Chapter 31
It was a rare day in winter that the sun shone so brightly. The clouds were all gone, and it seemed like the city was just a little more busy than usual. The skyscrapers reflected the rays of light, turning into sparkling diamonds that reached into the sky.
Far away from the bustling city center, a black car drove through the winding streets of Miyama Town to the Fuyuki church, the occasional cat jumping into the alleys when the car passed them. Eventually, it reached the black gates of the church and parked right outside, the driver opening the door and getting out to get her first good look at the building.
"Hmmm, never thought he'd end up here, as a supervisor for a ritual of all things."
A woman in a business suit with a red-violet necktie stood there, magenta hair cut short until it barely reached her ears. There was a mole under her left eye, and two silver ovaloid earrings hung from her ears.
Pushing open the gates, she walked into the church like Atrum Galiasta had done last night.
"Oy, Kirei! You in here?"
Unlike Atrum, her greeting was much more informal.
"Hm, if isn't the Enforcer Bazett Fraga Mcremitz Fragarach."
"Hey, is that how you greet a friend? Come one, just call me Bazett, nobody calls my by my full name anyways."
Kirei smiled lightly.
"It was a joke."
A joke? Hah, I see something besides your height has grown. Speaking of which, how did you get so tall? Did you get a growth spurt when I wasn't looking?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes I did."
"Huh, I see. Well, let's get to it then. No point in waiting any longer."
"Hmph, how impatient. Very well, let us proceed to the chamber."
He led her down to the magic circle inscribed on the floor in the chamber below the church.
Bazett had known Kirei since the time when he actively worked as an Executor, and long story short, she had grown to trust him after going through hell and back with him, even confiding her story to him about her desire to save Cu Chulainn, possibly being the only person she had told. In fact, she had been actively invited by him to participate, and seemingly being relied on for once, she had been delighted to come, even killing the observer sent from the opposing faction when he told her to. It had been an easy fight, her suit shielding her as she put her fist through the magus's chest.
"Now all you have to do is simply place the catalysts in the circle and recite the incantation."
"Alright."
Raising her right hand towards the circle, she spoke the words.
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
Silver and iron to the origin. Stone and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
My ancestor is the great master I pay tribute to.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
I hereby swear. I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――！
A rush of wind, a flash of light, and then it all faded into silence to reveal the Servant summoned before her. Before she even had a chance to wonder why she had summoned a busty blonde, the twisting fist was already digging into her back, pulverizing her organs through the ki transmitted with the help of the martial arts Bajiquan. The suit that had easily shrugged off bullets, spells and claws alike was penetrated, the power rippling the fabric as it passed through it to damage the inside. Kotomine Kirei was a man who had trained in the martial arts from a young age, and became a practitioner of a type of Bajiquan that some would come to call Super Bajiquan. It was an ultimate technique born from the miraculous fusion of Bajiquan and magecraft, the Internal Art exceeding the External to an immense extent. Only Kirei could use it's reckless attacks, utilizing a self-destructive fighting style that even let him stand on equal ground with the Magus Killer after losing one arm.
A style that took the shortest route without any initial movement to damage the inside instead of the outside, that was the fundamentals. After years of training and practical application, he had become an expert capable of defeating a normal person with a single hit. If he was tied to a tree, he could easily break it, since his strength as a martial artist did not only come from his wrists. For most martial artists, their hands were their main weapons. But the level of Kirei's training had forged his entire body into a weapon. Being bound did not leave him helpless as long as he could plant both feet on the ground. Everything from the weight of his feet on the ground, the twisting of his back, and the turning of his shoulders contributed to releasing an instantaneous burst of power into his fists. In comparison, the strength of the arms were insignificant to the power of the whole body. It was possible to press a fist next to the target and strike only with the accumulated force coming from all parts of the body outside of the arm. With this "explosive force" technique, just having the back of his hands against the tree trunk allows him to utilize the full power of his body to strike.
Bazett's battle-hardened body, after fighting numerous humans, Dead Apostles, Sealing Designation mages and even Phantasmal Beasts, was also near equal to that of Kirei. In fact, with runic sorcery she employed to strengthen her limbs, hands and feet, she actually exceeded him in terms of pure power by a very small margin. Her specialty in physical combat forced her to develop an improvised form of combat that had mixed martial arts as its base, with multiple facets that allowed her to fluidly adapt to various situations as her occupation demanded. Finally, the Sorcery Trait that was passed down by her family. Traditional Carriers-God's Holders, ensured that all their skills could be passed down through bloodline instead of training. As such, she was known as one of the most successful Enforcers in an occupation that tended to have an early retirement age/high rate of occupational fatality. The possession of the Noble Phantasm Fragarach was simply the cherry on the top, allowing her to defeat even Servants if the conditions were right. If she had joined the Holy Grail War, she would have emerged as one of the top contenders, a difficult enemy to face for all the other Masters in direct combat.
But this was all not meant to be as she was stabbed in the back by the comrade she had fought side by side with against monstrous beings and unholy terrors, the fist merciless as it dug into her back and destroyed her heart, lungs and part of her intestines in one blow, the bones ground to dust from the sheer energy emitted like a grenade had went off in her body. By virtue of her willpower, she managed to stand upright for a moment, her body stock still as she weakly tried to turn her head to face the priest. Her head turned slightly, blood starting to trickle from her mouth and nose.
"why…" Her mouth opened slightly to leak out a single question, and then she collapsed face-forward, pitching onto the ground.
*whuf*
It looked like she had simply fainted, if not for the deeply imprinted fist mark in her back that had twisted the fabric of her suit, forming a vortex right in the middle near her heart on her spine, between the shoulderblades.
Acting quickly, he withdrew a Black Key from his robes, pulled up the sleeves of her suit and sliced through her left arm. A second later, after a red glow lit up the room, the marks faded from her hand, and they reappeared in a different pattern on Kirei's hand.
"Lancer, I order that you are not allowed to kill me."
A red mark flashed before vanishing, and the white lance that appeared to be bound with numerous strips of white linen stopped a centimeter away from his forehead, the tip wavering as it tried to resist the command.
In the darkness of the mouth-like slit on the lion shaped helmet, two pricks of green light burned furiously.
Lancer was standing in the middle of the circle on her mount, splendid white steed with strong muscles studding it's body, its white fur pristine and majestic. Shining steel armor adorned its entire body, but the depth of its eyes belied a gentle temperament under its noble image. Yet, it could not match up to the splendour of its rider, indeed merely serving to contrast with the knight.
Metal polished to a mirror finish curved around the knight's body, the armor clad body radiating strength and confidence. Even in the dim light of the chamber, the armor still reflected it with brilliance, almost seeming to glow with its own light. The helmet was the coup de grace, a lifelike lion mounted on the head that struck fear into the hearts of all its enemies, and raised the spirits of all those who fought beside it. A wild mane of blond hair burst out from the back, unable to be restrained, for she was the Lion King. Her choice of weapon was an enigmatic spear, wrapped in what looked like strips of white cloth, but on closer inspection was actually a rigid material made of something otherworldly. A blue sheen could be observed coating it, and the entire lance exceeded the height of the wielder, the point tapering off into a sharp tip that could pierce through any shield and armor, except those wielded with the most stalwart of wills.
She disregarded the order, resisting it as much she could, her Magic Resistance rank B assisting her in defying the command. The tip trembled, and then slowly made its way across the centimeter separating it from Kirei's forehead. Witnessing the resolve she had, he was forced to take a few steps back. Raising his hand once more, he added the weight of another seal.
"Lancer, once again I order that you are not allowed to kill me."
The tip that was painstakingly crawling across the distance finally slowed to halt, hovering in mid-air, then retracted at a painfully slow rate. Kirei smiled at her actions.
"Good. Although I had my doubts whether I could summon you with the catalyst I had, the gamble paid off."
In fact, he had intentionally planned to summon Artoria Pendragon in the Lancer class. In the beginning, it had merely been a whim of his when he was bored, fantasizing how much he could make her suffer if she had been summoned as his Servant. But after heavy drinking with the king, he had confided with him about this secret fantasy of his, and he had replied favourably.
"FUHAHA! To think that she might become your Servant. While normally I would not tolerate anyone becoming her Master, perhaps you would be able to provide some entertainment and make her fall!"
After saying that, he had simply given him an extremely close replica of Caliburn to him from his vault, derived from the Original Sin, Merodach.
The next day after he woke up from the alcohol, he had stored away the sword and started planning on how to meddle in the next Holy Grail War. After all, he had to find happiness in some way.
The man known as Kotomine Kirei was born wrong, removed from the common sense of the world. Without feeling happiness even once during his childhood, he was forced to confront the fact that he was not like the rest of humanity at an early age. Despite excelling in whatever field he applied himself to, he could not feel satisfaction or joy at any of his achievements. His mind grew sharper and sharper, while his body grew stronger and stronger, yet none of it mattered to him. He was hollow, tormented by his lack of fulfillment with anything. Although, he still managed to grasp enough of the human psyche to interact with others reasonably normally, in an effort to normalize himself.
For years he searched, looking for a cure, for a reason, anything to explain why he was like that and how he could be saved. For this reason, he had scaled mountains, crossed deserts and fought with demons and monsters in the name of the Church. He diligently studied the Scriptures, took on many different roles and responsibilities, from being the student council president to an Executor. Yet none of these activities and pursuits gave him an answer.
Even so, he was blessed with an angel in the form of Claude Hortensia. The woman loved him from the bottom of her heart, and even after learning about his affliction, she still endeavoured with all her might to save him, using the remaining years of her life and all her passion to reach out to him. Kirei himself understood that she was going above and beyond for his sake, surpassing what a normal human being would have been able to endure, and strove to respond in kind. But it was all for naught. No matter what he did, no spark ever appeared in his abyss of a heart. Even after bearing a daughter, he was still empty. When her illness finally caught up with her, he visited his wife moments before her death. She had finally accepted that she wasn't able to save him, but hoped against hope that her death would finally bring him peace.
"I could not love you." The man stated the cold, hard truth.
In response, she pulled the blade across her wrists.
When the tears flowed down his face for the first time as she succumbed to the darkness, she felt relief.
"No...you love me." A peaceful smile graced her lips as she breathed her last.
The man bawled his eyes out for the first time in his life, grief and anguish squeezing his heart until he couldn't breath.
But it was grief for not being able to kill her himself.
At that moment, he gave up. He would never be blessed with someone like Claude Hortensia again, who he was certain would be the only person to understand him on such a deep level. Despite only spending two short years together, he knew that she was the once-in-a-life person that nobody should let go of. Instead, he had wanted to bring grief on her when learning of her desire to save him, and in the end regretted not killing her himself. He was irredeemable.
Moments later, he silently left the room, rejecting all of God's teachings in his heart.
It was during the Fourth Holy Grail War that he found salvation, and finally embraced his innate nature, becoming the twisted man he was today. Now, he sought to inflict all manner of grief and suffering on others, almost as if to atone for enduring all these years without succumbing to his desires. Summoning Saber as his Servant was but one of these methods.
Back in the present, he buried Caliburn(fake), as well as numerous other artifacts related to King Arthur under the circle, and then invited Bazett to do the summoning to obtain the Lancer class. Why didn't he summon her in any other class? It was because he had noticed an interesting aspect of her legends, and intended to capitalize on it with the Lancer class and the resources he had on hand. If he succeeded, he would have a powerful ally, and also an obedient one as well. Furthermore, he would have another person to talk to as well.
But things weren't always going to go according to plan.
The air started swirling as mana started gathering around the Servant, the lance vibrating as the covers glowed and peeled off one by one. The ground started trembling as an enormous amount of mana gathered, Lancer channeling all her might into the now incandescent lance that was releasing an immense mana signature.
Across the city, multiple people took notice.
"Eh, are there Servants fighting?" In the temple grounds, a young girl muttered as she sweeped the leaves into a pile.
"Haaah, what the hell is that?" The Second Owner of the land lifted her head and gazed in the direction of the church.
"Kohkohkoh, it seems that a fight has broken out." Deep in the pits under the Matou family house, an old man chuckled.
"Berserker, you feel that? Let's go take a look!"
"Wait, let me finish this matcha strawberry ice cream double parfait."
A young albino girl struggled futilely to drag her Servant away from the sweets.
"Master, should we see if there's an opportunity?" A shadowy figure spoke in the dark room, the baseball cap unable to hide the strand of blond hair piercing through the fabric like it was nothing.
Deep in the church, the bindings on the lance finally released. A holy spear of light, released of the thirteen restraints that limited its power.
For the first time since she was summoned, she spoke. A mature, noble voice trembling with righteous rage issued forth from beneath the lion, rumbling throughout the entire room as dust shook from the ceiling and cracks appeared on the ground.
"Light, may you be released from the ends of the world."
Her rage at seeing her rightful Master slain in front of her eyes spurred her on, for she would never serve those that bent their knee to treachery and deceit. She, the Lion King, would always uphold justice and righteousness in her kingdom. Just like the tower that shone at the world's end, anchoring the skin of the planet, she too would serve as the anchor of her own ideals.
Even so, there were also fearless creatures of darkness, as twisted and aberrant as they were. As soon as the bindings were released, the priest had dashed forward with all his might, plunging his hand straight through the breast plate and her chest into her spiritual core, having made a deep cut on his palm beforehand.
"Kuh!" She had not expected a mere human to charge forward at her fearlessly, much less one that backstabbed their allies, yet he had done just that, utilizing the power of the Command Seals as pseudo Magic Circuits to reach speeds that rivaled Servants.
The horse under her rose up on its hind legs, and prepared to bolt forward, but one heavy chop from Kirei's free hand silenced it, the horse crumpling forward as its front legs knelt onto the ground, its head lowered until its muzzle brushed against the ground.
The moment he pierced her chest, he began the second phase of his plan.
"Lancer, I order you to discard your excuses."
In an alternate timeline, this method would be used by one Bazdilot Cordelion to turn Heracles into his Alter form, Alcides. But here, Kotomine Kirei was the pioneer of the technique, if it could be called as such. As a man who was filled with darkness, who deeply understood the human mind and sins, he could devise such an idea. Coupled with the Grail mud that ran through his veins, it was only natural that he would come to such a conclusion.
Lancer, on the verge of releasing her Noble Phantasm, was struck by the power of three Command Seals at once, the priest burning through Command Seals in order to achieve his goals. The Command Seals stocked up since the Third Holy Grail War, from when his father Risei Kotomine first supervised one, was 11 in total, one given out in the last war. In addition to the Command Seals he had for Gilgamesh, and now Lancer, he had 17 combined. Since this Servant was incredibly stubborn, he had no choice but to use three for each command to ensure absolute obedience. However, he had factored this into his calculations as well, anticipating even up to five for each command.
The command made its way through Lancers mind, burrowing into her brain as it rooted out each and every excuse she'd ever made. All the Saxon's killed, the villages burned, the children and women unintentionally harmed. Her own subjects that she failed to understand, her son Mordred, the eventual rebellion and internal strife that followed. All of the reasons that she told herself it was necessary, that even though she was responsible for them, that she was justified, they all disappeared. Losing her grip on the spear, it fell to the ground with a dull clang as she clutched her helmet, struggling with the weight of her actions. Kirei's hand never left her chest, remaining embedded deep inside even as one gauntlet gripped it and tried to pull it out.
"Lancer, I order you to recall every human in your life."
The laughter of an old man. The smile of a mysterious oniisan. The tears of a young girl. The scowl of her sister. The anguished pleas of a purpled haired knight. The quiet misery of she who threw away her womanhood to be queen. The rage filled cry of her daughter. The closed eyes of a knight plucking the strings of a bow. The joyful smile of her father. The radiant face of a famed knight. The frustrated face of a young boy kneeling in the mud. The stoic face of a knight in black armor. The young conscripts face full of terror moments before his death. The determined cries of the Saxons as they rallied and charged at her. The fearful look on the cooks as they chased her away from the kitchen before she burnt down something. The anxiety of a farmer meeting her for the first time. The crowds of people welcoming her in Camelot. The resolute faces of her soldiers at her side. The furious face of the man as he fell before her lance. The awe on her enemies and allies faces alike as they stared at the tower of light. The hand of the gentle knight that had stayed by her side til the very end.
There were much more, and she clearly saw each and every one of them, reliving each memory afresh. The atrocities she committed, the kindness she bestowed, the retribution against her, the help offered to her, they all flashed before eyes, condensed and compressed into a few seconds.
"GRAAAHH!"
If it wasn't for Kirei's arm in her chest, she would have fallen off the horse in agony. The horse shook slightly, but it didn't wake up from its injuries, remaining unconscious.
At this point, the combined might of six Command Seals was wreaking havoc on Lancers mind, stretching her consciousness against the entire length of her memories at once, while simultaneously eroding her reason against the sins she had committed with her own hands. The bulwarks that protected her justice fell one by one, her blood boiling as she thought of what she had done to become the ideal king, the greatest sin of all committed against herself.
"The king does not understand the hearts of men."
*Crk*
The hand clutching the helmet tightened, twisting the metal until it warped out of shape, the right eye of the lion crushed as it bent and snapped.
*Clang!*
She ripped it off her face and threw onto the ground, letting it bounce and roll away. Sweat flowed down her face as bloodshot eyes widened, completely abandoning the thought of pulling out his hand, instead both hands reaching up to hide her face in her hands. Her entire body trembled as her splendour seemed to vanish, all that was left was a young woman misunderstood by everyone as the weight of the burden she was carrying crashed on to her all at once, crushing her beneath its weight. Blood from biting her lips too hard mixed with tears and sweat as they flowed out from the gaps of her fingers, falling onto the saddle drop by drop.
The time was ripe.
"By these Command Seals, I order you, Artoria Pendragon of the Lancer class, to accept that which all of humankind shunned."
The hand in her chest had a cut across the palm, and from that palm, black mud started bubbling out of the opening. In a matter of mere seconds, mud spewed forth from the wound, instantly coating the insides of her body and twisting her Saint Graph, the curse seeping deeply into her very core. A master of Spiritual Surgery, he utilized the pseudo circuits of Command Seals and his own Magic Circuits in tandem to cut open each and every part of her spiritual being, letting the mud flow into every corner of her. Gently, he reached into her spiritual core and squeezed, damaging it just enough the mud to flow in and fill it to the brim. Once that was done, he retracted his hand out of her chest.
No longer did the resplendent Lion King stand there.
Now, a coal black horse with gleaming red eyes stood proudly, white mane swaying as it shook its head with snorting powerfully, pawing at the ground eagerly waiting for its chance. A skull-like faceplate covered its head, making it even more menacing. In addition, a faded red cloak covered most of its upper body, the top completely black, while traces of red remained at the bottom.
If the horse was menacing, then the rider was Dio.
Clad in black armor astride the horse, scale-like patterns were engraved all across the armor, sharp protrusions emerging from her forearms, helmet and shoulders. A black bodysuit covered the skin, and even though it was black, the armor still gleamed in the scant illumination left in the chamber. The helmet was a thing of dread, a dragon that promised to crush all its enemies effortlessly, while the fingers of each gauntlet were cruel claws that could easily rend the flesh of humans.
The lance clutched by the knight was no longer a pure white, but instead a dull black, almost like a lance made out of stone. Grooves ran down its length from the grip to the tip, and red crystal spikes protruded randomly along the lance, each one looking like it had been hammered into the lance instead of being forged with it. Above all, there was now a certain weight to the lance that wasn't there before, and the same thing could be said of the rider. There was now an oppressive air surrounding her, with not a single opening in sight.
Kirei took a step back, admiring his handiwork.
"I am Artoria Pendragon, King of Storms. I ask of you, are you my Master?"
All the hatred she had previously shown him had disappeared, but the commanding tone she used seemed to suggest she still wasn't exactly fond of him.
"My name is Kotomine Kirei, and I am your Master. Let us work together to obtain victory in the Holy Grail War." He smiled while saying things he had no intention of doing, the irony not lost on him.
"Understood. Also, if you ever betray me, I will pierce your rotten heart with this blackened lance."
He blinked, and then smiled in amusement.
"Do you disapprove of me as your Master?"
"I do not mind your methods, nor do I care about your motives. After all, I am in no position to judge you myself. However, I will not forgive you if you obstruct me in any way from obtaining my wish from the Grail. I swear this upon the tower that shines at the end of the world." She gazed at him dispassionately through her helm, but every word was sincere. She would kill him the moment he did anything to sabotage her chances of winning the war.
"Then let it be so. I shall support you whole-heartedly in your quest to pursue the Holy Grail." Empty words issued out of his mouth.
"But surely, your wish must be a great one if you are so desperate to win. In here, there are but the two of us, so it is your chance to confess your desires, and I as a man of the cloth shall receive your confession." He was actually quite curious about what she wanted, since he hadn't had much contact with her during the last war. It would also help him figure out how to make her suffer more exquisitely.
Lancer looked at him for a moment, wondering whether to tell him or not. Silence passed in the room as they stared at each other, the priest unintimidated by her hostility.
Then she spoke.
"I want to save myself."