The days went by. Soon, Shirou wasn't the newest meat on the ground anymore, as eventually, new Xenos were found. Either by sheer coincidence from patrolling, to them somehow finding the group first or actually liberating them from slavers. Or poachers. Or whatever word existed for Xenos specifically, he had no idea. Fia latched onto Rei really fast, which came with the territory of being similar versions of harpies for example. Wiene was everyone's little sister. Even to him, much to his surprise. Then again, he found her first and even named her just for the private joke. It was sometimes rather weird how childish and innocent some of the Xenos could be. A far cry from the ferocious and murderous monsters they were supposed to be. Like newborns isolated, yet instead of devolving into heights of insanity or delusions of grandeur, they just lived peacefully.
Was that just something Xenos had as an intrinsic property? Was humanity really that doomed if actual monsters could live in harmony better? Or was it all just a big coincidence, of personalities forming from whatever remnants that made up their souls? Well, Shirou wasn't a philosopher, so he didn't think too much about it. Either way, their little 'family' grew and grew, as the most experienced did some missions for Fels. Having me the skeleton for the first time sure was a shock, but also something more familiar to him. After all, ancient alchemist long past the expiration date? The only weird thing about it was that his soul wasn't actually falling apart and that Fels was surprisingly sane for his age. Then again, most magi didn't become actual skeletons from his meager experience, so maybe that had something to do with the non degraded soul of his. The whole mission deal was suspicious as hell, but it was a give and take relationship. Business was honest like that and even if Shirou was against it, all the Xenos were way too curious about the surface world. So on time and life went. Finding newbies, taking care of them, occasionally diving deep for rescue or recon missions. When he first heard about Evilus, he almost broke down laughing. For villain names, that one took rock bottom. Still, just another part of life. He was almost concerned about the lack of malice in this world, after his master. It appeared she herself wasn't that active in the dungeon herself, so it spoke of splinter cells of some sorts. Either way, just one more thing to pass the time, diligently working.
If there was one thing that stood out in recent memory…it was a bit after the announcement of Bell's level up. The story that was released, the draft versions anyway that the Xenos received early from Hans, spoke of his pure idiocy of challenging a mutated minotaur…and winning nonetheless. Some time after finding out about that, they received a new addition.
Their latest addition however stood out from the rest in Shirou's memories. Not because he was so much more stronger than anyone else in the group it was hilarious, no matter what Lido said. Not because he was more of a loner type, even staying away from Gros' little edgy group. No, it was because the big bull uttered two simple words when they just happened to be alone, in the deeper levels of the dungeon.
"Angra…Mainyu…"
Shirou froze in mid cut, as he was about to remove the monster stone from one of the many beasts on this floor. Blinking for a moment, he slowly turned his head to the black Xenos. He let out a casual hum, but kept a steady grip on his weapon as he straightened up his back.
"Where'd you hear that from?"
"Not hear. See," he rumbled with a deep voice, the massive axe resting on his shoulder like a twig. "Memories of…a foreign place. Metallic floors. Strange magic. The name I was called within…was Asterios."
He couldn't help it. Shirou let out a loud snort, causing the other Xenos to tilt his head with narrowed eyes. Well, he felt a bit sorry, but how could the former servant not find this amusing? After all, this one decided to call himself Asterius out of all names. Now knowing what the most likely origin was…well, it was hilarious to say the least.
"I suppose what you saw is real strange, compared to this place. Then again, even if you went to the surface, it'd still be too different."
Was this what it was like for time travelers? He couldn't exactly share any details without sounding like an absolute lunatic. Even if Asterius saw Chaldea, because where else could his memories be from, it must feel like a fever dream to him. Still, his thoughts were interrupted as a snort escaped the bull, an air of displeasure surrounding him.
"So you are Angra Mainyu. All The World's Evil. An Avenger."
He kept his tone even, but there was suspicion in his eyes. Just a bit though, so Shirou shrugged nonchalantly.
"Eh, used to be. New life, new name."
"...what does this mean? For my existence," Asterius muttered after a short silence. The former Avenger let out a small hum.
"Can't really tell you that. The whole incarnation, reincarnation thing isn't exactly my area of expertise. Weakest servant also means least educated one, heh." He paused, his eyes widening when a thought came to him. He moved forward and put his fist against Asterius' chest. "There's one thing I must tell you. I'm really sorry about it too."
"What is it?"
A look of pure pity. Shirou nodded with an melancholy air around him.
"You are not even remotely as fluffy as the other guy." His mouth twitched as he held back a laugh. "Like he was more sheep than bull."
"You're making fun of me," Asterius said a thing mouth and narrowed eyes. Letting out a chuckle, Shirou knocked on the bull a few times in good natured fashion.
"Sure I do."
With that said, Shirou went back to dismantling the monster corpses around them. Food was food after all and the Xenos needed to keep up their strength. Still, he could feel the stare of the bull on his back. If it weren't for the fact that he was an Avenger, someone who literally gathered the hatred around him, he might have felt uncomfortable. Instead, he began to hum to himself to pass the time. Until eventually, with bags slung over their shoulders, Asterius spoke up once more in a soft tone.
"...Am I Asterios? A mangled copy?"
"Only if you want to be."
The reply came in an instance. It wasn't like he was a big philosopher of some kind. But Shirou could already tell that he was nothing like Asterios. The Berserker was a gentle soul at heart. Almost like a child. This one on the other hand thrived in combat. He became way more expressive, grinning and howling when he fought against powerful foes.
"Those memories? They mean nothing much. Besides knowledge you can draw from I guess. That world," Shirou said as he tapped Asterius' head before gesturing at the wall of the dungeon. "And that world are completely separate as far as I'm concerned." He patted Asterius on the shoulder with a smirk. "Heck, you already chose a different name. Your history is entirely different. So don't worry too much about it. "
"...I fear I might lose myself. Forget who I am and who they are." Asterius took a deep breath. "I am drawing lessons, skills and strength from those memories…but sometimes, I feel as if I am drowning. One day I might never resurface."
Death of ego, huh? Well, that was a concern alright. Then again, he was lucky not to have been stuck with someone like Gilgamesh. Still, a concern was a concern and Shirou was nothing but a helpful buddy to the people around him. He pointed at his own heart in demonstration.
"Then just latch on memories that are yours. The more they burn the better." Asterius was no Avenger, but the principle should work. Shirou raised an eyebrow at him when he didn't say anything. "Got anything like that?"
His eyes were glazed over, as if remembering something vivid. Something intense. His hands twitched, almost dropping the bag he was carrying. Then he smiled, wide and almost savage as he nodded once.
"...Yes. Thank you, friend."
"Don't get all mushy on me, that doesn't suit you," Shirou said with a playful shudder. Asterius let out a huff in response.
"I decide what suits me."
Touche. Shirou shook his head with a chuckle. Then he blinked before snapping his finger at him, as they reached a crystal wall.
"Oh, before I forget it…" He smashed it open with a swift kick before pointing at Asterius. "Name is Shirou now. So no calling me the old name, alright?"
"Why?"
Shirou was inside the secret entrance before stopping in his tracks. It was one word, one question. And yet, it was loaded. Tilting his head, he let out a thoughtful hum.
"Huh. Never expected anyone to just ask me that."
Why did he decide on Shirou? Why not keep the old name? Sure, neither one was truly his, but what reason did he have to change in the first place? The question rolled around in his head for a while, until it was interrupted by someone tackling him, embracing him in a deep hug.
"Shirou, you're back!"
He looked down before ruffling her hair. He smiled as he saw the rest of the Xenos welcoming them back before glancing at Asterius with a shrug.
"Guess Shirou rolls off the tongue better than Angra Mainyu, haha!"
Besides, this sort of life suited a Shirou a lot more than someone called All The World's Evil, right?
/
Shirou exhaled as pure pandemonium was happening around him, time slowed down to his perception, his accelerated body as he was shooting towards the Night Queen. Really not the time to go on a memory trip again. Focus. Assess the situation. As his arms swung, his blades blurring, he glanced at his surroundings, more specifically, his fellow Xenos.
Gros, Lido and Rei were barely holding off that Gojouno girl. Despite holding a singular blade, it was like she had several arms and weapons with the way her body blurred into motion, with a chimeric mishmash of techniques being thrown out. Double handed, single handed, spin, stab, slash, quick draw, handle strike. The three strongest Xenos in this room could barely stay on top of the defense, keeping Gojouno busy with them. How the hell such a strong person was unknown on the surface was beyond Shirou and he suspected a lot of foul play being applied here. Questions for later, the three leaders were doing decent at least. Which however meant that the other servants of the Night Queen had free reign.
Spider strings supporting their Formoire barely kept the giant ugly and emotionless toad at bay. Their flying units dove in and out to harass the other mindless drones at bay. The other fighters kept tight in a closed circle, protecting the smallest and weakest ones of them. But while it gave them comfort, they looked nothing more like sitting ducks to Shirou's eyes, especially with the amount of enemies still flowing into the area.
So overall, situation bad. Numbers were against them, quality didn't look too rosy either. Which meant Shirou had to finish this quickly, by cutting off the head of this annoying hydra. His body glowed with energy as he swung downwards, aiming to split the woman's head apart. Unfortunately, in that moment, one of the slaves literally leapt into his path. His blade dug into flesh, but it was slowed down, enough for the mastermind to create some distance and put more pawns between herself and Shirou. They weren't particularly strong for his standards, as he could cut through them, but flesh was flesh. A deep inhale and he pushed his body further past his limits. Increasing in speed as his muscle fibers tore up a bit, he jumped across the room, trying to cut the Night Queen's head off like a frog high on cocaine. He smirked widely as he saw the meatbags unable to cover her perfectly anymore as she remained on one spot.
"We could use some of your magic!" Gojouno shouted, as she twisted her body and hips, surrounded by the three Xenos, parrying their attacks with an annoyed expression. Meanwhile Lido and the others were breathing heavily, straining themselves just to keep their limbs moving.
"You know this doesn't work that well on that filth! Just beat them up the old fashioned way!" The Night Queen leaned backwards, barely dodging a blade that was knocked away by a headbutt of all things."Also I'm busy at the moment!"
"Busy throwing mooks at me!" Shirou shouted, while noting that whatever "magic" this one had, it apparently wasn't effective on Xenos. Good to know. Not that it mattered much, once he finally saw a proper opening. His legs pushed off the ceiling and he shot down like a meteor. Nobody was in the way. The path to the Night Queen was clear.
Which was why his eyes widened when he didn't cut down who he assumed was a goddess. Instead, his path was diverted by a katana, drawn by the slaver herself, with speeds beyond what a mere mortal, a mere god holding back their divinity, was capable of. He rolled over the ground and shot up, only to jump backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade aiming for his throat. At the same time, he swung his blades backward, creating two more corpses. The Night Queen twirled her katana a few times before holding it in both of her hands, raising a mocking eyebrow.
"What, did you think I was a mere pencil pusher?"
Shirou cracked his neck in response while keeping his feet moving. So perhaps this one was a war goddess of some sorts. But something about that thought felt off. Oh well. His breath was starting to become erratic and he was bleeding from the strain. Still, he kept a smile on his face nevertheless. So apparently he wasn't hallucinating when he saw Dantes actually getting injured from that woman. Still, combat capable or not, she was still slower than him. With that in mind, he returned his aggression, especially after noting that their Xenos Circle was starting to collapse from the onslaught. He didn't like the injuries he was seeing. Shoulders clutched, limping. He had to hurry.
His arms blurred as he stabbed away, a rain of blows cutting at the Night Queen. The pawns forced him to step away, slow down or just eat the blows to his body, but he still pushed on. To the slaver's credit, her skill was good. Focusing entirely on defense, for a big enough injury could send her back to heaven perhaps, she had no choice but to defend. His vision became a bit blurry, but he pushed on, step after step, ignoring the cuts and injuries he received from the mindless mass around him. In a battle of endurance, a former servant would win easily against a mortal chassis. And he was proven correct.
She stumbled to the left, her exhaustion catching up to her. He didn't hesitate. His left blade stabbed forward, penetrating her throat. He grinned, despite the mist like substance entering his field of visi-
A sharp pain in his stomach. A numbness entering his left arm. A blade clattering against the ground, with the arm holding it. He coughed out blood as his body stumbled against something hard. He saw a head in the right periphery of his vision, hidden underneath a hood. An exhausted sigh escaped before the woman whispered into his ear.
"Damn monster…this took way too long."
He gasped, unable to comprehend what happened. He saw her dodge to the left. He wasn't exhausted enough to hallucinate like this. So how was she to his right now, having rammed her katana into him? He forced out a laugh. Illusions or whatever, didn't matter. He wasn't done yet!
"Feeling's mutual!" The darkness pulsed out of him. With his weakened senses, he targeted everything that was human, humanoid at the very least. Then, with a rough laugh, he screamed.
"Verg Avesta!"
A hole in a stomach, repaid a hundredfold. Many collapsed on the spot with the blood gushing out of them. Others, like the toad, grunted in pain and retreated, despite their addled mind. Meanwhile Gojouno for the first time let out a strangled scream. A chance that Gros didn't miss, slamming his claw against her chest when she instinctively covered her wound, sending her flying backwards. He faintly noted that in midair, she pulled out something and stabbed herself with it before she disappeared into the shadows. Then he glanced at the Night Queen, who also had blood spilled out of her mouth. His curse, his spell, definitely hit her too. It wasn't negated at all, by a blessing or a stronger curse. But his eyes widened when he saw her expression. Not pained. Not despairing. No, instead she was-
"That stings, monster."
-utterly apathetic. As if she didn't have a hole in her stomach like he did. Slowly, she pushed her sword upwards, tearing through his flesh in an agonizingly slow fashion, aiming for his monster crystal.
In the depths of his mind, there was a hint of amusement as a thought was born. So that was why he was remembering the past. Over and over.
The steel went further and further up, as the noise around him began to quiet down. No, he was turning death as the very life was being cut out of him. He somewhat noted the screams, the desperation, as his fellow Xenos tried to reach him, only for more slaves to enter, having been outside his range. Not only that, Gojouno also returned, her wound closed up somewhat. In that moment, Shirou knew he wouldn't get help.
The reason he was remembering the past…well, they did say that one would see their entire life flash before their eyes as they were about to die. He should've been fine with that. Dying was just part of his existence.
Instead, he let out a pained growl. Shirou gritted his teeth in pain before he raised his remaining right arm before jamming it into the Night Queen's back. She let out a grunt…but didn't stop her upward movement of the sword. Shirou repeated his stabbing, with all the strength he had left. Over and over. And yet…she didn't seem to care. Not only that, he could see the flesh of hers shifting, trying to fill the void that he created entirely on its own.
His desperation meant nothing to this regenerative power. A power that nobody should have. No mortal. No goddess. And yet, he kept up the futile resistance. Why? Why was he trying so hard, despite it being meaningless at the end? For some reason he turned his head again. He saw her face. Wiene, pushed back by the small rabbit. Her crying face, as she reached out for him. Ah. He was growing soft after all.
He didn't want to make them feel this sorrow, even if he was incapable. But it was impossible after all. His arm dropped down, all strength leaving him. The blade was just about to reach his monster crystal. In the end, his new life, his reincarnation…would end just like this.
With all the other Xenos soon following him to his death. Just as the thought entered his mind-
"-bolt!"
Flames burst into existence. They forced Gojouno away from the Xenos, just as she was about to behead Rei. The other slaves either got pushed away by the spell itself or were forced away, giving breahting room for the Xenos. Shirou…no, Angra Mainyu turned his head to the source before letting out a weakened chuckle.
"Haha…"
The boy that was chosen as All The World's Evil smiled as blood ran down his mouth, even as his body began to disappear.
He should've kept in mind that he wasn't the main character in this story. That his end would always like this. Still, with the last of his strength, Angra Mainyu decided there was no way he was gonna die without getting one final line out! The journey until the finish was more important after all! Thus, with only his torso and right arm left, he raised his thumb and grinned widely as he stared at the young man that would have to deal with the sloppy aftermath the Avenger created. It'd be tough, on everyone…but they could handle it. He decided to believe in them.
These inheritors of his efforts.
"You got this, hero."
He saw Bell's eyes widen as the boy saw the situation proper, his palm stretched out. He opened his mouth to scream something, as Haruhime and Kojiro were right behind him. But even better, he could feel the murderous rage from that bitch. All that hate concentrated into one strike. Her sword was already moving as he closed his eyes with a peaceful smile, his task done as it tore through his crystal, through his skull, cutting it in half.
Heh. Still got it.