Year: 2023
Location: SFA Control Room, Pentagon, Washington DC, US, SFA
Daytime: Night
Lestari Elliwyn
Health: Excellent
Magical Energy: Excellent
It’s been 1 hours ever since we waved goodbye to Ritsuka. Right now, we are currently inside the Pentagon to discuss our next move. Almost all El-Dorado and SFA Servants are gathered here, although Huayna joined us through a video call and Magarac is currently rebuilding South America.
“Let’s begin right away. We are going to update the current war situation and quickly make a decision on what to do next.” Bell takes the lead to explain. “We also gained intel from both Ruler and Olga, including True Names. After cross checking with my own information, I can confirm that these are accurate.”
“Before we started, may I ask? What do you guys think about Olga’s move by giving us information like this? It would be great if she is not an enemy,” I asked.
“I’m afraid that’s not the case, Lady. Or at least, you see this in a very simplistic manner. A proposal for alliance and intels doesn’t always mean she can be fully trusted, it could be simply because she sees your goal is similar and wants to remove a present competitor. I believe that’s especially true to a member of the EC.” Benjamin answers.
“I agree with him,” answers Kenshin.
“And he is correct, that’s how we from EC operate,” clarified Magellan.
“Right…”
“Is there anything you want to ask?” ask Bell.
“No. I will ask more after the update.”
“Listen carefully.”
* * *
Year: 2022
Location: Somewhere in East Russia, Russia, EC
Daytime: Night
1 days ago, before New Year's Eve.
Tsarina and her forces are still enroute to Moscow carrying the Holy Grail. However, due to the lack of preparation to seize the Fuyuki Holy Grail as they do not know it exists, and the fact that Phoenix Empire has air superiority; they are forced to carry it on land vehicles. This makes the process to bring the massive magical orb becomes time consuming.
Still, they can’t afford to stay lax, as they notice a movement from the dark silhouette hovering on the East.
“Lady Tsarina! Enemy force is currently enroute to us!”
“The Eastern Capital…! We need to move quickly!” cried Tsarina.
Eastern Capital
The Eastern Capital, Phoenix Empire’s flying fortress.
The fortress is normally stationed above mainland China and can be seen even from eastern Russia. The flying fortress is capable of sending squadrons of their air force within minutes to another country from it, and its location uphigh makes naval and terrestrial army completely useless. It’s a proud structure that boasts both absolute offense and defense.
The Empire has realized that Tsarina ran away from Japan with the Holy Grail and sent a massive number of bird warriors to seize it, twice from the number they sent to invade Japan. There are so many that it appears to look like a swarm of insects from afar.
However, numbers are far from the most dangerous piece in that force.
(OST)
An azure silhouette dives from the flock of man-birds at an incredible speed. As it comes close to Tsarina’s vehicle, that human meteor’s profile begins to clear. She ready her double-edged halberd that is covered in a concentrated mass of magical energy converted into a pure destructive power, ready to cleave even the thickest of alloy.
“-----------!!!”
From beneath the snowy terrain, the serpent that gnaws the root of Yggdrasil raises. Its roar caused awe and fear toward the thousands of flying warriors, and the venom that dripped from its fang can turn the soil infertile for years. This is the lindworm Goinn, a monster that one-step closer to the dragonkind, and the Alfather - Odin warned humanity of its kind, as its danger to man is comparable to the Primate Murder.
“Heeeeeh, a dragon?”
Jade Lancer of Phoenix Empire
Yet the warrior woman fearlessly continued to arch through the monster. In fact, the moment she saw it, she increased her speed to reach its fearsome jaw as fast as possible. She holds the two-handed weapon solely with her right arm, and her left arm holds what appears to be mystery-rich flat bones with equally mysterious ancient language inscribed on it.
“Earth Dragon.” The runes shine and the bones begin to burn so blindingly bright. It releases an unbelievable amount of magical energy that inflicts pressure to those in its proximity.
A massive magical circle, no, a dome made of divine patterns appears out of thin air. It covers the sky so wide that the thousands of bird warriors behind are barely visible from below. The serpent was ready to swallow the woman whole, yet the magical dome blocked its deadly crunch with an overwhelming force. The magecraft that she did was of the same level of mystery with the serpent.
Spoiler:
The jade warrior raises her ax to the sky and the monster pattern engraved on its blade begins to shine blue, soon shrouded with a greenish aura that doubles the size of the ax. She releases her guillotine swing to the monster and slices through its body. Greenish blood begins to sprout and the dragon releases an uncontrollable cry.
“I will not let you harm my big sis!”
Serpentines Rider has sneaked behind the warrior amidst the battle. Though she was no combat master or tactical genius, she has always been a crafty Viking pirate. There is no hesitation in her eyes, she doesn’t find any dishonor in a surprise attack, and immediately strikes her enemy’s head for a lethal blow.
Yet-
“Wha?!”
The halberd of the warrior woman’s wield split into two shorter single bladed axes. She blocked both of the beast and the master with both weapons, followed with a nimble ‘dance’ through the deadly jaw and the pickaxe. The overwhelming champion has changed her battle tactic from the supremacy of pure strength to a regal gem that weaves the battle with beauty and technique, escaping from Serpentines Rider’s pincer attack while parrying them.
“Out of the way, the battlefield has no place for a little doll like you.”
She showers the dragon rider with hundreds of cuts, giving her a bloodbath made of her own.
“AGH—-----!!!!”
Yet the blood is not just warm, but a mixture of hot and cold. Various reptiles such as lizards and snakes crawl hidden inside her clothes, guarding her with multiple shields from the otherwise fatal blow. Despite that, Serpentines Rider is barely able to survive, and the wounded Goinn swallow its master and run away for her safety. If she doesn’t possess an inhuman resistance from daily exposure to its poison, she would already be dead by her own protector.
“Hmph, that’s the strength of Scandinavian mythology? How boring.”
The Chinese Servant latches on the serpent’s body and ascend to its skull. Just like Serpentines, she doesn’t see any dishonor in aiming for the opponent’s head, especially not against a road-sized monster.
(OST)
A motor engine roars.
“Hm?!”
The killing blow has been parried by a new opponent that rides through Russian snow with a motorbike. This warrior clad in a black armor and wielding an equally carbon black sword can easily navigate on the dragon’s body and race to the jade warrior. She crashes her blade with the massive ax and mutters “Broken Phantasm.”
A powerful explosive burst from the sword, and instantly threw away the jade warrior woman from the serpent.
Broken Phantasm is a technique that increases a Noble Phantasm power and Rank in exchange for the destruction of said Noble Phantasm. It is considered a last resort technique for most Heroic Spirits, and using it means losing the trump card a Servant possesses.
Yet her blade, although burning hot red, remains intact.
“Stand back.” says the warrior woman in black using a radio comm.
Black Saber of European Confederation
“Just in time, Black Saber.” Tsarina replies.
“Hmph. Don’t get the wrong idea. I do not come here to protect you, snake. I’m here to secure the Holy Grail out of the enemy’s hand.”
“As long as you saved Miss Serpentines. That’s fine for me.”
“That being the case…”
The jade warrior rushes to the land vehicles that are currently transporting the Holy Grail, but Black Saber continues to intercept her advance.
“Why not pick a fight with someone of your strength? Or are you the kind of savage that enjoys picking on the weak, Fu Hao of Shang?”
“Hooooo? Show me all you got then!”
Every exchange of their blows shake and melt the earth, for each of their mighty blows are worthy of multiple Servants. These two people are among a few mythical heroes left, and in terms of direct combat strength, only Gathotkacha of Shangri-La can match them.
“You have an interesting way of fighting! May I know your name?”
“Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to, I will not drop the advantage I got from my undiscovered identity.”
“That’s too bad. Because if you did, at least I can remember your name as the brave warrior that stood against me!”
The battle continued for an entire day.
Tsarina and Serpentines Rider managed to arrive in Europe for safety.
* * *
Year: 2023
Location: Fuyuki, Japan, New Japan
Daytime: Morning
The city of Fuyuki.
After a week of battles with the Upper Belts joint forces, Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen reported to be missing. With only Oichi defending the city, she was soon defeated by the remaining Phoenix Empire forces. With the defeat of their Servants, the government of Japan announced their surrender.
Currently, New Japan is controlled by Phoenix Rider - Ching Shih. Although the news of SFA and Lestari Elliwyn’s intervention on Shangri-La’s broadcast are big news, none of those matters for the Japanese populace. After all, they can only watch in horror at the sight of the crucified Oichi - their beloved Vice Minister, clearly in pain from the coldblooded torture she currently endured.
Spoiler:
“Ah… khh… —------!!!”
The message is clear.
“Come out Nobunga. Or else I will continue to hurt your beloved sister,” says the cold-blooded pirate queen.
New Japan has fallen.
Phoenix Rider (New Appearance)
wise-up!
* * *
Year: 2023
Location: Tower of London, England, Avalon Britain
Daytime: Day
Although normally no one in this world is able to spy on the Faction of Avalon Britain that is protected by an impenetrable storm. Ruler was a member of the Faction, and during the clash with Bell, she was able to transfer him key information about the activity within. First of all, Ruler has informed that the Faction has launched a full scale manhunt toward the remnants of Clock Tower magi, led by the Princess’ personal bodyguards, the Servant Rider - Francis Drake and the magus - Wren Vanoran.
Sir Wren Vanoran
“Princess, I have bad news for you,” informed the bodyguard mage, while kneeling and averting his gaze from the lovely woman that dyed her hair in royal blue.
“So she indeed died, Wren?” the Princess of Avalon Britain, the leader of the Faction, unmoved from her royal seat asked.
“Yes, unfortunately, Ruler has fallen in the West War, killed by SFA Caster - Alexander Graham Bell.”
“I see, it’s inevitable. That girl always does what she pleases,” the Princess let out a long sigh and continued her duty as the woman in charge of England’s defense force. “More importantly, have you called those two then?”
“Yes, both of them are currently on cleaning duty as we speak.”
“Good work. Tell them that they need to prepare. If my prediction is correct, soon our sky will see light once more. You are dismissed.”
“Excuse me.” Wren Vanoran begins to exit the room. He looks at the Princess one last time who remains in her seat with her usual annoyed look, before leaving for real.
“...” the Princess continued to gaze at nothing for a few hours, her subordinates unable to read what’s in her mind as expected.
Of course, Ruler also provided the True Name of the Princess. She is no other than Assassin - Queen Elizabeth I of England, some consider her as the greatest queen has ever graced the kingdom.
“Stupid.”
* * *
(OST)
However, unlike the Servants of Avalon Britain, Ruler was unable to find clear data of many magi employed by the Princess. She understands how this is achieved, as the Princess grants her closest subordinates with Presence Concealment, including Ruler herself. What she can’t pinpoint is the why, there should be no reason for her to hide the identity of her subordinates instead of her own, yet she insists on hiding them even from Ruler.
Are they far more dangerous than Servants? At the very least, in term of murdering magi, they have been proved to be far more effective than Captain Drake herself.
In fact, tonight was the perfect curtain for them to show off what they are capable of, as they are currently attacking a hotel where many magi not affiliated with the kingdom are hiding.
If someone is unfortunate enough to be near the site, they can listen to the never ending sounds of gunfire and explosives through the hotel, wishing for it to stop.
“Come on! COME ON! COME OOOON!!! That’s all you got, Clock Tower?!”
Then, as the sounds and screams stopped, they soon realize it will be better if the nightmare sounds continue on forever.
Because these people's mission was to ‘clean’ their target so they never become a ‘deterrent’ to the country, and they only stop when they ‘washed’ completely.
Though, with the liters of blood drowning the entire floor, this is far from a clean job.
Izrail, the Angel of Death
“Tch, how lame,” the white haired woman skips through the multiple corpses she has caused, hoping that neither of them stains her wears. Of course, she knows best that such a thing is near an impossible task, but that’s what makes self-imposed challenges fun in the first place. “One, two, three–”
Her phone rang.
“Phone calls are the worst,” the ringing phone in her pocket ruined her rhythm and made her shoes soaked in human blood. Pissed that her game has been ruined, she kicked one of the nearest bodies she could find with a strength that was beyond human, and let it fall through the window from more than 10-stories high. “Fuck. Hello?”
“Ah it's just Wren. Yeah, yeah, of course. And dude, that’s not how you talk to a woman. Are you, what they called it again, fuckin’ incel or something?” She sneezes.
“If you are talking about Grim Reapers, then there is someone here more fitting of that name than me, anyway.”
Of course, the ‘cleaning duty’ was not done by a single person. The Princess understood the need for checking and verifying even in such a line of work, and there is nothing more effective than using another person with a similar expertise to do it.
On the floors above Izrail’s hunting ground, the hotel has turned quiet and seemingly deserted. There is no sound to be heard, there is nothing to be seen, this person’s job was extremely precise, that only a few of their targets have entered combat. All of the magi here has been silently murdered, some doesn’t have blood being spilled at all.
Those who managed to protect themselves, however, were crushed to death with extreme blunt forces. One of their victims has been planted on a wall.
They answered their ringing phone.
“Yes. There is no problem. Everything is under control.”
The killer doesn’t talk much, and accepts anything the Princess has assigned to them diligently. A perfect enforcer to carry the kingdom’s will.
“The sole Master on Earth? Of course. I will kill her.”
Many that lived in the underworld called these two: the second coming of the Magus Killer. The successor of the legendary assassin, Emiya Kiritsugu.
* * *
Year: 2023
Location: St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, European Confederation
Daytime: Day
(OST)
Vatican.
At a certain location inside St. Peter’s Basilica, exists a hall used by the Servants of European Confederation to discuss their next move. The room is filled with crosses, statues and paintings from all eras of Europe and Christendom, signifying their beliefs and pride, but also serve as a powerful Bounded Field that can even repel a Noble Phantasm influence.
Nine silhouettes can be seen filling a long table of thirteen seats, half the numbers of the Confederation’s commanding Servants. Such a number is a rare occasion, and the only times they all gathered with higher numbers was during the preparation for the Greece Raid, 4 years ago.
From the seat closer to the empty middle one, the seat of the leader of the Confederation, Princess Olga of Kievan Russ, the woman that currently controls the Holy Church speaks.
“Thank you for gathering here on a quick notice. Though we may suffer loss of lands by abandoning our posts, this is a matter that I believe we need to discuss privately, free from spying ears. As a Ruler, I can confirm the one that the Tsarina brings is in fact a functional Holy Grail. With it in our hand, we only need to fill it with five to seven Heroic Spirits to grant your wishes.”
Of course, a matter so important for them to gather is no other than the Holy Grail itself. For five years, all the ‘Holy Grails’ that suddenly appear all across the world, the Mana Reservoir is somehow unusable but to provide a Servant with the necessary magical energy. However, the Fuyuki Holy Grail is different, it has been proven that the Grail is functional enough to cause the Fire in Fuyuki during its 4th war, and a week ago has been used by Oda Nobunaga of New Japan to summon the mightiest Noble Phantasm in the war.
“Is there anything much more important in a Holy Grail War than the Grail itself? As a Servant, I’m sure everyone knows that. That said, the Fuyuki Grail operates by twisting your wishes to the most realistic solution possible, think about it before making a wish.”
This time, the girl that dresses like a typical witch, Saint Walpurga, raises her concern.
Though her sweet voice and carefree manners seemingly give an image of foolishness, she is an intelligent woman credited as the first female author in England and Germany. She travels the world to serve as a diplomat of the Confederation toward many nations, and her holy waters proved to be the most vital part of the Faction’s military strength, making her remembered as the best doctor in the entire world.
“Speak about it more carefully, traveler girl. It takes time and effort to conquer a country, much more if they are far away. Think how much logistics and planning we need to prepare, and how much goods we lost from wasting a couple of hours being here. Sacrifices are necessary, but we can’t grow soldiers on trees.”
A one-eyed rugged man dressed in black, twice the size of the female saints, growls.
He crossed his arm on the nearest column, refusing to sit on his own seat located on the furthest left, one rank above the lowest among the hierarchy. This man is aware of his different origin than the rest of the members as a traitor of Africa, the Berserker that is known as ‘Monster’ by many in the war. But by no means he is inferior to the rest, as he is also a military genius whose tactics can be described as insanely dangerous. He alone managed to subdue the entirety of Africa contient.
“Those wouldn’t be an issue if we keep Magellan on our leash. I believe Lancer of Spain had a thorough explanation for such a blunder.”
This time, a suit of armor gives their opinion.
Similar to Bell, their voices are filtered through a helmet that alters their voice. Unlike him however, it was not done to hide their intent and emotion, as they make their antagonistic behavior very clear. The knight rules with an iron fist and shows no mercy toward their enemy. As the leader of the French coalition, their rules proved to be extremely effective without any trace of imperfection. Alongside their partner Servant, they are known as the Plague of Europe.
“Her betrayal will no longer be a problem. You have seen that I possess the same Noble Phantasm as her. As much as I want to keep it a secret for myself, now I can assure you that we can attack any Factions whenever we want.”
The black haired young king, Carlos I of Spain, replies.
The young man seated in the number six seat, next to the eternally empty number seven that once belonged to Magellan. Unlike how he deals with his subordinates, he braced his enemy with stoicism. There is no fear shown in his countenance, as he fully understood his status as irreplaceable in the Faction, being the only person with the ability to ignore the concept of space.
“I can’t let that slide. The invasion of Japan almost became a total waste from her defection. If it was not because of the existence of the Fuyuki Holy Grail that surprised all of us, that attack would have amounted to nothing. Yet, not only are you unable to bring her back, you don’t even notice that SFA plans to brainwash the entire world.”
The sharp tongued woman with a contrastingly meek voice answers with pride and grace.
She is Alter Ego - Tsarina of Russia, the second in command of Russian coalitions, filling the fifth seat. A cunning young woman that handles all foreign affairs in Russia, she was the brain of the operation during the Greece Raid and many invasions in the past. Many see her as a harbinger, signaling their opponents’ long struggle against the Confederation will soon end in defeat. And indeed, she was capable of fooling the Phoenix Empire and successfully stealing the Holy Grail, an achievement of the highest order.
“Oh? Speaking of failure, the main objective of your attack is to bring the Master to our side. Yet look at what she did now, our people might begin to doubt us with her pointless speech of dreams and injustices. What do you have to say about that, tsaritsa?”
The woman dressed in brilliant blue and white snides directly.
Her direct attitude toward her colleague showed fearlessness, indeed, it is said that the woman is the bravest warrior among the thirteen Servants and capable of turning impossible odds to her side, earning the nickname of ‘God’s Valkyrie’. She is also the landowner of the Italian coalitions, making her technically the superior of Olga and Walpurga despite her lower seat.
“We can’t let them lose faith! The people of Europe need to be saved, they need us! I must save them all!!!”
“Don’t speak like that to big sis! Ouch!”
The last of them is a plague doctor and a pirate princess.
The former is currently attending the wound of the latter seated on the furthest seat, as she has been gravely injured in her earlier encounter. Though Tsarina asks Serpentines Rider to heal rather than join the meeting, she insists on accompanying her and asks the doctor to heal her inside the hall instead. She is unique in a way that she is unable to heal herself with the holy water Walpurga had, as her extreme immunity also becomes hostile towards drugs. The French doctor, in turn, is happy to perform a manual treatment toward the poisonous girl, as it is his life call to help those in danger.
“Enough with the petty calumny and debauchery. The reason we survive until now is because we learn from the mistakes we had made in the past, we shall know better what such will bring to us. We must use this second chance granted to us wisely.”
A red haired man dressed in kingly garbs walks into the room.
His voice is clear, boomingly so with authority. He waltz paying no mind to the others that have come before him, and those who meet his eyes immediately lower their heads. He then occupies the middle seat, the seat of the man that led Germany and the entire Europe, and rests his head on his right hand.
He is known as Armor Rider by many, but to those that pays a little time to research him, they call him-
“Alter Ego, I believe Ivan can’t join us?”
“Indeed,” the Tsarina lowered her head once more. “The Tsar himself, Archer, and Black Saber are currently engaging with the Phoenix Empire’s forces. It is all thanks to My Majesty’s effort that I and Serpentines can arrive here with the Grail safely. I promise with my attendance, your words will reach him with an open ear, King Friedrich.”
Frederick Barbarossa. King of Germany, leader of the Third Crusade, Holy Roman Emperor.
Frederick Barbarossa
“That man always has an excuse to not be here, he trained you well. No matter.”
He looks at the empty seat on his right, and avert his eyes to see those honorable enough to share a table with him.
“The Greek, Roman, Norse, Paladin, and Slav, all of them perished with our hands. Such is the fate of arrogance, those heroes who battled gods and monsters only exist in this world through the lens of romance, unable to see this war as it is. But we are different, we have tasted glory and experienced hubris within our lifetime, we have slain justices itself for the greater justice, and be slain by fate itself.”
After all, they no longer see honor left within their heart, as each of them have committed countless treacheries for the betterment of their countries.
“Let there be blood be spilled, as it is indeed necessary to reach heaven on Earth. My fellow kings and queens of Europe, that is our right and duty as the foundation of the modern era, as Kings of the Mountains.”
“God bless, Dominium Mundi.”
“God bless, Dominium Mundi!”
* * *
“With the exception of Shangri-La that we experienced on our own an hour ago, I believe that’s everything worthwhile to be told. Most of the non-Upper Belts haven't shown a significant move.”
“Oichi…! Everyone…!” Kenshin grits her teeth in frustration. Even if she has betrayed New Japan, she still sees them as a comrade to a certain extent. Seeing the Faction they build together dissolve like that, there is no way she can just let it go.
“Kenshin…”
But also, I have something that concerns me personally too.
“Wren… and Izrail…”
“You reacted to their names immediately, who are they?” asks Assassin.
“Let’s see, Izrail is the hitman that almost murdered my friends. I can’t believe she is not dead yet. As for Wren, I have a complicated feeling about him.”
“Heeh, tell me, tell me, Lestari-chan! It’s rare for you to react to a guy like that.” Magellan teases.
“If you imply shit again with him, I will order you with my Command Spell to eat uncooked rice everyday and nothing else.”
“I got it, I got it, geez.”
“Wren is, how do I put it, he is my bully back in Clock Tower. Though as much as I hate to admit it, he is a very excellent magus. But more than that, you could say he saved my life. Five years ago, he almost captured me, but he let me go. If it’s not because of him, I will not be here.”
I still can’t wrap my head around why he decided to do that. I’m grateful, but all the time he was being a prick with me, I can’t just forget.
“Ah, now that you explained, I saw someone like him in your dream,” adds Assassin.
"There is also one thing I need to mention. One of your old enemy, Tsarina, Ruler has finds out her True Name. She is no other than Yekaterina Alekseyevna Romanova, better known worldwide as Catherine the Great." adds Bell casually.
"Catherine the Great..." I gulped.
“So, which war we are going to meddle with?”
Which War you will decide to ConQUEST?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Faux, July 20th 2019
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!
