"May Lady Artemis watch over you all…" Thelka said as she saw them off. "And Lord Apollo, even if his light doesn't reach inside…"
"We'll be back soon," Phoebe assured her, placing a comforting hand on Thelka's shoulder. "If anything happens, shoot an arrow into the sky. My father will do the rest."
Shirou approached the dense forest alongside the other hunters, stopping at the edge where the thick vines formed an impenetrable barrier.
"How are we supposed to get through this?" Amaryllis asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Shirou stepped forward, his eyes focused on the tangled vegetation. "I'll take care of it," he said, moving toward the forest.
This was possibly one of the strangest weapons that was in his arsenal.
A scythe formed in a collection of blue particles. The people behind him gasped and for good reason. The scythe was abnormally large, obviously intended for someone with a much larger frame than himself. If stood up straight it was possibly taller then himself. The blade was a bubblegum pink whilst the handle was grass green. Adorned on the long handle was symbols and scriptures that he couldn't even comprehend.
This was Alfasíl Almasíl. The Crop Splitter.
It was a tool created by the Egyptian God, Min during the times of the Middle Kingdom period of Egyptian times. Min had began growing in popularity as a god of Fertility and many wished his blessing in a fair harvest. One particular girl had approached his shrine one day. She was of no particular high standing and was actually quite poor.
Yet she held out hope. If there was anyone or anything that could save her family, it would be a god.
She prayed.
Nothing happened.
She stayed the night performing the appropriate ritual on his statue (look it up if your curious). She continued it for several more days and nights without fail until one day, by her side was a magnificent scythe.
At first she thought it was someone else's. Surely they left it by mistake.
Nobody came for it.
When she returned home with the item in her grasp and showed her family they were overjoyed, celebrating Min. Centuries later they became one of the wealthiest families in agriculture.
The tool had changed agriculture for the better and had ascended to a level on par with a Noble Phantasm without actually being one.
In Shirou's hands it felt abnormally heavy and he had to put a considerable amount of strength to hold it properly.
"Okay… I'm starting to see why people are weirded out by you." He heard Amaryllis remark behind him.
"I'm not weird."
"Yeah, sure…" She said, unconvincingly. She crossed her arms as she looked at the tool, curiously. "What are you going to do with that big thing? You look like your having trouble lifting it properly…"
"I'm fine."
"That scythe…" Phoebe stared at it as if she was trying to figure out a great mystery. "It doesn't feel right. Where did you acquire it from?"
"I found it."
"You… found it?"
"Yes."
Phoebe didn't say anything but she didn't have to. She knew that his words were complete dog crap.
"Let's focus on this for now. We can worry about this later." He directed his words specifically to the girls in the back who seemed to let their guards down. They glared at him as if he did something. He turned around. "Let's go. I'll clear the path as quickly as I can. Use the gap that I create to navigate through it."
The girls nodded.
Shirou didn't waste any more time talking.
He moved, drawing the scythe back in an ax-like formation. The weapon cut through the thick vines like butter and through several layers with a single swing!
He went in and briefly looked behind him to see the hunters following. There were vines everywhere and not much room to navigate. He sliced again, this time intentionally cutting wide so that there would be more space.
"Xenia!" One of the hunters called out, cupping her mouth. "Where are you? It's me, Rebekah! We're here!"
"I don't think that's going to work." Shirou commented. Rebekah barely gave him a glance as she replied.
"I have to try something. You may not care but Xenia is my friend."
"She's right. You're right." Amaryllis agreed with her fellow hunter. "Xenia! Xenia!"
Shirou looked at Phoebe who looked resigned.
"Let them. This may bring Xenia to her senses."
Shirou sighed, turning around and cutting more.
"It doesn't stop…" Shirou grunted as he sliced through a flurry of them. "There is barely any room to move, either."
Shirou continued on and was almost hurt as a large vine whipped towards him. He cut it in half but to his shock, the two sides extended and continued towards his face.
He was suddenly pushed and rolled with the momentum as Phoebe went in and cut them all down, swiftly. The other hunters were fending off others that had suddenly turned sentient.
"It seems like they finally decided to do something." Amaryllis said as she moved carefully, avoiding and cutting through the vines with much more difficultly. "Jeez, Shirou. You make this look easy! These vines are like cutting rocks!"
"That's why I have this weapon." Shirou stated.
Shirou stopped his conversation as he spotted a plant growing from the ground. It looked like a flower petal except it was far larger than average.
It opened and yellow sandy particles flew like pollen towards them.
"Back up, everyone!"
Shirou ordered as he also followed his own advice. They began moving north-west.
"We're going to run now! Keep up!" Shioru shouted as he held his scythe in front of him. The scythe glowed golden as the scriptures lit up as Shirou activated the scythe's ability. "يا مين، أعطني ثروتك واسمح لي أن أجمع قدر ما أستطيع من أجل هذا الحصاد الوفير!"
Shirou swung the massive scythe and a golden light lit up the area. All of the approaching vines were erased, immediately. Not just that. No, every single vine in a mile radius was exterminated. Not just that, all of the tall grass as well.
"It's all gone!" Amaryllis exclaimed in shock. "That scythe… is that Lady Demeter's or something?!"
"Not the time…" Shirou reminded and that was true. The vines may be completely gone but that didn't remove the trees which was easily the most sinister thing about the area. They had faces painted on them with what looked like blood. The expressions were that of agony and some were tears. It was unsettling.
He heard the sound of growling and the paddling of feet running across the ground.
He knew immediately what it was. He recently spent time with these species.
"Wolves!"
The aforementioned creatures leapt far an insane distance, closing the distance as one of them leapt up to bite at his neck. Shirou leaned back and twisted, slicing the animal in half. The others were already moving past him, though and were charging towards what they likely considered the weak link.
Arrows peppered the wolves before they could get too close.
"Great job." Phoebe complimented the team, earning a collective nod. "Don't lose focus! There are more coming!"
This time deer approached, except they were no longer just that. They were far larger now and its
antlers had extended to not only be far larger but far more deadly.
Made for killing.
There were ten of them. Each packing muscle and they all glared at them with clear intent. All of the hunters were ready and had their bows out and drawn.
Shirou gripped his scythe tighter.
The scene was quiet as the two groups stared at each other. The hunters and the… what were they now?
The shifting dynamic wasn't lost on him.
The quiet scene didn't last much longer as the hunters shot their arrows. The deer proved themselves to be capable as they scattered faster than they all expected, darting through the forest at impressive speeds. Deer were already excellent runners—they had to be— but now they were amazing.
"They are going to try and surround us." Shirou pointed out. The deer weren't running. They were moving to find the best place to strike. "I'll stop them."
Shirou planned to launch forward. Mid-action he found himself being encased by branches. Be looked behind him to see that the nearest tree had started wriggling and was starting to look far more animated than normal.
Shirou struggled but could hardly move and his arms were already constrained by the branches, making it impossible to swing the scythe.
His body glowed blue as his reinforced body began to move, snapping the branches to the floor.
Phoebe noticed him now and ran towards him with her knife ready. The tree sent tendrils of wood at her. She barely moved her head to the side in time as the sharp branch cut her cheek. She didn't break stride as she continued forward.
"Focus on the deer, hunters! I shall help Shirou!"
She leapt over a low sweeping branch and had her blade ready to cut him free when suddenly the ground opened up familiarly and the flower unfurled, spraying yellow mist.
Phoebe was barely able to stop her momentum as it consumed her. She backed up but it was too late. She fell to the floor, coughing.
"Poi…son…" She muttered, weakly.
Shirou felt the effects as well as he finally overpowered the tree his scythe moved in a whirlwind, slicing the tree into bits.
He immediately ran over to check on Phoebe but found the world tilting as he fell to the floor, his head spinning.
The poison was working on him too, it seemed. He mustered all the strength he could to get his body stabilized. He couldn't quit here.
"Get out of the way!" Shirou threw his scythe, it flew through the air, spinning as it impacted the flower, cutting in half.
With that action accomplished he fell to the floor again, breathing heavy.
"Phoebe… hang… in there. We need to keep moving." He said as he looked at her weak form. Her eyes were hardly open. "Come on…"
Shirou looked at the hunters. He saw them off in the distance, still shooting at the deer with not much success. With their ability to nimbly duck behind a tree and their quick legs, allowing them to maneuver and make sudden turns it was seeming like simple work to evade them.
The deer were making ground as well.
He would need to get up and ass—
"So, you're the one who's been destroying my creations?"
Shirou turned slowly, dread washing over him as he sensed the powerful presence behind him.
What he saw was a creature straight out of an Eldritch nightmare. Its appearance defied description—tall and impossibly thin, its body was not flesh but twisted wood, writhing unnaturally. It lacked legs, instead merging with the ground as if it were an extension of the earth. The creature's face was a bone-white mask, with eyes that glowed like pale moons.
Even Phoebe, usually stoic, stared at the creature in wide-eyed terror.
"Can't speak, can you? No, you can. I heard you speak earlier," the creature hummed, crouching down to bring its terrifying face level with Shirou's. "You're quite the interesting human. From what I've gathered during your short time here, you're powerful, possessing abilities that have even confused Mother."
In a daring move, Shirou reached for his scythe, but pain shot through his hand as if a massive weight had suddenly crushed it. In reality, it was the creature, effortlessly pinning his hand while still staring at him.
"We can't have that… I'm not one to underestimate my opponents, no matter how human they may appear," it taunted, its voice dark and sickly, dragging out each syllable. "But what's this I see? Is this the weapon you used to destroy my vines in one stroke?"
A wooden tendril snaked toward the scythe, but just as it was about to make contact, the weapon dissolved into blue light.
The creature tilted its head in confusion, giving Shirou the opportunity he needed. He closed his eyes briefly and began projecting his blades.
Eight swords, glowing with molten blue light, materialized around him in a wheel formation.
"Sword Barrel, Full Open!" Shirou's eyes snapped open as he commanded the blades to strike. The swords shot forward, hitting the creature before it could react, their forceful impact flinging it backward.
Panting heavily, Shirou projected another blade and sliced through the wood binding his hand. He struggled to stand, the strain of the feat evident in his labored breaths. Tracing such a powerful weapon like Alfasíl Amasìl had taken its toll.
As he turned halfway, he heard the sound of his blade hitting the ground. He turned back to see the creature, still standing despite the gaping holes through which he could see. The wounds quickly closed as writhing tendrils reconnected, expelling the embedded blades.
"I felt that…" the creature muttered, inspecting one of the swords before snapping it effortlessly, causing it to vanish. "These are fine blades, aren't they?"
Shirou watched in shock as the creature destroyed the sword as if it were nothing. Even a low-ranked Noble Phantasm shouldn't break so easily. Who is this being?
"You're wondering how I accomplished that, aren't you? Perhaps this will shed some light on who I am." As the creature spoke, Shirou heard movement all around him. He turned, his disbelief growing as he saw hunters walking in unison with the deer they had been chasing, alongside a myriad of other creatures—birds, bears, horses, and wolves. It was a kingdom of beasts.
"I am Anthropoktónos, the new God of the Wild. I'm here to usurp Goddess Artemis' authority," the wooden creature declared grandly, spreading its arms.
"You're insane…" Amaryllis spat, glaring at him with disdain. "Pan is still the God of the Wild. We've heard nothing about a new one."
"And you look too diabolical to be a god," one of the hunters added.
"He's right. Lord Anthropoktónos is the new God of the Wild. It is his authority by birthright, as Pan is no more." Xenia, the huntress who had vanished into the forest, stepped forward from the crowd of animals.
"Xe-Xenia! What are you saying?!" Rebekah exclaimed in shock. "This guy—creature—whatever, is clearly not a good guy! You can see that, right?"
Xenia shook her head slowly. "He is the Wild. We follow him. We live for him. He protects us from those who would harm us."
"And kills anyone who gets in his way," Shirou interjected coldly, never taking his eyes off the self-proclaimed god.
"Those who go against nature suffer," Xenia replied.
"Xenia…" Phoebe whispered weakly, regaining some consciousness.
Shirou glanced at her with concern. She was in no condition to fight, and now, she was closer to the enemy. The other hunters were also in danger, surrounded on all sides. Any sudden movement could spell disaster for them.
It was up to Shirou to determine their fate.
How delightful.
As he rubbed his growing headache, Shirou noticed something strange—everything was moving slowly. The beating of birds' wings, the swaying of flowers, even the very air seemed to drag.
It wasn't just him; he saw the huntresses looking around in confusion as time itself appeared to slow.
Shirou glanced at Phoebe and noticed her face growing alarmingly pale.
Anthropokónos turned his gaze down to their second-in-command.
"You've noticed, haven't you? They're here."
They?
"All the conditions have been met. I invite you all to witness my triumph. Although... it seems you'll have little choice."
Three figures suddenly blinked into existence—old, hunched-back women. Two of them held large balls of yarn, one green and one white, along with knitting needles. They appeared ordinary, like any elderly ladies, but Shirou knew better. People didn't just appear out of nowhere.
As they arrived, the forest around them transformed. The once dark and enclosed area opened up to reveal a sunny sky, with light streaming in from all directions.
The women appeared beside the wooden creature, and with a wave of Anthropokónos's hand, wooden chairs grew from his fingertips. The women took their seats with pleased expressions.
"What a sweet boy you are, helping us old ladies like that," one of them said, flashing a smile with a few teeth missing.
"That he is. People these days have lost their manners. Just a few years ago, men were true gentlemen. Now, they do as they please and won't even listen to their parents, too absorbed in this world's distractions."
"A few years, Lacheis? More like a few centuries! But you're right, of course. These ceremonies usually drag on, but something tells me this one won't."
"No, it certainly won't," Lacheis agreed, turning to Anthropokónos. "This is the spot you chose, huh? How fitting."
"Indeed, sister," another woman agreed. "Maybe we should hold every ceremony somewhere different."
"Oh, like in a volcano if we were welcoming a God of Volcanoes?" the first one suggested eagerly.
"Yes, yes! That's a perfect idea. I'm tired of all these formalities. Zeus is such a bore."
"Very tru—"
"A thousand apologies, my ladies. But could we start the ceremony? Artemis's hunters are getting restless."
The women looked slightly embarrassed.
"Right! We got sidetracked, sisters. We need to introduce a new god to our audience, his followers, and Artemis's hunters."
"You've aged well," one of the women remarked, staring intently at Phoebe. "You've faced many trials and persevered, thanks to your goddess."
"The Moirai…" Phoebe whispered, regaining her strength. Shirou realized it must have been the sunlight; as the daughter of the sun god, she was rejuvenated by it. Her recovery gave him more confidence.
"Who are they?" Shirou asked.
"They govern the world and decide the fates of us all. Clotho, the fate of birth; Lacheis, the fate of life; and Atropos, the fate of death. Even among the gods, they are the most feared and respected. Their presence here is not a good sign."
"Oh, but it is, daughter of Apollo," Phoebe quickly masked her discomfort. "The role that all the satyrs have long sought will soon be filled with the birth of a new god."
"That's right. I will become a fully realized god. Ladies, if you would please?"
Shirou noticed the eagerness in his voice. The atmosphere felt heavier than it had even when he faced the Sword of Rupture.
That experience was the only reason Shirou could still stand, while the other hunters hung back, nervous and uncertain. None dared to interfere with something they barely understood.
"The process will now begin. Anthropokónos, the 'son' of the late god Pan, do you accept your role as his successor?" Lacheis asked.
"I do."
"Do you accept your position as the Shepherd and the one to lead the pack?" Clotho asked.
"I do."
"Do you accept your role as the leader of Hunters and the one to guarantee them safe and earnest hunting?" Atropos asked.
"I—"
Shirou had had enough. He couldn't just sit there any longer. He had a gut feeling that something terrible would happen if he didn't act.
So he did.
His famous twin swords materialized in his hands, crackling with magical energy as he supercharged them. They elongated, transforming into two feather-like blades of opposing colors. Without hesitation, he flung them, sending them spinning towards the creature.
"Shirou, no!" Phoebe cried, running towards him in a desperate attempt to stop him. But it was too late.
Something was cut through.
Whelp. Chapter is done. Took longer than expected but hey. At least it's done, right?
Let's read these comments.
Advent of Sloth says "Question... What does he mean by he doesn't have many blades left?... Unless his Soul itself was irreparably damaged leading the the degradation of the UBW any weapon he was seen/copied could be infinitely traced provided he has the Mana for it.
Also where do people keep getting the Idea that Kanshou and Bakuya have Anti-Magic Properties? I thought it only had somewhat weak Anti-Monster Properties.
Other than these questions interesting so far."
A: This is my headcanon that throwing so many blades at Ea has done some damage to his inner world. Not irreparably but for now until he recovers.
Also, Emiya's version of kanshou and byakuya are anti magic. Remember during the Medea fight? He blocked Medea's light beams with it and it dissipated. Also the wiki says this.
M1stymix says
I thought Shirou can't replicate Ea because of it was made from something not from Earth so Zeus' lightning bolt should be traceable I also feel like Excalibur is more powerful than zeus' lightning bolt given the swords was made to defeat and destroy beings more powerful than zeus
A: I already went over this but my "headcanon" that Im using is that personalized weapons are not accessible to Shirou. So anything that is personally made for a person cannot be used especially if they are at a high tier. And even then.. The mana required to use the bolt would be impossible and would kill him in the process.
M1stymix
huh i feel like tracing kanshou and bakuya wouldn't make the tan go from shoulder to elbow not like when he trace Ig alima or pouring a lot of power to rho Aias
A: Yeah, but remember his circuits are damaged and he should be resting… he's not.
Monster King
Awesome work please continue the story
A: Thanks. I will.
Guest
I am dying for a good Percy servant fic, so remaking distorted would be great! Other than that, I'd say a Naruto in dxd Kyoto to balance out the fate pjo fics, don't wanna cause burnout.
Distorted is actually on my mind and I have some serious plans for that. But yeah, I've already done two pjo and fate fanfics so Im gonna do something different. It's kinda hard because some things between this and my Unlimited Family works fic intersects making it kinda awkward.
Slither21
For a jaded shirou from the miyuverse he sure is super open about his background
A: I mean he has to tell them something. It's not like he told them his life story.
TomyxLoud93
So in your last chapter, Hephaestus is not tied by fire, first he is a god of smiths primarily black Smithing and any type of metal working would keep him tied, plus he is tied to Volcanoes not fire itself, that would be Prometheus who gave humanity fire, also Hestia is the Goddess of Fire and the Hearth as well as homes and family.
Hephaestus fire is related to again Volcanoes and the Forge.
A: Oh. I said that? Whoops.
Temsen
Uhoh, did Nasu Gaia whisper in Pan's ears?
Pretty cool from Apollo, no surprise that he doesn't help further, but man he might be really fucked, huh? Hope he'll get off lightly.
That last part is very confusing.
A: That was purposely vague for a reason but its something about Artemis in her past that caused her to let her guard down. That will be explained and it has something to do with one of the final arcs of this story.
ThatIdioticMelody
Thank you for the great story so far!
I get what you mean by slow burn now. XD
Just don't take years to finish the story!
A: Yeah, I'm taking it far slower than my other fics. But I will get to the finish line I can promise u that.
Martis
Please. It's hard to find stories of such quality don't abandon. I can go for a whole month without reading a new chapter. But I really wanted a fanfiction like this since forever. Take your time author and I hope the results of your writing will blow us both away. Don't abandon this story for my sake. Thank you for the delicious five chapters that I binged in 5 minutes. I want more and im selfish and greedy. Thanks again. Hope you dont abandon this.
A: Thank you very much. I know how you feel. Not many good fanfics for pj especially crossovers. So you can expect this to go on. I enjoy writing this, honestly.
monkiepawn
Well, when people write about Shirou and not EMIYA it's because he "needs" help. He doesn't understand people, he is ignorant to his own world(so in a crossover he is just lost) and makes no job to fix it so of course he needs a guide, he is headstrong and ignore reality for his dreams, and if not for plot he will die against his first opponent with his desire to sacrifice for others and self harm without thinking of the battle ahead.
So really? Are you asking why they always fix companions/love interest to him? He can't be an adult or mature if he is precisely the other way around.
Unless you are making him a mix of both, him and his future
A: Except he does. If you read the VN or even the anime when he is talking to people he is perfectly normal and talks to people like Issei, Taiga and Sakura normally. It is only when it comes to saving people that you can tell that something is wrong with him.