Chapter 40: The People's Hero
(Day 9 of the 6th Grail War)
"You, you look just like the Winter War sniper, Simo Häyhä." A middle-aged man approached Simo Häyhä as he rested on a bench. Simo Häyhä found a pleasant spot along a round path which surrounded a fountain. The man spoke with an educated tone, one belonging to a historian or at least an enthusiast. Simo Häyhä straightened his body and looked at him, taking his eyes off the enchanting flows of the fountain.
"Are you an actor? Is this a tourist attraction or something?" the man continued asking.
Simo Häyhä did not know how to respond, as he doubted any non-magus would believe him.
"You see here, me and my family just came from the Military Museum of Finland, and we saw pictures of you." The man produced a picture from his pocket.
"Yes, that's me." Simo Häyhä pointed at himself in the picture and nodded.
"You look just like the real thing, just not in uniform," he continued
"Thanks." He smiled, unsure of what to tell him. As he observed the man's interest, a thought occurred to him. This was his chance to realize what he wanted. Simo Häyhä summoned his uniform, ready to show everyone the genuine article. His uniform materialized, covering him in full white. The man was astonished to see the uniform appear before him, assuming it was some kind of special effect or a trick. "Look everyone, its Simo Häyhä, hero of the Winter War." The man waved his arms to beckon the others to come.
The park-goers turned around and noticed Simo Häyhä standing before them. His parka was accurate down to the individual strands of fabric. Amazed by the accuracy and attention to detail, they praised him for being such a good cosplayer. Soon, people began taking pictures of him, who now stood speechless before the shower of admiration. A smile formed across his face, as he welcomed them all. Gaining momentum, he offered pictures with people, and signed autographs. Some people asked him questions about the war, which he gave accurate answers to. They were impressed, and praised his ability to stay in character. Simo Häyhä found the whole affair quite humorous, considering this preferable to being mistaken for a ghost or a disfigured person.
"For an Assassin, you are really easy to find," Genghis Khan stood in the distance, mounted on his horse. He decided to hunt down Fezgrem's other Servant to remove any loose ends. Unlike before, he was here on his own volition. At long last, able to fight a battle he took ownership for, Genghis Khan bared his sword and his teeth, raring to go.
The people mistook him for another cosplayer, and moved towards him, cameras flashing away and notepads out to get his autograph. Simo Häyhä wondered if Genghis Khan even had a signature.
"Out of my way," Genghis Khan bellowed, raising his scimitar. The people thought that it was a well-made replica and began to take pictures of Genghis Khan. Simo Häyhä realized the danger they were in, and took out his rifle. He urged the people to move out of the way, and fired a warning shot at Genghis Khan, who used his scimitar to bat it out of the air, sparks coming from the scimitar. The people were silenced by the gunshot, before they resumed their applause, believing it to be an elaborate performance. More people arrived at the scene, determined to get a picture of the epic showdown between Simo Häyhä and Genghis Khan. Soon, a circle of curious onlookers and excited spectators surrounded the two Servants. They were now in a makeshift arena, the ground was mostly dirt, as the battle took place in a small patch of grassland in the park.
"Look, two cosplayers are performing for us. Finnish war hero Simo Häyhä versus world conqueror Genghis Khan!" Simo Häyhä heard an onlooker shout. More people cheered and called out. They were chanting Simo Häyhä's name as he was their national hero.
"I've never seen anything like this before. The wonders of technology for them to make it appear so lifelike," an elderly woman said.
"There must be professional makeup artists and costume designers working round the clock for these two. I bet they are actors," another man said.
Simo Häyhä decided not to bother explaining to them as he recognized the threat Genghis Khan posed. He kept Genghis Khan occupied in order to contain the damage.
Genghis Khan charged ahead, his horse kicking up a cloud of dust as he advanced. His scimitar connected with Simo Häyhä's rifle. Simo Häyhä dodged to the side and pulled out his combat knife. He made a side attack, forcing Genghis Khan to dodge. The onlookers continued to cheer, their eyes fixated on the vivid performance. Simo Häyhä disengaged, looking at all the people watching him.
He leaped to the other end of the makeshift arena and used his submachine gun to fire a spray of shots at Genghis Khan, careful to ensure the shots would not hit anyone else. Genghis Khan parried them all, with swift and skillful strokes of his scimitar. It flashed brightly in the Sun as it moved. One bullet found its way through. It connected, hitting Genghis Khan in the forehead. The bullet bounced off his head, dealing no damage to him. The bullet fragments scattered around the battlefield became sought after by the spectators as they wanted to keep a souvenir from this event.
"They're hot," Simo Häyhä warned a spectator not to touch the bullet on the ground. The boy backed off.
"He scored a head shot! Genghis Khan is no match for our national hero!" someone exclaimed in the crowd.
"Haha, it's just a performance, and Genghis Khan is still standing, perhaps you were mistaken," another person said as his eyes remained transfixed by the performance.
Simo Häyhä charged at Genghis Khan, submachine gun unleashing a torrent of lead at him. His Clairvoyance worked overtime to estimate the trajectories of the highly inaccurate burst fire, ensuring the only hit Genghis Khan, and not the innocent by-standers. Simo Häyhä's gun smoked with heat, its barrel turning red.
Genghis Khan ran into the storm of bullets, not bothered with evading them, for they did not harm him. Considering them mild annoyances, he placed his body right before Simo Häyhä's gun barrel. He blocked over 200 shots by now with Man Of Iron. Simo Häyhä dashed to the left, luring him to give chase. Genghis Khan followed, ready to use Sole Ruler Of The Plains to crush his foe. Simo Häyhä used his leg to trip his horse, and then butted Genghis Khan in the face with his rifle, knocking him off his horse in a cloud of dust. He coughed, as he got back on his feet. His face distorted, not due to the impact of a rifle butt on his face, but with rage, as he had been humiliated before the crowd.
The performers erupt in applause. Simo Häyhä could not believe it worked. As a Rider, Genghis Khan should have run him over. He suddenly became aware of a rising confidence and power as the onlookers cheered him on. He drew power from the people's admiration and praise, being a national hero of Finland.
"How dare you trip me? Stop dancing and fight!" Genghis Khan called out to his enemy.
"What would you do if I fought you in close quarters combat?" Simo Häyhä asked.
"Crush you to pieces."
"Then I'll stay over here."
Several "Oooooh"s came from the crowd, those who heard Simo Häyhä's wisecrack. Others said it they merely followed a script.
Genghis Khan switched to his recurve bow and unleash a string of piercing arrows at his foe. Simo Häyhä dodged them by moving irregularly to the right and left. He responded with several well-placed snipes, the bullets once again bouncing off Genghis Khan. He then closed the distance, pulled the recurve bow down, in an attempt to disarm Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan broke free from his grip, grabbed his face and threw him across the arena. Simo Häyhä landed in heap several meters away. He spat dirt from his mouth, gagging at the salty grains as they brushed his tongue.
The crowd made a concerned noise as Simo Häyhä struggled to get out of the way in time. Genghis Khan got on his horse again, and he almost trampled him. Simo Häyhä rubbed a handful of dirt in the horse's eyes, causing it to stumble as Genghis Khan rocked to and fro. Simo Häyhä opened his submachine gun fire at Genghis Khan from close range. Genghis Khan activated Sole Ruler Of The Plains and blasted Simo Häyhä to the ground with its shattering impact.
Genghis Khan summoned Mongolian warriors to aid him. Now the crowd called out with anticipation as new combatants appeared out of thin air. They were astounded by what they thought were advanced special effects. The Mongolian warriors chained Simo Häyhä's leg and dragged him across the floor. He pulled out a pistol from his pocket and fired at the one dragging him, managing to aim despite tumbling and tossing through the dirt. The one dragging him slumped over and faded away. Simo Häyhä could not move far from his current position as his leg was still chained. He used the chain to trip over a foolhardy warrior who charged him. He then killed the fallen warrior with his knife.
"Sole Ruler Of The Plains."
Simo Häyhä brought the chain before the impact, shattering it on contact. Genghis Khan accidentally freed his enemy. He cursed and ordered the rest of his warriors to swarm him. They charged suicidally against gunfire, and were felled with ease. More entered the fray, undaunted by their fallen brethren.
Genghis Khan decided to join the charge. He made several frenzied strikes, which Simo Häyhä dodged. He ran further away while still aiming and firing at the advancing enemies. Genghis Khan had enough of this, and summoned more warriors. This group operated a deadly contraption created using his Item Creation. To Simo Häyhä, it seemed to be some form of primitive cannon.
"Yield to the pain of stinging hornets," declared Genghis Khan. His warriors loaded arrows in each of the holes in the contraption and filled it with gunpowder. They ignited it, causing arrows to spray at Simo Häyhä, each one propelled at blinding speeds by the explosive power. Fragments of wood and arrow tips sprayed at Simo Häyhä along with intact arrows. It dealt damage in an area. Simo Häyhä sustained minor injuries initially as his parka and thick clothing protected him from most of the damage from the device. The warriors then loaded iron spikes instead of arrows. Simo Häyhä understood why it he compared it to hornets. With each activation, clouds of sharp, burning metal and explosives were ejected, decimating all in its way.
Simo Häyhä glanced at the spectators surrounding him. They cheered him on, and he worried about their safety. Using Clairvoyance, he realized that some spikes will hit them. Knowing what the must do, he ran forward, straight at the device, to close the angle so all the projectiles will hit him instead. When the fuse burnt out, smoke erupted with a thunderous clap, sending red hot iron fragments at him. The blast ripped through him, inflicting multiple stab wounds. Blood soaked his parka, and clutched his chest in agony. With gritted, blood-stained teeth, he found inspiration to carry on by looking at the crowd of onlookers he fought to protect. The smell of spent gunpowder filled the air, the smoke watering his eyes. In the chaos, he found a stray pack of gunpowder on the floor.
Simo Häyhä it, and turned it into a makeshift grenade and bombed it. The entire contraption exploded, causing the operators to be destroyed by the blast. It was only by sheer luck that none of the spectators were hurt. Thankfully, they had moved back after the contraption was deployed, as the noise of gunpowder exploding deafened them. This contributed to their safety significantly.
Genghis Khan resumed the attack on a crippled Simo Häyhä who sustained numerous injuries. Every action hurt now, as those iron spikes dug deep into his flesh. He still managed to evade Genghis Khan, and even scored a clean hit with his combat knife. He then used a piece of chain to hook Genghis Khan and pull him off his horse again. He fell off comically, and to round off his performance, Simo Häyhä bowed before the crowd, playing along.
"You mock me? I will cut you to pieces!"
"For someone who struggles to even touch me, you promise too much," Simo Häyhä remarked.
"Dragon Of The Golden Horde!"
The smoky visage of the Dragon appeared before Simo Häyhä. He knew what followed and made a hasty retreat. The Dragon opened its jaws, smoke billowing from it. It let out a hacking cough, and this time spat out a torrent of ash and soot, disorientation Simo Häyhä. It then unleashed its molten iron, which sprayed across the battlefield, melting the ground wherever it landed. It missed Simo Häyhä, who aimed at its head and fired, only for the bullet to pass through harmlessly.
Genghis Khan switched to his bow and fired at Simo Häyhä. He dodged to the side, before noticing that one of the arrows about to pass his head would hit an onlooker. He caught the arrow in his hands and raised it to the crowd, which grew hysterical with awe.
Genghis Khan turned livid. He activated his Sole Ruler of The Plains, which shattered the ground beneath wherever his scimitar struck. Simo Häyhä dodged to the left to avoid it. Genghis Khan followed with another, forcing Simo Häyhä to parry the second activation with his submachine gun. The submachine gun shattered into mana and faded away. The onlookers thought this to be special effects, and a few of the began to clap once more.
The Dragon returned, hissing before Simo Häyhä. It brought its dagger-like claws down on him, pinning him. It readied a blast of molten iron, its jaws snapping open to reveal a churning furnace within.
Simo Häyhä switched to his sniper rifle. The activated its ability to disrupt mana, and he detached its magazine before inserted it into the Dragon's mouth. The bullets fizzled on contact with the molten iron inside, releasing its magic-disrupting energies. The Dragon stuttered and coughed, choking on the magazine. Simo Häyhä decided to make his escape.
"Foolish Dragon, burn him now!" he ordered.
The Dragon tried to spit molten iron, though all that came out was a lump of solidified iron, sooty and corroded. Its magic malfunctioned due to the bullets it devoured. Genghis Khan deactivated his Dragon to save mana, causing it to fade away.
During this distraction, Simo Häyhä made his escape by leaping over the crowd, prompting Genghis Khan to follow. He led Genghis Khan to an unpopulated area, and managed to lose him with Presence Concealment. He then made his way to Suomenlinna Fortress.
As he leaped from building to building, speeding through the landscape of him home, Simo Häyhä's lips formed first true smile in a long time. Warmth filled his chest, and he felt anything was achievable now. The battle restored something Simo Häyhä had lost for decades. His heart was at peace now, a bond long broken had reformed. He felt like one of his people, watching them laugh, cheer, talk and have fun. They still admired him, and saw him as Finland's hero.