Alright, time for the start of the Grail War, hope you all enjoy, and are having a great end of the year. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Broken Angel: Rising Demon
Chapter 48: Start of the Fifth Grail War.
-Artoria's Office. London, Albion. January 21st 2004-
Riley knew long before she entered the office that Artoria was not happy. She appeared beside her wife, and immediately took in the atmosphere of intense scrutiny, and concern.
At Riley's arrival, Artoria turned in her seat to face her.
She then let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair.
"Okay, so… what's up?" Riley asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Kiritsugu Emiya. My master during the Fourth Grail War. I just received a letter from him." Artoria informed her. Riley responded with a raised eyebrow, her own curiosity rising.
"What did he want?" Riley questioned.
"To tell me that he suspects the Fifth Grail War is about to start." Artoria responded.
"The Fifth Grail War? I thought it took decades in between them for the Grail to harness enough magic in order to activate? The last one was what, less than a decade ago?" Riley hummed with curiosity.
"You're correct. The Fifth shouldn't have started for another couple of decades at least. Kiritsugu addressed that in his letter, made mention of a few factors that he suspects has led to the expediency of this next War. Namely he references the fact that the Fourth Holy Grail was never used. I destroyed it before a wish could be made from it, so that power still somewhat remains. The second point is that he believed the revival of the Ten-Tails resulted in the planetary Lay-lines being flooded with magic, allowing the grail to acquire the power it needs much faster. If both of these theories are correct, than it makes sense that it could happen again so soon." Artoria explained to her.
"Okay, makes sense to me. So what does he want you to do about it?" Riley questioned.
"He wants me to stop it. To destroy the Grail for good. The last time, I apparently only destroyed part of the Grail, but other parts survived. He sent this letter to me, in the hopes that I would go to Japan and put an end to that monstrous creation." Artoria said to her.
"And you seem like you're considering doing so. Didn't you tell me that Kiritsugu was a duplicitous bastard, without a shred of honor. The kind of man who'd do anything to get what he wants? You think he's actually telling the truth about this?" Riley asked her.
"According to his letter, Kiritsugu Emiya is dead. It seems he debated with himself for years about reaching out to me once he saw me on television here in Albion. He debated gaining my assistance to try and stop the Holy Grail from ever being summoned again. In the end though, it seems he decided to try and deal with it on his own, but he put measures in place to make sure someone knew what was going on, just in case. From the sounds of it, he was battling some sort of illness, and it eventually claimed his life. This letter was meant to be sent to me, in the event of his death, though it isn't dated so I have no idea when it was written, or how long it's been drifting across the magical or mundane worlds, making it's way here." Artoria informed her, holding up the letter as she did.
"And I would have sensed if the Grail War had begun… so you think it's still coming?" Riley noted.
"Yes." Artoria confirmed.
"Even after Second impact? A lot of Japan was flooded. The waters may have claimed the intended battleground, or even the ones responsible for starting the Holy Grail War." Riley pressed.
"It's possible, but I doubt it. No… I believe it's about to begin, and if so, I intend to go there and see the Grail destroyed once and for all." Artoria declared, rising to her feet as she did.
"I understand this is a bit of a personal issue for you, but it needn't be more than it is. If these mages wish to tamper with such powers, and you want to stop them, than just give me the order, and I'll end their attempts." Riley said to her.
"Riley, you're pregnant. No adventuring until after you've given birth." Hashirama noted, earning an eye roll and then a rueful smirk from his granddaughter. Her mates had been quite insistent on that. They didn't want Riley doing anything risky while she was carrying precious cargo.
"Without even thinking about it, I already have two solutions to that issue. One I can send clones, or two I can go into Kamui and wait until this little bun is done cooking, give birth, come back, and deal with this. My point is, you don't need to go to the opposite side of the world, when I can handle the problem without actually needing to get off the couch." Riley noted to her family members, before turning her gaze back to Artoria.
"This isn't solely about just getting it finished. And like you said, it is personal for me. I sought the grail once. I became obsessed with acquiring it, and it shaped me for a time. This is something I must see an end to. More than just defeating an evil, or a threat, it is about closing a chapter on my life, and putting right something that I helped to perpetuate." Artoria admitted. Riley gave her a thoughtful look, and then let out a hum as she shrugged. She knew how much honor mattered to Artoria, and it was apparent that this, was a matter of personal honor, for the Queen of Albion.
Years ago, she had been revived to fight in the Fourth Holy Grail War. She had been in pursuit of the Holy Grail, intent on acquiring a wish of her own. It had been her goal, her dream, and yet when she was revived by the Shinigami and shown the truth of the grail, she was repulsed by how close she'd come to soiling her own soul.
The Holy Grail was filled with poison. When she had destroyed it's vessel years ago, a sea of boiling mud spilled out of it. That's what lay at the heart of the Holy Grail, burning sludge. The Grail was not holy, it was not pure. It was evil, and Artoria knew that it would only bring misery to the world if left alone. She knew that it had to be destroyed, and as a matter of her own personal honor, she had to be the one to destroy it.
"Alright, well I'm certainly not letting you handle this alone. If you're adamant about going, than I'm going to help you." Riley declared.
"I'll accept you aid, but only from a distance. If the war has already begun, than it's possible that the servants have already been summoned as well. These are heroes from legend, each one empowered by the belief in their story or legend. They will be some of the strongest beings to have ever lived, and you need to be in good condition to face them. Some, I have no doubt, may have faced demons in the past, so we cannot afford risks." Artoria stated.
"Aww… you think some ancient humans could threaten me. That's cute." Riley hummed boastfully, aiming to get a rise out of Artoria. She got what she wanted, as Artoria adopted a look of annoyance, which earned her a satisfied grin from Riley.
"Try not to let that arrogance crush you under it's weight. Honestly Riley, if your head gets any bigger, you wont fit in this room anymore." Artoria countered her.
"Funny. So… do you have a plan?" Riley asked her with a chuckle.
"Yes, I will go with a guard or two, and hunt down each of the participants in the Grail War. I will defeat them and their servants one by one, and then I will defeat the ones who orchestrated this war. Once they are all dealt with, I will destroy the grail, once and for all." Artoria laid it all out. It was a rather simple plan, the kind that was easy to adjust and manipulate on the fly, yet it kept their goals rather straightforward.
"Well, no complaints there. Who will you take with you?" Riley asked.
"Katie, and Kaede. As two of your paths, they'll have the ability to be empowered by you, and it'll allow you to observe and influence the situation from a safe distance. Until you are no longer pregnant, I do not wish you to be directly involved." Artoria responded, earning an eye-roll from Riley.
"You do know my womb is it's own pocket space. Grandfather Madara could come over here and start blindly kicking me in the gut, and it wouldn't so much as alert my unborn child." Riley noted, giving her a look that showed that she appreciated her care, but it really wasn't needed.
"Noted, but it doesn't change how I feel. It wont change how the others feel either." Artoria added in, fixing Riley with a look that said she did not give a damn.
Riley shrugged at that, knowing full well that Artoria would carry out the threat if Riley pressed the issue, and it was an argument that she simply would not escape from. Despite all of her abilities, despite all the ways she had of protecting herself and her unborn child, despite how little an affect it would actually have on her combat prowess, her mates would still treat her as something fragile that needed to be handled with care.
A part of her understood, and even appreciated it, yet the logical part of her, was simply annoyed, since she wasn't in any greater danger, nor was her baby. Still, her mates were insistent that she take it easy, and relax. They were always checking in on her, always making sure she was alright and had everything she needed.
The only real change in Riley's personality since becoming pregnant was how she would sometimes space off as she mentally linked with her baby, and tried to communicate with it. When Kaede was pregnant with Kayda this process began rather early on, with Kayda obtaining sentience very quickly. By comparison, Riley's unborn child had yet to begin shaping a full consciousness. It was a thing of instinct right now as it grew and developed. With each passing day, the scope of it's emotional complexity grew, yet it still did not have a full sense of self, or individualism. It still had a hard time recognizing Riley's presence as it's mother.
Riley was more than happy to be patient with the baby, and had no complaints about it seemingly taking longer than Kayda had. The only part about being pregnant that bothered Riley was how every single person who knew her, and knew she was pregnant, treated her differently than they normally would. They seemed to think she was more fragile, more in need of care.
Her mates and mother were the worst culprits of this treatment. Before they left each day to go and handle their respective jobs, they'd each ask if she needed anything, or wanted anything.
Riley found it amusing at first, being asked that same question three to five times by her respective mates, them being unawares that the others had already asked her that. Now though, Riley was simply growing annoyed with it. She understood of course. This was the first time she'd been pregnant, and in truth, Riley was the exact same way, whenever her mates were pregnant, always asking if they needed anything, always checking to make sure they were alright. It's why she bit her tongue when her family did the same thing with her. As much as she wanted to complain, and repeatedly point out that none of it was necessary, she knew it wouldn't convince them, and only serve to make her look like a hypocrite, and in this particular case, Riley was actively trying not to be one. Rationalizing in her mind, that if she just sucked it up, and dealt with their care, than she could use that as an example in the future, when they complained about her being overbearing.
So despite her feelings on the matter, she knew that Artoria was serious about telling the others and getting them on her side, if Riley became insistent on getting involved. Riley naturally was going to involve herself anyway, but best not to argue about it. When it came to things like this, and her mates disapproval, she had long learned it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
She'd allow Artoria, Kaede, and Katie to go and handle this, but she'd be watching. Through their eyes and from afar, and the moment they needed her, she'd be there to intervene on their behalf. She knew they knew this, even if they chose to believe otherwise. Her mates had known her long enough to know that Riley would never jeopardize their safety. She was always watching them, always. She had multiple means of locating them, reaching them, communicating with them, and retrieving them should anything go wrong. They also had their wraiths, to help keep them safe and shield them from sneak attacks.
Artoria, Katie, and Kaede. These three were her paths, and were powerful fighters. Katie had the Akasa path, allowing her to use the Rinnegan's Space-Time Ninjutsu. She could open portals and teleport using Amenotejikara. She also had her limitless stamina, allowing her to fight on without end. With all of her training, and growing experience, Katie was close to being a Jonin-level fighter, even without the Rinnegan's powers. With it, she most certainly was. Being connected to Riley, and having the ability to draw upon Riley's near limitless magic, meant that Katie could essentially keep fighting forever, and never grow tired.
Kaede was a full blown devil, and the Human Path. Her vectors had a considerable range and were far stronger than any other Diclonius. With her vectors, she could rip apart steel, and deflect heavy objects. She could pass them through solid material to strike at vulnerable places behind armor or barriers. Her vectors were also invisible to the naked eye so most people never saw them coming. With her vectors she could also shield against any form of magical attack, draining the magic out of it, amplifying that magic, and tossing it back at her enemy in the form of raw power. Being a Devil also meant she immune to most ordinary weapons and could reform from most fatal injuries.
Artoria, being the last of the trio, was well suited for combat against melee or magical enemies. She was the Preta Path, meaning she could absorb incoming magical attacks. Her armor also granted her heightened magical resilience rendering her basically immune to magical attack. Add her armor onto how tough her skin was, being a High Dragon, and that rendered her resistant to most forms of physical attack as well. Being linked to Riley, also allowed her to utilize Excalibur's powers with much greater efficiency. Filtering the energy through herself, she could utilize Excalibur's energy attacks much faster and with greater or more precise intensity. In the past when she used it, it always took the form of a massive blast of holy energy. Now she could focus it, unleashing smaller, more condensed attacks, and energy waves. She could also enhance the power of these attacks, by allowing Riley's magic to flood the sword, unfiltered. Receiving Riley's magic in it's raw form, corrupted the holy energy, but did not turn it demonic. Instead it became a new form of magic, a corrupted holy magic, that had a far greater damage output than normal. Using that method greatly increased the damage the sword could unleash. Just as an example, small energy waves, that Artoria could unleash with a slash could easily vaporize steel, or topple an average sized house. Using corrupted holy magic, those same slashes could blast away the entire house, not just collapse it. None of this included Artoria's ability to transform into a dragon, giving her all the skills and powers of a High Dragon.
All three of them together were dangerous opponents. Of that, Riley had little doubt. With Riley's apparent acceptance, Artoria began discussing with her advisers how the country would continue running in her momentary absence.
Riley paid it little attention, knowing that the country would be fine without them. Instead she turned her attention towards Japan, reaching out with her senses. There, in the country, she could feel it. Magic growing rapidly in power. It was currently weaker than the magical influx that bloomed out of the portal leading to the Elemental Nations, which is why she hadn't noticed it before, the two being very near to each other.
Now that she was focusing on it though, she could feel the unique magical presence of the Holy Grail, it's power beginning to swell. If it hadn't started already, the Holy Grail War was about to kick off.
-Fuyuki City, Japan. January 22nd 2004-
Magic hung in the air. Something of great power was growing here. Fuyuki city was a place that had obviously seen it's fair share of tragedy. Ten years ago, the destruction of the grail had caused a massive fire to break out, burning much of the city and kill thousands. The city was rebuilt, and people returned to it, only for Second Impact to occur, flooding large sections of the city, close to the bay where it was nestled.
Now new structures, dotted the hills and mountains that were once clear and green. Somehow, the city managed to survive and persevere, even after the second great catastrophe in less than ten years.
Using the sensory abilities of the Rinnegan the trio wasted little time in beginning their investigation. Their intent was to track down and destroy all of the servants, forcing the Holy Grail to appear once more. Once it did, Artoria would destroy it completely. The last time she had tried, she was holding back, fighting against herself. The only reason she had destroyed it then was because she was a servant and was being compelled by Command Seals.
How the Holy Grail war worked, was that it was basically a competition. The grail would be summoned into an organic host, known as the Lesser Grail, and that host would be the recipient for power, taken from seven summoned servants. These servants were taken from the Throne of Heroes, a conceptual repository for the legends and myths of history. Basically within the Throne was a manifestation of each and every legendary or mythical figure throughout all of time. These figures were based on the myths of their specific entity. As an example, in the last war, Artoria had fought against Alexander the Great, though he had manifested, as he was according to his legend, rather than as the man he truly was. The servants themselves were powerful figures, but they were only as strong as their legends. It's why in many cases they paled in comparison to the true individual they were in life. Artoria had been different. She hadn't been summoned from the throne, but rather from the moment of her death. She was allowed to exist in that state, due to a promise made with a greater force, as it had once been her desire to acquire the holy grail and gain a wish of her own.
Each Servant was placed into a specific class, that represented their powers, and nature as a servant. Artoria had been part of the Saber class, representing her powers with a blade. The classes were Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Assassin, Rider, and Berserker. Depending on the class, a hero may get a specific boost or buff. For example, Berserker's were wild, and difficult to control, but had the benefit of an unspeakable rage that amplified their strength and speed, beyond what would be normal for them.
Each Servant was bound to a master, and each master would be gifted with a set of Command Seals. These seals could be used to enforce the master's will upon the servant. Sometimes a master and servant got along well, and no seals were needed, other times, the two despised each other, and the master had to get creative with their use of seals.
If they won the war, they both got a wish, they just needed to kill all of the other servants to win. The masters were unimportant, but the servants survived off of their master's power. They leached off of their magic, and so without a master, the servant would fade away, being consumed by the grail. So essentially, both were fair game, but if the servant died, the master could retreat from the game and avoid further entanglement.
If all of the masters and servants had been chosen, than they'd have to face down and defeat at least six of the seven servants in order to force the Grail to manifest. They could then destroy it.
Artoria explained all of this to Kaede and Katie, making sure they understood the complexities and simplicities of the war. Using the powers of the Rinnegan it would be a relatively easy task track down and destroy the servants. They and their mage masters would be some of the strongest magical beings present. Unless they were hiding behind of a barrier of some sort, it wouldn't be hard to find them. Killing them was where it got difficult.
The fighting though, that made it even easier for them to locate their prey.
The trio arrived on a street, overlooking the city below. There they encountered a quintet of individuals engaged in a fight. A small girl with long white hair, who blazed with intense magic, overlooked the battle from the street. Near to the fight was a boy and a girl, both with heightened magical abilities, signifying their powers. The last two were the ones engaged in a duel, fighting with blinding speed, and monstrously powerful strikes. A man and a woman. The man was a towering figure, a giant of blackened, almost burned skin, and blazing red eyes. He had long, flowing jet black hair, and was heavily muscled across most of his body. He wore no armor, and wielded a massive cleaver made of stone.
His opponent, was someone who was immensely familiar to the trio.
Draped in blue armor, and armed with a sword wrapped in air, below them fought a reflection of Artoria, just in her younger body.
"I-is that you?" Katie asked in surprise.
"A servant variant of me. Born of a reflection of my legend." Artoria responded, her eyes narrowing intently.
"But how? You're still alive, hell you're right here." Katie noted, still unable to believe what she was seeing.
"I would have died over fifteen hundred years ago. Much time has passed since then. Enough time to cement my legend in history. What you see down there is not me, but rather a reflection of that legend. More accurately, a reflection of King Arthur of legend." Artoria explained as she watched the battle.
"But you are also King Arthur…" Kaede spoke.
"I am, but my existence, my legend, is now shaped by who I am now. Queen Artoria Pendragon, and King Arthur Pendragon, are two beings of their own legends. My legend incorporates the life of King Arthur, and persists through me, shaping and forming in this very day. What we see now though, is the reflection of King Arthur, as I was then, fifteen hundred years ago. It is a spirit born of people's memories of my legend. My myth." Artoria explained further.
"Okay… so how do you wanna handle this?" Katie asked, after a few moments to settle this strangeness in her mind.
"Hang back. Observe from a distance. There are three people here, but only two servants. Unless one of them is an assistant of some sort, there's probably another servant around here somewhere." Artoria spoke, drawing Excalibur as she did.
She then manifested her armor, covering her full body in the magical metal. Now hidden under her helm, Artoria dove into the fray.
The giant had just knocked his smaller opponent back, only for Artoria to appear between the two, surprising both of them, as well as the three onlookers.
"Wh-who's that?" The boy asked.
"I… wait… that armor…" the girl spoke. The smaller white haired girl, who was watching from above, seemed to recoil at the sight of the armored warrior who stood between the two battling legends.
"To you masters present, I give you this one opportunity. Abandon the quest for the grail. Cast aside this needless conflict and return to your lives. You don't know the power you are meddling with. It'll bring only disaster and pain." Artoria declared from beneath her helm.
Her younger self blinked several times, recognizing the voice she was hearing, as well as the magical energy held like a blade at the side of this new opponent.
A roar from the towering behemoth shook the ground as he charged at Artoria. She defended herself from his strike, her training with Riley giving her everything she needed to face foes such as this.
The towering man was obviously the servant Berserker. Though she didn't know which heroic figure this was, it didn't overly change much. Berserker was powerful, and vicious, of that she could clearly feel. But she had trained alongside titans of magic, heroes and legends of their own right, and she had trained with Riley. Berserker hit with an unyielding force, but it was one she was used to. The rain of blows she deflected with a practiced ease. All of the many hours sparring with her wife had prepared Artoria for such a dual.
She allowed the manic beast to hammer at her defenses as she waited for an opening.
The moment she saw one, she lashed out, Excalibur exploding in a blaze of light, that Berserker could barely defend against as he was sent sailing away dozens of meters. The air was left filled with twinkling globules of white magic, that sparkled out of existence a few moments later.
Berserker let out a snarl as he began to come at her again, only to be struck by several blood red arrows that quickly exploded.
Berserker seemed unharmed by all of this. He stood within the destruction, barely only a single cut from where he was unable to stop the energy from Artoria's attack from getting through. The arrows had done nothing to him. All in all, the titan seemed unfazed.
He charged once more, as did Artoria. The two met in a blaze of blows, the air filled with pulsations from each sundering attack. Blow after blow was traded. The giant was stronger than she was, but Artoria was much more skilled. Cuts began to blaze across his giant body. One by one, Artoria's blows landed. Cut after cut until nearly a dozen resided across Berserker's body.
A powerful upwards slash was blocked by Artoria though it lifted her into the air. Now uprooted the follow-up strike sent her spiraling through the air. She landed on her feet, ready to receive his next attack, but the giant did not pursue her, instead it stood stock-still, staring intently, as if waiting for a command.
Without needing a word, the giant leaped from it's position and quickly scooped the small girl onto his shoulder. She glared down at them, her eyes pinning Artoria, who stared back from beneath her helmet.
"You should not have come here." The child spoke.
"And you should not have begun this again." Artoria countered.
The child glared for a moment before Berzerker leaped back into the nearby forest, taking her to safety.
The giant's protectiveness of the child was surprising to Artoria. Berserkers were meant to be wild, and dangerous. This one seemed more tempered, more lucid, than the last one she'd faced.
Artoria watched them retreat, waiting for a moment before turning her eyes out towards the city. There, standing atop a distant building, she could see the magic of a powerful figure. There was the third servant. Archer no doubt.
So, Archer, Saber, and Berserker. Three in one go, not bad for a first encounter.
"What do you mean 'who is that'?" Artoria heard a female voice cry out. She turned to find the dark haired girl glaring in disbelief at the boy with the orange hair. A boy, that Artoria felt she recognized. Something about him seemed familiar.
"You know who that is Tohsaka?" The boy asked her, causing her to stare incredulously at him.
"Do I know who that is?! Have you been living under a rock Emiya? You don't recognize that armor?" The girl countered.
The boy blinked and looked over at the armored knight, taking in her appearance for a good long moment. Artoria stared back. After hearing what the girl called him, she suddenly remembered where she recognized the boy from.
An image flashed in her mind, a scene that the Shinigami had shown her long ago. She recalled the scene vividly. Kiritsugu Emiya, her previous master, frantically searching through the blazing ruins of Fuyuki city, desperate in his search to find someone, anyone, a single survivor. She remembered seeing him pull a child out of the rubble. A boy with similar orange hair as this boy here.
This was the child that Kiritsugu had rescued. The girl called the boy Emiya, that was Kiritsugu's surname. Had he adopted this boy?
"It's the Queen of Albion you dolt. How could you not recognize her. She's only like, the second most famous magical being on the planet. Married to the most powerful one. Queen of the magical kingdom of Albion. Anyone who's anyone should know who she is, but anyone raised as a mage should most certainly know her." The girl chastised him.
Artoria gave the two another once over before turning gaze back out across the city. Her eyes focusing on Archer, who stood miles away, atop a crane staring back at her.
"You both should flee from this place and abandon this war. No good will come from calling upon the Grail." Artoria spoke, turning her eyes back to duo, and to her younger self who stood between her and them, standing guard, and studying her.
Her words broke the two out of their conversation and drew their eyes to her.
"Wh-What do you mean?" The boy asked, taking a step forward.
"The Holy Grail is not what it seems, it is not the wish granter that you've no doubt convinced yourself it is. It is not holy, it is not divine, it is evil." Artoria spoke.
"Evil?" The girl repeated, blinking in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" Saber questioned.
"I've seen what lays at the Grail's heart. Nothing more than burning mud. It is darkness. Twisted and vile. No wish you attempt to invoke from it, will be freed from that taint. All will be corrupted. Ten years ago, I destroyed the grail, and from it's heart poured out a sea of that burning substance, and it washed over this city, setting it ablaze. You are from here, are you not? You know the damage that fire caused." Artoria spoke. Surprise appeared on the girl's face, while the boy seemed to freeze up. Saber's eyes went wide, and she seemed to hesitate.
"You… destroyed the grail…" She uttered, confliction, confusion, and uncertainty dancing across her face, before her eyes narrowed and she raised her hidden weapon, pointing it at Artoria. "Who are you? You do not appear to be a servant of this war. Reveal yourself."
Artoria acquiesced to her challenge, removing her helmet as she did. The dark haired girl didn't seem surprised, and the boy was only just now recovering from her earlier statement, just enough to finally recognize who she was. It was Saber though who seemed the most shocked. Taking a step back in disbelief as she looked upon an older reflection of her own face.
"H-How is this possible…?" Saber muttered in disbelief.
"Saber's right, you're not a servant in this war. You're real. Mind giving us an explanation." Came the voice of another man. It was Archer. The red-clad, bronze skinned man appearing several meters to Artoria's flank. Artoria glanced at him for a moment, meeting his gaze, and his cool visage seemed to break for a moment when he met her eyes, and saw the Rinnegan reflected in them.
"Your majesty, please forgive my rudeness, but you need to explain yourself. What do you mean by the grail's corruption?" The girl asked her.
"Yes I would like to know that as well! Among other things." Saber commented.
"Wait… that's the Queen of Ablion right? What is she doing here? And… why does she look so much like Saber?" The boy questioned.
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Archer responded with an annoyed sigh, though his annoyance seemed forced. Almost as if he recognized that the boy was off balanced by something that was earlier said.
Before Artoria spoke, Katie and Kaede hopped into view, appearing at Archer's flanks, ready to engage him, if he chose to become a threat.
He glanced sideways at them, taking note of the hooded figures, bearing cloaks that chilled the air with malevolence, with eyes matching Artoria.
"Legionaries!" Tohsaka blinked at the sight of them.
"Legionaries?" Emiya questioned.
"Albion military. They're magical soldiers. Bad news if it came to a fight, especially if they came as guards for the Queen." Tohsaka said to him.
"There needn't be a fight. If you withdraw from this war, and remove yourselves from the situation. I cannot, and will not allow a repeat of ten years ago. Nor will I allow the corrupt and maligned powers of the Grail to persist as a driving force in the world." Artoria spoke, her words even, and tempered.
"You said that you destroyed the grail ten years ago, but that it caused the fire that burned Fuyuki city." The boy questioned her.
"Yes. Kiritsugu Emiya summoned me in that war, to be his servant. I was Saber then. Just as I am in this one, it seems." Artoria revealed, confirming that she and Saber were the same person.
"How is it possible that you are here? What magics could allow us to both exist in this time? After I destroyed the grail, it wasn't more than a few moments before I was summoned again." Saber asked.
"Kiritsugu learned the truth. He learned about the evil that lay within the Grail, and he sought to destroy it. He forced me, forced us to do it, using his command seals. He told us nothing, only commanded that we destroy the grail using our power. He did not know what would happen when it's lesser vessel was destroyed. He thought he was doing what was right. Making the sacrifice needed to save the world from this evil. His actions, triggered the fire that burned this city. I knew none of this, not until the Shinigami showed it to me, and told me the truth." Artoria explained.
The boy blinked at that, and seemed to teeter a bit. Learning the truth about what had happened then, about his adopted father's past. He now understood. That was why Kiritsugu had taken him in. He was trying to save the world from the evils within the Grail, and inadvertently triggered the fire that consumed the city, killing thousands, including, most-likely his own birth parents. Kiritsugu had pulled him from the fire, and nursed him back to health. He took him in and raised him, probably hoping or feeling that it was some form of repentance.
Conflicting emotions danced across the boy's face, similarly to Saber.
"The Shinigami showed you this truth? Why would the God of Death reveal this?" Tohsaka asked.
"He wished to make me an offer, a deal. He knew that I would not accept it without first breaking my contract with the world. He needed me to understand that the Holy Grail could not grant my wish. It could not give me what I wanted. So he showed me the truth, and revealed what lay at the Grail's heart. I was brought forward in time, and used in a bargain the Shinigami made with a powerful magical being, one who would become my new master." Artoria stated, revealing to them how she had ended up here.
"Given over to a new master? But you're not a servant, you're the real person." The girl noted.
"I am. Because of the deal I made with the world, I was able to be summoned to fight in the Grail War from the moment of my death. I was still alive then. I've technically never truly died. Now here I stand before the face of my younger self. A stark reflection of who I once was, and as I look into her eyes, I begin to question whether or not I was right." Artoria admitted, focusing her gaze onto Saber who returned it, with a questioning look of her own.
"You don't think she's a reflection of your legend, do you?" Katie hummed, reading Artoria's expression.
"No… there should be some things that are different. I was unique, because I was summoned while still alive. That meant that I wasn't colored by my own myth, but also meant I wasn't empowered by it. I stare at her, and I see myself, not a reflection of a story." Artoria admitted.
"I came not from the afterlife, but from the field where I lay dying. One of two possibilities exist. You or I may not be from this specific time. Unless you know the exact method that this God of Death used to transport you forward in time, it's possible he could have sent you, or brought you to another time. Otherwise… the other option was that I was summoned multiple times in that moment. I may not have come from the afterlife, but I am still a construct of the Grail, called forth from a specific instance. I remember my past, remember the last war." Saber noted.
"So because you never died, you retained your memories of the last war, where you were also Saber. You were brought here by the God of Death as part of a deal, and given over to a new master. Who might that master be?" Archer questioned curiously.
"She is no longer my master, as she gave up the title. The one I was given over to protect and serve is now my wife, the Princess of Albion." Artoria responded, smiling fondly as she did.
"Your… wife?" Saber blinked in surprise.
"The wife of the Queen of Albion. The Lady Riley Uchiwa. Lord of houses Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Uzumaki, and Uchiwa. Heir to house Senju, and Black. Lady of house Pendragon." Tohsaka stated confidently, and in a scholarly manner.
"She's the hero right? The one who ended all of the world's wars." Emiya questioned.
"Yeah. That would be her. She's the strongest magical being on the planet. The living vessel to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Spirit, vessel to the Angel of Carnage, Ralael, vessel to the corrupt form of the Tree of Life, the Ten Tails. The Hero of the Burning Leaf. One of the Founders of the Cysgodol Legion, and a champion of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. Mages and Magicals everywhere know about her. It's one of the biggest reasons why the magical Kingdom of Albion is seen as unstoppable by most magical communities. For as long as she lives, the Princess will stand guard over her country. She's the one who raised Albion into the sky, saving the island nation from Second Impact. Then, like you said, she ended all of the world's wars, through sheer force and magical might. For days she stood vigil over the world, bringing an end to most conflicts for good, and allowing cooler heads to prevail. Some fighting did resume, but that's human nature. The wars that tore the planet apart, causing so much pain and distress were ended largely because she refused to allow people to fight anymore. Without the ability to fight, people were forced to work out their issues." Tohsaka continued on, showing just how much she'd been paying attention to Riley's activities. Even amongst the Mage community, which kept itself even more hidden than the magical one, Riley was well known of, and admired. Many a mage often expressed their desire to reveal themselves in the hopes that they'd get the chance to question her, and study her incredible magical powers.
Some mages even speculated that Riley was the first being to bring 'True' magic back into the world.
True magic being the kind of magic that was unbound to any of the laws of reality, and able to perform what the mages would recognize as miracles. Essentially, how they saw it, the type of magic they performed wasn't true magic, it was just a watered down version of it. Mages, magicals, even shinobi, they all performed these watered down variants of magic. True Magic, was the kind of magic that could perform acts that weren't realistically possible. The idea was simple. Say you used magic to make fire. That wasn't true magic, because fire could be created naturally. It wasn't a miracle to make fire, it wasn't uncommon. Fire could generate as a natural process of the world, or through simple acts of mankind, so creating it, even creating a lot of it, was still just a simple application of power. The mages called such powers 'mafecraft'. Basically any power of magic that could be replicated by the world, or living beings through scientific means, wasn't True Magic, it was simply magecraft, the act of performing science with magic. Something that would be considered True Magic would be the ability to bring the dead back to life. That couldn't be accomplished naturally. Ressurection of the dead was a true miracle. There was also powers like the Creation of All Things Technique said to be wielded by those with the Rinnegan. The power to create objects out of nothingness was a process that was completely impossible by scientific standards. The rules of reality stated that matter cannot be created or destroyed. Magecraft, spells and Ninjutsu, could alter matter, changing the shape of objects, but it could not create them, unless the practitioner could use Yin-Yang Release to create something out of nothing. People like Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara, could use Yin-Yang Release to create matter from pure magic. Tobirama could make Water, for use in Water Release techniques out of thin air. Hashirama could do it with his Wood Release creating plants that he could control from nothing more than his imagination. Madara had learned this power from Hashirama, increasing the strength of his own Wood Release.
It was easy to see why people believed that Riley was one of the first to begin returning True Magic back to the world. This was untrue though, as had been noted, there were a few who'd done it before her, but the secretive nature of shinobi meant that few would recognize it. Still Riley was well regarded as one of the main practitioners, and it led to a deep seated desire to study and question her by the Mage community. Those in charge of that community though were hesitant to reveal themselves. While the Statute of Secrecy had fallen, and magicals and Shinobi were ousted, Mages still retained their anonymity. Hell most magicals didn't even believe mages existed, and the Mages were largely happy to keep it that way. The reveal of magic to the world had also largely benefited them, as the Mages could relax a bit on keeping themselves hidden, as any act of magecraft would be written off as spellcraft or ninjutsu.
"So if the grail is corrupted, does that mean that it's impossible for it to be used to access the Root, the source of all magic?" Tohsaka inquired.
"Maybe at one point, it could have been used as such, but as it is now, the only thing the Grail can grant is destruction. No wish may be granted that does not invoke it's destructive powers. If that was your goal, than I can say that it is unlikely you'll be able to obtain such access to the Root, through the Grail without losing yourself to it's evils." Artoria responded.
The girl seemed thoughtful at that, turning her gaze out toward the city for a long moment before turning it to Artoria as she noticed her beginning to place her helmet back on.
"You two are only children, so I give you this offer. Abandon your question for the Grail. Whatever drives you to seek it, cannot be achieved. Walk away, and live. I require the lives of five of the servants in order to summon the Grail. Once it manifests I will destroy it completely this time." Artoria declared, revealing her intent to defeat both Saber and Archer, to begin the count.
"Wait! But last time you destroyed it, it caused the fire that burned through the city! What makes you think destroying it again wont cause the same thing to happen!" Emiya shouted at her, stepping forward.
"Last time I destroyed the cup itself. The form of the Lesser grail, but I did not destroy the portal that connected that Lesser Grail, to the Grail's true form. This time around, I know of the portal's existence, and I will destroy both, before the contents of the grail can spill out. Once that is done, my allies an I will work to permanently dismantle the Grail, preventing this from ever happening again." Artoria declared.
"Only Five Servants are needed to initially summon the Grail. What if we helped each other? Now knowing what the truth, I can't just sit back and allow someone to tamper with something so dangerous. If all the Grail is capable of, is granting destruction, than it must be destroyed in turn. While I don't wanna speak for her, if you two are the same person, than surely she feels the same now that she know the truth." Kiritsugu's son said to her. There was confidence in his voice. Drive. He didn't seem at all like the kind of person that Kiritsugu would raise. Artoria hadn't known her previous master long, but her brief time with him, painted the picture of a right bastard in her eyes. Even if his goals and motives were ultimately noble, he was secretive, deceptive, dishonorable, and a liar. This boy seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve. He seemed nothing at all like Kiritsugu.
"Shirou is right. I still don't quite know how I feel about learning this truth, but if everything you say is indeed right, than I also cannot allow such evils to once again be unleashed upon the world. It darkens my thoughts to know that my own ambitions for the Grail have played party to this darkness. Now knowing what I know, I would gladly offer my aid in seeing it brought to an end." Saber agreed.
Artoria eyed the two for a moment, her eyes narrowing beneath her helm. She knew of her own ambitions for the Grail, but the boy, Shirou, was an unknown.
"What of you ambitions for the Grail? You'd so easily cast them aside on the word of a stranger?" Artoria asked him.
"I lived through that fire, and it's been unexplained till now. I believe you when you say it was caused by the last Grail War. If my father was indeed a master, than it also answers why he was there, why he managed to find me in all that chaos. Your words make sense to me, and I get the feeling that you're not a liar. Besides that, I never asked to be a part of this. I didn't know anything about the Grail War until today. I have no ambitions towards the Grail. I never wanted anything from it, so I don't mind working to get rid of it." Shirou explained to her, revealing his ignorance to this situation but also his reasoning for being willing to work towards the Grail's destruction.
"And what of you two?" Artoria questioned, glancing at Rin, and Archer.
"I have no interest in the Grail, or it's wish granting powers. Whether or not I fight for it, will ultimately be up to my master." Archer noted dismissively. Though he tied his willingness to fight, to the girl, Artoria sensed something else from him. She couldn't quite pin it down, but she sensed there was something more to this man.
"Well, what will you do Tohsaka? Do you believe her?" Shirou turned to face the girl. She bit her lip, and appeared annoyed for a long moment. She then stamped her foot and let out a groan of frustration.
"All of this hard work, all of this time and energy! All for something broken and defective. This is aggravating to say the least. Still, I do share with them a lack of true desire for any sort of wish. My goal was the Grail itself, it's nature, it's unique ties to the truest forms of magic. Sometimes risks need to be taken to advance one's own understanding, but I'm not willing to gamble on thousands, or even tens of thousands of lives. Who knows what kind of nightmare could be unleashed if someone were to actually win and use the Grail's powers. I agree with Shirou that we'd have a much better chance of getting things to go the way we want, by joining forces." The girl stated, offering her agreement to join forces.
Artoria eyed the group for a moment before relaxing.
"Alright. I believe your words are genuine. You know this city, and we will be fighting mages and their servants, so it may not be a bad thing to work together." Artoria stated. She knew she could relax, even if she still had her suspicions, especially in regards to Archer. She knew they were no threat to her, and keeping them close would ensure that.
Clearly, through her magically enhanced eyes, Artoria could see the form of Kaede's vectors, mere centimeters from each of the four. If any of them made a move to attack, Kaede could tear them apart before they could blink. Even the mirrored reflection of her younger self, was safe from the Queen Diclonious. Kaede had no doubts in regards to Saber. She may look like Artoria, but she wasn't her. She wasn't even a real person, just a copy created by the Grail, with the memories of the real person she was imaged off of. Kaede wouldn't hesitate if they became threats, or if Artoria gave the command.
"So, if we're going to be working together, we should probably share our knowledge, and come up with a plan. We should also be ready to face the consequences of going after the Grail. There are those out there who wont take kindly to us seeking to destroy it, even if it is corrupted." Tohsaka noted.
"That's a good idea. We can go to my house, and talk there." Shirou offered, gaining a nod of acceptance from the girl, as well as Artoria.
"Well… this is certainly an interesting development. Still though, things might work out better this way." Artoria hummed as she offered her agreement with the boy's suggestion.
She knew it was best to increase her odds of success, and she was committed to handling this herself, despite knowing that even now, through her own eyes, Riley was watching. In fact, she was quite certain her wife wasn't overly far away, and she was definitely right on the money with that.
While Artoria, Katie, and Kaede began to follow Shirou and the others towards his home, from a far off distance, floating high in the sky was Riley.
The veins around her eyes bulged, as she watched through the Byakugan as all of this played out. She had given her agreement to let Artoria handle this, but Riley was never going to just sit back. If nothing else, she'd get a good show out of this.
She could easily feel the presence of the servants, their intense magical energy making them easy to locate. The part that drew her curiosity though was the presence of an additional servant, undoubtedly the strongest. She could also sense several powerful magical signatures, that of the various mages acting as masters, and observers to this War.
Finally she took note of the malevolence that hung in the air. Darkness bled into this city, and she sensed something foul beginning to eek into the air. This foulness was familiar to her, and she instantly recognized it. The face that accompanied that recollection was all too familiar to her. Thinking on it, she could close her eyes and see Mito's smirking face, and know instantly what this crooked darkness reminded her of.
It was dimmer, so much dimmer, but she felt the presence of that same vile evil that had spilled out of Mito when she had been killed, years earlier.
That, that filled Riley with concern. She had a feeling in her gut that this wasn't going to go the way that Artoria intended. She intended to keep a close watch on this, and try to determine where this evil was coming from. Logic would dictate this dark miasma was the result of the Grail War, but she wasn't completely convinced of that just yet.
"We'll keep a close eye on things. I don't like this crap sprouting up again after all this time. You think it might have something to do with your sibling? Mito's stolen kid?" Kurama asked her.
"I'm unsure Kurama. I don't think I can really speculate without more to go off of. For now, I'll observe this conflict, and see what chooses to reveal itself. Artoria seems to be taking the cautious approach, meaning we've got some time." Riley returned, concern flitting onto her face.
This war had drawn her full attention now. She'd let the masters play their game, but at it's conclusion, the Grail would be destroyed once and for all. No matter what happened, if Artoria couldn't make it happen, than Riley would. There was enough evil in the world. There didn't need to be more added to it.
While Riley observed the city, and her wives, deep within a barrier station around an ancient magical home, an ancient man let out a hum as he was informed on the event that had just played out.
"What does this mean, grandfather?" A teenage boy asked, having heard the same report.
"This war just got a lot more interesting. If King Arthur is here, than the Vessel wont be far off. For now, you need only to remain focused boy. If you want any hope of winning the Grail, you'll need to be ready to face forces even greater than a simple servant." The old man responded, his eyes filled with a clever malice.
The boy nodded, and began scheming.
The old man watched the boy for a moment before gazing off into the darkness of the room, taking note of the figure that stood obfuscated by the shadows. A smirk touched at his lips. Yes… the arrival of Artoria signified that things would be progressing much faster than he had originally anticipated.
Where the Albion Queen went, her wife would not be far behind. Her arrival here would turn this war on it's head, and open the doorway to all sorts of incredible possibilities.
For now, they would proceed as normal, and adapt as the tides changed. Despite these changes, as far as the old man was concerned, everything still suited his plans just fine.
-To Be Continued-
Alright, there's the next chapter. Gonna have some interesting twists and turns in this arc. I'll be using bits from both the UBW and Heaven's Feel, as well as my own au for the arc, so i hope ya'll are ready for this. again hope you're having a happy holidays and i look forward to you feedback. see you in the next one.