Fate

10th Day

I'm having a nightmare

My wounded body, is hoping for a deeper sleep to gain as much rest as possible
However my mind is still dwelling on that scene, and can't sleep well
My yet to recover body is heating up, my heart, which keeps on regretting, is still been burned as well

Am I possessed by this nightmare
I'm in a coma, having dreams unconsciously

......How many were sacrificed
Though Tohsaka said there was no casualty, but that's only on the surface
Those whose lives were drawn out forcibly, can't possibly have no sequela at all
Their bodies will be unhealthy for a while, lack of oxygen would cause harm to their memories
And some students' skins were melted
Even if it's completely healed, they would still be scarred for life

......My body is in pain
I was nearly killed---no, my body which has certainly died once is cramping
The pains of my flesh are saying, even though involving everyone was a disaster, however I did good nevertheless
Because I stopped this disaster, avoided the harms that could've led to deaths
So I shouldn't be regretting, and there's no need to feel shame
Why not relax and fall to sleep now

No
I can't use an excuse such as this, to lie to myself

A tragedy took place, the fact that I was there but couldn't do anything about it remains unchanged
Though I said I'm going to save people
But then, I couldn't save anyone by myself
It's better if I just treat this whole deal as a misunderstanding, just pretend it never happened---so my mind and body can rest

......I'm pissed
Just because my body is weak, and now I'm thinking of lame excuse like this, don't joking around

It's impossible to have that kind of miracles

How can I say that just becaus it didn't happen the way I want it, and it was a tragedy I couldn't bare to watch, so now I'm going to do everything over, that's such a horrible insult
Make something that already happened into something 'never happened,' that I cannot do
Because that's impossible, and more importantly, I shouldn't do it

......Therefore, I cannot treat that event as if it never took place
I can only do one thing---if I don't like what I'm looking at right now, then think of ways to prevent it from ever happening again

Enough sleeping
Forget about my body
Let me get up and run if I can move
If I'm going to make nobody ever gets hurt as my dream, then even in the face of death, I will---

[----]

I open my eyes
Take a deep breath, and suck in air to my lungs

"----Hah"
The cold air of winter, rids of my sleepiness and nerves
Force of habit is quite incredible, it just pass six
Judging from the fact that I wake up at around the usual time, my body is probably recovering

"----OK"
I push up my body to fold the blanket
In the middle of this easy action, suddenly
I feel a pain from my left shoulder as if it's cracked

"Uuh...... Forget it, no surprise. It's not fully healed up after all"
But still, it's only 'pain'
It's much better compare to how I felt after been cut in half by Berserker a few days ago
My innards were a mess, the urge to vomit was a lot worse than pains

[----]

I walk to the hallway
The sky is full of clouds, as if it's going to rain

"Shirou, you're awake......?"
"Aah, I just woke up. Saber, on the other hand, is surprisingly early this morning. Aren't you usually still sleeping at this hour"

Nn, I haven't even cooked breakfast yet, how rare for Saber to wake up now

"......Shirou. I'm not sleeping because I like to. I think I said this before, I sleep until breakfast is ready only to save up mana. I hope you can stop using such wording that suggests I overslept"

"? Why. That's not what I meant. I just wanted to know is it fine for you to wake up this early"
"......Oh, is that so. You think it's strange for me to wake up early, is that it"

Saber's tone sounds cold
......Or am I thinking too much
The Saber this morning, seems more harsh than usual, and more frank

"No, not strange, it's fine. Saber has to sleep constantly only because of me. That I know, so wouldn't it be better for you to rest until I come over to wake you up this morning"

"Sure. However, that's only in standby status. The reason for me to sleep is to deal with emergency. It makes no sense to still be sleeping now"

"? Why doesn't it make sense. We're not fighting with anyone at the moment, and no one has come to assault us either"
"Eh......No, which is to say, that's"
Is it something uncomfortable to talk about, Saber is stuttering

"Forget it. There's no emergency right now, it's better for you to sleep before heading out. I will call for you after breakfast is done, save up your stamina before that. Because I'm going to borrow Saber's strength today"
I bid Saber goodbye and walk to the kitchen

"---Please hold on a minute, Shirou"
"? What is it, Saber, what else----"

"I can't pretend that I didn't hear what you just said. What did you say you're going to do"

"--------"
I can't help but hold my breath
She's obviously asking a question, but Saber is staring at me as if she's not going to let me answer

"And you body should be resting no matter what. Rin will prepare the breakfast. What Shirou should do, is to go back to your room and rest, let your body recover. I won't allow you to disagree"
"......Saber"
The atmosphere around Saber, becomes harsh, because she's seriously worrying about my body

"Please go back to your room, Shirou. The one who needs sleeps is not me, but you"
......Did she see through me. Saber's stares become more harsh
But even then---I cannot, leave Shinji alone

"No, I'm not going back to my room. I already had enough rests, and I have something I have to take care of. We're going out once we're all set, Saber. We're going to catch Shinji before today ends"

"Why. We don't have to catch Rider's Master today. Battles should begin after Shirou's wounds are healed. It won't be not too late by then"
"---Not true, Saber. Speaking of priority, my body is only secondary"

"----"
"We have no time. You know what kind of things that Shinji will do too. We have to separate him from Rider before he sets up another Barrier like that again. As long as he doesn't have a Servant, Shinji should be powerless"


"......Are you saying, you don't want to see more victims like those from yesterday to appear again. You're not fighting for the sake of defeating Rider's Master, but this?"

"That's not it. I just want Shinji to take the responsibility. For this, I have to defeat Rider. And it's only natural to act for the sake of preventing more victims from appearing. This kind of things, should be placed before the reason to fight"

"..................Is that so. Since Master says so, I can only obey"
And then Saber stops talking all together

[----]

"Looking for Shinji......? I don't mind, but you say this because you actually have some chances of winning, right, Shirou"

After breakfast
When I suggest that I can't leave Shinji alone, Tohsaka reacts this way

"Eh......chances of winning, to Shinji......?"
"Yeah. Let me say this beforehand, if you're going to say that you don't have any chance of winning yet you're still going to make a move on other Masters, I will laugh at you"

"Ah----m"
......Shit
Now that I think about it, I only thought of stopping Shinji, but didn't think of specific ways to stop him

"......Hold on. Emiya, you are serious?"
"Aw----sorry, you can laugh"
"......Whoa. Excuse me, this joke is way over my head"

......Aw. The way she reacts, really makes me realize how much of an idiot I am, I feel like my body is shrinking

"Saber. Your Master is this way, but how about you? Do you have any objection to fighting with Rider?"

"There shouldn't be a problem if we're just going to fight with Rider. I already confirm her caliber. This, I believe Shirou understands as well. However you put it, he already went against Rider directly before"

"Ah, is that so. Then Shirou knows what level Rider is, too"
Tohsaka asks me with her stares
Of course it's to ask how strong Rider is

Certainly, I can grasp the strength of Rider
Is it because I made a contract with a Servant, or is it because of the command spells
Even with the Servants of other Masters, I can determine their abilities in terms of numerical values after watching them fight
Rider herself is not a specially outstanding Servant

"Rider is not as strong as Saber. In one on one, I believe Saber will definitely not lose"

"Is that so. So you do have an edge, don't you. Because Shinji is not a Magus, Rider can't receive support from her Master. This way it would certainly turn out to be a solo between Saber and Rider"
".................."
What Tohsaka said is right
As long as the Master is Shinji, Rider can only fight by herself
Saber shouldn't have any disadvantage, however----

"What, such an unmotivated look. Is there any other problem?"
"......Aah. Listen, Tohsaka. Rider was obviously dominated by Saber whose combat abilities far surpassed her, yet she was able to take Shinji and run away. I think that was Rider's Noble Phantasm......"

The arrow of light that raped the hallway
If Saber didn't come over to push me down, that wave of destruction would blow apart my body without anything left
If that was Rider's secret weapon, then even if Rider her own ability was weaker, we still can't be optimistic about the situation
No, I think, even if the situation is optimistic, she's still an opponent whom we shouldn't provoke----

"......Humph. In another word, Rider is the type that her Noble Phantasm is superior to herself"

"So, Saber. Let's put Shirou aside for now, you should know what Rider's Noble Phantasm is, right? She already used it in front of you, you should be able to speculate at least"

"......I'm very sorry. I was protecting Shirou with all my might, I couldn't confirm what it was. If I was distracted because of that, perhaps Shirou and I would be engulfed in that blow"

"Engulfed...... What, Rider's Noble Phantasm is long range?"

"Very close. To categorize, it's similar to Rin's Sorcery. I suppose it's not an anti-personnel Noble Phantasm like my sword or Lancer's lance"

"Similar to my Sorcery, that's strange. Saber has an outstanding Resistance, right. Modern Sorcery can't harm you at all. Even you have to dodge it, then"

"----Yes. A mystery will be nullified in the face of a more powerful mystery. To penetrate my armors, it can only be the Magic you speak of, or the Phantasm races"
"A Magic-user---are you saying that Rider is a Magician......!?"

"No, I didn't sense that abundant of mana. She's a Rider. Should there be a Magic-user, I suppose only Caster can be. I'm afraid Rider's Noble Phantasm is something else"

Tohsaka sighs in relief after hearing Saber's reply
However, I still don't quite get it

"Saber. Is your armor that hard? You said only Magic can penetrate, so Lancer's Gáe Bulg"

"Eh......? Nm, Lancer's Gáe Bulg is certainly a 'Curse' that's similar to Magic, however...... Rin, can you explain it to Shirou"

"Me? ......Forget it, that's fine. Simply put, Shirou thought that only Magic can hurt Saber?"

"Ah, no...... that's not it. I just thought that such a hard armor is incredible"

"Of course it's incredible. Not just Saber, all of the Servants are Heroic Spirits, you know? Because they're spiritual bodies, normal methods can't harm them. Since Servants themselves are a king of mystery"

"The only ones that can harm Servants with physical means, are other Servants who are also Heroic Spirits. On the contrary, if they're both Servants, even a mere paper cutter can hurt Saber"

"......Which means if the opponent is a Servant, Saber's armor is not that perfect......correct?"

"Right. But since Saber herself has such excellent close combat skills, even battling using weapons would not harm Saber. The only attacks left are the long range ones, which are tools that disregard space such as Sorcery, however though Saber is obviously a knight she also has a considerable Resistance, most of the Sorcery would be deflected"

"Curses that represent misfortunes can't work at all, it's useless to release mana in the forms of arrows to intercept directly either. To defeat Saber, you can only assault her up front"
"--------"

Saber listens to Tohsaka's explanation quietly
She didn't interrupt, which means it's true

"What, that's not fair. If you can't win with swordsmanship, then you can only rely on Sorcery, but what can you do if even Sorcery itself doesn't affect Saber. Somehow it feels a bit unfair"

"That's true. But it's not like Saber can never lose in close range combats, right? Even judging by brute strength alone, Berserker is on top of Saber, Lancer has a lance of certain kill in terms of weapons. And the aforementioned Rider also has a Noble Phantasm that can push Saber back, so Saber is not perfect either"

"We also have ways to defeat Saber. The simple way out would be casting a Sorcery that's more powerful than Saber's Resistance, or borrow a Servant's weapon and cut off her head when she's asleep. Since a Servant's weapon has the same spirituality as the Servant itself, so it's possible to harm her that way"

"..................Mm"
Though it's a very dangerous analogy, but now I can understand
---Uh, wait a second, Tohsaka
You can't say things like that right in front of the person you're talking about

"Is-is that so. That means it's not that Rider's Noble Phantasm is especially outstanding, but just because it's an attack from a Servant, so Saber has to concentrate on defense"

"How so. If Saber concentrates on defense, no matter Rider herself does anything wouldn't possibly pin Saber down. Since Rider herself is not that outstanding of a Heroic Spirit, so it's not a big deal even if she uses a Noble Phantasm. Right, Saber? I suppose Rider's Noble Phantasm is a weapon that has 'no relation' to her own ability?"

"I'm afraid so. I believe it's an automatic weaponry that does not rely on Rider's technique or mana, a Noble Phantasm that possesses effects of its own. Similar to Sorcery or Phantasm races. Regardless of which one it is, whatever was released from that Array was preponderant. I suppose there's not a Servant who can survive once he's been hit directly"

"Really? How much is it in terms of value?"
"In your words, it's A+. Though this is only my personal speculation, you can't conclude it for sure"

"A+!? What, isn't that near Magic......! Whoa, how come the school wasn't blown away after using that"

"Perhaps it's not a tool simply for destruction. Maybe it has other purposes originally"

"......Is that so. But that's still very troublesome. From what Saber said, it sounds like it's not only on A ranking, but also has the strongest instantaneous attack power among Servants"

"..................Humph. Apparently it's indeed a Noble Phantasm excel in both offense and defense"

To Tohsaka who's in deep thoughts, Saber agrees with a peculiar expression

"......?"
What's wrong
Saber looks as if, she's in a bad mood

"......Saber? Do you have some problem with Tohsaka's opinion?"
"Eh......? Ah-no-that's not the case...... Mm, to inquire into which side is stronger, is an inappropriate behavior for a knight......"

"?"
Suspicious
It's as if Saber feels embarrassed for her attitude, she is stuttering and can't bring herself to finish the sentence

"......Forget it. By the way, isn't what you just said very strange? What do you mean by Saber and Lancer's Noble Phantasms are anti-personnel"
"Anti-personnel Noble Phantasms......? No, just as the words suggest. My Barrier of the Wind King and Lancer's Gáe Bulg, are just weapons use to 'defeat the enemy.' Even if they carry powerful mana, or Curses, their purpose is still dealing with people"

......Nm, that's true
That invisible sword of Saber's, is indeed quite an advantage during battles

But that's only when dealing with people
When you're chopping firewood, speed wouldn't change whether the sword is visible or not
Same with Lancer's Gáe Bulg
The accursed lance that will always penetrate one's heart, if you're facing rocks and houses, it's nothing but a very sharp lance

"......I see, so that's why it's called anti-personnel Noble Phantasms. Then Rider's Noble Phantasm is----"

"It should be an anti-battalion Noble Phantasm. Now that I think about it, I did hear my Father mentioned before. Among Noble Phantasms, there are those exceptionally good at against personnel, and those exceptionally good at against battalion"

"Simply put, anti-personnel Noble Phantasms are like guns with infinite bullets, and anti-battalion Noble Phantasms are like missiles that only have one shot. Rider's Noble Phantasm, though strong, but there should be many restrictions in use for that matter. At least, it's not a Noble Phantasm like Saber's sword that can keep a 'can't be seen' state continually"

"Wh----"

Hold on
Guns and missiles, that's incomparable
Though Saber's 'invisible sword' is also pretty amazing, but in the face of that kind of mess up Noble Phantasm, she would be blown away before swinging her sword----

"......In another words. If we're going to fight with Rider, we have to defeat her before she uses her Noble Phantasm"

"Supposedly. We don't stand a chance if we fight each other with Noble Phantasms. If you're going to look for Rider and Shinji, please keep this in mind. Before anything else, we have to defeat Rider before she takes out her Noble Phantasm. It's more unfavorable for us as the battle drags on longer"

"Or if you defeat Rider's Master while I'm fighting. That Master can't fight, perhaps this is a more solid plan"

This is the conclusion
Not only do we not know what Rider's Noble Phantasm is, and that Noble Phantasm is extremely powerful
Since we don't have any way to confront it, so we can only defeat her before she uses it
Regardless of what other Servants' Noble Phantasms are, they cannot go all out with Rider's Noble Phantasm

"......Thanks for the advice, Tohsaka. We're going to look for Shinji, what about you. Are you going to watch the house?"

"......That's true, if you say so, it's fine for us to look for Shinji too---forget it, let's not. Rider is not the only enemy, and to begin with, we only cooperate to defeat Berserker. When Shirou is chasing after Shinji, we also have other necessary things to deal with"

Tohsaka reveals a somewhat cold smile, and stands up
"Then goodbye. I look forward to hear your good news"

I let Tohsaka stay at home, and take off with Saber
Seven-thirty in the morning
It's quiet on the hill road
Though it's usually the time for students to go to school, but today there is only a few silhouettes

"It seems that school is suspended. Even if no one died, but most of the students still can't stand up"

"......Just like serious malnutrition conditions. It'd probably take a few days until they can move around normally"

However, those are the victims with less damage
Skin deterioration, death of extremity issues
Allegedly there are even some who nearly lost their sights

"......I heard Taiga was sent to hospital too. Is it all right if we don't visit the sick, Shirou?"
"Aah, Fuji-nee is only tired. She even said I shouldn't worry about it, and study hard at home"

Before heading out, I made a call to Fujimura household, to make sure Fuji-nee is fine
Though I want to visit her, but right now I have to bear with it

"Focus on searching then. This is fine, but does Shirou have any idea? Though I can sense a Servant's air, but I wouldn't notice it unless I'm nearby. If there are no clues, wouldn't it be hard to find them"

"Aah. Certainly, if Shinji doesn't do anything and just go in hiding, it'd be hard to find them. But with that guy's personality, after what happened yesterday, I don't think he'd behave so well"
Shinji is not the type who will change for good after he's defeated
He's the kind of man who will fight back several times over after he got beat up

"......So, you're saying Rider's Master will set up a Barrier again......?"

"No doubt. That guy is like me, who can't provide Servants with mana. If he wants revenge, he will have to save up mana. Then it shouldn't be that hard to find them, right"

"---Not looking for Rider's Master, but a Barrier"
"Aah. Even if we can't sense the air of a Master, that kind of Barrier can be noticed as soon as we are close to it. And we can also narrow down the locations. We only need to find large buildings, with plenty people gathering"

"I'm astonished. That's amazing, Shirou"
"Hey. I'm not that brainless. If I don't have the confident to find them, I wouldn't say that kind of things"

......That's right, I do have confident
Though it's also because it's easy to find a Barrier, but it's more meaningful for us to walk around like that
Since just as I wouldn't leave Shinji alone, I'm afraid that guy, is not going to just leave me here without getting his revenge

To be on the safe side, we come to Shinji's home
Let Saber to sense whether there's Rider's air or not
In the end there's none
......Forget it, he's not a man who would be calm enough to lurk in his own house

"Let's get going. Shinji won't be here if he's going to set up a Barrier, it would be over at Shinto. Let's stroll all the edifices on the Shopping District"
I speak up to Saber, and leave the Matou residence

"Is this all right, Shirou? Here's Sakura's house, right. Since we're already here, how about say hi to her? I believe we still have enough time for this"

"--------"
I sure am worrying about Sakura
I heard from Tohsaka that Sakura just doesn't feel well, fortunately she doesn't have any physical wound
Even so, if possible, I do want to take a look at her, since I'm always in her care, I should repay her kindness at least

However----

"Forget it. Before this war is over, we can't meet Sakura and drag her into this mess"

......And, more importantly
I, who is going to fight with Sakura's older brother, can't meet with Sakura
If worse comes to worse and it turns out that I kill Shinji, perhaps I can't meet with Sakura for the rest of my life

......So, it's better not to linger
This is the best way to me, I believe to Sakura as well, this must be the best----

[----]

We walk among edifices arbitrarily
Though we've already seen some larger buildings, but there isn't any reaction at all

"--------"
I wipe away the sweats on my forehead, and move about my limbs which have become heavy like lead
My breathing is labored , so I take a deep breath for a bit

"? Shirou, is there something wrong----"
Saber turns to me who is standing still, and her face stiffened all of a sudden

"Shirou, come here"
"Eh...... Hold on, that's a park over there. There are other buildings that we haven't seen----"

"Please talk about that later. Right now coming over here is a priority"
Did she find something bothering her
Saber pulls me toward the park with a harsh tone

"Wait a-Saber......! What are we coming here for. There's nothing here. Saber should know this too!?"

"All right, please sit on the chair over there. We'll talk about it later"

"Mm----"
Me? Saber's eyes are pressuring me, I sit on the chair reluctantly
Suddenly----

Just for an instant, I lose my conscious

"Ah----eh"

I press my head with one hand
My forehead is sweating, though I'm sitting but I'm out of breath
......Uh, wait a minute
Why am I sweating, in this cold winter day

"......How strange. Am I this tired"

Just as I say this, I finally notice my own body's condition
It's not because I'm tired
This is only because, my wounds which haven't healed up are hurting again

"----Uuh"
......What's going on. No matter how many deep breaths I take, I can't change my labored breathing back to normal
My waist on the bench is heavy, my legs refuse to stand up right

"It seems like you finally notice your own body, Shirou"
Saber is angry
......But of course. How can I, who said I'm going to find Shinji, rest on a bench

"---I'm sorry. I can move again immediately, just wait a second"
"That's not what I'm going to say. Apparently it's useless no matter what I tell you"

"----?"
I know Saber's angry
Though I know, but I still don't know what she's angry at me for

"Hold on, Saber. I don't know what you want to talk about, if you don't make it clear"

"There's no need to explain if you don't know already. All right, Shirou please rest over there. If you don't like to rest by yourself, I'll accompany you"
As she speaks, Saber sits down right besides me

"Eh----"
A bench, isn't something very big
Saber who is next to me, and I, are close to the point where our shoulders will collide with one another just by tilting our bodies slightly

"Hold----no, hold on, Saber. We don't have time to rest. We're not here to fool around----"
"I'm not here to fool around either. Resting is an important part of battles. If you have any complaint, please make yourself breath properly first"

"Uuh...... No, what breathing properly, you"
Though my body is really tired and can't breath unhindered, but if Saber comes any closer, my heart will go berserk----

"Shirou, are you listening to me? You were just pushing your own body, now please relax your shoulders and calm down. Your body can't rest if your mind is wandering"

"No, I mean"
If you want me to calm down, shouldn't you stay a bit farther away from me
I don't know what Saber's thinking, but for me, Saber's a girl of my age

No, though actually she's younger than me, but anyhow she's a girl
......And, well, one who possesses a surreal beauty
A girl like that in such proximity, as a man, how can I stay calm

"......Shirou? Am I thinking too much, I feel like you look worse than before"
"Non-nonsense......! My-my mind is not wandering!"

"......That's fine then...... But wouldn't it be better if you lie down. The place you can rest around here---"

Saber is looking from left to right
......Uh
Why would there be a guy sleeping on his lover's knees in a nice and quiet park like this

"........................"
And Saber, is looking at that couple, while she's pondering over something

"Shirou. Lie down if you feel uncomfortable----"
"It's all right! I will be calm immediately if I quiet down, don't worry too much! Just ignore me for now!"

I turn my face away from Saber, close my eyes so as to avoid eye contact
".............................."
......Calm down my feeling
And next, I just need to be as unconscious of Saber, who is right besides me as possible, and take deep breaths like crazy----

[----]

After a night, the fire had weakened

What used to be a wall of fire that licked up vigorously, was no more
Surrounded by a scorched grassland, the burnt woods were making noises and fuming
I was still lying on the ground, thinking that that noise sure sounds like from a sparkler

The sky was all gloomy
Rain would come down soon, and the fire would probably be ended too
I couldn't even breath, just stared at the sky idly

All around me, were burnt corpses
I had burn marks all over my body, particularly on my chest, there was an especially sharp, and scorching sensation

Thrust into my chest
It's like I could grab my heart right away, if I stretched my fingers into the rotten flesh

---Aah, now that I think about it

I didn't fall down because I was tired
The already paralyzed body, is not gentle enough to rest just from fatigues
I believe, the reason I fell down was
I got injuries, that stalled my limbs

I succumbed to my fate, no panicking
Since I already knew there was no way out, and all the people around me also died in this fashion, I wasn't afraid
Just raised my head to stare into the gloomy sky, and observed my slowly stepping toward death self

But, even so
In my hazy conscious, I was still dwelling on the thought of calling for help until the last moment before death----

[----]

......Uh, that's strange
What burning sensation on my chest, I don't recall such a thing

"--------"
I sit up all of a sudden
Open the front of my shirt, to confirm my own body

"---Yeah. There's no injury"

There's no scar on my chest
Back then I almost died because of the burns and I could barely breath, but no critical injuries
If I did have critical injuries, then even Kiritsugu wouldn't be able to save me

No, compare to that kind of things, more importantly----

"Whoa, it's already at night......! Did I fall asleep, Saber!?"
"Yes. I didn't wake you up because you were sleeping so deeply, but it seems that it was worth it. Compare to before, Shirou looks a lot better"
Saber is right besides me, she replies with perfect composure

"......You're so bad. Even if it's my fault for falling asleep, but couldn't you wake me up. I said we don't have time to rest"

"Resting is an essential act. And Shirou only slept for about an hour, so there isn't any problem"
"Mm, that's judging from the result. What do you intend to do if I didn't wake up"

"That's true, I think it's about time. It becomes cold after the sunset, I was just thinking about waking you up"

Saber answers straightforwardly
......Not good. No matter how I think, Saber is right this time

"......Forget it, my body is a lot better now"

I stand up from the bench, and slowly walk onto the grassland
On the grassland, there's nothing like what it was in the past
Be it the residential area, or that crimson world
However, just from sleeping here I saw that meaningless mirage, this still makes me angry

"Shirou......? Any problem......?"
"Aah, no. I just thought that if I should've been somewhere else if I wanted to rest. This place, has way too many unpleasant memories"

"Unpleasant memories......? Does Shirou have some sort of connection with this place?"

"Eh......? Right, I haven't talked about it. I, used to live around here. But it was ten years ago. There was a huge fire back then, both my parents and our house were burned down. That's when I was saved by Dad, and then adopted to be his son"

"Wh......What, you"
"Aah, I'm not Kiritsugu's blood-related child. And not completely unrelated to the Holy Grail War either. I heard this is the final battlefield for the last War. I, who survived here, actually became a Master. Should I say this is ironic, or fateful"

I'm walking on the grassland
Obviously ten years have passed since then, yet the grass here doesn't seem to be growing well still
......Perhaps it's the regrets of the deceased, that tainted this land

"Shirou. Is this why you don't want to see any more victims? Because you yourself is a victim of the Holy Grail War, so you don't want another victim like yourself to appear......?"
"Eh----No, that's"

Now that I think about it, perhaps that really was my intention
But amazingly enough, somehow I never thought of it that way before

"......How should I say this. Though what Saber said was right, but I suppose my reason is simpler. Ten years ago, when I was saved by Kiritsugu right here, I could only feel happiness. Because I didn't have anything, that's why I long for becoming someone like that"

That's right, all I could feel was just happiness at that time
From making a wish to be saved, to have my wish granted, the emotion involved cannot be expressed through words

However, at the same time
The more happy I am, the more guilt I feel

"But, I feel uncomfortable about only my wish was granted. Though I was saved by Dad, but all the other people weren't saved, and it's always been like this"

Everyone was asking for help, and there was only one among them, my wish was granted

To save one man
All the others were sacrificed

And so---Emiya Shirou, has to take up this responsibility

"However, what already happened cannot be reversed. If I want to repay the deceased. At least I should prevent this kind of things from happening again. I won't let the tragedy ten years ago to take place again. If it did, then I wouldn't be able to face those who were sacrificed. I suppose my reason, is just something of this level"

Now we have to hurry and begin to search for Shinji again
My body is feeling well, we need to finish strolling buildings that we haven't investigated yet quickly
And, there will be less pedestrians at night
If Shinji wants to assault us, this would be a golden opportunity for him
If we're going to use ourselves as a bait, then what happens next will be the main course

"Let's go, Saber. Anyhow let's return to the Shopping District first"
"............"
"Saber......? What, did you forget something?"

"No. Just, I remember something from this morning. I told you to heal your wounds first and then go look for the Master of Rider, and Shirou told me that I confused the priorities"
"?"
Mm......so maybe I did, but I don't remember something this trivial

"Shirou said similar things yesterday as well. Though I had this feeling since a while ago, but I only confirmed it until then. ---You're a man, who don't intend to save yourself"

As if that's a kind of sins
Saber stares at me directly and says with certainty

"You value others before yourself. Though this is truly extraordinary, but this way you will certainly regret it one day. ......Shirou, you should value yourself more"
Saber walks pass me

"Let's go. Staying here certainly will bring you burdens"

Saber walks toward the Shopping District
Though I wanted to call out to her, but in the end I couldn't

"----What are you"

What are you talking about, though I wanted to say this, but my throat is stuffed
What's with the don't intend to save myself, how can that be
Though I can't possibly have that idea, but for some reason---I can't even find one sentence to deny it

---We're walking along the street of night
It's over eight already
The time when it's lively in front of the train station, Saber and I gaze at the town's park

"We went over all the main buildings already. Is there anywhere else to go?"
"That's true, there are some factories in those rather remote areas. Those are also places where people gather, and we need to investigate. However I personally think factories don't go with Shinji's taste"

......I can hardly face Saber even as I'm answering
Perhaps I'm affected by the conversation before
And because Saber's acting as if she didn't say those words, which bothers me more

"And what about Saber? Have you sensed Rider's air?"
"......No, I have not. Since I fought with her once, I will pick up something if we come close, however----"

A surreal touch of penetrating skin
Even I can sense this wave of mana
Saber can't possibly overlook

"......Shiou. I suppose I don't have to say anything"
"I know. ......So, are they around here, Saber"
"No, it appears that they're not that close yet. But they indeed are watching us. ......This mana, is perhaps a declaration of war"

Watching us......which means, they finally took the bait
Judging from the fact that Rider's obvious release of mana, she's leading us there

"----So. Is this sensation, Rider"
I switch my conscious
The clumsiness from a moment ago, is already been thrown faraway

"I'll search for the mana. Please be careful, Master"
I nod without making a sound
The killing intents penetrate my skin akin to needles, they're coming from the Shopping District where pedestrians are gradually leaving

Is it just so happened that no one is working overtime today
The so-called symbols of Shinto, the lights of the buildings are almost gone

Only a few silhouettes are on sidewalks, the field of vision is not bad
No one suspicious, Shinji should be on the other end......which is the park where we were

......The killing intents that penetrate my skins have strengthen again
There is certainly an 'enemy' nearby
No, or should I say
"--------Uuh"
A chill runs down my spine
Even an amateur like me can sense this killing intent, are we already within the attack range of the 'enemy'

"......Saber, be careful. Somehow, this is really uncanny"
"......Nm, Shirou's impression is correct. Though I don't think we would be assaulted in a place with people around like this, but that also depends on the opponent. Being cautious would not be asking too much"

Without saying a word, I nod and walk toward the park
At time like this, let's ignore the pressure of as if someone pulls a knife on my neck for now

I can't see Shinji or Rider on the Shopping District
If they're coming to assault us, they should be in the park where nobody is around----

"Shirou----!"
"? What is it, Saber"

I turn to Saber
She leaps up like a lightning

Deflects the attack, just above my head

"!?"

I raise my head
In front of me is an edifice rise straight up to the sky
And on the side of the edifice, is the 'enemy' who clings to it like a spider

"Wh----"

A long hair that nearly covers her entire body, and those exquisite, fair-skinned limbs
That person who hid her face behind the mask, is surely the Servant of Rider without a doubt............!!

"----Huu"

The attack comes from around the fifth floor of the edifice, that person licks her lips for a bit, and looks at me
......My back is frozen
No doubt
Did that person jump down from the top of the edifice, and aimed for my head from a blind spot just now----!

Saber lands
Saber, who jumps over my head to deflect Rider's attack, becomes armed in an instant

"Saber, that woman......!"
"I will go after her! Shirou please stay here......!"
"Eh---go after, how!?"
Saber kicks the ground
The silver armor disappears from my sight in a flash

"Wh----!?"

If I would to say Rider is absurd for jumping down from the top of the building, then Saber who only needs a hop to chase after Rider is just as absurd
No, common sense does not apply to them, the Servants
Saber, like Rider, is stepping on the side of the edifice, charge toward Rider like lightning----!

Two dark silhouettes meet up quickly

Clash, separate in the mid-air, and then step on the edifice and clash again, these two look just like a dogfight between two fighters
And I----

"--------"
I can't just stay here and watch
Is it because there isn't any place to stand, Saber is not overwhelmingly pressing down Rider like before
The battle between the two is advancing toward the sky bits by bits, moving with the top of the edifice as their target

"Right, the top--------!"

If Rider came down from the top of the building, then the possibility of Shinji being there is pretty high......!

There are two conditions in fighting with Rider
Beat Rider before she takes out her Noble Phantasm, or defeat Shinji who is her Master
Since Saber is fighting with Rider, is there's only one thing that I should be doing----!

[----]

The two silhouettes continue to rise up
It's already fairly distant from the ground, yet the battle's height is still increasing
Neither of them need any place to stand, with a mere action of kicking against the wall, they can fly toward higher ground

During that process
In the instants of flying, with the top of the building as the target, battles are repeating in a loop
If there's someone looking up from the ground, he might associate this scene with a pinball table
However, the two fighting each other can't be grasped by naked eyes

It's an acrobatic show of death where the performers can't be seen, and only the courses of their movement can be barely followed

"----Tch"
This kind of performance is not what Saber expected
Even as a Servant, she cannot fly in the sky by herself
Even though she can rush on the walls of the edifice, but as a result she can only rush all the way to the top of the building

This is no different from free falls
It's either keep going up before the momentum is used up, or loses the momentum and falls down
Therefore, if one describes this act as a 'fall into the sky,' he wouldn't be wrong
Since the beginning, the top of the building has been used as a target
During the process, in an instant, if one receives a blow from the opponent, then she can only fall to the ground piteously

---However

This rule, doesn't apply to the enemy that Saber has to defeat

The purple trace is pursuing Saber, who is rising continually on the side of the edifice
Rider is traveling both vertically and horizontally, drawing many arcs from all angles to assault Saber, as if she's not bounded by gravity
Her long hair is flowing like a comet, that fashion is just like a snake that entangled a huge tree

"Tch......!"

Saber's feet touch the wall
She tilts her body to the side, kicks against the wall with the edifice's corner as the target

Saber's course which originally goes straight for the top of the building, suddenly makes a ninety-degree turn
---Escapes the fluent chasing
In terms of instantaneous explosive force, Rider is still unmatched for Saber, she puts a great distance between herself and Rider after that kick, and jumps to the edge of the edifice where one part sticks out, and jumps again

This time it's upward
If to say Rider is a snake that entangles the edifice, then Saber is akin to exploding sparks

However, did Rider anticipate Saber's movement
The distance between the two has not changed
Rider rushes on the side of the edifice following Saber closely, and reveals her fangs just as Saber needs to jump----!

"Grr......!"

Saber blocks Rider, and jumps into the space given up by Rider
Even if she can blocks Rider's entangling chasing, but there's a limit to what she can do while floating in the mid-air

The one-sided dominating swordsmanship from last time, has become fairly even on this battlefield
There's not one decisive strike in the battle between these two
No, Rider herself is the one that avoids the decisive strikes
When Saber jumps toward the direction of Rider, Rider merely takes on Saber's attack, there's no sign of countering
Rider is only aiming for the fleeting moment when Saber jumps toward the top, in order to hamper her

"Grr---don't you have any intention to fight, Rider......!"

Saber curses at the enemy that avoids the battle
As a knight, this way of fighting is a form of humiliation
Battle has to be fighting with all of one's might, to decide the outcome
Under this belief, Rider's behavior is a sort of insult to her

"Haha---it seems that you're not good at high places, Saber"

Rider replies with a cold tone
What Rider says is correct, Saber is not used to fighting in the air
This kind of fights, tonight is the first for her

Knights are warriors that roam on land, to begin with
Not the type that attaches to walls like the woman in front of her

"The sword that you're so proud of has no use here, does it? But please be at ease, I will relief you of your pains very soon"
Rider is slowly increasing the height as if she's luring Saber
She's creating this circumstance purposely

"--------"

Saber is aware of it as well
The end of this game
What's awaiting her, is definitely Rider's shot of certain kill no doubt

Rider's trump card, can't be used easily
Hence she's luring the prey to a place like this with no obstacles, declaring victory with her most powerful strike

Once she arrives at the rooftop, Saber will be pushed into a corner
If Rider's Noble Phantasm is just as Saber suspected, then there would be no way to defend against it

However, she has already reached the point of no return
Even if Saber disregards of Rider, she cannot leave Rider's Master alone

Not because, defeating the enemy is the rule of the Holy Grail War

In order to protect her Master, she has to defeat Rider right here

......Because there's no way around it
Though even herself is astonished
But this is all because, she thought, she shouldn't push her simpleminded and honest Master any further

---The distance between the two to the ground is increasing gradually
As the spontaneous exchanges of offense and defense continue, they advance toward the final destination of the battle

[----]

"Damn it, how come it only goes up to the fortieth floor"

I run up the stairs as I curse
Though I enter the edifice through the back door, but the elevator doesn't reach the top floor
The ten floors before reaching the top of the building, I can only run with my own two feet

"Hah----hah, hah, hah----!"

I use all of my might to climb the stairs
How long have it been since I separate with Saber?
I think---it should be under ten minutes, but it's still too long

I don't know how this battle will end
Saber's not perfect either
It's possible for her to be pushed to a dead end because of one critical mistake
So before that, I will just have to---find Shinji and force him to use up the command spells, then there shouldn't be any need to fight with Rider

"Huu----hah, hah............!"

......The body that just recovered from extensive injuries, I feel more severe pains as I run upward
My breathing sped up while I was looking for the back door of the edifice, and run to the stairs
Even so, my pace has not slow down, it's faster instead

I have a bad omen
Though I don't know why I get this feeling, but my heart feels miserable
It's not physical pain, but more along the line of crisis alarm sounded

......Saber can't win
On the rooftop, there is something that one shouldn't make enemy of

As if trying to eliminate this ill omen, I run upward like hell

---What a strong wind
At the same time as I open the door, the street's night scenery reflects in my eyes
On top of the cement ground, it's burned black everywhere
The floor that makes a buzz sound, is like an iron plank used to barbecue

In the midst of all
Saber is kneeling down right in the middle of the rooftop which has a large potion been burned and slashed apart

"Saber............!"
"Shirou......!? Why would you be here----!"

Saber is panting, she seems to be anxious
Right when I intend to run over there----I notice something strange floating in the air

No
It's the overwhelming mana beyond my comprehension, that forced me to notice it

"Wh----"

I look up at the sky
The sounds of wing flapping
White, purer than the dusky moon

......That is
Unheard of outside of myths, a 'Mystery' exceeding legends

[----]

Before the instant her Master reached the rooftop
She has been confronting the enemy's 'true form'

"Hah---, hah, ah---"

Saber supports her nearly crumbling down body with the sword, and raises her head
The white glow that gallops without ever taking a break
Saber releases the winds entwined her sword, to make an invisible wall
Saber's body is been pushed aside
The defensive wall that's supposed to lower various forms of impacts, can't even slow down the speed of the Pegasus

"Uuh............!"

Saber's sent flying by the impact, and falls to the ground defenselessly

---But there's no time for her to lie on the ground

The Pegasus turns around in the air, and starts to slide again immediately

"Huu......!"

It's impossible to block it
She can only jump up to dodge it
But even if she gets out of the way, that shock wave would still destroy the wind wall that protects Saber gradually
If this goes on, the moment when she is hit up front defenselessly will certainly come

The white glow is hovering
The Pegasus is sliding from a faraway sky, sweeping Saber without touching the rooftop, and returns to the air once again

It's impossible to chase after it
There are no walls she can use, even if there are, who in the world can catch that Pegasus

"Hah......ha, hah, ha----"

Even in this unfavorable situation, Saber is still waiting for a chance to counter
Though it's a Pegasus, but since it's alive, so it should be able to be killed
Saber's only chance to win, is for Rider to make a mistake while bestriding the Pegasus

"I would have never guessed. You're actually this tough"

The voice comes from above
Saber is still holding the sword, looks to the mid-air

"However, does that hold any meaning still? You don't have any chance of winning. Since you're going to be destroyed, please just vanish"

Rider's voice is very calm
But in the depth of that voice, one can sense some shreds of delight

"......Humph. Though I did surmised that it could be a Phantasm race. But I never thought something like this would show up, Rider"

---Phantasm race
Just as the words suggested, it's something that only exists in fantasy
For instance, demi-humans such as elves or giants
And magical beasts such as ghosts and dragons
Those which in itself are 'Mysteries,' their existences are capable of over top Sorcery

A Mystery will be nullified in the face of a more powerful Mystery

Just like the power of Sorcery, which can be stored up in the form of knowledge
A Phantasm race stores the power with its long life-span

Study Sorcery with a human's body, at most, it can only last five hundred years
For those Phantasm races which have existed since the primeval age, five hundred years old of Mysteries are absolutely incomparable

However, for men and Phantasm races to live in the same world, is already a thing in the past
For the longer the Phantasm races live, the farther apart they will be from the world
The Phantasm races which are still in this world, should only have the power of a few hundred years

Therefore, in the beginning Saber also suspected that what Rider bestrides, would be a Phantasm race that is only been around for a few hundred years, however----

"......You actually summoned a thing from the mythical age. What a serious sin, Rider"
"That's right, I'm different from any of you. Or should I say, I was nothing but your enemy. Therefore, what I bestride is also a miserable child banished by the likes of you"

"---I see. I thought you are a twisted Heroic Spirit, but not even that, you're just an ogre or the sort"
"......Humph, please insult me to your heart's content. You can't even touch this child of mine"

The Pegasus is resting in the air
Akin to a huge arrow, it will penetrate Saber whenever an opening appears

"----"

Saber is pondering as she looks at it
A Pegasus itself is not that strong of a Phantasm race
For average pegasi, even after they've matured, are but a Phantasm race of magical beast class
Not a match for her 'Barrier of the Wind King'

However, that one is different
The Pegasus which existed since the mythical age, has already reached the class of a mythical beast
That Pegasus is near the highest class of Phantasm race, 'the dragon race'

......No, in terms of defense it has already reached the realm of dragon race
Because that Pegasus possesses, a defense more powerful than Saber's so-called highest Resistance
It releases powerful mana as it slides, just as if a huge city wall is charging

---Against that kind of things, you can't possibly defend or dodge

However, to one's surprise

That Pegasus is only a thing summoned by Rider, it doesn't have a true name
For Rider, that Pegasus worths pretty much the same as her favorite dagger

Which means---that dark rider, has not used her Noble Phantasm yet

"--------"

Even in a crisis, Saber has never thought that she would lose
Rather, she can take a step to victory only after Rider intending to use her Noble Phantasm
Regardless of what Rider's Noble Phantasm might be, if it's only capable of destroying this edifice then it's fine
After she blocks that strike completely, she can defeat the Rider who becomes defenseless after attacking

---That's right
If her Master, has not shown up here

"Wh----"

I look up at the sky
The sounds of wing flapping
White, purer than the dusky moon

......That's
Unheard of outside of myths, a 'Mystery' exceeding legends

"------A pe-pegasus......?"

That's the true form of Rider's Noble Phantasm
Is this the true form of what scorched the rooftop, and makes Saber kneel down
Rider is just as her class suggested, riding on a horse that roams across the sky

"!?"
My conscious breaks away from Rider
Just now, there was definitely a voice----

"Is it Shinji......! You're here, aren't you, come out......!"

I can't determine, how much power does Rider who bestrides the Pegasus possess
I only know, that white devil was weaved by the mana of at least a few hundreds of Magi

Of course the rooftop would be burned
That thing can reduce everything around it to nothingness just from running loose
If it really rushes down from the sky, perhaps even Saber can't stop it

"Stop hiding......! Since you're here, at least show your face......!"
Right now I have to strive for more time
Rider is already using her Noble Phantasm
So---our last straw is to defeat Shinji, and make Rider disappear......!

"----Ha. Haha, ahaha, ahahahahaha!"

The laughters are spreading here
Shinji---is he hiding behind something

"Shinji......!"
"Now do you see, Emiya! This is the difference between us!"
He speaks up again

"Uuh......!"
I surppress the worries in my mind, and concentrate on hearing that laughter
......Damn it, the winds are too strong......!
I can't tell where are the laughters coming from......!

"What a shame, you're an idiot got yourself into this because you tried to act all high and mighty......! When you kill someone you have to fuck him up nice and clean, do you get it now......!?"

"Shinji............!"
I can't rush
Just let him talks about whatever he wants for now, the more he talks, the easier for me to find him---!

"I'm different from you. Both you and that Servant will have to die here. Well, it's not like I don't care about our friendship in the past. Plus the favor I owed you from yesterday. I will at least let you die effortlessly---!"

"----!"

----Oh no
The Pegasus that was standing by in the air, turns its head slightly toward Saber at below
The whirl of mana is increasing its number of revolution as if there's no limit to it
Rushing here with a high speed like this, the entire rooftop will be reduced to smithereens----!

"What, relax Emiya. Though I was stopped by you before, but those fools in the school will follow your steps very soon. If you feel lonely, make that annoying Sakura to go with you is fine too!"

"Shinji, you----!"

"Go, Rider! Starts with that woman, don't leave any scraps......!"

"Tch, Saber......!"

A white comet, has fallen from sky
Just as I take my eyes off the comet, and run toward Saber

---A storm is stirring up right in front of me

[----]

"Saber......!"
"Wh------"

This is the first time Saber forgets about her enemy in the middle of a battle
Because she is angry at her Master,who came here to toss his life away
And also at herself, who failed to anticipate the arrival of her Master

However, those are all trivial now
For anyhow
Even under this desperate situation, in his eyes, there are worries for Saber

"Shirou--------"

---Think carefully, he has been this way every since the beginning

In his eyes, though he knew she's quite an outstanding knight
But never once did he treat her as a knight

"It seems the fun sideshows are about to end, Saber"

Soft laughters
Rider puts her hands around the Pegasus' neck, let the Pegasus' wings to flap even harder

"My Noble Phantasm is not suited for using on the ground, for it is too powerful. Once it is used, it will attract people's attentions no matter what. Since other Masters are still around, I can't use it easily. However, I don't need to worry about others spying on me when I'm over here. You can understand why I lured you to a more convenient location, can't you?"

Something that's lacking from before, appears in Rider's hands
It's a really small, and seemingly insignificant golden bridle

"---Is that your Noble Phantasm, Rider"

"Nm, but this is not what I intended. This child is too gentle, so he's not suited to fight. Therefore I have to apply something like this to make it becomes serious"

Pegasus' head is lower
This is not the will of the Pegasus itself, but a ferocious bestiality brought out by Rider

"---Vanish, Saber. Even if you survive, your Master has no way of dodging my attack. Once your Master is dead, even someone as tough as you will surely come to an end, right?"

---That's an undisputed fact

Rider's Noble Phantasm, really can destroy the entire rooftop
Though if she's hurried, she can grab her Master and escape from the rooftop, but she won't be able to stop Rider's attack from desstroying the rooftop
Her Master is not tough enough to survive in a crumbling building

Therefore, in order to protect her Master
She can only defeat that enemy, the Pegasus

"--------"

She doesn't have the time to ponder whether this is right or not
She only takes another look at her Master, who is faraway
He is gritting his teeth, fulfilling his duty

"----O winds"

Just like this, her perplexity is gone
She puts whatever will happen afterward behind her head as well
Right now she is, the sword of her Master, exists for the purpose of defeating the enemy

"Go, Rider! Starts with that woman, don't leave any scraps......!"

An annoying voice she heard
At the same time, the Pegasus flies off to an even higher sky

It's out of sight in a flash
The Pegasus flying toward a faraway sky, its outline has already become indistinct

Pegasus flying toward the moon directly, makes a curve and turns toward the ground

The comet drops instantly
Rider let the Pegasus becomes an arrow of light, while speeding it up

There's only one goal

Which is to annihilate the enemy, along with that isolated garden in the sky----!

"Belle----"

True name
If the so-called Noble Phantasm, is a sealed miracle that can only be released by calling upon its true name
And the so-called miracle, is a phenomenon that shouldn't exist in this world---

"----rophon............!!!!!"

Then this is certainly, a strike akin to the thunder bolt from heaven

Thunders show up at first
And there's no emotion whatsoever in Saber's eyes

"---You did say that it won't attract anyone's attention here, didn't you, Rider"

The winds are released gradually
Winds start to whirl with Saber as the center, quickly develop into a storm

"I agree. If it's here, then I wouldn't have to worry about devouring the ground completely----!"

The seal is lifted
Multitude of layers of winds are released
Saber's sword, reveals its true form

---Storm, starts to whirl in front of me

The white glow rushes down
But Saber has not moved an inch even when she's been targeted by the white glow

"Saber----?"

This powerful wind, is coming from her
No, not from Saber, but the sword in her hands

"----Eh?"

Are my eyes playing a trick on me
I am seeing, the sword that's supposed to be invisible
Slowly, like unwrapping bandages, Saber's sword is revealing its true form----

"A golden----sword?"

The wild winds are blowing
Layers upon layers of seals are lifted off like opening a box

The winds of restriction dissolve into the atmosphere
Saber raises the sword that revealed its form, aims at the falling Pegasus

Rider is approaching like a torrent of lights
'Bellerophon,' has already expanded large enough to encompass the entire rooftop under its glow, Rider's speeding up as if she's not only planning to annihilate us, but also the entire edifice

The white glow of 'Bellerophon' lights up the rooftop
"--------"
......Time is frozen
The inescapable destruction is right in front of me, my mind blanks out
However
It is definitely not stopped, because of the 'Bellerophon'

The concentrated strings of light
Rider despite having a giant Pegasus, the degree of purity of the glows are completely different

What's in Saber's hands
Is the strongest holy sword, the concentrated lights of stars

"----Excalibur----!!!"

---Just as the word suggested, it's a strike of light

The sword of light, cuts everything in its way with no exception
After cutting Rider in half, it keeps going toward the sky, slashes open clouds and disappears gradually

......If
This technique is used on the ground, it will perhaps leave a large displacement that shall never disappear

Saber's sword is not 'invisible'
Rather it 'doesn't want to be seen'
The awe-inspiring golden sword, that all too well known true name is

----Excalibur, sword of promised victory

In ancient England, it was known by many because it was deemed as a symbol of knights, the sword of the King of Knights was sealed by multiple layers of Barriers, the strongest Noble Phantasm among all the Servants

That is what Saber possesses, her proof of hero

The rooftop returns to silent
The winds have stopped blowing, and no one makes a sound

"--------"

I can't approach Saber, just standing there idly
Is it because I'm totally confused, or am I awed by that sword
I'm thinking over frenziedly, only come up with weird things

Why does Saber have that sword
That golden sword, everyone knows it belongs to the King of Knights
Then it dawns on me, I'm trying my hardest to figure out how she attained the sword, and hereby denying a simple conclusion

......There's no need to make any more speculations
That sword belongs to Saber since the beginning

Therefore her true name goes without saying
Though I don't know where the problem lies, but since that holy sword is in Saber's possession, then her true name can only be one

".................."

Saber keeps maintaining her stance after brandishing her sword
......I should've gone to her, but my body wouldn't move no matter what

......Until now, the fact that Saber is a Heroic Spirit never felt realistic to me
And now she's right in front of me, makes it clear to me that she is a hero from the past, and the 'difference' between us---is this why I'm hesitating on whether to approach her

"Ee......!"

I hear a scream
Something in a concealed corner

"----Who is it!"
I avert my eyes
There's a book caught on fire, gradually turns to dust, and

"A---a, aaah......! It's burning, the command spell is burning......!"

Shinji is jerking as he looks at it

"----Shinji"
"Ee......! A, aah----"
Is it because Rider was defeated, so he now realizes that he's in danger
Shinji turns around as if he's avoiding my stares, and run to the exit of the rooftop

"......!"
Shinji runs into the door entering the floor below
"Hold on, Shinji----!"

I can't let you escape now
However, just as I'm in a rush to chase Shinji
At the corner of my eyes
Saber collapses as if she's crumbling down

"----"
My train of thoughts stops once again
The escaping Shinji, and the exhausted collapsing Saber
I should----

[----]

----I can't leave Saber alone

Rider is gone, what used to be Shinji's command spells, the book is burned as well
Shinji has no Servant now, and he lost his command spells
I can take it as the outcome is determined
So, right now I have to take care of Saber first......!

"Saber......!"

I run to Saber
In Saber's hands, that golden sword is nowhere to be seen
The sword is gone, Saber is the only one left lying on the ground, however----

"Eh......?"
Saber is in a very unusual state
Large drops of sweats are seeping out of her forehead, her breathings are faint but intense, as if she's having a fever and dreamt of nightmares

"......How come. Hey, Saber---what's going on, what do I do"

I calls out to Saber in a panic, but she replies nothing
......She has lost her conscious completely

"----Saber......?"
I touch her forehead with my hand
"So hot......!"
I can't help but draw back my hand back
This-this is not the usual temperature......!
This is over forty degrees......!? (Note: 40 degree Celsius = 104 degree Fahrenheit)

"Saber! Hey, pull yourself together......!"
No matter how I call out to her, the only replies are the laboring breathings
"----"
I don't know what's going on
Though I don't know, but there's one thing can be certain, it definitely can't go on this way

"I will take you home......! Make your complaints later......!"

I fold Saber, who collapsed, in my arms
......So light
Though she's light since before, but right now she's even lighter than that time
No, more importantly, how should I put this----

"......So hot. She's really, living"

Saber, is Saber after all
I'm angry at myself who was confused
Regardless of what Saber is, she's really here, I can feel her temperature
But just then I actually felt some barrier between Saber and I, how foolish

"---We're almost home. Behave like a good girl before that, Saber......!"

I carry Saber and start to run
I don't feel the aftertaste of victory or anything like that at all
All I have is just, a painfully breathing Saber, held in my arms

[----]

"So it's over. I let her sleep in the Japanese style room, but judging from the look of it, she won't wake up for a while"

"......Is that so. It's great to have Tohsaka here. If it's just me, I won't be able to take care of Saber"

"...... . Forget it, all I did was just took her armor off to let her feel a bit lighter, you don't need to thank me. Saber's conditions didn't become any better, I didn't do anything either"

......Even so, Tohsaka's presence still helps a lot
The one who yelled at me, who just got back home and didn't know what to do other than panicking, was Tohsaka
Tohsaka could tell the condition Saber was in just from one glance, she suggested me to take her armor off first, and let her lie down

One hour afterward
Tohsaka somehow managed to speak with Saber who lost her conscious, and disabled the armor

"So, what happened. You said you were going to find Shinji, and Saber turned out this way after she's back. Though I know there was probably some big commotion, but can you elaborate it a little"

"----"
I can't speak out
......The true identity of Saber's Noble Phantasm
I should try my hardest to avoid mentioning her true name
That's not something I can speak out with my own judgment

"......We defeated Rider. Shinji lost his command spells and retreated from the battlefield. But, Saber resorted to her Noble Phantasm at that time, and then she collapsed"

"......Hum-ph. Saber's Noble Phantasm......"

Tohsaka closes her eyes meaningfully
With that girl's personality, she's acting this way because she senses something peculiar in this

"Forget it, I'm not going to interrogate you. For you guys, it's not the time for interrogation anyway"
"? Not the time, what do you mean"

"Just literally. ......You should've noticed it a little too, right. If this continues, Saber will vanish"
"Wh----"
Tohsaka indifferently
Utters the thing I avoided to think about

"......Vanish. Do you mean Saber will vanish"

"Of course. Saber's mana is almost emptied. Though I don't know what exactly is Saber's Noble Phantasm, but I suppose it's something consumes lots of mana. Saber nearly emptied the mana inside her. She's in pain right now, because she's trying her hardest to make her vanishing self to stay here"

"Vanish because there's no mana......Saber's obviously not hurt, but she will still disappear, is it"

"Nm. For Servants, exhausting mana is a problem more serious than physical injuries. Since mana is what endowed flesh and blood to Servants, ones with spiritual bodies. Once their mana is used up, they can only vanish"

"......Originally, Master would transfer mana to their Servants, to prevent this from happening, but you can't do it. Therefore Saber can only fight with her own mana. Once she used it up, that's the end of that. Things like this, she explained since the beginning, right"

----Certainly
Saber did mention this

"---But, there was no problem before, right. Saber also said, she can recover as long as she can sleep----"

"That's because Saber has an impossible amount of mana. ......That's true, Saber certainly has some mana left. If it's her, I suppose she can recover some mana, at least she can keep her flesh from vanishing"

"However, that's as far as she can go. Saber has to go on to fight in her present condition. She can't use the Noble Phantasm that led her to this state, at all. If she resorts to her Noble Phantasm again, Saber will definitely vanish"

"......She will vanish, if she resorts to Noble Phantasm again......"

No, I don't want to see Saber to fight in this condition to begin with
I don't want to see Saber curl her back painfully, ever again

"Do you understand? In conclusion, there are only two ways to restore Saber to her previous state. Provide Servants with mana from the Masters, or Servants supply mana by themselves"

......Servants supply by themselves
......Is it like Rider, to murder innocent people

"......How is that possible. Saber won't do it. Saber herself said she won't do it"

"That's true. If she has to sacrifice commoners, Saber would rather simply vanish. Then that leaves only one way. If you don't want Saber to vanish, you can only provide the mana from your body"

"---If I can do it, I would do it long ago. But I don't know any way to provide mana. Unfortunately, I'm not like Tohsaka who can do anything"

"......That's true. Even if I teach you Unison Sorcery, you won't make it in time. Because Shirou's not compatible with Sorcery, it will take a year to learn, and you can't help out even if you learn it. ......However, you should've exchanged the confirmations when you summoned Saber, perhaps there are some other ways, however----"

Tohsaka mutters, deep in her thoughts
And then stops shortly
Tohsaka looks at me with expressionless eyes

"Listen. If you want to save Saber, you can only let Saber herself to attack humans and eat their souls. I think you should know this as well"

"--------"
This is the most practical solution
But, that way----

"Of course Saber won't comply to it. But she will vanish sooner or later if this goes on, and you will be targeted by other Masters as well"

"--------"

Saber will vanish......?
This kind of things, I can't even bring myself to consider the possibility
Her warmth is still remaining on my hands, from when I held her earlier

"So there's only one solution left. ---Emiya, cast a command spell. This way you can avoid the worst case scenario"

That is to say
I have to order Saber, to murder the innocent people

"--------"

I can't say anything
I feel angry regarding what Tohsaka said, but behind those angers, I also admit that that is the only solution

"It's up to you to decide. Though Saber's body can calm down, once she's asleep, but she's almost at her limits. If you're going to make the decision, you will have to make it before the next time you're assaulted"

Tohsaka leaves the living room

......I can't even raise my head, just listen to the steps drift apart gradually

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