"Thrúd?" Ortlinde asked into their network. No response came.
"Sister," Ortlinde said once again. Why would Thrúd abandon them?
"Sister!" She screamed into it. Still no response.
She couldn't take it.
"What is it?" Thrúd's voice came through. Ortlinde felt her chest swell.
"Thrúd! I- We're so relieved! What happened?" She asked.
"Yeah. You were gone quite a long time," Hildr added, joining in. Her voice sounded less excited than usual.
"I was ruminating, trying to figure out my malfunctions," Thrúd said. Thrúd often sounded cold, but this was different, she sounded hollow.
"Do you need me to take over?" Thrúd asked.
Ortlinde did want that, but
"I'll do it. Take a rest, Orlinde," Hildr said. A request came through, to cease control of the spirit origin.
"Acknowledged," she said. Wind swirled around her, and she felt herself go away.
Hildr opened her eyes and stretched her arms, since she spent too much time in the 'backseat' so to speak.
She got ahold of her surroundings. The cave they had taken refuge in, Sigurd sitting nearby, the boy sleeping on a corner.
She was interested in battle, that was what she wanted the most. But now, she wished for nothing like that. Qin Liangyu's voice still echoed, calling her 'worse than evil'
Valkyries had no feelings about good and evil. However, they were told their All-father was a force of good, a protector of the world that wanted to prevent Ragnarök. By proxy, Valkyries had to be good.
But they didn't think about that. They only thought about completing their mission.
Except now, that mission was deemed evil.
"Oh, so it is Hildr who came out. Welcome," Sigurd said, voice warm. Hildr narrowed her eyes at being snapped out of her thoughts by him.
"Dragonslayer. So they left you behind too," she said, all pep leaving her. She didn't hate Sigurd, she didn't really hate since she was a Valkyrie, but seeing him spawned various unwanted feelings inside her body.
"That's right. It does wound my pride as a warrior, but I think they made the right choice," Sigurd said, smirking.
"Is that so," Hildr muttered, choosing to look at the sleeping boy. He stirred in his sleep.
They remained in silence for a moment, with Hildr keeping her sights on the boy. It was tense, she wanted to say a few things to the Dragonslayer. Maybe berate him, maybe call out his flaws or make evident the pain he had caused them by taking Brynhildr away.
But she didn't say anything.
The boy stirred again, and again a few moments after. Then he rolled over, and Hildr got closer to him in order to ensure he was alright, rectifying her mistake was a priority after all.
He rolled over again, facing towards the sky, and then he opened his eyes.
He squinted, but otherwise had no other visible reaction.
"M-miss Valkyrie?" He asked. Hildr let a smile seep into her lips.
"That's correct. Are you feeling alright?" She asked. The boy nodded.
"Yes. W-what happened to the village?" He asked. Hildr pursed her lips. The three sisters had decided the truth was worth telling.
"It's gone. Your emperor destroyed it," Hildr said.
The boy's eyes widened, but it wasn't the horrified reaction that they expected. "The Great Heavenly Emperor destroyed it? I…" the boy looked at his lap, mouth moving. "… If he decried it so, then it must be right."
Hildr stared at him. He was like them, in a way. Their purpose and their commanders were not to be questioned.
However, the way his eyes moved showed Hildr that something else was on his mind.
"You have something else to say," she stated. The boy looked at her sheepishly.
"N-no… I just can't help but… ask… why. For some reason, I wanna know why the others had to die to that creature," he replied, looking away.
Hildr lowered her eyes. She could feel Thrúd and Ortlinde were watching. "Because we taught you runes."
"O-oh," he said. "But was that really so wrong?"
"We just did what we were programmed to do. If you must hate something, then hate us," Hildr said, placing a hand over her chest.
However, the boy's face did not twist in anger or resentment.
"If I may, Hildr," Sigurd said. Hearing her name, the Valkryie turned to see him. "Why do you think that what you did was wrong?"
Hildr raised an eyebrow. "I… do not think that what I did was wrong."
"Then why are you asking for punishment. Surely, you have failed to live up to something; or someone. Perhaps yourself?"
"I was just following my programming," Hildr replied, voice sleeping through nearly clenched teeth.
"Wrong again. Your only orders were to ensure Master's safety. You three taught the boy runes out of your own volition. You had a choice."
Hildr froze. "So… are you saying I'm… that we are… evil? That we… got all those villagers killed because of our desire?" She asked. Sigurd looked at her, expression stern and unchanging. "Like sister Brynhildr?"
"Your sister chose her path. What she did for my love, and what my love did to her is only for ourselves to judge. But I ask, what do you think of her? Of yourself?" Rage bubbled inside Hildr's chest. And Ortlinde's. And Thrúd's.
"That… that…!" Something shoved her away, back into pilot mode. Thrúd replaced her.
"So this is what you wanted us to admit!" Thrúd said, venom dripping from her voice and fists balled hard enough to draw blood.
Sigurd remained stoic.
Thrúd?! What are you doing? Hildr asked in their mind.
"Fine! You're right! We are evil! Despite how hard we tried to fight it, how hard we tried to stay on the path, none of us could prevent it! None of us… could prevent the others from falling!" Hildr could feel Thrúd's empty chest, the pain behind her words. "We did what we did, because of our selfish desire to remain Valkyries. Nothing more!"
Thrúd finished with a shout. If Hildr were her, she surely would have done the same.
The cave fell into silence. Thrúd breathed heavily while Sigurd simply stared at her behind his glasses.
"Congratulations, Dragonslayer," Thrúd spat out. "Your corruption of our Elder Sister, led to our downfall."
Sigurd said nothing for a moment, and then, he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Maybe my questions were a little too direct, I do apologize," he said, looking at the ground. Thrúd fixed her posture, no longer under his gaze. "But you are not broken. You simply changed."
Hildr, Ortlinde and Thrúd's mind stopped.
Change was not something Valkyries did.
"Change?" Thrúd asked.
"Yes. You've changed into someone evil with selfish goals. However, you can change again. You can become better," Sigurd said, once again stared at them as a brother scolds their siblings. "Besides, while you ended up doing evil, your goals were noble."
"You don't know that," Thrúd whispered.
"Well, perhaps. But I do want to have faith in my sisters," he said, winking.
At this, Thrúd took a step back.
"S-s-sisters?" She asked, flabbergasted.
"Well, yes. I'm married to Brynhildr, your sister. Thus, you are my sisters in law," he replied, smiling even wider.
"We don't consider you our brother in law!" Thrúd said.
"Well, I expected that. No one likes their in-laws it seems," Sigurd said.
"H-how did you figure that?"
"I may have asked the throne for how… romance is interpreted in modern times," Sigurd replied, scratching the back of his head.
"You are… unbelievable. Hildr, you're dealing with this," Thrúd said. And so, Hildr was back in control.
"Aww, that's unfair!" She complained. And at this, Sigurd chuckled.
"Do you really find me so unsavoury?" He asked.
"Of course we do!" Hildr replied, expression darkening. "After all… because of you…"
"… I understand. Your sister went on a wholly different path to yours, and I did nothing to try to take her back to it. I made her suffer. But she chose her path, and to walk alongside me, because she loved me," he said. Hildr balled her fists, a wave of disgust pooling in her stomach. That happened way too often lately.
"You are correct. We do… hate you," she whispered, looking at the ground.
Someone tugged at her clothes. Hildr turned to see the boy look up at her, a melancholic expression on his face.
"I… do not think you're evil," he said. The Valkyrie lost her breath, and at that moment, footsteps entered the cave.
"We're back!" Emiya announced a little too casually, making the two servants stand at attention. She caught his gaze, nodded, and thus his eyes softened as if he were being nostalgic, as if enthralled.
Had he made them fall?
"He would not. He cannot!" Ortlinde said in their network.
"And why not? Ever since we were summoned here, we tried to understand love, to understand him. But… it seems it was a detriment," Thrúd said.
"But we're not in love with him. He's just a Master, a hero," Hildr argued. "It must be something else… right?"
Her sisters went silent.
Hildr looked away from Shirou. She, they, needed to focus.
"Master," Sigurd said, nodding. Ophelia nodded back, and stopped near one of the cave walls, putting her hands on her hips. Sigurd seemed to notice this. "Was your mission fruitful?"
Mash's eyes lowered to the ground. "That's–"
"It was," Ophelia cut in, straightening her posture. "Beryl will create a distraction. We need to move to that prison we found. If our scans from a few days ago were correct, then there's a building there. Moreover, when sensing the land's spirits… I detected something massive there, something out of place. I don't know how, but it has to be Koyanskaya, or at least something from outside the Lostbelt."
"Understood," Sigurd said.
"Will we move out soon?" Hildr asked. Shirou sighed.
"Yeah. We'll need to, I'm afraid," he said, not looking at either Servant.
Sigurd hummed, and his face became strained. "Master, what have you done?" His voice was harsh, like a sword of steel. Ophelia took a step back under his gaze.
"I… Beryl will unleash curses upon the residents of the Lostbelt, that's why we must hurry," Ophelia said, meeting Sigurd's steely gaze with her own.
"I see. Force the enemy to address a threat to it's people, while we blindside them. A ruthless, despicable tactic. Are you sure that is what you want, Masters," the Dragonslayer looked at both Shirou and Ophelia, but neither said anything.
While Valkyries valued strong, cunning warriors, but an honourless tactic such as slaughtering innocents for military gain was against the principles their father had given them.
For Hildr, to see Shirou do that shattered something about him. He had great potential as a hero, but now that chance fell to the floor and cracked like a mirror.
All three sisters experienced a uniform empty feeling about him, about what they expected of him.
"We have no other choice. Moving quickly is our best chance now, the Lostbelt's as well," Ophelia said.
Sigurd closed his eyes. Hildr wondered if she was experiencing a similar disappointment with their Master. Then he opened them again. "Understood."
"Umm…" everyone on the cave turned to the interior, to see the lone boy standing a few meters away from them, his form even smaller under their gazes. "W-w-what about me?"
No one responded.
Then, Ophelia sighed. "Just what we needed."
Hugged between rocky hills and mountains was a prison, it's different sections all squares made of stone and steel. More advanced than the villages but nothing compared to the technologically advanced Xiangyang, which could be seen a little bit over a northern hill.
The prison was in Hildr's sight from their vantage point on a forested southern hill. The building itself seemed relatively empty, although a few humans did guard it. Or so her scans told her.
"There it is," Emiya said from beside her. "Ankang prison."
"Koyanskaya must be there," Ophelia said, squinting her eye.
"What about Beryl?" Mash asked.
"According to my familiars, he's already on the move. Let's be quick," she said. Then, she turned to the shielder. "Keep the boy safe."
Mash nodded, ushering the kid into the inner part of her shield. While they all agreed the boy would be a hindrance, none of the Masters wanted to abandon him. "Stick with me at all times, um…"
"Hm?" The boy raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I'm not too fond of calling you boy," Mash stated.
"Oh? But that's what I'm always called. Why would I be called something else?" The boy asked.
"Names have meaning," Sigurd said, from behind Ophelia. "They communicate things about you, about your beliefs or what your parents saw in you."
"O-oh. Well, I don't think I have one," the boy said. Hildr looked at him, and an idea popped in her mind. Warriors deserved names, to be remembered.
He was just a boy, another soul out of countless, but he deserved a name nonetheless.
Valkyries did not bless newborns, not like that. Even so, she was evil anyways. She might as well shill that duty one more time.
"Then you'll be 'Leif' for now. Let's keep moving," Hildr said.
"L-leif? Why–?," the boy said.
"–Then," Ophelia said, interrupting the boy and pulling out the cloaking device Da Vinci had given them at the start of the Lostbelt. "I'll cloak us. We'll approach through the back."
Hildr scanned the area again, enhanced eyesight sweeping the prison. "You should do that. We'll go through the front."
"What?! That's not the plan!" Ophelia said.
"You may get past the guards, but once you liberate Koyanskaya, all of them will swarm you, and possibly alert the Emperor's forces. But if we Valkyries engage them, then you'll have a clear path to your target," Hildr said, locking eyes with Ophelia. She hesitated for a moment, despite most of the time operating with the same seriousness of a Valkyrie.
Of course she did, she was human.
For a second, Ophelia's gaze turned to Shirou.
He pursed his lips, looking at the group before turning to her.
"Then I'll go with you. No Servant should be without a Master," he said.
"You're not our Master though," Hildr stated.
"Yeah. But I don't have a Servant anymore either. And besides," he smiled at her for a moment. "Thrúd said we'd be compatible in combat. Isn't strength in numbers a good thing?"
Not when one of the combatants was a simple human.
Shirou was free to choose his own fate, and Hildr couldn't deny she did want to gauge his combat prowess some more.
"Very well. Come on then. Everyone else besides the Dragonslayer, may the gods grant you victory!" Hildr said, beaming at her compatriots.
"That's quite hurtful," Sigurd commented.
"Your Dragon Core will heal your wounds," Hildr said, turning around and descending the hill.
Shirou did the same, following behind her.
The prison was a few hundred meters ahead of them, they would reach it at jogging pace.
Neither Hildr nor Shirou said anything as the Prison began to grow larger due to their approach.
"You there! The Child of Gods, and the Hero of Justice!" A voice echoed from above, making both Shirou and Hildr turn skyward. "You have emerged from your holes once again! And for what purpose? Simply to defy me? To throw my kingdom into chaos?"
"Qin Shi Huang!" Shirou screamed skyward. "Where is the rest of Chaldea?!"
"The rest of you? We have them under vigilance. While their confucianism is poison, we still want to extract as much of their technical knowledge as possible," the Emperor explained. Hildr saw Shirou's fist tighten.
"Give them back! We don't want to fight–!"
"Fight? Fool! The only fighters here are you, spreading war and chaos!" Qin Shi Huang replied, anger evident in his voice, vibrations raining down from the sky.
"Me!? You ordered your villagers be killed, by your own soldiers!" Shirou shouted. Hildr had never seen him lose his usually calm demeanour like that.
"And whose fault is that? You heroes of Justice are all the same. You only know your own right. You think your justice is good, and anyone else's evil. You save those that you want saved and not those that need be saved. We've dealt with your hypocrisy and charisma before, and this time it shall not be different," Qin Shi Huang said. Shirou clicked his tongue.
"At least we tried to save them!" Shirou said, after a moment of hesitation.
"Why should we waste our time saving what is lost?" Qin Shi Huang's voice sounded mocking, condescending but without a hint of malice.
"Because these are people, fellow humans! They deserve to live!" Shirou shouted to the sky, as if defying some god.
"These are not humans. They are our beloved people, our subjects; but we are the only human," Shirou and Hildr were left speechless.
The emperor had stripped his people of culture, names, knowledge and identity; declaring himself the only human in the world.
Valkyries did not care about human matters, however, seeing humans turned into cattle, into something lesser, stripped of everything...
It ignited a spark inside of her.
"Y-you… are not deserving of being their ruler!" Hildr shouted, letting her fury out. Her sisters did not stop her, for they also felt some rage at that.
"Ho? You should stay out of human matters, child of the gods. But since you are here, you'll perish alongside your companion. Witness!" From the prison, large doors opened, blowing dust all over the area in front of it, obscuring the building.
A loud, piercing sound broke the silence of the valley, and the dust was blown away by a file of nine white figures, which stopped a few hundred meters ahead of them.
Hildr could see them clearly. Spearmen in a line formation with the dreaded Qin Liangyu at the centre. All of them rode not horses, but floating vehicles akin to bikes.
"What the…?" Shirou muttered.
"Impressed, confucians? Here we are, adapting your machines to our liking for a good purpose," something told Hildr Qin Shi Huang was misguiding his words. "Behold the new White Cavalry! Now, Qin Liangyu, I'll leave the rest to you."
The Emperor's voice disappeared. From the other side, a humming sound reached her ears. The Valkyrie felt Qin Liangyu's piercing gaze.
This time she… they… would not lose.
"Hildr…" Shirou muttered, standing at her side.
"Master, take out her warriors. We'll face their general," Hildr stated, holding her spear straight and shield tight, floating off the ground just a bit.
"Understood," he said, and in his hands two twin swords materialized. "Hildr."
"What?" She asked, keeping her sights on Qin Liangyu. The woman muttered something, and all the warriors lowered their spears to be parallel to the ground.
"You lost to her last time, right?" He asked, also keeping his sights on the enemy.
Hildr felt a pang of irritation. "Affirmative. But we will be victorious on this occasion."
The Valkyries agreed on their expectations. Doubts, pleads to not fight, asking them to let him lead; those were the possibilities.
However. "I know. But no matter she said to you last time," shocked, Hildr turned to him, eyes catching his own soft gaze. "I'm certain you're not evil. I'm certain that you are a Valkyrie."
Hildr's mouth hung open slightly at that. Somehow, his words had reached… something inside her. That hollowness she felt before towards him had lessened.
"Concentrate Hildr." Ortlinde reminded her.
The Valkyrie turned back, and just in time, because the White Cavalry began their high speed charge.
"Incoming!" Hildr said, raising her shield. Her target was set. She was able to match the speed of Qin Liangyu's vehicle with her Mystic Code.
"Got it!" Shirou said, stepping back at little. "Forging multiple projections!"
She felt a surge of magical energy behind her.
Qin Liangyu charged ahead of her troops, making the formation a V.
Hildr charged in response.
"Projections freeze!"
Two hundred meters. Wind blew in her face, but that did nothing to tear her sights away from her target. Qin Liangyu did not tear her eyes away either, lowering her spear a little.
"Oh White Shafted Spear, for the glory of the emperor, I will gladly give my life!" The weapon became imbued with pulsing green magical energy, crackling as she moved.
A hundred meters. Hildr raised her shield to meet the blow, and pulled her spear back to charge it with magical energy, making it glow gold.
"O Runes! O father! Give me your strength!" Hildr chanted. Fifty meters left.
"All Projections, fire!" Shirou shouted. Twenty meters left, crossed in a second.
Both lancers clashed against each other.
An explosion shook the area. Ophelia knew then that the battle had started.
"Ok. Let's go!" While Shirou had engaged on his talk with Qin Shi Huang, she, Sigurd, Mash and Leif had snuck towards the east wall of the prison.
Looking at it now, the building was taller than anticipated, all it's windows sporting a mix of old iron bars and reinforced glass that should not be possible in this age.
They reached it as the shockwave went past them.
"Sigurd, Mash, you're up!" Ophelia shouted, holding the cloaking device tightly. The range was small now, and it grew smaller as it's battery waned.
"Roger. Activating Ortinax Boosters! Hold on, Leif!" Mash said, taping some buttons on her left gauntlet.
"O-ok!" The boy said, hanging tightly to her waist.
"Hold on to me, Master," Sigurd said, putting and arm over her shoulders and bringing her close to his body.
She hid her embarrassment on being so close to a hero she had read so much about, and also some trepidation due to her awful memories with Surtr.
"Now!" She said. With a synchronized jump, both Servants easily scaled the twenty meters long wall.
The force exerted made her feel like her insides were being pulled down, but in a second they were already over the wall.
Sigurd let her go, and Ophelia immediately put a hand on the floor, and readied her spell.
"Geister, enthüllt euch mir!" Magic energy ran through her circuits and into the floor. She felt the faint corners of the building, nothing extraordinary touching her wave until it crashed against a tremendous object like a tide crashing against a rock.
"There! Deep inside the prison!" she said, and then grabbed the cloaking device. "Shutting off cloaking device, prepare for combat!"
The device let out a static sound, and immediately a few of the standing guards noticed their presence. Many of them looked alike, and had no weapons except their fists.
"Mash Kyrielight, preparing for combat operation!" Mash said, slamming her shield in position.
Sigurd hummed, drawing his sword as the imperial guards approached.
Taking them down was an easy feat for Servants, although these humans had something different, or so Ophelia thought.
"These people are strong!" Mash said, lifting her visor.
"Yes. It seems they have been enhanced with magecraft," Sigurd replied, cleaning his sword of blood.
"Are you alright, Leif?" Mash asked. The boy nodded, a little shaken by the combat.
"Koyanksya's not far. Come on," Ophelia said.
The group ran through the halls, incapacitating whatever imperial guards they could, at Mash's request. 'It's what Senpai would do.' She said.
"Master. What is Beryl's status," Sigurd asked, taking the front.
Ophelia closed her eyes, letting her sight momentarily shift to her evoked owl familiar. She could see a village being besieged by the cursed creatures Beryl had created. The Mechanical dolls that made up the Emperor's army kept them at bay as best as they could.
"He's already attacking," Ophelia shouted. She hated herself for allowing Beryl to do it, but she had made her choice. She moved forward, accepting the consequences of an uncertain future.
"How close are we?" Mash asked, taking up the rear, Leif sticking to her like a small bear to his mother.
"Not too far. Probably next hall."
Indeed, they arrived at a juncture in the hallways of the prison. Shaped like a hexagon, it had various levels and slightly more reinforced doors. From one of them, moans of pain could be heard.
"There!" Ophelia said. Moving swiftly, Sigurd went to the door and stabbed his sword on it.
"Stand back," he said. Mash and Ophelia did as told. Then, Sigurd reared his fist back and punched his weapon, making it explode with energy and blowing the door inwards.
Dust and debris was flown everywhere, obscuring their vision.
"Was that really necessary, Sigurd-san?" Mash asked, coughing a little.
"The door is open, why not open it in style?" Sigurd asked, glasses shining.
Ophelia got up from her position and entered the cell as Sigurd's sword came back to him.
Inside the room, only lit up by a single window letting light in, was Koyanskaya, strapped to two cylinders by her hands and feet and surrounded by consoles and devices. The fox woman faced downwards, breathing heavily.
"Oh… bored already?" Asked Koyanskaya. However, upon receiving no response she looked up. Upon locking her gaze with ophelia's, the Servant's frown turned to a smile.
"Koyanskaya…" Ophelia said, maintaining her composure.
"Ah… Bestie… you came back for me. I knew you would not abandon me," Koyanskaya said, maintaining her laid back tone despite being weakened and in pain.
"Silence," Ophelia responded, analysing Koyanskaya's restrains. She didn't know how to shut them down, and so, she called for Sigurd. "Saber!"
"On it!" He said, going up to the woman and destroying her restrains one by one with his sword.
"So he caught you too?" Ophelia asked.
"Yes," Koyanskaya replied, falling to the ground. "That pompous emperor saw through me, humiliating as it was. This will certainly leave a stain in NFF's operation history."
"Can you stand?" Ophelia asked. With some difficulty, the fox woman managed to stand up with some difficulty.
"I always get back up. It's the one thing I have in common with humans, as much as it makes me barf to say that, bestie," Koyanskaya said.
Ophelia narrowed her eye. "I'm not your bestie," she said with an ice cold tone as she left the enclosure.
"Oh my, is this because I tried to kill you? It was my job! And you know what they say, never mix business with friendship!" Koyanskaya still smiled despite all the dirty she was getting.
"Whatever. Let's just get out of here," Ophelia said, motioning for Mash and the others to follow her.
Looking around, Hildr readjusted her sight.
She was kneeled on the ground, surround by a dust barrier.
Her clash had been successful, and Qin Liangyu had been thrown off her vehicle due to her spear's impact. However, her enemy had also injured her.
The other riders, she did not know what became of them.
Her left arm was injured, blood trailing down her exposed shoulder. Her Mystic Code was ripped at that position, slightly burned away.
"Hildr. Injuries are acceptable, you may continue." Thrúd notified her.
The Valkyrie uprighted herself, looking towards the south, where Shirou should be. However, a wall of dust blocked her sight. The sounds of fighting could be heard across the valley.
As she tried to move, the dust was blown away, and a single figure strolled out, holding her spear at her side with a piercing, unblinking gaze.
Qin Liangyu was like her, injured at her clavicle, with some burn marks across her body. This kind of performance was still not acceptable for Valkyrie standards.
"But we are no longer perfect Valkyries," Ortlinde reminded her.
"Don't distract her, Ortlinde," Thrúd admonished her.
"It's alright. She did well. Now let's take care of the enemy," Hildr said, readying her spear.
Words were isolated, grunts were numbed. All that remained in Hildr's mind was her opponent.
Qin Liangyu's footsteps resonated with intensity.
"You can't win," she announced, piercing Hildr with her gaze. "I'm fighting for something much greater than myself; my world, my people. That gives me more strength than you could ever imagine. Meanwhile, you have nothing to protect, nothing to fight for."
She didn't believe her words. Many, many warriors claimed to be powered by emotions, by ideals. Valkyries had seen them millions of times, and in the end it always depended on power, or adrenaline, or a divine spirit granting them blessings in battle, or even fate itself.
However, that Qin Liangyu was powerful was undeniable.
Hildr exhaled, trying to clear her mind, but she said nothing, instead opting to start moving her left hand in rune motions.
"Face me then," Hildr said, letting Qin Liangyu know she wasn't backing down.
"I knew it," Qin Liangyu whispered, spear at the ready. "You are nothing but a confucian drone. I'm going to make you pay for killing my people!"
The Lancer dashed at her, crossing twenty meters in a second. Her lance shot forwards, intending on destroying her head.
With a centimetre left between weapon and body, a pillar of ice stopped the lance, and Qin Liangyu, in their tracks.
Hildr didn't move an inch, continuing to glare at the warrior.
"You would be a fine warrior for Odin, we're sure of that now," Hildr grit her teeth. "You are right to call us machines, however..." Hildr felt something from deep inside her come to light. It wasn't a shared thought, but a lone thing. Something produced by the individual unit, Hildr. "… I still have my pride as a warrior maiden! That's enough reason to beat you!"
Hildr swung her lance, breaking the ice. Ice shards were sent flying, while Qin Liangyu jumped backwards into a crouched position.
Had disdain seeped into her somehow? She didn't know, but it now felt like a force guiding her actions.
Neither Thrúd nor Hildr tried to stop her.
Both women dashed at each other, however, their mobility and effective range were equally matched.
Hildr knew she was physically stronger than the human, and so, she opted for a frontal assault, using her shield to barge against her foe and then thrust with her spear.
She closed the distance in a second, bashing her shield against her foe.
Qin Liangyu put the shaft of her spear in front of her, and without retreating much, she held off the Servant with surprising ease.
"W-what?" Hildr let out that single utterance, and Qin Liangyu proceeded to try and push her. The Valkryie used her weight to keep her locked in place.
"Why you…! I'll never let you win!" Qin Liangyu screamed, using a burst of magical energy to push her off. Hildr thrusted her spear, charged with magical energy, and let out a light barrage that her foe dodged.
She… she can't be this strong. Ortlinde muttered.
The readings tell us she's human. The emperor probably enhanced her with magecraft. Hildr, engage with care. Thrúd said.
Hildr bit her lip. She was growing irritated at the way Qin Liangyu stared down at her for… trying to be herself, or trying to be a good Valkyrie.
She was evil indeed, so why did she have so problem accepting that?
Shaking her head, Hildr reengaged her foe. Both Servants dashed and jumped past each other, trying to hit the vital spots of their enemy with their spears, sometimes using the points to slash or try to sweep the opponents feet off.
Hildr could use runes, but…
Qin Liangyu was ferocious, her glare and body strained to the limits. Qin Liangyu wasn't fighting for her life, she was not at such a disadvantage.
The three sisters wondered how she was getting so much strength to resist their attacks and push back.
A slash nearly cut their faces, interrupting their train of thought, followed by a kick to the face that send them retreating.
When Hildr recovered, another kick came down, followed by the Valkyrie blocking a thrust that was followed up by another hit to the head with the pole of the spear.
In retaliation, Hildr thrust back, scraping Qin Liangyu's left side.
The Valkyrie's head had suffered some damage, dulling her senses.
She watched behind her opponent for a second, scanning the rest of the battlefield.
Emiya fought against the rest of the White Cavalry, which had lost some members and their vehicles to his Noble Phantasm barrage. Whoever was left now attacked him with spears or fists. He held them of pretty well, despite being surrounded and outnumbered.
Hildr never questioned how the warriors of Scandinavia, or those that came after them, could fight things above them, how to defy them despite the terror they should have felt. Or the difference in power. She always chalked it down to outside circumstances granting them victory.
Had she been mistaken?
Qin Liangyu slammed her spear down at her, making the Valkyrie refocus.
Hildr activated her Mystic Code, and levitated to the side, easily avoiding the strike. Using her opponent's loss of momentum, Hildr slashed at her enemies eye, and followed it up with a shield bash to her head.
Both attacks connected, and Qin Liangyu flew back, barely regaining her footing ten meters ahead of her.
She didn't want to give her the chance to retaliate, and so, Hildr dashed at her, spear at the ready.
Despite her injury and the numbness Qin Liangyu should have been feeling from the attacks, the warrior still grabbed her spear and against all odds.
Hildr was forced to block an attack, stopping her assault. Then, another impossibility happened: Qin Liangyu kept attacking, one eye bleeding, bodysuit dirty and hair unkempt.
The Valkyrie was put on the defensive, her opponent not going down.
"You…!" Qin Liangyu screamed, slamming her spear with wild abandon. Hildr parried the strike, but the spear come again anyways.
"Could never understand… my feelings!" She continued attacking, and Hildr tried to use her openings to attack her opponent. Yet, no matter how she injured her, Qin Liangyu kept going.
"You could choose…! You were made without guilt or sorrow! How can you call yourselves warriors when you have nothing to fight for?!" The next attack, along with the power behind those words, made Hildr retreat slightly.
The assault continued, Hildr's arms and legs screaming under the strain.
"You pretend you are machine to absolve yourself of guilt; and then you tell me you have pride?!" Using her free hand, Qin Liangyu punched Hildr in the face after the later blocked another spear strike, stunning her. Then came a final strike, stronger than any other. Green mana leaked from Qin Liangyu's spear in the form of electricity.
Hildr would not be able to raise her shield on time, her enemy was attacking her with the equivalent of a broken phantasm.
The Valkyrie would need to meet it with something equally powerful. Her false Gungnir would surely be able to match it, but it was a seventy percent chance that it would not survive.
Neither Thrúd nor Ortlinde gave it a go. Destroying the weapon their father gave them, while a tactically sound decision was… problematic. It made Hildr freeze up.
The spear came down. If she didn't deflect it, she would surely be heavily wounded, if her Mystic Code held on.
However, the green light of the spear… was met by a red projectile that shattered it.
The field was engulfed in an explosion that deafened her.
Her field of vision was then surrounded by dust and smoke.
A spear cut through the smoke, dispersing it.
Hildr wasted no time, using her opponent's momentary distraction to get one last powerful stab in with help from her mystic code.
Qin Liangyu dodged to the side, barely, and countered. Before Hildr could block her counter attack, a pair of blades came at Qin Liangyu's neck.
The warrior was forced to retreat lest she be beheaded. Hildr landed on the ground, and a body joined her side, weapons raised.
"Hildr. You alright?" Shirou Emiya asked, eyes glued to their opponent.
"I'm operational. Your assistance isn't needed," Hildr said, frowning. It was logical to ask for help, but her pride as a warrior and Valkyrie dictated she deal with her opponent personally.
She guessed what he would say, that she didn't need to do it on her own, that he wanted her safe.
Yet, once again, he surprised her.
"I know," he said with a smile, eyes meeting hers for a second. "It may be selfish, but I do feel better fighting at your side."
That statement made a burst of static cut through her brain, heart nearly stopping.
He wanted to fight alongside her, for illogical reasons she could not comprehend yet. Not to keep her safe or because he believed her incapable.
The way he stood at her side, without a hint of hesitation or unfamiliarity, made him seem as if he were one of them.
She shook her head, and nodded.
"Very well. Will you be able to keep up with us, Hero?" She asked, a smirk slipping in her lips. Fighting alongside her sisters was fun. Would fighting alongside a human be as fun?
Of course, she did not forget what was at stake, for him at least.
"I trained a lot for this. I won't screw it up, not this time," he said. Hildr did not know exactly what he meant by screwing up, but she didn't probe.
Ahead of them, Qin Liangyu readied her weapon, one eye closed and bleeding.
"Her right eye is non-operational. Attack her blindspot while we take her assault," she said, gripping her spear of light and shield.
"Understood," Shirou said.
With that, both of them bent their legs. When Hildr did, Shirou did at the same time.
And when she charged, he followed her without difficulty.
Qin Liangyu raised her spear, sending a barrage of attacks their way. Hildr took the brunt of them, blocking and parrying each one.
Meanwhile, Shirou danced around her, trying to attack her left whenever an opening was available.
Valkyrie was used to fighting with her sisters, who could seamlessly coordinate with each other through their network, making them an efficient and deadly unit. Emiya had no such advantage, and so, the three sisters expected a less than stellar performance.
But that was not the case.
Shirou worked perfectly with them.
After each block, we could come in with a thrust from his blades. Shirou would dance around her spear and shield, while Hildr fly around his frame seamlessly, not a hint of awkwardness or hesitation despite how close to each other they were.
When Qin Liangyu shifted her focus to him, Hildr stepped in and defended him. Shirou wasted no time and traced his bow to assist her.
It was as if they were synched through some means.
It pleased her, to be able to share such a battle with him.
And so they fought their enemy, their combined attacks overwhelming Qin Liangyu little by little.
The wounds on her were piling up. The Lancer was agile and strong, especially her legs, but that didn't matter.
Each time she retreated, Hildr chased after her with use of her Mystic Code, closing her exits from above and in the front while Shirou circled around and attacked with his swords.
It was natural for humans to seek support from others. And so, Qin Liangyu began retreating slowly, jumping back when the situation allowed it.
And when she did, Hildr stopped her attack. Shirou did was well, standing at her side with a confused expression.
Qin Liangyu breathed heavily, still glaring at the Valkyrie.
Hildr also felt short of breath, although that was due to exhausting more magical energy than she had anticipated.
Despite everything, Qin Liangyu was no Servants, and her wounds were overtaking her.
"I'm ending the battle, Emiya," she muttered, funnelling magical energy into her false Gungnir.
"Wait…" Shirou said in between gasps.
"Hm?" Hildr asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Qin Liangyu!" He shouted at the warrior twenty meters ahead of them.
"I can hear you just fine," she muttered, now turning her scorn to him.
"There's no point in fighting anymore. We do not wish to hurt your people!" At this, Qin Liangyu chuckled.
"Still with that… you–"
"Listen!" Shirou shouted. "Another… interloper is out there, killing your people. We cannot stop him, but you can!"
Qin Liangyu's working eye widened as she lowered her spear.
"You…"
"Please!" Shirou said, taking a step forward.
The general's gaze paced back and fort, as if to make a decision.
"Emiya… why are you–?" Hildr asked, chest alighting with anger. This was supposed to be her victory.
He turned to her, eyes strained. "I'm sorry. Please… I need to try to save them."
The way he said it, for some reason, invoked recollections of another life.
Saving people was his eternal duty. The path of a Hero.
Just like searching for heroes was the Valkyries eternal duty. The path of the Odin's daughters.
"Sister… I sense…" Ortlinde said, voice quivering.
"It's there. Almost there." Thrúd replied.
Hildr buried their voices, turning her attention to their enemy.
Qin Liangyu's eyes darkened, teeth clenched together.
"Yes. My people, are more important," she spat out, standing straight as wind blew over the meadow. "But don't think I'll allow these transgressions to go unpunished, confucians."
With that, she turned around, and then, with a burst of magical energy, one of her bikes returned to her with new life. The rest of the White Cavalry seemed to be unconscious, or dead.
Hildr could tell Shirou had tried to spare them.
With a deafening shriek, the Bike sped off.
The battle was over, Hildr could turn off her battle function.
"Are you–"
"I'm alright," she replied, smiling. He smiled in return, soft eyes meeting.
"I… sorry for interfering, but I had no choice," he replied.
"Yes. The path of a hero, how interesting," Hildr said with a sigh.
They remained side by side, revelling in their victory.
It was almost as finishing a warrior's training for the day in Valhalla.
She didn't know if it was another of her father's conditionings, or her own feelings, but she felt good.
Almost.
"We have a mission, remember?" Thrúd said, ending her peace with him.
"Emiya, let's keep moving," Hildr said, turning back to the prison.
"R-right. Then–"
As they turned, the air became distorted as if the earth itself screamed. It reminded Hildr of… Ragnarök.
The sky turned dark, a crimson moon, or a mirage of it, coming out.
"W-what is…?" Hildr didn't hear him, her senses flooded with pressure and magical energy.
"We need to move!"
A/N: And that is all for now. Sorry it took so long. Recently, I got a job, a full time one. It's my first one as well, so… I'm getting used to working everyday and… simply putting in so much effort all at once. When I get home, I'm very, very tired despite my brain always working overtime with imagining stories like this one or others.
So… my update schedule may be a little more inconsistent, at least for the next month or so. But don't worry, I'll still try my best to update regularly.
So, tell me what you liked or disliked about the chapter, since I'm always trying to improve, and to make my stories as enjoyable as possible.
That's all for now. See you next chapter, dear readers!