A/N: Sorry bout this, I kinda accidentally replaced this chapter by accident. So here it is. Again.
God Slaying Blade Works: The King of Wrought Iron
Nineteenth Blade: Legacies Inherited, Delaying Tactics, and Prison Escape Part II
Nikkou National Park-About an Hour before Shirou and Luo Hao escaped the seal
Illya P.O.V.
"Okay, here's the plan: So we have Yuri use her [spirit vision] to gain the knowledge of [Sun Wukong] while the rest of us will battle him, trying to buy her the time she needs. Once she gets it, then we get out of there. Miss Annie's job will be to stay with the bus and to drive us out of there and give us the chance to learn his origins. Everybody understand the plan so far?"
Kusanagi-san was repeating the plan as we began to get up close to where we found out the Monkey King was. True to her word, 'Annie' was driving while giving Reki-san and Aya-san the chance to keep watch and cover our escape. I already had my suspicions about 'Annie', and I was certain they were right, but I had decided on waiting for the chance to ask her in private. I had a hunch I knew what she was hiding, but wanted to confirm it before with her out of earshot of everyone else. If she felt the need to hide it, then I saw no need to bring it up with everybody else if she didn't want them to know...although I was pretty sure Shirou would have noticed instantly and was more than likely going to chew her out for the blatant disrespect in private…
While we were driving, we got caught up by a few more of those Divine Beasts, but even so, they were no match for Berserker, much less the rest of us. "We're coming up on the designated area. I'll stay here with the ride, and make sure it's ready to go when we need it to. Get what you need, and then book it back to the bus." 'Annie' said/ordered us. The others left first, but as I left, I whispered into her ear so only she and I would have heard it…
"Don't think you'll get off easy for trespassing on a fellow Campione's domain without letting us know first, John Pluto Smith. Shirou most certainly will chew you out for this later, when he gets here."
'Annie's' eyes widened in shocked surprise as she turned to me, the look on her face confirming my suspicions. I don't think it was that hard to figure out, so why was she so surprised for? I simply gave her a knowingly smug smile. The look of terror on her face showed she didn't want anyone to figure it out. I slipped a little note into her hand I wrote a bit of as we were driving. Then I turned, and left to join up with the others. I wonder how 'he' will react to the note I gave 'him'?
Annie P.O.V.
I was absolutely shocked. No, that doesn't even do the terror I felt justice. I created the persona of John Pluto Smith as a means to deal with criminal mages in America so nobody I cared about would end up getting placed into danger. And yet, this young teenage girl, no older than a Second Year Japanese high-school student, managed to figure out I was the American Campione?! HOW?! I wasn't using any Authorities, nor was I using my disguise, and even then, it was designed to hide my gender, so again, HOW DID SHE FIND OUT?! Realizing she had handed me a note as she was leaving, I took it and the moment she and the others were out of sight, I read it…
'Annie Charlton,
I know you are actually John Pluto Smith. The sheer prana you give off gave you away. The only ones with that much at all are Campione. I've met and know two of them, so I would know it if and when I sense one. Nice try though.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.'
...well shit...bend me over and fuck me sideways thrice over...that is one scary teenage snow fairy...to think it was my magical presence that gave me away...She was able to figure it out purely through sensing my massive magical reserves that only a Campione should have. I reiterate my earlier thoughts: Fuck. Me. Sideways.
If she knows then—wait-a-minute...she never says she'd oust me, nor did she say she'd tell the others...all she says is 'Nice try though'. Why, she even waited until the others were out of earshot and whispered it so only the two of us would hear her words, but why would she-! Oh...so that's it...Illyasviel von Einzbern, you are truly a very terrifying woman with how canny you are for someone your age...
Getting out of the drivers seat of the bus, I begin to walk outside, pulling out a knife, and slice a small hole in a couple of blood packs filled with my own blood I had prepared before hand, smearing it along the drivers seat, the side of the bus, and trail it outside, before I then proceed to walk away and hide in the nearby woods. She truly is an extremely perceptive one, that much is clear…
I also changed into my John Pluto Smith persona halfway through from the shock. You truly are an interesting one, and I will most certainly have to apologize to both King Emiya and King Kusanagi later, but the stage for John Pluto Smith's appearance is set. It's a good thing 'Annie' got King Kusanagi's phone number earlier...this will be a lot easier with it…
About Forty-five Minutes later
Godou P.O.V.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP! Everybody and I have been running quite a bit trying to get away after we got [Sun Wukong]'s information from the void with Yuri's [spirit vision], now we just need to get to the bus, have Annie drive us away, and I can slay the Monkey King and put a stop to-
"WHERE THE HELL IS ANNIE?!"
Ayamatsu-san's shriek startled me out of my thoughts, and I just couldn't suppress the groan of frustration growing from within my throat...NOTHING has gone right this entire damn time...walking up to the side of the bus, I notice there was blood on both the side of the bus, the ground nearby, and even a small pool of it in a trail leading from the driver's seat...okay, that doesn't look good at all…
"...I think that's her blood smeared all over there on the side of the bus and in the seat..."
Reki-san said in a rather clinical manner, as though that should be a more pressing issue than the fact that our driver was gone. Both the Kurogane siblings were a bit worn out from buying Yuri time, and nobody else here can actually drive, so-
"Let me take the wheel." Erica suddenly took the wheel and sat down in the driver's seat. I noticed everybody but Illya-san had started to slightly pale at her declaration and the idea of her driving. I turned and decided to ask what I had already guessed would happen, but was hoping I was wrong…
"Erica, can you even drive this thing? Have you ever even driven before?"
"Nope, first time. But there's no better time to learn than the present."
I suddenly noticed everybody else here, especially Emiya-san's entourage, had suddenly gone extremely pale at the declaration...I have a bad feeling about this...but right now though… "We need to find Annie first. That much blood, she's got to be badly hurt. I'm not going to just leave her here when she's in such a state." The others seemed to worry about getting away from the Monkey King right now, but right before I could look for her, my phone suddenly vibrated from a text. Taking it out, I took a look at the surprising message I received…
'Kusanagi Godou. Annie's fine, I already saved her in the nick of time. Try to get away as fast as you can and as far away as you can. JPS.'
While I was confused as to who 'JPS' was, I somehow felt whoever it was, he or she was currently watching me right now. However, I decided to trust this guy's message for now. As I was getting on the bus, The very Divine Beasts we were trying to get away from caught up, and we were in serious trouble with them. One or two of them wouldn't have been a problem normally, but I was still tired from buying Yuri time, and there were more of them than the last time. The second I got on, however…
"Everybody hang on to something!"
...Erica yelled as she screeched the tires when she floored the accelerator, and send me flying back with my face right in Ena's ample chest. The embarrassed fluster on both our faces at that was not something we needed right now, but luckily the fear of enduring the terror that was Erica's insane driving caused our embarrassment to be overruled by our fear. The sheer madness and insanity that was Erica's driving seemed to give everybody a scare with her reckless driving, however…
"Gods Dammit Blandelli, I swear, you are the absolute worst driver I've ever met!" Ayamatsu-san and Liliana both screamed out at the same exact time over the shrill squealing of rubber on asphalt trying to gain traction. Frankly, I have to agree with them, but oddly enough, it was the teen snow fairy who didn't seem to be even the slightest bit frightened by the madness that was Erica Blandelli's driving…
"How are you not afraid of this insane driving style, Illya-chan?!" Kuhoustuka-san asked Illya-san, but it was her rather nonplussed attitude and absolutely calm tone that shocked us all more than our current situation.
"Meh, I've seen and experienced worse...thank whatever deity you worship that you never had to be driven by my mama when she was still alive."
...what the hell...just how bad of a driver WAS her mother if Illya-san wasn't fazed by this and was apparently an even worse driver than Erica is…
"This is bad, Godou...If we don't at least manage to lose them for now, then I might not be able to use the instruction spell to give you the knowledge to defeat [Sun Wukong]..." Yuri's worry-filled words wasn't without cause. After all, if we didn't slay the Great Sage, then Hikari-chan may never wake up and eventually she would die. I think she of all people has every right to be afraid for her sister's sake. We need some way to-
"I'll buy you all some time. It looks like my King and Her Eminence may be coming soon."
The older Kurogane siblings words got all our attentions, before he pulled out three daggers, but one of them was fading away into blue particles of light. My eyebrows suddenly raised into my hairline at the sight...that means…
Flashback
"...I can tell you all right now, my King is alive, and he did leave himself a means to get out if he needed to. He left these behind, but I managed to swipe them when I grabbed Miss Hikari." The Resurrected mercenary revealed three distinct daggers, each with a slightly jagged blade in the shape of a zip-zag...hang on a minute…
"That looks just like..." Ena says before Reki-san nods his head in confirmation.
"Yes, Ms. Seishuuin, that's right. These are the three daggers that my King fired at [Sun Wukong] that were deflected. He deliberately left them as is so he would have a means to get out of the seal by teleportation using them as a medium. He made them using his magic, and from what I could understand from his explanation and from the bits and pieces of his fighting style I could grasp, my King's swords are an extension of himself, and he makes them with his magic. In other words, his magic is merely an extension of an extension of himself, so whenever he dismisses one of them..."
"...then he can use that opportunity to switch places with the weapon in question he dismisses! Clever trick, Emiya-san!" I couldn't help but praise the guy for this one. He found a way to teleport using his magically-conjured weapons; I don't think anybody else even HAS a method to do that much.
"If I know Shirou, then he deliberately left three for a reason. Most likely, one is a signal, one is the target to switch with, and the last one is a back-up in case the others get destroyed somehow. Keep them on you Reki. When one of them starts to disperse back into prana, then let us know. It means Shirou and Luo Hao are about to get back out of the seal."
"Wait, hang on a second..." Everybody turns to look at Liliana, who seems a bit surprised at this detail. "You mean to tell me that King Emiya figured out a way to teleport, not fly or transport via magic, but actually teleport?!"
"Yes, that's right. In fact, my King actually used that same trick in order to get us back to Japan from all the way in England after we dealt with Giovanni. I was rather surprised too, when he did that the first time. For the most part, I got the gist of his explanation, but the specific details of it still went over my head...much like a lot of the explanations that deal with his 'sorcery', now that I think about it..." I was actually impressed a bit that someone who was apparently as knowledgeable as Reki-san was easily stumped at a spell that Emiya-san used.
The girls were actually quite a bit shocked at that thought, but then Illya-san told us something that calmed them down a bit.
"It's actually surprising you were even able to get that much, Reki. Sorcery is not something anybody who doesn't have can understand so easily. The best way to explain what Sorcery is in comparison to Thaumaturgy in a manner which even Kusanagi-san can understand it is like this: The reality of the world is a box. Magic allows one to step outside of the box, and defy the laws of nature, but still remain within the rules of the world. The difference between the two is that Thaumaturgy only allows one to step outside of the box, but it must always return to the box. Sorcery, on the other hand, allows one to leave the box, and stay out of the box. It operates on a whole other set of rules, and takes a lot of power and energy to do that. That's basically the dumbed-down version for Kusanagi-san's sake, but the fact that you even managed to figure that much out about Shirou's Sorcery is impressive in and of itself."
End Flashback
The fact that one of Emiya-san's daggers was starting to fade away while the other two remained was a sign he was about to return. But Reki-san seemed ready and willing to stay and buy us the time we needed to get out of here...but still…
Third-person P.O.V.
"Big Brother, you can't! You've got R.J. and Rossweiss waiting for you to come back to them! Don't do this again, don't do this to us again, dammit!" Ayamatsu began to scream shrilly at the elder Kurogane sibling for repeating what happened to her ten years ago. The thought of him dying again like that in such a horrific manner, it was too much for her to bare, she couldn't take it again…
But rather than seem angry with her, or even try to argue with her, Reki simply took one of the daggers, handed it to Godou, then walked up to his hysteric younger sister, and with a calm tone of voice, like a parent soothing a child, he spoke to her…
"Aya...since you didn't seem to hear me the last time I said them, allow me to say it again...the very words I said ten years ago, but that you seem to have not heard me, only this time I'll say it again when you can actually hear it and remember..." Aya, who was on the verge of crying, looked up at her elder brother, while her eye widened in recognition of the small object he tossed her way that she caught on reflex, and had an almost reverent look on her face at what he had given her: it was one of his [Derfreschietze] bullets, the very bullet which earned him his moniker as the 'Phantom Bullet of Black Steel'. The unspoken message he was sending was all too clear…
'You are Derfrieschietze now. Live up to the title, Dragoon Commander.'
When she looked back to her big brother, what she saw, was almost like the exact same thing she saw that day, ten years ago, the very same day he died, the very memory overlapping with the current one in almost perfect clarity...
"Stop living in my shadow, Aya, and surpass me already, as I know only you can do..."
...Aya's lone eye, along with her long-destroyed one beneath her eye-patch, began to shed quit a bit of tears in a silent sobbing, as she suddenly realized just why the other Dragoons followed her so loyally after she was forced to assume command of them ten years ago: They weren't simply following her out of respect for her brother; they were following her out of respect for HER, as their First commander entrusted his role as commander to her, the Second Dragoon Commander, ten years ago, right before he died. She just was too shell-shocked to hear him say it then…
While Erica's crazy driving was most certainly not very helpful for the situation, they all knew what he was planning to do, and the sheer willingness to go through with it he had in his eyes. As he turned to the rear emergency door on the back of the bus, he said just a few more words to all those present, with the same serenely peaceful and content smile he had that day, ten years ago…
"Keep moving forward. Never look back with any regrets. Live your life by doing whatever feels right in your heart, and never stray from who you are. Then, when you finally meet your end, look back fondly on the life you lead, without any regrets, as you know there isn't anything you would change, and die with a smile, peaceful and content with the life you've had."
All eyes suddenly widened at that proclamation, as the way he said it, as if he didn't think he was going to come out of this one alive, yet chose to go through with the course of action anyway. Ayamatsu suddenly knew right away why he said those things in such a manner, realizing just why Illya-san and even he said that her Brother qualified to enter that 'Throne of Heroes' place...her Big brother had all the traits of not only a guardian knight, but also the qualities of a true hero as well…
Ayamatsu P.O.V.
"I am but a single bullet"
...it was merely a whisper, yet it resounded throughout the world itself. Walking up to the back of the bus, he continues to chant his spell words for his own original, personal attack, but I recognized what he was doing instantly...
"I aim my gun, not with my eyes; I aim it with my mind"
...as he walked up to it, he kicked the door open and proceeded to jump out the back, landing in a crouched position while we sped off, but he still continued to chant unimpeded...
"I fire my gun, not with my hand; I fire it with a thought"
...the very air itself seeming to ripple around him, and I knew instantly my fears were confirmed: he was going to use it. The very spell that leaves him crippled at best just from casting it, but he was still willing to put himself through that again for our sake...
"I do not kill with my bullet; I kill with my heart"
As he started to chant this line, he said the final one, the only one that shows the full weight of what he was about to do, how far he was willing to go, just to protect those he takes under his charge, and the sheer depth of his resolve: the one and only line he has ever chanted a handful of times in the past…
"For the Phantom Bullet of Black Steel hereby refuses to budge, and shows the resolve to defy even the gods themselves as I unleash a hailof bullets and carnage"
...and from within the very ripples burst forth the barrels of various firearms that Big Brother created: 50. caliber rifles, 40. caliber sniper rifles, 45. caliber hand-cannons, even several 300. caliber fucking ARTILLERY CANNONS! He brought out all the weapons he could, would, and had ever made, every one of them he stored in his personal pocket space, something he kept within his own soul and pointed them all at the incoming Divine Beasts...and apparently the approaching giant that was [Sun Wukong] after we had run away from him…
"Commencing Bombardment, [Black Bullet Requiem]: The Resolute Man's Last Stand!"
...and a storm of bullets and a fog of gun-smoke filled the very air, as my view of my brother was lost as he disappeared from sight when we got too far away for me to see, but my eye, couldn't see even if I wanted to; my tears were clouding my vision from how much I was crying in response to my brothers parting words...all I can do is hope he survives this, and comes back to us…
"...Big Brother..."
...R.J. and Rossweiss are waiting for him to come back. He has to come back to them. We cannot take him dying on us again like that day...I couldn't take it again…
Scene Change
Reki P.O.V.
I knew this was probably gonna come back to bite me on the ass later, but right now, I don't have time to worry about later. I invoked my [Black Bullet Requiem] and my [Dead Man's Stand] spell to counter it's detrimental effects. When I first explained this to my King, he was shocked, saying I created a form of Battle Continuation unlike anything that has been seen in centuries, if not millennia. I couldn't help the slight smile on my face at the Emiya Manor's shock at the revelation. Especially Berserker's surprised shock and childish excitment. He actually had such a priceless look on his face, but then he turned around and said he wanted to spar with me the first chance we got. Turned out he had his own version of Battle Continuation as well, but it allowed him to fully resurrect upon death up to twelve times.
Focusing my mind back on the battle at hand, I turned a sharp gaze upon the Monkey King who had started to follow us. Just in time too, as he states a surprised exclamation at my current mystical presence and actions…
"What is this?! Is this what Old Sun thinks it is?! How is it so similar to that Sword Brat's magic yet so different at the same time?!"
...so, it would seem what my King said was true: My [Black Bullet Requiem] is in fact really a [Reality Marble], just like his, but still somewhat fundamentally different from one somehow. Ms. Tohsaka described it as 'something that was similar to a Reality Marble, but not quite a Reality Marble'. My King even went so far as to call it a partially manifested one, saying it was only partly unlocked, but he highly advised me against ever trying to fully manifest or unlock it. He said that his was fully unlocked and completely manifest-able, but the pain of doing that the first time was so great, that it would have killed any normal human. Most who've tried and failed either died outright or went insane from years of repeated failures before their minds were completely shattered. My King only survived because he wasn't a normal human at all. The fact my King became a Campione in the first place is proof of that fact…
I then began to bombard the Divine Beasts and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven with a barrage of bullets and a hailstorm of steely carnage. The artillery cannons shelled the area, the rifles fired in rapid or semi-automatic bursts, the sniper rifles fired in singular shots before reloading, firing, reloading and firing again, even the hand-cannons fired off with enough force to crater the armor of a tank and pierce through its defenses. But I still knew this was a losing battle, for one reason and one reason only: For every shot I fired, my body suffered backlash proportionate to the power expended. The more powerful the rounds fired, the more damage my own body sustained.
It was for this very reason why I was rather tough by gunman standards, even a mystical one, and it was also why I was considered a failure with any magic other than the unorthodox one I developed and that I had created the Dragoons for: Any traditional magic spells utilized by the Orthodox Knight Schools caused my own body to suffer injuries and harms me proportional to the power of the spell in question; the more powerful the spell I cast with each magic spell, the greater the damage will be.
This was why I created the Dragoon School of Knight Combat. It was the only way for me to pursue the knight's path without killing myself with such a dangerous and crippling disability. Hell, even creating the Dragoons was merely a stopgap measure. I could only minimize the damage I suffered from the backlash of my own spells by firing them like bullets from pistols rather than the traditional way. That's why I went all out ten years ago when facing that heretic god down. There was no reason for me to hold myself back from using such a self-destructive spell that would kill me in the process back then; I was already dying from my wounds and only staving off my death by using my own original forbidden spell, the [Dead Man's Stand].
The Divine Beasts were being peppered with enchanted rounds from my [Pactio], [Desperado], and every other enchanted firearm I had used and created in the bombardment I was unleashing upon them. I was also directing quite a few of the rounds on the Monkey King, about half of them, and fired them off with a storm of absolute carnage that would have reduced lesser opponents into a pile of shredded corpses and dismembered body parts. The Divine Beasts were being reduced to Swiss cheese, but I held no illusions of what [Sun Wukong]'s condition would be, but I knew it wasn't going to hold for very long. Already, I could feel my body ripping itself apart, my bones being shattered and broken, only just barely keeping myself together from the destructive power being unleashed upon me from the backlash of my own attacks with [Dead Man's Stand]. I knew I wouldn't last for much longer, but I was determined to at least last long enough to buy Aya and the others a chance to escape-
*HACK*
I suddenly coughed up quite a bit of blood as I dropped to my knees in pain, the [Black Bullet Requiem] being forcibly canceled from the sheer pain I was in to keep what serious injuries I have from worsening. I kept up the bombardment for a good five minutes, but it felt like my body suffered endlessly excruciating torture nonstop for six months straight. I didn't even need to look at my body's condition to know just how bad it was messed up, but at least there is one thing I can say for certain: I most certainly have gotten rusty, I only lasted five measly minutes, while I used to be able to last six...I hate getting old. It's why I was content to pass the torch to Aya ten years ago. She was already good enough to take over for me, but her fixation me on and her being in my shadow was such that it kept me from finally retiring from active field duty after passing the position to her. So, this time I made damned sure she figured it out and got the message I was trying to give her ten years ago.
I looked up, and knew with a pain-filled grimace that [Sun Wukong], even though I may have been badly injured from the backlash, he wasn't dead, nor was he even lightly injured to begin with in the slightest. All I did was slow him down for a few minutes, but to my surprise, he was actually scratched and bleeding a bit...huh, guess I take back what I thought earlier. It's not that I've gotten rusty or weaker, I just unleashed far more destructive power than I expected a lot quicker than I was used to being capable of doing in the past. The Divine Beasts had been utterly decimated as I expected, though. They were completely slaughtered in what could be considered and accurately described as a rather one-sided massacre, as they did not have the benefit of [Sun Wukong]'s [Indestructible Body]. The Monkey King looked down at me with a rather pissed off look on his face at the marring of his body from my attack, then proceeded to start lifting up his foot as he prepared to stomp me into oblivion for my defiance like a bug...
Heh, maybe I am a bit out of it from the pain of my injuries, but I cannot help the slight amusement of such a morbidly ironic way for me to die a second time. The first time I died forcing a God to flee and wounding it with an all out attack. Now the second time I die doing the same exact thing, only I just barely managed to scratch the Great Sage's [Indestructible Body] in a desperate attempt to simply delay him for merely a few minutes. Of course, he was angry, and to the Gods, we humans are more often than not nothing but mere gnats beneath their feet, so of course it's rather fitting, for a gnat who defied his station, to be squashed like the mere bug that he is. Still, I cannot help the content smile on my face, as I close my eyes and prepare for the inevitable end of my own death for the second time in my life...
"My Body is made out of swords"
..only for my King and her Eminence to appear before me, and he turned to me, grabbed me along with Empress Luo Hao, and chanted an additional line I never heard him speak before from his aria...
"Iron is my Blood and Glass is my Heart"
...before the three of us were teleported straight back into the very bus I kicked the rear emergency exit door open to jump out and buy time for the others to escape. I only had time to think one single thought before my mind shut down and I passed out from the pain of my wounds...
'It would seem I owe you yet again, my King. Looks like I am going to be getting some forced vacation time after this...guess I'll getto spend some family time with R.J. a lot sooner than I thought I would...and a bit of private time with Rossweiss again...'
Moments Before
Shirou P.O.V.
I noticed that the daggers I left outside had suddenly separated: one was moving at ridiculously fast speed in a haphazard manner, while the other was stationary. Slightly curious as to why that may be, I focused on one of the special features of the rings I give all my girls...and my mind almost freezes in absolute dread and shock at what I 'see'.
Reki did recover the daggers I left, but [Sun Wukong] was closing in on them, so he decided to leave one of the daggers on the bus, while he kept the other on himself...the damned idiot was planning to sacrifice himself in order to buy time to escape...that was actually something I would have done in his position, so I'm not going to call him out on that, for it would have been hypocritical of me to do so, but still, I would have at the very least made sure I had a way to get out of the—Oh, that sneaky little-I was so going to have a 'chat' with the guy about this later. I was NOT too happy with him doing this, but I guess I can forgive him for now, but I do intend to punish him for this stunt later. This was the kind of crap that got me in trouble with my girls back during the Grail War.
I decided to use that dagger he seemed to have 'conveniently forgotten' on his person to get to him, changing my originally intended target to pop up in front of him and get his crippled ass out of there. Grabbing Luo Hao, I carefully made sure not to lose my grip on her as I made the jump…
"My Body is made out of swords"
...and teleported right in front of Reki...he was in a worse state than I had thought. Okay, maybe I won't punish him as badly as I was planning to; he's punished himself enough as is for the moment. Using [Magic Blue] to speed up my perception of time and get an idea of the situation, I noticed there was also another person there, ready to help Reki in the shadows, and I knew instantly who 'he' was based on the information I got from the Committee. That and the history I gleaned from 'his' costume told me so. Before I grabbed Reki and teleported away, I traced another blade real quick right by this newcomer, and proceeded to attach it to his clothes with alteration and forced 'him' to teleport along with us…
"Iron is my Blood and Glass is my Heart"
..and popped the four of us right into a bus with the rest of our respective entourages, sans Luo Hao's disciple who wasn't here at the moment. The others seemed a bit surprised to see us so suddenly, but their surprise turned to shock and fear at Reki's condition, then relief at him simply passing out from his wounds, to confusion as to who the fourth individual was here with us.
Turning to look at the newest arrival, I then proceed to pose the very question I felt I had every right to ask 'him', the very same question I had asked Luo Hao and had to play a game of twenty questions just to get a straight answer from her…
"So tell me, what's your excuse for coming here, unannounced, without prior notice or invitation, and apparently getting yourself involved in another country's affairs involving a Heretic God with three Asian Campione already involved in said incident? And it had better be a good one, or else it might sour my opinion of you and cost you some of my respect for you, John Pluto Smith."
As I asked 'him' my question, I also manifested the Asura slightly, not a full manifestation, but only the silhouette of it, just like I had with Luo Hao earlier. The sheer intent behind my actions spoke my message perfectly clear in my unasked question: 'Why are all you foreign Campione invading another King's territory without bothering to go through the proper channels?' Those present, even Godou-san, seemed slightly terrified of the Asura, but I kept it out for the sake of getting my question answered. I looked straight at 'John Pluto Smith', and said straight to 'his' eyes where I knew from analyzing it with my [structural analysis] was with my own Steely Silver and Molten Golden orbs gazing right at 'him'…
"What Root-be-damned excuse did you have and believed was good enough to think it was a brilliant idea to disregard proper channels and good etiquette, like Luo Hao did yesterday to essentially commit criminal trespass on JAPANESE SOIL. And if I don't like your answer, you're not going to like my response to such a blatant insult and disrespect for a fellow Campione's authority."
The tension caused from my question made it clear just what would happen if he tried to lie or refuse to answer. The fact I had teleported 'him' at all along with us showed I had means of getting around without needing to actually see or touch whatever I wished to teleport with me or get wherever I wanted to go. Plus, 'he' didn't know the 'how' of the method I used. For all 'he' knew, I could send 'him' to the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss from here and crush 'him' to death from the water pressure, freezing from the subzero temperatures, and drown from a lack of air. Seeming to debate with 'himself' internally, 'he' seems to come to a decision…
"...I actually came here to check up on Annie's progress. The girl is one of my collaborators back in America, and I had sent her here to track a Divine Ancestor who had been causing trouble back in America. I gave my full permission and approval for her to lend assistance if she found a plausible connection, but when she sent word to me of what happened, I had a feeling this was possibly connected to how Asherah managed to escape me from our last battle against one another. I suspected whoever helped to break or tamper with the seal was most likely trying to free the Monkey King for whatever reason, and simply took advantage of Luo Hao's desire for a rematch against him to free him for some unknown purpose along with Asherah's weakened state. I simply came here as fast as I could when Annie mentioned this, and just barely got her away from danger after she had been badly wounded, though who her assailant was I never found out before she passed out from the blood loss. She just barely got away from her attacker, and I was more concerned with getting her to safety to receive the necessary medical treatment."
The rather theatrical flamboyance 'he' displayed was most certainly amusing for any other situation, but right now, I had an injured subordinate and friend, a very dangerous and pissed-off god to deal with, and a foreign Campione disrespecting common courtesy, violating the laws on protocol in traveling to a foreign authority's domain, ignoring proper procedure for the said travels, and trespassing on Japanese soil illegally for the second time in the last 36 hours, never mind that 'he' technically didn't enter the country illegally like Luo Hao did. But right now, I was rather short on patience, and while I wouldn't oust 'him' for his obvious deception right now, I most certainly would address it later, when I have the time. But that was for me to deal with later. Right now, however...
"Right, sure you were. Now, Blandelli-san. Find a place to ditch the bus for now. We're going to need to battle [Sun Wukong] and his brothers soon. I don't doubt for a second he would have called forth his Sworn Brothers as subordinate deities to back him up. There are three, now four Campione here and only one of him. As strong and arrogant as he might be, but not even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven would be stupid enough to fight us all by himself. The rest of you all, keep back, stay safe, and tend to the injured. I know Godou-san and myself tend to be rather laid-back as far as Kings go, but even so, these transgressions against our authorities as the two Kings of Japan will not go unpunished and we will be demanding proper compensation equaling the slights you have both done to us. But right now, I think I speak for the both of us when I say we will ask for your assistance in this matter. Sound good to you Godou-san?"
That last statement seemed to draw a startled shock from the god-slayer in question. Though he was still uneasy from the Asura, he managed to at least get himself together enough to answer me...
"Y-yeah, what Emiya-san said. We could definitely use both of your help on this one. And agree you both will have to face some consequences for this, some more then others...I really hate dealing with such troublesome things like this. This kind of thing is exactly why I don't like dealing with the Supernatural unless it's bad enough to endanger countless people if I don't get involved...just why do these kinds of things have to always be so bad whenever I do get involved..."
I know he muttered that last one under his breath, but my heightened hearing, even without using [reinforcement] still let me her exactly what he mumbled, not that I couldn't understand his frustration or what it was like having to deal with the headaches of the Supernatural side of the world. Choosing to ignore that for the time being. I decide to focus on the looming battle on hand. Just as I had asked her to do, Blandelli-san got us to a wide open clearing, with a forest off a ways into the distance, and Godou-san, Luo Hao, John Pluto Smith, and myself Got out first in order to be prepared for the fight we knew was about to happen.
The others followed shortly after, with Berserker manifesting from his Astral form in order to help carry the injured and unconscious Reki. Though Luo Hao's rather odd reaction to his presence was—oh, hell no...So she's into that huh...Oh, I was so going to love lording this over Berserker later. If I wasn't in my battle mode right now, I would most likely be grinning like a loon and teasing her about this mercilessly, but that doesn't mean I won't do that we got ourselves situated and placed in preparation for battle, that was when the Gods appeared.
"Looks like they're—wait-a-minute...why is there a fourth God here...that doesn't look like one of the Eastern Mythological Gods...In fact he looks more like one of the old knights of Europe..."
Turning to the scene, I noticed that Godou-san's appraisal was spot on: that one WASN'T an Asian Deity at all. It was dressed from head to toe in a full plate-mail suit of armor, but with some rather wicked and brutal looking spikes here and there on it. On his hips were a steel-chain bullwhip, several blades, a couple of quivers filled with arrows and a bow, along with a couple of shields and swords strapped to his back. This guy was not expected at all...
True to my expectations, there stood the two sworn brothers along with[Sun Wukong], but there was also this fourth Heretic God...and this one was obviously NOT Asian in the slightest...and he was staring right at me as his opponent...oh hell, I just couldn't help but say it out loud this time, knowing full well how Illya would react to it…
"...Root-damn my E-rank luck...You all decide which ones you're going to fight; My opponent has apparently already decided for me who my fight will be with."
"What do you mean, King Emiya? That Western Deity has singled you out? Why is that?" Luo Hao's question is not without merit. There is simply too many unknowns here, but this deity...several of my weapons in the [Unlimited Blade Works] are reacting to its presence, the ones from Greek, Roman, but most of all, the weapons of the Knights of the Round. Oddly enough, there is even a few weapons of African origin reacting to his presence...but the ones from the Arthurian legend are the ones that are most definitely reacting the strongest, mostly with hate and rage...wait a minute…
"Mine Allies merely wish for thee Eighth Devil King to be brought to them alive, so mine might hath been lent to thine cause, as mine boon to return thine aid of mine." The unknown deity spoke with words and a tone of voice that completely contradicted his appearance. He had the look of a barbaric savage, yet he spoke with a silver tongue the likes of which rivals that of a master spokesman or even a career politician. While I cannot analyze his weapons, those clues I had so far gave me an idea of who I was dealing with, along with the reaction the [Unlimited Blade Works] was getting from this god. It was easy for me to put two and two together…
"You've tipped your hand, Black Knight. While there are many such 'black knights' whose armor was black in all of recorded history, myth, and legend, only two of them are truly so renowned enough to give birth to a god, but only one of them was actually famous for wearing black armor prior to his infamous betrayal, and was a master of weapons with a silver tongue to match his skill in battle. Am I right, [Mordred]." That seemed to surprise the K night of Betrayal slightly that I had figured it out, but really, he was dropping far too many hints as it is. "Don't look so surprised, the sheer number of hints you were leaving was certainly a big enough clue, but the fact you seem to defy any attempts to analyze your weapons from my gaze is all the more reason to suspect you, for the Black Knight's motives are unknown to any save the one who dons the armor and mantle, and you were the original 'Black Knight', oh Knight of Betrayal."
Turning from the shocked black knight to look at the Monkey King, I gave him one last piece before I decided to battle [Mordred]. He might be pissed with me for this, but still, I felt it needed to be said. "Well, color me perplexed, as I do not know which is more impressive: The fact that I am being singled out by none other than the infamous Knight of Betrayal himself, or the fact that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and thrice victor of Heaven's army would be so stupid as to ally with him. You should know what it means to be an ally of the Knight of Betrayal, [Sun Wukong]. Just when I thought my opinion of you couldn't get any lower, you suddenly hit a surprisingly new rock bottom..." I sarcastically drawled on, with truly genuine pity for the Monkey King written all over my words and actions, all while fully knowing what was bound to happen next.
I was suddenly grabbed by the dark metal gauntlet of the Knight of Betrayal, and suddenly I was being dragged headfirst to the very forest nearby at a very fast pace to battle him. Idly, I noted that my companions were all shocked by the suddenly aggressive actions, but I knew this probably going to happen from my blatant insults. Normally I wouldn't do this, but this guy just rubs me the wrong way for some odd reason, and even my [Unlimited Blade Works], for lack of a better description, was begging me to do so. I wonder...was [Xiphos]' remnant wanting me to pick a fight with this guy for some reason...and if so, why? The only way to find out was to actually fight him and win. I noted he deliberately dragged me away from the clearing to one within the forested area, and it was big enough for me to use my more wide-spread attacks, yet isolated enough to not spill over into the others battles. Just perfect for the fight about to happen…
...little did Emiya Shirou know, the battle he was about to fight was not simply as isolated as he had believed, as there was an audience in the form of a certain Divine Ancestor, as well as that of two blacksmiths watching from afar, waiting for the chance to step in if need-be, and to give part of the inheritance which is his by birthright from them both…
...nor was any aware of just what the odd reaction from the Unlimited Blade Works truly meant for the Eighth God-Slaying Devil King...not until much later, when he finally inherits his long-forgotten birthright…