FATE/NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM
"New Order of the Ages"
Chapter 13: Western Fellowship
The flames surrounding Karna subsided, and he looked around to see where his opponents were. He found Rama nearby, badly burned and covered with wounds after using his Curse of Separation skill to survive the fiery onslaught. Karna coldly turned his attention toward the Saber and prepared to strike. He thought that Scathach was out of the battle – he wasn't expecting her to utilize a series of Runes that rendered her invisible for a short time. With her out of sight, she expected Karna to focus on Rama as a distraction, giving her a chance to ready one of her strongest attacks.
Just before Karna could engage Rama, Scathach summoned a second Gae Bolg in her other hand, then rushed at Karna and lanced him with it before he could figure out what was happening.
"Nghk!" he cringed. It didn't cause any damage, but small bright red bolts paralyzed his nerves and prevented him from being able to dodge the rest of her Noble Phantasm.
"Gae Bolg Alternative!"
Scathach hurled her primary spear at his chest, landing a clean hit that tore through his armor and wracked his body with absolute pain. Due to his high Divinity and impenetrable armor, he was able to avoid the sure-kill curse associated with Gae Bolg, so he only suffered considerable damage. She also had no intent of killing him, so she kept its true effects sealed and only focused on wounding him.
"Gah…" the Son of the Sun gasped and held himself up with his spear. "Amazing… It seems your will to salvage Edison's mind is the real deal…"
"Was there any doubt?" Scathach asked.
"Perhaps not…"
"Are you surrendering?" Rama demanded.
"I am. If anyone can set that man free, it is you all who fight for everyone in this world equally."
"We must make haste then," the warrior woman said. "I have faith that Nightingale and my pupil can do the job, but I would like to provide backup in the worst case scenario."
"Your pupil?" Karna wondered. "I was under the impression that Cuchulainn was your sole student."
"That couldn't be any more wrong. He's not the only one I've mentored - his child is another of my protégés. She might be inexperienced, but she's certainly nowhere near as foolish as him."
"Hm…"
When the lights from Helena's Noble Phantasm dimmed, she found her three opponents splayed on the ground after enduring the crushing G forces. It hadn't been enough to kill them yet, but she figured that with them in such a weakened condition, sending them to the dungeons would be an easy task.
"Hmm hm-hm hm hmm…" she hummed a merry tune and hopped off the UFO, clopping her boots upon the solid marble flooring. What she wasn't expecting was a trap that Robin laid right beneath the flying saucer when she wasn't looking. He anticipated that she would jump straight back down to that spot, and he carefully prepared a poison trap that she wouldn't notice.
She accidentally inhaled the venomous mist, and exclaimed, "Ah!? W-When did you-!?"
"You should pay attention to what's on the ground rather than what's in the sky," he smirked.
Robin raised his hand forth and commanded, "Great Tree of Mourning, sharpen your fangs! Yew Bow!"
A series of deep roots curled from beneath Helena's feet and wrapped around her entire body, entombing her in a prison of pure wood. Then the tree rapidly absorbed a great deal of poison that turned the green leaves a sickly purple shade before exploding in a gust of toxic smoke. Since she was already poisoned, the toxins coursing through the tree made her suffer much greater damage than if she was healthy due to her immune system being very weakened.
"Ugh… Kah!" she gasped for air as she collapsed onto her side, unable to move anymore.
Robin stood over her and asked, "Had enough?"
"Ungh… Sorry, Edison… But I can't… go on…"
"Just the words I wanted to hear."
"Worry not, Madame Blavatsky," Diarmuid said, getting back to his feet. "We are not here to kill you. We simply wanted you to open your eyes to the shadows that have taken over your friend, and to not sit idly by watching him suffer anymore."
"Sitting… idly by…"
"I know what such hesitance is like. I watched my princess endure many hardships without offering my hand for the longest while. I didn't want you to make that same mistake anymore."
"I… I mean, it's not like… I wanted to do nothing about it… I just felt powerless… before such an amazing man…"
Elizabeth grinned, "I kinda get what you mean. My fans are so awestruck by my immense talent that they can't bring themselves to stop me!"
Robin grumbled, "Just not for the reason you're thinking of."
Diarmuid took Helena's hand and helped her stand back up, while saying, "Nightingale and the princess will treat your friend of his ailments. Then you can tell him everything that's on your mind once he regains his senses."
The dejected young woman nodded, silently praying that her friend's battle would end as well as Diarmuid claimed.
Similar to Karna and Helena's area of effect Noble Phantasms, Edison's ultimate attack caused a great deal of damage to his opponents. Fia and Nightingale stood in front of Ituha to take the brunt for her, and the nurse had to struggle against incredible pain to use her healing skill. Ituha grew extremely worried for her comrades, especially since she didn't know any curative abilities.
"Hah! How do you like that?" Edison laughed. "My way is one of logic and reason! So long as I remain dedicated to protecting America, I will always be invincible!"
"Logic…? Reason…? I only hear the spurious ramblings of a madman," Nightingale snapped.
"How unfortunate. I thought you and I could accomplish great things together, but alas, it was not meant to be. Any enemy of Edison is an enemy of America. Any enemy of America is an enemy of Edison. Accept that unshakeable fact and die by my hand, Florence Nightingale!"
As Edison prepared to kill the nurse, Fia suddenly got in his way and stood in a hunched posture. They could hear her labored breathing beneath her mask. They couldn't see what her expression was, but it had to have been of seething fury.
"Stand aside, bloodhound!" he commanded her with a wave of his arm.
She didn't obey him and got on all fours. Even though there were no windows to allow wind inside, a potent gust swirled around and caused her to hover a few inches off the ground. The Presi-King stepped back in surprise and demanded, "W-What are you doing!?"
Fia allowed herself to be carried away by the powerful cyclone surrounding her body, and she zig-zagged through the entire room at such speeds that a green streak was left behind. She pounded, slashed at, and tore through Edison's skin like a bunch of pinballs constantly striking the same target, causing him to stumble about uncontrollably. This was Fia's Noble Phantasm, Maiseite Gaoithe, through she wasn't able to speak its True Name like everyone else was. After one last thrashing, she flipped over the stunned Servant and landed, then a burst of winds opened up countless sores on his flesh and rattled him everywhere.
Blood spewed about randomly, and Edison coughed some up while collapsing to his knees. The remaining breezes calmed down, and Fia turned to glare at her fallen foe.
"Unnngh… Kgh! D-Damn… it! Making a… fool… out of me…!" he growled.
"Good work, Fia. The patient has lost the ability to struggle," Nightingale announced.
"Fool! Don't… count me out… just yet…!"
"I suppose we should move to phase two of the treatment then. Ituha, if you would please."
Edison looked over at the red-dressed girl as she drew a Rune in midair, then murmured, "Constraint gives scant choice. A naked man is chilled by the frost."
A pure white fire burst from the symbol and engulfed him as she exclaimed, "Nauthiz!"
"GAH!? WHAT IS THIS!? AAAAAGH!"
Unlike regular fire, this blaze was harmless to humans and Servants. It only affected the undead and unsent spirits, banishing them from the realm of the living and forcing them to go to the next life. Edison flailed about like he was being burned, but it wasn't his physical form feeling any damage. The easiest comparison would be like invisible leeches that had been stuck to his soul this whole time suddenly being incinerated, setting him free from their greedy sucking. When the ivory flames settled, Edison fell forward onto the ground and laid there in exhaustion.
Nightingale grinned and said, "Treatment complete."
The two girls remained on alert as they watched the lion-man struggle to get on his knees. He moaned painfully, "Unnngh… What happened…?"
"How are you feeling?"
"What are you talking about? I'm as defeated as can be! How can I not be angry!?"
"I'm not talking about that. Your soul was not its own – it was being taken over by something beyond human comprehension. Now that Ituha's cleansing has rid you of that possession, do you feel more like yourself?"
"Mmngh… Now that you mention it, my mind feels a lot clearer now…"
The doors to the throne room opened with a resounding creak. Karna and Helena entered first, along with the Servants who defeated them following behind. Karna narrowed his eyes and said, "Interesting. That foreign anomaly which has plagued your heart is gone. I don't know how that was accomplished, but your illness is finally cured."
"You too, Karna? You always believed something was wrong with me?" Edison asked incredulously. "Ridiculous! If I don't hold my ground here, who is going to protect America!?"
"That's enough!" Helena moaned sadly. "I can't take it anymore! I can't watch you walk this self-destructive path any longer!"
"Helena…?"
"I knew you were suffering. I knew that 'Thomas Edison' and the 'plague affecting Thomas Edison' had different goals in mind. Both were competing for dominance in your heart, turning you into a Servant that obeyed an unseen power which cared about nothing except for preserving America. If I had to guess what that force was, it had to have been…"
"The system called 'America'," Nightingale said. "Since this country is your home turf, you figured you had the advantage because your name is synonymous with cheap, mass production. That is the system which America thrives upon."
"Of course it does!" Edison retorted. "There's nothing wrong with it at-!"
"We can't win."
"… What?"
"I said we can't win."
"Er… Um… B-But that's…"
The Presi-King was utterly stupefied by the nurse's blunt statement. She continued, "You thought that productivity was the solution to protecting America, but you were wrong. The Celts are monsters who are born for and die waging war. America did not have such a foundation, so this nation was already falling behind in terms of firepower. Furthermore, Medb has the Holy Grail. What other points do you need to make such a logical conclusion from the onset? Yet you allowed such follies to control who you are and let you get carried away. Even if you ran out of resources, you would be fine with it so long as you claimed victory in the end.
"HOWEVER! Let's not forget the biggest mistake of them all – your physical form itself!" she raged while pointing at him. "Servants are summoned either in their physical peak, or in a form that represents their core ideals and values! I have not heard of any records indicating that Edison had anything to do with lions! It's also as impossible for you to possess such immense strength! In other words, not only was your soul polluted by the concept of 'America', your body was warped by a power that doesn't belong to you! Your desire to be a 'king' does not originate from you!"
Edison fell silent and closed his eyes in shame. After grumbling for a moment, he admitted, "That's right. I am Thomas Alva Edison, the Presi-King of America. Past, present, and future, there is only one ruler. The reason you see me like this… is because every President from the first to the most recent loaned me all of their powers."
"Every President ever?" Ituha wondered.
"Yes. Their logic was that even if they were summoned as individual Servants, they would lose to the Celts. Through America's principle of 'unity', they decided to concentrate their essences into a single American hero who had international fame. That is why I was chosen – I was part of America's foundation, so it stood to reason that I would serve to preserve it."
"Hmm… I don't know… They didn't feel like mere 'essences' to me. When I was purifying them, I could sense an immense amount of grudge coming from them."
"That was the real illness," Nightingale said. "They only cared about protecting America, and forced you to turn away from the real problem. That was why you suffered as a Servant, Edison."
"So I was being controlled by the indignation of so many men…" he murmured.
"Precisely. But you need to understand something; it is not just about America. This entire world is ill. We must fight to heal this entire planet, and to regain our independence from a higher evil threatening to take everything away. We are in an era of rapid collapse, so we must stand firm as one cohesive, global unit to bring forth a new order of ages for future generations, regardless of their nationality or beliefs. In order words, novus ordo seclorum. It's not just a new era for America that we are creating – it is for the entire world. Every choice we make, every action we take, will have long-lasting consequences for our children, so we'd best make them good consequences. That is what's truly at stake in this war."
"Novus ordo seclorum… A new order of the ages… We must revitalize this dying world and usher it into a new era…"
"Yes. That is our job as Servants… No, as the world's antibodies against the foreign illness trying to destroy everything and everyone we know and love."
"Hmmgh…"
"You suffered because the grudges of America's presidents forced you to divert your eyes from the true crisis. That is also why-" Nightingale trailed off as she closed her eyes. Then she glared at Edison and declared, "You were defeated by your fellow inventor, Nikola Tesla!"
"GAOHOOOOOOOOO!?"
He let out such a terrifying roar that Ituha thought the entire fortress was going to crumble to dust. Fia covered her ears and waited for the awful noise to subside. Then Edison lost consciousness and fell straight onto his back.
Helena cringed, "She actually said it…"
"You could've pulled your punches a little," Karna muttered, looking paler than usual.
"M-Mr. Edison? Are you okay?" Ituha asked as she kneeled next to the convulsing lion-man.
"GAH… GAFUUU…!" he yelped incoherently.
Nightingale remarked casually, "As long as he has a pulse, he'll be fine."
"I think he just lost a few years of his life though."
"Never mind that. Tell me, Thomas Edison. Now that you have been cured, what is it that you want to do? What do you, as a Servant summoned to this world, wish to accomplish with the time you have here?"
"Ungh… Mmgh… I-I concede, Florence Nightingale," he moaned, recovering enough of his senses to speak. He sat back up and said, "The fact that all of America's presidents loaned me their power thus proves that I wasn't able to win in the first place. I was lost in an inescapable maze of both logic and foolishness, straying further from my path the longer I remained trapped."
"Good. To heal sickness, a patient must first admit that he is sick. So long as you have returned to the starting point, it is fine to be lost."
"It pains me to hear that… All of those sacrifices the citizens made, and I'm only back at the start… Oh, this is too rough for me to bear. What am I supposed to do now?" the man moaned, placing his hand upon his forehead.
"Mr. Edison…" Ituha murmured, feeling his anguish.
Helena stepped up to her dejected friend and declared, "Do what Thomas Edison does best. If you fail 3000 times, you try again at attempt 3001. Your inability to be discouraged by failure caused a lot of trouble for the people around you, but you always found a way to get back up. That iron determination is what defines you at the core, isn't that right? Your ultimate talent wasn't your genius – it was your unwavering resolve."
Edison frowned. "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult. Even so, thank you for those words, Blavatsky. You really are my good friend. But I cannot deny that I am a coward at heart. The thought of leading a nation is so difficult for me…"
"That's not true," Karna said. "Just because you were lost doesn't mean you weren't heading in the correct direction. Your inventions shone light and saved countless lives, illuminating humanity out of the barbaric ages into an era of reason and science. Those are qualities you should be extremely proud of. You are not a Heroic Spirit who defeats his enemies, but one who defeats darkness and ignorance through your inventions. You may be at rock bottom now, but remember that hope you gave to everyone and stand back up. You're not alone in this battle – myself, Blavatsky, Helena, and all of these other Servants will help you."
"Karna…"
"Come. Show us the gems still buried within that deep mine called your peerless intellect, King of Inventions."
"Hmm… Yes… YES!" Edison shot to his feet, alarming Ituha and knocking her onto her butt. "I may only be a President now, having shed my identity as a King, but I will rise as often as needed! My dream is to bring peace and prosperity to this world, and I will not stop until that happens! Karna! Blavatsky! I apologize for all the trouble I have caused!"
Helena chuckled delightedly. "It's okay. We're friends, no matter what."
"I suppose so," Karna said with a small smile.
"Hah!" the president laughed. "Friendship is the one thing that raving hysteric can't beat me in! Ah yes, I must extend my apologies to you all as well, Nightingale and her team of capable Servants! To be honest, I am still uncertain of how to defeat the Celts and save the world, but now that so many brilliant minds have gathered here, I'm sure we can think of a way!"
"Well said," Scathach grinned lightly. "As a professional in the art of war and how the Celts behave, I will loan my full support."
"Now that this matter has been resolved, I believe we need some time to recuperate before assembling for our penultimate strategy meeting. I should get to know each of your comrades so I understand their abilities as well, Nightingale."
After the Servants rested for two days in guest suites, everyone sat around a large circular table in the conference room, except for Fia who was lying on the floor taking a power nap like a regular canine would. Edison stood at the head of the discussion and declared, "Now then! It is time to brainstorm as if our lives depend on it! Any and all suggestions shall be welcome!"
"Yes, yes! Me, me, me!" Elizabeth raised her hand up like a giddy schoolgirl.
"What is it, Elizabeth?"
"We invade and beat them up!"
"Err… Yes, that is the idea behind this meeting… The question is how we're going to accomplish that."
"How, huh? I know! I'll sing a song to heal their souls!"
Most of the Servants shouted in perfect unison, "DENIED!"
"Whaaat!? Why not!?"
"Um, Miss Elizabeth?" Ituha murmured in a nervous tone. "In my opinion, I don't think the Celts have the necessary refinement to appreciate your music."
"Oh… is that so?" the Lancer muttered dejectedly. "Guess there's nothing I can do to cure such stupidity."
Edison rubbed his forehead to relieve the building stress, then said, "Well, this is what we call letting 100 schools of thought contend, hm? In any case, we must reassess the current situation. Here's the most updated map of our territories."
He unfurled a map that had colored markings and notes scribbled everywhere. He continued, "Due to the world's incineration, the Celts will have no choice but to invade westward. They seek to divide their forces between a northern and a southern platoon. If we leave one side unexposed, we will be overwhelmed easily."
Scathach explained, "This era has only maintained itself because the Celts have not dominated enough territory. Edison's mech troops were enough to hold them back and preserve this world, but it's clear that losing too much land will be the condition for defeat in this war. In other words, we have to invade them without losing too much of our territory at the same time."
"I see," Edison frowned. "So my efforts were naught more than a stopgap measure…"
"You should be more proud of those efforts," Nightingale said. "My greatest patient, this world itself, was continuously losing stamina. However, you protected its heart so the contamination would not cause sudden cardiac death."
"Yes, of course. But at the same time, that was the limit to my capabilities. We know that four Servants will be leading the invading army, and my mechanized infantry will not be enough to stop them."
Elizabeth chirped in, "They may have four, but look at how many we have!"
"She's right," Helena said. "We should analyze their strengths and determine how to counter them. Remember, they have Cuchulainn, Medb, Arjuna and Beowulf. What we have in numbers, they equally have in power as some of the world's greatest heroes. Let's not forget the Celtic soldiers who can overwhelm even a Servant if they're not careful. There are also the monsters and Shadow Servants they throw into the bedlam for good measure. The real clincher is that they can reproduce infinitely."
"Hmm…" Rama mumbled. "Keeping up with them might be enough for me. Defeating them? Not likely."
The other Servants were starting to appear downhearted by their odds. Ituha wondered, "Do we have to rely on assassination again? It went terribly last time…"
"Seems like it," Edison said. "Eliminating the Holy Grail from the equation would be a tremendous help."
Scathach said, "In that case, a select few of us will go to Washington and kill Medb. Due to the botched attempt however, she'll no doubt be extremely cautious. If she senses enemy Servants, she'd want to recall her forces to protect herself."
"Ugh, that really hits home," Robin moaned.
"Quite the pickle we're in, wouldn't you say, Chief Nurse?" Edison asked Nightingale.
"I wouldn't know. I don't involve myself in military affairs. The only thing I can think of is fighting them head-on rather than trying to ambush them."
Scathach nodded. "That seems to be the most realistic option we have."
"Right," Rama agreed. "We split our forces into North and South Armies, plant mechanized infantry and Servants at one and simply hold the ground. The other army will rush toward Washington. From the distance between the two capitals, the Celts will want to concentrate the bulk of their forces on the north front, meaning our South Army will have to do the assassination."
Diarmuid said, "There are plenty of Servants here, but not enough to form 'two equal armies'. Our power distribution is rather uneven, so we must think of balancing the teams very carefully."
"Then I shall lead the North Army with my infantry and soldiers," Edison offered.
"I'll go with you," Helena said.
Rama said, "I would like to lead the South Army. Cuchulainn has a lot to answer for, and I want to see him pay for it personally."
"Treating the world's worst illness starts at the source, namely Washington. Not only that, but I also have a wounded hero that needs treatment. In that vein, I will be accompanying Rama," Nightingale replied.
"Oh my," Scathach smiled. "Even when that fool is in such a state, you still think of him as a patient."
"Hmm…" Ituha murmured. "As much as I would like to help Mr. Edison hold the North Army, something's telling me to go see Medb. Is it intuition, or something else…?"
Nightingale said, "Perhaps assisting in the assassination will help you recover your memories. Don't worry, I'm still responsible for your treatment, so I will make sure nothing brings harm to you."
"Seconded," Diarmuid declared. "If that is Miss Ituha's wish, then I will protect her at all costs. Of course, that means Fia will be following her around as well."
"Then I'll go with the north. Harassing entire armies with traps is my specialty," Robin said.
Elizabeth added, "As much as I want to gouge out Cuchulainn's throat for killing Saber, I'll leave that honor to you guys while I go with the north guys. That just leaves Scathach and Karna to decide."
Karna closed his eyes, then murmured, "I must act as a vanguard for when Arjuna appears. Finding him within the fray should not be difficult for me. The problem is fighting him without getting any of you involved in the scuffle."
"Perhaps you should maintain your stance somewhere in the middle then," Scathach said. That way the two armies won't interfere or get hurt."
"I agree. So then, what will you be doing? I can tell from your expression that you're intent with acting on your own."
"So you noticed," she grinned.
"Why, Teacher? We need you at the front lines," Ituha asked.
"I need to monitor Cuchulainn and Medb's actions. I imagine that Medb will not move about much, but that fool is a different matter. If needed, I will hold them down with everything I have."
"Isn't that just walking to your death!?" Rama exclaimed.
"Sure, if I was some other Servant, but I am a being that has transcended the concept of 'death'. Besides, even if I was defeated, it would take days for that to happen."
"You're saying that like it's inevitable…"
"It can't be helped. War is dirty business, but someone has to do it. If those two make it to the front lines at full power, we will lose. I am merely acting as a dam to hinder their progress, so it will be on all of you to lead the charge. That goes especially for you, Rama. I'm counting on you to keep my young apprentice safe."
He looked down at the sulking Ituha, then said, "You've got it. We'll destroy Medb if it's the last thing we do."
The Archer looked down sadly, unable to shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen to Scathach. Her mentor rested her hand on the child's shoulder and assured, "Don't make such a face. I'm willing to act as bait for Cuchulainn so he doesn't go straight to you. If I didn't, he would want to find you first and put you out of your misery."
"Put me out of my misery…?"
"He must've realized by now that you were suffering immensely. If he was the normal Cuchulainn, he wouldn't do something so drastic, but with that foreign appearance and personality he now possesses, I believe he only sees killing you as his way of saving you from his own stupidity. You mustn't let it come to that."
"…"
"Listen to me – you need to fight as hard as you can, with all of the strength and smarts you have available, and show him that you're able to live beyond these dark days that he forced you to endure. You have to prove your willingness to embrace life and fight for your right to live. You must seize the future that you want, rather than give up and accept the future that he wants for you. Do you understand?"
Ituha looked up at Scathach, then nodded. "Yes, Teacher. I'll do my best."
"Excellent. Nothing more can be asked of you. You're not alone, like you were before. You have a lot of friends who will protect you now. Go forward knowing that everyone is on your side."
"Okay."