Hello again people, I have returned. I wrote this chapter in my free time, and unexpectedly finished it before the exams. Still, the chapter got longer than I expected. I thought about dividing it into two parts, but I know that a cliffhanger can be quite painful, especially because it also happens to me reading other fics. Personally, I like this format where Finn meets a situation in each chapter and this one "solves it" at the end.

From what I saw in the reviews, the previous chapter also liked you. I'm glad, and I hope that this chapter is also up to the task.

Finally, to answer the question Superpierce asked: Yes, he will have more, though not an exaggerated amount. He will get the majority when he is already a heroic spirit, as is the case with EMIYA. In fact SPOILER ALERT, is not a great espoiler but you are free to skip or cover the following line:

In this chapter there will be another new addition to his arsenal.

End of the spoiler.

Without further ado, let the chapter begin.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights over Type-Moon or the Fate franchise.


It has been a while since I left that village. I am now descending a hill towards a small coastal town. So far I've followed my routine of going from town to town helping as many as I can. To my surprise, rumors were beginning to spread about a man in a white mantle who would help anyone who needed it, that is, me. Not that I cared much, I never expected to get fame for my actions. I overlooked it as long as it didn't stop me from continuing my journey.

I also kept looking for clues about this Ortenrosse guy, but I couldn't find anything. Or that was until a few days ago. From what I hear, a ship recently came to these shores filled with people fleeing their homes saying they were attacked by the dead. Normal people found it even more absurd than the strange beasts, but what caught my eye was the part about the dead. It may be just a coincidence, but the relatives that being was using were also revived corpses.

So, I went to where the ship arrived to personally hear the testimony of the victims, that is, the town I am currently arriving at.

Once there, I asked the inhabitants where I could find the refugees. They were kind enough to show me the place, an inn near the port. I was taken care of by the man who was running the place.

"Good morning sir, can I help you?"

Normally I would have been surprised by that, I'm not old enough to be called sir. But since the last fight I had, a few strands of my hair had gone white. The only explanation I found was the stress my body suffered from using my magecraft a lot in a short period of time. Either that, or I'm going bald. I don't know which of the two options is worse.

I made an unconscious grimace and responded. "From what I was told, this is where the foreigners who arrived recently are staying, aren't they?"

"You're right. Do you have some business with them?"

"Let's just say the rumors about their story interested me, so if it's okay, I'd like to talk to them."

"Well, it may be hard for you to understand them because of their accent, but if I remember correctly, right now the man representing them is here. I don't know if he's busy, but his room is the second in the hall on the right anyway."

I went to the door in question and knocked. Shortly after, this one opened by revealing to a man a few years older than me dressed in simple fabrics. When he saw me he inspected me from top to bottom. Luckily, I found myself in the white cloak to cover my armor. From his point of view I must look like a simple traveler.

When he finished, he looked me in the eye and spoke. "Who are you and what do you want from me?"

"I'm just a traveler interested in the rumors about you. If you don't mind, you could tell me your story?"

He thought for a few moments until he finally answered. "Okay, I'll tell you. Come inside."

I did what he asked and sat on a stool in the room and he sat in bed in front of me. We were the only ones present.

"I warn you it won't be a pleasant story." I nodded and remained silent. After taking a deep breath it began.

"We lived in a small seaside village, much like this one. It was a quiet and pleasant place to live. I was a simple fisherman with a wife and a son.

It all started a few weeks ago. Suddenly some people we've known for a long time started behaving strangely. Besides, the moment someone tried to get close to them to see that it was wrong, they were bitten. The situation got worse when those who were bitten started acting the same way.

In a few days we had few left without being bitten, my wife and son did not succeed. It was very painful to have to run away from your relatives and acquaintances. Worse still, their skin and flesh began to rot, making them look like walking corpses.

Finally, we were forced to flee. We gathered the few supplies we kept and embarked in the direction here. Because of my work I've been here a couple of times, so at least I know it's not hostile territory."

I listened carefully to your story. There's no question this actually happened. The sadness and resentment of this man were genuine, even the tears skipped in the middle of the story.

After calming down he asked me. "That's all. Though I doubt you'll believe me, there's something else you want to know?"

Having heard this, there was only one course of action in my mind. "You could tell me exactly where you came from?"

"From a great island called Ireland to the west of here. To get to the village you simply have to go straight from this port without going too far."

Then I got up to go. "That's all I wanted to know. Seeing what time it is, I should go to lunch, thank you very much for your time."

"What are you going to do with this information? Don't tell me you're planning on going there."

"The truth is yes. Who knows, maybe I can do something to solve the situation."

"That's crazy. If you go you will die, or worse, you will be turned into a walking dead."

"Thank you for the warning, but I can' t overlook this. I'm sure there are many more people like you who are in danger. If I'm not going to save them, who else will?"

That said, I left the room and went to get something to eat, leaving the man with a surprised expression.


After eating, I realized I had a small problem. Although I said I would go to Ireland, I had no idea how. The only available means would be a ship, but even if with my current money I could buy one, I would not drive it and would require finding more crew. The only other option left was to board a ship that went there, but that was going to be hard to find.

Anyway, I went to check out the harbor. Hopefully, there might be someone willing to take me, even if I have to bribe him. As I walked down the runway where the boats were moored, I noticed that most of them were empty and did not seem to be used soon. Then, I saw in the background several people carrying bags on board the last boat.

I approached one of the men and asked him. "Excuse me, will this ship sail soon?"

"We plan to sail tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

"I would like to know if you can take me with you."

He kept thinking for a few moments. "I don't know, I'm not the one making the decisions. You better talk to the captain. He is already on board, I can take you to him if you want."

"Then guide the way."

Soon after I was in what I suppose was the captain's office. We were sitting on both sides of a desk. The person in front of me was a tall, corpulent, bald man with a mustache.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Seeing that this is the only ship that will sail in the next few days, I would like to know if you could take me to an island on the other side of the sea. Of course, I will pay you whatever it takes."

"So you want us to take you to where the refugees come from, huh. Well, we'll have to increase the supplies since the trip would take longer. Besides, those stories about the dead bode very badly. Why do you want to go there in the first place?"

"Let's say I want to see if I can do anything to resolve the situation, and the first step to that is to go there. Getting there is enough, you won't need to pick me up, I'll manage to get back."

"It's still going to cost you, are you sure you can afford it?"

I put my hand in my bag and took a few gold coins. I stretched my arm over the table with a clenched fist and opened it a bit by dropping three coins. His eyes instantly opened like plates and he started sweating. He checked if they were real biting one of them, which they were as expected. I doubt very much that Fedric would have given me something false.

"This... this is-"

"If necessary I can open my fist more."

He noisily swallowed and asked "How about eight?" In response I dropped five more coins. Because of my lifestyle I did not spend much until now, so I still have many gold coins left.

"Then, when will we depart?"

"Tomorrow, when we put together all the supplies."

That was surprisingly quick, I didn't think I'd find a transport today. The power of money is quite terrifying.


The trip lasted a few days and did not have many complications. The only thing to highlight was a dream I had on one night. I dreamt again of that world of swords, the only difference being that all the swords I saw from the last time were also there, even Kanshou and Bakuya. So far I have only dreamed of him a couple more times, and I discovered a couple more lines of that aria. I would put them in order like this:

"I am the bone of my sword"

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood"

"I have created over a thousand blades"

It may be a coincidence, but I'd say they describe me, more specifically my origins. And they're most likely related to this world. The only thing I can deduce is that this is where the planes of all the weapons I unconsciously look at stop. If that is so, then, is this place inside me? It's a part of me? Those are questions I still can't answer.

Finally, I still don't know what "that sword" might be. It's always in the same place, high on the hill of swords, and shows no signs of wear or rust like the others. The strange thing is that when I analyze it, I don't find anything special, it looks like an ordinary sword. But the feeling I get from seeing her makes me think she's special.

I got to the coast in the morning, although there was a lot of fog. After thinking about it for a few moments I decided to start by looking for the town where it all started. Luckily I found it near where I landed, next to a large cliff. I didn't find much when I inspected it. There was no body or remains, just some dry bloodstains, so they all must have turned undead, but I didn't see any of these either. I guess with no one left alive here they went looking for more people elsewhere. Now ,this place is just a ghost town, and the fog makes it even more sinister.

I was also unable to detect any trace of prana in the air, but it may have dissipated in the time since the incident until now.

Certainly something happened here. I will have to investigate if this has been repeated elsewhere.

I found a map of the surrounding area in one of the houses, and I could see that around here there was a swamp and another town. Seeing the closeness to this other town, I would not be surprised if the dead went there, so I went there immediately.

It took me about an hour to get there on foot. The place was covered in fog, and I didn't see anyone on the streets. I hope I wasn't late. At least the house doors were locked and there was no blood on the floor. I kept walking the streets looking for people, until I saw a man with his back to me, staring at a door and growling.

That in itself was odd. I came to see what was happening to him, although I kept my distance just in case.

"Excuse me, are you okay, something's wrong?" It seems he heard me and turned around. His eyes were white and part of the skin of his face was bare, showing off the muscle. There is no doubt that he is already dead and what is in front of me is a reanimated corpse.

He hurled himself at me screaming with the intention of biting me. "Trace on!" I immediately traced Kanshou and Bakuya into my hands. He was very slow, he didn't even have time to react when I beheaded him.

Since I first used these swords, I was attracted to them. They were quite easy to trace and adapted very well to me and my fighting style. Also, they were not trying to consume me as Redeemer and Retriever. So I decided to use Kanshou and Bakuya as my primary weapons and reserve Redeemer and Retriever for situations that require them strictly, or to use them as projectiles.

Before I could analyze more deeply what exactly had attacked me, I heard a scream. Looks like there's still someone alive here. I reinforced my legs and ran in the direction the scream came from. At the end of the street I saw four undeads slowly surrounding a woman who was sitting against the wall.

I didn't have time to get close, so I needed to get them out with a range attack. I crossed my arms and threw Kanshou and Bakuya sideways. These curved by their attraction to each other and cut the throat of the two most laden dead. The remaining two turned dazed by the sudden event, but it was too late. In that time I had already crossed the distance, and Kanshou and Bakuya were already in my hands again. With a cross cut they were both split in half.

That last move left me in front of the woman. After checking that they did not move I asked the lady. "Are you okay, were you hurt?"

She nodded and replied. "I'm fine, thank you for saving me." That relieved me, according to that man's testimony, if you were bitten, you'd become one of them.

"Tell me, do you know there are more people around here, or more things like that?" But the conversation was interrupted by some grunts. I turned and saw a group of about ten undeads approaching us.

"Huh, looks like we have more company, stay behind me, I'll take care of them."

With so many of them, getting involved in close combat would be dangerous, even more so knowing that a single wound could be fatal. The safest and most effective method would be to shoot swords at them and deal with those who survive. I may expose my magecraft, but if it's to save a life, I don't care.

I began to visualize in my mind the plans of several swords, but before I could project them something unexpected happened. The first of them stepped on something and the next instant the ground burst into a pillar of flames incinerating them all. That surprised even me. It was definitely magecraft, but I had never seen anything like it. Although now that I think about it, it's not like I knew many types of magecraft.

Once the fire went out, I could see someone approaching us. He was a man of considerable old appearance, with gray and long hair and beard. He wore blue robes and in his right hand he carried a large wooden stick with which he helped himself to walk.

I was on my guard, my instincts were telling me that he was not just an ordinary old man.

"Who are you?" I asked him while I was pointing him with Bakuya.

He raised his arms to tell me that he was not going to attack me and replied. "You can put down your weapons foreigner, I am not your enemy."

Seeing this, I began to slowly lower my arms to put them at my sides, but I did not dissipate my swords just in case. Then the woman behind me spoke.

"Please don't attack him sir, he is Eóghan, the sage of our people." Oh, it seems this man is important in this town.

"So, excuse me for this misunderstanding." I told him as I put Kanshou and Bakuya into my mantle and scattered them. Now that the woman was no longer in danger, I had to keep up appearances and not show my magecraft.

"You don't need to apologize. Anyone would be alert if a stranger approached you. Since I was introduced by the lady here, I think it's your turn to introduce yourself."

"Before that, are there still more dead in the area? If so, they must be treated immediately."

"Rest assured, those were the last ones left, I took care of the rest."

Hearing that, I relaxed. "Okay then. My name is Finn, I heard about the incidents of the dead of people coming from here, so I came to see if I could lend a hand. Seeing what happened a few moments ago, if you need help just tell me."

Eóghan thought for a few moments with his left hand caressing his chin. Finally he nodded to himself and addressed me.

"Given the situation we're in and the skills you've shown, I have no choice but to accept your help. I'll fill you in on what's going on here, but we'd better talk somewhere more discreet, so let's go to my home."

He turned around and started walking, but he stopped almost immediately. "Oh, I almost forgot about you Ciara. Could you warn everyone else that the danger has passed?"

"Understood, sir."

That said, we are heading for our destiny. The house we arrived at was the largest in the place, but it seemed to be neglected with walls full of vines. According to him it was because he liked to be in touch with nature. The interior was not very different. All the furniture was made of way, and even used a large log cut as a table. Apart from that, it was a simple home.

We sat around the table and served ourselves herbal tea to accompany. Then he started the conversation.

"You must have already deduced that the reason I brought you here is because we're going to deal with "magical" issues."

"So you are a Magus."

"You could say yes, but he considered me more a sage of the forest. I do not share those absurd ideals of seeking the Root at all costs."

"Same to me, those ideals are totally opposite to mine. Anyway, I would be considered a third rate faker."

"I would not be so sure. In all my life I have not seen anyone who can project a noble phantasm."

"Eh?" That surprised me, not because I had seen my tracing, but because of that last term. I had never heard it.

Seeing my confused face his eyes widened. "Wait, you won't tell me that you can project a noble phantasm but you don't know what it is." That statement hit the nail on the head.

"Well, if you mean the swords I used, I know about their history and how special they are because of structural grasp. But I never heard the term "noble Phantasm."

"You can also use structural analysis at a level as advanced as to read the story of an object? You're full of small surprises. As for noble phantasms, very briefly, they would be legendary weapons that are usually used by the heroes of the stories."

That makes sense, although Kanshou and Bakuya were never used by a hero, they do belong to a legend, and they even have an associated poem as far as I could see when I analyzed them more deeply.

"You're exaggerating. Besides, other than that, I can only use reinforcement and alteration. You, on the other hand, seem to have extensive knowledge of magecraft."

Then he put his fist hand in front of his mouth and coughed. "Anyway, we seem to have strayed from the main issue."

"You're right about that. You were going to tell me exactly what's going on here."

"As you may already know, there has recently been an outbreak of some kind of disease or curse that turns people into undead."

I nodded and decided to share the information I could gather so far. "In fact, before I came here I visited the town where all this mess supposedly originated. Unfortunately there was nothing left in town that could give me any clues."

"I've been researching these creatures since they first attacked. I managed to find out what they really are, ghouls." Seeing my expression, he realized he had no idea what that was, so he sighed and continued. "The ghouls are the byproduct of the vampire activities of a dead apostle. In simple terms, a dead apostle sucked the blood of a person in that village and it became a ghoul. This in turn started sucking other people's blood, turning them into more Ghoul."

Some of my unknowns had been resolved, but now there was another question that had arisen. "Could you tell me, what is this "dead apostle"?"

"That's a question that even I don't know the exact details. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that they tend to look like humans, but their eyes are red. Their power is far superior to that of humans and, for some strange reason, they developed a taste for blood."

That explanation clarified one of the issues that I had for a long time. That twisted being I fought with fit the description, so it's very likely he was one of those dead apostles.

I decided to keep that information to myself. If he was already surprised with my tracing, I don't know what will happen if I tell him that I defeated one of those beings. But still, something just didn't add up here. That time, the guy had a target, a horrible, immoral one, but his actions had a purpose behind them. In this case, what was the point of creating these Ghouls and letting them run wild? From what Eóghan said, it seems that they did not consume blood by necessity, but by simple pleasure. I left the questions for later and kept listening.

"Though I still kill them when they set foot in the village, they still come. It's strange, I doubt there were that many people in the seaside village. That leads me to believe that the apostle is still in the area, but he should have shown himself already to try to eliminate me."

He paused to catch his breath. Of course, the situation seemed confusing.

"That brings me to my last find. A couple of days ago I found in the swamp near the village a bounded field, quite complex indeed. This is located in the center and has a very wide radius. This raises another question, why would such a powerful being establish defenses in his den? That would be more like a Magus. Right now I have doubts about what we're up against."

"Well, the only way to find out is to confront him directly."

"And for that, I need your help. I do not possess any method to cross the bounded field, perhaps you do."

"I may have it, but I'll have to see that bounded field for myself. It will be better that we go as soon as possible, the sooner we finish this, the less time in danger will be the inhabitants of this town."

"You're right, but for now it's time to eat." When he said that my stomach started to sound.

"I guess you're right, I haven't eaten since I got here." And so, despite trying to convince him that I would be fine on my own, Eóghan cooked me something to eat.


The next few days are spent trying to cross the bounded field. My first plan to use Retriever failed, because even though it could easily cut through, it regenerated quickly.

After this, Eóghan showed me his plan b. Apparently, during one of his journeys in his youth he encountered a noble Phantasm. It was a great spiral sword, the years had made a dent in it and its brilliance was no longer so majestic. I used the structural analysis on it to see if it could help us solve our current problems. Its name was Caladbolg, the rainbow spiral sword, and his owner was one of the folk heroes of these lands, Fergus Mac Roich. Undoubtedly powerful, it had the ability to destroy three mountains at a stroke, but its size and weight made it difficult to use. Even if he could destroy the bounded field, along with what's inside it, it would consume a large part of my prana reserves and leave me helpless in the face of a fight with the cause of all this mess.

We decided to discard it and tried to find some weak spot in the bounded field. It was a thorough search where we combed every foot of the edge of the field, until we finally found it. Specifically, we found the source of prana that allowed the field to regenerate.

Once I cut off its connections with Retriever and isolated it, we were able to get in safely. I expected a den similar to the one used by the dead apostle I faced, what I did not expect was an abandoned fortress in the middle of the swamp.

I was pulled from my stupor by Eóghan. "This complicates things. There is no doubt that the interior will be full of defenses and traps."

"I think I'll be okay with Retriever and the magical resistance of my cloak. It's okay if you decide not to come with me if you see that you can't move on."

"Of course I will accompany you. I may have grown old, but I still wage war. Besides, I can't sit idly by while a stranger solves my problems."

"So, let's do this together. But the moment your life is in danger I want you to give up. The effect on the people by losing their most important figure can be devastating."

He nodded and we entered the fortress. Fortunately, the interior was illuminated by some rays of sunshine that filtered through the worn roof holes. The strange thing was that there were not as many traps as we thought, and we could easily deal with them thanks to the magical resistance of my cloak and its excellent handling of the runecraft.

We continued walking through the castle halls until we reached a point where we no longer found traps. At that moment, I stopped to hear a distant sound.

"Do you hear that?"

"Yes, we seem to have company."

From the bottom of the corridor appeared about twenty skeletons running towards us with swords. You were gray, and instead of a normal skull, the only thing on his shoulders was a big jaw full of fangs. Immediately, Eóghan gave me the explanation about our enemies.

"Dragon Tooth Warriors, are weak but easily mass produced familiars. They can become a problem if many come together."

"Trace on!" I nodded in understanding and traced my bow along with the sword I use as a projectile. "Ansuz!" At the same time, the wise man of the forest began to draw runes before him. Without beating around the bush, we bombarded the skeletons with twisted swords and fireballs. They didn't even get close to us.

"That was easy, I suppose the Magus did not prepare so many defenses here trusting that the delimited field would suffice." Having said that, we continue to move into hostile territory.

The journey was much quieter, until the corridor was enlarged leading to a dark room. I reinforced my eyes so I could see if there was anything in the room, and of course there was. In the center of the room I saw what looked like a huge lion, but his hind legs were a pair of goat legs. Not only that, but his back was stuck to the torso of the goat, and his tail was the head of a snake.

This thing could only be a Chimera, only this time it didn't have human parts. I stretched out my left arm to stop Eòghan, but it was in vain. The beast noticed our presence and its lion's head roared. At the same time, his tail bent so that the serpent's head was pointed in our direction.

"Here it comes!" My instincts started sending me alarms, it wasn't the first time an animal attacked me by shooting something from its mouth. I jumped to the side, pushing Eòghan with me. We almost avoided a kind of purple gas that came out of the snake's mouth. The soil where we were a moment ago began to corrode. No doubt that poison was potent.

"What are we up against?" my partner asked. It seems he doesn't have a method to see in places with little light.

"A Chimera, apparently made exclusively for combat. Keep in mind that its tail is another head and can throw poison."

"The first thing is to do something with enlightenment, if you could distract it while preparing the ground would be of great help."

"Understood. Trace on!" I strengthened, traced Kanshou and Bakuya and threw myself at the creature in a burst of speed. Keeping me close was the best way for him to focus all his attention on me.

As I approached it from the front it tried to hit me with its left claw. I dodged it at the last second and made a cut with Kanshou at his extremity. It wasn't very deep, but it did make him mad at me. I kept circling it I was causing debilitating wounds, while Eóghan filled the room with runes that emitted light.

Once he finished what he was doing, he shouted at me. "Behind you!" I looked sideways and saw that a few feet away from me was a rune on the ground. It was the same rune that burned the Ghouls the day I came to town. Without a second thought, I confronted the beast as I slowly retreated.

It rushed over me in an attempt to bite me, just what I wanted. When the chimera was already in the air, unable to change her path, I jumped back as far as I could. As a result, it fell directly into the rune and was involved in a fire explosion.

I landed beside the sage of the forest and took advantage of the brief moments of pause in the fight to discuss the next course of action. "You have some plan in mind?"

"I'll create an opening for you to pass."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll be the one fighting with the owner of this workshop, so you need to be in the best possible shape. Besides, I not only illuminated the room, but I prepared it thoroughly. Right now this is practically my territory."

Before I could answer that, the fire surrounding the Chimera scattered. Its body was completely scorched and it had difficulty getting up. Its magic resistance must be zero, or it was weaker than I thought. In that state I have no doubt that Eóghan can defeat it without problems.

Once it rejoined its main head roared again, but this time it was the goat's head that attacked. From between its two horns came a blast of pure prana. My companion responded quickly and hit his staff against the ground. A torrent of fire erupted from the tip of this towards the prana blast and both attacks collided causing an explosion that filled the room with smoke.

"Now!" That was the signal. I went straight into the smoke and went out in front of the Chimera. I decided that even though I would let Eóghan finish this, I could still help him one last time. I slipped quickly between his legs, and when I got to his back, I cut his tail off with a swing with Bakuya. I took advantage of the brief moment when the beast was stunned by the pain and ran forward.

After about a minute of running, I saw light at the end of the hall and came to what would be the main hall of the fortress. The ceiling was pierced, so the lighting wasn't a problem. In front of me stretched several rows of pillars, some of them already torn down by the passage of time. In the background I could see some stairs that rose a few meters. These led to another dark corridor.

Seeing that there was no one in this room, I continued to advance to the next corridor, but I was stopped by a voice.

"Looks like the unwanted guest has arrived." From the dark corridor a man came out and stood, staring at me from the top of the stairs. He was an adult a few years older than me by his looks, his eyes were blue and his hair was a black mane. He was wearing another fancy suit, what the hell happens to the Magus and the dress suits?

"I thought with all the defenses you set up, I'd have to find you myself. I guess I should thank you for sparing me that hassle."

"Um, seeing as you've overcome everything I've prepared up to here, I decided to get rid of you personally before you came to my workshop. Since we're going to fight, I think the presentations are in order. I am Harold Escardos, head of the prestigious family of magus Escardos." This last one he said with airs of grandeur, as if he expected me to recognize him. The only family of magus I know is the Edevane, so I have no idea who this guy is.

"The name is Finn, just like that. I don't belong to any of those prestigious families." Technically, that's true, since Marcus didn't want me to inherit the name Edevane to avoid problems with other Magus.

"So you are a simple first generation Magus. Haha... hahahaha. I never thought that, of all the people chasing me, the first one to find me here and try to steal my research would be someone like you." As he said the latter, he found it hard to hold his laughter. Even if it bothers me a little, that he despises me and get overconfident can benefit me if I have to fight him. But part of his speech disgusted me quite a bit.

"Your research? After all the trouble you caused with those ghouls, all you care about is me coming to steal your stupid research?"

"Oh, so you came for that. You could say that those things were born as a side effect of one of my experiments. If you eliminate them they shouldn't show up anymore, after all, I've already got what I wanted." I seem to be facing a typical magus for whom the end justifies the means. But as I recalled Eóghan's explanation of the Ghouls, I felt something was wrong with what he had said.

"Experiments for what? What does your research have to do with sucking people's blood?" I asked, though I could already figure out what was going on here.

"Huh, it looks like you've already discovered me.I'll tell you the purpose of my research, consider it a gift for someone who's going to die. You see, the main reason magus can't reach the Root is because our research takes a lot of time, something humans don't possess. Even if we pass on our knowledge to our successors, the investigation won't be as effective as if you continue it yourself. Therefore, I sought a method to lengthen my life span. I then looked at one of the longest phantasmal species, the dead apostles." At the end of his speech his eyes shone and became red.

"You went so far as to abandon your humanity?"

"Indeed, but no more explanations, it's time for you to die."

When he said that, his nails became claws, and he leapt at me at great speed. Unlike last time, I was already prepared. I stepped a few yards to my side and he crashed where I was a few moments ago. For some reason, instead of falling on his feet and continuing his attack, he practically fell on his head and leaned on all fours.

Without wasting the opportunity, my left knee embedded itself in his chest as he rose, drawing air from his lungs. I then thrown a downward cut with Bakuya. Thanks to the absurd reflexes he got when he stopped being human, he prevented the attack from cutting off his left arm at the last second. Still, he got a good cut on his shoulder, but it didn't take him long to regenerate.

Before I could continue my offensive, he leapt back and landed again at the top of the stairs. With that last exchange, I understood. The first apostle I faced did not have much skill in combat, but at least he understood its strength and speed perfectly. This guy recently converted, so he doesn't even count on that.

"Unaccustomed to your new strength and speed, you have no chance against me. If you surrender and leave wherever your family is, we won't spare you unnecessary bloodshed."

"Tch, I wanted to show off my new power, but instead, I ended up doing a very regrettable demonstration on my part. But the real fight starts now, after all, magus don't fight using their physical abilities. I'll show you how to really fight a proper magus."

It is a pity that he does not accept my offer, but I was expecting it. Why all magus have to be like this and not like Eóghan? When he finished talking, he swung his right arm like he was trying to cut something in front of him. A seemingly meaningless move, but to my surprise, I felt a throbbing pain in my left leg.

My pants now had a cut and on the side of my ankle there was a wound that was starting to bleed. I felt the same pain again, this time on my right side of my torso. I looked and saw another cut on my breast and a similar wound, only a little more superficial than the previous one.

I raised my head to look directly at him and he was making another cut with his arm. Following more or less his path, I saw the attack headed for my neck. Quickly, I lifted Kanshou and Bakuya in front of me. They took the attack without a scratch, but the force of this one made me slide a few feet back.

When I stabilized again, I jumped to the side and covered myself behind a pillar. On the ground where I was before a cut appeared a meter long. Apparently, my armor wasn't cut like it was nothing and it stopped most of the attack. It was brief, but I could see a ripple in the air when the last two attacks landed.

The only thing that comes to mind is that it's controlling the wind and shooting it at high speed and pressure. And it seems that he can do it with a simple gesture, without the need for any kind of aria. This was going to be complicated. If he didn't have the reflexes of a dead apostle, I'd just have to shoot him with Retriever. As things stand, the only way to beat him is in close combat. But getting close to him is not going to be easy.

"So you hide like a rat, eh. Don't think a single pillar is going to set you free!" Following this, there was an explosion on the pillar, one meter above me. It started to fall, and if I did not move, it would land on top of me.

I started running between the pillars, using them as a cover, while thinking of a strategy.

"What's the matter, don't tell me you can't even fight back. I thought you might have some sort of spell up your sleeve as you've crossed my bounded field, but I see that's not the case. It was surely the work of the local magus. It is a pity that it was not he who confronted me, it would have been much more entertaining."

This guy really likes to talk. But he's right, I have to fight back, I can't beat him if I just duck. "Trace on!" I stopped in the hall's central corridor and began to draw a dozen swords in the air above me.

"Gradation air, that's the best you've got. You're just a waste of my time, die!" He shook both arms and a bunch of air blades were fired in my direction.

"Sword Barrel, full open!" At the same time, all the swords were fired in his direction. The room was filled with noises and explosions. My swords were able to counteract most of their projectiles, but I still had to dodge a couple. Still, the explosions gave me the idea I needed.

"Trace on!" I started running towards him as I trace another round of swords. My opponent repeated his same attack and the blade clash happened again. But this time, some of my swords hit the stairs, exploding and raising a smoke screen.

"Another cheap trick. Using smoke won't do you any good against me." Saying that, he fired a few blades of air into the smoke.

"What!" But to his surprise I was not there, but was leaning on the top of a pillar near his position. I pushed myself with my legs reinforced and jumped forward, while I threw Kanshou and Bakuya. The already unstable pillar was knocked down by force of impulse.

He made a gesture with his hands and the wind began to spin at great speed around his body. As a result, Kanshou and Bakuya revoked and flew in another direction. That distraction helped me land behind him with a new pair of married swords in my hands.

By the time he turned to see me, I had already jumped on him with a cross attack with both swords. My attack was stopped a few inches from his face, as sparks of friction between Kanshou and Bakuya erupted with the compressed air.

"Those swords are useless against me, you can never defeat me using a mystery as simple as air gradation!" He yelled at me as he tried to blow me up with the wind.

"Haaaaaah!" But I was faster. I concentrated a lot of prana on my swords and used prana burst. So, the one who flew out was him, crashing down the stairs and creating a wake as he slid across the floor.

"Impossible, how can a simple third rate magus use something like prana burst!?" He said as he rose up completely hysterical. But he had no more time to think since the second pair of Kanshou and Bakuya were already flying towards him.

Not only that, the first pair I launched earlier came back being attracted by the second pair, creating an omnidirectional attack that trapped the Magus at its center. With no other choice, this used the movement I used earlier and was covered with moving winds around your body. That deflected the four swords without any problems, but they had already served their purpose.

By now, I had already come down the stairs and was running towards him as I trace the last pair of swords I needed.

"Your air gradation is useless against me!" He shout with confidence, while throwing more sharp winds at me. I kept running forward without stopping, dodging only the blades that were heading for vital points. Soon, my body was filled with superficial cuts and I started bleeding everywhere. Were it not for the magical resistance granted by my cloak and the protection of my armor, I would already be cut into little pieces.

The distance between us was reduced to just three meters. At that moment, Redeemer and Retriever appeared in my hands. I immediately threw Retriever at his chest.

"I told you, your swords are-, gah!" My opponent again used the same spell to cover himself, trusting that this sword would be deflected like all the others. A serious mistake. Retriever crossed their winds as if they were smoke, absorbing the prana used to control them and returning them to their normal state. The moment the sword was thrust into his chest, I struck the base of his handle with Reedemer's tip, nailing it even deeper. Quickly, I started pouring prana into Reedemer, which in turn was absorbed by Retriever.

His expression was now a mixture of confusion and surprise. He managed to utter a few final words while spitting blood. "You tricked me. Those leaves... guf, you're the heir to the Edevane."

"You're wrong, I just borrowed them. I have nothing to do with that family." To me, my father was always Marcus, the person who saved me from that hell. I never once thought of him as a magus of the Edevane family.

"Retriever!" By shouting the true name of a noble Phantasm, it brings out all its power. Therefore, the explosion of prana produced by Retriever was several times more powerful than the one that killed that beast. Harold's body was practically destroyed.

My consciousness began to be clouded by the pain my magical circuits produced at their limit and all my wounds, in addition to the loss of blood. My legs failed and I fell back. Again, I was forced to kill someone to save others. Although, from an objective point of view it was the right thing to do, it left a bad taste in my mouth. When I started this journey, I knew that saving everyone was an almost impossible task, an ever distant dream, but still in a beautiful dream. I guess I need to be stronger if I don't want that to stay that way.

As I was losing consciousness, a silhouette approached me.

"I see he did a number on you, but you did it." By the voice, I could recognize that it was Eóghan.

"It took you long enough to get there." I managed to respond to him with difficulty.

He crouched beside me as I followed the conversation. "The chimera still fought despite its pitiful state. Although I can't see any dangerous wounds, it would be better if I took you into town and healed you as soon as possible."

"That would be very helpful." After that everything went black.


A few days later it was already recovered thanks to the healing magecraft of Eóghan. This one tried to offer me a reward, but I turned him down by saying that healing me was more than enough. He refused to let me leave without receiving anything in return, claiming something about Irish pride, and then began a long negotiation.

In the end I ended up agreeing to help me repair my armor, and in passing, he also applied runes to my black bow to make it permanently flexible.

We also went back to the castle and got rid of the magus' research. It was very dangerous to let it be knowing that it contained a method of becoming a dead apostle.

Right now I'm outside town with my luggage and ready to go. Although this incident had nothing to do with this Ortenrosse, I saw firsthand what a magus can do for his investigation. There is no doubt that my journey is far from over.

"Then, where you plan to go now?" Eóghan asked me who came to say goodbye. I guess these days when we were cooperating together, you could say we became friends.

"I don't know, I guess wherever there are people who need saving."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that. Lately, I've had some rumors that in the continent's empire, the current ruler is a tyrant. You could start there. If you go south, you'll surely find a port, the rest is up to you."

"The continent, eh. It's a good idea, but first, I have to go back to Britannia and warn the survivors of the first outbreak that they can go home now." Having said that, I said my goodbyes and went in the direction he told me to."

"I wish you luck on your journey." He also said goodbye, but because of the distance I could not hear his last words.

"Those eyes full of determination, that strong conviction, I never thought I'd see the rise of a true hero again"


And that's all for now. A long chapter, but a lot of things also happened. Finn is just a few steps away from discovering what the Unlimited Blade Works is, Kanshou and Bakuya are already integrated into his fighting style and Caladbolg adds to his arsenal. In another aspect, Finn is already seeing the problems that his ideals have.

In addition, the magecraft talk served to Finn now know the terms dead apostle and noble phantasm. That saves me having to constantly say "that being" and "legendary weapon".

The character of Eóghan was inspired by Cú Chulainn Caster and the stage of the fight was inspired by Einzbern Castle, after being devastated by the fight between Berseker and Gilgamesh. The final part of the fight was also inspired by the fight of MiyuShirou and Lancer in the Fate/Kaleid film.

As for the "villain" in this chapter, I thought I'd give a little variety to the subject. Finn always facing a dead apostle can be a repetitive. Then I thought of the stereotypical magus of Fate/stay night, but the fight would have lasted seconds with Finn shooting Retriever. So I gave him an upgrade by making him become a dead apostle, which is quite common in Fate.

On the other hand, the Escardos family was the only one that is confirmed to be very old in Type-Moon's wiki. And since his specialization is magecraft to extend the lifespan, it fit the role perfectly. Air control was an addition to me, as the other mysteries of the family are unknown even to modern successors. Though in this timeline, I doubt the Escardos family will last long from the death of their leader.

But I'm going off the rails. Anyway, the plot is now directed to the European continent, and by the date of the story, I guess you already know who this tyrannical emperor is. He'll only make a cameo appearance since I don't want King of Fakers to intervene and drastically change other legends.

Finally, as always, I would like to hear your views on the story in the Reviews, that would help me a lot. The next chapter will certainly wait to finish the exams to write it, so if all goes well, by the middle of June I will be done.

With this I say goodbye for now, until we meet again people.