Chapter 22 Archer's Memory

Chapter 22: Archer's Memory

A dry wind mixed with the scent of gunpowder brushed against the cheek. Upon opening the eyes, this vessel was already standing in a land pierced with countless swords.

Desolate! The only thing entering the field of vision was boundless desolation.

The eyes stared blankly at the sky—this... blood-red sky, unsure whether it was reflected by the earth itself.

Standing still in this land full of sword-mounds, gazing up at the sky for a long, long time.

Yet, it seemed this did not matter at all...

A voice in the mind seemed to tell oneself so. Name, origin, past—such things did not matter in the slightest, as long as the ideal was not abandoned!

Ideal? What was the ideal?

To become an ally of justice! A passionate voice roared from the depths of the heart.

Hahahaha! An ally of justice? Are you fucking kidding me? An ideal like that spoken aloud would make everyone mock you as an idiot, and even having such a thought in the first place was hilarious.

Ha, I can't stop laughing! It can't be stopped anymore! Why won't it stop... such a thing. Why can't this laughter be halted. I don't want to laugh anymore! I don't want to laugh anymore!

The smile had begun to distort, and the laughter had turned dry. When the laughter finally ceased, one found oneself kneeling on both knees upon this earth.

A cold sensation grazed across the face—was it tears? Why did tears fall for no reason at all?

Ah, how disgraceful. Crying is not a good habit. Never must I shed tears again.

However, just this once, let me cry to my heart's content!

Ah!

A sorrowful roar echoed across this desolate land.

Task: Eliminate all rebels.

What is this?

It is Alaya. Almost without thinking, the information regarding the master who issued this message surfaced in the mind.

Execute without fail! This was the second thought that arose in the mind.

The previously placid wasteland now bore a black-hole-like entrance. Before the brain could issue any instructions, the body had already walked toward the black hole.

There was not the slightest thought of resistance! Lifting a leg, stepping inside.

When consciousness returned, before one's eyes was a primeval forest-like place. What could not be ignored was that beneath every tree, those humanoid yet non-human creatures were gazing with eyes containing steadfastness, hope, and some emotions too complex to decipher.

What... is going on here...

I stood frozen in place, not knowing how to act.

"My clansmen! Alaya's running dog has finally arrived; success or failure hangs on this single moment! Defeat him, and we can gain another few decades of breathing room! My clansmen! The future of the tribe rests in our hands! We must not lose!"

The robust man standing at the very front roared loudly, patches of excited red flush rising on his face, his voice laden with undisguised tragedy and indignation.

"We must not lose!!!" A wave-like sound crashed heavily against my eardrums.

Task: Eliminate all rebels.

This message entered my mind once again.

Are you kidding me! These are clearly people struggling merely to survive! Where on earth are there any rebels?

[Must exterminate all rebels]

I fell silent, casting my eyes once again toward the creatures before me. Among them, the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled were everywhere, yet their gazes all held one single thing—the hope of life, a hope that could be attained simply by defeating me!

If that is the case, then! Come and defeat me!

Watching these creatures charge at me wielding various rusted blades to strike me down, my body wanted to respond. But—I couldn't bring myself to do it! How could I possibly do it? Those people were merely striving to survive!

[Mandatory execution of Guardian duties]

...

The body moved, darting forward instantly, a pair of black and white blades manifesting in the palms. A mist of blood drifted into the air, and the fellows who had just been howling as they charged forward tumbled to the ground in an instant.

My body moved of its own accord like a puppet, slaughtering the rebellious creatures before my eyes. Constantly weaving through that crowd of creatures, mists of blood and limbs scattered everywhere. The skills of combat seemed already engraved within the flesh, and with every gesture, life after life vanished just like that.

They died by my hands.

I no longer knew how many figures had fallen before my eyes, nor how many times I had swung my blade. Blood had long since soaked my entire body. My current appearance must be more terrifying than a ghost...

Ah!! Ahhhhh!

The soul roared, finally wresting back control of the body, but...

"Splat"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh and an intense pain stimulated the nerves. What entered the vision instead was an elderly person, already severed at the waist from behind, using their final ounce of strength to thrust a spear-like object into me.

Gazing ahead, it was merely a little girl crying so hard her face was streaked with tears, her eyes filled with terror and despair!

"Ya!!" Wielding a knife in her hands, she slashed toward me with trembling hands and a cry choked with tears...

Just like this! Dying would be fine too!

[Mandatory execution of Guardian duties]

Damn it!! It's happening again!

The black and white double blades in my hands transformed into afterimages once more, slashing toward the little girl who stared at me in terror.

No!

The words squeezed from between clenched teeth seemed so pale and feeble.

Why?

[Must eliminate]

There was no explanation, only an order—a compulsory command.

The eyes of the soul closed, not daring to look upon its own body any longer...

What the final outcome was, I no longer remembered. More importantly, I was unwilling to recall what had happened.

When I stood once again upon the wasteland pierced with swords, the wounds and bloodstains on my body had long since vanished. Touching the chest that had just been pierced by the spear, it was now completely intact.

Smiling bitterly and shaking my head, it seemed death was truly out of reach for me.

Just as I thought this, I found my body beginning to ooze blood continuously. "Puff..." A large mouthful of blood spewed violently from my mouth.

The magical energy within my body began to riot out of control, instantly destroying all the meridians throughout my system. Staggering a few steps, I could no longer support my own weight and collapsed toward the earth.

Is this Alaya's punishment...

With almost all the strength I had left, I rolled myself over to face that blood-red sky.

If only it could be like this forever! Would dying not be the best outcome?

Raising my left hand, I grabbed my red shroud of Martin and covered my face with it.

Before closing my eyes, how I wished I could die. Yet... I knew that was impossible...

...

"Archer!!"

Upon waking up, this was the only phrase that could be uttered. The body was exceptionally fatigued, lying on the bed with no strength whatsoever. The only thing awake was consciousness, yet it stared meaninglessly at the ceiling.

Due to the spiritual connection between Master and Servant, they would sometimes see each other's memories during sleep.

Tohsaka Rin stared blankly at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, then muttered, "How bewildering... such a thing! Is this your past?"

With a heavy sigh, she continued to gaze blankly at the ceiling...

...

"...s-is this his memory... or my memory? It really is hard to tell apart." Loli-ta muttered blankly upon waking, eyes devoid of luster. "No wonder I had the thought back then of letting Emiya Shirou die by the evils of this world. Your resentment really runs deep, Archer!"

Gently stroking Illya, who was clinging to her like a koala, Loli-ta felt it best to go and talk to Tohsaka Rin.

Tohsaka Rin had already witnessed her dream; she must have consumed a great deal of mental energy and be lying helplessly in bed right now, unable to move, shouldn't she?

Holding up her middle and index fingers with one hand in front of her eyes, she chanted, "Shadow Clone Technique!"

A shadow clone lay before Loli-ta, and then the substitution technique activated, freeing Loli-ta from Illya's embrace. Stepping lightly, she got dressed without waking Illya, and then headed toward Tohsaka Rin's room.

...

"Bang, bang, bang"

"Who is it?"

"Rin! It's me!"

"Ah, Archer. Come in."

Pushing open the door, Tohsaka Rin came into view, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Rin..." Sitting on her knees beside Tohsaka Rin, Loli-ta asked softly.

"Yeah! I saw it," Tohsaka Rin replied.

"Do you need me to erase it? This might affect you, and it's not very good for me either," Loli-ta said, raising a hand.

"..." Shaking her head, Tohsaka Rin sat up, then took Loli-ta's hand and said, "Archer, who on earth are you?"

"..." Falling silent, while Rin asking this was unexpected, it was also within reason. Loli-ta said indifferently, "This vessel is merely a humble Guardian."

"..." Without words, she simply nodded, wearing a look of sudden comprehension.

"No need to erase the memory? Then I shall take my leave." Loli-ta said, intending to walk out.

"Wait a minute, Archer!"

The hand already gripping the doorknob trembled slightly, and the scorching gaze from behind felt as though it wanted to pierce right through her.

Had it come after all...

She had intended to gloss it over, but as expected, it was no use...

"Why did you harbor murderous intent toward Shirou earlier? I should have mentioned that he and I are allies, right?" Tohsaka Rin's successive, sharp inquiries came from behind.

"..."

"Why aren't you speaking?"

What was she supposed to say? Should she say she wanted to kill Emiya Shirou because she was influenced by Archer's memories?

Sighing, she took her hand off the doorknob, though she did not turn around to face Tohsaka Rin.

"Aside from Saber, that fellow is nothing more than good for nothing, a complete burden. There is no need to ally with him; reconsider this, Rin."

Ultimately, she had still spoken the exact same words as Archer.

"Good for nothing?"

Tohsaka Rin propped herself up from the bed, gazing at the long silver hair cascading down Archer's back.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? It's [aside from Saber]. Although he himself is indeed a half-baked amateur, there's no denying that Saber is an exceptionally outstanding Servant. As long as he and Saber are around, there is still value in forming an alliance... Even though you could easily win this holy grail war, but... well... anyway, Shirou and I are allies, and you are forbidden from showing hostility toward him from now on. Or are you saying you won't even obey your Master's command? Do you want me to use my 'last' Command Spell?" Tohsaka Rin deliberately heavy-accented the word "last".

Loli-ta turned around and stared fixedly into Tohsaka Rin's eyes, which were filled with steadfastness, until the latter felt slightly unsettled. After a long moment, she finally let out a sigh: "Understood. I'll do as you wish this time."

Just this once, though. Next time...

"Is that so..."

Having no mood to listen to Tohsaka Rin muttering to herself, Loli-ta pushed the door open and walked out. However...

"Did you just cry?"

Rin's eyes had been very red when she first entered the room.

"No way!!" Whatever, forget about you, you tsundere.

PS: I really despise a certain aspect of FSN. Making Archer that weak—every single one of those Noble Phantasms belongs to heroes on par with or exceeding Lancers. Why on earth would Archer, who has slaughtered over a million such beings, be so weak? Or is Alaya's Guardian position just for show? Incomprehensible.