Chapter 31: An agreement

Beta read by Shigiya and DOOMRAIDER.

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-Geofu-

He remembered feeling nothing but rage at that moment, a fury so possessive it nearly consumed him. He'd wanted them dead—every single last one of those wretched demons. Be they orcs, goblins, imps, it didn't matter… It must be done

Archer was no stranger to bloodshed. He'd seen countless die, even the children were no exception. Experiencing generations of war after war had desensitised him. Yet when he saw Maia's body lying in a puddle of her own blood and Brynn's near-death state as she was about to be violated by that monster, he lost it. 

Maybe it was the culmination of the horrors he witnessed that slowly pushed him over the edge. Or just seeing the horrid state of someone that he took as a pupil. Whichever the case, it brought forth memories from a long-forgotten past, one where Shirou Emiya couldn't save an innocent girl from a living hell.

Maia's state as well proved to be a factor, triggering flashbacks of those he promised yet failed to protect. He'd seen Rin die in a few versions of the Grail War, sometimes because of his own weakness as a Servant, other times because he couldn't be there for her. He never had time to grieve or mourn, for she would reappear in front of him with that familiar frown of hers. A twisted yet comforting knowledge that no matter what, he always had another chance. But was this the case with Maia? He wouldn't get another chance, there was no do-over this time. 

Nor for Brynn, the first ever Knight he encountered in this world. At first, she was nothing more than a nuisance, chastising and hounding him at every turn, a standard soldier who followed every order to the letter, while wearing clothes that were more suited for a porno shoot. 

In an ironic twist of fate, he watched her grow remarkably in such a short amount of time. She desired justice, that was clear, but to reach that goal she needed to be stronger.

Sacrificing her role as a Knight, kneeling to a man she once considered a dark mage, going against her superiors just to protect him, and striving to gain his approval with her training. 

To watch that dream be shattered by a monster, seeing her missing arm and broken eyes look at him with a clear message behind them; 'I'm sorry and goodbye.' 

He shouldn't have been so open, why did he allow himself to place much importance on these people? In a few days, they would become nothing but a memory once he returned to Alaya. 

'Why forge useless bonds when they're destined to break?' 

He didn't know, or why he even bothered, Archer was just as clueless about this matter.

One of these wouldn't have caused him to lose control of his emotions, he was normally numb to tragedies at this point. Yet the neverending horrors and cruelty he'd observed here had reached a boiling point… He just couldn't bear to let this go any further. 

Swiftly, Archer called forth several weapons as he tore into the Orcs that were in the area. Kanshou and Bakuya have hacked off the arm of the beast that was holding Brynn. A red mist engulfed his view, whether it was rage or the blood that coated his face, he didn't know. 

"HRRIIII!!" The Orc squealed in pain, blood spurting from his limb. 

Archer proceeded to rescue Maia and Brynn, having decapitated the squealing Orc, and set them against a tree. The area was still infested with goblins and imps emerging by the hundreds, along with the Orcs and Trolls… Growling at this sight, he retreated to a defensive position, making sure to get the attention of the monsters—keeping them far away from the two women. 

"Worthless human! I eat you!" 

It looked to be hundreds of them, probably more on the horizon, each rushing towards him with bloodlust rolling off of their roars. But he didn't pay them any attention, focusing instead on the barrage of swords he was summoning. A part of him wanted to deploy the Reality Marble, but seeing as how his circuits were starting to overheat plus his dwindling stamina—Archer wouldn't be able to maintain it long enough to kill every demon before it timed out. 

The monsters were dumbfounded by this display, their jaws slackened as they stared at the onslaught of sharp objects flying through the air. Some of them barely dodged the blades, while some were caught in the crossfire and cut apart. 

A particularly large Orc snarled at him, jumping forward with its one remaining arm. Archer raised his blade to parry the attack, they slid against the rough edge before cutting the monster's front face. His blades cut through like butter against this horde, their strong affinity for these types of creatures just made it easier for him to fight on. Relying heavily on the married swords' attraction to one another to kill as much as possible.

Yet he wasn't done yet, he had to finish these things off fast, the longer he kept them around the greater chance they could swarm him. So he continued slicing them to pieces, his arms moving faster than they could perceive. Finding themselves lying on the ground without understanding how they died.

"You'll pay for this, damn human!" One of them screeched, launching a fireball at him. Archer jumped back and avoided the flames, a black burning sword appearing in his hand as he brought it down upon the creature.

A nameless D-rank Noble Phantasm with the attribute to summon fire around the blade. The heat that radiated from the weapon burned the monster's flesh, causing it to scream in agony.

But Archer wasn't finished, he thrust his sword straight into the creature's chest and pulled it out, leaving a gaping hole in the monster's torso. Before it could recover, a second blade slammed into the wound and tore everything apart. He poured more Mana into the sword, before jumping away. His actions caused a large inferno to appear in the middle of the battlefield where hundreds of demons turned to ashes.

Archer was panting, "Servants really are something…" 

He missed having the enhancement granted by the archer class.

Getting back up again, he resumed the summoning. Ten giant greatswords formed a wall around the tree, giving him some breathing room for the time being. Archer's attention was on the giant Orc, he may be short one arm but that didn't make it any less threatening. 

"Roar!" 

The Wrought Iron Hero reacted swiftly against the Orc, slashing straight at it using Kanshou, yet despite being a Noble Phantasm, it couldn't completely slice through the monster's weapon, but it did render his opponents' weapons useless.

Boom! 

The monster used the butt of his axe to strike Archer in the stomach and send him hurtling backward. 

The Counter Guardian didn't have the time to rest before dozens of goblins lunged at him with their crude spears and daggers—grins painted on their faces as they stabbed him relentlessly. 

Unfortunately, their smiles died down the moment they realised it didn't even leave a mark on his clothes. A fruitless endeavour rewarded with a lethal strike by Archer.

The ground rumbled, and he looked towards the dozens of Orcs amassing on the battlefield, getting into formation and surrounding him at each side. All drunk with rage-like charging bulls ready to rip him a new one. He waited for them to get within range before unleashing the full brunt of his attack— a set of large but pernicious spears, launched at such a high velocity that all flesh and armour alike in its trajectory were obliterated. There were no screams or wailing, only the scattered remains of body parts and  pulverised organic matter. Burning with resolve and drenched in blood and guts, Archer only had one thought. There will be no mercy for these depraved beasts, only extermination.  

"Fire!"

Archer staggered backward and several arrows shot forwards and pelted him, mostly being an annoyance, as they bounced off of him, while others he cut apart with his swords. He even managed to take cover behind the  Orc he just killed, using it as a meat shield as the remaining arrows raining down on him punctured the giant orc like a cactus. The other Orcs backed away from their fallen comrade. Archer's brutality and strength had managed to scare even these monsters. 

Yet it gave him not a single amount of satisfaction.

His hands clenched tightly around his swords as he thought back at everything he'd seen, rage seeping off of him.

Unfortunately, their fear lasted mere moments before being replaced by fury. "Die!" They returned to attack him, with hundreds of goblins and imps following suit, their bravery bolstered by their large numbers. A volley of arrows came flying in at him but they were easily dodged as his Mindseye kept him from getting hit.

"You want my head? Then come and take it." He declared to the horde, showing no signs of fatigue.

Weapons were deployed at every corner, one killing an ogre who tried to attack him from behind while he was busy slicing the head off of one goblin.

Chaos was rampant, he became a blur as he slaughtered dozens and hundreds of demons with feats beyond that of a human. His reinforcement allowed him to temporarily surpass every creature in speed and kill them before they even knew it.

He lost track of how many he killed. His focus narrowed in on the ones who were running towards him. Each swing of his swords brought more bodies to the ground, those who couldn't escape soon found themselves impaled by his blades. 

But even with the slight aid in Magical Energy, Archer was reaching his limit. He was running out of Magical Energy from his constant use of Projection, his circuits reaching a critical point from how much Mana was being used to supply a dozen blades pulled from his Reality Marble. 

"What?" Archer noticed the corner of his eyes, a group of goblins and imps sneaking their way to the tree, using their fallen comrades' piled-up bodies as a platform to try and reach the girls.

"Don't you dare!"

The ground caved in as he launched himself towards the goblins, impaling each of their feet to the ground and slashing their heads off, but in his moment of rage, Archer missed the large club that flew towards him.

"Argh!" He got hit.

The club slammed into him, sending him stumbling back. He looked to see where it came from, finding an ogre charging towards him, with several goblins having their bows raised. Grabbing one of the creatures near him, he threw it to the front, saving him from a flurry of arrows that had riddled the goblin. Next on the chopping board was the ogre charging at him, he proceeded to slice its throat, the resulting blood spray coating him completely. 

"What a joke..." Archer didn't bother removing the blood soaking his hair, cleanliness wasn't a priority in this situation. 

"Hehehe, human die!" The Orc war chief laughed at Archer's ragged state, seeing how it was only a matter of time before Archer was done. "Haaa!!!" He rushed at him with his remaining arm holding his crude axe. 

'I can't go on like this…,' 

He was but a human, no longer a servant nor a Counter Guardian possessing an unlimited supply of Mana. He was pushing through every conceivable restraint his current body had in order to defend the girls and himself.

"..." 

Archer took a few steps towards the Orc, putting everything he had into parrying the clumsy blow. It wasn't enough as the beast's axe neutralised his grasp on the blade, disarming him and crushing his collarbone as his reinforcement finally disappeared. Pain surged through his entire being, leaving him almost immobile from the shock of taking a direct hit.

"Ugh..." Archer gritted his teeth, his back facing the wall of swords guarding the girls. He tiredly stared at the scene in front of him, the ground was dyed blood red from all the monsters he killed. Even with all the corpses lying around him,  the onslaught of demons continued, paying no mind to the carnage and focusing primarily on the girls behind him.

In a last act of defiance, Archer brought Byakuya up to block the incoming axe attack from the orc chief.  He knew it wouldn't hold, but he couldn't just accept it lying down.

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Bzzt…

A warm feeling bloomed from his chest, before spreading all across his body.

"Eh?" 

Clang!

To his surprise, the reinforced blade did not shatter into pieces and his arm did not buckle under the weight. In fact… he almost did not even feel the strike!

"What is going on here?" 

At that moment—a figure appeared in front of him.

It only lasted for less than a second, but he saw every single detail.

It was a woman with long blonde hair who wore a thin layer of white cloth over her body. Her skin was as pale as snow, but her eyes were the most vibrant shade of emerald that he had ever gazed upon. She looked to be around the same age as him, owning a pair of elf ears he grew accustomed to seeing in this world. 

'I've seen her somewhere…'

A wave of Magical Energy swarmed his body, so potent in power that even his circuits struggled to process it. The green pattern of reinforcement on his skin was replaced with a light hue of gold. His light wounds healed immediately, but that didn't decrease the amount of pain he was feeling as his overheating circuits were causing his sweat to evaporate in a mist of white smoke.

"Too much!"

His body was getting overwhelmed with this foreign energy, vastly potent and stronger than the Mana in the air, rendering his previous absorption training useless in its presence. 

"Roar!"

Unfortunately for him, he didn't have time to contemplate this new change. He needed to handle it before he blew up or got crushed by the Orc.  

He had to end it now, exhausting as much Magical Energy as possible with his next strike.

He closed his eyes and focused on the image of a single blade.

"I am… the bone of my sword." 

A flicker in the air made him open his eyes again. He could see it now, a tiny shimmer that was not heat but energy. It had been there when he'd spoken those words and visualised that weapon. 

The green pattern on his skin was now completely gone and instead, a golden one showed off its beauty.

"Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood."

His entire body illuminated with warm light, the energy flowing within him increasing evermore. He felt the magical energy he absorbed through his pores begin to grow exponentially, faster than even his circuits could process it.

"How..."

He glanced at the monster who was now down, having a hard time getting back up due to his missing arm. It was as if he was now fully capable of moving without any sort of pain, his limbs felt as though they were made of steel. His muscles were burning with new strength as they flexed and moved with ease, unlike the orc chief at his side struggling to stand up without his arm.

"What... is happening to me?"

Archer could feel something inside him, a new sensation that he hadn't felt since he was a Servant during the Holy Grail War. 

'This is what it feels like to have your body taken over by magic.'

He felt a surge of mana flow through him, accelerating his every movement. This new force was something that he experienced in the past, making him wonder just what the hell was going on.

"No, I need something more powerful…"

Something that would end this monster and his brethren that were encroaching on them. A weapon to annihilate all living beings under its might, capable of crushing lands and cutting mountains. 

"I have created over a Thousand Blades."

He felt a slight vibration pass through him. With the power of his mind, he reached out with one hand and touched the blade's hilt. The sensation of contact sent shivers down his spine. This blade was unlike any weapon he had ever held before. It was more than a simple piece of metal; it was a divine construct which he could never fully trace.

"Unknown to Death nor known to Life."

The entire area shimmered with power, all the demons froze in their tracks as they sensed an omnipotent presence entering their world. It was a weapon that shouldn't exist in this plane of existence, so foreign yet so mighty that even the clouds parted ways—as if the world had bowed to grace its arrival. There was no denying that this is the type of weapon gods of war wielded to drown cities, shatter empires, and split through Heaven and Hearth.

Even if it was just a superficial imitation projection, a hollowed copy of sorts, EMIYA still felt a large portion of the foreign power dwindling to trace this… monstrosity.

"A weapon that makes even Hercules' weapon look like a child's toy… Ig Alima." 

Archer didn't just stop there, he used the remaining power to summon thousands of different swords, nearly blanketing the sky and completely blocking out the sunlight over the land.

The Orc leader as well as the rest of the horde, were flabbergasted, gazing wide-eyed at the sky, ignoring Archer completely. 

"R-R-Retreat!" 

It was futile, no matter how fast they could run or hide, no one was going to survive.

"Hurgh…" he limped over to where Maia and Brynn were resting, the only thing that mattered to him was that they were still alive. He tore a piece of fabric and tied it around Brynn's stump to stop the bleeding.

With great effort, he sat next to them, using the last bit of foreign energy to summon a multitude of shields around them, creating a dome of protection. 

With one last move, he unleashed his true power. The sword shone brighter than the sun itself and made the earth tremble. The weapon roared, creating a massive vortex of wind that enveloped everything in its path. Heating up as it shot straight down like a meteor shower, a layer of superheated plasma forming from the sheer velocity.  Making it so bright, that even a blind person could see it from miles away. Like a fireball, everything was burned by its intense energy. The forest below was obliterated by its power, barely a few branches remained, littering what was left of the ground. 

The sword wasn't designed for close-range fighting, only mass destruction. Forged to be wielded by beings beyond their comprehension, it was the strongest weapon humans of this world had ever seen. capable of cutting through even the heavens themselves. It represented death, despair, an insurmountable mountain that no mortal could ever hope to escape its shadow.

And so when the toll is paid, death awaits.

"Ksshhhhh!!!"

An indescribable sound of pure destructive force roared from the sword, shaking the continent as it raged. The very fabric of space ripped apart as the powers of nature and the world bowed to its might. 

The scene was cataclysmic to all those who bore witness.

"M-M-My Queen, heeeeelllppp!" 

Those were the last words of the Orc leader before he had his entire body crushed to death by Ig Alima.

Crash!

The impact shattered the very ground and sky.

Every single monster had perished at that moment, not a single one managed to escape the calamity.

…and a ripple was sent across the world

{Break}

-Outskirts of Feoh-

They were a few days away from their goal, Vault and his men had started packing things up in the encampment, stocking up on supplies, and doing a final check on their weapons and gears. The men were smiling, laughing joyfully as they had already won the war.

"It truly is an honour to meet you again, Vault." Back in his tent, the main leader of Kuroinu was having a pleasant conversation with one of his supporters and local ally from Geofu—Blackridge Louis.

An elderly man who looked to be around the same age as Levantine Grave, working for the Church as a cardinal for the last thirty years. He started serving Celestine in his younger days as a servant, before ascending the social ladder and becoming Deacon in his small town. Not satisfied with his position, he gradually plotted and bribed his way into Cardinal within a few years, not shying away from shady methods like manipulation or extortion. Everything was permissible as long as he was the one performing them, much to the ignorance and naivety of Charles.

"Louis, I see you're still kissing Celestine's ass," he joked. 

"Praise Celestine," Louis said with a sardonic smile. "She is the one who helped us to fight the evil known as Olga Discordia after all."

Vault clicked his tongue, looking both annoyed and amused at the man's words. "Spare me your senseless preach, I can still smell the scent of perfume on you. Just how many whorehouses did you visit before coming here?" he said before laughing out loud. Louis' smile did not leave his face as he feasted on his meal in peace.

"The only place I went to was the church, which should be enough proof that I'm not a hypocrite. I spread the teachings of our goddess to the poor and naive, a practice you should consider as well, Vault."

"I have no idea what the word hypocritical means, but it certainly applies to you if anything." That made the elder man's eyes twitch a bit. "The only time you'll see me wearing a white robe with the emblem of that elf will be on my deathbed. And to be honest, I didn't know collecting tax fees from the poor counted as teaching anyone for that matter." 

The man before him acted frugally compared to the rest of his peers back in the Church. Gold and rings were a faux pas for him, preferring instead to wear simple dilapidated clothes to gain favour with the poor.  . But Vault knew the truth, this man was just a two-faced snake who held more wealth than most nobles in Geofu!

"You shouldn't talk about such heretical topics Vault. I'm just a humble servant who has come to grant you blessing and hope for your upcoming war against the forces of evil. What vile accusations you pin on me have no bases within our friendship." 

Louis dropped a leather bag on the table, the rattling of coins taking Vault's interest. It was a small bag, half the size of his palm, so it couldn't hold much. But for him to travel all the way here confidently and without trouble did raise some questions. 

"... Orichalcum?" Vault took out five blue coloured coins that were glowing in the bag,  possessing a light greenish hue to them.

Vault was shocked, he never got his hand on such a treasure even once in his life despite his position as a war hero.

"You sly dog." A giant smirk emerged from his face, he was beyond happy, ecstatic even!

Many of the riches of this world paled in comparison to these items. They were a rarity and a social symbol he coveted with his soon-to-come sex empire. Granting wealth for generations to come, He would be secured financially for the rest of his life.

The fact that he was given such coins so casually aroused suspicion.

"What do you want?" 

He immediately went to the main topic, he did not believe in charity, so there must have been a reason behind such a generous gift.

"Times have changed, having a singular enemy like the Dark Queen won't work in our favour anymore. We have an entire continent to govern, millions of people to feed, and alliances to be made with other nations. The Princess Knights are  performing wonderfully… but it's not enough."

"Your point doesn't hold water, they barely manage anything, to begin with. Most of the power is held by Charles." 

Charles VI, the current Pope of the Church of Lucross and a devout follower of Celestine. Kissing the very floor she walked on while also willing to sell everything he owned to her if she asked.

"My point exactly, Charles represents everything that is wrong with our current society, blindly following the orders of rulers who ignore the will of the people. Recently there has been a kingdom-wide search for a certain boy of all things as a request from Celestine. We do not know who he is, why he is being searched for in the first place, or even if he exists or not!" he shouted in anger. "For just a single child we are going through all these hurdles to find a boy who's most likely a peasant she dreamed about."

'Ah' Vault was beginning to understand what Louis desired.

"So you want to replace him?" 

The older man smiled, a tad viler, "He has served for long enough, now it's time for someone else to take the reign, to lead the masses to a new enlightenment." He took a sip of his wine. "When there is no more goddess to serve, the people will need… a new patron deity to look up to." 

From his sinister tone along with knowledge of the man's ambitious nature, Vault couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahahaha! A human becoming a god? That is the funniest thing I've heard today!"

"Laugh all you want, but we both know that this is an inevitable outcome. I have nearly every single Cardinal under my thumb, they'll choose me regardless of the consequences. Before his untimely death, Henry Blueborn agreed to my offer, and so did Grave and even the Pantielle family. All I need is your support, in return, nothing will stand in your way—not even Celestine and the Templars."

"You speak as if my help would change anything. The Kuroinu cannot hold a candle to your secret forces. So why come to me for any sort of support?" Vault asked.

"Humph, don't act ignorant. You are in possession of a power many noblemen seek throughout their lifetimes. One that trumps both resources and even a thousand soldiers—influence."

"So you just want me to become your spokesman, to woo the masses of your accomplishments and charity at every chance I get right?"

Louis nodded, "Yes, exactly. The people may see the goddess as an absolute form of authority, but they see you as their saviour… a hero of sorts. One who acts as both the sword and shield of Celestine—despite the existence of the Shields. They respect you, and they trust you far more than even someone like Claudia. Don't forget, in their eyes, you practically trained a Princess Knight; Maia."

Vault nodded his head, he earned the trust of many through his actions for a reason. People saw him more often than any of the Shields. They saw him charge to the front lines head first at every chance he got.

"Is that all you desire?" 

"..."

"I know you want something else from me, so just spit it out." Louis wouldn't give him orichalcum coins for such a simple request, there had to be something else. He knew the man was a money grubber, so to give away such a precious resource couldn't have been an easy choice.

"One of my closest friends, head of the trade guild, heard of your invasion of the Queen's castle. He's requesting the retrieval of  a certain merchandise lost to him a  while ago, he wants it returned to him."

The Cardinal handed a scroll over to Vault. The latter opened it to find the portrait of a Dark Elf girl. With blonde hair and iconic dark skin, she looked quite exquisite in his opinion. 

"She's a beauty, but you do realise that you're asking me to capture Olga's, right-hand woman? That won't be an easy task."

"Indeed, all he asks is for her to be returned to its rightful place. Olga attacked one of his customers years ago and stole her. He wants her alive, and is willing to fork out a hefty sum of money in addition to what I gave you."

"..."

To be honest, Vault wanted to deny the deal, this girl was too desirable to be just handed over like that without having a bit of fun with her. Plus she's a huge bargaining chip for his plans. But then again, who would offer such a price for her? He would get at most a couple of hundred silver coins per person. 

'Ba! He can come and pick her up himself. In the meantime, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we get to have a taste of her.' 

"Fine, don't expect her to be returned in pristine condition, my men are risking their lives for this mission after all."

"Understandable, all I ask is for her to still be alive. Grant me this one request and more riches will be handed over to you, as well as the main reason for my visit."

An interesting proposal, Vault saw no downside to this deal and just brought his cup up for a toast.

"You're insane, you know that?" 

"I could say the same for you, friend." 

They both made a toast before continuing to detail their future partnership. 

But the mood was ruined when one of his men rushed inside the tent with fear and worry plastered on his face.

"B-Boss! I-It's an emergency!" 

"Enemy attack!?" 

The subordinate shook his head, "No, it's K-Kin, he returned on a gryphon!"

"Then why the fuck are you panicking!?" He swore that if it wasn't for a good reason, he would drive his greatsword through this idiot!

"Hicks is gone, Kin says he died!"

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"What!?"

A cold shiver ran down his spine. This couldn't be happening... Was Hicks really dead? How was that possible!?

He got up from his table before running out of the tent. 

There he found his right-hand man, sitting on the ground with a pale face and clutching a crimson-coloured gem in one hand.

"Kin…"

The man was exhausted, he could see that clearly from his face. He didn't have any injuries on him, nor a single trace of blood. His men brought some food and water, but the mage was too tired to take the offered food. 

Vault didn't bother asking him any further questions and tasked someone to bring him to a bed and allow him to recover.

"Did the Shields find out about my plan?" 

He hoped not, but if so, he needed to hurry up. Even without knowing the details, Vault ordered everyone to rush with the preparations.

For the very first time since he started his plans, the man felt fear from the unknown.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword and To love a sword having 3 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.