AN: Another chapter for you guys, and the last before the Fourth Grail War proper starts. That's going to be a handful, but I also think it's going to be rather fun too. So, Harry's last Servants are summoned, blah blah blah, it's over and done with now. Sorry about the delay, but unfortunately, I've been rather busy, and a bit ill too, so that was unavoidable! Ah, just a note, when the fourth war is over with, there's not going to be much left, just offing Voldie and moving on, this story wasn't meant to be very long, and already it's starting to get out of hand, but hey, that's what happens when you write things without a plan! Hope you enjoy, and see you next time, LH!
Beta'd by: NIX'S WARDEN
Chapter 13 – Two For One
Lord Voldemort was not happy, and when Lord Voldemort was unhappy, people tended to suffer for it.
"Failure." Voldemort said, his voice cold and sharp. "I despise failure. Two days ago I lead an attack on Diagon Alley, leaving what I believed to be competent wizards to cause havoc in Hogsmeade, on a weekend when the school children would be there in fact, so why is it that I'm only now finding out that not only was the attack a failure, but that every last one of those sent there were killed."
The group was quiet, aside from the shuffling of feet as they all tried their best not to draw their master's attention.
"Severus." Voldemort picked one out from the crowd. "You are our spy at Hogwarts, so why did you not bring this to my attention."
"My Lord." Severus fell to one knee before Voldemort. "No secret was made of what happened there, and it has become common knowledge. I was not aware such things wouldn't be conveyed to you."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the man, one slender hand toying with his wand.
"What I've heard about that day is both troubling, and in some cases outright ridiculous. Report to me what happened that day, leave nothing out." Voldemort instructed him.
"I was in Hogsmeade myself, specifically the Apothecary to receive an order of rare ingredients I had ordered, when the attack occurred. Initially, nothing was wrong, and panic began to spread. However, mere moments after the attack started, several... beings suddenly appeared and targeted your followers, my lord."
"These creatures, what were they?" Voldemort asked.
"Since the attack, I have learned that the creatures were mostly Japanese beasts known as Oni." Snape said. "The beings were summoned alongside a greater demon and a Heroic Spirit. The demon in question was apparently named Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish. The Heroic Spirit was apparently Cu Chulainn, from Irish legend."
"You say they were summoned, Severus." Voldemort laced his fingers together. "Who summoned them? Who has the power to bend a demon of such strength to their will?"
"Harry Potter, my lord." Severus said.
As Snape had expected, there was an explosion of whispering and fearful mutterings amongst those present. That was not surprising, as Harry Potter was a known enemy of the Dark Lord, or at least the previous one had been. Somehow, Snape did not believe the current, purple-haired Harry Potter viewed Voldemort in the same way.
"Quiet!" Voldemort hissed, and the gathered wizards immediately went silent. "Now, Severus, tell me, just how could a foolish little child summon such beings, and even more, have them obey him?"
"The being that Dumbledore summoned is Harry Potter in name only." Snape told him. "He bears no resemblance to the one this world is familiar with. He is more powerful, more knowledgeable, more capable, and far more willing to meet violence with violence. He is also far less... empathic regarding people he is not close to. He does not care for their attempts to get him to fight you, and has so far only responded with force when someone serves to irritate him, or when they attack him or one of those he cares about."
The Potions Professor could not help but let his thoughts drift as he spoke. He had seriously misjudged the boy, his experience of previous years colouring his view of Harry Potter. As things stood, Snape was currently trying to find a way to ensure Voldemort never sent him on any missions, or gave him any tasks that would bring him into conflict with Harry Potter.
That thing wasn't a boy, and it certainly wasn't human. The power necessary to do some of what he had, and so casually at that, was beyond imagination, and should belong in old stories, myths, and legends, not the modern day. Severus Snape could respect power a great deal, but what he held for Harry Potter was fear. Still, he could not let go of his hatred for all things Potter, and he knew that he could lash out at the monster at any time, and thus would prefer to remain as far away as possible from the entire thing.
"So, they summoned someone who was actually competent, did they?" Voldemort mused. He had known about the summoning of course, but he had not paid it much mind, one Harry Potter would die as easily as another after all, or so he had believed. Now, however, perhaps he might endeavour to look into this version of the boy.
xxxxx
Harry gave the person in front of him a mildly bemused look, to which they responded with excessive amounts of giggling.
"Honestly." Harry sighed. "How is it that you aren't a goddess of mischief? It seems to suit you far better than your actual domains."
Aphrodite, covered head to toe in whipped cream, glitter, various coloured splotches of paint, and with confetti in her hair, smiled broadly at Harry. "Just because I started off one way doesn't mean I can't change." She said. "No one remains a newborn forever after all."
Harry's eyes slid to the Weasley twins, who were also covered in assorted substances, and chuckled lightly. "So, failing to get me, you decided to return to pranks with no specific target? I must say, you've beaten the Marauders in one way at least, I don't think they ever managed to prank a goddess, especially with my own efforts to hinder you."
That last bit wasn't entirely true, Harry had eventually removed the spells he'd had on them, which meant they weren't always being found out during their pranking attempts. Harry, and a few others, had noticed how pranks and things going on at Hogwarts had distracted them from what was going on throughout the rest of the country, and with more reports of death and destruction, things had been rather grim all told.
"What can we say?" Fred asked.
"We aim to please." George added.
"Wait, I thought we aimed to excel?" Fred turned to George.
"That too, I guess." George shrugged. "Any reason we can't do both?"
"Not at all, brother mine." Fred agreed. "So let us excel and please the masses!"
"I do believe that we will, dear brother." George said. "So shall we be off?"
"Yes, let us be off to come up with new and wonderful ideas with which to empower ourselves." Fred grandiosely suggested, throwing an arm over his twins shoulder as the two marched away, bursting into song when Harry reflected an attempted prank back at them.
"Those two." Harry smiled and shook his head. "If any humans have managed to impress me, it's them."
"They do make things interesting." Aphrodite added with wistful, nostalgic smile. "Hermes and Apollo would have loved them, and Hecate would have wanted their babies."
"Not Athena?" Harry asked.
"No, too chaotic for her tastes, and she never fully forgot that regular mortal that captured her attention, Diomedes or something his name was." Aphrodite commented.
"Is that so?" Harry idly wondered.
"Yes." Aphrodite replied. "Of course, those two would inevitably end up pissing off one member of my family or another, and end up dead in short order." She frowned, her words growing scathing as she recalled what the Greek pantheon of gods was really like.
"Perhaps." Harry agreed. "However, let's speak of less depressing things, shall we? How is the 'cult' of Aphrodite coming along?" Harry teased her.
Aphrodite gave Harry a mild glare for that. "I still say that bloody shrine was ridiculous." She grumbled. "I am no longer as... egotistical as I once was, and while I can admire the old temples, I'd rather not be reminded of excesses from ages past."
Aphrodite's scowl turned into a smirk as she gave Harry a once over. "However, as I'm sure you're aware, I will not turn someone away asking for a little advice in matters of the heart. A suggestion here, the name of her favourite flower there, and the potential that's just waiting to blossom will bloom. Of course, given the literal dozens that have asked me about your preferences, and of both genders too, I'm somewhat shocked to see not one of them around you."
Harry growled lowly at that. "They did initially follow me round, like a swarm of moths trying to burn themselves to death, but they stopped that after I let them feel the edge of my malice." Everything seemed to darken suddenly, and a slight black miasma seemed to radiate off Harry as he loosened his hold on his aura the tiniest of fractions. Even then, it was enough that its corrupt nature began disintegrating the floor beneath his feet and the air all around him.
He reigned it in, his expression loosing the creepy sadist look he'd been sporting. A tap of his booted foot had the ground regenerating back to how it was before, and the Denial of Nothingness Harry was beginning to come to grips with caused air molecules to appear to replace the ones Harry's power had annihilated.
"Weirdo." Aphrodite said, without a moment of hesitation.
"Says the love goddess who enjoys throwing cream pies into girls' faces." Harry shot back, shaking his head while he sighed melodramatically. "I think the internet has ruined you."
Aphrodite raised one elegant eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Wasn't it you who introduced me to the internet? It was your laptop, remember, that I was on at the time, when I came across such depraved things."
"Actually, I'd say it was more Prisma's fault." Harry had to admit. "It seems that my attempts to upgrade her programming so she'd develop a personality failed, resulting in nothing but system errors and random web pages being spewed out. Thankfully, I at least had her data backed up, or that could have been disastrous."
Aphrodite chuckled. "Yeah, there's that. Now, come on, aren't you supposed to be summoning your Saber about now?" She asked.
Harry looked her up and down. "Don't you want to get cleaned up before that?"
"Nah." Aphrodite waved him off. "A little bit of whipped cream never hurt anyone." A sly smile crossed her face. "I've also heard that certain humans like to spread it on their naked bodies as part of some strange mating ritual. I've never participated in such a thing before, and as the goddess I am, I think it's imperative I do so as soon as possible." She gave Harry her best puppy dog eyes. "Could you help me with that?"
"Pervert." Harry muttered, rolling his eyes. Though as he turned to leave, he couldn't resist conjuring a lemon tart and banishing it over his face at her.
The satisfying splat noise it made as it hit her in the face definitely put a smile on his face.
xxxxx
"Right, so, can you go over this ritual with us again?" Lily asked Harry.
The group of them were stood in a large, empty room in the castle. Harry had been accompanied by a few strangers that Lily hadn't recognised, one of them had even appeared to be some sort of liquid metal maid. She focused on that one in particular as, when they'd gotten to the room, she had fallen to the ground and spread out, her body forming the complex looking magical circle in front of them.
"It's actually pretty simple in theory, if a slight bit more difficult to put into practise." Harry said. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say you know nothing about the Throne of Heroes or the Transmigration Cycle, right?"
"Yes, let's go with that." Lily agreed somewhat nervously, though there was a slight undercurrent of excitement in her voice as well.
"Well, let's keep things simple then." Harry stated. "First off, when someone dies, their soul is essentially scrubbed clean and reused, and when they die again, it's done again. That's the Transmigration Cycle, basically infinitely reincarnating, but with nothing to really connect you to past lives. That sound simple enough to you?"
"Yes, I can understand that." Lily nodded.
"Right, good." Harry grinned. "The Transmigration Cycle is actually far more complicated than that, but that's all you need to know for now. Now, when someone is remembered for a long time, and by a lot of people, their soul is actually removed from that Cycle and placed within the Throne of Heroes. That's a bit of a misnomer, as someone only needs to be famous, not necessarily a hero to end up there. For example, an evil tyrant could end up in the throne, Hitler's probably there for example."
"Really?" Lily had to ask, not too comfortable with the thought of an immortal spirit Hitler.
"Yeah, really." Harry answered her, before moving on. "Now, what this ritual does is break through the barriers between worlds to reach the throne, and 'pull' a hero from there to me. Of course, that's not what actually happens. Instead, a copy is summoned, and placed within what is known as a 'Class Container'."
"And what's that?" James asked begrudgingly, interested despite himself. Harry really knew how to draw people in with his words.
"A 'Class Container' helps stabilise the summoned spirit, and gives them a form to inhabit." Harry replied. "However, such containers are limited in capacity, so instead of a full Heroic Spirit, or at least something of that level of strength, a Servant is summoned, or at least that's what they're referred to as. A Servant, while being dozens of times superior to humans, only possesses a fraction of the power a true Heroic Spirit does, and only a fraction of their abilities comes through too, dependant on their class container."
"What do you mean by that?" Rose asked.
"How does class dictate their abilities?" Blake added.
"Hmm, perhaps an example." Harry pondered. "Okay, King Arthur. A Saber class Servant with Excalibur as her sword, right? Now, imagine her summoned as a Lancer,where she now has her spear, Rhongomyniad. If she was an Assassin, she'd have her dagger, Carnwennan. That make things clearer for you?"
""Crystal."" The twins chorused.
"What happens if you put too much power into it?" The Local Sirius asked, his brow furrowing. "You said class containers had limits, what happens if you exceed them?"
"Wow, it seems this me can ask some intelligent questions." Harry's Sirius joked. "Who are you and what have you done with me?"
"Nothing." Local Sirius replied. "However, if me was a hot chick, I'd definitely be doing something to her...me...er?"
"Never mind." The other Sirius sighed. "It looks like it really is me after all."
"As for the question, I don't really know." Harry answered. "First off, the amount of prana you can use is limited by several factors. For one, the ritual circle itself can only handle so much, and there really aren't many Magi who can produce the amount of prana to reach such heights, not by themselves at least." He paused. "Dammit, I'm curious now! Volumen Hydragyrum can handle the prana, so the circle's okay, and I can produce enough prana, so... let's see what happens!"
Harry grinned as he felt his circuits flare to life. It was actually a very pleasant feeling for him, the power that he felt flowing through his body, his soul, and the nigh infinite possibilities that such power could be used for, which was then moulded into a specific spell, a single action.
Knowing just how much prana a class container could handle, Harry doubled that output and channelled it into the ritual. Of course, with the number of times he'd split his circuits, growing them from that state, and then repeating the process – much like how one grows certain plants from cuttings – this did not even equate to a hundredth of one percent of Harry's circuits at present, and within three days, its magnitude would be halved again.
Of course, even if this was a tiny amount of power to Harry, to those observing him, it was another matter entirely. Dumbledore, who'd discretely slipped in behind the group – though most were fully aware of his presence no matter how quiet he was being – was staggered. It was one thing to intellectually know something, such as Harry being immensely powerful, it was another to actually feel the weight of his power, especially with how Harry wasn't straining with it in the slightest!
"Well, might as well do this then." Harry casually stated, preparing to speak the relevant aria.
Silver and Iron to the Origin.
Gem and the Archduke of Contracts to the Cornerstone.
The Ancestor is my Great Master Schweinorg.
The Alighted Wind becomes a Wall.
The Gates in the four directions close,
coming from the Crown,
the three-forked road that leads to the Kingdom circulate.
Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me,
my fate (doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail,
if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my Oath.
I am the one who becomes all the good in the World of the Dead,
I am the one who becomes all of the evils in the World of the Dead.
You, Seven Heavens clad in three words of Power,
arrive from the ring of deterrence,
O Keeper of the Balance!
Harry's usual light, musical, and enchanting voice had turned firm as he spoke the words of the ritual, and everyone in there with him straightened up and paid attention. This was a voice of Power. As much as Harry's voice usually carried the promise of power, it was veiled, hidden behind velvet and satin curtains, but right now he was using a voice that commanded reality to bend and obey it, a voice that would force the air to the earth, cool raging lava, and tell the sun to never rise again.
The thrum of power was most obvious above the ritual circle, the sheer quantity of it making the air shimmer like a heat haze, saying nothing of the quality, and everyone waited with bated breath the result of whatever would happen once the prana entered the magic circle, flowing through it and being shaped by it.
Harry's attention was on something else though, something only he had noticed.
A trickle of black blood was leaking out of his sleeve, and once he'd activated the enchantments on his eyes to see through his own clothes, he saw not just a seventh set of command seals becoming active, but an eight etching itself into his flesh.
Just as he realised the implications of this, an explosion of power erupted from Volumen Hydragyrum, who was acting as his magic circle. He was not surprised to see two figures standing there, but he vocalised his thoughts nevertheless.
"Oh, for the love of Darkness!" He cried.
xxxxx
Sirius knew something was going to go wrong, he just knew it. Come on! It's Harry - or Black Wing, Archive, or whatever you want to call him – so of course something was going to happen, especially if he was experimenting with something he was curious about.
When Harry cursed, and he had quite the wide variety of expletives he used, Sirius instead chuckled under his breath. He wondered just what was going to happen this time, and whether it would be female, like was normal with Harry.
Actually, that was a point, how much female influence was Harry under? He had Waver as an uncle, Zelretch as a Grandfather, himself as a pseudo-uncle, and... Shirou as a friend? Was that really all of the guys Harry knew? Considering Harry was pretty much drowning in girls, that wasn't a lot.
Sirius shifted his attention to the summoning circle, and the two beings stood there.
'Yep, one at least is definitely female. The other one will be too, knowing Harry.' Sirius thought.
The one that was definitely female was stood tall, possessed Caucasian features, elbow length blonde hair, and also had heterochromia, her eyes being separate colours, one green and one red. She was wearing... well, not a lot actually. Her clothing appeared to be some sort of a corset dress 'thing'. The upper part was just that, a corset, while the lower half consisted of a short skirt that stopped a bit above her knees. Her long legs were clad in stockings, while on her feet she wore what Sirius could only really call 'bondage boots'.
The other one, whose gender couldn't be discerned, was actually the most heavily armoured Servant Sirius had seen, and looked quite menacing in that get up. Encased in metal, with red accents and details here and there, their legs were covered, their torso covered, a great horned helm hid their face, and oversized tassets protected their upper legs, even if they looked rather impractical to Sirius.
What Sirius was more interested in was how they were currently standing, or kneeling as was the case with the armoured knight. The knight, as has been said, was on one knee, and had the tip of their sword embedded in the stone floor of the room they were in, their hands wresting on the blade's hilt.
The definitely female one was stood tall and proud, her eyes flickering between them all as her lips curled into a mild sneer, and her cold, hard gaze harshly swept across them. She appeared rather uncomfortable with them all, possessing disdain and a strong dislike of them.
"I am Servant Saber." The knight spoke. "I ask of you, are you my master?"
"I am the one that summoned you." Harry agreed. "You may rise, there's no need to bow to me."
Sirius swore he saw something flicker in the other Servant's eyes at that.
"The name I was born with is Harry Potter, though I have several titles and nicknames which are used. May I know who I summoned, please?" Harry asked politely.
"You were the one that summoned me, should you not know who it is you have called?" The knight asked with some confusion in its distorted voice.
"I did not use any catalyst for the summoning, so all I know is that you and I are apparently suitably matched." Harry stated. "You seem to have a Noble Phantasm that hides who you truly are, but... I could quite possibly figure out who you are from what information I can gather." Some humour entered Harry's voice at this point. "After all, the list of people who have held the sword Clarent is rather short."
The knight stiffened at that, but Harry kept speaking. "In addition to the sword, there is the style of armour you wear, and your bearing. I believe I have a very good idea as to your identity. However, if you wish to keep it to yourself, then that is your choice."
The knight relaxed slightly, standing up and sheathing its sword. Looking around at them all, it seemed the knight had a question they wanted answering.
"Was it truly wise to summon me amongst so many mages, master? Any one of them could stab you in the back, especially if they wished for your command seals, and your place in the Grail War." The distorted voice, and Sirius couldn't tell if it was male or female, questioned Harry.
"Call me Harry, not master, please." Harry said, before waving her concerns off. "Also, none of these are masters, and they won't be. They're mostly my family, but the old man with the long beard sneaked in behind them. He's too nosy for his own good, but not someone to worry about."
"Understood, ma-... Harry." The red knight replied.
Harry grinned at that. "No problem, and you can take your helmet off, you know, I can't imagine that's too comfortable." He them turned to the other one. "Now, may I know who you are? You have yet to speak, and I'm beginning to wonder if you're mute."
She didn't reply at first, too absorbed in staring at Harry's eyes. It was nothing romantic, or anything like that, no, it was just that Harry's eyes were sharp. Just looking him in the eye told her that he knew who she was, or at least had a short list of possibilities, meaning he also knew what she was as well. However, there was no revulsion in his eyes, simply curiosity, and so she did not snap at him, or insult him, as she otherwise might have done.
"You told her not to call you 'master', did you not?" Harry nodded at that. "In that case, never refer to me as a servant, of any sort, or for any reason, or I will ensure that you regret it." Despite the heat and vehemence in her words, which made most in the room flinch, Harry simply nodded, agreeing to her request. "As for my 'class' title, it is Deceiver, which even I can tell is most irregular."
"Yes, it is." Harry agreed, removing the vambrace from his arm to reveal all of his command seals. "All seven of the others have standard titles, and the only eighth class that I was really aware of was 'Avenger'. I knew that other classes were possible, but they are rare, and not something I really looked into. Perhaps it is because you were the eighth summoned, and each summoning must be for a separate class, that you possess the title you do."
The knight growled slightly. "How is it you possess so many command seals? You claim to have summoned eight of us, and yet a Grail War only makes use of seven Servants."
Harry looked up and saw a familiar face, now that Saber had removed their helmet.
"So I was right, it is you." Harry muttered. "You're the spitting image of your father."
That earned a further growl and a narrowing of her eyes from Mordred, for that was who she really was. Of course, Harry was completely unphased by all of this, and simply chose to answer the question he'd been asked.
"I possessed seven sets of command seals due to the fact the ritual was initially set up separately from the Grail Wars, and the one who did it didn't know how to create less than a full number of them. It was originally intended so that I would have some protection from... certain sources, but later on, it was a visible link to loved ones of mine." He told them.
Touching the command seals with his right hand, Harry created magical threads of visible light that connected the relevant seals to his Servants which were currently present. An orange-red thread flew to Tamamo-no-Mae, a dark grey one to Jack the Ripper, and a silvery one connected to Illyasviel von Einzbern. Two more, a red and a black, connected him to his two newest summons.
"Where are the others?" The woman asked. "There are three not present."
"Well, Fran is currently at college, with an eye to attending university the year after next. Liz is becoming quite the well-known artist right now. She's not world famous, but she is rather well known in the art community, and she's got quite the following. Medusa is dealing with something personal, though even I'm surprised she's taking as long as she is over this, she must be feeling rather vindictive over this." Harry explained.
"Strange." Deceiver muttered.
"What is strange?" Harry asked, though he already knew what she was thinking.
"Usually when one has a strong 'weapon' that has a will of its own, they keep it on a shorter leash than you do." She stated.
Harry shook his head. "They are not my attack dogs, Deceiver, they're people in their own right. Granted, those I've summoned before are more aligned towards the 'villain' side of the hero-villain spectrum, but they're still people with their own thoughts and desires. As long as they're not going on a mass-murdering rampage, or something like that, I'm not going to stop them doing what they want."
"My desire, my wish..." Mordred spoke up, her brow furrowing. "I wish to face Arthur, I wish to prove myself worthy of being king."
"You're a strong woman." Harry said, noting her rising anger as he referred to her gender. "Like many others I know, not least of which being your sire."
Mordred was shocked at that. "My father... was a woman?"
Harry nodded.
"Yes, Arturia was female. In fact, as I understand it, she's the Saber Servant summoned using the Fuyuki Grail. As I intend to travel there, and interfere in the Fourth Grail War, you would be most likely to see her there and meet with her." He told her. "Is that what you want to do?"
Mordred's grip on Clarent tightened, and her features twisted into an angry scowl you would have never seen on Arturia's face. "Yes, that is what I desire. Let me confront her, and my sword is yours to command. This I swear, in the name of Mordred, Knight of Betrayal."
Harry smiled slightly. "Lancelot is also going to be in this war, as Berserker I believe."
Mordred nodded at that, while Harry turned to Deceiver.
"May I ask what your wish is? If it's within my power, I will grant it to you, no issues at all." He said.
Deceiver hummed to herself for a moment. "My wish? Well, my desire, in fact a lot of what I did in... life, was because I refused to bow, I refused to submit myself to another. I believe that every being should be capable of making their own decisions, and should not be forced to do what they don't wish to. Can you make this foolish desire a reality?"
"No, I can't." Harry replied bluntly. "I could force a geass on a world, following whatever rules you like, however simply doing so would violate the conditions of said geass, as it is one of compulsion. Also, the grail itself would be incapable of granting that wish. The corruption aside, it is merely an amplifier, and can only do things in a manner you can imagine. Do you know of a way your wish could be made reality, but merely lack the power or ability to do so?"
"No, I don't." Deceiver sighed. "For a supposedly omnipotent artefact, this Holy Grail is falling short of expectation."
Harry chuckled. "The grail is power, not direction, and needs some framework to actually fulfil its purpose."
"So my wish is incapable of being granted then?" Deceiver asked.
"It's self-contradictory." Harry shrugged. "It forces a situation where no one can be forced. It's a fairly simple paradox."
"Mm, I see." Deceiver murmured, before chuckling. "I suppose it's fitting that my 'wish' is impossible then."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather less... 'displeased' with that than I'd expect."
Deceiver shrugged. "Complaining about it or throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to do anything for me, so why do so?" She replied.
Harry shrugged. "That's rather logical, I guess."
"It is, isn't it?" Deceiver agreed. "Now, what exactly was it you wished to do in this 'Fourth Grail War' you mentioned?"
"Hmm." Harry thought for a moment, before glancing over at their audience. "Ah, give me a moment." He said.
Turning towards the spectators, Harry addressed them. "You've seen the summoning, so that's that, you can all leave now, and Dumbledore, I've cursed you so you're incapable of wearing any bright and flamboyant clothing for a month, oh, and you can't touch lemon drops either. Have fun with that."
Turning back to Deceiver, Harry wrapped his magic around her, Mordred, Sirius, and his other companions, and then used the Kaleidoscope to return home, to the living room specifically.
Somehow, when Harry appeared, he managed to end up in Riesbyfe's lap.
xxxxx
Zelretch, having felt the Kaleidoscope activate, stepped into the living room, a can of beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He paused when he saw Harry and Riesbyfe with their faces not two inches away from each other, neither of them moving at all.
He frowned, and had a notebook float over to him from... somewhere.
"Hmm, I wasn't aware Riesbyfe was on the chart." Zelretch muttered as a biro also appeared from somewhere, and began to write in the notebook. "Now let's see, where on the shipping chart will she go, and who's shipping her with Harry?"
This was apparently enough to get Harry to stop staring into Riesbyfe's eyes. He slowly turned towards the older vampire.
"Gramps, did you just say 'shipping chart'?" He asked.
"Yes, I did." Zelretch replied distractedly. "Keeping track of your current and possible relationships is confusing, even for me, so I made myself a shipping chart to keep track of things, though I swear someone keeps making modifications to it."
"Gramps, if you don't put that chart away, like right now, I'm going to burn it, and if I do, I can't guarantee that the black flames of Amaterasu won't spread to you as well." He threatened.
"Noted." Zelretch replied, the notebook having disappeared at some point, to... somewhere. "Sooo, what are you doing home, and now that I've noticed them, who are your new friends?"
"My last summoning called two instead of one." Harry said, climbing out of Riesbyfe's lap. "This is my Saber, Mordred, and this is Deceiver, though unless I've got my guess wrong, she's actually Lucifer."
Deceiver stiffened at that, her eyes going wide. She'd thought he'd figured her out, but it was another thing entirely for him to say it so casually, and it felt like a failure on her part, to be so transparent.
"Hmm, that so?" Zelretch focused on her, before blinking in surprise. "Well, you've certainly summoned her from a few worlds away, haven't you? She's not from a Hogwarts world, or a Clock Tower one. I'm kind of curious how she'll handle a world that operates by different supernatural rules."
"What do you mean by that?" Lucifer asked, a sword appearing in her hand. It was a rather simple looking blade, a silvery-grey colour, straight, about the width of a hand, and a blade as long as an arm, with a hand-and-a-half hilt that ended in a reversed Christian cross."
"While the biblical god did exist in this world, he came into existence at the very end of the Age of Gods, and barely lasted two decades before being killed. Actually, I believe it was Susano'o-no-Mikoto that actually offed him for straying too far east, and attempting to expand too aggressively." Zelretch explained. "Most of the actions attributed to him, in this world at least, was the work of others."
"In my world, God is also dead, however he lasted much longer than two decades, that I know for certain." Lucifer stated, before glancing at Harry. "Also, I prefer the name Helel, if you don't mind, it's my... Hebrew name, and far fewer people curse it."
"Sure thing." Harry agreed, having no issue referring to her using that name. "Now, the reason I did the summoning when I did was so that I would have a few days to get to know you, so, what do you feel like doing?"
Riesbyfe chose this moment to speak up. "Myself, Sion, and Satsuki have a mercenary job coming up that the Church gave us. They're enforcers simply aren't numerous enough, and there's rumours that the target has something really bad with them, but no clear idea what. It'd be interesting to have an angel, even one that fell, come with us."
Helel considered it for a moment, before twelve wings sprouted from her back, six of them white and feathered, those on her left side, and six of them black and leathery, the ones on her right side.
"Fair enough." Helel agreed. "Perhaps I could wet my blade a little."
Harry simply rolled his eyes at her dramatics.
xxxxx
They were in Australia, and a particularly dense jungle at that.
Harry, Mordred, Helel, Satsuki, Sion, and Riesbyfe walked in formation. Harry and Riesbyfe were at the front, the two of them acting as the 'shields' for the group, Harry with magically created or conjured barriers, and Riesbyfe with the massive body of Gamaliel.
Mordred, Helel, and Satsuki followed next, two of them with swords, and the vampire maid with custom-crafted gauntlets and boots with which to fight. At the back of the formation stood Sion, an Etherlite whip in one hand, while the other held a Harry-modified crossbow that was capable of firing bolts that moved at almost ultrasonic speeds, though thankfully the recoil was transformed into power for an enchantment on the next bolt to be fired.
"Intel tells us the clearing in which the target resides is just ahead." Sion informed the group. "There are rumours of people going missing around here, and a 'forest spirit' that's restless and angry with people for various reasons, no one can quite agree on a single reason for it."
"Neither Elestia or myself can sense such a spirit, but she's warning me that the flora around here feels rather more... 'active' than is normal." Harry called out. "Not sure what she means by that, bu- STOP!" He suddenly commanded, and everyone halted where they were, not moving a muscle.
Harry knelt down, before chuckling. "Now I see what she means. Be careful going forwards, if tentacles aren't your fetish, watch out for all of the vines, 'kay?"
A horrified and disgusted look crossed Mordred's face as the relevant information was 'downloaded' into her mind, and she immediately slashed at the thick, green vines which were hanging from the trees. She then looked at the forest floor, which was covered in even more vines, and had to suppress a shudder. Humans and their depravities, ugh! Why would a woman enjoy that?! And who would even think something like that up?
"That fits with the information we have." Sion stated. "Our target is a Sealing Designate that had a focus on biological manipulation and enhancement, with a view towards improving and extending someone's lifespan without resorting to becoming a Dead Apostle."
"What exactly earned him his Sealing Designation?" Satsuki asked.
"He wanted to know whether the research subject possessing Magic Circuits would make a difference and kidnapped the heir of a young family. Said family, however, were owed a favour from a greater one, and they cashed it in to raise some noise about him. He escaped before he could be captured however." Sion replied.
"I've found him." Harry interrupted them. "There's a large clearing twenty feet ahead of us, and his abode is in the centre of said clearing. From what I can sense, his modified plants literally cover the entire area, and there are some more amongst the trees at the edges of the clearing."
He turned to Sion, Satsuki, and Riesbyfe. "You three are the ones who usually do the missions, so we'll follow your lead here."
The two of them turned to Sion, who was apparently the planner of the group.
"How much can you tell me about the plants? Is Satsuki strong enough to tear them apart? Will they regenerate if cut? Are they resistant to flames?" She asked Harry.
"The plants are tougher than regular ones, and an ordinary human would be incapable of tearing them, however Satsuki is stronger than that, and should have no problems." Harry replied. "The plants have some regenerative ability, but that can be exhausted if they are repeatedly damaged, and while they do have a resistance to fire, it's rather minor and nothing to really be concerned about."
"Is our target awake or asleep? Where in the house is he? What defences does the house itself have?" Sion questioned.
"He's asleep. Second floor, far left window from this side. Minor bounded fields, primarily alarms to wake him up and alert him to an intruder's presence." Harry rattled off easily.
Sion considered their options for a moment. "If he is alerted to our presence, he's likely to try and flee immediately. In that case, it's best to use his bounded fields against him, and drive him in one particular direction. Harry, can you instruct the nearby snakes to chase him away?"
"I can." Harry nodded. "There's not as many here as there is in Fuyuki back home, but there's still plenty of them."
"Good." Sion nodded. "Get them into position, then you, Helel, and Mordred can assault the building from over this way. When he flees, the snakes can direct him towards a wire net trap I will be setting up with my Etherlite, whereupon Satsuki and Riesbyfe can attack him from the sides to disable him. They want this one brought in alive, along with any research he has on him, so no killing the target, okay?"
"Got it." Harry agreed.
"Understood." Helel said, her sword appearing in her hand.
"So my job is to go in and start breaking things? I can do that." Mordred grinned.
Satsuki and Riesbyfe both gave their own acknowledgements, before they began moving off with Sion. Harry began hissing in Parseltongue, the snakes hearing him and passing the message amongst them, until very rapidly there was a sizeable number heading into position to assist.
Helel's eyes glittered in interest at that ability of his, and chose to speak up. "The Satan of my world was referred to as a serpent, but even he couldn't speak their language. Is that a trait of your heritage, or a language that can be learned?"
"It's a 'magical' language, and can be gained in several ways. There are several serpentine races which can teach it, such as lamia, gorgons, and coatls, or it can be an ability inherited from a parent. Interestingly enough, it's both with me. I inherited it from my human mother, though why she had that gift I don't know, and I also learned more of it from the gorgons that raised me." Harry replied. "Also, there is a difference between Satan and you?" He asked curiously.
"I overthrew Satan." Helel replied simply. "I was not him myself, and I would never be like him."
"Interesting." Harry muttered to himself, before hearing a hissed message being passed along through the snakes. "It looks like everyone is in position now though, so shall we get going?"
Helel and Mordred grinned. "Yes, let's 'make some noise' as they say." The latter said.
As one, the three charged through the trees and into the clearing, Mordred wielding Clarent, Helel her own sword, and Harry using his Fae-crafted falcata, Malleab and Izotari, as they began to tear their way through the plants that attempted to stop them.
Vines rose up, only to get cut in two. Poison clouds covered the ground, yet did not slow them down. Thorns tried to tear into their flesh, yet were too weak to do so. Again and again, the plants rose to attack the intruders, and they continued to fall before them.
Harry took note of when he felt the target's soul exit through a window on the far side of the house, the vines his plants grew forming a staircase for him to run down. He kept an 'eye' on him, following him as he took the path they wanted him to, having snakes lash out whenever he went to go the wrong way.
Once he was sure the magus was away, Harry activated his Senjutsu. A pattern of green vines went down one half of his face, with three wavy blue lines on the opposite cheek. Since Aqua and Elestia both were assisting him with it, he had something to represent them both.
Immediately, the natural energy forced into the plants calmed them down, as Harry, backed by Elestia, took control of them. After that, he began to transport them to his Soul World, theorising that Elestia might enjoy having some new flora to look after, and he felt her positive reply in the back of his mind.
"Humph, is that really all humans can do in this world?" Helel asked.
"This guy at least." Harry replied. "His research doesn't lend itself well to direct combat, and he was at a disadvantage against us. Against a human, regular, wizard, or magus, it would have been more effective. For one, those poisons they sprayed may have actually done something, as judging from their composition, they appear to be enhanced versions of a number of deadly concoctions."
"A simple gas mask would have taken care of that problem." Helel stated, before a vicious, four inch long thorn, dripping with poison also caught her eye. "But not that. Though sufficient armour would stop that dead." She finished.
"Never mind that for now, let's see if he left any research behind in his home. Sion's Etherlite net has already caught the guy, and the other two are in the process of disabling him." Harry said, heading towards the house.
It didn't take them long to track down all of the target's research, and when they left the building, it was to see the other group waiting for them, with the Sealing Designate tied up and unconscious in an Etherlite net. He also showed some damage from the hits Satsuki and Riesbyfe used to disable him.
Harry tossed them a folder, containing everything relevant they'd found, followed by two small objects, what looked like ordinary ornaments that anyone might keep around the house. Sion gave Harry a quizzical look as she caught them, wondering what they were for.
"Two portkeys." Harry explained. "The glass octopus to get you there, and the china squirrel to get home. Us three are going to collect the others that will be joining us and heading to the Fourth Grail War."
Helel huffed. "I'm still not particularly happy about being a 'Servant', whether you call me such or not."
Harry rolled his eyes and was about to reply, before pausing, seemingly contemplating something.
"What?" The fallen angel asked, the look in his eye sending a shiver down her spine.
"If we put you in something more normal, like jeans and a shirt or something, you could easily pass for a human." He muttered. "I can resonate with the Fuyuki Grail, tricking it into telling the other master's about an 'eighth' Servant..."
"What are you planning?" Mordred asked warily.
"I'm thinking of having Helel pose as a Master, and myself as a Servant." Harry replied. "And I know just the class to pretend to be to cause a nice bit of chaos."
Helel started to smile slightly, her grin growing until it nearly split her face in two, and a strange gleam entered her eyes.
"Deal." She said. "Just... try and look a little more intimidating. I'd rather them not mistake you for Servant Seducer or something?" She mildly mocked Harry, who pouted back at her.
"Instead of Seducer, call me..." Harry paused.
"Avenger."