Chapter III: A Reunion Most Repulsive
The strategy meeting had come to a close a while ago. With everyone set on what the plan was for the evening, their current goal was to just refresh and recuperate— they had been basically on their feet and moving for hours, so it was about time they all took the afternoon to kick back a little.
There were three beds in their rather sizable suite— four if they counted the pullout couch— so it was relatively easy to divvy themselves up.
The two Tohsaka sisters took the Master bedroom, after a heartfelt, but ultimately fruitless effort by Kamijou to win it through a game of janken. Honestly, he probably shouldn't have even tried, considering his luck.
"Ah, well."
So instead, here he and Index were, sharing a bed in the opposite room. Next to them were Ciel and Itsuwa's bed, though the former was outside speaking to his blonde classmate while the latter was washing up in the bathroom.
Touma almost felt bad for Tsuchimikado being demoted to the pullout couch…until he remembered the antics that the two of them and Aogami got up to in school, and realized it was probably for the better.
He laid back in bed, his gakuran jacket and shoes removed as he looked up at the ceiling and pondered. He wasn't exactly rearing to fall asleep, but he did realize he probably needed this time to rest for a while.
His thoughts quickly led him to Ciel's words during their group meeting.
'"I won't bat an eye", huh?'
He felt his face tighten up as he repeated that phrase over and over in his head. 'So Ciel wouldn't care if Terra was killed…?'
He didn't know how to feel about that declaration. He was of the opinion that, given an opportunity, everyone should be given a chance to be saved, even if they committed heinous acts.
Then again, he also considered the possibility of Terra and Ciel having some sort of history. 'He probably slighted her in some way…or did something horrible that she couldn't forgive him for.'
If that was the case, it wasn't his place to get in the way of her opinion. He still disagreed with it, though.
Nodding to himself, he made a note to ask Ciel about it later as he sat up and turned to Index, who was quietly reading through a French magazine next to him. Her nun coif was removed and on a nearby coat hangar, leaving her silver hair sprawled across her pillow.
"Y'know Index, it's actually kinda nice to sleep in a real bed for once."
"Really? That's craaazy." Index replied, flippantly turning through a page.
Touma's shoulders slumped. "Y-You don't care, do you?"
"I'll care if you get a Queen-size. I wouldn't mind sharing the bed, then."
"You and I both know I can't afford that."
"And that's why you're in the bathtub, silly." She smirked at him. He felt his eyebrow involuntarily flinch.
Every day, he had half a mind to just toss her out of his apartment and send her over to Tsuchimikado or something— he was just next-door, after all— but after all this time, he's honestly learned to somewhat tolerate her existence. Somewhat.
At the very least, during and after the events of the Holy Grail War, she's learned to cook her own meals and clean up herself when he's not home. He couldn't call her a freeloader anymore…
'Well, I still technically could.'
…but at least she was pulling some of her weight.
Deciding to change the subject, Touma turned his gaze back up to the beige-colored ceiling as he continued the conversation. "So, Index…about your story about the Dead Apostles. It's not that I don't believe you, 'cause of your perfect memory and all…
…but what's that about the Planets being alive?"
He understood Esper powers. He could get Magecraft, and Magic, and supernatural heroes from the past and vampiric bloodsuckers.
What he couldn't get was the fact that the very land he walked on was actually living and breathing just like he was.
"What, does Gaia have a Brain and Soul like humans do, or…?"
Index set down her magazine and furrowed her brow at Touma's last remark. "Well I mean you're not incorrect…"
"…wat."
"…But not literally." Index finished. She sat up to continue her history lesson a little. "The Planets are alive, but they're not one-hundred percent sentient and autonomous like we humans are. It's more like…a subconscious defense system? Like an antivirus software that prevents the computer— in this case the planet— from being destroyed or corrupted."
"How do you know what antivirus softwares are?" Touma asked.
"That's what you got out of…? Nevermind. Listen, I just read a lot when you're gone, and all that's around are boring school textbooks."
Index cleared her throat and continued. "All Planets— from Mercury to Pluto, and yes Pluto is a dang planet, have this defense system, and are capable of communicating with each other. That's how the Earth and Moon were able to collaborate and create the True Ancestors."
"Wait, but the Moon isn't a Planet."
"Don't think about it too hard. It's basically just any large celestial body…oh, but the Sun doesn't seem to have one."
Touma was twitching with confusion and, quite frankly, frustration. "A-Are there any rules to these things?!"
Index shrugged. "I dunno, Touma. These are high-level, celestial entities we're talking about. We only know so much about them since they're so powerful. They make Angra Mainyu and the Archangels look like ants in comparison."
Touma's eyes finally widened in understanding and slight fear as Index finally put it into perspective for him.
The Angel Fall incident with Gabriel not too long ago was a global crisis, and Angra Mainyu was, according to Illya and Gilgamesh, a world-ending threat…and Index just casually mentioned that these celestial entities were far, far above that.
"Well…no kidding." Touma sighed.
"Ah, relaaax." Index patted him on the head. "We don't have to worry about those things, anyway. All we have to worry about are Dead Apostles, which are like…Servant-level or stronger, about."
"That's still pretty bad."
"At least we're not fighting a Celestial Body!" Index exclaimed optimistically. "There's only been one person in all of human history that's ever been successful at doing that."
"You're not making my feeling of dread any better, to be honest." Kamijou admitted. "…but yeah, you're right. Just have to deal with some vampires…when I put it that way, it doesn't seem too overwhelming."
"Mhm, mhm." Index grinned. "That's the spirit, Touma."
He broke into an exasperated smile. Index's positive nature always brought him up from his utter misfortune— even if she was the cause of it sometimes.
Pulling himself out of bed, he figured the hour or so he spent laying there was enough as he stretched his limbs and headed towards the door to the living room. "I'm gonna go catch up with the others."
"'Kaaay."
xXx
Avignon was loud.
That's the first thing Sakura Matou thought of when she entered the town, and it was still the foremost thought in her mind as she stood at the balcony and quietly gripped the railing.
The shouts and announcements of protest filled her head. She didn't want to be caught up in her own thoughts in bed, especially since Rin was still busy in the shower…but despite the outside gifting her fresh air, she didn't know how to feel about its general atmosphere.
Gazing down, she couldn't help but feel a heaviness in her heart at the demonstrators below. 'Being manipulated by things beyond your control…
…and that Dead Apostle, taking their lives…
…'
She bit the inside of her lip. The past week, her life had been quiet…but it was clear that around the world, it was anything but peaceful.
"You're going to keep living."
That Einzbern girl's words were always present in her head. Even when things were absolutely quiet, or absolutely loud…she always heard them.
They were a constant reminder of what her existence was, now.
"This is the consequence of revenge, Sakura.
But you still have something. By doing this, I'm reuniting you with your family.
What are you going to do about it?"
She gripped the iron railing so hard she felt like she could break it.
The Church that was manipulating, controlling their own followers against their will…that monster that was taking their lives without a second thought…
She knew someone who was just like that.
She knew someone who was just as much of a monster as those Dead Apostles.
…she hated that person. But there was nothing she could do about the actions that they had already caused.
…so instead, she resolved on the next best thing.
Sakura Matou took in a deep breath, just as she heard the door to the balcony slide open.
"Sakura?" Rin's voice resounded behind her. Turning her head, she saw that her elder sister had just freshly exited the shower, a towel tied upon her head and a long t-shirt.
Before Rin said anything more, she quickly understood what Sakura was feeling just from a few seconds of reading her body language. Even though they had been apart for more than a decade, Rin was quick to pick up on her sister's nonverbals again. "…Those thoughts getting to you, again?"
Sakura gave a weak smile, and looked at her own hand. "…A little, Neesan. But…it's a bit different now."
"How so?"
"…I know what I have to do. There's…there's enemies here that are just as bad as I was.
…So I have to make sure they don't win. If I have to…I'll cut them off myself."
Her expression hardened. In response, Rin's softened, if only by a little.
"I'm glad you're determined, Sakura. Just…" Rin grabbed her hands, "…remember that defeating Terra and the Dead Apostle won't solve all your problems. It sure as hell won't solve mine either…but it's a step in the right direction, though. So all the same…if you feel like you can't handle it on your own, lean on me. We'll take care of it together."
"Right, Neesan."
Their grip on each other's hands hardened. Rin blinked in surprise as she felt a third sensation touch her palm from the shadows.
Standing atop a dresser nearby them, a small, humanoid-esq shadow creature extended its limb atop their's.
"Oh! Hey, little guy." Rin smiled at it. It waved quietly back. "You gonna help us out, too?"
It seemed to nod— well, whatever counted for nodding with its lack of a defined head, before it hopped onto Sakura's shoulder and patted her on the cheek.
"Stop thaaat." Sakura protested. It did not oblige her.
Rin giggled. She still wasn't sure what that Shadow was, exactly: whether it was a positive remnant of the actual, malicious Shadow that had been following her and her allies throughout the Grail War…or if it was some sort of projected subconscious of Sakura herself, or if it was some sort of Familiar…
…either way, it seemed to entertain, distract, and even help Sakura, so Rin left it be.
Just as they were finishing their moment, the two Tohsaka sisters heard a light knock on the door.
"Can I come in?"
Rin gulped. 'Ah, crap. That's Kamijou…'
She looked down, and realized her lack of any bottoms. "Uhhh…Sakura will let you in, Kamijou-kun! Just…gimme one sec!"
She rushed to the bathroom. After taking in what just happened with a blink, Sakura went over to do what she was asked. She saw the Shadow disappear from her shoulder— either slinking into the dark crevices of the room, or actually vanishing for the time being.
Upon opening the door, Kamijou greeted her with a kind smile and friendly wave. "Yo, Sakura. I saw Ciel maintenancing her Seventh Holy Scripture thing, so decided to come here."
"H-Hi, Kamijou-san…" She scratched her chin. She never really could figure out what to say to him.
Touma Kamijou was who saved her, that fateful night. He was the one who ultimately broke the bond between her and Angra Mainyu, with Shirou being the one that cut open the path.
Unfortunately, after such an emotional conversation like that…any other topics between the two afterward did feel a little awkward. At least on her part.
On Kamijou's part, he quickly figured that Sakura wouldn't really respond well to small-talk, so he decided to cut right to the chase. "Are you ready for tonight?"
"…Mm." The lilac-haired Tohsaka nodded. "I am. I'll fight— as best as I can. I told Neesan just now that I don't want Avignon to end up…"
She paused. She didn't speak of what came next, but they both knew what she meant.
'…to end up like what I did to Academy City.'
"…I'll stop it. I'll lend my hand." She finished.
Touma gave a grin. "Right. Seems we're on the same page, then."
"Count me in that too." A voice said from the bathroom. A beat later, the door slid open: revealing a certain crimson magus dressed in red and black.
For a half-second, Touma doted on the sight of Rin's leggings, which perfectly accentuated the curves of her thighs…before suddenly realizing that was a strange though to have and he cut himself halfway.
'Stop it.' He admonished himself.
He instead decided to comment on the fact that despite Rin's hair being brought up in her signature twintails, it did seem to fall a bit damply on her shoulders. "You showered, Rin?"
"Yeah," she admitted, "felt a little dirty after the plane ride. I also feel like we're not gonna get another chance to wash up for a while, so I decided to take care of it now while I can."
"Makes sense." He said. Touma suddenly felt as if he should do the same— though considering they were probably leaving soon, he didn't want to hold the party back.
"Mm…" Rin trailed off. She scooted past her sister and Touma as she approached the glass sliding door to the balcony. Outside, the streets and rooftops of Avignon were easily visible, since they were a good four or five stories up. "…You know…I've been studying practically my whole life for the Holy Grail War. It's…basically been my meaning for continuing all this time. Now that it's over…well, I've been trying to find a new meaning.
It's been a bit hard. You probably know how it is, Kamijou-kun."
Kamijou sighed. That was putting things pretty lightly. "…Yeah. Finding a purpose in life is a long road…I wouldn't expect to find it a week after you just finished your first meaning, you know?"
"Heh. Yeah." Rin chuckled. "Sure, there's college, studying in Britain, all that…well, ignoring the fact that Britain is kinda fogged up right now, but…"
She turned and bit her lip. "…This trip to Avignon, and eventually to Britain…I really do hope I'll find what I'm looking for."
"We all hope for that, I think." Touma said. "Right, Sakura?"
The lilac-haired mage nodded her head. "I think…I think all of us are missing something." She said. "…It's up to us to fill that void."
"What are you going to do about it, Sakura?"
She tightened her gaze, and lifted up her fist for Touma and Rin to bump. "For now, I want to save Avignon. Then…let's go from there."
That, at least, they could all agree on. Rin and Touma quickly followed Sakura's lead.
Just then, they heard the door to their room click open, accompanied by a gentle feminine voice.
"Hey um…we're getting ready to lea— oh! Are you guys doing a group huddle thing?"
Touma and the two sisters turned to see Itsuwa waving at them, her head poking out from behind the door. "Care to join, Itsuwa-san?" Rin asked.
"Oh! U-Um…sure."
The look on Itsuwa's face made Touma realize that she was probably excited to simply be included. Out of everyone here, she definitely stuck out a little bit— only because she hadn't been directly involved in the Holy Grail War.
An event like that tends to make people bond. Fortunately, it didn't mean they couldn't make any more.
Itsuwa pressed her hand into their little circle of fists. "Okay," she started, "I guess we can use this chance to go over Ciel's plan one more time. Let's recite it. Ready?"
The three of them agreed. Touma decided to speak first. "So—"
xXx
The first step was to get to the Palais des Papes in the first place. It was about an hour walk from the hotel, and by the time they got there the sun would already be pretty low in the sky. Twilight was when Dead Apostles would first start to come out of the woodworks, so it would be practically perfect timing.
During their trip there, Ciel would call Terra of the Left, and inform him that she changed her mind, and would agree to ally with him.
"I got invited earlier and…heheh…let's just say it did not go well. And also it was kind of my fault. Apologies, that's on me. Hopefully he accepts my 'change of heart'…"
Luckily, he did. After getting approval from Terra of the Left to enter the Palais des Papes, Ciel went on ahead to "discuss" with him.
Really, her intention was only to buy time. Since their goal was to use Terra as bait, they needed to wait until the Dead Apostle appeared to eliminate them.
Which led them to step two: dealing with the Dead Apostle itself.
As Touma walked along the streets of Avignon, bringing up the rear while Itsuwa guided the front, he recalled the overview that Ciel gave about Dead Apostles during their earlier group meeting.
"There are nine ranks to the Dead Apostles, denoted by the Roman Numerals I through IX. The higher the number, the more dangerous, and more powerful the Dead Apostle is. Starting from the weakest, the ranks are called…"
Stages I-III were called Corpses, Ghouls, and Undeads, respectively. These were the lowest classes of Apostles, and with enough preparation could be defeated by well-trained mages. Their main danger came from their sheer numbers.
Afterwards is where it already became tricky. IV and V were called Nightkins and Nightmares.
"…These ones are concerning. Unlike the former that rely on superhuman power and speed, these ones start to manifest special powers based on their Master Dead Apostle. Usually, only the Holy Church's Executors can hold them down."
But it simply got worse from there.
Rank VI and VII: The Inferior and Superior Dead Apostles. These were also the ranks that Ciel theorized were behind the secret invasion of Avignon.
If they were the main enemy, then Touma had a right to be concerned, considering what Ciel said about them.
"…At this point, they're on the level of Servants. I'd argue that they could be stronger, depending on the matchup. I'd compare Caster of the Fifth War to the strength of a Superior Dead Apostle…if that puts things into perspective."
And finally…
"Rank VIII and IX. To be honest, I doubt they would appear here. Their sheer power, some of which surpass Angra Mainyu, would make Avignon way below their station. Of course, anything could happen…but I doubt an Ancestor would make this town their target."
The Dead Apostle Ancestors, and their Successors. There were Twenty-Seven Ancestors in total, each with immense strength that surpassed that of even the strongest of Servants.
According to Ciel, an Ancestor had something called an Idea Blood: a principle that defined their status as an Ancestor. Essentially, it was their inverted, dark version of a Noble Phantasm.
If Touma had to face one of those…
He took a glance at his right arm. 'I doubt this would be enough. Hell, I'm not even sure if what's in my arm would be enough.'
While they had the plan with Terra on-lock, what they couldn't quite account for was the arrival of the Dead Apostle. Not even Ciel was sure who it was, or even how many— only that if they were going to strike at any point, it would be around now, at the break of night.
What Kamijou and the others had to rely on was Ciel's expertise, and they had to trust in her plan that it would all work out.
The third step was the entrapment: for both Terra, and for the Dead Apostle. Once they revealed themselves, Ciel would immediately chase it down, and hopefully neutralize it on her own. While Terra would take that chance to escape. Kamijou and the others will engage him, and disable and destroy the Document of C.
Hopefully, killing two birds with one stone, as planned.
Now only a few minutes' walk away from the Palace, Touma and the others really started to feel the crowds from the demonstration. They were walking along the edge of the streets where there were less people; but in the center, there must have been hundreds of people marching angrily down the town, shouting in protest to Academy City's presence.
In a way, Touma couldn't blame them. Tsuchimikado had also earlier mentioned that Academy City sent personnel to Avignon exclusively, to deal with the Document of C. Since their rest at the hotel, they had noticed several Academy City Powered Suits monitoring the streets, with more than a few rotten foodstuffs thrown at them.
Since they looked clearly foreign, Tsuchimikado gestured for them to keep a low profile; if any of the demonstrators noticed them and learned that they were from Academy City, the situation could get ugly pretty quickly.
Luckily, they were almost at their destination. Turning a few corners, the centerpiece of Avignon suddenly came within sight.
'Woah. It was kinda small from the hotel, but this up-close…'
Kamijou looked on in awe at the massive, medieval, well, Palace before his eyes. Built from master mason-workers hundreds of years past, the Palais des Papes was a sight to behold. Multiple gothic towers stood high into the air, with the tallest crowned by the statue of a Pope whose name was escaping Touma's tongue.
In front of the Palais des Papes was a decently large courtyard, which led up to a set of staircases approaching the main entrance. In the courtyard, however, was the typical sight for Avignon these days: a massive crowd of demonstrators, shouting their grievances in French.
He checked his pocket for his phone. The signal for them to approach was Ciel speed-dialing Kamijou— that was the sign that the Dead Apostle had shown itself, and that Terra of the Left was on the run.
He was still slightly skeptical about this whole operation, since it all relied on Ciel's unproven theory that there was a Dead Apostle here in the first place, but…
"…Yeah, I can certainly sense it." Rin said. "…the mana in the atmosphere…it feels stifled by something. Like something in the air is choking out the magical energy."
Only something supernaturally attuned, and physically powerful could do something like that…which did add at least some credibility to Ciel's theory. That, on top of the Missing Persons, as well as her comment that she's run into more low-rank Dead Apostles than usual in France, well…
Kamijou gulped lightly. As long as they stuck to their guns and trusted in Ciel, they'd make it out of this alright.
"Why do I not care if Terra dies or not, Kamijou-kun?"
He suddenly remembered, upon admiring the Palace's ramparts, the words he and Ciel exchanged before they left the hotel.
"…It's simple. He didn't help me. So…I won't help him."
He supposed that was a difference that he couldn't reconcile between them. Ciel was much more pragmatic than he was.
He'd try to save anyone, even if they were evil. No one truly should be subject to death.
Ciel, however, would cut the wire if she found it necessary. Not out of unfounded malice, but from simple apathy.
At this point, however, he couldn't let those differences get in the way of potentially thousands of people's lives.
All he, and the rest of them were waiting for now was the signal.
xXx
Stepping through the hallways of the Palais des Papes, she couldn't help but admire the internal architecture. Indeed, it seemed like the humans who worked on it were masters of their craft. Even hundreds of years later, the Palace still stood firmly tall.
She passed by a handful of people every so often, with each one not paying her any mind. Even though some might've been suspicious of her, she easily turned them away with a simple suggestion spell that she learned in her training the past three or so years.
They didn't need to be involved. Not now, anyway.
She only had one person that she really wanted to talk to— and he was just ahead.
The doors to the Grand Chapel were shut, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Reaching up, she gripped the copper handles tightly, and pulled the twenty-something lacquered door open with a mighty creak.
Upon laying her eyes within the hall of le Grande Chapelle, she smiled as she finally found who she was looking for.
Before she could speak, he noticed her first. His wrinkly, elderly skin, shark-like, triangular teeth and slitted eyes made for a rather unappealing appearance. The green, gaudy clothes he wore didn't help his case in the slightest, either.
She casually made her way over to him, while he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, then in concern.
"…Little girl." He spoke out. "…Where are your parents? Why aren't you accompanied by a guardian? This Palace is quite large, you know— you could get lost in its magnificent corridors."
"…"
The girl snickered, then broke into a tiny giggle.
"…Heh. No. I think I'm exactly where I wanna be."
She glanced at the only sources of natural light coming out of the room: the two massive glass windows at the far end of the hall. Luckily, the already setting sun was only giving off a slight orange glow, giving the room an ethereal, twilit atmosphere.
The man narrowed his already thin eyes. "…Uh-huh. Well…if you are where you want to be, then why are you here, exactly?
And may I get a name, young one?"
The girl blinked. She was surprised to find out her suggestion spell was actually working on him. If it didn't, then he would have been hostile by now, or even way back when she entered the Palace in the first place.
'This…is going to be way easier than I thought. Hehe.'
"…My name is…" She started to speak out, but then held her tongue. "…Mm. On second thought, I'd rather not say. Not until you answer a question of mine."
"Oh?" The man in green raised a brow. "Go right ahead."
"Hmmm…" The girl scratched her chin, seemingly in pondering thought.
But of course— she didn't need to think of a question. She's had one for the past three years. "…Ah. Got it.
Why are you such a liar, Terra of the Left?"
…
At that moment, the suggestion spell shattered at the girl's own behest.
Terra's eyes immediately widened as he summoned his weapon into his hand. Flour burst out from around him, shaping into floating whips that could slice and dice as he gripped one of them in his palm.
"Precedence!" Terra yelled. "Mystic Eyes lower, Body highe—"
"Toooo late."
The girl's eyes triggered in an instant.
The flour from Terra's powers were instantly overcome by a wind of flowing rose petals that swept around him and threatened to swallow him whole.
The girl walked forward, a grin across her face as her eyes sparked to life with bloodred light.
"Do you really have to speak to activate your spell? How simple. How pathetic. I guess in that way, it really does fit a man like you."
The flour around Terra fell uselessly to the floor. He himself collapsed to his knees, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as foam began to seep out of his mouth.
He had been completely, entirely engulfed by her Mystic Eyes of Roses, and put up nearly no resistance.
"Ahaha!" She cheered as she locked her sights on him, and never let go. "That's it, that's it! Experience the fear you felt on that day! Forever and ever and ever, until your last measly breaths!
That's what you sick, repulsive, pitiful God's Right Seat members deserve!"
xXx
Three years ago, just outside of a certain village in France, two members of God's Right Seat watched on.
A man dressed in white and blue, watching in self-admonishment and grief in not arriving in time.
And next to him was…a man dressed in green, collapsed on the floor as he watched impossibly powerful, nigh-demonic monstrosities lay waste to human life by the dozens in seconds.
"Fiamma didn't send Vento of the Front. Liar, liar, pants on fire.
He sent YOU. You, and Acqua. At least Acqua had decency to try and save someone…but you? You ran away. Like a coward."
Terra gasped as he suddenly realized that this was no simple vision.
The spell that that Dead Apostle had put him under…it was an illusion that was so unbelievably vivid and lucid, that it was effectively real.
He felt his heartbeat pumping out of his chest. His lungs hyperventilating…all because of witnessing those invincible monsters ahead of him.
He stumbled onto his feet, and tried to take a step back.
But just as he did, the scene around him changed in an instant.
Acqua was no longer by his side. He was alone, amongst nothing but…
…bodies. Bodies, bodies, bodies, nothing but tortured, dead, rotting bodies. The only ones that were moving were corrupt, walking corpses, their humanity stripped of them down to their very soul.
Their former homes were burning to ash. A disgusting stench of rotting flesh and burning smoke filled Terra's lungs.
"Who gives two shits if you purified all of your Original Sin? What you did that night…or what you didn't do, rather, was more sinful than any atrocity any Dead Apostle could commit. We have to kill and eat humans. It's in our nature. No different from a wolf preying upon a deer.
…But you're aligned with the Archangels. You should be divine and holy, just like them. So…why?
Why oh why, why did you forsaken us?
Forsaken…me?"
There was one conscious girl, crying amongst the heat and blood and rotting bodies.
Her clothes were tattered. Her parents were long gone. Her home was destroyed.
She wanted it all to stop…
…and it was granted to her.
A Dead had caught up to her, grabbed her by the shoulder, and plunged its teeth into her neck.
Her eyes went blank. Her body limped. The Dead released her, and she limply fell to the ground.
…but then, Terra saw something that could only be interpreted as a sick inverse of a biblical miracle.
He gazed up at this impassable walls, and saw one of the beings far above them had taken pity upon the girl.
A vine wrapped around the girl's body. As blood spilled into the earth, and the ashes danced and fell across the sky, the girl was slowly lifted up into the blood red heavens.
She would be human no more.
"I was a pious girl like you. I prayed to the Father every night. I believed in the Trinity. I believed in the Archangels that you and your partners align with.
When we were attacked…I prayed for them, so badly, to save me. But they never did. You never did.
So…go to hell. I'll drag you down there with me, if I have to.
I was saved. Just like you, I abandoned my humanity.
But if there was one difference between us…"
xXx
The vision ended.
Terra found himself gazing up at the ceiling, his body fallen to its knees as he slowly realized that reality had come back to him.
No longer was he sweating from impossible heat, or gagging from impossible smells.
He was back in Avignon.
…but a sensation that he only just registered made his body sink once more. He gasped for air, but it only proved painful.
He grabbed at his chest, and realized there was something sticking out from his torso.
He looked down…and the blade of a greyish, silver sword pierced from his back and out of his stomach.
"A-Ah…ahhhh…"
He sputtered. He could no longer announce his Light's Execution.
Instead, all he could do was await his own.
"If there was one difference between us…"
The girl spoke out to him again. Through his messy, fallen green hair, he saw the youthful Dead Apostle up close.
Auburn hair, and a dark purple and pink outfit, much too revealing for a girl of her apparent age to wear. Her eyes narrowed, pairing perfectly with her snarky smile.
"…It's that we're not hypocrites."
The sword pulled out of him. The second-to-last thing he felt was the coldness of its edge as it exited his body.
And the last thing he felt…it only lasted a second.
A dull pain in his neck, as something razor sharp cleaved it clean in two.
His head collapsed before his body did. In his darkening vision, all he could see was his own, decapitated body squirting with blood before falling limply…
"Goodbye, Terra of the Left."
…as well as the sweet, sadistic smile of a girl he failed to save.
xXx
The sun had already set. The curtain of the night was beginning to fall on the town of Avignon, with a twilight dusk as the opening act.
The protestors and demonstrators never seemed to let up. Meanwhile, Kamijou and the others stood at the sidelines, watching everything unfold as they waited for Ciel's signal.
One thing was starting to bother them, though.
"…It's been a little while." Index muttered. "Do you think we should go in, ourselves?"
Tsuchimikado clicked his tongue. "While I think the plan should be stuck to…if it really is taking a while, maybe the more capable ones of us should at least check-in."
Meaning some combination of Rin, Itsuwa, and Touma. One group would head back to home base, while the other would go on ahead.
It had been a while. They split off from Ciel about an hour ago, and she should have arrived at the Palais des Papes about half an hour before they did…meaning she'd spent a good thirty-or-so minutes there.
Before they could move at all, though, Touma turned as he felt a rather assertive tap on his shoulder.
"Pardon."
A local man, a head or so taller than him, looked at him with a scowl. Behind him were a dozen or so people glaring the same daggers as he was.
The man asked a question that Kamijou couldn't understand. Index and those were were familiar with French, however, could.
"Hey. You lot aren't from around here, aren't you?"
Even though he couldn't quite get it, he could tell by their general body language that they saw right through their ethnicities.
"Some of you look East Asian…you wouldn't happen to be from Academy City, are you?"
"Of course they are! Look at how nervous their faces are!"
"Your city's the spawn of the devil himself!"
"Rot in hell, sinners!"
Touma flinched as one of the protestors grabbed him by the arm. Quickly, he pulled away— though that didn't stop others from trying to reach out to him.
He frantically turned to Tsuchimikado, who mouthed just one word.
"Run."
'Yeah, that's kind of obvious…!'
He turned on his heels, intending to bring up the rear and make sure everyone was accounted for. Index, Sakura, Itsuwa and Tsuchimikado were ahead of him, a good distance away from the aggressive demonstrators, but—
"H-Hey!"
His eyes widened as one of the larger men got hold of Rin's sleeve, and was trying to pull her toward him.
He saw the crimson mage tighten her fist, her face growing into a wrathful scowl.
Realistically, he knew she'd be able to fend him off. Realistically, he didn't have to do a damn thing.
Rin Tohsaka was capable. In many ways, much more capable than him.
But—
Something in his hollow heart screamed.
He pushed off with his legs, and lunged forward.
"Wha—?"
The man barely registered him as he used his entire body, and slammed himself into the assailant like a battering ram.
The man collapsed to the floor, almost in shock and unable to move from what just happened. His colleagues also had that same look of surprise.
Touma Kamijou panted hastily. For some reason, felt his vision blur and darken around the edges.
Something inside of him wanted to do more.
But a tight hand on his wrist calmed him down immediately. "Let's go!"
He looked to Tohsaka. Her face looked nearly as shocked as the man's on the floor…only laced with a good bit of gratitude.
"Thanks." She mouthed.
They ran off before the scene got any worse.
At least, in that regard.
A deep, guttural rumble quaked up his shoes and into Touma's ears. He grunted, catching himself along a nearby wall as he was nearly taken off of his feet.
"An earthquake…? Here?" Rin questioned. "Sakura! Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, Neesan!"
Looking ahead, it seemed like everyone in the party was still kicking. The rumble had, however, caused the crowds to cease their shouts of protests.
He looked behind them. The people that assaulted them hadn't pursued them, which was a relief.
But he didn't feel relieved, himself. In fact…
'…It's almost night time…an earthquake at this hour…'
"…Something about this doesn't add up." Touma said. "…That quake didn't feel coincidental."
"I agree." Index said. "I think Ciel was right after all. Considering the timing, I think the thing that caused that was—"
"AHHHHH! What the hell is that thing?!"
For a brief second, everything in Avignon went utterly, entirely silent.
No noise, after that screams of what sounded like a horrified woman.
Crunch.
Something organic snapped in two.
And immediately after, hell broke loose.
Somehow, Touma could tell underneath Tsuchimikado's sunglasses that his eyes had tightened into a scowl. "…Shit."
Terrified faces ran past them, their pale faces as white as a ghost's.
"W-What the hell is that thing?!"
"Run! Run away! Stop this stupid protest and RUN!"
"W-Wait! Where's my daughter?! I can't leave without her!"
The protests were long gone…and something else had started.
Kamijou nor the others could see it, but they knew it was just beyond the sea of people.
The crowds had become a disorganized array, running in every possible direction.
"What's going on over there?!" Touma shouted.
Itsuwa's face turned into a sweat-filled grimace as she opened her palm and produced her spear. "I-I'll take a look!"
She hopped into the air. Gripping tightly, she slammed her spearhead into the adjacent building, roughly a story above everyone else. At that height, she had a clear vantage point over everyone else— and everyone was too busy running to notice her superhuman feats, nor would they care if they did.
The young Amakusa member scanned the stampeding crowds…
"Itsuwa!" Touma shouted. "What do you see, up there—?!"
He paused.
Itsuwa's face seemed shell shocked at the sight of something horrid ahead of them.
"N-No…already…? And why so…many…?!"
Something inhuman and nightmarish suddenly howled, deafening all of their ears.
It was the cry of a wolf…but something about it sounded off, like the wrong stroke of a piano key.
Kamijou and the others turned.
The crowds had finally retreated as best they could, allowing them to see what had caused that sudden shift.
One moment, it was a protesting crowd of hundreds.
The next, it was a fleeing stampede filled with terror at what had just made itself known.
Indeed, something monstrous had crawled from the shadows. Now that the sun was nearly gone, it was finally time for them to emerge.
Walking corpses wandered to and fro, their stained clothes dripping with blood. Their skin, pale and half decayed, their arteries and veins visible through their paper thin skin.
Amongst them, rabid hounds with gleaming crimson eyes prowled, walking their darkened red paws over unmoving bodies.
"A-Ah…"
Kamijou took a step back.
He had been warned of what they were ever since he had gotten to Avignon.
But now, the reality had just shown itself before him— and dozens upon dozens in number.
"Dead…Apostles…" He uttered.
"Oi! Kami-yan!" Tsuchimikado yelled. The dead-serious voice of his usually joke-cracking classmate broke him out of his trance almost immediately. "Get a damn hold of yourself! We need to get to Ciel…unfortunately, those things are blocking the damn way!"
It was true. The path to the Palais des Papes was now riddled with countless bodies and walking, groaning corpses.
"It's even worse." Rin said. "Behind us. They're behind us, too."
He pivoted his head, and nearly cursed aloud.
The streets were also becoming overwhelmed with undead Apostles. The crowds that had tried running were suddenly pinned from all sides.
Some stampeded and managed to squeeze past. The less fortunate…
He cringed as the Apostles grabbed their bodies with a vice grip, and sunk their teeth into their necks arms— wherever they could get their mouths into.
The bitten men, women, and even children squirmed helplessly, their eyes rolling to the back of their throat as a soul-bending force corrupted their bodies.
If they couldn't handle it, they fell. Lifeless.
If they could…they would stagger to their feet, and move like the rest of the undead.
'It's like whoever had planned this, intended to pincer us all at once.' Kamijou thought. 'Dammit…dammit! Everything's out the damn window, now!'
He noticed some of the Dead were starting to turn their attention toward them. He took in a breath, and settled his nerves as best he could.
He glanced at the others. They all, in some way, shape, or form, had the same fearful look as he did.
But…they only had one option.
Forward.
xXx
The interior of the palace was completely empty.
No one was inside. Not a single soul, except for a certain Burial Agent, walked the grand, decorative halls of the Palace of Popes.
The lack of human life immediately put her on edge. The pressure she felt— that dreadful feeling that something vampirically malevolent was nearby— made her even more so.
The more she moved forward, the more she felt like just her ordinary Executor outfit wouldn't be enough. Luckily, she could apply her combat-ready dress in a moment's notice, so she kept that spell on-tab as she approached where she last met Terra.
"Le Grande Chapelle."
The Grand Chapel: the most impressive part of the Palace. Inside is where she hoped Terra of the Left would be— all that was blocking her was a pair of tall, double wooden doors.
She took a breath, and gripped the metal handle.
'At the end of today…one more Dead Apostle will be gone.
And God's Right Seat will be put in their place.'
She assertively opened the door.
The Grand Chapel revealed itself in all of its glory.
"Wha—?!"
And all of its horror.
For lying there,
Absolutely motionless,
Was a pool of thick blood, soaking the headless body of the one who was once called Terra of the Left.
A clean stab wound to the torso, and the clean, precise and smooth stub of his neck made it clear to Ciel that the person that had executed him was quick, methodical, and purposeful.
Terra was not slaughtered out of malice, but rather out of obligation. Instead of being tortured to his last moments, at least physically, it was instead akin to a firing squad execution.
She pitied his death. She did not, however, regret it in the slightest.
"…If it weren't by them, It may have been from me." Ciel uttered, right under her normal-paced breath.
It was true the sight was horrific…but Ciel had simply seen much more nightmarish terrors, even in her brief time as a Burial Agent.
So instead of mourning his death, or even considering where to bury him, Ciel's attention was more affixed to who had done it, rather than to who had died.
'His head is missing. Whomever killed him must have taken it as some sort of prize.
The way he died was planned. No injury upon his body was made wrathfully or angrily. He was executed, not simply murdered.
…I was right. Terra was a target. But…'
She narrowed her eyes as she came upon a sudden revelation.
Her plan was to use Terra as bait to get whoever was targeting him out in the open.
She, however, didn't realize that the opposite could also be true.
'…They weren't just here for Terra.
They were here for—"
Her eyes shot up.
She immediately produced a triple-set of Black Keys in her hand as she sensed the magical energy in the room suddenly spiked. Not just spike— but invert in nature.
A malicious sensation began creeping into the grand room. Ciel observed as, through the multiple side-entrances to the chapel, creeped out a pinkish mist that obscured the cold stone floors.
"Tch." She grimaced. She didn't like this Dead Apostle's need for theatrics. "You're testing my patience, vampire. Show yourself, this instant."
Ciel's ear twitched as she heard the main doorway creak open.
In a heartbeat, she spun on her heels and fired one of her Black Keys directly at the entrance. With her strength, she could hurl them faster than a crossbow arrow.
Yet all she could do was grit her teeth as it failed to hit its mark.
Instead, she watched as the Black Key immediately stopped in its tracks; held back by an unnatural, pinkish green vine, which wrapped around it like a tentacle.
Her weapon and the vine burned and hissed at each other like acid, until the ropes of green melted and dissipated onto the floor.
But that wasn't what she was worried about.
The click of heeled footsteps immediately caught Ciel's attention. Within the pink mist, she could tell there was the silhouette of someone petite.
"Ehehe. I went to a lot of trouble to make my entrance dramatic, you know. The least you can do is commend me~"
Ciel didn't say a single word.
The enemy before her didn't deserve to converse with her, after all.
The mist began to fade onto the floor. Vines crept outward across the stone, marking the Dead Apostle's territory.
"…Ah, well. I hoped you would, though. It's been three whole years, after all."
"…"
'Three whole years…?'
For a half-second, her guard was lowered.
And it was at that instant, that Ciel made her second, fatal miscalculation.
"…It's so nice to see you again."
The foggy curtains fell…
And a familiar face re-introduced herself with a bow.
She was somewhat revealingly-dressed in shades of pink and purple, with bows adorning the sides of her head. Her long, wavy auburn hair reached down to her legs, and flowed with the currents of the mist she was emitting from her naturally malevolent aura.
Her blood red eyes and sweetly sickening smile mocked the Burial Agent as she continued to speak.
"…Looks like you've been doing oh-so well…
…Elesia."
A Crimson Black Key fell to the floor.
'How does she know that na—?'
Time seemed to slow as the sight before Ciel's eyes took her far, far aback.
Back to a time when it was oh-so simpler. A time where all she had to worry about was tomorrow. Where the biggest worry in her life was school exams, Sunday Mass, and boy-crushes.
The voice. The face…
She felt her mouth part without her permission.
Standing before her was a symbol of her past…yet it was right here in the present.
Their village only had so many people. As a consequence, Ciel knew nearly every single one of their faces.
Therefore, the youthful Dead Apostle before her…the identity could only ever be one person.
"…Yeah…you're…"
After a few seconds, Ciel found the strength to finally say her name.
"…Noel."
xXx
One thing became abundantly clear to Kamijou and the others as they pierced their way through the crowds of walking dead.
Dead Apostles…were much more durable than they appeared.
Quickly taking the vanguard were Itsuwa and Rin, acting as the proverbial shield and sword. Itsuwa's spear and Amakusa Church Blessings kept nearby Dead Apostles from breaking their defense, while Tohsaka's quick-fire Gandr shot them down before they could even get close.
That was the hastily-made plan, in any case. In reality, Rin grimaced as she found that it took one or two more shots than usual to even put down what was supposed to be measly Rank I's.
In her head, she admitted that it made sense. Without a properly-working nervous system, those walking corpses had less of a concept of pain, so could keep willing to move even if she launched something as debilitating as a Gandr shot.
Her reserves could also only handle so many shots, too. After a bit, she'd either have to rely on her gems to replenish her mana, or use the gems themselves as makeshift magical grenades to put them down.
In fact…
She glanced behind herself. They had done a decent job so far at protecting the less able, but their progress was slowing nearly to a halt as they tried forcing their way through the crowds of Corpses.
One of the Corpses had slipped past Tohsaka and Itsuwa's combination defense, and approached their flank.
Before Rin could react, she saw a flash of spiky black hair rush forward, right fist raised.
Her eyes widened. "W-Wait, Kamijou—!"
She was a hair's breadth too late.
With a shout, Touma fired his Imagine Breaker right toward the Corpse, planting a rousing punch directly in its stomach.
The walking body groaned as it was struck backwards, and stumbled clumsily onto the floor.
"Hah…" Touma breathed. He took a glance at his right hand, then at the monster he had just sent reeling onto the floor. "…Wait."
The Corpse remained as such. An inhuman creature, craving nothing but human blood.
He grit his teeth as he closed his fist in frustration. "Dammit, so this does nothing against them…?"
"That's what I was afraid of, Kami-yan." Tsuchimikado commented beside him. "Dead Apostles were once human…but I'm afraid that Imagine Breaker can't just transform them back to human. This isn't a spell you can break— they were changed down to the soul."
"Not to mention…" Index started, "…Dead Apostles themselves are, technically, a naturally occurring species…so sorry, Touma.
Imagine Breaker is useless here."
He sighed. If the situation were less dire, he'd jokingly attribute his dead weight to his abysmal luck…but considering the lives lost already, he sucked down his self loathing and kept moving.
They weren't that far from the Palace, anyway. As a stroke of luck, the Palace itself didn't seem to be overrun with Dead Apostles. While he didn't quite know why, he had a feeling it had to do with the holiness of such a structure.
The lower-rank Dead Apostles likely sensed its natural divinity, and were repelled by it. This, at least, would give them a reprieve once they got there.
All they needed to do was go in, get Ciel, and get out. If anything, they wouldn't leave anyone behind. From there, they would put together a plan to deal with Avignon and its outbreak, but for now…
"Everyone, close your eyes and get down!" Rin shouted.
Touma blinked as he saw her reach into her pocket and launch a large gemstone into the air.
"Stark, Groß zwei!"
The Gemstone burst into sheer starlight. For just a brief moment, the night shone into day.
Touma could hear the Corpses around them groan in confusion, just as Tohsaka's footsteps broke into a sprint. "Forward, now!"
They followed her lead. Touma cracked open his eyes ever-so-slightly to evade any standing bodies as they all ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
The safe-zone was just ahead, after all.
After only a few short seconds, Rin's gem-laced flashbang dissipated, but it was more than enough time for them to clear a few dozen meters. Once Touma could see properly once again, he noticed they were already nearly out of the woods.
He ducked under one Apostle, then slid past another.
One Dead crawling along the ground grabbed at Index's foot, but Kamijou stomped at its hand before it could get the chance to trap her.
"T-Thank you, Touma!"
"Thanks for later, we're almost there!"
He took her by the hand and slammed into one more Dead with his body…
…before finally passing that wall, and breaking into the clear.
He finally took in a deep, relieved breath as he and the others made it to the only safe part of probably the entirety of Avignon: the area directly around the Palace of Popes.
Even though the Corpses were only meters away from them…not only were they actively ignoring them, they seemed to not want to cross an invisible, semi-circular line, emanating from the Palace walls.
No one else aside from them had found this safe-zone. That fact was simultaneously surprising, and heartbreaking to Kamijou.
"Everyone present and accounted for?" Tsuchimikado asked. The responses ranged from Yes, to exhausted groans and grunts.
They weren't even out of the woods. It was more like they were in the eye of the storm; a temporary respite, if that.
"Well, it's good you're all still alive." The blonde Mage-Esper said. "We're gonna get Ciel…then get the hell outta here. Honestly, I'm hoping Academy City's air support gets here soon…maybe they can airlift us outta here."
Rin shook her head. "Can't rely on that, though…I think the only chance we have is to find a car and drive out of town. I…"
She looked out at the crowds of Dead just ahead of them. It was a repulsive, horrid sight to behold, one that would make an ordinary person vomit just from the smell alone. "…I don't see us saving Avignon by ourselves. That's gonna have to be someone else's job."
"For sure." Tsuchimikado agreed. "…Fuckin' hell. This got out of hand…way too fast. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole town gets overwhelmed overnight."
With that comforting thought in mind, the six of them looked over each other's wounds, which were, miraculously, fairly minor.
While they had time to rest on paper, thanks to that apparent Bounded Field keeping the Apostles out…
"…Ciel's still in there." Index said. "We have to get her."
The fact that she hasn't responded on her phone at all, all this time, meant that something was horribly wrong.
Even though she had shown…an odd ability to seemingly come back from death, they didn't want to take any chances.
So only a few short minutes after catching their breath and licking their wounds, they began up the stairs toward the main gate of the Palace. The lacquered wooden doors, each of which were about three or four people tall, were sealed shut.
Cautiously, Rin told the others to get behind her as she approached the door, gemstone in hand.
The groans of the Dead behind them seemingly fell away as Tohsaka gripped her palm around the handles.
"Nnn…!" Rin grimaced. "…Crap. Seems like it's…"
She trailed off. Touma watched as her face changed from confusion to concern, as she pressed her ear against the door.
"…Ah—!"
In one swift motion, she pushed away with her foot. "BACK UP!"
The next three or four seconds went by in the flash— yet so slowly.
The gemstone Rin was holding floated in front of her body. Seemingly upon her command, it glowed and burned brightly as it expanded into an ovular shield, wide enough to cover her and her allies all at once.
The doors suddenly cracked and split all at once, its wood not only bending, but illuminating orange as something conclusively powerful yet white-hot threatened to burst it all open.
All Kamijou could do was take a single step back.
And the entrance exploded outward all at once, accompanied by an absolute sea of flames that crashed into Tohsaka's azure shield.
She grit her teeth, fighting against its immense, overwhelming heat. The crystalline structure of her barrier began to crack and split— and with every break, it shattered ever faster.
"TOHSAKA!"
Kamijou rushed forward, grabbed the brunette mage at the back of her collar, and threw her behind him.
Immediately after, he lifted his right arm, right as her shield fell to pieces.
A torrent of flames crashed into him. He cried out in pain as Imagine Breaker's resounding crack of shattered glass let him know its power had worked.
…Though, it didn't make the flames any less painful. He was successful in negating the connection the flames had with whoever was controlling them— but the fire was still, well fire.
The heat at his hand was nearly unbearable. They were easily comparable to Stiyl Magnus's Innocentius, if not even hotter.
Luckily, Tohsaka seemed to handle the majority of the attack. Only a few short seconds later, and the ocean of heat finally subsided.
Touma's hand was scorching, screaming in pain from what had to have been sizable burns.
"A-Ah…"
He slammed his teeth together and grit himself to keep standing. An enemy was about to reveal himself— he couldn't show weakness.
Behind him were his friends. He had to stand tall and be their shield. He'd be damned if any of them were hurt.
"Who are you?!" He shouted. The interior of the Palace was dark, but he could tell from the glow of the fading flames that there was someone standing in the heart of the scorched hallway.
The lamplights on either side of the entrance burst awake with unnatural, blue flame. An ethereal, unholy light revealed who Kamijou had asked for.
The man was clad in dark, wintry clothing, with a black fur coat and wild, shoulder-length silver hair.
His stature was impressive— not as impressive as the man that he and Rin had encountered earlier that day, but still a head and shoulders beyond him. He donned a blue, colonial-age suit underneath his cloak, alongside grey pants and brown boots.
In one of his gloved hands was a cleaver-shaped sword, pitch-black in color and stained with a red liquid, still dripping as if it was freshly used.
The man's red eyes locked onto him. Ever so slightly, Touma could see the frown on the man's face creep up into a tiny smirk, as if he was satisfied with what he was seeing.
"Very well."
He stepped forward. The tiny smile disappeared into a neutral gaze. "Upon your request, it is my duty as a knight to respond in kind."
At his feet, and along the floors and the wall around him, orange-hot fire blazed furiously, juxtaposing with the vampire's icy calm demeanor.
"I am the Nineteenth of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, Vlov Arkhangel.
I have come for your head…Imagine Breaker."
A/N: (October 20th)
Happy Shirou Day!
Something something bone of my sword, Unlimited Blade Works, lmao
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
I'm glad you guys enjoyed the backstory I had with the Magic Gods and True Ancestors. I've always thought how cool it would be if Nasu and Index lore merged and mixed together, and I'm glad I pulled it off decently well
Oh and…some of you seem to want certain characters to make an appearance. Well…we'll see, lol
Seems like the big baddies are here. How will our heroes handle it?
Let's find out…soon. lol
See you guys soon. Feel free to leave a review!
Next Chapter: "The Dead of the Night" (October 25th)