When Asuka had been recruited by Chaldea along with her brother, she had expected many things when she learned magic was real.
Epic fights, long-winded speeches by the villain as he toted his superiority and many other awesome things. As she and her brother would help save the world, though that dream had been temporarily crushed as she and her brother fell asleep during orientation and then got kicked out. She had fought; they would be sent home in the morning. But she didn't think that would be the case as somebody had apparently blown the place the fuck up.
And now she was here, running through a burning city, with no one alive inside. Her idiot of a brother nowhere to be found.
Only dead bodies.
And dead bodies that were currently chasing after.
"I don't want to be a part of the skeleton war!" Asuka cried as she ran away from the skeletons wielding very primitive weapons. "Uah!" She shrieked as an arrow just missed her. "How do they know to aim, the don't have eyeballs."
Asuka was about to turn a corner then she stopped.
DEATH. DEATH. DEATH: DIEDIEIDIEDIE.
SHEWASGONNADIEGONNA.
KILLKILLKILL.
All that pressed down on her, an aura of death and bloodlust kept her from. Even though more adrenaline than she had ever felt in her life ran through her veins.
"That the hell did, you stop moving for woman?!" Yelled/asked a voice that she had before but now dripped with arrogance. She knew that tone of voice from some of her wealthier classmates.
And a second later she heard the sound of bone breaking apart, again a familiar sound as she remembered her own arm breaking at the age of ten, after falling off some playground equipment how Ritsuka had fused over her the next few months.
Asuka really wanted him by her side now.
"Well, it looks like your okay Asuka." Footsteps approached the teenaged girl, and she turned around to face who was walking towards her.
And it was…
Matthew.
But he no longer looked like the introverted Japanese guy with an English name, well that was at least how he had looked to Asuka.
Nothing much about his appearance had changed, his clothes were a white kimono instead of the uniform she had seen in him wearing before. The most drastic changes were the long as fuck nodachi in his right hand.
And his eyes.
His eyes were not a deep crimson, she couldn't remember what color they were before. But she knew they weren't that color that screamed with malice and bloodlust.
And on his face was a smirk, she didn't know if it was knowing or not. But it said, "I am better than you." To Asuka's eyes.
"Matthew?" She asked.
"More or less, come on we need to leave and find the others. The should have arrived to. Afterward, we should establish contact with Chaldea. Most systems should still be active, or we currently wouldn't be here." He spoke with an air of confidence that seemed rather real compared to what he had felt like previously. Which was fidgety like he didn't want to be with them.
Before she could say anything in response to him, she heard a few clangs.
And she saw that Matthew had his blade up in the air, pointed in such a way that… She looked down and saw small knives laying on the ground.
Knives that would have hit her if it hadn't been for Matthew blocking them.
"Woman stay behind and don't do anything stupid." He said as he took a stance, as in front of them Asuka now saw a dark figure that seemed to emit purple smoke. Like someone had removed a person color. Leaving only behind darkness. And yeah she was going to follow his advise, she didn't know him at all really. Only that he was a hottie, and his sister was an eggplant.
Xxx
Damn it Kyo stop affecting my mind. I thought as I realized how I had addressed Asuka earlier. I truly was a failure, wasn't I? I was closer to being a Pseudo-Servant rather than a Demi-Servant as Kyo's personality was starting to affect mine. Though not all of it was him, some of the thoughts and actions had been my own. Perhaps the Mibu blood that now ran through my veins, or had always been there. For then I looked at myself after waking up, I realized how much I actually looked like Kyo. Had Marisbilly made my body from Mibu DNA, I didn't know, and I didn't really care right now.
For I had to make sure my Master was kept safe now, for that was what Asuka had become. As my status as a Servant required one to function at full capacity. There was just something about a Servant having a Master that allowed them to function at a higher level than 'Stray' Servants.
I could feel the connection that she and I shared now.
Though before I explained shit to her, I had to deal with the Shadow Servant that was in front of me, the one that had previously been the Assassin of the Holy Grail Was that had taken place in this burning hellscape.
Hassan of the Cursed Arm, whose Saint Graph had been remade by either Saber or Lev, though lacking his Noble Phantasm now.
I took the stance that was required of both Mumyo Jinpuu Ryuu Satsujin Ken and Sword of Yang the styles that Kyo had been taught by Muramasa.
Which I now knew.
Kyo had kept up his end of the bargain and had lent me a piece of his power, and I could feel that. And while I did remember the 'plot' now of this world. I knew key pieces of information were missing. Things that I knew that was important, but Kyo had not let me have.
And I was fine with that for now at least
I swung Tenro with extreme force as using physical strength would be the best to deal with Hassan as his Protection from the Wind Skill, would make Mizuchi useless.
Thankfully my physical stats were what they should, which meant that the former Assassin was physically weaker than me. But he still had a good agility stat, so I only took his now useless right arm instead of cleaving him in half.
"Your interfering in our mission." Spoke Shadow Hassan as he pulled forth more of his dirks. I could see their shape in his ink colored body. Right the Shadow Servants of this Singularity were so well made that they actually had some of their old personalities left compared to the norm. Though I would say, they were closer to being Alters if one went by the OVA.
"You're the one that's interfering with ours."
"Matthew to you right!" I heard Asuka shout and I immediately brought up my blade to block a downward strike from Shadow Benkei's naginata.
The ground shattering beneath my feet from the force of the blow and the shockwave created. While I did, in fact, have Maai up, the perimeter technique did not work that well against what the Shadow Benkei had just done.
But really well against this. I thought as my mind registered what my body had done just, as I gave a slight glance at the dirk that my hand had caught. I threw it back at Shadow Hassan, and immediately two-handed Tenro and broke the blade lock with Shadow Benkei. I took the opening and brought my sword down with extreme prejudice. Thankfully this Benkei was not the 'real' for the real one could make his body as strong to withstand Anti-Army Noble Phantasms. But this one was very much lesser, and thanks to the Anti-Humanoid properties Tenro had gained as a Noble Phantasm. His body only offered mild resistance as I cleaved him to like a piece of meat.
The two halves fell to the ground and quickly dissipated.
One left.
With a burst of speed, I rushed forward and grabbed Shadow Hassan's head before he could react and slammed him into the ground. And followed up by stapping his heart with Tenro. If they had been proper Servants, this would have been more troublesome, but they weren't so my physical skills were everything that was needed to beat them.
"Holy shit! That was awesome!" And now Asuka had gone from almost scared shitless to stoked. Was she bipolar or something? "You totally wrecked them." She said as she approached me.
"Guess it was pretty awesome," I said. "Though what about you? You aren't scared anymore?"
"Nah, the whole exude bloodlust thing you're doing did put me off at first. But now I'm used to so it doesn't bother me anymore." She said as she spun in place.
What the hell was this woman?
"So you said, that the others should be here like us? And where is this place?" She asked as she looked around the flaming city.
"This used to be Fuyuki City and is now Singularity F, a Grail War had taken place here. But instead of the normal ending that happened. Something has changed so that it resulted in this scenario." I answered her.
"Ah, okay… Oh, what's that?" Asuka said as she took a few steps and bowed down, right where Shadow Benkei and Shadow Hassan had died.
Was that Saint Quarts she had picked up?
I looked at the rainbow stone in her hand.
Yep.
And now she was looking at me. Guess she wanted to know what they were?
"Okay, I can see your look, those are Saint Quarts, they are crystalized potential that can do a myriad of things. The Director can tell you more." I quickly answered.
"Ah, okay," Asuka responded as she pocketed the gems.
I was about to speak again but was stopped when my communicator returned to life.
"Asuka, Matthew you're okay to thank God… And I guess the Heroic Spirit within you awakened to." Roman said as his hologram apperared in front of us.