Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

72. Chapter 72

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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72- True Self II: Awakening of Steel

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By the time Rias arrived most of the fire in the workshop had been put out by the swarm as the smoke was worse for them than for anyone else. Eventually everyone could die suffocated, the place had no openings after all, but the smaller insects would perish first.

And they could still be of use to Zolgen so he maneuvered to take care of the flames since the fight began. Too many of his colony had already died and he knew many more would with an extra opponent. The Power of Destruction was especially dangerous because its properties were supposedly able to destroy everything.

Once his friend had mentioned how it could affect the soul and Zolgen didn't know if it was a joke of poor taste or a legitimate warning. Rizevim never offered a straight explanation and his own research gave him no concrete result.

That could also have been a rumor spread by the Bael as devils had a habit of bragging or lying about their own capabilities a little too much so he would reserve his judgment if Heiress managed to hit him with something like that.

Not that the Mage of Insects was worried, in particular because as far as he was concerned, he had far more cards to play. "Do we truly need to fight, Heiress of Gremory?" Including bargaining.

"Oh~? You want to chat after invading my city and harming my Magician?" Shirou winced at the harsh look she gave him but Rias pointed to his clothes. "I can recognize blood and that is a little too much." Obviously there would be an explanation later.

"Now, now, don't need to be harsh." Zolgen offered his best smile as the devil turned back to him. "They did invaded my home-"

"Which you have no rights to because your descendant renounced it and as a criminal you would need to be apprehended even if your family was here to claim anything." The Heiress of Gremory cut him off but the man barely reacted as his great moth kept flying above his head. "But you already knew that."

"True, true, I am a criminal in the eyes of society. That is fair." He pointed to the Pendragon siblings, one who frowned while the other was too busy paying attention to the younger Mage. "But so are they. Members of the Khaos Brigade, to be more specific. And it turns out that I also have more to offer."

"What could a creature like you offer?" Xenovia asked with fury but Rias held her back.

"Information about the Khaos Brigade?" If there was a chance to take down the terrorist organization, or just weaken them even slightly, the Heiress had a duty to consider it.

"Don't believe a word from his cursed mouth." Altria hissed while glaring at Zolgen. "He never left his manor. Showed no interest in anything other than his experiments."

"My dear, my familiars are everywhere. I guarantee that I know plenty of secrets from our little club." The man replied condescendly as his creatures retreated behind him.

"For example?." Shirou asked rhetorically, already expecting silence.

A mistake for Zolgen had much to give for free. "Would your sister's little pet project be a good one?" Which made everyone in the group freeze. "That girl is such an annoying nuisance, so full of herself, but her skills are real enough to catch even my attention. In fact, she and Animusphere would have a lot to talk about."

It was a tantalizing offer for Shirou which automatically meant the same to Rias. "What do you want, Mage of Insects?" Asked the Heiress. "After your crimes you know not even the Underworld can offer you asylum. Safe passage?"

"Allow me to leave Fuyuki unmolested and we can all forget this little mess happened." None of the city inhabitants liked that man's smile.

"That is it?" Rias asked, ready to take such a deal.

Then Zolgen threw a curve ball. "Well, that and the permission to take someone with me." Immediately everyone raised their guard, Rias gritting her teeth. "Don't worry, don't worry. It isn't anyone important to you, I swear. In fact, I very much believe you will be grateful to me for taking her away." He turned to look at Shirou whose eyes were hidden in shadows. "What do you say, Mage of Swords? Everything you need to know about your sister, even her location if I can provide it, for one single-"

"No way in hell!" Shirou declared with a murderous glare as he dismissed Bakuya and called Muramasa and his bow back to his hands.

Holy Light and the Power of Destruction began to cover the area as Zolgen chuckled. "So much for trying to be nice."

Finally snapping herself from trying to decipher Shirou's survival, Le Fay looked around with an expression of fear. "Careful, that moth filled the room with its pollen!"

"Too late, my dear!" Zolgen announced as the blue pollen grew thicker and visible to all, his pet moth unleashing something between a roar and a shriek. "Should have taken the deal. Then you all could have left here alive." The swarm began to move again, faster than before.

Rias, who already suspected negotiations were a distraction of some sort, quickly unleashed two more blasts of Destruction towards the Mage who countered by unleashing a new insect from his sleeve.

It was a firefly which quickly grew to the size of a basketball and used its blue light to generate a barrier around its creator. When Destruction hit the shield the Power of Bael had its energy dismissed like a wave colliding in the sand. Some remained for an instant before fully disappearing, Zolgen smiling at the event.

Around the group some of the swarm got close enough that Shirou and Altria had to intervene, both cutting several down before Rias redirected her Stand to support them as Le Fay sent a gust of wind to concentrate the pollen in a single spot.

Something that she found difficult as the small magus realized she was spending far more mana than she should against what should be just pollen. Considering their opponent that made her suspicious but she kept working as that was the best strategy.

Xenovia flew straight to the Mage of Insects, fully intending to finish him once for all, only for the great moth to beat its wings and unleashed two hurricanes in her direction. The bluehead wasn't used to flying enough to dodge so she countered by concentrating her power on Durandina to create a defense. Bronze aura covered her body for the third time that night but the shield faltered and the winds shoved her back.

Even if she could use Hector's sword to defend herself thanks to the Peerless Armor, its power was more suited to protect others so failing against enough force was expected. What she didn't expect was that the moth would be so strong and that her swords would suddenly start growing heavy on her grip. With Durandal's Miracles that should be impossible.

And she wasn't the only one noticing similar phenomenons as others felt similar feelings, Altria being the first to notice her body growing heavier and unbalanced. 'What is going on? I should have more energy than this.' Gritting her teeth she cut down an ant soldier, grabbed its weapon and stabbed a centipede. "Not only my sword but my body too."

"My body is growing heavier by the second as well." Shirou commented as his hand went for Muramasa's blade. "It must be the pollen which means-"

"Don't do it!" Le Fay shouted as several magic circles appeared to make her wind stronger. "This stuff is heavily flammable and is filling the workshop. If you lit any fires…"

"We will be cooked alive." The redhead magus acknowledged but kept pushing mana in his sword. "But I can also do this, Wind Muramasa!"

'Another Element?' The blonde magus was stunned but noticed how the pollen around them fought to stay down.

"Not enough, Rias!" Called the Mage of Swords as his lover was having less problem to move than than the others. Mostly because only her Stand was moving on its own and that was what he needed. "Shoot those wings!"

"Got it! Born To Be Wild!" Her creation's hands changed from cannons to machine guns with huge barrels before unleashing a barrage of bullets on the giant moth. Zolgen obviously wasn't going to let that happen so his firefly moved and created a huge barrier for it. "Kidding~~" Only for one of the Stand's hands to change targets and rain bullets on him.

The Mage of Insects didn't look surprised or startled and instead stirred those feelings on everyone else as he expertly moved around the Power of Destruction. Not a single shot connected as the blue haired man raced to the left as the attack followed him. His familiars perished but he was in control.

Until Altria had enough. "In the name of Caliburn Ruler hear my Order, lose your weight, take the winds and surrender to nature!" Her mana converged on her Holy Sword before exploding outwards and to the air.

Soon it joined the pollen and everyone could feel how it lost its weight, Zolgen grunting as he lost control over his creation's ability. "Holy Swords are problematic." WIthout any other word his moth's wings began to speed up, unleashing another hurricane, this time aimed towards the blonde swordswoman.

She wouldn't be able to move while focusing on the Order, "Rho Aias!" But Shirou saw that and moved in front of her, the shield in the form of a flower blooming with four petals.

The attack clashed against the Noble Phantasm but it did little against it. Its main purpose was to spread the moth's pollen, not breaking barriers. Against Rho Aias something like that could never work as each petal was as strong as the wall of a fortress.

However its cost was steep and Rias could already feel her reserves being used in two directions. "Time to kick this up a notch. Act II!" Changing tactics and her offensive, the redhead devil transformed her Stand in its next form for a more concentrated attack. A sniper rifle dropped in her hands and she began to take aim. "Let us see if that firefly can survive this."

Thanks to Le Fay's efforts the pollen wasn't reaching the red construct so Rias found herself free to aim as she wished. However her weapon sounded the alarms in Zolgen's head so the man charged straight for her.

In the ancient magus' mind that was his best opportunity to attack directly as everyone else was too busy dealing with his familiar and its pollen but he forgot to consider was an angry Xenovia who returned from being blasted against a wall, bathed in insect blood.

Peerless Armor had absorbed the blow completely and even if the impact was felt the former Exorcist got up rather quickly. The reason why she took so returning to the combat was because while she was recovering most of the swarm threw themselves at her. Combine that with the pollen weighing her down and the young woman almost died suffocated by the army.

Then her allies managed to control pollen and Xenovia managed to kill everything until her sight fell back on Zolgen. She didn't know or cared about what Rias was doing, she was done with the whole thing and the Mage of Insects in particular. He had to die and she would relish in killing him herself.

Never before had Xenovia felt such hatred but after almost being buried alive under giant insects she couldn't help it.

When Zolgen noticed the bluehead's approach it was already too late and he soon found himself losing an arm. Said arm burned with Holy Energy as he turned his feet and tried to run away.

Obviously Xenovia chased with blades of Light in her wake as she took four swings at him each destroying some of his body. Only problem was that blood wasn't spilled and instead she found herself attacked by bees. Durandal unleashed a blast that destroyed several of them as she kept flying at her enemy who was soon covered by several insects.

Reiterating that she was done with the whole thing the knight roared as she unleashed a fast sequence of slashes towards her target. However soon enough she was forced to stop as a giant worm emerged from the wall and swallowed Zolgen whole.

"You think I will fall for that?! Durandal!" The Peerless Sword exploded with Light and soon the worm was consumed completely.

"Holy Swords are indeed problematic." From the side of the attack the Mage of Insects revealed himself, unscathed. "Foolish girl." He counterattacked with a blast of mana, his first of the whole fight, that had little effect as Durandina blocked most of it and the armor shrugged off the rest. "Truly foolish."

Joining his hands he created a stronger attack that she blocked the same way as the former only to blink as several wasps had surrounded her from nowhere. They all began to shine brightly with Zolgen's energy before blowing up around the former Exorcist. Fortunately she managed to distract her enemy long enough.

Meanwhile her allies dealt with the pollen and Xenovia kept Zolgen at bay, Rias finished preparing a bullet that surely could pierce the firefly's barrier. It was the same kind of bullet she used against Kuroka so she made extra sure it would hit her targets.

When she finally took her shot the condensed Destruction flew in a perfect angle to first hit the firefly's light before piercing the moth's head. Both died quickly and without extra pollen Le Fay gathered all of it in a single spot.

The rest of the group allowed the youngest Pendragon to take care of the rest as they rushed to support Xenovia who was just blasted away. Their swords shone with the crystals' light and so Zolgen saw them coming with an irritated grunt. Magic circles appeared in his hands and two giant worms teleported in from somewhere.

And ended up cutted down by the duo who reached Zolgen and went for the kill. Altria was faster so she struck first with a wide swing to his shoulder which the ancient Mage dodged. He tried to counterattack with magic but the young woman ducked and Shirou's Bakuya collided with his hand.

There was a shock wave and the young Mage was surprised by the event since one was using a Noble Phantasm while the other man only had his naked hand. Yet he didn't dwell on it as he moved his waist forward to push the other Mage back. They found themselves in a struggle but it wouldn't last long as the blonde swordswoman threw a stab at Zolgen's heart from behind.

Four different kinds of insects jumped from his clothes to take the hits and attack the warriors' faces. Neither missed a stride and cut them down while their enemy tried to escape. Still they chased the insect user with gusto much to Makiri's frustration as his legs bent forward in an odd angle before he sprung himself up with a jump.

Right into Rias' sight and quickly she unloaded her sniper's rifle on the man's path. A new firefly emerged from his collar and created a barrier but the shoot went through it, hitting his shoulder.

Despite the damage he had taken the Mage of Insects didn't slow down and called forth another magic circle, teleporting in several insects. Each one was distinct in their own way but shared the trait of being at least human sized. The Heiress of Gremory focused on her Stand and it shifted into a machine gun that unleashed a salvo of bullets.

All insects died before touching the floor but ladybug tick hybrids dropped from the ceiling and opened their wings. Some flew towards Rias, others towards Shirou and Altria while four of them joined together to form a platform for their creator. One of which gave their creator a perfect vision of the battlefield.

Thanks to it Zolgen saw Xenovia returning from the left, his 'platform' breaking apart and charging against her at full speed. She cut them down but not before the Mage of Insects unleashed several locusts to blind her. Worse was that from her position she couldn't use Durandal without bringing the whole place down.

Which was why Le Fay sent a wave of fire against the cloud, hoping that the bluehead's armor was good enough that she would be left unharmed. Their enemy saw that and clicked his tongue before creating a huge magic circle that unleashed a new rhinoceros beetle. The creature barely had time to bat its wings before Shirou cut its head down while bending forward in his jump.

"Mana Burst!" Wind exploded with pure power as the blonde swordswoman accelerated further than it should be possible.

His position was for Altria's benefit so she could use his back as a platform to launch herself at Zolgen with Caliburn Ruler pulsing with her strength. She arrived too fast and the Mage of Insects could only raise his arms defensively. For his troubles Zolken lost his hands and was bashed down.

The crash was loud and lifted a lot of dust but the Mage of Insects wasn't out by any means as his body regenerated, his hands quickly regrowing thanks to his worms. 'When was the last time?' Zolgen asked himself while jumping to his feet as Xenovia came barreling and threw two slashes at his body. Insects emerged from his clothes to take the hits but Durandal managed to cut his torso. 'When was the last time I have been so pressed?'

Raising a hand she unleashed another cloud of locust but this time Xenovia was ready and even if Durandina failed to cut him it quickly redirected its energy around its owner to unleash a blast that sent him flying.

However, that was planned as the old magus had calculated the area where he had the most insects remaining and positioned himself to crash there at the slightest of hits. Once more his body regenerated and he took great pleasure in the frustration pouring from the former Exorcist before a bullet pierced his forehead.

It was followed by dozens of others that pierced every single one of his vitals. At least where his vitals should be and while there was blood it was a fact Zolgen wasn't going down.

"What the fuck does it take to kill this bastard?!" Rias demanded as her machine gun kept firing until her allies started to get into the line of fire.

"Language!" Altria chastised as she and Xenovia reached the Mage of Insects together. Both had their path blocked by the last of his insects but blasts of Holy Light thinned their numbers further. "Also he seems to have an aversion to Holy Energy!"

"Must be because he is akin to a vampire or something!" Xenovia commented out loud.

Which offended Zolgen a little. "Please, like I am like those bloodsuckers. I went through painful lengths to make my body far more efficient." He chuckled as a magic circle formed between his hands.

And was shot down by an arrow. "Vampire, zombie, dead apostle. I couldn't give a damn about what you guys call yourselves." Mana flowed on his bow as the arrow caught fire. "Get out of my town!" He let it fly and watched as his fellow Mage's upper body began to catch fire.

But complementing his attack was Le Fay who unleashed a pillar of flames that consumed the rest of his form before the two swordswomen nodded to each other and focused the power of their swords into a blast of Holy Light that consumed that area.

The resulting explosion forced everyone to retreat and group back together, the magi raising shields, in the redhead's case a fence of swords, as they waited for the end result of their combined attack.

Except that Rias wasn't willing to be patient and turned her machine gun into a rocket launcher. "Let's see you survive this!" With that declaration a rocket made with the Power of Destruction left the construct and flew straight to the Mage of Insect's location.

A sphere of dark mana consumed everything in the area in a ten meter radius taking all stone, dust, mana, air and insect it could find, only leaving behind a crater of appropriate size as the Power of Destruction vanished without anything to sustain it.

"There is no way he could have survived that." Altria commented and Shirou clicked his tongue.

"You just had to jinx it."

"That is superstition."

"I agree with him, Ria. You jinxed us."

"Even you, Fay?"

"If my experience as an Exorcist says something then it is real and the guy is still alive."

"Jokes aside." Rias started as Born To Be Wild turned into a pair of handguns. "Is anyone seeing him?" When the rest of the dust had dissipated nobody saw anything but no one relaxed, tensions high. "Shiro?"

"Hrunting?" At her nod the Mage of Swords began to prepare the Noble Phantasm only for a cackle to interrupt his focus.

"Kakakaka! Such barbaric demeanor but such power as well. You youngsters are a treat!" They all looked up to see Zolgen flying with huge beetle's wings beating at rapid speed and a magic circle between his hands. He didn't have a single wound but his body was covered in blood and there was not a single insect on sight. "But also so, so, so, so barbaric." Everyone began to fire in his directions but the magic circle quickly grew double his size and the Mage of Insects began to cackle again. "My turn to call reinforcements."

From the magic circle another beetle emerged, that one smaller than the previous rhinoceros beetle but no less intimidating. It lacked the huge wings but its carapace being far thicker and obviously durable with a dark shine that reflected the crystals' light and two huge horns, one on its head and another on its back.

Of all species of its kind that one was closer to a hercules beetle than any other and not just in appearance as its bulk made it far more imposing that the previous beetles and its carapace looked like bulging muscles.

On its head it had huge pincer-like jaws full of spikes that were shorter than its legs but still extremely deadly. They moved a few times as some saliva fell on the ground and despite melting nothing it made the sight more terrifying.

Then there was also its weight which was terrifying by itself.

When it landed on the ground the whole workshop shook which helped everyone realize the thing was actually much heavier than it looked like. In fact, while not the biggest insect they had seen that day, it was the most powerful as no other had unleashed waves of mana with their presence alone.

Zolgen landed on top of his creation with a mirthful but cruel laugh lacking any sanity covering the workshop. "I must admit, children, I must admit, you are proving to be a true hurdle. That last last attack could really have destroyed my body." Before the man even finished talking a new sequence of blasts and arrows flew in his direction but his beetle raised its head and took every single hit. No damage was visible. "However I am truly, utterly, disappointed in you, Mage of Swords. You utterly fail at fighting how a magician should."

"Really? And how should they fight? Hiding behind their experiments? Monstrosities made using human lives?" Shirou asked back, Caladbolg almost fully Traced in his bow. "You are insane!"

"Please, don't be so naive… I didn't just use humans to create my pretty things, I used every species I could get my hands on. Like this one for example." He tapped the beetle with his foot. "It was once a simple two winged angel, the bottom of the barrel of Heaven. That was, until I got my hands on her. With the proper modifications, well, she is about to kill two Holy Sword Users, the Heiress of the Gremory and a Mage." The reveal didn't surprise anyone and they all felt disgust. Even if they imagined something like that, the Mage of Insects painted an even darker picture with his joyful tone alone. "Although I never managed to get a god. Certainly that would have been interesting." A tone everyone could tell grew happier at the possibilities of inflicting such a fate on the Divine. But he sobered up quickly as a mistake would be costly. "Alas, since it is relevant to your education, can't you say you are also doing the same using that woman as your Sword?"

"That is different and you know it, bastard." Rias replied as her guns were ready to shoot.

Everyone had finished preparing their last attacks as Zolgen kept talking. "But there is no denying she is fighting for him, as a familiar should. Or a… servant in this case."

"Didn't you almost kill him with your bare hands?" Le Fay asked sarcastically, earning a wince from Shirou as Rias glared from the side.

"Exactly my point. So much 'skill' as a fighter and a real magician can counter it with a proper spell." He raised two of his fingers. "There are two occasions when a magician should dirt his hands; to further their studies or to teach the weaker ones a lesson." His hand no longer had any of Shirou's blood but he raised it anyway. "A lesson he still hasn't learned just yet since he is still so naive. If you all just had taken my offer before… ah~ no use crying spilled milk."

"'Spilled milk'? You are talking about letting you go around and killing whoever for whatever!"

"Not 'whatever', as you rudely put it! For the sake of evolution, for the understanding of the reality around us! To finally unveil what makes us, us!" Zolgen declared passionately. "For without understanding, Humanity will only fall in the same patterns again and again. Someone needs to steer the ship."

"Let me guess, you?" Asked a furious Altria.

"Not necessarily me but yes, I would rather take this duty upon myself than leave it in the hands of fools. Either they are naive like you or fools like those in the Hero Faction. Bah!" Some disdain was evident. "Planning to gut most of the World just for the sake of their Justice… 'for Humanity'. Like that would help Humanity. If anything we will devolve without proper predators in the night to keep our fangs sharp."

"All the while you stay in the shadows, kidnaping people and twisting them." Looking around there were some corpses still around but even if they looked like insects, Shirou wondered for the first time if they started as such. "What you are doing… it can't be right."

Placing his hands behind his back, Zolgen studied Shirou's face carefully with a scowl. "... Morals are the tool of the weak to judge themselves strong when they lack the means. It has no place in a Mage's vocabulary." His expression grew cold and disappointed. "I take back what I said before, you are no peer of mine, you aren't a Mage. You are an idiot who knows nothing of the ways of the World."

Taking a step forward Xenovia pointed a glowing Durandal in Zolgen's direction. "I am a knight fighting for my Lord to whom I owe much and I won't allow you to insult him." The horse grew more agitated, ready to go wild, reins or not. "He knows more about the World than you could ever imagine and certainly is a better Mage than you could ever be!"

"So far the only thing he had to show was your armor and even if it was impressive clearly it isn't anything to write about. A piece of garbage made by a weakling."

"For that alone I refuse to let you breathe past today!" Xenovia declared with fury as Holy Energy covered Durandal completely, a blade of Light ready to be unleashed. "That said, an evil creature like you, I would kill for less!"

She vanished from her spot only to show up at the man's left with her blade charged to blow him up to smithereens. The sword of Light completed its arch but ended up colliding with a barrier made from the same material. A sphere of hard Light emerged from the beetle as it roared, much to Xenovia's shock.

It lasted until the creature's horns hit her side and sent her flying, Durandina's defense was inactive and only the armor absorbed the hit. She ended up crashing into a wall as her friends began to move around and unleash their attacks towards either the beetle or Zolgen who watched all nonplussed.

Rias gritted her teeth as her gun's failed to affect the wall in a manner that reminded her too much of Heaven's power. Returning to her sniper she unleashed a far denser bullet only for the Power of Destruction to waver. "Is that really Holy Light?"

"I don't know…" Le Fay tried to answer but she was obviously confused.

Shirou traded his bow for Bakuya and began to call forth its power. "He made it from an angel…" He reminded them with clear fury. "Obviously this bastard found a way to retain some of their power. Bellerophon!"

Watching the pegasus made of energy emerging from his fellow Mage's body curiously, Zolgen clarified, "Most certainly I did. That and other perks." Altria tried to go low and stab the beetle's belly but the Mage was unconcerned. If there was a weak spot on his creature that wasn't it so he laughed at her attempt. "Maybe Caliburn would have been a threat but a single fragment is nothing."

The blonde swordswoman gritted her teeth and jumped back once the giant beetle countered by trying to crush her with its weight. Unfortunately it was faster than Altria expected so its huge mass managed to release a wave that sent her flying away.

But the creature didn't pursue as Shirou came back with Bellerophon's aid and Bakuya's blade felt hundreds of times more dangerous to Zolgen whose eyes never left the Mage of Swords.

The hercules beetle moved the millisecond the redhead jumped at it, anticipating the attack. However there would be no escaping as the pegasus' speed while not at its peak was still far superior to the bug's and Bakuya cut off one of its legs easily.

When the creature screamed there was a moment of hesitation from Shirou's part born of the knowledge of what it once was. Instead of letting it take hold he jumped over the beetle and dashed at Zolgen with fury in his eyes. The other Mage wasn't surprised and if anything he looked disappointed by the action.

What didn't disappoint him was Bakuya cutting his barrier and almost doing the same to him. Fortunately for the Mage of Insects his familiar unleashed a wave of Light from its body's surface that threw Shirou away.

Bellerophon helped with his balance so he landed on his feet and looked down from the air with fury. He could see Le Fay trying to hit Zolgen as well but his barrier was already up again. When Altria and Rias tried to help, the beetle would bash them aside with its horns or run away when that was too inconvenient.

As things were going they would be the ones getting hurt so Shirou needed to make a decision. Perhaps killing Zolgen could free the former angel from her transformed state and if possible there wasn't any harm in helping her so long the Mage of Insects was out of the picture.

The problem was that the beetle was too dangerous and quickly proved itself to be even more so when Light began to form between its pincers to unleash a blast of that power straight to his first lover.

He didn't need to think twice to let Bellerophon's power take over him completely, his armor appearing in the blink of an eye. "Fly beyond the Heavens, Bellerophon! Last Stardust!" Time slowed down as his extreme speed took hold and suddenly he was by Rias' side before moving her out of harm's way.

However there were consequences to both of them as his body protested at how fast they moved while the Heiress of Gremory lost control of her construct and it faded from existence.

Both looked at each other before the beetle screeched and retracted the power into its body to unleash several spears of Light from its back, shooting them everywhere. Still in his advanced state it was easy for him to dodge everything as Rias embraced his neck but Shirou could see he they were not the only ones in peril.

Even without using Last Stardust he still managed to reach Altria in time, grabbing her with his right arm and escaping ten spears which would have impaled them. Le Fay was doing a great job surviving by herself so he just needed to protect those two until the attack eventually stopped.

Or was stopped in that case as if there was someone who didn't care about the spears of Light was Xenovia who came back to battle with Durandal unleashing a huge blast of Holy Light that consumed most of them.

She wasn't done as the power quickly folded in itself and formed a new blade of Light as Durandina's bronze aura moved to her feet and became the sole means of flying. That made her slower but the next attack had far more power than any other before which she quickly slammed on Zolgen's shield.

But the Mage of Insects wasn't idle as the former Exorcist approached and quickly summoned several of his fireflies which formed several barriers to stop her attack. Each and everyone one of them was broken as Durandal's full might was too much so the Mage of Insects summoned even more.

Over one hundred barriers were created between the two of them and to Zolgen's disbelief Durandal was breaking them all. "Impossible!" He shouted while raising his hands to create a shield with his own power.

His beetle moved because of his distress and started to run away but Xenovia was fine with that as she gripped Durandina in a reverse grip pointing to the ceiling and used it to push herself down.

With her was her blade of Light and the second the barriers were out of the way it fell down with all the speed afforded by the newly reborn bronze Noble Phantasm. Either way the bluehead hit connected even if it was just with the secondary target. It was a perfect blow, the blade of Light traveling pretty much without impediment until it touched the ground.

His beetle was cut in half and Zolgen quickly abandoned it with a snarl. "Look what you did?!" Roared the Mage with fury and anger as his prized experiment died in his watch. "My first true hybrid! Ruined!" With a glare full of vitriol he watched as Xenovia charged again, Durandal pointed in his direction. He dodged easily as his legs bent in odd ways and he jumped over her. "Enough of-"

Bullets of Destruction pierced several parts of his body as a spear made of magic appeared over his head. Soon he was traveling to the ground at speeds too fast for most to process but not Shirou who had left the other girls behind and was going for the kill.

However just because it was dying it didn't mean the beetle was dead and a wave of Light pushed everyone off their feet as its body burned because of Holy Energy. It gave Zolgen enough time to recover his bearings and create another magic circle.

"Stop your teleportation spell!" Commanded Altria and the man found himself letting his magic circle go as Shirou recovered enough to try again, in an instant reaching his target. With Bakuya ready; he went for the first of several attacks.

But Zolgen stopped his arm just short of his neck. "Fool!" He exclaimed as the pegasus' power tried to burn his form. "Do you really think this is going to be enough? I have had this body for eight hundred years! Eight hundred!"

"Just die already!" The Mage of Swords began to punch at supersonic speeds but despite his armored fist having enough power to take down buildings, Zolgen made no indication of taking damage. 'How is he doing it? There are no more insects-'

He barely could finish his thoughts before several wasps emerged from Makiri's back, many of which Le Fay shot down but not enough as the others began to create several magic circles.

"He is like Gasper!" Rias warned but it was too late as several magic blasts started to fly everywhere, many of them focused on Shirou.

Proof of her words was that more and more wasps were breaking apart from Makiri's body as it began to grow smaller as everything started to become an insect that joined in the magical assault.

The hand holding Shirou's arm back was the last to go and the Mage of Swords unleashed several slashes to kill as many as he could but hundreds of the creatures were still flying away until a new Zolgen flew close to his workshop ceiling.

His face was full of true and unrestrained rage as his mocking attitude disappeared with the destruction of the first of his hybrids. His familiars, or parts of himself, kept attacking but they managed to see his body was missing some parts. He was really wounded, blood dripping from his arms as Shirou's attack did some damage.

"Enough playing around." But that only made him more furious and in his hands a new magic circle appeared. "The coordinates are Set. The course is Set! I am the Beacon in the middle of the Storm!" With those words the magic grew big enough until it covered half of the workshop which made the attacks stop.

From it emerged a new hercules beetle looking like the first but much, much bigger. His size alone filled most of the workshop and his legs destroyed some of the walls when it arrived. Then there were the horns, so big that Shirou had to jump back or be skewered by them upon its entrance.

They didn't need the Mage of Insects to explain what it was, like its previous kin that beetle was obviously also made from an angel in some accursed experiment but by the power it was letting out and its size alone there was no shadow of a doubt it had been one with more than two wings.

Six winged angels were hard to capture but the creature had done it and turned it into one of his strongest familiars.

Landing on his new creation, Zolgen glared at the group before leaving a sigh. "Perhaps I am being sentimental but I believe a competent magician has the right for pride in his own work…" He acknowledged to himself as his creature began to gather Light between its pincers. "But it doesn't matter. You vermin gave me too much trouble anyway. Die like the rats you are."

The blast was monumental, the sort of thing that could eradicate a city if one wasn't careful and just unleashing it had the whole place falling apart in its wake. There was no shadow of a doubt it would kill everyone.

Several people moved to try and stop the attack but it was a matter of speed who would reach it first; Le Fay could fly but she was farther than most even if she wasn't sure her best spells could do anything, Rias had most of her focus on empowering her lover so she just ran to try do something, Altria hoped Caliburn Ruler could control it in some way and Shirou focused all of Bellerophon's power to stop it somehow.

Only neither of them was the fastest in their group, not in that moment.

No, the one who could hold the title of fastest in that instant and the person who collided with that attack head first was Xenovia Quarta whose Noble Gear was less exhausting to use than Shirou's Ascension and held more power than anyone else thanks to Durandal.

Crossing her swords she faced the blast of dark blue Light head on as their power flowed into her armor. Durandal was already going at the maximum output that Xenovia could control but Durandina's energy expanded much more to the point it outshone its evolved form.

That was because behind her there were those she wished to protect and so Hector's sword could show its true value. Bronze aura flowing from the Noble Gear until it created a wall of energy that irradiated the feeling of safety.

Once upon a time there was a country, a city, a kingdom. Many knew its name but few thought of it for its Legend was bound by its perseverance. A perseverance that managed to stand up against some of the greatest Greek warriors that ever walked on Earth.

That lasted long enough to change despite losing many of its people and ideas as plenty still managed to survive and thrive, growing to become the Rome Empire and a civilization that shaped the World.

For even before God blessed Durandal, the Walls of Troy had been erected by other gods.

Those mighty walls were blessed by their labor and as long as Durandina stood firm they wouldn't fail. So long as the hero keeping those walls safe wasn't defeated then all those behind them would be safe from any harm.

Which unfortunately meant Xenovia herself couldn't use its protection in full even if her Noble Gear channeled some of Durandina's defensive power into itself to increase its defense.

Durandal being split into two did weaken the blade somewhat even if it was unnoticeable because of Xenovia's own limits but such division made its power more controllable. By being split into two the Noble Gear, the Peerless Sword found a peer in itself. It also took a form that the former Exorcist was comfortable with even if she couldn't explore much; two swords, just like she always wanted to use.

Such Miracles could only be born from Durandal and they were the main reason why Xenovia managed to push Zolgen's attack back as Roland's Sword unleashed all the power her body could take into its own attack resulting in a clash.

Noble Phantasm fought back against the tide of Corrupted Light as while their powers had similar origins the beetle was farther from Heaven than any being could ever be. A corrupt creature tortured and reshaped into a mere slave of the Mage of Insects who cared only about its utility and research potential.

The clash lasted nine seconds of which Xenovia felt the heat from both powers washing over her as she pushed Durandal to its limits. It was still farther than anyone else had ever pushed the blade and nobody else could have withstood the storm of Light. Sure the Noble Gear was helping but only because the woman herself had the skills to hold on.

She didn't even understand its full capabilities just yet, having it only for less than a day, or how the Peerless Armor could push Durandal to be even greater. However her skills and sword were enough to hold on for nine seconds.

Nine seconds well spent as after four Shirou brushed his shock off and raced to Rias, releasing his armor as he would need her help. "Rias, remember our 'first date'?"

"'First date'?" There were more to his words than it appeared as that was absolutely the wrong place to bring something like that up.

Both grew distracted as Xenovia's defense cracked and the former angel's Light managed to surpass all the bluehead could give, the wave finally hitting her. She refused to let go of her swords even as her arms were pushed apart and the attack consumed her body, much to her allies' horror.

However the attack soon ended as the beetle creature grew exhausted, its head falling down as Zolgen stared at Xenovia's falling form with curiosity and surprise. Durandal was intact as it should be, Durandina had lost its tip and some of its blade while her armor was falling apart.

Her helmet was destroyed, most of the armor was cracked or utterly broken. The woman once hidden beneath it was also severely burned in several places and barely conscious from exhaustion and pain. Still she was awakened by the scream that escaped when her back hit her own wall that began to break apart with her defeat, blood pouring from her mouth.

If she was capable of coherent thought Xenovia wouldn't complain about the results either way as she successfully managed to protect everyone. Even when the former Exorcist was a pebble against a tsunami, her wall had stopped every spec of the enemy's attack.

Altria realized the severity of Xenovia's situation first and rushed to catch the girl before she broke her neck. She caught the bluehead with an arm while the other held Calibur Ruler firmly, waiting for a follow up from their enemy.

Zolgen didn't bother or couldn't have bothered as he was too busy trying to discern how Xenovia's body survived his attack. Several conclusions came to his head but most of them were shot down by the simple fact that the knight couldn't use Durandal's full power.

All that was left was a simple conclusion. "Looks like a fool's work is still worth something."

Curiosity kept the man stunned as all logic told him Xenovia should be dead, overwhelmed by his familiar's power. Even if he could acknowledge Durandina's wall, an existence he was still trying to process in general, Durandal's powers were properly recorded. That wall shouldn't have existed and so his creature should have killed everyone.

As a magus he couldn't help but want to understand the situation and that desire combined with the certainty he wasn't in any danger while his hercules beetle stood watch had him essentially doing nothing.

Basically a suicidal thing to do in any battlefield but Zolgen never called himself a warrior of any sort. No, he was a magician first, magus to be more specific albeit one who preferred to use magic circles, and foremost. Proudly one of the few who still wandered the world to further his research to accomplish his long lived goal.

So he approached that situation like a magician would; trying to decide what should be done about his fellow Mage's work and if it was worthwhile enough to spare the younger man's life despite everything.

Such a few precious seconds was enough for Rias to realize that her first official date with Shirou had been a romantic affair that had nothing to do with a battlefield. A picnic, nothing much but also an occasion that they would remember for the rest of their lives.

However there was a technically first unofficial date, one where the two fought for what they believed in; her for a sense of duty and him to free her from it.

A fight she was glad to have lost.

With that in consideration and seeing how her lover was channeling a lot of mana into Bakuya helped her remember the middle of that fight when their powers collided.

There had been a reaction there, quite a strong one even if both of them had been holding back and Shirou wanted help to produce something similar but greater. Both were much stronger as well so if their feat was repeated it would be clearly a far stronger and perhaps volatile one.

Which should make her hesitate but only made Rias laugh as she channeled her mana between her hands. "Shiro, I love you! Born To Be Wild, Act II!" Her weapon of choice would be a rocket launcher half as tall as her, aimed at the giant beetle's head.

Perhaps it was desperation and even the attack could be considered suicidal since the last explosion was already pretty bad. Back then it was in the open too while in the present they found themselves underground inside a workshop.

But neither of them feared it for their focus was into taking down their enemy and everything else took a back seat as they both hated all that the Mage of Insects represented. Zolgen needed to be stopped and both redheads weren't going to hesitate on betting their lives making it happen.

A grin grew in his face as the Mage of Swords began to pivot with his feet, getting into a throwing position. Yet Bakuya still rested in his hand as Bellerophon's aura waited to be unleashed.

"Ladies first." He said with a cheeky grin, a request for a target carrying an assurance that no matter what was shot it would be hit.

"Lovely." So was her smile as a stinger missile made from the Power of Destruction was created and released into the world.

Such a mass of power was enough to snap Zolgen out of his musings and with a mental command his familiar turned its attention fully to the pair. Mana pulsed between its horns as the Mage of Insects decided to just kill everyone regardless. The new beam of Light would be unleashed faster than the missile could reach him.

Except it wasn't going to reach anyway as Shirou let go of the reins and allowed Bakuya to fly at its maximum speed. "Bellerophon!" A speed capable of reaching the stars in an instant thanks to the pegasus power.

Everyone saw how the blade was covered with the Phantasmal Beast's form made of pure energy. The pegasus neighed, surprising Shirou who could hear a sort of an echo coming from both outside and inside his soul. Bellerophon himself was directing the Noble Phantasm, speeding it up while correcting its trajectory to connect with the missile in the exact right angle.

How the pegasus knew which angle was that could be only due to its Divine nature because even his owner had no idea. All he wanted was to hit the missile but Bellerophon could see how dangerous that would have been by itself. How couldn't he when both Shirou and Rias realized the risks beforehand?

So the Legendary Mount intervened, moving Bakuya around the missile perfectly despite it spinning. Shirou had no idea how the pegasus was doing it or for how long he could do it but he couldn't help but watch in fascination.

For the short while it lasted because in the next second he and everyone else had to cover their eyes because of how bright the point of contact between the missile of Destruction and the Divine empowered Noble Phantasm.

An explosion or a blast of some sort was to be expected but instead the light was expanded like it had a life of its own in Zolgen's direction, the older magus using his remaining fireflies and beetle to protect himself.

If anyone was looking at the abandoned manor at that moment they would see a bright white and black pegasus ascending to the skies like a shooting star. For a single second at least for much like a shooting star it was gone after a moment, a short and sweet moment.

Some still perceived the flash as it swiped the neighborhood but thought it was just their imagination. It wasn't even possible to confuse that flash with fireworks with how fast it was or how it looked like a pillar the size of a small stadium.

Certainly big enough to consume all of the manor since the whole structure had disappeared without leaving a trace. At least the surface building did, the workshop was demolished and lacked a roof but was still standing for the most part even if its remains caved in because the rest had just vanished.

From some debris Shirou managed to emerge with Rias by his side, both coughing up because of the dust. "Well… that worked." The Mage said between coughs.

"Somehow…" The Heiress wasn't any better even if she didn't have a single scratch on her. To be fair neither did he as the stones weren't enough to harm the two of them. "And we can confirm the manor has been demolished."

If he had nothing in his mind Shirou would have cracked a joke but he freed his legs and began to move. "Xenovia is hurt!" He reminded her immediately, racing to her last known location.

A location that began to shake as Altria got rid of some stones which tried to bury them, the unconscious bluehead in her arms. "I got her!" The blonde announced as the redheads reached her position. "But she is wounded and- Where is Fay?!"

"Here…" All three turned to the girl's weak voice as a barrier surrounded her body as she floated with her magic broom. "I managed to protect myself but that was just…" The blonde magus' eyes grew sharp as she glared at the devil and magician pairing. "What was that?"

"... A combination of the Power of Destruction with Shiro's brand of magecraft." Replied the former as she kneeled before Xenovia who Altria placed over a huge rock. Teleporting in her EM, Rias began healing her friend.

"That answered absolutely nothing. How did it result in that sort of-of 'erasure'? I can't even phantom how to call- The Power of Destruction is famous for being unstable with everything. Was it because his method of Gradation Air supports a different sort of existence or maybe because it was a Noble Phantasm? That still should be impossible." Le Fay complained as she landed, losing her footing the instant her broom wasn't supporting her. Fortunately her sister had to move quickly to stop the small girl from falling. "Ow."

Putting a hand on her sister's forehead the older sibling frowned. "You used too much mana."

"It isn't my fault they tried to blow us all up…" Altria couldn't necessarily disagree as she also watched the whole thing play out. If it wasn't for Bellerophon's interference, something she saw surprised Shirou, every single one of them would be dead. "Sorry I couldn't reach you."

Warm feelings filled the older sister's chest and she embraced the younger tightly. "That attack, if we can call it that, was quite sudden so don't blame yourself. Also it was clear that we were in a corner."

"The bastard just wasn't dying." Rias added with a pout. "But anyway, sorry you girls got caught on it."

"No, we were the ones who informed you…" Altria stopped herself suddenly, looking at Shirou who gazed at the sky. "What is wrong?"

They all turned to him before also looking up and seeing nothing at all. "Just waiting to see if Zolgen could have survived that." Bakuya was back in his grip and Bellerophon ready to keep going despite giving the impression he was rather exhausted.

All of them were. "Like my sister said, it was too sudden. I doubt he had time to defend." Le Fay pointed out with a wince as she felt her circuits burn in her body. 'If my body was just a little older…"

Yet, now that it was mentioned, Altria couldn't help but feel like Zolgen's survival was not only a possibility but a certainty. "Maybe we should look around for any more insects… Just to be safe."

"And call reinforcements." Rias for her part wasn't worried. "If I knew we would deal with a monster like that I would have had the others on stand by." It was the closest thing to admitting underestimating Zolgen she was going to give.

After hearing about his experiments and actions she refused to give him any sort of respect, a feeling that all shared but neither wanted to voice as they waited for a new attack from the Mage of Insects.

Five minutes passed before Rias shook her head. "He is probably dead and we better leave this place, just in case. If he is, by some cursed miracle, alive there is no way he escaped that unharmed and the others can hunt him down." With her authority it wouldn't take much to initiate a hunt if he somehow survived. Especially since Shirou had already warned everyone about the possibility of a criminal in the city earlier. "What about you two? We wouldn't mind having you girls if you need a place to rest."

"Are you sure it is safe to show an enemy your residence just like that?" The smaller of the blondes questioned the good sense of it but Rias grinned.

"Today we aren't enemies, we are blood sisters who shared the same battlefield." The Heiress informed proudly. "Let us forget the Khaos Brigade, just for tonight if you two are so loyal."

"We aren't." Altria stated firmly, helping her sister stand up.

While Le Fay was capable of healing herself the process was slow even if surprising to Rias who moved to stab EM on the girl's arm. She didn't even flinch, already seeing what the scalpel could do, and in a few seconds all her wounds were healed.

During that time Shirou had scooped Xenovia in his arms, looking around the destroyed passage where once the manor stood. "Let's get to the car before deciding anything." Not that they needed but he just wanted to place his knight somewhere comfortable.

Since the manor had been erased from existence they had no troubles just jumping or flying up, Altria lifting her sister up into a bridal carry much like the one Shirou was using for Xenovia.

None of them felt comfortable dropping their guard while in the manor's terrain and Rias couldn't help herself but turn her Stand into a handgun just in case. Their hearts were still beating hard because of the fighting and all four felt they could be attacked any minute.

They arrived at the car without any sign from Zolgen, Rias opening the door for the Mage so he could place Xenovia in the back seat while Altria took Le Fay to the other side and sat her down on the passenger seat.

Meanwhile Rias and Altria began talking about security and the Heiress offered the Pendragon siblings the proper guarantees, Shirou couldn't help but replay the whole fight as he had a gut feeling something was missing or, somehow, misplaced. 'Why was he in Fuyuki?'

"...so important in fact that Justeaze changing her mind and imploding the ritual made him mad in every sense."

"I already saw what I needed to see in Fuyuki… I will make sure to take a souvenir before my departure."

"...I am curious of what my supposed peer can do outside a lab."

"...outside a lab."

"...outside a lab."

"How did he know I have been in a lab for most of the week?" Everyone paused at Shirou's words, his eyes growing wide with realization. "He knew I was working in a lab. Not my workshop, not at the club, specifically a lab."

Altria and Le Fay found the distinction odd. "Wouldn't most workshops also be considered labs?" The former asked the latter and the younger sister nodded in agreement.

However Rias shook her head, understanding her lover. "In Shiro's case his workshop would be called a forge not a lab. A laboratory would be…" Her eyes grew equally wide. "Chaldea Project, Olga Marie's workshop." Their eyes locked as she began to grow worried. "Coincidence? Maybe he said that because of Xenovia's Noble Gear."

The Mage shook his head. "No, by the way he was saying it wouldn't make sense. Certainly not with how he was acting." Zolgen sounded so confident about the distinction of fieldwork and research that the distinction had seeped in his tone. "He knew for sure that I had been in a lab for a while like he had been watching me… watching us. He must have. But how?"

Never, while working with Olga, did Shirou had felt spied on. Observed sure but besides a couple of cameras he didn't detect any 'hidden eyes'. The whole project was also an open secret as if everyone knew about it but the details themselves were veiled in mystery. Only a couple of people knew its true intricacies and none of them would tell someone like the Mage of Insects anything.

The answer was in the man's title and Altria was the first one to reach the right conclusion. "How many people notice a fly in a wall?" She suddenly asked, making everybody shiver with how piercing the question was. "Or an ant eating crumbs? How many pairs of eyes and ears do insects have and how many can fit in a corner without nobody paying attention?" The blonde turned to Shirou, seeing that every question filled him with dread. "Just because he has plenty of 'specialized' insects, that doesn't mean he can't use the more common variety. The real question should be; does that make a difference? Does their presence mean he can still be alive?" At that she turned to her sister and the redheads did the same.

Pensive as she was during the questions, Le Fay reached a simple answer. "Yes. If he really split his soul and body into bugs, so long a couple of the main ones survived-"

Shirou's fist hit the rooftop of his car. "That also explains why he never managed to watch our home; Medusa's children eat any bug or rat that dares to show up in our neighborhood." Which left him to only conclude the worse. "And there is no guarantee all of 'him' was in the fight." He spoke with hatred before turning to Rias. "We need to know where Tsubasa and Olga are."

Barely he finished speaking and the Heiress already had a magic circle to make an urgent call to Sona as time was of the essence because they figured out Zolgen's targets, the ones he was truly watching.

And if he was truly still in town, the man wouldn't leave without his 'souvenir'.

….

Tsubasa extended her arms over her head as she stretched on her way home. The lilac haired girl had just finished one of several contracts for the night and was somewhat tired.

Mentally, not physically and she was extremely aware of that. Even as most of her contracts demanded exercises or training in some fashion, none of it affected her.

Which was fine since she was more of a personal trainer and it could be argued she not exerting herself just showed her prowess but even after Reincarnating she could sweat a little.

All in all it wasn't that different from what she was doing before the Rating Game, her clients very understanding of the time she took off because of training even if she didn't explain why she returned slightly late by a few days.

Except it wasn't really the same and that was the feeling nagging the back of her head.

Sure she could do the same things, talk with the same people and go on as normal but she had been irrevocably changed. Same motions, same face, not the same engagement or interest or, sometimes, boredom about things she used to like. Never had she been so bored in some of her tasks.

Or the people she had to work with as some of their attitudes, no matter how normal or common, actually grated on her nerves. Not for any fault of their own as they didn't want to exercise and wanted a devil to push them to do it but in the past she could be far more patient with any of them.

Ever since her soul changed, a notion that still boggled her mind, Tsubasa couldn't help but be more proactive. Even if she didn't need to do homework she found herself studying, she shouldn't be training during the exams back in Chaldea but did so anyway and those were just some examples.

As a Shield one would expect her to be more passive but it ended up the other way around and she got more active. Her King was the one who pointed out that while a sword needed a sheath to 'rest', a shield was effectively always ready unless tucked away in a room. Maybe that was also why Yura always relaxed more when at the office or at home but everywhere else there was always a desire to do something.

And she was aware of everything, from her feelings to the needs consuming her at every moment as her patience seemed thinner or thicker at random points. Mostly on the thin side because of the clients she had. Some of them legitimately wanted to improve their lives but there were those who were trying in the worst way possible.

Longer pauses, hesitation to try and a lack of motivation. All things she needed to solve for their sake, per contract, but she just didn't want to anymore. Oh, she loved those that were truly determined to get fit or just lose a few pounds, always did. But her patience with those who were just wasting time was suddenly lacking.

Contracts had strict rules to how they needed to be done, basically a police of the client was always right, but Tsubasa found that whenever one of her clients wanted to stop before the proper time she wanted scream in their faces.

'Why call me if you aren't really going to try? If they wanted to hang out, they should just say it.' Tsubasa stopped to take a deep breath. 'No, that's unfair. They just need someone to give them a push.'

Intellectually she knew that and it was that part of her that helped Tsubasa to deal with the more 'lazy' batch of customers. It wasn't like they weren't trying in their own way or disrespecting her at all so there shouldn't be a problem. She was getting paid, they were polite and with time they would improve.

However the change in her soul was perceptible, more poignant after Shirou explained and than ever once she had time to think. Alone with her thoughts there was just no helping it as Tsubasa replayed every interaction as objectively as possible. Both recent ones and from before becoming a Shield.

Saying she was two different people wasn't odd, people grew up and changed all the time, but Tsubasa still felt off about her own feelings. She remembered being more patient or less interested in certain things. Her only doubt was if that was a sign of maturity or her soul just making things difficult.

Slapping the sides of her face with her hands, Tsubasa grunted loud enough that one or two in the street heard her. 'Forget about it. I'm me, just more.' By repeating that the girl found a certain clarity that calmed her down. 'Dammit, Emiya, this is so annoying. Why the hell did you tell me all that?'

Knowing why didn't really help and just annoyed Tsubasa. If anything she wanted to punch the redhead in the face. No matter his reasons, thinking about it just left her frustrated to say the least.

Truly she did understand his reasoning and his concerns but being aware of the problem became the problem even if she needed to know. Regardless, that meant Tsubasa was irritated with the situation and since she wouldn't be harming neither Olga nor Sona, Shirou was the only target available.

Approaching her residency she waved to the doorman of the building as the man was leaning on his chair watching a small TV. He reciprocated the greeting and pressed a button to open the gate. They chatted for a minute before the girl began to enter the apartment complex.

It wasn't anything too big or luxurious but it was the place where she grew up and the first place her parents bought after they married. The building had twenty floors, all with six apartments for the families, all small with just two rooms, a bathroom, a living room and a small kitchen.

As things stood it wasn't the best place to raise a big family but since she was an only child it wasn't really a problem. No pets though so it was a good thing her familiar stayed with the others from Sona Peerage. Not that she could explain a floating piranha that lived outside water.

Looking around the building she saw some people chatting in the hallways and a group playing with a ball as some adults tried to take it away from them. Had they had a court or somewhere else to play that wouldn't be an issue but the place wasn't really on the high end.

Funnily enough Tsubasa knew that if she so wanted she could move out from her parents and live in a better place even if it would still have to be some sort of apartment. Her contracts weren't enough to make her rich but Sona paid well and she even got a bonus recently, both as a prize for her efforts in the Rating Game as well as an apology.

She just wasn't ready to leave her parents nor could justify where the money came from as they didn't know she was a devil. While they had no problem in her practicing martial arts or getting back home by herself late at night, explaining the moonlit world was out of the question.

Also the Yura family was happy with their small corner of the world and their daughter was no exception as she quickly controlled the ball with her feet and passed it to one of the children though an adult's legs.

The glare she got just made the Rook of Sitri smile as she kept going her way. It wouldn't last long.

Reaching the closest elevator, Tsubasa saw a familiar old lady with a frown in her face the moment their eyes met. The lilac haired girl held back from rolling her eyes as the woman once again began to voice her opinions about Kuoh's uniform and other things. Her mother taught her to just nod and be polite but again her impatience was rearing its ugly head.

"It's just a school uniform, Yaraozu-san."

"But it's too revealing. Your mother should transfer you to somewhere more proper."

"Somewhere where my skirt would be between my knees? No thank you."

"Don't you have any shame?"

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

The old lady glared as the door from the elevator opened and she began to leave. "I will be speaking with your mother, young lady."

When the door closed, Tsubasa facepalmed. "Crap… then again…" Bouncing around, she noticed a smile on her face. "That was good to get out. Yaraozu-san 's so annoying." She raised a middle finger at the door. "Also the uniform is cute and give mobility you old-"

Her line was cut off when the doors opened again and a mother went inside with her four year old, giving Tsubasa a look as she heard everything from the outside and knew exactly what she was about to say while the finger Tsubasa was trying to hide was too much of an obscene gesture to be done around a child.

Fortunately the kid had no idea and she just waved her hand in legitimate happiness, a gesture the lilac haired girl was happy to reciprocate. Soon the door opened once more and it was her stop, the thirteenth floor of the building and her home.

Didn't take long for her to fish her keys from her bag nor to open the door even as she didn't notice the lights were turned off and was relatively early for her family. Usually they all would stay up until after ten and that was somewhat far away.

The reason why she didn't notice was her perfect vision in the dark which came with Reincarnation, as something beneficial Galahad's shield didn't take it away since her eyes didn't need any more demonic energy for night vision.

So she began to take her shoes off without a care in the world. "I'm home." Tsubasa announced loudly, half expecting a reply. "Hey dad, think we can-"

"You are later than expected." The unknown voice was enough to put her on edge despite the smooth tone. In a flash her shield was in arm and the Rook turned to see a man with dark blue hair sitting on her father's chair. "Ah, you must have had contracts to fulfill. I forgot to account for that sort of hindrance."

Despite his tone Tsubasa could see the man in her living room was severely wounded with burns around his body and a ring finger missing in his right hand. There was also a burn, bright scar over his right eye that pulsed like the flesh was trying to pull itself out.

His posture showed no weaknesses while his dark eyes, with black irises and corneas, looked like a bottomless abyss waiting to consume her whole. Just looking at him it was clear for Tsubasa he couldn't be human or anything of the sort. And it wasn't only his eyes but the presence he gave off which seemed tailor made to unnerve her.

Perhaps it would, had they not been in her home. "Listen here, pal, I don't know who the hell you are but-"

"My name is Zolgen Makiri and I came here with a proposition." He chuckled with dark amusement. "A proposition, it has been a long time since I had to offer one of those. Still, circumstances demand it-"

"Fuck you. Get out of my house." She hissed with worry looking between the man and the hallway that led to her parents room.

Which was quickly noticed, making the man chuckle again. "If you are worried about your parents, don't worry. They are asleep and won't wake up for a day or so even if this whole building falls on their heads." A small wasp, a normal looking one, emerged from behind Zolgen before going in his ear. "Regardless, their security depends entirely on your cooperation."

"If you did anything to-"

"Besides putting them asleep I did nothing. However, should you attack, this place may actually come crashing in their heads and, like previously stated, they won't wake up." Zolgen elaborated in a sly tone that only enraged Tsubasa but she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. However the man's presence told her he wasn't bluffing and so she lowered her shield. "It is a start, I suppose. You can keep your Noble Phantasm out until our negotiation is complete. We will have to make it quickly since you arrived late."

"Get what the fuck you want and leave my house." Deep down Tsubasa knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Please, you can do nothing and you know it. Keep the bravado out of the conversation if you can or else we shall be having more problems than you already gave me." At seeing her glare, Zolgen couldn't help but laugh. "Hahahahaha. Amusing, truly amusing. You think that shield can help you? All it is doing is giving you this conversation, one of which the result is already evident."

Fury coursed through her veins but Tsubasa managed to control herself. "What do you want?" She glared when his smile just grew as he was enjoying tormenting her. "Just say what the fuck I can do for you to go away."

"We go away, my dear. You are coming with me-"

"Fuck no-"

"Interrupt me again and your father is going to die. Do so a second time and your mother will follow." All amusement had left Zolgen's face. He was already having a very bad night but while the situation was under his control once again he felt every wound. "Now, I don't care about your parents' useless lives, neither do I care about you. However you have something I want, something I need."

Despite the dark pit on that man's head, Tsubasa knew what he was looking at. "Galahad's shield? Sorry you bastard but it isn't leaving me that easily-"

"Because it is bonded to you, yes, yes. It is just because of it that we are having this conversation in the first place." Zolgen had tried to use some of his poisons to make the girl sleep the previous night to test her limits before the moment of capture.

What he found was that the same properties that had her shield purifying demonic energy also affected her blood stream, no single sample of his poisons, potions and venoms worked nor lasted more than a few seconds once injected.

Frustration wasn't an emotion Zolgen felt for at least a decade but that discovery meant that taking the girl would be several times harder than necessary. And that conclusion was made when he was in better condition, before two of his greatest creations were killed and his body was almost completely decimated.

Fortunately for him his fireflies had survived their struggle against Durandal and bought him time to escape with enough insects to preserve some of his original body. After that it was just a matter of grouping up with the last remaining insects in Fuyuki. Still, even using most of them for healing, most of the damage remained.

Zolgen saw himself forced to use a subpar form of healing until he could retreat to his workshop and he refused to leave empty handed. Adapting his plans also was something he hadn't done in a while but as a magus, and an eight hundred years old one to boot, he was capable of such.

"So we shall go, you and I, to my workshop where I will make an attempt to separate Galahad's shield from you. Maybe, if you survive, I will even let you go."

Tsubasa glared at the man waiting for him to say something else before stating clearly, "You are lying." Her arm holding the shield was shaking but she remained firm. "You are lying and if I go with you, you won't let me come back."

"Is that fear talking or do you just have good instincts? Perhaps the Noble Phantasm gave you more than Animusphere and Emiya could discern." Zolgen mused before chuckling. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter much. True, I won't let you leave immediately, a body and soul affected by a Noble Phantasm like that is worthy of deeper study, but I will let you go once I am done per our Geass."

"Geass?" Barely the word left her lips and the Mage had already produced a piece of parchment in his hands.

The Geass looked like any parchment and bigger than most sheets of paper, a contract already written. "Fighting you will be more trouble than it is worth." Mostly because he was sure Rias already called the 'hounds' on him but he calculated that so long things were done quietly and quickly he had time. "Since I can't just put you to sleep, I need you to come in more… voluntary fashion." Opening the parchment he threw it at the floor, close enough for Tsubasa to read. "The terms are pretty simple; you come to my workshop, you don't try to escape, you don't call anyone. In return your parents won't be harmed, the building shall remain intact and if you survive my experiments then you shall be returned to this place."

Still with her shield up the Rook of Sitri dropped to a knee and collected the contract, her eyes never leaving the relaxed Zolgen as he patiently waited for her to drop her guard a little and read the thing.

No, not to attack her but because he already knew what she was going to decide; she would take the deal.

Over the last few days, since their return from the Underworld, Zolgen had monitored both Olga and Tsubasa to learn everything he could about Galahad's shield. During his watch he came to learn much more than that, uninteresting things in his opinion like their relationships and opinions about the people around them.

That was why he knew she couldn't take a fight, not in her home where her family and many of the neighbors she grew up with could get hurt. Had he been in a better condition the whole place would be full with insects and she would have arrived at a ghost apartment where everyone was unconscious.

But he wasn't and he didn't need much to make his threats known as Tsubasa cared about her parents so only them were already enough. The most important thing was avoiding a fight over the risk of devils looking for him, especially Rias Gremory. The Mage of Insects wasn't sure if it was the Power of Destruction or the pegasus that almost killed him but he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Are you done?" Which meant to give the girl the bare minimum for her to read. Her glare only made him happier. "It is all there in red and white, simple and direct." His eyes were fixed on her as she tried to focus on reading the Geass. "Unless you have any questions, sign it and we can go. Otherwise do you wish me to kill your father to make my-"

"I will sign it!" She shouted in a panic, immediately biting her lip after. "I will sign it." Tsubasa repeated, remembering his previous threat.

In a bid to appear generous, he wouldn't carry it out. "Good." Instead he produced a bug that looked more like a twig popularly known as a walking stick. It began to walk in her direction. "You can use this to sign, with your blood, please, just below my signature."

It wasn't like that Geass would forbid him to do anything anyway as the simple writing actually left plenty open for interpretation and full of holes. All that it really did was guarantee the life of Tsubasa's parents and leave her at Zolgen's mercy. He wasn't planning to ever let her leave his workshop and if he did it would be as one of his experiments.

Yet the shield user couldn't notice these things because her mind was too focused and eager to protect her parents, exactly like he intended.

Grasping the insect in her hand, Tsubasa felt as if the creature tried to bite her to drain blood but was failing thanks to her defense. It kept insisting on it for a few seconds before small puncture wounds showed up in her hand and its feet turned into a pencil that began to drip the vital substance.

However, as she was about to sign, the two heard a couple of knocks on the door, freezing her in place. 'A visit now?' She began to shake, fearing another person was about to get into harm's way.

Unlike her, Zolgen growled with frustration. "Sign it already-"

The door was almost blasted from its hinges as the Mage of Insects called a firefly to create a barrier around him. His creation managed to do so in time as the silent gun unleashed several shots in his direction.

"Looks like we made it in the nick of time." Rias Gremory commented with a glare at the ancient magus as Shirou and Altria stepped inside the apartment with their swords raised.

"How?" Asked Zolgen as he stood up close to a wall, a glare of anger at the trio who gave him so much trouble over the night. "How did you find me?"

"You gave us plenty of hints." Shirou revealed as a confident Altria rushed to Tsubasa's side and cut the Geass apart.

"Oi-"

"Don't believe his words. That monster was never going to honor any promise." She said confidently and something inside the Rook told her that the blonde was telling the truth. It also told her she was trustworthy somehow as the shield in her arm seemed to move by itself to protect the new arrival. "Probably had some sort of trick in it." Was the last thing she said before turning her focus to Caliburn Ruler.

Mana surrounded the Fragment but the shield user ignored it, her mind busy with other things. "... There wasn't a fine print." Said the lilac haired girl as she stood back up, glaring at Zolgen.

Who was cornered in more ways than one but still felt confident. "I gave you plenty of hints? Don't make me laugh…" Looking around he did his best to look past between the devil and her magician, finding no sign of the other two girls who he fought before. "Did Durandal's Owner perish? Such a pity, I wished to study her as well."

"You will be dead before getting your paws on her." Shirou replied with a smirk as he knew Zolgen was cornered.

He also had no intention of revealing Xenovia and Le Fay were back at the destroyed workshop in his car as he, Rias and Altria rushed towards Tsubasa's apartment as fast as they could.

When the Heiress managed to get into contact with Sona they learned that Olga Marie was with her so there was no risk on that front as they were in Kuoh discussing something. Not only that but since the other King was well guarded once the alarm was sounded and her Magician shared the same protections around the school.

Contrary to Tsubasa who had already departed for contracts and would walk back home once they were finished. Regardless, Shirou was sure she was Zolgen's target as the older Mage probably had access to Olga's notes and would only need the shield for his experiments.

Once that was established the Mage of Swords asked the smaller Pendragon to watch over Xenovia as he carried Altria in his arms while running after Rias who flew straight to the address Sona provided.

Despite the trio being tired the Heiress of Gremory was unharmed and had plenty of mana left to fight and fly without worries while feeding Shirou enough to keep Bellerophon's power going despite the pegasus' own exhaustion.

Unlike them, Altria wasn't fast enough to keep up, which she acknowledged before asking Shirou to carry her as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, something that actually gave him the chance to trade some ideas as both heard the address and realized the problem which would be fighting there.

Namely the bystanders and inhabitants of the buildings who the ancient magus would have no problem sacrificing if things turned sour for him. In fact the two were sure Makiri would relish in the action to not only secure either his victory or escape but also pour salt in the wound regardless of his options.

Fortunately Shirou had a plan and Altria was all ears and even if he hadn't time to give her all the details she would put her trust in the Mage of Swords as he was willing to place his on her for the sake of slaying the older Mage.

They reached the apartment in an excellent time despite it was on the other side of Fuyuki, the more modern side. All things considered that also was the last of Bellerophon's power Shirou could use for the day so in his hands Muramasa stood ready as he pointed it at Zolgen.

"You shouldn't have let your obsession control your actions, Zolgen. If you didn't, you could have escaped."

"Obsession? Me, obsessed?" The older man asked, honestly confused. "What do you know about obsession? Using such a concept to describe me just shows your naivety." He suddenly paused, his focus on the Mage of Swords with scrutiny. "How did you find me?"

"Like I said; you are obsessed. And gave enough hints." The smirk didn't leave Shirou as his eyes skipped from Altria to Rias. His lover wasn't attacking, knowing he had some sort of plan. "You spoke a lot like you knew me and while I did build up some reputation, your details were more… intimate, even if superficial. You spoke of a lab." Playing with Muramasa to his side, Emiya felt how his reserves were full and his mind was ready. At least he hoped it was. 'This is going to either work or kill me. Maybe both.' Looking at Altria again, he hoped it was the former. "Also, really, saying you were going to get a 'souvenir'? You really expected to kill us, didn't you?"

A smirk grew on Zolgen's face. "Just being honest as any business man should."

"'Honest' enough to offer a contract full of holes that would probably kill Tsubasa but barely affect yourself." He could hear his friend gritting her teeth.

The sound grew louder as Zolgen cackled. "She is a devil and should know how to read the fine print… or the abstinence of one." Controlling himself once more, the Mage of Insects remained confident. "You can't win."

"I disagree." Altria wasn't ready so he needed to buy more time. "Against an obsessed magus-"

"Again, 'obsessed'. Such a foolish word and notion." Zolgen glared at the Mage, noticing Shirou's eyes weren't on him. 'Planning to use Ruler? It won't work.' His smirk returned. "All magi are driven to their goals. Dedicated, is the proper word."

"If you were going for the Root, maybe. But trying to impress a woman who has been dead for more than two hundred years sounds more like an obsession to me." Shirou took great pleasure at seeing his expression crack a little. Something everyone else noticed if Rias and Altria's smiles and Tsubasa's confusion were any indication. "Or are you planning to use the Holy Grail War to reach the Root? That was the original goal, right?" He knew it wasn't, his parents assured you of such.

"What makes you think I want to start a Holy Grail War?" All emotion had disappeared in the void of his black eyes.

"You know, I am starting to hate repeating myself." Started Shirou which only made Zolgen glare at him. "Since you knew about the lab, you must have had a reason to keep an eye on it. Did you watch the Rating Game or someone reported random Noble Phantasms popping up and it caught your interest?" Emotions went missing again but the Mage of Swords knew he had all the man's attention. "Must have been really infuriating to have Justeaze discard all your goals. And for what? A bunch of dreams? Did you ever accept that?" When he got no reply Emiya started to get worried but kept going. "However, if Noble Phantasms were summoned, that meant someone, somehow, managed to get into contact with the Throne of Heroes. Probably didn't matter if it was just a brush or superficial; it was a lead, a chance to 'right some wrongs'."

He was embellishing the tale a little but Zolgen's silence told everyone Shirou was right on the mark. Even with his bruised and scarred face, even with the abstinence of any reply, it was telling that the man wasn't saying a thing and allowing the Mage of Swords talk.

So he kept talking. "Hundreds of years and this must be the first time you got close to something capable of actually doing what Justeaze promised; summon a Servant." Shirou focused on Zolgen's features but there was nothing. "So the first thing you did was move to Fuyuki and prepare to keep an eye on us. Sure you only had a day to set up but when you have an army that is pretty much nothing." An exaggerated shrug from the Mage of Swords also failed to get a reaction from the older Mage. "Having lived so long running around and hiding must have made for lots of practice."

"And why… are you here?" Asked Zolgen in his baritone. "Shouldn't, by your logic, you be guarding the person who made the discovery of such methods; Olga Marie Animusphere?"

"Oh, he talks." Rias joked just to be an extra distraction as she saw her lover was trying to stall. "Isn't it obvious? If you had time to prepare it isn't that much of a stretch you already have the plans to realize the ritual by yourself."

"You only need Galahad's shield." Tsubasa saw the pieces falling into place but Shirou winced as he didn't want Zolgen looking in her direction. Altria's direction to be more exact. "You can't do anything without it. The whole ritual depends on the Round Table."

"Indeed it does." For his part Zolgen sounded dismissive even as his eyes kept focusing on Shirou. "So it seems I made a couple of mistakes. Hundreds of years, as you said, it is bound to happen sometime." He began to pace away from the group and closer to a wall, his firefly glowing as Rias kept aiming for his head. "Allow me to admit that you are correct, just barely, about my goals."

"Then you don't want to start a Grail War?" Shirou was legitimately curious about that.

Which made the man laugh. "So close and yet so far. The Grail War was always a means to an end. Something we were doing to heal the world…"

"Heal the world? How?" Rias asked before anyone else could.

Pausing on his steps, Zolgen's dark eyes landed on the Heiress before he turned to a wall and stared at the 'horizon'. His mind began to drift and for a moment the Mage of Insects felt he was in the wrong place. Memories he thought long buried came back almost blank as he saw a face he could never forget.

A woman with white hair and red eyes full of compassion even if it was buried underneath a cold exterior. In her fingertips that woman had the power to change the World's Fate and her beauty was statuesque. She was literally a masterpiece born by accident and yet perfect in all accounts.

"I don't remember." He finally said after a minute of silence before turning back to the Mage of Swords with mocking fury. "But something needs to be done and a Grail War seems like the proper way to do things."

"What do you want? The fight itself or the 'wish?" Shirou asked as he felt a sense of unease and danger.

"Both. Either. Honestly, I don't know…" Looking at his hand missing a finger, Zolgen couldn't help but wonder, 'Why do I care for this body again? It is old and falling apart. No, it is practically dead and using more resources to fix it is a waste.' Yet he couldn't help but wish to preserve his original body just a bit longer. "Perhaps I will find my answers in the Holy Grail War itself."

Shirou and Altria traded looks, the blonde nodding in confirmation she was ready. "Sorry to disappoint you but you won't live that long even if starting said war was possible. You are kinda missing the main ingredient-"

"You mean the Holy Grail?" Zolgen interrupted with amusement. "Please, there are some substitutes that I could use… Maybe it is my 'obsession' talking," was said mockingly, "but I find myself wishing to use the one made with Justeaze's body."

"It was destroyed. Everyone knows that." Rias spoke with practiced certainty.

"By the Magus Killer? The man knows to be a ball of paranoia? Would he truly destroy a wish granting device? Yes, probably. The question is; could he?" Zolgen sounded far too pleased with himself. "No, of course not. By the end of her life, that moment when she sacrificed her body, she managed to craft a True Holy Grail with power to surpass even the Saint Graal that God Himself created. No, in that singular moment Justeaze was a True Goddess but without a deity to bond with her and a body weak due to her origin that moment was as fleeting as a heartbeat."

When his tone shifted the Mage of Insects managed to surprise everyone in the group as when he spoke about the Holy Maiden of Winter it was with love and care that hardly had a place in the heart of a monster.

Also melancholy, the sort of melancholy born of reminiscing a tragedy witnessed regardless of how inevitable. Zolgen sounded full of remorse, an emotion he didn't spare for his hundreds of thousands of victims.

Perhaps because every bit of it went to Justeaze. "Willingly she sacrificed herself but in that moment she had suffered an Apotheosis of a sort because enviroment's mana. Zelretch was surprised." His gaze turned darker upon mentioning the Wizard Marshall but it didn't last long before he looked sad again. "When she saw the end of the World… I believed it, she who always loved this world would of course do everything possible to warn us even if it burned her very being, folding her body and the grail itself until it was this size." He showed it with his hands. "A small package but carrying the power of a True Goddess, for the little long it lasted, truly a Miracle beyond Miracles. Even the Power of Destruction from Sirzechs Lucifer wouldn't be able to destroy it."

Knowing his father, he probably tried. "You are still missing it."

Zolgen allowed his hands to fall to his side with a shrug. "Like I said, there are other alternatives. Although, would he trade the Holy Grail for his son?" Immediately everyone raised their guard but the Mage of Insects wasn't done. "So, is her sword ready? You were stalling for time, right?"

"Aren't you a bit too arrogant?" Shirou asked sarcastically as Rias tried to get in front of him but he held her back.

"Caliburn Ruler won't affect me anymore, no matter how much mana and power she subtly put on it." Altria's glare amused him but even more so when he noticed she was avoiding talking. She was hesitating in many aspects because of Shirou's request for the same reasons Zolgen was confident. "Don't be mad, my dear, it ruins your features. Either way, no matter what you do, I already won."

"How so?" Tsubasa asked as she was anxious to jump and kill him.

"For the same motives you haven't attacked just yet; where we are." He waved his unharmed hand around with a smirk. "After all, it would be such a shame if everyone in this building died."

"You bastard." Before Tsubasa could attack, Altria had placed Calibur Ruler in her way. The lilac haired girl turned to the blonde who shook her head as she glared at the Mage of Insects.

Zolgen watched the interaction with glee. "It is how it is. Had you been wiser and lived in a place more remote or isolated then maybe I wouldn't have a building worth of hostages." Eyes back to his fellow Mage, he noticed Rias was furious from the corner of his eye but Shirou's glare hid most of his wrath. "Or not since we could easily demolish a neighborhood in a proper fight."

"Do you think you can get away with something like this? It would practically be revealing the moonlit world to everyone, the greatest of taboos." The Heiress of Gremory pointed her gun at him but shooting was worthless. Worse, it was dangerous as Makiri only needed to move out of the way and she risked hitting someone else. "No Faction would let you get away with it, especially the Hero Faction. I bet they would rush for your head."

"True, true. Those wannabes really wouldn't hesitate to start a war to get in my head if I kill too many 'bystanders'." His mocking tone returned with full force before Zolgen lifted his arms in an overly dramatic shrug. "And?"

Nobody could hide their disbelief, including Shirou. "What are you-"

"Because I have nothing to lose." Zolgen announced proudly, a manic glint returning to his dark eyes. "Unlike you naive fools, I could care less about the lives of the vermin living in this city. And about the Khaos Brigade; I don't need them. I never needed them. Just joined because it piqued my interest and gave me a chance to expand my research. Even the resources I have with them are all disposable." Closing his fist in front of his face, his eyes focused completely on Galahad's shield. "I only want one thing and one way or another, I am leaving with it." Then his eyes grew wide with realization before he covered his mouth with a hand. "Perhaps you are right, I am obsessed." When he revealed his smile again, it was an even more insane one. "But nothing will stop me, I shall have my war one way or another."

Clearly the man wasn't bluffing, fully willing to commit and abandon everything he built with the Khaos Brigade and hide from the moonlit world itself just for the chance of having a Holy Grail War despite not even remembering why he wanted it in the first place.

Their position favored him too as he was correct in his assessment that the lives of those in the building, in the whole Fuyuki for that matter, were irrelevant to him but important to everyone else.

A stray attack, a single mistake of sort in fact, and dozens could die. More so if some important structure was hit and the building fell apart.

Or if Zolgen teleported in any other of his giant familiars, each bigger than the apartment they were in, and anyone in the lower floor would be crushed with no guarantees that the people on the side apartments would be unharmed.

Effectively the creature in human's skin had all of the town hostage if one considered his creations' abilities. Even if all denizens of the moonlit world banded together to stop him, the casualties would number in the thousands. Perhaps even millions if he had more made from angels.

Holding her sword in front of her eyes, all hesitation left Altria. "In the name of King Arthur Pendragon and the promises of the Round Table, Sword of Selection, hear my plea."

Zolgen shifted his footing to defend himself against whatever she was doing, missing how Shirou let go of his sword and closed his eyes. "I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood."

For a moment the other Mage's eyes shifted back to the redhead, his firefly making his shield stronger. "A coordinated attack? That won't help." A magic circle formed in his hands, several familiars ready to be called.

"I see injustice and the plight of the innocent who need to be saved." Her spell was reaching its end as the winds surrounded her in a crescendo of power to impose an absolute order.

Shirou could feel the air growing heavy with Altria's presence but he looked inwards. "I have created over a thousand blades." The Mage of Swords could feel every sword he had ready to be Traced but also 'saw' a wall.

A wall not of steel but imaginary, something that kept him from going any farther no matter the sort of effort he made. His swords could go through it but he found himself blocked from taking the final step he needed.

That was when he felt a hand reach his back and push his spirit forward. "Show all here your worth. Show all here your mettle. Reveal to us all your strongest spell, Emiya Shirou!"

Upon hearing Shirou's name, Zolgen hesitated. "What? You are using the Order-"

With that the wall was gone and the words which his soul needed for the next step were carved in his mind and poured from his lips. "Grasping the Past. Seeking the Future."

All felt the power that slammed into Shirou's being and were caught flat footed with the exception of Altria who knew Caliburn's Ruler Order was still in effect as the aria developed before their eyes and they all grew mute.

"Withstood pain to create weapons, protecting those cherished." Then the power began to build outwards from the Mage of Swords' body as mana jumped around as if the static of the planet itself clashed against something unseen. Something Shirou felt was ready to be revealed. "Beyond everything, my blaze stirs."

Time seemed to freeze as the World itself waited for what was to come, neither devil, nor Mage, nor human could comprehend what they were feeling nor they tried to guess as a sense of urgency began to grow in their spirits.

Yet no one could stop it as a carpet of fire formed around Emiya Shirou, the Mage of Swords roaring the end of the spell he had carried throughout his whole life and the World itself listened.

"My True Self Lies, In Unlimited Blade Works!"

From his body a wave of mana exploded and blinded all in the room as they felt themselves being covered in a warm embrace even as they protected their eyes against a flash which promised no harm to any of them.

Any except Zolgen who could tell instantly he wasn't welcomed in that light not because it was Holy or Divine or even judging. Its creator found him lacking in Humanity and so he wasn't embraced when entering the new plane of existence but dragged inside forcefully with death hanging over his head.

When it was safe to open their eyes again all could see they were no longer in the Yura family's apartment but instead of a clearing with luscious green grass and swords running across the horizon.

A powerful sun basked all in glory as its warmth could be called relaxing while hot but not enough to be overbearing despite it staying at the top of the world like if it was high noon. It gave the open fields a more majestic appearance while it basked everything in a gentle tone of gold.

It was like the whole place was shining, the light reflected on the blades practically dancing like sparkles or mottes that ran freely everywhere and around everyone invoking feelings in them all.

Rias felt much calmer and relaxed not just because Fuyuki was safe but the sense of belonging in that place filled her joy as the love in her chest practically resonated with it.

Tsubasa was confused even if the safety blanket assured her she was more than welcomed to stay, relax and trust that everything was going to be fine.

Zolgen felt some of his sanity slipping before reasserting himself as the feeling of rejection had been greatly reduced but that wasn't what really affected his mind.

Altria was different from them all as several feelings ran through her breast; like Rias she felt a deep sense of belonging and peace but also a welcome that was familiar and at the same time not.

Like an old friend had suddenly returned, someone very dear to her, whose company alone was enough to fill her heart with joy despite that being their first meeting since she never before in her life felt what that World convened.

Pendragon couldn't help it but close her eyes and bask in the light, allowing its warmth to involve her fully. That wasn't mana, power, or anything similar and instead what Altria felt was something that went beyond all these things.

There were no demands of duty, obligations or pacts to be delivered, it just wanted to protect her because that was its desire. Such a light filled her with a sense of security so great that Altria almost wanted to drop her sword and just bask in it for eternity as all the fighting and violence was left behind.

She almost lost herself completely to those feelings before Zolgen's voice pierced the light almost like he was casting a shadow in paradise with just his voice alone, his very presence enough that Altria felt he was tarnishing the place by just existing.

"Kakakaka. A Reality Marble. Kakaka hahaha hahahaha! Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Hahahahahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Is he mad?" Tsubasa asked as the laughter grew louder and louder.

"He always was." Rias commented.

"That monster doesn't belong here." Both women jumped in surprise at the disdain in Altria's voice as her sharp eyes glared at the laughing man with absolute contempt. "Such a creature isn't worth even tapping a toe in this place."

Rias was amused. "What is this? Love at first sight? Or would it be the second?" The redhead didn't wait for a reaction, nor she would receive one, as she focused back on the laughing Mage. "But yes, I agree with you 100%."

Finally, after a full minute of laughing, the subject of their hatred calmed down enough to speak again. "A Reality Marble! Of all things that I would come across today, I never expected a Reality Marble! Hahahah! That just shows how much one can see once they live long enough." A hand went to his face as his shoulders kept shaking uncontrollably. "And beneath everyone's noses in Japan of all places, hahaha! The joke just writes itself!"

"I am happy you are so amused." Shirou finally spoke, taking a step forward as the wind seemed to follow his every move. "If it looks nice enough to be your grave, then I won't have to hear any complaint."

Despite the red and black clashing with the green and gold nobody would dare to say that the Mage of Swords didn't belong in his World. He looked and acted his most comfortable in that place as every step he took was full of resolve and certainty. Even his hair had lost its disguise and returned to its original red color save for a long white streak.

"My grave, you say? Sure enough, I see plenty of those here." Zolgen waved at the swords, eyes focused on the Mage of Swords. "But none for me."

"These are not graves." Shirou corrected the Mage of Insects with a smile. "These are my weapons, ready and waiting." As if reacting to his words everyone felt as if the blades had bowed towards the redhead. "There is not going to be any escaping this time."

"Is that so?" Zolgen challenged as he raised a hand to call more of his creatures but the magic circle broke apart upon being summoned. "What-"

"Do you really think a simple teleportation spell is going to work here?" Shirou challenged back with a smirk as he stood in front of them all. "We are inside a Reality Marble, a World Egg. Magic circles need set coordinates to work even if you are acting as a beacon." His smirk grew bigger as the other Mage glared. "Trying to get two sets of coordinates with two worlds overlapping is obviously too much for any teleportation spell."

Because the World Egg that held the Reality Marble was still standing in Tsubasa's living room and inside it there was a whole other world with its own rules and coordinates. They weren't even the same or similar to the ones on Earth as Shirou knew his Unlimited Blade Works had no Poles or magnetic fields.

It was a whole different sort of existence, one of which simple teleportation spells couldn't work with. There was a reason why devils needed pamphlets to teleport and only the Lucifuge could do so easily thanks to Space. Calling familiars was all about using oneself as a beacon but even if someone could get a 'signal', they needed it to connect.

And Zolgen suddenly found himself multiple worlds away from his workshops as even if he could detect them, the reach was just too far for him to get anything.

"A world inside a world." Rias had always known the theory but seeing it in action was surely different. "Wonder how it would work in a Rating Game."

The thought actually scared Tsubasa. "Promise to not use it if we fight?"

""No."" Both redheads said at the same time before focusing back on their enemy.

Altria took a step forward ready to charge but Shirou held her back. "What is wrong?"

"Can you girls let me have this?" The Mage of Swords asked with a glint in his eye as mana flowed from his body. Even if Rias was helping keep him topped up as it were Unlimited Blade Works was costing less than Ascension surprisingly enough. "It is my first time using my Reality Marble and I kinda want to stretch my wings a bit."

"Surely you are selfish." His lover commented with a giggle as a shotgun formed in her hands. "I also want to get a piece of that bastard."

"By his lack of finger and some of his skin, you kinda already got your pound of flesh."

"That could have been Bellerophon's power."

"We both know it wasn't." Shirou rebutted and Rias pouted, forcing him to hold back a sigh. "Tell you what, let me have this and tomorrow I will make-"

"Deal." Born To Be Wild disappeared and she focused on giving him mana.

Tsubasa shook her head in disbelief. "He didn't even say what he was going to do."

"My favorite~" Announced the Heiress of Gremory, already imagining a plate of tempura with a side of rice covered with sauce and filet.

But while Rias was satisfied, Altria glanced between a cautious Zolgen and Shirou. "He doesn't look ready to just quit." Her grip on Caliburn Ruler grew tighter. "Also I don't like leaving my fights for other people."

"And that motherfucker invaded my house! Threatened my parents!" The shielder accusation only made the Mage of Insects smile in amusement.

Understanding their points, Shirou just advanced. "It is just that I am not sure that I can kill him without harming you. Summoning my Reality Marble… is a whole new thing." His circuits felt hot as he sustained his World. Altria's command had pushed him into calling it but to keep it standing the Mage of Swords needed to do so by himself. "Also, I really want to see what I can do."

"So do I." Zolgen looked even more insane with an uncontrollable grin and his clothes moving around like they were alive. They were as the suit turned into insects which melted in his upper body leaving it naked. "I retract every insult I throw at you, my peer. You are really worthy of the Title of Mage." An impressive but skinny physique was revealed to all, little muscle and almost build like a runner. Completely unexpected from someone who spends whole days in a lab. "To develop a Reality Marble and then to unleash it, you are worthy more than that. Take my praise and my gratitude for this is truly a landscape I haven't expected to see. Almost a shame you haven't bonded with a god just yet."

"I have no interest in them and I didn't do it by myself, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes, to think you would use Caliburn Ruler's Order to actually push yourself beyond your limits. Brilliant if not a little risky. Still, genius!"

Shirou could deny the risks of such a maneuver as he had opened his mind completely to Altria while focusing entirely on his soul. As far as bets went things could have really gone badly if Zolgen had tried to hypnotize him instead as the redhead did his best to not fight against any sort of influence.

But the Mage of Insects didn't, convinced that the Order had been for him and preparing his own defenses as Shirou lowered his guard completely.

Successful couldn't even cover how well the plan went considering Emiya went from not being able to summon his Reality Marble to summoning with a World Egg in the exact dimensions to drag everyone in the room inside it and no one else.

All of that was acknowledged by Zolgen who didn't hesitate in clapping. "As expected of a Mage, truly a master of your craft." His mana began to pulse as his muscles began to bulge as a gelatinous substance began to exit his pores. "And what an opportunity to see what a Reality Marble is capable of. Coming to Fuyuki was the best decision that I had made in years!"

The Mage of Insects began to grow taller and mutate with several horrid disturbing sounds but nobody averted their eyes or even flinched. Many had seen worse in Strays or other creatures.

Two swords dropped in Shirou's hands and he began to weigh them. They were his creations, he knew every detail about these blades. What he found curious was that he barely needed to think and the swords were in his hands. Most importantly was the mana cost which was zero.

Meanwhile the redhead studied his soul, Zolgen took a much more insect-like form very similar to the one Shinji had but bigger and obviously more complete; his body formed a carapace much like his soldiers with a dark blue color like his hair which had completely fallen from his head that looked much more like a beetle's to match his wings.

The carapace formed a shell that covered his whole body but moved much like an exoskeleton for freedom of movement as two pairs of extra arms grew from his sides. Antennae sprouted from his head, bending themselves forward and moving around to enhance his senses as his black eyes became like a bee's.

Completing his transformation were Zolgen's fingers that grew sharper and larger until every digit looked like a giant knife. That was the final form of his original body and the culmination of a century of research. Something close to what he did to his victims, obviously irreversible.

Also it was designed for close range combat, something Shirou took some pleasure in pointing out. "Is that the third situation a Mage should use their hands, Senpai? When they are cornered?"

"'Cornered'? Kakakaka!" Jaws opened much like an ant's as the Mage of Insects couldn't hide his amusement, his voice sounding like a bee hive moving around when forming words. "This is an experiment, Emiya Shirou. An experiment! I shall use you to evaluate the true value of a Reality Marble!" He announced, closing his fist in front of his face towards the younger Mage. "For that I won't hesitate to sacrifice my original body! No, with how much you brats have destroyed today, it is safe to say that little of 'me' remains! But it doesn't matter!" When he threw his fist to the side unleashing a wave of wind strong enough to ruffle Shirou's coat. The redhead barely reacted, just dropping two swords on the ground and calling new ones. "This is an opportunity I can let pass by, not when the gods haven't found and killed you yet. So show me all your World can do and further my research, Mage of Swords!"

"Your research? Sorry to disappoint but it ends here, today." Letting go of another pair of swords, Shirou raised a hand and another sword appeared, a katana quite familiar to Rias. "Didn't I already say this is your grave? There is not going to be an after for you."

"Is that so?" Zolgen opened his wings and began to unleash the same noise from his rhinoceros beetle from early in the fight but soon let out a grunt of pain. "What-" Looking back he saw that two swords had appeared from nowhere and cut off his wings.

"You are in my territory now, a place far more dangerous than any workshop." Assuming a posture with both hands holding the weapon over his shoulder, Shirou felt how easy it was to Reinforce his body with both mana and Ki on a whole new level. "You are in my Reality Marble, my soul baring its fangs! You will die against the only real magic Emiya Shirou can use; Unlimited Blade Works." The world pulsed with the decree, practically affirming the declaration. "Pray to whatever gods if you have any, here they can't save you."

With that said Shirou leaped in Zolgen's direction, the creature jumping back to escape only to find himself falling short because of the damage in his wings. Quickly he raised his arms to stop Muramasa but the blade changed mid thrust as the redhead transitioned in a second step.

That step led into a third, unleashing three thrusts at unbelievable speeds that the giant insect couldn't escape. Mostly because they all happened simultaneously. "Mumyo Sandan-Zuki!"

Blood flew from the former human's front as three puncture wounds opened in several places, never touching the floor as the World itself refused to receive the substance. It became vapor before Zolgen's back ever hit the floor, the creature stunned by the blow before turning its arms and head around to crawl away.

Just in time to evade a downward stab from Shirou who discarded Souji's sword before calling a Muramasa, again with no cost. 'That was easy.'

Mimicking the legendary swordswoman's skill was usually impossible but he could feel his Ki flowing perfectly inside Unlimited Blade Works, compensating for every flaw in skill or differences of body type.

'Stuff to think about later.' Because if he could do that with Okita's technique who was much faster and lighter than him, Emiya wondered what else he could do with Ki inside his Reality Marble. But first he had business with another Mage. "Where do you think you are going?"

With a powerful dash the Mage of Swords gave chase but Zolgen kept crawling away as faster than the redhead could keep up. However that didn't discourage him as Unlimited Blade Works had already proven its 'ranged' capabilities. A simple thought was all he needed and five more swords fell in the giant insect's direction.

But the clever mind of a magus had a solution for even the attacks he couldn't see as his antennae were capable of detecting changes of every single thing in the environment. While Unlimited Blade Works was saturated with metal and the movement of mana was minimal, there was still some disturbance in the air.

Enough so that he 'smelled' the swords coming and moved to the side with a leap that had him turning around. Opening his mouth Zolgen spit acid at the redhead who easily side stepped before continuing his charge, reaching his target.

"Too slow." Complained the redhead with an overhead swing that was blocked with a hand before the other five arms moved to stab Shirou. With Muramasa he cut all six hands off before turning on a foot and kicking Zolgen away. "Do I need something else to change the swords' speed?"

'He was analyzing his own strike?' Zolgen wondered as he stood on his feet, his limbs healing in a moment. 'He is using this as an opportunity to test his Reality Marble?' He asked himself more assuredly as Shirou waved a hand and eight swords descended from the heavens while he started running again. "As expected of a Mage."

With his praise given the Mage of Insects unleashed several blasts from his body to shoot down all swords before focusing four of his hands in the redhead's direction. A huge magic circle was formed and used to shoot a huge beam of blue light that threatened to consume Shirou and everyone behind him.

The Mage of Swords almost stopped the attack but chose to trust his allies, dodging to the side without missing his stride. His faith was rewarded by Tsubasa who didn't hesitate to block the beam, Galahad's shield easily winning the contest.

Since he kept his run going Shirou didn't lose speed and soon Zolgen found himself missing his left shoulder, three of his arms with it, making the giant insect recoil as the magic circle vanished.

Also rendered him unable to stop the next attack as the Mage of Swords went for the head and a full decapitation. The redhead then jumped back to wait for a couple of minutes since his opponent seemed to be an amalgamation of insects.

He heard once about how some of them could survive without a head for a considerable length of time so wasn't really surprised when the body moved again, not even falling from losing a head, to run away from him.

"Now let's try this." Raising an arm Shirou focused on the images of several swords and soon more than fifteen of them appeared behind his back. "Gravity is not an issue… and to fire…"

Just a mental command wasn't enough but he felt the action was possible so he tried a swing of his arm to act like some sort of trigger and all weapons flew directly at the insect's body, turning it into a porcupine.

"Is it over already?" Rias asked, mildly disappointed. "Well, that is a Reality Marble for you."

"I don't think he is dead." Shirou said loudly, having heard her even if she only had spoken loud enough for the women to hear.

Something Altria quickly realized. "Are you aware of everything here?"

"Kinda? It is hard to explain." The conversation distracted him for a moment and Zolgen's body jumped to its feet to unleash a new attack with its remaining arms.

One was big enough that Shirou was forced to fully dodge but still not enough to surpass Galahad's shield. "Can you kill him already?!"

"It won't be so easy, my dear." Came the unexpected reply from Zolgen as his head had regenerated along with his arms which he used to remove the swords in his body. "Over the last century I made sure this body could withstand everything, making it close to immortal. Even the Phenex Regeneration can't compete."

"If that was true, why is your finger still missing?" Shirou asked rhetorically. "Say what you will but they could get back up from the Power of Destruction. Then again they aren't real immortals and neither are you."

The comment actually stung Zolgen's pride a little. "Brat, do you think just because you have a Reality Marble and a couple of swords you can kill me?" A raised brow and hand were the initial responses. "I will show-" Then a cage of swords surrounded the giant insect, surprising everyone but Shirou himself.

Hundreds of swords floated around the creature, every side full of weapons as the redhead pondered, "So I can load as many images as I can think in a few seconds with some focus. And to attack…" Closing his fist the weapons fell in a rain of steel that pierced every single part of Zolgen's body. "Not much different from Tracing away from my position but way, way easier."

Pushing back the feelings of exhilaration over his Reality Marble, Shirou focused back on what should be a corpse as almost every centimeter of Zolgen's body was stabbed by a sword with many, many of them going through all the way until stabbing the ground.

However there was little blood and since it was already determined his opponent could bleed it meant some sort of spell or trick protected him. Or allowed him to dodge as things were for Shirou's Reinforced eyes saw several small ants pouring from the huge one's 'wounds'.

That was how Zolgen was able to escape even a rain of steel that could have killed a legion, by splitting himself in hundreds of smaller creatures at appropriate times to give the impression he could heal from anything.

For someone who claimed to avoid dirtying his hands, the Mage of Insects had the instincts and cunning of a fighter. The redhead didn't doubt that all the creature did to recover from decapitation was just moving the head back into place.

With some focus Shirou could feel the insects as they separated from the main body and as it escaped the swords. "Looks like when you are 'put' together you are one but when they are apart your little things are their own individuals." Commented the younger Mage for the older to hear and even though the insectoid face the redhead could feel the frustration. "That just means I have to kill you a few hundred times before it sticks."

Raising his arm once more, several dozen swords formed a new cage but Shirou put a spin on things by projecting several versions of Muramasa before unleashing the attack. That time Zolgen didn't allow himself to be hit but the younger Mage wasn't done and tried to activate his swords' abilities.

Half expecting a pillar of fire to take over his field, nothing happened but the swords standing there much to Shirou's confusion. 'What did I do wrong?'

"Shiro!" Rias' voice snapped him out of his musing as the giant insect reformed by his side and sent a swipe of several arms towards his head.

The Mage of Swords ducked and threw back a kick but Zolgen wasn't even phased as his blade-like fingers kept the attack going, his left side giving way to his right so his hands could get closer to Shirou's face.

Using his free hand the redhead threw himself back as Muramasa cut off one of the left hands but it seamlessly turned into a giant wasp that reconnected with his arm for the follow up together with the other limbs.

However at that moment Shirou was already trading his Muramasa for a bastard blade in his right hand as a scimitar dropped in his left. All six hands were cut with ease as he sunk his weapons on the giant insect's legs to keep him pinned. When Zolgen tried to divide himself he found out that was just the beginning as a rapier made its way to Shirou's hand.

A strong stab forward sent the Mage of Insects flying with his familiars trying to catch up much of his armor breaking and more blood being spilled as his insects died. Emiya rose to his feet to keep stabbing at high speeds, each blow stronger than the last sending Zolgen farther away.

Swords appeared over the redhead shoulders enveloped in a teal or blue aura before the last stab met its mark. When it did, his enemy was sent flying faster than he could reach but the other swords followed their quarry with sonic booms to then blow up on the Mage's carapace with even louder impacts.

Looking at the sword in his hand Shirou saw that the rapier had been broken but reformed with just a glance. 'So everything; my Tracing, my Reinforcement, even my Ki, led me to Unlimited Blade Works and how to use it effectively.' The blade shone with the sun and the redhead smiled. "This is my path."

A frustrated Zolgen raised from the field of blades as his many insects worked to fix his body. 'I already gave up this form but that doesn't mean I will surrender lightly.' Giant black eyes focused on the Mage of Swords who threw the rapier in his direction. There was no dodging and he winced at losing his shoulder for the second time before euphoria filled his chest. "Show me more!"

In an instant several insects fixed his whole body as magic circles were formed in each of his hands all of which unleashed their own kind of attack. There was a pillar of water, a blast of mana, a toxic cloud made of acid that still moved faster than bullets, a lightning bolt, blades of wind and needles made of stone.

Muramasa glowed with power as Shirou felt the wind of his world synchronize with the blade. "This is my," his feet grew lighter as his body grew weightless which allowed him to dodge every single attack until he reached a shocked Zolgen, "Wind Muramasa!"

The blade cut the Mage of Insects' body cleanly in half but instead of falling it remained standing as all his arms aimed towards the redhead. However his blade was already transitioning from a cut to the next with the wind pushing it to go even faster.

"Crow 's Claw!" An attack designed to cut the opponent's arms without taking their life but amplified by a sword made to move faster than its owner could swing it. And it accelerated further for the next attack, the slash developed to kill without mercy. "Wolf 's Claw!"

Zolgen found himself cut down in several pieces horizontally and vertically as the winds not only increased the blade's speed but also its edge. His many body parts turned in several insects and started to run just as the wind began to catch fire.

Not strange since the sword had changed on Shirou's hands. "Fire Muramasa!"

He started slashing and even though his weapon was slower than before the redhead still managed to destroy many of the bugs as they burned with clouds of fire. The smaller creatures still managed to divide themselves several times over as their Mage struggled to keep his conscience going.

Eight hundred years hadn't prepared Zolgen to be burned alive several times over in quick succession. Since he was several insects nobody else could understand his screams of pain and frustration as so much of him died.

After gaining several meters of distance the older magus reformed into his monstrous form but noticing that one of his arms was missing. "Running out of bugs?" Asked Shirou with a smirk. "How many do you have left?"

"Plenty somewhere else." Replied Zolgen as another of his arms vanished and his body shrunk while new wings grew on his back. Those also were like a beetle's but more bulky and armored.

But they were silent as nobody heard when the Mage of Insects took flight even as they all saw it happened. With his four remaining arms he began to construct a more powerful magic circle as his power rose further despite the damage.

'So, what now?' Zolgen asked silently and with great interest as the power of his magic circle grew.

Shirou paused for a second to look up before raising a hand close to his face. "While you are here I cannot miss."

Closing his fist tightly the Mage of Swords felt his World respond to his will as several dozen blades, up to over a hundred, appeared behind the giant insect before falling down on his form.

The Mage of Insects quickly noticed the danger thanks to his body modifications and turned around in time to see the tidal wave of steel which would consume him. It was moving too fast and was too big so he had no time or chance to counter attack if he wanted to survive in the battle.

Aware of all that, the magic circle folded into itself as Zolgen went completely on the defensive as his body began to bulge again, his insects moving around beneath his carapace to take a new form.

Unfortunately for him his barrier was never going to last against so many swords and even before it broke the thing had been pushed to the ground before it was crushed by the rain of metal as the attack kept going.

Despite the quantity of weapons used in his maneuver Shirou felt fine as his mana was only being consumed to sustain his Reality Marble. What really affected him a little was drawing the blueprints for so many swords even if he 'copy and pasted' a few. Most of them were his creations but there were also some Muramasas, a few Usumidoris or Caliburn Fragments together with the bunch.

Noble Phantasms, even if he couldn't activate their abilities without direct contact, were weapons of renown with several effects despite not using their True Names or abilities. Usumidori was great against spiders, for example, while the Caliburns' Holy Energy should also be damaging against someone like the creature he was facing.

Yet he also knew that Zolgen was alive. "How many insects do you have left? A couple thousand? Or are we already in the hundreds?" Shirou asked with fake curiosity. "With every hit, I kill another dozen at worst and I really don't think you have enough to survive all my weapons."

Shirou didn't know if he could throw everything Unlimited Blade Works could bear at the same time but the magus in him really wanted to try with only a tingle on the back of his head telling him it would be too taxing for his body.

Also he could pretty much hear his father's voice to stop wasting resources and finish Zolgen off before the Mage of Insects pulled some annoying spell that would make the fight harder. Which of course happened as the creature emerged from amongst several swords in a new form that had Shirou biting his lip.

'First forgot my armor and now I let him transform. Dad must never know.' He would blame the lack of sleep if the man ever did. "What are you? A game's final boss?"

"I do not understand what that is supposed to mean." The new Zolgen had actually shrunk in size just a little even if his carapace had grown far thicker around his body. Its color had changed to a shining black and his antennae gave way to a huge horn that looked like a sword. "All that I know is that observing his Reality Marble is making all this endeavor worthwhile."

While he no longer had extra arms the insect magus' giant fists had each grown to be bigger than Shirou's head with the armor around the limbs making him look more like a gorilla than an insect of any sort.

The head was also different, more slim even if the forehead had a larger 'plate' to help sustain the horn which was bigger than most of Shirou's swords but if something was clear the new's form more solid defense as Zolgen bleed little from the wave of swords.

Making Emiya regret playing around with his Reality Marble a bit too much as his opponent grew more problematic. "My old man is going to kill me."

"Huh, would the Magus Killer truly do that?" With a step, several of the bladles around the area shook because of Zolgen's new weight. "Then again, perhaps he would since you have something as dangerous as a Reality Marble. He gained his reputation for a reason, after all."

Irritated by the Mage of Insects' words, the redhead couldn't help but retort, "I was exaggerating." Yet he said nothing else while gritting his teeth and preparing Muramasa once more. 'If he can survive that many swords then-'

"Then throwing around weaker weapons isn't going to kill me." Zolgen concluded Shirou's thoughts which made the Mage of Swords glare. Fine for the older man who laughed. "Don't be upset, I already started to understand yours, or better yet, every Reality Marble's weakness. You can produce and control everything without a cost but to use their full potential, something else needs to be paid. Your mind struggles to call for the strongest swords, doesn't it? Or just summon them in too great quantities." He batted his chest in challenge a single time, also showing his new toughness. "Not that the second option is really an alternative anymore. Weak blades won't cut this body, not even the Caliburn Fragments can do the job without an extra push. Throw all your World has at me, I will survive it all!" A taunt to push his enemy's further despite the older man himself hesitating to attack. 'Yes, show it to me. Show me what a Reality Marble can really do! Make my sacrifice worthwhile.'

Both sides knew that Shirou's capabilities had expanded inside Unlimited Blade Works thanks to his Ki but that couldn't be all since he had access to several different weapons that could push him beyond just what Okita Souji was capable of.

What the redhead needed was some real power and he had options, options that Zolgen didn't know but would be extremely interested in. The old Mage was seeing first hand the potential of a Reality Marble and what could be done with it certainly changed several of his plans.

But the Mage of Insects and the Mage of Swords was more than willing to provide as several strategies crossed his mind and were discarded as she knew that to kill his enemy he needed to kill every insect invading his World.

'Even if he can split himself apart, there must be a limit.' Mana and Ki flowed into Muramasa, manifesting a mighty orange flame. 'Just need to cut him enough to burn everything.'

With a new dash, Shirou called for several swords behind his head and shot them at his enemy. Each of the impacts was enough to destroy a car but the insect didn't move, just watching the redhead's approach with a cautious posture.

Once they were in reach of each other both moved at the exact same time and Muramasa found itself struggling against the giant arm. Despite all his new bulk Zolgen remained fast but a little slower than before as his other arm moved for a punch at Shirou's chest. The redhead's feet were still planted firmly on the ground so he ducked and charged again to cut the other Mage in half.

But the attack failed as the sword's edge failed to penetrate the dark carapace, the older magus chuckling at his struggle before jumping back. Which was expected since his arms were too big to get Emiya in that position so he also jumped in pursuit while throwing several thrusts in his enemy's direction.

Makiri's amusement didn't last long upon noticing their predicament. "Is that all you can do?" He asked while quickly spinning around and dropping himself on Shirou back first.

The Mage of Swords sidestepped the attack and the back hand that tried to hit his shoulder on the way out. "Not even close!" Muramasa changed in his hands to another of his creations, a far taller one which also caught fire even if the flame was even brighter. "Red Buster!"

Because Unlimited Blade Works expanded his options and so the Noble Gear back in the Vault of Prosperity came to its creator without any issue, the huge weapon slamming on Makiri's exposed belly.

'Exposed' in the sense it was unguarded but still armored and capable of taking the hit that shook the ground they were standing on. Shirou then called more weapons above their heads that flew like a missile barrage and sought to cause more damage but only two connected proper hits as Zolgen kept moving.

With some sort of practiced ease despite never using his body like that, the Mage of Insects became a shining ball before he began to roll out of the way faster than Shirou could react. He then made a sharp turn and raced in the redhead's direction who placed several swords in his path which were easily trampled.

Understanding that his bones would be next, Emiya jumped to the side only to see the ball race his way in the same instant with an even more extreme sharp turn. Against that the Mage of Swords gritted his teeth and called forth more blades while focusing on their blueprint, modifying them on the fly.

Wyvern swords were successfully Projected and Shirou managed to make some of them far taller than their original blueprint, the size of motorcycles. The weapons blocked Zolgen's path while others tried to pierce his shell while he kept accelerating. All Unlimited Blade Works heard the impact of the collision as Emiya raised his arms and called another rain of swords to finish off his opponent.

Sword after sword bombarded the black insect as he kept spinning against the wall of swords while Zolgen kept going, trying to make his way with just brute force alone.

And he was succeeding it, much to the younger magus' chagrin. "Really should have killed him sooner."

"Can we go in now?" Tsubasa asked out loud as she prepared her shield.

Altria shook her head and pointed at the rain of weapons. "Maybe he can survive that many swords but we are flesh and bone." She turned to Rias, silently asking her opinion, as the redhead bit her nail. "Unless you can take your shot from here."

Blue eyes blinked before she focused mana in her hands. "Born To Be Wild, Act II!" A sniper rifle was back in her hands and she took aim. "I have no idea where that bastard's head is but I bet a shot in the center is going to hurt anyway."

Didn't take more than three seconds for her to unleash a pullet strong enough to pierce a whole mountain towards Zolgen but the women found themselves disappointed when a wall of mana surged in front of them.

It was then they noticed one of the older Mage's fireflies going around with its light on just waiting for when the Heiress of Gremory was going to act. Bigger than the rest it was undoubtedly stronger to make sure Rias wasn't going to get any surprise hits on him, not without exerting far more strength at least.

Shirou saw the whole thing happen and was the most surprised of all of them as he barely had noticed the thing despite being able to detect everything else Zolgen was using. Where before it was empty suddenly the firefly was there, in his senses, its size should have made it impossible to miss before but only in that moment it became visible to his Reality Marble.

He only understood how when the barrier and the familiar vanished, any sort of energy of life sign from the creature disappeared before his eyes. "How is he-"

"By hiding them well and just showing you when you can't see!" Once again the older Mage guessed his thoughts as the creature ricocheted itself on the ground and jumped over the swords. When it landed the magus revealed its armored form once more and even if his face lacked lips Shirou knew he was smiling. "Took me a few minutes to realize you can detect any movement unless you are distracted but I was still cautious. You won't find my pet, not as you are now. Even if you are aware of everything in your World, your mind can't process the whole of it." He chuckled derisively. "Such a human weakness."

Accepting the older Mage was right, Shirou jumped back and prepared another Muramasa. "You are literally just saying that because you turned into a giant bug."

The response elicited a frustrated look in the insectoid magus' eyes. "Just because you can't use your full potential. This can't be all a Reality Marble can do. If it was, gods wouldn't fear or covet it to become True Gods." Observed Zolgen as he was still treating everything like an experiment. "Your average swords can't harm my armor and so far I found yourself lacking. Perhaps I will get more answers from your corpse."

Taking a deep breath, Shirou surprised the Mage of Insects by nodding in agreement. "You are right. Most of my swords can't harm you." Dropping Muramasa on the floor, the redhead grinned. "Then I just need to make one that can!"

With that he unexpectedly charged at Zolgen who raised his arms in preparation only to be half distracted as he felt Rias prepare another shot. He only needed a millisecond to recall his firefly and have it create a defense but that wasn't going to happen.

"I Order you to stop!" Not with Altria using Caliburn Ruler, freeze the insect in place which allowed Tsubasa to crush it under her shield while the Heiress bullet flew unimpeded.

All things Shirou knew were going to happen, including that Zolgen wouldn't risk facing the Power of Destruction. He also knew the older magus was somewhat of a cautious fighter so he would take an obvious route of retreat by jumping back which the insect did. By that point Emiya already knew which sword he was going to use.

When the bullet sailed in front of Makiri's armored face a huge blade was forming in the Mage of Swords' grip. One that hadn't been used for quite a while but had already participated in that particular fight in another form.

'That shape.' Which Zolgen recognized with a glance as one of his bigger creations became dust by it even though that wasn't exactly what Shirou had used before. 'A blade capable of bending space, in a Reality Marble?!' "Are you insane?!"

The great sword of one of Ireland's many Kings, one who reached the level of Legend after many deeds including his prowess in combat and the power of his sword. A sword so old that it could be classified as a Prototype for Caliburn, a predecessor for the Sword of Selection.

Rainbow lights began to surround the weapon and for the first time Shirou unleashed its power in its true form. "Caladbolg!" Space was truly distorted but together with it was Zolgen's whole body as the creature struggled to try and keep itself together.

Had that been an arrow and the attack been a single explosion perhaps that would have been possible for the Mage of Insects truly had transformed his body into the ultimate expression of survival which could last even a few moments against the spiral which could destroy buildings with ease.

However, that was only if Caladbolg was used as an arrow, a Broken Phantasm, whose existence was short and unstable. Inside Unlimited Blade Works, the sword wasn't going to last just a single glorious second. It came to its new owner at full power, one that could tear landscapes apart much like when it was in Fergus' hands.

Spiral Sword was an apt nickname for it both due to its shape and how it pulled the enemy in its form, forcing them and the area where they stand to bend until they break. Few things in the known Universe could be compared to its might but Zolgen did his best to survive, focusing on breaking his body apart to escape the spiral.

It was worthless because not a single one of his insects could survive it and many died in the attempt, already crippling his body permanently. If asked which hurt more, being sucked into a spiral or burned alive, the former human would undoubtedly say the former as every insect felt itself being pulled apart.

Shirou kept the attack going for a whole minute to make sure he got everything that was Zolgen but he noticed big pieces of 'flesh', stubbornly protecting each other and while he could let Caladbolg go wild until nothing was left the Mage of Swords had to recognize his arm was hurting.

Ki compensated for his lack of physique compared with Fergus but that couldn't last forever even with Unlimited Blade Works made using it easier.

So Emiya let that go and his right arm fell to the side uselessly as some of Zolgen survived inside his World. "I swear you are more stubborn than a cockroach."

"Kukuku, I shall take that as a complement." The flesh moved around but Zolgen didn't bother to reform himself. He just made a mouth to gloat. "Either way I collected very important data about Reality Marbles, a profitable endeavor indeed."

"You think you are getting away?" Asked an amused Shirou.

"You can't kill me. That was your best maneuver and I already hid many parts of me in your World for you to safely kill me at all." Despite not having eyes, Zolgen could see the raised brow. "Kakakaka, fool! What are the smallest insects? Those that can't be seen by the human eye like dust mites! I already checked the threshold you need to feel life signs in your Reality Marble and you can't find me!" He chuckled again. 'Fufufu, even if I lost the majority of my original body, I can-'

"Oh, that is it?" The Mage of Swords cut the older man's thoughts with an evil glint in his eye. "Really, that was how you managed to hide that firefly, right? Made it too small, right? Well, too bad for you because even if I can't feel you, I can kill you."

Fear for his body creeped in Zolgen's soul. "Fool! Your bluffing is pointless! Even if you can keep your Reality Marble going for a few more minutes, sooner or later Gremory's mana will run out! This is my win!"

Before replying Shirou called for a black blade to his hands, one his opponent could sense was a Noble Phantasm. "Huhuhu, sorry to disappoint but there is no escaping, Zolgen Makiri!" Faster than the older magus could react the redhead stabbed the floating mouth with his sword which began to transform and become red. "Stepping inside Fuyuki was your biggest mistake. Lament it as you go straight to Hell."

'What is that sword? Does he plan to destroy the whole area? No, destroy is the wrong word.' Zolgen noted as he saw how Unlimited Blade Works wasn't damaged by Caladbolg's attack. Brushing it off he focused on allowing his insects to escape. 'Doesn't matter, I just need to get far enough. Farther and farther in the horizon until the World Egg vanishes.'

It was something that Makiri had been doing since Shirou dragged him inside Unlimited Blade Works; sending several parts of himself as far away as he could to secure his original body with whatever means possible.

Not that he knew there were swords which could hunt him down wherever he tried to hide inside that particular Reality Marble and now Shirou had concluded the steps for his greatest hunter to find him anywhere in Unlimited Blade Works.

His greatest hound.

"Hrunting." The scarlet blade pulsed with power as Shirou made some more Alterations on it. "Have you ever heard of the Legend of Beowulf?" He could feel the older Mage's fear inside his Reality Marble. It made him smile. "Then you know there is no escaping."

Several of the same sword in his hand, the exact same down to the absorbed blood from the insect user, appeared behind the redhead. Every single one of those came in their true forms but for everyone watching it was like a pack of hungry hounds had taken shape around their owner, starving for blood.

And the women knew it wasn't their blood they wanted, Zolgen feeling his fear growing even as he tried to make his form smaller. Unfortunately as he told Shirou the smallest insect he could become was dust mites and going smaller was just impossible.

With a dramatic wave of his hands, Shirou felt the red swords jumping to get started. "Good bye, Mage of Insects. It wasn't a pleasure knowing you." Like an executor Emiya dropped his arm and the hounds were released from their collars. "Hrunting's Bloody Hunt!"

All swords blasted in the air like if shot by cannons but much, much faster. So fast in fact that they became streaks of red light that flashed around the area as the blades jumped around. It didn't matter that no one could see what they were hitting, they knew the swords were hitting something.

They knew because every single time and without fail the blades would connect to the ground before becoming streaks of light again and jumping to the next again and again and again at speeds that only Shirou's eyes could keep up with.

In all sorts of places too as some of the 'hounds' hit other swords, several areas close and around everyone else and one of them even hit between Rias' legs before ricocheting to the other side to hunt some more.

Everywhere they went Unlimited Blade Works shook yet none of the World was damaged as the hounds were part of it, Shirou's weapons. He didn't wish them to harm anyone or damage his landscape, only that they killed everything that was Zolgen.

And his swords complied, their movements forming a dance of light and lasers that would be a success in any club but far more geometrically challenging as they all needed to spread out to hunt their quarry.

In total the Mage of Swords had prepared only thirty swords but with how fast they were cleaning up the place he started to wonder if it had been overkill. 'Then again, I already screwed up twice with that guy. A little overkill is overdue.'

Barely the redhead had finished those thoughts when the first sword stabbed itself a few meters away from him, standing proudly after a job well done. It wasn't the only one as soon as all the others did the same, all joining their brethren and becoming monuments to be called when needed.

Even those which had run away to hunt Zolgen several miles of distance from his initial position had stopped and Shirou could tell that the Mage of Insects was gone from his World.

It was the only possibility since Hrunting wouldn't have stopped as long his enemy remained alive.

Still he would err on the side of caution as to not make any more mistakes, grabbing the closest Hrunting and making sure it was still prone to hunt any insect left in Fuyuki. But before that he needed to close the gate of his soul, to extinguish the World Egg and return everyone back to Earth.

And if some of Zolgen was still around he would be close so Shirou closed his eyes and took one last breath in his World knowing he could get back there any time. "Bellerophon is missing." He pointed out only for the pegasus to respond from his heart. "Huh, that is interesting."

All felt the sun shine a little more brightly before a flash of its light took them away from the World of Blades and back to the Yura family's apartment. The women were surprised by the events as suddenly they found themselves closer to the Mage of Swords but he didn't react to them, his eyes focused on Hrunting.

With a few seconds of non reaction, the victorious Mage began to relax. "Well, I did tell him that I couldn't miss." Shirou observed with a chuckle.

"That was fantastic!" Rias jumped to hug her lover with pride brimming in her face. "You did it, Shiro! You finally invoked your Reality Marble!"

He returned the hug as his body relaxed and adrenaline finally settled down. "Couldn't have done it without you." They smiled at each other as the Heiress resumed hugging while he looked to the side. "And you as well. Thank you for trusting me."

Altria nodded her head as the shock wore off. "You never pegged me for a liar. When you told me your spell could contain and deal with Zolgen… I wasn't expecting it to be your Reality Marble. Despite some previous users having them, they had lived decades without manifesting it. Then again…" She played with Caliburn Ruler, remember it was that sword which made such a miracle possible. Looking around, she still had her guard up. "How sure are we that he is dead?"

Raising Hrunting, the redhead man said, "He isn't around, that is for sure."

Rias giggled. "And when he says around he means 'several kilometers' around." With that clarified she remained in Shirou's arms but turned to the blonde. "And about Unlimited Blade Works," just saying the name sent pleasant shivers down her spine, "you are going to sign a Geass to make sure you aren't telling anyone."

"Vali had already clued us in about it but… I suppose you mean it's manifestation." That itself could be more dangerous than its existence and the three knew it. At the Heiress' strong glare she smiled. "Don't worry, only our little group knows and it would be dishonorable to divulge something like that to everyone. Unless you are Kuroka or Bikou, they just don't want to rob Vali of a good fight."

Seeing Altria wasn't going to complain about signing a Geass, Shirou did raise a protest. "Don't worry about it. She wasn't going to say anything anyway."

"We still need to make sure." Replied his lover.

"With how honorable she is, a contract is just overkill." Said her lover.

"I have no problem signing it." Added to the conversation the blonde with a mirthful smile.

"See, she has no problem signing it." Reinforced a very pleased Rias, making Shirou groan but accept he wasn't winning that discussion. "Don't worry, we will make it light in its terms so she doesn't need to worry about misspeaking or talking about it away from us."

"Reminding you that my friends and sister already know about your Reality Marble." The blonde swordswoman pointed out. "Suddenly not talking about it is going to raise some questions so what about not telling anyone you managed to manifest it and its name?"

"Sounds good to me." The Mage said while his lover nodded eagerly.

On the side, Tsubasa fell on the couch as her shield returned to her soul. "That was a Reality Marble…" She sounded absolutely shocked and more exhausted than everyone else present. "It was…"

After everything that happened the Rook was having a hard time processing the World of Swords and could only just remember the warning Sona gave about the danger Shirou could impose.

Tsubasa hadn't been barely conscious when Kokabiel declared its existence but she remembered the declarations and the miracles from that day. The restoration of a sword even if it should have been impossible. She had been conscious enough to ask questions but the answers eluded or confused her.

In truth the shield user also remembered that her mind was lost in a fog of pain for most of everything that night but Sona helped fill in the blanks even if she refused to give up Shirou's secrets out of gratitude for him and respect for Rias.

But the Student Council President still made sure that every member of her peerage read about the subject and so everyone knew at least the basics of what a Reality Marble should be.

The paper didn't live up to the real deal, not by a long shot.

An impossibility made real, a whole World made manifest and under someone's control for them to do as they pleased. A land where someone's dreams became true for the virtue of it being their soul, in their soul.

And she understood the danger, the power of having a whole world at someone's back and how destructive it could be. Sure Tsubasa only saw the tail end of the fight against Zolgen but it was clear that he was in control until Unlimited Blade Works appeared.

"Can I have one?" The Rook of Sitri found herself saying out loud which surprised the others. "A Reality Marble… we're the same, right? Can I have one?"

Besides a curious glance from Altria at the question, Shirou and Rias both focused on each other, trying to find an answer. Despite being a Heiress of the 72 Pillars there was little the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess could say about the subject.

Her lover could and he turned back to the lilac haired girl to reply, "We are similar, not the same. I avoided mentioning it since Olga Marie was there but… no, you don't have a Reality Marble. Have no idea how you can get one either."

At the certainty of such a declaration there was just one thing Tsubasa could say. "That sucks."

"Kinda? If the gods know about it they are either going to kidnap me or kill me." Shirou added with a shrug that got a chuckle from Altria who in turn received a glare from Rias.

"Only reason Vali didn't spread the knowledge around is because of the second possibility. That and I may have," she continued while raising Ruler up to show its edge, "threatened him a little."

All aggressivity left the Heiress of Gremory expression as she said. "I think I like you."

Everyone began to relax again when Tsubasa jumped to her feet in a panic. "My parents!" She raced to their room in an understandable rush. Everyone waited for a few minutes for the result, Shirou almost went there but Rias held him back until the Rook shouted. "They're okay!"

With that final problem solved, they all finally relaxed. "We need to go get my sister and Xenovia." Reminded Altria with a small smile despite sitting down to catch her breath. "After that, maybe we can just-" Then everyone heard her stomach growling but the blonde remained stoic until it calmed down. "-get something to eat."

It wasn't what she was going to say before but Altria had her priorities straight; family, food, everything else. Friends could be included into the family category depending on the level of friendship.

Both redheads chuckled but took the situation in stride. "If you want, you can eat dinner back home." Shirou offered, much to the Altria surprise. "Unless you need to eat right now. Then we can get take out."

"Take the offer. Shiro's food is the best." Rias complimented with an inviting smile.

Having not expected such an invite, the young woman scratched her cheek with concern. "Are you sure I am welcome in your home? We are still, technically, enemies."

The Heiress shrugged in response. "You helped us a lot today. The least we can do is give you a decent meal." 'Also if you get hooked on Shiro's food we won't stay enemies for long~ What better way to take down a terrorist organization than having someone on the inside?'

"More than a decent meal. After everything we went through, I would be happy to cook something special as thanks." Shirou announced proudly, remembering he hadn't made anything for everyone in a while.

"In that case, glad to be here." Altria's stomach grumbled again and with a stoic expression she said, "After all, hunger is the enemy."

Rias threw Shiro a curious expression but the magus shook his head, silently telling her they would talk later.

That was the moment Tsubasa rushed back to the living room. "Guys, you need to get out. I woke up my mom and I'm not explaining why two girls and a boy are here."

"You could say we are classmates." Pointed out the King of Gremory.

"You are the only one in our school's uniform." Shirou rebutted as they all began to move to the door as they heard the older woman's voice.

"Go go go go." Tsubasa hissed, pushing everyone out and even summoning Galahad Shield to make sure they couldn't escape. Once the three of them were out she let out a sigh of relief as her mother walked in the room.

While Tsubasa could pass by a handsome boy before puberty started to catch up, her mother looked distinctly more feminine. She was a good looking woman, growing older as her blue hair, once the same color as her daughter's before the Noble Phantasm touched her soul, had acquired some shades of gray.

Her face was far more soft than her daughters and her eyelids were heavy from sleep so Tsubasa couldn't see her eyes. Perhaps it was just normal sleep or the spell but that the Rook would ask her King the next day.

Dressed in a modest nightwear dress that reached her ankles, the woman managed to wake up when her daughter touched her arms to make sure she was alright after the Mage of Insects attack.

Upon being free from the spell she was feeling really thirsty and so she got up for a glass of water. Since the apartment was rather small the only way to reach the kitchen was through the living room so inevitably she would find her way there.

Fortunately for Tsubasa it was just when she had managed to kick everyone else out.

Unfortunately the place was still a mess.

"Yura Tsubasa! How dare you get inside the house without taking off your shoes?!" She didn't notice her daughter was without shoes but that was because the floor was too dirty for her tastes.

"Kaa-chan, I can explain-"

"Don't 'kaa-chan' me young lady and- Are those boot footprints? Did you have friends over?! That is it, you are grounded!"

Let it be known that Yura Murasaki was a stern mother who wouldn't take half baked explanations for answers as everyone outside the door, and in the surrounding apartments, heard Tsubasa's useless struggle as she failed to come up with a proper excuse.

A growling stomach changed everyone's focus, that time from Rias as she also found herself rather famished from the events of the night, a sentiment Altria was fully behind. "So we get my sister and we have dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan." The Heiress replied as Shirou shook his head.

"Hope the two of them are hungry. I am going all out tonight."

"Wonderful~" His lover embraced his arm. "You are going to love it, Altria. His food is just divine."

Meanwhile, back at the apartment.

"And you are going to do extra chores for a week!"

"Noooooo!"

…..

Having some fun with the family but here is the last chapter of the year to you all. Happy new year.

You can read two more chapter early and support my work on:

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Apprentice of Life or

P a treon . com (slash) ApprenticeofLife

Until next time.