were gone.

"Sad I didn't win... but at least I got to fight." The fictional servant Sasaki Kojirou said even as three quarter of his weight had already disappeared. One last time he opened his mouth and whispered words of parting. "Goodbye."

"You're just going ahead." Lily whispered quietly, her next words unheard to all but her as suddenly the man was gone. "You whose fame was trampled under my path." Echoes of distant memories. The sounds of steps closing toward her, Lily raised her head and faintly nodded at her master. "Do not worry, those injuries won't last." She said calmly. The redhead suddenly froze as the white servant waved her two arms, a gentle smile on her face while a dozen streams of blood flew in every directions from her waving arms.

"You..." Shirou began but then shook his head in disbelief as Lily smile beamed even more and she threw him an happy 'I won!' in a manner oddly fitting her appearance minus the blood, as the blood flew away the outer layers of her skin appeared to be almost as healthily as before the duel.

"This really is a reckless way to fight." Shirou heard Azur comment, then she glanced back and forth between him and Lily before sighing in a resigned manner. Shirou nodded and starred once again at Lily feeling a pain in his chest he couldn't describe as he saw Lily's wounds finishing to heal.

"Really..." Before Lily's actions Shirou couldn't help but feel a surge of anger born of worry. Only by seeing the incredible rate at which Lily heavy wounds healed did he finally understand the meaning behind Lily dual one-hand single sword style. Completely unlike Azur and Fail wielding their swords in a two-handed fashion, Lily used alternatively her two arms as spare. Both hands were meant to be used when the other couldn't swing the sword anymore. Like Saints were often martyrs, Lily deliberately overloaded her arms with reinforcement they couldn't withstood in order to deliver blows of unmatched power and speed. To use her body to shield her allies even when it was utterly destroyed, to fight with unstoppable power in order to deliver fatal blows or distractions against those who threatened her allies. This was a completely insane style where the user suffered endless amount of pain and relied on superior regeneration to continue fighting. "Don't inflict that upon yourself again." He scolded her in the most threatening tone he could muster.

"Don't what master?" Lily asked, living avatar of pure innocence. Shirou groaned but before he could tell Lily just how wrong it was for a pretty girl, anyone, to mutilate herself the green eyed servant spoke again in a sudden ageless tone. "Pain is but a natural consequence of standing on a battlefield. If this much can save people's lives, it's a deal I shall always make." This wasn't the light and innocent girl who felt completely embarrassed by a magazine showing troublesome gaps in knowledge that spoke, this was the ruler whose reign had expanded over centuries and protected her nations with unwavering devotion against all threats. Yet Shirou just couldn't accept it. But once more he was interrupted before he could speak, this time from Azur who took a lower stance and hold her invisible blade behind her.

"There is no need to take more wounds here.-" She addressed Lily in a decided voice as she looked past her allies. A surge of prana made the air feels heavier as Shirou followed her gaze toward the large beast sitting over the Temple's entry. "For such an enemy, I cannot use anything less than my best." Maybe led by Lily's example, at how the other servant reflect of her appearance bodily revealed her golden blade or maybe at how determined the seemingly innocent girl was willing to wound herself in order to shield others. Seeing all this Azur refused to let her own hesitations obstruct them. Her honor and her lifestyle both begged her to do something, golden light gathering around a blade. Having one of man's mightiest noble phantasm at her disposal, facing the overwhelming enemy that remained in path and starred at them with two immense purple eyes without a single hint of worry, the blue silver-armored servant threw aside her hesitations. Ground trembling under great power, a triple forked tongue passed over the Dragon's multiple rows of teeth as it remained immobile. Azur's two hands holding the blade shaking with unrestrained prana raised the sword of light above her head, she opened her mouth to shout a single word, power brought from legend through the calling of the noble phantasm true name.

"EX-!"

Golden light filled the world, and then suddenly vanished.

*break*

Reinforcing, the male servant crouched as he poured prana into his legs. Taking off Archer devoured half the distance separating him from the ceiling. Feet upon blades, successive jumps continued to close the distance. Centimeters away from the ceiling, almost breathing the sweet scent of the blob the red servant crossed his arms in an X. "Begone." Descent as gravity finally caught his body. Archer threw his arms forward, waved them in continuous slaloms toward the gelatinous blades. Swords, Swords and Swords. A stream made of dozens blades slamming into the magical wall. A stomp as Archer landed. One knee on the ground and two ridiculously large great-swords wielded one-handed, Archer continued his assault at the sugary wall.

"WHIIINNNE!" A glass-breaking high pitched scream. Geysers of sticky substances pouring inside the cave. Rock breaking, Archer heard the sound of water gushing out just a torrent of true water slammed into his body. Fail on the right holding her ground, the liquid pressure insufficient against her inhuman strength. Archer flipped away in midair and landed in the middle of the cave as the geyser weakened. The male servant inwardly swore as the flan wall continued to block the passage. Reflect of light, still frowning Archer looked at the water slowly filling the place from the bottom of the blob. A mental warning echoed as Archer's inhumanly piercing eyes starred while the transparency of the water was slowly replaced with a rainbow of color, the density of the liquid increasing. A shiver ran through the servant spin.

"Fail! Get out of here!" Archer shouted at the girl still standing by the wall, and he realized unable to retreat. A cacophony of scream, over sixty geysers rose from the water. Slalom, jumps over swords above not-water level, Archer dashed between the columns even as the walls themselves were covered by the rainbow substance, the ceiling now multi-colored as the jewel blob of water turned the cave into a living cage. Archer stepped behind Fail even as the girl unleashed a storm of blows against the gelatinous wall falling toward her. The male servant threw a dozen more blades forward to fend off the attack. He stepped forward to drag away the girl whose curse apparently still locked her in place.

"Archer!" Fail squished her body against his, the male servant realizing the danger at the same moment as the girl. The Air started brimming with unspoken yet audible words. Archer gulped, his eyes tracing quickly the many preparation for a launching a spell. Any magus would have screamed in disbelief as the blob started to cast two hundred fifty-six omnidirectional B-ranked spells simultaneously. From the floor, walls and ceiling. Everywhere Archer's Clairvoyance looked, spells were called into existence.

"Rahhh!" An anguished protest erupted from the bottom of his heart as he recognized the weaving of the spells. It was one of Rin's most beloved wind spells, the destroyer of kitchens, Fangs of the Raging Wind being cast in over two hundred instances. Rumbling, Archer hurriedly raised his arms as a storm of countless magics attacks appeared. The noises of impacts, noble phantasms called in defense collided with the deadly barrage. Archer briefly cursed once more whatever put him against insane spellcasters, then proceeded to thank Fail's wonderful magic resistance as the wind spells raining upon the girl were blocked without even scratching the black servant.

"Below." The warning voice of Fail reached Archer's ears even as he focused on blocking the onslaught, grey eyes didn't even bother looking down as he could perfectly feel the gelatinous substance climbing up his ankles. A geyser of blades, Fail's yellow eyes widened as Archer broke them free through sheer force, the black servant starring in disbelief as they rose in the air on a veritable column of steel. "Eh?" Ignoring the girl's exclamation Archer grabbed the blond girl in one hand and waved her around like a shield as the wind spells continued to rain upon them. A faint smirk appeared on Archer's face as his improvised shield made the spells harmlessly vanish with a squishy sound. Continuing to move along with Fail and an endless stream of blades, Archer looked around the room. No weak point appearing anywhere, he frowned as he noted water still filling the place. Likely the blob had connected the cave to a source of water present in the Temple's hill. The blob having originally been made with Rin's ten or so jewels, then it either itself or under Caster order had combined its body into water, which in turn means more water wasn't a good thing.

"Down." Now the question was how to kill the damn thing blocking the exit. Archer reasoned he couldn't exactly continue to block the spells forever, the rate had slowed down to ten or so per second. "Down!" Still, with his terrible resistance against magic a couple of direct hit would sign his death. "Arch-er!" A voice colder than a blizzard called his class name, the male servant finally turning his head toward the girl even as he waved her to block another spell.

"Sorry." The male servant apologized in reflex as his survival instinct kicked in. He hurriedly put the girl down whose face was redder than his cloak, her eyes looking resolutely down. Fail's body trembled as she lowered her head, then she starred around looking a target to release whatever feelings brew inside her. Archer ducked down while holding her left leg to avoid getting killed by a spell. Wind howling fiercer, the roar of a raging cyclone exulted as a black wind started to surround Fail in a tornado. The girl raised her blazing lioness-like eyes at the rainbow substance covering the cave everywhere, opened her mouth and spoke in a deadly tone two single words mocking the blob insane magic-casting.

"Invisible Air." -Torment Air, Rage of the Wind King-

Tornado turning into cyclone, howling black winds whirling in the air and absorbing the wind spells to strengthen their momentum. Millions of tearing squishy sounds echoed throughout with thousands of sharp and cutting razors slashing every corner of the cave. Superior magic, the noble phantasm Invisible Air completely ignored the blob attempts at controlling the wind with spells. Archer watched in stunned amazement as the cyclone of death raged around, himself being forced to put up an armor of steely blades in order to avoid the backlash of Fail's deadly tempest. "WHIINNNEEE!" An high-pitched scream of pain once more assaulted his ears, a united thousand of screams drowned by the raging black cyclone. The male servant tentatively looked up, grey eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"Fail! Above!" Gelatinous substance torn apart by the black wind, hundred tons of rocks following down as the cave collapsed upon them.

Underground Armageddon Five snakes of steel darted upward. Black wind roaring, Rocks falling in a hazard mess. Arms raised to control the enormous whips of steel Archer pushed Fail down. Or at least he tried to, the girl with far higher strength starred at him in a puzzled manner even as she let Invisible Air dissipate. "DOWN!" The red and black servant pressed her, the girl's yellow eyes flickered in annoyance as if asking him why he didn't listen earlier when she asked the same thing. Fortunately for their immediate future a two hundred kilos rock fell half a meter away from them and spared Archer from insisting. Archer placed his arms around Fail, the girl slightly out of breath after her earlier attack starred at him with a flushed expression. Not willing to ponder on that problem at the moment Archer tightened his hold on the girl, two seconds later dozen tons of rocks marked their emplacement like a grave.

Silence fell over the somber place, Archer idly noted the complete immobility of the warm body in his arms as his own body tried to recuperate from both the noise and shock of the rockfall. Around him blades, hundreds of blades tightly packed one against another. With a relieved sigh the male servant let the tension recede. Truthfully no matter how good his blades were, there was just no way to survive a weight exceeding multiple thousand tons of rocks. However it wasn't impossible for Archer to call more blades upon the first layer of blades as it was crushed down by the rocks, normally calling swords in such a fashion might result in them being destroyed. But since the blades were all noble phantasms and the opponent was merely rock, Archer just destroyed the rock with them as earth rained upon his steely armor. As he expected the fall had stopped at some point, the rocks above probably struck together and creating a small safe space where Archer and Fail where.

Archer turned his attention back to his fellow servant and worriedly noticed that her body was trembling. Fail raised her face toward him, her yellow moist eyes starring at him. Archer felt his worry turn into confusing, not quite seeing any wound or anything that could have caused the servant to react in such a way. He rose a questioning eyebrow. The yellow eyes starred even harder without blinking. "Is something wrong?" He finally asked in a tentative tone. The yellow eyes glared at him, the girl made a strange expression.

And then in an overwhelmingly cute and terrified voice she whispered. "I...I'm scared."

"Ah?" was all Archer could utter as disbelief crushed him. Their bodies soaked in the water he wondered just what were the odds of getting struck below a mountain with a claustrophobic heroic spirit. Wait, water? "Fa-!" Explosion, Archer lost his grip on Fail even as a rainbow colored geyser rose from the ground and captured the girl before continuing upward. Archer briefly froze as the rocks around him shook in delicate equilibrium. Swearing the male servant jumped in pursuit of the worm-like blob who abducted a heroic spirit. Five meters wide and twenty meters high plus being ready to collapse at any time, the place serving as an arena could have been better. 'Way better.' Archer mused even as he stopped before the blob trying to fend its way between the rocks without impaling itself on the many blades. "There!" Two quick slashes into the gelatinous body.

"WHIIINNNE!" Archer gritted his teeth as the pseudo-worm darted downward while emitting a screeching scream. He almost followed it before the rumbling noise of unstable rock forced him to pause, quickly he called more blades to act as supports. After a pause grey eyes looked worriedly at girl the struck inside the blob. Yellow eyes flaring in annoyance Fail continued to struggle inside the damned substance which left her no support to put her foot on, amid his inquietude Archer took a second to pity the blob. It was kinda sad seeing the worm-like blob struggling desperately to crush the girl inside its body, the servant ridiculous strength rendering it unable to strangle her neck let alone her armored chest.

Still Archer wasn't reassured. If this continued Fail might end up asphyxiated. Of course servants couldn't truly die from not breathing. But still Archer tensely sighed. It was the same if servants didn't eat, They could live without eating but would consume more prana by denying this living need. Considering Shirou and the Sabers broken contract, it wasn't the best idea. Bow at ready while continuing to jump between called swords Archer continued to hesitate. If he fired a ridiculously fast sword then the vibration it would cause once it reach the ground would make the cave collapse. On the other hand the blob might move and put Fail in the projectile way if he fired a slow blade. What should he do?

"WHIINNE!" Yet another scream broke Archer from his contemplation. Black wind, the blob screamed in pain as once more the black Saber called upon Invisible Air to tear its body apart. Archer saw Fail being thrown out of the screaming blob. Painful screams, then like a plane taking off the magical flan flew toward the male servant. Grey eyes blinked at the development but then their owner mentally shrugged.

"I can do with that too." Archer commented firing his arrow into the blob. He then jumped down at the magical entity. Dozen then hundreds blades spurting from Archer's body and an omnidirectional assault of steel tore through the blob pale body. Ears filled with the sticky liquid as it spilled the male servant felt more than heard the agonizing screams of a the blob as its pitiful envelope vanished.

Blades fading before hitting the ground, Archer landed by Fail's side without letting his weapons harming the girl. With a pointed gaze he inquired how she was doing. "Sticky." The black servant mumbled, a look a vague disgust on the bleached blond face as the gelatinous substance slowly turned back into transparent liquid water.

"Well..." Rumbling noises, Archer's focus was taken away from cleaning problems as the rocks above them titled dangerously. Hesitation, the male servant looked around. No exit anywhere in the collapsed cave. Archer spun the black blade in his two hands even as more identical blades continued to appear. It was one of Archer favorite set of blades, which had the ability to copy the kinetic energy and direction of one of their sister sword. Rocks continued to be destroyed by the spinning barrage of steel, swords vanishing as gravity caught them and reappearing again elsewhere, then filling copying once more the turning blade in Archer hands.

"Absurd." The blob-eater girl by his side said as he continued to use the hundred noble phantasms swords like a drill. Archer chose to remain silent in favor of increasing the pace when the rocks above titled dangerously between the blades used as support. One mere second later the cave collapsed upon them once more.

*break*

Vacuum, the pressure of the air faltered as if sucked away. The golden light distorted, followed the absorption as the unrefined prana entered the Dragon's mouth. Azur frame lost its balance and staggered backward as the phantasmal beast sucked her prana from her before the noble phantasm could properly activate. With amused purples eyes the Dragon slowly chewed the golden light feast, dissipating the energy between its teeth shining with blue light.

"I-It absorbed the prana!" The blue servant muttered furiously in stunned shock as she stopped the absorption by ceasing her release of energy. However the air surrounding her blade remained disturbed and hints of a silver blade could be seen in the transparency.

"Dissipated it." Shirou heard Lily correct in a tone devoid of furor but equally astonished even as her arms finished to heal at truly inhuman speed. A loud growl broke the exchange as the giant beast raised and lowered its head. Green, a spurt of sticky semi-liquid substance gushed out from the beast's mouth like a focused geyser, easily passing over the twenty downward meters. In a flash Shirou saw Azur jumping to the left even as Lily dragged him on the right... only to crash into the invisible barrier surrounded the now gone stair, countless sparks appeared from the impact. "Tch!" The poisonous liquid closing on them Shirou felt more than he saw Lily move and place herself between him and the greenish substance, explosions of sticky spit.

"Lily!" Shirou screamed the female servant's name even as his back was tortured by the countless sparks emitted by the barrier. Before him Lily's entire back from head to toes was covered with the strange substance coating the ground around them. The woman convulsed in his arms as a disgusted grunt escaped her lips. A burst of prana exploded and the venom was blew away, on the side Shirou saw a similar event happens as Azur freed her body from the foul thing. Shirou let out a relieved sigh as they didn't seemed harmed in any way.

"I swear even boiling oil felt better than this." The white servant muttered even as she stroke the barrier with her golden blade, only creating more sparks as the magic wall resisted.

"Agreed." Azur said as Shirou saw her glance at him, then she look back toward the Dragon once again. "Acid and magic. It'd be deadly if we were still humans, but as servants it's nothing we can't shrug off." She didn't sound entertained by the idea of another poisonous shower though. At this moment a loud roar broke the exchange, the two stories high beast opened its mouth once again as power was called forth. Flames and magic, Shirou starred in dumbfounded amazement as a blazing inferno appeared in the entity's mouth. He realized, just like that he realized. A spell, the freaking lizard was casting fire-based magic!

Incarnation of inferno, a tempest of fire descended upon them turning the area into a world of flames. Sparks exploded everywhere as the flames bounced upon the temple's barrier. Control of Caster, of the Dragon or simply because it was made of magic? In this invisibly confined space the flames only strengthened even as they sucked the air outside the barrier inside. Not one second given to react, Shirou felt the increasing heat assaulting his body. Two forms jumped before him. The rage of a volcano devoured the air, the wind howled. Silent signals exchanged through a common pool of prana, Azur and Lily activated Invisible Air, the noble phantasm representation of their control over wind. Protecting, a tornado of wind surrounded the trio as bursts of prana exploded.

A terrific clash, the air trembled as the mighty whirlwind collided with the storm of fire. A burning cage surrounding them. Shirou felt his throat going dry as the temperature rose past boiling point and kept going higher. Lily and Azur continued their fight to keep the fire at bay. Asphyxiating, the oxygen of and within the invisible wall grew scarcer as the flames closed and devoured the wind itself. The redhead master fell to one knee with his body drenched in sudden and heavy sweat as the temperature went already far beyond what an human could withstand. Pain continued to run through his brains as his muscles and organs were destroyed and regenerated at an insane rate in an ever ending cycle while he melted alive. Before him Azur took a step back as she let Lily took care of most of the windshield, the flames pressed forward even faster. However Shirou knew it was already foolish to fend off such fierce flames with wind. Fire was always the worst thing that could happens when a tornado was around, the flames would enter the phenomenon and fuel themselves effectively creating a tornado of fire. Even standing in the middle of the howling wind wouldn't shield them from the flames once that happened.

Another burst of prana exploded as a second layer of air surrounded them, a new tornado coming to life even the older one expanded and weakened. Growing storm, Shirou became unable to heard the crackling of the crimson blaze as the wind howls entered his ears. Lily continued to expand the exterior wall breaking down even as Azur's newly-created tornado pushed the flames back the flames struck within the two phenomenons. Three second since the beginning of the raging inferno, the flames intensified even more. The fourth and fifth second passed with the scent of ashes rising along with an acid odor. The two Sabers roles with Lily discarding the first windshield and starting a third storm to replace Azur's quickly invaded second cyclone. Shirou then felt the pain recessing with relief, which turned into a sudden panic as his eyes caught green floating ashes,

"-!" No sound escaped his dry lips even as his body continued to become limp. He saw Lily and Azur briefly staring at him upon sensing that their master realized the presence of incoming danger. Yet between being surrounded by fire and the heavy prana consumption that the windshield costed them, they couldn't see the threat which their magic protection rendered them immune to. Shirou vainly tried to make his body move amid the suffocating pain cursing through his body. Part of the torture of melting alive had been sparred by nerves being endlessly disconnected before they could fully regenerate, however now there were parts of his body that didn't react at all. The fourth wall of wind appeared even as Azur and Lily began to take heavy breath, Shirou acted. "Rah..." Blood gushed from out every parts of his body, tips of metals piercing from under the flesh and coming into existence as Shirou summoned Archers's gifted blades directly inside his body.

"Shi-Shirou?" The shocked double scream barely reached the magus as the overwhelming pierced through his mind and body along with the twenty blades. A world of nothing but pain, Shirou lips trembled as he focused on nothing but one word.

"Poison." His mind drifted, the two Sabers blinked in confusion. The windshield wavered before a double burst of prana pushed the flames back, then the blonde servants followed the redhead faltering gaze. Ashes, small green spores dancing into the air even inside their protection. Shirou overwhelming sense of panic was suddenly shared with his two servants. With analysis, this skill Shirou would give Archer recipes for in thanks, he had understood. It was a twofold trap. The green substance spat earlier by the Dragon was inflammable, it both fueled the flames and created venomous spores. The venom was destined to slacken muscles and render their victim asleep. By erasing the pain of burning alive from its victims, those poisoned would welcome the painless state the venom provided and see their resistance viciously annihilated.

"Lily." Auzr spoke. In both rage and terror at being powerless once more Shirou heard her deceptively calm-sounding voice as Lily created the fifth wall of wind. Laying on the ground the magus barely managed to raise his gaze high enough to see the blue armored servant taking a lower stance, completely abandoning the defense to the other blonde servant. An invisible exchange of acknowledgement passed as a furious vacuum flared to life around Azur's sword and body. The Saber opened her mouth to take a large mouthful of air even as her sword lost more and more transparency.

"-!" An explosion went off, Azur's warcry was drowned in the noise as the blue servant took off the ground with a deafening roar of wind. A name echoed in Shirou's mind as his status as a master allowed him to read the servant alteration of Invisible Air. -Strike Air, Hammer of the Wind King-

Azur's wind-surrounded form collided with the unrelenting crimson geyser. Her air-based shell pierced through the burning stream of fire negated by her impossibly strong magic resistance, her sword remaining behind her all the time in a position ready to strike. Twenty meters gone in a gigantic burst of prana as the flames were split and dissipated by the overwhelming charge. A roar drowned by the cyclone, her entire body surrounded in flames Azur swung the invisible blade ablaze with flames in a downward strike. Like a tidal wave, the crushing mass of burning wind rained down upon the Dragon large body. Freed from its envelope of light-altering air a silver sword with a blue and golden hilt appeared.

Wind colliding with magic resistance and vanishing without damage, a giant claw closing toward the form in mid-air. Azur forced her sword for a thrust against the large member. Disbelief filled her as the scaly palm turned and slided above the noble phantasm. With unrestrained violence, the immense palm slapped the blue servant square in the face with monstrous power. Short screams echoing into the distance as the sole human ordered his remaining protector to move. Crash, Azur landed at sound-breaking speed right in the intersection between the ground and the barrier. Green eyes flipped open, the mind unable to properly register the second paw of the Dragon coming down. On pure instinct Azur's still trembling arms twisted the silver sword to aim it at the attack, her arms fell on the ground as a swarm of venom showered her body.

Light gathering from both extremity of the bow, the boy struggling with reinforcing his wounded body as an elongated great-sword rested upon the bladed string. Release, the arrow-like projectile tore the air and passed the rushing white servant without shaking the air. Purple reptilian eyes starred in disbelief as the missile went over mach 3 and pierced its right arm. Collapse, with a wounded roar the Dragon staggered lightly backward, its claws falling away from the fallen servant even as Lily arrived by her side. Hint of rage in purple eyes, a mouth opening to cast a spell.

Inwardly swearing Lily bent her knee just as she landed before Azur but instantly pivoted and jumped in a burst of prana. A hail of fire flew and stopped as the Dragon aiming at the boy below saw its spell intercepted by Lily at point-blank range. Disbelief, Lily's green eyes widened in horror as the fire fought her magic resistance and the weakened flames attempted to roast her white skin. Fire raining unabated, not a spell nor a breath but a repeated casting so short that the torrent of flames looked like a continuous spell. Prana gathering in yellow light, the Dragon turned its head as the venom covered blue servant's sword started to shroud itself in golden light.

A projectile once more passing by Lily's side as Shirou fired a second noble phantasm, then the archer let out a stunned exclamation. "No-way." Magic circuit screaming under his inexperienced usage of reinforcement were ignored as the Dragon impossibly caught the archer arrow between its teeth! A wounded claw closed on Azur from outside the barrier as if it wasn't here, the blue servant rolling in the distance to avoid the attack. The white servant landed on the ground and raised her golden sword for a thrust. Pause, Azur having used her golden light as a feint turned it into a large burst of prana to cut the over sized arm of the beast, yet failed to do optimum damage as the vision surprised her. Lily equally slowing down in a disbelief mirroring Shirou's. The magus starring in horrible fascination as the Dragon's teeth drank the magic of the captured noble phantasm, negating its power. A crunching sound, the mighty blade of Archer shattering in an horrible scream only Shirou heard as the Dragon broke the noble phantasm.

"Wh-?" A triple shout. Azur standing up and putting her feet down further on the side of the Dragon, hoping that the beast wouldn't be able to cancel her noble phantasm from behind. In response the pierced wing slammed down upon her even as the Dragon upper body turned on the left. "Out of my way!" The blue servant cried, slashing the large appendices trying to slow her down, a scream.

"Ahh!" Fire bathed her body as Lily screamed in annoyance, as the Dragon used its momentum to accelerate the swing of its left paw, the beast twisting its arm even as the white servant tried to dodge backward. The servant cursed as the thrust required to activate her noble phantasm was impossible to achieve in her position. Overburst of prana, her right gushed out blood as her strike's speed humiliated even the Dragon insane agility. Cut, red blood mirroring her own gushed out in fountains from the claw even as the Dragon roared. The stream of fire was interrupted and the claw taken by its momentum bashed the blond servant like a ton-hammer. Eye of an experimented mind, Lily gritted her teeth as the right wounded claw came after her.

Three quarter of a second since the pierced wing covered Azur, the entire body of the Dragon twisted to the right. The blue servant stomped her foot to take a stance ready to start accumulating prana. Disruption again, as the beast body continued to turn a gigantic appendix came, a giant tail hovering mere centimeter above the ground straight in her direction. An stoppable hurricane, left locked by the barrier, right obstructed by the beast's body and top covered by the pierced wing. A low upward swing, the blue servant had just the time to lower her stance before the tail moving four times as fast as a truck slammed into her.

Distraction, the scaly hand meant to grab Lily missed as the beast lowered its entire body. The two stories high Dragon flattening himself down in a mere second even as it continued to turn on the left. The third noiseless noble phantasm flew above the dodging Dragon, missing the purple eye it was originally meant for. Counter-rush, meter away from the left barrier Lily used a burst of prana on her right leg and rushed toward the right of the accursed invisible corridor. The Dragon's eyes shining quietly but tingled with a faint amusement confirmed her guess.

"Smart." was all she grumbled, her eyes briefly caught Azur being pushed back by the enormous tail before she returned her focus on the more urgent issue. It was impossible for the Dragon to have dodged her master third projectile, the Dragon opened its mouth placed on the right. Evading something going at over a thousand ms with such a large body was impossible, even for a servant, the only way was for it to have calculated the timing of Shirou firing and acted just at the right moment. "Thus-" Lily forced herself to accelerate in that horrible last quarter of second when the spell formed within the Dragon mouth. 'Thus it wasn't dumb luck that both servants were threw on the right side of the beast while the Dragon's mouth has no obstacle between it and the human redhead below!' Final burst of speed, for the third time Lily frame was showered with raging flames as she shielded her master from harm for the fourth time.

"Rahhhh!" Azur growled as her body was slowly pushed back by the enormous weight of the tail, even the large cut her silver sword inflicted had been unable to halt the member crushing charge. The girl forced herself to maintain regular breath as she waited for the window of opportunity, with her white ally busy defending their master, it was up to her to deliver the killing strike. As her feet rasped the ground she looked up as she forcefully exited the cover of the beast's wings. "Now!" Suddenly she jumped away from the Tail and bent her knee, her eyes tracing the wings. Two well timed jumps and she would be behind the Dragon and- "Wh-?" Spinning as if itself alive, the tail before her suddenly gained speed and rose in the air, sending the blue servant lightly in the air. Then with a final roll the tail bent and whipped the girl straight on her breastplate and away.

"How long will that continue?" Lily complained even as the Dragon continued to unleash a never ending stream of flames at her. A standstill, the flames managing to break through her magic resistance did far less damage than her godly-level regeneration could handle. Yet she found herself locked in place, unable to move on the side as it would leave her master exposed and equally unable to advance as charging into the Dragon's mouth who could dissipate prana and break noble phantasm wasn't the best place to unleash her own trump card. "Ha?" Innocent amazement filled her face as Azur's body slammed into her own. "Damn-!" The white servant stomped her foot into the ground, barely stopping them from crashing into the barrier again.

A deafening roar, Lily's eyes caught a blade-arrow noble phantasm struck onto the right claw of the Dragon even as the beast ceased its attack and stood on all its height. "We've made a mistake." She heard Azur mutter. Thousand howls screaming in pain, curses of the death. The temple seemed to blur in a blue fog as the Dragon absorbed the prana of countless death people. As in a nightmare the two servants starred while the multiple wounds on the Dragon arms and tail healed at a speed matching Lily. Then the white servant suddenly shared her twin comprehension.

Dragons, there wasn't any human involved in myths who hasn't heard the name. Ever-powerful beasts of a power beyond imagination, their legends have echoed for thousand of years. Countless times heroes have killed them and gained fame through slaying the legendary beasts, with such an assumption the two knights had been charging at the phantasmal beast with full confidence. For people who killed not one but multiple dragons during their human lives as , what was one dragon against a heroic spirit? A logical conclusion flawed by ignorance. Phantasmal beast, those words were the key.

Phantasmal species have always been divided into three classes. Monstrous, Phantasmal and Divine. In each category Dragons had always resided at the top, such a division was no accident either. It wasn't the Dragons who were at the top of such a classification, it was the opposite. It was that all others magical beasts were classified in comparison with the three ranks of Dragons. A beast with power stronger than a phantasmal dragon was a divine beast, one with weaker power was a phantasmal beast, or even a monstrous if a monstrous dragon was stronger than the beast.

But two thousand years ago that classification became known only by the historians of magic. Two thousand of years ago, the age of God ended and all Phantasmal and Divine beasts left this plane of the World. Dragons grew stronger with the 'accumulation of time', the longer their existence meant the stronger they became. Monstrous for those between years and centuries, phantasmal for those who existed for thousands years, and finally divine for the dragons whose existence had lasted for so long that human mind even begin to comprehend such a length. As time passed on, the remaining monstrous Dragons ascended into their superior form and followed their elder away from this world.

In the middle-age era. At a time when mere humans called 'knights' killed the formidable beasts, humanity had already forgotten that the Dragons left into their world were only infants, babies by their races standards. The two blond knights of this era hadn't been magicians nor historians, they had no way to know that the Dragons they fought and killed as humans were only years to mere centuries old. Yet, the truth remained. What the knights fought were mere monstrous beasts, far cry from the phantasmal beasts who could annihilate entire countries alone.

A shared moment of understanding where their surrounding didn't matter. The Holy Grail gave all the knowledge acquired through time to the servants, only minds willing to both understand and admit the knowledge could obtain it and use it. Lily and Azur had only fought monstrous Dragons, this was the truth their human minds couldn't accept. Truth their servant existences were forced to acknowledge. This one... this Dragon was a true phantasmal beast, not a mere infant monstrous beast that humans artificially elevated as fully grow, either in ignorance or to further their glory.

"Azur, Lily!" A familiar shout, the two Sabers senses returned to the present. Two heads sides by side turning toward-

"Shirou! what are you doing here?" -their master who was only meters behind them. It was impossible for Shirou to have closed the distance in their brief second of absence. "You!" Azur groaned, Lily wearing a dumbfounded expression as they realized the boy had to have been already running forward when Lily was showered with fire earlier. Quickly the blue servant raised her sword forward while Lily prepared herself to shield either of her allies. "Huh?" Towering above them like a giant two purple eyes watched them silently. Power radiating as the thousands years-old beast remained immobile with its two claws raised on both sides of its body. A flicker of emotion passed quickly in the summoned beast eyes, too fast to read. Taken by her momentum Azur took a step forward. Deadly roar, the Dragon pounced on its prey like a tiger.

"Ugh!" Chaos, an fury of claws showered the two servants struggling sides by side. Venom flew through the air, fire endlessly pouring out of the beast mouth. The phantasmal Dragon waved its arms in successive strikes, rapid and overwhelmingly powerful. Slashes and strikes, countless times the silver and golden blades tore through its members yet this time the beast didn't even slow down at the pain. Screaming souls, unworried by the gigantic expenses of prana its regeneration and spells drained from its summoner the Dragon unleashed its attacks without any sign of restraint.

"This can't go on." Azur heard her white ally mutter through the onslaught, thankfully at least it seemed their master had retreated a few meters.

"Indeed." A male voice echoed Azur's reply. A noble phantasm tore the air above the two Sabers. No time for words, the blue servant stomped one foot even as Lily rushed forward. A claw tearing the air, the nightmare continued as the Beast's right claw seized the legendary blade in mid-air once more. Shirou's projectile was knocked aside. Azur readied her silver sword behind her as Lily passed under the oversized arm in a quick dash. Prana exploding in an inferno, The Dragon entire body swinging up, an orb of fire reduced the eight meters distance from Azur to zero in a tenth of a second. Pale yellow light gathering, Azur took an heavy breath as she prepared her attack. A feint if Lily reached the beast, a true attack if she failed.

"ROAAAR!" The Dragon entire body swung back down. A tail slamming before the white servant and obstructing her path, a claw coming on her right. Instinct, Azur rolled backward as the Beast's right claw flew at her former place. A powerful two-handed slash tore through the attacking organ amid the flames covering all vision. The scaly claw continued its course, the sheer momentum unstopped by the silver sword.

"Wh-?" Lily's surprised voice echoed across the noisy battlefield. A tail blocking her way forward, Two claws coming at unavoidable speed from opposite directions and cutting all paths. Crash, with almost causal ease the Beast rammed its wounded claw into the blond woman and threw her into its other hand. "Ah!" Crushing sound, the Saber let out a frustrated cry as the Dragon attempted to crush her petite body between its claws.

"Lily!" Azur called her now captured ally even as she herself stopped as the Dragon purple eyes followed her movement. The mouth ready to absorb her prana as soon as she started to gather it. Hopelessness, a sense of defeat assaulted the proud knight as the phantasmal beast continued to crush her ally in its tight grip. Unbeatable, The Dragon stood up with its prey in its arm. A flying line of steel soundlessly thrusting into the Dragon right arm holding Lily, the white servant grimaced, struck the claws with her golden sword and flew into the barrier as the Dragon waved its arm. An annoyed roar, the Dragon turned its head toward the sole archer of the battle as an orb of flames flared in its mouth. A claw smashed down on her white ally and briefly immobilized the servant. Biting her lips the blue servant twisted her body to dash toward...

"Azur." A calm voice called the green-eyed girl. Two brown eyes icily stared at her, the redhead magus both arms raised above his body facing the beast. Confusion, the blue servant stared back in incomprehension as she painfully injected prana into her legs. A fury of flames created a vacuum as its absorbed all the oxygen around. "Kill it." Shirou Emiya quietly ordered her, then Azur could no longer see her master as the inferno suddenly engulfed the boy.

Determined eyes starred at her, gigantic and unforgiving she could only stare as the monstrous flames engulfed her master. "Shir-Rahh! Why are they all like that?" Air trembling under an inhuman power, her despaired shout turned into frustration at the absurdity of her past and present masters. It was madness and she knew it. Her master was going to be killed, her ally was captured, the beast was ready to absorb her attack just as she fired. And yet Azur knew there was nothing else to do. She had to gather her prana faster than she ever could, to strike before the Dragon could dissipate her attack even if it was impossible. There was no choice, if she didn't kill it right now. They were all dead and everything would be over. Blinding light, for a final time a golden aura surrounded the silver sword.

Sinister omen, the sound of fire exploding dozen of meters away reached her ears as the flames engulfed her master. The blond Saber raised her weapon for her final attack.

*break*

Before this soaring inferno he couldn't find a single trace of fear within himself. Magus, he raised his arms against the incoming death. Steel, two arms falling down as the temperature rose once more to destroy any living existence. A boy surrounded by flames, surrounded by death, he saw his younger self a decade ago. Nor calm nor resignation, in this soaring hell he felt cold steel in his hands. Blades and Swords, prized swords, legends standing before him like a wall. Two brown eyes coldly stared at the flames centimeters away from the clash.

Explosion of flames, wall of steel and ball of fire collided with inhuman power. Blades tightly packed fell back under the monstrous momentum of the crimson sun. Red vision, he lost the ability to see as the flames licked his face. Burning, his legs gave way and he fell on his darkening knee. Pain, his every nerves burning once more and then the rage. Tremors, his melting body shook as the feeling overtook his senses. Pain and death were meaningless, his face falling down was raised. Furor, a burning feeling other than the lava engulfing him. Fire, the fire he hated so much.

The sound of a hammer thousand times repeated as prana ran madly through his dying body. Deaf and blind, touch gone, only the acrid scent of ash filling his nose. Nine magic circuits endlessly flared to support his body, one more was called as he stared beyond the flames. Nor calm nor resignation, through the eyes of Analysis he saw the hated foe beyond the flames. A confident purple eye starring ahead, sure of its victory. Rage flaring once more. Blades answering the call his body refused, swords coming into existence and planting themselves into the ground. The magus's body rose, thirteen blades holding his body upright. Two blades on top of another supporting his powerless left arm, a bow of countless blade in his palm.

End of spell, the flames parted. A colorless eye he knew was purple starred at him in surprise. Ashen form supported by swords, one final blade appeared on the bow. Rage, he had no strength to fire the arrow, no time to go through the eight stages of shooting. But he was a magus, one who wield magic. Ten more circuits flared to life, in his dying body he abandoned any senses of restrain. Calmly, without the slightest regret Shirou Emiya over-reinforced his right arm with prana. Snap, in one single motion the arm moved, the string pulled to its limits. The arm broke down, the bones themselves shattering and the entire arm falling to piece. His entire frame started to fall down, black form hold standing up by a dozen blades.

With a thundering noise the arrow flew straight into the enemy's eye. The sound of a pierced eye happily passed by his ears, although his mind could no longer recognize the sound.

*break*

"EX-" Golden light filled the area. The Dragon jerking back its head in pain, Lily smashed on the ground in a deadly grip, Shirou burned body standing motionlessly behind her with his destroyed arm, The fallen claw smashing into Azur but her inhuman strength pushing against the arm several times heavier than her. Air shaking under limitless pressure as she swing her weapon for the last time. A prayer to obtain victory, prana fleeing the blond body's as the common pool fall far under half its capacity. Light of an unmatched purity, power of an entire planet gathering into a single legend. A name echoing. "-CALIBUR!" -The Sword of Promised Victory- The strongest holy sword in existence was swung down. A beam of golden light shot forward, as fast as the light, the kinetic energy of a planet rushing forward.

"ROOARRRR!" The beam of light hit the Dragon's head, prana exploding in a cacophony. The impossible once more happened before the Saber very eyes. Golden light shaking the air, blue aura trembling with equal might. A second roar reached her ears even as limitless amount of prana continued to enter the blue teeth. Dissipation, using its unfair power the phantasmal Dragon advanced its head toward the holy light signal of its demise and exhausted the enormous reserves in the Temple to negate the ultimate power of the highest thaumaturgy attack. An unending nightmare, Azur felt her heart sank as her holy sword continued to absorb her prana at an insane pace to unleash an attack of Divine spirit level at the beast, to no avail.

"RAHHHH!" Furor, rage born of despair exploded within her as she amplified her output. Excalibur, the ultimate holy sword of mankind given by the Gods defeated by a Dragon? This was purely unacceptable, as knight and as a human there was no way Azur could accept it. Howling wind, the two forces continued to rage with even stronger might, the few seconds seeming eternal while the Dragon opposed a resistance that shouldn't be possible. For humankind's strongest to be defeated by a mere mid-ranked Dragon was-. "-Ah!" A feeling of absolute horror filled the servant, her output weakening even as she caught the sole remaining purple eye of the beast laughing at her. The roar turning into a mocking laughter.

Over a hundred fifty thousand humans. The Saber's heart sank even further as the prana absorbed from the countless citizens of Fuyuki continued to flow into the Dragon, a ridiculous amount of power. The hands on the holy sword started to shake, Excalibur the holy sword could take down an army of even a thousand. But the might of a phantasmal Dragon combined with a population the size of a kingdom in her time?

"I-" The world trembled as the holy light clashed with the Dragon, Lily shakily stood up from the ground with the noble phantasm's light passing before her. Such might stunned her, such power was beyond her wildest dreams. Yet it seemed as if it wasn't going to be enough, the Sabers's shared prana continued to vanish at an alarming rate and even when the holy sword shone even stronger the beast still persisted. "can still fight." A determined face hiding the fear concealed within her, separating her exterior front for battle and ignoring her inner feelings was no new experience. No time for resting, Lily ignored her screaming bones as she infused prana into her body. Briefly she starred at the Dragon's claws now clenching the ground to maintain its footing as the beam of light pushed it back. She turned her head away, their incoming loss closing all too fast in this second of unrestrained power. "Not yet."

"Rahhhh-!" Azur's body continued to shake even as prana continued to be spent. It was a foolish endeavor, soon enough she would makes Lily, Fail and her out of prana. Then the Dragon would finish them and their master would follow them in death. "But-" She couldn't accept it, to concede defeat now, against this enemy who used the lives of so many people to win. Without achieving her own goal, failing once more her allies, she couldn't accept it! A burst of prana beyond limit, almost completely blinded by the golden light Azur starred in disbelief as Lily overcharged her already bloody legs. A jump at speed breaking the speed of sound with a bang and distorting the air, suddenly Lily was atop the beast's head. A golden sword tip down hold by two hands stained crimson.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Heavy forced breaths, the blond girl struggled to maintain the perfect composure amid the pain. Legs completely destroyed in a butchered mess, the rest of her already damaged body breaking in countless parts, blood gushing out at such speed that her absurd regeneration couldn't keep up. Vision gone in a red blur, no senses of hearing, touch lost and confused by the blood and damaged nerves. 'Now...' The words didn't manage to come out of her mouth, the girl should be dead and completely unable to move. No human could move their limbs as she now forced them to move, only as a servant whose power was akin to a force of nature could she achieve such a feat. The golden sword in her hand shone lightly, the weapon alone seeking the vital point she needed to strike. The Dragon's body continued to tremble even as the golden light began to weaken, the golden sword raised almost vertically a whisper escaped Lily's lips. "Caliburn..."

The sword shone even as her arms feebly thrust the weapon into the beast's skin, yet nothing happened beyond that. A painful gasp rose from the white servant's throat, a final burst of prana exulted as she overloaded the rest of body with all the power she could muster. Arms were dislocated, bones exploding as the sword was thrust deep into the beast. In a scream the agonizing servant shouted the name loudly like a final sentence. "CALIBURN!" -The Sword of Assured Victory-

Azur felt her eardrums implode as a earth-shattering roar echoed when the second noble phantasm materialized its power, white light gathering into a concentrated shockwave of prana turned into kinetic energy from within the Dragon's body. The holy beam of Excalibur suddenly shot forward even as every functions in the Dragon's body were disrupted and the enormous prana required for regenerating the beast body from Caliburn's inward assault flew from the blue teeth whose brightness faded. Power flaring anew, the line of light rushed past the Dragon's head. Purple eyes starred in disbelief at a trembling Azur even as the beast's body was shred in pieces from Excalibur assault. The holy power sliced apart the head and completely destroyed it, shot forward into Lily's frame, destroying it with the same efficiency before striking into the Temple's barrier with a terrible might. A brief piercing, the magic wall broke into falling pieces and reformed itself after the attack's passage.

"Ah-?" The yellow light vanished as Azur fell to her knee. The Saber placed a hand to the ground to keep herself from falling but strength failed her. The world spun, metallic sounds from Azur's armor echoed as the girl fell on the ashen ground. Refraining from biting her lips Azur tried to focus her eyes, an immense weariness assaulting her along with something rising. Prana barely enough to maintain her existence, she rustled her head on the dirt to search her master, his blackened form still standing immobile. Something rising, she opened her mouth amid as her fear grew and tried to call the name of the human boy who couldn't possibly be still alive yet seemed to be. "S-ahhh!" Something embracing her, coldly.

A wave of chills took over her entire body, something taking over her. An irrepressible feeling numbing her mind along with her body, full of sorrow yet devoid of pain, impossible to ignore or repress. A sickening feeling like her every nerves being torn away from her. 'Unnatural' Azur's freezing mind noted, the knight clenched her teeth and gripped her fist. She refused to fail once more. Why did this unknown but terrible horror assaulted her? She couldn't just lay here miserable. Lily gone she was the only one who could help Shirou in his terrible state, she-.

"-! ahhh..." Lily was gone. That thought struck her mind and another wave of chills invaded her body, shaking her vision and sending her mind into disarray. The image of Lily entered her head. Why, why was the heroic spirit's vision filling her with such bottomless sorrow? Her mind wavered and she tried to clench her fist tighter. Azur's mind went blank, for a seemingly infinite instant her eyes starred emptily at her master before she looked down at her body. Nothing, for a moment she didn't understand what had alarmed her, the chills no longer coming to assault her entire body like before.

Then she noticed her hand had vanished along with her legs, blue sparks floating into the air and disappearing as her waist slowly went to pieces. A numbing terror took over the entire mind of Azur as she realized the end of her time here was coming implacably. Guilt, fear, regrets, tears, fury and despair flew without orders.

The world suddenly turned white, blinding her sight from everything.

*break*

The endless path of rocks finally broke, Archer discarded the drilling blades and glanced at the gentle moonlight with relief. A small gasp reached his ears. Instantly on guard the male servant turned around. In slow motion he saw the black armored servant behind him trembling in a standing position, then the bleach haired girl fell down amid the darkness. "Fay." Perplexed, Archer took a step forward, looking around for a threat, then stopped. His eyes could see every shivers running through Fail's exposed skin, he could feel the warm air escaping at her every labored breaths. He couldn't have missed the somber blue lights that slowly started to float away from the girl's body.

"She... she died." Fail's whisper shook Archer out of his torpor and he swiftly leaned by the fallen girl. His eyes met hers, the yellow orbs staring toward some distance place in an unfocused yet frantic daze. Fail's trembling worsened and the pale girl clutched her legs on her stomach, where Archer couldn't find a trace of any wound. Her eyes widened when she realized her legs were vanishing in countless orbs. "She died," she repeated in a more distant yet much more terrified voice. "and so..." Fail's body upper body twisted as her legs vanished and before he could stop himself Archer reached to grab her.

"RAHHH!"Burns, a scream of pure and absolute pain suddenly tore through the night. The female servant jerked herself violently away, as in return the sickening feeling of something crawling by his hand then his arm cursed through Archer just before he hurriedly jerked his hand away. The male servant starred in astonishment at the place he had all but touched, the clothes on Fail's arm had melted, the imprint of his hand leaving a scorching mark as if branded by blazing metal. Stunned into silence Archer starred at the crimson mark. True he had expected something to happens, but not to that degree! Then the man processed Fail's words. A cold shiver ran through his spine as he understood what was happening, what must have happened.

It was a frightening thought, this possibility that they too were gone, that maybe Shirou and the two Sabers were gone. It was even more terrible, this nagging suspicion that it could have been avoided if he had stayed with them. Once more the male servant shook himself, just like he had after finding out Caster's actions, and looked down at the girl whose body disappeared in an agonizingly slow manner.

"Fay." Archer called once more, her arms were starting to disappear as well. Another chilling spasm ran over what remained of the girl's body. Carefully as not to touch her Archer lowered himself on one knee by Fail's side. A plaintive whimper echoed, Archer forced himself to remain immobile as he starred at her yellow eyes. Such despair. Even in Archer's darkest hours as a human, his feelings for the girl who called herself 'Fail' had been hate mixed with incomprehension and... pity. Yes, even back then he had found her pitiful and now that he knew everything, it was ten times worse.

Then there were the whispers, barely audible even for Archer's reinforced hearing. "Yes...fay...what I am... bringing death... despair every time... every failure..." Slowly, Archer took deep breaths in protect his forced calm. The dying servant eyes looked toward him, and yet while filled with both sorrow and resignation they weren't focused on him. "Master...failing...Shirou...Shirou...stop crying...stop dying... please..." The image of that scene in the very same place flashed and Archer felt a weight settled over his shoulders. Truthfully he shouldn't remain there. He should be leaving the place and rushing to his master, he shouldn't be waiting till the situation got even worse. But his eyes were locked into Fail's and he knew he couldn't leave right now. He couldn't abandon her to die alone, he just couldn't.

Archer slowly put a hand over his chest, then reached inward. Truly it was a pointless act, it wasn't even truly 'her' to begin with. Yet it wasn't his either and she had far more right to have it than him. Or maybe it was just fitting, in some twisted way, it didn't really matter. Archer grasped the noble phantasm and willed it into existence. prana flared, bright golden light illuminated the cavern. Archer moved his gaze to the golden sheath resting in his hand. It had been surprising yet logical to see it following him beyond death and time. Forcing his attention away from the noble phantasm Archer settled his eyes back upon the black servant's face.

Fail's unfocused eyes fell upon the shinning vision of the golden artifact and yellow eyes widened in restrained terror. A silent horrified scream shook her remaining body and even in her diminished state the female servant tried to get away, only to be kept in place by her curse. Archer froze both at the sheer violence and unexpectedness of the reaction. Still, he turned his hand and let the noble phantasm sink into Fail's body.

Faint whispers spoken without strength, a powerless curse, rose once more in the silent. The golden sheath touched the servant's chest and entered it as if it was immaterial, quickly it completely entered its new host and vanished from sight. Seconds passed and Archer felt dread hanging over him. He had a faint hope, but even with the noble phantasm inside her, the black servant continued to disappear. her chest where the sheath had vanished started to rise into many light. And then there was a whisper, long worn hate mixed with resignation filling the single word. "Morgan." The girl said in an inaudible voice.

Then it was over.

*break*

An unconscious part of him noted that he was sitting on his knees. There had been an inferno passing around his body, the unbelievable heat melting his organs, the brightness of the flames blinding his sight. There had been torrents of light and the supports below his arms and legs had fallen as the ground shook. He had followed them down, his head ended being struck looking up by some bizarre coincidence. A monstrous, surprised and horrified roar had made his eardrums explode, the blood gushing from them instantly drying up in the heat of the inferno which soon subsided. His bleeding eyes impossible to close with the lids turned into ashes had starred as silhouettes and bursts of lights kept shifting in an incomprehensible dance. A part of him noted that death struck before him once more, yet his failing mind didn't stir any emotion from him.

Time passing in a hazy blur, the soothing darkness of the night filling his sight. White light took over and the world was painted white. A name had reached his ears without piercing his unconsciousness, then a silhouette had appeared amid the endless white. A single piece growing and growing into an humanoid form. Pain, the sensation had passed through his body and his body had started falling forward. Nothingness.

Shirou found himself wondering if he was alive or dead. There was a familiar face starring at him but that wasn't enough to decide whichever world it was. His body felt numb and the magus noted that the constellations of the place were remarkably similar to his birth country, however there was white light on the lower area of his sight which puzzled him. Shirou noted that the lips on the face before him were moving, he looked at the face and reached a conclusion regarding which world he was in.

"You should avoid speaking." A familiar voice reached his senses. "It's already remarkable how much you recuperated in such a short time." Something unusual in the speaker voice made Shirou shift his gaze. In a semi-drowsy state he found the worried face of Azur towered above his own face. Shirou saw her blink as she noticed his stare, a wave of worry filled him as he noticed that her usually clear green eyes seemed shaken. Gently a hand passed over his face and Azur's hand came to rest on his forehead effectively preventing him from looking at the servant by doing so. Not reassured either by Azur's expression nor by the lack of feeling in the rest of his body, Shirou lowered his gaze and blinked at what laid before, or rather on him.

His body laid there, covered by what he could only describe as white fur. yes, white fur. The skin below his neck looked devoid of it and instead looked red like raw flesh. Then in the middle of this bizarre ensemble laid a glowing white item with pales blue lines, apparently resting on his chest. Looking at said item which he couldn't place at the moment Shirou saw a gloved hand resting over the glowing item and raised his gaze further up until he starred at a familiar blond face illuminated by the light. The person seemed to notice his confused stare and turned her head with a smile. "You are awake." 'Not completely' he wanted to answer since he was hallucinating, but he could indulge the mirage. Not that he had the choice. Shirou tried to open his mouth to speak only to find his throat uncomfortably dry. Further efforts only served to send him into a coughing fit.

"Don't try to speak." He heard Azur repeat with both worry and annoyance, or maybe fatigue, in her voice. She shifted her legs and the redhead became suddenly aware that his head was resting on her laps. "You're getting warmer... A fever?" Azur whispered softly. Shirou didn't bother to correct her and instead closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down. At least the servant had reverted to casual clothes.

"Are you sure?" the Azur-like voice echoed again. "There isn't that kind of side-effect usually." Shirou felt his brains freeze a brief moment, then he reopened one cautious eye. His intense stare met the mirage who looked toward with a pensive face. Apparently taking in the brown eyed boy nonplussed glare the hallucination stopped her current train of thought to look properly at him. "Well master, you can be proud of giving us quite a scare."

"As if you're the one who should be speaking." Shirou heard Azur voicing his own thoughts with semi-outrage. He coughed again as what apparently might not be a mere mirage looked above him at Azur with concern. His mouth still felt dry as hell and it still like he was scraping his throat but at least it seemed he was becoming able to make proper sounds.

"How-" His attempt at a sentence was interrupted by another fit a coughing and the not-so intangible mirage placed her free hand behind his back to support him. Mentally grumbling against his thirst Shirou forced his body to stop with the annoying coughs and focused his stare at the woman before him. "-come you're still alive Lily?" He didn't mean for it to come out in an accusatory manner but apparently it did seeing how the woman threw him what qualified as an haughty and angered glare though it was clear her heart wasn't in it. Shirou coughed once more, albeit this time it had nothing to do with his own state. "I mean, it is not that I am unhappy that you survived..."He started weakly but then the white armored servant made a huge sigh before letting her shoulders slumber.

"Ahhh... Even in this era I still get that 'how are you still alive?' look. Do you have Britain blood Shirou?" Not that he knew but then again Kiritsugu often went to England so maybe... His thought was interrupted as Azur spoke.

"That does raise the question Lily, so-" The blue servant said in an unusually pointed tone which made Shirou look up before Azur continued"-how are you still alive?" Lily moaned, both at the words and the badly hidden vindictive relief of her fellow twin. "It is not that I am unhappy that you survived" She pursued without Shirou nor apparently Lily being able to discern if she had imitated the laying boy on purpose, especially since her tone was growing serious and... outraged? "but how did you survive a full powered attack from Excalibur?"

"That was impressive by the way." Shirou complimented the blue servant as he carefully rose in a sitting position, who tried to look as if she didn't care but failed to keep a faint but visible blush from blooming on her face. Her lap now freed Azur stood up and doned her casual clothes for her silver and blue armor once more, then she looked around as if to check their surroundings. As if on cue that the mood was shifting Lily straightened and for the first time Shirou noticed that while one hand began tapping on the shining object on his chest she hadn't let go off, her other hand rested on her golden blade.

"This is one of my noble phantasm." She said a finger tapping the noble phantasm on Shirou's chest. "It's a gift I received from the faeries long ago. It provides me an extraordinarily degree of regeneration."

Shirou turned slightly as Azur made a noise to get their attention. "I can see that. But is it really powerful enough to regenerate, or rather revive, you after your body was... well... " The blue servant waved a hand and trailed off as if embarrassed.

"annihilated?" Lily offered with dry amusement, Shirou saw Azur twitch from the corner of his eye but the girl composed herself and nodded. "I am not sure." Lily said and shrugged helplessly under the skeptical stares she received. "I never had something quite that drastic happening to me. before" Shirou found remarkable how a single sentence managed to make Azur look away awkwardly. "I think that A...this noble phantasm" she continued avoiding to speak the noble phantasm's name although Shirou felt that it was a rather pointless endeavor by now. "managed to, well, rebuild my body because my body also lie inside it." Shirou rose an eyebrow at the fairly unhelpful explanation. The white Saber lightly bit her lips with a frown. "I don't know how to explain it. M-...One of my mentor could explain it much better."

Shirou starred a few seconds more at the troubled blonde servant, then after deciding they weren't going to make much progress right now decided to change the subject. Carefully, the redhead magus waved one of his remarkably fast healing hand to get their attention and pointed a finger at the white scabbard. "I suppose it doesn't matter right now if you don't know how it works, but why is it laying on my chest? " Chest which was also partially covered the white fur which he now recognized as the white coat Lily had found in his house. "I didn't die, did I?" Shirou felt his unease grow as the two Sabers remained silent for a long moment before Lily spoke once more.

"Azur had the idea of trying to use it to heal you." Lily said and Shirou couldn't help but notice that the green eyed swordswoman hadn't answered his first question. "Since it never worked on someone else, I thought it wouldn't work but gave it a try nonetheless. I still don't get why, but it worked." The blond servant seemed genuinely surprised as she turned to look at the glowing white and blue noble phantasm. "Maybe it's because you're my master." she proposed in a clear attempt at convincing herself. Shirou shifted his gaze to Azur, the one who had gotten the idea. The girl slightly titled her head and raised an eyebrow as she returned his gaze but didn't seem disturbed by his questioning stare in the slightest.

"I believe that once we're done here, a long and proper conversation would be appropriate master." Azur then commented simply as she dominated him from her petite height.

"That sound like a really good idea." Shirou agreed feelingly as he tried to stand up. A no easy task as he quickly found himself staggering, yet it was already miraculous for someone who had been cremated alive. Not even a half second passed both Lily and Azur were on either side of him, supporting him. Shirou waited to make sure he wasn't going to fall at any seconds, then took several deep breaths before moving his chin toward the top of the hill. "We should be going." He grimaced as his muscle took their time responding but forced himself to continue. "How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes." Lily and Azur answered in sync, the duo stopping in their task of making sure their master wouldn't fall in order to trade a curious glance at each other. Their master utterly failed to notice the event as he processed their words, then he turned his eyes at the two of them.

"Wait, I don't recall much." Shirou started in an incredulous voice. "But I was certain that I had fatal injuries. My skin, muscles and organs melted for God's sake!" There was a long silence of a few seconds and then Azur raised a disturbingly calm face at him.

"A Long and proper conversation." She said with emphasize on the adjectives. Shirou starred back for an equally long time, then sighed.

"Right." he finally conceded, deciding that the situation was far too bizarre for him to bother with anymore. He started walking up toward the temple with Azur supporting him, a help he grudgingly accepted while Lily placed her sheath on her side. It was probably a testament to the male's weariness that he reacted to the sheath hanging by its owner's hip without as much as belt with no more than a disbelieving shake of his head.

"There is still something you should know master." Said master merely leveled his gaze at Lily as her tone indicated nothing good. The white servant remained silent and after another few seconds Shirou followed her stare at a frowning Azur who nodded with a somber expression.

"It seems that our earlier theory concerning one of us dying was correct." She said. Shirou shot her a blank stare. He failed to comprehend for -again- a few seconds, then it clicked. The redhead magus let out a 'Oh!', raised his free to rub his head and then released another 'Oh.' Azur nodded gravely once more. "Things worked in our favor here. If it someone else than Lily died, we would have completely lost." Well, if meeting that freaking 'when-will-you-go-down!' Dragon was lucky Shirou didn't want to know what being unlucky was. No, he probably was reading too much in Azur's words while being mentally worn out.

"Indeed, it would be appreciable to avoid reiterating the experience." Lily commented inciting a muttering protest from Azur along the lines of 'But I don't blast my allies with Excalibur... usually!' At which Lily shook her head. "You misunderstand Azur. The problem is about the prana consumption, before Fail did... whatever she did to recharge our reserve, I didn't had enough prana left to rebuild my body with Av-my noble phantasm."

Fail, Shirou felt like being showered by cold water as he remembered his last servant, temporally forgotten due to Dragon fighting and almost dying. "Is she fine?" And what about Archer too? Had they already seized Caster? Did they stumble upon another lizard?

"She is still around and responded to our signals." Lily answered with a briefly absent gaze. "Judging from her use of prana she is currently running. She was fighting earlier, but I must admit because of our... much difficult encounter I didn't pay much attention to it."

"Well, if she is shaken like you two. We better hurry." Shirou commented.

"What do you mean?" The two servants asked in sync, something something more common lately.

Shirou found himself shrugging. "Your expression are considerably easier to read than the other days. That's what I mean." And just as he said that he was greeted by a duo of charmingly dumbfounded faces. Sadly they quickly recomposed themselves. the thought made Shirou think of their earlier words. "What was that about Fail regaining prana?" He asked carefully.

Azur glanced briefly at him, although now she kept her face straight and her tone even. "Normally I'd think that seeing our desperate situation Fail tried to get prana by the most expedient method..." Or in other words, killing people to get prana from them. "Or maybe she somehow found where Caster managed to gather all the prana she stole and borrowed it. But what don't match up is that our maximum prana increased by a considerable margin."

"A very long and very proper conversation." Lily dryly noted as they arrived atop the hill. "But for now..."

Shirou looked back one last time at the devastated battlefield they were leaving behind. No plant nor a flight of stair had survived the battles fought here. He took a deep breath and turned his attention forward once more. Assassin had been defeated, as well as the phantasmal guardian of the place. Caster and her master, Archer and Fail, Rin and Issei. All were up there and would meet one way or another. A pale shield flickered at the gate. "...It's time to end this." Azur completed as the two swung their no long invisible swords in a double casual swing, breaking the obstacle easily. The two servants advanced, steel once more in hands and ready for the final scene of this long morning.

The young magus between the Sabers found himself sharing their feelings. In the distance, an orange sun slowly continued to ascend.

*break*

Two forms ran forward into a blur, their inhumanely fast movements barely disturbing the air. Archer kept his gaze firmly on the mundane obstacles know as trees. He didn't dare to look around but he could heard the footsteps of Fail as the female servant strode behind him. It was humbling really. In his status as an heroic spirit Archer knew that his agility and vision were far superior to the black servant, and yet even in her disturbed state the girl kept up with him with ease. He wasn't understating, the girl staggered from times to times and failed loudly at silencing her steps.

Archer jumped above the four meter cliff of sort with ease, heard Fail's landing a quarter of second later and proceeded to dash forward once. He realized that this mad dash within enemy territory was hardly discreet, yet they had already lost too much time. The conversation with Fail, the blob-thing, drilling the cave, the bleached girl worrying collapse, and THEN having to pierce through four shields left by Caster to impede their advance had dramatically slowed them. In short the white haired servant's decision to run at full came from a simple conclusion: Whatever traps could await them in the forest couldn't be worse that whatever would go wrong next if they didn't hurry. The fact that apparently Rin had been hurt at some point was probably another factor.

The trees parted and the temple appeared before them. Archer stared at the building drowned in a disturbing silence, the grey eyed servant frowned. A bounded field in the form of a bubble seemed to prevent the sounds from escaping the place, its main purpose being probably to fend off magical spying. Stepping noise, Archer glanced and three forms appeared as the boy and the two last Sabers advanced toward the temple a quarter of a circle to the left. Without slowing down Archer took their appearance with a deeply relieved mental sigh, and took in the curious new attire of the male master with a raised eyebrow. Noise, or its absence. Fail's steps briefly faltering warned him of a new development and Archer took back his reinforced sight toward the temple, Fail coming on his left side as he did so but also glancing from times to times toward her master with a faint smile and an obvious desire to fly over to him. But then a click from Archer tongue took her attention back forward.

A cloaked form stood alone before the building's entry. Against all logic Caster was forsaking her fortified position and coming out against four enemy servants, three of which her magic would be useless against. Archer focused his vision at the woman and felt an uneasy feeling stirring within him. The hooded woman wasn't resigned, no, she was frantically casting a spell. A huge one judging from the flares of prana around her. Archer felt his unease turn into dread as their approach only made Caster accelerate her movements. The male servant quickly searched for a solution to stop the woman, Caster's desperate measures had definitively NEVER been a good thing. Archery? Too close and he moved too fast. Throwing? Might be blocked by her personal shields, but it could stop if not kill her.

In this enhanced state of battle where time seems to slow down Archer raised his empty hands. Steel at the ready, even as the air around Caster distorted under heavy amount of prana gathering. One more blade appeared in Archer's mind and he hoped that if Caster managed to cast her spell, it was a physical one, that would be much easier to counter. Blades pressed themselves within him, Caster meters away from him. His eyes noticed a cut hand lying in the woman's arm.

Caster screamed, silent through the bubble of silence. A ripple of power cursed through Archer's body, his arms already slowed down by a revelation flew with newfound speed. Every sound turned deafening, a wave of pure incomprehension. A voice that didn't use sound echoed in his ears.

"Protect me!" A command, an ultimate order bypassing all his protections without a care. The servant saw his body starting to twist and the world slowed down once more. As if in a dream a force impossibly stronger than his own will moved his arms and used his skills. A blade sprung into existence.

The sound of steel breaking through steel, then piercing flesh.

He had too much time, way to much time to witness it. The dagger advancing and piercing the steely armor, the flesh parting as its owner was unable to slow its momentum. "Ah?" And then, the eyes widened, disbelief on Fail's pale face as his own hand buried three inches of steel into her chest. Time mercilessly continued to advance, with still enough momentum the body of the black servant crashed into his. Blood splattered his black clothes and dyed it crimson. Fail's hands didn't even budge to attack or defend herself, still she remained. Phantom blades pressed themselves under Archer's skin as Caster's command continued to control his body, ready to impale the blond girl before him a thousand times.

"R..." A booming moment of revolt arose in Archer. Claiming his furious refusal to obey even as the mystical gift of the Grail kept him in leash. "RAAA!" A raging shout, subverting the command the tanned servant grabbed Fail- "AHHH!" -and threw the girl with all his reinforced strength, straight into the other approaching trio's arms. The noise of a soft collision . Archer didn't notice the sudden silence as he tried to regain his breath with his head lowered, his raging thoughts closing him off the outside world. Yet when someone stepped closer Archer was forced to stand straight as the order forced him to react to the approach.

He took in the scene instantly. Lily with one knee on the ground as Fail laid in her arms. The white servant continuously glancing between Archer and the wounded servant, her face a blank mask hiding the torrent of emotions inside. Fail, the immobile girl's yellow eyes starring at him in incomprehension. Before them Azur, the blue armored servant standing at the forefront, not looking very calm with her silver blade at the ready and her slender frame ready to charge at him at any second.

Yet, of all of them Shirou Emiya was probably the most disturbing one. The young boy placed just behind Lily and Fail stood straight with both hands ready to call blades. His face was a frighteningly image of calm, the too young magus observing the new development with quiet and furious resignation.

"Archer! What is this treach-" the sky-named girl started to demand, stopping before the end of her sentence as she saw his expression.

"Run." Archer whispered in a harsh voice, the difference between his usually confident face and his current pale and terrified face creating a disconcerting contrast. Of course neither of the Sabers made a move to leave, he didn't really expected them to just comply. "Run." He repeated.

"What is going on here Archer?" Lily asked him even as her hand not on her blade tried to suppress the blood coming out from Fail's wound. Both the voice and vision helped Archer compose himself and he took a long breath in hope of calming himself. Thankfully at least, he had been too close from Fail to stab her with a proper blade. He didn't want to think what would have happened if he had been able to use Arondight.

"It seems that Caster has somehow obtained my command seals." He reported in a conversational tone. It got reactions. Azur seemingly having the best idea of what was going on, if her suddenly expressionless face and her battle-ready stance were any indication. The blue servant looked beyond him, no doubt glaring at Caster. Unable to see or heard the woman Archer could only guess that the magician servant was currently split whether to stay or run. The eyes of Azur narrowed and she brought a feet forward in preparation of a dash.

This was bad, really bad. Really really really bad. He had to get them out of here quickly. If he was too slow, Caster just might discover that her new acquisition could trample over the three Sabers easily. In which case the three girls before him and the redhead might just all get killed. Or worse, they would all five become slaves to Caster's will.

"Out of my way, Archer!" The ground was shaken by a stomp as the blue servant dashed forward in a burst of prana. He understood why she did that, and that was precisely because he understood that he felt such despair. Caster was not even a hundred meters away from them, all that stood between the woman and their blades was him, the servant of Archer class whom specialized in ranged battles and who, in the end, had his master in Caster's hands. The opportunity to seize victory was just too close, there was no way Azur would retreat with her current knowledge of the situation. And somehow he had to fix that and get them out before Caster herself realized all the implications of her catch.

Wind howled as Azur used her Invisible Air to increase her speed, the blue servant attempted to pass the male servant and strike down Caster. Blades tore the air, Archer grimaced as he threw five dozens of noble phantasm by simply waving an arm under the command's control. Clashes, a dozen sound echoed as Azur's sword danced to parry the numerous weapon. A simple sidestep and Archer was before her throwing blades after blades and forcing Saber back.

In a split-second decision Azur changed her intend from passing him into taking him down. The command faltered as Caster was once again more safe, Archer used the brief respite to pull himself together. Trying with all his might not to just create a wall a pointed steel and let the Saber impale herself Archer found himself retreating step by step from the blue servant onslaught. "I told you-" The male servant groaned as he threw an empty hand forward, straight toward the descending blade of Azur. The blond servant didn't slow down nor altered the path of her sword. Flesh and steel met.

Silence, no sound of impact echoed as Excalibur suddenly vanished from Azur's hands. "Wh-?" Her eyes widened at the impossible, and then further as she noted Archer's fist clenching and approaching at blinding speed.

"to-" Archer continued with a grim expression. "-RUN!" The noise of flesh against flesh, the impact of the tanned hit landed shallowly as the Saber sheer reflex allowed her to throw her head back despite her momentum and negated the punch's strength as she accompanied it. Driven by her momentum Azur lower and middle frame continued forward for a very brief instant before Archer opened his hand and released yet another wave of noble phantasm almost unconsciously.

Her Instincts roaring Azur already began to step back before the blades materialized, the now weaponless servant rolled away from her opponent as the threw steel lazily ended on the ground. On the distance Archer noted that Lily had handed Fail over to Shirou and now stood before the two in a defensive stance. He quickly looked back at Azur, the green eyes of the servant starring at him in shock.

"Wh-What did you do Archer?" The blonde girl couldn't help but stutter. Understandable no doubt, it wasn't everyday a noble phantasm was snatched from its owner's own hands.

"Swords cannot hurt me." Archer spoke in an inappropriately reasonable voice and inwardly very much thanking the fact sheer shock had stopped the servant from advancing. "For I who spent my whole existence alongside blades, creating them, caring for them and fighting alongside them. They're my comrades, my lovers, the ones by my side forever and beyond. And they, sole whom I trust, love me as I do, in a bound transcending everything." He recited in a solemn tone. More steel suddenly glittered under the sunlight, and again more steel appeared over the present steel. A line of steel formed itself behind and around Archer, slowly creating a wall that grew higher and higher. And then he concluded in a harsh tone. "In this world, there is no blade that can accept the simple notion of hurting me. Everything I am and have, are blades."

The wall of steel rose was already eight meters high and continued rising. Archer knew it was a fascinating sight, countless blades all shining seemingly with the power of noble phantasm and fluttering noiselessly. Right now however he couldn't share the quartet's feelings. The red and black servant called a blade in his hand and oriented it to look behind him with the reflection, the wall of steel parted to let allow to see.

He saw Caster with her body agitated with convulsions, her hysterical laughter that couldn't be heard there shaking her body. Even then he could see the madness and despair drowned with relived insanity and exhilaration. The sheer unexpectedness of the situation clearly hadn't helped her unstable mind. But that was fine with Archer, it gave him at least a little time and he took his attention back to four people before him. "Archer?" He heard the disturbingly calm voice of Shirou Emiya calling him and looked back.

"I've no idea how to solve this." The male servant admitted with as much calm as he could possibly display. "Now, get out of here before she makes me slaughter the whole of you." His eyes caught the reflection Caster staggeringly advancing toward them and he mentally winced. Lily and Azur started to say something but he waved his arm before they could finish.

And then the twenty-meters high wall of blades plunged onward like a deadly waterfall. Not in silence this time but in the deafening noises of thousands blades impacting with each others. The overwhelming threat jerked the Sabers into action faster than any word could have. Without anyt discussion Azur retreated to her allies and she took Shirou in her arms while Lily took Fail in her arms, then quickly dashed away from the incoming tsunami.

They ran, finally they ran. Archer watched them escaping the place, a mix of relief, despair, rage and unfairness bursting within him and locking him in place. Something crumbled and he felt his legs shaking and the immense desire to fall to his knee, to forget for all this madness and curl in some dark corner. In an act of fortune Archer's grey wavering eyes meet the brown ones of Shirou Emiya. The boy hold by Azur's arms stared at him a in a lingering eye contact.

Archer felt it once more. This will to go on despite the tragedy, despite everything that went bad and worse. It was hopeless, there was no path to victory, no chance of reaching an happy ending but still: A hero must stand no matter the odds. He had showed Shirou Emiya that mere hours ago.

And so he continued to stand.