Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night, property of Nasu and Type Moon.

Well, this is the first time in a long time so I might as well write while I still have momentum. Don't expect updates though since this is the latest in a long line of plot bunnies I never end up writing. It's a peggy sue fic of sorts. I really wanted to write this in third person but after reading FSN as source material, I tend to do first person unintentionally. The prologue is in third person but the chapters might be in first person.

Fate is fickle and irony is one of the driving forces of this world. Archer knew this best being one of the counter guardian who hailed from the Throne of Heroes. The cursed Throne of Heroes that would allow him no rest.

He measured his existence by his vast memories that spanned eternity. Time was irrelevant for him. He had no idea how many millions of conflicts he had resolved. Unfortunately, the only form of resolution he offered was extermination. He could not offer death or mercy. Those were too lenient in the face of the threats he erased. A small war that would eventually encompass the world, a counter guardian would slaughter both sides before the conflict expanded. A conceptual weapon that would create a zombie apocalypse, a counter guardian would blow it up along its creator and many innocents. Guided by the world, he erased all threats against humanity. That was what a counter guardian did.

He only cleaned up messes already made, unable to prevent them for all time. It was in accordance with his principles. Kill one to save ten, ten to save a hundred, hundred to save a thousand. But at the moment, he slaughtered by the billions to save trillions more. His principles be damned because this was not what he wanted. His ideal was to prevent conflict before it occurs and save everyone, be they victim or villain. This was not what he signed up for.

Perhaps a small blessing, while under the world's command he could not think. Had he had conscious thought, the blood on his hands would have driven him into madness.

His only reprieve were moments like this. The holy grail war in Fuyuki city. As Servant Archer, he was nearly himself. However, even at moments like this, he did not dare access his memories.

It was cowardly, but he did not care. He knew he could probably resolve everything, Rin, Rider, Sakura, Saber, everything, if he access his records of past wars but it was too painful. He did not want to be a counter guardian any longer. If Shirou died by his hands, Archer would be free. The time paradox created by killing himself would erase Emiya Shirou's existence and remove him from the cursed throne.

At least that was his hope. He had not checked his memories to see if he had ever succeeded in the 'past'. His sanity was based on the small hope that he could finally be free. He had told Rin the truth, he did not remember his true identity. It wasn't because he could not, but rather he was no longer willing.

A blow swept towards his left side. His twin Chinese falchions were already in place. They intercepted the axesword's blow and softened it before he used its momentum to jump back and out of the way.

A flash of premonition or an echo of the past. Archer suddenly knew the killing blow would come next. He would be defeated. This was the curse of his experience. Mind's Eye earned from hard work. It was almost like Saber's Instinct and perhaps even greater in some ways. But it wasn't true instinct, he could not react fast enough against new situations especially when fighting someone as fast and strong as Berserker. Servant Archer was supposed to be a ranged fighter anyways. He had to keep his distance.

Distance that did not exist. He was already in Berserker's range. The gray giant raised its arm hefting its weapon high. Archer could predict the first attack but not the following. Berserker was his worst match up.

Archer's fighting style had no pride. It depended on guiding an opponent's attacks towards holes purposefully left in his defence. By knowing where he would be attacked, Archer could defend and counter. But Berserker in his madness attacked without reason aiming at the general vicinity of the target without regard for Archer's openings. Berserker's blows were also too strong to block and too fast to counter. And worst of all, Archer's usual weapons were ineffective against Berserker's God Hand. He had to dig deep into his armoury to bring forth various A ranked weapons that he would not usually use due to their large prana requirement and even a couple specially altered 'arrows' to be used as broken phantasms.

Berserker's attack finally came. The axesword dropped down blows like a waterfall. Archer managed to slide through most of them using his trusty twin Chinese falchions to deflect each blow slightly at the cost of his projections shattering. But one managed to clip his left arm. Even that glancing blow conveyed enough impact to shatter bones and render the entire arm useless. His elbow would no longer bend.

He would die here, Berserker would go after Rin, Shirou, and Saber but at least they had a fighting chance. Shirou and Saber would complete their ritual or Saber would contract with Rin. Either case would prevent him from having to target his beloved Illya. Had he aimed his blade at Illya from the start even as a distraction, he might have achieved victory but he never did. He was on his last leg, and yet berserker still had seven lives.

The records. If he had accessed them, he might be able to win but would his sanity endure? As his life in the role of Archer approached its end, he asked himself this question as he usually did. There wasn't enough time to access the records anyways. There will always be a next time. In the 'past' he had always decided he had done enough and even if he choose differently, he would die before his decision made a difference.

Fate was fickle. Emiya Shirou still had things to do.

At that moment, in his adrenaline induced false clarity, Archer tripped and Berserker missed taking off Archer's head by a millimetre. The blade came to rest pressed against Archer's neck. Because Archer's will to fight had completely disappeared, Berserker sensed no more threats. The gray giant with its weapon at Archer's neck opted to look for the other three targets before finishing Archer off.

This accident opened another path. Archer accessed the records. His Mind's Eye quickly processed and integrated a seemingly infinite amount of experience. Each holy grail war, Archer did things a little differently, learned new ways to use his various noble phantasms and acquired new experiences. Counter Guardian Emiya while mostly mindless also invented some new ruthless techniques. Most importantly, Archer's arsenal suddenly increased in size gaining many new weapons. His armoury had not changed. The weapons stored in his reality marble remained the same but he was suddenly aware of thousands of weapons that he had not known himself to possess.

Unfortunately, along with his new strength, Archer gained a lot more angst and insanity. He was suddenly stronger but he also wanted to kill his past self with much greater fervour. He almost gave himself to unbridled bloodlust. He simply really truly wanted to kill his past self NOW before he forgot. Because disgustingly, in several wars, his past self convinced him his ideal weren't wrong, and in several other wars, his past self decided sex with Sakura was worth more than the world. Of course, there was nothing wrong with Sakura. In fact, Sakura was wonderful, Archer liked her quite a bit himself and would save her if he could. But those wayward thoughts were immediately discarded for interfering with his megalomaniacal plotting to kill his past self.

He quickly analyzed his situation. Illya was ranting and gloating at him because she knew he was at her mercy. Was she always this cute? Her soft silky white hair and radiant red eyes. She was so full of life and her happiness was almost infectious. Or would have been except her happiness was based on Berserker defeating him. She was demanding his identity before she had him put down. And had his arsenal not expanded, he would have been put down for certain. Dying got in the way of killing Emiya Shirou, thus dying was bad. Surviving Berserker might not be easy but it was best to kill Emiya Shirou while he was still motivated. As things were, he only had a few seconds to make a plan.

Trace On.

Numerous blades were lined up. Even with his expanded arsenal, he would only have one chance to take down Berserker. Several plans were lined up and contingencies were prepared for contingencies. He left nothing to chance, he never did. His primary plan had a 68 percent chance of success but it would depend on his ability to fast talk Illya and Rin.

Archer exchanged his trademark smirk for a gentle smile, the smile of a brother towards his sister. Letting a bit of resignation show along with a bit of his true feeling for her, Archer made his appeal, "Lady Illyasviel von Einzbern, your Berserker is truly strong. He is as strong as you are beautiful. I am hoping for a small mercy. I wish to say goodbye to my master. Think of it as a request from a dying man. It is fine if I remain in this position, even if I do not, you have Berserker. He would not lose to my three companions in their current state."

Archer told no lies putting only his true feeling on the line. He didn't admit to being defeated and he didn't mention that Saber could defeat Berserker once she recovered. Illyasviel blushed but as Archer expected and as her pride demanded, Illyasviel refused. "Why should I? Mysterious Servant-san, my Berserker defeated you. I can take your life first and relay your goodbye personally."

But Archer wasn't dead yet. "Think of it as an act of kindness. I will tell you about myself, about that boy, and about your father. Please." With more earnestness than his entire lifetime as Archer, the proud Counter Guardian begged one of the girls he would never willingly harm.

Illyasviel's lips pressed into a line and her eyes narrowed for a moment. The mention of her father angered her. Archer almost thought his plan had failed. But Illyasviel's curiosity drove her away from her dislike of that man. She wanted to know about this mysterious Servant. She also wanted to know his connection to that man since he implied some form of knowledge or acquaintanceship. He knew that the one who raised the boy was that man. She hated that man. But she did not hate the boy. In fact, she might even like the boy. The boy was hers. Perhaps this mysterious Servant should also be hers? He wasn't too bad when he fought Berserker. Archer was stronger than he looked and possessed many Noble Phantasms even if she could not identify him. She just needed to kill the Tohsaka heir first.

With those thoughts in mind, she played into Archer's plan. "Very well, make it quick Archer. I will give you thirty seconds while I decide your fate."

The first of four steps was complete.

Archer relaxed. He had never been so tense before but his desire to kill Shirou drove him with a desperation he had never known. He sought his connection to Rin in his mind and upon finding it opened a channel.

'Rin, I cannot hold Berserker anymore and am about to be defeated. It appears that you can no longer be my master. I am sorry.'

'Archer! Idiot, RUN! Don't leave me.'

'I am sorry. But, even though I am close to death. You have one last command spell. If you give the command Defeat Berserker, I believe I can take him out before we part.'

Archer told no lies. Once Rin used up her last command spell, she would no longer be his master even if he defeated Berserker.

'ARCHER! Don't do this. Run away.' Archer could almost feel her tears and it choked him but he could not turn back. Emiya Shirou must die.

'Berserker is faster than me. There's no time. NOW or I die.'

And suddenly power floods him along with an impulse to defeat Berserker, regardless of God Hand, layered lives and everything else.

The second of four steps was complete. His plan now had a ninety percent chance of success.

First Archer made a swarm of A rank blades, most of them weren't even Noble Phantasms. They rained down from behind Berserker like arrows, bullet speed arrows. Berserker sensed the threat they represented and turned to swat them away with his weapon. Illyasviel screamed in the background while Archer hardened his heart because he could not afford to do less.

The moment Berserker started his motion to defend from behind. Caliburn was in Archer's right hand and thrusting towards Berserker's head. Even as a ranked down copy, it was an A rank Noble Phantasm greater than most Noble Phantasms even originals could ever hope to be. He would have used this proud Noble Phantasm against Berserker earlier except he had avoided it due to Saber. Her presence reminded him of his life as Emiya Shirou and how important she was to him. He cared too much for Saber to tarnish her blade with his lack of pride. However, killing Emiya Shirou had suddenly become a higher priority.

With miraculous speed fuelled by a command spell, Caliburn easily pierced through Berserker's head. With some leverage, Archer created a hole. Normally this would stop Berserker for only a second but Archer did not need a second.

His broken left arm reinforced and merged with Gae Buidhe slid along the blade of Caliburn plunging into Berserker's open skull. Gae Buidhe, the Golden Rose of Mortality, was a cursed spear that belonged to the Lancer of the fourth holy grail war. It inflicted wounds that could not be healed naturally or through magecraft and manifested this effect to a greater extent than even Gae Bolg. In exchange it lacked Gae Bolg's ability to pierce the heart with every strike. Gae Buidhe was the lynch pin of Archer's plan and one of the Noble Phantasms he gained moments ago from accessing his records. God Hand's effect was stronger than a traced Gae Buidhe but Archer had included that into his calculations. A Servant's battle was a matter of Rank and Noble Phantasms, but a magus fought with concepts. By keeping his hand and Gae Buidhe in Berserker's brain, Archer could keep the gray giant from healing and functioning in general. As a Servant rather than a spirit, even Berserker needed a brain to move.

The entire sequence accelerated by a command spell took place in a tiny fraction of a second. It was too one-sided to be a fight and too fast to be a confrontation between mortals. Even so, the Berserker had managed to swat away an entire rain of forty A ranked swords before Archer disabled him. The rain of swords was originally supposed to kill Berserker while he was disabled.

One life. Archer had just defeated one life. Gae Buidhe was not high enough rank to do anything except prevent the wound inflicted by Caliburn from healing. His left hand was stuck in Berserker's skull and the mighty Servant still had seven lives left. Despite this, Archer had already won. Against the undefeatable giant, who could take down most Servants without losing a single life, Archer had won. His hand was in Berserker's brain, disabling the Greek hero.

The third of four steps had been complete. Other than a small one percent chance of Archer making a mistake, victory was his.

But even in that state, Berserker was merely disabled, not defeated. The moment Archer removes his hand from Berserker's brain matter, the mad Servant would regenerate and slaughter Archer with ease. The command to defeat Berserker burned fiercely through Archer. He had already executed the difficult part.

There was only cleanup left. Caliburn disappeared from Archer's right hand already useless having pierced Berserker's skin once. Archer then picked out a suitable trick from his memories, he analyzed and traced the gray giant's current weapon, the enormous axesword.

Trace On.

Archer is not Emiya Shirou, even if Shirou cannot reproduce it perfectly, he can. His entire body is reinforced to the limits first. He could not afford to screw up because he had very little prana left. He still needed to kill Emiya Shirou.

Thus he reproduced it perfectly, because he refused to fail, even Servant Berserker's strength, his weapon, and most importantly his technique. Within the axesword is a hidden treasure, it is the higher than A rank conceptual Noble Phantasm known as Nine Lives. Because it is imparted to every weapon wielded by the great Heracles, Archer could reproduce the Greek hero's power flawlessly.

...Trigger Off.

Archer took aim.

"Set... "

Using his right hand, Archer puts it all into one blow. Berserker held unmoving by his left hand, while his right breaks past the sound barrier. Collarbone, windpipe, diaphragm, cervical vein, liver, spine, groin, kidney. Eight strikes and finally expending the last power of the command spell, Archer slams the nameless axesword into Berserker's heart. He had wanted to explode the weapon with prana for good measure but Illya's scream cut through and he could not bring himself to do it. Berserker was already dead.

"Nine Lives Blade Works."

His plan was complete. The body of the behemoth did not fade. For an instant, Archer thought he had failed. All servants should dissolve after defeat but the gray giant headless and ripped asunder remained standing. Perhaps Heracles's will to protect had achieved a miracle leaving his body behind to guard Illya. But Berserker was truly defeated, Archer could no longer feel the presence of his fellow Servant.

As he confirmed Berserker's death, Rin's last command spell faded, along with their connection. The backlash almost collapsed Archer to his knees. His heart ached badly. A sobbing heart broken Illya forced herself unintentionally into his awareness. For a moment, he would soak in his victory. He needed the brief respite before the next Act of his desperation.

He would also need to have a long talk with Illya. He wasn't looking forward to it.

After killing Berserker, things happened. By the end of it, Archer finally for the first time managed to kill Emiya Shriou.

The time paradox occurred as he expected and the World became aware of a glitch in its system.

He could feel it. Archer was convinced he would be wiped out of existence for once and for all. Now, everything would end as he desired. He felt at peace as he felt himself fading away. He was so tired and he wanted rest.

'In fact, even being a counter guardian wouldn't be so bad if the damn World would allow him some rest.'

Fate is fickle.

Emiya Shirou killed Emiya Shirou. But if Emiya Shirou killed Emiya Shirou, he would not grow up to kill himself. Therefore there are two Emiya Shirou since one killed the other. However, there can only be one Emiya Shirou. Contain and dispose corruption. Emiya Shirou, master of Saber, is Emiya Shriou. Eject Emiya from Fuyuki. Archer, Servant Emiya and Counter Guardian Emiya, is Emiya Shirou. Ejected Emiya from Fuyuki and the Throne of Heroes. Delete all copies of Emiya Shirou.

For a moment things went as Archer predicted but an unexpected problem came up. Reality started to collapse.

The non-existence of Emiya Shirou created as big a problem as a time paradox. In response, the World in its infinite apathy performed a desperate stop gap measure.

Initiate stop gap. Freeze dimensional current. Reverse previous procedure. Recover all copies of Emiya Shirou. Gjn CVX. Re-establish Emiya contract. Insert at moment of creation. Dimensional anomaly stabilized. Restart dimensional current.

Reality was saved but Emiya was resurrected and haphazardly displaced. In other words, at the end of the fourth holy grail war.

Irony is a driving force of the world. Archer had become Emiya Shirou once more. Had Archer been aware of his fate, he would have screamed, cried, and railed at the unfairness of it all.

Too bad Emiya, seems you won't be getting any rest. The fifth holy grail war still awaits. But at least you've escaped the Throne of Heroes... for now.