Replies to my Reviews
Soda-fiedPsycho: Sorry, I meant Psychological.
SentinalSlice: Thanks, I fixed it.
patiphat1998: I just had to get that meme in.
Amatsumi: This is a normal fate route with Prisma and School/life characters and elements. They are not Bro's before hos but they are good friends. As it is currently a year before the Holy Grail War, Shinji's jerkassry is currently pretty low. Shiki's not joining in here. The Power Rangers theme is going in my DxD fic.
T-B-R: It is a meme to be added to all Shirou-centric fics, especially a Superhero Shirou.
Chapter 03: Enforcement vs Savagery & Salvation vs Justice
A heavy clang resounded through the empty flaming city as Bazett Fraga McRemitz's fist struck the shaft of her opponent's spear for the first, second and third time.
Cú Chulainn Alter twirled his spear a bit before attacking again, swiping and stabbing at her with {Gáe Bolg}, causing Bazett to be on the constant defensive. While her gloves and boots could defend against the spear's slashes, stabs were a different matter.
Bazett twisted out of the way, letting a stab which would have tore through her stomach, graze her hip instead. Tearing blood off her with one of the spear's spikes, Cú Alter retreated, nearly losing his head as Bazett's fist decimated where he'd just been standing a while ago.
Cú Alter slid back, twirling his spear into readiness, before charging in back again, only for Bazett to stomp the ground which threw up a dust cloud. The dust suddenly cleared as Bazett stood, five runes glowing in midair in front of her.
"[Dagaz! Isa!]" Bazett's combined runes broke through Cú Alter's {Magic Resistance}, only for an instant.
The instant was enough as Bazett landed a solid punch on Cú Alter's face, breaking his nose and earning her first successful attack.
"Not bad, lass." Cú Alter commended, the praise somewhat hollow as his nose instantly healed. "But not good enough!"
Cú Alter suddenly struck a pose, facing his spear downwards as it suddenly blazed with a foreboding blood red aura.
It was only her extensive research into her hero's legend that gave her an idea of how not to die. Putting all of her Mana into her shoes, Bazett leapt straight upwards, crossing ten meters in an instant and going higher.
"[Gáe... Bolg!]" Cú Alter thrusted forward, the Thrusted Spear of Barbed Death rewrote causality as it flew, bending upwards at an impossible angle as it aimed for Bazett. It nearly reached her before suddenly returning back to its owner after she passed it's effective range.
Cú Alter had no problems with that, as he easily jumped upwards to reach her as she started to descend. With a mighty but blocked swing, Cu sent Bazett down to the ground, causing her to smash her back into the ground on descent, coughing up blood before dodging back away from Cu's landing stab.
It went on like that, Cú Alter constantly on the offensive and sending Bazett backwards, although whenever she had a chance, she instantly scratched markings into the ground.
Finally, after a downwards slash from Cú Alter, Bazett dodged then stepped forward and grabbed the spear. Ignoring the pain form it's spikes, she twisted her from and chucked Cú Alter over, relieving him of his weapon.
"Are you seriously about to use a weapon you don't know how to wield?" Cú Alter questioned as he rolled from his fall into a crouch and faced her.
"No. I just needed to get the spear away from you!" Bazett stabbed the spear into the ground and clapped her hands, activating the Runic minefield she had created. "[Anzuz! Algiz! Hagalaz! Uruz! Eihwaz!]"
The ground surrounding Cú Alter suddenly ignited and shot up flames, which were held in a transparent dome-like shield, which held in the flames. The flames raged for a good sixteen seconds before suddenly exploding.
The force of the compressed explosion ripped through the shield, rendering it destroyed as smoke filled the street.
"[Currid Coinchenn! RRAAAAAAAARRRGHH!]"
The dust cloud exploded away as a dark, red-purple aura burst forth from Cú Alter, causing his armor to morph into a monstrous caricature of a skeleton armor over Cú Alter, bursting forth all over his body.
Cú Alter then roared and charged forward, his claws scraping across the ground.
Bazett meanwhile, dropped her cylinder, causing {Fragarach} to pop out and float in front of her, morphing from a silver metal orb to an electrified silver orb with a metal runic engraved ring orbiting it and a blade manifested in Cú Alter's direction.
"[Fragarach!]"
Bazett charged up her Mana into her arm and punched forward, blasting a blade-like beam of light which instantly pierced through Cú Alter's armor.
Reality took some steps back as Cú Alter suddenly stumbled as his heart was instantly pierced through, just before he was about to activate his ultimate Noble Phantasm- wait what?
"Did I- Did she-" Cú Alter stuttered as he coughed up blood. He then smiled at Bazett. "Well done, lass. Scáthach would love you as a student."
Cú Alter then fell over, dead and defeated.
Bazett stumbled, the adrenaline leaving her and causing her wounds to ache.
Soon she fell over, worrying for the teenage boy who fed her good food and was hopefully as skilled in combat as he was in the kitchen.
Bazett then fell unconscious, unaware of Cú Alter's body disintegrating into motes of light, which then gathered to form a card and insert itself into Bazett's body.
I'm the Bone of my Sword
Steel is my body and Fire is my Heart
I have Created Over a Thousand Blades
Withstood the Pain to Create Weapons while Holding on to the Unbreakable Goal
The Empty Path I Walk is the Path of Steel and Justice
Yet, those Hand will Never Gain Anything, Never Accept Anything, Never Give Anything in Return
Thus I declare,
UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!
Titanic gears stained the sky, jammed and bound in place by massive chains. The sky itself was night without a single star, the only light coming from the cracks in the sky, which poured down molten gold into the rocky desert of swords.
"I wish I could say that I was surprised but considering our identity, the fact that you still live from that is not surprising in the least."
Shirou Emiya's body was mangled. Blood covered almost his entire body, leaking through his hands, legs and chest.
Multiple swords pierced his body, one burst through his lower abdomen where his kidney was, one pierced through his liver, one through his left lung, and three more piercing his back.
All from a single bullet that he'd been unable to dodge during their battle. Shirou was quite sure that it was only thanks to the mysterious space within his body that he hadn't died.
Yet, despite all this, Shirou lived. He stood before his enemy, {Yukito} at the ready.
EMIYA Alter stared back at him, his weapons at the ready as well.
"Answer my question!" Shirou yelled. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Shirou Emiya, I am You."
The last three words were like nightmares to him, though he knew it to be true but still denied it. Shirou refused to accept the man in front of him as a future version of himself!
"Liar! You are not me! And I will never grow into you!" Shirou yelled in anger.
"Give it time." EMIYA Alter cocked his guns. "That's the whole point of growing after all."
"I refuse." Shirou growled out.
EMIYA Alter only stared down at Shirou, who looked so weak, so frail and so open in comparison. Normally, he would take advantage of this and finish him off quickly, but this was a very special occasion, wasn't it? The corruptive Divine Spirit of Angra Mainyu spoke through EMIYA Alter's lips once more.
"How I could grow into this? Simple, we have always wished to become a Hero of Justice but did you know that Justice is a Representation of Order. It has no emotion, it has neither allies, friends nor families. Justice is plain, dull, emotionless and swift, as it is supposed to be."
"Listen to me well, Shirou Emiya. Justice has no morality. It is an entity which would go to everyone equally and when it arrives, it would be swift. It won't care about families. It won't look your sin. It only arrives to deliver what you had sown in first place."
"And that exactly is what I did. If someone takes another's family, then I would deliver the same thing unto him. An eye for eye, equal prize. Let me tell you, Salvation maybe looks good and deals with saving people but at same time, it is also the same thing that takes many lives away as to save one is to abandon another. I kill not to save nor spout about Salvation but to deliver Justice because I am Steel."
The last three words were spoken in a tone that no living being would expect to ever come out from another's mouth, because it had been spoken in a very doll-like way, almost like a moving corpse.
As he finished his speech, Shirou froze completely as he finally understood just what kind of being was in front of him now. At first he didn't understand what kind of man he was, it made absolutely no sense to him.
The memories that flashed when they traded blows also didn't give any hints, the most coherent thing he saw was a female monk who seemed to emanate the very concept of Lust in him. (KingVessel: Take note of that.)
But now he completely knew what stood before him.
A machine...
A doll...
A puppet...
A pure, heartless, emotionless machine under the employ of 'Justice'.
"If Fuji-nee didn't give me that comic book when I told her about my dream," Shirou muttered. "Would I have grown into you? Having no direction to direct my dream and efforts into?"
The Empty Path I Walk is the Path of Steel and Justice
He didn't try to live like a Machine. After all, he'd already become one. He had abandoned Salvation and became an entity who discarded it in order to deliver Justice.
Yet, these Hand will Never Gain Anything, Never Accept Anything and Never Give Anything in Return
He never tried to save anyone but simply delivered Justice to whomever deserved it. He- no, It was no longer Human anymore. It was a Machine that work in name of Justice.
A darkened skin which highlighted the red and golden cracks on his body. Red to symbolize Angra Mainyu's corruption and gold to symbolize his own distortion, similar to the cracks in the sky.
Piercing amber eyes which unlike Shirou and Miyu's, who had been told that their eyes looked like dawning suns, simply resembled cold pyrite.
Fool's gold.
It was an absolutely perfect Counter Guardian of {Alaya}.
"You aren't me!" Shirou yelled as he rushed forward. With all of his strength and speed, he delivered a vertical slash with his Reinforced arm and {Yukito}.
And yet.
EMIYA Alter who saw him coming, merely raised a hand, blocking the strike without even needing to dodge. The way he raised his hand to block the attack was as if to swat a bug away rather than block a deadly strike.
"Of course, denial was the first thing you would resort to." EMIYA Alter said in a dull tone. "Normally I'm not the type to talk in battle but since meeting my younger self was something unexpected, I thought to shed some light on our Ideal."
"You spout about becoming a Hero of Justice and meaning to save people. But that's not your real calling is it?"
"SHUT UP!"
Several more strikes flew forward, faster, stronger, deadlier. And with {Yukito}'s special function, every single one of them was enhanced with the Ice element. And yet, none of them ever reached their target, all being parried, dodged and deflected. And what made it worse was that EMIYA Alter didn't even seem to be trying, a huge advantage of being a future version of him. Every single attack launched was an attack his future self knew.
"You connect Salvation with Justice, despite your calling as a fighter."
"Fighter?" Shirou stepped back, taking a breather.
"Our Origin and Element is {Sword}. Do you understand the implications of that? A {Sword} doesn't care for anything as long as it has an enemy to slash. You've realized it too."
"What do you mean I've realized it?!" Shirou yelled.
"If the timeline's correct, Fuyuki should be a peaceful city at this time." EMIYA Alter explained as if he was talking to a stubborn child. "Why do you create swords, despite knowing that those aren't things for a Superhero to hold? Did you ever even use them as Argonaut?"
Shirou flinched. Other than {Shunshin}, he'd never used a sword as Argonaut, even only using {Shunshin} for quick getaways. He truly couldn't refute that particular argument.
"And at the same time, you denied your instinct by latching onto Salvation and Justice."
"So what?!" Shirou spat, his voice filled with venom and anger that he never thought he was capable of. "I did the right thing! Justice to be delivered unto the guilty! Salvation to be delivered unto the innocent! Everything I didn't do for Miyu was to make others happy! It was the right thing to do!"
"And that's where you're wrong." EMIYA Alter said calmly, not even raising his tone slightly during the conversation. "You think Salvation couldn't ever be wrong? You think it is always right? Don't make me laugh! Justice stands on it's own league and you cannot connect Salvation to it! Justice is the representation of Order and Salvation, something that people assume is the right thing to do. They may be similar perhaps but they have always been different!"
EMIYA Alter's hand blurred, his strike being faster than Shirou's reflexes and in an instant, {Yukito} was parried away, leaving him wide open. "You don't even know in the first place what Justice means!"
*BUKRRSH!*
A swift and strong roundhouse kick hit Shirou in his Reinforced stomach. Even though it looked like a simple kick, it was strong enough to easily shatter stone and warp steel.
Blood and saliva were spewed out as Shirou launched backward from the kick. Shirou's ribs were fractured and broken for sure, as he felt himself bouncing in the ground like a bowling ball.
'Is this... Is this what I would become?'
Horror felt inadequate to what he felt now, the self disgust gnawing bigger than the grief he felt about Kiritsugu's death. No matter how he denied it, Shirou could see why he became this thing. For the {Incarnation} of {Sword} to progress into his Ideal, he would turn his mind into {Steel}. After all, his body was made of blade-
"[Fuji-nee Chop!]"
Shirou's internal monologue was interrupted by a blinding pain onto his head. Wincing, he opened his eyes to see Taiga Fujimura standing there in front of him with her hand extended, her very existence a huge WTF to everyone present.
"Fuji-nee?! W-W-W-What are you doing here?!" Shirou asked. "No wait! How are you here?!"
"That doesn't matter!" Taiga waved away the impossibility as expected, focusing on her stupid little brother who was starting to doubt himself in such a horrible manner. "The real question is what the hell are you doing, Hero?!"
Shirou flinched as Taiga grabbed his shoulders tightly.
"The Shirou Emiya I knew is not like this! He is not a person who pushes everyone away from him! He is a super caring guy! Yes, you take Justice as a priority but you have always taken Salvation as the greater one!"
Shirou gasped as Taiga started to slowly rock him.
"You are not him! You will never be him! You are Shirou Emiya! Big Brother of Miyu Emiya! Son of Kiritsugu Emiya! Little Brother of Taiga Fujimura! Honorary Grandson of Raiga Fujimura! Friend of Issei Ryuudou, Shinji Matou and Gai Gotou! Potential Husband of Sakura Matou!"
"Wait, what was that last part?"
"Ignore that! You are Argonaut, Protector Vigilante of Fuyuki City! The One who will do his best to Save everyone! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"
Shirou just silently gaped as if he'd been doused in ice water and was too insensate for the shock to set in.
"...You're such a demanding big sister..." Shirou chuckled. "Like a pet in human form, I may have to spank you afterwards."
"Eeeeh~" Taiga sidled back in amusement. "I didn't know you saw your big sister in such light~"
'Sexually at least. If it wasn't for your suffocating personality...' Turning back, he then realized that for some reason, time had stopped around them. "Fuji-nee, I gotta ask. Is this real? This conversation we're having or is it all happening in my head?"
Taiga blinked, then laughed. "Of course it's all happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it isn't real?!"
"Of course." Shirou muttered as Taiga stepped back.
Shirou took a deep breath, remembering the words that EMIYA Alter had said earlier. If he was a future him and could use it, then...
"I am the Bone of my Sword."
EMIYA Alter jolted at the words that left Shirou's lips, mysteriously ignoring Taiga's appearance.
"Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood."
Reality Marble!
The boy intended to use it! Did he unlock it during their battle? It seems that EMIYA Alter's influence to him was greater than he thought. He'll have to act fast.
"I have Created over a Thousand Tools."
"Withstanding the Pain while Holding on the Everdistant Ideal."
EMIYA Alter quickly shot at him, the bullets of {Unlimited Lost Works}, blazing with malicious intent towards him but a massive golden translucent kite shield with Fae markings protected Shirou.
"That shield..." EMIYA Alter clutched his head as a severe glitch seemed to wrack his entire soul.
"The Crowded Path I Walk is the Path of Salvation and Justice."
"So these Hands shall never Retreat, never Regret and never Withdraw."
"Impossible! Impossible!" EMIYA Alter yelled out in shock, showing the most emotion he had since the battle began. "You may be me but there's no way! No... no, you can't! Never... never! It's impossible! How could you? How could you achieve it? How?!"
"Thus I invoke,
UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"
The World exploded into flames then split in two.
It was as if two Worlds had clashed into each other without destroying themselves.
The first World was a rocky field, similar to a desert, filled with nothing but swords. And while the black rocky field was very similar to obsidian, it actually had the glossy appearance of black ink washing over them.
The wheels and gears that spun above the dessert, were almost hidden in clouds. Their color was a sickly yellow but even darker than usual. It spun and worked producing sickly red and yellow smoke similar to poison or miasma.
It was a place synonymous with Death.
The second World was so similar yet so different.
It was filled with countless, nameless swords as well. But rather than a black rocky desert, it was an orange grassy plain.
The sky wasn't filled with any gear but was lit by a rising sun in the distance.
No, not a sun.
It was a Sheath. The manifested of Concept of the Fae World. It's light shone a brilliant gold, over the amber grass and the steel weapons, casting the image of the Rising Sun over all.
The Everdistant Utopia. Avalon.
This was a Realm synonymous with Life.
"I must say, I never thought you would be able to utilize our Reality Marble this fast." EMIYA Alter grunted out as he stared impassively at his younger self who stand undaunted. "It seems I have miscalculated the effect of 'Incarnation'."
The boy merely stayed silent as he glared back at the future version of himself, his face grim with solemn determination.
"But still... Do you think achieving {Unlimited Blade Works} was going to grant you a win against me?" EMIYA Alter asked nonchalantly.
"Not really..." Shirou replied. "But do you think that something like that would dissuade me from trying anyway?"
"Of course not." EMIYA Alter said immediately. "Shirou Emiya will always be a stubborn existence, no matter what."
"Ain't that the truth?"
EMIYA Alter blinked as Taiga slammed down by Shirou's side. "Who is that?"
"YOU SEE HER?! Oh thank God!" Shirou wheezed. "I thought I was going mad for a bit! So you're helping after all, Fuji-nee?"
"Of course!" Taiga replied, looking around. "Which of these swords do you think I can use? Any katana here?"
Shirou stretched out a hand. A nameless shot off the ground, transforming to a black katana as it landed in his hand.
"This is {Kiritsugu II}. Not my most powerful, but my deadliest." Shirou handed it over. "I don't know if you're real or not, but please don't die."
Taiga hummed as she swung the blade experimentally, both turning to face their opponent. "Don't worry. I'm fifty times stronger than you, after all!"
"Are you a Saiyan?! Wait, that... actually explains so much..."
Then they appeared, hung midair by invisible support. There were so many of them, swords, spears, halberds, all of them lining up in sky in the likeness of soldiers, all of them beautiful, forged by the best materials and imbued by magic. They all radiated power that only could be counted as legends, but they all shared the same aspect.
Empty. As someone who resonated with blades, Shirou could only deliver that verdict despite their power.
And yet, why would he cower?
EMIYA Alter watched, despite the weapons above him, ready to be fired, the boy in front of him didn't have any intention dying there.
Then he gaped, as Shirou raised his hand and copied his weapons, all of them being Traced into existence, yet the difference was clear. They were lesser in power but all weapons under Shirou's command felt... alive.
Words were no longer required.
Taiga grinned, swinging {Kiritsugu II} at the ready.
Shirou gulped, determination shining in his eyes as he cocked one hand.
EMIYA Alter merely stared blankly while cocking his hand as well.
"[Trace bullet! Fire!]"
Lets Go Ahead
Stats
Alias: The Mad King
True Name: Cú Chulainn Alter
Alignment: Chaotic Mad
Sex: Male
Strength: A
Endurance: B+
Agility: A+
Mana: C
Luck: D
NP: A
Personal Skills
Mad Enhancement (Rank C): Because this version of Cú Chulainn was born through through Bazett Fraga McRemitz's desires but Altered by the Holy Grail, logical conversation is possible although Mad Enhancement bonuses are equivalent to (Rank C).
Divinity (C Rank): As a Demigod son of Sun God Lugh, Cú has a high Divine Spirit aptitude. However, due to being Altered, this skill has been demoted from (Rank B).
Battle Continuation (A Rank): A mad beast's obsession. Cú Alter can remain alive as long as he doesn't receive a decisive fatal wound. It allows him to fight even with deadly injuries.
Protection from Arrows (C Rank): He can deal with projectiles that do not depend on magecraft by tracking them down with his eyes. Because he is under Mad Enhancement, this Skill is ranked down significantly more than usual.
Mystic Codes & Noble Phantasms
Gáe Bolg: This is a cursed spear with an ominous design that was obtained from Scáthach in the Land of Shadows by Cú Chulainn.
Gáe Bolg - Thrusted Spear of Barbed Death (Rank B: Anti-Unit): This is an attack focused on a single target, created by Cú Alter to suit his own style, that strikes a fatal blow that always pierces the opponent's heart and ruins their body from within with its thousand iron thorns. It literally freezes the Mana in the air, and it can easily be perceived as a sure-kill technique by all those around simply from being charged with magical energy. Once {Gáe Bolg}'s name has been called, the cursed spear reverses the nature of causality, the meaning of "cause and effect" in the order of things, to make it so the cause of the "lance being thrust" comes from the effect of the "opponent's heart being pierced" by it. It determines the opponent's fate simply through its use, an always fatal move that pierces the heart with one thrust. It is also possible for him to activate it without actively striking the heart. As it is an attack based on the concept of 'thrust', it can only be avoided by getting out of range due to the fact that 'a thrusted spear can only reach so far before it is deemed necessary to be thrown'.
Gáe Bolg - Thrown Spear of Gouging Carnage (Rank B++: Anti-Army): This blows away a multitude of enemies by throwing this homing magic spear missile. By throwing the spear at such a force that would damage his own body, the attack gains power and range over one used by the normal Cú Chulainn. The spear inflicts area-of-effect instant death to the enemies, or great damage if instant death is avoided. The damage on the user's body is instantly healed by Rune Magecraft, though he still has to withstand great pain.
Currid Coinchenn - Beast of Crunching Deathtusk (Rank A: Pro-Unit): This is a Noble Phantasm possessed by Cú Chulainn Alter. Cú Alter's wrath summons forth the skeleton of the sea monster Curruid, whose ribs were used to craft Gáe Bolg, and wears it as armor. The armor is offensive in nature, raising his Strength to EX Rank, ranking up his Endurance, but prohibiting the use of his {Gáe Bolg}.