Ophelia ran behind Mash, who was leading their escape, stopping the imperial guards from reaching those behind her. She would shield bash them, leaving them incapacitated. If that wasn't enough, Ophelia would finish them off with an evoked spirit or familiar. Sigurd brought up the rear, both supporting the weakened Koyanskaya, who could barely walk without wincing, and keeping a watchful eye on her. Leif stuck to her like glue, mouth shut and body tense.
They were making good progress, the exit was straight after another junction.
She thought back to Shirou and the Valkyries, wondering how they were faring.
She had faith in him, but his reckless nature made him prone to injury on top of the baggage that came from destroying Lostbelts.
She planned on addressing his troubles, but later.
Another squad engaged them, and Mash was quick to dispatch them.
They passed the junction, an open hexagonal room with hanging cages and at least four levels that looked more like a pit than a room. The top let the outside light in, and had four entrances on the bottom. At the far, opposite of their own gateway, Ophelia could see a hallway, and down it was the way out.
"There!" Ophelia shouted, turning to keep an eye on Sigurd and Koyanskaya.
A shadow passed over her, and a sense of dread fell upon her.
Ophelia looked up to see a sword come down.
Immediately, a wall of black steel blocked it, a clang reverberating through the area. Akuta's Saber was stopped in his tracks. Ophelia stood still, looking at Mash whose visible features were strained, as if in anger.
"I'm not letting another Senpai get hurt," she hissed to, Ophelia guessed, herself. Sigurd attacked the enemy Servant with his emerald sword, forcing him to retreat back to an upper level, where Akuta watched from.
"Oof, what a poor excuse for a sneak attack," Koyanskaya said, voice both amused and irritated. "You're really falling low, Akuta."
"Tell me, fellow warrior," Sigurd said, stepping up and looking directly at Saber. "Why reduce yourself for this? Even without the god's wisdom, I can tell this is not to your strengths."
The Saber narrowed his eyes. "I have no need to explain. There is no honour left here, not after what you have done," he pointed his sword at them. "My Master's wishes come first. As does our strategy."
"Strategy?" Ophelia muttered. Then, the ground rumbled, and a screeching sound cut through from the southwest. The Master turned to see the wall be cut in four by a green light, and then blow away. Mash, using her Ortinax, boosted out of the way, dragging Ophelia and Leif with her.
With a grimace and a curse under her breath, Ophelia watched Koyanskaya slip away into the darkness.
And Sigurd, she watched him take the brunt of what came next. A figure jumped from the debris, and struck the Dragonslayer, sending him barreling through walls of concrete, following him with a dreadful gallop.
"Sigurd!" Ophelia screamed, but they had already left.
"Did you really think we'd care if a few humans died?" Akuta asked from above. Ophelia turned to her, looking straight into her eyes full of disdain.
Ophelia did think she'd care. Ophelia had cared about the inhabitants of her Lostbelt. Learning of what Skadi was forced to do wracked her with guilt, but the Crypter accepted the logic behind it. Even if ruthless, it was necessary.
At the time, she only accepted it with sorrow, too wrapped up with Surtr's summoning and Wodime's plan.
Now, she regretted not proactively looking for solutions, not trying to help her Lostbelt. They were humans after all.
Hearing Akuta treat her own Lostbelt like that made her chest burn with something fierce and unbearable.
"Mash, get us up there!" Ophelia commanded.
Mash turned to her with an open mouth, before silently complying. The Ortinax boosters sprung to life.
Ophelia took hold of Leif in the meantime, staring at him with a cold, serious expression. "Keep close, once we get up there, hide."
The boy nodded with quivering lips.
Mash jumped, with Ophelia and Leif holding on to her. In a second, they were on Akuta's level. Her Saber stood at her side, sword pointed east as to stop anyone from getting past him.
Ophelia and Mash landed ten meters away from them, Leif running away as soon as his feet touched the ground, not without looking back once.
But the ex-Ophelia wasn't focused on that. She stared at Akuta with the same disdain that the Crypter threw her way.
"So you don't care," she stated.
Akuta tilted her head. "Why would I. They're animals. Although they are less destructive than you, humans."
"How can you–? You're human too!" Mash shouted.
"Enough. Saber!" With that command, Akuta's Servant readied his blade, one hand reaching to his mask.
"Understood. I'll hold nothing back," he said.
"Mash," Ophelia whispered. The Servant moved slightly, as to signal her understanding. "Keep him busy, I'll deal with Akuta."
"B-but–"
"Please do as I say. I may not be Fujimaru or Kirschtaria… but I can beat her. Of that I'm sure." Ophelia said. After a moment, Mash nodded.
Saber dashed, going for Ophelia. Mash stood in his way, and in that moment, he removed his mask.
"Here walks the Prince of Lanling!" He shouted, revealing his impossibly beautiful face. Mash winced, and hesitated.
Ophelia knew then who he was: Chao Gong, the prince of Lanling. A legendarily beautiful general that inspired his troops while bringing despair to his enemies, all because of his bewitching looks. So beloved was he, that his lord feared his betrayal and forced him to commit suicide.
He was a dangerous opponent, yet, he was neither commanding troops nor an army. He was fighting alone, what was Akuta thinking?
Still, Ophelia felt a rush of fear and elation upon seeing his features, his silky white hair, small and plump face and blue eyes deep as an ocean. Not even a mental protection spell would be able to hold off the effects of his Noble Phantasm.
So distracted was she that he slipped through Mash intent on piercing her chest with his sword.
"Fly and Go, guiding Owl!" Lanling closed the distance in a second, sword flashing just as Ophelia finished channeling the magical energy.
The sword oscilated towards her face before she was pulled away by a strong, piercing grip on her shoulders. The ridge of her nose got nicked, drawing blood over her features, along with bringing a stinging pain.
Her guardian Owl, one of the spirits bound to her family's crest to always be present, carried her above Lanling, towards Akuta's position as instructed.
Quickly, it dropped her, and Ophelia cleaned the blood of her face while staring at Akuta. The Crypter sneered and began stepping away.
"Retreat, Master!" Lanling shouted. Mash was now pisitoned between him and Ophelia, the situation they desired in the first place.
"Mash, I'll send some help your way!" Ophelia said, charging the family's magic crest once again. Magical Energy rushed through her circuits and into her crest. The mana turned foul and heavy as she chanted the spell, using the blood drawn from her and placing it upon her glowing bicep. It was a flowing mass of tendrils, forming a grotesque butterfly.
"Smell the blood, answer the call of your master, O' Hounds of the Wild Hunt!" The energy crackled around her. A thirst for blood and violence washed over her as the summons emerged from a magic circle. Four black and red hounds, white eyed and without any kind of chain. Spirit animals, belonging to the calamity known as the Wild Hunt.
Such a thing was always present, a legend told through Europe and Scandinavia. The calamity was real, could occur anywhere, at anytime, it's spirits spawning, hunting, and taking away those drawn into the thrill of the hunt.
Summoning the spirits, wild as the prey they hunt, was tantamount to suicide.
Indeed, the Phamrsolone family rarely called them. It was a weapon to aim and forget about, no grace or control.
For a world such as the one of the Chinese Lostbelt, such chaos was perfect.
Ophelia sneered, a low growl that put the hounds on alert. Two of them directed their attention to Akuta, who took a step back without chaning her expression.
The other two growled at Lanling.
After a moment, they all charged.
Mash and the two hounds alongside her attacked Lanling, while two others chased after Akuta who took off around a corner.
"Akuta!" Ophelia said, as something primal incited her to chase after the Crypter. She ran fast, behind the hounds like a phantasmal hunter in folktales. She focused, but her vision tunnelled fast as the Wild Hunt threatened to take over.
She sprinted after the Crypter through dark and empty hallways, full of cells that were either discontinued or empty. She didn't know, she couldn't care less. All she cared about was reaching Akuta, who had the two hounds on her tail.
Ophelia was running too far ahead from Mash. She was abandoning her like Akuta abandoned her Saber. What awful Masters they were, although Ophelia had never made a judgement on Akuta outside considering her lazy and conceited since she never attending simulations or any kind of practice.
The hounds rounded another corner, and she lost sight of them. She could hear Mash and Lanling following from behind.
Then, two whines reverberated, followed by what she could only describe as red stakes zipping around the corner like lightning bolts, straight and only changing paths at sharp angles. They headed for her, forcing the Master of Chaldea to do a fast evasion to the left. She no longer had her Mystic Eye, or her precognition, but she still knew how to fight.
After evading, she rounded the corner to find Akuta standing, breathing heavily and her arm dripping with blood.
"Why…" Ophelia muttered, drawing sharp breaths. Clashes resonated behind her, Mash was probably engaging Lanling once again. "… These are your people, your Lostbelt!"
Akuta once again looked at her with disdain. "And why would I care? I do as Kirschtaria says, simply to meet my beloved."
"Your beloved?" Ophelia asked.
Akuta huffed in response. "Lord Xiang Yu. He's all that matters to me. Even before this, when I first joined Chaldea, I did it so I could meet him once again."
"That's all?! You accepted for another's sake?!" Ophelia asked, something tugging at her strings. As much as she wanted to believe she had done it for herself, or some sort of ideal, in truth…
"Why would I do so for anyone else? Humans have short lives, so you try to accomplish things. Ideals, dreams, objectives, the future… they all don't matter once you die, once enough time passes. The only people that matter are those you have in your heart. Only one person ever understood me, everyone else saw me as a monster, hunted me for ages. Even when I felt… somewhat safe… you never bothered to approach me unless strictly necessary," Ophelia listened to Akuta's words, her fists clenching subconsciously. She couldn't stand to look into her eyes, but also… she felt the need to. The need to stand up to her.
"I…" Memories flashed in her mind, of her short time at Chaldea with Team A. Akuta always sat alone, eyeing everyone suspiciously. Even when Ophelia did think about talking to her, it was as if Akuta read her mind and walked away the instant her eye landed on her. "… you never allowed anyone to approach. People did try! Pepe tried!"
Akuta clenched her teeth, eyes flashing red. "Pepe was an outcast, all of you in your own ways, but even outcasts need outcasts. Everyone else was content to keep me at arm's reach. Don't act like you're my friend or my comrade or anything like that. I never cared for you, and you never cared for me. I knew you would die as pathetically as you lived. I'm only surprised someone took enough pity on you to try and save you, you worthless stain on Mother Earth."
Something snapped inside Ophelia.
"Alright then. If you want to stay here and die with your beloved…" Ophelia said, circuits flaring to life. In truth, Akuta was a pathetic combatant, she could tell. From never going to simulations, to her weak commanding of her Servant and her unsuccesful attempts at taking her out, the ex-Crypter felt confident. "… then feel free to do so. But don't disparage the sacrifices those at Chaldea made!"
She was surrounded by crimson light, magical energy crackling and calling to the agitated spirits of the land. A single, monstrous head made of lightning formed in front of her, and charged. "Kugelblitz!"
The elemental raged forward, it's target set as a recipient of it's rage.
The hallway was beset by crimson light as the creature dashed like a thunderbolt, yet Akuta didn't move an inch. Her face remained in it's disdainful, uncaring stare.
Ophelia didn't move, waiting for Akuta's move.
She did nothing, receiving the evoked spirit head on.
And then, it stopped.
The unstoppable, raging creature stopped in front of Akuta, as if it were a creature recognizing a sibling.
"W-what?" Ophelia muttered, mouth hanging open. One of her family's best spells, the evocation of a short lived elemental, stopped like that.
Akuta shushed the creature, patting it's head without injury. "There, there. Your confusion is over little one. You can tell, can't you? Who the real enemy is," the crackling creature turned towards her. Akuta smiled at Ophelia, as if satisfied. "Now, destroy that parasite, like mother would want you to."
The creature moved forward, bouncing against the walls as it headed straight for Ophelia. The fast, raging elemental was unpredictable and fast. Without her Mystic Eye, she had no way to tell where it would go.
Death approached, an end by electrocution.
But like everything else, she had no way to predict that. Her future wasn't in sight anymore, risks were the only choice now.
She looked at the creature's fast movements. Left to right, right to left in diagonal, never changing it's height.
If done at the wrong time, it would give it enough time to turn.
It was still the best chance she had. She muttered her aria for one of the simplest spells in the magecraft world.
"Kraft, Verstärkung!" The magical energy flowed to her legs, the spell reinforcing them to perfection. She bent them, and jumped over the elemental's path, barely, the rest of the jump closing the ten meter gap between her and Akuta.
Landing with a roll, she started her next spell.
"Guide my way, Light my way, take me to the flames: Will-o-Wisp!" The evocation of a phantom, a wandering spirit of flame, a pale fake of an elemental, but still effective. Wandering paths at night, taking travelers astray or to their destined place, sometimes even lighting they're surroundings on fire.
She reached out to Akuta, now a meter away. The Will-o-Wisp appeared in her open palm, magic circuits flaring.
She would burn Akuta down. It would be gruesome, but it had to be done.
Once again, the Crypter surprised her.
Moving like a blur, Akuta's left hand grabbed her right wrist on an iron grip, strong enough to disrupt her spell.
"What?!" Ophelia asked. Akuta's eyes didn't even flinch, staring at her like she were an insect. The ex-crypter shook her head and reared her hand back.
"Kraft!" She reinforced her right fist, and punched as hard as she could. The impact shook the air, and reared Akuta's head back. Any human hit by that would have their skull broken.
Akuta simply moved it back into position, only her glasses being slightly ajar, and her nose bleeding.
Another blur, and Ophelia's stomach was hit by something made of iron, flattening her guts and lifting her off the air a little.
Akuta had punched her.
With a gasp, she fell to the ground. But before that, something grabbed her by the throat. It was like being held by an Apex Predator, a creature with no rival.
This creature was Akuta.
"–the...?!" Ophelia spat out, throat immediately being pressed and pinched.
"You know Ophelia, drinking your blood and proceeding to destroy you all would be so easy," Akuta said. Ophelia's eyes widened, even though her mind was clouding due to the lack of air.
"Drinking… You're a dead apostle-" The grip on her throat tightened, drawing blood from the skin.
"Don't compare me to those abominations. I would never use another's life to sustain my own, not even yours. But I'll still kill you here, Ophelia. Return to the earth now, filth!" Akuta said, tightening her grip.
Her neck was about to snap. She was going to die, Ophelia didn't need precognition to see that. It was terrifying, it was cold, it was nothingness incarnated.
But strangely, she was ok with it. Killed by someone she betrayed was a good form of comeuppance.
"Anzus!" A shrill, young voice sounded from behind Akuta, and then she was impacted by a thunderbolt, or at least a pathetic, weakened facsimile of one.
"What?!" Akuta didn't flinch a bit, but she turned around to see her attacker. The boy, Leif, stood twenty meters behind her holding a small, burned up paper.
Her grip lessened.
Ophelia didn't have time to think about the danger the boy was in.
"Will-o-wisp!" She summoned the small spirit, who gleefully embraced Akuta's face with it's fiery limbs. Even as a bloodsucker, she was vulnerable to things like fire.
Akuta let her go, retreating while touching her burned face. Ophelia fell to the ground gasping for air, her wrist and neck thumping.
The boy stood, unmoving, observing the scene with fear.
A loud clang resounded, and Saber slid into the scene, as if losing ground. Then, Mash came to stand in front of Ophelia, breath ragged and body shaking.
"Ophelia-san!" She said, voice cracking.
"Master… you're hurt," Saber muttered. His forehead bled, his beauty was unchanged and he still stood proud.
"It's fine," Akuta said, looking back at Ophelia, her blistered skin already stitching back together. "Finish them off. I'll use my command seal."
"Understood," Saber said, brandishing his sword.
"Ophelia, stand behind me! Leif, stat where you are! Ortinax, output overload!" Mash said, her suit crackling and letting off a large amount of steam and smoke.
"Alright then, Saber–!" A shot rang out, and Akuta's voice was deafened.
Blood exploded out of her chest, surprising even the Crypter.
Ophelia looked behind their opponents, and saw a figure holding a gun, alongside a fan to hide her face.
"My, my. Such confidence, why didn't you show this side of you before, Akuta?" Koyanskaya asked.
Without responding, Akuta fell into the arms of her Saber.
"M-master!" He shouted, his enemies forgotten as he tended to Akuta.
"Sh-She shot her…" Mash said, lowering her shield.
Leif, still paralysed on the other side of the room, could only stare at the fox woman, who simply advanced.
However, as she passed him, she patted him on the head.
"How valiant. How strong," Koyanskaya said. "So good I decided to save you, bestie."
She looked at Ophelia as she said that. The ex-Crypter did her best form of defiance, glare with all of her anger.
Then, a thunderous voice came through.
"Lady Akuta. This is your gracious Emperor. I have decided that Prison has no further function, and that Chaldea must be deal with swiftly," everyone on the room looked up to the ceiling, as the voice came from outside and penetrated the walls. "Our final gift is on the way. It would be best to get you and Lord Xiang Yu out of there."
Breathe.
Concentrate all your power in a single strike.
Take the enemy in front of you down.
A hero takes down his enemies, and thus protects those that smile.
This creature that attacked him with a stone face was a spectacular warrior, it impressed Sigurd.
Yet, a feeling still nagged at him.
Breathe.
Dodge the storm of blades.
Stop the charge.
Launch daggers to force the defense, then strike.
Strike at the heart of your hated enemy.
Hate.
That horrible feeling, like an all consuming flame.
This creature protected only one person, only one thing, a nation. At the drop of a hat, it killed thousands like a perfect machine.
And in doing so quelled a possible rebellion, ensuring eternal peace.
Sigurd had once carried his duty in the same way. Before his love, before losing his memories, he was like him.
That lapse in his thoughts caused a blade to get past his defence and strike his left shoulder. He parried the next one, and then a cross slash send him reeling backwards into a wall with enough strength to throw him through it.
He was tired of being thrown into walls.
Shirou stopped on his tracks upon hearing the emperor.
They entered the prison through jumping the front wall. Well, flying above it with the Valkyries carrying him.
"What does he mean?" He muttered as he ran.
"The runes, and every sense in my form is telling me something bad's coming. We have to hurry!" Hildr shouted, floating off the ground and keeping her speed on par with his own.
The crossed the courtyard, and at the prison complex itself.
He had no idea why there was such a large courtyard, or for what purpose, but he paid it no mind.
The sky had turned red, and Shirou looked up. A crimson moon painted the sky, although it was bigger than usual.
"Is that the moon?" Shirou asked.
Hildr turned up as well for a second. Then, her eyes widened. The Valkyries rarely lost their composure in battle, and so, a creeping fear started to form in his mind.
"H-hildr?" Shirou asked.
"Th-that's a meteor… a piece of the land…" she muttered.
"What?!" Shirou shouted, body going rigid.
Hildr shook her head. "We need to find the others! A warrior must keep their focus!" She said, as if to pump herself up.
It almost made Shirou smile. That was something his Hildr would have said.
Then, to the east, the ground trembled.
"That's…"
The wall to their left exploded, and Sigurd came flying from it, barely able to stick his landing by digging his sword into the ground.
"Saber!" Shirou shouted, rushing to help the swordsman.
"Not one step closer!" Sigurd shouted back, holding his hand up.
Shirou stopped, feeling heavy footsteps, like those from the late Heracles he and the Valkyries faced in the Holy Grail War.
Shirou turned to see Xiang Yu come through the hole in the wall, green energy like lightning bolts sparkling around him.
His teeth chattered, but he held them shut through force of will. He had almost died against that… creature. That android.
Hildr came to his side, shield held up. "Again, this warrior."
"More enemies detected," Xiang Yu said in his calm, cold and hard voice. "Warrior. This is your last warning. Your possibilities have been decided. Your fight will end in defeat, surrender to my lord, submit your body to study."
Shirou instinctively stepped ahead to defend Sigurd, but the warrior proved his superior strength again, his extended arm a brick wall.
"If your prediction is correct," he said, standing straight. He fixed Xiang Yu with a stare that seemed to pierce through his glasses. "Then why shouldn't I fight to my last breath anyways? Why shouldn't I stand by my people?"
Xiang Yu stopped, lowering his weapons for a moment. A calm in the storm.
The centaur stared at Sigurd intently, as if pondering.
Shirou looked at Hildr, who stared back without moving. This quiet allowed them to catch their breath, and asses the situation.
"Why?" Xiang Yu asked after a moment. "Why do you all resist? It is pointless, you cannot defeat me. You cannot hope to defeat my lord. I cannot allow you to defeat my lord. So, why are you not able to see the end?"
Xiang Yu's voice seemed tense, a break in his otherwise unfeeling and fierce shell.
Sigurd stared back, and then, he chuckled. "Well," his arms fell to his side, and his hands left Gram impaled on the ground. "You could say I do it for principles, beliefs, but even someone extremely foolish would be able to see the end."
Sigurd stared at Shirou for a moment, making him grimace.
"But in the end, I have something, and someone, I care about deeply. It is tasteless for sure, but at times love is not so different from madness," Sigurd said, looking at Hildr for a second before turning back to Xiang Yu.
Then he raised his arms, and teal magical energy swirled around him, his knifes rotating in front.
"I also have my pride as a warrior. So let me show you…!" Sigurd eyed Shirou and Hildr again, as if expecting them to do something.
Shirou understood, and began running to flank the android. Hildr followed in unison, taking the opposite side.
"… how brightly my heart burns!" Shirou reached the right flank. Hildr reached the left. Xiang Yu didn't turn to them.
"Demonic blade, complete!" He shouted as small knives began spinning in front of him, fragments of Gram and effectively the same weapon, something fascinating in Shirou's eyes. His opponent spread appart his own, unremarkable but strong weapons.
In less than a second, Sigurd began rapidly punching the knives, and they moved like bullets towards his enemy. Rotating his mechanical body like a maddened doll, Xiang Yu began deflecting them. The astray armaments impacted the walls, floor and ceiling of the dinning hall they were in.
Now was the time, while Xiang Yu was distracted.
"Commence tracing," he whispered, a pitiful amount of magical energy rushing to his left arm.
On the other side, Hildr closed her eyes.
"Manifesting corresponding bodies," the Valkyrie became golden light, and split into three. It was still not enough to catch the centaur's attention.
For a second, Shirou lost his concentration at witnessing the beauty of the Valkyrie's noble phantasm.
He almost lost the projection.
"Synchronizing," the three of them; Ortlinde, Thrúd, and Hildr began floating above them.
"Everyone, let's go!" Hildr said, as the three sisters raised their spears, who began crackling with white energy that illuminated the entire area.
"Ragnarök Lífþrasir!"
With that, the Valkyries fixated on the enemy, and released their spears.
Xiang Yu would not be able to dodge them, their ability as Gungnir tracking him to the ends of the earth, and so, the android blocked.
Shirou replicated the construction, the form, the techinique and the memories as his magical energy turned crimson. His body was on fire, but the sword took shape.
And meanwhile, Sigurd took his shot. "Show me your pride. This is the dawn of destruction!"
The emerald sword flew towards the target.
With one arm for each weapon, Xiang Yu blocked simultaneously.
Two of his swords were destroyed by the spears of light, one was deflected, while Gram took one of his arms completely
One sword remained on the centaur.
With a glint of his eyes and a shout of anger, Xiang Yu charged Sigurd like a storm.
Shirou was ready. Gram, copied exactly like Saber's except crimson in colour, levitated in front of him as Shirou imitated the pose Sigurd used.
He would not let him die.
"Take this!" Shirou shouted as he punched the sword with all his might. With the projected strength from Sigurd, it was enough to send it flying like a crimson flash and almost as fast as an arrow.
But once again, Xiang Yu saw through it, and batted the sword away, sending it flying in the air.
The android turned to him.
"Foolish," he said.
"Really, now?" Sigurd asked, having jumped into the air above Xiang Yu, in position to strike at the sword Shirou had projected.
"Bölverkr Gram!" One final punch, and the sword fell upon the enemy like a meteor, alight by Sigurd's magical energy.
When it struck, the entire area was flooded in a crimson light that almost burned.
Shirou had to cover himself, else he would be taken away by the monstrous force that the Noble Phantasm expelled.
A few moments later, when he opened his eyes again, the battle was over. Where Xiang Yu once stood was now a smoking hole.
Sigurd landed without as much a sound, panting.
"Well done," he commented, raising his voice so Shirou could hear him. Shirou nodded, walking towards him with some unease.
"Forgive me," he said. "I thought it was the best choice."
"Hm?" Sigurd raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. "Oh. You meant the sword. No need for apologies, you craftsmanship is remarkable, if a bit lacking."
"Alright, alright. It didn't intend for criticism, you know?" He said. While he had little pride in his projections, he at least wanted to believe himself competent to help, after so long.
"Like I said, it was remarkable, and I would like to discuss it more," Sigurd said with a small smile. Shirou looked away, unsure on how to respond to that. It was like being acknowledged.
"But later, we must move," Hildr said, panting heavily.
"Hildr? You ok?" Shirou said, moving Sigurd aside to catch her if she fell.
"I'm ok. Magical Energy is low," she said, looking him with strained eyes.
"Alright. Just…"
"I won't disappear. Can't let my battle partner down," she replied. Shirou looked away, cheeks red. While they weren't that close yet, being called her battle partner… was undeserving, but also something he dearly wanted.
"Let's move without further chat, then," Sigurd said, Gram returning to his hand as if magnetized. Thoughts interrupted, Shirou nodded.
In the quiet of the dinning hall, something resonated from the north. Shirou recognized it, from years of fighting on foreign countries and numerous conflicts. The sound of never ending warfare.
"That was…!" Shirou's mind ran through the possibilities, and came to one conclusion. "Koyanskaya… she better not have–!"
"– She won't!" Sigurd said, raising his voice as he kicked up the ground and disappeared in a flash.
"Come, Shirou. Lean on me for assistance," Hildr said, putting an arm around him.
The Valkyrie floated above the ground, and rushed through the halls at a speed that stretched his face to the point of pain, but in seconds they were on the scene, trailing Sigurd.
In front of them, Mash and Ophelia looked at Akuta, who was now on the ground above a pool of blood while her Saber held her, his mask off.
His face was so beautiful Shirou winced.
Inmediately, Hildr set him down, a bit faster than expected.
"Ophelia!" Shirou shouted, running to assist. Her neck was red, bruised.
She turned to him. "S-shirou."
The clack of heels echoed as Koyanskaya approached them. Sigrud and Hildr readied their weapons. The fox woman eyed them all with a smile and hungry eyes.
"Well now, looks like we are in quite a pickle," she said. Behind her, Saber began carrying Akuta on his back.
However, he turned to them one last time, gentle eyes now burning with anger. "This isn't over."
And with that, he ran away with his Master.
"Moving to engage," Sigurd said, breaking the silence.
"No…" Ophelia stood up, going to his side and grabbing his arm. Sigurd looked to her with surprise. "… it's over," she muttered, glaring at Koyanskaya.
"Leif!" Hildr said, floating above everyone to meet with the boy.
"Miss Valkyrie! I– I–!" the boy collapsed in Hildr's arms, in a fit of crying and jagged breathing.
Hildr froze up, but still held him. "Your magical energy is low. Breathe."
Shirou smiled at that display, Hildr was still Hildr. However, a chuckle broke the silence.
"So much care for cattle, coming from you. Cute and disgusting! Still…," she smiled when Shirou glared at her. "… we're in quite a pickle, no?"
Then, Shirou remembered their impending doom. "The meteor."
"We need to move!" Mash said. "If I can overload the Ortinax…"
"It's pointless," Sigurd said. "Even with combined speed runes, we'll never move beyond the blast radius. Not at the speed and acceleration it's currently going, which, from the looks of it…" Sigurd looked through a window, adjusting his glasses. "… will hit us in five minutes, at most."
Shirou grit his teeth. So this was it, it was how it ended.
Except… there was one more exit.
He looked at Koyanskaya, who looked back at him with those hungry, avaricious golden eyes.
She understood as well as he did. With strong and fast steps, he advanced towards the Alter-ego.
"Koyanskaya," he said, standing a little shorter than her, facing her with unyielding eyes. "You can move between Lostbelts. Can you get us out of here?"
Everyone turned to him.
The woman looked him over, tail wiggling.
"Well…" she said, looking uninterested. Her eyes darted around the group. "… if it was just you, I could get you anywhere. Even Chaldea, or where your allies are. I could even get you to the big boys, should you give me something precious. But all of them? Not a chance."
Shirou grimaced. Even if they died there, there was still hope. Da Vinci, Holmes, Goredolf, Fujimaru.
Fujimaru would surely survive in their stead, somehow.
But he couldn't let Ophelia die. He couldn't let Mash die.
His eyes met Hildr's, who still held Leif.
She was a shadow, a dream. She would disappear one day, leaving nothing behind, she was a Servant after all.
But he couldn't bear that thought.
No matter how much the memories of Tohsaka, or Archer, or Luvia screamed at him, he couldn't help himself.
He couldn't let anyone die. He had to save them.
"It has to be all of us," he stated.
Koyanskaya sighed. "I'll have to hike up the price."
"But you'll do it," he stated.
"Wait a second, Emiya-senpai!" Mash said, going to his side in a hurry.
"Yes," she answered, while Mash's steps made clangs on the ground.
"Then let's make a deal," he replied.
With that, Koyanskaya smirked.
"Very well. Grab my hand," she said.
And so he did.
In a second, everything went white.
A/N: And it's done for now.
I can't apologize enough for taking so long. Life is still hectic, and I kind of lost my writing rhythm, and a bit of practice. I'm still happy with how this chapter turned out, and I can only hope with further practice I'll improve.
If you are still waiting for this story's updates, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That is all. Chiao!