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Chapter 6: Caster
"My… my future?" Caster asked.
[Analysis Complete]
Servant Caster
True Name: Medea
Strength: E
Endurance: D
Agility: C
Mana: A+
Luck: B
NP: C
[Note: She wants to live a normal human live without the meddling of the gods, so she may help you if you save the one she loves]
I nod.
"But… how-" Caster was about to ask before I raised my hand.
"Hold that thought." I told her. Soon after, three black dirks suddenly fly towards me; which I swat off with a single arm movement. "Do you mind? We were having a conversation here."
On queue, True Assassin sprints back to the room, relatively unharmed. "YOU… ARE THE ONE WHO INJURED MY MASTER…" Sickening cracks can be heard coming from his body as Assassin continues to talk, "YOU MUST BE… ELIMINATED."
[Analysis Complete]
Servant Assassin
True Name: Hassan-i-Sabbah
Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: A
Mana: C
Luck: E
NP: C
[Note: Assassin entered this world with limited intelligence. Due to this and the method of summoning used, his brain is somewhat underdeveloped, which is why he speaks while displaying a strained speech pattern.]
So, it would be safe to say that Assassin is fighting using muscle memory. And what does he mean I injured Zouken? I haven't even- I facepalmed, "of course, Sakura! When I nullified the Crest Worms inside her, the magic must have also affected Zouken since his soul is linked to his worms."
[But if that's the case, then how is Zouken even alive at all?]
Good question. Wait, does that mean that I have Rider's Command Seals!?
[You just realize that? You can be so clueless sometimes. Just look at your left hand and you'll see]
I looked at my hand, and sure enough, there was a bruise of some kind that took the pattern of flower petals, though two of the petals have completely faded away.
Neat.
[I suggest you pay attention to the battle now]
True Assassin leaps towards me with a dirk in his hand, I dodge his slashes and move in to punch him, however, he blocks it with a massive bandage club which I note is Assassin's left arm.
"Hmm… I'll need to take a different approach for this." I muttered.
True Assassin uses this chance to propel himself back, creating space between us. He uses this to dash towards me for an attack, however, he feints and leaps behind me. But just as he was about to slash my back, I sidestep and turn around, extending my wings. The "feathers" begin to glow and launch dagger-like particles. True Assassin manages to dodge all of them though his rags were damaged completely revealing a lean, black but deformed body underneath.
"ENOUGH!" True Assassin exclaimed. He rushes towards me only to feint at the last second and make a b-line for Caster. He places his dirk directly under her neck and slowly pushes it in."IF YOU WANT HER TO LIVE… DISMISS YOUR WINGS."
"Fine…" I growled.
I complied and dismissed Divine Dividing, but unbeknownst to either of them, a smile was plastered on my face.
[Noble Phantasm deployed. Type: Anti-Unit]
"I think, therefore I am… THE WORLD!"
Riding the same current of the shout an unnatural sound flowed out from the center and the world changed to a diluted copy of itself. Outside, all of the animals and insects were completely frozen, like someone pressed the pause button on a dvd (or blu-ray) player.
1 second...
I walk towards True Assassin and Caster, who were both frozen in place. I easily managed to break his grip since he was only using one arm.
2 seconds…
I placed Caster's frozen body next to Souichirou… I find it incredibly unnerving how he's still alive after literally being torn apart.
3 seconds...
Seizing the opportunity, I take a couple dozen knives from my person and, with a smile, evoke the perfect words for the situation. "MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDAA!" I threw all the knives at once. As soon as I did, they all froze in place: heading straight for Assassin. As a precaution, I throw another dozen knives.
4 seconds…
"Servant Assassin: Hassan-i-Sabbah, you are dead!" I exclaimed.
5 seconds...
"Time will resume." On my command, the world began to regain its color as time moved again. True Assassin only has a chance to blink before his body is skewered by knives that seemingly appeared out of thin air. The force from the knives pushes him outside, leaving him completely incapable of moving and bleeding out. I walk towards his twitching body with another knife in my hand, "if you want to blame anyone, blame Zouken for thinking that he could control and ruin innocent lives without consequences," I ram the knife into his face to finish him off. As he dies and begins to disappear, his mask cracks in half revealing not a human face, but instead a skinless, skull-like visage as he had shaved his face off.
"Gross." I muttered.
With that, True Assassin has been defeated… all in less than an hour after he was summoned.
"Well… that was anticlimactic. I kind of thought he would survive this; I mean these are just normal knives." I said, fiddling with a knife before it disappears.
[I'm surprised he didn't use his Noble Phantasm when he had the chance]
"I guess... he didn't have the time to do it."
[...]
"..."
[Please never make puns again]
I laugh a little, "fine, fine. Besides I'm not really big into puns like some people."
Across the Multiverse, a certain blonde brawler sneezed.
"Anyways, it's time to address the elephant in the room." I walk back inside, where I see Caster cradling the head of her Master.
[His lifeforce is dwindling fast. He wouldn't make it in the next minute]
"If we don't hurry he's going to die; I can help him." I said.
Caster looks up, tears can be seen running down her face. "How!? Assassin tore him apart, not even my magic can heal him. What can you do that I can't!?" She hisses out at the last part.
I smirked. "I'm glad you asked."
Caster notices something appearing behind him. It was a head emerging from the ground amidst dark flames with the same purple eyes as the man.
"Ah, it has been quite a long time since I have been summoned to this realm. What is your desire, Sage?" The head asked.
"Nothing big, I just need you to heal this man." I said and pointed towards Souichirou.
"Very well." It opened its mouth, and extended its tongue. Caster was in a state of shock as the tongue wrapped itself around her Master and reel it back in, where it closed its mouth and started to chew him.
"Wh-what is that?" Caster stuttered.
I turned to Caster, "oh right, I guess you wouldn't know just by looking at him. This is Enma, the King of Hell."
Caster did a spit take at the introduction. King of Hell? KING OF HELL!? THIS MAN JUST SUMMONED THE KING OF HELL HIMSELF!? HOW!? That's like saying "I have a Divine Construct!" And yet he treats it like it's no big deal!
Just who the hell is he!?
She then saw that its mouth stopped moving and opened; what she saw within was truly breathtaking. Just a few seconds ago, Souichirou Kuzuki was badly wounded and his limbs amputated, but now he was completely healed, with all of his limbs attached! Even his clothes were fully restored!
Souichirou stepped out of the mouth and began to walk towards Caster, his face didn't express any emotions, though she could tell that he was just as amazed as she was.
"It is done. I shall now take my leave; farewell." The King of Hell said and disappears. As he does, Caster notes that the man's eyes begin to lose their purple glow until they become an onyx-colored.
He then collapses on the floor. "Phew, I didn't think summoning him would take so much energy."
[To be fair, you've never summon something of that caliber before]
Souichirou extended his hand and Caster took it, helping her stand up. He then turns to me, "Who are you?"
I turned to the both of them, "oh right I never introduced myself", I quickly stood up and bowed a little, "Servant Foreigner: Frank, at your service."
Caster just looked at me perplexingly. "Foreigner? You mean you're not Saber?" She questioned. There should only be seven Servant classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker. The fact that an eighth class exists is an anomaly in an of itself; a paradox of the grail system.
Yet here he is…
"So who are you, Foreigner? I have never heard of a Heroic Spirit with multiple Noble Phantasms before?" Caster asked, there was clear curiosity in her voice.
I roll my eyes, tell that to Gilgamesh and EMIYA.
"That would take a long time to explain, but for now how about a change of scenery? I can take you to my… Master's house." I said with a bit of struggle; I've never had to call anyone Master before.
[There's a first time for everything]
"What do you gain from helping us?" Souichirou asked, eyeing me analytically.
I look at both of them in the eye… and just shrug. "I don't know, I guess it's because out of anyone in this war, you two are more deserving of getting your wishes granted." I turn around and hold my left arm out, "Gate." A violet ripple then appeared in front of me, "let's go." I walked inside and disappeared through the portal.
Caster was hesitant, but a hand was holding hers. Looking up, she sees her Master looking at her and then nodding, letting her know that he will be by her side. They both walk towards the portal and, to their shock, end up on a garden of an estate.
"Welcome to the Emiya estate. Right now, Shirou is asleep so please don't make to much-"
"So you went to Ryuudou Temple, then?"
Rider materializes in front of me, her long violet hair seemed to be reflecting the moonlight; it was beautiful. 'Wait, did I just say her hair was beautiful? Well… I can't deny it.'
[Someone's in looooooove~]
Shut it.
She looks back to see Caster and her Master with me, "that must be Caster and her Master, correct?"
I nod, "it seems Zouken had decided to make his move, but I took care of his Servant before he could do any permanent damage." I point to Caster and Souichirou, "these two will be staying with us for a while."
"Does Shirou know you are bringing in an enemy Servant and their Master?" Rider asked.
I shrugged. "Not really, but does it really matter? I mean I brought you and Sakura here despite the circumstances, and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't help them. As long as there's no funny business we should be fine," I slowly turn towards them with a smile, "right?"
Caster nods frantically.
I hold my hands together, "great! I'll show you to the guest rooms, c'mon." We both walked towards the entrance.
Rider just stared as we disappeared inside. She knew that he meant well; she could feel it through their Servant contract, 'He is too carefree… but that's what makes me trust him.' She returns to spirit form, content with his intentions.
Morning
"Alright then…"
After hearing what happened last night from my "outing", Shirou wanted to talk to them. In the end, he and Sakura decided to form an alliance with them, which kind of left me surprised at how lenient Shirou was, but then again he isn't aware of what these two did in other timelines… and that's a good thing.
Shirou Emiya would never forgive those who endanger innocent lives.
"Thank you for letting us stay here, Emiya-kun." Souichirou said.
"Yes we are grateful." Caster said.
At that moment, I opened the door and took a seat at the edge of the table. Instead of my coat, I was wearing a navy blue t-shirt with a picture of a series of gears in the middle. "Alright, so I'm guessing we are allies now."
"Yeah, they'll also be living with us for a while since Ryuudou Temple has been closed off." Shirou stated.
"Great! Now then…" I began, my tone became less cheerful, "I think we need to address the major issue here."
"Zouken Matou." Shirou said.
I nod, "I don't understand how, but Zouken somehow managed to survive Rule Breaker, a Noble Phantasm that can negate magic, and is now running around doing god knows what."
Caster nods in agreement, finding it hard to believe someone can resist her Noble Phantasm, though is bit skeptical that there is someone else who can use it.
Sakura looked at her hand and revealed it to everyone, showing that she no longer possessed Command Seals. "Since last night, I am no longer the Master of Rider which means that I'm no longer part of the Holy Grail War."
As if to prove her point, Rider then appears beside me "I am now bound to this man." There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Which is a good thing because that thing can't grant wishes." I added.
Everyone turns to me confused, "what do you mean?" Shirou asked.
"Let me rephrase that: the grail can grant wishes, but it will always interpret any wish of the owner with nothing else than destruction, and grant it." I clarified.
"How is that possible?" Caster asked, her knowledge of the grail told her that it could grant any wish, yet this person is contradicting this very information.
"Not how, what. There is something living in the grail that has been tainting it since the third war. It has been girdling it, corroding it, and choking it from within for the past 70 years waiting for the chance to manifest into our World and be 'born' with True Magic. And if that happens it's bye-bye humanity. The catastrophe from ten years ago was the result of such a thing." I explained.
At this point, Shirou's hands balled into fists, remembering the Great Fire that killed everyone. "If that's the case why hasn't anyone tried to stop it!? If the Holy Grail is that dangerous, then why hasn't anyone shut it down!?"
I let out a dry chuckle, "same reason why anyone seeks the grail: to ascend. For magi, reaching the Root is their very goal in life and the idea that there's a ritual that can do just that is just too intoxicating to let it pass. And even if you aren't a mage, the idea of having your wishes grant is just too good to be true. Even then, the fact remains that people will participate even if they don't have a wish at all ."
Sakura and Shirou looked down, both of them being examples of people who were dragged into the grail war one way or another. For Shirou, it was to make sure that the events of ten years do not repeat themselves and for Sakura it was because Zouken forced her to summon a Servant and then forfeit ownership to her brother. Souichirou, on the other hand, was in the war for Caster's sake, but now he wasn't sure if she wanted to pursue it knowing what's at risk now.
Wait a minute...
'If the grail is corrupted, then shouldn't Kirei know about it since he is the overseer? Why didn't he tell us?' Shirou thought.
"Anyways, there's something else I should-"
"SHIROOOOOU, I'M HUNGRY!"
[Ah crap, we forgot about her]
Sliding the door in a comical fashion was a twenty-four-year-old woman with short brown hair and eyes. She's wearing a green dress with a yellow and black striped shirt and white shoes. I recognized her immediately as the infamous Tiger of Fuyuki herself: Taiga Fujimura!
Just don't call her Tiger… or we'll never hear the end of it.
"Guess what? Today's my day off, which means I get to spend it with you!" She exclaims. She then registers the other people in the room. Needles to say, this left her jaw open in comical shock. "WHAT IS THIS!? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STRANGERS IN YOUR HOUSE!?"
"Fuji-nee…" Shirou groaned.
"I don't believe this! First, you seduced Sakura and now I see you did the same to a purple-haired supermodel, cosplaying bluenette, a foreigner, and your own school teacher!? Just how many people are you planning to integrate into your harem!?" She then wraps her arms around herself. "Don't tell me you're lusting after my body, too!?"
Shirou's (and Sakura's) face turns completely crimson. "Will you stop that already!? I am not some freaky pervert! They're just here because they have nowhere else to go!" He clarifies though he doubts it was enough.
"This isn't cosplay…" Caster muttered.
"Fujimura-san."
Taiga turns towards the source to see Souichirou with the beautiful bluenette by his side and… are those elf ears!?
"Oh, Ku-chan, what is it?" Taiga asked.
Caster raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, what did you call him?"
Taiga turned to the pretty lady. "Hm? Oh, that's just a nickname I gave him when he first started working at the school. He didn't seem to care so I've been calling him that since."
"Well, can you please not call him that? It's degrading."
"And who are you supposed to be?" Taiga asked.
"My name is Caster, but you may call me mistress." Caster replied.
"F-F-F-fiancée? I've heard rumors, but I didn't think they were true… Ku-chan actually has a lover, even though her name is weird." Taiga said, getting a glare from Caster. A large grin then appears on her face, "looks like my hard work has paid off."
Everyone in the room gave a unanimous "what?"
"Ku-chan here couldn't get any of his students to pay attention in his class, much less talk to him. And I, being the great senpai that I am, gave him some much-need advice about being more open and cheerful (like me) and now everyone loves him!" Taiga exclaimed pridefully.
Shirou and Sakura (and me) sweatdropped. The actual reason was that everyone just got used to his demeanor and attitude. It had nothing to do with you and, honestly, it's for the best...
The world didn't need two Tigers in this lifetime.
"Anyways, why are you all here?" Taiga asked everyone, finally acting like a responsible adult.
"..." No one said anything, but then what were they supposed to tell her!? That they were all mages and that they were fighting in a secret battle loyale for the chance to gain a wish-granting chalice that may end destroying the world in the end!?
Suddenly, their train of thought was interrupted when they heard a thud as Taiga laid on the floor unconscious.
"What the!?"
"There's no need to be concerned." Caster told him
"What did you do to her!?" Shirou demanded, worried about her legal guardian/sister figure.
"I merely erased her memories; she won't remember coming here today and meeting any of us." Caster explained. Rider then picked her up and took her to a guest room.
As for how Shirou will explain this… he'll have to improvise.
"That's good, civilians aren't supposed to know about the existence of magic." Sakura said.
"Yeah, well… about that…" Shirou muttered, causing everyone to turn to him.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, it's just… Taiga didn't eat." Shirou quickly responded. Sakura's eyes went wide as she realized what this meant.
[I think I know where this is going]
"So?" Caster didn't understand what he meant, so what if she didn't eat breakfast?
Unbeknownst to everyone, Souichirou's left eye began to slightly twitch at the thought.
"Well, she's absolute hell when she's hungry," he admitted with a nervous grin, "tonight is going to be worse, that's for sure."
"Worse?" Caster almost sounded uncertain.
"Yeah, so we're going to need to hide everyone and do some grocery shopping… and also get an extra table…" Shirou muttered that last part. Things just could not get worse.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Now who could that be?" I asked.
Shirou stood up and walked towards the entrance. When he opened the door, he was surprised by who it was…
"Good morning, onii-chan. Is your Servant with you today?" Ilya asked cutely.
Things just got worse.
A few minutes later…
Illya is now sitting at the table drinking tea, all the while everyone was feeling tensed at her being here.
"No need to worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just here to hang out with Frank-onii-chan." Illya said and continued drinking her tea. "This tea is quite tasty."
"Illya, what are you doing here?" I asked.
Illya tilted her head a little, "weren't you the one who told me to come visit if I wanted to? So here I am."
Everyone turns to me and I just give them a nervous smile. I honestly didn't think she would take my words seriously… but I can't deny that I'm happy that she can trust me. It's kind of cute.
But that's when something crossed my mind...
"Say Illya, since you're here have you noticed anything… different in your territory lately?" I asked.
Illya puts her cup down and starts to think, "now that you mention it… there have been trances of foreign magic in the Einzbern Forest, but Berserker always destroys them before I could investigate."
[That's… not good]
'No… it's not.'
"Illya, do you… want stay here for the night?" I asked.
"Eh? Why?" Illya said.
"Call it… a precaution."
One thing's for sure, I need to put an end to Zouken… tonight!
Omake: NO MORE QUARTZ!
It's hell… my life is hell.
Ritsuka has been working me like a slave, fighting monsters every minute of every day and collecting all the Saint Quartz I can find. It also doesn't help that she's upset at my star rank.
Apparently, I'm a zero-star Servant: the lowest rank a Servant can be summoned as, and I'm the second one. The first was this dark-skinned Shirou Emiya look-alike with freaky tattoos all over his body that I see wandering around sometimes.
No, he's not EMIYA! And being a zero-star doesn't really fit me!
But whatever… I'm too tired to care about this crap.
I sat in the break room with a can of soda (not beer) in hand and just try to enjoy what little time I have left before Ritsuka makes me hunt for more Saint Quartz.
It's a hundred thousand by the way… A. HUNDRED. THOUSAND!
"She's gonna fucking kill at this rate…" I uttered, drinking my soda.
[She really has it out for us to get her precious Quarts back, though I don't see why she needs so many]
"Tch! I wish there was a way to get her all the quartz she wants."
[Well, it's not like we have the power to create whatever we want or anything]
"..."
[...]
…
[...]
I facepalmed.
[You are such an idiot...]
Ritsuka's Room
Ritsuka was busy counting her Saint Quartz… and was disappointed by the amount Foreigner had collected so far.
Suddenly, her door slammed open and on the other end was none other than Foreigner.
"Hey Gudako, I have something for you~" I said in a sing-song voice.
Ritsuka turned around, a bit surprised by the fact that Frank knew her nickname, despite no one ever telling him that.
"What is it?" Ritsuka asked.
My smile grew wider as I extended my arms outward "I think, therefore I am…" In an instant, a portal opened in her roof, and Saint Quartz began to rain down on Ritsuka. Her eyes sparkled as she began dancing around the room filling her bags with quartz. Just then someone walks down the hall, she has lilac hair, lavender eyes and fair skin. She wears rectangular frame glasses, a grey hoodie over a black shirt over a white-collar shirt, a red tie, a black skirt and tights and brown shoes.
This was Mash Kyrielight, better known as the Demi-Servant: Shielder.
"Senpai, are we still going-senpai!?" Mash exclaims, seeing all of the Saint Quartz falling from a portal.
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and slowly move away as Ritsuka continues to indulge herself in a river of quartz, "let's leave her alone for a while." I told her and we both headed towards the library, much to Mash's dismay.
At least now I can finally catch a break.
Noble Phantasms used:
The World: Time is Frozen (A+) Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm
The ability to stop time within a certain range, allowing the user and anyone with the same ability to move freely within the stilled world. All force applied by the user during the time stop continues to exist after time resumes. This can be seen when objects thrown can momentarily move during the stopped time before grinding to a halt, and then regaining its initial momentum once time starts moving again. Another unique feature of the time stop is how the user can seemingly float in stopped time. Since no forces other than the time stopper's exist during a time stop, there is no force of gravity, allowing them to move freely in space as they wish.
Gate allows the user to summon a portal, allowing travel of a large number of people over great distances. It has no limits on distance and a 0% chance of teleport mishaps. It is considered to be the highest tier of teleportation magic.
Enma, the King of Hell, is a deity that rules over life and death. One who wields the Rinnegan is able to call upon this deity for various purposes, possessing authority over it through the power of the Six Paths. As it possesses Rinnegan in its own eyes, the user is able to see anything the King of Hell sees. When the user grabs their target and asks them a question, the person's soul emerges from their mouth in the form of an elongated tongue. The King of Hell then grabs the soul using its own tongue, which is split into a pair of arms, and proceeds to pass judgement on them. If the person answers the question dishonestly, the King of Hell will rip out their soul and devour it, but if they are truthful, it will instead release their soul and spare them. The King of Hell can also repair any damage done to a person, which it accomplishes by grabbing their damaged forms with its tongue and consuming them. The body that emerges from the King of Hell's mouth is fully rejuvenated and even their clothes are fully restored.
Author Notes
Is that a JoJo reference!? Yes, yes it is. It was suggested by one of the people in the comments though the actual stand didn't appear and just used its abilities, but then again Stand users can use its powers without having to manifest the actual Stand to use them. This chapter isn't as long or has that much action, but the next chapters will have more action… Zouken's day of retribution is at hand. As for how he is still alive, well you'll just have to wait and see...
As for why Frank's a Zero-Star, well that's the joke. Appearances can be deceiving.
Like always, leave a comment/review like always.
Peace~