To the public? In terms of the Messians, their true colors are only known to the world that acknowledges Magic and the Church. Outside of that, Thorman does have his Ambassador cover, but I've not seen the right chance to use that in the writing quite yet.Originally Posted by Grant
Gaeans, they're fairly public about their beliefs, and public demonstrations have ended messily (Think of the Yoyogi Park incident that precedes the beginning of SMT 3).
And now the last update.
~
… How?
How could he let himself lose control, back then?
What the hell was spraying bullets at a Fiend supposed to accomplish?
The blood of innocent lives were on his hands, all for naught, once again.
And now, he was at Death’s Door, about to face the Fiend Daisoujou…
… and die.
The Holy Grail War… Lost. His Life’s Goal… A Failure.
Iri… Illya…
Kiritsugu roared in self-hatred and despair, the spontaneity of the act making Kirei drop him. Kiritsugu simply lay there on the ground, alternating between sobbing and screaming his throat hoarse, and he had only enough upper body strength left to barely lift himself enough off the ground to punch it at random.
Kirei stood by and watched, both from a sense of fascination and shock. This was the man that consumed his free thoughts? The man that wandered countless battlefields for years, blasphemed in the face of the doctrine of the world of Magic? The infamous Magus Killer, a blubbering wreck on the ground?
If he were a normal man, he would roll his eyes. Instead, without a shift in expression, Kirei lifted Kiritsugu onto his feet and slapped his face.
The sobbing immediately stopped.
Kirei punched Kiritsugu’s face, to no effect.
Reinforcement. Better.
Kirei pushed Kiritsugu away, and drew his Black Keys-
-right as Kiritsugu drew his Thompson Contender, killing intent clear in his eyes.
…
“Feeling better?” Kirei asked.
“I’m feeling like myself,” Kiritsugu answered.
They shared an infinitesimal smile. This was the man that Kirei knew.
A cell phone rang, and Kiritsugu answered it before the first ring finished. “Maiya?”
“Kayneth Archibald has escaped, along with his fiancée and Servant. They’ve landed a short distance away,” the calm voice of Maiya Hisau said over the phone. A small sense of relief washed over Kiritsugu as he listened to her continue, “I presume the transformation of the building was not in your plans.”
“Correct. The scenario has been changed, by a Fiend no less, but it will not be altered,” Kiritsugu checked the inside of his long-coat… More ammo clips for the Calico, grenades and the unique ammunition for the Contender. This wasn’t going to be like the Matador encounter. “I’ve been targeted for battle with the Daisoujou, along with Kotomine Kirei.”
“... I see. I shall update Madam and Saber.”
Kiritsugu made an affirmative sound. “You are their eyes now. I’m counting on you.” He hung up the phone, holstered the Contender, and reloaded his Calico as he looked over to Kirei. “So, ever fought a Fiend before?”
“Never,” Kirei answered as he walked to stand at Kiritsugu’s right side, “but I’ve dealt with plenty of world-altering Demons, both familiar to our world and the Unfamiliar.” He did a mental check… and decided that he had more than enough Black Keys on hand for what was to come.
Kiritsugu couldn’t suppress a chuckle. The man he feared the most in this War was now about to fight by his side, against a manifestation of one of the greatest evils of Mankind.
There was nothing more to be said. The two of them ran into the warped building to face the Daisoujou.
~
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was not having a good night.
A whole day of defense preparation for his Grail War headquarters had been rendered useless by the lowliest combatant of the Holy Grail War, the aimless Magus Killer. And now, with an unconscious Sola-Ui in tow, he was caught blind-sided in some god-forsaken forest by the Einzbern Master and her Servant.
“... You brought your mistress to the Holy Grail War?”
The Servant couldn’t have been older than 14, and she thought that she could question him? The Lord El-Melloi?! You could see the vein start to bulge in his forehead. “She is my fiancée, Servant. Though I would expect nothing short of impudence from any Servant of the Einzberns, especially after allowing the Magus Killer into their fold.”
The Servant took a step forward, but the Einzbern Master held her back. Touched a nerve, did he? Kayneth smirked. “Though I suppose I can’t blame the Einzbern family for bringing guns to a Magic War, particularly if a little girl is the best that their Summoning can manage.”
The air shifted, as if winds were being called from miles around the area, and the Servant moved to strike, but a bladeless shaft blocked whatever attack that the Servant tried to make. Clothed in his regal battle armor, his own Servant, Lancer, finally made his entrance.
As the Einzbern Servant and Master leapt back to make space between them and Lancer, Kayneth considered his options. After saving them from the transforming hotel building, the original plan was for Lancer to cover his escape. However, this showed… promise.
“Lancer. Show the fallen Einzbern family and their pathetic Servant just what it means to be The Servant of the Lord El-Melloi.” Kayneth kept the unconscious Sola-Ui in his arms, but that made him no less arrogant tonight.
“And Lancer? Do make it entertaining.”
~
“Saber, shouldn’t we retreat?” Irisviel asked, out of their opponent’s earshot. Normally, a Master in the Holy Grail War would be able to size up the basic capabilities of a Servant by looking at them. However, Lancer’s abilities were obscured by some unseen force, presumably his Phantasm. Entering into combat would most likely be an exercise in trial-and-error, which did not mesh with the Life-or-Death battle royale that was the Holy Grail War.
The main problem, however, was that Kiritsugu was fighting the Fiend Daisoujou. With Master and Servant separated by the gap between the natural world and the Chaotic Realm that Fiends called their battleground, Kiritsugu’s support line to Saber was cut off. She was going to have to rely on Irisviel to sustain herself now.
Saber looked ahead, to the nameless Lancer who stood at the ready with his staff, and his arrogant Master with a high seat in Magi hierarchy prepared for him since birth. She turned back to her Irisviel, her Master’s wife, a miracle of magic given life, descendant and bearer of centuries of knowledge from the Einzbern family of alchemists.
Saber and Irisviel looked into each other’s eyes… and smiled. Retreat was never in the cards. After all, this was what they were here for.
With a determined fire in her eyes, Saber stepped up and dispelled her black suit to replace it with her battle armor (Which got a raised eyebrow from Lancer’s Master). With Excalibur cloaked by Invisible Air in her hands, she stood ready for battle. “Though I do not approve of Kiritsugu’s methods, I will not stand idly by as you insult him or my Master.”
“I stand before you a Knight, the Servant Saber,” she called out as she held her blade with her right hand back and pointed it towards the enemy, “and to slander my honor and the honor of my Master is to beg for your own death.”
The Lancer shifted in place, and Saber held her left arm out and pointed it towards him as she drew her sword back.
“And as this is the Holy Grail War, I will grant you your death.”
With that, Saber shot forward like a bullet, and the Holy Grail War truly began.
CHAPTER 6 END
---
YAAAAAY! It only took a few weeks! After a couple months of beating my head on the desk about how to end part 1 of this chapter, but still!!
Next chapter is all fighting~. Saber versus a Lancer we're used to, but Kiritsugu and Kirei fighting side by side? Holy moly, I hope I can do this justice!
And full disclosure, the original plan did have the first fight be in the docks, basically playing out how the original Fate/zero story does but with the new characters creating ripples of change in the scenario. However, the mental image of the Daisoujou killing people as Kiritsugu stands powerless to stop it came as an epiphany during writing, and it was too strong in my head to ignore, so I bumped this moment up instead.
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