To Love a Sword Chapter 36: Approaching Shadow Part 1
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness, FabledLife
2025-05-29 14:15:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Nimthewriter posts
An Archer's Promise Chapter 73: Mistioria
Thanks to Gamercrusher55 for helping me co-writ
2025-05-25 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostMy Teenage High School Romance Can't Be This Perverted! Chapter 102: Hachi Vs Sona Part 1
Not beta read yet.
Initially this chapter was supposed to be like 5-6k words, then I ended up getting caught up by certain scenes and now it's 10k...
Next update is An Archer's Promise.
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-Underworld-
I remember the first time I lost Vritra. It had felt like being sucker punched by life with brass knuckles dipped in acid. Like some cosmic surgeon had reached inside and yanked out a vital organ I never knew I had, then had the audacity to leave the wound open. It wasn’t just about losing a voice in my head that insisted on making everything sound more dramatic than necessary, it was losing one I started to lean on for support. The worst part? I didn’t know if that part would ever come back.
Bleak days. I used to sit around wondering how I'd manage if it ever happened again.
Well, here we are.
"Ironic," I muttered, voice flat as a deadpan comedian. Funny how when life kicks you in the teeth a second time, it somehow hurts less. I didn’t panic. No screaming, no dramatic breakdowns in the rain. Just calm, quiet analysis. Rizevim had used something. Some kind of technique, spell, curse, or whatever other convenient nonsense people like him pulled out of their cloaks. It cut the connection. It shouldn’t have been possible. Everyone always said that Vritra and I shared a soul. One could not just sever that with scissors without some severe side effects on both sides.
Too bad I wasn’t a soul specialist.
I’d tried summoning Delete Field more times than I’d like to admit. No result. But still, I could feel it. Somewhere buried under layers of static and interference, Vritra was still there. That was my big revelation. A gut feeling. Wonderful. Truly the height of rational deduction. But it was all I had.
Naturally, this had to happen right before a Rating Game. And this one? Against someone who had probably written a three hundred pages thesis on how to make me fail before I’d even shown up.
[Contestants, please enter. Any further delays will automatically lead to disqualification.]
Grayfia’s voice, crisp and professional, snapped through the speakers like a morning slap. I sighed and walked through the gate like a man marching to his own execution.
Instead of an arena, I got a mall.
I blinked. Took a second. Yep. Escalators, tacky seasonal decorations, overpriced vending machines and the same bookstore I frequented regularly. A mall. Specifically, one I knew. Akeno and I used to come here. Groceries, cheap furniture, a couple of quiet, low-stakes dates — how nostalgic.
"You’re late."
I turned and realized I’d been dropped off in the supermarket section. Of course. Meanwhile, my team lounged around like we were at a sleepover. Raynare popped open a beer can, Kuroka munching on some dried mackerel slices, Kalawarner and Xenovia were halfway through snack inventory browsing the entire thing.
“Magic really is something else,” I mumbled, snatching the can from Raynare who immediately shot me a glare. Taking a sip to temporarily forget what happened earlier and ease my brain. “We’re not here on vacation.”
No argument. They stood, reluctantly, and followed as I led them deeper into the building. Eventually we reached the manager’s office. Or at least, what used to be one. Someone had taken creative liberties. Leather furniture, polished wood, the whole place screamed corporate villain lair. Probably where the budget went.
I paused.
Pondering whether to reveal what happened early on or not. That was the question. Saying nothing meant no panic. They’d focus, fight, maybe win. Saying something meant the opposite. But what if an ambush happened in the middle of the Rating Game and they weren’t prepared?
Not exactly that could be ignored, and they would definitely question why I was not using my Sacred Gear anymore.
I inhaled, exhaled, and decided.
“Guys, I’ve got some bad news.”
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(A few minutes later)
"You were kidnapped!?"
It had been a long while since I'd heard Kalawarner shout that loudly, her voice practically making my eardrums ache. If Banshees were real, this woman was at least part of the bloodline.
"I already told you the details," I muttered, rubbing my ear. "I wouldn’t call it a kidnapping. They tried. They failed. And here I am. It’s more accurate to say someone attempted to kidnap me."
"This is not the time to be acting all cheeky, Hachi-kun!"
Now Kuroka was the one getting involved, practically slithering into my personal space like a cat that had mistaken me for a warm pillow. She sniffed at my face, then my neck, and started to lean in lower with a look of exaggerated concern. That was all the warning I needed.
I immediately put my hand to her forehead and shoved her back.
"Don’t stop me! I need to make sure you weren’t hurt or poisoned!" she protested, tail twitching as if offended.
"I’m fine! If I had been poisoned, I wouldn’t have even bothered showing up here in the first place."
"But Vritra…"
That name brought the room down a notch. Her words mirrored the second-biggest concern hanging over us all like a sword dangling by a thread. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, the tension finally crawling up behind my eyes.
"I don’t know what he did or what he used," I said. "All I know is that, temporarily, I’ve lost my ability to talk to him. I can’t access my Sacred Gear. This is worse than the last time, back then, I still had Delete Field. Now? Nothing… temporarily at least, it might come back in the middle of the Rating Game for all I know."
"That's not very reassuring, we should get you checked up as soon as possible!" Xenovia chimed in, ever the practical one.
Before I could respond, Kuroka raised her hands and began hovering them around my head and torso. A soft violet glow emitted from her palms as she concentrated, her brow furrowed with careful focus.
"Feeling any better?"
"Aside from being slightly more energetic than I was ten minutes ago, not much has changed," I admitted. "Look, whatever that bastard did, I doubt it’s permanent. If it were, I’d probably be dead. Vritra’s fused with me. You can’t just erase him without wiping me out as well. My guess is the connection's been disrupted. Sealed maybe. But he’s still here, still inside me. After this Rating Game, I’ll go talk to Ajuka. He might be able to help find a fix."
"Then doesn’t this mean we’re literally fucked?" That voice, sharp and casual in the worst combination, came from Raynare. She hadn’t said much until now, but the look on her face said she'd been processing every word. Shock sat behind her expression, masked just enough for sarcasm to slip through. "You were supposed to carry us to victory, but now that you’re impotent, what the hell can you even do?"
My eye twitched at that word, impotent. Of course she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to throw a jab in the middle of a crisis. I clenched my jaw and exhaled slowly. No time to deal with that right now. Teaching her a lesson with a good old-fashioned spanking could wait until we weren't standing at the edge of a strategic disaster.
"We literally have a Nekomata on our side who can take on an Ultimate Class Devil. Also, to tell you the truth," I said at last, "even if I had Vritra, I wasn’t planning to do much during the Rating Game anyway."
"What?"
That single word echoed from multiple corners of the room, a chorus of disbelief. Couldn’t blame them. They were probably convinced I was going to take the lead role, the hero of the episode, the one who steals the spotlight. But that wasn’t my style… or at least I tried not to do that. Memories of the past resurfaced and I had to admit that I was responsible for doing such things at times. That was the kind of stunt I’d leave to some cookie-cutter shounen protagonist.
“Think about it. We’re talking about Sona here.”
My voice came out steady, level, without any hint of dramatic flair. Frankly, it didn’t need any.
The facts did the talking. “That girl wouldn’t even glance at this tournament without having prepared a dozen contingency plans aimed at me specifically. She’s not the type to take blind swings and hope something lands. Like Rias, she wants to win this whole thing. And yeah, the odds of that happening are slim to none. But when has that ever stopped her?”
“Wow. Someone’s confident,” came the dry reply. Couldn’t tell if it was sarcasm.
“I didn’t say we were going to win the whole thing,” I replied with a half-smile. “Even if Sona or Rias manage to beat us, they’re still going to hit a wall. One they’ve never encountered before. The one standing between them and the number one spot is a monster, plain and simple. If I went all out with Vritra’s power, completely unleashed, no more holding back, I still wouldn’t bet my life on winning that fight. Not unless I surrendered control entirely to Vritra, and even then… no guarantees.”
Honestly, it wasn’t about false humility. It was just realism, which people often confuse with pessimism.
Believing Sairaorg only had his strength and Touki alone to rely on was idiotic, the chances of him possessing another secret to boost his already ridiculous strength further were high. Both of us just never got into a situation where he was forced to push himself that much.
“In any case,” I added, reaching into my pocket and flicking my wrist casually, “let’s treat this whole tournament like a chessboard.”
With a whisper of mana and a little trick Azazel had taught me out of sheer boredom, a soft light shimmered over the table. A miniature chessboard emerged, glowing faintly blue. Not quite a hologram, but close enough. A projection constructed from magic, each piece slightly hazy without much detail.
White’s side looked almost complete, save for a knight and rook missing. My side had the king, queen, a knight, bishop and oddly, another queen.
“Did the kidnapping scramble your brain?” came a dry remark from the bitch. She folded her arms, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “Pretty sure you’re not supposed to have two queens in chess.”
I wagged a finger at her with mock disappointment. “Tch tch tch. That’s a narrow view, my dear Raynare.”
“Ew. Don’t call me ‘dear.’ That’s weird.”
“Fair enough.” I cleared my throat and went on, ignoring her glare. “Look, I knew someone would point that out, so here’s the explanation. From the beginning, the Rating Games have been modeled after chess. You already know this. The evil pieces mimic the structure of a chessboard, one-to-one. Only difference being the ability to shoot lasers, summon hellfire, and occasionally summoning lighting here and there. But we’re not talking about that. For now, just think of this place, the mall, as our board. And us? We’re the pieces.”
“Ah!” Kuroka purred, and with the grace of a cat claiming her favorite perch, she plopped herself onto my lap. “Then I must be the queen,” she declared proudly, nuzzling against my neck. “So thoughtful, my king. Does your queen have any… duties to fulfill?”
Her voice turned into a sultry whisper, and I felt an involuntary shiver crawl up my spine. Yeah, no, this was not the time. Thankfully, Kuroka seemed to pick up on the cue and settled down, curling against me like a smug housecat content with her prize. I pretended not to notice the amused glances being thrown my way.
“Then I must be the knight,” Xenovia said confidently, her gaze serious. She looked at me like she was waiting for approval, and when I gave a short nod, she smiled; pleased, almost smug.
That left Kalawarner and Raynare. Both stared at the board, then back at me, a mix of confusion and irritation playing across their faces.
“Why the hell am I the bishop?” Raynare finally asked, eyes narrowing.
I blinked at her slowly, then looked back down at the glowing board.
“Good question,” I said, with the tone of someone who wasn’t going to answer it right away. Raynare scoffed, visibly offended by my words, though she couldn’t have been more mistaken. "You are not the Bishop. You're also the second Queen. Kalawarner over here is the Bishop."
That caught the Fallen Angel by surprise as she then proceeded to look back and forth between me and Kalawarner. Probably thinking I would make the blue haired woman the second Queen because she was technically my secretary and second in command of sorts.
"I'm not sucking your dick just because I'm your Queen."
"Don't take it seriously!" I snapped, clutching the bridge of my nose. The woman had a talent for evoking migraines, I’d give her that. For a moment, I considered the delicious prospect of demoting her to a mere pawn just to get under her skin. Meanwhile, Kalawarner remained unbothered, eyes trained on the board with a deepening frown.
"Even with two Queens, we're at a slight disadvantage and we are down one person. The other side has practically a full peerage, missing only two positions. We don’t even have evil pieces of our own to work with, nor can we take advantage of promotion like the Pawns. Not to mention, they have the literal Red Dragon Emperor on their side. I don't doubt Kuroka's power, but will you really have her handle everything?"
At the mention of Issei's title, Raynare flinched behind her before letting out a loud, irritated huff.
"You make it sound like it’s a big deal," she muttered. Clearly, some wounds from the past hadn't quite scabbed over yet.
Kalawarner continued, undeterred. "Even though in chess the King can barely move, we can’t apply that logic here. The Sitri heiress is known for powerful water manipulation spells and offensive techniques. She’s not quite at the level of someone wielding the Power of Destruction, but she’s still a serious threat, both offensively and defensively."
I blinked. Her assessment was precise. She had analysed the field and our disadvantages almost too quickly.
"Sometimes in chess, it doesn't matter how many pieces you have. It's about who can checkmate the King or in the case of Rating Games, who can wipe out the enemy side completely."
"Then shouldn’t we go with the latter option?" she asked, uncertainty flickering across her face as her gaze drifted to the nekomata perched comfortably in my lap. "Since you’re stuck in your current state, that leaves our strongest member as Kuroka."
"Hey! I’m strong too! Can’t you see how many wings I have!?" Raynare shouted from behind, unfurling six black wings in a dramatic display, the feathers fluttering with flair. It would’ve been impressive if anyone had paid her any attention. No one did. That only deepened her frustration.
"No, we won't have Kuroka be burdened with the outcome of this Rating Game with her strength alone.” I replied, my hands involuntarily stroking Kuroka's hair as she literally started to purr, making it that much harder to not treat her as a cat. “Don’t underestimate the other side just because you believe they don't have someone on her level, this is the exact kind of scenario where the protagonist rises above and defeats opponents stronger than him.”
“... What?”
I got a few strange looks from all of them.
“Hah… you'll understand.”
{Break}
-South wing of the mall, Foodcourt—
[...Destroying the mall will count as an automatic disqualification. You are not allowed to leave the predetermined premises. There is a time limit of one hour for the fight and thirty minutes to prepare. The game will continue until either one side forfeits or the King is eliminated. Also, each side will be given a single Phoenix Tear.]
The moment Grayfia's crisp voice rang out from the overhead intercom, Sona stood motionless beside her team as they were ushered into the food court. The words settled over her like a final curtain before a long-awaited performance.
Her expression was calm, but inwardly, anticipation and pressure surged beneath the surface. It was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. How many times had she envisioned this exact moment?
This wasn't a simple test of intellect like their previous chess matches. It certainly wasn't like the last match either, the one where he’d dismantled her strategy so ruthlessly she had chosen to retreat from the field rather than endure further humiliation. No, this time was something else entirely. This time, she had no reason to fear. No reason to hold back. If anything, pulling punches now would be worse, it would be disrespectful to herself and everything she stood for.
"Hell yeah! Finally, I get a shot to punch that smug bastard in the face for every grudge I’ve held since middle school!" Issei bellowed, his fists trembling with poorly restrained excitement and his eyes lit up with completely misplaced fervor.
"Same here," Saji added, his own expression blazing with mirrored determination. "That guy stole my original Sacred Gear. If I’d known it had the potential to evolve into that insane armor, I would've trained until I dropped dead every day!"
Their motivations might have been wildly off target, driven by bruised egos and personal vendettas, but in this context, raw emotion could fuel a more aggressive and effective performance. Still, Sona was not one to let such attitudes go unchecked. She fixed both of her pawns with a sharp glare that halted their giddy enthusiasm in an instant.
"Do not diminish the value of your current Sacred Gear," she said, her tone clipped and authoritative. "Even if it is no longer the Absorption Line, it remains a powerful artifact in its own right. You should be thankful that Azazel invested so much into forging it. Its origins are rooted in Norse mythology. In fact, it was once used to bind the legendary wolf Fenrir."
Her words struck the boy almost physically with him flinching hard, Saji let out an awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, deflating almost visibly.
"Sorry, Kaichou. I got carried away."
"Aren’t we all?" Tsubasa said, stepping in with a wry smile, her voice dancing with anticipation that matched the fire in her eyes.
There was no mistaking it now. Everyone here was fired up and ready. This wasn't merely another Rating Game for Sona, it was a challenge she had longed for. A true test, one where excuses held no weight and mercy would not be a factor.
"We proceed exactly as planned," she announced, turning to address her team fully. "Do not stray from your assigned partner. Stay within the boundaries of your section and maintain contact through the comms at all times. If you find yourself overwhelmed or believe your opponent is beyond your ability, retreat immediately. Pride has no place in our defeat."
Tsubaki stepped forward, her usual composed demeanor sharpening as she unfurled a large sheet of paper across the nearest table. The sketch was rough, clearly drawn in haste, but it mapped out the mall’s layout with enough detail to formulate a viable strategy. Since advance knowledge of the battlefield was strictly prohibited to prevent cheating, quick thinking and adaptability were crucial.
"The mall is mostly open in structure," Tsubaki explained, her fingertip gliding along the paths inked in pencil. "Unlike the school grounds, there’s very little in the way of natural cover. It spans two floors and includes a multi-level parking structure. If they plan to lay low, that would be the place to do it. It also presents the most opportunities for traps and ambushes."
The others leaned in as they studied the map, absorbing every detail. Expressions are a bit uneasy but overall determined. The match had not yet begun, but the tension in the air had shifted. The clock had started ticking the moment Grayfia's voice rang out. Now, it was only a matter of how the pieces would fall.
"Will he even try to ambush us? Most of the people in his group are not exactly the type to prefer such methods. Other than the former criminal."
Kuroka… huh, honestly, that was the person Sona worried about the most. A recent addition to his group and one who possessed an enormous well of power in the form of senjutsu. A person recently feared as an SSS-class stray devil, her eyes then went to Issei and then Saji. ‘I can't get scared so easily, I need to trust my own Peerage. If we can't even deal with someone like her then how can I even covet winning against the strongest of our generation?’
With that thought, she gathered up her plans and pushed away any fears from her heart.
"We will proceed as planned. We already went through every possibility beforehand, including the chances of him getting a new member. It does not matter if it's someone powerful or not. We have already accounted for that. Anyone have any complaints or comments to add?" She said, looking around and finding Momo had raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Can’t he just use that move he used against Kokabiel?"
"He can’t," Sona replied dryly. "That spell’s area of effect is quite large and consumes an enormous chunk of his energy — Hachiman already complained plenty of times about how little reserves he has before. If he does use it, it would put him in a vulnerable state, which is not a risk he will take unless he manages to get close to me. Even if he does use it, like I said, the area of effect is quite large, and we are not allowed to destroy the entire building, as mentioned by Grayfia."
It was a strange rule she had to say, a sort of handicap that actually favored them. She was not sure if it was deliberately put there in order to suppress Hachiman, she did not truly know how to feel about it, as it meant he would not be able to perform at his strongest, but it also gave her a bigger chance at victory.
Sometimes, in order to attain victory and make a difference, one needs to sacrifice. She remembered him saying that at one point. Her past self did not comment on it, but in such a scenario, it came back, and she couldn't help but fall in favor of it. "Do not blame me, you told me to play in such a way, then I shall do so."
With her plan established, the young girl set herself in motion and allowed her members to go forth. The first one to leave was Saji, accompanied by Ruruko. Both pawns headed straight for the center of the building, not just to have an advantage by advancing on the enemy's territory first, but also to scout the area. Issei and Tsubasa also left together to the upper floors with Momo, Reya and Meguri headed towards the parking lot.
Tsubaki, of course, stayed with her. Leaving a King all of itself on a board was just asking to be cornered.
Soon, she started getting feedback from the others.
"The area around the bookstore is empty. I don't see any sign of them," she got news from Saji first, making her pick up the pencil on the table and cross the area on the map.
"Good, continue advancing. From the looks of it, we should have been teleported on the opposite end, so he should either be in the supermarket or—"
Krrrsh!
Static noise filled the area, cutting her off as she looked up with surprise at the loudspeaker on the wall. In the next second, a familiar voice came through the other end.
"Is this thing on? Test, test. Can anyone hear me? Well, looking at your reaction, I will assume that you can hear me. Yo, Sona. I hope you will forgive me, but I'll be using this method of communicating between us."
"The security room!" The spectacled woman slammed her fist down on the table with sudden realization. She had completely overlooked that specific area in their planning! "Damn it, he must have access to all the security cameras scattered throughout this place. There’s really no point in trying to set a trap anymore when he can see everything that happens."
“You’re probably wondering why it makes no sense to try laying a trap or being sneaky now that I’m inside the security room, right?” The voice came lazily over the comms. “Call it a stroke of luck, or maybe just fate, but the idea occurred to me the moment I was teleported into this area. Convenient, isn’t it? They have gone so far as to recreate every detail here, from the shelves in the shops, to the exact equipment used in this very security room. You have to admit, they really paid attention to the finer points, down to the smallest screw.”
Although she couldn’t see him, she could easily imagine the sly, sliding smirk that was no doubt playing across his face. “Oh, I see you’re opening the game by moving your pawns first. Good choice. It’s a standard opening in any game, but a reliable one. I respect that.”
Instead of dwelling on his words, she quickly switched her focus and opened communication with the other members in the field. “Stop advancing, Saji. Hold your position and wait for backup to arrive. If help isn’t close, retreat as soon as you can! I saw this from the beginning, this is a trap!”
Her hands moved swiftly and with purpose, firing multiple water bullets into the air, each one aimed to destroy the security cameras scattered around. Her efforts seemed to amuse Hachiman, who chuckled softly at her action. It was clear to them all that the best course of action was to pull back and come up with a different plan rather than stick to their initial approach.
But, to her frustration with her Pawn responding back a second later.
“I’m afraid retreating isn’t an option, Kaichou. We’ve got company.”
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(Near the Bookshop)
Damn it.
The bastard’s voice echoed through the comms again, and she imagined the smug grin on his face, full of satisfaction. But instead of letting himself get distracted by that, Saji’s attention fixed on the single figure standing before them.
The woman held herself with a quiet pride, standing tall in the middle of the room with a giant sword planted firmly before her. Her palms rested casually on the pommel, giving off an air of calm authority. It reminded him of one of those knight bosses from his favorite video game, the kind you had to defeat to gain entry into the kingdom. The first boss was often just a test, a gimmick in the game’s grand design, but many players had fallen to it because of the stat differences. The only way to get past was to sneak through a hidden door behind some clay pots and then strike with a well-timed plunge attack from above.
‘I should have been moving on the second floor instead,’ the blonde boy thought to himself as he studied their opponent. She was a young woman he never really fought against seriously before, a former Exorcist, and the weapon she wielded was dangerous enough to send chills down his spine. The presence it gave off was overwhelming, far stronger than any other holy sword fragment they had ever encountered.
“If you want to move forward, you will have to go through me first,” Xenovia was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence between them. She looked completely calm, her eyes steady and focused first on him, then on Ruruko. “I warn you now; I will not hold back during this fight. Consider this your final chance to either retreat or surrender.”
Forfeit? What a laughable notion. The uncertainty that had once clouded Saji’s mind slowly dissolved. In its place, a fierce fire ignited deep within him, burning stronger than before.
The hesitant smile and unsure expression slipped away, replaced by one of pure concentration and focus. He shifted into a defensive stance, his sacred gear materializing around his arm like living chains, wrapping tightly and glinting with a faint, metallic sheen. One end swung back and forth with a steady rhythm, as if alive, responding to his will.
“There is no point in asking such pointless questions,” he said calmly, eyes drifting to Ruruko, who stood ready beside him. “You already know the answer to that, Quarta-san.”
The twin-tailed girl gave a small nod in agreement, also taking a defensive stance that mirrored his action.
“I see. You are right. It was my mistake,” the blue-haired woman admitted with a faint scowl. She raised her sword, pointing the sharp tip directly at Saji.
“Now!” he commanded, his voice sharp and clear.
That was their signal. With haste, Ruruko lifted her arm, summoning a bright sphere of light that pulsed fiercely before detonating in the middle of the space between them. The explosion unleashed a blinding flash, momentarily obscuring Xenovia’s vision and throwing her guard off balance.
“Ha!” Saji took advantage of the sudden gap. Closing the distance rapidly, he charged forward. Xenovia, recovering quickly, swung her massive sword in a wide arc aimed at his head. Normally, such a direct strike from a blade that size would have spelled instant death, especially against a devil like him. But his Sacred Gear was specially designed, equipped with a few convenient abilities he had trained tirelessly to master for moments exactly like this.
The chains around his arm emitted a sharp clinking sound as they lengthened and twisted, moving with a serpentine grace until they fully encased his hand in a gauntlet of living metal. Durandal’s edge crashed against his fist with a shower of sparks, the force threatening to knock him backward. His teeth clenched tight as he barely held his ground.
“Holy shit, how heavy is this thing?” he muttered under his breath, shaken by the sheer weight of the blow. If Xenovia had swung that sword at full force, he doubted his chains would have done much to protect him aside from possibly breaking his arm. Without the power of promotion yet, he lacked the defensive resilience of a rook, making each block a gamble.
With a grunt of effort, he shoved the sword aside and closed the gap. His right arm whipped forward, delivering a powerful hook that struck the blue-haired woman’s face with a heavy thud.
Xenovia staggered back, blinking in surprise, but recovered almost instantly and lunged forward, aiming a vicious punch at Saji’s midsection. He twisted away just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow, and countered with a swift elbow jab aimed at her ribs.
Before the battle could escalate further, Ruruko moved with a sudden burst of speed. She darted to Xenovia’s side, striking with quick kicks aimed at her shoulders and arms. “Urgh!”
‘Ruruko may be the weakest when it comes to strength, but her speed is no different to a Knight Piece. Even Tsubaki needs to put effort to keep up with her during our spars.’
While he was the strength that aggressively attacked Xenovia, forcing the latter to focus on him, Ruruko was the one dealing the damage in key areas. Their coordinated attack left little room for Xenovia to catch her breath.
The two fought like a perfectly synchronized duo, Saji and Ruruko weaving in and out of the fight with coordination, pressing Xenovia with a barrage of hand-to-hand strikes. Whenever she attempted to push back or recover control, one of them stepped in, diverting her attacks or forcing her onto the defensive. Their rhythm was fluid, born of practice and repetition, slipping past her guard and kept overwhelming her..
‘She is still human, after all. Even with the extensive training granted to her as a former exorcist, training that pushed her body far beyond the average, she remained within human limits. This even gives us Pawns and advantage.’ Strengthened, yes, nearly superhuman perhaps, but not beyond the realm of what a Devil could contend with.
Yet despite all of this, he reminded himself not to underestimate her.
Xenovia was no mere brawler. She gave them no easy opening, no pause between clashes. She was still angling for a chance to draw and wield that massive sword of hers. Her swordplay might have been momentarily stalled, but she clearly had enough hand-to-hand experience to block, deflect, and survive. However, her offense was lacking, her footwork too direct, her strikes too easily anticipated. Her left side in particular had started to drift open as fatigue set in, her movements growing more sluggish with each exchange.
Seeing the moment, he ended his thoughts and dropped into a low spin, sweeping her legs from beneath her and then driving his chain-wrapped fist into the flat of Durandal. The impact rattled through his bones, a wave of dull pain thudding through his arm, but it forced her back.
‘I can't give her even the slightest chance to swing that sword,’ he thought. ‘It’s already charged with enough energy. One strike, even a grazing one, and we’re both done for.’
And yet, what sort of monstrous training had she endured? Despite the punishment she had taken, despite the blood trailing from her nose and mouth, her grip on Durandal never faltered. Her knuckles were white, her fingers locked in a vice. It didn’t make sense.
[Sona Sitri's Bishop and Knight have been eliminated.]
“—!”
Grayfia’s calm announcement echoed over the system, making his breath catch. His brow furrowed. If he remembered right, that teammate was heading toward the supermarket via the upper passage. For them to suddenly be eliminated here and now could only mean—
His heart jumped.
That brief flash of confusion stole a split-second from him. His next strike stalled in the air, a fraction too long. The warning bells in his instincts screamed out, too late. A chill shot through him.
Especially when he found Xenovia already lifting her sword up.
"Shit, pull back!"
He sprang backward with all his strength, his chain latching onto a ceiling beam as he rocketed upward. In that instant, he reached out to Ruruko, trying to grab her wrist, but the attempt failed. A split second later, a wave of destructive energy tore across the ground floor. It smashed into the area they'd just occupied, blasting him back even further and catching his partner in the full brunt of the explosion.
His eyes widened in helplessness as Grayfia’s voice returned.
[Sona Sitri's Pawn has been eliminated.]
From the comms, Hachiman's voice crackled through with unsettling calm. "Oh, I see. You did quite well holding off Xenovia. Given that she's human, without the reinforcement of a devil's body or the enhancements granted by evil pieces, she was already at a disadvantage against you all. But that doesn’t make her weak. The girl is still very much inhuman in her own right. Give her even the smallest opening, and it’s over."
Saji’s face twitched at that voice appearing again.
“You know, I always felt bad about what happened that day, I really did not mean to take Absorption Line. Had things gone differently well… honestly I would have taken it regardless at another point. So you were bound to lose it sooner or later.”
This bastard was purposely trying to distract him!
“Shut the hell up will you!?” He shouted, uncaring if Hachiman could hear him or not. “We're in the middle o—argh!”
Before he could even finish his words, he saw Xenovia, bruised and bleeding moving like a force of nature. She had somehow vaulted to the second floor, her eyes locking onto him with sharp, focused intensity. Without hesitation, she raised her blade and let it fall.
A clean arc of searing energy cut through the air, headed straight for him.
"Shit!"
He pulled on the chains, straining as he dragged himself upwards, barely managing to flip back onto solid footing just in time to avoid the blur of steel that lunged toward him. The girl sprang forward without hesitation, her massive blade cleaving through the air with brutal speed.
'She’s fast. Way too fast for someone lugging around that giant slab of iron.'
There was no use staying suspended any longer. He'd just have to stall for time.
With his choice made, more chains burst from his Sacred Gear, twisting and snapping through the air like angry serpents, wrapping around his limbs, his torso, his shoulders. A shitty version of what one would call an armor, he heard that countless times from the others.
But it fucking worked!
As her sword came within inches of his flesh, the chains tightened into a shell of protection.
Clang!
The clash sent a spray of sparks into the air like fireworks, the sheer force of the impact flinging him downwards. He crashed into the earth with a sickening thud, dust and shards of rock scattering outward from the crater his body carved into the ground.
'Good thing I didn’t call this move Balance Breaker yet. Would’ve been pathetic, getting slammed like that after just activating it. It can only defend me against surface level attacks like slashed, had she done for a pierce things would have been much worse.'
He pushed himself up slowly, spitting blood and dirt from his mouth.
'Time for round two, bitch.'
He flicked his fingers in a taunting gesture toward Xenovia. She raised an eyebrow, impressed, and chose to say nothing. Instead, she sprinted at him once more, her sword raised high.
'Keep dodging. Keep dodging like your life depends on it, because it literally fucking does!'
He kept repeating the mantra in his mind with each strike she hurled at him. Duck, roll, sidestep, he used everything he had. Every inch of his body was moving on instinct, honed from brutal trial and necessity. When cornered, he let his body absorb the blows, the chains taking most of the impact, though he could still feel the bones inside him rattle, his insides twisting from the sheer pressure.
"That’s an interesting Sacred Gear you’ve got there," Xenovia finally remarked, panting slightly. Her latest attack had forced him down to his knees, her blade shattering the protective chains around his legs. For the first time, her strikes had broken through.
"You still haven’t seen all of it," he growled, rising to his feet despite the pain. "I’ve already bought enough time to beat you."
She frowned in confusion, eyes narrowing, but then she turned, alerted by some instinct, raising her sword defensively toward the shadow looming above her.
But he wasn’t going to give her the chance.
"First chain: Lædingr!" he roared.
For the first time, he unleashed the core ability of his Sacred Gear. Chains erupted fast enough to practically be bullets, snapping around her sword, her wrists, her arms, and yanking them down with bone-jarring force.
Xenovia’s eyes widened as she struggled, but it was too late. The chains tore her guard open, “My turn!” He rushed ahead, even with no blade on him, he intended to take her out in one single punch.
"Ugh!"
Unfortunately, his actions were met with an obstacle he failed to predict, one in the form of Momo who came crashing through the wall and crashed against him. Both being sent flying backwards until they crashed through shelves of books, Saji nearly losing consciousness right then and there. “M-Momo?”
Ignoring the pain come up He crawled to his teammate and was worried as soon as he saw her condition. His hands rummaging through his pocket only for the white haired girl to stop him. “D-Don’t, it'll be wasted on me… just… follow the plan.”
Though she said that, part of him had a hard time accepting those words, her form disappearing right in front of him which made another announcement reach his ears.
[Sona Sitri's Bishop has been eliminated.]
The comms around them rang once again, “I have known Momo for quite a while, to any outsiders, she may not look like that big of a threat but I know for a fact that her magical prowess is one of the best in your group. Letting her roam free is a mistake that I cannot afford. If you hear this Momo, sorry if we went too hard on you, next time when I visit the student council office, I'll be sure to bring some gifts.”
… Was he even taking this Rating Game seriously? No, no… No! Saji slapped himself, realising he was letting that man get under his nerves.
“Saji!”
A feminine voice brought him back to reality, raising his head just in time to spot a purple orb flying straight at him. Thankfully, someone else came to his rescue, a blue head woman who appeared in front of him raising her hand and summoning a giant golden shield made of light.
Bang!
The orb struck it, even though it was just a single attack, it was more than enough to push Tsubasa back a couple of feet.
“Woah! You actually managed to block that? I'm impressed!” A mischievous voice echoed from the hole in the wall where Kuroka walked out with her rather revealing kimono. The green beads attached to the ribbon on her waist were practically floating in the air. “Though I wonder how much it can endure.”
The woman did not waste a second fire on another barrage of those projectile energy spheres, it did not even feel like demonic energy which led him to believe it could have been Senjutsu?
He could see that each one of them hit the shield one after the other pushing Tsubasa closer to her limit. The sacred gear even showed signs of cracking, about to break at any moment. ‘Damn it, if I use Laedingr again then it will free Xenovia… but this woman is clearly the bigger danger here!’
Just as he was about to reach a conclusion, another shadow emerged from the hole in the wall. Jumping right over Kuroka with a bright emerald light filling the area.
[Boost!]
Issei wasted no time to bring his fist hurtling towards the Nekomata, an action that was perceived by the black haired woman who calmly dodged it with a simple sway of her body.
“Shit! You can't keep dodging me forever!” The brown-haired boy shouted, covered in bruises and having clearly been in a fight against her prior.
Kuroka giggled, “Now now, naughty dragon, I wouldn't be much of a Senjutsu master if I let you touch me so easily. Or perhaps, are you more interested in gropping these?” Her hands went below her chest, pushing them upwards and further emphasising her cleavage which was already showing quite a bit. Both boys were dazed by the sight of the jiggling orbs in front of them — Saji swore that if he concentrated enough, he would even see the edge pink colour of her nipples.
“Fufufu~! You can try to touch them, I don't mind, that is if you can be fast enough.” She said with a sly smirk, this intentionally making Issei grit his teeths as a second Boost sounded from his arm.
“D-Don't think I will fall for your trick again! Even though you have amazing breasts, I won't be swayed by them and they are nothing compared to Kaichou’s! Her's may not be the biggest but they are filled with warmth for all of us, always seeking to make us better than who we were before! And they are even a great below Tsubaki-senpai’s who possess more allure when combined with her shy demeanor! Momo-senpai is by far the most erotic whenever she wears a bikini swimsuit despite not being as big! So don't bother, I won't fall for your trap! Then there is Tsuba—”
“—SHUT THE HELL UP!” A strong punch soon made its way to Issei's face, it being delivered by none other than Tsubasa who had a rarely seen crimson flush on her face. “Don't talk about such things in front of the enemy! Also everyone in the underworld can hear you, idiot!”
As much as Saji wanted to shout at his teammate as well, he couldn't as he also agreed deep within his heart!
Kuroka on the other hand did not seem offended or even disappointed at his words, rather she examined her own chest. “Hm… then I should try wearing a bikini as well, given he's sleeping with that Fallen Angel, this probably is not giving him much of a reaction.”
“...”
Understanding her words, Saji could not help but feel a pang of jealousy strike his heart. This emotion was also being felt by his fellow Pawn who rushed forward with his fist raised. The Boosted Gear shone brightly with a third Boost echoing, but Kuroka did not seem worried, for she just slapped his attack away before her palm went digging into Issei's chest.
“Kah!”
“Issei!”
Tsubasa soon went ahead to help him, showing more skill in hand to hand combat. In their entire Peerage, most of the members had learnt close quarter combat due to their kings insistence. While he was pouring all of his efforts to reach his current level, Tsubasa was a natural born genius who could achieve an equal amount of progress with much less effort. And it showed with how fluidly she moved, her strikes were much faster, her dodges were more precise, even when Issei attacked she knew when to move back and went to rush back in to protect him.
‘But it's not enough…’
Despite all of their efforts, Kuroka was able to keep up with both of them simultaneously. Using her flexibility and sheer raw power against them, her hands were coated in a thin layer of Ki. Even the smallest impact left a ton of damage on both of them.
Even attacks from the back were easily dodged, it was like she could see everything around her and move accordingly. Her attacks growing in strength to the point that even Tsubasa’s Sacred Gear could not keep up, whenever she would deploy the shield, there would be a burst of Ki followed by the sound of glass shattering.
He was in awe honestly, ‘Is this Senjutsu? But… she is so calm, does not look like she's about to lose control and go crazy.’
It was like seeing an adult play around with children.
‘At this rate, they will tire out and we're done for.’
Alright, so defeating her was not an option… it never was honestly. “Hyoudou! How much longer!?”
He shouted, getting impatient and worried given there were still two Fallen Angels who had not appeared yet. Though not as strong as Kuroka, taking them on when the Nekomata was not yet defeated would be pure idiocy.
[Boost!]
“I'm done!”
Immediately, Tsubasa changed her approach and went full on with her assault on Kuroka. Sacrificing defence for pure offence, using her attribute as a Rook to its absolute limit while giving Issei the window of opportunity to break free and rush towards him. His actions were immediately noticed by their opponent who for the first time had the change in their expression which suggested she suspected something bad was about to happen.
“Where do you think you're going, little dragon, come play with sister Kuroka a bit longer!”
The woman stopped holding back and it showed, with a single move, her arm practically turned invisible with how fast it moved. A thunderous boom spread across the mall, this coming from the impact of her first onto Tsubasa's stomach whose body ended up getting airborne and sent straight through the ceiling.
Despite that, she was still in the game and Grayfia did not announce her getting eliminated.
As expected of Tsubasa!
Kuroka tried to catch up with Issei, but it was already too late, for the boy was already within arm's reach. His hand extended towards Saji’s shoulders with the gauntlet glowing bright emerald. The jewel lighting up the area followed by Ddraig’s voice shouting, “Transfer!”
A gasp tore from his lips. Pain flickered across Saji’a face along with a mad grin the moment he felt the torrent of never ending energy coursing across his body. ‘With this… I can do it.’
"Second chain... Drómi!"
With the newfound well of his energy, he bellowed the command. The chains on his arms shimmered, turning blinding white. Runes flared across their surface, casting eerie ripples through the air.
Before Kuroka could react, several glowing links burst into being all around her, twisting, snaring, binding. Chains wrapped around her legs, her arms, her throat, even her fingers. She was pulled down violently, slammed onto her knees, completely immobilised.
A sight that was nearly similar to that of Xenovia’s, thought these chains practically oozing with a mixture of his own demonic energy and runes he had not yet fully learned to read.
"What the hell!?" she hissed, struggling as the chains held fast, the light pulsing with each heartbeat as if draining her of any strength. But it was not absorbing it like Absorption Line would have, something which the blonde started to miss.
A vast surge of energy pulsed around the nekomata in front of him, her heels digging into the cracked concrete like a wildcat trying to claw her way free. Her power swelled, fierce and furious, but the bindings held.
“Hyoudou…”
“I'll leave this to you!” his friend patted his back before running towards the other side of the mall where their target waited for them.
Meanwhile, he approached Kuroka who continued to try breaking free.
"Don't try to break them. It's impossible. Unless you think you're as strong as Fenrir," he muttered through heavy breaths, eyes swimming with dizziness, limbs trembling as if the ground itself had begun to sway beneath him. His knees buckled and he collapsed, struggling just to stay conscious, his Sacred Gear still barely active by sheer force of will.
'Come on. I should move fast before the timer runs out,' he thought, blinking back the blur. The drawback of calling on such a potent form in his current state was brutal: only seconds of usability, but those few moments were enough to lock down anything—or anyone—caught inside.
He staggered forward, hand closing around a large shard of glass. With a shaky arm, he pressed the point part against Kuroka’s chest.
"Nya~! Trying to strip me naked in front of everyone? Unfortunately for you, I might get angry if you do so, only one person is allowed to see me naked~!" she teased with a wicked smirk. But he was too drained to even raise an eyebrow, the weight of exhaustion smothering every part of him. Her provocation barely registered.
"You all really underestimated us," he said, and there was no mistaking the bitter edge in his voice now. The frustration, long buried, slipped out between the cracks of his restraint. "I don’t hate the guy, but seriously, thinking he could win this with just the two of you? That was stupid. We’re way stronger than before. That’s why Kaichou’s going to win this Rating Game."
"But you still have Hachiman to deal with," Kuroka replied, grinning as if the blade wasn’t there at all.
He laughed, quietly, but genuinely. She blinked, puzzled, until he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small vial. When he held it up for her to see, her pupils dilated in surprise.
"She gave the Phoenix Tear to you?" she whispered, clearly stunned that a mere pawn held something so precious. It should’ve gone to Tsubaki, or even Tsubasa, if not Sona herself.
"Like I said," he answered, voice low and grim, "you underestimated my Kaichou. Even if that guy uses Balance Breaker, it won’t change a thing."
"Kind of scary how he managed to predict everything this far. Not that it matters anymore. You’ve already lost.”
"What?" he breathed.
Then, his earpiece crackle, and Issei’s panicked voice burst through.
"T-This is bad! It was a phone all along!"
The phrase hit him like a punch. Kuroka’s cryptic warning, now coupled with Issei’s shout, sent a chill racing down his spine.
"What do you mean by that, Hyoudou?" he snapped, uncorking the vial and downing its contents. Strength surged back into him like fire in his veins. He took off at a run toward his fellow pawn, ready to intercept the king.
"Hachiman… he's not in the security room! That wasn’t live footage—it was just his secretary playing a pre-recorded video on her ph—"
"[Sona Sitri’s Queen has been eliminated.]"
Grayfia’s cold and merciless words echoed through the mall, halting him in place. His heart dropped as he turned to glance behind him, dread twisting in his gut.
"How… Kaichou, is everythin—”
"Hachiman is in front of me," came Sona’s voice, calm but razor-sharp. "And Raynare is with him. This was a trap."
Those final words didn’t just chill him. They hollowed him out.
For the first time since the Rating Game began, he felt it.
Despair.
.
.
.
A miscalculation, no, not merely one, but a string of critical misjudgments, that was what had led her here. It stung, knowing she'd made such blunders, and now she was paying for them in full. After the revelation that he had been watching the mall the entire time, it became clear she could no longer remain in that sector. Her position was thoroughly compromised, even with the cameras destroyed.
So she’d retreated, Tsubaki silently following close behind as they shifted to a new zone entirely, one devoid of surveillance. They flew this time, bypassing the lower levels and rooftops, finally settling atop the parking structure to observe the battlefield from above. It should have been safe, should have.
But her assumptions were shattered in the span of a heartbeat.
Someone was already waiting.
Her eyes barely registered the figure before it was too late. Tsubaki, didn’t even have time to summon her Sacred Gear. A spear of radiant light lanced through her chest, cutting off her presence in an instant. Eliminated. Just like that.
She was alone now.
And there he was, Hachiman, sitting comfortably on the concrete like he’d been waiting all morning, a bottle of juice in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other. Reina stood behind him, lazily chewing on a rice cracker, watching the whole affair with the disinterested calm of someone spectating a school play.
Her eyes twitched.
“You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?”
Had he really anticipated her every move? It was hard to fathom. No, impossible, unless he had some way of seeing into the future. Nothing else could explain how he was always one step ahead.
“It’s not that hard to predict you,” Hachiman replied with a casual shrug, voice muffled slightly as he took another bite of his sandwich. “We’ve played more than a few dozen games of chess together, remember?”
He didn’t even sound smug, just tired, like this entire exchange was part of a long, drawn-out routine.
“Back then,” he continued, “you always played aggressively against me. Charging forward, picking off my key pieces early, trying to force an advantage before I could stabilize. There were moments when you experimented with defense, sure, but you always went back to offense. That’s where you thought your strength was. You preferred to push rather than react. It made sense, it brought you closer to victory, and more often than not, it worked. But during a Rating Game where there is far more at stake, you felt pressured and it showed during your previous matches, every time you played exactly the same way as you would during a chess match and most of it was a defensive approach.”
He finished his sandwich and dusted crumbs from his fingers before adding, “Honestly, I was gambling. But it wasn’t much of a risk. I figured you'd send your strongest players after me right away, not waste time with feints.”
She frowned.
“And the comms…?”
He smirked faintly, glancing over his shoulder at Raynare, who raised a flip phone in her hand with a casual flick of the wrist.
“Just a few dozen pre-recorded voice messages,” he said. “I left them with Kala. One for each possible scenario. If you sent your knight, your queen, your rooks — didn’t matter. She had a clip ready for each opening move. My main goal was just to make sure all of you believed I was inside at a specific location and turn a blind eye to your surroundings. I used that opportunity to slip away.”
Her lips parted, but he cut her off before she could speak.
“You did quite well, but next time try not to treat a Rating Game as if it were a chessboard. Real battles are much more complex, unfortunately. This only makes you more easier to counter, especially if you're fighting against someone who has already beaten you at chess — though the only thing I did not expect to see was how effective Saji’s Sacred Gear is.”
“Then how would you have handled the fight in my stead?” She asked, genuinely curious.
Hachiman took a sip of his canned coffee while gazing at the sky in contemplation. “Let me think… perhaps tried my best to either avoid Kuroka or push her as far away as possible by sacrificing one or two members. Or led her around by the nose along with the others to cause as much destruction as possible, using the rule to my advantage to disqualify the enemy group. While she may appear calm, Kuroka can get pretty destructive quickly along with Xenovia, Raynare is a loose cannon. Kala would have probably noticed but she can also get caught up with the mood. Tsubaki’s Mirror Alice would have helped enormously since the rebounded power would still count as an attack from the enemy.”
She gave him a strange look. “What a dirty tactic.” There was clear distaste in her tone as that strategy.
“Does that matter?”
“It does to me, I don't want my achievements to be seen under such light.”
Again, he shrugged. “That's what makes us different then. I don't really care what people think of me, that in itself is a boon. Pride at the end of the day, is as much of a curse as anything else.”
She stood there in silence, shoulders stiff with tension, mind spinning to catch up. He hadn't just predicted her moves, he had accounted for her patterns, her personality, and the very rhythm of her decision-making. And worst of all?
He had used her own tendencies against her.
So, she took several steps forward, her heels tapping against the stone as she clapped slowly, deliberately, each sound echoing like the prelude to a performance’s finale.
“Well done,” she said, voice calm and composed, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction and something else as she looked at him. “I… I had already lost since the beginning, didn't I?”
Hachiman offered a dry smile in return, the faintest quirk of amusement touching his lips. Beside him, the fallen angel scoffed, clearly unimpressed. A light spear flickered into being within her grasp, humming with lethal promise as she shifted her gaze between him and the heiress before her.
“So,” Raynare said, “are you going to surrender, or would you rather make me drive this straight through your heart? Personally, I’d prefer the second. Always wanted to stab an heiress before.”
Sona’s expression didn’t falter. Of course the woman still bore a grudge, she had anticipated that. Rather than give her the satisfaction, she tilted her head slightly, let her eyes fall to the ground, and then lifted them again with a radiant smile blossoming across her face.
“It was great,” she said warmly, her voice laced with fondness rather than regret. “I had a lot of fun, Hachiman.”
He smirked, folding his arms. “Next time, let’s just play a game of chess instead of a Rating Game. This is far too troublesome. And hopefully your sister won’t try to hunt me down again if I win and she assumes I’m going to marry you.”
“She won’t,” Sona said quickly, cheeks blazing red as the memory returned. Embarrassment danced across her features, but beneath it, a light sense of relief. She had missed this — missed the rush, the tension, even the playful barbs they traded.
Maybe, just maybe, losing to him didn’t sting as much as she had feared. In fact, as she closed her eyes for a moment and let the last remnants of magic dissipate from her limbs, Sona realized it felt rather liberating.
“Don’t give up so soon, Kaichou! I’m still in the enemy’s territory, right?”
Issei's voice sounded from their communication spell.
“Huh? Y-Yes?” She answered with some hesitation.
All three of their heads snapped up.
A sudden eruption of demonic energy surged from the mall below, shaking the very foundations of the arena. It didn’t just rise, it exploded into the heavens in the form of a brilliant emerald pillar, like a beacon for the underworld itself. The force of it sent gusts rolling across the arena, and within the roar came the unmistakable cry of a dragon.
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Boost!]
[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]
Even from this height, the voice reverberated through every bone in their bodies. In the corner of her eye, Sona caught sight of Hachiman burying his face in his hand with a long, exaggerated sigh.
“Stupid Main protagonist power up nonsense…,” he muttered under his breath, though his voice was half-lost to the wind and magical resonance.
She, however, was too stunned to reply. Her mind reeled in disbelief as she gazed down toward the glowing figure at the heart of the pillar.
Her Pawn, who had not yet fully mastered his Sacred Gear last she checked, was now unleashing a level of strength that could shake even the most elite of devils.
And all she could do was stare, mouth slightly open, at the impossibility of it all.
Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 38: Strange Summoning
Beta read by Shigiya, Gamercrusher55 and Darklord331
Next update is Snafu.
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-Fuyuki, Miyama City, Foreign Residential District, Southern End-
The sound of footsteps echoed through the Fuyuki street, lights brightening the area in the more modern residential district, and one person ran through the night.
“Hah! Hah! Hah! Damn it, hah… should have done this the moment those monsters started showing up!”
A twin-tailed, black haired, high schooler in red ran through the night, her footsteps the only sound in the streets. The only thing the lights on the streets could catch was her swaying hair, her red shirt, and her long legs as they ran nonstop to a destination down south.
A few onlookers who worked throughout the night shift spared her a curious glance, the question is why a student would run so hurriedly and so late in her uniform. She paid them no mind, of course, the worry of maintaining the proper image of a prim and proper lady being the furthest thing on the girl's mind at the moment. Rin was eternally grateful that she stayed fit and exercised every morning.
After the whole disaster and near death experience facing a Berserker of all things and discovering the truth Emiya kept hidden for so long under her nose — she genuinely felt a bit pissed. Rin didn’t waste a single second more, running to her home as if a massive boulder was barreling straight behind her. Several thoughts were barreling in her head as she stayed alert, her body tense as if something could attack her at any moment.
‘I assumed that the Masters would only start fighting after the war had started, but that little Einzbern had completely thrown that assumption out the window. She didn’t even care that we hadn’t summoned our Servants yet; she just wanted to kill us for her own goals.’
If she wanted to be even capable of standing her ground as an equal to any of the competitors, she couldn't waste any more time, she had to get to her workshop as soon as possible and start the process. She remembered the time from Emiya-kun’s house, so she knew it wasn’t two o’clock just yet, which meant she was still a few hours away from having her magical energy at its peak.
Finally, she saw the footsteps to her Western-style house. It was effectively a two-story mansion colored brown and white, her ceilings covered in brown tiles and two chimneys; the whole building itself was surrounded by various trees, flora, and fauna. One could see how the greenery had slowly grown over some parts and windows since she didn’t have the money for complete gardening.
To be honest Rin hadn’t even had any left over money for any type of cleaning service and had to do it all herself after spending a large chunk to buy a supply of gems from that damned Edelfeft heiress… not that she could even complain with the discount she got. But still!
The smug face that blonde showed as if treating the entire deal like a charity case infuriated her to an extreme!
Arriving at her house, she easily passed through the gates and the bounded field around her home. She opened the door as soon as possible, entered inside, and then locked it.
Wasting no time, she went straight to the mansion’s basement, the workshop inherited from her father. Finally coming inside it's safe confines, she took a few deep, calming breaths and looked around. The workshop held no particularly complex design, the room consisting of two parts, starting with a large table in the center.
One end had several tables, cabinets, shelves, diagram tables, and workstations filled with various manuscripts, gems, magical ingredients, and books used whenever she researched her magecraft and experimented with certain spells; and when she wasn’t, they just served as a large source of her magecraft heritage.
The other half, on the other hand, was most defined by the fireplace at the end, several boxes full of relics, antiques, and mystic codes, and a statue. It was mostly an empty area where she used said spells in question, whether it be to check for its destructive capabilities, or to avoid accidentally blowing up her papers. Well, it was either that or for her workout sessions, as her exercise equipment was placed around as well, like the yoga ball, dumbbells, gymnastic hoops, a body-sized heavy punching bag, and a Wing Chun wooden dummy to practice her bajiquan.
The entire surrounding area of her workshop was covered in her books and papers…at times, they were towering piles… seeing this, she really did need to do a cleaning one of these days. That is, if she makes it out of the Grail War alive. Anyway, other than that was the summoning circle in the open section near the fireplace, which she recently refurbished.
She moved across the workshop, scavenging through her personal belongings, uncovering a handful of gems of the highest quality. Each was filled to the brim with energy, as she had prepared them to be used for the Summoning ritual. “These would have been useful against Berserker… then again, good thing I do not keep them with me.”
In any case, Rin gathered them and headed into the middle of the summoning circle her father once used during the previous war. Looking at the grandfather clock, and patiently wait and mentally prepare for everything to align.
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Unbeknownst to her, the situation with Luvia had caused her unnecessary distraction, and the situation with Berserker had made it worse…she hadn’t even noticed the mystic changes to her house nor her fathers’s test to award her legacy items as a prize. The clock continued to tick, uncaring of the disruption that would come from this.
(A few hours later, Fuyuki, Miyama City, Foreign Residential District, Between Shopping District and Southern End)
Still on the south side of town, but closer to the centralized area of town, a certain violet-haired girl wandered through the empty streets of Fuyuki, her footsteps soft against the quiet pavement. Now and then, she passed by familiar faces, shopkeepers closing their businesses rather late today, an elderly couple drinking tea while someone lit a small wooden stove in the middle, grilling various foods, each greeting her with a polite nod or a smile. She returned each gesture with the same expression, a warm curve of her lips, yet beneath it all lay a weight so heavy on her chest it threatened to crush the breath from her lungs. She wouldn’t have even given them attention before, but after what happened with her Senpai, she received a much brighter outlook on her surroundings.
She cast a glance behind her. The samurai house, faintly visible in the growing morning mist, still stood in the distance, just discernible enough to draw a final sting of emotion. That place, where she had said her goodbyes, was behind her now. She had taken nothing with her. All the belongings she left behind were things he had given her: clothes, gifts, tiny tokens of kindness she could not bring herself to sully by dragging them back into the shadows of her house. They were precious to her. Symbols of something softer. Something warm. She would not let them be tainted.
"Ah, sorry."
Sakura barely registered her own surroundings at that moment. Lost in her thoughts, she had accidentally bumped into someone. Instinctively, stepping back and bowing, her apology already tumbling from her mouth before she even looked at the person.
And then she did.
The violet-haired woman blinked, startled, not because she recognized the person before her, nor out of any sense of danger. She was taken aback purely by the figure's striking beauty. ‘A foreigner? I feel like… I feel like I saw her somewhere before.’
Golden hair, so lustrous it looked like sunlight woven into silk, framed a face so delicate it might have been sculpted from porcelain. Blue eyes, bright and glittering like polished sapphires, met her gaze for the briefest of moments. The girl's features were small, almost doll-like, as if pulled from a storybook, like something one might see gracing the cover of a fairytale.
The silence between them barely lasted a few heartbeats before Sakura found her voice again.
"Ah, s-sorry, I'm very sorry again. I didn't mean to stare."
Her cheeks flushed as she bowed repeatedly, embarrassment flaring. For a moment, she wondered if the girl was a foreigner and might not understand her words. But her worries quickly dissolved.
"It's fine. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention either," the girl replied, her voice soft and tinged with no accent — speaking fluently. Her hands rose awkwardly, as if to brush the encounter away.
Before Sakura could respond, the other party tugged her hood up over her head, concealing her golden locks and most of her face. Then, without another word, she moved on, her footsteps brisk, posture stiff with discomfort. Almost like she wanted to disappear. Her retreat left Sakura standing there, puzzled. Had she offended her somehow? Or perhaps the girl was just terribly shy?
She couldn't say. The sensation lingered, unsettling in a way she couldn't name. The girl had felt... strange. Not in any clear or obvious way, hard to pinpoint the exact thing bothering her, but the person felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Sakura shook the feeling off with effort. The sun would rise soon, and she had little time to waste.
Her steps resumed with more certainty as she continued down the road, eventually taking a familiar turn. The buildings around her thinned with each passing street until only a few structures remained, spaced far apart and heavy with the decay of time. Ahead, silhouetted faintly in the distance, loomed the old Matou manor.
A visual appearance would describe it as a western style mansion that possessed at least three floors, three chimneys, and a large greenhouse connected to it, having its own large glass roof. A white tiled road led to the bricked mansion which was colored mostly black while the roofing and certain parts covering the residence was covered a deep blue. White tiles were framing the windows of all floors on their top and bottom, and one could clearly see the paint on them chipped as if time had not been kind to them. Both autumn colored trees that were out of place when they were at the crossroads between winter and spring and muddy green bushes that could climb over certain parts of the mansion, especially the green house, could both be seen close to walls at the edge of the pale grass yard.
However if one looked closely at the mansion they could notice another set of windows at the bottom of the walls of the mansion, surrounding the entire building. These windows were not covered by glass but by bars, both of which had small enough openings that only something truly small like small animals and insects could squeeze through. All that could be seen beyond those passages was darkness… total darkness and a disgusting stench.
A hellish, almost nightmarish place where her earliest memory was of suffering in a pit of worms. Crying for her mother and uncle to come and save her — back then she had not yet gotten numb to the pain.
And now, here she was. Returning to hell.
The old manor stood like a forgotten monument, unchanged by time, untouched, with its muddy, sickly growth of its vines appearing as if it wanted to cover the whole mansion..
"Hah." Taking a deep breath, Sakura reminded herself why she had come and for whom. Her arms trembled with nervous tension, but she stilled them, pressing down the swirling anxiety. She stepped forward, boots crunching softly against the gravel path, eyes locked on the worn-down home ahead.
She didn’t press a bell. The iron gate creaked open of its own accord, he knew she was here, for that man was watching her ever since she left Shirou's house. The front door lay at the end of a short walkway, its chipped paint and a thin layer of dust making it clear that no one had bothered to clean up the place after she left. She stood still before it for a moment, gathering her breath, then finally raised her hand and knocked.
Footsteps echoed from within, drawing closer with uneven weight. When the door opened, it wasn’t the gnarled old man she half-expected.
But rather a boy with seaweed-like blue hair.
"What the fuck?"
That was the first thing out of his mouth, his face a blend of disbelief, like someone staring down the ghost. His posture stiffened, shoulders rising, eyes narrowing as he peered at her back with alarm and fear. She didn’t return his fear. Her expression remained calm, if strained. A forced smile curved her lips, pale and faint but resolute.
"It's been a while, Onii-sama."
"What the fuck, Sakura? Why the hell did you come back here?" he demanded, voice rising an octave as confusion set in. Then something shifted behind his eyes, panic. He suddenly shoved the door halfway shut again, only a narrow slit left open with his panicked gaze peeking through.
"Shit. You brought him, didn’t you?! Don't play smug just because you’ve got him dancing around like your little boy toy now! I’m warning you, he’s not punching me again like last time! He lays a hand on me, and he’ll regret it! Grandpa won’t allow it!"
His voice was trembling now, flicking his head around as if searching the shadows for a red-haired demon. Even though this happened a while ago and Shriou did say things started to calm down, I guess he misunderstood her arrival and immediately jumped to conclusion.
She found it funny, in a twisted way. The idea of anyone being scared of her senpai was absurd to her. Especially after what happened last night, hard to see him in such a light.
"He’s not here, big brother," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I came by myself."
"You serious?"
"I am."
The words seemed to stall him for a few beats. Then, slowly, he pushed the door wide open again, disbelief still etched into his face. And then, he laughed. Loud, unfiltered laughter that grated in the air around them.
"Hahaha! So it really happened! That guy actually pussied out!”
“N-No, it is not because of that—”
“—acting all high and mighty back then, it's a miracle grandpa did not just kill him immediately. I bet he's crying, right? Since now you’re crawling back here on your own? Most likely huddled up in a corner, sobbing like a baby, begging you to come back—oof!"
A loud slap cut through the air like a whip crack, echoing down the narrow street. His head snapped to the side, and his mouth hung open, stunned in silence.
She stood before him, her palm still lifted, her face no longer calm like before.
He had never seen her angry. Not like this.
Eyes burning with resentment, breath shallow, her voice trembled with control. "Don’t… don't speak about him like that. I-I didn’t come here because he failed me. I came here for other reasons… to protect him."
She hoped at first he would understand her words, but Shinji always had a temper, something her brother possessed in abundance. His face twisted, blotching with red as a different kind of rage took hold, wounded pride. He lunged forward and seized her wrist hard enough to make her wince.
"You fucking slut," he spat. "Having Emiya hit me was one thing, but now you think you can just slap me too? Where the hell did that courage come from, huh? You get it from spending a few nights screwing him? Does he make you feel brave? Did he fuck you knowing the truth? That you’re just another whore who slept with—"
"Enough."
A single tap of a cane. That was all it took to snatch the words from the boy’s throat, fear swallowing the breath in his lungs. His lips parted, but no sound came. He simply stood frozen, as if the very air had thickened into ice around him. Quickly letting go of her and stumbling backwards just enough for her to see the person standing behind him.
"Grandpa…" Sakura’s voice trembled, her earlier rage dissipating completely, giving place to a familiar emotion of fear born of long years in this man’s shadow. The source of her misery stood before her, unchanged in appearance wise yet strangely different.
"I have returned," she said at last, gaze lowered. She could not meet his eyes.
But there was something odd about him, something she had never noticed before. His face was pale, more so than usual… if she were to explain it, then it felt as if he looked exhausted both physically and mentally. Was it time that had worn him down? No, Zouken lived for centuries and never showed such signs, practically immortal, or was her memory simply betraying her?
"As I said to the boy… in the end, you returned without me needing to lift a finger." His tone, cool and amused, did little to soothe her nerves. "Though I admit, I expected the boy to be the one to bring you back. But I suppose his attention lies elsewhere these days, given the arrival of the Einzbern child."
Sakura's fists clenched, not in fury, but from unease. She stepped further into the mansion, fully aware that he had been watching her all along, had likely anticipated her arrival since the moment she left Shirou’s home.
He always delighted in needling her for his own amusement with such comments. Always striking where it hurt the most.
"I was growing a touch impatient, truth be told," the old man went on. "Nearly decided to make the journey myself. Perhaps bring something more persuasive to the negotiation table. But now that the boy’s a Master, I must tread more carefully, mustn’t I?"
"What? Emiya’s a master? Are you serious!?"
His grandson’s outburst rang out, utterly fixated on a different matter. His fists clenched with fury, his voice rising with rage. "Damn that show-off… I’ll show him. Just because he’s a Master now doesn’t mean he summoned a good Servant! I’ll get my revenge!"
Zouken didn’t so much as blink at his descendant’s rant. His gaze remained fixed on Sakura. “The title of a Master carries more value than just the son of the Magus Killer. Had you gone further, and decided using your body and his love for you — having him join our side wouldn't have been impossible.”
“...”
“Oho~ are you unwilling to do so, child?” He asked with a grin, seeing her darkened expression.
“... I… I-I can summon a Servant, there is no need to have Senpai involved.”
“Do you fear I'll end up controlling him? Or killing him, then stealing his Servant? Come now, you know me better than that.”
She knew him better than most, which was precisely why she'd never allow Shirou anywhere near this alliance. A quick death would be mercy compared to what Zouken did to those who outlived their usefulness. She'd seen it firsthand too many times.
"Now that you've returned willingly," he said, dismissing Shinji's outburst as if it were merely background noise, "we can finally proceed. After all these years of waiting... your body should be properly conditioned now." His withered lips curved into what might have been a smile. "Let us begin the preparations."
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The pit.
The true form of the Matou’s Workshop.
A catacombs underneath the mansion made entirely of stone. The four stone walls, filled entirely with countless row’s of stone passages the size of windows, surround the entire perimeter of the chamber, and stretched far and wide both vertically and horizontally covering every spot in the chamber. To enter any of those passages was nothing, but a fool's errand, a labyrinth impossible to navigate, and they were not even made for people, but for something else, far fowler.
Even she knew not where they led, be it a secret magecraft chamber, or a hidden passage to the surface, but the one thing she did know is that, she never wanted to go through it. The only smell that came from them was nothing but rot and corpses.
There were only two structures different in that entire arrangement, a plain stone staircase connected to one wall that led to an elevated floor on another wall-- the only surefire passage out of this maze and to the secret spiral staircase that led out of this wretched place. It also served as a safety area when the pit was filled.
The second was on the opposite wall from the stairs, one small area with no stone passage, but a clear piece of wall equipped with prison shackles and chains designed to stretch and imprison the arm’s of their captor with no hope of escape. A small elongated cube stone jutted out from the floor of it, not even high enough for a chained person to sit on.
Without fail that was the clear proof of the true nature of this place — a prision.
At the ceiling the four sides each had a small green light, with a large green window, at the center of the basement level. Most likely when the moon and the stars were needed for magic rituals, but mostly they just glowed sickly green covering the dark catacombs with sickness.
Lastly at the very center was a small staircase in the floor that led even deeper down, the only thing around it were the high black fence bars on three sides ensuring that whatever raised or lowered could only go one way. Only darkness was beyond those stairs, and a pool of something slithering nesting and breeding. A nightmare where no one could go down.
This was the Matou workshop, a churning, writhing abyss filled with worms. The stench alone could empty a man’s stomach, but it was the sound, the slick, nauseating squelch of flesh and slime, that truly turned one's blood cold. Merely glimpsing it was enough to drain the colour from any soul unfortunate enough to bear witness.
And Sakura knew it intimately. These things had crawled across every inch of her body, inside and out, their vile movements forever imprinted on her nerves. Once, the pain had been enough to break her mind. Now, she no longer screamed. She no longer even reacted.
She had become numb.
Not even when they walked on the catacombs floor did it’s slimness and dark liquid’s were enough to get a reaction from her.
"Normally, a master requires a catalyst to summon the Servant they desire. Avoiding getting stuck with one hard to control or a weak one compared to the other Heroic Spirit." Zouken explained, voice echoing through the hollow chamber. "In the absence of one, the Grail will instead call forth a servant aligned with your self. Compatibility, you see. And given several servants have already been summoned, including Berserker, we need not fear any unruly ones being summoned."
He said it while rubbing his chin, observing the summoning circle to make sure everything was perfect.
"You, in your present condition, can support a Berserker without dying. Your body should be able to sustain the energy consumption of such an entity with ease, unlike your foolish uncle, who needed my help only to just to lose control of his soon after. Rider is out of the picture, so is Caster, and the Servant summoned by that brat accompanying El-Melloi, has been pretty sensitive to the presence of my worms, killing them immediately. I'd rather not push my luck and force the other party to retaliate, but still they remain the one’s I know least of."
She nodded wordlessly, standing at the heart of the summoning circle. It had been carved into the ground with precision, etched between the slithering filth. A small portion of the pit had been cleared for her, but still the worms encroached, inching closer with every breath.
"Since we lack a catalyst, proceed as you are," the old man said. "Let us trust the Grail. It will deliver what is necessary."
Lacking a Catalyst, Sakura knew that was a lie. Her grandfather had once mentioned one, at a time when she was semi-conscious in the pit — a mirror piece, if she recalled correctly. She wondered why he changed that decision, or rather, she already suspected a few reasons.
Another tap of the cane echoed through the chamber. "It's best to have one's magical energy at its peak to perform the summoning, but given the nature of your current body, such matter is of no importance any longer. Although there is still much to be completed, the basic foundation has been laid within you. So, don't waste any more of it, girl. This has been a long time coming." Zouken’s voice was quiet. He stood like a statue, eyes half-lidded, unmoving. Sakura couldn't read him. Not truly. But there was something... off. He sounded almost hurried. That was strange in itself. Zouken was never in a hurry in the past.
Why now? What was he rushing toward?
"Does that mean I’ll finally be a Master?"
From the far side of the room, carefully keeping a generous distance from the writhing pits of worms, Shinji’s voice rang out with all the pomp of a boy pretending at glory. He stood by the stairs, arms folded, his tone brimming with anticipation.
Zouken only gave a brittle chuckle in response, a sound like dry twigs snapping underfoot.
"If the Heroic Spirit summoned by your sister is not particularly strong-willed or difficult to control, then yes."
He said it without looking, almost dismissively.
Sakura did not like that idea, the fact that Shinji may end up controlling the Servant at first. Knowing her brother, the moment he received a Servant, he would turn on Shirou with the eagerness of a starving dog. That much was certain. But the issue remained of his lackluster Magic Circuits that had atrophied to such a degree that not even her grandfather bothered to teach him magecraft — instead focusing purely on changing her body to be able to use signature magecraft of the Matou family.
Whatever Servant under his control after she relinquished hers would be drastically weakened due to not having enough Magical Energy from the Master to sustain themselves. That lack would gnaw away at them, demanding sustenance from other sources, most likely.
It would be the birth of a Soul Eater, if nothing was done to stop it.
"Enough of this. Proceed."
The order cracked through the silence like a whip. And so, with trembling hands pressed tightly around the contents in her pockets, an item she had selfishly taken as a way for her to keep her cool, Sakura stepped forward. She had no idea what kind of Servant she might summon. Not really.
Someone like Rider was the best-case scenario. A person who could understand her.
“Would you like to strip, it would be beneficial to ensure nothing you possess can interfere with the summoning.”
“That won’t be necessary grandfather, I have nothing of value to do so.”
Even though Rider had every reason to turn on her, she hadn’t. She'd spoken kindly. Fought fiercely. She had been a rare comfort in an endless cycle of pain, acting almost like an older sister at times… or a friend. But Sakura knew better than to hope for such kindness again.
So instead, she held onto memories.
To warmth.
To his face. His voice. His touch.
She reached for those precious fragments, letting the weight of them anchor her as she stepped into the circle.
Her voice was quiet, but steady.
"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation. Let the great ancestor of magic (Schweinorg) be the origin..."
The chant spilled from her lips, flowing like ancient poetry, the magic surging with it.
"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reach unto the Kingdom rotate. I hereby declare..."
The circle at her feet began to glow, its etchings pulsing like a heartbeat beneath the floor. Magical energy thickened the air. Dust lifted. The temperature dropped.
“W-Woah!”
A bit overwhelmed by the sight, Shinji ended up leaving the catacomb, perhaps thinking she was going to fail and have the place blow up based on that look he gave. His action earned a faint sneer from Zouken at his descendants' cowardice.
"Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you heed the Grail’s call and obey my will and reason, then answer me."
Each word tightened the air further, as though the very fabric of the world began to strain.
"I make this oath. I am the one who commands those remembered by the Throne."
At nearly the same moment, far across the city, another voice completed the same ritual but with a different incantation. A twin-tailed mage, having waited for the right moment until the clock's hour hand hit two, she whispered the last lines of her own incantation deep in the dimly lit basement of her home. Two sisters. Two circles. Two hearts were thrown into the ritual with different hopes.
One awaited her Servant with bright-eyed ambition to push past the boundaries of her current self and restore her family's position in the eyes of the Clocktower — to reach the ultimate summit of her craft.
The other, with a desperate need to save he who she held dear. Not wanting to reach the root nor achieve what all mages sought in their lives.
The circles did not consume that much magical energy as she anticipated.
Sakura closed her eyes.
Just like Shirou had shielded her, she wanted to shield him too. Not merely a girl in the background. Not just the one waiting to be saved. She wanted to stand with him. Fight beside him.
But even as she clung to that dream, she knew the truth better than anyone.
There would come a day when she might lose control, a day where she might fight against him instead. And yet, she had chosen this path in the hopes of a better outcome.
This was her gamble, she was willing to take it.
She drew one last breath and let the words leave her lips just as the mana in the room began to spike. The worms recoiled from the raw amount, twisting in apparent discomfort, though Zouken seemed unmoved. If anything, his grin widened, eyes glinting.
"The fifth war will belong to the Makiri."
He whispered. She caught every word, wondering how he could sound so certain when monsters like the Einzbern’s Berserker were still in play, one even Rider had shown wariness toward.
"You, seven heavens clothed in the three great words, come forth from the circle of restraint — Guardian of the Scales!"
The final chant echoed through the chamber. Her heart thudded, her gaze fixed on the glowing summoning circle. She waited. Every second crawled, stretching her nerves to the breaking point. She clutched her arms to her chest, breath shallow, a light sting at the back of her palm failing to catch the woman's attention.
The pattern for the Command Seals coming to life.
Yet despite that…
“...”
Nothing happened afterwards.
The circle, once ablaze with magical energy, began to dim. The hum of energy softened. One second passed. Then another. The light flickered once more and finally went out.
It returned to its original, lifeless state.
No figure emerged. No aura filled the room.
Silence.
She blinked.
"What?”
Had she… failed?
The same sentiment seemed to cross Zouken’s eyes until he gazed at the pattern on the back of her hand. “Strange, the summoning ritual went mostly well without any lacking elements, but why hasn't any Heroic Spirit appeared?”
Both ended up halting that train of thought as soon as they heard a loud noise coming from above.
Crash!
“Hyaaaaaa!”
The sound of wooden boards breaking, followed by something heavy crashing into the living room that happened to be right above her, accompanied by Shinji’s terrified scream. Momentarily at a loss, Sakura looked at her grandfather, searching for answers — only to see a murderous look on his face.
“That woman dared to attack me at this moment in my own territory!?” In the next moment, his figure disappeared with a swarm of worms heading upstairs, leaving the girl alone till she decided to follow along as well. A strange sensation was settling in her gut, fearing that this commotion was due to someone else entirely.
‘Please don't let it be Shirou, please don't let it be him. Rider gave me her word… You mustn't come here!’ Her heart was beating mercilessly, goosebumps spreading across her skin as she rushed as fast as her legs could take her. She made her way up to the hallway and ran to where the commotion came from.
There she saw her grandfather standing in the middle gazing at something on the other side with her brother having fallen on his butt, trembling while being covered in sawdust and black soot.
“Wait, grandfather! Don't hurt senpai! Let me talk to him first!” She screamed out loud, having concluded that this had to be none other than Shirou. Right as she reached the old man's side, hoping to stop him before he could attack, she ended up seeing a strange sight from the corner of her eyes. “—?”
The rooftop of their house has a large hole in the middle with something big having fallen through. Their living room was in complete disarray, with broken furniture and shards of glass everywhere. A cloud of smoke filled the area, and in the middle, she barely managed to spot a tall figure getting up on his feet while dusting off his shoulders.
“Hn, another botched summoning.” A deep voice she did not recognise came from this person as he then sighed, unfortunately, she was barely able to hear what he whispered exactly.
As the dust started to settle, bit by bit, she started to see his figure more clearly, the first thing catching her attention being his height once more. Even from afar she could tell he was at least two heads taller than herself, then finally it was the white hair and red clothing tightly covering his arms and back and the black armour beneath it.
‘A S-Saber? Lancer?’ She tried to guess which class he belonged to, though there were not many clues on his appearance to suggest anything conclusive. Yet for some reason, the closer she looked at his face, the stronger the nagging feeling at the back of her mind became.
Having most likely heard the sound of footsteps earlier, he turned around to face them, and she got to stare back at sharp steel gray eyes, the latter of which immediately zoned in on her face. Widening at first before reverting back to something calmer.
Even without having introduced himself, Sakura already knew what this person was.
"Interesting," he murmured, though what he meant by it was unclear. He stepped forward, paying no mind to Zouken or Shinji, one hand resting on his hip as he studied her with a faint frown.
"I ask of you… Are you my Master?"
{Break}
-Fuyuki, Miyama City, Forested Area, Western End -
While the two sisters finished the summoning ritual in their individual homes, the same figure Sakura would have immediately recognised from the earlier encounter walked to the forest clearing where Sakura, Rin, and Shirou had faced Illya before.
Even with not a soul around, the girl still chose to keep her hood on. Though her mind was instead focusing on something else entirely. “I should also start wearing a mask now.” She whispered to herself, still feeling a sense of uneasiness at her earlier meeting with the violet-haired woman. Though her appearance had changed recently, Shirou would have recognised her as well.
“It appears we have arrived here too late, Master.”
Gray shivered as she heard the voice, clenching her fist before glaring at the person behind her. Another hooded figure just like herself, holding many similarities from the shape of their faces to the same blonde hair colour and green eyes. The sole physical trait distinguishing them was a faint white line across Gray’s face, a remnant of a recently inflicted light wound that had not completely healed yet.
And the dark circles around Gray's eyes suggest several sleepless nights.
“Don't… don't come any closer to me, please,” she said, barely able to disguise the anger in her tone. Her answer did not offend the person behind her as she nodded and took a few steps back, having clearly gotten used to the treatment of her Master ever since she was summoned. “... Hah, did you sense how many of them were here?”
Yet despite the harsh treatment, there existed nothing but acceptance and sorrow in the Servant's eyes as she looked at the figure ahead.
“Hard to tell given how far away we were, but from the damages I can guess probably two of them. Doesn't seem like it was a lengthy battle; most likely, both Servants were sizing each other up instead of trying to kill one another, maybe. I can't tell where they must have gone afterwards.”
“Is that really all you can give me!?” Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but her anger managed to slip by, and she ended up shouting at the other person.
“... I'm sorry, Master.”
“Damn it,” Gray exclaimed with frustration. She wanted to get done with this war as soon as possible, even if it put her own life at risk. She did not care, time was no longer on her side, and with every passing day, she could almost feel a tiny piece of her disappearing bit by bit.
“Maybe we should seek potential allies who may help us with information.”
An ally? As if something like this were possible during a Holy Grail War, in the end, every Master's goal was to kill the competition, and she doubted anyone would help her without trying to backstab her at the end.
“It's possible that one of the Servants might still be in the area. I may be able to sense them if we are close enough.”
Truthfully, Gray did not want to spend another second with her. But she also knew that she had no other choice but to get done with this matter as soon as possible, and she was her only ticket out of this mess.
“Alright, just… go look around, I'll stay here.” She said, wanting to have a moment of peace away from her. Her Servant did not try to argue with the request, nodding before walking away. Now all by herself, Gray felt her legs turn into jelly, forcing her to lean against a tree, sliding down until the girl was sitting on the ground. Unconsciousness threatened to overtake her at any moment due to the lack of sleep.
From a pocket, she retrieved a cage with a cube that made no sound, looking completely lifeless, unlike how it was before. She placed it in front of her, her fingers lighting across the metallic surface while she silently whispered.
“Please wake up, Add.”
Yet nothing happened. All she got was silence as the Mystic Code remained unresponsive. And the only person she had to blame for this was her own Servant.
Steel Eyed Faker Chapter 18: Rumours
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness and Shigiya.
Next update is Fate Coiling Sword which will be updated in... (☉｡☉)! 5 mins.
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-Revolutionary Army Headquarters-
Regret.
It clung to her like a second skin, stubborn and unshakable, burrowing into the marrow of the silver-haired ex-Imperial general. She sat motionless, save for the impatient tap of her finger against her shoulder, her thoughts adrift in the hum of the room around her.
She had failed to be there when they needed her most and allowed herself to get swayed by just a few words from her allies, imploring her to stay behind.
And worst of all, she felt as if her strength was slipping further with each passing day.
Across from her, defiant as ever, Bulat had his hair no longer styled in that ridiculous pompadour and instead just letting it down. A person who had nearly bled to death was flashing her a lopsided grin, the kind meant to banish her guilt.
…It didn’t work.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, voice low as she took a long drag of her cigarette. Around them, the makeshift infirmary of the Revolutionary Army pulsed with activity; healers, medics, and aides weaving between the injured, binding wounds, administering painkillers, whispering reassurances that might or might not be true. The air was thick with antiseptic, blood, and the acrid scent of burnt flesh, some poor souls needing to have their wounds cauterized on the spot. In hindsight, perhaps smoking here was a terrible idea, but the habit had taken over before she realized it.
The nurses gave her nervous glances but said nothing. Too afraid to challenge one of the best military minds in the Revolutionary Army, perhaps. Not like she ever threw a fit if someone asked her to stop… probably had something to do with her overall presence, which her dear little brother said was intimidating to others.
Pft, like he was one to talk.
“Bright and dandy, Najenda!” Bulat replied, far too cheerfully for a man wrapped in bandages and confined to a hospital gown covered in gauze patches. His left arm was decorated in medical tape and plaster, but her eyes were drawn inevitably to the other side. Or rather, to the empty space where his right arm had once been, now replaced with a blood-stained bundle of gauze.
“Don’t make that face,” he said, chuckling despite the weight of it all. “I chose to go through with the mission, and there’s no way in hell I would’ve let you come with me even if I’d known how it would end. It was a trap, and we knew it and knowingly took a risk.”
“A risk far too great that at no point should I have even given any consideration to,” she replied bitterly.
“Probably,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I’m still alive, aren’t I? One arm down, sure, but that’s not a deal-breaker. I can still fight. Just gotta adjust my style a bit.”
He said it lightly, flashing the same crooked smile that on so many occasions had comforted frightened rookies. But she wasn’t fooled. She knew, just as he did, that he wouldn’t be rejoining Night Raid anytime soon on any missions. A warrior like him might still swing a blade or pull a trigger, but the front lines were unforgiving. He was lucky to have survived. A quieter life was his best shot now.
One without bloodshed.
One where he could disappear.
One where this soldier could live in peace, as he had earned.
But even that was a fantasy. A man like him was still branded, still being hunted by the Empire. Retirement wouldn’t offer Bulat any peace. It would just be a more drawn-out death. And a man like Bulat would never consent to sit back and try to get all cozy while his comrades were still risking their lives.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said suddenly, as if reading her thoughts. “This setback won’t stop me. I can work with a prosthetic. And even without Incursio, my skills haven’t dulled. Heck, I learned a lot and got some good experience against the general. I’ve already got a few ideas for our next encounter once I’ve got myself back in fighting condition.”
“You idiot,” she muttered, her voice suddenly sharp. “You barely made it out alive, and now you want to leap right back into the flames? That’s not bravery. That’s suicide.”
“So is standing against the Empire,” he fired back without hesitation. “We all knew what we were signing up for. Every single one of us. Esdeath was never a surprise. It’s a constant possibility that’s been trailing us since day one. Eventually, it catches up. That’s just the truth of it. Me? I got lucky. I lost an arm and my Teigu, but I lived. Tell me, how many other people in history can say they went toe-to-toe with General Esdeath, the Empire’s Strongest, and walked away?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes narrowed, then the answer slipped out before she could stop it.
“One.”
"Exactly. Now, better make that a two," Bulat grinned, tapping the side of his head as though he were already imagining the plaque on a wall. "That's a medal of honour I'll proudly wear to my grave."
She didn't reply.
Najenda studied him quietly, almost envious of how the man could still muster a smile after everything. It wasn’t bravado… somehow, he was still as positive as ever. Still laughing. Still hopeful. And yet, that very hope made her stomach twist. Most would have fallen apart from the loss of a limb, let alone the Imperial Arm that had defined their strength — especially a powerful one like Incursio.
"Besides," he added with a smirk, leaning against the old, weathered cot that groaned under his weight, "I've still got plenty to teach Tatsumi. The kid’s got potential, I’ll give him that. During our last mission, I saw something in him. Just a flicker, mind you, but real. And holy hell, did he actually have the balls to kick Esdeath herself in the face? If I hadn’t been doubled over in agony, I swear I would’ve laughed until my stitches tore."
She allowed herself the faintest curl of a smile. A small thing, but genuine. A gem in the rough, that boy. She had seen it too, sharp instincts, raw courage and a good heart which was a rarity in the Empire these days. Her brother had seen it as well. With proper training and a compatible Teigu like Shambhala, Tatsumi could become something remarkable.
"I'm sure he’ll be glad to hear that," she said quietly. Then her tone hardened, eyes narrowing. "But as for you… From now on, I won’t allow you to return to the front lines."
Bulat blinked. The smile froze. His brows pulled together, confusion mingled with disbelief. He looked at her like she'd just denied him air. "Boss…"
"That’s a direct order," she cut in, voice firm and unmoved. "You can either obey it or leave the group entirely. Or better yet, I can easily throw you out."
The words hit harder than her earlier silence.
"I hate to say this, but without a Teigu of your own, you are more of a liability than an asset in frontline combat. Your presence would be a risk to yourself and the rest of the team that would not be worth the potential rewards. Most of our enemies have their own Teigu, and one cannot fight another user of such relics without one of their own. And you don't bring up my brother in this! He is an anomaly who can create Teigu and Shingu alternatives on a whim, and no one else has a power like that."
The words were cruel.
But she meant every one of them. Sugar-coating the truth would only make things worse. And he knew it too.
"…I know," he said at last.
"Then why are you still so stubborn?"
"Because I know this isn’t the end for me," Bulat answered, his voice quiet but resolute. He looked her straight in the eye, unflinching. "Whether it’s with the Revolutionary Army or on my own, I’m not finished. Even if I get stripped of my position and have to work as a freelance mercenary, I won’t let this setback chain me down."
Her hands curled into fists at her sides. She wanted to shout at him, call him an idiot, shake some sense into that thick skull. But she didn’t. Because this was Bulat. He had always been this way — stubborn, relentless, unwilling to back down even when logic screamed otherwise. It was part of why she had brought him into the fold in the first place.
“Guh!”
So instead, she punched him.
Hard.
A right hook, quick and unexpected, slamming into his face. He stumbled back with a grunt, surprised but still standing. A small bruise was already forming on his cheek, but the bastard was still smirking.
"Don’t you dare go running to the battlefield like this," she growled, forcefully getting her breath under control. "But… I knew I’d have to expect this from you. That’s why I pulled some strings."
Without another word, she turned and led the way down the corridor. He followed, rubbing his face but not complaining. Soon, they arrived at one of the deeper wings of the Revolutionary Army’s hidden base. Guards stood watch at every checkpoint, nodding respectfully as they passed. When they reached the final door, a pair of soldiers moved to crank open the heavy mechanism, the metal groaning under its own weight.
The room beyond was a fortress of reinforced steel. It was more bunker than laboratory, with high ceilings, humming equipment, and the subtle hiss of pressurized locks.
"With Incursio gone," she began, stepping inside, "we lost one of our stronger weapons against the Empire. But over the years, we’ve recovered other Teigus through various skirmishes, heists, and even pure dumb luck. Powerful relics were seized and kept in here until suitable wielders could be found. Not all of them are exactly as powerful as your last one. Fewer still have chosen compatible wielders. But they’re here. And you’re going to try every last one of them until something sticks."
“Uh… what's that coffin over there? Is there someone in it?” Bulat pointed at the far corner of the room, where one could see a blue-haired man with horns sleeping within. A strange sight he had to admit, though the figure did not seem like a corpse.
“I have not checked,” she admitted with a simple shrug. “We did not come here for me to choose another Teigu for myself; I already have Pumpkin.”
Bulat nodded his head as they walked inside, his head turning to a glass container nearby, which held the headpiece that resembled an eye. The very same Imperial Arm that they acquired a while ago from a certain mass murderer.
“So no one managed to find a suitable user for Spectator.”
"It is a tricky weapon to use," she began, eyes lingering on the sleek, sealed vault ahead, its metallic doors humming faintly with latent power. "If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be used for all sorts of nefarious ends. Worse still, it had the effect of worsening Zank’s mentality because of all the people he executed, till he became a senseless killer. Hearing the thoughts of every single person you kill… Madness is a plausible outcome, I suppose. Very few have the fortitude to put on a Teigu that turned its last user into an insane killer."
"Can’t say I blame them, I myself don't think Spectator is the right tool for me," he muttered, voice low as they passed rows of dormant Imperial Arms resting like slumbering beasts behind reinforced glass. "It was hard enough keeping myself sane after pushing that cursed armor as far as I did, and that was just once. I can’t imagine what it'd be like being tethered to it day after day, all those impulses creeping into your mind. The thoughts of other people entering my head on a daily basis. I'd rather face Esdeath again than go through that."
"You’re not the only one who thinks like that."
Their boots echoed in rhythm down the steel corridor as they entered the heart of the vault. A shimmering wall came into view, densely lined with dormant weapons, each sealed in a separate alcove, humming with power. Some glowed faintly; others looked as lifeless as the corpses of their former wielders.
"These have been collected over the past half-decade," she said, coming to a stop, her voice laced with something between pride and sorrow. "They've seen battle, each one. And each one was recovered after its wielder fell. Thankfully, we reached them before the Empire could. A certain few have been damaged but are still usable, the knowledge on how to fix them is… not around per se."
Her hand extended toward a corner where a pair of worn, battered metal boots sat upon a polished stone pedestal. "That’s Stella. Grants the user enhanced speed and devastating strikes, especially their kicks. But overuse them and your bones and muscles will shatter from the pressure."
He gave them a cursory glance and shook his head. "Yeah, no. I know myself well enough to realize I tend to push myself pretty hard, and I like my skeleton to be intact when I do so, thanks. Even then, I use fist more than my legs."
She gave a quiet chuckle, then turned back toward the exit. "Take your time. I need to report to the higher-ups. The vault’s yours for now." With that, she disappeared into the hallway, leaving him in solemn silence.
She knew he’d figure it out alone. The room was a crucible of power, and he was sharp enough to sense which weapon would resonate with him before trying to pick it up. In truth, he could probably use any of them. Even Spectator would suit him, if he could handle its drawbacks. But the decision had to be his.
Meanwhile, she had her own burdens to bear.
It didn’t take long before she stood in the central meeting hall, tension hanging thick in the air. The leaders of the Revolutionary Army had gathered in full. Around the oval stone table sat generals, tacticians, and a certain tribal chieftain whom she had not seen for a while. Among them, her eyes locked on a blue-haired man, her brother ended up saving a while ago.
As to how he managed to convince this stubborn guy who had previously turned down plenty of invitations from them, that was still a mystery, the man himself was not in any hurry to clarify. Perhaps Esdeath’s forces had truly shaken him that much?
"Esdeath has grown more powerful than we suspected," Numa Seika said gravely, wasting no time with pleasantries. His words struck like a hammer blow, and no one dared to interrupt.
They all knew it to be the truth.
"We’ve long been aware of her strength," another general added, voice taut with anxiety. "But she hides her real capabilities. Rarely fights on the front lines herself. She uses her Beasts to strike for her, even though she could end entire battalions on her own. She doesn’t waste energy on what she deems beneath her."
Pride.
No, more like the woman just did not feel it was worthwhile to waste her strength on weaklings. She had always been like that.
"Your decision to proceed with that mission was dangerous," one of the older councilmen said, the edge in his tone drawing subtle nods from several others. His white beard trembled slightly as he spoke. "It was reckless, and it endangered everything we’ve accomplished around the Capital."
"I couldn’t ignore the opportunity," she replied evenly, her eyes locking onto his. "That old woman worked closely with Doctor Stylish for years. She may not have wielded Perfector, but her knowledge of his various projects alone would’ve been more valuable to us than any Teigu we might recover in the future."
There was silence. A few of the assembled leaders gave her reluctant but respectful nods at her statement; others kept their expressions guarded, still believing that it was not worth it or was too risky.
"In any case, the mission failed," Numa Seika said, steepling his fingers. "You didn’t retrieve the target. Worse, you nearly got one of your team’s key fighters killed. And now he’s crippled for life."
"His role in the team hasn’t ended yet," she said firmly, folding her arms. "Even with one arm, I believe he’s just as valuable to us as he ever was. He just needs time to figure out how to make it work, and is selecting a replacement Teigu as we speak."
It wasn’t as though the others openly scoffed or denied her words. No, their doubt came from a place of caution, not cynicism. And in truth, they had a point.
"Still," one of the older men sighed, fingers tapping against the wood like a slow march, "losing Incursio on top of Bulat being crippled is no small matter. That’s a serious blow to your Night Raid group. And considering how often your team encounters General Esdeath now that she’s taken up residence in the Capital, it’s fair to assume she’ll come for you again. Next time, I’m not confident the outcome will be so… forgiving."
She didn’t flinch.
"Bulat wasn’t the only one capable of facing her," she replied evenly. "We still have others who can stand their ground. We’ve developed strategies. We aren’t helpless."
“Archer,” Numa mentioned, making others turn their heads and almost making Najenda groan. These people would immediately change their attitude upon hearing his name. “He's been with you lately, hasn't he?”
“Archer has returned!? Why haven't we been notified!?” One of the generals exclaimed out loud. Yet he immediately noticed how some of the people did not seem as surprised as he was. “All of you knew?”
“We were informed, but due to how hectic things have been on the front lines, it was hard to relay the information to everybody. It appears you're the last one here to know.”
“Unbelievable!”
Seeing the group starting to argue with one another, Najenda cleared her throat to bring back their attention to the main topic of the conversation. “I'm sorry to hear that not everyone received the news at the same time, but there is no point in arguing anymore since he is already here and has even faced Esdeath recently.”
“They fought again? Then that means…”
“No, the damages were not nearly as bad as before, thankfully.” At that, several people released a sigh of relief.
"Even with Archer around, we still feel that the current situation with your Night Raid is lacking," Numa Seika interjected, arms folded tight across his chest. His eyes were distant, haunted by something that clearly hadn’t loosened its grip on him over the years. "That woman… she’s a monster. If we want any chance of keeping up with her, numbers are our best bet. Quality alone won’t suffice. And from what I’ve read, she is also assembling her own elite force once more, and they outnumber your own group. So we believe it’s best to reinforce your ranks."
Her gaze sharpened instantly. She didn’t have to ask. She already knew what he meant.
"Are you certain?" she asked. "I was under the impression that the Revolutionary Army was already stretched thin."
“With the Northern Tribes joining us, we have gained plenty of able hands to bolster our frontline troops and secure supply routes without fearing Danger Beasts or the Empire's army intercepting it.”
"Also, with Esdeath now keeping herself planted in the Capital, we’ve got some breathing room in the regions she’s no longer hovering over," another commander said. "Her forces have been pulled back from the surrounding territories, and with them gone, we've been able to shift some of our personnel. A few of them could be a serious asset to your team."
He slid a folder across the table, and she took it without ceremony. She flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning names, faces, and the brief descriptions of each candidate’s Imperial Arms. A few names stood out, some familiar, others not.
She didn’t bother pretending Night Raid didn’t need the help. It was war, and the Empire was not getting any weaker despite their recent efforts. Reinforcements weren’t a luxury; they were a necessity. Even if Bulat did find a new Teigu, Najenda could certainly use another assassin within her team’s ranks.
Someone precise, silent, and surgical.
Hammers hadn’t worked, time to find a good scalpel.
The last thing she wanted was to dump the responsibility and burden of saving the Empire's future onto Emiya’s shoulders. Or at least, she intended to help lighten the burden on him as much as possible.
Her hand halted midway through the stack.
"This one," she said, tapping a finger on the sheet.
All eyes turned toward her choice. She pushed the paper forward. "She’s exactly what we need right now."
The room fell quiet for a breath. Then, one by one, the heads around the table began to nod.
"Understood," Numa Seika said.
{Break}
-The Capital Outskirts-
“No signs of danger. We should be arriving at the outermost edges of the Capital in about an hour,” said Emiya, scanning the road ahead as his horse trotted steadily forward.
From the first light of dawn, the main group, Emiya, Leone, Chouri, and Spear, had departed the tavern and begun their journey toward the Capital. Leone had moved ahead on foot, eyes sharp and senses alert, scouting the path as the rest followed. Once noon rolled around, they regrouped and pressed on via horseback, the midday sun bearing down relentlessly on those who made their way along the trail.
“It’s a miracle Esdeath didn’t send anyone else after us,” Leone remarked with a half-hearted grin as she swung back into her saddle. Her eyes, however, remained locked on the faint silhouette of the Capital looming on the far-off horizon. Just before it lay their actual destination: a modest village nestled among the fields. “Though honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if she had. Was kinda hoping I’d get to bust a few skulls before we got here, it’s just been so boring with nothing happening after we took out those two Beast guys.”
The village, humble and unassuming, served as a refuge for the fieldworkers who couldn’t afford life within the Capital’s towering walls. He would occasionally stop by the area from time to time to acquire any new Danger Beast requests back when he still traveled the region alone.
“The whole situation with Liver and Daidara coming after us,” Emiya said, tone clipped as he adjusted his reins, “it’s obvious that wasn’t her call. Someone other than Liver acted behind her back. It’s just a matter of time before she finds out about their deaths.”
Leone raised an eyebrow, her earlier levity dampening. “So… we’ll be dealing with a grieving and pissed-off General Esdeath soon?”
He gave it some thought before shaking his head. “Saddened, yes. But grieving and out for blood? Not so much. She’s not that impulsive.”
He knew the woman too well. After spending so much time with her on a regular basis from back when she’d still been at the Imperial Academy as part of her initial officer training, Emiya had grown familiar with how she thought. Despite her reputation, she was not ruled by emotions in moments like these. Even if she mourned the deaths of her two remaining Beasts, she wasn’t the kind to toss reason aside and turn the region upside down in a fit of rage. No, she’d bide her time and hone her blade’s edge.
Her fury would come, but when it did, it would be guided by purpose.
For now, they had to focus on the mission.
His gaze shifted to Chouri, the old man having remained quiet for most of the ride. His weathered eyes stared ahead, not at the road, but past it, through memory and time.
“It’s been years since the last time I was here,” Chouri murmured. “Feels like nothing’s changed. Still hiding the rot that has been festering for years.”
“If only that were true,” Leone replied under her breath. “At least then we wouldn’t have to deal with so much of this nonsense.”
By the time they approached the village perimeter, it was time to abandon their horses. Too many guards, too many scouts. The village wasn’t fortified, but it remained heavily watched, and several pairs of eyes would be searching for the old man and anyone who traveled with him. Still, laziness and corruption worked in their favour. Orders may have come down from Honest himself, but that did not mean every soldier would follow them to the letter. Some lounged, some slept, and others couldn’t be bothered to take their posts seriously.
“I’m surprised Honest didn’t assign Esdeath or her troops to keep watch,” Spear said quietly. Ever the most cautious, her eyes scanned every alley and shadow, searching for even the faintest sign of an ambush.
Emiya shook his head.
“After last time? He wouldn’t dare. Besides, grunt work like this was never something she bothered with.”
“Unless,” Spear added, her tone tightening, “she knows you’re here.”
“That’s just it, she doesn’t,” Emiya replied.
The others glanced at him, clearly confused. It wasn’t long ago they had been ambushed by the beasts, after all.
“Esdeath knows what I’m capable of better than anyone. If she even suspected I was part of this mission, she wouldn’t have sent her men out for this kind of task. Not alone. Not against me, and definitely not when I have two other highly proficient fighters beside me, one of whom has a Teigu. That would’ve been sending her troops into a meat grinder. And Esdeath doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes.”
The group fell into a thoughtful silence as they continued on foot, the fields ahead quiet under the weight of coming conflict.
“In any case, we should be grateful she isn’t here right now,” Chouri muttered, his voice low and steady as his eyes swept the perimeter. Without waiting for a reply, the old man stepped forward, approaching a weather-worn wooden building that sagged slightly under its own age. There was nothing remarkable about the structure at first glance, it could have easily passed for the crumbling home of a destitute farmer or even one long abandoned. The paint had long since peeled from the walls, and the roof looked like a stiff wind might take it.
Four sharp knocks echoed from his knuckles, a simple rhythm that sounded more like a signal than a greeting. Leone’s ears twitched first. She shifted her posture. Emiya’s senses caught up moments later, his gaze narrowing just as the faintest creak betrayed footsteps within.
A sluggish groan of hinges followed, the door swinging open just enough to reveal a gaunt, ragged man peeking through the gap. He looked barely human — hair tangled like straw, skin clinging to bone, and the stench of stale liquor and sweat practically punched the group in the face. Leone wrinkled her nose and scowled, but caught herself and quickly returned to her usual guarded expression.
“Surprised to see you’re still breathing,” the man muttered flatly once he caught sight of Chouri.
“I’ve had great assistance,” Chouri replied evenly, glancing back at them. “And even better allies.”
“Night Raid, huh?” the man snorted, stepping aside. “Still feels like a bloody miracle, if I’m being blunt. Not a great time you’ve picked to come back, though. Most who once served you have already fled or turned their backs. Those who didn’t… well, they’ve been executed long ago.”
Chouri sighed, but his eyes remained resolute. “I feared as much. Still, all hope is not lost. I never expected this to be easy. Just like before, we’ll gather new allies. We’ve done it once. We’ll do it again.”
“Come inside,” the man said, voice dropping to a whisper as his eyes flicked about nervously. “We’d best speak in private. Never know who’s listening.”
Without another word, he led them inside. Spear hesitated, her eyes scanning the surroundings once more. Only once Leone gave a small nod did she follow them in.
“Well, mission complete, I suppose,” Leone announced with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head as though she’d just finished a casual errand.
“I’m heading to the slums for a bit. Meet me at the back entrance I told you about earlier. Take your time talking things out,” she added, her tone pointed as she looked from Emiya to Spear, then gave the blonde girl a deliberate wink.
The gesture made Spear stiffen slightly, uncertain, but after a moment’s pause, she nodded. Emiya watched, quietly puzzled. He couldn’t quite grasp what Leone was trying to achieve—he and Spear didn’t exactly have anything left to talk about aside from a brief farewell. Nothing deeper, nothing unresolved.
But Spear, it seemed, had something else in mind.
“It was shorter than I would’ve liked… our time together,” she said, her voice softer than usual, gaze not quite meeting his.
He nodded, answering calmly, “Perhaps. But missions like this… they’re never meant to last.”
“Yeah,” she replied with a small whisper, shifting her weight and glancing up at him through her lashes. There was something hovering behind her words, a hesitation Emiya couldn’t quite pin down.
“All the same, I did enjoy getting to travel with and fight alongside you again, brief as it was,” he continued. “You’ve grown a lot since the last time we fought together. Your skill with the spear has improved to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if you earned the title of Master in another year or two. If you keep progressing like this… well, you’re already better than most I’ve seen in the Empire.”
She nodded absent-mindedly.
“I meant it, you know. You’ve got real talent. Not just skill, but the kind of motivation that pushes someone past their limits. If you keep at it, you could become one of the greatest spear users in the Empire.”
“Better than you?” she asked with a smirk, the question clearly meant as a joke, some playful prod she expected to be deflected with sarcasm.
But Emiya tilted his head slightly and answered with a thoughtful seriousness that caught her off guard.
“Why not?”
Her expression faltered.
“Remember what I told you? While I may be decent with a spear, it’s not my first choice of weapon. My strength lies in the sword and the bow. You see me as a master because I’ve trained long enough to make up for the gap, but there are many who could outmatch me in pure spearmanship, even if I had my blades on hand. Even when it comes to the sword or bow, I am not the most skilled in the world.”
For a few heartbeats, neither of them said anything. Then, softly, Spear smiled.
That made her look up at him, disbelief flickering across her face at his words. "You don't need to make up lies just to make me feel better," she said with a soft scoff, her brows knitting together. "Being humble is a good trait, but not to this extent."
A low chuckle escaped Emiya's lips. She pouted in response, as though he were laughing at her rather than with her, and the childish twist of her expression only deepened his amusement.
"It’s up to you whether you believe me or not," he said finally, shrugging. "But by now, I’d hope I’ve earned at least the benefit of the doubt. I’ve never lied to you."
He paused, his eyes distant for a brief second as if peering far beyond the walls, beyond the city and the Empire. "The world is vast," he continued, his voice quieter now, thoughtful. "There are people with unimaginable strength and talent in every corner of the globe. Most of them you’ll never meet. But they exist. One particular person comes to mind. Even if I gave everything I had. Even if all the generals here fought alongside me, that stubborn bastard could still take us down."
As the words sank in, her gaze dropped, and her fist tightened at her side, knuckles pale from the pressure. "If people like that exist," she muttered, "then why don’t they come here and help us? Why don’t they do anything to end all this tyranny and suffering?"
Her voice cracked slightly, not from weakness but from something deeper, years of bottled frustration, helplessness, and grief turned into something heavy. "The Empire's corruption has destroyed so many lives. Honest is still alive. Esdeath is still alive. Why don’t these great warriors you talk about come and save us? If the Empire wins here, then they'll continue spreading across the globe; already the Northern Tribes were affected."
It was a question soaked in sorrow and frustration, not naivety. And he understood. How could he not? She bore too many responsibilities for someone her age, and yet she carried it still, with almost no complaining. Not like Chouri was wholly responsible for involving his daughter in such an environment, since it had been her choice, but still.
"I can’t speak for them," Emiya said gently, placing his hand atop her head. He ruffled her hair softly, his smile calm and reassuring. "But things will get better, whether or not they help us. That much, I promise."
The tension in her shoulders eased, and then, in the next moment, she stepped forward. Her arms found their way around his waist in an awkward but sincere hug, her grip a little clumsy, a little tight.
"I’ll miss you," she murmured, her voice muffled slightly against his chest.
He hadn’t expected the hug at all. But after a brief second of surprise, he returned it without hesitation, one arm around her back, the other resting lightly at her shoulder.
"Keep training with the spear," he told her. "And try to make sure your father doesn’t throw himself into danger with one of his idiotic plans."
"I should be the one saying that to you," she muttered, pulling back just enough to look up at him. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will."
Just as he turned to leave, her fingers tightened at her side, and she leaned up onto her toes, placing a quick peck on his cheek before darting back like a startled animal. Her face was flushed crimson as she slipped inside the building and pulled the door shut behind her with a solid thud.
He blinked, standing there in the silence, staring at the wooden door in front of him for a few lingering seconds. Then he exhaled through his nose and shook his head with a small, wry smile playing on his lips.
"Take care, Spear. I’ll see you soon."
He pulled his hood back up and walked away, heading toward the path Leone had taken, boots crunching softly against the ground beneath.
Behind the door, the girl slowly slid down until she sat with her knees drawn close to her chest, arms wrapped around them, her face buried deep into the folds of her sleeves.
"Idiot," she whispered.
.
.
.
(A few minutes later)
"You're back earlier than I expected. Honestly, I went out of my way to give you two some alone time — the least you could've done was leave the girl with something to remember you by forever. Oh, wait, don’t tell me… did you kiss her?" Leone leaned in far too close, squinting at his face, searching for evidence. "Hard to tell since she doesn’t wear lipstick. Hold still for a second."
Rolling his eyes, he shoved her face back before she got any closer. He caught the subtle tilt of her nose, clearly trying to sniff him, probably hoping to catch a trace of Spear’s scent clinging to his skin. Given past experiences, he half-expected her to try licking him again and wasn’t about to give her the opportunity.
"Why are we even at the Capital again? Do you have a mission or a target or something else?"
"Just follow me. I’ll show you." Her voice turned casual, but she didn't wait for him to respond before heading off. He followed, boots crunching on the gritty dirt. This side of the slums was the mirror image of the place where he last fought Esdeath. Buildings sagged under their own weight, plaster peeling from their walls. Starving people lined the streets, their eyes vacant as they begged with trembling hands. The smell was an assault on the senses — rotting meat, human waste, decay thick in the air like smoke. Men with suspicious eyes leaned against broken door frames, watching the pair with wary interest.
Yet Leone inhaled deeply and relaxed as though she'd just walked into a hot spring.
"Ahh… do you smell that, Emiya? Do you know what that is?"
"I'm guessing it's the rotting corpse of either a human or an animal nearby. And a sewer system that hasn’t been maintained in years."
"Yes, but that’s not what I was going for." She grinned. "That… is the smell of home. It's been so long, I almost forgot."
"We were here not that long ago. Just on the other side, in an area that looked exactly the same," he said flatly, unamused.
His eyes caught the figure of an emaciated woman, skin draped over bones like cloth, holding a limp child to her chest. She didn’t even bother to beg. She already knew no one would give her anything. But as they passed her, Emiya’s gaze narrowed. Leone’s hand moved with a thief’s precision, and a tiny coin purse dropped beside the woman’s leg. The action was almost invisible. The woman snatched it up instantly, her wide eyes brimming with silent gratitude. She grabbed Leone’s hand as she passed and pressed something into her palm, a small piece of folded paper. Leone glanced at it but said nothing.
"Come on, let me show you where I used to work as a masseuse. It also doubled as a bar," she said suddenly, tugging on his arm and dragging him deeper into the maze of alleys. “I'll give you a special service for free!”
Eventually, they stopped in front of a weather-worn building with a beer mug carved onto the door. Next to it, etched into the wood, was the image of a woman in revealing clothes clutching the mug suggestively.
"You like it?" Leone asked, beaming with pride. "This is one of my finest works!"
"This is basically a brothel," Emiya said, arching a brow.
"That’s such a crude way of putting it. We prefer the term ‘bar with an added extra service of a massage parlour, if you pay the right amount.’"
"Sure."
Still looking unimpressed, Emiya let himself be led inside. The moment they entered, a man behind the counter looked up and froze when he saw Leone. His expression flickered with recognition, but he quickly returned to wiping glasses like nothing had happened.
"What’ll it be?" the man asked after a second.
"Two shots of ale mixed with some barley beer. Bring it to the side table, the house special. Oh, and a plate of cashews," Leone said without missing a beat.
The man nodded and moved efficiently, pouring two foaming mugs and scooping a handful of roasted nuts into a small wooden bowl. He placed them on the tray and brought it over without a word, leaving Leone and Emiya to settle into their seats in the half-lit corner of the establishment.
But instead of quickly setting the ordered items on the table and returning to his usual work, the man leaned in, voice dropping to a near whisper as he began to speak, his fingers moving to wipe down the table more out of habit than necessity.
"Things have been a bit tense lately. The number of guards patrolling the area has tripled, and no caravan or soul passes through the city gates without getting searched down to their socks."
Though he didn’t outright name her, Emiya could tell who the man meant. The sudden clampdown, the sheer paranoia in the air — it all pointed to one source, and he figured as much without needing confirmation.
"Any news on the fat bastard?"
The barkeep gave a grunt and shook his head, the corner of his lip twitching into a grimace.
"He hasn't left the palace at all lately. Just stays holed up inside like some scared bloated turtle."
Leone sighed, low and weary, before taking a generous sip of her beer. The glass clinked lightly against the wood as she set it down again.
"What about the generals?"
Her question hung in the air for a moment. Emiya leaned in slightly, just enough to show that he too wanted to hear the answer. The barkeep, however, looked far less casual now. His jovial front slipped as he glanced toward the door, lowering his voice further.
"Things have been pretty tight-lipped around Esdeath lately. It’s a pain just to find the tiniest scrap of info on her, let alone catch a glimpse. As for the others, nothing out of the ordinary. Just doing their usual routines, no sudden movements, no bold manoeuvres."
He paused, lips twitching with hesitation, then decided to add one more thing.
"Well, except one thing. There’s been a rumour going around. Word is, Esdeath ended up fighting a member of Night Raid over at the old Nagumo estate."
Both Leone and Emiya froze.
Leone immediately turned to look at her informant, her eyes sharp and questioning, while Emiya's face remained eerily still, unreadable.
"What happened next?" he asked, voice calm, deliberate.
The barkeep gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.
"That’s the strange bit. Even though that area’s sealed off tighter than a noble’s wine cellar, we could tell something big went down. A whole section of the estate’s wrecked, like a Danger Beast had rampaged through it. I swear, I could feel the ground shake all the way from here. Some folks say massive icebergs erupted from nowhere during the fight. Gave me the chills, literally. I don’t want my tavern frozen over again like last time. Took every coin I had to rebuild it."
"Did the Night Raid member survive?"
The barkeep’s eyes dropped to the table where Leone had slid a small handful of coins, too many for what she’d ordered. With practiced ease, the money vanished into his pocket without a trace.
"Not sure. Or rather, no mention of any major casualties. Which is surprising, considering who she is. What we've gathered is that Night Raid tried to either assassinate someone who was at the execution they were holding there, or they were trying to pull off a rescue. Either way, General Frosty was ready for them. Rumour says it was Bulat who fought her. A few of my more reliable sources swear they saw a giant suit of armour materialise out of thin air."
"A giant armour?" Emiya's brow furrowed.
Incursio was a formidable Imperial Arm, without a doubt, but it didn’t have the ability to form such a construct, at least, not to his knowledge. If the reports were true, then only a few possibilities remained.
Either the relic had evolved in some unprecedented way, acquiring the ability to grow or transform into a massive form… or it had gained the power to manifest illusions or constructs to fight in the user’s place.
He couldn’t be certain; these were mere speculations in the end and needed a closer look. Hopefully, they’d be able to clear things up once they reunited with the rest of the team.
“Was it just Bulat alone? Were there no other members with him?”
“Not sure, I’m afraid,” came the reply, accompanied by a shake of the head. “You’ve got to understand, the whole district was locked down tight. Even the most inquisitive folks around these parts had to be real careful of how close they got, lest they get torn to shreds by her soldiers. They’re as tight-lipped as fanatics, worse than any cultist I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t pry so much as a whisper out of them, no matter how much they drank.”
That meant, at the very least, no deaths had been confirmed. For now. It offered a small ember of relief, faint, flickering, but it was something. Had anyone been killed, Honest would have paraded it. A public execution at the very least, anything to hammer a nail into the morale of his enemies.
Seeing their expression and then weighing the coin in his hand, the man sighed and then continued. “Not sure if this will interest you, but while we may not have gotten much info on the general, the same can't be said about the Jaegers working under her. Things are messier when it comes to them… or rather with the Stylish fellow.”
Doctor Stylish? Hm, a few ideas roamed in his head on what could be happening with him, given what Najenda told him last time — to say nothing of his own recent encounter with the man — best to verify then.
“His creepy assistants have been going around the entire fucking Capital, buying out every single raw material from every blacksmith. The area where the general fought last time has been sealed off entirely, and it seems those people are going through every inch of that place trying to find something. From what I learned, they are searching for swords and arrows.”
As soon as he said that, Leone's head whipped towards him.
Right, so Stylish really was doing what he expected. This realization made the reincarnated Heroic Spirit sigh.
“You'd think he's gone mad. He is even sending people outside to find more of these treasured weapons he calls Hōgu’s. Probably some Teigu alternative, not sure. Though not openly, we suspect he's putting together some sort of army around the forest area consisting of Danger Beasts. Unfortunately, anyone who tried to approach the area to get more info never returned.”
Definitely trying to gather his Noble Phantasms, though without his will maintaining any such constructs, it was impossible for the scientist to get his hands on one regardless. With just a mental command, he could easily dismiss all of them so as not to let them end up in the wrong hands, even Esdeath knew that, which was another reason why she never kept any of his weapons in the past. Knowing full well they were never hers and could disappear with enough damage or a thought from him.
But did Stylish know that?
Unless this information was ever shared with him, then most likely not.
‘Still, that name, Hōgu… Treasured Tool. It’s basically an actual word for Noble Phantasm… just how did he arrive at that name?’ he wondered, a little worried.
‘Plenty of members of her own team are going behind her back lately. This won't end well for her if she leaves it unattended, but it works in our case in the long run if they decide to act recklessly and either try to confront us themselves or earn her ire.’ As for the Danger Beasts around the forest, Stylish was most likely planning on invading Night Raid's base and forcing him to use his weapons. ‘Since Honest never got their precise location last time, he's most likely going to scout the area first, though he could have a quick reaction force standing by if he feels he needs to move fast lest she notice.’
With these thoughts swirling in his head, Emiya figured he and Leone needed to return to base as soon as possible.
“Leone,” he said sharply.
The buxom blonde was already ahead of him. She didn’t need to be told. Rising from the chair in one fluid motion, she made straight for the door, her boots echoing briskly against the tavern floor. He followed in step, each stride laced with urgency.
But just as his hand reached for the handle, she spun. In a single motion, Leone grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall with surprising force. Her forearm braced the wall beside his face, eyes sharp and voice lower than he’d ever heard from her.
“Before we go any further, at no point later on do I want to hear you start muttering about how you should’ve been there,” she warned, her words a low growl more beast than woman. “Or even thinking for a second that this was your fault. Beat that out of your head right now unless you want me to do it for you.”
Her tone carried no room for argument. It wasn’t the usual teasing and instead made him realize she was talking about Bulat’s encounter with the general, where they were not even sure if he survived or not.
“That fight was a trap,” she continued, her face inches from his, the heat of her breath betraying the tension she barely held back. “One laid out for you. If you’d been there, it would’ve been a repeat of what happened two years ago when you guys left a mountain split down the middle between being perma-frozen and scorched. Bulat and the others made their choice. They knew the risks, and they took them to save that person. You didn’t force their hand. They weren’t pawns, and Bulat is not easy to kill; he's one of the toughest people I know.”
He said nothing at first, the words sticking in his throat.
“I wouldn’t have let there be another battle between Esdeath and me. I know the risks. I could have done things differently…”
“So you do admit you would have gone there in the end.”
“…”
At this point, he could not blame anyone else but himself. Having no words to say in return, and instead gazed back at the blonde while she did the same.
“We can't save everyone, Emiya. Not even our own comrades. That’s… that’s war.”
He frowned. “I know that.”
To have someone else say that to his face felt so very ironic and a bit frustrating. He understood the intent behind it, he knew the meaning, and had said the same thing countless times in the past.
The woman’s face softened, and she leaned closer to his face, “You know, during our time together, I am finally starting to understand why the boss worries about you so much. No matter how you act, even if you take a handful of lives without a change to your expression, or if you mention taking all the necessary precautions before making a decision — your actions end up being very contradictory.”
Well, to that he had nothing to say, as something told him that whatever answer he gave would only end up being used against him.
A mischievous glint appeared on Leone's face in his silence, “Too bad we need to leave, or else I could have shown you how good I am as a masseuse. Unless you want to give it a go? I promise I'll be gentle~”
Taken aback at first, his eyes widened a bit before he shook his head.
“You have a strange way to break the awkwardness.”
“But it worked, right?”
“I suppose you could say that.”
“But I was not joking around. After we head back to our hideout, I can give you a massage to ease some of that bundled-up stress inside you, it's not healthy to keep that bottled up.”
At this point, he was not sure if she was being genuine or was trying to make some kind of lewd comment; the grin on her face did not help in making him believe she was being sincere, much less innocent. Given her recent bold gestures towards him, he was starting to think that she would become more and more aggressive if he did not retaliate, or she was just certain that he would just keep acting the same way.
Two could play that game.
“Fine.”
“…Eh?”
For a brief moment, confusion flashed across her gaze as the woman was trying to confirm what she just heard. But rather than give her time to process his answer and formulate a reply, he continued. “But if I'm not satisfied, I'll be the one giving you a deep and thorough massage instead.” He then caressed a lock of her blonde hair between his fingers with a smile on his face, “You might not be able to get up next morning.”
Her eyes widened while her jaw fell open a bit. Satisfied with her reaction, he gently pushed past her and went outside to begin making his way back to their hideout as soon as possible. Only a second later did Leone's brain catch up to her, whipping her head around while looking at his parting figure.
“H-Hey, what the hell was that just now!? We're talking about a massage, right? Were you being serious there? Hey, I'm talking to you!”
She hardly caught up to him, uncertain how to react to what she heard, barraging him with multiple questions about what happened just now, only for him to ignore most of them with a stoic face.
“Don't just brush me off like that after doing what you did back there! You're talking about a massage, right!? In my room? You're not messing with me? I might be a bit rusty, so it might not feel as good! I-I need to gather ingredients for the essential oils and candl— wait, what kind of massage do you mean!?”
“Hm, it's best we grab the horses in order to save time, let's go before someone else steals them.” Again, he was focused on more immediate concerns, much to the woman's dismay.
“Don't fucking ignore me! This is serious!!!”
{Break}
-Hidden Laboratory-
Crash!
The dim chamber stank of old metal, beast ichor, and scorched oil. Bright lamps cast flickering shadows over jagged heaps of Danger Beast parts, shattered blades, and glistening piles of rare ore. Schematics papered the walls in unending, curling rolls, blueprints for weapons both impossible and obscene, while glass vats hissed quietly in the corners, pulsing with unnatural fluids. Amid the chaos stood a wild-eyed scientist, gaunt and twitching, his normally pristine white coat smeared with soot and dried blood.
With a howl of fury, Dr. Stylish hurled a familiar-looking black sword to the floor. It bore a delicate yin-yang pattern etched into the hilt, the metal humming faintly, until it cracked like cheap porcelain against the tiles. The weapon shattered instantly, and the look of raw frustration on Stylish’s face twisted into outrage.
“What am I missing here!?” he shrieked, his voice rising in a pitch under the strain of his frustration. “Every material is of the highest grade! The Danger Beasts, the exact ones known to possess electromagnetic properties! The procedures, the sequences, they’re flawless, absolutely flawless! So why aren’t they the same!?”
His words echoed through the room like a curse. The entirety of his fury was aimed at a single person rather than his own failures.
“If he could create them,” Stylish snarled, teeth bared, “then I should be able to as well!”
“Still on about that?” came a lazy, almost mocking voice from behind.
Stylish spun, his wide, manic eyes settling on the young-looking blonde seated on one of his steel tables. Dorothea, legs swinging back and forth like a bored schoolgirl, glanced at a schematic rolled half-open beneath her. She looked up with lazy amusement, her tone dripping with mock sympathy.
“Yikes. Version twenty-seven, and you still can’t replicate it. I’d be embarrassed if I were in your shoes, but you? You’re far past that stage, aren’t you?”
Stylish’s hand darted to the counter beside him, seizing a glass beaker without a moment’s thought. He hurled it in one fluid motion, straight at her head.
The girl leaned back, barely flinching. The beaker soared past her nose and exploded against the concrete wall behind, its contents sizzling on contact and eating through the cement like water through paper, revealing it had been a highly potent acid. She straightened again, arching an eyebrow.
“Touchy.”
“I don’t have time to waste on you,” Stylish growled, stalking toward his workbench. His fingers twitched with frustration, smearing grease across a half-finished design. “Say what you came to say and get out. I have important work to do.”
Work. That was what he kept telling himself. But the truth gnawed at him. He had hit a wall. He was on the brink of something revolutionary, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the Empire’s foundation; he could feel it! But the final piece of the puzzle eluded him still, no matter his genius.
He had tried everything, every alloy, every binding formula, every permutation, every catalytic mixture known to alchemical science. He had studied the resonance fields, the beast cores, even using obscure methods uncovered from conquered enemy tribes. He had followed the procedures with surgical precision, and still, the results were vastly inferior. Something fundamental eluded him.
What that man had created, a random nobody that was found in a backwater village that was ransacked by Danger Beasts…
It wasn’t just the quality of the blade, though that alone was exceptional. It wasn’t merely the magnetic signatures capable of powerful attraction or the durability, or even the unparalleled keen edge. It was everything all at once. A single weapon that could multiply itself, mimic other forms, manifest entirely different abilities, each one more lethal than the last. Sharpness and overall durability, trying to duplicate even one of those properties had proven near-impossible. All of them together? That bordered on what was basically a Teigu.
“We recovered the bodies you spoke of,” Dorothea said at last, her tone shifting to something faintly more amusing. “One of them’s still alive, funny enough. No clue how. Should be dead, by all accounts. But they’re in stasis now.”
Stylish froze, hand hovering just above a soldering iron. His eyes narrowed.
“Alive?”
“For now.”
Frankly, he had forgotten all about that task.
Those people were only ever any good as potential specimens, raw material he might’ve used for his Danger Beast hybridisation experiments. But after the string of failures that had been these past several days, his enthusiasm for the project had withered. Slumped against his desk, head tilted in thought, he found himself sifting back through notes, ideas, and half-mad theories.
“There must be some element in all this that I’m somehow missing, something that ties everything together into sheer perfection,” he muttered aloud, voice crackling with restrained frustration. “I’ve gathered every piece I could discern, the flesh, the orichalcum, the ritual techniques, the proper containment… and yet still the results are inferior in every conceivable way. I just need the one thing that acts as the binder. Something to fuse it all into one coherent whole.”
His fingers tapped the table absentmindedly as his thoughts turned bitter.
A random orphan. That’s what the now deceased general claimed to have found and taken into his home. Just a pitiful vagrant, and yet somehow that brat had managed to produce weapons unlike anything seen in a thousand years, not since the First Emperor. One he'd witnessed firsthand in that disastrous clash against Esdeath that would have devastated the Capital had Syura not teleported the two of them elsewhere. The mere memory of it remained forever engraved in his mind.
There was no way someone like that possessed the intellect to craft such advanced constructs. No training. No pedigree. It had to be luck, pure, cosmic, unjust luck. The kind of divine favour that gifted uncultured morons with unearned insights while men like him, true geniuses, bled their lives out for every crumb of knowledge.
“How much longer until we’re ready?” he asked, eyes narrowing.
The answer was the same as ever. Only one way remained: to track down those weapons again, isolate one, and trap it in an environment beyond corruption or interference. An enclosed space. Something sterile. Something permanent. In such a vacuum, the weapon wouldn’t degrade, wouldn’t disappear. He could study it. Learn from it. Replicate it.
One weapon. More samples would naturally be ideal, but even just one was all he needed. One blade to unravel the truth. And to obtain that weapon for his own research, he needed to find the one who created and wielded it.
“Give it a day or two,” came her grumbling reply. “It’s a pain in the ass doing this without the General catching on. I don’t fancy getting my skull turned into a frozen mosaic by that ice-hearted bitch, so forgive me if I’m not exactly rushing to get this done. If you want to get yourself killed, be my guest. But don’t expect me to follow you into the grave.”
“Tch. As expected from a coward like you. For all your intelligence, you still cannot see the beauty of my work and the progress it offers, just like the General herself,” he sneered, brushing off the woman’s complaint like a fleck of dust. He hadn’t placed much faith in her from the start. She was only here to handle grunt work, minor arrangements, the sorts of things that didn’t require his brilliance. Still, she wasn’t wrong.
“It’s very unlikely we’ll get away with this unnoticed,” she added. “Best case is you getting frozen solid, but you’re far enough in this line of research that I can pick up where you left off. Worst case? You die before you even get close, and you leave me nothing to work with.”
“My goal isn’t to kill him,” he snapped. “I’m not violating any orders. Besides, I won’t be going in person. I’ve got other experiments that demand my attention.”
That caught Dorothea’s ear. She turned toward him, eyes gleaming with intrigue.
“Oh? You found someone willing?” Her smile was sharp and dripping with menace. “Is it Cosmina? Please say yes. I’d love that. That dumb slut’s been getting a bit too comfortable with the more goody-goody members of Esdeath’s team for my liking just because she’d like to get into their pants, and honestly? She’d probably be more useful to me dead than alive.”
“No,” he said with a smirk, “someone much better.”
He leaned back in his chair, a glint of anticipation flashing across his features.
“She’s got a score to settle with him. That’s all the motivation she needs.”
Hound of the Dead Chapter 12: Safe Zone
Beta read by Shigiya, Darklord331 and Gamercrus
2025-05-11 19:58:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe Legendary Saiyan in a Fairy's World Chapter 50: Precht and Hades
Not beta read yet.
*Looks at watch* Oh? Another update in less than 5 minutes? Hmm, maybe that coffee was a bit too good/effective.
Oh well, the next update is Hound.
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-Magnolia-
How many decades had it been?
How many years since Hades last laid eyes on the city of Magnolia? He couldn’t say for certain. Time had dulled the edges of his memory, softened the moments he once held dear. Even his tenure as guild master had become a faded echo, blurred by years of study, sacrifice, and the self-imposed erasure of anything that didn’t serve his greater ambition.
Now, at the twilight of his life, the former master stood at the threshold of what he believed to be the ultimate truth, the source of all magic, the origin point behind every miracle, curse, and phenomenon the world had ever known. Just ahead, beyond the next barrier, beyond the next fight, lay the knowledge he had sought for a lifetime.
And standing in his way as the key to it all was the boy.
He had felt it during the skirmish with Rustyrose. Confirmed it the moment Broly appeared on the ship. That boy was no ordinary being. There was something buried deep in him, something raw and alien. The sensation wasn’t magical in nature, at least, not in any form he recognized. Its pressure reminded him faintly of the Devil’s Heart, yet it did not reek of the Abyss. Instead, it hummed with a different rhythm, one more primal, elemental even.
Unrefined.
The boy called it Ki.
Not magic, but a force present in all living things. Hades had brushed against similar ideas during his travels, ancient tomes that described vital energies running through the soul and body, but most had dismissed them as superstition or folklore. He had not. To him, Ki was simply another form of magic. One that civilization had not yet named or learned to wield. A forgotten branch of the great tree he had devoted his life to studying. Perhaps the missing link.
And yet the boy wielding it showed no interest in understanding it. He carried power that scholars would burn cities for, and he didn’t even glance at its true value.
That, Hades could not abide.
He had tried to probe the anomaly. Tried to test its boundaries. But the result was something he hadn’t anticipated.
One blow.
That was all.
One punch had knocked the air from his lungs, compressed his chest with enough force to crack ribs, and sent his vision flashing white for a full second. Not from magic. Not from technique. Just speed and strength. Unrelenting, unrestrained, and fast enough that Hades hadn’t even seen the motion. He only felt it, after it landed.
It wasn’t magic. Of that he was sure. But it didn’t matter.
He couldn’t afford to hold back.
With a subtle motion, he unleashed it.
The Demon's Eye.
The air turned heavy. Dark energy surged through his veins, not in waves, but in torrents. The shift was immediate and violent. His body absorbed the magic like a parched desert absorbing rain. Skin hardened. Bones compressed. Hair floated from the rising force coursing through him. Every nerve felt as though it had been dipped in molten ink and reforged into iron.
The pain, real and blistering, vanished within seconds, drowned under the flood of power. Magic saturated every inch of his flesh. He no longer felt human, because he no longer was. The man who had once walked among guilds as Master Precht had dissolved completely. What remained was something else… an avatar of pure, directed will.
This was what true strength felt like. He could feel it in the grip of his fingers, in the thrum of his blood.
He raised his hand slightly. Energy gathered along his fingertips like mist pulled into storm clouds. The time for testing was over.
Now, the real confrontation would begin.
Words were unnecessary. Both men understood what came next.
"Amaterasu Formula 47."
The incantation was barely whispered, but its effect was immediate. A cascade of information surged through his mind, lines of complex calculations forming and resolving themselves in less than a heartbeat. Adjustments were made in real time, the ancient mage refining every parameter to ensure the spell was as efficient as it was deadly.
Something that would not be possible to perform so quickly without the helps of the Demon's Eye.
A thread of dark energy slithered along the ground, invisible to the untrained eye, until it reached its target. It erupted with a violent roar into a vortex of black fire that swallowed Broly whole. The tornado of flame coiled upward, alive and writhing, its heat warping the air around it.
This fire was not ordinary. Its temperature would soon rival the surface of the sun, but even before it reached that point, it would gnaw at the mind and rot the flesh. The spell was old and rarely used, a relic from darker days. Hades had only cast it against nameless thieves and traitors in the years before Grimoire Heart took form.
But this opponent was different.
He studied the flames with care, already expecting resistance. His senses flared a moment later. A second source of power was forming, hidden within the core of the inferno. He felt it grow, pulsing and expanding until it disrupted the spiral of his own magic. The tornado faltered, then collapsed entirely as a blast of pressure shot outward and swept the fire away. Wind howled across the battlefield, carrying embers with it that still burned hot enough to melt stone.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself. "You can shape your energy as a barrier and then expand it outward to neutralize a spell like that. Fascinating. Every second is like unlocking a new piece of the puzzle."
"That magic... it's weird and evil," Broly muttered under his breath, frowning as shapes began to manifest around him. One by one, monstrous figures emerged from the void, their grotesque forms flickering into existence across the ruins.
"No magic is truly evil, my boy," Hades said, raising his hand slightly. "It is simply power. It becomes what the wielder chooses to make of it. You may see mine as unnatural or horrific, but it is the future. It is the path that leads to the One magic."
Broly said nothing.
Hades shifted tactics. The creatures lunged as one, their shrill voices piercing the air as they descended on the Saiyan. Each aimed to tear him apart, to feed not just on his flesh, but his spirit.
He moved before the first could touch him.
The Saiyan flew into the air, dodging with precision. One creature surged from the ground to bite him, but missed by inches. Broly’s hands pulsed with emerald light, and he fired a compact energy orb at another monster closing in from behind. It swallowed the attack in a single gulp.
Fuuuush!
A second later, its body ballooned grotesquely, swelling until it burst in a fiery explosion. The pieces did not fall. They twisted midair, reforming instantly into dozens of smaller entities, all screeching as they hurtled toward him.
Hades watched in silence as Broly rose above them, his arms outstretched and both palms facing down. Energy gathered. A barrage of fiery blasts rained from the sky. They were not as overwhelming as the power he had unleashed before, but the sheer volume and precision were more than enough. Each shot landed true, vaporizing the summoned horrors before they could touch the ground.
By the time the last shriek faded, the field was empty.
Hades stood at the edge of the blast zone and slowly brought his hands together in applause.
"Marvellous. Just one of those blasts could reduce an entire building to rubble, and yet you fire hundreds without the slightest sign of fatigue."
Though his chest held no beating heart, Hades could not deny the flicker of something that felt akin to excitement. That slow-burning anticipation one experiences when meeting an enemy who cannot be defeated with a single strike. It was a feeling he thought buried alongside his youth, but clearly, a few remnants of it still clung to him.
"You are not the only one with such power. Demon's Blast!"
A surge of raw magic crackled to life around his palm before he hurled it forward. The beam, a streaking line of crimson and violet, tore through the air with destructive purpose. It met its opposition head-on. The same emerald sphere Broly had conjured earlier now rose to meet his attack. It looked pitifully small by comparison, barely the size of a man’s fist, yet it held firm. To his disbelief, it pushed into the center of his spell and began forcing it back.
"Ah!"
With a roar, Hades poured more energy into his blast. His wellspring of power was unending, drawn from the Devil’s Heart pulsing within him like a war drum. The ship responded to his need, flooding his body with more dark energy until the beam grew thicker, more vicious. Sparks danced violently around the clashing spells, the pressure shaking the air itself.
But his opponent’s emerald light only expanded in response.
The collision reached its limit. Both attacks detonated at once. The green sphere exploded first, erupting in a flash of blinding light that engulfed the sky. His own spell collapsed seconds later, overwhelmed by the unstable surge he had crammed into it. It shattered apart in a violet burst that split the clouds and painted half the horizon with dark light.
"Yes. This is what true power feels like!" he shouted in delight, laughing as the light faded and the fog of destruction began to lift. He stood among the craters and broken earth, watching the smoke twist into the heavens.
But the joy did not last.
Broly reappeared. One moment there was only smoke, the next the Saiyan stood beside him. Unlike before, Hades saw the movement this time. Barely. His reflexes kicked in.
"Devil’s Bind!"
Purple chains burst forth from the sea of energy swirling around Hades, spiraling through the air before locking themselves around Broly’s arms and legs. “Amaterasu Formula 107.” The bindings tightened with a hiss, reinforced with ancient runes and his own magic signature. They latched on, intent on sealing the warrior in place.
Yet Broly did not struggle.
Instead, he glanced down at the restraints with mild curiosity. His eyes narrowed slightly, not in fear, but in something more akin to annoyance.
"You do not know fear?"
The words slipped from Hades before he could stop them. He stepped forward, hands crackling with residual energy, and waved a hand over the glowing links.
"Do not waste your strength. These chains are unlike the ones I used before. They are forged from my own magic and anchored to the eternal flow of ethernano surrounding us along with the very earth beneath our feet. The longer they exist, the stronger they become. They are unbreakable, unless I will it otherwise."
He let the words hang for a moment, then added with a sneer, "Even someone like little Maki would be helpless before them, no matter how much brute strength he poured into escape. Not even dragons from the past."
The question returned to his tongue.
"So answer me. Do you not feel fear?”
"It's not like I cannot feel fear," Broly said plainly, his tone steady despite the admission. The confession was unexpected, even to Hades, who narrowed his eyes slightly in interest. "But at this moment, I don't actually fear you. I fear for others."
That statement hung in the air, heavy but sincere. Hades raised a single white brow, intrigued not by the sentiment, but by the boy's tenacity. Broly began pulling against the chains again. His muscles bulging with more veins appearing all over along with the translucent Ki around his body. The magical restraints groaned under the force, but Hades remained still, arms crossed, sighing internally at what he considered futile defiance.
Then, there it was — a sound, faint and sharp, like glass cracking beneath snow. His ear twitched.
"What!? No, Amaterasu Formula 6!”
Spells that worked together in conjunction, reinforcement one another through several aspects. This one serving to anchoring the binds deeper underground.
The chains tightened, reacting to the increase in resistance by reinforcing their bindings. The dark-purple links glowed faintly, pulsing as a fresh surge of magic flowed through them. Their structure hardened, growing more rigid with every passing second. But Broly continued nonetheless, his feet grinding against the fractured earth, sinking deeper below.
His shoulders flexed. His muscles tensed. Even more veins rose visibly along his arms and neck. With a slow, thunderous step forward, the ground beneath him cracked, large plates of stone large enough to house a third of Magnolia jutting upwards like broken teeth. Another step. Another tremor. Even Hades, balanced and composed, felt the vibration ripple up through his boots.
"Incredible," the old mage muttered. Not out of concern, but genuine fascination at the raw power being displayed. He hadn't witnessed such brute force in centuries.
But fascination was not permission. Hades extended his hand, fingers curling inward like the clasp of a closing trap.
"Amaterasu Formula 99."
The sky above them twisted into a vortex of darkness. Lightning began to dance across the swirling mass of clouds, arcs of silver and black spiraling wildly until a bright-purple bolt, infused with his own magic, shot down from the heavens. It struck the ground like divine retribution.
The earth detonated.
A massive crater formed instantly as stone was pulverized into dust, and jagged fragments of terrain were hurled into the air like shrapnel. Dust and smoke expanded outward in a choking wave. Hades raised his forearm to shield his eyes, his robe whipping violently in the resulting gale. Silence. A still, charged quiet overtook the battlefield.
And then, a sound.
Whoosh!
The wall of dust burst apart, a gust of raw force dispersing it like a curtain. Broly emerged from the cloud. His arms were drawn back, coiled with kinetic energy. The chains still clung to his limbs but while an entire landscape was pmbring pulled along, an absurd sight that shook the old Demon's mind. He launched forward, too fast for Hades to form a coherent thought, let alone cast a spell.
The punch connected.
"ARGH!"
It felt as though an entire mountain had collided with his face. His body was launched backwards at absurd speed, carving a trench hundreds of meters long as he skidded and smashed through rock and earth. Dirt filled his mouth, and the copper tang of blood pooled on his tongue with half of his skull flattened.
Crash!
The momentum hadn't faded. Dazed, Hades lifted his head and through blurred vision saw with the Demon Eye while his other one was in the process of regenerating Broly again — not walking, but flying toward him. The magical chains whipped and flailed around the Saiyan’s body, still active but entirely ineffective at this point. Their magic sputtered and clung uselessly to his skin, like wisps of thread being burned away.
Realizing the spell was now a liability, he dismissed it with a flick of his hand. The chains vanished in a puff of violet smoke.
That was a mistake.
The moment they disappeared, Broly's speed doubled, his form flickering and warping as if reality itself struggled to catch up to him. He was already there, next to him, before he could activate another formula, his enhanced vision unable to register the exact movement.
"Ama—"
A hand the size of a furnace clamped down on the lower half of his face, silencing the incantation before it could be completed. Broly's grip tightened.
Without ceremony, the Saiyan hoisted him into the air, spun slightly, and drove him down into the ground with a thunderous impact. The earth fractured. Before Hades could recover, he was pulled up again, the world spinning briefly before another slam, even harder than the first, cracked the bedrock beneath him like dry clay.
Bang!
Then came the third.
Again and again, Broly drove the old devil into the earth, each slam heavier, more forceful than the last. Bones cracked. Ribs gave way. Ligaments tore. It was no longer just a beatdown — it was pulverization. The ground had given up trying to hold their weight, forming a crater filled with crushed stone and arcane residue, glowing faintly from the sheer energy released.
With every brutal strike, Hades felt something inside him give. Bones shattered not just at the joints, but crumbled into dust. His regenerative magic, ancient and potent, flared desperately, working overtime to repair the mounting damage. Spells weaved themselves within his marrow, fusing and reshaping tissue faster than even his mind could keep track.
“Ha… H-HAAAGHH!”
A primal scream tore out of his throat as Broly hurled him skyward like a ragdoll, giving him the briefest of moments to gasp for air and fight for composure. Tumbling in midair, the devil barely managed to slap a bloodied palm against the ruined ground below as he descended again.
“Summon — Devil’s Army!”
The earth pulsed with power. Cracks veined outward like lightning as blood-red magic surged upward in violent torrents. From these fissures came horrors, demons, hundreds of them, thousands even, rising in swarms from the underworld. Towering beasts with tusks like spears. Slithering monstrosities with scales of obsidian. Fanged abominations whose roars split the air.
"You may have a near endless amount of this Ki you speak of," Hades spat, his voice rough and desperate, "but the same cannot be said about your stamina! If I can't defeat you with power… then I will outlast you!"
He pointed forward like a conductor before an orchestra, and the army obeyed.
The hellspawn charged Broly from all directions. Some dove with jaws wide, trying to bite through his limbs. Others swiped with claws the size of scimitars, tails lashing like whips tipped in steel. The battlefield became chaos incarnate.
But the Saiyan welcomed it.
At first, he weaved through them with practiced precision, his expression calm… too calm. He moved as if he had eyes in the back of his head, ducking beneath a spear, side-stepping a pincer strike, swatting aside talons with flicks of his wrist.
Then he began to retaliate.
One punch flattened a leaping beast mid-air, reducing it to shimmering fragments of magic. Another strike caved in the chest of a demon the size of a house, sending shockwaves through its crumbling body. With every blow, he seemed to shed restraint. His attacks grew fiercer, louder, until they were no longer simply hurting the demons, they were annihilating them.
Each impact left nothing behind. No carcasses. No blood. Just flashes of light, as their forms were vaporized from existence due to them reverting back into ethernano.
Hades could only watch, jaw clenched, as his summoned legion dwindled. Dozens gone. Then hundreds, thousands... Until finally, Broly rose into the air again, his palm glowing. Above his hand, a tight, spiraling orb of green light began to spin.
The energy was compact, barely the size of an apple, but it radiated pressure — massive, crushing, cosmic.
The sky shimmered.
“No…”
The sphere dropped.
It struck the earth with an eerily quiet sound, like a breath before a hurricane. Then it erupted. The explosion wasn’t fire or force—it was cleansing energy. A dome of emerald light expanded outward, disintegrating everything in its path. Demons screamed as their forms burned away, their very essence reduced to particles. Not even ash remained.
"Amaterasu Formula 72!"
Hades roared in desperation. Layers of glowing magical cubes formed around him, interlocked like a fortress. Each one pulsated, reinforcing the next, all designed to absorb even the might of God Serena’s attacks.
The blast hit.
For several seconds, everything vanished in a sea of green. The ground howled. Air turned thick with magical pressure. And when the light finally faded, Hades was on one knee inside his shattered defense, breathing hard, his cubes cracked and barely holding together.
Crack!
With a lazy swipe, Broly shattered the final barrier like glass. The fragments scattered into dust, and there he was, floating above with an expression so calm, so utterly indifferent, it made Hades feel as though nothing had changed since the moment the fight had started.
"How long do you intend to keep this up?" Broly asked, voice even.
The words hit differently. Not taunting. Not cruel. Just tired.
Hades frowned for the first time. Not in pain — but in insult. The sheer gall.
"Have you learnt nothing, boy?!"
Several orbs of deep violet formed in his hands, swirling with unstable force. His palms thrusted forward.
A blast of pure destructive magic, large, scorching, filled with enough power to collapse a mountain range, rushed toward his opponent at point-blank range, slamming straight into his chest with no delay, no hesitation.
"Do you not see the power I have demonstrated to you today?! Do you not understand that this is but a glimpse, just a glimpse! Of what lies beyond?! Of the key to all your problems?!"
He screamed his heart out, praying his words would hit harder than the magic.
But Broly hadn’t moved.
All he got as an answer was a sudden flare of bright, searing Ki hurled straight at him. It cut through the space between them like a lance of concentrated energy. He had only a split second to react, raising his hands and instantly summoning a layered series of magical barriers, one behind the other, each crackling with symbols and runes etched in light. The beam struck the first shield with explosive force, shattering it instantly into glowing shards. The second broke just as fast, followed by the third and the fourth, each one disintegrating under the pressure of the assault. There was no time to reinforce the last one before the beam pierced through completely and struck him directly in the stomach with a heavy, concussive impact that twisted his torso and launched him backward.
"You are GH! AAAH!"
Even in this heightened state where his body was meant to be untouchable, the pain that followed was instant and numbing. It spread from the center of his gut outward like a chain reaction, bursting through his nerves with every pulse of the energy. The dome of emerald Ki that enclosed them surged, trapping him inside as the raw energy consumed him. It was not like fire. It was worse. His flesh felt as though it was being melted in waves, layer after layer, like iron dipped in a crucible. The light intensified, warping the air itself, and he could feel muscle tearing, bones cracking, and organs twisting under pressure.
What felt like endless torture finally subsided. The dome flickered and dispersed. His body, or what remained of it, hit the ground with a lifeless thud. One of his arms was missing entirely, disintegrated from the shoulder down. His skin was gone, completely burnt away. Only exposed muscle and sinew remained, soaked in blood, and even those were scorched black in several places. Parts of his ribcage and spine were visible through gaps in the tissue. His limbs had turned coal-dark, cracked and smoldering down to the bone. For a moment, he felt nothing at all. The nerve endings had been scorched beyond function. It was as if his body no longer existed. But then, without warning, the pain returned like a violent spasm. It wasn’t physical anymore. It was like fire crawling through what was left of his nerves.
The Devil’s Heart pulsed violently inside his ship. It would not allow him to die. Not yet. A surge of raw, ancient magic flooded his ruined form, and his body began to repair itself with horrifying speed. The regeneration spell kicked in, working faster than it was ever meant to. Blood vessels reknit. Tendons stretched back into place. Skin grew over exposed tissue, freshly formed and steaming. Even his hair and beard returned, strand by strand. But so did the pain, surging in parallel with each repaired nerve. He gasped, chest heaving, and felt a creeping mental fatigue that no magic seemed able to wash away. His body stood tall again, but deep down, he felt heavier than before.
"I do not care about this entire nonsense about the truth, or the one magic, the so-called essence of all magic, or how to control my Ki. I know I'll figure it out eventually, without needing to betray my friends. I won't make that mistake again."
The voice came from behind him. Calm. Unbothered. Familiar. He turned his head slightly and saw Broly standing there, arms at his side, watching him with a quiet intensity. His presence felt heavier than the air. Hades felt something unfamiliar ripple through his chest. Not fear, not panic, but something close. Without thinking, his legs responded on their own. He stood and backed away, boots scraping against the broken ground. It wasn’t strategy. It was instinct.
"I don’t know what your problem is. I don’t know what you want, or why you think the innocent people of Magnolia and my friends deserve to suffer for it. But having an infinite amount of power isn’t what you think it is. It won’t solve your problems. It’ll only bury them under more of the same."
"You don’t know what you’re talking about. You naive fool."
Hades lunged forward with no hesitation. His right fist ignited with violet flames that pulsed violently, casting shadows behind him. He threw a punch meant to tear through armor, bone, and magic alike. Broly met it without stepping back. Their fists collided in mid-air. The sound that followed was not an explosion but a deep shockwave that split the ground beneath them. For a split second, the power struggle was even. Then, with a sickening series of cracks, Hades’ arm gave way. The bones shattered in three places. Flesh tore. Blood sprayed outward in a spiral. His entire forearm bent unnaturally, broken clean through, but he didn't stop.
With his remaining arm, he fired several magic projectiles in rapid succession. The bullets were orbs of condensed magical energy, wrapped in rings of spinning symbols, each packed with destructive force. They shot forward and struck the barrier surrounding Broly. The shield glowed faintly upon impact, rippling like water, but did not give. None of the bullets broke through. Not even a fracture appeared.
"The One Magic not only gives you total control over yourself and your abilities. It gives you control over the world itself. With it, you can unify everything. Every conflict, every threat, every evil — gone. Wished away. Erased. You can create peace just by wanting it. Why don’t you understand that? Why do you keep resisting something so simple?"
Broly flew forward without giving him a chance to finish the sentence. The speed was unnatural. Hades barely raised his hand before Broly grabbed his head and lifted him off the ground with one arm. His boots dangled above the cracked stone. He growled, his teeth grinding, not out of pride but defiance. He drew power from the last reserves left in him, drawing from the core of the Devil’s Heart. His magic surged violently. His heartbeat pounded like thunder. The energy gathered at his palm, swirling in tight circles until it formed a perfect sphere of absolute darkness. “Grimoire Law!” The sphere was silent, cold, and completely black. It hovered just above his palm and grew dense enough to distort the space around it. This was not a spell. It was pure destruction given form. Anything it touched would be unmade completely, without trace or residue.
He had intended to throw the sphere directly at the boy, but for a fleeting moment, doubt flickered in his mind. Perhaps there was still a chance to reason with him. Perhaps force wasn’t necessary. Yet that hesitation vanished in an instant, crushed under the weight of desperation. With no other choice left, he raised his arm.
Bang.
The release of energy cracked through the battlefield. A massive sphere of pure black energy tore through the air, pulsing with density, radiating pressure like a collapsed star. But this time, it didn’t fly unopposed. An emerald sphere of nearly identical size surged to meet it, launched from Broly’s direction with a force that split the earth where he stood. The two spheres collide midair with a deafening roar.
Both pushed against each other, their surfaces warping, twisting, reacting violently as they competed for dominance. Hades clenched his teeth, funnelling more and more of his remaining energy into the sphere, the magic growing unstable from the volume it contained. Lines of power branched across his arm like lightning, and the sphere responded, expanding rapidly.
The beams of light alone destroyed everything within its path, yet failed to pierce through the man's protection film around his body.
Seconds passed. It swelled to three times the size of Hades himself. Even then, it struggled to push Broly’s sphere back. No matter how much more magic he poured in, it could barely gain ground. His hands trembled as the truth sank in. His expression twisted. His mind reeled.
This sight alone shook the foundation of his beliefs. It tore into the certainty he had built over decades of study and sacrifice.
"Why? Why is it not working? Despite all the power you possess, you do not have the One Magic. But why can you still compete against everything I’ve studied, everything I’ve unearthed through forbidden knowledge? This is magic that predates time, feared by gods. Why can’t it overpower yours? It rivals even Mavis’ Fairy Law!"
His ears twitched at a sharp sound from the other side. A low growl, followed by a sound like tightening sinew. His gaze snapped back toward Broly, and for a second, he doubted his own senses. The man’s body had changed. His already massive frame now bulged with more muscle. His shoulders stretched wider. The emerald aura that surrounded him intensified into a burning storm of green light, streaked with flickers of gold that shimmered and vanished just as quickly. His eyes had changed too — blank, burning, not just glowing but pulsing with boundless energy.
The black sphere continued to grow, absorbing energy from every available source. The Devil’s Heart beat harder inside Hades, sending more magic than his frame was ever meant to contain. Ethernano from the surrounding air drained into the sphere. Dozens of magical incantations activated at once around him, feeding the spell, reinforcing its structure, amplifying its destructive potential. The sphere grew until it rivaled the size of the Grimoire Heart's airship. The sheer gravitational pressure of it began to bend the trees in the distance. Rocks floated upward, drawn into its pull. Every living thing in the area was forced to its knees.
And still, Broly’s power kept rising.
"Aaargh!"
With a final cry, Hades gave everything he had. His muscles tore from the effort, the devil’s heart pulsed wildly, flooding his veins with reckless abandon. The black sphere surged forward with the weight of his life behind it.
But his opponent moved.
He stepped forward without resistance. The emerald sphere in his hand had not grown at all. It remained small, condensed, no bigger than a marble now, but it shone with such concentrated intensity that rays of emerald light leaked from between his fingers. He didn’t hesitate. Broly ducked beneath the black sphere, his body turning with serpentine agility, and punched upward. His fist connected with the underside of the massive attack.
The contact produced a soundless shock. Then the entire sphere lurched upward.
Broly's body twisted with perfect mechanical precision. He pivoted on his heel, arm winding back, and hurled the green sphere after the black one. It caught up in the air like a hunter chasing prey. The moment they collided, a detonation bloomed high above.
The sky exploded in emerald and black fire. Shockwaves pulsed outward in all directions. The impact ripped trees from the ground and launched them across the forest. Dust clouds swallowed entire sections of terrain. The wind alone uprooted what remained of the surrounding forest. Above them, the clouds split apart in a circular ring, revealing open sky in the center. For a moment, it looked like a god had struck the land itself.
Yet despite all of it, despite that scale of destruction, Broly remained standing. Unwounded. Unshaken. And he was walking forward.
Hades looked at him. His legs buckled before he could stop them. He fell to one knee. His hands trembled.
Was it fear?
No. That couldn’t be it. He refused to believe he feared this man. But it was something else. Exhaustion. Weight. A pressure he couldn’t define, pressing against every inch of his being. His mind fell into chaos. Disbelief choked out every logical thread. His entire life’s work—all of it—meant nothing now.
"I cannot accept this. I will find the One Magic."
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself back to his feet. He stared across the space between them, his eyes locked onto the Saiyan.
"You cannot kill me, boy. I am not someone who can be defeated by strength alone. Even if your power is beyond anything I’ve ever known, I will discover the truth. I will fulfill my vision. I will return. This is not the end. I will not accept this. I cannot!"
He prepared another spell. His fingers traced the glyph. Magic began to surge through his arm once more. But then, suddenly, his body stopped.
Every muscle froze. His breath caught.
A pressure descended over him like a flood. His magic was suppressed in an instant. It was not a barrier. It was not a spell. It was pure power, raw and invisible, covering his body like thick, gelatinous liquid. It poured over his limbs, hardened around his frame, and pinned him in place like stone turning to iron.
His eyes moved.
Broly stood still, both arms extended forward. Two fingers on each hand pointed directly at Hades. Then, slowly, his fingers closed.
The pressure around Hades constricted.
He couldn’t breathe.
A blanket of pure energy descended over him. The moment it made contact, his magic collapsed. It wasn’t just suppressed. It was nullified, devoured, stripped away like a second skin being peeled off by invisible hands. The sensation was as though he had been plunged into a vat of thick liquid, not water, but something heavier. Something with weight. It enveloped him from all directions and then hardened. Within seconds, it became solid, locking every joint, seizing his limbs, binding his magic and even slowing his thoughts.
His eyes rolled forward. Broly stood ahead of him, calm and silent. Both arms extended, two fingers from each hand aimed at him like iron clamps controlling gravity itself. Then, without urgency, the boy curled his fingers inward.
The pressure increased.
The hardened energy surrounding Hades squeezed tighter. Breathing became a task that demanded conscious effort. Every breath was shallow and forced, as if the very air had been drained from the atmosphere. His knees buckled. Or rather, they were driven down by the invisible weight pressing upon him. He collapsed onto the ground, completely pinned.
"That's enough," Broly said. “I don’t care if you can’t be killed or if you plan to keep chasing whatever mad purpose drives you. That’s none of my concern. But if you involve me, or my friends, then you’ll have a problem. That’s all that matters to me. Just… just leave Magnolia, you don't need to do all of this just for more power. It's not worth it."
Hades said nothing. But inside his mind, emotion surged violently. Frustration. Rage. Despair. Not simply because he had been defeated, but because somewhere in the back of his mind, a question began to surface. A question that threatened to undermine everything he had believed.
Had he fooled himself all along?
Decades of research into the One Magic. Endless hours of experimentation, seeking truth in ancient tomes and dark forces. He had believed, no, he had been certain, that he had come close. That he had brushed against the true source. But now, faced with someone who had never sought the One Magic and yet wielded power that eclipsed his own, he began to doubt.
If his own magic faltered this easily, then perhaps it had never been anywhere close to the One Magic at all.
He clenched his teeth. His jaw trembled.
He would not accept this. He could not.
"What are you doing?"
Broly's voice called out, but Hades didn’t respond. His mind was already set. Somewhere deep in his ship, the Devil’s Heart pulsed louder. Its beat accelerated, becoming irregular, violent. Gears and conduits whirred as arcane mechanisms surged into overdrive. Containers filled with ether cracked from the pressure. Yet no magic escaped. Instead, the heart consumed everything around it. It siphoned more and more, shoving raw magic directly into his body with reckless force.
"Stop it!" Broly shouted, eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?"
But Hades ignored him.
He tilted his head upward and stared at the sky.
"Zeref," he whispered, almost mournfully. "What must I do to reach where you stand? Was I truly just a fish in a well, mistaking the sky for the sea?"
"Stop it!" Broly shouted again.
Still, Hades did not respond. Even as Broly grabbed him again, a hand closing around his neck with crushing strength, the old man remained alive. The pressure alone could have snapped his spine, but his body, sustained by the devil’s heart, remained alive. His head tilted just enough to meet Broly’s gaze.
"It has become clear that no amount of fighting or reasoning will ever make you understand why the One Magic matters. Maybe I have not come close to achieving it, but I will leave this matter to you to fulfil whether you want to do it or not.”
The magic inside Hades continued to grow. It surged like a tidal wave, unstable and unrelenting. The air itself shimmered around him. Sparks danced across his skin. His entire body glowed with the intensity of a miniature sun. Light bled from every pore. His heart wasn’t just pumping magic now, it was detonating with it.
In his mind, the final answer became clear.
If it required the deaths of those this boy considered family, if that pain could force him to seek the One Magic, then that would be his legacy. If that was the only way to make him understand, so be it.
With the amount of energy he had absorbed, the resulting explosion would incinerate Magnolia. Not just the city, but the land itself. Fire, wind, gravity, everything within a mile would vanish.
"You’re insane," Broly whispered, and his voice no longer held calmness. It was tainted by disbelief and anger. The emerald light in his eyes burned brighter, the aura around him flaring like a second sun.
"Don’t force your dreams onto others!"
He roared, his entire body raging with emerald Ki.
He launched upward like a cannonball, dragging Hades by the neck as if he weighed nothing. The velocity shattered trees below them and fractured the air around them. The old man’s body, now glowing brighter than ever, resembled a second sun trailing behind Broly’s path through the sky.
Onlookers miles away could see the glow. A star ascending over the forest. More magic continued to leak from Hades's core, no longer under his control. The end was coming and fast.
He watched as the Saiyan soared higher, cutting through the cloud layers one after another until even the stratosphere was behind them. The sky lost its blue tone, replaced by an infinite expanse of pitch black. The air became razor-thin, breathing an impossibility, but the old mage barely noticed. His attention was locked on what now lay beneath him. Suspended in space, he looked down and saw the full curvature of the planet. The entire world was spread out like a painted scroll, glowing faintly with arcane energy, its continents outlined by its shores. From Ishgar to the distant landmasses of Alvarez, across the oceans, the view stunned him into silence.
The pressure increased. The Saiyan, still holding him with one hand, twisted at the waist and hurled him with a force that sent his body rocketing further upward. The stars blurred past him, and though no wind struck his body, he could feel an intense cold building on one side, with scorching heat pressing from the other. The lack of ambient magic in this vacuum left him drained. There was nothing to absorb, nothing to pull from. And yet, even in that void, he kept his eyes fixed downward.
Broly remained below, motionless, his arm raised. And then, in one blinding instant, emerald light consumed the void. The blast did not ripple or roar. It simply expanded, enveloping everything in its path with a near-silent, flawless sweep of power.
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"Are you happy with it?" The voice was soft, unmistakably familiar, and carried an unplaceable calm. The darkness faded and the old man found himself seated at a table tucked into the corner of an old wooden hall. The atmosphere was quiet, warm with the sunlight creeping in from the windows, the creaking of old floorboards echoing through what appeared to be the original Fairy Tail guild hall in its earliest form.
Stone by stone, plank by plank, he remembered how it had been built. Every nail, every joint, he had once helped place with his own hands alongside the friends he had long outlived.
"What happened to you, Precht…" The voice asked again. He looked forward and saw her, young, with floor-length hair, eyes dimmed by sorrow, yet not anger. She didn’t need to explain why she looked that way. He already understood.
"I tried to find the answer," he replied, slowly. His fingers traced the nostalgic sensation of the beer mug on the table. "I tried to heal you. To heal this world. I walked through ruins and kingdoms, crossed deserts and frozen plains. I searched endlessly. And when I discovered the one magic and its connection to Zeref, I thought I had finally found the key. The path to salvation. A force that would transcend even death."
He paused, feeling the weight of his own failure settle in his chest like stone. The blonde girl remained silent, her expression unchanging, while the light from the window behind her began to fade.
"I believed it would work," he said again, quieter this time. "I truly believed it would work.”
“Then why did you turn your back on us? You were not like this, what you taught the others before leaving was not a lie. Then why?”
Precht opened his mouth but no answer came out, yet he knew staying silent would not help. “I… I became fascinated by the forbidden. With each knowledge I acquired, with each power I gained — I ended up wanting more.” Memories of his younger self surfaced, of his attempt of tracing every single trace of the one magic he could find. “I kept telling myself that it was for Fairy Tail, that one that I'd come back and release you from that prison, Mavis. But in the end, all of it was a lie, I just wanted it for myself.”
The first Master of the guild smiled, reaching forward as his head looked downwards refusing to look at her in the eyes. Hands clenching the beer hard enough that his knuckles turned white.
“I'm sorry I was such a burden on you, Precht. No one deserves to carry the weight of my mistakes.” She stroked his light brown hair, despite looking younger than him she still treated him as such. “Still, you caused a lot of pain to your family.”
At that, he scoffed. “I am no longer part of this family anyways. What I have done… I cannot come back from this, you know. That's your problem, Mavis, you're far too forgiving.”
“You are here, means that you are not completely gone.” She tapped the back of his hand where a faint emblem of their guild still remained visible. Most of it having already faded. “Bonds from the past cannot be so easily severed. Even without a heart, your old self remained alive somewhere inside.”
“It is too late for regrets. It's too late for me.” He said, looking outside where the sun had already nearly settled with Mavis nodding along with a saddened face. Finishing up his drink, Precht got up from his seat, walking towards the door where he looked back one last time. “You have a dangerous guy in your guild, that kind of power only invites trouble.”
“He just wants to find a place where he belongs.” She replied. “He found it, and we will work together to make sure he does not lose it.”
That made him chuckle, shaking his head with a deep sigh.
“Who would have guessed that the one gifted with such power would have such a silly wish. He has everything… it would have been nice had he been born around our time.” Though he said that, Mavis showed a smile with eyes that clearly showed she saw right through him. The man shrugged, grabbing his bag from the floor and opening the door. “I'll be going then, tell Maki that I'm sorry I couldn't come by for a visit. Maybe it was for the best.”
“Take care, Precht, I'll be seeing you too, one day.”
“Yeah… I know you'll find a way where I have failed.”
He waved at her, closer the door behind him as the entire guild turned into darkness.
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With his eyes opening one last time, he gazed at the world in its entirety. Closing them again with nothing but absolute silence accompanying him in his last moments as the rest of his body disappeared and turned into ashes in the emptiness of space.
Lyrical Sword Chapter 16: Escape
Beta read by FabledLife and Opal.
Next u
A Fake Familiar Reborn Chapter 34: Madness Part 1
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness.
Nex
To Love a Sword Chapter 35: Forgotten Past
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife
I am speed (for a few days till I run out of fuel).
Next update is Fake Familiar Reborn followed by Nanoha.
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--Sainan-
Lately, Sainan had been caught in a lull—so quiet that Ryouko almost forgot what peace felt like. The clinic was stuffy, the sharp tang of antiseptic hanging in the air, mingled with the faint buzz of medical equipment. The alien doctor, her auburn hair pulled back in a no-nonsense bun, slumped against her desk. Her eyes were tired from lack of sleep, but still sparked with remnants of yesterday’s little adventure.
“…Then all the students gathered around the fire. Then came the ceremony of prizes being given out, and we had quite the show with Lala getting a bit jealous.” She spoke to her assistant, Shizu. The ghost inhabiting the artificial body Ryouko made to look just like her, wearing a nurse's outfit. Adorable but also practical, she designed it herself.
“Hehe, it sounds amazing!”
“You really ought to have joined us, Oshizu,” Ryouko said, her words dancing with the joy of recollection. “The beach alone was a sight to behold; it was very clean, and it reminded me of the Ryukyu Islands beaches. With Sephie around, the experience was even more amazing! Shame she had to go back, it's a nice experience to hang out with a woman around my own age every so often.”
"I appreciate the offer, Doctor," Shizu said softly, tucking a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear, "but I really needed to take care of the clinic. Who else would look after the patients while you're on vacation? Without you around, some people were worried that they would have needed to go to the regular hospitals."
The buxom brunette leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking under her, and studied her assistant closely. It was true—the clinic had only grown more popular with time. With more and more aliens secretly making their way to Earth, fearful of exposure, Ryouko’s clinic had become the only safe haven in the area for species too afraid to risk a human hospital and the inevitable consequences. Zastin and his task force worked tirelessly to keep the secret, but one mistake could undo everything for a few unlucky individuals.
They have been especially strict lately after Sephie’s visit…
"A day or two of absence won't cause that much trouble, and everyone needs some form of leisure time," she said kindly, a smile tugging at her lips. "You've been working here for a long time now. I see how hard you work every day, you deserve a break just like anyone else. Besides, if there's an emergency, the patients can always call me. I'd be back in an instant."
It wasn’t the first time she had taken leave, nor would it be the last. Unless a true emergency occurred — something catastrophic like a patient in need of immediate surgery — most cases could wait. In fact, just this past year, the only genuinely urgent medical situation had been Golden Darkness’ case of severe malnutrition, and even then, it had stemmed more from reckless eating habits than any true peril. The girl had nearly starved herself from the inside out with a diet consisting almost entirely of potato chips and any other junk food she’d been able to get her hands on.
Shizu, of course, technically didn’t even have a body to maintain anymore. A ghost could drift through centuries without needing a single doctor’s visit. But her mind and her soul, those were still very much alive and working. Relentless work would wear even the dead down, with enough stress.
Besides, a day at the beach with some of the students seemed like the perfect way to relax and socialize. Yet, the longer Ryouko mulled over Shizu’s flimsy excuse, the more suspicious she became.
"Oshizu," she said, this time her voice sharpened to a more commanding tone. The reaction was instantaneous. The stiff spine, the guilty, strained smile plastered on her face as she looked away, resembled nothing so much as a Labrador caught stealing biscuits from the kitchen cupboard. "Is there something you’re not telling me?" she pressed, arching an eyebrow.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Shizu stammered, her voice an octave too high.
‘Ah. So there it was.’
Her suspicions confirmed, Ryouko knew she couldn’t simply ignore it—not as the girl’s mentor. Folding her arms, she leaned forward slightly.
"It’s because of him, isn’t it?"
The words were spoken lightly, almost teasingly, a mere test to observe the girl’s reaction.
Shizu, despite her ethereal existence stretching across centuries, had always possessed a heart as innocent as a young maiden’s. Her reaction gave everything away instantly—the way she fidgeted, wringing her fingers together, her eyes darting everywhere but at Ryouko’s.
Ryouko sighed quietly, a fond, exasperated sound. "How long has it been? At least a year? Close to two, actually, since that incident. You've seen him up close, you've witnessed his actions, his choices, and how he handled matters concerning the safety of this world and its people. You’ve seen his generosity toward those who deserve it. You’ve seen him put his life at risk to save others, that should help offset some of the fear by now, right?"
She leaned back in her chair once more, her expression softening.
"Surely by now, it’s obvious. He is not a bad person out to hunt down ghosts and spirits. Nor is he someone you need to fear, no matter what others may have told you otherwise."
"It's not that I hate him, Mikado-sensei," Shizu murmured, her voice so soft it nearly blended with the gentle hum of the clinic’s machinery. She hugged the clipboard tighter against her chest, her guilty eyes darting away. "I know he’s not a bad person and all… but I just get scared whenever I even think he’s around."
"Irrational fear, I suppose," the doctor noted, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her lips as she digested the confession. "But do you plan on staying afraid of him forever? It’s a bit unfair to him, don’t you think? Imagine how Emiya must feel, sensing that someone is this frightened of him and constantly avoiding him. He’s not a dog with your case of cynophobia can help to explain your reaction. He visits regularly. It’s only natural he’s begun to notice something is amiss."
"I tried to get over it!" the ghost exclaimed, visibly crumbling under the weight of her guilt. Her blue hair seemed to shimmer under the fluorescent lights. "But every time I get near him, it feels like I'm back there, back in that place, about to die all over again. I can't explain it… It’s like I can’t breathe, like something terrible is about to happen, and I can’t stop it. And he feels like the cause of it."
Ryouko folded her arms, frowning slightly. "But you are a ghost, Oshizu. You don’t even need to breathe. And as for Emiya, he can use magic, yes, but from what I can tell, it’s not the type that resembles an exorcism. Though honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he were to possess knowledge on how to perform that, but even then, he has no reason to perform such a thing on you."
Ever since the incident, the night Shizu had accidentally attempted to possess him, Ryouko’s curiosity had only grown. Her assistant had recounted in trembling whispers what she had seen, though Emiya himself had offered little. When she once tried to broach the subject, it had been clear that he knew exactly what Shizu had glimpsed, but refrained from explaining any further.
She hadn't pressed him. It wasn't her place to demand answers, not when it involved personal, possibly sensitive information.
Still, to terrify someone like Shizu, so innocent, so tender-hearted, something about that truth gnawed at her curiosity like a persistent moth to a flame.
"Tell me," she said finally, her voice steady, "if you had a chance to get rid of that fear… would you take it?"
The question hung between them, heavy and expectant. The girl squeezed the clipboard closer, her fingers clenching the edges until her knuckles turned translucent. After a long moment, she nodded, so faintly it was almost imperceptible.
"Then I suggest exposure therapy," Ryouko said gently. "Prolonged exposure, to be precise. You need to be around him, converse with him, and spend time near him, until that fear naturally fades away. When I was kidnapped not that long ago, you managed to face your fears without my help, and communicated with him, didn't you? I believe you can do it again."
Shizu said nothing at first, her gaze distant, lost somewhere past the walls of the small clinic. She simply stood there, hugging the clipboard like a shield. Then, slowly, she nodded again.
"If you think it will work… I’ll take your word for it. I do feel bad about it. I don't want him to feel bad, either. And… I haven’t even thanked him yet. For saving you."
A beautiful smile bloomed on Ryouko’s face, bright and warm. She felt a rush of pride for her little assistant, how brave she was, even in her hesitation. Truthfully, she doubted Emiya would feel hurt if a ghost tiptoed around him out of fear. He might not even remember the incident. But still, she believed that having someone like Shizu, a beacon of kindness and innocent goodwill, around him could only be a good thing.
Because every time the brunette spoke to him, it was like speaking to an old soul, someone who had walked the world for decades longer than his actual age suggested. It wasn’t natural for a young man to be so jaded, so eerily unaffected by the sight of blood, aliens who tried to kidnap Lala, assassins, and even being able to kill the prince who hired Golden Darkness without so much as a hint of hesitation. She’d heard the story from Zastin—who apparently hadn’t heard the human idiom that loose lips sink ships—when the royal guard captain came to check up for any injuries, how Lacospo died in a matter of seconds, or the expression he made when Zastin was ordered to attack him. It wasn’t normal for someone his age to become like that, especially for his age, even with the ability to use magic.
The more she thought about it, the more her curiosity turned to worry that weighed heavily on her chest.
But at the end of the day, she was not just a school nurse; she also cared about him deeply on a personal level. And if bringing another little light into his life could help, even if just a little, she would do whatever it took.
Ring!
The sharp sound of the doorbell cut through her thoughts, snapping both women back to the present.
"Oh my, I got so caught up in our little chat I nearly forgot we're still open for business," Ryouko said with a warm chuckle, one that Shizu mirrored with a sheepish smile. The ghost girl hurried out of the office, ready to greet the next patient.
The front door opened again with a gentle chime, and Shizu bowed slightly to whoever arrived at the waiting room. "Please come in. The doctor is ready to see you. You may tell her about any issues you've been experiencing."
Ryouko glanced up and smiled the moment she caught sight of their visitor, a familiar figure indeed, and a recurring patient who always brought a touch of lively chaos with her.
"I'm happy to see you’re doing well, Run," she said, her smile brightening. "It’s so rare to see you alone. How’s your brother?"
Not surprised to see the one that came over for a check-up today happened to be the local Memorzean royal, last time she saw them was when Ren was in control. It was a rarity to see Run be in control, probably today was her day. Despite dealing with the case for years by now, she was still amazed by the curious ability developed by the girl’s species during the long hardships of their resource-scarce planet… switching genders and even psyches with but a sneeze. Truly a remarkable phenomenon.
"Ryouko-sensei! It's great to see you again," Run beamed. "My brother’s resting right now. He spends every afternoon training at home, running marathons until he collapses. Now I’m stuck making sure he actually takes care of himself."
“Ren must be lucky to have such a caring sister," she said warmly.
"He's lucky I became friends with Lala in the first place!" Run huffed, folding her arms dramatically. "And lucky I’m here cleaning up after all his shenanigans. Do you know how many people in town come running up to me, complaining about how Ren charges through the streets shouting he’ll become a 'man among men'? It's mortifying!"
Ryouko chuckled, all too easily able to picture the scene vividly—Run standing red-faced while townsfolk gossiped and laughed behind their hands.
"It’s admirable, though," she said kindly as she began setting up a few diagnostic devices, the machines whirring softly to life around the examination room. "He’s a young, hot-blooded man, trying to better himself."
"Better himself?!" Run nearly exploded, throwing her arms in the air. "More like making a complete fool of himself! It's ridiculous! He’s just desperate to catch Lala’s attention. And to do that, he’s trying to become like Emiya! Have you seen his room? It's covered — covered, I tell you—with shirtless photos of Emiya in all these different poses! He analyzes them, trying to copy his build and his workout routine. It's downright creepy and gives off all kinds of obsessed stalker vibes! I don't want future guests to think it’s my room! Or that I’m living with a sibling who should have a restraining order!"
A… strange practice she had to admit. Had his resolve to become a man gone to such an extreme that he started to idolize the redhead? Definitely something that could be used to tease her favorite chef. The woman's lips twitched, trying not to laugh. Admittedly, perhaps that was a bit excessive, even by Ren’s standards. "Well, I’m sure he’ll grow out of it eventually. Think of it as a phase. We all have them."
"Maybe," the green-haired princess grumbled. "But because of all his crazy antics, I haven’t even gotten a proper chance to talk with Emiya lately. We only really see each other at school, and even then, it’s just quick greetings. Our last date was a disaster, and after that, there’s been so much happening around him I couldn’t even get close."
Poor girl. Ryouko could sympathize. For someone who longed for a peaceful, uneventful life, Emiya somehow consistently attracted the most vibrant whirlwind of chaos imaginable: a hyperactive princess who left a trail of bizarre inventions, equally energetic sisters, a top-class galactic assassin trailing after him like an overeager puppy claiming to be his student, and not to forget his own brother whose accidental misadventures around girls had become something of a local legend. And now there was even a plant-based girl who’d practically been adopted as his daughter.
Ryouko smiled softly at the memory of the boy she had first met, more guarded, a little lost, and the young man he had become. Though the chaos around him had multiplied, she could see it clearly: he hadn't let it change who he was. Beneath it all, she knew he found a stubborn, secret joy in it.
"Heh~, this might work.”
"Hm?"
Both girls turned toward Ryouko with puzzled expressions when she suddenly snapped her fingers, reacting as though she'd just made a world-shattering discovery.
"Well, for now, I can confidently say there’s nothing wrong with your body, Run," Ryouko declared, tapping her clipboard lightly against her palm. "Other than needing a bit of proper rest, you’re perfectly fine. However…" Her eyes gleamed mischievously. "I may have a proposition, one that could benefit not only you but also Shizu over here."
"Me?" Shizu blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"Yes, Run," Ryouko said with a nod. "Were you aware that my assistant here struggles to be around Emiya? She’s developed a form of…irrational fear regarding him."
"What?!" Run gawked at the ghost girl, utterly bewildered. "Why would you be scared of him? Sure, Emiya looks a bit gruff sometimes, and his magic is intense, but he’s not scary at all!" She stopped to think for a minute.
“I mean… unless you’re a bad person. But you’re not a bad person, are you, Shizu?”
The ghost girl flinched at the question. "Wha— No! No, I’m not! It’s… hard to explain," Shizu mumbled at the end, shrinking slightly.
"In any case," the doctor continued briskly, "since she’ll soon be attending school as well, I want you to help her get more familiar with him. Introduce her properly. Talk to him together. It might help her overcome this unfortunate fear. And you," Ryouko added slyly to Run, "will also get to spend a little more time with him. It may not be the method you’d have preferred, but trust me—being normal and truthful is the most effective way to get anywhere with him."
Ryouko could see the cogs turning in Run’s mind, her mouth pursed thoughtfully. Her smile widened knowingly, already predicting what the girl’s answer would be.
"Just chat for a bit," she encouraged gently. "Some alone time in the waiting room. Nothing complicated."
Before she could blink, Run had nodded enthusiastically and seized Shizu by the wrist, dragging the flustered assistant out of the room.
Left alone with no new patients arriving just yet, the school nurse decided to indulge herself with a cup of coffee. She wandered into the small kitchen, humming lightly as she prepared it. But after a sip, she wrinkled her nose—the taste was… passable, but missing something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
"Maybe I should invite him over again," she mused aloud, poking through the fridge to check her supplies. "This time, I’ll make sure to prepare dinner properly."
Was it selfish to concoct a pretense, a dear friend's concern about Emiya’s health, as an excuse to invite him? Perhaps. But she was confident she could more than make up for it if he agreed. Besides, it was just one dinner. She doubted he would refuse, especially considering he still owed her a small favor from years ago.
Ring!
The shrill sound of her phone snapped her from her plotting. Frowning, she wiped her hands and picked up the device, glancing at the caller ID—and her eyes widened in shock.
"Now there’s a name I haven’t seen in years…" she murmured, curiosity peaking at this turn of events.
.
.
.
(A few hours later)
"Eh, you really think that plan will work?"
After finishing up their work and going on a small lunch break, Shizu and Run strolled side by side down a quiet path, trying to figure out their next move.
“You don't believe me?”
"I don't know," Shizu muttered after hearing Run's plan on how to capture Emiya's attention, kicking at a loose stone. "Where would we even find people willing to pretend to be bad guys trying to assault me? And couldn’t someone get hurt? I don’t think that’s such a good idea…"
"It’s a brilliant idea!" The green-haired girl beamed, spinning lightly on her heel. "I was about to try it on myself, actually, but I couldn’t find the right opportunity, not after he left for that island trip with Saki and her cronies. But if you’re uncomfortable, we can think of something else."
"That… would help," she admitted quietly.
Truth be told, she still wasn’t certain how she felt about getting close to Emiya at all. Just being near him made her skin crawl—an invisible, searing ache that she couldn't quite shake, rooted in the moment she had nearly possessed him. That barren landscape flashed across her mind again: a wasteland unlike anything she'd ever seen, a world where thousands—no, an almost infinite number—of swords jutted out of the cracked earth like tombstones. Even as a spirit, the suffocating pressure there had threatened to crush her, an overwhelming sense of dread whispering that the slightest movement might be her end.
It was almost impossible to describe. Even Ryouko, as understanding as she was, could never fully grasp what Shizu had witnessed. Nor did she want the good doctor to ever be exposed to such a terrible thing.
"Why don’t you just introduce me to him at school in a more normal setting?" Shizu suggested hopefully. "Maybe I can… You know, use you as a shiel— I mean, slowly get to know him like that. I read in one of those Seventeen magazines that girls who leave letters in a boy's shoebox are the surefire way to make them find you!"
"Nope, no way! You're not allowed to do that. Those are just for… um… special reasons. Also, good luck approaching him normally," Run snorted. "He’s always swarmed by girls, especially at school. I bet Lala will swoop in and steal all his attention again! She always gets the good stuff. But now…" Run’s eyes gleamed triumphantly. "Rather than working solo, I finally have a teammate who can help me beat her! I'm not blind to the progress Saki has made! It's all because of those two minions she has, not to mention Ren will just ruin things for me! That’s exactly why my idea is perfect!"
Even though all of this sounded very questionable, Shizu chuckled awkwardly, feeling like the older girl had perhaps misunderstood the situation entirely and was just barreling forward with her own plan. But she didn’t mind too much, it sounded fun. After several visits to the clinic, she had learned enough about Run to know that, beneath the chaos, she was a good person.
"I’m not even sure how I can help you," Shizu said quietly. "I'm not good at anything… I’m more likely to be a burden than anything else."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Run gently smacked her lightly on the back.
"Ow—!"
"How can you say that when we haven’t even tried yet?" Run scolded, hands planted firmly on her hips. "If you keep being so hesitant, how do you plan on ever fulfilling Mikado-sensei’s wish? How do you expect to get over your fear?"
She was right. The more Shizu thought about it, the more sense Run’s words made. Drawing a deep breath, she straightened up, newfound resolve flickering in her chest.
"You’re right!" She huffed, puffing up her chest. "Even if I’m scared, even if I’m not sure what I can do, I can still try other things! I’m sure we can figure something out. Don’t worry. I'll do my best and get over my—"
"—What are you two talking about?"
"Hyah!"
The startled yelps escaped both girls at once. They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn’t even noticed someone approaching so close that the voice practically whispered against their ears.
They whirled around. A red-haired girl with violet eyes stood behind them casually with her arms crossed behind her back, as well as wearing an amused yet curious look on her face.
"W-Who are you?" Shizu asked cautiously, heart hammering. That had almost startled her enough to accidentally make her unpossess the artificial body she was given.
"Me?" The girl laughed lightly. "I’m just passing through town. Are you two students from Sainan High, by any chance?”
"Yes?" Run answered hesitantly, her fingers curling slightly at her sides, casting a wary glance at the newcomer.
"That’s great!" the red-haired girl chirped, flashing a dazzling smile. "I was just passing through and couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. Are you two, by any chance, talking about Emiya?"
This person just kept getting more suspicious. "You know him?"
Both Shizu and Run blurted the question in near-perfect unison, equally surprised. The former, blinking rapidly, tried to place this stranger in her mind, rummaging through the memories of people who usually hovered around Emiya. Now that she looked closer—if she squinted and ignored the eye color—this girl almost resembled what Emiya had looked like back when Lala’s invention had temporarily turned him into a girl. The resemblance was uncanny, except this stranger had much longer hair, braided neatly all the way down her back.
"I know of him—that's even better!" the girl continued, practically vibrating with energy. "I want to join the conversation! Let's talk and exchange everything you know about him, about the different kinds of abilities he possesses, and possible weaknesses!"
“…”
This person kept getting even more suspicious, and the desire to get as far away from this person grew by the second. Yet she obviously did not seem to be one of those aliens that came to Earth to steal the Devilukean princess… maybe she was overthinking it? Before either Shizu or Run could utter a word, they exchanged a silent, uncertain look. Was this safe? Was it even normal?
They didn’t get a chance to decide.
The newcomer seized both their hands with surprising strength and began pulling them along at a brisk pace, as if they had been best friends for years.
"There’s an ice cream shop nearby! You can buy me a few scoops, and in return, I’ll share everything I know! I even spoke with him recently!" she added brightly, her grip vice-like and unrelenting. “Oh, I forgot, my name is Mea… what were both of your names again?”
Wait, when had she ever agreed to buy anyone ice cream?! A bolt of panic shot through the spirit's chest as she remembered she didn’t even have any money on her! They hadn’t even introduced themselves to this person to begin with!
"Do you know this girl?" Run hissed into her ear as they stumbled along the pavement.
Shizu shook her head vigorously.
Neither of them had any clue who this girl was.
{Break}
-Yuuki Residence-
Several days had drifted by since Emiya’s return from the island. After his rather chaotic meeting with Kyoko—the Flamian girl who had inadvertently dragged him into one of her shows—things, by some miracle, had mostly gone back to normal.
Well, as normal as things could be in his life these days.
It was only now, as he wandered through the corridors of the house, that he realized just how much time had slipped by since Lala first crashed into his life, bringing with her a whirlwind of ever-evolving absurdity. It was strange… he hadn't even noticed it happening.
Lost in thought, he decided to head into the kitchen to prepare lunch before anyone else got the idea first. But what he found there stopped him dead in his tracks.
Yami stood at the counter, wearing one of his aprons— which looked comically oversized on her lithe frame—and held two chef knives in a reverse grip as if preparing for battle or about to assassinate a target with them. The edges gleamed wickedly under the kitchen lights, catching the beams and throwing eerie reflections across the walls. Combined with Yami’s cold, unreadable stare, the scene gave off the chilling aura of a villain from a low-budget horror film.
"What are you doing?" he asked, voice dry as sandpaper, more concerned about the imminent destruction of his kitchen than the girl herself.
"Training," Yami replied flatly, meeting his gaze with unwavering calm.
There was no elaboration, no sheepishness, just that steady, unsettling eye contact that stretched out for what felt like an age.
"Training to become a serial killer in a B-rated horror movie?" Emiya quipped weakly, trying and failing to shake off the growing sense of destruction that would inevitably hit his kitchen. He just cleaned up this place yesterday and used some of the money Ringo sent to buy a brand new cutting board made out of maple wood.
"No," she replied matter-of-factly. "Training on how to use a sword."
He blinked.
First of all, those weren’t swords. Secondly, brandishing two kitchen knives while a bundle of innocent vegetables sat trembling on the counter didn’t exactly scream 'swordsmanship practice' to him.
"Give her a chance," a voice called out cheerily next to Yami, Mikan filling up a large pot with water and looking completely unfazed by the situation. "Come on, it’s finally good to have someone else helping me out in the kitchen, that is not you or Rito! I finally have another girl who’s around my age helping me out."
“I'm older…” Yami commented with a deadpan face but got immediately ignored by those in the room.
Emiya groaned internally.
"Just ask Lala to use one of her crazy inventions to turn Rito into a girl," he muttered. "Then you can have all the help you want.”
"Don't drag me into this!" His little brother shouted from the living room, his voice rising above the usual hum of the house. "I don't want to be turned into a girl anytime soon!"
Immediately, he regretted making that small joke upon seeing the wicked grin spread across Mikan’s face as she shot back, "We could test if his… clumsy nature works on women upon changing genders—or if he starts targeting others." She chuckled, hardly serious, but her comment struck with an uncanny precision that sent a shiver down his spine.
"What if it starts working on boys instead?" she mused, her voice laced with mischief, but also genuine curiosity. "At that point, you're the only possible target in this house."
Speechless, he stood frozen for a moment, the thought terrifying him in a way he couldn’t quite explain. He refused to picture it, absolutely refused to let the scene play out in his mind. "Point taken," he muttered, shaking his head as though to rid himself of the dreadful thought.
"Waaahhhhhhgggg!" Came the frantic cry, followed by the sound of someone darting across the room. "Why are you pointing a gun at me, Lala!?"
"I just want to see if Mikan's theory holds weight," Lala explained cheerfully, sounding like she brandished another one of her bizarre contraptions in her hands. "This is my new and improved invention! It can turn you into a woman and change you back without any side effects. Trust me, I’ve tested it."
"Tested on whom?!" Rito exclaimed, horrified. "Don't point that thing at me!"
Behind him, he could hear the clattering of footsteps, the desperate sound of an alien princess pleading for him to stay still long enough for her to get an accurate shot. Early in the morning, before his first cup of coffee, he was already feeling a headache coming on. If this had happened at any point in the past, he would have been utterly shocked—perhaps even terrified—at Lala creating something like this. But by now, he had grown used to her theatrics, so much so that the idea of being accidentally shot didn’t seem all that far-fetched.
For now, though, if the gun was the real deal and not just another of Lala's elaborate pranks to tease Rito, he'd just stay put in the kitchen, praying his luck didn’t run out.
"Back to the topic at hand," he sighed, rubbing his temples as he spoke to Mikan again. "Why is Yami even here in the first place? I was about to make spaghetti and meatballs." It wasn’t exactly his favorite dish, but Rito had been craving it after watching a food show on TV the night before that featured it.
Mikan shrugged nonchalantly. "I saw Yami hanging out at the park, looking bored out of her mind, so I thought she might want something to do. Told her she could join us." She gestured to the blonde assassin, who stood by the counter, her hands still clasped tightly around two gleaming chef knives.
"I was meditating," Yami said flatly, her expression unreadable, still holding the knives with a surgeon's precision.
"Right," he replied, consciously not rolling his eyes. "Meditating." His voice was thick with sarcasm. "So, how did that lead to you holding two knives and wandering into the kitchen, hoping to learn how to use swords? You’re already proficient in all manner of blades, last I checked."
Her gaze didn’t shift, but her response was as direct as ever. "All the weapons I've used so far are part of my body. I’ve never used a blade that wasn't connected to me. Mikan mentioned that you spend hours here, chopping vegetables, sometimes half a day, and that you spend another hour sharpening all the knives in the cupboard. I thought that was why you were so good with them."
He blinked, taken aback. There was so much wrong with that statement, he wasn’t sure where to start. The reason he spent hours cutting vegetables had nothing to do with any desire for swordsmanship. It was therapeutic and, as it happened, he'd volunteered to help out with a soup kitchen that Saibai had decided to support a few times in the past.
"In any case," he began, his voice casual as he walked into the kitchen, "do you have a particular reason for wanting to learn how to use a sword?"
Without waiting for an answer, he deftly reached out, taking both knives from Yami’s hands and replacing them with a peeler. She blinked at it, clearly confused, but he simply demonstrated how to use it on a carrot, peeling it with deliberate ease. As the blade worked its way down the vegetable, she finally spoke, her voice quiet, almost as if she were speaking to herself.
"I feel like lately, I haven’t been making any progress as a fighter."
"Why do you feel you even need to make progress?" he replied thoughtfully, his eyes flicking over her as he expertly showed her how to handle the peeler. "You’re already more than capable as you are." The sheer versatility of her abilities, not the least being her hair, which could transform into any number of deadly weapons, was something that couldn’t be underestimated. Her strength was formidable, rivaled only by a few others, perhaps even Kuro—though their last encounter had ended with him overwhelming the man. Even then, it was clear they hadn’t fought at full capacity, and it was hard to say just how powerful Black Cat truly was.
"I don’t know," Yami admitted, her gaze falling to the carrot in her hands. "I just don’t like the feeling of staying the same. It’s like… nothing has changed since the beginning."
His gaze softened slightly as he listened, then gave her a reassuring smile. "I don’t think you’ve remained stagnant at all. It’s clear you’ve made progress, even if you can’t see it yet."
"I agree," Mikan chimed in, her voice light as she stirred the boiling water for the pasta. "You were so stiff at first, it was almost like talking to a robot, if that makes sense. But now? You’ve got hobbies, right? Like when we go out to buy groceries, or when we stop for taiyaki. Do you enjoy those things?"
Yami’s expression showed some level of conflict at the mention of those small outings. "I do."
Her hands moved carefully to chop the vegetable after he gave her another knife, but in her haste, the blade grazed the cutting board. A small frown appeared on her face as she tried to correct her grip. But instead of scolding her, Emiya placed his hand over hers, gently guiding her again. “Put your finger on the spine of the knife, it makes it easier to handle.” She flinched at first, but didn’t pull away.
“…Thanks.”
"Adding to what Mikan mentioned, such things tend to happen slowly," he murmured, keeping his tone calm and steady. "You can’t expect to see massive results right away. Take your time,—there’s no need to rush. This isn’t a mission. If you treat it like one, it will only stress you out more."
As he spoke, he noticed her posture loosening, her grip on the knife relaxing. She was clearly taking his advice to heart, no longer pressing down with too much force. Her movements were smoother now, more controlled.
"Do you think you’ll be able to handle spice?" he asked, changing the subject as he set the carrot aside.
Mikan chuckled from behind him. "She’s an assassin from space, Shirou. A bit of spice won’t do her any harm."
"You never know," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Just pass me that bottle at the end of the cupboard. There are some chillies Ringo brought for us from France a while ago. They should be perfect for today’s lunch."
As Mikan retrieved the bottle, she tossed him a teasing glance. "Just make sure to be careful with how much you put in before you let Yami try it. Oh, and Lala, too. She has a sensitive tongue."
"Are you really that interested in learning to use a sword?" he asked Yami, his tone both curious. Not like he was not taking her seriously, if the young assassin-turned-bodyguard was truly serious with her objective, then better for her to learn such things in a controlled environment with him around. The worst outcome would be for Zastin to get involved and hurt himself or teach Yami the wrong thing.
The blonde girl paused for a moment, her gaze meeting his. "I think… I think I just want to be more than I am. Not for any reason other than… to know I can do it."
Emiya nodded, as though understanding her completely. "Well, then, I’ll help you. One step at a time."
“…Really?”
He shrugged, "I’m not exactly the best teacher. There’s no guarantee you’ll learn anything substantial, and you obviously won’t be able to reproduce my abilities in Magecraft. At best, I can show you the very basics, but nothing too complex; such things would take time we don't have."
Yami’s gaze was steady, unwavering. "The Magic part was never my goal," she replied, watching him with a focused expression as he began to chop vegetables while preparing the sauce. "My main goal is simply to become better at swordsmanship. If I can accomplish that, I believe it will help me refine how I use myself."
…
After lunch, he called the girl to the backyard, where they had more space. Tracing two reinforced wooden bokken, he threw one at her, which she caught easily.
“Just use it as you would in a battle, attack me, and we'll see just where you stand.”
She tilted her head, “…Are you sure?”
“As long as you are not trying to kill me,” he commented, partially serious since at the end of the day, the girl was pretty dangerous even with a wooden weapon.
“Here I come then.”
She held the weapon sideways, which he immediately noticed. Her speed remained as fast as ever, along with that strength; the first strike alone would have shattered the weapon had it not been reinforced.
Well, he had to admit, she had talent. After just half an hour of exchanging strikes with him, most of which he spent performing simple dodges and deflections, Yami proved she was more than capable in combat. Without him even needing to open his mouth, she already started mimicking his movements and posture after only a few moments of observation and a couple of attempts.
"That makes things easier," he said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I don’t have to start from scratch with you, and you pick things up quickly. Are you sure you’ve never used a sword before?"
"I’ve fought against people who used swords," she answered, not sounding winded in the slightest. So stamina as well was not an issue; he supposed that was as good an answer as any.
"So, does it feel different?" he asked, watching her carefully as she swung the wooden sword overhead, then downwards in a smooth arc which he deflected, forcing her to shift her stance and executing a thrust.
"A bit," she said, her brow furrowing slightly in concentration as she adjusted her form. "It’s different from when I use my hands, when I change them into blades."
"It makes sense why they would be different," he mused aloud, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "The style you use when your hands become blades can’t be mimicked or copied the same way as holding a weapon in your fingers. In truth, your method is probably more convenient in battle. You can’t lose your weapons, no one can disarm you, and you can create multiple blades that require extreme levels of force to even chip."
Yami frowned slightly, a flicker of memory in her gaze. "You managed to break them," she said, her voice quiet, as if recalling the moment when his married blades had cut through the strands of her hair. It had taken some effort on his part, but the memory stuck. He had learned that her hair was far stronger than pure steel, impervious to anything modern technology could throw at it—unless it was something like a diamond cutter. But he hadn’t tested that theory yet.
"Kanshou and Bakuya are special," he said, breaking through her thoughts. "They’re made to cut through practically anything remotely mundane. The only weapons that can contend with them are others like them. The fact that yours managed to hold out for so long speaks volumes about how powerful they truly are." He paused, shifting his stance slightly as he continued. "In any case, what you should remember with swordsmanship is that balance is key. From your fighting style, it’s clear you’re more accustomed to being highly mobile—jumping around, flying during battle."
"Yes, I am," she answered, not a slightest hint of pride in her voice as she straightened, still holding the wooden sword in a firm grip that mirrored his.
He observed her for a moment, noting how naturally she adapted to his instructions. A year… no, a couple of months, and she would possess enough skills to challenge a master in skill alone. "You’ll get the hang of this quickly," he said, his voice calm and encouraging. "Just remember, don’t rush it. There’s no need to force the matter."
And so, the afternoon stretched on, filled with the rhythmic clink of wooden swords. Yami’s movements grew sharper, faster than the last one, the more confident she became, each swing and thrust a little more refined than the last.
"Unless you adapt and develop your own style," he began, his voice steady, while correcting her grip, "when using a sword, you’ll need to take a different approach from how you usually fight. I doubt you will try to use what you learned today without finding a way to merge it with what you already know."
To demonstrate, he settled into a standard stance, his posture flawless. "Attack me with your sword, seriously this time, as if I were a real enemy," he instructed, his eyes focused. Yami didn’t hesitate. Her feet kicked off the ground with remarkable strength, and the sound of the wind whistling in her wake reached his ears just as her bokken descended from above with considerable force. The speed and power of the strike were enough to crack a regular person’s skull, should they fail to dodge or block it.
He reacted swiftly, bringing his own sword up at an angle just in time to meet hers. The clash resounded through the courtyard as their weapons collided. He expertly deflected her strike, sending it veering downward before twirling his hand and bringing the edge of his bokken dangerously close to Yami’s neck. She narrowed her eyes, a look of frustration crossing her face. He had specifically told her not to use her hair—if she truly wanted to learn swordsmanship.
“Had you just been using your regular abilities, then dodging that would have been much easier.”
"This is troublesome," she muttered, her voice tinged with self-disappointment, her eyes flicking to the sword resting against her neck.
"It’s normal," he replied, his tone calm, almost reassuring. "This was simply to show you why having the proper form and a counterattack is crucial. Had I allowed you to use your hair, things might have gone differently, but at least now you understand. It's essential to know how to use feints to confuse your opponent."
Yami’s gaze remained fixed on him, her mind processing his words as she listened intently.
"Your method seems to rely on overwhelming your opponents with sheer speed, the number of weapons you can launch at them at once, and the near-indestructibility of your blades," he continued, his voice thoughtful. "But when faced with someone of equal skill and power, that’s where you start to struggle. You're not accustomed to fighting opponents on your own level."
The girl nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words. "I understand," she said, her voice quieter now, but resolute.
He gave her a moment before continuing. "So, you need to learn how to make feints. Make your opponent think you're about to strike in one way, only to surprise them with something entirely different. It’s all about catching them off guard, delivering a potentially fatal or crippling blow before the fight can even unfold."
He gestured for her to attack again, this time giving her permission to unleash her full speed if she wished. Yami accepted without hesitation, her determination clear in the fluidity of her movement.
The entire backyard seemed to hum with the rhythm of clashing wooden swords. His eyes darted, moving left and right in quick succession as he tracked each of her strikes, his own sword mirroring her every move. He blocked, deflected, and parried with precision, never once stepping out of his original position. The battle continued for another five minutes, each exchange growing more intense.
Then, without warning, Yami changed her approach. She thrust her sword toward his throat with deadly accuracy. He reacted just in time, moving his neck to the side and allowing the blade to glide past him. As her sword whizzed by, she drew closer, and in a fluid motion, he grabbed her wrist. Twisting his body, he sent her crashing to the ground in a swift, controlled movement.
He didn’t hear a cry of pain, but the expression on her face told him all he needed to know—it had hurt, despite her best efforts to mask it.
Yami lay there for a moment, her breath heavy, trying to collect herself. He held out a hand to help her up, his expression unreadable, but there was a glint of approval in his eyes. It wasn’t just about the fight. It was about understanding the art of it all, of becoming more than a weapon, of becoming the one who controlled the battle.
"You said you would only use your sword," she said, her voice a mix of annoyance and confusion, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him.
He chuckled, a hint of mischief in his gaze. "That’s the beauty of it all during a battle, I lied," he replied, the calmness in his voice belying the intensity of the moment. "I don’t really care about what I say or promise. I never explicitly mentioned I couldn’t use my hands as well, but you get my point."
Yami’s expression darkened slightly, frustration bubbling within her. She was clearly upset, but she didn’t voice it. Fairness, after all, was not something one could rely on in the chaos of real combat. As an assassin, she knew this all too well.
She took a moment to gather her mind, focused on her internal contemplations, before her lips curled into a small, resigned sigh, one that Emiya matched with a smirk. "This time, come at me with all you've got. Use your hair if you have to, turn them into blades or fists for all I care, but attack once more."
Once again, Yami agreed and forced herself to get back up. Shaking off the previous defeat and this time had her other arm turned into a blade while she kept holding the sword. “Are you sure about this? Using a single sword does not mean it's worse than dual wielding, in most cases, it's actually better.”
“I'm just trying out something new.” She came at him with all the ferocity she could muster, her strikes coming at him from every direction, as if to drown him in a flurry of attacks. The speed and intensity of her strikes were overwhelming, aiming to give him no room to maneuver, no way to escape.
But even as her aggression surged, he remained steady, his mind fully able to follow the path of each attack and predict where they would swing. Granted, his mind’s eye allowed him to track every movement, every flick of her wrist, every shift of her body. The attacks, though fierce, were still not enough to catch him off guard. He deflected and parried with practiced ease, surviving each onslaught. Time seemed to stretch as they continued, with Yami giving everything she had while he patiently guided her, refining her form with occasional remarks.
She grew better with each moment, each strike, and even started to use the bokken to deliver feints. The sun slowly began to dip, the sky darkening as a few hours passed unnoticed, until, finally, the light of day was promising to soon be replaced by the cool embrace of night. Finally showing signs of exhaustion, Yami collapsed to the ground, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, while he sat on the ground, not in a better position himself.
He could not exactly go on fighting forever, unlike his Servant self, with the aid of a Master supplying him with energy. He had his limits, and so did she. “I think we may have gotten too far with this lesson. It was supposed to be a small session. Also, why didn't you use your hair?”
“You did not summon other swords.” A simple answer, one that made him shake his head and let out a chuckle.
“Alright then,” ignoring the soreness all over his body, Emiya stood up and walked before the girl to help her out. “Since it's already close to dinner time, might as well stay here for a bit longer. You can even spend the night here if you want. Mikan would love to have a sleepover. I know she always wanted to have one, but for some reason never brings her friends to our home.”
Yami hesitated at first but then accepted his gesture, grabbing his hand as he pulled her back up to her feet. Both of them went to the porch, where they sat down to rest up a bit.
“Mau!”
Immediately, he was greeted by the sight of Celine walking over holding two juice boxes that were a third of her height. “Oh? Did Mikan send you over?” He asked, to which the little plantas girl nodded her head and jumped on his lap immediately after he pierced the straw in the box and looked at him excitedly.
“…You brought this for yourself, didn't you?”
“Mau!”
“…”
Not having anything to say, he relented and placed the juice box in front of her, which she happily began to drink. Celine emptied the entire thing within seconds and let out a loud burp. This resulted in her belching out some droplets that fell on her clothes and generally made a mess. Used to this by now, he wiped her mouth with a projected tissue. All the while, Yami just sat there quietly, observing him.
“Something on your mind?” he asked.
“Just wondering if I did well today.”
"Well," he said, his tone light, "that's an understatement. For your first day, things went very well. I suppose it’s just a matter of days—perhaps a month or two of training at most—that will make you good enough with the sword, as you please," he answered truthfully, never one to sugarcoat his responses. “Are you sure you're not feeling any soreness or got injured?”
“No… my body is tougher than that.” Though he agreed with that, perhaps she used more stamina than he anticipated, as the blonde’s face dropped a little with her eyes growing hazy. “I just need to rest a bit to get back to full strength, but I can stay awake for as long as I want. I'm used to it.”
It was at moments like these that he was reminded of Mikan and Rito when they were little. Always staying up late just to see him work on building the shed back when it was just a pile of wooden planks and screws. Their faces drooped with drowsiness as time passed. Before carrying them back to their rooms and resume his project afterward.
So, grabbing Celine and putting the child on her throne, which just happened to be his head and shoulder, he went ahead and approached Yami. The girl was surprised the moment he reached down, gently lifting her from the ground, and carried her inside, placing her carefully on the couch. "Not that I don’t believe you, but doing that is unnecessary and bad for your health. You are not in the middle of a war zone, so just rest now," he said, his voice soft but firm. "You’ve earned it."
As he turned to leave, he heard her voice, faint but clear. "Is this what it feels like… to have a family?"
He froze, the words catching him off guard. He turned back, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
She hesitated, her gaze distant, as though unsure whether to continue. "No… It’s just… when I’m with you and Mikan in the kitchen. When we were having lunch with Rito and the princess… all of us gathered like that. Seeing you interact with them and Celine… then this. I just had memories of the past resurface.”
Memories of the past, huh? From the look on her face, he guessed that hers must have been a sensitive subject. But since she brought up the topic of family, perhaps it was related to that. Now that Emiya thought about it, he never questioned her past or if she even had any relatives or family somewhere out there. Given the kind of person she became, he guessed she had lost them due to some unfortunate circumstances.
Cases like hers, with young children turning to bloodshed after losing their family, were all too numerous in his own world. He had lost count of how many cases he encountered, and could no longer even remember their names or faces. People who were regular assassins, some who became enforcers, child soldiers, and so on.
“I remembered her,” hugging her knees, she rested her head against them while absent-mindedly looking at the ground. “Tearju.”
A name he did not recognize. Taking a seat on the ground beside the sofa, he asked. “Someone you were close with?”
“The earliest memory I have of my past is waking up in a tube of liquid, suspended in that confined space for an unknown amount of time, with several people in white robes coming in regularly to check on me. With time, I grew and gained the ability to see, to speak, to understand language, and I started to recognize the faces outside the tube of glass.”
Growing in a vat of glass, those being her earliest memories, suggested that she may not have even been born the way he was thinking. With more questions growing with each tibit of information from the blonde assassin, he waited and continued to listen.
“Amongst those faces, I grew to recognize a woman who was the one coming to check up on me the most. She talked to me when I could barely understand anything, kept me company every time I was conscious, and taught me a lot of basic knowledge. I learned later on her name, Doctor Tearju Lunatique, the one from whom I originated, as her cells were used to create me.”
“A clone?” he asked, to which he just got a shake of the head from her.
“Not really, Tearju is from a species that is practically identical to humans, but with a slightly longer lifespan. Her cells were used as a genetic template for my creation, which influenced my appearance, nothing more.”
Sounded closer to a Homunculus from his world, but not quite. She did not possess any magic circuits. Her abilities were all biological rather than the byproduct of a spell of magical abilities. Perhaps this world's version of a Homunculus? Perhaps best to look at her like a living organism that was neither, not that it mattered to him in the end.
“Since she was there from the beginning, I grew attached to her. She was the only one who would talk to me… so I suppose almost like a mother… or a big sister. Even back then, I knew that in the entirety of the universe, her knowledge and expertise in biotechnology and artificial life creation knew no equal. People praised her at every given opportunity, I could hear it all from my tube. But she did not see me as another one of her creations, she treated me like a person.”
There were some emotions behind her voice that he had not seen before. Fondness of the past, maybe, longing to see this person whom she saw as family… he couldn't tell. If the person truly cared for her that much, then why let Yami go down such a path?
‘Ah… I see, she was created for a reason.’ If Tear was truly just a regular person with human-like biology, then Yami should not have been born with her powers, but she was. Leaving only the possibility that whoever made this entire operation possible wanted not a clone or Homunculus, but rather a living weapon.
Well, they succeeded.
“I used to be different back then, more child-like, happy, and laugh just like Mikan and the Princess. Whenever she was around, Tearju would teach me more about the world outside the lab, tell me stories whenever I went to sleep. I enjoyed all of them and went to bed with a smile on my face.”
And that girl was nowhere to be seen. The first time he saw her, she was no different from a machine sent out to kill a target. Not an ounce of emotion, dull, empty eyes with nothing but the importance of her mission. “I take it that things did not go down that well afterwards.”
She nodded, “You'd be right. The organization Tearju worked for, at first with the goal of advancing scientific research on artificial life in order to save lives—at least that's what Tearju told me. But at one point, their goal changed, or rather, they stopped pretending and revealed they wanted a weapon… not a person. At that time, the galaxy was still engulfed in a war multiple centuries long, a weapon like me would easily attract the attention of different clientele across different worlds wanting someone killed. Because of that, she left the organization while I remained in their custody.”
So it was the same scenario after all, circumstances born out of the consequences of a bloody war. “From what you have mentioned before about this person, it does not sound to me like she would have left you in the hands of such men by her own accord.”
Yami shrugged, “I don't know. Either she was driven away, captured, killed, or forced to flee. Whether she is alive or dead, I couldn't find anything on her after Kuro arrived and destroyed the organization.”
“Do you wish to find her again?”
“…I don't know.” Her voice grew softer, “I'm not sure what to say or do if I were to see her again. Emiya… would she hate what I’ve become? What has happened cannot be undone.”
“Can't say without truly knowing what kind of person she was, that is only something you can know.” At the end of the day, regardless of what he learned about this person, she was still a stranger whom he knew little to nothing about to make any accurate comments. “But if it helps, I don't see you as a weapon, honestly. Neither does Rito, Ryouko, Mikan, or even Lala. To them, to us, you are Yami, and had you truly been nothing but a weapon… I wouldn't have given you the task of protecting my siblings.”
“...”
“If this Tearju truly cared about you as her own daughter or sister, then at the end of the day, she should still see you as the same Golden Darkness whom she raised. Of course, that's merely speculation on my part.”
“Eve.”
“Hm?” He almost missed what she said, given how silently she spoke, and the name that came out of her mouth was unfamiliar to him. So he looked at the girl who was lying on the sofa facing him.
“That's the name she gave me, Eve.”
“It's a beautiful name,” he said, surprised at how… normal the name sounded. Something he'd hear on Earth.
“It is the name she gave me, but I am no longer that person. I am now Golden Darkness, or Yami. I let go of that name a long time ago. Golden Darkness is more of a moniker I acquired due to my nature, and I made it my own identity.”
A being is fundamentally different from their younger counterparts. Separate entities so distinct from who they once were, to the point of being a completely different person with polar opposite personalities. Detachment of the identity of the past to emphasize how, at the end of the day, they were not the same individuals.
“I understand.”
He raised his hand, gently stroking her hair while she slowly drifted to sleep.
“The past cannot be changed. But becoming completely detached and indifferent to it is not something you should do; it will just come back to haunt you over and over again. While you try to figure that part out, don't forget to experience the present.”
“... Do you… think that I can… be… a part of…” Whatever she was about to say could not be heard as she had already drifted into sleep. Having at some point grabbed Celine to pull her into an embrace with both sleeping and enjoying each other's warmth.
Even though he did not hear what she had to say at the end, he could make a guess. Carefully draping a blanket over them, he looked at the time and figured she could have a big breakfast tomorrow since she missed dinner.
“Even someone who threw away his identity, abandoning everything, and got betrayed by his very ideals, got a somewhat second chance of sorts. I don't see why the same cannot happen to you as well. You are not beyond saving like me, so know that you have a place in this family… for as long as you like.” He pushed a few strands of hair away from her face before getting up and heading towards the kitchen.
As he left, Yami's eyes cracked open ever so slightly, looking at his departing figure. A strange warmth she hadn't felt for a very… very long time crept into her heart. The image of his back changed to that of a person wearing a white lab coat with blonde hair just like hers.
She closed her eyes, holding onto Celine while curling up under the blanket, enjoying both the blanket's warmth and the lingering warmth she felt from his touch.
An Archer's Promise Chapter 72: Courage Part 1
Beta read by GameCrusher55
12.5k words.
My Teenage Romance Highschool Comedy Can't Be This Perverted! Chapter 101
Not beta read yet
Looong chapter... Haven't slept for more than 30h...
Next update is An Archer's Promise.
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-Underworld-
After having lived within this supernatural world for quite a while, it could be said I developed a sixth sense when it came to certain individuals—those who would be far too troublesome to deal with and a guaranteed source of endless headaches, even worse than anyone I encountered in my regular day-to-day life.
And perhaps even more importantly, I developed a knack for sensing when I was standing before someone overwhelmingly powerful.
“Welcome to my humble lair, Black Dragon King. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for many years now. It’s not very polite of you to spend so much time around my grandson without paying a visit to his father, don’t you think? Come, join me for some tea. I brewed it myself. It’s not poisoned… or is it? Who knows! Hahaha!”
If I had to describe the sensation I felt in that moment, it would be like being thrown into the deepest reaches of the ocean—one where I couldn’t see the end much less even truly grasp the vastness encompassing me, but could still feel the suffocating pressure trying to collapse my entire body. With someone like Grayfia, for example, it felt like standing beneath several weighted blankets, a pressure that was a bit difficult to ignore but still manageable without having to rely on my Sacred Gear or spells. Everyone seemed to experience this sensory phenomenon differently, but in my case, the intensity always served as a warning.
The man in front of me? Dangerous. Enough so that he brought to mind Sirzechs and that comparison alone made my stomach twist.
“Poisoning tea is poor etiquette, you know,” the man added with a grin, waving his hand as if correcting himself. “Besides, it ruins the flavor. I’ve tried those older, less detectable poisons too, flavorless my ass. Even I can taste something is off, bleh. It’s not completely tasteless, not really. You get it?”
The only thing I got was that this man was insane. That much was crystal clear. He radiated the kind of chaos you’d expect from someone who could do anything, at any time, without warning or reason.
“Who are you?” Rossweisse asked firmly, her voice cold. She had summoned her sword and pointed it directly at the man, causing every bit of color to drain from my face. I was certain that this woman sensed something extremely off about this man, yet she still took this approach!?
“Whatever you’ve done to bring us here, I demand you stop at once and return us! In the name of the Allfather, I—”
Her bold declaration was cut short the moment I slapped a hand over her mouth and yanked her to the side. “Are you out of your damn mind!?” I hissed at her, barely restraining myself from smacking my forehead at her reckless behavior. “Don’t antagonize him like that when you clearly can sense he's powerful — leave this behavior to those who possess the trait of the main protagonist instead! Keep your weapon down and let me do the talking. Just stay behind me and act calm, okay?”
“You can’t be serious. We were kidnapped, and you expect me to just stand here and not apprehend this man? Do not underestimate me. As a Valkyrie, I have been in the service of His Lordship for years, and I will prove it to you!”
Much to my horror, her body lit up in a dazzling flash with what resembled a black leotard forming around her body with some minimal plating on her chest, arms, legs and waist… as somewhat erotic as it looked, the craftsmanship looked to be of high quality nonetheless.
“No, wait—!” I shouted, arm half-extended in a futile attempt to stop her. But she either didn't hear me or simply ignored my plea.
With indignation flaring in her eyes, Rossweisse strode forward, the tip of her blade now dangerously close to the man's face. The strange man, unfazed, simply raised his teacup and took a long, noisy sip, as though the blade pointing at his skull were little more than a fly in the room.
“I will not ask this again, whoever you may be. Surrender now and return us to where we came from. Refuse, and you shall make an enemy of the Valkyries and of Lord Odin himself on top of the Devils.”
It wasn’t that I thought she was weak. Far from it. Valkyries had a well-earned reputation in both the supernatural world and among the old tales of men. The sacred guides of fallen warriors, the chosen emissaries of Valhalla, the handmaidens of the All-Father himself. If I had to compare her, she might sit above the likes of Riser in power—possibly even toe-to-toe with Grayfia. Of course, that was all speculation. I had never seen what a Valkyrie could do at full power.
Even so, some deep-rooted instinct in me screamed that this... this was a very bad idea.
“Oh my,” the man chuckled, swirling his tea with a flick of his wrist. “Is this how you treat your host? I was told Odin greets visitors with a strip club, copious amounts of liquor, and occasionally offers a Valkyrie or two to keep things warm. You wouldn’t happen to be one of those, would you?” The moment the words left his smirking lips, Rossweisse went stiff. Crimson bloomed on her cheeks as she visibly trembled, torn between fury and mortification.
She actually fell for that taunt!?
“Shut up! That is completely false! We Valkyries are proud warriors—we would never debase ourselves like that!”
She didn’t deny the other two parts, then I remembered my previous conversation with that guy and the fact he hung out with Azazel frequently which only served to make the image worse.
“You didn’t deny the other two parts,” I muttered under my breath, unable to help myself. The man snorted into his tea, clearly enjoying the show, while the silver haired woman gave me a withering glare and turned away, still fuming and pouting.
“Lord Odin may be... eccentric in his hospitality,” she admitted stiffly, “but he would never... never use us in such a way!”
Not really helping your case there…
“Really? Well, that’s a shame,” the man replied, resting his cheek on his knuckles with a grin that suggested he was enjoying himself far too much. “If Valkyries leaned into the hostess role a little more, securing alliances between pantheons would be much easier. Just look at what the Shinto and Greek followers are doing. They’ve no shortage of beautiful women sent to ‘negotiate deals.’”
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if this man was more dangerous because of his power or because he had the conversational tact of a drunken philosopher with a god complex. Either way, I was already regretting being part of this.
Just where the hell was this conversation going? I couldn’t read this guy at all. His goals, his tone, his bizarre sense of hospitality, it was like trying to analyze an abstract painting with a blindfold on. All I knew was that he had pulled us here using someone connected to Diodora, which made this entire situation even sketchier than usual. That was saying something.
Rossweisse, in all her noble Valkyrie glory, seemed to be done with the theatrics. “If you don't act now, then I will detain you myself!”
Ah yes. The classic “I’ll fix this with brute force” tactic. Always reliable. Always predictable. Always doomed.
She lunged forward, hand reaching for his collar with righteous fury in her eyes. I stood back, arms crossed, mildly curious. I could’ve stopped her. Probably should’ve. But let’s be honest, she wasn’t going to listen to someone who ranked lower than a footnote in her mental hierarchy.
Then it happened.
Bam.
A heavy, echoing sound cracked through the room. Something silver shot past me like a meteor, gouging a trench into the ground that looked like it belonged in a post-apocalyptic action movie. I turned slowly—because turning fast would have meant I was emotionally invested—and found Rossweisse embedded in the dirt like a failed prototype of a Valkyrie missile, a trickle of blood rolling down her chin.
“...Shit,” I muttered under my breath.
‘You want me to take over, partner?’ Vritra’s voice rumbled inside my head.
I shook my head. ‘No. Something’s off here. I can’t teleport. That’s the first red flag. Whatever trap this is, it wasn’t half-baked.’
‘It is as I feared. He’s masking the majority of his power. I cannot form a full profile of his abilities.’ Vritra commented, letting out a deep sigh which I mirrored.
‘So, the usual then. Someone way above our pay grade doing something with no explanation or logic… just another day in the Underworld. Still, I understand the kind of lunatic you’d have to be to kidnap someone during a tournament with the Four Satans in attendance.’
‘Indeed. But there are always people foolish enough to steal meat from a tiger’s jaws.’
It took me a second to process that last part, “That’s… not how the saying goes.”
‘Then be grateful I didn’t say ‘lick a dragon’s nostrils while it’s asleep.’ I remember long ago when a drunk forest spirit went ahead with that and disturbed my sleep.’
Too much information, why even do that in the first place? No wait, I was getting distracted here! ‘...We are not in a position to argue about idioms.’
The man, as if on cue, turned toward me with that same infuriatingly calm smile. “Ah, still chatting with the dragon, are we? He’s welcome to join my little tea party, though I can’t offer him snacks. Spirits trapped inside sacred gears are notoriously hard to serve. Unless you wish to try that neat little trick or years where you create copies of Vritra, though we might need a bigger cup of tea for that.”
Of course he knew. Of course he did.
This guy was like if Dazai wrote a villain and gave him access to both infinite power and a tea set. Great. Just great. In the end, I let out a sigh, not because it was majestic or dramatic, but because of how profoundly fed up it sounded. Vritra had confirmed what I already suspected, which only made my mood worse.
Just once, just one damn time, I’d like to go a month without getting dragged into someone’s apocalyptic PowerPoint presentation on why the world needed to burn or how they planned to start another war. Was that so much to ask?
Okay, he had not revealed anything yet, I was just guessing at this point. The tea party lunatic wanted a conversation, and for once I figured words might work better than swords, at least until the swords, spears and fists started flying again. I inhaled, then exhaled. Then, with the kind of stoicism you’d expect from a man walking to his own funeral, I stepped forward, sat at the opposite end of the table, and stared.
I didn’t touch the tea. Not because I thought it was poisoned, I just wasn’t in the mood for jasmine-flavored near-death experiences today.
"You made your point," I said, voice flat. "What do you want from me?"
He blinked. Like I’d asked him if ducks had knees. A tilt of the head, a twitch of the lips—oh no, the smile was coming back. Fantastic.
"Now this is curious," he said, resting his cheek on his knuckles. "Why would I want anything from you in the first place, Hikigaya Hachiman? Do you have anything interesting to offer?"
He had a point. Which was annoying, because it was my job to be the one saying the dry, cutting truths in this room, the guy was good… I had to give him that at least. I gave a shrug. “I don't, I doubt you're after anything in my possession like the spear, my wealth is nothing but a speck of dust in comparison to your average Devil clan and I have a storage filled with cans of coffee which I doubt you're after. Which leads me to the question of why go through all the trouble of kidnapping me? What’s the point? You had Diodora do it, so obviously there was some deal struck between you two, he has much to gain from this. So my guess is that he promised you or gave you something that was worth your while.”
That man was in a better position to offer this person something with him being the next heir to the Astaroth clan with access to countless resources.
“Also,” I added, “I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
That part was half true. Something about him was nagging at the back of my head like a song you couldn’t remember the lyrics to. The silver hair. The eyes. That smug, punchable face. He reminded me of Vali—if Vali got drunk on power and decided to cosplay as an old man on his off days.
But Vali would never smile like that. Or host tea parties. That man had all the social grace of a microwave.
“Oh right, how rude of me!” the stranger exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hands together with theatrical flair. “With all the chaos and your little girlfriend—”
“Not my girlfriend.”
“—over there being feisty, I completely forgot! Please forgive my manners. I am Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Pure-blood devil. The true heir of the Lucifer name and today's host. A pleasure to finally meet you, Hikigaya Hachiman.”
“…What.”
My mind, almost short circuited at that moment. That was the extent of my reaction. Not because it wasn’t shocking—it was—but because my brain had momentarily stopped functioning at the absurdity of what he mentioned.
There was a pause. Then he grinned.
"Now that was the reaction I was hoping for. Surprised, aren’t you? Bet you didn’t think any of the old Lucifer line still lived."
Of course I was surprised. I wasn’t that dead inside. From the moment I got dragged into this confusing and extremely perverted world, I made it a point to actually study the devil society. I’d done the reading. The great war between the three factions, the split between factions within the Devil society, the civil war that gutted the old Satan system. The name “Lucifer” wasn’t just big—it was foundational. It was the crown of a long-dead king of the Devils.
And this guy was claiming he wore it.
“…I’ll be honest,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s really easy to lie when you’re insane and drinking your own tea.”
“True!” he said cheerfully. “But I do make a delightful cup, don’t I?”
I stared at him. He stared back, absolutely thrilled with himself.
Yep. Definitely worse than Vali.
“You don’t believe me?” He said while leaning his chin against his left palm.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You just haven’t given me any reason to believe you. No proof. No logic. Just theatrics..”
Need I remind him that we were, in fact, kidnapped and dragged here against our will? That usually doesn’t scream ‘trustworthy’ in my books. This on top of him blasting away the young Valkyrie earlier on did not help his case. “So forgive me,” I continued, “if my current judgment of your character isn’t exactly glowing.”
I said that with the casual tone of a man trying not to piss off a Powerful devil who could probably erase me with a sneeze. Granted, he hadn't done that yet, but I wasn’t particularly eager to test his restraint either.
“Hahaha!”
He threw his head back, laughing so hard he nearly drenched himself in tea. For a moment, I considered that maybe that would improve his outfit.
“True! Very true!” he said, patting his knee like I’d just told a joke. “You have no reason to believe me. And if a glimpse of my power doesn’t do the trick... maybe this will.” Before I could ask what this referred to, twelve wings burst out from his back with a dramatic flourish, like a magician revealing his grand finale. Not that he was trying to intimidate me, he didn’t need to. The sight alone was enough. Twelve devil wings. Neatly unfurled, perfectly symmetrical, and radiating that quiet kind of power that didn’t need a spotlight.
Rizevim didn’t even release his demonic energy. He didn’t have to.
And then, just as casually, he dismissed them, like someone putting away a jacket after a long day.
“Well, if that’s still not enough, you’re welcome to keep thinking I’m some impostor. Not like I care much either way.”
The difference with him was... subtle. No arrogance, no gloating. Just calm, laid-back indifference about the entire thing. And somehow that made him even more dangerous than the egomaniacal types. Arrogant devils were easy—they had buttons you could press. People like this? They wore no mask, because they didn’t need one.
They didn’t want something.
They waited.
I sighed. “Hate to sound like a broken record here, but... what does someone like you want with someone like me?”
He raised a brow.
“I will also sound like a broken record as to why you assume I want something from you at all?” he asked, tone amused. “Are you even capable of offering me anything interesting? I am not even talking about anything related to your influence, at the end of the day you are only just the Black Dragon King, not an Emperor.”
Ouch.
But fair.
I didn’t answer immediately. Not because I was offended, but because he wasn’t wrong. As much as I’d grown, I wasn’t exactly some high-level player in devil politics. I didn’t have world-breaking power despite what I was able to achieve recently. Unless he was after Ophis… that was the only reason I could think of that would lead a person like him to go this far.
But I could be wrong, so best to take a different approach.
“…My connection to Rias,” I answered after a beat, waiting to see his reaction carefully.
His eyes gleamed. A short chuckle escaped him, the kind that said ‘I was waiting for you to say that.’
“Ah yes. The Gremory heiress. She and that peerage of hers have certainly stirred the waters lately with the Sitri girl following suit.
Fame, influence, and now even the Red Dragon Emperor under the Sitri girl's wing. As for the Gremory one, she brought in that former exorcist. Friends with the wielder of Durandal and a piece of Excalibur, no less. Her queen being the daughter of Baraquiel, and even a Nekoshou.”
He leaned forward, eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Then there’s the one who holds Sword Birth, achieved Balance Breaker recently, too. Quite the roster, don’t you think? It's only a matter of time before they make a name for themselve, oh wait, they already have with the ongoing Rating Games.” I didn’t answer. Mostly because he was right. Again. It was like listing off boss-level NPCs in a video game and then pointing at me like I was the tutorial mission. Still, if nothing else, I was very good at surviving nonsense like this. And maybe, just maybe, that counted for something.
“It was bound to happen, really.” The words left my mouth before I even realized I was saying them. “With everything they’ve faced the past few months, it’d be weird if they didn’t have a few heavy-hitters.”
Rizevim’s comments danced around everyone in Rias’s group—but never mentioned me. Not once. It didn’t escape me. Most people just assumed I was a full-on member of Rias’s peerage, especially after everything that had happened lately. Even Vritra and I were still trying to figure out the full scope of... well, whether or not the Piece truly worked. So for this guy to not even bother pretending? He knew. Or at least, he knew something.
I was halfway through mentally sorting the implications of that when a different thought hit me like a rogue dodgeball in gym class.
“Wait…”
The initial presence of surprise crossed my face as I made sure to act the part, I blinked, and my voice dropped as the realization formed. “If it’s not because of my connection to Rias... then the only other reason I can see you wanting anything to do with me is—” My eyes narrowed. “Katerea.”
I saw it then, the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. Not denial. Amusement. “You’re a member of the Chaos Brigade, aren’t you?” I said, not really asking at this point.
His smirk widened, confirming what I already knew.
“Hah! Not bad,” he said with a chuckle that could curdle milk. “You’re sharper than I gave you credit for. Quick on the uptake, even. But you’re still wrong about a few things.”
Here we go.
“I don’t care about the Gremory nor the Sitri. As for Katerea, she was too weak and arrogant for my liking, finding herself getting captured for her own faults. She, just like many from Shalba’s little group, can and will be replaced easily in the coming future. You can kill her if subjecting her to humiliation no longer is entertaining, perhaps make it a show for the Underworld to see, I guarantee it will be a hit episode.”
And that... well, that threw me off just a bit.
I mean, I should have expected it. Nihilism practically oozed from this guy like bad cologne. But it was still jarring to hear him say it with such brutal clarity. Was he lying? Messing with me? Or did he really just not give a damn about any of it? “I will admit, I half expected you to just be here to recruit me in your group or something.”
“Sure,” he went on, “it might be entertaining to try recruiting you to my little circle, but we both know that’d be a waste of time.”
Agreed. I wasn’t exactly known for backstabbing people let alone join a terrorist group set to cause chaos like their unoriginal name implied.
“And as for your connections to those girls—bah. Couldn’t care less about those brats.”
He said it with such dismissive disgust that I almost flinched on Rias’s behalf. Almost.
“You see, I came here—” he gestured vaguely “—or rather, brought you here, for more than one reason. One of them... is plain curiosity.”
His eyes glinted, not with malice, but something worse.
Interest.
“You’ve been popping up more often, Hikigaya Hachiman. Close enough that I started to wonder—who is this man? Where did he come from? What's his history? I saw your first fight against White Dragon Emperor, it couldn't be more one sided, yet your recent battle against a Cadre surprised me. And so... here I am.”
A part of me wanted to roll my eyes at the whole “I was just curious” excuse. “That glare, you look at me as if I am your enemy. Or are you surprised that I am different from what you had in mind of someone with the name Lucifer? Being so uninterested with matters related to the new Satan Faction and the Old Satan Faction?”
“Are you not?” I asked, voice steady. “You are Lucifer, after all. Wouldn’t surprise me if you were unhappy with the one who took your throne and decided to seek a little revenge.”
It was a trope as old as time—classic fallen-king-turned-antagonist material. If we were in a fantasy novel, this is exactly the point where he’d start monologuing about betrayal, vengeance, and reclaiming lost glory. So I waited, half-expecting the cliché to unfold.
Instead, he just laughed.
“While it’s true that many are confused by my actions,” he said, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “they weren’t made to abolish the new Satan faction or resurrect the old one. That’d be idiotic. Waste of time, really. Let the kids play their game while I focus on my own little pet project in the corner, they'll eventually kill each other off… somehow, not that much remains of the Old Satan Faction. Shalba is a failure.”
He waved a hand lazily, as if swatting away the entire concept.
“That concern belongs to fools like Beelzebub and whatever sad remnants still cling to that crusty old ideology while failing to truly encompass what it means to be a Devil. Can’t even remember who’s still in it. Probably dead by now. Not that I ever cared about those stubborn idiots who couldn’t see past the tip of their own inflated noses.”
Charming.
I hadn’t expected to have this conversation. Not with him. And certainly not like this. Worst part? I could tell he wasn’t lying. Or if he was… then he was the best liar I’d met so far. And given his bloodline, that tracked.
Still, it begged the question—why lie to me in the first place? What did he stand to gain?
“You’ve gotten quite close with Sirzechs and his family lately, haven’t you?” he asked suddenly. “Even the fallen angels… the Grigori.”
I gave a nonchalant shrug, though I knew he’d see right through it.
“Well, I am in a relationship with both Akeno and Rias,” I said plainly. “Hard not to form at least some kind of amicable relationship with their families.”
He chuckled again, but there was something sharper beneath the humor. “Fair point. Still, I was hoping you’d have kept a more neutral stance. From what I’ve heard, you weren’t exactly fond of the Evil Piece system that Sirzechs and his camp support.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Back when I was first introduced to devils, I found the whole concept of Evil Pieces revolting. The idea of using them to bind humans into servitude rubbed me the wrong way on a fundamental level. It felt like… slavery, dressed up in chess metaphors.
And in some cases, that gut reaction had been right. Plenty of devils still treated their peerage members like tools. Disposable. Replaceable.
But over time, I’d seen the other side of it too.
Not all devils were the same. Individuals like Sirzechs, Rias, the Sitri family—they treated their peerage with dignity. Some even saw them as family. Especially in the Gremory household.
People change with time. So did perspectives.
“In the end,” Rizevim said, voice soft but cutting, “you became a slave like the rest of them.”
“If that’s how you see it, then there’s nothing I can say to change your mind,” I replied, calm but firm. “I made my choice. I knew the consequences and I didn’t take it lightly.”
I met his gaze evenly.
“But let’s cut to the point. You didn’t bring me here to debate my life decisions. As much as I’d love a philosophical chat with a member of the Lucifer clan, I’m a bit pressed for time. And I’m sure others are starting to notice I’ve gone missing.”
Because no matter how civil this was, I wasn’t about to forget where I was.
Or who I was dealing with.
He nodded, a low hum rumbling from his chest before his gaze flicked toward the other side of the room. With a casual snap of his fingers, a blinding light erupted, so sudden and intense that I instinctively shielded my eyes. Even before my vision adjusted, I heard it: the sharp, pained groan of Rossweisse.
When the glare finally faded, I found her suspended mid-air, arms limp, feet dangling, as if some invisible force had locked her in place.
“No matter how many times you try to lash out,” Rizevim said, his tone laced with amusement, “it won’t change a thing. Fortunately for you, I’m in a rather generous mood today. So here’s your third chance. Don’t you think I’m quite forgiving, Hikigaya Hachiman?”
His eyes slid to me with a grin that made my skin crawl. I had no idea what this freak was playing at, but I wasn’t in any mood to find out what his version of a fourth chance looked like.
“Let’s not escalate things,” I said firmly, shifting my gaze to Rossweisse with a warning glare. “Our first priority is finding a way back. Provoking him helps no one.”
She tensed, jaw tight—but after a moment, I saw the flicker of understanding in her eyes. Slowly, the invisible pressure around her dissipated, and she dropped onto her feet with a quiet grunt. She didn’t speak. Instead, she stepped behind me and leaned in close, her breath brushing my ear.
“Under no circumstances should you trust this man,” she whispered, low and sharp.
“I know,” I murmured back.
Even if he hadn’t made any overt moves to kill me, the sense of danger clung to him like a second skin. My guard hadn’t dropped for a second.
‘Partner, that light…’ Vritra’s voice echoed in my head, more cautious than usual. ‘Be careful.’
Already clocked that, I thought back. ‘It didn’t feel holy or similar to Gabriel’s magic, so what was it?’
‘No... not exactly.’ His tone deepened. ‘It’s neither holy magic nor the typical light magic we’re familiar with. It's... something else. Similar in nature, but twisted. If I had to describe it... it’s as if light and demonic energy were forced to coexist in a single form.’
A fusion of opposites. Light and shadow trapped in the same shell. But I kept that reaction to myself, waiting for Rizevim to continue. The area went still for several long seconds, silent enough that I could hear the blood in my ears—until finally, he spoke again.
“Tell me... have you ever been curious about the Dimensional Gap?”
That caught me off guard.
Of all the things I expected him to bring up—Sirzechs, the current state of the Underworld, the balance of power, even her—the Dimensional Gap hadn’t even made my mental list.
Still, I answered carefully. “I have a basic understanding of it.”
But he raised a finger.
“Ah, ah. That’s not what I asked. I said—have you ever been curious about its purpose?”
I paused, then replied, “It’s a space between realms. A void that separates the Underworld, the Human World, Heaven and many other dimensions belonging to different factions including Valhalla. You could call it a fourth realm, a neutral zone of pure chaotic infinite energy.”
He began clapping, slowly, with a mockingly impressed look on his face.
“Congratulations! That puts you ahead of ninety percent of the fools I have under my command. Truly, a rare intellect.”
“I appreciate the sarcasm,” I deadpanned.
He chuckled. “Still, you’re not wrong. The Dimensional Gap is a place between places, a world designed to hold the others apart. It’s made of energy so dense, so volatile, that even I wouldn’t spend too much time in it. It would start to tear me apart, piece by piece. But... there are beings who live there. Who calls that chaos home.”
My breath hitched slightly, my previous fears slowly starting to come true and I became more cautious.
Ophis.
He was definitely after Ophis.
Maybe he’d caught wind that she was with me. Maybe he’d tracked her presence through whatever arcane means he had access to. Either way, it added up.
“You’re wondering,” he said casually, “if I came here for Ophis.”
“You’re wondering if I came for Ophis, aren’t you?” he said, cutting into my thoughts with a casual, unnerving certainty.
I flinched. Not outwardly, my face hadn’t changed at all. My poker face was flawless. But somehow, this man read me like an open book. I didn’t know whether to be shaken or terrified.
“Are you afraid?”
“No. I’m just trying to figure out how to escape if you try to capture me,” I answered coolly.
“Hahaha! You really are amusing. Perhaps I’d have made you a court jester, had I ascended to power. But I digress. You’re correct about the Dimensional Gap, but there’s something more you haven’t considered. Tell me... have you ever wondered if there were other worlds?”
“…”
“Things are not as simple as they seem. I don’t mean realms tied to pantheons like Hell or Valhalla. I’m talking about entirely separate worlds. Places that exist outside our ecosystem. Have you ever thought of that?”
Thought of it? More than that, I knew for a fact they existed since I was from one. A world completely cut off from this mess, one devoid of any supernatural element as far as I knew. But why would he care about that? Why would he know?
I didn’t like this.
“Of course you’d be interested,” he said, as if reading my thoughts. “After all, that’s where your home is... isn’t it?”
“—!”
Damn it, I couldn’t hide the shock this time. My mouth parted slightly, and the mask I’d worn cracked open. I had no idea how he knew. Not even Vritra or those closest to me had been aware of that part of my past.
‘Partner… this is dangerous,’ Vritra said gravely, and I felt the same dread crawling under my skin.
“What...?” Rossweisse looked confused, clearly puzzled by the exchange and waiting for some sort of explanation—but I couldn’t offer her one. Not now.
“How?” I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Who knows?” he answered with a grin that made my blood boil.
I wanted to punch that smug face in. If he knew that, did he know more? Were there others like me? Was he the reason I ended up here? Too many questions, too little clarity.
“You’re just an innocent soul caught in a storm,” he continued, voice low and almost sympathetic. “Grabbed by force by a selfish being and then thrown into our world without reason. Forced to face dangers you were never meant to. Stripped of your fate, burdened with political chaos, and hunted by gods and monsters alike. It’s not fair, but that’s the truth.”
I said nothing, the way he worded the phrase and it seemed like he knew what or who exactly brought me here. Then, a thought rose unbidden—and I voiced it.
“I put that part of my life behind me. I moved on.”
"Have you really?" he asked, bemused, speaking to me as though he knew me personally. "Can you truly forget your past? Can you really look away from your family and your loved ones, those who must be distraught by your disappearance? Humans were born with the ability to lie better than some gods. But you can’t hide from the truth… or even lie to yourself."
‘Well I am not certain how someone like him was able to uncover your secret, what you decide next will be completely on you.’ The dragon within me said gently, ‘at the end of the day, this is your life so I will not force you to take a particular decision with whatever this person will offer to you next. I know you like to use logic with each of your decisions, to a frightening degree at times, but you are still prone to being emotional so be careful.’
Emotional huh… I had my moments. “A lot of time has already passed since the day I left and was reborn, while even if I do have some attachments left of the past, I am pretty certain that everyone has already moved on.”
Komachi, my parents, Yukino, Yui and plenty of others. “All of them have most definitely lived their life perfectly normally with my absence, putting me back there will only disrupt things and complicate everything. They most definitely have already started a family by now, I am nothing but a relic of the past.”
“Time is an interesting thing you know.” Rizevim added as I said my part, twirling a spoon in his hand. “It is one of the most sought after powers for both mortals and gods alike, the latter where a few hold control over the concept as their domain but in actuality few of them, rather none of them truly have mastered that power for it is complex beyond one's understanding. It is due to this reason especially that one can assume that certain worlds experience time differently, We can see that phenomenon in our own little ecosystem as well. What's to say that if you were to go back, rather than years it would have been mere moments that have passed. That you would end up where you left off where you lost nothing and could continue on where you left off.”
If that were the case, then the offer started to sound even more attractive than I like to admit. If I could just wake up back in class, all of this being nothing more than a dream I had, a very long and intense dream.
But I could not accept that.
This was not just a dream.
Several faces flashed through my mind like a badly made slideshow: Akeno, Rias, Aika, Asia, Kiba... too many to count, honestly. Each of them had left some sort of impression on my life, like coffee stains on a high school desk. I remembered the first time I stepped into Kuoh Academy, back when I still believed peace and quiet were realistic goals. I remembered meeting Akeno, that borderline sadist with a smile too sweet to trust. The first time I encountered devils, when Vritra Delete Field first awakened, when Asia cried and called me kind, I remembered it all.
All the ridiculous hurdles. The brushes with death. The weird, chaotic days that felt more like an anime plot than real life. I remembered the people who helped me, who stayed, who pushed me forward even when I had no idea where "forward" was. Just like my old life, this one had become something I couldn’t easily discard.
So when he brought up the "truth"—whatever grand revelation he thought he was dropping—I couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.
"Even if you know everything, why approach me in the first place? If I wanted to go back, I would’ve done it ages ago," I said. "Let’s say I did find a way. A portal. A bridge. A convenient plot device. Why the hell would I bring this world’s dumpster fire into mine? I’ve got enough of a mess up here already."
Vritra was right, my emotions had a say in my decision-making, no doubt. But that didn’t mean I was blind. That didn’t mean I couldn’t use logic when it mattered. And right now, logic screamed one thing louder than everything else.
Why? Why did this guy care about my original world?
It had no magic. No dragons. No devils or angels or Valkyries. Just traffic, troublesome high school kids who always sought after validation from those around them, part-time jobs, and social anxiety. A painfully average world where fantasy only existed behind bookstore shelves. So why would someone like him—a member of the Lucifer clan, no less—care?
"I don’t trust you," I said bluntly. "So thanks, but no thanks. I’m going to have to decline your ‘offer.’"
"Well said," Rossweisse finally broke her silence with a smile. “While I do have many questions to ask about what was discussed previously, we can do so later… if you're willing of course!” It didn’t escape me that she now knew my biggest secret. One of the few people I’d never planned to let in had suddenly gained access to the very core of my existence. A Valkyrie I’d known for all of five days, give or take. Odin would hear of it eventually. That bridge would burn when I got to it, assuming I lived that long.
"What a shame," the man said, his voice laced with mock disappointment. "But really now, I wasn’t offering. I was just making conversation before taking you~!"
The smile he gave was the kind you’d see right before a serial killer pulled the trigger. This man was creepy and dangerous beyond words!
My eyes widened. A chill gripped my spine. Instinct took over.
[Balance Breaker!]
Black fire erupted around me as I wasted no time upon bringing out my trump card. Vritra’s power surged — cold, consuming, and comforting. But even as my armor formed, a blinding white light flared from the man’s palm.
"Hikigaya!" Rossweisse shouted.
She moved faster than I could. Magic circles layered themselves around us like hastily assembled barricades. One by one, they shattered. The impact broke through every defense, every ward, and slammed into me like a freight train fueled by spite.
"Ugh—!"
I went flying. Crashing through boulders, stone, maybe even a couple of unfortunate trees. The world blurred, then went black, then sharp again as my body slammed into a mountain wall. The crater I left behind was impressively large. Too bad my lungs didn’t appreciate it. I coughed, spitting out saliva laced with blood.
"Are you okay?!"
Rossweisse stumbled toward me, just as battered, more bruised than I remembered. I checked myself—armor cracked, chest scorched, part of my shirt burned away. A fist-sized crater on my torso. The skin was charred, but I could move. Nothing broken, miraculously.
"Yeah. Peachy. Just got sucker punched by a nuke, no big deal."
Sarcasm was my only functioning defense mechanism at this point. I looked at the smug devil ahead of us.
"Attacking your guests now? Man, your hospitality’s really top-notch."
"Lies. Betrayal. That’s the nature of devils," he said with a grin. "You should’ve known that from the start."
"So the whole 'help you get home' thing was a lie too, huh? Figures."
"Not quite. I can send you back. But of course, there's a tiny catch. One you’re quite qualified to fulfill. You have a link to that world that still resides within your soul, it will be a handy way to test a few of my experiments out and we do get access to a whole new world. So you will come with me whether you like it or not, don't worry, I'll make sure that we will have lots of fun~ Details, details."
There was absolutely no way I would let this man ever reach my world and cause mayhem, over my dead body!
"And let me guess, you made a deal with Diodora. One of those ‘get rid of the nuisance so I can go full villain’ kinds of deals."
"You could say that. But really, this is all just for fun. You survived the first hit, so I figured, why not keep going? I’m bored. Let’s see how long you last. You fought my grandson and lived. Surely you can entertain me for a little while, can’t you?"
This world would find new ways to screw with me just when I thought I had the script figured out.
Not that I had time to dwell on the family tree. Another surge of demonic energy came flying at us, no time for witty remarks or existential dread.
[Delete Field!]
My Sacred Gear activated just in time, dulling the force of the blast. But not nearly enough. The explosion spread outward, a dome of destruction that swallowed everything in its path. Wind howled, trees snapped like twigs, the very earth groaned under the pressure.
"Okay. That was regular demonic energy? Seriously?"
"What do we do now?"
“What else do you think? Run!”
This was not the time to face an impossible obstacle and hope for another power boost to come out of nowhere to save the day. I got lucky before but part of me was certain that I had exhausted that luck well long ago by now. Grabbing onto Rossweisse, I pushed myself to move as fast as possible as my figure was practically becoming a blur across the empty wasteland. “Look out!”
Heating the woman's word, my legs nearly broke apart as I took a shop right turn using every ounce of my power to push against the ground and make my way up in the air right as What appear to be a freaking bullet made out of pure demonic energy the size of an entire several stories tall building crash onto the ground.
A pillar of pure demonic energy rising in the air, pushing the clouds apart as it looked like it would tear through the very sky and shatter everything.
The impact was powerful enough that for a brief moment I saw the mountain near us practically get flattened in mere moments. This could not be a power possessed by an ultimate class devil, this was the might that only a superclass devil would possess.
“Shit, what's with these broken people always appearing out of nowhere! Can I just deal with someone who is weaker than me for once!?” I shouted to no one in particular, at this point starting to believe that the world itself had the grudge against me and wanted to end my life as to correct the error of having an outsider reincarnate in this place!
Woosh!
As I tried to take flight once again, the space in front of me shifted and before I knew, Rizevim appeared before me while yawning.
“Alright then, you still need some time to get to the same level as me so don't expect to—”
[Absolute Delete Field!]
Why even wait for the villain to finish his monologue? Holding back was a mistake that I would not commit, the Valkyrie was within my grasp so I could make sure she would not get hit by this attack and so I poured all of my energy into this one spell. Several strands of black flame gather around my palm into a tiny sphere, condensing into a single point before expanding immediately and engulfing everything in its path. Pulling all three of us into a world of nothingness which would buy me some time.
With the spell still in effect, I flew away until my figure left the dome, only for something to grab hold of my ankle. “You gotta be kidding me.” I looked downwards to find the old man half emerged from absolutely delete field, his clothes in pristine condition without so much as a wound present on his face.
“I will admit, this is a very neat spell.”
With a sudden yank, I was thrown downwards, crashing into the ground though not as painful as you would have been since the person next to me used a few spells to cushion the fall this time — but I still felt my bones rattle.
“We can't keep this up, looks like running away won't be an option.” I said with the groan escaping my lips. “Unless you have some way to teleport us out of here.”
“I-I can't… something is blocking my spell too.” Rossweisse looked absolutely mortified and ashamed as she said that there was no need to be like that since I was in the same boat as her. “Wait, I know of a way. I will stay behind, you fly as far as you can until you are out of bound of whatever trap is set in place, I don't believe this spell will stay in a large area.”
Stay behind? No way, “You are not going to sacrifice yourself or even attempt to do anything of that sort.” While I appreciated the gesture and even felt a bit overwhelmed that a Valkyrie of all people was willing to lay down her life for me, I was not going to accept it.
“Honestly not like it matters, I'll kill you regardless. You weren't even supposed to be here in the first place.”
My hands moved as soon as I heard that voice, my spear forming mid-air as I grabbed it and trusted the weapon above right as a blast descended upon us. With the girl also reacting at the same time as I and creating a barrier around us. The explosion fortunately did not manage to hurt any of us but that was the least of my concern when I found the old man standing outside the barrier with his finger tracing the surface.
“Norse magic has always been something that I was interested to try out myself, so ancient, intricate and surprisingly efficient. But I suppose that's the boon you get when your chieftain is Odin.”
This guy… he was not even taking this seriously. ‘Vitra, I may need you to tag in soon. Do you think you'll be able to take on a super class devil?’
‘To kill one? Unlikely. But I have enough in my arsenal to make sure that both of us end up surviving this, so leave this to me. I plan to save this for Ddraig, unfortunately that old lizard will have to wait.’
At least he sounded positive, so that was something to give me some room to feel relieved. “Rossweisse, I will let Vitra take control so just follow whatever he says, got it?”
“Eh, take control? What do you—”
“Just do as he says!” I did not have the time to explain her my circumstances, so with the hope she would follow my instructions, I slowly let my consciousness drift deeper into the darkness as the dragon within me started to make his move and ascend from the abyss. Only for that sensation to come to an abrupt halt when I felt a sharp pain come from my wrist, which happened to be Rizevim holding onto my hand with a light I could not identify sweeping over me.
“As much as I would like to see firsthand the kind of power your sacred gear possesses, unfortunately I have to end this quickly before we have other visitors disturb our little get together.” He said something before striking me to the chest, an attack that was not meant to break anything as I felt no pain. But what followed shook me to the core, the armor that surrounded me immediately disappearing and breaking upon in less than a second, no, it did not break apart actually, it had been forcefully dismissed and whisked away into the shadows.
He turned off my Sacred Gear!?
“So it still does work on you after all, I was a bit concerned that to you in your special circumstances it would have no effect, but thankfully I was proven wrong.”
Holding the power to cancel sacred gears, that was perhaps the most broken kind of ability I encountered in this world so far. Individuals who relied on relics capable of doubling their power every second or those who could have the opponent's power all relied on their sacred gears in the end for such a thing to be easily stripped away posed an enormous level of danger.
No wonder he was just laid back the entire time.
“Delete Field!”
I tried summoning one part of Vritra’s abilities, only to be met with the same outcome as before with nothing happening at all, further making my heart sink. “Funny how someone who is seen as a powerful individual in the supernatural world to be so quickly turned into nothing but a regular human when their sacred gears are stripped away.”
All right, time for plan b then.
My fingers moved quickly, scribbling several runes in the air, All of them glowing a bright yellow light before exploding upon the man's face. This was enough for him to let me go.
“Cough cough! Ouch, you better pray that you did not singe my beard just now, do you have any idea how long it took for me to grow this out?” Rizevim emerged with a wound on his body for the first time which only amounted to a few of his hair being burnt off by my last attack.
I backed away, feeling my wrist throb with pain and already turn purple as the man had actually broken my bones with his hold back then. Nothing debilitating, I could still move my fingers so far. “Hachiman, I know you may not like my plans, but this is the only way for one of us to escape. Just let me handle this man and you take the opportunity to flee as far as you can! We Valkyries are warriors, death does not sca—”
Whole words barely were uttered as in the next moment, several large scale spells surrounded us with an insane amount of demonic energy gathering in the center before taking the shape of the same enormous bullet that nearly struck us before. But now their numbers have practically increased by several dozens and give us no room to escape. I gave her a dry side eye, “I'm sorry, but it seems like we are both stuck here. You'll have to attempt your heroic sacrificial nonsense another time.”
While I have given her a sarcastic response, I was still in a full on panic mode at the moment. I was practically stripped away of my most reliable partner and source of power with my own magic being barely enough to even burn this man's hair. Then there was the suicidal Valkyrie by my side who kept wanting to sacrifice herself to buy me some time. “Your message won't work, even if you were to buy me a few seconds, it would just end up catching up to me immediately.”
“There must be something we can do!”
Rizevim approached, his gait unhurried as he looked at his beard with a pocket mirror he got from somewhere, looking at the damage before a cruel smirk tugged at his lips as swirling demonic sigils began to orbit his outstretched hands. “Now then,” he said, voice laced with gleeful malice, “where were we?”
“You were trying to capture me and use me as some sort of compass to lead you to my world? Perhaps killing us won't be the best thing to do.”
“Oh, you're right.” He exclaimed, snapping his fingers and dismissing all of the spells around them but only leaving a single one that continued to grow in size. “But I could always just heal you or stuff your consciousness inside a doll. Better yet, chopping off your limbs would be much better and you won't be causing me any kind of issues by trying to escape again. Choose whichever you want, but unfortunately that girlfriend of yours is dying either way.”
Imagining either outcome sent a chill down my spine. My desperation grew stronger and my options were dwindling until I had only one option left that I truly wish to avoid at all cost. “I need your help.”
Upon my words, Ophis appeared above me in complete silence. Looking at the chaos around us with the same stoic face as ever.
No dramatic flash, no violent ripple—just a sudden and total presence, as if the void had blinked and she had been there all along. Rizevim just stood there with a hint of surprise in his eyes. “Oh, so you were with him after all, Ophis-chan! Well you arrived at the right moment, I was just finishing up here and making preparations for the final few steps of my plans. You are welcome to spectate, I'll make sure to make it entertaining!"
“No,” as he tried to approach at first, Rizevim was stopped by the Dragon God who floated between me and the devil. “He is mine, not yours.”
“What?” Rizevim’s smile died down for the first time since I met him. As soon as those words left her lips, the space around us started to distort and rip apart. Sucking both me and Rossweisse in an instant.
“Wah!”
Both of us were at first falling endlessly within a never-ending void before finally ending up landing somewhere hard where I immediately recognized it to be the very same room I was in before being kidnapped basically. The distorted space closed up on the ceiling, but Ophis was nowhere in sight.
“A… are you okay?” The woman asked, looking around and recognizing the place before approaching me and making sure I have no wounds on me. Noticing the color around my wrist before using some sort of spell which immediately killed off the pain but I could tell it was not actually healing it like Asia's Sacred Gear. “We need to find you help immediately, the infirmary is just nearby.”
As I was about to agree with her, a familiar cold voice rang inside the room.
[This is the last call for Hikigaya Hachiman and his team to arrive on the field, if the leader is not present in the next five minutes then it will be considered as an automatic forfeiting with the Sitri team being the victor.]
Ah… right, the Rating Game, honestly I had completely forgotten about it. It also seemed like no one had noticed my disappearance, well not that much time passed honestly, so I did not blame them. Still, where the hell were Xenovia and the others then?
“So I'm fighting Sona huh… this is what you were waiting for weren't you, Vritra? Though to tell you the truth, I just want to find Diodora now, beat him up a bit and demand answers from the guy. What do you think?” I asked while lying on my back, letting the Valkyrie use her magic on me.
“So, what do you think?” I asked again, seeing that the dragon had not answered me for a few seconds.
“...”
Again, no voice spoke to me.
“Vritra?” A bad feeling came over me, quickly getting up I called his name a couple more times only to end up in the same scenario as the last one. Did whatever Rizevim used on him have a bigger effect on the dragon? Was he stunned and just needed a moment to wake up again? He was still in there, I could feel Vritra's gear and presence.
But he had just gone quiet for some reason.
[One more minute remaining.]
Grayfia's voice filled the room and I found myself facing a seriously bad situation.
“Shit.”
Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 37: Lust
Beta read and Co-writen by GameCrusher55.
Lemon warning!
Next update is Snafu followed by An Archer's Promise.
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-Fuyuki, Shinto Hotel Luxury Suites-
(A few days before)
The elevator gave a low chime before its doors slid open, revealing a long hallway lined with polished doors and soft lighting that tried too hard to hide the rot beneath. It was a normal corridor by hotel standards-clean, quiet, and almost welcoming-yet it reeked of tension to her. This wing was reserved for Atrum's subordinates, and the atmosphere reflected that. Calm on the surface, but one wrong move and it would all explode.
“Will you pick up the pace? Stop walking so slow and come over here,” the man ahead barked without even looking behind.
From the elevator stepped a beautiful woman, her long, sharp gray-green hair falling around a youthful face touched with noticeable makeup. She wore a simple white tank top and hot pink sweatpants, both fitting closely enough to show off her curves, wide hips, and an ample chest. There was no denying she was attractive—mature-looking, with a certain confidence that came through in her appearance. Still, part of her thought she might’ve looked better with a touch more modesty. The brute that was walking beside her had been eyeing the newcomer since the moment she appeared, his stare far from subtle.
“Don’t you have any consideration for a frail woman, I believe I am keeping adequate pace.” She replied coolly, neither bothered or even angered by the kind of response she got from the henchman in front of her. “I have a name too, Henchman number one.”
Talking man stiffened in place, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he slowly whispered. “Tch, try acting coy with me again and I don't care if you're the boss's favorite toy, I will punch you.”
“Wah, scary.”
They continued to walk in silence through the hotel’s normal hallway for residents, where most of Atrum’s subordinates had been staying while they weren’t working. “Oi, what are you doing?” He asked, seeing the woman stop following him. “Are you wasting my time again!?”
“Not really, just observing the hallway for anything exploitable.”
“Don't start talking nonsense, fucking whore.”
“At least call me Riki.” She added, not at all bothered how her words kept pushing the man further to his limits. His face turned red with anger at this point. “Since you won't even use my real name, then surely a nickname will suffice. Oh look over there… the vent is big enough for me to pass through…”
“Just shut to hell up, Reik—” the man immediately halted his words when he turned around to find the woman having the same lazy smile on her face, the edge of her mouth stretching further as he nearly fell into her trap. His heart pounding, a dangerous smile that even after being exposed to for many days kept making his heart skip a beat.
No wonder the boss liked her.
“just… just follow me.”
Soon, the woman and that brute walked in silence until they eventually came to the room where the individual in question should have been waiting for them. “Alright, once we go in don't start blabbing out of nowhere, okay?”
“Yes~”
“...”
Taking a deep breath, he knocked at the door again, uttering loudly, “We're working for Sagara’s boss, is he here?”
A few seconds went by, yet no answer came from the other side. Weird, he was pretty sure this was the address and the number in front of the door matched. Taking a look around, spotting no other soul aside from them but clearly this was where they were intended to meet the Galliasta Magus or his associates. Feeling something amiss, he still knocked again but without saying a word.
No answer.
Still, years of experience told him that something was not right. There were no bounded fields or any sort of spells as far as he could tell. “Stay back, the last thing I want is to die if the goods get damaged.”
“...”
Now the silence came from behind, a chill creeped up his spine and he turned his attention back to the woman only for her to be standing there staring outside the window showcasing the nightlights of Fuyuki with a dazed, almost lost look in her eyes. Any movements or even him calling her out prove to be useless for she did not even seem to notice him anymore.
“What the hell is happ—urgh!” his voice came to a stop as an intense source of pain sprouted from his chest. Eyes looking downwards only to widen with pure horror to see the sight of a bloody sword sticking out of his chest. The weapon appeared from the other side of the door where he could even see the skeletal hand that was holding it.
Both of which crumbled in seconds, disappearing without a trace as his body fell to the ground with any signs of life disappearing from his eyes.
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“Hm?” A few seconds passed and the woman regained clarity, as if having been woken up from a strange state of slumber she came to her senses. “Oh my, and here I thought my first time getting this distracted by the beautiful view of the city would have ended with Tokyo. Hm? Ah…”
Only as she took a step forward the brunette heard the sound of her high heels stepping on some sort of puddle. Discovering blood pooling onto the ground, all of it coming from the corpse right next to her. The large hole in its chest still gushed with what little blood remained.
“Henchman number one?” Despite this discovery at first she showed no signs of fear or even sadness. Just a plain confusion and shock as her mind tried to catch up with what happened, going so far as to slightly nudge the man to make sure he was dead.
Before she even realized he was dead, she instinctively covered her mouth to muffle her scream, her face suddenly going pale at her first sight of a dead body.
“MRRRRRRMPH”
Her legs shook and a part of her immediately sought about going as far away from this as possible, but halted as if she knew, that be it where she went or the sound she would make would decide if she lived or if she died.
Noticing the hole in the door, she walked up to it and, without even realizing what she was doing, turned the handle. The sound of the wood creaking reached her eyes, making way to a somber luxurious room where there truly was no powerful killer waiting for her there. “Hello~?”
Surprised and wondering how the man had died with no one present she walked in, her curiosity soon came across a small bundle under the bed, pulling the cloth away only to find something she had not expected. “Children? Where did all of these kids come from?” a handful of them sleeping peacefully, completely detached from anything that happened just now and leaving her a bit stumped.
“... Did we really get the right room? There's no way they…?”
The surrounding stirred, the very space around her almost coming to life and transforming without the woman even realizing. A strange light flashing before her eyes, making her fall into a trance like state, no longer present in mind alone.
One by one, she grabbed a child and walked to the exit of the room, the previous corpse now no longer in sight or even the slightest trace of blood. The door itself having been fixed and the surroundings returning to resemble that of a luxurious room.
…
“Hoh, interesting.”
Within a dark room with the only source of light being the very Moon from the outside and a small crystal ball emanating a gentle glow, Caster watched the scene of the newcomers arriving in the room. The death of the man who for the most part felt something off about the entire situation, she had to give him mild credit to, but it was too late.
As for the woman in question, she knew little about her other than the fact that Atrum mentioned her after his talk with Sagara. A prostitute from her understanding, one who clearly possessed a form of beauty that could make men go crazy but also appeared to be not a regular person.
Blood did not faze her as it normally would have there was a separation from where she was and reality. Death brought no too drastic a fearful reaction which made her believe this to be a Magus, or at least someone outside the norm. But a simple hypnosis spell worked without any resistance which led her to believe this to be at most a third rate magecraft user who got lucky, or even at least just a regular person.
Still, as she watched the woman carry the kids away from the building, ignoring the other corpses of people stationed in different parts of the building and even complaining about having her high heels getting dirty — Caster couldn't help but laugh.
A sliver of genuine amusement, something she hadn’t felt in a long time, settled quietly in her chest. “My, oh my, no matter the era, I suppose interesting people can always be found at every corner of the world.” As for her fate after this small… incident, Caster paid it no mind. Atrum would not dare to waste any more resources on some prostitute hiding about and as far as anyone else was concerned — she was just busying herself inside this room and finishing her little project with the leylines.
Still, best to keep an eye on that woman, just in case she needed her again.
{Break}
-Emiya Residence-
(Present)
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(Lemon warning)
"Just for today, I want you to love me."
There were too many things happening at once in his life for Shirou in Fuyuki, it was simply too much to keep up with. Each day brought new people, new complications, and he was starting to feel like he was drowning in it all. In the middle of this chaos, his home remained the one stable point—where he could breathe, reflect, and prepare for whatever came next.
But this... this particular moment shattered that calm. The words Sakura had just spoken were something he never expected to hear. Not from her. They sounded like something pulled from the depths of his more vivid dreams, the kind he usually woke from feeling embarrassed, ashamed and restless. Lately, those dreams have been appearing more often, with more than just one familiar face involved.
“S-Sakura…” by some miracle, he managed to squeeze out these words, wondering what exactly happened for the young girl to take this particular approach. Heart beating like a drum, a slightly flushed face and eyes filled with pure astonishment he waited for her answer. “You don't… you don't have to go this far.”
Mind reeling with what was mentioned, trying to make sense with little success. Was the battle against Berserker the reason? Had he done something to make her do such a thing? ‘No, that can't be.’
The moment inside the bathroom, it did not happen because of what he thought and Shirou could not deny that at this point he was just trying to come up with a cause… unable to see why Sakura saw him under such a light to begin with. He wanted to know more, ask questions as to what happened to her, what that old monster did to her and reassure her that everything would be alright.
Yet here he was, Frozen in place at the mere touch of her fingers gently gliding around his chest. Feeling the flight cold breeze as his shirt was removed, the look in her eyes growing more hazy, filled with a fog of pure desire and lust. “Senpai…” she whispered, visibly pushing back against those feelings.
The same happened with him, the entire time his eyes taking in the sight of her exposed upper body, A large pair of plump breasts, pinkish nipples fully erect. His heart skipped a beat when her delicate fingers took hold of his own, leading them to her chest where the first touch brought out a sensual moan from the girl.
“I… you can feel my heart, right, senpai?” She asked with a whisper to which he nodded, both of their hearts beating erratically. Feeling like it would burst out of her chest at any moment. “I know you kept your silence about many things for my sake, but… I can't do so, my body is burning up, every second around you feels like pure torture for me lately.”
Not a single trace of a lie, nor that he even doubted her in the first place. But the way she explained the torturous feeling, he had to know the truth. “What is really going on with you, Sakura? Is it the worm inside you?” There was no point in hiding it anymore, his previous question being proven true especially when he felt her body flinch.
Despite being without a trace of clothes in front of him, with his hands still groping onto her chest, for the first time she looked away with shame. “Yes, It's the crest worm of the Matou family, related to the magecraft used by grandfather with there being thousands more of these familiars around the manor.”
Her voice quivered, visibly trembling ever so slightly.
“It draws from my magical energy, nurturing my body to transform a girl without Matou blood into someone capable of wielding this family's magecraft. But the constant siphoning causes my body to heat up with several side effects, one of which flares up every time — even more so when I'm around you.” Her body moved, her hips swing back and forth on top of him as he could feel the damp sensation of crotch grinding against his member, bringing out a groan from him.
“S-Sakura,” He called out her name, sensation involuntarily making him need her breast, the softness, the overall feel and the touch of her nipples against his fingers making the experience more addicting than he ever thought.
“It was manageable at first, I could masturbate quietly in my room. But each day, my body just kept wanting more and just touching myself alone somewhere quiet was no longer enough. Like an inch deep within that cannot be reached, so I started taking risks. Whenever you were taking a shower, whenever you were out late or whenever you were within your shed… I would use your belongings to make myself feel better. I smelled your clothes, I touched myself at the sound of you showering, I even did it right next to you when you were sleeping.”
The sweet scent of honey, The wet patches he would occasionally find in his room and scratch his head in confusion at their presence, it all made sense to him now. Yet despite everything she said, the only reaction that came out of him was his member hardening even at the image conjured by his mind.
“Hn!” Her body stiffened as she continued to rub herself, his grasp on her breast coming more tighter yet she seemed to enjoy it. “You see, senpai, that's the kind of girl you kept around you for so many days. A tainted girl who can only think about pushing herself onto you whenever you least expect it! Someone you risked your very own life at every opportunity yet she can only just think about herself! It's weird right? You must feel disgusted at this site, right!? But I can't help myself! No matter how much I try it just keeps getting worse! Even now just a simple touch almost made me climax and it made me crave more of it! A dirty woman you took under your roof! I… I-I—!?”
With each sentence that left her mouth, the louder her voice became. The despair and shame on her face grew by the second until tears started to stream down her cheeks. The way she described herself, it almost made him certain that the girl sought an extreme reaction from him of some sort, for him to prove her point and agree with those statements.
But he couldn't do so.
How could he call such a girl dirty? Whatever Zouken did to her, he swore to make him pay one way or another, but for now — he could not just sit there and listen to this nonsense.
So by forcefully gathering his wits and strength, the boy got up from the ground and pressed his lips against hers without any hesitation. His other free hand tracing the back of her neck till he gently pulled her deeper into the kiss.
It was awkward, he was not sure how to do it exactly or how to make sure that his action would be enjoyable to her. It didn't take her long though to reciprocate, and he felt her soft yet eager lips pressing against his in a similar fashion, legs wrapping around his waist while she grabbed the back of his hair to pull herself further in almost instinctively. Her tongue immediately made its way into his mouth, prying open his teeth and exploring every inch within without holding back.
An addicting taste filled his mouth when their tongues finally met, the flavor he could only describe as sweet yet somewhat pleasant at the same time. She too must have been tasting his, but instead of pulling away, her hand wrapped behind his neck and pulled him closer.
Seconds past and both indulged in the feeling, only separating just to take a breather. Austin's trying to saliva connecting their lips. “Hah… hah… hah…” Intense, that was the only way he could describe the experience and overwhelmed with how Sakura took control bit by bit.
“I don't think you are a dirty woman or even tainted in any way,” He whispered, grabbing her by the waist to make sure she wouldn't leave him. “We have known each other for years, I got to see you closely every time and not once such thoughts ever crossed my mind. Whatever Zouken did to you, all of the things you believe will make me look at you differently. It's just not true.”
Her breast trust against his chest, he could feel her heartbeat just as she could feel his. The warmth she gave off, her very presence that made his body want to push her to the ground and take her as his. All of it screaming for him as more blood rushed to his crotch.
“... You're not lying aren't you?” She asked, both surprised and having a slight amount of disbelief in her eyes as he smiled at the girl. “Then prove it to me. Show that you don't see me in that light and take me right now.”
She had no idea the effect those words had on him, this mere action of keeping his calm having become much more difficult. Like The voice of a siren playing hypnotic music to his ears, forcing his body to almost act in a different way than what his mind wanted. Part of him wondered if the only reason he could keep his sanity for so long happened to be because of being exposed to Rider for so long.
The very allure coming off of this woman was much different to the Servant, both innocent yet very erotic.
Shivers spread across the skin when her hand trailed downwards, rubbing the bulge That desperately wanted to be set free. A chuckle escaped her lips when he let out another groan and squeezed her waist harder, taking in her scent which only served to chip away at his sanity down to nothing but a storm of lust.
“You became like that because of me, didn't you...” No words left his lips, the very action of him nodding was too much for him to bear.
Sakura's hands were delicate and slow, teasing him with gentle strokes along the fabric of his pants and tracing her fingers against his length. “Just stay still, let me handle this.”
Her hand slipped within, removing the layer of fabric and let out a small gasp as his member sprung out, firmly pressing against her slit. The juices coating it, the urge to surrender to his instincts and push it in almost overtaking his rationality.
“Ah~! So this is it… senpai’s dick… it's big… and warm.” Her honey filled voice reached his ears, sounding increasingly more erotic than ever before. “I-If I don't do it correctly or it starts hurting, then let me know, okay?”
Hurt? The only thing that brought him any sort of discomfort at this moment was the sheer effort he was investing to hold himself back. For Shirou feared the things he would do to her if he let his instincts take over, the girl in his embrace felt almost fragile and he did not want to hurt her.
Eyes shining with various emotions, his eyes widened when her mouth opened, tongue sticking out with a thin trail of saliva dripping on the tip of his dick. He could not contain himself, a sharp breath leaving his lips when her hand finally grasped his dick. Sakura smiled at him and continued to play with it, wasting no time to stroke the member, her touch being the sweetest thing he has ever experienced and not wanting it to end. She continued to stroke it with more vigor, making him shudder at the new pleasure. The sensation felt like a burst of electricity coursing through his spine, all the way to his mind where it intensified with each of her strokes.
Her breasts felt so soft in his hands, like fresh marshmallows, and they weighed heavily upon them. So far, he only knew Rider who had a bigger chest than hers and Bazett as well when he took care of her after the fight against Caster… maybe three with Luvia — but he never gave those thoughts any attention. Deciding to save that question for later, he started to play with them like a child with a new toy. Sakura moaned when he started to squeeze them.
The redhead started to play with her pink nubs, tweaking them between her fingers and feeling them harden further under his touch as her cries of pleasure became intoxicating to listen.
Not a second later he felt her fidget on his lap, grinding onto his uncovered groin, coating it more with her juices while her hand played with the head of his dick. She pulled him closer to her breast, nearly suffocating him. Without even having control of his actions, Shirou found himself sucking on them like a babe, his tongue playing around with her nipple. “A-Ah! Senpai~! N-Nothing is going to come out of there~!”
Sakura leaned forward, the sensation of her soft and warm breath on his neck, biting his ears making him bite on her nipples harder.
“Hmmmm! A-Aaaaa—mmm!”
He released her breast from his mouth and pulled her into a kiss, making sure to keep Sakura in place as his hand started to move to her rear. All of his actions were purely fueled by desire without any thought put into them, but the way she was moaning told him that he was at least doing a good job. Her actions were almost torturous, the feeling of her fingers caressing his flesh making him tremble.
His heart raced, every breath he took felt heavy as his lungs tried to take in as much oxygen as they could.
“Ah!” He couldn't take it anymore, his cock throbbing with desire as his hands slipped down her skirt and grabbed her ass and went further until it reached her pussy, a single touch making her body tremble as more liquid came out from the orgasm.
Shirou did not want her to stop, the desire to just throw her down and thrust himself inside of her growing stronger with each passing second. But he held himself back, wanting the moment to last as much as possible.
She was wet and warm, the scent of her sex filling his nostrils and clouding his thoughts.
His fingers dug into her skin, her moans of pleasure and excitement ringing in his ears as his fingers went deeper. His heart was beating faster, the lust within his veins pumping his member with every second. She was so close, he could feel her wetness and warmth.
A whimper left her mouth when he pulled away from her, his hand moving towards her chin and lifting her gaze towards his.
The look of pleasure and desire in her eyes was unmistakable, her cheeks flushed as she stared at him with longing. Sakura licked her lips, her breathing becoming heavier as her grip tightened on his cock.
“S-Senpai! Hah… hah… I… hah… I can't wait anymore!”
“I'm close too!” He couldn't resist, his hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her close.
The sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest was indescribable, his hands moving up her body and cupping her mounds again. Her eyes widened when his tongue brushed against her nipples, her breathing becoming heavier as the pressure built.
“Senpai!”
Despite feeling a bit overwhelmed and lost, he continued to follow through with his actions until the boy could no longer hold back. “Sakura!”
With a word of warning, he could not hold back as his thick ropes of semen burst out of his cock, coating her in his seed, to the point where he thought that someone accidentally spilt paint on her. His cum being all over her hair, face and breasts — slowly trailing down her body. The girl, not stopping her movement and pumping more and more until it stopped. “I-I’m sorry,” seeing her state, a moment of panic settled in Shirou.
So lost in the moment that he ended up covering her, the sight itself made the fire within him burn with more intensity. Erotic beyond belief, making him more entranced than any of those porn magazines Shinji would occasionally show him in the past. He tried to remind himself that this was Sakura, who he’d known as a staple of his life, and as basically a part of what made this place home. Ashamed of himself, he needed to act quickly before things got more awkward because of him. “I'll b-bring a tissue for you, just give me a sec—ughn!”
Yet as he tried to get up, his entire body came to a screeching halt when he felt her grip on his shaft tightening. “Sa… Sakura?”
Looking back at her, He saw her gaze still intently looking down at his dick. Breathing heavily with they're being no changes to her expression, liquid trickling down her pussy. “You got hard again.”
His face flushed crimson, unable to say anything otherwise.
“—!”
The girl moved, pushing onto his chest until he found himself on his back looking at her on top of him, going back to the position they were before. But this time, the emotions within her eyes were much more intense. “Senpai’s scent… your essence is all over my body~!” Her hands lied across her body, further rubbing the semen onto her skin until She touched her lower parts. Rubbing it and mixing both of their essence together. “More, I want more of you inside me this time.”
He gulped, unable to lie to himself that at this moment he felt a bit intimidated. But that emotion was quickly replaced by something else as she grabbed onto his shaft and placed it right at her entrance. Pushing gently until her slit was pressed against the tip of his cock.
“Finally… I love you, Senpai.”
A whimper escaped his lips, but the girl did not stop her descent. He could feel the heat radiating from her, the sensation of her walls tightening around him as he was pushed further into her depths. He could feel his mind getting overwhelmed, unable to think clearly due to the pleasure, but the sight before him made the effort worth it.
She looked beautiful, the way her body arched and her head tilted backwards as she moaned his name, the sensation driving him insane. His sanity dwindling with there being nothing but a thin membrane separating his mind from turning into something that might hurt her.
“So deep! Yes… senpai hah… this feels… hah… too good!” The way she wouldn’t stop swaying her hips, grinding and jumping up and down from his cock with nothing but the sound of her moans and their skins hitting one another filling the room. “Ah!... Mmm! Ah! Aha… Aaa!”
At first her movements were slow, but by now it has turned intense, wild and frantic. Her walls gripping onto his penis as if to never let go. The sight of her hair dancing in the air, the ecstasy on her face… the lewd expression on her face that he never imagined to ever see outside of his dreams. Her breasts bouncing without anything holding them, still coated in his essence.
All of it served to further stimulate him and make the pleasure practically unbearable. “Ah, ah. Ha, aha… It’s getting bigger, Senpai… Does it feel good…? Mm… aha, ah! …Ah… It feels good for me too!”
“Sakura, if y-you move so quickly then I won't be able to—”
“I can't stop!” She exclaimed, leaning down to seal his mouth with hers, breaking it and starting to suck on his neck and grabbing onto his hair while her waist continued to move up and down at a faster rate. “Sorry… ah! Aha!... Hah…. Ah~! I can't control myself anymore, I want more of you! I can't stop my hips… I don't want to stop!”
At that moment, Shirou felt his mind turn dark and any form of reasoning left him immediately.
“Ah!”
His arms grabbed onto her waist, his hips started moving, slamming her down onto his cock without stopping and listening to the sounds of her cries. He didn’t slow down in his thrusts, and Sakura was fine with that—happy in fact.
She didn’t want him to go slow, she didn’t want him to be gentle. Fucking with her powerful thrusts their sweat-covered bodies rubbing against each other, both of us lost in total euphoria. After years of his confusing emotions, all of the moments he found himself gazing at her body when she was not looking, the dreams he would have at times, all of the pent up sexual frustration being released at this very moment.
Wet squelching could be heard in the room while Sakura moans left her lips. He watched as Sakura's breasts jiggled from his thrusts, before rising up and engulfing one of her nipples in his mouth, doubling her pleasure.
“Ah, senpai! You really love them, don't you?” She giggled, a statement he could once again not deny.
After a while, he let go of her breasts and grabbed her wide hips, and started to fuck her faster, Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tightening around his waist, she moaned loudly from his actions as he continued at a faster pace. Her inner walls further tightened around his shaft.
"Aaargh!" Shirou felt the pressure building and about to be released at any moment, the smallest trace of sanity making him realize what he was about to do and thus attempted to pull his manhood out.
“No!”
But the violet haired girl sensed his intentions and plunged back in, pushing his member deeper than it ever went and making it impossible to hold it in any longer. “Aaaah!” he let out a roar as he filled her with cum, his orgasm hit him like a truck, the intense feeling washing over him and leaving him gasping for breath.
His cock twitched inside her, his cum spilling into her womb, coating her walls and filling everything. Sakura twitched, having orgasmed multiple times, continuing to extract as much as she could from him and not leaving a drop. “All of it… give it to me…”
She leaned against him for support, while he pulled himself out, letting more thick globs spill from her gaping snatch. Thus felt the last remnants of his energy fade away like a candle being snuffed out-his body nearly collapsing backward, with nothing there to soften the fall.
“—?”
Only for something soft and squishy pressed against the back of his head, slowly pulling him down till he came to rest on what felt like thighs. Opening his eyes, despite exhaustion making such a task difficult, he managed to catch strands of purple hair filling his vision and Rider looking down on him with a small smile.
‘How long were you here?’
Was what he wanted to say but such words did not come out of his mouth, only drowsiness taking over his consciousness and his eyes slowly closing. Soft hands gently caressing his face with a phrase reaching his ears.
“You did well, Master.”
(Lemon end)
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{Break}
(A few hours later)
Rider had to admit, she never would have believed that things between her Master and Sakura would have reached this point so early. Not that she was complaining, the young girl deserved a bit of happiness and had eyes on the boy for quite a while evidently, but the said boy in question was not exactly the best at reciprocating those feelings in a proper way.
From the moment she was summoned till now, his personality became more clear to her and she could see that even if he held feelings for her, he would never be the one to take the first step. This was further amplified by another side of him that she discovered recently, a side that made her realize that the boy was incapable of accepting the idea of someone else loving him.
Or maybe he did but just could not bring himself to accept that, cornered into a destructive mindset that would sooner or later lead to his death.
In a way, she was happy that Sakura gathered the courage to do what she did for it not only saved the girl but also grounded the boy. “You're already awake?” She said, being pulled away from her thoughts as she sensed someone walking to the porch. Seeing it being none other than Sakura who had woken up a few minutes away from dawn.
“You look healthier.” Rider commented, seeing the natural glow to her face with any presence of that build up frustration being completely gone. Her words making the girl flush out of embarrassment, said reaction making her want to tease her even further. “I'm surprised you can walk after how wildly you two were going back there.”
Which she did.
“R-Rider! Don't say that out loud!” The violet haired girl reacted, aghast. “You were watching?”
“Of course.” She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I had to make sure he performed adequately, if things were to get awkward or you to where to get cold feet, then maybe I could have done something to spice things up~”
Though her words sounded suggestive with her tone not helping with that impression at all, Rider had not really planned to interfere at any moment back there. Sakura deserved to have her peace, a moment where it was just the two of them without any third parties interfering for no reason. In a strange way, she felt proud that the girl was able to accomplish that without her help.
But much to her surprise, the girl actually came forth and hugged her out of nowhere. The action was so sudden and unexpected that the Heroic Spirit found herself stunned, not knowing what to do or even say at that moment.
“Thank you, Rider. For giving me courage and taking care of senpai.” Her said warmly, voice sounding a bit muffled but clear to Rider who nodded.
“Don't, I did nothing. This was all you.”
“No, I mean it. Without you, I don't know when exactly I could have gotten the strength to do such a thing, and without you, I don't know if he would have even been around long enough to survive half of the things that have happened so far. You are just as important to us as he is to me.”
“...”
She did not know what to say in return. Express gratitude for what was mentioned? Dismiss those claims as major exaggerations? Or even deny them? Even with those options, the woman just could not bring herself to do so and just kept her silence. Noting something else within Sakura's voice.
“You know, when you and him were facing Berserker and his Master, I hated no one else more at that moment than myself.”
“Sakura…”
“No, let me finish, please.” The girl insisted. “I am not like my sister who is a prodigy, I am not as hard working as him and I lack plenty of traits to make me a competent mage. Even though I am one, I was unable to do anything back there to come up even with some spells to my knowledge, I was no different to a helpless person who needed to be saved again. I hate that feeling, I do not want him to always jump in the middle of danger and put his life at risk for my sake while I stay behind and do nothing.”
“But you are doing something,” Rider added, caressing Sakura's face with a bit of hesitation. “Wouldn't he feel more motivated with you by his side? He has something to fight for, something that will keep him alive.”
“Eh?”
She wondered if telling her about what she learned about her Master back then with the ideal, whether or not she would come to realize that there was something seriously wrong with him and how he needed something to keep him from going even further past a certain point of no return. But she doesn’t want to do so behind his back, not like this at least.
“Nothing.”
The young girl sighed, “Even if that is the case, I wish… no, I know I can do more.” As she said that, The sleeves of her hand will be pulled back to show three distinct patterns present at the back of her hand which were not there before. Rider’s mouth slightly agape with shock and she immediately reeled in any emotions.
“It was only a matter of time, I knew this and so did grandfather. With the Matou being one of the founding families that created this system, it had to happen. I am the only eligible one, onii-sama does not possess any working circuits to be chosen.” She knew that her brother had them, but it would take an impossibly vaste amount of energy to open them, according to her grandfather, that even attempting to do so was a waste of time. Her hand rested on top of her chest, “He already knows.”
Rider felt a heavy feeling force its way in her being, but before she could say anything, Sakura spoke once more.
“I don't plan on abandoning senpai nor will I ever betray him. I cannot even think of doing such a thing in the first place, no matter how much pain my grandfather may put me through.” She clenched her hands, taking a deep breath and looking at the Servant where her blindfold was. “I also do not plan on running away forever and hiding behind him. I want to protect him, the same way as you do. We both know what Nee-san plans to do, for all we know, she has already accomplished it. At this point, I am probably the last one remaining.”
“We can think of another way, Sakura.” Rider insisted, not liking where this was going. “The strain on your magical energy alone holding back your condition will be…” Rider didn’t want to finish the thought.
“I wish that were the case, but that would only mean asking senpai to go above and beyond again to save me while putting his life in danger. He already has enough to deal with and the last thing I want is for him to attempt the impossible. Again, I don't want to abandon him and… I will deal with grandfather myself. He's calling me back.”
Even with the blindfold, Rider's frown could not be hidden. “Shirou will just storm into that place, you know it.”
“But that won't solve anything but just make grandfather more angry. He can't kill him.”
She’d seen too much of her grandfather’s invincibility to ever consider anyone could kill him. She knew that his true self was too hidden for just anyone to locate. She could still remember Kariya. Her hand unconsciously formed into fists squeezing tighter and tighter. She banished the thought of the only male who tried to save her long ago, who genuinely cared about her. She knew too much and saw too much to hold onto such hope.
Sakura smiled, taking Rider's hand into hers and looking at the woman with a gentle smile. “Just keep him safe, make sure he does not do anything that might endanger him and have him know that I will be back. Buy me time.”
“You are asking me to go against my Master's wishes.”
“I am,” she did not bother to hide or even tell any lies. “I can't have this conversation with him, he would never agree to it. But… just once, I want him to look at me as someone reliable.”
“What if this plan of yours, whatever it might be, ends up not working?” Rider asked again, her emotions getting more riled up by the second, more so than she ever imagined to feel for someone else. “A Servant will not magically solve everything.”
“Grandfather will not risk counting on luck alone, I'm sure he has something prepared for me.” Sakura answered with confidence. “And I came to learn and understand more about his magecraft than anyone, it won't just be a Servant alone.”
She did not want to let go, Rider hated that idea and wished things could be different. But she had no choice but to trust the person in front of her, hoping that whatever she had planned would work out.
“...Don't blame me if by dawn the first thing you hear outside your house is him screaming your name and busting through the door without any sense of self preservation.”
Sakura chuckled, “I won't. Besides… I think he's too exhausted to wake up that early.” She gave the Servant another hug, this one lasting longer and even took the opportunity to whisper. “Next time… c-can you give me some tips on how to make him feel better during sex? I-I don't think my method was really that good… ”
Rider found herself a bit caught off guard, the girl sure had gotten quite bold after a single session with the boy. Whether or not it was a good thing she couldn't tell, “Of course, though don't you feel even a bit defensive with someone like me getting this close to your relationship?”
Sakura shook her head, “No, as long as it's you, for some reason I don't mind.”
“...”
Again, Rider did not know how to feel about that.
After that, She watched the girl gather little to nothing of her belongings before making her way to the gates. Bowing one last time and walking away in the distance, though before she left, she saw Sakura grab a particular item from Shirou's shed before leaving.
Woosh!
As soon as Sakura's figure disappeared in the distance, Rider instantly reappeared across the streets where beneath the bushes a small worm crawled across the surface. With a single action, her boots squashed the creature before it could even flee or even react.
An expression of disgust momentarily flashing across her face as she looked in the distance.
“You really are underestimating what lengths he will go through… stay safe, Sakura.”
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AN: That woman in the first part that doesn't react to blood and death is actually a real fate character and not an OC.
Steel Eyed Faker Chapter 17: Save the Selfless Part 2
Fully Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness and S
2025-04-16 08:50:01 +0000 UTC View PostHound of the Dead Chapter 11: Truth
Beta read by GameCrusher55
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The Legendary Saiyan in a Fairy's World Chapter 49
Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331
Next update is Hound
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-Magnolia-
(A few minutes earlier)
This damn day couldn't get any worse for Zancrow—or rather, it couldn’t get any better.
“Why the hell are you the one approaching the guy first!?” he snapped at Rustyrose as they left the main ship, nearing the entrance of Magnolia. “Just send me in there and let me crush the bastard to pieces! It’d be way easier to drag him back to the boss unconscious than whatever it is you're trying to do.”
“I don’t need your help to deal with this man,” the well-dressed mage replied with a smirk. His smug tone made Zancrow’s blood boil until he spat on the ground in frustration. As always, Ultear was watching with those orbs—so he couldn’t do jack about it.
“Then why the hell did you call me to come with you in the first place!?” he shouted, fists clenched. This whole setup stank. Half his mind was already on knocking Rustyrose out cold and going after this ‘Broly’ guy himself. “If he is as powerful as that bitch and the boss keeps saying, then he is the perfect puppet to use my flame against!”
“Keep up or leave if you want, I don't care,” Rustyrose said nonchalantly. “If the guy has friends, I promise you can take care of them. Honestly, I don’t even need you here, but since it was the boss who gave the order… Who am I to ignore it? If you’ve got complaints, take it up with him. This mission was assigned to me, not you. So quit whining.”
A tense silence followed. Zancrow glared daggers at his partner's back as the latter strode ahead, already focused on his hair more than the mission itself. What made the blonde mage’s eyes twitch with irritation was how the person in front of him already started flirting with a girl near the entrance.
“Tch... fuck him,” Zancrow muttered under his breath, veering off in another direction. “Who the hell does he think he is, hogging all the fun? The boss’ll be just as happy if I bring someone in too.”
The town was crawling with Fairy Tail mages. Zancrow knew he’d run into at least one sooner or later. If he recalled, Ultear mentioned reading some high level of magic around this part of town, so another Fairy Tail wizard was most likely living there. It didn’t take long. After wandering through the area, he came across a clearing marked by signs of a recent battle.
“Huh?” he blinked, then noticed a figure seated at the edge of the clearing—a redhead who was calmly reading a book on a chair seemingly grown from roots. Not even acknowledging his existence after only sparing him a single glance before returning to read her book.
This woman… he redhead… that face… was this not that Titania chick? The closer he looked, the more apparent it became that this was indeed her. The grin stretched across his face as he cracked his knuckles.
Jackpot.
“Sorry, not sorry.” Not even giving her a second to react, black flames surged into existence around his arm, twisting into a massive sphere of searing destruction. “Fire God's Explosive Flames!” He hurled it straight at her without hesitation.
The impact shattered trees, sent shockwaves rippling outward, and scorched the entire clearing to ash. Maniacal laughter burst from Zancrow’s throat at the sight, his prior frustration about the arrangement being completely forgotten.
“HAHAHAHA! Take that, you fried fucker! Also fuck you Rusty! Treat me like I’m some damn tagalong again, I dare you! Tch, S-Class wizard my ass.”
At that point, he didn’t care whether she was a Fairy Tail mage or not. She was just the poor unfortunate soul who happened to be nearby when he needed to vent. It would have been better had she just resisted a bit more, and used that requip magic everyone kept talking about — honestly, you should have known the outcome to end up like this.
“Wait... Wasn't Titania supposed to be in the Guild according to Ultear?” he mused with a shrug. “Eh, probably not that important.”
Just as the words left his mouth, something tapped his shoulder.
“Eh?” he muttered, pausing.
Slowly, he turned.
Cold chocolate brown eyes met his, sharp and glowing with quiet fury. It was her—the same woman he’d just attacked, standing there perfectly unharmed.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve attacking me out of the blue like that,” she said in a voice cold enough to freeze bone.
For a second, Zancrow hesitated. That presence—something about her was wrong. But the thought passed, and confidence returned. What was there to fear? She was still just one person.
“So you survived? Good. Guess being a Fairy Tail member isn’t all talk, huh?”
He barely got the words out before she flicked her finger.
An overwhelming pressure crushed down on him like a falling mountain. In the blink of an eye, his face was buried in the ground, his body pressed into a crater as if gravity itself had singled him out for punishment. His vision started to turn black, and his heart was barely able to pump enough blood to his head to keep the man conscious.
“I didn’t give you permission to speak,” Irene said flatly.
Another snap of her fingers—red engulfed his vision.
An eruption of fire exploded around him, utterly dwarfing his own. For a moment, Zancrow panicked, trying to consume it with his magic, but the sheer intensity of it—it was beyond him.
“Oh?” she remarked, mildly surprised. “You can devour flames... a Dragon Slayer? No, wait—black fire. A God Slayer. How rare. Dimaria would be very interested in your magic,” she continued, tilting her head slightly as if pondering something. “But for now… I have some uses for you, boy.”
He didn’t understand what she was talking about, but the fact that she recognized his magic put him on edge.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” he growled.
She only smiled.
With another wave of her hand, an invisible force slammed into him, sending his body flying across the field and dragging a deep trench into the ground as he crashed. His ribs screamed in pain.
“You’re welcome to try,” her voice echoed across the field.
The smirk was gone. The pain spread through his limbs.
What... the hell was this woman?
{Break}
"Hah… this day sucks…"
Back at the guild, Lucy and the rest of the crew were doing their usual thing, fresh off their chat with the Saiyan and that enigmatic woman. While everyone else seemed to have shaken it off and moved on, Lucy couldn’t stop chewing on it. Something about that woman stuck in her head like a song she couldn’t quite remember—familiar but just out of reach. It bugged her, like trying to recall a name she knew she should know but couldn’t for the life of her.
"A jewel for your thoughts?" Cana asked, sliding into the seat beside Lucy with a massive barrel of beer already in hand. She glanced over at the blonde, who had been flipping through one quest poster after another without actually reading any of them.
Lucy sighed. "I don’t know… I feel like I’ve seen that woman somewhere before, but I can’t put my finger on it. And… don’t you think she was kind of weird?"
"Thank you! Finally, someone else saw it!" Cana exclaimed, relieved. "She gives me bad vibes. I don’t know what happened between the council headquarters and their return, but what I do know is I don’t trust her. And why the hell did Broly bring her back with him in the first place?"
"It’s Broly," the blonde answered without thinking. She blinked as the words left her mouth, realizing how quick she was to justify him, and then offered a sheepish look. "I mean, he’s the kind of person who would help anyone if they just asked him—or even if they didn’t. But still… You saw the way they were together. That didn’t look like two strangers who just happened to cross paths."
Cana nodded in agreement, her expression serious for once. "Exactly. There’s more to this than we’re being told. He might be insanely strong, but the guy is too trusting. He can flatten half a mountain without blinking, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be manipulated in my opinion—especially emotionally."
Lucy winced at the thought. "That’s what I’m afraid of. Someone could totally take advantage of his kindness and his wallet while they’re at it."
"Meh, she did not exactly seem like a gold digger, but you never know. We just need to find out who she really is," Cana said with surprising conviction.
The statement caught Lucy off guard. "What?"
"We’re a team," Cana continued, unbothered by the reaction. "And part of being a team means watching each other’s backs. I say we do a little digging."
Lucy looked uncertain. "I get what you’re saying, but… what if we’re wrong? What if she turns out to be totally harmless, and we just look like paranoid idiots?"
The brunette shrugged casually. "Then we apologize. No harm done."
Before Lucy could respond, the entire guild suddenly shook beneath them. The floor trembled, bottles clinked together, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Mirajane, carrying a full tray of drinks, nearly dropped everything as she tried to balance herself.
"What the hell!?" Lucy exclaimed, getting to her feet as the tremors died down. She looked around in confusion, just as several other guild members started coughing from the sudden dust storm kicked up by the shake.
"He’s back! He’s back!" a voice shouted across the guild hall.
It was Natsu, of course, already standing on his table with a big grin on his face, his arms raised triumphantly. Wendy sat beside him, looking just as confused as Lucy felt. “Does that mean he's done with that quest?”
“Of course he is! Don't you know there is nothing that can stand in his way? He's the strongest Fairy Tail wizard after all!”
“Oh… it's him.” Lucy heard the card mage muster under her breath with a complicated expression flashing on her face before she took a big swig of the barrel. Across from them, Erza remained quiet, expression sharpening as she raised her fist and slammed it into the table. The force silenced everyone instantly, nearly reducing the piece of furniture to splinters and causing a startled yelp from Wendy.
"Quiet!" Erza ordered, her voice as firm as ever and even freighting a few people around her. "That wasn’t a city-wide mechanism, we did not hear the alarm, did you all forget about that!?”
The mood shifted in an instant. Guild members exchanged uncertain glances, the excitement giving way to concern. Murmurs spread through the room.
"Aw man, I was looking forward to something exciting," one mage muttered, stretching his arms. "Though... earthquakes that strong in Magnolia aren’t exactly normal."
"That wasn’t a natural quake," Erza muttered under her breath. Her statement was proven correct just a second later when another tremor hit—stronger this time. People stumbled, drinks spilled, and the unease in the room exploded.
"Let’s go check it out!" Natsu shouted, already charging toward the exit with Happy flying close behind. Several guild members followed suit.
Outside, the scene was pure chaos. Civilians ran in every direction, fleeing from an unseen danger. Some ducked into shops and homes, others sprinted through the streets in panic. A few headed straight for the Fairy Tail guild, waving frantically.
"What’s going on out there!?" Erza asked one of the oncoming townsfolk.
"A fight! There’s a mage attacking some guy on the east side of town!" one man shouted, panting hard. "Please! Someone stop them before they destroy everything—I just rebuilt my shop after that pink-haired menace wrecked it last month!"
"I told you that was an accident, you jerk! Also, it wasn't my fault, this popsicle over here is the one you should be blaming!" Natsu yelled from the side before getting punched in the face by Gray.
“Shut the hell up, flame for brains!”
"Enough!" Erza snapped, stepping forward. "We’re going. Now. Mirajane, you stay behind and make sure to help people if they come here for shelter if this is something worse." She said to the white-haired woman, platter drawing her hair that had been soaked with beer from the earlier incident.
“Got it.”
Without hesitation, Lucy, Cana, Wendy, Gray, and several others joined Erza as they headed down the road. The tension rose with each step they took.
"Who would start a fight in Magnolia of all places?" Lucy asked, brows furrowed. To her, starting trouble in Magnolia was perhaps one of the worst ideas any dark mages could come up with. Given every member of the Fairy Tail guild lived in the town, it was only a matter of time before they would get ganged up.
"It’s suspicious," Cana agreed. "Even if it’s just some hothead mage, we’ll make sure they regret causing trouble here. I wouldn’t mind testing some new cards myself."
"Wait a second," Lucy said suddenly, slowing her pace. "Isn’t this the same road Broly took earlier… with that woman?"
Her words gave everyone pause.
"...Shit," Cana muttered under her breath.
They picked up the pace, running now, until they finally reached the area in question, only to find devastation. The street was torn apart, buildings cracked or partially destroyed, with a massive crater in the center of the road.
"What the hell…?" Natsu breathed.
"Looks like a war zone," Gray muttered, scanning the damage.
"I-I don’t see anyone around," Wendy added, her voice cautious. "Did they escape already?"
"Happy!"
"Aye, sir!" the blue cat answered with a salute. Without wasting a second, he grabbed the back of Natsu’s robe and soared upward, wings fluttering rapidly as he carried his partner above the crumbling rooftops.
From his elevated vantage point, Natsu scanned the surrounding area—but it was empty. No enemies, no civilians, just cracked stone and dust dancing in the air. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Happy circled once more before descending, releasing Natsu so he could land with a small thud near the group. He shook his head at Erza.
"No one’s around," Natsu reported. Then his nose twitched, once... twice. Wendy mirrored the motion beside him, also sniffing at the dusty air. The two dragon slayers stiffened at the same time.
"It’s hard to tell with all the dust and lingering magic, but... Broly was here… yeah that's definitely his smell. No doubt about it." Natsu said gravely. "And he got into a fight."
"I heard dragon slayers had enhanced senses compared to regular mages, but I didn’t think they were this sharp," came an amused voice from behind them.
Everyone turned in unison. Erza was the first to react, instantly summoning a blade with a flash of her Requip magic and pointing it at the new arrival with caution.
"What are you doing here... Ultear?"
Even Gray froze in place, his eyes wide with disbelief. His mouth opened, but the words came out in a whisper. "U-Ur...?" It was barely audible, but Natsu and Wendy caught it. They exchanged uncertain glances, looking between Gray and the mysterious woman.
Ultear stood calmly amidst the dust and cracked pavement, her dark hair framing a slight smirk. She didn’t seem offended in the slightest by Erza’s aggressive stance, going so far as even to take a seat on one of the remaining standing chairs.
"It’s been a while since we last... Crossed blades, Erza Scarlet," she said smoothly. "I trust you’ve been well? I was pleased to hear your guild hadn’t caused trouble for the council lately. That is... until your last mission."
Natsu stepped forward, voice sharp. "Oi, who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"She’s a member of the Magic Council. You’ve seen her before," Erza answered tensely, never lowering her sword. "But why now? Why here? Are you the one behind this? Where’s Broly?"
Instead of answering directly, Ultear chuckled—a low, knowing sound. "How long do you think your guild can keep him hidden from the world?"
Her smile widened.
"You know as well as I do that Broly isn’t like the rest of you. He’s not destined to stay tucked away, running errands, fighting a few bandits or dark mages, and taking on other miscellaneous guild missions. That’s a fantasy, Erza. One you’ll have to wake up from soon."
"I said—where is he!?" Erza shouted and lunged forward, her blade stopping just inches from Ultear’s throat. "If you’re responsible for the damage to Magnolia, I don’t care if you’re part of the council or not. That’s enough to warrant your arrest."
Ultear remained unfazed, her voice smooth as ever. "There’s someone—someone far greater than you can imagine—who is interested in Broly. Someone you couldn’t hope to stop. Not with your strongest mages. Not with all of your S-Class. Not even if Gildarts himself appeared before us right now. He wouldn’t win."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But my master didn’t come here to start a war. He came offering what Broly truly needs."
"So you’re not going to give me a straight answer?" Erza muttered, her grip tightening on the hilt.
With a swift slash, she cut through Ultear—but the blade met no resistance. The image of Ultear shimmered, glitching like a mirage, before fading into motes of light.
"What the...?"
A voice echoed from behind them again—Ultear, unharmed and standing atop a nearby rooftop. Her image was solid once more.
"You’ve all seen what Broly is—his nature. You witnessed it during Galuna Island, and again on your recent mission. He wasn’t meant to stay confined to a small corner of the world, doing odd jobs. He has the power to reshape everything. He may fear what he is... but with my master’s guidance, he could use that strength for true good. Not just to help a few villagers... but to change the world."
"What the hell is going on here!? Who are you really!?" Gray shouted. He stomped forward, slamming his hands together as magic surged through him. A ring of ice formed beneath Ultear’s feet, rapidly growing into a thick, frosty cage.
But like before, the trap meant nothing.
Just as the cage closed, her form flickered out of existence and reappeared several meters away—this time holding a glowing sphere in one hand, the smirk never leaving her face.
"How is she so fast!?" Wendy gasped.
“Thought Projection magic,” answered Cana, holding onto several cards.
"There’s no use," Ultear said with a shrug. "I didn’t come here to fight. I came to deliver a message—from my master. Do not interfere. He still remembers his history with Fairy Tail... which is the only reason your guild hasn’t been wiped off the map."
The air grew colder and heavier. Her eyes narrowed as the smile on her face disappeared completely, and she whispered without a trace of emotions the following words.
"But test his patience... and you’ll regret it. Broly’s strength won’t be enough to protect you from what’s coming if you continue to go against us."
With that, her body dissolved into sparks of light once more.
"She’s gone!" Natsu shouted. Happy had just released him mid-air, and his flames crashed into the ground where Ultear had stood a moment before—obliterating the street but missing the mark entirely.
"Damn it! That magic of hers is really starting to piss me off! I told you to drop me earlier, Happy!"
"I was flying as fast and as quietly as I could!" Happy protested.
"What the hell is happening?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling. "Did they... kidnap Broly? Is the council trying to arrest him again?"
"No," Erza said grimly. "We’ve been fooled. That Ultear... she’s no longer a council member… most likely never was one. She’s a traitor. Maybe even part of a dark guild."
"What!?" Lucy and Wendy exclaimed together.
"We need to get back to the guild. Now!" Erza ordered. "Master needs to hear this—Broly’s in danger!"
The group didn’t hesitate. They sprinted back through the war-torn streets of Magnolia, urgency in every step.
But as they ran, Lucy couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in her chest. Something was wrong—very wrong.
She didn’t believe Broly would lose control again. He’d promised her. Sworn that he’d never repeat that mistake.
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-Tartarus-
He couldn't tell where he was.
Just moments ago, Broly had been face-to-face with Rustyrose—then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. He hadn’t anticipated someone using teleportation magic from such a long distance, let alone targeting him and the unconscious mage together. Now they stood in a place completely foreign to him. Even spreading his Ki did little to help; instead, it only overwhelmed his senses due to the massive concentration of—Ethernano—saturating the air. One particular source of it pulsed from deep within the area, dense and ominous.
The second that wave surged again, energy coursed through the entire structure and was instantly absorbed by the man standing across from him. The sensation it gave off was eerie… like a heartbeat, yet far more unsettling. The sheer scale of it made Broly wonder—was this approaching the level of something like Uranus?
"I'm not interested," Broly said plainly to the older man standing before him. "I don’t care what this ‘essence of magic’ is. I don’t know you, and honestly, I have no desire to stay here any longer. I don’t want to fight. Let me go, and I’ll forget all about this—even your mage’s attack." He nodded toward Rustyrose, who still lay unconscious at his feet.
The old man chuckled softly. "For someone with a reputation of monstrous strength and terrifying power, you're surprisingly composed. Ultear was right about you—you are different. An innocent soul burdened with power beyond comprehension... No wonder Fairy Tail accepted you so easily. They care for you just as deeply as you care for them. I imagine it's only a matter of time before they try to rescue you—if they can even find us."
Broly’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Fairy Tail. The reaction didn’t go unnoticed.
“There’s no need for hostility,” the old man continued calmly. “As I said—I come in peace. I didn’t bring you here to fight. From one soul once lost to another, I can tell… you don’t want a battle either, do you?”
Broly clenched his fist tightly for a moment, but then took a deep breath and exhaled, loosening his stance. As much as he didn’t trust this stranger, he wasn’t wrong. Broly didn’t want another fight—not if it could be avoided. But that didn’t mean he was going to let his guard down.
“If that’s true, then let me go,” Broly said. “What do you even want from me? I don’t know anything about magic or the ‘essence’ you’re talking about. What I use isn’t magic. It’s called Ki—everyone has it.”
“Ki, hm?” the old man repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “The term is not unfamiliar to me. I’ve read ancient texts, scrolls long forgotten by time, speaking of inner energy. Many civilizations believed in harnessing power from within. In most cases, they were just referring to Ethernano under a different name. Just like magic in Earthland, it’s accessible to anyone… But your case is different.”
He stepped closer, though not threateningly.
“Your power doesn’t draw from the world. It originates within you. That’s what makes you so special. You don’t need to manipulate external energy—you are the source. And I believe I can create what you—”
“I can handle it on my own,” Broly interrupted, anticipating the pitch that was surely coming. “I’m not the same man I was just days ago. I’ve already made mistakes—grave ones. Mistakes I won’t forgive myself for. But in that moment... I learned. I controlled that side of me, even if only briefly. With time, I’ll master it completely. I don’t need your help.”
“You possess extraordinary power, yet you reject it,” Hades replied, shaking his head. “I see no curiosity in you about its origin. No interest in why you were given such strength. No hunger to push beyond what you were born with.”
“Those things don’t matter to me,” He said simply. “I use this power to protect them—that’s all I care about. I don’t need to understand why my Ki is so aggressive, or why I was born like this. As long as I can use it for good, that’s enough for me.”
To Broly’s surprise, the old man chuckled again—low and almost eerie.
“You truly remind me of some people from my past... Little Maki must’ve taken quite a liking to you. That's the kind of attitude perfect for the guild. How is he by the way?”
“He yells a lot and drinks all day,” Broly said with a faint smirk, “but he treats everyone in Fairy Tail like family despite all the stress we bring him from all the mess we make.”
"Family, huh... That does sound like him all right. He hasn’t changed, even after so many decades."
For a brief moment, Broly felt as though he might have misjudged the intentions of this man. Despite his method of bringing him here and the reasons behind it, Hades didn’t seem to be that unreasonable or someone blindly trying to cause trouble.
The following words made him take back those very thoughts.
"Unfortunately, living in such a closed-up bubble is still, in the end, a fairy tale. Nothing but a weakness that hides oneself from reaching the truth."
Hades’ words were cold as he walked down the stairs, stopping right in front of the Saiyan to look him in the eyes.
"What you call family, something that helps you stay grounded in the moment, is not the truth. It is but another form of weakness. Only by attaining the essence of magic, the one true magic, can one achieve anything one wants. This power you have, how much you suffer to control it, how much pain it’s caused you—all of it could be resolved if you reach that goal. But family... Hoping that Fairy Tail could act as your chains is only a matter of time before they break once again. When that happens, who will be the one to stop you? Can you truly look at me in the eyes and tell me that what happened against the Oración Seis would never happen again?"
"..."
As much as he wanted to say that he was confident that he could guarantee everyone's safety and keep control of his powers forever, he knew this just wasn’t true. He had no way of predicting the future, nor was he capable of convincing himself that such an incident wouldn’t happen a third time.
Would he have to rely on the little woman again? How many more would need to get hurt just for him to regain consciousness or gain control of his mind once more if things went south again?
"I can't," he said with a bitter smile. "But I made a promise to Lucy, to Erza, and everyone else in the guild that I wouldn’t let that happen. Even if it costs me my life in the end, I will not lose control."
Hades closed his eyes, nodding his head. "So you’re willing to die to protect your family, even to the point of sacrificing the very power you were given?"
The Saiyan shrugged. "If someone manages to steal it or lock it away, I wouldn’t particularly be sad or distraught over it. I already told someone that if she could find a way to copy my abilities or strip them from me so that I could become a normal Saiyan, then I would be more than happy to do so as long as she would also do something for me."
His words did not sit well as he got the person in front to scoff at it. "How ridiculous. You were given something that any respectable wizard would happily invest their entire life to attain, a small chance of gaining such power… no mage in this entire continent will find success in this endeavor. There are mountains of corpses of hundreds of thousands of people, similar to me, who tried and sacrificed everything they had to gain what you have now. Only a single man reached that point. And now that you have all the tools necessary to become like him, you show no desire to do so."
Another person? Broly had no idea who he was talking about. He had never heard of anyone like that.
"Maybe that is why fate has brought you here," Hades continued, a strange glint in his eyes. "After so many decades of research and experimenting, I reached you. Managed to talk to you, instead of anyone else. Maybe this is a sign that I’m close to the end of the tunnel. Maybe I’m finally on the verge of resurrecting Zeref and reaching the One Magic."
"Again, what I have is not magic. You already have it. It’s within you," Broly said, pointing at Hades’ chest. "All you have to do is harness it. Then leave me and everyone from Fairy Tail alone."
"Hahahaha… You’re too honest for your own good, or perhaps too naive," the old man said, placing his hand over his heart. "I have already done everything I could with this body, pushed it beyond its limits, dissected it, altered my very heart just to get a single step closer. I know everything inside and out, and I know that even if your words are true, I would never attain the same thing as you have now."
It was a bit of a surprise to see that the other party did not refute his words as lies, but the answer he gave was still very frustrating. "Then what do you want to do?"
Hades took a few seconds to answer, his visible eye still closed. When he opened them again, a light flashed within it.
"To combine what is yours with the Devil's heart. Only through that will I break the final barrier keeping me a step away from achieving my goals. Making me reach a point where I wouldn’t even need to resurrect Zeref to attain the truth of all creation."
A hint of sadness flashed across Broly’s face, frustration and helplessness swirling within him as he felt all too familiar with dealing with situations like this, time and again, with so many people in different circumstances.
"You said you came in peace, that you don’t want this fight. So why go this far?” Not to mention the person in front of him was plenty powerful enough from what he sensed, what point was there to grow even stronger? What point was there to go this far in order to attain this one magic that he kept talking about? All of it made no sense to him; he could not understand it nor could he agree with it.
"You are far too naive, my boy. I have abandoned my family, I have let go of my humanity. I cannot stop here; it is the very meaning of my existence," Hades replied. Immediately, Broly sensed the vast amount of magical energy around them shift, seeping within the old man's body, making his overall presence grow stronger by the second.
"I extend you an offer. The outcome will decide if we can truly end this peacefully as you wished, or take this meeting to a place you would not like. Come with me, join the Grimoire Heart, and share your power with me. If you despise it, then I will take it from you and make it mine. If you want to live a normal life, then I can make that possible for you. If you wish to return to your guild without conflict, I can make that happen with a single word."
Those words were familiar to him, where Irene had asked for something somewhat similar when they were in prison. “Sorry… you are already too late for that.” He sighed, feeling utterly tired. Was this how it would always be? Would this happen again, even if he defeated this person? Of course, it would. He remembered a book Levy had read to him and Lucy, about a hydra with many heads—where, even if you cut one off, two more would instantly emerge, making the cycle grow infinitely.
"You will not win this fight," Broly told the old man firmly. "If you truly know me and saw what I can do, then you know no one here can defeat me."
He had already sensed several presents hidden within the ship. One, in particular, felt familiar—someone who had been observing him the entire time. There were others, scattered around, not yet revealed but definitely watching them. To his surprise, Hades nodded.
"Of course, it was never my intention to have them defeat you in the first place. Their only goal is to prevent Fairy Tail from disturbing us."
Then, all the presents suddenly disappeared from the ship. His eyes widened when he realized what they were trying to do.
"Tch..."
At that very moment, he tried to leave, intending to pursue them before they could do any damage to the city or his friends. But soon, his body nearly came to a standstill as several hundred orbs blocked his path. Disappointment flashed in his eyes as he realized who was behind this magic, floating above him.
"It’s you again."
Ultear showed no signs of smiling, instead letting out a small sigh.
"You should have accepted my offer last time. It would have saved both of us a lot of time, and your friends would be spared a world of pain."
In an instant, the same magic from before was used. The next second, Broly found himself standing in the middle of a large clearing, looking up to see the flying spaceship. But he wasn’t alone—Hades had also been teleported right in front of him.
"Think carefully, young boy. You are still young and have a world of potential before you. Do not be blinded by what you were told in Fairy Tail. For they themselves are not so pure; they hold a terrible truth as well. One that you will inevitably face, and you will regret your current decision if you go through with it."
Rather than reply verbally—knowing it would be a waste of time—Broly raised his arm, a bright Ki sphere forming in the middle of his palm. The time between its creation, condensing it into a singular point, and firing it at Hades was less than a second. The speed didn’t shock the old man, who instead raised a single hand, using several gestures.
"Amaterasu Formula 16."
The space in front of him distorted as his attack reached him. The sphere entered a ripple in space before disappearing completely. This shocked Broly, who had never seen anything like it before.
"Do not underestimate me, boy. I have seen you, I have studied your power, and I know better than to brute-force something like that without any countermeasures."
The old man’s words echoed as Broly wondered what had happened to his attack—it wasn’t canceled out nor overwhelmed. His answer came when he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble, a shockwave occurring in the distance. It was none other than his own key signature.
"You teleported my attack." Clever way to negate his attack he had to admit, but if that was used several times, then he needed to make sure they did not end up getting sent somewhere closer to town.
"I will admit that your powers are beyond anything I have seen. It would be foolish of me to try to overwhelm something like that without preparations on my end." Hades’ voice was steady as he performed another series of hand patterns. "Amaterasu Formula 100."
With a flash, Hades created three Amaterasu Magic seals on each side of Broly and two others—one above him and one below him. The resulting explosion sent a rippling shockwave powerful enough to damage several miles of land, forcing even the ship above to fly further away. As the dust particles settled, the old man hummed, squinting his eyes as he watched.
"Amaterasu Formu—!" Hades barely had time to finish his words when a shadow burst from the dust, closing the distance between them in an instant. Broly forcefully covered the old man’s mouth with a large palm.
"I told you," Broly said, his voice low.
With a single thrust, Broly punched the old man in the gut with enough force to create a shockwave. Blood oozed from Hades’ nose and covered his mouth, which he closed, forcing himself to swallow it back. The Saiyan then threw him onto the ground with enough strength to crumble the earth beneath him before stomping once on the old man’s head. The entire exchange happened so quickly that the dust from the initial attack had barely settled.
"..."
At that moment, he felt no joy at his victory but instead a sense of urgency. He had to go back and make sure his friends were safe and sound. However, as he tried to fly away, a chain burst from the ground and wrapped around his foot, preventing him from leaving. Surprised, Broly looked down.
"He's still conscious?" He said out loud, taken aback by the sound of groaning coming from below and the figure of a man getting back up on his feet.
Even though he had held back, he had made sure to use enough strength that such an attack would have rendered even the Black Dragon or Irene stunned for a good while. Yet, this person before him, who had shown no signs of being as strong as them, somehow managed to survive.
"No, it’s that pulse again."
Broly felt it, the large stream of eternano and Dark power rushing from the ship towards the old man. The power showed no signs of stopping, only growing stronger by the second.
"!?" His eyes widened as he saw Hades walk out of the dust, coughing several mouthfuls of blood and bile. He looked pretty rough but still conscious.
"Hahaha! Just with pure strength alone, you already pushed me this far... I became blinded by that power and neglected your raw strength. That mistake will not happen again. In fact, I shouldn’t have waited this long to use this."
Before Broly’s eyes, the man began to change. The bruises on his body disappeared instantly, and a large coat suddenly appeared around him. With a single gesture, he ripped away the eye patch covering the right side of his face, revealing a crimson eye that glared at him.
"You were ignorant about the essence of magic and what I wanted earlier, boy. Now, I will show you the true meaning of power and how to use it properly—unlike you."
The sheer amount of energy surrounding Hades continued to rise, showing no signs of stopping. It quickly surpassed anyone and everyone in Fairy Tail, including the master, by several magnitudes.
"What are you?" Broly asked, starting to realize that perhaps he didn’t need to hold back so much after all. Slowly, he flew back down, looking at his opponent from above. The waves of Black Magic that surrounded him grew thicker, almost alive with voices creeping into his ears. "Are you really human?"
"Like I told you before, I have long since abandoned my humanity. Now, let us start this fight once again. I will show you the might of the Devil’s heart, a realm that surpasses your very imagination!"
Even while his senses were overwhelmed by the abundant amount of magic around him, he still managed to keep track of some of the Ki signatures of those he was the most familiar with. He was not sure who or how many people were sent into town to cause trouble, but he trusted that his guildmates would be able to handle it.
“—!”
Yet at that very moment, whatever worry he had about Lucy diminished significantly when he sensed a familiar presence emerging out of the blue. So she brought out Aquarius… a smile formed on his face, at least now the girl was going to be safe.
{Break}
On the other side of the world, in the middle of nowhere, where there existed nothing but a small island holding no human life, surrounded by the endless ocean stretching for as far as the eye could see. A place where no human lived, serving as a simple nesting ground for several creatures who at that very moment, sensed something wrong and immediately ran away as a shadow started to form in the middle.
Boom!
The ground shook as a large entity suddenly dropped. A dragon, whose body was large enough to rival that of Acnologia, landed with pure white fur and traits resembling a wolf more than a dragon. Its very horns took the form of that of a crescent moon, but now half of it now missing as if it had been torn off. Its body was covered in wounds and deep gashes as it looked up at the sky above. It had used its powers to inspect the strange disturbance in space it had sensed earlier.
From the depths of the dragon, a shadowy figure tried to step out, making the Moon Dragon God feel a sense of anger and even a bit of fear.
"You shall not step into this realm…" she growled, trying to close the path, using the last remnants of her power. She watched in relief as the tear in the sky closed before the figure could cross into this world.
"Finally..." she breathed, feeling her heart pounding. She had barely managed to survive on the other side. "With a dreadful world… I should not have let my curiosity get the better of me. Monsters, all of them… should have just stayed home and drunk some sake."
She had never seen the power of such magnitude possessed by so many individuals, most of whom grew interested in her presence and gave her a sense of dread making her retreat as soon as possible. They were not gods, they were not dragons… they were not humans as far as she could tell…
Entire worlds are gone within seconds…
Yet even after being so close to death, she looked back up and felt a strange pull to that world and wanted more. A hint of curiosity, a desire to see if she could take something from there and use it to advantage here, harnessing a power that deferred so greatly from what she had seen here.
Forget about Acnologia… not even the combined might of all Dragon Gods would pose a threat to her at any point in the future. Just as she contemplated her next course of action, her ears picked up a slight, bone-chilling sound. Unfortunately, she made no progress in her initial search for that power she felt in the beginning.
Crack!
Selene's head turned upwards, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the noticeable crack that had formed right where the portal had just closed up.
“... Eh?”
A Fake Familiar Reborn Chapter 33: The Gremory Family
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness and Shigiya
2025-04-01 12:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostTo Love a Sword Chapter 34: Strange Girl
Beta read by FabledLife, Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness
Next update is Fake Familiar Reborn
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-Tenjōin Private island-
(A few hours later)
Things at the beach ended more peacefully than Emiya had imagined after the trial. He did not know what conversation occurred between mother and daughter, but for some reason, he could see that Momo was looking at him far more frequently than before. As for Sephie, she continued to enjoy herself around the bonfire—dancing, eating, and swimming—all while still wearing the veil she put back on her face after returning. One that apparently was designed to remain on her face no matter what.
He wondered why she did not have it on from the beginning.
"Are you sure you want to keep that thing, Yami?"
As for his sister and Yami’s group, it seemed the latter had been reading too much of that detective manga, Detective Calvin, lately. She had taken it upon herself to conduct her own investigation during the test, trying to find the main path while wielding a magnifying glass, a monocle, and a detective’s hat.
All of which he had projected for her upon request.
The sight was admittedly adorable, but as long as she was having fun, he saw no harm in indulging her whims. Unfortunately, the girl was not particularly skilled in such matters and ended up getting lost, only emerging an hour after he, Rin, Momo, Sephie, and the others had returned.
Which, unfortunately, put them in last.
His attention was brought to Saki, who got on a wooden stage with several lights focused on her. "All right, guys! The winner of this bravery challenge has been decided! Please come up to the stage—Emiya and Sephie!"
At the end of the event, the prize-giving ceremony commenced, with him and Sephie standing as the first-place winners. In second place is none other than Rito and Rin.
As for the third place, surprisingly, it turned out to be Saruyama, who got paired with another boy from class. The latter did not look happy in the least. The moment he stepped forward, he noticed Saki applying lip gloss while Rin and Ayako worked on her makeup. He could also see a few secret—or perhaps not-so-secret—whispers being exchanged.
"Oh my, another one!" The empress of Deviluke whispered with amusement as she took in the scene before giving him a knowing look. "You truly are a sinful man."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded dryly, only to be met with an amused grin from the woman.
"And that's exactly the issue. Sometimes, not doing anything is the problem. Or perhaps, in your case, it only entices others to act more boldly to catch their prey. But let’s put that aside—I can’t wait to see what kind of award I get! I’ll hang it in the main throne room!"
A bit of an exaggeration, but somehow it made perfect sense for her to do something like that. Looking down at the gathered students, he noticed several boys glaring daggers at him, whispers spreading rapidly through the crowd. Some were questioning Sephie's identity, while others theorized—despite clear explanations—that she was actually Lala’s sister rather than her mother.
"On a side note," he muttered, "if you see a group of boys suddenly holding up a banner that says 'Anti-Emiya Alliance,' just be sure to keep your distance. They'll most likely go violent and try to attack me."
Sephie looked at him and back at the crowd, humming until she snapped her fingers. “Oh, the same group that you fought as a woman? I see now that you even have to deal with usurpers. As expected from a soon-to-be emperor, it's best to get used to such things on a daily basis. Just last week, I had to deal with a former general who tried to organize a mutiny. Good thing I caught him early on and execu—uh, imprisoned him.”
What a scary woman. Also, he preferred to forget about that point in his life.
She pouted upon noticing his wary stare. "What? At least my method is better than having Gid get infuriated and destroy every single planet owned by the general. That’s just a waste of life and resources."
He wanted to say something, but instead chose to keep his silence. "If it worked for you, then who am I to say otherwise? I am no ruler, so such things do not make sense to me."
"Hehehe, don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Lala is too kind-hearted, so make sure to keep her that way even when she's an empress."
"Or stop trying to make me marry your daughter already."
Once again, she answered him with a simple, knowing smile. "All right then, I will not say anything more, but you have to promise me that from now on, you will keep my daughters safe and happy. Do we have a deal?" She extended her pinky finger, looking at him directly in the eyes, her expression oddly serious.
He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? A pinky promise?"
"I heard from Mikan that this is how your world's politicians and officials make agreements. Though I can always revert to how my people seal deals."
The way that Sephie licked her lips told him that it would be better if he didn’t ask and move on. And should make a note on asking Mikado about Deviluke and Charmian customs.
Immediately, he glanced at his sister, only to find her holding her phone up, already taking several pictures of the moment, with Yami in the background holding a spotlight to illuminate his face dramatically. That brat—she was getting more and more versed in these kinds of pranks. But before he could say anything, Saki announced the prize ceremony, her voice carrying through the crowd.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies and gentlemen! Now that we have our winners here, I will first present them with their prizes for winning this challenge!"
With a clap of her hands, several butlers stepped forward, each holding different items. The most noticeable was a human-sized check with enough zeros on it to make a few students in the crowd faint in disbelief… even Haruna almost fainted on the spot.
"We also have a limited-edition Santoku knife forged by a master blacksmith, with only five copies existing in the entire world. Each one bears his signature and is perfect for cooking and handling!"
Another box was presented to him, and inside lay the exquisite knife. He didn't even need to analyze it to know it was of superior quality—the mere act of holding it sent a feeling of comfort through his hands, something he had rarely experienced with other knives. He could already guess it cost a fortune.
"You didn't have to go this far with the prizes, Saki," he said, genuinely impressed.
The blonde huffed, crossing her arms with pride.
"You are underestimating the Tenjoin family! This is merely a consolation prize. The main prize has yet to arrive!"
Another mirror was brought next to her, and she checked her face, dress, and makeup, with Rin and Ayako whispering words of encouragement to her. Their hushed excitement did not escape his ears. ‘She is going to make the Emiya Alliance boys act up again, isn't she…’
He could already predict that this was not going to end well. He resisted the urge to sigh but was still curious about what she was planning.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived! The grand prize, the most sought-after reward on the entire island! The team leader who has won this challenge will receive a kiss from the most beautiful maiden here!"
As soon as she said that, a loud commotion erupted from the crowd. Several boys shouted in protest, “Wait, this wasn't mentioned before!”
“Why didn't you tell us before!?”
“I knew I should have left you rotting in the pond, I could have gotten that reward!”
“I'm your girlfriend, you jackass!”
More wailing about the unfairness of it all, while many girls sobbed dramatically. A few, on the other hand, remained completely silent, their faces turning a deep shade of red.
He could already feel the waves of hostility emanating from the male students as Saki confidently approached him.
While this occurred, Sephie was completely in her own world, pondering about something seriously until she came to a conclusion. "The most beautiful maiden? Oh well, if I have to... I am, after all, the empress, and it is my duty to reward my hardworking son-in-law! Stand still, Emiya!"
Much to everyone's surprise, before the blonde heiress could reach him, the pink-haired empress next to him suddenly grabbed his face, pressing her lips onto his cheek—though it landed a little too close to his mouth.
"M-Mama!?"
He was pretty sure that those were Momo's and Nana's voices.
Around them, chaos immediately ensued. The boys looked like they were ready to riot, the girls' excitement-filled cheers rang out as if they had witnessed a twisted scene from a soap opera, and Saki stood frozen, her outstretched hand trembling slightly, robbed of her own prize. Meanwhile, Sephie simply smiled, her gaze filled with amusement as she pulled away, her expression utterly serene.
The empress of Deviluke chuckled, tilting her head slightly. "Ah, sorry, got a bit of lipstick on you. Did I surprise you? Well, I did say I wanted to give a reward fitting of the moment. Besides... You can see this as us sealing the deal with protecting my daughters using charming ways."
As she spoke, her teasing tone only fanned the flames of chaos. And amidst it all, Emiya could only sigh, already anticipating the headache this was going to bring him later.
"Just like those fairy tales about a princess rewarding her knight," she whispered near his ear, her warm breath sending an involuntary shiver down his spine, "consider this a blessing from your future mother-in-law." The previous playful peck she planted on his cheek left him frozen in place, his eyes wide with shock, mirroring the stunned silence that had fallen over the entire crowd. The auditorium was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"No fair, Mama!" Lala's high-pitched protest shattered the tense atmosphere as the pink-haired princess vaulted onto the stage with surprising agility, her normally cheerful face twisted into an adorable pout. "Saki-chan obviously meant me!" Before anyone could react, she launched herself forward with all the grace of a lovesick missile, her small hands gripping his collar as she pressed her lips firmly against his in front of the entire gaping audience. The resulting uproar made the previous chaos seem tame by comparison.
"LALA SATALIN DEVILUKE!" The blonde heiress's roar shook the room, her face flushed crimson with outrage as she pointed an accusatory finger. "THIS BEHAVIOR IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!" Her fury was echoed by dozens of voices from the crowd, their angry shouts rising in volume as familiar banners emblazoned with the “Anti-Emiya Alliance” crest began waving aggressively near the front rows.
"Not this again..." he groaned, planting a firm hand on Lala's face to prevent another kiss as she leaned in for a second attempt. The princess squirmed against his palm, her emerald green eyes sparkling with mischief rather than remorse.
Despite hundreds of shocked witnesses, she showed no trace of embarrassment — if anything, she seemed energized by the scandalized gasps surrounding them. "This is so fun!" she chirped, bouncing on her toes. "Are we going to play another war battle game? I call dibs on being general!"
He shot a withering glare at the smirking woman who had started this mess. "This," he hissed through clenched teeth, "is entirely your fault."
She just tilted her head with an innocent expression. “Is it? I don't think I did anything wrong~!”
He did not believe that for a second.
Nevertheless, he needed to control these idiots first. "Yami! Help me control this crowd!" The golden-haired girl, who was hanging out near Mikan, nodded, pulling up the monocle with deliberate slowness. "You will address me as Holmes," she intoned calmly, getting a nod of approval from his sister.
"This is not the time for your schtick!"
Safe to say, the night did not end peacefully, with another battle ensuing, but this time not nearly as chaotic as before, given they were only students from his year and those above. With Rin and Yami around to aid him, they barely lasted five minutes before all of them were defeated.
.
.
.
(The next day)
"It’s time for me to go back," Sephie whispered early on in the morning at the edge of the beach, looking up to see a spaceship head their way.
On the second day after the chaotic events of the previous night, Emiya, the princesses, his siblings, and even Mikado had gathered in a more private area of the island, away from the eyes of others. They were here to see Sephie off as she prepared to return to her homeworld and say her farewells. The woman looked upwards as a ship descended, landing near the water. The hatch opened, and Zastin stepped out, followed by several of his henchmen, all of whom knelt and greeted their empress.
"We hope you had a wonderful time on Earth, Sephie-sama. The emperor is eagerly awaiting your return."
"Oh, Gid, I reckon it's mostly because he’s getting tired of dealing with paperwork and got bored. But yes, I had a wonderful time here and hope to return in the near future," she replied while massaging her temples. The woman then stepped forward and hugged her daughters, kissing each of them on the forehead. Nana was the only one crying, struggling to say goodbye to her mother. Momo and Lala shared similar emotions, but their sadness was not to the point of having tears streaming down their faces.
"Will all three of you stay safe while you’re here? Look after each other and try not to cause too much trouble for everyone. I know it’s easy to get lost in the fun atmosphere here but remember, you are also princesses of Planet Deviluke. You need to maintain your image."
"We will!" they replied in unison.
A few more words were exchanged between the groups before Sephie turned her attention to Mikado.
"I had a lot of fun here; it's rare to find someone who can keep me company like you, dear. Please visit Planet Deviluke one day. I’ll be sure to accommodate you like an empress."
Mikado chuckled, grabbing her newly made friend's hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. "What an honor. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Hopefully, in the near future."
Both women shared a laugh and embraced each other. Mia could tell that, despite having spent only a few days together, they had formed a strong bond. As an empress, it seemed that Sephie didn’t have the luxury of forming such connections with others often. Finally, she turned to Emiya and his siblings, giving them a graceful bow, along with Mikan and Rito.
"All three of you have no idea how grateful I am for keeping my daughters safe in your home and treating them like family. They may be gifted in their own ways, but they are still very young and naïve about the ways of the galaxy. It’s easy for someone to take advantage of them, and I was afraid that might happen when they came to Earth. But now, I can go back completely relieved, knowing they are in safe hands. It’s a shame I couldn’t meet your parents and thank them properly."
"You don’t need to worry. Both Ringo and Saibai are aware of Lala’s presence and that of her sisters. They are completely fine with them staying over," Emiya reassured her, still not entirely accustomed to how laid-back Ringo and Saibai were with their children having strangers staying in their home. "When you go back, try to convince your husband to let go of this whole wedding thing."
"I don’t know," Sephie responded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Even I’m starting to be swayed by Lala’s choice for a fiancé, and I’m beginning to believe that perhaps this is for the best. But sure, as a favor for the warm welcome I received and for having such a wonderful time here, I’ll see what I can do."
Then, she walked over and gently grabbed Celine, who was, as usual, attached to Emiya’s head. Even Mikan had jokingly mentioned that Celine had become his permanent accessory, and a few students had started calling him "flower boy" as a result.
"Ma-u!" Celine exclaimed happily as Sephie hugged her, rubbing her face affectionately against the young girl.
"Grandma has to leave for now, but I’ll be sure to keep in touch and talk to you regularly. Don’t forget about me, okay?"
"Mau!" Celine exclaimed as if understanding the woman. She nodded before jumping out of her embrace and climbing onto Emiya’s shirt, making her way back to his head, crawling upwards like a koala before making herself comfortable in his hair. Her actions amused a few people around him, not that the redhead minded her actions.
Except when she started to munch on his hair.
"All right then, I’ll be off. Take care, everybody!" Sephie waved at them before stepping back into the shuttle. The hatch closed, and the aircraft soon lifted off, ascending into the sky until it disappeared over the horizon.
Emiya couldn’t help but reflect on Sephie. She wasn’t quite what he’d expected, yet somehow, she was exactly like her daughters—just all three of them crammed into one person. The chaotic, the naïve, the childlike, and even the logical. Despite some of her actions causing him a bit of trouble, it was clear she meant no harm and was just messing with him to some degree.
Hard to believe that Gid forced Lala into marrying someone with her around; she did not seem to be the kind to allow such things and holding her husband by a leash. How short or long it was depended on her. Then again, he knew nothing of the full story of that man's decision.
"I suppose it makes sense for her not to be completely normal with a husband like Gid," he muttered, shaking his head as the group returned to the main area where Saki and the others were boarding the boats to head back to the mainland.
As he got on the boat, he noticed Saki sulking near the rail of the boat at the edge, away from her usual group, with Rin and Ayako nowhere in sight. Strange to say the least, she was usually one to be cheerful around people.
"Not happy with the outcome?" he asked, leaning against the rails. The girl looked at him, almost caught off guard by his presence.
"Ah, Emiya?"
"You look kind of down. Even though you're the one who organized this, I must say that things went rather well for you to be this down and upset. Everyone had fun, even the ones that had caused trouble last night." He glanced at the others, many of them sharing pictures and talking about what had happened on the island, laughing and smiling together. No one seemed particularly sad or upset about anything. Overall, it was clear everyone had a great time.
"But of course, it is my duty to make sure that a family like the Tenjōin’s do not disappoint their guests." A bit of pride appeared on Saki's face, but it was quickly replaced by disappointment. "But unfortunately, I was not able to accomplish what I set out to do."
"Is that so? Honestly, I beg to differ, but if you personally believe so, then there's nothing I can say," Emiya said with a shrug, standing next to her for a few more minutes, watching as the island grew smaller in the distance until it was just a dot on the horizon. Saki remained silent until she finally broke the silence with a single question.
"Um… hey… E-Emiya, do you… do you perhaps think I am a troublesome person by chance?" she asked, her tone uncertain, even afraid as she asked that question.
Emiya was a bit confused by what she meant and waited for her to elaborate. "Do you think that being around me is a waste of time or that I’m not worth the time to keep company with?"
The question was a bit sensitive, to say the least, but looking at her face, he could tell she was completely serious.
"Not particularly," he answered honestly. "I do think you tend to be a bit extreme and out of pocket with some of your actions, but I don’t find you personally to be troublesome or a pain in the ass. I only reserve such an evaluation for a very few types of people. You are nowhere near close to reaching that level in my eyes."
"Is that so?”
She did not seem convinced by his words.
“Then why does it feel like every time I try to get close to you, either you push me back or something else just gets in between?" Saki’s voice wavered slightly. "I’ve tried so hard for the last few years, and it doesn’t feel like I’ve made any progress. Even Rin seems to be closer to you than me, and I don’t know if I should be jealous or happy for her."
"I believe there is some kind of misunderstanding," Emiya said before she went any further and tried to ease her mind. "The relationship between Rin and I is in no way romantic, as far as I can tell. She sees me more as a rival, and that’s about it. I know her, and her main goal is to bring me closer to you than anything else. She wouldn’t try to jeopardize anything for you or make our lives harder."
Rin was loyal to an extreme degree to Saki, almost like a samurai who would fight for her to the death. It made sense when he recalled that she came from a family descended from a line of samurai who had served the Tenjoin for decades if not centuries.
"So?" Saki asked, her expression still troubled. "It doesn’t matter. In the end, from the beginning of the year until now, I haven’t made any progress with you. Even the last time when I tried to call you over for tea, it ended in disaster. And this time, nothing has changed."
His face scrunched up a bit, feeling a bit guilty since it was not her fault that things went awry. She couldn't have known about Celine and her pollen’s effect on them.
"Perhaps rather than trying so hard, why don't we just start simple? I think I already told you this, but you tend to take things a bit too far and hope for spectacular results. Instead, just be normal, be yourself, and talk to me when we're in school. I never pushed you away or refused to talk to you before. You're the one who's not coming over to talk to me."
Her face went a bit red as she turned her head away, refusing to look him in the eyes.
"It's because I tried, it's because, well... it's hard to talk to you."
"Because you're shy?" he said with a grin on his face, poking her forehead teasingly. "Would you look at that? The confident heiress, who is so proud of her heritage and so loud most of the day, is too shy to talk to a random boy at school. What will the others think about it?"
"It's more complicated than that!" she exclaimed, pouting and gently hitting his shoulders in return. "You are no maiden, it’s hard for you to understand how difficult it can be for someone like me to approach someone like you! Let alone start a conversation!"
"Trust me, I know," Emiya said, starting to look toward two people in particular. Following his line of sight, Saki found herself looking at Rito, who was sending glances at Haruna every so often but not going over to talk to her. He was struggling to even approach her and hesitating.
"I see that almost every day. It’s no secret that he has a crush on her, yet he struggles so much to get near her before stammering or stuttering, doing something foolish, and ending up with his hand in her clothes before getting punched in the face. He has done so many times that I have lost count. You’d expect someone like him to at least learn from his mistakes with time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Haruna herself doesn’t hate him. She is more than happy to have a conversation with him, yet Rito still seems to have trouble understanding that. In a way, I want to think you too are very similar in that way."
"Nonsense! I am not a pervert."
"Debatable," he said dryly, getting a shocked and angry glare from the blonde, which he ignored. "At the end of the day, the solution to both of your problems is very simple: try to push back against your fears, be a bit bolder, and just talk. Forget who I am for a second and just treat me as another student in school; then, you’ll see how easy it is to have a simple conversation."
"I never had a conversation with a boy at school."
He gave her a side-eye look. "There’s a first time for everything. Guess I’ll be your coach in that regard. So stop hesitating and just do it. Maybe when we can communicate with one another like normal people, we can start truly pursuing our goals. However, there’s a highlight: I won’t reciprocate your feelings. I am not looking for a relationship right now."
Saki was visibly taken aback by his response at first, but rather than being depressed or saddened by his words, she instead showed a smile.
"Haha, you are a bit weird at times, Emiya."
"You don’t say." He answered back with a monotone voice and a hint of sarcasm.
"I'm being serious! Most of the time, it's hard to get a read on you. You act like you don't care, that you aren't affected by most things around you, but still, you come here to motivate the very person who has caused you a lot of trouble in the past while also telling her that you won't reciprocate her feelings. Isn't it a little bit contradictory? Wouldn't it be easier for you to just ignore me and hope for things to smooth out with time?"
He gave her words a bit of thought. She was not wrong. He could do so—ignore Saki and hope that she would just move on and go for someone else. If he kept ignoring her, then she would get the hint and finally get over her one-sided crush.
"First, would you have truly given up if I just ignored you? After I saved you from the car accident, you would not stop hounding me.”
He got no answer to that other than silence.
“Secondly, well… I guess I'm just trying to be a bit more different than I used to be," he answered, the response being different from what she expected to hear.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know how to explain it. A long time ago I heard from a fool that it's not wrong to help someone. I have nothing to lose by doing so, and in the long run, I prefer to avoid any more regrets than I already have. I'm not lazy; I can afford to put in a bit more effort in such things rather than staying quiet the entire time. Plus, my siblings would not approve of such a method. I am their role model, and it's best I show them I set a good example for them. That's my priority right now. More important than you. You're not just some random stranger I can ignore. Despite what you may think, you are still someone who is a very active presence in my life."
Her eyes widened at the last point. That was the best way he could formulate the phrase, though awkward and cheesy—something that would make Rin and Veto laugh. But it was the best way to convey his meaning to the young girl without causing any misunderstanding.
"Rin was right. You are very soft on the inside."
"What did she say?"
The next moment, his words were caught in his throat when he felt the soft sensation of her lips on his cheek. Taken aback by her actions, he looked at the blushing girl, whose gaze grew hazy and unfocused as she had a much harder time keeping her emotions stable.
"T-That—that was the prize I promised yesterday! I am the main heiress of the Tenjoin Clan! It is my obligation to keep my word no matter what!" she said before heading back with quickened steps, going beneath the boat to her room, most likely leaving him all by himself at the edge of the boat. Emiya wasn't sure what to think about that. Was she still going to try even though he said he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings? What an odd girl. She would just end up hurting herself in the end.
"Jiiiiiiiii~!"
Unfortunately for him, someone else must have been eavesdropping on their conversation the entire time. Looking back, he found Momo glaring at him from the corner, her eyes fully focused on him. Was she still angry about the kiss from Sephie? Perhaps. He just ignored her and went back to viewing the ocean waves and clouds above, enjoying the moment of peace until they reached the main port of Sainan.
{Break}
(A few days later)
After that event, life went on and returned to a rather normal pace. Every day life seemed to settle back into a state of normality that Emiya hadn’t experienced for a long while. No alien invasions, no emperor wandering around town with the ability to destroy the entire world, no fiancée candidates here to challenge him, and no assassins after his throat—or his friends who were actually aliens in disguise. Now, he found himself back on the rooftop of the school, eating his lunch with a familiar leech stealing his food every so often.
"Holy shit, you actually got a kiss from Lala's mother, the freaking empress, and I wasn't there to see it!?"
He had company, with Risa having recovered from her fever and looking better, now more nosy than ever.
"It wasn't much of a sight; she just gave me a bit of a peck on the cheek, but that's about it. I don't see why you're reacting like this," he said to the brunette sleeping on his lap. Every so often, she would open her mouth, prompting him to pick up a piece of food from his bento box and feed it to her like he was some sort of servant. "You know, I won't be your butler forever. You can only use the excuse of your illness for so long."
Risa grinned, not budging from her spot at all and making herself even more comfortable while stretching like a cat. "Uuuuuh, what a tragic week it has been for me. Forced to stay in my bed with no one to look after me, barely able to feed myself with the fridge completely empty, and barely able to survive all by myself with no one by my side—AH!" She let out a dramatic sigh, but her antics were cut short when she received a swift chop to the head, with Emilia giving her a disappointed head shake.
"Maybe the fever gave you a minor case of amnesia because I'm pretty sure someone was regularly visiting you and making sure you were fed and cleaned. Two people, in fact. Perhaps you want me to show you some of the pictures of you being too lazy to go to the bath and having someone else clean you like a—"
Whatever he was about to say was halted when Risa pushed her hands against his mouth.
"Alright, alright, alright, I admit defeat. I was just joking. Can't you hear the sarcasm in my tone?"
"No.”
"Tch," the brunette muttered as he brought another piece of pork cutlet to her mouth, which she ate immediately, her face lighting up with a giant smile. "Wait, don't think you'll be able to make me forget about the conversation just by feeding me food!" she teased, still munching away.
"I wasn't trying to do so," he replied flatly.
"But yeah, how did it feel to receive a kiss from a woman who's apparently so beautiful that it makes people around her go crazy just by seeing her face?"
"Like I said, it wasn't a big deal—just a simple kiss on the cheek. Also, it’s not that she’s so beautiful it makes people go insane; it’s just her pheromones. She can’t control it, and that’s what drives people wild. She looks very similar to Lala, but a bit more mature physically." Sephie had her charm, but he doubted it put her at the very top so easily.
"Are you telling me that Lala is the most beautiful girl you’ve ever met?"
Emiya didn’t answer immediately. Faces from his past life, and even a few Heroic Spirits, crossed his mind — some holding the title of Goddess. Yet, he didn’t need to look far; even here, someone like Mikado could be considered conventionally just as beautiful—if not more—than Sephie, depending on someone’s taste. "The world is vast. It shouldn’t be a surprise that out there, people may exist who are more beautiful than Lala." That was all he said, not hinting at anything further nor willing to elaborate.
"Am I one of those people?"
"No."
"Aww…" Risa let out a disappointed sound, sulking slightly, which made him roll his eyes before feeding her another piece of his food. She smiled again like a puppy easily swayed by food.
"This isn’t a competition to see who’s the most beautiful, you know?"
"Yeah, but it would still give me a big confidence boost to hear you say I’m as beautiful, if not more beautiful than Lala."
"I can tell you that, but it would be a lie."
"Come on, at least try to pretend like you care."
Their conversation continued, with Emiya telling her about other events from the vacation at the beach. Risa happily listened, showing varying reactions to each part. It was clear that being sick and unable to attend had really bummed her out. She tried not to show it, but Emiya could see through it.
Once the bento box was emptied, Risa stretched like a satisfied cat after the last bite, her uniform straining over her full stomach as she purred, "Mmm, you've stuffed me so thoroughly with essences... I can feel your love pulsing inside me with every breath, flooding my very being." Her fingers crept up her trembling thigh, skirt riding higher, showing off smooth skin, as she bit her lip. "Though... if you wanted to force one more bite past my limits... watch me take it all... I wouldn't stop you even if I begged for mercy." The wet click of her tongue cleaned imaginary leftovers.
He rolled his eyes at her obvious attempt to get a rise out of him with her choice of words. Seeing his lack of reaction, she just huffed and let go of the matter.
"Next time I fall sick, you better take me with you—even if you have to attach me to your back. I missed too much, and I feel extremely left out."
This girl… "Focus on your recovery. You would’ve been sleeping inside the manor even if we brought you along. Now get off me, time’s up."
"Five more minutes."
"I already gave you five minutes before. Now get up before I push you off myself."
With a lazy sigh, Risa forced herself to sit up and gave him room to get up as well. She followed him downstairs, her hands behind her head as she whistled a tune.
"Oh wow, I almost forgot—it’s almost Christmas. Do you have any plans?"
"Not particularly," Emiya admitted. "I guess I’ll just be spending time at home, cooking some new dishes and pastries with Mikan. Why?"
With her arms crossed, she gave him a knowing look. "You know, during such events, high school students usually tend to go on dates with their crushes."
Emiya paused, realizing he had almost forgotten that Christmas was considered a romantic season. He remembered shopping with Rito, encountering plenty of couples on the streets buying chocolates and other gifts for one another. "Are you asking me on a date?"
Risa froze, her gaze shifting as she muttered under her breath, "I know better than to do that, knowing you wouldn’t even agree to go out with me. If someone like Yui or Saki can’t do it, then what chance do I have?"
He chuckled at her answer. "You don’t have to say it like that. By the way, you're invited to my place for Christmas. I’m sure Lala will be happy to see you there.”
"Eh, really?" Risa was caught off guard by his words, glancing at him to check whether or not he was serious. "You aren't just messing with me, are you?"
"Now, why would I do that? I'm being completely serious here," Emiya responded with a calm smile.
She narrowed her eyes. "And what would be the reason for such a nice gesture on your part, Emiya? Am I getting kidnapped?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Not everything I do has to have a secret meaning or intention behind it. It's just an invitation to my home so you can have a good time and enjoy Christmas. What could I possibly plan with that?"
Truthfully, there was some hidden meaning behind his offer. After learning about Risa's situation with her parents from Mio and other sources, he knew she would likely be alone during Christmas. Her parents, always busy with work like his own, hardly had the time to spend time with their only daughter. Ringo and Saibai, on the other hand, would stop by for a day or two — though he would drag them home if they failed to do so… Risa did not have that luxury. The girl was always positive and cheerful, despite her home life, so inviting her to spend Christmas with him seemed like a good idea—and it wouldn't cost him anything. He truly believed that Lala would be happy to have her join them, too.
"... Thanks," Risa said, her voice soft but sincere. “Don't chicken out on the offer at the last second… I mean it… I'll burst through your door for sure.”
Emiya smiled, “Make sure to at least bring something to eat or drink if you're going to make such an entrance.” He was glad to see that she had accepted his offer. As they walked down the hallway together, they heard a commotion coming from the front of the class. He was surprised to see Yui being pestered by Saruyama, who was shouting loudly for everyone to hear.
"Please! Please, just ask him! I'll give you anything! I'll even pay you money! It's just a simple request, and I'll be indebted to you forever!"
"Tell him yourself! And for the last time, why are you coming to me for this!? It's weird if I were to ask him such a thing!" Yui exclaimed, her face flushed with embarrassment from all the attention she was receiving. "Let go of my foot, you weirdo!"
"Not until you talk to him! He'll be more easily convinced if a hot, busty chick talks to him instead of a boy!" Saruyama refused to budge, even after Yui kicked him several times. Despite the black-and-blue bruises covering his face, he clung on, undeterred. The Counter Guardian felt an eerie chill as the boy suddenly turned his head toward him with a look of pure joy. Goosebumps crawled over his spine at that moment.
"He's here! Right over there!" Saruyama shouted, pointing at him excitedly. "Please, go talk to him, Kotegawa! I'll be forever grateful to you, and you’ll have my most devoted followership! I'll lick your shoes clean!"
"Ew! Ew! Ew! Get away from me! I don’t need a follower, you pervert!" Yui shot back, visibly starting to consider murdering the boy.
"I’ll stop participating in the Anti-Emiya Alliance!" Saruyama's words immediately made Yui falter as she was about to go for a kick to his neck. The offer sounded too good to refuse, considering that the club often created chaos that she despised dealing with.
"Are you serious?"
"I swear on my mother’s grave!"
"Your mother is still alive!"
"...Oh… I swear on my dignity as a man!"
Yui scoffed. "Do you even have any in the first place?" She watched him stand there, mouth agape, hurt by her words. Emiya chuckled; it seemed the girl was getting better with her comebacks.
"Fine, fine," Yui sighed, "but if you don’t get the answer you want, don’t come crying to me. Got it?"
Saruyama crossed his heart, a gesture of promise. "Cross my heart."
With another sigh, she shot the redhead a sorry glance before walking over to him, Saruyama trailing eagerly behind. Risa gave a Cheshire cat grin, fully prepared to capture the entire scene on her phone. "This is going to be good. I’m standing back to film the whole thing." Even Rito and Lala were watching the commotion with curious expressions.
"Emiya…" Yui called out his name hesitantly. "You see, Saruyama has something he wanted me to ask you."
"Me? I’m curious," he responded, leaning in slightly and wondering what the boy would want so much to have caused this much of a scene.
The Head of the Disciplinary Committee scratched the back of her head, growing more uncomfortable by the second. Saruyama tugged at her sleeve lightly, urging her to hurry up, so she took a deep breath and spoke. "Alright! Saruyama asked me if you can get in touch with some relative of yours he saw recently, so he can go on a date with her for Christmas!"
“...”
The entire hallway went silent as soon as Yui finished asking her question, and several gazes immediately focused on them, especially the boys who had initially shown interest in the girl who had appeared during the parade event and laid waste to everyone. It was a time he refused to talk with anyone, and who would have thought it would come back to haunt him in this way?
"Please, aniki! I have changed!" Saruyama's voice broke through the stillness as he desperately pleaded. "I am no longer the Saruyama you knew in the past! I’ve prayed at a local shrine for days and achieved enlightenment! You will find no other suitable man in all of Sainan than myself, and I swear I’ll become the best brother-in-law in the—eh, where are you going?"
The weather outside was clear, the sun shining brightly without a cloud in the sky, making it the perfect opportunity for a walk. Emiya, feeling particularly unmotivated by the school day, remembered that his next class was canceled due to the teacher being sick. With that, he thought about skipping the rest of the day. It would be easy to leave without anyone noticing; after all, the principal would likely mark him as absent.
"Wait! What about what I said?" Saruyama's voice interrupted his thoughts, being persistent with his attempts. "At least show her my picture! Maybe she’ll be interested!" The boy rushed up to him, pulling several photos from his pockets and thrusting them into Emiya’s face. Each photo was a different pose of the boy: one with a rose in his mouth, another in a full suit, and a few more where he was lying on a bed, trying to strike a seductive pose while staring at the camera.
Emiya resisted the urge to burn these into ashes. He had to ignore it.
"I even went to one of Sainan’s most expensive hairdressers to style myself properly! And I managed to book a spot at one of the most luxurious restaurants. You can see it for yourself, it’s called the Golden Goose, one of the best places to go out as a couple. I assure you, your cousin will have the best day of her life!" Saruyama continued his excitement mounting.
“I don't have a cousin. Also, I don't know what you're talking about, so let it go.”
“I refuse! My heart was stolen by the beautiful maiden that day, and I won't forget her! I can't!”
As Emiya considered this, he realized he hadn’t visited the park in quite a while. It was one of his favorite spots to sit, relax, and watch the clouds. A peaceful place to clear his mind, especially with all the stressful things that had been piling up lately. Maybe that was where he needed to go right now, as a migraine started to creep into his head.
Meanwhile, Risa, of all people, was doing nothing to help. She was laughing her ass off and filming the entire interaction, clearly enjoying every moment of it.
Rito acted clueless about the whole thing while Lala was searching for something in her pockets, retrieving her D-Dial and scrolling through its content.
“...”
Wait… she was what?
‘She wouldn't… no, I can't take the risk.’
His footsteps hastened, this time trying to get away from the Princess rather than Saruyama. Fearing the former would take out a gender-changing gun or something along those lines!
"Aniki! Please, give me a chance, Nii-san!" Saruyama continued, desperation filling his voice. "I promise I’ll stay loyal! Like a priceless gem, I’ll even get top spots amongst the students just to prove my determination to gain your appro—"
Whatever he was about to say was cut short when a footprint appeared on his face, sending him flying backward. His body hit the floor, and the entire hallway watched in stunned silence, their mouths wide open.
"I've told you before," Emiya said, his expression serious as he stood over Saruyama, "I have no idea what you're talking about, and I’d prefer if you dropped this matter forever."
With that, he quickly walked away from the school, but his peace was short-lived. As he neared the exit, he heard Saruyama’s voice screaming from the upper floors of the building.
Having miraculously recovered from that previous attack.
"It’s okay! I understand why, as a cousin or brother, you must be so protective of her! I’ll prove myself worthy in your eyes and win her heart over, aniki!"
Great, another Ren.
The urge to shoot Caladbolg out of sheer frustration had never been greater.
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(Half an hour later)
"Ha, this is much better," Emiya thought as he made his way to the park. The walk took about half an hour, and he took his time, enjoying the solitude. "The place hasn't changed much," he mused, glancing around. The memories of his battles with Zastin’s henchmen and his conflicts with Gid and Solgam still lingered, but they seemed far away now. The destruction that once marred this peaceful park had been repaired so perfectly that it was hard to believe anything had ever happened in the first place.
He guessed it was either Zastin doing or some other hidden entity ensuring that the alien battles stayed out of the public eye. With a sigh, he settled onto a bench and closed his eyes, letting the gentle breeze cool his face and the chirping of birds relax his mind. For once, he could forget about school and the frustration that weighed on him.
At that moment, he could truly forget about everything.
And then, suddenly, he heard shouting.
"—You won’t get away from this, General Mojack! Give back Ikemen-senpai’s hair and those of everyone you’ve changed!"
"Hahaha! You’re too late, Magical Girl Kyouko! With the Infinite Crystal in my hand, I have enough power to turn everyone in this city into afro-haired people! Nothing will stop me— not even you!"
"No!" came the defiant shout. "I won’t let you succeed! The fate of the world rests on my shoulders! Magical Kyouko will never lose as long as there is hope!"
Emiya blinked in confusion. "Eh?"
His curiosity piqued, Emiya cracked open one eye, only to find a bizarre scene unfolding right behind him. There was a man in a blue cape and a tight gray costume, holding a strange staff with a crystal on top, standing opposite a young lady with an unusual getup.
Magical Girl… Kyouko?
"Wait, what?" Emiya muttered to himself. This wasn’t real. He could have sworn he had heard this dialogue a dozen times when Lala and his sister would watch their favorite magical girl show on TV. The conversation felt so out of place, yet so familiar, and there they were, a full-on film crew surrounding the action. How had he not noticed them a minute ago? And what the hell was going on?
He turned his head slowly, dread filling his chest. The scene before him was too surreal. He had somehow stumbled into a film set. And he hadn’t seen any warning signs about filming in progress.
"Just... why?" Emiya sighed under his breath, already knowing that no good answer would come.
Trying to stay unnoticed, he stood up from the bench, hands in his pockets, hoping to sneak away without drawing attention. He had no intention of getting involved, not in this mess. Just a few steps into his escape, the bald man with the staff screamed once more.
"You are too late! Witness the power of the Infinite Crystal as I turn everyone into afro-haired models!"
Without warning, smoke pellets exploded at his feet, filling the air with a dense fog. Emiya coughed, squinting through the haze, only to hear hurried footsteps approaching. A member of the crew appeared, holding an afro wig in his hand, and he ran up to Emiya without missing a beat.
"Oy, extra! You should be walking in the other direction! We told you to wear casual outfits, not a uniform, dammit! Never mind—just wear this wig and follow the part. I don’t want the director firing me over your mistakes!"
"What? I’m not part of this—"
Before he could protest, the crew member slapped the wig onto his head and rushed off, leaving him standing there, stunned, with an afro wig awkwardly perched atop his hair. The smoke started to clear, and he found himself frozen in place, the weight of the wig a painful reminder that he was now part of a ridiculous situation he never asked for.
"Ha, hahaha!" the bald man cackled, examining his handiwork. "Look at that! My power can even turn an unassuming old man. Eh? Um, ah, I mean, a-a student into a widely sought-after afro-haired man! Next, I shall aim for the school!" The actor shouted, most likely having expected someone else to appear rather than him. Yet, he did not break character and continued the scene with a slightly modified script.
“...”
“Hmm? Magical Kyouko? I said, Next, I shall aim for the school! Hahahahaha!” The actor repeated his line after not getting a response from the girl. Unfortunately, the same thing occurred again, and Kyouko just stood there in complete silence.
“What is going on? Why isn't she saying her lines?” A few of the crew members asked out loud, one even holding up a large panel with the girl's dialogue. She did not read them, nor did she even notice the noise around her. Emiya found Kyouko staring at him with widened eyes and a finger slowly pointing at him.
“It’s you again… the chef guy.”
She forgot his name… again.”
…
“Sorry about the confusion back there. The director is usually the one to check if the area is well contained with plenty of signs, but he got lazy today.”
Back on the bench, now no longer wearing the ridiculous afro hairstyle, both Emiya, and Kyouko sat together while the film crew ran all over the place to reshoot the scene and find the missing extra actor who should have been present there earlier.
“It's fine; mistakes happen. I'm just surprised about how I didn’t notice any of you early on.” He said, not taking what happened before to heart. “You look like you're doing well for yourself, a big difference from the last time I saw you.”
She laughed awkwardly. “Well, we were in a game that time, and I was still trying to figure out how to play. Also, it's not my fault that the Princess went rogue.”
It was a crazy moment, to say the least. Even what happened at the end, after Lala deleted the world, remained stuck in his mind, and he felt uncomfortable trying to understand why he saw that version of himself there and what that installed of the kind of contraption that girl was able to unknowingly create meant.
“Just what happened back there when we all stormed the castle? I remembered everyone attacking the gods, and then boom, everything turned white, and the headset brought me back to the real world with the game overwritten on the screen. Even when I tried to log back in, it wouldn't work.”
“You wanted to go back?” He said, having believed that she would have grown weary of such a thing. “After all that happened?”
The Flamian nodded enthusiastically. “The game wasn't bad, quite the opposite. I had fun in the beginning, and at the end, I wouldn't mind doing it again.”
He couldn't say the same for himself.
“You will have to ask either Lala or Momo for the details. In the meantime, shouldn't you be at school right now? I just left because our teacher is absent, and the principal wouldn't even bother with my absence.”
The girl pointed at a middle-aged man in the distance, sitting on the director's chair. “He is a good friend of my school's principal. Whenever we are having an important shoot, I can skip classes and catch up later.”
“Very convenient.”
“Yep! And it's also quite fun!” Kyouko snapped her fingers as an idea came to mind. “Wait, since we haven't found the other actor yet. Why don't you just play the character instead? We can end the shoot early and get back home before sunset!”
Had he been drinking something, he would have choked at that moment. “Me? Acting? You can't be serious.”
She did not back down; quite the opposite, in fact.
“You can do it! It's an easy role. Normally it should have been Ikemen filming, but he got sick and couldn't perform, which is why we replaced his role with an old man. But it doesn’t fit the script given Ikemen was supposed to fall victim to the afro hair magic, which also mind-controls him to attack Magical Kyouko, and this is what pushes me into a well of despair! But then I remember the promise made in the past and push back against all odds and fight Ikemen till he and General Miojack all lose!”
It was clear to anyone to figure out that this person was quite passionate about the story and the show she was acting in. Without even realizing it, she grew more and more enthusiastic with her storytelling to the point that she even showcased a bit of fire coming out of her palm in the last part.
“Oi, you're doing this in public?” He asked, worriedly looking around but discovering that no one even seemed to care. “Huh?” He had a pretty low opinion of the people in this town, but for them not to even notice such a blatant display of supernatural ability was just ridiculous. Unless he was missing something.
Kyouko waved her hand, “Oh, don't worry about that. Everyone here knows that I'm a Flamian. Many of them are actually aliens like me!”
That… was indeed an interesting revelation. Technology to change one's appearance to resemble a human was not rare, according to Mikado. Seeing how many people would visit her clinic daily made it clear that there was indeed a large population of aliens living in this town in secret. But he never imagined many of them would actually be running such a popular show in the first place.
“No wonder, that's quite nice.”
“Isn't it? So, what do you say? You don't have to play a big role; just pretend like you are having a mental fight going on as the general attempts to take over your mind. Fall down on the ground and limp for a couple of seconds before getting back up and fighting me a bit. Don't worry, I won't use my flames on you, and you will get a prop weapon. It will be fun! If you have any skills with kendo, then we even have a prompt sword for you to use.’
It sounded genuinely like an enticing offer, but he was still hesitant.
“We'll even pay you.”
Kyouko grabbed the piece of paper, writing the amount on it before showing it to him.
“...”
Was she being serious?
‘With that kind of amount, I can make that snow crab dish Rito has been asking about lately and even buy a few kilograms of bluefin tuna Mikan always wanted to taste. And I'll still have some leftovers to buy half a year's worth of cleaning supplies and stock up.’
Ringo and Saibai were not cheap when it came to giving him money to take care of the house and when planning their monthly budget — but even those two did not give him this much. The prize money he got from Saki was saved up for both Mikan and Rito's future studies… a bit of it used to touch up his shed.
A true conundrum…
In the end, the offer was too good to pass up. “Fine, I'll do it.”
“Great choice! I'll let the director know! We should be starting shooting again in half an hour.” She said excitedly, running over to the person in question, who seemed happy at the news.
Emiya already imagined the reaction of Lala and Mikan if they saw him on TV. In the meantime, he went ahead and walked over to a vending machine to buy himself a couple of drinks. He decided to get Kyouko something as well, as he figured she would prefer something sweet.
He pressed the buttons on the vending machine, and with a mechanical clunk, one can dropped into the pickup slot. He reached in to grab it, only to hear another thud—then another. Two additional bottles tumbled out, one of which he definitely hadn’t paid for.
“Oooh! Is that the limited edition Ballmon strawberry ramune!?” A young voice spoke beside him with joy. Turning around, he found an unknown girl with very long braided red hair with a strange looking violet colored hair clip on top standing beside him, gazing at the contents in his hands with interest. “I've been looking for that all over town, but they were emptying every single vending machine I could find! Can't believe you got the last two!”
Ballmon? He was pretty sure that was another show Mikan would watch as a kid. No wonder the cartoon characters on the bottle looked so familiar.
He saw the dark blue-eyed girl’s mouth water at the sight of the drink he held, following them with the slightest move he made like a cat eyeing its food.
Even as he took a step back, she would take one forward.
“... Do you perhaps want one?”
The machine did accidentally give him one more than he needed, so giving it away was better than keeping this around until it turned warm.
“Eh, really!? Yes!” She snatched the bottle as he handed it over. Opened it and emptied the ramune in record time. “Puah! That was the best!”
An odd person, perhaps a bit too cheerful… maybe she was just happy to find that drink. He did not feel anything weird from her or any hostile intent for that matter. “Thanks, I'll pay the favor soon, I promise!” She said while handing him the empty bottle, weirdly enough.
Taking it off her hand, he went ahead and threw it inside a recycling bin. “It's nothing. Though perhaps next time you can just throw it yourself, the trash bin was just here… hm?”
As soon as he turned around, the girl was gone from sight.
“...”
His brows furrowed, he looked around carefully for any signs but once again found nothing to attack him or even observe him. Nothing but the sound of the film crew in the distance, calling for everyone to gather in place to start shooting.
Just who was that girl…
An Archer's Promise Chapter 71: Rush
Beta read by GameCrusher55 and Fluffy Slayer
Next update is To Love a Sword which should be within 24h... Yes, I already finsihed 7k of unedited voice to text words. I don't know how I managed to do it so quickly myself, guess I got too focused on certain scenes lol
For those who want to read the chapter offline or just download it.
┐(´ー｀)┌
https://mega.nz/file/6cd2gYxb#Yb3dpqgzRvVXVNVEG-N_80sHrXTOk3JBHY1ZnYj79pI
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-Levantine Estate-
Claudia sat on the edge of the chair, hands clasped tightly in her lap as she watched her husband in silence. Klaus lay motionless on the bed, his body still weak, but at least alive. He had been moved to a safer room after the collapse of their mansion due to the attack. Closer to the castle, where Claudiacould keep a vigilant watch over both him and any enemies who might try to strike again. The dimly lit chamber flickered with candlelight, and though his chest no longer rose and fell with a steady rhythm, the subtle shift of his eyes—following the movement of the flame—was enough to reassure her. He was still in there. Still fighting.e.
She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. The physician, an elderly man with a calm demeanor, entered the room, carrying a small ledger .
“How is he doing now?” she asked, her voice tender but laced with quiet desperation.
The doctor offered a reassuring nod. “I have rather good news for you, my lady.”
She inhaled sharply, bracing herself for whatever the doctor was about to say. The days had blurred together since she found him gravely wounded, left for dead by those despicable thieves. She watched over him day and night,clinging to the hope that each breath he took meant he was one step closer to recovery.
“Your husband's condition has improved significantly these last few days. His body has shown no signs of fever or infection, in addition, all of his prior wounds have healed — save for a few scars. But those will fade with time. More importantly, we've observed something simply remarkable.”
Her heart pounding, “W-What do you mean?”
“We've seen increased responsiveness in his body. His fingers twitch ever so slightly when we apply pressure, and today, when we tested his reflexes… his entire arm moved.”
News, it was no different than a parched traveller stumbling upon an oasis in the heart of a desert. A glimmer of hope, light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, her world could return to the way it once was.
She had prayed endlessly, sought out every single physician in the kingdom, and even turned to Celestine herself to examine her husband. Now, at long last, all of her efforts were beginning to bear fruits. A rare smile bloomed on her face —one that hadn’t been seen in what felt like ages. The constant weight on her shoulders had nearly broken her, especially after the chaos Beardsley unleashed upon the kingdom — The responsibilities had piled higher with each passing day, with no end in sight..
But with Klaus getting better, she hoped things would return back to the way they were with him by her side as always. “Wait, if he can move his arm, then surely he can speak!”
Rather than offering a clear yes or no, the elderly physician hesitated, his expression clouded by uncertainty. Claudia’s heart lurched, her stomach twisting into knots.
"Is there something I’m not aware of? Can Klaus no longer speak?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "Please, tell me!"
She barely restrained herself from grabbing the man by his robes and shaking an answer out of him. But when he finally spoke, his response was far from what she expected.
"Truthfully, my lady… your husband should already be capable of speech."
Claudia’s breath caught. "Then why—?"
The doctor sighed, shaking his head. "That is what troubles us. Whenever we attempt to communicate with him, he remains silent. We do not know if he is still physically unable to speak… or if he simply refuses to speak."
"What?" The answer left her more confused than before. Klaus, refusing to speak? That couldn’t be right.
A silence settled between them as Claudia mulled over the implications. Then, a realization struck her.
"Oh… he must still be in shock."
How could she blame him? In just a matter of days, his world had been turned upside down—his body left broken, his father lost forever. Even though the relationship between father and son had been strained, she knew Klaus had always sought the man’s approval, respected him despite their differences.
There was another possibility too, one that left a bitter taste in her mouth. After everything he had endured—the kidnapping, the torture—perhaps he found it difficult to trust anyone. Even the very doctors and servants tending to him now.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. "All right then, I’ll handle things from here."
She turned to one of the knights standing at the doorway. "Escort the doctor to Sana down the hall. She will see to his compensation and arrange for his safe return home."
The physician offered a brief nod of gratitude before taking his leave. But Claudia barely noticed—her mind was already fixed on Klaus. Without another moment’s delay, she hurried through the corridors, ignoring the concerned glances of the few servants she passed.
By the time she reached his door, her breath was unsteady. She hesitated, fingers trembling over the handle.
‘What if he truly doesn’t want to speak to me?’
Pushing the thought aside, she turned the knob and entered.
The room was as pristine as ever, the air rich with the scent of flowers she had arranged, their vibrant presence meant to bring him some semblance of peace. Yet the lingering traces of medicine dulled their fragrance, a bitter reminder of his condition.
On the grand royal bed, Klaus lay in silence. His eyes were closed, his expression unreadable. But the moment she shut the door behind her, those same eyes fluttered open—tired, distant, yet unmistakably focused on her.
"Klaus…" she whispered, hesitating, unsure if she should step closer. The uncertainty, the sheer weight of everything left unsaid, pressed heavily upon her chest.
"I spoke with the doctor," she continued softly. "He told me the good news… that you’re showing signs of recovery. Thank the Go-Goddess, I—" Her voice hitched, the overwhelming relief breaking through. "I-I thought… I thought I wouldn’t be able to help you… that I’d lose you completely."
Tears welled in her eyes, slipping down her cheeks. She clutched her trembling hands together.
"You have no idea how much relief I felt hearing that you will move again. Soon, my love. Days, maybe weeks, but you will recover."
She took a slow step forward.
"Our kingdom needs us. There’s so much to do after the passing of your father, and—"
Claudia faltered.
Klaus’s gaze didn’t waver, yet something about the way he looked at her made her throat tighten. She could feel it—the unspoken grief hanging between them, heavy and suffocating.
She swallowed hard, shame creeping up her spine.
"I’m sorry," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I… I wasn’t able to save him.” She did not mention anything about what truly happened, not willing to burden her husband with the truth in his current state.
Pushing aside the growing discomfort, she continued. “He was a renowned general, someone I looked up to like my own father. He… he genuinely felt sadness about your condition. I could tell. He regularly spoke to me about the regrets he had, about how he treated you in the past.”
From the corner of her eyes, she saw his hands clench, gripping onto the bed sheets with surprising force. It was enough to confirm what she had been hoping for— that he had regained enough strength to move, to feel. She could only imagine the grief he must have felt when thinking about Grave's passing. Claudia had to offer him some kind of closure, no matter how small. “We talked a lot, more than we ever had before. He had many plans for you, from what I understand. He was hoping that one day you'd become a worthy successor for the Levantine family head.”
Klaus flinched, she could not tell what emotions were going through his mind at the moment. So she went ahead and sat on the bed next to him. “He tried many ways to cure you. Using every connection he had to find a possible remed—”
The woods came to a stop when she tried to touch his hand, the man just quickly pulled his back.
“…”
Taking a back by his action, she watched as Klaus looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze away, causing her more guilt. “D-Dear…?”
“...”
Not even a whisper, but she refused to give up now and persisted. Wanting to hear his voice just once, Claudia went back to grab his hand only for the latter to pull his back as soon as their skin touched. Almost like a recoil at the mere sensation.
“E… n… enou… Cla… dia.”
At first, his words barely made any sense with how quietly he whispered them, but still… she rejoiced. To finally hear his voice after all this time, a smile couldn’t help but blossom on her face finally seeing him awaken. Yet something in his voice put her on edge.
“You can talk… thank the goddess…!” More tears started to stream down her face, each one a testament to the weight of the emotions she had carried for so long. In a moment of elation, she tried again to approach him and feel the warmth of his touch. But her hand was immediately slapped away.
“No! S-S-Stay away!”
Klaus violently, as if he had seen a monster, pushed himself away from her. His reaction immediately made her heart ache, confused at his reaction, the woman was not sure what to do.
“Dear, is something the matter—”
“I SAID STAY AWAY!”
His scream tore through the room, raw and jagged, making Claudia freeze in place. Shock flashed across her face as she tried to process what was happening.
“You… how could you… I suffered… so much. A prisoner trapped in my own mind…I wasn’t able to do anything, but watch as everything happened around me…”
Claudia flinched not realizing that Klaus had been that aware. She thought back to all the times she had talked about his condition to those around him. “I…didn’t know you were aware during those times! I’m sorry you must have heard some terrible things. I know that the nurses, doctors, and servants have all been speaking about how they feel you wouldn’t recover, but against everything you did. I knew that you had the strength to push through it.”
“Strength…huh… heheheh… hahahaha!”
Taken aback by his change in emotions, Claudia started to question if her husband was still under the influence of some of the medicine or if she missed something. “Dear? Please calm down, now that you have halfway recovered, I will be next to you for every waking moment and make sure you're back on your feet.”
As if he could not hear her, the man continued to speak with his voice sounding more and delirious at the same time.
“What a joke! What a joke! What strength!? I am just a weakling…”
“Tha-that’s not true, Klaus. There are different types of strength and the will you have to survive and endure this proves that even if you're not strong physically, that you possess an inner strength that is unmatched. Besides, your father didn’t think of you as such h—”
“He tortured me.”
Something cold washed over her in that moment, an unsettling feeling that sank deep into her bones. It was as if something chillingly brutal that she had tried to deny was just about to be exposed. A scar that she had hoped to heal, to leave behind as if it had never existed, was now being ripped open by the cold wind of reality.
“You… tortured me… both of you… fucking… h-having his child…”
She could see his emotions getting more and more extreme, tears starting to stream down his face with his unfocused eyes gazing at his own hands.
“Klaus, I don't know what happened but please understand that whatever you must have seen or experienced is nothing but a nightmare. You are safe and sound. I am here! Can't you see me? I have always been by your side. Just look at me, everything will go back to normal.” She did not know why, but the way he looked at her felt completely wrong. What she saw in his gaze wasn’t the love, the devotion, the warmth she had spent so many years cherishing.. Instead, all she found was a terrified man, one who looked at her with fear and disgust.
“Hah…hah”
He was hyperventilating. It was clear he was having a panic attack, he may not even notice his surroundings at this point.
Growing desperate, she tried to reason with him even more.
Claudia was like a fish out of water…her mind having difficulty processing what he had just said, her mind trying to deny everything.
“M-My own survival… ay… een… planned out… h-he said that he would make me unable to… ah!... Unable to m-move… act… stuck… STUCK forever! F-Fully recovered… but stuck!”
Claudia’s heart pounded in her chest as she reached out to him, her hands trembling despite her best efforts to steady herself. The moment her fingers touched his frail form, she felt a shudder run through his body, an almost instinctual recoil. His eyes, those eyes that once held so much love for her, so much warmth—were now filled with disgust, fear, and confusion. They were the eyes of a man who had forgotten everything, who couldn’t remember the life they had built together, the love they had shared..
“Klaus…” Claudia’s thoughts stalled, her mind racing as she struggled to grasp the meaning of his words and the troubling things he’d said about his father… all of it cluttering her mind while she could barely make sense of the situation while still worried about him. “I-I.. I don't know or understand what happened to y-you, Klaus. But please, trust me, I'll find out the truth and make everything back to the way it was.”
“I-I… know… I know… y-you know… you know!”
She swallowed her muffled cries and continued to listen, even as his attempts to push her away deepened the ache inside her. “W-what was it? Please… tell me…”
Overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, he tore himself from her grasp, collapsing to the floor as he scrambled to distance himself.
Pointing a finger at her, the man screamed. “HE R*PED YOU! ALL OF THEM! I HEARD IT ALL! YOU ABANDONED ME!”
Claudia froze, stunned, as his voice rose—shouting accusations about her bearing someone else's child, letting him suffer and much… much more.
So much so her heart could not take it, and before she even knew it — Claudia bolted from the room, the doors slamming shut behind her. Pressing her back against the wooden surface, she slid down to the floor, no strength left in her body whatsoever.
Within the hallway, her cries were the only thing that could be heard.
{Break}
-Feoh-
The land of Eostia was ancient, far older than any recorded history, even in the most time-worn archives of the Church of Celestine. Its true origins were shrouded in mystery, and even Celestine’s own kingdom possessed little in the way of concrete knowledge. Yet, scattered among forgotten tomes and crumbling scriptures were whispers—cryptic hints that alluded to the very beginning of everything .
It spoke of two giants, a male and female, whose bodies formed the very continents after they fell in battle with each other, with the elves being their descendants. Some ancient records stated that dark elves were born from the brains of the male giants, while high elves descended from the female giants… others also made mentions of the sperm of the giants being their origin as well. Yet, human interpretations altered the tale entirely, claiming Celestine and the light elves originated from a distant island untouched by humans—the birthplace of all light elves and Celestine herself.
‘How utterly ridiculous. Fullstar exists and yet they make such claims. Even some of the light elves born here had begun believing this nonsense and spread misinformation further.’ Olga thought, recalling that nation’s current ruler; Evelyn Mowanar.
A completely different case compared to Celestine, an arrogant fool blinded by her own pride.
Truthfully, aside from Celestine, few even remembered these details. But according to Olga’s research, the light elves of today were actually descendants of the goddess Laurentina, who had forged a pact with a giant. What remained uncertain was whether Laurentina attained godhood through this contract or if she already possessed divine power. No matter how many sources she studied, every account told a different story — each one seemingly twisted to serve some purpose. Not even Celestine’s vast library had escaped the erosion of time.
It was ironic, considering that the woman was supposed to be the Goddess’ reincarnation.
As for the giants and the world before their demise, there was nothing—no records at all. That, more than anything, mystified the Dark Queen. For a time, she had given up her search for answers. But given who she was now working alongside with, she began to question whether the giants were truly dead… and whether Laurentina was the only one who had made a contract with them.
“You’ve been here for almost an entire day.”
The voice of the very person she had been thinking about snapped Olga out of her thoughts. The radiant goddess entered with her usual grace, the white ribbons pressing against her breast. There are times that Olga suspected that this woman's chest had grown once again compared to the last time she’s seen her. While her sister, Seraphina, followed closely behind—still refusing to wear anything other than a few strands of hair and a few accessories to hide her privates.
And Archer called her armor revealing…
“You actually gave her access to your library?” Seraphina asked in shock, glancing between them in disbelief.
“Yes, sister. You don’t have to worry. We’ve reached an agreement where she won’t use this knowledge for revenge, or against us.” Celestine answered calmly, unfazed by that question. “Not to mention that her current circumstances make it unlikely so. She understands that better than anyone after our discussion.”
Olga huffed at that comment, wanting to refute but unable to do so.. It was true—she had signed a geas to uphold the deal. But, in truth, there was little here that could be used for such purposes. The library contained forgotten history, not forbidden spells capable of civilization-ending destruction. Those kinds of records had long been lost or buried in ruins across the world.
She herself had once possessed a collection of them… until that man burned them to cinders.
“Trust me, I don’t require more knowledge to start another war against you, humanity, or Celestine.” Olga’s voice carried a faint hint of mockery. “You should know that yourself. There’s no way you remained completely clueless to what was happening in the world during your slumber. Not to mention you yourself lack an army while I can always rebuild one in a matter of days.”
Seraphina narrowed her eyes at the Dark Queen. Unlike Celestine, Olga had no personal history with her, only knowing the woman through stories. There was a third sister as well, but even Celestine rarely spoke of her.
“What do you want?” Olga sighed, her tone dry with impatience. “I doubt you came here just to have tea with me. While I appreciate the gesture of letting me scour these records, some privacy is necessary for me to be done.”
“You are still a prisoner, under the watch of the Princess Knights,” Seraphina reminded her. “Wandering the castle without supervision will raise many questions amongst the Princess Knights and servants. Plenty of people here are still not pleased with your presence. I wish to avoid any further conflict between us.”
"So what? Do you think someone else will come after my life? Let’s be honest here—with everything that has happened recently, people have practically forgotten about my existence."
Seraphina opened her mouth only to have nothing to say in return.
With the recent attack by the Beast, followed by the appearance of her followers and finally the aphrodisiac incident within the kingdom, Olga’s name had been overshadowed, and the previous war had been pushed completely to the back of people’s minds at the moment. Though the same could not be said of those outside the kingdom, as many still hadn’t received word of her defeat. She suspected this would change in a matter of days or months.
"Tell me why you’re truly here."
"We’re just worried about you." Much to her surprise, it was Celestine who spoke first, stepping forward with an expression that bordered on genuine concern. Immediately, Olga’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t trust it—not from her. She crossed her arms, waiting for the woman to continue.
"You’ve been buried in this library for far too long," Celestine pressed, her voice even but laced with something unreadable. "I was willing to overlook your reasons before, but given recent events, I believe I have a right to know the truth."
"Recent events?" Olga let out a short chuckle, disbelief curling her lips. "Is it truly just that? You don't need to lie to me, that has never been your strong point, you are just here to keep an eye on me. There is something else that has you bothered, isn't there?"
She hadn't forgotten how much this blonde ancient high elf had changed—how her once-pure devotion had twisted into something more… different lately, her every move revolving around one man. During the attack, she had seen the kind of eyes the latter showed, carrying obsession and anger when she learned about her relationship with Archer.
Once again, the dark elf couldn't help but feel herself grow more curious, wanting to see just how far she could push this woman who had in the past never shown such interest.
"I am the Goddess Reborn. It is my duty to ensure all things proceed as they should and the people under my care are protected."
"Never mind," Olga scoffed, now bored with this conversation. "You don’t have to answer—I already know the truth."
With a lazy flick of her wrist, she tossed the book she had been reading at Celestine’s feet. The dull thud of it hitting the floor echoed through the chamber, drawing the attention of both Ancient high elves. Their curiosity was answered the moment they saw the title.
"You’re researching the Giants?" Serafina asked, looking at her with confusion as she read the title. "Why?"
"Trying to understand your strongest ally," Olga said smoothly, lifting her head. "And, of course, attempting to uncover anything I can about the existence of these Beasts. You can't expect me to believe this thing just popped out of nowhere without any precedence or even a record. But of course, I am mostly interested if I can find anything on Archer… Even the slightest mention of someone wielding similar powers would help."
Celestine’s breath hitched. Serafina’s expression tightened. The two exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.
"Let me guess," Olga mused, smirking. "You’re here for the same reason. Maybe not for the Beasts, but for Archer. Let’s be honest—the kind of power he wields isn’t something attainable by a mere human. Not even the most twisted dark mage or an elf could achieve his level of strength without centuries of study, training, and sheer dumb luck. Which is why I believe—"
"—that Shirou is a champion, or serves another god," Celestine interjected, finishing her thought with eerie precision. A strange light flickered in her eyes before she shook her head. "I’m sorry to say this, but you’re wasting your time searching for answers. You’ll find nothing about him here."
"And why is that?" Olga pressed, unsettled by the certainty in Celestine’s tone. It was as if she already knew something—something no one else did. And yet, that shouldn’t have been possible. Archer guarded his secrets fiercely.
Then again, Celestine possessed the power of divination.
"I know Archer does have a connection to this world," Serafina interjected, voice measured. "I was awakened to aid him in his fight against the Beast. It stands to reason that this world, the very force that awakened me, could be the source of his power. In a way, it would not be wrong to link his power to the Giants.”
Olga had entertained that theory before, but without evidence, she’d dismissed it. Yet if Serafina, of all people, suggested it, she had to reconsider.
Before she could respond, Celestine let out a soft, knowing chuckle.
"While I appreciate your aid, Sister, I should tell you it’s no longer necessary with me here. I am more than capable of helping him out during battle, I only need to recover my powers. Not to mention, I’ve been granted a gift—one that allowed me to see the truth. Archer’s power does not stem just from something as simple as that."
Olga’s eyes narrowed, her focus sharpening; again, Celestine was trying to keep certain information to herself. Getting up and walking towards the woman, getting close enough that their chests pressed against one another, though she immediately regretted her actions upon finding herself overwhelmed by High Elf’s sheer size that dwarfed hers and Serafina.
Something which the woman was aware of given the smirk on her face grew bigger.
"Of course. Your divination showed you something about him, didn’t it? And I assume you’re not going to share."
"That vision was a gift," Celestine murmured, her voice gentle yet unyielding. "A moment meant only for the two of us. And I don't intend to share it unless he is willing for me to do so. Shirou has enough problems as it is, he wouldn't want to deal with the involvement of strangers."
"What nonsense," Olga drawled, amusement laced with mockery. "You speak as if fate itself wove your hearts together. But from where I stand, he wants nothing to do with you. He keeps his distance, doesn’t he?"
Celestine flinched, her fingers twitching.
The Dark Queen leaned in, her smirk deepening. "He spends more time with me than with you, from the very beginning he has been with me or with Radomira. Morning, noon, and night—he always finds a reason to seek me out. I’ve seen parts of him you can only dream about. I’ve heard his laughter, seen the rare softness in his eyes around certain people, and appreciate the company of me — not the so-called Goddess Reborn."
Celestine’s breath hitched. Her fists clenched at her sides. “Do not misinterpret his actions as anything deep, Olga. Shirou helped you because that is the kind of person he is. Nothing less, nothing more.”
“Misinterprets? Do not get me wrong, I doubt he is doing all of this out of the goodness of his heart, I can also recognize when he has an obvious preference.”
"Enough!" she snapped, her voice trembling with unrestrained fury. "You don’t know him! Don’t you dare speak of him as if you understand the depths of his soul! Shirou would never find comfort in someone like you—a tyrant who bathed her lands in blood! He is a hero, scarred and weary, and he needs me to mend those wounds!"
Olga scoffed. "Me, drag him into ruin? Tell me, Celestine, what ruin could I possibly bring to a man who shattered my world? He reduced my castle to rubble, scattered my forces like dust, and nearly wiped out the Kuroinu without much of a challenge. And yet, when we were cornered—ambushed under a crimson moon, with werewolves tearing at his heels—he trusted me. My magic kept him standing when his body faltered, my shadows slayed his enemies when his strength failed him, and my insights guided his path when he knew not what to do next. And where were you?"
Celestine trembled, her expression twisting into something desperate.
"Where were you when he was facing the Beast for the first time in the garden?" Olga continued, voice laced with cold amusement, "When he needed someone to fight at his side."
“At least I have no plans to use him for personal goals! That's what all you end up doing, using him as a tool as much as you can before you have no use for him!” The Goddess Reborn continued to argue, not backing down.
Olga's eyes twitched, “Use him? Funny you say that since you are the one being far more controlling of him than anyone I have seen so far. You are not doing it out of the goodness of your heart or for his sake — but just for your own selfish reasons.”
"I said enough!" Celestine’s control snapped. She lunged, fingers closing around Olga’s throat with unexpected force. The latter gasped, the impact sending them both tumbling to the floor. Olga showed she was no slouch either, putting her own weight into holding her off. They wrestled, a furious clash of limbs, neither willing to yield.
"Just because he saved you, just because he showed you mercy, doesn’t mean you matter!" Celestine hissed, her grip tightening. "Shirou helps everyone—he would do the same for a stranger! And it's exactly these kind of people that will lead him to his death!"
"I don’t even know what you’re ranting about!" Olga snarled, straining against her grip.
Their struggle raged on, a tangled mess of fury and desperation, their long hair tangling around them to the point where some of it tied together until Serafina—growing weary of their antics—sighed and raised her hand. Runes shimmered in the air, casting a subtle wave of magic that forced their bodies to relax.
"Enough, both of you!" Serafina’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding. "One of you is the Goddess Reborn, and the other a former Dark Queen. Yet here you are, brawling like common drunkards. Act like it!"
Celestine released Olga with a ragged breath, eyes burning with unspoken emotion.
Olga smirked, wiping her throat as she stood. "How pathetic," she mused, voice laced with amusement. "Is this what love looks like to you, Celestine?"
The goddess said nothing, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes.
And Olga took immense satisfaction in it.
"…”
“…”
The room fell into a brittle silence, Serafina’s intervention finally taking hold. The two women disentangled themselves, rising to their feet. Their clothing was disheveled, sweat beading on their skin, their hair was a mess as they finally pulled it apart, but neither seemed to notice or care. Their eyes remained locked—Celestine’s blazing with righteous fire, Olga’s smoldering with defiance—each mind racing with unspoken retorts. "For a queen of my stature to be dragged into such a disgraceful spectacle, this is your fault, Celestine," Olga hissed, brushing dirt from her sleeve.
"You’re the one shoving your nose into things that aren’t yours," Celestine shot back, her voice tight with frustration. "He saved you once—out of pity, out of necessity—and you cling to it like it means something. It doesn’t. He doesn’t care about you."
"He cares enough that we ended up kissing!" Olga’s words burst out before she could stop them, sharp and reckless. Celestine froze mid-breath, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief. Even Olga faltered, a flush of red creeping up her neck as the weight of her admission sank in.
“W-What?”
"It’s nothing—forget I said that." Her voice cracked, emotions swirling in a chaotic storm within her. She turned on her heel and stormed out, the heavy door slamming behind her as she fled toward her lab. She needed solitude, a place to steady her racing heart and reassess everything.
"Why did I say that?" she muttered under her breath, her boots pounding the corridor floor. With every step, her anger turned inward, a bitter tide rising against herself for letting that slip. She hadn't expected her arrival to become that enraged by her words.
Regardless, there was nothing she could do for now but to head back and put this matter behind her. When she made her way back to the lower dungeons, Olga noticed the empty room, they're being no one else other than herself. “Strange, is Chloe still training with Archer? It has been quite a while since they left.” Normally, her most loyal follower would not be gone for that long and return to resume her duties even if she were exhausted due to the sparring session.
Not paying much mind to it, she quickly returned to her research table, spending hours working on her projects. However, focus eluded her as her worries continued to grow—Chloe still hadn’t returned.
"Did Archer go too far and knock the poor girl out?"
It wasn’t impossible. Chloe could be far too stubborn for her own good, and Olga could easily imagine things escalating beyond what the girl could handle.
"Maybe I should look around..."
Growing jittery and unable to concentrate, she stood up and walked to a small window overlooking part of the city below. Glancing at the sky, she noted the position of the sun—quite a bit of time had passed since Chloe had left.
"Hm?"
Just as she was about to step out and search for Archer, a knock on her door made her pause.
"It better not be her again..."
She wasn’t in the mood for another dispute with either her sister or her so-called rival. Hesitating to open the door, she realized that ignoring it would be no different from hiding, which did not suit her. Cowardice, no matter the form, was unacceptable for the Dark Elf.
“Where’s Chloe?” she snarled, voice like a blade.
He chuckled again, dark and nasty, the sound grating on her nerves. He stepped closer with the sword still pressed against her neck, his breath reeking of rot and stale booze, close enough she could see the grime caked in his stubble.
“That weak woman? Can’t even save herself without her precious queen?” He sneered, lips curling back over yellow teeth. “Don’t worry about that little freak, you’ll see her soon. Our client’s got big plans for you both.”
Memories hit hard; Vault and his pack of pigs storming her castle, their greasy hands and leering eyes. It was happening again.
He grinned wider, teeth glinting in the dim light. “He was right, you two are prime people. You’d rake in a fortune, worth more than your weight in gold.” His fingers pawed higher, lingering. “Shame Leona snatched Chloe first.”
Her throat burned with bile, rage and disgust locking her joints stiff. She wanted to smash his skull, but her body wouldn’t move, stuck like it was chained to the floor. “Let go, you disgusting, filthy human!” she spat, voice cracking as his hand shifted. “You’ve got no right—!”
“Good thing I rigged some silence spells.”
His grin stretched. “Slaver gets his kid first, sure. Little healing magic, and you're back to normal again.”
“What?” she said, her voice tight and shaky. The moment he mentioned “slaver,” her stomach twisted. “Slaver? Who are you talking about?” she demanded, her tone sharp despite the fear creeping in.
Her mind latched onto a face she’d rather forget, John Mandeville, a human so rotten she could still smell the stink of him from that one time she’d seen him years back. He’d been a big name in the slave trade across the Seven Kingdoms, outdoing even the Pig Brothers at his peak.
Rounding up thousands of her people, dark elves like her and sold them off to nobles with fat purses and fouler appetites. She remembered tracking down one of his hideouts, her army of demons swarming the town just like many others before it, with the goal to conquer and put an end to his slavery ring. Only there by pure chance she happened to cross paths with a girl, a blonde dark elf, thin as a reed, with human blood in her veins. Mandeville’s bastard kid, born from one of his slaves. He didn’t care about her and saw her as just another thing to sell or keep for himself, like a toy he’d toss aside when he got bored.
“Mandeville sent you,” Olga muttered under her breath, anger seeping into her words as the fear faded, replaced by the slow, familiar burn of hatred.
The guy in front of her, a rough-looking type in beat-up armor, froze for a split second. His smug grin slipped, just enough to tell her she’d hit the mark. “Well, you’re not as dumb as I thought,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery as he tightened his grip on his sword. “You’d be surprised at the bounty that bastard put on you and your little friend Chloe. Once I’m done here, I’ll grab that brat too. But for now, shut up, I have a job to complete.” He stepped closer, one hand reaching for her armor.
With her instincts screaming at her Olga moved. Her hand brushed a row of glass flasks on a table nearby, stuff she’d been messing with earlier. She grabbed one, pouring what little mana she could muster into it. The thing exploded with a loud bang, purple smoke flooding the room.
The guy stumbled back, coughing and swearing. “What!? Poison?” he yelled, swinging his head around, trying to spot her through the haze.
Olga hit the floor, her knees buckling as she sucked in air, the smoke burning her throat. Without her staff, she was stuck with weak tricks like this with any powerful spells taking far too long to conjure—nothing fast enough to finish him. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on a sword stashed under a pile of junk.
Chloe’s weird habit of collecting blades she would get from Archer and keeping them under her bed had left it there. The girl kept at it, even though half the swords would deconstruct with enough damage or if the man willed it. Olga crawled over, grabbed it, and pulled herself up.
“Don’t you dare think you’re doing anything, you bitch!” the guy shouted, catching on. He swung his sword hard, no real aim, just wild slashes. One came close, nicking her cheek, and blood trickled down her face. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the sting. She’d never swung a sword in her life—magic was her thing—but she got lucky. Ducking under one of his swings, she shoved the blade into his chest, hard.
“Urgh!” he choked out, blood spraying across her face as his sword dropped with a clang.
“Just die, you filthy human,” she muttered, pushing the blade deeper, her hands shaking with rage. She could still feel where he’d grabbed her, and it fueled her. She kept going until the tip poked out his back and he stopped moving. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, and she collapsed next to it, breathing hard.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
The woman couldn’t stop yet, Chloe was still out there, and more of Mandeville’s mercenaries might sneak inside the castle. With shaky hands, she pulled back the guy’s hood. His face was unfamiliar, scarred and ugly, but no one she knew. Then she saw it: a necklace with a white wolf pendant, not the black dog of the Kuroinu as she expected initially. “The White Wolf mercenaries?” she said, her voice low, a chill running through her.
The White Wolves were another crew of hired swords, out of Fullstar. Her armies faced them years ago when they’d backed the Black Dogs against her. Tough and relentless just like Vault's group, led by some demi-human brute, if she remembered right.
“Those low lives are working for Mandeville now?” she said, her gut sinking. If that slaver had them under his thumb, he could pull off something as bad as the Kuroinu—maybe start a war or chase the same twisted goals Vault had. She clenched her fists, blood still wet on her face, and swore she’d find Chloe before that monster got his hands on her.
After a minute of silence, she took deep, steady breaths while whispering to herself, "I can't let this happen. I have to get Chloe back." Determination burned in her yellow eyes as she moved toward the door, her fingers gripping the handle. But just as she was about to pull it open, hesitation struck her like a cold wind.
‘You, just like everyone else will only try to use him as a tool.’
She froze, her body rigid. Celestine's words echoed in the back of her mind, gnawing at her conscience. A storm of emotions raged within her, conflicting thoughts crashing against one another. Was she truly about to run for help? To depend on another? The very idea sickened her. She was not weak, nor would she allow herself to become someone who relied on others to fight her battles.
"I am not a weakling," she muttered, though the words felt like a hollow attempt to convince herself. Her pride had already taken enough hits. She had fought wars, commanded armies, and ruled with an iron grip against the Princess Knights. People had once trembled at the mere mention of her name… and yet, here she was, hesitating like a frightened girl, contemplating asking him for help once more.
The thought of relying on him again made her stomach churn. He had already defeated her once, and now she was supposed to ask for his aid to deal with enemies far weaker than the Kuroinu? The mere idea was unbearable.
If she couldn't even save Chloe by herself, what right did she have to rebuild what she had lost? What kind of ruler would she be if she couldn't even protect one person on her own? Olga swallowed hard, her grip on the door handle loosening. Slowly, she took a step back, exhaling shakily. "I can do this. Better he stay here and look after Radomira. I can do this." She repeated the words like a mantra, forcing herself to believe them.
Turning away from the door, she strode across the room with renewed purpose. From her memories, she had a faint idea of where to go if the one who took Chloe was heading back to Furusutāja — there was still time for her to stop them before they left Feoh.
Regardless, time was of the essence, and she needed to move quickly. Without hesitation, she moved to her wardrobe, pressing her palm against a hidden panel within the wooden structure. A faint glow appeared as a concealed compartment clicked open, revealing a crude scepter of her own creation—a tool made to at least be capable of casting standard spells in a much shorter time than without one. It was one of the few secrets she had kept even from Celestine and the other Princess Knights.
Only Chloe knew about it.
She gathered several flasks of alchemical mixtures, selecting a highly corrosive one and pouring it over the corpse of the intruder. The body dissolved within moments, leaving behind nothing but a black cloak. She bent down, picking it up, feeling a faint pulse of magic coursing through the fabric. It was enchanted, explaining how the assassin had slipped past the castle’s tight security unnoticed.
"So that's how he got here… an enchanted cloak," she murmured to herself. As soon as she wrapped it around her shoulders, she felt her presence waver, her body becoming slightly translucent. Not true invisibility, but enough to help her slip through the halls unnoticed.
With one last glance at her room, Olga exhaled sharply, adjusting the cloak. This was it. She would not allow herself to falter. Without another second wasted, she slipped out of her chambers and disappeared into the hallway, determined to take matters into her own hands.
{Break}
(Present)
“She's not anywhere in the city or in the outskirts.”
He should have known, Archer sighed as he came back with similar results. Hoping that would have been fast enough to catch her before she left, he was proven wrong when not a single trace of either dark elves could be found.
Outside the gates with the kingdom of Feoh behind them, Archer found himself back standing under the tree he sat under the day he reached Feoh for the first time — a sight similar to the day he arrived at Ken. At that time, he truly had not anticipated how things would go this south with all of these factors popping out of nowhere.
‘Who would have thought I was going to go out to save Olga of all people again.’
He could not understand what was going through the young woman's head, she did not strike him as a person who would take drastic actions fuelled by emotions alone. But perhaps he was wrong this entire time or maybe he just underestimated just how attached she was to Chloe.
“How will we find Olga then?” Radomira asked, feeling equally worried and distraught over the woman's disappearance.
“She should have gone too far, there is a chance we'll find her upon continuing down the road. But chances are slim.” She left him no clue whatsoever that could lead him to her. unlike the moment of his summoning to this world, he was lacking a lot of information that could not be found by just reading some books.
“Then let me just fly above and find—ah~💕!” As soon as Radomira tried to fly off, the woman got pulled back down by Archer, grabbing her tail and then proceeding to fall face first onto the ground. “...Why is it more sensitive now?”
He heard her murmur, even being caught off guard by the sound she made — which he was going to ignore. “Despite her current action proving otherwise, she is still not a big enough idiot to just wander on the road in plain view. People still know about her and dark elves generally are not well received around these parts. She must have either used an illusion to hide her appearance or took another path away from prying eyes. Finding her now is no different to searching for a needle in a haystack.”
That only made Radomira panic more. “T-Then how are we going to find her?”
“By finding Chloe first,” he answered, thinking about it carefully. “If we find her then we find Olga, either way, we'll need to save both of them regardless. So getting to Chloe should be our main objective.”
Problem was that he had no idea as to who or what took her. Though Maia mentioned the vision Celestine had… maybe she knew something that could be useful.
“O-Oi!” Both were surprised at the sound of Maia's voice sounding from the gates, seeing her figure rush towards them. Panting and covered in sweat, She looked like she had gone through a marathon. “Hah… hah… fucking bastard… I told you to wait!”
“Maia!” Radomira grabbed onto the redhead before she crumbled to the ground out of exhaustion. “Sorry, we don't have time to take care of you now. Olga needs us! So I'll drop you off at Claudia's house and then we'll be off!”
Rather than answer the Tiefling, Maia instead took out a small necklace from her cleavage and presented it to Archer. The latter narrowed his eyes and looked at the pendant suspiciously as it bore a lot of similarities to a certain mercenary group he killed before. “I found this… hidden between the trash in the room.”
He grabbed it, looking at the White Wolf shaped amulet carefully. “This does not belong to Olga, I never saw something like this before.”
“Ignoring the fact that you are familiar enough with her room to know that it wasn't there, I know where that came from.” Maia said after catching her breath, “I don't know how it got there, but it's bad news.”
“Then tell me, I don't have time to waste, the longer I stay away from Feoh the more likely Draco will take advantage of my absence.” He was not sure what she was planning, the fact that she did not appear during Beardsley assault was very odd and worrisome.
He wanted to believe that she was still in the middle of recovering her energy, but trusting such assumptions would never lead to a good outcome.
“Trust me, I know!” she snapped at him. “It’s the White Wolf, a mercenary group from Fullstar. This is their emblem.”
White Wolf? Shirokami?
The name sounded unfamiliar, though he was familiar with the Kingdom Maia spoke about. If he remembered the books he read on geography properly then they were in the Continent of Sererus. Located south outside on the edge of the great forest the size of a country Furstentum Fuchswald, which was adjacent west to the land of Eos massive plains which separated the forests of Fuchswald with what layed east the country of Eostia, which housed the Seven Kingdoms ruled by the Princess Knights, which is the only territory he’d been traversing. The closest he came was when he was in Rad, Luu Luu’s kingdom, which bordered the vast mountains of terra merita that lay south or when he went to the Dark Lands which covered the north section of Eostia both of which were on its borders. Fullstar had caught his interest as a kingdom of High/Light Elves that existed just for them, their own homeland similar in nature to what he read about Nidalivier, the land of the Dark Elves. If he’d remembered right, there was also an island where the Light Elves called home. “Did the White Wolf decide to expand their territory now that the Kuroinu is gone?”
All he got was a shrug, “Like hell if I know. But this doesn’t sound like something Leona would do, that bitch doesn’t really care about this kind of stuff.”
“You know the leader?” He asked, then remembering Maia's moniker as the Mercenary Queen.
“A bit, she helped us out in the past when fighting Olga's demons. Ruthless bitch who wields a Greatsword, basically a Buster Sword…a massive cleaver even bigger than Vault's. You should have seen her swing that thing ar—”
“Make it quick, Maia!”
“Alright! No need to be pissy… It's just the Dark Queen… anyways, I can lead you to their nearest camp. If Olga is going after Chloe, then it's most likely she's going after the White Wolves. I doubt whoever kidnapped Chloe made it all the way to Ur let alone Fullstar in the far west, yet, so they should have a camp set up along the road or in the forest. The distance from Fullstar to Feoh is like comparing Feoh to Thorn, which are both on the outer edges of Eostia. If we take the road on the side of the river bank or even through a more treacherous path avoided in the forest, we could catch up.
Archer nodded, that piece of information was better than nothing and the only lead. “We might find them before they reach the main camp, so we'll have to hurry.”
“Great!” Maia showed an ecstatic face. “So let's go then!”
“Oh my, didn't I tell you to wait for my arrival, Maia?”
“—!”
The woman froze in place, Archer turning his attention to the newest arrival behind Maia riding a horse. She did not look particularly comfortable riding the animal with the little amount of clothing she had on, but tried not to show it.
Green eyes stared back at gray.
“So, when are we leaving, Shirou?”
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An Archer’s Promise Atlas Part 1(Thanks to GameCrusher55 for taking the time to make this.)
Eosita=Negramstia (This is what the country was renamed after the Kuroinu took over.)
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Archer’s Journey across Eostia
Archer traveled to his first village nearby Ansur(Ken Typo) called Grunes Bergdorf(OG Village between The Spiders Nest, Bellmare, and Gravertin) where Alice lived which is located between the Spider’s Nest and Ansur itself. He was led there by none other than the first person he met in Eostia, Brynn. Then to Ansur itself where Maia ruled and he met Bianca. After leaving Ansur they stopped at the hot springs in Bellmare, and later Heilung Dorf(OG Village based on the unnamed one in the Eos Plains, most likely the Village of Eternal Springs. In this story the village is located between the Spider’s Nest, Lake Veilstone, and Bellmare) where they met Anna and Grace. On the way to Rad(Geofu Typo) they were attacked by Olga’s forces and Hick’s died. After finally reaching Rad where they met Luu Luu, and after resupplying they took a path to the border of Feoh through a shortcut Maia showed him through the edge of the forest near Lake Veilstone. Archer separated with Maia and Brynn at the border of the forest that separated Feoh with the other kingdoms, and later traveled to the Dark Lands using the Forest of Esride where he found Prim after she got lost when she wandered on her own to the Forest of Hearts. Archer later traveled to the Dark Lands, and eventually the Dark Tower where the Kuroinu were defeated. In order to rest he returned with Olga and Chloe to the Forest of Esride where he met up with Anna and Grace at the Forest of Hearts. They passed through the unnamed forest of the west where on its border they battled the Lycans. After which they saved Radomira in Rarbya, and later separated from Anna and Grace. Archer and the rest then reached Feoh where they spent a full month dealing with various issues.
Now Chloe has been kidnapped and Olga is pursuing them to Fullstar, and as such Archer and his group are headed in that direction. The only kingdoms Archer has yet to enter into are Ur, Ken, Thorn, and Geofu In short Archer has only been to half of Eostia. Had things gone uninterrupted Archer would have most likely headed to Thorn to take care of the Insect Cult, but he did not as he stayed in Feoh to battle his target. Without Olga however he can not win, so our story now leaves Eostia.
Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 36
Beta read and Co-writen by GameCrusher55 and Shigiya.
Longer chapter than usual.
Next update is An Archer's Promise followed by To Love a Sword and Fake Familiar Reborn.
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-Fuyuki, Abandoned hotel-
The night was young and already the pieces started to move, new players joining the game along with several revelations that held plenty of potential to be used as bargaining chips or as ways to further improve future plans.
Under the moonlight that reflected off a Crystal sphere, blueish purple eyes calmly watched the battle occurring between both Berserker and Rider. From every detail that she could gather, including the Masters and those who were not supposed to be involved. It was strange, to say the least, as her predictions fell flat, and the boy she met once managed to not only survive against that behemoth but did so in such an unconventional way that the Servant found it amusing.
“But of all people, it just happened to be him…”
The small embers of amusement barely lasted a second with doubt soon settling in upon seeing just who this new Servant happened to be. A renowned warrior, a demigod whose feats became immortalized and forever known by a majority of humans even in the modern era, and someone whose strength could even surpass her own magecraft.
A force of nature, crafted to take on the worst of beasts, only to be thrown to the wolves by the gods themselves. “Huh, figures. So that makes three of us now—still think this is just a coincidence?” Three beings, all tied to the same cursed legacy. If it had just been her and Rider, she might’ve shrugged it off as chance. But this? This was starting to feel like a cosmic joke.
But for there to be three of them summoned in the same Holy Grail War? That raised many concerns and questions of other Servants that had yet to be summoned later on. Regardless, this was not the time to dwell on such matters for her Master needed help as usual. Not to mention his current standings with the mage association, several challenges lay before him — typical. Especially with that Enforcer who gave her Master quite a bit of a headache and one who ended up surviving thanks to Rider's actions.
So arrogant and full of himself yet he required her help in the end to facilitate his research.
No different from watching an arrogant brat who would not take a hint of advice from anyone and is so blinded by his own success that any and all flaws remain ignored. They had camped out in a base in the more modern side of the city in what her knowledge explained was a skyscraper. The towering building offered them a view of the whole city that could be seen from their luxury penthouse suite, which looked as if the ground was covered in stars. She had to admit when she first saw it, it was a pleasant sight, despite the unnaturalness of it.
‘The era has truly changed,’ the woman thought to herself, not sure how to feel about the ever-cruel passage of time.
“Here you are, Caster.” A middle aged man walked in her room, a butler one would assume but actually a mere assistant of her Master who she did not bother to remember the name of in the first place. “Staying idle as usual I see.”
She rolled her eyes, “Came to monitor me as usual I see. To me, it looks like you are the one who looks like he has nothing to do all day.”
Not even an attempt at taunting the man yet she could already sense his ire rising.
“As you can see for yourself, I am just spending my time surveying our little city for any new players.”
“Anything to report?” He asked, almost demanded, for an answer to which she did not share immediately. Just giving him a side eye with no intention to play along.
“I don't see any Command Seals at the back of your hand.” With but a simple command, the orb dimmed with it no longer surveying her any purpose at the moment. “We can't risk having to deal with a traitor now, do we?”
This time, that little jab of hers did hold some intentions to taunt the man. Serving as just a small punishment for thinking he held any authority over her.
He scoffed, “Suit yourself. Truthfully it does not matter who this new Servant even is in the first place. As long as we uncover the identity of the Master, then killing them first should be our first priority instead of wasting time going against a Servant.”
With a slight hum, she did not refute his words and instead remembered the spells briefly used by Berserker's Master and the headache Rider's Master proved himself to be without using any advanced magecraft at all. “Then be my guest, should you wish to further lick the boot of your Master then go ahead and take care of them.”
Honestly, why waste the energy trying to stop him from walking straight into his own grave? He’s practically sprinting toward it, charging at two Masters with Servants so dangerous even she wouldn’t tangle with them without a solid plan. Let him dig his hole—she’s not here to play protector.
The man’s face flushed crimson, visible veins bulging as he stomped toward Caster, who looked undeterred. “Watch your damn mouth! You’re just a glorified familiar, here to serve one purpo—” His words trailed off, sluggish, like molasses dripping from a spoon. Then, they stopped entirely. His hands froze mid-reach, inches from her, trapped in a hazy sphere that warped the air around him. Time itself seemed to sputter and stall, leaving him stuck in a distorted pocket of stillness.
Perhaps he himself was not even aware of what was going on, his mouth continuing to move ever so slowly with a low but audible sound of his voice reaching her ears.
“Honestly, I don’t know why I bother putting up with you. Maybe it’s a gift—or a curse, considering how often your kind ends up lurking around me. But let’s not be mistaken here: the only reason Atrum hasn’t been reduced to a glorified Magical Energy battery—no limbs, no thoughts, just fuel—is those Command Seals.” She flicked her wrist, and a needle as long as her palm materialized in her hand, its sharp tip hovering inches from the assistant’s wide, unblinking eyes. “One wrong move, and I might just test how well you function without your sight.”
“And then there is you… Using his authority over me as a safety mantle, thinking I am powerless to do anything. Let me remind you, that I do not see any Command Seals on the back of your hand nor will our dear Master be that angered by your death… my Dragon Tooth Warriors can be just as useful in completeling the simplest tasks and he has other mages that are loitering around that would easily replace you.”
With a flick of her fingers, the needle flew within the sphere where time operated at a much slower rate. With a snap of her fingers, his eyes widened at a normal rate as if his mind was no longer affected by the spell.
Yet his body remained stuck.
Watching with absolute horror as the needle drew closer and closer. Then he proceeded to look back at her and the needle with desperation and another emotion that made her chuckle. “My oh my, is that a plea for forgiveness I see? How quickly people's attitudes change when facing their death. It’s a shame that you didn’t understand that as soon as I was summoned.”
Saying that, she did nothing else, watching the needle reach the cornea, sinking deeper till it pierced through a few more layers and the lens. Sinking deeper and deeper, a clear liquid mixed with blood started to pour out. Tears started to form from both, the desperation growing bigger to which she did not pay much attention before walking past him with the spell still active.
Silence seemed like the best response to a man who was about to meet his end, though it did little to ease her irritation. The fact that this fool was nothing more than a lackey, sent by her insufferable Master—likely to drag her back to that damned lab—only made it worse. Honestly, could the man not handle his own errands for once? Or was he too busy concocting another half-brained scheme that would inevitably blow up in his face?
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“What a disgusting sight.”
Any prior emotions of displeasure were completely thrown out of the window as soon as she entered the rather advanced-looking workshop. Filled with several human-sized tubes and screens, a setup that easily cost a small fortune in modern eras currency.
It was an assembly line filled with people.
Rows after rows of women and children all wearing nothing but white coats held up in the air by harnesses. She walked closer till she was face to face with the wall, and then she noticed that they were all barely alive.
“Given your past history, I’d have thought you’d be numb to something as tame as this.” A familiar voice mentioned, turning around, she found a young man in his twenties who had a golden tan, a smug expression, and long blonde hair tied with a scrunchie. Dressed in a black sleeveless vest along with the clear presence of the command seals on the back of his hand, adorned with jewelry resembling demonic wings with a star in the middle.
Most would call him handsome.
To Caster, she just felt her skin crawl from his mere presence.
That one could not miss the detail with one of the wings having already turned colorless. A constant reminder of her inability to use her Noble Phantasm to annul their contract as Master and Servant.
“I see that you've become bold lately, not when your previous experiments only required a handful of individuals for the ‘Primitive Curses’ that generate magical energy from human sacrifices.” Admittedly, a crude way to achieve results for someone like him — a waste of resources in her opinion. However, there were mages of the modern era who didn’t see it that way. To them, had it not been for his disposition, he would have been labeled as a brilliant mind of the modern-era mages.
She watched as the bodies within the tubes were immediately turned into a red slush, her eyes twitching at the sight. Seeing the now red matter transferred through multiple smaller pipes into a container where the rest of the transmutation process occurred. This takes but less than a few minutes for a beautiful crystal to be formed. Floating within the now clear liquid ready to be harvested.
“You manage to speed up the process.” A hint of sarcasm was etched into her voice, mockery almost seeping out had it not been for Caster holding herself back. Knowing full well the kind of reaction such comments would bring forth from her Master.
“You sound surprised,” Atrum smirked at his creation, grabbing onto the small mana crystal and holding it up to her face. “This Mana Crystal would have taken a month and three days before, but thanks to my ingenuity the process has been streamlined. Now we can have a source of as many Mana Crystals as we can get. Either to fuel you as a Servant or to power our spells. I assure you that this method will surpass anything you’ve been gathering from the populace. Not even the Tohsaka’s have jewels this pure in mana.”
He said those words as if he was doing her a favor. Truthfully, she knew most of these crystals would be sold to his contacts rather than being used for the Holy Grail War.
“Only until you run out of young girls,” Caster commented, knowing full well the limitation of relying on such a method rather than just siphoning the energy from the local leylines. “A finite resource that is worth more trouble than it's worth, the conversion rate could be better had you just used—”
“—Silence.” Her words came to a halt, without her realizing, she ended up voicing out her dissatisfaction with this… backward methods fit for a third-rate mage. But to someone of her caliber, it was no different to seeing a caveman hitting a stone against wood to produce fire.
Ridiculous.
“It appears I’ve wasted unnecessary words,” she said after a deep breath, “You may do what you wish, including ignoring them if that’s what you desire.”
Atrum stared back at her, several seconds of silence passing between them. “I hope you remember our first agreement, Servant. Do not speak of my research as if you understand it, that is not your job.”
She remembered, this was not the first time she witnessed his experiment and safe to say… the first time she was far more vocal of her dissatisfaction for it went completely against her methods.
Which resulted in the usage of the first Command Seal. If only he hadn't worded it that way she could have found a workaround.
Best to change the subject, “They will figure this out sooner or later. Do you think the mage organizations around the world won’t realize a specific individual endangering the secrecy of magecraft with the kidnapping of various people from around the world? The Church already has eyes everywhere with the war on the horizon.”
Atrum let out a derisive laugh. “Let them come. The Galliasta family’s magecraft was never about hiding in the shadows. If the Church, the Clock Tower, or even the Second Owner wants a piece of my research, they’re welcome to try. But they’ll regret it. My family has always taken what we needed—money, power, lives. Oil barons? A few well-placed curses, and suddenly their fortunes were ours. Environmental activists? A bit of magic, and the loudest ones… well, they don’t complain anymore. Our partners loved it—gave us refineries as thanks. The ones who didn’t play along? Let’s just say they’re not around to argue.”
“You still have not addressed matters related to keeping up the supply chain for this… experiment.”
She hoped, maybe an ever-so-shrinking part of her mind, that this young man by some miracle would see reason by just applying basic supply and demand.
Yet once more, her hopes were torn and thus rendered asunder.
He dismissed concerns about acquiring test subjects. “It’s simple—orphans, unwanted children. Erase any trace of their existence, and no one comes looking. Adoption isn’t even necessary; the streets are full of them. Women can be useful too, though harder to make disappear. Young girls, of course, are the best materials… It's not uncommon for a couple to disappear in the middle of the night, this should be an easy task for you to accomplish.”
Displeasure soon flashed on Caster's face, this was going too far. “Should I remind you that I am your Servant? My purpose is to keep you safe and face other entities similar to me. I am not a mere errand woman who will be forced to perform tasks such as kidnapping random women off the streets.”
"You watch your tone, Servant. You should be grateful I summoned you, especially since you failed to give me what I wanted," the blonde man in front of her sneered, raising his hand to show her the two remaining Command Seals. “Do not forget that I still have two more seals left, it only takes a single command to bend you completely to my will.”
Anger surged within her heart; this despicable person could not die anytime soon. But there was no point in resisting now and risking getting a fate much worse than her current situation. So just like always, she suppressed her true emotions and put on a face of indifference.
Her time would come, she just needed to wait for the right opportunity to present itself.
“That Enforcer was no slouch herself. Despite being a human, she managed to hold her own for a short amount of time. Should you recall, had you not ordered me to return, I would have not only killed her but also could have taken care of Rider and her Master. All of your troubles would have been resolved had you just given me the freedom I need to perform my task.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Atrum burst into laughter, a grating, exaggerated sound that made her jaw tighten. “Freedom? Really, Caster? Let’s not pretend you’re some misunderstood saint. You’re the Witch of Betrayal—trusting you is like handing a match to an arsonist. As for Rider and her Master, let’s be honest here. He’s a nobody, a third-rate hack who stumbled into this war by sheer dumb luck. Sure, he’s got the Enforcer on his side now, but she’s hardly in any shape to do him favors. She’s barely holding herself together.”
A third-rate mage who at least had the courage to face a monstrous entity like Berserker… Then again, that came closer to sheer stupidity than bravery. Not exactly something to be proud of.
Also, a boy who was related to the Einzbern… somehow. Fortunately, such information would be of no interest to the man before her. His interest mostly focused on his own research and that of his associate, who had helped him both financially and pulled some of the strings to trap that Enforcer.
The most vile creature she had the dissatisfaction of meeting so far, she’d rather spend years with her current master than obey the orders of that… thing.
“Regardless, I do not wish to spend my time discussing matters of the past. As much as I would like to continue my research in peace, we have a war to win.” He was walking away from the lodge canister when another body was turned into red sludge due to an unknown spell, walking to his table where he poured himself a glass of whiskey. “I don't care if she ends up homeless, without support, or even hunted down like a dog by the association. That woman knows too much to be left alive. I'll forgive you on your first failure, but I will not be so lenient a second time.”
That woman was the least of his concerns. If the Einzbern Girl were to decide to go after them first, then at least she could guarantee her own safety instead of her ignorant Master.
It was then a particular idea surfaced in her mind, bringing a sly smile to her face. “What if I encounter Rider and her Master again?”
Atrum waved his hand, “Dispose of them, they are of no danger to us, and I doubt that kid will live for even a week against other Masters. I’m basically granting him mercy for ending his life early. I am much more concerned with the presence of an Edelfelt here in Fuyuki, those mercenaries are just as troublesome as Enforcers.”
Predictable, not even a second to think about any plan or consequences of his decision. Yet that worked in her favor, recalling the scene she witnessed within her orb, the redhead’s actions initially were quite similar to that of a cold-hearted man willing to point a gun at his so-called sister. But the more she watched, the more apparent it became that something else hid beneath the surface.
‘He was willing to go so far and face Berserker alone of all people on behalf of a sister who wanted to kill him… there's no way he wouldn’t act If one of those girls were to be in dire need this time.’
Besides, her Master would not object if she were to face even the Second Owner.
“And about my suggestions about the location of the Greater Grail?”
“You can continue working on that as well, I doubt it will be of much benefit to us after I perfect my craft.”
“As you command, Master.”
“Oh, and Caster,” Just as she was about to leave, Atrum stopped her. “I am giving you permission to continue your endeavor with what we agreed upon concerning the leylines. I do not plan on wasting all of my reserves of mana crystals on future failed experiments, so this will do for now. Do not disturb me until you have accomplished your mission, I will be discussing some important matters with Sagara.”
Her eyes twitched again, so he was himself aware of the limitations of their creations but refused to acknowledge them. The leylines beneath this city were plentiful enough to refill the reserves of the Greater Grail and summon more Heroic Spirits… Now she just needed to find a way where they wouldn’t be irrevocably damaged… she needed to use them later. Besides, no mage worth their salt would ruin perfectly good leylines.
“Understood.”
With that said, Caster disappeared from sight. Teleporting back to her empty room, where she was provided with absolutely nothing, not even a simple chair or a bed for the reason of her nature as a servant not needing such luxury. The feeling of being treated like a dog further fueled her resolve to get freed from these chains one way or another.
{Break}
-Emiya Residence, Living Room-
Shirou knew his day would not get any easier, even after enduring a few of Berserker's assaults and getting interrogated by Rider, another monumental task still remained for him to face back home. “Um… so does anyone want any tea?”
He sat in a seiza position in the living room, facing the two women whose piercing glares bore into him with an intensity he had never experienced before. Rider, rather than providing him with some kind of support, decided to just sit beside him without uttering a single word since they came back home.
Shirou couldn't tell if she was still angry or simply choosing to ignore him. Every attempt at communication was met with absolute silence. Did he regret his answer? Not in the slightest. He had spoken the truth, meant every word, and refused to lie to make her feel better.
Even so, he had a more immediate concern—the emotions radiating from the two girls standing before him. He was pulled into the main living room and forced to sit down at the dining table. The two are now staring at him, each wanting to say their own two cents.
One was looking at him with reddened eyes while shaking and the other glared at him enraged, and was most likely going to burst any moment. His little offer to bring them some tea only worsened with Sakura of all people whispering, “No.”
“So, Emiya-kun…” Rin began, her lips curling into a strained smile that twitched at the edges. It did not bode well for him. “Imagine my surprise when I found out that our upright, dependable school janitor is actually a prolific liar. Care to explain everything that everyone here has been conveniently avoiding? And just so we're clear—I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Her voice was deceptively sweet, but Shirou wasn’t fooled. Her fingers twitched at her sides as if itching to fire a spell at him the moment she felt justified. Was she angry at him? Or just on edge with Rider’s presence looming nearby? Hard to tell, but both were dangerous possibilities.
“Um… It’s complicated, Tohsaka.” He forced an awkward smile. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you or anything. Also, you and Sakura just came out of a life-or-death fight. Maybe you should sit down? I’ll bring something to drink—”
“—I am the Second Owner of Fuyuki.” She cut him off, her smile stretching unnaturally. “You do know what that means, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah… you see…”
“Oh, so you do know. Which means you also understand exactly what that job entails, right?”
“Ye-yeah… about that…”
“That’s simply wonderful, Emiya-kun.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but the increasing twitch in her eyebrow betrayed her growing frustration. “Now, tell me—what’s the proper procedure when an unregistered magus moves into a Second Owner’s territory?”
Shirou hesitated. “Actually… I was born here, so that doesn’t really apply to me.”
“...”
Black lines formed on the twin-tailed girl's forehead; maybe that wasn't the best answer to give at the moment.
“Hehehehe… I see, I see…” Rin’s laugh was anything but reassuring. The room’s atmosphere dropped a few degrees, and Shirou had no idea how to de-escalate whatever was happening in her head.
He tried to look for help with Sakura since Rider continued to maintain her silence. But all he got in return was a blank stare, showing no intentions whatsoever to come to his aid. He’d have to do something, the longer this went on the more likely that Rin would lose her cool.
“T-Tohsaka, um… This might be a bit hard to believe, but I was not planning to become a Master in the beginning. I-I even had plans to introduce myself to you at some point! I swear!”
“I see… I see…” Rin continued whispering to herself, unsure whether or not she was even listening at this point anymore, her eyes narrowing like a predator zeroing in on prey. “You have Command Seals and a Servant, which means you’re competing in the Holy Grail War — regardless of the reasons behind your actions. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? Because only a magus is supposed to be able to participate.”
“Well… you see…” Shirou lowered his voice, as if whispering would somehow make this conversation disappear. “I… am one.”
“Huh? I couldn’t quite hear that, Emiya-kun.” Rin cupped a hand to her ear. “Why don’t you try again?”
“I… am one.” He said, his voice steady but barely above a murmur. Rin’s fingers stopped twitching. Instead, they curled into fists.
She started to massage her temples, looking both exhausted and frustrated with everything he said. “Hah… I see. Well I guess it can't be helped.”
“Eh, really?” He was surprised at how easily she accepted that fact.
“OF COURSE NOT, YOU IDIOT!” The girl went ahead and grabbed him by the collar, raising the redhead up with a surprising amount of strength till they were practically face to face. “Tell me why you decided not to reveal yourself to me early on!? You were having so much fun pretending to be a normal student and laughing behind my back at how I kept being in the dark this entire time, didn't you!?”
“N-no I wasn’t. I-I mean, w-well, mages are not supposed to broadcast their whereabouts, T-Tohsaka!” his words came out as gibberish with how fiercely she shook him back and forth.
“Did others know!? Is Ayako involved with all of this!? That four-eyed bastard better not be in the loop because I swear to God I'll break his glasses and nose!”
It was at this moment where he started to finally understand some of the comparisons Luvia would make—wait, this was not the time for that!
“W-Wait, Tohsaka! It's just me! Just me, no one else knew!” Well, Ayako knew he was one, but she didn’t know Rin was. …Best to keep that part a secret for now. Rin did not look like she was in the right mindset to know that… and he was scared she would try to mind-wipe Ayako of those memories. “I-I really am just a regular student who was born here and grew up in the same place as you, I swear! None of it was a lie, and I just did not want to involve the supernatural side with my regular life…”
Finally, it seemed like she calmed down a bit. Perhaps understanding what he meant by that and possibly even empathizing with the choice he made.
She took another deep breath again, dropping him and walking back and forth around his room.
“While that may be the case, the Second Owner of any territory is entitled to know the whereabouts of all mages staying as residents in their territory. So I am equally entitled to that. Care to explain why you did not inform me early on?” She asked again, this time with a much calmer tone.
Well, he supposed this was as good a time as any to share some information about his past with both Rin and Sakura. The latter with whom he hadn't shared such a thing yet.
“To tell you the truth, Tohsaka, my father… was formerly a Master of the last war… he’d also made a lot of enemies. He wanted to make sure I was safe, and to not broadcast my location.”
“Wait, what?” It was clear that Rin’s brain had stopped at that, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Your father, is he…”
“He's dead,” he said bluntly, making her flinch ever so slightly. “Died a long time ago…about five years ago, I grew up in this house all by myself with Fuji-nee keeping me company.”
“Oh…”
He saw the same expression of what appeared to be understanding cross her face. He wondered if it was because she went through something similar, from the little he knew about her situation, he could draw some parallels. “My family isn't exactly like the Tohsaka or Matou. I don't have the same luxury and anonymity is ideal in my case to avoid the troubles plaguing my father to pass onto me.”
“...”
Her gaze was no longer focused on him, she looked away, Sakura moved to sitting next to him with her hand on his shoulders as if to sooth him. Appreciating the gesture, the boy gave her a smile.
Finally, Rin broke her silence, “Listen, I won't hound you about this matter anymore, but for someone who wants to avoid trouble, you sure did a terrific job at it now that you're a Master. Wait… so what was that thing with you and the Einzbern? You called her your sister… don't tell me you're an Einzbern, you don't look like one.”
“It's complicated,” that was the best way he could summarize the entire situation.
“I'll need more than that, Emiya-kun,” Rin said while crossing her arms.
“I'm… adopted?”
“Seriously? That makes it more confusing.”
“Told you, it's complicated.” Before he revealed everything to someone who was basically a stranger, he needed to find a way to resolve the misunderstanding Illya had about his father first. “While I may not be related to her by blood, I still consider her as family. Which is why in the future, I hope you two don't end up killing one another.”
“... You know what? Tea sounds good.” Perhaps unable to endure comprehending this entire mess, she admitted defeat and backed off. Now all three girls took a seat near the table with him coming over with a tray in hand a few minutes later.
Rin eyed him weirdly when he passed a cup of tea to Rider, but did not comment on it.
“So, start from the beginning. How’d you summon your Servant and why?”
Immediately going for the crux of the matter, wasn't she? Not that he could blame her.
“Like I said, a complete accident. I was in my workshop inside the shed. As usual, practicing my magecraft with some standard reinforcement and projection.” He said while pointing in the direction of the shed outside.
“Seriously? That's your workshop? And did you just tell me about your Magecraft?” Rin whispered in disbelief, given the doors to that place were left open when she came in.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
The girl's eyelids twitched, the tea not helping from the looks of it. Sakura chuckled, “He's being serious, Nee-san. That's just how Senpai is, he really likes that shed, I even used to wake him up regularly there.”
“... You actually let others enter your workshop?” Her disbelief grew, now replaced with shock when he nodded at her question.
He shrugged, “It's not like I have anything to hide there, I can barely perform basic magecraft. You're free to take a look if you don't believe me.” Good thing he hid the book Luvia gave him somewhere else. The last thing he wanted was Luvia’s twin sister to come for him because he let her research be read by a Tohsaka. “Though not today, I still need to clean up the oil spill from the bike I'm working on.”
“O-Oil spill? Bike?”
Rider decided to offer her own two cents. “You should be careful with the oil and make sure you don’t spill it to places where it might interfere with its functions, as it can tend to overfill. Also, you should get a standard bicycle, as exercising one’s legs is equally important and is more fluent in control.”
Rin started to massage her temples again, “Just… Just keep going.”
Shirou figured that it would be best if he kept the details to a minimum. If the shed part was already giving her a headache, then he would rather not imagine what the other things would do. “So yeah, I accidentally cut myself, a bit of my blood fell on the old summoning circle that I did not even know was there, and next thing I knew, Rider appeared.”
On cue, the Servant next to him bowed her head briefly to greet Rin for the first time.
“So that's kinda it. Ever since that day, both Rider and I have just patrolled Fuyuki at night and stopped any person from causing trouble.”
Sakura sipped her tea, curiously looking between them.
“You… didn’t even properly summon her… You know that may cause problems, is your connection even stable?”
Rider answered. “While it could be better, I can confirm at present there aren’t any immediately pressing problems.”
The conversation went on for a few more minutes, most of the questions were about smaller things concerning the Chimera monsters which he admitted having no idea from where exactly they came from. But also sharing the information for it to be the work of another Master.
It was then he brought up his meeting with Caster. Mentioning how their interaction was very brief before she was called back by her Master.
“Caster has already been summoned as well? Good, so that means that class is still available…” Rin muttered under her breath, letting out a sigh of relief. “Hold on, so Rider, Berserker, and Caster. That still leaves Lancer, Saber, Assassin, and Archer. Hmm, so that means a twenty-five percent chance for me… not bad.”
“That's accounting for whether or not someone else hasn't already summoned a Servant, Nee-san,” Sakura added, a notion that Rin could not deny.
“Why the hell did that fake priest not inform me about any of this?” She muttered with frustration. “This is unacceptable. At least I know that bitch hasn't started summoning yet, but I don't know about Lord El-Meloi…”
She went on a small tangent, talking to herself for the most part while they remained silent. Her face, which previously showed relief, now became more grave when came to a conclusion after a minute of thinking. Her eyes darted towards the clock in his living room before getting up hastily. “Alright then, we'll continue this conversation later, Emiya-kun. I need to handle something first!”
She looked at Sakura, the latter shaking her head with a silent message being exchanged between them. Rin’s shoulders released a tension she didn’t know she was holding, and she looked more relaxed. Sakura decided to offer her own opinion on the matter, though just in case. “I’m not sure what’ll happen in the future just yet, though, a lot of things could change.”
Rin's face took a grim outlook, but she resolved herself that that was a future problem.
“Alright then, I'll let you off the hook for now. But this isn't over!” Her voice trailed off as she ran outside, not making it hard for Shirou to guess why she was in such a hurry.
‘She’s going to summon her Servant tonight, isn’t she?’ Rider turned to Shirou, continuing to relay the message through their connection. ‘Would you like me to stop her?’
Stop Rin huh… that did sound like a good idea at first. Making sure that the girl would not get involved in what the future held and hopefully stay away from these conflicts.
But in the end, he shook his head. ‘No, I think maybe we can help each other.’
‘You’re not sure yourself. Everyone has a wish.’ She did not explicitly say it, but he understood what the woman was trying to insinuate.
‘I don't think Tohsaka is the kind of person to sacrifice everything for a wish, she genuinely cares about Sakura and even tried to protect her against Berserker. Does that sound to you like someone who will do anything for a wish?’
‘I suppose not, but I still advise you to remain cautious, Shirou.’
A typical Magus would go to any length to achieve their ultimate goal to reach the Root. From his understanding, whether it be sacrificing others or even themselves, the end justifies the means kind of mindset.
Of course, he disagreed with that way of thinking. It was far too cruel and inhumane in many ways and was not worth it in his opinion. Even with Luvia's reminder upon their first meeting, he knew that this way of thinking was pretty common in the Mage Association.
But not everyone was the same, hopefully, Rin would not get blinded by that goal.
“I think we should go to bed, ah, is there anything you wanted to ask me, Sakura?” He almost forgot about that part, the girl deserved an answer more than Rin did.
She did not say anything at first, she gazed focused on the half empty cup of tea. Her silence felt more suffocating than Rin's glare he had to admit. “Senpai… I know this may not be my place to say, but what you did today… You could have died.”
Oh, at that moment, he got a familiar sensation of where this conversation was heading.
“I understand you have a history with her and she is important to you, but what if she did not share those sentiments?” She asked plainly, her voice silent as a whisper reached his ears. “You would have died.”
“A-Ahaha… you don't have to worry about that, Sakura. It wasn't like I didn’t have a plan at the time.” He gave her a similar response to what he told Rider. “Had things gone south, I would have simply escaped with both of you and let Rider by us some time.”
Rather than accept the answer he gave, the girl instead looked at him straight in the eyes. He felt as if he was being seen through, once again, the same sensation he got from Rider previously.
“... It was because of me in the end. Again and again, I always have to be the one being rescued.”
Shirou’s eyes widened, a hint of panic settling in as he quickly started to dissuade that idea from her head. “What are you saying, Sakura? It wasn’t your fault, I was the one who made you feel uncomfortable that’s why you left. Both you and Rin were in danger back then, there is no way either of you could have stood a chance against Illya and she was targeting you because of me. So if it's anyone's fault, then really it's mine.”
She smiled, yet for some reason that smile looked different from her regular self.
“Even if it was for another reason or someone else's fault… you would have still jumped in regardless, wouldn't you, senpai?”
“...”
He tried to say something in return, yet his following words got stuck at the tip of his tongue when he realized what he was about to do. He promised her to not lie.
His silence served as an answer to the young girl who chuckled with an emotion he could not truly see through yet. “You don't have to force yourself to lie. I know you, that's the kind of person you truly are and regardless of who I was — you would jump into danger to save me or anyone, wouldn't you?”
He wanted to say otherwise, to try and appease her worries with soothing words. But the only thing that came out of his mouth was a simple, “Yes. I won't blindly risk my life, but if I can be of any help, then why shouldn't I help them, I don’t think it’s wrong to help someone in need, like Kiritsugu did for me. I was as good as dead, but he still saved my life, that’s why I truly feel that if someone wants to hold out their hand, then there shouldn’t be anything wrong with it?”
The girl's eyes widened, and he saw shock within them which confused him at first.
“I see,” in the end, she just smiled. “You really are helplessly kind, senpai.” It felt like there was more she wanted to say at the moment but held herself back. He did not force it out of her, simply waiting to see what she would ask next. “I think… I think I'm starting to understand the kind of person you are.”
Sakura stood up, looking better than before with a more serene expression. “It’s late, best we head to bed.”
Eh? Was that all she had to ask? Shirou was expecting more questions from her, like details on Illya, his past, Kiritsugu’s story, or even questions concerning his summoning of Rider and their activities lately.
But just as she mentioned, Sakura turned around and walked back to her room, leaving him and Ride—“Hm?” The Servant who had been next to him the entire time had disappeared when he was about to turn around and ask if she knew what was going on with Sakura. The two were getting along quite well lately, so he hoped to get some insights.
Yet, she wasn't there.
“Maybe she's right, I also need some rest.”
A lot happened today, his limbs felt sore and the sense of fatigue he kept ignoring leered its head back in himself. Both mentally and physically tired, he cleaned up the table and cups before heading back to his room. Paying little attention to his surroundings before collapsing onto the futon with his head facing the ceiling.
…
“I’ll talk to Sakura tomorrow… maybe she'll be in a better mood.”
Then there was Rin he had to deal with and he was certain Luvia would come knocking at his door at any point after what happened of his encounter with Illya, he needed to thank her for patching him up. Bazett… he was not even sure what that woman was planning on doing during all of this. Had she already summoned a Servant? Maybe, maybe not.
The longer this war continued on for, the more lost he felt. Too many things were happening at the same time and he was not sure whether or not he'd be able to keep up in the end.
Flashes of fire and a crimson Moon resurfaced, the screams of those who died, the things he endured just to live escaping that place alone, it all served as fuel for him to continue this endeavor. He could not stop, that was not a luxury allowed to someone like him. He had to make sure that it did not occur again.
He closed his eyes, waiting for slumber to take over and wake up in the morning with the sounds of birds chirping. Yet at that moment, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps drawing closer to his door.
Most likely just Rider coming back from talking to Sakura.
The door to his room was softly slid open, a few squeaks from the wooden floor occurring as the person walked closer.
Strange, Rider, despite having a physical form, never made any sounds when wandering around his house. He sometimes even joked about it being similar to that of a ghost.
Given her nature as a Heroic Spirit, he was not that far off the mark.
His ears picked up the sound of fabric softly falling to the ground.
But in the middle of his thoughts, the red-headed boy froze when he felt a weight settle on the lower part of his futon. Crawling upwards till something got close enough to tickle his nose and the weight now sitting on his stomach.
Shirou cracked his eyes open, expecting to see Rider standing over him like some ethereal night watchman. Instead, he was met with Sakura—completely, utterly, and inconveniently naked—perched over him. His brain short-circuited. The soft warmth for her overly developed body he’d felt earlier that morning came rushing back with the subtlety of a freight train. His thoughts went blank, as if someone had hit the reset button on his brain.
“... This morning, I was afraid.” She whispered quietly, her hand slowly gliding over his chest till they slipped beneath his shirt. “I know Rider wanted the best for me, but I could not accept crossing that line.”
He could barely understand what she was saying at the moment, his heart beating a thousand miles a second with thousands of thoughts rampaging within his head trying to make sense of the situation. Despite all of that, he did not look away… he just couldn't, transfixed on the beauty sitting on top of him — he was entranced.
“I am dirty, senpai. I am not a virgin.” Sakura said, her voice breaking slightly over those words, similar to what she said this morning. “You are so good to me, you took me in without any hesitation and even went so far as to face my grandfather back then, yet every day I stayed with you, I couldn't stop myself from having depraved thoughts about you every night. I would look at your face whenever you were sleeping for hours, use your clothes and touch myself, sleep in your bed to take in your scent to calm myself, and more things you can't even imagine. You have no idea the length I went through just to control myself around you and you just kept making things harder for me. That’s why, I knew that I wasn’t good enough for you, that you deserved better.”
‘That’s…not true…’
He wanted to say something but found himself incapable.
She removed the other hand that was covering her chest, hiding nothing from his eyes. “But now… I want to be selfish. I-I don't want to feel tainted, so… just for today… I want you to love me, senpai. Make me your woman.”
Steel Eyed Faker Chapter 16: Save the Selfless Part 1
Fully Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Aweso
2025-03-20 23:48:58 +0000 UTC View PostHound of the Dead Chapter 10
Not beta read yet.
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Lyrical Sword Chapter 15
Commissioned chapter and beta read by Opal.
Next update is Hound.
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-Midchilda-
A few hours passed since they left Shirou's apartment, two young mages sat inside their shared quarters, engaged in what had become a near-daily ritual—strategizing. Though Teana could say it was closer to her listening to an hour long rant and random plans from her friend.
“—then I'll sneak up behind him and grab onto him like a koala if I have to, and you shoot him!” Subaru declared excitedly, doing push-ups in the middle of their room, her body covered in sweat. Wearing a dark blue, form-fitting halter-style crop top with a high collar and dark shorts.
Teana, on the other hand, simply hummed in response, her eyes still focused on the book she was reading. Only stopping when a particular thought about her partner’s plan crossed her mind.
“Not ideal. He can just dodge you. Stealth isn’t exactly your strong suit—if you haven’t noticed by now.”
It made sense. Both of them had fought the redhead before and trained together recently, gaining a deeper understanding of his capabilities with and without his Barrier Jacket. The guy could literally slice her bullets mid-air somehow, even when she fired multiple shots. Not just block or dodge them but actually cut through every single one which required more focus which made her believe he was doing so deliberately to taunt her.
“It’s best to just overwhelm him as soon as possible. He’ll eventually get tired out and make mistakes. Or deplete his Mana reserves, this one sounds more feasible than a stealth approach.”
“As if that’s helped us in the past. We’ve tried that twice, and it didn’t work.” Subaru argued back, this time stretching his legs. “He'll just come to us and go on the offensive. His arrows hurt like hell.”
“But at least it’s better than your weird idea—and the fact that you were willing to try stealth. Hmph, what a silly idea.”
“What do you mean by that!? I’ll have you know that if I wanted to, I could be the best at combat stealth! I could blend into the darkness like an assassin from those movies!”
The twin-tailed girl made a mental note to stop indulging her friend in watching those kinds of films.
“Still, I think you have a better chance of punching him in the face with your own strength rather than trying to be sneaky. It just doesn’t suit you, no matter how I look at it.”
For the past hour, they had been debating different ways to outmatch him, going through several strategies—some reasonable, others so ridiculous that even Teana had to do a double take, wondering if she had heard correctly. This had become their routine by now—not that she hated it, but it was starting to get tiresome hearing all the crazy ideas her partner came up with.
“It’s not like he’s unbeatable through regular means,” Subaru muttered with a small pout. “It’s just that those swords of his are a pain to deal with. Without them, he should be much more manageable.”
“Well, yeah, that’s like saying we’d be easier to beat without our devices. The same applies to Instructor Takamichi and Captain Testarossa.“ She resisted the urge to wince upon recalling how deadly those weapons were when wielded by two women. “Other than that, the only way I see us beating him is through regular practice and getting familiar with his fighting style. The problem is that his style, in particular, seems to change every time—it’s not consistent.”
It was like facing a different opponent every day. Sometimes, he would even switch to a different weapon, wielding it with the same level of mastery, which baffled her. It already took years if not decades for a single person to master a single type of weapon, but Shirou proved himself to be a Master in all categories except for hand to hand.
At least with the latter he regularly kept getting overpowered by Subaru and even her at times.
Nevertheless, did she find it unfair how his abilities worked? A bit. It was an emotion that had died down over time, but some envy still remained.
Teana was certain that if he were limited to using only guns, he would still perform just as well—if not better—than her. Oh who was she kidding… he already was better than her upon his first target practice. That was a demoralizing thought, especially considering how much time and effort she had poured into reaching this level, only for someone else to achieve it through sheer talent alone.
“Yeah, that makes sense. No matter how much I think I’ve improved, I still have a hard time keeping up with that man. But at least we get to have fun. I don’t think I’ve made this much progress since I was training with my sister.”
That, Teana could agree with. Despite all their losses, they always came out of each match having learned something new. Even if it was just a slight improvement, it was still progress. The worst possible thing to face at this moment would be stagnation, but with Shirou around that was impossible.
Finishing her routine, Subaru yawned before going over to the kitchen and grabbing onto a bottle of water. Looking outside the window with a strange glint in her eyes. “You know, even though it’s only been a few hours since we left his apartment, I already kind of want to go back.”
“You’re hungry again?”
The blue haired mage chuckled, “Not really. It’s just that whenever we’re all there, it’s more fun, and time passes more quickly. Other than combat, Shirou’s fun to talk to and, well… I just feel more comfortable there. I'm curious to hear more of his stories about his world. Plus trying to get a reaction out of Lutecia is another form of entertainment. Doesn’t he give you the same feeling?”
“…He kinda reminds me of my mother,” Teana admitted. “Hard to believe that someone like him prioritizes housework and cooking more than anything else. He guards his kitchen more vehemently than his own Barrier Jacket or even his sword. He never uses Rubin outside of training and sometimes even forgets he had it on.”
She still remembered how casually he had let them observe and even test his weapons, showing no concern about them damaging or misusing them. But when it came to his kitchen, the moment she set foot inside just to retrieve a simple knife, she felt his eyes burning holes into the back of her head, scrutinizing her every movement as if she were about to destroy something. And when he was cooking, no one except Lutecia was allowed inside.
“Hahaha! Yeah, I get what you're saying. Ah man, now I really want to go there. You know, we should organize a sleepover, not just ending up asleep there because we drank a lot but an actual sleepover. I bet I can get a reaction out of Lutecia if we can sneak up on Shirou and mess with his face a bit.”
“He'll get mad at you. Get ready to be on the receiving end of an hour long scolding.” She reminded the girl who just grinned.
“I know, I like seeing him become like that.”
There was something odd about the way Subaru had said those words. Teana had noticed small changes in her partner’s behavior lately. It wasn’t that obvious at first, but the more time they spent with Shirou, the clearer it became.
“Hey… do you like Shirou?”
“Pft!”
The moment Teana asked, Subaru spat out the water she had been drinking, coughing violently as she nearly choked. She pounded her chest a few times, her face turning red—not just from the coughing but from sheer embarrassment as if caught red handed.
“W-What!? What is that supposed to mean!?” she stammered, her voice slightly higher-pitched than usual.
Teana raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “You know exactly what I mean. Do you have feelings for Shirou?”
A deep blush spread across Subaru’s face as she scrambled to recover. Her eyes darted around the room, deliberately avoiding Teana’s gaze, and she let out an obviously forced laugh.
“W-Why would you even ask something like that!?”
“Because you’ve been acting differently around him lately.” Teana leaned forward slightly, watching Subaru closely. “You’re always trying to come up with ways to drag him into some activity like training or sparring, but it feels more like you just want an excuse to spend time with him. And then there’s the way you keep bringing him up in conversation, even when it’s not about training.”
Subaru wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, composing herself. “It’s not like I’m acting any differently with him than I do with you. He’s just a teammate I get along with really well. Just because we share some laughs and I like eating his cooking doesn’t mean I have feelings for him,” she huffed, crossing her arms.
Unfortunately, her friend wasn’t so easily convinced. “Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you enjoy his company a little more than just as a teammate.”
Subaru waved her hands frantically. “Okay, if you’re gonna look at it that way, then what about Fate and Nanoha? They act way weirder around him than I do! Does that mean they’re in love with him too!?”
That made the gunslinger raise an eyebrow. “What if they were?”
Subaru froze. Her body stiffened as if she had been hit with a stun spell, her eyes widening in shock. She grabbed her water bottle, quickly taking a few gulps before setting it down. A few moments of silence passed before she muttered under her breath,
“Well… if that’s the case, I don’t see anything wrong with it.” She hesitated for a second, then continued, “Instructor Nanoha does seem to have a good time with Shirou, and Fate’s been getting closer to him lately. She was even using his kitchen today, and you know how much he guards that place.”
That much was true. If it had been anyone else, Teana wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But she had noticed small details, little things that stood out—Nanoha’s slight frown whenever Shirou was hanging out with others while she was busy with training, the way her expressions softened when she talked to him, the way Fate would quietly observe him when he wasn’t paying attention. Alone, these details didn’t mean much, but together, they painted a picture Teana couldn’t ignore.
She decided to push one step further. “Would it bother you if it were true?”
Subaru went still again, letting out a slow, tired sigh and shook her head. “Why would it matter if I was okay with it or not? It’s their lives, not mine. I’d be happy for Shirou and either of them, no matter who ends up with who.”
Her voice was steady, but there was something off about the way she said it.
Teana narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Subaru said quickly, almost too quickly. Then, as if realizing how defensive she sounded, she coughed into her hand and looked away. “…Besides, I don’t have time to think about stuff like that. I have too much to focus on.”
Teana crossed her arms. “Oh? And what exactly is keeping you so busy?”
Subaru straightened up. “The whole situation with Jail Scaglietti and the Relics! We don’t have time to think about relationships. You saw how the last attack went. What happens next time if he sends more drones or if he figures out our abilities better and uses it to make better drones that we won't be able to destroy that easily? I don’t want to face that kind of future. I don’t want to let it happen just because I was too distracted by my own feelings and neglected my training. That’s not why I came here.”
She clenched her fists slightly, a faint tension in her posture. Teana watched her carefully, noting the way her voice was firm but carried a trace of something else—doubt, frustration, maybe even resignation.
“…And besides,” Subaru added in a quieter tone, her fingers idly tapping against the water bottle in her hands, “it’s not like I’d even know what to do about it if I did feel something.”
Teana blinked. That was… unexpectedly honest.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Subaru shrugged, shifting uncomfortably. “I mean, I don’t really think about that kind of stuff. It’s not like I’ve ever had a—” She paused, scrunching her nose, as if struggling with the words. “…a crush on someone before.”
Teana stared at her. “Seriously?”
“What!? I’ve been busy, okay!?” Subaru huffed, turning her face away. “First it was training, then missions, and then more training… It’s not like I had time to sit around thinking about romance or any of that.”
Teana gave her a skeptical look. “You’re telling me you’ve never had feelings for anyone? Not even a little?”
Subaru groaned, rubbing her temples. “Why are we even talking about this!?”
“Because I brought it up,” she said flatly. “Plus I'm curious now.”
In return, her friend shot her a half-hearted glare before slumping her shoulders with a defeated sigh. “Fine, whatever. No, I haven’t. Happy?”
Teana wasn’t entirely convinced, but she decided to let it slide—at least for now.
“…You know, you’re pretty dense about this kind of thing,” she muttered.
Subaru frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just an observation.”
Subaru grumbled under her breath, taking another sip of her water. “Yeah, well, maybe I just have better things to worry about.”
Shaking her head, Teana knew there was more to this than Subaru was willing to admit, but it wasn’t her problem to solve. At least, not yet. She couldn't say anything in return to that, because, deep down, she understood. It made sense, and truthfully, sharing the same sentiment. Teana didn't have any romantic feelings for Shirou, but she saw him as a close friend—someone she trusted, someone she knew had her back. Keeping him safe, along with everyone else, was a priority.
And now, with Lutecia added to the mix, the list of people she wanted to protect was only growing. The harsh reality was that, at her current level, she was still far from reaching the strength of someone like Nanoha or Fate. That knowledge frustrated her, but at the same time, it fueled her drive to get stronger.
"Guess we’ll have to stay single for a while longer," Teana muttered, half-joking, half-serious.
This managed to make Subaru let out a weak, resigned laugh, stretching her arms behind her head as she leaned back. "Would be convenient if we could all date the same person without having to worry about anything else and still focus on our duties. Life would be much easier and less awkward."
Teana blinked.
Then—
"PFT!" This time, she was the one to nearly choke on her drink, coughing violently as she tried to process what she had just heard. "What the hell are you saying right now!?" She slammed her bottle down, eyes wide in disbelief. "And why did you say ‘us’!? I'm not involved in whatever delusional fantasy you have about Shirou!"
Subaru immediately realized what had just slipped from her mouth, her face turning red in an instant. "Ah! I didn't mean it like that!" She waved her hands frantically, desperate to take it back. "I was just talking about Nanoha and Fate! I wouldn't want them competing over someone and possibly ruining their relationship! So, like... it’d be easier if they could just share the love together? B-But as if that will ever happen, t-that’s just crazy, h-hahaha!"
The twin-tailed mage narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh. "You clearly said ‘us,’ though," she pointed out, narrowing her eyes as she leaned closer. "That means you were thinking about yourself too."
"You heard it wrong!" Subaru blurted out, looking anywhere but at Teana. "You're just mishearing things because you got kicked in the head during training today!"
Teana arched an eyebrow. "You were the one who got kicked, not me."
The moment that realization sank in, Subaru visibly twitched. "T-That’s not the point!"
Teana, seeing an opportunity, grinned. "Wait, so you do want to turn this into some kind of harem? What, like an old-school monarchy where one guy gets multiple wives? Oh my, that's some strange taste you have there~ What would Ginka say?"
Subaru sputtered. "That’s it! I had enough of you!"
She lunged at her friend, locking her in a vice grip and aggressively ruffling her hair and even starting to tickle her stomach vehemently.
"H-Hey, not the hair—hahaha! S-Stop it! I can't breathe!" Teana gasped between bursts of laughter, squirming as Subaru moved to tickle her mercilessly.
"You heard it wrong, and that’s final!" Subaru declared, doubling down on her attack.
The two wrestled for a few moments before she finally released her. Teana sat back, panting slightly, catching her breath while Subaru did the same.
After a moment, the orangette smirked. "Alright, alright, I give up. That’s what you said. I heard nothing else."
Subaru gave her a triumphant nod. "Good."
But the smirk Teana wore told a different story. She wasn’t going to let this go. Not yet.
She wasn’t going to tell Shirou outright—no, that’d be too easy. Instead, she’d get back at Subaru in a much more subtle way. Little things, small remarks, just enough to make her notice but not enough for anyone else to catch on.
Just as she was scheming, the sharp ring of a phone cut through the moment.
Ring!
Ring!
Pulled away from their thoughts, both girls were taken aback by the sudden frantic sound of the doorbell ringing. The unexpected noise snapped them back to reality, prompting them to quickly stand and straighten themselves out, fixing their slightly disheveled hair.
"Who could it be at this hour? Did you order something?" Teana asked, brushing a few loose strands of hair back into place.
Subaru shook her head. "Nope. Maybe it's Shirou?"
As soon as that name left her mouth, Subaru flinched, her entire body tensing up as she shot the other girl a sharp glare. She could already see where this was going.
She smirked at her reaction but quickly raised her hands in mock surrender. "Relax, relax. I'm not going to say anything about what just happened. You know me better than that."
Subaru exhaled, shaking her head. "Yeah, I guess I’m just a bit cranky."
Without saying much else, both of them headed toward the door at the same time. She noticed how Subaru’s eyes subtly flicked toward her, as if making sure she wouldn’t try anything sneaky while answering the door. The lack of trust was almost insulting. Almost. She decided to let it slide—for now.
When opening the door, she was expecting to see Shirou's familiar red hair. But instead, she was met with the sight of a small, trembling figure standing in the dimly lit corridor.
"...Lutecia?" she said, blinking in surprise.
The little girl stood alone, surrounded by darkness, her usually composed face contorted in distress. Something was wrong.
"What are you doing here?" Teana asked, instinctively looking past Lutecia, expecting to see Shirou nearby. But there was no sign of him. That was strange—there was no way he would just let his young protégé wander around at night without keeping a close watch.
Then, to their shock, Lutecia suddenly clenched her fists and trembled, her large, expressive eyes filled with an emotion they had never seen from her before—fear.
"It’s Shirou," she whispered, her voice barely steady. "H-He said he'd be back in a few minutes but it has been three hours and he hasn’t come back yet! Please help me—I can’t reach him!"
The desperate plea sent an immediate chill down Teana’s spine. Subaru, without hesitation, stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the frightened girl, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Teana."
"I’m on it."
Teana didn’t waste a second. She grabbed her device, swiftly dialing Shirou’s number. The phone rang. Once. Twice. A full minute passed, but no answer.
Frowning, she tried again. And again. Each call went unanswered.
Glancing up, meeting Subaru’s increasingly concerned gaze. The heavy silence that followed made the air feel thick with tension.
"He’s not picking up," she confirmed grimly. Her words only made Lutecia’s small body tremble harder.
.
.
.
(Around the same time)
Back at Nanoha's apartment, the brown-haired girl stepped out of the bathroom, draped in nothing but a soft bathrobe, a machine gently drying her damp hair. Padding barefoot across the room, heading towards her bed, where Fate was already lying comfortably in her nightgown, eyes focused on her screen.
"Has Vivio fallen asleep?" Nanoha asked as she quickly changed into her sleepwear. However, the moment she glanced over, she had her answer—Vivio was curled up against Fate, hugging her tightly, her small chest rising and falling in peaceful slumber.
"Well, that was fast," Nanoha chuckled. "She was full of energy just ten minutes ago."
Fate smiled, gently brushing a few strands of golden hair from Vivio's face. "You know how kids are. She was probably exhausted after playing around with us all day. And she wouldn’t stop asking me to take her back to Shirou’s apartment."
Both girls laughed, recalling how heartbroken Vivio had looked when they had to leave.
"I'm glad she’s gotten so comfortable around others so quickly," Nanoha said, sitting down on the bed beside them. "At this rate, it won’t be long before she gets used to being around other kids, too."
"It’s not just Vivio," Fate added, amusement clear in her voice. "Lutecia was looking forward to meeting Shirou too."
Nanoha blinked. "Oh?"
"You saw her expression when she tried your cooking," Fate teased, eyes glinting with mischief. "Safe to say, she was pretty disappointed. I think she’d much rather have a certain redhead’s home-cooked meals instead."
Nanoha pouted, feeling a twinge of defeat. She hated to admit it, but Fate had a point. Shirou’s cooking was leagues above hers, and even the high-quality meals she ordered didn't quite measure up.
"Well, excuse me," she huffed. "She didn’t like your cooking either!"
Fate simply smirked, resting her chin on her palm. "Someone sounds jealous. But you're not wrong, maybe I should ask Shirou to give me private cooking lessons? I bet I’d improve really quickly with him as my teacher. Fufu~!"
Nanoha’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. For a brief moment, she thought Fate was just teasing her again, but the earnest look on her face said otherwise. With a twitching eye, she kept smiling but her brain stormed with several ideas until a certain agreement between her and Shirou surfaced.
"That might be a bit difficult," Nanoha said, crossing her arms. "Shirou and I already made plans to spar soon."
Fate raised an eyebrow. "He actually agreed to that?" Her voice carried genuine disbelief.
Nanoha’s eye twitched again. "Oi, what’s with that reaction? If this is about the Divine Buster thing again, I swear, I’ll unleash one in our next spar just to make you forget about it!"
Fate chuckled, shaking her head. "No, no, it’s just surprising. But maybe you can reschedule. After all, me learning to cook would mean our dear daughter would get to enjoy more of her father’s meals."
Nanoha froze mid-speech from what she was about to say next as all thoughts came to a screeching halt.
"...Excuse me, what?"
For a second, the woman believed she had misheard, but the more she replayed the words in her head, the more she realized she hadn't. Her expression shifted to one of pure, unfiltered shock as she stared at Fate, who remained perfectly calm.
Seeing her reaction, Fate finally let out a sheepish laugh. "Oh! Sorry! It’s just a silly little joke Shirou and I have between us. Since we agreed to take care of Vivio together, it kinda ended up with me and him joking about being parents to the girls. With me as Vivio’s mother and him as Lutecia’s father~!”
Nanoha stayed quiet for a moment before silently uttering, “He’s more like a brother to her than a father, and Lutecia is clearly more attached to m—”
Her words were abruptly cut off by the sudden ringing of her phone. Glancing down at her watch, she noted the caller’s name and was surprised to see it was none other than Subaru.
“For her to call this late… that’s unusual,” she murmured, her brows furrowing.
Fate, who had also noticed the name, shifted slightly on the bed, setting her device aside. “Yeah… it’s not like her to call unless it’s important.”
Curious and slightly concerned, Nanoha wasted no time answering. The moment she did, however, she was met with Subaru’s panicked voice, frantic and uneven, the distress in her tone immediately setting off alarm bells in her mind.
The first few seconds from confusion showed on her face as try to grasp what was being mentioned on the other side of the call. Until a few seconds later where her eyes widened and her face started to lose its color. Her grip faltered, and before she even realized it, the phone slipped from her hand, landing with a dull thud on the floor.
“Nanoha?” Fate called, alarmed by her friend’s reaction. The brunette’s eyes were wide with disbelief, her expression stiff.
Fate quickly reached out, touching her shoulder. “What happened?”
Nanoha swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper as the words left her lips.
“Shirou is missing.”
{Break}
(A few hours later)
An acute pain spread across his consciousness the moment the smallest trace of light reached Shirou’s eyes. It had all happened far too quickly for him to recall everything perfectly. The memories felt fragmented, like wandering aimlessly through a thick fog, unable to grasp the full picture. He could barely remember anything beyond the terrified, pain-stricken voices of those who fought.
The only bits that came back were the start of the battle—before whatever they had given him took effect. The symptoms were unmistakable, as if moving through water. Every motion felt sluggish, his mind clouded, his limbs weighed down as though burdened by countless boulders. Each attack required immense effort, yet retreat was never an option. Defeat was unacceptable. He had no choice but to push himself beyond his limits.
There were gaps in his memory—flashes of blood, but he couldn't be certain whether he had actually killed anyone or if that blood was of his own.
“Hnngh…”
Regardless of it all, the only thing he could do now was exhale a deep breath, forcing his eyes to fully open and immediately come to face a gray ceiling. The cold surface of a metal bed on his back with his limb enchained making any movements impossible. Limbs… at least That meant he did not lose them during the fight and overall a good outcome in his opinion. The countless burns and bruises across his body told him that the fight did not go as smoothly as he would have liked. Even without looking, he felt several deep cuts across his body, perhaps a few broken bones and even internal bleeding.
As he was about to use Structural Analysis to check his condition, the boy was immediately shocked when nothing happened.
“What?” It was a strange sensation, where as soon as the magical energy within his body was about to follow his command, a heavy sense of nausea immediately hit him followed by an intense migrant severe enough to make it feel like his head would crack open at any moment. “Aaaargh!” He let out a pained cry, almost losing consciousness once more though barely able to hang on as the pain started to fade away.
“Don't bother, every time you try to harness your energy my device activates and blocks such things.” An arrogant voice spoke, raising his head, Shirou came to stare at the mad scientist walking in with a smirk on his face and accompanied by a couple of a few faces he recognized and some he did not. Most of which seemed to have suffered from grave injuries, one even missing a limb.
They were those that he remembered faintly facing.
The one catching his eyes being the smallest of the bunch, a girl with white hair and an eye patch. “I admit, I couldn't find a way to neutralize your circuits without causing permanent damage, so I had to get creative. Fascinating to see such a different system—I was half a mind to extract, copy, and recreate it. But honestly, it does not offer that much advantage compared to a Mana Core… how unfortunate.”
The blue-haired scientist spoke casually, almost amused yet genuinely disappointed at his findings.
"Sorry to be a disappointment," Shirou said dryly, giving the man a deadpan stare. He tried to move his limbs but had no success. "What do you want?"
Thankfully, nothing on his body seemed to have been modified, nor had he been cut open. Having heard plenty of horror stories from the Clocktower, he greatly preferred to avoid being on the receiving end of such treatment.
“Come now, there is no need for such hostilities between us. I am no villain, despite what the TSAB would like you to believe. I merely wish to make the world a better place and even use my knowledge to send you back home.”
"You honestly think I'll believe you after the attack you just launched on Midchilda?" Shirou scoffed. Did this man take him for an idiot? "Also, kidnapping me in the middle of the night doesn’t exactly help your case."
"What other choice did I have?" Jail sighed, sounding almost exasperated. "It's already difficult enough to get a hold of you for a simple video call, and even when I do, you are openly hostile and unwilling to listen to my side of the story. I had to take some… extreme measures just to ensure I could meet you and make sure you actually hear me out this time."
"Let me guess—brainwashing?"
That made the doctor laugh, finding that answer more comical than anything else. "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s start from the beginning."
The man gently placed a hand on his chest and gave a curt bow.
"I am Jail Scaglietti, former scientist of the Time Space Administrative Bureau. My research is still being used to this day. Everything I have created has always been for the benefit of humankind, and yet I was labeled a villain and cast aside while the very same things I was condemned for are now being utilized without hesitation. Tell me, Emiya Shirou, doesn't that sound like pure hypocrisy?” He asked, showing an expression of distaste and resentment at the memory of the past. “Those people at the top, they are bigger monsters than I can ever become, I only wish you could see that.”
“Does not matter. I only trust those that have helped me before. Hayate and her group have proven to me on more than one occasion that I can at the very least trust them instead of TSAB as a whole. You are worse, so far, you have given me nothing but more reasons to distrust you. Lying to Lutecia, using her abilities to do your bidding and causing this much destruction.”
“Because that is the only way these people will understand!” He argued back. “Do you think I have not tried reasoning with them before I was forced to leave? They did not listen, all day they cared about prioritizing their own interests. With my inventions, all of the research I have contributed to the world, we could end all conflicts across the galaxy and establish true peace.”
“Is that why you are trying to gather the relics?”
At that, the man smirked. “Peace cannot be achieved through just words and flimsy agreements signed on paper. It is only temporary, a mere placeholder until one side breaks the scale under the conflict all over again. So unless I do not have the means to make sure such a thing does not happen, I have to create my own way.”
“A weapon?”
“Close,” He stepped back, gesturing at the girls behind him. “Rather advancing evolution. Create a species beyond our current self that will have the power and understanding to enforce peace and lead all of humanity to a much better future. My numbers are proof that this can be achieved. With them, we won't need an entity like the TSAB around who has failed many times in the past and hides behind a curtain of lies.”
So in a few words, he was really trying to create an ultimate weapon in the end. Regardless of how differently he worded it and how he used his goals to justify it. Shirou Just saw it as another man hungry for power and making up excuses to justify them or even fool those around him to aid his cause. He was familiar with these kinds of individuals given how many of them were in the Clocktower.
But that did not completely answer a particular question that had been occupying his mind. “Then why the hell did you kidnap me if the relics are your goal? Do you seriously think that Hayate or the higher-ups will just hand them to you just for my freedom?” It was an absurd idea, even if the girls wanted to take this path for some reason, everyone else would not agree to it.
Which made him think about another reason why Jail captured him.
“I'm serving as bait.” He said, completely affronted by that notion.
Jail clapped his hand, “Wonderful! You are sharper than what I gave you credit for. Yes, you alone wouldn't make a proper bargaining chip if I were to take that path to acquire the relics. Even if Commander Hayate were to cherish you more than others, she would not agree to such a thing. But what if I also had the famous Nanoha Takamichi and Fate Testarossa? Then I am in a much better position to bargain.”
Shirou scoffed, “so much for trying to make me join your cause and understand you.”
“Hahaha! Well that would have been the ideal scenario, I am aware enough to understand how unlikely it is to change your mind now that I've talked to you. Rather come up you are only half right. My goal is not just to use you as bait, that is just wasteful and lazy planning for someone of my intelligence.” He said arrogantly, almost praising himself while the red-headed mage resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Jail worked to a terminal, tapping a few keys on the keyboard until a giant holographic screen appeared mid-air where everyone in the room could see a recorded scene of his first mission with the team. Back when they attempted to stop his drones from stealing the relic on the train and where Erio confronted a variant capable of creating an anti-magic field disabling all devices.
She gazed at the ongoing battle, for it did not last that long as his noble phantasms were able to ignore the field and easily cut through the drone.
“Fascinating, even till this day I am having a hard time to truly grasp how that even happened, which is quite rare for someone who researched practically every branch of science and magic.” depressed a few more keys and another footage played, this one of him fighting Zest.
“That man you fought, while not the same as before, he is still one of the best and most dangerous combatants out there. Filled with many years of experience and a master in his field, to have himself get so overwhelmed and defeated in battle against an unknown mage from another world just further increased my interest in you. But of course, we can't forget about this.”
The final video was that of one of the numbers firing a dangerous looking sniper. The giant beam of pure energy laying waste to everything in its path and closing the distance between it and the target in an instant. Only for all of that energy to come to a halt in the face of a beautiful six petals pink flower blooming in front of him.
After that scene ended, Jail walked up to him. “I have said that your circuits do not have that big of an advantage over a Mana Core… in a way it's even inferior. But these artifacts in your possession, are very much different from anything I have ever witnessed in my life. Definitely magical in nature yet able to ignore an anti-magic field and easily cut through a reinforced hull. A shield capable of blocking an attack of that magnitude that was activated without a device? How intriguing.”
Understanding what he was insinuating or what his goal was with him, Shirou knew that the man was trying to achieve the impossible. “I can't give you these Noble Phantasms.”
Putting aside how these were just mere copies rather than the real thing, even if his constructs could exist as long as he wanted in the real world, they would still disappear if damaged enough or if he willed them to — unless Jail tried to replicate his Tracing spell.
But even someone like Rin struggled to barely achieve minor success with a single Noble Phantasm after years of practice. He doubted Jail could do it as the magic system in this world differed a lot, adding another layer of difficulty.
“Ah, such an answer is to be expected from you. In fact, it would have been very unusual for you to accept my proposal without any resistance. But I have time and your friends won't be able to find you anytime soon Even if they mobilize the entirety of TSAB. So get comfortable, my numbers will take care of you and get the information I want. If you continue to be stubborn, then I can always just turn you into one of my cyborgs. Imagine the face you will make upon realizing that by your very hand, you went and killed your own friends.”
“...”
Even though he knew this was a taunt from the doctor to intentionally rile him up, Shirou still felt a burning rage from the depth of his heart rising.
"Before I leave, you wouldn't happen to have taken someone else under your protection recently, would you? This girl, for example?"
Jail retrieved a document from his coat, unfolding it with deliberate slowness before presenting it to Shirou.
The moment his eyes landed on the image, they widened in shock.
"This…"
The person in the photograph was none other than Vivio—the same girl he and Fate had been trying to learn more about. They had been searching for any clue regarding her origins, hoping to reunite her with her family… and for him to be interested in her…
“Going by your reaction, it's fair to assume you have indeed seen her. Good, that makes it easier for me. I will make a deal with you. Both me and the numbers will no longer go after Lutecia or any other one of your friends if you bring her to us. I will of course release you if the deal is agreed upon without causing any harm or permanent changes. What do you say?” He offered, not even a second past before Shirou immediately rejected the offer by attempting to grab onto Jail by breaking through his restraints — only to once more getting buy a large amount of electric discharge coursing through his body.
“Aaah!”
Like thousands, tens of thousands of tiny needles stabbing into skin continuously.
“Like I said, this device will detect the slightest trace of energy and will immediately counter it. You can try as much as you want, but at that rate you will only be risking having your nerves fried and your insides cooked. Would be a shame to lose such a precious resource due to stubbornness.”
“W-Why are you looking for her?” The red-headed boy asked, his body twitching from the remnant charge making him spasm every so often.
Jail hummed, scratching his chin and looking at the picture of the girl. “Why should I tell you? But then again, knowing the truth will not change anything. Just know that she is the key to achieve true world peace and the key to absolute power beyond your comprehension.”
With a cold face, he watched the man and his group leave the room leaving only a single one of them standing right in front of him — smiling.
“Hey there!” The brown haired twin-tailed woman waved at him, adjusting her glasses. “We met before a couple of times, I hope you remember me.”
“You were the one who was trying to take Lutecia away.” He replied coldly.
“Bingo! But I wouldn't say that I tried to take her away, that makes it sound like we were there to forcefully remove the girl. Truthfully, our job was just to escort the young lady back to her home. Unfortunately a certain someone got in the way and made her misunderstand our intentions.” She shook her head, “Had things not gone south back then, there would have been much less destruction in Midchilda. So in a way, we are not the only ones to blame, you are just as liable had you not deceived her. Oh, by the way, my name is Quattro~!”
He did not say anything in return for he felt it would be pointless. Lutecia had no place to call home with these people, they were just using her as a tool with false promises. He was glad that on his way back she was not with him, had the girl been taken as well, hachi bin captured as well then… then…
‘I need to calm down,’ Shirou said to himself, Not liking where his train of thoughts were heading. ‘I don't know how much time has passed, but she should have noticed my disappearance by now. She is a smart girl, so I doubt she will do something unreasonable like go to search for him all by herself. Most likely she went to Subaru and Teana, hopefully those two will be able to keep her safe until I get back.’
Whether it was being kept chained as a bait or to extract his knowledge on how to trace Noble Phantasms, he could not allow any of those and needed to find a way to escape.
“Don't bother, even if by some miracle you manage to break free from this, there are a dozen of us here with plenty of measures and contingencies for an escaping prisoner. It is more likely that you might end up getting killed first, so be a good boy and just talk to me.” She said with a simple smile. “You are lucky that it is I who was chosen to get the information out of you. Had it been Tre, She would have dismembered your limbs and have the doctor replace them with cybernetics as revenge for what you did during your capture. Even Cinque almost got beheaded back then.”
Not that he could even remember what happened or who he managed to wound during his capture. His memories were still very much fuzzy about the details.
“So let's get this started,” She went over to the terminal and tapped a few things, next thing he knew, the metal board he was confined on started to move along with several other mechanical arms descending from the ceiling. Scalpels, syringes and plenty of other tools that made his skin crawl. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your first option is to cooperate with us and avoid getting ‘altered’ which is the second option, third one, I harvest your brain and get the information we want. I don't know about you, but the first option does sound more enticing than any one of the others.”
“You don't have to do this.” Shirou said, hoping that at least this woman could see reason. “That guy is a madman. You don't need to know his history to understand that whatever he's trying to do will not end well.”
As soon as she heard his words, Quattro started to chuckle which turned into a full blown laugh. “Oh my God you really are naive! Did you really think I'll be swayed with just a few words? I am not just the doctor's ally but his daughter in a sense, I am very much aware of what his goals entail and both of our interests align. Whether you like it or not, we hold all the cards to win this battle against the TSAB.”
Looking at her, it became clear the woman was serious and truly was loyal to the doctor. He gritted his teeth, these people were truly hell bent in their goals.
“You know, it should be me who is supposed to give you the talk about joining our side. You're in a completely different reality separated from your own, without your friends or family able to reach you. Why waste your time defending the TSAB? While you may not agree with what the doctor is doing and his way of achieving his goals, you should know that he keeps his promises and will not stab you in the back.”
“I will not sacrifice others’ lives Just to go back. It's wrong.”
“But efficient,” added Quattro. “We don't even know exactly how you got here. From my understanding of how time functions in both realities, there's no guarantee that time is moving at the same pace in your world as it is here. For all intents and purposes, a single day here could be a month over there—or even a year. The longer you stay in this world, the less likely it is that you'll find your friends and family unchanged when you return.”
For a brief moment, Shirou forgot about his anger and genuinely thought about what she said. Imagining the day of his return and facing a world completely different from his memories. Perhaps being too late to even get to give a final goodbye to those who care about before they passed away. Going back to find that at some point, they had all just moved on.
Seeing his dazed expression, Quattro smiled and approached him. Putting her palm over his head and tussling with his hair. “It is a hard decision to make, but when it turns out that it's for the betterment of those close to you and to see them again, it will be worth it.”
Worth it?
He thought about the outcome of Jail getting his hands on Vivio and Lutecia. For even if he was not searching about why exactly that man wanted the former — He could make a simple guess that the outcome would not be a good one.
He could not make that sacrifice, not now or ever for that matter. Sacrificing someone else just for his sake? Absolutely unacceptable, he would not be able to bear in the aftermath such a thing without breaking completely.
So he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and calmed his heart down till all that remained was a single emotion. Opening them back up, his golden brown eyes stared right back at Quattro's,
Then so be it.
“Trace, on—hn!” Barely having had enough time to recite his aria, powerful active electricity flooded his body right at that moment. The sudden discharge forced the stunned Quattro to back away with frustration soon filling her face.
“You idiot! Haven't you learned from the full? You can't escape! Stop being stubborn and think about your family!”
He would have given her an answer if he could, but at the moment all his focus went to a single thing. Despite the great pain, he did not stop and continued to use more of his magical energy. *A-Argh!” The voltage spiked up with Quattro quickly went to the terminal and switched it up another level, yet he did not stop.
“You're going to die at this rate!” She shelters come on looking more angry than worried about his life.
It was truly painful—his entire body spasmed with each current jolting through his muscles and brain. This time, the pain was far worse, like thousands of swords stabbing relentlessly into his flesh. He could taste blood pooling in his mouth, the sharp agony intensifying by the second until it felt as if his entire body was melting from the inside out.
The sensation brought back memories of his time in the shed—of the excruciating effort he endured just to create a new nerve circuit. It was like pressing a piping-hot bar of metal against his spine, an agony so overwhelming that it nearly broke him countless times in the past.
But this… this was nothing in comparison!
"H-Hey, you'll die at this rate!" Quattro called out, her voice tinged with genuine alarm. She hesitated, clearly debating whether to interfere, but ultimately backed away as more arcs of lightning surged, crackling violently against the metal frame. “Are you out of your mind!?”
He did not listen to her, continuing to scour through his Reality Marble until a particular weapon came to his attention. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose as he used more of his Magical Energy, black spots appearing in his vision and discontinuing until the air above him shimmered followed by the appearance of a large object.
In fact, several of them.
Giant great swords as big as a person hovering above, casting a shadow onto their surroundings until they descended. The hunk of metal crashed into the frame he was held at, cleanly cleaving to the material and the shackles that were restraining him. The entire place shook for a few moments as several shots of metal flew everywhere.
Quattro covered her face, backing away further and dodging several of those swords that landed near her. Still in this belief at what just occurred, for in her eyes that move was no different killing himself. Realizing she could not stay here and needed to inform the others. “Shit!”
From the cloud of dust, I figure jump at her at a great speed and grab the girl by the neck before slamming her onto the ground. Another weight pressed onto her stomach as she tried to get up, pinning her in place and making it hard to move or breathe for that matter. “Guh!”
Her face comported into an ugly grimace, trying to resist with all her might. For even if she was not as strong as Tre or anyone of her combat oriented sisters, the girl still felt she was more than capable of overwhelming a regular person without a device powering him as they make sure to take away Rubin.
The fact that he was able to summon different kinds of weapons that were able to destroy the metal frame made her understand Jail's interest in the boy even more. But now, she needed to get out of the situation first.
Yet as she tried to break free, she was not able to overpower his strength no matter how hard she tried. “Don't move, or else I can't guarantee your safety.”
His hoarse voice got her attention, making the girl look at him and find the boy covered in burn marks and smoke rising from his skin. Somehow he managed to survive and even not faint from all the pain, a method that was even able to incapacitate a cyborg.
Quattro showed a wry smile, “are you crazy? No, better question is that whether or not you are a suicidal fool. The smallest Miss calculation back there would have killed you. Is going this far really worth it?”
“I already gave you my answer.”
His grip around her neck tightened, as he also grabbed both of her hands and held them pinned in place above her head. Had this been another scenario, she would have made a joke on how intimate their position was to the point that their lips alone were but a few inches apart. But the smell of burned flesh kind of ruined that moment along with the effort she had to make just to breathe.
“You're going to show me the way out if you want to live. If you try anything to contact The others, I will not hesitate to kill you right here and right now.”
“You can do that, you honestly think I will betray him? That sort of threat will not work on anyone here, we were made by his hand and even if you kill us, he can always bring us back.”
“He won't be able to do that if he is dead along with all of you.” Shirou threatened, “I don't know what you are planning nor do I really care for that matter. But if he does not stop then I will make sure he cannot calm anyone ever again.”
Quatro narrowed her eyes at those words. “Then you will only be inviting further problems on yourself. The TSAB while declaring him as their enemy will want the doctor alive.”
“Then they'll just have to do without him.”
Uncertain whether or not he was telling the truth, Quattro started to weigh the risks.
While letting go of her neck, Quattro saw face first as motes of light gathered around his hand and took shape in the form of a nasty looking dagger that made her shiver at its appearance alone. Not a regular weapon by any means but magical in nature. “Are you able to create new weapons or are they stored in a separate space?”
A particular light flashed through the boys' eyes as she said that. “... I'll tell you everything if you help me?” He offered, sounding unsure of his own offer himself.
Quattro raised an eyebrow, looking at him in slight disbelief.
“Are you serious? Not just the second ago you were threatening to kill me and everyone else here, you sure do change your decision quite easily.”
“I was being serious, but I don't want to end this in bloodshed if possible.” He said awkwardly, still pointing the knife at her throat. “Listen, I just want to get out of here and that's all.”
The girl hummed, something to find the situation more amusing than anything else. His offer in particular was interesting, creating such dangerous weapons on a whim was not something that could be ignored. Weapons that were capable of comparing themselves to devices and also able to ignore anti-magic fields. If the doctor had access to such things, then they would have a much easier time to face the TSAB.
Each time she saw him, it was always something new. As much as she wanted to deny it, the girl's curiosity kept growing bigger.
“Then I don't have much of a choice regardless don't I? If I don't help you, you'll either knock me out or kill me.”
“Yes.” He did not bother to lie or even deceive the girl. A fatal weakness if she had to comment on it, but at least it worked in her favor this time.
“Then let's move.” She said in a cheerful voice, Her usual smile plastered on her face.
…
'She is up to something.'
From the moment the girl called Quattro agreed to his offer, Shirou wasn’t convinced she would help him without causing trouble. A part of him considered knocking her out, and a much smaller, darker part of him even entertained the idea of killing her.
But he preferred to avoid that as a last resort. It was an option he wouldn’t hesitate to take if the situation demanded it, but for now, his focus was on escaping and warning the others—especially Nanoha—about the doctor’s interest in Vivio. If possible, taking down the scientist now would prevent future problems. However, he had no idea how many of these girls were in the hideout, and he wasn't confident he could take them all on at once. Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of drones likely patrolling the halls, ready to overwhelm him.
The chances of him running out of energy first were much higher than taking them all down.
"Ah~!"
A sudden, almost sensual moan snapped him out of his thoughts. He scowled as he adjusted his grip on Quattro while pulling her to her feet.
"Easy now, big guy, that’s not how you treat a lady," she teased, her tone dripping with amusement.
"I don’t have time for your jokes."
Though his voice remained steady, a faint blush dusted his cheeks. The way her tight-fitting outfit clung to her body that left little to the imagination certainly wasn’t helping, nor was the fact that he had to keep a firm hold on her to prevent any sudden escapes. Shaking his head, he focused back on the task at hand and stepped into the hallway.
"How many drones are there?" he asked.
"Don’t bother. The doctor recalled most of them for maintenance, and you’ll probably only run into Nove guarding the place. But knowing that girl, she’s definitely slacking off with Cinque."
Nove? Another cyborg, he assumed. He was starting to notice a pattern with their names, which likely meant this one was the youngest.
"Move," he ordered.
Navigating the corridor carefully, he remained on high alert. But without any knowledge of the facility’s layout, he was walking blind.
"Wait."
Pausing, he pressed a hand against the cold metal wall and sent a pulse of magical energy outward.
"Huh—!?"
A surge of information flooded his mind as the pulse expanded, mapping out more and more of the area. The signal spread far, showing no signs of reaching an edge—until it eventually couldn't spread any further. His eyes widened in shock.
This… this wasn't just a building.
"What… what the hell is this place? A spaceship?" he muttered in disbelief.
Not only was it a ship, but it was far more ancient and giant than anything he had seen so far. Technology beyond anything he saw in Midchilda.
Quattro, watching his reaction, smirked. "Did you use another spell? Interesting… so it can be used like that too," she mused. Then, with an almost smug satisfaction, she added, "I told you. No matter what you try, escaping this place is impossible. After all, we are inside the Saint's Cradle. A lost Logia.”
At that moment, Shirou realized that escaping wouldn’t be as simple as taking out the scientist.
“Damn it.”
The Legendary Saiyan in a Fairy's World Chapter 48
Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331
Next update is Nanoha followed by Hound.
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-Magnolia-
Familiarity.
That was the only emotion swirling within the redhead's mind as she sat at the table surrounded by Lucy and Cana on each side. On the other hand, the Saiyan happily eats his meal and a slice of strawberry shortcake without a care in the world.
The strange woman, who brought out such feelings from within Erza, on the other hand had not touched anything on the table. Leading Broly to not so secretly take her portion which she did not seem to care. His overall appearance made it look like he came out of a burning building with all the soot covering him… yet his hair remained untouched.
Or maybe a bit, the twitch of her eyes showed some level of annoyance.
‘I saw her before, but where? Even Cana and Lucy seem unfamiliar with her and she is definitely not a member of the guild.’ The last point especially, a new face like that would have drawn the attention of many of their members and her sheer presence alone was hard to forget. ‘Maybe I am overthinking it, she probably looks like someone else and I am mixing both of them up.’
So she believed, but her guts on the other hand just kept saying otherwise. “You have been staring at me for quite a while, child.”
The woman who she learned was called Irene mentioned, her dark eyes gazing back with practically no emotions behind them. No matter how she looked at it, this person felt very odd and almost hostile towards them.
What the hell kind of connection did Broly even have with this woman? And why was he trying so hard to be friendly, only to get completely brushed off like he was invisible?
“I was just curious about you. It’s not every day Broly has us meet a friend of his.” She ended up answering neutrally. Regardless of her true thoughts, judging this person who she just met never led to a good place and it was best for her to reign in those negative thoughts first.
“It's even more rare for him to invite someone to eat,” Lucy added with a soft voice, still looking somewhat intimidated by the woman.
To that, Irene let out a loud scoff, “Invite? Humph, had it only been that. I was dragged here against my will. Like I said to the Celestial Wizard over here, you all will forget about me.”
At that moment, Erza shared the same thought as Lucy had, those words sounded more like a command than anything else. She did not feel any trace of spells altering her mind… then again, the girl realized she wouldn't have known how that would have felt to begin with given she had no experience being on the receiving end of memory altering magic.
In any case, this woman was definitely suspicious.
Suspicious enough for her to believe there to be an underlying reason why she was around him — even if she mentioned being dragged along.
‘Wait, I can just ask him.’ It took her a few minutes to realize how much time she was wasting by going down the rabbit hole on this woman when she could easily just ask the man himself. “Can you tell us more about her, Broly?”
He stopped eating his meal as soon as she asked that question, looking back and forth between her and Irene. The latter narrowed her eyes at him for a brief moment, some sort of silent message being communicated between them. The more she looked at them, the more strange all of this became.
Broly for all intents and purposes, was not one who went out of his way to meet people from what she knew about him along with the stories told by Lucy. The saying preferred his privacy, cherishing interacting with those who were already around him instead of seeking other people out of the blue. Even the few times they went out on quests, she was pretty sure this woman never came up.
“Um, honestly I don't know that much about Irene,” He said truthfully, that answer catching everyone on the table a bit by surprise. “I met her a couple of days ago, we had a long conversation on the way back to Magnolia and today I went to visit her to have her look around the town and get to know other people. So far she only told me bits and pieces of her life.”
On his way back to Magnolia? So he met her after getting arrested by the Magic Council?
As far as she could tell, he wasn’t lying. Then again, he never had in the past, at least as far as she could remember. In fact, he almost seemed incapable of deception to begin with.
The Saiyan continued, "Actually, she was in the same jail cell, we talked and came to an understanding of sorts. After we got back, I proposed to have her go to the guild and meet others.”
"And I distinctly recall never agreeing to such a thing. I have no interest in going to that place or meddling with any of them," she interjected coldly, that particular comment not sitting well with Erza.
"Do you perhaps have a problem with us?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended. But rather than looking angered or offended, the woman in front of her simply smiled in amusement.
"A problem? Why would I have any issues with your guild? A bunch of random mages gathered in one place, doing chores around the city, holds no interest for me. I’d rather not waste my time."
Arrogant. That was the first word that came to mind as Erza listened to the woman speak.
"We are more than just a bunch of small-time mages doing chores," Cana interjected, sounding defensive. "Believe it or not, but Fairy Tail is known across the continent for a reason — we're the strongest guild. We don’t just operate in Magnolia, you know? Some of the strongest wizards in history were once members of our guild. Heck, this is Titania—Erza Scarlet. She could take on an entire dark guild by herself if she wanted to. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of her?"
Though Cana’s praise was a bit much, there was truth in her words in Erza’s opinion. Yet, the other woman remained unfazed, merely staring at her with an unimpressed gaze.
"Is that so? How interesting," she mused. "One of Fairy Tail’s strongest wizards, you say? You can’t be serious. Or maybe you are not and expected too much."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Erza challenged, leaning backward and crossing her arms.
"Do you really want me to spell it out for you, child?" the woman scoffed, acting as if the answer is right in front of them. "Very well. Simply put, you are too weak to be considered worth my while. Perhaps there is potential somewhere inside you, but it has and will remain untapped given the people that surround you."
Simple words, spoken with such confidence that they bordered on pure arrogance.
“You know nothing about me. We just met.” The redhead did not back down, feeling angered not at the insult towards her, but at the comment insinuating that Fairy Tail was holding her back. “While I won't call myself the strongest by any means, I can still hold up my own and handle my fair share of challenges in combat.”
"I heard from sources that your recent quest against a Dark Guild did not go as anticipated. With every involved party coming back injured and barely holding on — if this is what an S-Class mage is capable of, then the entirety of Ishgar is doomed to fail," she added nonchalantly, Broly flinching when he heard that.
The more she spoke, the more confusion and irritation stirred within Erza. But when she heard that last remark, a spark of anger flared inside her. With clenched fists, Erza stood up, her hands slamming onto the table with enough force to shatter the surface and cause everyone in the area to go completely silent.
"If you have something to say, then say it clearly instead of insulting my guild!" she snapped. “You may be an acquaintance of Broly, but I will not hesitate to teach you a les—
"—All right, this is where we stop the conversation," the Saiyan cut in quickly, making sure things wouldn’t escalate further. "Please, don’t let her words get to you. She’ll only try to provoke you more. Just ignore her."
"I have much better ways to do that if I truly wanted to," the woman retorted. "I just find it amusing how this child thinks she’s strong with that meaningless rank. A title that holds no real weight and is just used to gloat."
“Irene…”
"Fine," the woman replied with a smirk. "Let’s just say I didn’t even mention your guild, but that still makes everything I said about you that much worse. If you were truly an S-Class warrior, then… ah! Let me you, brute!"
Her words trailed off, yet the condescension in her tone lingered like a blade poised to strike. But her words were brought to a complete stop when the next moment, she was ultimately dragged away by Broly. The latter having a resigned expression followed by an awkward smile directed at the girls. “best to not continue this conversation any longer, I'll take her somewhere to calm down and you two handle Erza.”
His figure quickly disappeared into the distance as the person he was holding struggled at first, actually managing to nearly escape his grasp at first.
03 girls watched him with differing emotions between them, relief flooding Lucy's body, awkwardness for Cana and residual anger with Erza. This being one of the few times she ever felt the desire to actually punch someone in the face to this extent. Not even Mirajane reached that level, there was just something very unsettling about that person.
“Have either of you ever met that woman?” She asked the two behind her, getting a similar response from their head shakes.
“I'll admit, it feels like we met before but I can put my finger on it.” Lucy's answer had been very similar to the sensation she felt as well, all of this felt very strange and the woman started to suspect that there was something going on there.
She feared that perhaps this person was taking advantage of Broly's kind nature, as the reason behind it, remained to be seen.
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A few streets away, the Saiyan made sure to create as much distance between them and Erza, having felt Irene’s Ki fluctuating as if she was about to use her magic. Regardless of how powerful Erza had become, in front of the human, she remained helpless against even the weakest attacks he faced so far. Not to mention, from what he learned of this world and how dragon-slaying magic worked, the only other one who could affect her was probably Natsu and other dragon slayers.
Worst of all, Even that was not a guarantee. In his rampaging state, she managed to endure for a little while, that alone put her endurance above everyone in this world he met so far except for the black dragon.
Still, it was a shame things did not go down as smoothly as he would have hoped. Even if a part of him knew that it was unlikely and even a naive gesture on his side, Broly hoped that just like him she would enjoy speaking with others from Fairy Tail.
“Take your hands off me.” As he came to a stop, the woman immediately slapped his hands away with her appearance changing back to her original self. Delicious black hair brightened up until it became vibrant red and even the shape of her face turned sharper.
“You could have been a bit nicer with them. They are part of the reason why I managed to regain control back then, or else you and this entire planet would have been long gone.” He reminded her, of and argument which the woman did not immediately argue on.
“That may be so, yet in my eyes, the reason you regained control was not just them but also pure luck. Or rather, something else did it.”
He supposed she was right, his memory of that time was still a bit fuzzy, yet he recalled seeing that mysterious girl. He was not sure what kind of magic she used or if it was his imagination, but it helped him in the end and for that he was grateful. For the possibility of him waking up to a destroyed world where all those he cherished and met throughout all these years having been killed by his own hands.
It would’ve have broken him
“You can't be sure if they did not play a part.” He continued to insist, getting an annoyed reaction from Irene.
“... Why is it that out of all people in existence, whether it be in this world or yours, this well of untapped power was instead given to you? Someone who is not willing to use it as he pleases, someone who fears it, and also someone who is willing to blend in with weaklings. No matter how much I tried to understand, it was inconceivable. I would even call it insanity.” some frustration leaked out of her voice, for those words were truly her real feelings at the moment.
Yet he felt like that question was already something he answered in the past. “I cannot say why I was born with it. It's true that I saw it doesn't curse, part of me still does. But there is nothing I can do about it then just continue my training in hopes to one day fully control it.”
“You are a naive fool.”
As if he hadn't heard that at least a dozen times by now.
“I am done for today,” Irene started to walk away, giving him one last look. “I have agreed to meet these people you call friends from Fairy Tail, I have kept my end of the agreement.”
“I was hoping for you to visit the guild.”
“Then be more specific next time,” the light around her flashed a bright white light before her presence disappeared completely. Making even some onlookers surprised by the feat of magic.
He supposed things did not go as badly as he believed at first, sure, Irene and Erza's first meeting did not go smoothly and even reached a point of nearly ending up in a fight — at least they got to talk to one another. Their interaction alone made it clear to him that there was something between them and Irene was just keeping it a secret from him.
The fact that she was a dragon made any of his past beliefs of them being related fall completely flat. Erza was definitely fully human without an ounce of dragon blood within her veins, her talent with magic and strength were above the average mage but nothing to make her a special case. Lucy alone held talent and so did Natsu.
“She did say next time, so I can always try again.”
He knew saying that would probably earn him a dragon breath to the face or a barrage of spells thrown at him. He was fully aware of how she could get irritated with his efforts, but as long as there was a chance then he was willing to try.
“I guess I should be going back to the guild, Lucy will definitely want to start another quest for helping Cana with rent.” Plus he grew to enjoy going on quests, the smaller ones where they did not need to take on dangerous enemies. Even the most mundane task of painting a wall brought a smile to his face.
A different form of relaxation.
Also, training, since some of these quests required him to lift heavy objects over long distances.
As he walked down the road, walking for a couple of minutes while swimming with his thoughts, the man suddenly came to a halt. “Hm?” having not noticed this at first, he now just realized how quiet his surroundings became. From a boisterous road surrounded by countless shops and street vendors to the place, it was now becoming less populated with just a handful of people around. Having ended up in a completely separate area he rarely visited. “Hm? I'm pretty sure I took the path to the guild, so why am I here?”
Perhaps he got too deep within his thoughts and managed to absent-mindedly make his way towards the edge of the town near the outskirts. While he continued to walk forwards, someone ended up bumping into him. “Oh sorry,” He wasted no time apologizing go the passerby and hoped to continue to find his way back until the person behind him started to speak.
“Is that it? You really are not as dangerous as what she kept saying all this time. Here I arrived in hopes of a grand battle, the person of my interest does not feel me with excitement.” The man whispered quietly that no one except for Broly managed to hear it. Weird, he did not sense any hostile intent from him, But the way the other party was looking at him clearly suggested he was not someone with any good intentions.
“Who are you?” Broly wasted no time and asked with a stern voice, getting the man to chuckle at first.
“You may not know me, but I definitely know who you are. In fact, someone else I work for has gained a keen interest in you,” was the answer he got, this only creates more questions than anything else. “Confused? I can't blame you, but you will know soon enough. So for your own good, I highly suggest you to shut up and follow me unless you want to end up as a stain on the side of the road.”
“...” The Saiyans body became tense, at that moment he did feel some hostile intent emanating from the man. Faint as it was, it was still there. “I asked you a question and you still haven’t told me what you wanted from me?”
“Tch, stubborn I see. Nothing a few hits won't resolve. But unfortunately, I was tasked to bring you back. But then again, it was not specified where you needed to be wounded or not.” Light shone around his palm, demanding a limb turning into a jet-black claw-like sword that had some resemblance to Gajeel's weapon. Pointing that thing straight at his face without much care, even the people around him had not noticed this yet. “The name is Rustyrose, remember that. I'll give you some leeway for your ignorance this one time but in the future, you better pray for me to be in a good mood.”
Rustyrose?
A name he did not recognize, certainly not a person from the Tower of Heaven. “I am not interested. Tell whoever it is who wants to see me that they can come themselves. I have more important things to handle first and I am busy.”
Though he spoke calmly, those words were intended to be his first warning to the bespectacled man. Yet once again, the one who called himself Rustyrose did not seem to care and even showed dissatisfaction at his response. “So we will be doing this the hard way, fine by me. It would have been truly boring otherwise. But I warn you, regardless of how powerful you think you are, against my magic all of it means nothing for my Arc of Embodiments allows me to conquer anythi—mmffff!” His speech was cut short as a large palm grabbed onto the entirety of his head in a flash.
“You talk too much. But I better take you to the authorities.” Whoever this person was that wanted to meet him was definitely not an ally. To have his subordinate blatantly threaten him in the middle of town without care just showcased that. Extending the conversation proved fruitless if that were the case, best to just end this right now and have others deal with him.
With a single move, he forced the man's head to the ground, making sure to not accidentally crush it and just knock him out for a bit.
Crack!
Yet the next moment, lines spread around the head like a fractured vase and from within his grasp the figure crumbled apart like a broken vase. This caught him off guard, for but a brief moment, he genuinely started to fear that his action led to the person's death.
“What a violent creature you are.”
Thankfully, he was relieved upon hearing Rustyrose’s voice come from behind, the body that it was holding broke apart into particles of light and dissipated into the air. A form of cloning magic? He could not tell, Arc of Embodiment was not something he heard before.
“We don't have to fight, like I said, I won't be going with you. But if that person really wants to meet me, then he can just come over to Fairy Tail. I'll be sure to welcome him.” He said calmly, passing away some of the dust on his clothes.
“You don't seem to understand, do you? Lord Hades is not someone who can just order around like that. The fact that he hasn't turned this city into a burning pile of ash isn't itself a mercy, truthfully, I am tempted to do it myself.” The man said without hesitation, gazing at the surrounding people with no emotions, for in his eyes they matted little. “In fact, why don't I just teach you a lesson for not heeding my words first?”
With a snap of his fingers, the ground all around him started to glow with several figures emerging from them. “If you don't want to see this place getting turned upside down with all its inhabitants crushed, then this is your last chance.”
So that was how this was going to be.
At one point he even started asking himself why even bothered trying to reason with them, such people just never learned. “Hah… I am sorry then.”
“Hm, now you finally decided to listen to reaso—!?” Just like before, Broly went straight for him. His figure flickering till in less than a second the distance between them had already been crossed. His speed shocked the young mage who swiftly summoned a giant golden shield between them. “Fools like you never learn, I'll show you just why you can never defeat me let alone break past my unbreakable shield!”
Without hesitation, the Saiyan delivered a powerful punch straight into the center of the shield. A deafening impact echoed through the air as his fist collided with the metal surface. To Rustyrose’s credit, the shield held firm, unbroken, and more durable than even the sturdiest of Erza’s armors.
But Broly did not stop. He reeled back and struck again, this time with a thin, translucent layer of Ki coating his fist. The sheer force of the impact sent out a violent shockwave—yet to his surprise, the strange shield remained intact.
“What is this made of?” He couldn't help but ask, this being the first time something like a shield manager to block his attack. Even if it was outside his wrath transformation and beyond.
“Heh, now it's my turn.”
Whatever Rustyrose was about to do, Broly had no intention of letting it happen. If this shield alone was so formidable, then he didn’t even want to imagine the destruction these summoned monsters could unleash upon Magnolia if left unchecked. His eyes flashed green for an instant as an emerald sphere of Ki formed in the center of his palm before he launched it straight at Rustyrose.
“Hmph! Have you not learned? My shield cannot be destroyed!” the mage boasted, smirking with confidence. He didn’t even attempt to dodge, merely raising the shield again while his summoned beasts lunged toward Broly.
“I’m not trying to destroy it.”
If he wanted, he could simply use a stronger Ki blast and obliterate the shield entirely. But doing so in the middle of the city carried too much risk. This, however, was a better alternative. The energy sphere was never meant as a direct attack—it expanded rapidly upon impact, engulfing Rustyrose entirely.
“What!?”
Rustyrose panicked. He transformed his hand into a sword, slashing desperately at the sphere’s walls in an attempt to break free. But Broly continued pouring more Ki into the barrier, closing every cut as quickly as they appeared. His palm tightened, and the sphere followed, compressing with each passing second, shrinking the space inside and increasing the pressure.
“No, you won’t!”
Desperation took hold as Rustyrose summoned additional shields and dark pillars, attempting to push back against the collapsing sphere. For a brief moment, he managed to hold it open—but the more time passed, the smaller the space became, and the denser the energy within grew.
A scream tore from his throat, though Broly barely registered it over the high-pitched hum of his own Ki.
With a flick of his wrist, the sphere came crashing down. A deafening explosion erupted, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air as chunks of debris flew in all directions. Several of Rustyrose’s summoned monsters were caught in the blast, their bodies torn apart by the shockwave. Those that survived lunged at Broly, only to be instantly incinerated by a barrage of Ki blasts. They proved far more fragile than the shield itself.
As he observed the creatures, Broly grew curious about these things. This magic—it resembled Requip at first, but there were elements of Celestial Spirit summoning as well. Yet the monsters lacked the strength of true summons, making them feel… incomplete.
“Cough—damn it…!”
From the smoking crater in the middle of the street, Rustyrose crawled out, his body covered in burns and deep bruises. His once-pristine attire was in tatters, his stylishly kept hair now wild and unkempt. His glasses had shattered, leaving his expression twisted in a mix of pain and frustration.
“Argh—!”
A heavy boot crashed down onto his chest, pinning him in place. Broly loomed over him, his emerald eyes burning with intensity.
“Sorry, but I gave you a chance,” he said coldly. “I don’t know who this Hades person is, but if he seeks to harm Magnolia or Fairy Tail, then I have no interest in meeting him at all.”
To drive his point home, he applied more force, lifting his foot before stomping down again. The impact sent Rustyrose deeper into the earth, a miserable cry ripping from his throat, feeling several of his ribs crack.
“If you don’t want to be crushed, crawl back to him and give him my answer.”
“Try to use your magic again and I will crush your rib cage instantly.”
But rather than heed his words, all he saw was stubbornness flash before the person's eyes along with anger. “F-For fuck’s sake, where the hell are you, Zancrow!? I need some help here!”
“—?”
Broly scanned his surroundings, expecting an ambush at any moment. Yet, nothing came. The area remained eerily silent, with the last of the civilians having fled long ago. Had Rustyrose’s allies abandoned him? Perhaps they never intended to assist him in the first place. He couldn’t sense any nearby energy signatures, making it unlikely that they were merely hiding.
“Looks like you're not willing to listen,” he stated, his voice devoid of emotion. “Then I’ll just get rid of you.”
Raising his palm, and in an instant, an ominous glow of emerald energy began to form, coalescing into a dense sphere. Its light cast eerie reflections over the cracked stone pavement, its sheer power making the very air around them tremble.
A flicker of sheer terror flashed through Rustyrose’s wide eyes. He gasped, struggling to lift his hands as if to activate his magic, but every time he attempted to conjure a spell, Broly’s boot pressed harder into his chest, forcing out another pained wheeze. A sickening crack echoed as another rib snapped beneath the pressure. The agony shattered his concentration, leaving him utterly helpless.
“N-No… don’t you dare think I'll go down so easily!” Rustyrose choked out, his voice trembling yet still laced with defiance. “I won’t go down so easily! This terror… yes, I will use it to further advance my magic!”
Broly narrowed his eyes slightly. Was this man insane? Despite staring death in the face, despite the undeniable fear shaking his body, he still clung to the belief that his magic would grant him a way to get out of this situation. The man had seen arrogance before, but this level of self-assurance bordered on madness. He did not understand it, nor did he care. Letting such a person live would only invite further problems. He tightened his fingers, preparing to erase Rustyrose from existence.
But then—
‘You don’t need to go this far.’
“—!”
The words struck him like a physical blow. His eyes widened, and the ki sphere in his hand flickered, then vanished entirely. That voice… he recognized it instantly.
Swiftly, Broly turned his head, scanning his surroundings. But there was no one. The battlefield remained as empty as before. And yet, he was certain—absolutely certain—that someone had just spoken right behind him. It was the woman from before. The one who had appeared before him recently. He wasn’t imagining it.
Woosh!
His instincts flared, but before he could react, a massive magic circle surged into existence beneath him, pulsating with an eerie violet glow. The arcane symbols spiraled outward in an intricate design, its power undeniable. The energy engulfed both him and Rustyrose, and before Broly could stop it or move out of the way, the world around him shifted.
The next moment, they were elsewhere.
A dimly lit chamber surrounded them, the walls made of cold, unwelcoming steel. The air was thick with an oppressive presence, one that reeked of something unnatural. The only source of light came from flickering torches lining the room, their weak flames casting distorted shadows.
Broly quickly scanned the area. He didn’t recognize this place, but Rustyrose did. The defeated mage immediately turned his attention to the figure sitting in the shadows.
“L-Lord Hades… I tried—”
“It is unfortunate you were taken down so quickly.” The voice that interrupted was deep, authoritative, yet laced with disappointment. “For someone who possesses such a powerful form of Lost Magic, it is rather disappointing that you failed to utilize it to its full extent immediately. It seems you are in need of further training, but I shall personally rectify that later.”
Broly shifted his gaze toward the voice’s source. Sitting atop a throne shrouded in darkness was an elderly man. As he slowly descended the stairs, the flickering light finally revealed his features. Long white hair cascaded like a waterfall down his back, and his beard stretched to his stomach. His face was aged, marked by deep lines and experience, yet his eyes held a sharpness similar to that of Makarov.
But what truly caught his attention was the power radiating from him. It was different from anything he had encountered before. Unlike Makarov, who exuded raw strength and authority, this man’s energy felt… unnatural. Multiple sources of power swirled within the old man, struggling to remain stable, barely holding together. It was as if they were stitched into his very being, creating an unnerving presence.
It felt unnatural.
Not in the same way as Irene’s suffocating might—hers was overwhelming, tyrannical, an iron-fisted dominion. No, his presence was more insidious, more corrupting, like an ancient darkness lingering beneath the surface, waiting to consume everything in its grasp.
“So you are Hades?” Broly asked, his voice as steady as ever. While the person remained a dangerous individual, there was no reason to fear for his life but instead, his mind still worried about these people coming to Magnolia instead.
“Indeed, I am,” the old man replied calmly, his steps deliberate as he approached. When he finally stopped, he smiled. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Broly.”
The latter's brows furrowed.
“I have long searched for an answer to a mystery that has eluded me for years,” Hades continued, his arms slowly spreading as his voice took on a grand, almost theatrical tone. “That search has brought me all the way here, to this very moment. Though I must apologize for the rather… unceremonious method of our first meeting.” His gaze flickered toward Rustyrose briefly before returning to Broly. “I had only advised him to bring you to me—not cause a commotion in the middle of town. Now, Fairy Tail will undoubtedly take notice. It will be a nuisance to face them here of all places.”
“...”
“You are tense,” Hades observed, his smirk widening slightly. “I can understand. But rest assured, my intentions are not to destroy this town, nor do I have any interest in Fairy Tail’s affairs.”
The room fell into a brief silence before the old man’s next words rang through the chamber.
“I am willing to leave Magnolia peacefully—on one condition.”
Broly’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Hades’ smirk deepened. His voice carried a weight that sent an ominous chill through the air as he finally uttered his request.
“Tell me, young lad, have you ever heard about the essence of magic?”
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On the outskirts of Magnolia, deep within the woods, what was once a lush, green landscape had now become a nightmarish hellscape. Black flames consumed everything in sight, twisting the air with heat and filling the surroundings with an eerie glow. The once-thriving fauna had been reduced to charred remnants, the earth itself scarred beyond recognition.
In the midst of it all, a lone figure hunched over, his blonde hair disheveled and swaying weakly in the scorching wind. His face was deathly pale, smeared with blood and bruises, his breaths shallow and ragged. Every step he took was an immense struggle, his body barely able to move—yet it wasn’t pain or exhaustion that fueled his desperation. It was fear.
He tried to walk away, to escape, but then—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
His entire body locked up. Not from fear, but from something far more terrifying. An invisible force seized him, gripping every fiber of his being with unimaginable pressure. It was as if thousands of unseen strings had coiled around his limbs, tightening like iron chains, rendering him utterly immobile. Even his eyes could barely move, but as he strained, they finally settled upon the source of his terror.
Irene's figure emerged from the sea of black flames, stepping forward with an eerie calmness. Yet, while the fires devoured everything in their path, they did not touch her. Not a single ember dared to lick at her skin, nor did the oppressive heat seem to faze her in the slightest. She moved effortlessly through the devastation, her eyes gleaming with something between amusement and intrigue.
“God Slaying Magic… how interesting,” she murmured, her voice carrying a chilling edge.
A slow, creeping smile stretched across her lips, one that sent ice through his veins.
“Dimaria would be very interested in your magic,” she continued, tilting her head slightly as if pondering something. “But for now… I have some uses for you, boy.”
A Fake Familiar Reborn Chapter 32: Temper
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness
Nex
To Love a Sword Chapter 33: Island Mischief Part 2
Beta read by FabledLife, Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness
Next update is either Fake Familiar Reborn or Broly, whichever I'm done with first. Also working on Nanoha, so that's in the horizon as well.
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-???-
This ballot had been a disaster in Rin's opinion. The young swordswoman wondered if her poor mistress was cursed with bad luck at this rate, contemplating whether she should even hire a shaman to perform a ritual to cleanse any lingering bad spirits. It was an idea she would have once scoffed at, given its superstitious nature. But after discovering the existence of aliens — of all things — she had started to question what other things she once dismissed as nonsense that might actually be real.
Regardless, had their plan gone smoothly, Saki would be paired with Emiya right now, the two of them walking hand in hand through the forest. They would have deliberately taken the scariest path, ensuring their mistress was sufficiently frightened, prompting Emiya to play the hero. The experience would strengthen their bond, and by the end of the night, the stage would be set for a kiss that would seal the deal — securing his place in the Tenjoin household as Saki's future husband.
Instead, here Rin was, forced to participate in this ridiculous challenge herself, alongside the boy she still had a hard time believing was in any way related to Emiya. Worst of all, Saki wasn’t even part of the activity, having inexplicably given up her position to that alien princess over some kind of deal Rin did not know of.
"Um, Kujo-san? Are you feeling okay?"
Lost in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten she wasn’t alone.
"Rin? Can you hear me? Is everything okay with you?"
She sensed the boy stepping closer, his hand about to reach for her shoulder. Without hesitation, she unsheathed her wooden sword in one swift motion, pressing the tip firmly against the center of his forehead.
"Ah!" Rito yelped, freezing in place and not daring to move a muscle.
"Take one step closer to me," Rin warned, her tone sharp as steel, "and I promise I will break your bones — even if that upsets your brother. Also, I would prefer if you just call me by my family name, I do not believe that were close enough for you to call me by my given name."
Her mood was already foul, and being paired with him of all people only made it worse. This boy was the complete opposite of Emiya. Spineless, weak, and infamous for stumbling into compromising situations with girls that were borderline sexual harassment to the point of absurdity, and she had no intention of letting herself become another of his victims. Which was why she was determined to keep up her guard around him constantly.
"S-Sorry! You just looked so spaced out that I got worried for a second! I swear I wasn’t trying to do anything weird!" he stammered, his hands raised in surrender.
She scrutinized his frightened expression before sighing, realizing she might have overreacted. “Hah, no, don't apologize… It's my mistake. I was indeed lost in thought.” With a flick of her wrist, she lowered her sword, though she kept her sharp gaze on him. "Forgive me. I'm just not in the best mood today. And given your… questionable history with women, I got a bit defensive."
“Questionable?”
“Do you deny you have an insatiable lust and frequently take advantage of every unassuming girl in your vicinity by sexually harassing them with excessive levels of groping that even the principal worship the ground you walk on and is planning to make you Student of the Year?” she asked with a completely straight face.
"That's not true!" Rito protested with clear horror at what he heard. "I don't do any of that stuff intentionally! And I am not worshipped by the principal! I-I just accidentally end up tripping in general and well… it just so happened to be around a few women coincidentally.”
She arched an eyebrow. "Once or twice would be forgiven as an accident. Even three times, I could understand. But ever since you began attending Sainan High, your frequent ‘clumsiness’ has directly led to you groping girls at least a once a day. There's no way someone can be that much of an airhead. No one accidentally stumbles time after time in such a specific manner that their hands or even their face always end up inside someone's shirt or under their skirt."
"I swear, I really don't do it on purpose!" he whined. "My brother says it’s because I’m clumsy, and I'm trying my best to get rid of that habit every single day! And just so you know, I haven’t fallen on anyone recently!"
She doubted that but chose not to comment. Especially when she recalled a few moments with him ‘accidentally' ending up making Lala Deviluke’s younger sister Nana one of his victims. She hoped that at least his own little sister was safe from his perversions… She probably had nothing to fear there. The siblings seemed to get along quite well.
"Look," she said with a sigh, crossing her arms and easing her stance slightly. "Consider yourself lucky you're Emiya Shirou's brother, otherwise I'd have left you behind five minutes ago. This whole challenge was supposed to be for Saki-sama and your brother only—not the entire class getting dragged into it. So let's just find the checkpoint, and go our separate ways before your legendary clumsiness strikes again."
Best to take a more neutral approach with him for now, she needed to be on Emiya's good side and the easiest ways the girl had discovered always involved his siblings in one way or another. Not that she planned on doing anything nefarious or devious, for it did not suit her code of honor — unless she was doing it for Saki-sama.
Hearing her words, the boy's eyes gleamed with innocent joy, "Sure, I don’t mind! I do feel really safe around you, Kujo-san. If any ghosts or monsters show up, I know you’ll just cut them down easily with your sword!"
She blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Hm? You have quite a bit of faith in someone you barely interact with," Rin remarked, arching an eyebrow.
Even at school, their interactions had been few and far between, certainly not enough for him to claim to know her so well. Even the handful of times they spoke to one another had consisted almost solely of her asking him about his brother's whereabouts or wanting him to pass on a message. For him to sound so confident in her abilities was unexpected, if not a little surprising. A welcome surprise, though.
"Of course, I feel safe around you, even if we haven’t talked much," Rito replied without hesitation. "I've heard a lot about you from my brother, and from that alone, I know I can trust you."
Despite herself, Rin felt her chest puff up slightly, which was the closest thing to the pride she allowed herself to feel. Even if the praise came from him, she was more than willing to accept it.
If Emiya’s siblings approved of her skills, then what could the older brother do? Nothing at all.
As they continued walking through the forest, an eerie atmosphere surrounded them. Perhaps due to the topic of conversation, neither one of them felt scared or even apprehensive. She noted that he was also getting lost in his thoughts, looking mindlessly ahead.
‘Where are all those obstacles and monsters Saki-sama set up? We have not encountered a single one!’
This went on for another minute until Rito stopped and turned around while scratching the back of his head. "By the way, I’m sorry that you got me as your partner, instead of my brother. I can tell you really wanted to spar with him again," Rito added with an awkward chuckle. “Not that this is the most ideal location for such a thing.”
"Contrary to popular belief, I am not always thinking about fighting him at any given opportunity," Well, at least not entirely — but she wasn’t about to admit that. “Have you been seeing me as some sort of battle maniac this entire time, Yuuki-kun?”
“…”
The boy froze once more, his silence giving her the answer she wanted. Seeing him get so flustered and start showing signs of panicking turned out to be somewhat fun, she understood, even a little, why Emiya always like to tease people.
Regardless, she continued. "I merely respect his strength and use him as my personal whetstone to sharpen my skills and assess my level as a kendoka."
"Really? That sounds like a pretty… um, complicated relationship," Rito noted, emphasizing the word complicated heavily.
Was it? She thought her explanation made perfect sense.
"…Does he talk about me often?" she asked, more curious than she intended. Initially, Rin had meant to ask whether Emiya ever mentioned Saki in conversation, but without realizing it, she had brought up herself instead.
"Nii-san? Well, he doesn't really share much about his personal life, if that’s what you're asking," Rito admitted with a helpless smile. "He's actually pretty secretive about those kinds of things — even Mikan has to play detective at times to get anything out of him. We mostly just talk about things we’ve seen or experienced together. Ah, you're familiar with his secret, right?”
“I am. You refer to his ability to use what I can only describe as magic, and that Lala is an alien princess he is engaged to.”
“Yeah, so up until this whole mess, I never even suspected my brother was a magician of all things, let alone that he was set to marry an alien princess. It completely caught us off guard."
His tone softened slightly as he continued.
"I've known him for as long as I can remember. He’s always been there, taking care of us even better than our own mom. And yet, not once have I ever seen him use magic before all this. He spends most of his spare time in the shed, so I guess he could have learned how to use magic there somehow."
That, at least, was something Rin could agree with. For all his qualities, Emiya had a frustrating tendency to keep his mouth shut about important matters. It was a relief to know she wasn’t the only one being kept in the dark.
"I'm sorry we ended up messing up your plans to get him and Tenjoin-san together," Rito added, rubbing the back of his head. "But it’s not too late. We could still change things up and make it happen. And while we’re at it, maybe we can try helping a few other people with their relationship goals too?"
Others? Rin had a hard time recalling anyone who would need this kind of help. Most of the pairings had been between two girls, and there was no way she was going to help a random person she did not even know. For him to suggest this had to mean…
"You just want to be with Sairenji, don’t you?" Rin stated rather than asked, having figured out his true goal. It was no secret that Rito had a crush on Haruna. Pretty much everyone in school already knew about it except the two people in question. She had even heard there being a betting pool on how long it would take and who be the one asking the other out. “Who was she paired with again? Oh right, the nurse. It shouldn't be too hard then. We could knock her out and have you meet Sairenji by pure… chance.”
Rito immediately took a step back, his eyes widening in shock.
"I-I don’t think that's a good idea! I wouldn't want to do such a thing." he stammered, quickly avoiding her gaze. “A-And I'm not doing this just to end up with Sairenji… I don't know why you even brought her up…”
"You don’t need to act ignorant, Yuuki-kun. Even if your brother never told me the truth about your crush on Sairenji, I still would have figured it out long ago through a simple awareness of my surroundings. You do tend to make it painfully obvious. In any case, you would obviously be more happy having her as your partner in this test of courage rather than someone dangerous like me — that's what is going through your mind right now.”
"It’s not like that!" Rito protested. “I really didn't know how to act around you and did not wish to accidentally sour things between you and Nii-san!”
“Don’t bother, things are not exactly normal between us.”
“Eh, really?”
Rin shrugged. “Honestly, I feel the same way. Your brother has been avoiding me quite a bit from the beginning. Even if I want to approach him for something other than sparring or just to ask a simple question, he walks away. This would have been a good opportunity since he wouldn't have any excuses to back out."
"You don’t exactly make it easy for him," Rito muttered, clearly going on the defensive for his brother's sake. "Last time I remember seeing you, you were sprinting across the school because you heard he was fighting. That was pretty scary. Anyone would be intimidated dealing with a person like that. Nii-san likes soft-spoken girls most likely, or lively ones, so maybe you can—"
She glared at him, making him flinch.
"But, but, but — I understand your situation!" he quickly added. "I can help you if you want!"
"Help me?"
As soon as she heard that part, the girl looked at the boy in disbelief. She wondered just how he was even capable of helping her. Yet she let him talk, morbidly curious to see what kind of offer he was going to put on the table.
"Yeah! I can help you get closer to my brother and clear up any misunderstandings between you two. He’s not unreasonable — he’ll listen as long as you don’t challenge him to a fight. He gets enough of that already. And with Celine around, I don't want anything to happen to her, or else I won't forgive you."
Rin looked at Rito for a moment, and the boy, for a brief moment, stood his ground without any fear. The silence made him visibly nervous, all of this leading her to let out a melodious chuckle.
"Surprising. I guess you're not as spineless as a jellyfish after all. I’d appreciate your help, and hopefully, things between me and Emiya will change in the future. But I won’t accept this favor without giving something in return — I’ll make sure you and Sairenji end up paired together."
"W-What!?" Rito exclaimed, his focus slipping as he tripped over a vine.
"Wah—!"
Whoosh!
Fortunately, Rin managed to dodge his flailing hands at the last second, but her skirt wasn’t so lucky. With a loud rip, the fabric tore in half, leaving her lower half garbed in only socks and a pair of panties that was far more mature than expected from her.
“…”
“…”
Both of them froze, the forest suddenly feeling way too quiet. Rito’s face went ghostly white as Rin’s fingers clenched around the hilt of her weapon. The moonlight caught the wooden blade, making it look way sharper than it had any right to be. Her eyes locked onto his, and for a split second, Rito was pretty sure she’d turned into the scariest thing in the woods.
Rito stammered and began waving his hands, one of which unfortunately still clutched her torn skirt. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"
"No need to beg. You’re Emiya’s brother — you won’t die so easily. Just a couple of bruises and a dozen or so broken bones will suffice as a slap on the wrist… I’m sure he will understand."
“You call that a slap on the wrist!?”
Just as she was about to strike, rustling sounds echoed nearby. A head of pink hair emerged from the darkness, curious eyes blinking at the scene.
"Oh my, did I come at a bad time?"
"Momo? What are you doing here?" Rito exclaimed, sighing in relief as he narrowly escaped death’s grip — though not without a few scrapes from his fall. At least he wouldn’t be leaving this forest completely covered in welts and bruises. Then he realized how she may see him at this moment.
"This isn’t what it looks like! I just got my foot caught in a vine and—"
"Oh, you don’t have to explain, I can already guess what happened," Momo interrupted, waving a dismissive hand before turning her attention to her phone. Her expression immediately shifted into something more serious as she stared at the screen.
"Damn it… so they’re not here either. Where the hell did they go?" she muttered under her breath. “Did he realize what was going on? No, that can't be true.”
Her tone was loud enough to catch Rito’s attention, and even Rin — who was still fuming — paused upon noticing the concern in the princess’ voice.
"Did something happen?" Rito asked, slowly pushing himself off the ground. He still had Rin’s skirt in his hand, though the moment the swordswoman noticed, she quickly snatched it back. However, her expression soured further upon realizing it was far too ruined to be worn again.
"Oh, nothing… just… um… making sure everything is going according to plan," Momo replied with a thin smile, though it was clear she was trying to deflect. "We wouldn’t want any… incidents, now would we? Um, by the way, have you two seen Emiya and my mama passing through here, by any chance?"
“We haven't seen anything. No obstacles or ‘scary monsters’ to speak of, let alone another group. It actually feels like we’ve been walking in a circle for the last few minutes. You wouldn't happen to know what's going on?” asked Rin. This entire event was organized by her mistress and later on Momo, so if anyone had an idea it would be her.
But all she got was a head shake.
…
This was not going as planned, Momo was in a state of distress and dread.
Her plan did consist of changing Emiya's perspective and having the girls around him willingly join the harem of their own volition. Not an impossible plan. Her sister, while a wildcard, would just care about being with him. The nurse, Mikado Ryouko, could not get a read on.
She was flirtatious around him to be sure, but whether or not she would be willing to share him remained a mystery. Then there was Risa, Saki, and all these other girls she had to take into account. Most of them, Momo was confident, would be easy to convince, while others not so much. But with time, and just letting Emiya work his magic on them, she was certain that it would eventually work out.
However, with Haruna, she was not sure what to do. Whether that girl had feelings for him or not remained a mystery. But seeing how she interacted with Emiya’s brother, she might have to push her off the list.
‘But that plan does not include having my own mother join the harem! She'll just break the scale and might make Papa go berserk!’ Granted, her mother was not someone who liked harems in general. And in the beginning, she was even afraid that her plan would be endangered because of her presence— now she feared the possibility that the woman would become part of the harem in the first place!
This needed to be stopped at all costs!
For the safety of the galaxy and her harem plan!
But first, she needed to address one thing first.
“What are you two doing?” Momo wondered, looking back at the two people following her across the forest. Eyelids twitching, one of them moved around in just her underwear and the other had a wooden katana being held up to his throat in order to make sure he was not going to have any more ‘accidents.’ Not exactly the best company for stealth, they stuck out like sore thumbs.
“We're following you,” Rin answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. This put further strain on Momo's patience.
“I can see that. I am asking why you are following ME. Same with you, Rito. You two are supposed to take the main path and reach the end of the test of courage. If people see you're missing then they might get worried.” Trying to convince them to go back proved to be a fruitless endeavor when all she got as an answer was a simple shrug from Rin.
"There have been no obstacles or challenges or anything remotely scary so far. That means something may have gone wrong, and it’s my responsibility to fix the issue." Rin’s voice was steady, but her gaze sharpened as she studied the princess. "Also, you’re acting very suspicious. Now, tell me — why are you looking for Yuuki Emiya Shirou?"
Wow. No subtlety at all. The more Momo spoke with this girl, the more obvious it became that Rin was the type to cut straight to the point, and she seemed almost as good at seeing through bullcrap as Emiya himself. There was no use in trying to deflect or make her leave.
"I have my reasons," Momo replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "If you’re going to get in the way, then don’t both—hmmph!"
Before she could finish, Rin swiftly clamped a hand over Momo’s mouth, silencing her in an instant. She did the same to Rito, ignoring his confused sputtering. Her sharp eyes locked onto something deeper within the woods, scanning the area intently.
Understanding the signal, both of the others turned their heads ever so slowly, careful not to make a sound. Their gazes followed Rin’s, landing on two figures walking through the forest.
Covered in leaves and dirt, the pair had clearly run into a few obstacles along the way. Momo’s eyes widened the moment she recognized them — her mother and Emiya, the latter having a familiar Plantas child sitting on his shoulders. Unlike the two, Celine remained perfectly clean without a trace of dirt anywhere.
She looked to be fully enjoying the experience all the while chewing on his hair with loud ‘noms noms noms!’.
Something that the redhead did not seem to mind or care about.
"Wasn’t that fun!" her mother’s voice rang out, filled with excitement and childlike energy. She practically bounced around Emiya, grinning ear to ear. "I never imagined I’d have so much fun going through a challenge like this! It’s been so long since my heart raced like that!"
“Mau!” Celine agreed with her before resuming her chewing.
Emiya, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered. His usual stoic demeanor remained intact as he brushed a few stray leaves off his shirt.
"I wonder what else my daughter has in store for us! Whatever it is, let’s face it together!" her mother cheered, fists clenched in cheerful determination.
"You sound awfully confident for someone who very recently got caught in a basic trap and dangled upside down for five minutes," Emiya deadpanned. "I told you not to run ahead without me. You didn’t listen."
"It’s not my fault!" her mother huffed. "I definitely heard Lala’s cute little voice calling out for help…”
“And I kept telling you that the voice could not be Lala. She wouldn't be calling for help just because of a stomach ache, that voice did not even sound like Lala — it sounded like a child!” he exclaimed, the description of the incident making Momo suspect they must have encountered a Mimic Lily.
“I couldn't help it, what kind of mother would ignore their daughter's plea?”
A plant who, as the name implied, mimicked the voices of people, being especially gifted at mimicking young girls. The one she’d used for the test of courage was one of the oldest in her collection, which once heard her sister's voice back when they were still much younger.
“One who can distinguish between their child’s actual voice and an imitation. You even saw the plant before you got caught, why did you approach it?”
“I had to make sure it had not eaten her.”
“Last I checked, Lala holds enough strength to break human bones without much effort and has inventions capable of altering space and time. Pretty sure a mimic plant would have not been of any danger to her. Worst of all, it almost ended up eating you,” he reminded her, sighing while she hummed with a large smile on her face. “Just stay close to me next time and don't run off. It'll make it easier for me to protect you.”
Sephie covered her mouth behind the veil with eyes shining with amusement. “Oh my, it's like having my own knight in shining armor~! But you underestimate me too much, my species may not be combat-oriented but I can still protect myself. Just trust me~!”
She then tried to get a hold of Celine, only for him to push her face away. The beautiful woman just laughed.
“Given your recent experience, I’d rather not take any risks,” he insisted, pushing past the dense leaves and guiding Sephie with her hand in his. “Watch your step, it's slippery here with all the mud.”
“Ah, this will be a problem. This… I don't think this is a good idea.”
Momo, who continued to eavesdrop, let out a sigh of relief. Her mother was someone who preferred to avoid dirtying her clothes. It was a miracle how she managed to come this far after that last trial, but walking through knee-deep muddy water definitely went past her comfort zone.
Now all she needed was to wait for her to give up and go back to the starting ar—
“For someone being all energetic for the next challenge, you sure did throw in the towel quite easily. Hah, in any case, I can carry you across, it'll make getting to the end easier,” Emiya offered much to her horror. This caused Momo to choke on air and had both Rin and Rito look at her with concern. “It's best if you do not remain here all by yourself, and we're probably near the end already, so going back will just waste more time.”
No! Not a good idea! Momo wanted to jump down there and strangle the man for suddenly being all considerate and caring for her mother out of nowhere! Why wasn't she treated the same way?
Worst of all, the Sephie did not immediately refuse and even seemed to seriously contemplate. Watching all of this from her hidden corner, Momo felt a sense of urgency at that very moment.
If things kept going at this rate, she did not want to imagine what would happen if she turned her attention away for even a minute! Especially when she recalled one of the challenges out there having a plant that secreted a sticky substance that ate through cloth!
“You!” She whispered, pointing at Rin, grabbing her D-Dial, and going through the list of different plants, all from different planets and of varying levels of danger. “You want to spend more time with Emiya, right? And you too, Rito, you'll need to help me so that your brother does not end up causing a war with my dad!”
“E-eh, w-wait, what are you talking about—” Having no time to even discuss the matter further, Momo's eyes went to one particular plant in her collection. Taking into account the surroundings and how she did not want to accidentally hurt anyone, this should be more than enough.
“I'll separate those two, either you or Rin or both will join up Emiya by pure ‘chance’ and I'll handle my mother.” She muttered quickly, the screen of her D-Dial shining with a bright light with several strands of vines appearing. Still seeing some hesitation on the boy's face, an idea crossed her mind. “I'll help you hook up with Haruna! By the end of this, you two will definitely be doing the harizontal tango!”
Rito sputtered and blushed, but Momo had no time for that.
“Hold on,” Rin protested. “I still don't have anything to cover my bottom half other than panties! Also, who are you to order me? I only follow Saki-sama’s orders.”
“He's seen Onee-sama naked countless times, so don't worry about that.”
“That's not what I mean!”
She paid no attention to Rin’s outraged voice, watching more vines sprout until the head of a Venus flytrap-like plant came forth — good, it looked scary enough. The creature looked at her even though it possessed no eyes. Understanding her intent, it buried itself within the earth and made its way towards the duo before her.
She really hoped this was going to be enough.
{Break}
(Around the same time)
Something in his gut told him that things were about to get hectic. The test of courage was proceeding along smoothly for the most part, so long as he did not count the prior incident with Sephie getting lured away.
“Carrying me the whole way? How bold of you. The only man who’s ever held me in such a way is my husband,” Sephie teased, her voice dripping with playful mischief. “Though I suppose you’d have to resist the temptation to ‘accidentally’ feel up my perfectly sculpted and supple—ah!”
With a gentle chop to the forehead, he gave her the same treatment as Lala whenever she started doing crazy things. Except this woman had an overblown imagination, and every one of her mental scenarios seemed to involve her getting groped or assaulted.
…He was starting to understand where Momo must have gotten that side of her personality.
“If you go on a tangent again, I'll send you back to Planet Deviluke myself.”
“What kind of son-in-law hits their poor mother-in-law like that!” she exclaimed while pouting and huffing. But not declining his idea, she slowly started to look at him with an uncertain gaze. “…I suppose it's not that bad to try such scandalous activities. I am an empress after all, and deserve to indulge every once in a while.”
She behaved as if they were about to commit adultery. Not having the energy to nip that idea in the bud, he just ignored it and moved on. “Good, now stay still.”
First, he removed Celine from his shoulders and held the girl firmly in one arm. She resisted at first, not wanting to lose her favorite seat, and kept pulling on his hair, but with some convincing, she let go.
“A-Ah, will it be a piggyback where my soft large breasts press against your strong back while I embrace you from behind, or the princess carry which normally only lovers get to enjoy before moving to the bed—hya!?” Unfortunately for her, he was going for neither option and picked up the method that seemed to work well with the daughter initially.
Grabbing onto her waist, and threw the woman over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, and having her prominent rear on display
“Don’t move too much, or else I might end up dropping you,” he said with a slight smirk when hearing the woman gasp. Standing over muddy water, wet soil, and the occasional passing insect, she saw that it was in her best interest to stay still.
Even so, Sephie hit his back with her fists a couple of times, a cute pout present on her face, “Not even Gid ever had the nerve to pick me up like this!”
“There really is a first time for everything.”
“How come Ryouko described you as someone caring and sweet when you are being so rude to your dear mother-in-law?” she whined, while not actually struggling to get out of his grasp. “You could at least be a dear and use a more comfortable position to hold me.”
“I'm not going to carry you all the way to the finish line, this is just to get out of the muddy area. After that, you'll have to walk on your own again. Also, my hands are full carrying you two, so unless you want me to put you down here then keep quiet.” She huffed but said nothing, letting him trudge forward through the muddy waters in silence. “As for the Ryouko part, well her views on me are a bit biased. Don't trust everything she says about me, they tend to be very exaggerated at times.”
“Like how the more someone sees of you, the more you seem like an old man stuck in a young boy's body. Even your hobbies are mostly house chores, cooking, cleaning, and raising kids. Oh, and there’s also that way how you act like you don't care but somehow always end up being the first one to lend a helping hand to anyone who knocks on your door, even if they are your enemies!”
“…”
Just what the hell had those two been talking about!? Did they get all of this from generic shounen anime and put him as the main character? Had one of his hands been free, he would have rubbed his temples. Emiya tried to think of a way to answer that question without further adding to the misunderstandings.
“The only enemy I have aided so far that is still alive is Yami. And Run if we stretch it a bit. As the Empress, you must have heard about Lacospo’s death, does that sound to you like someone who goes around helping everyone and anyone?”
He felt her shift behind his back, tapping it with her fingers as if it were a table. “Heeeeh, I suppose you are right in that instance. Gid wouldn’t stop replaying the footage when we received it.”
“Your husband watches a video of me killing Lacospo regularly?” It felt rather unsettling to hear that the emperor of the galaxy did that.
“It's not the strangest thing I have seen him do. Gid is like a small child at times, both literally and figuratively. Whenever he finds rumors about a powerful warrior who could relieve him of his boredom, he tries to find out everything about them. And recently, you have been the target of his fascination.”
A chilling shudder went up his spine, that sounded very dangerous.
“Forgive me for being blunt, but your husband is a nutjob. As his wife, I would prefer if you could help him focus on other things more important than my own captured footage.”
Like running the galaxy, for example. He was certain for such a big territory there had to be no shortage of matters that needed to be handled by its ruler.
“Fufufu~! Honestly, it's like seeing a small child getting all worked up and excited about a toy he’s going to receive soon. But don't worry, I will make sure that nothing will happen to you, as Lala would be very sad if that were to be the case.”
“Oooh!”
“Hm?” Emiya, however, suddenly stopped in his tracks when Celine started to pull his cheeks with more force. She was getting more restless and even patting his face for attention. “Is something the matter?”
“Mau! Mau!” She pointed down where he quickly saw faint ripples forming on the surface of the water.
"An earthquake?" he muttered.
At first, the tremor was faint, almost imperceptible. But then, it intensified. The ground beneath them quivered, and ripples spread across a puddle nearby. His instincts flared up in warning, honed through years of combat. Without hesitation, he leaped into the air.
"Wah—!"
A split second later, several thick vines burst from the ground, lashing out in an attempt to ensnare him. They coiled aggressively around the spot where he had stood just moments ago, tightening like a trap ready to snap shut.
"Look out, behind you!" Sephie’s urgent warning reached his ears.
“Hold onto Celine!”
Reacting instantly, Emiya Traced a chained dagger into existence with his now freed hand, hurling it toward a distant tree. The blade buried itself deep into the trunk, and with a forceful tug, he swung his body mid-air, narrowly avoiding another wave of writhing tendrils shooting up from the ground. More of them emerged, lashing out from multiple directions.
"Tch, this can't be part of the test of courage," he muttered, landing in a defensive stance. His eyes darted toward the ever-expanding mass of hostile plant life. "Did the plants Momo implanted here go rogue?”
He would not be able to keep up at this rate, with more and more showing up and making his window dodge smaller and smaller until practically every bit of space around them got filled with this creature's vines. Even Emiya started to struggle to avoid them all while carrying and protecting two noncombatants. He could not keep this going forever, he knew Momo asked him to not kill any of her plants, but this was obviously not how they were supposed to behave. He'd find a way to apologize to her later.
A moment later, Kanshou appeared within his grasp which he used to cut through the many vines around him. Each swing made it easier for him to move around and reduce their overall numbers.
“—!”
A loud shriek came from below, the ground started to crumble and a large plant burst from beneath, resembling a Venus flytrap but much larger and with razor-sharp teeth. It was very similar in appearance to Celine’s first form. Several more swords formed around him, all of them firing simultaneously. Only a few of them managed to hit the target, the plant proving to be faster than he expected, and it dodged most of the weapons by burrowing underground and reemerging somewhere else.
The few cuts he managed to deal with only served to enrage it further.
“Recognize this plant?” he asked Sephie, looking around to see if there were any other plants about to ambush him.
“Um, it looks kind of familiar, but I am not certain of its species,” Sephie admitted with an embarrassed voice.
He had two options at that moment, either leave this place as fast as he could and escape, or finish the fight and make sure this monster would not go after the others… “It’s not really a choice. Sorry about this.”
“Eh, what do you—no!”
The next moment he let go of the woman who immediately fell into the muddy water. Her dress got completely soaked with mud which also completely covered her face and hair. The woman's beauty immediately became hidden beneath a layer of wet dirt.
Now with both hands free and no weight on him, Emiya used the opportunity to close the distance between him and the plant monster. Both married blades were held firmly as he slashed across the Venus flytrap's head in a single swing, cutting it into pieces and making sure that it would not be able to regenerate even if it had that ability.
Several chunks fell onto the ground with green liquid raining down everywhere and coating both himself and the already dirtied Sephie.
"Should have done that sooner."
The creature itself wasn’t particularly dangerous to him, but its ability to rapidly spawn countless vines made it an annoying obstacle — especially since he had to ensure Sephie remained unharmed while dealing with it. Dismissing his Traced swords, Emiya stepped back toward the Empress, extending a hand to help her to her feet.
Even with her face partially covered in dirt, he could practically feel the intensity of her glare burning holes through his skull.
Gingerly, he wiped away some of the dirt clinging to her face. "Hey, at least you don’t have to worry about your pheromones attracting anything around us anymore. All this dirt practically acts as a natural container for your abilities."
His attempt at humor didn’t land as he had hoped. If anything, the Empress’ expression darkened further. Sighing, Emiya rubbed the back of his head, knowing he had no regrets about his actions but still felt the need to make amends.
"…Sorry."
"What a gentleman indeed," Sephie remarked sarcastically.
He had no response for that, knowing anything he said would likely dig himself into a deeper hole. At the very least, he resolved to prepare a grand feast for her before she returned home, hoping it would serve as an apology. But as he moved to pick her up once more, something felt off.
"Wait… where’s Celine?"
That question made Sephie freeze, her prior frustration momentarily replaced by confusion.
"Celine? I was holding her. She should be right—eh?"
Looking down, she realized that instead of the cheerful plant girl, she was holding nothing more than a rotting tree branch covered in moss.
"Where is Celine?!"
"Mau!"
Their answer came immediately from behind them. Both turned in alarm, their eyes widening in alarm as they spotted Celine dangling upside down, held by another plant-like creature. The tiny girl was suspended over the edge of a steep ravine, dozens of meters deep, with jagged rocks at the bottom.
"Another mimic?!" Emiya recognized the same type of creature they had encountered before. The first mimic still lay defeated, a gaping wound in its body, but this one seemed completely unfazed. Unlike them, however, Celine appeared completely unbothered by her predicament. She giggled and waved her tiny arms cheerfully as if enjoying the ride.
"Don't move!" Sephie shouted as if the plant would somehow listen. It gazed at Celine who looked like she was communicating with it. After several sounds from her, it started to loosen its hold.
“Don't talk to it!” Emiya shouted while trying to get closer.
Without hesitation, the creature loosened its grip, letting Celine drop straight toward the abyss below.
"—!"
He launched himself forward, pushing his body to the limit as he dove off the edge, arms outstretched.
He barely had a second to register that he wasn’t the only one who reacted—Sephie had leaped alongside him, her expression one of sheer determination.
"Ah—!"
All three of them plummeted.
Emiya twisted midair, positioning himself to shield Celine and Sephie with his body. Holding on to both of them tightly and reinforcing his body to endure the fall without it causing too much damage.
They smashed through layers of vegetation and rolled down a small hill before finally hitting the ground with a resounding thud. Falling onto a pond of water. Luckily, the fall itself was not that high, and other than a few scrubs he suffered no major rules or even any broken bones. More importantly, the two individuals he held in his arms were mostly unharmed with both him and Sephie holding onto Celine.
“Mau!”
The child cheered, laughing brightly with the biggest smile on her face. The sight made him momentarily forget about what happened and had him let out a small chuckle. “You are the only one I know who would find falling from such a height fun. Either you have no sense of danger or you trust me at being too much.”
She answered him by yawning, then rested her head on his chest and slowly dozed off into sleep, having grown tired from all the chaos.
“I suppose that answers it, how are you faring? Oh…” Unfortunately for him, his troubles did not end there and the first thing he saw upon checking the Empress to make sure she was all right was the sound of something ripping apart. The previously beautiful pink dress that had been dirtied along the veil slowly started to vanish right before his eyes, being eaten away by some strange liquid.
“…”
“…”
Both of them are frozen in their spots, Sephie not moving an inch as in a matter of seconds she now sat on top of him without any clothes on. Worst of all, Emiya found his own clothes going through the same thing as hers, disappearing a few moments later.
“Before you say or do anything, I am not going to force myself on you.”
Slowly but surely, her face started to form a blush but rather than a gasp of shock or even cover herself, even if there was so much to cover, she instead started to laugh. Her shoulders trembling as she covered her mouth but was unable to stop herself from laughing louder.
“Hahahaha!”
This went on for another minute before she managed to calm herself down. Wiping a tear from her eyes and looking at him with a wide smile, not seeming to care that she was naked on top of him. “Things are never boring around you, there is always something happening. No wonder Lala has so much fun.”
In a way, he agreed with that statement. As much as he wished for a boring life as she put it, things were always happening around him making that goal harder day by day.
“You were pretty fast back then, and here I thought that your only special ability was your charm.” for her to be able to catch Celine around the same time as him could not be achievable through regular means. She did not even use her wings back there.
“An empress such as myself also has her secrets,” she said with an amused smile. “I can't remember when was the last time I felt so much adrenaline. Even now my heart keeps beating loudly, showing no signs of calming down anytime soon! I might become jealous of my daughters at this rate, they get to have all the fun while I need to handle the Empire's affairs and babysit Gid.”
“Trust me, you’ll get sick of it over time.” As he finished talking, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps drawing closer to the location. Not a few seconds later, he saw Momo run towards them with a panicked expression. As much as he wanted to scold her for having these uncontrollable monster plants be used for such a simple event.
The girl probably did not intend to cause any harm and from the look on her face, she must have felt awful. So just for today, he was going to keep his silence and only bring it up when they were back home. But first, he needed to make sure Momo did not misunderstand the situation.
“Now, I know this looks bad. But you have to believe me when I say that your mother and I have nothing going on.” He saw the girl rush towards him, to his surprise, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Eh, Momo?”
“…”
She said nothing, continuing to hold him silently without showing signs of letting go anytime soon.
“Oh my, a family hug! I always wanted one.”
Of course, Sephie joined in, grabbing onto everyone. Her large bare, and very soft, chest pressed against his face, and feeling the bright pink nipple poking his cheek, giving him a very strong sense of deja vu.
“Nii-san!”
Ah, even Rito was here? Well, he did not look injured and was in good shape. One less thing to be worried about, though he wondered why it was in her underwear.
“W-Why are you two naked!? Ah!” The brown-haired boy immediately covered his eyes, despite having seen Sephie’s full figure he hadn't lost control. Whether it was because he grew resistant to the pheromones or possessed enough self-control did not matter.
At that, Emiya couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
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(A few minutes later)
The fire burned as the bonfire prepared by Saki and her group lit the surroundings. Finally enough, the others were still in the middle of the trial and his group and Rito's were the first ones to come out first. Now all that remained was to wait for the others to join and for them to be done with this event for good.
Emiya went back to the manor to put Celine to sleep. Rito went ahead to fetch some refreshments for them, Rin had to change her clothes which only left Momo alone with her mother who now was wearing a large tracksuit.
The woman was oddly quiet, having not uttered a word since the beginning. She just continued to smile and enjoy the brightness while Momo started to feel more and more paranoid. Finally, after what felt like ages, Sephie broke her silence.
“I have to admit Momo, today's event went along quite nicely. Even though there were some bumps along the way, I don't think I will have as much fun for a long time.” She said calmly, “It's a shame I have to go back tomorrow, I would have loved to spend more time with my children.”
“Glad you enjoyed it, Mama.” She put on a smile, not wanting to show any signs of anxiety and relief festering within her at the idea that her mother might have started to suspect anything and finally going back home.
“You too seem to have a lot of fun today, I never saw you make such a face before.”
“R-Really? Hehehe, I-I was just worried when I heard something crash and quickly went over to check. Good thing I was nearby.” The longer This conversation went on, the more she started to believe that her mother suspected nothing and her mind began to calm down. “I can send you an invite the next time we try something similar, this time I'll make sure that things don't become so chaotic.”
The woman chuckles come out giving a daughter a side eye with a light smirk on her face. “Are you sure you want to do that? After all, wouldn't I be getting in the middle of your little plan?”
“—!?”
Momo froze upon hearing that, goosebumps spreading all over. She turned mechanically like a robot as she exchanged gazes with Sephie. “I-I Don't know what you're ta-talking about, mama… w-what do you mean by my plan?”
"You like him," Sephie stated with unwavering certainty, her eyes twinkling with maternal insight that left no room for denial. "At first I was not sure what you were doing. There was clearly something there, yet instead of pursuing Emiya directly, you've been orchestrating things from the shadows. Introducing him to other girls, creating situations where they can get closer to him. Not once have I seen you try to eliminate your competition—instead, you're practically gift-wrapping opportunities for them."
She wanted to vehemently deny those claims, but when her mother squinted her eyes as if challenging her to do so, Momo found herself unable to say anything.
“I know you, Momo, you are my beloved daughter. Which means I also know that never would you ever so much as consider stealing your elder sister's fiancé from her.”
No, she would not deceive Lala in such a way. Emiya was her fiancé, and she was more than happy to see them together. But… but with just more faces in the picture, so that everyone could be happy.
“Trying to form a harem, that's the only conclusion I came to.”
She lowered her head even further now that the cat was out of the bag, feeling both scared and ashamed that her mother managed to figure it out so easily. Was it that obvious? She did not have enough time to work on it since it only became her goal recently, but the girl tried her best to keep it a secret.
Yet still here she was.
“Fufufu~ Why the long face, dear?” Sephie gently caressed her face, lifting it up so that they could look at one another. “Do I look like I'm angry?”
No… no she did not.
So, did that mean that her mother was not against the plan?
“And no, I know what you're thinking and I don't support such a plan. As much as I want to see my daughters all happy, a harem, especially in a royal family, will always lead to trouble down the line. But… I won't stop you.”
“Eh?”
That caught her off guard, she was fully expecting her mother to push back this idea and force her to abandon it.
“Why?”
“Because I don't believe Shirou will fall for it.” She said bluntly, the answer being different from what Momo expected to hear. “After getting to know him better, I believe I managed to somewhat get a grasp on his personality. He is… different from what you are imagining. Using such devious methods to trick him will just push him away from you and end up hurting you.”
Unsure of what she meant, Momo let her continue.
“If you truly want to get any kind of progress with him and get through to the young man — then it's better to just be straightforward.”
Just that? Being straightforward?
She was having a hard time understanding how that could be a better method than what she had planned. Since the redhead already made it clear that he did not believe in harems, how was being straightforward going to change his mind?
Seeing her confusion, Sephie continued to pat her daughter's head lovingly. “You are a smart child, dear. Sooner or later I know you will understand what I meant by that. Just be honest with him, he may seem stubborn but your sister already is making a lot of progress just being herself.”
If it was her mother who gave her such advice, then Momo was not going to throw it away or ignore it.
“Why even try to have others involved? Don't you want as much of him for yourself? Not that I support it, but wouldn't it be more ideal for you to compete for his love instead?”
Because she could not compete in the first place, not against her own sister. Even if she had the resolve to do so, Momo was not blind compared to Lala. She came short in practically everything. Her sister was a genius from birth, blessed with exceptional beauty and strength — ending up inheriting the best qualities from both parents.
Not just her, Momo could not see herself competing with the likes of other women in Emiya's life. Not just out of inferiority but also because she was their friend. Their happiness was just as important to her as anything else.
“I just don't want people to be disappointed. They… many of them like him and want to be with him.” That was what she ended up using as an answer, keeping the rest bottled up.
“I know, but before you go thinking about them. You should put yourself first, Momo. As much as you care about them, I know most amongst them also care about you — including Shirou.”
“Really?”
“Trust me.”
She wanted to ask how exactly he cared about her. Like a friend, just as his fianceé's sister, or something more? Unfortunately, asking this question led Sephie to just chuckle and return her attention back to the bonfire.
This meant she needed to figure things out on her own.
Still, she felt grateful. Her mother did not strike down her plan or scold her. Providing advice and warmth she grew to miss ever since they left their home planet. Leaning against her, she let herself fall asleep to the sound of the fire crackling.
“I'll try my best, Mama.”
“I know you will. All four of you are my precious gems, nothing in this universe can stop you.”
Wait, four?
“I’ve been thinking that perhaps we should officially impart Celine with the royal family name.”
“…”
Best to ignore that part, she could imagine the turmoil taking place in her home world if her mother brought a Plantas child out of nowhere to declare her as the fourth princess.
Though she wouldn’t be against it.
An Archer's Promise Chapter 70: So Beautiful
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness and GameCru
2025-02-25 07:11:42 +0000 UTC View PostMy Teenage Highschool Romance Comedy Can't Be This Perverted! Chapter 100
Beta read by Shigiya
Damn, 100 chapter... It's been a long... Long time indeed.
Really wished I saved that lemon for this chapter instead of chapter 99, would have felt more special. Missed opportunity. Or could have made it with Rias and Akeno... So many possibilities.
Next update is An Archer's Promise.
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-Underworld-
Ah, the Underworld and its artificial morning sun. No matter how much it differs from the one above, it still manages to make me feel miserable so early in the morning. It barely gave me five hours of sleep—no, in fact, just four if I counted correctly.
“Who the hell wakes up this early just to start a fight or attend a tournament? This is ridiculous—more ridiculous than anything I’ve seen so far.” I muttered with a terribly hoarse voice, exhaustion weighing on me both physically and mentally. At this moment I felt no different to an old man walking with an aching back, where had all that youthful energy I was promised gone?
And of course, a certain fallen angel hybrid decided that now was the perfect time for a second round early on in the morning—without even waiting for me to wake up! They took the liberty of starting while I was still asleep. Who would have thought I'd end up waking up like one of those unlucky hentai protagonists, ambushed under the bed sheets?
I even had a dream… or more accurately a nightmare of Zaimokuza, somehow learning about my life here and making a novel out of it. Been a while since I thought about that man, even in my dreams his face turned somewhat blurry just like with many others. The only prominent trait of his that remained unforgettable was that spiky mess of hair and his bombastic, over-the-top, chuunibyou personality.
Hah damn it, this was not the time to feel nostalgic again in the middle of my walk to see Akeno and the others. The event from last night nearly made me forget about their match and she also left early on in the morning, only leaving me a small memo to not miss the fight after I left the shower.
“I don't understand these Devils, not exactly known to be early birds yet they have such an important fight this early on.”
"You said it yourself before, partner. The concept of the daily cycle here is very different from the one above. Pair that with the physiology of creatures like devils, who only need minimal rest in their home world to fully recover, and it makes sense. The Underworld is their home world after all."
"Yeah? Then why isn't it working for me?"
"Our case is as confusing as everything else. Perhaps take it as proof that you aren’t a devil—not even in that regard," Vritra answered simply without even putting any effort into uncovering the truth. “Let's put that aside, it will bring us no answers we seek and focus on more important matters.”
“And what could be more important than me finding out what I have become and possibly avoiding the path leading to turning into a jumbled mess of flesh?”
“Like the boy in that movie?”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, “You were actually watching?”
“I was bored.”
Fair enough, even a former immortal dragon who fought gods and armies could one day find himself rendered powerless at the existence of boredom and there’s only so much one can do in my head. We were all slaves to it, humans, devils, or even Gods… especially the latter. “But yeah, I want to avoid that ending.”
“You worry too much, I am within you and constantly monitoring for any abnormalities which there are none.”
That sounded off but I found myself to be far too tired to care.
“Diodora,” I mentioned that name, feeling the dragon's mood take a shift. Not that I could blame him, the feeling was mutual and it only grew the closer I got to the main building. Hearing the crowd already making some noise from here and cementing the realization of Rias’ Peerage battle against Diodora.
“You don't trust him.”
“Do you even need to say it?” I scoffed, that much did not need to be mentioned and the word trust and Diodora just did not go well together. Paranoia or simply just overeating, I did not feel comfortable in the group fighting with that guy in the least. “Not even Kiba had such an obviously fake mask on, worst of all it barely hid his real self during our first meeting. He makes both Kiba and Hayato look like absolute masters of deception.”
“Then, what are you going to do?”
What could I do in the first place? Nothing, this matter was a complicated one that couldn't be addressed this late. As much as I wanted to walk into the Rias group's room and tell them to give up this match — it just was not possible.
I heard Vritra sigh, “There is not much he can even do, partner. The battle will be held in an enclosed domain fully controlled by the likes of a Maou or the silver-haired maid. Not to mention that the monster is also watching the match. I doubt he would allow anything to happen to his sister.”
I hated how the more I listened to his words the more I agreed with it. At the end of the day, there were several powerful presences watching the Rating Game, from Sirzechs all the way to the Bael clan. Not to mention Diodra was particularly known to be a powerful individual in the first place. With Katerea captured I truly doubted that anyone would try to attack such an important event.
“Well, would you look at what the wind carried all the way up here!”
“—!”
I was pulled away from my train of thought by a familiar, arrogant voice. My eye twitched, and I slowly turned my head, already bracing for the headache that was sure to follow. Standing before me was none other than the son of the Phenex Clan, leading a group of people like some kind of self-important monarch.
“Hugh… not you.”
Of all the people I could have encountered here, why did it have to be this lunatic? Dealing with his antics at Kuoh Academy was exhausting enough, and I had foolishly hoped that my journey to the Underworld would serve as a much-needed break. A temporary vacation. A chance to be free of all the nonsense. But no—here he was, gracing me with his presence and surrounded by his harem.
And was he seriously dragging his entire Peerage around with him like this? It was like some bizarre parade, showcasing his little harem to the world. Do these girls really have nothing better to do with their time? Get a hobby! Though Issei would definitely be very jealous, not that I envied him or could even empathize with Issei's envy.
The amount of headache one needed to deal with having a harem, I already was at my limit with Rias and Akeno. To have another dozen would just kill me faster than having a spear pierce my heart. Guess that was an actual superpower only possessed by the protagonist-like people.
“Hahaha! Yes, be stunned by my presence! Gaze upon my splendor as much as you wish and these beauties with envy!”
Riser threw out his arms dramatically before looping one around Yubelluna’s waist, pulling her close with an exaggerated flourish. The woman let out a soft, almost resigned sigh, but what made it even worse was when he shamelessly buried his face into her hair and took a deep inhale as if savoring the moment.
She clearly enjoyed that intimate action.
I resisted the urge to visibly cringe.
Bunch of weirdos.
‘Can’t really judge them given what I had to block out my senses whenever you are with your mates using MY powers. Honestly, my powers are meant to be tools of destruction and to vanquish our enemies, not to satisfy the needs of your women.’ Vritra commented, still salty about that part, and gave me several flashbacks of prior events when I did use those tentacles for such things… I really was no better in the end.
‘... Fair enough.’
Forgive me, Komachi-chan. Your big brother has become an unapologetic degenerate.
Going back to reality, I had to say something before he started doing any tongue action with any of the girls in public. “Yes, I am very much taken aback by your brilliance… or whatever,” I said flatly. “Now, please, just go away.”
Where was Asia and her holy artifacts whenever you needed her around? I should have kept her around as the ultimate holy shield from these deviants! She wouldn't even mind being used like that.
“How can I do that? Ignoring an important guest in the Underworld would bring shame to the Phenex Clan!”
I raised an eyebrow. “You were more than willing to act like a complete douchebag when we first met, so I don’t think that last part holds up. So go ahead, I don't mind… I even encourage it.”
“Hahaha! What a joker he is. Only the Black Dragon King can speak with Riser like this. Isn't he funny, girls? Did I tell you about the story about that one time when he helped me back in the human wor…”
Tuning out his senseless rambling, I gave a small wave to the other girls in his Peerage. Unlike their king, they actually had a sense of decorum. The twins returned the gesture, Xuelan gave me a small nod, and Mihae offered a polite smile to name a few. Compared to how things were in the past, they all seemed noticeably calmer and more mature. A lot could change in such a short time, I supposed.
“Look,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as if that could somehow ward off the headache this conversation was causing. “As thrilling as it is to stand here and watch you inflate your ego like a cheap balloon, I’ve got better things to do. Like, say, literally anything else. Rias’ Rating Game is about to start, and I’d rather not miss it because I’m stuck listening to you talk about yourself—again.”
Just as I turned on my heel to walk away, Riser said something that made me stop dead in my tracks.
"You should tell the Gremory brat to be very careful around Diodora."
“...”
This statement came out of nowhere. While I wasn’t naive enough to believe there weren’t others in the Underworld—or beyond—who were aware of that man's true nature, the last person I expected to hear this from was Riser.
Or perhaps it made more sense with him knowing such things.
"Are you trying to tell me something, Riser?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly.
"Heh, now look who's finally willing to talk to me. Sometimes I surprise myself with my own intelligence." Riser chuckled, flipping his hair back as his girls showered him with praise. I was on the verge of just walking away again, ignoring his existence entirely, but I needed to be sure about what he meant by that last part. "Now that I think about it, didn’t I ever mention to you the time Diodora Astaroth made a little visit to the human world while you were out in Ireland?"
That far in the past? What the hell!
"No. No, you did not." Frustration crept into my voice, though my face remained neutral. A part of me felt extremely pissed that he had kept this information from me for so long.
Could it have helped me in some way? Maybe or maybe not. But it was better to know that instead of being in the dark, my impression of Diodora was completely different.
Unfortunately, jumping to conclusions never helped anyone. So I had to take a step back and get a full picture first. "Before I ask how you even came to know about this, tell me why he came to the human world in the first place. Devils going to the human world is not so uncommon, the timing is a bit odd but coincidences are a thing.”
He shrugged. "Why would I know the exact reason? You are correct, we devils are allowed to roam wherever we want without needing a particular reason. But as a favor, I’ll tell you something more. When he regularly visits the human world, and from what I understand, he always returns with a new addition to his peerage. So it's not like he goes up there to enjoy his time and enjoy the different forms of entertainment like I do."
That made sense.
When looking at it that way, the same applied to every devil in the Underworld. To them, the human world was nothing more than a cheap bargain bin—a place to scavenge for the best pieces to add to their little game board.
"That’s not what I’m asking. Where and why?" I pressed.
"Near the Gremory residence, in the forest."
My eyebrows shot up as I stared at him in clear shock. Had that man simply been visiting places like Kuoh, I wouldn’t have questioned it—after all, the territory as a whole belonged to the devils. But for him to be present in Rias’ private domain, inside the forest? That raised a lot of concerning questions, feeding into my paranoia and suspicions.
My mind started racing and I brought together everything I knew about that man.
“Since that man recently came to Kuoh searching for Asia, then there is a high possibility that he tried to approach her in his last attempt. Safe to say he failed and came back empty-handed, having not even been able to approach her.”
I would have known if he tried, that girl barely spent any time alone away from Gabrielle, Akeno, Kalawarna, or myself.
“Though there is a possibility he just went there just to collect information about her… no, that doesn't make sense. He would have known that Asia is not in Rias' Peerage from the get-go — it's not something hard to find out, especially for the Astaroth heir and Ajuka’s little brother. Still, he failed to approach Asia in Rias' domain, it couldn't have been because the latter stopped him… I would have been told about that.”
That only left me with a handful of speculation with the most likely truth being related to the person in front. “As much as I find myself at an impasse to admit it. You must have had something to do with that since you know about this information in the first place. I doubt Diodora wouldn't keep his intrusion in the Gremory territory known by anyone or… you helped him get there in the first place but failed for another reason. Your demeanor does not suggest it to be the latter option.”
Riser’s smirk grew as his girls looked at me with gaping mouths. It wasn’t like I had uncovered some elaborate scheme—just simple logic, based on the most plausible outcomes. "On top of your demeanor, I doubt you would have helped him, given your current relationship with the Gremory clan. Instigating any kind of discord would only backfire on you."
"Hehehe, so what do you think I did?" he asked, amusement dancing in his tone. Looking like he was practically enjoying all of this.
"Unless you’re truly that stupid—which is a very real possibility—then you were the one who stopped him from meeting Asia before he openly approached her."
Riser clapped his hands slowly, keeping his smug expression. I kept my gaze locked on his, waiting for his response. Depending on his answer, I wasn’t going to punch him, but I would make sure he learned his lesson, one way or another.
"You’re wrong on both accounts, unfortunately. I neither helped him nor stopped him."
“What?”
That caught me by surprise. It wasn’t an impossible outcome, but given how openly he had approached me and the face he made, I had truly believed he had done one of the two and then he would have started boasting about me owing him a favor or something.
"I learned about this through my own sources. As for the one who stopped him... well, why don’t you be one of your allies? I gave him a warning after he returned.” Not even going to tell me who exactly it was, great. “But in any case, I just wanted to share this little piece of information before you go in there. Even Riser doesn’t fully trust that cowardly snake."
An expression of disgust briefly flashed across his face. I remembered that, despite being an absolute douchebag, Riser was not cowardly. He had pride, and his arrogance stemmed from confidence in his abilities and lineage. It would be out of character for him to lie about something like this just to mess with me.
That meant the information was solid.
Even if I was wrong, it would not change my opinions of the guy.
"I’ll keep an eye on him." With that, I turned my back on him and went inside without another word. Now, I felt even more uncertain about this upcoming match.
[Break]
Except…
I continued to hear footsteps behind me. Multiple sets of footsteps. And Riser’s voice, as he chatted with his girls, carried in the same direction.
A bit awkward.
We had just finished a tension-filled conversation, and it would’ve been ideal if we had parted ways. But it just so happened we were both heading in the same direction regardless.
Couldn’t he have just talked to me inside instead of outside?
Trying my best to ignore him, I picked up my pace slightly—just enough that it wouldn’t be obvious. Eventually, I reached the spectator seating, where a certain someone was waiting to greet me.
Still groggy, I walked toward the same spot I sat in yesterday and met the silver-haired Valkyrie once again all on her own without anyone around. I supposed she once again lost sight of Odin, and I started to pity this woman even more with every interaction.
"Um… hello. Hope you got a good night’s sleep. Is something wrong, perhaps? You look tired." She greeted me enthusiastically at first, but then her expression shifted when she noticed my appearance.
"It’s nothing.” I couldn't exactly tell her the reason and not die of embarrassment myself.
That didn't seem to be enough, as she got even more concerned. "Are you perhaps sick? When I visited you last night, you didn’t seem to be in your best state. Were you hurt too badly?"
Hurt? It took me a second to remember what she meant until I recalled the excuse I had given. I felt a slight blush creep up my face—more out of embarrassment than anything. She could never be allowed to know the truth. No one could. I would take that secret to my grave, not even telling Rias.
"What is this? So the rumors are true! You have already taken her as one of your concubines! A Valkyrie, no less. As expected of my rival! HAHAHAHA!"
Was that guy still following me!?
I snapped my head toward the voice, only to find Riser sitting right next to me, his cheerleading squad having taken their seats randomly around the area. Talking to other people from different peerages, huh… they were more social than I imagined.
"Concubine!?" Rossweisse practically exploded into a blushing mess, panic taking over. "I-I can’t do that! I’m very sorry, Black Dragon King, but I cannot accept such a proposal! I am loyal to my duty, and we only just met!"
"Are you seriously believing what he’s saying? It’s just Riser messing with you. Don’t listen to him or any of these ridiculous rumors. It'll just cause more trouble—like it did last time with Odin!"
"Oh! Sorry! Please forgive me for the misunderstanding! I promise I won’t make the same mistake again!"
"You can stop apologizing now… The last thing I need is you crying or getting drunk and passing out in the corridor or in someone else's room."
"It was only one time!" she protested, clearly mortified.
I sighed. "Let’s just put that matter behind us. Like I said yesterday, I already forgave you. Rather than stressing yourself over it and getting more white hair than you already have from stress, let’s focus on the match."
"This is my natural hair color!"
Could have fooled me.
I paid her no attention as she started whining again, while Riser next to me laughed like a buffoon. The match was about to begin, and I was at the edge of my seat, staring at Diodora like a hawk. Even though Asia wasn’t part of Rias' peerage and wasn’t present in the Rating Game, I refused to take any risks. I had given Akeno one of my teleportation spell anchors—just in case something happened, I could be there quickly. The fact that the arena was in a separate, locked dimension would make the spell’s activation take longer, but it was still faster than rushing over to ask Sirzechs or Grayfia to send me there.
[Diodora Astaroth and his peerage have arrived. The rules are the same as yesterday—whoever defeats the most opponents and gains the most points wins. If either side's King and Queen are eliminated, they lose. The Rating Game will begin in five minutes, so both groups, take your positions and wait for the countdown.]
As Grayfia’s voice faded, several screens appeared before us, showing both teams. Rias' group looked confident. Neither she, Akeno, nor even Kiba seemed particularly concerned about their opponents. Koneko was napping, and Gasper was playing a game. From the looks of it, they had everything under control.
Then I turned my attention to Diodora. Strangely, every member of his peerage was hidden behind a thick veil that obscured both their faces and bodies. But without a doubt, they were all women.
"And here I thought my impression of him couldn't get any worse. He's worse than you, Riser."
For whatever reason, their faces were concealed, and they stood behind him like silent puppets. It gave me the creeps. Something was terribly wrong with them, and it didn’t take an expert to realize it.
"You may feel angered, but there is nothing that can be done," Riser shrugged. "There are no laws stating that a King must reveal their servants’ faces. Just sit back and enjoy the match."
I wanted to follow his advice, but unfortunately, I had a gut feeling that this wouldn't be so simple. I was prepared in case Diodora tried anything underhanded.
And so, I waited.
…
"...Huh?"
Not even five minutes passed before the match ended—and in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
Right before my eyes, the team I had been most wary of was suddenly obliterated by a single blonde-haired, smiling prince charming of a knight. Kiba had gone in alone while Rias and Akeno stayed behind, ready to strike if necessary.
A single use of Sword Birth and all of Diodora’s veiled subordinates were instantly taken out.
As for Diodora, he put up a decent fight—well, for about five seconds. He managed to land a hit on Kiba, but the moment Akeno stepped into view, her fingers crackled with enough lightning to make her father proud. The Astaroth heir’s bravado evaporated faster than snow in hell.
[Diodora Astaroth has given up and his peerage has been eliminated from the Rating Game. The winner of this round is Rias Gremory.]
My jaw nearly hit the floor in disbelief.
Rossweisse clapped cheerfully, while Riser, who hadn’t been paying attention the entire time, simply continued combing his hair in front of a pocket mirror he got from somewhere.
“Wasn't he someone you fought before?”
“It was one of my more boring fights, we had a deal and I willingly threw in the towel as per our agreement. Had it been a real fight then Riser would have come out on top with ease.”
I remember Rias saying something similar about that match a long time ago when she kept studying prior Rating Games before her battle against this yakitori.
"See? I told you that you were worrying too much." Riser chuckled, amused by my reaction. "I’ll admit, I expected Diodora to at least have some kind of trump card, but he failed even in that. Tch, this only dirties my reputation since I let him earn a victory. I regret that it will keep eating me from now on."
I barely registered his words.
Was that it?
Had I really just been paranoid over nothing?
The arrogant noble responsible for Asia’s excommunication had been defeated in an instant—by a single opponent, no less. Similar to what had happened in the other matches.
I honestly didn’t know how to feel—confused, troubled, or worried. Maybe I just got too used to dealing with dangerous scenarios from such individuals.
"Why are you even surprised?" Riser scoffed. "A weakling who couldn’t even last a minute against a single knight. What a joke." He smirked mockingly. "Had I been there instead of the Gremory team, Riser would have shown him mercy by not humiliating him in front of so many people. Oh, wait! He’s already doing that to himself, so it wouldn’t have mattered! Hahaha!"
I could feel Rossweisse staring at me, silently judging the man beside me. I gave her a pleading look.
"I am in no way associated with this guy, nor do I know him. He just came over here for no reason and wasted our time."
"Nonsense!" Riser exclaimed, boldly pulling me into a one-arm hug, and invading my personal space. "We are rivals, and Hachiman here is just too shy to admit it! But I understand. Feeling inadequate when compared to someone as brilliant as me would burden anyone. If you have any questions, dear Valkyrie. Let me show you the wonders of the Un—” With a snap of my fingers, a black dome enveloped the man and his voice turned completely silent. First of all, he continued to speak without realizing that I cast a spell.
“He suffered a few brain damage in his last Rating Game, so just ignore him.”
She gave me a look that made me feel like I was somehow on the same level as Riser. I took that personally. Sure, I had my quirks—who didn’t?—but I liked to think I was at least a few steps above that guy. At least, I hoped so. Otherwise, my life was way more depressing than I thought.
"I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the fight to end so easily," Rossweisse admitted, bringing the conversation back to something normal. "As the younger brother of Beelzebub, shouldn’t someone of his background have a stronger chance and a better Peerage?"
A valid question, one I had also pondered before the match started and even more so now that it was over.
"Most likely, he recruited his peerage based on looks rather than combat ability," I answered. "None of them lasted more than a few seconds against Kiba. It’s clear to me that he’s even worse than Riser over here."
As if hearing what I said, fire rose from every part of his body and burned through the Absolute Silence spell which I was not aware was even possible. Then again, I rarely used it during combat against a fire user.
"Who are you calling worse?" Riser scoffed, patting his shoulders and dusting off invisible dust. "Riser will not tolerate such slander against his beauties! My girls are not only among the most gorgeous, but they also possess great power and powerful Sacred Gears! You’ll see! In a matter of years, they will stand among the strongest peerages in the entire Underworld!"
What a nice dream.
But in the end, that’s all it would remain—a dream.
Not that I doubted they had potential, but among them, only his Queen was remotely close to reaching that goal. The others… were very far from even being a tenth of the way there but they were still leagues above what Diodora’s peerage showed.
Meanwhile, Rias and Sona were already far ahead. Sona, in particular, had the Red Dragon Emperor on her side, practically guaranteeing her position at the top.
Rias, on the other hand, didn’t have someone with that kind of absurd power, but she still had plenty of extraordinary individuals.
A Nekomata who could use Senjutsu. A knight with Sword Birth. Gasper and even Akeno, to name a few. All of them held tremendous potential. As in the next few minutes, I continued my conversation with the Valkyrie, I heard the maid announce the next match which would soon begin, and for the contestants to start preparing. If I recall correctly, this was my turn now.
"It should be my turn next," I muttered. "I wonder who I’ll be fighting.”
“Please wait!” She stopped me before I could leave, a bit confused at being called out by her, I hauled it in my steps and looked back.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
She seemed hesitant at first, stuttering with her words and not meeting my gaze directly. “U-Um… Even though I know you have forgiven my past mistakes and I feel tremendously grateful for that. But it is still necessary for me to repay that favor in some way. So, as instructed by Odin-sama… I am willing to help you out during the next Rating Game.”
I stood there for a few seconds in silence, not exactly shocked or even surprised by what she said, for a part of me suspected that something like this could happen. Rather I was observing her face, making sure if she was being forced to do so or if the woman genuinely wanted to help. Surprisingly, it felt like the latter and I was not sure how to respond to that. “It's not like I need your help in the first place. Even if in this battle there are plenty of monsters, I'm not exactly planning on defeating them with everything I got. So I don't mind losing.”
“B-But you're the Black Dragon King!”
“Yeah, so?” I shot back, the weight of that damn title pressing harder on me every single day and it’s starting to get annoying. “I’m not some invincible god. There’s plenty of young devils that can beat me and some that can crush me. You tagging along wouldn’t change much—I’d just tell you to sit tight or bail anyway. And it’s not like I can just add you to my Peerage on a whim. Especially if it’s someone like you.”
“... Am I that bad?”
Oh damn, I could see the tears coming from a mile away and immediately tried to salvage this situation.
“No, you are just too good. A powerful Valkyrie like you would be unfair against other devils in the game. So while I appreciate your willingness to help me, I will handle this on my own as usual.”
With that said, I walked away and took the same path as usual towards my room. Part of me wanted to meet Rias’ group and congratulate them for the easy win, but I could always do that later. “Would be ironic if my next opponent is Sona, sheesh, she's not going to go easy on me.”
I wouldn't be surprised if, in the first five seconds of facing a balance breaker, Issei's flight came full speed after being promised to touch some boobs by one of the girls. Her best strategy was to take me out as soon as possible rather than aiming for the other girls in my group. The longer she stalled the more unlikely their chances would become.
“Facing the Red Dragon Emperor seriously this time, how I longed for this moment. I hope the kid has improved since the last time.” Vritra said, clearly excited about this match.
“Very likely, it's always people like him who can get sudden bursts of power out of nowhere or because they were promised some kind of lewd reward. Given how devil powers tend to work, he should be far above his past self. But I wouldn't be so sure to put him close to Vali’s level.” That man was a full-on monster, a force of nature that could not be reasoned with just like Sairaorg.
Speaking of which, “We might even be facing Sairaorg, if that's the case then I am giving up on the spot.”
“Wise choice, I do not believe whoever is responsible will match you two up so early on. These people will be keeping the best for last.”
Perhaps, I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that. “In any case, let's just hope Raynare does not get too bloodthirsty against Sona and well…. Issei. She might genuinely try to kill him again and Kala won't even bother to stop her.”
“At this rate, It's best if you buy a leash for her.”
“You're making it sound weird, Vritra. But if I’m honest, that guy would’ve probably enjoyed that and called her mistress, if it wasn’t for their break-up.” As we continued to speak, I reached the room and opened the door, only to be surprised when I found the place to be completely empty without anyone's trace. “Eh, are they late? Strange for Kala to be late for anything.” Kuroka and Raynare I knew would sleep without a care in the world for an entire day if given the opportunity.
Xenovia on the other hand was very punctual, so for her to be absent as well was very odd.
“Did I go to the wrong room?” I checked the place and confirmed once again that I was not in the wrong place. Wasn't until I looked around a bit that I noticed a figure standing in the corner, perfectly blending with the surrounding shadows.
“—!”
The figure moved, heading straight towards me in a rush. A bright light glowed in the middle of their palm as it drew closer to my face.
Woosh!
However, I managed to keep my calm and immediately summoned dozens of tendrils that burst from the ground and wrapped around the figure which I soon discovered to be a woman. But not just any woman, the robe hiding her figure and the veil in front of her face. “Diodora’s peerage member?”
My eyes narrowed and I immediately surveyed my surroundings for any type of ambush but found there to be no one else. “What are you doing here… and what is your King planning?”
“...”
I asked but received no response from the person. Something was going on here, something terribly wrong and my guts were practically screaming at me to leave this place as soon as possible. But as I pondered whether to stay and interrogate the woman or go find one of the Maous, the ground beneath me suddenly lit up with brilliant purple light. Taking the shape of a magic circle with the woman's body glowing brighter.
“Shit!”
August of air rose from beneath, pushing away the veil and there I saw soulless eyes staring back at me with little to no emotion. Truly like a robot within human flesh. “For Diodora-sama…”
[Delete Field!]
I summoned a dark violet dome around me, hoping it would counter whatever spell this was. But, of course, nothing happened—because why would anything ever go as planned? The world around me blinked out of existence, and suddenly I was… somewhere else. The woman in my grip went limp, her body lifeless in an instant. Just like that, she was gone, without so much as a gasp or a dramatic last word.
“Vritra!”
Both the dragons and my senses expanded to our surroundings. Seeing this wasteland surrounded by old ruins and dead trees didn’t really give me anything to go on. Part of me was bracing for another ambush by dozens of monsters or other people working for that guy.
Yet nothing of that sort happened.
“Ouch!”
Another voice came from nearby, summoning Vritra's gear and preparing to use my Balance Breaker. I planned to go fully all out without wasting a moment due to hesitation but found myself frozen the next second upon seeing the source.
“Rossweisse?”
That silver-haired Valkyrie again, what the hell was she doing here!?
“A-Ah, it's a misunderstanding!” She exclaimed when noticing my suspicious glare. “I was just following you in secret hoping to see if you needed my help or if anyone else in your group would accept me to help out in any way I can! I tried to save you by counter-acting the magic circle that appeared but I wasn't fast enough!”
She was doing what!? Feeling a headache approaching, and more questions piling up with no answers whatsoever, I truly started to curse my luck. Looking at the sky above, with the fake moon illuminating my surroundings, I really was not sure what happened.
“Where the hell did you send me, Diodora.”
“What, you don't like my little playground? How sad, it took a lot of effort to alter the land.”
I could not explain it, one moment what appeared to be an empty wasteland suddenly transformed into a lush garden. All of it happened in the blink of an eye startling both me and Roseweisse who summoned her sword.
“An illusion,” I muttered to myself, staring at the person in front of me. Sitting at the table with a cup of tea in hand. Wearing regal robes similar to that of Sirzechs but silver in having the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties with dark silver hair and hazel eyes.
Somewhat similar to Vali now that I looked closer. But the aura around him, his overall presence gave me a very creepy sensation, one that mirrored both Sirzechs and Ajuka.
Noticing my gaze, he smirked and raised his cup.
“Welcome to my humble lair, Black Dragon King. I really was looking forward to meeting you one day for so many years. It's not fair that you hang out so frequently with my son without paying any respect to his father. Join me for some tea, I made it myself. Ah, it's not poisoned… or is it? Who knows! Hahaha!”
“...”
I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
This guy did not seem sane in the least.
Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 35
Beta read Shigiya and GameCrusher55
Next update is snafu.
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(A Few Days Earlier)
The small café of Copenhagen was bustling with activity, the air filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee and the faint hum of background music. Shirou moved with practiced ease behind the counter, his hands a blur as he prepared orders with practiced precision. A rarity for him to have moments like this—moments where his mind wasn’t weighed down by the stressful thoughts concerning the war. Instead, his thoughts were focused solely on perfecting each customer’s order.
“Oi, Shirou! Another ice cream sundae for table two and a black coffee for table five!” Otoko’s voice cut through the noise, her tone laid-back as usual. She leaned against the counter, her arms crossed as she watched him work.
“Got it! Will be ready in five minutes!” he called back, already moving toward the coffee machine. He unpacked a fresh bag of coffee beans, the rich scent filling his nostrils as he began grinding them. The rhythmic sound of the grinder blended with the background music, creating a soothing ambiance. “I’ll bring the coffee to the table myself. You can take the ice cream parfait,” he added, glancing over at Neko.
She raised an eyebrow. “Oi, who's supposed to be the boss here again?”
He shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Who knows at this point?” He slid a plate across the counter toward her, the ice cream sundae perfectly assembled. “It's less work for you, so I don't see any reason to complain.”
Otoko scoffed, picking up the plate. “Cocky brat. If it were anyone else, they’d have gotten punched in the face for that.”
“What did I tell you about smoking again?” Shirou shot back without looking back, getting the woman to freeze up for a brief moment but then shot him a mean glare.
“Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture,” she muttered dismissively after taking the plate, though there was no real bite to her words, her mouth twitched like she was fighting a smirk. She turned on her heel and headed toward the customer’s table, her movements brisk.
He chuckled, knowing Otoko had been making an effort to cut back on smoking lately, though she was too stubborn to admit it. Not like he was going to make fun of her just for trying, unsure where this shyness came from it was better to just act ignorant. Instead of making just one coffee, he decided to prepare two, carefully balancing the cups as he made his way to a table near the window.
Seated there was a woman who seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room when she first appeared — mostly in part to the expensive-looking dress. The long blonde wavy hair styled in drills and the fact she kept looking at a jewel so openly for the past minute certainly attracted a few attention.
Thankfully Clown was not here, Shirou was certain his appearance alone would drive all customers away from the establishment. It's not that the man deliberately tried to intimidate everyone around, but still,
“I must say,” Luvia began, her voice smooth and melodic, “I never really got the opportunity to try your coffee when we first met. I had no idea you were so gifted with such things, Shero.” She took a sip, her expression one of pure bliss. “This is exquisite! Even my family's chef has never managed to make anything as such! There must be a secret to this… a premium ingredient you sourced from somewhere beyond our reach?”
Shirou placed the second cup on the opposing chair, took a seat, and smiled at her reaction — taking pride in his creation.
“Glad to see you liked it. But unfortunately, Copenhagen is a small shop with a limited budget, these beans are grown in the southern regions like Okinawa or Kagoshima. Its taste is not exactly considered the best compared to coffee beans from Ethiopia or countries from South America.” He explained calmly, getting a confused look from Luvia who took another sip just to check.
“Then how…?”
He smirked, “Guess.”
A rare pout came onto her face, perhaps taking it as a challenge she concentrated and tried to come up with an answer but failed every time. Some of her guesses included having beans from other countries grown locally, him adding spices secretly, or even straight-up lying.
Her face became more and more red from embarrassment after each failed attempt until he let out a small chuckle. “Sherou! Leading a maiden by the nose like this is no manner befitting a gentleman. I taught you better than this!”
What was she? His mother?
“Honestly, I thought as a genius magus you would have noticed it by now.”
“Eh?” That got another reaction out of her, this time most likely using a few basic spells on the beverage.
“I reinforced the coffee grounds.”
“...”
All he got was a look making him think she was assessing whether she heard him correctly or not. “It's true, just a small experiment I guess.”
“... How does that even work? At best it should increase the nourishment, but changing the taste itself? Unlikely.”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how it works,” he admitted with a shrug. “First time I tried it on the beans, the blender broke. Then I thought, ‘Why not the liquid?’ Turns out, that wasn’t good either. So I figured, why not the grounds? Seemed like a good way to practice my magecraft while working. Somehow, it clicked. Oh, and I threw in a pinch of salt and a drizzle of honey—just to see what would happen. Guess it came out better than I expected.”
She set the cup down, her eyes widening so dramatically that Shirou half-expected them to pop out of her head. “You’re hired,” she declared, slamming her palm on the table with enough force to make the coffee cups shudder. “I’ll double whatever this quaint little shop pays you, and you’ll have full access to the Edelfelt family’s resources for your magecraft. Consider it a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Shirou raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess—I’d also have to wear a stuffy suit and call you ‘milady’?”
She smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “Only if you want to keep your job.”
Shirou blinked, caught off guard by the sudden offer but then shook his head. “I'll have to pass on that, Luvia. Don't think your family will even be happy to see me, especially your sister.”
“Oh please, she has not even noticed her book was even gone in the first place.” He got the feeling that that wasn’t exactly true. “I can even grant you a seat at the Clocktower where you can study under any teacher of your desire with just a single recommendation letter from my family. Many aspiring third-rate mages dream of such an opportunity to not only enhance their abilities but also form connections.”
There was merit to what she offered, he truly struggled in the beginning without a proper teacher after his father passed away. Even the book Luvia gave him had little effect on him learning any other spell than what he already knew.
“Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. Besides, even if I did say yes, wouldn’t that mean handing over my Servant to you along with my dignity? That’s the real reason you’re here, isn’t it?”
”
Luvia did not deny it, instead humming slightly. “It is an ideal outcome for you, my dear Sherou. But you are mistaken if that is solely why I came here today, I truly did want to see you on your regular day. It is half the time more entertaining than watching Rin Tohsaka try to hold herself back from letting her more gorilla-like traits to take over whenever I merely come to greet her.”
The more he heard about these two, the more he started to believe they were no different from water and oil or each other's natural enemies. Actually, after spending some time with Rin during those study sessions, he did see some similarities between the two as well.
“I won't be giving her up nor will I quit this war.”
“Then you are a fool,” She answered with some frustration leaking into her voice. “I am doing this for your own good, while it is commendable that you believe you have a powerful enough Servant to aid you on your journey, the same applies to everyone else. Most masters have definitely brought a catalyst with them maximizing the chances of them acquiring the strongest Servant, Caster alone seems like a great threat already. Even a washed-up magus family like the Tohsaka most definitely have quite the catalyst.”
“I know it won't be easy, but I won't know if I don't try.” Not once was he under the illusion of being able to accomplish his goals without meeting various obstacles on his path, his recent meeting with Caster just reinforced the boy's desire to put an end to this war before it spiraled out of control once more.
“The Einzbern will be participating, you realize that?” Luvia added at the end, Her face becoming grave. His eyes narrowed, as she continued talking. “I already shared with you as much as I could about them. We both know the length I went just to get the smallest crumbs of information about them and given their ancestor's involvement with the creation of the Grail, it is guaranteed they will be here.”
“That means she will be here.” He commented, feeling a bit strange when thinking about this person he never met. ‘The old man's own daughter’ he finalized everything he knew within his thoughts leading to one conclusion, ‘Someone he occasionally brought up during his last moments.’
“Do you think…”
“Possibly, she has never left the castle from what I gathered and there must be a reason why they kept her inside all the time. My guess is that she won't be alone, the abandoned castle on the outskirts of this town has also been renovated according to my sources.”
“Is that so,” at this moment, two sides of him were battling in his mind. On one hand, he wanted to go over there and just tell her the truth, to reveal everything that happened on his side and hope she would understand. But another part of him knew that even if he tried to do so, would she even believe him? Would she not just think of him as a liar, a thief who stole her father or even a replacement Kiritsugu found in her stead?
He did not want to fight her, this option being the very last thing he wanted to do.
“You still never mentioned to me what this is all about,” Luvia said, finishing the cup of coffee he served her and sneakily talking to him without making it obvious. “Please forgive me for being shameless with what I'm about to say, but I do believe all of my efforts so far warrant me the right to an answer from you. While it was a favor on my end, my curiosity is getting the best of me. After all, you're not talking about a small magi clan. The Einzbern are amongst the oldest Magus family, I am pretty certain whoever they have sent will be coming after me soon.”
“Are you in danger?” He asked worriedly, This time getting the blonde to chuckle.
“Oh Sherou, You are barely able to protect yourself even with a servant and yet you are worried about me? That's cute.”
“Even if there’s just a sliver of a chance you could get hurt, I’d rather not risk it. You’re important to me, and that means I’m going to worry about you, no matter how little I can actually do to protect you.”
“...”
She went quiet for a few seconds. A complicated gaze formed on her stunned face before she sighed. “Why is it that I know you are not lying to me or trying to use flowery words just to get close to me? Knowing that you are being sincere makes it even worse …you will get yourself killed one day with such an attitude.”
“You already said that before.”
“And I will keep saying it until you begin to understand my worry.”
For someone who constantly mentioned that magus in general should not be trusted so easily due to their cold nature, she sure was quite caring.
‘Which was why she deserved to know the truth.’
“Illya is my sister, my father’s true daughter, Kiritsugu Emiya who was famed as the Magus Killer, as well as-”
“Pft!”
“-the Master for the Einzberns ten years ago.”
Good thing this conversation started quite a while ago, for it gave the coffee enough time to cool down and not burn his face off the moment she sprayed it on him…well as much.
{Break}
(Present)
This was not going to be an easy situation to get out of, such thoughts roamed Rider's mind the moment she spotted the presence of another Servant that was not Caster. One who carried a far more dominating presence than the latter and immediately felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing him. ‘Another one?’
The possibility of three Heroic Spirits summoned from the same period of time and land was not that odd but certainly worrisome given it narrowed down the list of names of Heroic Spirits that matched the description of Berserker.
Most of them were monsters in their own right, this one being far more dangerous than even Medea if what she overheard about his parameters from Shirou were true. She could feel the power emanating from him, and it did not bode well.
‘Shirou, I don't advise fighting this one when protecting the others. We should find a way to get Sakura and Rin to safety first.’ Using their link, she sent her thoughts on the matter. If a battle were to erupt, that required her to go completely all out, and then use her full strength, that was a slippery slope she preferred to avoid given future consequences.
Crouched low, her body tense and ready for action regardless.
Her priority was to keep Shirou safe in the end. Secondly, Sakura. Behind her stood Rin and Sakura, the former frantically trying to come up with a plan while the latter looked at the top of the hill where Berserker's Master was. Rider’s sharp eyes never left the hulking figure of the enemy Servant, whose monstrous presence loomed over the battlefield like a storm cloud.
Rin’s voice cut through the silence, her tone steady despite the overwhelming odds. “We need to find a way out of here. Fighting him head-on isn’t an option.” Her words were calm, and calculated, and Rider couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration for the young mage. Most mages in this era would have crumbled under the pressure, but Rin was holding her ground, her mind racing to find a solution.
Rider’s opinion of Rin had already been high after watching her for a while, but it had risen even further after witnessing the girl’s unwavering resolve to protect Sakura. Even without a Servant of her own, Rin had thrown herself into danger without hesitation, willing to risk her life for Sakura’s welfare. It was a rare quality, especially among mages.
But for now, the purple-haired Servant pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on the present. Things were about to get messy, especially after she heard the boy call the bloodthirsty little girl in front of him “big sister.”
“Did I hear that right?” Rin muttered under her breath. “Maybe my ears got damaged during the escape.”
Even Sakura seemed stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief, but her questions were quickly dispelled when the girl, Illya, began to chuckle. “Hehehe, calling me a big sister like that… how strange, what a strange feeling this is, I don't particularly hate it.”
Though her smile wasn’t as bright as before, the young little girl still seemed confident, even with a gun pointed at her head. “You came in at the right time,” she said, her voice eerily calm. “I was just about to decapitate these two pretty flowers and send their heads to you as a gift. Wouldn’t you like that? Though it would be interesting to see your face if I order Berserker to have his way with them, including your Servant, before killing them.”
The words sent a chill down Rider’s spine. Whoever this Master was, she was not lying and genuinely meant those words, saying them with a smile on her face. She sensed Sakura behind her freezing up with Rin trying to comfort the poor girl. The girl’s appearance was that of a child, but her demeanor was far older, far more sinister. She spoke with a casual cruelty that was unsettling as if the lives of Rin and Sakura were nothing more than playthings to her.
Rider tightened her grip on her weapon, her mind racing. “Stay behind me,” Rider said, her voice low but firm. “We’ll handle this. Don't try anything and keep Sakura close.”
“You don't have to tell me that,” Rin mumbled, hands rummaging through her pocket and letting out an ugly expression. “Damn it, I'm practically out of gems. My spells won't do any damage to a Servant, so I really have no choice but to trust in Shirou… oh God we're doomed.”
▃▃▅▅!
Berserker let out an enraged roar, turning his attention to Shirou with the red glow in his eyes growing more eerie and the madness showing no signs of calming down. He moved. Grabbing his weapon without showing any signs of stopping and moved to attack Shirou even when the latter had a gun pushed against the head of his Master.
“No!”
Rider acted, throwing her chains which wrapped around the blade, and pulled on it, stopping the Servant from advancing and turning his attention to her. Growling with rage, he pulled his hand away trying to break free. Forcing Rider's feet to dig into the ground. Her grip was loosening even as she tried to summon more strength with her skills, but it was not enough.
“Please stop this, Illya.” Shirou said once more, practically pleading with the girl, “I did not come here to find you or hurt you in any way. Please just let me explain everything.”
“Bold of you to assume that you can charge me in the first place. You may have a beautiful-looking servant, but she won't be of any threat against Berserker.” She spoke matter-of-factly, not one bit concerned about her own life at that moment. “And if I don't stop, will you even be able to hurt me? From the beginning, you could have shot me and taken out one group from the war entirely. Yet here you are talking to me.”
There were doubts lingering in Rider's mind as she stared at the boy, would he truly be able to pull the trigger on someone he just called his sister? No matter how much she tried to reason with it, the person known as Shirou Emiya just never gave her that kind of impression.
He was not cold-blooded and she worried that Berserker's Master would take advantage of this.
‘Shirou, I'll keep Berserker distracted and you grab the others and ru—’
‘I will handle it.’ Much to her shock, he shot down that idea within their link as soon as she was prepared to go on the offense. Her eyes hidden behind the blindfold widened in disbelief with both girls getting confused about her reaction. ‘She is not our enemy, Illya is just… confused. I don't want to worsen this more than it already is and the best way to avoid any more conflict is for me to confront her alone.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ At that moment, a rare moment of anger seeped into her words, once again taken by surprise at her Master's illogical decision at the moment. ‘You will be killed in seconds, your magecraft won't help against a Servant like Berserker and the Master herself is most likely a competent Magus!’
‘I told you, I'm not going to fight her.’ He repeated his prior words again. ‘Even if we went on a full-on fight against Berserker, do you think we can win while keeping everyone safe? Do you think you can win against him? Can you even guarantee me that you will come out of it alive?’
‘...’
There was silence, for Rider knew she could guarantee a victory against this Heroic Spirit. But incapacitating him was a possibility, even in her current state she held confidence to at least be able to perform that much whether it required unleashing her Noble Phantasm or not. As for her own chances of survival, she wanted to be optimistic but if this Heroic Spirit truly was who she believed then her chances were not that high.
‘I can slow him down and give the three of you enough time to escape. That is my duty as a Servant, this is war and there are bound to be risks we must be willing to take in order to survive.’ She tried again to persuade him to change his decision, clenching her weapon and causing the chains to rattle.
Unfortunately, all she saw was the boy looking at her with an all too familiar smile blooming on his face. Raising his other arm with the three glowing crimson Command Seals fully on display. “Rider, please take Rin and Sakura away somewhere safe and wait for my return. I will not ask you a second time.”
Those words he spoke out loud shocked everyone around, including Illya who was also taken aback.
“Are you fucking insane, Emiya!?” Rin shouted loudly, having managed to gather herself and stand back on her feet. “I don't know what's going on here nor what the hell is your real ties with the Einzbern, but this is just being stupid! That bitch is clearly trying to kill us all!”
“Please don't do this, Senpai!”
Even Sakura joined in, looking far more terrified by his decision than anyone else.
“Trust me, Rider.”
“...”
Rider did not say a word, facing Shirou as if she were looking at him straight in the eyes. Trying to find something within them, the mark glowing brightly for a second with his expression not faltering once — he was serious. At that moment more than ready to use those seals to get her to follow his order. She bit her lips as in the next moment her chains around Berserker's sword loosened and returned to her hands.
“No… you can't agree with this, Rider!” Sakura exclaimed, finding herself and Rin swiftly grabbed by the purple-haired woman with the latter not even looking at her once. Rushing within the forest at great speed and leaving Shirou behind. “S-Stop! You're supposed to protect him! Put us down! Rider! Please listen to me!”
Sakura’s voice echoed within Rider's ears, and a myriad of emotions swelled within her heart. Emotions she had not felt for a long time and some even completely new to her.
“Please forgive me, Sakura.”
.
.
.
‘She’s going to be mad at me.’ Shirou said to himself as he watched all three of them disappear within the woods with Sakura's voice slowly fading away.
“You sent away your only form of protection against me, I don't know whether to call you brave or an idiot, Onii-chan,” Illya said, turning around to finally face him for the first time. At that moment, golden brown eyes stared back at crimson, she looked no different from the pictures that Kiritsugu had shown him years ago.
Had not aged a bit, except the smile on her face no longer looking as warm or innocent as from those his late father had stashed away. The gun in his hand felt heavy, impossibly so that the mere sight of it held against her face revolted him. So without much hesitation, he lowered his arm and gently dropped the gun onto the ground.
“What is this? Finally, accepted your own demise at the hands of my Servant? Tch, I would have liked it if you struggled a bit more, it's boring if my enemies give up so easily. Not that I can fault you, Berserker does look very scary. Or are you hoping to do a suicide attack and hope to take both of us down to save your friends? I will say it now, it won’t work.”
With a single flip of her hair, several strands floated above and took shape. Transforming into ethereal-looking swords and birds that hovered around them.
Shirou paid no attention to what she said nor her actions, instead having the same smile on his face, he whispered quietly. “You haven't changed at all, Nee-san. The old man would have been happy to see you here in Fuyuki again, he missed you a lot.”
“Humph, trying to guilt me or beg for mercy? Cute. If Papa actually cared, he wouldn’t have tossed me aside and found a shiny new replacement so quickly.”
“He didn't… he never abandoned you.”
He recalled the inner conflict he experienced just recently whenever thinking about meeting Illya for the first time. Presented with a few choices on how their interaction could be, from an active approach where he could try to make it impossible for her to continue fighting in the war without a Servant to a peaceful one.
Even if her Servant had been someone else, right now facing her for the first time he realized that the former was never an option he could have chosen.
“The old man always kept thinking about you. Even in his ill state, where at times he could not even walk for more than a few minutes, he kept trying to find ways to save you. Pushing his body beyond its limits multiple times while also making sure I would not accidentally kill myself.”
“What nonsense are you babbling about…” She frowned, not liking everything he said or perhaps not wanting to believe them. “Don't think lies will help you to get out of the situation.”
“I am not lying,” Shirou insisted, hoping there were ways where he could just show her everything from his own point of view during these last years. “He always loved you, making his life goal to one day save you from the Einzberns and bring you back to Fuyuki so that we could be a family. But he was dying, growing weaker every day till even in his last moments he couldn’t get out of the house. He had you in mi—”
“Enough! Berserker!”
The hulking figure of the maddened Servant appeared in between them, sword raised above his head with the redhead not even moving an inch from his spot. Watching the weapon descend upon him with great force, threatening to cut him through until the very last moment when it changed course and struck the ground in front of him. The shockwave propelled the man backward like a rag doll, crashing through multiple trees till he came to a stop.
“Hngh!” Even with reinforcement, that still hurts like hell. At this point, Shirou was certain that if he was hit by that, it would’ve killed him. Not even the regenerative he has would’ve saved him from it. But she paid them no mind, gathering his strength to get back up while using the trunk for support.
“Are you scared yet, Onii-chan~?” Her voice was sweet, almost mocking, as if she were teasing a child. “Next time, I won’t miss. I’ll take your head clean off. Oh, don’t worry—I’ll keep you alive, though. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch your friends meet their end from inside a nice little doll? Or are you going to keep acting like a fool? I suggest you stop underestimating me and fight me seriously.” She tilted her head, her crimson eyes glinting with cold hatred.
To that, he let out a small chuckle. Tasting the metallic taste of blood within his mouth, something he had grown used to by now.
“What kind of brother would hurt his big sister?” Back on his feet, the redhead limped forward, walking back to Illya despite Berserker still being there. “Sometimes I had dreams of what our family would look like. What if you were there with us? I never had an older sibling, always seeing and hearing others talk about them sometimes made me curious about how we would have been. Though I have to admit having Fuji-nee around made me feel like I could understand somewhat, I bet you and she could make a great big sister duo.”
“Stop, this is disgusting,” Illya growled, looking more angry by the second.
“Kiritsugu traveled to Germany so many times, always coming back looking weaker and more miserable than before. He wanted to save you more than anyone else, that is not the actions of a man who would abandon you.”
“Stop lying!”
Berserker moved again, this time not using his sword and instead sweeping his legs with his own were bigger than the pillars themselves. Even bringing up his arm made no difference, he watched as they snapped, and in an instant, the wind pressure had and once again sent him flying.
His vision went black for a second til he regained consciousness, in his state the boy watched the stone-like sword that was placed next to a tree near him. Glossing over every single detail and finding himself lost for a moment with everything he kept receiving from just a glance.
A headache growing the more he looked, in an evergreen basked in twilight stretching farther than the eye could see, the space shimmered. From up a hill where a few weapons gathered, another presence slowly made its way in.
In the dark about this addition or even too focused to care, Shirou walked past the sword and always kept his eyes on Illya. Not once showing anger or any desire to harm them within — just an emotion the girl could not decipher.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he continued to speak. “On the day he died, I was with him. We were looking at the moon and the stars in the night sky, it was beautiful and he smiled when talking about you and your mother. He told me many things that I want to share with you and plenty of things he regretted doing in his life.”
His figure, getting more and more soaked in blood, tried to approach Illya, who, shaken by the boy's illogical actions, found herself taking a step back. Berserker on the other hand no longer growled or even showed any aggression, observing Shirou the entire time.
Perhaps not even seeing him as a threat to him or his Master, Shirou was not sure — hopefully the second one.
“... Stay away.”
“We talked about a lot of things, his dreams and mine, the things we wanted to do, and what we found beautiful.”
“... I said stay back!”
“We talked about the world, our beliefs, the people we loved… and make no mistake, one of them was you. And… and on that night I made him promises that I don’t regret.” With little distance separating them, he extended his hand in an opening gesture to the disturbed girl. “One of these promises was to accomplish what he couldn't do, to save you, Nee-san.”
Despite his best efforts or maybe even due to his appearance, he did not see the reaction he hoped from her. For a brief moment, there was fear and she resembled the young child she appeared to be… someone who was afraid to believe him.
“Come back with me, you have a home here.”
That was the final nail in the coffin that pushed Illya away at that moment.
“B-Berserker!” She stumbled onto her words and Shirou felt a powerful gust of wind hit his face. Protecting his eyes with his only functioning arm, he opened them back in a few seconds when his surroundings calmed down to discover an empty space where Illya was.
She left.
A heavy sense of disappointment rose within him. He hoped that maybe… maybe he could have managed to convince her.
A certain individual walked from outside her hiding place in the forest towards him. She had been watching everything and now that it had concluded, she began to slowly disappear back in the distance. He could see her drill blonde hair swaying in the wind.
{Break}
(A few minutes later)
Within Shirou's house, Rider stood outside waiting for the past few minutes. Minutes that felt like hours with each passing moment making her resolve to disobey his orders grow by the second.
Rin and Sakura were inside, and the latter continuously begged her to go after him with tears rolling down her face.
Rider felt like she couldn’t face Sakura. A sense of shame grew within whenever she glanced back, Rin kept her quiet, having already tried on multiple occasions to speak with her but only getting no attention from her.
Rider paid close attention to the contract between her and Shirou, it was still present and thus signified that he was still alive. She tried to think of a reason why he chose to confront that clearly dangerous Master by himself.
Regardless if she was his sister or not.
‘What is the point of following his orders if he dies?’ She said to herself, in the end ending up agreeing with that notion and starting to feel regret for even listening to him before.
Yet just as she was about to go back to his side again, the woman spotted a figure far away making its way to the house slowly. Immediately her figure vanished, in less than a second closing the distance and reappearing before him.
“Ah, Rider. Glad to see you, I guess the others must be safe now. Hahaha… sorry I took so long, the conversation didn't go as well as I would have ho—hn!” Not giving him the opportunity to finish his phrase, she grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against a nearby wall — his feet dangling in the air.
“Why.”
She asked the one question occupying her mind at that moment. Letting her anger take control of both her voice and movement. Having never felt this way for a very… very long time.
She knew that her Master understood what she asked and would not let him go till he gave her a satisfactory answer.
“I know Illya wanted to kill me. That she looks dangerous and might even be that to some degree but with enough time I'm sure I can convince her to—”
“That’s not what I asked!” She shouted, catching even him off guard by how loud her voice was. “Why did you give me such an order!? Do you think I'm incapable as a Servant!? Do you think I'm weak!?”
Regardless of how she wanted to separate herself from her monstrous side and never let it control her mind again — she still was more than able to admit it being a major source of her powers. Her strength was by no means weaker than Berserker had she chosen to let go, so to be treated as a fragile vase did not sit well with her.
Shirou hesitated at first, keeping his silence which only irked her more.
Being this close to slapping his face multiple times or just punching him once.
“I will not let you go until you tell me.”
Finally, he seemed to have conceded and let out a tired sigh, turning his head away and scratching his face awkwardly. “... I don't think of you as weak, Rider.”
“Sure looks like that to me. Have you any idea how distraught Sakura was? Had it not been for Rin, she would have gone after you at any given chance. So tell me the truth right now, or I swear I will hit you.” It was strange to feel herself getting this worked up. Even her sisters never managed to force such a specific wave of emotions out of her as this stupid boy did. It was both confusing and infuriating.
“Far from it. At that moment, you were the one I trusted the most to keep Sakura and Rin safe from both Berserker and other Servants. I knew as long as you were there with them, then nothing would happen to the girls.”
“Then what about you? Had you died then I would have been gone soon after.”
He actually started to pout when she said that, “It's not like I was planning to die or anything. I still very much plan to stay alive at least until this war is over. And well… even if I died then Sakura or Rin could have become your Master. So that's one less thing to worry about. I need to speak with Illya as well, so I did not wish to give her any reason to doubt my sincerity.”
“Are you even hearing yourself?”
What kind of man would be so casual about his own death? Even in that kind of scenario, he worried about her instead of himself!
“And also, when I saw Berserker, I just knew the chances of you dying were high. That… thing gave me a really bad feeling, far worse than Caster and I wished to avoid risking your life just for me. I didn't want to lose you… ”
“What?” She felt as if she heard this before, but this time it was different. Hit face first with the understanding that the boy was more than ready to throw his life away just for her was mind-boggling.
“Besides… I'm alive, right? So it all turned out good in the end, I also still had my Command Seals after all hahaha!” He tried to lighten up the atmosphere but she was not going to fall for it.
He was not regretful, he did not think how outrageous his way of thinking was nor did he seem to care about his current state at all. He truly believed this to have been the right course of action.
“You honestly don't see anything wrong with your action?” She asked, hoping for an answer that would prove her wrong. “You won't be able to help Sakura if you're dead, don't you see that? Who would save that girl you tried to help tonight?”
“Again, you're making it sound like I was planning on dying today,” he argued back, though his words held little sway in them to make her think otherwise. “As I said, I trust you to keep her safe. But… I guess you're right about Illya. I'll do better next time.”
“No, there won't be a ‘next time’.” She tightened her grip on his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. “You need to trust me to also be able to keep you safe and not just the others. Care a bit more about your own life. Because I also don't want you to die, do you understand that?”
She noted how his face blushed at their close proximity. Even with his body heavily wounded, he managed to react like that, she did not comment on it, and at any other time, she would’ve found it funny and cute, but not this time.
“I understand what you're trying to say, Rider, I really do. But I cannot just sit back and allow you or anyone else to put themselves in danger for me, just the thought of people dying while I lived hurts me deeply, especially when their people I care about. So I will put my trust in you but you should also trust me that I'll be able to come out alive next time. Even if a bit beaten up.”
“...”
Her anger fizzled out when she came to a realization, something she suspected before but turned out it was far worse than she had ever imagined it to be.
“Shirou, there is something terribly wrong with you.”
Steel Eyed Faker Chapter 15: Surrounded
Beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness
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