* Umineko - Life's End

* Umineko - Melting away


Chapter XLII: Moira Mayhem


* Umineko - Life's End

Fuuma and Volundr's battle has devolved into a mere fist brawl at some point. They weren't exactly sure how it has gotten to this, and it couldn't be called a dignified battle between Heroic Spirits. In the first place, the shinobi had given in to his primal instinct and had turned even more into the image of a demonic ogre from the East. This meant he had given up his sneaky tactics and had opted for a more upfront approach. Volundr was more used to said approach, so swinging his fists into his opponent's face had come naturally as well.

And he had received more than a few as well: the blacksmith's face was bruised and blood was dripping from his nose. He didn't exactly mind now that he was in a mood appropriate for a bar brawl. The shinobi has also made more than acquaintance with his knuckles, and Volundr had even managed to break his mask. By now, Fuuma was hiding his face behind his large hand, and all that could be seen of it were his bright red eyes glarring daggers at Volundr.

But, well, that was in the past.

Their brawl had been interrupted when the earth had began to shake, followed by something quite alarming: black roots were growing through the building. It was a strange sight to imagine, but those indeed looked like either the roots of a tree, or a sapling growing. And it was growing at an alarming rate: the roots were breaking through the walls and expanding – they were coming from down below, with some of them even sprouting between the two Servants.

And then, there was the monstrous roar that echoed loudly in the night.

"...Truce?" The blacksmith offered.

"Tru...ce..." This event had acted as a cold shower for Fuuma as well.

Considering the eyes that were popping up from time to time, as well as what they had just heard, there was no doubt in Caster's mind that this was a living being. And if he trusted his instincts, he couldn't expect love and hugs from it. Both Servants acted at once and they split up; not because they had some kind of plan, but because it was each man for himself. Volundr couldn't guess what the shinobi would do, but he knew exactly what his own objective should be: save his Master.

Hey, can you hear me? How are things on your side?

He doubted the old magus would be sleeping at a time like this, and if he wasn't busy he would respond. His expectations were fulfilled soon enough:

Hoho, I took a hit... I already had a hallway collapse on me, and now the ground is shaking again, hohoho...

If you have the energy to make your silly laugh, then you're fine.

Hey now.

Do you happen to have any clue about what is happening? About this strange black... thing popping up everywhere.

Not a single idea, I can't see anything where I am... but I can see how grave this situation is. There's an overwhelming magical signature inside the Clock Tower, and it keeps growing. I'd hoped you could enlighten me, but alas.

It is alive. I cannot pretend I know what it is, but it isn't a denizen of death like us Servants. Right now, it seemed to be searching for something.

Searching?

Indeed, if Volundr had to describe the Creature's erratic movements, it looks as though it was rummaging around. Of course, that was his interpretation, since it didn't look like any living being he knew. The roots were stretching still, but as they did they swung left and right. The small red dots that appeared to be eyes were also looking around, and they couldn't seem to settle down.

But just as he thought this, they suddenly did.

They all focused on him.

"...!"

One tentacle stopped swinging around and moved like a whip to attack him. Volundr reacted by materializing a sword and cutting it clean off; after hitting the ground, the tentacle convulsed before withering away.

They're searching for us.

...Hohoho, I had a hunch that might be the case, but this isn't going to do at all.

As Volundr kept running, more tentacles sprouted and assailed him. He had the feeling they were appearing faster now that they knew where he was. They didn't pose much of a threat, but the way they were attacking him was unnerving. Some tentacles would grow teeth as they approached him, and it was clear what intention was hiding behind that. It wasn't like the concept of man-eating monsters was novel, but this was not a typical monster. It wasn't an ogre, or a dragon, or a regular beast. It was simply something that manifested itself in order to consume.

And it also found other ways to attack: a bulb grew at a tentacle's tip until it reached the size of a fist. Then, it opened like a flower, but it was nothing as gracious. As soon as it had bloomed, light gathered inside the flower before shooting out in a ray of concentrated energy.

But it was weak.

With his enchanted hammer, Volundr easily knocked it away. But he didn't feel any less uneasy.

Charles, you should evacuate.

Hoho, that would probably be the wise thing to do, but not the thing I'll do. My fellow Masters are still inside, and they'll appreciate having someone who can fight. I can't leave these children on their own.

Hmph. To think you of all people has come to act to protect others.

Is it really that strange? Hohoho!

It is. I haven't pried into your past, but my eyes can gauge a man. But I know you're saying this to tease me.

You reall know me well then!

Sometimes I wished I didn't.

Hoho, I bet you want nothing more than to leave this place! Well, I don't want to force your hand, but if you know me so well, you know I'll still do it.

Hmph. I'm more curious to know if you can fend for yourself, foolish one. A magus though you might be, you're an old withered one.

Hmm, I'm better off as an old fart than a snot-nosed brat. I lost my Draconis under the rubbles, but I can take well enough care of myself. Don't worry for me.

You ask me not to worry, but you managed to lose your weapon already. I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't give you the Sword right away.

Hohoho, there's no need for that~! To tell you the truth, I might not use it, at all.

...

My, why so silent all of sudden?

... ... ... Did something happen to you, foolish one?

... Hahaha, let's just say someone gave me a lot to think about. I already told you not to worry about me. If you have time to be concerned about this old man, run faster. I'm about to engage the enemy.

Hmph.

The more Charles told him not to worry, the more the blacksmith questioned if it would really be alright. His Master was extremely stubborn; he was an old man after all. But they were both stuck up, stubborn old men, so there was nothing Volundr could do to help him. On the other hand, it was silly to tell him to run faster, since the blacksmith was already doing as best as he could.

The roots were still expanding to the point that, in some places, they replaced the walls and ceiling. It was as though the very building was attempting to kill him: the tentacles sprouted in great number ahead of him and tried forming several walls throughout the hallway.

It wasn't a though he could hack away at them willy nilly if he wanted to play it safe, so Volundr traced the runes of fire to burn it all away. In an instant, the hallway was cleared and he could go through – but something attracted his attention as he passed through. Not every single root had been reduced to ashes: one of them, sitting in a corner, was munching onto something with its twisted mouth.

It dawned on the blacksmith that it could be eating nothing else but the flames themselves.

That thing could eat mana.

(...He definitely won't be safe on his own.)

And he hastened his pace.


When Brynhildr and Galahad finally arrived to the place where they had left their Master, they weren't there of course.

Looking for them was no small task, since they couldn't manage to reach them mentally no matter what, and they had no idea in which direction they went. It took them a bit of searching around, during which Lancer grew increasingy worried, but they eventually stumbled upon them.

They found the both them laying down unconscious, not far from each other. This explained why neither of their Servants could contact them, so it was a relief for them. Of course, the most relieved of the two was Brynhildr, who hurried to Ewald's side to check on his state. When she saw he had no mortal wound, she heaved a huge sigh a relief and could finally settle down.

On his side, Galahad also went to check on his Master, but he wasn't quite as worried as Lancer. And for good reason, since he found Leo napping down on the floor, snoring and drooling. The young man looked like he too took quite the beating, and yet his sleep was peaceful. After a satisfied nod, the knight picked up the unconscious Leo to carry him on his back. He had already retrieved the white shield and the golden sword when he passed in front of them, so now he was once again in peak condition. If you put aside the hole in his chest.

But now what?

That was the question they asked each other with silent stares.

Galahad had not lied to her and now they had both found their Masters again, but what was the next thing to do exactly? They were still enemies, so the answer was probably that they should fight. But after interrupting their battle once already, it felt redundant. Not to mention, if they decided to fight here and now, their Masters would be in danger again and it would all have been for nothing.

They were both aware of that, so that wasn't what they were wondering about.

There was something happening inside the Clock Tower, they could feel it from here. They could also feel it growing, and so a question was pressing them: should they stay, or should they leave. Now that her Master was injured and vulnerable, Brynhildr had all reasons to retreat; at the same time, her role was to be here, and she couldn't easily ignore what was going on. As for Galahad, it was his role to defend this place, and it was his home base; but fighting with Leo on his back would not be simple. It was all the harder to decide when they didn't know what exactly was going on.

Of course, if they couldn't make their mind, they would be stripped of their right to choose: the Creature found them. Of all things, they hadn't expected a myriad of snake-like tentacles to break through the walls and floor and to rush at them with their maws wide open.

But it was useless while they were on high alert: they were carrying their respective Masters, but for Servants of their magnitudes, a mere swing of their weapons was enough to decimate all the ravenous maws at once. Did that mean they could sigh in relief? Not one bit: repelling these was like a sand castle surviving a single wave. The Creature's oppressive presence was surrounding them on all sides, filling the air with nothing but murderous intent. Galahad heard Leo groaning on his back; he was still in the lands of dreams, but not the good ones it seemed.

The knight himself did not feel apprehension – he was not functionally capable of fearing his foes. But he could tell he was faced against nothing less than a spawn of Evil. A monster worse than the ones in the tales, and worse than any he had personally fought. But he wasn't afraid – rather, he had a hunch deep inside, a voice telling him that it was the Creature that feared him.

"...We're surrounded on all sides. It will not stop attacking now; it might get worse." Galahad looked back at Lancer. "It's fine if you want to leave and put your Master in safety."

"...Heh." It was clear even to him that Brynhildr was filled with hesitancy, but she showed a bold smile and raised her spear. "I cannot deploy my wings safely here anyway. And I cannot leave without going through that monster anyway. So the surest way to make him safe is by slaying it down, wouldn't you say?"

"...So it seems." Galahad turned back to the hallway in front of them. It would lead them deeper yet, closer to the heart of the beast. "...Then, stay behind me."

"Heh."

They were rather deep inside the Clock Tower by now. They could not move around that much. And they would be attacked on all sides at once – even the ground and ceiling weren't safe. Even so, the knight was certain his Master would not even have to wake up from his nap.

As they progressed, pretty much what he had expected happened: snakes, roots, venus flytraps, and monsters that could be described as nothing more than sharp teeth on a mouth assaulted them relentlessly. At first, there was a certain span of time between two waves, but it grew shorter and shorter until it was no more. Likewise, the army of nightmares swarming them grew stronger and sturdier.

Of course, they were still not so strong they couldn't be killed in a single hit. But they weren't actually dying, they were brainless appendages that knew no fear of death. The Creature's black flesh was covering the walls and floor in every diretion, and the jaws were growing from it. Galahad was pretty much swinging his sword constantly at this point; thankfully, the blood vaporized upon contact with him, so the knight and his Master were not soaked in it.

The valkyria was struggling a lot more on the other hand: not only was it awkward to use a spear with a single hand, it was made even harder by the lack of space and Galahad's proximity. As a result, she was casting fire and lightning more than she was swinging her weapon.

"Hagalaz!"

Purple lightning erupted from her fingertips and tore a path through the sea of monstrosities. She didn't have to fear hitting Galahad thanks to his Magic Resistance, whereas the Creature had little resistance whatsoever. But the flesh covering the hallway was still there; after she had cast her spell, dozens of small mouths appeared on the wall and the ceiling, and they began munching on something invisible.

They were devouring the leftover from her runes, the magical energy composing it.

"You...!" That thing would latch on anything it could and devour it. In her anger, Brynhildr brandished her spear and swung it at the mouths in question. "I won't let you devour him!"

The massive spear head smashed into the wall and made it collaspe all along the hallway. Even if the black flesh would stick to surfaces no matter what, if she destroyed its support, it would fade away. In fact, as soon as something was cut off from the flesh it ended up vanishing. Of course, they couldn't afford to destroy the entire building. But it proved that the link between each body part was tenuous – probably a consequence from spreading around so much.

However, she made another discovery.

When the wall crumbled down, it revealed the room behind it. She couldn't make out much of what was inside it: it was filled to the brim with black flesh and red eyes. But what stood out even more to her was hanging in the middle – a bag of flesh, glowing and pulsating with power. Many veins were attached to it, feeding it with energy; and Brynhildr understood that this was where the all mana that had been devoured was going.

But she had not expected what came next: all the eyes turned and stared at her, and at the same time something appeared on the bag of mana. It was a round hole littered with sharp spikes, and inside the hole there was a blinding light. This light, obviously, was the gathered magical energy, and it was about to be fired at her.

It was not something that could be called a spell. Instead of mana refined into a purpose, what the Creature fired was a concentrate of raw energy.

A white beam of destruction was fired directly at Bynhildr, and the latter took too long to react. The sight in front of her was so alien that she only reacted once the beam was already fired. With this little distance, even her speed would not let her dodge it.

Fortunately, there was a knight here with a knack for protecting others.

Galahad had reacted faster, and thanks to that he was able to stand in front of the Valkyria right before the attack hit. But, as a matter of fact, the beam didn't hit him: it couldn't get past his Magic Resistance. His natural disposition as a Divine Construct made him even more resistant, and the beam of mana vanished into thin air.

The red eyes squinted at the knight. It seemed to him that they were glarring at him. A low, rumbling roar echoed throughout the building. Black spears sprouted and rushed at them from all directions – to which Galahad heaved a sigh.

"...I didn't want to use it." He closed his eyes. "But that would be egoist of me."

* Umineko - Melting Away

A valve was opened, and the light welled forth. A pure light emanating from Galahad's chest, shining all the brighter in the midst of darkness.

The black was painted over with white; with a deafening shriek of pain, the spears, the jaws, and the flesh were all burned away and disintegrated within the light's embrace. Brynhildr was forced to raise her arms to shield her eyes.

"...You are a creature without a wish. In your world, nothing exists but yourself." The knight turned away from the now empty room. "Your existence begets only conflict. It saddens me, but I have to kill you."

The light died down a little, but it didn't disappear completely. His armor know seemed made of light, even though it had to be physical since he was carrying Leo. The latter was still snoring loudly, with no sign of waking up. Just how tired could he be? Galahad smiled faintly at how amusing it was as he made his way. On his path, no matter what the Creature was sending at him, it would be vaporized before it could ever reach him.

Lancer could only follow him from a short distance. Somehow, this light seemed amazing to her, something she could marvel out almost innocently. Yet at the same time...

"It stings..." She couldn't help but wince. Not because the light hurt her eyes, but because there was a singing sensation inside her. "Just what kind of light is this...?"

"...The light that is mine. A light to strike down the darkness. I can unleash it only this much without calling out its True Name." In truth, he was toning it down so that it wouldn't bother his Master too much. "...You don't need to fear it. I don't believe you are the kind of person who would be killed by it."

"Even if you say so..." She smiled bitterly. There was indeed darkness inside her that could be burned.

Thus, with the guidance of Galahad's light, the two made their way through the darkness inside the Clock Tower.


Somewhere else, someone was indeed forcibly woken up from their slumber. Bruno had a splitting headache, as though someone had driven a nail into his temple. Because of that, it was hard to think straight. It took him a moment to remember where he was; blurry images of what had happened before he had been knocked unconscious.

"So you're awake now?" He immediatly recognized Chi You's authoritative tone, though. "Don't pretend you aren't. I can tell your breathing has changed."

She was carrying him under one of her arms. Not the most comfortable of positions, but his body was already extremely sore and painful from his battle. She was holding him backward too: he could see the direction they were coming from, as well as the terrifying trail of blood the warrior was leaving in her path. But none it didn't seem to be hers; it was too black, despite being so fresh.

"You rescued me..."

"Is that the first thing you should say?" She grumbled. "You should be apologizing. I had to interrupt my battle to save you. You were fortunate than the rubbles didn't crush you to death."

"So they miraculously missed me...?"

"Not at all. But I repaired those parts." Her casual way of saying such things still sent a chill down his back, although he wasn't in a position to complain. "I know more about magecraft than my own Master. Although, I had thought I could at least count on that Master to take care of himself."

"I think I did pretty well, actually." For once, he felt like protesting. "I knew magi could be tough, but that was one annoying old man. Actually, I wonder what happened to him..."

"I felt no other presence than yours. He was probably crushed, and no one was there to patch him up."

"Are you going to hold it against me for long? Being alive is a victory for me..."

"Running away is no victory for me!" Chi You stopped to turn him around, so that he could see how angry she was. And indeed, she was glaring at him as hard as the day he had summoned her. "Not to mention, our assault is a complete failure."

"A failure...? Do you mean Lancer was killed?"

"I haven't seen her for well over a day, I couldn't possibly know! But we've lost all of our momentum now. Not to mention, a brand new obstacle has appeared before us."

"Brand new? So it isn't one of the Servants of Red?" Bruno felt he could think clearly again. But his Servant was still adamant about carrying him – she probably wouldn't let him leave her sight for a while. So he did his best to search for something in that position. "Kh, did Alexander try to contact me?"

"If you're talking about that device of yours, it did buzz a little. But I was busy."

"With the 'obstacle'?"

"Precisely."

She raised one of her weapons for him to see. The sword's blade was dripping with the same black blood that was on the ground. In fact, it was probably staining the floor because she was soaked in it. He hadn't noticed it before because his clothes were already black, but Bruno had gotten plenty of it on himself as well.

Chi You followed up with an explaination of how she had been assailed, very much in the same way as the other Servants inside the Clock Tower. They had posed no problem to her, as a matter of a course. She had simply made her way, barely acknowledging them. That being said, an unending wave of enemies was quite frustrating, even for her. All the more after facing off after a Heroic Spirit who just wouldn't go down.

"They aren't coming anymore, however. I cannot tell why, but it seems I am not that thing's primary target anymore."

"It's one crazy thing after the other..." The Black Faction had quickly lost its edge. "Is this a defensive measure from the Reds?"

"Most likely not. Not only would it not make sense for it to stop attacking me, it was way too weak. These guys should be able to do better than that, shouldn't they?"

"..."

Even though she pretended to be angry, Bruno found his Servant was surprisingly talkative at the moment. Maybe because he was used to her giving him the cold shoulder. So even though her battle had been cut short, it seemed she had managed to vent at least a little.

"So that thing... it's trying to eat us?"

"It tried its best, but in the end I was the one to get a bite of it. It tastes aweful." Chiyou grimaced. "It would also have devoured you if I hadn't found you soon enough."

"Gee, I'm almost died a lot today."

"Do you think it's funny?" She growled.

"It is, when you don't actually die." It was not his first time coming close to death, and surely not the last.

"You are a terrible Master."

"Sorry for being a normal human."

"That is a strange thing to call yourself, brat." He had expected her to keep berrating him for his weakness, but her words took him by surprise. "You certainely are foolish and inconsiderate, but far from normal."

"...Well, that's a first. Of all the people we've been coming across lately, I didn't expect to be called a freak. I'm not sure what you mean though."

"Mere humans are afraid of me, for a start."

"I am afraid though." That was the truth, even if he knew he should be more terrified.

"And yet you still find the courage to be cheeky." She clicked her tongue. "I should add that normal humans are afraid of death."

"Death happens, or it doesn't. I don't like it either, but when you're alive death is never far. If I couldn't make peace with that, I would be too scared to do anything. Death is a wall we push until we lose the match, I guess."

"Are you trying to improvise yourself as a poet, brat?" Visibly, his words were not improving her mood. "What do you make of your promise, then? Or was that merely another way for you to push death back?"

"Ah. That." Indeed, he had pretty much signed his own death warrant already. He remembered she had even been disgusted at him for that. "I'm not planning to croak anytime soon. I'd like to leave without regrets, if possible."

Although that might be too much to ask for. You'd hear stories about it, but he didn't know if there were truly people who died without regrets. It was easy to get them, much harder to get rid of them. Regrets were always about 'what if's and hindsight, so maybe it was impossible not to get them as long as you were alive.

"Say, Saber?"

"What do you want, brat?"

"Do the dead get closure?"

"..."

He had struck her speechless.

Or maybe she was hesitating. It was hard to tell when her usual expression was so clouded anyway.

"Why are you asking this kind of question?" She said in a low, deep voice. "It's dangerous for the living to ask about death, you know?"

"I was just wondering. You died so long ago and yet here you are, thousands of years later, hungry for revenge. It's the same with the other Servants, right? If the Holy Grail is here to satisfy people's regrets, does that mean it's too late once you're dead? No matter how much time passes?"

"..." Another silence. But he heard a low rumble coming from her chest. "If that is what you think, why would you turn to me for an answer? Indeed, I have a score to settle. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"...I shouldn't have asked, huh... Sorry, I guess I'm still a little dizzy."

"If you are that concerned with the afterlife, take better care of your life."

"I wasn't asking for me..." Maybe a little, but there was someone else's face in the back of his mind. "I was just... thinking about a friend."

"..."

Welp, he had gone and made the atmosphere awkward with his questions. That being said, yet another one was only now popping up in his mind.

"By the way, do you know where you're going?"

"A pointless question. I obviously do not."

"... ... ... ... Right."


Thank you for reading.

Hopefully, even though so many people are moving at the same time, I can manage to keep it coherent. The next chapters might end up crowded, so I'll do my best.

~Legends Storyteller