Guest 1: Yes Paracelsus' Noble Phantasm is like a very big gun. He is (after all) the most powerful historical Caster-class Servant.
Taiga is a very funny character and a strange one!
Thank you for your review.
Guest 2: Thank you!
Guest 3: I'm not going to make any revelations about the next chapters... of course. But... let's just say that the fans of the Fate saga (and of RWBY, in the case of Pyrrha) must well suspect that if things turn wrong in Fuyuki, some Masters and Servants will quickly forget the Grail War and focus on stopping Angra Mainyu before he annihilates humanity.
Author Note: Since the beginning of Invincible Girl Return, I have tried to create a story as original as possible, even if most of the characters and places are those of Fate Stay Night. The original differences were enough to explain that things happen differently. After all, the protagonists adapt to changing situations. However, you will notice that Shinji Matou's plan is exactly the same as in Fate. Shinji is arrogant, selfish, and egocentric, he doesn't care about others, their plans, their actions... so he continues to behave like... Shinji Matou.
Blood Ritual
Life is the only teacher who makes you take an exam before giving you the lesson to learn.
Paul-Jean Herault (French writer)
In front of the entrance gate of the Homurahara Academy, as every morning, the students gathered together. The weather was fine and, despite the cold wind that passed through the streets, they enjoyed meeting and talking together. Many were commenting on the strange events of the last three days. Despite the efforts of journalists to reassure more than to inform, it became clear to all that the murders, the abductions of children, and all these "accidents" took place only at night. As if, after the sun disappeared, Fuyuki turned into one of those mysterious places that manga and anime talked about... It made the most rational laugh.
But extra scholar activities such as clubs had suspended their activities until further notice, and students were encouraged to return directly to their homes after classes.
Rin Tohsaka could not help but listen to the conversations. Arms crossed, leaning against the gate, She displayed an impatient and irritable look unusual for "Miss Perfect", the School Idol. In any case, if the goal was to keep away the members of his fan club, it was very successful.
Boys and girls looked at her briefly, discovered her bad mood... and decided not to speak to her before making a wide detour to enter Homurahara Academy without approaching her.
[I thought that the role of Kirei Kotomine, as the referee of this Grail War, was to control the leak of information to calm the turmoil of the population. It looks like he's not even trying. The reporters seem to have been hypnotized...] Archer took a short break [Well, that's probably the case. But if they want to keep repeating such unreliable explanations, they should at least be convincing rather than spouting nonsense. I think there are questions about Kotomine's abilities as a supervisor.]
Rin watched as the students continued to climb the house-lined hill. Some were on foot, others on bicycles. They greeted each other when they met... Her gaze went from one to the other, in search of a flamboyant red hair's girl. With a sigh, she replied to Archer through their mental bond:
[This Fake Priest... I can imagine him looking at the current chaos with a sardonic smile. Nothing bothers him more than ordinary life. I think he must like the current situation.]
Kirei had taken over from his father, both as a priest of the city and as a supervisor, after Risei Kotomine was assassinated by a Master during the Fourth Grail War.
But why did the Church choose him for this role? Rin did not understand. Although ordained a priest, Kirei had been a pupil of Tokiomi Tohsaka, her own father and a Master during the previous Grail War. Kirei was, therefore, a Magus, therefore a heretic... more with his links with her family, as with the Clocktower, one could doubt his neutrality.
What made even less sense was that the Church was not content to tolerate the heresy of Kirei... he had been trained by Tokiomi by order of the Church, so that he could participate in the previous war!
But both the Church and the Clocktower had spent centuries twisting into tangles of complicated intrigues. The decisions these organizations made were often absurd because they were the result of compromises between supporters of the various influential factions fighting within these institutions.
For centuries, the Church had forced the Magi to live in anonymity. In fact, this explains why the Einsbern and the Makiri chose Fuyuki as the place of invocation of the Grail. At the time, Japan was both a distant and pagan country, where the influence of the Church was still weak.
Subsequently, the situation had calmed down a little with the disappearance of the inquisition and the French revolution which had broken the political power of the Church.
To the point that the Church had become the arbiter of the Fuyuki ritual.
Of course, the Church pretended to act out of the goodness of the soul, wanting to prevent the Magi from killing each other... Rin had a mocking smile, that is yes, and the Church had burned the heretics for centuries for their own good. This was the strength of the Church's love for the Magi! This obviously had nothing to do with the power to influence the Grail War and to win the Magus of their choice.
Perhaps the absurdity of the situation explained why Kirei Kotomine was free to do things as he saw fit. As an "official" heretic, he was the only person in Fuyuki who could communicate with both the Vatican hierarchy and the Magi of London. So he could tell them what he wanted. In the absence of other direct links between the two institutions, and of the state of Cold War between the Magi and the Church, the Enforcer of the Clocktower and the Assembly of the Height Sacrament could not investigate or intervene directly in Fuyuki... at least not without risking a clash!
Rin began to walk around the perimeter in front of the gate. She was beginning to feel really nervous. The students had almost all arrived and classes began in a quarter of an hour, as the doors closed five minutes before the start of the classes. Pyrrha only had ten minutes left.
Perhaps she had entered through the other gate? Or had she decided not to show up at school until the end of the Grail War?
[You are so agitated that one might think you are waiting for Pyrrha Emiya to ask her out...] said Archer in a teasing tone.
After what happened yesterday in an alley downtown... and Saber's conclusion... Rin shuddered and pressed her hands on her chest, suddenly blushing:
[Baka! Don't say unnecessary things! ]
There was a mocking sniffer, and Rin Toksaka could perfectly imagine Archer spreading his arms in a nonchalant gesture, making a ironic smirk to her:
[I'm just saying that Issei Ryuudou looks at you in a strange way and he must have an idea like that in mind.]
The Red Devil threw a quick peek in the direction of the portal, the president of the student council stood there every morning to check the dress of the students before allowing them to enter Homurahara Academy. Her "intimate enemy" did not let go of her gaze, but his falsely neutral attitude did not allow her to realize what he thought.
But Rin shrugged her shoulders, she would worry about it later. Her immediate concerns were more important... Then she had an evil smile. And if Issei ever made inappropriate remarks to her... she'd be happy to rewrite his memory through hypnosis.
Without reason, Issei Ryuudou had a thrill that spread from his neck to the bottom of his kidneys. He threw a quick glance to Tohsaka. He was certain it was the devil's fault. Everyone was in adoration in front of her because she was beautiful, a good pupil, and very polite. But Issei knew she was a she-wolf who had entered the sheepfold dressed in sheepskin. His training as a Buddhist monk allowed him to see beyond appearances. Tohsaka was a witch! And he also understood that Tohsaka knew that he had not been taken in her little charade... and that it amused her to play with him.
Normally, Pyrrha would go to school alone. But this time, she would walk beside Sakura. As extracurricular activities were suspended, the purple-haired girl no longer needed to leave early to participate in archery club training.
In fact, they had been followed from afar by Saber. The Servant escorted the Invincible Girl to Homurahara Academy. Until evening, he would remain in the forest ready to intervene if danger threatened her. He carried with him a bag containing Miló, Akoúo, and her armor. In the event of a problem, she would have her weapons almost as fast as with a cabinet mounted on a rocket... and in a much more discreet manner.
Deep in her thoughts, Pyrrha Nikos suddenly realized that Sakura had stopped speaking and that she had slowed down. Mechanically, the redhead looked around them, seeking to identify what might be bothering her friend. And Pyrrha saw Rin Tohsaka waiting for her, a friendly smile (a bit forced) on her lips.
[Oh oh] murmured Merlin's mental voice.
The Archer Master seemed to want to talk to him, given the chaotic and absurd way in which it had unfolded their previous "conversation", Pyrrha felt both amused and uncomfortable.
But Rin's first words were not intended for her. With a forced smile, the young Magus turned to Sakura:
"Ohayô-gozaimasu (good morning) Matou-san. Would you excuse me, I need to talk to Emiya-san."
Inexplicably, Sakura stiffened herself and replied with certain coldness:
"Ohayô-gozaimasu, Tohsaka-san. I'm afraid we don't have time to discuss, the doors are about to close."
Rin's smile waved briefly:
"I'll only hold her for a moment."
As Sakura did not seem to want to give in, Pyrrha intervened:
"Sakura, hurry to come in, you'll be late. Tohsaka-san and I have our classes on the same floor." Then she turned to Archer's Master, showing her her command mark in an almost natural gesture: "We can talk while walking, Tohsaka-san."
Rin's smile was more natural:
"Aligatô-gozaimasu (thank you), Emiya-san."
With one last suspicious look in Rin Tohsaka's direction, Sakura bowed and stepped away. The whole scene had left an unpleasant impression on Pyrrha, she felt that Rin and Sakura had had a conversation on two levels... and that she had only grasped the first one. However, the twintail Magus had seemed... jealous. As for the adorable girl with purple hair, she had shown anger and distrust. Pyrrha had just discovered that the two girls must have a history in common that she had never heard of before. In fact... the Spartan Girl frowned... In fact, Sakura and Rin had always conscientiously ignored each other.
[But... what is it... Oh?]
Merlin's mental voice resonated surprise, then worry. Pyrrha winced and stopped for a moment as she crossed the entrance gate. Without realizing that Rin Tohsaka had noticed her reaction and narrowed her eyes with an enigmatic half-smile.
[Merlin?]
[Later, take care of Archer's Master.]
The Amazon girl forced herself to hide her anxiety, crossing the courtyard towards the main building, Rin walking beside her. Taking advantage that no one was close enough to hear what they could say to each other, the Red Devil whispered a few words:
"First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened on Saturday. My Servant had attacked yours... I never tried to hurt you. As much as possible, I'd like to avoid killing the Masters."
Pyrrha shook her head:
"You don't have to apologize. Maybe I should even apologize. My Servant thinks I acted impetuously and risked my life... but I don't agree. I am alive and so is he because I intervened."
Rin Tohsaka seemed surprised for a moment but gave up her questions. She didn't have much time to say what she really had to say:
"I would also like to apologize for yesterday... my gesture was misunderstood and...
Pyrrha interrupts her:
"Do not do that, Tohsaka-san, you were just surprised that my wounds closed so quickly. Excuse my servant's reaction instead. Let's say his vision of women and how they should behave is medieval... literally. He would probably want to lock me up in the tallest tower of a castle, so I could give the wool and hankering after the return of my young knight in shining armor."
Merlin burst out laughing:
[Well said!]
Rin smiles... her first real smile.
"I see... I have another reason to want to talk to you, but it's very important and it deserves a real discussion. Emiya-san, could you join me on the roof during the lunch break?"
"Okay, Tohsaka-san, I'll be there."
Pyrrha let Archer's Master get ahead and focused:
[Merlin, what happened at the entrance?]
The magician answered immediately:
[Homurahara Academy is surrounded by a Bounded Field. It is a rather crude construction, and I am surprised that you did not feel it because its creator took no care to hide it.]
[I'm afraid I have little sensitivity for this kind of Magecraft. Tell me about this Bounded Field, it's the work of a Magus? ]
[No, rather a Servant. It took far too much mana for this to be the work of a contemporary Magus.]
She took a moment to think, then:
[So, this Bounded Field is a rough but very powerful work that any Magus is capable of feeling... What do you infer from that?]
[Well, maybe it's the work of a very arrogant individual who believes no one can beat him, or maybe it's the work of a perfect amateur who knows nothing about Magecraft.]
[Merlin, are you talking about the Master or the Servant?]
The magician will sigh:
[The Master, in the end, is the one who makes the decisions.]
The Amazon Girl agreed, she came to the same conclusion as Merlin.
[And what does this Bounded Field do?]
[When it is finished, it will become... a stomach. All trapped inside the Bonded Field will be digested alive and their energy will feed the Servant who created this abomination. ]
The morning passed with infinite slowness. Ten minutes passed like an hour and Pyrrha could hardly concentrate on the classes.
Finally, the noon break rang and the Invincible Girl climbed the stairs leading to the roof. The top of the main building was a space bounded by fences that prevented one from falling. It was a popular spot for the lunch break. There were then many students who came to take their bento... at least when time permitted.
When Pyrrha pushed the door to the top of the steps, the wind rushed in whistling, swirling her skirt around her legs and freezing her instantly.
Oddly, the place wasn't as popular in February...
Rin Tohsaka had preceded her. She held the fence with one hand and looked at the hills, showing her back. But she was not alone... Pyrrha Nikos frowned after seeing Shinji Matou, Sakura's elder brother.
The Spartan Girl was at the other end of the roof and could only hear a few bits of the conversation. However, the gestures of Shinji were enough to annoy her. It must be said that he seemed to take pleasure to parade like a terrible cartoon villain, passing a hand in the hair acting superior, he swaggers around like a young rooster. He had this little, contemptuous smile that always made Pyrrha want to hit him. And with his free hand, he seemed to knead the bread... he was perfectly ridiculous and caught-up in his own little world Shinji did not notice it.
Rin turned around, smiling. But this smile sounded an alarm in Pyrrha's brain. It was not, absolutely not, a warm smile. it even had something evil. Rin seemed to weigh Shinji with her half-closed eyes.
But the heir of the Matou did not pay attention to Rin's change of attitude, he continued to wander...
The next moment, Shinji was on the floor, sitting on his buttocks and touching his bruised chin.
Rin Tohsaka punched him in the face!
The Invincible Girl appreciated. First because of what the Tohsaka heiress had done what she had dreamed of doing for a long time, but also because Rin had to practice martial art. Her movements were fluid and fast, carried out perfectly, it betrayed hours of training with a good teacher. Merlin was of the same opinion:
[The modern Magi seem to have learned to fight hand to hand, probably a way to make up for their lack of power.]
Shinji rose with a furious expression:
"You will regret it Tohsaka, you should have allied with me!"
Rin's gaze became contemptuous:
"If I were to ally myself with someone, I would choose someone I could trust. Not someone who wants to send me to fight his opponents by remaining afraid behind!"
Sakura's brother turned pale with rage:
"All right, but you'll come back and beg me to help you defeat Caster!"
"If the last descendant of a Magi family who fell as low as yours could find Caster, I could do it too."
Merlin intervened:
[Arthur, Shinji is the Matou's Master.]
The Spartan Girl acquiesced mechanically, happy that Sakura is no longer the object of Saber's distrust.
Arthur replied:
[I am in the forest, nearby, but I do not see you, Merlin describes the situation to me.]
Shinji finally discovered Pyrrha remained near the door. He turned even paler and pinched his lips. After one last furious look in the direction of Rin Tohsaka, who had folded her arms and stared ostensibly into the void, he left the roof keeping just enough dignity not to run. As he passed by her, the redhead took a step aside to avoid being rushed.
When Pyrrha Nikos turned to the Magus, she discovered that her attitude had changed again. Rin smiled at her in a friendly manner.
"Why did you want to see me, Tohsaka-san?"
"Do you know about the Bounded Field around the school, Pyrrha-san?"
Pyrrha nodded:
"I only discovered it this morning when I crossed it. But maybe you don't believe me."
Rin passed an arm on her belly and raised a finger like a teacher:
"On the contrary, you are the only Master who cannot have created this Bounded Field. First of all, because your Servant is the last one to be summoned and this Bounded Field has probably been around longer. Second, because a Noble Phantasm of this kind does not really fit with a Saber-class Servant. And finally, I doubt you could have faked the surprise you felt when you walked inside Bounded Field this morning.
Of course, Pyrrha had been surprised by Merlin's reaction, but the analysis was just enough to impress the teen redhead. However...
"And what proves to me that it wasn't you who created this Bounded Field?"
Rin did not seem surprised or angry to be accused. On the contrary, she nodded and smiled:
"I wanted to ask you to help me neutralize the Bounded Field. I can offer no better proof of my innocence."
"And how can we neutralize this Magecraft?"
Archer's Master closed one eye and rubbed her chin:
"In fact, the Servant who created this trap drew a sigil inside Homurahara Academy. It is invisible and cannot be erased... however, it creates replicas of itself, also hidden by a Magecraft that makes them invisible. Within five to six days, there will be enough of these sigils to trigger the Bounded Field effect, and all students and teachers will be... dissolved. Nevertheless, the replicas of the original sigil can be destroyed. It is, therefore, possible to delay indefinitely the completion of the Bounded Field. A Magus can sense the sigils, provided he is close by."
Pyrrha said:
"And two Magi will do it easier than one... but why me?"
"You and Saber intervened against Caster Master's agents who abducted the children. And you are also a student of Homurahara Academy. You must be concerned."
Pyrrha focused on her mental bond:
[Merlin, can you feel these so-called sigils?]
[Yes, there is one about ten feet from you on the right... I told you, this camouflage job is lousy.]
The invincible Girl stretched out her finger and repeated what the magician had just said. But Rin reacted with slight disbelief:
"It is impossible to detect these circles without concentrating, especially several meters from..."
While speaking, she had moved towards the place that the Amazon Girl had designated and she interrupted with a stunned expression. She knelt down and laid a hand on the concrete. There was a trembling. When Tohsaka removed her hand, there was a red circle with a bizarre sign and unknown sinuous writing. Rin turned to Pyrrha:
"I can't believe it! You must have a gift for this."
Uncomfortable, the Invincible Girl shook her head:
"It was my Servant who discovered it." Then without giving her time to think more, she asked." And you can destroy the sigil?"
Rin smiles:
"Easily, who do you think I am?"
Archer's Master laid her hand on the red circle:
"Abzug Bedienung... Mittelstand."
The seal radiated before disappearing.
Pyrrha said:
"I suppose that in order to finally defeat this Bounded Field, we will have to defeat the Servant who created it. If the original Sigil is inside Homurahara Academy, then the Master is a student or a teacher and apart from us... we already know a Master."
"Shinji?" murmured Rin, unbelieving.
The readhead had a pensive expression:
"I think it's a fluke that three of the Masters are in this school. So a fourth... Anyway, it's not difficult to check. If Shinji is the Master we're looking for then I know for sure where the original sigil is."
She went up the stairs, followed by Rin, quite surprised:
"Where are we going?"
"Shinji is the vice-captain of the archery club. He spends a lot of time there alone."
The archery club was a brown wooden floor room with a coffered ceiling. It was open to the outside on one side. Beyond a strip of grass, targets lined up against the courtyard wall.
Rin was facing the big wall in the back. When touching the wall, she revealed a large red circle with a complex sign that resembled both a blood spot and a knot of intertwined snakes. The strange signs, this inhuman writing, completely surrounded the scarlet ring around the seal.
Tohsaka retreated and shook her head with astonishment:
"Then it is Shinji."
"Yes, and you just knocked and mocked, in front of a witness, a Master who controls a way to kill everyone in the school."
A series of emotions quickly passed over Rin Tohsaka's face, finally, it was anger that prevailed. With her fists clenched, she slammed her heel on the ground:
"Crap! I screw it again!"
Merlin chortled:
[The beautiful, clever, and perfect schoolgirl idol is secretly an airhead.]
Pyrrha did not let Rin indulge in self-pity:
"After the classes are over, we'll delete any blood circle we can find."
With the cancellation of the clubs, most of the students left Homurahara Academy at the end of the classes. In the scarlet light of the end of the day, Rin and Pyrrha walked the corridors without meeting anyone and hearing little noise.
The teachers had gathered in their room and there were no other students left. Fortunately... Rin probably never would have recovered from the humiliation if she'd been caught in the boys' bathroom. The Invincible Girl had a short smile to that memory...
A female cry expressing fear and surprise resounded and stopped immediately.
Rin and Pyrrha looked at each other.
"It comes from the first floor," says the Magus.
"Let's go! Someone is in danger!" replied Pyrrha.
The two teens began to run down the stairs at full speed. Feeling the wind that made their hair dance, they turned to the emergency exit that was open. Just ahead, lying on the ground, they discovered a girl wearing the school uniform.
Pyrrha was the first to kneel, putting a finger on the girl's throat. She sighed with relief:
"The heart beats and she breathes, she must only faint."
But Rin's expression was frigid:
"Can't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"Her soul... her soul has been devoured. She is going to die! There is nothing left inside that can keep her alive."
[Rin Tohsaka is right] intervened Merlin. [It is the work of a Servant!]
Pyrrha was so surprised that she answered out loud:
"A Servant?"
Believing that the remark was addressed to her, the Magus nodded and knelt down in turn. With one hand, she turned the victim's face and jolted:
"Ayako!"
Pyrrha frowned and took a moment to recognize the student, Ayako Mitsuzuri. A sporty girl who was part of the archery club and... she turned to Tohsaka... Rin's best friend. The latter had a furious expression.
[Yes, it is the work of a Servant. The Servants are purely spiritual beings, spirits, they feed on souls.] Merlin insisted.
The Invincible Girl swallowed with a chill... so even Saber could... she refused to finish that thought.
"Is there anything you can do, Rin-san?"
The Magus nodded her head and pulled a purse out of the inside pocket of her uniform jacket. She poured the contents into her hand and Pyrrha was dazzled by the precious stones she saw. A dozen gems, sapphires, emeralds and rubies, the ransom of a king...
This interested the demi-succubus:
[Like I suspected, and like all Tohsaka's Magi, your friend practices the jewel Magecraft.]
One hand on Ayako's forehead, holding in the other the precious stones that had become luminous, Rin had closed her eyes for a better concentration. Fascinated by the spectacle, Pyrrha had forgotten the open door... and the presence of an enemy Servant lurking in the immediate vicinity.
A sudden sensation of danger forced her to turn around, just in time to see a chain finished with a nail-like dagger flying towards her face. By reflex, she raised her arms to protect herself... but the dagger did not touch her. There was a metal clash. Surprised, the Spartan Girl discovered in front of her the muscular back of a tall man with white hair. He was dressed in a kind of red coat. And in his hands, he held a pair of Chinese swords, one white, the other black, but apart from that almost identical. The Servant turned to Rin and Pyrrha saw that his has stunning silver eyes, like Ruby's ones and his skin was tanned:
"Master, stay here, I'll take the enemy."
"Come back soon, Archer."
The Wrought Iron Hero makes a smirk:
"That depends a lot on my new dance partner."
The next moment, the Servant Archer leaped forward, running bent in half.
Pyrrha had assisted the whole scene without moving. It all happened so fast... She shook herself:
[Saber! Come quickly!]
[I'm already on my way, Merlin warned me.]