Conflict.
That was all Issei could feel as he gazed at the ceiling above him on his bed. He looked towards Asia, who was sleeping to his left. Rias was breathing quietly on the right. Issei couldn't shake off his depressing thoughts as his gaze returned to the white ceiling.
I was completely useless. I couldn't do anything even though I was desperate to. He could still remember the moment when Xenovia raised her blade at Asia. Issei could feel the anger rising from within his soul, but he was too slow to react. He would be unable to reach her in time.
Fortunately, Archer had been able to parry the strike on time, revealing himself in the process. On top of that, he was able to easily drive away the exorcists as if he was merely shooing away children.
Hey, Ddraig, do you think I can get as strong as Archer-san one day? Issei silently questioned the dragon residing within his mind.
Hmmm… I have to say, I can't guarantee it. Ddraig's deep voice rumbled within Issei's head. I can tell that the man is hiding the majority of his strength. Even I don't know how strong he truly is. However, I believe that you will definitely get much, much stronger if you believe in yourself first.
Yeah… thanks, Ddraig. Issei extended his hand out above his face. I'll definitely work hard, so I'll be able to protect what's precious to me. I don't want to ever face a similar scenario ever again.
"Aaaah, human high schools are so nice~"
Ereshkigal was comfortably lying down on a couch in the living room while Jeanne sat on an armchair, staring at the ceiling and laughing to herself in ominous glee. "Hehe, the Holy Maiden won't be able to catch up to me at this rate. I'll get to learn how to write letters faster than her if I just observe classes everyday. I can't wait to see her defeated face…"
"Okay everyone, attention!" Gudako coughed into her hand. "So I called this meeting now so that we can discuss what we learned today. Jeanne?"
"Well," the alter crossed her legs, "I went around several different classrooms to see what the students these days are learning. I noticed that there are quite a sizeable number of other supernatural entities scattered around this school. I think I noticed a girl who seemed to be a… beast tamer of sorts? She was whispering to this tiny animal sometimes. But yeah, that was about it."
"Eh, I didn't find out that much." Ereshkigal lazily kicked her feet in the air. "The school's really nice though. Oh, that reminds me. I did take a quick look at that old school building after the fight Emiya had with the two girls. There seemed to be something sealed within one of the classrooms. We can ask Rias about this tomorrow."
"As for me, besides the conversation Gudako had with the exorcists, I took a look at the innate structure of the academy." Emiya leaned against a wall to the side. "It's very sturdy. It was as if it was made to withstand a battlefield of sorts, although there is a limit to how durable materials in the human world can be."
"Nothing happened around the house today." Jekyll was sitting standing by the sofa Ereshkigal was laying on. "Artoria is still moody, to say the least. She got better after we went out to get some fast food though."
"Hmph." The blonde king pouted as she stared at Jekyll. "Although the fast food of this world has not reached the level of Emiya's, it is still respectable."
"Haha…" Gudako scratched the back of her head. "Well, I already told all of you about the event with the exorcists…"
The servants nodded in understanding. "Although they are not a threat to us, we cannot say the same for the devils." Archer stepped forward. "They seem to believe in killing any previous member of the Church who have made relationships with the devils. Not that I don't slightly understand them, but I would prefer that Asia stays alive."
Gudako thought for a moment, then nodded. "Right… guess we have a general game plan now. Let's continue to live peacefully with the devils, and extract as much information as we can from them at the same time. If the exorcists further pose a problem, then we intervene. If anything else happens outside of our expectations, then we act depending on how severe the situation is. Got it guys?"
The servants accepted the plan in earnest and began shuffling into their respective rooms. Ereshkigal waved to Gudako before yawning and closing her door.
Gudako blinked a few times before shaking her head and standing up. I still can't believe I'm in a parallel universe. Oh well, I can't really say that I'm surprised after all I've experienced. I guess I'll just go to sleep now.
A few minutes later, every light in the Hyoudou residence went dark.
A majestic, tragic being raised his head in curiosity. "Who are these new players on the field?" Ten pitch black wings unfurled from his back.
"My lord, we are sorry to say that we do not have any ideas either." A fallen angel knelt by his feet, head down. "They are likely the source of the wave of power that we felt a couple of days ago. Shall we deal with them, Lord Kokabiel?"
"Hmmmm… I will allow one hundred members of my army to serve as a recon group. Take them and feel free to do whatever is in your power to gather information about these humans." Kokabiel snapped his fingers, and the angel beneath him quickly disappeared in a flurry of feathers.
An older man walked out from the shadows. "My, great Kokabiel, how strong do these beings seem to be? I wish to continue working on Excalibur, as we have been progressing extremely well. We had just managed to snatch the final Excalibur shard. It was being held by a member of the Hero Faction, but we overpowered him eventually and took the weapon from his hands."
Kokabiel waved his hand at Valper. "Do not worry, continue that project of yours. I will take care of these people."
"It is an honor, great Kokabiel." Valper bowed, and then turned around to leave.
The sound of a finger tapping resounded through the room. "Now, isn't this interesting. How will the play progress?"
At five thirty in the morning, a single door silently opened within the Hyoudou residence. Five minutes later, a tan man with white, silvery hair walked out of the house and into the street.
Even after centuries of being a Counter Guardian of Alaya and months of residing in Chaldea, Emiya Shirou had carried out his daily morning routine whenever he could. That meant waking up early, going out for a stroll or some exercise, taking a shower afterwards, and then making breakfast. Even though the exercise wouldn't alter or benefit his Servant body in any way, it was a method of relaxation for him. He also enjoyed the happy faces of his consumers as they munched on whatever he felt like cooking on that day.
As Emiya jogged through the streets, he took notice of his surroundings. He memorized the general layout of the area, paying close attention to any alleyways or intersections. It's always best to be as prepared as possible when facing an enemy. A territorial advantage can work wonders on an assailant.
As he passed by the Hyoudou Residence on his second lap around the neighborhood, he saw Artoria standing by the entrance, observing him.
Emiya waved at her. "Hey Saber, are you hungry?" he inquired. Now was roughly the time where Saber would wake up and look for food, or specifically, him.
She nodded, her face expressionless. "Hunger is the enemy." Even as an Alter, she still has some of the quirks of her old self. Especially in terms of hunger.
Emiya sighed. "Are you fine with a bacon cheeseburger with extra ketchup? I need to also make normal food for the other residents of this household. I'm not sure if everyone wants to eat a burger every morning."
Artoria nodded, her ahoge twitching. "Yes Shirou."
As they began to move back into the house, Emiya smelt a strange aura near the corner of the street. Some magus were known to have a sixth sense, often involving magecraft in one form or the other. Shirou Emiya's sixth sense involved his sense of smell. He could sense supernatural entities with just his nose, and could tell some of their basic capabilities or aspects from their scents.
He raised his hand, causing Artoria to stop in her tracks. Shirou Emiya, the master and lover of the King of Britain, and Artoria Pendragon, the servant Saber of the Fifth Holy Grail War, knew each other as well as themselves. Even Artoria in her Alter form trusted Emiya with her entire being, with her memories from the Fifth War intact. As one might say, love transcends all boundaries.
Artoria made sure that she could call upon Excalibur Morgan at any moment. Emiya prepared ten nameless blades in the air, ready to be revealed and fired at his whim. Emiya turned around while Artoria kept her back to the street.
"Come out, whoever you are. We will not attack if you come without ill intentions." Emiya commanded. He could sense that there was definitely a foreign entity lying in the shadows, invisible to them as of the moment.
He was greeted with a spear of light aimed right at his face. It was quickly intercepted by Artoria, who had utilized her Mana Burst to dive in front of me and cut down the spear with Excalibur Morgan. Black haze began to appear around her figure, and her blade released a blast of dark energy at the assailant.
A cry of surprise and pain was heard before suddenly being cut off. However, Emiya still detected a large number of other entities nearby.
"Saber, I'll contact Master for support." He quickly established a mental link with Gudako. Master, a problem has come up right outside the door. There are unidentified trespassers that are currently hostile. We do not have a count as to how many there are. Please awaken the others and inform them of the situation.
Huh? What? Wait, what's happening out there! Emiya! Emiya quickly shut off communication before Gudako could assault him with any further questions and began to trace a pair of white and black falchions. Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands, and he joined the fray.
"That crazy, altruistic Archer!" Gudako couldn't help but scream in frustration at her Servant who hung up on her. "Not even explaining a single thing about the situation to me! Grrrr!"
After sloppily dressing up in her Mystic Code, she kicked open the door to her room and ran into the hallway, knocking on every closed door she passed by. "Guys, there are enemies outside! I repeat, there are enemies outside!"
Almost immediately, every Servant in the household burst out from their rooms, weapons at the ready. Jeanne Alter narrowed her eyes as she gripped the pole of her flag while Ereshkigal's eyes glanced in every direction as she held Meslamtaea, the light that warms the depths of the earth.
Suddenly, another door in the hallway was thrown open, and a dazed half-dressed Rias and Issei stumbled out of it. "Huh, what's happening? Are we being attacked?"
"Yes, we are! If you know what they are, feel free to tell us about them!" Gudako quickly shouted as her group burst out of the house and into the unfolding chaos.
The sight of pitch black feathers greeted them. A large amount of airborne entities were attacking Artoria and Emiya down below, throwing spears of light. Each one of them sprouted dark, feathery wings from their backs. Emiya had left Artoria to deflect and cut down any projectiles while he methodically sniped down enemies with his bow.
"What the hell are those things?" Gudako shouted. "Those look like… angels? They have feathery wings. But why are they black?"
"They're fallen angels." Behind them, Rias answered. Her eyes were widened in shock. "Why are they attacking us in the morning? I can sense some magic that is warding off outsiders, but it still doesn't tell me why there are so many of them here!"
"Fallen angels, huh?" Jeanne smirked and held out her flag. "Perfect for me, then!"
Dark, volatile flame burst out from nowhere, devouring the closest fallen angels. "My flames are kindled from my grudges. Scream, as they combust your tainted souls!" Jeanne wickedly laughed as she summoned black stakes and shot them into the air. "Feel the wrath of the Dragon Witch!"
Ereshkigal and Jekyll assisted Artoria with intercepting incoming spears while Jeanne and Emiya went on the offensive. Gudako shot a few Gandrs at any fallen angels that were within her range in an effort to weaken them.
"By Ishtar's vault, this is getting on my nerves!" Ereshkigal deflected two light spears with a twirl of her own spear. "They keep on shooting these things without stopping!"
Jekyll cut a spear in half with his knife before slashing at a fallen angel who had tried to sneak up behind him. "There aren't that many of them at least. There's definitely not over a hundred, and they aren't that strong compared to us."
Artoria blocked a spear with the guard of her sword, and then proceeded to launch a wave of dark energy at the sky. It cut through a number of fallen angels before it faded away. Her yellow eyes were fierce and concentrated on the task at hand.
"Gandr!" A sphere of black struck a flying enemy. It clenched its stomach and continued to throw spears of light. However, each one seemed to be more fragile than the last.
Blackened flames continued to eat away at the airborne forces. Periodic screams of pain and agony could be heard, and the hoard was gradually diminishing in size. Scattered groups tried to coordinate with one another, but they are all quickly shot down with concentrated arrows. The fallen angels began to find themselves in a troublesome situation, as the Servants proved to be able to resist, even with such a disadvantageous number.
"Pull back, men! We have measured the worth of these enemies! Now it is time to report back to our leader!" One of the fallen angels, who seemed to be a commander, ordered the others to retreat. The majority of the force began to fly away as a few continued to throw spears of light to distract the Servants from giving chase.
"You're not getting away on my watch." Emiya traced a drill-shaped sword before nocking it onto his bowstring. As he pulled back, the sword elongated until it looked like an arrow. Suddenly, cracks began to form on its surface. He took one deep breath. "Caladbolg!"
Caladbolg, the sword of Fergus mac Roich. Taking the form of a drill, it has the destructive power to destroy entire mountains. In legend, it had reduced the top of three hills to mere rubble. The traced Caladbolg II, a modified version of Emiya's, has had its form altered into one of an arrow. When shot, it twists the space around it, allowing for no escape as it spins towards its target.
The arrow streaked across the sky like a shooting star, even though the sky was bright. It twisted the air around it, pulling its surroundings closer to it. When it reached the pack of retreating fallen angels, it suddenly exploded in a sphere of destruction. A ripple of force moved through the air, causing everyone to take a step or two backwards. After the light faded, nothing seemed to remain of the assailants.
For a moment, there was only silence. "Well, guess that takes care of that." Gudako clapped her hands once and smiled. "Nice work, team."
Jeanne snorted. "If they weren't such cowards, I could still have been burning them over and over again."
"Food." Artoria simply stated this single remark.
Behind them stood one shell-shocked Rias and one blank-faced Issei. After seeing the events that had just occurred before their eyes, they were understandably surprised beyond belief. "W-w-what the hell was that! And like, all of the stuff that you guys did!" Rias stuttered as she pointed her finger to all of the Servants and Gudako. "What I just saw rivals the strength of High-Class Devils!"
"Oh yeah, you guys were here." Gudeko tilted her head to the side. "We can explain later. But first of all, it's time for Archer's cooking!" She raised a fist into the air and began marching into the house, Artoria close behind.
Emiya sighed before shaking his head and smiling. If breakfast was delayed any longer, then Artoria will start to get violent with him.
Kokabiel narrowed his eyes as he observed the group of people return to the Hyoudou residence. He had seen every moment of the battle, and he was scrutinizing the capabilities of the new players on the field.
That arrow… Kokabiel could not help but think about the mysterious drill arrow that the red archer had shot from his bow. It was not a normal arrow by any means; no, he could tell that it held special power. Was it an ancient magical artifact? Did the group have more similar weapons at their disposal?
"Valper, make haste in our preparations. We cannot waste any additional time." With these unknown fighters, there was no way to tell how they might affect his plans.
The minute after, all that was left on top of the roof of the building was a single black feather.
Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait! I was busy with AP Exams and such, so I was unable to write. As a result, once they ended, I quickly wrote this small chapter to update the story. Sorry for it being this short, but I wanted to have a quick update for the story. Let me know if I messed up anything big time!
I'll try to write a longer chapter in the future, as I noticed that every chapter so far has been fairly short compared to what I usually see on this site. So, I hope you guys can wish me the best!