A Fake Familiar Reborn

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.

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-???-

It was a strange sensation, to say the least — the soft caress of the wind and the pungent, salty stench of the Mediterranean, wafting toward her with every breath. A sight both foreign and familiar, seen thousands of times with a variety of emotions associated with it.

She was born not from flesh, but from an amalgamation of human beliefs and desires — a manifestation of humanity's endless yearning for beauty.

He did mention something about such beings: Divine Spirits, who for many represented gods. Born from power, manipulation, and the very essence of the domain attributed to them. At least, that was her understanding when she listened to him.

Yet this person came close, not really there but still close enough in a way.

Confusing.

A being that should have embodied the ideal, the perfection that people desired and worshiped.

But perfection was an illusion, an impossibility that people had differing or even opposing concepts of. Which was why instead of there being only one ideal embodiment of beauty, there were three — each of them revered, each considered flawless in the eyes of mortals, yet each possessed a flaw hidden beneath the surface. One carried a love that bordered on cruelty, another beauty veiled with manipulation, and the last… lacked the gift of eternal youth, a reminder that even the gods could be petty.

Of the three, she had been the unluckiest. While others may have seen her form as a blessing, to her, it was nothing short of a curse. She remembered a time when she and her sisters had been nearly identical — three radiant beings, each a reflection of the other. But as the years passed, men stopped worshiping her sisters alone. They began to covet her as well, their eyes filled with lust. Her once slender frame blossomed into something more, something that aroused desire and greed in men and gods alike, and envy from the goddesses.

Looking back, it was almost laughable — and frustrating — how the gods, beings supposedly above mortal concerns, acted like petulant children. Their tempers ruled their judgments, and their whims shaped the lives of innocents without a second thought. She hated it. Sona hated it.

From the very start, the youngest had no control over her fate. She was a victim of the world's cruelty, with only her sisters by her side. Banished to a desolate isle by a jealous goddess, she couldn't even find it in herself to hate the deity. Over the years, the endless struggle dulled her emotions, numbing her to the point where she couldn't distinguish between anger and despair. The weight of the world's scorn and the goddess' envy became a constant, heavy presence in her life.

Even now, standing beside her, there was an invisible barrier between Master and Servant — a wall that concealed her true feelings, suppressing the grief and rage that had accumulated over the years. She couldn't let it show. Not to her, not to anyone.

"Dear sister, look how sinful your body has become… it makes me want to toy with you a little."

"Oh, how adorable you look with that hairstyle! You don't like it? Well, I do." 

"My, look at how you've grown! Those small clothes no longer fit you anymore, hehehehe, let me handle getting you new ones~! Don't worry, they won't reveal too much~!" 

"Your sister is feeling a bit down today, come over here and let me play with your face. Don't run away now~!" 

Often teasing, quite mischievous, even a bit sadistic at times, and very caring. Their constant actions of mischief brought forth a similar emotion that a certain childish Satan calling herself a magical girl often elicited. Yet despite all the frustration they caused, she loved them and so did they love her in turn. 

Though the world had abandoned them, they had each other. She had been the one banished, yet her sisters followed, never regretting their decision. For years, they teased and tormented her in many ways, their love disguised as abuse and then finally solace in the face of her growing despair. They witnessed her transformation, watched as her body changed and her soul grew weary.

They accepted it. They accepted her. Even as it spelled their own doom.

It was a twisted love, one filled with sorrow for what she had endured, but also acceptance for what their lives had become. The emotions cycled between the three of them — love, grief, and a silent understanding. 

There were moments of peace. 

Even as she became a monster by feeding on blood.

Moments where she could pretend that the world beyond their little isle didn't exist, where all their problems would never find them. She had her sisters, and they had her. If she could have stopped time and trapped them all in that brief moment of a strange form of peace, she would have. 

The gods would never allow it.

The hidden truth lingered between them — the understanding that, when the time came, they would give everything for each other. The words were never spoken, but the intent was always clear. Each of them would sacrifice anything, even their lives, to protect the others.

"But peace was fleeting. After that brief reprieve came only tragedy."

Yet no matter how she tried, no matter how many she killed, no matter how much she tried to stay sane — at the end of the day all of that never mattered. 

The monster eventually broke free despite all her efforts.

She… 

No… 

It was destined for ruin.

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"A-Ah!" 

A certain black-haired devil's violet eyes came to open bit by bit while her body leaned against the table. A splitting headache coursed through her mind as she struggled to focus on her surroundings. 

"What the hell happened?" she muttered, feeling the headache subside after a few seconds of breathing and her surroundings becoming more and more clear. "Did I fall asleep in class?" 

Looking around, she knew this was the student council room, more accurately her personal desk which currently had an entire mountain of paperwork piled on it, her hands still loosely holding a pen, which she'd been using to scribble on a document that was only halfway finished. 

The ink had stained the document at some point, creating a true mess on both the expensive wood and her hand. Nothing a cleaning spell wouldn't take care of, but it was still an eyesore.

Realizing she had somehow fallen asleep while in the middle of working, Sona couldn't help but sigh in disbelief. "I should have told Tsubaki to make me coffee. This is unacceptable, and I'll be even later to finish all of it." 

Due to everything that happened recently, the backlog of paperwork had increasingly gotten bigger to the point she had dedicated multiple days to finish them off, but forgot that even as a devil with a better physique than a human, she was still prone to exhaustion and mental fatigue.

Especially when a majority of them were complaints sent by students who demanded a budget increase for their own clubs, and requests to have either Archer or Rider become their homeroom teachers or club advisors. 

Putting aside how Rider was a librarian rather than a teacher, she just declined all of them with a single, blanket "No" written in bold letters. 

This exhaustion further worsened now that a portion of her demonic energy was constantly getting siphoned by her Servant. Though it wasn't enough to put any strain on her, Sona was acutely aware of the drain required to maintain her Servant. 

Unlike Rias, she didn't have any enormous reserves of magic.

Compared to a normal Devil, it was still considerably larger, but Rias was frankly in a league of her own in that regard.

Thankfully not a freak of nature like their siblings.

"Did Tsubaki put this on?" She noticed a blanket had been placed on her shoulders. "No, she never did this before." 

Already, the young devil knew it wasn't from anyone in her peerage, all of whom were busy with their own assignments, which left only two people in mind who would do such a thing. 

"Rider." 

The air shimmered as the beautiful Servant appeared in her usual gown she'd been wearing when first summoned, though unlike before, she was still wearing the glasses Archer had given her. Sona didn't even need to ask whether she was the one behind this act of kindness or not, as she pretty much knew this to be the truth.

Best to focus on more important matters first. 

"How long was I asleep?" Sona asked, her voice raspy from sleep. She rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the pounding headache that was already threatening to return with a vengeance. Every fiber of her being screamed for more rest, but she knew there was far too much work to be done to indulge in such a luxury. 

"An hour, Master."

"An hour… not as bad as I feared." 

This period of weakness, the constant lack of sleep, and the annoying headache were not the fault of these documents on her desk. With everything that had been going on lately in Kuoh, from the rogue Fallens, Riser, the consequences of summoning a Servant behind Rias' back, the exorcists, stolen Holy Swords, and finally Kokabiel… all of them were to blame for her current predicament!

"I can have Tojou-sensei come and help." 

Tojou Shirou… Rias really didn't have any talent when it came to names. Had the Servant been summoned with blue or red hair, would she have given him the name of Tojou Aka or Tojou Ao? Knowing her, she probably would have even though anyone with a brain would instantly suspect it being fake.

"It's fine, I don't want to disturb him." 

As her mind cleared, images of the seashore surrounded by an endless ocean once again reemerged. 

"What a strange dream." As she cleaned the residual dried ink on her desk, the girl tried to recall the bits and pieces of that dream she just had and frowned when a few returned to her. 

It was unlike anything she had ever experienced in the past — both foreign and strangely familiar, as if she were the one living through that life. 

It made no sense. 

As much as she tried to recall the details, it became harder to grasp them as the seconds ticked by, like a dense fog clouding her mind. But there was one thing she remembered clearly: the faces of the two beautiful young girls who were such a prominent presence. The faces she knew she had never seen in real life, but when imagining them closely, they both displayed a clear resemblance to her Servant.

"Rider, did you have any siblings? Ah." 

Sona regretted saying those words as soon as they left her mouth. 'Idiot! In her legend, there were clearly two sisters of the Gorgon named Stheno and Euryale! Why did I ask such a stupid question?!' 

Perhaps it was due to her dazed state or half-asleep mind, but it slipped past her mouth without her even realizing, and now all she could do was simply power through and wait for Rider's response. 

"I did," the woman answered after a couple of seconds of silence. Though her words were few, they carried a deep meaning and sadness, which Sona felt she could decipher due to that weird dream. 

At least… that was what she wanted to believe given the strangeness of what she'd seen.

"Why do you ask?"

"Please tell me if I am being insensitive, as I recognize that this is a personal question. But, since you are a Heroic Spirit, is it perhaps possible that you were reunited with them on the Throne?"

"…It doesn't work like that, Master." 

Her words were once again short and clear-cut. It was at such moments that Sona realized her Servant was extremely hard to read. Her ever-so-unchanging expression made it nearly impossible to understand what Rider was thinking most of the time. 

"Do you miss them?" 

"…I do." 

"I am a bit curious about them. How were they?" Two of the three gorgons according to legend, were initially blessed with beauty just like Medusa but then turned monstrous and immortal. Unable to be killed nor petrified by Perseus they tried to pursue the one who killed their sister. 

Most of the stories she read held a similar legend, but now Sona started to doubt all of them. For this was not what she'd seen in what little she managed to remember from her dreams. 

"They used to tease me a lot."

"Really?"

"I was the youngest, whenever they were bored I became their toy. From playing with my hair, stealing or destroying my belongings, insulting me amongst some." 

The more Sona listened, the more worried she became. Were the sisters like that in any of the myths? 

"That sounds a bit abusive doesn't it?" 

"They… were," admitted Rider without trying to defend their actions or change the story. "But… it was their way of showing love, no matter how painful it was. They teased me at every opportunity they could — but I still loved them." 

Even though she didn't say it, Sona knew her Servant missed and loved them.

"Is that so?" 

A faint sense of camaraderie bloomed within Sona's heart as she listened. Unable to stop herself from thinking of Serafall, the eldest of the Sitri could be described as eccentric and showed love for her sister in ways that both embarrassed and shamed Sona to death. 

Regardless of all that, she did indeed love her sister dearly. 

"If you can, I won't force you, but can you tell me more about you three? It's just… the stories in this world about the Gorgon sisters have many versions." 

She saw a rare smile bloom on Rider's face as she recounted more stories, nothing important, just small moments. The more she listened, the more a certain thought began to enter her mind. 

'Archer mentions that most Heroic Spirits have regrets and a wish they want to make to the Grail. Looking at it that way, it makes sense that Rider, too, has regrets and a wish she wants to see fulfilled.' 

The tale of Medusa the Gorgon was more tragic than she'd imagined — a beautiful woman cursed by the gods because they both envied and desired her, just one of the many tragedies she encountered. It made Sona curious about what exactly her wish was. To start over? To see her loved ones alive once again? To come back to life? Revenge?

All of them sounded valid, but of course, there could only be a single wish. 

"Say, Rider, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your wis—!"

She couldn't finish her words as soon as a terrible chill sensation spread across her body. A layer of what felt like some sort of field swept across the room and enveloped both of them. 

"An attack?" 

Fearing the worst, she wondered if Kokabiel had decided to lay siege upon their school. "I should find Tsubaki and the rest of my peerage!" 

"Careful, Master." Rider's firm grip caught Sona's arm, yanking her back into the office just as she was about to bolt. The young Devil stumbled, her eyes widening as she caught sight of what lay beyond the doorway. Skeletal figures were clawing their way out of the ground, their bony fingers leaving furrows in the earth.

"Dragon Tooth Warriors." 

"Summoning magic!" Sona shouted, quickly gathering her demonic magic to launch a torrent of water crashing onto a few Dragon Tooth Warriors trying to enter her office and making quick work of them. Rider did not stay idle, dispatching the remaining creatures along the hallway at blinding speed, her chain whipping around in the air like a snake slithering and crushing everything it got entangled around.

"There are more outside!" 

Looking at the school grounds, Sona saw a certain white-haired servant jump down from the rooftop onto a swarm of the same skeletal summoned familiars and other types of creatures. 

For a moment, she was at ease seeing him take care of the threat at a range with his bow, firing several powerful projectiles at the same time. Yet that moment only lasted for a brief period until another creature tried to sneakily attack him from behind. The attack failed, fortunately, but he was forced to leap away from the roof.

Archer plummeted into the fray, a blur of white against the mass of skeletal creatures. Sona's breath caught as he vanished from view, engulfed by the swarm. For a heart-stopping moment, she feared the worst. But then flashes of light pierced through the horde, accompanied by the distinct sound of shattering bone. Relief washed over her as Archer emerged, unscathed and efficient as ever. Still, the close call left her unsettled. Capable as he was, even Heroic Spirits weren't invincible.

"Sona!" 

She heard Rias's voice sound within the corridor as the red-headed heiress came running, followed by her peerage and Sona's. All of them were destroying any of the skeletal creatures in their path mercilessly. Rias' orbs of destruction laid waste to them with minimal effort, while Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, and Issei in the back dealt with any remnants. She also found her own peerage making sure there weren't any following them and dealing with any creatures that would pursue them. 

"Are you okay? I heard from Archer this is most likely an enemy attack from a Servant." 

"I'm fine," she said, at least seeing them completely safe made one worry of hers diminish, but there was still another matter she was very worried about. "Rider, go support Archer! We'll deal with these summoned creatures here and deal with other dangers!" 

"…"

The purple-haired servant hesitated at first, clearly uncertain whether to leave her master unattended whilst they were in the middle of an attack from an enemy. 

"This is an order! Not a suggestion!" Sona commanded while the other hand did not hesitate and shouted, using more spells from the city clan to shoot another wave of water that easily took care of more creatures that started to emerge around them. "I have Rias and my group here, we aren't weak to be unable to take care of such creatures."

This display of power acted as a guarantee to Rider that she alone was capable of taking care of herself, and with the others with her now, she didn't need to worry about anything.

The figure disappeared, and the woman reappeared outside next to Archer. Both did their best to cut down the horde, which kept growing by the second, showing no signs of diminishing, while Sona and Rias's group went on a task to clear the building of any monsters. It was a tedious task; it wasn't that their opponents were hard to kill, but rather that there were just too many of them. 

A few would even appear out of the blue and nearly catch one of their members in a sneak attack. Thankfully, Kiba was able to react in time and save Issei before the latter could get sliced by another dragon tooth warrior.

"Asia, Issei needs some healing." While their opponents were easy to kill, some members weren't able to deal with them unscathed, sustaining wounds here and there. 

"Leave it to me!" 

"Akeno, make sure to send your familiars around the school and make sure there aren't any students." 

"Got it." 

"Yuuto, keep Tsubaki and the others company, make sure to kill them before they are fully summoned!" 

"I will, Buchou!"

Under the guidance of Archer, the training he painfully carved into their very bones surfaced and she started shouting orders as if it were second nature. "Gasper, I just want you to stay near me. Don't venture too far but still be ready to use your power in case things don't go as planned." 

The little dhampir nodded his head resolutely.

"Just how many of them are there!?" Even Tsubasa and Momo were getting tired of facing the ongoing horde again and again. Seeing Rias already ordered her group in a steady way, Sona didn't want to fall behind and started to do the same. 

Tsubasa, Tomoe, Saji, and Momo destroyed all Dragon Tooth Warriors coming from the hallway while Tsubaki and the others dealt with some flying skeletal warriors who tried to enter through the window. 

"Wah! Don't cut me! I'm innocent! Help!" A terrified feminine scream echoed from downstairs, Sona and Rias were jolted from their task and hurried to find a strange sight: the Gremory Knight holding a blue-haired fallen at bay with a sword touching her neck. The latter was sweating nervously while carrying two unconscious students on her shoulders. 

"Fallen Angel Kalawarner?" Akeno recalled the woman's name and frowned at her appearance. "Are you kidnapping students for the enemy now?"

"I-I-I'm not! I-I swear! It's Archer! Archer told me to bring these two to the student council room after they lost consciousness! I'm really a teacher now, look me up!" She desperately pleaded, cursing that bitch Raynare for being the cause of her being stuck dealing with this situation alone while that woman just lazed around in their shared apartment emptying the fridge!

"Should we trust her, Buchou?"

Sona heard the Knight's question and waited for Rias to answer since this was her responsibility. The red-headed girl agreed reluctantly. "Since it's Archer who sent her here, then we can trust her… a bit. But keep an eye on her, Koneko." 

"Roger."

"Alright everyone, there's only a few more of these monsters left, let's do our best!" 

Fortunately, their efforts showed results, and with time, they managed to clear out the building.

"More will come if we stay here longer. Let's wait in the student council room until Archer and Rider are done," Sona suggested, to which the others agreed and followed her. The occult research club was too far away, and the path would be obstructed by more creatures. Even though these skeletons appeared easy to kill, she didn't want to take any risks.

While they waited, Sona managed to catch a glimpse of both servants fighting against the horde in the field and once again became amazed at the prowess of the servants. 

"Incredible," she murmured, watching Rider's graceful form as she wielded her chain like a whip, purging dozens of targets in seconds. Archer, on the other hand, ruthlessly tore them apart with his twin swords, unleashing a never-ending stream of blades. Each of them fought completely differently, yet somehow they coordinated seamlessly, their backs pressed against one another.

It was a form of trust she couldn't quite put into words. But as she continued to observe them, the more she noticed something odd. 

"What are they doing?" Despite being in a dangerous situation, it was clear that both Rider and Archer were having a conversation with one another. Even with her enhanced senses, she couldn't hear anything going on below, but seeing her servant at the end shows a small smile made her bristle with disbelief. 

"This is not the time to be having conversations!" she thought, feeling an inexplicable irritation rise within her. "Nor the time to be flirting! Archer and you too, Rider!" 

From the looks of it, even Rias shared her disbelief at what was happening. Fortunately, the conversation didn't last long, as the onslaught of skeletons began to subside, and the group immediately made their way to the other end of the building, where they saw Archer standing.

"What is going on here?" As soon as she arrived, Sona noticed the close proximity of both servants and saw a shroud envelop Archer's body. It was clear that Rider was checking on him, and that made her fear that he had gotten injured. 

"Wait, what happened to the exorcist?" It wasn't until she asked that question that it finally clicked in her mind. The same realization hit the servants simultaneously, and unfortunately, her worst fears came true. 

"This whole thing was just a distraction!"

{Break}

(An hour later)

"They were taken not long ago," Archer said, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. Since the kidnapping of the exorcist and the disappearance of the holy swords, they had patrolled the school quickly but found nothing. Now, both groups sat together, strategizing their next course of action. "Effortlessly as well, with no signs of any kind of struggle. Caster even took away the Excalibur fragment used by Freed. 

"If I remember correctly, you can sniff out holy energy, right?" Archer asked Koneko, who hesitated before nodding her head. It didn't take a genius to figure out the plan he had in mind, which made Rias look at him with clear worry in her eyes.

"Will this work?" Rias asked, her brow furrowed with concern as she watched Asia's hands hover over Archer's shoulders. The soft green glow of her Sacred Gear illuminated the angry red lines creeping across his skin - evidence of Caster's poison still at work. Archer had tried to downplay the injury, but Koneko's keen nose had betrayed him. Now he sat still, allowing the healing, though his face remained impassive. Rias pursed her lips, clearly unsatisfied but unable to offer a counter-proposal. Her eyes lingered on the spreading poison, a stark reminder of the danger they faced.

"Let us Servants handle this, Rider and myself are more than capable of taking care of ourselves."

Akeno's eyes flashed with barely contained anger as she knelt beside Asia, her hands glowing softly with healing magic. She shot Archer a pointed glare, her usual playful demeanor replaced by genuine concern and frustration. She focused her magic on the spreading poison, her jaw clenched tight. It was clear she shared Rias' opinion on the matter.

"I'm fine, the poison would have worn off eventually." 

Her hands touched his skin, gently having her fingers go over the part where the monster's teeth pierced his skin. The wound was now nearly gone, leaving behind a faint line that would disappear soon. 

"Going back to what you were asking, Master, it is unlikely," he answered truthfully, letting out a sigh. "There's a small chance Koneko can pick up a potential trace of her scent, which might help us locate her. But I doubt Caster hasn't accounted for that. Still, it's better to try our luck than to stay here sitting all day doing nothing."

"I can help as well," Sona added. "While we don't have someone with a sensitive nose like Koneko here, we're not useless." Archer agreed, preferring to cover as much ground as possible, and having more people along would definitely help.

"I can't cover all of Kuoh on my own. We'll have to split up; Rider and your group can check one side of the city while I take the other near the mountains." With that, the group departed, leaving Koneko to keep him company. "If you do end up finding a possible source, then wait for me." 

The purple-haired woman nodded, leaving promptly with Sona and the rest. 

"Can you fly fast? We'll have to cover a large area in a short amount of time." 

Koneko didn't answer immediately, taking some time to ponder first and then looking him directly in the eyes. "It's better if you pick carried me around," 

He raised an eyebrow at her seriousness. "Seriously?" But she remained adamant, her deadpan gaze unwavering. 

"My body still hurts… And I can't fly fast like you. You were too rough with me."

"Once again, your words are pretty misleading. I'm pretty sure you devils heal within a day from physical trauma. It's been a while since we came back from the training trip."

Koneko simply remained silent, her hands held up like a small child wanting their parents to pick them up. But he wasn't going to fall for such a trick.

"You know, I got another idea, why don't you just carry me as high above the sky as possible so that I can get a better birds-eye view of Kuoh. We can cover more ground like this. I am a bit heavy." 

His suggestion started the girl as she imagined the image of her carrying Archer's large figure with her tiny hands or acting as a bonafide attachable set of wings while being used like some kind of rucksack. Immediately rejecting that image fiercely with how wrong it looked. 

"I'll fly," said the young Nekoshou before quickly jumping out of the window and heading for the skyscrapers in the distance. Her response earned a small chuckle from the Counter Guardian, especially when he saw her grow pale at the end. 

"I wouldn't mind carrying you around." Of course, Yuuto did not see any issue with the idea suggested. His words earned a few weird reactions from Issei and Rias. "What?" 

"It's fine, just stay here and keep Master safe." 

"I can do more than that!" He insisted, hands clenching with clear emotions of anger rolling off his being. "That Servant not only kidnapped the Exorcist but also the holy swords for a reason. I don't know what their goals are, but I have to make sure whatever they are planning to do with the swords never happens!" 

Archer's eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through Kiba's protests like steel through paper. "And what about your friends? Are they worth less than your revenge?" He stepped closer, looming over the knight. "Rias will be vulnerable without Rider and me. If you abandon her now, you're choosing vengeance over loyalty." His tone dripped with disdain. "Are you really so obsessed that you'd risk more lives just to destroy some knock-off holy swords? Think, Kiba. Is that the kind of knight you want to be?"

"…"

These words were harsh, and Archer was aware of them clearly. But no other methods were going to pierce through this boy's stubbornness other than a harsh reminder. Better he felt hurt and insulted right now than regret his actions later on for the rest of his life. 

Rias stayed in the background, as she didn't know what to say, but decided to trust her Servant and let him speak. 

"T-There's no guarantee that Buchou won't be attacked…" 

Archer scoffed, his eyes hardening. "You can't even convince yourself with that weak excuse." He turned away, gaze drifting to where Koneko had disappeared into the night sky. His form began to shimmer, fading into spiritual particles. "I'm not here to babysit you or make your choices. If you can live with the fallout of your actions, then do what you want. Just don't expect me to clean up your mess."

His figure disappeared, leaving behind a thick atmosphere that led there to a short period of deafening silence that lingered for an unknown amount of time. Even Issei didn't know what to say, looking at the Knight who kept grinding his teeth. 

Wanting to confront the man, he was stopped by Akeno who shook her head. 

In the end, Kiba took a deep breath and turned his head away from the spot where Archer disappeared. "Buchou… what should we do next?"

Rias frowned, not liking staying idle. But then she remembered there was another person present in the room. 

"W-What?" Kalawarner, who dropped both Murayama and Katase on the couch, shook under everyone's intense stare. Having a very bad feeling for what was to come next. 

"You aren't part of our group and you also are a Fallen Angel who worked for Kokabiel once. So why aren't you assisting all of us in finding his location as well? You should." Rias said calmly, with the others agreeing except for Asia who was uncertain. 

"I don't have any special abilities to track someone like a Cadre." She hurriedly responded. "And if anyone was working for Kokabiel then it was Raynare! I was only following her orders! Let me stay with your group, please!" 

She had more chances of living and staying with her former enemies than that warmongering lunatic! 

"I was not making a suggestion. You now represent the Fallen faction as the sole representative in school, so if you back out then the consequences will be too much for you." 

Having no choice, Kalawarner wanted to cry but had no tears. Now cursing both Raynare and Archer in her mind. 

"F-Fine… I'll try my best." 

These Devils! They were trying to get her killed before she even got her first paycheck!

She just had to search, if she didn't find anything then it wasn't her fault! Where would a safe area be away from all this conflict? 

Ah!

The forest! 

She could fly around there for a bit and stay clear from any trouble before returning. 

A great idea.

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"Looks like he managed to listen." 

After he left, no one followed him and Yuuto stayed by his Master's side. There was still a growing hate within that boy's heart that couldn't be so easily extinguished unless some drastic actions were taken. But this wasn't the moment to delve into such matters, with someone like Caster, she could use that hate to her advantage and lead him around like a puppet. 

A few seconds later, he reached the top of the highest skyscraper in town and found Koneko crouching at the edge sniffing the air with her eyes closed. "Any luck?" 

"It's hard, there are too many scents. All of them merging with one another, I can't pinpoint the Exorcist's scent yet." Koneko continued to focus, trying her best to find a clue but growing more and more frustrated. "I didn't like them and didn't bother remembering their scent before."

He couldn't blame her for that, and it was clear this decision already started to weigh heavily on her mind as they kept changing location yet still weren't lucky enough to catch a trace as he feared. Unless Caster used an actual teleportation magic or had the help of someone from this world to use teleportation magic. 

"Do you think they died, Archer?" 

"No, Caster wouldn't have gone this far to kidnap them if her goal was to kill the girls. But I can't tell you for how long Caster will keep them alive." 

"…It wouldn't be that big of a loss." 

Archer paused, his gaze shifting to the small figure beside him. Koneko's words caught him off guard - they seemed starkly out of character for the usually stoic girl.

"They threatened to kill Asia." 

"Is that all?" 

"…They made Yuuto-senpai very angry." 

Ah, that too. 

"Then you'll be pretty saddened to learn that we still need to find them regardless of their past actions. Best to avoid giving the church more excuse to come after the Devils, letting them die will just meet Kokabiel's desires to start a war." 

"I guess." 

As time kept ticking away, Emiya understood they couldn't delay this search any longer. Nearly two hours had gone by since the attack at the school and the entire town now was quiet, both of them went from one district to another with little luck until an idea popped into his mind. "Tch, why didn't I think of this sooner…"

"What do you mean?"

"I know Holy Energy is very dangerous for Devils to be around, but can you track the scent of a holy blade?" It wasn't an idea he was fond of given how it held the risk of having negative effects on Koneko, but he had no other option than this. 

"…I can give it a try." She hesitated upon answering his question, tilting her head slightly. Her golden-colored eyes looked at him intently. "But we have the Holy Sword you got from that rogue priest to Buchou and your Black Keys smell different." 

Archer agreed with her, "Well, it's not exactly a secret since you've all already seen my Magecraft, but something tells me this will attract more problems if more people were to find out, especially the people from the Church." 

At the end of his phrase, he extended his right arm with the palm facing upwards. Her nose and ears twitched when she sensed the usual sensation crawling all over her body whenever he was about to use his Magical Energy. Faint, very faint but still there with her able to sense it this close by. 

The air shimmered, blue motes of light gathering till it became a tangible bright flash that took the shape of a large blade towering over herself. Goosebumps rose from her skin, a familiar sensation of a bone-chilling amount of Holy Energy emanating from what floated above his hand.

A large sword with three pointed eyes, a hilt that resembled an ax, and a rounded black handle surrounded by golden lines appeared in front of her. Exuding the exact same aura Xenovia's Excalibur showed, its appearance identical to the one she witnessed down to the smallest details that she wondered if Archer had perhaps stolen it in secret. 

"H-How…" He knew his abilities were somewhat similar to Blades Blacksmith and Sword Birth, but this weapon before her didn't feel like a replica at all! 

It truly felt like the real deal. 

"You know the answer to that, so, can you use this to trace the original?" He held the sword firmly without any signs of rejection, a sight she knew would have made Yuuto very conflicted. 

"This can't be a replica…" 

At that, he smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment. But it is indeed just a copy, as I mentioned before, these swords aren't as amazing as people are led to believe. I can't say anything about the original, but these ones mostly serve to act as a symbol of power representing the Church's will. They may have interesting abilities but can break easily, even Rider can break them with her heels if she wants to." 

The more he looked at the 'Excalibur' fragment in his hands, the more he grew to accept the sword. A mystic code at best, made to carry a name it did not deserve, it would have been much better had they given it another name entirely rather than forcing it to carry the name Excalibur. 

Now forever present in his Reality Marble, perhaps he could bring it out to use it against Saber if fate decided to make them face each other once again. 

"I'll hold it, just tell me if you feel uncomfortable and I'll dismiss it." She shook at its presence, barely able to keep herself from jumping away due to pure instincts alone. Carefully approaching the weapon, she got much closer to its surface, her face replacing off of the blade itself.

Her nose scrunched up when taking a whiff, backing up immediately and stopping her body from shaking. Archer felt bad, this being an outcome he expected and wanted to avoid. 

"Sorry, I'll compensate you later with anything you want." 

"Re-really?" 

"It's the least I can't do," and so, Excalibur Destruction was dismissed and Koneko once again felt at ease. "So, any result?" 

Koneko squinted her eyes, focusing for a good minute till her eyes widened, making him sigh in relief. "Where?" 

"North, near the spot where you Grayfia fought." 

The spot where he fought that maid? So the nearby forest on the mountain, a quiet place far from the bustling environment of Kuoh and near the Himejima shrine from what he learned later on. The shrine on the other hand was far away enough that it wasn't damaged from the battle. So did Caster… 

"Why is it always shrines?" He muttered under his breath, starting to question if this Servant was actually Medea, even if the fact that people were kidnapped aligned with her actions in the past! She was also known to use a great amount of Dragon Tooth Warriors, making this possibility seem more likely. 

'Rider's summoning was a coincidence because Sona used a pegasus feather and got lucky. But if it's also Medea who got summoned as Caster, then this is too much of a coincidence for me to take lightly. Then that would be the other potential Servants could be the exact ones from the last Fifth Holy Grail War. Damn it, I'd rather not deal with them again, especially not Berserker and Lancer!' 

He could already hear that blue-haired Irishman's snarks and Berserker's roar in his head. 

"Fine, I'll go there alone. You return to Master's side and make sure that Caster hasn't left behind any surprises. Have her contact Sona and tell her to return with Rider, and give the latter my location." Archer advised, his eyes narrowing at the forest in the distance. 

"I can't," Koneko replied, her stubbornness evident. This made him sigh more than anything else. "I can help." 

"No, you can't." He said without missing a beat. "I don't know if you remember, but I distinctly recall how you and the others behaved when Rider was summoned. There is a chance that Caster will be far worse." 

She flinched at his words, shame washing over her face. 

"A Servant is not something any of you are prepared to face at this point in your journey. I have no doubt that one day you'll be capable enough to confront and even defeat one, but that time is not now. Worst of all, we're up against a Caster known for using underhanded tricks to gain an advantage."

"B-But—!" her words were stuck in her throat when she felt a hand ruffle her hair. She looked in a stupor at the person in front who showed a small smile on his face. 

"Listen, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but this is something I was summoned to handle. And you being there also puts me at ease knowing Rias is one more person with her keeping everyone safe. So just trust in me, okay?" 

"…" 

A swirl of emotions passed within the young girl's eyes. She truly didn't want to repeat the events of last time, where all she could do was cower in fear. One of the many reasons she trained so hard was not only to protect her King but also not to fall behind everyone in the Peerage. 

But when faced with Archer, that second emotion became far greater to the point she hated herself for being this weak. 

"Yo-you… you better come back," she squeezed out those words, barely able to contain herself. "I don't want a dead brother… and you still owe me a favor for helping you." 

At that, Archer chuckled, "You're still not letting the sibling story let go aren't you? Oh well, there is nothing I can do about that. But don't worry, I'm very hard to kill." stroking her hair once more before he disappeared. 

"Don't disappear like Onee-sama," Koneko whispered, attempting to calm down her beating heart as she flew back. 

…

With the conversation coming to an end and Koneko having left as he told her to, Archer arrived at the edge of the mountain and hesitated. 

His figure appeared standing on top of a tree as he surveyed his surroundings, becoming even more cautious when he sensed no bounded field he'd expect someone like Caster to set up. "Given this location, it shouldn't be an issue of lackluster leylines."

He had the idea of using his bow to strike his enemy from a distance, laying waste to her territory without needing to go inside. If this was truly Medea, then his previous approach could work. He didn't need Medea around to weaken Berserker nor was he ordered by a Master to protect anyone this time. A clear shot from Caladbolg could work, regardless of her regeneration, this time he wouldn't bother missing like he did before. 

But there was a problem with that approach.

"There's a large chance that Xenovia and Irina are there. I can't just fire Caladbolg without risking their lives." He spoke to himself, questioning how important these two were to the Church. If they were to die, there was no guarantee that the Church would retaliate; they had sent these two here to die in the first place. "But they could also be using this as a perfect excuse to confront the devils and establish a foothold in Kuoh." 

In the end, all of his approach revolved around this being Medea, if he was wrong then it would be no different to walking into a trap blind. 

"Maybe I should wait for Rider to arrive first." 

Two against one was far better than him facing Caster alone, especially with the likelihood that the Cadre was also present and wouldn't remain idle.

"Hm—!?" 

In a heartbeat, his instincts screamed at him, his senses flaring wildly. The sharp whistle of a projectile slicing through the air reached his ears. Without thinking, he propelled himself away from his position, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike. A spear of searing golden light, as large as his own body, pierced into the spot where he had just stood.

The item exploded on impact, a handful of trees turning into dust and the ground shuddering beneath his feet as a deafening boom tore through the forest. He instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes from the blinding flare, the heat scorching the air around him. When the light finally dimmed, he blinked against the afterimage and burned into his vision, only to find the extent of the damage and his surroundings. 

The forest itself seemed to breathe, dark shapes shifting within the underbrush. Thousands of malevolent, crimson eyes glowed from the shadows, glaring at him from every corner of the encroaching darkness, each pair filled with unspoken hunger. The creatures of the night had him surrounded, lurking just out of sight, using the thick forest canopy and the blackened underworld to their advantage.

A trap.

Of course.

"Just how many more of them have Caster summoned…" Despite their presence, he kept his eyes faced up and glared at the singular figure floating in the sky. Ten wings proudly presented accompanied by a hail of black feathers that slowly descended from above. "From the attack, I suppose this is the real you rather than a golem." 

With red glowing eyes just like the creatures around him, and pointed teeth that resembled something more demonic than angelic, Kokabiel smiled at him from above. Now vested in a black suit just like before his entire sophisticated aura nowhere to be seen. 

Maybe not even a demon, but rather a vampire.

"Greetings, Servant of the bow and Gremory's contracted Heroic Spirit. It is indeed my real self that came over to greet you on this beautiful night." 

Emiya scoffed, "You have a strange way of greeting people by throwing light spears at them." All the while speaking, he kept his senses sharpened for the slightest trace of Caster. Having learned quite a bit from their last interaction, he made sure to watch his back even more attentively than last time.

"I just wanted to see for myself if you are truly worthy of being a Heroic Spirit. A small test out of many if you would, to see with my own eyes whether what you've shown during the Phenex Rating Game was real or not." Kokabiel scratched his chin, no trace of wariness shown. "You have been a particularly annoying thorn for quite a while. I didn't expect you to kill Freed so easily, then again, he was merely a human at the end of the day."

Caster was nowhere to be seen, but he knew she must have been close by like last time to summon these. 

Second of all… 'Kokabiel doesn't have Command Seals.' 

With Kanshou and Bakuya in his grasp, his body twisted as the blades flew across the forest slicing through the summoned familiars around him with another pair soon being Traced right as another golden spear was thrown from above. Kanshou sliced through the construct as if it were butter, separating them into two halves which blew up the terrain behind him. 

'Large amount of energy in each spear, enough to injure a Servant to some extent if hit directly. But they are also very slow and can be dodged easily or cut apart before detonating. Is this really all?'

Having fought against Grayfia, he was prepared for a dangerous foe. But so far, the person fell short to his expectations. But he remained vigilant, for it could be a ruse to have him lower his guard. 

Snap! 

Rather than continue with his assault, Kokabiel snapped his fingers and a bounded field formed around the area. "My initial plan was to greet the Devils in their territory, unfortunately, I had to make some light change of plans at the last moment." 

He descended from the sky, landing on the ground with his grin growing larger. "Have you had time to consider my proposal of joining my side? I don't recall if I extended you the offer, you were pretty quick at slicing through my face."

He looked unafraid, fully confident with his hands inside his suit pockets. 

"Where are the two Exorcists?*

"If you believe that a silly binding contract is what keeps you tied to the Gremory brat, then that is not an issue." Said the Fallen Angel, completely ignoring Archer's question. But those words did make him grow even more suspicious of the Servant's identity. "From what I understand, a Master and Servant contract does not mean the Servant will disappear as soon as the Master is dead. There is a small period of time where another contract can be established given the Master has enough energy to spare. Well, I have enough to easily support more than seven of you without straining myself." 

This man was either delusional of his own powers or was incapable of understanding the kind of danger he was putting himself into by having multiple Servants. Unless all of them willingly cooperated with him, then he was just digging himself a grave. 

"You're not going to have Caster face me?" 

"That troublesome woman?" So it was a woman after all, "Humph, she's arrogant enough to underestimate me constantly. Had it not been for her usefulness, I would have already put a spear in her heart. So I wanted to prove just how wrong she is using you as an example."

A woman with a silver tongue, at this point he was pretty certain this was Medea.

To Archer's surprise, two golden blades appeared in Kokabiel's hands. Blades he called them but in actuality, they held no edge and just like the spear were light constructs. 

"No matter what you are, Servant, Heroic Spirit, or any other title, you're still a simple human. It's a shame you weren't interested in my offer, Grail or not I would have granted your wish." 

Granted his wish? What a joke, he wanted to laugh but held his tongue. At this point he was certain, this guy truly didn't know what a Servant was and was being led into a death trap. 'This looks far too convenient, I have to be careful Caster doesn't use this opportunity to sneak attack me. Also, why hadn't Rider arrived yet?' 

"Alright then," even though those light spears were lackluster, the man was still an entity thousands of years old. So the least one would expect from them is a basic mastery of melee combat. 

"Hehehe-HAHAHA! Try not to die so easily, HUMAN!" Kokabiel's wings fluttered, pushing his body forward as he came with weapons ready to strike.

Archer's body tensed, his eyes narrowing as Kokabiel charged, blades of golden light shimmering ominously in the dim forest. His instincts partially focused on the person before him and the rest on his surroundings, but there was no fear—only the calculated calm. Kanshou and Bakuya, firmly held in his hands, the dark and white twin swords moved to block the downward strike. 

Crash! 

The weight pressed upon them exceeded the likes of what Koneko had shown even, making his boots slightly sink into the dirt yet his arms remained steady. 

'Again, slow. The number of wings doesn't seem to mean greater speed from the looks of it and the constructs managed to not break upon first contact. A strong swing from him will render many of the blades in Kiba's arsenal into dust, impressive in a way.' His mind analyzed his opponent's every move and evaluated the Cadre's strength as the clash continued.

"The Gremory heiress is lucky to have you!" Kokabiel shouted in between his slashes, "Already Devilkind has grown arrogant by their growing numbers, believing that the existence of the Evil Pieces will solve their problems. Now presented with Servants, they've only grown more arrogant and I wouldn't be surprised if they start believing themselves to be superior!" 

Kokabiel's speed was impressive, his wings propelling him forward like a comet, but to Archer, his movements were clear, almost predictable even. The fallen angel's arrogance dripped from his every move as he swung both light blades down toward Archer in a powerful, overhead strike. 

Most of which he just deflected with little issue, not bothering to enter a show of strength between them. 

"With this, war will finally be upon us! The injustice of having our race be underestimated due to Azazel and Shemhazai's indecision! The absolute joke of what they call peace, pointless research on Sacred Gears and other things that won't be useful to us, all burning away along with my boredom!" 

With a calm breath, he sidestepped at the last possible second, one fluid motion that made Kokabiel's blade glide across his face, close enough he could almost feel the faint heat from the construct. "Tch, is that all a Servant can do!?" 

Kokabiel didn't back down and grew more aggressive with his following moves. His twin swords came up in an instant, clashing against the golden constructs with a sharp, metallic ring. The force of the blow sent a small shockwave rippling through the ground near them, yet Archer's stance was unmoving, his body perfectly balanced as if rooted to the ground.

"You talk too much," Archer remarked, his voice cold, taunting.

"Arrogant!" 

Anger built up with Kokabiel's snarl, trying to push forward with his wings aiding him, but Archer spun, letting the momentum of the strike carry him into a counterattack. In one graceful arc, Kanshou sliced toward Kokabiel's sides and Bakuya cut through one of his wings. 

Blood soaked the soak with more spurting from the back, the motionless wing falling onto the ground with a soft thud. 

'No reinforcement on his body of any sort, strange, even if he isn't Caster's Master, she should have at least granted him such an advantage.'

"You dare!" Kokabiel shouted, completely enraged, regaining his footing, his wings beating furiously as he launched himself again, slashing at Archer with renewed ferocity. "Just because you injure me a bit, don't think a human like you can defeat me—urg!"

"This is pointless," Archer said under his breath, having grown tired of hearing him shout these nonsensical words the entire time. "You are nowhere near as dangerous as that maid, I was worrying too much." 

Confused by what he meant, Kokabiel felt a change in the person's demeanor and saw those steel gray eyes now completely focused on him. 

The stalemate between their strength instantly changed when he felt himself get pushed back in an instant. "What!?" 

Archer broke his stance, sending his arms upwards with his front completely exposed for a hard boot sinking into his chest, letting out a miniature shockwave along with the sound of bones cracking. "A—ah!" 

The Fallen was sent flying backward, gritting his teeth and flipping in the air with his nine wings flapping vigorously. Crimson eyes were going to glare at his opponent, only to widen with shock when he found the spot to be empty. 

"Where… oof!" The air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs, his already bruised chest further sinking when Archer's knee struck it. He coughed out a mouthful of blood, the surging pain accompanied by a sense of humiliation when he suddenly found himself completely overwhelmed. 

'He has the makings of a seasoned swordsman, I don't even think either Kiba, Xenovia, or even both of them combined will be able to defeat him. But that's about it, his lack of speed and lack of enough experience is clear to see.' 

"ENOUGH!" Reaching his limit, Kokabiel gritted his teeth and flew upwards with his nine remaining wings. Blood dripped down his mouth, back, and from the multiple cuts all over his body. Both his hands raised up, abandoning his light swords and focusing a large amount of energy on a golden spear that grew larger than a car in a few seconds. 

While on the ground, a multitude of summoning circles appeared, all from which emerged various three-headed dogs resembling Cerberus. 

All of which jumped on Archer simultaneously to block him from dodging.

"So her words weren't completely false, you are capable of being a human. But this is where it ends! I'll send your Master to meet you in the afterlife soon." In a swift move, he hurled the attack downwards and the spear went flying, reaching Archer's location in a second before reacting and exploding the moment it touched the ground. 

A large dome of pure energy expanded, encompassing dozens of meters and destroying a large chunk of the surrounding forest. 

Even if the Cerberuses were killed, he could always get more later on. Especially with the new addition to his army, that woman could create a few hundred of those creatures if she desired. 

The golden dome continued to wreak havoc for a few more seconds till it died down leaving behind a wall of dust. A deadly silence followed which made him ecstatic.

"Hahahaha!" Kokabiel's maddened laugh echoed across the area. "Did you see that!? In the end, I emerged victorious even against the one you so vehemently warned me to fear, you foolish woman! Now all that is left is the other one and nothing will stop me from starting this war!" 

Despite all of the wounds around his body, his grin couldn't be any more twisted. The sensation of killing a powerful foe he experienced during the Great War returned, the sensation addicting that he almost forgot about his condition and ended up flying over the Kuoh to end them all. 

"I won, Azazel." 

Woosh! 

The sound of metal twisting came from below, his eyes widened when the smoke was pushed apart by and a familiar sword greeted his eyes. "Impossible!" Excalibur Destruction twists before his eyes into an abomination of an arrow with three ends pointing at different angles. 

Fired, it closed the distance between them leaving him no time to fly away. Having no choice but to defend himself, he covered his body with his wings, knowing they'd be enough to block an attack from those Holy Swords. 

Yet his face turned to ashes as soon as the arrow touched his wings, "A—AAAAH!" A destructive wave of power traveled across all nine of his wings, tearing them apart like overinflated balloons. A vibration so intense that even wings that could block high-ranked spells couldn't resist. Clouds of black feathers, bones, blood, and flesh burst with the arrow turning into dust. 

Yet the damage was done and he fell to the ground, his body bouncing with a disgusting splat with more blood flying everywhere. "H-How!?" 

He looked in disbelief at his once beautiful wings now nearly all gone with only a single one left. Even this one has some bones sticking out of it. A mind-numbing pain reached his mind and his rage took over his rationality.

"DAMN YOU!" 

Sanity already disappeared from those crimson eyes, both hands raised above pouring every last bit of his energy into a golden spear to a size that was bigger than anything he'd shown before. Now no different to a small bus and showing signs of surpassing even that, 

"—!" 

A black shadow burst from the dust, already behind him holding Bakuya dripping in blood. The large golden spear broke apart at the same time as one of Kokabiel's arms fell onto the ground, cleanly cut from his shoulders where more blood spurted outwards.

"I noticed that every time you want to use that attack, you always use both of your hands." He said calmly, showing no injuries whatsoever other than his burned holy shroud. 

Kokabiel couldn't believe his eyes, his state so ridiculous that his mind hadn't even registered the pain from losing his arms. Or perhaps he had already become far too numb from having his wings destroyed. 

Archer didn't care, easing Kanshou in a reverse grip with its pointed end facing the Cadre's face. "And as I said, you talk too much." 

His arm descended, a motion to swiftly stab the weapon into his opponent's face. 

"NOOO—"

Clang! 

Unfortunately, something resembling a shield blocked the attack of his Noble Phantasm, sparks flying and his senses of danger going haywire. "—!" 

The area around him became illuminated with dozens of magic circles all gathering an enormous amount of Magical Energy before releasing in a series of concentrated beam attacks. 

Both married blades moved to slice through as many attacks as he could while retreating in the distance. "Hn!" There being so many of them, a couple managed to bypass his defense and damaged his armor which took the brunt of the impact. 

All in all, he managed to defend himself mostly. Now fully on guard, he looked cautiously at the hooded figure standing near Kokabiel, her delicate finger raising the man's face up to her eyes as he saw the lower part of his face sneer. 

"I told you it would end like this, foolish little crow." She spoke eloquently, her voice a melody to anyone who would hear it and very different from the person Archer had in mind. 

'She was here this entire time, I didn't sense her. Capable of using multiple powerful spells, summoning a shield at a distance, and… poison!' He created more distance between her when he noticed the area slowly filling up with an odorless cloud of purple smoke. Feeling it sprinkling his skin, and forcing him to once again use his Magical Energy to push against it as much as he could. 

"I'm curious, are you truly an Archer?" The lady spoke, curiosity filling her voice. Turning to face him, he got to see her face as the hood that covered her face disappeared — no longer bothering to keep her identity a secret. 

She was a beauty, that was for certain. 

Strands of dark hair long enough to reach the ground, dark yellow eyes looking at him intently, and most prominent of all were the elf-like pointed ears. Unlike Rider, she wasn't a face he recognized at first. Familiar for certain but the name didn't didn't jump out at him — it was right at the tip of his tongue.

"You barely use a bow, most of the time it's those two black and white swords. Your way of fighting doesn't strike me as something an Archer would do. It comes closer to what I'd see of someone from the Saber class instead. How intriguing indeed." She smiled coquettishly, yet it only made him more unnerved than anything else. "Are you an Archer, a Saber… or both?" 

"You finally decided to show yourself and also know a lot about me, shouldn't it be common courtesy to introduce yourself first?" He said, gathering everything he could about this Servant. Poison, large-scale spell attacks, summoning… and presence concealment definitely. 

At his words, she scoffed, "I am not exactly one for such knightly practices. Why give the answer when it's more advantageous for me to keep my silence? You are also an enigma, I've observed you and Rider for a while but your identity still remains a mystery."

So she uncovered Medusa's identity already? Just how long was she observing them… he needed to find out her identity as well. 'There are not many individuals known for poison in the Throne, much less for having inhuman traits like those ears.' 

The more he thought about it, the clearer the answer became since very few people held those characteristics as far as he knew. 

"You… you're not a Caster." He said with certainty. His answer surprised the woman a bit. 

"What gave it away?" She asked calmly. 

"Casters don't have Presence Concealment. You managed to sneak up on me on more than one occasion, Assassin." 

'Her Presence Concealment shouldn't be that high since I managed to sense her as soon as she went on the offensive. Possibly C, or C+ at most. I have to take into account the changes she must have gotten from being summoned into this world.' 

Assassin's smile grew larger yet her eyes became colder, she hummed as if acknowledging his answer without even denying it. "I should give you more credit, I was careful with my approach. Had it not been for this crow, then I wouldn't have needed to intervene." 

There was clear distaste when she spoke about Kokabiel, looking at him with disdain. 

"Is your Master working for him?" He asked, his shroud now fully replaced with a new one. "And where are the two Exorcists you've kidnapped?" 

"At least you're smart enough to guess the first part. As for the second." Her fingers snapped, and a spell taking the shape of a mirror appeared showing him the inside of a dark room where both Xenovia and Irina were locked up. Their faces were pale with black lines covering their bodies, breathing harshly — it was clear that they were poisoned. "A tenacious one, even under extreme pain the blue one wouldn't stop cursing me again and again. Even the other one fainted in a few minutes." 

This woman was dangerous, unlike Kokabiel's nonchalant behavior at the beginning which was just plain arrogance at forces he himself couldn't understand — this woman was different. She saw him fight, had an idea of what he was capable of yet still stood before him so confidently.

Why hasn't Rider arrived yet? At this point, Koneko must have returned and informed the main group by now. Just as he was about to use his connection to Rias to ask what happened, a wave of Holy Energy emerged from nearby followed by the sound of the maddened laughter of a crazed fool. 

"Finally… FINALLY, THE HOLY SWORD EXCALIBUR IS BEING REFORGED INTO ONE BLADE!" With his battle against Kokabiel, the area had been mostly cleared, letting him see an old man in the distance behaving like a crazed scientist at the sight before him. The six swords, most of which he had already seen spun in the air around one another, the energy growing stronger and his worries intensifying. 

Most important, however, were the Command Seals at the back of his hand he managed to spot. 

His face was nearly similar to the man he researched after hearing Kiba's story. He had aged, but this was definitely the same person who was announced as a rogue agent of the Church excommunicated for his experiments on children before killing them. "Valper Galilei, so that's your Master." 

"Unfortunately yes." Looks like someone else was familiar with his identity as well. 

No matter, he had to stop the man with whatever he was planning on doing. "Hn!" He jumped in the air, getting as far away from the poisoned area with a bow in his hand which he attempted to use to shoot down the scientist from a distance. 

Of course, Assassin wouldn't let him.

"Not so fast," beneath the tree, a multitude of purple chains burst upwards aiming for him like snakes ready to attack. Furrowing his brows, Archer used his bow as a defensive item to block the first few ones with a grunt. Using the momentum to his advantage, his body sailed through the air quickly shooting a multitude of arrows in quick succession to intercept the rest. 

A handful of his arrows were aimed at Assassin herself, and another one was headed for Valper's head. 

Tracing multiple swords around and rapidly firing them as well.

"Such tricks won't work on me." She waved her hand and a wall of hexagonal-shaped prisms formed in front of her and Valper, acting as a shield that successfully blocked the projectiles. 

This display further solidified the woman's identity in Archer's mind. Abilities of an Assassin and able to easily use a multitude of spells like a Caster. A characteristic he'd see from someone with the Double Summon skill, which was so rare that he only knew a single person off the top of his head who possessed it, and she just happened to have a legend consisting of being the first one to poison her husband Ninus. 

A ruthless queen who was both human and part god. 

"You can't keep dodging me forever, Archer." Despite having left the area as he kept dodging the chains, he managed to hear her voice clearly as if she were just near him. 

His Mind's Eye helped him keep up with the onslaught, chain after chains coming at him like venomous snakes, and a multitude of spells shot from his blind spots. Trying to lure him away from Valper while he tried to get closer, each of his attempts failed when found multiple poison traps the woman had set up around her Master's area. 

"Damn it!" 

Each of his failed attempts left a cut on his body, the chains themselves were coated in poison, the effects kept piling up with each cut. 

"You can keep me company, I am curious as to what you've managed to uncover about this world and the conditions that allowed us to be summoned here. So don't run away." One of the chains sneaked up from behind, wrapping around his ankle with neither Kanshou nor Bakuya able to cut through them. 

With a wave of her fingers, he felt a strong pull forcing his body to pull down viciously, his body creating a small crater upon impact. With more of the poisonous fog seeping into his lungs, he cursed and reinforced Kanshou to the limit and struck the chains.

Upon impact, the blade exploded similarly to his battle against Rider thus freeing him. He couldn't breathe in more or he was going to be in more trouble as his limbs started to feel a tiny bit sluggish. As if he was being dosed with a poison with anesthetic properties, it helped to ignore the pain but more of it would hinder his mind.

"You can submit to me, there is no shame in that. But if you remain stubborn, then death is what awaits you. Choose carefully." 

While she continued to speak, Emiya noticed the holy energy in the distance had vanished and a bad feeling settled in his heart. He had to deal with Assassin as quickly as possible. 

"Hoh, still willing to continue? Well, I suppose that's to be expected from a fellow Heroic Spirit." She commented, clearly amused but also not taking him lightly. This time, another blade came within his grasp, one she recognized but didn't have time to comment on when Archer's figure flickered and closed half of the distance between them at speeds beyond what he showed before. "Tch!" 

She summoned more chains, all of which shot towards him in great numbers. Yet he didn't block or jump away from them, nimbly moving past them one by one, making them miss their target by a hair's breadth. 

Like water his body twisted around the chains, running closer to the ground and moving faster than she predicted. She cursed under her breath, summoning a prism wall as soon as he drew near enough to slash a copy of Excalibur Rapidly which shattered upon impact. A fragile sword that she wasn't afraid would hurt her, but he wasn't done, for with his other hand she found him holding another weapon that already struck her shield. 

Neither a sword nor a dagger but a two-meter crimson spear which instantly shattered her defense. No, upon closer inspection she understood it severed the connection. Left with no means to defend herself, the spear managed to pierce a few inches into her stomach.

"—!" Only for Archer to halt his movement and drastically twist his body around right as a light spear struck Archer at his side and sent him flying. 

Crash! 

His figure stuck a couple of trees, breaking them apart into wood splinters. 

Assassin looked down at her stomach with wide eyes, the crimson spear falling near her feet and disappearing into many particles of light. A small open wound was left on her stomach where it only managed to pierce only a few layers deep. The warm feeling of her clothes getting soaked in her blood made the woman frown. 

Archer on the other hand recovered, having had barely any second to trace a sword that managed to bear the brunt of the spear's attack. He glared in front where an enraged figure marched forward covered in blood and holding a golden sword, one that held far more holy energy than the fragments and seemed to even strengthen its user which happened to be Kokabiel. 

"You fool! I saved your life and you come back to discard it again!?" He heard the Assassin's expresses enraged voice as she shouted at the Cadre with dissatisfaction. 

"Stand down, Assassin, with the perfected Excalibur in Lord Kokabiel's hands, there's nothing that will stand in his way." An arrogant voice spoke from behind, Valper coming forth with a contemptuous look on his face as he looked at Archer. "The first one who will be our test subject and test my creation's abilities will be this man over there. Please, have fun, my Lord." 

"I had this under control," Assassin said, only to be ignored by Valper who waved his hands. 

"Do not disobey your Master's order, Assassin. You were only to serve as a distraction till my creation was completed, now that your role is no longer required, you are allowed to go back." 

Killing intent flashed within her eyes, "I advise you to not treat me as some puppet of yours, Valper." She looked at Archer who stood back up again with another pair of blades comfortably resting in his hands. Though there were wounds on his body, she knew the man was nowhere near being out of this fight. 

"I doubt that sword of yours will be of any help." She said, speaking about the newly made Excalibur. A flash of disappointment appeared on her face. 

"Silence!" Finally, Kokabiel shouted, hateful glaring back at Archer and slowly ascending upwards with his only remaining wing. "I can't accept it. I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS! A human can't defeat a Fallen, a Cadre no less!" He gleefully brought the reforged Excalibur up this face and grinned. "I was wrong about you, Valper. This toy is indeed better than I ever imagined! With this! WITH NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE FALLENS, NOT EVEN SIRZECHS!" 

Archer listened to the madman's rambles, having a weird expression when observing the sword made from most of the fragments being recombined. In the vast expanse of his Reality Marble, another addition was added. 'It holds the combined abilities of the other fragments, no wonder he's so confident. But…'

But it was still nothing compared to the Swored of Promise Victory from his world, hastily made with plenty of flaws that its durability suffered and the sword still remained nothing but a shell of its former self. 

An incomplete weapon. 

A bastardized creation made by the hands of an ignorant fool.

"Hah… " he sighed, whether it was out of disappointment or something else, he couldn't tell. Even with Kokabiel holding the sword, the biggest threat here still remained Assassin. The woman seemed colder when faced with Valper, he could even confidently tell what was going on in her mind right now. 

This wasn't the first time a Master paid the consequences of disrespecting their Servant. 

"Let's just get this done with, I don't want to waste more time dealing with this nonsense." He said to Kokabiel, feeling some of the poison within his body start to subside, this catching him off guard especially when he found the woman retracting the poison from the area around him. 

His body still felt some of the effects but at least now it wasn't as bad as before.

She gave him a knowing look. 

Telling him she wasn't going to intervene. 

Kokabiel hearing his response grew red with madness. Emiya, not bothering to listen to whatever rambles the Cadre spewed, prepared a demonic spiral sword in his hand. He didn't need to get close to Kokabiel to destroy that blade. 

Unlike that time with Grayfia, he would ensure his aim was on point.

Crash!

Yet the next moment, everyone was surprised to feel a tremor below the mountain. Looking downwards with his enhanced eyesight, Emiya was shocked to find a disheveled Rider embedded into the side of the mountain. Her appearance was a complete mess, with wounds all over her body, burns, and she had nothing to cover her eyes. Feeling his gaze on her, she barely managed to turn her head in his direction and her mouth moved, from which he was able to read the following. 

"Run… you can't beat her." 

Woosh! 

A large pillar of crimson lightning rose in the distance, completely dwarfing any presence of the holy sword even from such a long distance away. 

"This power…" he muttered, feeling a chill creep up his skin. 

The source of this power stood at the edge of the mountain, completely hidden by the crimson wave of power gathering into one spot and aiming at Rider. The latter staggered, struggling to stand, and was also trying to unleash her own Noble Phantasm. 

"That idiot!" 

In her state, she'd be far too late. The pillar of crimson destructive energy descended and Emiya moved from his spot. Completely ignoring Kokabiel and Assassin, he landed in front of Rider who halted in her steps. Her stunned expression was now full on display without it being hidden behind the mystic code. Saying something behind him but the noise made it impossible to hear.

He ignored that.

"I am the bone of my sword." 

He raised his right arm palm facing out, and gripped the forearm with his other hand.

"Rho… Aias!" 

Faced against the immense pressure threatening to swallow them, a pink flower bud bloomed from his hand.

Rider from the back watched in a daze as the sight of a beautiful seven-petaled flower unfolding reflected within her eyes. Seven layers stacking up on one another right as it got struck, by the tsunami of crimson energy swallowing everything around them and carving through the mountain.

Her hair trashed from the wind, something in Rider's mind clicked as she watched the back of the white-haired Servant get momentarily replaced by that of a younger… equally stubborn boy with red hair who used a four-leafed shield instead. 

Their figures overlapped onto one another till a name slipped out of her mouth, "Emiya… Shirou…"

…

The tower of raw energy descended from the sky, Kokabiel who stood in its way watched it approach him with a dazed expression. Raising Excalibur in an attempt to block it, only for the weapon to be instantly shattered upon impact and his figure completely enveloped.

.

.

.

---------

Servant

Name: Semiramis

Class: Assassin

Master: Valper Galilei

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Parameters

Strength: E

Endurance: D

Agility: D

Mana: A

Luck: A

Noble Phantasm: B

Class Skills

Presence Concealment: C

Item Construction: B

Territory Creation: EX

Personal Skills

Divinity: C

Double Summon: A

Familiar (Dove): D

Noble Phantasms

Sikera Ušum (Anti-Army): B+

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Anti-World): EX

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.