Foreign Blacksmith of the Abyssal Seas
DISCLAIMER: Fate Stay/Night belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon, while Azur Lane belongs to Yostar. I do not claim credit for either of their works.
Prologue: Washed Away
Senji Muramasa, Servant Class Alter Ego and Disciple of the Foreign God, could only reminisce about recent events as he slowly descended into the planet's inner sea, heading towards the sky furnace.
All in order to fulfill his final task as a Servant.
It all started when his master, the Foreign God, gave him an order following the events of the Fifth Lostbelt, the Greek Lostbelt. His objective in the Sixth Lostbelt, the English Lostbelt, was straightforward: assassinate this Lostbelt's king, the Fairy Queen Morgan. He infiltrated the castle where the queen resided, fighting through countless guards and even confronting Tam Lins like Gawain and Tristan. Everything was proceeding smoothly until another Tam Lin intervened, defeated him, and threw him into the Great Pit below the castle.
Miraculously, he survived both the fight and the fall into the Great Pit. In his battle against Tam Lin Lancelot, which lasted only about ten seconds, Lancelot managed to strike his Spiritual Core several times. He believed a normal Servant would have died twelve times over. However, thanks to being tempered by the Alien God, he narrowly escaped death.
The tempering by the Alien God.
This tempering involved becoming fused with several Divine Spirits, which altered his Servant Class Origin. The divine spirits that were mixed into his Saint Graph were a blind god of war named Höðr and the other, his dearest aspiration—the wielder of Kusanagi, Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
After that, a lot happened, literally. Severely injured and exhausted, he managed to crawl out of the Great Pit within three days. His memories were temporarily erased when he wandered into the nameless forest. After leaving the forest, he spent time as a blacksmith, where his feats of strength were witnessed. He was then captured and sold at auction as a slave by Muryan, the last member of the Wing Clan in Fairy Britain. It was during this time that he recovered his memories, and Muryan attempted to convince him to become hers, which he rejected.
Chaldea then appeared, buying him out of the auction where he had been sold as a "potential Child of Prophecy," as absurd as it may have sounded. He later proposed a truce and an alliance to defeat Morgan, which they gladly accepted.
From that point, his journey with Chaldea unfolded, with each of them having their own objectives that coincided with his.
That's why Muramasa was now in the Inner Sea of the World, where he believed his "duty" as a Servant would finally come to an end.
He stood at a distance, watching a young girl forge her weapon.
...
The young girl had a solemn expression on her face; she was the vessel needed to complete the forging of a stronger Holy Sword.
She was deeply immersed, not even registering his presence as he slowly approached her. Muramasa could see that the young girl's fingertips were
glowing—no, burning.
"I'm glad... this will definitely be an excellent blade," the young girl murmured with a serene smile. "Like a beacon in a tempest. A shining star that won't be defeated by any evil on Earth."
Muramasa decided not to interrupt her soliloquy. At this moment, the girl was laying bare her feelings, thoughts, and very essence. It would be rude to disrupt her... at least, not yet.
"—A sword that isn't mine, from a place that isn't here. A sword bearing the wishes of the masses and hope for their happiness. A sword that can hold her head high at the Site of Selection, and become the saber fit to stay by your side," the girl paused briefly, closing her eyes. "Aah, I'm so glad. As Caster, the fairy of paradise, I may not have spring memories... But as Altria, as myself, I have such memories of my wonderful journey."
Light began to envelop the young girl's body, but she continued to speak for Muramasa to hear. As her body faded, it was clear that she had completed her task. With this holy blade in hand, she would fulfill her duty as the Faerie of Paradise, Avalon le Fae.
Time was running out.
"I don't have a body of my own anymore. Forging the Holy Sword, the mission of the Fairy of Paradise has come to an end. My journey as Caster ends here." Her voice was tranquil as the light grew stronger. "And that's fine; I haven't come this far because I wanted to die..."
With those words, the young girl was in the final stages of forging the Holy Sword and opened her eyes.
"—But… I just wanted to know… That light I saw, I wish I could have found out what it was."
That light I've seen all my life. The light that's seen me all my life. I've been trying to understand it, and I knew I wouldn't be complete until I did; that's what kept me going throughout this journey...
"But alas, I thought I'd find out somewhere on my pilgrimage, but in the end, I never did."
At this point, Muramasa took another step forward; it was finally time for him to fulfill his final task.
This young girl, Altria, still had a bigger role to play, and Muramasa would not allow her to be left out of the big picture.
That's why...
"That would be my only regret—"
...he chose this path of sacrifice.
"Yeah? Can't end things yet, can you?"
"Huh…? What are you doing here?"
What are you doing here?
Why are you saying things like that?
Why did you intervene?
Those were probably some of the questions forming in the young girl's mind at that moment. Muramasa merely chuckled and gave her his signature smile.
"What do you mean, what I'm doing here? Who else is going to forge this sword? Isn't that a swordsmith's job?" Muramasa then frowned slightly. "Who do you think I am? My whole life has been about making blades that can cut through bonds, fate, causality, and destiny, and slice through the idea of karma itself. I'm Senji Muramasa!"
"..."
Regaining his grin, he continued, "Come on, move aside and get out of here. You've already brought the iron; now let the swordsmith do his job."
Yes, the components required for forging this new Holy Sword had been obtained. All that remained was the "sacrifice" needed to complete it.
"Oho, so this is the Sky Furnace of the Inner Sea of the Planet, huh? Heh, you can feel the heat just by getting close to it! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Muramasa commented as Altria stood in silence, trying to convey several words but unable to.
"This right here? This is a job worth doing. My thanks, Altria," he smiled at her, who remained in silent shock at his intrusion. "Being your bodyguard wasn't a bad gig, but you know, a tiger can't change its stripes. This is much more my kind of work," he then summoned his conceptualized hammer and moved to the forge, observing and analyzing the blade he would work with.
"If I had a say in it, I'd choose a searing forge over escort duty any day of the week."
Simply put, the blade he would forge would be in a league of its own.
Muramasa grinned.
'...I will be the framework that supports the completion of this blade.'
At that point, Muramasa understood that this might be the sole reason he was in this Lostbelt. This job was his to take.
He suddenly felt a déjà vu, which sent a chill down his spine.
"Really, this is more suited for me."
CLANG!
With a single strike, he felt his arms burn and ignite in flames.
It was painful.
It was agonizing.
It was excruciating.
Nonetheless, Muramasa ignored it. Before his eyes was a blade that needed to be forged solely by his hands. This pain wouldn't dissuade or discourage him from continuing to strike and finish the blade.
"No! I mean, I'm happy, but no...! It'll turn you to ash, Muramasa...!"
Muramasa knew full well what he was getting into. Every swordsmith, every sane person, would understand that the endeavor he was about to undertake would consume him completely.
Many would be reluctant to take on such a task, but Muramasa was different.
"Yes, that's how it should be."
His pride, both as a Servant and a Swordsmith, wouldn't let him stop here.
"Oh, bring it on!"
"Striking the metal is the one true desire of a smith, and if it's a divine forge, then it's worth burning my life up!"
So he would gladly take this challenge head-on.
"Of course this thing is burning me up, and besides, a forge is supposed to be hot! Even if my Spirit Origin goes up in flames, it won't stop me from striking!"
CLANG!
SHHAAA—!
With that strike, his right arm finally broke down and was reduced to ashes, but Muramasa didn't care. He had another hand as a spare.
"There we go. It's coming along nicely. The basic shape is all set. Now, what's left is to temper it."
CLANG!
SHHAAA—!
Once again, his left arm followed right after his right, burning and turning to ashes.
But this was enough.
It was time to take the final steps.
"Stop! I told you it's—wait, why am I floating?!" Altria exclaimed, only now noticing the phenomenon that had already been underway for several seconds.
"Oh? I took over the job for you. You're in the way now, so you're being kicked out," Muramasa stated simply, much to her shock. "See you, Child of Prophecy."
"—!"
"I have more iron than I need for this sword, so I don't need to use it all here, right? Especially if you still have unfinished business. I could use this power for the final finishing touch, but I want you to take it for yourself."
"But you will..."
"I told you, I already know. Besides, speaking of jobs, this will be the end of mine with you. You bought my life, so isn't it only natural that I pay you back with it, right?"
"That bill was settled a long time ago! You're from the outside world, Muramasa! You're Ritsuka's enemy!" Altria shouted back, desperation in her voice. "You have nothing to do with Britain! Isn't your real job supposed to come after this!?"
That's right. That was how it was supposed to be. But not anymore.
To be honest, Muramasa was kind of touched by the care she was showing towards him. This human vessel of his resonated with her. He wondered if this human vessel had some kind of connection to Altria.
But that would be a question left unanswered given how things were progressing, and that was a shame.
"Yeah, this way I don't have to face the Alien God! I'll probably never see it again!" Muramasa grinned as he replied. "Well, it's not your problem. I like it as much as you do, young lady."
"...!"
The completion of this blade was within reach.
"This was how it was supposed to go from the beginning. But what the hell..."
Looking back, this Lostbelt had been quite overwhelming for a mere blacksmith like him. Muramasa could now feel that it would take no longer than several seconds until his Saint Graph collapsed.
"Ah..."
With this, the sacrifice needed to complete this weapon had been met.
Altria, the Child of Prophecy, could only solemnly stare at his fading figure as he slowly merged with the blade.
In his final moments, Muramasa closed his eyes. Soon, his senses would fade away. Technically, he would perish as the Servant of the Foreign God, not that he liked working with her. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but you can't choose who your master is. So all he could do was complete the tasks assigned to him by the Foreign God, whether he liked it or not.
This was still within the orders of the Foreign God, if you think about it.
Now, the Holy Sword only needed one more push to be finished.
CLANG!
"I'm sorry I never got to make you that barrette."
At the next moment, his vision was filled with white.
O-o-O-o-O
It was weird.
Muramasa knew he shouldn't be conscious or capable of forming thoughts after what he had done. Yet, here he was, in his mindscape—probably unconscious on the outside—forming such thoughts internally.
Was this a side effect of merging himself to complete that blade?
Perhaps.
But he couldn't be sure.
Anyway—
SPLASH!
'...'
That was certainly out of place. By some odd chance, he retained his bodily senses even though he had fused himself with the blade. He also clearly heard splashes—splashes of water. He could feel the cold sensation on his body.
What the hell is going on?
...
...
...
...Maybe he was hallucinating. Or perhaps someone was playing with his senses. Or maybe Altria, as a sword, was dripping him with water to clean it or something.
...
Anyway, that was a stupid thought—
SPLASH!
Or not.
'...what?'
That was definitely cold water. He could also discern it as saltwater, or seawater, from its scent and touch.
However, he couldn't understand why seawater was something he could feel in the afterlife.
No, he should stop kidding himself.
He wasn't dead—at least, not yet. That should explain why he could still feel his senses returning.
Now, Muramasa just needed to—
SPLASH—!
And with that, something snapped in his head.
Damned waves.
"...damn it! Can't you stop dumping water on my face!"
No reply came back.
All that followed was the usual sound of waves crashing where he was located.
"Ah..."
The realization soon dawned on Muramasa that this was no dream or hallucination. Moreover, he was in a state of bewilderment as he realized that his body was still intact. His arms, which should've been reduced to dust to forge that blade, were surprisingly back—though they were black, like scorched charcoal.
His spirit origin was another story.
This crucial component to a Servant's well-being was now on the verge of collapse.
Even now, Muramasa could feel phantom pain every time he moved. How irritating, but it was something he could endure.
"...heh. Miracles like this tend to happen at the most unexpected times... I can't help but wonder why."
Muramasa then started to regain his composure and took in his surroundings. He was on a shore. Instead of sand, as one might expect, he was on a flat expanse of rock.
"What an odd place."
Everything about this place was odd. The skies were gray, as if a storm was brewing, but Muramasa would likely deny that statement. His instincts screamed at him that no storm was brewing above. The sea was devoid of life. He expected at least a small fish or two within a hundred meters, but there was nothing.
It was as if this was a dead sea...no, rather, this place felt artificial in some way.
His instincts simply stated so.
"...I need to conserve my strength...or maybe I could just wait for my death here..." Muramasa muttered as he let out an exasperated sigh.
With that, he laid back down. Every Servant needs a source to support their existence in the mortal plane. This could come in many forms, such as natural leylines, a Master, or something else that could function as a source. There might be some exceptions, but that wasn't the case for Muramasa.
At this moment, Muramasa could still feel his connection to the Foreign God, as faint as it was. It was like a thread ready to snap at any moment.
This meant he was sent somewhere that miraculously saved him from his supposed end in Avalon.
However, nothing would change. His imminent death was just around the corner if he continued in his current state.
Still, Muramasa couldn't help but ponder.
"Seriously... what the hell is going on?"
Had he been transported somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean? Moreover, his transportation to this place remained a mystery. Muramasa easily concluded that the Foreign God had no involvement in this. After all, there was no benefit for the Foreign God to do this, and even if there were, he doubted it would.
The Foreign God, as far as he could remember, should be in South America, where the seventh Lostbelt was located. It should be busy with its plans to acquire a stable vessel or something. Muramasa could only wonder.
Back to the point. He was receiving only a minuscule amount of energy. It was not enough to support his existence. It couldn't even heal his already collapsing body.
"Maybe that's for the best..."
That was until someone tore open space several meters ahead of him, bringing his senses to high alert. He sprang into action, leaping away and creating distance, his gaze fixed on the new arrival.
"Oh my, oh my! I thought it was just my radar messing with me, which is unlikely, but still possible. But look what I found~"
A melodious voice, filled with joy and curiosity, reached him. It didn't take a second for Muramasa's head to turn toward the newcomer.
One glance was enough for him to realize that this girl—no, this creature—was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"To be completely frank, I didn't expect to see any life form here except my kind. Moreover, a human...? No, you're different..."
Muramasa's brow slightly arched. What exactly was this thing? It was a weapon. It didn't take long for him to discern the nature of this creature. As a blacksmith, he recognized a weapon when he saw one. This was a state-of-the-art weapon that Proper Human History could not conceive with their current technology. His brief analysis revealed how extraordinary this weapon was.
A living weapon. A humanoid weapon.
If he was right, perhaps the Greek Lostbelt, specifically Hephaestus, could create something similar or even better with their resources and technology.
"Oh? You can't answer? Are you frightened, perhaps? As expected, you humans—or at least, those resembling humans—have a 99.7% chance of showing such a reaction when faced with us, fufufu," the woman giggled, her words tinged with a hint of disappointment. "Just as the data samples predicted."
"Scared? Not really."
Muramasa wasn't scared of the creature before him. Instead, he was intrigued by her and the unfolding situation.
"What an interesting answer~!" The creature's grin vanished, replaced by an indifferent expression. "Name: Unknown. Age: Unknown. Affiliation: Unknown. Identity: Unknown. Race: Human(?), Tentative Evaluation... Error? Huh, Unknown?"
The creature tilted her head as she continued to rattle off information, most of which ended with "unknown." After a minute of this, she asked with her previous cheerfulness returning.
"We have no information about you. Why are you here? How did you even arrive in this Mirror Sea?" She tilted her head again, her eyes flashing momentarily. "Hm hm. I've been reviewing our data, but there's no record of how someone could enter this place, let alone you breaking in, which should be impossible."
This creature resembled a young woman, with white hair and yellow eyes that seemed mechanical. Her appearance exuded an exotic glamour and futuristic theme, with large mechanical extensions ranging from cannons to metal constructs.
Despite her appearance, Muramasa could tell that she saw him as nothing more than an object to analyze.
The underlying hostility beneath her cheerful façade was clear to Muramasa.
"How strange... You are certainly no human. I can tell. There's no record of humans like you in the Data Terminal."
Mirror Sea.
Data Terminal.
These were the terms the creature used to describe this place. The Data Terminal might hold information that could help Muramasa understand why he was here.
He needed that information, no matter how small.
To get it, however...
"This old man can't seem to catch a break, can he?"
The creature looked at him curiously. "Hm? Old man? You don't look old; rather, you look
exceptionally young. It's not nice to lie, you know~?"
"I know what I said," Muramasa sighed. "Forget it."
"That would be troublesome~ Any data acquired could be useful in one way or another!"
The creature snapped her fingers.
It was then that Muramasa felt it: another rift formed not far from him, revealing a ship of some sort. It was a black vessel with red lines glowing like veins.
"Fufufu. Ah~ Great timing. Zero just entered this dimension as well! What a coincidence, I say. Introducing you to her will surely provoke some reaction from her ever-expressionless face!" The creature laughed, almost creepily, before turning and gesturing for Muramasa to join her on the deck. "You wouldn't mind coming with me without resistance, right?"
"..."
Muramasa raised an eyebrow and sighed in resignation. Given the circumstances—being weakened and exhausted—he knew resistance would be futile. Therefore, his response to the creature's inquiry was obvious.
"Your answer? Non-human?"
Non-human? What a strange label.
"Do I even have a choice?"
Muramasa felt foolish for asking such a question.
"Yes~! Either follow me meekly, or resist and be dragged to Zero's presence forcefully!" the creature offered with a smile. "Good set of options, right?"
"Alright, I'll follow you," Muramasa said quickly, raising his hands in a feigned surrender.
He was in no condition to fight. Even if he tried, the outcome wouldn't change due to his exhaustion.
"Eh~? I expected we'd fight first before I dragged you to Zero... Oh dear, my calculation program seems to be malfunctioning lately."
The creature pouted and muttered about how boring it was. Muramasa didn't care about her complaints but noted her earlier statements.
"Also, don't call me Non-human. It feels... irksome. I'm an Alter Ego Class Servant, Senji Muramasa. You can also call me a blacksmith," he introduced himself.
Normally, he would have hesitated before revealing his name and class to a creature like this. Yet, he proceeded. The urge to learn more about this weapon outweighed his caution.
Heaving a resigned sigh, he continued, "Do you have a name I could address you by?"
"Eh~? Alter Ego? Servant? Blacksmith? What peculiar classifications... Or is that your race? Servant? How strange. You don't seem like one of those Royal Navy insects with a fetish for maids. Senji Muramasa, though—that name resembles those from the Sakura Empire."
The creature licked her lips, which made Muramasa frown.
"Oh, how rude of me. You can address me as Observer Alpha~ Nice to meet you, Senji Muramasa~!" The creature—Observer Alpha—bowed with false courtesy. "I'm disappointed, though. I expected this would somehow escalate into a fight."
"What the hell? Are you a warmonger or something?"
"Fufufu. What the hell indeed," the creature repeated, amused. "And I am a closet war freak...? So your guess is correct~!"
"Seriously?"
"Yes~ Let's move quickly, shall we? Time is running out~!" The creature called out, adding in a whisper that Muramasa nonetheless heard, "Well, we could manipulate time to an extent to turn the tides in our favor anyway."
Better to ask about that later.
Besides, this creature—or the one she calls Zero—might be connected to this 'Data Terminal' and hold information about why he was in this 'Mirror Sea.'
Also, Sakura Empire? Royal Navy?
To him, this sounded like an alternate dimension of Imperial Japan and modern Britain. If his assumptions were correct, he might have been flung into an alternate dimension.
How? Why?
Muramasa had no clue.
He had simply been washed here after finishing that blade.
"Such misfortune..."
Muttering that phrase, he followed the creature onto the deck, scratching his head.
It seemed that this old man still couldn't catch a break.
AN: This is written a few months before the official LB6 English Translation came out. So if you notice the difference in the dialogue, that would be because I used the Fan Translation that came years before the official English release. Still, I tried to fix some of them to give better clarity. Changing Fairy Knights to Tam Lins, fixing several dialogues, etc.
Well, tis was a chapter that was left alone here in the drafts section for quite some time now. Might as well release it to receive some feedback to further improve my writing.
Edit 1: Regarding about those who were confused if this was a Kancolle fic due to the use of "Abyssal Sea" term in the title, that would be my slight mistake. In Azur Lane, there is this Zones called Abyssal Zones in Operation Siren. Sure, the correct term for the seas should still be Mirror Seas, but Abyssal Seas sounds better and more apt for those that are in the Abyssal Zones in my opinion. Anyway, thanks for pointing this out.
Edit 2: Thanks for FabledLife in the review section for giving some clarification. I would admit that I was confused as well about the term of "Prana". I blame myself for reading too many Fate Fanfics for that xD. Anyway, I kind of followed his suggestion and edited that part for a bit. Thanks for pointing this out.
Edit 3: For those who are also wondering, some Characters Tags are still not updated here from. I would like to add several more, but they don't exist here in, so yeah.
Edit 4: Edited grammar typos.
Edit 5: Fixed wrong spellings that I had only realized after taking a good look on it. I blame my auto-correct function for not doing its job lmao.
Edit 6: Story flow revisions.
Anyway, follow, favorite, and review!
Next Update: A Viper's Star.