A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update, and no, I am not on hiatus, I just got a bit caught up in some stuff IRL, like getting the house sprayed for mold, some new games, and a few other stuff. Expect my updates to be only once a week for a while. Anyway, onto the reviewer review:
1.) While Shirou Killing Alay would certainly work, I cannot say whether or not he will, or if I will have a far better punishment in mind for her. I will say this much though: If any of you think being in a different world is not an excuse, you all should know, I have a plot device I plan to use later, but more than that, I won't say for now.
2.) The whole 'humanizing Shirou' thing: yeah, that was deliberate. While Shirou is and will forever have his humanity compromised, he will regain some semblance of his humanity, albeit compromised to some extent in its entirety along with with his powers that Alaya stole from him. He will still be distorted, but he will at least regain some semblance of the humanity he lost, albeit still compromised in certain key aspects.
Now, onto the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own either 'Campione!', 'FATE', or any other copyrighted franchise, as they are the rightful property of their respective creators. This is an AU of Marcus Galen Sands' 'God Slaying BLade Works', with his blessings to anyone who wants to make a spin off inspired by his fic, references to other fics credited as used, with an emphasis on 'WHAT IF', the 'Harem Ending' Route of Nua Realta, and a few of my own original ideas thrown into the mix. This is a FREE, FANFIC of a FANFIC, meaning an unpaid fan-made fiction of a fan-made fiction. If you are paying to read this, then you got ripped off; If you do not like this, then you do not have to read it. Nobody is making you, so don't be an ass about it to the authors in their reviews.
And now:
Story Start
God Slaying Blade Works: The King of Wrought Iron
Nineteenth Blade: Legacies Inherited, Delaying Tactics, and Prison Escape Part I
Unknown Location
As we were walking away from a battlefield with our liege, a strange deity of steel stopped us on our path. Our King seemed to pause at this deity's presence, and as if shamed, could not look this deity in the eye. Confusion swept through our ranks, as though this new divinity seemed to know our King, but he was ashamed of something…
"So...you truly have gone through with the course you spoke of so long ago, old friend...was it worth it, to spread such conflict and cause such bloodshed, despite my warnings of what such a path would lead you to? Do you truly feel that you can have no regrets for the course you have chosen, to say that you can look back without any regrets?"
...without looking him in the eye, our King simply walked past and never looked him in the eye, in fact, I would swear to the end of time that our King was actually feeling remorse over the fact that he wasn't refuting this God of Steel's words...this divinity was actually making our King seem almost guilt-ridden, like he had done wrong somehow, and made us feel like we were somehow bested by someone superior to even our King just by taking his stance against our King's actions…
"I do not need to hear of this from you, of all people now, old friend. Not now, when I have already set the course, and cannot stray from it, as you of all people ought to know full well..."
Our King's words struck me as odd, as I could not for the life of me understand why he seemed...shamed and melancholic, for lack of a better word. The unknown God of Steel's eyes were simply exuding age, with but a single thought going through my mind as soon as I saw them…
'Old.'
...there was an age to this deity's gaze that was unmistakable, the likes of which not even most primordial divinities had, as if this deity may be some long forgotten god of steel, possibly an old acquaintance of our King that we have never met before now, and whom had some kind of falling out with him…
"I do, old friend, better than you ever could, and it breaks my glass heart every time I see it happen to the ones who should never have it happen to them. One of these days, you will end up becoming no better than the very Devil Kings whom you are trying to stop, and will become the very villain you seek to defeat. When that day comes, I hope you do not forget the words I spoke of so long ago, or at the very least you'll listen to my apprentice, Plutarch, whom I have entrusted a portion of my power to safeguard from those who would seek to abuse it."
The words of this Deity got our attention...was this a god so old, it was dying from lack of remembrance, from having been forgotten by even the very humans whose very prayers it relies on for sustaining it's existence...a deity with no legend or myth to sustain it, and if so, how had it lasted for this long...truly a frightening thought for a primordial god to have been strong enough to last this long before fading from existence…
"If you intend to stop me, then I am afraid it is too late for that, as there can be no turning back."
"I have no intention of stopping you, as I do not even have the time left for that. However, while I may have no intention of hindering you, I also have no desire to help you in your doomed endeavor, either. Merely to say goodbye to an old friend, before I finally fade away, and to give you one last word of warning before I do..."
As the god said this, his body slowly turned to blades, breaking apart and signifying his end was nigh, and that there was no saving him, as deities whom are forgotten will die for good and do so by turning into the very things in which they embody, the key concepts which makes up their very being, and in this case, a deity of Swords and Steel…
"One day, when you become the very thing you once opposed, you will find yourself on the opposite end of a battle with my heir, the one to inherit both my Authority and my Divinity. When that day comes, you too, shall die off as I am now, and the sins that have been committed, shall bring about the retribution for erasure. Heed my words carefully now, and make sure you truly are aware of what you do from now on, and do not regret the life you have led when that day comes...Goodbye...Sword's cherished friend..."
"...and to you as well...Xiphos...though for you to not even use my true name, means much to me..."
...the dying god simply smiled in response, a peaceful smile, serene and without any regret, but whose ancient-seeming eyes were tinged with a bit of grief for our King, despite being the one dying…
"Well of course I wouldn't use it...I have no desire to taint the true name of the friend whom was kind enough to help this primordial sword's glass heart find fulfillment, even if it meant being forgotten by the world, and despite being completely hollow inside, both colorless and clear as the glass from whence it was made, I have no qualms from the depths of my heart of how I meet my end here in this manner...for a sword is nothing if not loyal and proud...and it is never wrong to help others..."
...and fully broke apart, as the deity finally died, with our King seeming to feel great sadness wash over him. The pain of losing his friend clear as day upon his features...and steeled himself for what he knew would eventually come to pass, but accepting it as inevitable, as he would not stray from his chosen path...and eventually die as befits his status as a God of Steel...and I, Gwenhwyfar, shall do all within my power to aid him and eventually revive him when the time comes that he was needed again…
Scene Change
Guinevere P.O.V.
I woke slightly with a bit of a start at the memory of a long forgotten past with my beloved King of the End. That was one of the few memories I retained from the time I was still a Mother Earth Goddess, but something about this particular memory caused me to feel like that deity of steel and the Eighth God-slayer seemed similar for some reason...but no, that was impossible. There was no way this God-slayer could possibly have some connection with an ancient deity whom was an old acquaintance of my King's.
Lifting my head and rubbing the sleep from my naturally red eyes, I moved my blonde hair back out of my face as I looked back to the book I had been going through, as I recalled that particular incident. My King had actually seemed shamed, yet rather than rebuke the dying divinity, he seemed almost melancholic, depressed even, that this deity was dying at the time, despite giving him a lecture in his final moments...while the memory is hazy at best, it's still rather vivid in the level of clarity such a memory possessed.
Either way, it's just an old memory of the past...yet why do I feel as though I am overlooking something important about this memory...something that relates to how the Eighth Devil King possesses an unusual magic that I have never seen or heard of before...yet I just cannot put my finger on it, no matter how hard I try. Looking back at the information I was going over about the four Devil Kings currently in the nation at the moment, I decide to try and continue to find a means of finding one of them to help me slay [Mordred]. I will not let him threaten my King...the only question is, which one of them will actually fight him within the days to come...
Nikkou National Park Campgrounds
Third-person P.O.V.
After a night of rest, Kusanagi Godou and company found a rental depot and rented a bus for them to use to transport them all. While the King of Ruin may physically be healed, mystically, he is still injured, but should be fine as long as he is not forced into combat for at least a few more hours of rest. While they are getting into the bus, Illya cannot help but feel slightly concerned. If Godou was this bad, and Luo Hao was worse, then how much longer would she be forced to recuperate...she really could not help but wonder how long they may have to hold out while waiting for Shirou to get himself and the Empress of the Martial Realm out...he couldn't be doing that...could he...if he was, then he was going to be getting one major beating from all of us then…
While they were in transport, Oda looked at the teen snow fairy and asked her a question that was bothering her for a while now…
"Illya-chan...there is something I need to ask you..." getting said girl's attention, even Ayamatsu turned to look at the two of them. "Was what you said last night true...about Hikari-chan...that if we don't stop [Sun Wukong] then she'll..."
Oda didn't dare finish that sentence out of fear of what it implied. After all, Illya had told them last night when she examined Hikari when she hadn't woken up that her situation was bad. Illya couldn't help but grimace at the question, and Aya even could not help feeling melancholy at the thought of her condition. Turning to look at her, the teenage snow fairy confirmed her unasked question.
"That's right Kuhoutsuka...if we don't stop the Monkey King, then Hikari-chan may never wake up again. While Shirou may have succeeded in separating the two, the damage had already been done...there has been some slight contamination of Hikari-chan's soul from [Sun Wukong] forcibly taking over her body. While her body is now hers again, her life is still in danger. The contamination may result in permanent changes to her physiological and spiritual bodies. It may not be a bad thing in the long run, in fact it may actually make her a stronger magus, but as long as we don't do anything about [Sun Wukong] and he continues to roam free, then Hikari-chan may be stuck comatose, and she will eventually die...and that is only assuming she doesn't have any significant changes to her personality or affinities as a consequence..."
The gravity of the situation was not lost on the group of the implications. In fact, when Ena heard this, she actually asked why it was so bad that Hikari was possibly gaining some benefits of the Great Sage's influence, but Illya just snapped and proceeded to explain in great detail that went over almost everybody's head that the soul is a sacred thing, and the contamination of one was never to be done, period, even in the most extreme of circumstances. She even went so far as to tell them how Shirou had a holy fae-forged artifact fused to his soul in order to save his life after the Kyoto Disaster, but that was it; it only added onto his soul, not contaminated it outright. To do so could have unforeseen consequences, especially when the contamination could have permanently altered who they were, or even who they were meant to be. They would need to keep a close eye on her condition when this was all over, in case there are any lingering symptoms showing the influence of the Monkey King's tainted additions upon her soul.
They dropped the topic in order to not anger or upset the snow fairy any further than she already was. Now, they were on the move again, attempting to save the younger of the Mariya sisters before it was too late. And after taking Hikari to the rented bus, they had been called by Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko, the nephew of the Renjou family head by marriage and heir to one of the branch families of the Kuhoutsuka family. He called to say that the Committee made a forward camp they had set up in order to try and contain the damage as much as possible. It was just on the outside of the area of the Monkey King's influence, and those who were dispatched were doing whatever they could to keep watch and contain the damage. While the field agents were setting up wards to try and minimize the damage, the higher ranked agents were trying to keep watch and see what happens next.
They dropped Hikari off and explained her situation to them, telling them that if they didn't stop [Sun Wukong], then her life was forfeit even though Shirou had separated the two of them. Mikihiko seemed to worry for her, blaming himself for her condition, as it was his fault she was even being pressured into becoming the priestess in charge of the Saitenguu in the first place. He swore to keep her safe and promised to keep her condition monitored at all times as penance for what he felt was his fault. Linghua also decided to stay there with the Committee and with Hikari, as he put it, 'to help keep an eye on the situation from a safe distance.' But they all could tell he was just planning to laze about and stay out of the crossfire. For somebody who claims to be a student of the Empress of the Martial Realm, they could not help but notice he was surprisingly lazy if and when he could get away with it.
As they were about to leave, however, they were stopped by yet another trio of individuals. One was a red-haired Asian and an androgynous tomboy who dressed like a man, but was actually a woman, who simply dressed as such as a bit of a prank. Though she apparently was serious, she still had a bit of mischief in her eyes. She introduced herself as Sayanomiya Kaoru, and she was the heiress to the Sayanomiya family of the History Compilation Committee. Oda actually greeted her and told them not to be fooled, that she was a prankster who seemed to enjoy making girls fall for her, despite being one herself. Kaoru actually looked rather embarrassed at being ousted as a woman, but was otherwise unrepentant in her failed prank.
The Second was another member of the Committee, a rather plain-looking man who seemed more like a typical salary man than a member of the mystic community. He introduced himself as Amakusa Touma. I recalled how Shirou said he met him back during the [Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi] incident, and he was spot on; this guy really doesn't give off a mage vibe. In fact, if it weren't for his slightly below average mystical presence, Illya wouldn't have known he was one. He was shivering from the cold wet clothes he was wearing and his disheveled appearance reflected his distress, and she could have thought he was simply a businessman who got caught up in all this without ever being any the wiser.
The last one, however, she really got Illya's attention. She was a Caucasian woman with red hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a leather jacket and pants, yet the way she wore it with confidence showed she was absolutely comfortable and still completely pulled the look off. She had a stern look on her face, yet it did not detract from her beauty at all. However, none of this was what got her attention. No, what had drawn the teenage snow fairy's attention was the sheer power this woman was radiating. The lady was giving off more magical energy than Godou had when Illya first met him, and was just as much as Shirou's with the [Shroud of Martin] suppressing his mystical output to a more manageable level...I may need to ask her in private, but I have a hunch I know what the reason is for that…
"T-t-this is A-annie Charlton, and m-m-my s-s-s-savior. She's f-f-from America, a-a-and came here at the K-k-king of Los A-angeles orders." Amakusa said, yet his body was shivering from the cold. That got everybody's attention, but Illya's most of all.
"Wait, the King of Los Angeles, as in..."
"You're John Pluto Smith's Subordinate?"
Yuri-san and Liliana-san both ask her respectively. Illya recalled that name being the American Campione's Alias, which only serves to reinforce her earlier suspicions. Her next words simply start to cement the teenage snow fairy's hunch.
"John Pluto Smith has no subordinates, merely collaborators. He may be a Campione, but he does not lord over us, preferring to let those in power lead while he protects them from the shadows and living among the people he aids, such is his personal style. I was sent here by John Pluto Smith to confirm that Asherah is dead after she had fled from him in their last battle, but when I heard what was going on, I decided to lend my assistance however I can." 'Annie' decided to add in her two cents. While the others were more than willing to accept her help willingly, Illya simply saw something they hadn't. No normal magus has that much prana, not even Erica and Liliana have that much, and they are considered the cream of the crop for their generations. The only ones she knew of who had comparable amounts were Godou and Shirou. Her suspicions were only growing as time moves on. She doesn't really pay much attention to the conversation, simply hearing a part of trying to establish ties with the American mystic community, but Illya herself only paid half-attention to it. She simply kept looking at this newcomer as Illya knew she wasn't being completely honest with them.
"I think we should get moving soon. If you all need me to, I can drive, as the only one here I can tell who may be capable of driving at all is the Dragoons there." 'Annie' says while pointing at the Kurogane siblings, but while they were getting on the rented bus, Illya cannot help but feel she is deliberately hiding something, and she can only suspect she knows what it is while hoping her reason for hiding it is a very good one, or else Shirou was more than likely to chew her a new one like he probably was going to do for Luo Hao...at least, that better be what he was doing with her to be so late…
Scene Change-Twelve Hours Later
Shirou P.O.V.
While I was napping the second time I was sealed with Luo Hao for a few hours, I dreamed of my Reality Marble again, checking it for any updates again. What I saw kind of shocked me yet again. While for the most part, the layout and such was the same, there was now one key difference: The landscape and the statues on the hill had changed. It was subtle, and it wasn't by very much, but it was obvious if you knew where to look. The statues were replaced and more were added atop the hill along with a few more weapons, and they seemed to reflect something else, but the images of them was blurry as all hell. I could not make out the specific details, but from what I could tell, the statues changed and now reflected all the Servant Classes except for the Alter Ego and Foreigner class Servants. Now that I think about it, those are the only two classes that neither I nor EMIYA could ever fit into...taking a closer look at the statues, I could not help but notice the weapons wielded by them...
Arturia's statue was replaced with a generic swordsman's yet her [Excalibur] and [Caliburn] were still there, along with [Kanshou] and [Bakuya], as well as [Delphine]. The sheathe [Avalon] was also there, but rather than strapped to the statue's hip, it was being used to hold both the 'Sword of Promised Victory' and the 'Sword of Selection', with two of the 'Ever-distant Utopia' held in both hands, each hand sheathing both last phantasms. The 'Married Swords' were sheathed at its hips on the back, with [Delphine] strapped to it's back.
Turning just a few centimeters, I saw that EMIYA's statue was replaced with a typical archer statue, with his signature nameless black bow held in it's grasp, as well as Herakles' massive bow leaning against the statue and a couple quivers of spear-sized arrows strapped to its back. It had both of Reki's pistols, [Desperado] and [Pactio] holstered on it's legs, as well as the 'Married Pistols' that the Dragoon Commander helped me create, [Kanshou and Bakuya Alter], on the back of the statue's hips with the blades sheathed...and there was also an ornate blade there right in front of it but...oh wait...oh this is rich...it was the key to that golden bastard's vault! HA, that is just priceless how he'd react to the fact I can literally trace his key and access his treasury easily, while firing off swords from my tracing at him simultaneously. Oh, the look on his face would be priceless...it's only too bad he's currently dead and most likely not going to appear again in this world for at least a few centuries, if at all.
Moving on, I noticed Cu Cuchulain's statue was replaced with a generic spear-man's, with [Gae Bolg] held in one hand, and [Rhongomyniad], the 'Lance that Shines to the End of the World' in the other. And on its back was none other than the scythe, [Harpe], the 'Immortal Killer' that takes the form of both a sword and a scythe, depending on whether it was used by the Gorgon Medusa or that silver bastard. While I typically use it as a sword, I can also use it as a scythe, acing like a spear or pike as needed for the situation.
Next, Medusa's statue was replaced with a typical cavalryman's, with her nameless chain-nails, along with the whip-sword, although it looks like it might have split into two different weapons...oh damn...I am pretty sure I know what that means, but I will need to check when I get back to the house. Moving on for the sake of my sanity, I notice there is also a few more weapons, but they are blurry as hell, and I cannot quite make them out yet.
Looking at the next one, Sasaki Kojiro's statue has been replaced with a typical assassin statue, yet oddly enough, it seems to have my old man's tastes in mind with it's appearance. It has my old man's [Thompson Contender] holstered on it's hip, along with the set of nameless throwing knives from the Hassan-I-Sabbah, and his [Monohoshi-Zhao] strapped to it's back in a manner showing it was ready to be drawn at a moments notice. It also has a few weapons that were also too blurry for me to clearly make out, giving me an idea as to what additional weapons I may get added later to my arsenal.
Medea's statue was replaced with a stereotypical witch statue. Her [Rulebreaker] was sheathed on its hips in a manner ready to be drawn whenever, with a [Fragarach] held in one of it's hands, but the other held a couple of mystic codes that I had made sure to quadruple check them and ensure they were dormant...it was the Keleidosticks Ruby and Sapphire...I was NOT going to be tracing those two things even if it meant dying...their personalities alone was troublesome enough, but the fact that even Zelretch sealed those two away due to their troublesome personalities made them worse. If even he refused to let them loose and sealed them, then that was saying something...As far as mystic codes go, they were pretty powerful, if it wasn't for their sentience giving them very mischievous personalities...I only had them here due to my fragment from the 'Counter-Guardian Route' happening to see them and analyzing them. But I would sooner die than trace them into existence, as unleashing those two onto anyone would be far too cruel, regardless of whether they deserved it or not…
Herakles' statue was also replaced with a typical maddened warrior's statue. It had his stone axe-sword, the metal one I forged for him personally, as well as Cu's axe-scythe when he was summoned as a Berserker as the Mad King strapped to its back. The two crudely crafted axe-swords were held in a duel wield style, stone in its left, metal in its right, with a few more weapons, like the gauntlets and shin guards from before on its hands and feet, surrounding it, but were mostly blurred out.
I also noticed all the additional weapons from before were also there, in addition to a few blurry images not quite capable of being made out yet. While these seven statues are the typical ones for the traditional servant classes, I also noticed there were extras, for the extra classes: Ruler, Avenger, Shielder, even ones for Faker and Saver...all the extra classes except for Foreigner, Alter Ego, and Moon Cancer, though to be fair, that last one was exclusively for Sakura's counterpart contained inside the Moon Cell, while EMIYA and EMIYA Alter doesn't really fit the Foreigner or Alter Ego classes. Then again, I may actually fit the Alter Ego class with the authorities I've usurped so far…
The Avenger statue took the form of the [Cursed Martyr] authority, while the Faker statue took the form of my usual battle garb that I was wearing currently, but Ruler, Saver, and the other extra classes seemed to be a bit blurry, as well as the forms for the seven traditional Servant Classes...now that I think about it, maybe the statues taking this form is reflective of something, like there is an authority or something I need before they'll become clearer. Considering how the statues changed and increased in number, and the fact they seem to reflect different servant classes perfectly, I feel this guess is not too far off the mark.
When I was finished checking out the Hill of Swords, I took a quick look around the world that was my [Unlimited Blade Works], and frankly, I could tell it was starting to re-stabilize, but was still a bit of a ways off in terms of being fully invoked and manifested into the world. The ground was still composed out of mixed patches of diamond dust, powdered steel, iron sand, and now golden shavings. That last one had actually got my attention...was it because of that golden bastard's authorities, or was it because of my friendship with Godou-san and he had a marble phantasm in the form of a golden world with one of his authorities?
That would certainly be a possibility, but it could also be that it was actually a combination of the two, but my attention was drawn elsewhere. It would seem that the hell fires seemed to have receded a bit, and instead of a completely devastated hellscape of a city, it would seem like a somewhat ruined city, in a form similar to that of Fuyuki's. While there was still a bit of hell fire burning here and there, it was now isolated to areas where it could be used like torches on sconces and bonfires, rather than the raging inferno it was a bit of the last time I was here. It still burned like it had on that day, but instead of a roaring inferno, it was merely a heat-less flame, though it looked like it would eventually be mostly gone except for some bonfire it would likely be from what I could tell. Looking up I noticed the sky was also still burning in a fiery orange, with a perpetual twilight in the form of an eternal dawn reminiscent of a blacksmiths forge and with the giant gears still turning continuously in the sky, like an eternal forge, refusing to stop until the end of time itself.
All in all, it seemed as though the [Unlimited Blade Works] was finally starting to stabilize and change into a form where I could possibly use it again, if I needed to, but not a full manifestation yet. I could probably do a partial invocation of my inner world, but not a full one until it completely stabilized from the changes so far. Although one last quick look showed that the blades in my world were all arranged by relationships similar to their respective wielders in life, almost like a memorial for the former wielders...how interesting...
Turning back to the Hill of Swords, I noticed that the statues were all arranged in something similar to the last time I was here, although there was also one last statue here that I didn't notice before and could not make sense of, and all of the other statues of the respective classes were all arranged around this one statue, as though in reverence and respect for this one statue for some reason, yet I cannot figure out why that may be…
This statue seems to bare no discernible weapons or arms, aside from the [Gem Sword] I made with Rin's help and the Noble Phantasm I noticed the last time I was here. It seems like a statue wearing a set of armor, yet it wasn't armor at the same time, but had nothing else that distinguished it. While the specifics are blurry, I also notice that that same Noble Phantasm and bizarre sword from the last time I was here had been held in one of the statue's hands, with my [Gem Sword] held in the other, in a strangely unorthodox two-sword style...and this statue's armor seemed to be regal yet unimpressive, awe-inspiring yet easily overlooked, elaborately engraved in detail yet simply pragmatic in functionality...it was a suit of armor that was both fit for a king yet showed it was meant for a practical use...it was a suit of armor almost seemingly meant more for a blacksmith than a king, but-!
The sudden realization of what I was looking at dawned upon me and slammed into my head with the force of two tons of bricks and the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the windshield of a car. It was something similar to EMIYA's Mythology Mystic Code of Wrought Iron, but at the same time, it seemed...complete, for lack of a better word, almost like the red-clad bowman's was an inferior version of this one suit of armor, yet it was not armor at the same time. While [Alaya] got full say over whether or not EMIYA could use his armor similar to this one, it seemed this one was locked, albeit in a different manner in that it would not let me use it yet, but would when I met the prerequisite conditions, it would give me full usage of it's power. It seemed to give me the ability to unleash my reality marble, my sorceries, and my authorities, all in one go, and unrestricted usage of them all to boot.
The only restriction it seems to have is whether or not I decide to hold back or not and if my authorities forced me to hold back or not, or in other words, if [God-king's Privilege] weakened me against my enemies...then I realized, this is something that I was meant to have all along, the complete power that EMIYA had whenever he was given permission from [Alaya] to use his full power as a Counter-guardian, but with the full complete power he had been deprived of due to her stealing my powers. This armor...it fits the Alter Ego class perfectly, and yet, it fills any of the classes aside from Foreigner just as easily...I wonder if-
"Hello again, Blade of Humanity..."
...aaaannd there he is again, just as expected…
Turning around to face the sole other resident of my inner world, I notice he also not just looks just like me, but seems almost like a mirror image of me, albeit made out of blades. His 'hair' was silver and rusted wires styled the same as my own, and his eyes were also hetero-chromatic of the same colors as mine: left a molten gold, right a silvery steel-gray. He also wore a mockery of my current battle garb as his own attire, but his body was completely made out of blades. This time, he seemed more willing to talk to me, rather than force me out like he had done the last time I was here. Taking the chance I was given, I decided to ask him what was bothering me for a while now.
"So, would you mind telling me who you are? And I don't mean [Mugen no Tensei], that is the alternate name for this world, not your name. I have never seen you before in all the times either I or my alternates have either invoked this world into existence or when we visited it within our own mind. I think I deserve a straight answer from you, and if you are really a sword, then you must not lie. You can tell half-truths, you can omit parts of the truth if you wish to keep them secret for now and I will respect that, but you cannot outright lie to me or anyone."
This made the entity actually look at me with some slight surprise, but not unpleasant in any way, nor was it angry at my blatant demand for answers. If anything, it seemed glad I was leaving it up to the entity to tell me only what it was willing to share at the current moment. It then smiled and response, before it then answered my question.
"Very well, Blade of Humanity. If you must know, my name is [Xiphos], or rather, I am merely the remnant of that primordial sword dwelling within your soul. As for why I am within you, that is simple..." The remnant of [Xiphos] answered, but for some odd reason that name struck a cord in me for reasons I could not explain, almost like a child excitedly seeking the approval of a parent...it was an odd feeling, to say the least. The remnants next words, however, caused all thoughts to leave my mind a complete blank for a few moments…
"You are both my descendant and heir, to both my authority and my divinity. You could call me whats left of an old primordial god of steel, one who is long dead, but trying to pass his power onto a worthy successor before it fully breaks down into iron sand and steel scrap. While you may never reach full godhood, you will, however potentially reach semi-divinity. More than that, however, will need to wait for later. Wake up now, Blade of Humanity, for you still have more to grow before I reveal more to you..."
While in my stupefied state of mind from the revelation of my lineage and future inheritance, I was pushed back into the waking world again, while my mind idly felt like chewing the remnant's ass out the next time I meet him before I woke up after being forced back out of my very soul for the second time…
Scene Change
Within the Monkey King's Seal
Blinking my eyes awake, I wasn't even slightly sleepy. Going over what I had just learned, I could not help but to groan a bit in irritation...I was part divinity, or at the very least, I was descended from a long dead one, whose remnant decided to take up residence in my soul as I was a worthy successor to his power...great...just great...I don't even like most traditional magi, but that...to quote Bazett, as she once so eloquently put it, 'the Gods are fucking jerks'. Now I know why EMIYA tended to be an absolute asshole of a cynical bastard. He wasn't just jaded from being a counter-guardian; it was a holdover from my long-lost divine ancestry…
"Ah, King Emiya, looks like you are awake. I have recovered enough to use my authorities again at full strength. Would you be willing to get us out of here, or would I have to get myself out on my own?"
Shelving that thought for now, I turn to look at my fellow prisoner, and I noticed she was fully recovered. It would seem that about two and a half days of being sealed actually helped out with her recovery time. The fact she was also a master of the Taoist magic also had something to do with it, most likely. Being able to circulate her own internal energy probably accelerated her recovery time...although…
"...Right I will, but before I do, I think I ought to do just one thing first, something we both apparently overlooked and that you haven't realized yet..." The Empress of the Martial Realm's confusion at my words were only replaced with slight flushing of her cheeks as I traced a set of women's clothing similar to what I suspected hers looked like before her current attire was ruined...which while difficult, it wasn't impossible for me to do so…
"Please put those on until you can get another outfit to replace it...it's just plain improper for a woman to show her body off in a blatant show of partial nudity to any male other than whom they planned to marry..."
After a rather undignified 'eep', to which she would deny vehemently to ever making, she changed into the traced temporary outfit. After making sure it would last long enough to protect her modesty before changing into an actual pair of clothes, I decided to ask her if she was ready while dismissing one of the daggers I had fired earlier. I sensed that Reki had picked them up earlier, but left them as is. He knew what I was going to be using them for, so he would know the signal I was sending him...
"Of course, this Luo Cuillion is absolutely ready to leave here and to fight against the Great Sage Equaling Heaven or any of his brothers. Whenever you are ready." I simply nod at her acknowledgment, before I focus on the traced daggers I left outside. I noticed they were moved, and were technically still moving, but were nearby our allies and Godou-san...this was perfect. I grabbed hold of Luo Hao, before I focused on the one I wished to use...
"My Body is made out of swords"
...and switched places with that dagger, causing it to fade from existence within the prison we were just in, and getting back out to freedom and the battle that was sure to come...
A/N: I know what you all are most likely thinking, Reki hadn't fought yet and the chapter was too short. The reason for that is I decided to split this chapter into two parts. In other words, the next part will show up next week. Although, To apologize for this, I will give you all a stat sheet for Godou in my fic a bit earlier than I had planned to make up for this.
Name: Kusanagi Godou
Titles: The Seventh Campione, The King of Ruin
Possible Classes: Saber, Assassin, Berserker
Base (Camel)[Bull]{Raptor}
Strength: E(B-)[B-A++]{D}
Agility: E+(B+)[C]{A++}
Endurance: C+(A+)[C+]{C+}
Mana: A+(Due to attaining status as a Campione, one automatically gets massive reserves of magical energy, even if Godou doesn't use it for anything but his authorities)
Magic Resistance: A+(Due to attaining the status as a Campione, one automatically gets resistance to any magic short of divine level power from harming them.)
Luck: A++(Due to Godou having the ability to literally WILL a game of pure chance into his favor, he automatically gets the highest rank, though if he is dealing with a woman, his luck will automatically raise up to EX rank)
Noble Phantasm: EX(Due to the nature of authorities being a Divine Mystery, I am listing them as comparable to Noble Phantasms, thus the ranking)
List of Authorities:
Ten Incarnations: The Manifestations of the Persian Warlord
This authority is the manifestation of Verethragna's ten forms as the Persian God of War, Victory, and Light. It takes all the forms of his ten incarnations, and as such, would be divided as such with it's classification:
Gale-Type: Support Rank: C Target: Self Range: N/A(Due to not having a set limit other than needing someone to call out to him from the bottom of their heart)
Bull-Type: Support Rank: B Target: Self Range: Self
White Stallion-Type: Anti-Army/Anti-Fortress Rank: A++ Target: 1-1000 Range: 1-99
Camel-Type: Support Rank: B Target: Self Range:Self
Boar-Type: Anti-Fortress Rank: A Target: 1-1000 Range: 1-199
Youth-Type: Support Rank: B Target: 1-10 Range: 1
Raptor-Type: Support Rank: B Target: Self Range: Self
Ram-Type: Support(Anti-Unit/Anti-Army) Rank: B(A+) Target: 1(1-199) Range: 1(1-49)
Goat-Type: Anti-Unit/Anti-Army Rank: A+ Target: 1-199 Range: 1-49
Warrior-Type: Anti-Divinity/Anti-unity Rank: EX Target: 1 Range: 1-199
The reason for these rankings is due to their respective natures and restrictions for their usages.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi: The Grass-cutting Tsurugi
Type: Anti-Unit Rank: A+ Target: 1-20 Range: 1-10
Yes, this is the sword that Godou got from slaying it. It has the ability to actually copy any authority used in its presence, allowing Godou the ability to steal authorities used against him, and even to combine them in some rather creative ways. The only restriction on this particular ability is the authority in question MUST be used on either Godou or Ama no Murakumo, or the authorities that Godou already has being copied by it and altered to be used in conjunction with it.
And that's all for now peeps. Keep in mind, this is just the first part, Next Chapter, I plan to give Berserker's stat sheet as an Incarnated Heroic Spirit. Only two more chapters until the Monkey King arc ends, and two more chapters until the Harem/Pairing list is revealed. I hope you all are satisfied for now, but my updates will ony be once a week for the time being.
Until Next week's chapter. PEACE OUT!