Ashes

Reprieve of Truce

Chapter 8

Reprieve of Truce

Shirou sighed as Sakura wrapped bandages around his wounds. The many wounds given to him by Archer showcase his struggle. A very much uphill struggle.

"Did Rin tell you to do this?" he asked the red-themed servant. Despite the "training" given to him by Archer, he could not understand why exactly the servant was doing this.

Archer, who was waiting with an openly judging gaze, replied with a hint of annoyance. "No, all she knows is that I am scouting out the area. That and she is getting some rest."

Seeing the clear annoyance in his voice, Shirou deigned to not press the issue despite the obvious fact that Rin could just see through the servant's eyes at any time. "Why are you training me?" he asked outright, seeing as his roundabout approach was not working.

"Have you made any progress on your magecraft?" Archer inquired, responding to Shirou's question with a question of his own.

Yet, the question seemed to click in Shirou's mind. "You don't summon your noble phantasms?" he asked, a bit astonished.

The servant raised an eyebrow at the inquiry. "I do not. I use magecraft," he replied.

"So you make them? You use projection and gradation air magecraft... To make them?"

Archer did not respond to the revelation, instead of deigning to showcase it. He extended his right hand, his sleeve was pulled back to showcase his bare forearm. It lit up with blue energy as his magic circuits hummed to life.

Shirou watched, his eyes no longer taking it in as a spectacle but now as a process.

A process to be learned.

"Your projections are brittle and incomplete," Archer intoned, his steely eyes staring directly into Shirou's bronze soul. "Despite your knowledge of the object, despite your constant use of reinforcement to learn it... You cannot seem to get it right."

There was no doubt in the servant's words despite having only seen Shirou's projection and gradation air combination in person just now. It was as if he knew everything about Shirou Emiya, in both soul and body.

"This is because you are not suited to making objects. You are suited for one and one thing only..."

Shirou's breath hitched for a moment as the word escaped his lip, "Swords..."

Finally, a small smile formed on Archer's face. "Even an idiot like you understands," he nodded in approval. He gripped the hilt of Kanshou firmly as he brought his other arm up.

In contrast to the somewhat slow process demonstrated by him in making Kanshou, Bakuya formed in his hand faster than Shirou could blink.

In response, Shirou summoned his brittle pair of married blades whilst gently pushing Sakura aside. Thus with only leading with one hand.

The hand that held his brittle version of Bakuya, or Mò Yé, was leading while the one that held Kanshou, Gān Jiàng, held back in an instinctive move to defend Sakura.

Then Archer disappeared in a showcase of his inhuman speed.

Trailing his arms behind him slightly, Archer charged headfirst towards Shirou, crossing the distance in a mere blink. He swung Kanshou at Shirou's face.