FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR

"August Harvest"

Chapter 24: Unveiling the Mastermind

"Damn it! Why won't these things just get lost already!?" Elizabeth cried out as she jabbed her lance through a Fomorian's neck.

"We must've really pissed off the big guy now!" Ashwatthama exclaimed, then smashed another fiend to death with his chakram. "Fine by me, though! I say bring it on!"

"No, don't bring it on, you obstinate fool! I'm already tired from having to fight Carmilla and protecting everyone in Zhou!"

"Hm," Li Shuwen muttered in disappointment, getting up after killing a monster of his own. "I suppose it was too much to ask of mere pawns to offer a challenge for me. Even so, their numbers are nothing to scoff at."

"Gah! In layman's vernacular, this absolutely bites!" Wu Zetian complained. She summoned several of her Kuli and commanded them to gang up on a couple of advancing Fomorians. The irate empress couldn't sustain her familiars for very long though, so she dismissed them and yelled, "What are we supposed to do!? The villain still lurks in the shadows and laughs at us, treating us like mere toys for their amusement! It is enough to make our blood boil!"

One of the larger creatures bounded for her, but was knocked to the ground courtesy of a diving kick from Medusa. She landed near Wu and muttered, "There must be a way to pinpoint their location. If we truly are inside a Phantasmal, then the number of places they can hide in should be limited."

"Everyone!" the Servants heard Connla calling out for them. She and Parvati hurried over to them, and the Saber exclaimed, "They're coming from the cranial region! We still haven't checked Aspidochelone's brain yet!"

Nursery widened her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Positive! Grandfather showed me where the last stone idol is located!"

"Fwa ha ha ha!" Lucius laughed heartily. "Leave it to my namesake god to shine a path to our inevitable victory! Indeed, a Phantasmal's brain would be the easiest spot for a god to control it from within!"

"All we have to do is clear a path through the vanguard and go through the esophagus," Connla explained. "Grandfather will tell me where to go from there, but I'm sure there will be heavy defenses in place. There's no way I can go in alone like this."

"Very well!" Nero declared. "It is imperative that we split our forces in half! The assault team will follow Connla through to the cranial region, while the defense team will stay here and protect the citizens from any further attacks! We must think carefully of who to dispatch and who to leave behind!"

"Pah! She's a member of my Lugh Faction, so it's only natural that I stay with my subordinates and issue orders to them!" Lucius scoffed. "Beowulf and Heroine X are coming with me as well, of course!"

"Not going to ask for our opinions, huh? Well, fine with me. I would have come along anyway," Beowulf smirked.

X became angry and barked, "Can't be helped then! I'm still upset over losing my spaceship, and I need to cut loose on some Sabers to feel better!"

"Wherever Connla goes, we will go too!" Jack exclaimed as she and Nursery joined their friend's side. "I'll dismember anyone who gets in our way!"

"Umu! Such spirit! I'm feeling particularly fired up!" Nero smiled. "Alas, I shall stay here and ensure everyone's safety!"

Parvati looked over at Ashwatthama and Medusa, then said, "We should do the same too. Everyone must be beyond despair at this point, so I wish to calm them down."

"Understood!" Ashwatthama acknowledged. "No freak of nature will lay a finger on them as long as I'm around!"

"Then I will stand guard for Lady Parvati," Medusa said.

Wu Zetian exclaimed, "Although we wish to personally see this villain face justice, we are not so crass as to jump head-first into the lion's mouth inside a swarming killer bee hive! We shall remain here and send you our best wishes! Elizabeth! Li Shuwen! You shall stay here and be my escorts!"

"Sorry, but I'll have to decline," Li promptly dismissed her and walked over to the assault team. "I am much too excited to ignore this grand opportunity. You have plenty of Servants to guard this place as it is. Instead of letting my skills go to waste here, I think they would greatly benefit this group's upcoming battle."

"Is that so? Well, can't be helped. Even when we employed you, you made it abundantly clear that you only sought to fight opponents who attempted to invade Zhou. With our nation no longer around, you are essentially a free man."

"I'm glad to see you understand."

"Don't worry about us," Elizabeth told him. "If needed, I'll cheer everyone up with a song or two. You get in there and bust plenty of heads, got it!?"

"Certainly!"

Connla inspected both teams' rosters, then asked, "Are we ready to go?"

"Whenever you are," Lucius said.

"Then let's be off!"

Nero bellowed, "Godspeed, fellow heroes! Exercise extreme caution, and come back to us safely, you hear!?"

"We won't let you down, Emperor Nero!"

With that, Connla took the lead for the assault team, and they barged through the cavern leading to Aspidochelone's throat.

Within the vast ocean located in the center of Okeanos' scattered islands, the clear blue waters soon turned dark as a monstrous figure slowly but surely ascended from the depths. The ocean ebbed unnaturally like a rising dome, then broke into massive waves.

Aspidochelone announced its return with a deafening, almost alien-like howl that even parted the clouds.

Surrounding the beast were four different watercrafts; three jet skis and a standard motor boat. Boudica commandeered one of the jet skis while Emiya rode along with her. The second jet ski was being piloted by Jing Ke, with Cuchulainn Prototype accompanying her. Mata Hari drove the third one along with Nightingale. In the motor boat were Nitocris and Ozymandias, with the former steering the craft.

"It comes at last!" Ozymandias declared, then laughed jovially. "Very good! At least you have the decency to put on a spectacular entrance, Phantasmal!"

"By Horus, it's huge!" Nitocris cried out. "Does Gilgamesh seriously think we can take on such a monstrosity with so few forces!?"

"Don't panic. For its tremendous girth, it is naught more than a flailing babe before the valor and might of us Heroic Spirits! As we are tasked with acting as the vanguard, we should do the appropriate thing and demonstrate our full prowess before this abomination!"

"O-Of course! Your unfaltering courage is always an inspiration, my lord!"

Emiya heard the Pharaoh's boasting on the communicator and muttered, "You say that, but I'm sure you're just going to take it easy while the rest of us do the dirty work. Then you'll swoop in and land the decisive blow so you can take all the credit."

"Hmph! Save such vacuous assumptions for another time!" Ozymandias retorted. "I do not intend to deviate from the plan that Chaldea's staff dedicated countless hours for! My ordained task is to concentrate on the rear left leg! The rest of you get to your positions posthaste!"

"Roger. We've got the front left leg," the Archer coolly replied, then projected his bow and numerous thin Caladbolgs to use as arrows. As Boudica steered the jet ski in a wide curve, Emiya stood tall behind her and fired dozens of shots one at a time. Each arrow found their mark, and the imitation Caladbolgs exploded in flashes of blue light.

Jing Ke drove her jet ski closer to Aspidochelone's front right leg, and Cuchulainn squatted while holding Gae Bolg. He yelped when a rogue wave nearly made him fall off, then he yelled at her, "Hey, drive more carefully! I need you to be as steady as possible!"

"Give me a break! I'm having a hard enough time as it is!" Jing Ke snapped.

"Just my luck to be saddled with the drunk driver!"

"Don't underestimate me! I may like booze, but I wouldn't dare do any drinking when I'm on the job!"

"Right, whatever! Just get me in as close as you can!"

She turned the watercraft toward the Phantasmal and barreled forth. Once Cuchulainn felt he was ready, he leapt off with all his might and raised Gae Bolg in a stabbing motion. He called out, "Pierce them! Gut them! Finish them off! Gae Bolg!"

He activated the spear's true power and stabbed through the leg as far as he could go. He reached a particularly deep vein that exploded with blood all around him, incapacitating the gigantic limb. Way over at the rear right leg, Mata Hari saw the attack and exclaimed to Nightingale, "He got it! Now's your chance!"

"Understood. Commencing emergency excision procedure," the nurse replied, already wearing a medical mask and adjusting a pair of latex gloves on her hands. Mata Hari brought Nightingale close to the leg, and the Berserker made a high leap toward it. Instead of wielding traditional medical tools, she summoned a huge chainsaw in her hands and carved into the flailing limb. Although the blade wasn't large enough to sever it completely, it certainly made through half of the muscle and flesh, rendering it near useless.

Mata Hari watched the carnage unfold before her, then winced and thought, Good grief. Just where did she hide such a massive weapon? Or rather, why would she need something like that in the first place?

The dancer shrugged to herself.

Oh well. I've seen her use guns and bundled Stielhandgranates before. She even threw a bed at an enemy one time before. If anyone can improvise with their weapons of choice, it's the Angel of Crimea.

Back at the rear left leg, Nitocris didn't need to steer the motor boat close to Aspidochelone like the others did. In battle, Ozymandias excelled at fighting from a distance, and he certainly wasn't going to change that strategy now. He chuckled mirthfully, then raised his crooked staff and commanded a ray of pure concentrated sunlight to rip through the water like a laser. Water splashed around the light, followed by more gushes of blood as it made contact with the leg. Ozymandias continued summoning more bands of light to assail the limb. If he couldn't cut it off outright, he could at least cut through to the bone.

As the Pharaoh continued his attack, he thought, All of us have been accounted for, save Cuchulainn Alter. I hope his foolhardiness will not cause him to be caught within our barrage. I certainly cannot be held liable if he winds up being decimated by my boundless light!

Several dozen feet below the water's surface, Cuchulainn Alter swam alongside Aspdiochelone. After finding out what Connla intended to do, he lost his grip on rationality and dove off the nearest cliff to personally challenge the Phantasmal underwater. He wasn't entirely sure where it was going to surface from at first, but once he felt the faint ripples churn the water, he was getting a clearer idea of where it was. Now he was literally neck-to-neck with the rising beast, and more than ready to unleash carnage on his gigantic foe.

The monster spotted Cuchulainn however and shifted its eyes in his direction. Once he saw it open its huge jaw and conjure a whirlpool around its mouth, the Berserker snarled in shock and immediately swam aside. He just barely managed to dodge the submarine tornado before it could potentially blow him away. He tumbled about uncontrollably, then regained his momentum and concentrated on summoning his Noble Phantasm.

The familiar dark haze surrounded him, then he broke through. He was once again encased in his Curruid Coinchenn armor and talons, which helped weigh him down a bit so he wouldn't be shot back by another whirlpool aimed for him. He ignored the watery chaos and blasted forth with the ferocity of a starving wolf.

TAKE THIS!

With a singular swipe of his right-handed claws, he tore through Aspidochelone's neck so deep that it tore apart its carotid artery. An insane amount of blood gushed out of the wound and turned the water around him bright red. The surprised Phantasmal's cry was deafening enough to shake the heavens themselves, yet it stubbornly refused to yield. It raised its leg and swiped at Cuchulainn. He wasn't prepared for this, so he took the full brunt of the blow and rocketed hundreds of meters back until he slammed his back against a rock wall. His Noble Phantasm shattered into pieces, and blood escaped from his throat.

Shit…!

He floated there, limp and exhausted from the attack. He struggled to move his body again, even having to pop some bones back into place. As he recovered, he glared at Aspidochelone and snarled ominously. Although it was quickly losing an absurd amount blood, it would have to take an entire day for the beast to die of exsanguination alone. Cuchulainn didn't have that kind of patience. He absolutely wanted to get inside its mouth and meet up with the girls, but it wasn't giving him any opportunities. He was a little confused as to why it would be eager to swallow the child Servants earlier, yet refuse him entry now. That was when a thought crossed his mind:

Damn you, Fomorian god. You're trying to keep me separated from the kid, aren't you?

That had to be the only explanation, and it outright pissed him off. He had to think of something else. If he couldn't enter through the mouth, then he'd just make an entrance of his own. With that plan in mind, Cuchulainn dove back under and swam back towards the battlefield.

Several hundred meters above the battle site, a bizarre flying contraption hovered over Aspidochelone. The beast violently thrashed about as it was attacked from four fronts, causing splashed water to rain down on the two men who were aboard the craft. They paid it no mind as they watched the action going on below. Seated in the throne-like seat was Gilgamesh, who bore his usual bemused smile and rested his cheek upon his propped hand, as if languidly observing a movie.

"So this is the rot that had the audacity to ruin my summer sojourn," he muttered sourly. "Such filth. Garbage like you does not deserve to even be pricked by one of my weapons."

"Now, now, let's keep a cool head," Kintoki grinned. He stood at the edge of the craft's nose and stared down at the gigantic sea turtle. He tapped his heavy axe against his shoulder and assured, "Blasting that thing out of the water is my job anyway. You just sit back and watch the show, Boss."

"That I will. Be sure not to disappoint me, Oni Slayer. I expect nothing less but the most brilliant display of Heaven's wrath."

"You got it! One golden thunderclap to the face, coming right up!"

Aspidochelone heard Kintoki's taunt and unleashed another massive roar at the hovering vehicle, throwing it off-kilter. The Berserker's blood boiled with excitement, and he leapt off the craft to plummet upon the Phantasmal's exposed neck. He raised his weapon, and vicious sparks of yellow electricity cracked around it and his entire body.

"I may be a pretty chill guy, but I'm beyond pissed at this point! The moment you swallowed those poor kids is the moment you made an enemy of Sakata Kintoki!" he shouted, and his rage took over. "I'll smash you to bits and make you cough those girls up if it's the last thing I do!"

He fell faster and faster until he resembled a streak of lightning cracking through the sky, and he called out the name of his Noble Phantasm:

"GOLDEN SPAAA~AAA~AAARK!"

Before Aspidochelone could do anything, an indescribable pain flared around the back of its neck and coursed through its entire nervous system. It tried to scream and flounder to safety, but all of its nerves were paralyzed. It couldn't even so much as twitch its arms or legs as it lost its energy and collapsed upon the beach, helpless as could be.

Back on the ground, Boudica cheered, "Yes! He got it!"

Emiya said to Da Vinci on the communicator, "Our distraction plan was a success. Kintoki managed to paralyze Aspidochelone."

"Good work, everyone!" the inventor replied. "Clear out of there as fast as you can! Gilgamesh will take care of the rest!"

"Roger."

"Hey, hey, don't you think this is a bit overkill?" Cuchulainn Prototype wondered.

"No such thing as overkill when we're dealing with a monster the size of an island," Jing Ke smirked.

"She's right," Mata Hari agreed. "It might be paralyzed, but it isn't dead. If we want to retrieve the girls safely, we need to make sure it won't be a threat to us any longer. Gil's the only one among us who can pull it off."

"Even I have to admit that an excision of this caliber is beyond my capabilities," Nightingale said.

Emiya frowned, "I'm surprised he agreed to use his Noble Phantasm. He usually reserves it for Calamity-class disasters like Beasts or extremely powerful Servants like Heracles. This Phantasmal may be dangerous, but I didn't think it would be worth the likes of his strongest attack."

"Hm… Well, this whole strategy was his idea. Ever since the kids disappeared, he has been in a rather foul mood lately. Perhaps this is his way of letting out some steam."

Ozymandias heard this and smiled quietly. Unlike the others, he knew precisely why Gilgamesh had been so upset the entire time. Nitocris noticed her liege's mirth and wondered, "Is something the matter, my lord?"

"No need to be concerned. Merely a humorous thought I had," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Uwah!?" Connla yelped as she suddenly lost her balance and tripped. The other assault team Servants likewise stumbled as the entire cavern around them shook uncontrollably.

"What's going on!?" Jack squealed.

"Ungh… I don't know. All I can say is that things are getting serious now," Beowulf grunted.

Connla got back up, then looked around for the trail of light she had been following. She found it shining high above her, but it veered directly through what looked to be a thick wall of muscle and fat. She approached it and scanned the area, then told the others, "Looks like we need to break through here."

"Are you certain? Even if we used all of our Noble Phantasms at once, I sincerely doubt we'd be able to puncture through such an obstacle," Lucius said.

"But this has to lead out of the esophagus and further into the cranium. That means we have to be in Aspidochelone's upper throat by now."

"So that other tunnel you said was a dead end…"

"Must have led to the lungs."

"Hm. Though I cannot witness Lugh's guidance for myself, I will not disrespect the advice of his granddaughter. That means our objective is clear – to find a way through this wall and advance to the enemy's lair!"

Li Shuwen raised his spear before him and muttered in a warning tone, "That's going to be easier said than done, my good Procurator."

As he said this, several hundred blobs of fibrous flesh congealed and formed into humanoid monsters. Nursery Rhyme raised her hands and hurled a bunch of fireballs at the lumps of tissue, incinerating some of them. However, more took their place and materialized as full-fledged Fomorians. She stepped back and retched, "Oh, gross! Are these things being made out of Mr. Aspid's flesh itself!?"

"Not like there's any other material they can use!" Beowulf snarled, then barged into the fray and swiped his swords at some of the larger monsters to cleave them into pieces. Behind him, Heroine X leapt high and spun into the air before cleaving Secretcalibur through a line of unformed fiends. A malformed hand sprung out of a pulsating tumor and grabbed her ankle, then lifted her upside-down. Li immediately swiped his lance at the limb, dismembering it and freeing her. He then blocked an oncoming giant's fist and leapt back, giving X enough space to slash at the Fomorian's stomach.

Jack and Nursery stuck together, with the Assassin using her dark mist abilities to cloud their immediate surroundings. She appeared as an imperceptible streak of darkness that ripped and tore through the blobs of flesh. Nursery focused on throwing elemental spells at the more nimble monsters so they couldn't capture Jack. A creature with nothing but its lower body intact emerged from a tumor and ran straight for Nursery. She grit her teeth and charged in to punch its lower abdomen, breaking through to its stomach. She then let loose another fire spell, causing it to explode into bits of tissue.

Meanwhile, Lucius and Connla ran side-by-side toward the largest creature that managed to complete its transformation. They hopped simultaneously over its hand, then swiped their swords down upon its shoulders to sever its muscular arms. It howled in pain, yet refused to yield and glared at them as they landed. Its flesh wriggled and writhed with life of its own until a new pair of arms stretched out of its shoulders.

"Stubborn piece of work, aren't you?" Lucius scoffed.

Connla stepped back in astonishment as the giant attempted to punch her flat into the ground. Lucius got between them and blocked by using Florent as a shield. She looked around and saw that everyone else was too busy fighting against the Fomorians to even consider destroying the wall. She had to do something drastic, and it had to happen now. She ran off in the other direction, and the Roman shouted at her, "What are you doing!?"

Connla stepped on a pulsing tumor and leapt high above the horde, then summoned Lugh's Halo and rammed both it and herself against the thick wall. Flames blasted everywhere around her, but for all of her struggling, the barrier refused to yield for her.

"Ghhh!" she snarled. The heat slowly singed her skin, and copious amounts of sweat poured around her face. Despite this, she wasn't sure if her power would be enough.

Grandfather… I can't let him down… I have to do this somehow! Even if it kills me, I have to try my best!

That was when her hands and wrists shone a soft white light. Some kind of magical barrier was placed around them, protecting them from the scorching heat. Her frantic desperation soothed to a placid calm. Then she heard an unknown man's voice echo in her mind:

"Don't worry. I'm always here to help."

"Who-?"

"So he's just beyond here, hm? A measly gate like this should be no trouble for me."

Then to everyone's shock, Lugh's Halo flared so brilliantly that anyone in the near vicinity had to cover their eyes and bid a hasty retreat. Any monsters caught directly in the light were instantly vaporized into ashes. Connla squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth, bracing herself for the sudden rush of power blasting around her. She wasn't sure what was going on around her anymore. Then she thought she felt her body shift on its own a little. Her arms and legs grew longer, her hair flowed out of the bun she had been keeping it in until now and extended to knee's length, and she swore she felt a pair of heavy 'somethings' growing on her chest.

"W-What's going on?" she uttered in a strangely more mature voice.

"Stay calm," the mysterious man assured. "Your fragile child form is not able to handle the full extent of my power. Now that it is the apex of Lughnasadh and I have received your most sincere prayers, I am able to transform your Spirit Origin and Ascend you into a form capable of handling it."

"An Ascension…?"

"Don't be frightened. Though this form may be foreign to you, you will adjust to it in no time at all."

"To fight the enemy god? But I still don't know who it is. If I can't figure out their True Name, then I can't fight as effectively."

"How true. Then I have but only one piece of advice; remember the folklore behind the Lughnasadh festival."

Connla's mind blanked out as foreign images flooded her vision. There were two men she had never seen before, standing on opposing sides within a vast wheat field. The grains grew brilliantly around one man, while they withered and died around the other. They got into martial arts combat stances, then rushed at each other. She wouldn't get to see the fight itself, but the reason for their battle became incredibly clear to her.

"I see. So that's who my opponent is," she murmured.

"That's right. You and I need to protect the harvest from falling into his hands."

"Mm. Let's settle this, once and for all."

The other assault team Servants had to cover their eyes to protect themselves from the searing light that Lugh's Halo generated around them. Most of the Fomorian horde were left defenseless against the flames, and they melted into piles of fat and skin. When the conflagration died down, the Servants saw that there was now a new path leading towards somewhere unfamiliar. Only then did they realize that Lugh's Halo had literally melted the thick layers of skin. Acrid plumes of smoke tickled their nostrils, and the flesh was either singed black or flaring bright from leftover embers. They couldn't find Connla anywhere, so they assumed that she had gone on ahead by herself.

"By Jove…" Lucius gasped, absolutely alarmed by what he was seeing. "She frickin' went and did it!"

"Now's our chance! Let's go after her!" Heroine X shouted.

Li didn't need to be told this, as he was already on his way through the entrance. The others followed after him for a good hundred meters. Their advance remained unimpeded until Nursery noticed some layers of muscle writhing beneath the ashes. Before she could do anything, a grotesque string of flesh blasted out and pinned her against the opposite wall.

"Nursery!" Jack screamed and quickly carved through to free her friend.

Beowulf, X, and Lucius likewise had to dodge similar large fibers that shot for them. Li made the most progress ahead of them, but had to stop when a thick net of tissue blocked the path. He cursed to himself and muttered, "Looks like the Phantasmal has the ability to heal its wounds. Or perhaps it is due to the god that controls it."

"Son of a bitch! Just when we're so close!" Beowulf shouted and chopped some fibers into pieces, then made his swords disappear so he could use his bare fists to fight against the new wall being erected. He ripped some of the weaker strings into pieces, but they were replaced quicker than he could take them down. To make things worse, more tumors began to form around the Servants, which meant they would have to deal with a new wave of Fomorians very shortly.

"This is bad…" Lucius widened his eyes in unprecedented horror. This was perhaps the worst case scenario for him; being unable to help Connla while she challenged the enemy god alone. Florent seemed to respond to his frustration, and flower petals swirled around him in a vicious storm.

Connla! Whatever you do, don't die before I have my turn with that bastard!

Inside Aspidochelone's brain, the lone figure who stood before the Fomorian idol gazed upon the effigy with nary an expression on his blank face. He knew exactly what all of the Servants were doing, both from the outside and the inside – the statue was directly connected to the Phantasmal's ocular nerves, so he could see what was happening in Okeanos. As far as keeping track of everyone trapped inside the monster, he utilized its entire nervous system and connected his mind with it, turning any signals he picked up into images that flashed in his vision. Due to this, he could see Nero and her team fighting against some Fomorians he had sent their way, while he commanded Aspidochelone's flesh to generate a new wall to block the assault team.

However, he couldn't find Connla anywhere. She was the only Servant who escaped his all-encompassing lines of sight, and it irked him a little. The light that emanated from Lugh's Halo had been so intense that he needed to cut the connection to protect his eyes. He wasn't sure if he should leave this morbid sanctuary and look for her, or if he would sense her presence eventually.

Luckily for him, he wouldn't have to worry about her for much longer.

"So, it was you after all."

An unfamiliar woman's stern voice echoed throughout the chamber. At first, the man barely reacted to the arrival of this sudden guest. He quietly shifted his eyes toward the sound and listened to what she had to say.

"A gigantic sea monster that swallows treasures and entire societies whole… Clans that fight each other for resources… Sacrificing Servants and citizens to generate more resources… More societies are swallowed whole, propagating the process even further… I thought it was strange that an entire society that revolved around so much sacrifice could thrive for so long. All this time, I kept asking myself, 'Who would it benefit in the end? What could anyone take away from such a barbaric way of life?' After much musing, there was only one conclusion I could come to."

"…"

"First of all, let's begin with Aspidochelone. My suspicions began the moment I discovered the massive piles of treasure scattered within these caverns. How could a monster manage to devour such priceless artifacts when I am told repeatedly that it is a mindless creature with no thought other than finding its next meal? Yet the items it has consumed, and the places it ventured to consume them, were much too accurate for this to be naught more than an uncontrolled rampage.

"After learning about Aspidochelone's nature some more, I decided to turn my thinking around. What if, instead of the beast itself, there was some compelling force controlling it from inside to heed their bidding? In other words, the Phantasmal is actually a vehicle for someone to attack various treasure storehouses and devour the goods, thereby making them 'lost' treasures to the world at large. Such missing artifacts would pique anyone's curiosity, am I wrong? Interestingly enough, some of the humans who dwell within the clans are pirates and seafarers. I don't think I need to deduce how they wound up here."

The man didn't say anything to refute her argument.

"That alone would have been simple enough," the lady continued, "but then I became increasingly baffled as I discovered the factions and their relentless pursuit of each other's resources and treasures. If someone really was controlling Aspidochelone to hoard the world's treasures, did they know about these civil wars going on? I was sure they did, or else there wouldn't have been much point in the beast consuming humans and Servants without actually killing them. In other words, this whole clan-styled society was intentionally designed for the culprit's own purposes.

"Now, logic would dictate the next question; what for? What sort of person would derive anything from a society centered around sacrifice?"

"And that question led you to me," the man murmured.

"Somewhat. Questioning Aspidochelone's nature was only half of the puzzle. The other half came when I wondered why my Spirit Origin was changed to make me a Saber-class Servant. A goddess like Parvati could easily discern what had transpired, and we came to only one conclusion. I was transformed, by the Celtic god of the sun, a commander of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the father of Cuchulainn, and my paternal grandfather – Lugh."

The man slightly turned his head toward the woman as she approached the nearest torches and stood next to them. Just hearing the name 'Lugh' seemed to stir some kind of sensation within the otherwise emotionless fellow. As he gazed upon the visitor, he could feel the Celtic god's aura radiating from her, and it made his flesh shiver on its own volition.

Indeed, the lady was none other than Connla. However, she was not here as the seven-year old child soldier. She appeared as a gorgeous young woman in her late teens or early 20s, with an attractive physique that wasn't much different than Scathach's. She kept her usual ponytail, but the length was much longer than before, now reaching to around the back of her knees. Her skin was clean and smooth – the scar marks she was always so deathly embarrassed about remained missing.

She wore a sensational swimsuit consisting of a mismatched pair of bikinis wrapping around her torso asymmetrically. The lower-layered bikini was white and covered her left breast and waist. The upper-layered bikini was in multiple shades of mint green, pale lavender and rose pink, which hugged her right breast and tied into several bows on her left waist. Connla also wore some bracelets on her wrist, an anklet, a golden pendant around her slender neck, and her characteristic ring on her right thumb.

The expressionless man raised an eyebrow and wondered, "How can you be here as an adult when it is impossible for you to mature beyond the age when you died?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of Ascension, right? Breaking through the barrier was no easy feat. To that end, I prayed for Grandfather's help with all my heart, and he gave me one last blessing. Of course, this is just a temporary thing until I dispatch of you, Mr. Mastermind."

"So by discovering which god altered your Spirit Origin, you were able to figure out who I was?"

"More like Grandfather told me who you were as I Ascended to this form. Even so, I had a nagging suspicion this whole time. This is an era where the gods have vanished from the world, yet there are some gods which still remain within humanity's hearts to explain certain mysteries like death, dreams, and paranormal phenomena. If there is no obvious solution to those mysteries, then they are attributed to the divine as a sort of placeholder until mankind can find the answer. Due to that lingering attachment, some people still believe in solar deities like my grandfather.

"Coupled with it currently being the Lughnasadh sabbat, this allowed his presence to temporarily manifest within the mortal world. That was how he could transform my Spirit Origin despite being a god that should not be around in this age. If Grandfather influenced me right as Aspidochelone swallowed me, then he must have wanted me to use his power to combat the one controlling the Phantasmal and propagating this demented clan-type society. If he had such a grand plan in mind for me, then he had to know who was responsible for it all.

"So then, let's go back to my original question; what purpose would someone have for establishing an entire society that revolves around pointless sacrifice and flagrant consumption? Furthermore, this land is conveniently cut off from the surface world, where concepts like morals, laws and decency constrain such barbarism so that mankind can flourish for years to come. Here, you could do whatever you liked without worrying about any outsiders marching in and punishing you…"

In an extremely rare moment of mirth, Connla's lips slightly curled into a confident smile.

"An outsider like, say… St. Patrick?"

The man, despite not showing any emotion, was visibly flustered as he sharply glared at her. His lips remained tightly sealed, but there was an obvious fire flaring within his eyes now.

"Looks like I hit quite the nerve," she said. "Right. The only logical answer to my question was, 'A god who was propitiated through human sacrifice'. After discovering Grandfather's hand in this whole ordeal, it solidified your identity as well. You're a pagan god of pre-Christian Ireland, a demonic snake hidden within thick mists who would grant your followers grains and milk in exchange for the sacrifice of first-born children. Your demands were so hefty that even the High King Tigernmas and three-quarters of his entire army were horribly slaughtered to appease you.

"Such brutal worship was put to an end when St. Patrick took his crozier and smashed your statue into pieces before banishing you for good. Afterwards, your influence was quickly replaced with Christian beliefs throughout Ireland. That is precisely why you bear such a specific grudge against Celts and Christians alike, and why no such societies ever existed in this closed-off world."

Connla raised her hand and pointed at him.

"You are one of Ireland's Old Gods, also known as the Bloody Crooked One – Crom Cruach."

The man did not respond. He wasn't going to verbally congratulate her for the deduction she just gave. He opted to just step out of the shadows and show her the truth. His steps were light and purposeful as he quietly approached her, his expression remaining stony and stoic. His pure black eyes were devoid of life, as if they were gateways into some silent abyss. He was a fairly tall man with short black hair who wore a black trenchcoat with half of the chest portion missing and being held up by buckles around his shoulder and torso. He didn't have any weapons on him, but Connla could tell from his aura alone that he was a fearsome martial artist.

However, what shocked her the most was… she actually recognized this man!

Her eyes widened in abject surprise, and she dropped her pointing hand.

Ku… Kuzuki… Soichirou…!?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, how did you like that barrage of plot twists at the end? It was a pain to keep his identity a mystery until now, but hopefully it was worth it. If you managed to figure it out before the reveal, then congrats! Hopefully the fight between Adult!Connla and Cruzuki (see what I did there? ;D) will be just as satisfying a read for you as it will be for me to write.