Cutting it close on finishing this chapter by the end of the month. Honestly, this is already shaping up to be a bit longer then the chapter total I had in mind but I think that's a good, maybe good, thing. I am thinking of taking a small break for myself at some point but I fear if I do I might lose the muse again. Anyway, enough of that you know why you're all here and I both understand and are thankful for the continued interest.
Disclaimer: Don't own Fate, probably for the best.
Yuuka Sakatsuki, the Twenty-second seat who had decided to associate herself with the Black Princess, and someone who had until recently was able to use the Burial Agency's attempt at killing her to fake her death. Erikson hadn't been all surprised by the news of the Twenty-second lived. Most of the Dead Apostle Ancestors who weren't a part of the Black Princesses faction had suspected as such given that her seat wasn't open for any candidate. No, what had been surprising to hear was she had a Successor. Given how she had been when it came with having Dead under her, nevermind her unwillingness to take a Dead Apostle under her wing after the first time she did, the only way she could have had one is if she made them.
Here was likely said creation. A boy who called himself her son. Which might very well be true if she found a way to use a part of herself in making him. "I see the missing Successor," This was a valuable opportunity for him to test just how powerful he actually was now. "Killing you would likely get my patron to reward me."
Shirou knew what he was getting at. As the Dead Apostle Successor for the Twenty-second he was treated as a member of the Black Princesses faction. Even if both him and his mother largely did things on their own much like most of their kind they still were seen as members of her faction. However, it did afford his mother a degree of protection from having anyone bother her as it would mean they were bothering the Black Princess as well. "That's not going to happen!"
"We'll see," Lightning arced out from Erikson's hands aimed at Shirou. The boy was quick moved out of the way and closed in. From the ground a pair of longswords shot out and headed straight for Shirou's enemy. They were stopped by a pillar of crystal formed from the ground and smashed into them. Erikson caught out of the corner of his eyes Shirou closing in with the pair of swords in hand. Rapidly he reinforced the crystals covering his claws with more energy and countered the two swords expecting nothing from them. He watched as the two swords dug into the crystal claws with the swing as shards of the material drifted into the air.
Now that they were up close he could feel the weight behind the weapons. The two swords, chinese from the make if Erikson got his understanding of weapons of the far east correct, were not some decorative treasures. Nor, are they just some Mystic Code. No, the two swords had to be one of those. Ancient relics and objects with power that few could hope to match in this day in age. Many of which had been lost, or destroyed as time went on with the surviving relics kept by a handful of groups like the Church, predominant Mage families, or a few members of the Dead Apostle Ancestors like his patron. Weapons that had more than enough mystery weight to kill him.
Immediately he let out a pulse of electric force through the crystals around him to blast Shirou back. The redhead Dead Apostle Successor was able to quickly recover from the attack as overhead six weapons appeared at the ready. A pair of longswords and a pair of Katanas along with a spear. Crystals formed all around Erikson's body giving it the appearance of a suit of crystalline armor. With a roar he rocketed forward as the suspended weapons launched forward like missiles. They exploded on contact, shattering apart and ripping away at the makeshift armor as Erikson formed two blades of crystal and clashed with the married swords in Shirou's own.
Over and over the two locked blades with one another. In each exchange the crystal constructs cracked and shattered away parts of themselves. With each time Erikson repaired the constructs and went again. Finally, with the sixth exchange the two locked blades again as Shirou's dug into the crystal constructs. "Where did you get those swords?"
"My mom found them both in some old vault in China," Shirou dug his feet into the ground as the both of them struggled to break the blade lock. Erikson was better trained in how to fight but it wasn't by much and Shirou at least had the benefit of pulling from the bits of the various styles he had learned to keep up. "She eventually gave the originals to me."
Handing such things to a Successor was something that seemed the height of foolishness for a Dead Apostle Ancestor. It was akin to a human handing someone who has every benefit to killing you a gun and not expecting to get shot. Yet, just from his words and the terms he used it was clear Yuuka's relationship with her Successor was completely different from the usual cold apprenticeship that was the norm between them. "Originals?" Cracks started to form in the crystal constructs. "You mean that these are just copies?"
Lightning started to arc through the crystals as Erikson shattered his blades. Arcs of lightning pulsed through the area striking Shirou in the face chest and his right leg. Powering through the pain he swung his swords cutting into Erikson's chest even as he tried to jump back and away from the blades. Pain shot through his body as he felt his body return to normal slowly. Shirou looked up at him as his burns slowly disappeared. "Every weapon here is a copy grown from the blood of this world."
A world that grew weapons from its own blood. Such a statement would be ridiculous in any context except for when talking about a Reality Marble. "I see," In this place the boy in front of him was at his most powerful. "A world that can create any weapon you see."
Shirou raced forward while Erikson let loose more of the crystals into the ground. Shirou was then forced to move around as pillar after pillar of crystal constructs tried to attack him. Jumping back as the last pillar shot out as Shirou looked at the circle of pillars around him. Lightning arced out from each and from the body of Erikson as bolts arced all around. Shirou dodged his best against each bolt while swords formed over his head. Each one rocketed forward smashing into the electric crystal pillars. An explosion of dust and shrapnel came about from the contact. From it Erikson leaped out forming a crystal spear in and and charging it with lightning magecraft.
Shirou watched as it was tossed at him like a javelin. At the last moment he was able to get out of the way at being directly hit. The resulting explosion from the construct, however, was a differestory as Shirou was tossed by the electric explosion and left flying a bit into the air before skidding to a stop. Picking himself up he quickly reacted to the two crystal covered claws slashing down at him. Lightning arced between them and small bolts struck at Shirou's face. This was not a good position for him to be in and Shirou knew it. Breaking the lock Shirou immediately tried to strike back but instead moved to intercept as another lightning infused crystal strike aimed for him. The explosion that resulted bladed him back as the two married swords left his hands having been destroyed.
"I commend you boy for lasting this long," Erikson could feel himself starting to tire out. Using both crystals and his lightning magecraft was a hassle to keep doing so. It seemed that the Tohsaka girl was still alive and that was making the former of the two harder to use then he expected. Something was likely wrong as this shouldn't be this taxing to use. "Keeping this Reality Marble going is likely taxing on your reserves."
Shirou flared as he fought through the pain that was the burns and light cuts as they disappeared. Keeping his Reality Marble deployed was indeed a cost on his reserves. All Reality Marbles tend to be like that. Even still Shirou knew that with it he could still win. From his hands Erikson let out another wide strike of lightning which Shrou dodged and raced out of the way using the cover of several standing swords as he could feel that something was nearby. Grabbing the handle of the sword in question he brought the blade to the second lightning bolt that had been unleashed as the blade glowed with a deep malice blocking the bolt. With a swing the bolt was dispersed apart in front of them.
Erikson's eyes widened as he looked at the sword in Shirou's hand. The blade was long and yet it wasn't all that wide, as if a European blade had been made to mimic a Japanese Katana in proportions, covered in deep crimson runic looking lines throughout the blade. The full gold cross guard was rather small but had what looked like jagged teeth on the top side of it, and the dark handle ended with a pummel that was nothing more but four small claws holding nothing. "It can't be…" He had said that this Reality Marble was a garden of swords that could make almost any weapon he saw. That sword was almost always kept by its owner's side so he must have seen it. "True Demon Neardark!"
Shirou gripped the demonic sword in hand as he gave the blade a quick glance. He knew what he had to do now and Erikson knew as well given that he knew what that sword was capable of. As the redhead Dead Apostle Successor raced forward the would-be Dead Apostle Ancestor had large crystals formed around himself and shot out like long spikes of death. From the ground several swords shot out to intercept the crystal constructs. On contact with each other they exploded while Shirou raced through the dust, the demonic sword in hand a pulse of black energy surged through the blade. The malice and unholy nature was hard for anyone not to feel radiating off of it as its energy gathered.
"Ruin and Devour, True Demon Neardark!" He swung the sword as arcs of red energy pulsed through the dark energy. From the blade eight slashes of energy went flying out in the direction of where Shirou had swung the blade. Two of these clashes curved into the ground, melting the glass on contact and weathering the soil as if literal years had past in moments. Another made contact with one of the swords in the way as its shiny metal began to rust and wear before the Reality Marble broke them apart.
Erikson screamed as one of the splashes in the air had curved into his right side. His arm which was hit by the bulk of the slash simply melted into an organic sludge. Nothing remained, not even the bones, of the limb that had been there. That was the quick and rather painless part. No, the real horror was watching his organs start to hang out of the melted remains of what had been the right side of his ribcage. Erikson gripped his chest with his still good arm as he tried to keep his organs in his body. Frantically he stared at the sword, no at the boy who was wielding it in his hands.
On Shirou's face was the look of a sadist taking pleasure in his foes' suffering. Shirou wasn't unaware as to what he was feeling. He hated that he was taking pleasure in the suffering his foe was feeling, even if he wanted to kill him, but it was a part of who he was. As much as he would like he knew that this imprint from his mother was not going away. Clutching the sword in hand Shirou decided to end this now. Racing forward he held the blade tip forward aimed straight for Erikson's heart.
The tip came right out of his back as it had indeed hit the mark. In the split moment Erikson's mind panicked as he reached for anything on instinct to keep himself from dying. Having come this far only to die at the hands of one of Altrouge's followers, to let Angelica Ainsworth take his position, and finally to be seen as a failure from his patron. In his desperation his instincts immediately reached out to the new power he had gained and in that the moment it reacted. Mystery that tore itself through his fading form.
Shirou was tossed back as nearly all the remaining od within Erikson's body was seemingly tossed out with a violent electronically amplified pulse. He tried to grab and remove the sword inside only for the True Demon Neardark to fade into motes of light. With the sounds of bones breaking from his back crystal spikes started to spurt. From the stump of an arm rows of crystals erupted bending a twisting into a long claw of the material. His other arm literally split into two as two smaller crystal flesh limbs broke out from it. From his legs gained a small covering as spikes ripped out from his knees. The exposed lung was literally torn out as crystal armor bursted out from the wound and started to cover his chest and upper body seemingly crushing his stomach and waist compressing beyond what should be physically possible for a human to endure. With a gated rear his lower jaw literally was torn off as a crystalline jaw with roww of jagged shards for teeth replaced it.
"He's losing himself," The demonic semi-organic thing that had been Erikson let out a twisted roar as pain and rage could almost be visibly felt washing off of this thing. No sooner as the feeling reached him did the beast of crystals that had been the Dead Apostle raced forward like a lunatic. On Instinct Shirou projected copies of the married swords and watched as both them and the crystal hand shattered on contact which each other.
The twin left arms seeped downwards out the corner of his eyes as Shirou in a split second projected another copy of the chinese swords and like before both shattered. Another new set of crystal arms then seemed to literally burst out from the stumps and grabbed on to the boy the crystals digging into his ribs. A demonic roar was given as the claws moved to tear out his sides. Shirou with a scream held out one arm and projected a shirt sword into it. He rammed the blades into Erikson's eyes and the remaining flesh of his brain. Instead of tearing out Shirou's ribs Erikson tossed the boy with an inhuman might into the ground before grabbing the sword in his eyes and shattering it with the crystal talons that had become his arms.
Shirou picked himself up as he watched as the hole left from the now dissipated blade had the same crystals spurt from it and then tear off the full left side of his head. Brain matter dangled from the spikes as he started to thrashing about and ripped off the crystals that still had the gray matter hanging on them. 'Is he even still in there?'
By all rights that last attack should have killed him! How this had happened Shirou didn't know but he had a good theory that whatever power he had been after was to blame. As the crystalized Apostle raced forward Shirou quickly formed a barrage of daggers and short swords to be tossed at him. Each one shattered on contact with the thing before him taking out a good chunk of the Dead Apostle. Erikson responded with a roar and ripped off one of the two left arms and threw it right at Shirou. Another longsword was formed this time in Shirou's hands who brought it down on the arm, shattering both as Shirou was knocked back a bit from the exchange. Mentally he cursed himself for not just tracing a copy of True Demon Neardark. At that moment he realized that he was starting to run out of energy.
This was the first time he ever deployed his Reality Marble. Sure, his circuits were fully awakened and were at their peak, the weight of the mystery that was Shirou was helping them, but the world itself was fighting him back. Plus, there was something he had managed to catch about this thing Erikson had done.
Crystals were starting to fall from his body and the remaining flesh was rotting before his eyes. The scent of decay was clinging to his body and Shirou knew that whatever this was it wasn't going to last. Erikson was dying and it was obvious. This was just a last ditch desperation move on his part. Something that Shirou was certain he could outlast. At least if he didn't get attacked again by him like before. Shirou winced as he felt that his ribs were slowly being put back into their proper place. Ranged attacks were probably the best option right now to tax and speed up his death. In the corner of his mind he remembered that there was indeed something he could use to help with that.
'Why didn't I not think of this sooner?!' Holding out his left hand the long tendril of red fluid took shape as in his hand appeared what looked like a modified yumi, a Japanese bow. Red wrappings with white partially made kanji symbols written all over them all along along its body, a metal ring rested just his grip and served as where the arrow would rest on, and finally at the tips of the bow small arrowheads rested with the bow string seemingly being held at the point were they both met. An almost perfect copy of her bow now gripped in his hands.
In the slowly breaking large right claw of Erikson a large makeshift blade of jaded Crystal's formed. With a leap forward he tried to bring the large thing down on Shirou who quickly jumped out of the way himself. Pushing for distance a sword went flying out of the ground and shot forward as Erikson to blast another part of him away. Instead of making contact with him the makeshift weapon in his hand smashed against the sword shattered it. A few more easily made swords were traced over Shirou's head as they shot forward. Each one being destroyed by the thing in his hands.
Projecting an arrow into his freed hand he drawed the weapon, a red energy gathering around the arrow head as the partly made kanji started to faintly glow with the arrow. Shirou aimed for the center of Erikson's chest as his eyes picked up on the thinner laying of crystal just over his heart, over where True Demon Neardark had pierced through his body. Erikson, seeing his target stationary, and probably not even processing what was going on, raced forward with the weapon raised overhead ready to crush him under it. "Strike true, Norowareta-Tsuki-Yumi!"
Shirou let go as the now glowing arrow shot forward and struck into the target, the arrow ripping through the body in front of it not dissimilar to that of a cannonball. The large beast made of crystals stopped as the hole that had been made started to form more fissures from its side the weapon in hand breaking apart into dust Crystal's. Erikson's eyes widened as he stared at the bow in Shirou's hands, rational thought returning for a brief moment through the rage of nearly dying, as his body began to feel numb. His still living eye glazed over as the last thought coming from his mind was a simple curse. 'Damn… it…'
The crystals that formed across his body shattered apart and the remaining organic matter rotted away into nothing. Death claimed the Dead Apostle.
When Illya and Angelica had made it to the abandoned Edelfelt mansion they were greeted with half of the place having collapsed in on itself. Unlike with the warehouse this didn't look like it was because of a trap to Angelica. This had to have been caused by a fight. 'Had they been too late?'
The thought troubled her as if that was indeed what had happened then Erikson was already powerful enough to fight and kill her. His seat amongst the Twenty-seven was assured and she had only succeeded in sending the both of them to their deaths. "Luvia, Rin!"
Illya pulled her out of it as she saw the Edelfelt girl with who Angelica had to guess was the current Tohsaka head over her shoulder. Luvia had caught a brief look at the damage done before her as she saw both Illya and Angelica had finally arrived. As they both came up close Angelica's eyes narrowed as she could tell. Rin was in the process of being turned into a Dead Apostle. 'Just what did he do to her?'
Illya helped Luvia with Rin as she could see that her best friend's eyes were glazed over and her breathing shallow. Her body was warm, far too warm for this to be naturally done by anything besides overuse of her magic circuits. By all rights Illya was certain she should be dead. Either her body drying from heat stroke, or from her magic circuits being pushed well past their breaking point. Yet, for some reason she was still alive. "What happened to her?"
"She's being turned into a Dead Apostle," Angelica's words caught them both by surprise. Luvia decided to check to see if what she said was indeed correct using the spell her family had developed and to her horror Rin was indeed showing signs of being one to her. Angelica looked around for some place for them to lay Rin down so she could get a better look of everything. "Come on, we need to lay her down and see how far along she is."
In the other half of the mansion that was still somewhat standing they laid Rin on a table as Angelica looked over. Whatever had been done to her had pushed her along the process of transforming into a Dead Apostle almost to completion. Just holding her back at completion of the process. "Is there anything that can be done to stop it?"
Stopping the process of turning into a Dead Apostle was difficult but not undoable. Unfortunately, there was an upper limit to how far along one could be before it was impossible. Angelica could see that Rin was well past that point. Her very soul was already likely being twisted by the effect of what was happening to her body as was the curse of what happened to those becoming a Dead Apostle. Yet, despite how impossible it was there was still something that could be done. "At this point no one would say it's possible to save her," Like many things that was treated as fact there was still wiggle room if one had the methods to enact it. "Luckily I know someone who figured out a method to undo the change once this far along."
Reaching into her incomplete Reality Marble Angelica searched for something that had been left deep within it. Pulling out her hand she produced an old and worn bottle that had a slug like thing suspended in a green fluid. "Here, she'll have to drink this."
When she removed the lid from the bottle the thing within it started to squirm about. The fluid turned from green to a bright yellow. Both Illya and Luvia looked at the thing that was inside the fluid and back at Angelica. No words were said but Angelica had a feeling what they were thinking. "Yes, I know it's disgusting but this is the only way to undo the process after the point of no return."
Illya taking the bottle brought it to Rin's mouth and almost jumped when the slug literally forced itself into Rin's partly opened mouth. Her gag reflex immediately acted but the slug pushed forward unaffected by the whole thing. Her neck bulged for a bit as the slug stopped and bit into the wall of her throat. Immediately the contents of its body, blood, bile, and other unnamed fluids were forced into her bloodstream at such rapid speeds her blood vessels literally looked like they were going to burst and indeed had torn. The remaining body was then forced down via reflex into her stomach. The fluid mixture it had pumped into her straining blood vessels quickly forced its way through every single part of her body, into every single organ. Rin's glazed over eyes widened as their color returned to their usual state but as soon as they did they seemed to roll into his head before she fully fell unconscious.
"Just… what was that?" Luvia was disgusted by the thing. Even though it did seem to do as Angelica said and was undoing her turn into a Dead Apostle according to the spell she had cast.
Angelica herself was a bit stunned by how that had happened. She had never really expected the thing to work like that. "Its kind of the only known way to undo the process up to a certain point," Silently she thankful she didn't need to use it on her brother like she had feared all those years ago. "Though, it's unlikely to undo all the changes brought on given how far into it she was."
Best case scenario whatever had been done to her would only have her hunger for blood in a controlled manner, maybe enchanted strength and stamina. Unless whatever was done to her was more then just her being turned into a Dead Apostle. Which none of them would know unless Rin woke up and told them what was done to her.
Shirou appeared standing in the middle of the ruined section of the Edelfelt Mansion. His Reality Marble had been retracted back into himself and the bow, his mother's bow, dissipating into motes of light. Turning around he watched as Luvia and Angelica walked out to see what had just happened and saw that it was Shirou. Relief was present on Luvia's face while Angelica was staring around somewhat on edge.
"Where is Erikson?" Angelica asked with her mind focusing on the more important issue first.
"He's dead."
That brought a question to Angelica on how Shirou had done it and furthermore just what had happened. It was obvious that Shirou had basically just appeared into the world which was impossible unless that was indeed what had happened. Which to her knowledge was impossible unless he could teleport, unlikely given that it was basically a forgotten craft, or he had just been in a Reality Marble. 'Was that what you were after?'
Forcing a Reality Marble was not something that should be possible but perhaps that was something he had succeeded in doing. It looks like it didn't give him the edge he had hoped for if Shirou was able to take him out. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that something was off about the boy in front of her. She was about to focus on this when Shirou cut her off. "Is Rin ok?"
"Yes, though she's currently unconscious," Luvia didn't think it was all that important to tell him about the fact she had nearly been turned into a Dead Apostle. Whatever plans Erikson had was now over as he was Dead and Rin was seemingly back to normal.
Shirou, wasn't as hopeful as Luvia was. He knew that whatever the ritual was, it had succeeded in its aims of giving Erikson a power that hadn't been given from the True Ancestors in likely centuries. If it had died with his death then perhaps there was no cause for alarm. Immediately he worried about if some of it still lingered within Rin and the side effects of it. Humans were not meant to directly use that power, not without special modifications or circumstances. Hell, from what he remembered even Dead Apostles had difficulty with such a power. That was assuming she wasn't already one herself. "Is Rin a Dead Apostle?"
Angelica cut in answering his question. "She almost was, luckily I was able to reverse it."
Then it was likely when he killed Erikson it took wh as fever power he had gained with him. Relief came over him as it seemed that he was worried for nothing. "Thank you," Honestly, there was just one thing left to do. "We should probably take Rin home."
"You three can do that, I want to stay and see to whatever Erikson had left here," Both Luvia and Shirou gave her a nod as the blonde led Shirou to where they were keeping Rin. A few minutes later the three of them left while Angelica looked over the things Erikson had left in the building.
Which wasn't much as it seemed he didn't plan on creating a lair. From what she could gather it seemed he had just been here to complete his ritual and then gone to kill her. As she wandered off of the property Angelica stopped, closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Angelica didn't bother to turn her head. She had known he was following her for a while. Ever since the warehouse collapsed, if not before. Space opened as she readied to pull something out of her Reality Marble. Just in case he ended up being hostile. "Are you going to come out?"
As soon as she said that, a swarm of insects flew out from the forest and started to slowly take a physical form. Zouken Matou stood there as Angelica turned around her hand gripping on the handle of one of the many weapons she had stored and ready to attack him. An understandable response given how he had been following her and given that he was a Dead Apostle himself. "It's been awhile if I might ask I do believe I remember you from somewhere."
The blonde didn't know if he was being condescending or if he had legitimately forgotten about her. It could have gone either way given how little they interacted and how long ago that was for them both. She had at least known that he had turned himself into a Dead Apostle via insects. To see that he was the Fuyuki Apostle was something that she should have expected. "Makiri Zolgen, I see you have fallen into becoming a Dead Apostle."
Hearing his old name got a brief look of annoyance on the old man's, or rather the colony of insects that housed his rotting soul, face. Truth is he had a vague idea on who she was. The daughter of the Ainsworth family who had seemingly disappeared along with the rest of them. Rather the daughter who had slaughtered her family save for her younger brother. "Ironic coming from someone who has no competition now in claiming the position of a Dead Apostle Ancestor."
There was a brief moment of silence as Angelica and Zouken stared at one another wondering who would make a move first. Zouken for his part wasn't completely afraid of the Ainsworth girl. After all, most of what was himself was in someplace currently safe and enough familiars existed about that losing everything within this body didn't matter as much to him. No, there was still a degree of caution as he had no idea how far she had pushed her family's unique Flash Air magecraft. Angelica, however, knew enough about both him and the Fuyuki Apostle, well the latter was the former it seems, to know he was a Dead Apostle Superior. One that shouldn't be dismissed given he had survived this long in Fuyuki.
"You know the Church representative might be gone but there is still someone close to him who likely has heard the commotion," Zouken was the one who broke the silence between them both. Getting her out of his city right now was far better than picking a fight with an old semi-acquaintance.
Besides, he really didn't want the remnants of the previous war interfering at all. He had seen the last war and knew that if he was ever confronted by that servant he was as good as dead. What was annoying was that he didn't seem to suffer from any sort of decrease in power brought on by being incarnated into this time. Zouken had a theory about that and it concerned the orphans of the Fuyuki Fire but he didn't want to check himself. "For your sake and mine it's best if you leave the city."
Shirou let out a sigh as the police finished writing down a report. As both Illya and Rin had put her back in the bed that just left him to deal with one of the officers who had come by to check on the crime scene. Explaining what had happened didn't really go as well as Shirou had hoped as the officer didn't seem to believe him. Faced with all this Shirou decided to use his Mystic Eyes and get the officer to leave while filming a report that Rin Tohsaka had been found. 'That's one problem taken care off.'
Illya, or maybe Luvia, was going to probably have to fix the mess done to the place. Nothing in his Reality Marble could do it. Although, Luvia was likely going to demand answers from him concerning the fact he was a Dead Apostle. Rin was also likely to learn about what and who he really was. "Shirou!"
Turning around he saw Luvia who was now standing there her arms crossed. Now that the danger that Rin had been in had passed it was time to confront Shirou. She had so many questions she needed answers. Shirou did say he would answer all of them and she was going to hold him too it. "I guess you want an explanation huh?"
"That's right and I will start by asking the obvious just who are you really?"
Nothing was widened as Shirou explained how Kiritsugu had actually come to adopt him, to explain to her how the Shirou Emiya she knew was not a complete lie. The part about how he was adopted and came to be Shirou Emiya was the only thing that was a lie. Well, technically him only knowing basic magecraft was telling the truth even if said basic magecraft allowed him to replicate powerful weapons like True Demon Neardark. However,he had to explain just why he was a Dead Apostle. An explanation that caused Luvia to visibly pale slightly as she realized just who and what Shirou actually was. "Your creator, your mother, she's Yuuka Sakatsuki, the Twenty-second of the Dead Apostle Ancestors?!"
Yes, Luvia had read up about each of the Twenty-seven. Her mother even heard about the reality that the Twenty-second hadn't been killed like Church hoped. Perhaps they had only killed a flesh puppet or something else but that didn't matter much to Luvia at the time. After all, she wasn't going to go about locating and picking a fight with a Dead Apostle Ancestor anytime soon. That was now not a possibility given who she was talking with. "I'm also her Successor by the way."
"Successor?" Luvia's mind was in a bit of a panic as she knew that it most likely was what she was thinking. That he was a Dead Apostle Successor, a being who was strong enough to claim the rank of Ancestor. One of the few existences in the modern day that showed what was once possible long ago. Shirou was one of those inhuman creatures who could practically do whatever he wanted with only a handful of beings nowadays able to stop him.
"Yeah," Shirou could see she was starting to have a bit of a panic. Well, not all that visibly, Luvia had enough control over her body language in that regard. No, he could smell it coming off her. Given that not many mages in the modern day had a realistic chance against a Dead Apostle Ancestor or one of their Successors it was understandable. What annoyed him was that Luvia was actually afraid of him. 'I can't actually hold it against her.'
Dead Apostles were bloodsucking monsters, arguably natural predators to humans, and his own mother's reputation wasn't the best either. He could remember some of her creations besides himself. Hell, a few of them overlapped with her drive to help others and her sadism. Granted her methods of helping others tended to just be reasonable, unless it was a method which was downright terrifying now that he had years of a better understanding of it. Even with that thought he really couldn't hold what they were against her. Maybe it was because he could understand her thought process thanks to having it edged into his own.
'I wonder what she's doing right now.'
Official policy amongst the Mages Association was for members to not have any contact with the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, with the exception of the Fourth seat of course. A policy put into place out of pragmatism for both the Associations relationship with the Church as well as the danger that existed when dealing with Dead Apostles. Most of the various mage families did indeed keep to this rule but there were always a few who thought they could work with them in hopes of glimpsing a secret or two from them. Even if it usually ended in failure.
Yggdmillennia it seems was one of the few who had such a relationship. Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia looked at the woman who had come by with Darnic. The one person he believed could help her and supposedly someone who he had dealings with before. "So, you can't feel your legs and the only way to fix it would mean robbing you of your ability to use magecraft?"
Fiore stared at the Dead Apostle Ancestor, the Twenty-second from her introduction. Her manner of dress fit with the knowledge she was able to get on the Twenty-second being from Japan. Her choice of clothing made that more evident to Fiore as she took a moment to stare at the Twenty-second. A yellow short sleeve kimono tied over by a blue apron-like over shirt, along with blue detached sleeves of one of those Japanese shrine maiden, all which clinged a bit to her curvy figure and modest chest. Around her neck was something she was certain was a Mystic Code at the very least. It looked like something wooden wrapped in broken kanji lines with two arrow heads sticking out from its sides. Her light pink hair was long enough to reach her waist and was held back by a red ribbon in the back of her hair. Finally she wearing blue sandals that were tied around her feet. Age wise she did look no older then her early twenties which she probably was when she had turned into a Dead Apostle.
Her red eyes stared at her body as if trying to scan her, which maybe she was doing given her specialty when it came to magecraft was likely. "Yes," There was one possibility but that rested on the Holy Grail War that was to take place decades from now. However, no one had been able to even win the thing and with each war it just devolved into the grail being destroyed. "Everyone already said there is possibly nothing that could be done without it."
Yuuka could see why they would come to this conclusion. This was a rare thing for either magic circuits or something else relating to a person's magecraft to negatively impact someone's body like this. "I can't fault them for thinking so."
One thing any medic could tell you was there was a limit to what some things could be done. Even those who specialized in such things would admit the same. Even a mage knew there were limits to how magecraft could heal. Although, those limits were mostly because only the most deprived and sadistic would be willing to push what it was capable of. Even if the breakthrough would help others even the morally flexible of mages would hesitate to use it. "Lucky for you I worked on something similar to this already so this shouldn't be a problem."
Standing at the side Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia was released to hear this. It was a bit of a gamble placing his bets on her being able to help him, to be able to help Fiore with her predicament. Now, the only thing that he had to worry about was the payment for services. When she had come for the knowledge of Homunculi that they had "gotten" from the Einzberns he had traded it for a favor he could call in at any time of which agreed. Admittedly it wasn't long after getting such a rare thing any mage could get from one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors that he used it. The only reason he lived and Yggdmillennia existed as it did was her saving him as the Third War went bad for him. What she would want in return he hoped wasn't something outlandish.
"That's great news," Regardless of what it was, if it was reasonable he would pay for it. His life's work with this alliance of family, one that existed as almost a separate school within the Mages Association, required that he at least have a competent replacement, and Fiore was for all intent and purposes the only one worthy of it. "I must ask, what do you want for payment?"
"Yes, payment," Truth was Yuuka would probably just do this because the girl was in need. It was what she tended to do whenever she could get the chance. Although, that aspect it seemed was never picked up about her by literally anyone save a few of her associates. Probably because of her tendency to create "abominations" and the sadistic glee she had at killing and torture. It wasn't her fault, she had always been this strange combination of caring for others and sadistic malice even before she became a Dead Apostle!
Oh, and her tendency to create "abominations" that the Church and even the Mages Association had called them probably had a hand in that. Admittedly she did know that some of what she made to help others was extremely questionable, and the rest was more for her own desires. Her experiments and creations were also a side effect of her general fascination with understanding life which came about because of her sadism and desire to help others. That didn't mean she didn't take payment if one offered it to her. Especially from someone who had something she had taken an interest in. "Do you still have the Command Seal?"
"Not on me but I have kept it," It was almost ten years ago he had learned something that the Edelfelts had learned. That the Fuyuki Grail would exclude anyone who already had taken part in the Heaven's Feel that wasn't part of the Three Families. As such he kept it in storage in case he found a use for it. "Why do you want it?"
"I have my reasons, don't worry its nothing to worry about," Truth is given its means to control the summoned spirits from the Throne of Heroes there was a possibility it could help her find her son. He may have been made with techniques for making familiars but he wasn't one. Which came with the benefit of allowing him to exist independently of her but also meant she couldn't locate him. Perhaps figuring out how such a thing could control what was effectively the familiars of the world could help her locate him. 'Shirou…'
Behold the creator/mother of Shirou. You all probably didn't think I would reveal her physically now huh? Well, to be honest I pretty much have too given that the lead up to the Grail War is beginning and boy is there a lot of things to set up. Oh, and no Shirou wouldn't be suffering the burning of his skin and the bleaching of his hair. Such an effect is impossible given his nature as an awakened Dead Apostle will just undo any sort of effects. Now, had he still had Avalon plus the degradation of his circuits oh yes he would suffer it. Oh, and no worries when it comes to Noble Phantasms level weapons within his Marble Shirou only has like 4.
As for the slug thing that helped Rin... take a wild guess who could be winning to create such a thing. Also, had some of you going there with the idea that Rin was becoming a Dead Apostle. Don't worry there is consequences to what had been done to her.
I will cya all later.
