Redgrave Anthony: Le talent au combat et les "skills" c'est la même chose. Les trois héros dont on parle dans le chapitre 4: Héraclès, Cú Chulainn et le Roi Arthur sont des cas extrêmes de spécialisation. Héraclès recourt à la force brute (Dans UWB, lors de son combat contre Artoria, il est dit qu'il ne recourt à aucune technique, puisque la technique c'est ce que l'on a inventé pour contrer la force brute) ainsi qu'à une vitesse et une agilité qui égale celle de Cú Chulainn. De son côté Cú n'est pas ignare du point de vue technique, mais il compte surtout sur sa vitesse. Quant à Arthur, c'est un héros fort et rapide, mais pas non plus au point d'exceller sur ces deux rapports. Il contre la force supérieure d'Héraclès et la vitesse de Cú par la technique.
Mais force, rapidité et technique ne sont pas obtenue "comme ça" ce sont les épreuves de la vie qui ont permis à chacun de développer de telles capacités. Elles sont certes basées sur des avantages innés mais développées par l'apprentissage.
Paradoxalement, en voulant comparer Pyrrha et Gilgamesh, tu fais erreur... Gilgamesh est justement un contre-exemple. Ce n'est pas un guerrier, c'est un roi. Techniquement, il est assez faible... Évidemment, c'est un Héros. Sa force, sa rapidité et son Mana sont surhumains... Surtout cette dernière! Mais sa technique se résume à projeter un raz-de-marée de Noble Phantasms dans la direction approximative de son ennemi ou déchaîner Eä! Pas vraiment besoin de savoir combattre si sa méthode d'attaque se résume à bombarder de loin un adversaire avec une puissance insurpassable!
Je connais de nom les deux derniers mangas (je ne suis pas sûr que Worm soit un manga d'ailleurs). Mais je ne sais pas vraiment de quoi cela parle.
Melantha4: Jaune is a male version of Jeanne d'Arc, its cannonic!
TeotakuFantasia: I hope you will also like this chapter.
Deacon94: Thank you!
Author's Note: It seems useful to me to clarify a point I mentioned before but which was not necessarily understood. Pyrrha has been adapted to the world of Fate. As I said, she has neither Aura nor Semblance, having received in exchange Magic Circuits... Yes, but she's still a Remnant human girl. Now, canonically, the inhabitants of Remnants are stronger and more robust than the humans of Earth (including the majority of the humans of the Fate universe). A sabyr can dislocate an Atlas android with one paw strike, but a simple Atlas soldier (although in armor but Aura locked) can survive the charge of a goliath. Let's call this a "gift" of centuries of "coexistence" between Remnant's humans and the Grimms.
The Little Church on the Hill
(This is cardinal Cibo who speaks): Yes, I will follow your orders, Farnese (Pope Paul III)!
Let your Apostolic Commissioner, with his integrity, lock himself in the circle of his office, I will move with a firm hand the slippery earth upon which he dares not walk. You expect this from me; I have understood you, and I will act without speaking, as you have commanded. You guessed who I was when you placed me with Alexander (the Duke of Florence Alexander of Medicis), without putting on any title that gave me any power over him. It is another that he will be wary, obeying me without his knowledge. Let him exhaust his strength against the shadows of men swollen with a shadow of power, I will be the invisible ring that will tie his feet and fists bound to the iron chain of which Rome (the papacy) and Caesar(the Holy Roman Empire) hold the two ends.
Lorrenzaccio Act II scene 3
It was necessary to organize a little before leaving the Emiya residence. Saber could not pass through the city in armor - even in the middle of the night - so he had to find clothes. It was with a certain reluctance that the knight had agreed to dress in a long worn coat which had belonged to Kiritsugu.
As for Pyrrha, she had preferred to keep her armor and dress over a yellow raincoat cloak. Her servant looked at her with curiosity and the Amazon felt obliged to justify herself:
"We can still be attacked by crossing the city... "Shaking her head she added, thinking aloud: "It is precisely for this sort of situation that we invented a Scroll and a cabinet mounted on thrusters."
Saber blinked several times before looking at her with a surprised look:
"Scroll? Cabinet mounted on thrusters? Are they some forms of new Magecraft?"
Pyrrha had an awkward smile, realizing that she came to talk about things completely foreign to this world.
"Uh... we'll say yes..."
Saber answered nothing but his gaze was eloquent. He seemed to wonder if the contemporary Magi had finally lost the little reason they had left.
There was only one church in Fuyuki. It was on the edge of the cemetery of the foreigners, on the hill southeast of Shinto. Practically, on the other side of the city compared to the Emiya residence.
Accompanied by Saber, Pyrrha went down the street surrounded by individual houses that went towards the Mion River.
They had left the house in silence, but the Spartan Girl could not help but take frequent looks at her... Servant. Everything that had happened to her this night looked like some kind of unbelievable dream. Yet, dressed in Kiritsugu's old coat, Saber looked like an ordinary young man, even though the poise of his head and the attentive gaze with which he scrutinized each alley said that he was much more than that. To Pyrrha's surprise, he smiled at her as she watched him "discreetly":
"Do you have a question, Pyrrha?"
Caught in the act, the Amazon had an awkward smile:
"I've been dreaming about you..." She blushed slightly "No I don't mean like that... at night I've had a recurring dream for years."
In a few words, Pyrrha described the plain covered with green grass, the knight dressed in blue with silver armor, the blue sky crossed by clouds, the wind blowing softly.
"... and yesterday, the dream was even more real than ever. In fact, the knight turned towards me... I saw his face... it was you and..."
"The knight saw you," Saber said.
The Invincible Girl could not say a word but acquiesce, watching the Servant who also seemed quite shaken.
"So it wasn't just a dream?"
"No," confirmed Saber. "You visited me."
He stopped for a moment as if listening to an inaudible voice before shaking his head with annoyance.
"At least that explains why you called me whereas you didn't have a catalyst."
"Catalyst?" Pyrrha marveled.
Saber sighed both amused and desperate:
"Don't you know that too? I was really summoned by a... unique Master."
"Instead of making fun of me, if you could explain it to me!"
Pyrrha was a collected and composed individual, but... emotionally sensitive. She didn't appreciate mockery...
Saber raised his hands in an exaggerated act of surrender:
"You are right, Master; I should not laugh at that... I forgot that you did not choose to participate in the Grail War. The invocation of a Servant requires a magic circle and a ritual. Which ritual exists in two variants. Generally, the Masters use a catalyst, that is to say, an object that belonged to a Hero, or some sort of equivalent. This catalyst permitted the Hero's invocation. Otherwise, the Master can let the Grail choose his Servant. In this case, affinity plays a big role. My... counselor doesn't explain why we're so connected, but it's undeniable that he has such a connection between us."
Once again, Pyrrha was astonished:
"Your advisor?"
"Yes, part of my legend is having an advisor who helps me make the right decisions. Let's say it's part of my Noble Phantasm."
"Noble Phantasm?"
As Saber opened his mouth, Pyrrha anticipated his answer."Yes, I also don't know what the term means. I am not a Magus but a 'user of Magecraft', I have not received the full teaching of the Magi. My teacher said that I should not feel bound by the rules of the Magi and refused to teach me more than the basics... Above all, I think he thought that knowing too much would be more of a danger than a help."
Saber appeared in disbelief:
"Your teacher was Kiritsugu Emiya?"
"Yes."
"I think this is strange behavior for a Magus. Magi usually treat their students no better than competition horses. And as you know, the winning horses were treated well... the others..."
The Servant interrupted without finishing his sentence, but Pyrrha had understood the idea. Where did the horses come from that ended up in tartar steaks?
She shook her head:
"But you didn't answer me. What is a Noble Phantasm?"
Saber threw himself into a long explanation. A Servant was the incarnation of the legend of a Hero. This Hero could be a historical character, a mythological figure, a character from a tale, or even a fictional character from the pages of a book. The power of a Servant depended on several factors, in particular the strength he had during his lifetime, his fame after his death, but also the magical energy that his Master provided him.
Hence the interest of using a catalyst to invoke a demigod like Heracles rather than relying on the Grail which could very well attribute Tom thumb or Jimmy the Cricket to the Master (good luck!).
But all Servants had in common to have arrived at the status of Hero by accomplishing a high fact.
As they arrived at Riverside Park, a paved path surrounded by trees along the Mion River, Saber arrived at the heart of the subject:
"The Noble Phantasm is the embodiment of a Hero's deed. It is his ultimate asset, at the same time it is a double-edged sword. To use a Noble Phantasm one must call it by its name. The Noble Phantasm of Lancer is its red lance. When he used it against me, he called it by name to unleash all its power. But Gae Bolg is a famous weapon and it made me understand that the Lancer of this war was Cú Chulainn."
Pyrrha had listened to Saber without interrupting him once. She nodded in earnest:
"And your Noble Phantasm is this invisible sword?"
Saber smiled:
"Indeed, Pyrrha."
"Yet in my dream, you held a sword adorned with gold, I only vaguely remember its appearance but..."
Saber nodded:
"My sword is sealed. Let's say it lacks something to be complete... it's an aspect of my legend. In its present form, my sword is a C-Rank anti-personal Noble Phantasm".
"Is that sort of classification? What does that mean?"
"This means that it is a Noble Phantasm of average power and since it is a sword, it can only strike the opponent who stands before me. Some Noble Phantasm can destroy cities, summon armies, steeds, or bring the Servant back to life if he is killed... In fact, there is an infinite possibility."
"But if your sword is sealed by this... invisibility, you have not used its true strength during the fight against Lancer."
Saber's face became very serious:
"I am only a humble knight, but in order to accomplish my quest, I have been given a powerful weapon. However, so that I could not misuse it, several seals were affixed to my sword. Each of them can be lifted if circumstances permit."
Pyrrha understood that the Knight of the Silver Sky had to be truly valiant and faithful to a very strict code of honor for accepting such limitations. However, the curiosity of the Spartan Girl was not appeased:
"And what would it take to lift all the seals?"
"In my lifetime, it would have required a danger that threatens the kingdom I was defending. But it no longer exists... "
"So it's impossible," Pyrrha concludes.
Surprisingly, Saber shook his head:
"In the Grail War, nothing is impossible, unfortunately. Remember that the Grail is omnipotent. It is not impossible that a fat wish now could threaten the kingdom where I was born, or even prevent its birth. Worse still, a wish could threaten to destroy all human history: Past, present, and future. In other words, a wish could cause the end of the world!"
Fuyuki Bridge was a suspended bridge made of riveted steel and painted red located at the center of Fuyuki City bridging both Miyami Town and Shinto.
The center of the bridge deck was used for passing cars while on either side pedestrians could cross the river. However, even during the day, the crossing was not very popular among pedestrians. To pass from Miyami to Shinto people preferred to take the bus instead of walking for a good hour, especially in winter because an icy wind was blowing very strongly on the bridge.
Again on account of the revelations made by Saber, Pyrrha remained silent throughout the crossing. The Servant finally spoke again after they had touched the eastern shore:
"I have nothing against talking with you, Pyrrha, but it is time for you to learn the existence of the mental link between the Servant and the Master."
The young redhead gave him a curious look:
"What do you mean by 'mental link'?"
"It would be more correct to say a deep mental and spiritual bound. Ours has been around for years... you wouldn't have been able to visit me in a dream if we weren't bound to the level of the soul. Normally, this link appears after the Master summons the Servant, but in our case - although I don't know why - it preceded the summon. The Servants are Heroic Spirits, that is, Dead Heroes... like all true Heroes. Being dead, we have no place in this world. Our presence is an anomaly that the World and the Will of Humanity seek to erase. Nevertheless, the ritual allows us... let's say to anchor ourselves to the soul of the Master who invoked us. This is why the death of the Master causes the rapid disappearance of the Servant, 'erased' by the World. This soul-to-soul bond provides me with magical energy and allows me to exist, but it is coupled with a mental bond. Concentrate and look for that connection in you, Pyrrha. Then talk to me without moving your lips."
Pyrrha felt a bit silly looking for a "mental bond". But as she concentrated the Invincible Girl felt... how should I put it? As when one closes one's eyes and feels the heat of the sun, she felt the presence, the closeness, and even the direction of her Servant. Concentrating more she called with a thought:
[Saber?]
[I'm here, Pyrrha. This mental connection is very important. Thanks to it you can talk to me without being heard. It allows us to consult without being spied on. But it is also a way to contact me at a great distance. I don't know the exact limits, but at least we can talk to each other all over Fuyuki and probably far beyond.]
[This link also allows us to talk together, nice to meet you Pyrrha!]
The Amazon startled to hear another mental "voice". If Saber's voice was male, it was this time a female voice with soft and calm inflections but with a certain hardness underlying.
[Who are you?]
The answer was accompanied by a mental "laugh":
[Don't worry, I'm the advisor Saber was talking about earlier. Call me...let's say... Blaise. Yes, that'll be fine.]
[Blaise?]
[Present, hale, and hearty, what do you want? ~] singing the female voice.
Pyrrha turned around but wherever she looked, the redheaded Amazon saw only the tall glass towers and the modern buildings of Shinto. At this hour the streets wet with rain were empty.
[Where are you? ]
The mental laughter resounded louder:
[Far away from here...really far away from here, on the other side of the world. Therefore, I can only intervene to give you advice. My relationship with Saber is very different from yours. I'm a part of his Noble Phantasm. ]
[How did this happen?]
It was Saber who replied:
[The power of my sacred sword is sealed by thirteen seals. Each of them was posed by a knight belonging to the same knightly order as me. Each of these seals represents a condition: whether the fight is fair, whether the kingdom is threatened, whether I voluntarily use my sword etc... When I decide to resort to the power of my sword, I call the knights of my order. But it's actually Mer...I mean Blaise...who is in charge of contacting them to ask for the seals to be released. It's not mechanical. Each knight must decide as a matter of conscience to grant or refuse the release of the seal of which he is the guardian. ]
Blaise's mental voice continued:
[Unfortunately, Saber's knightly order sank into internal war and three of the knights became his enemies. Pyrrha, this means that there is little chance that they will accept their seals' release.]
Saber approved with a head movement but went on:
[Nevertheless, it is enough that only one of the knights agrees to lift the seal of which he is the guardian for my sword to become capable... of razing a fortress! This is a power you must use wisely, Master! ]
Center Building is the highest building in Fuyuki, four kilometers away from the bridge. It was a tall glass tower with smooth sides. Its summit was covered with technical installations: elevator motors, air extraction, and a helipad between four pillars decorated with red pulsating signal lights.
On the platform of the heliport, a tall man was standing, immune to the icy wind that slammed his red coat around him and shook his white hair. In contrast, his skin was tanned. His silver eyes were staring south of Shinto. He was particularly interested in a duo that went up the long winding street that ran along the forest and the cemetery of foreigners.
Archer focused on the mental bond that links him to his Master:
[Rin, I just spotted a Servant]
Leaning against a heating outlet that expelled hot air, Rin Tohsaka was falling asleep but the call instantly made him mental vivacity. She straightened herself, expelling a breath that condensed into white steam. Despite the thick red jacket that wrapped her and the orange sash around her neck, the young Magus shivered. Rubbing her arms with the palm of her hands, she climbed the iron stairs to join the Wrought Iron Hero.
[Is this the Servant who abducts children?! ]
Archer turned his head away so that his Master would not see his ironic smile. The Tohsaka Heiress considered herself a "real" Magus, tough as nail, cunning, manipulative... but fundamentally she was a caring person. Since the kidnappings had begun, she asks at least three times a day if he had seen anything. Archer sighed exaggeratedly:
"Master, whether it's them or not, we have a Servant and the Magus who invoked him heading for Kotomine Church."
"It's important! I'm the Second Owner. If a Magus abducts ordinary children, he risks exposing the Magecraft to commoners."
"Isn't it Kotomine's role to ensure that the Masters respect the rules of war?"
Rin crossed her arms on her chest and turned her head away with a pout:
"I don't trust this Fake Priest!"
The memories of his mortal life were vague, but Hero Emiya nodded involuntarily. He felt an instinctive disgust for Kirei Kotomine and the church where he officiated seemed... desecrated. Archer wouldn't enter voluntarily.
"A Servant and his Master heading for Kotomine Church? They will register! I suppose that means that the seventh Servant was invoked and the war really began." Rin's voice was dreamy: "Archer, could you attack them from here?"
Hero Emiya turned at his Master to smile sarcastically:
"The answer is in the question, right? The specialty of the Servant of the Bow is ranged attack!"
She rubbed her lips, her eyes half-closed:
"Wait. We see them, they don't see us, and it's an opportunity to learn something about our enemies."
Archer nodded without a word, resuming the observation of Servant Saber and Pyrrha Nikos. Although he shows nothing of it, he was relieved that the Saber of this Grail War was not Artoria. He has a soft spot for his romantic trysts from his younger day. He would have had a hard time shooting her.
He would make Rin win this war... After all, if he couldn't kill a certain childish "Hero of Justice" Archer could only fill his duty as a Servant.
The church was small and white, ordinary, almost insignificant. The building was separated from the street by a forecourt bordered by an iron gate. Despite the late hour, the entrance gate remained open. But as Pyrrha advanced on the small esplanade, Saber stopped:
"I'll wait for you here, Master."
The Spartan Girl looked at him with a surprise:
"I thought you would have followed me inside to protect me."
"Normally, you don't risk anything inside the church. This is a neutral territory where the Servants can't fight." He had a brief hesitation before adding: "And then, I do not want to meet the priest."
Saber's behavior was odd. Pyrrha still knew very little about the world where she had arrived. Nevertheless, it seemed to her that the knights were the armed arm of the church. That a knight refused to enter a church... no, she corrected, Saber refused to meet the priest. Did he know him? Impossible...he had just been invoked. She shook her head. It was perfectly absurd. As Saber's attitude clearly showed that he had no intention of saying any more, Pyrrha turned around and proceeded towards the two large wooden doors that gave access to the interior of the church.
The doors creaked but opened without resistance. Pyrrha discovered a very simple church... It looked more like a Protestant temple than a Catholic church. Two rows of benches were separated by the central aisle. The altar was framed on the left by the location of the choir and on the right by a harmonium. Strangely, there was no confessional (1).
The light came mainly from candles burning near the altar. The atmosphere was... strange. A church was to be a reassuring place, a warm place that brought peace.
Pyrrha was far from fearful and yet... her instinct was screaming to run away and never come back.
"Is there anyone there?"
Her voice rose scarcely higher than a whisper, but in the silence of the church, her words seemed to slam like gun's shots.
"Of course!"
Only the iron control that Pyrrha used to exert on herself saved her from startling. A man had just come out of a small door near the harmonium. But she had not seen him coming... without a sound, He had seemed to be born of the very substance of the shadows.
Although Japanese, the man was taller than her, measuring just less than two meters. Athletic, he was thin with messy black hair. He was definitively a priest wearing a dark cassock with a golden cross around the neck. Yet, the Invincible Girl barely paid attention to these details. She really noticed only two things, first the precision and the absolute silence of his movements. Only some Huntsmen veterans moved with such energy savings. Then the priest's eyes were... empty. There was no hatred, no joy, and no anger. As if they had never mirrored any emotion.
"I am Kirei Ktomine, the humble priest of this parish. The house of God is never closed... however; you must have some compelling reason to come at this late hour. Do you need my spiritual help?"
"Are you the supervisor of the Grail War?"
A thin smile appeared on Kirei's lips, crossing his arms behind his back, he turned to face her with sudden interest:
"I see... shall I welcome the Seventh Master, who has come to seek the guidance of the Church?"
Uncomfortable Pyrrha merely nodded her head.
"Well... what's your name, Master of Saber?"
"Pyrrha Nikos... I should say Pyrrha Emiya."
For the first time, Kirei showed a true emotion... surprise:
"Emiya!"
The smile that had disappeared from his lips reappeared. This time it was not a social reflex, but a real smile reflecting a sincere joy.
"Emiya" he repeated. "I see... "
Wary, Pyrrha waited for the priest to explain himself, but the question he asked was not at all the one she expected:
"Tell me, Pyrrha Emiya, are you one of the children who were orphaned by Fuyuki's fire?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with the Grail War?"
It was a trick question that the red-haired Amazon had posed in an innocent tone because she had to pay attention to her own reactions not to betray her interest.
"Oh... this has a there is an important link... But I was mainly asking because the church ran an orphanage that closed its doors a few years ago. I was in charge. You're the only orphan ever adopted, but you found a new family before you were even brought here. So I've never had the opportunity to meet with you. I'm glad that's been corrected. If the opportunity arises, I would be delighted to introduce you to the other orphans."
The proposal was accompanied by a half-smile that made Pyrrha uncomfortable:
"I thank you, but you didn't answer me. What is the link between the fire and the Grail War?"
"It turns out that the fire was caused by the last Grail War. You see..."
"The Last Grail War?" cut Pyrrha," isn't that the first?"
Kirei Ktomine made a vague hand gesture:
"This is the fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War. On average these clashes occur every sixty years, but the last war took place only ten years ago. This is the shortest iteration between two of these conflicts."
"What the hell happened?"
"You mean the fire?" asked Kirei, as she was shaking her head painfully, he smiled: "I know this conflict well because I took part in it. I was the first Master eliminated, my father -who at the time was the supervisor- welcomed me into this church. So I witnessed the aftermath of the Fourth Grail War under his protection..."
While listening to the priest, Pyrrha refrained from sighing. She had lost count of the number of absurdities in the organization of the Grail War. Not only a priest participated in a Magi's ritual (heresy!) but in addition, the said ritual was supervised by the Church (theoretically the sworn enemy of the Magi). Icing on the cake, the priest-Master was the son of the referee of the conflict... And no one wondered if the Church was really impartial? But Pyrrha tried to banish these parasitic thoughts from her mind because Kotomine continued to speak and she risked losing track of his explanations:
"... Still, a man unworthy of touching the Grail reached the Holy Vessel when it materialized and made a wish. I don't know what he wished for, but a wave of black mud came out of the Sacred Cup... and everything that the mud touched caught fire. More than five hundred people died that night."
"An unworthy person?" But..." the Invincible Girl stopped to put her ideas in order. "Wait, if I remember correctly, the Grail is the cup in which Christ, the messiah of Christianity, drank at his last meal. It was later used to contain his blood. It is one of the most important sacred objects of the Church and Christ would have died to redeem the sins of humanity. Am I wrong?"
Kirei again had one of his half-smiles that exasperated the Spartan Girl:
"This is indeed what is taught in the catechism."
"So if the Grail of Fuyuki is authentic, why can it fulfill the wishes of unworthy people?"
"The Fuyuki's Grail is authentic" countered Kirei "The proof is that he can invoke a Hero. It is an impossible miracle for mere mortals. The wish provided by the Grail is another proof."
"This does not explain why the Grail accepts the wish of an unworthy person."
"I cannot speak for my God, I am only a humble priest... but the fact is there. The Grail delivers two wishes, one for the Master, the other for the Servant. Only the duo formed by the Servant and the winning Master will be able to obtain their wish. The Marks of Command you have received is the sign that God has judged you worthy of this sacred trial. If you fear that a man unworthy of holding the Miracle Cup will win this event, you have no choice but to participate and win, Pyrrha Emiya. Of course, if you're a coward, you can take refuge in my church. Even though - so- you prove unworthy of this Divine test, my oath as supervisor will oblige me to protect you."
The contemptuous tone of Kirei Kotomine was irritating, but the Amazon was not so easy to manipulate and was well aware that the priest was trying to push her to participate in the Grail War. But why?
Kirei seemed to read her mind because his smile became even more ironic:
"There's one last thing you need to know before you make your decision, Master Emiya. I told you that an unworthy hand touched the Grail... On the last day of the Fourth Grail War, only the Masters of Saber and Archer were still fighting. It is the Master of Saber who obtained the wish of the Grail. The Master of Saber was called... Kiritsugu Emiya. "
The Invincible Girl swallows violently, feeling her eyes getting wet. As her heart beat furiously in the cage of her chest, she remembered her first encounter with Kiritsugu... The man was in tears, weeping for the joy of having saved her, clearly suffering from post-traumatic disorders.
"So Pyrrha Emiya, are you participating in the Holy Grail War?"
She tried to regain her composure, furious that Kirei had managed to manipulate her even though she had become aware of his maneuvering. Unfortunately, she didn't really have a choice under these circumstances:
"I have no interest in the Grail's wish. But I refuse to let the tragedy that ended the Fourth Grail War repeat again."
Kirei Kotomine spread his arms wide before declaiming in a loud voice:
"Then I declare that the Fifth Grail War has begun. Let the Servants fight until there remains only the one who is worthy to hold the Holy Cup in his hands."
Still, under the influence of violent emotions, Pyrrha greeted the priest and went to the door of the Church. But while her hands were already on the door, she suddenly turned around...
Kotomine Kirei stood two steps behind her. She had not heard him follow her... in the darkness his presence was colossal. He smiled... the smile was nothing intimidating, quite the contrary, but without explainable reason, it terrified the young Amazon:
"Rejoice, Pyrrha Emiya. This is your chance to repay your adoptive father's blood debt."
He turned back without adding a word, but Pyrrha appealed to all her courage not to run away.
Saber listened silently to Pyrrha recounting her encounter with Kirei Kotomine. The young woman was angry:
"... how could such a dangerous and uncontrollable ritual have been created? The rules are absurd, contradictory, and there are huge loopholes. In fact, participants can do just about anything without violating the so-called 'rules' ".
Saber agreed with a nod and went even further:
"That's why it's called the 'Holy Grail War'!"
As Pyrrha looked at Saber with a lack of understanding, the knight had a sad smile:
"If there really were rules, we would call it a 'tournament' or a 'joust'. And then, for starters, if the goal was to organize duels between men of honor... there wouldn't be a class called 'Assassin'. No, all blows are allowed. Do you know the only rule of war? The stronger have the right to do what he wants to the weaker."
There were several minutes of silence, as they reflected on what they had learned. Finally, Pyrrha sighed and reached out to her Servant:
"Saber, I want to participate in this war. I have no wish... except to avoid more innocent deaths. Will you help me?"
The blond knight looked at Pyrrha's hand, then her face. He seemed taken by surprise.
"Saber?"
"Oh yes, of course..." He took her hand and shook it. "But I had already accepted to fight for you at the time I was summoned."
Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders with irritation:
"Since the beginning, I dislike this story of 'Master' and 'Servant'! If we have to form a team, we must fight as a team, as partners who help each other, not as a dog held on a leash and its owner."
Saber smiled... and Pyrrha's heart missed a beat. She had never thought that her Servant could have such a warm smile:
"I really have a special Master but... I'm very happy about it."
The Spartan Girl made heroic efforts to mask her trouble... she felt her cheeks were burning... it was embarrassing... But an internal voice whispered derisively to her that Illya was actually right. She had invoked the most beautiful "Bishounen" (2) of Shoujou's manga, the number-one "capture target" of otome male-harem games. It was ridiculous... Who would imagine a tall red-haired Amazon in armor as a fairy tale princess?!
Fortunately, Saber has a more worrying problem than the matters of the heart of his summoner:
"Master... normally I should reveal my real name to you. However, you are not a true Magus. You don't know how to defend yourself against hypnosis or interception of thought. Another Master would have no trouble to learn from you who I am if I told you."
Pyrrha took a moment to think about it:
"And that would make you vulnerable. Yes, that makes perfect sense to me, Saber. I'll let you decide when to use your Noble Phantasm."
Once again the knight was surprised by her reply. But this time he recovered more quickly:
"I really have a unique Master, most Magi would feel insulted."
"Like you say, I'm not a Magus."
Saber questioned:
"Yes, now I understand... But then what are you?"
Pyrrha Nikos did not have to think to answer:
"I'm a Huntress. I hunt monsters born in the darkness to kill the innocent. It is the most beautiful vocation."
Kirei Kotomine went up the aisle between the prayer benches. His eyes fixed on the altar, he smiled.
On his right, a whirlpool of bluish particles gave shape to a tall man. Dressed in a relaxed manner, he wore tinted glasses and a white jacket with a faux fur collar. He was slumped on the prayer bench as if it were a sofa. His mocking smile was infuriating:
"I see there's someone happy here."
Kirei laughs softly:
"After ten years of boredom, I will be able to savor humanity in what is most noble. Nothing is more exciting, more remarkable, and more magnificent than the efforts of men at the gates of death. And then..."
"And then?" insisted the Servant.
Kirie turned around:
"My king, I believe I could not hope for a greater gift than the participation of Emiya's adopted daughter. Kiritsugu... the only man who ever defeated me... and worse spared me. I would never forgive this humiliation."
The false priest held out his hands before him, his fingers trembled with excitement:
"This Pyrrha is very interesting, it's a unique dish. I hope she will defeat all the other Servants and invoke the Grail... I would like to see her despair when you appear my king, and you will ruin all her hopes! "
With eyes too bright, Kirei burst out of demented laughter to which the Servant echoed:
"Like ants attracted by a few sugars, and for our own entertainment, the insignificant mortals and these pathetic 'Heroes' have gathered together and are infighting for this Poisoned Chalice... But as ants, they shall perish under the sole king's boot. All the treasures of the world are mine and only I can give them permission to drink and drown at this cup filled with All the World Evil!"
All the pieces were now on the board, the game could begin, for better or ill... especially the worst...
(1) A Catholic church must have a confessional since confession is a duty of the believer. Moreover, if you are attentive to small details, the church of Fate/ Extra has a confessional. Anyway, the Catholic religion in Fate is weird... after all, there are even women priests or married priests with children.
(2) Literally, "handsome young man", the princes of the shoujou mangas before which young girl are in adoration.
Happy New Year!