[CHAPTER 02]
-Lost Continent – First Contact and Childhood Memories-
Burning landscape and scorching fire runs amok for as far as the eyes can witness. The foul smell of burning rotten human flesh is the only scent lingering around the place. A blatant image of ruin with no conceivable survivor. Even the sky, as if knowing, looks rather gloom tonight without even a single star illuminating above and what is being reflected is no other than the crimson colour of unending hell.
Even so—,
A kid of small stature, all alone, stands firmly. He shows no grief nor sorrow or perhaps it is more natural to say the kid does not even know the concept of human emotions in the first place. His beloved kind mother has turned into a mindless man-eating living corpse, savoring her beloved husband flesh. His only little sister, showing a bitten mark on her body, gets her life ended by her own brother.
It is not an act of mercy, definitely not for this kid who is incapable of feeling emotions. This is simply the correct thing to do, to eradicate the infected and to destroy these mindless living corpses even if they were once humans.
On his own, the kid does the act of ‘honour’ by ending the miserable existences befallen to his very own hometown, the village he has been living in up until now. There, silently amongst the sweltering heat, a child commits a rather tragic and ironic act of heroism by killing every single living corpses in his own village.
“A dream, huh? No, that is definitely one of the distant memories of my master…”
A beautiful maiden suddenly opens her eyes after realising the vivid image of her previous vision was no other than a glimpse of her master’s memories. Generally, a servant has no need to sleep and let alone experience a dream. However, as an act of preserving energy, she sleeps.
However, she does not think for even once to get a sudden overflowing information coming from her master directly soon. It is natural for a servant to get a glimpse of memories of the master and so the otherwise. Yet, she only forms a contract for a day after the previous incident during her summoning process.
The holy maiden of Orleans, Jeanne d’Arc, out of compassion and sympathy, prays.
“Dear Lord in the heaven. Holy thy name, Your Kingdom shalt come. Please show Your mercy to us and let Your will be done on earth. Amen.”
Ending her solemn prayer, Jeanne closes her eyes and resumes her sleep.
********
It has been a day since Tohsaka Rin, Emiya Shirou, and Saber arrived in [
Epiclesis], the hidden part of the main headquarter of A.C.D. Lucky for each of them that it has a lot of facilities to suit each of their own taste.
The layout of this place is very simple. From the spot where they first arrived, there are stairways and elevators connected to the lower floor. After a brief exploration and ‘free tour’ from Gray, they know that this place is a tower consisted of seven floors located in a different layer of reality from the eccentric trio’s home world. Hence, it is impossible for anything from the ‘other’ layer of reality to interact with this place. To put it simply in Tohsaka Rin’s perspective as a magus, Gray is a genius who managed to construct a ‘different world’ and then embedded it to the existing world.
Starting from the highest floor is the spot where they first arrived. The next floor below, is where all the empty rooms are located. Obviously, each room has been furnished well with private shower and toilet. From the sheer size of this floor alone, Emiya Shirou estimates that this floor alone can accommodate at least several hundred people. Furthermore, the 5
th and 4
th floor also have similar functions to this floor with a lot of sleeping rooms. The 3
rd floor, however, is the one which attracts Saber a lot. This whole area is a vast dining room completed with kitchen of the highest quality. As for the next floor below, Emiya Shirou finds it rather pleasant with a lot of unique facilities such as a doujo in a perfect Japanese style. Even Tohsaka Rin looks excited with the research facility of magic in this area.
However, the first floor is weird for some reasons. There is nothing but huge empty area with magical inscription in the center of the room. The only thing lying on this floor aside from the elevators and stairways is only a magical apparatus in the center of the room with glowing blue orb inside of it. Gray simply explains that the first floor serves as a gateway and portal to the eccentric trio and his home world or another different world.
As of today, Tohsaka Rin, Saber, Emiya Shirou have all been asked to come to the first floor when the clock strikes 8.00 A.M. in the morning by Gray. Obviously, he means the clock used here in [
Epiclesis] due to the time difference with any time-measurement device they might bring along to this place.
“Well, good morning everyone! How’s the night? I hope the bed is fluffy enough for all of you!” A sudden cheerful voice echoes through the entire vast empty space.
“Thank you for your warm hospitality, Gray-san. Let us get down to business though. So, what’s the business for you asking the three of us to gather here today?”
“For that reason—, Tohsaka-san, I believe we have to wait for some other people first.” Gray smiles cheerfully without any slightest tone of seriousness being detected by Tohsaka Rin.
“Gee, what’s wrong with you people to make an appointment this early in the morning…” After yawning heartily, Tohno Shiki appears from the stairways with a slightly sleepy face.
“Ah, Good morning, Shiki-chan! How’s the bed?”
“Well, not bad for my taste… So, what’s the deal for this small party today?”
“For that matter—... “
Before even finishing his words, someone’s footsteps reverberate breaking the previous awkwardness.
“Good morning, everyone. Pleased to meet you all today.” Seth greets everyone in front of him out of formality and politeness. Standing by his side, the servant is no other than the Holy Maiden of Orleans, Jeanne d’Arc.
“Great, all of the casts have finally entered the stage! Now, now, today is our big day. We will commence the first operation with codename [
Last Stance:
Aeternum Terra]. So, your first mission today is— “
“Wait, wait, wait! What the hell is this all about? Mission?” Tohsaka Rin once again expresses her confusion and rejection to Gray’s words instantly.
“Well, we are saving the world—, no… I believe it is more appropriate to say that we are saving multiple worlds by correcting the timeline of the several worlds spread across the multiverse. Basically, all of you will travel into a certain timeline to fix whatever trying to change the timeline into chaos and disarray. Do not worry about the method, [
Epiclesis] is solely made as the last defensive line of humanity in this world and to interfere with another different world.”
“Well, I’ve been dragged into this mess and might as well enjoy the ride.” Tohno Shiki shrugs and adjusts the eyeglasses position a bit.
“This sounds like a bad adaptation of sci-fi movie, sigh…” Tohsaka Rin heaves a sigh with an exaggerated facepalm. “Very well, what’s our first mission then, Gray-san?”
“Great, you’re finally in the mood for actions, Tohsaka-san! Our objective for the first mission is very simple. I will send all of you to a certain timeline in our world to make some fixes. The details will be given along the way.”
“So, we just have to save the world?” Emiya Shirou who has been silent up until now finally joins the conversation. Perhaps, it is not too bad for him if he can act as an ‘
Ally of Justice’ and save the world.
“Well, that’s basically the gist of it… Very well, let us start the procedure and oh by the way, Tohsaka-san. You are going to stay with me here for today. I have some things to discuss with you in person.”
“W—what? Excuse me, but listen here, Gray-san… It might be bad for Saber as she is my servant— “
“No need to worry about that, Tohsaka-san. Saber-san, please wear this pendant during the mission. Oh, you as well, Shirou-kun…” Gray hands over a magical pendant for both Saber and Emiya Shirou. The decoration itself looks simple and the shape of these two pendants are in the form of a sundial with a small gemstone placed in the middle.
The moment both Saber and Emiya Shirou wear each of their pendants, they feel something tingling on their chests. A faint but firm magical connection has been created for Emiya Shirou and Saber.
“This is—!?” As a servant, Saber is naturally in shock. She can feel Emiya Shirou somehow ‘connected’ to her just like how her master Tohsaka Rin is connected to her. A nostalgic feeling she felt during the 5
th Holy Grail War emerges from her heart. After all, Emiya Shirou was her first rightful master during her summoning in the 5
th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki.
“This feeling— It can’t be… How do you do that, Gray-san? What kind of sorcery is this? I can sense a thin line attached from Shirou to Saber.”
“Fufu, it’s a secret. Well, who cares for such a small detail anyway, right? It works just fine. Also, Saber-san, this pendant’s function is not only to form a bond between two people but also it serves as a reserve of magical energy as well. However, bear in mind that you need to use it in discretion, okay. It might be bad if you run out of magical energy in the middle of our mission.”
“Understood” Saber simply nods to Gray’s explanation.
“Ah also, Emiya-san… You can channel your magical energy to Saber-san as well in case of emergency. Just concentrate and imagine your own magical energy like water flowing into Saber-san. Also, for Shiki-kun, you might want to take these with you…”
“Thanks… What is this?” Tohno Shiki stares at a small plastic bag containing several pills in it.
“Those are Yggdrasil Seeds… Though they’re fake… You might consider to drink one or two to boost your physical power temporarily in case you have to fight someone far stronger than what you can handle yourself. Also, you do not need to worry because it’s a safe product, tehee—…”
Tohno Shiki only frowns in suspicion but he simply accepts the gift from Gray. After all, it might come in handy and furthermore he does not need to take a risk of consuming these strange pills if the situation does not force him to do so. “I see, thank you for your small present then…”
“Very well, let the operation begin!” At that instance, the orb inside the magical apparatus begins to spin and produces a magical crest in the air. As the orb keeps on spinning, a magical portal appears out of thin air next to it. “The gate is ready now… Please, listen to my beloved commander’s command, okay! We will maintain communication using him! Good luck!”
Just like that, Tohno Shiki, Emiya Shirou, and Saber look at each other for a while and nod. After a slight hesitation, the three of them eventually walk into the portal. The next thing they know, they already vanish from the [
Epiclesis]. On the other hand, as Seth and Jeanne walk through the portal, Gray calls Seth’s name in a rather serious manner.
“Commander, I’m leaving those guys to you. Please proceed accordingly.”
“Understood…” Seth, without turning his back, nods his head in agreement and proceeds to walk towards the portal together with his servant, Jeanne d’Arc, leaving only Gray and Tohsaka Rin alone in this room.
After a brief moment of silence, Tohsaka Rin finally speaks up.
“Alright, so… What is it the thing that you need to talk to me in person?”
“Aaah—, for that matter, Tohsaka-san…”
Thus, the story of a bunch of eccentric people saving the worlds has officially just begun—
********
Lush trees growing in the nearby area are the only things extending over the horizon. The singing of cicadas is in the perfect harmony of the graceful gentle breeze blowing soundlessly. The sky is as clear as one would expect on any given good day embellished in azure colour. Truly, this is perchance the most suitable portrayal of peaceful atmosphere.
“So, this is another world? This looks like an ordinary world to me…” Tohno Shiki slumps down after his anticipated excitement turning out to be another ordinary experience.
“Tohno, we are definitely not in a tour here. You should be more serious on this duty.” Emiya Shirou instantly disagrees. Even in another different world, perhaps, these two would never get along like fire and water.
“Oh boy, here we go again… Look Emiya, as someone older than you, you should listen to me… Just be a bit more relaxed won’t kill you. In fact, people mostly die out of heart attack caused by stress. Enjoy your life to the fullest yo!”
“Urgh…” Emiya Shirou, knowing Tohno Shiki’s personality, just keeps his mouth shut for good. He knows well enough that both of Tohno Shiki and him are equally stubborn. He deems silence as the gold in this case.
“Yahalloooo~~ Everyone!” A sudden cheerful annoying voice breaks in.
A sudden projection of image appears from a smartphone-like device on Seth’s left hand. To be exact, it is Gray’s projected image taking shape out of thin air.
“W—whooaa… This looks like another sci-fi plot! Definitely! Is this even a parody of Star Wars?” Tohno Shiki looks in sheer amazement.
Both Saber and Jeanne who have been silent in tandem also show a slight interest of such sophisticated device. Both can’t hide their agape mouth for a few unnoticeable seconds.
“G—Gray-san?”
“Hello there, Emiya-kun! Are you doing well over there? I’m sure you do after seeing you in such a perfect condition!”
Emiya Shirou only tilts his head in confusion. It might be that his stern persona cannot process Gray’s overwhelmingly bright nature.
“Please skip unnecessary banter, Gray. What is the thing we need to do now?
“Ahahaha… Serious as always, huh Commander? Well, let’s split party! Emiya-kun, Tohno-san, Saber-san, and Ruler-san are heading in the north direction. You should reach a village after around 30 minutes of walk from here… However, please do not let yourself get noticed by the villagers. You don’t want to get the timeline of this world more messed up than they are in currently, do you?”
“Wait a minute, here. Don’t you think it is weird that you leave Seth-san alone out of the group?” Emiya Shirou’s sense of justice kicks in as expected. He simply does not realise his unnecessary concern for someone like Seth.
“Not really… Look Emiya-kun, my Commander is the strongest here… All of you combined won’t even last ten seconds should he get serious. Furthermore, you will need a lot of people to be patrolling around. Your duty is to keep the village safe until the sun sinks down. Hence, it is better to have more people in your party.”
“…” Emiya Shirou simply nods despite showing his sincere rejection to the idea.
“Please do not worry, Emiya-san. I would definitely catch up after taking care of my mission over here.”
“I see… If you are fine with it, then I can’t say anything anymore, can I?” Emiya Shirou finally gives in.
“Hmm— How suspicious…” Tohno Shiki murmurs on his own. Sometimes, he has this off feeling on his chest whenever he senses something out of place. However, he believes it is probably safer for him not to show his concern to anyone for now.
“Very well! First mission, codename [
Last Stance:
Aeternum Terra], commence now! Good luck, tehee!” Gray ends his communication with such unfitting remark and the next thing happening his projected image disappears into nothingness.
“Okay then, let’s get going, shall we? The faster we finish this crappy thing, the faster we can go home…” Tohno Shiki marches forward all alone on his own while scratching his head.
Without another word to say, Jeanne follows him without even the need of Seth’s command. As a servant, she does her job well enough professionally.
“Let’s get going then, Saber.”
“Yeah, it is better for us to stick together until we arrive at our destination to prevent ambush.” Saber nods and smiles slightly. Emiya Shirou might be dense enough to realise but Saber being nostalgic truly reminisces her treasures memories of the 5
th Holy Grail War. This event definitely reminds her of it.
At the end, there is only Seth being left alone. Looking up at the bright blue sky, Seth sets his eyes in the faraway distance.
“Gray, you really have a bad taste, don’t you? Never even once I expect myself to come back home… Let alone to repeat the tragedy twice.” After closing his eyes for a while, Seth goes in the opposite direction towards an unknown destination. Nobody except Gray and he himself knows the true purpose of this first mission and the slight uneasiness which Tohno Shiki feels along the way.
********
[Fuyuki City]
A vast barren landscape of nostalgia enters the gaze of a certain girl standing in the middle of it. Her red turtleneck shirt and short black skirts match her young charm as a teenage girl but it certainly creates an unsettling difference with the scenery around her.
“T—this is Fuyuki!?” The girl, Tohsaka Rin, is still in disbelief. She is finally standing on her beloved hometown, Fuyuki City. In fact, she is currently in Fuyuki Central Park of Shinto Region.
However—,
Something feels off and the air feels a lot of heavier than usual. As someone who resides in this town, Tohsaka Rin knows something strange is without a doubt occurring in her hometown. Given the situation she is currently in, she realises that this is not truly her hometown. This is merely another ‘timeline’ of Fuyuki City, in the other words, a parallel world of her own home world.
Naturally, Gray has asked Tohsaka Rin in advance as the most suitable candidate to this current mission. After all, out of the trio original residence of Fuyuki, Tohsaka Rin is the head of Tohsaka Family, the supervisor of Fuyuki. Her instructions and orders are clear, ‘
to rescue a certain someone special and save this person in Fuyuki City’, but who this person is or where to find this person in Fuyuki is not given to her. On another note, she is glad to be given the ‘suitable’ gem ammunitions to perform her specialty in case of emergency. Furthermore, Gray also gives her a special device similar to what he has given to Seth as a communication device.
On another note, there are also these two reliable bodyguards at her disposal. Gray implicitly told her that she can use these two bodyguards as her literal meatshield.
“Whew, so this is your hometown, missy? What a mess, what a mess…” Ron whistles with a rather sarcastic tone. His reaction is only natural as the only thing he sees is pure catastrophe. Not to mention, the surrounding negative presence filling the entire scenery. As someone in possession of the skill called ‘
Instinctive Combat Perception’, Ron perceives the dangerous atmosphere in this place instantly after setting his feet on this land.
“Awww—, this place is horrible for travelling…” The other bodyguard, Ken, heaves a sigh in complete dissatisfaction.
“No, my hometown is not supposed to be like this. Well, this place is an exception but— Anyway, let’s investigate and find our target now. Sigh, I already miss that idiot already…” Tohsaka Rin slumps down and goes on her own.
“W—wait, wait here, tour guide lady over there!” Ken runs toward Tohsaka Rin direction.
“WHO THE HELL IS YOUR TOUR GUIDE LADY?” Tohsaka puts a halt on her step and turns her head in full rage.
“C—calm down here missy, where are we going now? And it’s not really off the mark if you give enough perspective into it, you know…” Ron’s casual remark is in the opposite way from Tohsaka Rin’s hotheadedness.
“Shut up and just follow me for now! We’re going to the church first now!”
“A church?”
“Geez, don’t ask so many questions and let’s finish this fast!” After her grumpy remark, Tohsaka Rin continues her way with a huge turn of mood swing. “Just for a moment now, I wish that idiot was here!” She finishes her words with a murmur towards her own self.
“Aaaaarrgghhh—!” A sudden howling voice echoes hence ending the previous stillness.
What appears before Tohsaka Rin is no other than a blackened knight in full black armor.
“A—a servant!?”
“LOOK OUT THERE MISSY!” At that instant moment, Ron covers the twenty meters distance and fends off the oncoming attack from this mysterious ‘tainted’ knight in black armor.
********
A complete opposite of destruction and obliteration, the freshness of spring air lingers around all over the place. Chirping sounds of birds and cicadas are overwhelmingly friendly. A lovely day, it is, at the very least for a couple to date and to have a nice stroll.
“This really feels nice, doesn’t it Saber?”
“Yeah, this truly reminds me of the old times” Saber, the King of Knights, beams with a smile full of serenity. She sincerely enjoys the time she spends with Emiya Shirou in the present time.
A perfect couple with similar ideals, they truly fit each other by walking side by side.
On the other hand, another ‘not-so-lovely’ or rather a mismatched couple also walks behind Emiya Shirou and Saber.
“Hey, hey, Jeanne-san, don’t you think we are being a third wheel now?” Tohno Shiki tries to break the silence to the girl walking next to him. However, his effort has been futile so far.
“Third wheel? What do you mean by being a third wheel?” Jeanne tilts her head in confusion. For someone as pure as this Maiden of Orleans, the concept of ‘boys and girls dating’ will never come across her head.
“*Sigh… Forget it, I’m definitely talking to a wrong person. I really miss that blonde airhead now…” After heaving another sigh, Tohno Shiki continues his footsteps.
“Sumanai! Good day, I am afraid I am not allowed to let any of you pass beyond this point…”
A strange looking man pops out of thin air in front of Emiya Shirou and Saber, approximately ten meters from them. His silvery white hair slightly flutters from the gentle breezing wind. On his back, there lies a majestic looking huge sword.
“This presence… It can’t be! A servant!? Shirou, stay on guard!”
“Understood, Saber!” After projecting Kanshou and Bakuya, Emiya Shirou’s eyes are laid upon the sword of the man before him. At that instant moment, he knows something bad going to happen. Rather, this man has one of the worst compatibilities match-up with Saber.
“Grand Servant Saber… Sumanai, I am here to guard this place and no one is allowed to pass through here.”
“Servant Saber, unfortunately, I have to pass through you.”
“Sumanai! Very well, let us settle this with a duel, like a prideful sumanai knight should do…”
“Haaaaaaaa—a!”
“STOP SABER, THAT SWORD IS DEFINITELY DANGEROUS!”
As the King of Knights dashing forward, Emiya Shirou’s warning has already been too late.
********
In another different place, not too far away from Emiya Shirou’s group, a man is sitting on a rather large rock. He lets his long spear resting on his body but as if guarding something, the man does not lower his guard for even a split second.
‘Go to the place I will tell you later and wait there! Oh, by the way, please watch out for the enemies, tehee— ‘, is the only order he received previously from Gray. Even after his arrival in this world, Gray does not say much aside from pinpointing this location to him via the device Seth carries with him. However, Seth, only Seth alone knows and understands the true objective of this mission and Gray’s whimsical way to give him this order is only a third-rate joke to sugarcoat it.
If his hunch and analysis have been correct, the awaited enemies will appear soon to confirm his hypothesis.
Not even five minutes after, someone appears indeed. A man with overwhelming death presence. Even for a person as strong as Seth, this man imposes danger and threatening murderous aura.
Seth simply stands up and glares at the man before him.
“…”
“Grand Servant Lancer, I shall ask you to leave as a warning.”
“…” Another silence, after facing a servant previously in Misaki City Incident, Seth senses a feeling of familiarity almost at the same intensity during his showdown against the King of Heroes. However, this time, at the very least, he knows that his opponent is not a human being which might put him at an advantage depending on the circumstances.
“I see, I take your silence as a reply—then, here I come!”
Thus, the duel between the two men wielding spears begins amidst the noiseless forest. Given the sheer destructive power of each side, there is no telling how much the landscape of this place might change should any of these two not showing any restrains.
********
The loud sound of clashing metals and dirt being scattered around the land are repeating all over the place again. Not even a minute after the battle begins, the surrounding landscape has been altered into a place of battlefield. Several huge trees are being crushed down one after another by the surging wave of magical energy and air pressure created by the exchange of blows from these noble warriors.
“Tch— “, gritting her teeth in pains, Saber parries another oncoming attack towards her direction. Although she is able to fend off the enemy before her so far, without a proper master to stand by her side to give her magical energy supply properly, Saber can only fight in moderation to not exhaust her reserve. ‘If only Rin is here’ constantly haunts her deep in the head.
From behind Saber’s opponent, Tohno Shiki launches an ambush as he tries to distract the opponent before him. However, his effort has been futile so far. As the user of ‘Mystic Eyes of Death Perception’, Tohno Shiki should be able to kill anything in existence but to comprehend the death of a heroic spirit, let alone a ‘Grand Servant’ is suicidal for his brain. Nobody here, not even Jeanne d’Arc as a ‘Ruler’ class servant can identify the true name of this heroic spirit name.
“Tch, it can’t be helped then!” Finally having the courage, Tohno Shiki consumes all of his ‘fake’ Yggdrasil Seeds. At that instant moment, he spontaneously feels his heightened sense and physical power. “A—amazing, I might even fend off Ciel Senpai with this…” These magical seeds are actually maximizing one’s own physical prowess to the utmost level and reinforces it with magical energy contained in it. Naturally speaking, there is a maximum limit of how much stronger one can be by consuming this thing. In the case of Tohno Shiki with hidden potential, it awakens the fullest abilities sleeping inside Tohno Shiki’s body for a certain amount of time. It is not needed to say that these physical ‘booster’ will only affect almost to none for someone in the level of the eccentric trio such as Seth.
On the other hand, both Jeanne and Saber are in desperation and they know their opponents are not even getting serious yet. So far, it has been almost a one-sided battle with their opponent does not even get a scratch after countless blows landing upon his body. A slash to cut open the abdomen from Saber’s sword and a thrust to pierce the throat from Jeanne’s weapon do not even work. Over and over again, these two servants are landing lethal hits but their opponent here just casually brushes it off.
“Urgh—!?”
This time, it’s Jeanne who is gritting her teeth, each of the impacts from exchanging blows with her opponent sends shiver and shock to her body. The sheer strength of this servant is somewhat amazing and Jeanne is still confused of why she cannot use her skills as a Ruler to reveal his identity. Needless to say, she does not even know that her opponent this time is not a mere ‘regular servant’ either.
“Haaa—a!” Ten precise deadly strikes are being aimed toward Saber’s opponent. Yet again, each of them are not even scratching his skin only to make Saber feeling more desperation.
At that exact moment, Jeanne’s spear tip is hurled toward him only to be stopped by one of his hand.
“Okay, here goes or nothing!”
Tohno Shiki sees this as an opening and thus he closes in the gap to try another assault from behind. After enough physical ‘boost’ and reinforcement, he can faintly see the ‘death’ of this man before him being concentrated at one tiny spot on his back. This should be enough chance for him to end his opponent’s existence into nothingness. The sheer speed of Tohno Shiki alone is currently enough to match a servant’s combat prowess for now.
Yet—
“…!?” Knowing the oncoming serious threat behind his back, this man, Grand Servant Saber Siegfried kicks Jeanne’s abdomen launching her off several tens of meters and causing her internal organs to roil from the impact. Not finishing his counterattack, Siegfried swings his sword horizontally and the impact of his sword causes enough pressure to hurl Saber as human projectile in similar fashion to what Jeanne experienced a moment ago. Fortunately enough, Saber’s chest armor protects her from being cut in two parts. Finally, Siegfried turns his gaze into Tohno Shiki’s direction and simply repels him off by punching him in the guts. The sheer force alone causes Tohno Shiki’s body to be flung away and rolling on the ground.
The only one left here is no other than Emiya Shirou.
‘
There is only one thing you can do, master that one thing. The opponent you have to fight is none other than [your own image]’
Someone’s words are ringing inside Emiya Shirou’s head. Those words are the piece of advice he received during an incident in Misaki City from a certain someone.
“Trace on,
I am the bone of my sword!” One minute is enough for him to finish his projection. Exactly at that moment, Emiya Shirou mustered everything from his reserve in his pendant given from Gray. At that instant, raging waves of magical energy is taking shape engulfing the Emiya Shirou’s spot nearby. On his hands is no other than the nameless bow of a certain archer in red costume. This is the second time of Emiya Shirou trying to use this technique.
“
Caladbolg!”
A [
Broken Phantasm] being shot from Emiya Shirou’s bow. The utter destructive power of this projectile is enough to cause a booming sound upon impact. It scorches off the ground and explodes massively although it still lacks the true potential damage it can cause unlike what archer in red can do.
After inhaling and exhaling a deep breath of relief, Emiya Shirou slightly slumps down only to find himself shocked. After taking a direct hit from such a powerful attack capable of even piercing Heracles’ [
God Hand], this enemy before him does not even flinch nor get a bruise.
“Y—you’ve got to be kidding me…”
“Watch out, Shirou!” As Saber shouts she instantly pushes Emiya Shirou’s body and take a direct hit from Siegfried’s slash.
Her torso is almost split in two as Saber tries to support her body by using her sword as a support. Her majestic silver armor cracks and blood covers almost her entire chest. It was a fatal blow to her. Even worse, she somehow has problems in regenerating her wounds after taking the damage from Siegfried’s sword. Perhaps, his dragon-slaying property affects Saber’s recuperative power as a servant.
This is a four against one battle and yet all of them lose miserably against Siegfried.
‘There is only one way to turn the tide of this battle!’ Preparing herself to take the risk, Saber readies her holy sword for her strongest attack. The release of her holy sword creates a sudden whirlwind and gale. What appears out of the invisible sword is no other than the golden light of victory, Saber’s greatest trump card [
Excalibur].
“A Noble Phantasm match, huh? Very well…” On the other side, Siegfried readies his demonic sword, [
Balmung].
A sudden premonition of death clicks on Emiya Shirou’s head and Jeanne d’Arc.
Emiya Shirou knows very well that Saber’s opponent has an advantage over her Noble Phantasm.
“Ruler-san, please protect Tohno-san… This is getting bad! I need to protect Saber!”
“Understood, please do not do reckless thing, Emiya-san…” Jeanne who recovers only just now is rushing toward Tohno Shiki who is being unconscious after being knocked out. She understands very well as a servant that the clash of two magical swords in the level of Noble Phantasm will incinerate everything in sight.
On the other hand, Emiya Shirou is rushing toward Saber. He is in desperation knowing that Saber’s opponent has the upper hand against her. He needs something to tip the scale in Saber’s favour.
“Stand back, Shirou!” Saber shouts as she raises her hands wielding the holy sword.
Ignoring Saber’s words, Emiya Shirou stand next to Saber. “At the very least, allow me to assist you, Saber. That guy is not someone you can take down on your own…” If only Emiya Shirou has a command spell, he might have forced Saber to stop using her Noble Phantasm. Unfortunately, this is not the option here. What he can do for now—
“Trace on!” Emiya Shirou closes his eyes to prepare the greatest protection ever known to him.
However, at that same time, both Saber and Siegfried are releasing the true name of their Noble Phantasms.
“Ex—calibur!”
“Balmung!”
As the two Noble Phantasms clash, Saber realizes her holy sword will lose. Her mana reserve is now pretty limited without Tohsaka Rin around and she does not realise her opponent has a ‘dragon-slaying property’ which puts her at a disadvantage. The golden light of victory ceases and fades bit by bit as the ferocity of the demonic sword Balmung mows down everything on its path to obliterate its enemies.
However, Emiya Shirou has also completed his preparation. The greatest protective shield he ever knows from the archer of red, a shield capable of fending off Gungnir—
“Rho Aias!”
As Excalibur’s light being overpowered by Balmung’s raging gale, seven layered petals of conceptual shield appear out of thin air. Emiya Shirou knows this is a futile attempt to protect both Saber and him but it is still better than nothing.
Obviously, the shield [
Rho Aias] is meant for protection against spear-throwing type of attack and projectile weapons. Thus, the result is obvious as each petal being shattered in seconds. However, thanks to that, both Emiya Shirou and Saber manage to survive albeit the huge damage they receive in the process.
Again, Saber readies her holy sword in desperation. Barely even able to stand, with her depleting mana reserve, Saber desperately prepares another attack.
“Stop it, Saber… You will— “
“Run, Shirou! Ruler, you as well!” As expected of the King of Knights, her pride as a chivalrous knight does not allow her to have any of her comrades getting hurt.
“Don’t be an idiot, Saber! I will never leave you!”
Jeanne, despite realising the most correct action to take, is unable to leave her comrades. She knows that her master will not be pleased if she uses her Noble Phantasm at the moment but— this is not the time for her to think of such a thing. Finally, after a brief contemplation, Jeanne grabs Tohno Shiki’s body and rushes toward Emiya Shirou and Saber’s side.
“Here I come again, Saber and Ruler… Baaal— “
‘This is bad! I need to project something to match this guy!’ Emiya Shirou is desperately thinking with hazy mind as his body being covered in wounds. At the same time, something flashes out on his mind, an almost vivid image of something, an ancient artifact connected to Saber. ‘Yeah, this can definitely help her’ and ‘This is the greatest protection for sure coming from her and for her’ are stuck on Emiya Shirou’s head instinctively. However, he will not make it in time and he is almost running out of magical energy to project anything.
“—muuuunng!” As its true name once again being casted, Siegfried’s demonic sword once again release another deadly assault.
“Luminosité Eternelle!” Barely making it in time, Jeanne casts the greatest protection she ever knows. Hence, the clash between another two Noble Phantasms occurs again. This time, it is a contest of demonic sword against the blessing and protection of the Maid of Orleans.
********
Amidst the gracefulness of forest silence, two spearmen are clashing their skills to the very utmost. Windstorms and furious gales created by the air pressure coming from each of their strikes are dancing. Various cracks on the ground have been spotted creating a sense of dissonance with the tranquility of the bright blue sky above.
There has been no exchange of words but these two are being fully aware of their stalemate condition at the moment. The two spearmen are no other than the Son of the Sun God, Grand Servant Lancer Karna, and the Hell Hound Seth. Each of them, unknowing the truest potential of each one of them themselves, is simply thrusting their spears at each other in godly speed far beyond what the eyes can see.
Ten thrusts are coming from Karna only to be parried by Seth. As an act of counterattack, Seth aims at twelve different vital spots from the neck of his opponent until the joints of his opponent’s arms and legs. These blindingly fast paced exchange of blows and skills showcasing are just their way to introduce each other.
None of them has been using any trump card yet and perhaps they do not intend to do so in the first place. The risk of creating even the slightest opening for the enemy to take chance might be a fatal mistake which cannot be undone.
Unexpectedly, for an instant moment, Seth bursts out his magical energy out of the sudden and thus his opponent has been pushed back several dozen meters from him. After slightly changing his stance into a more highly offensive stance and crouching down for a bit, Seth’s spear is being positioned horizontally with its tip facing his opponent in front of him. A weird stance indeed, however, this rather peculiar stance means only one thing for Seth, a certain ‘instant death’ for whoever his opponent is.
Slightly smiling as if sensing the intensity of both murderous aura and forthcoming threat, Karna finally answers the Hell Hound’s menacing killing intent with his own.
“There has been no capable human as far as I can remember who can hold out this long casually against me. Your silence cannot hide the experience and proficiency from me—.” Before even finishing his line, Seth’s spear has already been aimed towards Karna.
[
Seven Strikes Reversal:
Single Thrust], a skill being developed by Seth’s true ability as a person with the ability to bend spacetime at will. It is a sure-hit skill which leaves no room for evasions and defense. One of mankind’s pinnacle of achievement as another attempt to rival the [
Miracles] of nature.
“…” Without even flinching, Karna simply stands there in confidence.
The demonic spear of the Hell Hound however, for an instant moment splits into seven after a brief contact with Karna’s armor, aiming at exactly seven different vital blind spots of his enemy.
The lower neck, solar plexus, femoral nerve of both legs, ulnar nerve of both arms, and the heart. Seven strikes aimed with the intention of both disabling and killing the opponent spontaneously all at once are rushing to Karna, the Son of Sun God.
Yet—,
Nothing happens, not even a dent or a tiny scratch on Karna’s armor can be seen. The result is obvious to begin with since the armor of the Son of the Sun God, ‘
Kavacha and Kundala’, protects the user without fail. Unknowing the fullest extent of Karna’s defensive armor, Seth tries to retreat.
This time, Karna lustrously engulfs his body in fiery burning flame. [
Mana Burst (
Flame)], an ability to increase one’s own attack power significantly by infusing one’s own body and weapon with highly concentrated magical energy. In Karna’s case, the sheer heat of the flame and latent power are able to knocks Seth’s body several dozen meters, returning the previous favour from Seth.
Another moment of silence, Karna simply engulfs his body to enhance his combat prowess whereas Seth only glares at him.
“I see, words are indeed pointless in our battle. I really wish to continue but I believe both of us know that we have our own agenda to do at the moment. The sun will probably set down soon and I have already lost now… You’ve won and I cannot complete my objective now…” After closing his eyes briefly, Karna turns his back and simply leaves. As his ‘objective’ fails, he simply needs to return to report to his master.
On the other hand, Seth without even lowering his guard is standing in stillness.
“Do not worry, mysterious spearman, I am not someone who will ambush someone unreasonably like you. Very well, until the next time we meet again then, mysterious spearman…” Without turning his back to face the Hell Hound, Karna vanishes out of thin air.
Just like that, Seth once again raises his head and looks upon the sky for a few seconds. After what people usually call as ‘a quick moment of solitude’, the Hell Hound walks off into another direction. This time, he is heading into Emiya Shirou’s group.
********
“Urgh—! Tch…” Gritting her teeth in frustration, Jeanne d’Arc repels another strike from the servant wielding demonic sword before her.
There, a boy wielding a knife has been injured severely. Two ribs are broken and a broken leg, Tohno Shiki’s enhanced body has been reduced into this state by merely trying to repel one of the servant’s strike before him.
To make the situation even worse, Saber is running low on her magical energy reserve as she is currently not in a proper contract. On the other hand, Emiya Shirou’s body, somehow, regenerates for an unknown reason. He is the only who is still able to stand after being reduced to a severe state like Tohno Shiki’s current condition. Unlike his usual ‘patches of swords’ coming from his inner ‘
Reality Marble’, his body has been recovering into its original state. Truly, Emiya Shirou is going in cycle of being brutally damaged and recuperated.
In conclusion, there are only two opponents against Siegfried in this rather dull long battle, Emiya Shirou and Ruler Jeanne d’Arc.
“Haah—haah—a…” Venting out air while supporting her body with the sword being stuck on the ground, Saber tries to fight.
After regaining her composure and a bit of her strength back thanks to her regenerative power as a servant, Saber charges forward. Using every last bit ounce of her strength and the almost depleted magical energy, she launches in the speed faster than what the eyes can see. Even with the current miserable state she is now, the King of Knights refuses to give up.
Emiya Shirou, nonetheless, knows very well instinctively by looking at Siegfried’s demonic sword that Saber’s last attack will not suffice to turn the tide. He can only project around three more times at best. The sensation of his dying body, the red-haired boy remembers very well. Therefore, he needs to do something to assist Saber.
“Trace on!” Readying his bow from projection, Emiya Shirou shoots a mere random second-rate sword as a projectile. Without a doubt, it is not enough to even dent Siegfried’s invincible defense. However, that is not Emiya Shirou’s aim.
[
‘Eye of the Mind (True)’], a skill in which Emiya Shirou currently possesses thanks to his rigorous training and experience. Even if there is a less than one percent chance to win, it is more than enough for him to make an emergency spontaneous plan to get an upper hand in combat. Naturally, he is not on Archer’s level yet but it is enough for now.
A slight distraction almost causing Siegfried to get caught off-guard. However, it is more than enough opening for Saber to land a clean blow at him.
“Guh—!” A diagonal slash from Siegfried’s left shoulder to his waist comes from Saber’s last attack.
Again—, it is all but a futile effort. Currently, Saber lacks the power to even damage her opponent properly. Stepping back immediately, Saber maintains her distance from Siegfried.
This time, instead of doing another counterattack, Siegfried simply lays his sword down.
“I see, it seems like my master commands me to go back. Very well then, I shall take my leave now…”
“Wait a minute! Why do you even—!?” The Holy Maiden of Orleans, Jeanne d’Arc gets her line cut from a rather familiar voice coming from afar.
“Stop right there!” There, golden ponytailed hair spearman walks casually.
“S—Seth-san!” Tohno Shiki tries to stand up. As a user of ‘Mystic Eyes of Death Perception’, again, Tohno Shiki’s anxiety comes back after seeing Seth. Someone who is closer to death quite literally like Tohno Shiki, probably realizes something is off in this mission.
“If you wish to stop me, very well then. But that village over there shall be destroyed meaninglessly… I come here specifically to prevent it from occurring in the first place.” Siegfried calmly says something out of expectation. The silent warrior for the first time finally tries to explain his thought.
“What do you mean by that? We come here to correct the timeline of this world.” Emiya Shirou tries to reason out Siegfried’s contradictory explanation.
“Why do you not ask your comrade over there then…”
Exactly before Emiya Shirou trying to open his mouth, a loud sound of explosion coming from the direction where they are supposed to go to.
“N—no way… Seth-san, hurry! We have to save that village!” As Emiya Shirou tries to head toward the village direction, a rather unexpected turn of event occurs.
“You stay here, Emiya-san. This is an order! We shall not allow the enemy to pass through here…” Seth replies in a rather indifferent way.
“W—what…!?” After being blocked out of his way by Seth, Emiya Shirou does not understand. He still believes that the true objective of this mission is to protect this world. Yet, Seth is right here and blocking his way.
Another thud and the smell of burning fire are finally present with the lingering stench of smokes and death. This confirms the anxiety of Tohno Shiki.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA— Mongrels like you will never understand!” another golden figure appears. The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, this time enters the stage.
“Tch, this is bad…” Tohno Shiki grits his teeth.
“G—Gilgamesh!” Saber utters his name in disbelief. Who could have thought the King of Heroes survived the incident in Misaki City and made appearance for the fourth time right in front of Saber after the 4
th Holy Grail War.
“It’s been a while, Saber! Now, how does it feel to become the villain this time?”
“W—what do you mean by that, King of Heroes?!”
“Well, you should not be that dense, Saber! It is just another daily routine for you to sacrifice a village or two during your reign, right?”
The instant moment Saber hears what the King of Heroes trying to convey, she understands the situation. The main objective of this entire mission is to prevent any external force of saving this world. By preserving timeline, it does not necessarily mean to save the world. It can also mean to prevent things which should not happen from occurring. This is also one of the darkness lurking inside of Saber as a figure of a king.
“There must be another way to do this, Seth-san!” Emiya Shirou tries his best but it is meaningless now.
“No, Emiya-san. We have already succeeded. My hometown has been successfully destroyed. We shall come back to [
Epiclesis] now.”
“W—what—do you mean by—that?” Emiya Shirou finally understands the whole thing.
‘Saving someone means not saving another person’ once again pops out in Emiya Shirou’s head. The ideal of saving everyone and everything is impossible. He knows it very well especially after the 5
th Holy Grail War. Even so, he still wants to do his best to make everyone around him being happy. He also recognises the situation now and should he save this world now, the consequence might be dire in the future timeline.
Gritting his teeth in silence, Emiya Shirou can only stare at the ground.
“Very well then, mongrels! I shall end all of your pitiful lives here! Consider this a form of mercy from me!” After laughing heartily, Gilgamesh sends down a huge rain of Noble Phantasms.
“Watch out, Shirou!” Saber who stands next to Emiya Shirou prepares her sword to defend both Emiya Shirou and her own self.
“Look out!” Jeanne tries her best to repel the oncoming rain of Noble Phantasms.
“Tch—!”
However, this time Seth steps forward and repels all of the deadly projectiles.
“You again! You really dare to defy me, mongrel! Let us settle the score!” Gilgamesh definitely holds a grudge against Seth after the incident in Misaki. He just cannot cope with the fact that there exists a mere filthy human who can fight him back head on.
As he tries to ready his weapons, he suddenly closes his gate of treasury.
“Tch, consider this your lucky day, mongrel and faker!”
“I shall take my leave as well then…”
The Grand Servant Saber and the King of Heroes finally dematerialise into thin air leaving only the injured party of Emiya Shirou behind in the entire scenery.
“Y—you really need to explain l—later…” After trailing off and losing his unconsciousness with his severely wounded body, Emiya Shirou almost falls on the ground.
“S—Shirou!” Saber instantly catches him preventing him from falling into the ground.
“Master, please explain it to us…” Jeanne, who has been rather lacking in communication with her master finally inquires Seth as her master.
“Sigh… No wonder that crazy green head does not get along well with this guy…” Tohno Shiki slumps down and puts on his eyeglasses back as a signal of quitting his ‘serious mode’.
“I apologise first hand for the lack of explanation. Both Gray and I firmly believe this is for the best to not hinder our mission. Further explanation, I shall explain it later after we have come back home.”
Embracing Emiya Shirou with her rather weak body, Saber murmurs something on her own.
“You really have changed, Shirou… Let’s go back and have a nice meal with Rin.”
Just like that, the end of the first mission of this rather strange group of people finally ends. What they leave behind is no other than the burning scenery of a certain village in a certain time line. There is only one mystery left being unsolved. Why did Seth have to split from the group and fend off Karna? Mayhap, the answer will be given by Seth himself later on.
********
A gathering of two men, Kotomine Kirei and Kiritsuki Yaminaka.
Both are gazing at the ‘Holy Grail’ resting inside a rather large chamber in [
Temple of Hyalos].
“Amazing, you never cease to amaze me… We manage to keep them occupied in the wrong way… Your plan is as sharp as ever…” Kotomine Kirei smirks in a rather sarcastic manner.
“Misleading people is one of my specialty, Kotomine-san.”
“I see, I shall pray from the bottom of my heart for not being misled then…”
“Do not worry, we share common objectives as for now. You can consider me as an ally at the moment…”
“I am glad not to be your enemy for now then. After all, facing against a bunch of people who can match the King of Heroes head on all by myself is not a good plan to execute. Then, may I ask the next step we might need to take?”
“Very simple, we shall keep on misleading our heroes for now… Once they settle down and become confident of victory, that is the moment everything shall turn into our favour.”
After a grim short laughter, Kotomine Kirei turns his back leaving Kiritsuki Yaminaka alone in this chamber which hides the ‘Holy Grail’ inside.
“Do whatever you wish then, I shall wait my turn patiently for now.” After saying what he wants to say, Kotomine Kirei’s figure finally fades away into the darkness.
“Do not worry, I shall do, Kotomine-san…”
********
A dream, this is definitely a dream inside Emiya Shirou’s head. A beautiful clear blue sky and vast green grass field are extending beyond the horizon. There, he sees a gallant figure of the King of Knights, standing alone on her own.
A noble knight, the wielder of the holy sword ‘Excalibur’ and its sheath ‘Avalon’, Saber captivates Emiya Shirou’s mind. Her solitude and inhuman cold demeanor are somewhat similar to what the ‘Red Knight’ has become. Her wish to save her own country which was destroyed, Emiya Shirou knows it himself how painful it is to watch her own ideals to betray her at the very end. Yet, she has no regret about the past. Her elegance, beauty, and honour are more than inspiring for Emiya Shirou. The magnificence of Arthuria’s holy sword and sheathe hold Emiya Shirou’s mind in perfect stillness.
“U—urrgh…” Opening his eyes, Emiya Shirou finally tries to get up from his bed. However, the first thing he sees is no other than the King of Knights herself.
“Good morning, Shirou. You have finally recovered from your wounds.”
“S—saber?” After dreaming of this person before him, Emiya Shirou is caught off guard for a moment.
“What is wrong Shirou, your face looks bright red at the moment… Do you have some fever or—…” Saber puts the back of her hand on Emiya Shirou’s forehead.
“I—it’s fine, Saber! Ahaha…” Emiya Shirou somehow evades the oncoming unexpected mind assault. It would be bad for a healthy young boy like him to see a beautiful figure touching his body carelessly let alone for such a beauty he was dreaming of a few minutes ago.
“W—WAIT YOU DERP! SHIROU IS RESTING!”
“SHUT UP, YOU STINGY DEVIL!”
A commotion runs amok outside Emiya Shirou’s room. What separates the soothing atmosphere inside his room in [
Epiclesis] with the chaos outside is a mere closed unlocked door. Then, at that very moment—
The door is finally being slammed open and what appears behind it is no other than two beautiful young ladies.
“I—Illyasviel!?” Emiya Shirou’s face shows his blatant confusion. After all, this girl in front of him should have been dead, at least in his own time line.
“SHIROOOOOOOOUU!!” the long white-haired girl named Illyasviel von Einzbern finally makes her extravagant entrance and hugs Emiya Shirou tightly after running at the speed of light.
“GET OFF HIM YOU DERP! SHIROU IS MINE!”
Another scream coming from the red devil, Tohsaka Rin, echoes loudly. Everybody who is currently in the 5
th floor definitely will hear Tohsaka Rin’s outrage.
********
Night time in [
Epiclesis], Tohno Shiki finds this exciting area when he is strolling around after receiving ‘harsh’ treatment and lecture from Sion Eltnam Atlasia. As much as he dislikes how Sion scolded him for getting injured severely from the previous mission, Tohno Shiki also can’t help but to smile. After all, she is the only one whom Tohno Shiki can completely trust in this unknown place. He might consider Tohsaka Rin as another stranger who happens to be an acquaintance with his beloved little sister Akiha and he definitely does not get along well with Emiya Shirou due to how both of them having differing views of life.
This area happens to be located on the 3
rd floor as Tohno Shiki is randomly exploring the area out of boredom. The ceiling is decorated in such a way that it looks like a starry night sky. For a tower with no access of viewing the outside world, this feels like heaven for Tohno Shiki. The ground itself is covered with synthetic grass to add more naturalistic nuance in it and there are several plants and trees spread across this spacious place.
“Sigh, I thought I could have ended this stupid unwanted free travel to the other world after finishing that equally unexpected first mission… Looks like I am wrong… We still have several more things to do before we can go back home. Akiha might get worried and I really miss Kohaku’s delicious food. Also, I wonder if Ciel Senpai and that ‘airhead’ vampire have come back to Misaki right now…”
“It is dangerous for someone to lay down here alone, you know…”
A nostalgic voice coming from the direction in which Tohno Shiki can’t predict. As if being compelled to reply immediately, he stands up and closes his eyes gently.
“How is that so?”
“Geez, aren’t you an idiot or what? Someone might kick you out of the blue, you know. I’ve told you this thing whenever we met, you know!”
“And who is that person again to kick me out of the blue?”
“Who else do you think? Of course, it’s me since nobody is around…”
With utter disbelief, Tohno Shiki opens his eyes to reassure that this person really is what he thinks in his mind. Before him, a woman wearing blue jeans and white shirt with long red hair is holding a rather large trunk on her hand.
“It’s been a while there, Shiki. You really look more handsome…”
“Yeah, I can’t believe to meet you again, Sensei. You suddenly disappeared without any farewell words to me after the incident in Misaki, you know…”
“Ahahaha, let’s leave it at that…”
Thus, once again, the relationship between this strange pair of teacher and student finally begins.
********
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Originally Posted by RoydGolden
