Cherreads

Chapter 54 - chapter:54 the Servant Archer

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"Guilty, as charged." Shirou admitted, his features tense as Issei began charging up to attack Kokabiel despite the others protests "Though unfortunately, there's a limit to the type of sword I can Trace on my own."

"Should I assume the reason for that is the same reason you were given that Holy Shroud?" Xenovia deduced, earning a grimace from the Faker "What if you were to amplify your power with the Red Dragon Emperor's?"

Shirou paused, glancing between Issei and the Artificial Phantasm, his mind whirling a mile a minute as he tried to weigh the pros and cons of such an act.

On the one hand, having Issei amplify his power with that of the Red Dragon's would certainly give him a tremendous boost in his abilities, possibly even matching those of the Servant Archer, who while certainly stronger than a mortal man, hadn't been all that impressive statistically as a Servant. Indeed, in one possible future he'd witnessed from the arm, he'd actually fought toe-to-toe with the Red Servant after the latter betrayed Rin for the chance to kill him, even if that Archer had been weakened due to the lack of a Master supporting him.

The downside, however, was that while his power might match Archers, his skill at projection did not. While it had improved by leaps and bounds since arriving, he still needed to rely on the Artificial Phantasm for anything more complicated than simple nameless blades or Kanshou and Bakuya, as evidenced by the reaction he'd gotten for partially undoing the seal to trace Hrunting.

In order to create a sword capable of facing Kokabiel, simply loosening the shroud wouldn't cut it. He'd need to fully unleash the power of the Servant EMIYA, which meant opening himself up entirely to the invasive presence of the Counter-Guardian's Inner World.

It wasn't as if he hadn't done it before. He hadn't hesitated for a second to cut down the twisted shadow of Berserker that had threatened Ilya in the Einzbern Forest, even though he knew his body would pay the price. But back then he'd been in a contract with Rin, and later Ilya, to help alleviate the strain of supporting the arm with his own Prana.

Rin's stopgap had long since disappeared, and Ilya's connection to him had been severed the moment Gilgamesh had run her through. If Shirou undid the seal now, even with his power amplified by Issei's Boosted Gear, there would be no going back.

"Buy me time." He urged, gripping his shoulder tensely, the wielder of Durandal nodding in understanding as she raced into battle alongside Kiba and Koneko, the three of them engaging Kokabiel simultaneously, only for the Rook to be callously swatted aside by the Fallen's wings "Shit, HYOUDO!"

"Emiya?" the Gremory Pawn stammered, crouching protectively next to Koneko alongside a concerned Asia, the Bishop's hands glowing as she used Twilight Healing to tend to the fallen Rook's injuries "What is it?"

"How soon can you fully charge your Boosted Gear?" Shirou demanded, crouching down next to the Rook, cursing Archer's lack of knowledge of healing Magecraft as he removed his blazer to cover the poor girl "I need you to use it on me as soon as you're fully charged."

"Do you have a plan, Emiya-kun?" Rias pondered, the Gremory Heiress leaning against Akeno for support, the King and Queen completely spent from their respective assaults on the Fallen, only to gasp as Kokabiel unleashed a wave of Holy Energy. While Xenovia managed to block the worst of it with Durandal, but the rest was still barreling towards them "No!"

"Get down!" Shirou barked, the redhead cursing to himself as he partially undid the shroud, biting back a grimace as he fought down the sudden heat in his bones long enough to raise his left arm towards the oncoming wall of light "RHO AIAS!"

Unlike last time, which had been a spur of the moment failure, the combination of Shirou's will and Archer's knowledge manifested a perfect replication of the aptly named Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens, the luminescent petals, each possessing the strength of a fortress wall, weathering the assault with nary a struggle, though the impact brought Shirou to his knees, blood dripping from one nostril.

'Just hold on-!' he hissed, urging his screaming body to bear the pain even as he felt the beginnings of countless blades forming beneath his skin as Archer's World invaded his own 'Hold on just a little longer!'

"Hoh~!" Kokabiel mused, his tone intrigued as he stood at the end of the trench his attack left in the ground before him "You continue to impress me, Heathen! Even if I wasn't being serious, I never imagined a shield existed that could withstand my power." He glanced at Xenovia "Almost as impressive as you, Catholic. To think you could fight so well without your Master."

"What are you talking about?" Xenovia demanded, rising slowly to her feet, leveling the tip of Durandal at the Fallen Star of God with a glare as he had the audacity to laugh at her question "Answer me, Kokabiel!"

"Ha! Come to think of it, if I'm going to start a war there's no point in keeping it a secret now is there?" the Fallen mused, shaking his head self-mockingly before leering at the assembled forces "You ask what I mean, Catholic? Then I shall tell you: At the end of the Great War, not only did the Original Four Satans perish, but GOD as well!"

Silence reigned over the battlefield, only the dying echoes of Kokabiel's mocking laughter remained as his opponents tried to process the words that had just spewed from his mouth. "God…is dead?" Rias repeated, the Gremory Heiress gaping at the Fallen in shock "That's impossible…such a thing…such a thing has never happened before!"

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A.N

next chapter I will upload on Saturday

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