An Archer's Promise Chapter 41: And so it begins part 2 (Patreon)

Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer.

Couldn't finish this part in a single chapter, even now this one is about 7k words. Next will most likely be very long as well.

Edit 1: Beta read

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-The Dark Land-


With Magical Energy coursing through his body, Archer took a deep breath in preparation for the battle ahead. 


Assess surroundings for hidden traps and enemies.


Attenuate all background noise to focus on the target.


Assume shooting stance and prepare the bow for target lock. 


These were a few steps he established after experiencing countless battles, to ensure that no matter where his enemy was, nor the speed and distance at which they moved — his arrows would reach them regardless. With no means of escaping him, even with the use of magic or heavy armor. 


He grabbed his black bow, a weapon he forged using materials acquired from a future this world would never know. It was a material strong enough to withstand the drawbacks of hitting targets miles away along with the endurance to handle broken Phantasms. 


With a simple twitch of his fingers, an arrow made of metal appeared in the air. 


"Fuuu…" Emiya exhaled as he grabbed the metal string,  muscles straining as his reinforced arm began bulging. The weapon let out a creaking sound, almost as if it was about to break but he knew that wasn't the case.


For a split second, everything came to a standstill as he locked onto a single person who was touching something he shouldn't. Then he let the arrow loose.


Fwish!


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"RAAARGH!" 


"CUT THEM INTO PIECES!" 


In the center of the battlefield, Vault advanced with his armies against the Dark Queen's defenses. Orcs, Imps, and even dark elves — all were pushed back by the wave of Kuroinu mercenaries. Numbering in the thousands they rained down hellfire on the already dwindling defenders before rushing inside with their swords drawn. 


Olga's army had been weakened by the constant barrage of attacks in addition to suffering low manpower. As such this had emboldened Vault's men who became overconfident, thinking they could easily take down the Dark Queen without a single bit of resistance. 


They were right, unfortunately.


"Hahahaha! These motherfuckers don't stand a chance against us!" Vault screamed loudly, leading the group to the forefront of the battle. Swinging his great sword, he had killed dozens of imps and goblins in one fell swoop. The man was as ferocious and brutal as his reputation precedes him,his history in battle was laid bare for everyone to witness in awe. 


Nothing swayed him, no amount of fear could be seen in his eyes aside from insanity and the glee of battle. A raging berserk who laughed with every swing of his blade, content by the bloody plethora of entrails hanging on it. 


"Earth Magic: Stone Skin! Wind Magic: Haste! Water Magic: Heal! Fire Magic: Inferno!" 


From the back, Kin stood with a handful of other mages casting spells relentlessly. Their magic lit up the sky with a myriad of magic circles and fireballs causing absolute mayhem on the field. Kin's spells were the most eye-catching, staying on longer whilst others took breaks after a single cast — he never stopped for a single second. This gave his side the upper hand in dealing with the Dark Queen’s forces on the battlefield, making the other mages watch in marvel at what their vice leader could do. It seemed as though he had an endless pool of Magical Energy, magnifying simple spells beyond anything they'd seen in the past. 


Embedded with the red ruby within his staff t, it provided Kin a sense of invincibility as all of his pain and exhaustion were evaporated. 


While most of his casts were offensive, he did provide support buffs to Vault and the mercenaries.


I can't believe how weak she is!" Vault grinned as he swung his massive sword around. "This bitch here isn't worthy of this throne!"


The sight of him laughing maniacally as he attacked an Orc with reckless abandon was terrifying. He seemed to neglect the fact that he was still a human facing against opponents who were known to rip their victims apart with ease. Either out of bravery or fearlessness, everyone rejoiced as the chance of victory grew brighter every second. 


The dark elves' archers retreated, having suffered massive casualties from the onslaught of arrows and Kin’s relentless magic spells. The Kuroinu mercenaries used this to their advantage to blitz beyond the walls. The surviving dark elves were in complete disarray, frustration bled from their faces as they watched the mercenaries overwhelm their defenses.


"Where is Howler!? Bring that dog here right this instant!" In the inner parts of the castle, Chloe was in a frenzy. She was in charge of the castle’s defenses as well as the protection of her Queen, but now she stood there helplessly watching the walls of the place she considered home crumble before her very eyes — And to add fuel to the fire, the humans were leading the charge.


"Howler and his battalion are missing!" One of her subordinates informed her. "We've searched the entire compound but not a single trace of them was found!" 


Realization dawned on her, the timing of the surprise attack coupled with the Lycans’ disappearance was too conspicuous. And somehow the humans were able to breach their defenses without bypassing the alarms... This could only mean one thing. 


"Those bastards betrayed us!" Wrecking her brain at these coincidences, Chloe slammed the table in a fit of rage, causing it to crumble subsequently. 


Those muts had joined the enemy ranks, even after being given the honor to serve her Queen. A cowardly move that merited death… no, one that earned a never-ending life of torture by the beasts in the dungeon. Now, time was of the essence, they were backed into a corner with no means of escaping. Having their own base turn into a trap… how infuriating.


Now she only had a few options left; to save her Queen by escaping through a hidden passage or face the enemies head-on and hope that she can kill the leader and have his men retreat.


"... Fucking humans." Images of her past returned to Chloe, having suffered for most of her childhood as a slave for the aristocrat, Sir John Mandeville. The human blood that flowed inside her was a fact that disgusted her to no end. And now these very same people were planning on inflicting the same horrific tortures on the one person who gave her another chance at life…


'I can't let these fools set foot inside!' She was ready to lay down everything if it came down to it, her life was never her own and belonged to her one true master and savior. Olga saved her life before, now it was her turn to return the favor.


"Hold the lines, I'll cut those bastards myself!" She ordered, grabbing a pair of twin daggers and getting ready for what could easily be her last battle. But she wouldn't go down without dragging Vault with her down to the deepest pits of hell. 


{Break}


-Throne room-


She lived for centuries, seeing the passage of many different eras and civilization rise from nothing to nationwide Kingdoms in a matter of a few decades. Humans for all their shortcomings were a fearsome species, that she couldn't deny after everything she'd seen.


Still, this wasn't a form of admiration in the least bit, more of a feeling of disappointment knowing she couldn't crush them from the beginning. Celestine called them beautiful creatures who shone brighter than the sun when united. That even though they lived such short lives and lacked magical affinity, they still managed to grow so powerful and dominant. The Goddess Reborn mentioned how their tenacity, their stubbornness defined their species. A will so strong that even faced with unreasonable odds and unmatchable predators, they still managed to reach the top regardless. 


But Olga saw their true colors. 


They were hypocrites, treacherous, greedy, incompetent, ignorant, and very flawed. 


What inner beauty?


All she saw were demons disguised as the innocent. Vile creatures acting like a victim, crying for help in daylight while scheming against those who helped them at night. The only miracle she saw in them was how they survived for so long in the first place. No, it was clear to her that they were mere insects that needed to be crushed before they became an unstoppable infestation. 


Olga remembered the day her people started to disappear one by one under her watch. Confused and worried, she believed the culprits were the beastmen, but soon did she find out the truth of the matter. Her people were captured by the humans they trusted and sold as sex slaves. Just as she was about to end their miserable lives, Celestine came to their rescue and begged for another chance — which she relented given them being close friends.


But again and again, they broke their promises and kept secretly using her people as slaves. The final straw that broke the camel's back was seeing what some of these people did to the dark elves… some having completely lost their minds, broken beyond the possibility of healing and becoming nothing more than an object used for pleasure. That was the moment she truly started hating them, with every fiber of her being this notion grew stronger each ear with the worst being when she found Chloe for the first time.


A young child whose mother was a dark elf and whose father was a human who used the mother as a toy for years. The girl born wasn't even treated with love and care, planned to be sold off and used just like the one who gave birth to her. 


"I swear… one day, these people will pay for what they've done." She spoke silently to herself, feeling the sea of anger hidden inside her heart. 


As she sat on her throne, Olga's gaze went to the shard of glass that she kept on a table near her. Taking a single piece and sending some Magical Energy into it, she visualized a scene that still haunted her mind to this day. Having seen it hundreds, if not thousands of times over and over again.


A giant sword standing tall on a flattened valley with a sea of other swords. The very might of the weapon came through the recorded orb and shook her soul with the weight of a mountain threatening to crush her. She first wondered if this was the work of another helping Celestine. The dwarven deity and the insect one already gave their support — but this couldn't be one of them. 


It wasn't until an idea surfaced in her mind did Olga truly start to feel fear. Something or someone more dangerous than a god?


"Are the giants still alive? Is this the doing of one of those two?" That couldn't be possible, after all… they wer—Rumble!


The room shook, dust falling from the ceiling as the outside of the castle was being attacked. 


"Chloe…" she worried about her protégé, the girl was far too hard-headed during such moments. Though she was a capable warrior, the Kuroinu outnumbered her. "Tch, filthy humans forcing me to make a move."


The castle itself was surrounded by a forcefield of her own design. Made with the rarest material in all of Eostia, capable of blocking her strongest attacks and the might of an army. Anyone from the outside couldn't come in while those inside could continue to launch their attacks. This was one of her most accomplished creations, refined through centuries of research and development that only someone like Celestine could ever hope to disable. A creation coming second to the throne she now sat on.


Pa!


The butt of her staff hit the floor, sending a stream of energy from herself to the spell to be activated. Now it remained idle and only served as a way to signal her if an intruder ever so tried to sneak in.


"Humph, at least watching them die one by one will bring me some form of entertainment." She said, smirking while watching the battle going on outside through a spell of hers.


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Nothing happened.


The likes of Vault continued to slaughter his way until he breached the Castle's main entrance.


"Eh?" 


This wasn't right, what happened to the barrier? Olga tried to activate it again but the same thing happened, or rather… there was no barrier coming to life outside her domain. 


"It can't be…" had Celestine somehow found a way to sabotage her defenses? No, that Goddess wasn't present in the battle and she would never resort to such trickery. 


Pa!


Again, nothing.


She began to panic, still keeping a stoic face but the inside of her mind going chaotic as she started speculating for any possible reasons why her spell would have stopped working. She checked the source, the magic circles, and even her own staff — everything was perfectly fine! It wasn't until a certain individual came into view that she grew angered. The vision showed Kin leading second to Vault the attack inside, casting hundreds of spells in a way that even astounded her. She never saw a human do so much for so long without feeling drained, this was a feat capable only by a talented mage elf. At this moment, he casted enough support spells to cover hundreds of people all by himself… had the humans really reached this far?


"It must be him!" There could only be this reason why her barrier wasn't working. Who else but the best mage the humans had to offer could have found a loophole or a crack in her magic, most likely with the aid of Celestine. Olga clenched her hand, just how far was Celestine willing to go? This couldn't be how things ended… No, she still had her throne and an army of demons at her beck and call. They were inside the castle? Good, then she would show them true hell and finally get rid of this accursed group that has been nothing but a thorn by her side.


{Break}


Schrk!


With another swing, Vault cut through an imp with ease. The body getting crushed by the greatsword rather than cutting in a perfect line. 


The man was covered in sweat, panting a bit from the fight so far. His hand started to show signs of going numb, signaling him that he has could go on for maybe another hour before exhaustion. But that thought left his mind when a green aura of light surrounded his body. His minor cuts and scrapes he accumulated from the battle healed in a matter of seconds, the exhaustion leaving his body with him being back to his top form soon after.


Looking back, he could help but smirk.


"Thanks, Kin, that magic of yours really does come in handy when needed." They advanced through the halls of the castle, their men going inside every room and surveying the corners for possible sneak attacks. "So far, nothing drastic happened yet, we are advancing as intended and the plans given to us by the dog of this castle seem to be correct so far. That bitch should be a few floors above us." He commented while remembering the notes and map he got the Lycan who got freed from his hold thanks to Kin's magic. 


"Don't you find it weird?" The mage himself spoke, following Vault right behind him while keeping his spells active. "We haven't even faced any sort of barriers. Our reports have specifically mentioned about an impenetrable field surrounding the place that not even the strongest orc could break. Yet here we are not having dealt with this thing once." He was skeptical and wary of this place, how could such a crucial component be missing during the fight? It made no sense to him and the reports themselves were not fake.


"Bah! You're being too paranoid again, Kin. That bitch probably forgot or couldn't set it up in time. I'm not that familiar with the magic shit but even someone like me knows that a barrier of such a scale would require a ridiculous amount of power. And I doubt Olga sits all the time on that throne with that juicy ass of hers."


"But still… this could be a trap," Kin stressed the possibility, though he felt assured of their victory with the gem by his side, this was just too bizarre for him to ignore. "What if she escaped?" 


"Unlikely, Olga is known for her disdain for humans. If she were to escape then that would just show that the Queen acknowledged defeat. And trust me, that's the last thing she'll ever want to do." The many centuries of war against Celestine have shown the length Olga was willing to go to gain the slightest advantage. 


RAAARGH!


As they reached the second floor, they found a large hall filled with mutant Orcs and other monsters all under the control of the Dark Queen. At the center of the pack was a single familiar blonde elf, holding two daggers covered with blood. At her heel were the corpses of two Kuroinu men surrounded by an expanding pool of blood. 


"Well well well, what a warming greeting this is. All of these monsters assembled just for me? I'm flattered." Vault said, smirking before giving Chloe a half-assed bow. "You must be the second in command to Olga, I heard so much about you. You've killed many of my men for a couple of years, heard you even fought Alicia head-on and managed to push her back — impressive." 


Young elf with blonde hair, loyal to Olga for years, and former slave. She matched the description of the person Louis was asking for to be brought back for a certain client. Was a bit hard to imagine she was in fact half-human, with nothing showcasing that part of her. Half breeds of elves usually had shorter ears which were more rounded and sharp at the end. This girl mostly looked like a pure-blooded dark elf.


"Disgusting humans!" Chloe shouted, clear she was barely holding back herself from jumping at him with her daggers. "You soiled this domain with your presence, killed more of our kin, and sullied my Queen's name by not calling her with proper respect!" 


"Hooo, your kin? Come now, you know that's not true, we both know who is truly your family." 


Chloe gritted her teeth, her glare completely focused on Vault while Kin in the background began working on a spell. Using the red gem in secret, something he worked on for an entire year, since the very first day when Vault announced his plan with Eostia and raiding Olga's castle.


"Shut up! I'm not one of you filthy humans nor will I ever be one!" She charged forward, wanting to cut him down herself. Rage blinded her judgment, a sight that made Vault let out a chuckle as he readied his sword, blocking her charge with little effort. 


"Did I perhaps hit a nerve?"


He pulled back, dodging the incoming attack, and jabbed his blade toward the ground. The shockwave created by the impact broke her momentum, sending Chloe flying back to the wall she was earlier standing on. The strength coursing through his limbs thanks to Kin was intoxicating, to say the least, he could see himself getting addicted to this feeling with little use of it. 


She landed on the ground with a thud, rolling around and causing a few orcs nearby to fall over in surprise.


"Is that all? I was honestly expecting more from you, for someone called a second in command you don't show anything special.  Humph, I can just break each and every one of your bones and make you watch as I fuck that bitches pussy. Or, I'll have my men start with you and let the orcs enjoy your precious Queen, I think she'll enjoy it given she's a century-old virgin. A few rounds will most likely make all that frustration inside of hers go away leaving behind a perfectly submissive slut."


The words sent shivers down Chloe's spine, the look in her eyes turning cold. Not even a single inch of mercy was showing in her, a sight that only further amused the leader of the Kuroinu.


"I-I'd rather die than become one of your slaves!" she growled, trying to stand up. "I won't allow you to hurt my Queen or my people, you hear me?!" 


The winds of magic seemed to surround Chloe, making her body float up in the air. Her body glowed with a soft blue glow hue, a similar effect Vault and the mercenaries had on them when raiding the castle. 


"Hmm, what a shame. I guess you don't want to play anymore then, huh?" Vault said, putting his sword aside. "Oh well, not like you had a choice, to begin with. Daddy dearest wants you back, but I'll be sure to send a grandbaby in the making as a surprise inside you." 


Chloe's eyes widened when she heard those words, a flashback of her childhood coming back. How she watched her mother get raped every day by dozens of humans for a price, how she was forced to stay huddled up in a corner while watching everything unfold before her, knowing that one day it would be her turn. And one day, those broken eyes of her mother turned foggy and devoid of life as her body could no longer handle the abuse anymore. The bastard who called herself his father already started to feel her body as a child, openly talking about how she was a valuable asset.


If Olga hadn't been there, if she remained in that hell hole for another year... Then Chloe wouldn't have survived for long.


She wasn't going to go back to that monster...


No! She refused to even consider that possibility!


"You disgust me, you fucking monster! I'll kill you! KILL YOU ALL!" She screamed, pushing her body to get back up and go for the offensive again. "I'm never going back to that pig!"


Vault chuckled as he didn't move out of the way, watching the girl approach with bloodshot eyes. "Get her, I'm done here."


"RAAARGH!" 


"—!?"


Chloe gasped in shock when multiple pairs of hands grabbed her arms and legs before pushing her to the ground. She watched as the orcs who were supposed to be under her order now detained her body without letting her move by a single inch.


"What is going on? Why are you pigs holding me down!? Let me go!!!" She struggled in vain, trying to break free from the grip they had on her. "I'll have you gutted for this!"


"Don't bother, they are no longer under your control." A voice came from above, followed by a pair of boots standing in front of her. Looking above, she saw Kin with a victorious smirk on his face, pushing her glasses back as they hid his eyes with the lights reflecting off of them. 


"What have you—urgh!" She couldn't even finish her words before he stepped in her face and pushed her mouth onto the floor beneath. 


"You talk too much." He said dryly. "As for what happened to them, I just freed these poor monsters from the control of your Queen by disabling the throne's power on them. Now they follow our order." 


The orcs laughed in unison, watching the brand of Olga disappear from their body and no longer feeling the control she had over them.


Kin continued to talk.


"As to why they're following our orders, given how Olga Discordia wasn't exactly known to be a benevolent ruler — they are more than eager to watch her fall and suffer. In fact, I'm sure they are more than willing to participate as well, right?" He said, having the Orcs grunt in approval. "Now, I guess it's time to take down the last obstacle before becoming the heroes of Eostia."


"Haha!" Vault laughed, sheathing his greatsword. "True, years of planning and execution finally bearing fruits, even Olga in her current state can't do anything. I bet she's even watching us right now, would have preferred to give her a proper show with this girl but the other boys are getting restless — so we better hurry up. Let's go, we've already won at this point."


The Queen probably believed she still had a chance with the remaining demons, not realizing that Kin's spell actually not only negated the throne's effect inside the room but everything it was connected to. So right at this moment, Olga had absolutely zero control of any of her so-called 'subjects.'


"You're ready, Kin?" 


"Since the beginning." The bespectacled man said, the red gem growing brighter within his staff.


{Break}


Outside, the mercenaries had cleared up most of the area. The elves had died or escaped, and the demons themselves stopped attacking them for some reason. They did get informed by Kin that something like this would happen, but seeing it happen in real life was... Weird. They've fought these beasts for years and to see them suddenly become docile and even beginning to help them was a sight for sore eyes.


"Hey, guy! The boss called us to assemble at the throne room, we've almost made it! Olga has been captured!"


"Yeah! We're gonna celebrate tonight!"


They all cheered in unison, celebrating their soon-to-come victory and looking forward to a good night ahead. It would be a celebration unlike any other, a true feast worthy of a hero and having to fuck a top-tier Queen just like Vault promised them to get a round with her.


With great jubilance, many headed straight inside the castle while others continued to stay outside and keep a watch. A few of these individuals took it upon themselves to guard the entrance of the castle and take out any oncoming threat to their group. 


"Hey Barl, don't you think this was a bit too easy? I always heard stories about this place being an impenetrable fortress of doom or some shit like that. Yet here we are with barely any casualties on our side and the Queen soon about to fall." One of the guys cladded in full battle gear with a bloodied long spear in his right hand spoke to his companion who decided to stay behind as well. 


Barl shrugged with a smile. "It's because of the magics' help. All the big wigs know Kin is a powerful mage, like I felt I could destroy a tree into pieces with a single punch with his spells. And the big man himself prepared for this day for years, I'm sure he set up many traps against the enemy from the beginning so that we wouldn't have to die in battle. Oh and, you see how the monsters are on our side now? If that wasn't the case then we wouldn't have had such an easy time I tell ya. Remember how Hicks died? Poor bastard disappeared alongside an entire mountain." Even now there wasn't any concrete explanation they got from Kin, he never disclosed any information to them and they were left with nothing but speculation. It wasn't until the latest batch of mercenaries came with stories about an entire mountain having been crushed by the goddess Celestine herself while others said it was just an earthquake.


But that place was the same area where Hicks was said to have died, so even more wild ideas passed through everyone's mind. But if the boss told them to not worry about it, then they were good.


"Yeah but... Why the fuck can't Celestine and the other Shield gals not do the same? I saw Claudia snap someone's wrist like a twig by accident, ain't no way she and her Knights couldn't do what we just did today."


"Come on now, let's not jump to conclusions, Jon. You know she probably doesn't want to fight, she's still a frail woman. Plus, I heard she was looking for a way to avoid bloodshed if possible."


"The fuck kind of frail woman you're talking about? She can probably snap your back with a strong hug."


"The kind of women we'll have our dicks inside soon, hehehehehe! And to be fair, I bet that part of her is as soft and warm as the premium whores in a brothel. No, I bet they're even better, who knows what other kind of blessing they got from the goddess." Both men laughed, Barl leaned against the wall when he felt something bump into him from behind.


"What the…" he looked back, and grew confused when he saw a… twisted dagger. "Hey Jon, take a look at this beauty." 


He called his friend, the large armored mercenary curious as to what Barl had found, and came closer to watch. "Woah!" He exclaimed in surprise. 


"What kind of dagger is this?" The weapon was unique in his opinion, something he'd never seen anywhere. An ornate handle with rings on them and a twisted blade with a myriad of different colors. "Hey, there's something written on it." On the dagger, itself was some sort of phrase carved from a language he didn't not recognize. 


"Where do you think this came from?" Barl asked, looking around to see if there were any more of these hanging around.


"Probably a weapon left behind by one of those elves, ain't no way you'll see something like this forged in Geofu or at any smithy. Looks like it'll break after a few uses… probably a ceremonial dagger." Jon guessed, wondering what they should do next with it. "Maybe it was left behind by one of those elves, take it."


"What?" Barl looked at his friend, wondering why he was asking him to take the weapon. "Why me? Don't you want it?" 


"Well… if you insist then—" 


"Nevermind, I'll take it gladly!" Barl immediately went to grab the dagger. Though such a thing didn't look that comfortable or efficient to use, it certainly would sell for a few silver coins or even a gold coin. Elven weaponry was very coveted by the ruling class as they liked to collect such things.


"Hn!" With a firm grip, he tried to take it off of the wall, but it didn't even budge in the slightest. "Come on!!!" The man used both of his hands and his feet to push against the wall. Jon laughed at the conical sight, eager to comment if he was so weak that he couldn't even take out a simple dagger from the wall.


Unfortunately for him, his Barl's effort was rewarded with the blade sliding out of the stone wall slightly. 


"Hahahahaha! This damn thing is now mi—" Schrk!


Before he could even finish his sentence, an arrow came from the dark sky with great force and viciously went through his skull and pinned it against the wall. His body now hung on the wall with Rule Breaker still in his arm — blood slowly leaking out of his head and I to the wall before descending on the Noble Phantasm.


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"Eh?" 


Jon stood there, shocked and unable to process what just happened. His ears picked up a high-pitched sound, turning to see the source, the last thing that his brain registered was the metal glint of an arrow before his vision went dark. 


Bam!


Similar to Barl, an arrow shot to his head with enough force to lift his body and have the arrow get embedded in the wall behind. 


The other mercenaries who watched this scene happen in front of their eyes couldn't believe it. Everything happened so quickly that some even wondered if they hadn't just imagined things. 


"ENEMY ATTACK!!!!" The alarm was raised, and everyone got into position to face this invisible enemy. Had the Dark Queen called for backup? 


Fwish!


Fwish!


Fwish!


In a matter of seconds, a dozen arrows shot out from the darkness and took the lives of a Kuroinu member. None had missed their target and all got either killed by a headshot or having an arrow hit their heart. Going so far as to even bypass any form of armor from leather to steel. 


Yet this was just the beginning.


"Look out!" One of the men noticed a bright red light coming from the sky, he believed it to be another arrow and went to take cover inside the walls and the archer towers. Yet that proved futile as the projectile blew up the building the moment it touched the ground. An explosion which created a large ball of fire that destroyed the entire tower along with anyone unfortunate enough to have been inside. 


"Shit, it's an explosion spell!?" More of such attacks rained from the sky, blanketing the sky in a similar fashion to what happened before when they attacked first. Reality took a turn when they found themselves in a similar position as their now-defeated enemy. 


"Argh!" 


The number of deaths increased every second, dying from either an explosion, getting struck in the head, or having large parts of the castle fall on them. Everything was crumbling around them, they could not even hide nor run from the unknown enemy. 


It was complete chaos.


"Where are the–argh!"


Pandemonium spread widely in the Castle of Discordia. The sea of flames burned all those who had died, releasing a foul stench in the air.


"Robin's been hit! Where is the boss!?" A man in armor shouted as he hid behind a large great shield, protecting himself from the invisible threat. "Mages, we need protection! Deploy a barrier or something around us for fucks sake!"


"W-W-We're trying!!!" One of the men in purple robes cried, panicking just like everyone else. He, along with the few mages that remained alive, used another defensive spell simultaneously. A blue film of energy started to spread around the area, many sighed in relief but that joy barely lasted a second before the barrier disappeared instantly. "It's not working! Why is it not working!?!!?!??!" The mage shouted.


They were promised a smooth victory without the need to participate in the battle much. Their only roles being to act as a support and nothing more. Many of them were people from influential backgrounds, having never participated in a real battle and only being here due to Kin and Vault promising them fame and wealth. The sight of so much death and charred corpses of those they were familiar with made many lose their cool and break down in the middle of the field. Shouting and crying to be saved but their cry only lasted a few seconds before either an arrow or an explosion killed them off immediately.


There was no warning, there was no sign, it just happened all of sudden, out of the blue. The great Kuroinu army thought themselves victorious in their battle through the dark lands, unbeatable by any of the enemy forces from the Dark Queen — were now standing on their last leg.


Many retreated inside the castle, not wanting to stay outside and basically wait for death.


"Wait, there are no more arrows!" For the few who remained outside, they noticed the change. 


Many wanted to cry joyfully, but couldn't as this only made them more worried. If the barrage of arrows stopped, then that only meant one thing…


"There's someone there!" A lone figure appeared standing in the middle of the sea of fire. Holding a giant black bow that was disappearing into motes of blue light. His features were hidden with a black cloak, the only thing that could be seen was his lower mouth and part of his red clothing underneath.


"Who's this!?" Did the enemy really believe they won so arrogant that they sent a single person!? He would show them! "Die!" The man wielding a greataxe shouted, as he immediately went for the offensive, trying to hit the red figure that was running at him. As the man approached him, he was able to notice that he had white ashen hair that was cut short and dark skin like the dark elves. "You fucker!" The Kuroinu mercenary swung his greataxe with all his strength, aiming to decapitate the head of his enemy.


Clang!


At the last second, his strike was effortlessly stopped by a single black falchion sword. Even when he used his entire weight behind the attack, the man in red barely seemed to be bothered by it, like pushing away a child's strike. 


The mercenary trembled in fear and despair. They had been the ones feared by all until now… All of Eostia knew of the Kuroinu, they feared them, and they worshiped them as one of the land's main forces against the Dark Queen, Olga Discordia, army. 


They were this close to achieving their dream of creating a land of men, where the women would become nothing more than their plaything, their slaves, where anyone could use them to their heart's content and be taken care of on hand and foot… a true paradise.


"Help!"


One by one…


"My shield is broken! I-I don't want to die!"


…each and every one of the once prestigious Kuroinu army members… 


"Aaargh!!"


…were butchered in a matter of minutes.


This wasn’t a fight… It was an absolute slaughter.


What amounted to thousands before now got reduced to a few dozen men still standing from the attack. On the ground, the bodies of their friends and comrades laid waste with silver pointed arrows sticking out of the many dead bodies like pincushions, littering the field like graveyards. Their faces were frozen in fear in their last moments. 


This man–No! This thing was a calamity that hit them at the worst possible time. "Who… Who the fuck are you!? What are you!? Answer me!" Even with his hands shaking from fear, the mercenary couldn't help but shout defiantly as he tried to apply more force behind his greataxe. Only to have little to no reaction for his opponent.


He saw the white-haired man turning his head at him, eyes a silver gray — similar to cold steel–looking at him one last time before they vanished and reappeared a few inches away from him. The sharp and cold feeling of a blade sinking into his flesh registered in the mercenary's brain. 


"A Faker." 


{Break}


It took longer than he would have liked, but Archer managed to kill everyone outside of the castle. Even those who tried to escape couldn't go any further before getting killed by one of his many arrows. 


Kanshou and Bakuya were dyed red from the hundreds he slaughtered in a matter of minutes. The battle pushed his mind into a blank state similar to every time he got deployed for his duties as a Counter Guardian — this was no different. Emiya hated killing, this never changed throughout the many eons. But he learned to adapt and accept his fate, this was his duty and he couldn't do anything but try to end this as soon as possible. 


Every step he took would have blood splashing on his boots. The number of bleeding bodies created a shallow pool of red which filled the air with the stench of iron. The heat of the fire against his skin along with the phantom wails inside his head made the scene oh-so-familiar to Archer.


Rin… he would hate for her to see this after everything he'd said in the past. 


Yet at that moment, a certain redhead appeared as well along with a stubborn brunette. He didn't know why he was thinking about them, but they would surely get devastated when such a piece of news would reach their ears. Not like it mattered, he would return to Alaya right after this. Though in an act of defiance, Archer wanted to do something he could never achieve in the past. The task was to kill all Kuroinu members and Vault. But not everyone inside was one of them, even if those two were no better than Vault himself — it didn't matter to him.


He just wanted to do this one little selfish thing, at least to prove Rin right. That he tried until the very last moment. Though they were heinous villains, they weren't monsters like him. 


Crash!


He destroyed the barricade the surviving members put at the entrance of the inner parts of the castle. His eyes went to the wall near him where Rule Breaker still remained wedged inside the stone — with a simple command it vanished.


"It's him!"


"Kill the bastard, don't give him time to cast any spells!" 


Dozens of shouts came from the hall.


They heard his arrival and were prepared to come at him at the same time. Probably thinking he had help from a hidden army of archers while outside or something, how sorely mistaken they were. Even under such a catastrophic event, they still managed to squeeze some of that arrogance existing so deeply within their soul. Unable to believe that a single person was responsible for the death outside. 


"..."


No words needed to be said, he was never one to talk during such moments. So with Kanshou and Bakuya held firmly in his hand dripping with blood, he charged forward to finish off the few Kuroinu members that remained inside, kill Vault and finish off his long-lasting mission.