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FICTION
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Chapter 25: Immense Warning, Lurking Siege, and a confused Worm
Alerting the Emiyas and the Matous for what was going to happen rather soon regarding the Ainsworth family proved to be a breeze.
The former accepted a new responsibility in the form of Erika after I had explained to them why she was to be watched for while also monitored for any weird behavior that could end up in disastrous world end grade scenarios.
Kiritsugu was slightly surprised by learning about her powers but quite quick to make serious assurances of not dusting his former ambitions by trying to make use of Pandora.
I trusted Irisviel to not let any temptation go by and… I knew that no one else in that house genuinely wanted to express any wishes for the blonde to try and satisfy.
Yet, despite having secured some guarantees that the family was going to keep an eye on the little girl, I still had to spend sometime handling myself out of the cumbersome embrace that Leysritt had decided to pull me into.
Sella had tried to provide some help, but she seemed to hesitate a lot while trying to pull her fellow maid's hands off from me.
It would have been a funny scene if I hadn't been caught in that friendly fire between the two young women.
Kiritsugu gave me an odd luck, while his wife let out a giggle at my plight… and Illya, now healed and standing to see the absurd scene, seemed willing enough to offer just a sympathetic look instead of intervening herself.
A smart decision from the little Einzbern as we were both aware that adding a 'lewd-magnet' to the count was likely to worsen the situation, not improve it for the better.
Then it was the turn of the 'hermit' family led by a certain Dead Apostle.
Zouken and his heiress seemed quite glad with the fact that I had contacted them for this very development and they decided to harbor 'Sakura 2' for the time being. At least that was meant to be the accommodations up until Miyu's big brother was brought out from their dying dimension.
Convincing the plum-haired former Doll that the 'old man' had got ridden of the Crest Worms had been initially difficult.
It didn't help that Gil had been joking around the fact that he felt 'in danger' while in that place, prompting a head-bash from Artoria.
While the girl had recognized it as a reason to be frightened, I was well aware that the cheeky blond was referring to how brutal his 'death' had been during the Heaven's Feel Route.
Sakura was legitimately scared about this new development and unnerved by merely being brought before the Vampire that was her grandfather's counterpart, but she seemed to ease up a little when her own counterpart had decided to speak over the matter.
The discussion was tense at best, but there was enough stubbornness within the fellow Kohai to address the fact that there was really no worm and… that there was a common goal that they shared.
While the second half was more comical at best than else, the important first bit ended up finally getting rid of any leftover of her initial reluctance.
Especially when Zouken himself was punished by her counterpart. I saw some sadistic smile on that pretty face- something that truly reminded me that what Dark Sakura had was still held within the original Kohai.
And hopefully, this wasn't something I was going to deal with once I had freed my little sister.
I left the two 'Oneesans' while they were discussing about how the former Doll had managed to make a serious step towards a proper relationship with the now-imprisoned Senpai, and that mere revelation was enough to incite quite the interrogation from her 'less experienced' version.
Admittedly one of the most amusing topics to leave the situation, I was entertained a little when Artoria had decided to speak out about her recent assignment.
Gilgamesh smiled smugly as his 'partner' started to list all the issues that the mini-King of Heroes had caused while they were waiting for me and Kuro.
From crass tones, to cruel jokes directed to the clueless Prillya Sakura about her 'Dark version'.
I took in all the grievance with a tired sigh, and I was sure that the blond that was now walking eagerly beside me wasn't going to do anything close to an apology.
The only promise I decided to accept was that Artoria didn't have to do any other missions together with the red-eyed kid.
The King of Uruk was mildly dismayed by this, but surprisingly enough he reserved himself from pincushion me with some of his treasury.
With most of the important tasks for today done, I was expecting for things to end up even better as we made our way towards our final destination.
I was so sure that all of the tassels of my plan were properly placed for the surprises I had planned for Darius.
Maybe I should have expected that things could easily be jinxed. That maybe gloating this soon would've proven to be problematic in the long-term as the Nasuverse wasn't certainly known to have an 'Easy Mode' for anyone living there.
I was silly enough to already consider this day a massive success. One that shouldn't have warranted any unexpected outcomes since we were going to face just the least worrying of the issues.
The Edelfelt Mansion was the stop before we all returned back to the castle to properly set up the defenses, and I had been expecting to deal with some amusing circumstances since it had been some time since I had seen Rin and Bigger Luvia.
The first hint that something was incredibly off about this very part of Fuyuki was the fact that the path that led to the main entrance of the building had been filled with several man-made holes.
Holes that didn't seem to have been created with shovels or other tools designated with the purpose of digging- it looked more a damaged battlefield.
Tensing up a little, I noticed Artoria muster up her sword and armor as she took the lead through the open gates and the main doors of the mansion.
Kuro kept close to me while Gilgamesh seemed to sport the most concerning of expressions I could've seen him bring up.
Gone was the bravado, the smug- it was all replaced by a perplexed and curious look. More perplexity to be precise.
The walk was a slow and quiet one, but still one that offered more clues over what was going on inside that house.
The boundary fields were still up, and the signs of a fight had been limited just by the ground near to the front gates.
Nothing that would suggest an intruder making it past that initial spot by the entrance.
A failed attack? No, Ruby would've alerted me of any strange circumstance happening with her sister's counterpart. But as far as I could see, the Kaleidostick was quietly humming in my pockets.
Perhaps hoping to humiliate me again.
Cheeky stick with lewd antics!
We reached the doors, and Artoria leaned to knock with her armored glove before guarding up and preparing for anyone answering her knocking.
There were some footsteps approaching soon after and… Auguste opened the door with a curious look.
"Oh, Shinji-san and-" The butler stopped as he noticed the aggressive appearance displayed by the Tyrant. "Is… there something wrong?"
"We saw that there had been a fight sometime ago," I replied quietly. "Near the gates, there are some holes."
His glasses shone a little in realization. "Oh, it might have to do with the fact that Ms. Fraga McRemitz had tried to fight against our current guest."
Bazett was there already? That was kind of good but-
"A guest?" I inquired, having no knowledge of anyone visiting and being strong enough to keep up with the Irish woman.
"Someone that seeks to spare some words with you, Shinji-san," The elder explained with a careful voice. "He seems quite the patient individual… and forgive me if I sound a little silly, but I can't help but see him way older than his appearance might indicate."
I tensed up a little more at this, knowing that even with that jarring depiction there were plenty of individuals in the Nasuverse that I had to be wary about.
Some were Dead Apostles, but I was sure that Auguste would've brought that up already if it had been the case.
Someone that had acquired something close to immortality, but not enough to become a bloodsucker.
…
Okay, maybe the fact that this individual wasn't a Vampire made the difference since there wasn't anyone that had come close to achieve that.
Except Zelretch but… he's pretty much a Dead Apostle and so out of the list of the suspects.
In the end I was left blissfully unaware of whom I was going to interact with, and I genuinely hoped that it wasn't anyone that could count as a possible enemy of mine.
The large living room seemed to lack much of the loud voices that would rise up at the usual bickering between two certain apprentices to the Wizard Marshal.
In fact, the sight that I was bestowed with was well beyond my expectations as I saw both Rin and Older Luvia act up together… quite calmly. Only a couple of glares would pass around as the two went through some paperwork like a decent team.
I was half-tempted to call out this as an illusion, trying to get some explanation from both Chibi Luvia and Arthur only for them to-
"｢The World｣."
The mere moment these words were uttered, I felt my eyes going wide in shock and realization as I had more than just a clue at what was going on.
The entirety of the world went silent, its inhabitants going still as I was left alone to deal with the absurd reality imposed right onto me.
I was the only one capable of moving… or at least the only one beside the tall blond now approaching me.
He was bulky, a little less than his Part 3 appearance, and donning what seemed to be his Part 1 Battle clothes, yet those had some slight modifications that made it stand out from the original.
It was impossible for me to fail in recognizing who I had in front of me.
"Greetings, young Shinji," Dio offered a slight bow as he paused in his approach, ignoring perfectly all those around us. His attention was solely directed on me. "And I wish to apologize if we are talking privately in such a manner… but we really need to talk."
"There is no way that you're-"
"You?" He concluded for me, a small smile adorning his face. His orange eyes glimmering with amusement as I failed to form a solid response to that. "While there are some distinct differences in each Bukharin, the result is still the same. Same name, same soul… same moral compass."
"W-Why are you here?" I knew that I couldn't use Ruby's help, nor Install any Cards right now. The current display of power, the full control of time was… frightening.
My current 'mobility' wasn't dictated by some similarity I shared with the Stand User. He was allowing me to 'exist' within his 'World'. Dio's World.
"My current presence isn't dictated by any nefarious activity. I have no reason to expand in a universe currently inhabited by versions of myself," Dio started to explain with a sigh. "But the reasons that see me wandering in this specific place… are more concerning to some issues you might end up dealing in the distant future. Issues that will reach out even to my main dimension."
...This- This is just insane.
His presence here meant that there is a connection within the Insertions. Something that transcended black on white, or the opposite.
But then… why? Why now!?
"Issues?"
"Someone has already been spotted tampering with the timelines," The blond answered quickly. "Up until now the culprit has been repelled by one of our versions, someone that had plenty of power and reach to protect the dimensions without much support."
I blinked at this detail, knowing of only a single figure that fit with the bare description.
"So the Living Bot is keeping an eye at it?" I asked with a grimace, trying to think properly about what the hell was going on.
Something was causing ripples through the dimensions? But why would Dio be here if Shinhachi is taking care of this problem?
"More than an eye if he decided to prepare us for some brewing storm," The Stand User finally admitted. "And if he is so sure that we need to be alerted of this problem… then it has to be a troublesome threat."
A threat capable of overwhelming him in a normal instance. Quite an impossible thought to imagine happening within logical reality.
John Shinachi, the Living Bot. He was already powerful and resourceful enough to keep up with whatever was threatening the continuity of the macroverse so… why the need of recruiting?
What could've pushed him to go as far as alert the rest of the 'Bukharins'? And… was there a council? Like with the Ricks?
What was the limit of-
"And I will suggest that you keep away from over-thinking over our existence," Dio spoke, snapping me out of my reverie. "It's simpler than it looks like. And from my own estimations over this 'problem', I can say that it will not become important for you to be involved up much later in your own adventure."
"But this- The fact that we all exist in-"
"Shinhachi called it 'Bukharinverse', but he seemed to be… open for suggestions," The blond continued with a nod. "There is a common element among us, something that makes us appetizing to most forces of evils. Be careful, and you will thrive in success. And I, Dio, can assure you of that."
I frowned at the last bit. "Kind of difficult to believe it if you're just me-"
"We're alike. But I reckon that I've to remind you that I'm far older than you. I'm… a couple of centuries old after all."
…
"Wait, what?"
"I would like to entertain this discussion a little more," The man said while sighing tiredly. "But my duty here is done and I wish to return to my own dimension and organization. I've still plenty to do despite the years that have gone by."
I blinked at that, ready to protest and press for more but… that blink went by and he was gone.
Actually, the world had resumed its course after that blink as I noticed everyone else moving normally and as if nothing had truly happened.
"What was that?"
I merely glanced at Gilgamesh, the red-eyed kid staring at me in shock as the rest of the room was now looking at me with confused, and suspicious looks after hearing the boy's question/demand.
"Would you believe it… that I'm not truly sure about it myself?"
Gil blinked, his eyes staring at me with intense curiosity while I could feel Kuro's hand settling on my shoulder and-
"W-Where did he go?"
Little Luvia looked surprised, her attention directed at trying to find someone that was no longer there in his previous seat and… no longer in that room.
In the middle of that kerfuffle born from two surprises, I couldn't help but realize that Dio's Stand had managed to use its abilities… without getting any opposition from Gaia herself.
...How the fuck did he manage to do that?
"I suppose you've finished with your task, Beatrice."
The unnervingly calm voice coming from the dark-haired teen seemed to endear the red-headed Berserker, enough to widen up her malicious smile.
They had managed to take refuge by one of the few hotels within the city, keeping a discreet attitude to avoid gaining any suspicions from the inhabitants within the city.
Maps had been bought, known boundary fields were marked upon those and-
"It's done, Julian," The girl confirmed with a swift nod. "The Castle is their current 'home'. I've spotted them entering it."
A scowl adorned the face of the 'young' Head of the family. His distaste at the idea of facing such a lengthy siege proving to be far too strong to be contained within his mask of silence.
But the situation was still salvageable considering the incredible opportunity bestowed to them by one of the 'missing cards'.
The ripples had mostly closed, yet two had managed to survive through the attempt of the Will of the World from this universe to preserve the survival of its space-time continuum.
One which Darius and his enemies had known about… and one that had been discovered upon scouting the entirety of Fuyuki.
It had been a maddening process driven mostly by rage and fury that had taken a couple of days to conclude in a pleasant success.
The humiliation suffered at the hands of that little boy with a stupid Mystic Code was still burning fiercely within his psyche, enough to make it almost a primary need to see the agonizing brat suffer under the worst kind of torture his creative mind could've conceived in that very moment.
And yet the ambitious Magus wasn't going to let some petty revenge get in his head, at least not enough to distract him from the main objectives of his current presence in this 'stable world'.
Sakura's reports had stopped coming for more than a few days now, and yet the limited amount of those documents had presented him with a clear glimpse of the situation unfolded within this happier city.
There was another Lesser Grail, maybe two hiding within this city. All of them seemed to be watched carefully by the Magus Killer and some other individuals.
Zelretch was more active than in his dimension. The Wizard Marshal had employed his apprentices to investigate the circumstances that led to the presence of the Servant Card.
And finally… Shinji Matou.
He wasn't someone from this Fuyuki. This world never had the chance of experiencing a young Matou heir if not for the arrival of this intruding force.
An individual that had acted well in subtly keeping Sakura, his little crazy pawn, from acting violently against him.
She had been so unsure, so insecure. Her devotion for her Senpai wavering just a little at the sight of her 'brother'. This time a little boy with no malicious intent attached to his soul.
Ironic considering how the former wielder of the Assassin Card had begged to be turned into a puppet to the Ainsworth.
A pity that his use expired so suddenly and at the hand of a filthy villain like Shirou Emiya.
Darius should've been more careful when he had noticed the dubious words used in the last messages from the plum-haired girl. He should've demanded her return to properly update her mental matrix instead of letting her fully fail him with this silent betrayal.
But now it was stupid to whine and linger further upon this unpleasant situation.
The clock was still ticking, and the home-dimension's time was close to end just as he had calculated.
It was now a matter of a few days before everything comes crashing down and… he needed to act quickly and take the risky gamble considering the horrible stakes against him.
His centuries-old ambition was so close to crumble before his eyes… and all of that was because of a simple refusal to accept the Greater Good.
He would've expected the spawn of the Magus Killer to be perfectly aware of the intricacies of justice. The most important need of self-sacrifice all for the sake of saving the 'majority' of people.
It was his wish, to bring true justice to the world by saving only those worth saving. Those that would bow to his dominance, and accept his words as laws to follow more than mere guidelines.
A world where Darius Ainsworth was the unquestionable God, the true ruler of the entire planet.
The veneration, the recognition- it was enough to almost make him drool at the chance of finally reaching his peak, to attain the final zenith.
But sadly enough, uncertainty was driving him to take some more careful steps instead of outright assaulting the fortress where Erika was being held.
The Grail vessels would be useless to him without Pandora's prime input within his plan. He needed her to begin the process required to save his dying world, or else nothing could've truly been done with the useless brats.
The Castle was the only viable option where to hide the ultimate prize of power, the undeniable temptation to power and… he needed to make plans. He needed to keep moving or else things would vanish out of his hands… again.
An attack was needed, but not one born from strong-arming against whatever defenses had been deployed inside of it.
Sure, they still had the element of surprise but… it was their only opportunity to truly strike.
They needed a proper footing, a good understanding of this bigger city and… a plan of action to use to siege down the grand castle.
It was smaller than the one back home but… it was also provided with some of the strongest spells that he had managed to get sight off thanks to Beatrice.
The hard work of one Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
The only one of the legendary heads of the Three Clans that Darius had actually avoided to confront after copying some of the Holy Grail ritual within the Einzbern's archives in Germany.
With Nagato being killed indirectly and Zouken burning among the ashes of his former home, the Homunculus had been left to die by 'natural causes'.
Her complicated self wasn't prepared to survive for more than sixty years, and the Ainsworth had been smart enough to keep avoiding any reunions with the woman up until he had been sure that she had perished.
Truly some of the most unpleasant decades he had been forced to live through, especially with how difficult it had been to experiment with his then-risky Possession spell without gaining anyone's interest by buying expensive ingredients from Clock Tower.
While the Magus Association had crumbled in quite the agonizing manner while squabbling over how they were supposed to solve the problem that was the Grand Decline, its society had stood proudly up to the very end.
It was kind of a pity to imagine how none of those old families was going to be around when the world would end up being saved and shaped into his image and mind.
But the situation now didn't require this kind of amusing thoughts.
"Angelica," 'Julian' finally muttered, glancing to the side where the blonde had been standing until now. The older sister nodded, a blank but stern look on her face. "I require for you to prepare some traps by the second rift. I think we will have to cover our retreat if things turn sour."
Her blue eyes glowed momentarily as she nodded. "I will be done, Julian."
The young woman vanished through her Gradation Air and into the small seal she had placed by the woods near where the working passage had been located into.
The task was sure going to take a couple of hours and, considering the vast hard-work already put down within the mapping of the city, they would be able to make a move by dinnertime.
Right as the element of surprise was going to be in the highest height. Right as his opponent were busy to enjoy their moment of 'victory'.
He shook his head, draining a small smile forming at the mere thought of seeing their shocked expressions at seeing their upper hand crushed so quickly and violently.
He imagined about Shinji's last stand, the mockery of proper justice.
Moralism against realism, divinity against mortality.
Darius hummed at those pleasant ideas, but he needed to have a perfect picture of his target.
"Beatrice," He quietly muttered, drawing the redhead's attention almost instantly. Her yellow eyes vibrated and quivered with devotion and loyalty. Truly a fitting sight from a silly puppet. "Can you tell me more about Shinji Matou? What can you say about him at a proper first sight?"
A little surprise painted her features, yet her expression barely wavered at the unexpected query.
"Well, he does… he does appear quite fragile," She said, giggling a little about it. Perhaps wondering at the prospect of 'fighting' him. "But I think it's quite saddening that he can't see your genuineness, Julian."
…
"What?"
"He doesn't seem to have any malicious intents. Actually, he looks to be… very attached to his 'family'," She continued with a strangely familiar tone. "It's just like… you. I think."
She thinks?
He almost snorted at the unpleasant similarity. Truly a silly thing to imagine that he could be compared to the brat.
…
Or was she actually alluding to Julian? The little caged boy that couldn't even remember his own true wish?
What a funny thought! To think back to how simple and inconsequential it had all been to take over the frail mind of that youth.
It had taken a mistake from Pandora, a mistake born from trying to kill herself in front of a boy that loved her so much that he promised her to find a way to kill her.
And for what? A smile.
He wanted to see her smile away from the thoughts of suicide. To make her believe that there was a life beyond the atrocities that had gone through in history, with the girl as the epicenter of it all.
Pandora had lived six millennia worth of suffering. There was nothing that people could do about it.
Death was the only viable option in her mind.
She was gone, her chances of a normal life forfeited all because of her original creators' desire for the perfect tool to stabilize the world when the crisis was first noticed.
And back then they had failed to unleash the purpose, to end the reason for Pandora to be alive.
The pity, the agony… the morbid and endearing amusement created by the resulting mess.
Darius relished in that kind of sights. The demise of a powerful entity for a greater mission?
It just made the world logical and sensible of the rational system. As it should be.
"Yet he still decided against helping others," 'Julian' ultimately rebuked with a sigh. "He was selfish, just like the man that is Shirou Emiya."
Beatrice didn't hesitate in nod in agreement. She had nothing on her face that would've resembled to any dissonance with his thought.
His opinion was her truth. There was no other ways around it as it was meant to cement her loyalty to him.
Darius needed her strength, like Angelica's. He needed them to fight for him up until their existence wouldn't matter any longer.
Just a little longer, enough for him to finally conclude this annoying travesty of 'saving the world' for the sake of everyone.
There was no reason to be utterly selfless… but there was no reason to limit his own selfishness in salvaging this opportunity.
Julian's body was excellent, but it was going to grow spent in a matter of a couple of years because of Darius' continuous usage of high-grade spells.
He was wilting him away on a daily basis… and that's how he planned to make use of Shinji.
The boy had an impressive potential thanks to the tool bestowed to him by Zelretch, as the man knew that the Mystic Code was capable of incredible deeds and feats.
He needed to get a hand on it, to shape it to his will and… conquer the world and beyond with it.
It would be perfect, and it would be correct for him to strive and achieve the ultimate goal of full domination of existence itself.
He almost cackled, but then he remembered that he was still in the form of his 'heir', and in front of Beatrice.
Thus he merely smirked, turning his attention at the big window that offered sight over this Fuyuki.
It looked so peaceful, so unaware of the might that was waiting to be unleashed upon its tranquility.
But even this dimension was going to learn more about him. About the Ainsworths.
About their undeniable ambitions and power.
The clock was ticking, and the world was moving at its regular pace and time. One can only wonder how things will develop from this curious situation.
AN
I thought after a while since I had posted last chapter I would've ignored one of the reviews in FFN that actually made me angry but… I re-read it just now and my blood is boiling. I will not make a rant, I will not make a scene because this AN is meant to all versions of this story. I will just ignore it.
Now, onto the next section. There is a message I've left on the forums, but I've forgotten to put in last chapter. Here is the content of the message:
The Xover project will not happen within the story. it will be a different story altogether. Dio will leave next chapter (this one) and there will not be any xovers (except silly references, but nothing more.). This is story is listed as a (Nasuverse SI) and it shall continued to be that!
I repeat, there is no Xovering planned after this very bit!
Lastly, I did start a new story set in… Worm. It took me a while to get a grasp over the plot, the characters, the various plotpoints and… god, this will be a fun ride. Check Metempsychosis!
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
Runelt99: This chapter is happening way beyond Absolute Divinity, and that is mentioned in this chapter while Dio is talking. I actually left a big element that will influence the finale of the story… but it's quite hidden in there.
NazgulBelserion: As I've said, just a passing presence, not a permanent presence.
HateReborn27: It's correlated to the MC of Living Bot. The story here in FFN has yet to reach that point, but he's getting OP quite soon. This is a cameo, not a full-fledged crossover where he is a permanent presence within the story.
Ascandas: More like a triple cameo (with one by mere mentioning). As I've said, not a xover.
Byayan: Dio didn't have anything to be condescending and hating about. I think it was more like Whis and Goku at that.