Alright, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Also… it's here that I'll begin to introduce Arturia Pendragon. I want to clarify this right up front. I am bringing in parts of the Nasuverse. This story is not becoming a Naruto/Harry Potter/Nasuverse crossover. There will be elements of the Nasuverse present but it will not dominate the universe I have already created. Thing like Magecraft and True Magic will become concepts of a particular group of magicals namely the magus. It'll be just like Magic is to magicals, and Ninjutsu is to Shinobi.
I will add things I want, change things to fit my setting, and simply remove or ignore concepts that I can explain away. The Mage's association for example will exist and be similar to it's canon counterpart but in my universe they are a much less powerful, and more secretive organization. In my universe the ICW is the established world magical organization. The Mage's association will be a secret society that keeps itself hidden from muggles, and the ICW. The ICW knows about Magecraft, but they cannot access it because the mage's keep the secrets to it, locked away. And they keep themselves hidden from the world.
This story follows the harry potter time-line, which means by comparison in the nasuverse, the fourth Grail war, ended during Riley's third year. The reason why she didn't feel it, was because she wasn't an archdemon yet, and wasn't in-tune with the evil of the world. Though after she ascended to that level, she felt the leftover darkness from the grail war, that had spread out over the earth, and it was one of the main reason why she's gone on so many hunts. Riley doesn't know about the Grail wars, but she had felt the fourths aftereffects.
Also… I will not incorporate the Nasuverse's concept of demons into my story. I have already established what a demon is, so that wont be fucked with. I don't know if that will majorly fuck with any characters in the nasuverse, or if it can be explained with a few changes, but I simply cannot introduce the naruverse 'demon' without altering what a demon already is in my universe.
Now… allow me to reiterate this because I'm quickly learning how awesome the Fate series is, and with awesomeness comes fans who are the equivalent to Grammar Nazis. The Nasuverse is entering my universe. But I'm not going to add in everything, or I'm going to change things that would break my universe. The universe I have built comes first. Nasuverse comes second. Things from it will be added as long as they make sense and don't break my story. If they do, then I wont add them, or change them If I need to. The reason I do this and not just make them two separate universes is because Arturia Pendragon's back story is just so well done, and would fit so well in my universe that I just have to add it.
Okay… so everyone on the same page? We all get that I am not a huge Fate fanboy, I'm still learning about it. I think it's awesome and really cool, but my universe comes first. With that being said, if anyone wants to point out things in the nasuverse that would fit with what's occurring in my story, go ahead, but do not flame me just because the nasuverse isn't being fully represented in this story. Now… with all that being said, I am adding the Grail war into my story. It wont happen for a while, since this is just two years after the fourth war, so please don't ask me about it.
I would like to thank SchwaigerLuke for all his (or her, I assume since Luke is in the name that you're a guy, but I've been wrong before.) help in researching and understanding a bit of the narsverse. He helped me come up with Arturia's introduction and deserves a lot of credit, so thanks to him.
Now… the bodyguard poll is still open, so keep voting, and the top picks as in plural will be added. Alucard can't guard all of Riley's mates at once, so he'll need some help. So keep voting. I'll probably settle with the top three, but then again who knows. I'll give my reasoning and why later, but keep voting. Just because it ain't number one, doesn't mean it wont be picked.
Side note: If you read how my chapter fifty originally was, please go back and reread it, I changed a lot after I took it down and re-uploaded.
Warnings: Language, violence, minor sexual references.
Broken Angel
Chapter 51: Return of the King!
Riley just stared at the Shinigami for several long moments. She wasn't afraid of it by any stretch of the imagination, but she was however, curious as to what it was doing here in her mindscape.
"What do you want, Shinigami?" Riley inquired.
"The Piece of my soul that you possess. I need it back. So I came to offer a trade." The Shinigami replied, it's face remained an impassive mask of indifference, and it's mouth never moved, even as it's deep, melodic voice filled the air. It possessed the kind of voice that was both tragically beautiful and heart-breakingly depressing.
"You want the piece of your soul back? Why should I? You knew what you were fucking with when you tried to take my soul. Contract or not, you attacked me first." Riley replied as she eyed the Reaper intently. She knew this thing couldn't truly harm her, as a Reaper, it was only so powerful.
Reapers, you see, are the physical embodiments of death itself. Reapers are ferrymen, guiding the souls of the dead to their proper resting place, and reaping said souls, to allow their energy to pass into death, where it is then passed into creation, and life start's anew. According to Kurama, every human born, had the same strength of soul, and it takes that same amount of power to make a soul for each person. Souls are basically vessels to house power they gain throughout the person's life. That power, comes in the form of memories. Memories make the soul stronger, and when a person dies, their memories are guided to death by the Shinigami.
You see, a Reapers true purpose, isn't just to move the souls, but to calm them as well. That's why there are so many concepts of the afterlife. After you die, your consciousness is still tied to your soul, and the consciousness decides if it's soul is at rest. The Shinigami will usually escort a persons soul, to paradise or hell, in order to either make it be at peace, or to break down the consciousness. Either way, once the consciousness is at ease, the soul can pass into death, where it is stronger then it was when it was created, due to the memories it gained over time.
The Reapers, weren't warriors or soldiers, or even gods. They were servants of the Third oldest living force in the universe. Death. Fun fact… according to Kurama, the Shinigami, was unlike any other Reaper, he had heard about. The Shinigami, was big into pacts with mortals and summoning agreements, and stuff like that. Most Reapers were reclusive and rarely if ever, interacted with their governed race.
"I understand that our last meeting ended a bit roughly, but you must understand… I was merely fulfilling a contract. I am a creature of my word after all." The Shinigami stated again, in that sad hollow voice that sounded like something that would be at home in a graveyard.
"Alright, how about you give me one good reason to give it back." Riley stated as she eyed the reaper with contempt.
"I'll give you more than one reason. First and foremost, those amongst the living should not weild the powers of death, the Deathly Hallows are proof that the living will only misuse such power. The next reason, if you give me that piece back, I'll give you a new set of powers. Another reason, I'll give you a mighty weapon of immense power, with which to slay your enemies, and help you change Britain. And finally, if I don't get that piece back… I will fade away into nothingness, and you'll be forced to become the new reaper, and take over my job." The Shinigami informed her.
Riley looked interested at first but when he got to that last part, she instantly cringed and shook her head.
"Hell no am I giving up my life to take your job. Fuck that!" Riley hissed out with a disgusted look as she imagined herself as this old withered crone, wandering around reaping souls.
"I thought as much. So how 'bout it? Let's trade." The Shinigami stated to her.
"How do we know this isn't some sort of trick?" Kurama asked as he eyed the reaper intently.
"I swear on my unlife and magic, that this trade will not harm Riley in the slightest, and I have no intention of using this trade to bring harm upon her person or those she loves. So mote it be." The Shinigami stated, and then there was a gray flash of light signifying that the oath had been made, and the Shinigami was telling the truth.
Kurama and Riley shared a look, finally Kurama nodded and gestured for her to go for it. Both of them knew that not even a god could swear something to magic and lie about it, so something like a Reaper would most definitely be bound by magical laws. Hell he even said unlife, which is a much closer description of the state of being, that reapers held. They were the opposite of alive, and yet not dead. If that made sense.
"Alright… you want this piece of yourself back, you can have it. Tell me about the powers and weapon, first though." Riley stated.
"Human's know of a school of magic called soul magic. It's basically the ability to utilize your own soul, and the souls of others in combat. (Think Dark souls magic) This magic can be used to spiritually harm immortals. For normal humans, these magics take an enormous toll on the body. I'll leave a tiny fragment of my essence, along with the basics of soul magic for you to learn. As an Archdemon, you'll be able to utilize it without any drawbacks. As for the weapon… well… that'll be a surprise. But I will tell you that it's a legendary thing, and you'll recognize it immediately upon hearing it's name." The Shinigami informed her.
Riley looked thoughtful for a moment. She didn't really have many choices here. If the Shinigami was telling the truth then it would fade away, and Riley would have to become a reaper, and that would just fuck her whole life up. The only other choice she possibly had was just burning the piece of the Shinigami in hell fire, but that wouldn't stop the Shinigami from fading, and who knows what the world would be like without a reaper, and who knows how long it would take for death to make a new one.
So her options were… do nothing, and become the grim reaper. Burn the reapers soul away, and watch the world slip into some form of chaos, or take the Shinigami's deal, gain access to a powerful school of magic, and get her hands on a legendary weapon… eh, maybe something fun would come of this. She didn't trust the Reaper, but he had sworn and magic couldn't be lied too. It's why gods usually didn't swear such oaths as magic itself was one of the few things that could kill them.
"Very well Shinigami. You may have your soul piece back. Fulfill your end of the bargain, and may we never have the displeasure of running into each other again." Riley stated as she gestured towards his soul fragment.
The Shinigami quickly retrieved his soul fragment and repaired himself. He then turned to Riley and made this expression with his face, that could only be described as a smile. Suddenly a small gray light shot out of the Shinigami's chest and hit Riley in the head. She felt a bit of power and some information build in there. She now had a hazy understanding of how to manipulate the soul. She'd definitely have to begin training to grow these abilities, since soul magic was on the same level as Grey magic, Black Magic, and Holy Magic.
"In one month's time on the night of the full moon. Your new weapon shall appear to you. I do hope we never meet again." The Shinigami stated as he offered her a bow and then left.
Kurama and Riley sat quietly for a moment, both in deep contemplation when they heard chuckling coming from nearby. They both glanced over and spotted Madara giggling to himself off to the side, he had been there since that start, but strangely, had not said anything.
"What's so funny?" Riley inquired.
"Odds are good the Shinigami screws you and this 'legendary' weapon, is some sort of gardening utensil." Madara stated with a laugh as he imagined Riley fighting with a rake.
"Hm… a legendary gardening tool? The Hoe of Destruction." Kurama mused.
"Nah, nah… the Pitchfork of Annihilation." Madara offered, earning an amused chuckle from Kurama.
"What about the Weed-Eater of Devastation." Riley joined in.
"The Shovel of Eternal Silence." Madara offered.
"The Hose of Planetary Displacement." Kurama added earning nods from Riley and Madara.
"The Lawnmower of Castle Crushing." Riley threw out there.
"The Rake of Sodomy." Madara stated earning cringes from Riley and Kurama. "Yep… truly a fearsome weapon. The mere sight of it, causes men to waddle away in terror."
All three of them burst into laughter at that. It took a few moments before they calmed down, and then stood in silence for a few moments.
"This 'legendary' weapon is going to fuck me over, isn't it?" Riley asked. Both Kurama and Madara shared a look with one another, both sporting an amused grin.
"How do you think this will play out fox?" Madara inquired.
"Hm… well, she'll either be given a literal piece of crap by the Shinigami, and that's how she'll be fucked, or she'll be given something cool, but then it'll be somehow used against her in a sexual manner, like shoved up her ass for instance." Kurama replied with a chuckle.
"My money is on the latter. Ten to one, she get's a magic sword, and ends up impaling herself on it or something." Madara stated as he shot a teasing look at Riley.
"I'll take that bet. We'll get to see in a month. Either the weapon will literally screw her, or the Shinigami will metaphorically and literally screw her." Kurama stated, earning a smirk from Madara and a bored look from Riley whom then turned and left, leaving the two behind to make more stupid bets.
-Meanwhile; fifteen hundred years prior-
She had failed. Failed to claim the grail. Failed to fulfill her contract. Failed in it all. And now she was stuck… trapped in a moment in time, waiting to be summoned once more to hunt for the grail. She laid there on the blood soaked battlefield, amidst the bodies of so many of her men. The sight was utterly appalling, and yet all she could do was wait. Wait and think. Think about what? Everything… nothing… Why she had failed, and what she would do next time. Was this her punishment for being a king that could not understand her subjects? Did she truly deserve this? These were the thoughts that plagued her mind as she laid there. Trapped in a single moment. Unable to die, unless she gave up. Unable to leave, until it was time, once again to hunt for the grail.
Arturia Pendragon, was her name, hailed as King Arthur. The King of Knights. But at the moment… she was none of that. She wasn't a king, or a knight. She wasn't a hero, or even a woman. She was just a person trapped in a moment. Awaiting the time where she could become those things again and begin her hunt.
As she lay there, she couldn't help but once again contemplate the bodies all around her. So many had died, and for what reason? Her country was in ruins, nothing good had truly survived the infighting, and it had all been her fault. She should have never become king. Someone, anyone else would have done a better job. At the very least, they wouldn't have led the country to ruin. Not like she had. At the very least… someone else would have understood the people of her kingdom.
"Such doubtful thoughts." Came a sorrowful voice. Arturia shot up into a sitting position, much to her surprise. She glanced to her right and spotted a figure, floating there above the bodies. This figure was draped in long white robes. It's skin was a deep purple color. It had two red horns coming from the side's of it's head, and it's face was frozen in this gaping smile, it's mouth filled with twisted teeth, and between it's teeth, it held a knife.
It took a moment for Arturia to realize that she was now sitting up. She had actually moved, which shouldn't have been possible. She glanced down and found her body lying there, still staring off across the battlefield. Glancing at her hands, she realized that her body was now transparent.
"I needed to speak with you. But you were so close to death that it wouldn't have been wise to do it in real time. So we shall speak within a moment." The being stated to her. It's lips didn't move when it spoke, and it's voice was probably the most depressing thing, Arturia had ever heard. It was a voice filled with sorrow and remorse.
"Who are you?" Was her immediate question.
"I am merely a reaper. You may call me, Shinigami." The creature responded.
"A reaper? An agent of death. Why do you wish to speak to me?" Arturia inquired.
The Shinigami looked out over the battlefield for a single moment. To Arturia, it looked like the creature was staring mournfully at all the dead.
Finally it answered her question.
"I know of your dream. What you truly wish for the world. While selfish… if does hold a certain… nobility to it, from a certain point of view." The Shinigami stated.
Arturia just stared at the Shinigami, her gaze uncertain and curious. She had no clue what this being could want. The only possible scenario she could think of, was that it was here to taunt her, since she was literally on death's door step.
"I know of your dream… and I wish to tell you, that it cannot be obtained." The Shinigami stated. Arturia now believed that she had been right, that the reaper was only there to taunt her.
"Your dream cannot be obtained through the manner you are pursuing." The Reaper continued. This drew Arturia's attention. What did it mean by that?
"The grail you seek is tainted. It will never grant such a desire, it can only be used for evil in it's current state." The Shinigami explained. Arturia's eyes widened at that. She didn't believe him. She couldn't. If this thing was telling the truth… then even if she got the grail… she could never achieve her goal. She sent a hard look at the reaper, it was a look that would cause lesser men to spill their deepest secrets, but the Shinigami was no mere man. It stared back at her, it's eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry for your loss. But… you're dream will never come true." The Shinigami stated in a sorrowful tone.
"You came here… and pulled me from my body, just to tell me that? I don't believe you." Arturia responded as she glared hatefully at the creature.
"I swear that all that I have told you, is the truth. I swear it on my unlife and magic. So mote it be." The Shinigami stated, and once again there was a gray flash of magic.
Arturia didn't fully understand what he had just done, but she knew enough. This being had sworn an oath on magic itself, she understood the gravity of such an oath. Her hands balled into fists, as she realized the creature was probably telling the truth.
So that there was no denying it, the Death god showed her just what happened after she died once she destroyed the grail. He used an illusion to show her what had happened.
Arturia was surprised to find herself watching herself being forced to destroy the grail. She saw herself vanish in a burst of light, and then everything settled and was quiet for a moment. She focused her attention on her old master… Kiritsugu. The man whom had betrayed her. She watched him stare at where the grail had been, and then she watched him look up at the sky. She did the same and was shocked by what she saw. There was a hole in the sky, and from it spewed forth molten burning sludge. It poured down like a waterfall and blanketed the whole area. Many people were killed in the devastation and fire quickly consumed all in sight. She watched as her old master struggled in vain, to fix what had just been broken, she watched as he fell to his knees and wept. She kept watching as the burning sludge turned the surrounding area into an inferno. The only person her old master ended up saving was a small boy.
"That, was what resulted from destroying the Grail's physical form. That is what resides at it's heart. Burning mud. The Grail is corrupt. It cannot grant your wish." The Shinigami stated to her.
Arturia was silent for many moments. Was this the reason for his betrayal? Did he know that the grail was corrupt? Eventually the scene faded, and they were back in Camlann.
"Why did you come here? Why did you tell me all of this? Why show me that?" Arturia asked, as she grit her teeth in anger. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her old master must have known. It was the only reason that made sense for his sudden desire to destroy the Grail. He must have learned of it's evil, and knew it had to be destroyed. She knew, deep down, that she was probably right.
"The Grail wont grant your wish. I showed you that so that you'd know I was telling the truth. Now that you know the truth you have two choices. Break your contract with Alaya, and die. Or… I can offer you a way to fulfill your dream." The Shinigami stated, though when he said Alaya, he sounded almost… disgusted.
"You can grant my wish? What game are you playing at, Reaper? You come here, telling me that the Grail can't be used to grant my wish, but you can? That is immensely suspicious." Arturia stated in a tone that showed that she held absolutely no trust for the Shinigami. Something about this thing, just bothered her. And the fact that she had heard this scam used by street peddlers, and merchants, also didn't help matters.
"I understand how this sounds… and I am not the one who can grant your wish. I am merely a reaper. An ageless, timeless, being with nothing to do but play games." The Shinigami replied.
"Games? What are you talking about?" Arturia questioned.
"I don't have the power to send you back in time. But I know of a being that will be able too, one day. If you are willing to play my game… then I can help you… if not… well..." The Shinigami drifted off as it once more gazed across the battlefield and all the corpses.
"Tell me what this game is. And who can help me? Then I will decide whether to entertain your proposal." Arturia stated to the beast. She wasn't going to agree to anything, until she knew more, especially when the offer was coming from a reaper.
"It's been a year and a half since you destroyed the grail. There is a being in that time that came into it's power not long after you destroyed the grail's physical form. This being is still young, but in the coming years, it will gain enough power, that it will be able to bend and twist the fabric of reality and nature to it's whim. A god, if you were. This god will be able to help you. As for my game… well it's a simple puzzle game. All you have to do, is fulfill a certain condition, and then you can ask this god to fulfill your wish." The Shinigami explained.
"A God? What is a god doing on earth? And what is this condition you speak of? And why wouldn't I ask the god to just tell me what service I must perform in order to earn such a gift?" Arturia questioned in reply.
"This god is young. It was born on the Earth not that long ago. You're actually older then it. As to the why you couldn't ask for this gift up front… the answer is simple. I wont let you. You see… all I have to amuse myself is my games, and watching little heroes perform tasks, to earn their rewards is so overplayed and dull. I want to watch you struggle. I want you to do everything in the world there is to do, in order to fulfill this task, I want to see just how far you'll go for your wish. See how closely you'll scrutinize every little thing you do. And as for the task itself… that's a secret." The Shinigami responded, and finished with a chuckle that carried with it no mirth.
"So your game, is that I am to run around, performing any and every task just to hopefully, eventually stumble upon the one thing I need to do. That is an impossible feat. You leave such a task open to being anything." Arturia countered, her eyes were still as hard and as cold as ice. If the Shinigami had been human, he'd be withering under her glare.
"Well… you are partially correct. I will give you a hint as to what the task is. And also… you will not have to do any running around. If you agree to this, then I will send you to this god. It will become your master, and you it's servant, in much the same way as you served Kiritsugu Emiya. However… there will be a few differences if you agree. First and foremost, there will be no command seals. You will be bound to this god as a servant, and hold a similar type of bond as you shared with your last master. You will be bound to this god, and will grow more powerful as it does. And you will not be sent there as Saber. You will be sent as Arturia Pendragon, The King of Knights, King Arthur." The Shinigami explained to her.
Arturia was watching him intently, and listening to his words closely. She quickly asked more questions, as this scenario began to take shape in her mind.
"What is this hint?" She asked.
"The hint is this. You will only complete your task, by standing by your future master's side. It could be something major, or minor, but in the end… you will complete it… and I doubt you'll even realize when you do." The Shinigami informed her.
"So… as long as I remain by this god's side and serve it, I will eventually complete the task. It could be in a few months, or several centuries?" Arturia began to surmise, earning a nod from the Reaper.
"The Completion of this task, will occur… I need only stand by this god's side. But I may not even notice that I have done it..." Arturia reiterated as she thought deeply about those two hints. Perhaps she was to save her master's life, or help it do something… it could be something major, like saving a city, or minor like cooking food. She didn't understand though how it could be major, and yet she wouldn't realize she had done it.
"How can something be so drastic that it could allow me to gain access to a wish to alter the past, but so subtle that I could miss it?" She inquired.
"I said you may not realize that you have completed the task that you set out to do. I didn't say you wouldn't realize you had done it." The reaper responded.
Once again, Arturia's mind went to work. She now began to understand it a bit more… perhaps the task was to save this god's life, something she would do on instinct alone, as a servant. The task was most likely something like that. Something she would just do, without putting much thought into why she did it.
"So if I agree to this deal. You will send me to this God's side. I will serve it and eventually I will complete a task. Once that task is completed I can set about asking this god to grant my wish?" Arturia surmised.
"You will fight for this god. You will defend it with all your strength. One day you will complete the task I have set for you, but until that time, you will not be able to voice your wish. You will not be able to hint at it, or allude to it in anyway. Once you complete my task… you will be able to ask this god to fulfill your wish… and at that point… you wont have to do anything more to convince it to grant your wish. Once you fulfill my task, I can guarantee that this god will grant your wish." The Shinigami informed her.
"So if I understand this right… as long as I protect this young god… and stay by it's side… one day… I will be able to have my wish granted. With what you've told me… I will absolutely have my wish granted, so long as I fulfill the aforementioned criteria. And you are positive that once I complete your task, this god will grant my wish?" Arturia questioned. She had fixed the Shinigami with a deep and focused stare. If this being was telling the truth, then she had a relatively easy, yet possibly long winded, way of granting her wish.
"I can assure you that this god will grant your wish, once you have fulfilled my task. So, King of Knights… are you willing to take the plunge? If you do this, you will be ending your contract with Alaya, and thus will not end up as a Counter-Guardian by default. I will stop you from dying here, and send you to this god's side. When you die… your future will be unknown. So… will you take a leap of faith?" The Shinigami inquired, once again sounding disgusted when it spoke of Alaya and the Counter-Guardians.
It wasn't that hard for Arturia to surmise why a reaper would despise Alaya and the Counter-Guardians. Reaper's ferried lost souls to the afterlife. The Counter-Guardians lay beyond the realm of time and space. Beyond the boundaries of the living world. Those that served Alaya, were taken from the world after some sort of pact or deal, which subsequently denied them to the Shinigami. Now Alaya used them to stop Human extinction, something that a Reaper probably wouldn't mind.
Arturia, was also able to quickly surmise, that the Reaper wanted her soul as well, and that's why he was offering her this path to take. If she wasn't going for the grail then her contract with Alaya would be ended and she would die. The Shinigami had said he would save her and send her to this God's side which she was hesitant to believe, but then again, being a reaper, if she lived for a thousand years or died right now, she would still eventually die. And without her contract, the Reaper would get her soul.
Her soul and future resting place, were both things she'd lay on the line for her goals. She thought back to the grail momentarily, there was still the chance that the Reaper was lying and she could still participate in the next Grail war. But… the more she thought about it, and the vision she had been show, the more it made sense in her mind.
The grail was corrupt. It couldn't help her. So she really only did have three choices. Stay in a contract with Alaya and keep going after the grail, even though it was corrupt and unable to help her. Break her contract with Alaya and die, leaving this world behind. Or option three, take a leap of faith on the Shinigami's game. Play servant to a god, for who knows how long. It could be centuries before she completes the task she had been assigned, but she knew deep down that it was the only chance she had at getting her wish. Of being able to save Britannia.
She took one final look around the battlefield. She made sure to take in all of the dead bodies. All she could do was grimace. Finally with a shake of her head, she turned to the Shinigami. Even if the damn thing was lying, the worse that could happen, was that she would die. Which was the only other viable option now, anyway.
"Shinigami. I accept you proposal. I Arturia Pendragon shall serve this god faithfully and dutifully. I will play your game, and I will succeed with all haste. I know you intend to watch me stumble through this for your own amusement, but I do not care. My goal. My wish, is worth the price of my time and life. As of this moment… I no longer seek the Holy Grail." Arturia stated, and just like that, the sounds of the world came rushing to her and she felt pain echo through her body.
She found herself back in her dying body, back to where she had been trapped earlier. Though now… time was moving again. Her contract was broken. She was mere moments away from death. She felt a darkness overtake her, and she would not awaken from it for another fifteen hundred years.
The Shinigami hovered over her. Using his magic to preserve and heal her dying body. He would keep her alive, but asleep until the appointed day. Being a reaper, meant he could travel to any time, however, he couldn't take mortals with him. And he couldn't go into the future, beyond the end point of time. Meaning he couldn't go past the furthest point in time, which was where he intended to bring Arturia.
He wondered momentarily just how amusing it would be when 'they' came for the Archdemon. After all, Demons were the greatest threat to Humanities survival, and Riley… just so happened to be amongst their highest ranks…. And she despised a great deal of humanity. He glanced down once again at Arturia, he stared at her for a moment before letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Defend your new master well, King of Knights. For her future will be filled with delicious death. And sooner or later, the threat she poses to humanity… can no longer be ignored."
-Fifteen hundred years later-
It had been nearly twenty days since Riley had made the deal with the Shinigami. She was busy learning to use soul magic, which was a pain in the ass to learn how to use. It was a rare and mighty school of magic, and thus there were few texts or scrolls to show how it was done. Voldemort and Grindelwald knew a bit, but most of what they knew was about the parts of soul magic that bled over into the Dark arts, like the killing curse was a bit of soul magic, since it was basically dislodging a person's soul from their body.
A lot had happened in the few weeks since then. By now, all of the captives she had brought from Konoha, had made their decisions. Most noteworthy, were that the Nara decided to join, along with the Akimichi and Yamanaka heirs, but they did so only under the condition that their families be spared, and allowed to join as well. Riley had no problem with that, but she made sure to tell the two heirs, that their families had both helped and hurt her when she was younger, which was why she didn't bring them originally. She would leave their fates to their heirs. So, basically… it would be up to Ino and Choji to get their clans to join. If they could do it, then Riley would welcome them. If not… well… Riley had made it clear… anyone still in the Leaf when she returns would be slaughtered.
Konohamaru ended up joining, mostly because of Naruko. According to the boy, he had already started to hear Hiruzen's whispers in his dreams. Asuma was a different story. He had spent a lot of long hours talking with Kakashi and Itachi, both men that he respected. They talked about Konoha, and how it wasn't truly the place they had all once believed it was. In the end… Asuma asked, to be let go. He just couldn't decide what he wanted to do, so he asked to be freed. Soon after, he said his goodbye's to Konohamaru, and left him in the hands of his friends in the Nara. He swore he'd return one day soon, but he needed to clear his head, do some soul searching. He had a tearful goodbye with his old team, and he told them to keep trying to rescue their families. If Ralael was giving them the chance to spare them from her wrath, then they should do everything it takes to save them. He had told Konohamaru something similar, while also emancipating the boy, and leaving him in charge of the Sarutobi clan. He could do both, since he was currently the clan leader, and Konohamaru's guardian.
He had been given money and some knowledge of the laws of the land. Soon after… he departed. Another who joined was one of the academy instructors, Iruka Umino. He was appalled by the village's treatment of Naruko, and simply asked that Ralael spare as many of the Leaf children as she could. Riley replied that she wouldn't actively target them. Which was all Iruka could ask for. In fact… Riley had a good idea for him as well… she suggested that maybe in a few years, he could take over teaching chakra skills to the kids at Hogwarts.
Another two noteworthy whom actually decided to retire from being ninja and go exploring were Izumo and Kotetsu, the eternal gate guards of Konoha. They decided the ninja game was getting too intense and that it was wise to get out of it, while they still had their heads. Both men were offered a place to stay in the castle, until they found what they wanted to do, which they readily agreed too.
Meanwhile, the Ichiraku's had set up shop in Diagon alley. They were told to inform everyone that they were squibs, so as not to draw suspicion. In reality, most people in the Elemental nations could be considered squibs. Magic was just so concentrated there. It's why most people in the elemental nations could become ninja, if they tried hard enough. Lee was a perfect example of a squib whom instead learned and mastered Taijutsu.
So the Ichiraku's set up a ramen stand in Diagon Alley. The foreign food, was drawing many curious customers, whom sat down to enjoy some tasty Ramen. Riley, Naruko, and Kushina were customers that found themselves there all the time. Riley had actually forgotten how much she enjoyed the taste of ramen, since she hadn't any good ramen since she left the elemental nations, other then her mother's.
The biggest thing to occur however, was that Hinata turned out to be pregnant. This was met with awkward joy, from Hinata and Naruko, since the two didn't know whether to be really happy, or upset… so they were kinda a bit of both. While the two were awkward around each other, it was obvious that they had a bond, and it was growing. The two spent a lot of time together, and were often seen training out behind Riley's house.
Meanwhile, Hashirama continued to take care of the Silpelits, whom were all starting to realize that this wasn't a dream. In fact, many were starting to feel comfortable around Hashirama, while some even started calling him papa. Hashirama loved children, and he truly empathized with the girls, and one boy's, pain. There had of course been a few incidents, but this was where Hashirama's connection to Riley as a summon spirit, came in handy, he didn't need to sleep, thus he was never truly tired as long as he had magic, and thus he was always watching the children. There had been a few fights but Hashirama always broke them up. It seems that while their vectors absorbed straight magic, elemental magic, or most ninjutsu, they couldn't absorb. So he could restrain their vectors with his wood style, or in the case of some of the youngest members, he could disperse their vectors with just a pulse of his chakra. This was due to Hashirama's nature energy being able to suppress demonic Youki which the girls used in control of their vectors.
While all of this was going one, Lucy was still hanging out in Slytherin castle. She was rarely seen by anyone, but she had been leaving her room, mostly to explore the castle, but she was still leaving. About three days after she had been brought there, Riley approached her and asked if she would like to train with her. At first, Lucy was confused, but then Riley reminded her of her ability to absorb and redirect magic with her vectors. An ability the Lucy hadn't been aware of, and currently, couldn't control.
Needless to say, Lucy agreed. She knew that's how Riley had defeated her. She had simply used Lucy's inability to control this power she didn't even know she had, and had forced her to use it until she passed out.
Riley and Lucy trained a few hours every other day. Riley would send a few spells at her, and Lucy would redirect them, slowly but surely Lucy was learning to control her new power. And even if she wasn't… her vectors were getting stronger… she could feel it. Redirecting magic put an immense strain on her penal gland, and it was acting like a muscle to control her vectors. Due to the immense difficulty she had with her new ability, she was putting strain on herself, and her body was adapting to it. Like a muscle, first you needed to damage it, to then heal it stronger. In the handful of times they had trained together, Lucy's vector range had increased by a full inch. Which was reason enough for her to agree to train with Riley whenever she offered.
Lucy was still cold and didn't say much of anything to Riley, even when they did train, but Riley could tell… the Diclonius Queen was enjoying the sessions since, at the very least, she was growing more powerful from them.
Riley would occasionally bring Lucy's brother to see her. She usually just sat there and stared at the boy, while he just talked to her. But she no longer glared at him. Her face was mostly just impassive. Though she did show some emotion on their last meeting when, before he left, he hugged her, much to her surprise.
It was around day twenty that Naruko actually approached her. Riley hadn't been home much, since she was still at Hogwarts, and had things to do, so she hadn't interacted with Naruko much.
"Hey..." Naruko greeted her.
Riley had just stopped by to pick up Fleur, so she wasn't going to be there for very long, but she stopped anyway, to speak with Naruko.
"Yes?" Riley inquired after a moment of pause, she still didn't like dealing with her sister. It brought up too many terrible memories, so she made sure to deal with her quickly and leave.
"I… um… I needed to ask you about something. The other women I was with… were any of them pregnant?" Naruko inquired.
"Yes… four of them." Riley responded.
"Four? Oh… what… What are you going to do about them?" Naruko asked after a moment of silence.
"Minato has hidden the four. Where? I don't know. Loki is busy hunting them down. Depending how long it takes, I'll either kill them, and abort the children in the process. Or if they're too far along, I'll kidnap the women, and take the children from them, when they're born." Riley answered.
"Oh… okay. I just wanted to know. I've been wondering about it for a while. Thank you." Naruko said with a nod, and she quickly turned and left. Naruko was more then aware of the fact that Riley didn't like her. So she kept their conversation brief. She wanted to say something more... but she didn't know how. Her relationship with her sister was broken enough. If she said what she really felt, it might just fully separate the two. She didn't want Riley to kill those children, her children. But she kept her mouth shut, and just walked away.
Riley was quiet for a moment before turning to Fleur. "Ready to go my love?"
"Yes." Fleur replied as she took Riley's hand.
The next day, Riley paid a visit to her Hidden village, which was just now getting the final touches put on. By now, many of the shinobi whom had agreed to join were living in the massive fortress. The Aburame, and Nara, had their own private structures, and were given full castle layouts and mapping so they would know every in and out of their new homes. The fortress itself carried a similar design to castles in the English Isle's, except in the very center where the keep stood, which had a tall spire in the middle that stood out. This spire stretched four hundred feet into the air, about a hundred feet higher then the keep itself, and it overlooked the whole island. The tallest structure's in the rest of the castle were only about two hundred feet tall. All in all, the fortress was nearly twice as large as the Malbork Castle, that once housed the Teutonic Knights.
Around the castle, was a one hundred foot high wall, that towered over the small village outside of it. Along the wall were battlements like towers that were an additional thirty to fifty feet high. Around the village outside of the massive fortress was a smaller wall, that surrounded the edge of the island, with the only way in being a port located where the small external village sat. All in all, the island was simply magnificent, and would one day be recognized as the grandest hidden village in the world.
Right now though… It was mostly deserted. It was so big, and had so many buildings along with the large keep, that it felt simply deserted with only the couple hundred ninja, along with Voldemort's death eaters, that now used it as a base of operations. The Uchiha also moved into the castle and were given their own private building to call their compound.
Needless to say, Riley absolutely adored the place. She couldn't wait to live there. Just looking at the place, made her feel more powerful. Right now, the Goblins were busy infusing wards and runes into the castle defenses, and Riley was busy setting up a barrier just within the outer wards, that would serve as a secondary defense, and would trigger if the wards detected an intruder.
Once that was done, she helped Tom, and Itachi set up the command structure of the force. RAAM would serve as a general, since that was what he was created for. Skorge, would make an excellent field Lieutenant. And they asked Shikaku if he wouldn't mind becoming their strategist. He would no longer serve as a commander, but he would still participate in battles and war meetings and offer up his insight from the things he gathered. The Nara were top strategists, and while Riley knew putting him in a leadership position would just Break the lazy Nara's heart, keeping them in a strategist position was a given.
Shikaku agreed, since it would earn his family some weight in decision making, plus he wouldn't need to baby sit a new army, since he wasn't a commander, just a strategist. Many of Voldemort's Death Eaters became members of the Legion as well, while many were still Death Eaters, they knew that the time for such titles would end soon. Once Britain was theirs, they wouldn't need Voldemort or Death Eaters any more.
Instead of there being a council in the hidden village, there would just be the three commanders and their advisers. The clan heads would serve as advisers, and bring forth any matters that needed to be addressed within the village. Other then that, a person earned their position within the organization, through merit. The only other person who was put into a position of note, was Shibi, whom became the leader of their Hunter/Tracker division. All in all, everyone had a position. Itachi became the Black ops commander and would train up the legions elite special forces group, once they got enough members. Thomas would be in charge of training the warriors in magical combat, and tactics, while Riley would teach them in Shinobi combat and tactics. Madara also assisted on this part, and was taking immense pleasure, in rounding up large groups of warriors and training them into the dust.
By now, Kakashi, moved into the hidden village, where he too, joined the forces and worked closely with Itachi. Naruko and Hinata remained at Riley's house, and spent their time with Kushina. Naruko insisted that she learn to control the Rinnegan, and wait until her and Hinata's baby was born before she take an active roll in the legion. Besides, while Kushina understood the animosity between Naruko and Riley, she didn't let it stop her from befriending Naruko or Hinata, and she took a very active roll in helping to build up Hinata's confidence.
-A few Days Later-
It was the night before the start of the Yule holidays, when Riley shot up in bed, startling her mates awake. She had been asleep after having another uncontrollable sexual episode. Luckily, all her mates were together so they worked along with one another to satiate Riley's demonic lust. Naturally, once finished Riley fell into a restful sleep, which had suddenly been broken when her senses picked up a large magical signature, entering Britain.
"What is it?" Katie was the first one to ask.
Riley was silent as she felt it out with her power.
"Riley?" Daphne inquired.
"Almost two hundred… An invasion force. On the coast. Ninja… Magicals… and… two S-Rank… Akatsuki." Riley got out, as she shot out of bed. She quickly summoned her battle robes and armor, and sent a look back at her girls.
"A small army is entering into the country. They've just landed in one of the coastal towns. It's along the coast, near the English channel, east of London. Inform Dumbledore. I need to gather the Legion. It seems someone is ready for war." Riley ordered them, and then quickly vanished into Kamui.
She sent a mental message to Itachi and Voldemort, informing them of the invasion force. She quickly arrived at the village, and it was mere moments before people started to flood onto the scene.
When asked, what they would do if people recognized their abilities, the Shinobi were simply told that they should reply with, 'The angel took us and left us in Europe. The closest place to look for help, was Itachi, in England.' They found him, and he then recruited them. So what if they were called traitors? Konoha wouldn't exist much longer anyway.
Riley, Itachi, and Thomas had a gathered a force of about three hundred in front of them. About half were ninja, and half were magicals.
Riley quickly filled them all in on what was going on.
"There are Shinobi amongst them. I think it's Iwa, launching an attack. I wouldn't be surprised if they started to attack the city they landed in." Riley explained.
"There are also two S-Rank ninja with them. Iwa has been known to hire the Akatsuki in the past, and they're after the tailed beasts. I can only assume these two ninja are Akatsuki." Riley added after a moment.
"What of the others? You said they have magicals with them?" Shikaku inquired.
"Yes… many of them have minor dark aura's I'm guessing freelance dark wizards and witches, that were hired from the surrounding countries. There is one though, he has a powerful dark Aura… probably a minor dark lord." Riley responded earning many nods.
"We need to put these invaders to the sword. This is our first chance to prove what the Cysgodol Legion, can do. It's time for us to fight!" Tom stated to the gathered force, earning nods from them all.
"In preparation for active duty. We've prepared weapons and armor for you all. Sadly we didn't get a chance to train you in their use, but we can't wait. Iwa knows of the threat Riley poses, this force is here to cause as much chaos and bloodshed as it can. There's probably only a handful of ninja, but still, remain on guard." Itachi told the gathered group. They were all quickly taken to the armory, where they were outfitted with their new gear.
They were all given drakeskin leather, steel plated armor. The armor was similar to that of old style knights, but it was lighter and more maneuverable. The armor had been magically enchanted to be stronger, and much more durable then regular armor, and the drake skin leather that held it together, was immensely tough, and second only in defense, to Dragon leather.
The armor itself consisted of breast-plate, Back-plate, and grieves, with padded soles on the bottom of the feet for stealth. The armor was enchanted to not clank, so it allowed the wielder to move silently, and while offering protection, it did little to hinder movement. It was also all black. They didn't have helmets, as those restricted the senses, and instead were given enchanted black cloaks that they wore over their armor. Each cloak had a hood and they were also given long sleeve shirts like Kakashi wore, that also had attached face masks, that they could use to hide themselves. They were all, also given new headbands with the Kanji for shadow carved into the metal forehead protector. And on the backs of their cloaks, was the welsh word for magic. Hud.
"I know for some of you… this isn't something major. Many of you just joined the legion. But this is your home now. This is our home. These invaders intend to strike fear into our hearts… but we will not abide. We will confront this invasion force… and we will drive it, back into the sea." Riley told the army gathered before her.
"Let's show the world, that we are a force to be reckoned with." Itachi added.
"Let us show them, our power. Tonight… we shall unleash our wrath upon them. Let's go." Tom finished. And with that Riley began drawing them into Kamui,
She released the army, not far from where she felt the magical signature. It turns out they were just outside the city of Dover.
"Legionnaires! Forward!" Riley ordered, and with that, the force began to march.
-Meanwhile-
An Iwa Jonin led a small contingent of magical's through the streets of Dover. The goal, was to destroy as much, and kill as many as they could. Chaos was the end goal, and that is what they would bring this night. They needed to be quick, lest the wait to long and draw the attention of the Kage Killer, Riley Uchiwa.
He could see a small gathering of people at the end of the street. About ten civilians just gathered around. These would be their first targets. He and his men quickly advanced towards them.
A moment passed and he suddenly stopped his force when he felt the presence of killing intent hit him. He immediately scanned his surroundings. His eyes quickly fell onto the roof of a building directly in front of him. Standing atop it, were about a dozen warriors, draped in black cloaks.
Instantly the Jonin whipped a kunai into the air. Attacked to it, was an explosive note, that sounded the alarm, stating that it was time to attack. He quickly brought up a kunai to defend himself, as the leader of the dozen forces dashed forward at immense speed. Faster then the Jonin could follow, he was eye to eyes with his attacker. He quickly found himself unable to move, as he locked eyes with Itachi Uchiha.
Itachi grabbed the Iwa Jonin by the back of his head, and drove a kunai into his heart. As he did that, his opponent's allies were pummeled with a hail of Shuriken and spells.
As the Jonin and his men fell to the ground, Itachi heard explosions begin to echo through the town.
Elsewhere in the town, two men stood atop a building. Both draped in black cloaks, with red clouds.
"This, is music to my ears." One stated as he admired the explosions around him.
"Deidara… stay focused. The Kage killer is most likely leading this force of defenders." His partner stated.
"Right, Right… well, better go find her." Deidara stated as he made a clay bird and increased it's size. He then jumped on it's back and took off towards the fighting. Meanwhile, Sasori of the Red Sand let out a huff, and hopped down to the streets below. He made his way forward into the city, intent on joining in the battle.
Explosions echoed below him as Deidara soared over the battle below. He admired the blasts, that shook the city, and would have continued his admiration, if a poof of smoke hadn't drawn his attention.
Suddenly he spotted a large black Dragon racing up towards him and on it's back was Riley.
"This is gonna be fun." Deidara said with a smirk as he threw a few clay birds from his hands. The bird flew down into the city and exploded in some of the buildings. Deidara felt Riley's killing intent smash into him, he smiled widely in her direction and then dive-bombed towards the city below. Riley and Deimos were on his ass in a moment, and the chase was on.
-Meanwhile-
It was so sudden when it happened. First she lay dying on the battlefield of Camlann, and the next thing she knows she's staring out at the ocean. The sounds of explosions quickly filled her ears and she spun around. Behind her, a city was being consumed in fire. Explosions echoed across the night.
"What is this? Where am I?" Arturia Pendragon found herself asking.
"An enemy force has attacked your future master's homeland." Came the voice of the Shinigami.
The Reaper manifested next to her and stared at the burning city, with those sad, depressing eyes of its.
"Then I must go." Arturia stated as she started to advance only to realize she didn't have a weapon. However she was draped in her magic armor. She sent a look at the Shinigami, and found it staring at her, the sword, her sword, Excalibur, sticking out of the sand before him.
"Vivian sends her regards." The Reaper stated as he gestured for her to retrieve her sword. She did so, and quickly tested out her abilities, to see if she still had them. It turns out that she still possessed her Noble Phantasms which caused her to glance curiously at the Shinigami.
"You are much as you were during your time as a servant of the Grail wars. You may no longer be participating in the Grail war, but I still left you with those abilities, such as your Noble Phantasms. Being here, has formed a basic bond with your new master, but in order for it to be fully realized, you must fully form the contract, and swear an oath. You're master is in battle right now." The Shinigami, informed her, as he gestured towards the sky, to where a large white bird was being chased by a massive black dragon.
Arturia stared up at the Dragon, her eyes wide. It chased down the bird, breathing out black balls of fire, as it gave chase. On it's back was a figure… a figure she could literally 'feel' even over this great distance. She knew, that had to be her new master. The young god.
She saw the white bird begin to zigzag through the sky as bolts of lightning reined down from the heavens.
"I have kept you asleep for many years. Your body was ageless and timeless, as I kept you alive. The deal has been made, your master has accepted you as her weapon. That is her upon her mighty steed, Deimos. The Dark Dragon, birthed from the corrupted powers of the last great world war, and molded by the young goddess as a tool to hunt down evil." The Shinigami told her.
Arturia just continued to stare. At first she didn't know what to think of the dark and menacing dragon that she saw. But now… she began to consider that her future days of servitude may not be so bad, after all, a being who would take evil energy and use it to birth such a creature, for the soul purpose of hunting evil, couldn't be all bad. No… in fact the story of that dragon reminded her much of herself. A source of power, created solely to be king.
"Your master, and her army are the defenders of this country. They stand to protect it and all that it is." The Shinigami stated, drawing her attention to it. In her eyes was a question. And in response the Shinigami gestured to the city. "Welcome home."
Arturia's eyes widened at that. This was Britannia. Her country. Her home. She felt a fire ignite in her gut and she quickly began to advance towards the city.
"The Cysgodol Legion, stands at your side. Your master stands to your front. You are no longer a servant of the Grail wars. You are Arturia Pendragon. King of Knights. You are a legend in the eyes of those who live in Britain. In the eyes of those who fight on this very battlefield. Now… go forth, your grace… and let the legend come back to life." The Shinigami stated, and then vanished.
Arturia felt magic course through her body. She felt it power her, and echo through her. In a burst of mana, she dashed forward. She had all the reason she needed to fight now. This was her home, and her master was fighting to protect it. Her many misgivings about this deal, dwindled as she realized that her new master, this young god, was doing something that she herself once did.
In the skies above Dover, Riley gave chase after the speedy bomber. She threw bolts of magic, fire, and lightning at his back, and he through his clay bombs back towards her. As she fought, she paid no heed to the full moon, or the pulsing within her own body.
Deep within her mind, Kurama sat, before him, was Riley's soul, this massive reddish black mass, that was thick like a liquid. Attached to it were Fourteen chains. Four led to her mates in the distance. One led to Voldemort. And the last eight led to her familiars. There was a new chain however… one that had just appeared. Kurama had felt it, which was why he came to view Riley's soul. The chain was thin and frail, signifying a weak soul bond. But it was there. Riley had just been bound to something… but Kurama didn't know what. Whatever it was though… gave off a powerful aura…
Kurama was deep in thought when he realized what hovered above the night sky. Tonight was the night of the full moon. Which meant that the weapon the Shinigami had promised… was here. It made sense to the mighty demon, how the bond had been formed. It was the Shinigami's doing, but then, the question was… where the hell was the weapon?
In the streets of Dover, Arturia raced forward. People, innocent civilians were running away in terror. They raced away from the explosions and the bolts of magic that lit up the sky.
Arturia raced passed the panicked civilians. Out of sheer habit, she hid Excalibur with Invisible Air. And made her way to the fighting. Right as she reached the end of the street she was on, she spotted a person in a black cloak, slam into the ground. On the back of his cloak was a word she recognized, the welsh for 'magic'. He pulled himself to his feet, and she spotted a symbol she also recognized, the Japanese Kangi for shadow.
His opponent was a man in a brown vest, with red clothes beneath it. She recalled how the Shinigami stated that the 'Shadow Legion' would stand by her side. She made an inferred guess that the downed man was an ally.
"Are you one of the Cysgodol Legion?" She asked as she stepped up next to the downed warrior.
The person stared up at her, he had a broken leg from his impact, and was in a tremendous amount of pain. Still he managed a nod.
"Are you allied with the goddess in the sky?" She asked again, not taking her eyes of the approaching man in the red clothes.
"Yes." The man stated in a pained voice.
Arturia nodded, then prepared to fight.
"Who the hell are you?" The Iwa ninja asked as he took in her outfit. Though his eyes settled on her sword, or lack there of. To the mans knowledge, she was using wind chakra to make a blade. That instantly made her a threat.
He quickly drew his own ninjato and channeled earth chakra into it, making it heavier and tougher.
Arturia eyed his blade for a moment. She recognized the type of sword, as one wielded by those from the far east.
"Alright girl… you wanna fight… let's fight." The Iwa nin stated and then charged at her.
Arturia charged as well, and the two engaged in a battle of blades. The iwa jonin was surprised by Arturia's speed, as she delivered multiple blows against his own blade in quick succession. The two continued to engage for several moments, the Iwa Jonin was even more surprised to see peaces of his earth enhanced ninjato breaking off from the strength of her blows.
He saw her raise her sword for an overhead slash, and he quickly brought up his blade to block. Right before she struck, she released a burst of mana, infusing herself with power as she slashed down. Excalibur easily slid through the Iwa Jonin's blade as well as his body. Arturia saw the body split in two, and prepared to turn when she noticed that the Jonin's blood was brown. As she focused she noticed that it wasn't blood, instead it looked to be mud. The Iwa Jonin's whole body turned to mud as it was defeated.
"That's an interesting power you have there. You can strengthen your attacks with your chakra… interesting indeed." She heard the Iwa Jonin's voice. Suddenly a sound pieced the air, and Arturia immediately backpedaled while blocking the hail of shuriken that came flying at her.
"You can somehow avoid death by turning yourself into mud? Or perhaps..." She started to reason but the man on the ground explained it for her.
"It's a mud clone. He can create physical bodies that look real, but they're just mud. He's manipulating them with magic, that's been infused with a bit of his will." The man on the ground informed her. She had shown she could handle herself, but in a battle against a shinobi, every second mattered, and the man on the ground, who happened to be an ex-Leaf Chuunin, knew that she needed to stay focused and not wonder about his abilities. Whomever she was, she was his only chance of not dying.
She nodded in understanding without taking her eyes off her opponent. "So you send clones of yourself to fight your battles for you? There is little honor in such tactics. In fact, such tactics are only employed by cowards or assassins." Arturia stated as she continued to scan her opponent.
"Lady… what do I look like, a samurai? Honor is a foreign concept to shinobi… however… you are right about one thing… I am an assassin. So… let's see how far your so called 'honor' gets you in a battle against me." The Iwa ninja said as he began to flash through handsigns.
"Earth Style: Roaring Earth Bullets!" The Iwa nin then slammed his palms into the ground and a Tiger's head rose up out of the ground. It was made of mud and opened it's mouth to let out a loud roar. Along with the roar came dozens of stones, that flew at her with bone crushing speed.
Arturia quickly dodge out of the way. The Tiger's head turned with her as she ran, pelting stones towards her. She kept racing around the ninja, knowing full well that his technique couldn't follow her in a full circle, lest it hit the man who was using it. Once she had dashed far enough away, the Iwa ninja jumped to his feet, canceling the technique. He quickly hurtled a hail of kunai in her direction, which she easily batted away with her sword.
The Iwa ninja knew it wasn't wise to get close. Though she looked young, he was an experience Jonin, and she had the eyes of a killer. And not just any killer, but someone whom had killed a lot.
Knowing his chances were better at a distance, the Jonin began to backpedal and flash through handsigns.
Remembering what had happened last time he went through a collection of hand gestures, Arturia used Mana Burst to dash forward in a burst of speed. Surprised, the Iwa ninja dove left to avoid her sword slash, he rose and had to dodge again to avoid a second slash. Arturia kept him close so that he couldn't use those hand movements to call upon another bout of magic. The man was forced to draw kunai and engage her at close range. He let out a grunt of rage, as he drew a kunai in either hand, and fought with her at close range. His kunai were easily chipped away by her mighty blade, and he was forced to continuously dodge or block.
The Iwa ninja just didn't get it, when he blocked it, didn't feel like he was blocking chakra, it felt like had was blocking steel. Hell there was even a loud clang from each hit.
It was near impossible to tell the exact range of her blade, so he had to fully dodge each strike, and he couldn't remain close. With a great deal of force, he pushed her blade toward the ground and jumped back. It was at that moment he realized his mistake, as with another burst of mana, Arturia shot forward and with a battle cry, plunged Excalibur into the Jonin's chest.
"Shit… so… fast..." The Iwa ninja grunted as he spat out blood.
Arturia stared into his eyes, as the life faded from them. Suddenly he used their closeness to wrap one arm around her, and with the other he pulled out a bomb tag and held it right in her face.
She saw the paper ignite, and knew if couldn't be good for her, but before it went off, a kunai flew by tearing the paper out of the Jonin's hand and pinning it to a building, about fifteen feet away. The paper burned out and then exploded, sending Arturia and the Jonin flying away from the explosion. Arturia and the Jonin both landed on their feet, but the Jonin quickly collapsed to the ground.
Arturia stared at her downed opponent, before turning to glance at where the kunai had come from. She saw the downed legionnaire, staring at her and he offered her a nod. She returned the nod and looked back at the Iwa ninja. He was now back on his feet with this mad look in his eyes. He was flashing through handsigns with reckless abandon.
"Die you bitch! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu!" A dragon made of earth rose out of the ground behind him and launched forward. Arturia dashed out of the way, hoping that the technique would follow her. To her luck, it did.
She felt the earth dragon chasing her. Felt it slowly catch up to her, Right before it would have struck her back, she pivoted and glided out of the way of the attack, dodging it by mere inches. As it passed her by she quickly cut the head off the dragon with Excalibur. This caused the earth dragon technique to careen into a nearby building where if crashed, and collapsed a good portion of the structure.
Deciding to end this, Arturia dashed at the Iwa Jonin. He was trying to bring his hands together for another jutsu, but she was simply closing too fast. Jumping to his feet he dashed back to try and finish his handsigns, but Arturia was able to keep up. With a single slash she took the Jonin's head clean off. The momentum from his backwards dash caused his severed head, and headless body to go flying into a nearby wall.
Arturia stared after her downed opponent, this time making sure that it was red blood that flowed from his headless body. Once done she turned to the downed Legionnaire.
"That was some fighting lady. Good job." The Legionnaire praised her as he let out a pained breath.
"Are you alright? Can you walk?" Arturia inquired as she stared down at him.
"My leg's broken. But the other's are on their way. You asked about Lady Riley earlier… do you know her?" The man asked.
"So that's her name… Riley. I know 'of' her. She is the one fighting in the sky, correct?" Arturia replied.
"Yeah… that's her. Kage killer, Killer of a thousand. Demon Slayer. She's got a lot of names… hard to imagine a fifteen year old girl being that powerful… but I've seen the things she can do with my own eyes. I don't really have to guess why you wanna talk to her. Someone like that… the only reason you'd wanna see her, is to fight her, or serve her." The downed Legionnaire stated.
"Do not worry. It's the latter. I must continue. Farewell." Arturia stated as she started to advance further into the battle.
"Hey! Watch out, out there. That's Deidara the mad bomber up there. He killed three thousand people in one day. He's a murderer, and a traitor… so watch your back." The man warned her. She nodded and ran off. A few moment later more Legionnaires arrived on scene.
"Are you alright?" One asked.
"Broken Leg. Send word up the chain of command. Tell them to watch out for a knight in a blue dress. She's on our side, and just took down an Iwa jonin." The injured Legionnaire told his comrades.
One nodded, and radioed it in.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Arturia continued to advance. She moved through the streets, following the battle in the sky. Just as she rounded a corner, she came across the sight of a hunched over figure in a black cloak with red clouds adorning it.
The figure turned to her. At it's feet were about a half dozen Legionnaire.
"Well… you're an interesting sight. Do you wish to fight too?" Sasori of the Red Sand, inquired as his poison soaked tail rose from beneath his cloak and set with the tip pointed at her.
In response, Arturia raised her blade and prepared to fight.
"Sasori of the red sand. Master puppeteer. Master of poisons. Master Spy. Ex suna nin, and the murderer of the 3rd Kazekage." Arturia heard a voice state from beside her.
She glanced over and spotted another Legionnaire. This one with glowing red eyes. She stared into them for a moment, and spotted markings around the pupil.
"Itachi Uchiha. Uchiha clan leader. Ex Konoha Anbu captain. Slayer of the traitorous Uchiha clan. Kin slayer. Murderer." Sasori listed off in reply.
"Who are you miss?" Itachi inquired as he sent a side glance at Arturia.
"I am Arturia Pendragon." Came her reply. She didn't feel like listing her full title, and out of sheer habit from the last Grail war, she didn't state that one particular title, that gave away who she truly was. Arturia Pendragon was not whom most people recognized as King Arthur, so at worst this man would only assume she was related to King Arthur.
"Pendragon? Interesting. You are dressed as a knight and armed with a sword wrapped in air, that radiates with golden brilliance. I assume that means you know how to use such a weapon?" Itachi inquired. Arturia was surprised. Somehow this man could see Excalibur even through the Invisible Air. She sent a glance at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"My Sharingan eyes, are very keen miss Pendragon. There is little that can be hidden from them. I can see the magic within you're body. It radiates with immense power. If you can truly wield such power, then I implore you to help me destroy this man. He is a monster whom once set villages aflame looking for a challenge." Itachi explained to her.
Arturia nodded in understanding and focused on the hunched man. She replayed everything the Legionnaire had used to describe him. Sasori of the Red Sand. Presumably meaning blood soaked sand. Meaning he was a killer. Master puppeteer… either meaning he fought using puppets, or was just good at manipulating people. Or both. Master of poisons, was a given. So she had to be weary of any weapons he utilized in combat, like that strange tail. Again, master spy was a given. She didn't know what a suna nin was, but this Third Kazekage, must have been some sort of mighty warrior or important figure, for his killing to be noteworthy.
Getting into a fighting stance, Arturia prepared for battle. She only took her eyes off her opponent for a single moment, to spot the young Goddess, Riley, still engaged in battle with Deidara the mad bomber.
In the skies above them, Riley and Deimos continued to give chase. Fighting in the sky was not Riley's strong suit, as even though she could fly, she hadn't even had an opponent who could fly with her. Deidara moved with such grace and precision in the air, he kept releasing flash bombs or explosives to keep her eyes from focusing on him. Still Riley did not relent, she trailed after him, watching and waiting for him to screw up. She followed, even as he dove bomb between the buildings blasting the buildings with his bombs, all the while laughing like a deranged fool.
'You'll pay for all the lives you've taken today. I swear it.' Was Riley's only thought as she continued to give chase.
-To Be Continued-
Alright. Please tell me how you liked Arturia's introduction. Yugito wont be far behind. I hoped her reasoning is unique for serving Riley she assumes that Riley can grant her wish in the future, now that she knows that the grail cannot. As I said, I don't know many specific about the Nasuverse, so if I make a mistake, about something I intentionally added let me know. In the case of Arturia's current servitude, she is in much the same type of bond as she was during the Grail wars, once she fully bonds to Riley as a master/servant she will grow immensely more powerful. I can't remember if it ever states that only Heroic Spirits can use Noble Phantasms but due to the Shinigami's involvement, Arturia still has hers.
And… the Shinigami is up to something… I don't know if you caught it, but he is definitely up to something. Also on the 'let the legend come back to life' line… yeah I stole that from the Phantom Pain, but it just fit so damn well here, I had too. :)
Also… for those who I know might complain. This will be the last battle, where Riley's other mates, don't participate. Now that Arturia has made an appearance and so has Lucy, her mates will be taking a more active role in combat. So please, don't complain. There was a reason for keeping them out of this one, it was because while they are reasonably unready and Riley wouldn't want to bring them into a fight with the Akatsuki, this battle was meant to be Arturia's introduction, after this… they'll be fighting more by Riley's side.
Anyway let me know what you think. Hope you enjoyed JA NE!
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