Birth of the White Queen
In orbit over Japan.
Iskandar was covered in blood. His red cape was burned and blackened by the smoke. He had faced Sun Wukong on his war wagon... and it ended very badly for him. Without Gilgamesh's intervention, the King of the Conqueror would inevitably have perished.
A furious cry resounded as a tower collapsed near the square where the Macedonian infantry was fighting. Turning the head, the King of Macedonia saw a gigantic ape-man struggling, seeking to free himself from gold chains. All around the Monkeys King swarmed his clones as well as gorillas with baboons' heads and golden fur. They were shaking the gold chains that bound Sun Wukong, seeking to free their king... in vain! Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven had the power to seal a god, and its resistance increased according to the opponent it immobilized.
Focusing again on the battle around him, Iskandar threw Bucephalus at the charge. His sword rose and fell, right and left. At each blow, an animated statue was smashed and fell to the ground broken into several pieces. Yet more and more stone warriors were converging on the Rider-class Servant. All had been fashioned in the image of a Hindu soldier wearing a loincloth and turban, armed with a shield and a spear.
However, despite the Indians' numerical advantage, the confrontation turned in favor of the King of the Conqueror soldiers. After all, each of them was a Minor Hero.
The Greeks also had a tactical advantage. Grouped in phalanges bristling with spears, they broke the charges of Rama's stone warriors. Yet the Indians continued to advance in spite of heavy losses... it must be said that they were only animated statues... none of them were aware of its own existence, experiencing neither fear nor desire to protect its existence. Even if they fought one against a thousand, they would attack with the same determination.
When the last stone soldier was smashed by an officer's sword, a cry of victory resounded.
Unfortunately, even if the Macedonians had just repelled the enemy infantry, the battle was far from over.
On the other side of the vast square, among the ruined buildings, war wagons gathered. Besides a conductor holding the reins of two stone horses, each chariot was used to carry an archer.
With his sword, Iskandar designated the enemies who were preparing to attack.
"Eumenes, we did the trick that allowed us to defeat the war chariots of Darius at the battle of Issus!"
Eumenes of Cardia - one of Iskandar's brightest generals - began distributing orders. The Peltastoï (javelin launchers), the Spendonetes (slingers), and the Toxotes (archers) advanced, leaving the refuge of the buildings behind the hoplites to take refuge in the infantrymen's squares.
In an impressive silence- only the sound of the wheels on the pavement was heard- the war wagons came to battle.
The archers carried by the chariots began to fire and the Greeks raised their bronze shields to protect themselves. Simultaneously, Oxybeles (1) started shooting. The projectiles, stones the size of a human head, shattered the wagons or destroyed their conductors. Nevertheless, the losses were slight among the Indians... the Greek ballista fired slowly, and the bow had to be tightened with a winch between shots, while the chariots rushed towards the Macedonian lines. As the wagons drew closer, some Greek soldiers swallowed as they watched the scythes blades adorning the wheels of the wagons. If the Indians came into contact... it would be a massacre!
Suddenly...
"Now!"
Eumenes had just raised his xiphos (Greek sword). The ranks of the Greeks opened... the soldiers stood up and started running. The Indian chariots continued on their way rushing into spaces that the Greeks had just emptied, moving away as fast as they could.
Lined up along the avenues that the hoplites had just opened in their ranks, the shooters raised their weapons...
A rain of arrows, slingshot balls, and javelins fell on the statues animated standing on the stone war wagons, striking on both sides. The first wagons overturned and formed obstacles against which the following ones crashed... The promised massacre had taken place... but not among the Greeks.
The brilliant tactics of Alexander the Great had offered him victory once again!
Jeanne d'Arc was gasping... the saint could not remember how long she had been fighting. In addition to the stone statues that were advancing through the streets of the city, the French woman also had to counter the surprise attacks of aerial spirits that suddenly appeared, even attacking from behind.
They were trying to destroy the Plant_Type Attack_Programs that were behind a line of Ennemy_Programs that was defending them.
Jeanne d'Arc knew war... she was not unaware of the importance of reinforcements. The Plants constantly invoked new Ennemy_Programs, whereas Rama's stone statues existed only in a finite amount. The Plants were the key to victory... at least if she could defend them.
A wing snap warns Jeanne of the return of her most dangerous enemy. She jumped aside, swirling her banner in a dazzling martial display.
The Pegasus neighed with frustration, veering and regaining altitude as Perseus laughed.
"Nice defensive maneuver! But how long will you resist, beautiful among the beautiful? Shouldn't you lay down your arms? I'm a hero... and isn't it the role of the hero to deliver the fine-looking captive? Why keep fighting me?"
Seeing the horseman brandish his sword, Jeanne tightened her lips under the effect of anger. She hated being looked down on as a good-looking booty. Furthermore, Perseus' theatrical behavior exasperated the young woman... the Heretic God was always posing as if an ecstatic audience applauded each of his lines.
"I voluntarily fight for Altera, I am no prisoner of anyone!"
"What? I thought you were the heroine of France! Why serve Velber, the destroyer of worlds?"
"Let's say I have a reason to fight for Altera... I certainly don't fight for Velber."
Perseus seemed to think. He finally nodded his head.
"You fight for Altera?"
"Yes," replied Jeanne, nodding her head and tightening her banner with both hands. " I fight for her... someone has to fight to save her... nobody ever thinks about her."
"I see... then it is not you, Jeanne d'Arc, who are captive."
Pulling on the reins of his Pegasus Perseus walked away at once, after having greeted Jeanne with a nod. He had lost interest in the French saint...
Again, the Indians attacked the squares of the Macedonian phalanx.
In a concert of trumpeting, the gigantic war elephants were gaining speed, trampling on the paving. On the neck, the mahout directed the huge stone statue shaped in the image of an elephant. Behind him, a tower with battlements was occupied by archers shooting their arrows.
But the Greeks did not panic. They had faced the Indian elephants at the Battle of Hydaspes. Grouped in squares bristling with Sarissa (long spears from 5 to 7 meters) the hoplites opposed a real wall of spearheads to the immense pachyderms.
In the middle of the fray, the Hypaspistes (2) were clearly recognizable by their golden shields. They pushed back the elephants and pierced them with their spears. All around them piled up broken statues.
"Hyaaah!"
Iskandar had just screamed. Rising from an adjacent street, he led the charge of the horsemen. The King of the Conquerors rode his powerful horse as black as the blood of the bull, brandishing his sword haloed with lightning. Behind him came the Greek cavalry: Thessalian Hippei, Thracians, Epirotes, and especially the Hetaroi, the Macedonian nobility, recognizable by their long scarlet mantles.
Quickly sweeping away the infantrymen that protected the flanks of the elephants, the Greeks charged against the pachyderms, hitting them in the belly to disembowel them!
Once again, the Indians were repelled, cut to pieces...
But despite this new victory, reinforcements were gathering again, preparing a new attack.
The battle had lasted for hours and was still as indecisive.
Among the Indian warriors, the medieval knights seemed completely...anachronistic. Yet they were elite under Lancelot. Ennemy_Programs were unable to stop them. With almost mechanical gestures, the knights advanced in the melee, mowing the heads, and smashing the black crystal armor of the Programs.
But, at the center of the battle, an opponent managed to prevent the collapse of the front.
Her multicolored sword tore the web of reality, opening gaps haloed with violet light. In the tears appeared the cosmic void sown by distant stars.
The knights and golems that the Sword of Mars slashed disappeared forever... projected into some unimaginable "elsewhere".
Only, Altera did not fight only against footmen foes.
Preceded by defiant whinny, Lancelot's white horse descended to the orbital city. Like a comet, it galloped towards the ground, leaving behind it a luminous trajectory.
Jumping aside, the Scourge of God dodged the attack. As the Queen of the Amazon pulled on the reins of her mount to flip-flop, Altera pointed her sword at her... the next instant an ice-jet wrapped the horse and her rider. Lancelot struggled to free herself from the icy prison, but already the Queen of the Huns leaped forward, the sword raised high. Her blade cut the horse in half... the Divine Authority dissolved into prana particles. Struck by the Sword of Mars, Lancelot was wounded in the chest and thrown several meters away. She would probably have been finished off by Altera if Perseus had not intervened. Falling from the sky, riding on his Pegasus, the god-hero blocked the Scourge of God's sword.
The Envoy of Velber and Perseus were facing each other, observing each other, watching for the loophole they could exploit in a brutal attack but...
Hearing the thunder, they stopped.
Lightning had just fallen among the Ennemy_Programs, electrical arcs of fabulous power were passing from one black crystal humanoid to another... disintegrating them in a succession of blue and white discharges smashing on the stone pavement.
Looking up, Altera saw the chariot of Indra. The sun's fire stallions descended towards the orbital city, followed by clouds of thunderstorms. Standing on the chariot's platform, Rama had just placed another arrow on the wood of his bow. When he released the rope, the arrow turned into a powerful lightning discharge. Lightning struck with unbearable violence, electric arcs caused houses to collapse, and in instant thousands of black crystal humanoids were wiped out... When the smoke dispersed, only a huge crater the size of a residential area remained!
The face of the Queen of the Hun showed no emotion, as she watched Rama shoot one arrow at another, slaughtering the Ennemy_Programs army... Yet she understood that the battle was lost.
When Gilgamesh moved away after neutralizing Sun Wukong, he gave them an opportunity to win the battle while he was taking care of Rama.
Unfortunately, the King of the End came back first... Now, Altera and her generals were again facing the Strongest Steel and... They could do absolutely nothing! Rama was much too strong for them. They had no hope of winning the battle!
"Gilgamesh, we must retreat!"
There was a golden blaze, and the King of the Heroes suddenly appeared next to Altera. The left side of his armor was damaged with traces of fusion. His hair was still smoking, while blood was forming a scarlet mask on his face.
Despite his injuries, Gilgamesh had a strangely appeased expression. He smiled... not his usual scornful grin... No, for the first time, Altera saw a real smile on the face of the King of Uruk.
"I'll take care of it!"
Gate of Babylon opened behind Gilgamesh. Not swords or wizard's staffs came out... but colossal metal humanoids with triangular torsos, their pelvis was a sphere, with arms like rods attached to the torso by spherical joints. Their heads were even stranger. There were only two searchlights-like eyes on a neck made of stacked rings (3).
They held in one hand a scimitar, but their main weapon was their eyes. They swept the ground with the double blinding beam emitted by these strange searchlights. When they perceived a moving enemy, the neck stopped and the light rays were suddenly reduced to two thin lasers that pierced their enemies through.
Tireless, the guards of Shamash massacred the stone statues approaching.
Gilgamesh again opened Gate of Babylon. This time the ship of Light came out.
"Get on board, I hold the enemy."
Gilgamesh was now armed with the Alani axe (4), the weapon of the god Enlil. It was a strange object in the shape of a bull's horn, with a tooth-shaped blade. On his head, the king of Uruk placed the "Slayer of Earth" like a crown.
Speaking to Enlil's axe, Gilgamesh gave it his instructions, reinforcing Alani's destructive power through the Slayer.
The weapon escaped his fingers. Endowed with its own will, Alani crossed the battlefield, smashing the buildings and massacring the defenders.
The intervention of the Golden King prevented the retreat from turning into a complete rout. The Servants were able to take refuge in the Ship of Light which took the air, escaping from annihilation... at the last minute.
The Strongest Steel watched his enemies flee without making a move to stop them.
He had overcome his foes... once again... because no one could defeat him. He did not smile, did not rejoice... Rama was no longer enthusiastic about victory... about the endless repetition of his inevitable victory. Victory had long since lost its flavor. Who could defeat him anyway?
What a cruel irony!
In his youth, Rama believed that his absolute strength and his incessant victories would bring peace to the world.
But he had known only war...
Six thousand years of war!
His strength chained him to an endless war. He killed the enemies, again, again and again... always others replaced them and the war continued...
The King of the End raised his hand and... around him, the Pushpaka Vimana began to shine. The collapsed walls of the orbital city began to repair themselves, the roofs were reassembled as if by invisible hands, the missing slabs reintegrated the paving and the destroyed statues were put back on their pedestals.
Seeing the extent of Rama's power, the subordinate gods gathered, kneeling before their lord.
Rama nodded to Perseus, Sun Wukong, Lakshmana, and Hanuman, before stopping in front of Lancelot.
Guinevere treated with her magic the Queen of the Amazon, wounded in the chest.
"How do you answer the charges, Lancelot?"
Grimacing with pain, the woman in armor bowed painfully.
"This Knight... was humiliated in front of her king, this knight admits to failing in her duty."
Rama approved with a chin movement.
"You just lost three fights in a row. Tell me, Lancelot, what do I need a knight who can't win?"
The Amazon simply lowered her head, shameful. Unlike the Queen of the Divine Ancestor, outraged, she straightened out.
"My king, this Guinevere implores you to moderate your words. Sir Lancelot is the paragon of the knights; no one is more faithful to you and..."
Rama interrupted her with a hand wave, without even looking at her...
"Lancelot, what should I do with you? Should I kill you to add your most powerful Divine Authority to my Arrows Album? I would use an arrow that can pierce anything... But I have no use for a knight who never wins a fight!"
The Queen of the Amazon was mortified.
"This... this Knight has sworn loyalty to you, my King."
"Faithfulness..."
Rama's voice was mocking... he did not believe in faithfulness. He touched a steel medallion around his neck, making the Holy Grail appear.
The King who Rule at the End of Time looked at the powerful magic object.
"Well, maybe you can still be useful to me... Sir Lancelot, let's try it."
Frightened, Guinevere wanted to protest, but seeing the Sangreal shine with an increasingly powerful white light, she can only back up by raising her hands before her eyes so as not to become blind.
When Guinevere opened her eyes, Lancelot stood in front of her. Her immaculate armor no longer bore the slightest trace of the previous battle. In one hand she held her spear, in the other her shield. A weak white aura surrounded the female knight, as if at rest... but it gave the impression of vibrating with immeasurable power.
Nevertheless, looking up at her friend's face, the Divine Ancestor uttered a small cry of distress... Lancelot's beautiful purple eyes reflected... nothing... absolutely no emotion, no feeling.
Terrified, the Witch of Brittany turned to Rama.
"My King... what... what did you do to Sir Lancelot?"
Walking peacefully towards the throne that replaced his tomb in the middle of the immense dome in the center of his city, Rama sat down.
"I gave her back to her true nature. A God of Steel is a weapon. No more, no less."
Guinevere turned towards Lancelot, motionless as a statue, and then looked at Rama not understanding what he meant.
"Her true nature?"
"Feelings and emotions are an unnecessary burden for a weapon... I'm unfortunately perfectly qualified to know that. Remember, I'm a God of Steel, too. Lancelot... no... Let's call her the White Queen... the White Queen is now free from doubt and hesitation. Now she will use all her power to destroy whom I will designate. I envy her. As I would be like her, without memory, without remorse... a mere weapon accomplishing its mission, without human weaknesses."
The White Queen... Lancelot's new name summed up what she had become... as a queen, she was the most powerful piece on the chessboard... but as a pawn, the White Queen only existed when a hand moved it on the white and black boxes...
It existed only to take black pieces on the board.
Lancelot's humor, her kindness, her sense of honor... everything was gone.
Guinevere looked at her king with terror, cruelly disappointed by the reality behind the legend... So it was him, King Arthur?
A god who didn't believe in faithfulness and regretted having feelings?
Tohsaka Residence, Tokyo
Hakuno joined hands, seemed to think, and then nodded her head - only once, before speaking with a decided expression.
"Find Rama."
Amakasu Touma of the History Compilation Committee coughed in his fist.
"Obviously, this is what we should do, but... well, it might be difficult to find a manned rocket that can carry all the Campiones to Rama's orbital palace."
Kusanagi Goudou turned to Ishtar.
"Maybe Maanna could lead us to..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the Mesopotamian Goddess of Love shook her head, interrupting him.
"The Boat of Heaven certainly could not transport us all at once. As for making several trips... that would make us way too vulnerable."
The goddess seemed to think rubbing her chin.
"On the other hand, it must have been possible to maneuver Rama to take us aboard one of his Vimana ... or to seize one by a ruse."
Ereshkigal, jealous that everyone listened to her sister, intervened. Hiding her mouth with one hand and feigning amusement, the Mistress of Arali spoke in a rather contemptuous tone.
"Don't take what Ishtar says seriously, she doesn't even think before talking!"
Ishtar crossed her arms on her chest, visibly upset, and one of her brows creased in rising anger.
"And may I ask why you doubt my talent for seduction and cunning? Are you suggesting that I'm too stupid to come up with a plan to take one of Rama's Vimana?"
"Well..." The Queen of Kur pretended to think. "Actually... yeah... that's exactly what I mean."
It would not have taken much imagination to see pressurized steam coming out of the ears of the Queen of Venus.
"You forget how I managed to get the divine formulas on which all civilizations are based."
"Ah, yes? Let's talk about it," replied Ere. "You invited yourself to the temple of Enki in Eridu, using all your charm, there you made Enki swallow barley cakes with butter, you made him drunk making him drink rivers of beer... and when Enki was completely satisfied and drunk you took him to his room and while he slept you took advantage of it to steal the divine formulas concerning supreme lordship, royalty, the functions of priests, weapons, legal procedures, the state of the scribe, woodworking and even the knowledge of musical instruments! (5)"
Shirou looked at Ishtar... shocked to learn that she had stolen the divine secrets of her own... her own grandfather (!). But, one hand on her hip, using the other to send over her shoulder one of her twintails, the Mistress of Heaven smiled boldly (an evil smile, of course!).
"And when that old fool woke up and realized I had cheated on him, I had already run away" she replied with a prideful tone. "Thanks to Maanna's speed, I had already arrived in my temple of Uruk, safely, as he sent against me the mighty weapons forged in heaven. So, you see, I'm perfectly capable of stealing one of Rama's Vimana and reusing it against him!"
Shirou and Godou exchanged a bewildered glance...
"What an evil goddess, she's not ashamed to steal her own family..."
"I completely agree! Suddenly I feel sympathy for Gilgamesh."
But Ere started screaming, clenching her fists.
"And I say it won't work!"
"It will work," replied Ishtar smiling with confidence. "No one can resist my seduction!"
"You should talk to Gilgamesh about it..." replied Ere. "I'm sure he agrees with you completely."
Flushed with anger, forgetting that she was a "great, noble, and elegant goddess", Ishtar began to stretch Ereshkigal's cheeks with both hands, while the Goddess of the Underworld responded by hair-pulling! They behaved like little 7-year-old girls!
Turning his head, Goudou sighed... but only once. The scene was now too usual to surprise him again. When they behaved like that, there was no point in trying to calm them down... unless you wanted to take a hit. He looked at the other people around the table.
"Leaving aside the transport problem, let's start by bringing the Campiones together."
Luo Hao approved while looking a little surprised at the two goddesses squabbling in the midst of explosions and red electric discharge.
The relationship between the Devil Kings was marked by a certain solemnity. The tradition was that they would only discuss an alliance face to face and that the applicant would face the trip to meet the Campione whose help he was seeking.
"I'm going to see Madame Aisha. We're old friends, and she won't refuse to see me... at least if she's back on Earth."
"In that case, Big Sister, I'm going to Europe to meet Lord Salvatore Doni and Black Prince Alec."
"That seems fair, Little Brother, then I'll go to America to meet John Pluto Smith" concludes the Ruler of Martial Art.
Ishtar - bristling hair still covered with electric discharge- comes to stand to the right of Godou.
"In that case, I think it would be safer if we went with us. Since Rama can spot the Campiones, he will definitely attack if you start gathering in the same place."
"Us? Who are you talking about, goddess of Venus?"
Goudou's question received an answer from Ereshkigal who comes to the left of the Japanese Devil King. Her hair was still smoking.
"Ishtar, Hakuno, Shirou, and me, of course!"
The two sisters exchanged big smiles... having suddenly completely forgotten their argument. In fact, they were smiling in collusion, like two accomplices.
Godou raised his eyes to heaven. He would never understand them... Did they hate each other? Did they like each other? Unless it depends on the direction of the wind?
Emiya Shirou had just left the meeting room. He had many things to do, prepare his suitcase, cut water, and gas, throw away all perishable goods in the fridge, etc...
Normally, a departure beyond the seas was not improvised. But sometimes...
"Shirou!"
Surprised, the redhead turned to see Ishtar arrive. As usual, she floated above the ground and landed gracefully on the carpet in front of him.
Hesitant, as if embarrassed, the Mistress of Heaven stepped forward two steps, hands behind her back, slightly leaning forward...
"Shirou, we can't keep fighting like that... you know I care a lot about you. And everything I've done, I've done for you."
Seizing the redhead's hand, Ishtar pressed his palm on... uh... on her breast!
"Do you hear the beating of my heart? Do you hear how much I suffer from our quarrel? My heart is ready to break... "
Shirou looked like a fish that had just been caught. His mouth was open and he was struggling to breathe. His face quickly changed from one color to another: blue, white, purple, and then red.
"You hear my innocent little heart, Shirou? It's ready to break."
Heart... innocent?
Oddly, the two words didn't seem to go together, but Shirou had a lot of trouble thinking. In fact, he had enough trouble with his own heart, it was beating so fast that he almost had a heart attack... and why was it so hot all of a sudden? What was Ishtar talking about?
Boing!
He just couldn't concentrate. He tried to remove his hand... but the Mesopotamian goddess was much stronger than him... and she tackled his hand on...
Boiiiiing...
... on something very soft.
And the goddess's voice flowed through his ears like honey.
"We're not going to stay mad any longer. It would be so stupid..."
Shirou thought Ishtar was very convincing, and... No, no... he shook his head... before sighing exasperatedly. He had for a moment forgotten who he was dealing with.
"How many times did you rehearse your tirade in front of the mirror?"
There was a brief pause, and then the Mistress of Heaven blinked, and looked away with a pout, obviously annoyed.
"For three days... every morning... how did you guess?"
"Perhaps you lacked a little spontaneity!"
She had a mischievous smile... "Oh, that's okay. I think my best argument is there." The goddess pressed Shirou's hand a little stronger against... uh... you know what, and the redhead blushed.
As if he was bitten by a snake, the faker quickly withdrew his hand, without the Queen of Venus trying to stop him this time.
"I have things to... to do... see you later."
Shirou ran away (there were no other terms) and Ishtar watched him do it with amusement. When he disappeared around the corner, the Mistress of Heaven began to hum, suddenly in an excellent mood.
After all, no one resisted her seduction attempts for very long... What was she going to invent for the next time? Shirou was so cute when he blushed and stuttered!
(1) Greek ballista, did not necessarily throw giant crossbows bolts. In fact, they were often used to throw stones.
(2) Macedonian Royal Guards. Their full name is ὑπασπισταὶ τῶν ἑταίρων/ hupaspistaì ton hetaírôn or "King's Shield Bearers"
(3) Description based on an engraving on a Sumerian cylinder seal. These strange (robot-like?) creatures are the "guardians of Mashu", they guard the entrance of the mountain that "rises to the vault of heaven". They appear notably in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk must ask them permission to pass to fulfill his quest ("I wish to question Outnapishtim about life and death").
(4) Weapon created and used by Enlil in an ancient narrative called "The Myth of the Pickaxe". Its name, Alani, can be translated as "axe that generates Power". In the myth, Enlil speaks to his axe that acts without needing him to hold it! The crown called the Slasher (or Earth Slasher) allows Enlil to amplify the power of Alani.
"The house that rises against the Lord,
The house that does not submit to the Lord,
Alani makes it submit to the Lord.
Bad people [missing] the heads to the soles from their feet it crushes;
Pull the roots of the earth, tear the crown.
Alani cut the "bad people" in half from the head to the soles of the feet, and cut the mountains in half from the roots of the earth to the crown/top!
A least an A-Class anti-mountain Noble Phantasm!
(5) Guaranteed content: 100% authentic Mesopotamian myth