AN: Enjoy the chapter,
Ch 23 Behind the Anomaly
A thundering roar burst through the skies, lightning bolts came raining down and onto the Battlefield.
"Byakko, I'll support you!" Tamamo Hime held three talismans in her hands before sending them off to the Chaldeans.
The three talismans took on a different elemental forms. The first was ice, the second was fire, and the third was earth.
"HA!" Rama rushed in, using Brahmastra to deflect the lightning bolts from striking one of them. The King of Kosala landed back to the ground, turning to the Alter Ego behind him. "Koyanskaya,"
A rifle clicked, indicating that the Fox had reloaded her weapon. "On it," Koyanskaya aims for the Lightening Beast before her.
She pulled the trigger, releasing three shots of bullets at the Familiar.
Tamamo Hime held onto three talismans in her hands and threw them at the bullets. "I won't let your attacks land."
The talismans stop in front of Byakko, they spun around as a pentagram formed in the middle o the talismans. The Pentagram created a barrier for the Lightening Beast from the bullets.
"Tch," Koyanskaya clicked her tongue, seeing that the barrier has blocked her Beast bullets. "Damnit, with Caster supporting Byakko, I can't land a hit." She stated,
Rama landed next to the Fox, "Then we must take care of Tamamo Hime." The King of Kosala said, turning to his master. "Master,"
'I agree with Rama,' Ritsuka mentally spoke to his two Servants. 'Koyanskaya provide interference and Rama, strikes when Tamamo is preparing her Spells.'
"Hai!"
The two went into action right away, following the instruction Ritsuka gave to them.
Ladybug has seen Ritsuka commanding his Servants many times in the past. From the moment he appeared as Magus and when he helped them defeat Maire Antoinette Alter.
She watched as Koyanskaya toss a smoke grenade at Tamamo Hime only for her to dodge it.
Byakko went in to strike at the Beast,
Rama slides on the ground, lifting his Brahmastra to block the Lightening Beast's strike. "Ngh," The Saber held his ground against the Divine Beast.
Koyanskaya leaps in the air, aiming her rifle at Tamamo Hime. "Got you," She pulled the trigger, releasing the bullet.
Tamamo Hime saw the incoming bullet, she drew out another talisman and created an ice barrier.
"Tch," Koyanskaya landed on the ground and took out a grenade. She tosses it at the ice barrier, destroying it in the process. However Tamamo Hime was gone for her even to attack, she turns her attention back to Rama, "Oi, Saber how are you?" She asked.
"Just peachy, I got this Beast handled." Rama groans, pushing back the Divine Beast back. "Ha!" He then slashed at it to push him further back.
The Saber continued his pursuit and slashed at him repeatedly, pushing him to a corner. 'Now that I cornered him, I can-' Rama paused, seeing Byakko disburse into sparks and an electric current came behind him.
"Damnit!" Rama swung Brahmastra behind him, landing a hit when the Lighting Beast sparked. The King of Kosala leaps back before the lightning could hit him. "Hear I thought this was going to be easy. But this is no mere Divine Beast, as expected of Japanese's Cardinal Beasts."
Koyanskaya continued her pursuit of Tamamo Hime, taking many shots at her.
Tamamo Hime continued defending herself by using her talismans to create ice barriers. She gasps, seeing another grenade launched from the Beast of Cherishment."Ngh,"
The Tamamo tail threw another talisman at the grenade, exploding upon impact. "Have enough yet?" Koyanskaya asked the Fox Spirit.
"No, not yet!" Tamamo Hime stated, ready to use another Talisman.
Rama moved in a zig-zag motion, dodging the Lightning bolts aimed at him. "Ha, once I got used to this, I can easily tell when the bolts of lightning are going to strike." The Saber grins, leaping in the air, he was above the Divine Beast and raised his Sword above his head.
The King of Kosala was about to strike Byakko, however, something interrupted the fight. "I believe that's enough for the test." A voice spoke from out of nowhere.
Rama paused before leaping back from the White Tiger. Koyanskaya and Tamamo Hime halt their advancement on each other, hearing the voice of Caster echo in the air.
Tamamo Hime inclines her head, obliging the Caster's order. "Of course, Caster-sama," The Divided Spirit answered,
"What a suck-up," Koyanskaya said, placing her rifle over her shoulder.
Ladybug turns to Ritsuka, lowering his guard. "Did we win?" The bluenette asked the Magus from Chaldea.
Ritsuka nodded, answering the Hero of Creation. "Yeah, we've passed Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth's test." The black-haired Magus said.
"Yes, you have proven yourselves to have my aid in your mission to save Paris." Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth said, lowering the Bounded Field protecting the Torii. "Welcome, Heroes of Proper Human History to the Sakura Labyrinth's Sakura Manor. Tamamo Hime, please escort our guests inside."
(Insert ost Swordsmith's Hermitage)
"Of course, Caster-sama." Tamamo Hime turns to the Chaldeans and their ally, "Welcome, honor guests to the Sakura Manor, on Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth's behest please follow me to meet the master of this Territory."
The group followed the Divided Spirit into the Sakura Manor. She led the group into Sakura Manor,
Ritsuka was about to remove his shoes when Tamamo Hime stopped him. "Fujimaru-sama, please don't remove your shoes." The Caster Servant informed the black-haired Hero. "We appreciate your respectfulness, but this place isn't your typical Japanese home."
"Are you sure?" Ritsuka asked, still having the urge just to take off his shoes.
"Yes, now come along, this way." The pink-haired Fox motions her head to the inner section of the Manor.
Ladybug approached Ritsuka, smiling at his manner. "I get it, I almost did the same thing too." The bluenette Hero giggled,
Soon the Chaldeans sat on the tatami mats, waiting for the Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth to make an appearance.
Tamamo Hime inclined her head to the Chaldeas, "Please wait here while I go and retrieve the Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth." She turns around and heads to the back.
Violet looks over to Charlie sitting next to her. "(Do you know what Caster looks like?)" the High Servant asked the former King.
"(I only heard off him through Chaldea's records.)" Charlie whispers back to the violet-haired Servant. "(Caster was mentioned many times before, but never met him in person until now.)"
"So in short, he might not even show himself now," Violet asked, getting a strange feeling from the information given to her.
Koyanskaya scoffs, hearing the two's conversation. "Now that you mentioned, he might use a stand-in like Limbo." The Beast of Cherishment commented.
"Oh, it seems that idiot is still around in Chaldea." A familiar voice spoke out behind the paper door. "But don't worry, I'm not a double or a Shikigami in my stead."
A silhouette appeared behind the paper door,
Everyone turns their attention to the door with the silhouette, waiting for him to enter the room.
Tamamo Hime exited first, setting her knees on the matting. "People of Chaldea, please welcome the master of the Sakura Labyrinth." The Caster Servant introduced the Caster into the room.
The doors opened, revealing a powder-blue male with a rattail down his back and wearing white Onmyoji robes. His blue eyes looked around him, expressing a kind yet mischievous smile. "Greetings Chaldeans, and Hero of Creation to my territory. I hope my little test got your blood pumping,"
'Why does Caster remind me of Merlin!?' Everyone who came from Chaldea exclaims mentally.
Ladybug took the initiative and spoke to the Servant. "Um, even if I didn't participate, I can tell that both Saber and Koyanskaya are strong even if they're not against Tamamo or your Familiar."
"That's exactly what I thought," The powder-blue-haired Servant laughs, pointing to the young Hero. "I always knew you Chaldean Servants are strong, considering your close bond with master Fujimaru."
"Anyways, welcome to my Sakura Manor." Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth greeted the Chaldeans. He looks over to Ritsuka, smiling at him. "Master Fujimaru, this is our first time meeting after our last encounter."
Ritsuka nodded, "Yeah, it's great to finally meet you, Caster." He greeted the long-time Collaborator of Chaldea and now the Resistance. "I didn't expect you to be Summoned to this Lostbelt."
"Well Humanity is in peril once again, and this time I have teamed up with some others who…support you, master of Chaldea." Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth. "In any case, I'm sure you all have some questions about this Anomaly, and we have time to spare."
The powder blue-haired Caster looks over to the Fox Spirit next to them. "Tamamo, if you could give some refreshments for our guests," Caster asked the Servant.
"Of course, I'll be right back." Tamamo Hime left the room and prepared some refreshments for everyone.
Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth sat before everyone, ready to answer any question they have. "Now, what questions do you have for me?"
Ritsuka looks at Ladybug, seeing if she has any questions for him. "Do you have any questions, Ladybug?" He asked the Hero of Creation.
"I think you should be the one who should go first." Ladybug offered the last master of Humanity, knowing this is probably an important moment in Chaldea's mission for the long run. "You need this information more than me, Ritsuka."
Ritsuka nodded, looking at his Servants who approved of Ladybug's statement. "All right," He looks back at the Caster Servant before him. There were many questions to ask, the master of the Anomaly, the Lostbelt, how to restore Charlie to his proper self, the Anomaly master, and many others he could list from the top of his head.
"If you can't decide yet, then allow me to start first with an introduction." The Caster Servant stated,
"I am known as the Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth. I'm known as the Collaborator in the Resistance against the Eternal Empire by gathering the remaining Counter Force Servants." The powder-blue-haired Servant started things off.
"I'm also the Grand Servant that the Counter Force sent to assist the Servants Summoned here." Caster continued with his introduction.
"A Grand Caster Servant, so that means there's a Beast here lurking in this Lostbelt," Charlie stated, knowing how important a Grand Servant is.
Ladybug looks around, sensing the tension between the Servants. "Um…what is a Grand Servant?" The bluenette asked the Servants around her.
Ritsuka looks at Ladybug, hearing her question. "A Grand Servant or in this a Grand Caster is a powerful Servant selected by the Counter Force to deal with threats to Humanity mainly the Seven Evils of Humanity or Beast." The Magus explains to the young Hero.
"S-So that means there's a more powerful opponent-"
Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth chuckles, "You don't need to worry about that," The Grand Servant stated, "It seems when I was Summoned the Juvenile Beast already left,"
"Wait, the Beast left?" Charlie asked, unsure what he means. "What does that mean?"
The powder-blue-haired Hero chuckles, looking at the former Servant. "It means that the Juvenile Beast left this Anomaly, and I was a bit late in subduing her." Caster sighs and shrugs at the unfortunate circumstances. "But seeing I wasn't called back to the Throne of Heroes; means I can do anything I want here to help Humanity."
"I see…" Ritsuka responded,
Ruler of Paris cleared her throat, looking at the Grand Servant before them. "Then if you don't mind, Caster. Can you continue with your explanation with the Anomal-er Lostbelt?"
"Yeah, I appreciate it if you would give us a bit more on the background of how to save Paris," Ladybug commented, asking the Caster on what information he had.
Caster nodded, hearing the two's statement. "Yes, yes, now where to begin…ah," He points to the ceiling.
Soon Tamamo Hime returned with tea on trays. "I returned with tea," She greeted everyone once again.
Tamamo served the Chaldeans the tea she made, once she finished handing out the tea; Caster continues with his explanation.
"All right, I'm sure you all know what a Singularity and Lostbelts are by now," Caster stated, seeing a few nods from everyone. "But an Anomaly is completely different from those."
"We can say that an Anomaly is a…well an anomaly in another Dimension," Ritsuka answered the Grand Caster's statement. "Such as what we experienced in the Eden Anomaly."
Ladybug turns to Ritsuka, hearing the name of the paradise made by God. "You went to the Garden of Eden, Ritsuka!?" She asked shockingly.
Rama steps into the conversation, looking at the Hero of Creation. "Ladybug, the Eden Anomaly doesn't take place in the eternal Paradise." The King of Kosala explains to her. "It's a name that we gave on the situation of the Anomaly,"
"In short, a Goddess and Angels are heavily involved in the Anomaly." Koyanskaya picked up after the Saber Servant.
Ladybug was truly shocked by what they had told her. "A-Angels and a Goddess…never thought I heard that Angels and a Goddess would turn against Humanity." She commented,
"Yes, Anomalies are something different than what you all used to," Caster commented on what Ladybug said. "That being said, an anomaly is an abnormality in Humanity's many branches of Proper Human History known as pillars. These are the many paths and possibilities that Humanity has taken in striving to the future."
"Though I'm not sure what the master of these Anomalies is planning, if you were to leave these Anomalies unsolved then Humanity is surely be done for." Caster continued with his explanation of the Anomalies and the pillars of Humanity.
Ritsuka nodded, looking at the Koyanskaya who was recording the explanation of the Anomalies.
Caster claps his hands, feeling like the talk about the Anomalies has reached its conclusion. "Anyways, that's all I got about the Anomalies." The Grand Servant said, heading to the next topic. "Now, let's move on to the next topic at hand,"
Violet turns to her fellow Alter Ego next to her, "Speak of changing the topic quickly," The Alter Ego states.
"Y-Yeah, I know. So this is what the type of person a Grand Caster that master has gotten used to." Xu Fu commented on the Caster's personality.
"Yes, the Parisian Lostbelt, the Cybernetic Eternal Empire: Patricius." The powder-blue haired stated,
Ladybug frowns at the new name the Empire gave to her home. "Patricius,"
Charlie looks at the Grand Servant before them, "So what do you have on this current Lostbelt?" The former King asked,
Caster raised his hand, activating a spell that showed a holographic map of the Eternal Empire. Everyone looks at the map, noticing every small detail in the Empire. In the center of the Parisian Lostbelt is the Eternal Palace where the Anomaly Emperor or the Lostbelt Emperor resides.
There was a large structure behind the Arc de Triomphe, finally where the Eiffel Tower should be replaced by a large familiar cube.
"That cube, it reminds me of something…" Charlie commented, feeling like he has seen this cube from somewhere. "I can't place my finger on it."
"Yes, Charlie does have a point." The violet-haired Alter Ego commented. "That cube reminds me of the Moon Cell. Is this a replica of the Moon Cell?" Violet asked the Grand Caster.
Charlie snaps his fingers, having a memory of a past life cross his mind. "That's it, the Moon Cell! That's what I got from it,"
Ladybug was confused with the name both Violet and Charlie used. "What's the Moon Cell?"
"It's basically a supercomputer created by an Alien species that reside on the Moon," Ritsuka explains to the young Hero. "It observes and records Earth's history, similar to how the Counter Force records Human History."
The bluenette teen sighs, having a headache from the info dump she just experienced. "Now there's an Alien computer on the Moon." Ladybug looks at the Caster, curious about the Moon Cell. "How can the Empire create something extraterrestrial?"
"Ah, that's because this my friends isn't a replica. It's the genuine article," Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth explains, smirking at the Heroes. "This is the real deal Moon Cell."
"WHAT!?" The Chaldeans exclaim at the shocking reveal.
The powder-blue-haired Caster nodded, "Yes, the Moon Cell in this timeline has fallen to Earth on the outskirts of Paris." Caster explains, "In the proper timeline, the Humans use the Moon Cell to create a futuristic City and able to reach for the Sea of Stars."
"So in short, Humanity will achieve what people imagine what the future was like," Rama said, finding that amazing to hear Humanity will prosper.
"I guess that the Eternal Empire got to the Moon Cell first and made Paris into…this Dystopia," Ladybug commented feeling like the Future was robbed from them. "So how do we defeat the Empire?"
"Ladybug is right, right now we've defeated Liz Void but that was a struggle on its own." Ruler of Paris said,
"The real issue is the Hephaestus Klironomia with which the other Inquisitors are infused." Xu Fu added to the Counter Guardian's statement. "I don't think using the same strategy we used on her would work with the other Servants."
Ritsuka turns his attention back to the Caster, "Now, I believe you said something you have a way to defeat the other Servants?" The Magus asked.
Caster of the Sakura Labyrinth nodded, looking at Tamamo Hime. "Tamamo, if you would please bring the case." He asked the Divided Spirt.
Tamamo Hime got up from the mat, obliging to the Grand Caster's request. "Of course, Lord Caster."
After a moment, Tamamo returned with three Talismans in a serving tray. "Here,"
Caster picked up one of the Talismans, showing it to the Chaldean master and Hero of Creation. "This is a special Talisman that will be able to assist your Battles with the Imperial Inquisitors." The Grand Servant explains to the group. "However, for them to be effective you must weaken the Inquisitor you are facing. It's a one-time chance, so these three are the only ones I can make."
He tosses the Talisman to Ritsuka, grabbing in as it flew in the air.
"Wait, you made it sound that by using these Talismans on the Inquisitors; we're technically bringing them over to our side," Ladybug said as Tamamo handed the other two Talismans to them.
"We are," The Grand Caster smirked, seeing the bluenette Hero get the gist behind the Talismans. "All I can tell now is that we need all the Servants in this Lostbelt for later,"
Ritsuka and Ladybug looked at each other before looking back at the Servants. "Anyways, Charlie…was it? I believe that the Empire has robbed you of something important." Caster looked over to the former Servant.
The former King of the Franks sat up, hearing the Grand Servant talking to him. "That's right, Lancer of the Eternal Empire impaled me with his Spear which render me into a regular Human."
"Interesting, if you don't mind, I want to look you over." The powder-blue-haired Servant said. His head looks over to both Xu Fu and Ruler of Paris. "Alter Ego, Ruler, mind if you come with me? I need your expertise in Sage Arts for Charlie's examination."
Ruler of Paris nodded, standing from her place. "Of course, I'll try my best to help Charlie's recovery." The Counter Guardian stated.
Xu Fu slowly got up, hearing that Caster needs her skills in healing the former Saber. "I-I'll try too, for master's sake and Charlies."
"Thank you, all of you." Charlie smiles, following the Servants into the back room to start his examination.
AN: How do you like it? Please leave a comment or review.