*Dusts off clothes before turning to face the screen*
By Solaire's Swagger they were not kidding about NG+. Even with level a level 10 weapon the bosses just eat your health away. Greetings all, finally got some time to myself so I figured I'd churn this bad boy out.
Lets see how things diverge eh?
Fake Life Seven: The Fallen Star of God.
Needless to say neither Rias nor Sona were particularly pleased with their Pawns going behind their backs, a sentiment they made certain the two males understood by proceeding to render their backsides inoperable via demonically enhanced spanking, though Issei was given something of a reprieve for offering to take full responsibility for Koneko's involvement, for all the good it did him.
Fortunately for Shirou, while their displeasure extended to him as well, the fact he wasn't affiliated with either Peerage meant they really couldn't punish him for his involvement. Not only that, their concern for his well-being actually seemed to outweigh their displeasure, Rias even going so far as to teleport him to the Occult Research Club Building before fetching her Bishop, Asia Argento, to tend to the Faker with her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing.
Now Shirou was no stranger to being healed, as even before the Grail War Kiritsugu had apparently pulled out all the stops to save his life after finding him in the ruins of the Fuyuki Fire. Since then, he'd been revived at least once by Rin, to say nothing of the miraculous healing he'd been forced to endure every time he recklessly endangered his life to save her, Saber or whoever happened to need him most at that moment. There was even the bizarre form of 'Healing' afforded to him by his Reality Marble, though he doubted any sane doctor would consider 'knitting his flesh together with swords in the shape of muscle tissue' as 'healing' by any stretch of the imagination.
Regardless, all forms of restoration he'd experienced up till now paled in comparison to the soothing bliss that was Asia Argento's Twilight Healing, the Sacred Gear that was both the reason for her ascension to the rank of 'Saint' and the reason she was condemned as a Witch in the same breath. Not only did it help to alleviate the pain that came from having to partially unseal Archer's arm, he was fairly certain it had healed some of the damage that simply being attached to the limb had wrought.
"Honestly…" Rias sighed, prompting the redheaded Faker to turn and face the Gremory and Sitri heiresses, who were seated on the couch on the other side of the table, their respective Queens flanking them while their errant pawns stood tenderly off to the side, unable to sit down after receiving their punishment for their unauthorized actions "I really don't know how to feel about you right now, Emiya-kun. Part of me wants to thank you for helping Issei and Koneko; another part wants to lecture you for sending Yuuto off with two Exorcists."
"To be fair, he'd have gone after them even if I hadn't intervened." Shirou offered by way of apology and as a means of placating Rias "At least with Hrunting they won't waste his energy looking down rabbit holes."
"Which brings us to our next concern." Sona cut in, a shiver racing up the Faker's spine as the shorter of the two heiresses primly adjusted her spectacles in a manner that somehow came off as menacing "How is it that you came across the weapon of a Legendary Hero?" she demanded "To my knowledge, Hrunting was lost centuries ago when Beowulf cast it aside during his fight with Grendel's mother."
"I don't suppose I could get away with saying 'Trade Secret'?" Shirou quipped, only to shiver as light glinted off her glasses "You remember how I explained how my branch of Magecraft works?"
"It allows the user to materialize objects in accordance to their imagination and skill level." Sona supplied word-for word, her expression unchanging "I also recall you saying it was essentially useless due to the inherent flaws involved in the process."
"Right, to most Magi, Gradation Air is only truly useful if you need something immediately and possess enough understanding of its basic structure to even manifest it." He tapped the side of his head "And for the longest time, I thought I was doing something similar, when in actuality I was actually using a personal variation of Gradation Air I've come to call 'Tracing'."
"Meaning you developed your own style using the basics of Gradation Air as a basis?" Tsubaki pondered, sounding honestly impressed by the achievement, as developing your own variation on a subject, be it Magecraft, sword fighting, or any other form of art, was no easy feat.
"In all honesty, I stumbled into it ass-first after being told what I was doing was wrong." Shirou admitted, honestly embarrassed as he recalled Rin berating him once she figured out why he was having so much trouble reinforcing a lamp, only to shake his head in confusion. That clearly wasn't one of his memories. Rin hadn't offered to tutor him in Projection until after they hatched upon the plan to Trace Zelretch's Jewel Sword.
"So how does your version differ from the official school?" Sona persisted, though her tone was now laced with intrigue, a sentiment shared by Rias as they looked down at him, arms crossed "And how could it allow you to recreate the weapon of a Hero, one missing since antiquity no less."
"My style differs in that not only does it reproduce the shape and substance of an object, it also fully recreates said objects entire history as well." Shirou supplied, earning raised brows from the Kings and their Queens, and looks of confusion from pretty much everyone else "Remember how I mentioned I was unable to learn traditional Magecraft? Part of the reason for that was due to my Origin and Element being unsuited for it."
"Makes sense." Rias noted, her expression understanding "Most people have a hard time mastering an element not their own, Sona's clan is notable for being affiliated with Water, so they have a hard time learning fire spells."
"Whereas the Gremory's have a hard time with delicate spells due to their penchant for passionately charging in head first." Sona quipped, the two rivals glaring at one another for a second before returning their attention to Shirou "What does this have to do with your Magecraft?"
"Both my Origin and Elemental affinity are 'Sword'." Shirou shot back, unable to help chuckling at the dumbfounded expression on Sona's face "I know, that was the same look my Master had when he found out. As a result, while I was ill-suited to any other school of Magecraft, when it came to 'Swords', I was able to comprehend everything about them with a single glance. For example…"
He held out his right hand, teeth clenching as he activated his circuits, the hammer in his head firing as he drew forth a recent addition to the Hill of Swords, Rias' eyes widening as a very familiar Demonic Sword appeared in his grip.
"This is Kiba-san's Holy Eraser." He explained, holding the weapon up for all to see "It's a Demonic Sword he created using his Sacred Gear: Sword Birth, with the ability to seal away the Light Element of Holy Swords." He winced at the pained look in Rias' eyes and dismissed the blade "He most likely designed the blade with the intent of facing the...Excaliburs." he didn't quite grimace at the name "Unfortunately, at his current level it can't hope to absorb the light of a True Holy Sword."
"Fascinating." Sona mused, her expression calculating while Rias simply averted her eyes, clearly more shaken by the sight of Kiba's sword than Shirou had thought she'd be "So you can perfectly replicate any weapon you see?"
"Not perfectly." Shirou admitted "While I can recreate more than just swords, it comes at a higher cost and I can't recreate anything with complex inner mechanisms like a bomb or a machine-gun." Issei and Saji sighed at the admission "Not only that, as with the standard Gradation Air, anything I recreate is slightly inferior to the originals since there's only so much information I can gather from sight alone." He nodded confidently "However, other than that, in addition to being able to remain in manifested for several hours after creation, everything from their accumulated history, special abilities and even the skills of their wielders is perfectly replicated."
"Meaning, theoretically, that if you were to face Kiba-san with a copy of Holy Eraser, not only would you know how he fought, but also how to defeat him?" Sona pressed, earning a sharp look from Rias.
"Possible, but unlikely." Shirou countered, more out of a desire to escape Rias' glare than lack of faith in his skills "Remember, anything traced will be inferior to the original, so even if I knew how Kiba would fight, my Holy Eraser would lose to his."
"Well duh!" Issei crowed, the pervert clenching a fist determinedly in a show of support for his absent peerage member "There's no way Kiba's swords would lose to some cheap imitation!"
"That's enough, Issei." Rias cut in, cutting the Pawn off before Shirou could respond "Unless you want another round of spankings?" she teased, the Pawn shutting up with a yelp, literally covering his ass in fear.
"You say you can record the history of anything your eyes can see." Sona mused, her expression calculating as she glanced between Shirou and Issei "Would it be possible to recreate a Sacred Gear? Say, Hyoudou's Boosted Gear?"
"Sona-?!" Rias exclaimed, looking at her rival in shock before turning to glance worriedly at Shirou, a sentiment shared by Issei and Saji while Koneko, Akeno and Tsubaki looked on with interest.
"Probably not." Shirou admitted with a shake of his head "One of the limitations of my ability is that it can't recreate Divine-level constructs or weapons of extra-terrestrial origin." He shivered at the memory of Gilgamesh's Ea even as the Gremory faction sighed in relief "Don't get me wrong, I could probably make something similar, given time, but I wouldn't be able to recreate the Soul of the Dragon sealed within…"
"HA! As if the world would be able to bear twice my magnificence!" the gem on Issei's gauntlet barked, startling the group "Still, that was some trick you pulled off, Sword-Mage. I haven't seen a feat like that for some time."
"I'd question how you were able to see anything at all given your situation but I'd rather not think of the horrors you've had to endure attached to Hyoudou's alone time hand." Shirou deadpanned, earning a squawk of indignation from the Pawn even as Asia tilted her head in confusion. "In any case, at my current level, Hrunting should vanish by sunrise. Though considering their targets, I don't think any of them will come back right away even if it did."
"That's alright," Rias assured him with a sigh "Akeno, Koneko and I already sent our familiars out to search for them. If they see anything, they'll contact us immediately."
"In the meantime, I do believe it's time we turned in for the night" Sona noted, glancing at Shirou even as Issei yelped at the time "I expect to see you in class as normal, understood?"
"Shouldn't pose a problem." Shirou assured her, the Faker rising to his feet with a grunt at the devils began to file out, Sona and Tsubaki using a teleportation array while Rias was forced to walk back with Asia and Issei due to the latter lacking the ability to use the gates himself, the four of them splitting up to go their separate ways as they left the school grounds.
The next day...
Shirou sighed, the redheaded Faker doing his level best to try and ignore the insanity that was the perverted trio roughhousing in the corner. Apparently Issei's two friends, jealous of his sudden popularity with the 'Two Great Onee-samas' and Asia Argento, had begun spreading rumours about the perverted pawn behind his back in a misguided attempt to ruin his already tarnished reputation.
'Seriously, how much deeper than rock bottom can you go?' he muttered, shaking his head at the idiocy of it all while Issei proceeded to vent his anger on them via slapstick, thankfully remembering to reign his strength back, for even as a low-class Reincarnated Devil, he was still much stronger than a human being.
"Um, G-Good day, Emiya-san…" Asia greeted, the Faker turning to find the blonde Bishop smiling shyly at him alongside her friend Kiriyuu Aika, a girl who was apparently Motohama rival for the title of 'Pervy-Glasses', though unlike the trio, she limited herself to giving others, typically Asia, perverse love advice "Are you feeling better?"
"Ah, much better, thanks for asking." Shirou assured her, still marvelling at the speed with which he'd recovered as he clenched his left fist for emphasis. While nowhere as near as demanding as it had been in his world, it typically took half a day's rest for him to recover from loosening The Shroud.
"Hm, oh yeah, you were off sick for a day right?" Aika noted, adjusting her glasses thoughtfully "Or at least that's the official story, you sure you weren't just playing hooky?"
"Hooky?" Asia repeated, blinking in confusion only to flush as her friend whispered something in her ear "A-Aika-chan!" she chastised, her features embarrassed "Emiya-san wouldn't do something like that!"
Shirou didn't know what the girl had been told, but he was fairly certain that, under normal circumstances, he would never purposefully miss a day of education. Maybe it was due to having grown up under the watchful eye of Fuji-nee. Oh who was he kidding? It was precisely because Taiga had been left in charge of his upkeep he wouldn't skip class, the Faker shivering as he recalled her threatening aura. "Any word from Kiba-san?
"Sadly, no." Asia admitted, the little devil slumping in depression as she hung her head, earning a quirked brow from an inquisitive Aika "We haven't found any trace of Xenovia-san or Irina-san either."
'And with Hrunting gone I've no way of tracking them.' Shirou muttered, his expression hard as he tried to find a bright spot in this situation, glancing down at the tip of the Shroud of Martin peeking out from his blazer sleeve, wondering he should bother Activating the Artificial Phantasm to gain Archer's tracking skills.
"Gotta admit, I never took Prince Charming to play truant like this." Aika noted, stroking her chin thoughtfully "It's kinda refreshing to know he's just as flawed and human as the rest of us."
'Except he's technically a Devil'. Shirou deadpanned, a sentiment he apparently shared with Issei, the perverted Pawn sidling over, leaving Motohama and Matsuda's twitching corpses behind, Asia chuckling weakly at her friend's naivete.
"So, Hyoudou." Aika greeted, smiling like the cat that got the cream at the pawn "We still set to go bowling and then Karaoke this weekend? Or did Prince Charming cancel?"
"Seems like it." Issei confirmed with a sigh, shooting an irritated glare at his so-called 'brothers in arms' as they picked themselves up "Dammit, and I was so looking forward to watching Koneko-chan and Asia-chan sing!"
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Aika muttered, though her tone made it clear she really wasn't bothered at all. Indeed, the girl seemed to embody all the sassier elements of Rin with a more laid-back attitude, though thankfully she was nowhere near as perverted as the elder Tohsaka sibling.
'I don't know whether to feel embarrassed or jealous …' Shirou muttered, glaring down at his wrapped arm pointedly as he tried to banish the image of Aika and Rin making out while he, or a version of him more likely, looked on stupefied until the Tohsaka heiress dragged him into the tangle of limbs.
"Humph, chopped liver is far too good for you, Kiriyuu." Motohama shot back imperiously as he adjusted his glasses with a condescending sneer "Seriously, who'd pay to see a stick like you get up on st-AAAAGH!"
"MOTOHAMA!" Matsuda cried, looking on in horror as his friend was sent tumbling backwards ass over tits, Shirou having backhanded the bespectacled pervert right in the schnozzle, shattering his precious 'Three-Size-Scouters' in the process "Damn it, Issei you traitor! Since when the hell did you two get so buddy-buddy?"
"We're not." Shirou cut in, earning an odd look from the pawn, as if he were torn between being hurt and agreeing with him. "I just thought I heard a fly buzzing around and tried to swat it."
"Heh, fly is right, Emiya." Aika cut back with a smirk, her glasses glinting menacingly as she glanced at the downed Motohama and Matsuda "Though considering how unimpressive they are, gnat would be more appropriate." She smirked at a confused looking Asia even as Matsuda grimaced and covered his crotch "Don't worry, Asia-chan, Issei's nowhere near as pathetic as those two." She chuckled as the pawn covered his crotch "Not too big but not too small either, perfect for a girl's first time, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'Main Character' material."
"Oi! Kiriyuu!" Issei choked, slapping his hands over Asia's ears in an ironic bid to protect the innocent devil's purity "Stop saying that weird stuff around Asia, you sexual harassment demon!"
"Look who's talking…" Shirou scoffed, the Faker honestly amused by the sight of the perverted trio, two of them anyway, being outdone at their own game, and by a girl no less.
"Sh-shut it!" Issei stammered, glaring at the faker pointedly, all the while keeping his hands plastered over Asia's ears "Acting all big all the time, you think you're so much better than me, don't you?"
"On a basic, fundamental human level? Yes." Shirou shot back, earning an amused scoff from Aika "Then again, humans will typically learn from example, something tells me you'd be just as likely to peek on girls changing now as you are a hundred years from now."
"You're just saying that because you fail to understand the majesty of Oppai!" Issei persisted, releasing Asia's ears to clench a fist dramatically, Shirou looking on in disbelief as the Gremory Pawn began to shed honest to God tears "Small or bountiful it doesn't matter, Oppai are heavier than life itself!"
"You're an idiot…" Shirou sighed, too exasperated by the Pawn's idiocy to even feel disgust for his antics even as Matsuda and a revived Motohama knelt before their friend, shedding tears at his wisdom while a pouting Asia pinched his cheeks, only relenting when he paused to answer his cell phone text, eyes widening at the contents.
"Sorry guys, gotta go, club stuff." The Pawn apologised, grabbing Asia by the hand as they raced off, Shirou waiting for them to leave before rising to follow them, having caught the Pawn's eyes as he raced past.
Something was up. Nothing good either if the look of alarm in Issei's eyes was any indication, a hunch which Shirou confirmed the moment he stepped out into the hall only to find Sona, Saji and Tsubaki marching past "Trouble?".
"Rias-san's familiar found something." Tsubaki confirmed dutifully, Sona merely acknowledging his presence with a nod while Saji waved in greeting "We're going to teleport to her co-ordinates using the circle in the Student Council Room."
Shirou nodded, keeping pace with the devils as they made their way unopposed down the halls, Sona's intimidating stare driving off teachers and hall-monitors alike until they were safe within the walls of the student council office, where a Magic Circle was being prepared by Momo and Reya.
"Ready when you are, Kaichou!" the albino Bishop greeted, flushing slightly at the sight of Saji, only to blink at the sight of Shirou beside him "Emiya-kun? What's he doing here?"
"Emiya-kun offered his assistance in this matter." Sona cut in, her stride never halting as she strode into the middle of the circle "Please ensure that no-on enters the room until we return. If anyone asks, we're dealing with the faulty wiring."
The rest of the council nodded, Emiya ignoring them in favour of stepping onto the now glowing circle warily, noting the centre of the circle smelled heavily of Sona's element just before the world flashed white and he was suddenly outside facing the Occult Research Group. "Sona, you came!" Rias greeted, eyeing her oldest friend and rival with relief.
"Why wouldn't I come after you called me?" Sona scoffed, as if the very idea was ludicrous, ignoring Rias' smile of gratitude only to cry out as Shirou, without warning, whipped around and hurled a suddenly traced Kanshou at the nearby woods "Emiya-kun?!" she began, only to blink as a yelp from the woods preceded a clash of steel.
"How long are you going to keep lurking out there, Freed Sellzen?" Shirou demanded, his eyes hard as he held up a hand to catch the black blade on the return flight, the Devils falling into formation at the mention of the Stray Exorcists name, Issei and Saji summoning their Sacred Gears.
"Tch, fucking spoilsport, ruined my big entrance." Freed swore, the Exorcist stomping out of the woods, Excalibur Invisibility held in hand "And to think I went to the trouble of waiting for those Devil Shits…mm?" his annoyance gave way to a perverse leer at the sight of Asia "Well now, if it isn't the treacherous witch, Asia Argento!" he cackled at her look of discomfort "So tell me, how's life as a piece of shit devil treating ya?"
"Bastard!" Issei snarled, stepping forward, intent on pounding Freed's head into the pavement only to freeze as Rias and Sona stepped to the fore, magic circles bearing their clan's crests literally in hand.
"Whoa-there! Time out four-eyes!" Freed called out, though it seemed he actually had something to say rather than actually fearing for his life "Gotta talk to red for a bit." He leered sickeningly at Rias, who shivered despite herself "That is…my BOSS wants to."
The first indication Shirou had that something was wrong was the devils, sans Rias and Sona, suddenly doubling over as if in pain. While he at first blamed Freed for the act, he soon revised his opinion as the scent of power hit him like a freight train just as the sky darkened overhead.
Blood.
So much blood.
Enough blood to drown the world.
Enough to stain even the Holiest of Holy Swords.
It wasn't as intimidating as whatever the hell Rias' scent was, nor was it as foul as the sludge that embodied All-The-World's-Evil, but it was easily a match for the aura of death that had emanated from Saber after being tainted by the Blackened Grail, Shirou's heart threatening to tear itself from his chest as he turned his gaze upwards to watch Death descend on Ten Blackened Wings.
"Kokabiel…" he uttered softly, recalling the words of warning Xenovia had given him back at the church, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Excaliburs' thief "The Fallen Star of Heaven."
"Hm? Have we met before, boy?" the Grigori wondered, his handsome features regarding the Faker with detached interest, as one might regard a particularly interesting crack on the sidewalk "No matter, as you say, I am indeed Kokabiel of the Grigori." He inclined his head towards the group, more accurately, the scowling forms of Sona and Rias "And unless I miss my guess, I stand before the daughters of House Gremory and Sitri."
"A Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Leader of the Grigori faction." Rias returned, her tone confident, arms crossed beneath her breasts as Sona stepped up beside her fellow King, her features set in a cold mask.
"Such beautiful crimson hair you have." The angel complimented his voice sending shivers down the Devil's spines whereas Shirou was keeping an eye on Freed "It reminds me so much of your brother Sirzechs that it actually sickens me."
"I see." Rias noted, her smile turning decidedly cold "So what brings a Fallen of your calibre to our territory? I'm sure you're aware, but while our elder siblings may be Satans; neither Sona nor myself hold any political connections that may benefit you."
"Rest assured my intentions are nothing like that at all," Kokabiel replied with a dry smile "I merely sought to request a favour of you both. After all, you devils are in the business of granting wishes, right?" he hoisted something from under his arm "Here, I even brought a down payment."
"Irina-!" Issei yelled, eyes widening in alarm as the Fallen dangled his childhood friend by a leg for all to see, her uniform torn in several place, revealing numerous bleeding wounds "Damn it! Let her go!" he snapped, lunging forwards just as Kokabiel hurled the Exorcist at them, Shirou beating the Pawn to the punch, catching the wounded girl bridal-style in mid-air before dropping down with a grunt.
"She's hurt badly." the Faker noted, grimacing as he endeavoured to avoid touching the wounded Exorcist anywhere inappropriate, an impossibility given her state of dress, even as the devils gathered round them protectively.
"She and her little friends snuck into my home like rats, so I made sure to give them all the attention they could expect of such vermin." Kokabiel noted mockingly even as Asia began using Twilight Healing on the worst of Irina's wounds "Unfortunately for this one, it seems her friends ran off and left her behind to fend for themselves."
'So at the very least Kiba and Xenovia managed to get away…' Shirou deduced, transferring Irina to Tsubaki's care as Sona instructed her queen to take the Exorcist back to her home to heal her up, the Faker glaring up at Kokabiel alongside the two heiresses.
"Well then?" Rias demanded, the Gremory heiress glaring imperiously up at the Fallen, as if his mere presence didn't fill her with understandable dread "You wanted my attention, Fallen Angel? You have it."
"Oho, that's a nice look you have in your eyes." Kokabiel noted approvingly, his smile possessing a feral quality, as if he was barely restraining himself from lashing out "I wonder, will Sirzechs' shine as intensely after I've had my way with you and this little town?"
"I'd heard the stories but clearly they do you more justice than you deserve if such insanity can spew from your lips." Rias muttered, her tone derisive "Do you mean to tell me you intend to restart the war between the Three Factions?"
"In all honesty, I was hoping Michael himself would get involved after I stole the Excaliburs," Kokabiel admitted, his features lined with disgust "But it seems he only deemed me worthy of sending a weak Exorcist and two wet-behind-the-ears Holy Sword Wielders. And don't get me started on Azazel and Shemhazai," he spat in disgust, heedless of Shirou's look of alarm "those damned pacifists would sooner chop off their wings before they let a war interfere with their Sacred Gear Research…"
"So you're saying your actions are against Azazel's will?" Sona noted, drawing Shirou's attention to her at the use of his caretaker's name "You must be bored indeed if you'd so openly defy your leader so readily."
"Faugh! That milksop is no true leader!" Kokabiel spat, his disgust apparent "He'd rather waste the day away locked up researching whatever catches his interest or shacking up with whatever harlot catches his eye. The only way he'd care about any of this was if the opportunity presented itself that he could study Sacred Gears."
"I'll never give you my Boosted Gear!" Issei proclaimed, clenching his armoured fist, the gem on the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet lighting up in preparation for an attack.
"I could give a rat's ass about the damned thing." Kokabiel shot back mockingly, surprising the devils with his story "Azazel's the one you need to watch out for, he's such a fanatic when it comes to his collections."
"If that's the case then what are you planning to do with the Excaliburs?" Rias demanded, glaring up at the Fallen Star of Heaven coldly despite the intensity of his feral smile "If you simply wanted a fight, you could have done so without them."
"True. Cease fire or not, I hardly need a reason to kill devils and I certainly don't share Valper's infantile obsession with those relics." Kokabiel conceded, his tone insufferably smug "But as I said before, I'm not interested in a schoolyard brawl. I want a WAR, and the only way to do that would be to somehow get all Three Factions involved."
He smiled then, a smile as terrifying as it was beautiful, a smile that promised nothing but the sweet release of death for those who possessed a true concept of mortality.
"I think you'll agree there's no way Michael, Lucifer or Leviathan will be able to sit back and turn a blind eye when I use Heaven's precious Holy Swords to kill the Satans' beloved siblings and paint the town red with the blood of their mortal schoolmates."
Post Kokabiel's Speech...
Shirou shivered, eyeing the entity above him with the same trepidation with which he'd faced down Gilgamesh. While the Fallen lacked the haughty majesty of the King of Heroes, the condescending nature and the casualness with which he threatened to massacre thousands of innocent lives to sate his own desires was almost a dead ringer for the impossible 8th Servant's.
The difference was, however, that Gilgamesh, as Overseer of Humanity, deemed modern man to be beneath his protection, mere mongrels that had grown fat off complacency and needed a good culling to bring them back to their true potential.
Kokabiel, on the other hand, spoke of ending lives of people who had done him no wrong simply because he was bored. Even Gilgamesh, who was known as a tyrant by modern standards, had never been so flippant about taking a human life, though admittedly this was because the harshness of the times meant it was impossible for him to do so.
Never in his wildest dreams would Emiya Shirou ever have anticipated sharing the same mind-set with the King of Heroes, but right now he was honestly starting to see why Gilgamesh had ended the Age of Gods if Monsters like this were the kind of thing he faced on a daily basis.
"Isn't my boss the best?" Freed cackled insanely, clearly relishing the fact that he was working for someone just as twisted as he was "And people say 'I'M' fucked up!" he sneered, reaching into his cloak and drew another sword "Not that I care, since he gave me these cool toys to play with!"
Shirou grimaced at the sight of the blades in the Exorcist's hands. Not from alarm, as he'd suspected the freak would be carrying more than one Excalibur by now, nor was it from stress as Unlimited Blade Works finished adding Rapidly and Transparency's sister-sword, Excalibur Nightmare: The Holy Sword of Illusion, to the Hill of swords. No, it was simply that weird, incessant feeling that crept over him every time he laid eyes on one of the 'Excaliburs'.
Ever since he'd first laid eyes on Rapidly, something about the Holy Sword had seemed off to him, like an incessant voice in the back of his head that would only sound whenever he thought about their name and histories. It was almost as if the swords themselves were crying out in an attempt to contradict their own legend, with each blade adding yet another voice to Hill of Swords.
They were (NOT) Excalibur…yet how could they (NOT) be?
"Emiya-kun!" Sona called out, snapping the redhead out of his thoughts just in time to tilt his head to the side to avoid a length of living steel that had been aimed right at it, his eyes narrowing as he followed it back to the cackling form of Freed.
"No dozing off in class there, cock-blocker!" the Exorcist cackled, retracting the metal whip, which swiftly formed into a ribbon around his arm "Don't think I forgot how you wrecked Rapidly-tan the first time we met! Old Man Valper really tore me a new one for that." He sneered as he aimed the Nightmare at Shirou's face "Fortunately, the Boss-Man managed to nab Mimic-tan from pig-tits earlier, so we're all good now."
"You fuckers-!" Issei swore, the perverted Pawn literally chomping at the bit as he glared at the Fallen-Exorcist, only to be cut off by Rias' arm as the Gremory heiress halted him in place.
"Yes! That's just the kind of expression I'm looking for, Red Dragon Emperor!" the Fallen Star of Heaven cackled, his handsome features lined with madness as a magic circle formed before him in mid-air "Let's have a War! Rias Gremory!"
"Everyone get down!" Rias barked, holding up her hand along with Akeno and Sona to erect a shield of demonic power to deflect the spears of light that launched from Kokabiel's circle, only to cry out in surprise as Shirou ignored the warning and instead raced towards the pair "Emiya-kun!?"
"You're not going anywhere!" the Faker snarled, Kanshou and Bakuya clenched between his fists as he hurtled towards the dumbstruck Freed, only to curse as his blades seemingly passed through thin air, the Exorcists mocking cackles preceding a sudden flash of blinding light as he pulled off yet another daring escape "Damn it!"
"They're heading towards Kuoh Academy." Koneko called out from the branch of a tree, the Rook's normally impassive features looking decidedly troubled, a sentiment shared by all of the assembled devils, even before the pillar of light erupted from the sports field.
"This isn't good…" Sona mused, her features calm, though it was clear she was just as troubled as everyone else "A Fallen angel of Kokabiel's level could easily wipe out a secluded city like this."
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Rias countered, her expression cold, the waves of power that for so long had sent Shirou running for the hills intensifying to the point he almost felt pity for the Fallen Angel. Almost. "Everyone, let's go."
Little less action this chapter but damn for plot developments!
Things are heating up for our heroes? How will this battle end I wonder?
In the meantime, I have Vermin to hunt, though thankfully, I'm no longer alone.
*Crouches before the lantern and vanishes.*
