Ishtar and Ereshkigal in the Spotlight: As you have probably understood, the food poisoning of Shirou (and Goudou and his harem) is just a way to allow the two sisters to have the lead role.
Uttoanova: We are two different people, and it is normal that we have different points of view. I have no problem with contradiction by itself. If someone comes to me to explain (with evidence) that I was wrong about something and that their point of view seems right, I would not hesitate to rewrite my text.
Boyzilla: The Moon Cell Automaton is also called 'Eye of God', 'Holy Grail', and 'Angelica Cage' (actually, another name for Seraph)... God? Holy? Angelic? Yes, but it's only names given to it by Humans. It's not really a divine device... even if its power exceeds that of the gods.
The 'King Arthur' that will be summoned will be Artoria Lancer: So. No... First of all, it's not an invocation. The Campioverse's King Arthur is already here... and for over 1,500 years. But he is asleep. Guinevere just has to find Avalon to wake him up.
Then, even if Artoria will appear in this story, it will be the Extraverse version of Saber, slightly different from the FSN/ FGO version.
Imugi Core: About how Luo Hao 'cooked' the Core. I did not invent this method that appears in several martial art mangas. The idea is to ingest a foreign element that is actually acted as a poison. You have to fight this poison and reject it to become strong. To take a well-known example, in Dragon ball (Volume 13), Son Goku manages to reveal his true power by drinking Choshinsui, the sacred water of Master Karin, and thanks to this power boost, he managed to defeat King Piccolo.
Ishtar, having all the knowledge of Rin Tohsaka, has every reason to be irritated by this method, dangerous and ineffective. Remember that the Jewel Magecraft is a form of flowing and Transferring of Power. That is to say, spells that deal with the transference of energy or information from one object to another.
The goddess would have been quite capable of directly transferring energy from the Core to Shirou, Godou, and the girls. Almost instantly, and without suffering...
But hey, we're talking about Luo Hao, the Advocate of Ultimate Brute Force, She always chooses the most direct and brutal solution.
English King and French Saint
Laughlin, Nevada (USA)
About a hundred miles south of Vegas, Laughlin is a small town on the Colorado River, just on the border with Arizona. It was actually part of Mojave City.
The Laughlin River Lodge was an ordinary three-star hotel.
The only interest of this hotel was its proximity to the Bullhead International Airport. You could hear the planes even with the windows closed.
In an air-conditioned room, a bearded red colossus was playing with a state-of-the-art video game console. He was dressed in military fatigue pants and an XL-sized T-shirt printed with the 'Admirable Tactics' logo.
He paused to hear a news bulletin on the radio.
He got up, left his room to go, and knock on the next room.
A young woman came to open the door. She had brown skin, white hair, and red eyes.
Iskandar - since it was him - spoke.
"Excuse me for disturbing you, Altera. But Jeanne still hasn't come back, and I have just learned that there was some sort of industrial accident in Compiegne. It sounds a lot like the local Magi's excuses for covering up a supernatural event."
Altera nodded. But before she could speak, an arrogant voice came from.
"I got this, King of the Conqueror!"
That made Iskandar smile.
"I thought Jeanne was an unbearable idealist, Goldie."
"She makes the King laugh a lot; Maybe I should add her to my treasure because I need a jester. Nevertheless, make no mistake, Iskandar. I'm not doing this for her. It's just that the King is running out of tolerance. It's an insult to the Oldest King to be confined to such a miserable place."
It was in fact a reproach addressed to Altera. Since their arrival, Gilgamesh asked them to settle down in one of the Las Vegas palace hotels. But Altera preferred to keep a low profile so as not to attract attention. Nevada wasn't far from San Francisco... where the Campione John Pluto Smith lived.
London, capital of the British Empire.
The city of London, partially destroyed during World War II, had been rebuilt into a modern city stretching along both banks of the Thames. It no longer resembled the dark, smog-infested city described in Sherlock Holmes' investigations or Dickens' novels.
Most of the Victorian houses had disappeared, as had the unsanitary neighborhoods full of prostitutes and beggars where Jack the Ripper was rampant.
This did not mean that the monuments dominating the Victorian city had all disappeared. Saint Paul's Cathedral, or that neo-Gothic wonder that was the Tower Bridge, was still there.
Other older monuments had also survived the London Blitz. The first place, the most famous of them: Is the Tower of London; A fortress built by William the Conqueror with blocks of stone imported from Normandy (the symbol is strong), which later became a prison known for its ghosts and its bloody history.
The Woolwich Arsenal was much less touristy.
Located downstream of the Tower of London, but on the other bank, the arsenal was across from the London City Airport. The history of the Royal Arsenal began in 1540, in the Tudor era. At its peak, during the First World War, this manufacture of weapons and ammunition employed 80, 00 people. As a weapons factory, the site was closed in 1964. Some buildings were razed to the ground, others turned into houses or businesses, while the old arsenal became a residential area. Until 1994, some buildings were occupied by the Ministry of Defense.
It was at this time that Alexander Gascoigne became a Campione (1) and chose to settle in the Royal Brass Foundry (2), the foundry that had manufactured the guns used by the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo. He quickly recruited many talented people: Occultists who focus purely on research, commoners who sought revenge against sorcerers for deaths of relatives, street hoodlums, con artists, and unrepentant thieves.
This organization took the name of the place where they had settled, becoming famous as Royal Arsenal.
Black Prince Alec's passion was the acquisition of magical objects. The Occultists researched old manuscripts and legends looking for clues that could lead to ancient artifacts or examined objects 'borrowed' by the Godslayer, while the other members spied on the owners of future 'acquisitions' or stole the objects on behalf of Alec Gascoigne.
All the objects 'acquired' by Alec were grouped in the magnificent red brick building where the Campione had established its headquarters.
Maanna, the Boat of Heaven was an ideal means of transportation, capable of opening a door in one place and exiting through another door, including on another planet, in an almost instantaneous manner.
The strange construction: half Bow, half Boat was a kind of art object formed by two bows in gold enameled with blue.
Floating near her weapon/means of transport, Ishtar was again dressed as a goddess... meaning a white loincloth and just enough fabric to hide her chest. If her clothes were minimalist, the same could not be said of her jewelry. Gold glittered in her tiara, in her bracelets, on her belt, and on her legs. The Mistress of Heaven also sparkled many precious stones.
Hanging from the smallest of Maanna's two 'bows', Ereshkigal glanced down to the ground - fifteen meters lower - much less comfortable than her sister. As usual, the Queen of the Underworld was dressed in a simple black one-piece garment and a cape in scarlet silk brocade. She also had a tiara, almost identical to that of Ishtar, but of black color.
While they had appeared above a paved square, where an old canon dating from the Napoleonic Wars was exposed, none of the passers-by raised their heads to wonder at their presence.
Ishtar used a simple but effective Magecraft, a Bounded Field that acted as an invisibility field around Maanna. Not only were ordinary individuals - without resistance to magic - unable to see them, but this Magecraft also greatly attenuated curiosity from passers-by who looked in their direction. No one would be surprised if a door opened for no reason or an object fell to the ground.
Obviously, such a simplistic Magecraft did not guarantee complete invisibility... at least not for competent Magi or for the detection and protection spells deployed around the Royal Arsenal Headquarter.
As they landed in front of the door, a rigging was heard from the intercom, then a voice.
"It is an honor to receive such a noble visit, esteemed Ishtar, and esteemed Ereshkigal. However, nothing has been prepared to receive you. It's a shame, and I beg your pardon but I fear that you will catch us completely off guard."
Ishtar smiled confidently at his sister, she seemed to be saying 'See, no reason to panic'.
The Goddess of Venus rarely bothered to put herself in other's shoes... after all, being a goddess, it was up to humans to bend to her every desire.
Much shy, Ereshkigal had feared that the members of the Royal Arsenal would attack them if they arrived unexpectedly.
Ishtar turned towards the small camera above the intercom.
"We came to meet the Devil King of the British Empire, the Nobleman of God Speed Alexander Gascoigne and we were hoping that you would do your due diligence to lead us to him because his life is probably in danger."
There was silence.
"I'm afraid I can't disturb my king, he entertains some guests."
"One of them is probably a Sefar agent," says Ereshkigal, annoyed by this whole song and dance.
The voice stopped again. But this time they heard a barely audible noise of conversation coming out of the intercom. The situation obviously caused a disagreement between those who observed them. Finally, the voice was heard again.
"Forgive my late introduction. I am Sir Iceman, a knight in the service of King Alexander. May I ask what your intentions are, divine Ishtar, divine Ereshkigal?"
"Isn't that obvious? Sefar is our enemy. We are here to help you," replied the Sumerian Goddess of Love.
"Come in, please!"
There was an electric noise followed by a click and the huge wooden door of the old gun foundry opened automatically.
Since the organization called the Royal Arsenal had moved into the old gun foundry, they had profoundly altered the interior architecture. In particular, they took advantage of the building's height to create a new level by adding an intermediate floor. If the lower rooms served as storage or workspace, the floor was occupied by the offices of the Royal Arsenal chiefs.
Following Sir Iceman, Ishtar and Ereshkigal arrived in a large room lit by what had been the top of one of the vast ogival-shaped windows that had lit the foundry.
While a young Chinese girl served two cups of tea to the guests, Alec Gascoigne's assistant sat behind his desk.
As Ereshkigal looked around her, interested in the libraries, the work table, and even the coffee table in front of her, Sir Iceman smiled.
"Did you know that all the furniture in this room was made by King Alexander? My king relaxes by working the wood and he has the level of a qualified cabinetmaker."
Ereshkigal also smiled, she was always interested in this kind of detail, prisoner of Kur - a very boring place- for several millennia.
"I relax walking in the mountains, my sister has for a hobby the cut of gemstones and...
Ishtar had a perfectly evil smile that raised a chill in the knight's back as she spoke, interrupting the Queen of the Netherworld.
"Sir Iceman, could you spare us the small talk? Your King is undoubtedly an interesting person, but I did not come to talk about his hobbies! Have you forgotten? A Servant is here. We think he is now in the service of Sefar. We have communicated information about Sefar and the Servants to all this world's magical associations. So you should understand that your king is in danger and listening only to the goodness of our hearts we have come to help him. Can you take us to Alexander Gascoigne? And if I did not ask in a sufficiently polite manner, could you please lead us to Alexander Gascoigne?"
Sir Iceman was the very embodiment of British phlegm. He had listened with polite interest and he acquiesced slowly.
"I understand, esteemed Ishtar. I would gladly lead you to my king... alas, it is impossible." He turned to the Chinese woman standing by the door. "Miss Cheung?"
A crystal ball appeared in the hand of the young woman, she made a mystical pass over the sphere that began to radiate an ominous green light. Scenes were now appearing on the crystal surface... Corridors lit by torches in which animated armor advanced... and a fierce fight.
"My king used Minos' Authority to create a labyrinth in natural caves, 300 meters below London. The maze has closed all natural exits. We can only enter using teleportation magic... After my king entered the maze, he used an artifact forbidding this kind of spell. Now no one can go in or out."
Ishtar looked at the second of King Alec with incredulity.
"You mean he locked himself in a cage with a tiger and threw away the key?"
The Queen of Heaven did not add 'he is stupid?' But she thought it loud enough that those present heard her anyway.
Ishtar's diplomatic gifts were unmatched...
The center of the Labyrinth was shaped to resemble a monumental throne room, with Gothic arches and columns supporting an inverted ship-shaped ceiling. Plate armors, paintings, and banners decorated the room. At the end of a long red carpet that led to the front door, a few steps led to a throne.
This was of course where King Alec settled.
Thoughtfully he looked at the crystal ball held by one of the Occultists of the Royal Arsenal. He couldn't help but be concerned. Who was that blonde teenager? She was wearing a strange suit of armor protecting her hips, her forearms, and even a kind of headband as a helmet... but she has no protection on the top of her chest, or for her legs widely visible under a slit skirt and covered with high stockings. Certainly, it was sexy... but the Campione had some doubts about the effectiveness of such 'armor'.
However, even though her armor didn't seem to offer much protection, the blonde beauty wielded a banner adorned with a fleur-de-lys like a virtuoso. The strange weapon radiated white and serene light. The steel golems struck by the blonde teenager's standard were quickly reduced to scrap.
Guinevere's new ally was something that Alec Gascoigne had not been able to foresee, despite all his cunning, his prudence, and his manic preparation for the most unpredictable scenario.
Nevertheless, he was not yet short of tricks... or even Authorities.
Rising from his throne, he drew a pentacle on the ground using a vial of his own blood as paint. He had just gotten up when a phone with a green paint flake began to ring next to the Circle of Vengeance...
The phone that Sir Iceman picked up was an old military model, analog, wired to the Devil King's phone. An archaic means of communication - undoubtedly- but perfectly functional and, like anything that did not use any form of electronics, it was particularly resistant to magical disturbances.
"Yes, my king... I understand... yes... I will ask them."
Lowering the telephone handset, the British knight turned to the two divine sisters. They watched passionately the clash between the Servant and the golem army.
"King Alexander would like to know who this servant is."
Without looking up from the crystal ball, Ishtar replied with one name.
"Jeanne d'Arc."
Iceman frowned, hardly concealing the shock of this revelation. Like many Englishmen, he was firmly convinced that France was a rebel province of the British Empire (3). And for him, Jeanne d'Arc was a witch who dared to delay the manifest destiny of his country.
"I see."
The 'witch' Jeanne d'Arc had been fighting for a long time and was beginning to be exhausted. Even a Top Servant did not have infinite energy.
Fighting in a labyrinth that was constantly changing and where every room was defended by traps was far from easy.
Protecting Guinevere was increasingly difficult because the Divine Ancestor was also weakening. The two Magi who had been trapped with them had had even less luck. One of them had been killed by a trap while the other had been pierced by the sword of a golem.
The little girl dressed in the rags of a once splendid dress took Jeanne by the hand. She drew her into the room they had just left. Although surprised, Ruler accepted willingly.
"'We won't go much further thereby," explained the Queen of the Divine Ancestor. "King Alexander probably has a team of Occultists who reawaken the traps behind us. And the Devil King will keep us going in circles until we're completely exhausted. That won't take very long. "
Guinevere had spoken these last words in a worried tone.
Indeed, Jeanne leaned on her banner, breathless, and her forehead covered with sweat. Her armor was dented and bloody cuts tore the saint's arms and legs
"I'm going to summon the San Greal. This is our last chance."The Witch of Brittany had made that statement with perfect seriousness. Since she looked like a 12-year-old girl, this expression was both confusing and very cute.
Though not understanding what the Witch Queen wanted to do, Ruler smiled at her.
"Queen Guinevere, I will protect you no matter what."
Jeanne's determination was transmitted to the Queen Witch. Involuntarily, this one smiled.
Yes, her plan had to succeed!
Normally, the energy contained in the Holy Grail could only be channeled to Excalibur and the King Who Manifest at the World's End. But as the Handmaiden of King Arthur and the Guardian of the San Greal, Guinevere could tap into that energy... Of course, the Witch Queen saw this as a last resort. But did she have another option, given the situation?
Of course, Guinevere was unaware that King Alec was spying on any of her actions. In fact, the Nobleman of God Speed could have sent a group of animated armor to attack them. But why would he? Guinevere was following exactly the script the Devil King had written for her.
Alexander Gascoigne leaned forward to see better what was happening inside the crystal ball placed in front of his throne.
The Grail was finally at hand...
Guinevere took the medallion that was hanging from her neck and concentrated.
The labyrinth was protected by an artifact that prevented teleportation. Nevertheless, the link between Guinevere and the Grail was very strong. She was the Handmaiden of the King of the End. She was the Guardian of the San Greal. The medallion she held between her fingers symbolized this function.
There was a reaction...
A fuzzy form appeared, radiating a white and very pure energy.
Slowly, the Grail solidified.
A cup was in front of Jeanne and Guinevere.
It was a very beautiful golden cup of elegant proportions. But only a giant could have taken this chalice in his hands. It was the size of a large urn rather than a drinking cup.
The cup was filled. It was not a liquid, but rather magic energy in a white and shimmering form.
This cup was born from the sacrifice of the Mother Earth Goddess Gwenhwyfar. Since then, several other Mother Earth Goddess has been sacrificed... rarely voluntarily. Their energies had been absorbed by the Grail making it ever more powerful. It was an instrument intended for King Arthur, a source of energy that he could drink to make it invincible and prevent the re-edition of the Camlann tragedy.
The magical energy stored was considerable, the equivalent of the reserves of several tens of Campione! The Witch Queen and all the previous incarnations of the goddess Gwenhwyfar had worked for centuries to gather so much power.
Guinevere could use this energy in several ways.
First, she could bring back to life one of the Mother Earth Goddesses killed by the Grail in the form of a Divine Ancestor. She could also channel this power to amplify her own magic.
However, the Witch King of Brittany had developed great confidence in her new ally since they entered the maze. And Guinevere chooses to give Ruler some of the energy at her disposal
Obeying a gesture of her hand, the Grail rose to place itself above Ruler.
"Jeanne d'Arc, I, Queen Guinevere gives you the blessing of the Holy Grail. May you use this power to exercise justice and protect the innocents!"
The Grail leaned over and a luminous drop flowed from it to fall on Ruler. There was an explosion of light and La Pucelle briefly transformed into a silhouette as if sculpted in glittering light.
When the dazzling glow returned to a more bearable level, Jeanne was kneeling in prayer. She was still surrounded by a milky aura. Her armor was somewhat different. The design had not been changed, but the metal now had a silver look and was more ornate. Normally dark grey, Jeanne's clothes were now white. Her braid was untied and her hair covered her back down to her hips, like a cape of golden threads.
On the surface, Ishtar and Ereshkigal had observed the transformation with a mixture of admiration, uneasiness, and anxiety.
They knew Jeanne d'Arc for having met another version of her in Chaldea. She had been their 'Sempai' having joined the Fujimaru Servants just after the 'Orleans Singularity'. Both goddesses knew that she was a powerful Servant... but also a friendly one. In fact, Jeanne deserved her title of 'saint'. She was the kind of Servant who never spoke of anything but justice, innocent people they would have to protect and she wanted to save the world.
It was impossible to imagine her defending a bad cause. It was enough to see her devotion when defending Guinevere to be convinced.
Ruler seemed neither controlled nor brainwashed.
Then why was she fighting for Sefar?
Ishtar turned to the knight.
"Sir Iceman, try to convince King Alexander to lower the anti-teleportation field for a few moments."
Of course, the Mistress of Heaven could try to use Maanna and force her way into the maze, the Boat of Heaven was a Divine Construct and a mere Bounded Field certainly could not prevent the functioning of a divine artifact... but it was a risk.
The maze was located far below the surface. Even a small miscalculation could cause the Boat of Heaven to materialize in the rock.
In a crash, the front door of the throne room flew off.
It didn't really surprise the man sitting on the throne at the other end of the room. Alexander Gascoigne stood up and returned the crystal ball to an Occultist... he no longer needed it.
Descending from the pedestals in front of each column, dozens of golems resembling knight's armor converged towards the door but...
A disc of light passed the broken door before describing a vast arc of circle among the animated armor, striking them and throwing them to the ground. The "disk" then returned to the hand of the woman in armor who had jumped into the throne room... in fact, the disk was Ruler's standard. She had just drawn her sword and struck the golem that wanted to attack her, cutting them in half in an impressive demonstration of martial prowess. Tucking up her blade, Jeanne d'Arc took her banner with both hands, making it twirl. The flag was surrounded by a white light that seemed to fall in flakes on the ground.
Ruler raised Luminosité Éternelle to the ceiling and the light that surrounded the standard became a dazzling pillar before returning to the ground in the form of a rain of Light Arrows.
The result was a slaughter. Some golems were blasted to shred; others were cut in half while craters were forming in the ground, and the columns collapsed in the middle of an avalanche of rocks detached from the vault.
Many Servants would have been happy to have such a powerful Noble Phantasm yet... Ruler had not uttered a single word! So it wasn't her Noble Phantasm...
As the Occultists retreated around the throne, terrorized by Ruler's demonstration, the Prince of Black Lightning smiled as Jeanne walked toward him.
All the parts of the labyrinth were trapped. The throne room was no exception... quite the contrary. King Alec eagerly awaited his guests and prepared a reception to live up to his expectations. He always took care of his guests. Always.
When Jeanne d'Arc went beyond a certain point of the room, one of the Authorities of the Godslayer became active. Weird Greed was a power that Alec had usurped by defeating the demon Behemoth. He could use it to attack an opponent 20 or 30 meters away... but it was a slow attack, relatively easy to dodge. The Devil King most often used it as a trap linked to a point of passage in its labyrinth.
Never having faced Alexander Gascoigne, Ruler was taken by surprise when a Black Gap formed right next to her. Unable to resist the suction, she was lifted from the ground and swallowed by the Campione's trap.
Queen Guinevere had attended the whole fight.
Ruler had fought with talent and had proved to be highly praiseworthy... but it wasn't a duel and... Alec Gascoigne was simply too cunning, too careful, planning every step time ahead of the fight to trap his opponents.
Furious, the King of the End's Handmaiden entered the throne room and raised her hand, drawing on the Grail enough energy to create a spell powerful enough to kill a Heretic God in one shot.
A purple spear of fire came out of her fingers, flying straight at Alexander Gascoigne.
But before the attack touched him, the Campione turned into a bolt of black lightning. Dodging the attack, he reappeared on the other side of his throne.
He smiled and bowed with mocking gallantry.
"Queen Guinevere, thank you for joining us at the ball. I have long awaited you... waiting for the hour of my vengeance."
"Vengeance? But you started this war!"
"You killed my father! You killed my agents, my collaborators, my friends!"
"They were trying to steal the Grail! And I, Guinevere, am the Grail Guardian. It's my duty! Do you really believe some usurper like you deserve this sacred cup?! The Grail owner is the King of the End, not son petty Campione!"
The Witch of Brittany raised her hand, creating several purple fire lances which she projected towards Alec. Like the first time, the Godslayer turned into black lightning, changing places several times. At the speed of light, it was not difficult to dodge any attack.
At that moment he raised his hand and began an incantation.
"Hear me, daughters of the endless night, daughters of the earth and shadow. Fighting evil with evil, repaying crime with crime, shedding blood for blood, knocking out a tooth for a tooth, thus vengeance begins. By the blood of the slain mother, tragic death denies all future attempts at filial piety! Megaera the demon, Tisiphone the avenger, Alecto the relentless, retrieve the curse and execute vengeance!"
Three creatures appeared beside Black Prince Alec, the Judging Furies.
Although terrified of their appearance, Guinevere drew even more power from the golden chalice that floated behind her to strengthen her magic and prepare an even more powerful spell, sharp winds, which split the floor of the throne room with the facility of a guillotine in action.
But her wind cutter suddenly turned around before even touching Alexander Gascoigne... It was one of the powers of the Erinyes. When they were near Alec, the Deities of Vengeance could return to the sender all attacks directed against the Campione.
The Queen of Brittany had the reflex to create several magical shields resembling translucent pentacles adorned with luminous runes. These formidable defenses blocked most of... her own attacks.
But Guinevere collapsed to the ground, injured and too exhausted to stand.
While the Divine Ancestor wept with rage, pain, and shame at having failed in her mission, Alexander Gascoigne had a smirk on his face.
"Checkmate!"
(1) There is a contradiction in Campione's canon about the age of Alexander Gascoigne. This Godslayer is first mentioned as the 'Wise King of Britain' in volume 1 of the LN. In Volume 2, it is said that he is a Campione since the 12th century. However, from volume 4 onwards, Alexander Gascoigne is considered to be considerably younger (only 28 years in 2014) and appears with a different nickname (Black Prince Alec) and a very different behavior (not a wise king, a thief). The author probably changed his mind along the way... without correcting what he had already written.
(2) In the real world, this building was transformed into an artillery museum (closed in 2016).
(3) The title "King of France" disappears from the official title of the kings of England just after the formation of the United Kingdom in... 1801.