Fate/Grand Order: One-shot Collection

Prison Tower – Avengers of Love and Hatred:

CRACK!

The sound of a shattered skull echoed through the corridors of the prison tower. It appeared to be the last one.

"This isn't one of the monsters…" Edmond Dantés. Avenger Class Servant. A man that calls himself 'The Count of Monte Christo'. As per usual, he made his rounds through the Prison Tower, his hunting grounds ready to incarcerate the sinful.

However, something was out of place. Monsters he had never seen before have popped up in the corridors as of recent. And not just one or two, but a few dozen. They weren't particularly strong. In fact, he could kill them with quick blows while getting little to no damage whatsoever. But the large number was worrisome. One or two would be fine, but over thirty of them?

He tossed the black werewolf-like creature's corpse aside and made his way down the hallway.

"You're finally starting to slow down."

"?!"

Avenger suddenly turned around. Another black creature in sight. But this one wasn't like the others. To start off, it talked like a human, while all the others only roared and howled. His eyes were distinct and clearly visible, as opposed to beady red dots. And for a shape, while it was hard to tell due to the darkness coating his body, seemed human for all intents and purposes.

"So you take a little longer if we're close to the 40s. Nice to know."

Avenger's eyes of anger furrowed as a Black Flame appeared in his hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Pest control, calm down!" The man coated in darkness took steps forward with little to no worries. "I can tell from your 37 previous reactions that you're prone to shooting first, but this is going to happen regardless. Can you just cut me some slack and speed up the work?"

Avenger's eyes narrowed. The tone of voice of the darkness cloaked man was friendly. Mockingly so. He didn't have a visible mouth, but the way his eyes shut showed he was smiling like he was merely talking to a friend.

"Are you responsible for these monsters?"

"What? No. That's on you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. If you stopped shooting me for a second, maybe you wouldn't have to clean this hallway up tonight." The man in black crouched down and picked up the corpse of the monster Avenger had just crushed the skull of. "I'll give it to yah though, you sure know how to make a number on my Shades."

"So you are behind this."

"Well, I wouldn't have if you stopped killing me." The man coated in darkness tossed aside the corpse and stood back up. "I guess this getup doesn't help my case much." With a snap of his fingers, the man's darkness disappeared from the body. A human for sure. Golden eyes, messy black hair, a red bandana around the forehead. A body covered in tattoos, and exposed upper body, and black bandages around the forearms. The red cloth around his waist seemed to be the only piece of wardrobe in his possession. "Better?"

Avenger narrowed his eyes. "Those… are all curses, aren't they?"

"As expected of an Avenger like you, Mister Dantés!" The boy laughed. "what kind of 'All of the World's Evils' would walk around without badges of honour?"

"…What's your name?"

"If you'd like to know what people call me, then the answer is 'Angra Mainyu'. Pleasure to meet you, Edmond Dantés."

"Hmph. Addressing me in such a manner. I am The Count of Monte Cristo. Call me 'Avenger'."

"Oh? You have such a fancy name and yet you don't care for it? Well, suit yourself. It'll be awkward though. I'm an Avenger as well."

"I care not for such matter. What brings you to the Eternal Prison, Chateau d'If? Answer me, or I'll throw you to the Sins thirsting for blood."

Angra Mainyu simply paced forward, paying no mind to the threat. Death meant absolutely nothing to him. With the ability to return upon Death with the Skill inherited from the Grail and Wish he had once been a part of, any threat that came true was merely a time waster. He walked by Avenger and then gave him a side look.

"?!" Avenger could feel the atmosphere change completely. A paradox that was brought upon by a complete weakling inducing the highest level of Murderous Intent, creating a pressure on Dantes' shoulders. As an Avenger, he could understand that feeling so very well himself. But he could also sense Angra Mainyu's parameters. And he wasn't a threat in any way whatsoever. Maybe slightly tougher than a single shade of those, but that's about it. He was, without a doubt, the weakest Servant of them all. Even those physically weaker than him, such as the Author of Legend and the The Girl Who Has Sunny Eyes, have Noble Phantasms that make up for their weaknesses. Angra Mainyu had nothing.

And yet that look was filled with so much hatred that Avenger could feel it pressing down on him.

"Come on. You can give a break to the act for a moment, can't you? It's just me here."

The shorter Avenger kept walking forward. The Count snapped back to reality and began to follow him.

"What do you mean by act?"

"The whole Monte Christo stuff. I'm the only one here, you don't need to keep up the theatrics for my sake. Though I'll feel flattered if that becomes the case."

"It is not an act. I'm no longer the Edmond Dantes of legend. I am the King of the Cavern, the count of Monte Christo. Unknown to love, unknown to compassion, established as the black flame of grudge that blazes itself dazzlingly only by means of hatred and revenge; nothing but an Avenger who rages until he turns everything to ashes. A man whose hatred is carved into my flesh."

"Really? You really want to compare hatred carved into flesh?" Angra Mainyu pointed at his own body, trying to make Dantes notice his tattoos. "Besides, unknown to love? You were born from love."

The man in green narrowed his eyes once more. "You're walking on a fine line."

"And you're dodging the subject."

"Before I can dialogue with you, I would like to know what brings you here in the first place."

"Well, as you Avenger Sen~pai, I need to look after my Kou~hai! It's more of a pain in the ass than I imagined though. That wolf bit me more than I wished for."

An eyebrow twitched. "Are you mocking me? Utilizing such a system to establish superiority."

"You were the one scared shitless two minutes ago." Angra reminded, waving a head. "Oh well. It happens, I guess. Troublemaking Kouhais need guidance regardless."

"If you intend to merely mock me, I suggest you leave. I'm not against torture." The sparks ran through his body, as a twisted grin appeared on his face.

"I break so easily that you'll destroy me by mistake." Angra Mainyu continued to bear no worries. "And I thought I made it pretty clear I came here to help you."

"How did you even invade the Tower?"

"I now owe a couple favors. But that's a story for later."

"Regardless of my opinion regarding your offer, what exactly is it you think I need assistance in?"

"Simply put? I think you're too fixated on the whole King of the Cavern thing."

"It is a part of my being. My body is a nemesis of the world itself."

"Based on?"

"My Noble Phantasm 'Monte Cristo Mythology' is proof of my body being that of an Avenger. I belong to no other Class."

Angra gave a bit of a smirk. "So if not for that Noble Phantasm, you'd fit into Rider, huh?"

"Gh-?!" Edmond gave a glare. "You've got it backwards. Because I belong to no other Class, I have gained this noble Phantasm from my way of life as an Avenger!"

"But that's the King of the Cavern. Not 'Edmond Dantes'." Angra's voice shifted to a softer tone. "You're focusing too much on that one trait of yours. You're casting aside your name for petty reasons, you know?"

"That's merely how the Summoning System works. Sometimes, if a different focus is put on someone's life, their Class may change."

"But that doesn't change a thing about what happened in your life before. That bastard of a Caster keeps asking for his spear for a reason. Even Servants summoned outside of their prime are aware of their future endeavours. Their personality may remain the same, but that doesn't change that they know what happens to them. The Saber of Lilies is still aware of the fate that waits for her with the fall of her country."

"Hmph. You're quite the presumptuous one if you think you know more about myself than I do."

"Please! I'm the original Avenger!" The proudest shit-eating grin was plastered across Angra's face. "Guys like you, that dragon witch, and the musical mess of a man trick yourselves more than anyone else."

"So you're reducing the tragedy that fell upon me during life to a simple tantrum for attention?"

"Course not. I'm not that heartless. But I do not understand why you're abandoning your roots."

"…"

"You know what the difference between you and me is?"

"No matter what I answer, I get the feeling you'll say it regardless."

"Because I know you don't." The grin was back for a second. "Simply put, I'm an Avenger born out of hatred that speaks of love. While you're an Avenger born of love that only talks about hatred."

"Is there a problem with such?"

"I never forgot how I started out. Even if my name was erased from the world, I still remember those peaceful days. I still remember the wide fields and the clear sky. As a far more experienced Avenger, I get the feeling I know what I speak of when I say you should do the same."

"More experienced? Don't make me laugh. I'll torn you to shreds if you do."

"Such disrespect towards your Senpai. Tsk tsk tsk."

"So far, you've been rambling like you know what you speak of. Yet every word you say sounds like a lecture with no real objective."

"Whatever you say, Rider."

"Do not call me that."

"It fits you though."

"…!" Aveger's hands lit up with black fire. "I am the Count of Monte Christo. I am not Edmon-"

"Hey." Avenger tlted his neck back in order to get a look at the menacing Servant. "Do you miss sailing?"

"…!" The Count's fists clenched ever so tightly. "…"

"You don't need to answer." Angra adjusted his bandana before continuing his path down the spiralling hallway. "You ramble on about how that girl you love so much isn't present, so you hate the world. Yet not once you speak of sailing across the sea again. I guess that your 'ruined life' meant that little. I'd like to see what would've happened to you if your life before actually mattered."

Before Angra could blink, he was swooped off the floor, held by the throat and slammed into the stone wall with enough force to make the hard materials cracks apart.

"GAH! Oi! I told you! I break easy!"

Dantes glared at Avenger with all his might. "You miserable pile of bones and curses!" The Avenger roared with might. "You're no one to speak of my life! You're no one to speak of what is or was important to me!" The grip around Angra's throat tightened.

"Gh-! Not so hard…"

"Of course I miss sailing!" Edmond Dantes blurted out, trying to contain his rage, but to no avail. Losing his composure to a weakling was more frustrating than anything else.

"…Heh."

"Watch your mouth."

"So you do have a sense of pride."

"…" Dantes let go of Angra's neck. The weak Avenger gasped for air, coughing and rubbing his back from the pain. "Your temper sure is short."

"To be honest, the way you press buttons is just far more infuriating."

"You're also prone to hatred far too fast. Come on, we're both avengers! We should be best of friends!"

"Touch me, and I'll-"

"Yeah yeah, I know." Angra gave a flat look and a sigh. "So, how much do you miss it?"

"…I don't usually mind it. However, I sometimes hear the sea and remember the breeze running through my body."

"That's the spirit." Angra stood up, popping a bone back in place. "Ow… Anyway, as an Avenger myself, I know what I'm saying when I remind you to cling to the good memories. The more you cling to them, the stronger you'll be. After all, you're not avenging just what you lost. But also the life you had before."

"Is that why you speak of love?"

"You cannot have one without the other. Avenger or not, you cannot be the 'Count of Monte Christo' without 'Edmond Dantes'. If you want one to be at its fullest, you need the other present. Even if you lost things you value, you can't forget the life you led before either."

Avenger is a Class that not many classify into. Revenge does not come naturally. At least, revenge to the scale where it completely consumes a person throughout a great part of their life. Antonio Salieri, a man tortured by himself, for believing to have killed Mozart, becoming a manifestation of hatred that lashes out at the World. Hessian and Lobo, the two Phantoms that harbour hatred towards all humans indiscriminately for their actions upon them.

And then Edmond Dante. A man that started life as a sailor, but his quick rise to the position of Captain, which appeared lucky at first, made the envy of others conspire against him. And thus organized the ultimate revenge plot against them.

But there cannot be a revenge without cherished memories. There things one can cling to which were stolen. A loved one. Their name. But there was also a life that was lost.

"Better?"

"Hm? Better?"

"Well, yeah. You Avengers are always moody, so I figured, as your loving Senpai, that I should give you a hand."

Edmond raised an eyebrow. "What's with the Senpai thing?"

"Hm? Well, when it comes to the status of Avengers, all of you aren't Avengers 100%. The Dragon Witch is a distorted Ruler. That snake was originally a Rider. You, well, we've established that your 'exclusivity' is not necessarily true. That musical man could fit into Caster were he not to have those issues. And the wolf would fit into Rider pretty nicely. While I am, 100%, an Avenger, no doubt about it. All of the World's Evils, hating humans with a burning passion."

"While that's all fine and good, I meant more in the sense that I do not understand why you came to "help" me. I'm not even sure if I needed help to begin with. You simply came to annoy me and pretend to be funny."

"How heartless." Angra gave a snicker. "Senpai should look after their Kouhai, no? And sometimes, you need to take a rest from being an Avenger. Appreciate the world you lost before you kill your enemies. That'll make the killing soooo much more enjoyable. Hating for the sake of hatred is just dull."

Dantes let out a smirk. "Hmm? So you came all this way just to say 'kill better'?"

"Hey, we're still Avengers. And I'm the very best when it comes to killing. I think you could learn a couple things from me."

"Learning from you? We'll see about that." The two moved along the corridor. Dantes took a look at the shorter Avenger. "Where did the Senpai-Kouhai morality come all of a sudden?"

"Eh." Avenger placed his hands behind his head. "I'm not 'supposed' to have a personality to begin with. Long time ago, I took over the body of this kid and looked at the world through his eyes. Guess he left an imprint on me. Not only on the body, but a couple things in my soul too."

"I'll take it he was a serious 'Senpai'."

"In a way. But there was an idea that stuck out to me that I'd like to try one of these days."

"And that would be?"

"Ever heard of the concept of 'family'?"

"H-Huh?"

"Yeah, like, this group of people living together and hanging out. I couldn't get much out of those days. But now that there are more Avengers, figured we could give it a shot. Hang out, drink a couple beers, discuss about killings. I immediately regretted the decision once I talked with that Wolf and the Musical Man."

"Hahahahahah!" Dantes was genuinely amused. "A family of Avengers?! That's perhaps the funniest joke you've said so far!"

"I know, right? What a joke." Angra himself laughed as well.

Despite being genuine emotions of fun, the two laughed like maniacal killers, searching for a prey to rip apart.

An Avenger from love that only spoke of hatred developed some respect for the Weakest Servant of them all.