Words Count: 4363
A/N: Welp, since I don't know what to say, I'm just gonna say there illustrations for both fics up on my . Maybe I should pin that shit…
Guest: Hey, listen, I understand that you might not agree, but realistically, nobody has the time to search for a rapist kid lost in the forest without Magic Circuits.
If it bothers you so much, let me clarify that Swan and Shinji will both make it to the ending Arc. I've noticed that you keep pointing out things that I don't see as issues, and it's really taking a toll on my motivation to write. It's unfortunate because I haven't felt this motivated since the Witcher Arc. Maybe it would be best if you read something else and let me continue with my own creative process? Remember, I'm not forcing you to read it.
EvilDarkDemonLord: Leo will primarily venture into the realms of Manhwa, Anime, Games, Comics, and Manga, occasionally exploring TV shows and movies. On the other hand, Julius Campbell, the protagonist of my other fic, will embark on adventures in books, movies, TV shows, and possibly even cartoons such as Danny Phantom, Ben 10, Samurai Jack, and more. Whichever captures my interest first will be their next destinations. Maybe I'll flip coins for it, or put it up to vote?
Paolo: Yes, there will be a third installment coming up. I might consider taking a week-long break before starting on it though. I'm not masochistic, lol.
Introducing my exciting offer:
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("What exactly does this… Strategy of yours entail?" Swan's brows furrowed- mind whirling at the possibilities.
While the plan was sound in theory, its effectiveness against a small army of elites was debatable. It wasn't like they could starve Magnum and his lots like Tran Hung Dao did the Yuan Army, not when around them was a bustling City with convenience stores and other plentiful sources of food at every corner.
"We will have to alter the strategy to fit the circumstances. Emperor Tran Hung Dao's strategy's meant to weaken the enemy, while simultaneously minimizing damage to the Tran Army. What we're imitating is merely the Spirit, not the strategy itself."
"You meant…" Yharna started, before coming a complete halt- a prominent frown creeping on his face. "No. I see what you are suggesting, but it won't work. It does not matter if we lay traps and hide, Leonis always seems to know where his enemies are somehow, and magical traps have long been proven ineffective against him."
The Pseudo-Servant chuckled, his segmented armor clinking together to create musical notes which joined his laughter. "Who says anything about magical traps? Besides, this strategy's real aim is his Army… Not the boy specifically."
"A King without an Army is a man in a funny hat." Swan echoed the idiom and her Servant added. "Divide and Conquer. My guess is the boy will pick the most remote of our 'hideouts' to attack first, but if he is as smart as you seem to think, he won't mobilize his entire forces to do so. Too wasteful, too risky. No, he'll split his forces to strike two locations at the same time."
"Our target is Leonis' Army, not him.")
Illya slowly opened her eyes, eyelashes blinking rapidly to rid herself of the sooth and ashes caused by the eruption.
Although Herakles had shielded her, the Demigod hadn't been able to completely block the proceeding shockwaves which left the half-homunculus' ears ringing. She felt her World spin round and round, yet her priorities were not herself, but her two maids. Head snapping towards where Sella and Leysritt once stood, Illya's confronted with the sight of Sella/Ishtar- looking relatively fine- cradling the fallen, prone and injured form of Leysritt.
"Leysritt!"
Illya screamed- her voice hoarse and choked by the smoke.
Caring not for the small scratches left on her ankles, she raced towards the maids despite Berserker's best efforts to stop her.
Surrounding them were the bodies of the Elites. Some luckier fellows had managed to push their way out of the mess and were hence only wounded, not dead. A few hadn't even stepped foot in the unassuming hut when the explosion happened, yet the sheer deadliness of the bomb left them floored and trembling. From her position alone, Illya could see three to four who had definitely lost their lives. It's a miracle more hadn't.
Nay, not a miracle.
A miracle would imply them managing to survive was based entirely on outside factors and while Luck was involved, it was mostly their trainings. Having been taught extensively, the Elites knew to keep their [Reinforcement] up in case of an emergency- It was the only thing which had kept their number preserved… If not for that, Illya reckoned every single one of them would've been naught but cold corpse- waiting to be collected.
"On your feet." A voice broke through the ringing in her eardrums, quickly rising in both intensity and volume. "Goddamnit. I said, ON YOUR FUCKING FEET, SOLDIERS!"
None of what's happening mattered to Illya as she slid next to Leysritt and Sella.
"How is she, Sella. Is she- Is she still breathing?" She couldn't even say it. In fact, the mere thoughts were enough to make the woman hyperventilate- pushing Illya into the deepest, darkest depths of her psyche. Equal part vengeful and scared, not for herself, but for her family- the only one she had known for the better parts of the last decade since her parents'… Untimely demise. "She's hurt, Lady Illya. We need to get her wounds patched up as soon as possible."
"Somebody, report to his Lordship this instance!" Another added amongst the Chaos. "How quickly can you get her to the Castle?"
If Sella could- "KEEP YOUR GUARD UP! ENEMIES SPOTTE–!"
The poor fella never got the chance to finish the warning as a thick ray of Mana- purplish in color- busted his head open like a watermelon- causing his eyes and brain-matters to rain on everyone behind the guy, even the Einzbern as their silky strands turned from a stunning and almost ethereal platinum-white to crimson. Illya nearly yelped, feeling the fragments of his skull hitting her back, tearing holes in her otherwise flawless outfit.
"Blood… Blood…" She repeated, a lightbulb suddenly flashing over her head. "Potion, does anyone have a Health Potion?!"
"ArRggHh!" Herakles howled, smashing his sword-axe on the ground, creating a massive crater as he looked back at Illya, before making the decision to entrust her safety to Sella.
In but a second, he had already launched himself to the distant silhouettes to find two Servants waiting for him- one was the Saber he had faced a week back, while the second appeared to be… 'Berserker!' The last visage of Herakles' rationality echoed. She couldn't be anything else, not with those bulging muscles, the rough- albeit spotless- olive skin and that ridiculous double-ended, handle-less flail.
Not to mention her rather… Revealing outfit.
A feature known to be associated with the Amazonians: A breastplate that more or less left 80% of her torso exposed, those skimpy shorts which looked painted over her ass, hips and thighs. Such crude choices of clothing, no woman he knew would ever willingly put on.
Even through the crimson-hued lenses of unbridled Wrath, the sheer impracticality of the her appearance made the Demigod snort- realizing what it was. Yes, his might be even more revealing, but few had managed to break past his [God Hand, and even fewer had ever managed to hurt Herakles.
His loathing was soon replaced with shock however- shock which, for the briefest of moments, completely shattered the chains of madness clinging on the Servant's psyche as he sensed Divinity- familiar Divinity.
His Father perhaps?
No… No! Not quite, but close.
A blood-relative of his most likely-
Another Blood of Zeus and… Hera- "BrOThEr!"
Herakles howled madly- challengingly.
Ares- the God of War, the Spirit of Battle- The one Greek God to represent slaughter and the brutality of Warfare. "It is extremely flattering you'd mistake me for my father, God of Might! Unfortunately–" Abruptly, the Servant paused- that abominable combination of a spikedflail and a nunchaku of all things-rising up to match his sword-axe. "– Haven't you heard? Flattery will get you nowhere, UNCLE!"
Herakles had loads and loads of relatives, though only a few would fit the description of a female Warrior- let alone a daughter of Ares. 'Penthesilea.'
("That doesn't change anything…" A fourth person entered their conversation. "Magnum will be prepared. In case you've forgotten, the little bastard can teleport." The word's spoken with so much hate and- surprisingly- regality, it swiftly took the breaths out Le Loi and the men in the room. "You truly are a rare specimen! Brains and Beau–"
The fifth of them never got to finish the word when an bestial growl caused the confines of his throat to tighten. Only when she saw the- almost exaggerated- nervousness of the man, did her anger cool somewhat, yet all present could tell it's still there, lurking just beneath the façade- as to be expected of a Berserker… "I see." The man muttered under his breaths. "So Beau–"
* Growl
"– So any compliments regarding your appearance will activate your [Madness Enhancement]. Shame." The man concluded, adding cheekily. "Well, I guess showering a woman with compliments and gifts are rather overused methods of courtship. I will try to do better, Milady."
The man leaned down, quickly capturing her hand and puckering his lips as though to taunt the Pseudo-Berserker. Another growl sounded as the white-haired woman withdrew her hand- yanking it away really- following by the sounds of crackling flames emanating from the giant flail she seemed to wield and swing around so effortlessly. "Enough of your jokes! We are on a Mission- one that can end with us all dead if we aren't careful. PAY. ATTENTION, you fools! Before your antics cost us dearly!"
Leaning on his plopped up hand, the man drawled lazily. "You know, she fits the grouchy look, but you don't Lady Glascheit- Oh, wait… You're passed up for a male Heir your momma popped out some time ago weren't'cha? Swan will do, I suppose."
"What did you say, you crippledcur!" Enraged, the Glascheit slapped the desk hard enough to leave her handprint on its smooth, matte-black surface.
"Ah-Ah. Formerly crippled." He corrected.
Seeing how rapidly the situation were escalating, Le Loi stepped in- ever the voice of Reason for the group of misfits. "Alright, that is quite enough, Contractor! Cease your inane bickering. Don't let the boy get under your skin so easily. Remember, your emotions are yours to control, not the other way around… And you–" His cold gaze landed on the man.
"– Unless you have something noteworthy to add, I believe I speak for everyone when I say: We would really appreciate it if you can keep your lips sealed. Preferably forever, Freys."
Knowing when to cut his losses, Freys raised his arms in the universal gesture for surrender, yet- to their immense displeasure- his lips and tongue moved still. "Who says I have nothing to add? I- in fact- have the perfect counter to Magnum and his Spatial shenanigans! But… Well, since you don't want to hear it–"
He shrugged and- as though practiced- turned to the door with not a motion wasted.
"WAIT! Stop! What do you mean by that?!" Unable to keep her excitement hidden, Swan shouted loudly- her tone tinged with a touch of anxiousness she tried desperately to ignore, hating how weak it made her look. Smiling, the man- teenager really- spun on his heels, a look of perversion creeping on his face. "Well, I will tell you if you, say… Give me a kiss?"
"""Freys!"""" In unison, four reprimanding voices joined together to cow the sleazebag.
"Alright! Fine! Geez, tough crowd, ain't y'all? Let me explain. Once upon a time–" Murderous glares immediately stabbed the Freys all over, yet he didn't even seem to notice, continuing. "– There was a boy who stumbled into a bar, he wasn't sure what he was doing there but–"
"Skip the irrelevant parts!" The Pseudo-Berserker said threateningly. "– Upon entering the bar to drown his sorrows, he heard the boastful words of a famous Bounded-Fields Maker who boasted the ability to create Wards so strong, they could trap even the Tower's then dreaded boogeyman- the supposedly untouchable, newly-crowned 'King'!"
Chin raised, nose pointed to the ceiling, the Freys animatedly swung his arms to enhance the story. "Now, due to his interactions with said King in the past, the boy couldn't help but eavesdrop on the discussion. Despite the poor receptions he appeared to be receiving, that Maker didn't hesitate. His tall-tale slowly got more and more ridiculous when he decided to include the Queen also. Allegedly, he had aided her in the creation of the very Bounded Fields which stumped even the King!"
"And you know this… Maker?"
Freys smirked. "Know? I have the formulas for those Bounded Fields stored in a safe house."
"How exactly did you acquire them? Something like that, I can't imagine your House will ever approve of such a purchase." Eyes narrowing to slits- visibly suspicious- Yharna questioned. Never expecting the answer he would receive. "I tortured the formulas out of him, obviously. You'd be surprised what violence and a liberal use of Hypnotization can achieve… And if it is not working, you're probably not using enough violence. By the time I was done with him, the Maker's practically singing everything I want to know~!"
In a singsong voice, the Freys squealed, hands clasped as though he's reimagining the scene.
"What are you waiting for, an applause?" Exhausted with the Freys' antics, Berserker shouted. "Quickly, retrieve the designs for these Bounded Fields!"
"What if I don't want to?" Freys blinked innocently, instantly cowed when a giant flail smashed into the pillar next to his face. Shakily, he gestured at the door, "I will… Uhmmm… I'll go get it right away." And fled.
Yharna inquired just seconds after the Freys had barged through the door. "Can we really trust that guy? He gives me the creep, not to mention he was amongst the few… Helped by Leonis."
"We can't." Swan shook. "He does not appear to be on our side, but he's not on Magnum's either… And the enemy of my enemy and all that.")
— [Fate: FS] —
"Lorelei, what the fuck?!" I cursed, trying to open a portal or teleport to no avail. It felt like Space itself was stagnant… The only occasion I had ever encountered this kind of trouble was in the Office of the Clock Tower's Queen.
Sure, Swan's Faction might have spared the time to develop their own version, though I doubted it. If it's that easy, everyone would have an 'Anti-Spatial Interferences' Bounded Field in their houses, which meant they either somehow stole the design from Lorelei's stash, or the woman gave it to them herself. "What's taking you so long, Leo? Can you do it?"
"I'M TRYING! FUCK!" Loudly, I screamed in frustration, explaining. "This is not working… They put up an [Anti-Spatial Interferences, I can't interact with the Space around us at all. It's like I'm trying to pierce a Kevlar with a dull butter-knife. We need to go on feet." Until we had escaped the confine of the Bounded Field at least, but judging from how… Viscous the Space felt to my senses, the Bounded Field must have been overpowered, spanning the entire City.
When did they have the time to set this up?
More importantly, how did they do it without alarming us- me?! 'Angra, how fast are you?'
'At my top speed, I'll reach the Lakeside House in a few minutes.' The Lakeside House as I referred to it, is- was one of Swan's hideouts- the place where Berserker and my Elites were supposed take down the second Master. 'You do that and report to me everything you see.'
'On my way.'
Once I had explained to Angra his duty, I turned to the two accompanying Servants. "We can't just cut across the City. People will notice us, we have to go around the mountainsides."
"It'll take more time." Archer countered, and I responded with a slight furrow of my brows. "It is the only option we have… Or, we search for the Matrixes and disable the Bounded Fields which will allow me to teleport us again, but I'm afraid–"
"The other front won't be able to hold on that long." Artoria concluded, arms crossed in front of her breastplate. "We do not have much time, let's make haste. I say we go and support them first, the Matrixes won't go anywhere."
"And if it does? If they move it?" The dark-skinned Servant questioned, tapping his feet impatiently. "Doesn't matter. In any case, it's not like I know where the Matrixes are currently stored… It won't cost us anything. But one of us will have to return to the Castle. With only Enkidu present, I fear for the girls' safety. Not saying they can't handle themselves, just…"
I trailed off, looking in Archer's direction.
He's the perfect candidate to keep them company. While his Agility was a Rank lower than Artoria, I did not lack the capability to attack from afar, what I really needed was a Servant- someone to hold the lines against Servants whose Stats outmatched mine too much- a role King Arthur could fill just fine, coupled with [Excalibur, I had no doubt we'd make for a lethal pair. "So you two get to fight historical figures while I- a perfectly functional Servant- am delegated to babysitter-duty?"
The three of us traded odd looks before Archer nonchalantly shrugged. "Fine by me… Never been too interested in fighting anyway." So he said, though I had a feeling he was dissatisfied with my decision. Don't get me wrong, UBW's a powerful ability, but the drain of Mana on Rin's too much, not to mention the distance between Master and Servant might be an issue as well- an issue that could be rectified by feeding them my bloods, but still…
Now, one could argue Artoria had the same issue, and they would be right if not for the fact Excalibur could pierce even Herakles' [God Hand] with little to no problem. In other words, should we encounter an enemy I could not damage, she didn't necessarily have to call upon the full-might of the 'Sword of Promised Victory',
While Archer would be forced to use his arsenal of Broken Phantasms and using those during the day was a big no-no. Hell, we might as well broadcast our presences in the City for everyone to hear. At nights, it was a lot easier to convince people their sight might have been tricked by lights, but in broad-daylight? "Well, what are you two lovebirds waiting for? Since this 'old man' can tell when he isn't welcomed, I'll leave first."
Done giving us his usual sarcastic speech, Archer turned heels and ran in the Castle's direction, leaving Artoria and I to scream after him. ""We're not lovebirds, Archer! / Not yet!"" In seconds, he was gone and in spite of his supersonic speed, the man's silent as a ghost. "Gotta make him to teach me that one of these days…"
— [Fate: FS] —
"Nee-san, I don't want to be that person, but are you sure this–" She pointed at the foggy, sketchy-looking mountain path ahead before hastily tried to backtrack."– Is the right way? I'm not questioning you, it's just…"
"Don't worry, I heard Leo said they're located near the Lake, hence Lakeside House." Rin waved away their concerns with a snort. There was no way she'd ever mishear such crucial information, let alone misremember it. "Don't worry. I heard Leo, Saber and Archer will go to engage a different Master. We'll stay out of the crossfires, take advantage of their weak-points and once the battle's ended, reveal ourselves to them. Then he will have to acknowledge our strengths."
"Leo-senpai doesn't have to do anything."
The younger of the two Tohsaka muttered, currently regretting that she hadn't tried and talked Shiro and Rin out of this idiotic plan.
"That's the whole point of a Hierarchy. What if they recognize us?" Obviously by 'they', the girl meant the Servant and Master who were likely fighting Berserker, Rider and the Elites at this very moment… And that's when they heard the noises- the constant booming that made their eardrums want to bleed, mixed with an unholy blend of yells- male and female. If Hell existed, they had no doubt it'd sound like this. "You two hear that? They sound like they are in trouble!"
"C'mon, we have got to hurry!" The auburn-haired Heroine whispered, grabbing both Rin and Sakura by their waists and instantly, any complaints the latter had were gone- scattered to the howling winds as she blushed bright red. Reinforcing her legs, Shiro got into form and hopped. "Strap in."
"In what?!" The tsundere said jokingly,
Yet the touch of nervousness in her voice's unmistakable and it only grew when they flew past the first few trees. "Uh… Branch- SHIRO, BRANCH!" Arms raised in an effort to protect her face from a particularly sharp, nasty twig that she'd swear up and down was aiming to gorge out her eyes, Rin screamed in complete panic. Sakura's a lot calmer, trusting Shiro to know what she's doing. Sure enough, seconds before they collided, her senpai twisted on her ankle and shot to another tree.
A few more times like that, and soon the sight of a battlefield greeted their eyes and every sounds- screams, howls, cries- all ceased as they landed in the middle of the fighting. "Uh-Uhmmm…"
Squeakily, Rin said with a stiff smile. "Calvary's here?"
""Capture them! / Save those girls, they're his Lordship's!""
"There goes that plan…"
A round of voices echoed- eerily in unison- as both sides charged. One having mostly Magi amongst their Ranks, while the other consisted of two Pseudo-Servants. The Tohsaka siblings watched as a small- though still taller than Illya- girl ran at them, carrying a… Flail(?) the size of her entire body if she- for whatever reasons- suddenly decided to roll into a ball. Frankly, if not for the fact she seemed ready to bash their heads in and brains out, the sight would have been quite comical.
That's when somebody introduced himself- a humongous giant with dark mane fluttering just behind him.
Berserker reached to grab the chain holding the two flail-heads together and yanked, pulling the bloodthirsty teenager back with a manic howl.
Then- like a flies- he got slapped to the ground by an even bigger man in full-body armor. The design itself was scaly, like wooden tiles on a roof- painted golden.
Everything else's smooth, golden silks woven together expertly and the five-clawed, snarling Eastern Dragon on his chest appeared to roar- announcing his Title.
Not a King- Nay, an Emperor. "Who's that?!"
"I met him before! He was part of the attack on Ms. Illaoi and I!"
Unlike Sakura and Rin, the Heroine's a lot less worried about her wellbeing, instead opting to sweep the chaotic battlefield for her sister and the stoic maids she had grown close to, but her kouhai's yell was enough to snap her out of the self-induced daze she had managed to put herself in. Shiro glanced left to find a giant man whose head towered over both Berserker and the row of trees nearby and in the split second, she made a choice.
Throwing the Tohsaka siblings to safety, she raised her hands- the image of the hammer of a revolver skipping through her mind. "[Trace–"
Without a moment of hesitation, she conjured hundreds upon hundreds of weapons- blades,
Some were normal,
Some visibly more mystical than others- yet their target was the same: The Servant who's charging in her direction like a freight-train. Lightning struck where she stood, yet again! Blades blocked attack, redirecting the currents to the grounds as the participants all stilled. "– On]."
None had expected this- with how protective and- frankly- controlling Leonis could be, they had all thought these girls were little more than pretty faces. To say they looked down on them wouldn't be quite right, especially for the Elites, but what they had in mind were dainty 'walls of flowers'- incapable of defending themselves. It would seem they're all wrong. Some're relieved at the realization, though a small minority was angry and- surprisingly enough- none of those minority was in Swan's Faction.
"Someone help me recover all the wounded! I brought Potions- lots of them!" Immediately, Rin started barking orders, while Sakura added with a smile. "Don't worry, senpai! I will cover you!"
With an actually qualified teacher, Shiro might never become a Magecraft genius, though her Circuits were in a much better shape, hence… "My core is twisted in madness–" Different from the form it usually took, what appeared wasn't a segmented lance- forcibly morphed into the shape of an arrow- but the actual article itself. "– [Caladbolg]!"
She yelled, launching the Broken Phantasm at the Servant just as shadows- shifting like the tentacles of an octopus- latched on his legs to pull him under. "Wha–?!" Startled, the Servant shouted. Though his face was calm, his mind's whirling. Already, he could feel it- the drain on his Mana.
In the first place, the Host Le Loi's inhabiting didn't have a lot of Magic Circuits. The guy was two-generations away from losing his right to Magecraft, and due to certain circumstances, they're able to gain the right to his aging body. Once the shadow tendrils were finished with the man's pitiful Circuits, they'd surely start to wring his Master's dry. "Your plans have failed. If only you had taken us into account."
Caladbolg tore Space and Time apart- shredding the very fabrics of Reality to pieces like someone had the 'bright idea' to combine a meteorite and a blender as it approached the Servant. At the speed it's going, he knew he'd not dodge it in time even without the shadow tendrils holding him in place, thus he raised his sword- Heaven's Will to block,
And as the Noble Phantasms collided, two things happened. First, a shockwave of Mana erupted from the point of impact- a mix of red and golden swirled into a dome that consumed and expanded- evaporating everything in its path. Thankfully, the raging winds caused as a result had washed the fallen forms of a few Elites into the crashing waves of the once still lake. It wouldn't save those too close in the 'dome' vicinity, but the lucky few were able to live to see another day.
Everyone braced for impact- everyone except the two raging Berserkers who're too caught up in their battle to care.
Dusts rose higher than people, and a loud, distinct snapping sound was heard as the 'wall' cleared to show Le Loi- relatively intact, his breaths heavy like the rumblings of thunder- and the two weapons responsible for such destruction. As an object conjured by Mana, Caladbolg had long dissipated, which Shiro, Rin and Sakura- who're most familiar with the first's Brand of Magecraft- didn't care much for, already knowing it'd happen.
What they hadn't foreseen was the fate of Heaven's Will.
No longer a complete weapon- it laid next to the Servant's feet in two pieces- the blade and the hilt… And for the very first time since he's summoned to this unfamiliar Age, Le Loi lost his cool.
"I'm the Emperor! Heaven's Chosen! You dare reject my Will?!"