Fate/Infinity Shuffle
Chapter 254 – Control:
Sieg's surgery started in the morning. The procedure would last approximately 4 hours, assuming there were no complications.
And in the meantime, two team gathered to have their match take place. As per usual, they gather in the real world first before utilizing the Territory Cards. The selected place for the gathering was an abandoned stadium set to be taken down and replaced with a new set of buildings. A good spot for matches in the middle of the day.
"Alright, the drones are set." Hakuno informed, adding a couple keystrokes to start the stream.
On the one side, the Conquerors of Deva: Mizuki, Sayuri, Mongami, Lizzie, Isemi, Edward, Shoutarou, Karen, Rumi and Mimi.
On the opposing one, the Extra Virtual Reality: Leonardo B. Harwey, Dan Blackmore, Run Ru 'Lil'Ronnie', Shinichi, Alice, Julius B. Harwey, and Rani.
Leo approached Mizuki and extended a hand. "Let us have an enjoyable battle."
"O-Of course." Leo's presence intimidated Mizuki lightly. She shook his hand, but the aura he gave off was something else. Royalty, perhaps?
Mimi tapped her shoulder, calling for attention. "Oi, leader."
"Hm?"
"Put me and Rumi in the formation."
"E-Eh? Any reason why?" Mizuki was actually intent on including the twins in the Team for the all-out-brawl, but it was odd for them to ask to be included specifically.
"…That guy gives me that feeling." Mimi's narrowed eyes at Leo's smiling face didn't show any friendliness. "Like I want to punch him in the nose."
"M-Mimi!"
Leo couldn't help but feel amused. "Ahahah. I see, I see. Don't fret. It's not the first time I've been told such a thing. I'll be expecting for your attack then."
"Bring it!"
"Please wait!"
The banter was rather commonplace. And it was actually something Jinako always found entertaining. She giggled before glancing at the set of people again and suddenly gasping.
"Guys!"
"Huh?" Everybody turned to the Ranker who called for attention. And then followed her finger. Their reactions were almost all identical: either widened eyes or frightened gasps.
The sole exception was Mizuki, which was more of a sense of confusion.
Why was an Angra Mainyu shadow standing in front of them? One of the werewolf corpses, hunched over, was just a couple metres away from them.
"Angra, is this a prank?" Mizuki asked, drawing her Avenger Card. It turned into smoke, revealing Chibi Angra in her hand.
"I'm pretty sure I can't do that." The small man pointed out, shaking his head. "You're not even Installed."
Run Ru tilted her head. "Is that thing hostile?"
Hakuno's eyes narrowed. "Depends."
Suddenly, all around the group, multiple shadows began to spawn.
Leo drew his Card. "I'll take it as a yes."
Julius did the same. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them."
"We'll all chip in." Mongami pointed out, matter-of-fact.
"INSTALL!" Everybody Installed their Signature Cards. Hakuno selected the Rockstar Archer, while Mizuki had selected the Berserker in the white turtleneck.
The Players and Rankers, in addition to Mary, moved in and began getting rid of the shadows, the werewolves. Killing one at a time wasn't hard, but the problem was…
"Dang it, you kill one, two more appear!" Edward pointed out, noticing that after he had made a Shadow explode with his bombs, two corpses came from the shadows.
"So we have to take care of the source." Hakuno noted after shooting one right in between the eyes with an arrow. He looked around and noticed a weird shadow inside the announcing booth. "I think I've spotted it. I'll take care of it. You guys keep these busy!"
"Alright!" No time to protest, but there was no reason to. Jinako agreed, to the simple plan.
Hakuno leapt up towards the booth and opened the door, spotting… a person, inside. A person that looked down and smiled at the ensuing carnage.
With black and white blades in hand, he approached. "Who are you?"
The person was clearly a woman. "Myyyy… What a useful Include. Who'd knew that it would evolve to the point of summoning his corpses."
Hakuno was confused. Include? The woman wasn't Installed? "…I repeat the question."
"And my name will mean nothing to you You've never met me, young man. Then again, I've been looking forward to our meeting. I've attempted so many times to greet you, only for something to get in the way." Almost theatrically, she let out a sigh. She pulled a Card out of the pocket of her long black dress. An Alter Ego Card. In her right hand. And then, in a puff of smoke, an Avenger Card appeared in her left.
She crossed her arms in front of her body and, with a devilish smirk, she said 'Install'. Her Alter Ego Card was locked away by a key, that being the Avenger. The prior would never work without the latter.
Her outfit changed, but oddly enough, the aura did not. That otherworldly glow didn't come from the Install, it was something she always had. Her black dress and white head-cloth vanished, replaced by the outfit of the devil. Her long black hair was free, exposing its many long curls and waves. The chest got clad in a cloth that almost made it resemble an apron, but it was cut short to expose the bright prink lingerie piece. A waist-cloth below her bare back, and bright pink stockings to match the exposed undergarments. Multiple pink laces throughout, and the unconnected white sleeves ended in a flower-petal like division. A piece of white cloth draped over her head, hiding the connection between her horns and the head. On the forehead, three dots appeared in a vertical line.
Hakuno, however, could only look at the piercing yellow eyes. "W-What do you mean…?!"
"I tried to meet you when I convinced you to use the Golden Archer alongside your girlfriend over there. But I bargained for more than I could handle. To think a man lusting for riches managed to ignore me." She turned and slowly paced towards the frozen boy. "And of course, I tried to meet you again when you were depressed about your pretend-daughter, or whatever you want to call her. The bug stopped my plan from happening."
Hakuno swung a blade down towards the woman's face, but she caught between two fingers of her right hand.
"What did you just call her?"
"I don't think it matters, Kishinami Hakuno. I'm going to greet you now: my name is Sessyoin Kiara. Pleasure to meet you."
"…You're right."
"Hm?"
"That name means nothing to me."
"I see. A man of emotions that can think logically. You're a handful, aren't you?"
His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean with you 'convinced' me to use the Gilgamesh Card? That a decision Jinako and I took. You weren't there."
"Of course I was. I was right beneath you, actually."
"Huh?"
"The concept of a basement can't be foreign to you."
"T-That doesn't matter! How can you-"
"There are a lot of things I've learned to do with this Card. Summoning Corpses of the End of the Four Nights and 'Altering', for example. But I've also learned the ability to 'push'."
"To… push?"
"I can't manipulate your emotions, nor can I make you feel something that is not within your heart. But I can make sure that whatever you're feeling pushes you over the edge. I've come to learn that interruptions get in away. Not only with you, but that Saber of Red. I was rather close to pushing her as well."
Hakuno's hand on the other sword tightened. "You've threatened to hurt Players…" He raised it. "Then it's my responsibility to stop you!" And would've brought it down if not for the simple fact that Kiara raised a fan of Cards in her free hand. A set of 8: one for each Class, in addition to one more Assassin thrown in.
"It's so nice having such a devout follower. I'd ask if you didn't think the same, but taking into account that nobody seems to trust you, I don't think you can answer that."
"What the hell are you talking about?! People trust me! They've been relying on me for almost three years."
"Oh? That's a surprise." The smirk increased in size. "I didn't know the people of Fuyuki trusted child-murderers so easily."
"?!" Hakuno's body shook. His legs lost their strength and he stepped back, the sword no longer trapped between her fingers. He fell to the floor on his rear.
"How cute." She let out. "Ahhh… to see someone drown in their sins…!" Her body shook slightly and she leaned towards the shaken boy. "You never told her about it, have you?"
"I-"
"She doesn't know that her precious onii-chan is the reason why she is stuck as a child forever, does she?" Hakuno tried to speak, but no voice came out. "She doesn't know that you're the reason why she'll never live a proper life. No school, no friends, no lover. Hmm!" Kiara's eyes almost gleamed. "All because you killed her." Hakuno wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to protest, he wanted to defend himself. That there was more than this simple black and white perspective. And yet… the guilt kept increasing. Kiara leaned in more and more, being on top of the underage boy and closing onto his ear. And then, a devilish whisper. "She doesn't know you're the reason she'll suffer forever."
His eyes went blank. Lifeless. And his mind couldn't take it anymore.
The smirk turned into a grin. And then evolved into a lustful laughter. "Uhuhu… HAAAAH-HAHAHAH!" She stood up and walked out of the booth. "It took you so long… You're lucky I like your teasing." As she left, a black mud appeared from beneath Hakuno, which began to cover his body completely.
Once she exposed herself to the outside world, Jinako immediately caught her presence.
"Where's Hakuno?" She asked, rather instinctually.
"Don't worry, I'm taking good care of him. I'll be borrowing your boytoy for the time being."
Jinako's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means we part ways here. Transport." And with that, Kiara was gone. And just like that, all the werewolves crumbled to dust.
Mizuki's eyes couldn't believe it. "That was…"
Jinako didn't waste a second. "Everybody stays here! That's an order!" And she leapt. "That includes you, Mary! Transport!"
A flash of light as per usual. And once in the alternate reality she couldn't believe her eyes.
Mary happened to take a glance at Hakuno's laptop, where the stream was active, and the chatbox had multiple people asking the same thing over and over again.
'Why is the sky red?'
"What… happened to the sky?" Jinako was just as confused. The colour blue was gone from the sky above. The stadium they stood on, and in fact, the entire surrounding area, was heavily damaged. This not to say destroyed.
Not far from Jinako stood the Devilish Bodhisattva, with a cocoon of black mud next to her, where Hakuno could be seen inside of.
"Hakuno!"
"Please don't squeal his name. If you are to do so, say it with joy."
Jinako didn't have the patience. "Why you…!" She leapt far back and raised her spear above the shoulder, imbuing it with Mana Burst (Flame). "Brahmastra"
Kiara smirked as she threw the Saber Card from the previous fan just a bit forward and a shadow dashed to catch it, like an obedient dog.
"KUNDALA!"
"Install!" The cry of a demented warrior sounded. Jinako hurled her spear towards Kiara, only to have something block the attack. Or rather, someone.
The flaming spear bounced back and Jinako caught it. Once both landed, the Ranker looked forward, spotting someone familiar. "I would say I'm glad to know you're alive, but at this point… I'm not so sure."
Ragged breaths came from the Black Saber. The Corrupted King of Knights, the tyrant. The altered sword-wielder.
A set of long black hair had become tainted in white highlights. And beneath the mask-piece were poisonous green eyes begging to see pain.
Delightful giggles came from the warrior. "T-To think I can do it again!" She leapt forward, purple fire bursting from black sword. "To see someone in pain again!" The saber's sword was stopped by Jinako's spear, which radiated with red flames. "Is the beeeest…!"
"Rasen Haru…" Jinako glanced at Kiara. "You were with her all this time, huh?"
No response. White hot breaths came out instead of a proper voice. The two clashed weapons fast, each swing meeting with another. The godly weapons didn't stop clashing until Jinako performed a wider swing, prompting Haru jump back instead.
A maniacal grin painted all over her face. "Noble Phantasm." The sword erupted black fire and cursed flames through its entire blade and body. Once both hands gripped the handle, Haru's eyes yelled in delight. "Excalibur MORGAAAAAAN!"
Excalibur Morgan 'Sword of Promised Victory': Anti-Fortress A++
Jinako's eyes widened as a beam of darkness and light engulfed her all at once. The damage-cut from the golden armour was probably the only thing that allowed her to stay Installed in the aftermath, where her back struck rubble and she breathed out in pain, steam emerging from her body all over.
Shaking, she tried to stand up while aiming her weapon, but Kiara kicked the spear away. She crouched down and offered Jinako a gentle smile. "How to persuade you… No, it's useless. You're too focused on your anger. No matter. I already have everyone I needed."
"Why you…"
"I'm going to offer you and everyone else a gracious moment of pity and give you a simple warning." Kiara spoke like it was normal, like everything to her, regardless of its current state, was normal and without change. "I am Sessyoin Kiara. And I will invert the process that these worlds do. Instead of this world becoming like the original one once it hits midnight, it will be the other way around."
"W-what?!" Jinako didn't want to believe the woman, but there was no doubt about it: she spoke the truth. "That's impossible!"
"It's impossible if you don't have the resources and the know-how. It's actually very simple. And that plan will be set in motion today. In less than twelve hours, the original world will become like this one. Me and my devotees will make sure that nothing in this country remains standing. Perhaps even more, assuming nobody lazes around."
Jinako didn't want to, but she believed Kiara's words. A frightening reality. Instead of this 'alternate' world fixing itself once it hit midnight, it would ruin their reality instead. Collapsed buildings, destroyed buildings and structures… The number of deaths and casualties could even reach the millions with the powers of the Cards.
"But… why are you telling me this?"
"To you and everyone else. This 'stream' is running, isn't it? As I said, it is pity. I'm giving you time."
"To what? Defeat you, like we always have?"
"Don't speak nonsense. To pick a God and pray." Kiara's face approached Jinako's. "And see how useless it is, for I won't answer that prayer."
Jinako froze in sheer fear. Kiara stood up properly again and walked back to the crazed Saber.
"Ahhh… the sight of a hungry fox finally able to taste a treat after being starved for so long… so beautiful." A bright blush appeared across her face, as Haru relished the sensation. She held the sword with a tight grip, with a drop of drool building up in the corner of her mouth. "Get rid of her, if you don't mind."
This wasn't directed at Haru. Jinako's eyes widened when she say the girl in black armour and blonde hair, holding a banner in one hand and raising a sword in the other.
"Joana?!"
"La Grondement du Haine!"
La Grondement Du Haine (Roar of Hatred) 'Roar, O' Rage of Mine': Anti-Army A+
She swung the sword forward and multiple stakes erupted from the ground, following a wave of fire towards Jinako. Once it reached the Golden Lancer, a fire of hatred consumed her. Obviously, once uninstalled, she Transported away to safety.
Kiara returned to the cocoon of black made and her hand reached inside. Within a second, the mud burst outwards, freeing Hakuno from it. As a result, his outfit and weapons changed.
His head turned to the side to analyse his surroundings. And if he 'still cared', if his mind wasn't plagued by so many other things, he probably would've said 'Ah… so you're the traitor that told her about the Gold Archer Cards' once he laid eyes on the girl with purple hair and eyes just as lifeless as his.
Clad in an odd suit, Matou Sakura glanced back at him. And said nothing.
And now, you can pick up your jaws from the floor.
In case you are interested, Discord Server Link: discord .gg /e7Qznvb (remove the spaces)
Just as always, if you have questions or requests, be free to ask, preferably through PM.
Until next time!
