Chapter 47: Unlimited Blade Works
(Misa's Perspective)
(Day 11 of the 6th Grail War)
Shirou, Rin and Misa spent the entire 11th day of the 6th Grail War assembling all the magi in Helsinki. They now had a small army, 54 strong.
(Day 12 of the 6th Grail War)
They scanned the rooftops and scoured the ground level for ambush locations or fortified positions, en-route to Helsinki Old church. The Mongolian armies stationed there threatened to break through and encircle several Finnish defensive hold outs. Retaking the Old Church would also wrestle the Greater Grail from Genghis Khan's hands.
The sky darkened hours ago, the waning moon the only illumination as the war-ravaged street lights only managed an occasional flicker. As they neared the remnants of the demolished Helsinki Old Church, torches and bonfires caught their eye, the stark yellow flames against the backdrop of the dark night rattled as the cold wind blew. The church stood as a semi-fortified caricature, partially rebuilt, with defensive positions set up around it. Gordafarid guarding their front, they set off to attack it.
Misa now carried Don Quixote's sword with ease, her strength reaching its peak. She received power from Don Quixote's ability upon her death. It granted the target, Misa in this case, knightly qualities, both physically and psychologically. For Misa's case, she was now strong enough to fight with a sword, and possessed new-found courage and desire to fight for the good of others.
Shirou and Rin found her cheerful heroism to be endearing, as she inspired the other magi to help fight Genghis Khan. Despite her being a criminal, they had agreed to set that aside in the light of Genghis Khan's invasion. Their small army had faced small pockets of resistance so far. They continued to move towards the Old Church.
Initially, these magi did not see the value in giving their lives for such a cause. Most magi saw harm done to the non-magical society as inconsequential, and only cared for the mission assigned to them, which was to bring Sircolia to justice. Failing which, they planned to retreat from Finland and regroup. Shirou and Rin managed to change their plans by impressing upon them that they would die if Helsinki falls to Genghis Khan. After all, he wanted to rule the entire world, and would crush any who resisted. Keen to preserve the Clocktower and magi society by extension, these magi joined up shortly after.
They approached Helsinki Old Church under heavy fire. Arrows sang through the air as they zipped towards them.
"Rho Aias!" Shirou created a barrier that deflected the arrows. The arrows bounced off, as harmless as rain against this shield. The other magic formed one compact group and advanced behind Shirou's shield.
They trudged along a narrow road, sandwiched by buildings on both sides. Gordafarid leaped over Shirou's barrier and scaled the walls. She engaged a group of cavalry who tried to go around Shirou's Rho Aias. The foolhardy Mongolian warriors tried to charge her. Gordafarid countered with dodges and fanciful footwork, all the while retaliating with jabs and cuts from her scimitar. The cavalry group dwindled in number and fled back to the church.
The magi neared a defensive position where a group of Mongolian warriors armed with halberds defended a trebuchet. Archers still pelted them with arrows. Rin activated a gemstone in her hands spewed forth a jet of fire, aimed at the enemy. It illuminated the otherwise dim road they fought on. The fire scattered the Mongolian warriors, allowing the other magi to use their spells to take out the trebuchet. Misa was about to leap over Shirou's Rho Aias to help with the battle, when he stopped her.
"Misa, it's too dangerous out there. We are surrounded by enemies. If you die, I would not forgive myself."
"I have to fight them. My sword is all I got besides weak light magic."
"Take this Reinforcement." Shirou reinforced Misa's clothing, making it as hard as plate mail, while retaining its flexibility. "Now go and show them Don Quixote's power."
"With pleasure," Misa said, bringing her sword down on a Mongolian warrior armed with a halberd. In a move that mirrored Don Quixote's, she cut his halberd in half and then slashed him down.
Arrows bounced off Misa's reinforced clothing as she provided melee support for the magi. She combined her attacks with flashes of light blinded her foes. They set foot on the church itself. Shirou made sure the archers were occupied with fighting Misa and Gordafarid when he lifted Rho Aias, allowing the magi to fan out and engage the enemy.
One cavalry soldier used the cover of darkness to sneak up on Misa from behind, aiming for the back of her head when he got pierced by an icicle created by a magus nearby. Misa turns around, realizing what had happened and thanked him.
The battlefield shone as a blazing beacon of war in the otherwise darkened city, alight with the burning fires of the Mongolian warriors and the plethora of magics summoned by the magi. Projectiles, familiars, golems, and forcefields summoned to battle as the magi blended their numerous techniques to overwhelm the enemy. Mongolian warriors were frozen, vaporized, burnt, blasted to pieces, and crushed.
As the numbers of Mongolian warriors dwindled, Misa and the other magi re-established a formation in preparation for the next wave. A larger, more elaborately armoured Mongolian warrior approached them with several hundred more warriors behind him.
"I am Subutai, general of Genghis Khan! You will hinder us no longer."
Misa brandished her blade in response, preparing to defend.
Seeing an opportunity to strike, another magus fired a swirling mass of grey energy at Subutai. It scattered when it collided with his armour. Residual energy from the spell fell to the ground, causing the ground to dissolve.
"He resisted my acid? Impossible." The magus prepared another attack, fearing a counterattack.
"I am a master blacksmith. My armour is forged by none other than me." Subutai charged at the magus. Misa protected him with a sweeping cut from her sword.
Subutai summoned a second scimitar. He used one to parry Misa's sword, and the other went to strike at her. Misa's reinforced clothing spared her from his assault. She switched to using the pommel end of the sword and brought its weight to bear on Subutai. Subutai attempted to parry, but the heavier pommel broke his guard.
Reeling from the attack, Subutai ordered his horse to trample her. Misa avoided it by rolling to the side. She blinded the horse with a flash of light. In a disoriented daze, it stumbled, causing Subutai to fall off. Undeterred, he raised his blades and charged after Misa, who rose to her feet, sword ready to deflect him. Subutai was hit by a massive icicle and a crystalline projectile, courtesy of two magi who came to Misa's aid. Their attacks were impressive, yet his armour remained unblemished.
Subutai continued his charge. Misa moved her sword to parry, only to realize he performed a feint attack. He swerved his weapon, and struck her in the arm. Hard. Misa could feel her bones shaking from the impact, though her flesh was not cut due to the reinforcement magic on her clothes. She flinched and took several steps back. She cast another blinding flash of light, interrupting Subutai's momentum. With a sundering blow, she knocked both scimitars out of his hands. Misa followed through with another attack, gripping the middle of her sword to grant her more edge-control and thrusting power. This was also one of Don Quixote's techniques, and it found a chink in Subutai's armour, inflicting a moderate wound. Subutai recoiled, as blood leaked from his armour, dripping on the floor beneath him.
Another magus summoned a golem made of rubble to strike Subutai from behind, propelling him forward, right into Misa's outstretched sword. At the same time, two magi approached Subutai from opposite locations. They channelled a freezing beam and an incinerating beam. It heated and froze Subutai's armour, weakening it. Misa's sword managed to shatter the armour when they met. He received a stab to the chest, as he faded into mana.
Without Subutai's vanguard, the outer defences of the Old Church gave way soon after, and the magi under Rin and Shirou closed in on the Holy Grail.
Isilda waited for them in the catacombs of the Old Church. She had been ordered by her Khan to prevent the Holy Grail from falling into their hands at all costs. With Subutai's defeat, the duty of carrying out Genghis Khan's wishes fell to her. Pointing to the entrance, she gave the order for the 20,000 Mongolian warriors inside the vast catacomb network to attack. Her army raised their weapons and poured out of the catacombs to challenge the magi.
Shirou stared at the battlefield. Mongol warriors were dispersing. Most of the magi were still able to fight, though weariness crept up on them. He walked up to Misa, who rested for a moment, leaning against her copy of Don Quixote's sword. Stashing Kanshou and Bakuya at his waist, he asked her if she was able to continue fighting.
"I can still fight, I mean-" Misa's voice became brittle, she took a long stare at the devastated buildings, and caught sight of a corpse lying amongst the debris. She lowered her head as the carnage before her resonated in her thoughts. "I must."
Shirou sensed guilt in her. Self-loathing. He understood that she held herself accountable for her part in causing this Grail War. Wanting to alleviate her pain, he came closer, and tried to console her. "You're not-"
"To blame?" Misa brought herself closer to him, in need of someone to lean on, and relieve her inner turmoil. The battle had left her drained of energy and most of her emotion, except for lingering guilt, caused by the scenes of destruction before her. "If I had just realized what Sircolia was planning sooner, and reported on him, maybe all this wouldn't have happened."
Shirou gestured at the destroyed buildings, grim caricatures of steel. "You did not cause this. Genghis Khan did." A tear left his eye, his voice carried pain. It hurt him to see her like this. "You are trying to fix this. And you are not alone."
Misa took a deep breath, the storm inside her began to settle. "I must do more then."
The enemy did not give them much longer to take a respite. Soon after they finished speaking, Isilda's troops made their way to the entrance to the catacombs. Their overwhelming numbers rushed forward against the several dozen remaining magi gathered around the Old Church.
Faced with an endless stream of enemies, Shirou and Rin issued to order to retreat, severely outnumbered. Isilda gave the order to pursue.
"Gordafarid, you excel at fighting large groups of enemies, hold them here so we can retreat." Rin instructed her Servant, who obliged. Her scimitar glimmered with hatred for Genghis Khan, and it carried over into brutal strikes that obliterated her enemies as they came.
Isilda emerged to take a more active role in the battle. "What are you doing Lancer?" she said. "Can't you see you are hopeless against this force?"
Gordafarid remained silent, and activated her Noble Phantasm.
"A Lion Eager For Battle."
"Such insolence. Very well, I suppose I will entertain myself with watching you get torn limb from limb. Kill her," Isilda said.
Shirou, Rin and Misa remained as the magi withdrew, before trying to work out a way for them to escape with Gordafarid. As she cleaved and cut, Gordafarid noticed them attempting to aid her. "No, you must escape. I will buy you time. If you can, kill Isilda. She is Genghis Khan's Master, I know it." Her Noble Phantasm allowed her to fight the army of Mongol warriors as her power increased proportionately to the number of enemies she fought. They surrounded her from all directions and attacked, like a vicious pack of wolves. Gordafarid did not waver, and cut them down with ease. Soon, she had slain dozens. More warriors came to replace the fallen. The fight raged on, and Gordafarid reached her hundredth kill, and then her two hundredth. She began to shout out her kills, as an act of defiance towards Isilda, who grew impatient. Her expression changed from a merciless grin to one with crooked brows as she started to doubt if her forces could kill her.
"Like hell we are retreating," Rin told her Servant. "We are going to defeat Isilda."
"If she's threatened, she will call Genghis Khan to her side. And that will be the end of your plan." Gordafarid spoke to Rin, using her connection.
"I have a plan." Rin said to her Servant.
Rin turned to Shirou, who knew what he needed to do. This was a fight that required his all. "Cover me while I recite the incantation," he said to Rin.
"Wait, what's happening?" Misa asked. She felt a rising energy and confidence from Shirou and Rin. It filled her with the will to fight, even as the number of Mongol warriors grew.
Isilda took a small group of warriors, several hundred of them, to attack Rin to cut off Gordafarid's supply of mana, suspecting that Gordafarid's success came from her Master. She soared above then, casting magical wires to pull them towards her warriors. Misa found herself entangled, though she cut herself free before she being dragged into the army.
Rin threw an explosive gemstone at Isilda, which forced her to duck downwards to avoid the blast. Shirou projected a dozen swords, firing them at Isilda, who created wires to block them. Rin's next gemstone hit, destroying her wires.
Shirou closed his eyes, his palm stretched forward to call upon his Unlimited Blade Works. Rin helped by drawing the enemy's attention.
Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works Chant:
I am the bone of my sword.
Steel is my body and fire is my blood.
I have created over a thousand blades.
Unaware of loss,
Nor aware of gain.
Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival.
I have no regrets. This is the only path.
My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works.
Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works enveloped everyone in an illusory fire that inflicted no heat. Rin, Gordafarid, Misa, Isilda and her army were pulled into his Reality Marble.
Before them shaped a landscape bathed in twilight from the extended horizon. The ground was covered in earth, swords stuck into the ground every metre or so apart, continuing far beyond what the eye could see. The sky burned gold. Clouds fragmented the rays of light, creating the effect of the sky being made of molten metal. Realizing she and her army were now trapped here, she regrouped them to attack her four opponents.
Shirou created Rho Aias again to protect Rin, Misa and himself, while Gordafarid continued to fight, unaffected by the change in location. Thousands of weapons aimed at them, from flails to polearms, the glinting edges of spears, bows, and swords, every one of them ravening for blood.
"Behold my Reality Marble, a field of infinite swords. I ask you, minions of Genghis Khan, do you have enough weapons to face me?" Shirou faced the horde without a splinter of fear. His eyes read the weapons, noting their details within a fraction of the fraction of a second. Dozens of swords formed in the air, then hundreds. That was not all, as even more swords pulled themselves from the ground. Each one unleashed a burst of mana, propelled at their target leaving a cobalt trail behind them as they went. Weapons rained on the Mongolian warriors by the hundreds in a torrent of steel and sparks. Weapons struck and pierced, armour cracked and splintered, and bodies fell to the ground.
Isilda looked at her Command Seals, and then at her foes. Rin smirked, behind Rho Aias, "You can't call Genghis Khan to your side while you're here. It's over."
The blood red eyes carried no fear. Isilda's lips formed a confident grin, as mana flowed into her finger tips, forming thin, white strands. It spun and coiled into a new Wire Hawk.
Isilda felt safe behind her troops, only to get knocked back by a figure made of light. She turned to meet her radiant foe, Misa's light form. Her real body now rested unconscious behind Shirou's Rho Aias. Misa had implanted her consciousness into a being of light, further maximising her combat capabilities as she would no longer feel tired. Not having a physical body also made her invulnerable to physical attacks. This was the special technique Rin had helped Misa perfect back at Suomenlinna, an ability she now used to great effect. Bathed in the light of the gleaming sky, Misa's light form dashed through the battlefield, leaving dead Mongolian warriors in her wake. She cleaved and hewed at all in her way, carving a path towards Isilda.
Gordafarid reached her limits. She had slain countless foes, and yet countless more arrived. Shirou's constant bombardment of swords began to wear thin, as they projected at a slower rate. Meanwhile, some Mongolian warriors attempted to break through Rho Aias. Rin is now the last line of defence, using gemstones and Gandr to keep them at bay.
Shirou created Caladbolg and fired it as an arrow using his bow. His bow was a projection of his as well. Caladbolg condensed into a golden arrow. When unleashed, it vaporized several thousand Mongolian warriors in a devastating wave of fire. Isilda cursed, as she mounted a large Wire Hawk to escape the blast.
Misa's light form continued to attack, relentlessly pursuing her. She ran across the desert plains after her, who flew above. Isilda's Wire Hawk decreased in altitude to use its sickle talons to slice Misa.
Misa parried the talons, only to find herself now trapped in wires. Isilda pulled the sword from her, now in possession of it. Misa's light form glanced at her empty hands, now weaponless, and for the time being, did not pose a threat to Isilda. Isilda returned to the safety of the skies, Don Quixote's sword in her wicked hands.
"You are powerful. With this form you have taken, you are on track to becoming a first-rate magus. However, you are clearly inexperienced as I caught you off guard," Isilda taunted.
Misa's light form returned to her body. She awakened and told Shirou she lost her sword.
"Don't worry, I'll get you another," said Shirou, projecting Misa a new copy as he observed the original in Isilda's hands.
Shirou's Rho Aias came under attack from another group of cavalry. Shirou lowered Rho Aias unexpectedly, Kanshou and Bakuya now in his hands. He threw himself at them, bring a few down with his opening attack. Misa joined him, using her new sword to cleave her enemies in twain. Rin did not allow herself to be left out by this, as Gandr projectiles filled the air, blasting Mongolian warriors off their horses. She finished them off with a mixture of gemstones, as explosions and streams of fire dotted the battlefield. Calling forth the 5 elements, she set streams of water, blasts of wind, spears of rock, and torrents of flame. Ether was the last, the fifth element. Its power fused into the other elements, surging the mana output from Rin, and enhancing the power of the spell. Hundreds of Mongolian warriors fell before the symphony of fire, water, earth and air.
Another use of Caladbolg whittled the Mongolian army to just several thousand that engaged Gordafarid. Shirou kneeled on the ground, out of mana. He panted, realizing he could only maintain Unlimited Blade Works for a little longer. Misa detached from him to hunt Isilda down. Her hunt was short as the overconfident Isilda came to them, atop her Wire Hawk. It attempted to strike with its sickle talons when several projected swords launched at her. She dodged them all, before getting caught in a flash of light from Misa. She flew blindly, into an explosive gemstone used by Rin. This caused her to fall off her Wire Hawk.
Her troops arrived to aid her, only to get blinded and cut down by Misa, who headed dangerously close to Isilda.
"Gordafarid, I command you to travel to Isilda's location," Rin said.
Gordafarid teleported to Isilda, who dodged her attack.
"Gordafarid, I command you to kill Isilda," Rin said.
Gordafarid lunged forward, ready to strike. Her attack fell short as the striking head of an enormous flail smashed her down. Wielded by a particularly strong Mongol warrior, the spiked menace glinted red with her blood like an iron star. The warriors she fought earlier had regrouped, and surrounded her, closing in for the kill.
"Quickly! Kill Shirou, the one with the black and white swords, and we can get out of this hellscape!" Isilda ordered.
Rin wanted to command Gordafarid to kill Isilda again, but noticed they were seconds away from being attacked by the redirected army. She decided to command Gordafarid back to her.
"Forgive me for my mistake, I command you to defend us," Rin said.
Gordafarid returned, scimitar ready, and slashed through the army.
Isilda found herself alone with Misa. Isilda's stolen sword clashed with Misa's duplicate. Isilda was unfamiliar with swords, while Misa inherited Don Quixote's skill. Driven back by skillful counters and precise movements, Isilda compensated with wires from her right hand, while her left hand wielded the sword.
Misa cut through them, and used flashes of light to trick Isilda.
"You know I could just close my eyes, right?" Isilda said.
"How about this?" Misa said, lunging forward and grazing Isilda.
Isilda dodged to the side and slashed Misa's waist, only for her attack to be blocked by her reinforced clothing.
"Your form is poor." Misa caught Isilda in a blinding flash, before grabbing her sword. She then pulled Isilda to her, and attempted to stab. Isilda desperately blocked, her pupils expanding at the sight of the approaching tip.
With a swift flick of her blade, Misa performed a feint, and slashed off Isilda's right hand, where her Command Seals rested. Isilda made a feeble attack with her left hand. Seeing it approach her, Misa grabbed her hand and drove Isilda's own sword into her stomach. Isilda let go of her weapon, her torso spurting blood. Pain wracked her insides as her limbs weakened and bent. Misa moved to support her, showing mercy to a fallen foe.
"Isilda, end the war, kill Genghis Khan. We can still save you."
"I will never betray my Khan," Isilda said. With a last burst of effort, she drove the sword deeper into herself. More blood flowed as she breathed her last choking breath. She did so to ensure that she would not be persuaded to kill Genghis Khan. Misa laid Isilda's body to rest and returned to Shirou and Rin with her sword.
Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works reached its end. The remaining Mongolian warriors returned to Helsinki, with Shirou, Rin, Misa, Gordafarid and Isilda's corpse, sword still in her stomach. Gordafarid sustained numerous stab wounds, with countless arrows and swords sticking out of her body. Rin's command to defend them had expired and Gordafarid could now feel the effects of her injuries. She had done her job, protecting her allies long enough to circumvent the Mongolian army.
"Isilda is dead, though she resisted to the end." Misa said raising her blade at the remaining Mongolian warriors, who retreated as their numbers had dwindled to less than a tenth.
Gordafarid thanked Rin for being a fine master, allowing her to die protecting others, just as she did valiantly in life, before fading away.
Misa removed the blade from Isilda's corpse, as that was her original copy. She laid the replica Shirou projected beside her body. Behind stood Shirou and Rin, who mourned the fact that the Einzbern Family has been sending homunculi to die for generations now. Isilda was but a pawn caught in a desperate struggle by the Einzberns to win the Grail Wars. They laid Isilda to rest on a grass patch near the church. Afterwards, the remaining magi followed them into the catacombs, in search of the Greater Grail.
(Day 13 of the 6th Grail War)
Several hours had passed inside Shirou's reality marble. The 13th day arrived, and with it, more Finnish reinforcements. They deployed aerial strikes and drone attacks, causing Genghis Khan's front lines to crumble.
Genghis Khan had lost the window of opportunity, and now an entire nation responded to his violence in kind. Without Isilda, his mana supply ran the risk of drying up, and he had no choice but to expedite his plans or fade into nothing.
He sensed her defeat from deep within the forests of Sipoonkorpi. Stabbing his scimitar into his table, he rose to his feet and cursed his gods. Maddened with rage, he got atop his horse and rode off to battle. His remaining armies had captured half of Helsinki, though they suffered defeats where it mattered. Helsinki Old Church now laid firmly in the grasp of his enemies. Isilda's death and the loss of the majority of his 20,000 strong army was the final blow which destabilized Genghis Khan's chances of victory.