Chapter 41: And so it begins Part 2

Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and Paragon of Awesomeness

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-The Dark Lands-

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.

The many battles he experienced had taught him these important rules. to ensure that no matter where the enemy was positioned, nor how fast or far they move — his arrows would reach them inevitably. They would die, regardless of their magic or equipment.

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 his hand.

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

For a split second, everything came to a standstill as he locked onto a single person. One that was about to do something stupid. With a slow exhale, he released.

Fwish!

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"RAAARGH!"

"CUT THEM INTO PIECES! DON'T LET A SINGLE ONE ESCAPE!"

In the center of the battlefield, Vault quickly advanced with his armies against the Dark Queen's defenses. Orcs, Imps, and even dark elves — all were pushed back by the waves 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!" Vault screamed loudly, leading the group to the forefront of the battle. Swinging his great sword, Bloodhound, he had killed dozens of imps and goblins in one fell swoop. The man was as ferocious and brutal as his reputation preceded 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 lust of battle. A raging berserk who laughed with every swing, content by the bloody plethora of entrails hanging on his blade.

"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, lasting longer whilst others took breaks after a single cast — he never stopped for a single second in his spell casting. 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's power. It seemed as though he had an endless pool of Magical Energy, magnifying simple spells beyond anything they'd seen in the past.

Invigorated by the red ruby within his staff, Kin felt a sense of invincibility and strength whenever his pain and exhaustion were erased.

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

"I can't believe how weak her army 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 only human, standing in the face of opponents who were known to rip apart their victims with ease. Be it bravery or fearlessness, everyone rejoiced at the fact that victory was at hand.

The dark elves' archers began to retreat, having suffered massive casualties from the onslaught of arrows and Kin's relentless magic spells bombarding their walls. 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 worthless 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 into their home!

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

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 disloyal mutts betrayed us!" Racking her brain at these coincidences, Chloe slammed the table in a fit of rage, causing it to crumble subsequently into pieces.

Those mutts had joined the enemy ranks, even after being given the honor to serve her Queen. A cowardly move that merited death… no, only a lifetime of endless torture in the dungeon would suit them. Yet now with limited means of escaping, the situation has turned dire. To have their own base turn into a cage was an infuriating reality.

Now she only had a few options left; either she grabs her Queen and escape through the hidden passages within the castle or face the enemies head-on and take out the leader in hopes that it would cause his men to retreat.

"... Fucking humans." The traumatic memories of Chloe's past returned with a vengeance. Unabating suffering during her childhood at the hands of 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 vermin were planning on inflicting the same horrific tortures she endured on the one person who gave her solace in life…

'I can't let these fools set foot inside!' She was ready to lay down her life for her savior and eternal master Olga had saved her life once before and 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 heading towards what could easily be her last battle. But she won't go down without dragging Vault with her to the deepest pits of hell.

{Break}

-Throne room-

Olga Discordia has lived for centuries, seeing the rise and fall of many kingdoms. After everything she had seen, she couldn't deny the fact that the humans had become a fearsome and tenacious bunch.

Still, this wasn't a form of admiration in any degree. Rather it was more of a feeling of disappointment from knowing that she couldn't crush them from the beginning. Celestine once called them beautiful creatures who shone brighter than the sun when united. Even though they lived such short lives and lacked magical affinity unlike most other races, they still managed to grow so powerful and dominant, able to keep themselves on equal footing. The Goddess Reborn mentioned how their tenacity and stubbornness defined their species. A will so strong that in the face of unreasonable odds they still managed to reach the top regardless.

But Olga saw their true colors.

They were hypocrites at their core, defined by treachery and greed throughout their history. How they could be so flawed perplexed her endlessly.

What inner beauty?

All she saw were demons disguised as sheeps. Vile creatures portraying themselves as the victims, crying for help in daylight while scheming against those who helped them in the shadows. 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 parasites 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 found out the truth of the matter. Her people were captured by the humans. Those whom they trusted had sold them as sex slaves. Just as she was about to end their miserable lives, Celestine came to their rescue and begged for leniency — which she accepted in the end given their relationship as close friends.

Again and again, they broke their promises and kept secretly using her people as slaves for their twisted desires. The final straw came when she saw what some of these people did to the dark elves… many had 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 feeling grew stronger with each passing generation, 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 cruel human who used the mother as a toy for years. The girl 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 buried 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, reaching to the very clouds themselves, as it laid half buried 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 to its core, as if the weight of a mountain fell on her back. She first wondered if this was the work of another helping Celestine. The dwarven deity, and the insect goddess, have shown their support for Celestine — 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 powerful decided to interfere in the war?

"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, and is more likely to do something foolish. Though she was a capable warrior, the Kuroinu outnumbered her and she couldn't fight them all by herself. "Tch, filthy humans forcing me to get involved."

The castle itself was surrounded by a powerful forcefield of her own design. Made with the rarest material in all of Eostia, capable of withstanding the strongest of her magical spells and even the might of an invading army. It provided a safe haven for the defenders to launch their attacks while preventing the enemy from entering the premises. This was one of her most accomplished creations, coming second to the throne she now sat on. It had been refined through centuries of research and development, a technological boon that someone like Celestine could ever hope to nullify.

Clang!

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 her magic.

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Nothing happened.

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

"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.

Clang!

Again, nothing.

She began to panic, still keeping a stoic face but her mind was in chaos as she tried to discern any possible reasons why the spell hadn't activated. 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 backing up Vault as he led the attack inside, casting hundreds of spells in a way that even astounded her. She never saw a human persist this long without feeling drained. Normally this amount of resilience is restricted to talented mage elves. Yet here he had 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 one reason why her barrier wasn't working. Who else but the best mage the humans had to offer, he must have found a loophole or weakness in her magic, most likely with Celestine's help. 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. If they were inside the castle, then she would show them true hell. Finally she can get rid of this accursed group that has been nothing but a thorn on her side.

{Break}

Schrk!

With another swing, Vault cut through an imp with ease. Contrary to how a knife cuts through butter, its body was mostly torn apart by the sheer bulkness of the greatsword.

The man was covered in sweat and blood, panting a bit from the fight so far. His hand was starting to go numb, a sign that he had maybe another hour before exhaustion reared its ugly head again. But that thought quickly dissipated when a green aura of light surrounded him. All the fatigue, minor cuts and bruises he accumulated during the battle were wiped clean off in a matter of seconds.

Looking back, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Thanks Kin, that magic of yours is a real lifesaver." They advanced through the halls of the castle, their men checking every room and surveying the corners for possible traps and ambushes. "So far, nothing drastic has 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 from the Lycan who was freed from his hold thanks to Kin's magic.

"Don't you find it weird?" The mage himself spoke, following Vault while keeping his spells active. "We have yet to face any sort of barrier. Our reports specifically mentioned an impenetrable field surrounding the place that not even the strongest orc could break. Yet here we are, not encountering any even once." He was strongly wary of this place, not understanding how such a crucial component was missing during the fight. The reports were definitely not falsified and there was no logic behind this lack of resistance.

"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 this 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 fat ass of hers keeping the thing up."

"But still… this could be a trap," Kin stressed the possibility, even 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 had 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 mutated 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, their throats slashed open and their blood spilling quickly onto the stone floor.

"Well well well, what a warm greeting this is. All of these monsters assembled just for me? I'm flattered." Vault said, smirking before giving Chloe a half-assed mocking bow. "You must be the second in command to Olga, I heard so much about you. You've killed many of my men over the 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 at the end. This girl mostly looked like a pure-blooded dark elf with her long, sharp ears.

"Disgusting humans!" Chloe shouted, barely holding herself back 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 the 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, focusing her glare on Vault, but failing to notice that Kin had begun conjuring a spell with the aid of the red gem. It was something that he had been working on for an entire year, ever since that day when Vault announced his grand plan to seize Eostia for themselves. The raid on Olga's castle being the spark that lights the fuse.

"Shut up! I'm not one of you filthy humans nor will I ever be one!" She charged forward, aiming 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 towards the nearby wall. The strength coursing through his limbs thanks to Kin was intoxicating, to say the least, he could see himself getting addicted to this feeling.

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 assuming the position of second in command you don't show much for it. Humph, I can just break each and every one of your bones and make you watch as I fuck that bitch's 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 her wash away, leaving behind a perfectly submissive slut."

The words sent shivers down Chloe's spine, cold fury evident on her face as she locked onto her target.. Not even a shred of mercy could be seen in her eyes, it was 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 came rushing back. Countless days she endured as she watched the humans rape her mother, all for a few pieces of silver. How she was forced to stay huddled up in a corner while watching this cruelty 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 himself her father had already begun to grope her body even as a young child, openly talking about how she was a valuable asset.

If Olga hadn't been there to save her, 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! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" She screamed, pushing her body to get back up and going 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 orders now detain her body without letting her move 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 on her head and pushed her face onto the floor beneath.

"You talk too much." He said dryly, lowering his sword, confident that the battle was finally over. "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 orders."

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!" Laughing, Vault sheathed his greatsword. "True, years of planning have finally bore fruit, 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 was sheer perfection.

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 to be subjugated." 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, plus his spells made me feel like I could destroy a tree into smithereens with a punch. And the big man himself prepared for this day for years. I'm sure he set up several 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 jab 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. "It might be worth a lot of coin given it most likely belonged to one of the elves. You should 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 onto the wall's surface 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 went straight for the kill. None of the kuroinu in the vicinity were spared. They were either shot through the head or their heart. No amount of armor, be it leather or steel, were able to save them from their fate.

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 it 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 began to rise exponentially as a result, whether it be from explosions or falling debris. Everything was crumbling around them and they could do nothing but wait as this unknown enemy advanced towards them.

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, filling the air with the stench of death

"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 fuck's 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, hastily conjured defensive spells simultaneously. A blue film of energy started to spread around the area, reassuring many of the Kuroinu, but that joy was short-lived as the barrier disappeared instantly. "It's not working! Why is it not working!?!!?!??!" The mage shouted in frustration, only to receive an arrow through his mouth a second later.

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's promises of fame and wealth. The sight of so much death, including the charred remains of their comrades had broken them down. They were kicking and screaming like children, soiling their undergarments at the sight of such destruction and chaos. But it was all for naught as their cries for help only lasted a few seconds before it was silenced by an arrow or an explosion.

There was no warning, not even a sign of this diabolic attack. It just happened all of a sudden and with such precision. The great Kuroinu army viewed themselves victorious in their battle through the dark lands, indefatigable against the forces of the Dark Queen — who were now standing on their last legs.

Many had retreated inside the castle, not wanting to become cannon fodder for this new enemy.

"Wait, there are no more arrows!" For the few who remained outside, they noticed the change, as there weren't any more getting pierced by arrows.

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

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

"Who's this!?" Was the enemy so arrogant as to believe that they could win simply by sending a single person!? He would show them! "Die!" Going on the offensive, the man wielding the greataxe attempted to hit the red figure that was fast approaching him. Upon closer inspection, 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, in the hopes that it would be enough to slice the enemy's head off.

Clang!

But he was proven wrong at the last second, as 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, akin to a child arm wrestling a veteran soldier.

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 and worshiped them as one of the continent's main forces against the army of the Dark Queen, Olga Discordia.

They were this close to achieving their dream of creating a land of men, where the women would become nothing more than their playthings, 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…

"He shattered my shield! 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 were now reduced to a few dozen men, barely still standing from the attack. On the ground lay the dead bodies of their friends and comrades covered with silver pointed arrows that were sticking out like pincushions, littering the field like a graveyard. 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 turn towards 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 didn't get far before getting impaled by one of his many arrows.

Kanshou and Bakuya were dyed red from the hundreds of bodies 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 was doused in his enemy's blood. 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 along with a stubborn brunette. He didn't know why he was thinking about them, but they would surely be devastated when the news reached 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, to at least prove that Rin was 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 that the surviving Kuroinu 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 or call for reinforcement!"

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 out some of that arrogance existing within their soul. Unable to believe that a single person was responsible for the chaos and deaths 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 hands while dripping with blood, he charged forward to finish off the few Kuroinu members that remained inside, kill Vault and finally complete his mission.

Archer couldn't repress the thoughts of the people he had met, and how he was going to leave them.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters 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 monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.