Chapter 13: Reforged.
The finely dressed man and I reached the top of a small hill and entered the Ryuudou temple, where he lived. The blank-faced man was none other than Souichirou Kuzuki, an assassin trained from a young age but eventually settled down in Fuyuki two years prior to live a relatively normal life as a school teacher, wholly unaware of the existence of the supernatural.
We stand in silence inside an open space, the floor was made out of hardwood and the surroundings was lit up appropriately. Before me stood Kuzuki wearing different clothes; gone were the professional's ensemble he previous wore, replaced by a form-fitting attire that allowed a dynamic range of motion, the same applied to me.
A dangerous aura covered the man's form, and for a brief moment, I saw an image of a large snake coil around him, bearing its fangs at me with a hiss. Blinking, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before lunging at the man, arms raised. Bracing himself, Kuzuki did much the same, but more poised. Swift kicks and powerful punches flew through the air, each blow aiming to incapacitate the other without mercy.
I was, of course, limiting my physical capabilities to that of a normal human's level to properly contend with him in close combat. After much contemplation, I decided to speak to Souichirou Kuzuki a year ago and politely asked him to teach me unarmed combat to increase my repertoire of skills, all the while keeping my identity as a magus hidden. This served two things, not only do I grow more skilled at fighting, but also form a cordial relationship with the man. As from what I could remember, he became the Master of the Caster-class Servant during the Holy Grail War. I don't know if he still will be, but it was better to be friends with him now than enemies later, just in case.
My memories of the original source material started to blur as time went on, making me forget some details. Thankfully, I had the foresight to write down all the knowledge I had about the Fate franchise as a whole on a notebook that's safely secured inside my Gate of Babylon. It wasn't much, as I wasn't an avid watcher of the shows. It even took me a few hours to figure out who exactly Kiritsugu Emiya was when we first met. Nevertheless, what little information I possess was enough to give me an idea on how dangerous this world I now inhabited.
Back on topic; to nobody's surprise, the talk did not go well at first; he was extremely suspicious of my sudden approach, so I had to reveal my late father's line of work in order to gain even a modicum amount of his trust. What I didn't expect, however, was for Kuzuki to know of Kiritsugu's name. As it turns out, Kiritsugu Emiya was a well known figure around the higher circles of the underworld.
This piece of knowledge made me outright scratch my head, how did my father's full legal name even get disclosed? His profession centered around anonymity, for goodness sake. I knew Kiritsugu had some acquaintances scattered across the globe, but I thought they were few and far between. It was at this moment I realized that he was more infamous than I previously thought. Eventually, after much chatting, Kuzuki agreed to take me under his tutelage.
Returning to the spar; I launched a barrage of strikes, driving the assassin back as he skillfully blocked and evaded each attack. As the fight went on, the momentum I was building up was immediately broken by the older gentlemen with a simple push to my shins. Undiscouraged, I resumed my pursuit and attempted to throw him to the ground which went unsuccessful as Kuzuki saw through it and responded accordingly.
With a sudden, unexpected maneuver, Kuzuki exploited a brief opening in my defense and scored a hit to my stomach, immediately followed up by a jab to the face. Quickly reacting, I tilt my head to dodge the attack, then jumped to side just in time to see Kuzuki's outstretched limb dart back like a whip. Had I not moved out of the way, the back of my head would've been struck. Without wasting another moment, the assassin stepped foward and executed a storm of blows at my retreating frame, taking full control of the flow of battle.
Desperate to escape my perilous position, I turned slightly, intentionally leaving the left side of my torso open. Faster than his thoughts could formulate, Kuzuki's hand moved to take advantage of the supposed gap in my guard, only for my body to twist at the last instant and arrest his arm, pulling him into a bind. What I didn't take into account, however, was the sheer flexibility of the man's joints. Tugging his captured limb, it slithered out of my hold with ease, much to my surprise. Kuzuki clenched his fist and landed a ferocious blow to my temple while simultaneously sweeping at my legs with his own in an extraordinary display of skill, knocking me off my feet.
The world spun as I fell to the ground in a clatter, forcing a groan to leave my lips. Though not hurt, the abruptness of it all still disoriented me to some degree. Regaining my composure, I tried to stand but found the tip of Kuzuki's nails hovering just inches away from my eye, preventing me from moving further.
"That'll be it for today," the assassin announced in a monotone voice as he pulled his hand back, ending our sparring session for the day. Rising to my feet, I breathed out and reviewed what happened in my mind.
The disparity in skill and experience between us was pretty obvious. It seems that without using my superior physique, I could not hope to defeat Souichirou Kuzuki's martial prowess as I am now. But my spirits weren't down, I'll catch up soon enough. After the fact, the two of us took a break and changed to a more comfortable set of apparels.
"Emiya, a word," Kuzuki called out. I turned and gave him my full attention. He remarked on my actions during the final moments of our duel, complimenting the technique I had used. It was an unusual but effective strategy against stronger and more experienced opponents, as it leveraged the enemy's instincts to take advantage of any opening for a swift counterattack. However, he cautioned me against relying on such an unorthodox method, warning that unless I was exceptionally skilled, it would expose me to more danger than it was worth.
I agreed with his assessment. While the technique had its merits, there was no sense in giving an opponent an opportunity to attack if I couldn't react in time. A delayed response, even by a millisecond, would spell disaster for the defender.
Ending our meeting promptly, I bowed and made my way behind the temple, where rows of meticulously crafted headstones lay in tranquil silence. The winds were calm, and birds chirped their merry songs as I traversed the familiar path, finally stopping at a particular grave that seemed no different from those beside it. The sun peeked through muted clouds, casting bright rays through the gaps in the tree's foliage and illuminating the monument, revealing the name etched on its surface—Kiritsugu Emiya.
"Hey, Dad. It's been a while. The Holy Grail War is right around the corner, a continuation of the one you fought in. I'll be sure to finish what you started," I vowed with a grim smile, my voice barely above a whisper. Rarely do I visit his grave since a myriad of other things required my attention, but I make sure to come here at least once a year.
I had once considered using his remains to craft the ideal anti-magus weapon, but I chose not to out of respect. Kiritsugu Emiya had done enough, he deserved to rest in peace, not be forced into service even beyond the grave.
Then there was the situation with his daughter, my stepsister—Illyasviel von Einzbern. I had scoured the laptop Kiritsugu left behind, searching for any information that might lead me to Illya, but to no avail. He had searched far and wide, yet failed to find her, marking Jubstacheit Von Einzbern's - the person who took Illyasviel - capabilities to stay invisible, more than anything.
If Kiritsugu couldn't do it, what chance did I have? Amid the files, however, I found a short message written specifically for Illya before his passing. To my surprise, it even included some comments about me. This begged the question: why didn't he tell me about her? Did he simply not want to drag me into his problems?
I shook my head. Although these matters were of great personal importance, they were problems for a later date. Illya, if fate remained true, would naturally end up in Fuyuki as a participant of the upcoming Holy Grail War, leading to our inevitable meeting. Right now, there was something else that required my focus.
"There's something else I need to tackle first." Mentally commanding the System, a screen manifested in front of me.
[27 days remaining until the next Quest].
There were still a little under a month until the System issued the second Quest. I wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or anxious that it would happen right before the Holy Grail War. Truthfully, I was nervous; the task ahead could be anything. The risk might be too great, and I could perish. On the other hand, success would make me more powerful. All I could really do was prepare and hope for the best.
I said my goodbyes to my adoptive father's resting place and turned away, leaving the hilltop temple. Striding through the streets with newfound confidence, I eventually arrived back home. Passing the gates, I spotted 2 birds—magical familiars—posted atop the antennae, watching over the place. Once inside, Sakura, anticipating my return, greeted me with a brief hug, which I warmly reciprocated.
The days went by without a hitch, Taiga still visited us every so often, and her grandfather—Raiga Fujimura—even popped in to ask for my help in tuning their vehicles. My relationship with the Yakuza head was amiable, to the point where I'd do occasional odd jobs for the group here and there, mainly fixing whatever broken equipment they have.
He's even asked me to watch over Taiga, who's supposed to be my guardian, with an amused chuckle. When I confronted the man about his tendency to spoil his granddaughter, he gave me an incredulous stare, sent a blank glance at Sakura, then burst into a laughing fit while saying in between breaths, "Look who's talking. Young man, you can't even go ten meters off your own house without worrying for Sakura!" This, in turn, caused the aforementioned girl's cheeks turn beet red.
We laughed while Taiga smothered Rou to the side, these were times I wished to stretch on forever. Alas, danger always loomed over the horizon.
I stood in my dimly lit workshop at the back of the Emiya mansion. The former Matou estate, while cleaned of Zouken's influence, has yet to be properly furnished, so to the shed it was. The air was thick with the scent of burning coal and hot metal as the forge before me roared with fierce intensity, casting an orange glow that danced across my sweat beaded face as I plunged a length of metal into the heart of the fire, watching it heat until it was a vivid, cherry red.
It was no ordinary ingot, but one made from Kiritsugu's remaining Origin Bullets. After thinking about it for months, I ultimately chose to take the bullets out of their cartridges and melt them into a single bar. Not all of it had been recycled; I left one behind as a momento, latching it into a necklace that now wrapped around my neck.
The Origin bullets by themselves were powerful against magi kind, no doubt, but my main form of engagement was unlike Kiritsugu's, who preferred to ambush his prey from a distance. Though it is possible for me to Project Origin bullets at a much steeper cost than a sword, I'd rather have them in the shape of a blade that I could easily replicate using my magecraft.
With practiced precision, I pulled the glowing metal from the forge and placed it on the anvil. Each strike of the hammer rang out with a rhythmic clanging, shaping the steel into the rough outline of a small dagger. Sparks flew with every impact, briefly illuminating the entire space.
Sadly, due to the small number of bullets, a dagger was the best I could craft it into without weakening its effects. But that would pose no problems as I could just copy the weapon later and perform Alteration on it to extend its length how I see fit.
I paused to examine the blade, then reheated it, repeating the cycle of heating and hammering. Gradually, the rough edges smoothed, and the dagger took on a more refined from. The sound of the hammer striking the anvil was steady, almost meditative, punctuated only by the occasional hiss of steam as the blade was cooled in a nearby barrel of water.
Satisfied with the shape, I then moved to the grinding wheel and pressed the blade against the spinning stone, sending a shower of sparks cascading to the floor. The grinding wheel whirred loudly, drowning out all other sounds as it honed the blade to a razor-sharp edge. My hands moved with skill and certainty, guiding the blade with precision against the stone.
Next came the hilt. Selecting a piece of dark wood, I carefully carved and sand it until it fit perfectly with the tang of the blade, then attached the hilt with sturdy pins and wrapped it tightly with leather, ensuring a comfortable and secure grip.
I stepped back, holding the finished product up to the light. Happy with the results, I set it down as a sense of quiet satisfaction washed over me. Focusing inward and gazing into the immense landscape of Unlimited Blade Works, I spotted a perfect copy of the newly-made dagger sheathed into the ground with its handle pointed at the sky.
A smile swept across my face as I opened my eyes once again. With this, I've done pretty much everything I wanted to do. Gazing forward, I stare at the timer near the bottom of the System's interface.
[1 day remaining until the next Quest]
END.
A/N: A bit of a heads up, the new Quest will only be two chapters long.