Prologue part one

"This was a waste of time, to think I held such high hopes for the hero of the north Numa Seika but to think he was that weak." Esdeath muttered to herself as she surveyed her handiwork, the entire stone fortress that was once known as the heart of the north was riddled with impaled citizens and ice sculptures. The entire northern tribes was subjected and pillaged with 400000 northerners buried alive alongside their entire army.

"I wonder somewhere out there ... is there an enemy that can satisfy me?" Esdeath was bored, this campaign was a joke the empire's greatest enemy?

They couldn't even put up a decent fight against her army let alone herself. If it wasn't for the prime minster recalling her back to the capital she would have left her men behind while she delved deeper within the mountains to search for better prey but now she could only do a short hunting trip.

"Oh there's still a survivor I thought we hunted them all down? On top of her pet wyvern Esdeath noticed someone within the distance holding some sort of gun.

The person had short black hair with a scarf tied around his head as a bandanna, he had bright golden eyes and was slightly shorter than her but the most striking feature would be the many scars leaking blood that adorned the figure along side his clothes being completely caked in blood

"... that smile on his face." But to Esdeath none of that mattered, all that mattered to her was this sudden burning feeling within her heart.

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"..." I didn't know where I was but I felt a sense of peace as I just watched the snow fall down. It was just like that day, the day where the last vestiges of my world crumpled away but in the end I managed to take back what I had lost, I had fulfilled my snowy oath.

"Kiritsugu..." I took out my inheritance the mystic code Thompson contender from within my clothes, this was my trump card that allowed me to defeat Angelica having caught her off guard while she focused on my reality marble.

"I wonder would you have been proud of me or would you be disappointed with my actions. After all I couldn't follow your wish of saving humanity."

"But I don't regret anything because this was what I wanted, not as the hero EMIYA but as the human Shirou."

"In the end... I won Kiritsugu." My fist pumped the air as my face slowly widen into my very first expression. This was my first expression that came from deep within my soul, one that I could proudly state that it was real a wide grin.

"! Trace on." I kicked to the side in an instant causing a small indent within the snow from the sudden force, as I reinforced my body dodging a rapier thrust that aimed for my heart by mere millimetres.

"Tch." In the split second I dodged the killing blow I retaliated with my own, lifting my mystic code I fired off a single shot which she deflected by positioning her rapier in front of the bullet.

I cursed myself within my head as I made a crucial mistake, not only did I forget the rules and advice that Kiristugu instilled into me but I overestimated the threat. Had I made a small side step instead I could have finished her off with a point blank shot.

In the end I was no better than the magi that Kiritusgu and I hunted down, letting my guard down after achieving victory. I should have focused on the situation at hand before revelling in my triumph, a fatal mistake that I would not make again.

"Impressive solider of the northern tribes, not only did you dodge that attack but you managed to respond with your own. A feat that few could claim against me but the question is could you dodge the next?" The woman charged forward with her rapier in blinding speeds comparable to a servants but she wasn't the only one with that speed.

"..." I backed off in an instant as I reloaded the mystic code, that move might have nearly worked once but I would be a fool to be caught off guard a second time. Snapping the gun in place I aimed it at the woman, just like before it was loaded with an origin bullet.

"Northern tribes? I don't know what your referring to but I would give you one chance to leave me alone or else." Despite my reinforced senses and body the gap between us slowly grew as I sprinted through the snowy landscape, weaving and breaking through the natural terrain with her hot on my heels.

It appeared that even in my reinforced state she could keep up which means I must end this sooner rather than later, as there was a limit to my magecraft and prana especially in my current status.

"Or else what? what would you do to me?" She had a maniacal grin on her face as she released her bloodlust, one so malevolent that would have instantly made even the stalwart of men to crumble out of fear but to me it was nothing, I had experienced far worse than this in my youth let alone now.

"I would kill you." Releasing my own variation of killing intent I put away the mystic code, since I would have no need of it for now. If she continued chasing me then it was time for me to revert back to the state I was in before, it was time for the villain to take the stage once more. It was time for our magecraft.

"... trigger on." I conjured an image of a gun cocking and firing.

Judging the conception of creation. A bow designed to be able to fire noble phantasms properly without affecting the accuracy and power behind it, as well as withstanding the strain of firing a noble phantasm. A bow that wouldn't break.

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Hypothesising the basic structure. A matte black, western style straight bow with a simple design.

Duplicating the composition material. Created using a special material/alloy yet to be discovered by mankind as of the present time.

Imitating the skill of its making. Forged personally by it's user the heroic spirit of phantasms with skills of a master blacksmith and bow maker.

Sympathising with the experience of its growth. Ever since it's creation it had been with its creator for all of eternity, accompanying him during his never ending journey of chasing a flawed ideal, to become a hero of justice.

Reproducing the accumulated years. It had seen much bloodshed and has been destroyed many times throughout its journey, whenever it was through battle, through time and yet it still accompanied it's master. It had seen how it's master and creator has suffered throughout his journey of being a hero of justice, how all he ever wanted was to save everyone in front of him, only for that simple pure wish to be denied over and over again.

Excelling every manufacturing process. It may not be a noble phantasm but it may be considered on the same level as one. As it is a weapon that defines archer for who he is, a support weapon that allows him to use his true abilities when no other bow could suffice. A weapon that would have be a noble phantasm had Archer been a proper heroic spirit.

In a flash of light grasped within my right hand was Emiya's bow. I didn't have enough prana or time to project a proper noble phantasm nor did I wanted to. My goal was to survive and that meant I needed to conserve my strength if I wanted to escape.

"Is that your Teigu? 'L'arc qui ne faut' the bow and arrow teigu that allows their wielder to always hit their mark by shouting out the name of their target." Teigu? This was a term I never heard, is that just another name for a noble phantasm or mystic code?

"No I don't see your arrows anywhere therefore it must be something else. Interesting very well I shall show you my own out of respect to you"

With that line she raised her hand along with her rapier. I could feel the sudden drop in temperature within the air as the surrounding snow condensed around her forming a gigantic icicle within the skies.

" ... now let the hunt begin." The giant icicle was launched in an instant while the snow around her formed into a barrage of mini icicles that threatened to skewer me.

"... Trace on" It looks like I couldn't afford to conserve my strength after all.

All twenty-seven magical circuits thrummed to life as they fed on my remaining Od, creating mundane swords which was altered to form multiple projectiles. They may not be noble phantasms but these sword arrows could still pack a decent punch when fired from Emiya's bow, reaching speeds beyond sound and enough power to destroy entire houses.

"... Visualise it." I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I went through the stages of Kyudo. Drawing upon Emiya's bow I fired the sword arrows in quick succession forming a barrage that countered and pierced through the icicles in midair.

"Oh? Then how about this Hagelsprung." With a wave of her hand she blocked the incoming projectiles with a thick wall of ice that continued to form into a large boulder. Along with more icicles appearing beside her, it was as if I was facing off against Angelica again but this time I didn't have Miyu's help, yet this woman was no Gilgamesh.

"..." Firing off another barrage to intercept the incoming threats I attempted to widen the gap between us but she wasn't letting me go that easily. In that case...

"Break." The prana infused sword arrows broke apart upon my command causing a symphony of small explosions across the battlefield, decimating the surrounding and buying me precious time from her onslaught.

"Trace on." My magical circuits was nearing their limits, after the constant strain of battle and releasing my reality marble it couldn't handle much more. I needed to end this right now before I run out of strength.

Judging the conception of creation. Twin swords created on the orders of a king, a sword without a purpose, a sword crafted for the sake of being crafted.

Hypothesising the basic structure. Twin swords with a curved blade that broadens towards the point, each representing a force, yin and yang together they create the cycle.

"Not bad nameless solider but now it's my turn. Bring it!" With a shout she pushed her hand onto the ground causing the air to chill even further as a thin layer of ice formed around her hand.

"Ice spire." Sensing danger I jumped to the side as multiple giant icicles appeared from the ground, each slightly clipping me by the side drawing blood and reopening my wounds from my previous battles.

"..." Ignoring the searing pain coursing through my body, I kept the image of the twin blades in my head as I continued to fire off the sword arrows at the woman who countered with a stream of icicles.

Duplicating the composition material. Created by the finest materials and a human sacrifice (optional).

Imitating the skill of its making. Created in grief by one of the finest blacksmith of China, Gan Jiang.

Sympathising with the experience of its growth. The twins was separated upon it's creation, one given to the king the other staying with its creator.

"Grauhorn." Giant horns of ice appeared from the multitude of spires, threatening to skewer me as I weaved through the pillars of ice and the rough terrain.

Reproducing the accumulated years. Kanshou used as a memento by it's creator, always waiting for the day it reunites with it's counterpart. Bakuya used primarily as a ceremonial sword, always waiting for the day it reunites with it's counterpart.

Excelling every manufacturing process. Twin swords reunited once again with the death of it's creator.

"Ice wall." In an instant a giant wall of ice barred my way and for a split second stopped me in my tracks before I penetrated through with brute force.

I carved up a path through the layers of ice with the twin swords with ease as they were noble phantasms, the ultimate embodiment of a heroic spirit's legend made into reality.

Grasped within my hands was the heroic spirit EMIYA's favoured weapons. The married twin swords Kanshou and Bakuya. A sword lacking in pride and yet it's craftsmanship is extremely captivating and beautiful. A noble phantasm that pales in comparison to it's peers, its only redeeming feature being its bond with one another and its fast tracing time.

"Interesting is that your teigu's true ability or is that your true teigu?" The woman said with a smile on her face as she clicked her fingers. In an instant she formed an barricade of ice around us but that wasn't the issue, the real issue was that I could feel people converging onto this point.

"..." I see she backed me off into a corner with that move, I could break through the walls but then I would be cut off by her allies which would lead me to be besieged by all fronts which means my only option was to defeat her right now.

"I want you more and more nameless solider, you will become mine." She put her hand on her heart giving me a sweet smile before brandishing her rapier.

"No" I rejected her offer even if it might mean my death. I belong to no one but myself, I choose who to serve out of my own free will. That is what it means to be human rather than a machine.

"Don't worry I'm sure I could change your mind."

"..." She may have planned for all of this but Shirou Emiya would not fall without a fight, gripping the twin blades with limbs of steel I barrelled forward in an instant, creating a sonic boom from the speed and force.