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.

23. Chapter 23

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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23- The Road To Hell…

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As the Gorgon roared people trembled in fear, just the roar itself was enough to break the will from many present but that wasn't the most terrifying thing about the Great Serpent, neither was her size that surpassed many of the legends that talked about her.

It is her aura, the power that the Gorgon is letting out just by breathing and existing. It is oppressive in a way that surpasses anything that everyone's present ever encountered.

While Shirou never felt Sirzechs full power, Kiritsugu did and while he can say for certain the devil is stronger, the mass of power before him is much more aggressive and heavy in a way he can't really ignore.

All that the man knows for sure is that he has to get his son and they have to escape, they have nothing that can deal with such a threat at the moment. 'Hell, I doubt that even Sirzechs could kill her easily even if he is much stronger.'

The Magus Killer recovered before the end of the roar, he grabs Shirou by the shoulder and starts to pull him back towards the ship as others snap out of their shock and fear.

They are not fast enough as the Gorgon throws herself at the closest humans and starts to crush them with her might and weight. That at least served to snap everyone else as the fear began to be used not to keep people stunned but to turn on their 'fight or flight' instincts.

"ATTACK!" Screamed someone with their full force, the instinct to 'fight' directing everyone else's as, as magic and weapons are thrown at the mighty Gorgon.

Just her size is enough that most swords or spears are like toothpicks for her and with a wave of her hand bodies and sand start to fly around as she picks up the man who screamed.

He manages to draw his sword and stab the monster with it but the weapon fails to penetrate the body, breaking without even doing a scratch and soon after it falls to the ground as the man can't hold it anymore, his bones are being grinded into dust by the Gorgon's grip.

Blood begins to pour from the man as his organs start to give in but that relaxes the Great Serpent's grip. The Gorgon focus changes completely to the human in her hand as she can see the blood leaving his mouth, the liquid enticing her in a way not even she can comprehend.

The man is practically dead at this point, the pain being too much and he is unable to properly move or fight back as the giant takes him closer to her mouth to feast on the red liquid.

Spears of light fall from the sky, hitting the giant serpent on her head, at least twenty were throw by the angel flying above directly at the Giant Serpent and even with all her power the Gorgon flinches and let her prey go, he being saved by one of the angel's companions as the other tries to maintain order and organize the remaining fighters.

"Look at that! Can you all see?! Lady Ariel managed to hurt the monster! Support her! Let's SLAY THE GORGON!" Those present let out cheers and start to bombard the Great Serpent as well.

Most of them are trying to fight back against the creature, Kiritsugu is trying to run with his son but the redhead isn't budging. "Dad! We got to help them!"

"This is not an enemy that we can fight!" The older man shouts back as his eyes remain on the ships that are practically ready to depart. It is a frenetic scramble by the sailors and those that already want to leave as they raise anchor and some ships are already beginning to leave the shore. Unfortunately his son still was refusing to move. "We have no time for this!"

"We have to help them!" Shirou protests as he sticks his feet on the ground and refuses to budge. Kiritsugu has to admit his son is physically the stronger of them. "They already hurt Medusa! We have to press the attack!"

"Is this really what you think?" And the older Emiya knows he can't blame his son, the younger man is not used to seeing fighters of the level of the Gorgon just yet.

Another roar covers the beach and once again some are stunned by it as the Gorgon raises herself from the ground, her tail and wings helping with balance as she easily makes her way towards the angel.

Behind the special glasses Ariel is shocked at the speed that the Queen revealed but she doesn't falter and starts to prepare another spear of holy light.

All the eyes of the Gorgon, from her own head to the snakes that make her hair, look to the angel with renewed fury. It was not by the attacks or even the surprise, her mind didn't care about the first and can't properly process the second, it is the aura that the angel is exhibiting.

Just Ariel's presence makes the blood of the Gorgon boil as all her attention is focused on the angel and her fury will not be denied. As a huge spear of light gets ready to be used, Ariel doesn't have her chance to throw it as one of the snakes moves to attack and she has to dodge or else take a massive bite to her side.

And it is not over as other snakes begin to charge at her and the angel has to keep dodging and deflecting the attacks, her light spear that looks more like a point stick made from her power failing on harming the snakes in any way.

Those on the ground can see that the angel has the Gorgon's attention and start their attacks anew. It isn't working and the Queen is just ignoring them all, her full attention being completely directed towards the angel whose aura infuriates her even if she doesn't know why.

Ariel keeps dodging and blocking, trying to find an opening but she is starting to get overwhelmed by the snake hair. Even as all of them attack her from a single direction, their number is just too much and the angel starts to fly higher to try to get some space.

It is then that a huge weight hits Ariel in the back, she can barely blink and process the pain as one of the Gorgon's arms hits her and she slams in the ground losing consciousness.

"ARIEL!" David shouts before he turns to the Gorgon in rage, his right hand is covered with a steel gauntlet again and he holds his arm up, aiming for the face of Medusa as she looks down and from the sacred gear, huge darts like needles start to be launched at the Queen.

Some snakes are hit instead and the Gorgon isn't bothered by the attack, her power too great for the low level Gift from God to make any damage by itself. Instead of worrying about it she is looking for the downed angel.

But she can't find the angel because her mind can't recognize her. It would be easy if her mind was more rational but it isn't, all she has are her many eyes and she can't see the aura that infuriates her.

One of the serpents on her hair, more because of the angle it comes from, ends up taking a look to the ocean and notices the ships full of humans that are trying to escape, to leave her island.

Even with her mind lost and memories confused an instinct born out of habit starts to stir and other snakes start to look towards those boats until the Gorgon herself lifts her head towards them with anger.

In the past her reason for her next actions would be; 'Allowing humans to escape was a mistake, they always come back with bigger numbers.' There is no rational mind to have such a thought process anymore but the instinct lingered and the snakes acted.

One by one they open their mouths and purple dark energy starts to accumulate between the fangs and forked tongues of each snake. Some can already feel the energy accumulating and can tell that each mouth has enough energy to blow up a neighborhood in a city.

Then the snakes fire lasers, mana condensed in such a way that could be called nothing else, of purple color in the direction of the ships.

Some already expected something like that while others just reacted and started to lift their shields or raise any defenses that they could. Even the sailors didn't hesitate to step in, legends and fear compelling them to add more in the defense in any way possible.

The captains of the ships can do nothing but try to accelerate their vessels and hope that the Gorgon misses or aims at another target.

The first ship is hit, then the second and a third. All those ships hit are completely destroyed, the heat of the beams pierce and blows up them while the shields that managed to stop the queen lamia's attack, even with more additions and power, fail to even stall the inevitable as the ship is sunk and the survivors fall to the ocean's mercy.

Those that already were in the middle of the ocean are all hit while those that were close to the shore of the Shapeless Isle focus in fighting the waves to return to the place and hide behind any rock they could find.

It didn't help that the fifth and sixth ships that were decimated in the attempt scared more people and those that were closer to the shore started to jump off as another one, the seventh, was easily sunk.

Those in the island fear what that means, not only is the Gorgon extremely powerful but if all the ships are destroyed then they will be stuck in the island's environment for the next six months at the very least, if they survived the Gorgon herself.

Fear empowers them all as more spells and weapons are used and Kiritsugu realizes he and Shirou are in the same situation and relaxes his grip. "We have to-" The man can't even finish the line and his son is already running towards the Gorgon. "SHIROU!"

The redhead didn't hesitate, he had no time to hesitate as he moved in the direction of the Gorgon but not towards her and in reality towards the angel that was trying to get up after the hard hit.

Ariel's wounds cover her body and she can feel that some of her bones were damaged. Fortunately the grace of God allows angels to heal themselves even if they lack skill, unfortunately the lack of skill means that it is slow and having just recovered consciousness didn't help matters.

Lab stands over her as everyone else tries to attack the Gorgon but most of the attacks are worthless, Medusa is not even noticing them and their best chance is lying on the ground trying to recover. 'We underestimated her! We underestimated her badly!' He thinks in a panic.

The only relief that the man can take in the whole situation is that nobody is paying attention to them and the angel can fully recover.

It is then that Shirou drops on his knees close to Ariel. "Are you alright?" Quickly the redhead creates an EM and Lab doesn't react since he saw the scalpel being used for healing.

"Yes." Ariel responds with a weak voice, weaker than the bald man ever heard from her. "I just need a little time. I will slay the monster, don't worry."

While that is happening the Gorgon starts to aim another of her snakes for another ship and people are terrified by the implications. The Queen of the Serpents is not even caring about them, just doing what she wants as their attacks did nothing but tickle her and once that she is done with the ships they know she is going to turn and kill them after.

Kiritsugu, realizing that his son is even more stubborn than he expected, decides to intervene. Escaping on the ships is impossible but they still will need them to go to the mainland and back once it is safe since getting others ready can take more time than he is willing to give.

And so the Magus Killer centers his mind and calls off another huge rocket launcher before dropping to a knee on the ground to start aiming. The good thing about such a huge opponent is that he doesn't need a second person to take the shot this time, the bad thing is that Kiritsugu knows that it won't be enough to kill the Gorgon.

Regardless of how many enhancements the missile and weapon have, both magical and technological, the Gorgon is just too strong for it to be a decisive attack. Not only that but the weapon is not the right kind to do this service, most of its power being used in an explosion instead of focused on a single point of impact.

But his other option won't work against the Gorgon, she is almost like a huge mass of energy and he can tell by just looking she isn't using her full potential making his trump card worthless.

In this case the cannon is his best alternative and Kiritsugu aims for the eyes, hoping that it will at least stun the Queen.

The shot flies quickly, too fast for the snakes to notice and react as the giant projectile hits its target right between the eyes, another perfect shot that is followed by an explosion very familiar for those present.

Not really understanding what is happening the Gorgon falls down, her back hitting the mountain as she loses her balance, once again not comprehending what happened to her. Her body is on fire but she doesn't care about it as she gets up, the fire not managing to burn her as she slowly readjusts her body so she can move properly.

'That was the last one.' Kiritsugu laments as he makes the rocket launcher disappear and runs towards Shirou. Once he is close enough to his son he says. "We need to hide."

"Hide?" Shirou is surprised and he is not the only one, Ariel and Lab also look to the man that managed to damage the Queen Gorgon in confusion.

"You have something that hurted her. Use it again!" The angel says, finally on her feet once more. "If we can combine our attacks-"

"I had only two of those missiles prepared." Kiritsugu cuts her off before Ariel can say anything else.

"Why?" The angel demands to know and Kiritsugu could explain the costs of the projectile and how much work actually goes into making something like that so it can be used by just one or two people without any additional dangers.

But he won't waste time. "We can't kill her. All we can do is run for one to the ships and hide until she leaves. That is our best chance."

"No! I refuse to believe that!" Ariel declares with passion, her energy manifesting once again. "I'm sure I hurt her earlier! I will just keep attacking until she dies!" Her wings unfold completely and she flies to prepare her attack.

"You should have stopped her." Kiritsugu says to Lab but the man shakes his head.

"I doubt we can hide from the serpents and their Queen for a long period of time. Even if our odds are low, killing the Gorgon is our best chance." The man says as he prepares his spear. "If you two want to leave, I won't stop you."

"We aren't going to run!" Shirou says with Muramasa on hand and a glare on his eyes towards the Gorgon. "We just need to take her out right? Then we do it."

"Shirou-"

"No. We are doing this!" The son interrupts his father as he starts to Reinforce his legs and sword once again. "Even if we can't kill her at once we have enough people here to make her bleed. Divinity or not."

"If we can make her bleed." But the Magus Killer can see his point. "Fine, I will cover you." From his coat he pulls up another rocket launcher, this time of a more average size.

"Thank you." Shirou then begins to run towards the Gorgon.

"I will make sure to keep your son alive." Lab says with respect as he also runs, much more slowly than Shirou. The Magus Killer doesn't bother to answer, preparing his weapon.

Kiritsugu can only prepare to retrieve his son once things start to go worse as he suspects they will. He can agree with Shirou's theory to an extent but even with a small army the chances of them managing to overwhelm Medusa's Divinity are not necessarily good in the man's mind.

The Gorgon is not used to laying on her back, it was an uncomfortable position and the rocks behind her just made things more difficult for her to try and get up. What made things even harder for her was when the holy energy returned.

That is when she starts to move in a frenzy, smashing and breaking everything around her. Her hatred for that holy energy, the divine presence from an angel, grabs her soul as she can't let it go and makes things more problematic.

And not just for her, those with weapons can't get close to attack. The huge tail of the Gorgon ends up hitting those too careless or reckless that got close enough for her to hit as her snakes charge and shoot more mana for laser beams against the angel.

Ariel is more prepared this time and dodging the beams of mana is much easier than the snakes themselves. There is no control or focus from the Gorgon as she just keeps throwing her power around.

In comparison the angel is serene, her teal hair floats around her even as she moves with more holy energy being channeled in her hands until a huge spear of holy light is created. "Monster Medusa, the Gorgon. In the name of God I deliver this judgment." More power goes to the spear and she throws it. "DISAPPEAR FROM THIS WORLD!"

Like a huge pillar of light the spear sails down towards the Gorgon and hits her straight in the chest to unleash another explosion, this time not of fire but light, pure and holy.

Many cheer as they are happy that the angel succeeded, celebrating the woman that saved their lives. But Kiritsugu didn't, he waited for the light to diminish with confidence that the attack didn't kill the Gorgon. 'It will be a real miracle if such a low level angel can kill her.'

The mercenary has met plenty of the Heralds from Heaven in his time, both before and after he was employed to Sirzechs. And he knows for a fact that the attack just now, regardless of how big, was mostly a light show.

It is because Kiritsugu has knowledge of how angel's work and how to measure their power that he can tell that Medusa is far from done and he is proven right as a beam of purple light strikes the angel, her whole body disappears below the sinister energy, scaring almost all those present.

For a few seconds her body is completely covered in purple before the mana finishes passing and the angel can be seen falling once again, burns covering her as her wings lost their luster and damage was considerable.

Kiritsugu's eyes immediately turn towards the Gorgon as the Great Serpent starts to calm down. 'Trying to challenge such a beast was a mistake. The worst thing is that everytime the angel starts to use her powers the Gorgon gets more agitated.' Briefly his mind goes for the legend of the Medusa and how she ended up as a monster in the first place. 'As angels are creations of the God of the Bible they all have some minor Divinity classified as holy that is stronger depending on the number of wings that an angel has together with other powers and competences. As an angel of the 2nd Heaven Ariel has no chance to challenge Medusa in a context of power. With just a single pair of wings she lacks the means to keep up with the conflict on every level. That also means she doesn't have the authority to be here in the first place.'

While Kiritsugu analysed the situation he also kept an eye on Shirou as the redhead and others charged forward to take down the Queen as she was calm for the moment.

Many already realized that the Gorgon does not have a rational mind to back up her power and is just throwing it around when she finds something that irritates her. But now that she relaxed once again with her devastating attack against the angel, an opportunity has shown up and the majority are not going to waste it.

Magic and weapons of every kind are used as everyone tries to hack the scales of the Gorgon and they fail miserably. Explosions are occurring all over the Great Serpent and nothing is really hurting her. She is barely reacting as relief runs through her from taking the angel out.

Shirou finally manages to reach the Gorgon himself, having to dodge spells and bullets to get close enough to try something. Positioning Muramasa with both his hands he Reinforces the blade as much as he could before pushing it for a stab, one hand properly on the handle while the other pushes the blade forward, receiving a pleasant surprise as he meets some resistance but still manages to pierce the dark purple scales.

Medusa's eyes snap open as she feels something, something that she hasn't felt in a long time. It takes a few seconds for her mind to identify that something is wrong, that she felt something that she shouldn't and when it finally did she roared, not because of any danger, her mind is too far gone to think about it and the sword that managed to pierce her tail didn't hit anything vital, but from anger.

The sensation is familiar to her, pain, the indicator that something is wrong and the last time she actually felt pain she felt so much of it that when she woke up after things were different and the insanity that affected her mind was made worse with her body transformed in a different form and made the hunger even worse.

Fury is all the Gorgon can feel as her gaze lower towards the responsable and even if she doesn't understand how it happened she knows she doesn't want to feel that pain or any other again.

Shirou looks back to the angry eyes of Medusa, the two from her face and all of her snakes' are directly looking at the redhead and he realizes something. 'I made a terrible mistake.'

Before she could react, missiles hit the face of the Gorgon and Shirou pulls out Muramasa, the blade is covered with blood but he doesn't focus on it, he focuses on running as Medusa's hand tries to crush him as the smoke dissipates.

Still in the same position from before, Kiritsugu is summoning another rocket launcher. The moviment lasts only three seconds and is easier to do than reloading the previous one. 'Muramasa managed to hurt her? How?' The Magus Killer questions himself, the same question running around in his son's mind as another missile covers Medusa's face with smoke.

'Muramasa has no Divinity and neither a story against snakes or the like.' Shirou thinks while hiding behind a boulder, his eyes on his sword as he also starts to think on how he can use it to his advantage. 'Medusa was previously killed by a demigod with a scythe that was a sword or something like that. Either way it was a Greek artifact made by gods.'

The anger didn't abate this time because her target was out of sight and the Gorgon started to lash out against anyone that was close. It doesn't take long for others to try to hide and protect themselves or follow Kiritsugu's exemple to try to blind and distract her. 'Muramasa was made from normal steel and Shirou studied that sword more than anyone else, if there was something against gods he would have known.'

'But there is nothing against gods. Muramasa Sengo didn't hate them or made weapons against them. Neither did he do anything especially efficient against monsters.' Refusing to allow people to die for his actions Shirou starts to run and show himself. The snakes on Medusa's hair see him and start to prepare to shoot mana until another missile hits her face.

Kiritsugu calls for another rocket launcher, his mind going miles per second. 'It must be something in the legend of Muramasa. Regardless of his training or Avalon, Shirou has nothing that really gives him an advantage here. It must be the sword.'

Shirou hides again, closer to the tunnel of the mountain as Medusa unleashes her fury in blasts of mana close to his position. He doesn't stop moving. 'But this is not about Muramasa, it is about Medusa.'

Almost at the same time both father and son realized. 'She is a Queen and Muramasa is especially good against Kings and Queens'.

With that knowledge both realized that Shirou has a chance to win and even if the others around didn't know why the Gorgon is focusing on the redhead they still try to defeat her by themselves or distract her at the very least.

Smoke keeps covering Medusa's head as the spells stop being with the intent of harm and are now used with the intent to distract and avoid casualties. Everyone is afraid what can happen if the Gorgon changes her focus and starts to attack them.

Except for the fact that, even with her mind lost, patience is something that even the most basic of animals can have and the Gorgon lost the last of hers with the people who managed to blind her repeatedly.

Still without knowing how to use her power effectively she roars and uses it on the area to paralyse those bothering her. Once the Gorgon's vision is clear she can tell what humans are the ones bothering her more but giant steel darts explode on her face again.

Standing in a formation of rocks, David is one of the few that manages to move after the roar and starts to shoot more darts from his glove, his glare full of anger as he keeps shooting to little effect.

Those that were more aware and ready were able to resist the pressure from the Gorgon's power but still wasn't enough as she now has enough freedom and attention to focus on the humans in her island.

With another roar of anger that keeps them unbalanced, the snakes begin to gather energy once again. Instead of laser beams they start to shoot fast balls of mana that spread all around the beach, demolishing rocks and striking anyone unlucky enough to get on her path.

'I need to get closer. Even if Muramasa can hurt her, it can't kill her.' Passing her Divinity doesn't mean surpassing it or breaking it, Shirou realized that and that just swinging his sword isn't going to give him a victory. 'But there is something it can do.' He thinks while taking a look towards Medusa, more specifically her neck. 'Most things die if you cut off their heads. Even if for some reason she doesn't, then at least that will stop her for a while...I hope.'

The problem is Shirou actually doing it, with the size of the Gorgon and the fact that most attacks are unable to even knock her down, his options are extremely limited.

'Really wish that I have made that flying project work.' Shirou laments as he looks around, the Gorgon is still attacking everyone in the area but is unfocused and everyone's focus is on dodging which gives him some time to think. Looking to the tunnel behind him and seeing others all over the mountain an idea starts to sprung in his mind. 'If I enter here maybe I can find a path to an exit closer to her head and then jump.'

But depending on how the tunnels were made and their structure, Shirou has a huge chance of getting lost and he knows that.

Tightening his grip on Muramasa, Shirou looks to the rest of the mountain. "Really wishing I could fly…"

Meanwhile, the Gorgon continues her rampage as she just uses her power to try and crush everyone in the vicinity. Survival is the priority at the moment and all anyone can really do is run for cover as no shields or barriers can survive the might of the Queen Gorgon.

Behind a boulder Kiritsugu looks for his son. He still has plenty of rockets ready to shoot in case the redhead was in danger but he is still relieved that Shirou is not attempting anything else for the moment. 'All we can do is weather the storm. With her gigant body and power, even if she can't control it well, no one here can defeat Medusa.' For a moment the Magus Killer looks behind to see those hiding with him.

Lab, after noticing he couldn't really do anything against the Gorgon, rushed towards Ariel and has been protecting her since then. The angel herself has recovered consciousness but is still unable to really fight.

Her body is covered in wounds and she is healing herself extremely slowly, which convinces Kiritsugu that he was right about her not being high on the hierarchy of Heaven which in turn gives credence to his theory this was not an official operation.

'Not surprising really.' Kiritsugu thinks as his eyes turn back to the Gorgon as well as looking for Shirou. 'She is an angel and I can imagine that the thought of leaving something like the Gorgon around unchecked must infuriate some of them.'

"Ariel, you need to rest." Lab stops the woman from getting up but she frowns and tries again.

"We have to do something. That creature is hurting people. I will-"

"Make her angrier?" Kiritsugu didn't bother to look back as he talked. "The reason she is here is because she felt your holy power. It is too close to the divine of normal gods and that just makes her more furious." Another explosion close to them silences the man as Medusa looks around for more prey.

"He has a point." Lab informs her, also with a frown. "Every time she feels your power she focuses on her own more and attacks with even more ferocity." That made the angel stop struggling as she now understood she was just making things worse.

From the corner of his eye Kiritsugu can see the fight leaving Ariel's spirit. 'Good. That takes care of a problem.' He focuses on looking around the area for Shirou and survivors, much similar to Medusa as from time to time one of her snakes sends a blast towards a rock or another. 'Now there is this other one. If we pay attention to her moves and dodge when she tries to advance then we can survive and leave this place.'

Even with that the Magus Killer knows that people are going to be found anyway. The only reason he is certain that he won't be located easily is because he managed to keep his distance and only attacked when Shirou was in danger. In fact, the three behind this boulder are the ones which are in the safer position.

The other problem he is going to have to deal with is the fact that there are no more ships close to them, probably hidden since none would have the time to return to the coast. Kiritsugu can summon signal guns and try to get them to return but if they don't he is going to have to use other more unreliable methods to leave the island.

And he will only leave with his son either way. Kiritsugu is worried that something had happened to Shirou but he is sure he is also hiding in some place behind the Gorgon. All the Emiya patriarch can do is wait until Medusa leaves so he can look for his son.

"Soon she will start to move again. We must be prepared to run to another hiding spot if necessary." The Magus Killer informs the angel and her guard, not out of concern or charity but because he knows that if Ariel is found then Medusa will just stay on the surface for longer.

"Thank you for your kindness." Lab says with a nod and the gesture of prayer but Kiritsugu didn't see.

The mercenary's eyes are still on the Gorgon when they grow wide and he pulls binoculars from his coat, almost praying that he is hallucinating or under an illusion.

"My son is an idiot." Kiritsugu couldn't help but say as he prepared another rocket launcher again, surprising those hiding with him until they saw what Kiritsugu saw.

Shirou is climbing the mountain side using two daggers, one in each hand, equal in appearance. They are the same Noble Phantasm traced twice and climbing has nothing to do with their legends but they are easy to trace and able to pierce the rocks enough so Shirou can push himself up a good distance.

The mountain is taller than the Gorgon by a considerable margin and Shirou has a plan to compensate for the lack of natural power from his Noble Phantasm; he is going to use the Laws of Physics. A simple idea of getting as far up as he can and then running down to gain speed and cut Medusa's neck.

Simple doesn't mean easy as the mountain is tall and he needs to move quickly to get in position before the Gorgon gets away. 'Thank you Gilgamesh for the donation.' Shirou thinks with a smile as one of the daggers, a double-edge weapon made of normal steel but with a legend of being used for the cutting of stone for art, easily pierces the rock and leaves it to be stabbed again in his climbing. 'Not like I would make a statue like this daggers were used for. And that probably wouldn't help with Medusa so climbing equipment will have to do.'

He is getting close to a good enough high to make his attempt but even as the Gorgon doesn't know his plans she is already moving to ruin them. As she can't see anyone else around but her subconscious is telling her that there are still humans around, hiding, she begins to move.

There was also the reason for her previous fury but the Gorgon can't feel that particular presence and her mind is unable to know if they are either dead or alive.

She already has her course set even with her lack of cohesive thought; she will hunt in those grounds for a while, kill anyone she finds and then return to her nest. Anyone with prior experience in hunting or the habits of those lost in insanity can see that happening and it was something that Kiritsugu was counting on previously.

Upon seeing Shirou going up a mountain, his previous hopes and plans died as Kiritsugu thought of the risks that Shirou was taking. The higher Shirou climbs, the fewer entrances the mountain has and his son is already quite high and there is nowhere to hide as far as the Magus Killer could see.

When the Gorgon finishes looking around the beach, or even during her search, there is a good chance that one of her snakes looks up and Shirou is distinctive enough that the Gorgon won't miss him on the mountain.

With those thoughts in mind Kiritsugu acts, preparing his rocket launcher and takes his shot.

When the explosion happened everyone was surprised by the sudden action, those that knew about the Magus Killer reputation more than the rest as the man wasn't known for being reckless but for his cold and calculative approach, completely the opposite of what he just did.

The famous assassin just did the unthinkable in his profession, he had stepped out of his hiding spot and shot the biggest monster that they all have ever seen with an attack that, while distracting, is mostly worthless. If anything, that will only make the situation worse.

And the Gorgon reacted as Kiritsugu knew she would, he has been watching her long enough he already learned some of her habits; she has preferences on not moving much unless her target is close, even in the deeps of her fury mana became the first strategy after the attack on the ships and she acts mostly on instinct.

Kiritsugu also realized that if he charged towards her then the Gorgon would try and crush him but from a distance she would repeat previous actions and just use mana, retaining her position.

He is not disappointed as Medusa raises herself to her full height and mana starts to accumulate on the snakes of her hair once again. 'Now Shirou has a chance, no matter how insane.' The rest of Kiritsugu's focus shifts to saving himself.

Already the mana is being gathered on a beam that the man knows that rocks and barriers are not going to be enough to save his life. The quantity of power Medusa is gathering is enough that Kiritsugu is legitimately worried about what could happen if it hits the beach.

So Kiritsugu makes his weapon disappear, he won't be needing it anymore, preparing to stand his ground. And that is what the Magus Killer does, he stands there, defiant, almost daring Medusa to attack him with his cold eyes and almost aloof posture.

Medusa doesn't care, she can't care. She is going to shoot her target be it moving or hidding, now that he is in her sights all her focus is on him and all her snakes join their powers to attack together on the biggest blast she can do.

Kiritsugu doesn't move, people start to shout at him, telling him to run or hide, to do something but he remains impassive, almost bored. In reality his mind is racing with exactly what he needs to do and his eyes take a quick glance at Shirou, the redhead noticing his father's peril starts to run down the wall of the mountain for his attack.

'At least the snakes are mostly out of the way.' Kiritsugu shifts his footing, preparing to jump once the beam is unleashed. 'I am glad that the Gorgon can't use her power properly, if she could then everyone here would most likely be dead already.'

Even with all the mana that the legendary monster is accumulating Kiritsugu can tell that it is unfocused. He is sure that in a fight Sirzechs can defeat this version of Medusa in a fair one on one fight if he has the special glasses against petrification, maybe even regardless of that.

Not that the man can just waste time thinking about those possibilities at the moment, he has more important things to do like save his own life.

When the huge blast of mana starts to go in his direction, Emiya Kiritsugu begins to move, with the help of the only thing he really has left from his father. "Time Alter: Double Accel."

The Emiya's family crest was mostly taken by the Clocktower however Kiritsugu retains a little part of the crest and inside it there are ways to use time magecraft in similar forms to the Agares clan by creating a boundary field that can affect a space to accelerate or stall the flow of time.

However Kiritsugu never cared about that application and for years he found it useless for his work. In a battlefield, the place where he lived most of his life and where decisions need to be made in a split second, the rituals that would allow the implementation of the boundary field would take too long to be useful.

That was until the Magus Killer found a way.

His circuits, already warm from the preparation, activate the crest and his own body is affected by his magecraft, and only his body and nothing else.

Emiya Kiritsugu's solution was to just make the boundary field affected only his body and his own time, something that the gods wouldn't care about protecting as free will allows him to dodge any god that wouldn't like the idea.

So his own time accelerates and he can see the moment that the blast gets slower as his time is now at a different frequency compared to the rest of the world.

To everyone else watching it was as if Kiritsugu had become many times faster when in reality his speed had not changed at all. Instead, for him he is at his normal speed while the world is much slower.

Kiritsugu can feel the toll that the spell takes on his body, he is not a young man anymore like when he first discovered its utility and just by using it a little he is already starting to feel a considerable amount of pain.

But the speed that it gives him is enough and in a couple of seconds Kiritsugu had disappeared from the Gorgon's field of vision as her blast hits the water and makes part of the ocean evaporate with how intense her mana is.

At this point Shirou is still running down the mountain, his father's distraction has worked and gave him an opening that he doesn't want to waste even as he wanted to stop and look, to see if his father is fine or if something happened to him.

But his eyes stayed on his target, Muramasa already drawn and ready to be used as he ran as fast as he could down the mountain with the sword to the side.

WIth a jump he launches himself towards the still distracted Medusa as her attack is still dying down. Even with how much energy she has used, the Gorgon doesn't look tired at all. Instead she looks just annoyed as all her eyes keep looking for the target she knows escaped.

Completely missing Shirou's descent as he drops with Muramasa firmly in his hands and its edge Reinforced to its limits.

The speed, the edge, the magic. Shirou is sure that with all these factors he will be able to sever the Gorgon's head from her body. He puts all his trust in the Noble Phantasm in his hands as he can feel the power coming from it.

Scales meet steel as the sword passes by the protection and blood starts to spit out of the wound, some of it dropping on Shirou's face and armor. The attack was precise and the speed made sure the blow was stronger than any other Shirou have ever delivered before.

Then the sword stops, the blade failing to sink anymore than a couple centiments inside the skin and the redhead can't push it any further as Medusa screams in pain. Shirou tries to hold his sword but Muramasa escapes his grip as he begins to fall from the Gorgon's back when she begins to move. He quickly tries to stop his fall but the Great Serpent begins to tremble as she roars and screams and his sword falls to the ground as he tries to save himself.

The blow on the back of her neck was painful and for a long time pain has been something that Medusa didn't have to deal with anymore. But this pain is not only physical, it goes much deeper than that as memories of a battle long passed flare on her mind like a bright star and she can only think that she is in danger as her whole being enters in a state of panic.

Turning around quickly, Medusa begins a fast retreat. She can't understand that the pain isn't the exact same that took her head the first time but it is familiar enough that every instinct and remnants of sanity that she has told her to run, run to her nest and stay there where the humans can't harm her again.

Instinctively Shirou manages to grab something to stop his fall but he can feel himself being thrown left and right and only his grip on what he was holding is keeping him alive. He notices that he is holding dark feathers and realization dawns on him that his hands are gripping one of the giant wings of Medusa.

He also notices that she started to enter one of the tunnels of the mountain and gets ready to let go of the wings but changes his mind and thighs his grip on the wing when he noticed that with the speed the Gorgon was moving, if he lets go for a moment them he is going to end up as a stain on the wall.

So Shirou holds firm as he Reinforces his body and fights against the pain and impacts on the walls as Medusa moves towards her nest.

Outside people are in shock but Kiritsugu is also panicking. He runs towards the entrance as fast he can go without using magecraft and starts to look for any sign of his son as everyone else that was hiding begins to leave the safety of the rocks.

"Did...did anyone else see that?" A magician asks the question.

"That sword managed to hurt the Gorgon?" It was a man dressed as a soldier this time.

"It is a Noble Phantasm! I knew it!" A woman says with a certain greed but Kiritsugu is ignoring all of them, still looking for Shirou.

'Nothing. He isn't here. Where could he have gone?' The Magus Killer keeps looking as people approach the fallen Muramasa.

"A Noble Phantasm." One of the men present extends his hand before another punches him down.

"No! It is mine!" Others begin to run towards the fallen sword, a Noble Phantasm and one that not only made Medusa bleed but also has some of her blood covering it, a substance that is extremely valuable and powerful.

"STOP!" Once again Ariel uses her power to silence the beach and stop the fight. However this time there is less warmth and more of her power by itself and even then it is considerably reduced in her efforts to heal herself.

Still she is powerful enough to silence everyone and with her two companions at her side she steps forward towards the blade.

Kneeling down she picks it up with a single hand, admiring the sharp edge of Muramasa. "With this we can kill that monster!" Ariel declares firmly but this time instead of admiration she receives a scoff and a glare.

"For a angel you are certainly stupid." One of the surviving magicians says. David wants to step forward to deal with her only for Lab to stop him with a hand on his shoulder. "You just saw the power of that thing and even this Noble Phantasm could only scratch the Gorgon."

No one is going to disagree with that logic and even the angel is hesitating while she looks at Muramasa.

That won't do for Kiritsugu's plan's, he needs some assistance. "The reason for Muramasa's ability to cut Medusa is because it gains power against 'Kings'." The black haired man says once he finished studying the area and failed to find any sign of Shirou. 'Which means he grabbed Medusa before failing.' From his coat he pulls out a special cell phone. "The problem was the Gorgon's Divinity, it protected her from the worst of the attack but if we could find a way to add Divinity to Muramasa." He didn't even need to say 'or holy.'

The suggestion hungs in the air as the angel starts to try and send her power to the sword. It is easy for her and soon Muramasa is covered with Holy Light representing Ariel's power.

"Why does a monster have Divinity in the first place?" One of the mercenaries around asked and many couldn't help but look at him with disdain or incredulity.

"Learn your history idiot." Another man says. "Medusa was once a goddess or nymph that turned into a monster because." Once the previous mercenary gave the man a look of understanding he continued. "Some say that she was turned because of Athena to protect her but it was that goddess who sent Perseus to finish her off."

"Wasn't it because Medusa abused Lady Athena's protection?" A woman offers the explanation while another loses her patience.

"It doesn't matter! The Gorgon is too powerful either way!" The light starts to diminish as the angel saves energy but the complaints still come. "We should just call the ships back and leave! Not try to chase that monstrosity! She is just too powerful"

She is panicking and everyone can see that she is not the only one as there are plenty that are afraid and hesitant to stay on the island for any more length of time. Many of those are never coming back to Perseus, probably never returning to Greece itself, after this experience.

Kiritsugu doesn't need them and from his coat he pulls out a flare gun and shoots it in the air. "There, now the ships may come back or not." His voice brings silence to the beach. "I suggest you all use magic to either make your own boats or to try to send more signals."

And with his piece said, Kiritsugu steps towards the entrance to the mountain. "Wait! You are going in?" David sounds surprised and Kiritsugu stops.

"I prefer to finish any work I started." The Magus Killer cold tone is present but it is actually forced, even if those hearing it can't tell.

"I am going with you." Ariel says with determination, Muramasa's presence gives her confidence to accomplish her mission.

"Ariel, no. You must not." David protests with fear on his tone for the first time.

"We have to. It is our duty!" Ariel maintains her posture, her hand refusing to slack on the sword.

Kiritsugu has no choice but to give the trio some time to discuss their situation since he may need them as help or distractions. David doesn't want to go, clearly worried about the angel as Ariel herself gains new determination with Muramasa in her hands. Lab remained silent and waited for his allies' decision, something Kiritsugu did not approve of.

Looking at the cell phone on his hand he shifts to a special screen that shows Shirou's location. Before the mission started Kiritsugu gave to Shirou a transmitter to use on his belt and a cell phone connected to a transmitter in his person in case they separated in the chaos.

Of course his son didn't know about his plans but he did know about the tracker, a precaution that Shirou agreed even if the intention was to find him when people started to kill each other, not diving into a maze.

Kiritsugu is certain that finding his son is not going to be hard. The maze of the Shapeless Isle was not made to confuse or protect something, it is just a tunnel system made by Medusa when she had to move.

That means there is a central hub that every tunnel leads to, the place where the Gorgon is and Shirou will end up as well as his signal starts to slow down a couple of miles below the surface.

'Time to go, one way or another.' Kiritsugu calls to his hands his Thompson Contender, the means to use his trump card.

"We are going and that is final!" Ariel shouts more aggressively than she intended but the angel won't take back her words. "We came here to kill a monster! To fulfill our duty! I refuse to leave now that we have the means!" She raises Muramasa to her eye level and David is mute.

Lab, noticing that his friend lost the argument, looks to Kiritsugu as the man is placing a big gun on his belt and summoning a rifle.

Approaching the older man, Lab begins to talk. "I suppose I should warn you that your son is probably dead." He says in a low voice and at a respectable distance to make sure no one else would hear.

Not that the mercenaries and magicians trying to call for a boat would, they are now too busy trying to escape the island. "He isn't." Is Kiritsugu's reply.

Lab waited for a few seconds to see if the man was going to elaborate but all he did was prepare a couple of grenades and put them in his pockets as his other hand kept messing with the rifle.

With the mission to rescue his son any second can count and one of the weaknesses of the coat is that certain weapons need specific motions or are only accessible by certain magic circles inside it.

Kiritsugu has no intention of wasting time to save Shirou, he is almost ready to go when the angel steps forward. "We are going to kill the Gorgon and save your son." Ariel whispers, her determination pours out of her but Kiritsugu is not moved.

"I have a location for the nest." The Magus Killer informs the members of the Heaven faction while showing her the cell phone. "I can confirm that this tunnel goes one direction there."

Ariel nods as a resigned Lab and frustrated David step besides her, all of them ready to enter the cave.

Usually Kiritsugu didn't like to work with unknown elements but an angel with Muramasa may be what is needed to end Medusa's life. 'Hold on Shirou.' He didn't bother to think that his son was dead, he won't accept that outcome.

Emiya Kiritsugu legitimately didn't know what he would do if Shirou was really gone because of his mistakes.

…

Holding one of Medusa's wings was one of the hardest things Shirou ever had to do in his life.

Not only is the Gorgon moving fast but even with her wings folded they still still hit the walls from time to time and Shirou can do nothing but take the damage when his back or sides hit a rock or one falls on him.

Fortunately his armor and jacket are managing to hold on even as he needs to Reinforce the more normal piece of clothing to make sure he doesn't lose an arm on his sudden trip to the center of the mountain.

Clenching his teeth while keeping his eyes open for a chance to jump out, Shirou refuses to let go of the wing he is holding on. If he does, he will die, of which the redhead is certain. All he has to do is look back to see the mighty tail of the Gorgon pushing and crushing the rocks of the tunnel.

Without enough space to the sides, Shirou knows he is going to end up crushed. 'Hold on! Just hold on!' Regardless of the speed that Medusa is moving he holds the wing firmly, waiting for some change or opportunity so he can jump out.

Finally it happened, it was just a few minutes but the redhead can feel in his arms like if he was swinging his sword for hours and if it wasn't for his armor his back would be ruined and he would be dead, but he managed to hold as the tunnel ended and the Gorgon arrived to a huge cave.

Shirou waited for the Gorgon to go a little slower and then he didn't think twice, he let go of the wing and jumped off her back with a roll to help the landing before running to hide behind anything he could find, repeating the strategy he did on the surface and finding a curved and spiked rock.

He can feel the blood on a wound on his arm as his jacket and shirt have been torn apart by the ride. Shirou also can tell that his armor saved his life as his jacket failed to protect him even when Reinforced, the leftovers are basically just clinging to him while his arms still had some wounds.

The redhead can only be glad that not many hit his head because he kept it low most of the time but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling some headache either as a little blood was dripping from his forehead where a rock had managed to hit him.

Shirou starts to look around his surroundings and the first thing he notices is that the rocks he was hiding behind are actually giant ribs that he could only notice after he saw similar 'rocks' with the same shape and some space between each other.

Fixing the magic glasses on his face, Shirou looks around the spacious cave. Bones, bodies and rocks. That is pretty much all he can see from the area where Medusa lives.

Moving himself behind the 'rock' a little the redhead looks at the Gorgon. The Queen of the Serpents is moving close to a wall and he can tell that the wound on the back of her neck is already closed as her movements are now more calm and deliberate.

As the Gorgon places a hand on a wall Shirou can't see exactly what she is doing because of her huge size. Instead of keeping focusing on her, the redhead turns his head towards the exit, except he notices that there are actually many exits, many tunnels that are spread around the walls of the huge dome that makes Medusa's cave.

The size of the place is so big that Shirou can't believe that Medusa herself made it, the roof is distant enough that the Gorgon can stand comfortable with the snakes of her hair spread out without any problems, at least the size of half of the mountain.

While the structure has no pillars and the layout is basic, the dome was so perfectly shaped that Shirou is sure that someone must have built the place for her, despite the lack of any other marks that someone worked there.

'Did whoever brought Medusa to life back built this place? And why?' Shirou looks around some more, interested in investigating. He can see some piles of broken trinkets that the nagas and lamas used spread all around the room.

Nothing looks to have been taken care of with treasures and weapons, regardless of how smaller compared to their owner they are, not being separated from trash like bones and leftovers of rotten meat.

Inspecting the cave was giving him nothing as he looked back to the tunnels. Shirou is certain of the tunnel that they got there in the first place and the distance between him and that exit is considerable.

'It is not like I can do anything against Medusa.' His hand moves to the empty sheath of Muramasa. 'If the original couldn't do anything, what can my own sword do?' Then Shirou looks around again, his curiosity highlighting the fact he is in the nest of the Great Serpent. 'I am probably the first human here in a long time, if ever.'

He doubts that this was the place that Perseus faced the Gorgon in his legend, most myths said that they fought in a temple or something similar and his father did confirm that someone found one at the top of the mountain.

'It must be in ruins now. It would yield no clues...but this place.' Again Shirou's mind returns to the fact that the cave is too well made, not natural by any means that he can see.

There are no small entrances, only the huge ones that Medusa made, there are no stalactites or stalagmites as the rock formations and bones are the result of the Gorgon hunting for her food or just moving with her huge size.

Then his eyes catch something at a distant corner, it looks like a small waterfall and a lake, a huge one but still not enough to even be predominant in the chamber and even then it doesn't look natural by its position, he wonders how it doesn't fill the place but took it as indication that the water is going somewhere else.

Everything in the cave itself appeared contradictory for the human, everything is either too perfect or damaged in some way by the Gorgon.

'Better start leaving before my father gets here.' Shirou thinks to himself, his hand going to his new belt where he knows there is a tracker. 'If he is coming by the same tunnel where I hitched a ride with Medusa then I just need to walk out.'

By what he felt on the way to the cave the walk will be a considerable one but it is mostly an inclination with one tunnel or another also connected to it, probably to others hunting ground for the Gorgon.

'Is that why they are trying to get to the mainland? Because the Gorgon eats them?' It made sense in Shirou's mind but he found he had no problem with it.

For the most part Medusa didn't show any inclination to leave the island, looking at her again Shirou can see that she is moving around and coiling her tail while her eyes are looking at something and she even looks calmer even if he can't see her face.

'She is a problem because of the other serpents but Medusa herself is not trying to leave this place…' The redhead nods his head and starts to step towards his exit. 'There is no point in fighting anymore. She can take care of herself and it is better I take my leave before-'

*CRACK*

Not paying attention to where he was stepping on his departure, Shirou stepped on a bone that was broken apart by his foot. The noise it let out was loud, even louder because of the kind of chamber he is in and he starts to sweat more about the implications of what just happened.

Turning his head slowly and with some apprehension he can see the Gorgon looking at him once again, all her eyes are on him and carrying a fury even greater than before and he can understand to a certain extent; a human has invaded her home, her sanctuary and she rightly peeved about it.

Shirou would feel some sympathy if not for the fact that he is the invader and he didn't really have a choice in that department.

Another roar leaves Medusa's lips and this time Shirou has to cover his ears from the pain, the chamber making the devastating roar even louder and stronger. He still can feel pain in his ears as he drops to a knee from the pressure.

Either by noticing his state or by just finishing her roar and deciding to kill the invader to her lair, Medusa decided to uncoil herself and rush to Shirou with the intent of crushing him under her hands.

Shirou managed to keep one eye open during the roar and while he is a little dizzy, even with his vision a little blurry, he still has no problem seeing the giant mass running in his direction to make him paste.

Not having much time to think, Shirou Reinforces his legs and runs to the side managing to get enough distance as the Gorgon's hand slams where he was previously while raising a cloud of dust and debris.

It didn't bother Medusa, her size nullifying any problem that the dirty would give her and Shirou moving fast enough that his form wasn't covered by anything that stopped her from seeing where he was going.

With a grunt of anger the Gorgon charges at full speed again. Looking back at her, Shirou can see that his decision to dodge to the side was the correct one. If he had tried to escape by the tunnel then he would end up with no place to run while she was probably eating him or crushing him with ease.

But now he is in the open and there are few places to hide with the snakes' eyes on him and a giant that can move faster than he can.

Shirou waits for the Gorgon to get closer, he knows that running in a straight line doesn't help his situation but he waits for the giant to be close enough to commit an attack.

The redhead isn't disappointed when the distance between him and the Queen of the Serpents is shortened in just three seconds. In that moment he pivots with his feets to the side, dodging once again the Gorgon's attempt to crush him.

This time Shirou runs closer to the length of the Great Serpent's tail, trying to get back to the exit while moving in an angle that the Gorgon will have difficulty to attack.

It turns out that Shirou underestimated Medusa, in his belief that her mind was lost and she wouldn't be able to react properly to his maneuver since many of her decisions on the surface lacked logic and ignored other factors.

While he is correct that there is no rational thought behind many of the Gorgon's actions, her instincts are still sharp enough to realize that the human was making things more difficult for her and that she can't just begin to turn and chase him.

Instead she moves her huge tail to try and hit Shirou from the side only for the redhead to see it coming and jump over it.

However his jump is not high enough and Shirou ends up landing on the tail of the Gorgon, much to her irritation as her mind enters in another frenezy and she begins to shake her body in an attempt to throw Shirou away from her.

'Again?''Noticing that he is in a familiar situation, Shirou drops on his arms to hold the scales and stops himself from flying off and ends up getting crushed.

Medusa doesn't realize that in this position she could get Shirou if she kept moving her tail while moving the rest of her body. But while her instincts are good, that is not an instinctual maneuver and she can't realize that all she has to do to get him is position herself a little to crush him with her own hands.

But Medusa's madness doesn't let her see the easiest solution, all that she wants is the human dead immediately and nothing else matters to her at the moment.

Shirou knows he can't hold on for long, his hands are starting to slip and the Gorgon is not relenting on her rage, if anything her moves start to get more intense as he refuses to let go.

Focusing on one of his legs, Shirou waits for the right timing, when he moves up in its attempts to shake him off, to kick the Gorgon's appendage and get some distance.

Once again the redhead rolls to help with his fall and he begins to run immediately at the end of the roll, suspecting that Medusa will be right behind him.

But she doesn't pursue as he expected with anger still in her eyes as Shirou begins to run around her sanctuary, the Gorgon starts to charge her mana on her snakes again, their mouths opening to form the spheres of mana.

Shirou's nose twitches with the familiar smell of Medusa's mana, something he is getting used to throughout the day. It smells like he was surrounded by ocean on a beach while having a small tone of something pleasant he couldn't identify and another thing extremely unpleasant he can't think about.

But Shirou has no time to think on the contradictions of her power as the Gorgon snakes' start to throw purple balls of mana in his direction.

Forcing his legs to their limit, Shirou accelerates as much as he can to dodge the barrage of mana going in his direction. To his fortune, she can't control the mana once it leaves her snakes and to dodge all he needs to do is run faster as the blasts start to hit the ground behind him.

He can feel the heat around his body as the mana explodes and the explosions are so many and so strong that Shirou is launched forward of his feet. He tries to recover his balance, tries to keep himself standing but he is unable and his body skips on the floor, hitting it several times until he starts to slow down.

'Damn it.' Slowly Shirou gets up, stopping on his knees to fight the dizziness. His forehead is bleeding as the rest of his jacket is now worthless. 'I can't let her just attack me like that. If one of those hits me I am toast.'

For the moment Medusa can't see him, there is enough debri and smoke covering his body that he has some time but it is just a couple of seconds.

Looking ahead Shirou notices the damage that her attack did, the newly made craters around the cave that confirms his thoughts that if he is hit there is no survival.

'And I can't escape either.' The redhead laments as he is in the middle of the cave now and all the tunnels are just too far away for him to reach one of them. 'Well...I didn't want to test these anyway.'

Standing up completely Shirou can see the Gorgon letting out a hiss as she begins to charge at him again, unwilling to damage more of her home.

Ripping out the rest of his jacket, Shirou moves his Reinforced body to run in the Gorgon's direction, something that would shock or even force some hesitation on her if she could think clearly.

But she can't and so she accelerates, the snakes on her hair ready to bite him once they are close enough.

Repeating a previous strategy, Shirou jumps to the right and lets her pass by him, this time he isn't just running as in his left hand, a bow similar to the one he used in school appears and is immediately Reinforced and customized to have a guard to protect his hand from the kind of arrow he is about to use.

He has only a few seconds to prepare himself, it was the time that would take for the Gorgon to find him after his little trick and he knows that sooner or later that obvious trap will stop working and she will have eyes on him if he tries it once again. Shirou hopes that his first attempt is enough that he won't have to risk that anymore.

On his right hand he starts the tracing of Muramasa, but not in its usual form. It took many hours of practice but he managed to make the sword abandon its normal form of a katana to a kodachi with the guard practically nonexistent and the handle much more slim.

The ideal form of Muramasa to use as an arrow. And as he stops and turns around to prepare, he remembers all the aim training he did to try and compensate for his lack proper posture and position.

Placing the arrow above the guard, the blade in reverse since the material was still wood and a mistake would cost Shirou his fingers, he begins to pull the string. His breathing is steady as he tries to remain calm to take the shot.

Even as Medusa makes a complete turn and begins to charge in his direction again at her full speed, Shirou finds his center and focus. The arrow being pulled to the limit as even the Reinforced bow struggles to not break on his hands.

After a beat of his heart, Shirou lets go and watches as the arrow flies towards Medusa's head and the bow breaks apart as it has reached its limits, not being able to survive the Reinforcement and the shot.

Shirou can feel the splinters entering his skin but he ignores it as his attention can't leave the arrow Muramasa flying towards the Gorgon.

Kodachi Muramasa flies across the distance between the two, gravity didn't affect it, wind doesn't bother it and even the mana saturating the air isn't able to disrupt its flight. But it was still a bad shot.

Instead of hitting the head of the Gorgon it ends up lodging itself on one of the snakes on her head, making the Queen of the Serpents scream once again in pain. Unlike the roars she used previously, her scream has no intent or power behind it other than to express the new pain she felt as the snake that was hit is also shaking in pain.

The sword then breaks apart, unable to maintain its form even if it gives it enough piercing power to actually pass the Divinity and skin of Medusa, even if just a little. The kodachi form was not only aerodynamic, as much as Shirou could make it, but the compression of the sword into an arrow allowed it to use more of its power into a single point.

And it was not enough. Shirou has no time to lament as he turns around and starts to run again, getting as much distance as possible as the Gorgon gets used to the pain.

Making the splinters on his hand disappear he tries to figure out exactly what had gone wrong. 'I missed.' Shirou manages to think clearly as he can't hear any more screams but the Gorgon is still contorting herself behind him. 'I practiced and practiced shooting normal arrows but I forgot to compensate for the fact that a highschool bow, no matter how Reinforced, can't keep up with a Noble Phantasm.'

It wasn't something safe to train at home and in school Shirou was focused more on his friends and on other projects to just try. He had thought that once he mastered altering a Noble Phantasm, he would be able to shoot it as any arrow.

Shirou has no time to lament his short sightedness on the topic, Medusa recovered and now she is more angry than ever. The snake he managed to hit has recovered too and together with the others they begin to gather mana again.

It wasn't long before a new barrage began and Shirou just ran faster, he managed to reach the lake inside the cave and dive inside it as the blasts of mana expanded it and threw him around the water.

For a few moments Shirou didn't know where was up and where was down, his body just couldn't stop from moving. The redhead manages to direct himself and find the surface, taking huges gulps of air as the area around the lake was destroyed. 'At least the glasses can't get wet. Good enchantments on those.' He thinks in good humor, trying to see the positive in the situation as he swims out of the lake.

Medusa is already coming in his direction again, her mind still good enough to stop her from destroying her only water source and instead to try and rip him apart with her own hands.

All Shirou can do is move close to a wall and wait once again, hoping that even if she isn't willing to risk the water she still hasn't figured out how to counter his last minute dashes. 'I am living in borrowed time.' The redhead concludes as Medusa 'jumps' in his direction, the snakes on her head with her mouths open as her hands try to block his exits.

Lucky for him, her size is a disadvantage if his reaction is better than hers and Shirou already has an escape route planned the moment she raised herself with her tail to appear intimidating, like a predator would, and that gave him an opportunity.

Using one of his legs, Shirou kicks the wall to get some impulse and move quicker and he succeeds and manages to escape by passing below the arm before it could take his head.

This time the Gorgon was aware of his tricks, even in the midst of her insanity she was finding herself able to adapt as one of the snakes of her hair kept an eye on Shirou and she moved her arm fast enough to hit him on his back, sending him flying.

Even if the angle wasn't the best, Medusa is a giant and the damage from the hit was considerable. Once again Shirou can't do anything as his body is a victim to the whims of fate as he has no way to stop himself mid air.

The landing was unpleasant but Shirou ignores how his whole body screams and he can feel the back of his armor broken from the impact.

He can only be thankful for it. If he had let out of Reinforcement, if his armor was any weaker or he had tried to stop himself from being thrown like a ragged doll, then he would be dead. 'She is too dangerous and she can't even use her power properly.' Shirou shakes his head and starts to get up, ignoring the protests of his body. 'I can't even get close to her. One more mistake and I am dead.'

The Gorgon is already fully turned around and lets out a roar again, this time full of triumph and a certain satisfaction as the invader of her home seems to be on his last legs.

Covering his ears for the duration of the roar, Shirou starts to run again. He tries to get back to the tunnel they got in, seeing it as his best chance of escape. Once the roar is done he looks back and Medusa is already chasing, her speed didn't diminish but his own did considerably, the wounds on his body making that he can't move as easily as he once could.

'I need to do something.' Turning around he ignores the Gorgon and starts to make a bow on his hand once again. 'I need to do this right or else I am dead.' His time is running out as he says with a whisper. "Trace, on."

Once again the bow takes shape before the arrow, the bases of this one is the same as the previous but Shirou goes for a different material. Instead of simple wood the bow is made black as he uses his creation, the same metal he developed for his armor is now the body of his new bow.

But he can't just reproduce the same weapon only differently, the difference of materials, the lack of a proper story besides being of his own making and the absence of a real reference made things more complicated.

Except it is still his creation, something he theorized, imagined and even planned to make if his metal wasn't too stubborn. However he managed to transform the original blueprint into something that he could have forged with his own hands.

It was him who developed the metal, it was him who started to create a bow to shoot swords once he saw Enki from Gilgamesh. A bow close to it, a bow that can surpass it and shoot anything its owner desires.

While the redhead couldn't understand the materials he can work with the concept, a bow capable of shooting the strongest arrows. It was the basis of his previous alteration and it would be the basis of this one as well.

Shirou is in a rush but he worked with his metall so much and experimented with it so many times that it doesn't take long for him to realize what needs to be changed on the design of the bow for it to be useful.

It needed to be big, even a little taller than himself for balance even as the previous bow was his size already, the guard had to be improved too for aiming it is now a bit bulkier and streamlined, comfortably covering his hand and since the bow is now bigger he can make it more defined, a proper way to also help in the aiming of the weapon.

The black bow starts to gain substance as Medusa quickly approaches and even before properly finishing it Shirou is already using his other hand to trace one Muramasa in its full size but more sleek, he then begins to pull the string. The bow is heavy but can take the Noble Phantasm as it takes the shape of a proper arrow on his hand.

Shirou doesn't bother to Reinforce this bow, he doesn't need to. The weight, the material, even the string being an attempt of making clothes of his metal, are all capable of surviving a Noble Phantasm by themselves.

All the redhead focus is on his arms and on aiming. He notices that his Noble Phantasm is even more unstable now that it is a proper arrow, being extended into the shape of one, but he has no more time to study it, now it was a matter of if it was good enough to save his life.

As he can already see the Gorgon's eyes directly for how close she is, Shirou releases the arrow once again and it flies in the Great Serpent direction.

This time Medusa knows that something was up, memories of Shirou's previous attempt jump to her head together with the pain she felt previously and begins to move her main body to the side, afraid of more pain.

It isn't enough, she is a giant, an easy target and she took too long to realize what was coming. Even as Medusa threw herself to the side to avoid the projectile, this time the bow didn't break and the shoot was perfect.

Medusa managed to save her head but not her shoulder and Shirou looks impressed as his compressed Noble Phantasm lets out a small explosion. His surprise grows larger as the Gorgon roars in pain once again.

Letting the bow go he closes his ears, this time the roar goes longer and Shirou can guess that the pain must be more intense. 'How?' He asks himself, that may be the key to his survival. 'Instead of trying to make a stable weapon that can shoot, I can make an arrow that can break after it reaches the target.' Shirou realises with a smile. 'Muramasa's quality of hurting 'Kings' must be at play in some way in the explosion, that is the only explanation.'

But his celebration doesn't last long, it can't as Medusa raises herself to her full height again, mana already surging on her snakes' mouths as she is preparing to finish him.

As slow as Shirou became since the fight started he is still considerably fast when compared to most humans and when the Gorgon lets out a huge laser beam with the combined might of all her snakes in his direction Shirou puts everything he can on his legs and runs to the side.

This time the mana doesn't stop, it pursues Shirou as the snakes move in unison, all part of Medusa and easily controlled as they share in her rage and drive to see him dead.

The ground of the cave is practically melting with the intensity of the attack but Shirou ignores the heat and just keeps running while looking ahead of his feet, he can't risk falling now since that meant he was going to become dust.

Medusa just keeps firing her attack and starts to feel something she hadn't in a long time; fatigue. It has been a really long time since she has used her full power and channeling as a pillar of death is exhausting. It was her rage and indginity at Shirou's actions and presence in her sanctuary that pushed her to her limits.

However as the redhead begins to approach one of the walls of the cave, Medusa blinks and stops the attack immediately.

Shirou notices when the Gorgon stopped her attack and turns around to look for the reason. Upon seeing nothing but that Medusa is moving around while keeping her eyes on him, Shirou traces his new bow without wasting any time.

It is then that he notices that the wound on Medusa's shoulder is almost fully healed and Shirou can't help but grunt. 'I need more fire power.' Unfortunately he is almost out of options.

Shirou knows that tracing and altering his creations is not going to work, none of them is strong enough to even hurt the Gorgon, much less finish the fight in any way. His thoughts then turn to the next best thing; Noble Phantasms.

Unfortunately the redhead can't recall a single legendary weapon that can help him in this situation. Many times when he meditated on the weapons Gilgamesh used on him they always fell short in comparison to Muramsa. It wasn't that they were bad, it was just that their power was low, their legends practically unknown and none of them has any effect that can be useful against Medusa.

Remembering the fight on the rooftop, Shirou couldn't tell at the time but Gilgamesh wasn't joking when he said that he was using the weaker Noble Phantasms on his arsenal, nothing he used besides Enki could surpass Muramasa and he couldn't trace the dual sword that can turn into a bow because it was a divine weapon.

'Damnit! Why wasn't I stronger on that occasion!' Shirou laments as the Gorgon keeps moving around to reach him, he can't understand why but the Queen of the Serpents is taking her time even as she looks ready to charge at him again, time is running out. 'If I had been stronger he would have to use something better then! If I just have something better than Muramasa-'

A memory also associated with Gilgamesh returns to him, something he had practically forgotten and a weapon he avoided practicing with because he deemed it too dangerous.

'All or nothing.' Shirou extends his free arm and mana begins to gather. "Trace on!" But it isn't enough, that sword was strong then and he was also healthier the first time he traced it with more mana to sparet. Still, he pushes forward. "I am the bone of my sword!"

In his mind he can see the field of swords surrounding him but he ignores every single blade there, all for the sake of finding one, the first Noble Phantasm that Gilgamesh showed him.

Medusa begins her attack again, whatever was holding her back is not anymore as she is going at him from a new angle.

Shirou finds the sword easily, the huge weapon that can destroy mountains when well used. But its original form is not proper for him to use and neither will be capable of stopping the Gorgon by itself.

He needs to change its form, to alter it into an arrow he can use and do it in seconds before he is crushed to death.

Shirou doesn't truly understand the place where his mind is at but he uses it to imagine how the sword is going to be as an arrow. He creates a copy of it to the side of the original and begins to work on its length and the shape. Even if the goal is to turn the sword into an arrow he must make something to trace first and work from there.

The design stayed mostly the same just on a much more manageable size, except the handle. He doesn't have any clue why the handle changed from barely existing to something that a classical double edge sword would have but the image couldn't leave his head even if Shirou never saw a sword with a handle like that but something inside said that 'it fits'.

'At least it is smaller.' Shirou thinks while opening his eyes with the new altered sword in hand. The whole process had lasted a couple of seconds even if in his mind it had been many minutes. Positioning the spiral arrow and pointing at an ever closer Medusa, he prepares himself, beginning to pull the sword to completely turn it into an arrow ready to be shot. "I will bet everything on this arrow! If I can't circumvent your defense I will break it!" Shirou roars to the Gorgon as her hand is already going in his direction.

Once he knew the Gorgon wasn't going to be able to dodge, when she is closer than ever before, Shirou shouts the name of the Noble Phantasm to unleash its full power.

"CALADBOLG!"

The arrow flies straight to the chest of the Gorgon, already the unstable Noble Phantasm breaks apart in its path. Then it hits.

The explosion that is unleashed makes the dome tremble and light blinds Shirou as he is pushed back the rest of the way until he hits his back into something. His back was exposed by the damage on his armor but the surface he hit is smooth enough that the damage there didn't get any worse than it already was.

But the worse impact was definitivally on Medusa. Without any way to stop the attack and it hitting her square in the chest she took everything the Noble Phantasm had to give.

Caladbolg had nothing on its legend about slaying gods or serpents, but what it has is the power to change the landscape and to cause enough damage to bring down mountains and cities.

And the Gorgon took it completely in a more focused explosion than anything she ever had faced in her life. She now lays to her side as her body struggles to heal itself after the Noble Phantasm blew up.

Shirou watches the Queen of the Serpents as her body still trembles and she still breathes. For a moment the redhead is scared that she is going to raise again and keep attacking, the creation of the new form of Caladbolg actually left him exhausted and can feel his circuits itching with pain and heat.

Because of the rush and the kind of weapon Shirou had to create, his body had to use almost all his mana and that was while he ran the risk of it blowing up on his face if he had made a single mistake.

Shirou lets out a sigh of relief as Medusa tries but fails to get up. It is clear that the Gorgon is feeling a great deal of pain and that the wounds were too much even for her immortality and Divinity.

Looking at the now Great Serpent lying on the ground, Shirou can't help but admire the damage his arrow had done. A lot of blood is leaving her chest and while her flesh is regenerating it isn't at the same speed as before, showing that her body actually used a lot of mana to survive.

'Even an explosion like that wasn't enough to kill her. She is just too powerful. If she knew how to control that power…' Shirou shakes his head quickly, not willing to dwell on such thoughts. 'I can finish this, I can win this and end the terror of the Shapeless Isle once and for all.'

With that thought the redhead gets up, already imagining how easy it would be for the citizens of Perseus to claim the island and clean it out of the serpents once Medusa is out of the picture.

It meant that soon there would be no more incursions and that less people would have to die. Even if for some reason the serpents return or are kept around it will be much easier to keep them low in numbers, maybe even build an outpost on the island itself.

Medusa's death means that more people are going to be safe, it means that more people are going to be smiling and that gives Shirou the strength to stand and trace another Muramasa.

"I will try and be quick." The magus says to the Gorgon, even if he is still speaking Greek he isn't sure that she can understand him. "There is no need to let you feel any more pain. Maybe now that you are weakened I can swiftly cut your head. I hope that it will be painless."

Stepping close to Medusa, Shirou can see her extending her hand towards him, her eyes fixed on his direction but nothing more. The snakes of her hair are inert, they have no brains or autonomy of their own and without the Gorgon's power or imput they lay down lifeless.

It is her stare that Shirou looks back to, her purple eyes that look like the eyes of a snake are stuck in his direction and he looks back without fear or regret. He already has decided that he is going to kill Medusa and to him it would be wrong to look anywhere but her eyes while doing the deed.

That is the most respect that he can offer to her.

'I won't sell her body for parts.' Shirou decides as he calmly approaches his downed foe. 'She fought well and her death will already close a dangerous chapter of this area. Besides, who knows how dangerous a body with divine properties can be if left alone.'

With his decision made Shirou starts to step to the side, since the snakes aren't moving he is sure that he can easily step close to them. But the redhead guard is still up, just in case all this is some sort of trick.

It is then that Shirou notices something odd, Medusa's eyes aren't following him, he was sure they would be since she was doing it for most of the fight and he knew she was still conscious as her hand was still twitching in the direction he was.

Finding the situation weird, Shirou looks back to where he was previously and blinks in surprise. "A mirror?" Surprise colors his tone as he takes a step back towards it.

The mirror is pristine despite the fact that it has been underground, not a speck of dust covers its surface and the reflection from it is similar to the surface of a still lake. Its frame is made of gold but the design is unlike anything that Shirou had ever seen.

On each side of the mirror the frame portraits many kinds of creatures that he can recognize. There are snakes, something that Shirou isn't surprised to see, but what surprised him was also the presence of owls together with the snakes.

But of all images that surprised him, it is the frame above the mirror. It is the image of three young women in an embrace with the wings of the taller one covering the two smaller ones. Just by looking at it Shirou feels a deep sadness and he doesn't know why.

'I can't hesitate.' His eyes turn from the mirror back to Medusa. 'I need to end this quickly, before she recovers.' Every instinct in Shirou's heart is telling him to ignore the mirror and finish the monster before him. 'She is too dangerous to be left alive.'

Regardless of how true his thoughts are he still can't just do it, he can't just kill Medusa, not without understanding why her eyes hold a great melancholy that he couldn't understand, completely different from the monster all saw her as.

"I will...get it for you." Shirou suddenly says, the thought of just killing someone showing such emotion is not sitting well with him and prompting him to do something. "Just...hold on." It still felt weird for the redhead to be talking with the Giant Serpent like that.

Getting closer to the mirror he can hear Medusa trying to get up, to stop him. Only she can't, her body is still too hurt and all her energy was used to keep her alive.

Once Shirou is close enough to the mirror he can see his reflection; he can't help but think, 'It is almost like I am standing across another version of myself. A mirror so clear shouldn't be here.'

For a moment the magus thought about taking off his glasses to inspect it further but stopped when he saw the reflection of Medusa. While the legends say that her power doesn't work as a reflection he still decides against taking out the magical eyewear as a precaution in case she tries something and he has to move quickly.

Instead, Shirou raises a hand slowly to touch the mirror with every intention to use the remnants of his mana to uncover its secrets.

When his fingers touched the crystalline surface-

There were three and they looked the same. Three beautiful girls that represent different stages of childhood, one that is leaving it, one in the middle and one entering. Yet all hold a beauty that adults would kneel to.

The three of them had the same face, the same hair and one was a little different in the ethereal presence they exuded but they were ethereal nonetheless.

They are goddesses and they are sisters. They love each other and it is clear to see. One of them raises a mirror, showing it to the other two. It was their creation and something to help them make themselves prettier when the other two are busy.

And they could be busy some days, men and women, mostly men, arrive in their temple from all the corners of the world. They would bring offerings of food, jewels and gold, all to try and have the sisters' attention even if only for a moment.

The older look of the trio, the eldest, found amusement on the mortal's actions but she could be capricious and would demand her sisters receive attention as well.

The middle sibling always followed the older lead, practically acting like the two were the same and would demand the same be either in the form of trinkets or treats.

The younger looking and really the youngest didn't care about the offerings if her sisters were happy, even when they teased her a little since, from time to time, she received the strangest offerings, but she didn't care as long as the three were together.

Heroes, kings and priests of all kinds came to their temple, all demanded something or another but never got anything the sisters wouldn't be willing to give and the elder sibling just said at demands "Our attention is enough for them." Her voice was melodious to the point even simple words were sung and her smile was the thing of dreams to die for.

To kill for.

And they did, men competed for the sisters attention only to not receive more than they were willing to give. They didn't demand the fights or the blood shed but it wasn't their problem as they fought for the goddesses by their own volition.

But they watched all the same and enjoyed it all the same, speaking words of valor to the warriors and even singing together for those fervently fighting for their favor.

The three were happy but that happiness didn't last for long.

Those that were jealous started to look at the three sisters with envy and hate. They wanted the trio gone or chained, they wanted the goddesses beauty out of sight, they wanted that either the three be claimed or exterminated.

It didn't begin with envy, before it was curiosity and interest. The trio were offered a place at the highest table and they could remain together if they tied themselves to them and worked with them against their enemies.

The sisters refused and their messager warned that the refusal was a mistake, that his father and king had the allegiance of many powerful individuals already and they had the chance of being part of their circle.

The sisters still refused, not wanting to be tied to anything other than each other and the message shrugged, not bothering to try again. "You forget yourselves little goddesses. We are also gods and we shall not be denied."

They didn't care much about the threat, they had each other and many mortals that adored them. In their minds they would be fine.

They underestimated the other gods and they received no mercy.

The three sisters had no choice but to run and hide. Their power was considerable but against many more similar to them it was useless as none of them was really suited for combat.

All they could do was run and run fast.

Some offered shelter to them, to try to attract them to their palaces to lock and capture them, either for themselves or the gods they served.

It was on those days that the younger sister learned how to fight, learned how to kill. For her elder siblings the younger grew up and took the first life with her own hands as they began to run again.

There were three, they loved each other and they didn't stop running. They still look about the same but beside their white dresses and a few jewels, the only things of value to them were each other and the mirror that they made themselves.

Soon they were in the ocean, trying to escape the influence of the gods that still wanted them. It didn't take long for an island to show itself to the three, the elder sister smiling at the two at its appearance from the mist. "This shall be our new home."

Some time passed and the three settled down in a temple at the top of a mountain. They used their divine powers and fixed it up quickly, the two oldest sisters finding no problem with the endeavour while the third one started to become a little clumsy with such tasks.

Still they worked together, they smiled together, they stayed together. There were three sisters and even without offerings and admirers they were happy to just be together.

They were happy once again but the happiness didn't last long.

Their days pass with them tending to each other, cleaning the place and fishing for food. But something had changed in the younger sibling, or she was always different in the first place.

For a time it was scary for the youngest, she didn't understand what was happening to her, why her appearance was changing. She grew a little and that was already strange enough but once she grew enough to stand side by side with one of her sisters while they didn't change.

The youngest started to feel fear.

The older sisters were quick to assure their sibling. "It is fine." Said the middle sister. "You are still with us and that is all that matters.

Where the two elder sisters retained their youth while the younger sibling started to grow up. Soon she was looking like her middle sibling and the two would take care of their long hairs and braid them in the same way to prank the eldest of the three with small smiles.

There was some teasing about the change of the younger and the two older siblings were concerned for her but it didn't matter to them if they could stay together. Even as more changes came and some more time later, the younger sister now looks exactly like the eldest of the three.

Once again they would make the same games and play the same jokes with each other but now the older sibling worked with the youngest to surprise the middle one.

There were three sisters and their happiness was coming back, but then someone arrived on their island, someone who heard the legend of the three goddesses of unparalleled beauty and wanted them for himself.

When it happened the trio played with him for a while and sent him on his merry way once they had their fill. The man departed with his spirits renewed, leaving gifts to the goddesses and smiles that reached his ears.

Soon another stranger came and the same thing repeated itself. The events repeated three more times before the messenger showed himself again as well.

He spoke with the sisters with sympathy and warned them that the next visit is not going to be so nice and accommodating that their usual tricks are not going to protect their peace. "The order was given. Next time someone comes, they won't leave without you."

And as warned and promised the next one that came refused to depart, he drew a sword and was ready to stab the older sister to claim the other two.

They were three, they loved each other and the younger sister wouldn't allow her sisters to suffer. She killed the man instead, with his own sword.

When the man, a proud king, didn't return, his men followed him to the island. They were loyal, they were brave and they didn't fall for the sisters' tricks. They demanded to know what happened and once it was explained they drew their spears and swords, ready to kill the three.

The youngest sister, used to killing already, did the deed again and again while her sisters distracted the weaker men.

Once those that could resist the siblings had fallen, the elder sister sent the others away with a warning. "Leave our home and tell all you find to not come near." And they did, and the men were gone, to never return.

There were three sisters, they loved each other. Time passed and the younger sibling kept changing.

She no longer resembles her siblings even if they look a little alike, but her two elder sisters didn't mind. They laughed together, they played together and now they teased the youngest of the three for how tall she was.

But more people started to go to their island, for they killed brave men, men with family, with friends and despite the warnings and commands they sailed to the sisters' land and dared to challenge them again.

The youngest covered herself in blood, all to protect her beloved siblings and another warning was given in vain.

And so it kept happening; more would come to avenge the fallen, the youngest would kill those that resisted while sending the rest away and then more would return to avenge the fallen again.

There were three sisters and one of them was changing more and more. But they still loved each other dearly, even as the older siblings could see the direction where their fate was guiding them towards.

Still, they loved their sister and would help wash off the blood from her and show the braids they made with her long hair, the mirror they made still with them, reminding them to take care.

With time, more invaders came, not as an army anymore but only those brave enough to challenge the youngest to try and get her sisters and every time the younger sister would dispatch them, mercy stopped being afforded for those who were determined that came alone to try would just try again.

The younger sister started feeling odd with time, stronger and faster after every kill. She started to grow more and her actions started to get more violent. Her appearance became heinous to the point the weak became stone by just looking at her, barely a stare.

But the older siblings didn't care, even if they knew how their fate would end, they stayed at their sister's side as she grew more powerful and unstable.

Until the very end.

They were three sisters, they loved each other. And soon there was only one.

It wasn't because of jealousy or malice because her sisters retained their beauty. There was no hatred or ill thoughts in the youngest sibling's mind.

But she developed a particular taste for something, something that only those smart and skilled to dodge her gaze could give her; she started to enjoy the taste of blood and wasn't content with the few that managed to leave it behind.

After a while, she had only two priorities, to protect her sisters and to taste the blood of invaders. Gone were the days where they would braid each other's hair and play at the coast. Now the two older sisters could only watch their youngest as she wasn't much of a goddess anymore but a monster thirsty for blood.

But even as challengers came from time to time it wasn't enough to satisfy her, neither was the blood of fish or any other animal that came with her victims.

Lost in bloodlust, the younger sister didn't know what she was doing.

And only after she had consumed her two sisters did she regain enough of her sanity to cry and lose herself again, unable to live with what she had done. She became even stronger with the consumption of her siblings but the price was too heavy for her mind to bear.

There were three sisters, they loved each other, until there was only one, alone and scared.

After that all there was only anger and bloodlust. Those that survived the gaze of the Gorgon became her meals to satiate her thirst.

Until he came. Perseus, arrogant and brash but astute.

The fight was an example of ingenuity versus bestiality that only glimpses coud been seen by the mirror. Demigod or not, Perseus wasn't immune to the petrifying gaze, but he was strong, he was fast and he was smart.

He used the mirror that had survived in the temple combined with his own in a shield to determine the location of the Gorgon.

And cut her head with a sword-like scythe and from the blood of the mighty Gorgon a horse with wings was born. The hero, triumphant and with his prize, departed the island with the newly born horse and the head of his foe.

After that more time passed, the temple remained empty and began to fall apart without the sisters to take care of it. Only the mirror remained, the Divinity in it not allowing it to be destroyed or even gather dust.

Until one day a woman appeared, she picked up the mirror and the body of the Gorgon to transport them somewhere else; the dome beneath the mountain.

That goddess, for she had an aura similar to the sisters only stronger, dropped the Gorgon's body on the ground and connected it to its head that Perseus had taken out in the past. With a huge quantity of power and a spell in a bottle, the neck was reattached and the goddess stepped back, mirror still in her hand.

The Gorgon got up and looked around, her mind was her own again for the most part but the moment she looked at the face of one of the beings that she hates the most it was gone again. Even with her mind back she couldn't talk because of her form but it is clear she had every intention of killing the goddess.

With a flourish of her hand the goddess summoned a huge shield that wouldn't be amiss in a hoplite's hand. Blocking the two claws easily, she keeps the mirror away from the fighting while shouting. "I wish to not kill you Medusa! I know you can hear me and I need your help!"

There was no answer and there wouldn't be even if she could talk as the Gorgon started to channel mana with the snakes on her hair.

Until the goddess brought the mirror in front of them. "Do you want to let your sisters' death be in vain?" It wasn't her words that stopped the Giant Serpent, it was the mirror that Medusa couldn't take her eyes from. "I will return this to you, but first you must listen to me."

Not willing or capable of risking the mirror, the Gorgon obeyed but her posture screamed hate and aggressivity and the other woman noticed but lowered the mirror.

"You were cursed." The woman said bluntly. "My family is cruel and among them is someone far crueler in the guise of someone nice. I need your help to defeat them." It was clear by the way the Gorgon was looking at the tall woman she wasn't interested in helping and all the goddess could do was let out a sigh. "You still have the power from your sisters," the Gorgon didn't like that statement. "but because of the curse you can barely use your full power in a controlled manner. All you have is the instinct of a beast."

The woman turned to the side and began to walk as the Gorgon looked at the mirror on her hand. She hesitates to attack the goddess from behind, fear of destroying the last thing she had from her sisters obviously dominated her mind.

Slowly the goddess approached a wall with the golden frame with snakes, owls and the three women on top but there was no mirror in sight. "It took a while to have this made. I called in a lot of favors to complete it; the god smith, the greatest spell caster of the age and now," raising the small mirror it begins to float, "the mirror made by the goddesses of this island."

And the frame was filled as the mirror expanded, Medusa threw herself at the mirror in a panic as the goddess stepped to the side. Gorgon's hands touched the mirror and then she began to cry.

"This mirror carries the memories of everything that it reflects and has ever reflected, a way to preserve beauty inside it and something that your sisters proud themselves of. All you have to do to use it is look at the mirror while touching it." The woman lets the shield disappear from her hand. "This frame makes it possible for you to review the memories as much as you want, from beginning to end. The good and the bad." The snakes on Gorgon's hair reacted to every word as the goddess continued. "With it, you may find some peace but after that you must break it."

After what Medusa experimented by touching the mirror just hearing the words had her horrified as she got ready to attack again only for the woman to speak again.

"Peace Medusa. This is for your own sake." She gestured to the mirror. "The curse inside you made your Divinity become unstable and gave you a certain lust for blood. It didn't begin immediately, I am sure, but the more you fought, the more you killed, the worse the curse became until…"

The goddess finished, gesturing to Medusa's form and the Great Serpent did calm down and looked back to the mirror and then the tall woman stepped close to the Gorgon.

"Do you understand now?" The goddess questioned with a smile. "This mirror is here to help you, to give you peace. After that you must break it." Again the horror could be seen on the serpentine face of the Gorgon. "You already absorbed the Divinities of your sisters but your own Divinity is cursed and that is what is giving you this form." She also looked in the mirror and continued. "To help you I had this mirror made and prepared to stabilize you. It even has a little of the power of a creature born from your own blood, a being that proved to me that you were not a goddess like your sisters." The woman's voice had a tone of amusement. "They were goddesses of Admiration and Beauty, of Youth and Purity. You are not, you never were. You are a goddesses of Beast and Battle, a caretaker and protector instead of someone that stays at the sidelines like your siblings were. That is why you were able to fight when they couldn't and grew up when they remained young, it is part of you. You were growing up to become a Queen and a Warrior and instead you became a monster because of the curse."

Deep down Medusa could understand everything that was being said, her eyes had an acceptance that meant she knew every word was true.

"Make your peace and break the mirror. Become the goddess that you should always have been." The words are sincere but there is a reason for them. "The goddess that convinced my father to chase you, to curse you. She is my enemy and I don't trust her. I need your help to keep her in check if she tries something." She turned to the Gorgon but only the snakes looked at her. "Break the mirror, restore your Divinity and help me. I shall assure that you will be treated fairly and be free wherever you want after or even welcome you to our pantheon if you so wish." That just made the Gorgon look at her in disgust and the woman noticed, taking a step back. "Or not. I shall assure you that nobody will harm you but I need your help. With the power you took from your sisters you may be able to counter my enemy's influence. If you remain in this form all you are going to do is grow bigger and more monstrous as time passes."

All Medusa did was look back to the mirror and touch it again, tears started to fall from her eyes.

"You must destroy it." Is all the goddess said. "The power inside it belongs to you now, only you." Yet Medusa just places a hand on it again. "Stop! Don't you realize every time you use it more information enters your mind! Even now the reflection is being actualized at this very moment!"

But Medusa didn't care, she couldn't. She was happy again, she is alone but she is happy and there is nothing the goddess could do but frown.

"I see I lost you...that is fine. I made this place for you." She started to step away from the mirror and turned her back fully towards the Gorgon. "The structure is strong and there is water for you. It may be uncomfortable to not have anything to eat but you really don't need it since your power can compensate." She received no response. "This place is safe for now but I don't know what kind of beasts are going to be attracted by your power. I will try and keep things manageable but you must break the mirror soon."

With that the goddess left and the Gorgon remained close to the mirror, swimming into the memories of better times.

Again.

And again.

And again.

-and pulled his hand back as the images stopped appearing on his mind. Shirou can feel the soreness of his body, his wounds and his exhaustion. Just by how warm his circuits actually are he knows that truly it wasn't long since he touched the mirror.

"I- I- what?" Shirou manages to use Muramasa to stop himself from falling down, his mind still processing everything he had seen. Turning to the fallen Medusa he is hit with an extreme sense of guilt. "You...have been here for a long time haven't you?"

While the mirror couldn't show everything happening around it, he learned all the story of the Gorgon sisters and the tragedy that befell them. How they were exiled and hunted because of the machinations of the gods just for the younger sibling to lose herself and kill the people she was trying to protect, all because she didn't have a choice but to fight and was cursed because of it.

Most of it was impressions when there was little to see and even the faces of people were mostly covered in shadow that only allowed him to see their forms. He couldn't describe almost anything he saw except for a few things but he could recognize the goddess turned monster close to him.

"And I thought my father's story was bad…who am I kidding? Both of your lives sucked." Shirou chuckles bitterly at the whole situation as Medusa's gaze leaves the mirror and goes to him. "Can you understand me?" Her eyes go back to the mirror. "It must be hard for you either way. After all that you still stayed here for centuries, touching the mirror again and again, just to have a few more moments with your sisters." Shirou can't help but pity her. "It didn't matter that you also would have to see your own tragedy again and again. Your own death and resurrection. The deal that you refuse to seal. All you want is your sisters to come back."

Shirou turns back to the mirror, trying to decide what to do. He can already guess who the goddess was, it wasn't hard even if she doesn't understand everything he knows she had her reasons.

And partially one of her reasons was to help Medusa move on, something she is unable to do. "I can't blame you." Shirou says with the bitterness still in his voice. "In a way, this is all you have from your siblings and all you want is to preserve the memories of your past, something I can understand." Regardless of his past before he met his family, the idea of losing them did scare him. "But...would your sisters want this for you?"

With his back to her there is no way for Shirou to see the reaction from Medusa how, after centuries of isolation and sadness, a spark of intelligence that previously had laid dormant in despair had woken up and her eyes looked at him with true confusion.

"They loved you." Shirou simply says, his eyes fixed on the mirror as Medusa can feel something in his words. "They loved you and they wouldn't want this for you." He points his sword at her and then motions it around the cave. "But I can understand your reluctance in destroying the last thing you have from them, to spend some time with them." He stops his arm. "They aren't coming back."

Hearing those words hurts Medusa more than any blow than she ever felt before. She knows that what he speaks is the truth but she doesn't want it to be, she wants her sisters back.

"While this mirror exists, this place is like a prison for you." His words dig into Medusa's heart. Both of them know he is speaking the truth but both also know she is not going to do anything about it. "I shall free you from it!" Shirou declares as he raises his sword above his shoulder and even if he had no eyes on her he knows that the Queen of the Serpents is afraid but he refuses to change his mind. 'Funny, this situation reminds me of a quote from a play.' It was something from a certain tiger's class, something from Shakespeare and while he can't quote the whole thing he still whispered the words. "'I must be cruel only to be kind.' AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Muramasa descends with all the strength of Shirou's arms as the blade hits the frame and the mirror. Despite it being technically a divine artifact, the mirror has no defensive function so his sword cuts it without problems.

After the attack the whole thing begins to fall apart as light starts to leave its cracks and illuminates all the chamber until the mirror and frame let out a wave of golden and purple energy escape in all directions, covering the whole area.

Shirou has to fight to keep his eyes open and as the flash of light passes by him he sees a figure, a winged horse, a pegasus made of the most pure silver flying in his direction.

Shirou has no chance to react as the spectral creature passes through his body. He can feel the power of the pegasus and it was so much that Shirou can't help himself and is stunned. There is no way for him to comprehend how deep was the existence of the mythical horse even just as a specter.

And that wasn't all, the whole place is covered with power in a way that the magus never felt before. 'It is even more than the ley lines of Fuyuki! So much more!' And all is starting to condense behind him.

Shirou turns to watch as the form of the Gorgon begins to shrink at an incredible rate.

After a short while the tail has completely disappeared and the snakes that were once Medusa's hair were now long strings of purple hair. Soon the Gorgon wasn't the being in front of him but a woman whose form promised unparalleled beauty...that is still shrinking, much to Shirou's surprise.

'Something is wrong?' The redhead thinks in a panic as he gets closer to the still shrinking figure but there is nothing he can really do.

The power around the area is mostly gone, absorbed by the goddess before him but as she is shrinking he can feel the power diminishing little by little and he is afraid that his actions may have cost Medusa her life either way.

Soon the power subsides and the goddess stops glowing and Shirou is surprised with the visage before him. "That...is your true form?"

Instead of replying, the small girl looks to her hands, hands she hasn't seen in centuries as her form now resembles more of a human. But it wasn't the form that neither she nor the human in her presence expected.

Instead of a fully fledged goddess, Medusa notices that she is in her more youthful form, the one she had when she and her sisters lived in a temple to be adored by many. Looking at herself she is sure of the fact that something had gone wrong.

Before she started to become a monster she was taller than her sisters and practically a grown woman. Now she is back at being a little girl, barely taller than the waist of the man who invaded her home. Her hair is still as long as she can remember it being and she will have to braid it properly so she can walk without stumbling into it, but her hands were barely able to use the smallest of swords.

"I…" Shirou is in shock, having seen the closest thing to the complete form of Medusa, even if covered in shadows since the mirror wasn't made for him, he can say for certain that something was off. "What happened?"

"You broke my mirror." The young girl's voice sounds empty as the reality reasserted itself and her eyes, purple with an amethyst in the center and a power Shirou couldn't really explain but was severely weakened, glared at the redhead. "You weren't supposed to break my mirror!"

It is clear to Shirou that by her voice the goddess is severely weakened. "I am sorry." He says with as much sincerity he can muster. "But you were refusing to break it."

"OF COURSE I WAS!" Medusa almost stumbles and coughs a little after her outburst, the world for her is spinning but a hand on her back helps her remain sitting. "I didn't want to lose it." She says almost like a whisper, tears in her eyes and her arms trembling. "I didn't want to lose them."

Just seeing the now small goddess in such a state made Shirou slightly depressed and he almost regrets his previous actions. Almost for he doesn't regret them, he truly believes the best thing for Medusa is breaking the mirror but he also can understand why she was so attached to it.

It was the last thing from her sisters, the last gateway for memories of better days and she didn't want to give it up even if it meant to remain a monster forever as she guarded it for years and years.

"What do you remember?" Shirou feels a slight tremor beneath his feet but he chooses to ignore that, the person before him is his priority. "Hey now. You can talk to me okay?" He says delicadly as she didn't give him an answer. "I just want to help-"

"Then why didn't you leave me alone? Why do you humans keep ruining my life?" There is a great degree of anger in Medusa's tone but Shirou moves to sit to her side and replies.

"Because humans can be selfish like that." The redhead says with a somber tone while the girl keeps crying. "There are plenty of us that are cruel and greedy, sometimes even downright evil. But there are also plenty that are nice, charitable, kind and understanding." Shirou can see that his words are not having much of an effect and decides to try another approach. "You can hate me if you want-"

"I do." Medusa didn't hesitate to say it.

"-but I think this was for your own good." Shirou keeps a low tone as he talks. "You have been here for so long, you suffered so much and that mirror wasn't helping you anymore."

"It was letting me see my sisters!" Medusa protests, trying to get up but she almost falls to the ground only to stop as Shirou delicately places a hand on her back and shoulder.

"I know that Medusa." Shirou didn't allow his voice to go any higher than it already was. "I know you want them back, here, in your arms but that mirror couldn't do it. It was just your memories there, its memories."

"But I could see them." The purple haired girl whispered again. "I could hear them sing, see them dance and even smell them after we left a bath on the ocean."

"And can't you still do that?" Shirou's question managed to get the girl to look at him in confusion. "Even now, without the mirror, can't you still do that?"

"It is not the same." She says with a shake of her head.

"No, it isn't." Shirou is starting to believe that Medusa's experiences with the mirror were more realistic than his own but that didn't change what he believed. "You can still remember them...can't you?" At her slow nod Shirou smiles. "Then they are still here." He points to his own heart. He knows it is a cheesy line but he also felt it was what Medusa needs to hear right now. And the way her wide eyes looked at him confirmed it. "The time you spend together is never going to be disapear. They are still here with you and they will always be while you remember them."

"But I...I killed them! I devoured them whole! I-" Shirou then does something to Medusa she hadn't had in a long time.

He gives her a hug. "I know." Medusa knows he touched the mirror, that his words are true.. "But it wasn't your fault. You tried to defend them, try to keep them safe. But things just kept happening." Another tremor happens but Shirou ignores it once again. "It wasn't your fault."

Those words, they cut Medusa deep but she refuses to listen to them, she can't. "No! You are trying to trick me!" She tries to separate herself from him but Shirou doesn't move as her weak arms fail to push him back. "You are like all the others. All the humans that tried to catch us! That wanted to use us!"

Shirou remains silent just hugging her as her efforts start to slow down. Once she stopped trying to push him, he let her go. "I won't imprison you." The redhead said while standing on his two feet and Medusa can't help but notice how taller he was compared to her now. "But I want to help you. The world...it changed since you first came to the Shapeless Isle. It is so different now that I doubt you would recognize it."

"That just means I am in greater danger now! You broke my mirror! You forced my Divinity into a state that is weakened! It was MY mirror and now I can't even protect myself!" Surprisingly for her, Medusa didn't feel fear even as she blamed the young man for his actions.

"Then I will protect you!" Shirou declares, his eyes showing his determination in a way that surprised Medusa. "I will protect you." He says more calmly now. "For as long as you need me, for as long you want, I will protect you even if it costs my life."

Shocked by the declaration, Medusa can barely process what Shirou said. 'Protect me?' Even those that venerated her, worshiped her and her siblings haven't said something like that. "Why?"

"I broke your mirror right?" Shirou says with a smile. "Consider this being me paying you back for it."

"It can take decades, centuries until my Divinity is fully restored." She didn't even know why she said that, if anything, Medusa knows that she should be offering incentives for him to protect her, not trying to push him back.

"That is fine, I will do it anyway." Shirou offers the goddess a smile with his words, kneeling before her and taking off the magical glasses to look at her in the eyes unimpeded. "I give you my word; until you don't want me, I will protect you." He offers his hand with a smile. "Your sisters would want you to live, Medusa. Let me protect you, at least until you can protect yourself."

Once again the small goddess is shocked. She can remember how men looked when they lied but Shirou's posture, face and eyes all told her that he was being sincere. "Fine." Medusa finally says, her tears still threatening to leave her eyes. "Fine! You can protect me. I...accept your protection."

With her own hand, Medusa shakes Shirou's and he helps her get up. Looking at her condition, he frowns. "Give me a minute and I will make you some clothes."

"Clothes?" Medusa cleans her eyes with an arm before asking. "Why?"

"Because you don't have any." Shirou points out. While her long hair is covering her for the most part it is undeniable that the small goddess is naked. "I will make something with my magic just...give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute." Medusa says as another tremor runs around the island, stronger than the previous one. "The Shapeless Isle is falling apart."

"What? Why?" Shirou didn't even know such a thing could happen.

"The island was sustained by my power before." Medusa explains like she didn't just reveal that the place where they are was sinking. "After I died the first time," she feels a little uncomfortable saying that, "my body's presence kept it stable but you broke my mirror," she is still angry about it, "all my power returned to me but my Divinity is much more unstable. I can't sustain the island anymore."

"That is really not good." Shirou didn't even consider that the boundary field was actually Medusa's and not the island's.

With a shake of her head, almost disappointed by her new protector's lack of foresight, Medusa points to the side. "There are some dead bodies over there that the nagas dragged around so I wouldn't eat them. I don't know if any clothes survived but you can check."

Almost deciding to forget the clothes and grab her so they can leave, Shirou decides to find something for the goddess. 'It will already be difficult to explain where a child came from and it will be rightfully worse if she is naked.' Was the thought that cemented his decision.

So the redhead rushes towards where she was pointing, a small tunnel close to the water. In it he finds lots of bones and decayed bodies but he doesn't care about it and starts to work fast to try and get something for Medusa.

Meanwhile the goddess moves closer to the remains of her mirror before falling to her knees close to it. Medusa can't stop herself from picking some pieces and starting to try and put them together but she already knows it is in vain.

When Shirou cutted the mirror it broke completely apart, there are only fragments remaining and none of them is big enough for her to see more than an eye. Besides that, the magic is completely gone, it was still a divine artifact but the spells in it have been broken.

But Medusa was there when the original mirror was created, she watched her sister do it and since her Divinity is within her then she believes that she can replicate the feat, damage Divinity or not.

'It is just a mirror.' Medusa tells herself as she extends her hands and tries to call for the fragments to her hands. 'Remember how Stheno did it. Just focus on building it again.' Some of the fragments flew to her hands but the image of her sisters stopped her concentration and they fell back to the ground. "I…"

She felt like crying again, just using a power similar to her sisters made her feel worse and she can already see her siblings blood on her hands.

"I don't deserve to have that." Medusa says to herself, eyes still on the remains.

"Then they are still here." Medusa remembers the words she heard recently and places both her hands on her heart. Closing her eyes she can almost hear Stheno singing and Euryale's teasing her, their faces still clear in her mind.

She remembers one of the days they spent on a beach, just playing games with each other and talking when there was nothing to do. Her sisters sometimes acted cruel towards her, their teasing going close to the limits of the acceptable most of the time. And they still stopped before crossing that line and would braid her hair as an apology after.

Her heart is not fully healed but she shall move on. "It was just a mirror." Medusa tells herself, trying to gather confidence to leave her treasure's remains behind. "It is just a mirror." She turns to look at Shirou, still trying to find clothes for her when she notices his bloody body and broken armor. "I did that."

She never cared much about the invaders to her home but that particular human is nice and kind. He also promised to protect her and she should show some appreciation for it.

So Medusa starts to focus again, the giant frame is inert and worthless and her control of the creation of objects can't compete with what her older sisters could do but she has decided to at least do something to the first human that was genuinely nice to her.

Still it didn't obey, she is not her sister and never she had been able to do something like this and the structure is about to fall apart until another element was inserted in it; Medusa's blood.

The blood that remained behind upon her transformation, the blood of the mighty Gorgon, the blood of a goddess. It is a powerful bonding agent, capable of miracles and healing diseases without difficulty. And her blood also carried the power of creation, it was her blood that gave life to the original legendary pegasus.

It is her blood that closes the gap between her and her siblings even if she doesn't notice it.

The last shards of the mirror start to take form on her hands, there isn't any way for her to make a mirror again, not even if she had 1000 years to try and with her Divinity unstable that was beyond impossible.

But she can do something that even a goddess like her can still do; a true miracle, an impossibility associated with divinities. It doesn't take long for the fragments to take a shape on her hand, it is red like her blood and in a deeper color than Shirou's hair, it has the shape of a seed made of glass or some smooth gem, big enough that it didn't fit the palm of her hand but she could close her fist around it to the side.

After her job is done, Medusa looks at her hand work and not knowing if it will work as she intended or not. "Found something!" Shirou runs back to her. "Most of the stuff is too old or torn apart but I think these will do." Once the magus is close enough he notices the strange shape on the girl's hand. "Something wrong?"

"No, this is something I made." She pushes it to Shirou. "Use it." He takes the blood ruby in his hand as she takes the clothes and the redhead turns around to give the purple haired goddess some privacy.

"What is this?" Shirou wants to Structure Analyse the thing but he falls for the first time in a while which gives him pause to examine it more closely with just his eyes.

"Put it in your armor, it will fix it." Medusa replies while putting a black shirt too big for her.

Shirou looks at the crystal not understanding what she was saying. "And how do I use it on my armor?"

"Don't know." Medusa is now putting black shorts that were big enough to be pants for her. "Your armor is falling apart, put it in a hole and imagine it being fixed...I think."

The problem with that is that Shirou's armor is mostly intact from the front, only the back has a really huge hole and there is no way the jewel can cover it. 'She made this huh?' Since it was going to help with his armor and the little goddess obviously put a lot of energy on it as her exhaustion is even more pronounced than before, Shirou decides to try it.

Placing two fingers in the middle of his chest the magus used Reinforcement to change the shape of the center and open space for the jewel, he can feel his circuits protesting but the magic is basic enough he has no troubles.

Once he is certain that the size is right so that the jewel won't fall he places it and is surprised when it looks to be a tight fit on his first try.

A strange sensation runs all over his body, it wasn't unpleasant and it reminds him when he saw Avalon on his mindscape, the warmth almost making him feel giddy as he closes his eyes for a second and can feel the back of his armor fixing itself.

'No...it is like the material is growing back or something.' Shirou observes as his eyes go for the jewel as it shone with teal energy. 'It is using my mana but the consumption is so small and it is doing it far more efficiently than I ever did.'

"I see it worked." Medusa comments while ripping off some of the shirt to tie her hair up in a complicated tail that is still bigger than her. The thing is so big on her that it is like a cape or a raincoat. "We must depart before the island sinks completely in the sea."

"Right." Shirou can feel that his armor is restored on his back and moves his arms a litte. "This is awsome. It certainly makes it much easier to fix the armor."

"You are to be my protector so the least I could do is equip you properly." Medusa says with confidence. Shirou nods and with his hands he prepares to remove the jewel, noticing that it is failing to budge. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you want this back?" At the question, Medusa just shakes her head.

"It is bonded to you now." The purple haired goddess says with a somber tone but with decisive eyes.

"Bonded?" Shirou raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"It is a divine artifact, not everyone can use it. To make sure that it would work with you it had to bond itself to you via your mana." Medusa is a little sad that the last vestige of the mirror is no longer hers but she decided to live to remember her siblings and is willing to discard it for a chance of survival.

"Wait- but don't you-"

"We can't waste time." Medusa informs while moving towards one of the tunnels, completely ignoring Shirou's questions. "We must go soon or this will be our tomb."

Shaking his head, Shirou steps closer to her which was easy since he is tall enough that two of hers steps are one of his strides. "Do you know where to go?" That stopped the goddess on her tracks. "I don't know if the boat I came in is still there but we can try that direction."

"Do we have any other choice?" At Medusa's question Shirou just shakes his head in negative. "Then we must find your vessel."

"It isn't mine." Shirou points out but the girl doesn't care and just keeps walking until Shirou steps on her way and knees with his back to her. "Hop on."

"Huh?" She didn't understand what her new protector meant.

"Hop on my back. It will be faster if I carry you." Shirou points out and the girl nods and jumps on his back, his arms holding her legs. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself; Shirou Emiya." He decides to use the western way of saying his name to not get the goddess confused later.

"Medusa... but you already knew that." Her face is beside his and she can notice his smile.

"And? Nothing wrong with introducing ourselves properly." Another tremor snaps both back to the situation at hand.

"I suggest you start running." Medusa says with her arms fixed on his neck.

"Right. Hold on!" Shirou Reinforces his legs and begins to run towards the tunnel he got in. 'I just hope dad is alright.'

"Careful with the nagas around." Medusa comments, Shirou speed not bothering her. "You are strong but I doubt you can fight well while carrying me." She didn't want to mention that she can't really defend herself.

"Don't worry. I didn't see any sign of snakes when you brought us here." Shirou says with a smile while they enter the tunnel, realizing he couldn't see properly, he puts on the magical glasses again and finds he could see clearly. 'That explains it.".

"Because I was scaring them with my power." Medusa replies calmly. She has no trouble seeing in the dark. "Now there is nothing keeping them away from us. If they find us in the tunnels, you won't have space to run."

"Then I fight, don't worry about it." Shirou says with a smile and he could see that Medusa was pouting.

"You shouldn't just throw yourself into a fight without a plan." They start to go up in the tunnel but the inclination wasn't much and Shirou can easily keep running.

"Hard to plan for every situation." Shirou focuses back on looking ahead. "We don't know even if the serpents are going to show up here."

"Considering how many of these tunnels I connected over the years the odds are pretty high." Medusa says while holding firm on Shirou's neck as he accelerates.

…

A naga falls down with a silver spear on his chest, Lab finding comfort in fighting in the more tight space of the tunnel. Behind him is David, his gauntlet shooting from time to time when Lab lets something pass.

The two work in tandem as every naga that tries to get close to them or even pass is easily cut down, the darts launched by David always making sure that if Lab can't finish them, he would without fail.

Not that Lab was slouching or letting any serpent close to him last more than a couple of seconds. Now that the battlefield is more linear and the enemies come down from the same direction with little room to run, the bald giant can use his fighting style to his limits.

Gunshots roar inside the tunnel as Kiritsugu shoots down another lamia, reloads, then shoots another king that tried to get him from behind with his rifle. So far things were going as expected to the mercenary, he knew that entering enemy territory meant a lot of opposition and the number of serpents running around the tunnels didn't disappoint.

'Usually it would be an army using various entrances to take care of these numbers but if I am correct, besides Shirou down there, it is only the four of us.' Kiritsugu draws a machine gun in his other hand and is ready to open fire against another king that was going for his left when suddenly the naga is cut from behind.

'With this sword I can kill all monsters!' Ariel has Muramasa in one of her and her focus is only on one thing; killing the opposition.

Her movements are sharp and her focus on the task is absolute. Kiritsugu has been observing the angel ever since the first bunch of serpents tried to stop them from advancing.

The woman just didn't stop moving when there were hostiles in the area, the sword in her hand being used to either cut or smash the serpents' skulls with its sides and she didn't care about anything else. Ariel is just moving for the kill in every motion.

Unleashing her wings the angel jumps back into the fray, getting in the way of her own allies as she cuts a lamia's head and then moves to cut another in half. The tunnels are big enough that her maneuverability is slightly impaired but she still can use it to spin midair and kill another two nagas easily.

With her free left hand the angel creates a spear of light and throws it at the back of a retreating lamia before charging at the serpent once again. "ARIEL DON'T- '' But she gave Lab no ears as she charged to another tunnel and started to slaughter the serpents there with ruthless efficiency. "God." Is all the tall man can say.

Kiritsugu looks at his cell phone. "She is deviating from the path again." And the bald man can just put a hand on his forehead with a frown. "And the tremors are getting worse and more consistent, we can't stay here waiting."

"We can't leave Ariel either." David protests but even he knew his words sounded hollow.

"Believe me mister Emiya, she isn't the kind to do that." Lab struggles to explain what is happening but he is still willing to defend his teammate. "The defeat under the Gorgon's hands must have been worse than we thought."

Instead of replying the Magus Killer starts to walk, not even bothering to look to the tunnel the angel had flying into. David did and he can see another group of dead serpents, this time including a Queen while Ariel returned to them, her clothes and wings covered in blood.

"Ariel what is wrong with you?" Asked a concerned David.

"I needed to kill the monsters." With a swing into the air, Muramasa is now clean of the green blood. "Regardless of what is happening to this island, this is our mission; to protect humanity against monsters. The more we kill, the better."

Deciding that the other two would fight her because of her attitude, the mercenary decides to intervene only because he may need them to rescue his son. "The sword is cursed." Kiritsugu intersects mid speech, getting the others' attention. "It brings out any kind of obsession and magnifies it by tenfold." As the old man expected, David steps towards him to grab the mercenary by his coat.

"And you just tell us that now?" It is clear that the younger man wants to murder Kiritsugu but the older man isn't bothered, he expects one of the other two to intervene at any moment.

"David, stop wasting time." And Ariel does it as he expected. "Besides, a human curse wouldn't work on me." Lab frowns at the statement. "Either way, this sword was able to hurt the Gorgon. I need it to kill it."

"But-"

"Stop wasting time David." The angel interrupts with an aggressiveness that neither of her two companions are used to as she marches to Kiritsugu. "Show us the way to rid the world of that plague."

Without saying anything else, the Magus Killer turns around and starts to walk again, a machine gun on one hand while the other has his cell phone. While he doesn't trust Ariel to watch his back he can trust her to kill anything that gets in their way.

Because of the many encounters with nagas and lamias their pace has been slow but manageable as they didn't need to stop and no one was hurt. Meanwhile the energies around the island started to act up in ways that concerned most of those present, Ariel forgetting everything else that wasn't in her way to kill Medusa.

But Kiritsugu noticed something odd about the serpents they found since the last fluctuation of energy and the beginning of the earthquakes. 'They didn't want to start a fight.' The mercenary also didn't want either but the angel isn't showing any mercy and she always goes for the kill. 'The small earthquakes and the fact that the serpents are running away are not good signs.'

Kiritsugu looks at the cell phone again and notices that Shirou's signal is starting to move in his direction with a smile that no one could see. He knew what that meant, his son survived the Gorgon and soon they will be reunited, it was the only explanation since the Gorgon was many times faster than the dot is moving.

'I hope he doesn't find many obstacles on the way.' The man looks at the sword on the angel's hands. 'I doubt she will want to return it but I think I can convince Shirou to let her have it for a while. With my contacts I am sure getting into contact with someone a little above her in the food chain and getting Muramasa back is possible.'

Either way the older man's priority is his son's life. Too many things had gone wrong with his plans and he isn't willing to risk, all he wants is his son safe and both out of the island before the earthquakes get any worse.

Kiritsugu doesn't even know how he would classify this job anymore; while Shirou didn't hesitate to kill monsters he did with humans to the point of being ready to fight his father over it even if the fact that he was ready to fight when the chaos started was a success in itself for the man.

"Soon we are going to separate." He announces to the members of the Heaven faction. "My son is coming here and from the movements he made all you have to do is follow a straight line to get into the Gorgon's lair."

"That is fine with us." Lab speaks quickly before one of the others could. "I am happy your son is alive. He is truly skilled to have managed to survive the Gorgon." The man nods in reply, his eyes still on the phone for a second before he puts it in his pocket.

Ariel posture grows stiff as she feels something approaching the tunnel, something that has her clenching the sword on her hands thighter.

In a few seconds everyone present can see a shadow approaching from the tunnel, it is clearly human and all of them can hear the sounds of footsteps rushing towards them in a hurry instead of the movements of a giant tail.

That is when Arial acts. Her wings unfold behind her back and she launches herself at the shadow. "ARIEL?" David calls in a panic.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Lab follows after, running towards the angel, Kiritsugu is unable to react to the sudden flight attack.

"Shirou!" Uncharacteristically for him, the patriarch of the Emiya family shouts in a panic as the murderous celestial being flies in his son's direction at full throttle, his son's own sword now aiming for his neck.

The redhead saw the attack coming immediately and jumped high to the side, not to avoid the blow completely since he is not willing to risk his small passenger on his back but he made sure that the angle of the sword would only scratch his armor before he took a couple of steps back to take some distance.

"What are you doing?" Shirou demands to know from the angel and he isn't the only one as her companions stopped advancing just past Kiritsugu who has a look of relief on his face.

Raising Muramasa and pointing it at him, Ariel says with scorn. "Why are you allied with this monster?" Everyone now can pay attention to the small bundle of black rags hanging on Shirou's back, noticing that it is actually a pretty little girl with long purple hair.

"Huh, I thought that I had slain this harpy earlier." Medusa says much to Shirou and others confusion.

"Harpy? She is an angel." Shirou says a little frustrated.

"What is an angel?" The purple haired girl questions the redhead but before he could answer Arial spoke with anger.

"She has the same- the same presence as that Gorgon." The angel says with a sneer of anger, her eyes not leaving the small girl's head. "She is a monster without a doubt. Maybe even a spawn of that beast!"

Another earthquake starts but the tunnel holds and Shirou doesn't allow it to distract him. "She is not a threat to anyone." Is what Shirou chooses to say. "She was a prisoner in this place for a long time now and I am taking her out."

"A prisoner?" Lab voices everyone's confusion but Kiritsugu keeps looking at the angel while his hands reload the machine gun.

'Shirou...' Kiritsugu is somewhat confused by his son's actions and who the small girl on his back might be, however he can already predict that things are not going to end peacefully. 'I made another mistake...is my age getting to me?'

He knew that wasn't the reason, he didn't expect this situation to develop in this direction. Regardless of who the little girl is and where she came from Shirou isn't going to allow her to get hurt which means that Kiritsugu's path is set.

"Ariel, she isn't the Gorgon. That is clear for all of us to see." Lab tries to rationalize with the angel but she doesn't even bother to look at him.

"Ariel can't be mistaken." David argues in her favor. "She felt the power of the Gorgon on her skin. If she says that girl has the same presence then we should at least take her to our superiors."

"She is going to die. Here! Today!" Ariel declares as she jumps again on the attack.

And once again Shirou jumps to the side to dodge, he takes great care to make sure that the sword doesn't touch Medusa's arms, letting the blow hit his chest instead. "Stop it!" Shirou jumps to a wall and then to the side the angel jumps at him but before she could pursue once again Kiritsugu opens fire on her.

"What the hell?" David shouts in anger at seeing Ariel being attacked by their previously assumed ally. "You bastard!" He raises his gauntlet hand at the mercenary only for a bullet from the Thompson Contender to hit him on the stomach, the older man barely looking at him. "Wha-"

"David!" Enraged by his friend's wound, Lab throws himself at Kiritsugu who turns his machine gun towards the bald man's chest and unloads whatever he didn't use on the angel. It doesn't stop the man as he swings his spear to cut the mercenary's heads off but he manages to roll and avoid it. "Do you think I would lower my guard around you, Magus Killer?"

'So he did recognize the name.' Instead of indulging in conversation, Kiritsugu takes stock of the situation; Shirou is still dodging the slightly wounded angel while the other hostile skin is starting to be covered in silver. 'Sacred gear? Probable.' Looking at the other man on the ground Kiritsugu says. "If you don't help your friend he is going to die."

Lab doesn't take the eyes from Kiritsugu as his body is fully covered in silver. "David! Start your emergency treatment! I will be there soon." The gauntlet on the other man's hand disappears as both move quickly as he tries to take care of the huge wound in the front and back of his body, his training and discipline keeps David going but Lab knows his time is short. "Balance Break, Silver Golem."

The clothes are still the same but from the many bullet holes in the vest the Magus Killer can see that the man's whole body is now covered in a silver like substance. 'My worst type of opponent and I have nowhere to hide.' Realizing the situation, Kiritsugu attempts to stop the fighting. "You can stop your friend angel, that was what I was trying to do before the other one tried to point the equivalent of a gun at me."

While Lab would normally be open to negotiations, unfortunately for Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer's reputation precedes him. "I know about your tricks, Magus Killer." He says with a glare as his spear changes shape and becomes a bigger one with a club on the other end, giving away the true identity of the sacred gear.

"One Armory, a sacred gear capable of becoming any weapon that doesn't attack from range." Kiritsugu discards the machine gun to the side and pulls out a bullet for the Thompson Contender, it is the only firearm he can use that may cause some damage.

"You heard of it? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, it is not a Longinus or something like that." The spear is thicker now with spikes in the end of the club in its shaft and still the man holds it with a single hand easily. "After I kill you, I shall pray for your black soul."

The giant man charges Kiritsugu but the mercenary is not concerned, he has enough space to dodge to the side and pass the executor before shooting the Thompson Contender and hitting Lab on the side.

The executor takes a couple of steps to the but not of his own volition, he felt a considerable degree of pain from that shot and while he recovered, Kiritsugu is already preparing another bullet before rushing towards the bald executor, getting close enough to aim for one of his eyes.

Lab has barely any time to react as the Magus Killer shoots his right eye, the caliber and power of the personalized Thompson Contender makes even normal bullets able to break the armor's defense. However Kiritsugu notices that there is no blood and immediately jumps back as the silver spear almost rips off one of his legs.

The Magus Killer knows he did some damage, Lab's right eye is closed and there is actually blood dripping from it, but instead of the bullet doing the expected thing and exiting the other side of the man's head, it failed to penetrate.

Preparing for another round, it is the Magus Killer experience and awareness that saves him as the silver giant charges from the front and David, who managed to close his wound temporarily thanks to a emergencial treatment that executors use in emergencies, raises his gauntlet and sends a shower of darts in his direction.

Jumping to the side, the mercenary isn't hit and the other executor isn't bothered by the darts as he changes his direction to swipe his spear at Kiritsugu's head. Crouching, the Magus Killer avoids the spear but he can see now that the fight isn't going to end quickly enough for his tastes.

Shirou is still dodging the angel's attack, Muramasa never leaving his vision as the sword is used at high speeds with the goal to either cut his head or Medusa's arms. The purple haired girl frowns as Shirou has to evade another attack that comes close to get his arm and one of her legs.

She already understood that he can't fight with her on his back. Not only Shirou is unable to counter attack but he needs to keep his distance against a Noble Phantasm of all things in the tunnel with limited space.

The angel keeps her attack constant, not bothering to pace herself. 'Kill her! I have to kill her!' In Ariel's mind Shirou is not relevant, only the being he is carrying and all the human is doing is getting in her way.

Not that she cares about him any longer as she already plans to cut him down to get to the Gorgon. As an angel she is confident in her power, speed and stamina regardless of how much the ordeals of the day had weakened her.

Muramasa is once again aimed at Shirou's neck and once again the magus dodges and an already frustrating situation for the angel grows even more frustrating as he dodged in the last minute before she could either get him or one of Medusa's arms.

This time however Shirou also goes for a kick in the angel's midsection and surprises her by actually making Ariel feel a bit of pain from the Reinforced kick that was enough to throw her back a couple of feet.

"You need to let me go." Medusa says as she notices that Shirou's offensive didn't cause any real damage to the angel as she just looks annoyed.

"If I do she is going to go after you -" The redhead stops talking as Ariel charges at them again, her wings hidden as she runs to them with Muramasa held high and aims for a slash on Shirou's shoulder.

The redhead feets move and he rolls while standing and kicks the angel on her back sending her to hit a wall. "You can't properly attack with me on your back." She tries to move her legs to disengage from him but Shirou doesn't let them go. "At least use your hands."

"You are still weak." Shirou points out as the angel raises again. "Besides, she isn't the fastest person I ever fought," he says to Medusa in a whisper before speaking out loud, "and her sword skills are amateurish."

His taunt words as Ariel throws herself at him in fury and he can easily sidestep the attack even as she continues to try after the initial dodge. Ariel swings fast but Shirou is faster and when she goes for a stab he makes sure to let the blow hit his armor then deflects the sword to the side and kicks her legs to break her balance.

With Ariel down, Shirou goes to kick Muramasa from her hand but the angel refuses to let go of his sword. Deciding that he has no choice, Shirou stomps on the angel's hand to break some fingers.

Enraged and in pain, Ariel makes a spear of light and moves to stab Shirou's side. But the redhead was expecting that and jumped back while the tip of the spear touched but didn't damage his armor. He knows that he is pushing the limits of the angel's patience but he needs to keep pushing, either to force her to drop the sword or abandon it.

With her wings out again, Ariel screams in anger. "Is this part of your plan?" Medusa wonders as she is sure he has a plan.

"I know that sword 'ins' and 'outs' better than anyone else." Shirou boasts with a little pride. "With the curse in full force she won't listen to us but if she believes her spears can do more damage…"

"She isn't thinking straight enough for that." The purple haired girl comments as she sees the angel expand her wings again. "Even lost in rage, if she believes that sword is the thing capable of realizing her wish then she won't ever let it go."

Shirou was about to disagree when he remembered who he was talking with. 'If someone understands the mentality of someone lost in madness, it is her.' Looking at Ariel he can see that she is healing her hand and has still enough power to keep going for a long time. "Then how do I snap her out of it?"

"You already know the answer to that." Medusa says with a dark look before it changes to one of surprise. "Look out!"

Shirou didn't even need to look, he already knows what is coming even if not how. Fortunately for them the redhead wasn't lying about the lack of the angel's skill with a sword, her movement was predictable because of her inexperience and anger.

It is the same maneuver that Shirou used previously, a quick jump to the side with a little repositioning to make sure his armor would take the blow. He can feel the passing of Muramasa but this time it was different and when he kicked the angel to disengage he noticed that his chest was bleeding and the armor was damaged.

"That divine harpy has some power on her." Medusa noted that Shirou used his skill to fix the armor. "You need to let me go and fight. Hide me if you have to."

"She is going to hunt you." Shirou points out as the angel is letting out even more energy while taking flight as high as the tunnel allows her to.

"We have no choice, her Divinity may be diminishing but she isn't losing any power."

"I will- Wait! Her Divinity? You mean her holy power?" That sounds wrong for Shirou.

"Call it whatever you want, it is diminishing but she isn't losing energy." Medusa couldn't comprehend how that was possible since the Divinity of a god is tied to their power.

But Shirou understood and when he looked back at Ariel he tried to talk once again. "Ariel! Stop this! She isn't a monster any longer!" There is no point in hiding the identity of the person on his back, she already knew.

"She is the Gorgon! A monster that threatens humanity!" Ariel declares in anger. "She shall be killed and judged in the name of the Lord!"

"She was cursed!" Shirou shouts back. "Listen to me! This place is falling apart and we have to go!" He is practically pleading with her at this point

"Silence human!" But the angel gives his pleas no attention and raises Muramasa again in an overhead strike that Shirou can easily see coming. Even with Ariel flying, the magus is already used to her speed and with her lack of skill he dodges again.

The magus tries to kick her in the back but the wings block his attack, their white color no longer pristine even as the angel opens them in full, throwing Shirou away from her. "She is right." Medusa tells him. "I am a monster. So stop just trying to protect me and fight."

"Sorry but no. I made a promise and I intend to keep it." All that the purple haired goddess can do is let go of his neck and push herself away from him. "What are you doing? Do you want to die?"

"No, I want to live for my sisters too." Was the quick answer. "But I can't fight, you can. So fight!"

"She is coming!" Shirou's warning is fast enough for Medusa to hold his neck again as Shirou dodges to the side, his collarbone and shoulder getting cut because of the confusion. "Look, I know we barely know each other-"

"You broke my mirror and I tried to kill you." Medusa says in agreement and in an attempt to make him let her go.

"-but I promised to protect you and I am going to keep it. Just hold on for a while. I have a plan." Incredulity fills Medusa's eyes but Shirou just smiles at her confidently. "Just trust me a little."

Deciding to take her chances with him, Medusa whispers. "Stupid man." And holds firmly on his neck as the angel is already upon them again.

This time Shirou tries a different approach and charges at her, surprising both the goddess and angel as he jumps and kicks Ariel to the ground before jumping on top of her with both feet stomping her spine.

He took no pleasure in the scream of the angel but the magus couldn't hesitate in this situation and he also needs time. 'If Medusa is right…' He runs away just before Ariel gets up, wings spreading to their full length as Shirou keeps glaring at them, looking for something.

When he found what he was looking for, the son of the Emiya family realized that Muramasa is much more dangerous than he previously thought. He is about to try and rush towards it when another earthquake begins, many times worse than before.

"The island is falling apart." The goddess says with concern.

"Ariel! You have to stop and drop the sword!" Medusa notices the panic on Shirou's voice as the tunnel starts to get even more unstable. The only reason why the mountain and the island lasted this long was because the power that sustained it for so long was divine.

"Silence human! In the name of the Father of Heaven, the God Almighty, I shall-"

"But you are not fighting for God!" Shirou's words managed to snap the angel out of her rant.

"YOU DARE TO PRESUME I DON'T FIGHT FOR FATHER!" Her rage is palpable for Shirou and Medusa but the redhead is calm despite the tons of rock shaking and getting ready to fall over their heads.

"If you are fighting for God then tell me," Shirou licks his lips, time is running out and if this fails then they will be in trouble, "why are your wings turning black?"

For a moment it looked like the woman was going to scream and attack once again but she refrains from doing it, a fear that she never felt before creeping on her spine as her core told her that something was indeed wrong.

Slowly she turns her head to the side to look at one of her wings; to her they are the most precious gifts that her Father ever could bestow on His children and even if she is a lower caste of angel they represent God's love for her and their white color means that she loves Him back.

When Ariel's eyes finally landed on her wings she was relieved. They are still pristine white like a cloud, the color that her Father gave to her. Anger begins to fill her head as she starts to think on how to kill the monster and the human.

It was then that her wings changed.

It was then that she broke.

Meanwhile, Lab and David work together to suppress Kiritsugu. Both are young executors of the Church that worked together more than once and develop a good sense of teamwork and with sacred gears that can complement each other.

Both also know that they are not the strongest of the executors but just the fact that they are members of the most bloody institution of their faction speaks of their skills and power. It is the reason why they are the handlers of Ariel, even if they are kind to her and accepted to follow her into an unauthorized mission.

Their opponent is Kiritsugu Emiya, a infamous freelancer turned mercenary with ties to the devil side. While he doesn't have any gray hairs, the man has been in the business long enough that most of his peers are already dead and his body has suffered the consequences of his habits and a life of fighting and killing.

The Magus Killer speciality is assasination, he made his career with planning and positioning with years of experience in analysing a target's weak spots and picking them apart while keeping himself safe.

In a tunnel that is mostly hard, there are just a couple of meters that the fighters can move around and still stay on sight while avoiding the other fight happening. Not only that but the duo's sacred gears are compatible enough that Kiritsugu has no means to finish the fight easily without bringing down the whole tunnel.

The executors are in the prime of their lives while the Magus Killer is already entering his twilight years, both members of the Church have resources and skills that allow them to fight in the tunnels while Kiritsugu has to limit himself or bring the whole place down on their heads.

Still, the Thompson Contender fires another shot, this time in Lab's knee, bringing the bald man down for the third time as darts are shot by David at an open Magus Killer, who never lost sight of the younger executor, that rolls to the ground to use the older executor as a shield.

David is definitively frustrated with the fight, Lab can't get Kiritsugu and everytime that David has a clear shot the Magus Killer positions himself to use his friend as a shield. "You bastard! Why can't I hit you?!" He asks in real frustration, truly wanting an answer. For him it was the worst part of the whole thing, the silence. "Say something!"

'Experience.' The Magus Killer allows himself to reply in his mind, another bullet already on his gun as he waits for Lab to get up again, which the silver giant did. The moment that Lab is back on his feet and preparing his spear, his opponent is already moving to dodge.

Kiritsugu could already have killed David if he wanted, more than once even. But as he aims his Contender towards the executor, his partner is already moving to intercept, not realizing that is exactly what the older man present wants, for him to get in a position to be shot while Kiritsugu looks for weaknesses on the armor.

The Magus Killer has special bullets, his true trump cards, that he suspects could break the sacred gear protection. But it is only a suspicion and he has no need to waste them in a hunch since the concussive force of the Thompson Contender is enough to damage the man, his Silver Golem not being completely able to stop the damage as he previously took note.

There is also the fact that with the earthquake going both Kiritsugu's and David's shots are becoming harder to aim and why the Magus Killer needs to be careful, the structure is already frail enough and if he resorts to more extreme resources he will end up killing himself.

And both executors know this, they know that the terrain is actually helping them and hampering the Magus Killer as his shot, that should have gone for the heart to start working on the ribs around it or even the organ itself, misses and hits the shoulder. The size of the bullet and the quality of the weapon is still enough to push the silver man's shoulder to the side but not enough to bring him down even as he bits back a scream of pain.

With a well practiced movement, the Magus Killer opens his gun and prepares another bullet, his movement is precise and optimal, not a second wasted as both threats still on his sights can't react fast enough to capitalize on the opening.

David wants to jump into the action, to get closer and attack from a better position, he just can't. 'My stomach is killing me.' The first wound he suffered since entering the tunnels and it was crippling to the point he can barely fight. 'Damned! How did he react so quickly?'

The executor suffocates his frustration and tries to get up to change his position but it is in vain as his legs fail him. Like his peers and those in the exorcist department he received an extensive training for pain tolerance but ignoring pain is useless to him when he can barely move without opening and aggravating the wound.

'How did that bastard shoot me so easily? What did I do wrong?' David questions himself in rage as Lab extends his spear at the mercenary's direction only for Kiritsugu to raise a leg and let it pass him harmless before he takes another shot in the bald man's arm. "How are we getting destroyed so easily? It is like this son of a bitch knew how to cripple us…?"

When the question started to leave his lips, David's clouded mind realized that Kiritsugu only pulled out the Contender when he was about to attack him after what Kiritsugu had done to Ariel and in that moment the older black haired man shot him without looking anywhere near David's vicinity.

'Did- could he have known that Ariel was going to attack? Did he know how we would react? He must have since he had barely shouted at Ariel and he already had a gun ready for me.' David had heard about the Magus Killer, how ruthless the man was said to be. Only now the young executor could really understand how Kiritsugu earned his reputation. 'That means...all this time we have been down here...he planned to kill us.'

While David is trying to process the present situation, Lab is getting too tired to keep fighting. His Balance Breaker, while strong defensively, wasn't made for long conflicts or at least not made to be in the offensive in them.

But with his comrades busy or crippled, the older executor had no choice but keep attacking the mercenary only to be beaten back again and again, getting slower and weaker after every new attempt. 'I can't get him.' Lab things between breaths as his body is already falling apart, he was literally getting too hot below all the silver.

The Magus Killer isn't even winded, all his movements since the angel had tried to attack his son have been deliberated and he has controlled the pace of the fight as well as he could considering the situation.

'The earthquake isn't stopping anymore and is growing in strength.' Kiritsugu prepares another bullet in the Contender. 'I need to get Shirou and leave quickly.' There were only two factors that slowed his progress or else his targets would already be dead; the earthquake that threw off his aim and the Balance Breaker.

If one of the two factors weren't in play both executors would already be dead at this point. Dismantling the Balance Break weakness was easy for him since the first shot had already shown that there is still human flesh beneath the silver and his Thompson Contender is a weapon strong enough the armor is just a set back.

But with the earthquake making his approach more difficult and him being unable to land multiple shots in the same place the fight dragged on. If the terrain was more stable, Kiritsugu would have aimed for the kneecaps exclusively until the silver executor fell down and he could just shoot him in the head until he died.

Eventually the result happens anyway, exhausted and wounded beneath his sacred gear protection, Lab needs to use his spear for support to get up or he wouldn't get to his feet. He knows he is finished, that there is no way for him to defeat the Magus Killer and that once he is gone there will be nothing in the way of the mercenary to finish everyone else off.

"I won't- huff- let you win." Said the older executor in defiance as the tip of his spear grows and becomes a giant club that he swings with a roar of exertion. He can feel the pain of his muscles and how his bones are almost falling apart but he persists.

Kiritsugu isn't impressed or bothered and just shoots Lab in the chest, making him fall down and the silver coat that covered his body disappear, his stamina spent as the executor can no longer keep his Balance Break active and his spear also disappears in motes of light.

The Magus Killer looks at David, not even bothering in reloading the Contender and instead flicking his wrist to summon a normal handgun. Even if the younger executor looks defeated with his arms lowered and an expression of despair, Kiritsugu isn't taking chances as he approaches the defeated Lab, sidearm ready to take out the younger threat.

Even with the earthquake and the tunnel starting to fall apart around him, now that his opponent is on the ground, the Magus Killer just needs a proper angle to shoot the head of the bald executor, repeat the process with the younger one and then help his son deal with the angel.

Positioning his gun while still paying attention to the despaired David, Kiritsugu aims and shoots for Lab's head only for the gun to be pushed to the ceiling and the shot misses due to the interference.

By Shirou's own hands. "Enough! This is over!" He announces while using one of his hands to keep the hand gun pointing up.

"Shirou-"

"We have no time for a discussion and I won't let you kill them over a misunderstanding." The son interrupts the father with a glare and Kiritsugu can see that he won't budge. "We are leaving."

"Very well." His goal is to keep Shirou alive anyway so he has no problem in letting the Church members to their own fate. But that isn't Shirou's intention as he makes two EMs and gives one to him. "Shirou…"

Ignoring his father's growl, Shirou kneels close to the still awake Lab. "This is going to hurt for a bit. After I heal you, get Ariel. We will need to run."

"We should already be running." Medusa says, still on Shirou's back but that is the only protest she raises.

"Lady Ariel?" Lab asks in confusion as he turns his head to see the angel ignoring the tunnel falling around her while sobbing. "Ariel! What did you do to her?"

Shirou shakes his head but it is Medusa who replies. "She did that to herself."

David also noticed Ariel but he still is unable to move. He also didn't notice when Kiritsugu was at his side with a scalpel and stabbing him on the leg. "AH!" If he could, he would have jumped in fright.

"Hold on it and inject mana, it will heal you." The older man said with an uninterested look as he got up and started going towards his son.

Suspecting a trick until he realized that the Magus Killer could have easily killed him, David follows the instruction and feels his wounds healing. With the energy from it, the executor even manages to close the wound in his organs.. "Is this a sacred gear?" He asks just for no one to hear.

"You have some explaining to do." Kiritsugu informs Shirou who stands to look back at him while Lab runs towards Ariel.

The redhead has no idea exactly what his father was referring to but he didn't care. "I made a choice." Shirou replies with a smile that disappears as the earthquakes get worse and parts of the walls begin to fall apart.

"Move!" Lab shouts while running with a shivering Ariel in his arms and David right behind them.

The Emiya men look at each other and start running, Medusa staying silent as she can do nothing in this situation. Easily the two magus reach and pass the executors that still have some cracked bones, mostly Lab's, and are exhausted in general.

Not that any of them has time to relax as they rush back the tunnel where they came from, dead bodies of serpents and rocks falling being the only obstacle present as they race to escape their possible tomb.

Running is all they all can do but things start to get worse. "Wait." Medusa's soft voice makes Shirou stop which in turn stops Kiritsugu and the executors that are still afraid of him. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" David questions with impatience, his eyes going to the tunnel, to Ariel and then to the tunnel again. "This place is falling apart, we need to go!"

It isn't long until they all start to hear a noise coming from the tunnel, loud and constant in a way that most of them have never heard before in their lives.

However, Kiritsugu has. "We need to go another way." He jumps for a more steep tunel and Shirou doesn't think twice before following his father.

"Why?" David questions before he is pushed forward by Lab.

"Something loud is coming and you want to waste time talking?" With Ariel still in his arms, the executor says nothing else as he follows along the path that Kiritsugu picked.

Still resenting the situation and the fact they are following a mercenary, David hesitates and prepares to protest when the loud son makes him turn his head to see water rushing in his direction.

The young executor doesn't hesitate anymore and starts to run the new path using his hands to get away from the flood.

"Keep moving!" Kiritsugu shouts, mostly for Shirou's benefit.

"We lost the main path!" Lab shouts back , getting more nervous with the situation.

"All the tunnels are connected and most have an exit or another!" Shirou informs everyone as Medusa whispers it in his ear.

"We need to go for one that can take us higher in the mountain." Medusa continued while trying to remember the tunnels she made in the past to find a path that doesn't drown them. 'Most of my memory about this place is fuzzy. When I needed to go somewhere I would just make another tunnel.'

They soon come across a crossing with three different tunnels in different directions. "Which one?" Shirou asks but Medusa has no idea.

"We need to take one to the right!" David tells everyone, all eyes turning to him but Kiritsugu is the one that scares him with the look. "I know a thing or two about positioning! If the Gorgon's lair and exits are in the same direction then the steeper the tunnel the better!"

"He is right!" The Magus Killer announces his agreement, turning around to the side and running towards the right. "It is our best bet!"

There is no hesitation in any of them as they can hear more water running around the mountain, all they think now is escape and survival and the best way is to climb the mountain while looking for the exit.

Inevitably but fortunately for the group of six, they find an inclined wall with a light at the end of the tunnel, the sun basking the interior of the cave which brings hope to them. It felt like hours for most of them and they were exhausted but the final climb looks considerably forgiving given how much they had to run inside the mountain.

"Hold on." Shirou tells Medusa as he lets go of her legs, which close around his waist, to begin his climb, the wall being too steep for just a human's legs and soon enough he and others are climbing out.

Lab is still trying to hold Ariel while he goes up, using only a single arm to keep himself steady. David notices that his friend is not going fast enough as the cave they are in shakes more. "LAB!"

"KEEP GOING!" The older executor orders, his eyes on Ariel as she keeps trembling and mumbling in a whisper something he couldn't properly understand. "Lady Ariel, please if you can hear me I need you to fly." She doesn't react to his voice, still just trembling. "Shit."

Lab begins to climb again, moving the angel to his shoulder to make it easier for him, looking up to David who was too far to help but wanted to as he tries to get closer.

"Stop wasting time and move!" Is all the older executor says as he looks up and is surprised to see a chain right above him.

"Tie her up!" Shirou says and Kiritsugu just looks at his son confused. "I am closer to the top! Tie her up!"

"That is too much weight!" The concerned parent said but Shirou ignored him.

Realizing that denying the offer was just going to get him and Ariel killed, Lab summons his sacred gear with the last energy he has and stabs it to his side so it can help with his balance.

After Ariel was properly tied up, Lab let her go and watched as Shirou climbed with two people on his back with Medusa complaining about his carelessness in doing such a thing. The executor almost fell once his sacred gear disappeared but the man managed to catch himself before he became a stain on the ground.

The wall they are climbing is already starting to fall apart as water begins to fill the cave little by little. It still isn't enough for someone to survive if they fall, it just means that most of the cave system is flooded.

Every so often some of the group comes close to falling as the rocks on their hands give out due to the tremors. Carrying two people, Shirou is completely concentrated in keeping his Reinforcement going for the last stretch and he found himself relieved when he was close to the top with his father offering a hand to bring him up.

Kiritsugu stares at the chain tied to Shirou's waist as the purple haired girl jumps from his back as the redhead starts to pull the angel. For a moment he thought about breaking it so there was one less burden but he can see the determination in his son's eyes.

If the Magus Killer acted, Shirou would never forgive Kiritsugu and so the parents grabbed the chain and started to pull as well so they could conclude their escape.

Meanwhile Medusa is looking at the ruins of her temple, the home where she lived with her sisters and in the end killed them only to soon be killed herself. 'I will never forget you.' Tears start to leave her eyes but she quickly cleans them with one hand.

After so long in a cave with only a magical mirror for company, even with her sanity compromised, this is the first time she takes a look at her old temple. She raises one of her bare feet and turns around, fighting against the wish to stay a while longer.

Stopping for a moment and fully turning to the temple once again, Medusa lowers her head. The little goddess would have liked to leave an offering or something to her sisters but with the island literally sinking and her without anything to give she just gives her former home a small prayer and returns to the humans or at least to the one that promised to protect her.

All around them the state of the island can be seen. They are at the highest point, the top of the mountain and it is the last part of the land that has not sunk yet since everything else has already been claimed by the ocean. "We are going to die, aren't we?" David says mildly depressed as the ocean surrounds them and the ships that had brought them to the island are now just dots in the horizon, having escaped after the Gorgon appearance.

"We must wake up lady Ariel." Lab is determined to at least do this much. "She can survive this. Help me snap her out of her cursed state." The black haired man looks to the mumbling and stiff teal haired angel before he nodded. If this was going to be his last act in life, he shall not complain.

"That isn't the curse." Medusa said but her observation fell on deaf ears as the executors tried to bring the angel back to reality. She herself couldn't understand all the details since her protector had no time to explain everything but she knows from what she saw that the angel did that to herself. With a shake of her head, she turns to Shirou. "What now?"

The redhead can easily admit that he has no idea of what to do in this situation but he has hope. "Old man, please tell me you have something on that coat that can get us out of this mess." While he hears his son's question Kiritsugu doesn't look at him, his hands working on a part of his coat. "Dad?"

"Yes, I have something for this kind of emergency. It pays to be prepared when going to an island for a job." The older Emiya informs his son and both him and Medusa let out a sigh of relief. "I just need a couple of moments to find the right rune and circle- got it!"

And not a second too late as the mountain begins to truly fall apart. "EVERYONE GET HERE!" Shirou calls for the members of the Church as Kiritsugu prepares a giant bag as the floor beneath their feet also is breaking apart.

Seeing that the whole time since they joined with Shirou the redhead he saved their lives more than once, even from his own father, the two don't hesitate to run close to Kiritsugu who is pulling a rope from the bag, unveiling a huge and round inflatable boat with enough space for ten people.

"Get in!" Kiritsugu says as the mountain truly begins to fall apart. All managed to embark as the stone can't stop the inevitable anymore.

Everyone can only hold on as the mountain finally lets go, the boat dropping to the ocean at gravity's mercy. Some prayed, others just tried to stay alive.

Even as they land on water, the final destruction of the Shapeless Isle still generates great waves that push the boat, almost toppling it. "Spread out! Keep it stable!" Lab takes charge as they slip to different corners to keep the balance, Shirou holding Medusa while David holds the still catatonic Ariel.

A huge wave tries to topple the boat but the group manages to keep it steady and soon only the normal waves of the ocean, waves that their boat has no problem navigating. "Everyone alright?" Shirou questions once he notices that there are no more huge waves trying to take them down.

"You have much to explain." Before anyone can reply to the redhead's question, Kiritsugu points out his displeasure with a single glare.

Shirou takes it in stride and offers father a small smile. "Can we have this discussion once we are on land? I think I will be as far away from the sea as possible for a while."

"You and me both." Lab can't stop himself from commenting but while the older executor is just happy for being alive the younger is irritated.

"What did you do to her?" David tries to manifest his gauntlet but he is too tired to do it. However his glare doesn't show his exhaustion and just anger.

Picking up Muramasa from his belt, Shirou looks at the sword with a sad look. "I didn't even know that the curse was that dangerous to the point of affecting an angel."

"What is the curse?" Medusa questions with a glance to the sword only for Kiritsugu to look at her then back to Shirou.

"Obsession, that is the curse of Muramasa." Shirou reveals to Medusa and the Church members and just with those worlds the goddess understood the problem while the executors didn't.

"What obsession? Ariel is an angel!" David almost gets up but the boat shakes and he immediately sits down.

Understanding the frustration in the other man's voice, Shirou debated how to best explain how obsession could ruin an angel if they are not careful but just thinking about it made him look to Muramasa with a certain fear.

"What is that sword? What is a fucking Muramasa?" David doesn't relent in his anger or questions. He wants to know why someone he cared deeply for is now in a state she doesn't even care for her own life.

Kiritsugu has nothing to say on the situation, however he looks around the sea and comments. "Whatever happens we need to start moving or the sea is going to drag us farther away from land."

Shirou didn't know if he commented to help him or not but his father's words snapped people to attention. "Do you have some paddles in that coat of yours?" Shirou can't help but ask and isn't surprised when his father draws two out.

He was surprised when Kiritsugu threw them to the executors. "You two better start."

"They are-" "What do you think-"

"I don't trust them." The Magus Killer tells Shirou, interrupting him and David. "While they are busy they can't threaten us and they are good enough for that." Seeing that his son was still going to protest, Kiritsugu changed tactics. "You can use the time to explain the curse and what happened to the angel. Meanwhile you," he began the next part looking to the members of the Church, "should start paddling. While we are in the middle of the afternoon, the sun can be extremely dangerous for a human's skin." The fact he is using all black didn't help him with that as the heat can be suffocating but he refuses to let it show.

"Wait a moment then." Shirou requests as he gets up, his footing allows him to stand as he draws Muramasa. "This sword's curse...it's too dangerous." The redhead admits with a frown. "Of course I already knew that, I have known it since I first laid eyes on it. But I underestimated the curse in it; the regrets and obsession of a smith that this sword carries."

Deep down Shirou knows it was his fault too, if he hadn't let go of Muramasa, Ariel wouldn't be in her actual state. Not only that but he also didn't know the kind of effect the blade would have on an angel of all beings.

There was just no real way of him knowing it, the sword has always been in human hands and sometimes in the odd yokai hands, never in angel hands. "Because of how its curse works, an angel that uses it carelessly has the risk of falling." The information scares the members of the Church as Medusa looks confused.

Kiritsugu raises an eyebrow and takes a deep breath. "Yes, that sword is officially too dangerous now."

"'Falling'? What is the problem of someone falling? It happens all the time." Medusa asks Shirou and the redhead chuckles.

"I will explain later." Suddenly Lab gets up on the boat only to fall down from exhaustion and lack of balance but he is also glaring at Shirou and Kiritsugu.

"In that case we shall have to confiscate it." Before anyone could point out how he is trying something against the people that have already defeated them, Lab points to the boat and produces a small knife. "If I sink this boat, odds are that we all will die and the sword is going to be lost on the sea."

"That won't be necessary." Shirou says with a smile as he raises the other hand and puts it on the sword's side. "I believe this is the best solution for both sides." And Shirou pushes mana in a specific part in the center of the sword before it starts to shine with an intense light breaking apart, blowing up in a small explosion that rocks the boat. "Does this satisfy you?"

On Shirou's hand there is now only the handle of the Muramasa, the blade is completely destroyed and no one in the boat can believe in what Shirou did. Took a few seconds for anyone to process what happened and how Shirou could have done it.

To the majority of Noble Phantasms, the redhead couldn't break them that easily even if he studied them for as long as he did the Muramasa. But the sword was made of normal even if extremely refined steel. Noble Phantasm or not, with how much he studied it, Muramasa was a weapon Shirou could easily break.

Much to the shock of everyone else, especially those that don't know how much he admired the blade, that was just an unbelievable feat that shouldn't either be possible or was just purely insane because of its value. "That...was a Noble Phantasm..."

"One that could have started a war." Shirou replies to Lab calmly. "I had no idea that it could affect angles like that. Ariel's reaction was worse than in any human but I suppose it makes sense since she is a pure angel."

"She doesn't have an obsession." David raises a weak defense as he still can't believe someone would just break a Noble Phantasm, not knowing how to even begin doing such a thing or the reasons for doing so other than what he said.

"That depends on what you define as an obsession." Shirou fits the hands in the sheath and looks at it for a moment. "The strong desire of protecting someone or maybe the wish to accomplish a goal. Any of those things can become an obsession." He looks at Ariel with sad eyes. "If you consider that as a pure angel she may never have to deal with those kinds of emotions then that makes the situation even worse."

Everyone stays silent to process the actions and the reasons behind them. In Kiritsugu's opinion, Shirou made the right call; considering that the angel was almost falling previously, Muramasa could become a reason for a war and considering his skills, losing the sword is no great loss.

Medusa, remembering their fight, also knows that Shirou can make another Muramasa, yet she says nothing. Shirou is now her protector and the more tricks on his sleeves the better is for her. She is still perplexed by how he could own two of the same Noble Phantasm but that she can ask later privately.

But the executors stare at the now empty sheath and handle with confusion and acceptance. The sword was dangerous but since now it is destroyed they have no reason to fight about it. "Sorry for the threat." Lab sounds sincere enough that he made Shirou chuckle.

The redhead looks back to his father, he can see the small gun on his hand aiming for the bald man's face. "No problem." Then he pulls his arm back and throws the remains of the sword where the Shapeless Isle sunk in the ocean. "One last offering to the goddesses of the island."

One one hand Medusa knows that her siblings didn't like weapons, Euryale had an affinity for bows but in general they didn't fight nor appreciate tools of war. On the other hand, "Thank you." She knows her sisters would value anything people gave to them in appreciation.

"No problem." Shirou says, now sitting back down.

"Start padding." Kiritsugu's tone is neutral but the two executors took it like it carried a clear warning and started padding. "Once we are on land, we will go our separate ways and I expect that you two forget what happened here."

"We should still report-"

"We will forget everything." Lab interrupts David with a glare. "We aren't here...officially in the first place. Besides, the monster was slain," he says even as he gives Medusa a side glance, "and that dangerous sword is broken. We have nothing to report besides that we broke the rules and lady Ariel paid for it."

The mention of the angel's condition was enough to make David let that matter drop, placing his paddle on the water followed by Lab. His eyes landing on her as his concern is visible to everyone except the angel who is just mumbling words no one could comprehend.

Despite everything, Kiritsugu wasn't going to take their word alone for their silence. "You two will sign a contract on it. Just to make sure you don't divulge my or my son's involvement. Or even his existence." If the man had his way he would just kill three of them and be done with it.

"Is that really necessary dad?" But with Shirou around he knows he can't without fighting against his son.

"The less people know about her the better." The Magus Killer said motioning to the goddess, knowing his son well enough to know the right words to say. "Or do you want an army of the Church knocking our door once it gets out we have a goddess in the house?"

"Your father presents a fair argument." Medusa's comment only made Shirou chuckle in agreement.

"Okay, they are walking away alive on this so they have no reason to complain." Was the redhead acceptance put into words but he felt he should add another detail. "But don't worry about them showing up at your house, they won't have any reason to."

The comment was suspicious to Kiritsugu but his son was just smiling, even placing both of his arms beneath his head in a completely relaxed posture. But just the way he said has the father nervous and he already can see himself dismantling the sentence once they are somewhere safe.

"I still want to know more about that curse." David isn't willing to let the matter go even if the sword was destroyed. "I can't believe this is just something about obsession. Look at lady Ariel. She looks absolutely terrified and keeps saying gibberish."

"She has been saying 'I am sorry Father, please forgive me' ever since Shirou made her look at her wings." Medusa informs everyone as the men in the boat look at her in confusion. "I can understand her perfectly."

"She must be speaking Enochian then." Lab grows at the information, that is his best guess. "If she has no intention for us to understand her, then it will sound gibberish to our ears..." He didn't want to say anything else.

"What is Enochian?" Medusa questions the big man.

"The language of the angels." Kiritsugu is the one who answers, noticing how Lab doesn't even look at Medusa any longer. "Unlike most idioms, one needs intent behind its words to be understood and it is one of the most ancient languages in the universe. Probably her intent is irrelevant to you because you are a goddess, closer to an angel than any of us."

"What does this have to do with the curse?" Nothing and David knows it, he just doesn't like the idea of sitting across any divine being that has no connection to his God.

"There isn't much to explain; Muramasa Sengo was obsessed in creating a sword that could cut everything and his creation, once it became a Noble Phantasm, grew to be able to instill a similar obsession in its users." Shirou lays down the basics, paying attention if David was understanding but the black haired executor's frown just showed irritation. "Obsession is not necessarily a bad thing." The redhead tries to simplify. "It is not a sin or anything like that; it is the single minded pursuit of a goal, sometimes disregarding everything else."

At the minor explanation Lab decides to say. "That doesn't explain lady Ariel's state."

"It was the goal that was the problem." Shirou doesn't want to say much, he is trying to respect the angel's privacy in a way since it was his fault that the sword fell for her to pick it up. "Her goal was to 'kill the Gorgon at all cost', and I really mean 'all cost' in every sense of the phrase."

"That doesn't explain anything, she wasn't doing anything to end this state." David didn't rise or stop his paddle but it is clear he wanted to. "We came here on a holy mission; to slay a monster that was responsible for the deaths of hundreds every year-"

"Indirectly." Shirou interrupts David without delay. "But that wasn't the problem, it wasn't coming to Greece to face the Gorgon that almost made her fall, it was the fact that she lost herself in it and became willing to do everything to kill the Gorgon, regardless of the cost or what is on her way."

"That… we have to deal with such choices every day in our line of work." David complains, not seeing sense on what Shirou is saying.

"But for angels it is different." Lab's voice carries solemnity and understanding. "To true angels the world must really look black and white and the fact that she tried to kill someone instead of just talking or thinking before acting was turning her into a fallen." His eyes didn't leave Ariel's form, the angel completely lost to the world. "Her words make sense in this case. She is trying to apologize to God for her slight."

"But she isn't at fault." David raises to her defense again. "She just wanted to kill a monster, even if the Gorgon is now a little girl-"

"Little and defenseless." Shirou said with a shrug even as Medusa threw a small glare at him.

'He isn't wrong but there was no need to say it.' For the first time the former Gorgon wished that she had smashed the mirror herself if only to not be so reduced as she is at the moment.

"'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'." Said a contemplative Kiritsugu, his hand going for his coat again, stopping just before he summoned something he hadn't touched in almost two decades. 'I wish I could get a cigarette right now.' And the man technically could, but he doesn't, he promised to his daughter to not smoke anymore.

Instead the man pulled out a cell phone and started to send messages to his associates. He has a slight suspicion of what Shirou wants to do based on what he said and Kiritsugu would like to be prepared for that moment.

Since Kiritsugu wasn't willing to say anything else, silence prevails in their small boat as they make their way back to Greece. Usually Shirou would like to help the executors but it is clear they are in better condition than he was for the most part as the redhead can acknowledge he is exhausted, he may have healed himself but that didn't help much with the effort he had to put during the day.

Medusa has her guard up as she notices the state of her protector, a state she can say she is responsible for putting him in but there is little she can do at this point. To make sure she is safe from her protector's father, she gets closer to Shirou and makes sure he is between his father and her by laying at his side.

Besides that she also makes sure that the executors and the angel are still in her sights, not trusting them to not try something if she lowers her guard. The only real problem she has is that Shirou is too relaxed for her tastes.

'I suppose I can't blame him. Fighting me left him in this state.' Medusa rationalizes as she tries to feel her powers and notices that they are extremely weak. 'It is going to take a long time to fix this up.'

Medusa's eyes stay in the executors; she can see that the two men are nervous to be there, mostly because of her as they avoid her as much as possible. Even with the loss of the senses and power that she had as the Gorgon, Medusa can recognize the signs of unease that the men are exhibiting, the shift looks and the refusal to meet anyone else's eyes.

She watches them for a few minutes, daring them to try and attack her. Part of Medusa is afraid of such a thing happening but another part knows that Shirou didn't lie before and her protector is still conscious.

But she stays alert until something lands on her nose, distracting her. "What is this?" Medusa is sure that she saw that before but the white substance wasn't in the mirror and neither was something that showed up on her island.

"Have you never seen snow before?" Shirou asks curiosity and then Medusa looks around, noticing that it was snowing around them.

A memory returns to the purple haired girl's mind. "Just once, before we were banished to the island...and never since then." The small goddess recalls it barely but her memory is good enough that she could remember most of her time as the Gorgon.

"It means the boundary field around the Shapeless Isle truly fell." Shirou informs everyone in the boat. He, like Medusa, knew that it was her body that kept the island together and in a perpetual summer that extended to the city of Perseus.

"I see…" Medusa understood what Shirou meant with his words, she had no idea that it was her power that kept the snow away before. The thought that another part of the island was truly gone made her a little sad.

Noticing the melancholy in Medusa's face, Shirou pats her head but otherwise says nothing. Medusa appreciates the gesture and lets herself relax a little.

For the first time the boat is silent, even Ariel stopped mumbling and is now laying in the middle of the vessel, sleeping with the waves.

…..