Chapter 4 – Battle in the Night Part 1
"Shirou?" a voice called out with an accompanying light tug on the hem of Shirou's jacket.
Shirou snapped out of his train of thought as he glanced over at the person behind him whose height reached slightly above his waist. "Ah, sorry about that, Yuuki," Shirou light-heartedly chuckled, "it seems like I was dozing off in thought again."
A frown from both Yuuki and Jeanne who was a bit up front made Shirou realize that he had managed to unintentionally worry them once more by his odd antics.
"Shirou, is something wrong?" Jeanne asked as she approached Shirou closer.
Shirou's forehead creased for a split-second before smiling relaxingly, "It's nothing," Shirou answered, "but you guys should probably head back. In the meantime, I have an errand to run," Shirou stated.
Jeanne's eyes narrowed slightly before nodding, "Please be sure to come back before nightfall," Jeanne warned.
Shirou grinned, "No problem."
Walking toward the way they just came down from, Shirou hiked up the uneven hill once more before whirling to the right when a sudden and staggering strong scent assaulted Shirou's nostrils. The identical scent that first made itself apparent less than an hour ago when he just walked out of the church on the hill.
"Who's there!" Shirou shouted as his gaze shot over at the source of the magically induced smell. The smell which reeked of sheer loneliness, rejection, death, and bloodthirsty vengeance all mixed together in the air to produce a sickening and depressing atmosphere. For a moment, Shirou was reminded of the entity now within his head called Angra Mainyu – All the Sins of the World. However, while the concentrated scent does speak of unspeakable danger, it still nevertheless pales in comparison to the horror Angra Mainyu possessed which all now resides in his body much to Shirou's discomfort.
No answer met his question until the scent, just like it came, disappeared without a trace after a couple seconds of still silence.
A Servant, Shirou was more than positive that that power which somewhat reminded him of the Blood Fort Andromeda originated from that of a being who possesses a strength that rivals that of a Servant. Needless to say, given the eccentric behavior the Servant exhibited in toying with Shirou, the Servant is bound to be an Assassin Class Servant, a Servant Shirou knew that he would have trouble fighting against given their skill in concealment.
Not having a single clue where the Servant could have gone, Shirou turned around and left the unpopulated area and back towards Serge's house. If anything, Shirou knew he would more likely than not have another encounter with the mysterious Servant when nightfall approaches. However, judging just from the way the Servant acted, Shirou knew that he would have trouble spotting, let alone defeating, a Servant who possesses such caution. In order to protect the innocent civilians from this potentially dangerous Servant, Shirou would need to enlist Jeanne's aid if at all possible.
Shirou's forehead creased at the troubling thought. If he involves Jeanne, not only would it affect Laeticia, but more importantly, it would also indirectly involve Yuuki into the Great Holy Grail War once more unnecessarily. And given Yuuki's still developing personality, Shirou highly doubt the boy would step back and let him and Jeanne do all the fighting. Yuuki would want to be an active participant of saving others, especially saving the homunculus who are technically considered as his family.
Shirou let out a sigh at the thought. He was going to be doing a whole lot of explaining later once he gets back "home", something which he without a doubt did not look forward to.
"I'm back," Shirou called out in Japanese once he entered Serge's house which was at the outskirts of the city. Not surprisingly, Serge, who walked out of the kitchen, understood Shirou in his own native tongue as the old man smiled calmly at the red-headed man's appearance.
Lightly tapping his shoes at the entrance way to make sure none of the dirt that accumulated under his shoes would dirty the floor, Shirou then proceeded by taking off his footwear before quietly walking into the dining room. Glancing over at the three people who were seated by the dining table while enjoying their dinner, Shirou raised his eyebrows in surprise at the unexpected sight.
"Sorry," Serge chuckled light-heartedly, "we started ahead of you. I'll grab you a plate as well."
"No, it's alright, I can grab it myself," Shirou offered. "More importantly, I didn't know you could cook this well," Shirou complimented upon seeing the simple yet delicious looking native cuisines on the table.
Serge grinned at Shirou's comment. "I can still only do half of what my wife is able to do," Serge claimed proudly before gesturing for Shirou to grab his own food and come sit with them.
Following the elderly man's instructions, Shirou walked over to the pan-filled food to see neatly stacked cabbage rolls as well as an aromatic broth which Shirou assumed had lamb inside it.
Happily pouring the contents onto his designated bowl, Shirou set the food on the table before sitting down beside Jeanne and in front of Serge.
Clapping his hands together while briefly closing his eyes, Shirou uttered quietly, "Itadakimasu," before smiling as he scooped a handful of the mouth-watering broth past his waiting lips.
Widening his eyes at the taste, Shirou gazed into the delicacy once more in shock when his taste buds fully registered both the saltiness and the tint of sourness in the creamy broth. Admittingly, this was one of the most unique and best broth Shirou has ever eaten outside of Japanese food.
"Remind me," Shirou said once he swallowed his first spoonful, "to ask you for this recipe," Shirou finished with a satisfied grin as he proceeds to continue to finish his dinner.
Serge grinned at Shirou's enthusiastic yet sincere statement. "Sure, boy, I will be glad to teach you the commoner's traditional food here in my country."
Long done with his small portion of food, Yuuki looked up to gaze onto Shirou's form. "Where did you go?" Yuuki asked, both out of curiosity and for the sake of initiating a conversation, something which Jeanne told him was crucial for social interaction which was apparently essential for a normal person.
Shirou stopped between bites as he contemplated on how to answer Yuuki's question that would be ambiguous enough to not let Serge know the impending danger in the city as well as inform Jeanne of the potentially dire predicament the city was in.
"Nothing noteworthy," Shirou dismissed, "though something felt off around the city … kind of like the church," Shirou added at the end.
Yuuki slowly nodded in understanding while Jeanne gave a quick and serious glance in Shirou's direction, his statement having successfully caught her full attention.
"It's normal," Serge reassured, "Romania is very different than Japan. It must take time for you to get used to the oddities around here."
Shirou softly smiled, "True, I trust I would get used to everything in about two weeks."
"Haha," Serge chuckled amusingly, "young people can sure adapt quickly. It would take me years if I were to move to another country."
Shirou laughed awkwardly at the comment as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Ah … it's nothing like that."
The remainder of dinner continued with little interaction among everybody as all the people busied themselves with their own food and responsibility while enjoying the serene countryside quietness.
"Shirou," Jeanne suddenly addressed while assisting Shirou in taking away all the silverware and plates to the kitchen sink, "could we talk after we're done?"
Shirou, having a fairly good idea what Jeanne wanted to discuss, nodded in agreement, "Sure."
"We can talk in my room later then."
Washing and drying off all the dishes with little difficulty despite some of the inconvenience this place had compared to the standard modern home in Japan, both Shirou and Jeanne were able to clean all the used dishes to their satisfaction. Stacking up everything in a neat pile before placing the eating utensils back in the cabinet, Shirou followed after Jeanne wordlessly to her room. Upon entering the simple yet neatly organized bedroom, Shirou found subtle differences between Jeanne's room and his own aside from the small decorations that hung modestly on the wall here.
"Shirou," Jeanne began without hesitation as she used her hand and softly patted on the bed, gesturing for Shirou to sit comfortably beside her.
Sparing the effort to question Jeanne's "foreign" antics, Shirou followed her suggestion and sat down right beside her.
"You said you wanted to discuss something?" Shirou started off the conversation with a question.
Jeanne subtly nodded, "If I may ask, what did you find during your 'errand'?"
"Nothing much," Shirou answered with a tinge of disappointment. "However, I was able to sense intense magical energy when we walked out of the church earlier today."
"Intense?" Jeanne questioned in an alarmed and confused manner. "I did not feel anything," Jeanne finished with a creasing frown.
"As my mentor would explain, it's because I'm hypersensitive to any abnormal magics or unnatural oddities. Apparently, I can sense all this through unique scents to put it simply," Shirou gave a quick and watered-down explanation.
Jeanne nodded in understanding, not bothering to question Shirou further of his unique ability. "That is how you were able to act faster than I did back in the church," Jeanne concluded.
"Right," Shirou reconfirmed. "Though I was not able to sense a powerful enough magical signature to identify the trap as coming from a Servant. So, this ability still has its shortcomings."
"I see. In that case, what were you able to discover, Shirou?" Jeanne asked while the setting sun's rays shone majestically into Jeanne's room as it radiated past Jeanne's golden braids of hair beautifully.
Shirou resisted the urge to blink twice at the stunning sight and the sheer resemblance this Ruler Class Servant had to his Saber Servant back home.
"I was not able to find the Servant," Shirou began calmly, "however, judging by scent alone, I can tell this Servant can potentially be very threatening for the city, especially if the Servant's Master is an indiscriminate murderer. Furthermore, the Servant is bound to be an Assassin Class Servant."
"Why do you say so?" Jeanne questioned.
"From my limited experience of the Grail War, I do know that Assassins tend to be the only Servants who carry no pride and honor in the sense other Servants would. Instead, they tend to favor lurking in the shadows and killing their enemies secretly."
Jeanne shook her head in disagreement. "Shirou, what you refer to as a warrior's honor and pride can only be properly referenced between a Servant and another Servant, not another human like you. No honorable Servant would purposely mingle with a human who has very little magical energy for no reason. Therefore, do not confuse the 'Assassin's' lack of confrontation with you today as 'cowardice'."
Thinking back to the Grail War in Japan, Shirou knew what Jeanne was saying is correct. Ignoring the enforced rule of no Servant battles in the morning due to drawing unwanted attention from the common people, heroes of the past summoned into the present always do their best to avoid innocent causalities. For Shirou, it was only when he witnessed the fight between Lancer and Archer back at his own high school did he inadvertently gave himself a death sentence. However, even in face of death, Lancer nevertheless gave a hint of sympathy towards his dying form.
"While that may be true," Shirou continued, "the Assassin still didn't come out when I called out 'Whose there!'" Shirou stated with a serious demeanor.
Jeanne blinked once, then blinked twice before having a creasing frown and troubled look on her face. For some special reason, Shirou felt like Jeanne was not the only acting force for the obvious expression of disapproval directed at him.
"Do you have any idea what were you thinking?" Jeanne lightly scolded in an exasperated manner.
"I have some idea," Shirou replied when he was reminded of the countless times both Tohsaka and Saber have scolded him because of his necessary yet oftentimes reckless attitude in a battle.
Jeanne gave a soft sigh, "As long as you understand, however," Jeanne continued, "please do not repeat your actions. No normal human could stand against a Servant," Jeanne warned with a hidden worried expression.
Shirou nodded in understanding. Those were Saber's words less than a week ago … verbatim. And he has long understood the implications the words carry. In other words, avoid Servant battles at all cost. However, despite possessing this understanding, Shirou nevertheless knew that even having this knowledge would not stop him from fighting Servants in pursuit of saving the innocent, regardless of the impossibility of the task.
"Even so, if there are people that need me, I would do anything to save them," Shirou calmly replied.
Jeanne glanced at Shirou as if measuring his statement. Knowing that the famous saint named Jeanne d'Arc would understand the sentiment of saving others better than most, Shirou assumed at the very least, she of all people would know that this path of righteousness is not wrong.
"Not many people as young as you have the same mature outlook which you possess," Jeanne spoke after a brief moment of silence. "However, as I said today, it is my duty in the war to protect the innocents. And that includes you, Shirou."
Not bothering to argue against Jeanne's logical rebuttal, Shirou asked the critical question that was meant to be addressed since the beginning of the conversation. "Are you planning to go out and find Assassin tonight?" Shirou asked.
Jeanne nodded. "If what you say is true, then Assassin and his Master may be extremely dangerous to Trifas City."
"Would you engage in battle?" Shirou asked, partially worried about her wellbeing despite the absurdity behind it seeing how the Ruler Class Servant has countless command seals to aid herself in battle.
"Only if they are breaking the rules to the Grail War," Jeanne stated.
The rules of the war, Shirou thought grimly. If he recalled correctly, the Church was the organization that orchestrated the rules to this sick game. However, seeing how Jeanne and instead of the Church is the absolute authority in this Great Holy Grail War, Shirou is beginning to think that the Grail itself also played a crucial role in the creation of these "game" rules. But, even with limited knowledge of the workings of the Grail War, Shirou knew that the rules were not flawless.
Although rules are meant to be obeyed upon, there are still times where rules should be broken. Likewise, even if there are no dictated rules, it does not necessarily mean that one is allowed to commit the unspoken deed.
"Just promise me you won't give up your morality for the sake of following the Grail's command," Shirou spoke his thoughts aloud in concern.
Jeanne softly smiled at Shirou's words. "There is a higher authority than the Grail in whom I serve," Jeanne spoke enigmatically to Shirou. "I will be sure to keep your advice in heart."
"In that case," Shirou stood up from the bed as he involuntarily patted the front of his pants in habit, "should we get going?" Shirou asked seeing how the sun has almost completely disappeared below the horizon.
"Not you but just I," Jeanne stated.
"Then how are you planning to find Assassin?" Shirou pointed out.
Jeanne did not give Shirou an answer right away while somehow keeping her calm composure.
"I won't do anything reckless," Shirou promised, "however, if you want to find Assassin efficiently, then you would need my help."
Jeanne contemplated for a few more seconds before giving a reluctant look. "Very well, Shirou. However, we could both agree that Yuuki would not be coming."
"Of course," Shirou grinned, "though he might dislike being left out intentionally like this," Shirou chuckled at the end.
Jeanne couldn't help but smile at Shirou's comment despite the seriousness of the topic.
Almost as if on cue, a child's head with brown ruffled hair peeked past the open doorway to Jeanne's room, innocently gazing at the people who were already present.
"Yuuki?" Shirou uttered in confirmation, as if not surprised by the boy's presence. For a split moment, Shirou was reminded of Illya back in Fuyuki upon the boy's "secretive" behavior.
"You guys are going?" Yuuki asked monotonously.
Avoiding the impossible attempt to decipher the homunculus boy's current emotions, Shirou answered truthfully, "Yeah, about right now."
Yuuki slowly nodded in deep thought.
Hearing no response from the silent child, Shirou made his way to the exit of the room quietly before looking back at Jeanne. "We should probably get going."
Jeanne hummed in agreement as she also too stood up from the bed.
"We'll be right back, Yuuki," Jeanne softly smiled as she kneeled down in front of Yuuki to get at eye level distance with him.
Shirou grinned at the heart-warming conversation. "We're just finding someone. We should be back here before dawn," Shirou added for good measures.
Blinking in silent acknowledgment, Yuuki opened his mouth, "Stay safe."
Raising his eyebrows slightly in surprise at the send-off farewell, Shirou unconsciously grinned wider to see Yuuki's sincere attempt in becoming more socially adapt to society is beginning to pay off. Who knows, this child may be able to live normally like Illyasviel back in Japan is … without the mad killing frenzy she had initially at the beginning of the Grail War of course.
Saying a quick farewell to Yuuki and later Serge, Shirou and Jeanne walked out of the serene countryside house and headed towards the incoming warzone in Trifas City.
Rikudou Reika opened the blood red curtains in the dimly lit room as she gazed outside at the still night of Trifas City with a calm and unreadable expression. Swiftly looking back behind her, Reika's violet eyes glanced calmly at the Servant who is only but a young girl child.
"It's almost time to leave this place," Reika began as she softly smiled at the Servant girl.
The light purple haired girl with scars running over her entire body leaned sideways in question at her "mother's" statement, "But it seems like more magi have come to this city."
"Oh, really?" Reika replied as if unconcern of the impending danger. "Then, do you want to have your last meal here in Shigoisoara?" Reika asked kindly. Needless to say, the meal the prostitute referred to is none other than a magi's heart to further empower the little girl's magical energy and ultimately her existence.
Smiling eagerly, the girl hummed in excitement, "Yes, I'll do that!"
Continuing, the girl then leaned forward with an innocent look of worry on her face, "But mom, today you can't come with me this time. Because there are Servants right now," the girl warned.
"Okay," Reika spoke soothingly like any loving mother with a young daughter would. "I'll wait for you then."
Upon her mother's consent, the girl Servant hummed and nodded at the mutual agreement before opening the window to their second-floor lodging. Leaping out of the window sill as her white night gown swayed hypnotically in the air, the Servant's attire changed when a wave of magical energy encompassed her to reveal a contrasting black uniform with little to no armor that is fitting for a trained assassin.
Gazing past the disappearing figure in the foggy night, Reika smiled peacefully as she sees her "daughter" away. "Come back tonight, Jackie," Reika whispers fondly.
Like a death reaper in the night, Jack the Ripper prepared to reign terror in the peaceful night of Trifas City without restraint.
"That's the fourth one," Shirou said dryly as he gazed at the guard randomly patrolling Trifas City walking off behind them. Shifting his eyes back to Jeanne's figure beside him, Shirou resisted an urge to sigh at the choice of her attire tonight – namely, a complete set of armor as well as a weaponized flagpole. In short, Jeanne was currently fully gowned in her Servant battle form.
"Do you really have to be like this right now?" Shirou asked with a hint of desperation.
"You said you'd sense a hostile Servant nearby," Jeanne stated, repeating what Shirou had informed her several minutes ago.
"Yeah … but is all that armor right now necessary?" Shirou resisted an urge to groan in complaint.
When Jeanne materialized both her armor and weapon, it was less than five minutes before both of them unexpectedly bumped into a patrolling guard. Shirou inwardly cursed at his carelessness in getting caught off guard so quickly when he was too immersed in finding the unknown lurking presence here in the city. However, what made everything worse was the fact that neither of them possessed hypnotism magecraft to erase the guard's memory or simply confuse the man.
In the end, Shirou was forced to endure a long and complicated conversation on how Jeanne's attire was not a symbol of terrorism but simply a "cosplay", a concept the people of Trifas City were clearly unfamiliar with. And thanks to such out of the norm attire, Shirou was ultimately forced to repeat the same conversation four exact times. Despite all the troubles in explaining to others about Jeanne's battle-ready figure, Shirou acknowledged that everything could have been much more difficult if not for Jeanne's high-rank Charisma there to aid him.
"Yes," Jeanne answered while Shirou was quietly thinking back at his continuing misfortune, "as I do not know where Assassin is located, it is best to be ready for battle at all times."
"Point taken," Shirou softly smiled at Jeanne's careful nature, "however, it would have been nice if we could avoid all those encounters with the guards around here."
Jeanne nodded in agreement as her armor clanked quietly every time she moved.
Suddenly, another intensive wave of a magical scent of "evil" assaulted Shirou's nose once again, this time much stronger than the all the other ones he had earlier.
"There," Shirou said quietly though his voice was laced with urgency when he whirled his head over to a dark alleyway to their right.
Nodding seriously, Jeanne followed after Shirou's instruction as she surveyed her surrounding in a cautious manner.
Walking only a few steps forward, an explosive sound followed with the quaking of the earth suddenly met Shirou and Jeanne's ears. Shirou unconsciously backpedaled in surprise at the noise in the previously serene city, but however was able to quickly regain his composure and analyze their current predicament in a split-second. Another explosive sound of destruction blasted loudly near their vicinity as debris of dust could be seen drifting rapidly into the sky. Needless to say, both Shirou and Jeanne nodded to each other as they immediately raced forward at the source of battle.
Quickly skidding to the right as the earth shook more noticeably once again, Shirou was met with an unusual scene of an armored Servant with a broadsword which Shirou was able to identify as Clarent smashing through massively built golems as if it were nothing. However, despite the red Saber's powerful blows being able to knock down the rock sturdy dolls, even the golems were built with the tenacity to resist a significant degree of the Servant's power.
Spitting out a sound of frustration, Shirou could dimly hear the unknown Servant silently cursing at her predicament. Turning to look over at Jeanne who was beside him, Shirou was about to ask a question before Jeanne beat him by giving him the answer first.
"I know what you're about to ask, Shirou," Jeanne calmly began, "however, I am not allowed to assist any Servants unless there is a breach in the rules of the Holy Grail."
Beginning to better grasp what role Jeanne has and how she works under it, Shirou was about to charge straight in battle to assist the defending Servant when massive red crackling lightning shot out from the Servant's body in the form of pure mana. Shocked by the unexpected development, Shirou halted his advance when the red Servant roared aloud before shooting towards the golem to her right like a charging comet.
Plunging her sword through the magical core of the golem with minimal resistance, the Servant then shot forward without hesitation at the next golem, proceeding to successfully cleaving its head off at record speed. Following after, the red Saber then turned around just in time to dodge the third golem's impacting blow before using the angular momentum she possessed to throw her broadsword like a javelin, shattering the golem into countless pieces upon the sound-breaking impact.
Just like that, within less than five seconds, the unknown Servant was somehow able to smash her way through the entire obstacle of formidable opponents with little injury.
"She's … a berserker," Shirou slowly uttered once he regained his bearings after the shocking and mind-blowing sight. What is this Servant?! And what kind of Saber Servant throws their sword like a spear at unfathomable speeds! No Saber Servant would be this reckless expect for a Berserker Class Servant. And really … was throwing a sword necessary?
"That was overkill," a man approached Saber with unconcern as he mildly sighs while lighting his cigarette with the flickering flame in hand.
"More importantly," the Servant seemingly growled out as she pulled her broadsword out off the shattered golem before pointing straight at Shirou and Jeanne, "isn't that Ruler?" the Servant said with a dangerous yet carefree tone.
"Hmmm?" the man glanced behind in interest at Saber's words.
Both parties meet each other's eyes as Shirou smiled awkwardly at the strained atmosphere. While the gazes directed at him were by no means hostile, it still wasn't exactly friendly either.
"Servant Ruler," the man beside Saber began as he casually flicked his smoking cigarette away, "to what pleasure do I have seeing you?"
Jeanne took a nonaggressive step forward as Shirou shifted his eyes from the man whom he assumed is a Master of the war given his knowledge of Jeanne being Ruler to a more interesting target.
Staring not specifically at the Saber Servant clad in heavy impenetrable armor with two odd "horns" jetting out of her helmet, Shirou gazed intently into the heavy blade she carried in hand.
Clarent, one of the many Noble Phantasms in King Author's arsenal as stated in many well-renown medieval legends, is a weapon that is commonly debated to be the Sword in the Stone as argued by modern historians. However, Shirou's gaze deepened into the blade to see a different story. Clarent, a blade solely for the usage of knighting ceremonies and the likes is a sword that is meant to be a symbol of peace and not of war. Which is completely unlike the other two famed weapons King Author is most known to carry, Excalibur and Caliburn, both which symbolizes victory and glory in a battlefield.
But, despite Clarent's widespread symbolism of peace, it was soon led to being named as the Sword of Cowardice due to the infamous traitor Mordred stealing the blade to ultimately kill the chosen king in the Battle of Camlann.
Blinking twice, Shirou quickly snapped out his momentary daze as he looked down at his own two hands in mild surprise. Yes, he knew he was able to use Structural Analysis on weapons to read a weapon's history, after all, that was how he was able to better trace his favored weapons, Kanshou and Bakuya. However, he was never able to do it this extensively before without significantly weakening his stamina and depleting his mana in the meantime. Regardless of the reason behind this unforeseen improvement of being able to handle such quantity of magical stress, Shirou knew he was going to need to study what's happening to his body once everything is done tonight. And whether he liked it or not, Shirou had a hunch that the being in his mind may be the contributing issue to this "positive" problem.
Either way, the sheer indication that the Servant before him possessed the weapon Clarent could only mean one of two things, that this person is either the legendary King Arthur – the "Once and Future King" – or the Servant is Mordred, also known as the Knight of Treachery. But considering the fighting style of the Saber Class Servant is something no stereotypical knight would do made Shirou harbor doubts of his supposedly keen observation.
"Master of Red," Jeanne suddenly addressed the man's question that was directed at her, "are any Servants of Red currently on your expedition right now? Specifically an Assassin Class Servant," Jeanne asked with flawless charisma fitting for a saint that led France into numerous battles centuries ago.
The middle-aged man frowned in thought at Jeanne's seemingly odd question.
"If they're not at the church, then I do not know where Assassin or the priest with her are now," the man answered nonchalantly.
The Master's interesting answer piqued Jeanne's curiosity. "A priest you said, tell me more about him."
The man looked at Jeanne with suspicion before nodding, "He's the 'Overseer' of the Great Holy Grail War sent by the Church for the Red Faction, 'Shirou' I believe was his name. May I ask why he has interested you?" the Master ended with a glint of both interest and caution in his eyes.
Shirou felt his heart immediately stop upon hearing the name "Shirou" being referred to as the priest of the church. If his memory serves correctly, this man of the church named "Shirou" should be none other than the person Jeanne specifically referenced to when she received her revelation. A man who apparently has white hair and is gowned in a unique blend of red and black clothing. All of these which point inevitably to one sardonic man that Shirou would rather never meet again – Archer, his future counterpart.
"Oi, Master," Saber called out her Master as she pointed her sword over at Shirou's form, "aren't you more curious what's a third-rate magus doing here?"
"Hmmm," the man hummed silently to himself, "you're even able to tell that much, huh?"
"Blame it on my mother's upbringing," Saber retorted with dissatisfaction.
Seeing that he has now officially joined into the conversation, Shirou walked up over to the Master Servant dual and extended a hand out as he introduced himself, "My name is Shirou, Emiya Shirou," Shirou greeted with a smile while maintaining on careful guard with the both of them, especially the unidentified Servant.
"Huh? What kind of name is that?" Saber questioned sarcastically while in self-musing.
However, her Master's response was completely opposite when a big frown rapidly made its way up his face. "Emiya, you said," the man reconfirmed.
Although initially confused by the man's question, Shirou nevertheless answered clearly, "Yeah, Emiya Shirou."
There was a temporary lapse of silence before the Master spoke up once again, "Do you happen to know a man by the name Emiya Kiritsugu?"
Shirou widened his eyes at the familiar name. He never thought to meet up with someone who knew his old man, especially in the middle of a fairly unpopulated city like Trifas City. But then again, in an event like the Holy Grail War, his old man may have inevitably garnered some attention from different skilled magi.
"You know him then," the man grunted in thought upon seeing Shirou's surprised reaction. "Are you related to him?"
Shirou slowly nodded, "Yes, I'm his son," Shirou answered, seeing absolutely no harm in answering the man's question, especially considering how his old man has been dead for nearly a decade. If anything, this rare opportunity may prove to assist Shirou in getting to know his father better in the world of magi.
"Wait, son, you said?!" the Master for once lost his composure as his mouth gaped wide open.
"Yes," Shirou slowly replied.
"The son of the Magus Killer," the man shook his head in disbelief. "Who would have ever thought that fearless magus of all people would wind up having a son."
"Things happen, I guess," Shirou chuckled awkwardly, partially uncomfortable with the Master's sudden reaction at the news of his old man's relationship to him.
"Fast too," the Master grunted. "Who knew anyone could change from a cold-blooded magus killer to becoming a father in a mere two years."
Wait, Shirou thought in his mind as his brain did an automatic reboot, two years? That can't sound right. His father was already long dead. In fact, Shirou was right beside his old man during his passing due to his constant degenerating and poor health.
"Two years you said?" Shirou questioned, resisting an urge to croak out his words.
"Huh? Yeah, two years since I last met him for a mission sent by the Clocktower," the man replied before lighting up another cigarette that was placed inside the inner pocket of his coat carefully.
That can't be true, Shirou repeated those words over and over again in his mind. The man before him had blatantly said that his old man was alive. But … how was all this possible? Something was wrong. Nothing made sense anymore. Shirou could accept a couple weird phenomenon that has been happening to him recently ranging from his sudden relocation to his drastic jump in battle and linguistic abilities. However, a deceased man resurrected to life for no explainable reason is something Shirou can't simply put off as something remotely possible. Even Shirou knew with his limited knowledge that the skills required to resurrect someone would require magic on or near the level of True Magic.
Shirou wasn't graced with a more in-depth proper explanation when the alleyway began to rapidly fog up when a wave of "cloud" swept across the city. Shirou softly inhaled at the unexpected environmental change when he immediately sharply exhale as he gagged at the putrid and burning sensation in his throat and lungs.
"Don't breathe it," the man immediately croaked out as he choked up a series of coughs. "It's poison!"
Being assaulted with sudden in pain and dizziness, Shirou knelt down to the ground before Jeanne rushed in and help lift Shirou up and back to safety.
"Hang in there, Shirou!" Jeanne commanded as she began jogging over to the nearest clearing while making sure Shirou is able to keep up with her in his weakened state.
Swerving past several traditional buildings, both parties successfully made it out of the fog's vicinity and to a wide clearing as Shirou let out a muffled groan when he felt another wave of dizziness assaulting his head. If this continued to keep up, Shirou swore that he was going to lose the dinner he just had less than an hour ago. A terrible waste in his opinion, something which Shirou would rather avoid.
Looking up from the ground, Shirou was met with a new sight of a massive courtyard in the middle of the city. Shifting his gaze to the right, Shirou saw both Saber and the gagging Master beside the Servant together nearby. Glancing cautiously from right to left, both Saber and Jeanne surveyed their entire surroundings for possible enemy attacks.
Shirou's knees suddenly buckled once more when an intensive wave of potent magical energy assaulted all his senses, further worsening his dazed state as he began to suffer a painful migraine.
"Shirou!" Jeanne cried out in alarm.
"I'm fine," Shirou panted heavily once the wave of nausea has passed. "The Servant is here," Shirou hinted vaguely.
Jeanne didn't need to question Shirou further when she understood the true meaning behind his words. The Assassin Servant they had been unofficially searching for is now in the midst of the city.
The fog, as if controlled by multi-directional wind, covered the entire courtyard once more, obscuring everyone's vision but without having any poisonous properties.
A tense silence followed before a sudden moonlit glint to his right caught Shirou's attention at the last second when a flying blade shot forth deadly at Shirou's exposed jugular vein. Jeanne quickly reacted upon the surprise attack by swinging her weaponized flagpole and deflected the bladed projectile. Shirou involuntarily gulped at the near-death incident. While he has faired much worse in any of the enemy Servant encounters he had in the past, this was the first time he has ever fought an Assassin Class Servant. And now seeing one firsthand in battle, Shirou began to quickly realize the sheer deadliness these Servants are for any magi Master. Everything could simply end in a split of a second if one is unaware of the Assassin's presence.
Lifting his exhausted body up in order to not impede Jeanne's already limited movement, Shirou surveyed his surrounding to see a little girl no older than her elementary years launching herself onto the back of Saber's Master. Saber, seeing the move a split-second before the impact, immediately kicked her Master's shin, forcing the man to fall to his knees as the little girl's blade cut harmlessly through the air. Instantly launching a counterattack, Saber rushed over to the Assassin as she parried away countless ruthless blows from the seemingly weak Servant.
"Sorry to kill the fun," Saber began sarcastically as she held up her weapon in an offensive stance, "but that's my Master."
"You cut me," the little girl spoke aloud as she lifted up her arm and inspected her minor wound in mild sadness.
Shirou couldn't believe what he was witnessing. All along, this source of oppressive evil energy was an Assassin who is no older than her teens?! What was all this madness that is unfolding before his sight?
Looking back at Saber with an expressionless face, Assassin spoke softly, "What an awful thing to do."
"Who's the awful one here!" Saber spat out as she pointed her sword at the enemy Servant. "I don't want to hear that coming from someone eating souls like you!"
Shirou's heart lurched at the declaration. Eating … souls? One of the first lessons Tohsaka has instructed to Shirou was that Servants are inherently summoned magical heroes, and thus do not have a physical body, hence their ability to transform into their spiritual form. Because of this property, one method a Servant could use to replenish his magical energy is through the consumption of human souls, a ruthless act that Shirou once saw his old friend Shinji trying to attempt with his Servant Rider but to no avail.
However, to see such a little girl engaged in such a foul and brutal act that is nigh equivalent to cannibalism … how could this be possible? Despite knowing the likelihood behind the validity of Saber's statement, Shirou couldn't help but harbor more sorrow for the child in front of him instead of hate.
"Is that a bad thing?" the little girl asked as she tilted her head in confusion before smiling sadistically when she charged forward while throwing a barrage of knives at Saber.
Lifting up her sword, Saber deflected all the consecutive attacks effortlessly while Assassin made a strategic retreat into the thick fog.
Lowering her blade, Saber didn't bother glancing at her Master when she said, "Wait here, Master," before following after the Assassin.
"I'll leave her to you," the Master of Red replied while he dug into his pocket for a severed yet preserved hand that resembled that of an ape's. Placing it down onto the stone ground, the brown-haired man then chanted a simple command, "Bounded Field to keep people away. Deploy!"
As if having a life of its own, the hand lifted itself up as it walked on its finger while drawing a magical line that acted as the boundary of the Bounded Field.
Shirou wanted to comment on the disgusting manifested creature in front of him but decided to save that for a later time in favor of more pressing issues.
Shirou was about to call out Jeanne for help but immediately paused before he spoke out. Jeanne, although a Servant, was not an active participant in the war, and thus is not allowed to interfere in any battles between Servants as long as they aren't breaking the rules.
However … didn't Saber just say that Assassin was consuming human souls to further empower herself? That should be a breach in the rules for the Holy Grail War, right?
"Jeanne, can you go help Saber?" Shirou asked urgently.
Jeanne shook her head calmly in reply. "I do not have any tangible evidence to prove that Assassin has been consuming souls just like Saber has said. Let alone innocent souls that are not involved in the Grail Wars. Because of this, I am unable to force Assassin out of the Holy Grail War."
Shirou gritted his teeth at the disappointing and frustrating news. At this rate, something bad is bound to happen. And more likely than not, Assassin is going to be slaughtered by the red Saber Servant. Although Assassin was clearly evil, Shirou could not bear the sight of a little girl getting killed. After all, a true Hero of Justice has the duty to not merely save the majority but to instead save all.
"In that case," Shirou stood up to his full height as he stumbled momentarily with his balance. "I'll go." In all honesty, though, considering the amount of poison he had inhaled earlier, he was positively surprised that he was able to even recover so rapidly as Shirou continued to make his way forward.
"Shirou!" Jeanne protested as she reached out for Shirou's hands.
Shirou involuntarily flinched at the contact, rarely had he ever found himself in a position where a girl would carelessly hold his hand like that. But then again, Jeanne was from the fifteenth century, perhaps there was a gap in each of their cultural understanding. However, didn't Jeanne say Laeticia didn't deal well with men earlier today? Shirou shook the thoughts out of his mind, now was not the time to ponder about such things. There were far more pressing issues before him.
Shirou looked back at Jeanne's stern gaze as he softly smiled, "It's ok—"
Shirou was swiftly interrupted when a loud roar reverberated across the battlefield.
"Crimson Lightning!"
A cacophony of red energy blazed through the courtyard as the fog instantly dissipated at the sheer amount of mana displayed in the midst.
Shirou's jaws gaped at the stunning display of power the Saber Servant displayed. What kind of crazy amount of mana did she just shot out?!
Crimson lightning danced across the courtyard before slowly dying away as Saber pointed her sword threateningly at Assassin.
"It's over Assassin," Saber grinned menacingly, "If you want to scream now, do it to your heart's content. Because once I behead you, you won't be able to do so!"
Shirou had to blink twice when he finally noticed that Saber was no longer wearing her odd looking yet ornate helmet. Saber was a she?! How was that even possible? Was he not able to narrow his findings to the Servant being either the legendary King Arthur or the traitorous knight Mordred. But how is it, beyond his wildest imagination, did the Servant end up being a blonde girl.
Rubbing his eyes for good measures, Shirou gazed deeply into Saber to find his mind in a state of shock. That can't be right. Is that … Saber? Shirou wondered to himself upon seeing the uncanny resemblance between his own Servant back in Fuyuki to that of the Servant before him. However, Shirou quickly put a pause on that thought. Resemblance can only go as far as mere resemblance. They weren't identical, and thus were not the same person.
Forgetting all the countless questions he had piled up during his short visit in Trifas City, Shirou was ready to contribute in the battle to avoid any bloodshed between the two parties. Yes, his idea was sickeningly naïve as a certain Archer would comment, but right now, this was what Shirou believed to be right.
Assassin, in the form of a small little girl, laughed menacingly at Saber's previous comment. "We don't wanna," Assassin said as a scowl made its way up her face. "We're still hungry!" Assassin screamed out as she unsheathed her butcher blades and charged right at Saber recklessly.
Saber followed suit as she blasted off the stone ground without hesitation, "Then begone, Jack the Ripper!"
Both Servants flew at each other like human comets, readying their blades with the pure intention to kill their foe. However, right before either of them could scathe each other, Saber's pupils instantly shrank when she noticed from her peripheral vision a supersonic arrow whizzing away right at them. Shifting her stance at the last possible moment, Saber was about to dive for cover when a roar to her right resounded.
Using reinforced strength, Shirou blasted off the ground as he traced out the twin married swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, in hand. Swinging the blade down with all he had, Shirou squeezed in between Saber and Assassin as Kanshou made a direct impact with the flying arrow. The arrow immediately detonated upon impact, sending Shirou flying a couple meters back but with minimal damage.
Panting from the sudden exertion, Shirou was about to stand right back up when flying throwing knives barely pierced through his eyes. Leaping a couple meters back, Shirou readied his dual blades to see the anti-hero Servant, Jack the Ripper, has apparently taken an interest on him.
Three pairs of blades rocketed forward right at Shirou as Shirou hastily lift up both of his blades to protect himself from the coming onslaught. However, despite the impressive skills he possessed with the Chinese blades, two of the flying daggers nevertheless scathed his shoulder blades and cut his arm.
Holding back the grimace that made its way up to his throat, Shirou was beginning to wonder what is wrong with his body. Compare to the skills he had displayed before when against Rider back at the forest near the castle, he was much stronger and capable then. But now … it was quite the opposite.
Sidestepping to avoid an overarching blow from Assassin, Shirou swiftly counterattacked by attempting to cut the girl's exposed stomach. As expected, Jack the Ripper leaped backward to avoid the blow as she renewed her vigor in killing Shirou.
Smashing against Shirou's defense with increasing power, Shirou was able to disengage and put some distance between them when Saber of Red intervene as she rocketed toward Assassin with Mana Burst. Red lightning in the form of mana poured out of her sword when Saber blasted her blade right at Assassin without reserve. Assassin immediately widened her eyes at the near collision when she immediately retreated back for cover.
"You aren't go'in anywhere you pest!" Saber roared with a crazed grin when she once again rocketed forward for Assassin who was beginning to once again summon back the obscuring fog around the courtyard.
However, their battle was quickly interrupted when another supersonic arrow followed by two more shot through the night air, hindering both of the Servants' advancement to avoid getting detonated into many mangled pieces.
"Shirou, are you okay?" Jeanne shouted as she ran for Shirou. "What were you thinking?!"
Shirou was too deep in thought to reply to Jeanne's heartfelt concern. Everything was rapidly going downhill, and incredibly fast. At this rate, either Saber will come out triumphant before attacking the hiding Archer or both of the Servants before him would be dead. While Shirou could generally accept the inevitable outcome of Servants dying, the fact that the enemy Servant before him is none other than just a child who had a really messed up childhood to be coined the title, Jack the Ripper, didn't sit well with Shirou at all.
However, with his current weakened state, Shirou had absolutely no idea how to resolve this dire predicament. Shirou turned his gaze back at the intense battlefield while Saber, Archer, and Assassin continued to exchange strategical blows. What could he do in a fight between legendary Servants …
"Use me," a voice suddenly resonated in Shirou's head.
"What?" Shirou couldn't help but voice his confusion in the midst of a serious issue.
Jeanne looked at Shirou oddly, probably thinking that Shirou did not hear her question properly earlier.
"Use me you stupid brat," came the voice once more as Shirou began to feel more and more pent up stress in his head.
"What are you talking about?" Shirou questioned, his voice just above a whisper.
"You want to save your ideals, boy?" the voice seemingly snicker sardonically. "Then release me."
Shirou still couldn't understand what was going on. But one thing is for sure, he was talking to none other than Angra Mainyu, also known as All the Sins of the World.
"No," Shirou said adamantly, "I will not release you," Shirou's eyes hardened as he continued to see the battle play out. Knowing from the short conversations he had with Angra Mainyu, Shirou understood that enlisting the entity's help would be equivalent to having his wish come true through the means of destruction. Shirou wanted to save all of the people present, however, if destruction is a force that needs to be enacted, then Shirou did not want to play in having a role in using pure force to save others. And who knew what the detrimental results that would be if he did do so.
"Tch," the voice "clicked" his tongue in disdain. "You can't save anything if this continues, brat."
Angra Mainyu was right. Shirou knew that much. And from the increasing pressure Shirou was having on his head, Shirou knew Angra Mainyu for some reason wanted to take part in the battle right now. Regardless of the entity's motives, Shirou knew doing nothing would cause the same if not worse fate to the people around him.
To win, to save others, Shirou knew he would have to control his own fate.
"I won't release you," Shirou replied but continued, "but … could you unveil your presence?" Shirou asked.
Shirou "felt" a surprised expression from the usually nonchalant and sarcastic entity.
Finally, after a couple seconds, Shirou could feel a response from Angra Mainyu. "Your wish, boy," the voice said uncaringly.
Nodding, Shirou released the pent up pressure on his head as a wave a dark mana blasted throughout the entire city. The atmosphere turned from mere bloodlust to pure evil beyond man's wildest imaginations. Everyone halted their battle at the unexpected potency of danger that alarmed all the people's keen instincts.
"S-Shirou?" Jeanne croaked, fully understanding what she was witnessing.
Shirou slowly lifted himself up as intense waves of mana continued to pour out of him. The energy so potent with malice and a killing intent that even both Saber and Jack the Ripper were taken back by the unexpected scene. If one looked closely enough, even the famed serial murderer of England had fear in her eyes.
Saber's Master gawked at Shirou as his hand uncontrollably shook in fear. Staring at Shirou's form as blood red tattoos with complex patterns that seemed to be engraved onto his skin with lava glowed with a bloodthirsty aura, Saber's Master could only gulp at the sheer contrast to whom the red-headed boy was a couple minutes ago when the two parties just met. In more ways than one, one could arguably say that the man in front of him is no longer the person named Emiya Shirou.
Walking a pace forward, both Saber and Jack the Ripper involuntarily flinch at Shirou's movement. Perhaps their mental state may be mildly affected by Shirou's presence, their Servant bodies on the other hand, however, reacted more so to the sinister presence as if demanding absolute obedience.
Exhaling out as if he had finished a long meditation session, Shirou then reopened his closed eyes with a heart of steel.
Opening his mouth, Shirou uttered the words that spelled out his complete identity, lifestyle, and ideals.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The words reverberated through the courtyard like unending strings of curses that promised immediate death. And like a comet, Shirou blasted forward with unfathomable speeds and into the battlefield with two dual Chinese blades in hand, ready to put an end to the battle.
Thank you for reading!
As promised, today marks as the beginning of the weekly updates! All together (including this update), you should expect at least four updates during the one month period. To make things both more interesting and entertaining, I would be conducting a POLL to allow readers to choose which story update they would like to have after next week's update. Remember, the poll is at the top of my profile page. Of course, if you guys could leave a review for this chapter or story in general, that would both great and helpful! Thank you for your patience! – SteelBlades333
Next week's update: Blades of Fate – coming out this weekend … hopefully. If not, definitely on Monday.