Chapter 17

A Fiery Will

Approaching the pyramid, I saw strange depressions in the ground. Suddenly, a strange headache then started up. Grabbing my head, I saw shadowy versions of Vox, Valentino and Velvette walking into the pyramid followed by Alastor, Naofumi, Shinoa, Iori, Barry and Issei. All of them had strangely blank expressions on their faces. Unnerved, I then saw a hazy red aura surrounding the pyramid that then entered my left arm. Seeing a portal open, I walked through, finding myself inside the pyramid. Looking around the room, I saw a strange dark red sword with an eye near the hilt. "Isn't it beautiful?", a voice said behind me. I turned around to see a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes wearing a white chiton. "If you don't remember me, my name is Sophitia Alexandra.", the woman said. "Well, Sophitia, what is this red sword you're talking about?", I asked. "Why, it is the demon sword Soul Edge. Such a beautiful sword.", Sophitia said. "If you say so.", I said. Looking even further at the room, I asked, "Where is this place anyway?". "This is the Pyramid of the Demon Sword.", Sophitia said. "And did it exist before Aionios?", I asked, concerned that the room where Soul Edge was kept looked a bit familiar to me, though I couldn't exactly place where I had seen it before. "Before Aionios? Whatever are you talking about?", Sophitia asked. "Well, when I was in Cyber Space, I noticed that Aionios's geography seemed a bit off. Not only did certain regions of the world not really line up with how the ancient legends portray them but Aionios itself seemed artificial, like it wasn't created naturally.", I said. "Oh please, you're just imagining things. Aionios has always been the true form of our world, regardless of what you read. No such worlds existed before Aionios did.", Sophitia said, a manic smile on her face.

Tensing up, I then found myself in a strange forest clearing. There was a strange atmosphere in the air. Noticing strange blue mist, I then saw a strange woman come out of the mist. She had light pink hair styled in a side-swept manner with a hair tuft and bright blue eyes and was wearing a dark blue kimono, long black stockings and red sandals. By her left leg were two katanas. Upon meeting my eyes, the woman's eyes lit up and she excitedly rushed to me. "Oh, you've returned to us! Lady Artoria and Lord Gilgamesh certainly told the truth about your return and it will not do for you to keep avoiding us.", she said, a manic look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, who are you again?", I asked. "And I thought you still remembered us. Guess I was wrong. Anyway, my name is Miyamoto Musashi, mentor of Miyamoto Iori.", the woman said. Suddenly, I felt a strong surge of dark energy well up inside me, manifesting as black and dark red electricity. "It seems your cyber corruption has not yet faded. Shame.", Musashi said. As the energy disappeared, I panted heavily, wondering what could have caused my cyber corruption to resurge so violently. "Regardless,", Musashi said whilst drawing her katanas, "it is now time for me to judge whether you really have learned from the Crystals how to use your elemental power correctly.". "What do you mean?", I asked, summoning Zantetsuken to my right hand. "Never you mind.", Musashi said, promptly rushing at me and attacking with a truly inhuman speed.

As I narrowly dodged Musashi's attack, I gathered dark energy in my left hand and fired a dark burst of fire at her. Musashi expertly parried the attack before rushing at me again and slashing with her katanas, only for me to parry her attack in kind before unleashing a violent onslaught of slashes that she just managed to parry with a fiery slash. Undeterred, I gripped Zantetsuken tight before unleashing several spinning slashes that seemed to pick up aqueous energy; in response to this, Musashi then spun and unleashed several radial spin slashes herself. Clenching my left hand tight, I then gathered windy energy from the mists surrounding us that I then unleashed as a furious storm of magical darkness that caused me and Musashi to stop spinning. Gripping Zantetsuken tight with both hands, I closed my eyes to focus and then reopened them, unleashing a powerful slash that seemed to upheave the very earth beneath our feet. Not to be outdone, Musashi then rushed at me and slashed with a truly blindingly fast speed, her movements betrayed only by a faint purple glow that marked her last position. Nonplussed by this, I expertly guarded against her blindingly fast slashes, taking advantage of a brief gap in her attacks to steadily retaliate. Slowly but surely, I saw the brief gaps in her attacks steadily get longer and longer, giving me more time to attack in kind – at this, I wondered if she was getting tired from her attacks. A fiery orange aura then covered me as I attacked, the admittedly slow and weak attacks steadily increasing in speed and strength. As the aura covering me grew brighter and fiercer, I saw a similar aura cover Musashi too, strengthening the power of her slashes and causing them to whip up a fierce orange flame. Unwilling to go down, I felt the aura covering me then nearly turn into a brilliant flame only for Musashi to rather cheaply stab me in the stomach, forcibly dispelling Zantetsuken and the bright orange aura surrounding me. "Enough.", Musashi said.

Panting heavily, I then asked, "Well, that good enough for you?". "Well, to be honest, you are a good fighter but not good enough to properly unlock Void Stance. You are progressing well though.", Musashi said. "What do you mean?", I asked. "As our little fight taught me, you really do have good control over the elemental power the Crystals conferred upon you. Your earthen resolve, watery precision and tempestuous focus is absolutely perfect but your fiery will seems a bit lacking so to speak. As the Sovereign, you are perfectly capable of wielding the power of fire but you need a fiery will to actually control it. Though that's to be expected given how Clive and Alphen are noticeably getting sloppy at controlling their fiery powers too.", Musashi said. "You mean to say that Ifrit and the Blazing Sword are not functioning properly with them?", I asked. "Exactly.", Musashi replied. "I wonder why that is. Maybe it has something to do with Aionios siphoning away their wills and thus their motivation to fight.", I said. "Well, whatever it is, it's clear that you are the only one left with the power to control fire and subsequently burn down your foes in order to establish the world you want to see. Still, you are progressing really nicely.", Musashi said before she walked off into the mists.

Reflecting on what Musashi had said, I wondered why exactly Clive and Alphen were unable to control Ifrit and the Blazing Sword respectively. Since Alphen had Sovereign powers, I wondered what was keeping him from using them to force the Blazing Sword to obey. I also wondered if the powers of the other Eikons Clive had absorbed were preventing him from unleashing Ifrit's full power but that wouldn't have made sense if he and Byleth were able to fuse together into Ifrit Risen during our fight in Cyber Space and confront me alongside Sonic no worse for wear. Sighing, I then walked forward into the mists as well, wondering why I was unable to fully control the power of fire myself. As I walked, I eyed the mists intently, noticing that they had now turned an ominous red. Wondering what had caused the mists to take on such a colour, I then saw a creature with an ominous black body and a bony white mask for a face suddenly jolt out of the mists. It had the body of a wolf, the legs and stinger tail of a scorpion and the wings and face of a raven. Feeling a strange sense of anger, I summoned Zantetsuken to my right hand and rushed at the beast, wailing on it with impunity and great anger. Severing its legs and wings, I then went in for the kill as I rushed to behead the monster, only to be repelled by a strange dark red pulse of energy. As I recovered, I saw the monster regenerate its legs and wings; undeterred, I rushed at the monster and unleashed a furious onslaught that the monster strangely countered.

Enraged at the monster's inability to just go down, I then felt a strange surge of energy well up from deep within me. Gripping Zantetsuken tight, I saw a strange orange aura like the one that appeared during my fight with Musashi cover me. I then heard the strangest thing come the monster; that is to say I believe I heard it speak with Yuito's voice. Absolutely angered at the monster, I unleashed my Sovereign powers, causing Zantetsuken to morph into the Blazing Sword. Even weirder, I then saw YHVH in the place of the monster. "If only you never existed! If only you never tried to ruin my life! If only you were never brought in the world! If only-!", I thought as a second Blazing Sword manifested in my left hand and promptly caused the orange aura surrounding me to morph into a brilliant orange flame. And good timing too as the monster opposing me promptly covered itself in a dark shell of black and dark red energy. Screaming with rage, I rushed at the monster and unleashed a powerful onslaught, the fire from my 2 Blazing Swords burning through the monster's shell and promptly weakening it. Not to be outdone, I then burst the energy surrounding me and fused the Blazing Swords into one sword, the fusion itself punctuated by the orange flame surrounding me turning into the silhouette of a dragon. Bringing the Blazing Sword down, I then unleashed a giant beam of fire and magma that burned the very ground beneath us and turned the soil into burning coals. The fire and magma then formed into a giant wall that burned through the monster's other shell, revealing it as a pitch black werewolf with a bony white mask for a face and pinprick red eyes. Rushing at the werewolf, I saw the Blazing Sword turn back into Zantetsuken; not missing a beat, I stabbed the monster causing it to vanish completely without a trace. Screaming with rage, I then unleashed a large amount of fire energy that soared into the sky, dispelling and vaporising the clouds above me.

"My, my, my, you are certainly one angry man.", a voice behind me said. Turning around apprehensively, I saw what appeared to be a team of 7 Power Rangers- one red, one green, one purple, one yellow, one white, one cyan and one blue. "Who are you?", I asked. "We are the Eikonic Rangers. But you probably knew that already.", the white ranger said. "You mean like Eikonic versions of the Power Rangers?", I asked. "Absolutely.", the red ranger said. "But you lack the power to fully control your own Eikon. That certainly won't do.", the purple ranger said. "What are you implying?", I asked. "Why, you're going to spoil the surprise! That won't do either.", the cyan ranger said before all 7 of them attacked. Narrowly dodging the attack, I fired a powerful blast of darkness before following up with a brutal slash from Zantetsuken. The white ranger responded to this by firing a powerful beam of white light alongside the red ranger unleashing a powerful red beam of fire. Blocking both of them, I then responded with a furious onslaught of sword slashes and dark magic blasts that dispelled all of the magic blasts that the Eikonic Rangers fired themselves. Unleashing a dark whirlwind, I then condensed the dark magic I was firing into a dark red electric storm that I promptly unleashed alongside a dark fireball and a dark gust of wind. Undeterred, I then unleashed an even faster onslaught that the cyan ranger in particular struggled to keep up with. The blue ranger in response then unleashed a pressurised beam of water that I easily cut through and reflected back onto the attacker. Whipping up a dark tornado, I then gripped Zantetsuken even tighter and unleashed a brilliant onslaught of sword slashes and dark magic blasts that the yellow ranger moved in to just barely defend against. Then, the red ranger unleashed a volley of fiery blasts that I deflected with just one slash from Zantetsuken. "You are clearly strong but not strong enough.", the yellow ranger said. "I'll show you strong.", I said, preparing to prime into Odin.

Gathering a large amount of dark energy, my body then glowed an ominous red colour mixed in with a sinister black. As the dark energy flowed into my body, a crimson red electricity crackled, unnerving the Eikonic Rangers before me. At least, I thought they were unnerved, anyway; you can hardly tell what a costumed superhero is thinking when their helms cover their entire faces. The darkness then turned into a red and black tornado that covered my entire body, piercing the very sky above. The darkness then faded, revealing me in an outfit that looked shockingly akin to Sigurd's first ascension in Fate/Grand Order, much to the Eikonic Rangers' great surprise. "So that is your true power?", the cyan ranger asked. "Heavens, no. This is the true form of my semi-primed appearance.", I said, surprised myself at how I knew this. Rushing at the 7 Rangers, I then unleashed a furious onslaught that the yellow ranger in particular struggled to defend against. Forming a second Zantetsuken in my left hand, my assault grew faster and fiercer, the cyan ranger just managing to dodge the attacks giving her a golden opportunity to freeze my body entirely. Breaking free of the ice, I then fired a volley of dark fireballs at the rangers that the purple ranger just barely dispelled with a sharp purple levinbolt. Frustrated, I burst the energy surrounding me causing it to once again take the form of the dragon that I manifested against the monster; empowered by this, I then unleashed a giant beam of darkness that knocked the rangers into a nearby tree.

"OK, you are very strong. I can see why Iori is so fond of you.", the green ranger said. "So, are you ready to admit your own foolishness?", I asked, poised to kill the rangers. "Don't think this is over yet.", the red ranger said before the rangers mysteriously vanished. Shrugging, I then dispelled the two Zantetsukens in my hands and the black military armour surrounding my body before deactivating my Sovereign powers. Looking at my right hand, I then asked, "Why? Why can't I unleash my full power?". "The reason is simple: because you keep refusing to give in to the darkness and embrace your true nature.", a voice said behind me. I turned around to see a man with white hair and red eyes wearing a dark green suit, dark green trousers, a dark green tie and a dark green hat. "And who are you?", I asked. "Oh, you don't even remember me? I guess you would recognise another person much like yourself on sight. Regardless, my name is Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo.", the man said. "What do you mean by me being like you?", I asked. "Oh, that would spoil the surprise.", Dantes said. "Well, he does seem to have very intense amnesia.", Cu said as he walked out of the clearing. "To the point that he's even forgotten who or rather what he really is.", Dantes said in agreement. "I guess you'll remember eventually.", Cu said to me before walking back into the heart of the forest. Looking at me, Dantes then said, "But seriously, though, you will need to give in to the darkness and embrace your true nature eventually, even if people will hate you for doing so.", Dantes said, walking off.

Reflecting on what Dantes said, I then saw a man with long red hair and piercing red eyes wearing an orange martial arts gi and black spats walk out of the clearing. "I hear someone's having trouble accepting himself for what he truly is.", the man said. "Yeah, that's right.", I said. "Oh, where are my manners? Call me Li Shuwen. Incidentally, my last name is Li and my first name is Shuwen.", the man said. "What do you mean by who I really am, anyway?", I asked. "Are you familiar with the Holy Grail War and its various variations?", Shuwen asked. "Yeah, seven Masters and seven Servants fight each other to claim the Holy Grail which can grant any wish.", I said. "And how many Servant classes were summoned to Aionios?", Shuwen asked. "Seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker.", I replied. "See, that's where you are wrong.", Shuwen said. "How so?", I asked. "Well, it is true that in a normal Holy Grail War, only seven Servant classes are summoned, but this isn't a normal Holy Grail War. Yes, Servants corresponding to the Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker classes were indeed summoned but seven extra Servant classes were also summoned- Ruler, Avenger, Alter Ego, Foreigner, Moon Cancer, Pretender and Shielder. Though that last one admittedly doesn't have that many people associated with it.", Shuwen said. As I thought on what Shuwen had said, I then asked, "So, you're saying I'm connected to one of those 14 classes?". "That you are.", Shuwen replied.

Suddenly, I found myself in a magnificent chamber. Sitting on a chair was a woman with long white hair with a braid on the left side and amber eyes wearing a black backless dress with an orange trim. Her dress also had what seemed to be a bump in the front too. Looking up, the woman's eyes then lit up and she excitedly rushed to me, hugging me tight. Crying with happiness, she said, "And I thought you'd never return to us. Guess I was wrong.". "Olga?", I asked, confused. "Yes, it's me, Olga-Marie Animusphere.", she said. "But I thought you died in the command room at Chaldea.", I said. "Oh, that was a copy I created and sent to die in my stead. Remember? We were on a date at that time too.", Olga-Marie said. "You became Beast VII too- the Alien God.", I said, struggling to comprehend what was happening. "Oh, that was another me who did die at Chaldea. I didn't die so no Alien God.", Olga-Marie said.

I then found myself facing a giant blue sphere in a high tech room. "Wait, is this CHALDEAS?", I asked. "Right.", Jeanne said, strolling in. "OK, Jeanne, so what is your Servant Class?", I asked. "Oh, that's simple. My class is Ruler.", Jeanne replied. "And what is my Servant Class?", I asked. "Oh, that. I just remembered I have to get dinner ready.", Jeanne replied before rushing out. Looking at CHALDEAS intently, I then saw a vision of a yellow sphere colliding with a blue sphere, leading to another vision of 14 cards surrounding a white sphere and firing beams at it. This led to another vision of Charlie, Alastor, Niffty, Husk, Vaggie and many others looking a strange metal orb floating in the sky like they were in a trance. I then saw a third vision, this time depicting various people in metal coffins receiving a strange yet familiar divine power. As the vision ended, I then found myself in the dungeon of a castle. Walking up the stairs, I then walked through a dark portal that led to a very strange circus. Looking at the place, a strange sense of fear came over me. "Uh oh.", I said.

The story continues in the next chapter.