A/N: Greetings everyone! Another chapter im happy to deliver. Once again, a million thanks to TungstenCat for editing and giving feedback! It was such a massive help.
Shirou held Goredolf in his arms. The vial felt unreasonably heavy. In his hand he held Goredolf and Ritsuka's life.
"There's only enough for one person. A split dose will be useless," Da Vinci said to Mash.
"Can't you make more of the antidote?" Mash asked. Goredolf stirred a bit, as if still conscious. Shirou's heart ached.
He was no stranger to death, but it hit hardest when the life was draining out right out of him. No matter how hard he held on, he could feel it slip away breath by breath. Even worse when it was someone he knew and appreciated, someone who—
"I-J-just… director…" The anguish dripping from Mash's voice made Shirou's hands shake.
He couldn't allow this.
Allowing this to go on broke his heart.
Letting Goredolf die made others suffer. Made him suffer. But he didn't matter. The others being happy mattered. Saving everyone mattered.
He raised Goredolf's head, angling it carefully. "Alright Director, open up."
"Are you sure about this, Master?" Thrúd asked. He turned around, all eyes on him.
Her face betrayed no emotion outside a slightly raised eyebrow.
"There's no other way. I'm giving him the antidote," he said. Mash, Da Vinci, Holmes and Meuniere all had their faces straighten with unreadable thoughts.
"Before you do that, there was something Goredolf wanted you to know," Da Vinci said, her face stern as a stone wall.
"W-what?" Shirou asked, fearing the answer.
"Save Ritsuka."
Shirou froze at those words.
"B-but we can still get the antidote!" he protested, his voice cracking just a bit.
"What if you can't succeed? Saving those warriors was not a large impediment to our mission, but this is," Thrúd said, making him turn to her.
"I know," was Shirou's reply.
Thrúd's eyes narrowed further. "Doing this, you'll save no one. Without Fujimaru's assistance, your mission will-"
"Maybe," he cut in, taking a deep breath. "I didn't kill those warriors. I didn't kill your sisters; I'm not about to let Goredolf die in front of me. Not if I can help it."
"I don't get it," Thrúd shook her head. "It's a death sentence. Before… it didn't interfere. But that's not the case now. You said you wanted to save as many as you could. You cannot save both of them."
Shirou pursed his lips, looking away from her.
His hand shook. She was right.
And yet… "I will."
He looked into her eyes. "I'll save them both no matter what happens to me. Isn't that what you wanted, for me to die like a hero and warrior?" Shirou said, feeling like he was stabbing a million needles into himself. A brief burst of static and he remembered a girl of purple hair.
"A true warrior dies a meaningful death, defending his kin or his honor," Thrùd scowled. Her gaze was harsh and it felt like it was boring into him.
Shirou didn't care about meaning.
His life had none. The best he could do was remember the girls that loved him deeply.
But that wasn't necessary anymore. Other people remembered them already.
Turning back to Goredolf, with one finger, he got the cork off the vial and parted the director's lips.
He fed him the liquid. Goredolf's eyes creased in a deep frown as he drank, but he remained otherwise unmoving. When the vial was empty, Goredolf coughed strongly, spitting droplets out before he laid still again, now breathing more strongly.
"So… what now?" Mash asked, smiling faintly.
"We'll just get more antidote," Shirou stated.
"More antidote? From where? The Fusang tree?" Mash asked.
"Correct," was Shirou's emotionless reply.
The ground shook violently, rocking the prison. Shirou and Mash almost lost their footing.
"An attack?" Shirou's eyes swept the factory's steel walls.
"We better get moving. Meuniere, help me with the director," Holmes said, impassive as always.
The group hurried up the stairs, arriving at the garage where Hildr and Ortlinde waited. They turned in unison towards them.
"No attackers spotted. Is the Director okay?" Ortlinde asked.
Shirou nodded. "He'll live."
Ortlinde returned his nod, although the looks she and Hildr gave him were definitely strange.
"My baby!" Da Vinci cried, running towards the Shadow Border with horror in her eyes. "What have they done to you?"
Holmes and Meuniere brushed past Shirou, carrying Goredolf into the interior of the vehicle.
The factory shook and roared around them.
"Again?!" Shirou shouted.
"No. It came from underground," Da Vinci said, her staff spinning. "A huge concentration of magical energy. But it's… warped. Twisted. We still need time to-"
"It's the mors. How could they have gotten in?" Shirou asked.
Da Vinci bit her lip. "I don't know, we need-"
"If those things have entered the city, they'll kill everyone! How much time do you need to prep the Shadow Border?" Shirou asked.
"A few minutes."
"Got it. I'll try to evacuate some of the citizens!" Shirou said.
Da Vinci frowned. "We don't have time for that! You cannot-"
"Yes I can and I will. Ready, Mash?"
Mash nodded and pushed down her visor, even smiling slightly. "Ready for combat."
He then turned to the Valkyries. "You three?"
"We'll ready combat functions," Thrúd said. She sounded colder than usual.
They found mayhem outside the factory. All around, dark figures made of sludge and red eyes slithered and wobbled along the short streets, letting out a thick miasma and leaving an unnatural fire in their wake.
"They're here!?" Mash gasped. The citizens ran and screamed as the unknown monsters assaulted their city.
Shirou's hands shook. He was no stranger to scenes of disaster like his. People always could be saved, even if it was a different matter.
"We are heavily outnumbered," Thrùd said, scanning the area.
"These humans still need help!" Ortlinde said, going beside Thrùd.
"Yeah! And besides! A battle is a battle! Valkyries do not retreat!" Hildr shouted.
Shirou looked at them once, and then back at the chaos. "Let's go. Make sure the citizens get to safety!"
Shirou closed his eyes and cast the spell. Trace On!
Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands.
"But-! Very well!" Thrùd said with a sigh.
The creatures moved sluggishly, even with the mana flowing in the air rousing them to action. They ignored the citizens to waddle towards the Chaldea group.
Engaging them was a simple matter. On the thin, cramped streets of Xianyang the creatures had little chance of surrounding them. One or two slashes was enough to finish them, even if whatever curses they had on them corroded his simple weapons after a few kills.
The Valkyries and Mash had even less trouble.
Mash bludgeoned the monsters away and helped the people go into their homes or back into the safety of the factory.
The Valkyries attacked mercilessly, striking enemies in perfect unison while easily manoeuvring around the battlefield. He found it beautiful, every strike of their shield, every pierce of their weapons, every movement of their bodies-
-a mors leapt towards him. He slashed away at it, but this one was bigger. He had missed that fact, and his weapon stuck itself a quarter of the way into its abdomen.
"Damn!" he cursed, seeing the creature moan and its head approach.
He had Kanshou ready for defense, yet the monsters head exploded a second before he could swing. The drops of liquid landed on his arm. It burned, his mind filled with ideas of hate and fear for… faeries?
A second after it all subsided as if nothing happened, although there was some lingering burning left over as if he had touched a hot stove.
Hildr swooped in, taking out surrounding creatures with ease.
"You okay, Emiya? Your reaction time was delayed," she said, looking at him with a serious expression as well as turning her head to confirm the area was clear.
A pang of guilt hit him in the chest.
"I really messed up if you're criticizing me, Hildr." He sighed. "Sorry, I was just thinking."
She looked at him, with a more relaxed expression.
"All for the improvement of a potential hero and battle partner. What distracted you?" she asked.
"Oh. You, of course," He said. It was shameful, but natural to be taken by Hildr. Or so he thought.
A hint of pink coloured her cheeks, but she smiled like she always did. "I- I see. I'll note this appraisal, Emiya!"
Another quake from the ground, stronger this time.
"What… is this!?" Shirou asked, barely keeping his balance.
More creatures burst from beneath the street, breaking the them into rubble. These mors were bigger, like sacks of pus, bursting with curses.
This time however, before they could engage the creatures, figures in white swooped down.
Shirou's heart clenched.
The manufactured Valkyries engaged the mors without a single hint of hesitation. They were even more robotic than Skadi's Valkyries in their fighting style and handling of their weapons, but they still held echoes of the beauty of their models.
The Chaldea group left them to it, electing to evacuate citizens and fight off the mors. The situation seemed to be more in control now. The citizens were mostly safe.
"Let's retreat," he said without thinking. Hildr looked at him for a second, then stared at the manufactured Valkyries with pursed lips.
"Y-yeah. Alright. An order is an order!" she exclaimed, even as the tension on her face deepened.
Shirou looked back at Thrùd and Ortlinde, who were holding off the mors coming from the flanks. "Let's go back!"
"Roger!" Was the response of the two girls.
The three sisters retreated towards the factory. Shirou followed behind, keeping an eye out. And in that moment, a single manufactured Valkyrie landed in front of him, nearly shaking the ground as she stared at him with ruby coloured eyes from under her hood.
"The emperor has ordered your quick execution." Her voice was as cold and stilted as her gaze.
He didn't want to hurt her. She was a Valkyrie. Even if she was a fake, the sisters didn't want them to be hurt.
He wouldn't hurt her, even if she killed him.
From behind the Valkyrie, Thrùd rushed, floating up with her shield raised above her head. The Valkyrie whirled around, but was not fast enough to avoid being backhanded by the shield into a nearby wall.
"You alright, Master!?" Thrùd asked.
"Yeah. Come on!" he shouted, with Ortlinde and Hildr nodding.
As they began heading back to the factory, a few hundred metres behind them, more mass-produced Valkyries swept down in an attempt to surround them. Despite that, the three sisters and Shirou easily pushed them back while advancing towards their target. The numbers of their enemies swelled, the fallen ones recovering quickly from their non-lethal wounds; their self-preservation either non-existent or surrendered to their objective.
Shirou felt bile come up to his throat, imagining if they were his own Valkyries, ordered to fight and kill.
They advanced further towards the prison.
"Emiya! Valkyries!" Mash shouted from the portcullis. Just a bit more, one last push and they could make it.
Mash activated her suit, her thrusters bringing to them just in time to cover an incoming assault from above.
Clad in green lightning, a meteor-life figure impacted against Mash's shield. It knocked the mass-produced Valkyries back with a wall of air and dust, while the Demi-Servant was slammed into the ground, sending rubble flying.
Cold sweat burst on Shirou's brow. He rushed to help her, but skidded to a halt as he saw the person standing on her shield, crushing her into the ground.
Lime eyes locked with his own. The pupils had changed, being now a glowing white. The body clad in a grey suit was now armoured and decorated with the motifs of a moth, or some sort of insect fused with a peacock.
What visible skin remained on her arms, lower legs and neck was white and clean, and yet some circuit-like lines could be seen grafted in it.
The woman in front of him, who resembled Qin Liangyu, dislodged her spear from Mash's shield. The single step she took exerted enough pressure that Shirou's knees almost buckled.
"The citizens," she muttered. Her voice was devoid of emotion, her expression locked in a harsh neutrality. Her head scanned the area like a robot, body barely turning to adjust as her neck twisted. She spotted some terrified citizens of Xianyang, looking from inside the facotry doors. "I see. Identified."
"Qin Liangyu… we're trying to save them," said Shirou. He felt Thrúd come to his side.
Qin Liangyu reared her head quickly, looking back to them. "Irrelevant. Your elimination has been ordered."
The lime glow of her eyes increased as green magical energy pulled around her, while Mash tried frantically to adjust her armour and get back in the battle.
"We just want the Fuzang Tree to make an antidote! We never meant to-!"
A dash that broke the sound barrier impacted on Thrúd's divine shield. The Valkyrie was flung back, only stopped by Hildr coming up behind to catch her.
Qin Liangyu landed at Shirou's side, the energy emanating making his hair spike up.
He clenched his jaw, turning to Ortlinde who was the closest to him. "Don't!"
To his horror, his shout only brought the Valkyrie and Qin Liangyu to blows.
The general moved at incredible speeds, to the point she almost looked to be teleporting from one spot to the next in flashes of green light, striking like lightning.
Ortlinde remained calm however, eyes darting around to block the strikes in time.
And yet… After three blocks, a kick to her back sent her barrelling to the floor. Qin Liangyu landed next to her, spear raised.
Shirou clenched his teeth. She was too strong. If he did anything to force her, she'd kill him. But that didn't matter, not when Ortlinde was in front of him.
"Mash! Get out of here! Protect everyone else!" he shouted.
Mash hauled herself out of the crater, steam pouring off her armor.
"I- Understood!" She said, her legs carrying her with the sounds of moving machinery.
"Trace; On!" The twin swords appeared in his hands, and at the same time, he cast a reinforcement spell on his body. It burned, but something was better than nothing, even if such hope would be the laughing stock of others.
With a quick dash, he slashed at Qin Liangyu's neck. Her long-shafted spear moved in a blur of jade, blocking his attack. He used his second sword to slash at her abdomen, but the woman pushed his blocked sword away and with a slash broke the other.
The force was enough to make him recoil. In that second of confusion, he felt an iron grip crushing his neck, while two eyes, full of life yet mechanical, staring at him with some wonder.
"According to available data, you should know better, Master of Chaldea."
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Thrùd and Hildr rushing from opposite sides to engage her -only for the mass-produced Valkyries to intercept them in unison.
"Command has been given to me." Qin Liangyu raised her spear, the silver tip near his heart. One push and he would die.
Ortlinde incorporated herself. "Using attack rune!" With that incantation and some line motions, a blinding rainbow flooded the battlefield.
When it was over, they'd managed to put a reasonable distance between themselves and their assailants. They gathered back to back, sucking in deep breaths.
Shirou clicked his tongue. He counted twenty more Valkyries coming, with Qin Liangyu approaching as if nothing happened.
"Your surrender is demanded," Qin Liangyu said.
A mass-produced Valkyrie collapsed then, shaking in the ground due to damage previously inflicted.
Shirou had to fight the urge to see if he could help her, reminding himself that it wasn't one of his Valkyries. He could not save everyone, much less his enemies.
And yet… Qin Liangyu stepped on its head, not even batting an eye as the skull of her ally broke and popped under her weight.
"What… happened to you?" Shirou asked her, locking eyes with her. For a moment, the Valkyrie sisters turned their heads as well.
Qin Liangyu stared at him blankly, still advancing.
"My humanity has been rescinded. The Emperor has granted my body upgrades."
Shirou swallowed. "Rescind your humanity? Why!"
"A better warrior was needed. My old self could never match Lord Xiang Yu. My anger, worry and pride clouded my judgement, my will and my ability." Qin Liangyu's gaze didn't waver, her body stiff and unmoving, her speech constant and uninterrupted. Did she even breathe?
"Better warrior? You were an excellent warrior!" Ortlinde protested.
"Wrong. I was no warrior. Just a girl. A human with lofty dreams, feelings and ideals. This world doesn't need humans. The only human that can carry this world's future is the Emperor, who accumulated his knowledge and power and gained enlightenment."
Shirou grit his teeth. "He made it that way. He didn't have the right to take everyone's humanity away or determine their fate."
Qin Liangyu didn't so much as flinch. "And you do? Do you get to decide who lives and who dies? Do you think you are qualified to determine whether they should die? Live? Smile? Cry?"
Shirou pursed his lips. He just wanted to save people, to see them smile. The only sacrifice needed was his own.
The mass produced Valkyries hadn't moved an inch, but still surrounded them.
He looked past Qin Liangyu towards the prison. They couldn't beat her, not without losses. He had to buy time.
"So the other Confucians are in there, devising a plan if my calculations are correct. In that case…" Rapidly twirling her spear, Qin Liangyu set to launch it towards the prison like a javelin, powered on a green spike of magical energy.
The coldness of fear was replaced by a red hot feeling. He couldn't describe it, but it set his body lunging forward.
She needed to die in that moment, lest the Chaldeans perish. His body understood that. Violently, he swung his sword at her neck.
He found a fist in his left side, launching him up before crashing down on his knees. The pain drove his mind to white static.
"Why you-!" Thrùd rushed to his aid, but three Valkyries grabbed her, pinning her down with their bodies. However she shook them off with her superior strength, more came at her, spears at the ready.
He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. He had to help her.
"Sister!" Hildr screamed, kicking the Valkyries away instead of attacking them. That wasn't enough, as she too came under heavy attacks from all sides. Ortlinde rushed to assist her, but the assault was overwhelming, battering their defenses.
"How amusing," the mass produced Valkyries spoke in unison, like a cold choir. "For you to display such care for these replicas. Is it programmed into you? Or did you develop actual feelings for your fellow sisters?" The cadence, manner of speech, reminded Shirou of the Emperor.
"They are flawed. You have perfected their design, Emperor," Qin Liangyu said, before pointing her spear at the sisters. Shirou's chest tightened, his face so hot that his own sweat felt icy on his brow. "You are unnecessary."
"Now, now," all the mass produced Valkyries turned to the warrior, looking at her with a smug expression. "We still need the pieces for a full analysis."
The heat increased tenfold. Anger bubbled and simmered under him, a strange feeling consuming his every thought.
This anger refused to back down. The Emperor's treatment of the Valkyries, even if just in words, made Shirou's body and mind act in their own.
"They're not things!" he shouted, lifting his head.
Qin Liangyu's expression did not shift a bit, although his Valkyries looked at him for a moment with shocked faces, even if the rest of the mass produced Valkyries tried to hold them down.
"They're… they're just like us!" he continued. "They deserve a chance to live! To be themselves!"
Qin Liangyu approached him at a steady pace, while the mass produced Valkyries continued attacking their brethren.
Shirou moved, reinforcing his body to push above his limits and strike at his enemy, who still only moved as much as necessary to observe him.
His slash was stopped cold, by her silver spear, and he swung with his other weapon, but she stopped it with her forearm that began bleeding as the blade dug into her skin.
"EMIYA!" Ortlinde shouted, struggling to power through her mass produced sisters without injuring them.
She was quickly brought down again.
"A pointless reaction," Qin Liangyu declared. "This is why our Emperor and his empire are perfect. He can divest himself of such waste, and reach enlightenment."
Her hand closed around his throat, nearly crushing him with cold as steel fingers. He opened his mouth in an attempt to force his windpipe open again, using his remaining strength to kick her in the ribs to make her let go, to no avail.
Despite his survival instincts kicking in, Shirou only managed to look her in the eyes.
"You… can't be… a machine," he choked out.
The grasp tightened, his neck now being irreversibly crushed.
His vision began to fade slightly, his consciousness hanging on by pure force of will. He heard shouts, and… music, faint notes carried in the air.
"Harps?" He wondered out loud, drowsy. He heard the sound of something slashing through the air, and of flesh being torn open.
He heard the sound of three bodies hit the ground, and raised his head painfully to see what had happened. Only mass produced Valkyries had perished, leaving the sisters free.
Qin Liangyu moved her head in the direction of the sound. Thrùd used the opportunity to fly at a speed Shirou had never seen before, the force behind it taking dust and objects with her.
The clash of weapons rang out while Shirou's vision became a blur.
A second later he was on the ground, being held by Thrùd from his collar.
The Valkyrie looked ahead, frowning while her forehead bled, painting her face crimson.
Shirou flinched. His vision short circuited in a blaze of white. For that instant, a scene from long ago leapt before him, when Thrùd fought a beast of a hero.
When he blinked it away, his jaw was clenched tightly.
"Ineffective attack, Master," she muttered.
Behind them, Qin Liangyu turned, a blob of silver weaving around her waist like a snake.
"Your performance is lacking. I say this again, surrender in the name of the Emperor. Submit your body to him, so that you may make up for your crimes," she said, as if reciting a speech. She was like…
…a machine.
Shirou got up quickly, hands shaking. He and Thrùd both turned to her.
His structural analysis grasped her 'weapon'. An advanced Mystic code, manipulating a liquid metal with magecraft to make it form into a variety of forms.
It reminded him of a certain sadistic girl he met in the clock tower. And if he was right, this was a dangerous opponent.
Still. Between letting her run rampant in the city, or fighting her, he would choose the latter. However he hated the idea of more blood on his hands.
"I would love to see you pathetically split to pieces," called a sharp and familiar feminine voice, "but someone's really been annoying me. Enough to earn herself a little punishment."
The click of heels reverberated on the thin streets. All eyes landed on the girl in the spinel-colored dress.
"You," Qin Liangyu said. "You were eliminated."
Tristan brought a hand under her chin, crossing her legs while standing. "Hardly. Trash like you could never actually hurt me. I wasn't even trying!"
The glee in her voice made it hard for Shirou to hold back his groan. The Valkyries felt the same way, judging from their expressions.
"Then try," Qin Liangyu's disinterest seemed to make Tristan's face twist in rage.
"Fine then! I'll show you your awful taste in underlings!" She smiled, her eyes darting around to the mass produced Valkyries.
Then pointed a cruel finger towards them. "By the authority of my mother, as a blessed successor… Tear her apart; my servants!"
The mass produced Valkyries all turned her eyes to their commander.
"Change of allegiance detected…" Qin Liangyu muttered.
The Valkyries rushed her, but her expression never faltered, even as they piled on and stabbed her. She looked at the Valkyries, even as her legs and arms were attacked to make her kneel. Her expression remained rigid despite the wounds and the pain she should have felt. Even as a spear pierced her throat she didn't scream, her eyes blank and expressionless as she disappeared into the circle of mass produced Valkyries.
However, Shirou could see the shocked and strained faces of his Valkyries.
Tristan headed towards them at leisure pace.
"So, will you prostrate yourself in thanks?" She flashed them a smug smile.
Thrùd grit her teeth before her head wings shot up. "I'd never thank you for manipulating my sisters. Let's regroup."
With that, she went back to the factory. Hildr and Ortlinde followed.
Shirou spared one more glance at the pitiless ring of flashing spears and cleaved flesh, then looked back at Tristan.
"Thanks," he said. He was not about to be ungrateful.
Tristan didn't spare a second look at him.
She watched in delight as her dolls mercilessly stabbed Qin Liangyu to death, skewering her in a delightful bloodbath like… like–
–Tristan knew the warrior had caught her off guard last time. She was not about to disappoint Morgan by losing to common rabble. So she stood and watched, eager to confirm her victory.
But the ball of war maidens, which kept growing as more soldiers piled on, suddenly froze. With the sound of metal piercing flesh, long silver spikes erupted from the mass produced dolls. Blood sprayed from their wounds and soaked the air.
Tristan frowned. How dare the Emperor's little toy destroy her new servants, delivered to her by Mother's gracious and loving gift?
The spikes retracted, and the war maidens fell to the ground, unmoving, limbs twisted like broken toys.
In the midst of them stood Qin Liangyu, completely unharmed.
Tristan clicked her tongue and readied her harp. One good note and the toy's ankle was gone. Yet, the warrior didn't even lose her balance, instead her eyes only turned to her.
"Repairable damage. You should have attempted a different vector of attack," the bitch suggested.
Now she was furious.
"I'll show you-"
"Don't bother. I won't remain here. The Emperor needs me," she said. There was no pride, anger, or snideness in those words. Tristan could tell. The woman was devoid of any sort of feeling towards her, but unlike some other beings she knew, it was not out of malice. It was simply like a clockwork toy, a magecraft construct.
She pitied her a bit.
She shook that thought quickly. If Mother was there, she would definitely scold her.
Mongrels and mindless soldiers should not be pitied. Their misfortune and pain was their own doing. All one could do was laugh and snicker at their foolishness.
"So you won't fight, doll?" she sneered.
"I've no time for that. The mors have been eliminated. Once reinforcements come and adjustments are made, Chaldea will be killed. The Emperor thanks you for exposing a weakness." With that, Qin Liangyu extended two insect wings from behind her back, magecraft constructs, and flew off into the huge dome above the city.
"Tch. Can't even get good payback around here. What is it with this place?!" She shouted, stomping the ground.
"Now, now, Lady Spinel. The best is still to come." She turned and saw Beryl behind her, his glasses shining and obscuring his eyes.
She loved that dastardly look on him.
"Yes Beryl," she said, smiling brightly.
She loved him, she loved the toys he gave her, the presents, the opportunities, the fun.
Regardless of how much he loved Mash, or how much he wanted to toy with that female magus, she still wanted to be by his side.
It was all fun and games.
They went back inside the structure, then stopped once they saw Mash. She met their eyes over the frightened townsfolk and rushed over.
"Emiya-senpai! What happened?"
"We've got problems," he answered. "The mass produced Valkyries are here, and Qin Liangyu-"
"She's become stronger," Ortlinde cut in, her voice wavering a bit. "Her body and mind have been modified. She feels-"
"She has nearly the same magical energy output as Elder Sister Brynhildr back in the age of the gods. Almost a true demigod. Perhaps even more than that. It's painful to admit but… a direct fight would be futile," Thrùd added, looking away. Shirou grimaced. It clearly hurt her pride to admit that.
"We don't have Sigurd here to help," Mash added. "And time is running out. Once Xiang Yu gets here, it's all over." Her eyes hardened as she looked down. Shirou cast his mind around for the right words, something to comfort her, but Mash herself beat him to the punch. "No, no. Senpai wouldn't say that. We can get out of this, right?"
Shirou looked her straight in the eye.
"Don't worry. No one at Chaldea will die if I can help it," he said.
Mash's brow softened. . "Okay. Let's see what we can come up with in the Border."
Shirou followed along with the Valkyries.
For a moment, Ortlinde came to his side, looking at him under her hood.
He opened his mouth to ask her, but she spoke before him.
"You didn't answer her question," she whispered.
Shirou shrugged. There was a reason he said what he said. Things were dire. The mass-produced Valkyries were strong, Xiang Yu was overwhelmingly strong, and now Qin Liangyu. Even if they beat all of them, that still left the Emperor and the Tree.
And Shirou himself… he was just human, holding onto ideals that were slowly breaking down, held by a small thread. The building was spacious, but the number of citizens holed up was staggering. It reminded him of others he had to save, in countries used as proxies for other's wars.
But here, the citizens either eerily calm or nervous.
Neither paid him mind. They only wished for the Emperor to save them, to protect them, and to "please be safe and strong".
He shuddered.
He liked that, a world of peace. He hated that idea too, because that was not how normal people acted. Everything was taken from them, and when they tried to reach for dreams or hopes it was squashed into nothingness. They were saved from pain and bloodshed, but in return, they had nothing else. Their lives were empty.
Was just being alive enough? Was that truly saving them? There was a difference between saving someone from danger, and truly saving them.
Maybe that was what the Valkyries talked about. It wasn't just about dying, but living your life enough that it would mean something when you passed, even if only to yourself.
Had he… lived a good life? Or had it been just full of an emptiness he desperately tried to fill?
As he passed the citizens, he forced his mind to think back to the matters at hand.
In the largest room in the building, with support beams and computers that sat in an uncanny valley between old fashioned and modern, was the Shadow Border. Da Vinci operated one of the consoles near it, irate fingers tapping rapidly over the keyboard.
"I can't believe how roughly they handed her, ugh," she groused.
"Da Vinci? You ok?" Shirou asked, approaching.
"Yep. Perfectly fine." She forced a smile. Shirou chose to not push it.
"Goredolf?" he asked.
Her forced smile faded a bit. "Recovering. But it worked, the antidote purged the poison from his system."
"And you couldn't replicate it."
Now the little Servant dropped her smile completely. "No. It's not a poison per se, but a complex magecraft."
"Magecraft?" Mash asked.
"Yes," Holmes joined in. "From the Age of the Gods, or similar time period. From what I can gather now, it's tied to the Xian and their arts."
"Xian?" Shirou asked. "I remember hearing about something like that in the Clocktower. Eastern magecraft?"
"Precisely. It's a complex thing, so I'll get to the point. Qin Shi Huang managed to keep these ancient magecraft alive and well for thousands of years, unlike his Proper Human History counterpart. That is how he managed to conquer this world. He no doubt managed to mix this with technology, creating the being he is now," Holmes said.
Shirou frowned, looking at the structure above them. "So he's not really alive."
"He is. His consciousness and soul are just 'uploaded' to his palace, so to speak. And the Fusang tree is undoubtedly tied to it, and him. Find the Emperor, make him reveal it, and it will save Fujimaru."
"Understood," Shirou said. "You should get out of here while you're at it. Go help Ophelia."
"And you go alone, Emiya-Senpai!?" Mash sputtered.
He turned to her, frowning. "Don't be like that, Mash. It's the safest way for all of you. Once the way to the Tree is revealed, you can easily make the antidote." Taking a deep breath, he turned to Da Vinci. "Right?"
The little girl frowned heavily. "Indeed."
"Good. Then its settled," Shirou said.
"Then I'll go with-!"
"-No! It's not up for debate. Fujimaru needs you!" Shirou said. Mash flinched, eyes strained.
He breathed once again, before turning to the Valkyries, who all stared at him with grim expressions.
"You're my Master. You won't leave me behind," Thrùd stated, almost daring him to disagree.
He almost chuckled at that. "Right. Of course you won't let me."
"And we'll go too. I…" Hildr stared at the ground with half closed eyes.
"Hildr?" Thrùd asked.
She raised her head, staring her sister in the eye. "What he did to us… what he did to our sisters… what he made me do. I…" She shut her eyes, as if holding something back. "-I shouldn't… act this way. I know what I have to do… but I can't forgive this! I just can't, okay!?"
Her outburst surprised him, but he smiled inside. He should not feel happy, but he did, if only because… well… that was how anyone would act.
"Yeah. I understand. You can come," Shirou said.
"I don't need to say anything. Where my sisters go, I go," Ortlinde said.
"Yeah. Guessed as much. Can you three fly to the palace?" Shirou asked.
"Affirmative," Thrùd said.
"Then we're set," he said, turning to Da Vinci and Holmes. "Look for Ophelia."
"Understood," Holmes said, his voice unusually harsh. "But I would like a word with you before you go."
"Can it wait?" Shirou asked.
"No."
"Alright…" Shirou said, and Holmes took him to the side, away from the group. The Valkyries gave him a look, but went along to check on the Shadow Border. Ortlinde's gaze remained just a second longer, head turned slightly to where he was.
Holmes took a moment to look him straight in the eye, brow furrowed. Shirou looked back into his blue ones. After a few seconds passed, he grew restless under his gaze.
"So what is it?" he asked him.
Holmes's analysing gaze didn't falter even when talking. "Do you know what you mean to this group?"
He straightened his back. "I-"
"You were integral to keeping a cool head in Russia, and saving Ophelia. But other than that, you have proven unreliable. You understand, right?" Holmes asked.
Shirou chuckled a bit, as if relieved.
"Y-yes. I understand. Sorry. I don't think… I'll be able to change," Shirou said.
Holmes smiled a bit. "As expected." Then his face went serious again. "I understand your determination, but-"
"-It's detrimental," he admitted.
"-no. That is not what I meant. Don't interrupt." Shirou felt a coldness take over him, prompting him to shut his mouth. "Now, while your value as fighter, master and meat shield is secondary to us, what do you think of your role as a person?"
Shirou pursed his lips. "As a person?"
"Yes. You have value to them now. Mash, Ophelia, Ritsuka. Yet you seek to throw your life away."
"You're wrong. Let's leave it at that," Shirou answered, throat clenching. Now was not the time, he knew of his worth.
"If you won't see your value, then you are a danger to everyone here. You can at least see that much, right?" Shirou froze in the spot, and didn't speak for a moment. It was just too much. Holmes sighed. "I won't press further. I'm a seeker of truth and justice. Your 'mystery' is now laid bare to me. But I still care about Chaldea, and accomplishing my goal, so I suggest you take actions to at least make everyone's life a little easier. Don't you think that's a good idea?" Holmes asked with a smile. To Shirou, it seemed like he was mocking him.
"That all?" He asked.
"Yes. Go on now."
Holmes walked away, but Shirou just stared ahead.
Value to others as a person.
Those words were still so alien to him.
What value did he have? What did he achieve? He hadn't saved anyone; he hadn't made up for surviving the fire when no one else did. That's the only thing he did, live when others do not. He had surpassed the Lostbelts at the costs of hundreds of lives, servant, human and god alike.
The Ortlinde from the Lostbelt appeared in his mind for a second, her hateful eyes boring into his heart.
He was no hero. Why would the Valkyries see him any differently than others humans?
He shook his head, and moved on to the Valkyries.
Hildr and Thrúd stood at attention, while Ortlinde looked at him from under her hood with concerned eyes.
"You three ready?" he asked, focusing on what was important: saving Fujimaru and taking down Qin Shi Huang.
"We are. How did you plan on getting to the Emperor?" Thrúd asked.
"I- I'll ask Da Vinci," he said.
The Valkyires looked ready to sigh.
"If you're gonna ask do it quickly!" Da Vinci shouted as the Shadow Border reared its motors. "The mors are piling up outside the city walls!"
"I might have a better idea, Master," Thrúd said.. "If you don't mind being close to us, that is."
"You don't mean-"
"We'll fly you there."
She ran.
Her lungs burned.
Ophelia ran across fields, straining her legs with reinforcement magecraft.
Yu and Xiang Yu chased her.
She didn't see them behind her when she glanced back, but she still knew and felt their presence and killing intent coming to get her.
Xianyang was close, so close.
An impressive structure floating above a city-ring. Looking at it made her useless right eye burn hot. Why?
Was it reacting to something?
Something creating possibilities?
She saw a vision, glitching her sight for a moment.
An inevitable fate.
This Lostbelt will fall.
It burned into her brain, slowing her down for a moment.
Even so, she didn't stop even as she approached the huge mors horde surrounding the city.
Until a figure landed in front of her like a meteor. The force blew her back and almost made her lose her footing.
"There you are." Behind her, Yu walked slowly.
She caught up to her effortlessly. And Xiang Yu was in front of her, his glowing her already locked into her.
Sigurd… he had fought for nothing?
"Shit," she muttered, hopelessness taking over.
Xiang Yu advanced, blades drawn. Her eye palpitated as Ophelia's heart hammered in her ears.
She was going to die. Hundreds of ways that could happen inserted themselves into her mind, mercilessly driven there by her eye.
"Accept your death," Xiang Yu stated.
Ophelia grit her couldn't yet. She still needed to see Wodime one last mind pushed through the static.
Evoking nature spirits would not work. What was left is the faint, lingering traces of warriors past; still wishing to fight the even that was polluted by Beryl's she had no magic circuits flared.
Of ages past, come forth, your knowledge and your skill to defend your land… Zeitgeist!
Made of dirt and clay and stone, warriors of China's past formed around her.
Ophelia reinforced her aching legs and charged Xiang Yu alongside her soldiers.
The mechanized warrior sprung to action. "Die again!"
He slashed them into pieces in a whirlwind.
Ophelia dodged to the side and ran to the city as more warriors rushed Xiang Yu.
Close. She was close to the city.
Close to the mors. She could manoeuvre around them.
"As calculated. Execute!" The machine's voice shouted.
In front of her, Yu rushed like a blur, dagger raised.
Of course.
She knew this outcome and still fought against it.
Death by skewering. At least Yu wasn't sadistic-
A harp sounded, followed by a clang as her dagger flew out of her hand.
"W-what?" Yu asked, before a twisted melody twisted the air, strings of red cutting the Crypter appart long enough for Ophelia to hastily run past her.
However, the meteor of Xiang Yu descended upon her.
A tight sensation pulled her out of the way, into the arms of a foul-smelling individual.
"Safe!" Beryl said with glee. Ophelia gasped, pushing him away with disgust. "Damn. No gratitude."
She glared at him, but was not about to forget her manners. "Thank you."
He beamed at her. "That's the spirit!"
"Oh look! Her wounds are closing so fast!" Tristan said, making both masters turn around to see Yu upright herself like a doll who had just had its user recover the strings. "It makes me want to cut her up all over again!"
Her eye hurt again. Visions of the end flooded her mind.
Her cheek was warm, because her right eye was bleeding.
"Hey Akuta! Long time no see! Finally changed your look I see. Being a bloodsucking demon suits you," Beryl said with his usual affability.
Akuta just glared at him. "You knew?"
"Of course. You always smelled different. Also, Marisbury told me everything about you all," Beryl said. Yu and Ophelia widened their eyes.
Marisbury had disclosed their secrets to him?
It made sense.
Wodime had warned them all about him, but she always expected him, as his successor, to be able to handle him in their stead.
"Quite a surprise right?" smiled Beryl.
"Silence. Your presence is unaccounted for, but my calculations now are perfect. Give your head," Xiang Yu said, pointing a sword at him.
"My head? I need that to live, you know, horse-man. Why do you want to kill me so much?"
"Invader. I must protect China…" A string sounded and the air weaved. With a flick, his sword reflected it.
"Tch," Tristan clicked her tongue.
"Huh. Can you see the future?" Beryl asked then.
"My calculations are perfect," he said.
Ophelia thought… if that was so… if he could really see the future by computer prediction then… that was why he chased them so perfectly.
A form of precognition surpassing magecraft. In that case…
"Then you must know that China doesn't have long," Ophelia said with pity in her voice.
Xiang Yu didn't answer, staring at them simply
"She's right. This place is burning down. You can't do anything except run away with the girl. Right, Yu? It's what you want, no?" Beryl said.
Yu bit her lip, narrowing her eyes. Xiang Yu turned to her, unmoving.
"My lady…"
"...she's right. I don't really give a damn about this world," she admitted while staring straight into his eyes. "I never even wanted to tell you anything about what was going on outside."
Ophelia narrowed her eyes. She remembered the directive. The seven Lostbelts must fight when their territory expands and clashes. The winner shall establish their history as the new, proper history.
That was what Wodime said.
Ophelia told Skadi that without holding back any truths. And not long after, Skadi accepted her words and the incoming battles.
Ophelia had hoped the Crypters would follow Wodime's words. To think Akuta would betray him like that.
"What was going on outside?" Xiang Yu asked.
"We would have to fight a war. You would have to fight, and die for nothing. The Emperor would throw you away like trash. So I hoped I could somehow get you out of it," Yu said, eyes strained.
"Why?" Xiang Yu asked.
"Because I… I love you! I already saw you die once, in proper human history, for nothing! They called you a monster and you acted the part, all for the sake of others and left me alone!" She shouted, tears nearly pouring from her eyes.
Ophelia felt a void in her chest. She thought back to Shirou for a moment after hearing her words.
She glanced at Beryl, who watched the scene with amusement.
Ophelia held her words despite the disgust twisting her mouth.
"I see," Xiang Yu contemplated for a moment, slightly lowering his swords. The android glanced at the city behind her, surrounded by mors. "Regardless; I have one purpose. To serve, protect and die for China no matter what."
"Please don't!" Yu begged.
"Once I win, you'll have peace."
"Not if you die!" she screamed.
He stopped for a moment, saying nothing.
"Well, unfortunately for you, he's gonna die. You're an idiot if you think he'll choose you over his duty. Here, let me show you." Beryl snapped his fingers, and the ground shook.
A huge explosion of magical energy rocked the very earth. Looking back at the city, Ophelia watched as the mors poured through a hole newly bored into the city.
Xiang Yu didn't hesitate. His four legs propelled him towards the wave of mor, leaving Yu to grasp futilely after him.
"W-what have you done?" Ophelia asked, losing her composure for a moment.
"What you asked of me, friend. Smell ya later!" he said, locking arms with Tristan before vanishing into smoke.
Spiritual form?
No, it had been something else.
She turned, seeing Yu's hopeless, blank stare into the distance.
Ophelia opened her mouth to speak, even as her mind told her to run for it, to use this opportunity to make distance.
"Akuta…" she muttered, fear dripping from her voice.
"When I'm done with you," Akuta muttered then, head slowly turning to her, eyes glowing. "You'll cry for your precious Wodime, who will never come nor give a shit about you. Believe my words!"
It was less speech and more like an animalistic snarl. Yet that killing intent, pulsing with the power of a being on par with a True Ancestor, shook her to her core, paralyzing her.
Yu approached her slowly, as if to savour her fear.
When she got in front of her, she reeled her hand back. The black miasma crawling over it made Ophelia's blood run cold.
"You'll pay me back for your little stunt," she said.
Ah.
She was about to curse her.
Her eye pulsed, warning her of an impending death, turned into a dark being wandering aimlessly, bloated with curses, wishing for salvation and the destruction of all…
…fairies?
Her hand burned, clenched hard enough that her nails drew blood.
"That makes two of us."
Yu turned her head.
She was kicked away by an armored boot, and before she could recover, a scorching beam of emerald light engulfed her.
Ophelia thought she might get burnt from the proximity, feeling like she was on fire.
After it was over, nothing remained of her. Although…
…magical energy was collecting itself in the spot Yu vacated.
"She'll be back soon," said a gruff voice that felt like it had its mouth filled with something sticky.
She turned, seeing her knight standing in front of her. Bleeding, glassless, injured, his armor torn exposing some of his scarred chest, and forced to lean on his sword like a crutch.
But he was alive.
Sigurd was alive.
She couldn't hold back. She ran to him.
"Sigurd!' She said, placing her hands around him to support his weight. He was certainly heavy. "I was certain I-"
"-it's alright. As long as you need me, I'll sacrifice myself again and again."
She gripped him tighter. "No. That won't be necessary. I'll bring you back to Brynhildr alive."
She meant those words. It was a promise that embedded itself deep in her mind, regardless of her wishes.
A/N: Not much to say this time, only that woo finally Zenobia in NA. Also Samurai Remnant. I've heard everyone say its a banger, but I haven't gotten the chance to play it yet.
Anyways, writing Fairy Tristan and Beryl is so much more fun than I thought it would be; especially when it comes to Beryl trying to push everyone's (but especially Shirou's) buttons. He's a beautiful bastard.
Well, until next chapter, which should come soon-ish. Hopefully.
That's all. Bye!