Kadoc wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked over Ritsuka's sedated body. He didn't understand it, how was someone as ordinary as Ritsuka so damn strong? He heard that people got bursts of strength during times of great stress, but that was ridiculous!
"What the hell is going on?" Kadoc muttered to himself. Things were making less and less sense by the second. "Ritsuka", if that was who he really was, freaked out the moment he saw Doctor Romani. He did everything he could to… well, they didn't know what he'd do, but they had a feeling letting him close to the Doctor in his current state was a bad idea. So they had to hold him down and sedate him… a feat that took all of Team A working together to pull off.
They gently lowered Ritsuka into bed, sighing to themselves as Doctor Romani prepared to begin the check up.
"There isn't much we can do about it for now." Wodime stated after taking a minute to catch his breath. "I'm going to report to the Director about this."
"I'll tag along. Heaven knows you'll need someone to smooth things over." Pepe offered.
"I need to come with you, Wodime." Daybit suddenly added, his eyes not leaving Romani this entire time. Wodime gave a small nod.
"I… I guess I'll stay here and see if I can help out Doctor Romani." Ophelia offered.
"No. You need to come with us." Daybit said. "In fact, everyone needs to. We can't distract the good doctor." The others looked at him in confusion.
"Ah, well… I didn't want to say anything…" Romani said with a nervous laugh. "But if I'm going to seriously look for something wrong with Ritsuka, I'll work best without people here to… well, you know, get in the way and stuff."
"Aw, really? That's too bad, Kadoc. Guess you can't stick over him like a worried hen." Beryl verbally jabbed Kadoc as he physically jabbed his elbow into the boy's side. Kadoc only rolled his eyes as he rubbed his wounded body.
"Let's just go." Kadoc muttered as he left the room. The others were quick to follow him. Before anyone could break off, however, Daybit motioned for them all to follow him as he walked down the hall, away from the infirmary. They made sure they were out of earshot from anybody else before speaking again.
"This seems to be serious enough that you can't talk about it around the others, Daybit." Wodime commented as he looked over to his friend. "What's up?"
"... I didn't want to say anything in that room, in case something bad happened…" Daybit stated. The next words out of his mouth caused the entire group to freeze. "Who's Doctor Romani?"
Back at the infirmary, the Doctor closed the door, locking it as everyone left. A serious look came over the man's gentle face, marring it with malice as he turned to look back at his 'patient'. "What a troublesome human you are, Fujimaru Ritsuka." Doctor Romani muttered to himself as he sat down and placed his hand on Ritsuka's forehead.
With a gasp, Ritsuka opened his eyes. For a moment, he couldn't even tell he did that. But his eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, and he noticed small specks of light far into the distance. Looking around, he was surrounded by those lights. And looking below, he didn't see the ground, or any sort of floor. All that laid beneath him was a dark void littered with the little lights.
Was he in space?
Despite the lack of ground, he could stand with no issues. And despite all evidence to the contrary, he could breathe. He didn't feel hot, nor cold, and not a single sound reached his ear. He looked down at his feet, willing them to move, but they refused to listen. All he could do was stand there.
He didn't know how much time passed. Was it a few seconds? A minute? An hour? It felt as if a second was stretched for eternity, and yet it felt as if countless seconds passed all at once. Time had no meaning in this void. He was stranded in the sea of the stars, infinity stretching out in front of him.
And as he stood on the shore of the sea of stars, something appeared to him. A beast rose up out of that sea. Its form was unnatural, an abomination that the Earth itself could not create. No, it looked like something that dragged its way out of a nightmare, a nightmare made only to consume. The mere sight of it filled Ritsuka with a primal fear, a kind of fear he felt only a few times before.
The lower half of the monster was a strange black mud. It pulsed, it bubbled, it boiled over. The mud seemed to consume the very stars themselves, slowly casting their space into darkness. Ritsuka noted he saw that mud before. Where, his mind couldn't tell him, but visions of women made of that mud filled his mind.
The top half had seven heads with 10 horns between them. Ritsuka could see one of its heads bore a wound. The tips of that wound shone with a familiar golden glow that the strongest holy sword emitted. Such a wound should have been fatal, but it was healed. Despite the impossibility, it was obvious that the beast still lived.
The mouths of the creature was like that of a lion's, and the front legs with which it supported itself looked like those of a bear. The beast towered over Ritsuka, as if it was a mountain of evil.
"What…" The voice produced by the creature sounded young, almost around Ritsuka's own age. Yet the voice came out from each mouth, overlaying it into a booming echo that only a creature of its size could produce. "... a troublesome human you are, Fujimaru Ritsuka." Ritsuka could feel the power of this creature in his very soul. Each word felt like a heavy weight on his entire body. It was almost as if he was standing before something divine, but… whatever he felt from the creature wasn't divine.
No, it oozed with evil, as if even standing in its mere presence could corrupt a man.
"What… what are…" Ritsuka tried to speak, but he couldn't get the words out.
"You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" The creature continued. "I indulged your greed, found a timeline where your greatest desires could come true… and yet you reject it. Not even out of some heroic desire, you did it as naturally as you breathe. Solomon… must have left a deeper scar in you than even I could imagine."
Somewhere, deep in Ritsuka's chest, he felt a pang of pain at the mention of Solomon. It almost overpowered his own fear. Yet, he couldn't find strength. He could only stare at this creature he could only believe to be pure evil.
The creature stood before him, every head focused on him, every eye honed on to his soul. It stood there, as if waiting for him to speak. The boy from Chaldea mustered up every ounce of courage he could find.
"Wh-what are you?" Ritsuka managed to finally choke out. The void vibrated, the monster's mere chuckles shaking the very world they were in.
"So, you wish to play at ignorance? Very well, I will play along for now. I am the Alpha and the Omega. The First and the Last. The Beginning and the End. There is none greater than me…" The creature answered. Ritsuka's brain churned at that. The way the creature described himself… he read that somewhere before. But where was that from?
His mind scrambled, countless lessons from countless people about countless histories flooding his mind. He didn't recognize these people, he didn't recognize these lessons. Yet his mind was filled by them anyways. He couldn't shuffle through the information fast enough to find an answer.
Then, he realized. It didn't matter so much who this was, rather, the important question was–
"Wh…" He took a deep breath. His heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to calm down. "What do you want from me?" Ritsuka asked.
"That is my question to you, Master of Chaldea." The creature fired back. "I went nowhere near your timeline. I hid away, maturing, waiting, and yet, you came to me. I gave you no signs I even existed, but you came to a timeline with no connection to your own to hunt me down. I was not like the others. They directly confronted you, directly threatened you, or stole away your Servants, but I did no such thing. Why chase me down, star gazer?"
Despite his fear, Ritsuka felt anger at that remark. Chasing this thing down? He had no idea what the hell it was talking about! Ever since coming to this timeline, it was one thing piled on top of another. The boy was only human, and he was at his limit. He clenched his fist as he stood just a bit straighter. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" He yelled up to the monster, who shook its multiple heads before waving one of its claws. "I just woke up—" As suddenly as his outburst began, it stopped.
Like a switch flipped in his mind, memories began to return to him. Or more accurately, he was allowed to remember again.
He was the Master of Chaldea. The only survivor of the bombings that Lev set up. He fought through many battles, barely scraping by each time. He was no hero, he was just a boy that wanted to live.
And yet he remembered months of traveling with Team A. Befriending them, learning from them… hiding from danger behind them. Two conflicting lives clashed against each other in his head. He began to talk, to try to sort this all out, two conflicting sets of lives, two conflicting memories.
"I… I was… eating… yeah, I was eating in the cafeteria…" Ritsuka muttered to himself. "And then I… I fell asleep. I… ended up in Fuyuki… but… I don't know why… I met… Rin… Shirou… Shinji… they were in danger… I… I need to…" Ritsuka stumbled over his words, trying to find his mental footing. "I need to go back. They need my help." He finally said, that one fact ringing true in both his mind and heart. The creature leaned down, looking him dead in the eye. It searched for any sign of deception, any sign of a lie.
It found none.
"You truly were not after me. Who sent you then? That damn succubus? Or perhaps that marshal?" The monster paused, shaking its heads. "No, the how doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here now. So what will you do?" The creature's voice became… softer and gentler. "I've given you the life you truly wanted. All you need to do is take it…"
Ritsuka looked up at the creature, confusion marring his face. "What? What do you mean?" The monster sighed, before its whole body began to shift. It rapidly shrank, its overwhelming bulk becoming far more manageable. Its multiple heads all retracted until only one remained. Ritsuka soon realized it was taking a more human form.
Soon, instead of an imposing monster there stood what appeared to be a human only a little shorter than Ritsuka himself. They had fair skin, light blue eyes and pale blond hair. Their body was covered by a green shirt and green pants. In a way, it reminded Ritsuka of someone who had their mother dress them. The figure was both handsome and beautiful, androgynous yet recognizably male. It almost seemed like a light radiated from them.
A stark contrast to the monstrosity that stood before him not two seconds ago.
"I think we both know what I mean, Fujimaru Ritsuka…" The boy's voice was beautiful, like the soft ringing of bells. He walked to the Master of Chaldea, all traces of that overwhelming evil gone… or perhaps just masked? "Aren't you tired?"
The question caught Ritsuka off guard. "H-huh? No, I'm–"
"The killing, the pain of taking lives away. Being forced to do unthinkable things for the sake of others?" The boy continued, taking small, measured steps towards Ritsuka. "A wish for simpler times, one would think. A time where the good and evil is clearly laid out before you. Where you didn't have to weigh the lives of one against the others. To no longer have to play God in godless lands. Don't you want to go back to times like that?" The boy paused, stopping to look Ritsuka in the eyes, a small playful smile on his face.
"I… no… no! I don't want that!" Ritsuka replied, almost immediately. Instead of looking surprised, the boy only smiled wider, as if he expected Ritsuka to answer this way.
"Of course not." The boy replied with a playful shrug. "Tell me, Master of Chaldea, even before you were forced to become a scythe that separates the wheat from the chaff, just how tired were you?" He began to circle around Ritsuka, leaving footprints behind in the sea of stars. "Saving the world is no easy task. Even saving an island needed a special hero created specifically to do it. And he failed. People far greater than you failed at doing something smaller even once, and you were forced to do it no less than 3 times?" The boy put his hand on Ritsuka's shoulder.
"And the stress is getting to you. You cannot rest. At any moment, who knows when you'll need to Rayshift somewhere to put your life on the line to save the world? And when that isn't happening, you might be whisked away to some other world. Even on days meant for peace and relaxation, you cannot rest. Hawaii turned into a Lovecraftian time loop, Valentines' Day has you threatened to be eaten by at least 3 Beasts who offer you false rest, only to try to devour you whole." He leaned in to whisper the final words.
"And you'll soon break without me. You are alone."
"No!" Ritsuka pulled himself out of the boy's grip, turning to stare him down. "I'm not alone! I have—"
"Who? Who do you have?" The boy interrupted, his voice regaining just a bit of that echo. "Mash? You mean a child with no worldly experience, some child that pins all her hopes on you? Someone you support? She might protect you physically, she might even help you emotionally, but that's just a bandage. She won't be able to help you when it counts. She doesn't know your pain, she's never had her family and friends ripped away from her, she's not the one who slowly dies with every blast of that Black Barrel. No. That is you. So who's next?
Chaldea? We both know they only care because you are the only one left. You even saw it in the other timeline. If even one other member of Team A survived, they would not have cared about you. You would be a burden, a hindrance. They've built you up like this only to toss you aside the moment Kadoc recovers. Even at the Temple of Time, they considered you nothing but a bundle of nerves to turn into magical circuits, and an anchor for Servants. Why else would they make that abomination of a Mystic Code for you? They care not for you.
Your Servants? Hardly. They are shadows of heroes far greater than you, or Beasts that wish to drown you in temptation. They are only here because you are the only one left. Think about it, Ritsuka, think about it really hard. If you were in a Grail War, without the fate of the world at stake… how many would actually answer your call?"
As if on cue, a black flame shot out from the sea of stars, threatening to engulf the boy.
Without missing a beat, the boy raised an arm, summoning a wall of mud to block it. He then pointed, causing the wall to fly off to the source of the flames. "Even the good old Count there wanted to kill you on the first meeting. He would never answer your call willingly. You are not special." He let go of Ritsuka's shoulder and stood in front of him once more. "Face it, you have no one." He paused, waiting for any reaction from Ritsuka.
"I don't want to be special…" Ritsuka muttered. "I don't need to be special."
"Is that right?" The boy nodded as he mulled over Ritsuka's words. "True, you did tell Beast I that you only fought to live, and that's… that's something I can respect." He turned around, showing his back to Ritsuka. He bounced on his toes, humming to himself. "And you know, I am offering you that chance to live. Just accept this world."
"This… this world?" Ritsuka asked. "Living in a dream, I… that's nice, but it's not–"
"A dream? No, no, no. This, what you and I are doing, is a dream, but that world you were in? It was anything but. I wouldn't stake my own life on something as fragile as a dream." The boy looked over his shoulder, smiling at Ritsuka. "No… I simply picked you up… altered some memories, and placed you in another timeline."
"I… what? But.. how? That's…" Ritsuka tried to say that was ridiculous, utterly impossible, but the Beast interrupted him.
"Did you not hear me? There is none greater than me. That includes that pesky marshall." The boy boasted. Ritsuka couldn't tell if it was being honest or if it was trying to make itself seem more powerful than it really was. "Anyways, that is besides my point. This is a timeline where Team A didn't die. You know, people that you wished you had the chance to get closer to." He shrugged. "They lost their Fujimaru Ritsuka in their very first mission. A soul they couldn't save. You could help fill the holes in their heart while they fill the one in yours."
The boy turned, holding his hand out for Ritsuka. "You've done enough… just reach out to the hand that's helping you… and finally rest."
Ritsuka stared at the hand.
It was tempting, he had to admit.
For just a split second, he considered taking that comforting hand.
But something inside him told him no.
He took a deep breath, and braced himself for the storm to come.
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer." Ritsuka stated. The boy's hand tensed up.
"Why? Not?" The boy asked, his tone sharp as a knife. "I'm giving you the chance of a lifetime. Your only offer of salvation. Why reject it?! Why keep fighting?! What happened to not wanting to die?!"
Ritsuka looked at the body, shaking his head. "... Nothing's changed from Goetia. I'm still not a hero, I'm still not fighting for some selfless reason. And you're right. I'm tired. So, so tired. And yet, I'll keep fighting. I… I don't know why I need to keep fighting. I just know I need to.
Yeah, I'll probably die trying to do this. I don't want to die, but… I'm not going to run from it either. Then when it happens… as I take my last breath, I can look back on my life and smile. Because I'm just a normal person supported by everyone I've met. Despite the odds stacked against me, I made it so far. Farther than anyone would think possible.
My answer won't ever change. I have to reject your offer."
The boy only stared into Ritsuka's eyes. Ritsuka could see the boy's eyes darken as he processed what he was just told. The boy lowered his outstretched arm as he stared. Finally, he snapped.
"What is with you mortals?!" The boy cried out as he turned around, stomping his feet as he walked away. He began to mutter to himself, in a way that started to worry Ritsuka. "Mother, oh mother, I don't understand these humans. Greedy, they're greedy, rotten to the core! And yet they defy that! First when you offered Arthur his wish, and now the luck freak of the multiverse rejects my kind offer. Why? Was I not born to make their wishes come true? Why won't they let me? I don't understand, Mother…"
The boy turned, looking at Ritsuka. Ritsuka could see the boy's body begin to mutate and grow. The boy's back hunched over as he started to tower over Ritsuka again.
"Fujimaru Ritsuka." The slowly transforming monster stated as it grew another head. "I tried to be reasonable." Another head popped out of his shoulder. "I tried to give you what you truly desired deep down inside." More heads grew as his hands turned back into bear paws with sharp claws. "I tried to give you what no one else has tried to give you in the last three years in your life. But now. Now I have to kill you." His transformation finished, the monster now back in its true form. "All because you had to reject my offer!"
The monster turned, taking a step to the Master of Chaldea. Ritsuka stood his ground, staring back up at the monster. Within the sea of stars, a black flame was ignited. It surrounded Ritsuka's feet, encircling him.
"There's one thing you've been wrong about." Ritsuka stated as he stared right at the monster's seven heads. "If I accepted your offer, then I'd be throwing away the efforts of everyone that got me here, to this very moment!" Ritsuka shouted back as the flames grew taller. "And I know for a fact, that a wish that throws away the Doctor's sacrifice and all of Chaldea's efforts isn't something I truly want!"
The monster went to take a step forward, but paused as it looked at the black flames. If it was any other sort of magecraft, it wouldn't care. It would plow through them and kill Ritsuka right there. But those flames… they were wielded by the Count, but they were made by him. Powered by him. And as that man's complete antithesis, there was no telling what direct contact to that sort of power would do to the monster.
He wasn't going to risk it.
But, there was always more than one way to skin a cat.
"Ritsuka." the monster stated, his voice suddenly soft. It was no louder than an ordinary human's whisper. Somehow, that soft voice sent more chills down Ritsuka's spine than its roaring anger. "Let me ask you a question…" He looked down at the boy, his massive size dwarfing the Master of Chaldea. "If you look down and all you see are stars… then what will you see when you look up?"
The question caused the air to somehow become even more oppressive.
The star gazer from another timeline could only do one thing. He looked up. And what he saw was the Earth looming over both of them.
And then suddenly, Ritsuka shot off towards it.
He flew through the sea of stars like a bullet fired from a gun. He couldn't control his wild, high speed flight. The Earth approached faster and faster. He flew through the atmosphere. His body didn't react through the friction that should have opposed him.
All he could see was the ground coming closer and closer.
There was no way he could survive an impact like that.
He craned his neck back, trying to see where he came from. The monster was now just a dot in the sky, the sea of stars getting farther and farther away. However, Ritsuka did notice a shooting star, one made of blue flame. It flew towards him, a spark of home in this darkness. But Ritsuka felt it in the pit of his stomach…
The star of hope wouldn't reach him in time.
He turned his head and stared straight at the ground. Instead of cowering away and closing his eyes, he kept his eyes wide open, ready to see his end.
But that never came.
The world around him shimmered. It began to warp, to spiral around him. The sea of stars and the Earth below got caught in a vortex that bent this false reality. The dream began to form a tunnel around Ritsuka, the ground vanishing. He was now falling infinitely in a hole that had no beginning and no end. Yet, he felt no fear in his heart any more. All because of one thing that flew past his eyes as he fell.
A beautiful pink flower flew by his face.
Countless pink petals followed it, engulfing Fujimaru in a vortex of pink flowers.
At the same time, that blue star of hope caught up to him. The man in the cyan coat, the Count of Monte Cristo, grabbed Ritsuka's sides as they fell, pulling the Master of Chaldea close. Their descent gently slowed down, the two coming to a near standstill in a few seconds. The flowers flew beneath them, creating a new floor for the two to stand on.
The flowers soon turned into a grassy field, one that stretched far into the horizon. The sky itself was beautiful, with a few clouds peppered across a brilliant blue.
The Count gently put the boy down on the new solid ground without a word.
"Well, well, my Master. You sure do have a habit of getting into strange troubles, don't you?" A gentle voice Ritsuka recognized called out. Turning his head, Ritsuka saw a mage dressed in white robes with pure white hair walking to him.
"Merlin!" Ritsuka's sheer relief nearly caused his legs to give out from under him.
"Yes, yes, that's a look I like." The wizard winked with a smile as he saw Ritsuka's relieved face. "Feel free to—"
"Your illusions will not hold up forever, wizard, and my flames will only act as a deterrent for so long." The Count sharply reprimanded as he floated behind Merlin, his back to Merlin's own. Ritsuka looked up again in the sky to see the monster he was just talking to. Despite it being far away, he could still see it clearly, a testament to how big it really was.
The creature was frozen in place, staring blankly into the distance. No doubt, it was still caught in Merlin's illusions.
"I suppose not." Merlin sighed in agreement. "Your thanks can wait then Master. We have important matters to talk about."
"Yeah, I have several questions." Ritsuka admitted. "First one that comes to mind is what are you doing here? You're not one to step in like this."
Merlin only laughed. "True, but… let's say this one required that I stepped in a little. Without Chaldea, you're very blind, and you need to know what's going on."
"Yeah, that's true… it's been pretty rough without Chaldea." Ritsuka sighed to himself. "Anyways, hit me with it, what do I need to know?"
"That creature you spoke to is from another timeline. A timeline even you haven't visited yet… but you do know some people from it. It is a creature that the alternative version of my king chases through the multiverse." Merlin explained.
"Wait… the thing he's been chasing…" Ritsuka's mind flashed back to the two times Arthur explained why he was in their timeline. "So, that's Beast VI?" Ritsuka asked. Merlin looked up, spinning his staff and pointing at the creature.
"It is a creature that brings forth the end. A false savior disguised as the son of God. It devours entire timelines for its own nourishment. Birthed into this world by an unnatural woman obsessed with the King of Knights, it is known as Beast 666!" Merlin announced dramatically. "Not to be confused with a Beast."
With such a dramatic introduction, Ritsuka could tell Beast 666 was a big deal. However, there was one thing left unclear. "So, it's not a Beast?"
"Oh, no, it's a Beast. Beast VI/L to be exact." Merlin said with a smile. Ritsuka withheld from sighing deeply.
"So, I'm under attack from Beast VI/L…? And Chaldea still can't help me?"
"Not at the moment, no." Merlin stated. "You'll need to summon other Servants in that timeline you were in to strengthen our connection." Ritsuka nodded at that.
"Right, summoning Servants. I'll get right to that as soon as I get back." A thought crossed the boy's mind. He couldn't just summon Servants haphazardly, he'd need some sort of plan. He looked up at the Beast of Greed and Gluttony, taking note of it.
A plan was forming in his head. It was a long shot, but it just might work.
"Merlin, I need some help. Your magecraft is good at messing with my head. I need you to do something for me."
"I would advise against that." The Count commented, his flames flaring up just a little bit. "No telling what someone like him might implant in you."
"I trust Merlin." Ritsuka replied. "And what I'm about to ask of him is the key to victory here. If I can't remember in the heat of the moment, then we're all doomed."
"Well, I'm touched you put so much faith in me, Master." Merlin smiled. "So, what do you need me to make you remember?" He reached out, placing a hand on Ritsuka's head. "Just think about what it is, and I'll do the rest." Rituska closed his eyes as he thought back. Back to the city beneath the sea. Back to where the Gods still ruled over humanity.
In those memories was the key to victory.
With the memory now at the front of Ritsuka's mind, Merlin casted his Magecraft, locking it in so Ritsuka couldn't forget it. As he did, the Beast in the sky began to slowly stir.
"Hmm, it's time for you to claw your way out of Hell again, my accomplice." The Count said with a wide grin as the dreamworld began to burn away in black flames.
"Ah, ah, one more word of warning, my Master!" Merlin called out to Ritsuka. "Once you find your way back to that other timeline you were originally taken to, you'll find yourself in your real body! You'll have to be even more careful than usual! But that's not a problem for you, right? And remember, it's just a Beast! You'll be able to overcome it! After all, this isn't the first time you've done such a feat!"
Ritsuka could only find himself sweating at that. Just because he did things like this before didn't make it any less dangerous!
Before he could say anything, the world around him vanished, consumed by the black flames and the maniacal laughter of the Count.
It was far too quiet.
The last Master of Chaldea opened his eyes to see he was back in the Chaldean infirmary, the false Doctor Romani looking down at him in shock.
There was only one thing that Romani could be.
Ritsuka leapt out of bed, jumping to the door. The false Romani stood up, his arm turning into that black mud.
"Are you trying to eat two timelines at once?" Ritsuka asked. "That's pretty greedy of you."
"No, no. I was truly going to leave this timeline alone. But, if you're so insistent on fighting back, I can definitely munch on it before heading back to the main course." Beast 666 stated as he whipped the mud at Ritsuka.
The Master of Chaldea ducked as his Command Seals began to glow. Out of it came a dark mist, one that took the form of the ninja Fuuma Kotaro. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
"Now!" Ritsuka shouted. Beast 666 laughed, whipping around.
"You think such a simple, stupid trick can work on me?!" He called out, whipping his mud out to slap the ninja attacking him from behind. Except… there was no ninja there. Smoke rapidly filled the room, and the Beast heard the door opening. He sighed to himself. "Well played, Fujimaru." He begrudgingly admitted.
Ritsuka rushed down the hall as the ninja ran besides him. Ritsuka gave a silent command, and the ninja once again vanished into thin air. As he ran, he heard an announcement broadcast throughout the halls.
"Attention all Masters! Fujimaru Ritsuka is in fact a familiar of King Solomon disguised as a human! He attacked me and is attempting to destroy Chaldea! You must capture him, dead or alive!" The voice of the fake Romani commanded.
"Alright, here we go…" Ritsuka muttered as his Command Seals began to glow again. Masters he didn't recognize, staff he hadn't seen in years began to pour out into the halls. One man vs a small army.
Mist began to flow out of his Command Seals again, this time taking the form of the giant wolf Lobo. The headless horseman on the wolf's back grabbed the Master's hand, pulling him up. The wolf barreled forward.
A Master stepped forth to stand in the way. By their side was the rotund form of Caesar. The wolf howled as he charged forward. Caesar stood, his sword glinting as he prepared to swing it.
The wolf took a leap, jumping over both in a single bound. The helpless pair could only watch as Fujimaru Ritsuka and Lobo ignored them, instead opting to keep pushing forward.
Lobo soon took a sharp right, heading deeper into Chaldea, and to their ultimate destination. As he ran, a horse's neigh caught Ritsuka's attention. Looking over his shoulder, the Last Master saw Alexander chasing after him on his horse. Lobo was staying ahead for now, but Ritsuka could see it. He could see the distance between the steeds closing.
Looking down at his hand, Ritsuka began to think. It was tempting to just have Berserker Lancelot appear and wildly fire his gatling gun, but Ritsuka didn't want to accidentally kill a human. With that in mind, he began another Shadow Servant summon. The mist gathered on top of Lobo's back, taking the form of Tristan.
The Archer began to strum on his harp-like bow. The horse tried to dodge and weave around the invisible shots of air, but it was nicked on its leg. The horse fell, ending that pursuit.
Ritsuka turned his attention back to in front of him, where a Master stepped forth with Artemis at their side. The goddess pulled back on her bow, firing shots at the giant wolf. Ritsuka quickly thought to himself. The place he wanted to go was just beyond this Master. And it was probably a place they would believe someone evil would target. So they probably expected him to break off into another direction, where a trap would be waiting for him. That is, if he was following common sense.
Unfortunately for them, Fujimaru Ritsuka was one who transcended common sense!
With a snap of his fingers, Tristan played a new tune, a song of healing. Lobo charged ahead, ignoring all other paths. And Ritsuka let out a war cry as they pressed on.
The Master standing in their way was obviously shaken by the plan falling apart. They shouted at Artemis. The goddess took aim, the arrow pointed right at Ritsuka's head. Without saying a word, she fired.
The arrow flew.
The wolf ran.
Closer.
Closer.
In a feat one would believe impossible, the wolf ducked to the right. Ritsuka lowered their head. The arrow flew right above Fujimaru's face before careening off into the distance. Having evaded the arrow, the wolf slammed its body into Artemis, tackling her to the ground. It then took off again, once again free to run.
They took a quick left, the final turn needed to get to their destination. The wolf suddenly stopped, causing Ritsuka to look up. And at the end of the hallway, Ritsuka could see someone waiting for him.
Kadoc and Anatasia stood at the ready.
One hundred feet stood between them. Ritsuka's goal was a mere fifty feet away. Lobo could cover that distance nearly instantly, but would his body be able to avoid the ice that was sure to come?
Ritsuka was sure Kadoc was saying something to him, he could see his lips moving. However, due to the boy's own pounding heart and the distance between them, Kadoc's voice didn't reach Ritsuka. There was only one thing he could do. Every second wasted trying to think or hear Kadoc was another for the boy to be surrounded.
Sensing Ritsuka's resolve, the wolf's muscles tensed.
With a fierce howl, the wolf took off.
Anatasia reacted right away, throwing icicle shards at the Shadow Servant. Tristan strummed his bow, shooting down each and every piece of ice. Seeing her attack nullified, the Duchess took a step forward. The floor beneath was instantly covered in ice, and the ice quickly traveled forward. It covered more and more of the hallway, forming a large wall of ice along the real walls.
A wall of ice that would soon cover the door Ritsuka was gunning for.
Gritting his teeth, Ritsuka jumped forward, soaring through the air. For a brief second, it felt like the boy was really flying. He then fell to the floor, gravity being an oppression he couldn't overcome just yet. He tucked in his body, tumbling across the floor before springing back up to his feet.
The ice was rapidly approaching the door.
"Instant… Enhancement!" Ritsuka called out as he let his mana flow through his Mystic Code. The clothing responded, empowering his entire body as he shot forward to the door. His Shadow Servants faded away as he rushed down the hallway, trying to beat the ice to the final few feet he needed to cross.
The boy stopped in front of the automatic doors, grabbing them as it slowly slid open. With the last burst of his enhanced strength, he threw it open, diving inside. The second he crossed the threshold, the ice covered the doorway, sealing him inside the room.
That didn't matter to Ritsuka though, he made it to the place he wanted to go.
The Chaldea Summoning Room.
He clapped his hands, the Shadow Fuuma appearing by his side. In its hands were three Saint Quartz it stole from the storage room. With a smile, Ritsuka grabbed them and walked to the center of the room. A summoning circle on top of a shield sat there, waiting for him.
He gazed into the Saint Quartz for a split second before raising them high above his head, yelling at the top of his lungs. He then slammed them down into the shield, the Saint Quartz shattering instantly. They formed small dots of light that surrounded the summoning Circle.
"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny!" Ritsuka chanted as the dots of light around him began to swirl. "Warrior twisted by a wish, warrior created to be king! If you heed my call, then follow these guiding lights and answer me!" The orbs of light began to refract as they swirled, creating a band of rainbows around him. "Seventh Heaven clad in the great words of the stargazers, come forth, pass your judgment, and punish my enemies–" The band of rainbow expanded out, creating three rings that surrounded Ritsuka. "–Guardian of the Scales!"
A pillar of light shot into the ceiling, illuminating the entire room in a harsh light. When the light finally died down, there stood a familiar Servant in front of him.
A reliable Celtic warrior twisted by Queen Medb's desires stood before him. His body was covered in a black and red armor, the armor itself covered in spikes. A black hood adorned his head, and a long, monstrous tail hung behind him.
"Hmph. Alright Master… what are your orders?" Cu Alter wasted no time, his eyes fixed on the wall of ice blocking their path. Ritsuka paused, and for a second, the reality of the situation hit him. He thought about that Beast and the face it posed as. He thought about how much he missed that man, and for a second, his true emotions leaked.
His voice was heavy with both grief and rage as he gave the order.
"Destroy… the fake Dr. Romani…"
IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE: Beast 666 being Beast VI/L is in fact, a shot I am taking in the dark. However, I do believe there is a logic to my guess, despite us not really knowing. Beast VI L and R are both obviously from Prototype, as Arthur has stated in his interlude that he is trying to defeat it for a third time.
I think R is Manaka, because they state that R has a scent, compared to L's miasma. And while it was just a joke manga, Manaka has been shown using Febreze to cover her stink, aka her scent, so… yeah. Just a shot in the dark.
Draco's too weird of an existence and wasn't a thing when I planned this story, so I ain't acknowledging her. Sorry.