vs Berserker
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(3rd's pov)

After killing Berserker with Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou chose to change weapons. Every time Heracles was killed by something, he gets resistance to it, so killing him the same way is almost impossible, with some exceptions.

Emiya projected a famous red spear of Celtic hero, Gae Bolg.

The fake he created wasn't strong enough to pierce Berserker's skin, and even if Shirou were able to trace it to perfection wouldn't be enough, so he altered it in a similar way he did the twin blades before, but instead of focusing on power this time, he tried to improve its piercing capabilities. On top of that, he added some runes using his blood to increase the spear's power even more.

Gae Bolg was as powerful as it could get in Shirou's hands, but he wasn't done. He needed to be sure to kill him before he gained resistance to it. Shirou wasn't sure how much stronger his Gae Bolg would be than Berserker's God Hand, so if it was too weak, he would need to create yet another opening which would be difficult.

Shirou was filling his blood-red spear with his prana while using his magic circuits to their fullest to speed up the process, even by a small amount. Simultaneously, he was eyeing Berserker's body, which had already started healing. At that moment, Heracles' eyes flashed red, signaling his revival, and as he climbed out of the hole, Shirou was ready to attack.

"Gae Bolg!"

Shirou mimicked Lancer's movements to throw the spear. No. To be more accurate, Shirou allowed his weapon to drag him in a way that mimicked Lancer's movements.

Heracles' heart was pierced.

He was pierced even before the spear was thrown, and the thrust was more like a formality. The result of the heart being pierced was created before the thrusting movement.

The instance Gae Bolg went through the heart, it exploded the same way the twin blades before did.

Second life went down the drain, but the end of this battle was far from over. Shirou prepared his bow, created some distance, and observed the hole where Berserker's body landed after the explosion. He was ready to fire off Caladbog as soon as Heracles entered his vision again, but nothing came.

...

It was strange. Berserker should already revive, but he wasn't attacking...

Berserker jumped out from the hole and appeared in front of Shirou in no time. Shirou jumped away from his position as fast as he could, and he managed to avoid the giant's hand trying to grab him by the hair, but with his amazing speed. This burst of speed was faster than what he had shown before, which took Emiya by surprise despite his sharp battle instincts.

He didn't have time to dodge. Heracles' weapon was already in motion and was getting closer to hitting Shirou by the second. The only option left was to block, so by straining his magic circuits, the boy created his trusty twin blades and brought them in front of his body to defend himself, but Berserker's axe-sword easily broke through them as if they didn't even exist and went straight for Shirou.

As the last-ditch effort for any sort of protection, the redhead used reinforcement on his body.

It was a futile effort that much was obvious, and, in the retrospective, it could also be considered wasteful as all his injuries would be healed unless his head was destroyed, so using this magecraft is a waste of energy, but he did it practically by reflex and in the heat of the moment.

The big stone in the shape of a weapon dug deep into Shirou's body, bending it and his arm in an unnatural way. The bones didn't even have time to break. They were shattered at contact, further demonstrating Heracles' monstrous strength.

Shirou was sent flying at a downward angle and destroyed several walls and floors before finally stopping.

If not for Avalon, just one hit would be able to finish Shirou off.

His body hurt, but he couldn't keep lying in the pebbles. He had to defeat Berserker before he defeated him.

As soon as he could stand up, Shirou started moving around the building. He was far away enough for the Berserker to not see him, so Emiya decided to use this to his advantage.

The area they were fighting was pretty narrow, especially for Heracles, but not surprisingly, it did not hinder him in any way. Either he did not touch the walls or roof, or he would destroy it with ease, so why not set some traps.

Shirou sneaked around to set up traps after using some runes to hide his presence more than he already could do. It wasn't that powerful as he wasn't skillful in these runes, but they should do the trick against Berserker.

The traps weren't complicated, as he didn't know how much time he had left before Heracles finds him, but they were placed on multiple floors. Most of them were explosive runes, but they won't be enough to harm Berserker, although they will be helpful nonetheless.

After Shirou was done with the traps, it was time to face his opponent once more. Thankfully, he could once again prepare for the encounter. He had another mighty sword in mind that he planned to use, and at the same time, he decided to use more riskful tactics. Emiya didn't want to do it earlier because he wanted to observe Berserker's behavior and see his fighting style with his own eyes so he could choose the most optimal counter, and if this plan worked out, Berserker's defeat would be sure and faster than it had any right to be as if breaking all the rules.

Shirou was preparing yet another arrow made by reinforcing one of the swords inside his reality marble. An ordinary copy wouldn't be enough to break through Berserker's skin, so just like he did with Kanshou, Bakuya, and Gae Bolg, he used an overedge on it to raise its rank forcefully. He didn't want to create Broken Phantasm this time because he needed this arrow to retain its unique ability without exploding. It would be more beneficial this way.

*SMASH!* *THUD!* *CRUSH!*

The sound of the giant trashing around, looking for his challenger, could be heard. If this went on, the entire building would collapse, and while it wouldn't affect the construction in the real world, it wouldn't be ideal to destroy it.

It was time to get Berserker's attention.

Shirou, on purpose, made his way up as loud as possible by making a lot of noise. There, he projected the bow and took the arrow from reality marble that he had prepared beforehand and projected it into his hand.

It was a pitch-black weapon with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it. Its shape was unrecognizable in comparison to the sword that it was based on.

Hrunting, Hound of the Red Plains.

It's a powerful sword that will follow the most optimal slash trajectory, but as an arrow, it's a projectile that will follow you even if you dodge it or even if you block it, it will continue to pursue its target until either it is destroyed or Shirou is killed.

Shirou, after writing a few runes with his blood for the extra oomph, started drawing his bow and feeding it magical energy to charge it as long as he could before Heracles got to him.

After about 20 seconds, Berserker jumped through the floor and faced Shirou. It wasn't known to the red Archer, but under all the madness, Heracles was thrilled to meet an opponent who fought him to this extent, although the only emotion he could on his show was fury.

Without waiting for Berserker to start running towards him, Shirou fired the arrow, and it flew at the incredible speed of Mach 10, but for Berserker, it wasn't fast enough as he deflected it with his own weapon and rushed towards the Archer but as he made the first step the floor under him exploded creating a chain reaction to make Heracles fall.

He tried to grab the edge of the hole to avoid falling, but the arrow he deflected before returned to hit its target, which forced him to defend himself as he could feel the danger from it.

This gave Shirou time to start repeating the process of projecting another Hrunting just like before, but he planned to charge it for even longer this time, and hopefully, the traps he set up will buy him enough time.

Berserker was falling through multiple floors while defending against Hrunting, but he quickly accustomed himself to it and deflected it far enough to be able to grab the edge of one of the floors and jump up back, but as soon as his hand touched the floor, the runes lighted up and exploded l. They didn't harm him in any way, but they didn't allow him to get back up and even bought enough time for the arrow to return.

Heracles was annoyed by now, so as the arrow approached his body, he caught it using his free hand, and his monstrous strength didn't allow the arrow to leave it no matter how much it struggled, even though it didn't stop trying.

Finally, after reaching the bottom floor, he used the strength of his legs to return to the top in no time.

20 seconds have passed. Not enough time for the next arrow to be more powerful than the one before, but Shirou didn't have much choice but to shoot it anyway. He was flabbergasted by the image of Heracles holding his arrow in hand while it was still trying to escape his hold.

'What a monster... but that's what I should expect of him... to break everyone's expectations.' Shirou thought to himself as he shot the next Hrunting, and at the same time, he threw the gems he got from Rin's jewels after activating them.

The jewels created small explosions and blinding light.

The arrow that was flying to Berserker was deflected just like the one before using the arrow in his hand, but soon after, the gems landed and rolled to his feet. He didn't sense danger from them as they would be able to hurt him, but learning from before, he immediately jumped, which was the correct decision, but he was still blinded by the light, and it created an opening for Hrunting to dig into his body.

It wasn't enough to kill Heracles, and Shirou was aware of it. That's why he prepared another arrow. Not Hrunting this time, it would take too long to charge the arrow. Shirou needed a powerful weapon, more powerful than the ones before. He could theoretically re-create a very convincing copy of Excalibur, but it would take too much of his energy, and he needed to be ready to fight after the attack was made. It would be near suicidal to use so much magical energy. Although there was a slight chance of being entirely possible with lesser consequences because of his unique upbringing, he didn't plan on testing it at the moment.

No, although the sword he had in mind wasn't Excalibur, it was often compared to it.

Durandal: The Peerless Sword.

A holy sword favored by Roland, and although Shirou couldn't project its ability to grant three wishes, he didn't need them right now. He only needed its power.

Once again, he fed the sword, which he molded into an arrow, with magical energy until cracks started appearing.

As he was ready to shoot, Berserker landed in front of him with two arrows sticking into his body. When the first arrow hit him, Berserker loosened his grip on the other one slightly but enough for it to escape and shoot straight at him. Besides two weapons in his body, he was primarily fine and towered Shirou with his body and presence alike.

Neither of them moved and stared at each other as if waiting for the other to make the first move.

Then, as a pebble dropped, they attacked. Shirou let go of the bowstring, and Berserker swung his axe sword.

Durandal was faster than Hrunting, and it even surprised Heracles. As he swung his weapon, he was forced to dodge or at least attempt to. Shirou was aiming at his heart, but thanks to Berserker's reflex, the arrow hit his shoulder, and that made the Broken Phantasm explode.

The explosion was powerful, and it destroyed the Greek hero's shoulder and parts of his body. The explosion wasn't big in any way, but it was still powerful.

(Shirou's pov)

Third life done, but if I'm quick, I would have a much easier time or even kill him right now.

I have knowledge about a weapon that will be able to finish this fight, but I didn't want him to start gaining resistance to it, but even in that case, it would make the fight easier.

Immortal Slaying Scythe, Harpe.

I don't know if it will be able to negate Berserker's Noble Phantasm as he isn't technically healing but us reverting his body to full health, but it is said in its legend that wounds made by it can't be healed even by unnatural means. That's why I'm planning on testing it only now when he is in a state of death and will not attack me, so I projected the scythe with an unusual shape and rushed at my opponents.

I didn't want to waste too much time and let Heracles regenerate before I hit him, as projecting Harpe took longer than I would like to.

I swung the scythe at Berserker's neck, trying to decapitate him and hopefully end this fight before something went wrong, but my arm was stopped before it could even touch him.

I could feel my bones breaking under Berserker's monstrous grasp, but I didn't pay it any mind right now as I was trying to figure out how he was still conscious after he 'died', and I could only think of one answer.

Battle Continuation. One of Berserker's skills that allows him to fight, not minding fatal wounds.

(E/D: King Hassan fighting even after being cut in half: Tis but a scratch.)

I couldn't think much longer as my whole body was smashed around like a ragdoll, with each hit breaking something new. I tried to free myself from the giant arm, but my arm gave up before I could find a solution.

Mid-swing, my arm couldn't withstand any more of all the force that Heracles was pulling me with and tore away from my body, and I was sent flying once again. This time, however, I was thrown with much more force to the point I was starting to worry about my survival because if I was made into a big bloodstain, even Avalon wouldn't be able to save me.

Thankfully, Luvia gave me gems that would help with my situation.

Destroying yet another wall, I reached into my pocket and threw jewels behind me to create wind that would slow me down.

It still injured me as it wasn't meant to be used that way, but beggars can't be choosers when you are trying to survive.

...

Laying with all that destruction around me, I tried to catch my breath and let Avalon do its work. My body and hair had already started to turn darker and lighter, respectively, and it wasn't that strange. I was pushing my magic circuits more than I've ever done before, and that's what is causing me to turn my looks into EMIYA. It doesn't matter how much energy I'm using but the output of said energy compared to how much my magic circuits can handle.

In more straightforward terms, I don't have more energy but can use more energy at once, which is helpful with the speed of projecting my weapons.

My right arm had already regenerated but was still numb, but it was enough to fight if necessary.

Laying like this, I felt nostalgic for unknown reasons, and while not letting my guard down, I took out a golden card from my pocket, which by some miracle wasn't damaged in any way.

"You know, it feels kinda unfair. I'm the one with Avalon, but you seem to be in better shape than me."

Of course, I didn't get an answer back.

Speaking of damage, I had already started healing, but I could feel that it was slower than before, signaling that Avalon would be out of magical energy soon. Destroying multiple walls and floors and being smashed around by Berserker tends to activate Avalon because of my injuries. Who would have guessed?

What's even more surprising was that my mask was mostly fine.

"In moments like these, I regret working solo." I looked at the card in my hand again. "I would appreciate your help right now, but it doesn't look like I'm getting it. Though it's not like me to ask for help anyway."

▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!

The roar reached me from afar, and not soon after, a giant figure could be seen walking toward me. His wound started closing, meaning that he died after that little stunt he pulled on me.

At the moment, I could kill Heracles 3-4 times more using ordinary means. My problem is not only his adaptation to my weapons, as I have more than enough, but I'm using more mana than I expected, and he is also adapting to my fighting style.

I took a last glance at the Saber card.

"I hope that you will bring me victory the same way your sword brought you yours."

With that said, I put the card in my pocket, not noticing the golden glow surrounding it.

---

I fought with all my might trying to create openings. I can't start shooting A-rank Noble Phantasms left and right because I would just waste energy, as Heracles would no doubt defend or dodge straightforward attacks.

Even without 'the big guns', the building was destroyed during our fight. Thankfully I noticed the signs of it before it completely crumbled, so I 'safely' survived that.

I don't know how long I can go on. My mind can work under this stress for an extended period of time, but my body can't.

It feels strange. The longer I fight, the more out of sync my body and mind feel. I can't put the finger on why it is, and I didn't have the luxury of thinking about it anyway, but it's increasingly noticeable.

*SWOOSH!*

I dodged yet another swing from Berserker and used this chance to create some distance between us.

As I was preparing my next move, I felt something coming from my pocket. The same pocket that I put the Saber card in. Usually, I would ignore it and focus on the fight and try to figure out why this happened later on, but something was compelling to take it out. For some reason, I had full trust in whatever was going to happen, and even with raging Berserker running towards me, I was completely calm.

I held the card the way I would hold a sword.

At the same time, I suddenly got visions of the distant past. Through the eyes that weren't mine own, I saw a sword stuck in the stone. 'I' walked up to it, and after a short pause, 'I' pulled it, revealing a beautiful sword of golden color which was reflecting rays of Sun coming down.

I started projecting the weapon using the vision I had just experienced. The sword that I wouldn't dream of using without 'her', but circumstances allow me to do it.

I put both of my hands on the handle that had already materialized over the card and turned my whole body left to prepare one but powerful swing.

As more of the sword was projected, I could swear I felt another pair of hands holding it, even though it was impossible.

I took my time with this projection, not minding the incoming beast because, in my eyes, this sword deserved such care, but it wasn't because I appreciated the blade itself or its craftsmanship, although it was exceptional. No, it was because of the attachment of its original owner to it.

Berserker was getting closer, and as he was about to swing, I finished my projection. The axe-sword was coming from above. I couldn't dodge it in time. There was also no need for that.

The only option left was to meet his swing head-on, and that's what I did. I swung with all my might, not caring about injuries, not caring about consequences and only thinking about defeating my opponent.

As our weapons met, Berserker's axe-sword broke. It didn't stand a chance against Caliburn: Golden Sword of the Victorious.

It didn't end in destroying his weapon, though. The swing went further and dug into Berserker's body, and with the information that I presumably got from the card, I used its Noble Phantasm, destroying the body of the Greek hero multiple times.

Just a little more, and I'm done.

(3rd's pov)

Rin, Luvia, and Miyu were waiting on the rooftop of the building. All of them were impatient and worried. Rin was looking at her wristwatch, constantly waiting for 30 minutes to pass so they could teleport in to check the result of Archer's fight.

"Luvia-sama, is it wise to wait the whole half hour before we check on Archer-san? I understand that we agreed on his terms, but realistically speaking, the fight would end in 10 minutes at most, and if he is in trouble, we will be able to help."

Miyu asked Luvia. Just like the two older girls, she was worried, but the reason was slightly different. Archer reminded her of her older brother for some reason. She herself couldn't understand why that was.

"I truly would love to do it, Miyu, trust me, but as an heir to the Edefelt family, the weight of my promises is not to be taken lightly, so unless the situation changes suddenly, my hands are tied." Luvia crossed her arms and tightened her grip on her sleeve.

Luvia wasn't as heartless as she tried to showcase, but in the life of a magus, showing weakness is a death sentence, and even though she is surrounded by people, she could trust the habits learned throughout her entire life.

There was also a reluctance to let the outsider do her job, but it was a better alternative than allowing young girls to fight their fights, but it still didn't sit right with her.

As Rin walked back and forth, Luvia tapped her foot, and Miyu anxiously held Sapphire someone landed near them with a determined look on their face.

Everyone was surprised by the newly arrived visitor, but the most surprised was Miyu.

"... Illya?"

"Hello everyone... can I ask you what you are all doing here?" Illya asked with a gentle smile. "I thought that we had an agreement about getting the last card... am I... that unreliable or untrustworthy?" At first, she looked angry, but the longer she talked, she grew increasingly sadder until she was on the verge of crying with tears in the corners of her eyes.

"N-n-no, no no no! That's not what it looks like, Illya! We were just... checking this place. Right! We were just trying to see what our next battlefield looked like so we could prepare better!"

Rin could have said that Archer went on his own. He even said that she should do that, but she refused to do it because she knew the reason why he decided to fight alone, and it was to protect the relationships that Illya had built.

"Then can you explain why Miyu-san is already transformed into a magical girl?" Ruby questioned Rin to the girl's dismay.

'I'm going to break this cursed stick as soon as I don't need her. And why does she need to be sharp today of all the times.' Rin swore to herself and questioned the intelligence of the wand at the same time.

Until today, she took it for someone stupid with an obsession with magical girls. Now, she was forced to add 'sharp at the worst time' to the 'not so long' list of Ruby's characteristics. The other aspects of Ruby were 'annoying', 'obsessed with magical girls', and 'durable'.

"And where is Archer? He usually is whenever we plan to collect the card, so either he didn't show up, which is unlikely since we didn't contact him, or..." It was clear what Ruby was implying, and although she wasn't right about everything, she came to the correct conclusion.

Hearing all of what Ruby said, Illya turned to Rin with a pleading expression, asking her to tell her the truth, and Rin couldn't refuse that as much as she tried.

"*Sigh* Fine. Archer decided to go fight on his own. He said to get him in 30 minutes." Rin looked at her watch. "20 minutes now, so we wait."

"What!!? Why did you let him fight alone!!? We must go and help him!" 

Illya declared complete with resolve. She also immediately activated the magic circle and teleported. No one stopped her, and why would they? The whole point of not fighting today was to wait for Illya's answer, and they got it today by Illya's arrival alone.

Without even anyone telling her, Miyu did the same as Illya and teleported her, Luvia, and Rin to the mirror world.

---

As soon as the girls arrived, they were met with unbelievable sight. Everything around them was destroyed. There wasn't even a building there anymore. Just ruins. Among these ruins, they could see a figure of a man in a red coat and golden sword, which was already disappearing, standing in front of a giant man or what was left of him.

Sensing someone appearing behind, Archer turned around and cursed under his breath. If only they had arrived 5 minutes later, then it probably would be okay, but right now, Heracles had at least two more lives to spare, and now he couldn't fight as freely as before.

"Archer-san, we are here to help!... but it doesn't look like you need it anymore." Illya was ready to fight, and it warmed Shirou's heart to see his sister brave like that, but it was the worst possible time.

"Don't get closer! He isn't dead yet!"

As he said that, the 'corpse' started healing itself until it stood up.

"What!?"

"This shouldn't be legal..."

"I know that he told us about it, but seeing this in person is something completely different..."

As the girls were in shock, seeing Berserker's ability, Shirou was busy formulating a plan. He could use 'that' a bit earlier, although he didn't want to risk using up all of his mana on it before he could deliver a final blow, but now that the girls are here, he could at least take one more life from Heracles before going down.

"Don't come closer before I kill him. If he gets up, it's your turn." Archer instructed as he raised his left arm and supported it with the other, but he didn't start projecting weapons just yet. He needed to wait. If he was too fast, Berserker would feel the danger and dodge. If he was too slow, he would be punched by a beast of a Servant, and if he was unlucky, die.

Heracles was madly rushing at Shirou, now without his axe-sword. Every step could be felt by everyone showing Berserker's power not that it needed to be proven at this point.

'Closer... closer... closer... now!'

The moment Shirou activated his magic circuits, the familiar axe-sword started materializing in his hand, but it wasn't the end. Shirou didn't project just the weapon, but he also copied Heracles' technique and strength needed for using the said technique.

His bones were breaking even at the attempt of reproducing the strength of the Greek hero, and Avalon tried to fix that as fast as it could, even as Shirou was constantly reinforcing his limbs. His brain alone was barely holding itself together, trying to understand the technique he was attempting to use.

Berserker, of course, recognized the weapon and felt the incoming danger, but his fist was already in motion and couldn't stop, so the only thing he could do was twist his body to avoid the incoming attack, but he was too slow.

*SLASH* Upper arm

*SLASH* Collarbone

*SLASH* Windpipe

*SLASH* Temple

*SLASH* Diaphragm

*SLASH* Rib

*SLASH* Testicles

*SLASH* And finally, thigh.

Eight almost instant slashes were unleashed. They were so powerful that even Berserker's body didn't stop them, and their impact created traces of slashes on the ground behind Heracles.

Shirou's body didn't allow him to use practically Godspeed and monstrous strength for so long, and the ninth strike was delayed, and even the smallest of openings was enough for Berserker.

About 12% of Berserker's body was gone, destroyed by Shirou, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He launched an attack as Shirou started a spin to finish Heracles off with the last swing. Both of the fighters were giving their all, but only one would be victorious.

...

*SPLASH!*

*DRIP!* *DRIP!*

Blood splattered on the ground and started slowly dripping on the ground.

It was over... The short, few seconds duel, has ended, but during these few short seconds, a lot has happened, especially in Shirou's mind, but the only important thing right now was the result of this duel.

Shirou won, but he paid a prize for that. Even Berserker's last attack that was stopped managed to send a wind pressure strong enough to cause injuries to Shirou.

The stone axe-sword tore through Berserker's fist and then arm until it hit its target, torso.

Both of the warriors stayed without moving for a short moment until Berserker's body started disappearing, until the only thing left was a card.

As if it was a signal, Shirou fell down on his back in pain. Avalon stopped working. It was completely out of mana, and so was Shirou. He used the last of it in recreating Nine Lives, reinforcing himself so his limbs wouldn't fly off because of the strength he used and projecting Berserker's power. On the other hand, Avalon was empty because it was fixing its owner as long as it could.

Because of these two factors, Shirou was unable to heal himself from his injuries, which included but were not limited to torn muscles, broken bones, and internal bleeding. Without proper care, he would die.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone as a group of four was running up to him.

"It looks like you didn't get the chance to fight after all." Archer gave a smirked remark even though he coughed blood moments after.

"Why aren't you healing? And stop talking!" Rin said while she and Luvia were checking his condition. Shirou just looked at her strangely.

"So, which one is it?" It was starting to get difficult to talk for Shirou. He didn't know which injury was causing it, but it wouldn't be long before he would be unable to speak.

"Just say what you need! Illya!"/"Miyu!"

"On it!"/"Understood!"

Illya and Miyu started using their wands to heal Archer, but his injuries were too severe for their untrained self to help him, but they desperately tried to do their best.

"I'm all out of mana... if I could... replenish it..." Shirou couldn't say anything more as his difficulty with talking reached its peak, and while Illya and Miyu could heal him to the point of being able to speak, they were focused on keeping him alive.

Illya was crying and blaming herself for it.

"Archer-san, please don't die. You can't die! If only I had been more decisive. If I was here with Miyu, maybe we could-" Illya's panic attack was stopped by the gentle hand put on top of her head. Thanks to the partially broken mask, she could see him smiling, although he couldn't say anything.

At the same time, Rin and Luvia were considering their options, and hearing Archer, they blushed.

Their first thought was, of course, mana transfer, and the most common method was by exchanging bodily fluids. Mainly semen, blood, and salvia.

Rin and Luvia looked at each other and agreed silently on something as they nodded.

"If you, bastard, are lying about it, I'm going to kill you myself." Rin threatened now mute Archer, at which he raised an eyebrow in confusion, although it wasn't visible.

Both of the girls kneeled on both of Shirou's sides.

Rin went first and held Archer's head with both of her hands and slowly lowered her head.

"Rin-San, what are you... do... ing... !!!" Illya and Miyu witnessed their first live kiss, and Illya tried to stop looking by covering her eyes with her hands, but it didn't work as there was space between her fingers for some reason. Miyu was taking it better... on the surface. Inside, she misfunctioned and was currently restarting. This brought so much shock to the younger girls that they forgot about the situation they were in and stopped healing Shirou.

The kiss didn't end with a small peck. It was a full adult kiss to exchange as much salvia as possible, and as it ended, everyone could see a thin salvia string between these two, and Rin wiped away said salvia with her sleeve.

"Your turn, Luvia."

"You don't need to remind me that. Now excuse me." Luvia was tempted to let Rin handle it and just save her first kiss for her beloved Shero, but she didn't know how much mana Archer needed and if Rin alone would be enough and she couldn't let him die in front of her like that.

With that said, Luvia started out gently French-kissing Archer. Even during a time like that, she tried to be as dignified as one possibly could be. It's just Rin that pulls her more ugly side, not that she would ever admit it.

After they were done giving their mana to Archer, both of them were left with their cheeks flushed red.

"W-w-what are you doing!!! Taking advantage of Archer-san like that! He is injured!" Illya finally exploded.

"And yet you stopped healing him." Ruby reminded her Master how hypocritical she sounded while she was peeking the entire time and didn't speak up until the scene had ended.

"Aaaa, Archer-san, please don't die!" She tried to return to healing Archer, but she noticed that his wounds started repairing by themselves, and if someone observed this phenomenon closer, he/she would notice thin threads 'sewing up' the more minor cuts.

The regeneration was as ridiculous as always. Although most of the injuries were inside, it was visible that Archer's condition was improving by the second until he sat up, albeit very tired.

"I'm never fighting Berserker again. He is ridiculous by all standards." 

Archer was checking his body for any injuries. "But it looks like I came out alive from this encounter unless someone wants to argue with that."

"I would if you lied about the lack of mana. I gave you my first kiss to save your life!" Rin vented with a red blush on her face.

"And I appreciate it, but in my defense, it was my first kiss too, so we are even. Although I was expecting you to feed me your blood at first." Shirou shared his thoughts and questioned the pureness of the two girls as blood is equally as effective as salvia in mana transfer, so to immediately go for that would mean that they were closet perverts, which probably showed on his face behind the broken mask as the girls quickly started explaining themselves.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! Kissing you was the most logical option at the moment." Rin started.

"T-that's right! It was the fastest way as we didn't have anything to cut ourselves with, and we didn't know how much mana you would need, so using salvia was a better solution, and we wouldn't be limited by the amount of blood we could give."

Shirou decided to let them save face this time and stopped himself from teasing them.

"Either way, I'm grateful. Though I need to ask why you are earlier than we agreed on? Any comments on that, Rin? Luvia?"

"That would be my fault, Archer-san... When I heard that you were fighting Berserker alone, I jumped in... Was that inconvenient?" Illya raised her hand shyly. Shirou couldn't be angry at her, not that he was earlier anyway. He was annoyed at most.

"Don't worry, you just need to keep being yourself, that's all." Shirou patted Illya's head again. "On the other hand, the older girls are to be taken responsible for that as they are responsible for you two. That's why I'm going to spank them in the future."

""What!!?"" Both of the older girls exclaimed loudly, but Archer ignored them.

"Let's get out of here for now. We are done with the cards for now, and I just want to go to sleep. I'm tired."

With all of that said and done, the last card was collected, so the mission given to girls was done, and they had nothing more to do in Japan... until Rin and Luvia got a phone from their teacher about their next mission, which is stabilizing Earth pulse in Fuyuki. There was also a main mission of studying common sense, and the study period would be one year, but in truth, Zelretch only wanted a one-year break from his students' constant bickering and sent his problem to someone else.

But at least for a short while, Shirou would have a peaceful life.

---

END

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