"So...how are you guys...girls…? Um, doing?" Ritsuka asked as sitting on the table for food with others, where, eating were the former Gods of Light and Dark.
"What do you think?" Dark asks as the newly transformed God eats some food. Not that she needed to, as it was just a habit from this body. Still clearly upset about what occurred before, with the whole nearly losing her and her newly turned sisters lives from some stupid tree.
"What she means is thank you for your concern." Light then says while she eats some vegetables but picks at it a bit. Not used to eating at all since technically she and Dark never ate before in their lives.
"Don't twist my words." Dark growls as she then lifts her hand and calls out, "Servant!"
"Yes Master!" The Grimmified Rider Ushiwakamaru then came in where she held in her hands, a small prism that was colored green "Your meal."
"Hey!" Da Vinci then said as she recognized that prism. "That's mine!"
"Not anymore." Dark gave a cute but eerie grin as she then devoured the prism like so, gaining a bit of energy from the man-infused cube. "Hm. Not bad."
"Gah!" Da Vinci mumbled a few curses at seeing the currence she used being eaten like a meal.
"Well then, I guess you're doing okay then." Ritsuka sweat drops as she sees the two just eating their food. It's been a few days since the whole Brothers (Sisters now) returning where apparently they were trapped in the Imaginary Number Space until they busted out. Where the two, mainly Light as Dark was fuming, explained they tried to see what the strange storms were and somehow had their powers being absorbed. Though the more concerning matter was that according to them, someone was attacking them despite being in space.
'And because of that, the two are forced to utilize bodies of two humans to sustain themselves.' Mash thought as she ate her own food and watched the new Sisters arguing against one another about what to eat and not to eat. According to Dark, she just grabbed whatever random bodies she could find and used them to have her and Light to inhabit them. The original souls, long gone according to Dark.
"Uh." Goredolf then moaned as he saw the two fight. "Aren't siblings supposed to get along?"
"Yeah right." Ritsuka then laughed a bit. "I knew a friend who had a brother and the two always fought."
"I don't care if they're fighting." Da Vinci puffed her cheeks. "What I care about is them taking my prisms and using it to fuel themselves! Uh!" Ever since the two arrived, they more or less didn't really bother asking if something was good or bad, and just did whatever. In which case, they absorbed energy to fuel themselves
"Ha." Dark laughed when she heard this. "Think of this as paying us back for helping you lot against Tiamat." Her eyes then wandered to Ushiwakamaru. "And also for keeping her. Besides, my Brother and I need this anyway to get back our original forms. Stupid damn tree!"
"But you guys taking the Wandering Sea's power isn't good for anybody!" Da Vinci argued back. "The Magi are only allowing us to stay, but if you guys try and absorb some stuff they don't want taken they might kick us out."
"Then I'll just kill them." Dark rolled her eyes. "While this place is rather strange, now that I'm inside a simple good blast should make it sink."
"Or we could just negotiate." Light says, countering her brother's words. "Maybe we can give them something they might like."
"Oddly, that might work." Sion says as she knows those who work in the Wandering Sea love working with magic from the Age of Gods. So then maybe these two who were technically Gods might be able to get their attention.
"Ahh." Dark whined a bit as she tilted her head back. "To think, all this crud is happening because we tried to search for that fool, Ozma."
Ozma?
"Um, who's that?" Ritsuka decided to ask as she heard this new name. "Is it a God you know?"
"No. Ozma is not a God." Light says as she folds her arms. "He is simply a person we had asked for a certain task involving one of our worlds."
"And...that task is?" Goredolf decided to just ask.
"None of your business." Light may be somewhat more polite than Dark, but even she wasn't as social as she appeared. Somewhat more understanding, yes, but ultimately Light held her own views that didn't match with humans like Dark in that regard. Goredolf looking down as he was interested in this Ozma person. Those tasked by the Gods were said to either have an interesting life, or a tragic one.
"Hm." Dark then thought of Ozma for a bit. "I wonder how that man is even doing anyway?"
Standing before Ozpin, is a being that gives off the air of someone beyond normal people.
Even his allies and foes, who were all chained up, felt this great pressure from the man who entered. He looked ordinary, even if his physical features like the eyes and hair were different, and wore clothes that weren't too special. Yet even so everyone from Ozpin to Shirou could tell that this man is far from ordinary. Even the transformed Berserker was on guard as despite the mad state he was in, he too can sense that this man isn't someone to mess with.
Ozpin felt himself be on guard fully as this man stepped up, his eyes gazing at him. As if judging him and looking at his very soul, piercing through him with those red eyes that narrowed down while the man's lips turned to a smirk.
He then spoke up, saying, "I see. You're certainly much more different than the usual mongrels around here. Mind you, that is not a compliment but merely a fact." Ozpin felt a shiver at those words. The man then looked at the one he chained and became amused. Shaking his head saying, "To think these are the participants of this present war."
A puppet pretending to be a human with a mindless brute. A hollow boy with while an intriguing woman, she wasn't worth much looking into as she has yet to reach her potential, and a false Master that was worth even less. My how the times have fallen.
"Come." The man then said to Ozpin. "I wish to speak with you, and you will answer any question I provide." Ozpin was about to say something only to be stopped when the man then said, "Refuse and all die."
He would do so without hesitation. Ozpin could tell and while one might ask how since he was just one man, the headmaster noticed something. His eyes darted to everyone where he saw the swords that had pierced the maids and the chains wrapping up his allies and friends. They had to come from somewhere, not nowhere and clearly that man caused it somehow. Whatever ability he had that did so, likely meant he could do it again meaning if Ozpin refused, then he and everyone else would die.
"Very well." So Ozpin obeyed and the man grinned as he walked off with Ozpin close behind. A minute afterwards the chains and swords all vanished away, and everybody could breath a bit more easily.
"Leysritt..Sella…" Not that it changed certain things, as Illya herself looked at her former maids. Her bodyguards and mentor, now gone from this world as blood pooled around them both. The only consolation being that they died smiling, as the attack had been so quick their brains didn't even realize they had died at all before expiring. Not that it made Illya feel any better, as while these two were failures, they were her failures. Her Servant, even as a squirrel, sensed that depression and nudged itself on her face as if to console her.
"Ozpin." Shirou just stood up. Instantly moving to follow after his friend. "We have to go."
"Oh no you don't!" In a rare act of action, Shinji instantly got up and grabbed Shirou. His face being serious with some worry as he held Shirou back from walking to what could be his clear doom. "Are you an idiot? That's suicide man!"
"Let me go." Shirou scowled as he tried moving forward. Unfortunately for him Shinji held tight and refused to let go.
"Hell no!" Shinji replied. "Look at you man! Thinking you can go against a guy who just tied us up and killed two people without any of us realizing until after it was done!"
"He's right." In another rare moment of agreement, Saber stood up. Tired and injured, but fully aware of the gravity of the situation here. "That man, he's not someone we should just mess with." Musashi has faced many foes throughout her travels. From men to monster, battling them all with some ending in life-or-death struggles. Because of this, Musashi has gained a unique perspective in realizing just who was stronger than her when it came to battle.
That man was above her in every way.
If she tried to challenge him, she'd die.
No trick she had would allow her victory.
"Master, we will die if we challenge him." Saber bluntly told Shirou even as he struggled to escape Shinji's grasp. "And none of us are in any condition to fight him."
"But we can't leave Ozpin with him!" Shirou tried to point out. Angered that they were just leaving with with this stranger.
"And what do you expect to do, huh?" Shinji then brought up a good point as he then shoved Shirou on the ground to the latter's surprise. "See." Shinji crossed his arms. "You just got shoved just like that. Pisses me off but you'd have never let that happen, but then again you had two arms then."
Shirou growled, yet words failed to leave his lips. Then, Illya spoke up.
"Oni-chan." She looked at him with sorrow, small tears gathered in her eyes showing the distress she felt of her maids. "Please," She then said. "Don't go." She lost her mother in the war, then her father when he betrayed the family. She hated Shirou, for stealing her one remaining family, and yet she didn't want him to die after just losing some of the only people she knew. Her chest hurting at the thought of Shirou leaving her life.
"...I." Shirou then paused as he looked at Illya's eyes. He still wanted to go, not wishing to leave Ozpin to that man. He wasn't blind, he knew that dude was trouble. He could tell the second he came to the room and killed two people as fast as someone scratching their nose. Even so he wanted to help Ozpin, even if it came at a cost.
...but seeing Illya looking at him like this, a feeling of uncertainty came to him and Shirou felt his resolve waver just a bit. As if he couldn't continue and just stay with Illya and comfort her, a part of him even wanting to do so now.
"Sorry." However, Shirou refused to abandon a friend. Illya's eyes widening at his words as she realized what he was going to do. "I have to-" Then he was cut off when suddenly Shinji punched him hard enough that it knocked Shirou out. Cursing a bit as he felt a bit of pain from punching Shirou and shaked his fist, but said nothing as he looked sown at his old friend unconscious.
Sighing, Shinji then said, "Sorry Emiya." He cracked his fist. "But you can't just save everyone with determination."
Ozpin had to say, it wasn't often he felt the emotion known as helplessness.
Yes he's been in tricky situations himself lifetime after lifetime. From assassinations to wars, from fallouts to psychopathic murderers. From the creatures of Grimm all the way to the one he loathed and once loved the most.
Salem.
Ozpin...was not a good person. Long ago he wa, a bit naive to a certain degree, but he was a good man once. But reincarnation after reincarnation changed all that. While Ozpin was far from being an evil person and desiring the destruction of all creation like Salem, in order to keep up with her the former hero known as Ozma had to make dark choices to ensure humanity lived. They were choices that needed to be done, but actions that should not be praised and were far from honorable.
Such choices that drove some people away when they believed him as the greatest threat in Remnant, not Salem. While some even decided to join Salem when they thought joining her would be better than his side. Those who knew of both sides, he and Salem, attempted to rid them both only to fail as they didn't know the stakes of the end result.
Because of this, Ozpin felt helpless at the end of the day.
"Stop." Now he felt it again, as the man gave the command and Ozpin did as he was told. Because while the air this person gave off was different, it felt ever similar to the only beings he knew that was above Salem.
The Brother Gods.
'Just who is he?' Ozpin thought as he looked at the man who took him here outside the Einzbern home. The man then grinning as he saw Ozpin's look. "Why the face trespasser? It's not as if you have anything to worry about."
"The woman you killed says otherwise." Ozpin gritted his teeth.
"Hah. You mean those dolls." Ozpin blinked in confusion. Dolls? This reaction was easily caught by the man's eyes as he continued on towards Ozpin. "Those two puppets were far from being a real person." The man smirked. "Their appearances might say otherwise, but in truth they were born in ways that are certainly not of the usual consensual relationship between man and woman. Not that I blame you for noticing." The man's lips grew wider. "After all, how can a trespasser from another world know the rules here?"
Ozpin's felt as if his heart stopped.
"You...know?" Ozpin then softly said as the man then laughed for a bit.
"I admit, not at first." He then says after laughing for a bit. "But thanks to my gifts, I saw where you come from." The man's gaze then turned to look at Ozpin as if he were less than an insect. "And I must say, the garden that is your world is truly a repulsive one full of scattering mongrels and insects that bite down at whatever beauty it may have once had."
The man known as Gilgamesh saw it. His clairvoyance showed him the garden that was called Remnant. It's current state that made even his garden look much better in comparison.
A lack of improvement to spread themselves, overreliance on a single source of power instead of exploring, many who turn to simple robbery and banditry, the inability to reach beyond their world and so on. Plagued by creatures that cut off their potential and limited them to fighting just those demonic beasts and only them while they still fought against one another.
"I must say," Gilgamesh said as he gave the smallest of pity to Ozpin. "It must be so difficult trying to mend your garden despite the impossible task that it is." Gilgamesh grinned. "I believe that the woman who is rid of her humanity is right to have your world burn."
If it weren't for his training and level-mind, Ozpin would have rushed at this one and punched him head on for saying such words. All with a casual tone like one talking of playing a game. There were more important things than that though, as Ozpin needed to know something.
"How do you know?" Is the question asked.
"How do I know what?" Gilgamesh playfully said as he showed no care to the dark expression that fell under Ozpin's face. "Of how you have become a puppet of two children? Of the disgrace of your garden. Or," A harsh yet logical gaze could be seen in Gilgamesh's eyes. "How your former beloved became the wretched being she is now." Ozpin felt his anger growing. Then, something snapped when the man told him one last thing. "You really should have left her in that tower."
Everything went blank for Ozpin. No thoughts at all. Just a single emotion he knew as one thing. Fury.
SHING!
"Guah!" Ozpin was then snapped back into reality as he found himself pinned on the ground. Sharp swords and spears were piercing his body. Were it not for the many countless deaths and beatings Ozpin had under his belt, he was certain he would be screaming. Not that the pain of these weapons made anything better.
"My, are you so eager to die?" Gilgamesh stepped towards Ozpin as the latter felt blood leaving his body, but showed no form of begging or pleading toward the man. Just anger. "Hm. I must give you credit at the least for not bawling like a child as most would do." With a snap of his pristine fingers the weapons then vanished before Ozpin's eyes who became surprised by this.
"Still," Gilgamesh looked disappointed at Ozpin. "To think your answer to attack me, even knowing what I said is true, is quite displeasing. Though then again, emotions do tend to blind even the most pure of humans." Gilgamesh then smiled as he looked directly at Ozpin's eyes. "More so to humans who have lived for too long such as yourself."
Ozpin's lips moved, a gurgle came from his throat. The question of how this man knew his secret needed to be answered. While the man never explicitly said he knew of Ozpin's immortality, in the end the ancient hero knew that was exactly what he was referring to.
Something Gilgamesh was pleased to answer.
"I have a unique power you see." Gilgamesh began as he spoke to Ozpin, knowing his question just by looking at his eyes. "One that allows me to know all if I wish for it. Even see the other realms." While it was true he couldn't see everything of this trespasser's home, the glimpses he saw was enough for Gilgamesh to pierce together how ruined that world is. That it was just near the point of ruin if one pushed the right pieces just a little more. "And when you came, I saw your home and its rather deplorable state."
Ozpin attempted to say something. However all that came out was grunts as the words couldn't form properly from his wounds affecting him. This just caused a small chuckle from Gilgamesh.
"Regardless, I care not for your home. I'm just more interested in those Outer Gods when they arrive." The second those words left his mouth, Ozpin's eyes widened. Outer Gods? Ignoring the outer part, then Ozpin could only recognize what Gilgamesh is referring to and couldn't believe it. As such, even though he was in pain Ozpin spoke his words.
"The Gods...are...coming..?" He then asked.
"Yes. Those children your people regrettably worship are coming to my garden." As if Gilgamesh would allow the taint of such beings to come into his world. "But do not fear, I'll deal with them shortly once they arrive." While the two he saw did wield impressive power, as long as Gilgamesh got the first shot in they wouldn't survive his greatest weapon. Gilgamesh though wasn't stopping there. "And once they're gone, I'll utilize their little pets for my own reasons."
"Pets?" At first Ozpin was confused, however he then realized what he was referring to. "The...Grimm!"
"Yes. Those gnawing insects." Gilgamesh chuckled. "As vile they may be, their ability to hunt down the common masses is very useful. More so since the laws of my garden have affected them as they have you."
To hunt down the common masses? The Grimm didn't just hunt down people, they killed them! With the worst of the attacks when a person is forced to see their loved ones die before they're next. Why would this man praise the Grimm for such an awful ability unless-!?
"You…" Ozpin hissed as he slowly began to stand up despite his body's protest. His aura already low to the point where it could shatter any second now. "You plan...to use them…!" It was not a question.
Gilgamesh gave a dark leer as the words were said. "Yes." He then spoke with full honesty. "While I already have plans with another entity that can cull the wretched humans of my garden, these creatures can be just as useful."
Gilgamesh was already ready to send that vat of curses across the planet without destroying the world. Then, once the stormed past these creatures could be used to cull down the remaining few creating a challenge among the mongrels. With the first wave wiping out all they knew without question, the second wave of Grimm will come and the challenge will come for the mongrels to rise up and survive, or die without any chance of survival. A form of bloody evolution the likes that the world will never see coming.
"Such a sight it will be, when I see those that survive." Gilgamesh then turned around as he began to leave. Ozpin, realizing that Gilgamesh would try to use the Grimm for his own ends, tried to stop him as he then raised his cane the Long Memory.
He still didn't know who this stranger was, however considering his unnatural powers he must be a Servant as Ozpin has yet to see anybody else display such abilities. Unfortunately, just as Ozpin got ready to unleash the energy within the Long Memory, without even looking back, Ozpin saw a glimpse of a golden light and a flash coming out of it.
Shlick!
Whatever aura Ozpin may have had instantly vanished while the Long Memory fell onto the ground. Blood filled Ozpin's mouth as he then spat it out while he looked at his midsection, where a blade was sunk in and coming out of his back.
"...damn." Then like so, everything went dark. With Ozpin's final thoughts being how long it'll take for him to reincarnate. Hopefully...not very long.
Underneath the Ryuudou Temple, where Caster has created her workshop and Assassin guarded the entrance, within the mountain something sinister lay. Currently it was inactive due to no Servants having died, yet even so the very presence it gave warned humans this was not something that should be messed with. For just by entering one would feel themselves small and in the face of a dormant predator.
"Gra!" Something the creatures within enjoyed.
Surrounding the dormant entity itself, creatures of darkness and bone with glowing red eyes howled and screeched as they surrounded the presence that called upon them. The negativity it gave off ensured all the creatures inside stayed here, with but a scant few deciding to leave elsewhere.
Why these monsters were here, nobody knew.
They just appeared one day and have for the most part, stayed within these walls. Content with just circling this unknown presence, as they seemed to believe his being gave an air similar to one they obeyed long ago.
Step. Step. Step.
Then, the heads of the creatures turned as they sensed something. Entering their new home, footsteps could be heard along with a source of great negativity. Instantly the creatures stalked forward where coming from the shadows, a feminine figure appeared. Without question or hesitation the beasts struck, as man or woman, child or adult, hero or villain, these monsters killed all in their sights.
Which is why they became confused as the last thing these creatures saw was countless dark tentacles striking through them all. Where behind them the great presence for but a moment twitched.
Yep. Seems Ozpin just got struck down, and he's probably dead after just hearing of Gilgamesh's plans to use the Grimm to cull humanity further so only the worthy can survive. Seems in-line for Gilgamesh to use eldritch abominations and freaks to do that for him.
As for down below, well, maybe the Grimm will have a new Mistress. Though how that happened and what occurred to Rider will have to be explored next chapter.