+1 Hermes. Zeta is a very scary enemy, but it's probably a more urgent priority to reduce the number of minions coming with him if only to make sure they're not destroying El-Dora / killing its civilian populations while we're fighting their big daddy.
+1 To Hermes
Because what's the point of having a Presi-King, if you are not going to delegate all decisions and responsibilities on him, and then blame him when stuff goes wrong?
Originally Posted by Faux, July 20th 2019
True Rider
14 Hours remaining until SFA invades El-Dorado Base.
Year: 2022
Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Day
Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Great
Magical Energy: Critical
Party Status
I have so many questions like how exactly El-Dorado able to stop Archer from exploding and how can SFA has Magellan's Noble Phantasm. But right now, we should prioritize fighting the gigantic machines in front of us.
And as they don't possess a heart to feel and furious, the four bull and insect hybrid machine called Carrier quickly barrages anyone in their sight. And as expected from a modern weapon, there is almost zero interval for them to starts firing an endless amount of bullets.
Of course, they are no match for the Servants as all of them quickly deflect or evade the barrages with some efforts. But I noticed that they are aiming for us magi and soldiers, which we aren't completely immune from. Not wanting to be a hindrance, I quickly decided that we need to flee from the scene as fast as possible.
But before that, "Kenshin, catch!", I throw a healing potion made by EC Caster as I don't have any Od left to deliver it safely. Solely counting on at my arm strength and Kenshin's reflect.
"I appreciate it, Master!" and she drinks it as fast as she can and now ready at her top form.
wise-up!
"Miss Fujimaru, Alejandro! Let's get away from here!"
"Agreed!" The two quickly follow and leave the scene, which I'm surprised that I can match their running speed. Miss Fujimaru is someone that has been running around Singularities and Alejandro is a trained soldier, but it seems five years of running from the world have secretly made me into a very athletic person. Not that I'm originally a slouch as Via and Populus require a certain degree of physical fitness.
Of course, a gun's effective range is not something you can easily get away from simply by running, but that is not the only thing we are trying to be as far away as possible.
"Kenshin, Magellan!" I no longer hide their True Name since everyone here already learn about it, and I'm sure Bell told Leader the details about all of us at this point.
Confirming we are already outside of the range, "soldiers, now!", Kenshin makes a loud shout. And as frustrating as he is, the King has been impressed with her tactical skill, "do what she says!", and convince his people that she is trustworthy.
With that, the soldiers start detonating the bombs they planted all over Cusco to prepare for an invasion that supposedly happens in 21 hours. The ground around the machines starts bursting one after another.
"Bombs? Do you fools think that mere explosives capable to destroy my machines? I sent these five precisely to withstand these types of simple attempts. I suppose this is the extend of a primitive warlord."
It's true, none of the machines is harmed a bit. They are made from SFA Rider's Noble Phantasm, something that capable to hold against Nobunaga's ultimate firepower. And confirming there are no more bombs around their feet, the Carriers' main body starts to open and launch multiple humanoid-type we saw at New Japan Invasion and the smaller trash can shaped machines.
"Armada de Molluca - Victoria!" Knowing what she must do against those, Magellan summons her sail ships up in the air, vertically facing down.
wise-up!
"Too bad, I don't need to save my Magical Energy this time ✰."
cannons
The victorious ship famed for its persistence fires its cannons. The projectiles are so fast, it gives an illusion of laser beams. I have never witnessed the ship's offensive capabilities before, which what comes shortly reminds me that Magellan is a very famous Heroic Spirit. While the massive machines only slightly damaged from the bombardment, it quickly reduces the number of humanoids and trash can machines more than half.
"I suppose what I'm going to do is primitive after all," in which, Kenshin's true plan finally able to go down in a literal sense. "Fall."
The bombs were calculatedly placed to shakes the ground brittle. Combined from the massive weight these behemoths have and the impact from Magellan's bombardments, the rocks below them lose its horizontal resistance. Making them fall for a good amount of height that enough to bury the Machine Lord to its waist, trapping them like the deity Chernoborg from that one cartoon.
"I have heard from the briefing but I must say it again... this is just like, Uruk!" Miss Fujimaru comments in awe.
"I think no one will understand a reference about your highly classified adventure, Miss Fujimaru." And I can't help but tease her.
Kenshin shows off her mastery at exploiting a natural disaster just like from a little history that I learned about her. But instead of a flood, she is counting for subsidence.
"Khh, trapping them on the ground?!" Leader is unable to maintain his countenance.
I suppose if there is a possible reason why SFA able to massacre El-Dorado solely from a contest of firepower, is that El-Dorado lacks an actual master tactician like Kenshin on their side.
Yet Kenshin isn't able to bring herself to rejoice yet. Knowing that the Machine Lord is SFA's proudest weapon, she doubts that the only thing it has to offer is simple firepower.
"Those drones..., Tsuru."
And she has been observing the ten drones detached from the fingers of Zeta for a while, which none of them seems armed with anything but the propellers. She doubts those only serve as flying cameras. As she has listened to Nobunaga's ramble about her secret project, like the plan for flying drones carrying Nobunaga's AI to control her matchlock Noble Phantasms remotely, she can't help but to worry.
"Yes, I can feel the intentions of those drones. They are without a doubt, a weapon made to harm."
"..."
Tsuru's main ability is to read other manmade weapon's intentions as she is a weapon born with a soul. Strictly, only manmade weaponry. That doesn't include makeshift items used as a weapon by someone eccentric. The fact she can feel those drones means they are designed to kill from the start.
The Machine Lord called Zeta pointed its barrel-like fingers to the army. Bell's intel has stated that the machine able to incorporate SFA Archer's Noble Phantasm. She knows that it possesses the highest threats and needs to be prioritized among the machines.
"Everyone, barrages them all while they are down!!!" Kenshin decides that destroying the machines is much more important as the enemies are currently in shambles from the subsidence.
The King follows Kenshin and led his soldiers for an attack. The soldiers quickly encircle them from the edge and fire everything they have. Bombs, bazookas, missile launchers, tanks and anything that has enough penetration to put a dent on the machines. Which annihilates a significant number of the humanoid and trash can-types.
Along with the barrages, both the King, Lancelot, Kenshin, and Assassin rushes forward to damage the behemoths. El-Dorado Caster also gives them blessings with his clumsy sacraments. They are fully aware that none of the weapon El-Dorado has possessed any mystery to hurt them to care about friendly fire.
Zeta fires countless beaming lights from its barrel-like fingers to the Servants, but just like Archer before it, these four capable to deflect them. They able to close their distance and physically scored many hits, but even Lancelot's legendary Arondight only manages to put centimeter deep scratches on the skyscraper-tall behemoth.
"With this level of durability, it will take us an entire day to put it down. We need something equal to Arondight!" yells Lancelot.
And with Lancelot and Miss Fujimaru lack the Magical Energy needed to fire Arondight, the only Noble Phantasm close to it is Kenshin's Echigo no Ryu True Name release. And as it was shown during the New Japan Invasion, the original Tuscarora Courser able to tanks something with a magnitude surpassing both of those two. Of course, its durability will not match the original, but we can't gamble our only chance to destroy Zeta as Kenshin only able to fire it once.
"Hmph, what a mistake. Zeta, in particular, is designed to attack El-Dorado Base. Do you know why?" Leader provides rhetoric.
Zeta's body glows burning, then shortly, it releases a concentration of magical energy not unlike the nitrogen pillar its predecessor has straight to the soldiers.
"That's the same move Archer has!"
The King able to defend his people by shrouding them with his massive chain, it is a confirmation that their firepower is indeed lower than SFA Archer's. It continuously streams the blast, yet nothing achieved but mere clanging sounds from the chain hitting each other.
And somehow, Kenshin still being wary until she noticed something unusual.
(Is this the extend a Machine Lord can do? Wait, the beam... it continues to ascend upward?!)
The beam doesn't simply try to break the King's defense as it continues to arch until it escapes to the sky. Kenshin doesn't understand what it's trying to achieve, but she knows it is trying to achieve something.
"Damn it! The drones!!!" Before Kenshin can do something about it, she is pierced by countless needles from the sky.
"Arghhh!!!", "Khhhaaa!!!" And so does Assassin and Lancelot. Some also able to pierce Magellan's Victoria, but its durability is very impressive as there is no noticeable decrease on its performance.
wise-up!
What once a single massive pillar split into numerous thin swords shaped like an overly complex mineral structure. They spread to all directions to slices roads and buildings hundred meters from here into melting butter, followed with explosions that come seconds too late after the sharp beams' indiscriminate rampage.
These tiny beams are no match to SFA Archer's in term of firepower, but it covers an extremely wide amount of range. And unlike with Nobunaga, Zeta is not being held back from protecting the city, Zeta is trying to destroy it.
And one of them is heading toward us, but Miss Fujimaru has an ace in her sleeve, "Craft Essence: Volumen Hidragyrum!" A blob of mercury shrouded us like an umbrella, being a student of the El-Melloi class, I know that is an imitation of the famed Mystic Code the El-Melloi Lords used for generations.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!!!"
Still, something like that is not enough against a Noble Phantasm-class attack. It quickly evaporates into nothing from the heat, but it buys El-Dorado Caster enough time to shoot many of his dark orbs to fully stop the sharp laser.
"Thanks, Caster! But you don't have any other spells much more useful than that?" I do notice that he lacks control over his spells and waste an unnecessary amount of Magical Energy to fires something simple.
"No... magecraft isn't my forte from the start, I don't even know it exists when I'm alive. Could you teach me some?"
"How are you a Caster?"
However, the situation on the other side is not as fortunate. When the King looks back, he finds out that many of his soldiers are caught in its path. The beams were so hot, it spared the King and the soldiers to see the remains of their fallen comrade, as they quickly melted into nothing.
"...!!! What is happening, what kind of unnatural attack was that?!" The King is furious that his soldiers were killed. He fully aware that some of his men will face heroic sacrifices in a battle, there is no time for him to grief over them. Especially not after the senseless massacre of his people spread on South America.
It's nothing unnatural. It is a combination of a magical weapon with natural phenomena not unlike how I bring down Archer. Tuscarora Courser's is durable enough to withstand a beam-type Noble Phantasm, and the drones' propeller is made with the same material the Lord has and plated with reflective plates.
To put simply the mechanism behind it, the spinning propellers reflect the beam into countless directions.
"When I say Machine Lord is capable to match a Servant. I never meant it to compete in a simple contest of strength."
Even if the firepower and defense it has are incomparable with the real deals, the fact it possesses both means it much more dangerous than them. To have a far-reaching range and a near-indestructible armor means it is a weapon designed to cause many damages and casualties to the enemy camp rather than to defeat a powerful opponent heads-on. Targetting what the Servants trying to protect rather than themselves, it is an old strategy that has been employed in many Holy Grail Wars.
Zeta charges its beam once more, but the drones are spread out a little farther.
"You know the main weakness of a Servant?"
"STOP-!" the King pleads.
The sharp beam ignores him and once again spreads like a complex circus tent. This time, both the King, Lancelot, Kenshin and Assassin able to intercept some of them with their might.
But many able to bypass the Servants from the sheer number and reaches the nearest parts of the city. They do not care about the significance and history behind Cusco, as everything from ancient Inca walls to European buildings sliced and melted to an unrecognizable pile of melted rocks.
What's more, Because the Servants are busy with the beams, the humanoid types use their jetpacks to reach the ground and ready to clashes with the soldiers. Dozen of them are heading toward where I, Miss Fujimaru and Alejandro currently stand.
"No matter how powerful they are, they can't be in many places at once."
The city of Cusco starts to crumble.
DESTRUCTION OF CUSCO: 10%
VS Zeta Round 2
Last edited by Spartacus; December 4th, 2020 at 01:58 PM.
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We need to dismantle the drones ASAP to stop the city getting wrecked so I propose we conserve Kenshin for now and:
2] Use Assassin's Yorei no Hanzo.
As for Lestari, we still need cover so:
1] Ask El-Dorado Caster to defend them.
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I like this. And those drones more a threat than the machine itself if we consider the Servants able to deal with the beams?
And hi, I'm Indiegoes from the discord.
3] Focus on destroying the drones.
3) Try to defend with the Anti-Servant guns.
Last edited by zikari8; April 7th, 2020 at 08:48 AM.
3 & 1
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
3. Destroying the adds before taking on the boss seems important, and the NPs feel better kept as finishers ?
1. But I want Caster of El-Dorado to show what he's able to do and maybe flex a little *nod nod*
3
1
Last edited by SleepMode; April 7th, 2020 at 08:41 AM.
The Act of dozing off in the afternoon is a luxury indeed.
Coffee would be nice, though.
[Collection of my Servant Sheets]
Now Revamped!
14 Hours remaining until SFA invades El-Dorado Base.
Year: 2022
Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Day
Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Great
Magical Energy: Critical
Party Status
The mechanical behemoth once again charges its knock-off Noble Phantasm and is ready to spread them into countless needles. If the city is destroyed even more than this, our alliance with the King is going to crumble again. Be damned, I don't want to back and forth with his shit the third time!
To stop Zeta laying waste to the city, we need to prioritize the drones first as they are the main culprit. But considering drones can fly, they could fly away out of their enemy's range like SFA Archer does on a smaller scale.
Both Kenshin and Magellan are capable of flying in some way, but we may lose our current advantage on the ground if we don't continue to pressure them. Which we start losing it already as those humanoid types start to breach our defenses and approach us.
"Here they come, Gandr!!!" Miss Fujimaru and Alejandro fire their respective projectiles rapidly. El-Dorado Caster provides support by firing massive dark orbs. They can damage some of the machines, but these machines will not go down until we destroy them completely.
If only I have Magical Energy left, I can control all these... "God, that one almost killed me!" Oh, I am a moron, there is no merit in fantasizing about something I don't have at the moment! Think, Lestari Elliwyn, think for a way!
"Caster!!! Considering you are barely helping the battle with the massive robots, I think you should focus on protecting us now!"
"Yeah! We would instantly lose four Servants if both of you die!" Caster replies back as he frantically fires black orbs and wastes many of his Magical Energy to destroy the machines.
"Glad we are on an understanding!" says Miss Fujimaru in my place. "but can you use your ability from earlier, the one you use to weaken Lancelot to the machines?"
"That only works on people." But before we can criticize him for being useless and highly situational, he adds, "If only my comrades were still here."
Miss Fujimaru can only bite her lips, as she fully knows that she is responsible for defeating his comrades. Of course, this will not happen at all if we don't put a crack on their Singularity that doesn't even feel like one. And the fact he hasn't used his Noble Phantasm in all situations means it is as situational as his shit-talking superpower.
Caster is seriously underpowered, and he says about not knowing magecraft earlier. So, if that is the case...
"Caster! I will make you a proper Caster right now!"
"Huh?!" says Caster while defending us from the machines.
"I will teach you proper magecraft!"
Like, crazy, how could a Servant from the Class designed for powerful magi can't fire a spell properly? I mean, yes, there is Bell. But Bell still functionally does the same thing with his advanced techs. I suppose the curse-like badmouthing from earlier is similar, but I need him to be able to handle non-human enemies.
"What you are doing right now is wasting your magical energy for a single bullet spell. As an actual magus, looking at you piss me off!"
"Does it matter when I have a very high capacity?"
"If you are talking about output, it doesn't. But fine control can do much more than simply being efficient. Listen, Magic Circuit is like an electric cables. Besides the overall voltage to determine how much magical energy you can send at once, there is also a matter of how many cables you can use at once. As right now, you are only using a few cables for a single bullet when you can do, much, much more!"
"Cables?! I'm not a science person, this makes me confused!"
Ignoring what he says, I grabbed his casting hand to make him quickly understand where he should channel the magical energy. He is a Caster-class and Servants are being made from Mana, it should be super easy for him. I honestly don't know what I am doing either, I'll just imitate what my professors do in their lectures and hope for the best.
"The knowledge of your own spiritual body should come naturally for a Servant like you! Just try it and you will-"
"Whoooaaaaaa!!!" Ten dark orbs suddenly burst from his hand non-stop and completely massacre the machines. He then fires more and more, he soon turned into an unstoppable machine gun.
"I'm so proud of you!" I will charge him for this high-class course later.
wise up!
Now that we can relax about being mobbed by the machines, I think there is only one thing to do.
"Everyone, focus on the drones!"
The first one to answer is Magellan.
Are you sure about that? If I don't pressure the machines they will easily mob you.
"It doesn't matter if we slow down the machine when those beams have that crazy range. Those lasers have shown to be able to kill us easily even without the other machines' support. The faster we deal with the drones, the faster we can clean the rest."
I agree, and we only have two potions left. Kenshin reminded me that soon we can't count on those miracle substances any longer.
Besides, I'm sure that the King will not let those machines harm his people so easily after witnessing what they are capable of. And "diplomatically" speaking, our alliance with the King may end if we failed to protect Cusco. If we save the city from any more destruction, I will fulfill my promise with El-Dorado Caster as this counts as helping the King.
"Just do it quickly and save me after that!"
Roger, Master! Answers everyone.
* * *
The moment their Master gives them the order, they quickly proceed to do their new objective. Whatever because they were military commanders in the past, or because the bond forged between them these past three days, they understand what to do without speaking a word.
Kenshin snatches Assassin up to the air and throws her to the flying Victoria.
"Like I will let you exploit obvious weakness like that!" yells Leader as the Machine Lord and the other gigantic machines point their guns to the three.
"Same goes to you!!!" But the King intercepted them by slamming his equally massive chain and coiling it around Zeta.
"Go, destroy those drones! I will hold the blasts!"
Lancelot takes a wide stance and swings his sword to create a gust of wind that ragdolls all the smaller machines. He then intercepted many of the projectiles from the giant machines, preventing most of the beams to stop the three female Servants.
The Machine Lord Zeta that has been coiled by the King's chain didn't even try to offer any significant resistance. Instead, more vents opened on its body and fired more laser beams upward. These beams aren't as focused as the pillar of light type from earlier, but they are so many that Lancelot is physically incapable to intercept them. And the drones are more than capable of reflecting them to the city, causing more destruction albeit on a smaller scale.
"We can't let much more destruction than this!!!" Kenshin clenched her teeth, frustrated that she let yet another collateral destruction. She swings Himezuru Ichimonji with all of her might to the nearest drone, treating a sword like a hammer.
"Are you kidding me...?!" What happened is the sharp princess bounced to the ground. Her state of art quality is not enough to put a dent to the reality-defying drone. Kenshin can't even fathom that her trusted companion is outclassed by something that looks so fragile.
"Have you paid any attention? If they can deflect Zeta's beams, of course they are made to be as hard as the machine that contains the beam itself!" Taunt Leader as the machines start to charge another barrage.
"Things like this...!!!" she grabbed the drone with her gauntlet. "WILL NOT STOP ME AT ALL!" And slam it with another drone repeatedly until they broke.
"...!!" Leader is surprised.
"If they are made of the sturdiest alloy in the world, then just use the same material to destroy themselves. I applaud her mind. it seems you overlook something basic, my friend."
"No need to tell me, Bell! Drones, get away from them!!!"
The moment Kenshin is shown to be able to break the drones by slamming them with each other, the other two Servants follow her example. But Leader learns from past mistakes. He spread out the drone far away from each other, enough that a fast Servant like Kenshin and Assassin can't simply burst to shorten the gap. And whenever they tried, Zeta and the other four fired their barrages, hindering the Servants' advance. The only thing that the defenders are able to achieve is to hinder the drones to reflect the massive beam, as Leader is too occupied on making sure the drones are safe.
They continue to back and forth with this routine for the next 15 minutes, it's a stalemate.
However, a stalemate in this war can mean a defeat to the attacker, as they will run out the Magical Energy needed to operate a Servant. This time, it also holds true to the defenders.
While normally the defenders had the advantage of near-infinite Magical Energy supply from the Mana Reservoir as long they didn't overextend themselves. But one of their strongest card, Lancelot du Lac, dependant on his Master's Od. They have used all of their Command Spells to fires their Noble Phantasm to stop Archer's. While Fujimaru Ritsuka's Od is still enough for the time being, Zeta is seemingly capable to continue the routine for hours.
"Khhh, is there anything we can do?!" Kenshin groans.
All the Servants that grow accustomed to this war understand that the scale will lean toward SFA once Lancelot is taken out from the equation. Leader, in particular, has been relying on attrition these past 2,5 years. If about being patient, he thinks that he is among the best in this war.
"At long last..."
Years he must endure repeated losses, hoping the machines accumulated enough fame.
By the time he finally attains victory, El-Dorado hides somewhere unreachable.
Now he is able to confront them, he can exact vengeance by murdering the soldiers of El-Dorado.
And finally, his Noble Phantasm will come to completion. Not even Tsarina's semantics or Ghatotkacha of Shangri-La's strengths can stop him by that point.
He can close his eyes and end the source of his suffering once and for all. Even as a Heroic Spirit, he thinks that there is no way he will be admitted to Heaven after what he has done. But that's alright to him, at the very least, he can drag down his hated enemies to the depth of Hell.
And his people --- the next generation, the family that he loved dearly, can live freely and happily without care. That is the dreamland he is willing to build, even if the foundation is made by severed heads.
He can only grow impatient for that day to come.
...
......
DESTRUCTION OF CUSCO: 15%
"Everyone did well holding them for so long. But from now on, you can leave the rest to us."
El-Dorado profile sheets' has been updated!
Last edited by Spartacus; March 23rd, 2024 at 08:44 AM.
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El-Dorado mats! Woohoo!
- - - Updated - - -
Now lets see how Cusco goes...
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Location: Caribbean Sea
We went back a few hours ago.
Far away from Cusco where Lestari and the others currently fight, another battle is held around the Caribbean Sea. Unlike that one, this battle is almost a routine. For years, SFA unable to send their more powerful war machines to South America as a Servant hiding around this area has been holding them down and reduced their numbers significantly, every single time.
This Servant and his men employ guerilla tactics which can pinpoint where Leader would send his army. His men are armed with cutting-edge weapons that can combat SFA machines, and they have gone through rigorous training to be able to employ it effectively. Combined with their prior knowledge about SFA, they are the expert on dealing with SFA machines.
However, that valiant effort finally met its end. The Machine Lords Leader built for years finally takes the stage, it's clear that this Servant and his men are no match for it.
"Haah... haah...!" a silver-haired gentleman panting heavily.
"Give up, the Machine Lords are specifically made to counter two things: El-Dorado and you. Your thunder blade will never be able to cut or fry my Gamma, Benjamin. Think of it as a giant lightning rod, they are the same with your Noble Phantasm in nature."
The silver-haired gentleman currently holding his ground with everything he has is no other than SFA Lancer - Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin
"...it's been a while, isn't it? I believe you are now being called 'Leader', you can't just make up a new Class to suit your liking."
"Heh, there are too many of us, so it's more convenient being called differently." Leader smiled from the remarks. "But indeed, talking like this is quite nostalgic. Until you betrayed us, that is."
"Betray? Us? It's the opposite." Hearing those words, Benjamin Franklin frowned and lost his mood to jest.
"I am the one that still holds to our cause, the same vision we shared once. All of us wanted to better the world and believe science can solve all problems. A small forum of science heroes willingly challenges the accepted common sense --- Scientific Frontier, a frontier of science."
Befitting his status as a Founding Fathers, Scientific Frontier of America is built with Benjamin Franklin's vision. It is originally a gathering of scientist and nationalist Servants upholding the American Dream in its most honest form. But right now, that very same Faction is currently pointing their weapon to his head and branded him as a traitor.
"You still believe in such a childish dream. We learned that weaklings like us can't dream freely."
Compared to Servants from the rest of the Americas, the Heroic Spirits of the United States are too young. Other heroes already eclipse them all from the feats in their legends alone, the mystery accumulated for these heroes cemented their inferiority. And these heroes have few to no attachment to the United States, the nation built by Europeans that settled on their land.
Anyone can see that the old SFA has no chance to survive this war, especially after the raid on Greece has inspired other Servants to unite. Their enemy systematically attacks them, then, the call to attacks many nuclear facilities caused the US to have a very high death toll of civilian lives and lost their only real advantage in the supernatural battle of heroes.
"Weakling? With your powerful war machines and joining the so-called Upper Belts? Don't you realize you are no longer that? Your Noble Phantasm that birthed those giants, we always were going to reach that without you activating its inhuman effect. You get what I mean, don't you? Regardless of a great tragedy befalling us, we will inevitably become strong. That excuse of yours... never been valid."
And yet, after many defeats, people like Benjamin continue to uphold their ideal. Above all else, their stubbornness is the one that irritates Leader the most.
Between morals and logic. Ideal and advantage. To die as good men and to survive as sinners. The difference in ideology caused them to split.
"Enough, I'm talking to you like this because I respect you as the former leader of SFA. I don't have time dealing with your preaches. Farewell, Benjamin!"
The Machine Lord called Gamma once again raised its arm and fired a supposedly sure kill blast.
* * *
Location: Pentagon, US, SFA
The team that was in charge of managing SFA Archer started a fight with their supervisor.
It begins after SFA Archer shuts down and achieves nothing. The supervisor's bad decision caused the magus that has been fed up with such incompetence to explode. Next, his frustrated and crying coworkers start to blame their supervisor.
Their supervisor does not argue to defend his deeds, there is no need for that. Because for him, the fight has been started since the El-Dorado Base bombardment 2,5 years ago. And none of what he did, based on his real goal, in any way incompetent.
"I'm really sorry, but my mission never fails to begin with. It's just different than the rest of you."
The enigma materializes his Servant dress over his expensive suit - now he wears a poncho, something that an SFA Servant will never wear.
El-Dorado Assassin
"For two years and a half, I have been silently waiting for a counterattack. The Machine Lords are quite shaking, but in the end, only Archer is truly unbeatable."
The man hastily made his move after learning the news of El-Dorado Base bombardment 2,5 years ago. He quickly understood that SFA gained power they didn't have before and investigated. He decided to infiltrate SFA ranks and secure his position as SFA Archer's supervisor and weaken him as much as he can.
While he learned that he can't directly control Archer's action as he has his own will, at least he can lead him to make a wasteful decision. His infiltration finally paid off with the defeat of Archer in Cusco.
"At first, I only listened to you guys’ worries to win you over, like I usually do, I'm very good at it. Yet as time goes on, I started to understand that you all too, have a heart and loved ones. Then, I met them, I gained a new perspective."
He looked at his subordinates he knocked unconscious with a bitter smile. He comes here to sabotage an unbeatable enemy. He needs to maintain an image so nobody will suspect him. Yet, the feeling of fondness toward his subordinates grows. He is glad that he is not summoned in a Berserker or Avenger container.
"Don't worry, you all will not be punished, I'll make sure of it. But I can't let you free right now, so you will be locked here for a week or two. There are foods in the fridge, eat them moderately and you guys will never starve. Once you can get out..."
El-Dorado Assassin's indefinite long mission has been successful.
"The Western Hemisphere will be a better place."
* * *
14 Hours remaining until SFA invades El-Dorado Base.
Year: 2022
Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Day
"Everyone did well holding them so long. But from now on, you can leave the rest to us."
A voice of a young girl transmitted from Victoria. This is the first time I listen to the smartphone given to Magellan in action, and I don't expect a girl either. Soon after, I see a dandy-looking young man riding a mechanical pegasus arriving on the battlefield, wielding a three-meter long thunderbolt just like Greece's Supreme Deity - Zeus. And just like the deity, his thunderbolt vaporized many SFA machines with a single strike.
And we know who this man is from Kenshin's briefing back in our ship.
"SFA Lancer... Benjamin Franklin," mutters King of El-Dorado.
"King of El-Dorado, let me assist you in this fight. Let's forget our grudge in the past for the time being." ask the dandy man, seemingly forcing himself to be polite. "Because, I believe, I have more reason to hate you than you are on me."
"I can't just accept you easily..."
"Lancer, please cooperate with him for now. Without him, I might not be able to sabotage SFA Archer smoothly."
A black-haired young man wearing a stylized poncho approached the King. Unlike the King's majestic golden armor that emphasizes his royal blood, his traditional clothing gives an image of humbleness. As if he silently declares the proud culture he shared with the masses, a hero of the people.
"Assassin? You are still alive?!"
The King's countenance turned bright, after a lot of bad things happened today to him, the sight of his old comrade makes him in genuine relief. From how the King calls him, he is an Assassin-class Servant just like our Assassin. Damn, do I need to regularly call her "Ass-chan" like Magellan did, to not confuse the two from now on?
"Thank goodness! I can only count on you until the end... but to think we are finally able to meet again!"
"Benjamin...!!! How...? Just how...?! And that person... I know you! You are the supervisor on Archer's team!" Unlike the King, Leader unable to remain calm seeing the two.
"Yo, Walt, no... you are Leader now. It has been hours since you bid me farewell."
Walt...? Did he just say, Walt? As in Walt Disney? The cartoon millionaire is a Servant? He tells me this bloodthirsty, genocidal man is the same person that created those cute movies? I know from Bell that Leader is a weak Servant, but this is just too absurd...!
"You should be dead!!! Gamma killed you, I'm sure of it!!! I already confirmed it with my own eyes!!!"
I don't understand what's going on, but it seems Leader supposedly killed him before he decided to focus on us? And I heard the name Gamma, a Latin alphabet just like Zeta. Another Machine Lord...
"You are correct, I can't beat Gamma on my own, that thing was specifically made to kill me. But you see, I'm not alone, Leader, I never did. I have teammates that I can count on, like El-Dorado Assassin here." He smirks. "And the young miss."
One after another, new players continue joining in. This time, a massive wing of light suddenly descends slowly in the front of the Machine Lord. It gives very unusual jet-like sounds but with less noise pollution. In the middle of the bright wings, a figure of a young girl can be seen.
???
"The phrase 'believe what you see' is famous and more often than not, correct. But in this time and age, it is easy to fabricate an event as a reality, especially when someone wants to see what they believe. Though in this case, I deliberately made sure to fool you."
This voice is the same with the girly voice transmitted from earlier, so that means, she is the person responsible for Magellan's smartphone that I don't know what is used for. Just like her young sounding voice, the raven-haired girl looks like a young teen. She wears an oversized trench coat and a deerstalker cap, like the popular image of a detective. But the most jarring part of her appearance is the butterfly wing behind her back from earlier, it looks like a concentration of energy. The futuristic wing is at odds with her classical dress.
Also, that "cool line" is just cringe!
"What are you talking about, little girl? I see it right here on the monitor, Gamma still standing after killing Benjamin...!" The voice of Leader turns hoarse as he clearly witnessed the death of Benjamin Franklin. He stayed silent for a second until he realized there is one thing that can fool the eye, something that someone of his status should be familiar with. "Don't tell me... a digital fake?!"
The girl stays silent and continues to maintain her poker face as an answer.
"Leader... I confirmed all the gunshots with my very own ears. Someone can't simply create all those fake sounds right after you threatened to do that."
"But to make a digital composite this real in response to the invasion is just impossible!"
Bell and Leader are correct. No matter how talented someone is, no one can create competent false footage within hours. He only ordered the invasion half a day ago, even if this girl was able to sabotage SFA, she can't just make those footage in time.
The girl smirks, "It's not only you playing a long game."
And Leader seems to understand what the girl implies...
"What... You tell me you already know what I'm going to do for years?! Someone able to spies on us, on Bell?!"
I can see how she was able to pull it off. Not only is she seemingly competent, but from the look of it, she is helped by Benjamin Franklin and El-Dorado Assassin. Since the former's prior knowledge as the first leader is extremely valuable and the latter's sabotaging SFA from the inside can smooth her job. But regardless, to be able to fool Bell's almost all-hearing ears is a no-mundane feat.
If she anticipated Leader's plan and was able to create a fake video for Benjamin Franklin's death. Then, she might also have faked the executions! Those people, thank God, they might be still alive!
"The title 'The Greatest Spy in The World' sounds too cool, it's almost embarrassing. But those who know me understand that title belongs to me more than him. No offense, of course, professor. It's just a simple matter of fact." The girl says another "cool line” again.
"..." The Bell next to me listens thoroughly as the title bestowed upon him in this war has been taken away. "Impressive."
"That's right, Leader. None of your inhumane acts are successful, and I will not let your next plan to happen either. I swear upon the name and Class bestowed to me - Ruler!" Says the girl triumphantly.
"A Ruler... you say?!"
"Ruler..."
Leader once again surprised. So did everyone including me.
"I have heard about that Class. It is a special container reserved not for the usage of a Master in Holy Grail Wars, but an enforcer to keep the war stay in their course. If my research was correct, a Ruler was summoned during the 3rd Holy Grail War of Fuyuki. They are a very strong individual and capable of defeating most of the participants with ease."
"Yes, even in Chaldea. The Ruler class was full of powerful Servants," adds Miss Fujimaru.
"Not only that, but only four of them participate in this war. Three of them have been known, all of them are powerful individuals. A female saint controlling the Church, the young Sultan of Sultanate, and Maharaja of Shangri-La. But from the look of it, she is neither of them," informs Bell.
"Regardless, she should be very strong..." I naturally check her strength with the ability Dream Shroud left upon me. "Wait, her parameter is not very... good."
Ruler's Parameter
She is filled with Es. Damn, only Tsarina is lamer than her!
"Oh come on, Miss Lestari! You shouldn't judge someone by their physical strength alone!" the young-looking Ruler is annoyed.
"Lestari...?" Why she calls me by my first name, she is being overly familiar. Not that I mind, just odd.
"I suppose I must prove my worth here." Ruler said that as her circuits turned visible on her back. Her energy wings start violently revving up as they grow twice the original size.
Ruler's Parameter
"Wait, her Agility rapidly increased to A+?!"
"Zeta! I don't care who this little girl is, I want her dead now!!!" Zeta immediately charges its massive blast.
"It's great that I already see it in action a few times."
Ruler's Parameter
She slightly rolls up her right sleeves and once again her circuit turns visible on her arm. This time, the concentration of magical energy makes her tiny arm blindingly bright. She readies herself in a launching position and then her wings erupted loudly which catapulted her in a rocket-like speed into Zeta.
Yes, into Zeta. I really mean it literally. I can't believe it for a second myself.
To recount, she pushes her hand forward and met with the energy blast Zeta has fired. She then penetrated both the beam and Zeta itself, creating a massive hole in the middle of its body. Now, she is standing on the backside of the offline juggernaut.
She turns back to look at the now broken Zeta, put her hand on the back of her head, and sticks her tongue out in a proud embarrassment. "I think I overdid this a little."
"You do this twice already, little miss." Both Benjamin Franklin and El-Dorado Assassin let out a sigh, I can easily guess she flexes like this all the time.
The Machine Lord that our collective effort barely able to scratch has been defeated without effort...
* * *
Location: Pentagon, US, SFA
"This is impossible...! Being defeated is one thing, but in a single strike?!"
The Servant that called himself Leader is shocked. After all, the Machine Lords he built for years is something that he believed to be the ultimate war machines that possess the extreme sturdiness of Tuscarora Courser and the almighty firepower of Star Shooter. Compared to all Upper Belts, he is certain that none of them has an army that surpasses the Machine Lords. And that strongest has been defeated in one hit, not to mention with a gaping hole like a paper, should be not within the realm of possibility.
Unable to believe what he just saw and heard, he once again checked the live footage of the execution of El-Dorado soldiers. The footage showed the total carnage he wished to see. Red splattered across the street, dead bodies piled next to each other, and his machines stood triumphantly. That should be the scenario.
Yet, the more he looks at them, the more he can confirm that the footage is faked and has some part that is sloppy and unrealistic. If he truly is Walter Elias Disney, a man of animation, his True Name should be the supreme confirmation that the footage is indeed digitally made.
"I can't accept this!!!" He slammed his hand in frustration. He can't simply fathom that the conviction to corrupt his own soul has been denied. After what he needs to endure, this is too unfair.
"EC Lancer. Send another Machine Lord with your Noble Phantasm, no, send 10 of them!"
He was barely able to contain himself from shouting as he faced the young man in black armor that was currently standing near him in the Control Room. He is European Confederation Lancer or EC Lancer for short, a "guest" sent by EC to punish Ferdinand Magellan. He suddenly appears undetected and contacted Leader shortly after he confirmed that El-Dorado Base has appeared on the map.
"I refuse."
"You are in my country, able to move here freely with my permission despite violating the agreement between Upper Belts, and you refuse me?!"
"Which is beneficial to SFA. I agreed on helping you win the invasion, but I never agreed to assist your petty genocide. Besides, it's not something I can freely use whenever I want, the magical energy needed is too much to be used repeatedly like that. It would be different if you allowed me to access your Reservoir, however."
"There is no way I will let you use it!"
In this war, there are nonfunctional Holy Grails manifested all around the world called Mana Reservoirs. These Reservoirs are only capable of giving Mana toward Servants without granting a wish, and a Servant will be supplied with Mana simply by touching them. This means that a Servant theoretically can move independently around the area of the Mana Reservoir that supplied them.
Leader understand more than anyone the risk of letting someone with a different ideology have access to the Reservoirs. It is the reason why Benjamin Franklin was able to hide and intercept SFA advances for so long. If he lets EC Lancer access his Reservoirs, he will be able to attack his lands without worrying that his Mana will run out. Considering that EC Lancer comes from Spain coalition, the same faction that let Ferdinand Magellan defect to Lestari Elliwyn, he has all the reason to not trust him.
"He isn't lying about his magical energy being low," Bell adds, after using his ability to detect heartbeats to confirm whatever Lancer lied or not.
"I don't care about your excuses! Use it or you die now!"
The command room in the Pentagon is installed with many weapons to defend from intruders, there are many hidden turrets popped from the wall ready to open fire on EC Lancer. However, EC Lancer is unfazed in a silent-but-strong conviction despite being held in gunpoint.
"Disrespect and threats will earn you nothing. That's all I wanted to say."
Lancer had the same face as Benjamin Franklin when the latter decided to defect. It doesn’t help his case as Leader grows more hateful the moment he recalls him.
"Every single of you, why so stubborn...!!!"
"Walt, enough." Says Bell.
"This is unlike you. Did the defeat of Archer and the survival of the original El-Dorado Base have clouded your judgment? Whatever the attack is successful or not, you have enough materials for your Noble Phantasm now. The other Machine Lords weren't ready to fight yet, you will only send valuable assets to waste. There is no reason to indulge with your vengeance."
"...!"
Bell is not physically present in the Command Room but his words are enough for Leader to feel as if being collared in the neck.
"Rather than hounds for justice like a pathetic fool, remember your original goal. My friend, you are supposed to eradicate war. Now, go grab that pen of yours."
* * *
"It seems like they are not planning to continue right now. Thanks for stopping him, Professor Bell."
"You can listen to our conversation... since when?"
The girl only smiles at him back.
"Ruler..." This time, the one that confronted her is the King. His face is pale and distressed, he looks like he is going to burst in desperation just like before. "You really are a Ruler?!"
"Umm... yes?"
“So you are a neutral Servant that will not let mass deaths happen?”
“Not exactly neutral, but yes, I can’t stand tragedy like that.”
"My people, are they safe...?"
"Yes! All of them are!"
"...Oooohh. I, I-," the hulking man that often mocked the people he finds baffling, cried. He put his massive hands on his face as a futile attempt to stop his streaming tears. His legs fall down to the ground, he no longer cares to maintain his dignity. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
"E-eh?! Please don't be like that, I'm just doing my job! Big man shouldn't cry like that, h-hey!" befitting of her young look, Ruler seemingly unable to deal with such heartfelt thanks. "El-Dorado Assassin, can you help your king to calm down, please?!"
"Sorry young miss, I think it's better to leave him like that. And he is not my king. At least, I think this new El-Dorado Caster is more qualified to help Lancer as he has been with him for a long time."
"So, you are the El-Dorado Assassin that my king has been counting on." Says Caster as he is currently helping the King to stand. El-Dorado Assassin offered a handshake. "Yeah, nice to meet you, comrade."
I'm not really like the King much, but I'm happy that the people across South America are safe. As far as I know, those people are only doing their best to live. I can only feel relieved that those people aren’t murdered because of my call.
When all of his hope has been crushed by eternal desperation, a single ray of hope appears in front of him that can push him forward to take a big leap.
I really-really can understand that feeling.
"Hey, spy girl! Ah, you are Ruler-san now." Ignore that, me.
Anyway, Magellan quickly dematerialized her ship and land with the others to approach the new group.
"Ah, Miss Magellan. Thanks for keeping your mouth shut until I come!" Ruler waves her hand in response.
"So you are the Master... nice to meet you." the one that tried to make a conversation with me is no other than Benjamin Franklin. I remember he was one of our options to start in this war, but his exact location is unknown so we ultimately decided to check out El-Dorado. Just like the picture I saw in the briefing, he is quite a gentleman-looking person.
"Just call her Lestari or Elliwyn, it is much more humanizing that way," corrects Ruler.
"How insensitive of me. I'm sorry, Miss Elliwyn."
"Don't worry about it, I'm already used to being called that. Or being called with my full name. Same thing."
If I think about it, being called "the Master" or "Lestari Elliwyn" feels really cold and impersonal. I honestly never really bothered about how they call me but the fact that Ruler sensitive about something like that is very sweet of her.
"Well then. I'm glad that you defended Archer. Even if what he had done is unforgivable, he still is an old friend."
"Speaking of." Ruler cuts, "shortly we are going to discuss SFA's ultimate goal. And the True Name of this man is the key to understanding it."
"The key to that is Pecos Bill?" I have suspected that is his True Name before, what's so significant about small names like that?
Wise up!
"Oh, perfect. Explaining this will be easier."
But then, I noticed Assassin (or Ass-chan now? I don't know anymore...) and Kenshin do not gather with us. So I looked around and saw them standing in the nearby building with Chaldea. Unlike the rest, both of the two seem really-really down.
"...Umm." I can't just leave Ruler midst of conversation, but I can't help to worry.
Ruler gaze at me and the others. Noticing my distressed expression, she smiles back at me, "go ahead, I can wait."
This girl is very sharp. No wonder she is a Ruler.
"Assassin, Kenshin! What's wrong?" I quickly approach them.
Assassin weakly gazes at me, like she is trying as hard as she can to not cry.
"Master... am I really that weak?"
"Eh?"
Kenshin then slams her steel gauntlet in frustration.
"We tried so hard...! But we can't save anything...!"
"Kenshin, everything is okay now."
"Yes, it is... But none of them are because of our effort. The time with Lancelot, this time too, the only reason we survive is because of happenstance! I talk big about ending this war, but I can't even protect a single city…!"
I was relieved that Ruler and her friends helped us, but I can't imagine what happened if they decided to not help. Same with El-Dorado Caster has worked behind the scenes to intervene with Chaldea. You can say the same about back in New Japan without Oichi interfering too.
We really-really are outclassed by all the enemies we have encountered so far. None of these victories are ours.
We don't have any control over our survival.
"About Singularities, you see." Says Miss Fujimaru standing next to Lancelot. "They are very-very weird and frightening, many of them like an entirely different world, I mean they are. Worlds so alien and detached from our reality, so of course it is best to destroy them. Because of that, we don't really put much thought about collateral damages, but this..."
Then, it hits me. It is true that in front of us are broken robots with the massive Zeta having a gaping hole on its chest like a trophy. But I expand my view past that after listening to her. Roads were sliced, walls were melted, and buildings became unrecognizable piles of rocks. Some landmarks that caught my eyes during our investigation have gone.
And dozens of people are dead being caught from Zeta's rampage...
"Everyone, help the injured first!" The soldiers were quickly sent by Caster to alleviate the tensions.
"I will look for Priest Juan and the kids!" Alejandro is only relieved for a little, but quickly looks worried the moment he realizes what happened to the city.
South America is indeed saved for now, but the damage was done in Cusco, even if relatively small, this is very real.
Objective: stop SFA's invasion before the time limit. Completed
Last edited by Spartacus; June 12th, 2020 at 06:48 PM. Reason: Fixing some speech to be in-character
You can discussThe OG RequiemConQUEST and other Quests in Discord (disc is much more active here).
Click the image to ConQUEST
Very nice to see those servants finally show up... A long game indeed.
I think Kenshin and Assassin are being pretty hard on themselves at the end, given no one else would have been able to deal with some of the things they did, to say nothing of the party dealing with Archer, but still understandable for that to hit hard... Glad it worked out, all the same.
I was curious to see the new Ruler and she made a very nice impression, “cool” and all. A very hype update!
These are something not required to read Conquest, but you can say these are supplementary materials for it.
A SoL featuring the MC and her friends:
ConVERSE
ConVERSE 2
A perspective shift featuring people living in ConQUEST verse:
Survival Anthology
Survival's Mage Profiles
I can't make an update this month for responsibility and personal reasons.
You can discussThe OG RequiemConQUEST and other Quests in Discord (disc is much more active here).
Click the image to ConQUEST
INTERLUDE
After a long and hard-fought struggle, she finally arrived at Port of London.
Other magi, killers, mercenaries, old enemies, and even people, all of them have hunted her persistently. Even so, with a combination of resourcefulness, determination, and a stroke of luck, she has evaded many life-threatening situations that normally unthinkable to escape from.
“Oh, c’mon…”
Yet here she is stopped in her tracks. Her biggest obstacle is a simple, iron gate of a dock.
It may be extremely hard and massive, but her trusted spell Via and Populus can throw a truck at it best, so should be able to forcefully magnetize it just fine. Even if it has been enchanted by other magecrafts to resist incoming spells, she can simply hack the system using Recursion and open it automatically. Normally, something like this is not even a question worth raising.
However, she has exhausted all her magical energy to reach this far. Even with her family's special traits to generate energy inside their body like a generator, she needs a few minutes to be able to reliably open the door with her spells.
But she doesn't have seconds to spare, she can practically listen to the footsteps of her pursuers nearby, and the growingly clear spinning noises of an approaching helicopter.
"They are here! Please...!"
Even her automatic spell Laetitia that allows her to keep calm, a pride of a true Elliwyn magus that she took her entire lifetime to master, unable to keep up with her extremely accelerating heart rate. She panicked so much that she could practically feel her blood flowing through her eyes and brain, she can't even feel the cold metal cards she tremblingly holds.
"No, no, no! Faster!"
She continues to desperately calculate the amount of magical energy she has recovered. It reached the most limited amount for her to use one of her spells to be long enough to magnetize the gate, and her training should be more than sufficient for that as her grandpa has emphasized the importance of Od efficiency.
A flashlight flash briefly through her, immediately she hears someone saying "I see a shadow around here!" nearby. She knows she must act fast.
"Via! Popi-," She butchered her incantation, dropped her cards, and wasted a small but critical amount of her Od. "Ahhh!!! Ahh!!!"
It is a rookie mistake that should never have been possible to a full-fledged family head like her.
"VIA! POPULUS!!!"
This time she did it correctly, but only came out as a brief line and died out before she could do anything useful with it. She then repeatedly screams her incantations, but the only thing it achieved with her current Od is wasting it on the air. She has wasted so much energy that her legs lost its balance and she falls to the ground. And the slight impact from the fall suddenly returns all of her sense, reminding her of the reality of the situation she is in.
"No... no, no, NO!!! Open the door!!!"
She resorted to slamming the door, again and again, something that she must know to be futile. The only thing it is able to achieve is signaling her current location, and the footsteps grow louder, which makes her slam her arms furiously until it bleeds.
And then, as she continued to flail her fist, it hit nothing but the air.
It took her a few seconds to understand what just happened.
"Ahh..."
Spoiler:
The iron gate has miraculously opened, illuminating her with a gentle light.
A light that may come from a mundane source. She doesn't have the luxury to examine it, as she immediately gets up and runs, but one thing is certain-
It is a light that has saved her from eternal despair.
It is 2018, day 14 after Command Spells manifested on Lestari Elliwyn's left arm.
She was finally able to flee England.
* * *
Year: 2022
Location: El-Dorado Base, Cusco, Peru, El-Dorado
Daytime: Day
Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Great
Magical Energy: Critical--->Poor
It has been 30 minutes after our long series of fights. Now if I think about it, today's event didn't give us the luxury to learn about the people participating in it. I came here fully expecting to fight the Servant of El-Dorado, but what actually happened was clashing with Chaldea, the people that saved the world and I admire. Our action on visiting El-Dorado Base suddenly sped up SFA's invasion. And now we meet Ruler and her friends.
Really, so many people I met in a single day and fought together with or against them. But I know a little about all of them.
I decided to gulp a can of coffee that I got from one of the soldiers. The bittersweet taste reminds me of my mom's, and how I often get yelled by her from consuming too much caffeine.
The King decided to take a break for the time being and ordered to distribute foods as fast as they can. His main concern is to replenish his soldiers' energy, I also got one too. As for Servants, they don't need to eat, but they can replenish a little of their magical energy by eating. But most importantly, the taste of food is surprisingly effective in raising a person's mood, including a Servant’s. It can keep people being sane in a stressful situation, I can say that with certainty from my past experiences.
But I don't have the time to spare, we need to do something about Leader fast. I munched my sandwich with a pork belly filling, most likely a delicacy from this area, while examining the wreckage of Machine Lord Zeta to save time.
"This alloy... Zeta's outer armor is definitely made of pure carbon, perhaps black diamonds?"
I might not be from Mineralogy, but I know a friend that's very well versed in the subject. I'm informed enough to know that a simple diamond is no match against Servants' blows, especially heavy hitters like Kenshin and Lancelot. Yet, we have seen how hard the Machine Lord’s alloy is.
What kind of American tales is capable of producing such a feat?
"Hi, Miss Lestari."
"Ah, Ruler."
The raven-haired girl dressed in what I can only describe as a “Victorian detective wears” approached me. Well, I say approach but she floats with her energy wing as if under zero gravity. The girl is the Servant Ruler, and half an hour ago she had penetrated the very same alloy in a single strike. She had perfect timing because I was thinking to talk with her too.
She is also busy munching the same sandwich as me while carrying many other sandwiches and drinks in an average-sized plastic bag.
"I wanted to ask-", "I have a question-"
It seems we both have something to talk about, but she decided to play the gentleman, "go ahead, lady first."
"Pfft, what do you mean by that? You are a lady too."
"Hmph, both Mr. Benjamin and Mr.-, err, El-Dorado Assassin disagrees. They keep calling me ‘Young Miss’ despite I demand their respect." She says that in an annoyed tone, it seems she doesn't like being treated like a kid. Though, the fact that she acts like a gentleman shows the other two has influenced her subconsciously.
"Well then, you go first, my lady." I put my hand on my chest while resting another on my back, imitating those butlers from tv dramas.
"Hmm!" She seems taken aback a little, and her eyes turned wide in wonder as her mouth munches. "If you insist…!"
Oh God, she is so easy. I don’t have the heart to point out such behavior is most likely the reason why the two gentlemen treated her that way, other than her obviously young appearance.
"Anyway, how were you capable of controlling three Servants at once?" Says the young-looking Ruler while taking another big bite on her sandwich.
"Well, I don't really understand it myself, but I'm really good at controlling my magical energy. That's the main requirement to be my grandpa's successor." I say so as I demonstrate it by creating small electricity on my palm.
"That can't be true, no matter how good you are, your circuits are simply not sufficient to control three Servants at once, with another one in your reserve."
"I know…," that makes me remember back then many people discouraged me to perfect my magecraft, saying that I have no talents or something similar.
"This means there is only one answer. That special Command Spell of yours is the one responsible for it."
"That's... also the only explanation I can think of."
I guess there is something useful from this Command Spell after all, but I still think it should have something much more immediate than that. A lot of our problems so far can be resolved if it works as a normal Command Spell Miss Fujimaru has. I don’t even understand how I manage to spend one of it, like, used on what exactly?
Is this really a Command Spell?
"Wait, you are a Ruler, and you don't know?"
"No, this is the first time we meet in person after all, I never have a closer look at yours," she says that as she stares at it closely while munching another sandwich, this girl has an appetite. “It really is engraved to your own soul. How curious...”
Damn it, I was hoping Zouken was lying on that front… Ah, at this point, whatever.
"Shouldn't Rulers get provided with extra information by the Grail for something as important as this? From what I learn about the third Fuyuki war and other Grail Wars with a Ruler being summoned, they tend to gain extra information to give them an edge above everyone else."
"This war didn't have a Grail until 3 days ago, I’m as surprised as you that it exists at all. If anything, we have tried to search for the cause of this war. In proper Holy Grail Wars, Ruler got linked immediately to the Grail, but again, there is no Grail, we must preserve our own energy the same way with everyone else. Also, a Ruler should be impartial to the war and must put the war on the right track if something wrong happens. If those criteria are still applied to us, then the only explanation is that this war has gone wrong since it started.”
She has explained in a matter of fact manner all this time, but the next line somehow turns her to avert her eyes, and her tone is considerably lower.
“I imagine the last part should be obvious, especially for you..."
She becomes silent and looks up to the sky, seemingly in thoughts for a while.
“I’m… really sorry that I was unable to help you these past years. Losing the people you love and being hunted for 5 years, I can’t imagine myself in your situation. I’m sorry… I shouldn’t bring those memories to you.”
She said that as her voice trembled, seemingly trying hard to hold her voice from cracking, it sounds genuine.
“I appreciate the thought, but remembering them doesn’t make me sad anymore. My tears would be a disservice to them.” Crying about their loss wouldn’t bring them back. But if only being steadfast is enough, everything will be much easier. “For me, they are more than heroes. And heroes should be remembered with glory.”
I have moved on from their death, but I will never forget them all.
At all.
“That’s why, I must survive.”
“...I see.” Ruler didn’t say anything more in response to that. She decided to bring something much more important.
“From the info I have, your Command Spells can’t be used normally, right?”
“Yes, I don’t know how and what did I spend on the first Command Spell.”
“I can’t fix that, but at least, I have these.”
She shows her right hand for me to see, which I didn't pay attention to before during the battle. And something red engraved on it.
A red symbol resembling a flipped down “A.” Command Spells.
Command Spells
“These are my Command Spells. All Rulers in this war have three, but I already spent one in the past.”
I shouldn’t be surprised about her possessing them, because I have read from the past Grail Wars that the Ruler class granted with Command Spells in case some of the Servants threaten the war in some form. But what surprised me is the next line.
“I fully intend to give these to you.”
Before I can even say anything, she grabbed my right hand with hers. Suddenly my right hand burned a little, but then that symbol is now engraved in my right hand.
“W-wha…”
I just don’t understand what’s going on right now… I keep lightly massage my right hand with my left to feel my skin, and as my skin stretches a little so does the red symbol expand.
This is not a dream, this is the real world. I keep staring at it and put both my hands forward. Both of my hands are now engraved with symbols. The cursed and mysterious one on the left, the honest and real one on the right.
I now have real Command Spells.
Holy shit!
Wise-up!
“With these, I can finally be a proper Master... Thank you, I really really do! But why do you give these to me?”
I hold both of Ruler’s hands instinctively as an expression of gratitude. I just can’t keep myself cool right now, I’m too happy from this moment!
“I-I did say I’m sorry, this is my apology.” She seems really troubled from being thanked too, she turns red, releases her hand, and hides her face with her hat. She then realizes something I don’t really understand the context. “Oh wow, with these, one of my life long missions is now completed! The first time I finished something, it felt surreal... I wonder what will Original say about this?”
“Same, I can’t believe it, a functioning Command Spells, those really exist...? I can power-up Kenshin in combat now, or make Magellan a normal person, or stop Assassin being a massive ass...”
“Please don’t do the last two… I started to regret my decision now!”
And it’s not just using it on my Servants. I can use them to power myself too. If they really are simply concentrated magical energy, I can use them for my own too in theory. It can be used in a situation that calls for me to have extra Mana more than using it on the Servants. Or I can use Spells that are normally inaccessible due to the limitation of my circuits such as Rubeus Spiritus and the family’s most powerful spell.
Suddenly, so many possibilities become available for us, just like when I first received my crest.
“I’m glad…” looking at the excited me, Ruler slightly smiles, before muttering another, “no, this doesn’t makeup everything...”
“Ruler?”
“Anyway!” She cuts her own words, “you have a question too, right? I’ll do my best as a Ruler to answer it. Must do it quickly though, there are many things we need to do after this.”
Oh yeah, I forgot what I wanted to ask, what was that again?
Choice (finally)!
Last edited by Spartacus; August 18th, 2020 at 09:36 AM. Reason: normally used ---> used normally
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5
6
Maybe not helping the plot but knowing the Rulers can be cool.
2 & 5
4 & 5
The Act of dozing off in the afternoon is a luxury indeed.
Coffee would be nice, though.
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2, 4
5 & 6. We may not have another shot at getting a look at the bigger plot surrounding Lestari for some time, considering that it's war time and all, and it's one of the most intriguing mysteries so curious to have some clues from the lady detective... !
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A wise and beautiful woman who exudes an aura of grace. She is a sly, cunning, manipulative person who always gets what she wants, whether through trickery or ruthlessness. Her own fighting abilities are low, but she should not be trifled with. What does she ride? Men, of course!
