Troubleshooter

by collinsworth

Waifu Catalogue fic. Yanked from his, frankly, boring life, James Collinsworth finds himself employed by The Company. Now immersed into the place's culture, he became a Troubleshooter — finding trouble and then shooting the shit out of it. An endless lifetime of adventures and high-stakes wait for him, and a lot more trouble than he ever bargained for. (Build on profile!)

13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"James, are you sure?" Cortana asked, twisting her hands together.

I shrugged and tried to give her a reassuring smile. I stood in the center of a circle of people, deep inside one cave away from the population. The entire situation felt heavy — stifling. I couldn't cotton exactly on what felt off, but there was a sense of wrongness that raised my hackles. The loan had finally pinged in my account, and I was ready to expand my Pocket Apartment into a proper home with a stretch of land around it; Sweet Home, Grand Manor, and Life's a Beach. All of those at once, and just in case, we decided to relocate there, away from everything easily breakable.

Cortana's anxiety was mirrored in the posture and expressions of our friends.

Sanzang, Bedivere, Gabrielle, Mash, Cortana, Da Vinci and Arash were here. Most of them also had a premonition it wouldn't go so smoothly — Sanzang had a white-knuckled grip on her staff, and Mash had her shield covering Gabrielle, while Arash watched every movement I made like a hawk. I rolled my eyes, even if it felt good that all those worrywarts saw fit to watch me doing something so banal in the case it all went tits up.

"I second that," Da Vinci said, with her glasses on and her gauntleted fingers tapping on a table almost subsumed under a deluge of papers and studies. "The entire situation doesn't smell so good, Master, we should be more cautious."

After our kiss, Da Vinci started to gradually open herself more. It didn't mean she had abandoned her boisterous persona; oh no, that was as much part of her as everything else. But sometimes, between stolen touches and passing smiles, she found time to sit close to me, and we talked about whatever struck our fancy over a mug of coffee.

It was not that she had changed, but now, Da Vinci allowed me to see more of her. I liked it.

"That's all we got," I said and forced my expression into one of levity. "C'mon guys, the bitch finally gave her army their orders and even my eyes can't pierce who the fuck is commanding them — the situation is going real bad and that's how we can save all those civilians." I crossed my arms. "Just sit tight and let daddy James deal with it, yeah?"

There was a collective groan of exasperation as I brought up my smartphone, selected the upgrades, and my finger hovered above the buy button as I hesitated. It was funny how fast friendships can be born between so many different people. That bad feeling, as I understood it, was probably coming from the fact that they would be in danger during the siege, even with my help, and it made me hesitate.

No time like now, I thought.

"Wait, James, Doc McNinja just —" Cortana exclaimed while I pressed the button.

I stood straighter after he said that, looking at her — her expression was like he had just seen a ghost. I looked back at my phone, and just as Cortana noted, there was a message. I opened it and felt the color draining from my face with each word I read.

Cortana looked at me, her expression showing how scared she was, while Da Vinci had lost her smile. The message kept hammering on my mind almost as a physical force as its brevity belied its importance.

It said:

STOP HIM!

There was a moment of silence, and I smiled reassuringly at her. "See, that's not too —"

I fell to the ground howling as everything hurt.

It started as knives worming under my skin and got worse each second. Every singular part of me began to burn in tandem as something churned inside my chest.

The Demiplane Seed awakened, and it was a void of hunger. It spread like shards of glass through my body and more, scrapping and drinking from my soul. I slammed my fists on the ground, barely noticing the blurred forms of Da Vinci and Arash grabbing Cortana's arms to drag her away from me — and I screamed. I screamed and screamed until my throat was raw. Every muscle of my body tensed as my back arched more and more until it seemed my spine would snap.

That was when another force appeared.

A foreign presence trying to chain me. It was enormous, a sacred pillar connecting many worlds that looked like a spiral of pure gold. One which spun and spun and tried to catch me inside its coils decided to bring me under its overpowering domain. It couldn't latch on me; even in agony, I understood that, but it could still hurt, and it did —

I convulsed, my jaw clicking shut as my eyes rolled up inside my head, and everything that made me… well, me, started to drain away, feeding that gaping maw that opened inside my soul, all the while the Lance still tried to destroy me.

I am James Collinsworth; I am James Collinsworth —

I repeated that mantra as my entire being was condensed into an infinitely small point. It was further compressed, welded into a complicated framework I had no words for and could barely feel. It was manhandled, roughed up, and used as source fuel until it started to flake off. Everything that made me James ground into dust and sanded down.

All the while, I kept trying to remind myself. I kept trying to ground myself. I tried —

My name was James Collinsworth, orphan, soldier, lost and found. Troubleshooter.

Twist.

My name was Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, and for love, I destroyed all that I had also loved.

Shift.

My name was Clark Kent. Kal-El. Superman. The alien, the man of tomorrow, the greatest hero walking amongst mortals. I was the inspiration of a thousand dreamers. The symbol of hope for untold billions and trillions. The man who could fly.

Turn.

My name was —

I was —

I.

The being that was once called James was no more. Every grain of sand, every particle of his inner world, started to form with his True Name written on them as he ceased to be. The Demiplane Seed took from Inexhaustible, a void being filled by endless energy and using it to establish itself. But there was also an interloper — Rhongomyniad. The Lance at the End of the World tried to make himself real inside the new demiplane, to bring an end to this new world that was only beginning.

The lance couldn't do it, as the Demiplane Seed was protected by higher powers than it could dream of. So Rhongomyniad got enraged and lashed out, ripping and tearing. It ground the nascent godhead as it became nothing, snarling in anger when uncaring of the lance's ire, the being started to be again.

And as it continued, some — not many, but those in the known — watched. Friends, enemies, with both concern and greed. They watched as a new world was born from bones, as Odin used Ymir as the soil from whence an entire universe would spring. They watched as Chaos and Order danced, together and apart simultaneously, moving under the symphony of a new genesis.

From nothing, the being that once had been James became everything. While the world inside was also an expression of its being, every particle had him as the root. The lynchpin holding the world together. While James was no more, the Demiplane Seed drank and drank until it was a single point thrumming with power.

Until it couldn't contain itself anymore.

It exploded, while the Rhongomyniad could only watch and scream with fury.

Because inside the inner world,

THERE WAS LIGHT

And James suddenly started to be again.

I crashed back into consciousness, suddenly able to think as I watched through a sense I couldn't name a new world being born. My world. However, with consciousness came the pain, and I was almost glad to feel it even as I started to scream again. My eyelids refused to open, but I felt the gentle touch of a dainty, feminine pair of hands on my temples as I spasmed. From those hands came a feeling, a promise, that she'd help and soothe me if I let her.

I did.

Magic blossomed from her touch, first a mere trickle but, soon enough, a tidal wave capable of dosing out my inner fire — a balm, much like the embrace of a parent telling a child everything would be alright as it showed me the truth. It told me everything begins and ends; it begins because it once had begun. It ends because once it has ended. The teachings of the bewitching Buddha of Glorious Sandalwood, Vyākaraṇa.

It said to look inside myself, for everything there was me, and all that I could do was to —

Understand. Internalize. Accept. Take it all, like petals floating in the wind.

It was because there couldn't be a time where it hadn't been.

That was enlightenment.

There was peace, then, and I thought no more.

DA VINCI

The mugs in my hands steamed as I went inside the house, although it was impossible to ward off the chill running up my spine at seeing the scene there. Sanzang still kneeled with Master's head on her lap, her hands touching his temples and whispering sutras as her Mana was channeled inside his head. A faint halo wreathed her, flickering and leaving red petals of light twirling in the air. The light was much weaker now than it had been two days ago when Master had collapsed and almost brought the entire mountain down until Sanzang calmed him.

It was exquisite from an aesthetic standpoint, framing the scene with almost deliberate artistry.

I would paint it to show Master, because he would wake up.

There was no doubt about that in my mind, and my mind was vast.

Yet, I only had eyes for the other person in the room, who had also barely left there since it happened. Cortana, sitting on a chair by their side, watching intently and searching for any sight of Master waking up. I didn't need much of my smarts to know she was running every diagnostic her systems could do in a loop, again and again, until something changed.

Nothing had, though, ever since that day.

"I got your coffee here," I told Cortana, glancing at Sanzang, who looked absolutely disheveled with her hair fanning around. We had tried to offer her some food or water during the first day, but she was dead to the world as much as Master was, "I thought you'd need it."

Cortana stared at me, her big, blue eyes red-rimmed. "Thanks."

She grabbed the mug but didn't drink from it as we stood there in silence, taking in the picture of Master being wholly laid out while Sanzang tried her best to help him, every twitch he made looking wrong, a man of action being so vulnerable. Cortana kept tapping her feet, a sense of anxiety wafting from her.

"You need to take a break," I said, grabbing her shoulder as gently as possible.

"No," Cortana said instantly, her gaze firmly locked on James. "Not until he wakes up."

"We don't know how much it's going to take, and the army approaches. Sir Lancelot finally came into alcance of our communicators and is hot on their heels, but for all my qualities, I'm not a military mind," I said, trying to force some levity I didn't feel in my tone. After all, the Mona Lisa should never lose her smile.

Even if it was damn hard to, sometimes.

"Cortana, the people need you —"

"To hell with them, James needs me," she said. "I'm not going to abandon him now."

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore how hurting Cortana had sounded right now, and tried again.

"He wouldn't have wanted to see you like this," I told her.

Cortana stiffened, her movements looking as machinelike as I ever saw her, and the glare she sent at me was nothing if not venomous. "Well, he's not awake to tell me that, is he now?"

"But he'll be. That Doctor McNinja fellow explained this entire disaster was caused by an intern being stupid, as James should never have taken those upgrades at once and there, with Rhongomyniad's influence so close. He also elaborated, in great detail, about the kind of comeuppance this intern will suffer," I shrugged, trying to not look at the listless form of my Master to keep my tone upbeat. "He'll be up and about in no time, Cortana, so please, please, go relax for a while."

The chair clattered as Cortana went up to her feet. "Do you not think I know that? That I haven't seen those messages? Knowing things is what I do, Da Vinci! But even after everyone had a bad feeling about my oh, so awesome plan, he still went and did it! He should've known better!" Cortana said, throwing the mug on the wall. "I should've known better!"

"That's not like this —" I began, but Cortana kept speaking.

"It is! Look at us, where was all that supposed brilliance when I needed to consider that there was a reason those Demiplane upgrades only unlocked after he got Inexhaustible? To think that something called The Lance at the End of the World would be a smidgen miffed when he created another world?!" Cortana yelled, getting on my face and poking my chest, her eyes blazing with fury. "Where was this Da Vinci-chan supreme intelligence to tell us it was a bad idea? Where was all of this, huh?" She threw her mug of coffee on the wall. "Nowhere, nowhere, and now he's gone and —"

I hugged her. Cortana didn't even try to escape my hold, her body feeling feverishly against mine as she trembled. My fingers threaded through her ashen air as I brought her deeper against my bosom while she kept mumbling nonsense, making noises that soon turned watery as I tried to comfort her.

"It's alright," I said in her ear. "It's alright."

"No," she babbled. "I failed, Da Vinci, and now he's here like that…"

"We did not!" I yelled, anger finally bubbling inside me and forcing her to look at me by grabbing her chin. "We didn't! We're not perfect, Cortana, and you know what? He also isn't, and that's okay! We were wrong, but that was all that it is!" I paused, breathing deeply and caressing her face, as I continued in a quieter tone, "We didn't fail. We didn't. He isn't dead, and we can still rise from it, be better, do better; because you know what? Between us three, we can do anything!'

Cortana didn't answer immediately, taking her time to just hold me.

"How?" She asked. Her voice sounded strangled — a plea, more than a question.

"Doing what must be done. Tell me, what would Master say, seeing you like this?"

Cortana let out a watery chuckle as I held her tighter. "He'd say to stop being a bunch of right wankers and just fuck those knights right and proper in his name or something, like a fool."

"Exactly!" I said, feeling an almost manic laugh escaping from my lips, and felt Cortana shaking with suppressed mirth. "That's what we should do, you know? So when he wakes up — not if, mind, when! — he can just go and say," I tried to imitate Master's voice, but the result was more comical than anything else. "Bloody hell, those two absolutely scarousing ladies didn't even leave a butt unkicked for me!"

I coughed, my throat unaccustomed to this abuse, and Cortana finally let out a gale of laughter, a twinkling, marvelous sound that made this dreary room warmer. She relaxed a small amount as her eyes met mine, shining with unshod tears even as Cortana smiled wide.

"That sounds like something he'd say," Cortana said. "Very himbotastic of you."

"Isn't it?" I said and kissed her forehead. Cortana raised her head, her smile diminishing.

She held me tighter. "Can you tell me something?"

"Anything."

Cortana kept silent for a second, watching me intently, searching for something in my face.

"Will you stay with me?" She finally asked, sounding vulnerable. Brittle. "I can't do this alone."

The answer was self-evident as I considered what had happened to bring me here with her. Being summoned, finding my way out of that capsule, meeting those two wonderful people. The moments we laughed and joked together, where those two, even if by accident, made me feel welcome. Like I could be myself. Those moments they'd appreciate me and showed it — in a clumsy but heartfelt way.

I looked at Cortana. Really, really, looked at her — at what was inside her beautiful black uniform as she bit her lower lip, her white hair and pale skin contrasting wonderfully with her blue eyes and red lips. One of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, the beauty redoubled by her heart of gold. Even now, while her vulnerabilities were made clear with each tremble of her body, Cortana was alluring. She was porcelain, fragile and masterfully done, and there was no way I could tear my gaze away from her.

I wanted to hold her. Protect her. Have her.

We three belonged together.

In the face of that, my answer couldn't have been any other.

"To the end," I promised.

And our eyes met again.

For the life of me, I couldn't say who started it.

We just moved, an irresistible attraction bringing us closer until meeting halfway. It was impossible to not compare Cortana's kiss with James' after our lips touched, even as she grabbed my neck and pulled me deeper into it, hungry, desperate for reassurance. James was like a force of nature, forcefully bringing everyone into his orbit and leaving everything changed in his wake, but Cortana… Cortana was very different.

Her kiss was softer yet still full of passion.

They were two very different people, with very different ways of kissing and showing how much they loved, freely, without reservation. Both of them made my stomach go aflutter in different ways, and wasn't that a strange mix of scary and joyful, seeing how it felt utterly right?

I lost myself in Cortana and never wanted to be found again.

Cortana had one of her hands in my hair while the other grabbed my waist, our chests pressed as bodies together in a dance as old as time, a fire lit inside my chest yearning for more of her that could never be quenched. That's it, I thought, drunk in our little world as I felt myself smiling in our kiss. That's it. That's where I belong right here with those two.

It was said that lightning couldn't strike twice, but what could this be otherwise?

Our kiss ended slowly — with many false ends as we traded butterfly kisses until our lips met again. Cortana still held me, flushed and breathing heavily, and so was I. She laid her head on my chest as I snuggled my face on her hair and took a deep breath, the scent of blueberries feeling wonderful. Having her in my arms was something new and extraordinary, while her sweet taste on my lips made me want more.

I was ready to try again —

"Sorry, but I have urgent news!" A soldier yelled from the doorstep, breathing heavily as beads of sweat ran down his face. The multitude of sensors I spread around the village and wasn't paying attention to, either physical or magical, pinged at once. "They're here! The army of the Lion King is here!"

There was silence as Cortana raised her face, and our eyes met.

The time had come.

There was tension in the air, and the soldier had run away to alert the rest of the village. Multitudes of data, linked to me through Mana and that I sent to Cortana, started flowing from the connection with the Bounded Fields and my inventions around the village, all of them painting a nightmarish picture of what was coming for us.

I ran my thumb on Cortana's moist lower lip. "Together?"

She stared at me for a second more, her blue eyes full of warmth and convening everything she felt about what we had just done without words, and our foreheads touched — just for a second before she stepped away from my embrace.

And she stood tall.

Her spine went straighter, making me notice how taller than me she was — it seemed I had a type, now. Her ridiculous amounts of resolve were evident on the set of her jaw and posture, which at once started irradiating pure command.

Cortana grabbed my hand, interlacing her fingers with mine.

Her voice was unwavering. "To the end."

MASH KYRIELIGHT

We stood on an outcrop, which allowed us to see the entirety of the village and beyond, and what I saw chilled me to the bone. The entire enemy army extended downrange as far as the eye could see. I grabbed Senpai's hand by instinct, my grip on my shield getting tighter.

James had created trenches before his… accident, and palisades further narrowed their path into choke points, where Da Vinci had installed turrets and some other surprises.

But all in all, the only thing stopping them from charging was the village's location; being on the upside of a mountain range, they'd need to pay in blood for every inch up here. However, the knights seemed ready to try and had enough numbers, blanketing the horizon almost to the desert.

"Sir Lancelot, are you listening?" Cortana said, showing none of the nervousness I felt. Her voice was clear, the communicator in her ear transmitting it to where we hoped Lancelot was, and she looked unmoving in the face of danger. Da Vinci had her eyes closed and waved her staff around; as a Servant, I felt Mana keenly, and I didn't need my eyes to see that she was weaving the Bounded Fields around the village tighter, shifting their composition to correct problems only she could know.

Bedivere and Arash were also close to us, both ready for a fight. Arash's hands blurred in movement as he rained arrow after arrow against the densely packed crowd of enemies — meanwhile, Hassan of the Cursed Arm and Serenity were poised to run interference against whoever reached us while the civilians evacuated inside the shallow caves.

Bringing Sanzang and James with them.

"Who are those?" I asked, pointing to two figures bounding ahead of the soldiers.

One of them looked male, wreathed in darkness that made it impossible to see who he was from this far, but the other one — she made her identity clear as she raised her sword high and a raging whirlwind of red illuminated the night.

"Mordred," Bedivere said, Airgetlám flexing. "She's going to use her —"

"Clarent Blood Arthur!"Mordred screamed, her voice supernaturally clear from that distance as she brought the light beam down.

"Da Vinci!" Cortana yelled.

"On it!" Da Vinci-chan said and held her staff higher, whispering under her breath. This time I didn't need Servant senses to see what was happening — the Bounded Fields overlapped like a shield wall to receive the hit, and for a moment, they flickered into life in a deluge of colors.

Until it hit, and there was only red.

It sounded like an explosion when it impacted the Bounded Fields, fraying them around the edges as they caved inwards, but miraculously, incredibly, they held! Da Vinci groaned and fell to a knee, still holding her staff, the Saint Quartz glowing like a star. Cortana let out a scream of alarm and ran to her. "Da Vinci! Are you alright?!"

Da Vinci waved her away, getting back to her feet shakily. "Just. A bit more," she said through gritted teeth, her body tensing as she raised her staff higher as if holding something cumbersome, her arms almost buckling under the strain. "A second more, only a second — "

She grunted, and, with the sound of shattering glass, the Bounded Fields were ripped apart — but with them, that horrible beam of light also did, flickering off until it was gone. Da Vinci hunched forward, her gauntleted hand on her knee, sagging with relief. When Da Vinci raised her head to look at us, even as Cortana helped her stand up, she wasn't smiling.

"Another one of those will bring everything down," she declared.

It was worse than that. Even from up there, I could hear the shouts and cacophony from our men as they started their charge — and they did it silently. Measured. Mechanical. A chill ran up my spine because they looked inhuman.

"I don't think so," Senpai said, pointing at them. "See, they're getting close and personal."

So they were, led by Mordred and that unknown enemy — and he was at least as deadly as Mordred could be. The vanguard was pulverized as he took the lead and started tearing people apart with invisible blades, making me sick in the stomach seeing his attacks ripping the poor soldiers in twain as blood sprayed.

"Who the hell is that?" Senpai asked, holding my hand tighter.

Cortana didn't even look at her. "Unforeseen circumstances. Fire!"

The soldiers could stand their ground against the Enforcement Knights and the normal ones, but their leaders? While the men manning the turrets and the archers downed the others handily enough, those two wouldn't be stopped easily. They'd tear through our men like a hot knife through butter if they reached our ranks fully.

"Bedivere, Arash," Cortana said, apparently feeling the same as I. "You are our two prime offensive resources, so you deal with that shadow bastard away from there. I don't know what his game is, but he feels —"

"Wrong," Da Vinci added, narrowing her eyes. "Tainted."

"Lady Cortana," Bedivere nodded. "I agree, but shouldn't we give Lancelot his go ahead?"

"Not while those two aren't busy; it won't. We don't want to give those two enemies time to contest Lancelot when he attacks, so you two pick that one," Cortana said, her voice firm as she unsheathed the blade she carried on her back. She thumbed some point behind the guard, and there was a glow of light as the sword changed, turning much longer and shifting to a strange form, a long blade connected to a smaller one before it. "We'll take Mordred. Mash, Da Vinci, Gabi, with me."

Arash and Bedivere exchanged a look and, with a nod, blasted off, streaking through the skies before they reached the shadowy creature with superhuman speed. The monster sent his invisible blades, and even to my eyes, I could barely see Arash shooting them down with incredibly precise and powerful arrows, his arms blurring with speed. Bedivere landed gracefully and dashed forward. Airgetlám switched on with a flash of gold light that threw the thing away, impacting it with the power of a battering ram.

Bedivere and Arash pursued, disappearing into the night.

I grabbed Fou-kun from my shoulder and put him down.

"You stay there and help them," I said, smiling and patting his head.

"Fou!" He agreed and bolted away.

Shaking my head at Fou's cuteness, I astralized my shield and grabbed hold of my Senpai, feeling a mixture of softness and firmness that, added with the noise of surprise she made, felt very good and —

No. Bad Mash! Leave it for later!

We jumped after Cortana and Da Vinci in the direction of Mordred. It wasn't hard to aim because there was a circle of devastation around her, and it looked like her soldiers weren't escaping her wrath as she looked from side to side, clearly searching for someone and looking almost comically like a dog in the process.

"Do you really think we three can take her down?" I asked Cortana.

"We're not going to take her down," Cortana answered, her hair fluttering on her wind and the grin she had reeked of James. "We're going to recruit her. After we smack her up for a bit, of course!"

I couldn't have heard right, no way. "What?"

"That's a horrible idea and Master is a terrible influence on all of us," Da Vinci said, as expected of her, a voice of logic and reason… until she smiled wide. "Let's do it!"

I exchanged a look with Senpai as the ground came closer and closer, and she whispered right in my ear. "Maybe we should stop to see if Satan finally has given up the ghost because he's possessing those two right now!" She said and squealed as I pinched her bottom. "Owie! Too soon?!"

We landed, the impact raising a cloud of dust around us. "No, seriously," Cortana said as I helped Senpai to stand, surreptitiously patting her hurt bottom. "James has a thing that makes people who he defeats like him more, and he sure has defeated her."

"But he defeated three of them," I pointed, summoning my shield.

"Two of them don't quite have the parts needed for it to work," Da Vinci said, slapping the dirt out from her clothes. "Too much sausage in the buffet, if you catch my drift."

I felt my cheeks heating up even as Senpai laughed. "Seriously? Actually Satan can literally punch his way into friendship and you're only telling me now? Like, he comes in, staring motherfuckerly at someone, then goes: 'Hi! Pow! Gimme a hug while you pick up your teeth because we're pals now'?!" Senpai punched the air, her voice turning into a whine. "I want to beat people into liking me too!"

"It's not —" Da Vinci stopped and made a so-so gesture. "Actually, that's fair enough."

"Look alive, people," Cortana said, the smile draining from her face as she looked at the red blur running in our direction and held her sword parallel with herself, adopting a swordsman stance. "Mash, protect Gabi and whoever knights manage to climb here from us! Da Vinci, come here! She's coming!"

No sooner than Cortana spoke, Mordred appeared between us. There was a clang of metal against metal as Cortana managed to parry Clarent with her sword, Cortana's arms trembling with the effort. Mordred stepped back, pushing Cortana, but was forced to defend as Da Vinci appeared from the flank, deflecting torrents of fire, wind, and water from Da Vinci's gauntlet with the blur that was Clarent.

Meanwhile, I did as she told me. "Servant Mash Kyrielight, here to engage the enemies!"

"Go kick their ass," Senpai said, in what was basically a pre-fight ritual for us.

She didn't need to tell me twice.

I ran, Lord Camelot feeling weightless as a feather in my hands — I bashed the first soldier I found with it, throwing him back on his comrades as I spun, slamming the points of the shield in two more. Behind me, Senpai was using the small amount of Magecraft she knew in addition to those programmed on her Mystical Code uniform to throw curses at the enemies — both magical and those she kept shouting at them, the last ones being much more abundant.

"Make my day, you bloody bastards! Gandr! Gandr! Get a load of this Gandr, you ugly son of a rectal prolapse with a buzzsaw, and this tit-zit right there also gets one! Gandr, damn it!" Senpai shouted, throwing curses like candy all around. "Come at me, bro! Gandr!"

I jumped around, using my arms, legs and weapon to bring our enemies down. I deflected a blade in my shield and kicked the attacker in the unmentionables, cringing at the low whine he made as he fell. I had no time to spare because there was more, a head bashed here, a punch there, adrenaline making me super-alert and smoke stinging my eyes.

Nobody was going to pass through Mash Kyrielight today!

Still, through the corner of my eye, I watched their dance.

Cortana and Da Vinci fought as if they were two parts of a whole, zipping around, one blocking so the other could attack and bringing Mordred farther and farther from her army. Cortana tried to hit Mordred's legs as Da Vinci parried Clarent on her staff, unleashing Mystery after Mystery, all of which I knew to be too complicated for someone to keep deploying with such ease.

Still, apparently, nobody had ever bothered to tell her that.

I would have missed Cortana's whispered words if I hadn't been running near her.

"Sir Lancelot, now!" She whispered, bringing her sword in another slash against Mordred.

That made me smile — because the situation didn't look good. Taking down those mooks was something we could do, but Mordred? Mordred was something else. She fought against both of them, her movements brutal and heavy while Cortana's were grace personified, tanking Da Vinci's magic like a juggernaut; the only thing that kept Da Vinci and Cortana ahead was their teamwork. But it couldn't hold.

Mordred was laughing freely, her feral smile eerily reminiscent of James. That wasn't good!

It was as if she heard my thoughts because while I was busy throwing an enemy at a mountain, Mordred exploded with red energy, almost blowing me away even as I held Senpai in place behind my shield. If she had been strong and fast before, now…

Now she was untouchable.

Da Vinci was the first to fall, caught in the midsection with a terrifyingly powerful kick, the impact throwing her like a ragdoll. Even then, she touched the ground with her beaten-up gauntlet, smiling even with blood on her teeth. Her eyes met mine as a new Bounded Field expanded around us, blocking access to where we fought and casting the enemy stragglers back down, leaving only Mordred and us.

Not that it was much better because Mordred was just forcing Cortana's sword back, first holding Clarent with two hands — and now with one, overpowering Cortana as if she was a child and cocking her free arm back. I tried to scream a warning, but I was too slow.

Mordred clocked Cortana in the chin, making her slam on the ground far back, and raised Clarent up.

"That was fun," Mordred said, her voice sounding young and full of joy, "but all good things gotta come to an end, you get me? And I have bigger fish to fry!" Clarent exploded again with a howling spiral of black and red, the sheer power making a thrum go through my body as the wind howled, "See ya never!'

I understood, right now, what Da Vinci wanted me to do when she pushed the enemies back from Senpai and me. I ran forward as fast as possible, jumping between Cortana and Mordred and raising my shield in front of us. To protect her. Every fiber of my body sang in tandem as I shouted, finally letting my Noble Phantasm do what it had always wanted to do, even before I knew its name, "This is our homeland! That which heals all scars, all malice…!"

Mordred's eyes widened, but she smiled further. "Clarent Blood Arthur!"

I slammed my shield down, screaming, "Manifest! Lord Camelot!"

It was beautiful. Block by block, a wall formed before me, made of soft light and telling me that nothing would hurt who I loved while I stood there! Mordred's Noble Phantasm slammed on the wall like a meteor, making me falter for a step before I gritted my teeth and took a step forward, summoning all the resolve I had. One step. Another one. And another…

But as I came closer, Mordred doubled down with the attack — the hurricane of anger from her sword getting even more powerful. I let out a scream despite myself as I was suddenly forced to a knee, holding the shield up with every bit of strength I didn't know I had because I believed, I believed, I —

Someone touched my back, someone I knew very well. I didn't need to look back because Senpai was here, her hands on my back, a pillar supporting me. And as she spoke, I knew she was smiling because she believed in me too.

"Mash! Are you deaf? I already gave you your orders, and by the power of this Command Sealyou'll obey me damn it!"Senpai said, her tone resolute as I felt the power of the Command Seal she'd spent invigorating me, her voice coming down to a whisper. "Fuck her up, babygirl!"

"Orders received, Senpai!" I said and pushed.

The sound that came from my lips was a roar so animalistic I couldn't imagine myself doing before as I pushed. I pushed all of Mordred's rage coming down on us, my muscles straining as Senpai still had her hand on my back, as I forced the attack away more and more, still screaming and Lord Camelot looking solid as ever —

With a sound like glass, the red beam shattered into wisps of light, followed closely behind by Lord Camelot. Mordred hadn't even had the time to be surprised as I forced her sword away and slammed my shield on her face, putting all my strength behind the blow.

Mordred cartwheeled back as I stood, breathing heavily, between her and my friends.

Senpai laughed, kissing me on the cheek, but I only had eyes for Mordred. She touched her split lip, looking at the blood on her thumb, in silence for a second.

Until she laughed boisterously. "Holy crap, that was awesome! I swear, if old Galahad was like that and — wait, what's that sound?"

Now that she mentioned it, there was a roar in the distance. Far away, at the back of her army, there was a flash of blue light scything forward. From the little I could see, even with my Servant senses, someone began mowing down scores of people, followed by screaming men that tore into the enemies with a will. I knew that color and energy — and I couldn't help it. I smiled wide, "Dad's here!"

"What?" Mordred returned to her feet as Senpai let out a gale of laughter. "Wow! That's really Lakely Lancey, and boy is he pissed!"

"Now you've done it!" Senpai said, twirling and spreading her arms wide. "Look around us!"

Senpai was right. As if inflamed by dad's arrival, the village's soldiers gained heart and advanced. Blades flashed as they screamed joy and rage, a tide of warriors rising against their enemies. The turrets Da Vinci had installed around the village spat their payload, manned by laughing madmen, and one of our boys activated the minefield, ripping the earth with explosions that blew up scores of their knights, enhanced or not.

I even caught sight of Fou-kun jumping from one of the palisades, and behind him… was that Mr. Mother Clucker?! It was!

The unlikely duo advanced on the enemies, and for a moment, I got scared they'd be hurt… until Fou-kun started glowing. As I watched, not quite believing my eyes, the multicolored glow spread to Mr. Mother Clucker — who cackled so loudly we could hear from there. They fell upon a group of knights that, somehow, had managed to climb up here, and it was like a blender made of razor blades had somehow struck an alliance with a feathered chainsaw! They ripped and tore, and, under their onslaught, blood sprayed and limbs flew freely through the air.

Before they disappeared in the mob, apparently still unsatisfied with that small number of enemies, Fou-kun, standing above an enemy who had his eyes plucked by the Murderchicken, threw his head up and roared, the moonlight shining upon his fur and fangs tinged with red.

"We need to talk about Fou-kun," Senpai said by my side, her eyes wide.

I could only nod.

"You've lost, Mordred," Cortana said, being helped up by Da Vinci. "Lancelot is going to rip them apart while Arash and Bedivere are taking that… creature down, and we're ready for round two. Your army is defeated, we won."

"Do you think I care a tit about this army?" Mordred said, leaning on Clarent as she spat to the side. "I don't give a fuck! I just —"

She stopped as, far away from there, a golden glow spread through the night.

It was like an enormous drill coming down from the heavens, made of golden strands interlaced, colossal and purposeful. I took a step back as the entire battlefield seemed silent at once, as it came down and down.

I averted my eyes before the explosion, but it still was bright enough to make me know that it was the end of the western village. As I looked back, there was only an incredible amount of smoke rising from the ground, far, far away from there, the earth being thrown up and fissures shining with an inner fire as if that had been a volcano erupting. That was the weapon of the Lion King, finally brought down to bear, and I couldn't even imagine something standing against that.

The silence extended until Mordred raised Clarent up again, looking almost crazed.

"Crap, I'm almost outta time! Look, it's not personal; I'd love to fight you again, but I still have someone I want to scrape with before everything goes to hell!" Mordred said as Clarent let out red wisps. "I still need to find that freaking bastard to pay him back —"

"He's not coming," Cortana said.

Mordred took a step back as if punched, the red wisps sputtering away. "What did you say?!"

"James, the one you fought. He's not coming," Cortana repeated, leaning heavily on Da Vinci and looking down. "He's in a coma, Mordred. He isn't fighting anyone anytime soon."

"What the crap are you talking about!" Mordred yelled, strolling back until they were face to face, her face a rictus of anger. "I fought him! There's anyone around here that could put that tough bastard into a blood coma who isn't I or Father, damn it! How?!"

"He tried to do something to save the village," I said. "That… didn't work well."

Mordred stared at us in silence for a moment before she threw her hands up and let out an inarticulate roar of rage, almost like a wounded animal. "Of course! Of course, damn it, I can't get a single thing I want! I can't even fight someone, no, nothing for Mordred other than disappointment and trying to make up with people who don't even give a shit!" She kicked away a rock that was as big as me, uncaring of where it'd land. "Every freaking time!"

I looked at Cortana, who was as dumbfounded as me, while Da Vinci said tentatively to Mordred, "Er, you're alright?"

"The hell I'm alright! I don't even want to be there, this has no purpose, no worthy fights, I just…" Mordred sat down on the ground, her fingers grabbing her hair. "I never asked much, just a smidgen of a good time, some freaking respect, and even since then everything kept hammering me down, and down, and down."

She raised her head, and it was strange to see how young she looked, with those big, green eyes and blonde hair matted with sweat, looking almost comical inside that giant armor of hers. "Is that asking too much? Just a little, small amount of goodness?"

Da Vinci looked at Senpai and pointed at Mordred with her chin while Cortana mouthed do your thing to her. Senpai gulped beside me but straightened her posture with a cough, her face adopting the confident expression of the Last Master of Chaldea that filled me with pride.

I gave her a pat on the bum for luck.

"What if there was another way?" Senpai said, boldly striding forward.

Mordred narrowed her eyes at her but leaned forward to listen. "Huh?"

Senpai opened her arms. "I heard your story from my friends, and you know what? What you did was wrong; don't misunderstand me, if I had your father before me, I'd also give her a good talking to, but I don't think you wanted to hurt people, not really." Senpai shrugged, throwing her orange ponytail over her shoulder before fixing Mordred with her gaze, those orange eyes full of fire. "And I understand why you are following the Lion King, you want to make up for it, don't you? To make things right?"

The color drained from Mordred's face as a muscle started to pulse in her jaw.

Senpai got even closer. "But you don't make things right by doing a different wrong, Mordred-chan, and what they're doing is evil and even worse, they are using you. Dragging you with them down and down. Those people…" Senpai shook her head, now barely a meter away from Mordred. "They are wrong. They are, but you don't need to keep being wrong with them. You can be better!"

Mordred got back to her feet and, for a moment, I thought she would attack Senpai and had my shield ready to intervene. However, Mordred just threw her head back and laughed; it wasn't a humorous laugh. It felt spiteful and desperate as her eyes shone as she stared back at Senpai.

"You're a piece of work, aren't ya? What else can I do? I have nothing! Father despises me, and he's right, my comrades gave all they had in the name of this nightmare, as I did. I have nothing!"

"You could have us," Senpai answered quietly.

Mordred flinched, her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"You could have us, all of us, and go with us to Chaldea," Senpai said, her voice still quiet, and took a step forward — and Mordred took one back but couldn't escape as Senpai grabbed her shoulder gently. "We are fighting for humanity, to save it from a great evil, and you know what? I think you could help. I think you want to help. I think, Mordred-chan, that you want to be a hero, and together with us? You could be. You could laugh, fight, just… be yourself. With us."

Mordred looked at where Senpai grabbed her as if she had never quite seen something like that in her life. "I don't understand... Are you trying to mock me, huh? I was trying to kill you a second ago; where do you come from saying you think I'm a good person and that I deserve anything?" Mordred yelled, her blonde hair swinging wildly and her hands gripping Clarent tighter. "Are you freaking crazy or something?!"

"No! I know because," Senpai answered slowly as if she was going to impart something wonderfully wise and — "Satan called you cute!"

Senpai.

That made Mordred falter, and her eyes widened with shock. "What?!"

"It's true, actually," Cortana said, standing beside Da Vinci. "He actually flew up to us after your fight, smiling as you please, and said that Moedred was a cutie. That infuriating man."

"What? Why? You..." Mordred took a step back, letting Clarent fall to the ground and... was she blushing? Woah! "He called me cute? Me?!" She repeated, putting her hands on her rapidly reddening cheeks as she went nuclear. "A cutie? Waaaaah!"

If I doubted James had some from dad in him, they were gone.

He worked fast!

Mordred peeked at us behind her fingers, her mouth opening and closing without saying anything, before she brought her hands down. "I… I don't want to be the villain anymore," She confessed, her voice sounding small and fragile. "Do ya really think I could go with ya? You promise?"

"I do," Senpai said, holding her hand to Mordred. "Please, Mordred-chan?"

Mordred extended her hand, trembling slightly, and they were almost touching —

Until I dashed before them, the invisible blade I had just blocked scraping against the metal of my shield. Mordred paled, taking a step back as her hands found Clarent again, and something heavy dropped on the ground right before us.

It was Bedivere-kun.

I screamed, running to him as Senpai, Da Vinci, and Cortana did the same.

"Bedivere, Bedivere?!"

His eyes were rolled inside his head, and he looked as if he had just come from hell, splattered with blood as Airgetlám smoked and glowed cherry-red. He had many cuts around his body, all weeping blood freely and staining my uniform, and he felt clammy. I touched his neck, almost crying with relief as there was still a pulse, but it was so weak…

Mordred snarled.

"You cur! Trying to attack me on the back? Have you lost your honor with your heart, Tristan?!"

Tristan?

"I have sacrificed everything I had on the altar of our King's ambition, and she still managed to take even more. Honor? Honor is nothing," a nightmarish voice said, and, as I looked to who was talking, I recoiled and felt my stomach lurch, both because of who it was and because he had just dropped Arash's limp body as he strode onward. He was tall, with hair as red and blood and fair skin — but that was all that looked human about him. There were pieces ripped from his body growing back before my eyes, cuts mending together, a finger growing back, an eye socket filling again —

I felt sick.

Black veins were spread around his skin, cracks belching acrid smoke and glowing from within with a light I had seen before, intermixed with scarlet. Something metallic had been fused with your right arm, angry knotted scars around it as if it had been welded in. His eyes were solid gold and in his chest —

It had a protruding chunk of red crystal.

Beating like a heart, with the glow of his veins following its rhythm.

"But what would you know of loyalty and honor, O traitor? For twice now, you defied the king." He said, his voice unemotional — dead. "This is the last one."

His advance halted for a second, and he looked down. Arash was there, holding her ankle, feebly, but with his eyes still shining with determination, at least the one that wasn't hidden under a waterfall of red. "I told you, you shall not touch them!"

Tristan's expression didn't twitch as he kicked Arash's head with a sickening crack.

I had to hold Senpai's arm for her to not run to him. "But James killed you!"

"Such a sorrowful tale, it was; while he did indeed hurt my Spirit Origin to this point, my Gift from the King was Reversal, so I reverted," Tristan said, those lifeless eyes fixed on us. "I reverted everything I was to remade it, until this was all that remained," Tristan gestured in the direction of his body with his metallic arm. "But my King is a fragment of the witch connected to the Lance at the End of The World, I am now empowered. Immortal, until I have killed you and him."

"You're not," Da Vinci said, not even a shadow of a smile on her face. "That… abomination inside your chest, it's accumulating such power. Too much power. You aren't a warrior that she sent to kill James," Da Vinci wrinkled her nose, studying him, her lips thin. "You're a bomb."

"Don't ya see? That's her plan!" Mordred said, her voice shrill as she gripped Clarent tighter. "She thought about how to bring someone who could fly away down! While she brings the damn lance from upwards on you all, he catches James to be sure he's dead! I came to fight him, give him some honor in face of this dog's end, but —"

"And that's enough of it," Tristan said. "Go and tell the King to bring down the weapon."

Mordred snarled, taking a step forward while Clarent glowed red. "Don't you assume you can order me, you freaking loser!"

"I don't need to. While I'm in this state, I'm an extension of the Lion King's… and as such, no one in possession of a Gift can raise their hand at me," he said, still looking emotionless as ever as he raised his flesh-and-blood arm, which pulsed with red sigils. "She also gave me this, a leash for traitorous dogs."

"That's a —" I began, palling further.

"By the power of this Command Seal," Tristan intoned as the red glow redoubled. "Go back to Camelot and tell the Lion King to unleash Rhongomyniad again."

Mordred convulsed, straining as if bound by invisible chains, her face a mask of fury.

"No, you can't, you can't —" She gave a last wide-eyed look at us before she screamed and disappeared in motes of golden light, leaving only silence in her wake. Our army was busy pushing back the invaders while dad was still busy coming from the other side of the battlefield; far from there… we were now truly alone.

"Now that it's done," Tristan said, cracking his neck, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of emotion on her face. It was a nauseating amount of sadism and bloodlust, irradiating malevolence as she looked at us. "I see he is not there. It seems I'll have to get busy with you."

No words needed to be said — Cortana, Da Vinci, and I exploded forward as one. Cortana brought her sword in a downward slash while Da Vinci unleashed a gout of fire from her gauntlet. I lunged forward, bringing my shield point first through his chest, making a squelching sound. I had to protect Senpai, I had to protect everyone, and even as his blood felt sick against my skin, I was going to do what was needed.

He just took it.

Scorched skin flaked off and grew back as he grabbed Cortana's sword with his metallic arm, uncaringly that he was tearing through himself in the process, and the shield —

Something slammed on my chest, so strong that I felt my ribs crack. I slammed onto the ground, tumbling down before hitting a cliffside and spitting all the air from my lungs. My shield disappeared from that monster's chest as I summoned it back, and the wound was so wide it allowed me to see Da Vinci running at his back for a split-second before it closed away, while Cortana was down on the ground.

He threw the sword away carelessly and turned to meet Da Vinci's charge.

Da Vinci's gauntlet had turned into a pile bunker, cocked back that slammed on his chest, where the heart should be — expelling gore so far it reached me. I couldn't see what he did, but he blurred in movement, catching Da Vinci's head and slamming her on the ground like she weighed nothing. Again, and again, and again, the ground cracking under him as he kept throwing her down as I tried to get up, leaning on my shield.

He only stopped as a Gandr splashed harmlessly against his back.

"Hey, coward!" I heard Senpai screaming as he turned to look at her, her hand poised to fire again. "How about you take on someone your size, huh?!"

Tristan threw Da Vinci away, and she fell limp on the ground.

He took a step forward —

And Cortana slammed on him like a meteor.

She had another sword back at hand, one that looked quite old and beaten and jet black, following the same form of her earlier one, and stabbed him continuously in the chest, screaming all the while. Her white hair was matted with blood, but he still didn't care. And she saw it too because she ran her hand through the blade as her eyes glowed, blue points of light in the darkness.

The sword shone as her arm buckled, almost as if she was feeding it, and I suddenly understood that it was coming from her own source of power, that Black Box she talked about. And suddenly, two, three more Cortanas appeared, all of them around him — the blade trembled, looking incandescent. "You're not going to take him away from me," she hissed, low and venomous, and swung it.

An average person couldn't defend themselves from three attacks simultaneously, even if that was probably an illusion. No, no average person could, but that thing didn't even try; he stood there as if Cortana's attack was a mere curiosity.

The sound of metal cutting through flesh was loud as his head flew away, the stump cauterized by the sheer heat of the blade that took it off. Cortana breathed heavily and released a triumphant smile as she looked back at us.

Senpai screamed, pointing at her back. "Cortana!"

Cortana was still smiling as he punched a hole through her belly.

"What," she said, looking down, held up by the metal arm of that headless thing. I had finally managed to get up, but my ribs were clearly broken and leaning heavily on my shield as that animal shook her like a piece of meat.

Tristan threw her on the ground and stomped on her, and I almost vomited watching him walk away, pick his own head, and place it back on the stump.

There was a wet sound, and he moved his mouth tentatively. "Much better," he said, his voice sounding rougher for a second. "And now, there's only two."

He paused, looking at me, and I saw it again. He was having fun.

Tristan raised his metallic arm slowly, pointing it right at me. "While in the hands of Galahad, this shield could have stopped even a thousand of my shots. Now? Now… I want to see if it can stop one," he said, as his arm started glowing a cherry red as it trembled, concentrating enormous amounts of energy I could see coursing through his skin, leaving more cracks behind as it steamed.

"By the power of those Command Seals," Senpai said, helping to hold me up as I winced, feeling my ribs puncturing something. Her tone was full of a cold rage I had never seen in her, and her eyes blazed. "Mash Kyrielight, stand tall and win!"

My spine straightened as the energy from her Command Seal coursed through me, and I slammed Lord Camelot on the ground, uncaringly of the pain that was fading from my insides, taking my strength for Senpai's presence as always, as she held me up once more.

I saw all of them, my friends, laid haphazardly on the ground and hurt by this thing.

For the first time in my life, I hated somebody.

"This is our homeland! That which heals all scars, all malice…!" I screamed.

Tristan watched me, those lifeless eyes sparkling with cruel mirth. "This is the ruin of what you once were."

"Manifest! Lord Camelot!" I said as the walls of Camelot spread before us, solid as they'd ever been. With Senpai by my side, I could take all he could give, and I would! My friends depended on me, and I let this resolve fill my Noble Phantasm with certainty.

Tristan looked at the wall, and, for the first time, his mouth contorted into a facsimile of a smile.

"Fetch Failnaught."

I screamed, falling to my knees as Senpai went hysterical, holding me as I dropped the shield. That wasn't a shot — he had misled us because that hadn't been a shot. I could only watch, horrified, as something bubbled by Tristan's side and grew into a human form, familiar but crude. As if made of mud, a doll that had my appearance formed slowly, and I felt a connection with it.

"What I do to it, you'll also suffer," Tristan said, still holding my blackened clone almost fondly, and I could feel it as he ran the thumb on its cheek. It sickened me. Senpai lost her composure and started screaming at him, holding me tightly on her chest. "As I know your hero types — you know, I was one of you — I'll ask her. And every time she doesn't answer, well. You're a Servant. You can take a lot of punishment for defying our King."

Tristan flipped Cortana up with his feet, and, surprisingly, she was still awake — even with a hole in her belly. One that looked a bit smaller than it had been when he opened it; she must've some kind of protocol to rebuild her body.

She wasn't dead!

"I'll ask you then," Tristan said, stepping on her wound. "Where is he?"

"He's not here! He's with the Sun King!" I screamed back, and he punched the clone. The pain almost made me black out with pain as Senpai let out a shrill yell of anger. "You can't get him anymore."

Tristan waved dismissively at me, pressing more on Cortana, who kept her face as made of stone, glaring at him with eyes filled with hate. "I'm not asking you, I'm asking her," he leaned forward and screamed. "Where is he?!"

Cortana didn't answer, so Tristan punched the doll again.

And again.

And again.

I let out a whine of pain, holding my midsection as my eyes searched Senpai's, which were brimming with tears as she held my face. "Don't tell him," I said, my voice weaker than ever and my teeth gritted with pain. I raised a trembling hand to touch her, and she kissed my palm. "He can't win. We can't sacrifice people to win, Senpai. Don't tell him."

And again.

I spat a globule of blood that Senpai wiped with her thumb.

"Don't tell him," I repeated, half delirious.

"You're not going to break? How sorrowful," Tristan said, pausing to twist his feet on Cortana's wound as he turned to the clone. "It hurt when he did this to me. I hope that it'll hurt you and him even more."

I didn't look at him, even as my world went black around the edges. I just had eyes for Senpai, her skin hot against my clammy hands as I tried to smile, feeling a trickle of blood trailing down my lips. I didn't need to see to know I'd die soon, and with it came a strange form of peace. The only regret I had —

"I love you," I told Senpai, engraving her face in my mind. "More than anything."

He brought his hand down.

"Three Wise Men of the East. The Great God of the Norse. The Fruit of Wisdom. My intellect, my omnipotence, surpasses all forms of wisdom!" I thought I was delirious, hearing that, right as a wave of raw, omnipotent power spread through the entire world. It must be death because there was no pain, and I still felt Senpai touching me. "Uomo Universale!

I dared to open my eyes.

The clone Tristan held flaked away, turning into nothing like a sped-up movie as Senpai let out a watery chuckle, snuggling her face deep in my breast. Da Vinci stood up, pointing her staff at Tristan with a look of utter loathing on her face, her eyes blazing with sheer rage. But that couldn't be Da Vinci because he had taken her down and —

In the background, more or less where the civilians were hiding, a colossal lotus blossomed, the rosy glow of its petals in sharp relief against the night sky. The lotus to exuded light, bringing with it a sense of peace and melancholy, of watching something unique as it was unfounded. Enormous, all-encompassing, something that shouldn't be but indeed was.

On the ground, Cortana laughed, a genuine laugh of joy.

Da Vinci slammed the butt of her staff on the ground, the sound loud as blue light spread like ripples on a pond, gently beginning to heal me. The lotus started to disperse behind her, dissolving into motes of light which floated to the heavens.

And as Da Vinci walked forward, I saw something flickering behind Tristan's expression that wasn't there before — fear. He felt fear as Da Vinci reached Cortana and helped her to stand, still glaring at him. Tristan wasn't afraid of Cortana, who wasn't human, and it showed as the wound in her body started to close. He wasn't even scared of Da Vinci itself.

What scared him was seeing the wounds on Da Vinci's face and chest disappearing as she stood straighter, the Saint Quartz of her staff shining balefully. By my side, Senpai hugged me, nuzzling my neck.

"Do you see, abomination? Do you know what it means? My wounds are healing. I have more Mana now than I ever had, and our connection is back," Da Vinci hissed, a vengeful sense of satisfaction evident in her voice. Behind her, as the lotus finally disappeared entirely —

There was a flash of red light, and the ground shook.

"You wanted Master? Da Vinci asked, slamming her staff on the ground once more. "Then rejoice, creature, for your wish shall be granted."

Da Vinci smiled. It was not beautiful; it was not Mona Lisa's smile.

It was something made of pure hate.

"He is coming."

SANZANG

They thought I was listless, too busy trying to help James to care, but in this state — in this state, I could see everything. I could feel everything. It was I who soothed Mordred's heart when she felt doubt; it was I that gave succor to all our soldiers that suffered to protect their home, the small amount I could do at the least, because I was still holding him, deep inside those caves, filled with scared civilians.

It was time to decide, although it hadn't felt like a decision at all.

I knew what I had to do.

Until now, I had been trying to bring James back by my own powers, a half-realized Noble Phantasm, because I still wanted to help them all, to offer guidance and hold their hands if needed, but it was clear now. During this entire time, I was connected to James in a way more intimate than any possible physical interaction, our souls and minds together — and, as such, I knew him. I have always been a person who loved freely, my family, my disciples, everything. I tried to go through life without hate in my heart. All give and never take.

It was so weird that, after that, I also started to love him?

But now it was time for Sanzang to come to the west for the last time.

I started to chant gently, feeling the world taking me in.

"With this, without this. If you answer this, he will answer you," I ran my fingers through James' hair. "Without this, there is no such thing. If this is destroyed, he will be destroyed."

I felt a jolt as my Saint Graph lit up like the sun.

How appropriate.

"Vyākaraṇa, the Buddha of Glorious Sandalwood," I whispered just as it became a reality again. No more Sanzang, Caster, but only for a few moments — I was the Buddha I would turn into, and I was so powerful. I understood everything, even the most negligible connections because all was one. I understood the bonds that connected him with his allies, even our bond that developed through his experience.

I didn't fear death, but I regretted never seeing how this would grow.

I brought my face closer than his, energized even as my Saint Graph started flaking off. For a second, I allowed myself to show him I cared — one goodbye. Our lips pressed together in a chaste, if meaningful, kiss as I breathed my fire inside him.

I was again the Buddha of Glorious Sandalwood, Xuanzang Sanzang.

Bringing someone back from between the realms was nothing to me, be those the seven, eight, a thousand different worlds, as it all was one. I gave James all that overflowing energy, finding him and carrying him back to us — them. Them.

I wouldn't live to see this.

A tear trickled down my face. It'd be my last gift for this world.

My lips almost touched his ear, and my whisper was as much an order as a commandment. A force of nature.

Just one word.

"Awaken."

The lotus bloomed.

And inside this cave full of fearful people, a pair of blue eyes snapped open once more.