Chapter 57: The Time of Extinction

Dead silence followed in the wake of the two speaking, Goetia stood at the entrance to the great hall with a pensive expression on his face. Rhea standing behind him with a scowl, her eyes briefly darted away from Sitri and towards the prisoners.

Her eyes momentarily gleamed with relief as she saw Byleth alive and unharmed before they hardened again and returned to staring at Sitri. Rhea had never seen anything quite like it before, thoroughly inhuman but it wasn't a dragon either. Nor was it anything like those vermin that had skulked up from beneath the planet millennium ago.

The name Goetia had spoken had also had her raring to vehemently deny this thing had anything in common with the Sitri she knew.

"You've diminished, Solomon." The creature spoke again in a smug tone of voice, staring down at Goetia from across the room without making an effort to move. Rhea briefly furrowed her brows at the voice it used. That being it was identical to Goetia, further cementing her belief that there was a link between the two of them.

Oblivious to Rhea's inner dilemma, Sitri continued on in their speech "If you were in your prime, the paltry bounded field I erected as a defence would have been broken within moments." their body remained floating in the air, a ring of red gems circling behind them "You lack any authority over me and you no longer hold any of the Rings. As it stands, you are far from the threat you used to represent."

"The same goes doubly for you, Sitri." Goetia countered swiftly, Rhea detected perhaps a hint of urgency in his voice.

Sitri made no effort to reply, merely glowering at Goetia from across the room.

"Your form is expending more magical energy than you have in your reserves." He nodded towards the rings of light holding Byleth and the others prisoner "Your true body has been destroyed. This is merely a shell you have constructed and even then, you cannot maintain it for long." Goetia explained further, his brows tightening "At your present rate of consumption, you will expend your magical energy within the next ten minutes. Five if you make an effort to attack me."

There was silence for a few moments.

"...This is your final play, Sitri." Goetia understood, lips drawn into a thin line "This is your final gambit. No wonder you have been reduced to chasing down the Chalice of Beginnings. You no longer have the capacity to cement your own existence."

"And it is your doing, Solomon!" Sitri barked from across the room, their voice booming with righteous anger "Our great work, three thousand years wasted because of you! You and Chaldea!" they raised their right arm and stabbed a finger in Goetia's direction "I barely managed to escape the Temple as it collapsed around me! As my kindred burned away or betrayed us!"

Goetia remained silent as Sitri's voice descended into a mad rant.

"Do you have the slightest notion of what you did!? You incompetent fool!" Sitri hissed, their hands clenched into fists "You destroyed us! The final messages of my kin still echo within my mind! The announcements made by some of them before they obliterated their own bodies because of what you had done!"

Goetia opened his mouth to response "Sitri-"

"You…Why are you still alive!?" Sitri demanded, their eyes burned brightly upon their head "Why do you still draw breath, Solomon? Why are you permitted to exist while my kindred are dead!"

"I am not Solomon."

"No, you went by Romani Archaman…" Sitri growled back, slowly floating down the steps and touching their body upon the ground "At least until you cast that away. Now you steal the name of my King? Is this some form of cruel irony for his usage of your own name?"

Goetia took a single step forwards "Sitri-"

Sitri clenched their hands into fists once again, the rings holding Byleth and the others in place brightened considerably before they tightened their hold, eliciting sharp gasps of pain from the group. Goetia halted his movements, watching Sitri with a blank expression.

"As I suspected." Sitri scoffed to themselves "Weakened in body and in mind. The Solomon we knew was cruel, emotionless and without innate desires of his own. You would never stop at the sight of suffering, it never bothered you before so why should it now?" they threw their hand towards Byleth and the others "What makes these humans so special? Why are they to receive your generosity while a million others suffer and die without acknowledgement?"

"I am not Solomon." Goetia repeated again "I am Goetia."

Sitri remained silent for a few moments before they released a long growl "Do you insist on spitting on my King's memory even now, Solomon? Even in the final moments of my greater awareness, I could sense Goetia destruction at the hands of Chaldea. Ars Nova crippled him beyond repair and should have wiped you from existence and yet here you stand…untouched." an ugly laugh erupted from them "I am left to wonder how you escaped while my King died but you…you always had some measure of trick or deception. You fooled Flauros, perhaps you merely fooled all others."

"Enough of this." Rhea spoke up for the first time, walking past Goetia and glaring at Sitri. The Demon God's attention shifted from Goetia to the woman for the first time since they had entered the room. Up until then, Sitri had merely dismissed her presence entirely. "What are you and what became of Aelfric?"

Sitri stared at her in silence before they turned to Goetia and scoffed "You're so weak you must form alliances with whatever local phantasmal you can stumble across, Solomon?"

"Her question is pertinent." Goetia replied, ignoring the jab against both himself and Rhea "How did you escape the collapse of the Temple and…" he paused for a moment "...Did any others escape with you?"

Sitri released a grunt "Our union was broken, if any others escaped I doubt they made it far."

Goetia's jaw clenched "How did you-"

"Escape? I did not." Sitri shut down the argument almost immediately "My body was destroyed, I was forced to reduce my higher functions into lingering thoughts and evacuate them from the Temple to even have a hope of survival. I drifted through imaginary number space for months before I surfaced again. Were it not for Aelfric's desire to resurrect Sitri, I would have faded away into nothing."

Rhea narrowed her eyes "So that was it? You stole Sitri's name and preyed on Aelfric's grief?"

Sitri's crimson eyes flashed with anger "It was my name that was stolen. I was Sitri three thousand years before your creation was even dreamt of. Before you ever existed." Rhea looked momentarily surprised by the reveal before she furrowed her brows.

"T-that cannot be-"

Goetia thinned his lips "You used Sitri's name as an anchor. Cementing yourself within this land and seeking out Aelfric as a suitable host."

"I barely had the strength to enter his mind. Were it not for my pledge, I would have been unable to even overcome his will."

Rhea turned to Goetia and frowned "What does it mean?"

Goetia's eyes briefly darted to her "...Names have power. Especially for Demon Gods, for them to be named allows them to establish their own unique ego and personality. Aelfric's mental desire to call out to Sitri would have been a beacon, guiding Sitri to Fodlan." he looked back to the Demon God "A literal lifeline."

"That is what I was reduced to because of you, Solomon." Sitri growled back at them, "These…disgusting human fascinations. You and-"

"I am not Solomon!" Goetia snapped at Sitri, patience finally shattering in the wake of the repeated accusations. The sudden anger in his voice surprised Rhea to his left, the woman briefly jolted in surprise "I am not Solomon, nor will I ever be Solomon!"

"Do not lie to me, Solomon. Even if you are diminished, your body remains that of-"

"I did not escape the effects of Ars Nova either." Goetia shut him down "But I was desperate…what residual ego I had left…I crafted a body for myself. Determined to find Fujimaru Ritsuka before he evacuated the Temple."

Sitri remained silent "...No." they stated after a few moments "This is a deception. You hope to sway me with your words once again, Solomon. I will not be so easily fooled. Not like that fool Flauros."

Goetia clenched his jaw, doing his level best to avoid raising his voice a second time "I battled Fujimaru Ritsuka at the edge of the Temple of Time and was struck down by him." He closed his eyes and released his hold on his magical energy, his aura flooded the room and washed over Sitri.

The Demon God abruptly stiffened, staring down at Goetia with wide eyes as the tanned man opened them again.

Neither Rhea nor Byleth were unaffected, the former was the most by being the closest to him. Her eyes had shrunk to pinpricks and her lips parted slightly as Goetia released an identical feeling to the being currently standing at the opposite end of the room. Cementing the belief in her mind that they were of the same race.

Byleth was staring at Goetia with wide eyes, having felt the foregin magical energy impact her as well.

"Sothis?" She mentally asked, the Goddess knew she was seeking confirmation.

"They are the same. I wonder if this is what Goetia truly looks like as well."

Sitri was still silent as they stared at Goetia, seemingly unable to speak.

"I am Goetia, Sitri." The man continued on, taking another step forwards and eliciting no reaction from the Demon God. "I…am alive."

"...How?" Sitri asked in a quiet voice, their previous tone of strength and confidence had all but vanished. Replaced now by almost childlike confusion "We all…your destruction was sensed across the Temple." Sitri continued on "How are you…how did you escape?"

Goetia thinned his lips "The explanation is…not known to me." he admitted honestly, raising his single arm and staring at his hand "The answer eludes me even now…" closing his eyes, he shook his head and lowered his arm "But that does not matter at this moment in time." he concluded.

Sitri's eyes dimmed slightly, watching as Goetia closed in towards them and then stopped about a metre from them.

"What…what are you doing?" Sitri eventually asked, their head swivelling in the direction of the prisoners in puzzlement before looking past him to Rhea "What is your agenda here? Why do you humour these…these creatures?"

Goetia frowned for a split second before his expression reverted back to its usual blank face "That comes secondary, what will you do once you have taken the power of the Grail and restored yourself?"

Sitri remained silent for a few moments, Goetia watched as their hands clenched into fists and their eyes brightened again considerably. "I watched humanity…followed your directives perfectly and participated in the plan for eternity." Sitri spoke in a slow tone, their voice gradually rising the longer they spoke "Our Great Deed would have been completed if you had not become enamoured with Mash Kyrielight."

Goetia's jaw clenched "I judged her worthy of accompanying us-"

"Why?" Sitri asked, floating forwards and circling around Goetia "What value did she have in following us on our journey? Her answer should have been apparent from the moment she awakened her abilities. Despite that, none of us questioned your directives. Your…" Sitri trailed off for a moment, floating around Goetia and staring upwards "Obsession. You clearly had found some value in Kyrielight and therefore it was necessary to await her arrival at the temple."

Goetia tracked Sitri with his eyes as they flanked around him "What is the purpose of this line of inquiry?"

"...You were mistaken, my King." Sitri replied in a tone of finality "Humanity was unworthy of existence in any capacity. The moment Mash Kyrielight rejected you, it was proof that they could not comprehend the purpose of our voyage. Her rejection was their rejection."

Goetia narrowed his eyes "So what do you suggest, Sitri?"

The Demon God was silent for a moment before they replied "Complete and utter eradication of them." They responded casually, floating away from Goetia with their back facing him "These creatures could not comprehend the gift that we were prepared to grant them, content in their primitive ignorance and horrifically short lives. Your pity…our pity. Was wasted on them from the very beginning."

"That is not correct-"

Sitri whirled at him "It is correct! It is the singular fact that drove me this far! That allowed me to retain my ego even as I fell through space and time…Pure hatred."

Goetia rolled his jaw "This is an unacceptable change, there is nothing here for you to direct your anger upon-"

"We both know the truth, my King." Sitri shot him down before he could finish "These humans…they are no different to those we observed for three thousand years. Those our existence was devoted to safeguarding." his hands clenched "I have no doubt they would deny our gift also, our kindness would be wasted on them. So why should we concern ourselves with trying to better their existence? They are unwilling to accept it and thus unworthy of even being considered for it."

Goetia remained silent, furrowing his brows at Sitri "...What do you intend to do?"

Sitri remained silent for a moment "Vengeance. I will take revenge upon humanity. I will incinerate them all to ash. They rejected us and eradicated us. Our almightyness was broken and scattered to the winds and you…" he gestured at Goetia "You…you are trapped in this disgusting container of flesh. Mortal. You will one day encounter the same fear that all other humans encountered."

"...The fear of death." Goetia mumbled in reply, thinning his lips and looking down.

Sitri nodded their head "Yes."

They then raised their hand, extending it towards Goetia "However, I can give purpose to that short life. Join with me, my King. With your mind and my form, our vengeance can be realised against humanity for what they took from us."

Goetia stared at the hand, his lip quivered slightly the longer he did so before he slowly looked up "This vengeance…it is…pointless." he muttered in reply "None of those who exist in Fodlan are even aware of those from Chaldea."

"Do you think that matters?" Sitri snarled "Romani Archaman, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash Kyrielight…all of them! Those vexing, disgusting, pitiful little creatures who could barely stumble from singularity to singularity! They were no different to any other human!"

"No…this will accomplish nothing." Goetia shook his head "There is more to be gained through observation, learning why they rejected our existence…where we went wrong in our calculations-"

"Observing." Sitri cut them off, repeating the word with a toneless voice as they lowered their hand "That is your grand solution? Observe humanity?"

Sitri's crimson eyes narrowed "I was mistaken before. You are Solomon in all but name."

Goetia's eyes flashed red "I am nothing like Solomon!"

"But you are." Sitri replied back in a barely measured voice, gesturing to the Ashen wolves "Observing humans but never helping them, content to watch as the cruelty of life goes on around you. That pale haired girl you brought to the hovel. You could cure her ailment with ease and yet you have made no attempt to do so."

Goetia froze, lip slightly agape.

"There is no greater purpose to you anymore. You simply exist. Like Solomon you are content in your own cruelty…and the insulting part is that you do not even realise it." Sitri's voice changed into a hardened tone "Your isolation from the Pillars…the defeat at the hands of Chaldea. My King…You have become as incompetent as Solomon."

Goetia remained silent, his eyes dimmed and he looked down "...No. That is not true. I have made efforts to aid the humans of the monastery-"

"Why?" Sitri demanded "What purpose does aiding them serve? What grand agenda does it build towards? Is there even a plan that exists for you anymore or are you now dependent on the whims of instruction like Solomon? Utterly unwilling to act unless another had commanded you to do so?"

"..."

"It is not too late. We might reverse the harm that has been done to you." Sitri pleaded with them, then looked past him towards Rhea "Wipe clean the stench of outside influence."

Rhea narrowed her eyes and stepped forwards "Your history with Goetia is not known to me. However, he is offering you clemency at this one moment." she stated, "...Despite my better judgement, I would overlook the punishment for the death of Aelfric, given that I suspect he had been planning this for some time."

"That's a lie!" Constance called out across the chambers, unwilling to sit back and let Rhea speak ill of Aelfric "He would never do something of such horrible-"

"Yeah…He would." Yuri cut her off with a sigh, leaning back and closing his eyes before they opened up and drifted to Sitri "...You just swooped in and took all the credit for the plan, didn't you?"

Sitri released a dismissive scoff "I did not need to plan further, merely ensure the completion of Aelfric's agenda."

"That can't be true." Hapi denied as well, glaring at Yuri with a hint of desperation in her eyes "This thing is just dirtying Elfie's memory, isn't it Yuri-bird?"

"...Demon Gods cannot lie." Goetia replied to her with a blank expression "We can omit details, alter the line of questioning to suit a new answer but to lie plainly is not within our capacity. Not to humans at least."

"But he pretended to be Aelfric!" Balthus growled "If that ain't lying like a rug, I don't know what is!"

"Possession of a Demon God is not merely assuming control of the body. The mind as well falls under my power." Sitri stated easily, shifting their head and looking over to the Ashen Wolves "I empathised completely with Aelfric. His pain was my pain. His hopes were my hopes and his memories were my memories." their head tilted ever so slightly to the side "How could I be anything but Aelfric?"

Yuri was still silent as he stared at Sitri before he released a scoff "Here I had been planning to dupe Aelfric and get him caught in the act. Even worked up a plan the moment the Professor showed up…and you had me fooled from the very beginning."

"Whatever pitiful scheme you had crafted would not have changed the outcome of this encounter." Sitri bluntly stated, turning back to Rhea "He did indeed intend to sacrifice the humans to the Holy Grail and bring about the resurrection of Sitri."

Rhea shook her head "It cannot be done, the body might be healed but the soul cannot return from-"

"Your ignorance is staggering." Sitri's voice was dismissive, turning their attention back to Goetia "This is what you surround yourself with, Goetia? These…primitives? That this phantasmal knows not the full extent of the prize in her grasp is astounding in its idiocy."

"The failing of the Archbishop is through no fault of her own. Instructions for the Holy Grail and its usage were never created and the initial users did not think far enough." He shook his head and frowned "This endeavour of yours will not end as you desire. With your magical reserves as low as they are, Rhea can slay you with or without my intervention. You know this."

Sitri remained silent as they stared at Goetia for a few moments longer, then directed their attention past him "And you would force me to grovel at the mercy of a mere dragon?"

Rhea's eyes narrowed into slits, her posture stiffened. She could feel several glances from the Ashen wolves being directed at her, however she was more concerned with the fact she had been outed so easily. In her mind, there were only two groups who knew of her. Her own people and the vermind who skulked in shadows.

Between them, only the latter held the ability to change their shape so easily but she was certain they had all been killed with the fall of Nemesis. "You've spoken with them…" she growled out, her eyes burning with pure hatred at this point.

Sitri gave her barely a glance "You think me pathetic enough that I could not determine your true nature before you even entered my field of vision?" He looked down at Goetia "You endured this pitiful charade? Why?"

"That is not relevant, Sitri!" Goetia snapped back at them "I am commanding you to-"

"To forgo any measure of pride that might remain within my being and accept the insult that has been dealt out to us? To allow such a transgression against our union go unpunished?" Sitri snarled as they pointed at Rhea, ignoring her growing anger being directed towards them and how close she was to throwing a spell across the room. "That is what you would have me do?"

Goetia rolled his jaw "...If you die, there is nothing that can retrieve you. It would be an eternal death. The Temple is gone…Sitri, you are committing yourself to an act of self-destruction. I am commanding you not to do this."

"Perhaps it is self-destruction." Sitri admitted, causing Goetia to blink at their blaze attitude towards it "A meaningless goal which will achieve nothing. Despite that…I will put my entire being into seeing it through." they declared, spreading their arms wide "I, Demon God Sitri, will wage this single act of war against all of humanity. I will burn them away not for some higher goal, or to pave the road for eternity…I will burn them away because I want to. Because it is an answer for the acts of Chaldea."

Their arms lowered and they stared down at Goetia "That is my declaration. My singular desire. Forgoing any attempt to reach true wisdom or craft utopia, I will become the ritual for the incineration of humanity."

Rhea clenched her jaw "That it seems you are beyond reason." she stated in a tone of finality, raising her hands and holding the flat of her palm in the direction of Sitri, the Demon God shifted their attention to her and narrowed their glowing red eyes. "It is regrettable, but it seems that there can be only one conclusion to this encounter, Goetia."

"No…" Goetia shook his head "Leave Fodlan Sitri, wander across the world and watch humanity, learn what it was that they-"

"The phantasmal has spoken truly, Goetia." Sitri cut him off "There was never a possibility for negotiation. I will not be swayed from my vengeance." he looked down at him "What will you do?"

"You need not fight, Goetia." Rhea called out from across the room behind him "I will not force you to slay one of your own kind when there are so few left." the manner in which her voice softened into understanding towards the end of the sentence wrangled the former Demong King. His pride demanded that she could not understand anything.

However, he found himself unwilling to speak. Rooted on the spot and still staring at Sitri as they stared down at him expectantly.

Goetia looked off to the side, he made eye contact with Bylet, Sothis manifested next to her and poked her head out from behind the girls shoulders. The pair of them stared back at him. Sothis had a grim look on her face while Byleth's expression was its usual bland one. Then her eyes softened ever so slightly.

Goetia closed his eyes and exhaled, turning back to Sitri "I…have no desire to fight you, Sitri."

The Demon God relaxed slightly "Then-"

"However-" Goetia continued on, causing Sitri to stop "-I…I will not aid you. This path you walk and the consequences you face for it…are yours alone."

He took a single step backwards, his expression blank "That…I will not exterminate humanity with no end goal. That is…not what I am." he paused for a moment "That is not…who I am."

Sothis let out an internal sigh of relief from within Byleth's mind, the girl herself was sharing the sentiment. She could somewhat understand Goetia's hesitance in fighting the being called Sitri, considering the two apparently had history with each other. Her eyes fell on Sitri and narrowed before they darted towards Rhea.

The Archbishop had an unreadable expression as she stared at the scene in front of her. Her eyes flickered to the side and made eye contact with Byleth before they returned to staring at Goetia's back. Calling out "Goetia, now that you have made your choice I suggest you stand aside. Free the prisoners and I will deal with this…creature claiming Godhood." she snarled the latter part of the sentence with no small amount of venom. Feeling rather incensed that this creature dared to put itself on the same rank as the Progenitor God.

Sitri ignored her, still staring down at Goetia "Is that your final answer?" they eventually asked after moments of silence.

Goetia was quiet for a few moments before he gave a single nod of the head "...It is."

"...A shame." Sitri replied in a toneless voice, their eyes closed and they floated back slightly.

The mana in the air shifted and then was sucked towards the direction of Sitri, the Chalice of Beginnings on the podium behind him glowed a brilliant golden light. Crimson orbs opened up once again, Sitri's voice was now resigned to the outcome.

"Then burn to ash with the rest of humanity."

Goetia had barely a moment to comprehend the sentence before the space in front of him exploded outwards. The gems floating behind Sitri glowed for a split second and then surged forwards in bright beams of light. Striking him in the chest and sending him rocketing across the room and crashing into the wall at the far end, his chest was smoking from the impact, his head hung forwards limply.

Byleth released a gasp of shock as she stared at the limp body, smoke still rising from it and the single limb laying upon the ground with no sign of movement.

"You were correct that my existence was diminished, Goetia." Sitri continued on, ignoring the surprised and horrified looks being sent his way "Until twenty minutes ago. The destruction of the Monstrous beasts provided me with ample magical energy to fuel the Holy Grail."

Goetia released a sharp cough as his head jerked back up, staring at Sitri in shock "Y-you…struck me?" he managed to get out, coughing soon afterwards and staring down at the flakes of blood that came from between his lips. His red eyes were wide, as if he couldn't comprehend the sight of his own blood.

"I had initially planned to capture Solomon by surprise with this tactic. However, its use against you is just as effective." Sitri glanced down at the blood dribbling from Goetia's chin and released a disgusted noise "Shameful to think this is what has become of you. Stay still, Goetia. I shall end this sad existence of yours shortly."

Rhea's head had followed Goetia's path through the air watching with wide eyes as he crashed into the wall and cracked it before her attention snapped back towards Sitri. Her expression one of disbelief "Why!?" she demanded "There are so few of you left-"

"It is because there are so few of us left that our existence must be preserved. The weight of our being cannot be undermined by weakness." Sitri declared "That is why when Orobas and Allocer rebelled against the cause, they were incinerated as well. Every last trace of their existence was reduced to dust and their magical energy was redistributed."

"He gave you a chance to flee!" Rhea exclaimed, throwing her right hand forwards and unleashing a Thoron towards Sitri. The gems behind the Demon God flashed and the spell impacted against a crimson barrier akin to glass "He offered you a chance to live!"

"And I did the same as him." Sitri replied back easily "He rejected my proposal and has chosen to inherit the way of Solomon. Therefore I shall inflict upon him the same punishment that fool deserved." they continued on, uncaring as to the attacks being levelled against them "My King was destroyed at the Temple of Time. That husk…is the last remnant of Solomon who destroyed us. Therefore, my vengeance will begin here. I will slay that fool behind you and then move onto the humans above."

"You will not!" Rhea declared with righteous fury as her eyes glowed for a moment, the intensity of the Thoron beam tripled rapidly as the crimson barrier started to develop cracks in it. Sitri stared at the point of impact and narrowed their eyes before they unleashed a beam of light into the thoron beam.

The attacks cancelled each other out, Rhea was quick to rush forwards and wave her hand to the side. Circles glowed in her palms as she called upon the elements to adhere to her commands.

Sitri felt the air around their body compress violently and swirly inwards, blades of air lashed against their body and carved small gashes within it. Releasing an irritated shout, Sitri flexed their magical energy and released a wave of crimson light from their body. Banishing the wind from their surrounding area and then igniting the gems hovering behind them.

Rhea jumped to the side, clearing a distance of at least ten metres with a single movement as the spot where she had been standing burst into flames. Sitri whirled on her, crimson eyes flashing again and unleashing a barrage of magical blasts in her direction. Rhea waved her hand, a pale blue barrier forming in front of her and blocking the hail of crimson beams as they were launched towards her.

The Archbishop narrowed her eyes, then raised her right hand and formed a pale red circle in it and swirled it around. The moment her hand clenched inwards, Sitri felt the area around them positively scream with magical energy. Their body flashed with crimson light and they vanished, barely a second later a beam of golden light shot up from the ground and obliterated the space where he had been.

Sitri reappeared again, head whirling in Rhea's direction and mystic eyes already powering up once again. The Archbishop was upon him in moments, with a flick of her hand she sent a dozen fireballs towards him in quick succession. Sitri once again formed the barrier, blocking the attacks with ease and then retaliating. Arrows of light fired themselves at the woman while they eyes flashed again.

Rhea watched as space in front of her compressed into a single glowing point then expanded outwards. Raising her arms in front of her in a blocking motion, she released a slight hiss of pain as the expanding orb crashed into her guard and knocked her back. She felt the skin along her forearms burn for a split second before she was already casting healing spells on herself.

Her hands were spread wide, simultaneously casting a ward spell in front of her and blocking the rain of crimson beams while also casting thunder spells. Sitri released an irritated grunt as a bright light flashed above their head and then lightning fell upon their shoulder, striking them and causing them to jerk slightly to the right. The faint scorch mark on their body swiftly healed up, the Demon God narrowing their eyes before raising their hands in front of them and reaching out as if to grasp something.

Goetia was barely aware of the chaos that was occurring in front of him, still laying back with a searing agony burning away at his chest from the wound Sitri had inflicted upon him. There had been little warning before Sitri had struck and they had done so at point blank range.

His single hand touched his lips, dragging his fingers across them and finding them slick with crimson liquid as he drew them back, forming a thin trail which split apart and clung to the digits, forming small blobs on his fingers. Goetia could barely even comprehend what he was staring at.

Blood. His blood.

Red eyes flickered downwards to his torso, the attack had burned through his robes and charred his flesh black. It was pure agony, realistically he should have performed some healing spells to fix himself up and then enact retribution for Sitri's clear rejection of his ultimatum. However, the logical part of Goetia's mind was blocked by one simple face.

Sitri had struck Goetia with intent to kill him. That realisation entering his mind was swiftly followed by agony sweeping through his chest around the point of injury. His skin felt as though it was being torn apart, true pain that a human would experience as such a thing. It was only a last minute reinforcement spell that had saved him from being split in half instantly and that was purely done on reflex when he sensed the shift in mana.

It was still something that was stalling his mind. Sitri had struck him.

For Sitri to do that - for any Demon God to strike another - was tantamount to self-harm. It was just an action that did not even enter the thought process of their race. Why should one Pillar seek to harm another when they were as one being?

It was like a human cutting off their own arm.

Sitri was as much Goetia as Goetia was them.

For Sitri to strike him so suddenly and with such ferocity was a singular act of betrayal that he could not comprehend. They had been one entity for thousands of years, there was nothing that Sitri knew that Goetia did not also know. Their minds were harmonised in the truest sense possible for any creature. There was no discourse, no argumentation and no weakness.

He had no reason to suspect Sitri would have disobeyed him in any way, he was their leader, their King. The singular being which had granted them this unity so why would they ever think differently to him? Even as individual Pillars their minds should have remained as one.

Except that wasn't true either.

He could recall it.

The final moments of the temple when he still had Demon Gods as his base.

The moments in which some abandoned him.

The moment Allocer and Orobas decreed to all Pillars they would aid the Heroic Spirits and were subsequently annihilated for this act.

Goetia's eyes drifted upwards towards the battle ongoing in front of him, he could see that Sitri was still battling with the Archbishop at more or less an even state. Unsurprising, given that Sitri had not yet acquired the magical energy of the crest bearers and Byleth. Once he had those, he would have enough magical energy to power through Rhea's resistance.

She would likely have to revert to her more savage state as a dragon-kind and he knew the chamber they were in would not survive.

His mind analysed the fight.

He thought about what he would do in Sitri's place. Rhea has proven to be a powerful combatant, in his current state he cannot successfully defeat her before they run out of the magical energy they are receiving from the incomplete Grail.

Therefore, he would need to put her into a position where he could deliver a decisive blow.

His eyes drifted to the prisoners and his lips thinned, he felt the disgusting metallic taste building up in his mouth. His lips parted and he forced the blood from him in a singular spit, sending the projectile splattering against the ground.

Rhea watched as the demon - she was never going to call it Sitri or a God - started to charge up a new spell in their hands. The orb of deep purple light was growing in intensity the smaller and smaller it shrunk.

Then she watched the Demon turn around and point it squarely at the direction of Byleth and the others.

Rhea's eyes widened "No!" she cried out, barely aware of casting the transportation spell and carrying herself across the room in a heartbeat, she reappeared in front of the group and whirled around. Already forming the ward spell as quickly as she could before the Demon prepared to fire off the orb.

"Prostatévo…" Rhea's enhanced senses barely managed to pick up the faint voice almost whispered from across the room. She watched as a second spell formed in front of her, this time in the shape of a transparent wall of golden light. The purple orb fired forwards and impacted against it, striking the wall like a hammer.

A screeching sound filled the room as the orb tried to force itself through the defensive spells, already forcing large cracks to appear in both Goetia's spell and Rhea's ward as time went on. The Archbishop grit her teeth and called upon more power from her dragonic nature. Her crest stone flooded her body with magical energy and almost caused her to shine with a pale green hue as the spell tripled in size.

Stiri's eyes narrowed before their head snapped in the direction of Goetia, seeing him with his hand outstretched in the direction of Rhea and the others. With a flick of the wrist, they altered the direction of the attack and launched the orb across the room like a meteor. Goetia widened his eyes and hastily put up a defensive barrier in front of him. Coughing up a nasty red liquid as the burn on his chest continued to hinder his abilities.

The orb smashed into the barrier and then exploded, purple flames lashed out at the point of impact and spread across Goetia's barrier in an instant. Consuming the space he was in seconds later. Sitri wasted no time in firing off multiple beams towards the ceiling of the chamber just above Goetia's head, high density magical energy sliced through solid stone with all the ease of a hot knife through butter.

Before the flames had faded, the section of the ceiling collapsed and fell down atop Goetia, his body vanishing amidst an avalanche of rubble and a sea of dust.

"I doubt that will hold him long." Sitri stated after a moment as the dust started to settle, then turned their attention back towards Rhea "Or it has killed him and he has fallen more than I could ever dare fear." he raised his hand towards Rhea "And in the protection of beings like you…" they spat the word as if it was disgusting to even picture the notion "How pitiful."

The crimson barrier flared to life as Rhea hurled forwards another dozen fireballs.

Sothis grit her teeth inside Byleth's mind, her perception shifting towards the rubble where Goetia was buried under. The fact he had been taken out so quickly should have shocked her and despite that, she couldn't help but feel a swell of understanding.

Not least of all because Goetia had finally encountered one of his own after he was convinced they had all perished, only for them to out themselves as an insane monster bent on killing everything in their path for some grievance that had been dealt to them. What they needed - right now - was Goetia back in pristine health.

"I'm going to activate my authority." Sothis called out through Byleth's mind "Be ready to warn Goetia."

"Yes." Byleth responded in affirmative through her mind to Sothis. The Goddess started to channel magical energy through Byleth's divine core and activated the process of rewinding time.

Sitri released an explosion which sent Rhea flying across the room and crashing through one of the stone support columns, the Archbishop released a pained gasp as she hit the ground, then another cry of shock before she rolled to the side in order to avoid being hit by the falling debris knocked down by the collapsing pillar. The Archbishop managed to get out of the way just in time, throwing up her arms and covering up her face as she was showered in rocks kicked up from the debris.

Sitri then whirled on Byleth and Sothis, already detecting the activation of the Divine core. In the split second before Sothis could activate the spell, Sitri fired off a dozen bolts of black energy towards her. Striking Byleth all over her body and causing the girl to instantly lose consciousness and fall back onto the ground. Sothis released an annoyed growl in the empty mind and all but glared at Sitri.

She could freeze time easily enough and rewind it, but Byleth would still be unconscious and that wouldn't do anyone any good. If she attempted to warn Goetia herself, she was certain that the demon would detect her with ease. She had registered the foreign presence scan Byleth but she knew they weren't yet aware she was awake. Sothis had made sure to retreat far enough into Byleth's mind that she tricked them into thinking she was asleep.

"No!" Rhea's outraged voice echoed out across the chamber, Sitri turned around and swung their arms wide as the disk on their back started to spin at incredible speeds before raising itself up and unleashing a thick beam of crimson light in the direction of the Archbishop. Sothis watched as the woman moved.

She wasn't sure what impressed her more. The speed at which Rhea was able to dodge the attack or the fact she could move that fast with a dress on. Despite that, Sitri was able to keep pace with her enhanced speed with relative ease, the beam of light scorched its way across walls and the floor as it tracked her movements every step of the way.

Eventually, Sitri's eyes flashed red and the space in front of Rhea exploded with another orb of purple light, striking the woman in the chest and hurling her away. She looked relatively undamaged despite it. At least until the beam of light struck her in the body and sent her skywards into the upper corner of the chamber and forced her through solid stone. The extreme heat of the beam successfully burned a hole while Rhea was carried along by it.

Disappearing from view all together after a few moments.

Despite that, Sitri continued to stare at the hole in the wall expectantly, almost as if they were predicting that Rhea would come flying back out of the hole and ready to resume their attack upon them.

Goetia lay beneath the rubble, his body still protected by the barrier he had put up to defend against the attack by Sitri. He clenched his teeth as he used Healing magecraft to cure his wounds, the sensation of feeling his damaged organs regrow themselves, bones realign themselves, muscle and skin knit back together was something he was in no rush to repeat.

He could still hear the rumbling of battle and occasionally flashes of light managing to penetrate through the small gaps in between the rubble. He had a general idea of what was occurring outside but he was debating whether he should get involved.

He should intervene, he had already done so but there was going to be one unavoidable outcome at this point.

Sitri would die.

He would participate in the death of a Demon God. The permanent death of a Demon God.

Goetia felt his lips draw themselves into thin lines, his eyes became unfocused. His determination wavered, he had advocated for a confrontation purely because he was under the belief that he could command Sitri to vacate Fodlan and find some far off section of the world to explore and go through the same plan he was performing.

…Was it a plan?

Just…watch humans and that was it? Was that all he was doing?

Goetia looked down, ignoring another rumble that shook the chamber. Was he truly as bad as Sitri suggested? Had he just become yet another Solomon?

His eyes slowly closed themselves. He was under no illusions. He was Solomon and Solomon was him. Their only difference was that Solomon didn't have the freedom to get angry, or so the man claimed.

Was his anger truly all that separated him from Solomon?

He could always leave.

Teleporting from this location would be simple enough, he was certain that as he was they might be able to defeat Sitri. In truth, he didn't know what he was expecting to find out why humanity had rejected him. He already knew the answer.

They were stupid, stubborn and paradoxical creatures.

Why else would they refuse an offer such as his? He had no real reason to humour them further. He could leave. Just leave and let Sitri do whatever they desire and suffer the consequences for it.

All of those he had already met, their lives were nothing special. He had seen billions just like them in his lifetime. Those who were geniuses like Lysithea, those with hopeful naivety like Flayn or Mercedes, those who were just the subject of some manner of experiment like Byleth.

What reason did he have to slay one of his own kind for them? Killing a fellow Demon God for humans?

Insanity.

A choice that was positively unthinkable.

He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise.

If that was the case, then when had he burst from the rubble.

And why was he currently throwing dozens of spells towards Sitri?

Sitri had barely had enough time to turn towards Goetia, the second he heard the rubble explode outwards in a flash of light he was already on the receiving end of dozens of differing spells all of which were designed to destroy him swiftly.

He staggered backwards as the crimson barrier shattered into nothing, then was sent rocketing back through the air when the fresh barrage of multicoloured spells impacted against his shelled body and caused them to crash into the back left support pillar, cracking stone with the force they struck it.

Their eyes snapped up, seeing that Goetia's face was one of complete bafflement. As if he was surprised by the actions he had taken. Sitri's eyes narrowed before they vanished in a flash of light.

Goetia's head swung to the right as he saw Sitri reappear right next to him. Surprisingly enough with their right hand cocked backwards. Chanting rapidly under his breath, Goetia formed a glowing barrier around his body as Sitri released a red blast at close range next to him, the impact sent the golden shell flying through the air before it halted and expanded outwards before rushing down towards Sitri like a serpent.

The gems flashed behind Sitri, a dozen circles manifested around the air before they fired inwards. The crimson beams destroyed the golden spear and rushed through the cloud towards Goetia. Swinging his left hand to the side, a dozen bright blue circles formed behind him and fired forwards, shooting dozens of small projectiles in response.

"Your knowledge remains intact, Goetia." Sitri gave a simple statement of fact before their voice was tinged with confidence "But you cannot compete with my magical reserves." their body flashed out of existence once again and reappeared next to the Holy Grail and the other Sitri's body. "Not as you are now."

Goetia whirled on them, raising his hand once again and unleashing a concentrated beam of light from his fingers. The attack cleared the length of the room in an instant and slammed into the air directly in front of Sitri, looking as though it had struck the surface of water and causing a ripple effect to spread out from the point of impact.

"Your resistance is illogical." Sitri chided him with a frown in their voice "As if your method of thinking. Why do you-?"

Rhea flashed into the chamber again, instantly launching a beam of pure golden light from her hands towards Sitri. The attack struck the same barrier and this time forced the Demon God to put a greater visible effort into halting the attack.

Goetia's eyes darted to Rhea for a moment before they returned to Sitri "Keep them distracted, I will retrieve the prisoners."

Rhea merely grunted in response as she started to advance further, unleashing a myriad of different spells in Sitri's direction and finding them countered at every turn. Goetia flashed away from her and to the side of the Ashen wolves in a split second.

He frowned as he stared at Byleth's unconscious body for a moment before he sighed to himself and turned to the Ashen wolves "I will break your restraints and return you to the surface." he informed them as he reached out his hand and chanted under his breath. The red lights shattered away and allowed the youths to stretch their arms and legs.

Constance released a loud gasp "Freedom has never felt so divine!" she exclaimed before she pointed in Sitri's direction "Now we shall avenge-"

"You will-"

"Behind!" Hapi called out in shock, Goetia was already moving before the words had left the girl's mouth. Forming a barrier around them all and blocking the attack launched against him. Crimson light crashed against them and was redirected to the side, slicing through another pillar and causing a section of the roof to come crashing down.

"Careful!" Constance called out in shock "We will bring this entire chamber down on our heads!"

Goetia frowned. She was correct, the longer this confrontation went on in this confined space, the more chance they had of a stray blast of magical energy collapsing the ceiling atop all of them. Not to mention that the monastery was still above them, the ceiling giving way would no doubt also mean sections of Garreg Mach would come crashing through the hale.

The mass deaths of the population was the outcome he was trying to avoid.

Sitri ceased putting magical energy into the beam, instead their head turned towards the Grail and they extended their hand towards it. The Chalice of Beginnings shone brightly as its shape morphed into a glowing sphere, the light expanded outwards and soon engulfed the body of the other Sitri as well.

"What are you doing!?" Rhea demanded, Sitri raising a casual backhand and blocking another attack from her.

"Dragon-kind Homunculus are just as great a source of magical energy even when deceased." Sitri casually replied as they turned back around to face Rhea "If nothing else, I should also show gratitude to you for having the knowledge to craft such a being. It makes completion of my role all the easier."

The sphere of light retracted inwards, taking with it the Chalice of Beginnings and the body of the other Sitri, growing considerably brighter as it did so before it rushed across the length of the room and struck Sitri in the chest. The orb of light seemingly melted into their chest and out of sight.

Sitri's head slowly turned towards Goetia, their eyes flashing bright red as a purple haze of smoke started to leak from their body. "It is barely enough…but it will suffice."

Goetia's eyes darted upwards to the roof of the chamber they were in. Sitri's next move was obvious. They were going to the surface.

"We must leave, swiftly." Goetia abruptly announced with a sudden urgency in his voice as he took several steps backwards until he was standing next to the students and unconscious Professor.

"The outcome remains the same whether you flee from me or Remain." The smoke emanating from Sitri grew thicker as their body started to change, the cloud started to swirl around them while growing larger and larger. Soon forming a tornado within the halls with only the glowing lights of Sitri being visible through the thick smog. "Death."

Claude watched down from the bridge linking the academy to the Monastery itself, the boy had a thin expression on his face before he heard footsteps approaching. His eyes briefly turned to the right to see Edelgard walking towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"If I did not know better, I would accuse you of sight seeing." She announced as she came to a stop next to him, crossing her arms and lowering the eyebrow again "Fortunate that I do. So…what thoughts trouble you?"

"My, my?" Claude chuckled, resting his hands against the edge of the bridge and turning to Edelgard "Is the Imperial Princess worried about little old me?"

Edelgard gave him a wry smile "I am more worried as for what the consequences might be for the outcome of your next little plan or suggestion." she gave a sideways nod of the head "Then again, they have been educational thus far…in a very runabout way."

"...I suppose." The boy admitted casually as he turned away from her and looked down "Hard to believe all of that was beneath our feet for months and none of us noticed. Isn't it?" he leaned over the bridge and pointed down "Those strange golems were there for who knows how long, maybe since the time of Saint Seiros herself, and no one knew."

"The Church probably knew." Edelgard replied with a grunt "But I suppose your point stands that we were all truly ignorant as to the situation."

"Makes you wonder though, doesn't it?" Claude asked in a curious voice, leaning back and turning to the Heiress "What else is going on that we are all blind to?"

Edelgard stared at him in silence for a few moments before she shrugged her shoulders "There are many secrets in the world and not all of us will have the opportunity - nor the means - to uncover them. We can only hope that the secrets and lies that are truly damaging are put to rest."

Claude snorted "Secrets and lies that are truly damaging." he parroted with an amused expression "Is her Imperial Highness now a paragon of truth?"

Edelgard gave him a flat look "Joke all you wish, but it was the secrets of the Chalice of Beginnings that drew us all into this mess to begin with."

"Holy Grail." Claude corrected with a raised finger "Sparkles calls it the Holy Grail." he lowered it again "Again…he's got a different name for something that exists here in Fodlan. It means that it exists for him back home." his eyes darted to the side "...Or used to at any rate." There was a paused before he hummed "Whatever was impersonating Aelfric also called it a Holy Grail as well."

Edelgard nodded her head "So perhaps the two are from the same land."

"Maybe it's some sort of intelligent demonic beast?" Claude suggested then saw Edelgard give him a mystified expression "Hey, the worlds a big place. We've already got ghosts and the likes to deal with, who says that you can't get smart demonic beasts?"

The white haired girl opened her mouth to respond before she paused, furrowing her brows and looking to the side of the bridge. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear wha-" Claude cut himself off, his jaw snapping shut and his brows creasing as he heard the sound as well.

The pair of them turned towards the chasm beneath the bridge, both leaning over the edge and staring straight down. On either side, they could see the rocks start to shake, loose outcroppings came free and went tumbling down into the valley below all the while a low rumbling shook the ground.

"What the heck?" Claude mumbled aloud, he could hear muffled voices on either side as he and Edelgard watched a small crowd of people moving towards the edge of the bridge and looking down into the valley.

The ground at the base of the valley split open, a deep shuddering groan came from the earth as the cracks started to widen further and further. The gathered audience watched as a deep purple smoke started to leak from the cracks and rise upwards.

"That can't be good." Claude's brows shot up his forehead, Edelgard grunting in affirmation next to him.

Suddenly the ground exploded, large chunks of rock and dirt went flying through the air as something rushed up from the ground. The audience stepped away from the edge of the bridge as the shadow climbed higher and higher into the air. The shadow eventually halted just in front of the sun before suddenly rushing downwards.

People dived to the side in order to avoid the blur crashing into the ground, a deep crack formed through the bridge. Claude and Edelgard staggered for a moment before righting themselves and turning their attention to the thick cloud of purple smoke that now rested upon the bridge in the centre of a small crater.

The smoke seemingly rose up, standing over two metres tall.

With a single powerful blast, the wind parted and revealed the figure in full.

Claude widened his eyes and took a step back in shock.

"Aelfric…"

The head of the being snapped in his and Edelgards direction.

"You." Their voice was deep and reverberating. It turned in the pair's direction and unveiled its new additions. A pair of large bat-like wings protruded from the back of the creature, extending out fully and splitting open to reveal a dozen small glowing orbs in the centre of them. The cross eyed orbs swivelled around before locking onto them.

Physically, there was little difference with the creature they had seen before. Save that their black dress like apparel was now gone. Replaced by double jointed legs with three large toes at the front of the foot and one at the back. In the centre of the creatures chest was a large eye, the orb swivelled around before it too halted on viewing them.

The creatures raised a clawed hand and gazed at it for a moment.

"...Unexpected." They announced as their head turned in the direction of the new appendages on their back. "It would seem the homunculus had a greater impact on me than I believed. No matter." their featureless face turned back in the pair's direction.

"This form will suffice just as easily." The hand clenched into a fist "...I can feel the life drain from your bodies much more intimately this way."

The creature took a single step forwards "I am Sitri, Demon God of the Timeless Temple." they loudly announced "I am the one who shall avenge myself upon humanity, I am the one who shall burn this planet to ash for the sake of my murdered brethren. I am the one who declares themself an enemy of Humanity."

The glowing orbs where their eyes would be narrowed "The Time of Extinction Hath Come."

AN: Demon God descends.

Their motivation is similar enough to Baal because it would make a nice comparison to Goetia to show how much he has changed.

Also yes. A big change to canon.

Namely a Demon God attacking the people of the Monastery.

Also you might be asking "Why does Demon God Sitri not assume their pillar form?"

Simple. Even with the magical energy of the Chalice, they still don't have nearly enough to assume such a mana intensive cost as that. Their body was completely destroyed at the temple and recreating it takes time. A lot of time. Like Goetia said, they were using their paltry reserves to make the humanoid shell and even then, it was going to wipe them out within the next ten or so minutes.

Also the Chalice was empty, even sacrificing Demonic Beasts to it can only afford so much magical energy.

Sitri had to have a choice, they either absorb what little magical energy they can and alter their already formed body, or they can go full Demon God for about two minutes and then burn away into nothing.

The former grants them the opportunity to gain more magical energy than the latter.

Also - like with the Umbral Beast - Foldan!Sitri's dragon heritage affected the body in all the ways that matter.

Namely, Sitri now has wings with small demon god eyes in them. Good for Sitri.

Bad news for everyone else.

So you might be wondering, in his current form how would Sitri stack up to Servants…

Well…

Demon God Sitri

Servant: Assassin

Strength: D

Endurance: D

Agility: E

Mana: B+

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: C

Incineration Ritual - Sitri: C (Anti-Army) Max Target: 100, Max Range: 1-30

Standard Demon God Incineration Ritual, ranked down from B due to low magical energy.

Class Skills:

Territory Creation: D

Magic Resistance: E

Mitigates damage suffered from spells.

Personal Skills:

Mystic Eye of Demon God: B

Can be used in an offensive measure to cause spontaneous incineration or beams of high-powered light. Ranked down from A due to damage suffered from the Temple.

Dragon-kind Modification: D

A small scale Dragon Core he had given himself through consuming Sitri of Fodlan. However, because it is only the body and not the heart or the Crest Stone, it is a low rank. Sitri can briefly enhance their physical strength for a short burst but not much.

4th Seat of Solomon: D

A Demon God from the Temple of Time. As they are from the Control Tower, they were responsible for the passing of information, orders and commands. Sitri still benefits from this role, their high process mind can easily formulate the creation of spells and modify to the surrounding conditions.

Omake: Madness. Madness and Stupidity.

"So when you said the problem came from this location, what exactly did you mean?" Ritsuka asked Da Vinci as the group - plus the B Team - walked through the Monastery "Because it's not very specific."

"I mean all around here." Da Vinci replied with a wave of her hand "This place is positively drowning in GudaGuda particles. Any more and we'd have to evacuate it and declare the Monastery and exclusion zone."

"I don't think we can do that." Ritsuka replied with a strained expression before he turned to the man who was leading them onwards "Can we?"

"You most certainly can not." Seteth replied swiftly, frowning at the group before he turned to Da Vinci "And what are GudaGuda particles? Some manner of strange plague?"

He got several blank looks in return, then watched as Ritsuka, Mash and Da Vinci exchanged glances with each other before looking back at him.

"...Sure." Ritsuka replied after a moment of silence "Something along those lines."

Seteth raised a dubious eyebrow at him and then looked past the Master to his associates, all of which sported similar expressions to him. "...I see." he muttered eventually, reaching up and cupping his chin. "In that case, it is all the more pressing that we handle this situation swiftly to ensure the Monastery is not in further danger. Are the strange…creatures another sign of this plague?"

"Think of them like symptoms." Mash dutifully added on with a nod "They appear whenever we have a GudaGuda crisis."

"Then we should destroy them as they appear?"

"Yes." Seteth turned to his left at the new voice, raising an eyebrow at the young girl in a military uniform with a long red shoulder cape "That is what we should do!" she exclaimed further "Master! First order of business is finding a Holy Grail, after that I can make the modifications-"

"Nobu." Ritsuka narrowed his eyes at the girl "If you say 'make a bomb' I'm not going to be very happy."

Nobunaga clamped her jaw shut for a moment, seemingly debating whether or not to say anything else "...No?"

"Is that what we were making?" Claude asked as he appeared from behind Nobunaga "Because I had no idea." the boy paused for a moment before he spoke up again "What's a bomb?"

"You guys don't have bombs yet?" Ritsuka asked in a puzzled voice before he made a sound of understanding "Actually, when you can just throw fireballs at everything, you probably wouldn't need a bomb, would you?"

"So…bomb?"

"A metal thing that makes a big explosion." Ritsuka honestly replied, then paused and looked to Nobunaga "Don't get any ideas?"

"Eh? Me?" Nobunaga gestured to herself in puzzlement "Why me? Why not Okita or those crazy police guys. They're likely to make bombs."

"Okita."

"Yeah…" Ritsuka slowly raised an eyebrow, prompting Nobunaga to change her tune "Well, maybe not here but definitely Hijikata!"

Ritsuka lowered his eyebrow and frowned "Actually…"

"Fujimaru, if your Servant is currently trying to introduce gunpowder to this land of luddites-" Goetia warned with an annoyed look on his face "It would be perfectly in line with the level of competence I expect from you."

"Shut up, Aniki."

"Only when you prove me wrong, Otouto."

"Moving on to the original purpose here." Seteth spoke up, coughing into his hands and giving a strained expression. "We should plan out how to deal with this…GudaGuda nonsense."

"Listen to Seteth." A melodious voice sang out from the left of the man "He's speaking sense."

"Thank you, mothe-" Seteth cut himself off, giving a guilty look and pinching the bridge of his nose "I am so terribly sorry, Ms Tiamat." he apologised to the horned woman as she smiled at him.

"It's alright." Tiamat assured him "You can call me mother if you want." she paused for a moment "In fact, I insist."

Seteth gave her a puzzled look "...No, no…it's fine…" shaking his head, he turned back to the others "As Ms Tiamat said, we should-"

Tiamat rested a hand on his arm, causing Seteth to turn to her again and raise an eyebrow.

"Mother." She corrected, giving Seteth a parental smile that had the man struggling to look away.

Ritsuka gave a loud sigh, shaking his head and placing his hands on his hips "Tiamat, don't go bullying people into being your children."

"I wasn't-"

"Yes you were." Ritsuka gently corrected her "Besides, we're not from here so you probably aren't his mother in that sense anyway." he turned to Seteth "Who is the primordial God around here anyway?"

"...Sothis." Seteth muttered before shaking his head "Please don't repeat that name out of turn. It's very important."

"Right, right." Ritsuka nodded his head "Don't worry about it." he assured the man before he turned to the B team "Alright gang, spread out and try to find any sign of Nobu's around the Monastery, let us know of the locations that have the highest amount and report back to us here at…"

Ritsuka looked around "Where is this?"

"The mess hall." Goetia responded casually, earning a puzzled look from Ritsuka "I was hungry."

"I could actually go for something myself." Draco stated as she walked forwards "I am rather peckish."

"You're always hungry, you deviant." Goetia snapped back at her, "That's the entire problem."

"I don't see you doing anything better mr 'Oh, I'm so sad when people die, whaaa whaaa'." Draco snapped back at him.

"Bitch."

"Joke."

"Whore."

"Clown."

The two traded insults as they walked further into the mess hall, Ritsuka stared at their retreating figures before he turned to the others behind him "Is it always this hectic or is this a new thing?"

"It's always like this." Surprisingly, Da Vinci was the first to respond "You're just a bit slow on the uptake is all. That and your big brother doesn't care too much about putting on his best face in front of you."

"He's not my brother!" Ritsuka whined, Da Vinci gave him a knowing smirk.

"Isn't he?~" She pointedly looked at Mash for a split second before back at Ritsuka.

"...Shit." Ritsuka cursed under his breath before he shook his head "Alright…this is going to be the weirdest family meal ever though, isn't it?"

"Probably."

"...I'm throwing my food at him if he does something I don't like."

"Please don't do that, Senpai." Mash hastily added on with a frown "You'll only encourage Goetia-nii-chan."

Ritsuka raised his hands and cupped his head "...That is never not going to be weird to hear." he lowered them again "Anyway…while we eat we can trade ideas on who we think has the Holy Grail in this…whatever."

Elsewhere

"With this magical cup in my possession, I shall be granted unlimited fish!"

"Why fish?"

"Huh? Because fish."

"Why not something else like…cow?"

"...Fish."

"Alright then."

"I feel as though I must ask a question, why are you aiding me?"

"I don't want to be pancakes anymore."

"...Do you mean in a metaphorical sense?"

"...No."

"...Oh goodness, are you alright?"

Haagenti sniffled "No."

Flayn reached out, patting the small Demon Pillar twice in a comforting manner "Do not worry strange purple worm…I shall see to it you aren't turned into…You were really turned into a pancake?"

"I don't want to talk about it."