TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
Shortly after leaving the docks, Tatsuo was running through the streets of Fuyuki towards Miyama Town when he felt the clash of two servants in the direction he came from.
"Looks like they're getting started." Tatsuo said to himself in his astral form. At the same time, he felt Rin and Archer leave the Tohsaka Residence as he continued. "And just like we thought, Rin and Archer are on their way there. They'll have to cross the bridge to get into the Shinto District, so I can cut them off there."
With that, an expectant grin spread across Tatsuo's face as he picked up his pace to make sure that he beat Rin and Archer to the bridge.
Not long later, Tatsuo arrived in the center of the bridge and dropped his astral form. Then, all he had to do was wait. However, he never expected things to be so simple. And as it turned out, he was right.
"*Sigh* Doesn't he care about destroying the bridge?" Tatsuo asked himself as he materialized his modified trench knives in his hands.
*Clang!*
*Boom!* *Splash!*
In the next instant, Tatsuo swept his left hand at an arrow that was approaching at high speed and aimed at the space between his eyebrows, sending it flying off the side of the bridge where it exploded in the river and shot a column of water into the air.
"That would have blown away a huge chunk of the bridge." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he started running towards the other end of the bridge.
Meanwhile, Archer, who had just fired the arrow, clicked his tongue in annoyance before [Projecting] a sword that quickly transformed into another arrow.
"Archer! What are you doing?" Rin shrieked. "Are you trying to bring down the bridge?"
"I'm trying to defeat the enemy." Archer replied coldly as he knocked the arrow and took aim once again. "Tch! He just went into stealth."
Just as Archer said, while Tatsuo was running in his direction, he activated his Presence Concealment. And although that did not make him completely invisible, with the shadows cast by the lights atop the bridge, it was much harder to keep track of Tatsuo as he dashed from shadow to shadow.
"Still, that's not enough to keep you out of my sights completely." Archer muttered as he pulled the bow string taut.
*Swish!*
A moment later, Archer loosed the arrow before immediately [Projecting] another weapon.
Like that, as Tatsuo raced to close the distance with Archer, Archer continuously fired arrows that Tatsuo deflected into the river, causing several columns of water to shoot up into the air, leaving the bridge drenched.
"*Sigh* I'm just glad the roads are empty this late." Rin muttered while shaking her head. "If there were people around, I couldn't imagine how many innocents would have to lose their lives over this."
"Do you really think I would have just started firing like that if there were people around?" Archer asked, sounding almost offended that Rin thought so little of him.
"With you...?" Rin asked rhetorically before answering her own question. "I'm not so sure."
Remembering how he had destroyed quite a few graves in the cemetery during the fight with Berserker, Archer had no grounds to argue. So, instead of trying he focused on Tatsuo once again. And to his surprise, Tatsuo was even closer than he expected.
"He's fast." Archer said while narrowing his eyes as he dematerialized his bow.
Although it had been made clear that Elicia and Saber would not attack the Master's of the Servants, as they had only attack Kuzuki after he tried to sneak attack Elicia, and Illyasviel when she also attacked her, Tatsuo was an exception. At least for Archer, he was. As an Assassin-Class Servant, he did not think there was anything that Tatsuo would not do in order to defeat his target. Even if that meant killing the Servant's Master.
But Archer could not have been further from the truth in his assessment. In this instance, Tatsuo was not only looking to take down his target. He was also trying his best to push Archer to his limits without killing him. ASs for the reason was why; he wanted Archer to show him everything he had.
As for the reason that Archer dismissed his bow? It was rather simple. Tatsuo had gotten close enough that if Archer fired an arrow that was strong enough to kill him, he and Rin would both be caught up in the explosion of mana that would come along with it. So, he was forced to fight in melee combat.
So, after coming to that conclusion, Archer [Projected] his favorite close-quarters weapons, Kanshou and Bakuya, the black and white short swords he used in his fight with Lancer.
Seeing that, Tatsuo grinned as he continued charging forward.
"Step back, Rin." Archer said sternly.
Nodding in response, Rin stepped away from the battlefield while opening her magic circuits just in case she needed to assist Archer.
Eventually, Tatsuo reached a distance suitable for conversation. Then, he stopped and took his fighting stance.
"You know, you've got to be the strangest Assassin Servant I've ever seen." Archer said as he, too, took his fighting stance. "What kind of Assassin fights his opponents head on?"
"Well, if I actually took the time to assassinate everyone, it would just be too easy." Tatsuo replied while shrugging his shoulders without creating an opening for Archer to take advantage of. "And you really don't have the room to call anyone strange, 'Mr., I fight with a pair of swords, Archer'."
"Fair enough." Archer replied with a slight smirk.
"Anyway, why don't we get this show on the road?" Tatsuo said, his tone turning solemn. "The fight at the docks probably won't last for too long. And I wanna get to the final battle before too long."
"You seem quite confident that you'll be the one walking away from this." Archer replied as he lowered his stance and tensed his muscles.
"I am." Tatsuo said, his confidence, clearly audible in his tone.
"We'll see about that." Archer said before stepping forward and charging at Tatsuo.
To Rin, when Archer stepped forward, he looked like no more than a streak of red and black. However, to Tatsuo, it looked as if Archer was moving in slow motion. The difference in their relative Agility Stats was just that big.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Clang!*
So, when Archer raised the sword in his right hand to slash diagonally at Tatsuo's chest, Tatsuo calmly took a step back with his right foot and turned his body slightly, allowing the blade to pass by him harmlessly. He then took a step back with his left leg to avoid the follow up horizontal sweep Archer performed with the same hand. Finally, when Archer thrusted forward with the sword in his left hand, Tatsuo, holding his modified trench knives in a reverse grip, lowered his right hand and used the blade of his knife to guide Archer's thrust to his right.
Unfortunately, that quick exchanged made clear the difference in not only strength but skill between the two, as Archer was left wide open to Tatsuo's follow up attack. And Tatsuo had no intention of letting the opportunity pass, even though he did not what to kill Archer immediately.
Stepping forward, Tatsuo threw a stiff jab aimed at Archer's chin. And with the blades that covered his fingers, this jab would be much more than just a set up punch if it landed. And Archer knew that. So, he did all he could to twist his head out of the way of Tatsuo's punch. Even so, the blades on Tatsuo's fingers managed to scratch his cheek, drawing a line of blood.
Yet, Tatsuo was not finished with just that. Twisting his right arm as he raised it, Archer's left sword was raised along with it as it was pushed up by the flat of Tatsuo's other knife. Then, Tatsuo took another step forward and threw an overhand right at Archer's forehead.
*Clang!*
*Bang!*
Reacting quickly, Archer was able to raise the sword in his right hand to block. However, that only left him open to the round kick Tatsuo threw at the left side of his rib cage one his arm was out of the way.
"Argh!" Archer grunted as he was sent flying to his left.
"Archer!" Rin shouted as she intensified the amount of mana flowing from her through the connection with her Servant.
Reacting quickly, Archer rolled once he hit the ground before popping back to his feet. Then, he dashed forward again to continue the back-and-forth encounter. Unfortunately, no matter how much mana Rin fed him, Archer was simply no match in terms of strength, speed, or skill. Because despite the fact that Archer had a lot of experience in life and death battles, all his skill was self-taught.
As for Tatsuo, besides all the experience he gained when he connected with his life upon arrival in this world, he had also been systematically trained as an Assassin by DOATEC. So, looking for the weaknesses in others was like second nature to him. And he exploited those weaknesses with every strike he made in this fight.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Clang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* Swish!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Bang!*
And after trading blows for only a few minutes, that became obvious to both Archer and Rin, as well. Because over that span of a few minutes, Tatsuo was still completely uninjured. Archer, on the other hand, was covered in cuts, bruises, and his own blood. Though, none of the injuries were deep enough to hinder his ability to fight.
Of course, that was by design. Because if Tatsuo killed him before he used his [Reality marble], then he would lose more than he gained.
"Archer, are you okay?" Rin asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine… *Pant*" Archer replied without taking his eyes off of Tatsuo.
"If this is all you have, I'm kinda disappointed." Tatsuo said in a sincerely disappointed tone. "I mean, I saw you go head to head with Lancer that one night. So, I thought I'd see more. But I guess he was just a good match up for you."
"You seemed to know quite a bit about me" Archer replied as he relaxed his stance. "But I guess all you really knew was that I was once Emiya Shirou. Other than that, you don't seem to know anything substantial."
"Well, if there's more, I'd love to see it.' Tatsu replied with a taunting smile on his face. "But if there isn't, I'll just end this now."
Not only Archer, but Rin was also getting annoyed by Tatsuo's tone. So, in an attempt to help Archer, she raised her right hand, showing her [Command Seal].
"Archer, by this [Command Spell], I order you to show this arrogant Assassin everything you have." Rin shouted, her [Command Seal] pulsing before one of its lines vanished. "And with this second [Command Spell], I order you to win!"
With that, a second [Command Spell] vanished from the back of Rin's hand, leaving her with only one. However, with those two [Command Spells], Archer received quite the boost to his overall power. And when he felt it, he smirked in Tatsuo's direction.
"Well, it looks like you're going to get exactly what you asked for, Assassin." Archer said calmly. "I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood."
Along with Archer's incantation, Tatsuo could feel his mana expanding. And with each line, his mana expanded to cover more and more of the surroundings. Even Rin, who was not sure exactly what Archer was about to do, was surprised by just how dense Archer's mana felt as it washed over her.
"I have created over a thousand blades." Archer continued his incantation, unaffected by Rin's surprise or Tatsuo's curiosity. "Unknown to death nor known to life. Have withstood pain to create many weapons. Yet those hands will never hold anything. So, as I pray…"
Reaching that point, Archer stopped for a moment to look deeply into Tatsuo's eyes. At the same time, Tatsuo noticed that Archer's mana had stopped expanding and seemed like it was ready to explode into action should Archer will it.
"Although I'm thank full that your Master stopped my younger self from going down a self-destructive path like I did, I can't give up." Archer said calmly. He then looked in Rin's direction as he continued. "I have someone who has always believed in me expecting my victory."
Seeing Rin blush slightly, Archer smiled. Then, he turned back to Tatsuo and put his solemn expression back on.
"So, as a sign of respect for what she's done, I will defeat you and then win the Holy Grail for my Master." Archer continued, power filling his tone. "[Unlimited Blade Works]."
With those three words, Archer was covered by an illusionary flame that emitted no heat. Then, those flames surged outwards, covering everything that was touched by Archer's mana before blinding Tatsuo and Rin with a bright flash.
When Tatsuo and Rin regained their sights, they quickly noticed that their surroundings had changed. Instead of the side of the bridge where they had been fighting, they were now standing in a desert. However, they were not alone in this desert. Surrounding them were thousands, maybe even millions of swords stabbed into the sand like grave markers. Not far from where they stood, there was also a tall hill that seemed to be made of sword hilts. And even further in the distance, there were gigantic gears slowly spinning on the horizon.
"No… way…" Rin muttered in disbelief while looking around. "This can't be… Is this really a…"
"[Reality Marble]." Tatsuo said, finishing Rin's sentence. "Yeah, I gotta admit, this is pretty impressive. And just look at all these weapons."
While speaking, Tatsuo stealthily spread out his [Energy] in the direction where his eyes fell. And as he did, he was able to [Trace] thousands of swords to add to his own [Projection Magecraft]. And with that, he was able to find out more than he thought possible from each weapon. As a result, not only did he figure out the way to create most of the weapons, but he also learned the best way to use them, as well.
Meaning, with the use of [Metal Magic] that he learned from Alfonzo, he would be able to make recreations that could possibly surpass the versions of the weapons Emiya had in his [Reality Marble]. On top of that, because of all the new sword skills he learned from copying swords and other weapons like Caladbolg II, Hrunting, Kanshou and Bakuya, Durandal, and Rho Aias, among many others., his [Weapon Mastery] Increased by quite a bit, as well.
The only thing Tatsuo found disappointing was the fact that Excalibur, Caliburn, and Avalon were not among the swords he saw. Though, he was unsure if that was because he could not spread his [Energy] far enough to find them, or because they were not actually here.
Another pleasant surprise was the [Notification] he received after assimilating all the experiences of the original owners of the weapons he was able to copy.
{[Notification]
[Skill], [Weapon Mastery], has increased from Rank A- to A+}
He also received another [Notification] after experiencing the peak of [Projection Magecraft], as well.
{[Notification]
[Skill], [Projection Magecraft (Trace)], has increased from Rank B+ to S-}
Unfortunately, before he could look any further, Tatsuo's attention was drawn to the top of the hill of sword hilts when Archer finally spoke.
"Now that you've seen everything I have, are you ready for this to end?" Archer asked calmly as he started walking down the hill.
"I am." Tatsuo replied as he took his fighting stance once again. "And since you've shown me yours, I guess it's time to show you something special, too."
As he said that, Tatsuo focused his [Energy] onto the edge of his knives while flipping them from a reverse grip into a standard one.
At the same time, Archer picked up his pace, sprinting down the hill before picking up the nearest weapon, a recreation of Gáe Bolg. Then, while running forward, he leapt high into the air and invoked its most powerful [Noble Phantasm], [The Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death].
Meanwhile, Tatsuo raised the knives in his hands above his head. Then, he swung his blades down. And when he did, a crescent-shaped, midnight purple arc of [Energy] was ejected from his blades and flew towards the incoming spear.
"[Exacuere Vade Inanis]." Tatsuo said sonorously as he spoke the name of his [Noble Phantasm].
*Boom!*
With that, the two [energy] slashes streaked forward, tearing through space as they went. Then, the [Void Slash] from Tatsuo's left trench knife collided with the tip of Gáe Bolg before splitting it in half right down the middle. Then, the mana gathered into the spear exploded. However, it was pulled into the rift in space that followed the slash before it could harm the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the other [Void Slash] continued unimpeded. And with its speed, Archer was still in the path of the attack, even though gravity had already started pulling him down towards the ground.
"[Rho Aias]." Archer called out as he pushed his hands out in front of him.
With Archer's call, a [Bounded Field] in the shape of a seven layered flower appeared in front of him to act as a shield. And it was said that each layer of this shield is as impenetrable as a fortress wall.
*Swish!* *Splatter!*
Unfortunately, not even the sturdiest fortress wall would be able to withstand the power of splitting space. As a result, Tatsuo's [Void Slash] cut through Rho Aias with little resistance before bisecting Archer just to the left of the center of his body.
"Archer! No~~~~!" Rin screamed in both disbelief and heartache.
Archer, on the other hand, wore a disbelieving expression as the left side of his body fell away from the rest of his body and his blood sprayed into the air.
*Crack!*
At the same time, the [Bounded Field] that was his [Noble Phantasm] began to crack when Archer was no longer capable of providing it with mana.
"Well, I guess that's it." Tatsuo said as he dematerialized his weapons and looked around at the cracking [Reality Marble. "But I definitely can't say that I'm not impressed."
*Shatter!*
A moment later, just before Archer's body fell to the ground of the [Reality Marble], it dispersed into motes of mana while the [Reality Marble] shattered, returning Tatsuo and Rin to where they were on Miyama Town's side of the bridge.
At the same time, Tatsuo snapped his head in the direction of Mount Enzou with Rin being snapped out of her disbelief a beat later and doing the same.
"The Grail has manifested." Tatsuo said quietly. He then turned to look at Rin and spoke in a much gentler tone than usual. "Do you wanna come with me to see the end of the Holy Grail War?"