Fourth Morning (5)

Sakura raised her arm, bracing her legs against the ground as the Enforcer darted around her shadows, cocking a fist in preparation to strike-

-and the enhanced blow was only partially mitigated by the hardened Executor outfit, the Matou knowing full well that she was going to be sporting a massive bruise come tomorrow.

But that was perfectly acceptable, since she had been counting on it. The blackened tendrils that had been guarding her flanks from the steady barrage of Gandr curses suddenly curved inwards, cutting off the Enforcer's retreat as the shades at her feet leaped forward, a textbook surround that, with startling swiftness, swallowed the woman whole and removed her from the fight.

Far simpler to simply keep her in stasis within the realm of her 'Imaginary Numbers' than try to kill her in the more tangible one.

Granted, her exposed sides were now vulnerable to attack but the Matou was nothing if not well trained to make up for her lack of natural physical talent.

Eyes tracked hand movements and condensation of prana, hands following the motions her ocular organs spotted-

-and Black Keys perfectly intercepted ominously glowing Gandr bullets with pinpoint accuracy, deflecting and dispersing the projectiles before her shadows once more retreated to her flanks, swallowing the magecraft whole.

A cruel smile tilted her lips as she cast a malevolent gaze towards the still emotionless Rin Tohsaka, standing a distance away with arm still outstretched.

"Be patient now, Onee-sama...we can play together soon~!"

Uncaring of how turbulent her emotional state had become with the removal of the Shroud of Martin Sakura giggled and turned to face the blonde Master, sprinting forward at a breakneck pace as curses impacted her upraised blades, slowly chipping away at them...at a pace far too slow to make a difference.

The Master dropped into some sort of close quarters stance as Sakura neared, prana visibly glowing across her body as she provided a rudimentary level of reinforcement to her muscles-

-and either the Vampire's mind control was beginning to affect their tactical genius or she simply didn't have the instinctive experience the Enforcer did, only belatedly responding to the shadows as they surged forward and engulfed her from head to toe.

"Two down, one to go, Onee-sama~!"

Sakura cheerfully spun on her heel, turning to face Rin-

-and lazily threw a Black Key with years of experience guiding the motion, knocking aside a brightly glowing gem from where it had been sailing towards her.

The resulting detonation would have turned her into an ashen smear on the ground if she hadn't redirected it, the shockwave still nearly bowling her over as she adjusted her stance.

"Well that was quite rude of you, Onee-sama...didn't father teach you manners? Although I suppose the man that sold his daughter to Zouken Matou knew little of civility or basic Human kindness. It would have been far kinder of him to merely kill me, rather than subject his youngest to the tender mercies of a cruel monster with a soul long since decayed."

Rin made no visible response, merely raising her arm and channeling prana into another glowing Gandr shot as Sakura openly frowned.

This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want some emotionless doll that was merely borrowing the body of her esteemed sister...she wanted the real Rin Tohsaka before her, feeling a small fraction of the pain, loss of dignity and anger that Sakura had experienced during the course of her life.

"Very well, it seems I shall have to merely keep you around until the Apostle has been dealt with. We shall have our reckoning yet, Onee-sama."

Shadows coalescing around her with protective motions and a fresh set of Black Keys snapping into her grasp the Matou prepared to meet her sister's less than inspired offense...and instead froze as soft, golden light illuminated their surroundings.

But this wasn't the ethereal tinge Excalibur had released...no, this was a more blanket and ominous glow, the Matou's gaze instinctively traveling upwards-

-and given her now chaotic emotional state she rather succinctly summed up her feelings at the moment.

"Oh fuck."

"Mommy, dodge!"


"Milady? Milady! Milady please answer me!"

Illya slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the confusion that had clouded her mind, desperately trying to remember what had just happened in the last few seconds.

"Sella? What...what happened?"

"Oh thank goodness, Milady! Here, try not to move and just stay still, I shall have you free in just a moment?"

"Free? Why would-"

A shift as she she tried to regain her feet caused such a sharp and tearing pain in her body that a hiss slipped past the Homunculus's lips before she could stop it, eyes screwing themselves shut at the intense agony as she tried to get control over her breathing.

"Please, don't move! This will be difficult, but I believe I can get you to safety!"

Awareness flooded the tiny Homunculus's mind, spurred on by the fire in her chest as she remembered in a rush what had happened. They had been fighting the army of beast creatures at an increasingly desperate pace, their numbers seemingly without end...and then a golden light had suffused the area, followed shortly afterwards by the scream of metal and a heavy blow that had knocked the wind out of her and caused her head to turn fuzzy.

Said fuzziness was being quickly driven away by the sharp agony in her chest, Illya twisting her head around to see what had happened to her-

-and felt a dull sense of unreality as she met the vacant eyes of Leysritt, idle and unmoving in their sockets as she lay atop of her charge.

"...Leysritt?"

Sella's tone was tight, words shaky as she said, "She, she saw what was happening and protected you, Milady. I was too slow and I...I..."

Fighting down her own despair at her faithful, stupidly loyal maid's demise Illya forced herself to think, stating, "We can't let her sacrifice be in vain, Sella. Help me up and see if we can-"

A sudden wave of nausea hit the albino and she retched up something wet and red, her features contorting in a wince as she realized it was blood. Her blood.

"...Can maybe heal my injuries."

"Y-yes, Milady. Try to remain still, this will likely hurt."

Quickly moving her arm in front of her mouth the Homunculus bit down on the durable fabric of her jacket, Sella reaching over her-

-and a brief whimper escaped her lips before she fought it down, pride demanding that she not show weakness. It was just pain, nothing more, nothing less.

Forcing herself to focus on something else Illya gazed around the battlefield, finding that almost every single one of the best soldiers had been perforated, drifting into motes of scattered light while perhaps a dozen continued to stand, gazing at each other and communicating with sharp barks or growls.

Eventually Sella managed to pull Leysritt off of Illya, the young woman getting her arms beneath her as she prepared to stand...and blinked in confusion.

"Sella? Why aren't my legs working?"

Illya didn't need to see her maid's face to guess what expression she was making.

"Milady, you see...there is..."

Harshly yanking a strand of hair free the albino formed a familiar, seeing through its eyes and having to thickly swallow at what she found. Through her back was an ornate longsword, cleanly severing her spine just below the navel while a ridged spear had destroyed her kidney, a small dagger embedded uncomfortably close to her left lung.

"Well, that explains the-"

Another round of wet coughing speckled the ground with red.

"-the blood..."

A wave of dizziness hit the Homunculus as Sella shouted, "Milady, stay awake, Milady!"

"I'm...I'm still here, where's everyone else?"

"I'm not sure, they haven't shown themselves yet."

Forcing down her fear Illya called for Berserker...and only received an indistinct reply, the Servant no doubt damaged by the assault and in the process of regenerating. Of all the rotten luck-

"Milady, watch out!"

Sella threw herself over Illya as the Master hastily instructed her still present familiar to shield them, the echo of fast moving projectiles striking down the remaining beasts and shattering her shield, Sella gasping in pain as an axe embedded itself in her thigh with a wet ripping noise.

"Sella, are you-"

"I'm fine, Milady...it's merely superficial. We need to-"

"Escape? Where would you run that I could not follow?"

Both Homunculi snapped their gazes to a solitary figure approaching their position, gilded boots crunching across the shattered courtyard, resplendent armor catching the morning sun with blinding radiance.

Illya didn't think she'd ever seen something so disgusting in her life.

Spitting out a wad of phlegm and blood the Homunculus growled, "The King of Heroes...what are you doing here?"

Sella didn't waste a moment, scrabbling to crouch in front of her charge as Gilgamesh raised as eyebrow at the sight.

"A less than polite greeting, but understandable given the circumstances. And while your loyalty is most commendable, doll...your resistance will change nothing. Stand aside."

Sella forced herself to stand, limbs glowing lightly with released prana as she snarled, "If my sister gave her life to protect Milady...what else can I do but match her commitment? You will not touch a hair on Milady's head while I still draw breath!"

"Sella, don't be stupid! Stand down and let me-"

"I see. If that is your choice, doll..."

A dozen portals disgorged immaculate weaponry, the king's eyes glowing with a bloody light.

"Then die fulfilling your honor."

The projectiles were fired off at speeds Illya could barely track, Sella bravely meeting them with a defiant shield of raw prana-

-and screaming blades knocked aside Gilgamesh's own, the King whirling to the side as he growled, "Who dares to-"

Whatever the oldest Hero was going to say was lost to time as a blur smashed into his midriff, ebony claws scoring his armor and drawing blood along his flank before the pair vanished into a portal identical to the one the Apostle had used at the beginning of the fight.

Illya and Sella blinked at the sudden shift in fortune until a clearly injured and exhausted Shirou skidded to a halt next to them, harshly panting and deathly pale as he knelt next to his sister.

"Illya, are you alright? Hold on, I'll Trace Avalon...and..."

The Homunculus saw her brother's face contort into one of incredible frustration and thwarted intent, figuring out the source of his rare distress right away.

He was plain out of mana. And Avalon was by no means cheap, probably why he hadn't tried to block Saber's initial assault with it at the beginning of the battle.

Realizing she was going to have to be the voice of reason and calm here-which was morbidly hilarious, considering she was the one slowly dying-the albino ordered, "Onii-chan, Sella. We need to get out of here before he returns. And I don't know what the Apostle Ancestor's plans are-"

"His plans have changed, in case you were wondering."

Three sets of eyes snapped to where the Vampire marched out of another one of those portals, calmly yanking a variety of weapons out of his chest.

"I dropped the King of Heroes back in Fuyuki, we likely have a minute or two before he returns to finish things. And I doubt any of us are in any real condition to fight one of Humanity's oldest heroes."

Shirou didn't ease his stance in the slightest, coldly asking, "How are we supposed to trust you? You still desire the Grail and my sister's eyes."

"Correction. I did."

Illya blinked, unsure of just what the Hell the Apostle was saying.

"No offense, young ones, but time is short and there remains a number of things that need to be accomplished."

Turning his gaze to the side the trio saw his eyes flash into strange tapestry of what looked like nerve clusters, Shirou preparing to throw a variety of knives into the Ancestor's skull-

"Luviagelita Edelfelt, Rin Tohsaka, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, Saber, Lancer...your orders are at their end and you are free to do as you wish."

Mystic Eyes dissipating once more into formless black the Apostle locked eyes with a blinking Shirou, clearly caught off guard by the abrupt change in disposition.

"You, young man. What is your name?"

"...Emiya. Shirou Emiya."

The Ancestor tilted his head, staring both Illya and Shirou with an odd expression, asking, "When you say Emiya, do you perchance mean Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer?"

Narrowing her eyes the Homunculus warily replied, "He was my papa...why is that important?"

"Heh, no reason...just that I held a great deal of respect for the Magus Killer's work, that's all..."

Before any of them could ask what the Hell that meant the Apostle turned to face Shirou, calmly announcing, "Shirou Emiya. By the power vested in me and something else or some other tripe tradition...I name you as my successor to the position of 26th Dead Apostle Ancestor. So mote it be, or some such platitude. Welcome to the world of Vampires, you're going to hate it."

Illya felt her mind process those words, fail to comprehend them...and then she felt what little blood remained in her body run cold as her mind connected the dots.

Being named a successor to an Ancestor's position, her brother's obvious exhaustion and injuries, the pallidness and way he was constantly licking his lips…

He...he'd been bitten.

Before she even had time to process that terrifying conclusion another of those portals opened up behind Shirou and Sella-

-and with a blindingly fast motion the Vampire shoved them through before they could react, leaving just the two of them as they stared into the other's eyes.

"...What are you doing?"

"Changing my mind, young lady."

The Apostle's eyes shifted form once again...and instead of blindness or further pain or anything remotely unpleasant Illya felt herself relax, head limply dropping to the ground and the agony retreating from her awareness.

A humorless chuckle left the Vampire as the Homunculus distantly felt herself picked off the ground, sword, spear and knife left within her flesh so as not to exacerbate the bleeding.

"Almost two millennia and not a single Mystic Eye of healing to be found...I suppose it's too much to ask that I not be the butt of yet another cosmic joke."

Illya's head was tilted so that she met the Vampire's eyes, an entirely unexpected expression of peace and idle amusement present on his features.

"We met as enemies and I fear we had precious little time to converse as acquaintances, young lady...but cherish the family you have. Life beyond them is an empty thing."

The albino had a great many questions about just what any of that meant or what the Vampire was planning...but she never had a chance to ask them, the Ancestor tossing her through the portal with a playful smile.

"Consider this the last act of a foolish man bearing a grudge a thousand years too old."


Cato Flavius released a pleased sigh as the rift closed at his command, stretching out his body and working out a few imaginary kinks.

It was an odd complaint, but one of the things he most missed about being Human was the ability to crack and pop bone and muscle. A perfect body that could repair itself at will was an acceptable tradeoff, but only barely.

Another chuckle left the Ancestor as he turned to face the horizon.

Years upon years and years of existence...and the last few days had been more exciting and challenging than centuries put together. That young man, the Incarnation...and his sister, the Lesser Grail vessel.

The Vampire snorted in wry amusement.

The entire basis of his revenge had been a grudge long held towards the Magus for his sister's slow and tragic demise...and there he had been, on the cusp of victory, stopped only by an older brother wielding powers he had no doubt sacrificed a great deal to master...all to save his sibling.

Fate truly did have an utterly twisted sense of humor.

"Gods above and below and whatever still remain...I'm getting old."

Refocusing as a golden aircraft sped towards his position at a blindingly fast pace the Vampire allowed a smirk to cross his features, smug satisfaction coursing through his false heart.

"You must have a very dear wish for a painful death, mongrel! What have you done with the doll, Apostle?!"

Meeting the King of Hero's apoplectic gaze with a disinterested one Cato drolly retorted, "Yes, I saved and sent them away from your gaze specifically so that I could tell you their location. Were you not renowned for your intelligence and wisdom, King Gilgamesh? I see precious little of that right now."

The horizon exploded into golden illumination, Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes-quite a few of which could actually damage him to a considerable extent-filling the sky as the King of Uruk bared his perfect teeth in a snarl.

"Mind your tongue, Worm! Your kind are but parasites upon this garden of mine, a pest that shall swiftly be-"

"Oh spare me the monologues, King of Heroes. I had to deal with the other Ancestor's for decades and compared to their ability to speak endlessly yet say astonishingly little you are still much their inferior."

A flash of steel, crack of kinetic energy-

-and Cato felt real, conceptual damage eat away at his form, body slowly reforming with an obvious grimace, flesh soughing as he regenerated, a few Phantasms disappearing into motes of golden light as they returned to from where they had originated.

"Oh? Where are your mocking words now, mongrel? Your jeering tone and tripe insults?"

Staggering to his feet Cato snorted in wry amusement, affixing the sneering Gilgamesh with his most dismissive gaze.

"The phrase, 'never meet your heroes' could not be more apt than it is now..."

The Apostle gazed behind him, at the Homunculus that had died protecting the Lesser Grail, still impaled with several bladed weapons.

"I expected the strongest Demigod and originator of the vast majority of Heroic legends to have a more admirable attitude and presence. Yet all that stands before me is an impetuous, arrogant and sadistic bully that would kill those far weaker for, what? Convenience? The Gods were right to punish your arrogance and take Enkidu from you, a rare decision possessing some measure of wisdom on their part."

Silence fell over the battlefield, blatant disbelief etched on the King's features-

-and a trembling hand ripped a spiral artifact from a glowing portal, crimson markings adoring its rotating length as they spun with frenzied motions, Gilgamesh sporting an expression of fathomless fury.

The Vampire merely smirked, amused that his words had provoked the King to wield one of his most potent treasures so openly.

"Nothing will remain of your existence, worm! Gaze upon my strength, and know that you have succeeded in bringing down the King's true wrath upon your miserable unlife! ENUMA-"

CRACK-BOOM!

The King of Hero's proclamation was cut short as a storm of lightning dwarfing even that of the most terrible of storms impacted on his floating aircraft, turning it into a fast expanding cloud of molten ash and metal, Cato's sharp eyes catching the Heroic Spirit's body smashing into a part of the castle and disappearing withing its crumbled hallways.

"You're timing is impeccable, Rider."

The ground shook with ponderous, rhythmic tremors, Cato smiling as in the distance a towering form approached.

Mammoth-like in appearance but more similar to an ocean liner in regards to size King Ivan approached in his form gifted by the Zveri – Krestnyy Khod Noble Phantasm.

"You seem to be in distress, Apostle."

"No longer, now that you are here to rescue me."

A titanic snort of amusement left the beast, stripping nearby trees of their leaves as the Vampire swiftly leapt atop of the Servant's shaggy head.

"You let the Grail Vessel, her protectors and those you enslaved go. What brought about this change of heart?"

Wryly grinning Flavius shrugged, idly replying, "The fickle whims of an old man, I suppose. My death approached and I decided what better way to perish than vicariously experience a fantasy I never believed I would be able to fulfill?"

A grumble left Rider, quietly musing,

"More Human than Monster..."

"A fact I wholeheartedly accept as true."

"Oh, that was no statement of fact, Ancestor. It was a compliment."

Unable to stop his head from shaking in bemusement Cato sighed.

"...You deserved a better war and Master than I, King Ivan."

"Bah. Allow me to be the judge of what is worthy and what is not, Vampire. Besides..."

Crimson streamers of primal energy tore away the remains of the castle, Gilgamesh standing atop the ruins with his damaged armor discarded, snarl of base rage marring regal features while the spiral sword raged with hurricane force.

"How often does the opportunity come, for a King to test his mettle against the originator of us all?"

Ivan the Terrible unleashed a deafening bellow, flattening what little remained of the forest as lighting coated his gargantuan body.

"COME, CATO FLAVIUS! LET US SHOW THE OLDEST HERO OUR WORTH!"

Stolen blood boiling at the Servant's words the Vampire grinned, activating his Mystic Eyes of Incineration.

"As you say, King Ivan. As you say."


Congratulations, Shirou...you're an Avenger now.

Wait, this isn't Ataraxia.