How's it going all? Latest chapter for Zero Requiem, and things are heating up as you can guess.
Quick Recap for those whose memory got fuzzy during the wait.
1. Kirei summoned Lelouch instead of the Hundred Faced Hassan.
2. Lelouch completely screws over Tokiomi's plan by blowing him and Gilgamesh (Archer) up.
3. Lelouch proceeds to masquerade as Archer and fakes a 'rescue' of Tokiomi, thus faking the death of 'Assassin'.
4. During the meeting of the Servants at the docks, Lelouch manages to place Saber and Irisviel under his control.
5. Kiritsugu uses a Command Seal to force Saber to Kill 'Archer'. Lelouch Forces him to use another to stop her.
6. Caster gets butt-hurt over the effect Lelouch's swagger has on Saber and vows vengeance.
Got all that? Then let's roll!
Fate/Zero Requiem:
An Alternate Tale of the Fourth Holy Grail War
Seventh Night: Interlude & Introspection.
Kariya swore as he struggled to lift the manhole cover, a task that was by no means easy on its own, but when coupled with the state of his body was akin to the legendary twelve tasks of Herakles by comparison, the haggard Matou struggling with it for what felt like an hour before he finally managed to slide the lid aside, savoring the taste of fresh air as it rushed into the fetid sewers below, before using what little strength he had left to push the cover aside and crawl out of the exposed hole like a worm before collapsing on the street in exhaustion.
Normally, this would've been a one-way ticket to the morgue, as even on a slow day the middle of the road was no place to take a nap, but this late at night the streets of Fuyuki were barren, which suited Kariya just fine, as he had no desire for anyone to see him in this condition. For one thing, given his luck of late, they'd probably try to loot him before they thought to call for an ambulance.
'Not that they'd get much…' he scoffed, his chuckles turning swiftly to coarse hacking as his battered, half-dead body voiced it's complaints in spades, the light from a nearby streetlamp illuminating a puddle, allowing him to get a good look at his face. What was left of it anyway.
'This is what I get for choosing to abandon the path of a magus.' he muttered, grimacing as he felt Zouken's Crest Worms twitch beneath his flesh, the veins on his ruined face bulging in response 'If I'd known this would happen, I never would've let Aoi marry Tokiomi…'
Up until a year ago, the day Kariya turned his back on his family had been the highlight of his life. True, he'd been forced to stand back and watch his childhood friend marry Tohsaka Tokiomi, but it had almost been worth it just to know she was safe from his family, who were doomed to extinction as far as being Magi were concerned with his departure.
In hindsight, he really shouldn't have underestimated the wiliness of Matou Zouken, the old monster that had been masquerading as the head of the Matou Family since the very foundation of the Holy Grail Wars.
Knowing that Tokiomi, as a 'Traditional' Magus, would only select one daughter to inherit the Tohsaka Magecraft, Zouken had stepped forward, offering honeyed words about making 'the spare' the heir to the Matou line, thus ensuring that both of Tokiomi's daughters would continue as Magi.
For a man like Tokiomi, ignorant of the monster's true nature, only knowing him as the sole surviving founder of the ritual their families had devised almost two centuries prior, such an offer must have appeared as a godsend, and so one year prior to the start of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Tohsaka Sakura became Matou Sakura, Zouken beginning her 'training' almost immediately.
Enraged at the grief Tokiomi's actions had caused Aoi and fearing for Sakura's safety, Kariya had returned to his ancestral home and offered Zouken a deal: In exchange for winning the upcoming Grail War, Sakura would be allowed to return to her family.
Though initially dismissive of his ability to do so, and rightfully so, as Kariya hadn't practiced his craft even once since abandoning his home, Zouken accepted Kariya's offer, doubtless intrigued by his son's apparent lack of concern for his own life, especially given the treatments Kariya would need to endure in order to become strong enough to support a Servant.
Even now, he could feel the Crest Worms devouring his flesh and bones, converting them into prana, significantly expanding his near-atrophied Magic Circuits. By the time he'd been strong enough to even attempt the summoning ritual, his hair had become white and the entire left side of his body had become paralyzed, along with countless other complications he wasn't qualified to even attempt to guess.
And that was just the result of having the worms implanted in his body. When coupled with the sheer agony that came with being the Master of Berserker, Zouken having forced him to purposefully summon the Mad Servant when the time came, it was a miracle Kariya was even still conscious.
While Berserker was certainly one of the more powerful Servants, evidenced by how easily it had pressured Saber during their brief exchange, trying to direct the Black Knight was akin to trying to restrain a rabid bear with a piece of string.
Even with the Command Seals, there was no guarantee that Berserker wouldn't simply turn on him if he crossed it, and Kariya wasn't about to waste what few resources he had, so in the end all he could do was let the Mad Servant do as it pleased while he tried to take out the other masters from the shadows.
'I'd have been better off summoning Assassin at this rate…' he noted, chuckling to himself even as he caught the scent of Lancer, having used his insect familiars to track the Knight of the Spear, his Master having been injured by whatever it was Archer had done back at the docks.
'Tokiomi sure summoned a weird Servant…' he muttered, grimacing at the memory of the Masked Knight of the Bow, having watched the fight through the eyes of his familiars, not wanting to put himself at risk directly. 'That shield of his is bound to be trouble…but it looked like Saber was able to press him…if I can take Lancer out, Saber might be able to take down Archer for me.'
There was also his Servant's apparent obsession with Saber to consider. While Berserker didn't really to respond to commands save 'Attack' or 'Kill', the moment the Black Knight had laid eyes on Saber what little control Kariya possessed had been thrown right out the window. It had gotten so bad that he hadn't even been able to pull his Servant back to avoid Rider's Noble Phantasm, and as a result Kariya's body had paid the price.
'It doesn't matter…' he ground out, clenching his teeth as he staggered to his feet, wanting to get out of sight lest a patrolling Servant or familiar happened across him 'I only need to put up with it until Tokiomi and the other Masters are beaten…until Sakura is free to return to her family…'
Kariya had no delusions of living past that moment. Even if he did win, his body probably wouldn't last a year in its current condition. But none of that mattered to him, all that mattered was Sakura's safety, and the promise he'd made to her.
And so, leaning against a wall, his wrecked body incapable of standing under its own power, Matou Kariya hobbled into the darkness, looking for a safe place to rest for the night, the invisible shade of a Mad Beast following in his wake.
Fuyuki Church Basement...
Kirei sighed and sat up in his chair, having ceased his shared perception with Assassin the moment he was certain his Servant had left the docks, the younger Kotomine blinking in the dim light of the Church Basement as he went over what he'd managed to learn from tonight's exchange.
With Tokiomi out of the picture, and following the events of the Harbor, the only Servants whose identities had yet to be confirmed were Berserker, Caster, and Assassin ironically enough, for despite his inquiries into the matter, his enigmatic servant refused to cancel whatever was shielding his true name from Kirei.
While Zouken had reported to Risei that the Matou had summoned Berserker, he naturally hadn't divulged the identity of either Servant or Master. As troubling as that was, however, Kirei honestly cared little for the matter, especially when faced with the identities they'd uncovered this one night.
'Diarmuid Ua Duibhne and Alexander the Great…' he marveled, shaking his head at the sheer expense Lord El-Melloi must have gone to acquire the catalysts needed for such high-level epic heroes, unable to help smirking as he imagined the man's ire when his own rebellious student had stolen his intended Catalyst and Servant 'Formidable opponents to be sure, though perhaps not as much as the King of Knights.'
He had to admit, the revelation of Saber's identity was just as much a shock to him as it had been for Assassin. Indeed, his shock was probably greater, for King Arthur's role in the quest for the TRUE Holy Grail had been well documented by both the Church and Magus society on top of mere mundane historians. To find out Britain's greatest King was, in fact, a woman, would stymie anyone.
'Then again, it would give credence to why Guinevere chose to have an affair with Lancelot.' He mused, only to put such thoughts aside as he refocused on the task at hand, namely trying to determine their next move.
Thanks to Assassin, Lord El-Melloi had been forced to retreat to treat his wounds thus ensuring that the curse of Gae Buidhe remained intact. Given what little he knew of the Man's personality, it was highly likely that Emiya Kiritsugu would prioritise Archibald's elimination to restore Saber before focusing on the other Masters.
'Considering his disregard for rules, it's highly likely he's already spying on the church as we speak.' He deduced, his older instincts as an Executor overwriting his Magus 'knowledge' of the rules of the tournament.
So far as the other Masters were concerned, the very idea of violating the Accorded Neutral Ground that the Church represented would be akin to heresy. Not even Tokiomi or Zouken, for all their manipulations, would dare operate anywhere near it, if only to keep up appearances.
Therefore it was only to be expected that a maverick like Emiya Kiritsugu would do the exact opposite. If anything, Kirei half expected to be met with a live grenade the next time he opened the donations box, feeling equal parts unnerved and disgusted at how the prospect of such excited him.
'Perhaps I shouldn't have stopped Assassin that time…' he grimaced, glancing down at the back of his hand, where the faded remains of his used command seal gazed back at him balefully.
It had been an impulsive, foolish act, one his instincts as an Executor were even now berating him for in several different languages. They were ignored, however, in the face of his overwhelming desire to meet the man, face-to-face, preferably with something sharp in hand.
Emiya Kiritsugu was a Magus that eschewed the rules of Magus Society in favour of technology, the same technology Kirei had been forced to forsake when he transferred from the Holy church to masquerade as Tokiomi's not-so-secret apprentice.
In many ways the Magus Killer was a lot like Kirei: An unknown variable. One who knew the rules by which this God-Forsaken Tournament was to be played and didn't give a flying fuck how many he broke so long as he got what he wanted out of it.
'The only difference between us is that Emiya Kiritsugu clearly knows what he's looking for.' the younger Kotomine noted, looking up from his musings to find his own features reflected back at him on the black mask of Assassin "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough." The Masked Servant admitted calmly, his tone betraying no emotion, though Kirei swore he could detect a hint of displeasure beneath that usually stoic demeanor "Lord El-Melloi has retreated to his base of operations at the Fuyuki Hyatt. Knowing Emiya Kiritsugu, he will prioritize him over the other Masters in order to restore Saber to her full potential."
"You disapprove of my ordering you not to kill him." Kirei noted. It wasn't a question; he had felt his Servant's annoyance through their link when he'd used that rushed command seal, a sentiment his instincts as an Executor shared.
"While I admit it was tactically unsound of you to do so, it doesn't truly interfere with my stratagems." Assassin confessed, waving a hand dismissively "In fact, it proved rather beneficial in the long run. Not only did I learn that the command seals can temporarily override the effects of my Mystic Eyes, we forced Emiya to use two in a single exchange. With only one Command Seal left, he'll be forced to prioritise Lancer's demise. And while I may not be able to kill him, that doesn't prevent me from neutralizing him in other ways."
"True enough." Kirei agreed, honestly impressed with how adaptable his Servant was, though given the glimpses he'd been given into the Masked Servant's life, he really shouldn't have been surprised "So everything proceeds as planned?"
"For the moment." Assassin confirmed, his expression unreadable as ever, though Kirei could tell he had more to say "Though I think it may behoove you to avoid doing anything that may draw attention to yourself." he warned, earning a quirked brow from Kirei "One of my scouts noticed a familiar hanging around the church grounds when I returned." He explained, nodding as Kirei's gaze sharpened "Judging by the micro-camera taped to its body, I can only assume the one behind it was Emiya Kiritsugu or that female assistant of his."
"Do you think he suspects your true identity?" Kirei wondered, referring to his Servant's 'Class' rather than his name, the Executor turned Magus torn between anticipation and unease at the confirmation of his suspicions that the Magus Killer deemed him enough of a threat to violate the sanctity of the Church.
"Unlikely, though I've left nothing to chance." Assassin assured him "I've left orders for the grounds to be watched at all times." he revealed, one of his doppelgangers stepping out of the shadows for emphasis "Likewise, any and all visitors to the church are tailed from the moment they enter the grounds. If anyone made a suspicious move, they'd have been dealt with immediately."
"I see." Kirei noted, sighing in relief as some of the weight that had been building on his shoulders lessening even as the doppelgangers stepped back into the shadows and vanished "I take it you also disposed of the familiar?"
"I deemed it prudent to leave it alone for the moment." Assassin admitted, earning a quirked brow from his Master "Emiya is likely to be on edge after our last exchange. By leaving the familiar present, we can alleviate some of his suspicions, thus making it all the easier to take him by surprise when the time comes."
"I suppose that's the best we can hope for." Kirei conceded, though internally he was chomping at the bit at the thought of locking horns with the Magus Killer. If it had been anyone else, Kirei would have informed his father of the offence and the elder Kotomine would've exercised his right as overseer to penalize the offending party by stripping them of one of their command seals.
For Emiya Kiritsugu, such a punishment would mean the end of his participation in the Grail Wars, as you needed at least one seal to maintain a contract with a Servant. Without the contract, the Servant would cease to exist unless they forged another contract with a Master whose Servant had been eliminated, and given Saber's wounds and her lacking the Independent Action skill, the odds of her finding a Master in time would be slim to none.
In short, as a result of tonight's exchange, Kirei and Assassin were in a position to eliminate both Saber and her Master in one fell swoop without lifting a finger.
Not that Kirei had any intention of alerting his father any time soon mind you. After all, he still had questions that needed answered, and the only way he believed he could get those answers was by confronting the Magus Killer directly.
Part of him wondered if it would be wise to waste a second Command Seal to order Assassin's silence on the matter, but in the end he decided against it, partially because there was a good chance the Masked Servant didn't know, as the overseer's rules weren't beholden to Servants, being a recent addition from the Third Grail War, and partly because his plans seemed to involve the Magus Killer picking off the competition anyway, so it was unlikely he'd do anything to jeopardize Emiya's participation.
The sound of footsteps drew Kirei from his thoughts, Master and Servant looking up just in time to see Risei enter the room, a cell phone pressed to his ear.
"That's right, the Mion district." the elder Kotomine instructed, no doubt conferring with his contacts in the Fuyuki Police department "Yes, the streets and storage next to the sea have sustained massive damage. Mobilize the clean up crew, use Plan D. I'll be depending on you for on-site identifications."
"Problems?" Kirei spoke up, not really caring one way or the other, as it wasn't like he had to worry about whether this War was discovered or not, consigned to the basement as he was.
"Nothing we can't handle." Risei assured his son, the elder Kotomine sighing as he finished his call and tucked the phone away "I've prepared dinner, if you'd care to join us, Assassin?"
At first it looked like Assassin was about to agree, only to stiffen and turn his head to the corner of the room. "What is it?" Kirei wondered, turning to follow his Servant's gaze, his instincts as an Executor rising to the fore as he readied himself to deploy the Black Keys he kept on his person.
"It's nothing." Assassin assured the pair, Kirei's body relaxing as one of the Servant's many doppelgangers stepped out of the shadows of the room "Please excuse me for a moment, Master." the Masked Servant excused himself "I shall join you to break the fast shortly."
"God-Speed." Risei offered kindly, missing Kirei's snort of amusement as they proceeded to climb out of the basement, the younger Kotomine holding back just long enough to listen in on his Servant's conversation, the doppelganger having apparently been one of the ones sent to tail Saber and her Master back to their base.
"The others are still tracking 'em as we speak." said doppelganger confessed, his crass tone a far-cry from Assassin's normally composed, cultured demeanor, standing slouched over with his hands in his pockets, giving him the air of a punk, or a petulant teen "I just came to report back."
"Did something happen en-route to their base of operations?" Assassin demanded, his tone calm despite his obvious aggravation with the personality that this particular doppelganger had adopted.
"You could say that…" said doppelganger confessed, slumping against the wall with a grunt, his tone crass, though at the same time alert "Caster decided to come say hello."
Fuyuki Hyatt Penthouse Suite...
"Damn it all!" Kayneth swore, the heir to the Archibald family spitting like a cat as his beloved fiancée finished removing the remains of the bullet from his shoulder, her deceptively soft fingers digging almost viciously into his flesh as she set about repairing the damage.
"Oh calm down." Sola chided, her tone calm, though there was a hint of mocking derision that swept right over the incensed Archibald's head even as she dug her finger into the wound a little more savagely than was truly needed, earning a grunt of pain from her fiance "You're acting like a child, the bullet didn't even hit anything vital."
"What kind of Magus uses a gun?" Kayneth grit out, his features lined with derision at the very idea, only to flinch as Sola pulled her hands away, having sealed the wound, turning his irate glare on the kneeling form of his own Servant.
"And you! What the devil were you playing at?" he demanded, missing the frown that adorned his fiancee's features "Twice you had the opportunity to finish Saber off, only to let the opportunity slip through your fingers!" he raised his hand for the Servant to see "Worse, you had me waste a Command Seal!"
"Now Kayneth…" Sola interrupted, placing a hand on her fiancee's wounded shoulder, the Archibald heir grimacing as he felt her fingers grip him a little too tightly to be taken as anything but deliberate "Lancer has already sworn his loyalty to you as a Knight, surely you aren't about to question that?"
"It is not a matter of his loyalty, Sola." Kayneth muttered, grimacing slightly even as her grip on his wounded shoulder lessened "The point is that while he was dallying around with Saber, he not only forced me to expend a valuable resource, but allowed me to suffer this ignoble wound."
"As I recall, the only reason you were wounded was because you allowed yourself to be goaded into giving away your location." Sola pointed out, her expression coy as she reminded her Fiance of how she'd been watching the fight through her familiar's eyes "You could have easily taken out Saber's Master while Lancer fought, skulking in the shadows as you were, but you chose to lecture that boy and allowed Archer to bait you into giving away your position."
Kayneth grimaced, eyeing his beloved with an expression of hurt dignity. Like all respectable Magi, Kayneth's parents had arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of the prestigious head of the Summoning Department of the Clock Tower, and while he loved Sola-Ui Sophia-Re with all his heart, the redhead's affections towards HIM were decidedly cool even before the Heaven's Feel.
Deciding to enter the Tournament as a means of proving himself, Kayneth had devised a revolutionary means of summoning a Servant, wherein all the responsibilities as a Master were afforded to HIM, while the task of providing Prana to maintain Lancer's form came from another, namely Sola herself.
Needless to say, Sola hadn't exactly been thrilled to learn that Kayneth was prepared to put her own life in danger just to prove himself worthy of her hand, but her father had approved and so she'd been forced to go along with the ritual once Kayneth finally managed to get his hands on another relic following the theft of Iskander's cloak fragment.
'That brat…' Kayneth muttered, recalling the cowering face of Waver Velvet as the boy peered over the rim of Iskander's Chariot 'He thinks he can get away with stealing from his betters? By the time I'm through with him there won't be enough left to keep in a thimble!'
"That is enough, Lady Sola." Lancer interrupted suddenly, Kayneth and Sola looking up to see the frown adorning the Servant's features as he continued to kneel before them "Your words are an insult to my Lord. Even if you are his wife, as a Knight I cannot forgive such a thing."
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that…" Sola stammered, Kayneth's eyes narrowing at his beloved's change of tone, the Archibald heir scowling at the beauty mark adorning his Servant's right cheek, knowing all too well the legend behind it "My apologies, Kayneth, I went too far…"
Kayneth scowled, opened his mouth to respond to his love, only to blink as a clamor filled the air, Sola and Lancer tensing in alarm even as the Lord El-Melloi rose from his chair to answer the phone.
"Yes, what is it?" he demanded, his irritation giving away to intrigue, a cold, calculating smile adorning his features as he hung up "A fire on the lower floors." He informed the others "The hotel staff are already evacuating everyone."
"An attack?" Sola exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief even as Lancer rose to his feet, his eyes like a hawk and his form like a cat's, ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice "On tonight of all nights?"
"Saber's Master will want to dispel the curse of Gae Buidhe as soon as possible." Kayneth opined, his expression one of absolute confidence as he crossed to his wardrobe, pulling out a spare coat to replace the one that had been damaged earlier that evening "Lancer, head down and receive her. Do NOT simply drive her off like you did last time."
"As you command, My Lord." Diarmuid acknowledged, the Knight of Fianna bowing to his lord, Twin Spears materializing in his hands as he prepared to engage his opponent "I shall cut off their escape and drive them towards you."
"See that you do." Kayneth muttered, smirking to himself as Lancer reverted to astral form, leaving him and Sola alone for a few precious moments "Let them have them enjoy the experience of my Magical Atelier."
Sola said nothing, the redhead's features inscrutable as she listened to Kayneth preen. For all she disliked the man, for all she disapproved of her arranged marriage to her father's disciple, she couldn't deny that, above all else, Kayneth Archibald El Melloi was a prodigal genius when it came to Magecraft.
He certainly wasn't humble about it. Nary a minute could pass without the man finding something to stoke his ego, whether it be some new skill he had mastered or trashing a student's thesis before the boy's peers just to flaunt his position.
'Maverick theory or not, the boy had a point.' She mused, recalling how Kayneth had left the paper on his desk in dismissal, the redhead glancing over the carefully penned thesis out of curiosity, and had honestly been impressed with Waver's deductions.
True, there was little chance of it ever being taken seriously by the Association, especially with close-minded individuals like Kayneth in charge, but from a purely theoretical point of view Sola had to admit the boy had certainly thought things out.
'Honestly, part of me wants to congratulate him for pulling one over Kayneth.' she admitted to herself, but as much as she admired the boy's daring, though some may call it suicidal stupidity, Sola knew all too well that now that he'd been confirmed as a Master, Kayneth would devote every waking moment to making him suffer for his treason with the same attention to detail he put into preparing his defences, having turned the entire Hotel into their stronghold the moment they arrived.
Not structurally mind you, that would've drawn too much attention, though Lord only knew renting out the entire top floor probably drew enough of that. No, the basis of Kayneth's defences lay in the Bounded Field that encompassed said floor, consisting of twenty-four layers, powered by three independent mana-generators that also served to facilitate Kayneth's own power, essentially turning the 32nd floor into a Fortress of Magecraft, the corridors littered with countless traps and patrolled by numerous evil spirits and apparitions from the darkest of nightmares.
There were no defects. Every little flaw had been reviewed and removed during the design process, every possible weak-point fortified, every possibility accounted for.
'It doesn't make having to listen to him laugh any more bearable though…' she muttered, eyeing the Lord El-Melloi in distaste as he cackled like a stereotypical villain, sighing in exasperation as her thoughts turned to Lancer, as they often did these days, offering a silent prayer for the Knight's safety, only to blink as an explosion rocked the building.
Not a lot changed this chapter save adding in Kariya's section to compensate for the removal of the Kid-Gilgamesh sub-plot.
Regarding Risei's powers as overseer and the Servants being ignorant of such, it's my head-canon that, as the Church didn't get involved until the 3rd War, the rules pertaining to the Overseers are a relatively new addition and thus not included in the knowledge accorded to the Servants upon summoning.
As such, Lelouch has no idea that Risei can knock Kiritsugu, and any other Masters, out of the game simply by penalizing them, nor does any other Servant. I have yet to find confirmation as to whether this is true or not, but until someone proves me wrong, this is my head-canon.
And now for something a little different: Master Statistics.
Emiya Kiritsugu - Status: Alive. Seals: 1. Servant Identity: Known. Base of Operations: Secure.
Kayneth Archibald - Status: Wounded. Seals: 2. Servant Identity: Known. Base of Operations: Kiritsugu'd.
Tohsaka Tokiomi - Status: Dead. Seals: 3 (Transferred to Risei). Servant Identity: Unknown. Base of Operations: FUBAR.
Waver Velvet - Status: Hysterical. Seals: 3. Servant Identity: Known. Base of Operations: Unknown.
Uryuu Ryunosuke - Status: Insane. Seals: 3. Servant Identity: Unknown. Base of Operations: Secure.
Kotomine Kirei - Status: Stunned. Seals: 2. Servant Identity: Unknown. Base of Operations: Known.
Matou Kariya - Status: Half-Dead. Seals: 3. Servant Identity: Unknown. Base of Operations: N/A.
With Tokiomi dead, the Strongest Masters statistic wise are as follows:
1. Kariya: While both retain all their seals and have concealed their Servant's identities/HQ. Kariya is an actual magus, and so gets a slight edge.
2. Ryuunosuke: As said above, retains all seals, Servant's identity and HQ are unknown for now, but isn't a magus.
3. Waver: Servant name is know, but retains all seals and HQ is hidden.
4. Kirei: Has used a seal and HQ is known, but Servant identity is unknown.
5. Kayneth: Has used a seal, Servant identity and HQ are known.
6. Kiritsugu: Has used two seals, Servant is injured and identity known. HQ known to founding families and Church.
In short, nothing at all like the canon scenario. Kiritsugu has been backed into a corner, and that makes him all the more dangerous.
Nothing new was revealed about Assassin's NP's, so I'll end this here.
SLAINTE!