"Sister, sister, what am I meant to do?"

"Your orders," said the purple haired sister, Sigrún.

"Collect heroes, yes. But…" Ortlinde held her breath. "...what else? Why is Ragnarök so bad?"

Sigrún closed her eyes for a moment. "It is the end of all things. Of our world. A path that we can never return from."

"Oh," Ortlinde said, looking away.

"That is why… I beg of you…" Sigrún said, looking at the horizon. "Please don't stray from the path."


Shirou stirred, and was instantly met with a sharp pain around his chest and abdomen.

"Master! Do not move," said a familiar voice as strong but soft hands put him back facing a dark, rocky ceiling.

Shirou looked around, but his vision was blurry and his eyes stung.

"Who is… Thrùd…?" He asked. He did it blindly, without thinking, but she was the first he thought of. "...or is it Ortlinde?"

"N-no. It's me, Master," she said. With some straining, he managed to focus, and the formless blob of blond hair and white skin in front of him took the shape of a woman.

Immediately, he stood upright. Or tried to, if not for the hands that still held him down.

"Thrùd!" He said, and she jolted a bit. "You're here."

"Y-y-yes. I'm here and at your service, Master," she said, trying her best to act dignified despite the crimson tint on her cheeks. "There is no need to smile so much."

At this, Shirou raised an eyebrow and made his mouth face downwards. "I'm not smiling."

"You are," she said plainly. Shirou now felt his own face heat up. Letting his emotions display so easily and without control was embarrassing, especially in front of Thrùd.

"Alright. Sorry," he said, covering his mouth.

"Apology accepted," she said, before she moved her finger in straight and diagonal motions in the air, drawing glowing lines. "Now hold and let the Rune heal your wounds."

A green, calm glow engulfed him as he laid down while Thrùd closed her eyes. Seeing her like that, face tranquil and relaxed, once again made him smile. It reminded him of the good times, when he was their Master.

When he was deserving of-

"-Wait a second!" He said, standing upright again and bringing the top of his hand to his vision.

"W-what is it? Enemies?" Thrùd asked, the calm glow fading.

"N-no! I… You called me Master, right?" He asked, chest tightening up.

Thrùd looked down with uncharacteristic shyness before nodding. "Indeed. We made a contract so I could protect Hildr and Ortlinde."

"Are they alright?" He asked, thinking back to their injuries, which caused a pit to form in his stomach despite knowing they were Servants.

"Yes. Their injuries did not last," Thrùd replied. Her eyes narrowed then, looking down at the ground. "But I'm afraid this multi-manifestation may have drained Master of Mana by a large margin. Without being near the shadow border, they are draining Master and their own reserves."

Shirou took a breath, a deep void forming in his chest.

Ritsuka was dying quickly, even if he wasn't absolutely certain of it, the thought refused to leave his mind.

And yet, when he looked at Thrùd being present, and contracted to him, the void lessened, even if guilt began filling it.

"I see. What about you? Do you have enough?" He asked, recalling their supply difficulties in the fifth grail war.

"There are no problems for now. I calculate that I have… at best… one three Gungnir shots available."

"And the other?" He asked.

"That depends on Hildr and Ortlinde. But we should be able to do it one more time without problem," she said, expressionless and serious.

His mouth curved upward slightly. "I understand."

Thrùd's rune dissipated, and as it did the warmth also fell away. Even so, as he took a breath, he felt relieved.

"That didn't drain much out of you I hope," he said, feeling his ribs and stomach, not a hint of bruises or broken bones.

"No. Runes do not require much magical energy outside the initial cast. Especially if you've been granted them by the gods," Thrùd said, wings twitching.

On cue, she stood up. "If you are feeling able, we must go to the others."

"Are they alright as well?" He asked, standing up as well. He pressed his teeth together, trying to press down the guilt of not thinking of their well-being like he did the Valkyries'.

"Yes. Sigurd is the only lasting injury," she said, still emotionless as she walked towards an opening in the cavern.

Shirou followed her without a word. They exited the cave into a narrow path near a cliffside, where he could see the city of Xianyang, the Emperor's palace floating above it.

"How did we get here?" He asked, grabbing his left wrist where the command seal was. It itched slightly.

"The Crypter, Beryl, guided us alongside his Servant," Thrùd replied, her tone slightly lowering upon the mention of a Servant.

As they neared another entrance, Shirou decided it was better to address any problems in the moment.

"Thrùd," he said, narrowing his eyes and stopping before they entered the other cave. The Valkyrie stopped, and turned her head slightly to look him in the eye.

"Master."

"About what-"

"-it was a lapse of judgement. A failure in my system," she said, turning to him, eyes narrowed as well. "I cannot self-repair at the moment, but a command seal could-"

"-I'm not about to do anything about it. It's okay."

"Okay?" Thrùd asked, eyes widened and mouth slightly opened. The bags under her eyes worried Shirou, but he held firm. "Do you not care?"

"Honestly, no. I recovered. And I do not blame you. When I said I wanted to stay by your side I meant it," he said, a far away promise finally catching up to him.

Thrùd said nothing, her body tense.

"I'll help you through this. I'm your Master, after all, right?" He added with a smile.

Thrùd took a step back, cheeks red. "R-right. Still, what if I… hurt others? Would you stop me?"

Shirou's mouth opened in an instant to answer. He would do whatever was necessary to save lives, is what he would always say. Try to save everyone, giving up as little as possible.

Sometimes sacrifices needed to be made.

But when it came to answering Thrùd, his throat emptied and no sound would come.

"I-" he said, struggling. To stop Thrùd, he'd have to use a command seal or do… something he never wanted to do again.

He focused on the present.

"Let's go see the others," he said, stepping past her.

"Understood."


"This is quite a pickle," Beryl said, for the first time since he had met him, Shirou could see a frown in his expression.

The cave they were in was bigger, and it almost looked homey, if not for a stale smell. It had a few stones, carved into what he guessed was furniture.

He immediately caught sight of Hildr's pink hair. She was busy with Ortlinde, healing Sigurd with a frown in their faces.

However, as soon as Thrùd stepped at his side, the sisters turned to smile at him lightly.

His heart felt warm. He then spotted the missing members of his team. Beryl, Ophelia, Mash and Leif were sitting around an ethereal looking bonfire of a dark tone of orange.

"Ah, you made it," Beryl said, turning to smile at him. Ophelia and Mash did the same. He didn't know what happened to them during the fight, so his first instinct was to go to them.

"You two alright? Are you hurt?" He asked, pace quickening to stand near. They weren't injured, as far as he could tell.

"We're alright. But it was a fright," Ophelia replied. She looked smaller despite being otherwise perfectly fine.

"Indeed. All systems operational here," Mash said. He Ortinax looked beat up despite saying that, cracks and scratches eating through it.

"Sorry I wasn't able to-"

He felt Thrùd follow him close behind.

"- It's alright, Emiya-Senpai. Beryl came to our rescue," she said. When she looked at him, Shirou saw his eyes lock with hers, as if waiting for something. His hand twitched at that. And it seemed Mash wasn't too comfortable with it either. "Why?"

Shirou had no idea why he was so sensitive all of a sudden, although he guessed the additional strain of supporting Thrùd and, partly, Ortlinde and Hildr was to blame.

Beryl's servant, Fairy Knight Tristan, appeared at his side, looking at Shirou with a mix of curiosity and disgust.

"Can't let the fun end early. Also, underdogs and all that," Beryl said, shaking his head as he took a seat on a stone that looked like a half-cut cube.

"Underdogs rarely win. In fact, they always die in depraved and painful ways. Mother always makes sure of that," Tristan added with sadistic glee.

Shirou frowned. He looked to the side. Thrùd, Hildr and Ortlinde helped Ophelia attend Sigurd, who still had a pulsing wound where his heart was. The man himself looked awfully pale, dark veins sprouting from his neck.

"Regardless, you guys are fucked. Utterly," Beryl said, smiling again.

"No, there has to be a way. No matter how powerful Akuta is-" Shirou began, before Beryl fixed him with a serious stare.

"Akuta, or Yu-Meiren, whatever… is not just powerful. She's a Zenhren, a fairy. A being close to a True Ancestor. You have no chance, she's part of the planet itself."

A chill ran Shirou's spine as he looked at Tristan, who seemed to smile at herself. She wasn't all that powerful, he was sure of it… yet… if she was he understood why the Valkyries had bent their knee, if unwilling.

Such unfairness angered him. His powerlessness angered him. Yes, he had fought Gilgamesh and survived… but True Ancestors were another ballpark, at least according to Tohsaka.

From the way she had spoken of them, it truly seemed like they had no chance.

"Well, we still have to rescue Chaldea. At the very least we should be able to do that," Mash added.

"If anything, I'll exhaust whatever energy I have left to kill her… again and again," Sigurd said, a low growl now permeating his voice.

"We need you to fight Xiang Yu. We cannot waste… we cannot lose you, Sigurd," Ophelia added, stepping away from her Servant.

"I understand. But I'm afraid I alone won't be enough to defeat him," Sigurd said.

"We did some good damage to him last time," Shirou said.

"That is correct but… hmm… never mind," Sigurd said, looking away with a grim smile.

"No. Speak, dragonslayer," Thrùd demanded. Sigurd locked eyes with her, and the two shared what seemed to be a staredown.

But in the end Sigurd simply chuckled. "It may sound ridiculous, but I do believe our foe has a tremendously powerful ability. His calculations are just on another level. Every strike was parried with purpose, and every decision made was for a future that is for his benefit. I've no doubt his defeat was of his own making."

Shirou heard Mash gulp.

"Let's say this is true, what do you think his plan is then?" Mash asked. At this, Sigurd closed his eyes for a moment.

Then half a minute passed, Shirou scanned his facial features for any sign that good news would come. He spoke again soon after, his feelings indecipherable. "Not a clue. But my guess would be to bring Akuta to her true form, and corner us in the city."

"That's great. The only place we need to go to is where our enemy expects us," Shirou lamented, before shaking his head. "Sorry."

"It is quite a conundrum," Ophelia said, looking at Beryl for a second. He simply stared at them from afar, while his Servant simply played with some sort of shoe. "But if our opponent's precognition is that powerful, then we would need something of equal level, or such force that no path is available to him."

"That's…" Shirou almost paled at Ophelia's ruthlessness. It still took him aback sometimes, despite seeing her ability to do so. "... what are you thinking?" He asked.

Ophelia turned to him, eye narrowed. She was thinking something, something risky and that would inevitably lead to self-destruction. It was the same kind of expression Tohsaka saw in him when he was on the verge of doing something stupid. Or so she had told him.

Ophelia broke eye contact. "I still have…" she said, rubbing her eye-patch lightly. "... If I reconnect my Mystic Eye, if for just a moment…"

"B-but Ophelia! Da Vinci said that it was unusable!" Mash said, moving in front of her. "The nerves are mostly severed! Reconnecting it would be extremely dangerous."

"Shielder," Thrúd said, floating at her side. "I'm sure lady Ophelia is taking a calculated risk."

The Valkyries all turned to her, and she looked away. "I… It has to be done. If I cannot get through this Lostbelt and reach Kirschtaria then… I need to see him. I can't give in now."

Shirou pursed his lips. "Don't you think that's going too far?"

She narrowed her eye at him. "You're one to talk."

Mash stepped between them, cutting off any chance of argument breaking out.

"Ophelia please, think about this-" Mash said, before a raised palm stopped her.

"There is nothing more to think about. It has to be done. Do you want Ritsuka, your only hope, to die?" Mash stiffened.

"I- I mean-" Mash looked around the room, a few beads of sweat going down her face. Shirou caught a glimpse of Beryl, who frowned. That was a first. "-you're my friend."

"But am I more important than Ritsuka?" Ophelia asked. Shirou frowned, a spark jolting him forward.

"You're just as important!" He said, raising his voice. Ophelia continued, her voice even and tense.

"Like it or not, we are all pieces. And Qin Shi Huang treats his own people as pieces as well. We'll never be able to defeat him otherwise,"

"Is that really all you take out from all this?" Shirou asked. "That we're all just pieces in a game?"

"It's not a game, but it is a war. I tried Shirou," Ophelia said, his name bringing a crack to her voice. "But I cannot be like you. I cannot stand failing my- my friends. I cannot go on promising I'll save everyone. I can't. We have to make sacrifices, we have to think practically," she said. Neither Shirou nor Mash said anything for a moment.

Shirou looked at one side, then another, then another as if searching for an answer. "I… I know that! But I still have to try!"

Mash fidgeted as Shirou looked at her, but she didn't meet his sight. "Ophelia is right. We need to start playing our hand, if I'm remembering that saying correctly. Senpai would say we stick together… but…"

"She's not here," Ophelia said then, voice strong. "So we'll do what we can, as we have done for now."

Shirou looked towards Thrùd for a moment, then at Hildr and Ortlinde. He had failed to save them once. He had failed to save anyone at the fire.

And now he couldn't even save a single person, not from the Lostbelt and not from his group.

He quickly pushed those thoughts far down. Now was not the time for doubt.

Thrùd met his eyes, and she narrowed her own, her wings twitching down and up forwards. Her sisters did the same.

He'd ask about that later.

"So what then?" Shirou asked with a sigh.

"We move. We need to infiltrate the city, but with those things popping up, the streak and the emperor's vehicles we are at a disadvantage," Ophelia said.

"So an alternate route? Underground?" Shirou asked. At the very least that would be safer, he hoped.

"Yes. And one more thing. Sigurd?" Ophelia said, signalling to the Saber with one hand. He got up with a grunt, although his body and clothes were repaired on the surface. He bore the face of someone being beset by age rapidly, like how Kiritsugu behaved those last few weeks before dying.

"Yes. However, I predict Xiang Yu knows of this outcome. So we will face him and Consort Yu here. On our own," he said, looking them in the eye. "You should all go towards Mount Li. Qin Liangyu wasn't equipped with their latest technology, and it would make little sense for her to still be alive."

"Right. She lived during the Qin Dynasty, roughly a thousand years ago," Mash added.

"Indeed. So either he kept his warriors alive through some magical means, or what I believe is most likely with my records… he froze his warriors in stasis," he said.

Shirou's eyes widened a bit. "That… makes sense. Qin Liangyu did say she went away once wars were over."

"Correct. She also spoke of sleeping. I do believe Liangyu was only allowed to exist for war," Ortlinde added, her tone laced with solemnity. He felt a tinge of sadness.

"We'll probably run into her one last time," Shirou said. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

The three Valkyries stared at him, faces straight and serious.

"We are ready," Ortlinde said.

"We'll take her down," Hildr added.

"So this means we are going after the frozen warriors," Thrùd said to Sigurd, without a hint of venom to boot.

"Yes. We cannot allow the emperor to reawaken them. They'd be a threat," Ophelia said.

"It will be utterly dishonourable, and I'd rather do nothing at all, but it will be better in the long run," Sigurd added.

Shirou felt his brow twitch a bit.

Sigurd was right of course.

Those warriors had done bad things most likely. Helped establish this empire.

They would probably not surrender either.

"Yes! It will be utterly dishonourable! What are you-!?" Hildr stepped up, voice raised and head wings twitching.

Shirou stopped her, a mix of bewilderment and anger on her face.

He held her gaze for a moment.

He didn't like this either.

And she seemed to understand.

"Very well. But it does not change our evaluation," she said, falling back in line.

"I'm very sorry about this," Sigurd said, closing his eyes for a moment. He was being genuine at least.

"Well then, we'll go to Mount Li," Shirou said.

"Correct," Ophelia answered before turning her head. "Mash. Go with them."

Mash choked up, as if swallowing a complaint before nodding silently.

"Good. Beryl!" Ophelia said. From some distance away, he answered.

"What is it now!?" He asked, holding back a laugh.

"You said you knew a way. Take them there," she ordered. With a silent chuckle, Beryl got to his feet.

"Goodie," he said.

Shirou frowned, but said nothing else.

"I guess you'll stay behind," he told her. With a solemn bow, she nodded.

He sighed. "Damnit. Now I know how Tohsaka felt," he lamented openly. At this, Ophelia smiled.

"Unlike you, I'll be careful," she said.

He found himself smiling back.

"Ummm… what about me?" All eyes turned to the source of the new voice.

Leif stood to the side, pale and gaunt, smaller in stature than ever. Or so he appeared.

It reminded Shirou of war orphans.

"Are you really going to take on the emperor?" He asked.

"Leif, you shouldn't walk like that!" Mash said, going to grab him as he collapsed.

"Mash is correct. Stay still please," Ortlinde said, joining Mash in helping him stand.

"What's wrong with him?" Shirou whispered to Hildr, who simply watched Mash and Ortlinde help him sit down.

Seeing him in such a lifeless state made his chest ache, the image of someone who despite being saved from a situation, was still beyond help.

"He used a Primordial Rune without enough knowledge. It is… it is our fault," she said.

Shirou looked to the side, mouth pursed. "It's… you were just trying to teach him," he said weakly. In the end it was all just a justification.

And Hildr's lack of response told him all the rest.

"He can't go on like this. Not if we're going against the emperor," Mash said. Shirou opened his mouth to talk, but Thrùd beat him to the punch.

"Then it is time to say goodbye," Thrùd said, earning her a surprised glance from Ortlinde.

"A-are you sure?" Ortlinde asked.

"I can still… I can go on," Leif said, even if the sound that came out was more of a wheeze.

"No you can't. Our priority was to keep you safe, and we will not be able to in the coming hours. I'm very sorry, but this is how it has to be," Thrùd said, voice harsh.

Leif looked down, like a soldier that could not keep up defending his home.

"It's alright. You were immensely brave," Shirou said, going to him and patting his head. "But your safety always came first, and still does."

Leif's sight did not move from the ground.

"We will take him to the village," Thrùd said.

"I'll do it," Ortlinde said, helping the boy get up. "I-I can do this. I must, since it was this unit that found him."

"We found him together," Thrùd added. Ortlinde's gaze hardened.

"Yes. But I taught him," the youngest sister said. The way Ortlinde looked at Thrùd, Shirou imagined they were having some sort of internal debate in their network.

How he wished he could help them.

But in the end, the silent debate ended, and Ortlinde hoisted the boy up in her arms.

"I'll keep the flight pattern low to the ground and take him to the nearest village," she said.

Shirou nodded. She would be fine. He trusted her, he didn't need to worry.

He wanted to believe that, for his own sake.

He still felt a pit in his stomach.

"Goodbye Leif. I'm… sorry about the village," Mash said, grabbing his hand, visible eye strained.

He simply nodded with a smile. "It's alright. I'll get a new one, right?"

"Right," Mash said, forcing a smile.

"Be safe," Ophelia added. "No runes. Just be like you were before we came along."

Those words felt like a whip, directed at Ophelia by Ophelia.

Without any more words to be said, Ortlinde departed.


It did not take long for Ortlinde and Leif to go on her way. Thrùd and Hildr had shared their own sights and scans of the land's topography, giving her a good map of the terrain.

A village was not far from the mountain, separated a kilometre from it, for safety purposes.

Ortlinde flew low to the ground, barely a metre above the grass. Still, with her speed, some wind could be felt as she left a trail, the fields giving way to her.

Leif was held in her arms, and he closed his eyes a bit as if enjoying the trip, while touching the grass along the way.

"This is fun!" He commented as the village grew closer.

Ortlinde nodded in her mind. She enjoyed the cold feeling of the wind pushing against her, the relaxing chill it sent down her spine.

She would never share this with her sisters. It wasn't appropriate for a Valkyrie.

But she wondered if Hildr and Thrùd would have fun as well.

"Do not open your mouth. Something could get in it," she said, correcting their course once they were close enough in order to allow Leif to have a believable explanation for his sudden appearance.

"We have arrived," she said, letting him down on a small hull overlooking the village. "Go now."

Leif nodded, stepping forward. However, before Ortlinde could turn and leave, Leif stopped cold.

"What is the matter?" Ortlinde asked, a tinge of worry creeping up in her chest. Any further inconsistencies with his well being would be bad for them. So she told herself.

"I… it won't be… won't be the same," he said, looking back at her.

"It'll be different, yes," she answered simply. "But they will accept you. They are all the same as you. Know as much as you."

"B-but… the emperor wanted me killed because I knew more. Because I learned-" Leif choked, his already gaunt features getting more strained.

Ortlinde felt her throat tighten, as if something closed it from the inside. "T-that was our mistake," she said, forcing the words out. "We tried to- make you something that you weren't meant to be."

Silence fell upon them, wind blowing. Ortlinde was taking too long, Thrùd would scold her.

The pressure in her throat was unbearable.

"I wish I could ask the Emperor what I was meant to be," he said. Ortlinde swallowed, an involuntary reaction.

Right now, in this Lostbelt, she wished to ask that very same question to her father.

But he would never answer her.

"Maybe one day you will be able to," Ortlinde said, avoiding his eyes.

"So why can't I come with you to see him?" He asked then, raising his voice.

"Because you need to live, that is your directive as a human!" she replied, keeping her voice even.

"Even if I have nothing to live for? No purpose?" He asked then. Ortlinde froze for a second.

She didn't have an answer.

But even so, she felt an urge to leave him with something, something to smile about, or at least something that could prevent him from crying.

Such sentimentality was not proper of a Valkyrie, but since when had being a Valkyrie helped her in this Lostbelt?

"I… I do not know. I really do not know. But I know that…" memories flashed in Ortlinde's mind. Sweet smiles that would never return. Mournful wives and husbands crying for their loved ones. Warriors' regret at not saying goodbye. "... heroes suffer. And we do not want you to suffer."

Leif looked down. "I… I suffered anyway."

"And now you won't have to anymore. You'll be happy."

"I was happy with you," he said then. Ortlinde tensed.

She was just a texture on a copied body. Being happy with her was no different than being happy with a human.

Even so, her chest felt warm.

"Despite everything?" She asked.

He nodded. "I wouldn't be Leif then."

"Even so…" she said, gathering strength for the sacrilege she was about to utter. "I do not wish you to die, just yet."

Leif looked down, as if pondering. "You want me to live? Just that?"

He wouldn't be able to, once they cut the tree. But that didn't matter. What mattered was fighting to the end, learning as much as possible. Or so her father would say.

Ortlinde didn't understand a thing about that, she wasn't meant to.

Yet Leif seemed keen on it just from learning from her. "Yes. And learn. And fight until the end. That is the best any human can do," she said then.

He looked into her eyes, his own strained. "Alright," he nodded. "Please do the same. Even if none of us can be heroes, even if you always fail, I… I want to see you happy, like you made me happy."

She turned around, facing away from him. "I'm not human. I cannot do as you say."

"Yes you can," he replied quickly, just as she activated her wings. "I don't know what being human means but… I'm totally sure you can, miss Valkyrie."

She said nothing in response, simply leaving him on the windy hill.

Her throat unclasped, a bitter taste creeping up from the pit of her stomach.


Foulness.

Foulness surrounded her.

Black blobs thay stared with lifeless crimson eyes.

A corruption of the land, something that came from deep within her mother, or someone close to her.

It sent her into a violent rage, and so she slashed wildly at them, killing every last one of the infected humans.

And yet they kept coming, inching closer to bathe her in their blackness.

Yu fought harder.

These things would not stop.

She didn't care if they killed every human in the Lostbelt, but she couldn't allow them to corrupt the land.

Couldn't allow them to touch her dear Xianf Yu.

So she forgot the Chaldeans and her hate, and focused on the cursed creatures.

Despite her power, the power she ripped from her friend's chest, she still couldn't kill all of them.

The field she fought on had turned black from the sheer mass of the creatures.

She stabbed one, and it disappeared.

Another took its place, and Yu slashed its head off.

Two more came in their place.

There were five more behind, and a dozen at her sides.

She could jump away, but she could feel that there was a sea of them waiting.

The Lostbelt would be irreparably ruined with this many. Her little place, her peace that her friend died to protect, brought to an end by Chaldea.

"Damn you all…" she whimpered.

"My strength shall lift the mountains,"

"and my might shall conquer the world."

"I will demonstrate my military prowess here and now!"

"Mountainous Strength! Conquering might!"

Yu turned her head skywards. A tornado of blades and mana fell towards her position. A magnificent display of might and steel, something no human could imitate or think of doing.

But he did it. Her Xiang Yu came to her rescue.

He fell down, uprooting the earth and obliterating those foul demons, the wind so strong it tore her body to pieces.

She didn't care. She wanted to watch him for as long as she could.

Forever.

She didn't turn away, and before she could soak the feeling of pain and glee, the storm dispersed, leaving Xiang Yu in all his glory.

"L… Lord Xiang Yu," she said, smiling without meaning to.

Her beloved turned his mighty eyes at her. "My lady, you are injured."

She smirked again, standing up. "It doesn't matter. No injury done to me will last," she said, her wounds closing and limbs reappearing.

It all took her less than a second.

"Regardless, I meant to minimise your pain," those words set her chest alight.

"I… I'm glad to hear that," she said.

"We must focus, though," he turned away, and thus her mind went back to Chaldea. "Our foes await not far from here, I predicted their path while watching from the Emperor's castle."

Yu's gaze went back to his frame. His missing arms were back, the cracks and bends in his armour repaired, if hastily.

The emperor didn't even care to repair him fully.

"Alright. But try to not to push yourself too hard," she said.

He turned his head to her. "Do not concern yourself. The injuries I may sustain are in acceptable range. Do not try to prevent them."

Yu tightened her fists.

No, how could she prevent her loved one from being injured? She would always recover from whatever the world threw at her. Even if she fought hard to protect others, they were meant to die like the weak humans they were.

As Xiang Yu galloped away, she followed close.

Even if he was meant to be injured, she would protect him with all her power.


A/N: I said in the last chapter I would try to post more frequently but… it's hard, real hard. My life changed so much in these last few months I barely had time to take it all in.

That and I'm beginning to hate my own writing a bit. Just a bit. I miss when I did better and had a better schedule. Still, if anyone is still reading this arc, I thank you for sticking with it. That is all.