FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR
"August Harvest"
Chapter 7: Cu and Wu
Cuchulainn tucked the drunken Connla beneath the blankets of her bed, then checked her temperature before feeling confident enough to leave her be. Even though she only had small sips, the miniscule amount of alcohol mixed in with the coffee was so high-proof that it literally knocked her out. Coupled with the stress she unloaded during her stupor, it was enough to trigger another one of her Imbas Forosnai dreams.
This time, Connla was in the perspective of another one of her selves who was already traveling along with a crowd of other Servants in some endlessly winding hallways. The group was comprised primarily of child Servants who were, at least in physical appearance, no older than 12 years old. There were the obvious candidates such as Jack the Ripper, Nursery Rhyme and Gilgamesh (who preferred to go by the nickname Gil). Included in the team was a purple-haired girl who wore Chinese-themed clothes mainly consisting of a purple dress held up by a blue bow tied around her chest, accompanied with long blue sleeves and various yellow ribbons. From her countenance though, she wasn't particularly inclined to try and fit in with the rest of them, opting to maintain a healthy distance while exercising her penchant for endless pontification.
There was also another version of Artoria who appeared significantly younger than her usual self, who wore silver armor atop a cute ensemble of white clothes and a skirt, and bore the Sword of Selection Caliburn rather than Excalibur. There was also Alexander, the childhood version of Iskandar, dressed in a regal-looking tunic. He kept his long red hair tied in a messy braid, which made him appear all the more charming to those who would be enamored by strong-willed lads like him. Last but not least, there was Connla, although the others were not able to learn her True Name due to her geas. Thus she willingly went by the moniker of Cuchulainn Lily until they could figure out her real identity for themselves.
Leading this hodge-podge team of child Servants was a white-haired woman who sported feline ears and two tails like a nekomata. Her clothing consisted of little else than a white bra, black knee boots, and some dark fur located on convenient places of her slender body. The most grotesque aspect about her was that a massive decapitated boar head was affixed to her right shoulder. Maybe it was for this reason that the Chinese girl maintained a healthy distance from the cat-woman, remaining as far back in the crowd as possible while tightly gripping the bewildered Connla's shoulders.
"Are you okay? You look like you're about to faint," the Lancer wondered.
"Do we look like we're okay!?" the Chinese girl quietly hissed in her guardian's ear. Since she was of royal heritage, she had a habit of addressing herself in the plural sense. She pointed at the woman leading the pack and snarled, "Can't someone remove that hideous feline woman from our sight!? If there are two things we hate, they are ghosts and cats!"
"But Lady Atalante was instrumental in bringing us together and fighting the Minotaur. We already decided by vote that she would be the leader, so you'll just have to put up with it."
"Pah! Democracy, nothing! Such an idealistic form of government should be abolished immediately! Any and all decisions should be made by those at the top, and we are of the highest seniority even among the other royal Servants here! The only reason we have been magnanimous enough to abide by such a foolish system is because of that abominable curse that Consort Xiao cast upon us before her death!"
"The one where you would turn into a mouse, and she'd become a cat and eat you?"
"Indeed! Oooh, of all the ill-fortune to strike us! Why must we cooperate with the Greek huntress who was turned into a lioness!? And to think there are at least three other kings vying for the top position as well! How intolerable! If you were not around to exorcise the ghosts when they attacked us, we would have been finished!"
"You still seem rather shaken from that event," Connla murmured.
"Ah… A-Ahem! Such concern is unnecessary! Compared to that brute of a man-child, dealing with a ghost here or there is of no consequence to us! So long as you are around to do the dirty work, mind."
"I really think you should take some deep breaths and calm yourself, Lady Wu. Getting all worked up like this is a waste of energy that you could better devote to walking."
The royal girl exhaled an annoyed huff. Just as Connla said, she was definitely Wu Zetian, the sole female emperor of Chinese history who climbed her way up the ranks by being the consort for Emperor Taizong, and then later his son Gaozong. An incident occurred where Gaozong and Wu's infant child was murdered, and Wu accused both Gaozong's wife Empress Wang and the Emperor's favorite mistress Consort Xiao of the crime. With the seat of power empty, Wu was able to seize it for herself and enacted a most dictatorial rule over the nobles and citizens alike, encouraging a policy of snitching and betrayal among the populace. Wu also wrote instructions for her elite Kuli ("torture officials") called the Gaomi Luozhi Jing, or "Manual of Accusation", which told them everything they needed to know about torturing and interrogating people, even so much as fabricating criminals if Wu ever wanted a convenient scapegoat.
It was for this reason that none of the other Servants really wanted to have anything to do with Wu, even though they were supposed to work as a team to survive the infamous Minotaur's Labyrinth. Oddly enough, while Artoria, Alexander and Gil were all kings summoned in their youthful years, Wu appeared as a small child yet still possessed her adult personality, similar to Hans Christian Anderson's case. Such a mismatch caused tension between the four royals, so Wu opted not to intermingle with them much either.
Even though it wasn't verbally agreed upon, Connla was relegated to holding the rear while babysitting the cranky empress so that the others could focus on their objective. The child Lancer was already quite exhausted from the job, but she remained vigilant in her awkward contribution to the group and kept the Assassin preoccupied with idle chatter. She let out a large yawn, then rubbed her eyes and moaned, "Oh, my apologies, Lady Wu."
"Good gracious," Wu muttered, then grinned smugly. "At least you had the decency to cover your mouth before our presence, Cuchulainn. That's more than what we can say about you chasing after women all the time while hurling around that killer stick of yours. Honestly, how in the world were you a woman when you had such a powerful libido? Does this mean that you were actually a lesbian of some kind?"
Connla shuddered, then sighed in exasperation, "How many times do I have to say this, Lady Wu? I am not Cuchulainn, nor am I any sort of alternate interpretation of him. Believe me when I say this, but I am a Heroic Spirit with a history that is wholly separate from his. I'm just going by the name Cuchulainn out of convenience for you guys."
"Then you will tell us your real name this instant! We cannot stand secrets of any kind!"
"I can't do that. I already explained that I have a curse that prevents me from-"
"Like we care about any of that! If you fight like him, then you must be him! We are the type of woman to do our own thing, and we are going to call you Cu! It's easier for us to order you around with a one-syllable name than barking something as cumbersome as 'Cuchulainn Lily' all the time! Any objection will be met with swift and arduous punishment! Got it!? Good!"
The young Lancer shrugged, opting not to waste her energy arguing with the empress. Artoria implored, "Please calm down, Miss Wu. We mustn't fight with each other. I know it is difficult for you, but please try to at least cooperate with us. Regardless of our differences, we need to work together to escape this labyrinth."
"You think we don't know that!?" Wu squealed. "Ugh, this is why we can't stand goody two-shoes types! They spout such cliché nonsense about getting along and being friends with everyone! Don't you know that that's not how the real world works!?"
"I-It's not cliché…"
"Hmmmngh! Geez, be quiet already!" Jack shouted at Wu. "Are you trying to tell the big guy where we are!?"
"Of course not! That disgusting excuse for a Greek myth is the last thing someone of our stature should ever have to encounter again!" the empress stomped her foot in irritation.
"Your yelling and screaming is going to attract him though! If that's the case, it'll be faster to dismember you so that you won't make any more noise!"
Nursery cringed and whispered, "Uh oh…"
"What was THAT!?" Wu howled and stormed toward the equally agitated Jack. Their faces were practically inches from each other's.
"I'm serious! You're just slowing us down!" the white-haired Assassin retorted. "All you've been doing this whole time is whining and screaming like a spoiled baby! You act all big and mighty, but you didn't do a thing while the rest of us did what we could to fend the big guy off before running away!"
"We'll have you know that we weren't being a coward! Someone had to stand back and issue orders to you all! We just figured that we were the most suitable for such a taxing task!"
"Hmmm," Alexander murmured to himself. "I happened to peek a glance at you during that fight, and it certainly looked like you were observing us as though we were in some kind of coliseum. Not that I don't appreciate a good showing of strength here and there, but at least I know there's a time and place for everything."
Gil nodded and said, "He's right. You really need to contribute to the group, or you're just going to slow us down."
Jack suddenly blurted, "That's why it's best to chop her up as soon as possible! I think she'll be most useful if she's given to the big guy as fresh meat for him to devour! Then we can strike while he's occupied with eating her!"
"We-! … We don't…!" Wu stepped back in abject astonishment. "How could you-!?"
"That's just mean, Jack!" Nursery shouted. "She might be loud, annoying and self-centered, but she's trying to survive this labyrinth just as much as any of us are!"
The empress suddenly grabbed Nursery's collar and exclaimed in desperation, "You're not helping matters much, you obnoxious hussy!"
"What's wrong with you!? I'm trying to defend you!"
"Not when you have the gall to address us by such filthy insults!"
"Uh… Um… Y-You guys…" Connla whimpered pathetically.
"Dismember her! Dismember her!" Jack shouted, immediately drawing out her twin blades and glaring fiercely at Wu.
"Hmph! We don't care anymore! If that's what you want, then let's settle this right now! There's only enough room for one Assassin in this group, and that is most definitely us!" the empress retorted, taking out her wand while bearing the same murderous intent toward Jack. Artoria and Nursery had to do everything they could to hold the serial killer back, while Gil and Alexander did the same with Wu once they saw she was serious about fighting Jack. Connla could only stand there and watch anxiously, unsure if she could do anything to help dispel this argument that had clearly spiraled out of control.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
The child Servants cringed in unison after hearing the cat-eared woman's beastly shriek. The Berserker version of Atalante, the famed huntress who landed the first strike during the Calidonian Boar Hunt, turned on her heel and shouted at the children, "All of you will cease this pointless bickering at once!"
"Who are you to order us around, you godforsaken-!?" Wu was about to object.
"SHUT UP!" Atalante's face twisted into a brutal snarl that resembled a livid cat lashing out at someone, which freaked the empress into silence. "You're not the only one who is finding this journey difficult! If you really are a royal Servant, then you should understand even a little bit of how the rest of us are feeling! Isn't it your duty as a statesman to look after your own people!?"
"Well… we suppose so…"
"Then you need to relate to them as well! Otherwise, you're just a commonplace tyrant who discards even their own children, never mind their citizens!"
"A-Are you accusing us of killing our own child!? That's insane! Everyone knows it was Wang and Consort Xiao who plotted to-!"
"You're missing the point! Instead of obsessing about how unfortunate you are, you should look at all of us and figure out if there's anything you can do to contribute so that all of our lives are easier, not just yours! Believe me, we're all doing our best to help you as well, but we are growing weary of your constant complaining!"
"Uhhh… E-Everyone's treating us like a criminal… Is this what it's like to have the Gaomi Luozhi Jing turned against us?"
Connla gingerly placed her hands on Wu's trembling shoulders and murmured, "That's not true. None of us want to lecture you like this. Even I can tell that Lady Atalante is trying to keep herself together while scolding a child that she is absolutely determined to protect, regardless of their personality and beliefs."
"You think so? Even a ghastly feline like her would keep us safe? S-She's not going to eat us like we're a mouse?"
"Of course not. The way she curries favor to children is legendary. In fact, she'd gladly die if that's what it meant to keep you safe. It's just really difficult for her, and for all of us, if you don't understand that."
"Cu…"
"Come on, let's dust ourselves off and try again."
"Hm… Very well," Wu smiled, feeling better from listening to the Lancer's advice. She faced Atalante and the others, then said, "Though we offer no apology for our earlier behavior, we shall accept your joint invitations to keep us safe. We cannot promise much in the way of combat in recompense, but we guarantee that we can at least deliver the most excruciating sentence to our enemies, even if it is only to buy you all some time."
"Exactly," Alexander agreed. "Even just weakening the monsters will be enough support for us front-line warriors."
"But we must make it known, loathe as we are to admit it, that we still possess a strong aversion towards cats and ghosts. We would ask that Atalante maintain her distance, while Cu remains by our side and disposes of the wraiths that attempt to accost us. The rest of you are free to do as you please."
Atalante nodded and said, "All right. My job is to be the vanguard along with Artoria, Jack and Alex. You, Gil, Nursery and Cu Lily will handle the rear."
"Splendid. Then let us continue with renewed fervor."
Several hours passed as the group continued scouring the labyrinth for an exit. However, they would soon be confronted by the infamous keeper of this dungeon; the Minotaur, a hulking white-skinned brute with two massive horns protruding through his incredibly long, messy hair. He wielded an axe in either hand, each about as tall as most of the child Servants' combined heights. His crimson eyes shone with glee as he grinned and stared at the three latest victims of his rampage.
"How did he…? I couldn't… see him coming…" Artoria gasped as she lay bleeding on the floor. The vertical gash he cut clean along one whole side of her body was deep enough to wound her vitals, and she disappeared in a flurry of particles. Nursery Rhyme had already been crushed beneath Minotaur's gigantic foot, and all of her doll joints were scattered across the room. Likewise, Alexander was already dead after attempting to confront the beast on his Bucephalus, and was met with a head-on punch that pulverized both rider and mount in one blow. Not only was that horrifying enough, Minotaur actually licked off the blood and remains like a cat would with its paw.
"MMM… TASTY," he murmured.
Atalante lost it. Any composure she had left was instantly gone after seeing the three Servants die so quickly. Since she was summoned as a Berserker, her strength and agility provided enough of a challenge for Minotaur so that she could keep the four survivors safe. Wu was rooted to the spot and trembling in panic, unable to comprehend how the monster could defeat them so easily when he wasn't this powerful last time. Connla remained in front of her as a guard, while Jack obscured herself within thick mists and leapt around to attack Minotaur whenever Atalante provided an opportunity. Gil wisely maintained his distance and flung weapons out of Gate of Babylon, causing Minotaur's body to be skewered with dozens of blades. None of them seemed to faze him as he struggled against Atalante.
"AAAARGH!" she shrieked in fury, digging her claws into Minotaur's skin and literally yanking out pounds of sinewy muscle. "HOW DARE YOU KILL THOSE CHILDREN! I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!"
"KEE HE HE HE HE! HUNDREDS! THOUSANDS! CAN WEAK BOAR-WOMAN… AVENGE ALL OF THEM!?"
"Why you-!"
"NOT MY FAULT. ALL SACRIFICES. APPEASE MY APPETITE. APPEASE KING MINOS. HE TO BLAME TOO."
"Then once I get out of here, I'll slaughter that bastard as well!"
"CAN YOU? CAN YOU STOP ME? I THINK NOT. MUCH STRONGER THAN BEFORE."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Gil calmly chimed in as he opened more glowing portals around him. Just then, a series of gold-colored chains thrust out of them and ensnared Minotaur while he was preoccupied with taunting Atalante. No matter what he did to break free, he remained firmly stuck in place.
"GH!? S-SO TIGHT! CAN'T… MOVE!"
"Sorry to inform you, but these are the Chains of Heaven. Struggle all you wish, but those who possess high Divinity will never be able to escape. You should do the decent thing and submit yourself to the fullest extent of the law. Of course, the law doesn't really mean much in these desolate halls where even the innocent are consumed, so we'll have to make do with a quick execution."
"So slow! What took you so long to snatch that brute!?" Wu snapped at Gil.
"I could have done it earlier, but I didn't want to ensnare Lady Atalante as well."
While they were talking, Connla watched as the huntress sailed over Minotaur's head and fired dozens of arrows at where she believed his neck was hiding within the white mane of hair, hoping to pierce his carotid artery. Some blood sprayed out of him, but it didn't appear to be enough to weaken him. She landed several feet behind him and proceeded to charge her Noble Phantasm.
"For everyone you killed… For all of those poor children… abandoned by society… A-AAAAGH!"
She howled maniacally and charged at the immobilized Minotaur while shouting, "Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!"
Dark swirls surrounded her body as she practically transformed into the wild Calidonian Boar that she was infamous for striking down, losing herself to the rage and frustration of imagining what the sacrificed children endured. The darkness overwhelmed both herself and Minotaur as she smashed into him, engulfing the area in sinister tendrils and black plumes of smoke. Blood sprayed everywhere, even splattering on the child Servants. They waited in bated silence to see if Atalante had been successful in slaying Minotaur.
"Did she… get him?" Jack finally squeaked.
Once the light filtered the darkness out, Connla, Jack and Wu immediately realized that Gil was missing. He had been standing several feet away from the girls just a second ago, so where had he gone? Connla looked over, then let out a horrified gasp.
"W-What is it!?" Wu wondered fearfully.
"Over there! Gil… he's-!"
Against anything they could possibly expect, the young King of Uruk lay there in a bloody pile against the wall. They had no idea what happened to him until they discovered pieces of the Chains of Heaven scattered around their feet. Somehow, right as Atalante struck Minotaur, the monster defied the chains' ability to trap the gods by breaking through them with brute force alone before striking Gil down with a fierce punch. Although he took the full brunt of Atalante's Noble Phantasm, he managed to snatch the exhausted woman and crushed her bones in his grasp. Then he brought her head closer to his mouth, and…
"Don't look!" Connla yelped as she covered Wu's eyes.
Minotaur finished eating and tossed aside Atalante's head- and spine-less body. Both she and Gil faded into particles, but the others barely noticed as the gigantic Servant faced them and chuckled, "KE HE HE HE… ARE YOU SCARED? OF COURSE YOU ARE… 'CAUSE I'M GONNA EAT YOU NEXT!"
Connla grunted angrily and dashed in low to focus his attention on her. Although Minotaur was fast despite his gargantuan physical size, it was like trying to swat a fly in midflight as he attempted to strike the much more agile Lancer. Every time he thought he could cleave her into pieces, she would lithely flip out of the way. She even performed a graceful back jump one would see a high jumper do at a triathlon right as one of his axes rushed beneath her back and legs. It was so close that some hair was shorn off of her short ponytail.
"KHHH! STAY STILL!" Minotaur raged as he flailed his axes at the wall where Connla was about to bounce off. She leapt off just in time before the gigantic blades smashed into the concrete and decimated the wall.
"Now I've got you!" Jack shouted as a dark aura emanated from her feet and enveloped her body until she resembled a perfect silhouette. She jumped high, then twisted so that she was in a diving motion before shooting straight for Minotaur's exposed back. Right as the attack struck him, she exclaimed, "Maria the Ripper!"
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Blood exploded out of him as she carved into his flesh multiple times. Her intent was to sever his spinal cord, but she quickly discovered that despite using her Noble Phantasm, she wasn't strong enough to burrow deep enough to actually reach the bone. He was just way too large and durable for her little arms to penetrate such thick layers of skin and muscle. Even so, the attack did cause some severe damage so that his agility was greatly reduced. Unfortunately, the others would soon see that this benefit would not come without a great sacrifice.
Before Jack could leap off of Minotaur's upper back, he reached around and snatched her within his mighty grasp. Unable to escape, she could only pitifully struggle before he smashed her upon the floor, liquefying her in a bloody mess the same way he did to Alexander and Gil. Minotaur then clenched Jack's remains and shoved them into his mouth, greedily chewing and savoring his latest morsel.
"Ah… T-This can't be… happening…" Wu shuddered pathetically.
Connla was likewise as frightened, but she had enough experience from her training in the Land of Shadows to stay calm during such a grisly situation. She immediately grabbed Wu's wrist and forced her to follow her through the hallways. They just kept running, running, and running so that they could make as much distance as possible between them and the carnivorous Servant. All while fleeing, Wu cried out, "What's going on here!? We all managed to defeat that thing the first time we encountered it! Why is it so much stronger this time!? It literally made dinner our of half of us without so much as flinching!"
"This may just be a theory," Connla gasped, "but I noticed that the Servants he consumed were all reduced to pure mana as they were digested."
"Good word! How appalling!"
"I'm guessing that Minotaur's strength and size exploded in proportion to the number of Servants that he consumed in the past. There's no way a Mage can summon him when he's in such a monstrous state, after all. If they wanted to maintain any semblance of control over him, they'd have to summon him at a much weaker point."
"Well, those who were not eaten managed to deal a significant deal of damage in return, but will it be possible for just the two of us to actually kill it!?"
"That's why we should find the exit so it doesn't come to that!"
"Agreed!"
"Lady Atalante believed it was over this way! Let's hurry!"
Connla and Wu hurried down a long flight of stairs and turned a corner. Just as they suspected, the glorious sight of a huge set of closed doors greeted them. However, their hearts sunk when they discovered a strange lock that looked like Minotaur's mask clamped over the two door handles.
"Is this some kind of joke!?" Wu screamed angrily. "We do not have time for such nonsense! Do something, Cu!"
Connla raised her hand and fired some Ansuz Runes at the lock, causing fireballs to explode around the door. When the smoke settled, they discovered that the lock hadn't been so much as scratched. Wu likewise made an attempt by pouring a jar of highly corrosive poison over it, but the fluid simply slipped off like harmless water. Connla tensed up as she admitted, "This is bad. Nothing we do will work."
"What is the meaning of this!? We came so far only to be stopped like this!?"
"I suppose not having a lock on the entrance would defeat the whole purpose of the Minotaur's Labyrinth. If he wound up finding these doors, it would be disastrous for him to escape so easily."
"So how are we supposed to get rid of this lock?"
"I don't know. Maybe we have to find a key?"
Just then, they heard a deep grunt echo through the halls, "NO. NO KEY HERE."
Both girls yelped and whirled around. They heard a pair of heavy footsteps rumble in the distance as Minotaur emerged from the shadows.
"I AM KEY," he told them, appearing distinctly forlorn. "MY DEATH KEY. KILL ME, LOCK OPENS. NO OTHER WAY."
"I see," Connla frowned, then brandished her spear. "Lady Wu, I'm afraid we don't have a choice here."
The empress clenched her teeth and scowled, "So it would seem. Now that the stakes are this high, we shall become the embodiment of the Manual of Accusation! Prepare yourself, for we shall subject you to a most horrifying punishment for all the crimes you have committed against our fellow Servants!"
"NO… NO WANT… TO EAT."
Connla narrowed her eyes as she heard Minotaur moaning under his breath.
"I WANT… OUTSIDE…"
She glanced back at the doors and thought, I wonder if him seeing the entrance is affecting his morale. It might be cruel, but this is an advantage we should fully utilize.
"Come to us, our loyal enforcers!" Wu shouted and raised her wand forth. Sections of the floor were covered in dark mists, and strange women garbed in purple robes and face-covering helmets emerged like ghosts. These were the Kuli, the Torture Enforcers that Wu Zetian once relied upon to enact her laws. Although their gait was awkward, they possessed a certain hardiness that made it difficult for them to be defeated with anything but attacks from Servants. They carried spiked maces and lumbered toward Minotaur while flailing their weapons, digging into his wounded legs as best as they could.
"PESKY! GO AWAY… UGLY THINGS!" Minotaur raged and cleaved one of his axes through the crowd. The women were carved into halves, but they merely disintegrated into acrid smoke. He grabbed one and shoved it into his mouth, but he quickly discovered how awful the Kuli tasted and spat it out while raging, "TERRIBLE! DISGUSTING! LIKE EATING… SEWAGE!"
"Keh hah hah hah! How do you like it, Bull of Minos!?" Wu laughed haughtily. "You'd best steel yourself though, for we are just getting started!"
She raised her wand again, and this time the smoky mist curled around Minotaur until it solidified into a massive clay jar that could contain him. Even though the lid was tightly sealed, some kind of white mist managed to waft out, and they could also hear some kind of sizzling sound coming from inside.
"Is that steam?" Connla wondered.
"Umu!" Wu nodded proudly and folded her arms. "This is our Noble Phantasm, Manual of Accusation! No matter how powerful the enemy may be, even a quick dip in our poison jar will have them beg for mercy! As we speak, Minotaur's flesh is being cooked from the outside! We would not be surprised if he accidentally swallowed some and exposed his innards to the same excruciating torture! Given enough time, he will be reduced to mere bones!"
"Can you really maintain it for that long?"
"Not to worry! Our poison is fast-acting, so-"
Suddenly, the jar exploded into small fragments with a powerful shattering sound, and gallons of steaming poison splashed all over the floor. Wu wasn't affected by the substance, but Connla was unsure if she would be injured by it, so she leapt high and generated a platform Rune to crouch on. Minotaur broke out of his prison and, before either of the girls could react, slammed his swinging arm against Wu's small body and sent her flying back-first against the opposite wall. The sound of bones fracturing into pieces was distinctly audible. The empress collapsed into a useless pile of bleeding flesh and splintered bones.
"Lady Wu!" Connla screamed, then ran in front to guard her from Minotaur as he glared at them with the most intimidating eyes imaginable. Right away, she noticed that most of his messy white mane was gone, and at least the outer layers of his entire skin had been seared off so that his muscle was exposed. The combination of Wu's poison and Minotaur's cooking flesh caused the entire area to smell absolutely rancid, and she had to cough in revulsion.
"IT HURTS… IT HURTS… IT HURRR~RRRTS!" he squealed uncontrollably. "MAIM! DISMEMBER! KILL! EVERYONE… MUST DIE!"
Connla brandished her spear in an elegant pose, then declared, "I know. I understand how it feels to be closed off and tortured simply for being born. That's why I'm going to set you free right now, Minotaur… Or rather, the Ruler of the Stars, Asterios!"
Soon, a gentle breeze picked up around her that escalated into a small tornado. With a breathy, ethereal voice that barely matched her youthful frame, she chanted, "Concealed identities… Blinking vignettes… Unsolved mysteries…"
"HUH…?" Minotaur paused. He was utterly baffled by this strange feeling running across his seared skin. It actually cooled him down a bit, and his rage subsided as he murmured, "IS THIS… WIND?"
He thought he had felt this before. Somewhere, in some other time, in some other life… he had experienced the thrilling sensation of hard winds blowing his messy hair about. He had no idea why he was remembering such things when he never left the labyrinth for his whole life. As he stared at the unusually calm Connla, something about the color of her lavender hair triggered another memory. This time, there was a woman with long twin pigtails who wore a white dress with black bows. Although it was faint, he could hear her voice crying out:
"No matter what anyone else says, you're Asterios, and nobody else!"
"AH… WHERE… IS THIS? WHO ARE YOU? YOU… CALLED ME… BY MY NAME."
The blustery winds intensified in ferocity and scooped Connla off her feet as she glared at where she believed his heart was. The spirits of numerous sacrificed children, as well as Servants who died within the labyrinth responded to her call and offered their collective power to her. While weak on her own, she could finally retaliate against the severely weakened Minotaur and put an end to this. Once she was ready, she pointed her spear at him.
"Laoch Gan Finsceal!" she shouted, and instantly shot straight for his chest like a fired bullet. There was absolutely no time for him to react. Before he even understood what happened, she had pierced clean through his heart and emerged out of his back. She landed in a crouching position and remained there as the energy surrounding her dissipated.
"WHAT… IS THIS?" Minotaur gasped, raising his hand before his profusely bleeding chest. "PAINFUL… SO VERY, VERY PAINFUL."
He collapsed onto his back with a loud thud. Connla stood back up and faced him, still feeling tense as she wasn't sure if that was enough to kill him. She wanted to run to Wu's side, but she feared exposing them to counterattack until she was certain the beast's Spirit Origin vanished. Huge amounts of blood pooled on the floor around him as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"WIND… LIGHT… SUNSHINE… OCEAN… AND A… PRETTY LADY."
Minotaur's lips curled into a light smile. For that brief moment, the Heroic Spirit Asterios awoke within him.
"WHAT A… HAPPY MEMORY…"
His huge body gradually disintegrated into golden particles and scattered all around Connla and Wu. A minute later, the Minotaur was no more. Confident that they were safe now, the Lancer hurried over to the Assassin and kneeled over her. Wu took her friend's hand and gurgled between labored breaths, "That was… amazing. Truly… a marvelous recreation… of the battle… between David and Goliath."
"Please, try not to talk. If you stay still, you should recover eventually."
"We know our body… the best. We will not… survive."
"Lady Wu…" Connla murmured sadly.
The empress closed her eyes and chuckled bitterly. "Heh heh… We really were… a burden to you all… weren't we? Even when we… did our best… it still wasn't enough."
"That's not true. You really gave it everything you had, despite being forced into such an awful situation."
"Your words… are most kind. Such a shame… we could not… grant a country… to someone as noble… as you."
"I wouldn't want such a thing anyway."
"He he he he," Wu genuinely giggled. "Of course. What a… lovely contradiction. If only you had… more confidence in yourself… you'd make for… a most excellent vassal."
"A vassal?"
"Remember this. A ruler is nothing… unless they have… a wonderful vassal by their side… to keep them… on the correct path. That's a role… most fitting for you. You might be… meek and pitiful… but you're also so dedicated… even towards a woman like us. We bet any king… worth his salt… would want to make you… his faithful retainer."
Connla shook her head. "I don't know about that. I still have so much to learn."
"Ah… Why must you… be so hard on yourself? It's like we're… listening to ourselves. It makes us… want to vomit."
"I'm sorry."
"Geez. Never mind that. This is… our last order to you. Escape from here. Experience the light… that the rest of us couldn't. Even for… Minotaur's sake."
Connla nodded and firmly said, "I will."
"Aaah, this is the worst," Wu grumbled as her body glowed gold and gradually faded away. "In the end… we never did get to learn… your True Name."
The Lancer frowned, then replied, "I can't say my name directly, but I can tell you that I'm Cuchulainn's 'son'."
"The Celtic hero's… son?"
"Yes. I am the Heroic Spirit bound to three geasa; to never turn back from my journey, to never back down from a challenge to combat, and to never say my name. Even as a Servant, I still have to uphold those vows."
A bout of mirth overcame Wu as she laughed, "Ah ha… ha ha ha! We knew it! We knew you were somehow… related to him! So that's who you are! Yes, indeed… we know your True Name now. With all the mysteries solved… we can die satisfied. If we meet again… we'll be sure… to remember that."
With that parting remark, the empress finally expired in a flurry of gold particles. Although greatly bothered that she was the last survivor and was unable to save Wu, Connla stood up and silently approached the previously locked entrance. She pressed her hands against the doors and pushed them open without hesitation. A bright white light cracked through, then spilled all over her vision until she was engulfed.