A/N: Yup, this is the best that I can do for now after those months of waiting. I really can't force myself to push my creativity even further as my mind cannot cook up any ideas as of this time. I deeply apologize in advance if you think that this chapter lacks some luster. T.T
I have now finished two anime series, yet I can't find a suitable instrument for my thesis. For details and suggestions, whether it's my thesis or fanfiction, you may send me a private message. That would be greatly appreciated.
Hope you can enjoy my chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Credits go to Gen Urobuchi, Nitro+ and TYPE – MOON for Fate/Zero, and Hiroshi Shiibashi for Nurarihyon no Mago.
Chapter 21: Invitation towards Enlightenment
After his teacher Tohsaka Tokiomi gave out his last order in preparation for the second stage, the priest Kotomine Kirei felt relieved at the fact that he is released from his obligations as both a second seer and a Master of the Grail War. Now he doesn't have to bother at the question that Archer has thrown his way.
But just like any other smooth sailing situations, there has to be a catch. But why is he still inquiring about it in the first place? Has he now eaten a forbidden fruit that is called "interest"? Is this the "pleasure" that Archer is talking about?
No, that is impossible. He is a priest. He firmly believed that pleasure is a sin that must be purged. He must cleanse himself of all that is impure so that only purity will remain. But then, an empty vessel can be easily filled with anything, and so thousands of questions swarmed his mind once again.
He then remembered the time when he and Claudia got married, all for the purpose of answering his questions on life and humanity's existence. Before long, they had a child, and their child is named Caren. But still, Kirei felt there is still something missing in his life.
Meanwhile his wife Claudia believed in her husband that he loves her, and that he can properly show it. So she took her own life, all for the sake of letting her husband feel love.
As soon as she saw Kirei's tears flowing for her, she is now in utter bliss as she dies. But she did not realize one thing.
She has overlooked the real reason why Kirei cried for her.
In addition to all of the questions in his mind, that event raised another question that is buried long ago. And that is not related to his love for his wife.
His solitude of his former relief will soon be broken down as he saw the golden mist that appears right in front of him.
The golden water now appeared from the table, and out of the golden water appeared what seems to be a chess board filled with chess pieces, only that the chess pieces are the figureheads of the seven designations of the Servants, pawns which signify the insignificant Masters and a centerpiece of what seems to be the Holy Grail.
Standing opposite of those Servants and the Grail, however, is a silver pawn and a silver bust of an elderly man in a hood. Something tells him that he should not be bothered by it, but at the same time he feels that this man should pique his interest.
As he saw that smile from the Servant, he muttered the first words that came into his mind. He can call that action a pitiful slip of the tongue since he did not wished to be bothered, yet for some reason, a part of his consciousness is intent on knowing what made that Servant happy.
"It seems that you are in a good mood today, Archer."
This is how their conversation started.
And out of that conversation, the impossible thing happened casually. And yet he could not believe it.
He absolutely could not believe the convolutedness of the Holy Grail.
It is impossible for him, yet it happened.
His Command Seals, formerly gone, reappeared in his hand after the conversation with Archer. He can only curse himself for this miserable fate. He considered himself to be relieved of his duty, but after the meaningless conversation with Archer, it seems that the load is once again threatening to slug his shoulders.
If he can consider it to be meaningless.
For one, it gave him a chance to face Emiya Kiritsugu. He has another opportunity to face the man that he is most concerned with in the war. He felt that they are the same, but at the same time he felt that they are both different.
How Archer enabled him to become a Master again is out of his comprehension. But then, what he remembered with their conversation may have sparked the Grail's interest in him once again.
"Just look at the beasts of the land and the air. They only chase their prey simply because their instinct guided them to do so. You already know that they are after their prey just by observing their actions." Archer let the chess piece of Assassin roll down outside the checkered board using a slight tilt of his fingers at the chosen piece.
"That kind of event is the same with humans. By simply observing their words and actions, you can determine what they are interested in. Therefore the one you had described in greater detail is the one you are most interested in."
His…interest?
If what Archer says is true, then what is the 'entertainment' that he is seeking?
He remembered his conversation with Archer about the man that he had unintentionally noticed, Matou Kariya, Master of Berserker. He profoundly explained his circumstance in great detail with him not realizing it at all, to which Archer took notice.
"…with Matou Kariya, you feel that this is different. Never caring that this is in itself is actually senseless, you still immerse yourself with thinking about him and his circumstance." He now placed the chess piece of Berserker one square away near the chess piece of the Grail. "That in itself is what I can call an authentic 'interest'. Congratulations, Kirei, you have finally understood the meaning of 'entertainment'."
"Entertainment?" Kirei is now almost afraid of what Archer will answer. "You speak of pleasure?"
Without a second thought, Archer now replied.
"Indeed, Kirei."
Pleasure? That is impossible. Even more silently enjoying at the man who suffers is a complete sin in itself. Pleasure in itself is a sin. There is no need for a priest like him to have something that sinful, yet…
"Can you tell me where exactly the contradiction between suffering and 'pleasure' is? Kirei, remember that pleasure can take different forms. You do not understand it yet, that is why you perceive 'pleasure' too narrowly."
"That is something which is unforgivable in the eyes of God!"
Kirei can only lash out in righteous anger, as if that anger against evil is conditioned in the first place. He now faced the King of Heroes with his priestly pride.
"King of Heroes, only people like you can ever enjoy the suffering of another person. But I say that that is the spirit of a sinner! An absolute evil that must be punished! You do not deserve to be on this path of faith that I, Kotomine Kirei, live on!"
"And here you still believe that pleasure in itself is still a sin." Archer commended Kirei for his piousness. "You really have become an interesting man."
Yes, that must have been the trigger.
The Holy Grail seems to be interested in Kirei's circumstance, which is the reason why he has the Command Seals once again.
But what does the Holy Grail expect of him? He is only a mere priest who followed his duties.
Thinking about it will not give you the answer.
He does not have a Servant, yet he is given a chance to join the Holy Grail War. For that, he must destroy the wishes of six other persons including his mentor, Tohsaka Tokiomi.
That in itself is considered an impossible feat for most Masters since getting another Servant alone requires a thorough review of that plan, considering the circumstance that six other Masters still have their Servants.
But then, the Masters are still Magi, even more so with the most vulnerable Master and Servant relationship, the criminal Caster faction.
In this case, he can only focus on the two people whom Assassin did not find their wish to the Grail. He can make a quick pass on the others first before saving these two people for last.
Those people are Emiya Kiritsugu and the Master of the other Caster faction.
He cannot fathom the reason for the existence of the Master of the other Caster, as they appear and disappear like a mist as they please. Also, he faced them in a close combat; therefore there will be doubts on the other party on whether they will face him again.
However, for the former, Emiya Kiritsugu has his secrets concealed even under the strict surveillance of Assassin. That in itself is considered a profound feat laudable by experts.
"To do it, you must first seize a Servant from another Master." Archer suggested as he now brought up the Archer piece away from the board and into his fingers, dangling the piece as he seems fit.
"As for what comes after…" Archer now smiled sinisterly. "well, you are on your own."
There must be a reason why the Holy Grail chose him. And for that, he must find the reason why.
"Pursue your own desires." The King of Heroes now declared. "That is the true way of finding entertainment. That entertainment will bring about pleasure, and that pleasure will serve as a guide to direct you in the right path towards happiness."
His eyes remind him of the story of invitation of the snake of Eden to Eve as Archer now swirled the wine around his wineglass.
"The road is now extremely clear for you to follow, Kirei."
Walking on the garden of the chapel, he can only muse about what his next move will be. Thinking about the reason why the Holy Grail has chosen him once again even though he withdrew himself willingly out of the competition is out of the question. He can only look up at the cruel yet beautiful morning sky.
As the youkai ship now descended on the ground, Yura is the first person to go down on that ship, followed by Ryuuji and lastly by Akifusa. They now bowed down their heads before the youkai as a sign of gratitude.
"We are thankful that you brought us this far even though you know that it will cost your lives." Yura now began. "We are also deeply sorry that you got involved in this."
"Don't sweat it." One youkai now shouted. "After all, we know that you are a friend of the Nura Clan. It is natural for us to help our friends."
"Even so, we thank you for it." Yura insisted, to which Ryuuji now felt awkward.
"No need to thank them that much, little sis." Ryuuji now butted in. "They are only doing their duty after all."
Akifusa can only sigh at Ryuuji. He really cannot get over the fact that youkai are helping them once again with their tasks that only they should do.
"We will take our leave now." Yura now waved at them. "Take care!"
"Take care, onmyouji – tachi!" They now shouted in cheer as they see them off.
The youkai are happy that they helped Kejoro in her battle to stop the ritual. In their own little way, it is their way of expressing their gratitude for their help during the last war.
But then, something unexpected happened to the ship.
The onmyouji are now far from the ship, when suddenly a light sparking out of nowhere caused the youkai ship to be set ablaze. Yura, seeing the catastrophe, decided to run back to that scene, only for Ryuuji to stop her suddenly in her tracks.
Gripping his right arm, Yura struggled to get out of her brother's grip.
"Ryuuji – nii, let me go!" Yura pleaded, to which Ryuuji only tightened his grip. Akifusa, now seeing the developments unfold, manifested his youkai blade from out of nowhere to prepare for a fight.
"Yura, I assure you that the youkai can get out of there alive." Ryuuji insisted, to which Yura now knelt down to the ground in helplessness.
"Besides, we have other matters to take care of." Ryuuji prepared his smoke bombs as men in velvet red business suits appeared with their gloves and shoes engraved in runes. Yura now stood up, her eyes hazed with rage.
"Yura, don't let your rage get the better of you." Ryuuji now advised, seeing that his sister can be an unstoppable monster if left unchecked. "Instead, channel that rage to form the energy that you can use."
At Ryuuji's advice, she now breathed in as she closed her eyes, then she now exhaled forcefully.
At her exhalation, the air now condensed with such a tremendous force, befitting of the 28th Heir of the Keikain. The threatening aura forced the men to guard themselves even more. They now jumped away at the tremor, but then is brought down again as Yura's commanding presence demanded them so.
"I take it that you are the Enforcers from the Magus Association, am I wrong?" Ryuuji asked casually, leading to Akifusa letting his guard up. If the Enforcers are indeed here, then they can only conclude that it must be the doing of the judge who is currently presiding the war.
"Onmyouji?" One of the men now asked. "I see. So it seems that even on the Eastern side we are famous."
"Well, I have to let you know this, stuck – up Magi." Ryuuji now jeered as he tossed the unlit smoke bomb up and down. "This is Japan! This is our country, and you must abide by our rules."
"I see, so even the false Magi in Asia have their pride after all." A hazy vapor now appeared from the Enforcer's gloves and feet. "We will now see who will have their pride stomped to the ground!"
At this point, the man now began his charge against Ryuuji. He now deflected a quick one – two punch coming from one of the Enforcers using defensive palm strikes. The Enforcer now changed tactics at a split second, but the Keikain lad is much faster as he blocked the two kicks with his arm. But then a fire charged glove is now out of the question as he faces that fist charged with fire Magecraft.
Fortunately, Ryuuji took a step back, but then the effects of the Magecraft are immensely powerful as he braved that fist, sending him flying into a wall.
The man now shook his hand clean of the burnt flesh and threads from his fist like it was nothing. At this point, Yura and Akifusa can only let their guard up as the Magi began their menacing walk towards them.
"28th Heir of the Keikain Clan, Keikain Yura, the Magus Association hereby labels you and your onmyouji clan as heretic Magi for not adhering to the rules of Magi as set by Atlas, the Magus Association of Egypt and the Clock Tower, the Magus Association of London. You have now exploited the ritual of Heaven's Feel, and thereby, we must execute you."
Exploited? The young Keikain Heir tried to remember the events, and it was then that she realized that the priest presiding the war has connections with the Magus Association simply because this is the Holy Grail that they are talking about.
She can only laugh at the foolishness of Magi.
"Heresy?" Yura now spat out the word like she has eaten a spoiled food. "You're one to talk. Why don't you look at this accursed leyline first before you execute us? They're fighting for something considered as dubious and the ritual have threatened the secrecy of Magi every single war."
But the man will not listen to his words. Yura, seeing that the man will not be convinced by words alone, mutter the one word that can make Enforcers pale at where they are standing.
"Hagun…"
She raised her hand, and at once the cannon made of skeletons have now manifested and formed around her hand. As the Enforcers now prepared their fists, Yura now announced her attack in a monotonous and hair – raising manner. The name of the attack now contradicts her joy in unleashing it.
She now pointed the barrel of the cannon to the ground where the Enforcers are standing on. They now ran, armed with Mystic Codes, towards the girl that they deem as dangerous and must be executed immediately.
It is true that the Enforcers are fast, but the Keikain Clan Heir's words are faster.
"Yura Max."
An explosion of light ensued, attempting to consume every single existence within its range. But there is one thing Yura did not expect.
A pillar of azure fire now manifested, at absurdly high heat levels trying to consume Yura's magic. Yura now breathed in and dispelled her powerful onmyoujutsu, then she manifested the koi shikigami. After that, she exhaled and unleashed the water attack guaranteed to dispel her opponent's.
It now resulted in an explosion of two opposing forces, leaving the steam of water between the two groups.
The young onmyouji almost collapsed from unleashing her power non – stop, but she struggled in steadying her gait, preparing to risk her life just to make the Enforcers realize that they are in the wrong.
Akifusa, taking the opportunity, now brandished his sword. He began to search for Ryuuji to lead him away to safety, and eliminate those who will be in his way.
But then the older Keikain has other plans.
At the twilight, two people are observing the horizon. A woman with hair as black as a raven's feathers and skin as white as ash, sipped her tea in peace. She is now wearing a winter kimono to keep the heat inside. Sitting beside her is an old man who just sampled his two hundred and ninety ninth tobacco to his pipe and lit it up.
Hagoromo Gitsune now felt the tremendous presence that threatens the peace of their house. Nurarihyon can only sigh as he smoked a pipe.
"So they decided to kill anyone who would interfere with the Holy Grail War." The old man now exhaled slowly, letting him savor the fresh tobacco smoke first. "It seems that they see the onmyouji as obstacles to completing the ritual. Knowing Rikuo, he will not take this lying down, even if it's the Magus Association that is opposing his beliefs."
"Still, I can't let my son be killed like that." The fox spirit closed her eyes as she spoke. "Even if my son doesn't need me, I am still going."
The aging man can only smile at the fox spirit's determination.
"I guess I don't need to send out Gyuuki for this." Nurarihyon now chuckled. "You and my grandson are enough for those Magi."
"What do you mean?" She now tilted her head in confusion.
"Three… Two… One."
The old man now counted down as if he expects an event. True to that countdown, Rikuo is now seen by Hagoromo Gitsune running down to meet his grandfather, carrying the sheathed Nenekimaru along with him.
"Hah…hah…hah… Grandpa…" The young man panted as he tried to catch his breath. "Yura – san… the youkai… she…"
"See, told you." The old man chuckled, to which the woman now sighed. Standing up and approaching the Third Heir, she now comforted Rikuo by stroking his back with the palm of her hand to ease his breathing.
"Take deep breaths." She now encouraged him like a mother would to her child. "Rest assured that Yura – san and the others will be fine."
"Thank…you… Gitsune – san…" He now took slow, deep breaths, and he is starting to feel better.
"I think I don't need to tell you what to do now, Rikuo." The old man now smiled at his grandson, to which said grandson can only smile in embarrassment. The elder Nura is really perceptive when it comes to knowing their purpose.
In this case, he sees that his motives are too obvious that just by looking at his grandson's body language alone is enough.
The young man, feeling better, now regained his stance, and strapping the blade to his sash, he now waved to the old man.
"I must get going now. Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want them to worry about me." Rikuo then headed towards the gate to open it. But then he is now stopped as he felt a hand tugging his arm. To his surprise, he saw Gitsune's hand now tugging his.
"Gitsune…san." Rikuo can only look at her with a puzzled face. The fox spirit now walked towards his side.
"If you are going, then I am going too." The fox spirit stared ahead. "After all, I must ensure your safety. I don't know how I can face your mother directly in her eyes if I can't do just that."
The young man can only lightly chuckle as he felt like he is being berated by a mother. The fox spirit now readied her school bag and she now magically changed her clothes from a kimono to a black school uniform.
"Shall we go, then?"
Rolling out two smoke bombs that are lit at the location of the Enforcers, Ryuuji now began his stealthy assault. The bombs went off, and the Enforcers turned to the direction of the explosion.
Quietly walking amidst the commotion of the elite Magi, he began to take down the Enforcers one by one, delivering single strikes meant to put them down and unconscious. But then it went different for a man who knew this was coming.
He now closed his eyes, and as Ryuuji is about to deliver the final blow, he then did the unthinkable.
The onmyouji's handstrike is now blocked by the timely intervention of his reflexes, dodging the strike with ease, and delivering a nasty kick to Ryuuji's shin in return.
Ryuuji slipped out of balance, and it was then that the Enforcer now slammed his head to the ground using a palm strike enforced with Magecraft.
The entire scene happened in less than three seconds, yet for him, time seemed to slow down as he saw Ryuuji's next move earlier.
He then cleared the smoke using a tremendous stomp, and now the steam has cleared. Yura is still struggling to gain her gait while Akifusa readied his youkai blade.
"Yura, I can only stall them as best as I can. I will try to save Ryuuji." Akifusa now relayed the instructions to the young lady as he fends away the Magi using his large blade. "Please escape while you still can."
It is true that the number of Enforcers who went down while Ryuuji used the sneaky tactics are great, but it will now be the man's upper hand as he now holds Yura's brother by the neck. The instructions that Akifusa now relays went to deaf ears as the young lady sees this scene.
"Yura!" Akifusa now shouted, but then that time will cost him greatly as one Enforcer took it as an opportunity to quickly punch him in the gut and slamming his body up a wall.
Not seeing any openings, Akifusa now placed the sword directly at their bodies in a seppuku stance. The Enforcer looked at his back, and before even the man can chant a spell to remove the arm, Akifusa now drove the blade into the Enforcer's body, arm and torso.
He then took that time to dodge his own attack, and the white – haired onmyouji then released all of his power to slash the Enforcer in half. But then maintaining the blade in this world is costly, as he is now exhausted from that attack earlier.
The fight went down to two against nine more Enforcers, each preparing their own specialty of combat Magecraft and Mystic Code. Yura can only wobble in her place as she tried to squeeze out the last of her strength out of her own body.
Seeing her brother in a defeated form, Yura can only mutter the one person that can save them.
"…Nura…kun…"
Little did she know that the person she just mentioned will now come to her rescue.
The boy now carefully approached the scene. The fox spirit now readied her weapon for anything that may come their way. But at this rate, they know that the girl will be killed by those men.
"I think it is now time, my son." Hagoromo Gitsune now felt the energy of the land flowing towards them. The young man nodded, then he closed his eyes.
At that gesture, his eyes turned to crimson red, and his hair now changed its color and length. He now discarded his glasses, and emitting Osore, he unsheathed his blade, and extended his left hand as an invitation to the fox spirit.
"Shall we do this like the last war, Mother?" He now smirked, to which the invited lady now sighed.
"You are as reckless as the other Nura men that preceded you." The fox spirit can only pout. "If this is your way of invitation, I'm sure that many of the youkai will never fear and respect your authority."
"I do my very best." He answered with extreme confidence as the fox lady now took his hand. They now disappeared like a mist.
She closed her eyes, and prepared for the worst case scenario.
But what is supposed to happen did not happen.
For the man's hand that held her brother's neck is now cleanly cut away by something sharp. The onmyouji lady cannot believe her eyes as someone now took away her brother and came to their side.
"Yura, are you alright?" The silhouetted man now asked a fainting lady. She is about to fall to the ground when the fox spirit caught her body. Akifusa can only be surprised at the sudden turn of the events.
"Gitsune – san?" Akifusa can only speak her name, but he is then silenced by her empty stare.
"Don't be mistaken." She now laid Yura beside her brother as she spoke. "I am only here because of my son."
It is then that Akifusa understood that she is not talking about Abe no Seimei, but rather Rikuo.
"Who the heck are you?" The Enforcers now asked as they let up their guard. Rather than retreating, they now advanced their defense towards the man who dared to challenge their might.
The young man now casually walked up to the man who held Ryuuji's neck. After placing his sword inside the sheath, he broke the man's ribs forcefully with his wooden sheath. The man can only kneel in defeat as he saw his prowess.
"If this is who we have sworn to protect, then I daresay that these men are ungrateful for our protection." The Third Heir casually spoke as eight Magi now chanted a spell to successfully bind the powerful being.
He tried to struggle against the binding weight of their spells, but no matter how hard he tried to slip away from their clutches, it seems that the Magi have learned all about the spirits that wander and they developed proper countermeasures to use against them.
At that notion, Hagoromo Gitsune now saw a slightly muscled man casually approaching the bounded Third Heir, ready to kill him. She saw that he is too powerful for even him to handle at his state, so she now used the chain in her schoolbag to bind the man.
She then slammed the sword that had the chain at its end to the ground as hard and as deep as she can. Using the tactic as a diversion, she ran towards the bounded Rikuo.
"Rikuo, take my hand!" She now shouted as eight Magi are now fast approaching towards her son. Rikuo now took her hand, and what happened next is out of their comprehension.
The binding spell that the Magi developed is now broken by an explosive force. If not for Akifusa protecting Yura and Ryuuji, it might be the end for them. At that point, even they don't know what is happening anymore.
Yura opened her eyes slightly just in time for her to see the form that defeated Abe no Seimei.
"Nura…kun…" She can only mutter those words as Akifusa is also equally astonished at that form. He cannot believe that Hagoromo Gitsune actually let Nura Rikuo use her as a cloth of power.
In that form, every youkai will know of the power of the Nura clan, and every onmyouji will tremble in fear.
In that form, the whole nation will know of the lore that they have forgotten long ago.
In that form, the whole world will know of their legend, and will continue to pass that legacy of a story on the generations to come.
That power that only the second and third generation of the Nura clan held is the power of the Matoi.
The strongest form of the Matoi now struck fear in the hearts of Enforcers. Even the Enforcer who had his ribs broken cannot believe his eyes as he saw those events that can make the Magus Association cringe in their seats at the sheer unbelief.
But the one who is the most surprised of them all is Rikuo himself.
Even though he had performed the Matoi technique with Gitsune before, it seems that the technique that they performed is much more powerful than the last time. The fox spirit now felt Rikuo's surprise, and it is now time for her to explain what happened.
I think it's the result of our renewed bonds together back then. She explained as the multiple – tailed fox "hide" now rested comfortably over the Third Heir's shoulders. Remember the time that we were on the Half – Demon Village created by the onmyouji Gokaido? The river there is the same river where I have revived and where I have left Yamabuki Otome to rest.
It is then that Rikuo now remembered those scenes that made him remember his promise with his father and his mother. He now smiled nostalgically as he now held his sword.
Ah, that. Thank you for reminding me. He can only reminisce those moments for a few precious seconds before the battle will begin. I have to visit the graves with you.
And I will make sure that you will keep that promise, my son. She now smiled as the phantom of Hagoromo Gitsune now dissipated from the midst. All that remains is the pure Osore emanating from a single being that has the title of the Lord of Pandemonium.
The wounded man from earlier can only gnash his teeth at the events. The onmyoujis' power and Magecraft are supposed to be inferior to their superior Magecraft. "What…on the green grassy earth…do you onmyoujis…have…on your…side?" He can only ask this question as he lied down.
The eight other Enforcers now used all of their prana for reinforcing their bodies, then they swiftly charged against the youkai who dared to challenge their might.
But in one fell swoop, they now fall down before the might of the youkai. Fire, water, earth and air Magecraft, together with their physical prowess, had no effect on the Third Heir who stabbed the sword mightily to the ground on a whim and created a pulse wave that sent the Magi flying away at the impact.
For a youkai to have fought the mighty onmyouji on that last war, this event is mere child's play to him.
Realizing how powerful the being is, the last man that stands in their way can only smile as he saw a powerful spirit that can rival the Magi who have been assigned powerful colors in the Clock Tower. He now prepared his fist for the fight of his life.
Notes:
Onmyoujutsu – technique of the onmyouji
Enforcer – men/women from the Magus Association whose purposes are solely for eradicating any traces of Magecraft. Refer to Fate/Zero (LN or anime) or Fate/hollow ataraxia for reference.
A/N: I can't name all of the Enforcers, only one (or two if my creativity's in overdrive).
So, it's time for you to guess who that Enforcer is.
And I seriously need to review Rikuo's powers and character in the manga to get a grasp of his characterization.
You can post reviews. No flames please.