More things happen as we get into the aftermath of Sakura's rescue and Zouken's demise. In addition, our villains are about to learn just how outclassed they are. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Fate series, Lupin III, Ni No Kuni, or My Hero Academia.
Chapter 21: Influence Waning
Kariya felt extreme pain before the worms inside him seemed to go completely limp. "You all right?," All Might asked. "I think so," Kariya said, "Something must have finally happened to the old vampire, the Crest worms aren't responding to anything anymore. Feels like they might be dead." He heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He turned to see a bearded man in a fedora. "Are you Kariya Matou?" Kariya turned to All Might, who nodded, ready for trouble if it came to that. Kariya turned back to the man. "I am. Who are you?" "Daisuke Jigen," the man explained, "I'm here for my old friend Lupin."
The duo relaxed. They had been told about Jigen, who would tell them what happened with Lupin's attempt to save Sakura. "Lupin wanted me to tell you the princess is safe," Jigen said as he lit up a cigarette, "And also wanted me to get you to a private doctor. He happens to know one who won't ask questions." Kariya breathed a sigh of relief. By "princess" Lupin was likely referring to Sakura. "Out of curiosity, what happened to Zouken?" "I don't the details, but Lupin made sure he was taken care," Jigen replied, "He won't be coming near Sakura ever again." Kariya smiled and nodded. "That's good. I'd like to see her once I get patched up." Jigen nodded, and led him off.
Meanwhile, Sakura woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. She blinked a few times. At first she thought she had just been having a dream of being rescued, but the unfamiliar setting, the comfort of the room compared to her home, the fact that her body felt lighter than it ever had over the past years, and the fact that her dress had been freshly cleaned and her shoes laid out made her reconsider that. She got herself dressed and walked toward some sounds she heard coming from the nearby door. Inside what an elderly man wearing some kind of robe.
The man turned to the door. "You can come in, child. I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet." Sakura entered the kitchen and sat down at a nearby table. "Um… Hello… Where am I exactly?" "You're in the local church of Fuyuki City," the man replied, "I am Risei Kotomine, the local minister. My son and his friend Lupin brought you here after rescuing you from your abusive household." Sakura gasped in delight. "You mean Mister Thief? He really did save me! I thought that was just a dream!" Risei chuckled. "No dream child. And by the grace of God I had the means to undo your condition."
He poured out a bowl of cereal for Sakura, which she eagerly ate. "So… What about Grandfather?" Risei's smile became slightly sadder, but didn't really drop. Of course, he couldn't outright tell Sakura Zouken was dead, but he could imply it. "Don't worry about him. He can't hurt you anymore. That said, your father has been arrested, so for now your custody is being transferred to your uncle." Sakura had a bigger smile than Risei thought possible. "Uncle Kariya!? That's great! When can I see him!?" "Once he finishes an important hospital visit," Risei explained. Sakura smiled, grateful that her uncle finally kept his promise.
Evan narrowed his eyes as he looked down from the roof, spotting a black owl with red eyes approaching the hotel. "That can't be good," he muttered as he headed down. Down below, a man with an owl's head had appeared in the room where Kayneth and Sola-Ui were staying. "What is is you want?," Kayneth asked, disdain in his voice. "Now, now," the owl man said, "Is that any way to speak to the one who offered you information on Assassin's Master?" "It is if said informant neglects to explain just sort of enemy said Master is," Kayneth noted, "How did you get in here anyway?"
"I'll admit the Bounded Fields were troublesome," the owl man said, "You truly deserve your family name. But you forgot to put defenses over your windows or roof." Kayneth looked to the owl perched on the man's shoulder. "Are you curious if this is my familiar?," the owl man asked, "I can assure you it is, but not in the way you think." He pressed in the owl's eye, revealing electric wires. "It always confounds me how magi can decry modern electronics out of a sense of pride. But scrying spells are nothing compared to security cameras. Bounded Fields are nice, but laser fences and pressure sensors are more efficient. And these mechanical familiar can never degrade, and can even store the information they discover."
"Why give Kayneth the information on Lupin's Master?," Sola-Ui asked. "To shift his attention," the owl man explained, "By seeing Lancer as a greater threat, he would seek to eliminate him as quickly as possible. Of course, my master never expected you to willing throw Lancer's life away on a gamble, but it still worked for our plan." "Your plan was unnecessary," Kayneth pointed out, "Lupin would be certainly be targeting Lancer next regardless of what happened. After all… He still needed access to Gae Buidhe. For someone who spout drivel about efficiency, you certainly come up with some complicated plans."
The owl man chuckled and, but stopped chuckling when he heard someone screaming from behind him. He turned to see an invisible figure, only marked by the burns on his body. He then found himself with a sword up to his neck. Kayneth smirked. "Allow me to introduce my fiance's Servant, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, also known as Avenger. I trust you remember that this War had eight contestants." The owl man contained his surprise. He had known there were eight people involved instead of seven, but he hadn't expected two to be in such close proximity. 'How did we miss something this important? I'll need to clarify this with my master. In the meantime, it seems we've lost one of our Kuken.'
The owl man straightened himself. "Well, your message is heard loud and clear. None of our order can touch you or your fiance. However, that simply means we can focus on your family. And my master enjoys human experimentation, especially on younger girls. Like the young lady next in line to inherit the title… Lord El-Melloi…" Kayneth gasped. "Now that we have that established," the owl man continued, "I must ask that you remain in this hotel for until further notice. Ah, you fiance is exempt from this, of course. It would look too suspicious if another Master was not moving without any sign her Servant had been killed. And remember, we do have eyes and ears every where." He then vanished as quickly as he left, only the owl left behind.
Evan scoffed, blasting the mechanical bird with a fireball. "Eyes can be gouged out, and ears plugged up." Kayneth was never more infuriated in his life. This was no longer a matter of personal pride, his family was on the line. He had never been particularly close to them, but he didn't outright hate them either. "Now what?," Sola-Ui asked. "This is no longer just about glory or pride or even money," Kayneth decided, "The entire Magus Association is obviously being manipulated by these bastards if they can make such threats." He put his hands behind his back. "But they will soon learn a hard lesson, mark my words."
Lupin was also watching the scene. He was certainly glad nothing really serious happened. Evan might have looked young, but he experience on his side and was not to be underestimated. The only reason those owls had any pull on Kayneth was because they pulled the old family card, as cliched and effective as it ever was. But not for long. "They clearly underestimate the Archibalds' sphere of influence," he noted to himself, "They also don't seem to realize just how off-script their little plan is going. Kirei was nearby. "They certainly are elusive. Father's been having a hard time flushing out their familiars."
"I'll have to make sure the new hideout is swept for bugs and anything else," Lupin noted, "I'm also a little concerned for Waver. He and Tohsaka are the only one's not in the know about this, and he's the only one I really like, alongside Rider. Guy just seems like fun incarnate." "In any event," Kirei said, "These interlopers will have to be removed as soon as possible. Perhaps if we cause enough trouble, we can lure their leader to Fuyuki, and have him dealt with," Lupin grinned. "I like the way you think, Kirei my man. We've already punched a few holes in their script. Now let's tear the whole damn book up."
The Court of Owls are counting on things going a certain way, but our heroes aren't about to let that happen. More will be uncovered next chapter. Read and review.