A/N: Hey peeps. Now I know what you are all thinking: 'Another chapter so soon already?' Just to let you all know, I had essentially gotten it done a bit earlier than even I expected, since I had it mostly planned out before hand, so I figured I may as well post t early. Now for a quick Reviewer Review:
1.) To the guest reviewer: please log in to post reviews like that. I would essentially respond to reviews like that via pm, but you can't pm a guest review. Also, what in the name of the Root do you mean, 'there are two Aphrodites in Greek Mythology?"
2.) My fic is mostly from the perspective of Shirou or Godou, so unless its a significant side character or one of the key characters whose point of view affects the story in some manner, the story will basically just be having them doing their own thing behind the scenes basically. Just because they don't make an appearance, doesn't mean they've been forgotten. I plan to have a few interactions in the next upcoming chapters in their perspective, so don't worry.
3.) To those who keep asking for another chapter right after I just post a new one: I update on a once-weekly basis at bare minimum. I tend to post far more than some other authors I know on this site who only go so far as once a month, so I think I do better than that, so stop asking for the impossible. I can't just literally pull a new chapter out of my ass. I'm only human; stop treating me as otherwise will ya?
4.) Lastly for now, to those of you complaining about how Shirou didn't notice Venus wasn't human until it was too late and how he got caught: He didn't use STRUCTURAL analysis on the people in the building. He can do it if he wanted to, but doesn't like doing it because it gives him a very uncomfortable headache, feels its an invasion of their privacy, and because he has to actually touch the person he wants to use it on. Also, he does resist Venus' influence, its just she wasn't really exerting herself on anyone before in the past, so Shirou gave her quite the challenge for once in her millennia-long existence.
And with that out of the way, onto the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own 'Campione!', 'Fate', or any other franchise or fic referenced in this fic, as they are the respective property of their respective creators, owners, publishers, and authors. This is an AU of Marcus Galen Sands' fic 'God Slaying Blade Works' with a heavy emphasis on 'WHAT IF', using the 'Harem Ending' of Nua Realta, the meshing of canon lore from both franchises, my own original ides thrown into the mix, and references to other fics credited as used to the best of my abilities. This is a FREE, as in I make NO MONETARY GAIN WHATSOEVER, FANFIC of a FANFIC, as in a FAN-MADE FICTION of a FAN-MADE FICTION. If you paid to read this, then you got ripped off. If you do not like it, you do not have to read it. Nobody is making you.
And now...
Story Start:
God Slaying Blade Works: The King of Wrought Iron
Twenty-sixth Blade: Sword's Defilement, Pasts Rediscovered, and A King's Rise
Tokyo Train Station-During Godou's Battle with Apollo
Third-person P.O.V.
After revealing her true name, [Venus] began to try and put Shirou under her sway, but he was resisting, much to the Goddess of Love's chagrin and frustration. While her [Arrows of Eros] managed to disrupt his attempts to fight her off, his refusal to budge in regards to her charm caused her to be forced to unleash her older Authorities from her original incarnation after about fifteen minutes of trying, much as it was a blow to her pride to do so.
While the building was burning around them during his struggle, Shirou tried to trace a sword, any sword, to fight her off with, but whatever her Authority was, it disrupted his ability to think clearly by overwhelming his mind with lust and desire for [Venus], making it hard to even think straight, much less fight her off with hi tracing. He attempted to flush her control from his system by activating his magic circuits and flowing magical energy through them to disrupt whatever she was doing, but it merely slowed down whatever process she was doing to make him submit, not stop or reverse it.
He was running out of options, and his mind was being overwhelmed by desire not his own far too fast for his liking, but before he could do anything, [Venus] suddenly manifested a massive bejeweled bow of crystalline and metallic design, and it made him suddenly very wary, as she began to fire off 'arrows' in the form of beams of pure mana, or its divine equivalent anyway, as she used yet another Authority on him, this one even stronger than before, and his earlier attempts to resist her influence were being rendered useless now.
For her part, [Venus] was most certainly not happy to be using this particular Authority of hers, as it was a manifestation not of her nature as a Goddess of Love, but her original incarnation as [Ishtar], the Ancient Babylonian Fertility Goddess of Lust, Desire, Fortune, and Warfare. Unlike her [Arrows of Eros], which creates new passions and desires in the form of love within her target, this one essentially steals what love already exists, and is a major blow to her pride that she even had to deign to use it just to get what she wanted from this Devil King.
…for her to have to work this much just to get somebody to have sex with her...to say the fact this day even came to pass was a major blow to her pride as a Goddess of Love, and an indirect insult to her pride as a woman that she even had to resort to using this aspect of her divinity. She had not used this Authority in a very long time, yet here she was, being forced to resort to steal a love that already existed rather than create a new one...it was absolutely frustrating for her to have to even do this much, and she absolutely HATED using it, but she WANTED to bed him and she wanted this Child of Pandora to screw her brains even more, but most of all she wanted them to fuck until they both end up breaking their hips, NOW…
Shirou's mind was clouding even more with thoughts not his own, it was getting even harder to think clearly, and he grabbed his head in a futile attempt to get her claws out of his mind, but his vision was being clouded by a pearly sheen in the corners of his eyes by her authority steadily overwhelming his vision...before suddenly he was hit by one of her attacks from her 'bow' which sent him flying a few feet back into a wall, right before he felt something within his mind beginning to crack, right as his vision was overwhelmed by a pearly sheen, and he lost consciousness right afterwards...his last cognizant thoughts were of concern for his family and close friends, and fear for what was going to become of them now that he was under a god's sway...
Venus P.O.V.
I actually felt somewhat exhausted and frustrated that I had to work this much just for a little romp in the bedchambers with this Devil King. I haven't been this exhausted using my Authorities and power since...I don't even remember the last time I ever worked this hard just to get some. This Devil King was most certainly a difficult one to charm, and I used a good chunk of my Authority and power to be tied up to maintain this control over my new thrall, and I can barely maintain my disguise...actually, why am I even keeping it up for now?
Dismissing my disguise, I suddenly swelled out into a buxom and curvy beauty that no mortal woman could ever hope to match. My red eyes began to sparkle like rubies, and my pale skin radiated a silky smoothness and my dark brunette hair suddenly shone a healthy sheen impossible for any mortal woman to ever hope to match. My divine curves filled out, and my attire began to shift and wrapped around me in the form of a very revealing and loose-fitted dress of pure velvety silk of white and purple with accents of gold and black jewelry while my breasts, ass, and womanhood were left bare in an attire that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was both a body and attire that declared to all who see me my confidence in my sex appeal and the fact I had no qualms with it, neither about showing it off, nor flaunting it for those I intend to drag to my bedchambers for some obvious lust-fueled fun.
After I released my disguise, I took a quick look at my latest toy, and frowned a bit at what I saw. The [Heart Thief] was meant to take any existing love within a target's heart and steal it by making an existing love change by revolving solely around myself. But this time, this Devil King had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, but they were still focused somehow at the same time. It would seem he's been reduced to a mere puppet by my attempt to lay claim to him, no different from an automaton. Oh well, although it burns me to admit this, the fact he resisted me made my desire to make him mine all the stronger. While I might be unable to use most of my power keeping him under my charms, I won't need to actually fight myself with him as my thrall.
"Follow me." I gave my order, and he nodded in acknowledgment. Good, looks like I can still make some use of this. Walking out, I decided to have him provide for us a ride to where we had to go for me to have my fun with him. As I stepped out with him, however, I noticed there was a group of armored mortals, not much different from the armor this God-slayer wore in make and design, yet granted them divine protection from my sway. This is most certainly an annoyance. If it wasn't for that armor of theirs protecting them, they'd be but clay in my hands.
"King Emiya...what is..." one of these mortals started to say, but froze when he say me.
"Release the protection you gave them."
Heeding my words, the armor that was protecting these mortals from my Authority was released, rendering them no threat to me. As I was turning to leave, however…
"What have you done to Shirou."
I actually froze at the presence that had suddenly manifested. It was a teenage girl, with hair as pure as snow, pale white porcelain skin, and ruby-red eyes shining almost like the color of blood in her rage of my taking of this latest thrall. But that wasn't what made me pause; it was the leaden giant behind her who did. I recognized this presence, and I suddenly felt wary...this was an entity I hadn't seen since the time of Ancient Rome in the days of that mortal empire, but the fact he was here at the beck and call of this mortal and acting as her servitor made me actually frightened at that moment I recognized him…
"What have you done to that young warrior, Aphrodite." rumbled a very familiar voice like boulders scraping against boulders in a tone that broke no arguments or deceit under penalty of horrendous violence...
…oh shit...it was him...the one person whom not even my charms could convince to abate when he entered his infamous rage...it was [Herakles], the strongest hero in all of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire...I already knew what that uptight bitch [Hera] put him through, and as a result he is very violent towards those who even attempt to mess with his mind...this just got rather dangerous for me…
However, my newest thrall impressed me once again, as he stepped between us in my defense after sensing the threat to myself. Good, looks like he's of greater use than I expected him to be.
"He's not your man anymore. He's mine now. Let us leave now, my newest boy toy."
In response to my command, a golden portal appeared between us and these two, as a flying vehicle appeared out of it, hovering on the ground with a throne affixed to the top for a rider to sit atop. A flying throne, how fitting for my newest toy to amuse myself with. Smiling in sadistic glee as I walked up, the charmed Devil King got on before extending his hand to pull me up with him, all while [Herakles] and the young girl glared a hateful gaze filled with absolute venom and murderous intent at me while we flew off. Oh, how making others feel so inferior to myself feels oh so good to me…
Scene Change-Within the Unlimited Blade Works
Shirou P.O.V.
I felt like my mind had been rent asunder and put through a fucking thresher by whatever that damned bitch put me through. I know I am no longer the one in control of the driver's seat, but this does not mean I CAN'T see and know what that bitch put me through, and yes, I have no problems calling her that. She treats me like a damned toy, forces my body to do whatever the hell she wants, and now this…
That tears it: the second I get control over my body back, she's dead. I am not going to simply slay her, I am going to RUIN her, permanently in retribution. You DO NOT forcibly dominate a sentient sword which chooses its wielder like this. When I get the chance, at the first opportunity, I'll-
"...I do believe you might wish to calm down, Blade of Humanity, lest you might end up doing something you'll regret if and when you do get the chance. I understand your anger at the situation, but don't let it cloud your judgment. Anger isn't a bad thing, but don't allow yourself to be blinded by it so easily like this..."
Snapping my head around so fast I should have gotten whiplash, I simply glare at my ancestor's shade with an absolute fury in my eyes. Standing up, I then proceed to simply hit him over the head, though he blinks rather dumbly at me for my actions as he rubs his head somewhat in shocked surprise more than any pain…
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?! But that BITCH completely trampled over a sword's very PRIDE for Root's sake, so why aren't you even upset about it?!"
[Xiphos] simply looks at me dumbly and blinked, before he registers just what it is I was trying to say, as understanding seems to show upon his features as he frowns in irritation as it finally dawned upon him why I was so outraged with [Venus]' actions.
"...why do you think I am not angry about it, Blade of Humanity? What makes you think I am not upset by what that whore of a goddess has done in defilement of your nature as a sentient sword? I am upset, yes, but I also see this as the last opportunity for me to tell you what I feel you must know, before what's left of myself fully fuses with your being and I cease to exist any further...even within this shared world of ours within your soul..."
Suddenly my anger and outrage is gone. My wrath is all gone. All thoughts of retribution were gone. All that was left was an empty feeling of a cold, hard, steel lump within the pit of my being as I processed what he just told me...he was about to disappear, forever...suddenly I noticed the cracks forming along his body, realizing just what that the breaking sound I heard earlier within my mind was...but why…
"...why didn't you feel the need to tell me about this...why didn't you tell me that you were going to vanish...Why didn't you FEEL THE NEED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT AT ALL, ROOT-DAMMIT!" I couldn't help the tears beginning to form in the corners of my eyes at this as they threatened to spill forth. I didn't really mind dying, I didn't mind being the one to end up being hurt or suffering, so long as nobody else had to, but there is one thing that would hurt me more than anything else: Watching others suffer right in front of me and not being able to save them from their pain…
[Xiphos] simply smiled a sad, yet content smile as he responded in a tone that spoke of acceptance...and for some reason of joy…
"Because you are truly a kind and gentle soul, one who would rather bare the suffering in the place of another than let them be the one to suffer, regardless of the price you might end up paying for doing so. My time has already long since come and gone. My sole purpose left in this world was to forge a successor worthy of my power, and my title...To forge YOU into my worthy heir, Blade of Humanity...as the next Sword of the World..."
I simply looked at him, unable to properly comprehend his words as he looked around with content written on his features as he spoke his next words, explaining his reasoning to me for his choice…
"...I have lived far too long past my time...I should have by all rights disappeared from this world...the only thing that kept me from being able to find peace, is the promise I once made to Gaia...to the one and only whom my Glass Heart felt the deepest of love for, who gave me a purpose to even exist, before Alaya cruelly tore me from her out of jealousy and spite of Gaia's relationship with me, and for my refusal to cheat on her with the Will of Humanity...You are the final sword born of our line, the last descendant of the final child that Gaia and I had together, right before my body finally failed me...our last True Child of Steel..."
I was rendered absolutely speechless by this confession...it would seem that [Xiphos] was absolutely serious about this...he was finally telling me everything he could while he still had the chance...before he fully fused with me, and ceased to be, forever...and I was not about to let his parting words go to waste. This was his final moments, and as a fellow sword, I couldn't let him simply break without at least hearing out his final will. Steeling myself, I decided to resolve myself to finally hear the truth from him about my long-lost past, my forgotten heritage, and my stolen birthright...and what he wished to tell me while he still had the chance to do so...
Scene Change-Unknown Location
Third-person P.O.V.
"[Venus]! It took you long enough to get here...I take it from the God-slayer's presence you succeeded in your part of our bargain?" [Persephone] said to the Goddess of Love with obvious annoyance. While she understood how important her ally's cooperation was in capturing her target, that didn't mean she was supposed to like her. Especially considering how she even willingly slept with her jailer. It was for this exact reason she refused to acknowledge her by the name she had while she was part of the same pantheon.
"Do not even ask me that. This Devil King was actually a very tough nut to crack, even for me. He had such deep-seated affection for those he calls his family that even [Hestia]'s love for her family would have paled in comparison to his." The Goddess of Love retorted with such annoyance at the sheer effort it took her to try and enthrall him under her authority it had actually exhausted her to the point she'd never been that tired just trying to charm anyone before...it actually impressed her somewhat there was even a mortal who could, never mind the fact that he was a God-slayer…
"He was truly that difficult for even your power, Lady [Aphrodite]?"
"Even you had a hard time enthralling this Devil King our sister was so taken by?"
[Sthenos] and [Euryale] both asked her in complete shock there was anybody who made her actually work to charm them...just how strong a will did this Child of Pandora have to resist even the Goddess of Love's Authority over love and desire…
"Difficult?! Hmmph, this Devil King was completely shrugging off my [Arrows of Eros], to the point I had to use my older Authority of the [Heart Thief] in conjunction with my original Authority as the Ancient Babylonian Goddess over warfare to keep him still long enough to make him even be effected, and even then he resisted to the very end...I cannot use most of my power currently just to maintain keeping him under my thrall at this moment...this mortal's will is something that not even the King of the End had when I last saw him, and he was the strongest God of Steel in history!"
That caused the her three fellow Greek divinities to actually stare at her in mild disbelief...a will stronger than even that of the Strongest Steel...just what was this God-slayer to have such a monstrous willpower to not even bend, much less outright break to a God's Authority? Even if he was a Devil King, they still could have their wills usurped under the right circumstances, yet this one managed to make even that a difficult endeavor….
"Anyway, let's get started on the ritual, [Persephone]. I held my end of the bargain, now its your turn to uphold yours." [Venus] spoke as she began to direct the captured Devil King to sit in a chair in the center of a ritual circle they had set up for this ritual. It was something that Divine Ancestors had developed as a means to try and reclaim their stolen powers from the Steel Divinities who slew them, bound them in slavery, and forced themselves upon them. However, [Persephone] managed to figure out a means to allow a fallen goddess like herself to utilize it by undoing the chains on her myth and reclaim the power that [Hades] had stolen from her, essentially tearing half her identity from her and sealing it away.
"Yes, Honored [Persephone], let's get started soon."
"Indeed, we would like to have our arrangement completed soon as well."
[Sthenos] and [Euryale] both agreed to hurry along with this whole ritual. The two had been rather irritably unruly lately, yet even so, their rage and anger was not entirely unjustified, but even so, unbeknownst to any gathered, even themselves, the seeds of betrayal planted into both their hearts had sprouted, and was simply awaiting the chance to bloom, resonating with their bloody malice and desire for vengeance.
"...very well...the preparations are all ready...time to begin the ritual..."
[Persephone] decided after finishing up with the final preparations. She wanted to get this ritual right the first time. For too long, she had been unable to even exert half her true power, all because her jailer had stripped her of half her identity, essentially tearing her soul asunder to weaken her to the point of becoming no different than a fallen goddess, barely little more than a divine ancestor in terms of her strength and divinity. Standing up, she began to activate the ritual necessary to reclaim her lost power, citing the spell words which activated it. As the ritual started, a glow began to emanate from King Emiya, showing the power of [Hades] within him was sufficient enough for her plans. The ethereal glow of magical energy then began to stretch out to [Persephone], enveloping her as her power slowly restored itself, her stolen half of her identity being returned in full.
As the seal on her stolen divinity was finally being broken, the fallen goddess' body began to undergo a change. Her flawlessly unblemished caramel-colored skin began to sprout a beautiful coat of pure white fur, her legs twisting into that of a furred and cloven hooves in place of feet, as her long dark hair began to change into a silvery white in color. Her dress morphed along with her form, taking a very tantalizing transformation that seemed to look reminiscent of nature in its appearance, while still remaining the same shades of brown, yellow, and green, yet becoming more vibrant and seemingly like that of a forest in its form.
Her already attractive figure also spilled forth, just barely contained by the changes to her physic, and the changes to her attire barely helping in that regard. Her eyes went from a myriad of colors, before settling into a rainbow of colors reminiscent of a jewel mine in how many colors shone in her eyes in rapid succession. Her hair also began to sprout horns and her silvery white hair had a few tentacles growing out the back of her rather beautiful face. If a mortal had seen her new appearance, then they would have most likely been driven out of their minds with desire to father countless children with her until they died.
As her body finally began to settle into the changes in her regained physic, she simply eyed herself up, twisted her shoulders and clenching and relaxing her hands, testing out her regained form to see if there were any problems at the moment.
"So, everything finished now? Can I have my fun now?" [Venus] asked her now restored fellow divinity, who turned her eyes to her and answered in a voice that would have given any red-blooded male a massive urge of desire just to hear her speak...well, at least any who still had full or partial control over their faculties...
"Yes, my form has been restored, however it will still be a few days before the changes completely settled. Once they have, then I will honor my agreement to give you your help against [Medusa]. However, I only intend to give you a way to get your revenge, not actually help you claim it as I have said in our initial agreement. How you use the aid I lend you will be up to you two to do so. [Sthenos]. [Euryale]." The two nodded before turning to leave the room, no doubt wishing to plan the best way to make use of her aid in the form of one of her 'children' being lent out to them.
"Hoh, FINALLY!" The Goddess of Love practically shouted in a hunger-induced frustration of absolute naked desire and lust before she then straddled the King of Wrought Iron's lap, making out with him in his glazed-over state, his body almost absentmindedly giving her a passionate embrace returning her heated kiss with a seemingly mechanical one devoid of almost any passion or feeling at all, as she slipped her hand into his clothing intent to scratch her itch right then and there, whether any audience wanted to watch her getting boned or not. She was NOT waiting for even a single second longer than she's been forced to...
The restored goddess turned from the display in blatant disgust at the sheer display of absolute naked debauchery as she walked away from her...yet why did she feel this strange sense of wrongness to do so? She only put up with [Venus]' presence due to her agreement, and she held up her end of the bargain. There was no longer a need to keep her from indulging in her base lust and desire...but why did seeing her do that to King Emiya make her feel this self-loathing for allowing her to do so…and why did she feel as though she has done him a great wrong for some reason as she walked away...
Scene Change-Emiya Manor
Kiritsugu P.O.V.
I was absolutely livid right now. My son, whom I had finally been able to see again thinking I was never going to again when I died, had just been taken against his will while being reduced to a prisoner within his own body. From what Illya and Herakles had told me, Shirou wasn't entirely in control of his faculties, but had at least seemed as though he had been put into some kind of trance-like state...even though I might not be able to do much, I could at least do something to help my son. Thinking this, I went to the place he mentioned before, while recalling what he gave me and told me the day he resurrected both myself and Iri...
Flashback
"What is..." "Kiri!"
I suddenly found myself not only alive somehow, but even being hugged by my wife who had been dead for five years...just how is this…
"Welcome back, Old Man..." "Papa, Mama!"
Iri and I paused in our rather joyful reunion as Illya and Shirou suddenly walked up to us...at least I think it was Shirou, but he seemed different, older most definitely, and Illya looked younger than him…
"Illya...you've grown...but wait, Kiri...why did this young man call you Old Man for?"
"Ah, that's because my name is Emiya Shirou, Kiritsugu adopted me after the Fourth Holy Grail War after he found and saved me in the aftermath of the fire he accidentally caused that day."
"...so you're Kiri's son?"
"Yes...and Old Man..."
"Yes Shirou?"
"...I hope you don't mind me telling you like this, but you're also going to be a grandfather in a few months."
"..." What Shirou told me made my mind freeze. I'm going to be a grandfather in a few months? But Illya wasn't pregnant, I would have been able to tell-wait...oh shit…
"...so you have a girlfriend with a child on the way?"
"...actually its not just one girl, but several. And I don't plan to leave the children without a father, either. They're my children; I plan to own up to the fact."
Suddenly Iri ran up to Shirou and began bombarding him with a rapid fire of questions as she asked how many girls, how many children were currently on the way, how long were they along, she wanted to know everything…and I could only sigh in resignation at my wife's antics, as I had been used to them...
Two Hours later
After finally getting Iri to settle down, I was surprised to see just how popular Shirou turned out to be, and even more so to learn what happened in the years since he last saw me. He also gave me a couple of letters. The first one was t me and Iri which explained the current situation to us, from Zelretch of all people. Now that was a shock I still couldn't wrap my head around. The second letter was from Shirou himself. His exacts words were that if anything were to happen to him in the future, then to open it and follow the instructions he left enclosed to the letter. He reassured me it was simply an insurance policy in a 'just in case' situation for the future…
End Flashback
After getting the letter out, I opened it, and what it read had shocked me somewhat. He described how he had planned a contingency in the event something like this happened and placedseveral means in the locked safe in his study, with the methods he wished for us to use. After opening the safe, I found two bottles sealed by some form of mage craft keeping the spell contained within. According to Shirou's letter, these were bottles containing familiars he had made to send an emergency request to the two other Devil Kings he had recently met and befriended who happened to owe him a few favors. The instructions were to open the bottles and the contained familiars would simply carry out the rest.
After opening the bottles, a pair of familiars in the form of a pair of winged birds the size of a drone flew out and took off through the window I had opened before hand. Reading the letter for further instructions, I opened the lock-box he had in the safe and pulled out the contents: a ritual athame dagger with a very blunt blade that would be useless in combat. According to the letter, depending on which God it was and how he was being controlled, this Noble Phantasm dagger, [Rulebreaker], should be able to break whatever power is being used on him, but there was a catch: we'd have to get close enough to actually stab him with it, and he would not make it easy for us in his controlled state of mind and body.
He also stated that if the worst should come to pass, and they cannot undo the control...he wished for us to put an end to him…
Feeling myself fight the urge to rip the letter up, I decided to bring this news to everyone. This would be the one and only way to save Shirou, to save MY son. I would make it work, even if I died doing so. My days as the Magus Killer are behind me; I will NOT kill another member of my own family again if I could help it. Never again…
Scene Change-Next Morning
Third-Person P.O.V.
After Shirou had been taken control of, the Emiya Manner became abuzz with activity in response to the news. The whole mansion was working overtime trying to get things prepared for the worst case scenario Shirou had laid out. The Committee even had representatives helping out with trying to find out what happened to him, but to little or no avail. This was the scene that the Kusanagi Siblings and their entourage had arrived to, before being brought to a dining room acting as an impromptu strategy room in the midst of this crisis. Godou and company arrived right as Kiritsugu and Reki finished a rather heated discussion, with the Kusanagi heir catching the tail end of it.
"...I don't care what he said to do, I will NOT be murdering any more of my own family off. Not when Shirou isn't even the one at fault for his actions. I had to murder my own father to stop him from causing a disaster which cost hundreds of lives being repeated by his crimes. I had to shoot down a plane carrying my own mentor to prevent an undead outbreak from spilling into New York. I will NOT be the one to murder my own son, adopted or not be damned!"
"I understand how you feel Kiritsugu. I don't want to have to do it if it comes to it either...I'm just hoping it doesn't come to it. Your son is somebody I swore loyalty to of my own volition after he not only brought me back from the grave, but even gave me a second chance to be with Rossweiss and R.J. I'm not going to just let him die either, not if I have a say in the matter."
That caused the King of Ruin to frown somewhat. This had to be bad if they were talking about that possibility, but considering what he knew about his fellow Japanese King, Godou figured Shirou would make that kind of request if he was forced to make such a contingency in the even he got controlled by a god. It seemed completely like something the King of Wrought Iron would totally do: have standing orders to kill him if and when he could not be freed from whatever control he was placed under rather than be forced to hurt others.
"So...how bad is it for you to talk about killing Emiya-san?" Godou asked as he walked into the room, causing the conversation to stop to an abrupt halt. Both Kiritsugu and Reki looked away in shame they were overheard, while Rin walked up to the Kusanagi entourage.
"It's bad...according to Illya and Herakles, that goddess who took Shirou was apparently somehow controlling him in a manner that made him spacey, as though his mind was there, but nobody was home...which might help us in the battle that's possibly coming..."
"Why's that, Tohsaka-san?" Erica asked the resident Jewel Mage, a complete seriousness on her face usually only reserved for dire situations, completely devoid of her usual playfulness or any hint of mischief at all. She knew the stakes of such a situation. Pompeii was a prime example of what happened the last time anyone tried to control a Campione, and she didn't wish to find out the hard way what they went through.
"Shirou usually has such a look if and when he's diving into his inner world through meditations. His Reality Marble requires him to constantly keep up to date on its current condition, as a means of knowing what his outlook and his mentality currently is. A Reality Marble changes its form based on the mentality of the owner of one. Whenever he's spacing out suddenly, it's usually because he was checking something out within it."
That caused quite a few eyebrows to raise in response to that question. It certainly explained a lot in their opinions of the times he seemed to space out for a second in the past. As everybody got together and began trying to do something to be of help, that was when a familiar sudden gust of wind and flower petals suddenly appeared, and out of it stepped none other than the Chinese God-slayer, Luo Cuillion herself.
"I received King Emiya's request for assistance. Now somebody tell this Luo Hao what is the problem. I will do my utmost to deal with the situation with my martial splendor."
Sometime later…
"...I see….this could very well be quite the problematic situation indeed..." Luo Hao responded after finding out what the emergency message she received was for. She had a frown marring her otherwise beautiful face as she read just what the list of Shirou's authorities and what they could do were, along with any restrictions they may have.
"I'll say...he has several of those armors he used to help the Committee to rescue the trapped civilians, on top of these one...[God-Kings Privilege], which is the very same one he used to train us and win through sheer skill alone in less than five minutes...and this [Enkidu] authority is going to make using my [Boar] essentially rendered pointless..." the Kusanagi heir bemoaned as he read the full list of Shirou's authorities he wrote down and put along with [Rulebreaker] in the lock-box he had in his study's safe. When he heard what his fellow God-slayer asked them to do if they couldn't use it on him, he felt sick to his stomach. He was not okay with killing [Apollo] in such a blatant cold-blooded murder, yet here he was, being asked to do it by Shirou if they could not find a way to free him from this heretic god's control.
"...if that was the only problem making him difficult to restrain long enough to snap him out of it, then this would not be such a problem..." Kiritsugu said, with a tired sigh and an obvious slump in his sagging shoulders, but given the situation, it would be perfectly understandable. Though his response raised a few brows from the visiting guests in confusion...
"What do you mean, Mr. Emiya?" Yuri was the one to ask. She had been speaking with Illya to hear a description of the goddess in question to see if they could narrow down just which deity it was to make it easier to figure out how to beat her and free the enthralled Devil King. Her question got even Luo Hao's attention, as she had found out this man was the foster father and teacher of her fellow Rakshasha Rajah, so the fact he mentioned something like this was worth listening to in her opinion. As his teacher in the mystic arts, he would probably know best about what problems his son might pose them as well as any problems he might have to help them out in subduing him...
"If you all think Shirou's authorities are all you have to watch out for, you're dead wrong. It's not those that make him so dangerous in a fight. It's his magic. A Reality Marble is a very rare magical ability that literally gives those who've successfully achieved it one foot firmly planted in the territory of a god. It warps the very world around the caster by creating a miniature world where the caster is the undisputed god of that space. Shirou would essentially be at his strongest if he is given the chance to invoke it. Think of him more like a human war god than a God-slayer in that situation. Also, you all know those weapon's I heard he gave you at the feast? He made those from his magic, and he has THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS more within his reality marble to choose from. There is a reason the truest form of my son's magic is called [Unlimited Blade Works], or [Mugen no Tensei] in Japanese. And that's not including any of the sorcery he might bring to the fold..."
That caused everybody to pause who weren't in the know about that aspect of the King of Wrought Iron. A world of INFINITE weapons he could call upon on a whim...the idea of a world with that many weapons being at an enemy's disposal was a very frightening and sobering thought to consider. The reactions to this revelation were varied.
Godou and Luo Hao actually both paled a bit at the idea of having that many weapons. The Empress of the Martial Realm was strong in regards to her martial prowess, of that she had no doubt, but against an infinite stream of weapons being fired upon her simultaneously? She could not conceive a way to beat that easily, even with her mastery of the martial arts. As for Godou, he knew Shirou was strong, even for a Devil King, but the idea that Shirou wasn't even doing serious training with him during his training sessions with him actually caused him to feel somewhat inferior, and as if he had lost somehow in some very important way, yet he didn't for the life of him know why…
Liliana and Erica both visibly went white as a sheet at the revelation. They both knew that King Emiya was a man who used his authorities more like a trump card than an actual battle asset to show off. The list that he provided for them along with the potential means to save him made it clear just how powerful he was, and the fact he held back to train them made it clear just how seriously he was trying to improve them…yet his magic was more dangerous than his Authorities...to say they were suddenly very wary of the coming battle was an understatement...
Yuri, Ena, and Shizuka were all visibly shaken by this revelation, the younger Kusanagi most of all. She liked Shirou. As in REALLY liked him, not much differently than Hikari seemed to like her brother, so the idea of having to hurt him...it was just too cruel for her to bear the thought of ever doing. As for Yuri and Ena, they were worried more about how Godou would react if he did end up having to murder his friend and fellow King. They saw how much he detested having to kill [Apollo] in such a manner, and yet here he was possibly having to do the same to somebody he thought of as a friend, who wasn't even at fault for his actions. To say they were worried was an understatement…
Kiritsugu noticed how Godou, Yuri, and Ena were acting and knew that look instantly, as it was a look he had on his face numerous times in the past, such as with Shirley, Natasha, Maiya, even Iri, when they all died, and he was either the one responsible or indirectly the cause for their deaths. He decided to talk with the three of them when he got the chance in private...he might be essentially beyond salvation for the things he did, but that didn't mean he wasn't wanting to prevent the younger generations from repeating his mistakes…
Few hours later
Godou P.O.V.
After the meeting, I was sitting in the backyard of the Emiya manor, just outside the dojo where I and my fellow King did our sword training. I looked at the training swords that Emiya-san always used and reached out to touch one. It didn't budge of course; Emiya-san was the only one who could even hope to lift the damned thing, as he made them for his personal use to train while strengthening his body at the same time.
Illya-chan was staying inside her workshop along with Oda-san; the two were constantly trying to locate the missing King of Wrought Iron in a vain attempt to locate him, hoping against hope that the goddess who took him would somehow show up again somewhere in the city. Medusa-san and Tohsaka-san were both trying to search for some way to help out without being able to even fight due to their advanced state of pregnancy. Ayamatsu-san was constantly by her phone, waiting for any news on a request she put in to help give her a shot at fighting Emiya-san. Matou-san was trying to cook as a way to relax her nerves and try to not stress out too much to avoid trying to hurt her baby. My girls were all helping out in their own way, with Shizuka helping out Matou-san by constantly trying to help everybody out by bringing them the food and refreshments she made wherever anybody seemed to need it in an attempt to distract herself. She was really taking this hard, and I was starting to realize just how bad my sister had it for Emiya-san.
As for me, I was just looking around Emiya-san's home, wandering from one place to the other that I spent even a little time with my fellow King in. I was frustrated. I knew personally just how strong Emiya-san was. After all, he was always kicking my ass up and down the dojo during our training sessions and beating any lessons about magic with a figurative ugly stick right into my skull in an attempt to teach me something to help out with my lack of magic control. It was only after I found myself in front of his workshop that I came out of my self-deprecating musings. Opening it up, I saw the forge he used to make his weapons, the usual heat from his typical daily use missing from the forge going cold. I simply took a quick gander around, before something caught my eye in a corner of the room.
Walking up to it, I notice it was a rather large sword, something very unique in design, as though it wasn't meant for anything but a single persons use. Running a finger along the flat of the blade, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer beauty and quality of this one sword's craftsmanship. I couldn't help but smile a bit sadly at the sight. Here was probably one of Emiya-san's latest creations, yet he probably might not finish it, depending on how this situation might go. As I begin to turn to leave, I cannot help but notice something catching my eye about this sword...was that a crack or two forming along the blade for some reason…
"You know, if this were any other magus workshop, you'd have probably been killed for trespassing uninvited and without permission within its confines, Kusanagi-kun."
I suddenly turned around so fast, I should have gotten whiplash. I would like to think I didn't shriek in a very unmanly way, and I would deny any attempts to say otherwise. This guy was seriously a frightening guy to sneak up on me like this, even without me being able to sense any ill intent from him, his stealth skills are top notch…
"Shirou made that sword just recently. It was the last one he made right before all this went down. Something about it being an experimental weapon on his part." Mr. Emiya walked up to me and put a hand on the side of the blade, a complicated look on his face. I could tell this guy probably has a rather dark past, given the subtle way he carried himself along with what snippets of conversation I heard. But I still don't feel like bringing it up with him, if for no other reason than to avoid being rude in any way.
"...you know...back when I was still an active freelancer, they gave me the moniker of the Magus Killer due to my skill at assassination requests." That got my eyebrows to shoot into my hairline. I knew this guy had to have quite the heavy past, but even if I suspected, having him blatantly admit to it made me a bit nervous… "But even though my name was condemned as that of a killer-for-hire in my final years, when I was younger, what I wanted was to be a hero. I wanted to be an ally of justice, and chased the impossible dream of saving everyone. But due to circumstances, I received a series of wake-up calls that made me start to believe it was impossible, and somewhere along the way, I strayed from the original form of my dream, and saving everyone changed into saving the many while sacrificing the few.
"In the end, I wound up walking the Path of the Shura, otherwise known as the Path of Asura. My ideology which became intrinsic to my title was to sacrifice the lives of the few to save the lives of the many. Kill one life to save ten. Ten for a hundred. A hundred for a thousand...eventually, the dream I had chased and pursued for so long became too distant for me to catch up to, and had become naught but ash in my hands as I died a broken man, crushed by the weight of the guilt and countless regrets I had from my decisions and choices in my previous life, as my body was eaten away by the very curse inflicted upon me by that damned Zoroastrian Devil..."
He then turned his tired and exhausted eyes to face me, and I realized what he was getting at. His eyes...they weren't that of a hardened, cold-blooded killer-for-hire, but that of a tired old warrior, like ones of those war veterans who've seen too much bloodshed and death, and wanted to simply live the rest of their days in peace and quiet… "The only thing that kept me going was Shirou, as that boy was the only one who was still alive in that fire...the living proof my dream wasn't wrong...I saw the way you and those other two girls looked when we talked about the possibility of killing Shirou. I heard about what happened with you and [Apollo]. I believe you made the best choice you could have then."
I couldn't believe what he was saying...MURDER was the best choice I could have made at the time...something must have shown on my face, because then he said something else that got me to rethink what I had to do in another way…
"I'm not saying what you did is something to get used to. If anything, it's better if nobody ever gets used to killing. Every time you take a life, it leaves a mark on you, haunts you for the rest of your days. I had made a lot of enemies from my days as the Magus Killer, and I had taken hundreds of lives, and not all of them were guilty either. I did things that for all intents and purposes make me a rotten bastard through and through. But regardless of all the things I did, it was my family who were my one and only light, the one and only thing that prevented me from becoming a complete monster. For the hundreds of lives I took, I had actually saved thousands more, and I never took any job except for the sole purpose of minimizing the potential amount of deaths.
"I am not saying to become someone like me, Kusanagi Godou. Nobody should ever look up to me as anything short of a complete bastard for the things I've had to do...the sins I've committed...But if and when you are ever forced to choose between two evils, to have to decide between which sin you are willing to shoulder, choose the lesser of the two, the one you know you can live with. Its the best and only way to make the guilt easier to bare." His words said, Mr. Emiya began to leave, walking away to leave me to contemplate his words. Before he was completely out of sight, though, he said over his shoulder to me one last thing before he left to do whatever preparations he planned to make… "Oh, and Kusanagi-kun. Thank you for being friends with my son. You are a lot like how he used to be, back when he was first learning about the Moonlit World. You reminded him of his own past self, and he wished to help you like I helped him back then. Thank you for doing that. He needed somebody to give him a reason to lend a hand like that to not repeat my mistakes."
Afterwards, I simply stood there thinking for a few more minutes, before I decided I needed to get ready to move out at any second. Emiya-san would need my help, and as both his friend and fellow King, I have to be at my best to do so…
...as Kusanagi Godou and Emiya Kiritsugu left, they failed to notice how the very sword the were looking at was slowly emanating a strange energy from the very cracks that had slowly started forming seemingly without any reason or cause...Later, they would find out this very sword had far more significance to Emiya Shirou than was initially believed...as well as just what this particular sword was actually forged for...
Scene Change-Guinevere's Base
Guinvevere P.O.V.
I was furious. No, I wasn't furious. To say I was furious was too weak a word. I was absolutely murderous right now. That harlot had dragged off Sir Shirou after taking control of him, and simply thought she could walk away without a fight. I had actually thoroughly trashed the room in my temporary base here in these eastern lands, but I didn't care right now.
I had actually felt it rather cathartic to break a lot of things in this situation right now whilst imagining the objects I smashed were that HARLOT'S FACE! After about fifteen minutes of continuous trashing of the room, Sir Knight decided to speak up…
'Beloved Child...this one believes it would be for the best to calm thyself at once. This one can understand the urge to break things in an attempt to alleviate one own wrath, but right now it isn't helping the situation. This knight feels it would be best to calm down and think of a way to track down Sir Shirou and lend him thine aid if thou needs something productive to do with thee anger, beloved child.'
Sir Knight's words helped to mollify my rage somewhat, though not entirely. That Harlot had essentially defiled Sir Shirou, and Sir Knight asked me to calm down?!
"Sir Knight, Guinevere understands what you are saying, and although Guinevere understands the wisdom behind it, Guinevere still has quite the rage to vent before Guinevere could possibly be calmed down enough about that HARLOT'S actions..."
Sir Knight went silent as I continued breaking objects in my attempt to at least sate my fury. 'He' even didn't say anything and just looked a bit puzzled by the gestures being made in Sir Knight's attempt to wait for my rage to abate enough to do something productive about the situation. I am not normally one for such anger, but whenever it comes to Sir Shirou for some odd reason, I just cannot help but feel strange emotions bubble up within my chest…
Scene Change-Three Days after Shirou's Capture
Venus P.O.V.
I was most certainly getting bored rather unusually quick. My flings didn't normally last this long, but something about this time just made its novelty wear off so much faster than my previous toys, despite the sheer pleasure and superhuman endurance this one had. Once he started going, he did not stop for a long while. I actually thought about bringing a few of my other thralls in to enjoy this, and amuse myself by having my new pet Devil King sow his seed within their wombs and have them bare his progeny to see how they'd react once they were released from my control, but decided that would have been a waste. After all, this new toy of mine actually got me off, something not many could claim to have done in the past millennia of my existence.
I had simply gotten bored, yet I could not figure out why that is...There was nothing wrong in the stamina department, as he lasted a full twelve hours straight of non-stop high-speed pussy-pounding before he tired out. His vigor was enough to give even [Asterios] a run for his drachma with how much he had in volume with every release of his seed. As for his size...oh, to say he was 'gifted' would not do him justice, as not even a titan would be this big in proportion to the rest of his body. Even his looks were quite the catch, as his body, though covered in scars, was toned with lean muscle that indicated a warrior's physic. Yet for all that I had no complaints, I was rather bored with my newest toy now...I simply don't get it. He's done everything I wanted, and yet I-!
That was it...That's it...he's done everything I wanted, yet he's never done anything without first being prompted in some manner...I was so blind to it before that I felt the urge to slap myself for not seeing it sooner. He's essentially been reduced to a puppet devoid of any direction of his own without first being directed and told what to do...this was not what I wanted, after all, there is nothing more boring as a lover than a living meat dildo, which was for all intents and purposes was what he's been reduced to…
There's no fun in this, now that I've realized my error, yet it is too late to try and fix it now...well now, since he's not any more fun to me as a lover, then I guess I may as well have some fun other than in the bedroom with him, y using him for another form of entertainment…
…with a wickedly cruel smile, Venus makes her plans and sets them in motion…
...at a bridge near the station where Apollo appeared, a reaction occurred in Illya's Mini-Atlas Guide. The reaction was confirmed to be from Venus. When the Committee investigated, however, what they found was not any sign of the goddess, but a message burned into the pavement and a sword left there that had been created using King Emiya's magic…
'Tomorrow. Here. Sundown. Entertain me with a fight against my pet Devil King. Venus.'
…the message she sent was clear, and the challenge was one they could not afford to lose, or else Emiya Shirou's life would be forfeit...the battle for the life of King Emiya Shirou, the King of Wrought Iron was soon to follow…
...ad the world itself would tremble by the shock-waves caused by this very battle to come...
A/N: Okay, here's the latest chapter. Also, for those of you who would like to know, here's a stat sheet for the latest Authority Shirou used in the last chapter:
[Ruler Regalia]: Mantle of the Arbitrator
Type: Armor/Support Rank: B- Target: N/A Range: N/A
This is the Authority he usurped from [Mordred] in its form of the Steel Legion of his authority, but altered itself to suit Shirou's nature and his magic better. While the rest of his Authorities are centered around either enhancing his own abilities or debilitating his enemies in some way or form, this authority is different in the sense it enhances Shirou's followers. The authority enhances their strengths to the point of receiving divine protection and any boons affiliated with said protection. However, for those whom are particularly close to him or he wishes to protect more than any others, the armor granted to them will have additional protections showing them as a higher rank than the others, along with additional protections on top of this. This authority doesn't really have a limit on the number of targets or the range, save for those who are at least somewhat subservient or wish to support him, and so long as they are within his line of sight. He can actually combine this Authority with his other Authority, [Lord of the Dead], to summon his undead servitors as an armored legion of the undead, enhancing their already utilitarian fighting strength to the point of giving even a lesser divinity a run for their money.
And that's the stat sheet. Next Chapter will have the final showdown, a few revelations as to the secrets of Xiphos' past, and the new fully completed form of Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works. So stay tuned for the next chapter. PEACE OUT!