Author Note
Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Avalon Bond.
Not much to comment on, so let us proceed.
Okay, here is the chapter.
Avalon Bond
Part II – Fate Grand Order
Chapter 30 – Okeanos Final Part
Beta: Axel Emiya
After the first round against the Argonauts ended, the Golden Hind was on its way to search for the so called Ark that Jason mentioned. The enemy's quest didn't make much sense for Romani, Da Vinci and the engineers from Chaldea in the sense that the Ark was considered a divine punishment...an artifact that contained the original engravings of the ten commandments issued to Moses by God. According to Roman, anyone who opened it would suffer the consequences…as such, the fact that the enemy seeks this artifact was nothing short of a puzzle to everyone. Still, at the very least, finding it before Jason was paramount for them to solve the singularity by defeating Jason and his army.
However, that was easier said than done as the Golden Hind had passed by five or more islands so far, but no trace of magical energy source so far, according to Romani.
Soon, the sun descended and the moon rose, and Drake ordered everyone to rest for the night.
As such, the entire crew, plus Euryale, Drake, Mash and Ritsuka all found their respective places for some shut-eye, leaving Shirou, Archer and Arturia awake. Fighting against Heracles and Medea just now had awakened some of their memories from the Fifth Grail War. And as the King of Knights calmly observed the beautiful moon both up in the sky and the image reflected on the calm water sea, added by the endless water horizon, she turned to see her beloved and her beloved's twisted future image converse amongst each other, particularly about ways to beat the monster known as Heracles.
"He's just as fearsome as back then…though, now he is controlled by someone different than Illya." Archer snorted at the focus and opened his eyes to address his past-self
"Whoever his master now is, shouldn't make a different…the point is that only A-ranked noble phantasm and above can defeat him. I can't just project those freely…" Shirou looked deeply at Archer, as he pondered on that.
"Both Caliburn and Durandal are perhaps equal in strength…it should be enough to take a couple more of his lives and Arturia could still use Excalibur." Arturia took that time to weigh in her two scents.
"True, Shirou, but that would exhaust us three afterward and we can't allow Mash to face the rest alone…there is still Medea and Hector to think about." Shirou and Archer both paused at that as the three observed the sleeping lilac servant together with Ritsuka at the side of the ship, each using the other's body for support. Fou was on Mash's lap, snoring as well. Euryale had demanded that Drake set up some space inside her quarters and as much as the captain wanted to protest, she just couldn't allow some sleazy pirate of her crew trying something indecent with the Greek goddess. Back to the three servants, they were now discussing Medea or rather the which in her teenage years.
"About Medea, Arturia, you were saying that she had visions about you?" Arturia nodded.
"Those were her words when she faced me…though, I'm not certain…she may have the memories, but her actions are not fueled by it." Archer, for his part, was certain of what Arturia was saying.
"She would be aiming for my throat, after what I had done to her master." Both Shirou and Arturia concurred, remembering the scene of Archer double-crossing Medea and her master. "At the very least, Medea is not our concern and not even Hector for that matter, even though we can't underestimate him. Removing Heracles from the equation and the enemy loses more than half of their power. I have a plan to defeat him, though you two may not like being the front-liners." Shirou and Arturia looked at each other and then at Archer, at the same time as he conveyed his planning to them. After he explained his reasonings, Arturia then had a humorous look on her face as she even smiled at Archer.
"It seems you're starting to accept being a part of a team, Archer." The white-haired servant snorted and Shirou smiled, adding up to Arturia's comment.
"Though, It's no surprise that you feel more comfortable in long-range…I always wondered why you'd be in the Archer class. Now I know." Archer looked at the couple eyeing him in humor and sighed.
"Hmmm, hearing you two almost makes me wonder how much of it was influenced by Rin's sass…I shall take some sleep for now." Arturia and Shirou laughed at the comment as both remembered their friend quite fondly.
===At Zelretch's Dimension===
"Oh that Archer, I shall gut him the next time I see him…how dare he insinuate anything about me." The Dead Apostle Ancestor laughed loud and hard at seeing Rin's blushing reaction just now.
After Rin's day at the Clock Tower, she decided to pay a visit to Zelretch and see just how their friends were doing. She had walked inside the dimension as soon as the conversation between Shirou, Arturia and Archer started.
"I do wonder why you're so angry, my apprentice…it's not like he said anything inaccurate." The Tohsaka magus now looked scandalous towards her teacher, before huffing and crossing her arms. "Still, I am rather focused in this singularity." Rin, then, stopped with her tsundere like act and turned to the Dead Apostle ancestor's sudden serious visage. "So far, we have knowledge that Lev Lainur Flauros was responsible for humanity's extinction in this dimension, however he revealed in Rome Singularity to be under someone's orders and influence. Now, in this singularity, whoever is calling the shots controls not only Heracles but Medea of Colchis as well."
"Medea!?" Rin's surprise was well-founded. In a Grail War system, even with command seals, it was already impossible to control the Witch of Betrayal. So for someone to control her like that must be even more powerful…
"Indeed, my apprentice. Medea of Colchis was considered a very powerful magus…for someone to control her, one would be even stronger." Rin, this time, turned into her thinking pose, considering everything her teacher revealed.
"It could be that the one responsible for all this is a Caster servant like Medea?" Zelretch's humming noise made her look at him.
"Quite possible…though, there are only a few historical figures with the potential for Grand Casters in the past that could be compared to Medea…Merlin, Gilgamesh…Solomon. I have a few others, but these three are certainly at the top of the list."
"Huh, if Gilgamesh is behind this, then Saber will have a fit for sure." Zelretch laughed at that, remembering the petulant King of Heroes chasing after the King of Knights.
"Well, we shall pay attention for now."
===Next Day===
After a sizeable breakfast feast courtesy of Drake's grail, the Golden Hind set sail once more towards their next destination.
However, like yesterday, none of the islands they passed by had any significant magical energy and it was getting on Drake's nerve. Useless treasure it may be for her, but it was a hunt nonetheless.
"Alright men, full mast straight ahead! We won't rest until we find it." The crew yelled in unison as Chaldea's group merely observed the horizon, hoping to search for the Ark's location. The Golden Hind was gliding through the singularity's calm waters, when Archer and Shirou both observed a projectile heading towards the sky and then visibly turning its trajectory downward towards their current method of transportation. They immediately tensed for a couple of seconds, imagining it to be an attack from an enemy Archer servant. However, the now visible arrow simply lacked any magical energy whatsoever, before lodging itself in the middle of the ship, surprising everyone.
"What is that, an arrow?" Ritsuka approached the lodged projectile and then yanked it to show it to Mash.
"It seems so…there's also a message attached to it."
Mash took the written paper and took a look at it, though it didn't say much aside from stating that whoever sent the arrow had the information they need.
"Mr. Archer, do you know where it came from?" The white-haired servant turned to Mash and nodded, before looking at Drake.
"It came from that island, on the right from here, two or three miles from our position." The pirate captain nodded and immediately turned the vessel towards the said island, while Romani made himself known through Ritsuka's intercom.
"Indeed, I am sensing two magical signatures there…perhaps, there are other servants there who could explain to us the Ark's location."
The Golden Hind made the turn abruptly and the charged full speed ahead, before the aforementioned island became visible.
===Island===
In no time, Drake and the group from Chaldea set foot at the island's beach, while Mash kept looking at the arrow in her hand. For some reason, this arrow was somewhat familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. Still, Romani had a clear indication where the magical presences were located and the servants had as well as they walked further inside the dense foliage. The forest was so deep and vast, that the sunbeam was having trouble penetrating fully. Still, the servants went up ahead with Drake and Ritsuka in the back. They walked further along, until a deep female voice echoed in the clearing.
"Hold it right there!" That alone made everyone on edge as the servants looked around in search of the voice. "Are you members of the Argonauts?"
"No…" Screamed Mash in reply. "We are here to stop them from destroying this Singularity."
"Very well, then I shall review myself." Out of seemingly nowhere, a beautiful and slender woman with long silk hair, holding a bow. She had fox ears and a tail, even. Though, this wasn't the first time they had met.
"Ah, now I know why this arrow was familiar. It's you, Atalante." Mash smiled as she approached and gave the arrow back to the owner.
"Indeed, my true name is Atalante, a hunter in service of the goddess Artemis. We ran into each other in France, didn't we? Though, back then, I was affected by Jeanne D'ark's Madness Enhancement. This time, I have been summoned as a normal Archer servant." Mash shook hands with the hunter servant, before introducing everyone of her group. "A pleasure to meet you all…now, I want to introduce you to another servant, who's with me this entire time. He has the Ark." Everyone looked at her in surprise and Atalanta nodded, before turning to see her companion arriving. "He was the first servant summoned to these Seas. His True name is David."
"Hello there. I've been waiting a long time for you to arrive here." David waved to everyone.
After the introductions were taken care of, David and Atalante turned to explain what the 'Ark' was and how they came to be in this Singularity. Atalanta, in specific, said that she was summoned as a part of the Argonauts, but she declined to serve under Jason, mainly because she never cared for him in real life and the fact that as an Archer servant, she has the ability of independent action. Then, came the discussion about the Ark and why Jason, of all people, wanted to sacrifice Euryale to the Ark, to which David responded in surprise.
"Offering a divine spirit to the Ark, then this whole era would die. The Ark brings death to all things. Sacrificing a soul that exists as a god, regardless of rank, would cause the box to lose control. The death of a god means the death of the world. The Ark is a disaster from that kind of era. I could go over more details about it, but the consequence would be the destruction of this singularity." Shirou, Arturia and Archer didn't much care about the conversation going on, but rather their opposition. Mash, however, became curious.
"So if that's true, David, Atalante, why does Jason want to destroy the world so much?" Atalante sighed, knowing what she did about the leader of Argonauts.
"Who knows…he may not even know…someone may have convinced that all he has to do is offer Euryale to the Ark." Mash was even more curious and was about to push if further, when Arturia placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Right now, finding out about the Ark is irrelevant, Mash…"
"Taichou?" Mash looked at Arturia with concern and Arturia simply nodded, explaining herself.
"Our goal here is to stop Jason and the rest from getting this Ark…our main concern right now is Heracles." Atalante groaned, remembering that point indeed.
"I suppose you have a plan, King Arthur." Arturia looked at the Greek huntress and David who was listening attentively. Arturia, for her part, bowed her head slightly at Atalante.
"Heracles shall be handled by Shirou and me, with the white-haired Archer behind me as support from long range. Mash and you, Atalante, can face Medea and Hector." This plan was news to everyone, even from Chaldea.
"My king…why are you excluding me from your plans?" Shirou stepped forward and explained for his beloved's sake.
"Heracles is perhaps the strongest possible servant out there and despite having the grail, you are not a servant, Captain Drake." The giant bosom pirate snorted at being excluded, but Shirou continued. "Plus, we three have experience dealing with the Greek Hero in the past." Atalante was eyeing the red-head with the black pants and white cape on his back in wonder. The way he phrased it could mean that he was alive when Heracles was alive as well, but she didn't know him nor the white-haired servant who looked a lot like the redhead.
The group stopped talking once a huge roar echoed in the clearing followed by a massive earthquake.
"Huh, it appears that we have been found at last." Archer sighed as the group disbanded with Ritsuka and Drake protecting Euryale, while Mash, Shirou, Atalante, Archer and David ran towards the island beach to see their opposition.
There they were, Medea, Heracles and Hector in all their glory, with only Jason missing.
"Atalante…so you betrayed Master Jason and joined with them, huh." The Greek huntress grabbed her bow as she eyed her fellow Greek legend.
"Medea, I told you before that I would never serve Jason…" Hector, next to Medea, simply smiled as he got into position with his spear.
"Well, that's all very fine and dandy, but we need to get the Ark and also fetch Euryale. Heracles, you have your orders." The gigantic heroic legend screamed and charged straight at the group, before Arturia and Shirou intercepted the beast in mid-air, forcing the monster on the defense, far away from their position. Hector cursed and saw that the Archer annoying servant vanished as well, before dodging the girl shielder's attack. Medea looked around and immediately lifted her sigils to block Atalante's arrows.
===Atalanta x Medea===
"You shall face me, Medea." The teenage witch looked at the Greek huntress. Atalante was posed to strike with her bow, keeping a middle distance between her opponent.
"I never thought I would have to face you, Atalante. You were always so kind, after all." The huntress stopped to eye that face…Medea of Colchis had a sad history, sadder than most in ancient Greek. However, that only came about when she was older. Looking at the face in front of her, made Atalante remember the one true memory she had of them together, of a young Atalante combing a teen Medea's hair, while they conversed about Atalanta's history and how she cherished having a world where every child is loved. The world is cruel, indeed, if this is what the Gods reserved for her, even after her passing.
"Yes, this doesn't bode well with me…looking at you looking at that made me go back to that time…simpler times…but I can't allow Jason to go ahead with what he plans…"
Medea, at this point, slammed her staff on the ground as a great number of sigils hovered around her, before all of them glowed in purple energy.
"For master's sake, I shall beat you right now." Atalante saw the dance of beams and made great use of her agility, while at the same time unleashing her arrows at Medea. Half of the sigils were throwing beams left and right and the other half were protecting Medea from her arrows. The Huntress observed as from behind Medea, a horde of dragon tooth warriors lifted from the ground and advanced. Atalanta tsked as she kept her distance, while attacking the army and Medea at the same time with her arrows. At this point, she was calling the blessings of the Goddess Artemis that she wasn't facing the real Medea of Colchis right now.
===Hector x Mash===
The almighty force of Durindana Pilum against the immovable might of Mash's shield relic, made from the remnants of King Arthur's Round Table.
The spear moved fast and precise, but the shield proved immobile. Mash remembered her training from Arturia and Shirou-taichou as she stood into position to stop the onslaught of Hector's relentless attacks. Using the desire to protect from Arturia's words and having the power to shift from defense to offense as taught by Shirou, Hector lost his footing when the demi-servant focused mana through her limbs to take a stand and block Hector's attack. She then slammed the shield on her opponent and sent him flying a great distance, before skidding at the beach sand.
"Oh that shield of yours is quite sturdy, little girl, it reminds me of Achilles's…huh, just remembering about that irritable foe, makes me nervous."
Despite being in the middle of the fight, Hector still carried an easy going nature.
"Mash Kyrielight…prepare yourself, Hector of the Gleaming Helmet." Mash removed the shield from the ground and ran towards her opponent, who couldn't help but smile nostalgically.
"Wow, now that's a name that takes me back." Hector commented as he dodged Mash flying at him with her shield from the sky, while flipping his spear straight at her head.
===Heracles x Shirou, Arturia and Archer===
The Greek menace known as Heracles stood in all his three meter might as Arturia and Shirou stood side by side, with their respective swords drawn.
"So, how do you want to play this?" Arturia looked at Shirou from the corner of her eye and smirked. Aside from their love for one another, their relationship went way back as partners on the battlefield.
"We have to kill him ten more times…facing him head on this entire time will hinder us in the long run." Shirou nodded. "So, I guess we have to count on Archer to bail us out after each life taken." Shirou looked at her with a single sweat drop.
"Assuming that he's doing the same thing from our Fifth Grail War, we won't receive a heads up when he decides to attack." Arturia couldn't help but sigh in dismay at that as she looked towards where she assumed Archer's standing point.
"We'll have to trust him, I guess." She didn't need to see Shirou to know that he rolled his eyes at that. "I know…not the most reliable one on the battlefield, but you should more or less know when he does, right?"
"Yeah, though we will only have five seconds to move when he does." Arturia tsked at that notion.
"That's more than enough time." That was enough talk in Heracles's mind as he advanced, dragging a whole lot of sand from each step he took, before swinging his ax sword straight at the pair. Arturia pushed forward and blocked the attack. She flinched at the pain from her knees at the effort, though Shirou swoop inside Heracles's defense with Muramasa's demon katana, hitting Heracles on the chest. The blast was powerful enough to send him skidding a few meters, though no visible cut on his body was found. Still, that was more due to Heracles's Berserker status and less the fact that Shirou's sword actually broke through, even if momentarily. Arturia moved immediately with her sword and attacked Heracles, engaging in a sword fight with the giant brute.
"Arturia, back away now."
Shirou screamed and the King of Knights had barely two seconds to evade before Archer's Cadalbulg II smashed on Heracles's body, causing a huge explosion.
The two Saber servants stood side by side as they observed the aftermath…while Cadalbulg was a powerful arrow in its own right, it wasn't enough to hurt Heracles…just like on their Grail War. Still, it was enough for Shirou to focus enough prana on his sword to make it ignite in flames. The redhead servant focused enough on Muramasa's blade that forced Arturia to shield her eyes from the brightness. Still, Heracles wasn't about to be stopped and Shirou was slightly caught in surprise at the big man's agility as his foot was about to crush Shirou's chest cavity. Using mana source from his other hand, Shirou blasted the leg sideways and pierced Heracles's chest with his demonic sword. The thrust was so strong that it came out from the other side, clean.
The samurai servant removed the sword quickly and backed away as they saw the eyes leave Heracles's body, before smoke starts erupting from his body.
The beast only screamed enraged as he advanced once more.
Only this time, Shirou attempted to block with his sword. Heracles's swing was powerful enough to blast Shirou's projected sword to pieces and even managed to kick him for good measure, sending him flying.
"Shirou!" Heracles moved towards the King of Knights and she managed to hold her own, just as Archer's rain of arrows blasted Heracles away, allowing Shirou to come back once more.
"Damn, that kick hurt! Somehow, he's stronger than before." Arturia negated as she stood in guard, waiting for the next strike.
"He's directing his anger to his strikes…even in a berserker status, he still manages to adapt in a fight…what a legend."
Shirou couldn't help but agree as he also summoned a bow to keep Heracles occupied.
Shirou's arrows were like Archer's in strength and only helped anger the beast even more. However, Shirou caught wind of another of Archer's special class of arrows coming their way. Warning Arturia to back away, they observed as a black and red giant missile projectile slammed on Heracles, sending Heracles's body backward as the projectile's pointed edge worked its magic and pierced the monster's chest. Shirou took a good look at the arrow, immediately recognizing as the sword Hrunting, one of Beowful's magical swords.
"Shirou…" The redhead looked at his love and partner, perplexed as they observed the beast coming back to life once more. "Please, give me Caliburn."
Nodding, Shirou closed his eyes as his mind focused on the Golden Sword of the Victorious…the Sword of the Selection. The King of Knights observed the weapon being formed in Shirou's hand as images passed through her head about her first removing this artifact from the stone. Then, images of herself as King while looking at her people, looking at her proud knight and at Camelot. As her lover handled her the mystic weapon, she just eyed Heracles even more enraged than before and wanting nothing but to tear them apart with his axe sword. Quickly grabbing the sword, Arturia then quickly ran towards her adversary, while both Shirou and Archer blasted him with arrows to keep him occupied.
Arturia got within his defense and saw him lifting his weapon up in the air, ready to slice her in half with one swift swing.
"As if I'm going to let you!" Before Heracles could proceed with his move, Arturia slammed the projected Caliburn filled with her own prana in Heracles's chest.
To everyone nearby, they could all see a beam of light climbing all the way to the sky as Arturia kept on holding the thrust in Heracles's body, before backing away as she eyed the beast together with Shirou.
"King Arthur…" The heavy and powerful voice echoed in the clearing as they observed Heracles just standing still, not moving. "Is that your sword?" Arturia was taken aback by this legend calling her by her own legend.
"This is Caliburn…the sword in the stone which selects the King…the sword lost for all eternity."
"Truly, a formidable weapon…even if it's nothing more than an illusion created by him. A sword that will never exist again…but even an illusion of it was able to take seven lives from me in a single blow." Arturia and Shirou were about to rest when Heracles mentioned the number seven…it meant that they still had one more life to take and both were indeed beginning to tire as Heracles's last life began to take form in his body. However, before the beast could lunge at them, David appeared from Heracles's back and slammed the Ark at Heracles's chest. This time, a strong beam of darkness reached high in the sky as the mighty beast of Greece got caught into the Ark, draining the rest of his energy from his body. Shirou and Arturia observed, just as Archer arrived next to David.
They saw as Heracles's body got consumed by the Ark, until he simply vanished. David released a breath he didn't know he was holding as the anxiety of the fights began to rise. Still, he was caught up by the neck from Arturias' firm grip.
"What was that? Why did you use the Ark on him!? Answer me, King of Israel?" Shirou and Archer moved to prevent Arturia, but her look of rage was unshakable. "Such a legend deserves to be defeated on the battlefield, not like this!"
"Ah it was the kid's idea…Ritsuka…he was the one…" David tried explaining, despite losing air quickly. "He was the one that said that the Ark could be used to defeat Heracles and it was a sound plan…Huhhh…"
Arturia snarled once more, but dropped David on the ground like a sack of potatoes, before marching to check on Mash and Atalante's fight, while Shirou helped David up from the ground.
===The Argo===
As soon as Medea knew of Heracles' defeat, she had to call off her fight against Atalante and signal for Hector to follow suit together.
They had turned into rose petals and appeared inside the Argo as Jason was waiting there, with a look that promised bloody murder to anyone.
"What happened out there and where is Heracles?" Medea Lily had a look of apprehension as she stated the outcome of the fight so far. Jason was truly livid at this point.
"That's not funny Medea...how could anyone defeat Heracles for god's sake? He's Heracles, the great immortal hero." Hector had realized a long time ago that their leader was a no good coward, but looking at his frantic behavior right now was embarrassing. To believe that this was the leader of the Argonauts, before his time.
"There's no sense in wallowing here, leader, so tell us what's our plan now?" Jason snarled at the Trojan Hero and Hector fought the urge to vomit at such incompetence.
"Ugh…Medea, get us out of here immediately!" The witch did as complied and focused on moving the Argo away, while Hector couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, thinking of running now, huh! We still have the advantage here…" The narcissistic leader just pointed at Hector angrily.
"Shut up Hector and do as I say…"
===At the Golden Hind===
Everyone went aboard the Golden Hind as Drake instructed her men on their final voyage, chasing after the fleeing Argo.
"Alright men, let us begin the chase! Full speed ahead…we shall conquer our enemy and take all the treasure from that boat! Get the cannons ready and blast that ship!" Captain Francis Drake was on fire as she then turned to the other servants.
"So, your arrows could help us a lot…how about it'?" Archer, Shirou, Atalante, David and Euryale all nodded as five bows started bombarding the fleeing Argo with their projectiles, forcing Medea to use all her skills to protect their ship.
With the projectiles and Drake's ship approaching, soon the Golden Hind managed to approach the Argo as Drake ordered her men to use the hooks to link the ships.
Hektor and Medea got into attention as the servant team from Chaldea boarded the Argo at the same time. Without Heracles, Jason had used the Grail to summon another servant, but all he was able to do was summon a shadow servant, that Atalante took quick care of. Hector had placed much of a fight, but he was facing both Mash and Arturia at the same time. Mash would block all his spear attacks, while Arturia moved in swiftly with her sword. Hector was slowly but surely pushed, until Arturia had focused prana through her sword and delivered the killing blow to his core.
"Well, King of Knights…I guess going down by such a legendary blade is fitting in the end." Arturia, though, narrowed her eyes.
"You know who I am, Hector?" The Trojan Hero smiled and observed the proud blonde knight.
"Of course, seeing you all coming this far…it's truly amazing. France, Rome and now here...such perseverance is to be commended. Huh, I'm quite relieved to be gone from serving a foolish master."
With these parting words, Hector of the Gleaming Helmet vanished from the Singularity and Jason became even more mortified.
"Damn it, Hector is gone too…!" With only Jason and Medea left to defeat, this singularity appears to be shortly resolved as the servants from Chaldea cornered the two.
"Medea, do something! Protect me…your husband…that's your job isn't it!?" The teen witch of betrayal looked at her master and sighed in dismay, but before she could say anything, David bit her to the punch.
"Wait, let me ask you something…just who gave you the idea of sacrificing a divine spirit to the Ark? Was it Hector? Medea?" Jason looked angry at the King of Israel. "The Ark represents death…if a Divine Spirit were to be sacrificed to the Ark, it would kill this singularity."
"Wh…Medea…he's lying, isn't he…sacrificing Euryale to the Ark would have granted me powers and invincibility, right? That's what He told me…" Medea smiled at Jason and that kept his hopes up.
"It is correct, master…after all, the death of an era brings destruction. If the world is destroyed, then your enemies will cease to exist."
Jason's mouth hung open for a while in deep mortification.
"How…d…dare you, witch? You lied to me! That does not serve my purpose at all…I was supposed to create an ideal nation, one in which everyone would respect me…respect my strength. Was everything nor nothing, then? Was this not my second chance in life?" Medea at this point turned from happy go lucky to feeling pity for him. With the gods no more whispering words into her mouth, she at least was free to look at this situation…her situation more clearly. She knew what this man had done to her life…she knew everything that is going to happen to her, once she got older.
"It's no use wishing for something, even if your heart truly desired it. Your soul is hopelessly twisted, master." Jason advanced, but Medea stood her ground.
"You….you traitor…how dare you!?" Medea, this time, smiled and Arturia now saw that devious smile that made her skin crawl.
"Huh, traitor me…ever since I was summoned here, I was nothing but truthful. I am Princess Medea. Before being summoned here, I was a witch who blindly believed your words and deceits." Medea's staff started glowing and made everyone from Chaldea tense. "Now, no matter the fact that you betrayed me, Jason, you're still my master and it's the servant's duty to protect my master." Something within Jason's core spiked and the blond fool doubled in pain as he looked at Medea. "This is how I will protect you. O Holy Grail. O ultimate vessel granting my desires. Manifest. Remember.. You are one of the 72 Demon Gods."
Jason screamed in pain as his body started melting on the ground.
"I shall give you the strength to fight, master. I shall give you the strength to rise. Now, then, rank number 30. Sea Fiend Forneus. Use that power to put an end to your journey!"
Medea and Jason both vanished and in their place appeared the similar foe from Rome's singularity. When Dr. Flauros turned into one, albeit this one was all black.
"Oh my…a demon god again! Just like it happened with Lev."
Atalante and the others got into battle stance position, while Arturia and Shirou remembered the time they faced Flauros in Septem Singularity.
Though, David's next words made everyone, including Chaldea and Zelretch observing were surprised.
"Wait…did she say Rank number 30 Forneus? She's talking about Solomon's Demon Gods!" Atalante was rather more intrigued about the means to defeat this foe, rather than who created this entity, when Arturia stepped forward.
"This isn't the first time we faced one…and it's powered by the Grail. We just have to hit it constantly, until it loses energy and Jason and Medea come back. So, everyone, use your noble phantasms for one final attack."
One by one, the servants gathered as much prana as they could to use their respective noble phantasms on Demon God Forneus. Arturia with her Excalibur, Atalante with her Phoebus Catastrophe, David with Hamesh Avanim, Shirou and Archer with a unified front of projecting hundreds or thousands of swords. While not using their noble phantasm right now, this was enough damage for the creature to take at once. Taking everyone to their Realty Marble just was unnecessary at this point.
And just like Arturia said, the Demon God known as Forneus was no more and Jason remained, beaten and bloodied on the ground. He just eyed the casual Medea looking down at him.
"Oh…Medea…hurry…heal me." Medea, though, simply negated with her eyes closed.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, master. I will be falling soon myself. The memories of Princess Medea are now fully coming back and despite everything you did to me…Princess Medea still loves you…you were her first love. You gave her divine powers, but you were quick to betray…You inspired the loyalty of others, but you were weak and frail. In the end, it's better to sink along with the world so that you won't be betrayed. You were never supposed to return to your land." Jason snarled even more, this time, cursing her beyond words, before leaving this singularity and revealing the Holy Grail and Medea Lily made no move to retrieve it, allowing Mash to approach and collect it, before merging it inside her shield relic. Medea, meanwhile, looked upward in self-contemplation.
"I truly wanted to protect you from him, master, but I had no way of doing so…I don't have much time left, but I only wished I could have a beautiful dream in my final moments."
Suddenly, images of herself inside a Japanese temple appeared in her mind of herself taking care of the household while that man wearing a brown suit with glasses looked at her from afar, admiring her. It was short lived, of course. But it was the first and only time that Medea truly felt loved by another.
She then looked at Shirou, Archer and Arturia and also saw them in this world.
The three servants noticed when Medea smiled at them, it was different from the ruthless smile they remembered of her. It was peaceful, beautiful even.
"So long…Boyo…" Shirou was surprised to hear that, just like he remembered Caster calling him. "You too, Saber…"
"Wait…before she vanishes, Ritsuka and Mash…ask her!" Ritsuka and Mash looked at each other as Mash took a step forward.
"Medea…who's behind all this? Is it Lev Flauros…was he the one who orchestrated all of this." The witch of betrayal looked at the Shielder servant.
"I'm afraid I can't say, since I lost to him as a mage. So, prepare yourselves, since none of you stand a chance against him. I will be going now, I'm afraid." Those were Medea's last words, keeping up the mystery.
"Mash and Ritsuka, era correction complete…great job everyone."
Romani's voice from the intercom made everyone at ease as the era slowly started to faze out with the pirates saying their goodbyes one by one. Euryale was the first one to say her goodbyes, saying her thanks to Ritsuka and Mash, though her focus was on Archer as he kept up his mission to protect her the entire time just like the Minotaur did. She wanted Archer to kneel so that she could give him a kiss, but he simply crossed his arms and turned away from her. Igniting in comic anger, Euryale just jumped and surprised the white-haired servant with a kiss on his cheek, earning a subtle sweat drop from Archer.
"Bye, big man…everyone, I had fun hanging out with you all. See ya next time." Those were Euryale's last words, before she vanished.
"I shall be going as well. Though, it was short, at least I wasn't' defeated this time. Take care, everyone and perhaps we shall see each other once more." Atalante's last words, before she too vanished.
"It's my time as well, I'm afraid…" David was about to say his goodbye, when Mash stopped him.
"Wait…you knew about the Demon Gods…what can you tell us…you mentioned the name Solomon." David looked at Mash and nodded.
"Oh? Did I say so…I don't' remember…" Mash pushed it further.
"You're King David of Israel…father of King Solomon. Is it true that he summoned the Demon Gods. Could he be the one behind all this?" David debated whether or not to say anything…considering it all.
"Hmm. Solomon is indeed my son. As to me believing he could be behind this…well, Solomon would do things like that, you know? Basically, he's a cruel, vulgar good-for-nothing…" Romani was caught mumbling about his idol being chastised like that, though David had to admit that he wasn't much into child raising in the past. "But, certainly, my son, despite being a fool, was honest. As for him being behind this…wanting to destroy human history…well, I don't think he would consider it unless he was betrayed." That gave everyone pause to think about, before David waved to everyone and said his goodbye.
Last but not least, was time to say goodbye to Captain Francis Drake, before the group from Chaldea returned.
"Well, I guess it's goodbye then, Ritsuka, Mash, my king…this has been one hell of an adventure." Mash and Ritsuka smiled and both bowed in respect to the great captain Francis Drake. "Sailing throughout these seas with you has been the journey of a lifetime…and I truly wished to sail the rest of the world with you all, but that can't happen, right? Once this world is corrected, then I shall lose all of my memories of you all, right?"
"I'm afraid so, captain." Mash and Ritsuka looked distraught as it soon arrived that time again when they have to say goodbye to these legends.
"Ahhh, it I could become one of those servants too, then I'd be a lot flashier than this…perhaps my noble phantasm could be my precious Golden Hind, huh. Imagine the potential!" Everyone smiled at the energy of Francis Drake. "Even though, a lowly pirate such as myself could ever be called a Hero."
"Captain Francis Drake…" Arturia announced as she approached with her sword drawn. "Please kneel for me."
"Ah my king, certainly." Drake knew what was going on and did as instructed. Arturia placed her sword on each of Drake's shoulders.
"Although I may no longer be the King, with the sword of Excalibur granted to me, I hereby proudly nominate you one of my proud knights. So, please stand up and stand up proudly, Sir Francis Drake!"
When Drake took a stand, she took Arturia's hands and shook them.
"Farewell, my king…may you have lots of adventures in your lifetime…please enjoy this second life you have to the fullest…with that hunk and muscular fiancée of yours." Arturia sweatdropped at that as Drake started drooling. "Every chance you got, you climb inside those pants and you ravish him for my sake…!" Despite still being appalled by the language and the fact that the giant-breasted voyager had that look on her face, Arturia couldn't help but smile, even if awkwardly.
"Ha, and you take care Captain Sir Francis Drake…and keep on your drive for exploring the world's endless seas."
Mash had then called for Romani to take them back to Chaldea.
===In Chaldea===
After everyone came back in one piece, the group received the congratulations from Olga, Da Vinci and Romani. Romani, for his part, decided to research the Demon Gods and Solomon's era more closely, though reaching that far would be next to impossible. Olga had stated that Solomon was her father's servant in his Fifth Grail War, so she would check his notes to see what she could dig about their possible enemy. Da Vinci, for her part, vowed to make some improvements to Ritsuka's clothes and command seals so that he could further power the servants in the next singularities.
So, with the third singularity complete, the crew from Chaldea got some peace for a while, at least until the next Singularity emerged.
Boudica had found out that Archer was a version of Shirou, so she immediately drafted him for kitchen duty, much to Archer's dismay. As it turned out, his cooking was just as good as Shirou's, so the crew from Chaldea splurged on his cooking.
Meanwhile, back in their shared room, Arturia and Shirou were lying naked on their bed with Arturia resting comfortably on Shirou's chest, while her hands caressed the other side of his chest.
"It feels good to be on dry land for once…" Arturia commented as she allowed the soothing sounds of Shirou's heart beat to tranquilize her.
"Indeed…though, in the end, being a part of this adventure felt nice…it was certainly exhilarating to participate in it." Arturia smiled, nodding.
"It sure was…Captain Francis Drake was indeed a peculiar case, but I haven't met a navy captain such as her in my lifetime." Shirou concurred with a chuckle.
"Sure, I venture that next to her, Ciel appears almost normal." Arturia laughed at that…indeed the Dead Apostle hunter has similar quirks to Drake, though the pirate beat her by a long margin.
"Shirou…I have to tell you something." The redhead looked down at his fiancee's beautiful green eyes looking at him. "I'm still bothered by Ritsuka's idea for defeating Heracles." Shirou released a sigh, knowing that would indeed bother a proud warrior like Arturia. "When Zelretch said that Ritsuka was similar to your beliefs and we met him, I truly believed that. However, knowing that he's not averse to choosing these shortcuts in the battlefield…I know you would never lower yourself into thinking like that…no matter if we get to win in the end…" Shirou understood where his fiancée was coming from.
"Huh, indeed such actions could be called as dishonorable, but I see in Ritsuka, a similar mindset to Tohsaka's." Arturia looked deeply at his eyes as he explained. "Tohsaka is kind and caring once you get to meet her, but she has proven to make similar decisions in our Grail War. In the end, Arturia, our mission is the main focus here. We have four more singularities to fix and gather the rest of the Grails. Once we do that, we can finally go home and resume our lives." Arturia returned to her resting position.
"I guess you're right…plus Mash is finally coming along…Galahad's spirit is by her side and it's aiding her greatly. I can't wait to see her assimilating his spirit fully."
"It will be quite a sight indeed, but for now, how about we get some sleep?" Arturia got more comfortable as Shirou passed his arms around her neck.
Turning off the lights, it didn't take long for the couple to rest, not knowing what awais them on the next singularity, or rather who awaits them.
Author Note
And with that, the Okeanos singularity is resolved, plus some R&R in Chaldea before their next assignment. For those who wonder about Arturia's thoughts on Ritsuka, please check the Camelot Singularity when the Lion King recognized the real nature of Ritsuka…she stated that he 'knows good but commits evil and allows evil while being good. The anime pictures him a bit differently, but in the game, he has shown to be quite capable of choosing some shortcuts in his quests, differently from Shirou, despite both having a few similarities.
Please tell me your thoughts as we march towards the Fourth Singularity.
Next update: Cursed Eyes