A/N Disclaimer: I don't own Fate or Campione. All rights go to the respective Parties. This is a transformative work. Aka fanfiction.
A/N 2: This is a world merger. Aka I take what I like from either canon and stick it in a bowl, mix it up, and use it to tell a story. Trust me, I have a whole group of Fate lore fans to help me keep it sort of within the boundaries of fate lore. Shoutout to people on The Singularity for their help :)
King of Heroes - Chapter 1/
It was already dark when she was returning home. The streets were still full of passers-by and cars. Despite the cold weather, everyone had somewhere to be in the evening, whether it was a meeting with friends at a bar, a date with their girlfriend, or just some shopping.
The girl was forced to stay at school even past the normal club activities since that… that… dumb seaweed-haired piece of trash decided to show off and ended up crashing into their bow stand and causing more chaos than she thought possible. And, of course, it was on the day Emiya was not staying at school. So she had to fix everything herself and now she was forced to be going home when it was dark already.
As she turned the corner, she crashed into someone. The man had short, blond hair that seemed to glimmer like gold in the streetlights. He wore a white shirt under a black leather jacket, together with black jeans. He was handsome, but his red eyes… there was something wrong with them.
"You." He pointed at the girl while she was still somewhat dazed over the crash. "This evening has been horrendous. None of the inns in this city can prepare any decent meal. Point me to the best cook you know so I can feast on a meal worthy of a king."
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry right now." She deflected, trying to go past the man. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back so she faced him.
"Is that how you treat your king?" He raised an eyebrow. "Was I not merciful, I ought to have you whipped in front of a crowd."
The girl was now panicking. That man clearly wasn't sane. "Please, forgive me but I really need to get going."
"Do you know who I am?" The man growled. His red eyes pulsed with dim light.
The girl was about to try and break out when she noticed a weird… handle of some sort sticking out from under the man's coat.
He's from some Yakuza!?
People around them all stopped. Someone pulled out their phone and was now making a call, probably to the police. However, no one dared to step forward to help her directly.
"Let me go!" The girl screamed. All her struggles were of no use as the man's iron grip didn't budge in the slightest. It was as if he didn't even notice her effort.
Terrified, the girl did the only thing she could think of. Taking advantage of the fact the man wasn't even paying much attention to her, as the crowd distracted him, she kicked him below the belt with all the might she could muster.
It didn't faze the man. He lifted her higher so that her legs no longer touched the ground and tossed her at the ground. Hard. Technically, the gambit worked. She was now free from his grip at least. If only it didn't hurt so much.
"You dare rise against your king, mongrel?" The man's eyes flashed in blood-red light. "Maybe it's high time for me to teach you how one should behave in the presence of royalty!" He roared. The air behind him formed golden ripples and dozens of weapons peaked from inside them. "Hm… The dead should not guide the living…" For a moment, the weapons stilled. "It does not matter. The laws of men hold no bearing on the king, for the king makes the law." The eerie glow of the man's eyes became even more pronounced. He raised his right hand. "As the king, I judge you unworthy to pollute my kingdom with your existence. Begone!"
The first weapon fired, faster than the girl could see. It was only pure instinct that made her roll away. The years in the archery club tended to make one more aware when a fast object flies at you for whatever reason.
She didn't wait for another shot. What was he even shooting!? Why was the air glowing behind him!? Whatever was going on… this was madness and she wanted nothing to do with this!
The girl got up and rushed away. She ducked behind the corner as another projectile hit the ground. Trusting her cover, she risked a look over her shoulder. There, in the pavement, there was a damned sword stuck… halfway to the hilt.
She ran even faster.
Back with the Man, panic broke out everywhere around him. The bystanders rushed away to escape the madman. They had no idea what was going on beyond the destruction that began out of nowhere. A woman found herself in the line of fire as the man was trying to hunt the girl down. A spear with a golden tip and shaft made from some dull-gray metal has pierced her chest, pinning her to the ground.
Two police cars pulled over, getting through the panicking crowd. Seeing the scene, the policemen pulled their guns.
"Ah. Local guardsmen. Good. Your King commands you. Find me that rebel and bring her to face my justice."
The police officers aimed their guns at the supposed king, but they did nothing more. With one look, the man had made them freeze in place. The mixture of disgust and barely contained bloodlust was so overwhelming their primal instincts screamed at them to run. That… that thing was not human.
"So… the people of this kingdom had decided to rise in rebellion?" The man waved his hand and the sky behind him was illuminated with golden ripples. No… that was no man they were facing. Whatever it was, that was not human. "Very well. I shall exterminate all who stand against me. All of you mongrels shall die for the inconvenience you've caused me."
His next words resonate with otherworldly power.
"Time for some discipline.
Barbaric, but this too, is a strategy...
This is how you use treasures."
As he brought his hand down, innumerable weapons rained on the police and civilians who were trying to escape the fighting.
It was only a moment. Barely longer than it would take to breathe in and out. But in that time, everyone still present on the street had died under the hail of treasures.
"Now… a King must have a palace…" With that, Gilgamesh of Uruk marched forward in search of a suitable building. As he walked, his normal clothes transformed into golden armor.
All he left in his wake was death and destruction as he passed through the city. Some of his treasures managed to start fires and more than one building collapsed from the onslaught. He cared not for this though. He had a rebellion to put down.
A kingdom to rebuild.
A single red crack formed on his armor.
Shirou Emiya wiped the sweat off his forehead. The Copenhagen was technically closed for today, so no patrons were coming. Still, someone had to sort through the new delivery and both Neko and her father were sick today.
He was more than halfway done with the boxes when a crash sound from the front got his attention. The bottles inside the cardboard clanked as he put it down and rushed out of the storage.
Everything here was a mess. The glass windows were shattered, with shards scattered all over the floor. A car crashed right through the front doors. Tables everywhere have been turned into what could amount to firewood.
The car itself was in an equally bad state. The front window was shattered, the hood had launched itself off and now was stuck in the wall opposite the entrance, and the entire front had been folded like an accordion.
Shirou rushed to the car to check on the driver without sparing a second thought. As he got close enough, he saw a man in a suit, with a long silver dagger with a polished wooden handle sticking out of his chest. The man was dead.
"What in the world?" Shirou looked around to make sure there were no witnesses inside Copenhagen and grabbed the weapon. "Trace. On." A feeling of an iron rod piercing into his spine for a moment almost blinded him, but just as soon he received a steady stream of information from the structural grasp.
Le Rêve Ensoleillé - a dagger made for the innocent killer. The blade could hide the intention of the user. The more one looked at the holder, the less threatening they'd become.
His analysis was interrupted when he heard screams from outside the store. Stashing the knife under his belt (going outside with a blood-covered knife in hand could get a lot of unwanted attention), he grabbed the leg of the broken table that was closest to him. Then, he rushed to see what was going on.
As soon as he exited Copenhagen, the smell of smoke filled his nostrils. Shirou shivered as a singular memory of the Fuyuki Fire flashed in his mind before he could push it down. In the distance, he could see fires burning in the city. People were panicking. Many tried to run away from something. But what? Something was going on in the city. He didn't have time to think about the past. People were dying and he wouldn't…
He wouldn't abandon all of them again this time.
He took a deep breath and looked around. People were panicking, running away from something. Houses were being evacuated. There were fires in the distance and multiple destroyed cars littered the road. Several dozen people died… pierced by various weapons. He rushed to the nearest man but stopped halfway there. A second glance revealed that he was already dead. Shirou could do nothing for him. This was just like back then, nine years ago. The Fuyuki fire.
No. Can't get lost in memories right now. Focus. He looked around, trying to find someone still alive. At least one person…
More swords and such were embedded deep into the streets and walls everywhere.
Shirou felt compelled to walk over to one such sword. A Japanese sword with a black hilt and guard, with the blade showing no flaws. It was stuck in the wall. Cracks in the bricks radiated from the impact point in all directions, but when he tried to pull on the handle, nothing happened. The sword was stuck in too deep. Shirou tried to apply more force, but when the cracked wall started to shake in a not-so-friendly manner, he surrendered. The last thing he wanted was to collapse the entire thing down on someone.
"Just what is going on here…"
He left the sword there and looked around again. In the distance, above the crowd, he spotted a flash of gold and another explosion echoed in the distance. Almost immediately, panicked cries followed.
His body moved on its own before he got a chance to think. With the table leg still in hand, he ran toward the sounds.
"Trace. On." The feeling of hot iron piercing into his spine was momentary, but the table leg was now reinforced almost as far as he was willing to push it. So far so good, it didn't explode in his hands.
As he got past the overturned cars, he found himself standing in front of a collapsed building. On top of it, a man in golden armor held some policeman by the throat. The poor officer tried to get free, but the golden man only laughed before crushing the man's neck and letting the body drop.
"Yes! All insurgents against the king will be squashed like the bugs you are!" The man's laughter echoed across the scene. Fires burning everywhere around them illuminated him.
Shirou could see his golden armor was riddled with glowing red cracks. The man laughed as he walked from the corpse.
A strangled cry got the attention of both Shirou and Gilgamesh. A woman tried to crawl away from the scene but she tripped over something and fell.
"Another insurgent? I'm going to enjoy this." When the man said this, Shirou saw the red cracks pulse with power and spread even further.
He started to approach the woman. As Gilgamesh raised his hand, a golden ripple appeared in the air.
Shirou couldn't wait any longer.
"Hey! Why don't you pick up on someone who can fight back!?" As he shouted, he tossed a rock at Gilgamesh, who snarled. The attack did no damage, but the attention of the King was now squarely on the… nuisance.
"You dare raise your hand against the King of Uruk?"
"Yeah!" Shirou declared. "You're hurting innocent people and for what?"
"I am their king. They should feel honored I even know they exist. But as for you… Die!" Gilgamesh thrust his hand in Shirou's direction.
From the ripple in the air, a spear fired straight at the teen. With little warning, Shirou was forced to dodge. He felt his muscles scream in protest as he tossed himself to the side.
The spear embedded itself less than a quarter of an inch from his prone form.
"Oh? You've managed to dodge my attack?" Gilgamesh chuckled. "Impressive… for a mongrel."
Shirou rolled away as another weapon slammed into where he was just a second ago. Then he dashed forward as the assault continued.
The woman managed to get up and now tried to run away. She sent Shirou one last glance. He managed, in between two swords that had been sent after him, to wave her off. "Go!" He mouthed. She ran away from the fight while he kept on dodging.
"This is mildly entertaining," Gilgamesh exclaimed in between shots. "Let's crank it up a bit, shall we?"
A second ripple appeared next to him. Shirou managed to jump out of the way of the first one, but there would be no avoiding the second one. He tightened his grip on the table leg and swung it with both hands. The reinforced wood met the side of the sword. The pushback knocked Shirou off his feet, but the sword was successfully deflected. It crashed a small distance to the side.
"A mere mongrel was able to deflect one of my treasures? Now that's something I don't see every day. Maybe I'll keep you around as my jester." He then muttered, "The previous one seems to have forgotten his duties."
"Why are you doing this? Why kill all those people!?" Emiya screamed. He then got up. His grip was now so tight his knuckles turned white. "All this destruction. All this death. And for what!?" He rushed at the man, only to be forced to dodge several swords stabbing the ground in front of him.
"Careful. I'm a tolerant king, but I have my limits." Gilgamesh sent him a glare. "And I do this because humans no longer give me proper respect. I am their King and they should worship me."
Red cracks pulsed on his armor.
"Respect should be earned." Shirou pointed his table leg at the man. "So far, you're not worth any respect to me."
"You dare mock your king?" Gilgamesh sent a wave of swords at the teen. This time, Shirou was unable to dodge everything. Two swords managed to graze his left leg. The cut wasn't deep, but it hurt a lot. "Know your place, mongrel."
"I'm gonna stop you." Shirou snarled, earning an amused glare from his opponent.
"As if some upstart mongrel could hope to so much as touch me."
"I won't give up." Shirou stood up. He avoided putting any unnecessary weight on the wounded leg. "As long as people are in danger, I will fight to save them all!"
The king merely laughed. "What an inspiring speech." He mocked. "So passionate. Do you fashion yourself some sort of a hero? An Avenger maybe? Or are you just trying to act bravely to hide your fear?" Gilgamesh noted a small flinch on his victim's face. "That's it? You're afraid and trying to hide it? What a bore." The golden ripple behind him shimmered and another dagger flew at Shirou. He dodged, but the wounded leg made him fall to the ground with a loud thud. The knife stabbed right into his right thigh, leaving both of his legs wounded.
"That's not it." Shirou stood up, using a nearby sword as an impromptu railing. "Last time, I was too afraid to do anything. I could only watch as the fire consumed everyone around me. But this time, I refuse to be weak. I refuse to just sit by and watch everyone die! So I'll fight! And this time, I'll save everyone!" The teen felt a spark travel down his spine.
"Oh? The fire? Could it be… you're one of the orphans left by the fire?" The black on the man's armor spread out from the cracks. "You are!" Gilgamesh cackled. "How delightful. So… you were there to witness my triumphant rise?" His full attention was now squarely on Shirou. He was amused by how the redhead teen tried to hide his emotions. Especially when he failed.
"You… you caused the fire?"
"Yeah. I guess you could say that. So what?" As the man laughed, the black on his armor spread out, converting all remaining gold into black. "Are you going to cry about it, mongrel?"
Shirou had trouble breathing. Everyone around them, the flames were dancing. This was like the fire. Was this the fire? The man in front of him… Fire…
"No." He recalled Kiritsugu's face among the flames. He had been saved. Unlike so many others, his life was spared. He blamed himself. Why was he unable to save anyone? Why was he only able to wander around, trying to ignore the cries for help?
The man in front of him was the cause of all of it. If Shirou shouldered some blame, then that man held all of it and then some. "I'm going to defeat you."
"A mongrel, barking at its king?" A single sword fired at Emiya, who tossed himself back to not get impaled. "Then I shall show you no mercy. I tire of this spectacle anyway."
Shirou knew that if he tried to fight as he was, he'd just die. The gap between them was too big. Shirou had no way of getting close with all the swords constantly bombarding him.
He had to roll to the side as another sword embedded itself in the concrete.
If I get closer to him, I might be able to hurt him. But I can't run fast enough. And if I get hit, it's all over anyway. I need to somehow distract him. Or maybe get faster…
Shirou looked around for anything to use. Maybe he could-
Pain unlike anything before broke his train of thought. He couldn't think about anything else right now. His brain almost shut down. Looking down, he saw an axe stabbed in the ground. And his right arm was on the ground, right next to it.
Gilgamesh kept cackling. "See, you stand no chance here." He resumed firing weapons at him.
Shirou rushed to the side, hoping to hide behind a flipped car. Once he had some cover, he tried to think but the pain of his arm and the blood loss made focusing almost impossible.
No… I won't just die here. I can't just… fail. If I die here, all those other deaths… everyone who died so I can live… Old man's dream… all of it will be in vain. I refuse.
He took off his jacket and used it to wrap the stump and stop the blood loss. Not that it would help much in the long run but for now the adrenaline dulled the pain and helped him focus.
Swords kept striking the car. It appeared that the madman was almost too happy to just try and bore a hole through it with weapons.
Counting down, Shirou dashed toward the car on the other side of the road. He was roughly halfway there when a round shield stabbed in front of him, cutting off his path.
He wanted to jump back but stopped himself at the last millisecond as another axe stabbed behind him, boxing him in.
"Nowhere to run now, mongrel." Gilgamesh laughed. A part of his black armor has fallen off, revealing deathly pale skin underneath. "Any last words?"
Shirou has already decided to go down fighting. He would not just die here. And if the alternative was certain death, he might as well do something really stupid.
"Yeah. Trace. On."
The air around him grew heavy with mana. The pain was even more unbearable than during his practice, but at this point, it hardly mattered to Shirou. For a moment, his vision blurred.
A switch flipped inside his brain. Instantly, he felt prana flow through him with intensity surpassing anything he felt before.
His body lit up with green light as he reinforced his bones, then muscles, then skin. All his organs were reinforced to the limit. Extra prana discharged from his body, running over his skin and into his hand. He did not realize until after the fact that a replica of the sword he tried to grab earlier that night formed in his hand. The table leg has long been lost in the chaos of the battle.
Newfound strength carried him across the battlefield. Shirou ducked at the last second, avoiding the spear that would've taken his head clean off had he been even a fraction of a second slower. He jumped to the right to escape a hail of identical daggers sent his way, each leaving a misty trail behind.
As he reached the man, Shirou prepared to swing. He expected to die here, but he would take that man with him.
A sword popped in front of Gilgamesh, stopping his swing before it could harm even a hair on the man. Shirou ducked low and tried to cut at him from the side, but a spear shaft intercepted him.
Strike from the back, only for a chain to wrap around the sword.
He pulled out of the chain and tried an overhead slash. This time it was stopped by a shield appearing from golden ripples.
Gilgamesh merely stood there, doing nothing to get out of the way. He didn't see a threat. He only saw some amusement. As indicated by his ceaseless cackling.
"You call that fighting? I thought you had some spirit left, but these are just convulsions of a dying animal. I ought to put a mongrel like you out of his misery."
"You should stop talking!" In a burst of speed, Emiya managed to get in front of his opponent and slice at the chest. The sword rebounded and the black chest plate shattered, scattering over the floor.
Gilgamesh stopped laughing.
"A mongrel managed to lay his filthy hands on me?" He snarled.
When Shirou tried to deliver another attack, this time from the back, the man lashed out. A single backhand strike sent the boy tumbling away. Despite the reinforcement, he felt several ribs snap. And he was pretty sure his right shoulder blade was cracked from the impact.
Ignoring the dizziness, he got up. "I will not give up." The Fuyuki fire claimed over five hundred lives nine years ago. If he failed now, the death count would be even higher. "I will… save all of them!" He rushed forward.
A spear pierced through his chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Futile. Besides, I've already killed plenty of filthy mongrels tonight, so you've failed before we even began."
The sword dropped from Shirou's hand. A small stream of blood was now coming from the corner of his mouth. "Then I will… save whoever I can." Emiya's hand wrapped around the shaft of the spear in his chest. With a massive effort, he pulled it out. Blood gushed out, but it didn't slow him down anymore. Step by step, he approached Gilgamesh.
"If you weren't so irritating, I would maybe find your determination… inspiring. But you've truly exhausted my generosity. Now die."
A sword pierced through Shirou's leg, tearing away everything below the knee and tripping him. He managed to roll to the side before a golden spear pierced his head. His weapon was left behind.
I… is this the end?
Something was pressing on his back. A dagger?
He remembered the crashed car. The knife was completely forgotten in the later fight.
Gilgamesh approached him. The black spread over his pale skin from what armor remained.
"What does it take to kill one mongrel?" He raised his hand. A lone golden ripple appeared right above the redhead boy.
Shirou's grip on the knife tightened. "Why don't we find out?!"
"What are you-" The king's words were interrupted by a knife jabbed in his neck.
"Le Rêve… Ensoleillé" The Noble Phantasm's true name did little after the fact, but it didn't matter. It has fulfilled its purpose.
Gilgamesh was dead.
And Shirou Emiya would soon follow him to the grave.
"I shall announce."
A voice echoed in his head… everything was white…
"The Black art that Epimetheus and I left… The sacred birth of an illegitimate child, shrouded in darkness, born of a fool and a witch. A secret rite of usurpation, only possible through the sacrifice of a god."
What…? Shirou Emiya tried to move but his body refused to even twitch.
"The requirements have been fulfilled. A God has been slain, thus a Godslayer shall rise…."
"Who… I don't…"
"I, Pandora, proclaim. The birth of a new Campione. Be born again, as the youngest child of mine."
"Wait… I don't understand…" Shirou saw a slender young woman in her mid-teens with violet hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears kneeling over him. His head was laid on something soft.
"I can tell you'll be a handful. None of my previous kids came here so battered up. But that's all right. Please try not to get killed early though."
The world became white and Shirou knew no more.
The rain doused the flames across the city. Rin wandered through the destroyed section, looking over what remained. A good part of the city center has been reduced to rubble, but relatively speaking, the damage was minimal. Well, as far as Heretic Gods rampages go that is.
"What do you mean you're not coming back!?" She screamed into the phone.
"Such is life, Rin. The Vatican has decided that my return to Fuyuki at this time would be… unwise." Kirei Kotomine, Rin's guardian and teacher, spoke in an even tone. "I'm sure you can deal with things on your own. You're a big girl now, aren't you?"
"Yes but…" Rin huffed. She couldn't admit to that fake priest that she didn't know how to even start. "Wait, you didn't even give me-" The sound of an ended call interrupted her.
"Why you…!" She stomped in place. How was she supposed to cover up the existence of the moonlit world without any of Kirei's contacts? He was the one who dealt with stuff like police and media until now.
"Stupid fake priest. Leaving me alone to deal with all this mess while he relaxes on some Italian beach probably. He didn't even give me his special contacts list!" She kicked a small rock as she wandered around.
A groan attracted her attention. She spotted some movement near a pile of rubble.
Oh no! This is… This is where the heretic god was last spotted… She panicked.
"Ow… I feel like I got run over by a truck…" A familiar voice reached her.
"Wait…" Ignoring all common sense, she rushed toward the source of the commotion. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a red-headed schoolmate of hers. "Emiya?" She saw the boy throw off a sizeable piece of rubble and sit up.
She hid herself behind one of the cars and observed from there. The car was full of holes as if someone repeatedly stabbed it with a sword.
Shirou massaged his head. He then looked at his arm. "Huh?" His gaze then snapped to his leg. He grabbed his side as if checking for wounds but found nothing.
His clothes were in tatters. There were burns all over him. One of the sleeves has been torn off, and something must've snagged part of his trousers. And there was a massive hole in his shirt, right where his heart would be.
Was Emiya always so muscular… Rin blushed for a moment and immediately squashed that thought down.
"That guy's… gone. And so are all the weapons." Shirou stretched himself and got off the ground. "Well, I should probably call Fuji-nee and tell her I'm alright." Rin saw him pull a mobile phone out. Except it was completely wrecked. The flip screen was dangling on a single cord and the keyboard was cracked in the middle. "Oh, man." He looked around.
Rin ducked behind the car, hoping he didn't spot her.
"Trace. On."
Through the hole in the car, she was able to see the mobile phone pull itself together. The cracks in the keyboard vanished and the screen reattached itself back to the rest. She also felt mana in the air.
"Emiya is… a magus?" She couldn't believe it. He was hiding in plain sight all this time and she didn't know? He was even part of the archery club for a while. Did Sakura- Did Matou-san know?
"Hey! It worked better than before." The boy cheered. He was about to dial Taiga when Rin decided that enough was enough.
"Stop right there mister!"
"Oh. Tohsaka. What're you doing here?" He quickly hid the now-fixed phone behind his back.
"I should be asking you that question, Emiya." She marched over to where he was sitting. "Now tell me, what happened to you and why are you here!" She huffed. "And why did you not tell me you were a magus? As the Second Owner, I have the right to decide if a person is allowed to set up a workshop on my land."
"You're the second owner of Fuyuki?" Shirou eyed her more carefully now. He already had to deal with one crazy magus that night.
"Got a problem with that?" She glared. "I hope not. Setting up a workshop without the Second Owner's permission is a crime. I am well within my rights to punish you however I see fit."
The boy met her glare with his own, equally heated one. "Then did you let that gold bastard set up his workshop?"
"Gold… bastard? Who're you talking about?"
"The man responsible for all the destruction tonight. And the man who caused the Fuyuki Fire nine years ago."
"Wait… you can't mean…" Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "You've encountered the heretic god!" She looked around in panic, expecting… something to happen.
"Yeah. He just… He said he was the one who caused the Fuyuki fire nine years ago."
"What? That's impossible. No…" The Holy Grail War was exactly the kind of event that could've attracted the attention of a heretic god. "What happened with him? Where did he go?"
"His body should be here, but it seems to have vanished. Together with all the weapons he kept tossing around."
"His body!?" Rin squeaked. "What do you mean his body?! What happened to him?"
"He wouldn't stop trying to hurt the innocent, so I had to kill him." Shirou's eyes narrowed.
"Kill him?! You couldn't have possibly killed… No… That's imposs-" She took a step back. "You did." It all fit together: the damage to his clothes, lack of any wounds, the overflow of mana he was putting out…
She fell to her knees and bowed.
"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! This one deeply apologizes for her impudence! Please forgive this one for not recognizing your status immediately!" She begged, refusing to even look at the Campione in front of her.
"Wah!? Tohsaka-san? What are you doing? Stop that! It's awkward!" He looked around to double-check if no one saw them. He wouldn't live it down at school if it reached the rumor mill.
"As you wish, my lord." Even on her feet, she still refused to meet his gaze.
"What in the world are you talking about?" Shirou frantically tried to calm her down.
"H-huh?" She finally looked at him. "Wait, you have no idea what's going on? None at all?" After she received a nod, she let out a wordless scream. "What kind of third-rate magus are you? Everyone knows about campione and heretic gods." As she spoke, she recalled how he thought that the man behind the rampage was a simple magus. "Do you even know what a heretic god is?"
"Ah…" He rubbed his neck. "Not really. I thought it was just some title for a powerful magus but I'm guessing there is more to it?"
Rin was a step away from pulling her hair out. How did this… this… she didn't even have words to describe Emiya right then. He somehow stumbled into slaying a heretic god. An achievement that many magi trained their entire lives to try and almost all of them failed. A pinnacle of magecraft that was considered by many almost equal to reaching the root. And here he was, not even aware of what he did.
She took a deep breath. "Do you have someplace we could talk in private? This isn't exactly the most conspicuous location." It was honestly a miracle in itself that no one walked in on them yet.
"We can go to my place. I think Fuji-nee is long gone by now."
The walk back to the Emiya's house was… awkward. Rin kept looking at him like he would suddenly grow a second head or make her randomly combust. Shirou still wasn't sure if he could trust Tohsaka fully so he kept her in his sight. His father never mentioned anything about Heretic Gods or Campione, but Kiritsugu wasn't exactly a perfect teacher. Shirou was willing to admit as much.
The lights inside the house were on.
"Maybe she just forgot to turn them off…" Shirou weakly offered, though Rin got a distinct impression that it was only wishful thinking. Nevertheless, he opened the door.
"Shirou!" Taiga practically launched herself at him, slamming him into the wall. "I was so worried!" She sobbed. "Neko said that a car crashed through the front of Copenhagen and you were supposed to be working today and I thought you were goooooneee!" She hung off of his neck.
"I'm sorry, Fuji-nee. My phone broke."
"No excuses! Why didn't you come home as soon as things calmed down? It's been hours!"
Rin interjected. "Please, forgive Emiya-San. He was helping me with a certain issue this evening."
"You, miss!" Taiga was immediately in her face. "What are you doing to my Shirou? And what are you doing here? Won't your parents get worried?" She pointed her finger at Rin, who grumbled.
"My guardian is currently out of town on a work trip and won't be back for some time. Plus my heating broke. Emiya-san tried to fix it but it seems that whatever happened in Shinto has damaged my plumbing. So he offered that I could stay with him until it gets repaired."
"Oh, you poor baby. All alone in the city…"
Shirou was almost stunned at how easily Rin managed to get Taiga wrapped around her finger. The woman went from being furious to pitying the girl in five seconds flat. Then again, it's Fuji-nee, so…
"But do you think I'd just allow you to come here and corrupt my Shirou!?" Ah. Here's the Tiger.
"What? I don't know what you're talking about." Rin turned her head sideways. "Could you explain?"
"Don't play innocent. You're a girl. As a teacher, I can't allow you to stay with a boy, especially Shirou!" Taiga yelled.
"Oh? Is it perhaps because you don't trust Emiya-san to be a perfect gentleman?" Rin giggled.
"Don't twist my words! I know that Shirou would never do anything untoward."
"Then I don't see a problem. Emiya-san has assured me that there is a free guest room that I can stay in."
"Y-yeah." The boy decided to intervene before the argument could get more heated. He put all his tiger-rearing experience to use. "Fuji-nee, she could stay in the guest room in the west wing. She'd have complete privacy there." He put on his best puppy dog eyes.
"I guess…" She drawled. "You're a lot like Kiritsugu. You always try to help everyone you find. I have to make sure you're not being taken advantage of." Taiga proudly declared.
"Then I see no problem." Rin flipped her hair. "After all, surely you're not accusing me of having any ill intentions?" At this point, Shirou wondered why didn't Rin join the drama club or the debate club. Also, he realized why Issei always kept calling her a witch.
It might also have something to do with the fact she's a magus. He belatedly realized.
"Agh! Fine. But no funny business you two!" Taiga looked between them before marching out of the house. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she burst in again. "I'll be back first thing in the morning, so don't think you can hide from this lady!"
Then, she was finally gone.
"Sorry about her. Fuji-nee is eccentric but she cares about me a lot. She just might have some trouble showing it."
"Honestly, someone so open is a breath of fresh air compared to my guardian. That fake priest always pisses me off with how vague he is. He just loves to rile people up, the damn sadist." Rin grumbled as she took off her coat.
Shirou led her to the living room where she could sit while he prepared some tea. Once everything was ready, he put the teapot between them and sat opposite her.
"So…" Awkward silence befell them.
"Okay, so start by explaining how did you even learn magecraft?" Rin demanded. "I mean… It would help if I got a feel for what you already know so I won't bore you, my lord."
Shirou chose to ignore how she addressed him for now and focused on the question. "Well, when my father first adopted me after the fire, he revealed he was a magus. Kiritsugu was against teaching me anything when I first moved in, but I managed to convince him to show me at least the basics. I was never really good at it, but I managed to get some grasp on structural analysis and reinforcement."
"That's it? What about the thaumaturgical theory? Modern magecraft theory? Formulacraft? Nothing?" Rin almost dropped her cup.
"No. Kiritsugu gave me some exercises, but I think he decided I wasn't ready for the more advanced stuff. And by the time I had even the most basic grip on things… I think he was already too weak to show me more."
"Surely he at least left you the notes. Instructions. Something?"
"Uh… I don't think so. Kiritsugu was never really a researcher type. He was always more focused on practical application in combat. He said that magecraft is a tool, not a solution."
"So he was the enforcer type then." Rin nodded. "I guess that makes some sense. Wait… are you telling me you've defeated a heretic god with just structural analysis and reinforcement!?" She jumped out of her seat. "That's… that's… preposterous!"
"Honestly, I'm pretty sure I should've been dead. It was just pure luck that I managed to get him in the end. It's a miracle I'm even alive here."
"When someone becomes a campione, all their past wounds are healed and their body is brought back to perfect condition," Rin explained. "So any wound you've received during the battle would be patched out." It didn't escape her notice that he flexed his right arm, as if testing if it was working.
Shirou chuckled. "Honestly I'm surprised Fuji-nee didn't comment on my clothes. I was sure she'd rip my head off when she saw how I looked."
"She was happy you were home. And probably too focused on my presence to pay more attention to how you looked." Rin smiled and took a sip of her tea. "Okay, so let's start with Heretic Gods." She took a deep breath and recalled what Kirei taught her. "The leading theory is that Heretic Gods are… manifestations of god's identity that became corrupted enough to become separate entity while at the same time still maintaining connection with the spirit in question. Such manifestations are almost always malicious and prone to destructive rampages, especially directly after coming into the world."
Shirou raised a hand as if he wanted to ask a question, but a glare from Rin made him lower it. The girl held back a groan by reminding herself that the man in front of her could wipe her and most of Fuyuki out of the face of the planet if she wasn't careful. "The exact mechanics are unknown but once a heretic god manifests, they'll go on a rampage like the one you've witnessed today."
"Wait, the… god I fought today… if I understood him correctly, he descended nine years ago in the Fuyuki fire. Why did he go on a rampage today?"
"I don't know. Once a god calms down, they're usually content to just stay in the background and… exist." Rin looked into her cup of tea. "Heretic gods don't just vanish. At least not unless they're sealed away or killed."
"So… since I killed one, I've become this 'Campione'?" Shiroug guessed.
"Yes, but you need to understand that it's not just a title. By killing a Heretic God, you've gained one of their authorities. Your body has been fundamentally changed to accommodate that. And so…" She bit her lip. "A Campione is considered a king, with their authority unquestioned unless by another Campione."
"A king? Is that why you were acting so strange back on the street?"
"Yes. Since a Campione is untouchable and their word is law to the moonlit world. There are many stories about foolish magi who tried to challenge a Campione, only to get wiped out of the face of the earth… together with the city around them."
"Whoah, wait hold on a minute! I'd never just go around killing random people!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know?!" Rin huffed. "It's not like I even knew you were a magus in the first place, so your reputation wasn't exactly reliable anymore." Belatedly she realized that she just ranted at her new king, but when he let out a chuckle she relaxed.
"I guess you have a point. So… how exactly does this whole king deal work?"
"Since the only people who can stop you are other Campione and maybe the magicians, you are essentially free to do what you want. And unless you're messing with them, a consensus among the children of Epimetheus is that everyone is free to do what they want within their territory." She took another look at him and deadpanned. "For you, that's Japan since that's where you're from. And probably the Pacific islands, if you are so inclined."
Shirou nodded, staring into the distance. This was… a lot for one day. And he still had too many questions to try and get all the answers right now. He was starting to feel exhaustion catch up to him after the evening full of action followed by a whole bunch of stuff being dropped on him out of nowhere.
"Look, Tohsaka. I think that's enough for today. Why don't we turn to bed for now."
"T-To bed!? Me? With you!?" She turned red like her sweater.
"Eh?" Shirou then realized what she meant. "No! You can go to sleep in the guest room. Come, I'll show you. Where did you even get that idea?"
"Shut up. We will never speak about it again." She grumbled.