Whisper of Infinity
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of I'm Too Sober For This! First off, apologies for the delay, you know how it is this time of year with the holidays and that along with other things going on affected the schedule for my Beta Readers. For those who've been keeping up on my Pat reon, you'll know what I'm talking about and for those of you who want to know more, see about becoming a patron! Now then I have one more announcement and that's to say I'm going to try and get a chapter out for one of my other stories which hasn't seen the light of day in a while, hopefully by Christmas. Naturally I can't tell you which story as that would ruin the surprise. Now then I believe that's everything and with no guest review questions this week, on to the story!
The Underworld: No Man's Land
Every Devil, or at least every powerful Devil, possessed a True Form. They were the original and most powerful forms of those who dwelt in the Underworld and yet, they were rarely witnessed.
The reasons for this varied, the most polite of which was simply that a Devil's original form was a private affair, something only their most loved and trusted ones were allowed to see, much like being seen naked or a private birthmark.
Oftentimes the form was held in reserve as an absolute last resort, only to be used under the most dire of circumstances.
For those who had reached the upper echelons of Devil society, such circumstances would almost never occur simply to avoid the assured collateral damage and following reparations that would ensue.
Because of this, history had few recorded instances of True Forms being used and there were even some cases today where a Devil had forgotten they even had a True Form. But when it came to the Maous, the headpieces of Devil society in the war against the Fallen and Heaven itself, none had forgotten.
This was made clear as Falbium's True Form rose out of the smoke and dust that had been created by Ophis's attack.
"It feels strange being this size again."
It was possibly the largest of the Maous' True Forms. Standing at least twelve feet tall, if not a little taller, Asmodeus had become quite literally a giant sloth. But instead of looking like one of the friendly ones from the zoo, he was covered with sickly moss-green fur that was so oily I wondered for a second if they were actually tendrils. His teeth were jagged and razor-sharp with two sticking out of either side of his mouth like a warthog, rivaled only by the massive scythe-like claws that curled up from his fingers to his elbows, each one almost as long as I was tall.
Orange marks were on either side of his eyes like oily stains and the orange aura of his Absolute Defense clung to him in a way that looked more like a bad smell than a protective coating.
"But whatever, let's get this over with." Falbium's now more bestial voice rumbled from his throat.
"On that we agree." Ophis, not phased one bit by the transformation that made him at least four times her physical size, remarked before moving in front of him quicker than I could see.
At least until she reappeared, slamming a palm strike into the Devil's stomach and hammering him, sliding the maou back a few feet despite his size.
Judging from the slow blink she made, it was apparent that she had expected a different result.
"A little more then."
The Ouroboros Dragon kicked him in the stomach this time, nearly knocking him over and generating a visible shockwave in the space behind the target, but still not toppling the monster completely.
"Nice try." The sloth Maou held his arms over his chest before suddenly unleashing a large amount of energy. "Now try this: Offensive Position!"
Ophis tilted her head in confusion before being sent flying into the air by the combined force of both attacks.
"Absorption and release." She mused out loud to herself, before a mass of ice spikes and swords suddenly surrounded her before she had even reached the apex of her flight.
"EAT THIS!" Serafall and I both yelled as the combined assault closed in on her from all sides.
"I prefer Emiya's cooking." Ophis remarked before clapping her hands together. The shockwave seemed to shake my Reality Marble as the ice shattered and my swords were knocked away.
"Damn, guess I'm really going to have to do it." My Queen sighed in annoyance.
"We agreed that there would be no holding back against this opponent." I reminded while summoning my bow and firing off a Caladbolg. Ophis tilted her head to avoid it, but I summoned a sword behind her that the arrow hit, causing it to detonate. I turned to Serafall. "I promise you, I will fulfill my duty as your Queen and keep fighting alongside you!"
"I know." Serafall smiled sadly before suddenly engulfing herself in a miniature blizzard. "But this form is a lot harder to love. Just remember it's still me!" Her voice distorted as a shadow that was easily twice my size rose up within the snow and ice. A lizard tail with ice spikes on it emerged first from the back, followed by two, then four raptor-like arms that emerged from both sides.
A rounded reptilian head became visible next but the top was completely covered in ice crystals as a whip-like tongue seemed to taste the air for a moment. A quick exhale from her nostrils dispersed the storm, revealing her hunched, muscular lizard legs that seemed poised to pounce at any moment. Her back was covered in crystalline ice spikes with two especially pointy masses coming out of her shoulders. She let out a high-pitched roar, causing the ground to frost over throughout Unlimited Blade Works.
This was her Celsius Cross Trigger. It was a technique that converted the land itself into a winter wonderland and my Reality Marble seemed to be no exception as actual snow began falling.
I could only wonder how Archer would have reacted to this.
"Sorry you have to see me like this." The beast spoke, causing me to blink in surprise.
"Your voice," I pointed in surprise. "Your voice is the same?"
"Yeah, I've always thought it was funny." She held her arms out, summoning massive snowflakes in the air. "But we'll talk about it later. Let's handle this egotistical loli first!" She launched the snowflakes like they were massive shuriken at the Ouroboros Dragon who looked as nonplussed and unhurried as ever.
"I actually possess little ego at all." Ophis remarked casually while dodging the projectiles. "it is merely a fact that the scope of my powers is far beyond your-" She stopped speaking and looked up as a small mountain of ice had formed in the air, much of it being created by the thrown snowflakes.
"How's this for scope!?" Serafall yelled while slamming the practical slab of land down on the Dragon of Infinity. It drove her into the ground as the construct shattered with a deafening noise upon impact.
"Sirzechs, now!" I yelled up to the man whose appearance I was actually dreading most. I'd seen his True Form once before and that was all it took for me to never truly trust the man behind the smile he gave everyone. Now it stood revealed, a crimson, muscular body with glowing red eyes and two gnarled horns coming out of his head. His mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth which seemed to form a wicked grinning visage even when he wasn't trying to smile.
His entire body was now wrapped in the Power of Destruction, a literal cape of black mist rumbling with crimson lightning. He held out a clawed hand, the power of his aura seeming to darken the sky of Unlimited Blade Works as he summoned a black and red swirling orb above the icy mass. It grew and grew, seeming to spin faster as it went. In a matter of seconds the ice was gone along with several swords and much of the ground beneath it.
It was a nostalgic feeling I could have done without.
With the Peerages
"So that's my brother's True Form." Rias took a steadying breath. "I never thought I'd get to see it in my lifetime." They were watching events unfold inside of Unlimited Blade Works thanks to the help of the Maous' familiars broadcasting it with magic.
"I feel the same about my sister's True Form." Sona nodded in agreement as a small bead of sweat ran down her face. "To think, even with that magic barrier of his up, we can still feel this much of their magical energy radiating out of it."
And it was worse for some of the others. Shirone and Kuroka were huddled nearby, trembling slightly from the power being given off.
"So that's the goddess of all dragons." Karasuba smiled despite the sweat on her own forehead. "I think I'm starting to understand the instinctive fear dragons have of her." Even so, she patted Illya reassuringly on the head while the little girl clung to her side.
"Do you think Onii-chan will be okay?" Illya asked, looking up at her.
"You don't need to worry." Kiba assured. "Shirou fought and survived against the King of the Underworld and possesses skills recognized by the strongest of our adversaries. He won't fall so easily."
"Even if said skills are cooking." Saji couldn't help but point out.
"Knock on wood, lizard boy, knock on wood." Bennia remarked.
With the Khaos Brigade
"So those are the True Forms of the Maous." Vali mused as he watched with his colleagues. "To think we'd actually get to see them during this war."
"I never realized how lucky we were to have Ophis on our side." Siegfried admitted. "Given what we can feel from here, how is Emiya even able to exist in that space without being torn apart by the amount of energy radiating off all of them? I'm getting chills somehow just from what's being conveyed through the display. There must only be a handful of beings that are able to breathe in such a setting under their own steam without issue, let alone remain conscious or even survive."
"No doubt that dimension of his is aiding his condition." Arthur mused while taking a drink from his flask. "Though one thing's for certain: Ophis is going to be in an interesting mood when she comes back, regardless of the outcome."
"I just want to know why that Falbium guy looks like a cross between a sloth and a gorilla." Le Fay hummed. "It reminds me of that Harambe gorilla I saw at the zoo last week. Super-cool and chill-looking guy. Unlike the Maou, though, I'm sure he'll live for a looong time."
"Why do I feel like there's so much wrong with that statement?" Bikou sighed.
Back with the Maous
A flash of memory came to me in that instant, of the time I was defeated by a similar technique in my own battle against the King of the Underworld.
But the results of that time were not similar to what just took place.
When the orb finally dispersed, one thing was still there: Ophis.
With little fanfare, as though nothing significant had just taken place, she got to her feet, brushed some minor flecks of dirt off of her dress, and let out a tired huff of disappointment. "You ruined my hairband." She remarked, removing the item from atop her head. "And I haven't been this dusty in a while."
The dragon girl dropped the hairband and looked at her hands, "I must commend you, I might actually need a bath after this."
"We'll see!" Sirzechs declared in a distorted voice as his cape opened and began firing numerous bolts of black and red lightning. Ophis responded in a different way this time, undoing and pulling the bow off of her back before twirling it around her body like a ribbon. It glowed purple and enlarged, forming a spiraling defense around her body that grew and grew until an area of several feet around her was protected from the lethal lightning. But it was still twirling slowly enough that I was able to get in and strike with Bakuya and Banshou.
"Oh, you wish to dance now." The Ouroboros Dragon noted in what I assumed passed for humor for her as she parried one strike after another with a single hand, flickering it back and forth as though swatting at a fly.
She considered this fun?
I continued to attack. At one point, I leapt up and lashed out with a kick towards her head. She didn't even try to block that one, instead taking the blow quite literally head on.
For me it was like kicking a rock wall, but I wasn't done. I pushed off of her and activated the red bindings around my arms. They reacted to my mana and turned into chains that connected to the handles of my short swords. While still in midair I spun and swung the weapons, their reach now extended due to the links.
Ophis moved to take a step back but was stopped by a wall of ice, making her look back at it curiously before being struck on the head by my blade.
If I wasn't so certain that my attack did barely anything, I would have been elated by the fact that she was so careless or overconfident that she took her eyes off of me in the first place.
I reeled my swords back in upon landing and lashed out several more times, swinging the bladed chains and increasing their power with centrifugal force and speed, adding mana through the links to add further weight and impact with each blow, every hit sounding like a bomb going off, knocking the dragon girl further and further into the ice wall. Finally, I leapt up and angled my body horizontally while swinging the chains once more, slashing my opponent's body over and over again with each rotation until finally she was sent through the ice wall on the last impact. I took a couple of steadying breaths but kept my guard up, waiting to see what she'd do next.
"Hmm, you've improved since we last met." The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I realized the source of Ophis's voice was right behind me. "Perhaps you'll be capable of Unlimited Kitchen Works with a bit more practice."
"I already told you," I turned and swung at her but missed due to her lazily dodging, "I can't do something like that!"
I attacked on every word but was unsuccessful each time before Ophis leapt into the air. Before she could come up with any sort of clever comeback, however, the ice on the ground from earlier suddenly turned into water and swept her upwards.
"Can't have a good meal without a drink, right?" Serafall quipped while converting the small mountain of ice she'd conjured earlier into water as well, adding to what was now becoming a gigantic swirling orb that she raised higher and higher into the air. "Sirzechs, whenever you're ready!"
"Don't mind if I do!" His cape of destructive energy stretched out and grew, surrounding the orb Serafall was compressing with all of her might. "Now, be annihilated!"
Numerous beams of pure devastating energy fired from within the cape, hitting the trapped Ouroboros Dragon from all sides, the chain reaction of bomb-like eruptions forcing the cape to lurch and expand rapidly in all directions, until a critical threshold was met and a practical cataclysm lit up my Reality Marble, forcing me to shield my eyes for a moment.
When I looked back up, there was nothing but smoke in the air, every last drop of moisture having been reduced to nothingness by the Power of Destruction.
And yet, something remained: an orb of purple energy that shattered to reveal a relatively unharmed Ophis.
"I'm impressed by your mastery of Destruction." She complimented while taking out her bow and tying up her hair into a long ponytail. "I haven't seen it used like that in a few centuries. And it seems the lizard who wishes to keep my chef all to herself is gifted in water after all."
"Screw you!" Serafall yelled up at her. "My Queen belongs with us so don't go acting like you're being anything other than a spoiled brat!"
"To be a spoiled brat is to imply everything was handed to me all my life." Ophis remarked as her body began to change. "I'll grant that I was given great power in the beginning, but the difference here is you're making me work for my current goal. Do you realize how hard it's been to not kill him? But since you still seem to not have gotten the message, I'll show you how futile your efforts are."
Her alteration completed as a now teenage Ophis stood before us, wearing a shorter skirt and black boots along with black gloves added to her outfit.
"Struggle against this!" The transformed Maou opened her mouth and expelled a blizzard that quickly covered the entire area our opponent was floating in, before turning to me. "That isn't just a frigid blizzard she's in. All the snowflakes are also razor-sharp and in varying sizes, meaning right now she's breathing in little magical razorblades."
"That's a pretty nasty trick." I had to admit. "Guess there's a reason you don't use…" I trailed off as I saw something odd. The lethal snowy mist was being… sucked into something? We quickly saw what was happening as Ophis floated down a bit, her head back and mouth open, sucking in the entire blizzard?! In seemingly no time at all, the storm had literally been eaten by our foe.
"You'd best defend against this." Was what she probably would have said before she exhaled a massive amount of frigid wind.
"Look out!" Falbium moved in front of us while Serafall conjured an ice dome to provide further protection.
The attack was intense, akin to a condensed winter hurricane that was battering the landscape around us, blowing away both swords and snow. What was worse was that was only what was getting through. I could only imagine how much Asmodeus was holding back, but didn't want to envision the idea that he was reaching his limits.
Fortunately, like most massive storms, the chaos ended as soon as it came.
"Alright." The lazy Maou crossed his arms. "Let's see how you like having it all ba—GUH!"
Just as he was unleashing the stored up energy from the onslaught, Ophis moved behind him in the blink of an eye and kicked him in the back of the head with tremendous force. the blow packed more than enough to make a trench in the ice, with the Maou quickly burrowing down to the earth underneath the frozen shell.
If that was all that had happened, then there wouldn't have been a major problem.
Unfortunately for us, though, was that Falbium had been in the middle of releasing the energy from the earlier attack.
The result was like having a bomb go off right underneath our feet, or maybe a dormant volcano shattering its cap, as the protective ice dome was obliterated and sent both Sera and me flying along with virtually the entire battlefield.
"Shirou!" Despite tumbling through the air, the Magical Girl/lizard Maou was still able to conjure a snowflake-like platform for me to brace my feet against before reorienting myself upright. If the situation had been less dire, I might've made a remark about how I really needed to learn how to fly.
Unfortunately I didn't have time to wonder about that as Ophis came flying up from the demolished area.
"No you don't!" Sirzechs moved and met her head on, the clashing of his Destruction-covered fist with the purple energy of Infinity shaking the air as they collided. The King of the Underworld then threw blow after furious blow at the Ouroboros Dragon, who intercepted everyone one of his punches before he came around with a kick that Ophis caught before swinging him around and into the air. Despite his seeming disorientation, Sirzechs was still able to form and send out a multitude of orbs at the pursuing girl who deftly maneuvered around one after the other.
Serafall appeared from behind one of the orbs and sent out her surprisingly strong fireball spell which Ophis extinguished with a swing of her hand. But it was a distraction as I jumped off some more snowflake platforms and came down on her with my most prized blade: Excalibur. I let out a battle cry as light poured out from the blade, the energized weapon slamming into Ophis and sending us both falling towards the ground. The Ouroboros Dragon managed to roll to the side, causing me to go past her as I ceased the energy output from the blade and swung at her.
Gold energy scattered from the blade when Ophis blocked the blow with a knife hand then continued to block even more, the air lighting up each time we clashed. Eventually she counterattacked with a kick that I barely blocked, sending me flying upwards. Sirzechs and Serafall came flying down on either side of me and began raining punches down on the dragon girl, their fists wrapped in auras of freezing and destructive power. Our opponent responded by blocking with either her open hands or elbows as they continued to approach the ground.
But despite appearances, Ophis was not overwhelmed and managed to grab Serafall and Sirzech's arms, spinning them both around before throwing the magical girl Maou to the ground with enough force to crater it, then followed up by throwing the King of the Underworld into her. Both of them cried out in pain before she landed on them with a kick, causing the ground to crack and erupt from the force of the blow.
"Sera!" I yelled while readying another strike with Excalibur. But Ophis ascended in mere moments, knocking the sword from my hand before seizing me by the throat.
"Do I really have to hurt you to make you understand?" She asked, her expression relatively unchanged but her minor annoyance was clear. "Or will this do?" Ophis tossed me to the ground like a missile. I amped up my Reinforcement to maximum just before I crashed. But even with all that, it still hurt all over, to the point that I was having a little trouble getting up. "Now, will you continue?"
"You…" I coughed while shakily getting to my hands and knees. "Really don't know me very well. This isn't the first time I've been in a situation like this."
"You've faced a being wielding a force beyond infinity?" Ophis raised an eyebrow.
"He liked to think he was." I smirked before holding out my hand. Two chains suddenly appeared and wrapped around her arms with a third wrapping around her waist and a fourth constricting around her neck. "Guys, if you're still up, I got ahold of her!"
"We're not done yet." Sirzechs assured while floating back into the air. He was a little worse for wear and missing a horn, but he was still packing plenty of power as his Cape of Destruction shot up and began spreading out, darkening the sky even further. Ophis looked down as she noticed ice was also forming around her feet.
"This is the coldest ice I can summon." Serafall informed while being halfway out of the hole she'd been slammed into. The ice was coming from one of her clawed hands that was dug into the ground. "It matches the coldest temperatures found in the Underworld, the kind that can freeze things to the point of breaking practically instantly."
"Is that so—?" Ophis didn't get a chance to finish speaking as her body was completely covered in ice, making her look more akin to a lifelike ice sculpture than a person.
"Power of Destruction," Sirzechs held his hand up. "Storm of Extinction."
I Reinforced my body and moved away, grabbing Serafall just in time as a literal deluge of Annihilation Bullets began raining down on Ophis's position from all sides. Adding to this was lightning bolts of destructive power, all focused on one place.
It lasted for a full minute and when it finally subsided, several feet of the ground beneath Ophis along with an entire section of the landscape around her were gone, as if they had never been there. The only thing that remained was Ophis, her body sagging with my chains being the only thing supporting her.
"Be proud, Maous of the Underworld." she lifted her head, an actual expression of anger showing in her eyes. "That's the first time I've felt pain or cold in centuries."
She opened her mouth.
For the first time in a while, I saw something I truly could not comprehend or break down.
The threshold between her "mouth" and "the world" was akin to a barrier, the surface of a bubble about to pop in slow motion right before me.
A glowing ebony and violet light twisted and contorted in the maw of the disaster I had been confronting, expanding and growing by the nanosecond with a power so pure yet so endless that seeing it firsthand could only be compared to seeing the ocean for the first time, only for it to be during the middle of the greatest of storms and being outside while it happens.
"Oh shi—"
"Ẇ̴͚h̶̪͗ḭ̸͚͝s̴͖̾̀p̷̢͠e̸̤̓̒r̵̖̃ ̵̜̝͑͘o̶̥͗̇f̴͉̼̔ ̸̙͌͗I̷̯̺͐n̸̠̾f̷͍̙͂ỉ̴̻̘̒n̵͖̺̈́î̴̦̉t̶̞̓́y̸͖͎̒̒."
A purple cyclone erupted, blasting out at incredible speed towards Sirzechs, who only had time to raise a shield of destructive power before being swept up and sent far away as easily as the dust and swords also caught up in the cosmic madness.
Serafall and I were doing little better, anchoring ourselves down trying not to get sucked into the attack even though it was aimed high above us.
"These chains are interesting." Ophis admitted before grabbing onto the ones holding her arms and exerting her power. A resounding snap that shook the air around her signaled their breaking as she did the same to the ones around her neck and waist. "It seems they were made to hold divine beings. Unfortunately for you, I have long since surpassed that base standard."
She floated into the air a few feet so that she was easily visible to both of us. "And while it pains me to do so, I shall demonstrate to you now that I am not merely a powerful dragon, but the absolute epitome of what all dragons desire to be."
She raised her hand and touched… the air? No, she was touching the space of the Reality Marble itself!?
CRACK.
And with an exertion of her power, the color of the landscape changed to purple before the sound of shattering glass rang out. The sky seemed to break and shatter like said glass as everything came falling down and dissolving around us, shortly followed by my swords and the landscape disappearing. When it was over, we were back in the barren no-man's land once again.
"That… that was…" I couldn't help but gape at the display.
It's not that I thought it was impossible to break my Reality Marble, just that I thought it would take her more effort to destroy an entire dimension. Ea could and would tear apart my world in a storm of literal pure primordial chaos, but to simply reach out and break it like a fragile piece of kitchenware was somehow even more horrifying.
"Do you understand now?" Ophis pulled some of the chains off of her. "Nothing in this world can withstand me, it's why I desire to return to my home. I am also quite capable of fulfilling your desires as well, and all you need to do is turn the otherworlder over to me and become the one thing from this world I've decided to treasure."
"What would you know about treasuring anything?" Serafall's body began to gain an ice coating around it. "When have you ever cared enough to learn what that means?"
"I haven't killed Shirou yet." Her voice was right next to my ear as I realized she was behind me with one hand around my waist while her other hand was held up. "And for his sake," she unleashed a blast that marked Serafall with the Ouroboros symbol and knocked her back several feet, "I won't kill you."
"Sera…" I tried to get to her but Ophis held me with an arm around my neck and waist.
"Shh, she's alright." The dragon girl assured as I looked at my King's twitching form. "I merely bound her with several of my snakes. I'll release her as soon as I depart. With you, I hope."
"SHUT UP!" I summoned a new sword and activated its power. Ophis actually let go and evaded the attack, possibly surprised I'd activate it at such a range. The blade I'd summoned was a bluish-green straight sword with a symmetrical and intricate green-lined pattern, along with pointed edges closer to the top of the blade. "I have no intention of going with you and abandoning everyone here!"
"Even though there may be no world when all of this is over?" The Dragon of Infinity questioned. "I don't see why you insist on continuing to fight for a world where suffering has and always will be present. With me, there shall only be peace once I reclaim my home."
"Learning how to deal with my and other people's suffering is what's made me who I am." I pointed my blade at her. "I'm a hero of justice, and a hero wouldn't abandon the world to fulfill the selfish desires of one person. Until my last breath leaves my body, I'll never stop fighting to protect what's precious!"
"That won't prove necessary." Ophis hummed in amusement. "You're no good to me dead."
"Then I'll be too much trouble for you alive." I held the blade above my head. "'Fear me, tremble. For now, calamity descends upon you. Release your divine wrath!" The divine sword unleashed a brilliant green light above my head.
"Very well, let us end this." The Ouroboros Dragon raised her hand above her head. Eight serpentine heads seemed to form and tower behind each of us.
"KUSANAGI-NO-TACHI!"
I bellowed the name of one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan as I swung down, unleashing eight brilliant slashes all at once. Eight tears that would blow away eight mountains, cleave eight valleys, and plow eight rivers.
It met Ophis's power as it coiled around her, resulting in a brilliant explosion of meshing colors that reached into the sky, with the other slashes going past her and continuing on to the enemy line.
With the Khaos Brigade
"Oh shit! That's heading for us!" Perseus yelled as he turned to run.
"He really does produce such magnificent swords." Arthur smiled a bit despite the dire situation he was in.
"Let's see what the power of one of those slashes is like." Vali mused before producing his wings and flying out to meet the attack. "Balance Breaker!" His white armor formed over his body as he held his hands out.
"DIVIDE!" The blast met his outstretched limbs and started to push him back. "Divide, divide, divide, divide, divide!"
With each use of his Sacred Gear the blast shrank more and more. Yet despite that he was pushed back several feet before it finally lost enough force and power for the Dragon Emperor to tank the remainder of the assault.
Barely.
"Damn, wonder what kept him from using that attack?" Bikou laughed, sweating nervously.
"Likely the safety of his allies." Cao Cao narrowed his eyes as he looked at the destruction wrought around them from the stray slashes that Vali didn't deal with. On either side of the group was a practical valley carved into the battlefield, complete with corpses. "Now we'll need to do a headcount of our troops—again."
"What about Ophis?" Siegfried questioned, "Is she still there?"
The group looked and watched as the smoke cleared. Their reaction and the reaction of the Peerages watching would be markedly different. Because as the sight became visible, so did the clear winner.
Shirou vs. Ophis
"When was the last time I had to work so hard for something?" Ophis gave a soft smile beneath her messy hair, now out of the ponytail she'd put up earlier. Some tears in her outfit were also visible.
But that was the extent of the damage as I looked down to see her hand pressed against my chest. Sudden pain wracked my body as I let out a strangled noise from my throat, Kusanagi dropping from my hands as I collapsed to my knees.
"I'm starting to understand why some people play hard to get. This has been surprisingly entertaining."
"I won't…" I struggled to speak due to the pain caused by the glowing symbol she'd put on my chest, "I won't stop… fighting."
"You really don't know everything you did by fixing that signal." The Infinity Dragon chided. "I now have much more time in this world before I lose my sanity, far more years than you will live. I can pursue you for as long as it takes. Fortunately for you, I enjoyed the meal and I owe the otherworlder for fixing the signal. That's why I shall let you go for now, but not without a parting gift."
She put her hand behind my head before pulling me forward into a straight-up French kiss?! I could feel an angry chibi-Serafall protesting loudly at this but couldn't do anything about it because of my weakened body. When she was finally done and let me go, I fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "One of my more resilient snakes is in you now." She explained. "I will be able to find you no matter where in the three worlds you are. Running is now entirely pointless and any and all attempts to remove the snake will alert me immediately and I shall be there to stop it."
"So, what?" I finally managed to get out. "I'm supposed to just wait around for you to come pick me up?"
"No, you will come to me, along with the otherworlder." Ophis corrected. "I shall have a place prepared here for you to use. Take your time and say your goodbyes to everyone, and when the time comes I shall call for you."
"And if I refuse, are you going to put me in excruciating pain with this snake?" I asked while managing to get to my feet.
"The pain will be excruciating." The dragon girl confirmed. "But it will not be caused by the snake, per se. Should you ignore my call for too long, I will go to you and start taking the lives of your friends and family. Everyone you know, everyone you love, every person you happen to bump into and talk to on the street—their lives shall be forfeit. The otherworlder may not care what happens to others in this world, but I know you do and that's why I'm giving you the chance to prevent it."
"You're a monster." I growled through grit teeth.
"If I intend to reclaim my home, I can be no less than a monster." Ophis's body began to glow and dissolve. "Now go and enjoy the time you have left."
Then she disappeared, leaving me standing there as I racked my brain for a way out of this situation. I was so lost in thought that it was only when Illya hugged me around the waist that I noticed the rest of my and the other Peerages had shown up.
Back with the Khaos Brigade
Everyone turned to see Ophis materialize, now back in her usual child form. "Arthur." She turned to the Vali faction. "Gather the mages and have them prepare a dimensional space. I suspect one more battle shall be necessary to draw this all to a close."
"Lady Ophis." Creuserey of the Old Satan Faction suddenly stepped forward. "What do you intend to use such a space for?"
"To awaken Grandfather and acquire my personal chef once and for all." The Ouroboros Dragon answered simply. "It has been my objective for some time now. As for the otherworlder, dealing with him will be… different, compared to the Maous and Emiya. He is not as simple as others assume. He is aware of how things truly are."
A few eyes turned to Vali, the only other person in the Brigade that had interacted with the otherworlder in question, but the White Dragon Emperor simply shrugged helplessly, not knowing what she was talking about.
As far as he was concerned, the foreign Red Dragon Emperor was just another crazy user of his Sacred Gear. Surprisingly unaggressive, unmotivated, and talented compared to other Dragons, but still distinctively insane.
"But your objective was right in front of you: the imposturous Maous." The former Asmodeus pointed out, not letting his discontent go. "Do you not remember our agreement?"
"I spared them because it would've upset Emiya." Ophis explained. "I do not desire his sadness to be baked into a meal."
"What utter nonsense are you talking about?!" Creuserey raised his voice. "We promised to fulfill your desires if you helped us achieve our goals. By destroying the Maous you could've brought this whole conflict to a practical close! Why didn't you just kill them and take the boy?!"
"Emiya is already mine whether he walks free or not." The Infinity Dragon pointed out. "This way, I'll know if they try sending the otherworlder back before I call for him."
"Why bother with the otherworlder?" He seethed. "We're the only ones with the power to get you back to the Dimensional G—!"
BOOM!
No one saw her move. One moment she was standing a few feet away, the next flicking Creuserey's nose. The result: he was obliterated in an instant with only ashes remaining.
"You fail to grasp the implications of recent events." Ophis chided, brushing a few sprinkles of ash off her shoulder. "With them came the realization that if it were possible for you to aid me, then you wouldn't need my power to achieve your goals in the first place. But now an actual solution is within reach and until such a time as my objective is achieved, the Khaos Brigade will act as I direct it and fight the battles I desire it to fight. You can resume your little war once I am gone. Any questions?"
No one said anything.
"Good. Now I am going to take a nap, wake me when the preparations are close to completion."
The Human World: Home of Shirou Emiya
"So there's some good news, and a lot of bad news." Sona sighed as she adjusted her glasses. "The good news is that Ophis didn't kill any of the Maous or Shirou. Also good news, the visiting Issei appears to have finally fixed the signal. Isn't that right, Lord Michael?"
"If the reduced number of complaints and their weakened intensity are anything to go by." The leader of the Angel Faction nodded. "From what we can tell, Father's system is finally functioning at stable levels once again. Better even, and there are no more signs of any major malfunctions for the foreseeable future. It's impressive work and with luck will last a very long time. It is a service we did not expect to receive so suddenly, albeit the associated uncertain excitement could have been done without."
"You did remember to use the methods we mentioned to get him to rest every now and then, right?" Rias asked while looking at the sleeping otherworlder, completely oblivious and uncaring of the world around him if his limp body, gaping mouth, and drool was any indication.
The fact that the notorious shut-in didn't make it to his private room before making himself comfortable was not missed by anyone.
"As often as seemed necessary." Michael nodded. "But it seems we may have needed to use them a bit more considering his first words upon our return was 'oh look, a floor' before dropping on the spot. This is honestly the longest he's slept so far, as every time he did sleep he'd kick about and only stay sleeping for a few hours at best. Though I'm not sure when he got past security to collect all those pillows."
Indeed, the visiting Issei was currently sleeping in a surprisingly fortified, well, pillow fort.
Most of us pointedly ignored the childish sign on the front of it that said "Porn Only". Nobody that wanted to stay on task desired to know what exactly it meant, but apparently it made perfect sense to our Issei, who in turn was trying to explain it to Kiba and Asia in the back.
Surprisingly it did its job quite well of keeping almost everyone out, not because of its structure, but because it was made from literal heavenly pillows. They were both extremely comfortable, and extremely anti-Devil.
Well, I could touch them, but I didn't want to disturb him.
Xenovia and Asia in particular had looked jealous. Being raised by the Church, they must have heard rumors about how comfortable these things supposedly were.
On a side note, it would be a week before the Seraph would hear about the two-and-a-half dozen shower heads that also went missing during the same timeframe.
"At least it's taken care of." I groaned while holding a cold beer to my still slightly aching head. "We'll just have to come up with some of our next moves while he's asleep."
"You may wish to consult your guest before finalizing on anything." Michael added. "When we informed him of her aggression, his reaction was notably not alarmed. Blatantly unamused given his vocabulary, but would not be far to assume he predicted this outcome taking place."
I made a mental note to talk to Issei about that later. My recent drinking buddy was many things, and being an open book was one of them.
Simultaneously being an intelligent schemer that planned ahead and behind everyone's backs without anyone suspecting any better because he was a perpetually open book was another one.
"That's where the bad news comes in." Tsubaki spoke up. "Though the Maous all live, only Ajuka is capable of fighting right now. Asia is currently working to heal Serafall outside, and they're still trying to dig Falbium out of that crater he made, but even once they're healed it will take a bit of time for them to regain their strength."
"Whether we have the Maous or not, Ophis can kick all of our asses." Shirone pointed out. "And then there's the snake she put in Shirou."
I winced at that.
"We don't have to worry about her listening in." I assured. "She doesn't need to, or at least that's what she assumes. More than likely the only things she's listening for is us trying to remove this thing or trying to send Issei back."
"So like it or not you and him will probably have to face her together." Bennia mused before she suddenly produced her scythe. "Oh, how about we fake your death?"
"I don't think ripping off a spy movie is gonna help here." Local Issei commented.
"No, hear me out." Bennia produced what looked like a box lantern. "First step is we rip his soul out of his body." I blinked at this, but she went on. "Of course, we'll need to fool Ophis's snake so we have to delay the failure of Emiya's organs, which we can do with magic, until we get it far enough away. Once that's done we keep the organs going long enough to fill your body with a fast-acting poison before letting your organs stop working. When Ophis shows up to find you dead, we can just tell her something like you killed yourself out of spite before she could show up and that otherworld Issei fled to who knows where. Then we take your body, redress it for a bit and put your soul back in."
"Is that how they do witness protection down in the Underworld?" I looked at Sona.
"My sister would certainly approve of it, but only so long as she got to carry the box with your soul." The Sitri Heiress sighed. "And while it might be a sound plan so long as visiting Issei can keep from getting found and caught there are a few issues: one, we don't know how well Ophis can detect lies; and two, Shirou's death could cause her to go berserk and we already know there's no one here who can stop the Dragon of Infinity once she goes on a rampage. Our ploy could doom an entire city for all we know, or even several."
At bare minimum, was left unspoken.
"It was just an idea." Bennia shrugged while putting the box away.
"Why do you have a box for carrying souls in, anyway?" Saji couldn't help but ask.
"I'm half-reaper." Oh, right. "Soul-carrying items are like accessories to us. Don't tell the sleeping Issei but I once met a female reaper with a soul carrier in the shape of a di—" She was quickly silenced by Local Issei putting his hand over her mouth.
"Shh, you'll awaken the perverted dragon with such talk." He warned. "And my sensei of all things porn does not like being woken up when he's sleeping unless it's for something important."
"Like porn?" She asked dryly.
"Like top-grade Porn. Or when someone important's life is in danger. Or when someone's spreading incorrect or unsafe sex practice methodology. Or he's about to be blown up for some reason."
I don't know why, but I distinctly felt someone scream "again" from the top of their lungs in their soul at the end of that explanation as if to correct it. I decided to ignore it since it wasn't Serafall's.
"Of course the two of you would put those things on the same level."
"Quality porn is serious business. It's really scary and non-sexy hardcore stuff. Have you seen what the Devil and Fallen Adult industry behind the scenes is like? The annual body count is insane." Issei tilted his head in confusion.
No. And I personally didn't want to.
"Getting back on topic," Rias sighed, "Do we have any other viable plans we could implement?"
"I would like to add that the Angel Faction is willing to provide covert support." Michael raised his hand. "After all, the dragon, Ophis, intends to threaten Emiya's friends which no doubt includes both Xenovia and Irina. While we cannot get openly involved in a civil war in the Underworld, we also will not deny aid to one of our own when they're being threatened. Not to mention, we're in your debt now."
"At this point it would be unwise to turn down any help we can get." Sona acknowledged. "Alright, let us try coming up with a plan that involves your help as well."
Some Time Later
We talked for a couple hours about possible plans and scenarios we might come up against regarding what could be seen as our most difficult challenge yet. Our Peerages managed to think up a few viable options, but nothing was concrete until Red Dragon Emperor Issei woke up.
It really was the longest any of us had seen him sleep in general, but we didn't think much about it. We just chalked it up to exhaustion.
This left me with one major problem I needed to deal with at the moment and currently she was outside, just on the other side of the door I'd been staring at for the last couple of minutes.
"What's wrong, Onii-chan?"
"Oh." I turned to see my sister with a—was that a Berserker doll in her arms?! "Hi Illya, is everything alright?"
"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about." She informed, clutching the doll. "You've been staring at that door for five minutes."
"It's just…" I breathed out a sigh. "I know Serafall doesn't want me to see her like that."
"Only because she thinks you won't like her anymore." Illya reminded. "I know she's confessed and told you how much she loves you."
"She never should've been worried about that." I looked down at the floor, "I wouldn't—"
"Are you sure?" My sister tilted her head cutely. "You don't want to get along with Sirzechs because you saw his scary form, right?"
Scary form?
"That's different." I defended. "When I saw the monster underneath—"
"You decided there was no possible way you'd ever be able to fully trust him." Illya finished for me. "And it's true, Devils are horrible creatures in most cases. But you reached out to them anyway, agreed to Sera-nee's terms because you believed in them, right?"
"Illya, I was giving my life for you when I did that." I reminded. "I had no idea what it would lead to."
"That unknown didn't cause you to hesitate, now did it?" The white-haired girl countered. "So why are you hesitating now?"
"This is about how I really feel about her, isn't it?" I realized.
"Yeah." Illya nodded sadly. "You know Sera-nee's going to ask, don't you? After her confession she never got a straight answer out of you. But now that she's been forced to show you the kind of being she actually is, the only thing on her mind is what happens between you two now? So, are you hesitating because you know your answer is going to hurt her, or because you know the answer you're going to give is a lie?"
"Illya, the one I love," I clenched my fist, "The one I loved was back in the Holy Grail War."
"And what would Artoria want you to do?!" She barked. "After all the time it took you to let go of what happened in the Great Fuyuki Fire, are you really just going to replace that with her?"
"You don't know what you're talking about." I frowned.
"Don't I, Shirou?" She hugged the Berserker doll tighter. Damn, she was using my name. "Do you think I just replaced Hercules with Kara-chan? Sure, they give off a similar aura and I even call her Berserker, but our relationship isn't the same. He was devoted to me, wanted to protect me, those were his only goals and aspirations. But Kara-chan has her own ambitions, her own past, her own life that she's chosen to share with me. No one will replace the void left by my Berserker, but that doesn't mean a new person in my life can't make me just as happy."
"So you think it's that easy for me to just let her go?" I asked, unable to meet her eye.
Illya shook her head. "You don't have to let her go, Onii-chan. You don't have to stop loving her. Just… don't use her as another excuse not to be happy. I know you want to keep being a hero, but you don't always have to sacrifice your own happiness to do it. Please, just be honest about your feelings and stop acting like Artoria is gonna show up and smite you or something like that."
Tears had begun to slowly fall down her cheeks as she said this. Well, I couldn't just say no to that.
I sighed before kneeling down to look her in the eye. "Alright." I finally agreed after a moment. "I'll go out there and talk to her. Sorry your Onii-chan keeps worrying you so much, but you know how stubborn he can be."
I wiped away the tears falling down her face. "I know." Illya smiled. "I just want you to remember there are people still here who love you very much."
"I will." I nodded before standing up and taking a deep breath. Then, I pushed open the door and headed outside. The back of the house was something of a forested area. Not a large one but large enough to hold a get-together which, I guess, had been happening quite a bit recently.
And out there, in the middle of the backyard was Serafall. She was still in her True Form, a result of being so weakened during the battle that she couldn't transform back into her usual form just yet. At least, that was the theory so far. She was curled up on the ground with Asia next to her, applying her healing Sacred Gear.
"Shi-chan." She opened her eyes as I approached. "How are you feeling?"
Okay, even I had to admit it was a little weird hearing Serafall's sing-song voice coming out of the current form she was in. But I wisely chose not to comment on that and instead answered her question.
"I had a concussion which has subsided." I began. "And a few bruises. Part of me suspects Ophis didn't want to mark me up too badly. She seems to think any serious injury will keep me from making the best meals that I can."
"Well I never saw you making meals in a wheelchair." Serafall let out a small giggle. "And I recall that Sakura girl had to help you out for a bit when you got that injury pre-Holy Grail War."
"More like she insisted on helping me out." I rubbed the back of my head.
"Does this mean persistent women are your weakness?" Asia turned and wiggled her eyebrows at me.
"They are not and no, Asia, I am still forbidding you from wearing those shirts." I deadpanned.
"Phooey." The healer pouted before focusing on her work again.
"Anyway, I'm more concerned about you." I didn't hide my expression of worry. "Any permanent injuries?"
"No." Serafall shook her head weakly. "That snake wore off like Ophis said it would. I'm just spent right now and everything hurts. Still, I guess I should consider myself lucky if I got away this intact against the Dragon of Infinity."
"We should all consider ourselves lucky." I crossed my arms. "We're working on a new plan to deal with her and it looks like it's going to depend on me and the other Issei to see it through."
"I hate that we're down to almost basically giving her what she wants." The magical girl Maou sighed, though it came out as more of a snort due to her current form.
"We won't." I assured her with a clenched fist. "We'll figure something out. There's still a lot I want to do as a hero here, and as your Queen."
"Asia-chan," her eyes shifted to my Bishop. "Could you give us a moment alone for a bit?"
"Huh, but I'm not done healing… oh, oh yeah I can give you two a moment alone." She giggled sinisterly before slinking off into the shadows.
"It's times like this that make me remember both of my Bishops are evil to one degree or another." I sighed. "But I guess I've only got myself to blame for picking them out in the first place."
"Lost souls have a habit of finding their way to you." Serafall gave a reptilian smile. "I should know. Despite my demeanor my own heart was frozen until I met you. But, what does your heart say about me right now?"
"You think I hate seeing you in this form?" I looked to the side. "But it's different with you than it is with Sirzechs. Despite being a Devil, you've been nothing but honest with me ever since the day we met. Sure, you'd tell a lie from time to time to mess with me, but you never lied to me with malicious intent. Where others might have seen me as a useful weapon for them to wield, you recognized my desire to be a hero and tried to help me fulfill it."
"How could I not?" Serafall snorted. "Yours is a beautiful soul, the kind I've only seen once before. But make no mistake, I didn't make you my Queen to serve as a replacement for what I'd lost. Nothing can ever replace that. Instead, I found someone to bring new happiness into my life."
"It sounds like Illya's been talking to you." I rubbed the back of my head. "She said something similar to me. I've had a lot to think about recently, especially now that Ophis is threatening everyone. Illya put it into perspective for me and now, I think I can make sense of something I felt out on the battlefield today."
"And what's that?" I could tell she was trying not to sound too hopeful with that question.
"Up until now, I had little reason to worry about what might happen to you." I began. "You're one of the four strongest Devils in the Underworld. The list of people who could realistically threaten you barely reaches into the double digits. But today, I was confronted with the real possibility of what I'd do if I lost you." I reached out gingerly and put a hand on her reptilian cheek. "I realized that… losing you terrifies me."
"You've always been the kind of person terrified of losing people." She closed her eyes and leaned into my hand. "That caring nature is part of the reason I fell for you."
"It's different with you." I shook my head. "when I consider that Artoria is gone and never coming back, I finally asked myself the question: who's made me feel the happiest? I thought of you and how you've been driving me insane ever since I got here. I know now it wasn't just because of all the ridiculous shenanigans you got me into. You drive me crazy, Serafall Leviathan, because you've been making me fall in love with you this whole time."
There. I said it.
"Oh Shi-chan!" Her form changed suddenly as the now human Serafall leapt forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. We stood like that for several moments as tears of joy spilled from her eyes. It seemed part of the reason she had still been in her True Form was due to her wondering about my reaction to it. "I know I don't need to say it, but I love you too!" She pecked me on the lips. "My only regret is you didn't confess to me before the loli Dragon of Infinity shoved her tongue down your throat."
"Devil's luck." I shrugged. "Our lives are like a supernatural drama sometimes."
"Well let's work on getting back at the little bitch." Serafall giggled maniacally. "And I need to get on the phone with my merchandising department."
"Why's that?" I dared to ask.
"Because now we can do a crossover with God of War." She smirked. "Don't think I didn't recognize those moves out there."
"Making my life anything but boring." I couldn't help but smile. "Yep, you're definitely feeling better. Now, let's hatch a plan."
Omake: Try These Moves
"What is this supposed to be?" I asked while examining the game I'd been given.
"God of War." Otherworld Issei informed me. "I think you could learn something from it. Mix in a little Berserker with your Archer now that you actually have the power to back it up. Mid-range combat and visceral brutality at its best."
"You know my Tracing ability doesn't work on weapons that don't exist, right?" I reminded him in a deadpan voice while looking at the cover to see a rather angry-looking man with muscles, chains, and two cruel-looking swords. Oh, and blood.
Judging from the symbols and architecture in the background, it was a Greek setting. Of course it had to be the Greeks.
"Just give it a try, it's a great game." He assured, "Ghost swears by it all the time. Besides, I already put an order in with Ajuka to make you some magic chains to play with."
"Sweet! I've been trying to get him to play with chains for months!" Serafall shouted in the background.
"And now I have to play the game if I'm going to get any context on that, aren't I?" I asked dryly.
"You won't regret it, honest." He responded. "And I got my own copy so you can keep that one if you want."
"Either Kuroka or Gasper will likely wind up playing this more." I shrugged. "But fine."
His evil laugh made me rethink my statement, and I decided that it was probably for the best if I hid this particular gift away from their reach for the time being.
As the Red Dragon Emperor turned to leave, however, he was confronted by a pouting Illya.
"How come only Onii-chan gets a cool game?" She crossed her arms.
"A game for the murder loli, huh?" Issei pulled his hand out from behind his back to reveal multiples games. "How about several? Every route in the main Fate/Stay Night route timeline plus a couple others."
"Every route?" Illya repeated. I noticed her studying one labeled "Fate/Zero".
"That's right, the routes that were finalized at least. A couple had to be cut from the final product due to financial restrictions." His tone became conspiratorial. "You can see the girls your brother wound up with, and all the ways he could've died, including the nails-in-the-head death. Have fun, Tiny Murder Machine."
"Really?" Devil horns popped out of Illya's head as she giggled mischievously. "I think that'll do nicely."
For reasons unknown to me at the time, I got a serious chill down my spine, like someone had just spilled a bunch of my dirty secrets to one of the worst people possible.
Issei noticed my reaction and waved me off. "Relax. At least I didn't give her the Extella timeline games. That's an entirely different nightmare altogether."
"The Extella games?"
He gave me a flat stare. "The entrenched fandom has a few sayings that everyone lives by but also treats as a joke. One of them is 'We don't talk about the moon.'"
Welp, I'm sold.
"There are others?" Illya asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Sure: 'Blame Zelretch'; 'Oh my God, they killed Lancer you Bastards'; 'Don't wake The Spider'; 'Hunger is the enemy.'"
Wait a second. One of them sounded vastly less amusing than the others. "Wait, what was that last one?"
"Hunger is the enemy?"
"No, the one before that."
"Don't wake The Spider?"
"The spider?" Illya frowned in confusion. "Wait, are you actually talking about…"
"Don't. Wake. The Spider." The Dragon's face turned stone serious. "EVER."
My shivers doubled, and I decided to stop asking questions.
Illya did too.
Yeah that's right, he said it, he said the words. Now Shirou's not-so-boring life is about to enter another amusing stage, but first they need to deal with a certain loli of infinity. But we'll get to that next chapter so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And stop by my Pat reon for news and other cool tidbits! Last thing, drop by next time as our heroes figure out how to deal with one of the most powerful beings in the universe! 'Til then.