Having undergone Saint Graph Readvent upon coming into realization of her original self, Assassin’s appearance had undergone dramatic changes. If anything, they were on the annoying side—how was she supposed to fight in such meaninglessly complicated garb? On the other hand, the long dress was a natural parachute.
Herodias was dead. If she uttered any last words, nobody heard them. A single shot, a simple, unceremonious death. It was more than she deserved, in Assassin’s opinion. Without Herodias’ dark influence, the tornado was no more. There was still a ferocious storm lashing upon Rome, but Assassin no longer feared it.
Mother Nature was always on her side.
Those same ferocious winds caught her in freefall, changing it into a spiraling descent that, while harsh in its own way, would turn a deadly impact into a painful, but survivable, landing.
Almost ten minutes later, she crashed into a heap less than a block away from the Cattle Market where so many battles had taken place. Rubbing her aching bum, she hurried to her feet and made her way to the false Grail. All around, she could only see devastation. What
Banner of Chiyou and Rider Chiyou’s army started, Herodias’ Noble Phantasm completed.
Rome was destroyed.
With some luck, those who escaped the evil light of Assassin Chiyou’s Noble Phantasm would dispose of the maddened Romans. They would rebuild, maybe even restore the city to a habitable level, but Rome as the center of an empire was no more. Indeed, the empire was broken centuries before schedule. Other cultures would replace it, but there was no point in conjecture. Assassin could tell, that this timeline was already beyond hope. In that regard, Assassin Chiyou’s plot was a resounding success, for all its blunt simplicity.
Assassin did not care about Rome. What mattered was reclaiming the crimson Grail, and then make it to Chaldea—
“We congratulate you, demon child. Were this a Holy Grail War, we would proclaim you victor.”
And she found herself on her knees, breathing heavily.
What the hell…what the hell…!
A powerful heartbeat. Rhythmical panting. Contracted pupils. Cold sweat. Incessant shuddering. A growing warmth in her loins. Increased salivation.
“This is…what the…is this
lust…?”
She understood completely, even if it was painful to understand. The creature in front of her was just
too beautiful. So beautiful her very presence was breaking her mind. Torn between overwhelming desire and mind-crushing revulsion, Assassin could only whine as she urged her brain and her body to please work properly.
This was
true beauty. Not the beauty limited by the intrinsically subjective and flawed perception of humans, but the quintessential, authentic thing. What the Platonic Ideal of beauty wished it could be. This was beauty such that it would defy human awareness—the Master of Chaldea probably never realized utter perfection had stood in front of him. Even the inhuman like Assassin could not wholly comprehend this visage, only surrender before it.
“Stand, child,” said the
maddeningly perfect voice, like a chorus of 666 sirens draining all other thoughts and memories out of her mind, leaving only the image of
her,
her,
HER!
“You have strived so hard to assert yourself as an individual. Are you truly this eager to relinquish that?”
Those words echoed deep within her mind, granting her an anchor of sanity to hold on. Yes, there were things she desired. Things she could not let go of in that place.
With a long expiration, Assassin returned to her senses. Sharpening her mind with uncanny focus, she breathed heavily until she felt she could open her eyes again (when did she even close them?) and face
her again.
That…overwhelming
beauty. There was no doubt in her mind as to the identity of this Servant (?). In fact, her being here clarified a number of things in her head about this whole scenario.
“You…” She said, her voice hoarse and difficult in her throat. “You are
Lilith.”
“We are,” confirmed the albino woman in black. “Servant Lilith, summoned into the Caster class—”
“That’s a lie,” interrupted Assassin, eliciting a narrowing of the other woman’s eyes that made the horned musketeer fear for her existence. However, she pressed forward. She saw a possibility in this encounter.
“I met some of the Servants Chiyou Assassin summoned to attack Rome, and Chiyou herself told me the names of the others while we traveled to get the Cornucopia,” she explained. “And there was something that kept nagging at the back of my mind. Some things just did not fit.”
“That so-called Grail.” She pointed at the gem-like object floating ominously between them. “It came from me. It is a part of me. Then, it must be dyed in my colors. If you use something like that to summon Servants, not just any Servant will come out of it. They will be Servants connected to me in some way.”
“And that’s why
King Thórberg made no sense.” Assassin scratched her head. “I mean, the Sassanid King was also stretching it, but I guess you could take his nature as a hunter and the legends of his death as a vague connection, but that Swedish man-woman just doesn’t fit. But I get it now.”
Feeling a little bold by now, like some great detective revealing the culprit, Assassin pointed at the Mother of Demons.
“You are the Saber-class Servant Chiyou summoned with my Grail. And then you summoned King Thórberg. I mean, you’re fucking Lilith; summoning Servants with your own power should be trivial to you. That still leaves the problem of how something like you can even be summoned as a Servant, but, again, my answer to that is ‘you’re fucking Lilith’.”
Lightning flashed, and thunder roared immediately afterwards. Faced with Assassin’s deduction, Lilith laughed, loudly and just as thunderously; the laugh of a confident aristocrat. It was beautiful laughter, but there was not any real joy in it.
“Good, good! We commend you, child. It is as you say. In deference to your wisdom, we shall fill the gaps in your understanding.”
“It is likely that Chiyou had intended from the beginning to summon Cacus as a Berserker, and then use it as a catalyst to seize control of her own Berseker-class Aspect. When she made her mass summoning, she only aimed to summon five Servants.”
“Five?”
“She had no wish for another Assassin.”
“Huh.”
“Regardless, only four Servants were summoned. Two of them should be obvious to you: Valdemar Atterdag as Lancer, and Herodias as Rider.”
“Leaders of the Wild Hunt, just like me,” Assassin agreed.
“It may not be coincidence that the Master of Chaldea brought Francis Drake and the Storm King Pendragon to this place. Perhaps they, too, were drawn here by your presence.”
Assassin nodded. That was another thing she had noted since she first met the Chaldeans at Germania.
“As you mentioned, Bahrām V Gōr likely stretched the limits of this ‘Grail’. There were more suitable Archer-class Servants, but perhaps they chose to reject the summons.”
“Robin Hood would have make more sense, for example.”
Lilith nodded.
“We were the fourth Servant summoned. The events taking place here caught our interest, so we intruded in the summoning process, taking claim of the Saber and Caster containers; the bare minimum that allowed us to manifest.”
“Wait, so you’re like, two Servants in one?”
“It is a crude way to describe it, but further details are of no importance.”
Perhaps feeling more comfortable around Lilith—a dangerous thought to have if anything—Assassin walked a bit closer. Torrential rain still fell on them, but Assassin noticed that not a single drop touched the original succubus. Lilith remained immaculately dry.
“Chiyou proved to have enough sense not to attempt to assert control over me. In recognition of that, we agreed to compensate her for…we believe the word is, ‘hijacking’ her ritual. We summoned three Servants of our own, and commanded them to follow Chiyou in our stead.”
“Three? I am aware of King Thórberg and Her Highness Naamah, but—”
“Marguerite de Bressieux, in the Assassin class.”
Assassin nodded, noticing that Lilith had only summoned women (if only biologically, in Thórberg’s case). A personal preference, perhaps?
“Afterwards, Assassin Chiyou’s presence drew the other aspects of Chiyou to manifest in this timeline. Lines were drawn, and then the Master of Chaldea arrived.”
Another nod from Assassin. The rest of the story was already plenty clear in her head.
“So? Did you see what you wanted to see, Your Majesty?”
The demoness nodded, seemingly pleased by Assassin’s means of address.
“We saw enough. There is no reason for us to remain here any longer, but we wished to meet you before departing.”
“I...see. So, can I take this back?” Assassin had already reached the false Grail by this point.
“Please do. It was yours in the first place. Reclaim your complete powers as a wish-granting system, and use them to reach Chaldea. That is your aim, is it not?”
Assassin nodded.
“You cannot defeat Chiyou,” declared Lilith. “Even upon reaching the limit of your capabilities as a Servant—no, even if you regained your original form, you would not be able to defeat Chiyou.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“The King of Heroes could do so effortlessly, but he will not. It is not his nature.”
“Yeah, he’s an unhelpful asshole. But that’s fine this time. This is my problem…no, this is my responsibility. I allowed Chiyou to get this far; it’s my duty to stop her.”
“You could not have stopped her in the first place. Not even I would blame you for her actions.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s my power she used; that makes it my problem.”
At that, Lilith barked in joyless laughter. To Assassin, Lilith looked like a noble amused by the tricks of a circus animal.
“Magnificent. You have become so magnificently interesting, Demon Hunter.”
“From the Tyrant of the Qliphoth, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should indeed. Very well! Such magnificence should be rewarded,” declared the demonic empress. “As we said, were this a standard Holy Grail War, you would be its winner, dear child.” She gestured at the large gem-like artifact. “That Grail was yours to being with; it makes not for a suitable prize. So, speak, child. State your wish. We, Lilith, shall act as your Holy Grail and grant it.”
Lilith’s theatrics brought a crooked smile to Assassin’s face. The two women had already figured out what was to happen; this was merely a pointlessly formal way to make it happen. Nevertheless, Assassin was grateful. So, she played along.
“In that case, I wish for one and only one thing.”
Decisively, she pointed at the albino wish-granter.
“Your Saber-class Saint Graph. Give it to me!”
Lilith laughed again. The loudest, clearest, purest, but emptiest laughter as well. Assassin had to take a few steps back in fear of succumbing to her beauty again.
“Incredible! Truly incredible, child! How bold can you be!?” Lilith exclaimed amidst laughter. “You could have asked us to defeat Chiyou instead, but
that is the choice you made?”
Assassin shook her head.
“I won’t be satisfied unless I face Chiyou on my own. This is my selfishness.”
“Yes, yes! It is deplorable selfishness! Deplorable, and so utterly
human! To think you have come to terms with your hypocrisy, child! Truly, you have grown beyond all expectations!”
Lilith’s longsword appeared in her right hand. A moment later, it was engulfed in flames. Assassin took a step back—she did not fear attack, but the very nature of those flames caused her no small discomfort.
“Aaah, how amusing. It is not often we can laugh so mightily; it is truly refreshing.” It appeared the empress had calmed down. “Very well. We had intended to dispose of this worthless timeline and spare the World the effort of culling it. But, we declared we would fulfill your wish, and so it shall be done.”
Assassin decided not to comment on Lilith’s offhand declaration of her intent to destroy the world.
“As a token of our respect and advance payment for a favor, we shall open the path to Chaldea for you,” Lilith then said, even as her body began to scatter into motes of golden light. “Deliver a message to the boy; tell him that Lilith sends their regards. That Lilith wishes for him to work harder and grow mightier, for the day will arrive when one of her many aspects stands before him as his enemy.”
Assassin nodded. She had expected as much.
“Now, claim your reward, demon child. Lilith wishes you the greatest hunt, one that will be made into legend. Live a glorious life, and die a glorious death.”
*******************************
The Master of Chaldea sat down, letting his back rest against the locked door. The starting group of he and da Vinci had tripled in size—it was just a matter of stopping Artoria Alter and Jeanne Alter from killing each other. It was easier than it sounded, but nerve-wracking nonetheless. With the two dark Servants on his side, it was almost trivial to neutralize the group intent on taking out Jeanne d’Arc. The unconscious Amakusa and the others were left under the care of Marie Antoinette, who seemed as surprised as everybody else that she was immune to
Banner of Chiyou.
“Well, that means Her Highness cannot be anything other than what she is,” da Vinci concluded. “It is said that some people were born to do or become certain things. It may just be that Marie was truly born to be nothing but a somewhat dimwitted, spoilt noble princess. For all we know, her Origin may be ‘Noble’.”
“That sounds terrible, da Vinci,” was his reply.
In any case, his Servants had split in two pairs to scout their immediate vicinity, with Jack staying with him. The little Assassin cuddled on his lap, and he idly stroke her soft white hair. He already had a decent group, but it was not enough. Nothing would be enough. He knew he was being a coward, but he would rather keep roaming the halls of Chaldea helping more afflicted Servants than take the battle to Chiyou. How many had died by now? The thought of those already destroyed tortured him.
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Puppy…? Puppy, you’re still there, right?”
It was the reason he had stopped there; the familiar voice calling out from the other side of the door. She was right there, perhaps leaning against the door like he was.
“Yes, I’m here, Eli-
chan.”
“Good.”
Her attempt at sounding haughty was an utter failure. The trickle of fear pouring out through her words was palpable, and painful to hear.
“Heheh.” Feeble laughter, almost despondent. “I really like it when you call me that, after all.”
He caught a sob. He was sure she had tried to mute it. He gritted his teeth in restrained fury.
The Master of Chaldea knew his opinion would attract criticism, but he truly liked Elizabeth Báthory. Every day, she faced the unforgivable sins of her future self. Every day, she tried her hardest to become a different, better self, even if it was impossible. Her attitude was annoying at times, and her singing voice was the stuff of nightmares, but he liked her. No, he admired her.
That’s why, she did not deserve to suffer like this.
“Eli-
chan, won’t you come out and join us?”
“I can’t!”
A gasp, a plea. A cough?
“I…Puppy, I saw
that light! It was just the barest glimmer, and it took everything I had to lock us here!”
What did she just say?
“Puppy, if I see that light again…I don’t know…I’m afraid of what I’ll become…”
Focusing on his hearing, the Master noticed the little things. Her raspy breath, her muffled sobs, the muted whines and gasps.
“Eli-
chan, is somebody else there with you?”
“Hmm?” Her voice sounded somewhat woozy, as if she were about to fall asleep. “Ah, meh, the other me was here for a while.”
That sentence told an entire story.
“Eli—Elizabeth, please tell me you’re okay.”
What came out from the other side was a long sigh.
“Aaaah, I’m really a terrible person,” said the uncharacteristically morose dragon girl. “My Master has so many problems to deal with, but I only feel happy because he’s worrying about me.”
He heard a trail of wet coughs, followed by a gasp from what he now knew was crippling pain.
“Eli—”
“Really, it’s enough,” said the young idol with finality that pulled his lips back together. “I…I’m gonna rest a little, so…umm, Puppy…”
A few seconds of tremulous silence. The young Master felt an annoying sting in the corners of his eyes.
“…you won’t leave, right?”
“Did I tell you that time?” He immediately replied, somewhat broken voice notwithstanding. “I’ll follow Eli-
chan anywhere.”
“…yes, yes, you did say that. But the Puppy’s not allowed to follow me this one time. You have to stay here and help everyone else, right?”
“Yeah…!” He sobbed, unable to contain himself for once.
“Good. Aaaah, I really wanted to sing more songs to you…”
She said nothing more, and the young man could only wait in painful silence, as the life of another of his cherished Servants faded away.
*******************************
With a flash of arcane light, the horned Assassin arrived in Chaldea.
“This is fucking stupid; to think she makes it look so easy—whoa!”
Her musket promptly intercepted the katana out to detach her head from her body.
“I just can’t catch a break!”
“Heads…” A dark voice from a youthful warrior. “The heads of my Lord’s enemies…”
“Ah, it’s Puppywakamaru. Down, girl, down! Sit!”
What followed was some weird parody of a samurai movie, with katana and musket clashing a dozen times in two seconds. The musket broke and shattered into motes of light, but Assassin effortlessly conjured another.
“It’s good that you love your Master this much, but listen to me! That shitty brat only wants Chiyou’s head!”
The youthful Rider did stop in mid-strike.
“Chiyou’s head. Chiyou’s head…”
“Sheesh, calm your over-exposed tits!” Assassin grabbed Ushiwaka’s shoulder before she could leave to hunt down the Beast. “You can’t beat that thing alone! If you want Chiyou’s head, please help me!”
“Chiyou’s head…Chiyou…”
Assassin took the risk and stuck close while Ushiwakamaru clutched her head with her free hand. Her face took a grimace, as if struggling with a terrible headache.
“What…my Lord and Master…what…what should I do…?”
Gripping both shoulders firmly, Assassin forced Ushiwakamaru to look at her.
“We’ll do this one step at a time, Ushiwaka. First step: Pharaoh Ozymandias. Take me to him.”
, a few people 
, most people were 
. I remembered the line from the Nasu scripture, the Fate/Complete Material... "Now, I am become Death, the derailer of threads."
Originally Posted by Express
