We meet again people. I bring here the prologue of one of the stories I thought up for King of Fakers. For people who are wondering, who is this King od Fakers? It's an 'OC' I created. Its origin is explained in my first story, King of Fakers: saving them all. I recommend reading it so you understand the character and his decisions, but it's not obligatory. The only thing is that you could possibly get lost in one of the scenes. And, for those who read my previous stories, yes, this King of Fakers is after them. In this prologue there are several references to it.

The title and summary of the story is a reference to the conflict of ideals between King of Fakers and Amakusa Shirou.

Anyway, let this new story begin.

Disclaimer: I don't own any rigth over Type-Moon or the Fate franchise.

As soon as I was summoned, my mind was saturated with information provided by the Holy Grail. I began to analyze it as I let my body kneel and recite by itself the words to formalize the contract with the magus who would be my master.

I was summoned in Romania, in the 21st century, as the servant Archer of Black of the Great War of the Holy Grail.

Unlike the previous war, whose memories in my mind are very blurred, this time there were fourteen servants divided into two factions, red and black. The black faction, to which I belonged, was formed by the family of magus Yggdmillenia, while the red faction was formed by the rest of the Magus Association.

I don't know which one is worse. Again, I get involved in meaningless bloodshed again.

I was standing in what looked like a throne room of a medieval castle. I could feel the presence of five other servants, allies I suppose, two of whom were reciting the same words as me and a third was growling.

With the speech over, I raised my head and took a look at those present in the room. Before me stood two people, one of whom was a servant sitting on a throne. This was an elderly man with white mane and beard with a slight shade of yellow. His skin was pale, on a level that seemed sickly, and he wore a black suit with golden details typical of nobility.

The person next to him, presumably his master, was a middle-aged man with a black mane tied in a ponytail and brown eyes wearing a white suit with golden trimmings.

This was the first to speak. "King, they are the servants summoned by us. That is, your subjects." After saying that, he stepped aside and bowed.

The servant nodded and rose. "Those who have responded to the call of the Holy Grail, first you must do your duty as part of the black faction." His voice was charismatic. The man should have been a King during his lifetime.

His master then continued the speech, raising his hand forward.

"With your convocation, we, the Yggdmillenia, have entered into a battle in which we cannot retreat. However, when the battle is over, those who have survived as masters will be guaranteed an infinite honor! You have nothing to fear, because we already have the Great Grail!"

After that motivating speech, the room lit up. The newly summoned servants got up and I watched the other people in the room.

At my side were the other three servants summoned. One of them was a tall, muscular man with tanned skin, long silvery hair with a few black tufts and green eyes. He was wearing a tight black suit that showed off his chest and silver armor on top. Bright green lines could be seen on his chest, and on his back he carried a large sheathed sword.

The second servant was a girl with red hair that covered her eyes and wore a sort of wedding dress. From the mechanical prostheses all over her body, she even had a golden metal horn on her forehead, I could tell she was some kind of mechanical doll. Her weapon was a mallet that ended up in a brown ball.

And finally, the other servant who was recently summoned was a... girl? I could not identify 'her' gender. 'She' had pink hair tied in a long braid tied with a pair of black ties and lilac eyes, and wore a black dress with a short skirt and long stockings, covered with a white and gold armor and a long white cape. On 'her' hip was a short sword sheathed with colors to match 'her' armor.

Behind us were four magus, our masters I guess. They all wore the same white suit with gold accents. The first was a chubby middle-aged man with blond hair and mustache, followed by a voluptuous woman with black hair tied to a ponytail and green eyes, and a couple of similar teens.

The first was a boy with brown hair and green eyes who wore glasses and seemed nervous due to how he was sweating. The second was a girl had the same color of hair and eyes as the boy, and seemed not to have mobility in her legs as she was in a wheelchair.

Through our bond I noticed that she was my teacher, and I was about to approach her when the servant with indefinite gender raised 'her' voice to draw everyone's attention.

"Let's introduce ourselves!"

We all looked at 'her' with questionable expressions and 'she' proceeded to explain 'herself'.

"Those of us who were summoned must present ourselves. We are now allies, right? Then, then, if everyone will open up to each other, it will improve our union. So, my name is Astolfo,Charlemagne's twelfth Paladin . I am a Rider. It's a pleasure."

Throughout his speech he made exaggerated and bizarre gestures. At least I could find out he was a man, and it spared me the need to discover his identity through his noble phantasm.

Then, after taking a look at all of us, he jumped at me and stared at me less than two feet ahead of me.

"What about you?"

A little stunned by the situation, I turned to look at my master as I raised an eyebrow. She nodded, after all, sooner or later she was going to ask me my identity.

This whole presentation thing is fine, but how can I introduce myself if I don't even remember my name?

But, seeing as I was summoned by a stereotypical magus group, I guess it doesn't matter how I introduce myself. I'm gonna end up getting on bad with them anyway.

I sighed resigned and introduced myself. "I am an Archer servant. It seems that you drew the short straw, you have summoned a nameless entity."

The whole room was silent. The servants looked at me incredulously, and the masters' reaction varied.

My masters had a mortified expression, and the boy next to her looked at her with a mixture of bewilderment and concern. The blond guy was about to burst into laughter and the woman was covering her mouth to hide a giggle.

The two guys who had given the opening speech only looked at me with indecipherable expressions.

"But, that's impossible! There can't be a heroic spirit that has so little fame that his name is not remembered!" The first to break the tense silence was Astolfo.

"Well, the legends refer to me as King of Fakers. You can call me whatever you want."

The servants showed an even more confused look. I suppose my condition as Counter Guardian makes it difficult for them to identify me.

The blond guy couldn't take it anymore and started laughing. "I thought your brother was the incompetent, Fiore, but I see that's something that runs in the family!",

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't mind being belittled. But, to see my master look away totally embarrassed and distressed bothered me a little.

I squinted and pointed at him with some murderous intent. The effect was immediate. He stopped laughing and his face paled.

"Just because I don't remember my name, that doesn't mean I'm weak."

Apparently, the pressure I exerted on the blond magus leaked into the room and the tension in the environment increased.

The tall servant with the great sword, presumably Saber, stood guard, and the servant in a wedding dress began to growl at me.

Finally, the authoritarian voice of the servant sitting on the throne interrupted the situation.

"That's enough, Archer! He already understood your point. As for your identity, I don't care if you don't remember your name as long as you prove yourself on the battlefield."

I simply nodded and dropped the murderous intent.

The mood calmed a bit, and Astolfo's pale face regained its life. Then this one took my hands and shook them.

"Nice to meet ya anyway, Archer!"

Without giving me time to reply, he practically gravitated towards the servant dressed as a bride, presumably Berserker, and asked her about her identity. She did not respond either because she did not want to or because she could not, and because of the insistence of Astolfo, her master, the boy resembling my master, introduced her as Frankenstein.

Saber's turn came, but his master ordered him not to speak and he managed to convince the head of the family that it was just to make his job easier.

Obviously that were just excuses. The guy just didn't want to reveal the identity of his servant to have an advantage in the second phase of the war, where the survivors of the winning side fought each other.

What a pity that a mere glance at the sword of Saber revealed his identity to me. The sword was called Balmung, the Phantasmal Greatsword Felling of the Sky Demon, the sword that originated from Gram, which in turn originated from Merodach.

Therefore, its owner was none other than Siegfried, the dragon-blooded knight who killed the evil dragon Fafnir and bathed in its blood. A very famous and powerful hero, as expected of the servant Saber.

Still, his identity provided me with a weak spot in case I had to face him in the future.

Then it was the turn of the servant sitting on the throne to present himself.

"We will destroy the Red Servants! I expect much from you, honourable heroes! My name is Vlad III! To fulfill my wish, the desire of my people, swear now that you will bring victory."

I knelt beside the other servants to follow the current. It was the only thing I could do until I discovered the reason why Alaya allowed my invocation to this war.

Considering the previous occasion, there was a possibility that the Grail was corrupt, but I can't be entirely sure until I check it out.

The meeting ended and each pair of master and servant went their own way.

I accompanied my master on a brief tour of the castle, as she introduced me to the other members of the Yggdmillenia family and I familiarized myself with the place. In the end we ended up in her room, and she went to sleep since it was already late at night.

The next morning, she and I served ourselves a tea and she formally introduced herself.

"Again, I am your master, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillenia."

"My pleasure." Socializing was never one of my strengths.

"It was true that a union was established during the ritual."

"That's right. Apart from sustaining my existence, our bond is fundamental to communication."

"IOh, right. Since I didn't get the chance before, I'd like to thank you for standing up for me yesterday."

"You don't have to thank me, master. Defending the honor of our master is one of the duties of a servant."

I will admit that at least I was lucky with the master who summoned me. Fiore seemed like a calm and gentle girl, far from the typical twisted magus.

"Still, I'd like to ask you if it's true that you don't remember your name. According to Prince Darnic, the catalyst we used to summon you was one of the most protected in the Clock Tower."

"I know what you're thinking. And no, not remembering my name was not due to a failure during the invocation. That's because of personal circumstances. My name, along with most of the memories of my life, have been forgotten. But that will not affect my combat capabilities, master."

"All right then. I'll trust you to bring me the victory, Archer." Fiore showed me a gentle smile after her speech.

But first of all, I needed to do one last check.

"I'd like to ask you something, Master."

"What is it?"

"Are you absolutely sure you want to risk your life and participate in this bloodshed, even if it means fighting your younger brother, Caules?"

Her gentle expression passed into a full of determination. "Don't worry. I am more than ready for this. I am going to win."

I'd have to see if her resolve wavered or not during our first real battle, but still, her resolve was real.

Moments later, we heard several explosions coming from the land outside the castle. It was Caules testing the power of his servant.

From the way Fiore's face lit up, it looks like the view had given her an idea.

"Would you mind giving me a demonstration of your power, Archer?"

Now, that question was complicated. My real noble phantasm and my reality marble were out of the question. The first cannot be used for trivial matters, and the second tends to provoke unpleasant reactions in magus.

Weapons like Caladbolg II are also out of the question. I don't want to destroy the castle either.

"Well, my noble phantasm is complicated to explain, and can only be used strictly on certain occasions. But I can assure you that I have a vast arsenal at my disposal. Above all, the best I am are swords."

My last sentence seemed to confuse her. "Swords? But aren't you a Archer servant?"

"Swords can also be fired."

To illustrate my point, I opened one of the windows facing the outside and traced my bow along with a nameless noble phantasm. I placed the hilt of the sword on the rope and pulled it as I altered the sword to make its shape more aerodynamic. I performed the process slower than normal so my master could see it.

I pumped prana into the 'arrow' and released the rope. The force of the shot made the curtains move, and it almost threw the teapot off the table if it wasn't for Fiore catching it.

The 'arrow' hit the head of one of the golems that Caules was using to practice with his servant and exploded, completely destroying the golem.

Upon seeing the scene, Fiore put on a face of awe. "And how many of those can you shoot?"

"Well, that's what I usually call 'light ammunition' so its cost is very cheap. I have much more powerful weapons, but it would be better to save them for combat."

She nodded slightly stunned and we continued to drink tea.

In the office of the head of the Yggdmillenia family, there was this one, Darnic Prestone, and his servant Lancer. This one was enjoying a high quality wine offered by his master.

"What do you think are those who did not avhieved their goals?" The servant asked his master after finishing his glass of wine.

Darnic answered as he refilled his glass with wine. "Well, I suppose some failure like me. They are human accidents. They never had enough talent. But, this time it's different. We brought Astolfo, twelfth paladin of Charlemagne, who is famous for each of his adventures. Cabaristo, master of the iconic Alquevon. The monster that the great scientist Victor Frankenstein created. The great dragon-slayer hero who took down Fafnir all byhimself, Siegfried. And our Lancer, Vlad III."

"If we would had them, that terrible event and that corrupt king would not have appeared. But we must think of the present. I will give they ample freedom to defeat the red faction."

"Thanks, my Lord."

"All that's missing is Assassin."

"Jack the Ripper. The legendary serial killer who was famous a hundred years ago. Very soon he will arrive with his master."

"And what do you think of our Archer, King of Fakers? He's quite an enigma to me. Even though he revealed his identity, I can't identify any hero with that title."

"It also seems strange to me, my Lord. The catalyst we used to summon it was one of the most guarded by the Clock Tower. In fact, it was the Barthomeloi family themselves who guarded it. I never spent much time in the Clock Tower, but I still heard rumors that this hero fought side by side with the Barthomeloi heir to protect Britain long ago."

Lancer nodded as he pondered his thoughts about the mysterious hero.

At the same time, the mercenary Kairi Sisigou, a tall man of Eastern descent, brown hair and a scar on his right eye, was heading for a church in Sighisoara accompanied by his newly summoned servant Saber.

This was a knight of short stature fully armored with silver and red armor, and a helmet with horns.

When they entered the church, they found a man kneeling in front of the altar, apparently praying. He had white hair combed upwards, ochre-colored eyes that looked golden, and tanned skin. He wore the typical black priest outfit.

isigou was the first to speak. "I promised to come here, but I guess you called me."

He seemed a bit uncomfortable. The place conveyed an ominous feeling, and although Saber did not detect any other servants, he was also alert.

The priest stood up and answered him as he turned to look at him. "Nice to meet you. This time I will be the supervisor. My name is Shirou Kotomine." At the end of his presentation, he showed a gentle smile.

"Sisigou Kairi. I suppose you've already heard about me."

The priest approached him until he was a few meters away. "And your servant?"

The necromancer did not respond, but to his surprise, Saber materialized at his side. Before he could reprimand him, this one spoke.

"Something is off. Let me stay, master."

Sisigou decided to rely on his servant's intuition and let it go. Meanwhile, Shirou showed an expression of bewilderment as he looked at Saber of Red, but finally returned to his gentle expression.

"Then, also I."

After saying that, a beautiful woman with long black hair, yellow eyes and pointed ears materialized beside him. She wore a luxurious red and black dress with golden details that left her shoulders uncovered.

"Assassin of Red, Semiramis. It is pleasure, Sisigou."

The presence of the woman made Saber stand on guard and materialize in his hand his sword, a silver blade of wide blade and red hilt.

His master had to stop him, and he complied with his grumbling.

"Well, let's exchange information."

After that, both masters sat on different church benches and Shirou proceeded to explain to him the information they had about the black faction.

"It seems that the black faction has already gathered. Their Lancer is Vlad III, the impaler. One of the most dangerous servants among their servants."

"So they summoned him, huh?"

"The strength of a servant depends on his summoner. For example, here in Transylvania he was summoned as a hero and not as a vampire. Furthermore, we know the possible identity of another of their servants."

"What do you mean by that?"

"A few weeks ago, one of the Clock Tower's most guarded catalysts was stolen by the Yggdmillenia. With it could be summonedKing of Fakers, the hero who saved Britain from demonic beasts along with the Barthomeloi family. Some even theorize that his legend served as a prototype for the legend of King Arthur. His legend is not well known and many details are missing, but it is said that he was able to achieve the impossible."

Hearing that, the gears in Saber's head began to spin. Her mother once spoke to her about the hero called King of Fakers. According to her, Merlin trained his 'father' with some inspiration from him. He drew the sword on the stone long before his father, and because of that, he was given the title of King.

If she could defeat him in combat, she'd be one step closer to her 'father'.

"And our servants?"

"They are very good, at least at their look."

Sisigou took a look at Assassin's body and nodded. "You're right."

She turned to look at him and Saber, and showed a mischievous smile. However, Saber was so engrossed in her thoughts that she ignored it.

Shirou continued, ignoring what had just happened. "We also confirm that servant Ruler was summoned."

"A fifteenth servant?"

"Ruler is the one who leads the war. It is obvious that on this occasion it would be no exception."

"I don't want to run into that."

After that, Sisigou rejected Shirou's proposal to present it to the other teachers of the Red faction. He preferred to work alone, and the priest gave him a bad feeling.

Saber agreed with that. Assassin gave a similar feeling to her mother, and that wasn't very funny for her.

Both, after buying casual clothing so that Saber could physically walk next to their master, left for Trifas, the city where the Great War of the Holy Grail would unfold.

It was already dark when Lancer called us for a meeting in the room where we were summoned.

In the afternoon, Fiore gave me the freedom to explore the castle further. If there was an emergency, I needed to be able to get anywhere inside the castle as quickly as possible.

My exploration led me to the basement, where I discovered all the racket they had assembled to massive produce homunculus. It seemed strange to me that there were so many homunculi in the castle who served as serfs, but this was ridiculous.

There I met our Caster, a guy wearing a blue robe that covered his body completely and a golden mask that hid his face. He and his master, a blond boy who looked even younger than my master, were looking to produce a homunculi that would serve as a prana battery for his noble phantasms.

The mountain of bodies in one corner of the room gave me an idea of what was going on with the 'failed attempts'. It certainly was repugnant.

Under normal conditions, Caster would already have a few noble phantasms piercing his chest and I would be releasing these innocent beings, but right now I couldn't do that.

I would be branded a traitor, and I would have to fight not only the red faction, but also the rest of the black faction. And besides, it would cause a lot of trouble for Fiore.

I would have to handle this very carefully.

When Fiore and I arrived in the room in question together with the other maters and servants, we could see that an image was projecting on the wall.

This was the city of Trifas, the closest location to this castle, and therefore a location under our domain.

Lancer's deep voice interrupted the room in expectant silence. "As you can see, I called you here because we detected an enemy servant in the city of Trifas."

In fact, the image showed two people walking through the night streets of the city.

My surprise was great when I noticed one of the people. She was a short girl with blond hair tied in a ponytail and emerald eyes. She was very much like Nero.

However, there were some differences. Although her clothes were equally revealing and the same color scheme, her hair was more agitated, her port and bearing were not graceful and majestic.

Still, I had trouble keeping my usual poker face and not showing my surprise. And for some reason I felt it wasn't the first time something like this happened to me.

The tall guy who wore a black suit and sunglasses even at night had to be the master of that servant.

"We have already sent a group of homunculi and golems to intercept them. You shall watch the fight to analyze our enemy."

A few seconds later, both were on guard when they were surrounded by the homunculus and golems Lancer mentioned.

The servant materialized a silver armor that covered her entire body, helmet included, and a silver sword. I doubt I'll need to say that she was Saber of Red. Unfortunately, being a projected image, I couldn't discover her identity, and by now, it was clear that she wasn't Nero.

Her master pulled out a two-barrel shotgun and took cover. The fight was more of a one-sided massacre.

The servant quickly eliminated the golems with an unorthodox fighting style that was based solely on overwhelming the opponent with brutal and powerful attacks, with no strategy behind them. She looked more like a Berserker than a Saber. Still, her power was undeniable. The servant repeatedly used what I recognized as prana bursts without showing any signs of exhaustion.

Her master's fighting style was equally unconventional. Using his weapon with enchanted ammunition and some mystical codes in the form of organs, he dispatched the homunculus quickly and efficiently.

On that scene, Lancer showed a glimmer of concern. "It seems we underestimated them. Can you defeat her?" His question was addressed to our Saber.

He nodded without dropping his stoic face.

After that, the subject changed to the fact that the servant Ruler had already been detected arriving at Trifas. Darnic decided to send one of us to find him and try to win his favor. That, or at least stall the red faction in case you try the same thing.

In the end it was decided to send Saber as he was our most powerful servant, and he and his master left immediately.

The meeting ended, and I accompanied Fiore to her room to sleep. I spent the night thinking about the possible reason for my invocation and planning how to free the homunculi at the basement.

Or that's what I would have done, if someone hadn't knocked in the middle of the night.

What I found when I opened the door was Astolfo with an ironic smile, and carrying one of the homunculi that was in the basement, unconscious and half naked.

I couldn't do anything but raise an eyebrow.

"Well... Could you help me with this, Archer?"

His request did not clarify anything about what was going on. I would have to ask him further to find out.

After checking that Fiore had not woken up, I sighed and replied. "Okay, but, first of all, let's go to a more discreet place."

I could practically see how his eyes lit up and I had to stop him before he made a fuss about trying to thank me. I took him to a room I found in the afternoon, which no one seemed to use.

We laid the homunculus on a bed there and Astolfó explained to me that he was found lying on the floor of the semi-unconscious corridor, and that he asked for help.

I checked his body for structural analysis, and I found out why he had a fever and probably how he managed to escape from the tobe they were keeping him in.

"His magical circuits were suddenly activated and almost out of control. In addition, he is tired."

"Tired?"

"It's probably the first time he's made a physical effort since he was born. As they created him to be a magic battery, he was confined in one of those tubes until now."

"I see. So he's like a newborn."

With that sorted out, I changed the subject to check Rider's intentions. "Why did you help him, Rider?"

"Because I wanted to do it." His response was swift and without any hint of doubt. I can say that he was not lying and had no hidden intention.

"You know Caster's probably looking for it, right?"

"I don't care about it!" His honesty was genuine. We were similar in that aspect.

"And why did you come to me from all people?"

"Because I had the feeling that you would be the only one who would help me."

"Is that so? I doubt I gave you that impression when we met."

"Call it intuition. Even if you try to hide it with that stoic expression, deep down you're a good person. Besides, you decided to help me without even knowing what was going on, so I was right, don't you think?"

"Well, that's how I am. I always thought that helping others isn't bad. Anyway, do you plan on taking the responsibility to the end?"

"Yeah. I will help him until I am satisfied. I will not abandon him." With that answer I could not help but smile.

"Very well then. I will help you in any way I can. I will go back to my master but I will come and check his condition. I don't think anyone's coming here, but just in case, don't open up to anyone but me."

"'kay!"

With that said, I left for Fiore's room.

The next morning, when I went to check the condition of the homunculus, he was already awake.

As soon as I materialized next to the bed he was sitting on, Rider introduced me noisily.

"Oh, this man is Archer. He also helped you. Although he doesn't remember his name, he is a good person."

I had to resist the urge to put my hand on my face. "Did you have to say that I don't remember my name, Rider? We're supposed to hide our identity."

"Woops, my bad. Tehe!" When he said that he hit his head gently with his left fist, winked at me and pulled out his tongue.

I could not resist any longer and put my hand in my face. This man is hopeless.

"Archer and Rider." Apparently, our presence disturbed him a little.

"Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Are you aware of your condition as an artificial human?"

He nodded immediately. At least they had introduced him with knowledge about what he exactly was.

"Well, that will save us a lot of explanations. Because of your short life, you're going to have to think about what you're going to do from now on. Rider and I will help you escape, but from there, the rest is up to you."

"What I'm going to do... I don't know." Well, that was to be expected.

"Still, you're gonna have to think about it. If you haven't by the time we get you out of here, it'll be the same as if you'd stayed here and died."

"Die...?" His face was filled with concern. It seems like that really got him thinking. I couldn't be soft on him if he wanted to survive out there.

"Come on, Rider. He will need some time to think."

With that said, I turned around and set out to leave the room. Rider also said goodbye and left the room in spiritual form.

But, for some reason, I stopped just before leaving. "If you want me to give you some advice, as long as you do what you want to do, and follow the path you chose to the end, you should have no regrets."

And after saying those last words, I went into spiritual form and left the room.

I spent the day with Fiore talking about our wishes for the Grail. In her case, she wanted to be able to use her legs again without giving up her condition as a magus. Apparently, her circuits clogged her nerves, and to walk again they would have to be removed.

It was a selfish desire, but he could respect it. At least it wouldn't hurt anyone, like the wishes of most magus.

As for mine, I told her the truth. I have no desire, and my dream of saving them all is something I want to fulfill myself. I don't need any omnipotent device that requires a bloodbath to be used.

Obviously, I omitted my nature as Counter Guardian, and that probably I was allowed to be summoned to destroy the whole Holy Grail War scheme.

By night, we were warned that several servants of the red faction had been detected in the forest next to the castle. They were heading straight for here.

The first to be identified was Berserker of Red. A muscular gray giant with blond hair, blue eyes, and he was barely wearing a plate top, a combat skirt and a strange helmet.

His rationality had been completely lost, and he just kept going and frantically swinging his huge sword to destroy everything in his path.

He was quickly subdued between Rider, Caster and Lancer. He never had a chance against Lancer because of the enormous increase in power he suffered from being summoned in his home country.

He was captured to break his contract with his master and Caster became his new master, thus gaining a new pawn in our lines.

Now, only the other servants remained. Saber, Berserker and I were tasked with finishing them. I positioned myself on a balcony of the castle with my eyes reinforced and my black bow ready, while Saber and Berserker went to fight them directly.

Astolfo slipped away and began his plan to escape with the homunculus while everyone was focused on the fight.

While one of the enemy servants remained hidden among the trees, the other went straight to fight with Saber and Berserker.

He identified himself as Rider of Red. He was a man with light brown hair combed up, eyes of the same color, and wore armor typical of the Greek soldiers with a red scarf tied around his neck.

A glance at his weapon, a simple-looking black spear, revealed his identity to me. One of Greece's most famous heroes, Achilles.

His power was truly magnific. He managed to keep a match with our Saber and Berserker, without receiving any damage. His noble phantasm allowed him to deny any harm that did not come from a divine construction or someone of divine descent, and his combat ability was monstrous. He was certainly one of the servants who would cost us the most to defeat.

I was ordered to stand by until I was ordered to attack, which I found stupid, but I had no choice but to go along with it.

In the middle of the fight, an arrow pierced Saber's shoulder and pinned him to a tree. It revealed that the other servant was Archer of Red, and that his noble phantasm could pierce the defense of Fafnir's Armor.

All of a sudden, Saber activated the release of his noble phantasm, although it seemed he was doing so against his will. But, before releasing the enormous amount of prana accumulated in his sword, he stopped at once and withdrew in spirit form.

"Archer, it is your turn. Take care of Rider and Berserker will take care of the other servant. Prince Darnic wants you to show your power."

That was my signal. "Understood, master."

In my hand appeared one of the weapons that the golden King threw at me in our fight. It was an unnamed scythe with a long handle and a crescent-shaped blade. Its peculiarity was that it had an anti-immortal property, which allowed it to harm even the gods and the wounds it caused could only be healed with the body's natural process. It was the prototype from which Harpe originated, the weapon Perseus used to kill the Medusa monster.

In short, one of the few weapons in my arsenal that could pierce the defense of Rider of Red.

"Let's see if this is also funny to you."

I altered the scythe so that its handle would shorten and its blade would become straight and twisted to become aerodynamic. I loaded it into the bow and fired it. Because its effect was passive, it didn't cost much prana.

I aimed for the chest, but Rider seemed to sense the inminent danger and jumped to the side, causing the 'arrow' to pierce his shoulder.

He stared at the 'arrow' in surprise and confusion. Surely, as a Greek hero, he recognized the nature of the noble phantasm I shot at him.

He didn't have much time to reflect when the second and third 'Harpe' were already flying in his direction.

He managed to deflect them with his spear, but the bombardment did not stop there. Although I couldn't shoot them as fast as the swords I usually shoot, my shooting speed was still causing him trouble.

I also kept an eye on Berserker. She was charging straight to where I assumed Archer of Red was, with her mallet flashing electricity.

One of the enemy servant's arrows aimed to her head. I reacted immediately and fired an nameless noble phantasm and intercepted the projectile, deflecting it to pass just a few inches from Berserker's head.

As a result, Berserker managed to attack the tree in which the enemy Archer found himself, but unfortunately, he avoided the attack and fled.

At that moment, Rider of Red summoned a three-horse-drawn battle chariot and withdrew as well, proclaiming to heaven that we would fight again.

I can never understand the fighting maniacs.

With the battle over, I let my bow dissipate and turned to look at my master.

She had again her gentle smile. "That was splendid, Archer."

"It's not a big deal. Besides, they escaped at the end."

"Still, you managed to corner Rider of Red and save our Berserker."

"Well, that's my duty as an ally."

The conversation was interrupted when we heard some alarms ringing. Seconds later, Darnic's voice was heard.

"Attention. All Yggdmillenia masters. Rider fled with a homunculus. That homunculus is very important, get him back alive at all costs."

I couldn't help but frown. Rider had been discovered too fast.

I reinforced my legs and prepared to jump into the forest.

"Where are you going Archer?"

"I'm sorry, master. There's something I have to do."

Without further explanation, I jumped off the balcony, landed on the ground and raced full speed into the forest.

After the attack of Lancer of Red, Karna, the son of the sun god, I traveled to the forest ruled by the black faction following the trail of the other servants of the red faction.

I already felt something was wrong with the Lancer, and when I checked the remains of the fight that took place in the woods my revelation showed me exactly what it was.

Even though they were in enemy territory, the red servants received no orders from their masters, and there was no trace of them either.

There's something very strange about this Holy Grail War.

My observations were suddenly interrupted by a vision. In it was a tall knight in silver armor pointing his sword at the neck of another knight who was down. I recognized they both as servants of the Black faction.

"Are they fighting despite they belong to the same faction?"

I immediately materialized my armor and flag and headed to the place of the fight. My intuition kept telling me that there was something very off in this war.

By the time I arrived on the scene I found Saber of Black who had just knocked out his master, and Rider of Black hugging the dying body of a homunculus with tears in his eyes.

"Saber of Black."

Said servant shook his head and walked towards the homunculus. "I got my path wrong again. I was about to abandon someone else. Without thinking for myself, I tried to make someone else decide for me."

As he spoke, I approached them. "What happened here?"

However, my question was ignored.

"Perhaps I'll give him something very heavy. But still, there is something I want to give him."

After saying that, he nailed his right hand to the left side of his own chest.

"Hold on! Don't do it!"

I tried to stop him, but it was in vain. Before my and Rider of Black's stunned gaze, he ripped out his still beating heart and put it into the bosom of the homunculus.

"He sacrificed himself..."

After that, Saber of Black stepped back and sat on a stone as his original spirit slowly began to collapse.

"A sacrifice for a saved life. It's a fair deal, don't you think?"

"No! Why did you do that!?" Rider's voice sounded torn.

"I don't want to fulfill someone else's wish. I just wanted to fulfill my desire, even if it was selfish. I couldn't stop wanting that. At least once, I wanted to save someone willingly and be proud of it. Without being asked or wanted. I always wanted to do it."

His final farewell was interrupted by a low voice that rang near us.

"I refuse to see such an ending!"

I turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a tall man with white hair and grey eyes wearing light black and silver armor and a red cloak, walking towards us. What stood out most was his determined gaze.

My Ruler ability identified him as the Archer of Black, but for some strange reason I couldn't determine his identity. All I got was 'nameless' or 'King of Fakers', but I couldn't place any hero like that, and his noble phantasm had a strange name. 'Nameless sword of promised salvation'. I could not see what it was doing, and yet it was classified as EX rank.

It was really weird.

"I'm sick of seeing that to save a person you have to sacrifice another."

"And what are you going to do Archer?" Rider asked the mysterious servant with some hope in his voice.

"I'm going to save him, of course. I'm going to save all." His words would make no sense in someone else's mouth, what could he do in this situation.

But, with the determination and confidence he had, I had the feeling that I could accomplish even the impossible.

"I am the bone of my sword. Trace on."

After reciting those powerful words, a golden sword appeared in his hand. It was simple in appearance, but its brightness conveyed warmth and a comforting sensation.

Then he stabbed the sword into the ground and I was blinded by a flash of light. The next moment, we were in a green meadow full of life, covered by a beautiful blue sky.

It was incredible. This was not a reality marble. We were in the unreachable utopia, Avalon.

Before the incredulous gaze of those present, Archer's golden sword was wrapped in golden light, and this one swung it in the direction of Saber.

His body was wrapped in light, and to everyone's immense surprise, the hole in his chest began to close, and a new heart began to form. It could only be described as a true miracle.

Was this Archer's noble phantasm? A hero like this should be known worldwide. Then why doesn't he have a name?

From the face of effort and sweat falling down Archer's cheeks, the amount of prana he was using must have been immeasurable.

Finally, Saber's wound was completely healed and we were again in the woods.

Archer fell to the ground on his knees fighting to catch his breath. If he were not a servant, he would surely have died for lack of prana.

"Awesome..." Stars could be seen in Rider's eyes.

Saber touched his chest to check that what had just happened was not a dream. "I see, how could I not have noticed all this time? King of Fakers, the hero who achieved the miracle of saving everyone. I stood by such a hero and I didn't realize it."

Hearing that, my ability finally recognized Archer's identity. King of Fakers, a hero who devoted his whole life to helping and saving others, and eventually died alone on a hill of swords. A sad fate for such a good person.

"I thank you, Archer. I don't know how I can repay this debt."

"It's not necessary. I did it because I wanted to. I don't need a reason to help someone."

Although he was still gasping, Archer showed a smile. His words were genuine. He really helped others because he wanted to, because it was what made him happy.

Saber looked at him with admiration. If his desire was to help someone because he wanted to, this hero was his example to follow.

Suddenly, the homunculus's body began to glow. When the brightness ceased, his breathing had stabilized and his heart was beating again.

Archer got up as he could with his legs shaking, and looked at me. "This is as far as we can help. Ruler, I know it's selfish and it's not a matter of concern to you, but I'd like to ask you to help this boy find freedom."

In the condition he was, and still worried about others.

I pulled myself together and responded to his request. "I promise I will do what I can."

Just then, the boy started growling. He was waking up. I knelt down beside him as he opened his eyes again.

"I... What happened to me?" He was still somewhat dazed and confused.

"Are you all right?" I asked him gently as I offered him my hand.

After looking at me for a few seconds, he grabbed my hand with his and took a look at his body.

"I... Why?"

"One kind hero decided to lay down his life for you. Or so he tried, but another equally kind hero came and saved him."

When he heard that, he looked at the two servants behind me, and they greeted him with an ironic smile.

I took his hand with my two hands to call his attention again and smiled at him. "I am servant Ruler, my real name is Jeanne d'Arc. By my promise, I will protect your life and your soul."

Suddenly, I was pushed aside and Rider of Black embraced the boy. "Thank godness! You're alive!"

"I want to check him out for a second, give me some space."

My words fell on deaf ears and Rider continued to rub his face on the boy's chest. With no other choice, I had to separate him by force.

Rider was fired and caught by Archer, who couldn't hold the weight and fell on his ass. For some reason I heard him mumbling something about E rank luck.

I put my hand on the boy's chest and performed a quick analysis on his body.

"The heart of Siegfried seems to function normally. There is no similar record neither in the ancient Holy Grail Wars." It was incredible that the magic core of a heroic spirit could function normally within him, and not damage his body with the enormous amount of prana it generated.

"Siegfried... The hero of the Song of the Nibelungs. His heart..."

"All right! All right! Our Archer here saved him!" Rider came crawling back and Archer and Saber followed him.

"I'm glad you're okay, kid." Saber's voice was warm, he was really happy.

Archer was going to say something, but he immediately got on his guard and turned to look behind him

I did the same, and I could see that the other masters and servants of the black faction had arrived.

And so much for the prologue of this story. What do you think of it? I know it may be a little hasty, but I decided to fast-forward the parts that were exactly the same as the original story. And I know there's a lot of character descriptions, but I can't help it, the cast of this story is a lot bigger than Fate/Stay Nigth.

Anyway, we jump straight to where King of Fakers makes a difference. In my opinion, in the original story, Archer of Black was only to fight with Rider of Red and that they could beat his noble phantasm incredibly OP. Our good Archer here is going to have a lot more influence.

I already tried to change the first-person narrative from King of Fakers to another character in my previous story, showing Shirou's perspective in his confrontation with King of Fakers. I decided to show the final scene from Ruler's perspective to make the King of Fakers entry more epic. The hero always comes to the end, or so they say.

As for how Siegfried was saved, it may look like a Deus ex Maquina, but if you stop to think about it, if the sword of promised salvation reached Avalon, the unreachable utopia, why shouldn't its light have the same healing properties? However, you can think whatever you want.

As for romance, I'm not sure yet. Those who read the note at the end of my previous story will know that the only one I respect his waifus is Shirou. So, should I make Jeanne fall in love with the EX rank density? Of course King of Fakers isn't going to make her falling in loe on purpose, he doesn't know what that is. The memories of Rin's explanation of what a date is are blurred.

And as for the next update, that depends. I would also like to start another of the ideas I put in my profile, but if I see that you support this story, maybe I will update the next chapter first. If you'd rather I write another of the stories I put in me profile, let me know too.

With this I bid you farewell for now. Until we meet again!