A/N: Big special thanks to Greatkingrat88 for his work on the chapter and helping spice up the battles.
I also want to apologize for the delay in the chapter's posting, part of which was caused by real life issues me and Greatkingrat88 had to deal with, and me accidently sending him the wrong chapter for my Kingdom Heart's crossover so the posting of this chapter was delayed by another week.
This chapter was tricky to do however, especially some scenes with certain characters which I'll explain in the author note at the end.
Before we get started I have a review I couldn't respond to by PM, to take care of, but given its size I've moved it down to the author note at the end because it turned out bigger than expected.
Lastly as a minor note, on my profile page is a poll I've started. I've ran similar polls for Ritsuka and Hakuno already in my forum, so its Lelouch's turn. The poll is to gauge which heroic spirits, would be interesting to join Lelouch's collection likely to be encountered in the next singularity, which shall be the French Revolution. I have a lot of choices I am considering, but I wish to gauge reader interest so I can share the results with my beta and we'll chat about which servants would be both interesting and maybe unexpected picks to consider. Bear in mind final decision of which servants join will fall to me and my beta with the results from the poll helping us gauge reader interest in any particular servants.
Anyway without further delay enjoy.
Chapter 12
The Three Way Battle for Kyoto
The following day, Nobunaga was leading her army towards Kyoto. It was close to noon; she'd had her men march out from Osaka before daybreak. Kaito had reported to that Mori had fallen in battle against the Masters and their servants. Instead of the spirit he had been pursuing being hunted down and killed, the Masters had instead slain him and gained a new ally, that wandering Heroic Spirit. It vexed her, but she had known such an outcome was possible when she sent him out. Her gambit didn't seem to have failed completely, though, as Kaito had informed her the enemy was heading for Kyoto, with an army of foreign horsemen taking a longer route to reach Kyoto unnoticed.
With this information, Nobunaga had mobilized her army and marched on Kyoto. She would take care to keep a safe distance, hoping to arrive once both Kagetora and her enemies had beaten each other to a pulp, allowing her to swoop in and finish off both sides. But still, Nobunaga felt uneasy. She couldn't explain it; call it instinct perhaps, but she was unusually cautious.
I've sent Tomoe ahead to scout the enemy and report back… if the servant responsible for summoning and leading that Mongolian Army is who I think he is, then he must know how foolish this enterprise is, Nobunaga thought.
Her thoughts would be interrupted with the arrival of Tomoe, who had no doubt finished her task.
"What does the situation look like ahead?" Nobunaga demanded.
"The enemy servants and their forces are massing a few miles outside of Kyoto. They are no doubt trying to provoke a response out of Kagetora," Tomoe reported.
"So Kagetora hasn't moved yet?"
Tomoe shook her head.
"I see," Nobunaga mused, "so they must be planning to send envoys to negotiate with Kagetora. Ha, I doubt that will work." She grinned.
"What makes you say that, lord?"
"Kagetora may be talented as a warrior and general with superhuman strength, but she always lacked ambition."
"Ambition?"
Nobunaga nodded. "Yes. Kagetora was only concerned with protecting the people under her care. She was a mediocre leader, lacking vision. One to one, I have nothing to fear from her. But enough about that- Tomoe, take an advance force and head towards Kyoto. Get close enough to observe the battle, but not so close you get drawn into it. Wait until both sides have bloodied each other enough and let me know when the time is right. I'll move the rest of our forces nearby and wait for you to make your move."
"Understood. But won't the enemy expect our arrival?"
"Yes, but I doubt they would attack us with Kagetora to worry about. However," Nobunaga said, giving Tomoe a serious look. "Under no circumstances are you to attack any envoys the enemy sends. Make sure the men understand this."
"I wouldn't do anything like that. But if I may ask, why?"
"I know you won't, but I fear Chacha and Nobukatsu might. Most importantly, if the Mongol is who I think he is, then killing his envoys could trigger a special skill or Noble Phantasm condition," Nobunaga said.
Lelouch rode behind Ushiwakamaru, alongside the Khan, the three of them flanked by a small escort of Mongoalian riders. They had been quietly making their way to Kyoto, when one of the men had called out. Much to their surprise, Nagao Kagetora was approaching them without an escort. Watching from afar, standing with the rest of their servants and the Mongolian Army, were Hakuno and Ritsuka.
"She's coming alone?" Ritsuka said.
"Maybe they'll take this chance to take her head," Shuten mused lazily.
"Not likely," Mash said. "According to history, Genghis Khan never allowed any harm to befall diplomats who sought to negotiate with him. His father was poisoned during one such instance, so he made it a rule that he would observe the rules and expect his enemies to do the same. Unfortunately for them, the Khwarezmian dynasty made the mistake of killing the Khan's messengers, which led to a particularly vicious and ruthless response that saw their whole empire completely destroyed."
"So no mercy, then," Ritsuka said swallowing hard.
"They have nothing to fear unless they strike first," Mash said assuredly.
"Yeah, but what about Kagetora?" Hakuno said, concerned. "Would she?"
"Hard to say, I am not very familiar with her history. It's likely since she is going alone she may have no reason to attack them. It would be suicide," Mash said, uncertain.
"Then all we can do is hope for the best," Ritsuka said.
At that moment Kagetora approached Lelouch, the Khan, Ryoma, and Ushiwakamaru, the Mongolian riders standing ready. The Lancer gave Lelouch, the lone human among the servants, a look.
"This is unexpected," Kagetora said as her eyes fell upon Lelouch. "So there are masters?"
"Lady Nagao Kagetora," Ryoma began politely. "I am the Rider Sakamoto Ryoma, and this is my Master Lelouch Lamperouge, accompanied by his companions and allies."
"A foreign master?"
"Is that a problem?" Lelouch asked, keeping his tone respectful.
"No. I am merely surprised. Until now, no other masters have been seen," Kagetora said, her smile not diminishing.
"I suppose that's fair. Foreigners are not very common in Japan at this time," Lelouch said gesturing for Ryoma to continue.
"Yes, but that being said, we've come to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to this conflict. We are aware you have the Holy Grail in your possession." Ryoma said.
"So I do. I had it since I was summoned. Very unusual, for a Holy Grail War." Kagetora said.
"Indeed it is. So are masterless servants. This entire conflict is atypical," Ryoma agreed. "However, this Holy Grail is putting humanity in grave danger, so it must be removed from Japan. For the good of humanity, it must be disposed of."
"Worry not. As the Avatar of Bishamonten, I will not allow any threat to befall humanity," Kagetora exclaimed.
"What?" Genghis Khan exclaimed. Both he and Lelouch were dumbfounded by the response. Ushiwakamaru looked at her, completely confused.
"Forgive me Lady Kagetora, but I am afraid this might be beyond you alone to resolve," Ryoma said, pointing to the ring of light in the sky.
"It is ominous, I agree," Kagetora said. "However, it is my duty alone to resolve the matter."
"How, if I may ask?" Genghis Khan retorted.
Kagetora didn't answer, not right away. In the ensuing silence, everyone to quietly started to question Kagetora's sanity. Was she somehow delusional? No one questioned her openly, not in the moment, since they were trying to negotiate a peaceful end to hostilities. However, that prospect appeared to be getting further away with each moment. Of course, that was expected; although successful negotiations would've been preferable, people were rarely so forthcoming in times like these. Nevertheless, Ryoma was determined to do his best, despite the odds appearing grim.
"I have sworn to protect humanity, so I shall resolve the crisis," Kagetora declared at last.
So you don't know, Lelouch thought.
Lelouch wondered if Kagetora was trying to save face, or if there was something else at work. There was also what Sei had them about Ashiya Douman, this could be the result of his manipulations.
Her unnerving smile makes it difficult to really gauge her, Lelouch thought.
"Respectfully, Lady Kagetora, how do you intend to do so?" Ryoma insisted.
Kagetora once again took her time responding.
"Abe-no-Seimei tells me he'll have a solution soon," Kagetora replied.
I see, Lelouch thought. So it was that person after all.
He recalled the alternative Arturia from Fuyuki, forced by Professor Lev to aid him. If his suspicions were correct, Lev had a servant aiding him in his goals, and unlike Arturia, Douman may very well be a willing participant.
"I fear you are being mislead. One of the servants formerly on your side shared some very concerning details about your ally," Ryoma said.
"I shall never doubt the word of an honest Buddhist monk," Kagetora said firmly.
This is going downhill, but that was expected, Lelouch thought.
Meanwhile, Tomoe stood at the head of her vanguard force, with Chacha and Nobukatsu beside her. They were stationed upon a hill, giving them a vantage point from which they could see the Mongolian Army, some five thousand strong, advancing. There were no signs of Kagetora's followers leaving Kyoto beyond a small force; likely Kagetora were to meet with the enemy leaders. Still, their orders were to wait and observe, and await Nobunaga's arrival.
What are they planning? Tomoe wondered.
"Ugh, this is so boring," Chacha complained, pouting.
"Please calm yourself my niece," Nobukatsu said diplomatically. "Your aunt wanted us here. This is a good chance to take out Kagetora and her allies."
"I know, but it's so boring."
"Rest assured, if everything unfolds as Lady Nobunaga expects, then we should be able to crush them once they engage in battle with the third enemy group," Tomoe said reassuringly.
"I wish they would hurry up and kill each other," Chacha said, folding her arms.
In the corner of her eye, Tomoe noticed Danzo approaching them. The mechanical lifeform bowed her head as she came before Tomoe.
"What have you learned, Lady Danzo?" Tomoe inquired.
"The enemy servants and one of their masters are meeting with Kagetora attempting to convince her to surrender," Danzo said.
"Huh!?" Nobukatsu and Chacha exclaimed together, in a mix of shock and confusion.
"I didn't stay long, but I did pick up some noteworthy details," Danzo said, quickly providing a brief summary of what was discussed between Kagetora and Ryoma.
"They can't seriously expect Kagetora to surrender, can they?!" Chacha said.
"With such demands, very unlikely," Nobukatsu said.
"Even if they would honor their word, she was never someone who backed down from anything," Chacha said.
"Not likely, she believes she can resolve the issue," Danzo said.
"Well that ring in the sky is ominous, but I doubt she could fix that," Nobukatsu said folding his arms.
"Did you manage to learn the names of any of the servants?" Tomoe asked, her tone professional.
"Only a few. Sakamoto Ryouma, Musashibou Benkei and Ushiwakamaru were the only names I heard uttered," Danzo answered.
"Ushiwakamaru… I think I heard that name before," Chacha said, before realization dawned on her. "Oh, Ushiwakamaru, the childhood name of Minamoto no Yoshitsune?"
"I heard she was hailed as one of Japan's greatest generals," Nobukatsu said. "Not as great as my sister, though," he muttered.
As Chacha and Nobukatsu talked, Danzo noticed something seemed off with Tomoe. She looked strange, unusual, before suddenly an ominous red energy began to surge from her.
"Uh, Lady Tomoe… are you feeling alright?" Nobukatsu asked, clearly nervous.
"Something wrong?" Chacha asked, slowly backing away. "You're scaring Chacha."
"I… I… I must avenge him," Tomoe said, rage overwhelming the last embers of restraint within her. "I must KILL Minamoto no Yoshitsune!"
With a howl that sounded more monstrous than human, Tomoe turned to the Mini-Nobus.
"All forces, advance!" Tomoe commanded, much to the celebration of the Mini-Nobus and to the horror of Chacha and Nobukatsu.
"Wait, stop! My sister ordered us to wait-" Nobukatsu shouted, but his efforts were in vain. The creatures moved forward in battle formation, heedless of his cries.
"I AM YOUR CREATOR, LISTEN TO ME!" He snarled, but it was for naught.
"Oh, auntie is going to be mad!" Chacha said, distressed. She turned to Danzo. "Danzo, go to my aunt and tell her we've got a problem!"
"Understood," Danzo said, hurrying away.
Meanwhile, the Khan, Lelouch, Ushiwakamaru, and Ryoma rejoined the others after the diplomatic talks had fully broken down.
"No luck, huh?" Hakuno remarked.
"I apologize," Ryoma said.
"Nothing to apologize for," Lelouch said. "We knew convincing her wasn't going to be easy. The chances of us convincing her to give up the grail without a fight were very slim."
"What now?" Ritsuka asked.
"Roman, are you detecting any movements from Kyoto?" Lelouch said, as he used his wrist device to bring up Roman's holographic visage.
"Yes. Kagetora and her allied servants are mobilizing and leaving Kyoto now, but…" Roman said, trailing off.
"But?" Genghis Khan stated.
"Nobunaga's vanguard force is advancing on your position!" Roman said, alarmed.
"Why? Why would they want to be caught in a three-way battle, with inferior numbers?" Emiya said, surprised to the point of shock.
"This works to our advantage," Lelouch said with a confident smirk, turning to Sei. "Alright Sei, you're up."
"Better hurry, both sides are closing in fast." Roman warned.
Extending his hand, Lelouch was prepared to offer all of his command Seals. But before he could issue any orders, Fou leapt onto his shoulder. Lelouch was confused, until he began to feel energy flow into him. Then a voice spoke to him, but it didn't feel like it was coming from Fou.
"Just use two of your command seals, save the third for later. You'll thank me," the voice said, as Lelouch felt more energy being channeled into him. He was hesitant to trust the voice of a stranger, but with so much magical energy being fed into him, perhaps he could use two command seals and save the last one. He hesitated again, but there was no time. Soon, the armies would be upon them.
"Sei Shounagon, I shall empower your Noble Phantasm and give you all of the energy I can spare," Lelouch declared. Two of his command seals vanished, their power poured into the servant before him.
Feeling empowered, sensing all of the excess magical power Fou was channeling into Lelouch, Sei prepared to cast her Noble Phantasm.
"Imma show you all something sweet!" Sei exclaimed, chanting her Noble Phantasm to activate it while simultaneously pooling all of the power Lelouch gave her to greatly expand its range, well beyond what it was normally capable of. "Dawn is most beautiful in spring, night in summer. Everything in this world is truly delightful! Paint over all of them, my Pillow Book! Emotional Engine, Full Drive!"
A sphere of light erupted from where Sei stood, growing large enough to envelop not only around the Mongolian army as a whole, but both Kagetora and Tomoe's armies as well. She controlled her phantasm to exclude Lelouch, Hakuno, and Ritsuka's servants, but it affected everyone else, trapping them in Sei's mental world overflowing with emotion and creativity. Sadness, nostalgia, and sympathy overwhelmed them. The soldiers were suddenly lost in the emotions that held them hostage. Even Tomoe's vengeful fury was temporarily pacified, as they all forgot what they were doing at that moment, lost in blissful nostalgia.
"Ushiwakamaru, your turn," Lelouch said, dropping to one knee while Sei passed out from exhaustion.
"Yes, master," Ushiwakamaru declared drawing her sword. "The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh, first act; Eye of Shiva, Detecting the Six Secret Teachings!"
In that instance Lelouch, Hakuno, Ritsuka, their servants and the Mongol Army were relocated, pulled through space and time. In their place, Nobunaga and her army appeared in between Kagetora and Tomoe's advancing armies. Now a safe distance away from the battle they had almost gotten into, Lelouch was very pleased with himself.
"It worked," Mash said, relieved.
"Nobunaga is likely very confused right now," Emiya said.
"She's going to have her hands full in a minute," Lelouch said, grinning.
"Heh, if I had been alive with Ushiwakamaru as my servant, the possibilities with that Noble Phantasm would have been limitless," Genghis Khan said, his grin even wider than Lelouch's.
The Eye of Shiva was one of Ushiwakamaru's first Noble Phantasms, part of The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh Noble Phantasm. Upon activation, it forcibly relocated everyone on the field, although using it with Nobunaga's army a distance away was a concern.
"I agree, but I doubt we'll get away with using the same tactic twice," Lelouch cautioned.
"True. It's a shame we can't make more extensive use of such a useful Noble Phantasm," the Khan agreed. "In life, I would've made plentiful use of it."
"So what happens now?" Ritsuka asked.
"We'll advance upon the enemy, find an advantageous position, then strike," Ushiwakamaru said.
"Their forces will be in disarray, bloodying each other. Perfect target for a cavalry charge," Lelouch said confidently.
As Lelouch and friends had relocated, Nobunaga was, as expected, confused by the sudden mass teleportation. Her men and the Mini-Nobus were just as confused, readying their weapons in case of an attack.
What the hell just happened!? Nobunaga thought.
Mere moments later, just as realization dawned on Nobunaga where they were, the wagons Genghis Khan's soldiers had been hauling and purposely left behind detonated. The wagons were loaded with what could be described as glorified flash bombs, crafted to cause loud noise akin to cannons going off. Constructed by Da Vinci, the explosives had been prepared in advance.
Upon being roused from the stupor, Kagetora and her forces were in confusion. Fearing the enemy was about to attack them, driven by the sound of canons and bright lights, Kagetora's soldiers panicked and charged Nobunaga's soldiers. In their fearful state they didn't even notice their enemies were no longer Mongolian, and before Nobunaga and Kagetora could issue orders, the two sides began fighting, adding to the chaotic situation. Tomoe and her soldiers were the only ones to notice the Mongolian Army had been replaced.
"Where is Ushiwakamaru!?" Tomoe shouted.
"Protect my sister, GO!" Nobukatsu commanded. This time, the Mini-Nobus complied.
Kagetora's army had managed to seize the initiative, with Nobunaga's troops in disarray. The casualties were mounting, and Nobunaga's lines were crumbling. Their battlelines were nonexistent, and it was devolving into a slaughter, her army enveloped. But in the midst of the chaos, Tomoe's army slammed into Kagetora's flank, cutting a swathe through her warriors and crushing her entire left. Kagetora, scrambling to take control of the situation, was forced to commit her reserves to stop the advance of the sudden charge, and slowly the battle started to even out. Kagetora's inexperienced soldiers lost the momentum, while Nobunaga's veteran forces held the line. With the Mini-Nobus slamming into Kagetora's lines, Nobunaga's musketeers were able to restore their ranks and start opening fire.
Yet as the soldiers did battle, the servants of either side joined the fray.
Chacha was confronted by a young woman in her late teens with yellow eyes, long brown and white hair styled into a pair of pigtails. She wore the attire of a shrine maiden, but modified heavily to fit her personal style, with different patches of color and a skirt cut short for freer movement for her legs. Carried behind her waist was a sword, with a blade taller than her. More shockingly, she had a giant samurai-like being following behind, towering over her.
"Behold my kabuki sound, and tremble," the Caster servant said as the giant puppet-like warrior moved, mirroring the girl's movements.
Chacha backed away as the two advanced, evading a sword swing from the giant puppet. Chacha leapt into the air, her right fist surging with flames. After evading another sword swing from the puppet, she punched it in the head. The puppet staggered backwards. However, the Caster recovered quickly, and retaliated by firing a blast of magical energy from a hidden panel under its chest armor.
The Berserker couldn't evade. Forced to block, she used her katana to parry most of the attack, even as it sent her tumbling into a formation of Mini Nobus, all of whom went flying like bowling pins. The Caster had a confident smile on her face, and that look of arrogance was one Chacha could not tolerate.
"You will not mock Chacha!" she declared, and at her will the ground below her feet and much of the surrounding area turned into a scorched landscape. "Anyone who mocks Chacha will pay. Go! Warriors of purgatory who never decay, even in death!"
Suddenly the Caster found herself surrounded by burning skeletons armed with spears as Chacha herself plunged her sword into the ground. Flames engulfed her and she transformed into a giant firebird, taking flight in a divebomb toward the Caster. Along with her puppet, she was forced to fend off the attacking skeletons while trying to dodge the flaming bird coming her way.
"Descend, Radiant Demon Fortress of the Sun!" Chacha declared as her Firebird form hit its target, triggering a large explosion that sent Mini Nobu and soldier alike flying, disrupting the formations of both Kagetora and Nobunaga's lines. Despite the volatile explosion, Chacha emerged from it unscratched. The Caster had only narrowly survived the attack, thanks to her giant puppet having shielded her from the worst of it. It had come at a cost, though; the puppet was badly charred and looked like it might fall apart any moment.
"Who's laughing at Chacha now!?" the Berserker shouted as she struck the ground with her katana, unleashing a fissure that raced towards the Caster. Pillars of flame erupted from the ground, threatening to consume her. Despite its heavy damage, the puppet and its user managed to evade the attack, stumbling to the side.
"This performance isn't over," The Caster declared, as she and Chacha continued to battle.
Around the same time another battle between servants was beginning to unfold as Kagetora and Nobunaga faced off. Nobunaga the latter manifested a dozen rifles, firing them at her enemy. Kagetora laughed confidently, closing the distance while evading the musket fire with ease. Nobunaga grinned in turn as she drew her katana to parry Kagetora's attack. As the two locked blades, more rifles surrounded Kagetora, forcing her to retreat. Although Nobunaga's musket summoning had its limits, she could not risk a point blank volley.
"Nobunaga, did you ally with the human masters and their servants?" Kagetora demanded as she pulled back, evading another set of attacks.
"I did no such thing," Nobunaga replied, unleashing another barrage of bullets from newly conjured rifles.
Kagetora's special skill, Armor is on the Chest, caused every bullet and projectile weapons to veer away from Kagetora, even at close range. To work around her ability, Nobunaga began shooting at the area around her, hoping Kagetora's attempts to move closer to her would result her being caught by a passing bullet. Despite Nobunaga's attempts, she was inflicting little damage as Kagetora closed the distance between them again. Nobunaga preferred range combat with her rifles, but her skills with a katana couldn't be ignored as she held her own against Kagetora's unrelenting assault of blades.
"Then if you are not allied with him, why are you here then?" Kagetora said as she tried to take Nobunaga's head with her halberd, but Nobunaga used a dozen conjured rifles to block Kagetora's attacks.
"That's what I want to know!" Nobunaga shouted, summoning more rifles to shower Kagetora with a storm of bullets, hoping she might get a lucky shot in.
"But I saw the masters, their servants and their army right here," Kagetora said, as Nobunaga's bullets veered away from her again.
"We were switched, I don't know how… but…" Nobunaga said, as a terrible realization dawned on her.
Kagetora did the same, and the two paused their fight.
If they switched places, then… Kagetora thought before she and Nobunaga came to the same realization.
But it was too late.
As Kagetora's two armies clashed, there was the terrible sound of a war horn, and over a hill hundreds, thousands of Mongols riders emerged at a full gallop. Three thousand lancers led the charge, slamming into the flank of both armies to devastating effect. Two thousand more followed behind, a thousand each split to either side, raining down an endless hail of arrows on the shocked soldiers and Mini-Nobus, targeting especially the musket units on Kagetora's side to make sure counterfire would not be an issue.
The disorganized flanks of both armies immediately buckled, men fleeing in panic as one formation after another collapsed. The fleeing men became easy prey for the lancers, cut down without mercy.
And it was exactly as Lelouch had planned.
They're right where I want them. A cavalry shock to the flank, with superior Mongol mobility… the initiative is ours now, Lelouch thought.
However, Lelouch wasn't arrogant to believe victory was assured, knowing the Heroic Spirits among their ranks could turn the tide. It was vital the Mongolian Army demolished the rest of the enemy as quickly as possible of their Heroic Spirts could enter the battle to engage them.
Nobunaga understood the dire situation they were in, and had to break off her battle with Kagetora to address it. Thankfully luck was on his side, as an opportunity had presented itself.
Kagetora knew she could no longer afford to fight Nobunaga; she had to regain control of the situation. There was no time for continued battle, and Kagetora prepared to use her Noble Phantasm to end the fight. But suddenly, Kagetora was stabbed in the back. The stunned Heroic Spirit spun around, only to see Danzo having snuck up on her. Having stunned the general, Danzo unleashed her Noble Phantasm at point blank range.
"Assemble, wind," Danzo said, chanting as her hands folded down as energy began gathering by her open wrists. "Activate Kashin Mystic Code! Karakuri Genpou, Dongyu!"
Kagetora was caught and enveloped in a whirlwind of destructive energy, sending her flying.
Nobunaga had to dash to the side, as the Dragon of Echigo slammed into the ground on the far side of the battlefield.
"Good job, Danzo," Nobunaga said appreciatively.
"Thank you, master," Danzo said respectfully.
"Guard me, Danzo. I'll deal with those horsemen!"
She did not have the time to check if Kagetora was down for good, but even if she somehow survived such an attack, it was unlikely she would be a threat any time soon. She had to deal with the Mongolians before her army crumbled, and it would take nothing less than her own phantasm to prevent this disaster.
"Show your corpse to the Three Thousand Worlds: Demon Descent!" Nobunaga exclaimed. As she began chanting, a whirlwind of crimson energy surrounded her, and she started to rise into the air. Hundreds of flintlock rifles materialized around her, forming a spiraling tower.
"Behold, the Demon King's Three Line Formation!"
Lelouch saw the phantasm manifest, knowing this could not go unchecked.
"Ritsuka, you and Mash are up!" Lelouch cried, using his wrist device to communicate with his fellow Master.
"Right! Go for it, Mash" Ritsuka said, readying a command seal.
"True Name, Pseudo Register," Mash chanted, as Ritsuka committed two command seals to enhance the Noble Phantasm's strength and range to protect the entire army. "Lord Chaldeas!"
Thanks to Benkei having observed her and her allies fighting, Lelouch had prepared a plan to redirect Nobunaga's phantasm back at her, knowing she would use it to shred the lightly armored Mongol warriors. Mash had raised her Noble Phantasm just in time, just as Nobunaga unleashed hers. A shower of crimson beams, rather than bullets, fired out in a wide arc. Each one was capable of killing a Servant and demolishing anything else in their path. But Lord Chaldeas held firm, the shimmering shield enveloping the whole Mongolian army. The red blasts hammered into the shield but it would not break; more than that, the projectiles did not break against it, but turned back the way they came. Nobunaga, hovering mid-air, suddenly found herself on the receiving end of her own barrage, nearly consumed by its devastating force. All she could do was hastily use the muskets she had summoned to form a makeshift shield.
That act of quick thinking saved her, only just. Most of the rifles were destroyed, but Nobunaga herself had survived… if barely. Her cape was nearly torn apart by the redirected blasts, and she was cut and scratched in multiple places, bleeding but far from out yet.
Not intending to give Nobunaga a chance to attempt to use her Noble Phantasm again, Shuten-Douji materialized, leaving her spirit form, standing behind the force of Mini-Nobus protecting her human riflemen.
"An exuberant banquet, are you ready?" Shuten said with a malicious smile as she raised a wine cup, pouring the contents of her Noble Phantasm as it began spreading forth. "Go on and die now."
Before the Nobus could fight back, they were caught in Shuten's Noble Phantasm and quickly started to dissolve. Between the Mongolian charge to the flank and this sudden attack it was too much, and Nobunaga's human soldiers finally panicked and broke. As they ran the carnage began in earnest, the Mongolian lancers riding down the panicked, fleeing soldiers. The rout was a fact.
That adorable master will be happy to know the humans are running away now. Pity. I think they would've tasted better than… those things, Shuten thought, as more Nobus were melting by her Noble Phantasm.
Chaos consumed the battlefield as the humans who had fought for either Kagetora and Nobunaga began to abandon the battlefield by the dozens, the hundreds, the thousands. The Mongolian Archers focused on the nobus as Lelouch, Ritsuka and Hakuno's servants closed in, to begin mopping up the enemy servants. Ushiwakamaru was in a particular hurry, but not because she was eager to finish off the enemy. There was one specific enemy she had to take care of.
"Minamoto no Yoshitsune!?"
There she is, Ushiwakamaru thought. She had found her target.
"Tomoe Gozen," Ushiwakamaru said, quietly drawing her sword.
"Today I shall avenge my beloved, Minamoto no Yoshinaka," Tomoe said, readying her naginata for battle.
"I shall face you here and now, Lady Gozen," Ushiwakamaru said respectfully. "I accept your challenge!"
Tomoe and Ushiwakamaru stood in silence with their weapons ready, although motionless for one moment the two suddenly moved. Their weapons met in the middle with a loud clang of metal, the pair engaging in and intense melee. Tomoe held a powerful strength advantage, having been capable of tearing a man's head from his shoulders during battle. However, Ushiwakamaru compensated with her own advantage, her immense speed. To the casual observer, it would have looked like Tomoe was striking air, but in reality her weapon clashed with Ushiwakamaru's as the latter was moving faster than the eye could see, trying to find and exploit an opening.
Ushiwakamaru struck high, up and down, aiming to take Tomoe's head. The Archer weaved out of the way, catching the Rider's blade and driving the naginata into the ground. Tomoe did not waste the opening, launching herself forward and slamming a knee into Ushiwakamaru's head. Ushiwakamaru reeled back, sticking her sword into the ground and launching herself forward feet first, slamming into Tomoe's stomach, staggering the Archer in turn. She recovered quickly enough, and not a moment later they were back at it in a lightning-fast exchange.
Ushiwakamaru dodged behind Tomoe to take her head. It nearly succeeded, but Tomoe was too quick, the Rider's blade shaving off only a couple of hairs. With a powerful swing, Tomoe managed to shove Ushiwakamaru back, before hurling her naginata at Ushiwakamaru. The Rider spun her body around in time to deflect the attack mid-air. Having known her foe would deflect the attack, Tomoe drew her bow and empowered an arrow with flames. In quick succession she released one flaming arrow after another, each one with the destructive potential of a rocket.
Ushiwakamaru dodged left and right, realizing that deflecting such powerful arrows would be too dangerous. She tried to get closer while doing her best to evade, but Tomoe's rate of fire made that a tall order, the Archer's arrows coming out much faster than expected.
"The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh, Act two, Usumidori, Heavenly Blade Steps!" Ushiwakamaru chanted, unleashing another part of her Noble Phantasm. Her blade began surging with power, the boost letting her match Tomoe's strength and speed, cutting through the arrows as she closed the distance.
Tomoe continued her effort to shoot the Rider down, her rate of fire increasing even further as she realized the danger she was in. Finally forced to rely on her katana, she narrowly parried the strike as Ushiwakamaru came in. But each blow the Rider gave, combined with the strength Tomoe was applying to match it, caused a small shockwave. Another exchange of blades between the Heroic Spirits erupted, each blow strong enough to send anyone beneath their strength flying.
Tomoe allowed Ushiwakamaru to knock her back, the momentum carrying her back to where her naginata lay, some distance away. Ushiwakamaru hurried hoping to take the chance to behead Tomoe, but the latter had managed to take hold off her naginata laid. Using her sword to deflect Ushiwakamaru's strike, she followed up with an attack with her naginata, spinning around after deflecting the Rider's last blow. Ushiwakamaru had managed to pull back, mere moments before Tomoe's naginata almost slashed her stomach open. Retreating for a moment, Ushiwakamaru activated another part of her Noble Phantasm.
"The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh, Act Four, Dan-no-Ura - Eight-Boat Leap!"
Based upon one of her most legendary feats, as a Noble Phantasm it augmented her agility and jumping ability, allowing her to easily leap across any terrain, no matter how difficult, if there was even a slight foothold. Not only that, but it also allowed for the creation of seven afterimages of Ushiwakamaru to appear, which for a very short time were able of attack a foe in tandem with her.
Tomoe backed away, forced on the defensive under this constant assault from the seven copies of Ushiwakamaru, plus the real one. Tomoe's peerless skill was on full display as she moved fluidly and quickly, not a moment wasted, parrying, dodging and evading left and right, but slowly the eight Rider-servants were managing to slip in attacks against her. Small cuts began appearing on her limbs, as the constant stream of attacks were leading to holes in Tomoe's defense.
However, realizing she was in danger of losing, Tomoe fought with greater ferocity than before, putting even more power behind her blows, allowing her to channel power into katana until the blade itself was covered in flames. Despite taking an increasing number of injuries as the cuts grew deeper, Tomoe opted to abandon all defense to commit all she had to killing Ushiwakamaru, striking down her clones one by one until finally, she took a deep slash across her torso. The wounds inflicted upon the clones were deep, leaving her attire torn and bloodied. The clones were gone, but at what cost?
Thinking she had won, Tomoe approached Ushiwakamaru, but as she lowered her sword the last clone vanished, and she realized that although she had cleared out the copies, the original was not gone.
Where…
Tomoe turned around just in time to see Ushiwakamaru descend from above, delivering a heavy blow. She cut down through her left shoulder and into her chest, a mortal wound. But Ushiwakamaru just barely missed the Archer's spiritual core, and Tomoe was dying, but not quite dead. Just the same, the Archer was no longer able to fight as she fell back, collapsing onto the ground with a pool of blood forming around her. Ushiwakamaru didn't lower her guard, not until she was sure Tomoe was no longer a threat. Finally satisfied that her enemy was defeated, she sheathed her blade and regarded Tomoe with a sad expression.
"Why would a cold-blooded killer look at me like that?" Tomoe demanded weakly.
"I had no desire to kill you, although your desire for vengeance against me is justified," Ushiwakamaru replied. "However, to deny your challenge and ignore you would have been insulting, even if it does feel like it goes against the promise I made to Minamoto no Yoshinaka. In exchange for offering his life after we defeated his men, I promised not to hunt you."
"What? Why?"
"He wished for you and your unborn child to survive. It's strange that for all I became as an adult, I would honor such a promise," Ushiwakamaru mused.
"Then… you can be nothing like old Minamoto, who murdered my beloved," Tomoe rasped, coughing up blood. She did not have long left.
"I…I… reject that part of my life. I regret turning my blade against your beloved. I wished to only please the brother I admired."
"A brother who betrayed you in the end… just like my beloved Lord Yoshinaka."
"Yes he did," Ushiwakamaru acknowledged. "Despite that, a part of me still adores my brother. Or it wants to, but I can't deny his betrayal hurt me deeply. Maybe that is why I feel so devoted to my master; he fights for his sister. Not just to undo her death, but to change the world for her. If only my brother could have been like that to me..."
"It sounds… like you found someone special," Tomoe wheezed.
"Yes. Tell me, Tomoe- you never lost yourself to your oni blood, but you willfully had your men join the battle, despite knowing it was tactically unwise. You were commanding Nobunaga's vanguard force, weren't you?"
Tomoe smiled, "We Heroic Spirits are meant to be only temporary guests in the world, either to fight for a master during a Holy Grail War or to protect the world. We aren't supposed to take control of a world that doesn't belong to the living. We are just… shadows of those who lived long ago. I was greatly confused over being summoned without a master, so I joined Nobunaga in the hopes I could learn why. Then our assassin-class servant overheard your meeting with Kagetora, who in turn told me."
"Then you willingly sabotaged Nobunaga's chances for victory?"
"My oni blood flared up like you wouldn't believe at the mention of your name, but I still had some control over my actions. That Noble Phantasm that incapacitated us shook me out of it, and I could think more clearly," Tomoe admitted, before speaking again, with a stern look. "Don't think that meant I didn't come into our fight with every intent of killing you. You still… killed the man I loved, and I wanted to avenge him. Yet… you aren't the same person. Your death wouldn't have been satisfying."
"You never did attempt to avenge him while you were alive, you could've taken the opperunity when my brother turned on me."
"Maybe, but then I would've been helping the man who ordered it. It could've needlessly endanger my son too, whose care I chose to prioritize. We've spoken enough. I'll never forgive you for what you did to the man I loved, Ushiwakamaru, but I will thank you for honoring his final wishes."
"I understand. As much as I wish to be forgiven, I know it will never happen. Killing him was the only time I felt remorse. He had been so loyal to my brother, who wished for nothing but for peace for Japan."
"At least you understand. Go to your master now. He'll need you; the Assassin-class servant I mentioned is still around."
"Understood. The next time whenever we manifest, I shall answer your demand for a challenge any time as atonement," Ushiwakamaru said with a bow, before leaving in a hurry.
Tomoe sighed, coughing up some more blood.
"Nothing like the Minamoto no Yoshitsune I knew, maybe I wonder for as much of a ruthless, cold-blooded, and cruel killer you had become…some part of you buried deep resented what you had become, and unconsciously chose to manifest as you are," Tomoe mused, as she watched Ushiwakamaru hurry away to return to her master. "This is the end for me, but…"
Tomoe shifted into spirit form. There was one thing left she could do before her body gave out.
While Tomoe and Ushiwakamaru had been battling it out, Lelouch, Hakuno, Ritsuka and the servants who stayed with them were faced with Nobunaga herself. Knowing that her best chance at reversing this defeat would be to kill the masters, they were prepared for anything.
Nobunaga hovered in the air, standing upon one of her rifles, thirty more like them hovering around her.
"So, you three are the human masters I've heard about. But you," Nobunaga said, focusing her attention on Lelouch, "I take it you must be the one who planned this. My Assassin told me as much."
"I did plan this, but it was thanks to the Lancer among us for having observed you and Kagetora battling each other. We learned much about you and your allies and planned accordingly." Lelouch replied.
"Why would a foreigner involve himself in Japan's affairs? Haven't you Britannians caused enough problems for Japan? You conquer us later, do you not?"
"I see. You know about that?" Lelouch said, wondering how she found out.
That proves my master's suspicions about being someone else among Nobunaga's servants who has been manipulating events, Genghis Khan thought.
"It's true I am a Britannian, and yes the Holy Britannian Empire will conquer Japan in the years to come. Although they fought fiercely for their homeland, they were overwhelmed, with Britannia having far greater resources and manpower than Japan alone could've fought back against." Lelouch admitted.
"Which is why once I take control of Japan, I shall invade China and seize its lands, along with Russia when its revolution happens. I'll prevent the future from happening, and turn Japan into a superpower," Nobunaga declared.
"Regrettably, history is immutable. You can't change the future, even if those events are tragic. Did you even consider how odd the situation must be for a Heroic Spirit to be summoned without a master, and someone who had knowledge of the future just happened to share that with you? In fact, the same thing happened on Kagetora's side, from what one of her defecting servants told me."
Nobunaga didn't say anything, but her silence was telling.
"That proves it. Someone has been playing both sides against each other," Ryoma said.
"Yes, and it seems Nobunaga had suspected as much, and went along with it to further her own ambitions, not realizing it is what whoever has been hiding behind the scenes wanted," Genghis Khan said.
"Ritsuka, Mash and Hakuno, you guys go on ahead. Find the Holy Grail and take down Ashiya Douman. It could smoke out the mastermind behind all of this," Lelouch proposed.
"What about you?" Ritsuka asked.
"Brother, I don't know if you and your servants alone can handle someone like her," Mash said worriedly.
"Yeah you've seen the kind of firepower she is capable of," Hakuno asked. "Emiya might be better suited to handle her."
"Maybe, but with the battle winding down we can't allow the Holy Grail to slip from our grasp. Not to mention I doubt Ashiya Douman will give it up without a fight," Lelouch said.
"We can handle her," Okita said, drawing her sword.
"Lelouch is right, we can't let Douman get away with the Holy Grail," Sei said.
Hakuno, Mash and Ritsuka were reluctant to leave Lelouch and his servants to face down Nobunaga, but they all knew he was right. Securing the Holy Grail was their next objective, and the only way to bring the Singularity to an end.
"Just don't die on us, alright?" Ritsuka said. Lelouch smiled back at her.
"I've got a little sister to save and much more to do with my life, so I refuse to die here. You just take care of getting the Holy Grail," he said boldly.
Nobunaga didn't stop Ritsuka and Hakuno along with their servants from leaving Lelouch.
"You might've had a better chance against me with all of them helping you," she said confidently.
"Maybe, but this Singularity can't be corrected for as long as it remains in play. Time is of the essence."
"Then let's see if you can really match me!" she cried.
"I'll welcome the challenge for one of Japan's most infamous warlords, so bring it on." The Khan said proudly.
Nobunaga opened with a shower of bullets from her hovering rifles. Benkei was quick to shield Lelouch using his own body and phantasm, The Pilgrimage of the Five Hundred Arhat. Clasping his hands together in prayer, Benkei created a golden pattern behind him, which unleashed a procession of golden rings with the same pattern towards his enemy. Nobunaga narrowly avoided it, thanks to her use of a rifle as a transport to escape out of range of Benkei's Noble Phantasm, but it did hit the Nobus that had been coming to reinforce her. The Nobus were killed instantly, destroying her reinforcements. As for Nobunaga herself, she was under attack by a recovered Sei who began rapidly hurling balls at the Warlord with the speed of a machine gun.
Nobunaga used her rifles to deflect the balls while at the same time taking aim at Lelouch, intending to kill him, but all of her shots were drawn to Benkei, who weathered the barrage.
Some kind of special skill is drawing all of my attacks to him, Nobunaga thought.
Before Nobunaga had a chance to fire again, Okita attacked. She had been thrown towards Nobunaga by Ryoma and Oryou, while the Khan waited for a moment to attack, channeling power into his sword. Nobunaga parried Okita's attack with her own katana, conjuring more rifles to attack her, but at that moment Oryou attacked, using her hair as a weapon. It reached out, trying to impale the Warlord. However, Nobunaga evaded it at the cost of losing the rifle she had been standing on, forcing her to the ground. Before Oryou could attack further, Nobunaga redirected her rifles toward the hair trying to ensnare her. It worked shockingly well, Oryou's hair torn apart by the onslaught of bullets. She recoiled in pain, forcing Ryoma to come to her side.
"Oryou, what's wrong!?" Ryoma cried, catching her in his arms.
"It seems your friend must have some divinity, which is too bad, because my rifles and Noble Phantasm are deadly to Riders and especially those with Divinity. I am not called the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven for nothing!" Nobunaga said, conjuring new rifles to take out the Servant pair, but the Khan chose this moment to intervene.
"Kunwu!" Genghis Khan shouted, unleashing a blast of magical power against Nobunaga.
She narrowly dodged the blast, but it left her open to attack as Okita closed the distance between them, aiming to claim her head. Realizing the danger as Nobunaga corrected herself in mid-air, she manifested two more rifles into her hands, aiming them at Okita. As they fired, Nobunaga used their recoil to move away from her attacker to give herself more time to recover her footing. Okita, on the other hand, was forced to evade the attack.
Performing a back flip and landing on her feet, Nobunaga drew her sword to parry the Khan's attack, creating dozens more rifles behind her. They fired, and the khagan was forced to retreat, evading the bullets and deflecting them with his sword, narrowly surviving the barrage. But before Nobunaga could press her advantage and eliminate him, Sei intervened. She tossed colorful smoke bombs at Nobunaga, surging forward and ramming her elbow into the warlord's stomach, knocking her back. Ryouma and Oryou took advantage of the momentary disruption, and attacked.
Knowing Nobunaga's rifles was deadly to Oryou, Ryoma took aim with his own revolver to provide support fire so the others could attack her before she could recover.
Unfortunately, Nobunaga recovered faster than they had expected, already summoning more rifles to bombard the battlefield with destructive volleys. The trio were having a hard time trying to get close to her without being torn to pieces, Nobunaga summoning new muskets as fast as they fired.
She is pinning them down, Lelouch thought, trying to think of a way to counter this. Remembering the last command seal he had, he got an idea.
They are getting too close to landing a good hit on me. I better end this quickly, Nobunaga thought, and upped the rifle count, this time summoning hundreds of them. I can't keep this up, but this should do the job.
She's going to use her Noble Phantasm again, Genghis Khan realized, as a familiar tower of rifles began forming around Nobunaga, while the rifles she had summoned before were keeping the three of them busy.
"Okita with this last command seal, I am giving you the power you need. Strike fast and true against our enemy!" Lelouch commanded.
Okita felt a surge of power within her, as the seal expired and its power was expended.
"Understood," Okita said, assuming a stance.
Nobunaga had her rifles focus fire on Okita, but Sei intervened, using her umbrella as a shield. Shockingly, it endured the onslaught of bullets for a few moments at least.
"Better hurry, I don't think I can keep this up for long!" Sei warned. Her umbrella was fast tearing apart.
"This is my Noble Phantasm. Receive the brilliance of my concealed sword!" Okita said, speeding towards Nobunaga, leaving only an afterimage. Moving faster than the eye could track, Okita easily evaded the bullets, using the spiraling tower of rifles as a makeshift ladder to reach Nobunaga.
"No, it's more than speed, she's actually bending the space around herself to get to me. That's why she is moving so fast," Nobunaga said, realizing she couldn't stop Okita from reaching her.
Unless…
Knowing Okita was going to charge in for the kill, Nobunaga had four rifles appear behind her, ready to shoot the approaching swordswoman point blank range, but a familiar battle cry rang out through the air.
Ushiwakamaru arrived on the scene, having launched herself into the air before coming down and cutting apart the rifles Nobunaga had summoned to stop Okita with. Now Nobunaga was wide open, as Okita used her Noble Phantasm.
"One silent step, two steps infinite, three steps, a sword absolute. Lightless, Three Stage Thrust!" Okita said, as her words caught up to her and her attack connected. In a desperate last effort, Nobunaga managed to summon a rifle to use as a shield, but Okita's impossible speed was too much. More than three simultaneous strikes, they all happened at the same time and place. The first broke through the rifle, the other two connecting. Blood erupted from Nobunaga, who was nearly cut in half. But to Okita's surprise, she smiled. That was worrying…
"It can't be helped, but I'll still win."
Benkei had fall to his ground from his wounds. At that moment Danzo appeared behind Lelouch, having waited for an opportunity to strike while most of his servants were away from him. Lelouch realized the danger, but he couldn't escape and none of his servants would reach him in time.
"Target acquired," Danzo said coldly.
"Not so fast," Benkei said, suddenly rising to his feet despite his grievous injuries, his body riddled with bullet wounds.
Thanks to his special skill, Danzo's attack with her kunai was drawn to Benkei, who seized the mechanical ninja in a bear hug. Lelouch hurried away as Genghis Khan and Sei arrived to protect their master, while Okita and Ushiwakamaru hurried to take out the assassin before she could get free.
"Self-destruct, activated," Danzo said, suddenly exploding in a last ditch effort to take out Lelouch. Thankfully both Sei and Genghis Khan managed to shield Lelouch from the explosion, although it sent the trio flying. Lelouch found himself wrapped in the Khan's strong arms, both his servants shielding him from harm. The explosion knocked the air out of him, but they were all okay. As the smoke cleared, they saw Benkei fading away, the monk succumbing to his injuries..
We lost one, but at least we defeated Nobunaga. I hope Ritsuka and Hakuno have taken care of things on their end, Lelouch thought.
As Lelouch's servants battled Nobunaga, Hakuno, Ritsuka, and Mash found themselves battling through newly risen zombies among the human casualties, as well as some Shadow Servants. Thanks to the Mongolian army, the battle was quickly turning into a rout, lancers sweeping through the ranks and archers providing support from the flanks. Further helping them was the servants Hakuno and Ritsuka had as Emiya, Mash, Shuten, Tamamo Cat and Tamamo-no-Mae worked together to fight their way through the zombies and shadow servants. The zombies were another reason Lelouch's plan was meant to keep human casualties to a minimum, because every dead person was another zombie to deal with.
Emiya's swords helped clear the way while Mash and her shield crushed the skull of anyone unfortunate enough that got too close to Ritsuka. Tamamo-no-Mae, on the other hand, was making use of her mirror and magic helping with crowd control alongside Emiya. Shuten used her Noble Phantasm behind them to deter anyone from attempting to flank them. Tamamo Cat was, strangely, using kitchen tools like a frying pan to deal with the zombies, with a shocking amount of success.
As they approached the gates leading to Kyoto, Hakuno and Ritsuka noticed two figures barring their way.
"Well, these must be the Masters of Chaldea. Welcome to Kyoto."
Greeting them was a middle-aged man wearing a bizarre attire, a hybrid between kimono-style robes and a jester's getup, with small bells hanging from parts of it. Part of his right arm and torso were exposed, and the rest of his attire was primary green with black, red, and gold patterns upon it. His hair was long, split into white and black. Long, green claw-like fingernails added to his sinister appearance.
"Allow me a chance to introduce myself. I am a humble Buddhist priest and onmyouji by the True Name of Ashiya Douman, a Caster-class servant."
"How did you trick someone like Kagetora? You are obviously evil!" Hakuno said. He certainly looked the part.
"Yes, he is so evil he might as well just wear a sign that reads 'look, I'm a bad guy'," Tamamo Cat said flatly.
"If I am being modest, I can be VERY persuasive, but not everyone bought my act, it would seem," The Caster replied.
"Well, it's just one Caster against five Heroic Spirits. I think we can take care of this quickly," Tamamo-no-Mae said confidently.
"Senpai, be careful… that man with him, I am feeling the same thing I felt from Professor Lev," Mash warned, raising her shield.
The human in question standing next to Douman was a middle-aged Japanese man with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a black suit common to the era with a cane in one hand. Despite his mundane appearance, there was an inhuman air about him.
"Ah, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce the mastermind behind this singularity," Douman said. "This is Shogo Fujimiya Eligos."
"What a fine mess you foolish humans have created for us," Shogo began, his voice disdainful, "It was already enough of a headache for our king that Naberius wasn't able to take over his designated host, but we did correct that by me awakening in this host as a contingency plan. However, thanks to Flauros's carelessness and failure to clean up after himself, he has needlessly endangered our plans."
"So you work with Lev," Ritsuka said, recalling that Lev had added Flauros to his name when they encountered him in Fuyuki.
"Work with him?" Shogo scoffed. "That fool's failure to eliminate you all when he had the chance has caused us considerable headaches, and our king is not pleased in the slightest with his carelessness. I suppose I'll have to do what he couldn't. As you humans say… if you want something done right, do it yourself."
"You think you two alone can take us all on?" Tamamo-no-Mae said, readying her mirror.
"Actually…" Douman began with an amused smile.
Shogo began to change, his human guise shed as he grew and grew into a gigantic shape. Within seconds he towered over them, a thirty-foot tall dark red and purple tentacle covered in orange eyes, with four-pointed stars for pupils. Even more unsettling was the actual makeup of the gigantic limb. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a patchwork of human beings; male, female, young and old meshed together with various parts of their bodies sticking out of the demonic mass.
"I am very confident he and I can."
A/N: First to take care of that review I couldn't send a PM response to.
Jay:
That is probably true, and for everyone else while I am avoiding a harem situation for different reasons, one of which I worry any issues in my story would be overlooked by a harem being involved, there is a chance of a threesome happening with Lelouch. Hakuno might be a good choice for Lelouch too, since among the love interest candidates, which there are a LOT to consider, might be among the best picks to help Lelouch keep it together during the Lostbelts if how taxing they are on Ritsuka is anything to go by. And if Lelouch did have to take another magus as a wife, its one of the reasons I've kept Olga and Ophelia around…rest assured it wasn't the only reason.
True on that, Lelouch would have a much easier time defeating Britannia than trying to push equality mentality on mages of noble families, which it could be a lost cause one that even Lelouch will have to recognize.
Yeah that is true for Hakuno and Ritsuka at least, Lelouch does have training yet he is around Rin's level of using basic magecraft, minus her jewel-based magecraft obviously, and being knowledgeable about servants and summoning which he is using to help Hakuno and Ritsuka adjust to being masters.
Probably true on Hakuno and her family, and I do admit I had some concerns about what I've chosen for Hakuno's backstory, but I picked to best mirror her backstory in Fate/Extra as best as I could, all things considered.
Also true on Sion's style of magecraft and alchemy would be compatible for Lelouch, and maybe that could be explored much later in the story since I was worried about giving Lelouch too much at once, and I know some folks are looking at his first servant when I said that.
True Magecraft has taken something of a backseat, but that is mostly because there hasn't been any real opportunities for it to be used, and that will change in the coming chapters especially in the next Singularity I assure you. Lelouch will be using more magecraft soon and with Ritsuka and Hakuno beginning to get some lessons and such to help them out.
Yes, I agree Okita is one of the best waifus indeed.
Now to address the questions I know some of you likely have.
I do admit I was uncertain about how to best handle Tomoe's reaction to learning of Ushiwakamaru, and I've asked around with a couple folks to play it safe. I know some sources say her oni blood would boil out of control, which I've captured here while I took into account how later materials noted how Tomoe in Chaldea became aware of who Ushiwakamaru is, which a friend noted was likely because of the time Tomoe has spent at Chaldea and has a master that is keeping that oni blood in check so I went with what you saw while also keeping with views she has expressed about being a Heroic Spirit.
And I should note about how the Mini Nobus came about, well it will be explained more in the next chapter and its not quite as what has been said.
Also while there were servants duking it out, I was worried about character bloat and I didn't want to introduce too many new characters at once out of concern for that especially if they are likely to end up getting killed off, and yes Chacha's foe was Izumo-no-Okuni as a test I decided to do during the fight.
Next is Ushiwakamaru's Noble Phantasm that allows troops to be swapped around in battle, although I tried to look up if there was any range or limitations to it I didn't find any. But it would be key to Lelouch's strategy once Ushiwakamaru told him about it giving him an idea, and then he would refine said plan with help with Ushiwakamaru and Genghis Khan offering their wisdom.
As a reminder and to avoid any misunderstandings. Let there be no doubt Lelouch is a genius strategist and commander, but he at the start lacked the experience from real battles and such to develop it further and grow his talents. Now with two notable commanders and leaders behind him, having advised him on his plan he'll be getting a lot of chances on his journey allowing him to gain experience and refine his talents even more so. So just imagine how he might handle events like Shinjuku Ghetto and such after he clears all seven singularities being much wiser and his talents refined by his experiences.
As Lelouch said they can't be expecting to use this same trick twice, especially given what the next singularity will be.
Also keep in mind unless I show a servant dying like Benkei, that servant could be dead or not dead…or dying as some are, but I won't say who to avoid spoilers for the next chapter. The battle isn't over yet so if you are worried someone got killed wait until the end of the next chapter. Servant casualties will be inevitable, especially since my beta is helping me avoid bloating the story with too many characters at once. But since they are servants there is a chance they could be summoned later or encountered again at some point.
Now I do hope I did a good job with the fights involving Ushiwakamaru vs Tomoe, and Lelouch and his servants against Nobunaga.
Ritsuka and Hakuno will be facing the Demon God Pillar of this singularity and Ashiya Douman at the same time in the next chapter. And kudos to those who notice the name of the Demon God Pillar's surname and what character from a fate-related work involving Nobunaga and Okita they are related to by said surname. I might've given away too much with that.
Anyway thanks for reading the chapter and managing to get through this long author note, I am sorry I try to avoid them. The next chapter is already done, and it will be posted after it goes to my beta once my Sunrider story and then my Kingdom Heart story are updated before its this story's turn once again.
Thanks in advance for the reviews and feedback, they are appreciated. I shall be posting this chapter on AO3 next, where the story is also being posted too.