Fate/Infinity Shuffle: Reshuffled
Chapter 20 – Ignorant End:
A bright day without any great problem within the city. The sun shined brightly, routines were followed to a T, and there weren't any real problems.
That was, of course, in the regular dimension. In the parallel one, Foreigner roamed around in the search for 'someone to play with'.
And, for better or worse, that was what she was going to find.
A Team of Seven A-Rank Players, picked specifically to fight Mary, were ready to battle her. And, hopefully, defeat her too.
While reluctant, Hakuno accepted and let the plan take motion. And for the sake of being sure, he asked a few specific Players to act as backup.
"Yo! Name's Akane, and this one here is Kuroko. You're the D and E Rankers Hakuno suggested, right?"
"N-N-N-Nice to meet you!" Mizuki bowed so far that she almost fell over, receiving a chuckle from her accompanying Teammate, Isemi.
"Calm down, Leader. You might hurt yourself."
"How are you so relaxed?!"
"I eat painkillers like candy."
"WHAT?!"
"It's a joke, it's a joke." Isemi waved his hand, chuckling, resisting the urge to laugh at Mizuki's panicked face.
Kuroko chuckled a little himself. "Level-headed, aren't we?"
"In a way. But truthfully, I just don't feel nervous around people more or less my age."
"We're not far from finishing high school though. We're on our third year." Kuroko remarked.
Mizuki approached Akane and Kuroko with a shaking body. "I-I watched your battle of a few weeks ago! You were really cool!"
"Thanks." Akane gave a gutsy grin. "But if it's the match I'm thinking about, I didn't get to show off. Assassin of Black took me out way too early."
"I see you didn't enjoy our strategy."
"Ahhh, so it was you. You were the one behind it, huh, Kuroko?"
Saber of Black gave a chuckle. "Perhaps." The sparks of healthy rivalry surged between the two.
Akane suddenly turned to Mizuki and Isemi. "By the way., if you two don't mind me asking," she crossed her arms with a confused look on her face. "I get that E and D Rankers have a ton of potential, but why were you two picked?"
Isemi raised his scythe. "My Noble Phantasm can kill Immortal beings. Hakuno figured that whatever that girl is using, if it is immortal by nature, maybe it can be used to end it."
Mizuki pulled out her knife. "And my Assassin Card has an ability that might be able to leave a dent."
"Okay, I can see it. New talents with new Cards pop up every now and then."
Physically speaking, the four of them stood by in a forest-like area nearby spot where the battle was planned to take place in. Sayuri and Edward would cover for Mizuki and Isemi respectively in classes. Mongami and Lizzie offered to come, but Hakuno advised for them to stand back, much to Mongami's dislike.
Mizuki looked over to the faraway spot where the battle was going to take place. Another confrontation against the Foreigner was close to starting.
The seven Players marched to the predicted spot where Foreigner would be.
Leo brushed a hand past his blond, neck-length hair. "I'll admit, if I didn't have a Team, while this might be temporary, I wouldn't mind if it became permanent."
Chloe narrowed her golden eyes, hands placed behind her head. "Ehhh. Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not into having a Team."
Taiyou, a boy with golden hair with red highlights, spiking upwards and off to the side, with eyes like fire, decided to give his consensus. "My loyalty is to the Red Oaths. Sorry to disappoint. But I'm always willing to lend a helping hand. Especially in a situation like this."
Waver, the adult man with long hair, finished his cigar. "Does anyone have a solid grasp on what we're going up against?"
Kotomine Shirou, a tanned teen with golden eyes and white hair, chuckled awkwardly. "I would like to offer good news, however…"
"In other words: absolutely not." Hachirou, the Assassin of Black, a boy with pitch-black hair and yellow eyes, with slit pupils, responded with a snicker.
"But we're not far from finding out." The dark-skinned girl with lilac hair finished the conversation as the group spotted the little girl prancing afar. They were in the middle of the road, which would circle around the mountain range up to the top. They were somewhere midway along the path in total.
And the moment they were close enough, they drew their respective Card.
"Install!"
The synchronized yell caught Mary's attention. "Eh?" She placed a hand over her eyes, in an attempt to see farther ahead. The child was unaware that the purpose of the gesture was to merely protect one's eyes from the sun.
She spotted seven figured:
A knight in bright white armour, wielding a holy sword that radiated like the sun.
CLASS: Saber
IDENTITY: Sir Gawain
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
STATS:
- Strength: B+
- Endurance: B+
- Agility: B+
- Mana: A
- Luck: A
- Noble Phantasm: A+
CLASS SKILLS:
- Magic Resistance: B
- Riding: B
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Numeral of the Saint: EX
- Charisma: E
- Belt of Bertilak: EX
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Excalibur Galatine 'Sword of Revolving Victory': Anti-Army A+
An unknown hero with black pieces of clothing made of unknown material and a red mantle. Due to unprotected spots, it was a rather revealing outfit.
CLASS: Archer
IDENTITY: ?
ALIGNMENT: True Neutral
STATS:
- Strength: D
- Endurance: C
- Agility: C
- Mana: B
- Luck: E
- Noble Phantasm: ?
CLASS SKILLS:
- Independent Action: B
- Magic Resistance: D
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Clairvoyance: C
- Mind's Eye (True): B
- Magecraft: C-
- Projection Magecraft: A
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- UNKNOWN
A demi-god in a black, skin-tight suit underneath golden armour, with a red stone buried in his chest. Magenta plumage wrapped itself shoulders and neck, and his hands held a golden weapon that could incinerate even a God.
CLASS: Lancer
IDENTITY: Karna
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
STATS:
- Strength: B
- Endurance: C
- Agility: A
- Mana: B
- Luck: D
- Noble Phantasm: EX
CLASS SKILLS:
- Magic Resistance: C
- Riding: A
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Divinity: A
- Discernment of the Poor: A
- Uncrowned Martial Arts: -
- Mana Burst (Flame): A
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Kavacha and Kundala 'O' Sun, Become Armor': Anti-Unit (Self) A
- Brahmastra 'O' Brahma, Cover the Earth': Anti-Army A
- Brahmastra Kundala 'O' Brahma, Curse Me': Anti-Country A+
- Vasavi Shakti 'O' Sun, Abide to Death': Anti-Divine EX
A king clad in bronze and golden armour, carrying a Greek sword and a red cape attached to his shoulders, with sparks running through.
CLASS: Rider
IDENTITY: Iskandar
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good
STATS:
- Strength: B
- Endurance: A
- Agility: D
- Mana: C
- Luck: A+
- Noble Phantasm: A++
CLASS SKILLS:
- Riding: A+
- Magic Resistance: D
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Divinity: C
- Charisma: A
- Tactics: B
- Lightning Conqueror: EX
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Gordius Wheel 'Wheel of Heaven's Authority': Anti-Army A+
- Via Expugnatio 'Distant Trampling Domination': Anti-Army A+
- Ionioi Hetairoi 'Army of the King': Anti-Army EX
A saint clad in clothing of the Tokugawa period, carrying a named Katana and a set of out-of-the-ordinary blades supplied by the church.
CLASS: Ruler
IDENTITY: Amakusa Shirou Tokisada
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
STATS:
- Strength: C
- Endurance: C
- Agility: B
- Mana: A
- Luck: B
- Noble Phantasm: D
CLASS SKILLS:
- Magic Resistance: A
- True Name Discernment: B
- God's Resolution: C
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Revelation: A
- Charisma: C-
- Baptism Rite: B+
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Left Hand - Xanadu Matrix 'Left Arm - Foundation of Heaven's Blessing': Anti-Unit D
- Right Hand - Evil Eater 'Right Arm - Wickedness Predation': Anti-Unit D
- Twin Arm - Big Crunch 'Dual Arm - Zero-Order Convergence': Anti-Army A+
A serial killer in a black cloak, holding a sharp knife in each hand, summoning the mist of Victorian London.
CLASS: Assassin
IDENTITY: Jack the Reaper
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
STATS:
- Strength: C
- Endurance: C
- Agility: A
- Mana: C
- Luck: E
- Noble Phantasm: C
CLASS SKILLS:
- Presence Concealment: A+
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Murder on a Misty Night: A
- Mental Pollution: C
- Information Erasure: B
- Surgical Procedure: E
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- Maria the Ripper 'The Holy Mother of Dismemberment': Anti-Unit D~B
- The Mist 'Darkened Misty Metropolis': Barrier C
Lastly, a warrior in golden and crimson armour from the dawn of the Three Kingdoms, holding a mighty halberd that was far taller than her.
CLASS: Berserker
IDENTITY: Lü Bu Fengxian
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
STATS:
- Strength: A+
- Endurance: A+
- Agility: B+
- Mana: C+
- Luck: C+
- Noble Phantasm: A
CLASS SKILLS:
- Mad Enhancement: A
PERSONAL SKILL:
- Valour: B
- Nature of a Rebellious Spirit: B
- Ruthless Warrior of the Turbulent Times: A
NOBLE PHANTASM:
- God Force 'The Five Soldiers of the War God': Anti-Unit/Anti-Army/Anti-Fortress A
"Ah! I found new people to play with!" The girl with the long sleeves that hid her hands giggled happily, twirling around while holding her faithful companion in both hands.
"Hey."
"Hm?" Waver was the one to answer Chloe's call.
"Mind if I start?" She wondered, passing both hands through her hair and creating black and white blades in her hands. She was ready to fight.
"Go ahead. A scout is always useful."
"Thank you, Mister Rider!" Chloe's legs flexed down before she dashed across the area, reaching Mary in little to no time.
"Eh?" The little girl let out a sound of surprise as one of the silhouettes moved close to her. And once close enough, Chloe took a short hop and prepared to deliver wound up swings of her weapons. She stared down at the child with her golden eyes, thinking 'Gotcha'. "That's not going to work."
Before Chloe could even question it, a tentacle tugged at her from behind, wrapping around her waist before hurling her back to where she came from.
"Whoa!" Chloe flipped over her body and landed on her feet with a small skid. "Okay… I underestimated her."
Waver's eyes narrowed at the child. "I feared this."
"Hm?"
"It looks like she has learned."
Leo scratched the side of his head. "That's concerning."
"This might be tougher than I expected." Hachirou admitted in a sigh.
It caught Taiyou's attention. "Hm? Expected?"
"Alright, wrong choice of words. 'Wished for' would be better."
The Lancer of Red gave a little smirk. "Lazy brat."
Hachirou grinned like a kid, hands behind his head. "You wouldn't mind an easier time, would you?"
"I'll give you that." He then turned to Waver. "Rider, any suggestion?"
Waver narrowed his eyes. "Observe Chloe. Since she volunteered, she'll be our scout."
Shirou let out a small chuckle. "Making use of a little girl's temperament, are we?"
"She'll learn to cool that hot head of hers once she grows up."
The Red Archer slashed at the tentacle before it could whip at her, driving it away. She narrowed her eyes but was taken aback by Mary's look of happiness and excitement.
"Nee, nee!"
"H-Huh?"
"How old are you?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Because you're younger than the others, right?! So maybe you're close to my age!"
"I-I'm thirteen though…"
"That's only five years older than me!" Mary giggled. "Hear that, Teddy? There are younger people to play with too!"
Chloe's forehead vein popped. "Why are you taking me for a kid?" Without little to no warning, she hurled the two blades at Mary. The little girl swung her plush doll like a racket, shattering the blades with complete ease. "W-What the-?!"
"That won't work either~!" Mary sang, giving a goofy grin.
"Alright. If that's the case…" Chlow quickly summoned a black bow while leaping back and creating a projection through a flame in her palm. A red spear that was reshaped to better fit the appearance of an arrow. She loaded it onto the string and pointed it upwards, much to Mary's confusion.
"Where is she aiming?" The girl and her teddy bear both tilted their heads.
"Redbird Heartpiercer!" Chloe let go of te string, firing the arow to the sky. However, it never reached the clouds. It physically bent over and changed its course, aiming traight at Mary's heart.
"Eh?" Mary only saw a red flash of light, unable to react at all. But not her friend.
The red arrow pierced through the plush toy that had moved in time to protect her.
Chloe clicked her tongue once she landed. "Tch. Freaking loophole."
"Teddy!" Mary quickly took the friend into her arms, pulling it off the arrow that was slowly turning into ash. "Are you okay?!" The friend nodded. "Oh, right. You're made of plush."
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Then how come it has a heart?" She got a tap on her left shoulder. "Hm?" She turned her head to find no one.
But then, a voice came from her right. "Let the pros give her a shot." Hachirou let out a chuckle before dashing past the Archer. "Made yah look!"
"W-What the-!?" Chloe gave a mean face. "I am a pro, shorty!"
Hachirou's grin became more malicious as he closed in on Mary.
"No way!" Mary, alarmed, prepared one of her signature destructive Teddy swings.
"Loving and Hating." Hachirou ducked as he closed the distance. With a carefully positioned knife, Mary swung down her arm and suddenly felt sharp pain as she had driven her own wrist into one of Hachirou's weapons.
"A-AHH!"
"Heh!" Hachirou wasn't down. While holding the knife tightly, he plunged the other into Mary's chest. As her eyes went blank and her body limped backwards, he let go of the knife in her chest and then kicked its hilt, shoving her away while removing the one stabbed through her arm.
The moment she hit the concrete floor, a few meters away, a dart of fire flew across the sky and struck her, resulting in a large, fiery explosion, at which Hachirou let out a whistle of sorts.
"Hitting her pretty hard already, huh, Taiyou?"
The red Archer joined the Assassin of Black, answering his question despite not being the one it was directed at. "She has pretty much taken away every benefit of the doubt." Chloe loaded a Fake Spiral Sword onto her bow and shot it into the cloud of smoke, resulting in yet another explosion that made the cloud of smoke expand even further after a loud sound echoed through the distance.
Suddenly, a large burst of wind cleared the smoke away. The girl had changed into the Witch, the Ascension Form she assumed during the battle against Hakuno. The serious face showed hints of anger.
Her voice spoke coldly. "The game is not supposed to be like this."
"I think we're playing different games." Chloe responded, creating a pair of blades as Hachirou drew one of his spare knives, since he had lost one of his in the previous attack.
Responding to the threat, Mary tightened her grip on the oversized keys she had available as weapons.
The Archer and Assassin took a quick glance at each other and automatically agreed without speaking a word about the plan of attack. The two dashed without a shred of doubt, swinging their blades simultaneously, one from the right and the other from the left.
The witch didn't even need to think about what to do. With some quick positioning, her keys blocked the path of the short weapons.
Both Chloe and Hachirou knew they wouldn't be able to overpower, so they bounced back from the defence and once their feet reached the floor, they spun over and delivered a back kick each, aimed at Mary's stomach, almost like mirror images of each other.
Unfortunately, their kicks never managed to reach Mary, as a tall key of iron suddenly dived from above, driving itself int the floor and colliding with their feet, blocking the kicks before Mary moved in, clearly winding up swings.
"I'm out!" Hachirou yelled out and rolled backwards, evading the strike. Chloe dodged as well, though she leapt up high while creating distance.
Her bow and a projection appeared in her hands as the target became smaller to her eyes. She loaded the sword into the bow in a heartbeat, reshaping it into a golden arrow and charging it with a great amount of Mana. "Yellowbird Unbrokenbeak!" The sound of an arrow cutting through air whistled as the golden sword travelled to its target.
Mary didn't give much thought to it. It was probably just another arrow that she could swat away. But upon attempting, her arm felt the whiplash of being rejected, following by the searing, sharp pain of the golden arrow stabbed through her chest, part of it emerging out of her back. "A-Ahh!" As she gritted her teeth, trying to bear the pain, her eyes shut tightly due to the pain. But she opened one in order to glare at Chloe as her hands to the struck area. "You…!"
"Heh!" Chloe landed and performed a signature taunt of hers: two fingers over her lips before blowing a kiss with a wink. "That arrow isn't meant to explode."
A projectile based off the unbroken sword, Durindana. Unlike other weapons she created, such as the Fake Spiral Sword or the Red Hound, it was meant to be a truly unstoppable, an unbreakable arrow that 'swatting away' meant nothing to it.
Mary let out heavy breaths as she kept the glare. "Teddy!" She asked her friend for help as she began to pull the arrow out of her body. The plush doll with pairs of black insectoid wings jumped off her large witch hat and made his way to Hachirou and Chloe.
"Hachirou, fall back!"
"Gotcha!" The Assassin of Black retreated back to the others, as he didn't have many defensive tactics to make use of. Unlike Chloe, he didn't have things such as Eye of the Mind of Clairvoyance.
Chloe readied a pair of blades to fight off the Teddy, but before she even had a chance to attack, a sword flew by her, ending up stabbing the plush doll.
"Eh?"
"Step aside."
Chloe didn't even question it. She rolled aside, revealing the Rider not far behind her, aiming a hand at the doll, sparking with blue electricity. "Endymion." The electricity was discharged, aimed at the target. Teddy attempted to fly away, but the evade attempt was useless, as Waver's sword stuck to his chest acted as a lightning rod. The thunderbolt reached Teddy, shocking him with electricity and making his wings lose function.
"Teddy!"
The plush doll fell to the ground, with smoke coming off his body. The moment he hit the floor, Chloe stepped onto the sword's hilt, diving it into the concrete and trapping Teddy in place.
"Sorry for essentially taking away your sword, but the opportunity was right there."
"No need to apologize." Rider assured, eyes fixated on the Foreigner removing the golden arrow from her body. "If it cost her an ally, I'm fine without a sword."
"Teddy! Are you okay?!" The girl didn't even care about the gaping wound, rushing to her plush friend in a worry. Just as she did, Waver's eyes narrowed and a thunder cracked, as a Noble Phantasm was summoned.
Mary stopped in her tracks with eyes wide, a pair of divine bulls appearing in front of her, standing on their hind legs, about to bring down their massive weight down onto her.
However, her composure returned just in time. "I hate cows!" With a key in each hand, she slapped the two bulls away, allowing her to emerge unharmed. "Ghh… I'm not drinking milk ever again."
Waver let out a sigh. "Bulls aren't cows."
"Doesn't ma-?!"
Almost as if receiving a warning from an unknown voice, Mary moved away, hovering backwards as Shirou landed, stabbing his katana into the floor Mary was standing on just a second ago.
"Ghh!" Mary became impatient. "Stop being mean!" She pointed the key in her right hand at the Ruler and fired a multicoloured beam.
Shirou let go of his sword and stood up straight, stretching forward an open right hand, as the special magic circuits appeared around each of his forearms. "Bishop…" The beam struck his palm, but he was undamaged, almost unfazed as well. Then, he lowered his right arm and aimed his left palm back at Mary. "Fianchetto!" His palm fired a multi-coloured beam, which was just like the one Mary attack with.
"Eh?!" Mary, too astonished to move, was hit by the beam, propelling her backwards. "Ahh!" She even spun over before hitting the floor.
After walking around the chariot and bulls, Chloe joined Shirou's side. "Good job, Mister Ruler."
"Thank you. I know this is inconvenient, but would you mind if I fell back for a moment?"
"Huh? Why?"
Shirou's smile looked somewhat concerned. "I'm not entirely sure wht that beam was. And emulating it has…" His arms visibly shook, his Magic Circuits going from glowing brightly to faintly glowing at all, oscilating between the two states. "apparently taken some sort of toll."
"Gotcha, gotcha. You scored a hit, go get a break." Chloe gave permission before placing a battle stance. "It's time for me to pick up from where we left off anywa-!" Before Chloe could finish her thought, a white knight dashed passed her. "Eh?"
"Gh…" Mary struggled a little to get up. She was suddenly alarmed by the shadow cast over her. She didn't even need to look. Mary immediately used her frail arms to push herself away, propelling herself away while spinning like a barrel, just in time to evade the white sword from being brought down upon her.
Mary managed to land on her feet, with a hand added for proper balance. She looked forward, spotting the Saber with blond hair: Leo. She stood up with a glare directed at him. "You're mean."
"I apologize. I found this quite unruly, but you've proven that giving you the benefit of the doubt isn't a good idea."
Mary's eyebrows furrowed further in and her grip on the giant keys tightened. "Get away, meanie!"
Just as Mary began to move, Leo gave the order. "FIRE!"
"Eh-?!" Mary's eyes widened. He finally noticed them: Taiyou and Rani had been just enough out of her sight for them to not be noticed while Mary was focused on Leo.
"Brahmastra Kundala!"
"Shoot."
Lancer of Red hurled his golden after coating it with red mana, turning it into a fiery, red missile. Meanwhile, the Berserker let go of the string of her bow, firing the oversized arrow that was originally her spear, like a red comet.
Both weapons closed in on Mary in a fraction of a second, just as her eyes widened in surprise. The clashing of the two attacks resulted in a roaring explosion, a burst of smoke running past where Mary stood at high speeds as it was slowly replaced with raging fire.
Rani and Taiyou joined Leo's side as their spears rematerialized in their hands.
"You think that got her?" The Lancer wondered.
"It's hard to tell."
"…No." Rani's remark made the Saber and Lancer turn to her. "Not done. Just starting."
As if on cue, the fire bean to swirl around a centre point and shrink down, alongside the smoke. The resultants from the explosion were being absorbed into the keyhole on Mary's forehead.
Once it was all gone, the little girl showed eyes of true anger, something that didn't fit a child at all.
"What the-?!" Hachirou was taken aback. "D-Did she just shrug off an Anti-Country Noble Phantasm?!"
"My turn." Leo took his signature stance of standing shoulder first, holding the sword back. With little warning, he dashed forward, ready to tackle the opponent.
Mary stretched out a single finger and on the moment of collision, Leo's tackle was stopped in place by her thin index finger, the golden shockwave that was supposed to happen on impact spreading outwards, much to Leo's confusion.
However, he wasn't going to show weakness. His white sword became coated in fire and he swung it once fully charged up. "Hah!"
A floating key placed itself in between Leo's sword and Mary's body, blocking the strike.
"Sól's Frenzy!" Leo's words made the fire from the sword burst into whips of fire, lashing out wildly. They didn't look all that different from solar flares that the sun released from time to time.
The attack was ineffective. Everytime a whips approached Mary, the keyhole would draw in the flames, essentially extinguishing them.
Leo's eyes showed surprise, but he brushed it off. "It seems we're in a small dilemma."
"…"
"You seem to be immovable. But at this time of day, I'm just as unshakeable as you are."
"Then I just need to take away the sun, right?"
"Huh?"
With a cold voice, she spoke "Nehemoth." All of a sudden, the entire area became dark, almost as if it were night-time.
"What in the-?!" Chloe looked around, just as confused as anyone else.
Waver looked towards the sky. "She couldn't have taken away the sun, that's impossible." And he was correct, in a way. Well they couldn't perceive it properly, they were trapped in a 'dome' where all light had been removed from within.
Mary's finger moved up from Leo's shoulder and pointed at his forehead. From one second to another, an incredible sense of fear was induced in Leo, making his body shiver and his eyes tremble.
"S-Stay back!" Even if against his will, Leo froze up in this state of fear. Mary moved in closer, prompting panic to instil in his mind as she pulled back her right hand and plunged it within his chest, reaching for his heart and crushing it. "?!" Leo attempt to scream, but he was unable to. The voice got caught in his throat as his vital organ got squeezed tightly. Once the deed was done, Mary removed her bloodied hand and spun over to kick Leo away, hurling him off to the side and making him clash against a wall.
"Leo!" Rani let out. Her mental capabilities were limited due to the Berserker Card's Mad Enhancement, but she still worried for her Leader.
Once the Saber was out of the way, the dome of darkness vanished. The witched turned to her still-trapped friend. With a flick of her hand, Waver's sword was propelled upwards, spinning towards the sky, freeing her plush friend.
Shirou took his katana back into his hands. "I'm guessing she's going 'all out' right now."
Hachirou brandished his knives. "Bring it, kid."
Without any comment, the Berserker dashed towards the target, probably in an act of revenge for her leader. "Blunt Strike!" Her spear suddenly turned into a set of spiked gauntlets. "Amon-Ra!" Once close, she struck a punch into Mary's face, driving her into the floor. Once having her opponent pinned down, the tanned-skinned girl began to pummel the target into the floor, delivering punch after punch. After a complete set, with eyes glowing red with rage, she delivered a five-inch punch down on Mary, triggering a crimson shockwave to burst from the area, destroying the floor beneath her.
Once done, Rani let out a hot breath of air before realizing that there was nothing underneath her: Mary was gone. "?!"
A whisper entered Rani's ear. "Sathariel." All of a sudden, Rani's eyes turned pitch black.
"Grahh!" Blind, Rani started swinging her spear around with no clear goal other than maybe strike Mary in a lucky shot.
But the witch casually ducked under the sweeps before striking Rani in the stomach with a swing of her loyal plush doll, sending the Berserker flying towards Leo, crashing into the knocked out Saber.
Mary smirked for a second before being swallowed by a thick, grey fog mixed with a heavy dose of sulphuric acid.
"What's this?" She took a quick breath. "Tastes like candy."
Red eyes gleamed amidst the mist. "Target: female. Whether: fog." Hachirou approached the cloud he had summoned. "Two out of three conditions are met. Result: threefold power." A black aura lit up around the eyes, a torso taking position not so far from Mary. A sharp knife held in each hand and eyes set on the target. "Maria the Ripper!" Hachirou lunged forward in a leap heading straight at the Foreigner.
Alarmed by the Assassin of Black's words, Mary raised her keys, crossing them for a greater physical defence.
But, much to her dismay, it was useless. Hachirou's Noble Phantasm was, in nature, a Curse, which passed through the keys and slashed Mary's body before the knives could even touch her. Hachirou leapt over Mary as the wounds opened up on her body, landing on the other side and skidding over the concrete in order to brake, turning to the Foreigner as the gush of blood splattered out of her body.
"AHHH!" She screamed, coughing out blood and holding the sides of her torso. "H-How did you…?"
Hachirou showed a cocky smirk. "Just because you beat two heavy-hitters doesn't mean you should underestimate the rest of us."
Mary composed herself before turning to Hachirou and shooting a glare, which prompted Teddy to fly forward and release a swarm of butterflies.
"W-Whoa!" Hachirou almost stumbled backwards, but Taiyou landed in front of him before releasing a breath of fire, incinerating the butterflies with ease. "…Thanks."
Taiyou turned his head to the side and flashed a small smile. "Gotta cover for you, don't I?"
"Don't get all cocky. Not everyone has a golden armour like yours."
Mary was going to focus on Taiyou and Hachirou before being 'warned' again. She held out her hands off to the sides, blocking Galatine's and God Force's paths, the weapons of Leo and Rani, one on the right and one on the left. "…I thought you were done."
"You may have given me a good scare for a moment, but I'm more resilient than I look." Leo chuckled, as Rani merely kept glaring.
"I don't care!" Mary gave a quick twirl, shooing the blades aside while small squirts of her blood flung out, suddenly coagulating into gem-like spikes that struck Leo, Ruby and Taiyou, all of them flinching from the pain of having the spikes burrowing into their flesh while bypassing their armours somehow. Taiyou was the most taken aback, not used to taking a hit without the damage reduction of his armour.
"Hmph!" Taiyou stepped forward and shot a glare that, just for a moment, intimidated Mary. His right eye had turned bright red as he released the word "Brahmastra!"
"Eek!" Mary curled up in fright at the yell. However, a few seconds later, she opened her eyes again and noticed nothing had happened.
"…Huh?" Taiyou was honestly surprised.
"W-Why did you scare me like that?! I thought you were going to hurt me!"
"It was supposed to…" That's when Taiyou realized what it meant. "Crap… I guess she's stronger than me."
"You don't say!" Hachirou yelled out sarcastically.
Before Mary could take her anger out on the Lancer, Waver suddenly tackled her from behind, utilizing a shield to slam into Mary's back. "A-Ah!?" After being propelled forward, her body was slashed through by Shirou's katana and Chloe's copy of it, each of them attacking from one side.
"?!" Mary coughed out blood as a result.
"Everybody!" Waver called out. "Go all out!"
"Gotcha!" Taiyou didn't waste a second to move, quickly spinning his spear over one hand vertically, slashing Mary upwards while leaving behind a trail of fire.
Hachirou leapt up, using Taiyou as a steppingstone to jump further up, and performed a spin kick on Mary, sending her back down towards the floor while pushed away, and throwing a pair of knives at the end of the spin, as a follow-up strike.
Mary bounced off the floor with a grunt before summoning a pair of keys that knocked the knives out of the path. Her head was suddenly grabbed from behind by the Rider, who conjured a surge of electricity that ran through her body, electrocuting her before hurling her back in the air, where she was slashed multiple times over by Chloe's hurled black and white blades, right before being struck by Shirou's multiple lack keys, juggling her further up before Leo's wave of fire struck her.
"Now, Rani!"
The Berserker took aim with her bow. "Target set. Noble Phantasm ready for release." The 'arrow' split into five, and at the tip of each a kanji appearing before it. 'Slash', 'Thrust', 'Blunt Strike', 'Sweep', 'Parry'. "God Force: Shoot."
God Force 'The Five Soldier of the War God': Anti-Unit, Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress A
The five arrows pierced Mary's body one at a time, making her wail in pain as she was driven further up into the sky. "AHHHHHH!" The Foreigner managed to stop in place in the middle of the sky, gripping the arrow in an attempt to pull it out with Teddy's help.
Leo and Waver had the exact same thought, both turning to Taiyou and speaking the exact same word. "Now!"
The Lancer of Red didn't object. He lined up his weapon and began to hover.
"T-This is… painful…!" Mary let out in distress while attempting to remove the arrow from her body. "…Eh?" Her eyes caught the sight of a bright orange flare lighting up as the sound of metal shattering reached her ears. "H-Hey… stop…"
The golden armour had been shattered to reveal the spear in its full potential.
"Please, stop…"
No longer a wand and definitely a god-busting spear, the Lancer of Red's weapon generated fire and electricity.
"Stop already…!"
Red blades fanned out of Taiyou's back, as six streams of fire spread out and a ball of fire, a miniature sun, appeared above the tip of the spear.
"STOP ALREADY!"
Mary's yell fell on deaf ears.
"Vasavi… Shakti!"
Vasavi Shakti 'O' Sun, Abide to Death': Anti-Divine EX
Taiyou aimed his spear at the Foreigner. The fire, the lightning, the thunder, the plasma, all concentrated in the weapon's extension. It was then fired as a powerful beam that could be confused with a vaporising laser. An attack that could kill a God.
Mary's eyes finally let out tears as the red approached her. "STOOOOOP!"
Meanwhile, Hakuno and Jinako were observing the battle from Hakuno's laptop in his room. The two had been doing so in order to figure out more about the Foreigner and her powers. Or at least some sort of information that could be drawn through battle.
Jinako was a little concerned, rubbing her chin. "She just tanked God Force with little damage, even though God Force is such a strong Noble Phantasm. What's up with her defence?"
"She tanked it the other night too. Just like how I shot a Caladbolg II to her face, and she just shrugged it off."
Jinako narrowed her eyes. "Does that mean she can't be damaged physically? So far, the only attack that left a proper dent on her was 'Maria the Ripper', which is a curse. Only after Hachirou landed that hit did she start getting more worn down by attacks in general, rather than just things like 'Brahmastra Kundala'."
"And even then, she resisted those too." Hakuno instinctively looked up towards the ceiling. "I wonder if it doesn't matter how powerful the Noble Phantasm is. She'll just 'resist it'. Nothing seems to be able to truly beat her."
Jinako was just as much for a loss as Hakuno. "What even is a 'Foreigner'? I've never seen Class Skills like hers. And that Noble Phantasm…"
"Qliphoth Rhizome… The 'shadow' of the Tree of Life, and stretching roots… Why is that the name of the Noble Phantasm?"
"Some Noble Phantasms have confusing names though."
"Even if that can be true, I meant that more as in 'why is that Abigail Williams' Noble Phantasm?'."
"That's… a good question." Jinako looked up as well, a little lost in her thought process. "Do you know much about Abigail?"
"The usual. She was one of the first girls to show symptoms of being possessed by the Devil when the 'Salem Witch Trials' started. After that, more young girls seemed to have been possessed by some sort of demon. It resulted in the arrest of, I think, 200 people. Plus the hanging of 19 of them, and a few more special circumstances."
"Hmm. Then why isn't her Noble Phantasm 'The Salem Witch Trials'? In a way, she kickstarted them, no?"
"In a way. The origin of these 'symptoms' Abigail displayed was never figured out. And it probably started a case of mass hysteria."
"That would be perfect. And yet, it isn't?"
"The name in itself is odd, no? A Rhizome is a botany thing, right? Like when a root keeps growing horizontally."
"I think so. And the 'Qliphoth' is the representation of evil spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism. The opposite to the 'Sefirot'."
Hakuno turned to Jinako and blinked twice. "How… do you know that?"
"I saw the word in a Card Game and searched it online. Not really that special or anything."
"Well, maybe, but you said that without any hesitation. Did you memorise it or something?"
Jinako adjusted her glasses, the reflection of light making the lenses turn white and hide her eyes as a smirk formed on her face. "It was effortless. I memorize just about anything if it will help me win my card games."
'Vasavi… Shakti!'
Taiyou's words made the two suddenly turn back to the screen,
Taiyou unleashed his attack upon the girl. However, the result was something neither of them expected to see. The two couldn't help but feel a little off put by a little girl being swallowed by a devastating beam of heat and fire.
The Noble Phantasm hit, and at first seemed to succeed in defeating Mary.
That was until the girl released yet another scream.
'ASCENSIIIIIOOOON!'
"What?!" Hakuno and Jinako stood up from their chairs simultaneously, unable to understand this. Some Cards did have strange Ascensions, or Ascensions that could only be achieved through special means. But a second Ascension? They had never seen such a thing.
The mighty Vasavi Shakti was swallowed into Mary's keyhole, like many attacks before, stopping it completely and showing off Mary's new form.
Her skin turned almost white, with a tinge of purple, with black patches on her feet and hands. The keyhole now possessing an ever-present eye. Speaking of which, her eyes had gone from bright blue to dull red, and her hair lost its hue, becoming the same colour as her skin. Finally, a set of tentacles hovered behind her, moving at her command.
At first, she held a serious, adult expression, but it was quickly replaced by an insane laughter.
'Hahahahah! The Horror will fall once again!'
Hakuno and Jinako were taken aback by the presentation, both fascinated and in wonder of what could happen next. But that's when Hakuno really processed Mary's words.
"Horror?" He stood straight up slowly, as if the pieces of a puzzle were slowly fitting in together.
"Eh? Did you figure something out?" It was too serious a situation for Jinako to point out that it almost looked like the end of detective anime episode, where the lead would suddenly figure out the murderer's identity after hearing the one keyword.
"Let me…!" Hakuno dove to his computer and quickly pressed on the keys. After a few clicks of the mouse, a search on the internet, and an open document of an A-Ranker from the Team Waver belonged to, things began to make sense. Jinako caught up on his thought process as she looked at the screen and read the information.
Both could agree; this was bad news.
The Existence Outside the Domain.
Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts.
A silver key to open a gate. Whoever looked at whatever was on the other side would be overwhelmed, and even reject what was shown.
The Qliphoth.
The tentacles.
There was no doubt about it…
The Dunwitch Horror. The Gate Through the Silver Key.
An entity outside of Reality as humans know it, a concept that was first thought of and accurately depicted by the famous author H.P. Lovecraft.
An Outer God that in the novels went by as 'Yog-Sothoth', for whatever reason, was an equivalent to Abigail Williams. Maybe not an equivalent… but both Hakuno and Jinako finally realized the true meaning behind the name 'Foreigner'.
Without a second thought, the two shared a look and immediately knew what to do. At least for now.
"We have to help them."
The two raced out of the room. In the meantime, Jinako asking a rather pertinent question. "But how?"
"At the very least, we get them out of there!" Hakuno pointed out, as the two exited the school. "The Existence Outside the Domain… If that does what I think it does, then…!"
"Hahahahah!" The little girl let out a maniacal laugh, as everybody stood in place, jaws hitting the floor.
Taiyou was the most affected. His most powerful Noble Phantasm, an attack able to kill Gods, was simply shrugged off.
"How is that even possib-?!" Before he knew it, a hand grasped around his neck. At the sudden lack of air going to his lungs made his eyes widen. He gasped for air while trying to remove the small hand of whoever was trying to strangle him, only to find no hand around his neck.
He looked up and found the little witch with her hand extended, as if strangling something that wasn't there. Her permanent stare on Taiyou and malicious smirk confirmed that whatever was happening was because of her.
Taiyou struggled but managed to let out a few words. "That… should've… beaten you…!"
The smirk evolved into a grin. "Do you really think your rules apply to me?" A set of five keys materialized in front of her and were launched like rockets straight at the Lancer, stabbing Taiyou's body right through.
"GAAH-?!" He coughed out blood in his gasp as he took the full damage and pain of being skewered, a consequence of having discarded his golden armour.
With a snap of her fingers, the keys inside Taiyou turned, which triggered a burst of tentacles. "AHH-!" And before he could recover even a little, Mary flung Taiyou towards the floor down below. Upon impact, Taiyou's Card was Ejected, coughing and breathing sharply due to the sheer shock of the event.
"W-W-What in the…!"
"Taiyou, transport out of here!" Hachirou ordered, placing himself before Taiyou just in case. The Lancer of Red, for a moment, had forgotten about retreating due to the shock. But the moment he drew his Card, he wasted no time in using it to return to a safe place.
Assassin of Black's grip on his sword tightened. "Anybody has any ideas?"
"That's a very good question." Chloe admitted.
Hachirou gritted his teeth while glaring at the atrocity above them. "Grr… Yo, Saber!"
"Hm?"
"Throw me!"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm gonna go buy some time! You can throw me, right?"
"Are you sure?"
"No time to be sure!" Hachirou leapt back in order to create distance between him and Leo.
While reluctant, Leo obliged. He stabbed his sword down on the floor and placed his hands together. Hachirou sprinted and jumped, one of his feet landing on Leo's hands. Leo then used all of his strength to send Hachirou further up towards Mary.
Mary took notice. "Hm?"
"The Mist!" A large cloud of thick fog burst from his body, quickly enveloping the area. "Maria the Ripper!" His eyes turned bright red and his body emanated a black aura.
"Heh." Unimpressed, Foreigner held out her right hand and a long key appeared in it. The moment the fog swallowed her, she swung the weapon down, striking Hachirou in the head with the oversized key.
"GAH?!"
While it was true physical defences couldn't stop his Noble Phantasm, nothing stopped Mary from attacking him once he was close.
With a shattered skull, Hachirou fell back down towards the floor below, the Mist ceasing shortly afterwards.
The skull was the least of his worries. He could recover from the wound and strike again. But before he could reach the ground, a set of tentacles suddenly appeared out of black portals and wrapped themselves around him.
"H-Hey, let me go!"
"Let's see." The witch flew towards the Assassin of Black and took a look at his body. "An agglomerate of souls? Is that it? In that case…" The tentacles shifted enough so there would be a large enough patch of exposed torso. When Mary raised her key in a way that would suggest she was going to stab Hachirou, the Assassin panicked.
"I said let me go!"
With an evil grin, Mary simply responded with "No." She swung her arms down, striking the key into a portal that formed in front of Hachirou's torso, and she turned the weapon, releasing a light that made the Assassin yell in pain. "And… That's enough." The tentacles let go of Hachirou as she pulled out the key and quickly hit him with its pole, slamming him into the floor below at high speed, immediately Uninstalling him.
"Gaaahhh…!" He let out a groan of pain while reaching for his Card again and Transporting back to the normal world, away from Foreigner.
"I think we're in trouble." Kotomine Shirou pointed out, trying to think on what he, or any of them for that fact, could do to stop Mary. "She just keeps surviving all the Noble Phantasms we throw her way."
Waver rubbed his chin in thought. "This isn't something we'll be able to simply beat into submission."
"Then what the hell do we do? We already lost Lancer and Assassin." Chloe pointed out.
"That's a rather good question." Waver pointed out. With the sound of cracking thunder, Waver resummoned his chariot pulled by Divine Bulls, the Gordius Wheel. "Rani, step in." At his request, the Berserker followed. The two leapt onto the chariot and Waver commanded the bulls to soar, heading straight at the Foreigner.
"Ehhh?" The little girl's grin seemed to grow.
"Sweep!" Rani's halberd turned into a chained whip. She spun it over her head to build up momentum before swinging it Mary.
"Pathetic." With a hand motion, she summoned a tall key and blocked the strike. Or rather, that was the intent. Instead, the chain whip got tied around the key, linking the two through the tough rope.
Waver aimed his sword at the Foreigner as lightning began to run through his vehicle. "Fall! Via Expugnatio!"
Via Expugnatio 'Distant Trampling Domination': Anti-Army A+
The Divine Bulls accelerated to tremendous speeds, making their way to trample and slash the little girl.
"Teddy." At Mary's command, the plush doll flew in front of her, splitting its face open and revealing a purple void within it. He made his way towards Waver's carriage, followed by a swarm of purple butterflies and moths, radiating in purple.
"Don't underestimate the power of a son of Zeus!" Waver's claim proved true as the swarm was unable to reach either Rider or Berserker, as the insects were burned away by the lightning surrounding the bulls and the carriage.
"Pointless." Mary summoned a second key and pointed it at Waver and Rani. She twisted it, gathering an orb of darkness at its tip before bursting into multiple strips of black that went straight for them.
"What?!" Before Waver could pull back, the black strips pierced through the Divine Bulls, himself, and Rani, cutting through the chariot like a hot knife melting butter.
Just like Taiyou and Hachirou before, Waver and Rani did the same dance: hit the floor, uninstall, transport.
"This is getting dangerous…" Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Leo, Chloe, lend me your Mana. I'm going to use my Noble Phantasm, but I need an external source!"
Chloe objected. "But if I do that, I won't be able to summon my Reality Marble."
Leo intervened. "We don't have much of a choice. Your Reality Marble probably wouldn't help us here. Meanwhile, Shirou's Noble Phantasm…"
"I'm willing to risk it." Shirou pointed out, as the Magic Circuits around his arms materialized.
"Fine." Chloe was reluctant, but knew there was no point in arguing. Chloe and Leo pressed their hands on Shirou's back and began transferring their Mana to the Ruler.
After sheathing his katana, Shirou clutched both his fists.
The Ruler used not only his and his companions' Mana, but also the surrounding area's. The wind, the trees, the mountain itself. He was connected to them. After some focus, he locked eyes with Foreigner and aimed both hands after both of his forearms became engulfed in mana. He pulled back both arms… and fired.
"Twin Arm – Big Crunch!"
The two blasts of mana were launched through punches, spiralling around each other before colliding and joining together.
Twin Arm – Big Crunch 'Dual Arm Zero-Order Convergence': Anti-Army A+
The joining of the blasts turned into something akin to black matter, which began to absorb all beings in the surroundings. Shirou was protecting his allies, but Mary was being pulled into the expanding orb of darkness.
She looked surprise, but in an amused way. While the attack was supposed to swallow her whole, the girl placed both hands on the orb, stopping it from expanding.
"What in the-?!" This shouldn't be possible, Shirou thought.
After summoning a set of them, Mary's tentacles slammed down on the black matter, making the orb shrink down. Shirou's jaw dropped in pure disbelief. His Noble Phantasm was being negated, no, flat-out ignored by a little girl who shrunk down a ball of black matter between her bare hands, as if deflating a balloon. In just a few seconds, it had shrunk to the size of a candy piece. The Horror-in-Little-Girl's-Skin observed it with curious, hungry eyes. She placed it inside her mouth and chewed it.
"Ooh, caramel." She let out a black breathe before turning to the three remaining Players.
"Damn it!" Chloe backed away, wondering what she could do to defeat Mary.
"SEIYAH!"
"KORIAH!"
Akane and Kuroko rushed in, ready to offer support, and slashed the body of the Foreigner. "Hmph!" Mary didn't have a problem in blocking the blades with her forearms. However, before she could counterattack, a scythe struck her shoulder.
Mizuki ran down the road, knife in hand, as her eyes turned blue. The result was interesting. The tentacles, the keys, none had red lines. But Mary's body didn't seem to be able to decide whether it had lines or not, fluctuating between the two states.
She struck one of the tentacles, but then, both her and Isemi were struck aside by the key swing of the girl, only to have the Sabers quickly slash her torso, though with no results.
"Ow… Are you okay, boss?"
"Yeah, I am." They both sat up.
"Would your eyes help us?"
"I don't think so, no…" She stood up, as the Saber of Red and Saber of Black fought the Foreigner with great synergy. Probably due to trading blows enough times with one another made them understand where the other would attack.
"AHHH!" Both swung down their blades hard enough to push the girl that had blocked the strikes with a key, but before anyone could retaliate, they all froze in surprise by the sound that none thought they would hear.
A car engine.
They all turned around, with the exception of Mary, as she was the one facing the sound.
A car made the turn, revealing itself, the black vehicle drifted and braked, stopping in front of the battlefield, confusing everyone.
"What in the…?"
"Wait… That car!" Chloe recognized it after observing it for a bit.
The front door opened, revealing its driver. A man with black hair, wearing a black trench coat and suit, with a cigarette in his mouth.
"…Duck."
"Huh?" Everybody was confused, until he stepped outside and pulled out a submachine gun. All the Players panicked and did as requested, ducking, as the man pressed the trigger and unloaded a barrage of bullets onto the confused Foreigner. He wasn't installed with any Card, the bullets would be ineffective.
Or at least, that's what she thought. For whatever reason, the bullets, upon making contact, actually hurt and made damage. The wounds weren't special. They were like the attack of any other weapon that utilized bullets. But ordinary weapons weren't supposed to be able to do that sort of thing to someone installed.
"Ah!" It was enough to make her flinch and step away.
Then, the engine of a motorcycle sounded from above. On the circular route up the mountain, someone, on a motorcycle, had jumped off the road above, onto the street below. During the fall, the driver hurled a box at the Foreigner.
Enraged, she waved one of its tentacles, breaking it apart. The result, strangely enough, was the destruction of four plates, but its contents still fell on her. Four orders of a dish known as 'Mapo Tofu' landed on her head and body.
"Ew! What's this?!" Mary, curious, licked it. "Ah! Spicy! Spicy! Too spicy!"
The motorcycle landed, revealing the A-Ranker, Kirei Kotomine. "Kiritsugu, you'll pay for those orders."
"Sure. Once you're able to beat me in a battle." Emiya Kiritsugu answered, as he drew a Card. Kotomine pulled out of his coat a set of cross-shaped swords, Black Keys, wielding one between the gap of each finger.
"What the…?" Mizuki couldn't look away from the two newcomers. It was a bit of a shock to see adult Players.
"Mister, this food tastes horrible! It doesn't even have flavour!" For a moment, the little girl had returned.
Kirei, on the other hand, had his eyebrow twitch.
"Kirei, remember what we're here for."
"Yes, I know." The priest responded, hurling the six Black keys at the girl, only for them all to be deflected.
"Uncle Kiritsugu!" Only now did Chloe have the chance to cheer for her uncle's appearance.
"Kids, I have a message from Hakuno to you all." Kiritsugu informed, surprising everyone. With his free hand, he pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. "We're getting out of here."
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