Ici il y a des dragons Chapter 14
Hatred and Forgiveness
Everyone remained silent for a moment as Artoria glared at Gilles. Jeanne stared at the Caster in complete shock and disbelief. Why would he do this? And more importantly, if he is a Servant of the Dragon Witch, then why is he still-
Jeanne's eyes widened in realization. It all made sense now…..
"It wasn't the "Dragon Witch" who possessed the Holy Grail at all. In fact, she never existed in the Throne of Heroes."
The Chaldeans turned to Jeanne in confusion.
"What are you talking about Jeanne?" Emiya asked.
"It's simple." Jeanne answered. "As long as she wasn't an aspect of my darkness, there was no other conclusion I could make. But then the question remains on how she acquired that massive strength? That couldn't have been anything but the Holy Grail. In other words, the Dragon Witch herself–"
"Was my wish." Gilles said. "In other words, the Holy Grail itself."
"You can't be serious…" Ritsuka muttered.
Gilles ignored the boy's words and focused on Jeanne. "My wish was to revive you. It was a wish from my heart, from the bottom of my heart."
"Of course it was." Jeanne said. "But there is a problem…"
Gilles nodded. "The Grail rejected me. For all its omnipotent power, it said it couldn't do that. But my wish was only for you! So I created a new you! The Saint I believed in, That I longed for, I created her! Jeanne d'Arc–the Dragon Witch. The Grail itself!"
"You're a mad man." Artoria snarled. "You did all this just to bring her back?!"
"But of course!" Gilles replied. "I wanted her to have her righteous vengeance upon France for betraying her!"
"Gilles…You know that's not what I would have wanted." Jeanne said. "Even if you could revive me, I would never become your Dragon Witch. It's true that I was betrayed, it's true that I was could only be described as a tragic end. But I could never hate my homeland. This is where you and the others lived."
Gilles smiled. "So kind. Your words are far too kind."
The Chaldeans watched as Gilles' smile turned into a frown. "However, Jeanne...Your kindness has made you forget one thing. Even if you never hated this country–"
Everyone watched in shock as Gilles' eyes bugged out of their sockets and he waved his arms around like a mad man.
"I HATED THIS COUNTRY! I swore I would destroy it for its betrayal!"
"Gilles…" Jeanne muttered sadly.
"You will forgive them I'm sure. But I never will!" Gilles said. "I will have my revenge upon this land!"
The ground trembled. Roman appeared on the communicator with a concerned look.
"I'm getting major energy spikes in your area!" He shouted. "It seems to be–oh no…."
Everyone stared at Gilles in shock as he held a golden cup in his hands.
"He already has the grail!" Tatsuko said.
"I will defeat you all in order to get my vengeance!" Gilles shouted. The Caster then made a chant in an indecipherable language, causing Medea and Emiya to shoot him with spells and the Archer's blades in order to stop him. Unfortunately, the Grail protected him from harm. A moment later, the Caster smiled as numerous tentacles started to surround him like blankets.
"Uh oh, that can't be good." Tatsuko said.
"It's worse than you imagine." Artoria said. The blonde Saber launched herself at the Caster, but a tentacle swatted her away, causing her to hit a wall. The moment she stood up, she watched in shock and horror as she saw a gigantic, horrifying creature breaking the castle roof and spreading out its tentacles.
"We have to stop him now!" Artoria shouted. "Throw everything you have at him!"
The Chaldean Servants nodded and launched themselves at the monstrosity. Medea attacked first, shooting fire and ice at the tentacled monster. The ice pierced its flesh, and the flames seared its skin. Kojiro dodged two tentacles before slicing them to pieces, then worked on four more coming towards him. Medusa could barely land a hit as multiple tentacles started to swarm her, but she was saved by Emiya raining down multiple projectiles upon the appendages. Cú dodged and leapt out of the way of multiple attacks, landing hits when he could. The Lancer sliced multiple appendages at once before leaping out of the way as Heracles roared, and swung his axe-sword at more tentacles.
Artoria jumped on one tentacle as a platform and leapt into the air, cutting four tentacles and the one she used as a platform below her. Yet it seemed like they were fighting the hydra, for every cut tentacle, two more took its place. While still in the air, another tentacle grabbed Artoria by the waist and started to pull her down towards its mouth.
From afar, Emiya shot a mana charged arrow to destroy the tentacle as Medea flew to catch Artoria before she fell towards the monster, but as she was flying away, multiple tentacles started to surround them to block their escape.
Fortunately Heracles, Medusa and Jeanne destroyed the tentacles before the two women could get caught.
Everyone's eyes widened in horror as an incredibly large tentacle zipped passed them, and went straight for the Masters. Mashu immediately sprung into action, and blocked it with her shield. The lilac haired girl struggled from the impact, her knees started to buckle from the weight of the attack, but she stood fast, not even wavering in her resolve.
Thankfully, Jeanne managed to relieve the pressure by slicing the tentacle in half. As the appendage hit the floor, the Chaldean Servants regrouped near the Chaldean Trio as they watched the gigantic horror laughing in glee. It was clear to them now that at this rate, Gilles was going to win the battle by attrition.
"Okay, we need a plan to take that thing out." Tatsuko said. "Any ideas?"
"I could try using my eyes to petrify it." Medusa answered. "But considering the fact it didn't work on Carmilla at all, I doubt it will work here."
"Okay, so turning it to stone won't work." Ritsuka replied. "Medea, do you have a way to take it down?"
"I don't know where to start." Medea answered.
"I do." Artoria answered. "We need to take out Caster."
"How can we possibly do that?" Roman asked.
"I can use Excalibur to take out the outer body we see, and take down Caster along with it." Artoria answered. "But there is a problem…"
"The French Army and the rest of our allies would get caught in the crossfire." Cú replied. "Is that what you're implying?"
Artoria nodded. "Exactly. I'd rather use my Noble Phantasm where I wouldn't hit them."
Emiya grinned. "You won't have to worry about that."
Everyone turned to the Archer in surprise. Artoria's and Cús' eyes widened in realization.
"Shirou, you don't mean….."
Emiya nodded. He turned to the other Chaldean Servants and Jeanne, his grin turned into a smirk. "I'm going to need you guys to keep Gilles busy for a bit. This is going to take a couple of minutes."
The Servants nodded and charged at the gigantic horror before them. Emiya turned to Tatsuko with a knowing glance.
"Use your last Command Spell on me. I'm going to need it." He said. The Archer then turned to Ritsuka. "Save yours for Artoria."
The two Masters nodded. Tatsuko put a hand on Emiya's shoulder, and activated her last Command Spell. The white haired Archer closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The ground began to crack, causing the Chaldean Trio to widen their eyes as Emiya put a hand to his chest.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."
Blue flames started to glow beneath the cracks, the Chaldean Trio stared at Emiya in complete confusion. What in the world is happening? And why did the flames not emit any heat?
"I have created over a thousand blades."
Artoria tightened her grip on Excalibur as the flames started to rise from the cracks.
"Unknown to death. Nor known to Life."
The cracks started to widen as it reached the gigantic monstrosity. Everyone felt the surge of mana get stronger as it started to surround Emiya.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons. Yet, Those hands will never hold anything. So as I pray…."
Emiya's eyes shot wide open as he outstretched his right hand. The cracks finally cracked all the way open, with the blue flames shooting up from the ground.
"UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"
The air became twisted and distorted, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The next moment when they opened them, Jeanne and the Chaldeans, barring Cú and Artoria, widened their eyes at what they saw.
A desert filled with a field of blades as far as the eye could see. In the sky were gyrating black gears. Some of the Servants fighting Gilles stared at Emiya in shock. They could not believe the Archer had THIS up his sleeve the whole time.
"I can't believe it….." Ritsuka muttered. "This is a Reality Marble!"
Artoria nodded. "This is Shirou's trump card. Here, he has stored all the swords he traced, and he can use those copies, and even modify them."
"How do you know this?" Tatsuko asked.
"I told her and Cú about this a week before we came to this Singularity." Emiya answered. "Artoria saw it once during the Fifth Holy Grail War, but it's one of the memories she never received, and I decided to tell Cú as a sign of trust."
The Chaldean Trio looked at Emiya in awe as he faced the gigantic horror. "I can't keep this up for very long, but thankfully with everyone here, I don't have to worry about that."
He raised his right arm, and a storm of blades appeared behind him. He then pointed at the gigantic horror, and the blades barreled towards Gilles at blinding speed, whizzing passed the Chaldean Servants and Jeanne, and hitting the gigantic monstrosity without stopping. Unfortunately, the creature kept regenerating faster and faster. However, a small faint glow emanated from a part of the beast, causing the Chaldeans and Jeanne to widen their eyes in realization.
The Holy Grail was right there, and it was the reason for the monster's strength.
Emiya created more swords to fire at Gilles' abomination. He then stared at the Servants with a knowing gaze.
"Give him everything you got! And don't let up until the Grail is out of that thing!"
The Servants nodded, and began to fight at full throttle. Cú cut through multiple tentacles until he reached Heracles. The Berserker lowered his hand until the Lancer was in his palm, and chucked Cú in the air to get close to the monster. The blue haired Servant soared in the air while Medea shot shards of ice near him, allowing him to use them as platforms alongside Emiya's flying swords. The moment he was within striking distance, he reared his right arm back.
"Gáe Bolg!"
Cú threw his spear at the gigantic horror. The crimson spear shot through the creature with extreme speed, and pierced through its flesh. Unfortunately it wasn't enough. While it was close, the spear didn't hit the Caster. However, this was more than enough to distract Gilles from the fight. Medusa saw the tentacles stop their attacks for a moment, and seized the opportunity given to her. She grabbed one of Emiya's blades and cut into three tentacles that grabbed her legs, and then summoned her pegasus to her side, and flew into the air.
"Bellerophon!"
Medusa used her Noble Phantasm to slam into the gigantic horror, staggering it, and Gilles inside from the impact. The Caster quickly recovered and growled in frustration. He let out a shout, and the gigantic monstrosity shot out multiple tentacles towards Kojiro and Heracles, who were dashing towards the base to get the Grail. They were almost about to be attacked by the appendages, when Jeanne landed in front of them and raised her flag.
"Luminosité Eternelle!"
The tentacles bounced off the three of them, giving the Berserker and Assassin time to cut some down while Emiya's blades took care of the rest. A moment later, the two Servants watched as Jeanne fell down onto one knee. The Ruler took shallow breaths out of pain. It would seem the cursed wound she received was flaring up. Four more tentacles shot towards her, but the Ruler disappeared, and in her place was Medea, courtesy of the Caster using a spell to switch places with her. Medea burned the tentacles, and shot shard after shard of ice at the base of the monster. She then produced a barrier between the three Servants and the tentacles before giving the two male Heroic Spirits a curt nod. They took that as a sign to continue their trek to free the Grail. Kojiro was the first to make it towards the base, and raised his blade.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!"
Kojiro's blade cut through the base with ease, but there was still more to cut through. Heracles roared and lunged at the open wound.
Nine Lives.
The Berserker unleashed a barrage of blows to the base, tearing it apart with his ferocity. The flesh of the monster tried regenerating as fast as possible, but the blows it was receiving continued to make that a difficult endeavor. Heracles continued to hammer at the monstrosity until the golden glow of the Grail was shining at him. With one loud roar, the Berserker swung his weapon downwards, hitting the base of the monster. The Grail flew from its perch, and into the air until Medusa caught it, and threw it towards Cú. Two tentacles shot towards him, forcing the Lancer to smack the grail away towards Jeanne and cut down the appendages. Jeanne caught the cup, but she knew she wouldn't be able to protect it for long.
She then looked at the Chaldean Trio, and immediately knew what she had to do.
"Catch it!"
Jeanne threw the cup at the Chaldean Trio. The golden cup soared towards them until it was almost at their heads. Ritsuka jumped into the air, and caught the Grail, and landed with a thud. He quickly got up and took deep breaths.
"Way to go Twig Boy!" Tatsuko shouted. The victory was short lived, however, as a giant tentacle made its way towards the male Master with incredible speed. Emiya shot a hundred blades at the tentacle, cutting it in half. But the appendage was already starting to regenerate.
"Rule Breaker!"
Medea stabbed the creature, halting the regeneration process. The Servants then scattered and regrouped away from the monstrosity as Emiya turned to Ritsuka.
"Use your Command Spell on Artoria now!"
Ritsuka nodded and activated his last Command Spell. Artoria took a deep breath as she gripped Excalibur with both hands, and a huge surge of mana flowed towards her.
"Sheathed in the breath of the planet, a torrent of shining life. Feel its wrath."
The sword was engulfed with a large pillar of light. Artoria raised her blade over her head, before swinging it down, intending to end this once and for all.
"EXCALIBUR!"
The blast shot towards the monster with blinding speed, until it made contact. The blast from Excalibur swallowed up the monster until it was turned to dust. As soon as the light dissipated, Emiya deactivated his Reality Marble, and fell onto one knee. Everyone panted heavily from exhaustion, but it was soon replaced by shock as they heard a groan. They turned to see the source and couldn't believe their eyes.
Gilles was still alive, but only barely. It was clear he wasn't going to last much longer.
"Even with the power of the Grail, I still...fell…" The Caster muttered weakly. "Just how is that possible?
"Gilles, that's enough."
Everyone watched as Jeanne walked towards the Caster and knelt beside him. The Ruler gave the Caster a gentle smile as he started to fade away.
"Don't worry. Until the very end, I have no regrets." She said. "My death will light the way for someone else. That's all I ever wanted. Now let's go back to the time where we belong."
Gilles smiled. "I'm sorry Jeanne. But I'm already on the path to Hell…"
Gilles took one last sigh before fading away completely.
It was over, the final opposing Servant was gone.
"Good job everyone!" Roman said. "The Grail recovery is complete!"
"Hell yeah!" Tatsuko shouted. "Okay time for the Chaldean salute!"
The female Master performed the salute, much to Ritsuka's disbelief. Tatsuko gave him a knowing gaze, forcing him to perform the salute.
"I am sorry, but I have never heard of this Chaldean salute." Mashu said. "Can you both teach me?"
"Oh it's very simple, Mashu." Tatsuko said. "Just raise your right hand up like ours, and that's it!"
Mashu tilted her head to the side in confusion, before performing the salute herself. The Shielder smiled and giggled. "I like it. I must request that we do this after beating each Singularity."
Tatsuko chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds good to me!"
Ritsuka did not pay them any mind, and instead looked at Roman. "Can you give us a few minutes before sending us back?"
Roman nodded. "Sure, but can I ask why?"
Ritsuka smiled. "I just want to say goodbye to some people."
Roman nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let me know when you're ready to leave."
Ritsuka nodded back and turned to the Chaldeans and Jeanne. "Let's see how the French Army is doing."
Not long after, the Chaldeans were back out in the field and helping the remaining French soldiers with whatever they needed. Unfortunately, the French Army lost half of its forces in the battle, with the uninjured soldiers either counting their dead, or helping the injured.
This meant that Ritsuka was extra busy with tending to the wounded soldiers, wrapping their cuts, or mending broken bones. As he finished with one patient, the male Master wiped the sweat off his brow and took a deep breath, when he heard a man clearing his throat. He turned around to see General Gilles, and widened his eyes upon seeing the general carrying an injured Louis in his arms.
"I understand from Commander Louis that you are the one in charge of the Lord's forces, and helped tend to the wounded a few hours after meeting Louis a few days ago." General Gilles said.
"Actually I shared the leadership role with Tatsuko over here, but that's not important right now. Please set Louis over here next to me so I can take a look at him."
The general nodded and walked towards the male Master until the black haired teen bade him to stop. General Gilles placed Louis on the ground, causing the soldier to hiss in pain. The Chaldeans and Jeanne walked towards the three men to see what was going on. Their eyes widened alongside Ritsuka's as they saw a wound on Louis' left leg. Ritsuka took the boot off gently, causing more discomfort for Louis, but the soldier did not complain. The moment the boot was off, Ritsuka cursed under his breath.
"How bad is it?" Louis asked.
Ritsuka looked at the commander and shook his head. "It's full of puss and blood. And the infection is already set in….."
"You can stop it from spreading, right?" Louis asked.
Ritsuka went silent for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "There's only one way to stop it now….."
Louis took note of the black haired teen's expression, and turned to General Gilles. "General, can you give me something to bite down on?"
General Gilles nodded and handed him some hardened leather. Louis took it in his hands, and looked at Kojiro.
"Can you be the one to do this?" He asked. "I know firsthand that you make a clean cut."
Kojiro nodded and unsheathed his blade. The Assassin took a few practice swings in order to find the best place to cut while Louis put the leather between his teeth and clasped Ritsuka's hand and General Gilles's hand. He looked at Ritsuka with a knowing grin to let the boy know he wasn't afraid. Kojiro raised his blade high, then swung downward. Louis grunted in pain while Ritsuka immediately went to work wrapping up the stump where Louis's leg once was. The moment he was done, he took out the leather from the commander's mouth, causing the soldier to pant for a bit. Not long after he chuckled, causing everyone to raise an eyebrow.
"I just realized…now Claude and I match." He said jokingly. The male Master, Kojiro and Emiya chuckled for a bit before General Gilles raised Louis up gently to escort him away. The commander then shook his head and smiled. "General, if I may make one small request. I'd like to stay with these folks for a bit."
General Gilles nodded. His eyes widened as he stared at Jeanne, and walked towards the Ruler. "Jeanne, I understand that you're only here because of God's will, so please….before he takes you back, allow me to say something….."
Jeanne nodded. The General took a deep breath as tears fell down his face, and clenched his fists tightly.
"Forgive us, Jeanne d'Arc! We...France betrayed you!"
Jeanne smiled. "It's all right. You have nothing to apologize for."
General Gilles stared at her in awe for a moment before recomposing himself. The Ruler put a hand on his shoulder. "You should probably help your men with whatever they need."
Gilles nodded and smiled. "Farewell Jeanne d'Arc. I hope you find peace with the Lord once again."
Jeanne's smile grew. "Thank you Gilles, for everything."
General Gilles walked away to help a soldier carry one of their fallen comrades towards the pile of the dead. As he did that, Saint George cleared his throat and smiled. "I am glad to inform you that all the wyverns seem to have dispersed after Fafnir's defeat. They won't be bothering France ever again."
The two Masters smiled at each other and gave a high five.
"Hell yeah, take that you reptilian bastards!" Tatsuko shouted.
"I can't believe they're all gone." Ritsuka said. "Although the pile of wyvern and dragon corpses DOES make it seem more plausible."
"Indeed." Siegfried said. The male Saber turned to Saint George with a curious gaze. "Pardon my rudeness, but out of curiosity's sake, how many did you slay?"
"Three hundred." Saint George answered.
Siegfried chuckled. "Same here."
"Well this is surprising. It would seem that I slew more than both of you."
Everyone turned to Kojiro in surprise. The Assassin smiled at the confusion on their faces as Siegfried turned to face him. "How many did you slay?"
Kojiro thought for a bit to remember his tally. "About six hundred. And that's just from this battle alone."
Everyone went silent, causing the Assassin to raise an eyebrow. "So, did I win anything?"
Siegfried and Saint George looked at each other and nodded before returning their attention to Kojiro.
"What you have earned is the title of Dragon Slayer." Saint George said.
Kojiro smiled and gave a small bow. "I will make sure to honor that title."
The two dragon slayers nodded at the comment before they heard the sound of a muffled voice. Everyone turned to see who it was, only for Tatsuko to try not to laugh at what they saw.
Walking towards the group was Liz, wrapped in bandages like a mummy. The Lancer made her way towards the group, causing Mata Hari and Medusa to rush to her aid. Mata Hari giggled as she led Liz by one of her hands. "It seems Medea turned you into a mummy idol."
Liz let out a few muffled sounds. It didn't take long for them to realize that Liz was actually trying to laugh at Medusa's comment. The moment she stopped, she began to say something, but the bandages over her mouth made it all muffled. Medusa smiled as she brought her dagger out.
"Let me take care of that for you." She said. The Rider carefully cut the bandages over the Lancer's mouth, and then the bandages over Liz's eyes so she could see. "Now, what were you trying to say?"
Liz smiled. "Actually I was asking if someone could take the bandages off my mouth and eyes, so thanks for that."
Medusa giggled. "I'm glad to help."
The Lancer turned to Medea, still smiling. "Thanks for healing me back there. I don't know if I'd have survived if it wasn't for you."
Medea scoffed. "Save your thanks. I just felt that leaving you like that wouldn't have helped our mission. No more, no less."
Medusa glared at the Caster. Liz opened her mouth to speak, only for everyone's eyes to widen. Golden dust started to surround her, Kiyohime, Jeanne, Mata Hari and Saint George.
"Oh, looks like it's our time to get going." Mata Hari said.
"So it would seem." Saint George said. He turned to look at Siegfried and raised an eyebrow. The Saber wasn't surrounded by golden dust at all.
"I assume this means you'll be headed straight for Chaldea with them?"
Siegfried nodded. "I am."
Saint George smiled. "Well, then I hope that you can help Kojiro navigate his way as a fellow dragon slayer."
Siegfried chuckled. "I'll do my best."
Saint George nodded, before disappearing into golden dust, having returned to the Throne of Heroes.
Liz smiled at Ritsuka and Tatsuko as the golden dust grew brighter around her. "Well, I've achieved my goal, so I suppose it's fine. Goodbye Little Puppy and Deerlet, you both fought fairly well."
The two Masters chuckled, having decided to humor the Lancer on her nicknames. Liz's eyes widened as she gasped. "Oh, before I go I have to do something!"
Liz turned to face Mata Hari and Medusa, and ran towards them. Mata Hari giggled as the Lancer nearly caused her to fall over as she hugged her.
"Thanks for keeping me in line during our time in Thiers. And for the delicious food!"
Mata Hari giggled as she hugged Liz back. "You're very welcome Liz."
The two Servants let go of each other. Liz then turned her attention to Medusa, and hugged her tightly.
"Thanks for believing in me." Liz said. "I hope we get to see each other again."
Medusa smiled as she returned the embrace. "I do too, Liz. And I hope it is very soon."
The two continued to embrace until Liz vanished, and returned to the Throne of Heroes. As that was happening, Kiyohime looked at Ritsuka and smiled.
"I guess this is goodbye." She said. "But don't worry Master. I can be rather persistent. No matter where you go, I'll follow. That's what love is, after all."
Ritsuka laughed weakly in discomfort. Mashu, on the other hand, gave a small pout as Kiyohime returned to the Throne of Heroes.
"Oh, looks like I'm next!" Mata Hari said. "Goodbye everyone, I hope we get to see each other again soon!"
Everyone smiled and waved as Mata Hari returned to the Throne of Heroes. All that was left was Jeanne. The Ruler turned to face the Chaldeans, and smiled.
"I feel like I'll meet you again somewhere. My intuition can be pretty good, you know?"
"We would hope so." Tatsuko said.
Jeanne giggled for a moment before sighing. "Farewell. And thank you all for everything you've done for me."
The Ruler turned to Artoria with a bright smile. "Thanks for being such a good friend to me, Artoria. I hope that if we do meet in Chaldea, we can continue our friendship."
Artoria smiled and gave a small nod. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
The two of them smiled at each other as Jeanne returned to the Throne of Heroes. Roman reappeared on the communicator and smiled. "Is everyone ready?"
Ritsuka nodded. "I hope you can squeeze one more person, because Siegfried's coming with us."
"I can manage that." Roman answered. "Just give me a few seconds to Rayshift you out of there."
A few seconds later, the Chaldeans and Siegfried started to glow. Louis took this opportunity to clear his throat, and looked at Ritsuka. "Before you guys return to God, I have something for you."
The commander whistled, and a group of men immediately rushed to his side. Everyone's eyes widened at what they saw.
Standing with Louis was the rest of the squad they encountered when they first set foot in France. By some stroke of luck, all of them made it out alive.
"Thanks for saving all of us back then." Louis said. "It's because of you these guys can return to their wives and children."
Ritsuka smiled. "Please send my regards to Claude and Fayette for me."
Louis smiled and nodded. The commander waved goodbye to the Chaldeans, and they, barring Medea, waved back, until they disappeared from thin air.
Roman paced back and forth as the staff continued to verify the team's existence. Davinci noted his nervousness and grinned. "You know if you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles."
Roman stared at the Caster with an unamused expression. "Not funny Davinci."
"Roman, just calm down. They'll be fine."
"But how do we know that?" Roman asked. "For all we know something could go wrong with the Rayshifting process, or one of the Servants got stuck in France, or-"
Davinci pointed behind the acting director with a mischievous grin. "If that were the case, then how come they're all here now?"
Roman turned around and saw the Chaldean team and Siegfried materialize within the coffins. The moment the coffin doors opened, Tatsuko leapt out and cheered.
"Finally!" She shouted. "If I have to look at another goddamn wyvern, it'll be TOO soon!"
Ritsuka got out of his coffin and shuffled towards Tatsuko. "I'm just glad to be back here."
"I agree." Mashu replied. "It is good to be back in familiar territory."
"Welcome back everyone!" Roman said. "And it's nice to meet you in person, Siegfried."
The male Saber smiled and gave a small nod. "Likewise."
Roman cleared his throat and looked at the Chaldean Trio and the other Servants. "Thanks to you all, 15th century France is restored completely."
"Nice!" Tatsuko shouted. She then looked at Kojiro and pointed at the Assassin. "And considering his efforts in getting rid of so many of those flying rats, I hereby proclaim Kojiro as The Savior of France!"
Ritsuka chuckled. "I second that notion."
"I third that notion!" Mashu exclaimed.
Everyone chuckled at the Shielder's enthusiasm, confusing the lilac haired girl. She then brushed those thoughts aside, and widened her eyes in realization. "Wait a minute….we never saw Lev Lainur in France."
Everyone went silent at the statement. Roman rubbed his chin in deep thought. "He's probably hiding in one of the other 6 eras. No, I guess he wouldn't hide. He has more than enough power, so if he's in the same time as us, he'll act."
"I'm sure we'll see him eventually." Artoria said. "But until then, we need to get stronger."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Ritsuka then felt lightheaded and swayed from side to side, concerning everyone.
"Are you okay Senpai?" Mashu asked.
"Yeah, just a little light headed." Ritsuka answered. "Oh right, I made you guys a promise."
"What promise?" Medusa asked.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "The promise I made on our first night in France. About why I was so against killing Louis and those soldiers."
Everyone but Siegfried, who tilted his head in confusion, remembered what he meant, and nodded.
"How about you tell us tomorrow." Roman answered. "For you guys it was a few days in France, but for us it was ten hours, and we're all pretty tired."
Ritsuka nodded. "Okay, but I'm going to say this. What I will tell you all tomorrow isn't exactly something pleasant. In fact, I…..why is everyone staring at me like that?"
The male Master took note of everyone's widened eyes of shock, surprise, and horror. Ritsuka raised an eyebrow as he remembered his right leg feeling…..off.
"Why am I feeling something clinging to my leg?"
"Hello again, Anchin. I decided to come to Chaldea so we can be together again."
Ritsuka froze. He slowly looked down, causing his eyes to widen in horror.
Clinging to his leg, was none other than Kiyohime.
"Is something wrong Anchin?"
The room was completely silent. Ritsuka said nothing as he internally screamed in shock as Kiyohime rubbed her cheek across his leg.
It would seem that things were going to get VERY hectic for the male Master.
OC: And so, the Ici il y a des dragons arc of Chronicles comes to a close. Man, talk about a crazy finale for such a wild ride.
CV: FGO's first Singularity is done and done, only 6 more left!
OC: Yup, and it's only going to get even crazier. But on another note, we have another guest tonight, and it is one that we have been looking forward to ever since our first guest appearance.
CV: Should we bring them in?
OC: Yes, we shall. Everyone, please give a big round of applause for Jeanne d'Arc!
Jeanne: Thank you both for having me here tonight. You're both such great little brothers for doing this!
CV: Thanks for being here Jeanne, and-Wait, little what now?
OC: Where did that come from?
Jeanne: I….I honestly don't know. That was really strange.
CV: Eh, I think it's fine. It's not like it's going to become a permanent thing in the future right?
OC: Let's hope not. Anyway, Jeanne, how do you feel about your journey with the Chaldeans during France?
Jeanne: Oh it was simply fantastic! I never expected to meet people like them, and they turned out to be great people. I'll forever treasure this memory with me.
OC: And would you like to meet them in Chaldea someday?
Jeanne: Of course!
CV: Is there someone in particular you would like to see again? You know, aside from your British twin Artoria?
Jeanne: I still fail to see how we look alike, but yes, there is someone I'd like to talk to again.
OC: Who is it?
Jeanne: Mashu.
CV: … Oh, who? Sorry, I was in shock over how Jeanne doesn't notice that she and Artoria look alike.
OC: She said she'd like to speak to Mashu.
CV: Oh really? Can't blame you, she's adorable, but why?
Jeanne: I just feel like we have a lot in common…no wait, maybe that's not the case. But she's very interesting, and I definitely want to get to know her better. She's perhaps the one person I can see everyone liking.
OC:...Okay, I was actually not expecting that response.
CV: Neither did I, but then again Mash is just a ball of sunshine.
Jeanne: Exactly! She also seems to be trying to find her place in the world, and I can understand that completely.
OC: Yeah, we've all been there.
CV: Still trying to do it myself.
OC: Next question, and it's going to be a little…..personal. Please don't answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but how did you feel when you learned that Gilles' made the wish for the Dragon Witch?
Jeanne: I…..I think I was shocked, but I also felt pity for him. It's true that I was betrayed, but I didn't fault anyone for that. I guess his devotion to me outweighed everything else.
OC: I guess that proves that blind devotion only hinders a person's growth….
CV: Remember kids, don't be a simp.
OC: That's one way of putting it. But enough about that. Jeanne, now that we know you want to talk to Mashu the most, I have to ask, what do you think of Ritsuka?
Jeanne: Oh that's a good question! Well, I know he must have gone through some rough times, but I get the feeling he's stronger than he looks, but he just doesn't know it yet.
OC: That's an interesting take.
Jeanne: Then there's also the fact I can understand him on some level…..especially when it came to killing…
CV: Oh? You relate to his no killing rule?
Jeanne: In a way, yes. When I was alive, I never killed anyone, well, not personally, but I still had their blood on my hands, and I always felt disgusted about that.
OC: I think I get it. But unfortunately that's war, and war never changes.
CV: War. War never changes.
The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth.
Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory.
Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.
But war never changes. In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth. In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise. A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault Thirteen. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a mountain of stone, a generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world. Life in the Vault is about to change.
OC: (Facepalms) Me and my addiction to making pop culture references….
Jeanne: Oh, is this something you know?
OC: Yeah, its a long story…..
Jeanne: I see. Well I guess I'll find out more when I go to Chaldea.
CV: Oh you should learn more, unless you're scared of giant mosquitoes.
Jeanne: Giant what?
CV: Anyways, that was Jeanne d'Arc everyone! We hope to see you again.
Jeanne: Goodbye everyone!
(Jeanne leaves).
OC: Well that went well.
CV: I made a Fallout reference to someone from hundreds of years ago, I feel accomplished.
OC: Lmao. But in any case, onwards to some chapter plot points! Say Vlad, what was your favorite part of writing this chapter?
CV: Everyone bullying Gilles.
OC: Yeah, seeing everyone working together to bring him down was an incredibly satisfying way to show that they CAN work together for a common goal. Though my favorite part was finally implementing Emiya's Unlimited Bladeworks in a satisfying way. Just utilizing the full chant sent goosebumps down my spine, and how everyone went "Holy shit, he can do that?!"
CV: I mean yeah it was pretty cool. Would've been funnier if while he was casting a tentacle slammed into his face and he just kept speaking with the thing there.
OC: Lmao! That would have been hilarious. Almost as hilarious as Kiyohime clinging to Ritsuka's leg and Liz cosplaying as a mummy. Oh and speaking of Liz, how many more times can I gush over how adorable her friendship with Medusa is before it gets tiring?
CV: Let me check the list… Alright so you've done it a total of… 349283562647536275 times, so about 1 more time.
OC: Okay, I know it wasn't THAT much (looks at his list)...Nevermind, I stand corrected. But in any case, some of you may be wondering why Siegfried didn't go back to the Throne of Heroes. I'm just going to say don't think too hard on it, and that one of the reasons is because this way they don't have to go through so many summonings just to get him. It felt much easier to just have him go back with them right from the get go like Kiyohime did, and I feel like it's something that could potentially happen more.
CV: I feel like Kiyo just cheats the fucking reality to be with him.
OC: Possibly, though I will admit, it DOES sound like a neat party trick. Maybe she could do that in front of kids to make them cheer and ask for more.
CV: What a cool trick, she disappears and appears in Ritsuka's pants.
OC: Oh god….. Poor kid is gonna be miserable lol. Though hey, at least he has some friends that can probably keep her off him for a bit so he can have some space.
CV: True. Oh, should we give the readers a hint of what's coming next?
OC: Nah, we can do that in a couple of chapters, I promise.
CV: Damn.
OC: Sorry bud, but we have more goodies in store. Just like how Louis and all those soldiers Chaldea met on the first day before the attack on the fort gave them all a fond farewell.
CV: I'm just counting the days until the next big thing.
OC: Well it shouldn't be too long.
CV: I'm gonna start counting the days until we include Summer Ibuki, which will be… How many days are there in 10 years?
OC: Oh come on now, it's not going to be that long. Unlike SOME things…..
CV: I think I know what you mean lol. Anyways the next few chapters will be cool and calm, then we get to the big stuff again.
OC: No, not big. We're getting into some CRAZY shenanigans. And like always, We hope you liked this week's chapter. Please stay tuned in next week as we finally reveal what applies for Ritsuka's no killing philosophy….and those that are exempt.