Author's Note: First of all, I apologize for not responding to the comments. I had neither the time nor enough energy left.
Secondly, because of a change in my everyday life, I could no longer write as often as before. Expect significant delays for my different stories at least for October and November.
Flies and Faeries
Tokyo, Japan
Ishtar was floating a few inches above the sofa. She read a book taken from the library and, from time to time, stretched out her arm to pick and bite into fresh-cut apple quarters from a plate. It could have been a relaxing activity, but the book she was holding was a thick spellbook written in Latin.
Hearing the ringing of the front door, she first had a grimace of annoyance and then a questioning mimic. Who could come and disturb her at this hour?
In any case, it was not an attack. The Bounded Field had not reacted to a hostile presence.
She dropped the book on the sofa and headed towards the entrance floating above the ground. As always, she spent as little time as possible walking... not that she was lazy (those who had suggested she was lazy had ended badly). But it was inappropriate for the Goddess of Heaven to move like a mere human. Ishtar got along very well with humans (at least she thinks so). But each his role, they could (they had, in fact) admire her majesty, worship her, but her natural place was above them... literally.
Ishtar landed in the hallway leading to the entrance... the least pleasant part of her recent schooling was having to behave like a 'normal' student, that is to say, the best student in the high school, an Idol for all the other pupils... of course. For Ishtar, even normality was to occupy first place.
She frowned, hearing voices, and recognized that of Shirou.
Indeed, the redhead moron was talking to a member of the History Compilation Committee whose name she had forgotten.
The man in a business suit bowed to Shirou and then turned around while the young man closed the door.
Standing in the majestic entrance hall, Shirou Emiya opened the envelope and began to read the letter. He was so absorbed in his reading that he did not immediately notice that the Goddess of Love and Victory was floating near him trying to read over his shoulder.
He flinched and turned around.
"Ishtar?"
"Is that a letter from a girl?"
"Uh... yes..."
Ishtar had a beautiful smile but... inexplicably... Shirou felt uncomfortable.
"If this is a love letter, I'll make sure her death looks accidental."
The temperature dropped suddenly in the room. The young redhead rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly trying to look relaxed.
"Ah ah ah... fun joke."
Ishtar really had a funny sense of humor. Because she was joking, right? Shirou glanced at Ereshkigal, who was also in the hall. The Goddess of Netherworld rolled her eyes in an exasperated mimic before shaking her head sharply. He swallowed and hastened to answer before Ishtar get the wrong idea about the situation
"Uh... this is a letter from Sayanomiya Kaoru, Tokyo Branch Leader. I had the opportunity to see some research done by the Committee, particularly on weapons and defense. I asked her if she could provide me with a material similar to Kevlar so I could make myself a suit of armor. She just answered me positively."
Ishtar seemed surprised and stopped for a moment to think.
"In Kevlar? Like Archer's armor?"
Shirou scratched his cheek with a thoughtful and embarrassed look.
"Well... I've been hurt a lot in the last few fights and since I have some of Archer's knowledge, I figured I could use it to make armor like his."
"That's a great idea."
Ereshkigal rubbed her chin while watching Ishtar and Shirou, very excited, discuss the armor the redhead wanted to create.
And it wasn't a bad idea.
The fighting would not spare Hakuno either, it would be a good idea to create Formal Wears that would allow the Sovereign of the Moon to use Code Casts.
The next day was a normal day for the inhabitants of the Tohsaka Mansion. They left early by minibus and spent the day at the Jounan Academy. As usual, Rin Tohsaka behaved like 'miss Perfect', adored by the other students, while Eiri Tohsaka had her own admirers, softened by her clumsiness and shyness.
Shirou Emiya, tall and muscular, had the reputation of being a 'Yankee' (1). Despite this some girls would have liked to approach him... but a murderous glance from Rin (Ishtar) was enough to make them immediately abandon this idea.
Only Hakuno had no admirers or rumors circulating about her. Like a background character, she spent her school hours, silently, sitting at a desk in the back row.
Like every evening, a minibus came to pick up Rin, Eiri and Hakuno to take them back to the Tohsaka Mansion.
As for Shirou, he took another minibus to go to the former underground factory Hayabusa with Godou Kusanagi and his 'harem'.
While Godou did concentration exercises under the supervision of Luo Hao, Shirou faced simultaneously Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar.
It was literally a battle on equal terms as Shirou had Traced the swords of the two female knights to face them. However, to his surprise, he discovered that the girls' weapons were more than they appeared to be.
For example, the true appearance of Cuore di Leone (Erica's sword) was not a rapier. In reality, it was a two-handed sword.
The Italian she-knight used this universe equivalent of Alteration Magecraft to change her sword's shape and adapt it to her fencing style. And it makes Shirou... jealous. Because Archer's fighting style used Alteration to make creative use of Unlimited Blade Work's swords. By absorbing the knowledge contained in the Servant's arm, Shirou had learned how useful it could be... unfortunately his mastery of Tracing did not yet allow him to copy EMIYA's Alteration.
"Arges, Steropes, Brontes! Lend my sword the blessing of Thunder!"
It was Erica who had just recited this incantation, waving her damascene sword towards the ceiling. Lightning came out of nowhere and struck the blade three times, shaking the room.
When the young woman leaped towards Shirou, her blade was surrounded by an aura of lightning.
The Faker dodged, jumped sideways, then dodged again... despite Ishtar's constant mockery, he was not stupid and certainly would not block head on an electrified sword with a metal weapon.
Nevertheless, it was not his only problem.
Liliana's eyes had become strangely bright. She used her Witch Eye magic to predict Shirou's movements. The young Croat recited a brief incantation.
"The essence of fantasy, steel that plays brilliant melodies! I beseech you, grant unto me invisible wings!"
Surrounded by a blue aura, Liliana Kranjcar left the ground to soar above the arena.
Like an eagle diving at its prey, the silver-haired knight attacked. The redhead blocked her sword stroke in a shower of sparks, then counterattacked, but already the Croatian girl gained altitude, putting herself out of Shirou's reach.
Liliana and Erica had been trained since childhood by the same master, the knight known as Saint Raffaello. Even as the young Croatian was escaping, the Italian blonde attacked again. They were perfectly coordinated, attacking alternately and never shying away. The redhead was on the defensive, attacked from all sides without a moment to breathe.
Shirou had already shown that he could defeat each of them, at least in single combat. But when she joined forces it was much more difficult.
Moreover, the rules of this fight were strict; Shirou could only Trace Cuore di Leone and Il Maestro. It really had to be a level playing field.
The redhead smiled while dodging a new attack. He jumped back while reciting an incantation that Erica immediately recognized:
"Cuore di Leone, I entrust the battlefield to you! Lion Steel, rip her part. Bore through her. Crush her in your jaws!"
Shirou threw the fake Cuore di Leone. A magic circle of red light appeared on the path of the sword and... absorbed it. The next moment, a steel lion came out of the magic circle and leaped toward Erica. The Italian blonde's stupefaction was worth all the riches a man could ever want. Yelling in frustration because one of her favorite tactics was being used against her, Erica Blandelli hurriedly retreated, avoiding the charge of the steel lion.
Shirou did not doubt that he was just saving time. The Italian knight would soon defeat the lion. He had to take advantage of the diversion to take care of Liliana. The Croatian had also understood this and had moved away near the ceiling; out of range for a mere swordsman... at least that was what she believed.
Luo Hao had insisted that the Faker could not Trace weapons other than the copies of the two knights' swords. However, the Chinese Campione had not forbidden him to Trace ordinary objects.
He materialized a double of Il Maestro in his other hand. The two short sabers were about the same shape and weight as the Married Blades. He threw both weapons at the silver-haired knight. Of course, she avoided the attack. Except that it was only a diversion.
Surprised to feel restrained and pulled back, Lili looked at her leg to discover a noose tied around her ankle.
A rope was not a weapon and, thanks to the fragment of Archer's soul contained in the Servant's arm, Shirou knew how to use a lasso!
Erica Blandelli jumped to the side, twirled, and the air charged with red prana as she passed her rapier. As the steel lion passed by her, with a sharp gesture, the knight plunged the blade into the wide open jaw of the great feline.
The lion collapsed forward as if struck down before disappearing into blue prana particles.
Erica smiled. She had good reason to be proud of her swordsmanship. But Lilianna's irritated voice broke this brief moment of satisfaction.
"Hentai! Ecchi! Perverse! You tied me up to give free rein to your lustful fantasies."
Split between surprise and laughter, Erica discovered that Lilianna Kranjcar was completely tied to the ground. Red with confusion, the Croatian knight struggled and profusely insulted Shirou who pitifully tried to justify himself.
However, the urge to laugh disappeared when Emiya turned to her, the fake Cuore di Leone in hand.
"Ouch!"
Erica Blandelli grimaced with pain and self-pity when Yuri Mariya handled her broken arm. The teenager dressed in Shrine Maiden bowed her head.
"Sorry."
Erica shook her head.
"It's not your fault, Yuri."
She bit her lips, renouncing to accuse Shirou. That would not have been honest. It was only her stubbornness to admit defeat that led the redhead to strike harder than he wanted.
As the pretty Hime-Miko placed her hands above the broken arm, a green light illuminated her palms while a soothing wave wilded the bone... realizing in a few seconds what would normally have taken more than a month.
Yuri sighed before turning an accusatory look towards the redhead. As the latter already felt guilty, he could only smile awkwardly.
Without paying attention to the bad moods of her victims... My apologies, I meant 'her students', Luo Hao entered the arena in the company of Goudou Kusanagi. For her, a lesson that hurt was a lesson that would not be forgotten. So it was a good lesson. Without healing magic, Luo Hao's 'lessons' would have only counted cripples and mutilated...
"All right, while I'm doing practical lessons with Goudou, try to teach Shirou some magic.
Nervous, the Faker looked at his "teachers" three girls younger than him, between 15 and 16 years old... even younger than Sakura...
Holding back his grief, he sighed.
"I doubt you can teach me much."
Erica looked at him with interest.
"Why?"
"I'm not good with magic, I can't use any form of elemental magic. The only magic allowed to Shirou Emiya is Projection Magecraft."
That seems to surprise Liliana.
"Some kind of curse?"
"Somehow," replied Shirou. "You should ask Ishtar for a more complete explanation, it will probably be clearer than anything I could say, but... I am what is called an Incarnation. My Element and Origin are identical..."
Hearing these foreign words, the three girls looked at him with incomprehension, the Faker sighed again.
"That means I'm too specialized, capable of only one form of magic, even if I excel at it."
"And what is your Element and your... Origin?" asked Yuri.
"Sword."
Erica Blandelli laughed out loud.
"Why am I not surprised?"
Liliana and Erica exchanged a wink of complicity.
"We can already teach you alchemy."
"And what exactly is alchemy?" said Shirou.
"Among other things, it's the ability to manipulate Iron, which allows the caster to bend metal to a degree, twisting and warping it to his liking in a variety of ways, the ability to manipulate iron and steel like his own arms and legs" replied the blonde knight.
"Could I turn a sword into an arrow with alchemy?"
"Of course," replied Lilianna. "Didn't you see me use the Song of the Bow to turn Il Maestro into David's Bow during our fight against the Imugi?"
Just over two weeks had passed since the clash in London. The Witenagemot makes massive use of hypnosis and media control to avoid panic. The destruction of the old cannon foundry that served as headquarters for the Royal Arsenal had been attributed to the collapse of an underground cave. Despite this, rumors of UFOs appearing over London had spread through the internet.
As always it was 1% real facts and 99% hysteria.
The Servants detector manufactured by Ereshkigal and Ishtar had given several warnings, but Altera and her companions were too elusive Every time the goddesses used Maanna to get there, their enemies had already disappeared. It was a frustrating succession of whistling in the wind.
There was only one progress. The detector had recorded a surprising number of alarms in an area stretching from Las Vegas to northern Utah.
Las Vegas, Nevada, Caesar's Palace.
Caesar's palace casino had architecture vaguely inspired by imperial Rome, for the rest it was an ordinary casino with slot machines and gaming tables.
A crowd gathered around a baccarat table. On the green velvet of the table, dealers were pushing stacks of chips. At site twelve, a blond man was sitting, surrounded by stacking piles of chips. He was wearing a jacket with a print pattern similar to panther skin, as well as a black shirt. He also had gold earrings in the shape of locks.
Yet none of those present seemed to notice his redeye with vertical pupils. It was the effect of a 'ring of invisibility' on his finger. This Formal Wear did not actually make him invisible but did affect people's minds to not pay attention to his appearance or behavior.
His Skill Golden Rule (A rank) made money flow naturally to him. As soon as a game included the possibility of betting, Gilgamesh was certain to win. And like every night, the money was converging to the Golden King without any effort.
Yet the presence of the King of Heroes in Las Vegas had little to do with gambling. Every night, he was changing casino and made a lot of money just to be noticed by some specific people, his Formal Wear prevented ordinary people from really paying attention to his presence. He was waiting to be contacted by members of a satanic sect called 'Lord of Flies'.
After Iskandar failed to recruit the Campiones for their campaign against the Moon Cell Automaton and Hakuno Kishinami, Altera decided to recruit the enemies of the Devil's Kings.
Their first recruit had been the Witch Queen of Brittany.
The Satanists of 'Lord of Flies' were the main enemies of Campione John Pluto Smith. There were rumors that Leviathan, the Divine Ancestor who ran the cult, had moved to Las Vegas. All that remained was to meet Leviathan, who had been hiding since her recent resurrection. (2)
Having converted the chips into cash, Gilgamesh sent the bank notes inside his treasure. He went outside; the night was just beginning. He grimaced with contempt at the extravagant and repulsive spectacle of flashing neon signs, and despicable humans shouting, singing, or crying according to their fortunes.
On the square in front of Caesar's Palace, a Roman-style kiosk protected the golden statue of... Augustus (not that most Americans are able to tell the difference between Caesar and Augustus).
As he passed by this 'monument', a man dressed in black walked towards Gilgamesh.
"King of Heroes, my queen -the mighty Asherah- would like to have an interview with you."
Asherah was another name for Leviathan.
The Oldest King nodded in response.
He left the square, with his hands in his pockets, following his guide without looking at the ordinary 'mongrel' walking the streets... but he smiled at a young woman.
She was a pretty redhead with short hair and glasses, dressed in a male business suit.
Annie Charlton winked and shivered... yet she thought she had been discreet but the Golden King had spotted her stalking.
Gilgamesh's guide leads the Hero into an alley surrounded by brick buildings away from the neon light. The man opened a small metal door between a garbage can and a pile of junk. The door was barely visible in the shadow of a rusty, shaky fire escape.
As silent as a shadow, Annie Charlton had followed them. She knew, however, that the First Hero had spotted her but he had kept this information to himself.
Worried the young redhead stopped behind a trash can, the music and noises coming from the Strip masked those of her steps.
She felt she was heading straight into an ambush; certainly, she trusted John Pluto Smith. He would protect her but... Gilgamesh was very dangerous... maybe even too dangerous for the Californian Campione.
Anyway, the rest wasn't about her. Annie had done her part.
The iron door closed behind Gilgamesh.
At this instant, the individual ambushed behind the trash can stood up. Except that it was not Annie Charlton. His figure was concealed by a dark cape and a metal helmet was on his face... his helmet/ mask was a strange, insectoid-like construction with antennae and six green glass eyes.
In the USA, any citizen would instantly recognize the superhero John Pluto Smith.
Using one of his authorities, he called a Netherworld resident who was devoted to the 'New King of Fairie'
The creature that appeared was a lovely girl with pointed ears not much bigger than a thumb. She flew near him, flapping her dragonfly wings.
"My King? What can I do for you?"
A male voice, smothered by the mask, replied.
"I'd like you to carry a letter."
When the fairy disappeared, Smith went towards the wall, and... the bricks seemed to fluctuate before him. Without slowing down, the Devil King passed through the section of the wall. As if the matter was a shadow without substance for him.
Asherah looked like a lovely 10-year-old girl. Her purple hair was so long that it went down to her ankles. But she wasn't a child. She was thousands of years old. And if she looked physically like a child, she was completely naked except for the gauze bands that masked half her face and chest.
At first glance, her appearance was not frightening except that her legs were covered in fresh blood...
Lying on a red silk sofa, the Divine Ancestor watched with boredom a pentacle of blood traced on the ground. Several dead bodies surrounded the magic circle and a man in a red robe and hood cut the throat of one last victim before pushing him into the circle.
Absorbing the magical energy that escaped from the lifeless body, Leviathan burst out laughing... it was a hideously infantile sound.
Among the Divine Ancestors, Asherah was one of the evilest.
Gilgamesh went down the staircase to the vaulted cellar and had a scowl at the sight of the demon worshippers indulging in depraved rituals which it was better not to describe.
He turned to Leviathan. Leviathan had sat down and applauded his entrance in an infantile manner.
"My faithful look and clap. We were visited by the King of Heroes, Altera's right-hand sent to Earth by Welber to fight Hakuno, the Sovereign of the Moon. Welcome, mighty King of Uruk."
The 'mighty king' nodded without answering.
Somewhat distracted by the lack of reaction and especially by the hostile look of the Golden King, Leviathan hesitated for a moment.
"According to the information I got from my friends all over the USA, Lady Altera would like to form an alliance with the enemies of the Campiones. Is that true, King Gilgamesh?"
Again, the Oldest Hero nodded without a word.
"And... you want me to join Altera's faction?
"That's the idea."
Gilgamesh had answered - his first words since his arrival- almost without raising his voice.
"Well, well" Asherah clapped again in her hands. "And you have a proposal to pass on to me explaining why I should fight alongside Lady Altera."
"No!"
Again, Leviathan was surprised.
"No?"
"But I have a gift," said Gilgamesh.
A golden opening appeared over his shoulder. Out came a strangely luminous sword which immediately began to vibrate before leaping... over Asherah who uttered a cry of infantile terror. Except the demon wasn't the target of that attack.
The light sword was planted in a brick wall... a stone's throw from John Pluto Smith, illuminating this dark section of the cellar.
"What better gift than the head of an enemy?"
Tohsaka Mansion, Japan.
It may have been the middle of the night in America, but Japan was in a different time zone. Buses began to circulate in the streets as salarymen headed to their offices. The sun was not yet up.
In the Tohsaka Mansion, as every morning Shirou had been the first standing. After his morning training, he went to shower before heading for his 'kingdom'... which is the kitchen.
Hakuno Kishinami was the second to get up. Like every morning, she went down the stairs and entered the huge entrance hall. However, this morning was not like all the others.
A strange ball of light came and went into the room, dropping fine luminescent dust in its back and forth...
Hakuno blinked at this singular spectacle.
"Hey, hey, pretty miss, are you Ishtar, or are you Ereshkigal?"
The ball of light suddenly stopped in front of her and Hakuno realized that it was a tiny winged woman, surrounded by a luminous aura.
Hakuno makes a Head Tilt.
"Fairy?"
The aura of the winged fairy became pink and dotted with hearts.
"So cutie!"
Laughing like a silver bell, she clung to a lock of Hakuno's hair
"So pretty, so pretty..."
Going down the stairs, Ereshkigal discovered that a fairy had settled in Hakuno's hair and sang.
Even a goddess could sometimes be speechless.
However, the fairy saw her and remembering the reasons for her presence abandoned her games to head toward her.
"Say, say, are you Ishtar? Are you Ereshkigal?"
As if electrified, the goddess coughed in her fist before proudly standing up, placing a hand on her chest.
"I am the great goddess Ereshkigal, Queen of the Netherworld and..."
In a small explosion, the fairy made appear a parchment scroll surrounded by a red ribbon and closed by a seal.
"You have mail, Ereshkigal!"
Completely disinterested in the goddess, the fairy made twice the turn of Hakuno's head laughing and shouting again "So pretty" before disappearing.
Completely stunned, Ereshkigal remained for a few seconds with her mouth open.
"But... but... I'm a great goddess... why doesn't anyone treat me like a great goddess?"
Then the Queen of the Netherworld remembered the scroll. Breaking the seal, she read the text and uttered a small cry. She started running up the stairs.
"Hakuno, get me a bucket of water!"
"A bucket of water?"
"We have no time to lose. We must wake up Ishtar immediately!" (3)
(1) Nickname given to young offenders in Japan.
(2) John Pluto Smith managed to kill Leviathan...except Athena brought her back to life! The anime 'Campione!' always shows Athena in rather nice light but yes, she is allied to a satanic sect that practices mass rituals with the sacrifice of hundreds of innocents! Athena is basically a goddess of darkness... not really a recommendable goddess.
(3) The author refuses to assume any responsibility for Ereshkigal's catastrophic decision, if half of Tokyo is ravaged by a goddess bolted awake, it's Ereshkigal's fault, not mine. OK?