LoverOfArtemis: HF Shirou has already killed to defend himself/ Sakura (he even killed Saber) and with Archer's knowledge and character mixed up in him, his character will undergo some significant changes compared to the Shirou you know.

Archangel Xireon Chaos God: Athena has no problem with Mesopotamian deities. Moreover, she is a divinity of war (like Ishtar) and death (like Ereshkigal). The three goddesses have enough in common to be able to understand each other. Moreover, towards humans, Athena is undoubtedly one the least aggressive Heretic gods. Where other Heretic God, would behave in a contemptuous way towards Hakuno and Shirou, she will be polite and perhaps even friendly (yandere style, we speak of Athena).

Boyzilla: No, it is not an obligation for a human to die to become a Campione. And luckily... what's the chance, statistically, that the winner narrowly triumphs and dies right after delivering the killing blow?

As for Ishtar and Ereshkigal, they are certainly limited by certain rules and do not have some of the powers of the Heretics Gods (they do not have access to the Memory of the Void, for example.) In fact from the point of view of Campione! FGO/ Ishtar and Ereshkigal are... usurpers.

That said, the two goddesses have quite unique abilities that make them rather dangerous.

What Hakuno is OP? The Regalia is not a piece of gold-plated jewelry with fake glass paste gemstones? Would I have been lied to? The Regalia would serve as a dashboard to some kind of computer-god?! Unbelievable! Who would have imagined that?

One Happy Birb: I know this crossover.

I have mostly made progress in English. It is difficult to write a rather complex plot when your writing is like a 12-year-old writing dictation full of grammar mistakes... and when I wrote Chimeric Lunar Seas of Steel, my understanding of the English language was that of a child. I was also unable to create complicated intrigues because it was very difficult for me to create complex sentences... and it's difficult to explain complex thoughts when you lack vocabulary. After four years of writing in English every day... it's normal that I get a better result.

Ultima Owner: I think Godou Kusanagi would like to get a little more bored.

The True Skull: As for Shirou's personality, I have already answered above. For the rest, I can only encourage you to read the next chapters.

Christian Bernardino: I have already answered this remark (several times!). Shirou killed Berserker in Fateverse, before his arrival on the Campioneverse. To be able to give an Authority to a Campione (and to be able to recognize a man who defeated a god as a Campione) Pandora must first take this same Authority from the defeated god... how could Pandora take an Authority from Berserker... who died in Fateverse?

Khororhoth Judgment: Thank you.

Mighty C: It's more than a Review, it's almost as long as my chapter!

Uh... let's try to answer quickly...

I briefly showed Shrou destroying the Grail in chapter 1, so I preferred to focus on Hakuno in the previous chapter. Chapter 3 will be largely devoted to Shirou. I already have a lot of characters to manage... and new characters from Campione will still appear in this chapter.

The answer is 3). The Moonchild's Shirou is a mixture of HF Shirou (80%) and Archer (20%)... or rather this is what he will become... for now we only have a confused Shirou with flashbacks of Archer's life.

In the canon, Shirou is brought back to life thanks to an incomplete version of Heaven Feel. One cannot compare with the power of two gods. On the one hand, Ereshkigal has perfectly preserved the soul which was therefore not altered (unlike HF). On the other hand, the recipient created by the power of Ishtar is not a simple marionette, by the miracle of her Authority the clay statuette has transformed into a real human body, the perfect container for a human soul.

I also love Rin... I wouldn't do Fanfiction with two Rin if I hated her (masochist? No!)

1) No idea... I don't frequent the Babylonian deities.

2) In Campione! magic is like a prayer for the gods, it is in fact the gods who allow magic. On the other hand, the Code Casts are the magic of the Moon Cell and Hakuno has the Regalia on her finger... so Code Casts should work in the Campioneverse because the Moon Cell permits it.

3) Shirou and the two Rin must be 17 years old... Hakuno is in her second year of high school, so she must be 16-17 years old. Ishtar and Ereshkigal are over 6,000 years old.

4) There will be Servants invoked.

Blue Core: Thank you for your interest.

Guest: No, it doesn't work that way. This ritual is the classic process of gods' human creation in many myths. Eventually, it can create god and demigod, Enki and Enkidu had been created by this same ritual. BUT the Authority of creation is a modularly one that can create animals, humans, demigods, and subordinate gods and Ishtar doesn't have the power necessary for creating gods (not as an avatar). The Sumerian myth is the oldest myth of creation known, the version I quoted in chapter 2 is just over four thousand years ago (and some versions are even older, predating it by millennia). That said, the Sumerian myths inspired the Genesis (in the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible) that emphasized the fact that the first generations of humans had a much longer life expectancy than modern humans. Mathusalem is a good example. But already Berossus' Babyloniaca (1) and the Babylonian poem Enuma Elish (which tells the birth of the world) mentioned the very long life of the Seven Sages (Apkallu) and the kings of the pre-flood era in the Mesopotamian myths.

Suzululu4moe: Good point. Godou learned enough about Ishtar to sever the divinity of Campione Ishtar... but not FGO/ Ishtar, who was an avatar of an alternative version of the goddess; moreover, she has Authority stolen from other Fateverse gods.

Formento101026: Incoming!

Xrein001: No, killing mortals in another universe does not count as an accomplishment to become a Campione in the Campioneverse.

One can argue that Hakuno's Servant killing Saver (Bouddha!) qualifies her as Campione except that... before giving an Authority to a human, Pandora must "receive" the killed god and take this same Authority from him. Pandora was not present in the Moon Cell. You must be the fourth or the fifth person to ask me to make Hakuno and Shirou Campiones for what they did in Fateverse. Pandora does not exist in Fateverse (at least not THIS Pandora) so this is completely utterly absolutely impossible.

NoaRien: I thank you for reading.

NineYetis: I hope so.

Sakra95: So those are two things to consider:

1) Make Shirou and/or Hakuno a Campione.

2) Make Heretic Gods and Campiones weak.

1) As I already explained this, let me repeat my explanation. Shirou being Shirou, he will eventually face a Heretic God. Shirou being Shirou, he will beat him and become a Campione. To ask that I do not make Shirou a Campione is to ask that I create an OC with the powers of Shirou but that does not behave like Shirou. Or making some kind of running gag, every time Shirou is about to kill a Heretic God something happens and prevents him from stealing the god's Authority... how many times would you accept a gag worthy of Tex Avery in a "serious" story? For Hakuno, I also answered. She will never face a Heretic God directly.

2) In the first place I hate the Crossovers where Shirou arrives and... changes the universe altogether, destroys all the bad guys with a snap and transforms the main cast into a fan club just able to watch Shirou do it all alone with eyes full of admiration. First, it is an insult to the work of the original author. Second, what is the point? We know even before the beginning of the first chapter that Shirou will win without having to be serious. I'm bored reading stories like that and I'm certainly NOT going to write one.

Secondly, I think on the contrary that the Campiones (especially Voban, Luo Hao, Godou, and Prince Alec) are terrifying opponents. To be honest, I have not yet planned a confrontation with Heretic Gods... Maybe I will create OC gods... like Ishtar/ Campioneverse. What could be more terrifying than the "true" goddess Ishtar descending on Earth to confront someone who would "usurp" her name?

manuel cimino: Some Authorities are extremely destructive. In the first episode of Campione!, Erica said that a confrontation between Melqar and Verethragana would probably destroy Sardinia. Some authority triggers hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. As a reminder, the explosion of the Krakatoa (of volcanic origin) caused a tidal wave that went around the Earth and discharged so much ash that snowed in London in the middle of August. Others Authorities are more subtle: but they can cause droughts, revolts, diseases, and madness. A good example is the poisoned arrows of Apollo. This god can trigger an epidemic capable of devastating an entire continent, like the Great Plague of 1347 which killed almost 50% of the European population and lasted 5 years.

SentinalSlice: Yes, of course. Nevertheless, Ishtar's Authority allows hosting the soul of Shirou post-HF in a suitable receptacle. To be more precise, a receptacle that molds on the soul to correspond to it. The graft performed by Kirei is... worthy of Dr. Frankenstein! Shirou's new body is a harmonious integration of Archer's magical circuits in his body. As with the use of Heaven Fell by Illya, the graft by Kirei is the work of a mortal, and magic is very inferior to a divine Authority.

TrueOpulence: Thank.

Revival

Darkness...

Silence...

Then suddenly a flash of light...

Incomprehensible fragments swirled through nothingness.

Unconscious even to exist, feeling nothing except the desire to be left in peace HE felt a slight irritation. But soon the darkness enveloped him again and HE fell into silence.

Darkness...

Silence...

Having already forgotten the first flash of light, HE experienced the second as a brutal intrusion into his tranquility... with irritation, HE understood at a very primary, very basic level, that HE existed. HE did not express his existence by words, not even a coherent thought. It was just a simple reaction to a stimulus.

But as the darkness and silence once again closed on him, his sore mind did not fall back into paralysis.

Darkness...

Silence...

When for the third time a flash of light bothered him, HE felt irritation again. HE desired peace, silence, and tranquility. At a very primitive level, without memory to remember, He knew. HE had done enough, HE had deserved peace, the end of pain.

But, simultaneously, HE felt his first feeling... curiosity. HE "looked" at the light flash, discovered that it was fragments whirling in nothingness, colorful fragments... and when HE became interested in one of these fragments it grew and absorbed his weak conscience.

HE stood in an environment that seemed... familiar to him. There was grass, trees... Suddenly, a monstrous form came out of the forest, projecting trees in all directions and throwing up a cloud of dust. Although zigzagging brutally, the monster was rushing towards him. He was a colossus just dressed in a loincloth covered with metal plates. His hair looked like the mane of a lion, his face was deformed by inhuman rage. One of his eyes was red as blood and the other looked like molten gold.

A word arises in his mind: "Berserker." Yet HE did not make the connection between the word and the creature... his mind was not capable of coherent thought.

A simple spectator, HE saw himself acting, in his left hand, HE held a sort of... axis-sword, raising it, HE shouted:

"Nine Live Bladework!"

An electric jolt ran through his mind, partially driving out the mist.

The scene got thinner, faded, and disappeared, replaced by a distorted vision: swords, swords, swords. They superimposed each other, twisting and convulsing, an ocean of steel in full storm. It was oppressive and painful, the swords were crushing him. Everything was mixed, a cacophony similar to a hundred orchestras was playing simultaneously operas, bands, or soft music, with instruments out of tune.

Then the darkness engulfed Shirou Emiya again.

Kuroishi was a quiet little town in the prefecture of Aomori. A little outside the community was a tourist site, a hill covered with pink flowers. In the spring, it was very beautiful.

A large house had been built on a hill overlooking the Hanano Lake, the windows facing west made it possible to see the hills covered with pink flowers.

Most people in the area had never met the tenants.

It was not an individual house. It was the headquarters of an association simply named "Akiyama Study Circle."

Often visitors came to participate in seminars and left after a few days.

Very few people knew it was an association of mages. It was not a very large group and - until recently - the research carried out there by the Circle was really elementary.

But... they had received a visitor. This visitor was the embodied wisdom. The visitor, who had to stay in Japan frequently for personal reasons, had offered to help. All they had to do in exchange was collect information about the 7th Campione, Kusanagi Godou.

The goddess Athena drank a sip of tea. She sat in seiza on a pillow in front of a coffee table. On the other side were three women. The goddesses Ishtar and Ereshkigal, as well as a mortal named Hakuno Kishinami.

Athena had briefly taken an interest in the teenage girl with eyes and long hair of the color of milk chocolate. Her presence was strangely feeble, but Athena's wisdom had taught her that there was much more in Hakuno than her appearance could lead her to believe. Strangely enough, Kishinami was almost empty as a newborn, but the violence had tarnished her soul... a great deal of violence and Athena had had visions of an endless labyrinth, strange monsters, and Heroes clashing.

She was a riddle.

But as she was only a human, Athena decided that understanding this teen girl was not her priority, especially since she was accompanied by Ishtar and Ereshkigal.

All the gods had access to the Memory of the Void, the equivalent of the Akashic Records in the Campioneverse. This meant that knowledge flowed to them as soon as they became interested in something. Generally, the Heretics Gods had very limited control of the phenomenon. It just allowed them to understand how to use a mobile phone or drive a car, even to know the modern economic data, the names of the countries... things that in any case rarely interested the gods.

But Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was renowned for having a clairvoyance-like ability surpassing by far the Spirit Vision of a Hime-Miko. Most people thought it was an Authority.

That was not quite correct.

As a mother goddess, Athena had an Authority called "Women Wisdom."

But she also possessed another Authority whose name was not known and which reflected the knowledge of obscure and hidden things. She was an Authority because of her role as goddess of the night.

With her rare ability to use two Authorities simultaneously, Athena had achieved the feat of mixing the two Authorities to forge a new one, a result greater than the sum of the parts.

And her clairvoyance was confronted not with an enigma, but with a succession of enigmas when she focused on the two goddesses. Undeniably, they were divinities. Certainly not two full Heretics Goddess. Like Athena, they were fallen goddesses who had lost much of their divinity. However, the similarities ended there.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal did not look like any goddess she had ever met. Of course, each god was unique, but whatever the origin of divinity, the gods were part of a large family sharing more common traits than differences. However, the energy emanating from the two goddesses, their aura of power, and even their connection to the universe differed from anything Athena had seen.

Another peculiarity was that the two Babylonian deities had incarnated in human beings. Certainly, the principle of the avatar was known in the Campioneverse... but very rarely used, except by the Hindu gods. Why know the torments of the flesh, hunger, thirst, and need to sleep?

The voice of the Babylonian Goddess of war brought Athena back to the present.

Ishtar drank a sip of tea and smiled.

"Thank you for welcoming us to one of your bases, honored Athena, you did not oblige ungrateful goddess. My sister and I have a debt of honor that we will strive to pay."

Athena looked at the goddess.

She was a pretty young woman with red eyes and long black hair tied up into twin-tail with two black ribbons. Her dress was very revealing, a simple bra and loincloth of white fabric inlaid with gold. She has also a black stoking on the right leg, and a long black and gold glove covering he left arm up above the elbow.

Ishtar had many jewels, especially a black and gold tiara, golden earring, and a neck brace.

Politely, Athena bowed.

"The Circle is made up of mages who are affiliated with me, Noble Ishtar. I share with them some lost secrets of magic and they help me in exchange. They'll take you in as long as you want."

Athena looked toward the second goddess and frowned briefly. Ereshkigal had not touched her cup of tea and was looking through the windows with a strange expression... of childlike wonder.

Yet there were only fields of flowers outside.

The goddess of war and love intervened:

"My sister is the goddess of the Netherworld, Arali is not exactly a very welcoming place. Could you, please, excuse her lack of manner?"

At the same time, Ishtar elbowed in the ribs of Ereshkigal... strong enough for the Queen of the Great Bellow to utter a cry of pain and rub the wounded spot. Furious, she wanted to protest but Ishtar forestalled her. She smiled but with an expression that made the mages shiver.

"Ah, Ereshkigal, welcome back. You missed the conversation. The honored goddess Athena -who offers us hospitality-, was worried about your mental absence."

The goddess of the Netherworld simultaneously managed to appear panicked, and contrite, while bowing respectfully to Athena.

The goddess of wisdom looked at the scene with interest, but her face showed no expression. Humor was not her dominant quality. She noted, however, that the two sisters were not behaving as one might expect from goddesses.

Ereshkigal looked a lot like her sister... like a twin sister to be exact. In fact, other than having blond hair and red ribbons, it was impossible to tell them apart. Her clothes, however, were less revealing. She wore a one-piece black outfit that covered her from her throat to her thighs and was decorated with jewels in the shape of bones or skulls. Like her sister, she had a long glove on her left arm and a black stocking on her right leg. A large red brocade cape decorated with embroidery covered her shoulders, closed at the neck. She also had a black tiara.

"Pardon me, noble Athena," she coughed in her fist and smiled awkwardly. "The landscape is so beautiful that I have completely forgotten your presence. I usually live in a place where there is only bone dust and spectrums. I confess that I do not understand how people do not spend their time at the windows to contemplate such beauty."

Athena agreed:

"People get used to everything, noble Ereshkigal."

"Get used to it... maybe after two or three centuries. But I still can't imagine it."

Ishtar cleared her throat excessively and kept the conversation from derailing.

"Honored Athena, we have just arrived and perhaps you could advise us on our future actions."

He was still unaware of being or even dreaming.

He walked and the sand sprinkled under his heavy boots reinforced by a steel plate, the desert wind made his red coat snap.

He was climbing a dune.

All around him, he saw swords in the sand. Each sword represented a person he had sacrificed to achieve his ideal.

— his ideal?

Somehow, it bothered him. Inexplicably he felt it was false.

Above his head, rusty gears were floating in a sky of fire smoke. They were seized, unable to move.

He turned to the infinite desert where only swords grew, a mineral world, dead, as dead as he was. He had a cold smile and sat down, contemplating his kingdom... his prison.

Unlimited...

The spirit of the young man rebelled. No...

... Blade...

No, that was not his ideal. He knew that was not true.

... work.

Sakura!

The body of the teenager crouched violently in his bed, his eyes opened and his mouth uttered a silent cry. His brow covered with sweat, his heart beating like a drum, he looked around.

He was in an impersonally decorated bedroom, like a hotel room.

He was not alone.

A man had risen from a nearby chair, placing the book he was reading on a nearby table.

"Hello, Shirou-Sama. I will inform Lady Ishtar of your awakening."

The man dressed in a grey silk dress bowed deeply and retreated to the exit without raising his eyes...

The red-haired teenager frowned.

Shirou-sama?

That was his... name? Right?

He sat down in his bed, wincing. He held his hand to his forehead. He had a violent migraine. As he delved into his memory trying to remember who he was... an image suddenly emerges to his memory. A city on fire... he walked through the burning ashes and burnt debris. He walked, exhausted, shaking, lungs burned by smoke.

He had fallen and remained there to die. Fortunately, a man had come and saved him before adopting him. His name was...

Shirou frowned. He saw the face of the man with the hairless hair, not shaved. But his name escaped him, it was... What was his name? Starting to panic, he tried to push back the wall of darkness that prevented him from accessing his memory. Suddenly...

Kiritsugu Emiya!

Yeah, that was his old man's name.

Somewhat reassured, the teenager noticed that the memories came to him a little more easily, now. His name was Shirou Emiya, he lived in Fuyuki, and he went to school at the Homurahara High School. His best friend was Issei Ryuudou. After his father died, he was watched over by Taiga Fujimura.

And then...

The Fifth Holy Grail War...

Saber's summons, her fight against Lancer and...

He took his head in his hands as his headache increased.

No... it didn't happen like that... it was summoned by Rin Tohsaka he was... the Heroic Spirit EMIYA!

No... he... he was... he wasn't... yes, Shirou Emiya was his name... but... he was also... Archer?

He remembered... He has eliminated those responsible for the burning of Rome in... 64 AD? He had also opened the doors of the Bastille from the inside, during the insurrection of... 1789?

Archer was Shirou Emiya.

The revelation hit him with the 'softness' of a 44-ton truck having lost its brakes smashing a shop selling porcelain at the bottom of a sloping street.

Athena had just spoken for a long time. She had explained who the 'Campiones' are. Although she managed to control her facial expression to mimic a polite interest, Ishtar was in fact in the throes of panic. Mortals killing the gods to usurp their Authorities? With a somewhat desperate irony, Ishtar wondered for a brief moment if what she was feeling was not the emotions of a doe... on the day the hunt opened.

The Mistress of Heaven rejected these emotions as unworthy of her. She was a goddess. A Master. She had fought Goetia and saved the world (Ok, not all alone but...). Above all, she had to think rationally and then act cautiously. The best would be to keep a low profile and avoid fighting.

Otherwise, in the event of a confrontation, she had to plan and be ready. Thinking ahead was what made the difference between victory and defeat. She needed to know the strengths and weaknesses of the Campiones. Fortunately, one could hardly imagine a better source of information than the Greek goddess of wisdom, and Athena showed no reservation in answering questions from Ishtar and Ereshkigal.

The first thing to know is that there were seven Campiones.

The oldest of them was Sasha Dejensthal Voban. Athena described him as a "hungry wolf with human intelligence and Divines authorities."

Then came Luo Hao, according to the goddess of wisdom she was a martial arts specialist who had killed her first god with... bare hands! She then continued to accumulate Authorities without ever ceasing to train and improve.

Aisha, the third Campione was more mysterious. For a long time, she had been traveling around the Earth to visit and explore. But in recent decades she had become a hermit. So there was little chance of meeting her.

All these Campiones were centuries old, their longevity in a job as risky as the hunt for the gods amply demonstrated their dangerousness.

The last four Campiones had appeared relatively recently.

Black Prince Alec was a mage, a specialist in esotericism. He was seeking the Holy Grail that he met and killed his first god.

—hearing Athena mention the Holy Grail, Ishtar felt a tension in her stomach. She had very bad memories of the Grail, whether it was the Fuyuki's Grail or the Seven Goetia's Grails.

John Pluto Smith was the most... abnormal of the Campiones. And since every Campione defied normalcy, that was not a small thing. Eccentric, he wore a mask and nobody knew his real face. In fact... Smith thought he was... a superhero. He was protecting North America. Unlike other Campiones who were unknown to the public at large, Smith often made headlines by fighting terrorist organizations or criminals.

Lord Salvatore Doni was according to Athena: "An idiot armed with a sword who believes he can cut anything that stands before him. So far this idiot has been right."

It was not until the last Campione that Athena showed - briefly- an emotion. It must be said that she had faced this Devil-King just after the young man had killed his first god and... she had been defeated. Instead of killing her and usurping one of her authorities, the 7th Campione had let her go.

Athena's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Godou Kusanagi is my prey, I would not tolerate another god attacking him. If I have to, I'll team up with Pandora's foster son to make sure that I would not be deprived of my legitimate right to revenge."

For a brief moment, Ishtar had looked at the child-goddess without being able to hide her unbelief. But she was able to recover quickly from her surprise.

She coughed in her fist.

"Honored Athena, I swear on the blood of my father Anu that I did not seek quarrel at the Devil-King Kusanagi. If the Campione were to attack me, I would defend myself, but I give my word that I would do everything in my power not to be forced to kill the prey of Noble Athena."

This promise seemed to satiate the Night Mother somewhat, but she turned to Ereshkigal who was quietly sipping her tea. The penetrating gaze of the goddess of wisdom made the Goddess of the Netherworld very uncomfortable.

"Um? What?... "

Ishtar contained a sigh and turned to her sister:

"You have to promise too."

"Oh?"

Ereshkigal stood up and took up composting again, speaking in the tone and mannerisms expected of a goddess:

"I, Ereshkigal, on my honour and that of my father Anu, swear not to engage in the fight against Godou Kusanagi. If we were to fight, I..."

Ereshkigal stopped and lowered her head.

"I.. I would probably get myself killed. So, honored Athena, you don't have to worry."

The one who was worried was Hakuno. Having put down her cup of tea, she watched Extraverse Rin, her friend, without knowing what to say or what to do.

Ishtar folded her arms and pushed a "hum" both condescending and exasperated.

"You are my ally, and even if I don't particularly like you, I can't let my honor be tarnished by abandoning you when you have - so far - honored your share of the deal."

Ereshkigal looked at her sister with surprise. But Hakuno was more direct.

"You're a nice person."

It was a simple statement made in a monotonous voice but the result was explosive... the face of the Goddess of Venus turned scarlet as she began to babble and laugh in an exaggerated way.

"What? No... that's not it... on the contrary, I'm known for being relentless, violent, and destructive and I rarely spare those I defeat. Simply... I made an alliance with the Goddess of the Netherworld and defending her is implicitly part of the contract, against reciprocity, of course."

Hakuno briefly blinked.

"Ok."

It was quite amusing to see that around this table there were two goddesses carrying their hearts on their sleeve, unable to mask their emotions, and two younger looking girls both with perfect poker faces.

The little drama had left Athena indifferent... at least in appearance. In fact, she was pondering more and more about the two goddesses. However, for the time being, it was not important. At least, as long as they did not argue with her about her 'dear prey'.

"I, Athena, have heard the oaths of my allies the noble Ishtar and the noble Ereshkigal, and consider that any violation of their word will cause war between us."

The Goddess of Venus turned to Athena... ah yes, Godou Kusanagi. She rubbed her chin. It promised to be interesting. When Athena would feel ready to... take her 'revenge', Ishtar would settle down at a front-row seat with a huge pack of pop-corns.

She was certain of two things.

The show would be first class. And above all, there would be no deaths.

Athena could refuse to see the truth but no one could abuse Ishtar, goddess of love. Of course, she felt an almost physical need to get involved to have fun with... uh... facilitating relationships between Athena and Gudou. It was just a professional interest, of course. Except... well, she had a hunch that things would be a lot more fun... er... let's say that things would end much more satisfactorily if things were allowed to go their way.

An evil expression appeared for an instant on Ishtar's face. Athena instinctively shivered. She had already seen this expression in Aphrodite... just before the Trojan War, and everyone knew the result.

It was then that a member of the Circle advanced toward the goddesses. He bowed before Athena... the goddess to whom he had sworn allegiance, and then turned to Ishtar.

"Noble Mistress of the Heaven please excuses this humble mortal. You asked to be informed when the so-called Shirou Emiya wakes up. It's done. He opened his eyes."

Ishtar shuddered but regained control almost instantly.

"Good job. Wait a minute."

She turned to the Greek goddess:

"Honored goddess Athena, I beg your pardon, I must go and examine Shirou. The circumstances of his death and the shock of his resurrection require caution. May I leave you with Ereshkigal?"

Athena had just thanked the mage who filled her cup with a nod.

"Please, noble Ishtar, do what you have to do."

In fact, Athena was happy with Ishtar's departure.

The alliance she had just made with the two goddesses was promising. Currently without resources, without anywhere to go or worshippers to help them, Ishtar and Ereshkigal had agreed to follow her to the Circle after only a few minutes of negotiation.

Ishtar was an important fighting force, and although Ereshkigal seemed less willing to fight and timider, Athena had no doubt that she could prove useful.

Nevertheless, the more she spoke with the two Mesopotamian deities, the more suspicious Athena was. It wasn't that she particularly doubted them as a person, but rather there were too many things she didn't understand.

Ishtar was the most dangerous goddess, but also the most intelligent, apparently accustomed to negotiating by keeping her cards against her. By comparison, Ereshkigal seemed... naive.

The Queen of the Great Below moved nervously on her cushion, refraining from looking around her; despite her stay at Chaldea, she was not really accustomed to being around many people. Moreover, since Ishtar's departure, Athena had been watching her in silence. If she didn't drink a sip of tea once in a while, we'd think she was a statue.

"Lady Ereshkigal, why did you come to Earth?"

The blonde goddess flinched and showed some confusion. She was smart enough to understand that Athena wasn't asking her that question now by accident. The goddess of wisdom took advantage of Ishtar not being there to question her separately ... and she would certainly ask her sister the same question when she returned... so that she could compare the answers.

And the two Mesopotamian goddesses had not prepared their answers in advance, which left her no choice but, to tell the truth... but not the whole truth, of course.

"Honored Athena, I came here to save Hakuno."

She reached out to the young Master.

"Yes, you brought her back to life with the help of lady Ishtar, I witnessed that. But that doesn't really answer my question, Noble Ereshkigal."

Restraining herself from sighing, Ereshkigal improvised a redacted version of the Moon Cell Grail War avoiding anything that seemed too... particular. Talking about the Moon Cell Grail war not to mention the Moon Cell Automaton, the seraph, or the Heroes invoked as Servant was a real challenge. But by remaining in generalities, and designating the Moon Cell as 'a powerful god of the moon', she managed to do so.

Athena showed no emotion, but she listened attentively. She understood perfectly what the goddess of death was playing. Ereshkigal was hiding details that were more than details.

But the Queen of the Great below quickly finished her story. She had been defeated and had escaped death only thanks to the intervention of Hakuno. Feeling in debt, she had agreed to help her. Hakuno Kishinami had won the war but the 'god of the moon' had decided to kill her. Finally, Ishtar had managed to get Hakuno's grace.

Unfortunately, Athena was not content with such a simple answer. She asked some seemingly unimportant questions about the purpose of the war and its causes.

Ereshkigal was obliged to mention that the 'god of the moon' had promised to grant the winner's wish.

Athena did more than listen, she used her wisdom, that faculty close to clairvoyance. And she was focusing on Hakuno, yes... what the goddess of death said seemed to be confirmed. But Zeus' daughter discovered that the ring on Hakuno's finger had been given to her by the... Moon Cell Automaton and that it was a Holy Grail.

She looked at Ereshkigal:

"Tell me about the Moon Cell. How does Hakuno Kishinami's ring control this entity that you called the moon god?"

The lady of the Underworld panicked for a moment and then sighed seeming to deflate like a balloon.

"I don't know. And... I think it's best not to touch the Regalia. Hakuno has been tasked with protecting the world from an entity called the White Titan. And the Moon Cell thinks that she's the only one who can."

Athena always used her clairvoyance, listening to the Voices of the Void. When she answered, it was wisdom itself that spoke.

"What you say is true, O Ereshkigal. This Moonchild will hold in her hands the future of the world. I see a great danger... And it was you coming here that brought this danger to the world. It would have been better if you had never come. Yet at the same time, the goddess of war Ishtar, the goddess of death Ereshkigal, the man on top of a hill of swords, and the Moonchild are the only shield that can protect us from annihilation."

The members of the Circle had listened to Athena's prophecy with a mixture of terror and admiration, conscious of living a historic moment. Most of them trusted their goddess. The Goddess of Wisdom would protect them. At that moment, they were thinking about what they could do to help Athena in this task.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so loyal.

Takumi Nakashima was a fairly ordinary businessman from Tokyo, except that he was passionate about the occult and had the chance to find a master who was not just a scammer. Nevertheless, his apprenticeship had cost him a lot of money... which had earned him debts with the Yakuza.

To pay the mafia, he had begun to sell secrets and he had been quickly recruited by one of the most active organizations in the world of the supernatural. His chief was eager to seize ancient and valuable artifacts. He paid dearly for every piece of information.

This organization was called the Royal Arsenal and its leader was Alexander Gascoigne... better known as Black Prince Alec, the 4th Campione.

This... Regalia was definitely going to interest him.

(1) This is the history which Berossus has transmitted to us. He tells us that the first king was Alorus of Babylon, a Chaldaean; he reigned ten sari*: and afterwards Alaparus, and Amelon who came from Pantibiblon: then Ammenon the Chaldaean, in whose time appeared the Musarus Oannes the Annedotus from the Erythraean sea. (But Alexander Polyhistor anticipating the event, has said that he appeared in the first year; but Apollodorus says that it was after forty sari; Abydenus, however, makes the second Annedotus appear after twenty-six sari.) Then succeeded Megalarus from the city of Pantibiblon; and he reigned eighteen sari: and after him Daonus the shepherd from Pantibiblon reigned ten sari; in his time (he says) appeared again from the Erythraean sea a fourth Annedotus, having the same form with those above, the shape of a fish blended with that of a man. Then reigned Euedoreschus from Pantibiblon, for the term of eighteen sari; in his days there appeared another personage from the Erythraean sea like the former, having the same complicated form between a fish and a man, whose name was Odacon. (All these, says Apollodorus, related particularly and circumstantially whatever Oannes had informed them of: concerning these Abydenus has made no mention.) Then reigned Amempsinus, a Chaldaean from Laranchae; and he being the eighth in order reigned ten sari. Then reigned Otiartes, a Chaldaean, from Laranchae; and he reigned eight sari. And upon the death of Otiartes, his son Xisuthrus reigned eighteen sari: in his time happened the great deluge. So that the sum of all the kings is ten; and the term which they collectively reigned an hundred and twenty sari.

Berossus via Apollodorus recorded in Eusebius and Syncellus (translated from the Greek)

*A sarus (singular for sari) is estimated at three thousand six hundred years. For example, Alorus lived 36 000 years and Pantibiblon lived 64 800 years!