EDIT: Details fixed. Removed a superfluous line. Should edit properly next time...
Chapter 8:
"Well, that's that."
Gudao looked up. He was lying on the grass, resting, away from the battlefield. He had assured Mashu he was fine, so she was standing guard nearby with St. Georgios. Gabby was standing over him, her shadow falling over his torso and looking at something in the distance.
They were choosing to conserve the remainder of their prana by not actively working with their Servants. Gudao had already sent Cu Chulainn (there had been a lot of complaining from him), Ushiwakamaru, and Robin Hood back to Chaldea. St. Georgios was a few steps away for protection against anything unexpected. He was taking pictures with a small Polaroid camera, occasionally gathering up his long brown hair and tucking it behind his neck to stop it from getting in the way of his shots. Mashu was speaking with him enthusiastically, and Georgios seemed to be entertaining her questions quite readily.
Something about that sight made Gudao feel...something in his chest. But he chalked up the feeling to his fatigue.
"What do you mean?" He asked, slightly panting from the effort of running around the battlefield and keeping up with his Servants.
He was no slouch when it came to physical conditioning. His and Gabby's exercise regimen was one of the few things both Cu Chulainn and EMIYA worked together on. But Gabby's constitution was on another level entirely. Gudao could even run a marathon in good time for his age.
Gabby would fall short of Olympic medalist times but close enough to be comparable. This was even before factoring in the boosts to their physical ability given by their Chaldean Uniform Mystic Codes.
Which was why Gabby was looking no worse for wear and looking across the field with a thoughtful expression. "Nero just caught our enemies in an encirclement. She held the line almost single-handedly and retreated slowly while fanning out her flanking lines."
Gudao sat up to consider the battle taking place several hundred meters away. His brain worked at it for a few moments before he realized Gabby was right. "She couldn't have done that if we weren't hitting them in the back," he said.
"Yeah," said Gabby. "Considering how bad she was outnumbered, her flanking lines would have broken if they'd been pressured more."
"That's a big risk to take on us," mused Gudao, sitting up and crossing his legs. "To this Nero, we're basically the 'enemy of my enemy'."
"We'll ask her about it when we meet her," said Gabby with a shrug. "If I know our emperor, we should get an audience once this is over."
"Right," said Gudao. He frowned, remembering something. "So where did Shirou go? You said you would manage him."
Gabby suddenly found her toes a puzzle. "He's..."
A light purple explosion suddenly erupted in the middle of the enemies who had been surrounded, the shockwave enough to throw bodies near enough to it into the air to crash down with bone-shattering force. St. Georgios' and Mashu sharply turned their heads towards it.
Nero's forces barely paused in their work but instead surged forward as the resistance they faced suddenly crumbled.
In mere seconds, the battle had been ended.
And a red-haired man suddenly stood alone, surrounded by an army of entirely different Roman soldiers, looking around bemusedly as he was, in turn, looked at with no small degree of trepidation.
"...He's around."
"I hadn't noticed," remarked Gudao dryly. He got up slowly but then suddenly pointed. "Ah!"
"What?"
"I thought that would take a little less time," said Gudao, and he began running.
A short blonde woman, garbed in a flamboyant Imperial red dress laced with gold, was striding her way towards Shirou, her army of Romans parting before her like a certain sea before a certain biblical figure.
Gabby followed with a sigh, with Mashu close behind.
Georgios sigh was for a different reason, looking at the scenery one last time before putting away his camera. The Saint's gaze lingered on the petite woman for a long moment before he shook his head slowly and disappeared in a shower of blue motes.
Shirou glowered at the soil. It was the first time in his life or Muramasa's he had hated so much a particular patch of earth.
It was the reason why he was here. It was the representation of a Singularity, a pillar of disorder that was disrupting the course of human history, a broken foundation that was perpetuating the annihilation of mankind in the present day.
More importantly, it was interrupting some sorely needed private time between him and Artoria.
Shirou glowered upwards, casting his eyes upon a shield wall he knew was approaching from all around him. Around him lay broken bodies garbed in Roman soldier armour, dissipating slowly into dark purple clouds. They said no words, made no screams or pleas for mercy. His eyes saw that these soldiers were not human in the thinking and feeling sense.
Not human in the thinking and breathing sense of the word. Perfect targets to vent on. Shirou could not deny he felt a measure of satisfaction as he muttered, "Trace, on."
And as Kanshou and Bakuya II fell into his hands the fight began anew.
Lances jabbed at him in synchronization, from all directions and precisely aiming for his vitals.
Shirou swung with the flat of his blade, stepping with the blow and kicking up a billowing cloud of dust with his heels. More than a few spears would be diverted by it.
His blow broke enough lances for him to create an opening for him to step into. The other lances soared through the empty air, close enough for him to feel the displaced air. His second step brought him close enough to the shield wall to reach out with a hand and tear a tower shield right out of a soldiers hands, gutting the soldier with his other hand.
He broke the shield on top of the soldier's head for good measure and kicked him back into the press of bodies, advancing through the hole in the shield wall, cleaving to his left and right, straight through steel chest plates and leather coats with his Reinforced strength.
Shirou narrowed his eyes as Kanshou and Bakuya II flashed through the air, severing limbs and causing them to vanish into that strange purple mist. The soldiers were once again reforming an encirclement, paying no heed to their fallen and instead using their bodies to buy time to surround him again.
It didn't work the first time, thought Shirou as he leapt after the nearest retreating soldiers, felling them even as more got away. What are they up to?
He stopped for the briefest of moments and activated Communion with Nature.
Awareness flooded in.
His eyes widened.
The crowd of dark red and gold were surging towards him, dropping tower shields and lances, pulling out daggers and short swords. There were even a few soldiers poised to climb on top of their fellows.
They were going to jump on him bodily all at once.
Ridiculous.
But he realized that from their point of view, it was an effective strategy against an enemy with strong anti-personnel capabilities.
A strategy that could only be implemented by those with no fear and thoughts of self-preservation, as well as with perfect synchronicity.
Like this, Shirou thought he could see through some of the power that the one manipulating these constructs held.
But he would tell his Masters his suspicions later.
That is, if they haven't already figured it out, Shirou thought wryly.
He could have fought through them all regardless, but this presented an opportunity to end this fight.
Shirou dismissed Kanshou and Bakuya II and raised left his palm facing up into the air. "My body is made of swords."
From his endless forest of swords, a wind blew, carrying to the forefront of his mind the armament he needed.
"Rho Aias."
His eyes tightened with strain. As expected, this Projection took a noticeable chunk out of his reserves, simply due to it not being a sword.
Seven thin layers, akin to light pink flower petals, blossomed out from his palm, curving down all around him in a dome.
The first Roman soldiers were already in the process of falling upon the shield of Aias the Great.
They had thrown themselves at him, using their bodies as weapons. So naturally, they themselves fell into the category Rho Aias held an absolute defence against.
He clenched his fist.
Prana poured into the shield.
Shirou did not like performing this technique, but it was perfect for the situation at hand.
For the briefest of moments, the petals of Rho Aias thrummed as they emitted a dangerous blood-red light.
Then the tip of a leaping Roman soldier's dagger touched it, unable to stop itself.
With a crackle like lightning, the first petal exploded outward in a storm of dark red shrapnel, the force of the explosion throwing back all the soldiers encircling Shirou, and more besides.
When Shirou allowed the other six petals of Rho Aias to vanish, he saw before him cratered earth and the dissipating bodies of his enemies.
Using Rho Aias as a Broken Phantasm had several conditions to achieve this kind of effect. First, it needed an outside 'thrown weapon' to react to. Second, it was guaranteed to sacrifice at least one petal of its seven, the number increasing depending on the strength of the 'thrown weapon'. If a Broken Rho Aias tried to stop anything on the level of even a B-rank Noble Phantasm, it would surely lose all its petals, leaving him completely vulnerable to that attack on top of suffering the feedback from those petals being destroyed. Such a case would guarantee his death, so he had to be careful what he used this technique for. This was also not even taking into account the shield's prohibitive prana cost.
As it was, his left arm felt as if it had been lightly tenderized. And this was with only one petal Broken. Should all seven petals be Broken, he had no doubts that he would be completely unable to use the left side of his body.
With the clanking of armour, other soldiers suddenly approached from around Shirou. Still garbed in the same colours as the soldiers he had felled, but in different outfits, more intricate and ornate in some places but still weathered and caked with dirt from the recent battle.
More importantly, they were people who were afraid of him. Understandable, given the display of power he had just shown but he could not help but feel his heart grow heavier. He did not quite know how to handle crowds like this, either.
Shirou looked around for his Masters and found them hurrying towards him about a hundred meters away. The soldiers surrounding him, while nervous and fidgeting with their weapons, were not overtly hostile so he failed to see the source of their-
A feminine and boisterous voice interrupted his thoughts. "Splendidly fought, magus of red hair!"
Shirou turned around in surprise as the Romans parted to reveal-
His eyes went wide.
"Umu," The Artoria look-a-like in a red dress puffed up and held a hand over her considerable chest in pride. Aside from some minute changes in hairstyle and darker eye colour, her face was exactly the same as Artoria's. "You may certainly gaze upon my visage and body in admiration. Since I can discern no wicked thoughts from your gaze, I will allow it!"
Shirou suddenly felt a thousand stares trying to pin him where he stood, every single one of them coming from the men surrounding him. His neck almost creaked as he turned his head turned to look at his arriving Masters. St. Georgios appeared from seemingly nowhere just behind them, startling more than a few soldiers. The Saint snapped one last picture before putting away his camera under the folds of his robes.
Gabby caught the look in Shirou's eyes and pointed at the girl's sword with a brow raised.
He blinked. Oh, right. His eyes automatically recorded the sword and its history.
Aestus Estus: The Original Flame. The sword of Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.
...Emperor Nero was...Empress Nero? Somehow this was more surprising than the fact that she was looked like a copy of Artoria, if somewhat only in the, ah, facial area.
The short empress in question turned to Gudao and Gabby. "Greetings to you all, strangely dressed folk!"
You're wearing a dress like that though! screamed Shirou mentally, suddenly having just looked down and noticed the transparent portion of her skirt.
"Do not think I have forgotten you as the source of my serendipity! I shall prepare a suitable reward for you and your retainers!" Nero stated proudly. But her expression fell downcast. "Of course, all I have on me is this sword, but once we return to Rome I will certainly keep my word."
"Thank you for your recognition. We have no doubts about your generosity," said Gudao simply.
"Umu! The spark of recognition is lit in your eyes and you have given a suitable response. It appears that it is only I who is at a disadvantage. Yet." The girl swept her right arm to the side as if cutting aside this self-professed weakness. "To not give a suitable introduction to a character such as I, is to deny who I am and thus my place upon the stage. Behold!"
She stabbed Aestus Estus into the ground and spread her arms out to the side theatrically.
A shower of rose petals fell from the air around her, and the cratered earth turned into smooth marble flooring draped with red carpet.
Her soldiers propped up banners marked with blooming flowers on either side of her, looking all-too-used to this turn of events.
"I am the one and only Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!" Her voice boomed off the hills as a golden spotlight suddenly shone down upon her, bright even in broad daylight. "Thus do I grant you the privilege of my presence!"
...How is she doing that? Shirou thought as he patted rose petals off his shoulders.
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru," said Gudao formally. "This is Gabrielle, my sister, Mashu Kyrielight, Georgios, and Shirou." He gestured to each of them in turn.
Nero's pose relaxed. "Indeed, strange names you four have. And though it is discourteous to offer inquiry so soon after you have granted me a boon, I must ask where the rest of your party has gone, as well as the identity of another mage who seems to be hiding somewhere close yet far away."
"So she can detect my surveillance?" The disembodied voice of Dr Romani said from just over Gudao's shoulder in surprise.
"Umu, so it seems he is your companion. Some form of scrying perhaps?" Nero wondered for a moment before shaking her head. "It matters not for now. We must return to Rome at once. There we can set about the business of rewarding you and resting while deciding our next course of action."
"Enemy Servant signature detected!" Dr Romani's voice was suddenly shrill. "Closing fast from the West!"
"We'll explain fully soon," said Gudao urgently when Nero turned to him for answers. "For now, an enemy as powerful as Shirou and Georgios' is coming from the West soon."
"The West," Nero nodded, her eyes serious. She turned. "Praetor!"
A young man with brown hair cut short to his temples stepped forward from behind her and stood at attention. "My lady!" He barked promptly.
"Take the Seventh to the nearest outpost to the East. We will hold this enemy while you retreat."
The Praetor frowned and looked as if to raise an objection before his eyes fell upon Shirou. His expression smoothed over and became stern once more. "Yes, my Empress!"
Turning to the army behind him, he roared: "Legion! Quick march, to outpost Sigma!"
Nero's army flowed around the group in a highly coordinated fashion, with each soldier marching in tandem with each other. Within the next minute, the tail end of the legion was more than two hundred meters away, marching over the next hillside.
"The famed discipline of the Roman army, huh," said Gudao, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
The faint roaring of what sounded like a beast echoed off the hills.
"Fanboy later, we've got incoming!" said Gabby, smacking her brother's shoulder and pointing.
Everyone turned to look.
A huge man was running towards them from a long distance away, kicking up grass and earth as he went. He wore ornate golden Roman armour attached at the shoulders to a red cape billowing out from behind him. Short dark blue hair, almost black, flattened at his temples against the wind, and red eyes devoid of pupils were narrowed in laser-focused precision on the group. This man was the source of the bestial cry, getting louder as he came closer.
Nero's eyes widened in recognition, as did Gudao and Gabby's. Georgios' mouth thinned to a line, and he held Ascalon's hilt tighter, though the blade itself was sheathed.
"Masters, orders?" Mashu spoke quietly.
Gudao and Gabby exchanged a glance towards each other, then to the approaching Servant, then back again. A conversation seemed to play itself out in those few moments. They nodded to each other, and both stepped back towards Georgios, who had drawn Ascalon and held it at the ready.
"It can't be," said Nero quietly, Aestus Estus held in an uncertain grip.
"You're not about to go and switch either of your classes to Berserker again, are you?" Gabby's voice echoed in his mind.
Mental communication through their bond was faster than verbal. Shirou assumed this was how Gabby and Gudao directed Servants in battle or time-sensitive matters. "Sorry," he thought sheepishly. "That particular issue should clear up when I get back to Chaldea and uh, finish some business."
"Good to know. You'll be engaging Caligula in tandem with Mashu as the front line, backing up Nero when necessary." Shirou stepped up beside Mashu and gave her a nod, which she returned. "Also, do you have any weapons with anti-draconic properties?" Gabby continued.
Shirou expressed confusion through the link. "A few, but they aren't especially powerful against dragons."
"Balmung?"
"Less than thirty seconds," warned Gudao. "His parameters look almost the same as they were in Chaldea."
"Understood. Siegfried's sword? I've got nothing on that level, sorry."
"We'll have to get you to take a tour of Chaldea's armoury then. Or EMIYA's Reality Marble. Basically the same thing. Anyways, we'll have to put Georgios' combo attack on hold then. For now, we'll deal with Caligula. Or rather, you and Mashu and Nero will. We'll just be over here, a couple hundred meters away, with Georgios, in case something goes wrong."
"Understood," thought Shirou and Mashu wryly in unison.
The Berserker finally stopped yelling and dug his feet into the ground, sliding to a stop around a dozen meters away.
Nero lowered Aestus Estus, dropping her guard with an expression of sadness. "So it is you, uncle. Are you under the banner of this 'United Rome' as well?"
"Give it to me..." Caligula's voice was quiet, almost inaudible at this distance.
Nero's eyes narrowed. "Uncle?"
Caligula shuddered, clutching his head and pulling at his hair. "My actions...are...destiny..."
"Uncle? What are you speaking of?"
Caligula flinched as if struck. "No...yes...she is...Agrippina...no...I must...YOU...MUST...!" He shuddered again and his head snapped up, glaring suddenly at Nero. "GIVE ME YOUR BODY!" Caligula roared, leaping at Nero with outstretched arms.
Nero flinched and was late in raising her sword.
A purple shield slammed into Caligula's face, throwing him back more than a few paces.
Shirou followed up and took the opportunity to slash at the Berserker's neck.
Caligula spun around faster than expected with a roar, and Shirou's blow slid off the Berserker's shoulder guards, only managing to cut off a piece of his cloak. Shirou leaned to the side as Caligula's fist came straight at his head, and stabbed at the presented armpit, but Caligula flung himself back, landing on all fours, snarling like a beast.
"Very well," Nero called out as she strode forth to stand at Shirou's side. "In consideration for our previous relationship, I shall-"
Caligula roared out once more and he leapt forward again.
Nero's sadness turned into irritation. "So you truly have lost all reason," she said impassively.
"Mashu, set up an all-out attack with Shirou once Nero makes an opening in Caligula's guard," directed Gabby.
"Understood," Mashu murmured.
Shirou nodded and muttered, "My body is made of swords."
The wind brought forth the Projection he wanted without delay. He held the image in his head without Projecting it just yet, waiting for the right moment.
"Huh, I didn't know you had that in your Reality Marble. Makes sense though," thought Gudao.
"Bro, don't clutter the comms, but yeah, let's clear the area if that's the Noble Phantasm I'm thinking of!"
The Berserker grabbed for Nero, but grunted as Mashu's shield slam put him on the back foot again. Nero stepped into the opening with a stony face and spun around in an almost elegant way that cleaved open Caligula's chest armour with upwards slash.
Caligula roared but Mashu slammed into him again before he could retaliate, throwing him even further back.
Shirou was waiting with his Projection held ready.
Nero raised her eyebrows as she beheld the golden sword in Shirou's hands. "Beautiful," she said in awe.
Mashu tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "Please follow me," she said, already retreating.
"Of course! This performer will not get caught up in a closing of curtains no matter how pleasing to the eye it is!" Nero proclaimed while hurrying along.
Caligula shook his head as if to clear away a concussion. As he saw Nero and Mashu retreat, he roared in rage again and leaned down in preparation to leap again.
Shirou was not going to let him.
He thrust the Noble Phantasm in his hands towards the Berserker and invoked its true name:
"Caliburn!"
Golden light almost blinded him even at midday.
Caligula roared as Caliburn's beam struck him in the shoulder, tearing apart his shoulder guard entirely. Then a golden cascade of explosions lit the air around him, relieving the sorely abused earth of its grass for good, and lighting up the area for half a mile around.
When the golden explosions cleared, Caliburn dissipated in motes of blue prana. Shirou cautiously Projected Kanshou and Bakuya II again even as he saw Caligula kneeling upon the ground, his cloak in tatters and his armour broken in several places. One of his arms was bent too far backwards, and blood ran down his face, over red eyes narrowed in pain.
Regardless of his blood pooling over his eyelids, Caligula glared wide-eyed at Shirou. "You...defy...destiny..." he ground out.
"Who do you serve?" asked Shirou quietly.
"Rome...itself..."
Shirou blinked. He had not been expecting an answer, let alone a half-coherent one.
Caligula shuddered and groaned in pain. "Destiny...comes..."
With that, his body disappeared in a shower of golden light, not unlike that of a defeated Servant dying.
"He's not dead. Yet," Gabby informed him in his thoughts.
Shirou turned and saw his Masters approaching, with Nero and Mashu. "He was called away by Command Seal then?" Shirou asked.
"Or something like that," said Gudao, walking up to Shirou and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good work by the way."
Shirou's smile was small but honest. "It wasn't much. But thank you."
"You have quite the retainers, consuls!" Nero laughed gaily and strode forth to stand in front of Shirou, looking up at him with a seemingly well-worn expression of pride. "Were I not respectful of one's wishes, I would daresay attempt to poach at least this one from your service."
"That would be a little difficult," said Gudao wryly. "But we are thankful for your good nature regardless."
"Umu," said Nero with a firm nod. "Now that the danger has passed, we should regroup with my forces to the East. I shall listen to your tale along the way, of course."
"We would be glad to tell it," said Gudao. "We just need to send back Shirou and Georgios' to Chaldea first. Even with Gabby here, our prana is stretching thin."
"Send back to Chaldea?" repeated Nero in confusion.
"Well, first of all, we're from the future," said Gabby.
Nero tilted her head. "Elaborate, if you will."
While Gabby explained their situation, Shirou remembered Caligula's answer to his question. "There's something I should tell you first," said Shirou, raising a forestalling hand at Gudao, who had taken out a pair of Saint Graph copies. "I asked Caligula who he served, and he said 'Rome itself'."
"Rome itself?" Repeated Gudao, thoughtful. "I'm surprised that got past the obvious constraints he was dealing with."
Shirou frowned. "Constraints?"
Gudao shrugged. "Caligula can definitely put up a better fight than that, even three on one. He didn't even use his Noble Phantasm in that situation like that. Either his Madness Enhancement is stronger than A+, which I suppose is a possibility considering the previous Singularity, or he was under orders from his summoner to fight at a reduced capacity."
"Indeed!" Interjected Nero into the conversation, popping up between Shirou and Gudao like a mole popping out of its den. "I do not remember my Uncle being as weak as the one we faced just now, even considering that work of art Shirou unleashed upon him. I did think something was wrong, but to think an Emperor of Rome would be under someone's command to that extent is concerning."
"That was a fast explanation," said Gudao, looking at Gabby with a raised eyebrow.
"You always overcomplicate things," said Gabby, waving a hand dismissively and snatching the Saint Graph Seals from Gudao in the same motion. "I just told her that we're here to sort out the guy holding a holy grail that's causing distortions in the timeline that's further causing the utter destruction of human civilization some two thousand years into the future."
"Well, sure, that's accurate but-"
"Hey, are you going to meet Artoria when you get back?" Gabby asked Shirou, ignoring her brother.
Suddenly thoughts of that petite blond woman forcefully intruded upon his thoughts.
"Yes!" said Shirou, anxiously eyeing the Saint Graph shadows now.
Gabby and Gudao blinked twice in unison. "Well, uh, you should probably tell her that Nero's in this Singularity. So she doesn't get surprised if we summon her here."
"I'll do that," promised Shirou, still staring at the means of getting him back to Chaldea.
Gabby stared for a long, long moment. "Alright then," she said, holding one Saint Graph Shadow to Shirou's arm and another to Georgios'.
As he disappeared, he heard Gudao ask, in a voice that sounded as if it were falling away, "What do you think that was all about?"
A point of light along a long line that stretched on for an eternity. A point that suddenly flickered, moving in a direction that could only be described as forward, before settling at-
"Ah, you're back."
Shirou opened his eyes to the smiling face of Da Vinci, looking up at him from a display connected to Chaldea's rayshifting apparatus.
He immediately noticed the other woman standing next to her.
Artoria rushed forward and held Shirou's hand as if to make certain of his existence, staring into his eyes for a long moment before hugging him tightly.
Da Vinci piped up, "So there'll be a-"
Shirou ran out of the room carrying Artoria in a princess hold, their destination certain.
"-debriefing later," finished Da Vinci, her smile only widening as the door slid shut. "Ah, young love."
The Renaissance Man turned to a bemused Saint Georgios. "So, take any good pictures? I heard Rome is pleasant this time of year and that year in particular."
Georgios' expression brightened as he took out his camera. "Indeed," he said with a small smile. "Would you like to see?"
A/N:
So there are 947 followers of this story at the time of writing this author's note. I hadn't looked at the follower count in like, three months. Somehow I missed it even when uploading the last chapter. I also had no frame of reference for this number until I looked at Fragments of Chaldea's stats.
What the heck? Is this fic actually a thing?
Thank you all. It's really...humbling, to be honest. This was supposed to be a one-shot, just an idea I had kicking around until I finally had the courage to offer up to the FSN fandom of this site half a year ago.
And since then I've basically written a chapter a month. Yeah...
At this rate, I'll finish Part 1's in like, fifteen years. And I'm not even sure if this site is going to be around by then.
So I guess I should step it up. This is in no way a promise by the way. I break resolutions and promises like this every New Years before the week is out.
But I'll try. For all 947 of you fellows.
I'm rambling.
Story-related thoughts:
-Caliburn was seen by Shirou in his Grail War, the quasi-Fate/UBW route.
-Broken Rho Aias was something I came up with based on Rule of Cool principles.
-Caligula turned out to be really tragic once I delved into his backstory. Before, I just figured him to be an incest-crazy old guy obsessed with getting into Nero's skirts.
-Story hints that don't really hint so much as spell out ROMA DE ARU! out in giant glowing neon letters visible from low orbit.
-I'm not detailing Shirou and Artoria's bed escapades...but I will probably reference them.
-Is Affection of Seiba Face a joke or an actual thing? I don't even know, and I'm writing this thing!
-I think I have to get better at writing fights. Thoughts and feedback?
-Shirou hasn't seen nearly as many weapons as EMIYA has. He went into isolation for probably a fraction of the time EMIYA spent as a Counter-Guardian.
-I'd like some feedback on how I've written Nero. I haven't watched Extra yet or any of the Moon Cell entries! I REALLY SHOULD, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME.
-Georgios is so damned broken in lore, what the heck.
-Major story revisions are going to happen, in case you haven't noticed already. I'll do my best to make sure it all makes sense.