073 - That You're Just Like Me

Olga Marie Animusphere

Riding one of Marie's glass horses, Olga leads Haku's Servants towards the supernatural storm brewing in the middle of the sea. The temporal contract making her a provisional Master burns on the back of her hand with the borrowed Command Seal -Haku's last, regenerated just this morning- used to seal the deal. This show of trust was… unnecessary, but very much appreciated.

For someone like Olga, who had long since given up her dreams of ever becoming a Master, who had struggled just to achieve the bare minimum expected of her, who had failed time and time again when it truly mattered, this is… this is a lot. A chance to put herself to the test, to prove she had what it takes, to herself if no one else.

And of course she realized that Haku was trying to distract her from the newest flight of suicidal fancy, she's not stupid. But there's so many other ways in which Haku could've done that, and yet she chose to entrust her precious Servant to someone like Olga. That's something she can appreciate, something she cannot betray.

A flash of memories reminds her of a similar resolve she'd made recently towards Tohsaka-senpai and how badly things would've ended if the Purple Empress had held any ill will towards them.

This time, it will be different.

((It has to.) Otherwise…)

Shaking her head, she focuses back on what she knows about the challenges ahead.

Reports from Chaldea have given her a more nuanced awareness of the current mess currently wrecking Eastern Iberia and the Mediterranean North-West. This turn of events seems to be a result of Tohsaka-senpai's gambit, some sort of ritual duel that locked the two empresses and their Servants, beyond the reach of any outside interference. Without the Masters around to enforce order, two Servants have gone rogue and laid waste to their respective armies.

Ibuki Douji has abandoned the childish form Olga was familiar with to take on a more threatening and powerful aspect. She's the one responsible for the maritime storm that made short work of the fleet and most of her fellow Crimson Servants. Out of the few surviving ones, only Yamato Takeru has shown himself to try and fight her off, but he's not doing so hot. The full might of Ibuki Douji makes for a terrifying opponent indeed

That's the front they are supposed to reinforce.

Her first priority is to ensure that everyone under her charge survives to return to Haku's side, but given the circumstances… They will need to go full-tilt from the very start if they want even a chance of seeing things through. They need to aggressively seize the initiative, to throw the enemy off-balance from the very start and never let her regain her footing.

A moment of stillness, the slightest hesitation on their side… that's all it would take to spell their own death.

(That's terrifying.)

"Alright, everyone." She calls out in a firm voice, clenching her fists around the bridle of her mount (to keep her hands from shaking) in a display of resolve. "This is the plan…"

She'll do her very best to guide everyone to victory and, this time, it will be enough.

It has to.

Ibuki Douji

Swords clash and the seas around them explode upwards, foam and brine splashing her hair and lips. Metal locks against metal and she sends a wide grin at her opponent over the crossed blades, one that's answered with a hateful glare. Neither of them speak, there's no need for words between two warriors speaking through combat.

She has to admit, she actually had a lot of fun playing house with the little red empress. Working together with others towards something greater than herself… It was surprisingly interesting. Ibuki Douji feels like she understands humans a little bit better now.

It couldn't last, though.

Her opponent winces, incapable of holding on for long in a direct contest against her overwhelming strength. He tries to angle his blade to deflect her and throw her off balance, but that's too naïve. The moment he twitches, he gets a kick on the guts for his efforts that sends him bouncing on the waves, like a skipping stone.

For the ultimate evil thinks only of herself and fights only for herself.

To scare and chase around the mouse maids, to play fetch with the cat and the dog, to drink with the self-styled demon, to pamper her adorable little sister… It was but a flight of fancy, something interesting and new to do with her time.

She doesn't wait for her opponent to recover, she doesn't even wait for her opponent to stop. Setting off with a bloodthirsty cackle, Ibuki Douji gives chase. Feeling playful, she times her approach so he barely has enough time to recover before they clash again.

And besides… there was him.

A human wielding Father's Ame no Murakumo. A thief by legacy. A so-called slaughter of demons and gods. As a divine demon herself, there was no other way things could've ended.

To slaughter or to be slaughtered.

And Yamato Takeru is strong for a human. Yamato Takeru is strong for a strong human, even! Ibuki Douji is having a lot of fun with this fight, but…

Having learned all she can from brute strength alone, she sets aside her previous approach and opts for a flurry of lightning-fast strikes next. Her first blow is parried, as is the second and the third and the fourth. But keeping up with her is a struggle and the parries only become clumsier and clumsier with each successive blow. The fifth is merely blocked, as is the sixth.

He recovers enough presence of mind to parry the seventh, but the eight is a block again and he has no choice but to dodge out of the way of the ninth. Things only get worse and worse for him from there on.

Yamato Takeru is the very definition of a hero, but he's still just a hero.

Heroes can't fight the Evil Mountain God head on. Not even Susanoo could take Father head on, and Ibuki Doji herself never lost a fight in her life. It's a story as old as time, the night is dark and full of monsters. The champions of humanity cannot fight the darkness with mere swords, it's only through trickery and betrayal that good can defeat evil.

The twenty-third strike nicks his cheek, drawing blood for the first time. The thirty-seventh sinks deep on his side, barely missing vital organs. The forty-first blows his blade away, rendering him helpless to avoid the violent headbutt that sends him flying into a small island like a comet, lodging his torn and tattered body into a rocky formation.

Yes, this is the only way things could possibly go, the way things were always supposed to go. This is a good thing, this is the very essence of her being, to egotistically indulge in her own nature, regardless of anything else. She's so happy she's crying.

"This is the end!" She speaks out loud for the first time, as Yamato Takeru struggles to recover on his hands and knees. "[Divine Laceration - Eightfold Carnage Strike]"

By taking Father's shape, her strike borrows a tiny little bit of his divine authority and hatred. A golden raging storm that nothing and none can stop. As she takes a ready stance to deliver a finishing blow just in case something survives the initial onslaught, she feels herself relax and settle down, some soft and muted part of herself finally giving up. Good, she wasn't listening to it anyway. Besides, this is it, it is done. Not even she can stop things now that they've gone this far.

"Yamato-dono!" And then, the voice of the last person she was (hoping) expecting to meet here echoes over the storm, ruining everything. "Watch out!"

Coming out of thin air like the kunoichi she's supposed to be, Mochizuki Chiyome arrives into the battlefield right in time to push Yamato Takeru out of the way of the attack.

… But not in time to get out of the way herself, after saving him.

Ibuki Douji's eyes widen in horror.

"Imouto!"

Her stance falters, blade dropping to the side as her free hand stretches forward…

But it's too late to stop the evil monster.

Mashu Kyrielight

Olga's plan relies heavily on keeping the initiative through unrelenting offense, to keep an enemy they can't hope to match on the back foot for long enough that Yamato Takeru finds an opening to deal the finishing blow. There are many moving parts and many unknowns that need to align just right for this plan to work.

If they fail to coordinate properly, they'll be picked off one by one.

If they fail to output enough aggression to keep Ibuki Douji on the back foot, no amount of coordination will save them.

If Ibuki Douji has any hidden trump cards she hasn't shown yet, their efforts are most likely doomed anyway.

If Yamato Takeru cannot kill the monster… Everything will be in vain.

It's a little bit frustrating that Mashu will be the weakest link here today. As a Shielder, she's a poor match for a strategy that relies on pure offense like this. But she doesn't resent Olga for her choice, it's surely the best approach they could possibly take with the means they have available.

Instead, she'll make sure to keep an eye out for all the many unknowns and moving parts that could go wrong and step in to ensure they don't ruin everything. If she can't be the key player, that's fine. She'll instead become the grease over the squeaky parts ensuring everything runs smoothly.

It was with that resolve shining on her eyes that they finally reached the fight, right in time to witness the finishing blow.

"This is the end!" Ibuki Douji crows victoriously, a frankly obscene amount of magical energy gathering around her into the shape of an eight-headed golden serpent. "[Divine Laceration - Eightfold Carnage Strike]"

"Shit, shit, shit! It's too soon!" Olga mutters under her breath. "I only have one Command Spell, I can't just…!"

Mashu knows exactly what Olga is thinking about. There's a simple and easy way to save Yamato Takeru, a Noble Phantasm that exists specifically to oppose overwhelming firepower and protect others. A Noble Phantasm that can only be deployed through the usage of a Command Spell.

…Her own.

Mashu has been thinking about this long and hard, ever since Singularity F.

Who is 'Mashu Kyrielight'.

What is a 'Demi-Servant'.

What is a 'Heroic Spirit'.

What is a 'Noble Phantasm'.

The crystallization of a legend, the feats a hero performed in life, engraved in the collective consciousness of Humanity even after their passing. But Haku-senpai didn't Command Mashu to deploy the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit residing within her soul. She Commanded Mashu to deploy her Noble Phantasm. That makes at least a tiny little bit of sense, right?

The Throne of Heroes is paracausal. Whether something has happened or has yet to happen is irrelevant, for it isn't tied to the time axis. Mashu Kyrielight belongs to the Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order, Finish Chaldea. She'll never call herself a hero, but she certainly walks alongside heroes. And, even watered down as it is, she still fights with the power of a Heroic Spirit.

This is… terribly conceited of her. It wasn't so long ago that she would feel guilty of even entertaining this idea, but… No. She cannot think like that, it won't work for as long as she thinks like that. To do, she needs to believe.

Even if she cannot believe in herself, she will believe in those who believe in her. Those she loves, those who love her

She's not the unknown Heroic Spirit residing within her soul.

So what if she's powered by the legend of another? How many heroes of legend reached the Throne through similar circumstances?

She's Mashu Kyrielight, a Champion of Humanity in her own right!

And so, she casts out into her soul once again, in search of that feeling she's only experienced twice before. And, for the first time, she gets some feedback. Like a crystalline formation growing around a core of stone, she can feel her magical energy build up around that unflinching, unwavering desire to protect with all her soul. The wholehearted wish to shield those she loves and those who love her.

But… The Noble Phantasm still doesn't manifest.

She's still missing something.

"Imouto!"

*Ba-Dump!*

It's the voice of their enemy that makes her heart throb and provides the last piece of the puzzle. The shrill, heart-rending cry of despair of a monster who was supposed to live only for herself, who was supposed to fight only for herself.

Because… Monsters can cry too.

Because… Monsters can love too.

Ah… that's it. That's what she was missing.

Her outlook was too narrow. It's not enough to protect everyone. She needs to protect everyone.

"Tsk! It can't be helped!" Olga snaps in frustration, turning her attention towards Mashu, the back of her hand already glowing red. "Mashu, by the power of my Command—!"

"No." But Mashu refuses.

"...Mashu?"

"That won't be necessary, Lady Director!" She elaborates, taking a step ahead of the group. "What kind of Servant needs a Command Spell just to use her own Noble Phantasm?"

In the blink of an eye, she has made it in front of Crimson Assassin, standing between her and Ibuki Douji's fearsome attack. It's a frightening and awe-inspiring thing, lightning and divine wrath threatening to devour the world itself, but… This isn't the first time Mashu has faced such terrifying sights.

"True Name...frozen deployment!
This is the castle of fantasy that holds many paths and wishes...
Answer my call…"

"[Mold Camelot - Even now, A Castle of Frail Visions]!"

She'll stop it no matter what! She'll protect the hopes and dreams of everyone!

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