Chapter 9
The Game where No One Wins
-:-
ON A SHIP 20 KILOMETERS OFF THE COAST OF ALIMANGO ISLAND
8:51 AM
It is an unspoken fact that all living things are inherently evil by nature.
A living organism must take something from another in order to ensure its continued survival. There are times that force must be applied in order to achieve this, but it cant be helped if one's own life is at risk.
Such is the law of nature where the weak is food for the strong.
What sets humans apart from other animals is that it actually sees such forceful action as evil. Quite ironic when the race that has driven many species into extinction preaches how killing and stealing is wrong.
Humans are hypocrites by nature.
This hypocrisy became what humans called as morality where anyone and everyone that steps away from the norm of society are labeled animals. By shackling their fellow brethren with vague concepts of justice, equality, laws and chivalry, humans has successfully ensured its safety from one another.
Unfortunately, there are times when humans disregard these laws and simply does what he/she desires. While they are called evil by the populace, these people are capable of actions that greatly surpasses human comprehension.
In a sense, those who are capable of disregarding the norms are truly free. Sure, their actions may lead to horrible consequences, but it does not change the fact that they are the ones that can reach the heights that many can only dream of.
On the stage of the 1st Interschool Grail Wars Competition, Amaterasu bore witness to what such evil is capable of.
At the moment, Amaterasu is onboard her private luxury ship called the Yamato in order to watch the war uninterrupted. She also allowed 7 TV networks to set up temporary studios on the ship in order for them to broadcast the competition with no risk of equipment damage from getting caught in the crossfire.
The Yamato will also serve as the venue where the victors are awarded for their efforts and where all participants can celebrate the success of the Interschool Grail Wars Competition.
That was the original plan at least...
Right now, everyone who has been watching the events are currently trying to process what they have just witnessed.
Even Amaterasu was shocked at the sudden turn of events.
Normally, teams that participate in this type of Grail War spend atleast an entire day for information gathering of their opponent's line up, location, defenses, etc. Most people expected that the first day would be fairly peaceful and the second day would yield the greatest level of entertainment.
Their assumptions were wrong... Oh so wrong...
Defying their expectations, the Grail Wars ended only after 8 hours and 50 minutes since it began. There was only one battle, much to the disappointment of the fans. However, the most shocking part is that there are no winners!
"... Well... That was unsatisfying..." thought Amaterasu in rare annoyance. "While there is no rule that forbids it, I never thought anyone was mad enough to destroy his own team in order to take out everyone else..."
The strategy that was executed a few minutes ago was so focused on meeting a certain goal that it ignored everything else. While it was a smart strategy given the circumstances, it lacked any form of comradery, mercy or desire to win.
It was cruel and cold yet extremely efficient.
The perpetrator understood that his team had no sense of unity and going against 2 coordinated enemies is complete and utter suicide. A lose at the starting stage would have been a big hit in morale and massive catalyst for further splintering of their group.
With those consideration in mind, the tactician goal shifted from winning to not losing. The aim of the strategy was a draw... By completely destroying the island and everyone in it.
If it wasnt for Amaterasu's GW field, there would have been thousands of casualties.
"Fu fu fu... Morality is a hindrance to success huh? As expected of Emiya Shiro"
-:-
THE DAY BEFORE
A CERTAIN CONVENTION HALL
ALIMANGO ISLAND
Every event is a collection of different points of view from countless witnesses. Depending on the situation and where the person stands in the scheme of things, a massive difference of understanding can be drawn out from the same event.
A terrorist in one spectrum can be a freedom fighter in another.
The act of killing might be also viewed as an act of justice.
There is no singular truth in any matter, just a bunch of concepts in varying degrees of authenticity.
However, in Shiro's old world, there is one nearly universally accepted fact irregardless of country, race and religion. In every war that has taken place, some sort of petty political feud is at its core.
Things like honor, freedom, equality and peace are hollow words when bullets start flying and body counts hits all time high. The deaths of many is but a means to fill the pockets of a prestigious few. And whenever this prestigious few are involved, everything turns from worse to worst.
From the looks of things, this world is not immune to the corruptive effects of politics.
It has been an hour since Amaterasu made the announcement of the sudden rule change in the Grail Wars, and the Tsukumihara team has done a fabulous job of wasting prescious time by bickering over the team's new lineup.
Unlike the military structure of Homurahara and the monarchistic/idol based leadership of Asagami, Tsukumihara is the a shining example of an inefficient democracy. With no sense of loyalty among the members, falling out was inevitable.
Prior to Amaterasu's announcement, Genghis Khan was appointed Ruler of their team due to his impressive GW track record. He is the type of person who can make fairly cruel decisions if the need for such things arises.
Unfortunately, when the time of the lineup reshuffling came, Arthur Pendragon became the new Ruler after being voted by the majority of the students. Such a result was expected for the Knights of the Round Table whom enjoyed immense popularity among the masses.
Unfortunately, their popularity led into the current predicament
"LIKE HELL I'LL TAKE ORDERS FROM AN INCOMPETENT HONOR FREAK!" roared the blue haired, glasses wielding Heinrich Kramer as he slams his fist into the table.
There is atleast a hundred noisy students in the conference room but they were all forced into silence under Heinrich's rage.
"The majority has spoken Mr. Heinrich Kramer. Cant you atleast respect that?"In Arthur's defense, Percival Le Gros spoke in a calm and gentle manner.
Percival Le Gros is a member of Arthur's Knights. He is about half a head shorter than Shiro with wavy dark green hair and a face of girlish boy. It goes without saying that he is quite handsome and a powerful Saber, just like the rest of the Knights.
Percival is also known for his mysterious soothing effect on others... Which, unfortunately, doesnt seem to work on Heinrich.
"Well, unfortunately for the majority, I'm the one who has to bleed for their worthless popularity contest!" Heinrich snapped back. "If they want Arthur to lead the GW team so badly, then they should fight the damn battle themselves! I'm out of here!"
Heinrich got up and made a beeline for the door
"W-wait! Cant we talk this over?" Percival called out to Heinrich.
Without looking back, Heinrich gave the knight the middle finger as he stormed out the room.
This action started a chain reaction as majority of the original GW participants began leaving the room one by one.
The first to leave after Heinrich was Rashid ad-Din Sinan who waltz out the front door without making a fuss. With his exit, the Tsukumihara GW team was now effectively without an Assassin.
It's quite sad really, as Heinrich and Rashid are the best Assassins that their year level has to offer.
Heinrich, who was a former member of Tsukumihara's Disciplinary Squad, is a powerful anti-mage that has stopped many fights all by himself. As expected of an Assassin, there is little to no info on his true fighting potential, but he is particularly famous for nullifying mana of his opponents.
No Mana= No Noble Phantasm
If Shiro ever fought Heinrich, he would make sure to be as far away as possible. Heinrich is a very efficient fighter that no one wants to mess with.
On the other hand Rashid is widely accepted as the best Assassin in their year. He has fought many times in the GWs and has took down many opponents without even revealing himself.
How he does that is a mystery, as expected of the top Assassin.
"Well... This is bad..." thought Shiro
And it only gotten worse as Atlantes Cantar stood up.
"Hark! Such a sad state of affairs! With the loss of Genghis Khan, the chance to dazzle the audience with my fabulous illusions is no longer possible!" said Atlantes in such an annoying manner that caused most of the people in the room to cringe. "Such a shame that the world will not experience my art, which was said to rival that of the gods! How I weep for the unfortu-"
"SILENCE AND GET OUT MONGREL!" roared Gilgamesh as she launched a fair bit of weapons at the annoying Atlantes.
Naturally, Atlantes exited the room post haste, much to everyone's relief.
As annoying as Atlantes may be, he is a powerful Caster that specializes in illusion and deception. There was a time when he singlehandedly defeated an entire GW team by traping them in a blissful illusion while stabbing them with a knife. Quite scary...
After the conference room settled down a bit, Vlad Tepes rose to his calmly rose to his feet.
"Your leaving?" asked Shiro
"Indeed I am, my friend. While it is a shame that I am to miss out on the fun, I doubt the current circumstances will allow me any form of entertainment" replied Vlad
"True... I'll guess I'll see you later."'
"Till the next battlefield then." After the two shook hands, Vlad left the room.
A few seconds later, Genghis Khan rises and prepares to leave.
"Truth be told, Im quite surprised that you're going to leave" said Shiro to the towering Mongolian. "I had you pegged for the rational type"
"I am, and that's why I'm leaving" replied Genghis in a laid back manner. " You're a smart guy. You should know what Tsukumihara's fate will be in the upcoming GW."
"I have a vague idea of what might happen"
"Then you should know that my presence here will not change the outcome" Genghis pats Shiro on the shoulder. "Since you're no longer part of the combat group, you have no real reason on sticking around."
"While that is true, I am Arthur Pendragons friend." replied Shiro "And you know with us no-so-good types of people, we dont abandon friends"
"Good choice of words Emiya Shiro. Unfortunately, since we're barely acquaintances, I have no reason to burn with you"
With those words said, Genghis Khan calmly leaves the room.
Last but not the least was Gilgamesh Uruk.
"You already sat through most of the meeting, cant you stay until the GW ends?" said Shiro
"Originally I planned on doing that, but the sudden change of management staff took all the fun out of it" replied Gilgamesh.
"Good point... I guess I'll see you later"
Without looking back Gilgamesh waltz out the door, leaving the audience stunned at the development.
A few seconds later, Arthur breaks the ice
"Shiro, are you not going to leave?" asked Arthur
"Nope. We may have crossed swords a few times, but I am your friend and ally. I'm sticking with you till the bitter end" replied Shiro
"Why do you assume that our end is bitter?" asked Percival, clearly annoyed at Shiro's choice of words.
"You dont know? Seriously?" replied Shiro in a sarcastic manner, further pissing off Percival and most of the audience in the process.
"Now that our line up is at a clean slate, we can add the top rankers of the 3rd year. Those that left werent even at the top 50 in the GW rankings" Arthur calmly states. "I dont see how we can lose with our current line up"
"*sigh*... So thats how you see it... I dont mind explaining, but it's gonna hurt your pride a fair bit. Is that okay?" asked Shiro
"Go ahead" replied Arthur
Shiro began his explanation.
As Arthur stated, nearly all of the members of the original Tsukumihara GW lineup have rankings above 50. The reason of this is because, aside from Arthur, all of them were problem student who often skips PE/GW period, which directly affects their GW ranking.
FYI: Shiro still has no official rank due to not participating in the GW period.
Despite their questionable personalities, the teachers have chosen them because simply because of their efficiency in actual combat.
All of them have certain quirks that has caused substantial amount of run-ins with both teachers and students alike. Most of this run-ins turn into violent battles that often warrants disciplinary action. Because of that, the original GW team have amassed substantial amounts of combat experience compared to the goody two shoes that follow the rules.
While the top ranking GW students might have been acceptable in a simple 1 on 1 round robin tournament, the current GW battlefield requires a fair bit of instincts that cant be found in a structured environment.
"I see... That makes sense..." Arthur nods in understanding. "Shiro, is our mindset really that different from them?"
"Hmm... The best way to answer that is via example. Let's say at some point in the game, I was captured by the enemy. The enemy proposes a prisoner exchange because our team also captured one of theirs. The place they chose for the exchange is a public mall where there are tons of unrelated people present. Now... What do you do? " asked Shiro
Arthur and the others talk among themselves for a few seconds, then Arthur responds.
"If that's the case, then we'll turn the tables on them. We'd surround the ones present and take them hostage." replied Arthur with conviction.
"A double cross huh? Not bad, but still very naive" replied Shiro
"Oh? And how would Genghis and the others do it?" a pissed off Percival inserts
Clearly this answer was something on the lines of them thinking of how the original GW participants would do it. Sad to say, it still falls within the realm of optimism.
"If I were Genghis, I would destroy the entire public mall along with everyone in it." Shiro replied in a calm manner, shocking the audience.
"What the- ?! You'll just abandon your comrade?! And the civilians?!" Arthur slams the table
"Abandon my comrade? If the risk is more than the gain, then yes. As for the civilians, the GW field will make sure that they'll be come out of it without a scratch" replied Shiro
"The GW field doesnt cancel out pain! You're going to let them experience necessary anguish for victory?!" replied the furious Arthur.
"Of course Arthur, of course. There is no rule that disallows excessive collateral damage"
"Just because it's not in the rules doesnt mean that you should do it!"
"If that's the case, then you and your Excalibur are useless in this situation"
Arthur gasps at the revelation. Even if Alimango Island has a small population, it is concentrated at the city where they are fighting. Firing off Excalibur will result in collateral damage.
The hall descends into silence as the fact sinks in.
A few seconds later, Shiro stands up and makes a beeline for the door.
"A-are you going to leave the team as well?" asked Arthur.
"Of course not. I'll just try and talk to some of the original GW participants. Maybe I can convince some to come back"
With that said, Shiro walks without turning back.
-:-
1 HOUR LATER
ALIMANGO GRAND HOTEL
Shiro walks among the other students as he sighs in annoyance.
"I know I said that I'll try to convince the others... I shouldnt have done that..."
Shiro has just finished his meeting with Genghis Khan, and as you'd expect, it was a complete failure. The guy really dislikes naive brats that think chivalry is enough to take down their infinitely superior opponents.
Out of the 6 that have left, 5 of them clearly refused to participate.
Shiro is at his wits end at the moment. Even if he does convince the last person to join in, their defeat is as good as done.
And it's not just any type of defeat, it is the defeat that would shame them for many years to come.
If Shiro participates in something, he wants to achieve the best possible result. That is the main reason why Shiro keeps formulating possible plans to victory.
If not victory, then at the very least, they can save their reputation.
Unfortunately, there was no roads to any of those options.
"*sigh*... Going against the student council was way easier than this one... This sucks... This really sucks..."
He continues to think in circles until a power hand lands on his shoulders.
"As always, you seem to get dragged into trouble." said a familiar man who was covered in silver armor.
"Mordred? What the hell are you doing here? Anyone except the 3rd years are not allowed to enter this hotel"
"Dont be like that man. We may have the solution to your problem. Interested?" said Mordred in a very con-artist manner.
It didnt take Shiro 1 second to guess what was going on.
"Let me guess... Morgan Le Fay is here..." said the unamused Shiro.
"Good to know that we're on the same page" replied Mordred
The second Shiro confirmed Le Fay's presence, his executed EXCALIBUR FACE without delay
"HAHAHAHAHA! I'll never get sick of that face!" Mordred laughs his hear out.
"You know this is aimed at your mother, right?"
"Like I care about that hag. Besides, I dont blame anyone for not liking her. Disgusting people will always be disgusting" replied Mordred without any form of remorse in his insults.
"Well, as long as you understand... By the way, what's this solution to my problem?" asked Shiro
"Actually it's my mother that has the ace of spades, not me. Better talk to her if you want to know more"
"And let me guess... This time, she's actually planning to screw me over."
"No idea man. She wont tell me anything. One thing is for sure though, this has something to do with the celebration banquet at the end of this game." replied Mordred, causing Shiro's internal alarm to ring like crazy. "Follow me if you're that desperate."
With no clue what to do, Shiro decides to gamble and follows Mordred.
They head for a very high class VIP restaurant and proceeded to a private VIP lounge where 2 people are present.
1st was Morgan Le Fay who, with her usual jet black Victorian attire, was sitting on a fancy looking chair like she owns the place.
The other one was the Vice President of Tsukumihara's Student Council and probably the strongest CASTER in the school. His name is Merlin Emrys
Despite his almighty reputation, Merlin is currently face flat on the floor while Morgan cruelly uses her high heels to step on him.
Shiro and Mordred was speechless at the spectacle
"Well... This is awkward..." was the only thing that Shiro could squeeze out of his mouth.
"Ahh! My beloved Emiya Shiro, I'm glad to see you are alive and well" said Morgan Le Fay in her usual arrogant manner.
"Cant say I feel the same way Morgan" replied Shiro. "Besides, how in gods name did you enter the hotel? I thought Amaterasu sealed it off from everyone except the faculty members, 3rd year students and the hotel staff."
"Ah. That. Well, let us just say that this pathetic excuse of a man may have some merits after all. It seems that breaking him was a wise choice" said Morgan as she repeatedly sinks her sharp heels into Merlin's back.
"I did not lose to you! I lost to gravity! One day, I will have my revolution!" roared Merlin.
Despite his words, Merlin is breathing profusely, his cheeks are red and he is panting like a dog in heat.
"Well... Everyone has different tastes" said Shiro in a monotone voice.
"You think I like this Emiya Shiro?! This is not by choice! It just so happens that gravity is stronger here than anywhere else in the world! Mark my words, I will defeat Morgan Le Fay even if it's the last thing I do!" roared Merlin
Once again, his words and his bodily actions does not match at all.
Shiro has been trying his best not to see Merlin in a bad light seeing how he is one of Arthur's close friend. Unfortunately, this pathetic excuse of a display cements the fact that Merlin is in fact, a die hard Masochist.
"And this guy is our Student Council Vice President?! How the hell did the Student Council survive this long?!"
If Shiro recalls correctly, in his old world, Merlin met his end because he lusted for a huntress named Niviane or the lady of the lake named Nimue. He was either sealed in a tomb, tree or a cave depending on the source of the story.
Either way, Merlin in the Arthurian legends had a bad taste for women.
In this world, he had to fall in love with the worst possible person... Shiro cant help but pity the poor bloke
Shiro decided to ignore Merlin and began his talk with Morgan.
"Against my better judgment, self preservation instincts and overall common sense, I came to hear your advice even if it ends up bitting me in the ass" said Shiro
"Oh my, based on your words, could it possible that you place very little trust on me?" asked Morgan
"That's wrong... I completely dont trust you at all"
"Fu fu fu. The way you squirm against my charms is something I find very attractive" replied Morgan in a slutty manner.
"Skip the melodramatics and just tell me what you want me to do."
"*sigh* Very well." replied Morgan as she sinks a particularly painful kick into Merlin's buttocks. "In order to convince the next person, give her one-time-I'll-do-whatever-you-want ticket."
"Oi! Are you freaking serious?! Do you have any idea who that person is?!" roared Shiro as he smacks the table with both hands.
"Naturally. Hence my advice of using such a method to convince her"
"I might die you know?! I might seriously die if she's the one giving the shots!"
"To die is such an exaggeration... Maybe crippled or psychologically traumatized would be the the proper term"
"THAT DOESNT MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER!"
"And my words were not suppose to do such a thing. But considering that this is Gilgamesh Uruk you are trying to convince, half baked methods are as good as worthless" said Morgan in a serious manner
Truth be told, Shiro was prepared to do something along those lines. He was banking on the fact that Gil seemed to know about the prophecy of the 2 of them being married at some point in the future.
"Maybe she'll hold back?" naively thought Shiro
But then again, Gil was more troublesome as a tsundere than his good old friend Tohsaka Rin.
"Might as well try... It's not like I have any choice in the matter" replied Shiro. "By the way, what kind of back handed deal did I sign when I listened to your advice?"
"Oh dear. Do you truly believe that I have some sort of ulterior motive of helping you?" said Morgan
"Of course"
"~fu fu fu. It is good that we understand each other. As for payment, all you need to do is to take myself and Gilgamesh to the after party when this war ends" replied Morgan.
"It cant be that easy..." said the skeptic Shiro
"Of course. I have no intention of telling you the details as of the moment, but rest assure that you will experience a few problemsin a year or so. Look forward to it. ~fu fu fu" said Morgan in a sadistic manner.
"And if I refuse?"
"The beauty of being a spoiled little princess of a large lawyer firm is the ability to find horribly incriminating evidence on people. For example, there seems to be some questionable dealings within the otaku industry which has something to do with selling +18 materials to minors. Heaven knows how many shops will be forced to close down when the evidence is revealed to the public."
Checkmate
Shiro is one of many guilty sinners that have touched the forbidden fruit many years prior to the correct age. This was thanks to many good Samaritans that understood that in the world of Ero, age is negligible.
"*sigh*... Let me guess... Vlad taught you this negotiation technique" replied Shiro
"~fu fu fu. I really adore your quick mindedness"
"Fine I'll dance your tune this time" said Shiro in resignation
With that said Shiro, Morgan and Mordred adjourned their meeting. As they stood up to leave, a loud voice stops them
"ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY MORGAN!" roared Merlin as he got back up his feet.
"*sigh*... You are a pest, do you know that?" Morgan replied in annoyance."Does it really please you to have your manhood smashed into a pancake?"
"Brave words coming from a wrench like you! I'd like to see your try!" bravely said Merlin.
Yet despite his defiant attitude, Merlin assumes a position that makes it incredibly easy for Morgan to crush his golden balls of fury.
"Come on! Do it if you dare!" Merlin taunts Morgan
"If pain is your desire then... Mordred." said Morgan as Mordred moves forward
"This is gonna hurt you more than it will hurt me. I promise you that Merlin" Mordred said as he prepares a full power prana burst kick.
The following scene was ... Let's just say Shiro felt like a little piece of him died.
-:-
THE NEXT DAY
NORTHERN TIP OF ALIMANGO ISLAND
7:30 AM
And so, the Interschool GW Competition began in earnest about 8 hours and 29 minutes ago.
As per SOP, the Tsukumihara team went into hiding and established a hidden base somewhere within the Alimango Market District. It was a small abandoned storage room that smelled like dead fish, but it was a perfect hideout in Shiro's opinion
They quickly started the meeting in order to set the foundations of their future escapades.
Their line up is as follows:
SABER/RULER- Arthur Pendragon
SABER- Percival Le Gros
ARCHER- Gilgamesh Uruk
SABER- Bedivere Regum
SABER- Lucan Regum
SABER- Griflet Jaufre
SABER- Elyan White
RIDER- Astolfo Charlemenge
NON COMBAT STAFF- Emiya Shiro, Enkidu Aruru and 2 nameless fan girls from the Knights of the Round Table Fan Club
As expected when leaving it to a vote of popularity, nearly all of them are from the knights of the round only one singled out was Astolfo who, for some unknown reason, received more votes than any of the knights combined.
Individually, the Knights possesses top of the line combat prowess. They possess high GW ranking and they have the skills and strength to back it up. Unfortunately, this lineup severely lacked flexibility and overall defensive ability.
While they can probably beat down anything in up front fight, they dont have scouts, defensive wardings, long range pin point bombardment and so much more.
In short, they are screwed
To make matters worse, Gilgamesh got in an argument with the others due to the stench of their hideout that is unbefitting a high grade bishoujo like her. After a few more verbal spats, Gil stormed out the hide out.
Enkidu and Shiro volunteered to bring her back.
So far, everything is going according to Shiro's plan.
At the moment, Shiro is walking side by side with Gil while Enkidu followed a few steps behind them. For some unknown reason, they have been walking in complete silence since they left the Tsukumihara home base.
There was an awkward silence between Shiro and Gil.
This is the first time the 2 of them ever spent time together where there is no anarchy and chaos involved. This situation is date-like in every sense of the word and the 2 have spent (and wasted) the last few hours trying to get a conversation started.
Shiro, in particular, has done nothing but think of potential topics and how to keep it going. Unfortunately, he knows next to nothing about this world's Gilgamesh, hence his hesitation.
He did praise her one piece Sunday dress earlier and she replied with a HMPH! Since then, they have done nothing but steal peeks at each other. Occasionally, their eyes met which caused them to turn away post haste.
"I thought I knew how to handle Tsunderes after Rin... That'll teach me not to get complacent."
For now, the two of them are satisfied with the status quo. On the other hand, Enkidu did not share their sentiments.
Without warning, Enkidu summoned his all to famous chains and forcefully tied Gil and Shiro's hands together.
"Hey! What the hell?!" complained Shiro
"Enkidu! What is the meaning of this?!" Gil followed suite
"Shut it both of you! Watching you to inept lovers is giving me cancer!" replied Enkidu in rare annoyance.
""L-Lovers?!"" Gil and Shiro said in unison
"If neither of you will make the first move, then I'll take it upon myself to get you together. By force if necessary." said Enkidu.
"Now now Enkidu, let's not get too enthusiastic abou- OUCHOUCHOUCHOUCH!" said Shiro, but he was cut off when Enkidu lifted him off the ground by pinching his nose.
Normally, a strong person would lift a person by the neck. Enkidu sure knows how to be original.
"Oh My! Is that a complaint I hear?"said Enkidu in a very threatening manner.
"Nyo Nyo (No No)!" Shiro desperately replied.
"Then I assume that there are no complaints My Lady?" Enkidu turned his attention to Gil.
"N-No! I'll even hold his hands without the chains!" replied a terrified Gil
"You better." said Enkidu as he released his vice grip on Shiro's nose. "Now... DO IT"
With the threat of lethal domestic violence right in front of them, Shiro and Gil voluntarily yet awkwardly held hands, causing both of them to blush profusely.
Shiro might have the experience and cunning of a 40+ year old man, but even he is not immune to romantic events. His heart cant help but skip a beat when faced with a beautiful yet bashful Gilgamesh Uruk. That gap moe is just unfair!
"Y-You're holding the hands of an elite woman of womanly beauties! Be grateful!" said Gil to Shiro in a panicked manner
"Thank you very much" Shiro replied seriously
"Wa-?!... HMPH!" said Gil before she descended into silence out of embarrassment
Despite the awkwardness between the two, they didnt really looked like they were a miss matched couple at all.
10 minutes of blissful silence passed until they reached a small outlook at the very tip of the island. There lies a small viewing platform which has fallen to disuse due to the lack of visitors. Maybe the distance from the city proper and the lack of transportation to this place made it unattractive to most people.
"Hmm... So this is it huh..." said Shiro as he entered his serious mode.
He scanned the surroundings and nodded in satisfaction.
"I had my doubts since I havent been here myself, but this place is perfect"
Shiro looked backed from where they came from and had the entire island in his field of vision.
"Perfect? How? The view is a bit lacking to pay off the effort that we had to get here." complained Gil
"The entire island is within a 55 or so degree cone from here. A perfect vantage point for firing an island destroying Noble Phantasm." replied Shiro, much to the surprise of Gil and Enkidu.
"WaitWaitWaitWaitWaitWaitWait! Did I just hear you correctly?! Did you just say that you want to destroy the entire island?!" asked Enkidu in a frenzy. "Dude, I know that there are times where extreme measures are taken, but is this the right course of action? The innocent people, I dont care about, but you'll be hated by your comrades you know?"
"Unfortunate but such is the price of saving an entire school's pride." replied Shiro in a cold and cruel manner.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Dont play dumb Enkidu. You were there earlier" Gil spoke in turn. " You saw the people involved in this farse. Do you seriously think that we have a chance at winning even if we work together?"
Enkidu is silenced by guilt.
Despite how Enkidu looks, he is a college student and is an extremely powerful warrior that can go up against a serious Gil and fight her into a stalemate. He has more than enough combat experience to understand the score.
"They were chosen via popularity vote and are expected to work as a team. " said Shiro "While the Knights of the Round table are powerful, this is a battle where their pride as knights is a weakness that will be exploited. They will lose horribly to people who knows how to use dirty tactics"
"... I see... If the knights lose in a horrific manner, public support will turn into public disappointment as they have brought shame to the school" added Enkidu. "I've actually seen this happen a few times now... It was ugly as hell and some of those involved had a hard time trying to recover"
That is exactly what Shiro is trying to avoid. He does not want Tsukumihara to have a horrid stain in their legacy like the Charlotte Bobcats of 2011-2012 (the worst NBA team to date)
"I'm surprised that you're willing to take the fall for this one Shiro. Are you a masochist or something?" said Gil
"Hahaha. Well, this is kind of my fault. If my powers hadnt gotten sealed, things wouldnt be so bad" Shiro replied apologetically. "Either way, I think its better for everyone that this competition ends with a draw."
"Fu fu fu fu. As much as I hate being on the same side, I guess I'll cooperate with you just this one " said Gil in her signature tsundere manner. "However, before we begin..."
Without warning, Gil launched 4 weapons into a nearby tree and turned the entire area into a parking lot.
Emerging from the dust cloud was a youth about the same age as Shiro and Gil. He stood at the same height as Alexander D. Great with equal or greater muscle mass. From his dirty blond hair to his bulging pecks, it was easy to see that he was a man of action.
"Watch where you're throwing those things! I could have died if I wasnt able to dodge!" complained the man
"Sorry, but that was kind of my intention" Gil replied as she opened the Gate of Babylon . "You dare follow us and listen in to our conversation? Know your place mongrel."
Shiro was quite surprised to discover that they were followed. He blamed his sealed powers for this momentary lapse. Maybe its not just his NP that was sealed. Maybe his entire performance took a huge hit when the seal was applied.
Either way, both Enkidu and Shiro cant fight due to the seals placed on them. All they can do is watch Gil do her thing
"Hold on! Im not here to fight you know? How about we just let bygones be bygones and pretend that we never met. Good?" said the youth in a desperate manner,
He clearly wasnt expecting a fight right off the bat.
Unfortunately for him, Gil made her intention crystal clear by summoning a massive wall of weapons.
"I'll wait for you to equip your armor. That way you'll be destroyed with some dignity" said Gil with a smile of arrogance.
"Cant we talk abo-" said the youth, but was cut off when Gil launched a war hammer and a gigantic scissor at him
The youth dodge it with relative difficulty.
"That was a warning shot. The next will be much much faster" said the sadistic Gil
"THAT IS BULL! YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL ME!" roared the youth
"What was that?"
"N-nothing.. Please wait until I finish arming myself" said the youth. "*sigh*... I really dont like doing this"
The next few moments, Shiro, Enkidu and Gil bared witness to an event that can be described as amazing/disgusting depending on who you ask.
The entire area was bathed in pinkish light with the muscular youth at its center, like a sun is to our solar system.
His clothes exploded into a cherry blossom storm, leaving him naked for everyone to see. Fortunately, his magic was kind enough to keep it in an All-Age nakedness (his genitals was nowhere to be seen for some reason.)
The youth made some posses that reminded Shiro of S*ilor Mo*n, then his entire body got wrapped by the pink light. His muscles, height and length began to compact itself until his body was that of a cute loli. Indirectly to the muscle mass he lost, his dirty blond hair grew until it reached the floor.
Once again, the youth/loli did some more S*ilor Mo*n posses while the pink light gave way into some fancy lacy sweet lolita clothing.
Last but not the least, the young man/loli raised his/her hand. The pink light gathered on his/her palm and took shape of a massive hammer. It was so large that it was atleast 3/4 the length and width of the young man's/loli's body.
After a few more S*ilor Mo*n posses, the young man/loli lands on the ground. With a loud voice, he/she announced...
"The heroine of Love and Justice has arrived! Magical Girl Thor-chan enters the scene! Evil doers BEWARE!" said the sweet loli
... SILENCE...
... Wind Blows...
... A crow passed by with his annoying kwak kwak sound...
The verdict of the audience is...
"Oh my! A COMRADE!" said Enkidu with an energetic glee to his voice
"A comrade?! Dont tell me... Your a guy?!" asked Magical Girl Thor-chan
"Fu fu fu! Dont be shy! Open your heart to beautifully dark world of TRAPS!" replied Enkidu
"HELL FREAKING NO!"
On the other hand, Gil had a response that befit the situation.
"... Disgusting..." said Gil who didnt bother to hide her displeasure
"I know its a normal response given the situation, but it still hurts you know?!" Thor-chan replied in a depressed manner
"I cant help it. Disgusting things are disgusting" Gil added cruelly
"I KNOW I KNOW! PLEASE STOP!"
Last but not the least, Shiro's reaction was as expected of the man with a million and one fetishes.
"Upload finished and... DUDE! 1k views in 3 seconds?! Hell yeah!" said Shiro as he stared at his phone.
"HOLD IT! Did you just... Upload that on YourTube?" asked Thor-chan who was filled with dread.
"Well Duh! The gender bender loving otaku community has always wondered who Magical girl Thor-chan is. There's no way that I, also a member of that said community, can resist the urge to share this magnificent discovery! I successfully recorded the entire transformation scene. Just search The Real Identity of Magical Girl Thor-Chan in YourTube later." replied the joyous Shiro
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Why in gods name did you do it?! WHY?!" roared Thor-chan.
"It is my civil duty as an otaku to share my blessing with my brethren" proudly replied Shiro.
"God freaking damn it! Why do I have to inherit this damn crossdressing power!" said Thor-chan as she slammed her fist to the ground.
A short history lesson of this world.
Magical Girl Thor-chan has existed since the 3 Rulers War hundreds of years ago. No one knows who set up the whole gender bending thing, but it is common knowledge that Mjolnir choses one man every generation to be its wielder.
For inheriting the power of the thunder god, the price is the humiliation of gender bending. A cheap price for so much power.
It's still humiliating though
After cursing for a few seconds more, Magical Girl Thor-chan recovers with a vengeance.
"I'm gonna kill you... I'm gonna kill ALL OF YOU!" Thor-chan roars to the heavens
Thor-chan charges with Mjolnir raised. As if to answer the rage of his master, the hammer was enveloped with god-knows how many billion volts of electrical current.
Shiro and Enkidu's situation is quite bad really. While they can summon their armaments to a certain degree, the force they can apply is horrifyingly small. They'll be flattened into pancakes if they try to go against the raging genderbent Loli God of Thunder.
Fortunately for the 2, they have the strongest ally possible.
Before Thor-chan could move 10 meters, she was forced to dodge roll against a hailstorm of swords, axes, scythes, etc. Before she could even stabilize her footing, the rain of steel hounded her every move.
Thor-chan ran desperately to any cover she could find, but soon discovered that it was futile. Wether it is a tree, car, rock, building or a wild boar that happened to pass by, nothing could stand in front of Gil's Gate of Babylon and not turn into a pincushion.
Eventually, a couple of blows landed on one of her legs, thus crippling her speed.
Out of desperation, Thor-chan hid behind her gigantic Mjolnir in order to weather the storm.
A few seconds later, the artillery barrage stopped.
"You dare... You dare not to die when I am giving away death so generously?! This is one of the few times that I am in a giving mood! Humbly and graciously receive my gifts, you mongrel!" roared Gil as more weapons began to appear in thin air
"Like hell I will you megalomaniac hag!"
The air froze.
Even Shiro, who has fought and won against the Gilgamesh of the Fifth Holy Grail War, has never felt such overwhelming pressure such as what Gil is releasing right now.
"Hag? A HAG?! ME?! Do you not know who I am?!" roared Gil in a rare display of pure hatred. "I am one of the most beautiful woman in the world! As a direct descendant of Amaterasu, I, Gilgamesh Uruk, am the personification of grace and beauty! How dare you even utter such a word to describe me! You are lower than a mongrel! You are a pest that I must exterminate from the face of my world!"
"I know that you and the Gilgamesh I know resemble each other a fair bit, but I cant believe you fell for such an obvious provocation" thought Shiro as he facepalms
While Gil was giving her vanity speech, Thor-chan was able to finish her preparations. As if Mjolnir's earlier radiation was a lie, the hammer was now spewing out so much electricity that it was destroying the surroundings just by being there.
The trees burn as lightning strikes everything in sight.
The ground shatters as if hit by a cannon.
Even the sea was filled with countless dead fishes whom were just unfortunate enough to get caught in Mjolnir's static field.
While the destructive power of one of the most famous NPs was awe inspiring, Shiro was more impressed of Thor-chan's ability to find and exploit Gil's weakness despite only knowing her for a short time.
"Game Over you arrogant hag! MJOLNIR!"
Thor-chan swings her hammer.
Sound disappears from the world as the lightning storm drowned Gil, Shiro, Enkido, the sea and everything in a 3 kilometer straight line.
As expected of Mjolnir: The Thunder God's Hammer That Crushes Everything, everything that it passed through was reduced to a smothering pile of super heated rubble.
The sea looked like it was split in half due to the massive electrical current that evaporated the water so quickly.
The ground was not only completely decimated, but also glowing from the intense heat.
"How you like them apples?! That's what happens when you make fun of my pain you-" said Thor-chan, but was cut off when she saw what happened to her target.
Whatever elation Thor-chan had was quickly turned into despair.
There was a dome like shield exactly where the 3 were standing. Unfortunately for the beautiful shield, tons of cracks were spotted all over it, a clear testament to Mjolnir's extreme destructive power.
The shield fades out of existence and revealed that all 3 of them made it out without a scratch.
"You dirty insect! Not only did you call me hag numerous times, you even dare to damage the Shield of the Gods! You deserved to be punished! No... I wont be satisfied unless your entire existence is erased from my world!" roared Gil despiting smiling like a psychopath.
Gil takes out a single sword that Shiro both familiar and unfamiliar about.
It had a golden grip and a handle, but it's blade was something that cant be considered as a sword. It was black drill with glowing red lines. The drill was split into three sections which spins in different directions. The tip of the sword is blunt which, if you add it with all of its parts, is a pathetic excuse for a sword.
Despite its odd shape, everyone in the vicinity can feel its oppressive power weighing down on them.
"H-hey Gil. Isnt that a bit of an overkill?" meekly asked Enkidu
"SHUT UP! For his trespasses against me, EVERYONE WILL SUFFER!" Gil roared back, causing Enkidu to back off. "Whatever suffering the innocent people of this island will experience is all in your head Thor!"
Gil raised the black blade over her head.
Thor ran towards Gil in a desperate attempt to stop her... She was too late.
The blades spun at their maximum speed.
Gil swung it down and roared.
"ENUMA ELISH"
The world shook as the red whirlwind consumed not only Thor-chan, but the entire island as well. Be it mountains, buildings, plants, animals or people, Enuma Elish reduced everything in its path into nonexistence.
By the time the dust settled, the 3 discovered that the only thing left in the island was the part where they were standing. Whatever the island was before, it was now a massive hole that Enuma Elish created
"Holy... Crap" was the only words that Shiro could mutter
While he did plan to have Gil use her Ea on the island, he obviously underestimate the damage it could deal out. He was expecting Ea to turn Alimango Island to a parking lot. He obviously did not expect it to completely eradicate the island along with everything below it.
By simply looking down, Shiro cant help but ask...
"Is that the Mantle down there?"
"I dont think so..." replied Enkidu who was equally baffled at the event that just transpired
FYI: The Earth's Layers are as follows: Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core.
The thickness of the earth's Crust is between 5 to 70 kilometers depending on where you are.
If Shiro could make a rough estimate, the hole that Enuma Elish created was atleast 20 kilometers deep. The total width of the hole on the other hand is something Shiro did not want to find out.
Despite all the power ups Shiro has received in his world hopping shenanigans, he still could not match Gilgamesh in terms of raw destructive power.
And speaking of Gil, she simply snorted at her handiwork.
"I'll let off Thor with this much. That gender bending freak should be honored to receive my full might" Gil arrogantly declared
"Can this still be repaired?" asked Shiro.
One of Shiro's greatest concern was the excessive firepower might cause irreversible damage to the island. On that regard, Gil instantly set his mind on ease.
"Hahaha! You seem to have forgotten who created the GW barrier this time around" said Gil
And not a second later, Shiro and Enkidu's mouth opened wide for the second time as they witnessed another miracle.
"Return to normal" said a godly and familiar voice that echoed across the sky
The world obeyed the command. Alimango Island suddenly faded into existence like a badly edited film. Once second it was not there, the other second everything was in place. Even the confused Thor-chan was in front of the trio.
"I knew Amaterasu was a godlike existence, but I didnt think she was THIS godlike" said Enkidu in disbelief.
"Yeah... I've seen her handiwork yesterday, but I guess that was just the tip of the iceberg" Shiro replied in kind.
"Fu fu fu. Even now, this is still just a small fraction of Great Ancestor's power" boasted Gil. "I've seen her raise the city of Atlantis from beneath the sea. I'm sure she can do much more if she felt like it"
"Really? Magic sure is amazing" Thor-chan joined in their conversation.
"Indeed. Great Ancestor once said, and I quote, In this world, Magic is omnipotent." Gil replied. "Great Ancestor Amaterasu is the only person with complete mastery over magic, so nothing is impossible for her."
Once again, Shiro is forced to accept the fact that even with his 40+ years of experience, he still knows nothing.
With that, the Interschool Grail Wars Competition came to a quick close.
-:-
THE NEXT DAY
EVENING
ON BOARD THE YAMATO, ALIMANGO ISLAND DOCKS
Shiro is no expert when it comes to ships but he does have some knowledge due to his work in his previous world. He a high profile assassination onboard the largest luxury cruiser while on its voyage and escaped without detection.
Amaterasu's ship is named Yamato and unlike its counterpart in Shiro's old world, it has no weapons on board. Its length is estimated about 800 feet with 8 passenger decks, 1 large dance hall, a few onboard restaurants and a swimming pool.
He's pretty sure that he missed out on a lot of details but that is Yamato in a nutshell.
At the moment, Shiro is in the large dance hall which is used for the coronation of the winners of the 1st Interschool Grail War Competition which, ironically, didnt happen. After a short speech from Amaterasu, the students were to mingle with others and eat to their hearts content
Sporting an uncomfortable tuxedo, Shiro stood along with Zayd and David in a far corner of the ballroom.
"Dude, I know we're used to being hated and all, but this one takes the cake" said David as he scanned the crowd
"Since when did you care about your reputation?" asked Zayd
"Normally I dont, but being at the receiving end of a lot of hateful gazes made me a bit self conscious." replied David
"Just stare at their boobs man. Zayd has been checking out the loli population for a while now and has pretty much ignored the glares" said Shiro
"Hahaha! Good advice man! Activating boob measurement vision!" Replied David with full gusto
News has spread that Shiro was the mastermind for the disappointing end of this competition and the unrestrained hate for him is the result. Seeing how the entire thing was broadcasted world wide, it wasnt really a surprise that the world knew what Shiro did.
Most (students, teachers, fans, TV producers) scorned him for such an unsatisfying finish. Most of the haters came from Tsukumihara who found his action as an act of betrayal.
Some understood his actions and praised him for his selfless sacrifice and saving Tsukumihara pride.
Either way, Shiro once again shot himself in the foot and became the center of attention (in a bad way).
"I knew it was gonna end up like this... *sigh*" Thought Shiro as he ate a pastry called a Mille-Feuille."Holy crap! This is good!"
While the trio distract themselves from the onslaught of hateful gaze, the sea of people split open and a group of ridiculously popular people approached them.
The one leading the group to Shiro is Gilgamesh Uruk who was wearing a pure gold victorian dress. It suites her overly pompous demeanor perfectly.
"Here is Emiya Shiro as you requested Great Ancestors" said Gil in an characteristically well mannered voice
Just behind Gil was the most powerful person in the planet. Wearing her signature not-so-modest blueish kimono, the 9 tailed Amaterasu steps forward
"Good girl Good Girl" replied Amaterasu she pats Gil on the head.
Normally, people who looked down on Gil would end up in the receiving end of a few tons of pointy objects. However, Gil obviously didnt mind this time around.
"Hello Emiya Shiro and companions." said Amaterasu, causing David and Zayd to stiffen in attention. "How fares you three in this banquet?"
Zayd and David nudge Shiro, clearly too overwhelmed to talk to Amaterasu. An understandable reaction.
"Aside from the glares of hatred from most people and the minor forms of bullying, its been quite enjoyable" replied Shiro in a laid back manner.
"Bullying? What a coincidence, I despise bullying. I received quite a few traumatic experiences back in the day" said Amatersu "Persecuting Demi-humans was quite a fab back then, and I am certain that I passed an anti bullying law a few hundred years ago."
She turned her head, causing quite a lot of the spectators to shift their gaze.
"I spotted 183 naughty children, 8 nefarious adults and one monkey that has done you harm in the last 30 minutes" announced Amaterasu in a rare showcase of silent rage. "Fu fu fu. Another coincidence! I feel particularly blood thirsty today. Maybe it would do me good if I slowly ripped their limbs off, heal it, then do it all over again and again and again. I have not done such a thing an amusing thing in centuries. "
As expected of a living goddess and the strongest being in this world, Amaterasu's words exerted so much pressure that everyone, Shiro included, could feel that they were about to die.
Fortunately for the people on board Yamato, another being with great power was there to save them.
Without warning, a man wearing a blood red full body armor appeared in front of Amaterasu and gave her a light Karate chop to the head.
"Owie! What shameful excuse of a husband would dare hit his own wife in the head!" Amaterasu childishly complained.
"A thoughtful and loving husband that just stopped his wife from committing mass murder. That's what." the blood red knight retorted.
"~Hmph. You never let me do anything fun anymore." said Amaterasu as she cutely puffed her cheeks.
This is one for the history books people!
Most of the ones present in Yamato has never seen this side of Amaterasu. Odds are, they never see it again.
"*sigh*... You wrote the book. I just read it. " said the red knight gently as he rubbed Amaterasu's head. "Now be a good girl and let me talk to them, okay?"
"~Hmph!" replied the pouting Amaterasu.
Amaterasu returned her attention to the trio.
"Allow me to introduce my beloved husband." said Amaterasu in a flamboyant manner. "I present Futsunushi, The Living God of Swords"
Zayd and David turned into stone.
Not only were they were at the presence of the most powerful being on the planet, they are also in front of the person that was hailed as the leader of 7 Living Gods. This is an honor beyond measure.
On the other hand, Shiro and Futsunushi stared at each other in silence. A few seconds of tense silence later, Futsunushi broke the ice.
"It's kinda weird how we're just staring at each other... Especially if we considered the last time that this crap happened" said the living god in a joking manner.
"Yeah... It really is weird" Shiro replied in kind.
The last time the both of them experienced such as thing was during the 5th Holy Grail War. At the time, Heroic Spirit Emiya did his very best to insert a long piece of metal into Shiro.
"So... What happens now?" asked Shiro.
"Nothing really. This is more of an event in an eroge that marks the end of the Prologue and the beginning of the common route"
"I'm still at the Prologue after all this years?"
"Yup. Things will keep getting interesting from this point onward. Look forward to it" said Futsunushi
"Cant you atleast give me a hint?" asked Shiro in hopes of a leg up on future hardships.
"You know I cant tell you that. I prefer not to accidentally cause an inconsistency here." replied Futsunushi
Shiro figured out as much. Inconsistency is also a synonym for Paradox. Paradox plus Shiro normally equates to Time Paradox, and such an experience always leads to a boat load of pain and suffering.
"*sigh*... Fine. Atleast tell me one thing. Will my life be fun?" asked Shiro
"HAHAHAHAHA! For better or for worse, it is gonna be one hell of a party!"
-:-