Snippet #2572013

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The battle between Archer and Berserker had begun as most would have expected -- one sided. The great Hercules, known by many and enhanced by his class was many leagues above the nameless Archer that stood before him when it came to stats. Even evading a blow by the monstrous Berserker did not grant one safety, for the air displaced by it was a threat of its own. Archer summoned his two blades, Kanshou and Bakuya, in a failed attempt to defend himself. Immediately, his swords were destroyed and he was blown back by one swing of Berserker's weapon.

"How weak, your weapon broke before you could even show them off? Trying to take on Berserker with a Noble Phantasm like that." Illyasviel von Einzbern mockingly laughed before ordering Berserker to finish Archer off. "Berserker!"

"Just as strong as the legends say you are, huh?" the red-coated man laughed in the face of what most would consider absolute despair. There was no possible way to win. The difference between he and the heroic spirit that stood before him were just too great. But that would not cause him to faulter.

He had been a hero, after all.

Archer made a jump, far from a human's capability, backwards and landed on the guard of the walkway on the second floor of the castle he was in. There was no place for him to run, so he would fight for everything he had. If he couldn't at least stall Berserker, then Rin would die.



Summoning his obsidian-colored bow, he fired a broken phantasm at Berserker, who was pursuing him. The blast from this was enough to kill about any servant, Berserker was no exception. However, while it was true that Berserker had lost his life, it was also true that he did not just have one. And so the battle continued.

"Berserker, after him!" Illya ordered with urgency lacing her tone. She had lost her confident grin before now that she saw the power this unfamiliar servant held. She would not lose here.

The battle ascended up the castle, to the outside walls, where Archer lay waiting for his opponent to follow. Narrowly avoiding a surprise attack by the huge beast, Archer couldn't help but admire the speed with which it was launched, considering Berserker had such a large frame. Nevertheless, this did not prevent him from taking a backstep, with his foe close behind. Unfortunately for Hercules, this was simply a ruse in order for him to be caught in a hole from the unstable floor they were on. It left the perfect chance for Archer to retaliate.



He summoned his favorite pair of blades, despite them having been destroyed mere moments ago. As though a boomerang, he threw these swords and they arched directly into Berserker's face, but he merely shrugged them off as though they were paper wads. Still, Archer continued.



Projecting yet another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya, they joined their fellow blades in the sky, revolving around Berserker's exposed head before closing in, this time detonating. Berserker cried in pain as Archer closed in.



His final pair of blades remained in his hands as he charged his foe, continuing his chant.



He was focusing everything he had into this fight, and knew he would need to do everything in his power. Thus, he closed his eyes as he began to strengthen the pair of swords in his hands. "...Tear a mountain from the Earth, the sword divides water into two!" as they were strengthened, Kanshou and Bakuya started to glow and increase dramatically in size as Archer lept into the sky and brought both of them down on Bersker. Despite this, Berserker had not been slain permanently. The hulking figure approached Archer, who was now defenseless with the destruction of that pair of blades, at an incredible speed and brought his huge, rock-like sword down on the man cloaked in red. Archer was hit with this blow directly, simply smiling in resignation as it knocked him through the floor and back down to the first floor, where the fight had begun.

"Well, maybe now you regret it a little?" taunted the small form of Illya, who descended the stairs of her castle in a confident manner. She quickly changed when she saw Archer open his eyes, a cheeky grin directed at her telling her the battle wasn't finished just yet. "Berserker! Enough playing around! There's something wrong with his head! Carefully and without hesitation, kill him before you get killed!"

As Berserker hopped down to finish the deal....

"You're still so merciless, Illya...." Archer had already gotten to his feat, albeit with great effort. "Although it won't change the fact that I'll lose.... I'll make it harder for you to end this, Berserker." the worn-out, shaky Archer declared with a grin.

"Here, take another one of these blades with you!" Archer threw a blade past Illya and towards the one light remaining in the room, causing the whole place to go black besides the areas where the moonlight seeped in. Archer had seemingly disappeared as both Illya and Hercules atttempted to locate him.

"Did he escape?" she wondered to herself.

Her fear had proved meaningless, as the moonlight slowly changed to reveal the hidden Archer, kneeling next to some rubble from the room that had fallen.


"Looks like the Lunar Goddesses aren't blessing you." she began, but Archer did not seem to notice, or just did not care.



"Bersker!" she unleashed her servant towards him. He simply growled and charged towards Archer.



It was now or never. Berserker had closed the distance between the two servants, and was now swinging his weapon with the obvious intention to decapitate and be done with Archer. There was no possibility of him dodging, so nor did Archer want to. This is exactly where he wanted Berserker, and now....!



A pure flame spread out amongst the ground, engulfing the entire castle as the world shifted to white. Yes, he had managed to activate his 'Noble Phantasm' before being defeated. He knew, despite this, he would still not win the battle, but anything to make Berserker's life hell was fine with him. The thick light that had blinded him slowly darkened until he could finally see, and the landscape before him was......

....Not his Reality Marble.

"!?"

Archer was confused. What had happened? He found himself in what appeared to be a desert of some kind. The only thing beneath his feet was sand, and he certainly was not still in a building --- the blue sky above attested to that. But, he was not alone. He spotted a few different figures beside him, though he recognized none of them, except, perhaps, the one wearing a lot of red like himself. He reminded Archer of an old comic book he'd read back before he became what he was. Though there were some obvious differences. Besides that man, there was a shady-looking 'biker', a younger kid, a blonde-headed woman wearing odd clothing that reminded him of something a servant might wear, and................Indiana Jones without a hat or whip.

He did not bother to encourage the suited man's childish behavior, but instead posed a rhetorical question.

"I don't take it any of you know where we are?" he asked, though the feeling in his gut told him something would explain this mess in due time. What was going on?