Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! ...though I think I'm also going to post on Jan 1 (or Dec 31 for some of you). Here's for a swell celebration to us all! Of course, for some of you, you'll read this on Boxing Day, but it's the thought which counts... right?
Now, story wise, I actually want to move forwards with Nobunaga personally battling her opponents, but I end up postponing that to the next 'cycle' (of the girls + SHIROU) because there's so much I want to talk about. Please be patient; battle is coming! Enjoy this chapter from (mostly) her perspective! As usual, if you have any questions, just put it in the review section and I'll do my best to answer them.
(And no, unfortunately, not lewd 'battle'.)
Some inconsistencies in this chapter regarding its continuity with HV-S01: RKR, because of rewrite.
...well, that's the excuse for now, anyway. For all I know, the actual rewrite's probably going to change things even further.
Happy to see IRL TV & movies are picking up in quality again. That was perhaps the best Spider-Man movie I've ever watched... because it has tons of fanfiction vibes! Go and watch it now (not that Disney needs your support to do anything, but still...) because I can't hold back on spoilers by the next chapter! The Witcher's decent, though mildly disappointing in its action scenes after the impressive S01E01, while a couple of popular South Korean series (you guys know which two) were also entertaining, if not subjectively likeable. Watch and learn, TYPE-MOON! That's how you produce stuff like you used to!
It's always fascinating what warriors did before a decisive battle. Some embraced the nerves, using the turmoil of emotions to fuel their desire for victory and ambition instead. Some succumbed to them, usually followed by physical displays of discomfort such as cold-sweating, vomiting, trembling, etc. Some chose to deliberately think these demons didn't exist, putting forth a facade more for themselves than the people around them. Some were natural-born fighters, untouched by these problems and were able to inspire others instead.
But there's always someone who's so calm it's eerie.
The 'calm' wasn't a parental sort where an adult figure drew on their experience to stabilize a situation someone mentally much younger than them couldn't handle, but an apathetic one. As if the battle was nothing more than a daily habit one could go through on instinct alone, with nary a shred of mental processing power being invested in the activity. How could someone stress on how to breathe, or to walk, or to simply live? It's part of their nature, and it was from this fact Muramasa seemingly drew his inspiration from.
...only he was even more extreme, like a chillingly-standing, immobile, naked blade.
Uniquely, the Eastern world lacked the origin story of the 'sword in the stone'; instead, they were usually divine gifts or manifestations of fantastical shapes and sizes, compared to the generic longsword portrayed in the Western world. In many occasions, it's also draconically connected, unlike their Nanban counterparts which contained more classical divinity, ironically enough. So, the 'holy sword' theme was approached from two different directions, but they all arrived at the same place in the end.
The unity between man and weapon. It's a martial tier so prized by Ming zhenren, from the beginning of their culture's birth to their current incarnation, celebrated across dynasties and emperors and cultural base. It's also common in Western mythology, though not as acutely pronounced or glorified – in a sense it's merely a 'great warrior' who managed it instead of a 'saint' or 'holy person' like many in Ming mythology and legends. To tear the heaven and earth asunder with one's own body acting as both weapon and master – such was the aura Muramasa was exuding right now.
Nobunaga was standing well clear of her lover, and the recently-departed Kazumasu had left without a word once she saw the state he's in. Aside from the need for her presence among the Owari navy, she was rather unnerved by this cousin of hers, who was actually closely related yet quite unapproachable because of his closeness to Himiko, since the intensity emanating from him was too much even for veterans like the two girls. Their Mōri counterparts felt the same, since both Motoharu and Takakage could feel his attention bearing down heavily on them, right in the middle of their land and naval armies respectively. They could barely make out his figure atop a horse close to the eye-catching redheaded Princess General, but it was palpable nonetheless.
The battle would've been contested simultaneously between land and sea. It's not the best strategic choice for both parties, since they're currently along Mōri's northern shore, with either side spread parallel on dry land and calm waters equally. Numbers-wise, they're about equal, but that's not the reason why they chose this place, either. Originally, the plan was to utilize the recently-defeated Ukita Clan's territory as Nobunaga's springboard to launch a direct attack at Mōri's centre, while Kazumasu harrassed the Murakami Navy and keeping them busy on the southern shore, where the waves would level things out between the two.
However, a letter changed everything. And said piece of paper didn't even make it into the respective field commanders' hands to make an impact.
More specifically, it was an intel about the Mōri's dealing with the new Nanban coalition force, mentioning a Spanish war leader named Maria wishing to meet with Muramasa to talk terms. She knew they're both more responsible for the mystical side of warfare, and seeked an accord to ensure everything went according to her wish. Muramasa, naturally, didn't even reply and amassed his and Nobunaga's forces accordingly, predicting the woman would already be making preemptive moves before the letter eeven made it into his hands.
A few subterfuge back-and-forth actions later, and as if by magic, the two forces agreed to meet here, assuming a formation right out of a child's perception how a war should be fought between a couple of equal-and-opposing forces: four blobs, two on each side, separated by the beach horizontally and an imaginary divide vertically. Neither Maria nor Muramasa was interested in anything but frontal attack, each confident in their armies' ability to keep the other occupied while the two personally squared off somewhere.
Of course, this was playing into Maria's hands – not that she left him a lot of room to breathe. She was weaker than him – that much was clear – but that's only if she was alone. Knowing Owari's main fighters were stretched thin to maintain its rapidly-burgeoning territory, there's no better chance to trap and surround its greatest singular fighting force than this. If she let it drag on, reinforcements in the shape of those very same unwanted individuals would arrive and balance things out.
...which sent her back to square one: she against him, the former weaker than the latter.
"Oh, he's certainly impressive," an elderly voice commented from a distance behind her, silently attempting to break the hold of Muramasa's killing intent from affecting the troops around him, but while his method was different than what Maria had been trying from the start, the result was the same, since the anxiety now spreading across the private Nanban mercenary force and nearby Mōri troops wasn't produced by Magecraft, but pure martial pressure and Conceptual Weight. The two of them even had to summon their Guardian Spirits to assist in resisting the palpable threat, though refraining from using Living Weapon just yet in case it actually triggered things prematurely. "It was a shame you didn't face him directly, Edward. I would've liked some data and analysis from you, my friend."
This was John Dee, fresh off of attempted murder and arson in his home, with large parts of his body covered in cursed burn marks which his loose and flowing clothing was unable to fully hide. He clutched a cane tightly in one hand, walked with a major limp due to his clearly-immaciated left leg, while manipulating magic energy with the other.
The person he addressed scoffed, though he was no better in terms of physical appearance. Edward Kelley was alive, yes, but not unscathed after his battle with Chiyome. The majority of his current... deformations were caused by his forced Apotheosis with Ouroboros, which left large parts of his skin blistering and opening in a snakeskin pattern, each scale carved deep into his flesh and leaving disgusting porous open flesh all across his body. His unnaturally pale complexion didn't help, either. Still, his limbs were still perfectly functional, unlike his mentor-cum-friend.
He hissed. "You sure are a harsh taskmaster. I would've died facing him, and you'll be left none the wiser."
It was Kelley's near-death which alarmed Dee enough to activate the emergency defences around his home, for better or for worse. He didn't even know of the Hungarian's duchess's planned destruction and assassination, but he'd like to think that fortunate piece of event at least prolonged his life to this day. Still, as a result, he was now left homeless and with his Temple destroyed. Kelley's Guardian Spirit contract was instantly voided by the Infinity Dragon for the gall in which he tried to use her, which meant he was receiving the full brunt of Muramasa's carpet-bombing attempt to scare the living shit out of everyone present.
Even Dee's high-ranking Guardian Spirit, the Ophanim – taking the form of the yōkai Hundred Eyes inside Nihon's Texture for energy efficiency outside combat – was unable to fully stave off the effect more than a few feet away from the main body.
The three of them weren't part of the main Mōri force, choosing to scout both sides from a nearby opening on the beach separating the land and sea, each using a method most comfortable to them: Maria and Kelley via their Nanban shikigamis, while Dee summoned several winged eyeballs to watch the battle from directly overhead. They were situated on an outcrop around where modern-day Izumo-Hinomisaki lighthouse would've been situated, hoping Muramasa wasn't actively seeking them out and he was just emanating this pressure as an all-round deterrent.
They had very little information about him, other than the fact he could probably beat all three of them at once. Still, here they were, going on what could very well be a suicide mission.
All three of them had been abandoned by their respective empires. Well, not Kelley who lived more like a vagabond most of the time, but he's technically British. Spain was under heavy political pressure after Cabral's failure in stealing Yasakani-no-Magatama, and the Saintess's students' meddling meant they're quickly losing international prestige in continental Europe. Thus, Maria was quickly cut off as part of the 'acceptable losses'. At the very least, she was thankful she hadn't died just as pathetically as Cabral did: under the sword of a fellow missionary. Oh, she was nowhere near as pious as that fanatic, but that's what made him a touch more dangerous than her. She was stronger with her basics, but his extreme belief empowered his Magecraft to an acceptable level in this foreign Texture, which naturall weakened all non-native forces.
Dee's plight was well-known, and Kelley also suffered alongside it. The latter was economically dependent on the former, and with all his resources either burnt to a crisp or taken away as collateral to pay, ironically, the restoration of his hard-earned land, he was literally left with nothing but the clothes on his back. The overseas stashes he'd set up beforehand were decent, but they certainly couldn't fund an international expedition like this for much longer.
Their mercenary force was comprised of those still foolish and desperate enough to make a bid for Nihon's abundance of magic stones, thinking they could achieve what the previous poorly-disguised merchants couldn't. Namely, the Order was here, knowing full well they're no longer a welcome presence in their home country after the Saintess's latest purge. Oh, she and they got along well enough, especially after she publicly exonerated their last official grandmaster from his false charges, but a couple of generations later, the Order quickly got filled by those wanting to use the sacred religion for their own purposes, and was instantly dispersed by Jeanne's personal might. It was quite astonishing to see a group of well-armed, well-funded soldiers and knights unable to do anything as a single woman physically tossed them around with ease in front of a racuous crowd.
The sight of their revived, genderbent grandmaster assisting the Saintess's raging effort quickly took most of their fighting spirit out, forcing them underground for survival much like their hated rival organization, ironically enough.
In fact, everyone present today was a delicious lineup of irony victims, it seemed like. So much so Maria couldn't even force herself to laugh, such was their pitiful nature. Thus, they gathered easily at the slightest provocation and for the meagerest rewards... which perfectly applied to all of them without exception.
The Brotherhood chose not to participate in this battle after their failure in ingratiating themselves to the Oda Clan. 'I'm beginning to think that was the correct move,' Maria mused.
She was young. Far too young; at least thrice Dee's junior. Her skill at orthodox Magecraft brought her far up the ladder, yes, but certainly not this far. Alas, the more competent and powerful higher-ups were busy fighting backroom wars and making political deals to care for little ol' her, so she's left with these two cripples instead.
The three of them had tacitly agreed to... not get in each other's way. Their methods and motivations were too different to work under a common cause or leadership, even Kelley. While the two men were great friends in their youths, the time they spent travelling away from each other did strain their master-student relationship, especially since Dee had never formally took Kelley into his household where secret teachings could be passed down. Sorcery Traits were impossible to pass down to unrelated people, but Dee had hopes of marrying Kelley into his family so the latter's child could carry their clan forward into the future.
It's a stroke of fortune Dee's family weren't present when Duchess Bathory disintegrated his house. He shuddered what might become of him, with his mind barely clinging onto sanity at present. Perhaps it could empower him greatly, perhaps not. He certainly would entertain the thought the white-haired dragon princess would detect any changes occurring to his body if he transformed into some sort of illegal demon, then circled around to finish the job. Having himself unconscious and half-dead suppressed his presence enough Elizabeth's men managed to find him first, instead of the hypersensitive senses of a dragon.
It's been a short year since then. Scrapping all the wealth he'd stored at hidden locations beforehand was complicated enough with the Pendragon Clan sniffing around for his demise, much less doing it while he's near-fatally injured and and practically permanently handicapped. Elizabeth's hands were tied, almost literally, and could only spare a few encouraging words for her former tutor. A good girl, the young queen was, but far too helpless for the ruler of several global colonies. He viewed himself as an individual important enough for the Empire to prioritize, but reality certainly saw it otherwise. Ditto Kelley, who's already far less publicly liked due to his personality.
In fact, right now, the two men could feel the Christian Thaumaturgical Foundation they're masters of receding away in strength. Of course, that could be partially attributed to being on a particularly hostile Texture, especially after the stunt Kelley and Cabral pulled – it'd be surprising if the local ruler didn't implement any sort of harsh countermeasures afterwards – but the majority of it was the Saintess's influence among the Divine Spirits guarding and powering said school of Magecraft, practically expelling and disinheriting their granted abilities by the second. It's not an instant job – even Abrahamic Heaven wasn't immune to one evil: bureaucracy – but she was powerful enough to take away many of their blessings remotely, halfway across the world from the Americas, once she received word from one of her students currently residing in Nihon: Louíse Fróis.
- Step.
'Well, shit.'
Both Kelley and Maria silently shared Dee's thought.
Muramasa had crossed the distance between the Oda land army's base and the partially-open outcrop they're on in an instant, acting as if he's only taking a single casual step to be right in front of them, within slashing distance of a claymore.
"Where is he?"
I have to admit, the word 'anxiety' certainly comes to mind to describe what I'm feeling right now. It's been a long time since I felt this, mostly when I'm at the eve of the decisive battles near the end of every deployment. This time, it's mostly due to how complex the new 'Tenka Fubu' has been which demands a lot of emotional investment… from myself, a Heroic Vessel, who most of the times can't give a shred to spare and demands a position where I can be the recipient of most of these emotions.
In Britain, I felt this when there's nothing else to conquer after the island nation and its surrounding areas were united and supportive of Mordred's rule… leaving only the threat of the newly-resurrected Altera to deal with. In an ironic twist, the following noteworthy deployment was chronologically backwards… but also related to Altera, this time a different self who was conscious during the Hellenistic Period. I'm still unsure what brought her back to awareness in the latter, because she should still be Velber… yet our last conversation held no trace of the alien conqueror's instinctual order of destruction and was infinitely closer to her future self, who was already immersed in humanity and its culture.
This time, there was no indication Altera is behind the flutters I'm feeling.
Hopefully.
My hypothesis is the aforementioned explanation is too narrow. I shouldn't just focus on the pre-battle anxiety, but also the sense my time with my loved ones in this mission is drawing to a close. Alaya is inconsistent in how much time she allows me to continue serving after each Quantum Time Lock is… unlocked – sometimes a few short years, sometimes mimicking natural human lifespan of several decades, sometimes no more than a few hours after the final battle cheer sounded. At the very least, they all end in dignity, and not with me tragically murdered by vengeful victims' family members or dying of humiliating diseases due to old age. I practically copy what my Servant, Altria, do when our Fifth Holy Grail War was over, which is to disappear in motes of light with very catchy parting words.
…ah, no, that is a war belonging to 'Emiya Shirō', not me.
There's still so much to do after this, and it's perhaps the impatience of getting things done right here and now makes me mentally unstable. I feel it's rude to simply dismiss my opponents standing in front of me, regardless of the difference in combat capability… or perhaps it's especially so, with them knowing full well they don't stand a chance against my blades. They, like 'Emiya Shirō', are courageous and dauntless in front of impossible odds; only, with me, the role of protagonist and antagonist in their minds is undoubtedly reversed.
I think I'm inheriting more of Gilgamesh's attitude than I realize or like to admit.
[Kakaka! Just admit it, love!] Right on cue, her beautiful voice answers my musing, the image of Ea vibrating with excitement. [Unleash me, and you shall have your desires fulfilled!]
Certainly, it'll be a boring one shot, one kill. Even against her, it's only my specific set of skills which enables me to partially counter Ea's release, while simultaneously suppressing Gilgamesh's other abilities. Only when brought to a similar playing field did she show some form of weaknesses, but even those required a sufficiently skilled opponent to take advantage of.
[I miss you, certainly,] I reply. It's always best to catch her off-guard with sweet words like this, or she'll drag on with her haughty commentaries. [I wish you're here, by my side, hand-in-hand.]
Predictably, she stuttered, Ea's figure emanating great heat throughout Unlimited Blade Works. I cut off our communication right then and there before she could scrounge up a reply, or I'll really be distracted. It won't do to give her – and all the blades I store in my soul – a subpar performance in anything, will it?
I feel bad for forcing Kippōshi to distance herself from me. While the disturbing emotions don't make it out, something has to, and my [Sword] Element has been leaking out steadily… Well, it's more like a flood, really – such is the size of the anxiety I need to immediately output. It's somewhat controllable, in a way I can mostly focus it on the Mōri and Nanban side, but those nearby certainly can feel the traces exuding from my entire sitting being, especially Kippōshi who's connected enough to have Dream Cycles of her own about me.
At the very least, it's no longer indiscriminately slashing anything and everything around me, gouging both wide and thin lines into any solid objects. Affecting spiritual and conceptual things are still beyond my instinctual control, but I'm getting there especially with this body, which has great affinity to apply [Sword] to those problems. In a sense, 'Sengo Muramasa' was far more of an artist than either 'Emiya Shirō' or 'Counter Guardian EMIYA', who pursued greater mastery of their Magecraft for purposes other than for the sake of it. The single-minded pursuit of blacksmithing mastery has let this body to be closer to a true magus than either one of my main components – because they're 'heroes' first, and everything else second.
Me? I like to be greedy and place everything first, and no second. There's a reason Alaya granted me such a great opportunity and gave me such limitless power – it'll be a shame to not use it. It uses me, so I'll use it equally in return. I think this is the mindset those two don't have… but I, too, lack things they have in abundance. Much as I like to think I've cheated Equivalent Exchange, this realization brings me back down my high horse time and time again.
Still, despite my rambling, it's enough to properly unnerve most of the high-level combatants on the other side. A boon of letting loose occasionally at times like this is increasing my detection range, mostly in terms of angle. I don't have the [Clairvoyance] skill Gilgamesh or the current Saintess have, which provides near-360° field of vision in combat, not to mention its ability to gleam [Fate] to predict the future. It's quite unreliable and taxing, but these two women are prime examples how said skill, if perfected, is a game-breaker. My Pure Eyes can see 'deeper', but not 'as wide', to put it simply. Doing a rough aura pulse like this removes that drawback at the cost of control and accuracy, but it's good enough to pick out three quite annoying energy signatures camping out by the wayside, clearly more interested in fishing in troubled waters than actually fighting like a warrior.
Hmm… Kagetora's and Jūbei's line of thinking is beginning to rub on me. I used to not-care about a false sense of honour in combat, but living in this version of Nihon does bring out the old-fashioned values in me, absorbed through my timeless journey throughout history. Perhaps I'm nearing completion as a Heroic Vessel, after all, regardless of my frankly pathetic-at-times musing? Though I'm against the idea something 'perfect' would be swayed by such an irrelevant way of thinking… It goes into consideration, yes, but no more than that. I believe that is better than unilaterally absorbing and enacting any and all emotions I come about.
No, I shouldn't summarily dismiss this feeling of unsatisfied anger born from unfulfilled expectation. Perhaps I should combine it with the anger at seeing a new threat to Kippōshi, likely to cowardly strike when my attention is turned the other way. The rational part of me is saying I should trust her more, as her battle prowess has gone far beyond her male self I know from my own history as well as this 'her' a few years ago. Those three observers shouldn't amount to much of a threat…
…but I was reminded of Chiyome's report. She had her battle against Kelley well under control, until a desperate move from him forced her to do the same. While in the end it ended up in a comfortable victory, it was solely because Ouroboros couldn't be bothered to lift a finger when forced into a Divine Apotheosis by a guy it didn't like in the first place, so Chiyome wasn't in any danger. But what if that alchemist was actually someone more personable and spiritually likeable?
I would be mourning the loss of a wife, much like Tatsumi, right now.
There's no telling what kind of suicide attacks they're going to be attempting if Kippōshi has them cornered. If a kunoichi like Chiyome couldn't finish one of them off with one blow – as per by-the-book shinobi code – then I can't expect something superior from Kippōshi, whose specialty is far away from that. For long-range wide-scale assassination, then the redheaded Princess General is perfect… on the proviso the opponent has no idea they're about to be attacked, much less the identity of the would-be assassin. Right now, with those three's eyes trained this way, it's likely they'd have erected a survival defensive Bounded Field to allow them to escape and live another day.
I can't let that happen.
Thus, taking things into my own hands.
For a Heroic Vessel's physique, it's not a problem to traverse the distance between us faster than these second-rate fighters can react. Their achievements as magi perhaps outstripped mine, but that amounts to nothing on the battlefield. From above, both the Oda and Mōri forces appear close to each other, but in reality, there's only a certain distance from the beach suitable for land and/or naval combat. Thus, I and Kazumasu are separated by quite some margin, for example, even though it always appears closer on the game board.
"Where is he?"
The three of them appear confused as to what I'm asking, which is a win in my book. If Otakemaru personally arranges for their presence here, then things will be far more dangerous with just me and Kippōshi. Hence, my question, and reading their expression with Pure Eyes of Comprehension.
I've… known of them, though clearly not personally. Dee and Kelley are the foremost researchers into occult Abrahamic angelic practices, and Maria should only be a surprisingly-competent rich noble daughter with a good name to herself among the sailing world. All three are far younger than their recorded self I've studied, clearly because while time is greatly shifted in this Quantum Time Lock I'm trying to save, it's not by that much, and having them here is already straining the possibility of realism. Maria, for instance, looks barely older than my younger twin sisters, in contrast to the woman in the prime of her life getting married off to Bontenmaru, who herself is still just a kid in my eyes.
'Ah… could the key to defeat her be that simple…?' An idea sparked into my head, but I instantly dismissed it owing to how ridiculous it is. Not the idea conceptually by itself, no – simply an issue of time and circumstance. 'If only things are a little different…'
Case in point: Owari earned Tōhoku's neutrality by virtue of having their heirs and Princess Generals fall in love with each other. Oh, Kippōshi and Bontenmaru can deny it all their want, but judging from their reaction every time I or someone else tease them about it, it's very much a fact already. Assuming the shorter blonde could make an impact in this battle by sheer emotional value alone is perfectly viable, much like the basic shinobi tactics of seduction and mind games to cripple one's enemies before the fatal strike.
Of course, it's doubtful Bontenmaru could strike Maria down with 'love at first sight' kind of thing, unlike the chemistry sparking between the former and my current third wife in the past. The little girl is attractive, yes… but only for… certain tastes – don't tell Kippōshi I think that. After all, I'm hypocritically part of her 'uniqueness' in spouse selection, so I should complain.
Thus, the only problem is timing and circumstance. If I'm not limited by both, I'll teleport that noisy eye-patched kid over here in a heartbeat with Himiko's help.
Should I cut off that potential love story right here at the bud? Oh, how it'll be so easy to slice her pretty little head off with Sword Burst from this distance.
'Right, let's do just that.'
Thinking about it further, having a state-sponsored Spanish spy by the side of one of Nihon's future leaders will bring more trouble than it's worth. Perhaps I can leave her half-dead, then wait until the Spanish Empire weakens its global hold before introducing the two of them together? I mean, who am I to deny a potential love route from blossoming just because I can't control my own strength a little?
Hmm… decisions, decisions…
Even as I think of these 'problems', my hands and feet have already automatically moved, slashing at Kelley and Dee. Goodness me; these two does not look alright, like… at all. The natural instinct of someone stronger bullying the weak – or those showing weakness – is in full force here, since my mind was distracted elsewhere just now. There's no weapon in my limbs, purely using Sword Burst to gauge the enemies' strength. While it's not an ultimately repeatable test across my deployments, because I continually grow stronger, it's a good and cheap makeshift experiment. In this world, anything more invisible than magic particles is very hard to defend against, such as the Breathing and Walking techniques still unexplained to this day, so Sword Burst can reveal a lot about people.
Especially these two cripples. I heard Eli-chan did a number on the older gentleman, while Chiyome's and Ouroboros's marks are still clearly apparent on Kelley's body… ironically mimicking my wife's inborn marks. Hmm… is he secretly a fan of hers? I have to investigate this thoroughly…!
The first strike is a simple forehand knife-arm, fingers tightly clasped against each other to mimic the stroke of a zweihander. I had Balmung in mind, thinking of using Possession with the aid of Sigurd considering Kelley's connection to draconic beings, but I decided against it. Ouroboros is powerful enough to blanket-ban him from any of related Guardian Spirits under her – or so Chiyome reported to me after a conversation with Yamata-no-Orochi – and the same thing was happening for Dee with his particular style of Living Weapon. Thus, the most basic yet undodgeable attack is best.
A technique fast and powerful enough it becomes an afterthought, because its simplicity is the pinnacle of technique in and of itself.
Dee instantly summoned his Guardian Spirit into corporeal form, swinging one thick, elephant trunk-like tentacle – with a glowing orange eye topping its snot, to boot – to parry my attack. Most likely an instinctive move, because if he's any veteran to life-and-death close-quarters combat, he'd know the physical properties of this Guardian Spirit of his isn't suitable for this move. Predictably, Sword Burst slices through it… and the main body, too, with ease, giving me ample opportunities to study its innards and check its weakness. But hey, despite my internal critique, at least it bought him enough time to desperately duck down and scramble away, leaving his Guardian Spirit – the yōkai Hundred Eyes, if I'm not mistaken – to dissipate and-
-wait, it's not turning back to ethereal form? Hmm… curious.
Kelley whispered a classic line from the Voynich Manuscript attributed to him using Enochian dialect, which is actually closer to what I understand his strengths are instead of the skills he used against Chiyome. A gridiron made of light manifested between my first strike and Hundred Eyes, but is still shattered fast enough the Guardian Spirit can't react in time to analyze my attack. That said, he's already pushed off his perch with a burst of light energy, so he's more experienced than his so-called mentor with this pace of combat, at least.
Maria, though… is the most interesting person. Despite her young age and small stature – the figure painted in history books describes a much taller woman – her reaction is the best and showed her mettle in life-and-death situations. Instead of trying to block the incoming rush of [Sword] Conceptual Weight and Origin, she instantly dashes forth inside the sweep of my arm, already unsheathing her rapier and bequeathing its guard with a classic eight-pointed star – the Single-Action spell prepared and engraved into the tang, most likely – to launch a near-invisible thrust at my throat.
Fencing is so popular because of its efficiency in finishing duels. Born for civilian use – because masses of gore and blood are hard to deal with – it prioritizes the shortest and fastest routes to open up an opponent's artery. Hence, thrusts are the most practiced attack in today's Nanban swordsmanship, and because it's also easy to teach to women and children, it's no wonder this is the move Maria's most confident in. it doesn't rely on muscle or magical mass to inflict kills, so it's also the correct option when facing…
…well, when facing someone who's not me.
- Clang!
Her strike is lethal and true, accurately piercing the weakest point in a man's throat. However, I have to hold down an arrogant smirk when her face contorted into a combination of shock and pain when her Reinforced rapier is still not hard enough compared to my bare skin, also Reinforced.
- Puchi!
A wet sound erupted from the handle, where her right hand instantly bleeds and is ripped along her grip when the impact finally travels down her arm. At the same time, a similar noise comes from her stomach, which now has a hole in it courtesy of me using Sword Burst with a sharp pointed kick. It doesn't quite physically reach because of her extended stance with both her body and blade stretched out, but Sword Burst is created precisely to overcome this niggling issue.
Before her mouth could vocalize this second round of pain, my other hand flashes forth to knock aside several laser beams aimed straight through the openings around Maria's small body. One of my Pure Eyes is consistently trained on the curiously-resilient Hundred Eyes, and my decision proves to be correct when its dismembered body still manages to channel its Elements out of its myriad eyes and fire off destructive beams of light. The Conceptual Weight comparison becomes more vivid at this moment, because as I explained internally beforehand, neither of the tools we're using are supposed to be able to interact with each other this way. My attack went through, while its counter was easily parried aside.
I think… it transformed into its current form after crossing Nihon's Texture's boundary from its real form, the Ophanim? That's the only Abrahamic creature I recall with great similarity to this one, after all. It's not even uncommon – one of the previous Heroic Vessel's lover, Tamamo-no-Mae, was clearly a Chinese mythological transplant whose real name was 'Daji', but ironically only gained power and fame today in this land, as China's Mystery dips to a dangerous level. I have to process the information gathered by the pursuit team sent to kill the Ashikaga siblings further, but I can place that to one side since we're not at that phase of 'Tenka Fubu' yet.
Kill them first. Ask questions later.
My other foot connects square with the side of Maria's head as she stumbles downwards from the sudden injury, sending her straight into Kelley's upper body, who's preparing several feather-shaped light missiles to fire at me. I continue the half-spin into a full one to instantly lash out with Enkidu Traced in my hand, slamming Dee who's already recovering and scrambling for his cane. My Babylonian counterpart – the one whose identity I 'stole' for my first-ever deployment – goes through the flimsy stick without even a 'crack', before it struck an underlying thin personal barrier hidden underneath the former royal tutor's robes… with a 'crack'.
'Ah, there's the sound effect,' I mock, mildly disappointed the Saintess has done such a good job of depriving them of most of their powers. This is, once again, the 'Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy' trope speaking in my mind, bringing everything back full circle to the dilemma I had since the start of this battle. 'When will you come out, I wonder?'
Enkidu coils and lashes out at will, smashing both the three of them and the surroundings, flattening the outcrop to near-level with the rocky beach underneath us. Using it the way Gilgamesh does with the assistance of Gate of Babylon is certainly possible, but rather magically inefficient for the me back then who didn't have as much in store. Mastering whip and chain techniques to the utmost is far better, because what I have in abundance when compared to those two is [Time]. Even if a part of Gilgamesh is now permanently alongside me, she is stagnant, frozen in the state of her collective prime, compared to immortal beings like the zhenren Tatsumi's student met in Ming who was born weak, but continuously grew stronger until she becomes an all-conquering monster far stronger than anyone.
It's up to me to maximize their abilities, and attach them to my own self so they can grow stronger somewhat. If I'm better, then the experience and strength bleeds over equally to everything inside Unlimited Blade Works.
At least, that's what I believe. And 'belief' is the strongest influencer of Magecraft, no?
The three ends up deciding to spread up – finally – thinking it's better to at least divide my attention across as wide a field of vision as possible. Well, it's not a bad idea, but haven't they learnt I've already mapped out everything nearby in the short 'grace period' they've given me? By not attacking straight away when they sensed my arrival, they gave away several precious seconds freely. In high-level combat, even a fraction of that time decides life or death… but perhaps my expectations are too high? I've been fighting Kagetora and my lovers most of the time, after all.
Enkidu momentarily wraps around my neck, before I twist my body just in time to boost its momentum instead of slowing it down, shooting it towards Dee, whom I figure out has the weakest ability in dealing with thrust attacks. Of course, the benefit from using symmetrical chain like Enkidu is it can strike two places at once when manually wielded, so I simultaneously flick the other end at Maria – this time a sharp downwards diagonal slash, with enough strength and momentum to mimic a falling ancient tree.
Kazikli Bey
~ The Fortress of Impalement ~
I pivot on one foot for this latest attack, and channels Tracing through it to erect several steel spikes across the cracking stone ground at Kelley's direction. While I know he still retains the physicality to dodge this, at least it covers his line of sight towards me and disturbs his footing. If he still has Ouroboros as his Guardian Spirit, then this technique can easily be countered, so I'm deliberately using it to check whether he has a replacement ready at hand. This Noble Phantasm actually reinforces the already-crumbling outcrop by accident, stitching the various boulders now strewn about together to create a literal forest maze made of steel and stone.
Just my kind of arena.
A terrain where footing is uncertain and demands 3D manoeuvrability. Places where line of sight is either broken or completely obscured. Dead angles inviting daring sneak attacks, rightfully thinking my opponents can overcome the difference in strength by relying on guerrilla warfare.
It's by accident, but goodness me, I won't let this chance get away.
Kazikli Bey fails to harm Kelley, though he manages to summon a pair of emergency shadow wings to lift him off the ground. Dee once again relies on Hundred Eyes to tank the blow, knowing he has to enact his offensive spell while this happens, but the terrain change makes him stumble at the very end. It's quite shocking someone of his calibre didn't have Single-Action spells or a skill close to [High-Speed Divine Words] ready; meaning while he's still much faster than Kelley when it comes to traditional Magecraft, it's still those damned free seconds I constantly take advantage of. Meanwhile, Maria is…
'Clever girl.'
…doing exactly what I want her to. By momentarily retracting Enkidu under the guise of repositioning myself, I give her the opening she's desperately trying to find since earlier. Several silhouettes flicker in and out of my regular sight, though I catch the occasional torn clothes and small bleeding wounds getting left behind.
[Aren't you going to end this farce quickly?] A blonde-haired pale figure, aristocratic but battle-hardened in appearance, comments by my side. Vlad III's well-trimmed beard and moustache is uncharacteristically thin with worry. [Do not play with your food this long.]
[Oh, that's rich coming from you, Lord.]
[At the very least, I play with them after they're dead, not antemortem.]
[Touché.]
I'm waiting for my 'esteemed guest' to arrive first, though. But he has a point – dragging things out with incomplete information, however vast and rich already, only invites trouble. Otakemaru isn't the type of individual who'll drag unrelated people into important matters, preferring to keep things personal to inflict the most emotional damage to his opponents. If he does involve bystanders, it's more likely just as collateral damage or deliberately provoking innocents-loving opponents. None of these three has any motive to be under Otakemaru's thumb, because I know very well they're more interested in milking him for all he's worth, then dissecting him when they're done with him.
Not that they have the strength to do so even at full power, but I have to give them points for trying. There's nothing wrong in being ambitious; only the ability – or lack thereof – necessary to achieve it.
- BANG!
One of the larger boulders is instantly pulverized by a concentrated and large laser beam, around the size of the rock it's just destroyed, aimed straight at me. Maria took the opportunity to circle around me and launches herself like a bullet in a thrust, right towards a regular human's blind spot: the rear base of the neck. As the main beam partially blinds me, black feather-shaped missiles swarm my sides, reminding me of that shoot-em-up very popular in the time of 'Emiya Shirō' where the game developer turns evil and decides to torture players with an unwinnable situation.
Avalon
~ The Everdistant Utopia ~
The advantage of simultaneous carpet-bombing against a melee fighter is the ability to force a desperate defensive or evasive moveset. It's much harder to go superhuman and sweep all projectiles away if they're travelling as one continuous wall, after all, in contrast to powerful yet erratic projectiles raining randomly upon a select area. The standard playbook for the melee fighter is to prioritize fatal points and joints, allowing their natural durability to soak up damage elsewhere. It's even more apparent in martial arts focused on heavy infantry, because they already wear adequate armour and wielding anti-cavalry melee weapons.
At the same time, it's far more useless than staggered attacks against specialized Support-type Magecraft, much less my best defensive Noble Phantasm which doesn't even consume Od to maintain. In fact, these simultaneous attacks are preferable to magical defensive measures because of the easy timing. Staggered shots – or, worse, concurrent armour-piercing ones – are the bane of Bounded Field and magical barrier because of the concentrated force endured as well as the subsequent strikes' habit of hiding behind the silhouette of the first one.
As it is, all of their attacks bounce harmlessly off Avalon – no surprise there – and a wide-sweeping crimson light greets all of them in return, as I rotate quickly once to catch all of them in one circular strike.
They really should learn not to attack all in the same horizontal plane, or this kind of counter will work all day.
Clarent
~ Hymn of the Dragons ~
The silhouette of a blonde-haired, lightly-armoured unruly princess grabs the sword together with me, overlapping our grip, grinning maniacally all the way.
- …!
As was designed, it pulverizes all and annihilates all. The sword and Noble Phantasm closer to me than either Excalibur or Caliburn to 'Emiya Shirō', so of course our compatibility with both it and its host spirit is excellent. I can replicate and reproduce everything in Unlimited Blade Works perfectly; it only depends how easy it comes to me and how much our combination fights the universe's resistance. Clarent, like Enkidu or Ea or Slash Emperor, has no such issue.
So why is there a blank spot where its all-conquering beam is blocked?
"Ah, there you are, Great Ancestor."
When the dust cleared, and after my words are finished, Otakemaru reveals himself in all his glory, his full power restored somehow.