The Snowy Streets Beneath the World Tree:
Fuyuki A.D. 2014
Section 13
Aftermath
Location: Skies Above Einzbern Castle
Date: April 30th, 2014
Time: 4:59 PM
The skies were rapidly growing dark over Fuyuki, as the sun was beginning to go down. Despite it being one day before the start of May, it seemed as if the world was set on the Winter Solstice. Eiji and his group flew through the skies, urging the quetzals to fly as fast as they could. They had no time to waste, especially if the castle was under attack. They reached the outer edge of the Einzbern's Bounded Field, piercing through it with ease. The snowy landscape was replaced with an almost summer-esque location, with bright grassy fields and lush evergreen forests. The hulking form of the Einzbern Castle could be seen in the distance, tall plumes of smoke towering into the heavens.
They could see the Frost Giants surrounding weakened areas of the outer keep, hurling large chunks of rock at the walls, in hopes to get in. There was a small crevice on the side, allowing hordes of Krichat to storm the keep. The sounds of gunfire and explosions permeated the area, being deafened only by the roar of the giants. The group kept flying forward, their mounts flapping their wings as fast as they could.
"Alright, I want two even teams. Vitch, Rin, and I will stay above and handle the giants from afar. I won't be able to do much of anything but I'll be providing magical support. Cerise, I want you to take Ereshkigal and Yoshitsune with you, kill every single Krichat you see in there. Make sure you deliver the message and tell everyone inside we're gonna help them out." Eiji said.
"Will do! Let's go, ladies!" Cerise cried, flicking her reins, forcing her mount into a dive. Ereshkigal let out a scream, wrapping her arms tighter around Cerise, holding onto her for dear life. Yoshitsune laughed and whooped for joy, clearly enjoying herself.
"Scathach, find the hole in the bounded field, will you? Tell me when you find it so I can go reinforce it. Until then, I'll stay here with Eiji and Vitch." Rin said, earning a nod from the violet-haired lancer. She took off into the distance spear at the ready.
"This is going to be a little troublesome, but I think I can handle it. Watch me take down all of these insolent pests, Master." Vitch said, flashing the man a bright grin and a peace sign, as she loaded a round into her Dragunov.
"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" Rin asked, having called her bow into her hand. She had set a copy of Aestus Estus into it, the flaming sword ready to be fired. Vitch rested the stock of her rifle against her shoulder, peering through the scope. She pulled the trigger, letting her bullet do the talking.
One of the giants was struck in the back of the head, blood shooting out of his forehead as the round exited. The body fell back, a pool of crimson flowing out of his head. She ejected the round, lining up her second shot.
"Damn, what the hell kind of ammunition are you firing? Those giants have thick skulls, a regular BMG wouldn't penetrate that!"
"I'm firing a .50 caliber bronze anti-tank round. They were created in World War II to deal with armored vehicles. I picked up a few from Ruler before we left. You can never be too prepared you know." she said, firing her second shot. Rin did the same, her arrow finding its place in a giant's head.
The giants slowly turned around, having taken note of their fallen comrades, they began looking up at the sky. The moment they spotted the quetzals, they let out a roar, focusing their attention on Eiji and the others. They knelt down, grabbing pieces of the broken wall, hurling them into the air. Eiji tugged his quetzal hard, narrowly avoiding the boulder heading right for him. Rin and Vitch had been forced to dive down, avoiding more projectiles heading their way.
"Split up, don't let them hit you!"
"Easy for you to say!" Rin cried back, as she continued her nosedive. She tugged her reins hard, forcing the quetzal up, giving her enough of a window to shoot another arrow. Calladbolg II sailed downward, virtually splitting the giant in half.
Vitch grit her teeth as she tried to line up her shot, but was unable to do all the rocking. She was so focused on her target she didn't see the boulder flying at her until it was too late. She let out a scream, leaping off the quetzal who was killed instantly by the rock. Eiji heard her scream, and flew in her direction, hoping to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Take my hand!"
"In a second!" she howled over the wind. Despite the fact she was falling, upside down no less, she rested her rifle against her shoulder. She let out a giggle as she took her shot, nailing a giant right under the chin, his head exploding in a mist of blood, brain matter, and bone. Eiji caught her at the last second, only for the pair to crash in a field of flowers, thankfully not hurt.
"You're fucking insane, you know that?" he shouted angrily, forcing himself to stand up. The woman shrugged her shoulders, brushing the flower from her outfit.
"I might be insane, but I still got my shot. Shouldn't you be praising me, Goshujin-sama?"
"Ugh, can you stop with that? I thought you weren't the type to tease people like that," he said with a shudder. The pink-haired woman grabbed her rifle from the ground, fixing her glasses as she ejected her spent magazine.
"I'm not, but I think bits of my original self are starting to seep through. Tamamo-No-Mae hails herself as the perfect shrine maiden as well as being the perfect Miko wife. So I apologize if that personality is coming out." she said, tracing her lip with her fingertip, a sneer on her face. "Though, if you indulge in my other tendencies, I think I'll stop with the perfect wife personality."
"Yeah no, you keep your damn sadistic tendencies away from me. Let's focus on taking care of the remaining giants," he said. Sadly his mount hadn't survived the fall, so the pair were on foot. Vitch sighed, as she raced after her Master, a slight frown on her face.
Inside the keep, Yoshitsune raced, using the provisional katana her Master had crafted for her. She had managed to take down a group of Krichat with ease. It helped that there were a lot of high places she could use to her advantage. She flipped through the air, spinning around like a top before taking her swing, slicing a Krichat clean in half. She landed in a crouch, moving toward her next target, grinning as she ended its life.
"Wow, I wish I had that kind of speed," Ereshkigal said softly, as she twirled her spear around, fighting off a pair of Krichat. She stunned them long enough for her to fire a few javelins at them. Cerise dashed past her, swinging her sword in a wide arc, sending a blast of golden light at a group racing toward them.
"Same here, perhaps I should manifest as a Saber-class the next time I get summoned somewhere. Though I doubt my Noble Phantasm would work the same," she admitted, turning around. Her eyes widened in shock as a giant boulder headed their way. "Ereshkigal, look out!"
Before the pair could even move, a crimson blur sped past them, slicing the boulder into fourths, each piece flew down, crushing a few Krichat who were unfortunate enough to be in their path. Yoshitsune landed in a crouch before them, katana pulled back.
"You two seriously need to stop lollygagging, that's how people die," she said sternly, before springing into the fray. She let out a cry as she sliced a Krichat into quarters, blood shooting in all directions. She continued moving forward, using the wall as a springboard, doing a back spinning flip, almost turning into a saw as she chopped the heads of the remaining Krichat in the area. "Hah, this part of the keep is clear. I'm gonna go check the others, make sure the people inside are safe, okay?"
She took off like the wind, the clogging of her footwear being the only source of her existence. Cerise couldn't help but sigh as she sheathed her sword, turning around and heading toward one of the large wooden doors. "I've never felt so useless in my life."
"Yeah, same here. I am glad though, I get to rest a little after what went down in Acros Tower. We can't take too much mana from our Master, after all." Ereshkigal said, allowing Meslamtaea to disappear. She cleared her throat, grabbing Cerise's attention. "Is it wrong that I feel slightly turned on by Yoshitsune?"
Cerise shook her head. "Not at all, I'm slightly turned on by her as well."
It didn't take long to clear the castle of enemies. Scathach had found the rip in the field and had whisked Rin away to fix it. Eiji had remained behind with Vitch, ensuring the giants were fully dealt with. She was lining her shot up to take the final one out when Yoshitsune appeared at the top of the guard tower. She jumped into the air, flipping around as she aimed her katana down, slicing the giant's head clean off its shoulders. Vitch mumbled something about "showing off" as she lowered her rifle, trying to avoid the fountain of blood spilling from its neck-hole.
The woman landed on top of the giant's corpse, sliding down the arm as she came to a stop in front of Eiji, a smile on her face. She wiggled her brows, almost suggestively as she peered into his eyes. "So, did I do a good job, Lord Eiji?"
"You did a fantastic job, Yoshitsune," he said. She continued bowing, an expectant look on her face. He looked at her with confusion, wondering why she had remained prostrated before him. After a second, she grabbed his hand, using it to pat her head.
"I was taught that good deeds warrant rewards, and since you have no money or sake, headpats will do," she said, giving the man a smile. "Now come on, Lord Eiji. The masters of this castle are likely awaiting our arrival."
She spun around, taking the lead as she headed back toward the doors. Eiji glanced back at Vitch who had been loading more rounds into her empty magazines, he also noticed Ereshkigal had arrived at some point and had a look of annoyance on her face. Though he didn't exactly know why. He shrugged, deciding to just follow the samurai general into the castle.
He had never been inside Einzbern Castle, when he was young, he was told that a family had built a European Castle in the forest of Fuyuki. But he himself had never had the chance to visit it. He didn't have much of a reference, but to him, it looked like it was pulled out of the 13th century, with limestone walls and tall towers. There was a moat around it as well, though it was currently empty, partially filled with the corpses of Krichat. It was likely going to be the place where the others would get rid of the fresh ones as well. It didn't take them long to reach the main entrance of the castle itself, the large wooden doors slowly opening for them. They saw a few familiar faces just past the entrance hall, putting Eiji a bit at ease.
"Shirou, Sakura!"
"Eiji!" the copper-haired man called out, running to meet him. The pair shook hands, sharing a brief hug. "I thought you had gotten killed back at the Academy!"
"Nah man, we managed to repel the attack as much as possible. We weren't able to come here because we had gotten separated. After everything ended, a horde of Krichat attacked us, and then we had to fight some giants, so we took refuge at Rin's place for a few days."
"You mean, you were knocked out for those few days while the ladies in your life took care of everything for you," Ereshkigal said, causing the man to sputter.
"Ah… well yeah, I guess. I ran outta mana after all of the fighting at the academy, so Ereshkigal, Jeanne, and Vitch had to go into spirit mode. Rin and Cerise took care of things for us." he replied. Sakura wrapped her arms around the man, taking him a bit by surprise. "Whoa, I'm happy to see you too, Sakura."
"You have no idea how much you worried us, Mister. We thought you had seriously gotten hurt or worse. We tried all the available channels and even tried radioing to Chaldea on that signal you gave us. But we got nothing but static." she said, a look of worry on her face. "Is my sister okay?"
"Rin is fine, she's patching the hole in the bounded field. Though now that this place has been discovered by the enemy, it's likely to be attacked again. Even with a reinforced barrier, more waves of monsters are incoming. Sadly we don't know how long you have before the next attack, a few days hopefully." the man admitted.
"We should go to the living room. I'm sure Issei would love to see you again, we also have some news we'd like to share with you." Shirou said, his tone shifting rather suddenly. Eiji nodded, following the pair deeper into the castle. Ereshkigal, Yoshitsune and Vitch followed suit, weapons at the ready just in case.
The living room was rather large if Eiji cared to admit. It had the furnishings of a modern home, a large roaring fire could be seen in the fireplace along with stacks of freshly cut wood. Despite it looking like a spring clearing, the temperature was still fairly cold. The windows had been sealed shut from the inside with what looked like Primordial Runes, and a few other enchantments. Issei could be seen standing at the front of the room, in front of a large table. The CB Radio they had salvaged from the academy. Feeling their presence, the man turned around, a look of surprise on his face.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"
"Hey, Student Body President, hope things have been going well for ya." the man said, shaking hands with the former student president. His demeanor changed a bit as he stood straighter than before.
"I hope that was the case but sadly it wasn't. Allow me to fill you in on what happened after the battle at the academy," he said, clearing his throat as he leaned back against the table. "We followed General Cao-Cao's plan to the letter. We got to the marked route where the Horse trailers had been stationed. We got the people inside and started ferrying them across the snow but… we were attacked."
"Attacked?" Ereshkigal asked, eyes widening a bit at the news. "Attacked by what?"
"What else? Demonic Beasts. Krichat and Giants had been placed along our route, as if someone had deliberately told the enemy we would be using that road. We fought long and hard, down to our last bullets, but we only managed to make a dent in the enemy army." Shirou said, holding his hand out, a single command seal was left. Sakura and Issei were in the same state, each possessing only one seal.
"We fought long and hard, but we ended up losing one of our caravans. All of the old folks and a few kids were torn up by those Krichat. Everyone who could run basically hoofed it, while Detective Kirigiri and the Colonel fought them off. We guided them along the path, telling our Spirits to fight them off and keep the path clear. In the end, only 25 of us lived. Detective Kirigiri is the only adult left, everyone else is either a kid or a teenager." Sakura added, holding back the urge to cry.
"Jesus Christ," Eiji mumbled, bowing his head slightly.
"I know it's too much to ask, especially after you've helped us out before, but do you think you could help us? We have plenty of water, but we're running out of food. We're all out of munitions as well so we can't defend ourselves. Thor and Loki went off to keep the northern areas clear, and Artoria is resting after a long fight with some giants. We could use all the help we can get."
"I'm not sure if Chaldea can spare any more supplies, but I'll speak to the Director and see what we can do. Chaldea normally gets supplies from an offshore Oil Rig, but with things as they are, we've lost track of it. We have to resupply in singularities and sadly this one hasn't provided us with much." Eiji said with a sigh.
"Do not worry about supplies, I'll contact Ruler and have her ship some things over," Cerise said, as she stepped into the room. She was followed by Rin and Scathach, both looking rather tired. Sakura, of course, hugged her sister rather tightly, much to Rin's surprise. She welcomed it, hugging the violet-haired girl back.
"Are you sure about that, Cerise? We wouldn't want to put too much stress on Ruler."
"It's alright, Ereshkigal, she can spare the supplies. I think she would welcome it, especially if that means bolstering our army a bit. Perhaps we should fill Shirou and the others in on what we've been doing?" the red-cloaked woman suggested, earning a nod from the man.
"Of course, sit down because it's going to be a long story."
xxx
"No way, you mean that explosion we heard half an hour ago was you guys? And you seriously blew up Acros Tower?" Issei asked, eyes almost bulging from his skull as Eiji finished his story.
"You should have seen it! It turned into a huge spire of fire and there was a mushroom cloud. The explosion was like whoosh! And the crashing metal and shattering glass, ah it was awesome!" Ereshkigal cried, a starry look on her face as she remembered the destruction of the tower.
"That must have been a hell of a sight, I can't believe you guys were crazy enough to actually attempt that," Shirou said, setting his empty mug down.
"Crazy as we might be, we did bring down two of the remaining enemy masters. Not only that but we also destroyed several groups of valkyries. We made a significant dent in the enemy army and they must be scrambling. If our numbers are accurate, Kotomine should only have two Masters left. That means we are ever closer to our final goal." Cerise said, resting her cheek in her hand. "It seems the pieces are finally falling into place, perhaps bringing you to Ruler earlier would have been ideal."
"Regardless of that, we need to make sure all of us are well rested before our next mission. Eiji and I expended a lot of our magical energy, so we can't go into battle again. Not to mention we lack jewels to properly fight if we get caught in a pinch." Rin said.
"Not only that, but we lost Jeanne as well. We may have gained an ally in Scathach, but it's a true shame to lose someone so important to our cause." Vitch added, uttering a sigh. "Things are getting more and more complicated as we go on, Goshujin-sama. Do you think we can actually win this?"
Eiji stayed silent for a few moments as he gathered his thoughts. "It isn't a question of can or can't, something's in life, you just do. We have to win because we don't have any other choice. We made it this far, why not go all the way?"
"We'll back you up 100%, not like we have much to lose anymore," Shirou said, shooting up to his feet. "But we need to figure out what to do. We need to get the kids somewhere safe, the castle is easily defensible, but without munitions, we won't be able to do much of anything."
"Then we bring them to Tikal," Ereshkigal said, earning odd looks from the others. She placed her hands on her hips as she looked around the room. "Oh come on, don't tell me you don't think it's a good idea. If we're going to be fighting the good fight and punching Kotomine across his facial area, we need to put the kids in a safe place. If we worry about what's going on back home then we definitely won't get things done."
"She makes a good point, Lord Eiji," Yoshitsune added as she looked away from the window, approaching the group. "I'm not sure how good of a strategist this "Cao-Cao" is but he did well in suggesting you set up shop here. This place is virtually impregnable with the right armaments. Sadly we do not possess anything that could assist us. So going with Ereshkigal's suggestion is the only feasible option we have. I learned something important throughout my life, and that's to take the battlefield seriously at all times. Lose focus and it could cost you your life, and everything from the neck up."
"Okay, so we move the kids to Tikal, that is a good plan. But how are we going to do that? It took everything to bring ourselves from Homurahara to the Einzbern Castle. Tikal is located at the base of the tree in Fuyuki Bay, correct?" Issei asked, earning a hum of confirmation from Eiji. he grabbed the map from the table, circling both places with a red marker, before drawing a line between the two. "That's a good three to four miles. Not only that but we'll have to hike through the ice. It'll be rough."
"Not if we ask Ruler to send us transport. We still have plenty of quetzals who are capable of taking all of us there. That would actually be better, we don't have to transport munitions and supplies here. Saves us the trouble." Cerise said.
"It'll be an arduous trip, but we'll be able to manage. We're gonna have to rest here for a bit, after all, we're spent from blowing up Acros Tower." Rin said, settling into her seat. She eyed Shirou, who had a pensive look on his face. "Something on your mind, Emiya?"
"No, I'm just thinking, how do you know it's Kotomine?"
"One of his men, Naozumi, confirmed it for me," Eiji said, resting his face in his hand. "I set up a bluff and he fell for it. I honestly had my doubts, but it makes sense. He was there when Chaldea was attacked, and looking back on the files, he seems to be a temporal anomaly. Kirei Kotomine died in 2004, yet he was alive throughout the later 2000s and managed to train me and Rin in Bajiquan. It's safe to say his life spawned from a singularity."
"So, going by the information you have provided us with, wouldn't that mean fixing this timeline by killing Kotomine would change everything? Would you and Rin have met? Would you even know Bajiquan or be mages?" Sakura questioned firmly.
"It wouldn't necessarily change things. It could be that Kotomine faked his death and survived in hiding all this time. But that also wouldn't make much sense given the fact that he was active. Could be something else entirely."
"Or it could be the Greater Grail." Rin suddenly said, causing Eiji to look over at him. "Bear with me here, but was it confirmed by Chaldea that Kotomine died during 2004's Holy Grail War?"
"We're pretty certain, the only survivors were Waver Velvet and Marisbury Animusphere. Waver went on to become a teacher in the Association, inheriting the title of El-Melloi, while Marisbury used the Grail to make his wish come true, which is why Chaldea exists the way it does." the young man replied, closing his eyes for a moment. "There is one thing that I don't get from all of this, and that's the fire of Fuyuki."
"Right, I remember that fire. Most of the city was burned, it was thought to be an accident where the natural gas lines failed and exploded." Issei said.
"In reality, it was the aftermath of the Holy Grail War. Someone made a wish upon the Grail, and it granted it. The Grail has the power to make miracles happen, but say, if you want to be a trillionaire, it doesn't just make money come out of thin air. It'll make the person who wished it a famous entrepreneur who made a trillion dollars through business practices. Similarly, if you wish for someone to come back from the dead, there has to be an equivalent exchange."
"So… what does Kotomine want?" Shirou asked firmly, causing Eiji and Rin to share a look. The young woman remained silent, not exactly knowing how to reply. Eiji however, sat back a bit, shoulders squared back.
"I'm not sure, but he shows no emotion. Other than satisfaction, whenever me or Rin were in pain or suffering, he seemed to derive some sort of pleasure from it. Though it was subtle. I can't really say what he wants, but he doesn't strike me like a pious holy man either."
"Heh, we'll be wasting our time if we try to figure out his motives. Focusing on it will just slow us down, I believe we must focus on what is important. And right now, it's getting these kids ready to travel." Ereshkigal said, a worried look on her face. "I fear we might be swallowed up by malevolence if we stick around here any longer."
"Are… you alright, Sion?" Rin asked, looking at the violet-haired goddess with concern. She looked away from the window, a perplexed look on her face.
"The souls of the dead… they're screaming at me. They want salvation, but it is something that I cannot grant them. The peace they long for, they must get it from someone else. She who controls the deceased souls within Niflheim… the Goddess of the Norse Underworld."
"Ominous as that may be, I doubt she'll grant them the release they want. She wasn't exactly the best caretaker in this realm. Hell… sometimes I wonder if she was even the appropriate one for the job." Cerise said, shaking her head as the others looked at her. "Regardless, we must focus on what is in front of us. Master Rin, Master Eiji, the two of you should rest. I shall contact Ruler and Archer and prepare for transport. Things will be better, I'm sure of it."
"Thank you, Cerise, we owe you one," Shirou said, giving her a grin. The woman flushed but gave him a nod nonetheless as she left the room.
"Before we do anything, we need to discuss something else," Sakura said, tugging a strand of her hair. Eiji and Rin shifted their gazes over to her, seeing the look of concern on her face. She took a deep breath, looking away from her hands. "My brother… I mean Shinji… he's missing, and we don't know if he's alive or dead."
Location: Fuyuki Church
Date: April 30th, 2014
Time: 5:00 PM
"I gave you idiots a simple job, and all you did was ruin it!" Kotomine shouted, his voice filled with anger as he glared at the two remaining Masters. Ichiro and Soichiro stood shoulder to shoulder, heads bowed, neither wanting to look their Father in the eyes. The man was absolutely livid as he peered through the window, seeing the towering plumes rising high into the skies. "The fools… why would they fall for such an obvious trap? Did I not teach you all about Mages and how cunning they can be?"
"Of course you did, Father. I can only surmise they did not heed our warnings. I tried to speak with Naozumi countless times but he turned his radio off. The same can be said about Akira, she rejected our calls, not only that but we gave them no authority to call the Valkyries to the tower." Soichiro stated, causing Kotomine to sigh audibly.
"Why is it that you are the only sensible one in our group? Could I have been mistaken in choosing everyone else?"
"Not to impugn on Mr. Soichiro's work, but I have also been doing my fair share of work, Father. I was the one that discovered that pocket of survivors early on. I was also the one who noticed the oddity surrounding Yggdrasil within Fuyuki Bay. That is certainly far more than Fumiko or the others." Ichiro said, shaking his head a bit. "After all, Akira wanted Tohsaka's head on a platter, she was antsy the moment you mentioned her."
"That is correct, Father. Perhaps you shouldn't have sent out either. Now, our forces are spread too thin, and Fumiko handling Ryuudou Temple will leave lots to be desired. Of course, our options are rather limited at the moment, given the fact that we only have about fifteen valkyries left. How Thrud managed to survive that attack is beyond me." the man said.
"She wasn't one of Odin's top three valkyries for nothing, don't you ever crack open a history book?" Ichiro said, giving the older man a smirk. "Honestly, I would have thought you were knowledgeable on this stuff seeing as you were a history teacher abroad."
"I didn't teach Norse Mythology, and I wasn't aware I would be put into battle with Heroic Spirits on my visit to my hometown. Things fell out of control faster than you can imagine. But we must regain it, or else Chaldea's forces will trample the rest of us." Soichiro said, causing Kotomine to clear his throat.
"Which is why we must act now. We are spread too thin as it is, as such we will abandon our search in Ryuudou Temple. We must focus what remains of our forces at Yggdrasil, I have a feeling Ruler is there. Not only that, we must do so quickly, especially if she has yet to ally with anyone. The moment she does, we can expect full opposition from her forces."
"Father, forgive my questioning but, how do you know there is a Ruler-class servant here? Wouldn't she have shown up to mediate the battles?" Soichiro asked. Kotomine turned to fully face him.
"There is a Ruler-class servant here, of that I am certain. Fuyuki's Grail system has a built-in fail-safe. When it is active, not only can 7 more servants be summoned, but a Ruler-class servant will be called upon as well. That is the true means by which the Heaven's Feel can function within our realm. Ruler is out there, and we must find them before it is too late."
"Well, if we're done discussing the obvious, can we make a move? After blowing up Acros Tower, our enemies must be drained of magical power. That means they are hiding somewhere. The forces we sent to Einzbern Castle haven't returned, we can only surmise they were defeated. If Matou and Assassin were correct, that means the three Masters from Homurahara are stationed there." Ichiro said a small smile on his face. "I propose an… attack."
"So you want us to send our remaining forces to Einzbern Castle so they can get wiped out? What part of that plan is smart?"
"Ugh… will you let me finish?" the young man cried. "What I was going to propose was something different. Remember back when our Father recruited us? How he gave us the power to do what we wanted to the people whom we thought were mages?"
"Yes? Your point?"
"My point is, normally, the souls of the deceased in Niflheim or any of the nine realms are guided to the other side by Valkyries. But they got express orders not to do that. So Fuyuki is crawling with abandoned souls, all for the taking. And you happen to be contracted to the only one who can control said souls. So why not raise the army of the dead and send them there."
Soichiro gave the young man a rather disgusted look. "You want me to ask Caster to use her powers to raise an army of the dead? Do you hear yourself? Do you know how disrespectful that is? A great deal of people died, Ichiro. You may not care, but I do."
"Oh boo hoo, so people died, you knew what you were signing up for the moment you were given your Sacred Markings. Don't start turning soft on us now. We're in too deep."
"Ichiro brings up a good point, we are past the point of no return," Kotomine said, causing Soichiro to look at him, a frown on his face. "Countless dead linger in our streets. For them to be truly at peace, they must first unite to eliminate an otherworldly threat. Chaldea has come to take away everything that is precious to us. The people that remain in this city will never know true peace. They shall go from whence they came, and only then will Niflheim finally be the peaceful realm we want it to be."
"We agreed, no using the souls of the dead."
"Yet you go around wanting to claim souls that were promised to you, by a foolish young man no less. You will do as I say, Soichiro unless you wish to be stripped of your Markings right here and no. I do not need you, especially if I can control Caster myself." Kotomine said, a firm look on his face. "Do not make this harder upon yourself."
"Yes, I will argue no further, Father. I shall speak with Caster and get an army ready for us," he said, bowing his head. "Though, it will be harder for us to traverse, given the snow. An army of ghouls will be easier to take care of, but if we use an army of undead, we might overwhelm them with numbers."
"I see, that would be easier for all of us." the priest said with a nod. "I shall use the Grail's power to clear the roads a bit. But I will not let this winter end, we must use it to our advantage, to further disorient the mages that remain locked within the city. We cannot falter, is that understood, Soichiro?"
"Yes, father. I will not fail you, I must ensure that my success is firm, especially after our loss of Naozumi and Akira," he replied. He gave the priest a deep bow, before exiting the room. That of course left Ichiro alone with the priest.
"Erm… what would you like me to do, Father? I haven't done much of anything, Rider is getting antsy."
"We mustn't jump ahead of ourselves. I understand Rider has wanted to have a proper bout, but we must wait until Caster does her work. Until then, we cannot risk it. You are on standby, for now, if you find Fumiko, tell her to come see me. She took off a while after Acros Tower was destroyed and she hasn't come back since." Kotomine said. Ichiro sighed, giving him a thumbs up.
"I'll send her your way, Father. She's probably upset or something, I dunno." he shrugged, swiftly exiting the room. Being left to his own devices, Kotomine turned toward the other side of the room, peering into the city below.
"Perhaps I invested too much time in teaching these idiots my craft. I should have remained on my own, and yet, without them, I couldn't have taken over Fuyuki City as fast as I did. Why now? Why did Chaldea have to come and ruin everything?"
"Are you perhaps having second thoughts, Father?" a firm voice said, cutting through his mind. He stiffened a bit but soon relaxed when he remembered who it was.
"Of course not, Admiral. I wouldn't question anything, and I would never second guess myself. Perhaps I acted rashly, I should have given more thought to what time period I selected. I was just taken off guard by Chaldea. Why is it that they remain?" he queried, earning a laugh from the invisible force.
"And give humanity no chance? I wish to rewrite the universe, but it would be too easy to do it at the snap of my fingers. Besides, creating a new universe, a new world, is the easy part. Harvesting souls to inhabit that world is something else entirely. Which is why humanity must have a fighting chance. The ones who survive, the ones who are strong enough, shall bathe in the benediction of my light."
"Yet I hear fear in your voice. I will not question you, Admiral. But if you wish to give humanity a fighting chance, perhaps you shouldn't have let Chaldea survive. They'll make things too easy." the man said.
"Too easy, you say? That is because you don't know what we have planned for them. Even if they manage to defeat you here in Niflheim, it doesn't mean they'll get very far. Chaldea's mages are scattered through time. Simply verifying their existence is impossible to them, and that is where they will fail. They will be unable to unite, and their pesky little mages will be unable to defeat what we throw at them. Even the world will struggle against what we have planned. So rest assured, they will not succeed."
Kotomine had his reservations but he said nothing. He had faith in his benefactor and knew that even if he failed to stop Chaldea, they would likely get slaughtered by someone else. His wish was coming closer and closer to fruition.
"Tell me, Admiral. This world you are building, will the people be free to commit as many sins as they want? Will they be able to do what they please?"
The voice remained silent for a moment before finally replying. "That my friend is something you will have to find out for yourself. The cosmic genesis I will bring to this universe will fix the great many mistakes of man. Each individual will be able to leave the life they choose. Without worrying about anything but their own gratification. It shall be a world where the impossible becomes possible. So do not fret, people will be able to do as they please, and that means there will be people like you who will have to hunt them down. And teach them what it means to sin before God."
"Heh, as long as I get to see the world burn, I care not for what you do. And if I have to deliver swift justice to those who commit a grave many sins against you, then I shall happily become your sword."
"Then I await the moment we meet in the new world, Father Kotomine. I trust you will do your job here in Fuyuki?"
"Indeed, only the purest souls will be able to head to the next world. And that will not happen if Chaldea isn't defeated here and now. Worry not, Admiral. I shall ensure they are swiftly dealt with. We have seen everything humanity has to offer us, so it's time we take care of them for good."
"Do not disappoint me, Father. I shall leave you to it."
The voice faded from his mind, allowing Kotomine to finally relax. He grabbed hold of his Holy Grail, looking at the golden cup with glee. "Don't worry, the final confrontation is fast approaching, and I will not let them win."
Location: Einzbern Castle
Time: 5:30 PM
Date: April 30th, 2014
Eiji let out a sigh as he set aside some papers. He had managed to slip away from the others a few minutes prior and had been wandering around Einzbern Castle. It was a large estate that was filled with various rooms. The entire first floor was set up with a dining room, kitchen, two parlors, a foyer, and an office. He hadn't ventured upstairs yet, but he was sure that's where all the accommodations were. He was far too focused on something else.
Now that he was in the Einzbern Castle, he remembered something Illya had told him back in Chaldea. She had been living in it for four years, preparing for the Holy Grail War that was set to happen in 2014, yet never did. But during that time, she was also preparing to dismantle the Fuyuki Grail system, as she had grown tired of it, but there was something else she had revealed to him.
"Cursed?"
"Yes, that's right. The participants of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the one that Former Director Marisbury took place in, didn't know the Grail was tainted. It was why that war was particularly different. Normally, 7 people would have been chosen, but that time, 9 were. This allowed Marisbury to actually win the Grail and use its power to grant its wish." Illya said, making him narrow his eyes. He frowned, rubbing his chin in thought.
"But if the Grail was cursed, then that means that wish must have been tainted, right?"
"Of course, the fire of Fuyuki was an after-effect. Not from Marisbury's wish, of course. It was the wish of another that burned the city down. The destruction of the grail, it ended up unleashing that magic. Saber's Noble Phantasm was able to purify some of the malevolence, but not all of it. That tainted mana just went back to the Grail. That's why the war of 2014 was going to happen, at least until I dismantled it."
"Hm… could it be possible then for someone to gather that Grail and make another wish on it? It had already manifested, right? So that means after one person wished on it, someone else must have wished on it."
"Yes, that is most likely what happened. Thing is, how this system was created, only Heroic Spirits could touch the Holy Grail. That's what the Command Spells were created for. It bound Servants to their Master but served another purpose. 7 souls were needed to manifest the Grail, so the final Seal was meant to order the servant to kill themselves. But this war… it was far different than anything else. That curse lay dormant in that grail, and now, it might be spreading through Fuyuki. We don't exactly know if it'll do anything but…"
Eiji paused for a moment, before looking at the young woman. "Illya, that curse… what was it exactly?"
She frowned, closing her eyes. "It was the first instance of an Avenger-class servant. It was known as Angra Mainyu. A destructive spirit from Middle Persian myth. Greed, Wrath, Envy… all of these emotions came into this being and tainted that Grail. The idiots of the 3rd Grail War didn't even notice it until it was too late. It was my family who summoned him, replacing the Berserker class. And it was his curse that was absorbed by the Holy Grail. But of course, how could anyone in the 4th war be aware of that?"
The man remained silent. If this was true, then Marisbury's wish should have been corrupted as well but… that didn't happen, since he got all the funding and everything he needed to start Chaldea. But then… what had happened? He suddenly remembered who Marisbury's servant had been, his eyes widening.
"Of course… Marisbury Animusphere managed to summon the King of Mages as his Caster servant at that point. He likely had enough mana to dispel the curse from the Grail, at least momentarily. His master used it, and then he himself used it. After he assumed the identity of Romani Archaman, his magic likely canceled out, meaning the curse returned. Whoever stumbled onto the Grail afterward used its power and caused the Fire of Fuyuki, which is what lead to Singularity F."
"Do you think something like that is possible?"
"Illya, we're talking about someone who had a plot to end the world that started before you, I or anyone we know was fucking alive. It is more than possible. And if that Grail still exists, then its curse does too. Maybe it's tied into why Fuyuki's Grail War is the way it is. Please… do you still have fragments of that Grail? I think we should bring them to Da Vinci so we can study them." he said, making her frown.
"Sadly, those fragments were taken by the Association. So the Greater Grail is likely in their hands, or whatever is left. I made sure no one would be able to reassemble it. After all, you need Einzbern Humunculi in order to recreate it and I burned down every single file that explained how to make them. I'm the last of their kind… literally if this black heart inside me continues beating. Oh well. I do hope you found this informative… but what exactly do you need this for?"
"Just in case."
Eiji rubbed his eyes, the last ebbs of his memory leaving his mind. He continued looking through the papers he had found, but other than official documents about the Einzbern Family, their earnings, and business deals, he found nothing. This entire office he had found was filled with just that. There wasn't a single file that would be of any use. He closed the file he was reading, sliding it back in its spot before grabbing another, opening it. He read the first words of the first page, his frown growing.
"More finance… Jeez, there has to be something in there that can help us."
"What exactly are you hoping to find?"
He glanced over his shoulder, seeing his best friend leaning against the door frame, holding what looked like a better bottle in her hand. She had another one in her grasp, likely for him. She stepped into the room, taking a sip from hers while handing him the other one. "Thought you would use a drink after today."
"Rin, you aren't old enough to drink."
"Who are you, my dad?" she asked, leaning against the desk, taking another long drink. He rolled his eyes, grabbing a hold of the beer she handed him. He flicked the cap off with ease, using a bit of his mana to aid him. "So, what are you doing here? Channeling your inner secretary?"
"Sort of. I'm searching for something here, anything that might be able to help me," he admitted, pausing for a drink. He cringed a bit, looking at the beer she had handed him. "Ugh… what the fuck is this?"
"Some German beer, I dunno." she shrugged, glancing at some of the papers on the desk. "What do you plan to find?"
"Well, now that we took out two Masters, we need to start planning the next phase of the plan, and that's removing one of Kotomine's power sources, Fuyuki's Greater Grail. If we dismantle it then that should weaken his hold. Not only that but the summoned servants would weaken. We would be able to launch an attack directly on his Church without having to worry."
She remained silent for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling. "Do you think Fuyuki's Greater Grail is a power source?"
"Perhaps, I'm not too sure about it. From previous instances, the Counter Force summoned Heroic Spirits to counter the ones summoned by the Holy Grail. You summoned Yoshitsune using your claim to Fuyuki's Grail War, so it's sustaining her. As for the servants that are contracted to Kotomine's disciples… I'm not sure if they're using his Grail or Fuyuki's. Taking it out is a risk, but we should consider it as an option. The last thing we need is Kotomine getting a second Grail."
"Well, he isn't going to find it any time soon," Rin said firmly, glancing at the far wall as she took another swig of her beer. "Einzbern Castle was one of the first places we came to before the world went to shit. We met up with Illya and she explained everything to us. Before long, the three of us went to Ryoudou Temple and cast a triple layer bounded field around it. No one is going to get through it."
"Would you mind telling me more about that?"
She sighed, rubbing her arm. "It was during the first week before those Krichat things started tearing people apart. We worked closely together with Illya, fighting against those creatures and making our way to the temple. We all had our Command Seals, but Illya said summoning servants wouldn't be ideal. While the television services were still up, we heard the news about the Magus Hunt starting. Heroic Spirits would be beacons for us, and we needed to avoid that…"
Rin glanced back at Eiji, her lips pressed into a thin line. "We made it to the temple unscathed and spoke to some of the monks that were still there. A few of them had carried out the secret and told us how to get to the Greater Grail. Once there, we used our combined mana to set up that field and sealed it with Illya's command seals. We returned to the Castle but…"
"That's when she died, right?"
"This place was attacked. Let's just say, that hole in the bounded field wasn't something that just happened recently. It was created during that attack. Illya told us to get away, that she would hold them back, but we never saw her again. So we assumed she was killed."
Eiji set the file he was reading back, closing his eyes. "This might sound callous but, we need to find Illya's body."
"What? Why?"
"Did she ever tell you what she was created for?"
Rin shook her head, curiosity on her face. "Illyasviel von Einzbern, and her mother Irisviel, were created for one thing. Their bodies were meant to be used to channel the Lesser Grail. The Greater Grail was made up of Einzbern Homunculi, and even Juzteze von Einzbern used herself for that ritual. However, unlike Irisviel, Illya was created from the sperm of a human male, Kiritsugu Emiya, and the female egg of Irisviel von Einzbern. They used magic and alchemy to create her, but Illya was different in the fact that she was the first homunculus that was born, not created in a test tube."
"Are you serious? Illya was made as a means to...but why?"
"Einzbern family tradition. They needed one of their mages to secure the Grail in order to further their own schemes. The Tohsaka Family, the Makiri Family and the Einzbern Family, first came together to use the Heaven's Feel to find a way to the Root. But the Makiris and the Tohsakas forgot the original purpose of the Grail Wars. The Einzberns didn't. That's why they always prepared their guinea pigs."
"She… she never told me that,"
"The only reason I know that is because the Illya of my time is part of Chaldea." he said, walking toward the other end of the office, pouring over the various files. "The Illya I know is… different. While her growth was indeed stunted, she managed to find a way to get a normal human aging cycle. She looks eighteen and figured a way to prevent her natural death due to homunculi not living past a certain threshold. There's one thing that's causing her body to disintegrate, and that's her heart."
Rin tilted her head. "Her heart?"
"Yeah, it's a blackened disgusting thing that was created with magic. It's the true reason Illya can turn into the lesser grail. Its also the only thing keeping her alive. Da Vinci was working on a synthetic heart to replace it, but she was killed before she could finish it. On top of that, Illya is locked in her own Coffin with the rest of my teammates. Which is why I need to successfully retrieve the Holy Grail in this singularity, to free my friends."
As he was moving files around, he grabbed one that was far more solid than the others. He ended up pulling it, causing the entire wall to buckle. He stepped back as the wall started to move, a few bits of dust and rock falling to the floor. He and Rin shared a look, the pair taken by surprise.
"Well this is certainly a surprise," Rin said, reaching into her pocket for a flashlight. Eiji did the same, using his cellphone instead. "Shall we take a look?"
"Yeah, let's be careful though," he said, pausing for a moment. "Eresh, Vitch, we found a secret path in the Office, would you mind keeping a lookout just in case?"
As if on cue, both of his contracted servants flashed into the room, bathed in a shower of sparkles. Vitch gave him a grin, holding onto her rifle. "I've got you covered, Goshujin-sama! I'll make sure your back is entirely covered."
"I shall be accompanying you, Master. I've been exploring this mansion myself and have found several things of interest. For my own sake, I'd like to make sure you are safe and sound," Ereshkigal said firmly. He nodded, gesturing for her to follow.
The path extended downward, a dusty spiraling staircase that was covered in thick cobwebs. It was clear that it hadn't been used in a long time. There were torches on either side of the wall, but they had long since been extinguished. He glanced upward, seeing nothing but the old ceiling.
"I don't really like this, Eiji. This wasn't a place that I knew about, and I don't think Illya knew about it either."
"I know that, Rin. But we might end up discovering something that can help us. Remember, the more information we can get on the Holy Grail, the better."
"This is usually the stairwell that leads to the super-secret lab. Since the Einzberns made homunculi, I wouldn't put it past them to actually have a lab here," Ereshkigal said, glancing around, her eyes taking everything in. "The Scientist part of me is begging for release."
"You're a weird girl, Eresh. You are nothing like the version of you recorded in Chaldea's records. Sion must have definitely changed your personality,"
"Hey! I am still me you know! Even if I recall nothing if my previous time in Chaldea, the Queen of the Underworld is still the one who reigns supreme. I will not have you insult me!" she snapped angrily, glaring at her master. She adjusted her glasses, lips pursed into a thin line. "I just appreciate science is all."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just acknowledging your differences, silly," he said, smiling. He came to a stop when they reached the bottom, finding a large wooden door. He grabbed ahold of the door ring, giving it a tug. "Get ready,"
The two ladies nodded, preparing for the worst as he opened the door. They were greeted with darkness and the scent of dust. As they stepped into the room, they noticed the large facility that was built underneath the Estate. There were large stasis tubes filled with a glowing green liquid, along with various tubes, vials, and other pieces of tech. Ereshkigal looked around for a moment, finding a light switch nearby, throwing the entire room into the light, the pair cringing.
"Well this certainly screams evil lab," Rin said, a hand on her hip as she looked around.
"Look at this Master, what do you think this is?" Ereshkigal asked, grabbing a thin vial filled with crimson liquid. Eiji took a hold of it, holding it up to the light.
"I think this is a synthetic fluid. I can feel magical properties in it, it reminds me a bit of magical circuits actually. If I remember correctly, Director Ritsuka used to extract this from the homunculi he defeated. He said he used it to power up certain aspects of Heroic Spirits." he said, slipping it into his pocket. "Could be useful down the road."
"Oh god, I found something and I don't like the look of it." the raven-haired woman said, holding up a red, lightbulb-shaped object. Inside it was what looked like an embryo, being sustained in the liquid. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is."
"It's a homunculus baby. This is probably in the zygote stage before its soul has been written into it." the older master said, frowning. "Seeing this is sickening. How can people play god by creating life like this?"
"That's the power of science. People are always preoccupied with whether or not they couldn't stop to ask if they should. That's alchemy in a nutshell. With the Age of Fairies slowly disappearing into the Later Age of Man, magic turned into alchemy and its processes changed. That's what led to homunculi being viable options as synthetic beings," Ereshkigal said, her eyes glowing a bit as she looked away from some papers she was reading. "I think I… or rather Sion, knows this better than anyone."
"We didn't come here to ask whether or not creating life in a test tube is morally right or wrong. We came here for something else. Eiji please tell me you've found something?" Rin asked, noticing her friend had been looking at something on the far end of the room.
"Yeah I did, some bloodstains. This entire area over here is disturbed, to say the least,"
The two women moved toward him, eyes widening a bit. Unlike the front of the lab which looked clean and tidy, this area looked like a hurricane had whipped through it. There were vials and test tubes shattered on the ground. Crimson liquid and homunculus babies littered the ground, along with stained papers, the ink long since washed away. Various containment pods were broken, the green fluid having leaked out of them a long time ago. Finally, there was the bloodstains on the ground, leading toward the very back of the room, where another doorway was located.
"It looks like a fight went on here," Ereshkigal said, looking around for a moment. She noticed something on top of a table, a single alabaster hair, which lay next to a large chunk that had been taken out of the table. Ereshkigal grabbed it, looking at it closely. "This hair has magical properties in it."
"Illya!" Eiji and Rin cried in unison. They wasted no time in heading toward the other end of the room, moving down the stairs going further down into the lab. The pair already knew it was far too late to save someone that was already dead. But they needed to see it for themselves.
What they were greeted with was something that was horrible. It was a large room that looked more like a pit. There were body parts thrown in every direction. He could see various expressionless faces staring at him, some with their eyes wide open, others missing their eyes, and some in the process of decomposition, though due to the cold, they were likely preserved far longer than intended.
And in the center of it all, on the only solid path within the room near the very edge of the room, was Illya. She looked just like Eiji had remembered. Her body was face down in a pool of her own blood, her hand being far outstretched. She had a pained look on her face, her eyes being closed. Her clothes were torn in places, and an entire chunk of hair had been ripped out of her scalp, likely used to fight whatever was threatening to kill her. Despite that, she fell but she didn't give up her fight. Rin looked away while Eiji just stared, frowning.
"This is a fate even she didn't deserve," he muttered, as he reached for his earpiece, activating it. He pressed his CSC, connecting with HQ. "HQ, this is Eiji, checking in."
"Good evening, Eiji-san. I hear you loud and clear. Is something the matter?" the voice of Mash said, causing him to sigh.
"Yeah, I found Illya's body… well the Illya of this singularity. She went down fighting against someone or something. There's an entire lab hidden beneath the Einzbern Estate, which housed Homunculus technology. I just wanted to report that."
"I see… I am sorry you had to bear witness to something so awful, especially someone who you have grown close to. I shall note this down in the log and let the Commander know about it." she said firmly.
"Hey wait… there's something written in blood here." Rin suddenly said, causing Eiji to look back at the body. Eiji hit the project setting on his CSC, this time seeing Mash's image. She looked around for a moment, horrified by the images she was seeing.
"What's it say?"
"I dunno, it's in German," she admitted. "The only German I ever learned was the spells that my father left for me."
Eiji knelt down in front of the corpse, scanning the words. "Das Herz… I feel like I've heard that somewhere before."
"If I may, Eiji-san, I can translate it for you," Mash said, earning a nod from the man. She typed away on the console, her gaze firmly on the screen. She smiled, glancing back at the camera. "The translation for that phrase is "The Heart". Perhaps she was referring to something?"
"The heart… oh… oh no," he mumbled, moving toward Illya's body. He grabbed ahold of it, slowly turning it over.
"What the hell are you doing? Don't just fucking move her like that, it's disrespectful!" Rin cried, only to be ignored by the man. He let out a gasp when he saw the large cavity in her chest, right where her heart should have been. "Oh my god."
"Shit. Mash, I need to know something. In the year 2004, Marisbury Animusphere was one of the participants of the Holy Grail War, and his servant was King Solomon. We established that the curse that had been plaguing Fuyuki's Grail didn't affect him but affected another person. It was also confirmed that the only survivors of the Fourth Grail War were Lord El-Melloi II, then known as Waver Velvet, as well as Marisbury Animusphere. I want you to do a search on Kirei Kotomine, right now."
"Huh? Alright, I can do that. But what exactly are you looking for?"
"I want to know who replaced him after his supposed death," he said, briefly glancing at Ereshkigal and Rin. "Something was bothering me since we learned about Kotomine potentially being behind this, and that's the fact that if he was dead, someone must have replaced him in the Church. He was alive and trained us, but he was also "dead" to the world, so he was acting on his own, free from the Church. If that's the case, who the hell was managing the affairs here in Fuyuki?"
"That's a good question, I never once thought about it. I always thought Kotomine was the one who managed it. I mean, he managed rites and performed other things. To my knowledge, he was always holding services and the likes for funerals. But now that you mention him potentially being dead, the Church would have sent someone here."
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking Kotomine might have done something to that agent, maybe captured them and forced them to report back to the Church. If all of this happened in a snap, during the time the world was fixing itself after the Incineration of Humanity, then "The Benefactor" would have given him his Grail. He was able to circumvent a lot of possibilities that would have led to the world pruning this version of Fuyuki." Eiji said, slowly rising to his feet. "This place is starting to look less and less like a Singularity and more like something else."
"Eiji-san, I found what you were looking for. According to Church files, when Kirei Kotomine was reported deceased, a new priest was elected to continue operations in Fuyuki. It turns out it was a young woman named Caren Hortensia."
"Caren Hortensia?" Rin asked, shaking her head. "I don't think I've ever heard of her."
"But I have," Eiji said, turning to face the girls. "Caren Hortensia was the daughter of a woman named Claudia Hortensia. She was a sickly woman, born with a sickness that essentially gave her an expiration date. She was… the wife of Kirei Kotomine."
"His wife? Kirei was married? How come he never told us any of this?"
"Because he wanted to forget her. He told me about her after your passing when I asked him what the picture inside his pendant was. He spoke of her in such a tone, like he never even cared about her, but even in his voice, I could tell there was a shred of love in there. He told me that he had a daughter with her but never mentioned her name. If Caren Hortensia is who I think she is, then she must have come here after Kirei's supposed death. She would have been 17 years old then."
"If that's true, then that means Kirei must have done something to her. That's how he maintained the status quo. To the Church, he's dead, but to Fuyuki, he's alive and well. No one would be the wiser especially if Caren is being forced to send messages back. Maybe he even bound her so that whenever delegates from the Church came, she'd speak for him. He always did act oddly whenever the Church was sending people here,"
"If I may, what does Caren Hortensia have to do with this? If anything she was a victim of circumstance." Ereshkigal said, making Eiji shake his head.
"If Caren had been captured and forced to speak instead of Kirei, she would be a victim of circumstance. But Illya's body is missing the heart, the thing that allows her to turn into the Lesser Grail. If Kotomine attacked her and took that heart, all he would have to do is install it in a vessel."
"A vessel… Caren Hortensia was trained in the same arts Kirei Kotomine was. She was born with circuits and was taught how to fight against devils, spirits, and various other anomalies. If Kotomine puts Illya's heart within her… he has a way to access the Lesser Grail! How many heroic spirits have been killed since the beginning of this singularity? Since you arrived that is?!"
"We killed Berserker and his master, we also brought down Naofumi and Sir Kay, alongside Akira and Archer. Kotomine should have two masters left with their servants. But we also have to consider the fact that Ekchua was summoned here as a Ruler. It's possible other servants were summoned and killed already."
"If that's the case, then Fuyuki's Greater Grail could have already amassed the necessary souls in order to appear," Rin said, a look of worry on her face. "We need to get to Ryuudo Temple now! If we don't dismantle that Grail, then Kotomine is going to end up taking it for himself!"
"Do you think he would actually sacrifice his own daughter to do something like that?" Ereshkigal asked, making Eiji and Rin nod.
"Kotomine is a sick bastard, he takes pleasure in things that would make normal people squirm. If it means getting more power for himself, then he isn't above and beyond sacrificing his daughter for that end."
"What a disgusting man… what I wouldn't give to run him through with my spear," Ereshkigal said, sounding rather angry. As she stood up, she felt a shiver go down her spine, her hand flying to her heart. "I just felt a chill in the air,"
"Are you okay, Sion?"
"I'm… alright, Rin. But something is wrong, I don't know how to describe it. It feels like something bad is about to happen. The souls… they're growing even more restless than before,"
"We should start making our way upstairs, the last thing we need is for anyone to stumble into this mess. We should begin to plan our next course of action. Especially now that Hinako and Cao-Cao are gone."
"Do you need assistance, Eiji-san? We could perhaps send you more backup, all of our systems are returning. We should be at full power by tomorrow afternoon, but we can spare some energy to send you another servant."
"No, that's alright Mash. Chaldea needs to focus on saving energy for an emergency, though I am glad to hear that we are almost back to full operations. No… this is something we'll deal with ourselves. I'll call later with my next report. Over and out," he said, ending the call. As they started climbing up the stairs, heading back through the lab, the entire building shook, causing them to stop.
"What was that?"
"Master! I have terrible news, the Castle is under attack!" the voice of Tamamo Vitch cried, causing him to start running again.
"What's the situation, Vitch?"
"The triple-layer field was taken down, it seems another Caster was strong enough to tear it apart. Not only that, but we have giants throwing boulders from every direction. And on top of all that, there's an army of undead clambering toward us!"
"Undead?"
"I was worried about this. If you leave souls wandering around the overworld without giving them a proper send-off, they'll find a way to come back to life. And believe me, the result is not a good one." Ereshkigal said, as the group finally arrived upstairs. Gunshots echoed through the large estate, making them run faster. "We need to secure the people and get them out of here."
"How are we going to do that if we don't have transport?"
"We'll have to figure it out!" Eiji cried, arriving in the foyer. The large wooden doors were open, finally showing them the horde of undead shambling toward them. Shirou and Detective Kirigiri stood at the forefront, rifles in hand as they gunned them down. "Shirou, Detective, what's the status?"
"Not good I'm afraid. Lord Thor, Lady Loki, and Sir Artoria are out there cutting them down, but the Giants throwing boulders at us are not making it easy on us."
"Yoshitsune, where are you?" Rin called out, only for the Japanese servant to flash in front of them, slicing three undead in half. She rested her sword against her shoulder, turning to face her master.
"Right here, Master. Me and Cerise have been clearing the hoards, but they just keep coming. We're being surrounded!"
"Ereshkigal, do you think you can control these undead beings?" Ereshkigal asked, causing the violet-haired woman to shake her head.
"I'm afraid not. Were we in Mesopotamia, I could perhaps take them under my control, but we're currently in Niflheim, the one who can control these souls is the Goddess Hel," she said. Just as she said that name, a large boulder shattered the ceiling behind them, raining pieces of concrete on them. "Master look out!"
Yoshitsune sprung forward, pushing Rin and Eiji to the ground, leaping into the air, slicing and dicing the stones apart, turning them into nothing but dust. She landed on the ground in a crouch, her wooden shoes clacking loudly on the tile. "Tch… now they're just playing dirty. You two alright?"
"We're fine, Yoshitsune, thank you."
"Master, this might be a bad time to cut in, but I think I spotted the one doing this. There's a woman standing at the top of a hill near the edge of the property. It seems she's controlling the flow of undead in our direction." Vitch said, causing Eiji to hurry to his feet.
"Yoshitsune, Ereshkigal, I need you to protect the people here by any means necessary. Do not let any of them die. Rin, I want you to contact Ruler and tell her to send transport as soon as possible, we cannot fall here."
"Understood, what will you do?" she said, watching him turn around.
"I'm gonna go to the roof with Vitch and see what I can see. If this is in fact a servant who is doing this, then it's likely an attack by Kotomine. We still haven't seen their Rider or Caster, and something tells me the one controlling this undead might be that goddess Ereshkigal mentioned," he said. With that, he took off, racing toward the stairwell. Rin sighed, reaching into her sweater for her Class Card.
"Why can we never get a break?"
Location: Ryuudou Temple
Time: 6:24 PM
Date: April 30th, 2014
Now that the sun had fallen over the city of Fuyuki, the land was becoming far colder than it was during the day. But this didn't bother Shinji. In fact, he was used to this kind of thing. He had been hiding, waiting and biding his time until he could make his move. When Assassin returned, he started moving up the large stairwell, walking on the very edge and ensuring the snow wasn't disturbed, in case someone happened to be flying above it.
He hadn't been to the temple in a long time, and aside from the unshoveled snow, looked just like he remembered. Assassin guided him along, making him move toward one of the many paths, crawling underneath it, where the snow wasn't so deep.
"Step lively, Master. The entrance to the cavern is nearby. Those Valkyries and Kotomine Henchmen are too dumb to actually look for something. They are looking for the Grail from above, none of them are smart enough to search below, hehe."
"Whatever, just stay close in case someone notices us,"
"Notices us? Are you insane? My Presence Concealment is enough to shield the both of us, I assure you, no one is going to see us." the assassin said with a grin.
Shinji said nothing as he followed the man, moving beneath the temple grounds. He lead him toward the center of the building, gesturing for him to walk ahead of him. As he did, he found another entrance, one that was hidden beneath the spot where the Amaterasu Statue would be above ground.
He darted inside, noticing a set of stone steps leading downward. Reaching inside his pocket for a flashlight, he flicked it on, walking down into the depths. For several moments, he remained silent, pondering whatever was hiding beneath the temple. That was until he noticed a bright light emanating in front of him. He pocketed his flashlight and continued walking, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, greeted by the entrance of a giant cavern.
"Well I'll admit, I wasn't expecting it to be this easy," he said moving toward the center of the cave, only to slam into an invisible wall, making him groan. "Of course."
"This is as far as I got. This seems to be a projection of a cavern, aided by what seems to be a reality marble. On top of that, there's a 3 layer bounded field here. No matter how much I slash it, punch it, scream at it or tell it it sucks, it doesn't budge,"
"God!" Shinji shouted, slamming his fist against the barrier. "Why is it always something? I'm so close to the Grail yet so fucking far!"
"As if I would even let you put your hands on something as precious as the Greater Grail."
Shinji turned around, his eyes widening in surprise. Standing before him was Hinako Akuta, along with General Cao-Cao, the two of them ready for battle. Shinji growled as he stood behind Izo. The Mad Dog having partially drawn his katana.
"Well, my dear General Cao-Cao, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Are you here for a rematch?"
"No, I'm not. I'm here to assist my Master in determining something. We have been keeping an eye on you since the fall of Homurahara Academy. We know what you are planning. You wish to attain the Greater Grail and use its power against Kotomine. I assure you, that is a terrible idea." the General said firmly. "I conclude that you would end up dead before you could even do anything against him. Especially due to him possessing his own Grail."
"Yeah, I know that. Which is why I would use it to power up my servant and have him cut Kotomine down. What do you think he's here for? To look pretty?" Shinji said, glaring at the Rider. His gaze moved back toward Hinako, smirking. "I don't seem to understand you. You came here with Chaldea and worked directly against Kotomine, yet here you are going against Chaldea. Why is that?"
"That is none of your concern. Do not misunderstand, I am working with Chaldea and I do believe this singularity needs to be corrected. But I have my own wants and needs and they shall always go above whatever mission I am issued."
"So you are working on your own? Then why not agree to work with the winning side? All of this is going to disappear the moment Kotomine gets his. But if you help me get this Grail, you'll be able to get whatever you want. Every single wish." Shinji said, grinning. "What is it that you desire the most, Hinako Akuta? What motivates you to stand before me, holding your sword in your hand? That motivation can be resolved easily,"
"If this is your attempt at bribery, it's failing. Do you actually believe I would work together with you? With the one who sold out the people he was meant to be protecting?" Hinako said, pointing her sword at him. "I have a dislike of humanity, and have for a long time, but you… you are everything that is wrong with humanity rolled up into a single being. You are deceitful, disgusting, and traitorous. You only care about your own ass and want to grant your own wishes while the people of this realm are suffering. I could never work with you, you would be everything he fought against."
"Looks like we're gonna have to agree to disagree then. Now that you know about this place, I can't let you get out of here alive," Shinji said, smirking. "Assassin, you're on."
"It's about time, Master. Don't worry, I'll make sure to leave the girl alive so you can have your way with her. I'm sure you've missed dominating a woman, just like you used to do with your little sister. Ahahahahahaha!"
"Cao-Cao, handle Assassin, I'm going for Matou," Hinako said, dashing forward, holding her swords tightly in her hand.
"Oh no, you don't!"
Cao-Cao moved to intercept Izo, allowing his master to keep moving toward her goal. Shinji however wasn't at all bothered or afraid, in fact, he was smirking. Tohsaka and Itsuka weren't the only ones who knew how to fight. He didn't like getting his hands dirty but he wasn't going to let a woman defeat him either. He dug his heels into the ground, adopting a fighting stance.
"I usually sit these out but I'm not going to let her kill me either, so bring it on, bitch!"
A/N: I have returned. It has been quite a long time, a few months actually, but I am back working on Fate, and finishing the Fuyuki arc which I should have done back in March, but with my unexpected trip to Puerto Rico, I basically had to abandon this. I managed to work on RWBY because I had my tablet, and I could work offline, and it was a much more relaxing story to do than this one that has a lot of information.
I am happy to announce that I am working on the final two chapters of Fuyuki's arc. Originally, I was gonna have a Valentine's Day event, as canonically, this is all taking place in November-December of 2019, I may do a short New Years chapter to follow that continuity, but I'm not sure if I should do a Valentine's Event like I had originally planned. I might end up skipping that entirely. I do have several events lined up as the story goes on, including two summer events, since I wrote one last year and this year, though I'm not gonna post them back to back, as they cannonically take place a year after the story starts so it wouldn't make sense, plus there are characters in it that haven't made a full appearance yet so it would be a spoiler riddled event. Regardless, I do have some fun things planned.
As an aside, I did edit Section 9 of the Fuyuki arc and have added an extra scene at the end. Rereading this arc, I realized there were a lot of things it was lacking, so I have done back and added things, and fixed a few things, mostly errors and the like. Of course if you are reading this for the first time, that won't bother you but for people who have been reading this since the beginning, do check out that scene, its at the very end so you don't have to read the entire thing, haha.
And with this, I complete my return to Fate Grand Order: Genesis of the Cosmos. Next chapter, I will be posting the names of various Noble Phantasms as well as the profile of the Caster working with Kotomine. So stay tuned for that. See you all later!